pullmeoutalive | I disturb my town;

[Despite everything, they really are from a small town. So when his siblings had clamored to go with him, Makoto had agreed (of course, he's so bad at saying no), and had brought them along.

The argument was over something stupid; Ran had accidentally bumped into one of the boys when they had been walking, and now...

Well, now Makoto stood in front of his little siblings protectively, staring down these very disgruntled looking teens, and is certainly not all too pleased by the situation, because it really isn't looking good.

And then Makoto-chan shows up.

That...honestly doesn't make him feel better. He doesn't know what he's capable of, so all he knows is that now she's in this mess too...and he winces.]

Makoto-chan!

[ the look she gives him, over her shoulder, is a rare one. It's not bright, or happy, or even puzzled-- it's firm, fierce, and protective when she steps between him and the boys. Luckily, he doesn't seem to be injured, and some of the automatic, impulsive anger drains. She doesn't like to fight. She'd rather avoid this. ]

... I don't know what happened, but can you guys let this go? I'd think you have better things to do than pick fights.

[ it's calm enough.

But either they're not thinking straight or they've got a lot of venting to do, because instead of them going on their way, there's some snarling about "cocky little shits like you" and one of them's swinging at her face.

Makoto moves just enough for it not to hit directly, though it scores a blow off her cheekbone.

... Ah. So in the end... ]

Makoto-kun, get them out of here.

[ she dodges the next lunge, but this time, she hits back, a knee to the nose, an elbow to the back when he hunches over, and then she's focusing on the next.

It's not the most graceful thing she's ever done, but speed above grace right now. She needs to keep them safe. ]

[What she's asking him to do is...so far against what he wants to do that it almost hurts. She's asking him to leave her behind to deal with this angry and irritating boys who are clearly itching for a fight. She's asking him to leave her behind--

And the worst part is that he's sensible enough to know that she's right. He has the twins, and he can't let them get hurt here even by just an accident. So he bites his lip, and it's extremely painful to even try to do this, but--

He grabs the hands of the twins and pulls them away.]

Come on, you two!

[He'll be back for her though. That he's certain of, even as he ducks into a sidestreet and tows his little siblings with him to try to find someone trustworthy who can watch them for just a short while--

And when he's managed that task, he runs back, frantic and worried, despite the fact that his mind is reminding him of how easily he saw Makoto-chan take down one of those guys.]

[ She's done. Done, with a reddened cheekbone, places on her arms that will bruise later, but an idol couldn't let them do any further damage to her face. It's funny, she reflects, that she hadn't let Azusa's kidnappers land lasting hits, but maybe she'd gotten sloppy. She hadn't been fighting four-on-one back then, either.

But they do back off after she holds her ground, and she doesn't pursue them, instead leaning wearily against the window display of a bookstore. Maybe-- no, she's definitely relieved that Makoto managed to get the kids to safety. But she's also ashamed, that she couldn't prevent a fight from happening. That she'd had to hurt other people, and she's not sure if it's her face that's stinging or her eyes. ]

[He gets there in time to see her slump, and at first he's concerned that she's been badly injured. He hurries over to her, reaching out to brush her shoulder in concern--]

Makoto-chan--

[...and then he sees the tears. She seems fine overall, which is impressive considering what she just did, but she looks absolutely miserable, and Makoto doesn't think about what he's doing, because he'd really do anything to wipe that expression from her face.

It doesn't suit her. She deserves to be able to smile.

So upon seeing that she really is okay, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her carefully into a hug.]

[ she almost winces at the sight of him, at the thought of how horrified he's going to be, and she opens her mouth to apologize or maybe to try and laugh it off. ]

I--

[ except that smile falls into something that trembles more than it ought to, and her voice sounds foreign to her ears, pitiful and shaky--

And then he hugs her.

Something breaks.

Instead of reassuring him or smiling in the usual manner, she balls her hands into fists against his chest, trembling with the effort of getting the next words out even as she starts to cry in earnest. ]

I'm s-so sorry--

[Shes apologizing. She's apologizing for protecting him, and, more importantly, his family. And she's apologizing for that.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know why, and he feels that he knows her quite well by this point--she feels bad about resorting to violence, even though they attacked first. He thinks, in a way, that a character trait like that is admirable; she doesn't want to harm anyone, because she cares. But in another sense, it scares him. He doesn't want her to get hurt simply because she didn't want to fight back...

He's scared for her, he realizes. He's scared for her and he always has been, this entire day, and he's just glad to have her in his arms, because at least this way he knows for sure she's here and well.

So he does what comes naturally, as if he were comforting a sibling, or Gou (except that this is Makoto-chan, and she's precious to him in her own way) and slowly rubs her back with one hand, the other coming up to stroke her hair quietly. Anything that can, maybe, calm her down.]

It's okay, Makoto-chan. It's okay. You saved Ran and Ren...thank you so much.

[ the crying does slow down, quieting even more than it already was (because she'd always been mindful of not raising a fuss in a public area, if she could help it). The quivering can only last so long against the comfortable pressure of his palms, and she can finally hear what he's murmuring.

... Which is enough to almost make her start crying again, because she can never quite grasp the extent of his kindness. He was thanking her? Telling her it was okay, when she'd done something so--

She grips at his shirt, a little tighter, chokes out a final sniffle. She still sounds waterlogged, but at least she isn't sobbing. ]

I w-was scared... I-I thought, if you'd gotten hurt, any of you--

[ and she'd been so furious that it had scared her, too. ]

[He pauses for a moment at that, but then carefully resumes stroking her hair. And he can't see her face this close, so he does pull away, but only a little, enough to see her. Seeing her with tears running down her face breaks his heart. And to hear that she was scared for them...

Well, he can't blame her. Really, all he can do, moving on a whim, is go to wipe some of those tears away with careful fingers, because it really is just so heartbreaking to see her sad.

And he smiles at her, as well as possible.]

I was scared too...for Ren and Ran and for you. So I'm just glad...that we're all okay.

... Yeah. [ it's embarrassing, having him wipe at her tears like she's a little kid bawling to her mother, but she makes no move to dissuade him. It's oddly comforting.

But he's right, they're all fine. He'd gotten the kids to safety, and she'd gotten to them just in time.

She can smile now, though the gesture itself is still fragile. ]

I'm really relieved about that.

[There is that sense of fragility...and Makoto has never been one to leave something that isn't quite right alone. And he doesn't want to move away anyway--there's a sense of comfort in being able to have her this close, and to know for a fact that she is definitely okay.

So he sighs in relief and nods.]

Me too... [And he chuckles, because--]

Thanks for coming to our rescue, Makoto-chan. You just never stop being amazing, do you?

[ she really should worry about being seen being hugged in public, but right now, she can't bring herself to care. So long as she keeps her face at least partially obscured-- well, it's not a busy area right now, anyway. ]

... No, it's really not that amazing. [ with a soft sigh. ] I can't think of any other idols who would get into a brawl like that... if it were Azusa-san, there probably wouldn't have been a fight at all.

[He blinks at that. Is that...what all of this is about?

And so he just sheepishly pauses and laughs quietly and--]

I tried to talk them out of it, but...I should've realized they were looking for a fight all along. At least for Ren and Ran's sake.

[But thankfully, Makoto-chan did.]

It's not your fault. [ it's the firmest she's sounded since the fight had ended, peering up at him with a little frown. ]

... And I probably shouldn't focus on it, either. [ she knew better. ] I don't think they'll be back, and you're all safe, so that's what matters.

[...ah. And he just chuckles, smiling at her and nodding.]

Thanks to you, everything turned out okay. Don't forget that, alright?

[And then he finally lets her go, turning to go collect Ran and Ren.]

We should probably get the kids, since they were so excited to see you.

Oh--!

[ she's both chagrined and flattered, falling into line beside him. ]

It's been awhile, hasn't it? I was looking forward to seeing them too!

[Since she took care of him, really...but he just smiles, nodding, as they walk to the nice old lady who had been clearly enjoying entertaining Ran and Ren.]

It has been, but I'm really glad we could come up today. I wanted to thank you too for everything you did before when I was sick.

[HE JUST needs to thank her forever okay no big deal.]

You really don't need to thank me for that... I was happy I could help, at least a little.

[ but then she's switching her attention to the twins. ]

Ren! Ran! Long time no see!

[And the twins are all over her, chattering excitedly and so happy to see her--

But Makoto just watches, smiling, and thinks about how easily she dismissed that despite how much work she did for him then. Because...no matter how often he says it, it never stops being true, does it--

Makoto-chan is amazing. And he doesn't know how he ended up this lucky, to be able to be close to her like this, but...

He's determined never to take it for granted.]

[ she's more than happy to see them, hugging them as best as she can and trying to keep up with all the chatter. It's not the first time she's been envious of Makoto for having such cute siblings, but this arrangement isn't bad either. Getting to see them all is making the encounter from earlier seem more and more like a bad dream.

But then, getting to spend time with Makoto had always had the effect of making things seem not so bad, now that she thought about it. ]

Oh, right... did you guys have anything planned, or did you want to drop by the office?

[It's good to see her smiling again, at least. That's a slow improvement from how this trip started.

But he just chuckles, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.]

I can't say we have any particular plans, so...

[Anything is fine by them...!]

We should have enough room in the car for everyo...

[ ... oh she just left the producer behind. ]

U-um, but we should probably backtrack! I think he's probably still waiting by the car!

[...ah, that's just like her, isn't it?

He laughs at that, nodding and reaching for the twins' hands.]

Lead the way, then.

[...though he does have to wonder. "He"...?]

[ things Makoto should clarify, but forgets to-- oh well.

It's apparent enough when there's that young man in a suit and tie waiting by the car spotting them as they draw closer. And running up to Makoto in a relieved frenzy while she's laughing apologetically and trying to reassure him.

What a professional Producer. ]

[...yeah even seeing a suited young man doesn't really...explain anything to Makoto...

And honestly he's just blinking and watching and very confused indeed--

Until he hears her say "Producer" to him, he...can't help but be a little concerned. For some reason. Concern...? Is that right?]

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