oversized coat shielding their identities from pedestrians, the crybaby can feel a rush of adrenaline rushing through his veins as he heaves out a mighty laugh into the cold winter air.

"You're amazing Kei-Chan! Really, really amazing!!!" Takemichi exclaims wildly, uncaring of whoever heard him, because ain't that the truth? There's no telling where Takemichi would be without Keisuke, no telling what kind of person he'd be without Keisuke.

Takemichi doubts anyone else could ever make his heart pump with excitement and fear the way Keisuke does. Takemichi doubts he'd have the confidence to hold a match in his hand if it wasn't for Keisuke's frightening expression and childish taunts. Takemichi doubts he'd be able to come up with such an awesome plan under so much stress.

Without Keisuke, Takemichi is practically use—

"Nah Michi, we're amazing!!!"

Takemichi's breath hitches, his tongue suddenly tied and ripped out from his mouth.

Was Michi really—? No, no, Keisuke's just being nice of course! Probably just wants him to feel included or something...

But Takemichi decides to push those thoughts aside and trust in Keisuke's words. That's what Keisuke wants, right? For Takemichi to trust in him more? If that's the case...then he'll believe the words spilling from Keisuke's mouth like they were his mother's.

"Fire's pretty cool, huh?" Keisuke asks giddily—their pace gradually getting slower and slower the farther away they get from their original location. "I feel so awesome when I hold a match , Michi—it's amazing! Like I have all the power in the universe in my hands! But—but I can choose what to do with it!!! Isn't that awesome?! It's awesome isn't it? You held a match too, did you feel that same feeling, Michi?" Keisuke doesn't give him much time to answer before he unwraps the coat from around Takemichi and pushes him into the snow with a scream.

Takemichi's pretty sure the scream was his own, not Keisuke's, cause what the hell is Keisuke doing—

Cold.

A sharp pain covers his entire body at the sudden contact of snow. Takemichi can't move his arms; they're shivering and cold and heavy and weak and need warmth. His legs were the same way, just weak noodles covered in snow.

A shadow looms over Takemichi; it's Keisuke's, he knows that shadow, how could he not?

Without the warmth of the coat around Takemichi's body, pricks and needles shoot into his thin arms and he needs the coat.

His legs start to move.

And Keisuke?

Keisuke starts to laugh.

"BAHAHAHA!!! YOU'RE LITERALLY SHAKING MICHI OH MY GO—"

Takemichi pounces Keisuke without a second thought, his fists gripping onto the oversized coat with a sense of urgency. Without a care in the world, without paying attention to Keisuke's laughter, without any regard to himself at all, Takemichi whips the coat off of Keisuke.

Now Keisuke was shivering.

And Takemichi begins to laugh along with Keisuke—he doesn't know why, he doesn't stop to question that when he drapes the coat over his shoulders and sighs into the never ending warmth it provides.

"Hah..." Takemichi puffs out a breath of warm air. "I win."

As expected, Keisuke's face goes feral at Takemichi's declaration.

"Get back here you little twig!!!"

With laughter filling the air, Takemichi runs away from an outraged Keisuke, the coat flying behind him like a cape as the two boys take off to wherever their legs choose to take them.

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