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Chapter Text

"You don't think it's stupid?" 

His friend didn't respond immediately, stacking plastic chairs across the room. He stopped to dust off his hands and shook his head.

He had this thing where if he touched anything that he didn't trust in the slightest- be it chairs or even the cafeteria tables -he'd wipe his hands with a hankerchief, or simply dust them off when he lacked one. Though he did prefer washing them, it wasn't always viable.

"What?" Rei was done with his last chair, "You think its fine then?"

"I said nothing of the sort" his friend commented. His tone was in contrast with Rei's. While Sakuma held a more clear, silvery voice...his friend had a sharper, less opaque one. This lead to some difficulties regarding what the latter meant to say sometimes, but he was used to it. 

"Well pick a side then" Rei walked to him, hand in his pocket

"Just choose a different club" The other scoffed, though the tone wasn't clear.

"What? So, run away? Basically?" He sighed, straddling the last chair in the entire space, "Some friend you are, Shu"

Arms folded, Shu stared quietly, as if Rei had said something disgusting. Then again, that's how he always looked at people, as if he was better than all of them. Which was partially true.

"Either accept it, or join a different club" He repeated, with clarity in his speech. Rei raised his hands in surrender

"Okay okay fine, you win cotton candy, I accept"

"Use my name, for the sake of my sanity if not yours" Shu scoffed, snapping his fingers as a command for his friend to stand up, so he could keep the last chair in it's place.

Rei got up, and with the last chair gone, the room was strangely empty. Thing was, the chess club was shifting to the newly built 6th floor...and though that area was more spacious and better quality, Rei valued sentiments over luxury. This room had been his second home for the past 2 years...he didn't have the heart to say goodbye just yet.

Call it some kind of attachment issue, or just the fact that he has a hard time moving on from anything. Bottomline is, Sakuma Rei hates leaving things behind...even if sometimes, it'd be better if he did.

"Are you going to take an entire panaroma of the room, or will you actually come out" It was more of a command than a question.

"I'm coming" He said, still a little lost. Eventually, he had to step outside, much to Shu's relief. The room was locked and the key safely tucked away in Itsuki's blazer. 

"What now?" Rei muttered, taking to biting the skin hardened near his nails.

"Do whatever" Shu took one second to look at the other in his eyes, then made his way to his class, probably. But Rei still stood where he was...for reasons he wasn't sure of. 

Chess wasn't the best club in the school, he could walk upto another one any day and get it changed. But ah, if it were that easy in his head. Changing clubs meant he required the president's signature...Shu's signature, in this case. Which he would happily give, no regret in the slightest. The problem lied with Rei's internal crisis. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to ask his friend for a simple resignation form.

It was painful to imagine drifting away like that. Especially since he already had, created a rift between them last year.

Never again, he had told himself 

Even for his own satisfaction and comfort he wouldn't damage their friendship further.

★

"What am I? Your therapist?" The voice on the phone sighed

"Are you...willing to be one?" Rei asked

"Am I getting paid?"

"With hospitality and a good roomie?"

"I'll pass" Hakaze answered, "What is it though? Second time you interrupt my date today...she's gonna think I'm cheating"

Rei settled down on his chair, glancing at the bed across from his...where Kaoru would be if he wasn't outside

"I don't want the chess club moving upstairs"

Kaoru sighed

"Listen man...I think I told you already, join a different club. Not only will you solve this problem, but now you don't have to be burdened by having to talk to the rich boy"

"I don't have a problem talking to the ri- my friend" Rei protested

He could see Kaoru rolling his eyes through the phone 

"Oh please, cry me a fucking river"

"Oh I'll cry YOU a river"

"That makes no sense? Anyway, I gotta go, she's waiting"

Sakuma grumbled

"Fiiineee"

...

"I'll get you fries if you like" Hakaze added

Which made Rei smile a little

"Thanks man"

"See ya"

And he hung up

Chapter Text

"So...i fill the burette like this?" A soft, somewhat lethargic boy asked his helper.

His lab partner showed no sign of wanting to talk to him anymore

"Yes"

"Oh- Thank you Sakasaki!" He smiled

He always smiled, as if any other expression required extra work. Or, perhaps he was just that happy all the time. Either way, it pissed him off.

"Natsume, please, senpai" The other one closed the book he was reading and prepared the stand for the burette.

"I can't believe i asked a junior to help...its embarrassing isn't it?"

He scoffed

"I can't argue there. It's done, just fill the flask now"

The senior of the two filled the titration flask with the prepared solution and a drop or two of phenolphthalein.

Placing it below the burette, He carefully opened the spout, just enough for the NaoH to spill in drops.

"Ah...I can never thank you enough Sakasaki kun"

"Natsume"

"Right" He smiled awkwardly, "It just feels strange saying it"

He turned back to the flask, the solution turning a light shade of pink. He closed the spout and noted his observations. 

Titration has to be performed as many times as you require to get atleast 3 concordent readings. And because this would take a lot of time, he decided to stop here for now.

"Didn't you do the same experiment lasT year?" Natsume asked, leaning on the table out of the experiment's way.

He emptied burette as he spoke 

"Is it bad if I say I forgot?"

Natsume looked out the window

"...Not really"

There was quiet. Sounds of glass clicking and water running. Silent footsteps and opening of cupboards. Natsume, in all this, was looking out the window. The chemistry lab tended to get suffocating due to lack of air circulation. And the fans had been turned off, because making a standard solution required precision. That, and the powder flying away from the watch glass wasn't ideal.

"I'm done then Natsume kun~ Thank you very much!" 

"Ah" He leaned away from the window, "You're welcomE, senpai"

"Tsumugi, please" He smiled

Natsume was a little skeptical

"I won't be dropping the senpai"

A soft chuckle

"That's perfectly alright with me"

He didn't know why he even bothered. Becoming friends with a senior was supposed to benefit you, not the senior. But, chemistry was his best subject...and Aoba's worst. So it all worked out in the end. 

Tsumugi was a truly dedicated student. He jokingly said he was 'Sakasaki's kun's apprentice ☆' and though his scrunched his nose at it, Natsume found it difficult to hate. 

He found Mugi difficult to hate

He didn't find him any sort of strong, or clever, but something about him was charming in a way. Like a drenched kitten who wasn't cute with its fur all wet...but you'd welcome it anyway, wouldn't you? Natsume would. And he doesn't even like cats. 

Cats

Where has his mind even gone to?

He shook his head and walked to his room

☆

"Roomie~ " A Leo Tsukinaga waved from his bed. Natsume was one of the unlucky kids to get two roomates. And while the other one was fine...Tsukinaga was eccentric. To an extent he wished he could describe in words. 

"Hello, TsukinagA" He flatly replied

Throwing his lab coat onto the chair, he sat on the edge of his bed, closing his eyes. It had been a long day. Classes, practicals, P.Ed (the worst) and now...he had Leo to deal with.

"Hey if you're not very busy~ "

There it was

"I need some help"

Natsume opened his eyes, against his will

"with whaT?"

"Well you see" He sat up, his eyes shimmering as he started, "You know Sena Izumi, right?"

This again?

Natsume was ready to do anything. He would book a florist, buy the decorations...hell, he was ready to be the fucking priest, if it meant he would shut up about Sena. 

Ever since he had unintentionally befriended Leo, he hated hearing about this possible one-sided love story. But when Tsukinaga became his roomate earlier this year...he had made peace with the fact that he'd have to live with the yapping until he graduated.

"...whaT about hiM?"

Leo paused, his eyes not leaving Natsume's

"He's in the chess club right? Help me get in pleeaasseee!"

He joined his hands and quite literally begged

Natsume frowned

"And how am I supposed to get yoU in the chess club? I'm not IN it"

"Oh, I know"

He smiled like a teddy bear

"But you know someone from it, yeah?"

Natsume got to thinking

Someone he knew in the chess club? No one except Nazuna was in it as far as he knew...and Nito Nazuna was...well, he wouldn't say scary but...eerie, probably.

Ah, well there was always two of his nii sans

These 'Nii sans' were basically four upperclassmen– excluding Tsumugi– that had helped him out immensely in his first year days.

One of these four was, unexpectedly, Itsuki Shu

How...still bugged him

He was a busy man, always busy. Either in chess, or in sewing. He had been a huge part of Natsume's attitude. He had picked up some annoying parts of Shu's personality. Unintentionally.

"He won't helP you"

Leo pouted 

"Aww...can't you convince him? You're talking about Itsuki right? He's not that bad"

"I never said he WAS" Natsume sighed, "I'm saying he won't accepT your request"

Leo paused

"What if I venmo him?"

"He'll hanG you for sure"

"How mean. He's a real meanie" Tsukinaga sighed, plopping backwards, on his bed, "I'll try again tomorrow then! ☆"

Such indomitable spirit

Natsume groaned in both tiredness and disgust

"Please don'T"

Chapter Text

"Fuck you!" said Sena Izumi. Crown prince of ballet. Folding his arms and leaning back on his chair, he glared at his opponent.

"How does this even happen? I was CLEARLY winning!"

The other boy, a short blonde, started keeping the pieces back. His face didn't show any sort of emotion, not like it ever did. Though he didn't need to, his bright red eyes said everything. He wasn't surprised to have won in the slightest.

Shorter than most, Nito Nazuna was a third year. While he didn't speak much, he was alert. He knew everything that went down. And some people liked to theorize that he could read minds, and therefore didn't need to talk. 

Which was pretty stupid, Nazuna was just smart. 

And they were dumb.

"Are you SEEING this Sakuma?" Izumi scoffed 

Rei opened the door to the newly painted and settled club room. Not liking it one bit.

"What?"

"HE BEAT ME AGAIN!" Izumi groaned, "Seriously! Third time today!" 

"Try again later" Nazuna's voice came out thin and flat. Devoid of any fondness, for good reason.

"FINE" Sena announced, sounding like an angry toddler, "Tomorrow then! Be prepared to be struck DOWN!"

Suddenly having gained false hope and confidence, Izumi set the board aside, and catwalked his way out the door. What a model.

Thank God the doors were soundproof, kind of.

Sakuma let out a sigh

"You good Nazuna? You seem kinda...dead"

He shook his head mechanically

"I am fine"

Rei laughed awkwardly. Being alone in a room with Nazuna was scary because not only did he not speak, but when he did, it was so eerie and high-pitched it made Rei want to reach for a cross just in case.

"So..." Rei walked to the board that had been set aside angrily, "...up for a match?"

Smiling, either evil or just unexpected, Nito nodded

"Let us begin, Sakuma"

As they began, Rei found himself drifting from the match.

He was sleepy, and Nazuna noticed.

"We can play later"

Rei blinked excessively 

"No, I'm good"

Nazuna wasn't convinced

He shook his head

"Give your all when you are well"

Rei sighed 

He was pretty tired, apart from vaccuming his dorm room and counting down the seconds until Math ended took a lot out of him.

It would out of anyone

"No going past your security check is there? Alright, we can just- "

The door slowly opened

...

An unfamiliar face popped up

Dark sacramento hair, and lively blue and yellow eyes. He looked confused, but happy.

Had he seen him before? Maybe, he was a teensy bit familiar.

Hardly

He walked inside and shut the door carefully

"Mika chin" Nazuna said

So Nazuna knew him? How come he didn't?

Rei believed if he knew someone, he should definitely know someone that knows that someone.

Mika gleamed at the other's doll-like, still face

"Nazuna nii? Good to see ya! M lookin' fer..." He scratched his head, "Err..."

He stood hesitantly, a sheet of paper in his hand. That accent was, Kansai? Maybe. Rei didn't pay much attention in his social studies to know. 

"It's okay" Rei said, smiling softly, "Describing should help"

Mika lifted his head

"Pink hair? Uh...'s all i got, sorry"

"Shu?" Nazuna asked, lethargically 

Mika nodded

"Thas right! Thas his name! I thought he'd be here though..."

Some kid coming in to ask for Shu was unusual. He wasn't a very people person. His reputation had been concentrated to: sociopathic monster...which was a bit of an exaggeration from Rei's perspective.That, and he was put under the category of 'rude and egoistic' and basically, unapproachable. 

Who was this kid?

As if on queue, Shu entered right then

"I am now"

Mika spun around

"Ah! I need yer help Itsuki san!"

He paused to remember who this was, then he spoke

"For the designing club? You'll have to approach Kiryuu for that, boy"

"Ah...Kiryuu senpai? 'Kay! Thank ya, Itsuki san!" He dashed out the room

Shu sighed and took a seat next to Rei

He let him take a breather, then jumped onto the questions

"You know that kid?"

Shu frowned, somewhat reluctant to talk about it

"Somewhat. He's a second year, wandering around looking for clubs to join"

Rei let out a Ahhh

"So...he's just looking around to join any club?"

"Yes"

Nazuna spoke up

"I have class, I will be taking my leave"

Shu nodded in confirmation, and Nazuna left

Leaving Rei and Shu alone

The room smelled of paint...and a faint rose scent, coming from Shu, probably. Rei didn't use perfume. Okay he did, but not rose. Rose was a Shu thing.

"Second year? Never seen him before"

Shu found some work to do

"Perhaps. He had come to ask about the chess club as well"

"And?"

He rested his chin on the back of his palm

"And nothing, he said he wasn't smart enough for something so intelligent. Pathetic"

The way Shu spit out the word 'pathetic' made Rei's pulse accelerate, for a second or two. He spoke with venom, as always. 

"Well, he seemed a little lost yknow? Maybe he just needs some guidance?"

Shu opened his eyes, slowly, as if showing off his neat eyeliner.

"If he wants something, he'll ask the right people"

No amount of arguing with Shu got anyone anywhere. And so, Rei dropped this topic for now.

"Sooo...um..." He dropped his head on the table

Did he mention he liked staring? Maybe he didn't. He did though. Anyone would love to stare at Shu, was his logic.

Cloud like hair, violet eyes and perfect skin. Literally perfect. Asking him always resulted in either: "Shut up, Rei" or "Maybe if you took care of your face you'd know"

Not real answers

"Quit gawking" He scolded, "Do something productive"

"Alright alright" Rei sat up, "I'll call Kaoru then"

He got up and waved goodbye, shutting the door behind him.

★

One stone

Two stones

Okay he was done

"Who the fuck- "

Sena stared out the dance room's window, and saw a nice vermilion ponytail.

Of course

Who else would be throwing stones at the window?

He opened one of the windows and gazed downwards to see a very happy Leo.

"Yoohoo~ Over here!"

He grunted

"I can SEE just fine!"

"Come down here please!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Heyyy" Leo spun around, which would've probably fit well if he was doing flamenco, "I have a surprise~ "

"Is it a scholarship?"

"Uhh" Tsukinaga bit his nails, "Something better?"

"Money?"

"No"

"Then I'm staying right here"

Sena shut the window and scoffed. This insufferable moron had been tailing him around since first year. Not the stalker type, but the 'we'll be besties forever Sena~ ' type.

Which was arguably worse

Having to start his whole routine from the top was annoying as hell. And if a window breaks...well, that would be a problem.

And so he made the wise decision of changing into his normal clothes...and heading downstairs.

Like a proper, disciplined human being, Izumi stepped downstairs in a streamline motion. Unless you were an OCD patient, there was no way you'd ever be able to tell one step different from the other. Such was the beauty of Sena Izumi. 

☆

"How polished~ A true gentleman yeah?" Leo snickered

Sena flicked his forehead

"Quiet, you" He grumbled, "I don't even want to be here"

"You sure? The donuts in your hands say otherwise" He grinned 

Such feline behaviour.

It was true, Izumi enjoyed donuts. While he kept a strict diet for himself, he deserved a cheat day every now and then. And if it came to him in the form of Tsukinaga, he would accept it. Even so, it was annoying how he kept humming as he walked...like he was having the best time of his life.

No one should be this happy, Sena concluded. Something is wrong, if they always smile and nod at you. It was a splinter in his head, and he kept thinking about it as he walked with Leo. 

This sickened him the most

It wasn't even the fact that Leo was annoying

It was the fact that his deep, buried unhappiness was so obvious to him he couldn't stand to listen to his surface-level bullshit.

"Something wrong, Sena?" He asked, stopping to look at Izumi, who was apparently a few steps behind.

"No?"

"Hmm" Leo traced his steps back to Izumi and squinted, "I see a liar in there"

He had had enough

"I see one too, Tsukinaga", he whispered

Leo stepped back. A little startled by the strange seriousness and annoyance in Izumi's voice

Izumi stepped forward

"I see a big fucking liar in there. And I hate him. You hate him too right? Why do you entertain him? With...all this...music!"

While he hadn't meant to talk so bluntly, three years of masking tape really starts tearing off on its own at some point. And if it doesn't, it needs to be torn down manually.

Or, in this case, vocally

And as cryptic as it was, Leo was fluent enough in the extreme metaphorical lexicon to understand what Izumi was trying to convey.

"W-what? I don't get you at all, Sena" He laughed, though somewhat awkwardly. Of course he was lying. And it was so clear and etched into his skin that Izumi couldn't even toss it aside as a misunderstanding.

He was sick of it

"Listen to me, and listen to me good" He abruptly grabbed Leo's wrist, not very gently, "One of these days, when you start getting tired of wearing a smile stitched onto your face...you'll kill me for it"

Leo was silent. He couldn't come up with anything anymore.

"You'll hang me for not telling you before...for not warning you, but I did it for you...so quit acting like everything is FINE!"

Upon releasing his wrist, Leo still stood scared, or broken, or both. He still looked at Izumi, who was right, as always.

"About...the surprise" He began, trying to sound like his usual self, "It's um..."

This time Izumi kept quiet

"I'm...dropping out"

Chapter Text

"What part of designing do you wanna do?" Kiryuu asked. And he was a gentle guy, but Mika wasn't really looking that deep into his personality.

"I...There's parts???"

Kiryuu let a chuckle slip

"You didn't join any clubs last year?"

He shook his head worriedly

"Nah..."

"Alright then...what have you made before?" 

Kiryuu asked, grabbing the club register

Mika sat down

"I've made...uh...gloves, n hats n all...that" 

He fiddled with his cuff buttons as he spoke

Kiryuu's eyes widened for a moment

"Ahh...so you're into the Victorian type stuff? Now where have I heard that before?" He picked up the form Mika filled out the day before. He analysed it, before turning to Mika, a little surprised .

"Here on the spot where you're supposed to write your location..." He glanced quickly at the form again, just to be sure, "...You sure this...is where you live?"

"Mhm"

"For sure?"

"Yeah"

Kiryuu lifted Mika's ID card, and read his address on it, before letting it bounce back on his sweater.

"Says something else here"

Mika chuckled nervously

"Yeah...I live far away, so technically my home's in Kansai...but m livin' with someone else fer now"

Kiryuu stared at the address on the form again. For the third time. He's probably just thinking too hard. There's no way he's living where he thinks he is.

"Alright...we'll sort this later, welcome to the club, Kagehira"

Mika gleamed

"Wah! Thank ya senpai!"

★

"Is he like, upset?"

Makoto nodded, glancing in Izumi's direction in hopes of an explanation. But nothing.

Izumi had been quiet for a while now. To no one's surprise, it was Leo's sudden decision to drop out of high-school, and 'make miracles'. His passion was in his craft, music...but leaving high-school without completing basic schooling was a reckless decision in on its own. It was stupid. It angered him.

"Leave him be" Makoto sighed, "You know its no good approaching him when he's in his mood"

"I know but..." He tapped his pen on his chin, " Ritsu's really upset 'bout it too"

"Who wouldn't be? The school's most talented musician decides to just...leave?" Yuuki glances at his phone every now and then to jot his notes. Skipping history class proved to be dangerous. The amount of cramming and copy-pasting was a huge load, even for someone who wrote fast.

"Yeah..." Mao went back to writing his notes as well. 

They were sitting in the main auditorium, big enough to seat atleast twice the number of students in the school. Built to resemble an amphitheatre, it had an Italian touch to maintain its original style.

Technically they weren't allowed to sit in the theater like this, without permission from the department of theatrics but...as long as no one caught you right?

Izumi was silently sitting a little far from the two, legs crossed, on his phone. Texting, probably. 

☆

To: cranky bitch

the fuck do i even do 

i can't just do nothing 

he's gonna follow through with this?

To: Sena

die

To: cranky bitch

i hate you

To: Sena

welcome

...

To: Sena

and don't text me unless you're being skinned alive

★

"You won't spend any time with me unless it's work lab work? How cruel, Natsume kun"

Natsume scoffed, surrendering to Tsumugi's pleas.

Sitting on one of the concrete garden benches, he opened his very average lunch of fruits, some salad, and rice.

"Wah...Natsume kun has such a balanced diet"

He made a disappointed face

"My mother can't go a daY without stuffing my facE with all this healthY junK"

Mugi lightly chuckled at that.

"Healthy is good"

"I didn't ask for tomatoes" He said, grumpily, "I hatE tomatoes"

"You really act like a child, hmm? Natsume kun?" Aoba turned to look at Natsume

"You have no placE to say thaT, senpai"

"Ahh...true" Tsumugi's voice was feather-like, almost too cute. This was audible best when he talked to Natsume, with the latter's somewhat icy, crisp voice. 

A drastic change from Natsume's personality from when he was a child. He owed his nii sans for the person he was now, even if to his relatives, he was nothing short of nasty.

He needed to be a little nasty. You don't get much in life from being kind to everyone.

◇

"Relax, kid" Sometime in the past, Rei had assured him, "You're smart, and you've got the wit...you'll do fine anywhere"

"Aha!" The clown had proudly declared, "Natsume kun will sparkle! ☆ So don't fret!"

Kanata had nodded along with them 

And of course, there was:

"Don't unnecessarily create high expectations for him, you idiots" The last of the nii sans berated, "Knowing you three you won't be taking any responsibility for your words, will you now?"

The other three had looked at him, smiling

"So uptight, Shu" Wataru had said

Shu had ignored him and looked at Natsume sternly, with a hint of fondness.

"Do not listen to these bird brains for advice understand? They will drag you down"

Natsume had, at first, hated him

He was so arrogant. Ignoring whatever bothered him and selectively listening to what he wanted to hear. He stood tall and Sakasaki felt his presence was intimidating and unusually haunting.

But, as he talked to Shu more, he realised he had forgotten human tendency 101- jumping to conclusions.

Arrogance aside, Shu was a very caring person. Whether or not he admitted it, he was relatively calm and never looked at people at the surface level. While he himself tended to jump to conclusions, he was someone Natsume started looking up to. Even if he never said it.

☆

"Its not that bad"

Natsume snapped out of his head

"What?"

"Your salad" Aoba said, "I took some, if you don't mind"

He shook his head

"TakE all you like, I don't likE it anywaY"

"You can have some of mine...if you want" Tsumugi slided his lunch towards Natsume. The onigiri looked too good to leave, so he ate them. And if his senpai was being so nice, who wouldn't eat his lunch? 

Unusually nice, but nice anyhow

He can just tell his mother he fed a dog or something

She'll fall for it

★

"Wahahaha☆ I lose!" Leo cheered

Playing chess with Nazuna is just the worst challenge you could take up. He was a champion, after the president. With his deep red eyes, capable of piercing your soul and tearing your confidence from the inside, you'd forget the move you were about to play. 

Leo was not someone to lose that easy, he'd simply keep going until he won. But, he had, so far, lost every single match.

"Leave it be, Tsukinaga" Rei sighed, leaning on the wall near the club room's door, "You can't beat our prince"

"What did ya say now? I can beat him! I just need one more try!" He proudly declared, Rei shaking his head in defeat.

"This will be our 11th match, Tsukinaga Leo" Nazuna warned, "Be prepared to die"

"Okay then!" He sang, "Bring it on~ "

As the two began their match, Rei found time to call his favourite person to distract. He was probably out and busy, but Sakuma had time to kill so he didn't care.

"Are you kidding me?" The voice on the other side of the phone sounded tired

"What? I'm lonely"

"Suck it up?"

"I'm sooo lonely without Kaoru kun~ "

"Liar, big ass liar" Kaoru scolded, but it sounded loving

"Okay well I'm bored"

"Me too"

Rei stopped leaning on the wall

"Really? Where are you?"

"Caféteria"

"Wait for me!"

Hakaze sighed

"You have three minutes old man"

"On my way"

☆

"Crowded huh? Even though its hot as hell"

Kaoru nodded, pushing his sunglasses

"Yeah, I'm pretty thirsty, otherwise I would've already headed to the dorm"

"Thirsty?" Rei asked, smugly 

Hakaze clapped

"Another day, another innocent sentence Rei takes to the extreme. Good job, vampire"

"Thank you~ " Rei leaned in closer to say, before returning to his original position 

"So what are we having?"

"You choose" Kaoru shrugged, "I think I'll have a slice of cheesecake"

"Oohh Mr. Fancypants~ I'll have a sprite"

He tilted his head

"You're not hungry?"

"Nah" Rei smiled, "I'm good, Tsukinaga stuffed my face with chips today"

Kaoru's smile weakened

"Leo huh?" He headed to a table with an umbrella towering it, Rei followed

They sat down and Kaoru took off his sunglasses. Rubbing his forehead, he slumped on the table...turning his attention to Sakuma.

"Kinda bugs me he's going, even though I've hardly talked to the guy"

"We're losing a pretty talented idiot..." Rei added, "And a good friend, too"

"I heard Sena's taking it hard" 

"Obviously" he scoffed, "They're inseparable, even if Izumi denies it, there's no evidence to prove his point"

"I mean" Kaoru sat back up, drumming his fingers on the plastic, "Thinking back, Sena wasn't social to begin with was he? It was all Leo's doing"

"Poor guy"

...

There was silence for a bit before Rei extended his hands over to Kaoru

The latter watched confused

"What?"

"Just hold 'em"

"Why?"

"Pleeease" He whined, knowing Kaoru is the type to give up and do it anyway. 

As expected, Kaoru simply shrugged and somewhat hesitantly slipped his hands into Rei's. The first thing worth noticing was how Rei's hands were not manicured, but Hakaze's were. And they were warmer. The second thing Rei took note of, was how he didn't expect it to feel so comfortable.

"Now what? You'll do some magic?" 

"Oh, no" Sakuma paused, "You can let go now"

Confused, Kaoru retracted his hands and Rei's felt empty once again. Doesn't matter, they were always empty. Nothing new.

"You're being weird today" The former took a bite of his cheesecake

Rei laughed

"Really? How nice of you to notice~ "

"What's going on with you? Did you eat?"

"I told you I ate"

"Then what's the problem?" Concern leaked into his voice, "You're usually all over the place, in a good way"

"I'm fine man, really" He dropped his cheek on his palm, "Just sleepy"

"Of course you are" Kaoru playfully punched his other, unprotected cheek, and Rei unintentionally leaned into his fist.

"Can we take a nap after this?"

"Sure"

Chapter Text

"Little boy?"

Mika flinched, his temporary room's door opened a chink, a pair of lavenders gazing at him warmly.

He gulped

"mm...hello"

The girl opened the door, smiling. She had shoulder length hair, some light pink Mika couldn't figure out the shade of. 

"Can I come inside?"

He debated, and quietly nodded

The girl's eyes glittered and she happily entered his room.

Now that he had a good look at her, he realized how similar her dressing style was with her brother's. A cozy pink dress, tunic styled with a small bow right below her neck. Soft, and pretty. 

"You don't leave the room do you?" She said, sitting beside him on the bed "My dad's worried"

He chuckled dryly

"M...I'm okay"

She thought for a minute, before whispering

"Does my brother scare you?"

Mika breathed shakily. Ah, her brother. Yes, yes, he was scared of him. As he should be. He didn't seem any amount of interested in talking to Mika anyway, so he didn't initiate any conversation.

The girl grinned

"Hey hey, forget about it...he's just a little baby okay? He gets pissed off a lot, but thats on me then yeah?"

A little baby? Well, he was younger than her but not that small. He acted more mature, definitely, and if he went by the maturity visible on the surface level, she was the younger sibling.

Confused, Mika tilted his head

This made the girl pinch his cheeks

"You're really cute you know? Like a little puppy!"

"Wah?"

"Sorry!" She released his cheeks and her hands rested on her lap, "It's a shame he doesn't talk to you, you're a good kid, Mika. Can I call you Mika?"

"Oh...yeah, sure"

"Then call me just Toki-nee san!" She said

"Okay" He fidgeted with his cuffs, again

"Good" She suddenly remembered, "Ah! Right! Do you like pasta?"

His eyes lit up

"Pasta? m yeah"

"That's nice, we're having alfredo for dinner" She stood up, "See you then! Bye little Mika!"

He waved consciously as the girl left and closed his door behind her. 

Mika's foster parents lived in Kansai, where he was born and brought up. He had friends there, and he was used to the atmosphere. While he loved it, his parents decided he needed to get exposure. And so, they found him a nice school far away, and sent him to live with two very nice parents and their two children. One was a girl, older than him...and the younger sibling was a boy his age. In his school. 

While he got along fine with Toki, the older sister...the other one made his hair stand and made him want to crawl under the table and hug his knees. A striking difference between two people, born of the same mother. Still, Toki's presence made the environment lively, and made him feel safe.

Sadly, she had to go back to college some time around this month. So much for comfort.

As he sat for dinner, he dreaded the day she had to leave for her second year. Terrified. But atleast, today she was here.

"So, little Mika!" She grinned, her soft curls draped over her shoulder. Everyone else, except her brother, turned to look at Mika.

"How's the new club?"

He gulped

"...'s good", his voice coming out frail

"That's it?" She giggled, "What did you make?"

"Gloves" He said, trying to focus on the spaghetti on his plate.

"What kind?"

"Uhmmm" He looked at her parents for some hope, but they were curious too, it seemed

"...satin"

"Satin?" She turned to her brother, "Didn't you have a pair, Shu?"

"At some point" He uttered, focusing on his plate and ignoring everyone else on the table

"Shuuu" She sang

"What?" He snapped 

"Don't be a spoilsport!" She feigned hurt

"Oh please, do not involve me in your frivolous discussions" 

"Shu" His mother intervened, "Come on now, you have to talk at some point don't you? Sitting there like a doll"

"A doll? Well, I suppose I have the skin" His lips curved slightly.

He was right, Mika decided

He did have the skin

Pale and smooth 

Okay, stop

"Indulge in conversation" His father suggested, "You sit in your room all day and...while I understand Kagehira kun's reasons, yours are unclear"

He finally lifted his head to look at his father

"Well, I work, alright?"

"We know"

"Then what is unclear? Tell me, so I may CLEAR it up for you" He said, the intended dose of poison audible.

"Oh stop it!" Toki cried, "I'm sorry, little Mika! It gets a little suffocating with Shu scolding everyone! Hopefully, once I'm off...he'll trouble us less, yes?"

"Leave already, in that case" Shu muttered

"Shu...my god" his mother sighed, shaking her head in defeat

Mika was really trying to focus on eating. He liked the pasta, though it had gotten cold. He finished his plate as the rest of the conversation continued...a blur to his ears.

"May I head up to my room?"

Everyone looked his way, Shu too, this time

"Of course Kagehira kun" The father smiled, "Let me know if you need anything else"

He bowed, and headed upstairs

Even as he shut the door behind him and began packing his bag, the sounds of frustration and weary anger was audible from downstairs.

Shu was scary

And he hoped he'd keep out of his way until Toki's break...so she'd bring back the warmth into the household.

★

"Wow" Mao stared at Ritsu's lunch. The variety was insane. Meat, rice, seasoning, a mini sandwich, and a small bottle of fresh fruit juice

"Mhm" The vampire sang, "It's so we can share, Maa-kun~ "

Mao pointed at himself for clarification 

"Me?"

"Of course, you're the only Maa-kun, right?"

"I think so" He picked up one of the mini finger sandwiches. Packed with lettuce, tomatoes, a tiny egg, and sauce. Taking a bite, he closed his eyes momentarily.

"So?"

"So it's amazing!" Isara exclaimed, "Eat up, will you?"

"Mhm, right behind you, Maa-kun~ "

Ritsu started at the seasoned rice. Tearing one of the satchets, he sprinkled it onto his rice, and licked the dust off his fingers.

"Mmm...she must've been in a good mood" 

"Oh? Is she in a bad mood otherwise?"

Ritsu shrugged

"Yeah, mostly"

"How's that?"

"Bad...she's yelling at dad, or that guy"

"Rei is your brother, come on"

"No" He blurted

Mao sighed

"Okay, let's ignore that topic...she doesn't yell at you right?"

"Nah...mostly that guy"

"You're never accepting him it seems"

"Nope" He sipped some juice, "Besides, I don't need him, I have Maa-kun~ "

"I'm not a replacement! Not even clos- "

Ritsu snickered, picking up another sandwich and gently shoving it into Isara's mouth before he could finish

"Mmpf??? Witsu!"

"Eat up~ " He smiled 

After properly chewing and swallowing it, Mao borrowed Ritsu's juice box and took a sip.

"Damn it, Ritsu!"

"What?"

"Nothing I say ever gets to you does it? Whats the point anymore"

Ritsu held another sandwich to Mao's lips

"Last one's for you~ "

Grumpily, he took it, and thoroughly enjoyed it

"I have hands, Ritsu"

"You don't need those when I'm here, besides- " He leaned across the table to specially talk into Mao's ear, "You'll serve me for it later"

"AH!" He jumped out of his chair, a few people stared

Ritsu sat back into his seat, chuckling

"I hate you!" Mao cried, "I hate it when you do that!"

"Isn't it sexy?"

"NO!"

Chapter Text

"Hey kid" Kiryuu entered the club room, carrying lace, satin and many different types of fabric.

The club room was cozy. Shades of red and brown dominated the room: Wallpaper, rugs and the tables. 

Carpets covered the floor, not leaving an inch of floor visible.

The lights were all warm yellow, not a single striking white.

Adding to this, was a speaker situated across the room, in a corner, playing classical music. You could play any music as long as it was slow, constant, and instrumental. Those were the rules.

Mika turned his head from his project 

"Kiryuu senpai? Good mornin' !"

"Dedicated ain'tcha?" Kiryuu dragged a chair to Mika's work station and sat down.

"I have a little offer"

Mika tilted his head

"What for?"

"A little competition" Kuro explained, "You have to make an outfit, complete with accessories and makeup"

Mika's eyes grew impressed

"Wah? When?"

"Some time before summer break" He sighed, "I told you only because I know you're already working on a set"

Turning to the fabric lying on his table, the raven nodded

"Yeah. I already finished with the trousers" He then quickly spun his head to face Kiryuu, "Wait...before summer?"

"Yeah, you up?"

He thought for a bit, then smiled fondly

"Mhm! Sure!"

"Great! It's an inter-school, so you need all the help you can get" He got up, walking to Mika's right, "And I know just the person"

He leaned over Mika's head. Mika looked up

"Huh? Who? Yer busy arentcha?"

"Not me" Kuro patted his head, "Someone better"

"Better than Kiryuu senpai? Who's this now?" Mika chuckled

Kuro spoke, almost whispering aloud

"Thats a surprise"

★

"Itsukiii!"

The man in question was fixing his shirt frills. 

"They don't clean the bathroom mirrors do they? What is it, Kiryuu?"

Kuro made his way to where Shu was

"I need your help, well, indirectly"

Without facing him, Shu made a disgusted expression

"With?"

"You know the kid right?"

"Which one?"

Kuro sighed, leaning over the basin

"Mika, obviously, you ever hear me talking about Natsume like this?"

Shu stopped his fingers right where they were, on his shirt.

"...What about him?"

"He said yes to the inter-school competition, and...since you kinda have the same designing aesthetic- "

"God, Kiryuu" He closed his eyes in focus, "If this is how you wish to cure my so called 'prejudices'...try harder"

"I'm serious" Kuro patted the other's shoulder, "Cmon, he needs help. And you guys stay together"

"You make it sound like we live closely, we do not" Shu corrected

"Two rooms apart"

"Miles apart in my head" Shu raised his volume ever so slightly, "And besides...whenever he glimpses at me, he runs the other way as if I will possess him, such a clumsy boy"

"You were a clumsy boy"

Shu finally faced him

"Do not...bring up my childhood days"

He raised his hands in surrender, though knowing that Shu was being stubborn as always

"He's just scared of ya, try him will you?" 

"You say that as if he is a piece of candy"

"Maybe he is" Kuro then paused suddenly, "I mean- not in that way! Obviously!"

"Kiryuu!" He softly scolded

"I didn't mean that!" He ruffled his own hair, "This is that damned Sakuma's doing"

Clearing his throat, Shu regained his stand

"When is this competition? if I decide to help the boy?"

"Before summer break...but don't worry about the time, he's halfway done already"

"I know" He muttered

"Oh? How?" Kuro was going to take all the fun he could out of Shu, for as long as he could go without him getting agitated.

"How? He sits on the coffee table downstairs sketching away like a maniac, obviously I know" he checked to see if his hair was in place.

"You pay attention" Kuro commented, almost out of fondness

Shu washed his hands, concentrating on the water pooling in the basin. Meditating. On something.

"Itsuki?"

"What?" His concentration was broken, "I just see him around my house, that is all"

Kiryuu didn't seem very convinced, he spoke softly, genuinely

"What'd he ever do to you?"

"Nothing" He mumbled, drying his hands

...

"If you say so" 

Shu was done fixing his clothes and started walking towards the door

"See you later, Kiryuu"

...

"See ya"

Chapter Text

Nazuna was by himself in the clubroom. Playing chess with...himself. He still wasn't used to using clocks, and so he and given up on ever figuring them out. 

Rapid footsteps made him pause

A heavily breathing Leo

"Hey...Nazuna~ " He managed to laugh, entering the room, his legs unstable, "Mind if I...borrow the empty locker in the corner?"

Nazuna nodded lethargically 

"Thanks~ ☆" He hopped inside and closed it. His breathing eventually settled, and it was as if Nazuna was alone still.

Weird, Nazuna thought 

And they question my behaviour? Absurd

Leo must be hiding from someone. As if one recalled the events from earlier this week, it was either Izumi, or...Izumi.

As predicted by Nazuna, Sena stormed into the room. In some performance clothes: A mix of blues, violets and greens, a very cool composition and definitely not going with his rageful expression. Nazuna seemed to noticed how even after he was angry and fuming inside, he maintained his grace as he walked, holographic fabric tailing behind himself as he did.

"Where the fuck is he? He was here wasn't he? I heard him!" He exclaimed 

Nazuna pointed to the seat across from him

Izumi frowned

"This isn't the time for a match!"

Nazuna shook his head, pointing again

Izumi had cooled down just enough to understand what Nazuna was trying to say. He sighed deeply, making his way to the chair. He sat down, head leaning back against the edge on the chair's headrest, and hands clasped together. He closed his eyes to wait out the anger and impatience. Once he was done, he opened his eyes to Nazuna.

"What am I supposed to be doing..." His voice sounding brittle, unlike his regular, proud self.

Nazuna moved the chess pieces back to their original places and his face expressed helplessness.

Izumi held his head in his hands

"Why...why does no one listen to me?" He softly cried  

"Why doesn't he listen!" He raised his volume slightly.

Nazuna wasn't able to answer

He simply spaced out at Izumi's face, wearing makeup that matched his dress. Is he going to perform at the art festival?

"Does he think I'll hurt him or something?" Izumi raised his head, his pupils retracting, "You don't think I'm violent right?" 

Nazuna knew the question was directed at him

"No" He answered, softly 

"I- " Sena wiped the sweat off his brows with a hankerchief, "I don't...I don't want to stab his only hope"

The board was packed up by Nazuna, shifted to the side as he focused on Izumi for now.

"Did I go too far? Chasing him up and down, threatening to pull him out of class and- " His voice faded into the sound of the shaky breathing coming from his lips.

"God, I'm a monster" Izumi slumped on the table, head in his arms and a hand on his shoulder 

"Don't worry, Sena" Nazuna assured

"Don't worry...don't worry...right...that works doesn't it?" In a muffled voice, "Let him throw his future away for...something that might break his heart? Sounds like a plan, Nito" 

"Sorry" Nazuna replied

"Don't apologise" He sat up straight, wiping any remnants of tears on his cheeks, dabbing gently to make sure the makeup stays intact.

"He can do whatever the fuck he likes, whenever and wherever the fuck he wants to" This time, sarcasm was replaced by bitter defeat, "I have no fucking right over his decisions do I? At the end of the day, Leo fucking Tsukinaga will do what he wants to...regardless of what he does to everyone else for it"

Nazuna didn't want to say it, but he could hear sobbing from inside the locker in the corner across from his seat. And without needing to say anything...Sena caught on.

Nazuna decided to spill the beans

"Locker" He pointed

Izumi turned around

And indeed, he heard some form of sobbing from it.

"Come out" Nazuna announced, "No use hiding now, Leo kun"

The door creaked open and Leo stepped out, head hanging low and a hand desperately rubbing under his eye.

Izumi got up from his chair slowly, making his way to his friend, who was on the verge of throwing himself on him.

And throw himself he did

Before Izumi could even think of what to say, he was pushed back a couple of inches and almost hit his waist on the table

"IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SORRY- " Each sorry sounded more and more weak than the last, as Leo drowned in the bright blue fabric that made up Izumi's vest.

"Ow- YOU IDIOT!" He sounded a little like himself, but not quite, "I could've hit my waist really hard and- "

He was prohibited to speak as two jittery hands carelessy wrapped around his face and someone else's tears fell onto his cheeks. 

Nazuna made his way out, giving well deserved privacy and space to argue. He'd just give the club-locking duty to Rei today. 

☆

"You really won't listen?" Izumi whispered, his lips shuddering and his thoughts unclear, "You..."

"I'll listen!" Leo sounded less calm, as if he had let his emotions loose, "I'll listen I'll listen I'LL LISTEN TO YOU! I know I'm not organised, and- and I didn't THINK about it at all and I should've LISTENED! YOU KEPT WARNING ME AND I'M USELESS!"

His hands around the other's face tightened 

He spoke hastily

"I knew you want me to complete my studies! I knew you were just trying to make me understand! And I don't blame your methods AT ALL! If you- If you hadn't tried to pry at me for days and days I wouldn't even have the REALISATION that you were so worried about ME!"

"Why the fuck wouldn't I be worried?" Izumi regained some of his composure, "Chasing a dream, sacrificing everything for it? You're a pathetic excuse for a third year if you really didn't think any of it through!"

"I know..." Leo hung his head again, "...I'm sorry for making you waste your time on me...I don't even deserve the attention"

"You really don't!" Sena silently scolded, his hands gripping the edge on the table behind him, "You deserve to repeat the whole semester for this, you hear me?"

Leo nodded, still staring down

Sighing, he slipped one hand off the table's edge

"Fucking idiot, making me run around the campus...I must've lost atleast a few kilograms..."

Leo felt a shiver down his spine as his unruly hair was patted aggressively, but with no bad intentions.

"After all this marathon running, atleast look me in the eyes, you traitor"

"Do I get to?" Leo ached

"Not really" Izumi kept his hand on Tsukinaga's shoulder, "But I'll let you"

With a red, puffy face, Leo tried to look at Izumi directly, which was like looking at the Sun without eclipse glasses.

"Don't you dare go crying...not after making me cry the entire Pacific Ocean" He grumbled, dabbing at the other's eyes softly with his sleeves

"I'm sorry"

"Enough!" Izumi groaned, "No more sorries, no more 'I'm stupid and worthless' and 'I don't deserve to be chased after' " He clicked his tongue, "Whatever I say goes over your head anyway, so who am I to stop you from grabbing at your passion"

Leo's eyes, half lidded, looked weary and drained.

"Whatever you plan on doing, Leo" His tone grew soft, "Tell me first, got it? No surprising me with major things anymore"

He nodded hesitantly 

"Mm"

"Good" He exhaled with relief, "I'm done with my lecture, its your turn to speak"

...

A breather, and Leo released Izumi's face from one side, to rub his eyes

"If I...If I learn to live with...my mistakes" He tried to sound as confident as Sena had, "...and...and if I think about myself properly...before..." 

He cut his own sentence in between to bring his hand back to Izumi's face. And before he could think of what you say, to finish his list, he pushed Izumi against the table again. 

Tasting someone's tears from their lips wasn't on Izumi's bulletin, but he wouldn't object. Other than the salt, he could very well taste the conviction and faith...which, he would love to mask, made him feel good. That, and he wouldn't admit he liked being kissed in the first place.

"...will you love me again?" a weak admission

To Sena this was rhetorical

How stupid 

Of course he would 

The audacity of this man to ask

"What kind of an insane question is that?" He retorted, but with fondness in his tone, "Obviously, you dumbfuck"

He could hear himself chuckling over it

Ahh, this Leo

He would never truly love himself, would he?

That was alright

Izumi would teach him how

That's what love was for, anyway

Chapter Text

"Are you avoiding me?"

Taking a bite out of a cheese bagel, the younger looked disgusted. A little ashamed of having learnt some disturbing habits from his senior...not this one, of course.

"If I waS avoiding you, we wouldn't be herE"

"Ah...true" Tsumugi smiled. His smiled always echoed 'internally unstable' or, perhaps more convenient, 'mental'. Something Natsume didn't like to see. It twisted him the wrong way.

"Stop that, senpaI"

Tsumugi placed his cup back on his saucer

"What?"

"Smiling like you hate your life...it's nothinG short of obviouS"

Aoba smiled again

"Sorry Natsume kun, I can't help myself~ "

"I cannot believE this is my senior..." Sakasaki muttered, taking a bite of his bagel.

"Am I embarrassing? Why? What should I do?"

"NothinG" Natsume sighed, closing his eyes, "Just don't pretenD to be happY, maybe"

"But I am happy!" Tsumugi gleamed, "I'm having snacks with Natsume kun!"

Though a little taken aback, Natsume composed himself.

He cleared his throat

"That's all gooD, but I meant in generaL"

"Please don't worry about me!" He took a bite of his choco lava cake, burning his tongue. He stayed absolutely still, but the pain was readable.

Natsume groaned

"The ironY" 

Despite the tone, he filled his senior's glass with his own iced beverage and passed it to him.

"Here"

"Ah! A lifesaver!" He exclaimed, then paused after a sip

"Peach ice tea? Won't you catch a cold?"

"No, I won't...I don't catch coldS"

"That can't be" Tsumugi dropped his shoulders, "Everyone catches colds..."

"I do notT Natsume scoffed

Tsumugi gazed at him, trying to pry out a reason of sorts.

"What? It's truE" Sakasaki repeated, "Ask anyonE"

"I'm afraid It's not really possible, unless you've been kept in a strictly run household...even in that case, It's not plausible, Natsume kun"

Why does he have to talk all logical? That's not his department. That's Natsume's department. 

Maybe he should stop assigning departments.

"You'll seE" 

"I'm sure I will" There was a glittery, sickly happy grin on his face that Natsume wanted to slap off. But he resisted his violent urges, and continued eating his food.

While it is common knowledge that consuming cold beverages and foods during a transitioning season makes it hard to not catch a cold, the magician was stubborn, and he wouldn't listen even if God himself tried to reason with him.

Oh, what he wouldn't do to have an icecream right now...but, he didn't want to actually catch a cold and stand corrected, so he made peace with his iced tea for the time being.

It's ego over everything else

☆

He had never actually heard anything from Tsumugi regarding his life other than his grades...and the onigiri he made for lunch that Natsume stole every break. He was a little scared. Those who smile the most are usually ones that are screaming their souls inside. That, is what he was scared of. Not Tsumugi himself.

He had heard about his family from here and there, bits of information from Rei, and Wataru, occasionally. But nothing tangible, or supported with evidence. 

And the way the other avoided talking about it made it even harder to bring it up. 

From what he had gathered, Tsumugi didn't get much familial love as a child and took great pride in his people pleasing abilities.

Leo had told him once, and upon asking, Mugi had told him that his mother giving him birth was enough love for him, and that he couldn't possibly ask for more. Even if he was being treated like a stranger, he didn't care as long as he was being fed somewhat, and had the 'right to live' beside his guardians.

(Leo had, reportedly, been disturbed to the core, and he never touched the topic again)

"You've been spacing out lately~ " Tsumugi poked Natsume's forehead with the back of his spoon. As he dragged himself back into reality, Sakasaki flicked it away.

"Don't pokE me" He grumbled, "And I was just thinkinG"

"About what?"

He probably shouldn't 

But he does

"How do you sleeP at night, Tsumugi senpaI?"

He blinked in reply

Shaking his head, he smiled

"Ahaha...what do you mean Natsume kun?"

"You livE a horrible life, and in youR dream to please everyone elsE you forget yourself" Natsume sipped his ice tea, and frowned as he realised it was warm now.

Tsumugi didn't say anything 

"Not to mention you keeP wishing for me to talk about myselF over and oveR...ignoring yourself is an easy diagnosis of self hatreD, senpai"

"Doesn't everyone hate themselves a little bit?" Tsumugi replied, appearing unaffected, "Even you, Natsume kun?"

"What makes yoU think I don'T like myselF?"

"Well I mean" He finished his tea,"There must be something you don't like about yourself?"

"That is noT my point" Natsume stabbed the table with his fork, though not very harshly, "There is a cleaR difference between noT liking yourself, anD not liking somethinG about yourselF!"

"Right...I'm a little confused now" Mugi lightly chuckled

"Forget iT" And it was in this moment that Natsume realised why people dropped this conversation topic to begin with. He wouldn't answer. It would be looped around until eventually, one of them gave up and changed the toxic atmosphere.

Or they stopped approaching Tsumugi at all

He must've been aware of this, and took to staring into his empty cup of tea, instead of Sakasaki across from him.

Anytime now

He'd get up and leave, anytime now

Chapter Text

The floors don't creak, being marble

But, Mika has to be careful anyway

He reached Shu's door and took a minute to examine the very detailed carved roses. He had roses carved into his door? Standards. And the lever type doorknobs you'd find on such a gorgeous door, belonging to a very beautiful- 

Okay Mika, enough gawking

Go on now

He knocked

More like, he was about to before Shu opened the door. Not revealing his room properly, he stood annoyed and his violets stung Mika's blue and yellow.

"Umm...I was jus'...wonderin' " He shook his head in an attempt to remember his reason for trespassing, "Toki-nee said ya had satin gloves"

He blinked once, slowly

"I do"

He swallowed his anxiety

"Can I see 'em?"Jus' fer the stitching! I jus- I gotta see the way it's stitched yknow?"

The Itsuki glanced back at his room, before opening the door a little more.

"Wait here. Don't come inside"

The raven nodded obediently. Waiting at the doorway. 

He could smell the roses from here. He wanted to smell it for longer but, Shu was back.

In his hands he held a pair of smooth, black satin gloves.

 Mika unintentionally let out a waaahhh before looking up at Shu.

"Can I...give 'em back...in a bit?"

The other seemed to not like the idea, suspiciously eyeing Kagehira.

"I won't ruin 'em! Um...I'll give 'em by tomorrow? In school?"

After a long session of thinking, Shu nodded, still not completely happy about it.

"Fine. They better be in this exact condition"

"Yes! Of course!" His eyes sparkled with an energy Shu found interesting, but ignored.

For now anyway

"Oh n...thank ya!" Mika said, before sprinting to his appointed room.

...

Tch

Such a frantic boy

Chapter Text

"WHAT"

"I think we shouldn't panic" Adonis said

"ARE YOU- AGHH!" The short tempered of the two kicked a stool nearby. It hit a wall. And the boy regretted his decision immediately when he heard a 'hey! quit kicking shit in there!' from the hallway.

"DAMN IT! Who does he think he is?"

"Our senior with more experience in music than us" Adonis tried

Koga faced him

"Ignoring that! That little...ORANGE LIZARD!"

Otogari ran out of ways to cool down this salamander.

Koga and Adonis were in the same club, the music club. Headed by our bright and stupid Tsukinaga Leo, it was one of the most important clubs in the school. And now that Leo had decided to dutifully finish his schooling, he had announced Koga as the new club president.

Was it worth kicking things around? Probably not

Koga didn't trust himself. And no matter how hard Adonis tried to convince him he was good enough for the position...Oogami would refuse to believe it. Only Leo could lead the club. Even Adonis could, honestly. Just not him

No, no, no

Ironically Koga was mostly right about things...so if he thought him being president would end up in arson sometime around next week, it would happen.

"YOU BE FUCKING PRESIDENT!" He argued, "YOU'VE GOT THE HEIGHT AND SHIT TOO!"

Adonis, confused, made a face Oogami couldn't avoid

"Me? I transferred this year"

That cute little face

Poor guy

"That doesn't matter! You even got...the..." He vaguely motioned to his entire being.

"What?"

Will he stop making that dumb little face? 

He's gonna kill Koga like this

"THE FUCKING BEAUTY!" He said

And though it was said aggressively, it was said with passion.

Adonis paused, thinking

He had yet to fully understand his friend's mannerisms and how he spoke.

"But, how does that align with the qualities of a club president?"

"I- " This time he didn't have an answer, so he huffed and reached out to pull the stool back to himself and sat down.

"Whatever...I'm not doing it"

Despite the wreck he was, Koga was easily convinced by Otogari in most cases, so they would be fine for now. He could potentially create havoc sometime later but for the present, he had cooled down.

Hopefully

Chapter Text

"Wahahahaha! And who are you looking for, Michael?"

" 's Mika...but, that's...alright" Mika chuckled nervously, "M lookin' for Itsuki senpai...or Itsuki san, actually"

"There's a difference?" Leo asked

"Not really...he doesn't like 'senpai' 's all"

"Oh hey you guys live together right? I completely forgot ☆" he giggled, "Funny story, Sena used to be his roomate, before he decided to stop living in the dorms during his second year! Crazy, am I right?"

"Very crazy Leo VERY CRAZY, now can we MOVE ON?" Izumi whispered angrily.

He nodded, and the trio walked ahead

"That's super cool!" Mika had genuine excitement written all over his face, "I didn' know him before a few months ago...n then too, I had talked to him once yknow?" He admitted, "All I said was 'Itsuki senpai' n he replied with: 'don't call me that'...n it was super scary"

"Waahh...and then you had to live in his house...poor kid~ " Leo ruffled his hair roughly, making Mika yelp.

"Don't bully your juniors" The third one scoffed

"Ahhh" Tsukinaga nodded, "Got it got it~ So, where are we starting? To you know, look for Shu~ "

"Can we not" Izumi groaned, "I'm tired"

Mika waved his hands in panic

"Ya don't have to!"

"We will ☆" Leo laughed like Toki on steroids (Mika's words, not mine), "Come on Sena! Let's go on a journey to find the missing cat!!!"

He tugged on the other's crisply ironed sleeves

Izumi scoffed 

"What for? I don't owe him a damn thing!"

"For Michael ☆"

"Kagehira Mik- Forget it, anyway" He sighed, "Thank you so much, Tsukinaga senpai, and Sena senpai!"

"Of course!" Leo locked arms with an agitated Izumi and somewhat forcibly held Mika's shoulder.

"LETS ROLL!!!"

"W-why are we runnin' ?" 

☆

Running wasn't the best idea the ginger has ever had.

Especially if you have your arms locked with someone.

And even more so, if that someone is Sena Izumi

"YOU- I'M GOING TO DISLOCATE MY ELBOW YOU RRECKLESS CHAMELEON!"

"Chameleon? Thats a new one! Keep them coming, Sena! ☆" He spoke, though his voice was hardly audible clearly, with the three of them running up the stairs.

"Wah- Tsukinaga senpai! Don'tcha think we've- been runnin' pretty lo- WOAH"

•

They stopped suddenly, when they found Natsume at the cafeteria trying to enjoy a cream roll...alone.

He didn't want any company

But you hardly get a choice with Leo around

"ROOMIE~ OVER HERE~ "

Natsume was trying to ignore them, but to no avail

"Ah...its yoU"

He paused

"AnD...Sena senpai...and Mika as welL?"

"Good afternoon Sakasaki kun!" Mika waved cheerfully. Or as cheerfully as possible with beads of sweat running down his forehead.

Natsume waved back, lacking enthusiasm 

"Where could yoU be runninG off tO?"

"Looking for Shu!" Leo hopped in place, "Have a good day!" And off they went again

"MOTHERFU-" was all Natsume heard from Izumi before they ran in the opposite direction.

And they ran for what felt like hours

Meeting random people on their way to say hi

•

"YOOO PRESIDENT!" Leo saluted playfully as they ran past a very confused Hasumi Keito.

He pushed his glasses back, sighing 

"Tsukinaga when I catch you..."

•

"Nazunaaa!" 

"Leo" The short blonde doll replied

"Where're you going?" Leo pulled the breaks suddenly, making Mika stumble forward.

"Chess room. To play. Chess" He said

"Waah!☆ Wonderful! With who?"

He paused

"Kiryuu"

"He doesn't play che- LEO!" Izumi was too late, Tsukinaga had begun sprinting again.

•

"Whoa whoa whoaaa!" It was Chiaki who was jumpscared this time

"Can you STOP SCARING PEOPLE???" Izumi yelled

"Morisawa! Shinkai san! How nice to see you ☆" Leo said, ignoring Sena's attempts at trying to seize his childish game.

"You 'scared' me" Kanata smiled warmly, "Nice to 'see' you as well"

"Fuahaha ☆ Thats the spirit!" Chiaki chuckled, "Keep running! Never give up!"

Mika had no idea what was going on, before he was swept away by the couple again (mainly Leo) to enter the halls after running in the grounds for atleast 25 minutes now.

★

"Geez louis" Kiryuu is now in the chess club's room. While he had no hope for himself when it came to chess, he had been abruptly called by Nazuna and asked to 'join in a battle, to death'

Which was chess, but with a darker atmosphere. The lights were turned off, and the bright red LED strip surrounding the ceiling and floor were on.

Nightmare mode for chess, if you will

"Nazuna, look" Kiryuu said, "Clearly, I mean, I can't win right?"

He makes a move on the board, then stares into Kiryuu's soul

"Right"

Kuro sighs, moving his own piece

"And its not like you don't know that..."

"Right"

"Then why am I here?"

Nito wins, and then slowly resets the pieces. Kiryuu watches, horrified. Not only because of the lighting, or Nazuna's usual dead voice...mainly it was how eerily slow he was sometimes...

And the sinking contemporary violin playing in the background.

It was a creepy setting, and Kiryuu didn't like that one bit. Nazuna was his dear friend, which was well and good, but this was not how he wanted to spend his substitution period. He wanted to spend it snacking, or maybe sorting accessories into their boxes or something.

His prayers were heard by a mysterious God, who had decided to enter the room at the right time.

"What on Earth is going on?" 

Shu clapped, the rest of the lights turned on.

Rei walked inside with him, switching off the hellish red lighting and sighed. 

Life with Nazuna was not so simple

"Nothin'...he invited me to a chess match...knowing I can't win" Kuro leaned back on the chair

Nazuna hummed along with the violin, ignoring the complaints being made against him.

"That is not the problem" Itsuki grumbled, "The problem is the lighting! You want to go blind?"

"I didn't have an option..." Kiryuu blurted, "I'm tied up..."

Rei raised an eyebrow 

Kuro lifted his ankle to show that he was, in fact, tied to one of the chair's legs by a rope.

"....literally"

Shu scoffed, walking over to Nazuna, and then bypassing him to sit down next to Kiryuu.

Sakuma settled next to Nazuna

"What did we say about tying up your opponent?"

Nito faced Rei

"It's prohibited"

"Then explain yourself"

He thought for a bit before glancing at Kiryuu, who looked at him helplessly.

"I thought he'd run away"

"Nonsense" Shu muttered

"I didn't mind, not like I have a thing for being bound- I KNOW Rei goes there so, im just clarifying" He raised his volume at the last part, making sure it sinks into Rei's dense skull.

The pink-haired snake took to glaring at Sakuma, his mood worse than it was two seconds ago.

Rei wanted to kill himself

"OKAY THAT WAS ONE TIME AND I DON'T GO THERE" he cleared

"You did" Nazuna interrupted, "I heard"

"OKAY BUT- "

"Enough!" Shu announced, "Let us end this conversation! Nito, you are not tie anyone to anything!"

He nodded

"Kiryuu, you are not to let him tie you up"

"Got it" Kuro replied, a little tired of all this

"And you" He poked Rei's forehead, his nails sharp...but Rei only winced silently

"...You will not be making ridiculous jokes about someone's sexual preferences"

"I said I DIDN'T like being tied up! Are we ignoring that? We're ignoring that..." Kiryuu's voice rang in the air as he walked to the door.

"And now...can you turn off this halloween music, it is killing me" Shu hissed

Nazuna turned off his phone's bluetooth and stood up

"May I leave?"

"You may" Itsuki controlled his temper

☆

And that left Rei and Shu

"You don't have class?" Shu almost scolded

Rei shrugged

"All substitutions...God knows where the teachers are"

Itsuki glanced at his watch, before turning to Rei in disappointment. 

"What did I do?" He sighed, "You always look at me like I did something to ruin your day"

He clicked his tongue

"I will be bringing my bag upstairs. Stay here"

Commands instead of actual answers. Figures. That's Shu for you.

Without much of a choice, Rei stayed in the room, despite the loneliness creeping up his skin. Finding a bean bag that had originally belonged to the music club (Nazuna stole it...leaving an angry Oogami Koga, and a perfectly normal, unaffected Tsukinaga Leo), he sat down, next to a shelf.

This shelf stored all trophies at the top, and some random things as your eyes drifted farther down. Some chess pieces special to them...like Nito's prized red knight. A defect he had found in his childhood chess kit. He wouldn't let go of it, saying it 'deserved' to be shown to the world, just like the trophies on the top region of the shelf.

There was also a picture. The initial three members of the club, together. One of the only pictures Rei knew of, where Shu was smiling. Not smiling out of pure pride, or for some other worldly reason. Just because he was happy to be there.

To be with his friends

Friends...

They were still his friends

?

Chapter Text

"There he is!" Leo whispered, as the three stopped a few feet away from Shu, who was packing his bag in class, "Go on, Michael"

"Its Mi- thank you, Tsukinaga senpai, Sena senpai" Mika managed to speak in between panting.

Leo dragged Izumi away once again, leaving Mika leaning on the classroom door, catching his breath.

His hair was worse than an hour ago, and he couldn't believe he had run that much. He hadn't collectively run this much in the 16 years of his life. His arms looked like skin on bone and his legs felt like boiled noodles. Anytime now, he'd die anytime now.

"Kagehira" 

He peaked into the classroom to find Shu directly glaring at him. What did he ever do wrong? 

"Oh...um...hello, Itsuki san"

"Make it quick. Why are you here?"

"Um...well..." He cleared his throat

"Stop" Itsuki motioned with his hand, "Breath first, did you run all the way here?" His tone shifting slightly, offering a tinge of softness.

"Kinda...it was Tsukinaga senpai...n....Sena senpai" He breathed steadily, "Mostly Tsukinaga senpai--I was tryna look fer ya so he said he'd help..."

He ngahhed, shaking his head

"I didn' think he'd make me run a whole marathon!"

"two kilometers is not a marathon, child" Shu said

He blinked

And he blinked again

How did he know? And better yet, Why did he know?

"Wh- You calculated? Also how- Were ya able to see me the whole time???"

"Obviously, you were running around this part of campus with the two...stumbling and stuttering as you did"

"Well- It- "

"Relax, Kagehira, I don't bite" Shu walked to where Mika sat. One of the front benches. It had a very cute drawing of someone he recognised as Nazuna.

Perhaps Nazuna drew it.

How nice.

Itsuki sat on the bench behind him

"What is it?" He asked, a little softer this time. Not any less intimidating.

"I was...wondering if ya were headin'...upstairs?"

"Upstairs"

"Chess club!" He exclaimed, as if he had seen a ghost, "Its got a nice atmosphere n...all...that"

"What for? Well, whatever be the reason, you may come with me"

His eyes widened 

"Really? Yer goin' right now?"

"I was planning to..." He analysed Mika from the top of his hair strands that stood up due to Leo's ruffling, to his chest which was the last part of him visible from where he sat.

"S-somethin' wrong?" Kagehira asked, a little scared of the way Shu was eyeing him

When he was done his gaze settled on the other's eyes. He seemed to be very interested in his heterochromia, almost staring at them as if they were a Van Gogh.

Mika dare not utter a word. He sat still as a statue, staring back at the pair of violets that held his gaze so perfectly. With a pinch of fuchsia, he noticed. How pretty. He wished he had eyes like his...unreadable, but absolutely beautiful.

"Ah" Shu closed his eyes and frowned, "Nevermind, come along now"

It was more of a command than anything. And so, Kagehira jumped from his seat.

" 'Course! But um..."

Itsuki glanced at him

"Can I jus' grab somethin' from mah clubroom? I-Its right here! I'll be back!" He rushed out. 

His muscles were already sore, but he'd manage. He opened the doors to the club and grabbed his tote bag. It had a crescent moon on it, embroidered by his mother. Probably the only form of affection he had gotten from her in the past few years. Unless we count the bare minimum obligation, that was his breakfast and dinner.

...

Mika was relieved to see Shu waiting, though impatiently

"Quickly, time is of the essence, Kagehira"

"Right with ya!"

★

"I am back" He announced, bag hanging off his shoulder

Rei flinched, lost in memory. He squinted to find another, shorter figure trailing behind him.

He looked up at Shu, perplexed 

"...I brought this child as well...since he has no work" Itsuki completed.

The familiar tuft of green hair and mismatched eyes smiled at Rei...

Who in their right minds could even feel disturbed by this shiny, sparkly crow?

"Good Afternoon Sakuma senpai!" His voice sounded innocent and honestly, a little adorable.

"Good Afternoon...?"

"Ah! Mah bad!" He stumbled, making his way to Rei as Itsuki muttered in the background, "Its Kagehira Mika! Nice ta meet ya!"

He extended his hand for the other to shake

Rei shook it, trying to analyse his body language as much as he could. He stood timidly, though appearing confident. His hair was ruffled but seemed to suit him anyway. He wore a worn out blue-black sleeveless sweater over the school shirt.

A complete opposite to Shu. He was even more confused as to how these two were communicating.

"Boy, come here" Shu snapped his fingers

"Mhm!" As if broken from his trance, he jolted and hopped over to him

"I assume you are done with studying my gloves?" 

"Oh yeah...um...ya can have 'em back...n they're in the exact same condition!"

Shu scoffed

"They seem to be, I will be the judge of that" He faced him, "Show me yours, if they are complete"

" 'course! I was free the whole mornin' !" Mika opened a small bag. It was a tote bag, with a moon embroidered on it. Rei wondered if he had done it himself.

Out of the bag emerged a pair of satin gloves, identical to Shu's...but with lace at the wrist's ends. The lace had roses on it. 

Shu was, impressed. Slightly 

"Good..." He commented, neutrally, "These will go perfectly with wine red....that is your theme, yes?"

Kagehira made a small waahh sound 

"Did ya seem mah fabrics? When did ya see those?"

"You talk too much" Shu grimaced, "I saw them this morning when you still had a class"

"Oh...then jus' say that" Mika smiled. 

What Rei found unbelievable was how Mika was tolerating Itsuki's behaviour. He wasn't irritated, upset or correcting him. Just listening, and answering normally. How odd.

And he was amused, too.

"Can I study here?" 

"If you keep quiet and don't disturb me" Shu said, not even sparing him a glance

Mika nodded

"Got it!"

"Go on" The older quite literally pushed him away. A little startled, but quick to settle, Mika giggled his way to another beanbag (also stolen by Nazuna from the music club) and plopped open his chemistry book. 

He was sitting next to Rei, and for some reason, he was okay with that.

These were two weirdos from the chess club

They play chess

That should be enough to repel anyone. But here he was, in all his bravery, Kagehira Mika. Maybe when he realises how toxic Shu's personality is he'll regret this day. 

Itsuki sat on the table, examining his satin gloves. When stitching was involved, Shu had no match. Chess and sewing, he was a God in his crafts.

Ah, thats right

He didn't even ask for an explanation here

Sakuma got up and walked to Shu, sitting on the chair beside him.

"You helping the kid on a project?"

Once Shu felt his gloves were 100% in the same condition, satisfied, he safely tucked them in his bag.

"Kiryuu"

"What?"

He now took to examining the gloves Mika had made

"Kiryuu thought it was a wonderful idea...to appoint me as his 'support'...I hate it"

Rei hummed

He had to admit, the gloves looked too perfect. Stitched with precision. Even with a few mistakes Shu spotted here and there, they were negligible and all in all...the kid seemed to be a pro in his field.

"I am quite astonished, I will say" Shu admitted, sounding dull as always, "He has a talent"

"You don't usually hand over your precious accessories" Sakuma asked, hoping to have phrased it differently, so that he wouldn't sound direct.

"How can I refuse such an adorable face" Shu muttered, sounding somewhat mad. At himself?

He probably hallucinated that

Auditory hallucinations are super common

Probably

"You-" Rei paused. He turned to look at Mika, focused on organic chemistry...tongue sticking out every now and then, a few strands of his unruly hair clipped back and bright ochre and azure darting left to right, concentrating on every word.

He supposed he was...a little silly. Cute, even

Irritatingly cute

He carried a clumsy, yet courageous aura, Rei observed.

But that didn't explain the strange string of words that spilled out of Shu's lips.

"Don't stare at people, Rei" the other berated, "A horrible habit of yours"

"Did you...what did you say before that?" He asked, in disbelief. He refused to believe the Shu he knew would say that. 

"Are you sick?" Itsuki mumbled, "He showed up to me and asked to borrow my gloves for analysing the stitches! Is there something so strange about it?"

That wasn't what he had said before, but any further arguments would break Mika's focus and he'd hate to do that to the poor child.

And for some weird reason, Shu was in a bad mood

"...I guess not" Rei sighed 

Another bout of silence

"Wait- you mean you're working with him? On...whatever?"

Shu was irritated 

"Yes, yes I did say that"

He frowned

"Can you give me a little more than that?"

Rei won't be giving up

☆

He was focused on multiple things at once, and he kept pacing around the room, grabbing books and whatnot.

Rei followed, trailing behind him. Abruptly stopping sometimes, when Shu did. He stopped suddenly, in hopes that Sakuma would leave him, or just to have some fun with wasting his time.

Shu was a sadist, in that way

"Okay, stop it!" Rei sighed, tired, "Talk to me will you?"

Itsuki couldn't help it

His lips curved into a self-centered smile 

Rei hated that

But he couldn't help but be attracted to it

Why must God punish him this way?

Shu realised Sakuma had gone quiet

"What?"

"You didn't answer my question!"

"What question?" The other continued to smile in his own pride.

"Shu!"

Mika had to look up now

He had been trying to not intervene, or seem invisible but this was getting too interesting 

So he observed from his corner

"You aren't making sense" Shu scolded, back to his sourness, "I told you why"

"Don't talk in circles!"

"Why do you want to know so bad?" He faced the vampire, who was determined to get his answer, "It has nothing to do with you, Rei"

...

He noticed Mika, confused, staring at the two fighting

Itsuki faced the boy

"Study elsewhere" Shu commanded 

Kagehira nodded

"Mkay...M not disturbed, ya can continue"

Squinting, Shu scoffed

"Don't be stupid, boy. You cannot study if there is noise in the background, can you? Look what you're doing, Rei! Let him study will you?"

Rei stared at him, as if Shu had commited genocide in front of his very eyes.

Clearly if one of them was sick, it was Itsuki 

"Its my fault is it? You're targeting me, and for what?"

"If you must know, he's been dragged around by Tsukinaga the entire afternoon...he followed me up here to work undisturbed! So don't cause him trouble!"

Mika was surprised by how he was being defended. But he stayed quiet, trying to read his notes.

"Fine" Rei scoffed, "But this isn't over!"

"I really do not care" Itsuki grumbled, "I have work, don't disturb me" 

He paused, pointing at Mika

"Or him"

Mika nodded, despite not being talked to

Sakuma walked over to his beanbag and it sucked him in. He sat, looking around, trying to call Kaoru (he didn't pick up), scrolling on social media, doing anything he could to pass time.

...

"Hello?"

So he picked up now

"Kaoru? You sound..."

"Don't ask me" His voice came out strained, "And don't look for me right now"

"What is it?" He whispered into the phone, he can't have Shu scold him again, "Are you good?"

"No, I'm not GOOD okay???" He snapped, then stopping to calm down. "Just...don't call me"

Rei was worried 

And while he knew he was explicitly told to not look for him, he decided he would. But not now.

He should let Kaoru's rage dissolve first, communication is done well only when the mind is sound. So, he waited.

He read magazines Izumi left in the clubroom earlier that day...mostly fashion magazines but, not cheap ones. He needed to keep himself occupied till evening atleast. Then he'd confront his friend.

His friend 

?

Chapter Text

Hakaze didn't have friends in his first year. Having either a bad reputation as someone who doesn't care about anything that isn't a bubblegum girl, or just being labeled as 'basic' and 'dumb blonde'.

It wasn't until the starting of his second year that he stumbled upon Sakuma Rei, who at the time was experiencing his first (and so far, last) rejection. Kaoru didn't think he was worthy of heartbreak. Someone so pretty. Especially, a pretty guy. This was also a huge turning point in Hakaze's life otherwise, he had his hair cut like Rei's, for emotional support if nothing else.

Once they became roomates, Sakuma spilled out his heart to Kaoru, because there was no one else. No one.

"Being told no to the face is one thing..." Hakaze had been listening to Rei the whole evening that day, "But, rejecting someone after a kiss is just..." He shook his head in defeat 

"Its just horrible, Rei"

"I don't understand either!" The vampire huggged his knees under the blanket.

"This is the first time I've heard a case like this one...this is a warcrime" Kaoru shook his head

"It IS! And- I'm not a bad guy! Right?" 

"No! Where'd you get that from? Did he say that?" Hakaze sipped at his almost finished soda. Despite his throat infection.

"I just- I don't know" And Rei sounded as if he would fall over and roll to the other side of his bed.

The dorm rooms at Yumenosaki were small, but big enough for two beds or bunk beds, both neatly adjacent to the two walls that lead to the door. One of these beds was Kaoru's, on the right if you entered their room, and Rei's was on the left. The former tended to keep his bed clean almost always, and the latter kept messing it up over and over.

Sitting on Rei's bed was equivalent to parkour, and Kaoru had learnt the basics.

"Breathe, okay? Cmon, it's been a week atleast...you need to figure something out before you have to crawl into a corner and rot there for the rest of high-school" He placed his fist softly on Rei's chest, and the latter took deep breaths as instructed.

"No, you're right"

He was on the brink of tears

And Kaoru was fast to act, as always. Bringing his sleeve to his friend's cheek.

"We can't do this again, Rei. I can't have you crying over him anymore. We need to find you distractions"

Sakuma just sighed and fell to his bed

"Like what? I really wanna get into character again...I don't feel very Sakuma Rei...yknow?"

"Like...a different club"

Rei shook his head aggressively 

Kaoru looked at him, puzzled

"What? Isn't that the root of your problems?"

"Yeah, but- "

"Just ask for the resignation paper, and get it done" 

"Thats...the problem" Sakuma shook his head

"What do you mean? Who's your president?"

He winced in his head before he spoke

"Shu"

"Oh..." Kaoru sat in silence for a bit

Rei drew circles on the bedsheet with his finger. His face carved with tears and tiredness, even after having vomited out all his thoughts and feelings, he felt like shit.

He wouldn't be able to leave the club now

Or, ever

And it wasn't that Shu wouldn't let him, he knew Itsuki wasn't someone clingy. It was simply his lack of trust in himself and the fear of talking to the person he loved most.

Who did not, in fact, feel the same way

Time and time again, Rei

Time and time again

◇

You don't always find strange little boys running across the hallway. Strange is subjective, however. In this case, it was everything.

From his hair, to his eyes, to his figure, Shu noted.

While he had never seen him before, he had carved his appearance into his head, where it would reside until the same boy ends up living under the same roof as him.

Of course, Itsuki of the past did not know that

But Itsuki of the past did have one conversation with the boy. Kind of.

"Um...Itsuki senpai?"

Shu had promptly turned around and somewhat rudely stated

"Don't call me that"

And did he regret it? Yes

Yes he did

He would have loved to take his words back and perhaps explain it in a better way but...Shu will be Shu always. 

"Oh...um..Itsuki san then" the boy had corrected, "Mr Kunugi 's callin' ya...thats all" He sounded unsure of himself, but, at the same time he sounded like he was telling the truth.

The other nodded and that was the end of that.

He never saw the boy again, and he was sure the boy didn't see him either.

How peculiar 

(Yet he'd remember those eyes forever)

Chapter Text

"What's your favourite colour"

"Gosh...I dunno" Koga motioned to his entire body.

Silver and violet, he was trying on the outfit for the festival that was to come. An annual event where students would showcase their talent, and several competitions were held to further add to the excitement of the crowd. It was a big deal, especially considering other schools were allowed to participate and watch as spectators.

With Yumenosaki's huge budget and overall good reputation, it was looked forward to every year. This year was no different.

The music club was doing music 

(as they do)

And so was Koga

He was given the MC role being the president, despite his whining and screaming.

"Violet and silver?" Adonis asked, "That is interesting"

"Interesting? What does that even mean?"

"He says it suits you~ " Leo sang from across the room

"You shut it" Koga growled, "I don't wanna hear your voice till you graduate!"

Tsukinaga feigned hurt

"Otogari look! He's bullying me! Bullying a senior, how scandalous!"

Adonis looked at both parties with confusion. 

"Quiet! I'm not bullying you!" Koga hissed, throwing a tantrum and eventually settling down on the couch. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled through random shit that popped up on his instagram page. Most of it is just related to visual kei related, and rarely pictures posted by his classmates. Leo too. But most of Leo's posts revolved around Izumi, and Koga was a little tired of them.

...

Seemed like Sena would live a couple hundred years

"Smells like Red Bull and disgust"

"Sena~ Good Evening~ " Leo childishly waved, the way you would have as a three year old on the rollercoaster before dipping into certain death.

"Good Evening, Leo" He said, lacking the exuberance that Leo was letting out. "I need my eyeshadow back"

"Rehearsing already?" Leo said, sounding left out, "With all the sparkle-warkle?"

Izumi felt guilt despite having done nothing wrong

Damn you, Leo

"I- Yeah, why?"

Pouting, Tsukinaga took out Izumi's eyeshadow palette and folded his arms. Oogami didn't care. Adonis was trying to understand the banter.

Izumi tried to form a coherent sentence, but everytime he tried, he stopped and frowned at himself.

"Leo"

"No! Its unfairrr! I wanted to come see it!" he feigned hurt 

"You can still come, obviously! I'm not finished yet- "

"SENA YOU'RE EVIL!" Leo fake cried, much to Izumi's dismay

Koga groans, this is everyday bickering and he hates it. He hated it when his parents did it, and he hates it when it's Leo and mister fucking ballerina over there.

"Leave already! You wanna go see his stupid dress rehearsal then GO" 

Leo looks at Oogami as if he just solved world hunger

"But you guys have rehearsal? You can...you can make it without me?"

Adonis nodded

"Do not worry about us"

Leo then turned to Koga

"Don't fucking look at me like that! You're crying over not seeing a ballet recital, like a mom" he groaned

"They grow up so fast" Leo whispered, pretending to wipe a single tear from under his eye. This one act made both Izumi and Koga, for the first time ever, sigh in unison. 

"Okay okay~ I'm going~ " The ginger hopped over to Sena and waved goodbye.

☆

As the door shut behind them, Adonis and Koga looked at each other for about twenty seconds, before Koga turned into a beetroot and went back to mindlessly scrolling on his phone.

"Oogami"

"What?" he asked, not looking up

"Why do you have to use bad words?"

And he had to stop

His fingers froze where they were, not bothering to close the window, and he looked at Adonis carefully. Now he felt super bad.

Not only did this guy talk softly, he was a baritone. His voice was a strange deep and calm, like an ocean. And whenever he geuinely asked something, Koga wanted to strangle someone. Not out of rage, but simply because it was hard to reply without losing character points.

"Ah- Thats- " He cleared his throat. Going out of his usual demeanor was hard for him to understand and he didn't like it at all.

This man was twisting his sense of his own being and he hated him for it. But, then, he looked so undeniably adorable too.

"Does it not hurt people?" Otogari added, now looking at Koga with all the grief he could muster on his face.

"Just- I- " He breathed audibly, then his voice turned unsually soft, "I will...try...not to?"

Adonis seemed relieved

"Um...you have...a point" Oogami didn't like sounding vulnerable.

"No matter the amount of rage, we should speak responsibly" He smiled

"Yeah, yeah...we should" He couldn't look at the violet-haired boy anymore...he just couldn't.

He somehow knew exactly how Koga's brain functioned and it sent a chill down his spine.

Chapter Text

"How was your day?" The mother asked

"Fun!" The little girl giggled, clumsily running to her mother. Giving her a tight hug, she gleamed with neverending joy.

Her mother turned to her from the kitchen sink, smiling, soft brown waves falling on her shoulder. Hugging her daughter just as tight.

"Oh? How nice. And you, child?" She addressed her son

The boy shook his head

"Of course, you refuse to talk to me" The woman sighed, a little upset, "I hate to see you quietly standing there, child. It's irritating"

The younger boy looked up at her. Unlike his sister's bright violet eyes, full of adoration and dreams...his weren't. He looked at his mother with a tinge of offense. Almost not blinking. Staring into her pupils, hoping they tear apart and die.

His older sister poked his cheek

"Don't" He kept his volume down, but the intensity in his words was strong enough to repel the girl.

"You can't be this way forever" The mother tried, sounding annoyed

"I will" The small boy's speech was nothing less than cruel

♧

"Toki? Wake up" 

She woke up with a jolt

"Oh, thank God" her voice filled with relief

Her father, a man in his late 40s, was standing by her bedroom door, sighing.

"You'll be late...your flight's in two hours, sweetie"

"I knowww, sorry" She sat up, fixing her posture and glancing at the clock across from her bed. She was on time, but had her dad not woken her up...she would've easily been tardy.

Slipping on her bunny sandals, she got out of bed.

As was obligatory of her routine, she brushed her hair, then her teeth. After properly freshening up, she adorned her favourite wine red dress, said to be too childish for her age, but perfect for her face. At last, she made it to the breakfast table.

Mother was already gone for work, it seemed.

"Good Mornin' Toki nee~ " Mika smiled

She smiled back

Ah, what would she have given to have Mika live in their house from the very beginning. Seeing a smile first thing in the morning was nothing regular in the household. Shu generally didn't smile unless he was being cocky, her father was always too tired for any kind of excitement. And, her mother wasn't the happiest lady she knew.

Toki used to be the only morning person in their house.

But, now Mika was here, and she felt heard.

Not like she could spend much of her time with him anymore.

She had college, and she wouldn't return till October. 

"Good Morning, Shu" she cheered

He paused, and continued spreading butter on his toast

"Good Morning..."

...

Despite everything appearing to be the same, Toki noticed some new things, here and there. Trivial things, but noticeable changes.

Perhaps how today Shu wasn't angry, just...neutral. He hadn't said anything vile yet, and they were already ten minutes into breakfast. It could be because their mother was gone but, still. It made her happy.

And, little Mika was paying attention to her brother. Watching in between bites, then nervously smiling whenever he realised Toki was looking. It was funny. And maybe, they could get along. 

When pigs fly, Itsuki Toki

She told herself 

☆

"Take care" Her father smiled, as his oldest, and most favourite child made her way into airport security.

"Bye dad! Bye little Mika!" She paused to smile thoroughly, "And of course, bye Shu!"

Mika waved energetically 

"See ya later Toki nee!"

Shu simply waved, and while he didn't smile, she could feel his slight embarrassment. He was definitely not happy with her going, though he had said he wouldn't care.

He always said he didn't care

But it was a lie

Always lying

She supposed, it was because he was Shu

Chapter Text

It's quiet in the lab

It's always quiet, but its the bad kind of quiet

Natsume doesn't like it

He's practicing for the practical mid-terms (yes, yes they're far away but he likes burning things) whilst also keeping himself distracted from the things that upset him.

Food tests are the most fun, Natsume believes. They aren't boring, like preparing colloidal solutions...and, they don't take long, unlike blue vitriol crystals that need specific environment conditions and atleast 30 good minutes.

Adding concentrated nitric acid to egg albumin slowly makes it yellow, the basic test for protein.

"Looks like scrambled egg doesn't it Natsume kun?"

"welL don't eaT it"

...

And it wasn't helping his situation

It didn't matter what he tried, Tsumugi was sitting in his head and not ready to budge. 

Forget it forget it!

He shook his head in hopes that he would focus better. Unless he wanted to get burned by concentrated acid. Slowly, drop by drop, he added it making sure it slided down the walls of the test tube, whike making sure his hands didn't shake.

And it was done

The precipitate was formed, yellow as it should be, and since the test tube was getting warm, he decided to discard it. 

And now he was left without tasks

Food tests are boring, he corrected himself

And left the lab in search of occupation 

☆

"Mannn" Mao rubbed his eyes, Makoto sitting across from him.

"I am never skipping class again" The blonde said, taking a sip of his juice box before flipping through class notes.

"Is what we said last time..." Isara corrected, "But you're right, this sucks"

Makoto leaned against the wall behind him and stared at the ceiling. His hands were tired from writing and his brain was tired from doing absolutely nothing so far. 

"There he is~ "

Mao recognised that voice immediately. Of course he did. It was the sound of nightmares...and surprisingly the voice of his dreams too.

"Maa kun~ " Ritsu peeked from behind the pile of books he was holding, purring like a small cat.

"Ritsu...what a surprise" He pretended to study 

"I think so too~ Hey glasses guy..." Ritsu very statically kept the books on the counter and turned to face them, "...I'm borrowing Maa kun okay?" 

"Stealing" Mao corrected, "You're stealing me, its against the law- "

Before he could finish, he was hoisted up and shoved towards the twin doors that sealed the library.

"Bye bye~ " Ritsu waved, now walking out with Isara, who was complaining all the way.

...

"Ow ow ow OWWW" Mao whined, understandably, as he was dragged to the school garden by the younger Sakuma, who was somehow more energetic than usual.

"Just a little farther~ " He sang

"What for?" Isara complained, "I was studying you know?"

"Chatting away~ " The vampire said, "Don't lie to me, Maa kun"

"I'm not- "

On the one bench that sat against the wall of the ground floor hallway, was a small cube wrapped in pink with a black bow.

You don't need colour theory to understand the situation at hand.

"Whoa" Mao slowly made his way to the bench, followed by Ritsu, as they both sat on the opposite sides of the box.

"What...is this?" 

"A gift for Maa kun~ " Ritsu gleamed, "Open open!"

Though skeptical at first, curiosity overweighed his former frustration. Carefully pulling one end of the ribbon, he exhaled. Had he been holding in his breath? Apparently. 

As Ritsu watched impatiently, Mao lifted the cover of the box.

And he stopped breathing again

"Maa kun? Maa kunnn!" The vampire shook his shoulders, "If you don't say anything how do I know you like it?~ "

Blinking a couple of times, Isara was pulled back into the present, as he saw the two most adorable rings, each with a small dessert on top, sitting in pink butter paper and shredded mauve wrapping paper.

"This- wait- so- RITSU" His speech came out broken, but the other's smiling face meant he understood it anyway.

"The chocolate donut is for Maa kun, see" Ritsu pointed, "And the pink cupcake is for me"

"...Uh...huh" Mao was still calculating possible reasons, and other things.

"You aren't listening to anything!" He shook Isara's shoulders again and finally, he spoke.

"No no no I'm listening! I'm listening!" He assured, "I'm just...trying to figure out...why you'd buy these out of the blue"

He tilted his head

"Out of the blue? What? No, its a promise"

"A...what?"

"It's a promise to each other, Maa kun" Ritsu sighed, sleepy

"Oh" Isara blurted, "For what?"

"You know, that we will be together forever" He said, trying to fight his sleep to sound energetic.

Ahh

And then it snapped into place

Saying it too much makes it sound like a joke, doesn't it? Words lose value, or, they gain a meaning against their nature. Repeating affectionate words over and over like a funny punchline makes it seem imaginative. Thats what Ritsu had done. Unknowingly, of course. 

And this was proof he never meant to

But maybe, Mao shouldn't have stayed quiet for too long, because Sakuma had started thinking that he was...upset.

This was yet another problem. Responding to said words with a joke of the same kind also reflects one's true belief. Which, in this case, wasn't true...but if Isara really had to wash off the character he had built around this, he needed to act fast.

Time was ticking

As it does

Quick thinking and pulling his emotions to his sleeves saved the day. Slipping the ring effortlessly onto Ritsu's finger without wasting a breath seemed to take so much courage, but in the end, it felt so easy. Everything feels easy after its already done.

Ritsu sat very very still, as if still processing the sudden decision.

"That was yours right? Let's see...yes, yes yes the pink donut, I got the right one, I got- " Mao talked without breaking when he was nervous, nothing special about it. But, whether he was special wasn't a criteria for Sakuma.

The criteria was undescribable, understandably so.

And so he smiled. Sparkled like Mao had hardly ever seen him do.

Keeping momentum in mind, he took to placing Mao's donut ring on his ring finger as well, but unlike Isara, he did it slowly. Acknowledging the strange, lovely silence that hung in the air.

They couldn't see anyone, couldn't hear anyone else

As it is, always

Ritsu would've initiated something by now, but it seemed he was enjoying Mao's mess of a face. The cold metal overestimating his senses, and a sense of time lost to the two of them.

It wasn't until Ritsu started laughing that Mao was woken up.

"What're you laughing for?" He asked, sounding baffled, but on the verge of laughing himself.

"You're funny looking" Ritsu replied, "In a good way, of course~ "

"What? You make no sense, Ritsu" Mao couldn't help the chuckle slip as his cheeks stained pink.

"That's what's so nice about me~ "

Chapter Text

Summer break is only two weeks away. And, thats fourteen days. Thats approximately 20,160 minutes. Long as fuck.

Despite how many people think Adonis simply enjoys nothing, from the look on his face being equivalent to that of French toast (nothing), they are wrong

He did like many things

One of these 'things' was Oogami Koga

Call it whatever you like, however you like, but it is best described at adoration. Its the way he looks spellbound as Koga tunes his guitar, fully focused. Not angry, not itching to punch Leo's guts...just meditating on a task.

He had never seen this man so careful. Except the one time he was helping Adonis with his rehearsal clothes, specifically his bowtie, specifically that morning.

It was so passionate, and so gentle, to handle an instrument with such care was beyond Otogari's comprehension.

He didn't play any instruments. He just sung. And he couldn't sing by himself, he was a baritone. Too low an octave to sing alone and make it to the top. That, and he was nervous. He hadn't told his friend about that yet, why bother him when he's being so perfect about this? About their performance?

He doesn't want to be a liability. Not when they have to perform in the next 1,209,600 seconds.

Ouch.

☆

His earrings shone the light straight into Oogami's pupils, but he's too preoccupied too care. Adonis is the perfect way to describe him. Words probably fail to say anything about his strange naïve beauty. 

The stage lights were too shiny and the two were basically blinded on stage. Not a problem for Koga, he's done this before. Only difference being he was doing it solo.

Its easier solo

But alas

"Don't look at the audience" he sort of grumbled, now turning away from Adonis, "You can't see 'em anyway"

"Noted" 

"Yeah? Note it all you like" He tapped the microphone, "Ready when you are, man"

And there was the unspoken awkwardness in referring to Adonis with anything that wasn't a general term. Man and dude was the norm...somehow, neither 'Otogari' nor 'Adonis' rolled off his tongue right.

Sometimes he felt the other was a little distant for the same reason, but he couldn't help it.

"And, this is just a rehearsal...don't sweat it" Koga said, trying to sound just the right amount of compassionate. How it came across wasn't his problem anymore.

But Adonis wasn't sure about not sweating it.

He nodded nevertheless

Just rehearsal 

Don't sweat it

Chapter Text

Natsume stood by the slab, stirring slowly. 

The Home Science Lab was a wonderful place. Either smelling of something delicious, or something so horrendous you'd die on the spot.

Natsume wasn't the best cook, but he liked to make this one very specific thing his mother taught him:

'Milk, honey, any sweet fruit, yogurt if at all, and topped with cream'

Too sweet? Yes, but it was comforting. 

Summer meant mangoes. Freshly picked mangoes (stolen) from the school's back garden and freshly made yogurt (stolen) from Nazuna's bag was enough. Honey was hard to get and the lab was out. Milk was probably cheese by now, considering the fact that it looked like jaundice and had been sitting by the windowsill since God knows when.

Well, less of a lab more of a kitchen

After he was satisfied with the texture and thickness, Natsume drew a stool from one of the tables and relaxed.

Cold yogurt would've been ideal

But this wasn't the supermarket 

...

Still not comfortable

Despite pushing all possible triggers far from his senses, Natsume was still, unwillingly, thinking about the tortured soul.

Tsumugi better count his days 

Pouncing around in his head was making Sakasaki irritable, despite him nibbling his favourite treat. He cringed at himself.

With his senses being on high alert, due to the constricting quiet in the room, he could hear small footsteps make their way to the lab. Small, but jumpy.

"Hoho~ "

Oh thank God

Harukawa Sora was a lesser appearing character in Natsume's life. But he came whenever he felt he was needed. And he was always there when Natsume was feeling negative.

"Sora"

He hopped inside and his eyes darted straight to Natsume's...as if reading.

"Your colour feels dark today, is there something wrong?"

And there's nothing you can hide from Sora can you?

Synesthesia gives him some super power of being able to accurately detect Natsume's mood (not true). Either that, or he's just very easy to read.

Either way, Sora's right

"I was tryinG to caLL you yesterdaY, Sora"

"Sora doesn't keep his phone with him~ ♪"

"I knoW" He sighed, jumping off the table.

Bad manners, he told himself 

"So, how can Sora help you?~ "

"I don'T think So- you caN't" Natsume took a bite of his dessert and breathed steadily, "This probleM is a psychologicaL onE"

"So Sora is useless here?~ "

"Well- " He tried, "No, I wouldn't saY that...iT is mY faulT entirEly you seE"

Sora tilted his head, his soft hair bouncing

And Sakasaki had to smile

He was just too cute

The boy's fluffy yellow hair was ruffled and patted, until Natsume felt he had relaxed enough to be able to take this conversation forward.

"Sora's hair's been all messed up" He giggled, "But its okay~ ♪ Because I didn't brush it anyway~ "

"No brushing requireD" Natsume smiled, "It looks naturallY floofeD"

"HuHu~ Now that your colour is back to normal, how can Sora help? Even if its only a little bit"

Natsume thought carefully

He couldn't risk his ego being flattened, but he didn't want to live with the guilt and frustration anymore.

He chose his burden over his ego

"I seem to havE made my relatioN with senpai souR"

"Tsumugi senpai?~ "

"YeS" Natsume nodded, "I confronted hiM regarding somethinG he wasn'T comfortable abouT"

Sora nodded slowly, processing

"And...welL...I feeL" He tried to push his ego away and took a deep breath, "...suffocateD"

A little quiet

Ticking of a clock

Natsume fidgeting with a spoon

And some yelling from downstairs 

Until:

"Ah~ Sora understands!" Sora's eyes gleamed

Natsume was a little skeptical 

"Do yoU?"

The younger one took a seat on one of the stools

"It's simple~ Talk about it~ "

"What?"

"Talk to Tsumugi senpai~ ♪"

Wow

Didn't think of that at all

Sakasaki resumed his seat on one of the tables and tried to think without defending himself.

Thinking wasn't doing any good

His bit his nail

Aoba was everything but a grudge holder.

If he apologised it would all be over, he'd be forgiven in a heartbeat. But there were two obstacles in his path.

One, being the fact that Natsume's pride and inability to feel as if he had lost, even if there was no game to be won in the first place was the biggest issue.

The second problem, was what would follow after. Obviously their relation wouldn't be the same as before. It could be better, or worse, and Sakasaki didn't want to take the gamble.

"Sora thinks you're going to need to take a risk~ "

Crap

Can he read minds now?

"I knoW" Natsume softly answered, dissolving his fear in his now empty bowl of fruit yogurt.

The younger boy hopped down from his seat and headed to the door

"Sora wishes you luck!"

Chapter Text

Kaoru had been out of sight for almost three full days

What was he supposed to do? Wait?

No

Never in a million years

Which is why he was walking out the school gate now, and opening Google Maps. He felt he knew where Kaoru lived but still, it never hurt to check.

Wow

7 kilometers?

It's fine, he decided

I can walk that much

I'll just probably die of lactic acid accumulation by the time I make it.

He fidgeted around, convincing himself of his well made decision. Maybe he should grab a soda before he leaves.

And then of course, it started to drizzle

Why wouldn't it?

He was having the worst day already

Why not add a tsunami to his burnt wontons?

He groaned, pushing some strands of his hair back.

☆

Some form of God always blesses him at the right time

A burgundy Porsche rolled to the main gate, and it doesn't take Rei an ounce of thinking to know who's it is.

The only one he knows with a driving license (Other than Morisawa...but that guy isn't allowed to drive anymore for reasons that will be brought up later)

The window rolled down, and Rei unintentionally frowned

"It's raining" 

"I know" Rei's tone dripped with sarcasm 

...

"Where are you going without a raincoat on"

"Somewhere"

Shu's sunglasses made it hard to see his intentions.

"Rei"

"Kaoru's place" Rei mumbled. He ran fingers through his hair, now partially wet and sticking to his forehead.

...

A sigh

"Get in"

"What for?"

"Front seat" Shu said, flatly, "Quickly, before you drench yourself"

With no room for arguments, the vampire walked to the car door and sat inside.

Of course it smells like roses.

Everything he owns smells like roses.

There's also (glass?) rose heads hanging from the front mirror, clinking every now and then. It feels too out of place, sitting in a car worth more than his own soul. Silky seats, he could practically feel the money that went into this. The interior all in all was incredibly comfortable, and cozy as fuck. 

"We're changin' routes?" Came a soft voice from the backseat. 

Rei peeked behind him

"Wah? Good evenin' Sakuma senpai!" 

Rei felt he was unable to respond properly

"Good evening, Kagehira kun"

"Ya seem a little wet, yer not cold are ya?" Mika asked, worry on his face. And it was now that Rei realised that the child was in this car. In Shu's car. Probably going somewhere. With him.

Which honestly shouldn't have bothered him so much.

"A small rerouting" Shu replied to the raven's previous question

"Oh...okay!" Mika smiled

Rei faced the front again, a little confused

Mainly by how this whole thing was working out

From his perspective, Itsuki was simply a help for his festival project at school. How they ended up going somewhere together was a drastic change. 

Plus, this boy was a fucking angel

Angels don't usually like hanging around Shu's species. A bit rude, and generally not the most liked on the surface level.

Unless

Mika had already crossed surface level

"Sit back, Kagehira" Shu commanded, "And I hope you have your seatbelt on" He turned to Sakuma

"Oh- yeah yeah" He said, back into reality 

"Good" Shu muttered, "Rei, I'll need a map"

"Map?" Rei was still buffering from the fact that Mika was somehow in Shu's car. 

"To his house, genius" Itsuki pushed his sunglasses and sighed, "Obviously, I don't know where he lives"

"Oh, right" Rei blinked excessively. He pulled out his phone and with moist, clumsy fingers, he typed in the destination.

Setting it on his lap, he watched as Shu took mere seconds to process the entire map. 

"You can turn it off"

"What?" Sakuma paused, "You...got the whole route memorized?"

"Yes" He adjusted his sunglasses once more, before driving away.

 ...

It wasn't a long drive

Sure as hell felt like one

It was mostly silent, with Mika sometimes trying to initiate conversation. Rei really really wanted to talk to him properly but wasn't able to. Something stopped him from holding a general chat, and he had no choice but to focus on the road ahead of him.

...

After what seemed like hours, the car stopped. 

Kaoru's house was pretty big too, Rei noticed. Not as big as he had imagined, but somehow just as fascinating.

"Right, I'll be going" He took off his seatbelt and opened the car door.

Shu nodded in confirmation

Mika peeked from his seat

"Take care, Sakuma senpai!" 

"Take care kid" Rei managed to show his appreciation, despite himself. 

☆

Once Rei was out of earshot, Shu turned to look at Mika

"Shift to the front"

"Me? 'M no good a navigator?" 

"Kagehira" Shu repeated, sounding surprising weary, "Just...in the front"

Mika noticed the slight sign of disorientation and sighed

"Alright...but I warned ya"

He got out, and got back in, now beside Shu

Clicking in his seatbelt, he turned to him

"Everythin's good, right?"

Taking off his sunglasses, tiredness etched beneath his amethysts. He shook his head in defeat, appearing more vulnerable than he was a few minutes ago. 

"We'll be finally getting our task done for tonight"

"Ya look tired" Mika frowned, "We can always get the fabrics tomorrow"

"I am fine" Shu muttered, now putting his sunglasses back on and starting the car.

"I'll be fine as long as I believe I am"

☆ • ☆

Before ringing the bell and alerting every person in Kaoru's house, Rei decided to call his friend.

He did pick up

After a few tries

"Hello?"

"Hey" Rei's darted around to ease his anxiety and very heavily beating heart.

A sigh was heard from the other side of the phone

"I said don't call me"

"That was almost 72 hours ago"

...

"Yeah well, It was supposed to stand for forever" Hakaze answered, irritable

Sakuma frowned

Maybe he should've prepared a script or something

Gotten it written by Sena or something for good measure.

"What're you calling for anyway?"

"I was just- "

"Hold on" Kaoru put the call on hold

Rei panicked 

"What? For what?"

Oh

Thats when he realized it

Someone staring at him from above

He tilted his head up, phone till stuck to his ear

Kaoru was sitting on his roof, confused, glaring at Rei like some sort of warning. He reconnected the call.

"Rei what the fuck"

"There you are" Rei said, relieved. Completely ignoring Kaoru's anger than was 100% audible.

"Are you stalking me or something? You pervert? No wonder Itsuki doesn't wanna date you"

"Kaoru- " He started

"Get out"

Rei sighed

"Can you hear me? I think I said go away!"

It was bothering him how Hakaze sounded frustrated. He had to hand it to him, it was scary. He usually stayed overly polite, even when he was a little mad.

Clearly, he was more than a little mad

On top of being bothered, Rei was also curious.

He had noticed how Kaoru was dressed all pretty. In a formal suit. His hair was gelled, clearly. The wind wasn't messing with it like it usually did.

"Hey"

Kaoru didn't say anything. His face said everything.

"How do I get up there?" 

He could see the blonde tapping his boots, waiting for Rei to leave.

But he didn't 

So Kaoru was left with no choice

"There's a ladder in the garden"

☆ • ☆

Since the rain had stopped while he had been dropped off, the breeze was absolutely fantastic. Though a bit cold if you were roaming around in shorts thinking you were some sort of God. (...Morisawa)

Rei climbed up somehwat hastily, in a hurry to get answers.

"Its...slippery" Kaoru warned, a little softer than how he had spoken before, "Be careful"

Rei managed to reach the roof. He slowly made his way to where his friend sat, and a took a seat beside him. Keeping some space between them. 

Now that he had a proper look at Hakaze, he really was dressed too well to be sitting at home. 

"You're all dressed up. Going somewhere? Or..." He tried to sound as confident as possible, "...or...coming from somewhere?"

Kaoru had one arm wrapped around his knees, the other laying dead by his side. 

He couldn't handle looking at Rei right now, not with how sorry he was and how Rei was probably trying his level best to understand his situation.

Which was new to him, in a way.

Rei was always like this. Going out of his way to help people and for what? And for what?

For nothing.

Because most people wouldn't give a shit if they tried. And they never tried. Empathy doesn't come for free, but some pricks would believe otherwise.

Hakaze for one wasn't one of these inhuman pieces of shit that wanted to use Rei as a scratch card. Right now, he'd probably be shaking the guy awake, telling him to wake the fuck up and maybe focus on himself for once. It's a nightmare to him. And the nightmare would be less paramount if Rei could just...

"Hey I'm...sorry"

Oh no he didn't

The blonde absolutely had to turn to him now

"You're probably having a...bad time...and I did kind of force myself up here..." Sakuma sighed, "It's alright if you'd rather figure stuff out....yourself"

So he takes out time to help his friend

He sacrifices his plans for the evening

He plans it instantaneously- considering he wasn't thinking like he usually does - in the rain

And he's apologising?

"Why are you apologising???" Kaoru said, in a tone that made Rei jump a little. "I should be apologising!"

"What?"

"You're too good a person for anyone! Literally no one would've ever made the decision to come all the way to my house to talk to me!" He sounded distraught.

"You've been gone for three days" Rei said, still pretty softly, considering how intensely Kaoru was speaking, "It...I was just worried..."

"You're- " He anxiously tangled some strands of his hair with his fingers, "You have no idea how much you mean- Despite your already horrible life, you're out here, because you care so so much"

His voice faded into pure compassion as he finished with his sentence.

"...So..." Kaoru drew back his trembling fingers and rested them on his knees, "Thank you...and...I'm sorry, Rei"

Absorbing Hakaze's words, Rei's cheeks that were previously cold and somewhat damp from the wind and rain, grew plum.

He sat quietly for a bit...his eyes locked onto Kaoru's own, perhaps trying to say more without talking.

He eventually shifted closer to him, seeing as how he felt Kaoru would breakdown if he didn't.

"So...what happened?" Rei asked, as calmly as quietly as he could.

Kaoru sniffled before roughly rubbing under his eye with the sleeve of his coat.

"It was mom's death anniversary, you know"

And everything went quiet again.

So Sakuma knew

He knew Kaoru's mother died way before he took admission in Yumenosaki. And he also knew how much she meant to him. So much so, the reason he'd run around after girls chasing that same affection, that same love.

Which he never got.

(Which Rei wanted to give so badly now)

"Did...something go wrong?"

"Oh" Kaoru sighed, "No...not really...I just..."

...

"No one really wanted me there"

Rei frowned

"Since I'm considered...you know...'free' and all that bullshit" Hakaze said, laughing at his own sorrow, "So I don't deserve to be crying about my mother's death"

"What" Rei almost whispered, not believing the type of fucked up things he was hearing.

"Well, they'd never actually...actually say it to me...you know" He continued, "But...its...its pretty easy to tell when people want you out"

"Okay thats just complete- Hold on- " Rei said, calculating, "You've been home...by yourself?"

Kaoru nodding was something he had hoped was untrue.

Rei could only reach out and hold his arm. As tight as he allowed himself to. 

The breeze got to blowing a bit harder, you could hear the wind now...rustling the leaves and jingling the windchimes.

It was good weather, but it could encourage a storm. 

"I really didn't wanna...disturb you- or anyone else, because...because I was feeling pathetic" Kaoru said, shuddering slightly.

"Its alright" Rei sighed, "As long as you tell me next time, you know? Or...I mean...if not me, then someone else"

God, will this man ever trust himself?

"You're the only one..." He began, then changed directions, "...sorry about that...I didn't mean to leave without letting anyone know"

Thr wind faded away, replaced by humidity, little by little.

Heat is still more bearable than humidity. That aside, it was pretty late now. The sky was almost pitch black, with the exception of a few patches of translucent clouds, that appeared purple.

"It's...pretty late now" Kaoru said, getting a hold of his emotional turmoil, "You can stay for the night"

"Me?" Rei pointed, for further clarification 

Kaoru let a small chuckle slip

"I don't see anyone else"

Chapter Text

"Talk about high risk maintenance"

Kiryuu said, trying to clean up a tea spill.

"Well" Izumi sighed, "We chose wood for aesthetic purposes...who knew you'd spill boiling tea over it"

"Shut up" Kiryuu whined, "You spilled red wine on that stupid carpet"

Sena froze, nail filer clenched in his hand

"I thought we were supposed to completely forget about that stupid thing! I never ever ever had a single drop of wine in my entire life got it???"

"So you say" Kuro hummed, "Fine, my bad, but give me some ideas will ya?"

The latter groaned, nail filer still in hand, and rolled over to the edge of the top bunk. Curled himself into a ball, and dropped his head from the railing to get a better look at the situation.

"Do I have to get up?"

"Essentially" Kiryuu mumbled

"Ew don't talk like that overly pink snake" Izumi complained, still lying there like a sloth. Despite not having done much the whole day, he was whining like a child. Which was nothing new...but not something an eighteen year old was expected to do. 

"More of a cat...but I'll take it" Kuro said, scrounging the cupboard for a fresh tablecloth. Or, just a cloth at this point.

"Hey didn't we keep like a scrap of that carpet you stained with um...a red non-alcoholic drink?"

Izumi grimaced 

"I think we did" He rolled over again, towards the wall this time, "But I doubt its fitting the table"

"We're poor okay?" Kiryuu dragged the still clean off-white half-a-carpet from the shelf, "Beggars can't be choosers"

"Ugh" 

"You're such a fucking child, Sena"

"Oh my God" He began his tantrum, "Can you and Itsuki like, stop being each other? I thought I wouldn't have to be bothered about being bothered with him gone!"

"Too bad for you buddy" Kuro smiled, "We're a little bit of each other"

Izumi scoffed and picked up his nail filer once again. 

☆

"Hey guys- damn" Mao entered the room. His eyes darted straight to the table.

Izumi groaned 

"Accident"

"Isn't that the carpet from the time you spilled wi- " 

Sena tore Mao's soul apart with his eyes

Mao gulped 

"Shit, I mean, what the fuck is wine...you know?"

"You're not even trying!" Izumi rolled back on the bed and continued to watch Kiryuu from there.

"Geez, my bad" Isara sighed, taking his shoes off and jacket.

"But uhh...good weather outside"

"Oh yeah? Hopefully it stays that way till tomorrow, unless the Sun decides to be a jerk" Kuro said, trying to fold the cloth in a way that fit the table.

"Yeah...kinda humid though" Isara grabbed his change of clothes and headed into the bathroom.

...

"Leo went running in the rain today" Sena said to the only other person available.

"Sounds fun"

"Sounds like fever" Izumi corrected, "And then I had to force him to his room"

"Fever huh" Kiryuu said, not being able to focus on two things at the same time.

"Then I took his temperature as he yapped on about how fever can't get 'that bad'. I did the whole damp towel thing, got him to take some syrup, and finally he fell asleep. I had to be there the whole time he wasn't asleep too."

"Aww. You guys sound cute as hell" Mao returned

Izumi scrunched his nose

"Genuinely. Like, whenever Ritsu sees you guys running around, he says it looks like something out of Fruits Basket"

"Ritsu" Kuro finally stands up, having finished covering the table, "Oh yeah...Rei's younger brother. How's he goin' for you?"

"For me specifically?" Mao asked 

"Yeah"

"Its nice. Hold on, how do you mean? We aren't a thing"

"Sureee" Izumi grinned, "Not a thing are you? Then in that case, me and Leo don't count either"

"What? That's like, a totally separate relationship"

"Not really" 

"It is? You guys kissed"

"OKAY NOW WHO"

Mao sighed 

"Ritsu"

Sena hissed

"Oh come on!"

Kiryuu laughed, making his way to the bed below Izumi's.

"Can you two never stop? This is the only entertainment I've had all day"

"Am I joke to you?" Izumi whined

"A little" Kuro answered, making the former groan for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night.

Mao slid into his blankets, occupying the bed opposite to Kiryuu's, below the empty upper bunk.

"Brush your teeth, kid"

"Already did" he replied, sleepily

"At Ritsu's~ " Izumi was finally in his form for the night, "Why of course, why wouldn't you?"

"Senpai's finally having fun, so I guess I'll let him" Mao hummed

Kiryuu switched off the main lights, the other three small ones still warmly glowing beside the three.

"Yeah...poor Sena's got the world's burden on his shoulder"

"That's super sad" Isara joked, "You know, I think he deserves an early bedtime today"

With that said, Kiryuu switched off the lamp that stuck to the wall beside Sena. 

Izumi gasped as the other two chuckled

"Oh NO you did NOT"

"We dismiss you, My Lord" Mao announced, "You may drift to slumberland early tonight, as a reward for working for hours in the fields"

As Izumi made a disgusted face, Kiryuu and Mao laughed uncontrollably. For too long, in fact.

Silence settled, after a few minutes

"For someone who complains that I sound like Itsuki...you sure make faces like him"

Izumi made an even more disgusted face. But he gave up subsequently, and fell to his pillow.

☆

"I can't sleep"

"Eat a peppermint"

Mao, confused, turned to face towards the other bunk bed

"Mint? Isn't that gonna make me less sleepy?"

"I don't know" Izumi grumbled, half asleep, "Eat a block of cheese"

"What?" He whispered

"God...Izumi, someone...slam your head on a rock?" Kiryuu said, his sleep now broken.

"Maybe. I haven't been able to sleep yet" He huffed

"Why?"

Sena picked up his phone and dangled it from his bed's railing. Kiryuu squinted to read the text on the screen.

"That...just says...Leo Tsukinaga?"

"The bitch called me an hour ago. And his stupid fucking question is turning my brain into ash"

"Must be...some philosophical concept" Mao said

"I wish. But no. He said: 'Riddle me this Sena~ If a sandwich can be made in any order, in any form, then how come a grilled cheese can only be made in one way?' " 

"That impression was on point" Kuro mumbled, "Other than that, I'd say he was about as high as you are"

"I mean...if you think about it" Mao started, "A sandwich doesn't have like a detailed plan. Its just the fundamental base of having two things stuck between two slics of bread"

The other two turned to listen. While Izumi listened with boredom, Kiryuu listened to catch the former's complaining right after.

"But a grilled cheese is specific. Like, you need two slices of cheese, and- "

"Whoa whoa whoa" Izumi interrupted, "Two slices? Whats the second one for?"

"The cheese pull" Kuro added, "Obviously"

"It feels sad without it" Mao shrugged, "It's super flat without that extra layer of cheese"

"Its like when you order a double cheesed margherita pizza" Kuro explained, "You pull the slice out, and cheese stretches out"

"Weird as hell. Why would you order a double cheesed margherita?" Sena scoffed

"There's even one with triple cheese" 

"A fucking WHAT" Izumi whispered into his blanket, "Fucking TRIPLE?"

"For a better cheese pull"

"Who the fuck- THE FUCKING CALORIES IN THAT THING!"

They heard a 'shush' from outside, meaning they were being too loud. And Sena was being too edgy.

...

But it didn't stop him 

"At this point make a fucking QUADRUPLE cheesed margherita!"

Kiryuu winced

"They...make those...at the pizzeria right next to the mall- "

"JESUS" Izumi buried his face into his pillow, agitatingly rubbing it in, burning a hole in the cover, "FUCK YOU...YOU...YOU CHEESE FUCKERS"

Another warning to keep quiet from the hallway

...

"I think" Mao whispered, "Pizza can be anything"

"True" Kiryuu agreed

"I mean, we already added pineapples, right? At this point, we can just add more fruits"

"We already DID" Izumi pulled his face out, his hair more mangled than it was before, and his eyes red, "Tomatoes are fruit"

"Tomatoes?" Kiryuu almost laughed

"Uh...yeah"

"Those...are fruit?" He asked again, now sitting up, clearly interested

"Yeah dumbass" Izumi hissed, "Read a fucking book"

"I read more than your ballerina ass" Kuro said, "Spending all day dancing or hanging around the chess club, doing everything but playing chess"

"I'll have you know I've beat Rei at chess"

"He let you win" Kuro sighed, "You think he would've lost to you?"

"Well- It- I still won!" 

A knock

"Go to sleep!"

...

Oh dear

The warden wasn't having it, they guessed

So they stopped their overdramatic cold war and settled finally to sleep. 

Chapter Text

"Does it fit you alright?"

"Oh...yeah yeah" Rei replied, pulling the t-shirt just a bit, to see it properly. It was one of those oversized graphic shirts, this one specifically was dark grey with a scattered QUEEN print on it's front.

"I think its a bit loose though" Kaoru smiled, "I think my shoulders are bit broader than yours"

"Hey its all cool" Rei raised his hands, "Its airy, and its humid out"

"Yeah" The other settled into a beanbag by his bed, "I thought the breeze would last longer...but nope, its humid"

"Mhm" Sakuma settled on a fuzzy carpet next to Kaoru. 

His room was big, but too...clean for Kaoru. Not clean in the messy sense, but clean in the way that Rei was so sure Kaoru would've loved to add more things to it, but never actually did. 

The walls were all cream coloured, and the floor was marble. It must've been his room since he was a child because there were a few figurines and tacky keychains lying by his desk. Books piled on the desk that looked like hadn't been touched in a while. A little more colour probably, and the space would seem happier.

Maybe some colour would make Kaoru happier too

"Sooo" Rei said, "Tomorrow's a Saturday right?"

"Yup"

"Will you come back with me then?" he asked, taking support of the wall, "To school, I mean"

"I- Yeah yeah" Hakaze replied, "Sure"

Rei smiled

"Cool"

...

"You had dinner yet?" Kaoru asked

Rei shook his head, in a way that made the other smile. It was a very...how do you say it, Sakuma Rei style of head shaking. If, one can describe that at all.

He was slowly coming back into shape

Good

"Then...how do you feel about...cup noodles?"

"Sounds very very unhealthy" Rei closed his eyes, only to sharply open them again, "And very nice~ "

"Ahaha...there's our Rei...alright then, cup noodles it is" He slowly stood up, "Follow me this way"

Kaoru led him to the kitchen. It was a pretty normal, modular kitchen. Fixed drawers, cuoboards and all that. It looked like it popped out of an Elle Decor magazine. Clean and crisp, all beige and dull shades, with warm yellow ceiling lights illuminating the area.

Kaoru pulled out two cup noodle containers and set them on the slab.

"Now all we need is boiling water"

Rei's eyes darted around, finally settling on a different section of the slab.

"Maybe...a kettle?"

"Oh yeah. Can you maybe, get that here?"

As the water set to boil, they stood by the kettle, almost as if staring at it would make it boil faster.

The kettle, very obviously, gives zero fucks and takes its time. 

Does it really take this long for it to reach 100°C? Chemistry teachers say it like its the smallest number to ever exist.

"You ever been in a car ride with Chiaki?" Rei suddenly asked, running out of topics but wanting to erase any sign of his gloom.

"Moricchi can still drive?" Kaoru asked, "I mean- His license got suspended right before the new semester, right?"

Rei winced

"So you haven't then...good" 

Hakaze smiled

"Is it really that bad?"

"Oh boy" He cleared his throat, "Its...like, really bad. Like terrible. Terrible is an understatement"

"Wow. Make you nauseous?"

"More like I banged my head really bad" Rei laughed, "It's a...it's an interesting story. But it's a long one"

"We have time" Kaoru blurted, "I mean...while we eat"

"I guess so" He hummed

...

After a long long time, the kettle turned off, and the water was poured into both cups. They still had to wait three minutes, but that wasn't too long.

"Its never felt this long" Kaoru said, "For...you know, cup noodles"

Rei nodded quietly 

It was a nauseous silence and it wasn't doing either of them any good. 

"Lets just take them to your room"

Chapter Text

Parking wasn't that hard, unless you were very very tired. 

Which Shu, though he refused to admit it, was.

But of course he has to be perfect right? No one likes imperfection in this world. You'd be thrown out for getting any less than 100% in anything, for anything. It was a cruel concept, but one that fueled the industry...and indirectly, everyone. 

So when he realised how flawed Mika was, it was absolutely frightening as to what would happen to him. Rather, what people would do to him. Yes, Shu is overly indulgent. Yes, he thinks way too hard. So it was only natural he'd be frustrated with himself.

"Itsuki saan~ " 

"What?"

Mika gleamed

"Thank ya fer helpin' me out today~ "

Atleast he isn't stuttering and stumbling in front of me, he thought.

"It isn't your own private hobby, is it now?"

"Still, yknow" The boy hopped to the metal gate, " 'M super thankful!"

"Perhaps you could be thankful by going to bed early" Shu almost scolded 

Walking through the patch of green to the front door, Mika pouted

"I know I know, I'll sleep early because its bad for me if I don't n all that"

"Good" was all came from Itsuki before he shut the door behind him and went up the stairs.

His parents seemed to be away, and forgot to lock the door.

How fucking pathetic

Mika followed behind

"Ngah I can't believe we're almost done"

"Efficiency, Kagehira"

Mika hummed at that as the two split from the top stair. Shu to his room, and Mika to his. As if externally commanded to. Since, Mika supposes, they've done it multiple times now. Gone shopping.

Its a simple routine, and since Kagehira realised that Shu was exceptionally stubborn when it came to routines, he was easily able to follow them, to a degree that impressed Itsuki.

Which was considered impossible, by most.

He took a short bath. Freshened up, and got into his bedtime clothes. Dinner had already been dealt with, he and Shu had had rice balls before they left (Shu's cooking was way better than whatever Mrs. Itsuki made. Not to say her's was bad, his was just too good) and now neither of them were hungry.

Rubbing his eyes, he settled on the edge of his bed, slowly brushing his teeth, drowning in the scent of wooden varnish and the slight humidity that grazed his skin. He felt as if he was waiting for something. But for what? He glanced up at the wall clock. Almost 12:00am. What is he waiting on now? He should quickly finish brushing, rinse his face and go to bed already.

Thats all there is to it

Thats

Chapter Text

After a very nutritious dinner of instant cup noodles, they got ready for bed. 

Kaoru's sliding bed proved incredibly useful for the first time ever.

"Secret bed?" Rei feigned surprise, as Hakaze slid out a bed from under his own.

"Very funny" He scoffed, "They're a bit cheaper than buying a single bed, you know? Plus, I mean, when you aren't sleeping on it, you can use it for storage"

"Makeshift drawer? Ara, Kaoru kun is so smart~ "

He chuckled

"Man, sure is nice to have you back in your own skin, Rei"

He tucked himself into bed

"Mhm? And this second bed of yours is just as comfy~ "

"Glad you think so" Kaoru turned off all the lights, "Let's hope we wake up before noon though. Its technically morning"

"Don't you worry" Rei said, patting the bed above his, "Come on now, you're missing out on the best part of sleepovers"

"The...sleeping part?"

"Think again"

Hakaze paused for a second, then finally got into bed, rolling over to this right.

"The part where you gossip?"

"I'm no Gossip Girl" Rei turned to his left, "Usually, we leave gossiping to people like Sena. Though, in his case its mostly petty stuff"

"Hmm" Kaoru sighed, "Ah, right, you were going to tell me how Moricchi drives"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that" Sakuma hid his face halfway into the blanket, his eyes popped in the dark, naturally.

"Well go on then"

"It was a day like any other" Rei started, as if he was narrating a horror story, "The Sun was out~ and the sky was blue~ "

Kaoru almost laughed aloud

"You're ruining the atmosphere Kaoru kun!"

"Sorry- " He chuckled, "It just sounds really stupid, in its own right"

"It's called improv" Rei corrected, "Now, where was I?"

"The sky was blue- "

"Ah yes!" The vampire went into character, "We were heading to the beach"

"What for?"

"Shinkai san...wanted seashells"

Kaoru gasped

Laughing would bring down the chilly atmosphere 

"So, we decided to make it a picnic" Rei continued, "Me, Chiaki, Kanata, and an unwilling Izumi...set out"

"Woah" Kaoru kept playing along, "And then?"

"And then...we started off slow" Sakuma said, "Driving along, watching the trees pass by. But, you know Morisawa~ He wanted to race the air to the shore"

"Racing the air? Sounds really in character" Hakaze commented, "If there's nothing else, there's always air you can beat"

Rei broke character for a split second, to hum

And continued

"He rammed the car into a palm tree. And life, as he knew it, changed forever~ "

Kaoru clapped under the blankets

"Bravo! Really inspiring, if I do say so myself"

"Right?" Rei returned to his usual tone, "Izumi wouldn't shut up about it the rest of the week! Chiaki happily welcomed the suspension, again, taking it up as a challenge"

"And did he win this time?"

"No. But, he's about to" Sakuma said, "It's gonna be legal for him to drive this summer break. His suspension period's almost over"

"I think I'll ride my bike to the beach instead" Kaoru sighed, "I don't wanna be traumatized like that"

"Can I ride your bike?~ "

Kaoru squinted

And Rei spoke with fake sorrow

"What?"

"Nothing" Hakaze stated, "Trying to figure out what you meant by that"

A little laugh escaped Rei's lips, muffled under the sheets. He kept his eyes on Kaoru's still.

"You're not dumb at all, Kaoru kun"

"My bike is welcome to ride" The blonde replied, "Me, no"

"Aww...okay" 

Chapter Text

"Natsume kun?"

He almost smudged the ink on his notebook

God

"Tsumugi senpaI"

Tsumugi looked at him as if that conversation never happened, and they lived happily ever after. It was a little dangerous, and Natsume was a bit scared.

"Ah! Im sorry! Are you too busy?"

"N-nO" He cleared his throat, setting his pen down, fingers shaking, "What iS it?"

Tsumugi smiled once again

And Natsume wanted to bang his head on the wall

"Just needed some help. If, you're free?"

"I caN helP"

"You seemed really focused- "

"I'll helP" He repeated, a bit more intensely than before

Aoba blinked a few times, before nodding

"If...you say so. Please, follow me"

Natsume closed his books and headed out, behind Tsumugi. 

He tried to find any sign of disappointment or disturbance...but nope, he seemed absolutely normal. Did he hit his factory reset? Or worse.. 

Has he forgiven Natsume in his head? Just like that?

The guilt burning in his chest gets another gallon of gasoline added to it, as he steps to Aoba's side, now walking alongside him.

"Say Natsume kun?"

He almost flinched again

"YeS?"

"What club are you in? Still chemistry?"

He shook his head

"No...Home Science anD Library"

"Library?" Tsumugi tilted his head, then beamed, "How nice! Me too!"

"Weren't yoU in the Handicrafts cluB?"

"Both!"

"AhH"

☆

They took the elevator to the top floor (as long as Hasumi doesn't catch you, its legal) and took the bridge to cross to the other side of the main building.

Two giant grey doors stood at the end of the hallway.

The Exhibition Hall

A fairly new construction, just as recent as the new chess clubroom. As Aoba pushed the doors (almost) open, he sheepishly turned to face Natsume.

"Sorry! Its a bit hard to budge"

Sighing, the magician grabbed the other handle with both his hands, and they pushed together. It opened just fine, the air conditioner blowing cold air right into their faces.

"Thank you" Tsumugi sighed, "Its always trouble opening the doors here"

"I can seE" Natsume half-heartedly answered. He was more focused on the hall itself.

It was about as big as a miniature auditorium, but minus the seating. And minus a stage. There were tables upon tables, with many crafts and art related projects, decorated in different alignments, each with a person behind them. Each person with a tag on their shirt.

Now that he paid attention, Tsumugi had a name tag too.

"This way, Natsume kun~ " he called him

He spun around, and followed Aoba as he waved to some people and eventually stopped at a table.

"Ah, here we are~ "

Natsume glanced at the table before him.

"I don'T get iT"

"I needed some help in arranging our club's table" Aoba explained, "The designing club, comprising of both the designing and handicraft sections are setting things up today, since exhibition starts tomorrow"

Ah, thats right

The exhibition usually starts almost an entire week before the actual festival. Being out of the swing really makes it hard to understand the timelines.

Natsume took a deep breath

"AlrighT"

"I know I've already said this the whole way here" Tsumugi smiled nervously, "But thank you so much, Natsume kun!"

Another gallon of gasoline thrown into the fire

"Its alrighT" Sakasaki said, his emotions currently locked up in a metal box. Very fragile, "I have substitutionS lined uP for the whole daY anyway"

"Wah? So 's not jus' me?"

"Good Afternoon, Kagehira kun!" Tsumugi waved

The boy clumsily set a seemingly heavy cardboard box on the table next to Aoba's.

"Good Afternoon Aoba senpai! Yer settin' up craft projects?"

Tsumugi nodded

"Sure is hard work, isn't it?"

Mika nodded

"Especially 'cause I had ta bring up everythin' by myself"

"By yourselF?" Natsume asked, "I heard that Shu nii-saN was helping yoU?"

"Wah? Who told ya? Anyway, he's stayin' home" Mika opened the box, and started taking things out.

"Wataru nii-san. He knowS everything"

"He sure does" Tsumugi walked over to Mika, "Oh wow~ Those are a lot of crochet animals~ "

"Mhm! They're not mine" He hummed, "They're Kiryuu senpai's!"

"WhoA" Natsume joined them, helping Mika to take them all out. Most of them were tiny little cats, in different colours, wearing different expressions.

There were bigger ones. They seemed almost too familiar, and Natsume wasn't able to pinpoint what, exactly.

"Ah, is that supposed to be me?" Tsumugi chuckled, pulling out a tired looking blue cat. Some pieces of hair on its head matched Aoba's almost perfectly. Its eyes were half lidded, a tiny smile brightened its otherwise blue face.

"Wait" Mika plunged his hand into the box, and drew out a pair of small resin glasses. He set it on the cat's nose carefully, as if handling glass.

"Now its complete!" He cheered

Natsume smiled

"It workS just righT"

Tsumugi faced him

"You think so? Then maybe it does"

They shared eye contact for a few seconds before it got constricting, then they turned to Mika again. Mika was still fishing things out from the box.

Another cat, a very soft pink. It sat very snobbily, and for some reason, Kuro had given it eyelashes. Lavender eyes, as if glaring at the person looking at it. And a frown, to complete the arrogant fashion.

"This one's you" Mika turned around

At first, Natsume thought Mika was talking to someone's ghost. He had been too focused on the cat to realise someone had walked inside and was standing near them.

"On what basis do you say that?" Shu crossed his arms

And that someone was Itsuki 

"Ngah, all of it?" Mika said, "I mean...jus' look at it"

"Good Afternoon Shu! Or, is it Morning for you?" 

"Shut up, Aoba" Itsuki hissed under his breath, bringing his focus back to the pink crochet-cat that sat regally on Mika's palm.

"Shu nii-saN" Natsume finally caught up

"Hello, boy" Shu glanced away from the cat, "I hope you are doing well"

"I aM" he nodded, "How about yoU, Shu nii-san?"

"Fine" Shu answered, tiredness lingering in his speech, "Kagehira, I won't be attending any classes as of today, seeing as I have already missed quite a few"

"Oh"

"In case you have any sort of enquiry" He sighed, "I'll be in the library"

"Mkay!" Mika grinned

"Good. I'll be off. My parents are away again, I'm leaving the keys in your bag"

"Sure!" Mika waved, "See ya later Itsuki san!"

...

"Do you bY chance live witH Shu nii-san?" Natsume turned to Mika, the question leaving his mouth even before he could think twice.

"Mah home's all the way in Kansai" Mika explained, setting the pink cat back on the table, "So since its so far away, 'm kinda campin' at his house"

"Camping?" Tsumugi smiled, "Thats nice. Is he a monster even in his house?"

Mika had to hear that twice

"Ngah? 'M not sure what ya mean?"

"Ignore hiM" Natsume sighed, "Shu nii-saN tends to be a bit mean, is what he meanT to say"

Mika let out a little ooohhh, and smiled again

"Thas true! But its all good, 's usually my fault yknow?"

Is what he makes people think, Natsume thought to himself

"Anywayyy" Mika emptied out the last of the items and set the box aside, "Anythin' I can do in return?"

"No, not really" Tsumugi smiled, "I'm glad we could help you out"

"Thank ya kindly~ " Kagehira dusted his shirt and looked around, "Then I'll be off~ See ya later! Sakasaki kun n Aoba senpai!"

☆

"Sorry for the diversion" Tsumugi said, almost too shakily

Natsume was a bit taken aback by the worried undertone

"Its finE"

Aoba seemed far from convinced. Sakasaki could sense the unease and shook his head.

"I saiD its alrighT senpai...so, don't overthinK"

The mophead nodded, doubt still etched onto his face

"Okay, okay...I just don't want you to waste your time on me, is all"

Wow

This is was not going in a very good direction

"What makes you thinK- " He paused, contemplating his next words. Its a brittle situation, he can't randomly say whatever he feels like. What he decides to add next will make, or break their friendship. 

He took a deep breath

"Natsume kun, listen..."

He decided to listen

Better than stabbing himself continuously for being a stupid bitch.

"...If its anything about earlier this month- "

Crap

"- I'm sorry" 

...

Excuse me?

Natsume had to make sure he heard that right

"I- WhaT?"

"It's...I know I'm not very good at confronting people, and I shouldn't have beaten around the bush like that" Aoba said, his voice trying to stay normal, as a little bit of his panic leaking out.

"..."

"I know you only asked because you care" Tsumugi tried to smile, to the best of his ability, "I didn't want to...ruin..."

"You've never ruineD anything for mE" Natsume said, in a tone he didn't know he could use. Too soft even for him.

Tsumugi only gazed at him with guilt

And it was oh so saddening

"It was mY faulT" Natsume continued, as the world around him faded to nothing, "We- You werE living in the momenT, and I was noT"

"But- "

"No" He said, "I'm sorrY, senpai"

 ...

"So let mE help yoU atleasT" He knocked on the table

Tsumugi, though out of focus for a bit, came back to the present and smiled nervously 

"What would I ever do without you, Natsume kun?"

Chapter Text

"Say that aloud. Again."

"Amino acid"

"Break it"

"Amino....n acid"

"Pick the first word. What does it sound like."

"Amine"

He pointed to the empty page

"Draw the basic structure for an amine"

Orders, orders, orders

But at the end of the day, if it helps him pass, no harm done.

Mika picked up his pen and chewed on its top. Basic structure? What was the basic structure?

He drew a carbon in the center, and chewed on his pen-top again. Making sure he didn't make direct eye contact with the person teaching him, and also making sure he looks like he's not doing it on purpose.

His mentor sighed

"Nitrogen..."

Mika's memory popped like the marble going into a ramune bottle. He withrew his teeth from the pen and got to writing.

"Good. Now the second word"

"Acid"

"Repeat it for acid"

Thankfully, Mika remembered this one. Its an obvious - COOH. Everyone knows that.

That left two spots

"Think hydrocarbons"

He added an - H to the central carbon, leaving one spot

"Ngah, what goes here?"

"Think, Kagehira" Shu flicked Mika's forehead with his pen, earning another indistinct noise.

"And don't make strange noises...you sound like an animal"

"Aren't humans supposed ta be animals though?"

"Focus"

"Ngah" He whined again, stretching his arms above his head, then dropping them to the desk.

"Why can't we jus' wrap up fer today?"

Shu glared at him with full force

Mika sat up straight, and shook his head

"Ah! Sorry! Ngah, I'll get to it!"

He picked up his pen and chewed on it again

"For the love of God, Kagehira- "

"SORRY!" He exclaimed, scribbling an -R, completing the structure.

"That hard is it?" Itsuki scolded, though not loudly, "This is the fundamental for all twenty amino acids in your syllabus!"

" 'M a little stupid! Bear with me please!" Mika flailed his arms

"I seem to have no choice in the matter" Shu muttered, picking up Mika's textbook from under the desk, "Now read the portion I just taught you. If you don't get anything, ask me"

"Gotcha" He nodded, furrowing his brows in (fake) concentration. Its not that he wasn't trying his level best, he was just getting distracted. His brain was bringing up forty different things at once, and biomolecules weren't one of them.

He knew he should suck it up and study now, since Shu is out here teaching him in his free time instead of spending it the way he wants to. If Shu can make sacrifices for him, the least he can do is follow his instructions.

He's a birdbrain in any case

(Itsuki's words, not his own)

He was glad Shu wasn't as threatening as he seemed at first. Fussy? Maybe, a little stubborn and expecting perfection in everything. But, all in all, if asked (not at gunpoint), Mika would happily disapprove of all rumours surrounding his incredibly dangerous personality.

He was a gentle person, if you were to look at things that interested him. As he helped Mika stitch on accessories for his outfit, as a silent observer, the boy could notice how carefully and meticulously Itsuki worked on the fabric. It was almost hypnotizing how perfectly he studied the lace and accurately sowed it into place.

Or, when he baked. Or cooked. It was, as if the atmosphere had bent itself to the man's will. Everything went according to his precise movements and every other sound went quiet.

(Or perhaps, to Mika it did)

Not to mention the food he made was better than any bakery or restaurant he'd ever had. Something about freshly baked bread was better than the packaged kind. Something about his cheesy rolled omelettes was better than the normal omelettes his mother used to make.

And something about him was...perhaps....sweet in every way possible.

"Are you done with that portion?" 

Mika was snapped out of his thoughts by the stern question 

"Mm? Oh, yeah"

"Then we can wrap up now"

"Oh" He whispered, as he stared into the void while Shu stood up. He blinked back into reality

"Where're ya goin' ?"

"It's break"

Already?

Mika stood up and gathered his things. Seeing as Itsuki had subsequently left, he took his time to nicely arrange things in his bag. Grabbing his lunch, he rushed out to find his lunch buddies.

☆

"Mika chan!" An enthusiastic Narukami Arashi waved to the raven from their class. Ritsu slowly waved back.

"Naruchan!" Mika ran to his class. Almost tripping twice, he made it to his friends.

"Be careful now, Mikarin" Ritsu called, "You keep tripping all over the place~ "

"Ngah, I know" He settled down into the bench across from the two, "Sorry, I was rushin' "

"Its all good, just don't fall okay?" Arashi patted his head, "Now, what have you two brought for lunch?"

"Rice" Ritsu shrugged, "Some seasoning and maybe fruit juice"

"Huh? Your mom makes you fresh fruit juice?" Arashi asked, "Lucky boy~ I don't have that luxury"

"Fresh fruit juice?" Mika smiled, "That sounds super nice!"

"You two can take it" Ritsu slid his bottle towards the center, "I'm tired of juice"

"How sad! Your mom made you a healthy drink, and you're going to give it away?"

"I'm super generous~ " Ritsu hummed, "Besides, I'm not very hungry"

Narukami huffed

"Thats what you always say! Such insensitive children!"

Mika chuckled at the banter. It was refreshing to hear laughter.

"And what about you Mika chan?"

"What about me?"

"Lunch?"

Mika opened his bento

"Rice balls...n maybe a few sausages" 

Arashi audibly gasped

"My my! The variety!"

"We can share Naruchan" He grinned, "What did ya get?"

"Sandwiches~ " She announced, "Nothing special, but I suppose its healthy"

"Mhm...Naru's always getting healthy stuff~ " Ritsu seasoned his rice.

Mika popped a piece of sausage in his mouth, and the sound of delight was not missed by either of his friends

"What?"

"Don't do that to me! You know I love sausages!"

"Well- I mean- Ya can have one?"

Arashi didn't need to be told twice, she grabbed one from his lunch.

"It looks seasoned. Thats a lot of work for someone to do in the morning~ "

"Whoa~ Me too" Ritsu took a piece as well, mixing it with his rice

"Darling does your mom make you lunch?" Arashi asked

"Hmm? Oh- " Mika realised he hadn't told them yet...it would be a frightening reaction if he did.

"M...yeah yeah"

"You both are so lucky! Getting such wonderful lunches!" Narukami whined, "While I have dry sandwiches~ "

"Ngah! Don' be so sad Naruchan!" Mika said, patting her shoulder, "Thas why we share yknow?"

"Oh you're such a sweetheart~ " She pinched Mika's cheeks. Ritsu giggled and Mika squeaked.

"Mikarin is too nice for his own good" Ritsu said, "He needs to be protected from the world"

"Ngah...ya'll are too nice!" Mika scratched his head, " 'M jus' happy knowin' I have friends yknow?"

"Have more confidence!" Arashi lightly slapped Mika's shoulder, "You're an adorable creature!"

"Waaa...thank ya Naruchan" He smiled awkwardly, "I think yer way prettier than me though"

"Oh hush!" She scolded

Chapter Text

"Life would be better if everyone was a little smarter" said a very cold voice

"Man, I dunno" Kiryuu replied, holding a thread in mouth, "Pass me the tiny scissors"

Nazuna picked up the smallest pair of thread scissors he could find and passed it to Kiryuu.

"I'm just saying"

"You're talking more than usual today" He finally removed the thread to speak properly, "Something different happen?"

He shook his head robotically 

"Well" Kuro hummed, "You can tell me, cool?"

Nito took some time to process

"Cool"

The words didn't seem to suit his manner of speech, but Kiryuu ignored that

"Good...keep the scissors back please?"

The blonde placed the scissors back into their pouch. Very perfectly. He'd done the background work for Kuro before. He wasn't someone who could stitch or even draw a straight line on paper, but he'd help any way he could.

"A pin"

Nazuna placed an allpin on Kiryuu's palm as instructed 

...

"What are you making"

"Its a little hat thing" Kiryuu hummed, "I think I'll give it to that kid once his competition's over. As a thank you, or congratulations of sorts"

Nazuna nodded

So it was a gift

How intricate

"Heyyy" Kiryuu now faced Nito, waving his palm in front of his face, "Earth to Nazuna?"

"Sorry"

"Its fine" He chuckled in between words, "You really are like a doll you know?"

"Is that so"

"From skin to body language"

Nazuna lifted his hand and poked his arm. Same as everyone else, right? Was it the paleness that he meant?

He stared at his hands for a bit, then back to Kiryuu working on the brooch. Even if he was only looking curiously, it was hard to tell. Nito's eyes hardly ever showed any light to them, it wasn't his fault, but he found it hard to communicate that way. 

He always looked like he was glaring, which wasn't always true.

He supposed that's why he had less friends.

"You're really freakin' me out" Kiryuu had once again turned back and Nazuna blinked excessively to react.

"You good?"

"Yes"

Kiryuu sighed, keeping the needle on the table

"You eat yet?"

Nazuna shook his head. Somehow his yogurt had been disappearing from his bag for the past few days. Not to say he didn't eat other things. Today he just forgot to eat, is all.

"Me neither" The taller got up from his chair, once again making Nito look shorter than he was, "What say we eat first?"

The blonde nodded

"Awesome" He patted his friend's shoulder, "Lets go then"

☆

"You're evil Sena! Evil evil evil!"

"Whoa whoa" Rei entered the cafeteria with Kaoru, instantly hearing Leo's cries, "Whats going on?"

Izumi huffed in response

"Sena won't share his burger! Evil Sena!" Leo complained

Kaoru smiled

"Hey you know, maybe eat your lunch first?"

"And what? Leave no room for this tasty burger? Never!"

"Buy your own! Acting like you're some broke child!" Izumi scolded, but not intensely.

The ginger whined for a bit more, before opening his own lunch. Surprise surprise, it was egg rolls.

"Nah! No way!" Tsukinaga shook his head, "Why am I being bullied by my own mother!"

"Bullied sounds like a stretch" Kaoru said, sitting across from them

"Its egg rolls every week!"

"Oh please" Izumi groaned, "You get something new like, every day. So what you got egg rolls two days in a row? Give your mom a rest"

Leo closed his lunch box and only opened it again when Izumi demanded he eat his food. After some wandering glances and huffs, he picked up one of the rolls and took a big bite. 

And enjoyed it enough to forget everything that he just said a few minutes ago.

"Sooo" He wiped his lips with a tissue, "How come you jus' ran off Hakaze?"

Kaoru hummed, resting his cheek on his hand

"Family stuff. Boring"

"Hmm..." Leo whistled, seemingly not convinced. But didn't continue with the topic.

"It is kinda weird that you did that" Sena drank his lemonade with the gracefullness of a swan, "Rei stalk you home or something?"

Hakaze was a little surprised 

"Wait, how do you know that?"

Izumi rested his back on the chair

"I don't think a Porsche Panamera stopping by the school gate at night is a very regular sight. Less if its Shu"

"A- " Rei almost spoke 

"How do i know? I mean, come on, how many people do we even know who can legally drive?"

"Point made" Rei muttered

"Sena can drive~ " Leo added

"That makes only two" Izumi nodded, "Minus Morisawa"

Everyone collectively winced

"Don't even mention that" Rei sighed, "One ride was enough"

Sena groaned

"Agh, we may not have a choice"

"Why?"

"Summer After Party" 

Rei went a bit quiet

Kaoru spoke

"What about it? Isn't it at school?"

"No" Sena crumpled the burger leaflet, "They're keeping it at the beach. Reservations are done, or so I've been told"

"By who?" Leo asked

"Hasumi" Izumi groaned, "He wasn't too happy about it either, but majority council voted for it"

"The expenditure?" Hakaze asked, with Rei still quiet

"God knows...definitely more than it usually is" 

"Mannn" Leo sighed, "To be honest, I think a beach party sounds wayyy better than one at school"

"I guess so~ " Kaoru smiled

Then he turned to Rei, who sat speechless, staring at the table as if he was lost in the void. His face didn't show any sort of connection with the present.

That was because he was dwelling on the past.

"Rei? Earth to Rei?" Kaoru snapped his fingers

"Ah.. sorry Kaoru kun~" Rei tried to present himself as normal, "Got a bit lost in thought"

"So? Thoughts on beach party?" Leo asked

"Sounds interesting~ I know for one Kanata will be overjoyed"

Hakaze chuckled 

"He will be" 

"I heard its gonna start late" Leo said, "Late afternoon party~ "

"Makes sense, its pretty hot this year" Izumi fanned himself with a tissue. Then grumbled because it wasn't doing much.

"Looking forward to it then~ " Kaoru patted Rei's shoulder to remind him that they had class

Rei nodded

"Totally~ "

Chapter Text

It had been a nice week, helping out Aoba and setting up the exhibition hall decorations.

But with the exhibition almost in full procession and the festival only a few days away, the students were in a rush.

Mika wasn't 

He had, with the help from his now new roomate (His room had varnish problems due to which he now resided mostly in Shu's room), completed his outfit.

"Progress. Keep it short"

"Almost. Just the finishin' touches left"

Shu smiled

And Mika wanted to aggressively sketch it into his brain.

Pride or not, he decided, smiles from him were rarer than seeing Izumi use a sentence without cursing...and or mentioning some form of violence.

"If I may" Shu started, "The hat"

Mika gracefully handed him the hat. Wine red, black ribbon...and all that it needed was a bold piece. 

Possibly metal

Possibly...ah, of course, why didn't he think about that?

"A gear"

"Mm?"

"A gear Kagehira, do you have one?" He looked up to Mika

Mika shook his head

"Nope"

"Well, 'nope' won't cut it" He clicked his tongue, "We need one. And we need one in gold. Colour, of course"

"I know ya mean colour" The raven mumbled

"In case your birdbrain dies trying to process English" Shu flicked his forehead, earning a small 'owie', before he went back to smiling.

"Yer scarin' me...smilin' like that" Mika said, setting his materials aside for break.

Not in a million years would Mika have believed it if God himself told him that Itsuki has the ability to not only smile, but also be nice. Too nice, even for himself. Ever since Mika completed his outfit and finished his organic chemistry dutifully. 

Also apparently if you start living in someone else's room, you get special perks like being able to use their foam strawberry face wash. And smell roses the whole night.

"Again with this...honestly" Shu's face went back to normal, "I don't bite, get that into your dense skull"

Mika sighed, slumping onto the table. His fingers, tired from sewing and writing, fell limp onto the edge on the table. Unable to grab it, just hanging.

There was a fog of silence for a bit

"Ya ever get so tired?" Mika said, voice muffled as his lips stayed buried in his sleeves.

Itsuki glanced at him before turning away

"How do you mean"

"I don' even feel like gettin' up" He groaned, "I feel like sleepin' here the whole afternoon"

He shifted his head to face Itsuki, even as he lay draped on the table.

The other was leaned on the edge of the table. In a way that wasn't too bad a posture, but showed tiredness. Wearing a full-sleeved shirt in the growing heat must be one of the reasons. Mika had already ditched his thin sweater and switched to a half-sleeved shirt instead. Though he wasn't too happy about his matchstick arms being visible. He looked malnourished.

Shu was obligated to face Mika, otherwise it would be categorised as staring...which Itsuki hated. 

Rei stared at him too. He still hated it.

But somehow, Kagehira's stare didn't feel like one. It felt like pure kindness. Something Shu wasn't at all used to.

And so, after about ten minutes of looking at each other, Mika sat up straight, stretching his arms and making incoherent noises.

"Maybe I should...get up"

"Yes" was all the other could say. Words didn't make their way to his tongue the way they should. How strange.

"Ya goin' somewhere, Itsuki san?"

"Nowhere special" He said, clearing his throat, "Perhaps the library"

"Waah...I have class next, so I can't" Mika sighed, slithering up, standing at straight as he could.

"Is it borin' havin' ta hang around me?"

Shu was a little taken aback at the question thrown at him. 

And even more taken aback by his answer

"Not at all"

The raven's mismatched eyes lit up

"M glad! Ya...ya never really...I mean- " Mika was struggling a bit, " - What I mean is yer face is always the same...so...I can't tell...?"

Shu raised an eyebrow

"Ummm...I mean...I've only seen ya smile twice n...mostly, well, yer hard to read"

Agreed, Shu thought 

It wasn't in his control for the most part, he's always looked as if he wasn't satisfied with the world (which he wasn't), but even when he was...he somehow wasn't able to express much.

But sometimes, he smiled

Out of pride, if nothing else

Today was the first time he caught himself smiling so sweetly...part of him was sick, thinking it was so immature of him and his standards.

But part of him was happy. Because it made Mika happy.

It made Mika happy

It made Mika happy?

Shaking his head in defeat, Shu opened his eyes 

"You should be heading to class now"

"Ah!" The younger gasped, "Totally forgot! Ngahh...'s all yer fault for lookin' so pretty!"

"What do you mean it is my fau- what?" Before Shu got to processing what Mika had blurted, the boy had already sprinted out of the classroom, God knows where.

But Shu still stood where he was. Unable to move, somehow.

Waiting for external force, or some form of trigger.

Mika might've thought the words went above his head

But they absolutely did not

They were absorbed, and they were wandering in his brain like free electrons.

Chapter Text

"WhaT?"

"Thats right!" Sora smiled, "Sora was told you're in charge of beverages for the Summer After Party!"

Natsume squinted

This had to be Tsumugi

Absolutely 

"Agh, seriouslY?"

"Sora thinks you can do it!" Harukawa spun around

"Sora- You alwayS overestimate mE" He turned to the slab, on which lay a paper with possible choices of cold drinks. They mostly consisted of multiple varieties of ice cream soda. Which Natsume knew all too well. The problem arose with gradient drinks, and toppings.

"What oN earth iS a Blue LagooN + Red VelveT? How do you miX a cakE and a blue lagooN???"

"Sora doesn't know"

"RighT" Sakasaki took the support of the slab, holding the paper towards the window

Sora sat on top of the slab next to him, that way their height was almost the same.

"Can Sora be of any help? ☆"

"HmmM"

"Sora can arrange for the ingredients~ "

"Can yoU?" Natsume turned to him, "There's manY"

"Ice cream~ Fruits~ and soda~ Leave it to Sora!"

He saluted jokingly 

Natsume's lips curved into a smile

"If SorA wisheS tO"

"HaHa~ Just leave it to Sora please! Can I deliver them here the same day?"

"YeS"

"See you later~ " He hopped away, leaving Natsume scratching his head at the possibilities.

★

"Beep boop beep"  

"I'm so tired~ " Arashi yawned, "I've been helping out sooo many clubs! When does school get over again?"

"Two more hours to go~ " Ritsu hummed, grabbing two cans of soda from the vending machine, "Here"

"Thank you little Ritsu~ You're such a good kid!" Narukami patted his head, earning a groan

They walked around the campus garden, catching people rushing about, hanging decorations still. It seemed not everyone was finished with beautifying the school grounds.

"I wonder where Mika chan is" Arashi hummed picking a flower from a bench that likely fell from a tree above it.

"Working hard on his dress" Ritsu shrugged, "Or studying. He's been studying real hard this whole month"

"Right? He needs to catch a break~ Eat something maybe"

"Something that isn't junk food" Ritsu scoffed, "Except his lunch, I've never seen him eat any actual healthy snacks"

"Its always candies and chocolate huh?" Narukami plucked the petals off one by one, and stuffed them into her pocket.

She picked up another flower, and kept the petals in her pocket. And she kept going as they loitered around to pass time.

"I think I'll throw the petals on his face when I see him" She said, pointing to her now full pocket.

Ritsu chuckled 

"Good luck finding him anywhere. He's probably stuck to that Itsuki"

"Stuck? I don't get you at all little Ritsu!" Narukami feigned hurt

Sakuma whined at his shoulders being shook aggressively. Arashi was a bit enthusiastic, but he wasn't as much. 

"Naruuu stop iittt"

"Little Ritsu's not explaining things properly~ "

"I'll tell you if you stop"

Narukami stopped instantly, her eyes gleaming as she waited for Ritsu to speak. 

"So?"

"So nothing. So he spends most of his free time around Itsuki, and somehow it doesn't bother him at all"

They sat down to continue talking. Its tiring, walking around and talking. It was hot, humid, and there was sign of rain anymore.

"This Itsuki guy" Arashi hummed, "He looks super scary~ "

"Can you believe my so called brother actually liked him? Eww...talk about bad taste in men..." Ritsu scoffed

"I mean...he's definitely good looking so I'll give him that" Narukami said, "But other than that...he freaks me out"

"I thought Mikarin would probably get tired of listening to him...but nope, he's as happy as ever"

"Mika chan's too sweet to give up on anyone, or anything" She smiled, staring up at the blue sky.

"True" Ritsu smiled along with her

"Even if someone's mean and scary, he can find a way around it can't he? He's such an angel~ " Arashi leaned on her friend's shoulder

"He sure is" Ritsu nodded, "I just hope he knows what he's doing yknow"

"Mhm"

Chapter Text

Mika did not infact know what he was doing

"Can ya pass the ladder this way Aoba senpai?"

"Sure!" Tsumugi dragged the ladder to where Mika stood.

The exhibition hall decided on some last minute decoration changes. Mika happily volunteered, as he does.

"Ngah, why do ya think they did this in such a rush?"

"I don't know what to tell you Kagehira kun" Tsumugi hummed, "I didn't know either, Nazuna told me"

"So unnecessary" Mika pouted, "It already looks stunnin', this is jus' extra work!"

"True~ "

Mika struggled to keep stable at the top. His legs were a bit wobbly as usual, and the fact that he was standing on the top stair of the ladder made it worse. He almost flinched out of nowhere, because well, Mika.

"Aha...be careful up there!"

He stuttered a bit, but balanced himself well enough to turn to his side

"Kiryuu senpai?"

Kiryuu waved from below him

"You good up there?"

"M alright!"

"Maybe you oughtta take a break, no?"

He thought about it for a second. A break sounded great right now, but he'd have to get down first.

"Ummm..."

"Put your foot down very slowly" Kuro said, "Its gonna wobble"

Mika's legs did more than just wobble. He panicked, but eventually shifted one foot down the ladder. He turned his head to look at Tsumugi and Kiryuu telling him to keep going.

Honestly, he felt like a child.

He remembered how when he was small he had trouble getting down the monkey ladder and wept till his dad came up and brought him down.

Oh how cruel the concept of ladders was

But he did get down, after people took to staring at the second year who was struggling to come down. How inconvenient.

"Phew...ngah I hate ladders!"

Aoba chuckled 

"Well too bad...ladders are everywhere kiddo" Kuro slid a hand over the boy's shoulders, "Come on, let's get you a snack"

...

They walked as Kuro hummed some song Mika couldn't quite catch. He felt like a kid being taken back home by his dad because he fell into the mud and scratched his knee.

"Kiryuu"

Ah that oughtta wake him right up

Mika's chin lifted so quickly, he felt a muscle twitch at the back of his neck. 

"Heyyy...what a surprise~ " Kuro grinned, "Just trynna get Mika to eat something..."

He patted Mika's shoulder and Mika sighed

Shu huffed

"Of course...he requires to be dragged to places since he is incapable of taking care of himself"

Well, true, but blunt as hell

Kiryuu lightly pushed Mika forward

"All yours now then~ I have some work left hanging from the edge of my desk "

"Huh?" Mika turned around to Kiryuu

"Have fun you guys~" He waved and went the other way

...

"Kagehira"

"Hmm?" 

"Come along then" Shu sighed

Mika smiled and nodded

It seemed he had no problem talking to Itsuki...as long as someone else wasn't with him. That made him lose his confidence.

They stepped out into the garden and Mika felt the air get warmer. The Sun wasn't being too hot, but the heat wasn't any less bearable.

They walked in silence, interrupted by the sounds of chatter and people yelling around like they do. 

The raven's eyes occasionally darted left and right, trying to see what all food stalls would be put up later. 

Food is always on top

...

"Did you have your lunch atleast?" Shu asked, once they had settled on the school cafeteria 

"I did...but it was way too long ago" Mika folded his arms on the table and set his chin in between. His eyes wandered to the menu (which he had seen more than he had seen his own mother) and furrowed his brows in focus.

Silence followed

Then a sigh

"Whatever you pick, make sure it isn't something too heavy on sugar or carbohydrates"

Mika looked up at Shu 

"Wha?"

"Carbohydrates don't give you energy very quickly" Itsuki said, maintaining eye contact with Mika the whole time he spoke. Which was so not how he used to talk to him.

This made Mika lose his balance a bit

"Doesn't everythin' have...carbohydrates?"

"No" Shu closed his eyes, giving Mika room to breathe freely, "And even if you cannot find something free of it, choose a snack that overpowers the quantity of carbs"

Big words make his head spin

"Okay okay so like um, um- " Mika scanned the menu, "- fruit salad?"

Shu shrugged

And Mika sighed

He spent some more time reading the options before finally settling on nothing.

"Can't we eat at home?"

Shu hummed in disagreement 

"Okay okay" Mika assured, "I'll pick somethin'...just a minute"

He pondered on the menu for a bit, stealing glances at Shu for some form of divine intervention so he doesn't have to choose his food for himself.

Please choose for me pleaseee

He shook his head then

No

Choose your own stuff Mika

He's tired already as is don't make him choose your snack!

"I'll eat a croissant" he pointed to the Butter Croissant labeled on the menu.

"Take one, thats got atleast some amount of fruit for God's sake" The other silently scolded, in his tired state. Shu gracefully withdrew the menu from his hands and pointed to Mango Croissant. 

Yes!

Mika cheered in his head

Happy that once again, he wasn't burdened to order his own meal

"Go order now"

The boy got up and grabbed the menu card from Shu, dashing over to the counter.

Its not very empty, as he thought it would've been. The Yumenosaki outdoor cafeteria is a strange mix of what should be a place where students can eat proper meals, but plus the rich kids get their share of baked items.

Mika wasn't at all rich 

But like he was paying for it anyway

He ordered, a bit more confidently than he did last year...owing his clear speech to both time, his friends, and the fact that he has to cautiously choose words when he talks to Itsuki, like he's playing scrabble.

While he waits, tapping his shoes on the concrete, he spots Arashi and Ritsu walking around, chatting.

He hadn't seen them the whole day, typical of the festival work load.

...

"Itsuki san" Mika returned, "I'm gonna go catch up with Naruchan 'n Ritsu if thas okay?"

Shu still had his eyes shut

"Fine"

"Mkay! Be right back!" He smiled 

☆

He skipped along to his two friends 

"Naruchan! Ritsu!"

"Its Mika chan!" Narukami pulled at his cheeks, "Oh you look so tired!"

"Ow...ngah you look jus' as weary yknow?"

Ritsu joined, chewing candy

"Mhm...whats up Mikarin?"

"M fine...m fine" He sighed once his cheeks were released, "Day went by too fast"

"Right? School gets over in bit" Arashi hummed, "All i did was hang up decorations and take pictures for class too~ "

There was a moment of silence

And then Arashi smiled menacingly

"You know Mika chan..."

He wasn't given time to reply, instead brutally attacked by pink flower petals. And he squeaked.

"Gotcha!"

"Waaa!" Mika cleared petals from his hair, then looked at them in awe, "So pretty~ Ngah but don' scare me!"

Ritsu chuckled and shook his head

"I'd been saving so many for this moment" Arashi declared, "I deserve some credit yknow?"

"Thank ya, I suppose" The raven stuffed some into his pocket, "I think I'll take some home too"

"You don't have to, we can pick up more flowers" Ritsu said...then he yawned, "But...not today~ I'm sooo sleepy"

"Its not even evening!"

"Okay and?~ Once school's over I'll have to hunt down Maa-kun too...its such a heavy task~ " He yawned again, rubbing his eyes.

"So heavy for little Ritsu is it now?" Arashi patted his head, "Poor child~ There there~ "

"You sound like my over-indulging mom" Ritsu grumbled, "Stop it"

Mika watched them back and forth...feeling a sense of dread crawl up his back despite the atmosphere. His ears felt numb to all sounds except somehow the cheer of the students running around. He felt his eyelids grow heavy and staring at the pink petals on the grass below him made him want to run back to-

"Mika chan?"

"Ah! Yeah?" He asked, now being able to hear other sounds

"You good?" Ritsu asked

Mika nodded, trying to smile better

"Totally! Just a bit tired"

Arashi slid an arm over his shoulder

"You sure sweetie?"

Mika nodded doubtfully, but not ready to accept his tiredness

"Want some jellybeans?" Ritsu asked, "Though maybe you shouldn't, I think you need to eat actual food"

"True" Narukami withdrew her arm and pinched his cheek again, "Go eat something~ "

"Don' pinch me!" He fake cried, "Yer right though...I ordered a croissant from the cafeteria jus' a while ago"

"Ooh~ Fancy~ " Ritsu teased, "And, I assume you aren't paying for that?"

Mika's cheeks flushed ever so slightly

"What? I can't pay fer my food? So what if its fancy!"

"Joking~ Joking~ You're independent we know" Ritsu continued eating candy like it was his last meal on Earth.

"But you caught me I guess" The boy sighed, "I ain't payin' for it"

Ritsu was smart enough to peek behind Mika. And the moment he noticed a tuft of light pink, he sneered

"I see I see...very very smart"

Arashi's gaze followed

"Oh my God" She turned back to Mika, "Tell me he isn't paying for you"

"Uh" He scratched his head, "Who're you talkin' about?"

"Mika the only person we see sitting there who we know knows you is Itsuki, I think common sense isn't required at this point" 

"Man, ya'll are really good at this" He sighed, "I was dragged out by Kiryuu senpai fer a snack n then he handed me over to Itsuki san"

"Handed you over?" Ritsu snickered, "What are you, a criminal?"

"I hope not" Mika said

"Hey doesn't he scare you a little?" Arashi asked, then was immediately poked by Ritsu to shut up.

"Scare me?" Mika tilted his head

"Or maybe...you know a better word..." She tried, to not be poked by Ritsu's sharp nails, "...um...I mean he's kinda..."

"M not catchin' ya" Mika sheepishly smiled

He was catching her words very clearly...that wasn't the problem at all. Problem was his discomfort in describing it. It wasn't that it was freaking him out, it was just that he wasn't sure what Shu was yet, exactly .

He had a feeling Arashi didn't like him...so bingo

Like- wow yeah your best friend who very clearly doesn't like him will be thrilled to know the guy is one step away from being signed up for therapy.

Mika thinks Shu's fine and all that, ignoring his random bad moods and his weird ego around some people...most people.

He's not a monster, just very very bad at filtering his words

"What Naru is saying" Ritsu interrupted, "Is that Itsuki is bad for you"

"I didn't say that! Don't put words in my mouth!" Arashi lightly pulled on Ritsu's hair

"Owww, first of all" the younger Sakuma said, "Second of all, don't do that to him...its hardly been like, two weeks"

"Bad for me...as in?" Mika asked

"As in nothing! Little Ritsu's making stuff up! I never said that ever!"

"But you're implying that" Ritsu shrugged, "I get why, but we don't even really know him enough to say, do we?"

"Even I don't get a say" Mika said, "So its alright if ya think so, 'cause m not sure either"

"What? Two whole weeks and you're blind? Honestly!" Narukami scoffed, "Some observer you are, Mika!"

"M not blind!" He huffed, "I know very little 's all!"

He'd be called an even worse observer if they knew he lives with him and still knows close to nothing...in terms of personality, that is.

"Okay then name one good quality"

Mika squinted

"What for?"

"Testing you, obviously" Narukami said, "Go on. Name one"

He sighed, crossing his arms 

"...He teaches pretty well"

Ritsu chuckled at Arashi, who tried to challenge Mika further

"Now name a bad one. Name two"

"Two? Thas pretty biased"

"Name two!"

"Ngah why m I doin' this?" Mika sighed, "I jus' wanna go home now"

"Oh yeah you live super far off huh Mikarin?" Ritsu said, "You should leave early"

Shoot

"Oh yeah I do...just that um...I need to- " He was cut off by his sudden realisation

"What is it?"

Oh right he said he'd be 'right back'

...

Pathetic you are, Mika, truly

His face dissolved into guilt and he felt more tired than he did before. Now that he had fucked up yet again. Good job Mika. Keep fucking up.

He had always been told he forgot time and things...he should be careful of the watch but no...

Making people wait is a piece of cake isn't it Mika? Go on keep doing that

...

"Hey hey you can tell us you know?" Arashi tucked some of his unruly hair behind his ear.

Mika shivered at the sudden touch

"I gotta get home...I should get home"

"You okay?"

"I'm perfect" he said, too much in a hurry, "See ya'll tomorrow!"

"See you...then" Ritsu said, and Mika very quickly sprinted away, to God knows where.

Chapter Text

...

Nazuna watched a certain ruffled hair boy run past him like a bullet. At first he thought he was being chased by a dog. Nazuna was scared of angry dogs.

But it didn't seem so

He knew this because he saw Shu by the main entrance gate.

He was smart enough to have deduced that Mika lived with Shu. It wasn't very hard to tell. Nito was one of the students who arrived school very early. Because, well, he was a boarding student.

Shu and Mika also arrived early...bingo

And he was an early bird, ironic, considering people assumed he was a vampiric-doll thing that either didn't sleep, or was nocturnal.

Either way, they were wrong

Nazuna blamed neither

He watched Mika catch up right on time, and they walked out together in sync. Interesting.

It was, like Leo would put it, just like music

In beat, in resonance 

Very very interesting 

"Spying on people?" 

Crap

He spun around to Kiryuu shaking his head

"Geez, you oughtta quit being so sneaky"

"I wasn't" Nazuna said

"Right" Kiryuu sighed, "Anyway...I got a small job for you...ya up?"

Nito nodded

"Yes"

"Wonderful. Go tell Leo his mom called me for some reason...that she wouldn't be home til next week. So he's gonna be a constant in yer room"

Oh yes

The semi-boarding student

The amphibian

Leo stayed over when he felt like, and headed home when he was bored

"I will" Nito said

...

"And one more thing" Kuro said, taking support of the wall, "You hungry?"

Nazuna blinked

"...not really"

"Then I suppose all the choco-chip cookies are mine" Kiryuu whistled

The blonde immediately took a 180

"No. Me too"

Kiryuu smiled 

"Then follow me. I'm pulling an all nighter"

"Me too then"

"Sure. Join me in a death wish" Kuro held out a hand, "You in?"

Nazuna took his hand and Kiryuu almost jumped because of how cold it was. Despite the heat.

"Wow. Giving me frostbite are we?" Kuro chuckled, "I don't mind. Lets get going"

☆

"Wanna pull an overnighter?" Kaoru asked Rei, who was rolled up in a blanket like a burrito

He poked his head out and looked at Hakaze miserably 

"Kaoru kun~ "

"What"

"I can't get up! Im a seal now!" He cried

Kaoru rolled his eyes

"God, you're just a leech aren't you? Only difference being leeches aren't probably half as good-looking"

"Oh my!" Rei rolled over, "Do I have a chance with Kaoru kun? Really?"

"No. You're a guy. I'm a heterosexual man" Kaoru huffed, "Nice try"

Rei un-coiled the blanket

"So, where is our all-nighter party at?"

"Library. The second one"

"Aghhh thats two floors uppp" Rei groaned, sitting up and fixing his hair, "We have to go?"

"Yeah. duh. You wanna cram everything in under a day after summer? And lets be honest, neither of us will be studying in the summer"

Rei looked at him, offended

"Oh? I'll show you just how big of a topper I am!"

"Rei you got all Cs last year"

"Okay and?"

"And a D in math. You topped from last" Kaoru rested his chin on his palm, "Maybe give up this time around"

"I'll TOP just you see"

"Yeah...I don't see that happening"

Rei smirked like a genius, and Kaoru shook his head

"Were you trying to sound funny again? You still aren't getting a laugh out of me with your double meaning, trash jokes"

"I'll get you one day~ Watch out~ " Rei hung his head down from the bed's edge, "This bat is out for hunting~ "

☆

"Leo"

The ginger poked his nose out from the hole in his donut-plush

Nazuna was internally disappointed 

"Your mother won't be home this week"

He brought his entire face out through the hole

"NOOOOO"

"Yes. Kiryuu let me know"

"NooOoOoOoOooo" He sung, "What will I doOoOoOo!"

"SleeP oR shut uP" Natsume hissed from under his pillow

"Nacchan is sooo scary at night" Leo pouted

And a cushion came flying at his face, not missing its aim

"NO onE calLS mE thaT"

"Tsumu called you that~ "

"One tiME" Natsume clarified, "AnD he waS punishED for iT"

"Oh?"

"yeS"

...

Tsukinaga groaned

"Mom come pick me up~ "

"She isn't home" Nazuna repeated

"I knowwwww" Leo cried like a cat, "WhatdoIdoOoOoOo"

"StarT by noT talkiNG"

"..."

Nazuna grabbed his notebook and textbook

"I'll be off. Library"

"WhicH onE, senpaI?" Natsume asked

"Second"

"All-nighter party???" Leo asked, excited

Nito nodded

"Wahoooo! Can I come too???"

"I...suppose" Nazuna debated, "But, you need sleep"

"So do you??? I'm coming too! Head on without me!" He jumped out from his bed and hurried to his closet

Nazuna said a quiet 'yes' and left

Natsume rolled his eyes and stuffed his face into his pillow again, hoping to sleep peacefully now that Leo will be away.

Chapter Text

The walk home was quiet

As expected of course 

The guilt rose till his larynx when he realised that Shu had, in fact, gotten his croissant packed.

But he walked properly, he can't look upset, that means questions thrown at him. He tried to look elsewhere. The sky was violet, almost completely dark. There were a couple of stars hanging in the horizon...he couldn't spot constellations, though. Most of the shops had started to get less customers, he noticed. This part of the city wasn't very active at night after all.

His eyes still unintentionally darted to the paper bag in Shu's hand

The least he could do is hold it himself

But no

He dragged his feet home like an idiot

...

"Kagehira"

He suddenly grew alert

"Yeah?"

"Do eat your croissant before bed" Itsuki said, in a tired voice...though Mika sensed a somewhat disappointed undertone too.

He swallowed the lump in his throat

"Yeah..."

Shu left then, upstairs

...

Right

Eat it then, Mika

He opened the bag and took out his mango croissant. It smelled nice. It probably tastes like heaven.

He wouldn't dare warm it up. No, he deserves to eat it cold. As if it was some kind of punishment, he decided.

He bit into it...his mouth making it taste bitter. He frowned. 

☆

It was bedtime now

And Mika had to enter Shu's room like a pro (not touching anything that wasn't his).

He changed into his pajamas, and knocked

"Come"

He entered, shutting the door behind him

His eyes settled on Shu, reading a novel, already done with all his nighttime routines- which included way too many things, which was forced upon Mika as well...sometimes:

•°•

"Whats with all this face stuff?"

"Stay still!" Itsuki grumbled, "Do you want your skin full of acne and oily bumps next week? When you have your festival competition?"

Mika groaned

"Nah..."

"Then be quiet" Shu scolded, "Move towards the light"

Mika stepped to his right

"Here?"

"Yes. Don't move" He opened a container containing a face scrub, and very seriously glared at Mika, before applying it carefully.

While he hated whatever this was

Mika liked Shu's hands

In the way that they were so soft and gentle, unlike the person who stood scrubbing his face

But, Shu wasn't that bad. He was kind, he never raised his voice even when he was mad at him, and he hardly ever ordered him around (unless he was already in a bad mood)

So, yeah. Shu was nice.

Mika smiled

Yeah

Shu's a good person 

At home, anyway

Itsuki scoffed

"You smile for no reason at all...its stupid"

"Ngah...mah bad!" Mika sheepishly chuckled

He glared again

"Don't open your mouth! You want to taste this scrub do you?"

"N-no!" Mika said, muffled by Shu's fingers grazing over his lips...for some reason.

That shut him up for quite a while

•°•

"Don't stand like a statue" Shu clicked his tongue, "Brush your teeth and get in bed"

Mika woke up from his daydream

"Sorry"

Shu's eyes kind of softened 

"Its alright...I don't want you tired tomorrow"

Mika's guilt was through the roof

If this continued any longer, he'd fall sick

Yes

He actually had fallen sick due to aggressive stress

It was a bad bad sensitivity

"I know" The raven mumbled softly, heading to the bathroom to wash his face, brush his teeth, etcetera etcetera.

He returned, and Itsuki easily read his face

"Whats wrong" He asked, neutrally

Mika looked up at him, a small smile on his face

"Oh, nothin'...I'm good"

"No" Shu said, "Come here"

"But- "

"Kagehira...you look just as pale as the bathroom doormat"

Mika glanced down 

The mat was, in fact, white as fuck

Huh

So he stuffed his façade in his pocket and made his way to Shu's bed, sitting on the edge.

Itsuki set his book down, took off his metal rimmed glasses (very classy) and turned his head to Mika 

"Yes"

"M...'m fine, really"

When Shu crossed his arms, Mika knew he had no choice

"I'm..." He let the sweet scent of roses fill his lungs, "...sorry"

Before Shu had any chance to reply, the boy burst into scrambled emotions

"I didn't mean ta leave ya at the cafeteria I was- I forgot and- and I know I'm dumb and I never keep track of time- and- and- I keep messing up I'm so sorry- "

"Calm down" His stiff shoulders were put down, pressed slightly to relax them as Mika took a breather...clenching the bedsheet beside him.

It was a stable moment. Mika still refused to believe he was nauseous, despite all he just said.

"Its alright" Shu said, after a pause, "...You were engaged in conversation. It happens. Don't beat yourself up for it"

It sounded more like a TED Talk than a consolation, but it helped anyway. Mika brushed the tears that were on the verge of flowing out.

"...You should sleep now" 

"I should" Mika said, not looking at Itsuki.

He didn't really get up. He stared at the bedside table and listened to the clock tick away...not stopping time for his misery. It took time, but he calmed down a sufficient amount, sighing deeply, before a hand came from behind him, smoothening his forehead and delicately pushing his hair back.

Now he couldn't breathe again

Amazing

"Go to bed, Kagehira" was a soft suggestion

Mika did stand up this time, making his way to his bed...which was next to Shu's, but separated by the same table Mika had been gazing at.

Shu turned off the lamps subsequently, and all went dark