Chapter Text
-TW: some mentions of random men being touchy, skip from "unfortunately you hadn't brought any pepper spray" to "Just as you could feel the panic and dread truly setting in, another man stepped in". be safe lovelies!!
The low thrum of the bus pulled you into a half-sleeping and half-awake state, and you could feel your legs bounce every so often from the bumpy road below you. Colors blurred outside your window as you stared at the unfamiliar surroundings, and you let yourself zone out.
You had just left your hometown and got on the first bus you could find. Everything back home had been suffocating. The small and dreary town, your parents down your throat about finding a job, your ex-boyfriend, all of it. You had decided you simply couldn't stand it anymore, which is how you landed yourself here. All you had with you was whatever clothes you could fit in the suitcase you'd had since you were 7, some basic toiletries, and as much money as your bank would let you withdraw in one day.
Unfortunately, you hadn't brought pepper spray. You had been so zoned out, staring out the window, that you didn't realize until too late that a couple of men from the back of the bus were now surrounding you. "Um, can I help you?" You said quietly, your throat suddenly feeling tight.
"Hell yeah, I can think of a couple of ways you can help me." One man said, taking the seat next to you. You uncomfortably shifted away from him and tried to keep staring out the window. You heard the rustle of the man's shirt as he reached out to you, and flinched when his hand landed on your thigh. "Such a pretty girl," you heard a voice whisper from behind you as rough hands ran through your hair.
"Please stop," you tried to cry, but your voice didn't come out as more than a whisper. You tried to push the man's hand off you, but they only grabbed onto you tighter.
Just as you could feel the panic and dread truly setting in, another man stepped in. He looked much closer to your age, and he had the most brilliant eyes you had ever seen. Passion seemed to gleam from them, and he had the fluffiest and wildest colored hair you'd ever seen.
"Excuse me, are these men bothering you?" He asked, giving you a genuine smile. The men inched away from you slightly, and you sighed a deep breath of relief. "And what if we were?" One of them chuckled, stepping up to the fiery-haired man.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you to be respectful to women?" The fiery-haired man asked, grinning widely, meanwhile throwing the fastest and strongest punch you had probably ever seen. Your eyes practically popped out of your head as the man flew across the back of the bus from the force of the punch.
You shared a reaction with the other men surrounding you. Quickly they stumbled away from you and climbed back into their seats. "Sorry, I'm afraid not. You're going to have to get off this bus, I don't share with scum." The fiery-haired man called out to them. They nodded quickly, afraid if they disagreed they'd meet the same fate as their friend passed out in the walking aisle.
The fiery-haired man sat down close to the front of the bus, and when the bus reached its next stop, the men all scrambled to get off, including the dazed and hardly awake man who had gotten punched. After they had all gotten off, you and the other man were the only ones left on the bus, besides the bus driver.
A couple of minutes of silence passed when you heard footsteps approaching you. "Hi, are you alright?" The same strong voice as earlier asked you. The fiery-haired man stood before you, smiling kindly at you. You clenched your fists in your lap to try to stop them from shaking.
You nodded and smiled back weakly. "Yeah, I'll be okay." You mumbled. "May I have this seat?" He asked. Again, you nodded and gestured to the seat next to you.
The man sat down and reached his hand out to you. "I'm Kyojuro Rengoku! Feel free to just call me Kyojuro." He said. "I'm Y/N L/N, it's nice to meet you." You said, shaking his hand.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, what's a lovely lady like you doing all by yourself on a bus at this hour?" He asked, very curiously. "Well," you started. You didn't want to share that you had actually run away from home, and left a life behind, you were trying to escape your past, not re-live it. "I'm here on.. business. It's for a work project." You decided on. That was a fairly believable story.
"Oh?" Rengoku smiled questioningly, clearly doubtful, but he went along with your story. "Well, what are you doing on this bus?" You questioned in return. "I was just out with some friends." He chuckled, and though you had been scared out of your mind only minutes ago, your anxiety had almost been alleviated.
"I can't believe the bus driver didn't even turn around," You pondered, the strangeness of the situation finally breaking through the wall you had tried to create mentally, just to block it all out. "Bus drivers hardly bat an eye at anything, trust me, this isn't the craziest thing that's happened to me on one of these buses." He laughed.
You laughed along, and you could feel the tenseness in your body releasing. Rengoku had a way of distracting you from the situation, and it was clear he was the type of person you'd want to have around in this situation. You smiled softly, knowing he was trying to be there for you in as discreet of a way as possible.
"Where the hell did you learn to punch like anyways?" You questioned, remembering the shock when you saw Rengoku punch the man. "My family and I run a pretty well renowned martial arts dojo, so I've gotten a little practice," he chuckled, peering at the still lingering amazement on your face.
"That's amazing! You must be some amazing teachers if you can fight like that," You grinned at him, genuinely interested in learning about the enigma that was Rengoku. "Aw, that was nothing. I love the dojo, but secretly, I'd rather own a small restaurant." He said, somewhat cryptically, winking at you.
You and Rengoku continued talking about yourselves, and before you knew it, your eyes were drooping. Rengoku's shoulder felt like a rock under your head, yet somehow, slumped over Rengoku as you slept lightly, it might have been the most peaceful sleep you'd gotten in years.
Flying up from the bed, you choked on your saliva. Despite your peaceful sleep, your dreams had become haunted by memories of your past. You had dreamt of your ex-boyfriend, he had been shouting at you and...
You also had no idea where the hell you were. The last thing you remembered was falling asleep on Rengoku's shoulder on the bus, how had you ended up in this massive king-sized bed? Though, you couldn't complain. The bed was so incredibly comfortable and had the most intricate design you had ever seen on a bed frame carved into the wood.
Groggy, scared, awed, and still catching your breath from the nightmare, you climbed out of the bed and admired your surroundings. This room was beautiful, it had a very victorian decoration theme. After almost ten seconds of walking, you finally made it across the giant bedroom.
Heaving the heavy wooden door open you peered out to see the most beautiful home you had ever seen. A long wide hall stretched outwards, and you gaped at the sheer beauty of it. Statues and paintings lined the hall, decorated in the same victorian fashion. You stumbled out of the room and took in your surroundings as you walked. Where the hell even were you, the 18th century? You began to jog down the hall, and finally found the middle of the building- only to be met with a spiraling staircase upwards and downwards, and more halls stretching in new directions.
You were beginning to panic, was this another part of your nightmare? Now you were sprinting, deep and vibrant colors blurring around you as you ran. Unfortunately, you were running much too fast to come to a halt when you saw Rengoku.
Slamming into Rengoku, your bodies were tossed in opposite directions. "Well, good morning to you too," Rengoku groaned, standing up. Your body already ached from the fall as you too tried to sit up. "Ow." You grumbled. Rengoku laughed and reached a hand out to you, helping you get up.
As he let go, you tried to move too fast and lost your balance again. Rengoku immediately reached forwards to catch you from falling again. Before you could even realize it, you were tucked snuggly into Rengoku's arms, and you realized just how muscly he really was. A slight heat crept to your face, and you quickly wriggled out of his grasp. "Can't keep your hands off me today, huh?" He said, teasing you for being so clumsy.
"Sorry," You bowed out of embarrassment. Suddenly, you remembered your surroundings and shot up from the bow. "Hey, wait a second! Why the hell am I bowing to you, where am I? You can't just grab people that are sleeping if you feel like it, I barely fucking know you!" You shouted, the anxiety of waking up god knows where fueling your sudden outburst of anger.
Rengoku awkwardly shifted a hand through his hair. "Woah, that wasn't the response I was expecting. Sorry. I guess I should have asked first, especially after the night you had. My bad!" He chuckled, nervously. "Well, thanks for letting me stay the night. Even though you basically kidnapped me. Wait. Is this your fucking house?" You asked, so many thoughts pouring out at once.
"Yes, this is my house. Kidnapping you and taking you to another home might cross a red line, so I brought you to mine." He joked. You huffed at this but had to hold in a smile. He had a natural talent for reducing the tension of a situation. "Jeez, I knew you mentioned having a well-known dojo, but I didn't realize you meant like this well known... you must be famous to be this rich." You said.
Rengoku smiled at the awe on your face, seeing the excitement in your manner despite trying to reinforce with Rengoku that bringing a stranger into his home while they slept was definitely a violation of some basic privacy. "Let me take you on a tour. You'll need to be accustomed to the place anyways." He said, beginning to walk down the hall. "Sure!" You said following behind him, then stopping in your tracks. "Wait what?" You asked. Why would you need to get well acquainted with the area? "What?" Rengoku questioned in return.
"Sorry, I must have misheard you. I thought you said I'd need to get accustomed to the place. Man, I must be really out of it today." You said, chuckling.
"Well of course you need to get to know the area. You're going to be working for me from now on after all?" Rengoku said.