Chapter Text
You couldn’t recall the last time that you had been without Kiryu, at least, not since you had turned nineteen.
While he was only a couple years older than you – two, to be exact – it often felt as though there was a significantly larger age gap, considering his behaviour compared to other men of similar ages.
Kazuma Kiryu was, for lack of a better term, perfect… to you, anyway.
He was quiet, yes, but deep down he was a sweetheart, the perfect gentlemen. He always made sure that you were okay - both physically and mentally – and safe without overstepping any boundaries, despite your insistence that it was fine and that you trusted him.
“You shouldn’t just trust anyone, Y/N,” you recall him saying one night.
“You’re not just anyone, Kaz,” you answered, and had you been paying complete attention, you would have also noticed his pink ears, rather than just the roll of his eyes.
A sigh fell from your lips as you lay in bed, your bodyguard on your mind again. It was becoming a more common occurrence as of late. Your… feelings… had began blossoming within a few months of him becoming a constant in your life.
While you had known him since being a teenager – your father and Kazama having some type of friends – you never saw each other as often as you do since he was hired, by your father, of course, to be your bodyguard.
That decision was one that was made without your knowledge, leading to an intense fight between yourself and your father, and you still remember the way his face flushed red with anger as you both shared cruel words.
Another sigh left you, only to be quietened by the buzzing of your phone, one which you reached to grab within an instant.
“Hello?” You muttered into the device, raising your body from your bed while also attempting to be as quiet as possible to ensure you didn’t wake Kiryu who was most likely asleep in the next room.
“Yo, Y/N! Where are you?” The voice of your friend, Aika, screeched; you instinctively pulled the phone away from your ear, quickly turning the volume down.
“Home, why?”
“There’s a huge party, you should come!”
Another sigh.
“Kiryu won’t be happy if I wake him up,”
“Screw him, just sneak out!”
Yeah, Aika was definitely drunk, and while you didn’t want to piss Kiryu off, it did sound fun.
“All right, where?”
“I’ll text you the address!” Came her final words, making a kissy noise before the hang-up noise was heard, shortly followed by the ding of a notification.
*
“Where are you going?” The deep voice of a tired Kiryu sounded behind you, quiet curses leaving your mouth as you removed your hand from the door handle, turning to look at him with an innocent look.
“Fresh air…?”
“Dressed like that? Nice try, Y/N,”
You rolled your eyes at his words and shrugged.
“A party,” you admitted.
You watched as he shook his head. “No.”
“Why?”
Kiryu glanced at the clock for a moment before turning his attention back to you.
“It is 1 in the morning,” he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Why are you awake?”
“Why are you?” You smiled innocently, as though it would help your case in any way possible.
Kiryu simply raised an eyebrow at you, shaking his head in dismay. “Where is this party then?” He asked.
The moment the address left your lips, his gaze hardened.
“And you were going to go there alone? Seriously?” He shook his head, making you feel slightly guilty for even considering sneaking out. “One of the most dangerous places in Japan and you were going to go there alone? At 1am? Do you have any idea what people would think?”
“What do you mean, Kaz?” You asked.
“I mean, an attractive woman alone at a party? People aren’t as innocent as you, Y/N, they’ll try and take advantage of you and I-“He continued, or at least tried to before you cut him off with one burning question.
“You think I’m attractive?” You asked with a smug grin, one which grew as you saw his eyes widen and a small blush run up his neck.
“I- well, I- Is that seriously all you got from that?”
You grin again. “Yep! Now, are you coming or are you going to make this attractive woman go to a party alone?” Was it wrong to use his words against him? Probably. But did you care? Nope!
He paused for a moment, then turned around with a sigh. “Let me grab my jacket.”
*
The music was loud, as to be expected at a party of this magnitude.
Your eyes skimmed the room, desperately searching for Aika, all while Kiryu loomed behind you, eyes darting around the room yet for a very different reason; he was paid to keep you safe, after all, he didn’t do it for any other reason… No other reason at all.
“Y/N!” He heard a slurred voice call your name, and immediately spun on his heel, ready to defend you from any potential danger.
Spotting a girl he had seen before, he somewhat relaxed, but remained on guard. His eyes were trained on you as you rushed over to the girl who stood outside, immediately being enveloped into a hug.
“I see you got him to come with you, then,” Aika whispered into your ear as she spotted Kiryu in the distance.
“I wasn’t given a choice,” you mumbled before pulling away.
Aika grinned at you before beckoning you over to two benches filled with people – some you recognised, some you didn’t – before handing you a drink.
“I kept this for you!” She slurred, watching you with a devilish grin as you went to take a sip without even questioning what it was.
“Tha- Hey!” You yelled as someone grabbed the red cup from your hand. “Kiryu, what the hell?!” You asked, reaching over to try grab the cup which he had brought to his nose.
“What is this?” He asked Aika who simply giggled.
“Vodka and... uhm-“
As he waited for Aika to finish her sentence, you reached over and snatched the cup from his grasp, immediately drinking it, assuming it was safe considering he didn’t have a deathly grip on it.
“Holy shit, that is certainly vodka,” you swallowed, almost gagging after downing the drink. “Are you sure there was even anything else in it?” You giggled before moving to sit down besides Aika.
A tight grip caught your wrist just as you were about to take a seat, pulling you towards Kiryu’s muscular body as he leaned down to whisper into your ear. “Don’t get too carried away, all right? Remember what happened last time.” He muttered before letting you go.
A blush ran up your cheeks, the colour darkening as everyone watching whistled. You knew exactly what he was referring to with last time: when he had to physically carry you home and you threw up on his shoes… That was embarrassing.
*
Considering it was nearing 2am when you arrived, the night was still young, and so as the night grew, as did your alcohol intake, much to Kiryu’s dismay.
“He’s staring at you again,” one of Aika’s friends – Riku, you think his name was – told you, leaning over to your ear so that you could hear him over the pounding bass.
“Who?” You asked, oblivious to who he meant in your drunken stupor.
“Your boyfriend? You know, the scary muscular dude you came with.”
You flew backwards in surprise, eyes wide as you nearly fell off the bench, only to be caught by somebody’s hands who you didn’t even think about before answering.
“Kiryu isn’t my boyfriend!” You screeched, before turning to thank whoever had caught you. “Oh, thanks, Kiryu!” You smiled sweetly up at the older man whose jaw was clenched tighter than you had ever seen in the three years he had been with you.
His eyes rolled as he made sure that you weren’t going to fall the moment he released you, before removing his hands from your back and wordlessly returning to his previous position.
“Not my boyfriend, my ass,” Aika giggled.
You glanced over at Aika with red cheeks, shaking your head in shock before risking a glance at Kiryu who was looking anywhere but at you.
With a deep breath, you stood on shaky legs and wandered over to your protector.
“Can we go home?”
Without even looking over at you, Kiryu nodded, waiting for you to bid your friends, both new and old, goodbye before turning to walk towards the car, hardly sparing you a glance.
*
“Kiryu, slow down!” You called. “Honestly, my feet can’t handle this in these heels,” you giggled, looking over at him, smiling to yourself as he slowed to a halt. “Thank you.”
Kiryu turned to face you, jaw still tight. The moment you reached him, he kneeled, leaving you confused, even more-so as his hands reached out to undo the straps of your heels.
“Lift your foot.” He swallowed, feeling you place your hands on his shoulders doing as you were told. It wasn’t difficult for him to remove your heels while also keeping you upright. “And the other.”
You watched the man as he placed your heels to a side, looking up at you for a moment, then reaching down to untie his own shoes.
“What? Are we both just going barefoot or something?” Your slurred words were hard to understand, but thankfully for you, Kiryu had seen you like this before.
He shook his head, removing both his shoes before slipping them onto your feet.
“They probably won’t fit, but it’s better than nothing,” He stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, picking up your heels, before walking again, this time at a slower pace.
The walk down the road to the car was silent and it wasn’t a comfortable one, something unusual for you both. Kiryu was a quiet man, you had always known this, but you had never seen him this tense.
“Are you okay?” You asked, glancing over at him. “Is it ‘cause I took your shoes?”
Despite his inner turmoil, he couldn’t help but chuckle at your genuine question as he finally looked over at you.
“No, it’s not because you took my shoes.” He answered with a small smile. “The car is here.”
Kiryu reached over, opening the door for you without even thinking, it having become a habit. His free hand reached out to gently grab your hand, helping guide you into the passenger seat.
“Thank you,” you said, leaning backwards to rest your head, eyes fluttering shut.
Kiryu let out a quiet sigh, one hand resting beside your thigh as he reached over to grab your seatbelt, clicking it into place and shutting the door.
Once he was buckled into his own seat, he turned to face you for a moment.
Your eyes were still closed, a soft smile gracing your lips and your previously perfect hair somewhat dishevelled. He would be lying if he said he didn’t still find you the most beautiful person in the world.
“Do you want to go anywhere else before I take you home? Food?” He asked softly, ignoring his previous thoughts.
Your eyes snapped open, a smirk replacing your previous smile.
“Karaoke.”
While he shook his head in feign annoyance, he simply agreed. “Karaoke it is.”