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𝟏𝟒 || 𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐓 ||

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    A few weeks after meeting and befriending Mitsuya, Mikey decides to introduce Takemichi to his other two friends.

    As usual, Takemichi doesn't have much of a choice but to go along with Mikey's idea despite the fact that it was below freezing outside. Saying no to the blonde boy is downright impossible and Takemichi commends anyone who's brave enough to do so.

    With only an oversized coat to keep the small boy warm, Takemichi reluctantly follows Mikey into the blistering cold weather with his hand being clasped tightly in Mikey's own hand.

    "Is Kei-Chan coming with us?" Takemichi asks the blonde as they trudge through the heavy snow. Mikey doesn't bother looking back at the boy as he guides Takemichi across the obnoxious snow that seeps through the boy's boots and dampens his socks. He grimaces at the uncomfortable feeling of having his toes soaked with snow, but he doesn't drag his feet and meets Mikey's pace step by step.

    "Baji's sick today," Mikey answers with an annoyed grumble; Takemichi doesn't have to see his face to know that the blonde was distraught at the thought of not having his best friend around, not that Takemichi could blame him.

    Keisuke's an incredible friend, and an incredible neighbor as well. He's feisty and hot headed, but soft and gentle when the time is right. He would never miss out on the opportunity to tease Takemichi, but would be ready to throw hands at anyone else who dares to utter a mean word about the curly haired boy when he isn't looking. It's a tad bit annoying since Takemichi doesn't need people to fight his battles, but he can't help but feel a little gratitude towards Keisuke's protectiveness.

    He fights people, he stands up for people.

    He bites, he protects.

    He shouts, he whispers.

    His mother once called Keisuke an 'enigma'. Takemichi doesn't know what it means, but it's a pretty fun word to use in class.

    "Does he have a cold?" Takemichi asks with a furrowed brow—tightening his grip around Mikey's hand when he notices the blonde picking up speed. Perhaps they could stop by the corner store and snag a soda or two for the bedridden boy.

    "Yeah—a bad one too," Mikey explains while keeping his eyes ahead on the imaginary path in front of him. "I tried barging into Baji's apartment but his mom kicked me out..." yeah, that sounds about right. Although Takemichi can't find it in himself to feel bad for Mikey's misfortune; Keisuke needs his rest more than anything and Mikey was just asking for trouble by attempting to drag Keisuke out of his bed.

    "Should we get him a card?"

    "Hmmm...yeah! Yeah—let's get him a card later!"

    Takemichi tilts his head. "Later?"

    Mikey nods. "Yep—later. You gotta meet my other friends first."

    Ah, Takemichi forgot about that.

    "...Are they nice?"

    "Hmmm...sure!"

    "Are they our age?"

    "Hmmm...yep!"

    "Will they hurt me?"

    "Hmmm...maybe!"

    Takemichi's eyes widened.

    "M-Maybe?!" Takemichi screams in fright.

    The image of two devil horned kids with pitchforks as weapons swims through his fragile mind. Oh god. Why can't he be strong and oppose Mikey for once in his life?!

    Mikey ignored Takemichi's concerns and kept guiding him through the snow, completely blind to the inner turmoil the poor seven year old was going through.

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    The two kids that greet Takemichi don't have devil horns sprouting from their heads or pitchforks in their hands or razor sharp teeth with menacing smiles.

    What he finds is two kids, a boy and a girl, shivering in the cold with thin jackets draped over their shoulders. They both have very similar features, so they must be siblings.

   The two siblings had platinum blonde hair; the girl's hair was so light it appeared to be white at certain angles. Their eyes, bright and blonde lashes coated in small snowflakes, were emerald green and shining with rage. Teeth chattering and shaking, the two kids glared at Mikey with unconcealed anger.

    Mikey, on the other hand, chose to ignore the kids' seething faces. He smiles and waves in greeting while pulling Takemichi close with his other hand.

    "Heyo~! Senju, Haruchiyo, meet my friend Takemitchy!" Mikey exclaims as he pushes the scared boy towards the two kids. Takemichi tries to spin around and send a pleading look towards the true monster known as Manjiro Sano, but is ultimately caught up in two angry, very angry pairs of forest green eyes.

    They both change their glares to Takemichi. He gulps nervously, knowing damn well how cold and tired they must be. Not to mention that their jackets did nothing against the cold weather of Japan unlike Takemichi's extremely oversized coat.

    The two kids continue to stare at Takemichi without saying a word, causing beads of sweat to roll down his brow. Surely there's something he can do to get on their good side...but what-?

    He's got it!

    Takemichi, very hesitantly, opens his warm coat wide like a robe. Ignoring the flux of cold air that hits his body, he sends the pair a shaky smile and beckons them close with the shake of his head. "H-Hi! It's n-nice to meet you two...wanna share my jacket?"

    And, just like that, their glares vanish.

    They stride towards Takemichi and embrace the curly haired boy with their extremely cold bodies and snotty noses. Albeit a little surprised, Takemichi doesn't think twice before wrapping the two kids in his coat, basically bringing the two in a warm comforting hug. He can feel everything—from the rapid shivers of their frames to the huffs of air that escape their lips. And suddenly, very suddenly, Takemichi isn't scared anymore.

    They were just cold and freezing and done with Mikey's shenanigans, not that Takemichi could blame them seeing as he is also completely done with Mikey's thoughtless ideas.

    This is nice...so warm...and—

    "Hey! Did I say you could hug my Mitchy?!"

    And now it's cold again.

    Takemichi's about to refute with something snarky when Senju and Haruchiyo turn from inside the warm coat to face Mikey. It's unclear what kind of expressions they were giving Mikey since Takemichi couldn't see them, but apparently it was enough to make Mikey grit his teeth and narrow his doll-like eyes.

    "He's our Mitchy now, you evil demon!" The girl exclaims rather loudly while tightening her embrace around Takemichi.

    "W-Wha?!" Takemichi squeaks with wide eyes as he stares at the blonde girl in astonishment.

    Takemichi tries turning to the quiet blonde boy for help, but he doesn't get the chance.

    The two siblings begin dragging Takemichi, the human heater, away from an enraged Mikey.

    "LETS GO HARU!!!" Senju orders with her arm tightly wrapped around Takemichi's midsection.

    "O-Ok!" Takemichi doesn't have the time to focus on the boy's quiet voice.

    A big weight crashes into three kids, causing them to topple over and into the snow.

    Great...now they were all cold...

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    The four kids decided to seek refuge in Sano's dojo seeing as it was the closest place to them that could provide food, water, and—most importantly—warmth.

    They were all lounging on the tatami mats with warm blankets wrapped around their frames as well as a cup of hot chocolate placed in their small hands. The two siblings, who Takemichi had just met, refused to let the small curly-haired boy out of their sight. They sat on either side of the boy like a couple of guards, and talked his ear off about this, that, and anything they could think of. Well, it was mostly Senju who was doing all the talking, but Haruchiyo would pipe in every so often to add onto the conversation or remind Senju of an important detail she left out.

    Mikey...was somehow banished from going near the three kids.

    After Mikey had knocked all three of them into the freezing snow, the Akashi Siblings made a point to scoot away from the dark eyed boy every time he inched closer to them. They mindlessly ignored Mikey's attempts to create conversation.

    It was endearing at first, but now Takemichi was beginning to feel bad.

    The Akashi siblings might be strong enough to ignore Mikey's puppy dog eyes and quivering lips, but Takemichi couldn't take it.

    "—and then Takeomi started yelling at me for something I never did! Can you believe that, Mitchy?!" Senju exclaims with an angry pout.

    Takeomi? Where has Takemichi heard that name before—?

    "Takeomi yelled at you because you broke his science project for school..." Haruchiyo explains with disdain as he watches his sister out of the corner of his eye. Senju gasps and stares at her brother with wide green eyes before sticking her tongue out at the Akashi sibling.

    "No I didn't! The volcano fell over on its own!"

    "How?"

    "U-Um...YOUR DISGUSTING FART BLEW IT OVER!!!"

    "EH?!"

    "Y-YEAH! YOU HEARD ME!!!"

    Takeomi! The guy from S.S. Moters!!! That's where Takemichi heard the name!

    Ignorant to the fight breaking out between the two siblings, Takemichi perks up and taps Haruchiyo on the shoulder. The blonde turns around swiftly and goes, "what?!"

    Takemichi trembles under his green eyes, but doesn't back down. Rather than scooting away from Haruchiyo and Senju, Takemichi smiles and tilts his head while asking, "Are you guys talking about Takeomi with the long black hair?"

    The two Akashi's exchange looks of surprise before nodding their heads in unison.

    "Yeah," Senju confirms. "How do you know him?"

    "I met him at S.S. Moters with Mikey's older brother!" Takemichi then gestures to Mikey who took to sulking in a corner picking imaginary mushrooms from off the walls. Mikey perks up at the use of his name and whips his head around like an excited puppy.

    "Yeah!!!" Mikey exclaims with enthusiasm. "That was the same night your mom got jumped, right?"

    And just like that, Takemichi wanted nothing to do with Mikey.

    "Stay in the corner."

    Mikey's face drops at Takemichi's words. "Eh? But why?!"

    Just as Takemichi is about to answer Mikey's ridiculous question, Senju swings an arm around his shoulders—drawing him in close. "Your mom got jumped?! Why?! By who?! Is she ok?" It was question right after question for Takemichi and the poor boy wants nothing more than the conversation to fade into something else.

    A strong arm pulls Takemichi away from Senju. Looking up, Takemichi meets Haruchiyo's worried eyes.

    "It's none of our business Senju, so stop asking questions!"

    "But-"

    "No buts! How would you feel if he started asking us about our step dad?"

    Her entire mood deflates at the mention of those two words.

    With her green eyes quickly averting towards the ground, the loud mouthed blonde utters out a small apology before wrapping the blanket more tightly around her own body.

    Takemichi couldn't help but gulp at the sudden change in atmosphere. Looking towards Haruchiyo for some sort of explanation, he was met with a face full of exhaustion and dread.

    "...Mikey and Senju don't know how to keep their mouths shut about certain things and I don't think they'll learn how to anytime soon," Haruchiyo then casts his gaze over to Mikey— the sulking blonde in the corner. "Y'know, you may not realize it, but you can handle Mikey pretty well."

    Takemichi tilts his head at that. "What do you mean?"

    Haruchiyo scoffs and crosses his arms as if to make himself look more mature and powerful. "He listens to you. I mean, look at him! He's still in that damn corner!"

    Mikey whips his head around to glare at Haruchiyo with his dark eyes. Takemichi couldn't suppress the shiver that went down his spine.

    "I don't listen to anyone but myself!!!" Mikey defends with a tint of red on his cheeks. The look on his face is enough to make Takemichi's jaw drop.

    Eh?! Is...Is Mikey embarrassed?!

    "Then why haven't you left the corner?" Haruchiyo questions while reaching for his cup of hot chocolate. Mikey's expression turns sour as he puckers his lips and squints his eyes like he was trying to come up with a reasonable answer to get out of Haruchiyo's investigation. In the end, Mikey huffs out a puff of air and turns back around, placing his forehead back into the corner.

    "...Because it's comfy over here."

    Haruchiyo sweatdrops at the explanation and tiredly takes a sip out of his cup of hot chocolate.

    "Sure."

    "I'm telling the truth!"

    "Sure."

    "I'm serious!!!"

    "Sure..."

    Takemichi watches the two squabble (it was mostly one sided though...) until the sun goes down.

    And, in the end, Mikey didn't leave his corner until Takemichi handed him a new cup of hot chocolate.

    Takemichi was blind to the way his face lit up.

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    "So—so you finally met Senju and Haruchiyo?"

    From the other side of the line, Takemichi holds the phone close to his ear and huffs out a small laugh.

    "Yep! They're identical but so different!"

    Keisuke's feverish laugh could be heard from across the wall. The sound alone warms his heart.

    "They didn't tell you anything stupid, did they?"

    Takemichi quirks a brow up at that. "Like what?"

    A long line of coughs follow Takemichi's innocent question, causing the curly haired boy to laugh. After Keisuke gets his bearings together, he clears his throat and grabs Takemichi's attention.

    "That's none of your business!" Takemichi frowns.

    "Huh?! You're the one who brought it up!"

    "And I'm gonna be the one who ends it!" Takemichi scoffs at Keisuke's stubbornness.

    "Is it something embarrassing?!"

    "N-no!" Bingo!

    Takemichi can't fight off the grin that makes its way to his face. From his spot on the sofa, he makes himself comfortable and props his head up on a pillow. With the phone still held close to his ear, he hums in a way that says 'im-not-falling-for-your-lies'.

    "So what did you do?" Takemichi laughs at the squeak that escapes Keisuke's lips from the other side.

    "I did nothing! If anything, it's Mikey who did something stupid!"

    "Like what?" Takemichi Ventures forward, trying to seek out a story that was meant to be left hidden under rubble, rocks, and sand.

    "Like—NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!!"

    Takemichi decides to frustratedly hang up the phone after that.

    (If anyone saw him smile at the sound of Keisuke's horrible cackles from the other side of the wall, that was between him and the person who watched from the kitchen with a dorky smile on her lips.)

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    The weather was still terribly cold when Mikey decided to drag Takemichi, Senju, and Haruchiyo out to play. Senju and Haruchiyo brought thicker jackets this time around, so the curly haired boy was saved from having to share his.

    They were all sitting inside a tube placed in the playground that was barely big enough for all four of them to lounge in, but they didn't mind in the slightest. With their bodies pressed up against each other, they were able to fight against the cold weather thanks to the useful bodily function called body heat.

    Takemichi sighs tiredly as he observes Senju and Mikey fight about something that happened in school that day while Haruchiyo sat beside him who was much more interested in the loose thread on Takemichi's jacket. The curly haired boy decides to let the blonde be—letting him fidget and play with the loose string until it would inevitably come off his coat.

    Takemichi is definitely telling Keisuke about this...

    From what Takemichi was able to gather, Haruchiyo was the complete opposite of his younger sister. He's more withdrawn, quiet, blunt, but sensible. In fact, Haruchiyo is probably the smartest out of the four of them when it comes to having common sense. He was a bit cold (no pun intended) at first with his piercing green eyes and straight lips as he accessed Takemichi's every move, but he eventually warmed up to the curly haired boy.

    "Don't ever barge into my classroom again, Senju!" Mikey shouts with rosy cheeks as he reaches over to smack the back of Senju's head. The platinum blonde girl gasps offendedly and smacks the boy back.

   "I just wanted to say hi you big meanie!" She retorts with a flushed face as she sniffs and wipes the snot that began rolling out of her nose. "P-Plus you barge into my room all the time to bother me!"

    "But that's different!"

    "How?!"

    "Because I'm a cool kid and you're a dork!"

    "A DORK?!" Just as Senju is about to reach over to tug Mikey's hair, a sneeze blows past her lips.

    Takemichi and Haruchiyo gasp at the scene in front of them.

    Mikey's hair was covered in Senju's snot.

    His eyes are blank as he stares at Senju. His hands tremble from their place inside his coat pockets and his mouth is pursed and tight lipped.

    "Oh my god..." Haruchiyo whispers, absolutely mortified for both himself, Mikey, and Senju.

    Takemichi has to hand it to Haruchiyo; the curly haired boy couldn't even utter a word.

    Then, very slowly, Mikey grabs Senju by the coat and—

    And smiles.

    "I'll give you a five second head start before I drag you back to Takeomi."

    "AHAHAAAAAAHHH!!!" Senju screams as she fights her way out of the tube and out onto the street, all the while sneezing and coughing up a storm.

    Oh, and spoil alert, Mikey ends up dragging her back to Takeomi by the hood of her jacket.

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    As Takemichi watches Senju get her temperature taken by Takeomi from afar, Haruchiyo sidles up next to him and scoffs.

    "Looks like she'll be out for a few days..." Haruchiyo whispers while handing Takemichi a cup of hot chocolate. The curly haired boy quietly thanks the blonde and takes a small sip; it tastes heavenly with the perfect mixture