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𝟐𝟖 || 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒 ||

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2000 - Shibuya, Japan

Over the past year, Takemichi began going over to Mitsuya's apartment to help with dinner and taking care of the older boy's little sisters.

    Takemichi doesn't remember when he first started offering the purple haired boy help around his apartment, but he's been doing it for about a year now.

    (He started assisting Takashi a month after the whole picture taking fiasco. After seeing how busy the young boy was, juggling his studies, little siblings, and cooking, Takemichi couldn't help but lend a helping hand.)

    Every day after school he'd head home, do his homework, walk to Mitsuya's, help till the clock hit six, then head back home where his mother and friends await. Keisuke's tried following him to Mitsuya's before, complaining about how little time they spent together over the last year, but Takemichi would always lose him by taking the narrow alleys Mitsuya had introduced him to when they started hanging out more. Haru and Mikey also attempted to follow after him, but—like with Keisuke—he lost them by taking the grimy alleys. The only person Takemichi lets follow him is Hakkai who would accompany him from time to time.

    Takemichi will admit, he felt a little bad for keeping his little tasks a secret from his friends, but—in the end—he's doing this to ease the load off Mitsuya. It's for a good cause!

    And, he hoped by spending more time with Mitsuya, that the weird feeling in his stomach would disappear.

    A feeling of swarming butterflies would erupt inside his stomach every time Mitsuya got too close. His cheeks would set themselves aflame when the older boy teased him by calling him childish nicknames like prince, crybaby, his knight, and, as of lately, his hero (Takemichi will never admit it out loud, but he enjoys being called a hero by the boy he looks up to).

    Mitsuya's sisters—those mischievous demons—notice everything. They pick and prod at the two boys, calling them their parents or daddies and Takemichi can only handle so much teasing. Mitsuya, for his part, never lets their comments bother him unlike Takemichi. He always just smiles and continues on with his chores. Every once in a while, Takemichi would watch in horror as Mitsuya played along with his little sisters. He'd call Takemichi his sweetheart and treat him like how parents treat each other in the movies Takemichi has seen. It never failed to fluster Takemichi till he was bright red and itching to leave.

    He doesn't know why he feels this way around Mitsuya, but he wants it—needs it—to go away.

    Takemichi was tempted to ask his mom for help. He thought about it a lot—confessing to his mama about the strange feeling in his chest that threatens to swallow him whole. However, he can definitely see her teasing him about his feelings. She might be a good parent, but she never misses a chance to tease Takemichi...

    He'll just have to deal with the weird butterflies until they eventually fly away.

    Takemichi's not sure when that will happen, but, if there's one thing he's proud of, it's definitely his ability to be patient.

    So Takemichi will be patient and wait it out, even if it takes a million years.

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It's a sunny Saturday morning when Takemichi hears a grating knocking on his door.

    Takemichi groans and stuffs his pillow over his ears, hoping to muffle out the annoying noise.

    He was just having the most amazing dream starring himself, Mikey, and Keisuke; they were in a gang that ruled over Tokyo and, together, they helped make the country a better, safer place to live in! Takemichi wishes he can just fade back into his wonderful dream where he can see Keisuke and Mikey at their happiest—

    "Michi!!! One of your little friends is knocking on the door!" His mom exclaims as she pops her head into his room. Takemichi groans loader and snuggles deeper into his warm covers, frustration boiling within his gut.

    "Tell Kei-kun I'm sick!"

    "It's not Keisuke."

    "Then—then tell Mikey I'll hang out later!"   

    "It's not the blonde either, hun."

    "...Haru?"

    "Nope."

    Takemichi removes the pillow from his head and fixes his mom with a raised eyebrow. If Keisuke, Mikey, and Haru aren't at the door then who...?

    His mom tilts her head, amusement shining on her face beneath her flashy makeup. "It's some purple haired kid with some spray cans. He's in the living room waiting for you."

    Before Takemichi can fully process his mom's words, she's closing the door shut, leaving the boy alone to deal with the butterflies in his stomach.

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When Takemichi and Mitsuya walk out of the boy's apartment, shoulders brushing against each other, the curly haired boy turns to the lilac eyes boy, his face a light shade of pink.

    "I'm—I was really shocked when mom told me you were waiting for me in our living room..." Takemichi mumbles, his blue eyes avoiding Mitsuya's as the older boy turns to level him with that entrancing stare that makes his skin rise with goosebumps.

    "I can tell...you sure got up in a hurry when you heard it was me," Mitsuya says in a teasing tone, making Takemichi's cheeks light up once again in a rosy shade of pink.

    "Eh?! What do you mean?! I got up at—at a very normal pace!" Takemichi exclaims as casually as he can, hoping the purple haired boy wouldn't notice the way his hands fist the fabric of his blue dress out of nervousness.

    Mitsuya just hums, as if he was agreeing with Takemichi, before his hand moves to grab something under Takemichi's chin. The curly haired boy freezes up; their close proximity causing the boy to nearly explode from euphoria cause Mitsuya is so close and he can practically smell the boy's shampoo from his bath and wow, his eyelashes are really long and pretty and his lips—

    "Your dress is on backwards."

    "...eh?"

    Looking down to see what Mitsuya is holding, Takemichi stares down in horror at the tag pinched in between his fingers.

    "People don't normally put their clothes on backwards when they're getting ready at a normal pace," Mitsuya muses, his eyes switching from the tag in between his fingers to Takemichi's blue eyes. Before another word can escape past the boy's lips, Takemichi takes a step away from Mitsuya breaking his grip from the tag poking out the top of his baby blue dress.

    "Well—you freaked me out, ok?! You never show up to my apartment without some kind of warning the day before!" Takemichi exclaims loudly, his arms crossing in front of his chest. "Besides, you're always busy watching your little sisters so—" Takemichi tries to jester over to the little gremlins that follow after their brother like little ducklings—

    But they're not there.

    With them.

    They're not here with Mitsuya.

    If...if they're not here with Mitsuya then where...?

    Takemichi is about to ask about the boy's sisters, but Mitsuya begins walking away, hand gripping his spray paint kit tightly.

    "Well, Michi?" Takemichi snaps out his trance at the sound of Mitsuya's voice. "You coming or not?" He asks, his tone uncharacteristically impatient as he continues to walk away, creating more distance between the two boys.

    Takemichi, of course, follows after him, but he can't shake Luna and Mana out of his head.

    Are they ok? Is someone watching them? Have they been fed? Is the person watching them being responsible?

    It leaves Takemichi with a weird feeling in his stomach, and this time they didn't feel like butterflies.

    They felt like wasps.

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Mitsuya ends up taking Takemichi to a small area in Shibuya where the walls are blank and void of any spray paint art.

    To Takemichi's surprise, it doesn't take the purple haired boy long to get to work on vandalizing the property. He just picks up his spray can and gets to spraying the blank canvas in dark swirls. He does it so naturally without a single worry in the world.  It makes Takemichi wonder if he's done this before in different areas in Shibuya, but he doesn't bother asking such a question.

    Takemichi just sits down against the wall opposite of the one Mitsuya is painting on and watches him work his magic.

    "Where'd you get the cans from?" Takemichi asks, entranced with the way Mitsuya just knows what to do.

    Without looking away from the wall, Mitsuya answers his question robotically, his mind obviously elsewhere. "Hmmm I got them from a friend who owed me...he's a few years older than us."

    "O-Oh..."

    Takemichi goes back to being quiet, listening and watching the spray can decorating the wall in abstract images. The boy crosses his legs underneath his dress and gets comfortable, the buzzing inside his stomach growing louder with every second that passes.

    Why did Mitsuya bring him here?

    Where are Luna and Mana?

    And why can't Takemochi build up the courage to ask him?

    Takemichi leans back against the cold wall and heaves out a sigh. He had originally planned to spend the day helping cats with Chifuyu since Mitsuya hardly needed help on the weekends, yet here he is—being swept away to just...just watch Mitsuya spray paint a wall. The urge to get up and walk away is strong, but he doesn't move.

    He watches and hums to himself out of boredom, every once in a while asking Mitsuya questions until the boy no longer responds, too immersed in his little project to pay attention to Takemichi.

    Takemichi fumbles with a loose rock on the ground and kicks it, bored out of his mind. He really, really wants to leave. He doesn't like the way Mitsuya is acting—distant and non-responsive. Takemichi was fine with it at first, everyone likes to be quiet every once in a while, but he's just outright ignoring Takemichi despite having dragged him out in some random part of town.

    "Hey Mitsuya?"

    As expected, no response.

    "I'm just—I'm just gonna go back—"

    That, for some reason, finally gets his attention.

    Mitsuya swings his head around to level Takemichi with a deep stare, his purple eyes dark and almost—dare he say—glaring.

    "What? You're gonna leave? Why?" He asks, his eyes narrowing with each question that leaves his mouth. Takemichi can't help but lean further against the wall behind him, nervous about this new side of Mitsuya's.

    "Well I'm bored!" Takemichi exclaims, trying not to let the boy's mood swing affect him. "I don't want to stare and watch you spray paint a wall all day! That's boring..."

    "Then help me."

    Takemichi perks up from his spot.

    "Huh? What do you—"

    Mitsuya cuts Takemichi off by tossing him a spare spray can. "Help me finish this design!" He declares, his eyes softening as he watches Takemichi fumble with the spray paint can in his hands.

    "But—but I've never used this before!"

    Mitsuya scoffs and walks over to Takemichi and extends a hand out for Takemichi to take. It takes the boy a few seconds to actually consider taking it, but once he does, he's pulled up onto his feet, spray paint in hand.

    "I'll teach you! Just—just don't leave, ok?" Takemichi stares wide eyed at the older boy's request. His lilac colored eyes, normally full of warmth and happiness, are dull. Dark eyeshadows decorate the underside of his eyes, revealing his true state.

    Gripping the spray paint in his hand, Takemichi walks towards Mitsuya's work of art, set on helping his friend finish the beautiful piece.

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It takes Takemichi awhile to get a hang of using the spray paint, but once he gets the hang of it, he can't stop.

    Takemichi Isn't really an artistic person. Sure, he likes to color in coloring books and stuff like that, but he's never been good at making his own drawings. He's very clumsy with pencils and markers, usually letting Hakkai finish off his half-assed drawings.

    But, for some reason, he can use the spray paint.

    Odd, isn't it?

    He lets Mitsuya instruct him on what to do, not wanting to mess up his beautiful work of art, and allows his hand to guide him, setting the pace for each stroke and line he sprays on the blank wall.

    "Am I doing this right?" Takemichi asks after a while of not asking Mitsuya for assistance.

    The purple haired boy turns to inspect his work and smiles. "Yep! You're doing amazing, Takemichi! Keep it up!"

    Instead of wasps buzzing in his stomach, the pitter patter of butterfly wings awakens and takes over, causing a red flush to cover his cheeks.

    "T-Thanks!"

    Takemichi keeps spraying the wall in a dark color, helping Mitsuya finish his art piece in any way he can.

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They both lost track of time.

    By the time they actually finish the art piece, the sun is setting and their stomachs are growling, yearning to be filled with delicious food.

    Takemichi turns to look at Mitsuya, a question on the tip of his tongue, but stops upon seeing Mitsuya already staring at him. His smile is soft and comforting like a warm blanket in the winter season and Takemichi wants nothing more than to bundle up next to him to ward off the cold.

    "I guess we're done?"

    Mitsuya takes another step closer to Takemichi, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiles brightly at the curly haired boy.

    "I suppose so—"

    "OI! No kissing in front of my food!"

    Takemichi jumps and whips his head around, trying to catch whoever made such an absurd comment, and his eyes land on a boy sitting on the exact same spot he was sitting in hours before Mitsuya handed him a spray can.

    A young boy, probably older than Takemichi, is sitting on the cold floor with a container of Karubi-don in his lap. His blonde hair is brushed back and probably gelled too. His dark eyes narrow at Takemichi and Mitsuya, making the younger boy freeze up.

    He's...kinda scary to look at...

    Mitsuya steps out in front of Takemichi, shielding him from the strange boy sitting on the ground. The stranger smirks upon seeing this for some reason.

    "Eh? Getting protective already? I was just joking, jeez..." he mumbles loud enough for Takemichi to hear from behind Mitsuya. "But that's like a super cool drawing! Is it a dragon?" He asks, his mouth filled with food.

    Instead of answering the blonde's question, Mitsuya rears back and points a finger at him accusingly. "Since when have you been here?!" He shouts.

    The stranger doesn't seem the bit surprised by the boy's outburst. He takes another bite of his food and begins to chew as relaxed as can be. "Huh? Oh, I've been watching you two the whole time," he explains while still chewing his food, bits and pieces of grub spraying out of his mouth.

    Takemichi can't help but cringe at the sight.

    "That's bullshit!" Takemichi squeaks out from behind Mitsuya. The blonde just eyes him with a curious look before swallowing his food.

    "How do you know?"

    "I just do!"

    The stranger just bursts out laughing at Takemichi!s words, causing the boy to flush a bright red. How dare he not take him seriously!!! The audacity of this kid...

    "Hey—artsy kid!" The boy calls out while pointing a finger back at Mitsuya. "Get your girlfriend under control!"

    HUH?!?!

    "He's not a girl!"

    "I'm not his girlfriend!"

    Mitsuya turns back to look at Takemichi, a raised brow evident on his face.

    "You're not? But I thought we were dating?"

    EH?!?!

    Takemichi jumps back as if stung. He can't stop the rapid beating of his heart. He swears, for a moment, that it will jump out of his chest and throw itself at Mitsuya.

    What on earth is going on inside Mitsuya's head?!

    "Boys can't date each other!!!" Takemichi exclaims, barely able to get the words out without stuttering like a maniac.

    This time, it isn't Mitsuya who speaks.

    It's the stranger.

    "Yes they can!" He shouts over Takemichi's inner turmoil. "Mr. Yoshito has an American boyfriend who visits the brothel like two days a week—"

    "I don't know who you're talking about!!!"

    The stranger just scoffs and goes back to eating his food. "Mr. Yoshito is the guy who runs the brothel in Shibuya!!! Duhhh," he explains like he's talking to a two year old.

    Now it's Mitsuya's turn to be flushed.

    "Eh? A brothel? They have those in Shibuya?!"

    The blonde boy smirks before answering, his mouth still full of grub.

    "Yup—"

    "UM HELLO? LET'S GET BACK TO THIS CREEPY KID WHO'S BEEN WATCHING US FOR HOURS WITHOUT US NOTICING???" Takemichi nearly screams, wanting nothing more than to steer the conversation back on track before it crashes and burns into a bunch of blistering flames.

    "Oh yeah...I'm still kinda upset that we're not dating though—"

    "We'll talk about that later!!!"

    Mitsuya scoffs before returning his gaze to the blonde boy sitting on the ground, dark eyes filled with never ending amusement.

    Before Mitsuya can even get a word out, the blonde boy holds his food out to show Mitsuya and Takemichi.

    "Y'all want some Karubi-don?"

    ...what kind of person would Takemichi be if he refused such a breathtaking dish of food?

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With Takemichi and Mitsuya smooshed against each other on the floor, both sharing a pair of chopsticks as they absolutely devour the stranger's Karubi-don, the kid begins to talk again.

    The blonde boy, who's actually a lot taller than Takemichi up close, looks at the curly haired boy, his lips set in a straight line as he stares and stares at Takemichi.

    Takemichi can't help but grow nervous under his dark stare. Why did he agree to sit here and eat the boy's food? Now they're practically obligated to talk to him!

    "...Sorry for calling you a girl earlier. You're just kinda pretty for a boy."

    ...huh?

    ...Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?

    Ignoring the way Mitsuya glares at the stranger, Takemichi swallows the food in his mouth and attempts to give the boy a soft smile despite wanting to chuck the chopsticks at his head.