spending money was never an issue for l/n y/n, always ready to whip out her dozens of credit card just to get what she wants. so acquiring a new home was like buying new clothes for the woman herself.

due to several of her connections with people working in the underground, she had managed to secure a small yet spacious house that fits what sano shinichiro was looking for- a house that's near his beloved motor shop.

and although the young woman preferred to live in the comfort and security of her own home, she had no choice but to move into this neighborhood for the sake to keep their image as a happily married couple intact.

it's also only fair for her to follow in his simple conditions since the man agreed to fake a marriage with her- which if you compare both requests side by side, it's like comparing an ant to an elephant.

don't get her wrong, she really did like the house. it was simple yet elegant at the same time, a lovely home that mixed both 'married' couples personality together. it has the touch of a classic traditional estate with some modernity as well, perfect for their line of work.

a spacious yard and a garage for shinichiro to work in and a hidden basement for y/n's... wine cellar.

yes, the young woman had told her husband that she's inheriting her fathers wine business to avoid any further suspicion about those random splotches of red that stained themselves on her furnitue.

and here they are now, sitting inside of their new house. fully furnished by yours truly yet still left some space for the man to add his own touch of design into their house.

"let's go over our little rules, shall we?"

she took out a folded piece of paper from her blazer, setting it down on the table for the both of them to see. dark eyes skimmed through the neatly written conditions as he nod his head in understanding.

"number one, under no circumstances shall our family know about this being nothing but a mere agreement- we're nothing but two old high school friends that reconciled two years ago that lead to where we are now."

"yeah yeah i got it- two, maintain our public image as a married couple by doing things that they normally do- go on dates and events held inside of the company for publicity."

"three, household chores shall be alternative- why couldn't we just get one of my maids here in the first place?"

"because we're trying to keep our status low. four, respect each others privacy."

both of their eyes met as they reached the fifth and final condition, tension lightly wafting through the air as the both of them read it out loud.

"five, no feelings attached."

as brutal as it may sound, this marriage was fake to begin with- a relationship built in partnership and professionalism and not on trust and love, so it's normal for the both to agree in such condition.

both of them were trying to protect a secret of theirs that the other doesn't know about them- l/n y/n being the next in line to become the eighth generation leader of the port mafia and sano shinichiro being the former founder and leader of a gang that's now known for it's brutal generation.

by keeping this secret of theirs on the inside, they're also protecting their partners from potential danger. as i've said, being married or related to anyone in the yakuza is already a death wish- and shinichiro still has some pursuers out there wanting his head.

and by no means shall they let their emotion get through their little act.

in each others eyes, y/n was just a woman in need of a husband to inherit her father's wine industry and shinichiro was a man working in a motor shop to support his family- not knowing what lies underneath their innocent get-up.

well, the young man really didn't have any motif in their little partnership. he just wanted to give his siblings a good life and repay his grandfather for everything that he had done- so maybe it was only y/n who has the most benefits in this marriage of theirs.

the (h/c) haired woman stood up and outstretched a hand out for the man to shake, him doing the same as they shook hands to seal the deal.

"from here on out, you're my husband, sano shinichiro."

"and you're my lovely wife, sano y/n."

she was amazed that he actually had it in him to charm her, even though it wasn't working one bit and her stare made the man want to bury himself six feet under. a chuckle escaped past her lips, finding his embarrassed state funny as he tried to redeem himself.

"i mean- wife... minamoto y/n." shinichiro wished that he can just curl up into a ball right then and there, wanting nothing more than to escape his current situation and prevent himself from embarrassing him even more.

"well i am your wife now, so i guess i'm sano y/n from now on."

he couldn't help but sweat in nervousness at this. it's been like what... years since he was last in a relationship with a woman- can he even call it a relationship when they weren't even together and he was just delusional?

how was he supposed to react to that? hearing the words husband and wife leave her lips was like hearing a fantasy book- something that's too good to be true. the man couldn't even get himself a girlfriend but managed to grab a wife, and even if it's fake- it's still something alright?!

poor man was in a state of mental shock, causing y/n to chuckle at this and decided to roam around their shared estate.

(e/c) eyes admired the posters of motorcycles that lined the living room, something that shinichiro had taken from his old apartment and into their home to admire whenever he's lazing around the house.

he had also taken his old biker gang jacket yet chose to keep it in a box that was hidden inside his closet- not wanting to scare the only woman willing to be his wife if she found out that he was actually once tied with delinquents and still sort of right now.

"i didn't know that you were this fascinated with bikes. i assumed you only worked in your shop for money, but you're actually pretty passionate about it."

"heh, yeah. been that way back when i was still in high school- they're cool." the young woman watched as he started to ramble on about his favorite motorcycles- one of which being the infamous cb250t.

she was amazed at how his mood changed just by bringing up bikes as their topic, noticing the bright look that he has in his face that contrasts his usual awkward and clumsy behavior prior to this moment.

this made her smile a little, liking the way on how passionate he is in his line of work- having to tinker and mess with bikes in all models for his pleasure.

"and imagine hearing a thousand of loud impulses revving through the streets of tokyo- oh shit did i ramble too much?"

y/n was also amazed at how much the raven haired man can apologize in under a minute, sweat dropping as shinichiro bowed down apologetically and began spouting out sincere 'sorry's'. he really needs to watch his mouth sometimes. immediately feeling a rush of fear coursing through his veins, afraid that she'll hate him because of his rambling.

"i'm so sorry-"

"what are you apologizing for?" dark eyes looked up to her figure, woman crouching down in front of him with her head titled in wonder at his strange actions.

"i wasted your time rambling on with motorcycles and- oh god i'm doing it again aren't i?"

the (h/c) haired woman genuinely had no idea on why he's apologizing for something so menial as talking about bikes. she wasn't mad even a bit- just curious and invested on how much his love for the said vehicles is.

a chuckle left her lips, eyes crinkling in delight that made the man look at her, surprised that she laughed rather than scold him for being a chatterbox.

"you don't have to apologize. it's quite entertaining seeing you talk about something with so much passion."

she may be a running candidate to be a leader of a known criminal organization- but she isn't that ruthless to people like him. maybe that's why she had a lot of friends outside the world of danger.

shinichiro didn't know how to react, feeling her hands softly pat his head with a smile on her face. was he supposed to be annoyed that she's babying him? flustered? embarrassed?

he didn't know- oh lord help this man for he is about to pass out.

they we're interrupted by her phone ringing, silently thanking the gods that her attention was else where to even notice the mad blush that coated his cheeks and even through the tips of his ears.

dark eyes watched as she answered the call, noticing her carefree figure turn into someone of profession. this was the same woman that he had come across to in his shop- that same cold gaze of hers that could freeze even the sun.

"alright, i'll be there. hold them off for me." with that, she ended the call with a sigh, tiredly looking at him with a small apologetic smile etched on her face.

"apparently, there are sponsors who wanted to meet up with me. i'll have to miss our first dinner, i'm sorry about that."

shinichiro stood up from where he was and followed the woman to their front door, eyeing her things to make sure that she had everything that she needed. even when they're nothing but strangers bound by a contract, that didn't stop him from caring for her safety.

he knows what lurks the dark alleyways at night- and seeing as it was already way past eight in the evening, that's when scumbags leave their hideout.

"i know i'm not supposed to pry into your privacy- but don't you think it's a little too late for a meeting? make sure to get your phone."

y/n waved him off, smiling at him to reassure the man that she's got it and that it'll be alright.

"nothings too late in the world of business. i'll be back by eleven. don't bother waiting up for me, alright?"

and with that, he watched his wife leave through the front door, leaving him alone in his thoughts as he wondered what he's going to do next.

the two of them actually planned to have a small dinner to celebrate their first night of living there. but because she had received an unexpected call from her company, that thought would have to wait for a bit.

sano shinichiro sighed, padding his way to the kitchen to make himself a quick dinner- might make y/n one too in case she gets hungry when she comes home.

"time to test my luck and hopefully not burn the house down- is she allergic to anything?"