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It started with a letter.
Crinkled paper with the smell of fresh glue was stuffed ominously in the personal mailbox of Sia La Luce…Kojiro already didn’t like how this day was starting.
He’d had some stalker experiences in the past, a few vague threats from sore losers at S, once there was even a dude who pettily slashed his motorcycle tire (Strangely enough the next day he hadn’t been able to get ahold of Kaoru, and after that he hasn’t seen the tire slasher ever again..he’d rather not dig too deeply into that)
But those experiences were far and few between, and most definitely not as cliche as…
Kojiro carefully pulled on a corner and sure enough it was nearly falling off magazine letters cut and pasted on. American movies taught him that this was so no one could identify the sender by handwriting, and most often it was used with…
Kidnapping.
All hesitation was suddenly thrown out the window. Realizing he needed to act fast if he was in fact facing such a situation, Kojiro snatched the letter and stretched it open.
He’d made a terrible mistake.
Or more correctly, whoever the hell was ‘maybe-maybe not’ trying to ransom one of his loved ones had done an incredibly poor job. The glue wasn’t the slightest bit dry.
Half the mismatched magazine pieces were stuck facing downwards on top of the other half, and many had slid down onto lower ‘lines’. Which meant it took Kojiro a minute of panic to attempt to unstick and rearrange the letters to their previous places. Kaoru was always the one who liked these kinds of puzzles, yet why couldn’t he be there when Kojiro needed him?
Oh no. What if they had Kaoru?!
Looking down at what he’d come up with, the note read:
‘ComE To sK8 pArK @ No n or iE’
He knew a couple pieces had blown away before he could catch them, and Kojiro had always sucked at Wheel of Fortune (much to Kaoru’s enjoyment) but the full message seemed easy enough.
Come to the skate park at noon, or die.
Maybe it was a joke? Miya liked pranks…but even he would’ve done something more elaborate than this, plus he’d seen the kid with crafts…it usually ended in frustration and yelling. No way he’d willingly put himself through such a task.
But if it wasn’t a joke…The letter mentioned skateboarding, so the writer clearly knew at least a little about him, but how much? What kind of grudge could he have accidentally made someone have for him that warranted death threats?
Or worse…what if he wasn’t the only one to receive a letter.
Dread settled like steel in his belly as Kojiro broke into a cold sweat.
How did one piece of paper turn his world into a horror show? Should he report this to the police? But what if he’s being watched? What if they already had one of the kids and would hurt them if he didn’t show? Wasn’t that something they would include in the threat? How much of that message had he lost?
One thing was for certain, he couldn’t call anyone for help. Whether they were being held hostage or not, he couldn’t put them at risk…and it was already 11:50.
Kojiro had just enough time to run into Sia, grab his skateboard, making sure he was quick enough that anyone watching wouldn’t suspect a phone call but also pocketing a small pepper spray that he kept in the restaurant for his staff and customers’ safety, before racing in the direction of the park.
Despite what Kaoru insists, Kojiro isn’t stupid.
Wheels slowed quietly at the edge of the grass. The west side had overgrowth and trees that were perfect for shade; this time they provided Kohiro the cover for a perfect hiding spot.
It turned out he didn’t need it.
Standing openly in the middle of the park, completely alone, was Miya.
In front of him, a suspicious table with a pie on it.
‘Come to the park at noon or Miya dies’
They’d poisoned the pie!
“NOOO!!!!” Kojiro yelled, bursting out from the brush and barreling towards the tiny teen.
“What the-!”
Kojiro wrapped his arms around Miya’s small frame, shielding him close to his chest as he tackled the boy to the ground as if saving him from a bullet instead of a poisoned sweet.
“Don’t eat the pie!” Kojiro wailed as he hugged the kid tighter beneath him, shielding Miya in case there were any actual bullets aimed at them if the kid didn’t eat the pie. What had they done to deserve such twisted mind games? Even Adam was tame by these standards.
Miya blinked up at Kojiro, completely stunned.
“O-okaayy?”
Sighing in relief, Kojiro was so thankful he’d made it in time that he subconsciously started petting Miya’s head, something the teen detested but was apparently too startled by Kojiro’s attack to fight about.
One kid safe. But now he had to make sure the others were too, and find the culprit so Kojiro could destroy them for daring to threaten any of them.
“Miya,” he whispered suddenly, “Who did this? Do you know where they are?”
‘I’m here. It’s okay. I’ll get them.’ He tried to convey.
The kid squirmed uncomfortably under Kojiro’s urgent gaze, looking off to the side, “I’m not really supposed to say…”
They had silenced Miya. It was official, someone was targeting his sk8 family and there would be blood to pay.
“Then don’t say anything,” Kojiro consoled, continuing to pet as he lifted them both up into sitting positions while keeping most of his shoulders and arms hunched protectively around his little buddy. Miya was only a teenager, barely even that, he must be scared out of his mind.
Kojiro knew he must be right when Miya sighed into the hug. Practically melting in his arms and just staying there for a minute before looking up at Kojiro with an embarrassed blush, as if the comfort of an adult in this situation was childish? How could Miya think that?
“Um,” Miya started, cutting Kojiro’s thoughts off, “I need to take you to the next place.”
Kojiro nodded stiffly, grip never leaving Miya’s hand as they both went over to his abandoned skate board. Nor did he let go as the skated down the sidewalk, Miya blushing as he led the way.
There was no way Kojiro was going to let them separate Miya from him. It made him sick that not only had they threatened Miya into silence, the kidnappers had also made the boy guide him to-
Oh no.
Flowers came into Kojiro’s view and he sped in front pulling Miya along behind him.
The bell to the florist shop was lucky Kojiro didn’t break it with how forcefully he threw the door open.
“Hiromi!”
Three pairs of wide eyes stared at him before Reki squeaked and threw a box behind the counter Hiromi also stood behind, where he was arranging sunflowers.
They even know my favorite flower, just how much do these criminals know about me?
“Miya?” Hiromi asked, “Aren’t you a little early?”
Kojiro’s blood boiled at the question, brain not recognizing how calmly it had been asked, especially not with the adrenaline running through him from Miya’s near death experience.
So they had instructed all of them? They were threatening all of them? And what did Hiromi mean by early? Were all of these tasks timed like Miya’s had been? If he’s too late for a task then…Wait, what was in that box?
Was it a bomb!?
“Hiromi, Langa, Reiki; Let’s go, we’re getting out of here!”
Thank goodness. Thank whatever deity or luck that had let him get there early. That had let him find all three of these boys in one task. Maybe he could get them to his apartment before the kidnappers noticed. Keep them safe with him while he figured out how to get to Kaoru if they had been suicidal enough to target him too.
“But…we’re supposed to put this blindfold on you first?” Langa said, holding up a strip of black fabric.
“Absolutely not! There’s no way I’m letting you guys out of my sight! Now hurry up!”
How could they stay so calm when a bomb was right there!? It was clear the main target was Kojiro but did the kids not know of their own dangers? Only ‘where to go next?’ But then why had Miya sunk into his embrace earlier?
He didn’t have time to think about this. He had been early and time was of the essence if he wanted to get them out of this death game.
Hiromi and the boys protested as he ushered them out, saying they needed to bring the sunflowers and the box which Kojiro absolutely refused.
What he didn’t hear as he pushed the group through the door was Reki whispering to Miya and Langa, ‘I didn’t know Joe hated surprise parties this much.’
‘I think he’s just gone senile,’ Miya whispered back.
A few minutes later Kojiro finally got them all safely huddled in his living room having herded them pretty much like sheep to their obvious displeasure, and he made sure the curtains were drawn and door locked.
No one was touching these guys on his watch.
“Hey Joe?” Reiki’s voice dripped with concern. He must be so frightened, and understandably so.
“Why did we come up here through the side door? Shouldn’t we be downstairs? Kaoru will-”
“I already texted Kaoru,” Miya interrupted as if the words didn’t spike Kojiro’s already abused anxiety levels through the roof, “He should be here any-”
A knock at the door nearly gave Kojiro the final push for the heart attack he’s been fighting all day. Rushing to the door but stopping just short. What if it wasn’t Kaoru-
“Kojiro! Open up!”
“Kaoru!” Kojiro practically sang, nearly wanting to weep with joy as he flung open the door with wide arms before squeezing the most irritating childish love of his life until he could clearly smell that cherry blossom shampoo…
“Kojiro..?”
Kaoru’s confused call of his name brought him back from euphoria. They weren’t in the clear just yet.
Grabbing the sides of Kaoru’s arms, he pulls the other back far enough to look him in the face.
“Are you hurt? Where’s Tadashi and Adam-”
“Hurt?” Kaoru tilted his head as if Kojiro was speaking another language, “...Adam’s in his helicopter, which he’s had circle the place multiple times already-”
Yes! For the first time ever Kojiro was so glad Ainosuke owned a helicopter.
“Did they find them!?”
The worry on Kaoru’s face only grows “...Find who?”
“The ones who kidnapped you guys!” The look Kojiro receives is nothing if not mind boggling.
“Kojiro…” Kaoru starts slowly, “what day is it?”
What did that have to do with anything?
“Thursday?”
There was a collective exasperated sigh throughout the room.
“What?” Kojiro asked defensively.
“You dolt,” Kaoru grabbed the sides of Kojiro’s face to make him look straight into golden eyes, “ it’s your birthday.”
Oh. Oh!
He knew that. Or had known that. That was why Sia was closed today, and why he’d gotten the mail so late…
“But then the letter saying to come to the park or Miya would die-”
“WHAT!?” Miya screeched at the same time as Kaoru, all eyes turning to Langa who looked as lost as they did. Kaoru’s a little more glaring than the rest.
“What exactly did you write?” The calligrapher asked, Reiki defensively moving closer to the bluenette as if Kaoru would actually hurt any of them. For his part Langa didn’t look all that concerned.
“I wrote exactly what you told me to, ‘Come to the skate park at noon for pie.’”
“Oh…” Kojiro said in realization and the group’s eyes turned back to him, “The um…the glue was still wet and I lost a couple pieces so-”
“Glue?” Kaoru questioned with a pointed raised eyebrow.
“Well, yeah, everyone always says they can’t read my handwriting, and the printer wasn’t working so I just used some old magazines my mom had. I was sure the glue would dry in time though…”
Before Kaoru could go over and immediately make good on his past threats to drill a better handwriting into the canadian teen, Kojiro had another question-
“So the box wasn’t bomb?”
“Is that why you made us leave it!?” Hiromi yelled but Kaoru ignored him, gripping the side of his head like Kojiro would always see him do when a headache was coming on.
“No,” Kaoru said through gritted teeth, sounding utterly defeated. “That was clearly a present, and then the blindfold was for the surprise party, and the helicopter…is Adam.”
Kojiro sighed, all of the tension finally leaving his body. Everyone was safe and it was ironically the best birthday present he could’ve asked for. Even if it was very sweet that the gang had gone to the trouble of preparing flowers, a gift, pie-
“Wait,” Kojiro turned to Miya, “so why did you return my hug after I tried to save you from nobody?”
Kojiro hadn’t expected Miya to explode into a blush, the sight of which only made Reki’s cheshire smile widen.
“Oh~? So you hugged Joe, huh?” The red-head asked with a poke to a pudgy cheek. He was going to lose that finger if he wasn’t careful…
“Shut up!” Miya snapped at his annoying older brother figure only to glance back at Kojiro and blush harder, putting his head between his knees facing the ground as he muttered his answer so softly that it was barely heard by the room.
”You were warm…”
Kojiro beamed, “Great! Then you won’t mind if I do it again!”
Miya’s head sprang back up, “What!?”
“In fact,” Kojiro gestured to Kaoru, “tell Adam and Tadashi to get down here too. It’s my birthday, I want a group hug!”
Murmurs of disagreement rose from all corners of the living room but Kojiro repeated, “It’s. My. Birthday. Plus, I thought you were all in grave danger so I think it’s the least I deserve.”
That shut any arguments down quickly. Everyone scooting closer to the embodiment of sunshine himself as he happily wrapped his arms around all of them.
“...Adam says he’ll be down in 2 minutes and he’ll leave the parachute outside. Tadashi will be another ten minutes at least and then there’s only five minutes until your staff and everyone will be downstairs for your scheduled surprise party,” Kaoru said softly from where he was tucked under Kojiro’s arm, head leaning above his heart.
“Then I guess that means I get 15 minutes of hug time,” Kojiro reasoned, smiling into Kaoru’s hair.
“...sap.”