Blood Of The Faithful (1)
Pairing: Ran Haitani × Married, Older! Reader
Content warning: Age gap. Brief description of a stab wound. Implied sexual content
Word count: 5.1k
Summary: In a chance encounter, Ran comes across you, a newly married woman with a husband who couldn’t give you the time of day. He thinks he can fill the vacant hole in your heart quite well…if you would only stop treating him like a kid.
Note: In just about every story of Ran I’ve ever read, he’s always had the upper hand. I wanted to see a story of where he desperately tried to win the love of a woman he couldn’t and shouldn’t have. And because of that wish, this story was born! Please enjoy :)
Ran first met you at his lowest, on a very dark, dark day.
Bleeding through his new Yves Saint Laurent shirt wasn’t his thing—and getting grazed by a knife in a fight wasn’t either. But you can’t always get what you want, Ran supposes. He’ll just have to buy another one later. He’s sure his father could spare the money. Better to spend it on your son then his typical prostitutes, right?
“f*ck…” He grumbles,his vision blurring and dimming by the second. It’s one of those nights where Rindou wasn’t with him, maybe out with a girl twice his age, or with his ‘friends’ who couldn’t stomach being around Ran for too long—much too nervous. It didn’t help that he broke his phone during the fight and lost his wallet somewhere amidst the bodies he left in the alleyway. What kind of gang brings 15 people to jumponeperson?
Either way, as he stumbles through the streets with crimson painting him, Ran finds solace in knowing that he’s at least in his neighborhood. He’s desperate to at least make it inside his own house before he collapses, but when Ran’s foot catches up on a rock, it sends him toppling forward in one of the most humiliating ways imaginable.
His body hits the concrete with a thud, the only light source illuminating him being the poorly lit street lights. For something that should’ve been expensive, (because his neighborhood wouldn’t settle for anything less) one might’ve thought it’d at least work better.
But it doesn’t, and as Ran tries to pick himself up and stand again, he finds himself completely unable to do so. The stab wound near his stomach throbbed painfully, his legs so weakened they were shaking.
How awful. His new shirt is an absolute goner, then.
And he might be too, soon.
Or, so he thought until he heard an oddly calm, melodic voice in the midst of a storm. “Oh my god, are you alright sweetie?”
Sweetie. How strange. Ran is usually the one calling people that, typically pretty girls who didn’t know any better when they approached him. And the last woman,used to be the only one,who has ever called him that was his mother.
That was until she stopped breathing, of course.
Looking up with whatever little strength he had left, Ran’s eyes widened once he met yours.
You’re in your late 20’s, no older then 30 but almost there, the maturity in your eyes and the plush to your skin told him so. There’s a bag of groceries in one of your hands, and you’re wearing an awfully,awfullytiny shirt, one that could never fully cover your breasts. Not when it was practically spilling out of the thin material, and ah—you’re coming closer.
The bag of groceries is the first to hit the ground, you following right afterwards. You look even more beautiful up close, Ran realizes, and when you put his head on your lap as you inspect the wounds, he thinks maybe dying right now wouldn’t be so bad. It’s much better to die in the lap of a gorgeous woman then it is to die alone in the middle of the dirty, insect ridden streets in his opinion.
But when he thinks of Rindou, his no good little brother and the most precious thing in his life, Ran thinks there’s no way in hell he could die now—or ever.
“C-Can you stand? You need treatment dear.” Your voice shakes as you attempt to help him up, but Ran must’ve been heavier then you originally thought, so he used whatever strength he had left to stabilize his footing.
There’s something comforting about your scent, it…it smells like a home. Not the one he lives in, with the shiny marble floors and the high ceiling with glass planes for windows, but anactualone. One filled with laughter, small corners and secret hiding spots, a room with regular windows and not ones made from colored stained glass.
As you speak to him, one sentence after the other, Ran doesn’t pick up on any of it. All he remembers through the haze of his injury and his squinted eyes was a door, and the warmth of your hand on his back.
And then, nothing.
The next time Ran wakes up, hes somewhere unfamiliar, and whatever he was laying on was…soft.
It all comes to him slowly, like pieces of puzzles falling to its place, but when he blinks and sees you above him—Ran realizes that he was sleeping on your lap.
He gets up much faster and rougher then he should’ve, especially considering that you were snoozing off with your head angled so low, it makes him worry that you’ll hurt your neck that way.
Grabbing your head, he slowly pushes you back so you lay normally on the couch. He’s in a living room, an extremely spacious one that rivals his own, and all around him were first aid kit materials like bandaids and disinfectant.
You…You him, it seems.
Looking around, he quickly realizes that this was your house. He’s standing in the middle of a spacious living room, looking eerily similar to Ran’s own. There’s a dog bowl in the corner (though he hasn’t seen any pets yet) and general decorations. There’s also pictures hanging on the wall that tells him so, of you smiling with an unfamiliar man, his hands around your waist, beaming into the camera. Or at least you were, the man that you were with looked somewhere between a scowl and a grin.
He must be your boyfriend—this man.
With brown slicked back hair, boring golden eyes and a somewhat sleezy smile, your boyfriend reminds him of a man he’d see hanging around his father. He’s undoubtedly rich, probably has a charming smile if he flashes his teeth, but at the core, they were all the same.
Just people hungry for power.
There’s more where those pictures came from, of just you and that man, one where you were at a Zoo, some restaurant, and…your graduation?
“His name is Minato, we married each other just about a month ago.”
Ran whips his head around more calmly then he felt, because quite frankly, he was too enamored by the pictures to have heard you walking behind him, a fond smile on your face.
Ah,husbandthen.
He doesn’t know how he managed to miss the golden band on your finger, a small diamond glinting back at him in the low evening light. It’s much too small, he thinks, and ifhewere to be your husband, he would’ve bought you the most expensive, beautiful ring there was. And if he couldn’t—then that just means he wasn’t worthy.
“You make a lovely couple.” Ran says, and he means it. Or at least, he thinks he does.
Blinking, he backtracks.Wait…think?
“Thank you, are you alright?” As you approach closer with concern on your face, Ran somehow found himself backing up until he hits the wall, your hand touching his forehead. “You were burning up earlier, and you had this wound—I was worried you’d get a fever on top of your injuries.”
Heart beating fast, much more faster then it’s ever had before, Ran took a moment to calm himself. “Y-Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for treating me.”
It fails, god does it fail when you flash a blinding, bright smile at him. “I’m so glad.”
Ran Haitani doesn’t get nervous. Ran could count on one hand, during his 19 years of living, just how many times his nerves took over him.
But in front of you, as you harp around like a worried mother hen, he finds himself absolutely frozen. Not with fear—because there was absolutely not one thing scary about you, but just…
Nervousness. He’s scared of messing up, somehow.
What was going on?
“Your clothes were soaked with blood, I’m not sure where you live, but you should probably take a shower first. You don’t want to scare your folks or passing pedestrians.” Ran doesn’t tell you that he only lives with his brother. Or how his father was abroad and his mother six feet under. Instead, he smiles.
“No, I couldn’t intrude more then I already have.” Ran began to step away from you, slowly, one foot at the time, eyeing the door. Something about you makes him feel not like himself. He’s never felt so out of his own skin until now, and he couldn’t pinpoint just exactly what it was. “Thank you for all that you’ve—
“Nonsense!” It absolutely startles Ran when you grab his hand, pulling him somewhere with much more strength then he thought your little body could hold. “You’re still so young, what if someone calls the cops on you? That could go on your record you know.”
Ran absolutely doesnotmention that he’s already been to juvie two times, or how he’s already taken a life at the ripe age of 13. If anything, he keeps his mouth firmly shut and lets you lead him.
Turning the corner, he sees a restroom, and you’re quick to push him in. “Take a bath for however long you want, please also make sure not to scrub too hard around your wounds, okay?”
Ran could only blankly nod, swept away by your rhythm.
“Take your time, dinner will be ready soon!” And with that, you closed the door and left, your footsteps receding and leaving Ran alone.
It takes a few seconds for Ran to snap out of his daze, still somewhat recovering from the hurricane that was you, but when he looks in the mirror by accident, he freezes.
There’s a color decorating his face, spreading through his cheeks and especially to the tip of his ears.
Ran was blushing a shade of cherry red.
“What’s your name?”
“Ran, Ran Haitani.”
Dinner, turns out, is yakisoba with chicken. The noodles were still steaming and shiny since it just got out of the pan, and the green onions topping it only made it look tastier. Ran has had yakisoba many times, due to that little store near the station, but it never quite look as delicious asthis.
When was the last time Ran had a home cooked meal anyways?
“Okay then Ran, I hope you don’t mind some yakisoba. I wasn’t expecting anyone so I didn’t really plan a grand meal…” You trail off in a way that hints at signs of nervousness, darting your eyes to land on everythingexceptRan. And that was cute, adorable even.
“Don’t be, thank you for saving me and doing all of this. You’re a very sweet woman.” He talks like how he would to any girl, with flattery laced in every word and a smile just small enough to be genuine. You clearly believe it, by the way your eyes light up, but you don’t…you don’t quite look at him like the other girls do. What was missing?
“How could I just let a kid bleed out on the street?” You say, passing him a glass of water. “I could never live with myself if I did that. Now, eat up dear, it'll grow cold.” There’s excitement in your voice as you eye the food, like you couldn’t wait for Ran to try it.
Well, even if it was bad, he would never tell you so. The reaction you so clearly want from him is one you will get regardless if it’s genuine or not. He swirls the noodles on his plate and puts it in his mouth, he’s already prepared his next few words before—
“It’s delicious.” Ran says, his eyes widening with how much he meant it. You looked so eager for him to eat it, he assumed that perhaps cooking wasn’t your forte, but it clearly is if this is what it tastes like. The way the flavors all blend in his mouth was masterful.
You don’t reply, and when Ran looks up to realize why, he finds your shoulder shaking with barely contained laughter, until you break. “Pfft, so youarestill a kid!” You holler, little giggles ransacking your body.
Your words bring heat to his skin, and Ran doesn’t understand why.
Sensing that, you’re quick to explain. “You seem…quite mature for your age. I saw uh, your tattoo’s.”
Ah, that's right, while treating him, you must’ve lifted up his shirt and saw the tattoo that he got matching with Rindou. Which, you did terrific at, patching up his wounds way better then Ran and Rindou had ever learned how to, despite the many times they’ve injured themselves and required it.
Grinning, he tilts his head. “Are my tattoo’s the only reason you think I’m‘mature’?”
It’ll be a lie if he were to say he didn’t get injured lower, right below his v-line and very close to something rather private—but you treated that too, he saw it when he was in the shower trying to scrub blood from underneath his fingernails. He received that wound when one guy was clinging to his waist, trying to save his comrade from being choked in the midst of the fight.
Unexpectedly, you blush a daring red at his comment, and Ran is shocked by how quickly you switch from a doting hen to a shy, bashful woman. He feels like there’s so many faces to you, he couldn’t keep track of them all. Not when your expression was always changing. “I-I didn’t mean to violate you like that, it’s just, you were bleeding particularly hard down there! And I didn’t see anything…private.”
It seems like you really didn’t, and even if you did, Ran wouldn’t have a problem with it anyways. His dick wasn't something he felt like he had to hide from women—especially beautiful ones at that. “I wasn’t worried about that.” He says gently, and the smile he gives you seems to calm you down, making you sigh in relief.
“Oh thank goodness. I would never want you to think I violated you like that in your sleep.”
There’s something so…so cute about you. It would almost scream naive, but with your age, he wouldn’t think so. It was more like you were truly sweet from the heart down.
Rindou would like you, Ran thinks. Rindou liked his girls as sweet as sugar and as nurturing as a mother. Though the girls he usually sleeps with are none of that, having zero of the traits he liked with the exception of the physical department.
Now that Ran is looking even closer though…your breast would 100% catch Rindou’s eyes.
Stopping himself from staring before you could catch him, you gladly didn’t seem to notice it.It was a shame he’d never see you after this again. And quite frankly, he finds it to be a waste for a woman such as you to be tied down so early.
As Ran exits your house, truly expecting to be somewhere he wouldn’t recognize, he’s utterly baffled to be met with…
His own house, just right across from yours.
That’s right, wasn'tthere moving trucks here just a week ago?
The next time Ran sees you again, it was you who appeared first.
A week or two had passed since his last encounter with you, and while you appeared in his mind much more often then he would’ve liked to admit, Ran swore all he needed was time.
Time to forget you, and maybe a little bit of a distraction to help speed the process too.
Gripping the girl's hips, he helps guide her up and down, a steady yet rough rhythm that she doesn't seem to mind. “Move your waist, like that, hah…”
“Ah, ah, R-Ran—!”
He’ll have to change the sheets later, he knows, but that’s in the back of his mind. Right now, he could only focus on the warm heat enveloping his co*ck, and the pair of breasts that were bouncing in front of him wildly.
And just as he was about to cum, his co*ck swelling and his breathing uneven, a knock startles the girl who’s name he couldn’t quite remember, andyour voicestartleshim.
“Hello?” There’s absolutely no way in hell thatRan wouldn’t be able to recognize your voice, not when he has been recalling the melody of it in his brain for the past two weeks. “I-Is anybody home?”
Rindou is out right now, he never liked to be here when Ran had his girls over, and it was just your distressed voice that rang inside his hollow home.
You sounded like you were in trouble.
Once he realized that, he pushed the girl off of him and told her, “Be a good girl and wait for a second, okay?”beforeputting on his pants and rushing to the door.
He thought he had been too slow and that you would’ve left by now, but you didn’t, and the woman he’s been thinking of since that fateful day was right in front of him. You were wearing a worried expression on your face, furrowed eyebrows that quickly shifted to pure embarrassment once your eyes landed on his chest.
“R-Ran?! You live here?” Ah, so you had no idea that he lived just right across from you. Which meant that your visit wasn’t forhim.
He smiles his usual smile, hoping it’d offer you some assurance. “I do. Quite a surprise, isn’t it? Neighbor.”
Bringing his face closer to your own, he tries to make eye contact with you again, but you only blush and look away. It’s endearing. “I had no idea.”
“Now you do. Do you need something?”
At his inquiry, you snap out of your embarrassment, the concerned look returning to your face. “It’s Momo…” Your face turns considerably more pale as you speak. “He’s missing!”
Ran blinks. “Momo?”
“My dog that I got a week ago.” Now that he thought back on it, Ran recalled seeing pet food and an unused dog bowl in your living room, was that you preparing forMomo?“He must’ve gotten out when my husband accidentally left the door open, and I caught it too late.”
It was clear how worried and anxious you were, your fingers never took a rest with fiddling at the hem of your shirt, and your eyes would shift from object to object, never staying anywhere for too long. “He’s a Pomeranian with brown, fluffy fur and a yellow collar. Have you seen him at all? This just happened about an hour ago. I searched everywhere.”
Shaking his head, Ran runs a hand through his hair. “I didn’t, but I’ll help you search for him.” Your eyes lit up immediately at his words, and Ran’s heart clenched. “I’m sure he hasn’t gotten far. The more eyes the better, right?”
A relieved smile makes way to your face. “Thank you Ran, I—“
“Rannn~” There’s goosebumps that reach his skin once he heard a whiny, high pitched voice coming from behind him. Soon after, someone clings to his back, their arms wrapping around his waist. “You’re takingsooolong, come back to bed.”
It’s the girl from before, the one he should’venevertook home. Not when she couldn’t follow simple directions and stay inside like he told her to, having the guts to come out at the worse, possible timing.
Your eyes widened once it lands on her, and it seems as if you put two and two together. A look of realization dawns on your face with a blush. “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had your girlfriend ove—“
“She’s not my girlfriend.” Ran quickly says, and perhaps it was much too fast, and much too firm for his smile to soften the landing of it. You flinch at the solid tone of his voice. “She’s…give us a second.”
Closing the door a little in hopes that you wouldn’t hear (or see) what he was about to do, Ran grabs the girl by the cheeks. Her eyes bug out as he did so, and he hopes that his smile was as sweet as intended, because his next words would be anything but. “What happened to being a good girl and staying in the room, doll?”
The girl begins to shake, but she’s also blushing. “U-Um, You were taking so long, and I—“
“You’re a bad girl, Izumi.” Her name came to him when his eyes caught on the embroidery on her bag, and he remembers the way she introduced herself to him a week ago. She had hair just like yours, and maybe if she behaved just a little bit cuter, she could’ve been more like you too. “I don’t like girls who don't follow directions, no matter how cute.”
Her eyes darkened with sadness, but she nodded in acceptance. “If you understand, put your clothes on properly and leave.”
Ran swears to himself, just then, that he’ll never get caught with another girl as long as you were around again. He doesn’t know why it matters so much, or why it bothers him so, but the thought of you thinking he was taken oddly…pissed him off.
Ran belonged to nobody, and that's how its been since he was born.
Searching for Momo proved to be much more troublesome then Ran thought.
Although he scoured every street, peeked in every corner, looked in even the dumpsters and trash, the small, brown pomeranian was still nowhere to be seen. Either Momo really knew how to play hide and seek, or someone else had already picked him up the streets and claimed him as their own.
You already alerted the nearby police department, so that if anyone were to bring in a lost dog, you’d be the first to receive a call. Other than that, it was just simply you and him out here, searching for Momo until the sun had began to set.
Your eyes are glossy, and you lookexhaustedfrom inside and out. The hair you had pulled so neatly in a bun was coming loose, random strands sticking out in all directions. There’s a tiredness to your footsteps that wasn’t present before until now, and you forgo your cardigan a while ago, but must’ve been starting to regret it as the wind started to pick up.
The sun casts you in an orange, dull light. But perhaps it only looked that way because your expression was so dejected, not that it lessened your beauty by any means. Ran doesn't think you could look anything less then stunning, no matter how worn out or fatigued you might be.
Taking his jacket off, Ran drapes it over your shoulders, hoping to ease your shivers as he does so. He doesn’t acknowledge the way it makes him feel, to see you in clothes that clearly don't fit you—hisclothes that clearly don't fit you.
“Thank you Ran.” Ran smiles back at the drained, low energy smile you gave him in return for his jacket. “I didn’t realize it had gotten so cold out.”
Momo most likely won't be found soon, especially since it was getting darker and darker out. Not to mention, he doesn't want you out in the streets once the sun falls below a certain line. It was never safe for his mother, and itespeciallywon't be for you. “You should head home for the day.” He suggests, and you open your mouth to argue back, but stops once you see the expression on his face, the one mirroring your own. “It's getting late, and it'll be harder to see. If he was around here, then we would’ve found him by now. We’ll take the search to a larger scale in the morning, you're tired, aren’t you?”
Though you didn't want to admit it, you nod anyways at Ran’s question. Perhaps knowing it was fruitless to lie. “We’ll make missing posters tomorrow, I’ll help you with that too.”
Tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ears, Ran was completely cut off guard when you embraced him, your body trembling in little shivers. You weren’t crying, notyet. But he gets a feeling you could only hold the tears for so long before they escaped.
And you didn't want him to see it—the kid you saved from the streets he still must’ve been, in your eyes.
“Thank you so much Ran, thank you.” You whisper, your voice muffled against his chest.
For the first time in a long time, Ran hugs a woman. Not for the sake of it, or for an act he felt like he had to do to pull something off, butgenuinelybecause he wanted to. Because he wanted to comfortyou. “Of course, love.”
It was impossible to miss the way you freeze up upon hearing the term of endearment. Ran quickly realizes that while he called many other girls pet names, he has never once called you one—untilnow.
But if the way you flush and smile up at him meant anything, then he doesn't think you mind it that much.
By the time the sun came down, Ran had already saw you off home.
And in the next second, he called his brother.
“Hello?” Rindou answers, his voice a little bit raspy, and there’s a moan in the background that follows right after.
Brother and brother indeed, but he’ll have to cut Rindou’s fun short. “I need help, something has come up.”
The moans stop, and Rindou’s tone is a bit firmer, filled with more urgency when he asks, “What? What is it?”
“A lost dog.” Ran says, perhaps a little more nonchalantly then he should’ve. “I need help finding a lost dog.”
“…What?”
As of the current moment, Ran has over 50 people searching for Momo, Rindou and him included.
His brother couldn’t fathom Ran calling people out to do this, but he surprisingly didn't question Ran like he was expecting Rindou to. His men, on the other hand, seem eager to help out, be of some use and prove their worth to Ran. Though he tried telling everyone to be quiet when walking through the neighborhood, Ran wasn’t sure if everybody heeded his warning as they should have.
No matter, he’ll deal with the consequences later. For now, Ran just needs to find that dog.
Your Momo, who you obviously have grown to love despite not having him any longer then a week, was the sole purpose of Ran’s search. You must have a big heart, and therefore have an abundance of love to give. How could the dog decide that the cold streets was better to be in then your warm arms?
Walking endlessly, checking every corner he could, Ran landed on a common playground.
It was a very small one, with little play equipment, nothing but one lone slide and three swings, but Ran found himself wandering over to it anyways. It reminds him of the one Rindou and he used to play in, where they would pretend to be rulers of a kingdom concocted from dreams and too many tv shows. But it was one of his favorite memories with his brother, and—
From his peripherals, a fluff of brown fur and something bright yellow catches his eyes.
Ran stops in his tracks. There was no way that…
It was.
Hiding in the slide, or rather—sleeping,wasMomo.Your dog who has been missing this entire day, the one he left no stone unturned for.
This entire time, the little creature had been dozing off in theslide.
Even when he picks the dog up, it only stirred for a little bit, staring at him for a few seconds to only snuggle up in Ran’s arms and head right back to sleep. No survival instincts, huh?
While walking back to your house, and after calling off the search, Ran checks for any sign of injuries. Aside from simply being dirty, Momo seemed to be fine, like he spent most of his day cozying up in that slide and napping.
You would be happy to hear that, no, ecstatic. You’d smile widely, and your eyes would twinkle and you would thank him and mean every ounce of it. Would you still be awake at this hour?
Would your husband be home?
Was he consoling you right now? Wiping your tears away, offering you his chest to cry on, giving you comfort in ways only a lover could?
There’s only one car parked in front of your home,your car he’s guessing, and Ran takes it as ano, nobody was home. Nobody but you. The lights to your living room were still on as well.
Most likely, you would want to be reunited with Momo right away. Or at least, that’s what Ran tells himself as he knocks on the door. Not at all listening to the pitter patter of his heart that says he only wanted to see your happy face.
It takes only a few minutes for you to appear, wearing your pajamas as you stilled. “Ran? Wha…” Once your eyes landed on the peacefully sleeping creature in his arms, your lips tremble, and you gape. “…Momo…?” You whisper, in utter disbelief.
Unable to stop himself from smiling, Ran hands your troublesome pup to you gently, afraid of waking him up. “He was sleeping inside the slide of a playground. From what I checked, he isn’t injured.”
“But…How? Wha…?” You close and open your mouth with shock, holding Momo and peering up at him with the most beautiful eyes. It’s incredible how cute you can still look with such an incredulous face. “I thought you said—“
“I said that women shouldn’t be out alone this late at night, not men.” He smiles, and slowly, you do too. “Does this make us even for when you saved me last time?”
Teasing, he leans in a little closer, expecting you to blush as you always do. But there must’ve been something in the air that night, because you hug him close, Momo still peacefully sleeping in your arms as you found solace in his. “Thank you, Ran.” You whispered, voice low.
Slowly, hesitantly, because he’s scared you’ll hear the pounding of his heart, Ran hugs you back. His throat felt dry and rendered speechless.
“You’re such a good boy, thank you.”
There was a time where Ran was convinced he could have escaped your hold. That there was a universe out there where hedidn’tfall for you, and he saw you for what you should’ve been—his beautiful, sweet neighbor.
Somewhere in his heart, he knows that it isn’t true.
Ran Haitani was gone from the very moment he laid eyes on you.
