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𝟒𝟖 || 𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 ||

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𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏

    CLANG!

    CLANG!!

    CLANG!!!

    Keisuke grinds his teeth at the annoying sound resounding through the hotel room and promptly stuffs his pillow over his head, hoping to keep the noise from destroying his ear drums–

    The pillow is ungracefully yanked from his grasp, making the tired eleven year old whip his head around in frustration, black hair flying in every direction, as he gets ready to bite whoever thought it was a good idea to wake Keisuke up by making that horrid sound.

    "FUCKING–STOP IT DAMNIT, STOP IT!!!" Keisuke all but screams with his hands bunched up tightly in his hair.

    From either side of Keisuke, he feels Takemichii and Mikey rise, their hair just as tangled and messed up as his, with glaring eyes piercing through the culprit.

    "We're up! We're up!!!" Takemichi cries out, his weight shifting to lean against Keisuke.

    "Yeah? Are you?" Shin's annoying voice calls out from above them, a pot and pan still held tightly in his hands with a stupid smile reaching his ears. "Hey, Waka–Benkei–do you think they're awake?"

    Keisuke freezes up, suddenly aware of Wakasa and Benkei holding a pan in each hand, their faces scrunched up in something ugly and mischievous.

    "I dunno...Maybe we should make some more noise–"

    "Don't terrorize them this early in the morning..." a soft, tired voice interrupts Wakasa. Moving his gaze from the three guys to the door where their hotel rooms connect, Keisuke's mom lingers from afar, her body leaning against the doorframe. Her bed head is just as bad as Keisukes if not worse. "And where the hell did you find those pots and pans?" She asks, her eyes narrowing at the items clutched tightly in the ex-delinquents hands.

    Keisuke watches with satisfaction as Wakasa and Shin exchange nervous glances, as if they aren't quite sure how to answer her, but Benkei pipes up, his brow slightly sweating. "We–uh–we left the hotel early this morning and bought them, Ms.Baji..."

    His mom's eyes seem to pierce through the three guys upon hearing his words. "So you thought it would be a perfectly good idea to ruin three sets of pots and pans to wake up a couple of exhausted kids?!" His mom sneers, finally stepping into the room as she approaches the three guys with a murderous intent. Keisuke watches with a smile on his face, unable to his excitement at the thought of his mom choking the shit out of Shin, Benkei, and Wakasa.

    Wakasa and Benkei freeze up, absolutely terrified by his mother (FUCK YEAH!!! FEEL THE RAGE BITCH!!!), but Shin takes a step forward, feigning a calm facade that makes Keisuke want to roll his eyes.

    "Uh...What on earth is happening right now?" Takemichi asks, his morning breath wafting over Keisuke's nose, and he does nothing to hide the disgust that appears on his face.

    "Ew! Wash your teeth before talking to me, Takemichi!"

    Takemichi gawks at him, offended. "You first!" He shouts back.

    "Ms.Baji is about to go apeshit on Shin, Benkei, and Wakasa," Mikey answers Takemichi, his breath just as disgusting as Takemichi's but at least he has the decency to talk away from the boys.

    "Well it's deserved..." Keisuke grumbles back with a sinister smile, but it's quickly wiped away at the sight of his mom simply giving the guys a slap on the wrist.

    "For now on, I'll be waking the boys up. Am I clear?"

    "...Yes, Ms.Baji..." The three guys mumble, relief washing over their faces.

    An annoyed smile graces his mom's lips as the sight. "good–Now everyone start getting ready for the day!"

    Keisuke groans and throws the blanket off himself, Takemichi, and Mikey, earning similar groans in return.

    "Noooo...I need warmthhh..." Mikey whines, his hands clawing pathetically at the sheets.

    "Me too..." Takemichi agrees, leaving Keisuke to be the one to usher the two boys out of bed, his mom's eyes following his movements like a hawk.

    "Cmon Michi, Mikey! I don't wanna get my ass chewed out by mom!" Keisuke complains, his eyes narrowing at his creepy mom from afar.

    With a couple more pushing and shoving, Keisuke manages to get the two boys out of bed.

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On their way to eat lunch at a place called Ramen Ajino-Sapporo, Keisuke observes the workers and entertainers getting ready for the festival.

    Many of them are already working on their big floats that depict a brave warrior–red, green, and orange colors splashing all over the vibrant floats, each one more different than the other. And the entertainers working on said floats were all dressed up in the same white outfits with rope wrapped around their foreheads and waists, bright grins gracing their faces.

    Keisuke points and stares in awe, earning himself a half-hearted scolding from his mother, but he ignores her, taking in the festive town and all it has to offer.

    "Look!" Mikey calls out, grabbing Keisuke's attention along with Takemichi's. With a pointed finger, Mikey directs their eyes to a group of people with instruments; Drums, tambourines, bells, and plenty of other instruments were being played, probably practicing for the opening night of the festival. Across from them stand people in colorful uniforms, all dancing gracefully with vibrant headbands and heavy layers of makeup. "The dancers! The band! They're all here!" The blonde exclaims, stars appearing in his vacant dark eyes.

    Takemichi gasps from beside Keisuke, just as thrilled at the sight of them. "Are we gonna see them perform tonight?!" Takemichi asks, his hand tightening around Keisuke's as he follows Mikey's gaze.

    Keisuke tightens his grip on Takemichi's hand in return, an infectious smile tugging at his lips as Mikeyanswers with an enthusiastic, "Duh! And we're gonna be dancing with them!"

    Keisuke and Takemichi tilt their heads, confused.

    "Eh? We?" Keisuke repeats, eyeing the blonde with a raised brow. The feral boy sneaks a glance over at his curly haired boyfriend to see him giving Mikey the same expression.

    The sight does more than make his heart flutter.

    His heart practically explodes.

    But, of course, he'd rather die than admit such a thing.

    "Yes, we!" Mikey affirms confidently, his body turning away from the dancers to properly face Keisuke and Takemichi. "All we gotta do is sign up, buy the same outfit, and gather more people to dance with us!"

    Keisuke lifts his eyebrows, fascinated by this weird but cool practice. And, with one look towards Takemichi, Keisuke knows the smaller boy feels the same way.  

    Then, very suddenly, something wild and frantic crosses Takemichi's face.

    "But what about our Kimonos? Did we–did we seriously buy them for nothing?!" Takemichi asks, a nervous smile reaching his lips.

    Mikey immediately reassures the boy by placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling sweetly. "Of course not! We can just wear the kimonos on the nights we choose not to dance with the crowd!"

    A sigh of relief leaves Takemichi and it takes everything in Keisuke's body not to grab the boy's face in his hands and plant a kiss on his forehead. Instead of listening to that voice in his head that's shouting at him to indulge in his desires, Keisuke laughs and knocks his fist into Takemichi's shoulder playfully, sending the smaller boy into Mikey's arm.

    "Yeah! Besides, I went through too much trouble to put that damn thing on. There's no way I ain't wearin' it now just because some festival wants us to wear something different!" Keisuke declares stubbornly, his arms crossing his chest in defiance.

    This, for whatever reason, catches his mom's attention from up ahead, her head turning towards them with a raised brow.

    "Huh? What's this about your Kimono?" She asks curiously, her eyes watching the three boys while Wakasa, Shin, and Benkei look for the restaurant they're supposed to eat at.

    Keisuke contemplates answering her, but thinks better of it. If he were to tell his mom now that they're supposed to be wearing a different attire from the festival, then she'll freak the fuck out on Keisuke and blame him for not giving him the right information! And it's not that Keisuke cant handle getting scolded by his mother, but he'd rather not be berated on a trip where everyone is supposed to be having fun–

    "Oh we were just talkin' bout how it's tradition to wear a Haneto costume to dance along with the dancers and Taikos," Mikey explains, completely ignoring Keisuke's face of utter betrayal.

    However, instead of glaring at Mikey for not telling her beforehand, she smiles.

    "Oh? Is that so..." Then, with a look of a mother who's come to a permanent decision, she switches he gaze from Mikey to Takeichi and then, lastly, to Keisuke. Keisuke gulps once her eyes land on him and he can already hear her raised voice and she scolds him in particular– "Then I guess we'll have to buy some Hanetos tomorrow."

    ...What the shit?

    "Awww man! So we have to wear our Kimonos today? But its opening night!" Mikey complains without a care in the world, completely oblivious to the beast he's facing.

    And, surprising Keisuke once again, His mom just laughs and ruffles Mikey's blonde locks of hair before settling her gaze onto Takemichi. "You boys can stand to be without a haneto for another day. Besides, i hear little Michi here has a beautiful Kimono he wants to show off~"

     Keisuke's eyes widen at the words and with the speed of sonic the hedgehog, Keisuke–and Mikey–whip their heads around to face Takemichi who's blushing wildly at his mom.

    "E-Eh?! Where'd you hear that?!" Takemichi demands, hsi face turning a scarlet red, but–in all honesty–Keisuke couldn't care less about where his mom heard such sacred information. Why, you may ask? Because the only thing running through Keisuke's mind are all the beautiful kinds of Kimonos Takemichi could be wearing later tonight. Will he wear a kimono with a flower pattern? And, if he does, will he put a cute flower pin in his hair to complete the look?

    "Who cares!" Mikey speaks up, his entire body slumping against Takemichi's, his dark eyes glistening with satisfaction.  "I wanna see Takemitchy all cute and dressed up, So kimonos it is then!"

    Takemichi's face then, promptly, explodes.

    "HAH?!"

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Eating at Ramen Ajino-Sapporo was about as chaotic as Keisuke expected it to be.

    Mikey kept asking Takemichi about the kimono he was gonna wear tonight, Keisuke wouldn't give up on hand feeding Mikey and Takemichi the appetizers like he's seen in those cheesy romance movies, Wakasa and Benkei had a fight over who was gonna pay for the tab, and his mom and Shin had a competition to see who could eat the most ramen.

    ...Keisuke's mom threw up after devouring three bowls and Shin followed shortly after cleaning out five bowls. After that, they all scurried out of the restaurant, his mom flushed red in embarrassment, Wakasa and Benkei threw money at their waiter, Shin was having a hard time controlling his obnoxious laughter, and the three boyfriends just giggled and followed along, not sparing anyone else a single glance.

    Keisuke would've been worried about getting kicked out if he wasn't having so much fun, but he'll allow himself to feel a small smidge of sympathy for the other customers who had to endure their loud presence.    

    Worrying over silly things like that is Takemichi's thing, not Keisuke's, so he'll let Takemichi deal with the crippling guilt of being troublesome customers.

    And, on their way back to the hotel, Keisuke managed to spot another alley that had vendors and games, all decked out and decorated in big red and orange lights to fit the aesthetic of the upcoming festival.

    Keisuke made a small promise to himself to win his two boyfriends something from the stands sometime during his stay in Aomori and continued on towards the path to their designated hotel.

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Keisuke's blue and white kimono sits awkwardly against his skin, the long sleeves nearly covering his finger tips, and the wooden sandals under his feet aching with each step he takes. He doesn't bother to hide his displeasure, especially when his mom begins styling his hair with weird accessories. The Only thing Keisuke actually has taken a liking to is the necklace that hangs loosely around his neck, blue beads mixed with green and orange, that help make his outfit pop.

    Once he's finished being inspected by his mom, Keisuke hauls ass out of the restroom, his fingers clutching tightly onto the doorway as he tries to escape–

    His eyes widen at the scene he accidentally stumbles upon, his cheek sheathing up until they turn a rosy shade of red.

    Before him stands Mikey, clad in a vibrant red kimono with black dragon designs flowing down the sides. The obi that's tied loosely around his waist is gold color that helps balance the overall look out. In mikey's hair–that's tied up in a bun–sits a long pin that looks eerily similar to a tsunami hair pin, the end of the long stick holding a pretty red flower that matches the color of his kimono. From the looks of it, the pin is what's keeping Mikey's hair out of his face while adding a more charismatic charm to the pretty blonde.

    Mikey turns away from Shin who's snapping pictures of the boy and looks at Keisuke, his eyes widening a fraction before breaking out into a soft smile with a blush appearing across his cheeks.

    "Nice outfit, Keisuke."

    To say that Keisuke is completely blown away by Mikey's appearance would be an understatement.

    His breath is caught in his throat.

    His ears are ringing violently.

    His poor heart is beating rapidly in his chest.

    His fingers itch and switch to grab onto Mikey's stupid kimono and kiss him silly–

    "Wow! You guys look amazing!"

    Keisuke snaps out of his trance, startled by the sound of Takemichi's voice, and–once again–loses the ability to breathe.

    Keisuke completely ignores the smug looks of both Benkei and Wakasa from behind the small boy and instead focuses on what Takemichi is wearing. The green flower patterned Kimono sits pleasantly against Takemichi's body, the white obi tied tightly around the boy's waist to accentuate his figure. His hair is combed back, save for a few wild curls that land across his forehead, along with many floral hair pins that seem to make his overall appearance pop. Around his neck hangs a simple golden necklace, probably one of those cheap ones people like to sell on the streets, and pink flower shaped earrings decorate the boy's earlobes.

    Keisuke closes his eyes, willing his heart to calm down, to no avail.

    How...

    How in the hell did Keisuke get lucky enough to acquire not one, but TWO CUTE ASS BOYFRIENDS?!

    He opens his eyes, ready to drag Mikey and Takemichi out the door and to the festival, when Shinichiro's big mouth interrupts him

    "Woah! I didn't know you pierced your ears, Takemichi! They look good!" Shinichiro says after a few moments of silence, his lanky figure striding up to Takemichi with curiosity.

    "Ah, yeah, we pierced them a few seconds ago, see?" Wakasa says so nonchalantly while holding up a bloodied tissue.

    Keisuke doesn't pay much attention to the blood, or the argument that ensues between his mother and Wakasa about how dangerous it is to pierce ears by someone who's not a professional, and instead focuses on his boyfriends beauty–

    "Aww how cute! They're flowers, too! I'll have to buy a pair for emma," Shinichiro says to a blushing Takemichi, his hand reaching out to touch the earrings, getting awfully close to his boyfriend's face–

    Keisuke's body reacts on its own.

    In a matter of seconds, he's shoving Shinichiro away from TAkemichi and grabbing hold of his smaller boyfriend's arms, his glare piercing through Shinichiro's soul. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Mikey doing the same, his dark eyes glaring a hole through Shinichiro as the blonde takes hold of Takemichi's other arm, a pout gracing his cute lips.

    "You can't touch him! He's ours!" Keisuke and Mikey shout at the exact same time, same tone and everything. Keisuek spared a moment to be impressed if it wasn't for the pressing matter at hand.

    "He's our boyfriend, creepy-chiro!" Mikey spits out, causing a shocked gasp to escape Shinichiro.

    "CREEPY-CHIRO?!"

    "Yeah! Beat it, Mr.Lanky! Go and hit on Takemichi's mom instead–Oh wait! YOU CAN'T!!!" Keisuke screams, earning a shriek of offense from the black haired man.

    "YOU–YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!!!"

    A round of obnoxious laughter fills the air, putting an end to the thick tension that crowded the room. Distantly, Keisuke can hear Wakasa and Benkei mocking Shin while his mother snaps pictures with her camera, a snicker occasionally slipping past her lips, but he keeps his eyes on Takemichi who's face reddens with every second that passes.

    Smirking smugly to himself, Keisuke exchanges a look with Mikey, both of them coming to a silent agreement.

    They duck their heads down close to Takemichi, and suddenly–before Takemichi can squeak–

    Keisuke and Mikey kiss him on both cheeks.

    The two boys reel back in satisfaction as Takemichi gasps, his cheeks turning a vibrant shade of red that rivals the colors of Mikey's kimono.

    "K-Kei–chan! Mikey! You can't just do that out of nowhere!"

    "Says who? We can kiss you whenever we want! You know why?"

    Before Takemichi can even stutter out a response, Mikey beats him to it.

    "Because we're your boyfriends~" Mikey answers smugly.

    "You–YOU TWO ARE THE WORST!!!" Takemichi shouts as he breaks out of Keisuke's and Mikey's grip and runs to the other room that connects to the other hotel room, leaving the two boys to laugh with all their heart.

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    The opening night of the festival is just as rambunctious and loud as Keisuke suspected it would be.

Large Nebutas flooded the