I need you to meet me at your precinct. Jun has been arrested.

Taisei hadn't said much after that, and honestly Daichi didn't remember if he had. Nor did he remember saying anything to his friends at the bar. He simply set down his drink, picked up his keys and was out the door.

The ride to the precinct was thankfully short. Or at least, that's what it felt like. Daichi remembered weaving through traffic on his bike, revving the engine to go faster, but then not much else before he burst through the doors of the precinct.

"What is he doing here?" Hana's distinctive sneer rang across the empty space. She sat near the back of the room by the doors leading to the private offices and holding cells. Her back was stiff with displeasure, the severe frown she threw at Daichi made him wonder if her displeasure was wholly about the situation or because he was standing there.

"I asked him to come, mom." Taisei rose from his chair beside his mother, a grateful sigh escaping him. "He works here, and can probably help."

Hana muttered something that sounded vaguely like "unlikely," but Daichi was already crossing the floor with a determined stride, ignoring her presence entirely. He stopped briefly to nod at Taisei, promising to see what he could find out, and proceeded through the doors towards where he knew the Chief would be.

Sure enough, Chief Nishida sat behind his desk, elbows leaning heavily onto the wooden surface, as if holding the weight of the world. Across from him, looking equally gray-faced, sat Jun's father. Both looked towards the door when Daichi had knocked, neither looking surprised to see him.

Taking this as a good sign, Daichi took the remaining chair next to Toshiro, his voice surprisingly calm.

"Alright, fill me in."

***

The night was a slow one, that's what the cop had said, so she had the space to herself.

The cell. That's what this space was called. Jun was sitting by herself in a cell.

Maybe it was her imagination trying to keep her mind preoccupied, but Jun could only seem to focus on how the room didn't look anything like the tv shows and movies had told her it would. There were no questionable stains on the walls or floor, and there was actually furniture in the room instead of a lonely and rickety stool left for inmates to fight over. In fact, compared to what she had imagined, the room itself seemed—bland. The walls were a boring forgettable grayish color, as if devoid of all personality or semblance of warmth. Even the bench she sat on was a chilly steel that never seemed to warm no matter how long she sat on it.

Maybe it was a good thing the room was so forgettable. If it was as she had been picturing, Jun had a feeling she wouldn't be quite as calm as she was now. Or maybe calm wasn't the right word to describe it. Jun had been sitting in the same spot since the officer dumped her there a few hours ago, staring at the same blank space on the wall for the past twenty minutes. Her heart had finally stopped racing and her breathing had evened out. And yet, calm wasn't what she felt now. She felt...nothing. As blank and empty as the walls around her, Jun had stopped feeling anything. Part of her knew this was worse of course, but still; she couldn't bring herself to care.

She knew somewhere else in the precinct her father was probably negotiating to try and figure out what to do next. To try and fix things. That thought at least sent a soothing warmth through her veins, knowing he was here and wouldn't be upset. Sad, maybe, and a bit confused as to how this could have even happened. But Jun could already see the understanding that would paint his features when he came to get her.

Her mother, on the other hand, would be the problem. Jun knew she would've arrived with her husband, and that she'd be sitting somewhere in the lobby, silently seething as she waited for the chance to express how disappointed she was in Jun. What a disgrace Jun had brought to the family name and the questions her father would have to deal with now because of her. Yada, yada, yada...

Thinking about it barely even registered any anxiety for Jun, which in itself felt odd. She should be worried mess right now; crying, shaking, the whole nine yards. Not only because of where she was and what she had done, but knowing what her mother would say because of it. And yet—nothing. Jun simply continued to stare blankly at the wall across from her, not even worrying to care about the lack of reaction.

"Jun Sasaki, you are free to go."

The gruff voice, oddly familiar, made her finally break her staring contest with the wall, just in time to see an officer sliding the heavy door open and motioning her to leave. It took Jun a second to register his words, and another second to remember where she'd seen him before. He was one of the officers she talked with frequently on her visits to see Daichi at work. She remembered the soft kindness that always appeared in his eyes when he thanked her for the coffee she brought. It was still there now as he made eye contact with her, mixed with a twinge of sympathy that almost made Jun's heart ache with an unnamed emotion. Slowly, Jun rose from her seat on the bench, inhaling sharply at the stiffness she found in her knees from sitting too long. She didn't say a word as he led her down the hall, not towards the precinct lobby where she knew her family would be waiting, but back towards the offices.

"Hey, Wallflower."

Something sharp stung in Jun's chest. Daichi was leaning against the doorframe to the Chief's office, his arms crossed casually and the smallest hint of a smirk pulling at his lips. His eyes quickly gave Jun a once-over, losing a bit of their light as he noticed her seemingly lack of reaction. "You ready to go?"

"But, I was arrested." Jun said flatly, the sudden spike of shock she felt at seeing him replaced once again with a cold apathy.

"Yeah, I know." Daichi laughed dryly. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. "But we took care of that. Your dad is one persuasive guy, and it helps when you're dating the cop's favorite intern." Barely thirty minutes after Daichi had arrived, he and Toshiro had sorted the entire situation out and had the charges against Jun dropped. Even the Chief seemed relieved with the outcome, having taken a liking to his intern's girlfriend ever since she remembered what kind of pastry he liked with his coffee.

There was a brief flicker of something in Jun's eyes at the mention of Toshiro, but it didn't last long enough for Daichi to coax it further. Jun simply nodded once and mumbled something about retrieving her bag, which Daichi swiftly pulled from behind his back. She muttered a quiet thanks and let him lead her back down the hall, only offering him a quick squeeze of their intertwined hands as he opened the doors.

There was a brief moment of uneasy silence as the two faced Jun's awaiting family. Toshiro had rejoined his wife and son, who were standing now as they waited for Jun to appear. He and Taisei both gave Jun small, encouraging smiles they hoped she'd return. But Jun only had eyes for her scowling mother, whose face visibly darkened at the sight of her daughter.

"You are a disgrace." She spat, shoving off her husband's hands as he tried to calm her, but Hana Sasaki could not be reigned. The fury and disgust in her eyes made even Daichi pause. "How dare you subject your father to such embarrassment. Do you have any idea what this will mean for his career? To have a criminal in the family?"

Her words seemed to tear through the air like knives, and despite the numbness spreading in her chest, Jun winced. Daichi saw it, the brief stab of pain across her face, the realization that she absorbed those hateful words and took them to heart in that brief moment. He felt his composure snap.

"All you ever spew is garbage so how about you shut the hell up for once."

That got her attention, good. Hana whipped her head to him, trying and failing to get him to cower to her fury. Daichi only jutted his chin higher and pulled Jun closer. "A decent person might be able to recognize a mistake when it happens and move on, but I should've known better expecting that from you. So why don't I spell it out for you?" Months of built up hatred for this woman were finally spilling over. The more he spoke the louder his voice got as his anger fueled him.

"Your daughter made a mistake. A fucking mistake. She is human for god's sake, it's not the end of the world." His hand tightened around Jun's shoulder as he felt her turn towards him. "It's barely even an issue! Everyone here knows that but you." Daichi's eyes fell briefly on Taisei and Toshiro, recognizing the agreement in their eyes before focusing back on Hana. "If you can't see that, I'd be glad to educate you on what a real crime looks like."

Daichi barely waited for the offended gasp from Hana as she registered his words. Still with a tight grip around Jun, Daichi steered them both past her statue-like family and out the doors. He paused just long enough to turn once more to glare at Hana Sasaki, the threat etched onto his face like stone.

"If you ever talk to my girlfriend like that again, I swear I won't hold back."

***

Daichi didn't leave Jun's side very much over the next few days. Classes were over and they technically had the time off to do as they pleased. Most students were already home visiting family, leaving the campus eerily quiet. Jun could have probably been home by now too, but being the ever dutiful employee, she had signed up weeks ago to take a few extra shifts at the Hobbit Hole during the break. So rather than leave with the rest of the crowd of students, she remained in her dorm. And so did Daichi.

He had been hoping she'd have snapped out of it by now; the catatonic funk she'd been in ever since that evening. He'd tried to get her to talk about it, to let out the emotions he knew she was holding back, but every time it just seemed to push Jun farther into herself. Tadaari started noticing too, when Jun barely gave more than one word answers to his questions and she started moving around the store like a ghost. By the third day Daichi was doing most of the re-shelving for her and she hardly seemed to notice.

By the afternoon of the fourth day Daichi had had enough. He waited until a glassy-eyed Jun tottered off with her cart down the same aisle he knew she just finished and instantly had his phone out, creating plans. Luckily, Nishinoya was quick in his responses, and Daichi had everything settled within ten minutes. Tadaari didn't look bothered one bit when Daichi approached the man in his office, asking to relieve Jun from her shift early.

"Go ahead, Daichi. And please," his face crinkling in concern, "do whatever you can to help her." They exchanged a solemn moment before Daichi clenched his jaw in determination. Enough was enough; it was time to get his Jun back.

He found her moments later, wheeling the still full cart back down the aisle of books, having finally figured out her mistake and looking for the right location to begin re-shelving. She still had that passive, blank expression to her face. Daichi felt his eye twitch as he silently cursed Hana Sasaki.

Gently, Daichi pushed the cart aside and interlocked his fingers with Jun's. She looked up slowly, the tiniest hint of confusion crossing her features as he spoke, "Come on, Jun, let's go."

She didn't protest, not even realizing she still had three hours left of her shift to complete. Instead she only asked blandly, "Where are we going?"

"To visit my good friend Nishinoya." The excitement in his voice as he replied was almost enough to make Jun intrigued. It made Daichi's stomach flutter in hope. "I've got a surprise for you."

"What—is this?"

It was the first sign of emotion Daichi had heard from her in almost a week. Even if it was just confusion at the cluttered warehouse space they were standing in, Daichi still felt like it was a triumphant achievement.

"Here." He tossed her a pair of sturdy gray coveralls, already stepping into his own pair. "You'll want to wear those over your current clothes. And pick out a set of gloves and goggles from over there." Daichi smiled, gesturing to a long rack of safety equipment. "Trust me, you'll want it all."

Without hesitating, Jun did as she was told, shrugging into the slightly oversized coveralls and shuffling over to inspect the gloves for a better fitting pair. When she was fully covered from head to toe, she turned once again to Daichi, who was nodding approvingly. Her voice was a bit more forceful this time. "You still haven't told me where we are."

"Nope, I haven't." Daichi smirked, popping the 'p'. "So glad you noticed." He motioned towards the back of the warehouse, one hand on the small of her back as he guided her forward. A large plastic drum had been set up near the back, the area surrounding it cleared of the junk that lay in heaps elsewhere. Daichi watched as Jun's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stepped forward, one hand reaching out to trace the rim of the glass bottle that lay atop the drum.

"Daichi, I still don't get—"

Her voice broke off with a small cry as the sound of exploding glass filled the air. Instinctively, Jun ducked her head to avoid getting hit by the flying shards. Daichi gave a whoop of laughter and Jun had just enough time to wheel around to watch him toss a clear bottle into the air and swing the metal bat he'd magically conjured from nowhere.

Another sharp pop broke through the quiet as the bat made contact with the glass and Jun watched in horror as thousands of shining glass shards tumbled to the floor like raindrops.

"Your turn, Wallflower." Daichi smiled softly, holding out the bat to her with a hopeful stare. Even just those two bottles had sent a rush coursing through him, begging him to smash another. He just needed her to do the same, and maybe, just maybe, she'd feel it too. Or feel something.

Jun gawked at the bat Daichi held out to her, her mind quickly working in overdrive to try and push the thoughts away and keep her facade in place. The thoughts of what she'd do if she took that bat, the repercussions of doing something so clearly against the rules.

"But—"

"It's ok, hon." Daichi must have seen the momentary panic on her face, or had known she wouldn't be able to do it. Couldn't break the rules again, ever again. "You won't get in trouble. In fact, Nishinoya's dad is hoping we'll break some shit; everything in here is junk that no one cares about."

A full minute passed in which Jun's eyes jumped between the bat Daichi held steady, and his strong, patient gaze he gave her. Not once did he push her to hurry up, or make a decision for her. Daichi simply waited, knowing the inner struggle battling in her mind and patiently waiting for one side to win out. Finally, with shaking hands, Jun reached out to grip the handle of the bat, and Daichi grinned so broadly she felt something crack in her chest. Still grinning he set the brown glass bottle upright on the awaiting drum for Jun, taking a few steps back as he pointed towards it.

"Now show me your best Babe Ruth impersonation."

The bat felt heavy in her hands, but the grip on the handle was sturdy, giving her hope she wouldn't accidentally let go mid-swing. Jun took a tentative step towards the drum, closed her eyes and swung wildly.

There was a brief point of impact and then, the tinkling of glass as it broke and fell to the floor. Jun opened her eyes in shock.

She had felt it. It was brief, so brief she wondered if it had been real. That sudden rush of joy and adrenaline that sent her heart racing, cheeks flushing. Hearing the glass as it was smashed to pieces was one thing, but feeling it as she swung and made contact with the glass was another entirely. After days of feeling nothing and working so hard to keep herself in control, Jun had almost forgotten what it was like to feel.

"Again."

Obediently, Daichi set up another bottle, this time adding a few old vases and plates to the mix as well. Jun barely gave him time to step back before she was swinging the bat and smashing it all to pieces. Bits of glass and porcelain flew through the air like confetti. Larger chunks that landed back on the drum were struck again and again until only powder remained. It felt good, it felt so good she realized.

And then Jun was striding off into the warehouse, searching the heaps of junk for more things to break. She settled on a large crate of assorted glassware and what appeared to be an old VCR. The glassware went fast. Piece by piece, Jun smashed each until nothing remained, even taking the bat to the wooden crate they had lived in and finding a new rush of satisfaction at hearing the wooden sides cracking beneath her strikes.

The VCR was more difficult. The first few swings took off bits of plastic along the corners of the old machine, but it remained annoyingly intact. Jun frowned, but swung her bat again, adding more force behind it. The VCR bounced at the impact, a large dent appearing in the top that made Jun's mouth twitch upward. She hit it again, and again, and again, her locked away emotions finally leaking out with each swing of the bat.

Four days of absolutely nothing; no feeling, no trouble, no—life. Her brain had shut down as soon as she'd seen those red police lights flashing from the cafeteria windows and she'd known it was over. She'd gone too far, made too much trouble.

She swung the bat harder, barely hearing the satisfying crunch of a forgotten tape breaking in the player.

A part of her believed those words her mother had spat at her at the police station. She was a disgrace. She'd been arrested for breaking and entering, something so silly and stupid but yet now would follow her and the family around like a dark cloud that wouldn't dissipate.

Another smash, the entire front of the VCR came off, circling on the floor until she stomped on it with her boot.

She deserved to be punished, deserved to lock herself away like she had. To stop the trouble from ever happening again, she had to become the perfect, obedient daughter, never again doing anything out of line.

"Jun." Daichi had appeared by her side all of the sudden. She hadn't heard him approach, or call her name until his hand was resting on her shoulder. At some point, she had lowered the bat, the VCR nothing but misshapen bits of metal and plastic in a sea of broken glass. She was breathing heavy, her arms a little sore. She hadn't noticed the tears that had begun falling silently until Daichi reached up to brush one away. And then they wouldn't stop.

With a clang, Jun dropped the bat, allowing herself to be enveloped in Daichi's sturdy embrace. He held her firmly, his arms a steel cage holding her together as she choked out a sob and allowed herself to finally break. Strong, but gentle hands smoothed her hair back from her face while his reassuring voice whispered quietly in her ear.

"It's alright, I've got you. Let it all out."

And so she did. As if breaking through a dam, Jun's tears would not stop. She cried and cried, at one point even kicking out a foot towards the mangled VCR, making Daichi chuckle approvingly. When at last her breathing evened out and she sunk farther back into Daichi, did he finally broach the subject.

"You did nothing wrong, you know?" They were seated on the cool floor now, Daichi making sure they were well far away from the glass and carnage. Jun was curled up against him, and while her eyes were puffy with spent tears, he was glad to see the light had returned to them.

Jun shook her head slowly, not able to lift it from its place on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. "I broke in to the school cafeteria, pretty sure that was wrong." She could see it all again. How upset she'd been after the exam, knowing she'd done poorly. Remembering that one evening with Daichi when they snuck in to get ice cream. Jun had done it again, following everything she'd seen Daichi do, only this time it hadn't ended so well. "Pretty sure that makes me a criminal."

"Bullshit." Daichi could almost see the scene in her eyes as he knew Jun was reliving the words Hana had spat at her. His grip on her shoulders tightened and she looked up at him. "If anything it makes you a college student."

Jun snorted. "So all college students break the law when they fail an exam?"

There was bitterness in her voice as she admitted the truth, the reason behind her stupidity. The failure she still couldn't seem to handle as a few more tears streaked down her face.

"You'd be surprised, actually." Daichi said gently, kissing the places the tears fell. "I've known quite a few people, including myself, who might have been a bit upset when they bombed a test. All of them are still pretty great people."

Jun didn't look convinced. Daichi pressed a kiss to her temple. "How do you think I knew how to get into the locked dining hall in the first place?" Logic seemed to win out finally, and Jun let out a shaky sigh.

"So it's ok? I-I mean, I'm not—?"

Already knowing the question she couldn't put fully into words, Daichi just hugged her closer. "It's more than ok, Wallflower. Don't believe for a second all that shit your mom said. You're not a failure, you're not a disgrace." He pulled her chin up and locked their eyes together. "You're my Jun, and she's absolutely perfect."

Jun hiccuped as she shook her head, trying to break free of his hold to bury her face so she could no longer see him, and those eyes she knew were filled with a tender determination. But Daichi had other plans.

"Nuh-uh. Don't you go trying to hide." He cracked a crooked grin. "We aren't going anywhere until you say it too."

"Aw, come on Daichi, I'm not a kid."

"Perfect, so it should be easy for you."

Jun was silent, her face still turned upward towards his, watching his smile grow. "Now repeat after me, sweet-cheeks. I am allowed to make mistakes."

"Daichi—"

"I am allowed to make mistakes. One little sentence, just watch what happens."

Sighing, Jun closed her eyes, hoping it would help her summon the courage. Her voice shook at first, and she stuttered over the words that she repeated, their tone robotic and lifeless. "I-I'm allowed to make mistakes."

He shook her shoulders encouragingly, "Once more, with feeling."

There was the briefest of pauses. To Jun, it felt like forever. She took a few deep breaths, letting the air fill her lungs completely before exhaling slowly, focusing her mind on this action and not the racing doubts that tried to ensnare her. Instead, she let her thoughts drift outward, to the person sitting with her, holding her tightly. A wave of calm seemed to sweep over her as she focused on him; the calloused hands brushing softly against her skin, the comforting scent of peppermint enveloping them both. Everything about Daichi seemed to breathe life into her.

Throughout the entire time she had known him, Daichi had never once made her feel self conscious of her mistakes. Not even when she had dumped a whole stack of library books on his foot and instead of getting upset, he'd offered to carry them for her. Or when she'd forgotten study sessions planned ahead of time, Daichi had shrugged it off without even a snide comment. It would've been called for, it had been her fault after all...she'd messed up and forgotten...

But it didn't matter. None of it did. Daichi had always brushed them away like clearing cobwebs from a dusty room. And Jun had never realized the importance of that simple action. Not until she needed to hear it the most.

Her realizations must have shown in her eyes. Daichi's face broke out into an exuberant grin, barely able to keep quiet as he nodded encouragingly.

Her voice was clear this time, ringing with an acceptance of the words she spoke, "I am allowed to make mistakes." She pressed her forehead to his, "And they do not define me."

Jun pressed her lips so tightly to his Daichi could barely let out the jubilant laugh at her addendum. He settled for kissing her back as passionately as she did, cradling her face between his hands.

This time, it was Jun that pulled him closer, desperate for his touch. Daichi didn't miss a beat. Lips still locked tightly, he quickly shifted them so her legs straddling him while he ran his hands hungrily along her thighs. Jun sighed her approval, pressing herself to him as tightly as she could until she had slowly pushed him onto his back and his hands were tracing her curves feverishly.

"Promise me something," Daichi whispered, finally breaking their kiss in order to run his lips along the curve of her neck, just like he knew she liked. Jun only hummed a response, too enraptured by him to say more. Daichi stopped just behind her ear, pressing his mouth to the sensitive skin a bit longer before rumbling in her ear, "Next time you want to break in somewhere, give me a call first. It's always better to have an accomplice."

Jun laughed, but the sound was quickly drowned out when she bent forward to kiss him again, their previous fire smoldering to soft, revenant passion.

"It's a date."

***

Tadaari was arguably as happy as Daichi to see Jun return to work with a smile. The two shared a knowing look the following morning when Jun arrived early for her shift, Daichi following quietly behind her. Realizing how lax she had become, Jun immediately set off to the back room to finish the inventory lists. As soon as she was out of earshot, Tadaari slapped Daichi appreciatively on the back.

"Good job, kid. I knew you'd get through to her."

He didn't give Daichi a chance to respond before shoving a free coffee into his hand and shooing him away from the precariously stacked book cart he had been about to wheel away. "No, sir. You aren't doing any work today. Go sit down and relax, you've done more than enough."

Someone like Jun might have complained and tried to insist on helping. But Daichi felt no qualms about it. He just smirked over his shoulder at the old man and took a sip of the coffee as he went to roam the stacks. It had been a while since he searched for The Count, perhaps today would offer him a better chance.

For the next several hours, Daichi slowly wandered the store. He took his time examining shelf after shelf, sometimes pausing to read the back cover of a book that looked intriguing. Every so often he'd feel a gentle hand on his back as Jun rolled her reshelving cart down the same aisle. Every time, he'd pause in his search long enough to give her a soft kiss, relishing the feeling of her leaning into it. He'd never felt so content, so happy to be living in the moment.

"Excuse me, sir do you work here?" Something small tugged at the cuff of Daichi's leather jacket, breaking his concentration. Scowling in confusion, he looked down to find a boy, maybe six or seven, staring up at him with round, curious eyes. "I can't find a book."

"Not surprised, pipsqueak, there's a lot of books here." Daichi said dryly, a bit annoyed to be interrupted by someone that wasn't his girlfriend. But he crouched down to the boy's height anyway. "I don't work here, but I can still help you find what you're looking for. What's the book called?"

The boy's face instantly lit up and he immediately began describing everything about his favorite book. Everything except the title or the author of course, making Daichi's eye twitch. But the kid reminded him too much of his own sisters, he didn't complain when the boy took him by the hand and began leading him towards another aisle to show him where he hadn't found the book. Patient as a saint, Daichi tagged along, offering suggestions of places they could look next.

"Hiro? There you are! Why did you run off like that, I've been looking everywhere—"

The frazzled mother stopped abruptly, eyes widening when seeing who her son was with. Daichi, who had been sitting on the floor next to the boy as he slowly piled book after book onto his lap, met the woman's gaze and instantly felt his mood sour. She was looking at him in an all too familiar way. Her eyes fell on the leather jacket at his side, the piercings, the arm full of tattoos; he could practically hear the alarm bells blaring in her head.

Sure enough, when the woman found her voice after a few tense seconds, it was higher and pinched with worry. "Hiro, sweetie, remember what we said about talking to strangers?"

Hiro looked between his mother and Daichi, confused. "But moooom, Daichi said he could help me find My Father's Dragon. And look at all the others he found too!" He gestured excitedly to the pile on Daichi's lap.

Hiro's mother didn't seem interested however. "You should have asked an employee instead honey, they could've helped you more than...this boy." She didn't bother trying to hide the animosity in her voice, quickly pulling her son to his feet.

Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, Daichi rose to his feet too, offering the pile of books out to Hiro politely. Any mother would be concerned about their child talking to a stranger, not just one that looked like him. "He did go looking for a staff member, ma'am. My girlfriend works here but was a bit busy, so I was glad to help the little guy." He smirked down at Hiro, who was too engrossed in his books to notice. "I spend quite a bit of time here, so I was familiar with what he was looking for."

"Yes, well," The barely hidden sneer in her tone made Daichi's heart sink, "you should have found another staff member to help instead." With Hiro protesting the entire way, the woman turned on her heel and marched back up the aisle with her son without a backward glance.

A familiar bitterness settled on Daichi as he watched them turn the corner. His lazy smirk was instantly gone, replaced by a grimace at the familiar feeling now stirring in his gut. It had happened before of course, people judging him by his appearance alone. But as he stood there, brushing off dust from his jeans, he realized how long it had been since it had happened last. He'd spent so much time with Jun, who only ever looked at him as Daichi and not that punk with too many tattoos, he had completely forgotten what it felt like to be so horribly judged. It made the sourness he felt now burn like stomach acid.

Dejected, Daichi kicked out at the wooden bookshelf with a bit too much force, swearing at the pain now in his toes. He should've known better than to forget how the rest of the world saw him. Even if Jun seemed unfazed, which was some kind of damn miracle, to the remainder of people he was still that scary looking delinquent. Thoughts spiraling, he couldn't help but think how his influence was now shaping Jun, and how much he was to blame for everything that happened. Just like Hana said.

The thoughts sent Daichi retreating inward; no matter how much he wanted to invalidate them, a kernel of truth remained and Daichi found himself shuffling off into the gloom of the book store. He didn't want to believe these thoughts, to let them sink further into his heart until they were the only truth he could see. So he did the only thing he could think of that might help reignite that spark that had been making it's home in his heart.

He went to the typewriter and wrote to Jun.

***

The remainder of Jun's shift went by blissfully quickly. She bustled between the store room and the aisles, re-shelving cart after cart, reorganizing overly cramped shelves, and when the front grew too busy, assisted Mai at the register. Every once in a while she'd find Daichi, his attention locked on the titles of book in front of him as he searched. She'd offer a gentle hand in acknowledgment, butterflies fluttering to life in her stomach every time he stopped and turned his attention to her. She would have stayed there soaking up his gaze all day if she could. But the day was too busy, and she'd slacked off for too long already for her not to feel guilty and rush off back to work.

It was when she was nearing the final ten minutes of her shift that Jun finally allowed herself to focus more on Daichi, and how they'd spend the rest of the day. She had received a rather passive aggressive message from her mother uninviting her to visit for the weekend. At first Jun had been a little taken aback by the message, mourning the opportunity to see her brother and sister, but the more she thought on it the less it stung. She'd rather spend time with Daichi anyway. He hadn't mentioned returning home, so she was hoping they could enjoy the weekend together, without work to distract them.

Jun spotted Daichi near the shelf of new arrivals and she threw him a warm smile. He returned it with a a grin and wink of his own, but Jun could feel, even from across the room, that it was forced. There was only one group left in line, a woman with her somewhat disgruntled looking son. Jun spotted the way Daichi side-eyed them and what looked like hurt flash across his face. Before she could process more of what it meant, Daichi gave her a short wave of his hand, motioning he'd be outside. Most likely to stand around the corner and smoke. Sure enough, she saw the glint of his lighter as soon as he was out the door. Unease clenched tightly in her chest.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to buy these now."

The woman's voice was high and cold, disapproving of Jun's lack of attention to her as she dropped a large stack of books onto the counter.

"Of course," Jun slowly turned back from the window, her hands instantly picking up the first book in the stack, "did you find everything you were looking for today?" She didn't like the way this woman was looking at her, having watched Jun's attention on Daichi as he left the store.

"Yes thank you. Although," she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and raised her chin in what she probably thought was a superior sort of gesture. "you should really do a better job about who you allow to help around this shop. I found that delinquent boy talking to my son and pretending to show him where his books were. It was very unsafe."

Realization hit like a bullet and Jun had to take a few seconds of silence before responding. But even then her voice nearly shook with rage.

"Oh, you mean my boyfriend, Daichi?" She pointed outside to where they could both still see the back of his jacket, "he may not work here but he knows more about the books in this shop than anyone else. Your son was very smart to ask for his help." She smiled icily, tallying the total quickly and hoping she'd leave before Jun's head exploded.

The woman huffed and handed over a silver credit card, "Yes, well, if he didn't look so—you know—everything would've been better."

Jun felt her eye fake smile falter. It took every bit of willpower to hand the woman her shopping bag without grimacing. But she couldn't resist snapping back,

"Yes, well, we don't discriminate in this store. Have a nice day now."

Not waiting to see the shock on her face, Jun marched straight to the back room, letting the door shut heavily behind her. Finally alone, Jun could have screamed her frustration. She settled instead for shredding a few scrap sheets of paper until there was nothing left but ribbons. But even that couldn't seem to staunch the flow of anger she was feeling, the indignation on Daichi's behalf. No wonder he looked so upset when he saw that woman. Daichi had assisted countless customers before, both to the delight of Hobbit Hole staff and the customer. Not once had anyone ever complained or spoken so poorly of him. But that brief look in Daichi's eyes as he left told Jun it had happened before, and that thought alone made her rage boil once again.

She had to do something. Talk to him, convince him that the vile things that woman said weren't true. Jun had her bag slung over her shoulder and her hand on the doorknob, ready to confront her boyfriend and reassure him, when the flash of a notification on her phone made her pause with the doorknob half turned, and then freeze.

It was a text from her brother. A short line of text followed by an image. The image itself was too small to make out from the preview, but it was what Taisei said underneath that made her blood run cold.

Been meaning to send this for a hot second, but wasn't sure about the timing. Don't freak out when you see it, but since I know you probably will, try to remember to breathe. He's a good guy, Junbug, and this only further proves it.

Jun quickly unlocked her phone to get a better view of the photo, but her hands had suddenly grown clammy, only making the process harder. But when she finally tapped the photo to get a closer look, Jun found her knees were trembling so hard she had to collapse onto the closest stack of books. She knew that desk. It was littered in coffee stained report sheets. There in the corner of the image was the green coffee mug she'd bought him just a few months ago. It was Daichi's desk at the precinct, but the page dead center on it didn't make sense. Those were her words, her words written on the typewriter. But just below them, Jun recognized his handwriting, Daichi had written a few lines. They were identical to what had appeared typed in response to her.

The room seemed to be spinning; she had indeed forgotten to breathe. But her mind seemed to think there were more important things to focus on.

It was him. It was Daichi. Her penpal, her trusted confidant. It had been Daichi this whole time. That truth rolled around in Jun's now seemingly empty mind, but it still felt like a trick. Like her brother would reply any moment now and say "Psyche!" and everything would be normal again. So she nearly jumped out of her skin when a new message did pop up from Taisei, but it was not the one she was hoping for.

Breathe Jun. I can feel you starting to hyperventilate from here. It's ok, just breathe.

Reluctantly, Jun took a deep breath. The air felt good filling her lungs and the world seemed to stop spinning, so she took a few more slow, deep breaths.

She didn't understand. No one was supposed to know it was her. The typewriter was her refuge, her safe space to say what she found too hard to express otherwise. It had never been meant to be found out. Jun could feel the panic rising again; she placed a hand across her chest to try and steady her heart. It seemed to help a little. Breathe. She whispered to herself again and again until she felt the tightness in her chest lessen once more.

Maybe Taisei was right. This was Daichi. Her Daichi. And he had never made her feel anything but safe. Of all the people that could be her penpal, Daichi was the one who would understand her use of it the most. Her thoughts rushed to all their past typed correspondence, both to the words he'd written as reassurance to her, but also those rare times she'd written it to him. Without even knowing who was on the other end, Jun had allowed her pen pal to share in some of her most personal thoughts, and had found comfort not anxiety in his responses.

A new warmth seemed to blossom in Jun's chest at this thought. Slow at first, it grew in intensity until completely wiping away the panic she'd first felt, leaving only a blissful comfort in its wake. With the preliminary shock wearing off, Jun realized that of all the people who could have turned out to be her mysterious pen pal, finding out it was Daichi not only felt less catastrophic than others, it just—felt right. Like she had been speaking to him long before she even knew. Jun felt herself smile slightly, thinking how Daichi must have known for quite a while, his nickname for her taking on a whole new meaning, and not once did he ever seem bothered by the words she typed.

She had to find him, to talk with him about it. And perhaps explain more about why she had kept it a secret. Daichi would understand of course, he was Daichi. If anything he'd laugh it all away and say how he was just waiting for her to figure it out for herself. She'd blush a little in embarrassment, but he'd kiss her so sweetly she'd forget about everything else.

Jun's hand was on the door again, ready to pull it open and rush out of the store to find him. But then the thought of what she was doing prior to Taisei's text came flooding back. And instead of taking her towards the exit, Jun found herself rushing to the back of the store. She knew instinctively what she would find; they had both been using the typewriter for the same reasons for ages.

Slightly out of breath, Jun reached the typewriter's desk and knew she had been right to come here first. There it was, still the same innocent black text as ever, but this time Jun could hear the voice speaking those words.

Why aren't you
scared of me?
Why do you
care for me?

It didn't take long for Jun to make her decision. Her fingers were already typing as she set her mind on it. She'd keep her pen pal, who clearly still needed this outlet as much as she did, and she'd keep his identity to herself too. At least until the time felt right.

Jun finished typing her short response, wondering when Daichi would find it and hoping it would bring the same comfort she always found from his. With one last smile at the desk, Jun walked back towards the entrance, a new almost confident jaunt in her steps as she pushed through the still busy shop and out into the sun to meet her awaiting boyfriend.

they called him
dangerous

he was my safe.