Save Me (Ken “Draken” Ryuguji) 06 – Different

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 "My bad habits lead to wide eyes, stare into space, and I know I lose control of the things that I say. I was lookin' for a way out, now I can't escape. Nothin' happens after two, it's true, it's true. My bad habits lead to you." Ed Sheeran feat. Bring Me The Horizon - Bad Habits

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I hid behind the giant concrete pillar, watching as the two stopped at the top of the steps. A large group of guys was gathered at the bottom of the stairs, all wearing white shirts and black pants. I knew it was a fuckin' cult. Only cults wear the same shit!

They were gathered around two guys, one small and one huge and… jesus, what the fuck happened to his face? It's swollen, changing his skin to a sickly purple, blood dripping from his mouth and various cuts across his face. His left eye was so swollen he couldn't even open it and yet he was still standing, facing the bigger guy down. What the fuck…

"If you wanna win," the smaller guy spoke, his voice strained with pain. Why did he sound so familiar? "You have no choice but to kill me."

Oi, oi. Is this guy fuckin' nuts?

The big guy slowly started to advance toward him, a metal bat in his hand. He's really gonna do it… he's gonna kill this guy and no one's gonna do anything!

"Oi, Kiyomasa." Draken's voice rang out over the silent crowd, causing all heads to turn toward him. "You're losing the audience."

"Good afternoon, leader!" one of the men cried, quickly bowing with his hands on his knees.

"Good afternoon!" They chorused, all scrambling to make a path for the two as they started down the stairs, everyone bowing at the waist.

Just who the fuck are these two that they can command so much power? These guys look terrified, but the admiration and respect is clear as day.

As they reached the bottom of the steps, the big guy quickly hid the bat behind his back and bowed. Is he stupid? As if they're not going to see it! Speaking of seeing… I used the fact that everyone's attention is on so I could move closer.

Draken stopped in front of the big guy, staring him down before delivering a fast kick to his gut, causing the guy to bend nearly in half as he clutched his stomach. Holy shit, for such a big guy, he's fast.

"That's how low you should bow when greeting the leader," Draken stated, his voice like ice. It sent a shiver down my spine. I've never heard him speak like that and it honestly scared the fuck out of me.

"Yes, sir," coughed out the big guy.

Draken picked up the bat off the ground, resting it against the back of the guy's neck and I swallowed hard, digging my nails into the wall. He… he's not going to… to kill him, is he?

"There's a place in the head that you can hit with a big strike, but I haven't tested it with a weapon," Draken explained, lifting the bat and bringing it back down to rest across his neck. "Want me to try it?" He brought the bat to his shoulder before swinging it just above his head, making the guy flinch and cry out. The sheer sound of the bat going through the air… it really would kill him!

"No, I'm so sorry!"

I looked away, feeling my stomach twisting into knots. Was I about to witness a murder? My eyes fell on the shorter guy and that feeling of familiarity returned. His face was fucked, but… I took a couple steps closer and my eyes widened. H-Hanagaki?! So he did come back… just to get killed?

Mikey's gaze fell on Hanagaki and my blood ran cold. The second he started to approach the blonde, I darted forward before my mind could even process what I was doing. I shoved my way through the throng of men still bowing at the waist.

"Wait! Don't hurt him!"

Draken intercepted me, putting his body between me and Mikey, his hand grabbing my shoulder firmly, the other one still holding onto the bat. I didn't have to look into his eyes to know he was angry. "I told you to stay put! Why didn't you listen to me?"

"Please, Mikey!" I cried, trying to get past Draken but his grip was firm. Mikey paused, probably because it was the first time I said his name. He glanced at me before continuing toward Hanagaki whose legs gave out from under him, sending him to the ground. I could honestly relate - my legs were shaking something fierce and I was already cursing myself for what I had done, but… I couldn't just leave him be!

"What's your name?" Mikey questioned.

"Hanagaki… Takemichi."

"I see. Takemitchy, huh?" He squatted down in front of him and I tried to move forward, but Draken squeezed my shoulders.

He was angry, his eyes narrowed at me and his voice low. "You should have listened to me, Jae."

I swallowed hard, my breath catching in my throat when he said my name. Was he going to kill me for disobeying him?

"Takemitchy," Mikey repeated, a playful lilt to his voice. "From now on, you're my pal, okay?"

"Huh?" Hanagaki and I chorused, looking at the leader with confusion.

Draken half turned toward them, keeping his hand firmly on my shoulder. "If Mikey says so, then that's what it is. Right? Takemitchy." He then stood up and turned around, his eyes scanning the crowd. "So, who's the one running this gambling joint?"

Without hesitation, everyone pointed to the big guy still bent over. If I wasn't so scared, I'd probably have laughed. Even Hanagaki was pointing at him repeatedly!

Mikey turned toward the big guy who panicked and pointed at the closest person. Did he really think that was going to work after everyone had indicated him?

"Oi!" The guy cried angrily, glaring at the guy he had pointed at, but the guy didn't drop his hand nor did he make any move to save him. "Oi!"

Sticking his dorayaki in his mouth, Mikey did a cartwheel, kicking the guy twice in the face with such force that he fell to the ground, unconscious.

My body tensed up and I tried to take a step back. Draken moved his hand from my shoulder to my back, his arm stopping me from backing away, his fingers pressing into my skin through the t-shirt. These guys are seriously fucked… why didn't I listen to my instincts, to begin with?!

"Fighting rings are stupid," Mikey muttered.

"Don't ruin Toman's reputation!" Draken snapped at the crowd, his voice so loud that I flinched.

"We're sorry!" The group chorused, bowing even lower.

All of a sudden, Mikey screamed like a little girl, startling the group and making me jump, trying to back away again. Damn it, if Draken doesn't let go of me… I gotta get away from these guys!

"What's the matter, leader?!" one of the guys cried and the group all rushed toward him, kneeling on the ground and looking up at him as if he were their king.

"Kenchin… I dropped my dorayaki." Mikey pointed to the fallen cake on the ground, sounding like he was about to cry.

"You can still eat it!" one of the men cried. "The three-second rule!"

It's totally been more than three seconds, idiot!

Draken leaned down to my ear, his voice low. "Don't move." And then he stepped forward to take Mikey's jacket from one of the men, handing it over to Mikey. "Don't call me that, okay?"

Without Draken restricting my movement, I turned on my heel and rushed over to Hanagaki, falling to my knees beside him, my hands hovering in the air. What the fuck do I even do? Surely this can only be helped through the hospital! "Jesus fuck…" I muttered, finally letting my hands fall to my lap, tears stinging at my eyes. I've never seen someone get beat up in real life! It's… it's fucking terrible. I feel so useless.

"Does it look bad?" he muttered, trying to smile but wincing when it hurt to do so.

"You look like a watermelon that was microwaved for five hours."

"Huh, not as bad as I thought."

"Are you stupid?!" I lifted my hand to hit him but held back, not wanting to further aggravate his injuries. I felt eyes on me and figured it was Draken and Mikey so I lowered my voice, leaning closer. "You left me, you asshole. You left me here and went back to the present."

"Not on purpose," he rubbed the back of his neck, looking at me apologetically. "When I grabbed Naoto's hand, I don't know… it triggered something and sent me back."

"I tried that after you disappeared," I frowned, hand clenching around my shorts. "Nothing happened."

"What? Really?"

I nodded.

"Listen, back in the present, things have -"

"Jaybird, let's go!" Mikey called, waiting a few feet away.

My shoulders tensed and I shared a concerned look with Hanagaki.

"How did you even -"

"I don't know!"

"Jae." Draken's voice was annoyed as he started toward me.

"Just go. I'll figure something out," Hanagaki promised, pushing at my arm.

Reluctantly, I stood up, not fighting back when Draken's fingers curled around my wrist, tugging me toward Mikey who had already begun climbing the stairs.

"Takemitchy, see you later!" Mikey waved at him with a grin.

I kept my head down, avoiding the curious gazes of the men as I followed Draken. He handed the bat over to one of them, which made me feel a bit more at ease but I was still nervous to be returning with them. I hesitated when they climbed onto their bikes, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Get on," Draken ordered, his voice still annoyed. I don't know why, but that scared me more than what he had threatened to do to that guy. I messed up big time, didn't I?

Mikey hummed, leaning forward on the handlebars, his eyes glinting. "Or maybe you wanna ride with me this time, Jaybird?"

I looked over at Mikey and frowned. He's the one that actually attacked that guy, knocked him out cold so easily, and yet… why do I feel less nervous at the prospect of riding with him than I do with Draken? I can't stop picturing the look in his eye when I ran down. He was so pissed! Swallowing, I couldn't bring myself to answer so I approached him instead, keeping my gaze on the ground, well aware of the eyes staring at my back.

Mikey grinned as I climbed onto the bike behind him, not giving me time to grab him before the bike was roaring to life and he took off. I squeaked in surprise, clinging to him for dear life as his laughter danced with the wind.

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I had done my best to avoid those two since that night, which was quite fucking hard considering we're constantly together under the same roof. But the garage was large and had plenty of places to hide. I even managed to find my way up onto the roof, though it wasn't exactly the most stable place to be so I tended to save that place for when I really didn't want to be messed with. Draken keeps trying to talk to me, but I refuse to look at him, answering with gestures or as few words as possible.

Up until now, I knew the possibility was high that these guys, this world, was a dangerous one. One not made for people like me. I knew that deep down, but… seeing it for my own eyes is just… "Shocking," I breathed out, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them as best as I could.

"What's shocking?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin, scooting across the ground as I looked around with wide eyes. When I realized it was just Mitsuya, I relaxed a bit, putting my hand over my heart. Sure, he's probably just as dangerous as those two, but it feels different because I hadn't seen it for myself. As they say, seeing is believing.

Mitsuya's expression was unreadable, but a frown tugged at his lips as he walked over to me. I had found an unused shed around the back of the garage that I liked to stay in because it was small and felt safe, despite the large holes in the metal walls. Everything was dusty as all hell, though.

He settled himself down beside me, his shoulder hitting mine as he crossed his legs beneath him. "So this is where you're hiding today."

"I-I'm not hiding, I'm just…"

He quirked a brow, waiting for me to finish my sentence, but I couldn't think of the right word, prompting a chuckle from him. "Draken and Mikey are worried about you, ya know?"

I lowered my gaze at the mention of them, picking at a loose thread on my shorts. Were they really? I figured they'd be pissed and prefer me to stay away from them. I had disobeyed a direct order from Draken, after all. Surely that's a punishable offense? He seems quite high in the pecking order… second in command, maybe?

"Was that your first time?" he asked softly, resting his cheek in his palm as he watched me. "Seeing a fight, I mean."

"In real life, yeah…"

"It must have been shocking. They told me what happened and how badly he was beaten up. Takemitchy, was it?"

"Hanagaki Takemichi."

He hummed. "Right. He's a friend of yours? Draken said you seemed close and he didn't seem too happy about that." A laugh passed his lips at the last part and it made me feel a bit more at ease. It's funny… Mitsuya used to be someone I didn't want to be around because I didn't want him to become more suspicious of me and now… now, he's become somewhat of a rock for me. His presence was reassuring.

"Uhm… something like that."

"Ooo, an ex-boyfriend?"

"What? No!"

He laughed again before silence fell over us.

I tugged the thread from my shorts, chewing on my lip. "Mitsuya?"

"Hm?"

"Is he… I mean… do you think he…" Ah, I can't ask because I'm too afraid of the answer. Jesus, I'm so weak. I groaned, holding my head between my hands.

Mitsuya hummed again, rubbing his hands together. "Let's see if we're compatible."

"Huh?"

He took one of my hands between mine, staring into my eyes. "You're trying to ask if Draken is mad at you, ne?"

My eyes widened a tad in surprise but I nodded all the same.

"My mind-reading abilities say no. He's worried that you're scared of him, which is true."

I leaned my head back against the wall, staring up at the dark ceiling. "Yeah… but that doesn't mean much."

"Why is that?"

"Everything scares me these days. Everything is so damn confusing and scary and I… I just don't -" My words died as I noticed something.

"Oi, what's wrong? You've gotten even more pale!"

I couldn't tear my gaze away from it, scared that if I did, I would lose it. There, sitting in the crack between the wall and the roof, was the largest fucking spider I've ever seen in my life and I swear to Deadpool that bitch is looking right at us! I tried to push my body closer to the wall which shook the flimsy structure. This caused the spider to dart across the roof toward us and I screamed loudly, scrambling over a confused Mitsuya in my haste to get out of the structure.

"O-Oi, wait!"

I didn't wait. I bolted from the structure as if Jason himself were on my ass which caused me to stumble over a piece of scrap on the ground but I managed to stay upright. Draken came running around the garage, his face filled with worry.

"Jae, what -"

I didn't let him finish, throwing myself into his arms as if my very life depended on it. My fear of him had vanished, but my irrational fear of that spider overpowered everything else. I expected him to push me away or to just pat my back awkwardly, but he wrapped me in his strong arms, bringing me closer to his body. I could hear his heart beating quickly within his chest and it made me feel safe. I don't understand… hearing other people's heartbeats always made me feel anxious and hyperaware of my own. So then, why…?

Mitsuya came out of the shed, looking exhausted.

"Mitsuya," Draken nearly growled. "What did you do?"

The shorter male held his hands up in surrender. "Wasn't me."

He scoffed before addressing me, his voice soft. "What happened?"

My face burned at the thought of telling him that I just used a horror movie scream because of a fucking insect. Wait, are they insects? No… yes? I don't know but I don't fucking care! The point is that they are satan incarnate!

I could hear Mitsuya's grin in his voice. "Spi-der."

I glared at him over my shoulder. "Spawns of satan!"

He snorted, holding his stomach as his shoulders shook with laughter.

Draken sighed heavily, his body relaxing beneath my grip. "I thought something was seriously wrong…"

"I-It was…" I muttered apologetically, burying my face in his chest out of sheer embarrassment.

"Yeah, didn't you hear, Draken?" Mitsuya snickered. "It was a spawn of satan."

I groaned, earning a chuckle from Draken, his hand resting on top of my head. I… had missed this. I missed being close to him, feeling his warmth. I had missed the smell of rosemary and mint that eased my nerves whenever he was nearby. I missed Draken, but… can I really overlook everything that happened? It seems like every time I close my eyes, I see Hanagaki's ruined face. I know Draken didn't do it, but it's the world he lives in and I'm sure he's done it to someone else at some point.

My fingers curled around his shirt, prompting his hand to gently rub up and down my back. "D-Draken…?"

He clicked his tongue, but his voice wasn't annoyed. "I told you to call me Ken."

"R-Right… Ken?"

"Yes?"

"I… I'm sorry…"

"For what?"

"Disobeying you."

He made a sound somewhere between an exhale and a laugh. "You're not in Toman, you don't have to obey my orders."

"But… Mikey said I was…"

Draken shifted his weight. "You are, but… you're different ."

My brow furrowed in confusion but he continued before I could question him.

"I should be apologizing. I never wanted you to see anything like that." His grip tightened the tiniest bit and I felt his heart rate pick up again. "I wasn't mad at you, I was mad at myself for letting you get put in that situation." His hands slid to my shoulders, forcing me back so he could look into my eyes, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry, Jae. I hope you know that I would never hurt you, so please don't be afraid of me."

The sincerity and worry in his eyes stole my breath away and my face heated up. I have never been in a situation like this. Draken is… confusing to me. I feel so many different things all at once when I'm near him, it's like I'm being pulled in a million different directions. But there was one thing I was sure of.

He was telling the truth. Somewhere deep down, I knew he wouldn't hurt me and I knew that… I wanted to be near him. No matter how terrifying his world may be. I don't know if I'll still feel that way a week from now, in a day, or even in an hour. But right now? I can swear by that shit.