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𝟒𝟑 || 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐄𝐑 ||

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Takemichi likes Keisuke, he really does–truly–but sometimes he can't stand how impulsive he is.

    Sometimes it's nice to go on fun adventures with Keisuke and Mikey when he's not shoved into an unexpected situation.

    For example: Creating a cat army that failed and every cat began attacking them viciously. Igniting trash bags on fire that somehow got the cops called. Riding in a car driven by an underage kid who's never touched a steering wheel a day in his life.

    But today seems to be different–an adventure Takemichi can actually handle without being given a heart attack.

    "The arcade? But why today?" Takemichi asks from his spot in the living room, mindlessly switching through channels to find one that catches his interest. Keisuke, the boy who's cuddled up against his side, snatches the remote from Takemichi's hand.

    "Because some douchebag keeps beating my high score on Puck man and it's pissing me off!"

    Takemichi tries reaching for the remote and–as usual–fails.

    "Are you sure it isn't Mikey? He's pretty good at that game..."

    Takemichi thinks back to the time Mikey had taken him out to the arcade–just the two of them–and began showing him all of the arcade games that he had a high score in. Takemichi had watched with stars in his eyes as Mikey pointed at each machine, his hand grasped tightly in Takemichi's, shoulders brushing with little room between them–

    Keisuke tosses the remote onto the coffee table, out of Takemichi's reach, catching the boy by surprise.

    "Eh?! Kei-chan–stop, you're gonna break the remote again–"

     Keisuke interrupts Takemichi by climbing into the smaller boy's lap, nearly knocking the breath out of him. Takemichi can hardly concentrate on anything–all he can see is Keisuke and his long black hair that has started to grow past his neck, landing wildly along his shoulders. His arms cage Takemichi in, leaving Takemichi little room for an escape, but that must be what Keisuke is shooting for.

    Sure, Takemichi can try to shove Keisuke off his lap, but that will only lead to an impromptu fight on the floor which Takemichi is not in the mood to participate in.

    With a loud groan, Takemichi meets Keisuke's eyes and rests his hands on Keisuke's shoulders, earning a huff of satisfaction from the heavy boy.

    "It ain't Mikey–I checked! The stupid kid who's been beating all my highscores is called somethin' stupid like–like Mastermind or something!" Keisuke explains, his brown eyes boring heavily into Takemichi's.

    Takemichi scrunches up his brow, trying to recall if he's ever seen the username mastermind on any of the arcade games, and comes up blank. "Mastermind? That's weird..."

    "Right?! That's why I've gotta beat this bastard's high score, find them, and beat them into a bloody pulp for daring to challenge me!!!"

    Takemichi immediately cringes at Keisuke's words, internally sympathizing with the poor soul who decided to one up Keisuke.

    "...I don't have any Yen for the arcade..." Takemichi lies, knowing damn well that a good bundle of yen sits nicely in one of the drawers inside his bedroom, but he can't let Keisuke know that.

    Keisuke smirks, seeming to have expected this. "Yeah? Well I do!" Keisuke then pulls out a coin pouch that clinks and changs wildly as Keisuke shakes it in front of Takemichi's face. "I've been savin' up for something like this so we can both play!"

    Takemichi heart stutters, utterly warmed by Keisuke's thoughtfulness.

    "Eh? For–for us?"

    Keisuke nods, a smile adorning his features. "Yeah! This bag is for us...maybe mikey, but he has his own money...so it's mostly for us!" He explains, taking Takemichi's hands from his shoulders and dropping the coin pouch into the psalm of Takemichi's hands. "You can add yen into it whenever, K?"

    ...Guess Takemichi doesn't really have much of a choice but to go along with Keisuke's plans.

    With his heart still stuck in his throat, Takemichi nods and hands the coin pouch back to Keisuke.

    "To–to the arcade then?"

    Keisuke's face lights up instantly.

    "Fuck yeah!!!"

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Takemichi watches from Keisuke's side as the feral boy presses numerous buttons, his brown eyes fixated on the screen ahead of him, concentrated and in a completely other world.

    Maybe, if it were any other kid, Takemichi would find himself growing bored doing nothing but watching, but this is Keisuke; a boy who defies expectations. His face is all scrunched up in a serious but cute expression as he moves the joystick around. His black hair falls ungracefully around his face, giving the boy a wild look that Takemichi can't help but simply adore. His eyes are completely immersed into the task at hand, not deterring in the slightest as he moves puck man from side to side, dodging ghosts like he's born for this.

    Not wanting to break the boy's concentration, Takemichi moves away from him with a smile, content with observing him from a distance.

    Also he fears that–if he stays too long–then he might do something stupid to mess Keisuke up, like swirling Keisuke's long strands, or placing his chin on top of the crown of his head, simply breathing in the boy's natural smell.

    It happened a few times when Takemichi was with Mikey at the very same arcade: Takemichi was admiring the blonde as he worked to get Takemichi a stuffed animal from a claw machine after claiming that they're rigged. Takemichi had been staring at the blonde for far too long. Takemichi was admiring the way Mikey's hair always seemed to be brushed nicely while maintaining its wildness. His dark eyes that Takemichi used to fear had started growing on Takemichi, reminding Takemichi of the night sky when it's rid of clouds, filled with twinkling stars that send Takemichi's heart afloat.

    Takemichi couldn't take it anymore and took a step closer to Mikey, leaned his head along Mikey's shoulder, and made the blonde jolt in surprise, which caused the boy to mess up on the claw machine.

    Takemichi cringes at the memory, remembering how sad and disappointed Mikey was the entire time because that was the last of their yen, and Takemichi would rather die than repeat the same mistake.

    The boy holds the coin pouch close to his chest, his eyes scanning the room as he looks for a game to play. There were a few pinball machines, mortal kombat games that needed two players to play, and claw machines.

    ...Perhaps Takemichi can take a page out of Mikey's book and win something for Keisuke?

    Approaching one of the claw machines, Takemichi eyes the stuffed animals inside. There's a variety to choose from, but the stuffed animal that catches Takemichi's eye is a small tiger that sits in the far corner, away from the drop off box. It's a beautiful amber color with black stripes and black beady eyes and Takemichi quickly decides that this will be the prize he gives to Keisuke.

    Takemichi unzips the coin pouch, grabs a single yen, and slots it into the machine, determination coursing through his veins, more than ready to make Keisuke proud.

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Finally, after spending more than a couple of yen on the machine, Takemichi got his hands on the tiger.

    Takemichi had squealed with joy at the sight of the claw dropping the tiger into the drop off box, tears nearly appearing in the corner of his eyes.

    Now, with the tiger squeezes tightly in his arms, Takemichi makes his merry way back to Keisuke–

    And stops at the sight before him.

    The arcade game that Keisuke has been working on beating all day abruptly cuts off, turning into a screen of nothing but static.

    "AAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Keisuke screams, catching everyone's attention. "ALL OF MY HARD WORK–GONE!!!" Takemichi quickly makes his way to Keisuke, knowing that–if he leaves Keisuke in this state–then  someone will most likely get hurt.

    "H-Hey! It's ok, Kei-chan, I'm sure it saved your progress before–" Takemichi's words of reassurance fall on deaf ears and Keisuke continues, his nose flared in rage with his head facing the ground, unable to face the screen ahead of him.

    "Back up Michi, I'm bout to knock some bitches silly."

    ..Huh?

    That's when Takemichi spots the unplugged chord, the trembling boy with black hair and sandy brown eyes–a small birthmark right below his right eye– his companion that nudges him and–

    Ah.

    They accidentally unplugged the arcade machine.

    "W-Wait, Kei-chan, I'm sure it was an accident!" Takemichi says, hoping to defuse the situation before Keisuke wreaks havoc on these poor kids.

    But, of course, Keisuke ignores him.

    "You bastards...I was so close to finishing the last stage and now.." Keisuke abruptly stands from his seat, his brown eyes flaring with rage as he spins to face the scared boy with wide bloodshot sandy eyes.

     "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!"

    Takemichi watches in horror as the startled boy's companion scoffs at Keisuke's threat.

    "Ah, my bad..." He mumbles, his voice deadpanned and completely oblivious to the monster standing before him. Then, without a second thought, he turns to the scared boy and orders, "Kazutora, pay him back a hundred yen."

    Moving his eyes from the idiot, Takemichi glances at the yellow eyed boy, the feeling of sorrow making itself known in Takemichi's stomach. Yeah, sure, Takemichi's seen this a hundred times–The leader of the group taking advantage of his status for stupid shit like money–but seeing the way the kid Kazutora follows his orders, oblivious to how he's being used breaks Takemichi's heart.

    "Hurry up!" The boy urges, glaring at Kazutora as the startled boy rummages around in his pocket for yen.

    "Ah, right, okay–"

    "YOU DUMBASS!!!

    In the blink of an eye, Keisuke punches the leader of the group across the jaw, making him knock into a nearby arcade machine. Takemichi watches with wide eyes as the boy on the ground tears up, his eyes staring up at Keisuke in fear as Keisuke barrels on, his brows scrunched up in anger.

    "It's not about the money! I'm upset about losing all of my hard work, you bastard!" Keisuke raises his fist, ready to continue his assault on the boy, but before Takemichi can move in to stop him, Kazutora grabs Keisuke's wrist, holding him back from raining down more punches onto the boy.

    "Hey!"

    Takemichi's heart flies to his throat. "I wouldn't do that if i were you!!!" Takemichi warns, beads of sweat already rolling down his neck in waves. Kazutora spares Takemichi a single glance before going back to face Keisuke, his expression even more determined than before.

    Well he tried–now he's gonna die a painful death...

    "Don't you dare lay a hand on my friend!" Kazutora shouts, earning an amused smile from Keisuke.

    "Eh? You're amazing!" Keisuke says despite his voice being void of humor or fascination.

    Then, just as quickly as his mood changed, Keisuke punches Kazutora across the face while declaring, "THEN YOU SHOULD BE MY OPPONENT INSTEAD!!!"

    Kazutora stumbles a bit, but he quickly gets his footing, his face twisting in frustration. "A friend you say? What are you trying to pretend for?!" Keisuke asks, his voice slowly turning serious as he raises his fists, ready to strike again. "You guys ain't friends–you're a flock of sheep! Just a bunch of sheep who run away when the wolf comes!" Then, as soon as he puts his hands up, he puts them in his pocket, his gaze moving past Kazutora and to the boy who's scrambling to get out of the arcade. "And would you look at that–your friends have already run away."

    Takemichi can't hold back the frown that makes its way onto Takemichi's face when Kazutora realizes that–yes, his friends did leave him to deal with the big bad wolf.

    Takemichi clutches onto the tiger in his arms, truly emphasizing with the lone boy.

    (Despite having lived in Shibuya for three years, his dreams of his old city still haunt him–the betrayal, the ruthless fighting, the sneers and threats of assault that lingered around every corner–staring at Kazutora awakens something Takemichi had thought dissolved all those years ago.

    Fear of being alone, fear of losing everything he holds dear, fear of being betrayed.)

    Keisuke scoffs, no longer amused, but serious.

    The fanged boy then turns to Takemichi and holds out his hand. Although still suffering from a throbbing heart, Takemichi moves the tiger into the crook of his arm and takes Keisuke's hand. Brown eyes dart from the tiger in Takemichi's arms and back to his face, a silent question in his gaze as he stares at Takemichi.

    Is that for me? He seems to ask, and Takemichi smirks and shakes his head no.

    Not anymore.

    Keisuke scoffs and turns back to Kazutora and continues on with roasting the poor boy.

    Keisuke's face doesn't change when he mumbles, "Lameass," but his grip around Takemichi's hand tightens. Keisuke then cocks his head and asks, "So? You their money tree?"

    Takemichi nudges Keisuke, quietly telling him to stop antagonizing Kazutora, but Keisuke just smirks.

    Kazutora's mouth falls, his face full of offense. "You're wrong! What the hell are you talking about, asshole?!" Kazutora screeches.

    Keisuke's smirk quickly morphs into a bright grin. "That hundred yen just now...You've always been used like that, right?"

    Kazutora's eyes go wide and Takemichi sees the moment understanding hits the poor boy. His pupils turn into slits like an angry beast at the realization that yes, i've been used as a yen pouch this entire time, but he continues to hold his ground against Keisuke.

    "No–That's not it! It's just a coincidence!!!" Kazutora lies, an angry vein popping out from beneath his eye. "I Don't usually bring money!"

    Keisuke rolls his eyes and turns away, tugging Takemichi along with him as he teases Kazutora with an evil smile. "Hmm...well you sure got some amazing friends." Keisuke moves to walk away, his gaze switching from Kazutora to Takemichi. "Hey, wanna go play mortal kombat–"

     Keisuke cuts himself off with widened eyes and suddenly shoves Takemichi away.

    SLAM!!!

    "SHUT UP!!! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!!!"

    Takemichi whips his head around, confused as hell, when he catches sight of Keisuke grinning wildly–his cheek red from–

    That's when Takemichi sees it–Kazutora's balled up fists, the close proximity, the look of rage that's plastered on his face, the red mark blooming across Keisuke's cheek.

    Kazutora punched Keisuke back.

    ...and Keisuke pushed Takemichi out of the way so he wouldn't get hurt.

    Before Takemichi can say a single word, Keisuke punches back with a hysterical smile.

    "Your true face is showing!" Keisuke shouts, crowding into Kazutora's face before grabbing him by the nape of his neck. Kazutora shouts in surprise and tries to fight Keisuke off, but ultimately fails. Takemichi observes from afar as Keisuke drags Kazutora out of the arcade.

    However, before shoving Kazutora out the door, Keisuke turns and winks at Takemichi. "Hey Michi! Win me a stuffed animal while I deal with this punk!"

    Knowing that there's nothing Takemichi can do to stop Keisuke from tearing the boy a new one, Takemichi heaves out a sigh and nods.

    "Don't kill him, Kei-chan. I wanna get him food later."

    Keisuke curls up a brow at that, but thankfully doesn't question his words. "Don't worry, ima just rough him up a bit!"

    Takemichi can't bring himself to not worry.

    The curly haired boy turns on his heel and marches back to the arcade machine, internally wishing that Kazutora doesn't end up too bruised to eat ramen with him later.

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When Takemichi comes back with another stuffed animal in his arms (A wolf–one that perfectly depicts Keisuke), he's surprised to find an injured Keisuke and Kazutora sitting on the side of the road, talking amongst each other as if they're good friends. Their faces are covered in scraps and bruises, but they're both wearing bright smiles as they talk, oblivious to the boy sneaking up behind them.

    (The scene brief;y reminds Takemichi of how he and Keisuke became friends and he can't help but smile warmly at the two.)

    "--Junpeke, huh? What a bitchy name..." Takemichi hears Keisuke grumble from afar, earning a sheepish laugh from Kazutora.

    "I guess...but you saw the earring he had right? The one with the bell? God, it's so cool–" Kazutora cuts himself off when he sees Takemichi approach, his yellow eyes turning dull and defensive at the sight of him.

    Ah, he probably hates Takemichi...

    Not having much to lose, Takemichi raises a hand and waves at Kazutora. "H-Hey! I'm Takemichi Hanagaki...I heard your name is Kazutora...is that right?"

    Takemichi's met with complete silence.

    Keisuke, who finally notices Takemichi, lights up.

    "Hey Michi! Guess who turned out to not be as much of a dick as I thought he'd be?" Keisuke then dramatically points at Kazutora who's narrowing his eyes at Takemichi and Keisuke. "This guy!!!"

    Kazutora switches his gaze from the boys and instead focuses on the concrete beneath his feet.

    "..not fair..."

    Both Takemichi and Keisuke tilt their heads, unable to properly hear Kazutora's mumbling.

    "Eh? We can't hear ya if you grumble like that, Tora," Keisuke teases, nudging the injured boy's shoulder.

    "Y-yeah...I mean, if you don't like me or something i can just leave–"

    Takemichi is abruptly cut off when Kazutora whirls around to face Keisuke, a finger pointing directly at Takemichi while yelling, "IT'S NOT FAIR THAT YOU HAVE SUCH A CUTE GIRLFRIEND!!!"

    GIRLFRIEND?!

    Takemichi is left stumbling and stuttering over his words as he tries and fails to tell Kazutora that he's not a girl and–most importantly–not dating Keisuke, but anything that even leaves his lips are too incoherent to understand.

    Rather than