Since coming to Ikebukuro to start anew, you'd been scraping by, constantly moving from job to job and from one bad scene to the next. But you'd probably be in a more dire situation if it hadn't been for the help of the one friend you had in the city. Taking him up on his offer to use you as a new vein for gathering information had provided you with hefty rewards, though they weren't so frequent that you could fully rely on the money to consistently pay your expenses.

He was part of the reason why you were okay with bouncing between workplaces and being involved in some of the troublesome events that occurred around the city. All the time you'd spent standing on the sidelines of gang wars, eavesdropping in cafes, and causing some trouble yourself had been well worth your while, thanks to him.

Despite being in Ikebukuro for only a few months, the passage of time felt as if it had spanned years because of the things you'd seen and learned. It was a place laden with crime, crawling with color gangs, and teeming with unsavory inhabitants who didn't let the time of day dictate their wicked plans. For you, the action was exciting.

There was never a dull moment.

Hilariously enough, as the thought passed through your mind during your walk through a city square, you felt a harsh tug at your arm followed by a push that was hard enough to topple you over. You were already relatively unstable in the stiletto heels that had been a part of the dress code for the job you'd had about three minutes prior. Pain shot through your lower back and elbow when you hit the ground, but you didn't care. All you cared about was the asshole who staring down at you, holding your bag in his hands.

Before you could get to your feet and give the man a piece of your mind in the form of a fist, someone else literally beat you to it. Right when the perpetrator turned to make a run for it, he came face to bottom of the foot with another, slightly taller man.

"Y'know, I really hoped that my eyes were betraying me, and that I didn't just see you push a woman down before trying to take her purse," the man spoke in a sardonic tone as he pushed his foot further against the thief's face, causing blood to trickle onto the ground. "But--" he paused and kicked him, toppling him over in a flash-- "it seems some people still don't understand that you should never disrespect a lady."

The wounded man was in no state to move, so the one who had come to your rescue offered you his hand, which you took so that he could pull you back up to your feet. A head of bleached blonde hair greeted you when he took off his fedora for a moment to give you a polite bow before gazing into your (e/c) eyes seductively with his own deep brown ones.

"I believe this is yours, darling," he spoke softly and offered you the purse that had almost been stolen from you.

With a small nod, you said, "Thanks..."

The ball of the metal piercing in his mouth glinted in the light as he opened his mouth once more to ask, "Now, what do you think is a fitting punishment for this asshole, huh? Should I break one or both of his legs? You pick." One of the brown dress shoes he wore with his matching trousers, golden, pinstriped shirt, and black blazer prodded the thief's leg to trip him up as he tried to scramble to his feet.

You chuckled wryly at his offer and assured him, "I appreciate your help, but don't worry about me, okay?" To prove your point, you delivered a debilitating roundhouse kick to the criminal's head the moment he got back up from the ground that sent him back down with a loud crash. He was out cold. "Thanks for this, though," you said kindly and gestured to your purse as you slung it back over your shoulder.

"Anything for a lovely lady like yourself," was his suave reply spoken with a smile, "Can I at least get your name, gorgeous?"

"(L/n) (f/n)," you introduced yourself, extending a hand towards him.

He took it in his and pressed the back of it against his lips. "Name's Terushima Yuuji. The girls call me Teru, but feel free to call me anytime you want." He slid a piece of paper into your palm, gave you one last, smoldering gaze, and spun around on his heels to return to a small group of women that seemed to be anxiously awaiting his return.

You weren't one to throw away anyone's information since it was your job to collect it, so you pulled your phone out of your pocket and added his number to your contacts. As you stood casually at the scene of the crime, scrolling through your messages, a new one popped up on your screen from a familiar friend.

milk bread

Two men are about to approach you with a job offer. Say yes.

A quick scan of your environment confirmed his prediction, since two men were indeed walking toward you. The crowd of curious bystanders had now dispersed, but, even if it hadn't, it would have very quickly once everyone saw the pair making a beeline to you.

"Hey, that was pretty cool!" one of them spoke, a smirk appearing across his lips. Similar to Terushima, and any other professionals in the city, he also wore a suit with a red shirt beneath it that he'd left unbuttoned at the top. The bedhead of black hair atop his head didn't really scream businessman, though, and you could tell he had a rather laidback demeanor. "Looking for a job, by any chance?" he wondered, his brown eyes fixed on you as he awaited a response.

While you already knew who he was from the time you'd spent lingering around the city, most of the inhabitants of Ikebukuro were better acquainted with his companion, whether it was for better or for worse. It was usually the latter, though.

From where he stood a few feet away, his eyes--shielded by his blue-tinted sunglasses--examined the unconscious man on the ground before slowly shifting to your own (e/c) ones. One of his large hands ran through his dark, spiky hair before he placed them both in the pockets of his black pants, which were just one piece of the signature bartender suit he wore. A white stick protruded from his mouth, rolling from one corner of his lips to the other as he messed around with the candy on the other end of it.

The businessman directly in front of you chuckled and explained, "Sorry, got a little ahead of myself there. My name's Kuroo Tetsurou and I'm a debt collector who'd really appreciate having another bodyguard." Pointing to the man behind him, he added, "I'm sure you already know who Iwaizumi is, but you can thank him for this opportunity, since he was the one who suggested it."

You quickly introduced yourself, but your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you wondered, "Why is that?"

"Seen you around town. Noticed you were moving between jobs a lot and that you also don't put up with anyone's shit," Iwaizumi mumbled, his words slightly muddled by the lollipop in his mouth, "So, I thought I'd recommend you."

Your face warmed slightly as a hint of pink dusted your cheeks. "I-I see! That's very kind of you, Iwaizumi-san. When do I start then, boss?" you questioned, looking back at Kuroo.

"I mean, if you're free now, you can join us for lunch and come with us to make the rest of my rounds?"

You opened your mouth to answer, but quickly squeezed your lips shut when you heard Iwaizumi take a deep breath. He removed the lollipop from his mouth, bent the empty stick in half, tossed it to the ground, and stepped on it. You could practically hear the name he was going to say before it even left his mouth.

"Shittykawa!"

Both you and Kuroo watched Iwaizumi uproot a vending machine from the concrete and throw it down a nearby alleyway where the troublemaker must've been hiding.

"Nice try, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa's distinct voice echoed, making it difficult for you to hold back the chuckles that were threatening to escape your mouth.

Giving the watch on his wrist a rather unbothered look, Kuroo commented, "This might take a few minutes. Feel free to find a pair of more comfortable shoes to walk around in, if you wish, (l/n)."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once Iwaizumi had finished his daily pursuit of his sworn nemesis and you'd gotten a more suitable pair of shoes, the three of you had headed to a sushi bar. After saying your hellos to Aone, the tall, white-haired owner who always stood outside without a hint of emotion on his face as he handed out flyers, you'd sat down to eat and have a chat about the state of things.

"I know you haven't been in the city long, (l/n), and there's definitely some people you should avoid for the sake of your wellbeing," Iwaizumi commented, plucking a sushi roll off the plate you were all sharing with his chopsticks.

Chuckling with amusement, you retorted, "Like whom? The girl who's possessed by a kitchen knife, or the two fifteen-year-olds that everyone's apparently letting run this damn city?" One of Kuroo's eyebrows shot up in surprise as you took a moment to devour another roll. "Or," you began again with a heartier laugh, "is it the formidable Daichi-san, the mama bear, Suga-san, and their two otaku friends, Bokkun and Yukippe?"

Your new boss let out a rather unattractive guffaw at your commentary that sent the two of you into fits of laughter. Even Iwaizumi cracked a smile, but all seriousness returned to his face when he asked, "How do you know all of them?"

Long story short, you'd gotten around for the sake of helping Iwaizumi's own worst enemy mine information from the city. On the first day, you'd nearly been run over by Saeko's black bike. A week later, you'd been on the sharp end of Yachi's kitchen knife after she saw you talking to Oikawa and assumed you were a murderer. Not too long after that brush with possession, you'd met her two friends, Hinata and Yamaguchi, whom Oikawa had informed you were somehow the brains behind two of the biggest gangs in the city. Within a month, you'd befriended Daichi and his crew after witnessing someone vandalize their van and pointing an enraged Sugawara in the right direction.

Hearing your story seemed to give the two men a newfound respect for you, since Iwaizumi even stepped aside to have a seat while you roughed up those indebted to Kuroo who made excuses and tried to evade their payments. The ones he did handle, though, he did so with excessive force, as was usual for him. No questions needed to be asked when a street sign, lamppost, postbox, vending machine, or car door flew towards anyone who tried to run, and nobody seemed bothered by the screams of the guilty when they were launched like a discus into another building.

Blending into the background and silently gathering information to share with Oikawa had been the favorite pastime of yours since arriving in Ikebukuro, but spending the day traversing the streets with one of the most feared men around and his rather witty boss was slowly becoming your new preferred activity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As time passed and you settled into your new job, you found yourself growing more and more attached to Iwaizumi. If the fact that he was nearly indestructible wasn't enough of a selling point to you, he was also one of the best-looking men in the city. Whenever Kuroo had parted ways with you for the evening, you and Iwaizumi would often spend more time together, since he was very curious about your past and what had led you to such a destructive place.

You learned, surprisingly enough, that violence wasn't a favorite tactic of his, but he just couldn't control himself, especially when it came to his nemesis. The more he told you about his cat and mouse relationship with Oikawa, the more you started to question the man you'd considered your friend well before you'd even arrived in Ikebukuro. Sure, they were both equally responsible for their behavior, but hearing from him about how Oikawa liked to toy with his life and sabotage opportunities for him definitely didn't sit right with you.

Before meeting Iwaizumi, you hadn't really given meddling a second thought. In some situations, your strategic string pulling had even prevented horrific outcomes. But, you couldn't just ignore the way Oikawa treated people. The way he placed them on a chess board as pawns and moved them around to recreate the events he'd sneakily orchestrated behind the scenes with a few text messages here or a not so random appearance there. He loved humans in the worst way.

Though Iwaizumi was the absolute last person who needed to be protected, you felt yourself developing a desire to look out for him as your attraction to him grew. Despite being a calm man at heart, his violence and rivalry with Oikawa had painted a target on his head whose size matched that of the one pinned on Saeko's helmet so to speak, since she was headless. So, during your days on the job, you worked to ensure not only the wellbeing of Kuroo, but also that of Iwaizumi. It hadn't taken long for them to earn a spot in your heart, that was for sure.

One evening, when you and Iwaizumi were walking back to your home together after a long day of laying down the law, you decided to ask him a question that had been on your mind since you'd first met. "Hey, Hajime," you called out to him, drawing his handsome, olive gaze hiding behind his sunglasses towards you, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he responded and stuck his hands in his pockets.

With a small smile tugging at the corners of your mouth, you said, "Well, I couldn't help but think that you're really one of the few people in this city who actually noticed me without me ever having met you before. Were you keeping tabs on me, or something?"

He shrugged. "I always notice new faces around here. Yours just happens to be the nicest looking one I've seen in a while." Heat rose to your cheeks, and you ducked your head to hide your reaction to his comment. "I dunno," he spoke again, keeping his gaze on the road ahead, "When I first saw you, I had this instinct to protect you; but when I realized that you were more than capable of doing that yourself, I became more attracted to you. Knowing that you can hold your own against the kinds of people you've come across is pretty hot."

It was challenging to mask the goofy grin that was threatening to creep across your lips, especially when he glanced over at you to shoot you a nearly indiscernible smile. "Well, I really appreciate your intentions anyway, Hajime. It means a lot to know that you wanted to help me," you told him as you moved a few strands of (h/l), (h/c) hair away from your face, "And, since we're being honest with each other here, I'm glad that the hottest guy in Ikebukuro took notice of me."

"Only in Ikebukuro? Damn. So that means you've met better looking men before you came here?" he teased, giving your arm a gentle nudge with his elbow.

You chuckled, "Oh, stop. You know what I meant, so just take the compliment, you dork."

A gentle tug on your hand pulled you towards Iwaizumi, and you instinctively placed your hands on his toned arms to steady yourself. From where you stood, underneath one of the few bright lights lining the small side street that led to your apartment, you could barely see his eyes studying you from behind his tinted sunglasses that he wore at all times. When one of his hands came to rest on your waist, your body moved on its own to close the gap between his and yours. As his face neared yours, the beating of your heart quickened with anticipation.

Your lips had barely so much as brushed his when the loud rumbling of an engine brought your attention to a small van barreling down the road. Since the two of you were on the sidewalk, you didn't think much of it, but when its pace slowed and one of the windows rolled down, a feeling of dread overcame you.

The grip you had on Iwaizumi's arms tightened, and you tried to push him out of the way, but your reaction time was just seconds too late. The masked figure inside the van donning a yellow scarf had already raised his weapon and opened fire on his target. The vehicle accelerated then down the street, making a clean getaway and leaving you staring in shock at Iwaizumi's quickly paling face.

In a matter of seconds, everything had changed.

Blood trickled down his lips and began staining his white shirt in the places where he'd been shot. His weight became too much for you to bear, and you sank down to the ground with him, holding his body in your arms as he drifted into unconsciousness.

"No..." you whispered, rapidly blinking back the tears that were forming in your eyes, "Stay awake, Hajime; please!" One of your hands darted into your purse to fish out your phone and dial a number you'd remembered by heart in case you ever needed it. While you held your phone up to your ear and waited for an answer, you moved Iwaizumi's head into your lap and stroked his face gently with your free hand.

"Hellooooooo?" a familiar voice sang on the other end of the line.

Trying to keep your voice from trembling, you answered, "Satori, I need your help."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a couple painstaking hours of trying to hold yourself together while the underground doctor you'd called played Operation on the floor of your bedroom, your silent prayers were finally answered.

"Well," Tendou began as he wandered into the living room, where you were huddled up under blankets on the couch, "leave it to the strongest man in Ikebukuro to be able to survive being shot in the chest three times!" A grin spread across his lips as he gave you a thumbs-up. "Bullets? Removed! Medicine? Administered! And here's instructions for how to take care of him, since I need to be getting back to my lovely Saeko!"

You breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over to him to give him a hug. "Thank you so much."

"Anything for my two of my dear friends!" he chirped, "Now, do me a little favor, will you, (f/n)?"

"Of course."

"Find the person who did it and crush 'em."

Giving him a firm pat on the shoulder, you nodded and assured him, "Don't worry; I will."

With that said, he picked up his bag filled with medical supplies and trotted out of your apartment, humming like he hadn't just spent his evening removing bullets from a friend who had narrowly avoided death once more. Once he'd left, you wandered into your bedroom, where Iwaizumi's body was resting on a makeshift bed you'd put together for him. Seeing him in such a vulnerable state was rare.

As you sat down next to him and took to gently tracing over the features on his handsome face, his tired, green eyes turned to look at you. "Hey," he murmured, his hand reaching for yours.

"Hey."

"Thanks for saving my ass back there."

A small chuckle escaped your lips. "I wasn't gonna just let you die on me."

"I appreciate it," he said with an amused smile, "It's funny that I thought I was the one who needed to protect you, yet here you are, taking care of me."

You pulled your phone out of your pocket and said, "I'll always keep you safe; just watch," as you scrolled through your contacts. When you found the desired person's name, you called them and waited for an answer.

"(L/n)-san! What's up?!" an energetic voice responded.

"Hinata-kun!" you simpered, lying down on the floor beside Iwaizumi and propping yourself up with your elbow, "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course!"

"So, someone very near and dear to me was just a victim of an organized attack by the Yellow Scarves, you know."

He gasped, "T-That's horrible! Who?"

"Iwaizumi Hajime."

Silence.

"Mmm," you hummed, a devious smile creeping onto your face, "Listen, since your own gang members were behind this, mind passing on a message to them?" He remained quiet on the other end, so you continued, "Any attempt on Iwaizumi Hajime's life will cost them their own. As for the person who orchestrated the plan, well... it's safe to say that they're gonna need to watch their back."

All you heard on his end was a shaky breath before he uttered, "W-Will d-do!"

"Have a good night, Hinata-kun!"

Your finger on the phone's screen ended the call and solidified your threatening message. The sinister look on your face combined with your ruthlessness elicited a snicker from Iwaizumi. "You're scary when you're mad, you know that?" he commented.

You shrugged and replied, "Wanted to get the point across that anyone who messes with you is gonna regret it." Moving closer to him, you placed a hand on the side of his face and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips that he gladly reciprocated. You were careful not to hurt him as you crawled under the blankets over his injured body and laid down beside him.

"You're quite the force to be reckoned with, (f/n)."

"When it comes to people I care about, I don't play around," you stated simply and truthfully.

His lips found yours again so you could share another tender kiss that made your heart flutter. "I know," he said, "That's what attracted me to you in the first place."

"You act like a tough cookie, but you're a real softie, Hajime."

"Hey, I could say the same about you."

Smiling, you told him, "That's fine. I won't say anything to jeopardize your macho public image even though you're definitely going to be the little spoon between the pair of us."

"Oh, shut up," he grumbled with a roll of the eyes.

"Just you wait and see." You snuggled up beside him and grabbed his hand, interlacing your fingers with his, and mentioned, "Wake me if you need anything, okay?"

He nodded and watched you for a moment longer before closing his eyes and allowing his head to come to rest against your shoulder. He was able to sleep peacefully for once knowing that he now had someone by his side to take care of him. It was a new feeling for him, but he didn't mind it one bit.