Me and Freshbeans have been cooking up this idea for a while, I think I have enough of a plot to turn it into a fic 😼

Freshbeans6479

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Michikatsu Tsugikuni lie in bed as his "friend" gets a towel and some snacks to share. He cues up "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" like always, putting on the Nightmare Night episode he's seen probably a million times.

If this show has taught him anything, it's that he and Muzan are NOT  friends.

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Their "arrangement" started approximately 8 years ago- they were 19 and fresh out of freshman year.

It was a gloomy way to start the summer for Michikatsu. He had just got broken up with by a girl that he can't even remember the name of. In hindsight, he was only sad for selfish reasons. And even though he was being used, he shouldn't have gotten into that relationship anyways. It was just so selfish of him. 'Yoriichi already has Uta... I can't let him beat me at love! (Even though he probably always will..)'

So, Muzan, being the good "friend" that he is, Invited Michikatsu over.

He doesn't remember exactly how it happened- he just remembers that they were home alone, Muzan somehow got his hands on alcohol, and they both got drunk. He doesn't remember why- he doesn't think underage drinking is a good idea, nor does he like the type of alcohol Muzan had that night.

He supposed that he was just upset about the inevitable that his father would nag him about finding a new girlfriend, and that he was 'losing' to Yoriichi in yet another manner. He also supposed that it was better to find out that he can only take about 3 shots with his most trusted person than at some collage party that he'd never go to.

They were laughing, tipsy and somehow made it into bed. He doesn't remember how, he doesn't remember what it was like, he only remembered that he felt warm and fuzzy. He vaguely remembers cuddling and falling asleep to MLP, but what he really remembers is the pain when they woke up, sober, yet hungover.

The realization, the denial, pushing themselves into a near decade long corner of not living their lives to the fullest...

"You kept your socks on! Don't worry, it's not gay!" Muzan said, yet still clinging to Michikatsu.

"Yeah..! Plus.. we were just drunk... for the first time...! It had no meaning..."

And it was just a coincidence that they could never find a girlfriend. That nobody wanted them. It was just a coincidence that that they had nobody else to spend Valentines Day with, spend their birthdays with, go out to eat with, go on vacation with.

It was just a coincidence that they kept it up, made it a regular thing. "This is how bros bond, trust me!" It just kept happening, happening, happening. Their little secret, nobody else knew, nobody else could tell. They went on everyday acting nothing ever happens. It meant nothing, after all.

But it did mean something. It meant quite a lot to Michikatsu, at least. He had recently come to terms that he's been in love with this man since he was 17- even while he was dating his ex... He followed him to college, even though it was in the end detrimental to his degree in samurai history. He had to work at some local museum, and even though he for the most part enjoyed it- he liked being able to yap about his interest have people listen- he wasn't earning as much money as he could.

But it was all worth it, to be with Muzan. Or at least, he hoped it was. He hoped that one day, all this lying and beating around the bush would come to an end, and they would be able to embrace each other normally, filled with the love that he knew they had deep down.

But what if it wasn't all worth it? What if Muzan didn't actually reciprocate? What if he really did only have platonic feelings for him...? What if Michikatsu spent what were supposed to be the best years of his life trying to get with someone he can't have instead of being in a real relationship with someone else? He's nearly 30- he could be like Yoriichi right now: married.

He really is losing to his brother yet again, and losing badly too. This, he thought, is probably his biggest loss yet...

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He propped himself on the pillow that was basically his- he was supposed to have his own room, but he really never used it for anything other than organizational purposes. 

He brought his knees to his chest, pulling the blanket up over himself so that he wouldn't be cold. He stared at his feet, socks on. He's been tempted to take them off- maybe if Muzan saw that, and if it was actually gay according to him, they would stop all the denial. But he didn't want his feet to be cold...

He listened to Muzan's footsteps as he walked around the downstairs area, grabbing their favorite snacks. Michikatsu had the episode paused, waiting for him. Each moment was agonizing, for he knew what was about to come. Another part of the loop in this vicious cycle they were trapped in. For each step Muzan took closer to him, his heart beat a little faster, and sank a little lower. He had enough, so much so that he surprised himself with what he did next:

"Muzan... I... I don't... wanna be your friend... anymore..." He said as Muzan sat on the bed, handing him a bag of his favorite chips. He almost dropped it and the rest of the snacks as he processed the words that came out of his "friend's" mouth.

"Michi, de- er, dude, what do you mean?"

"I don't wanna.. be your friend anymore...!" He yelled, feeling as if he was on the brink of tears- well, not really. To him, it was yelling, but he really wasn't that loud. Then wrapped himself up in the blanket, took the pillow and ran to the room he never used, slamming the door behind him and flopped onto the mattress that's been collecting dust.

"I don't understand, what did I do wrong!?" Muzan ran after him, yelling through the door as he was locked out. "Please, whatever it is, I'll fix it!" He tried to reason with his "friend", but it was no use. He had to go to sleep eventually, so for the first time in years, they both went to sleep alone.

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3am. Michikatsu, still awake heard Muzan going to the bathroom, and then back into "his" room. He couldn't fall asleep- he couldn't sleep without Muzan. So, he took himself, the blanket, and the pillow back into the room, sliding into the bed, and pulling Muzan close.

"Michi, you're back..!" He said groggily, pulling Michikatsu closer. "do you wanna be my friend again?"

"No, Muzan... I've never wanted to be your friend..."

"I don't understand-"

"I.. have a confession to make.... please, don't be mad at me... after I tell you the truth..."

"I could never be mad at you, I promise."

"I've never wanted to be your friend... and this... what we have going on, I hate it... I don't want to be your 'bro', your 'dude'... I'm fed up... with denying myself all the time... I just... wish you were in love with me...!" Then, there was silence. Only the light sounds of Muzan's hands gently rubbing Michikatsu's back as he processed his words...

Muzan was ashamed. He was so afraid of something- he didn't even know what, that he made the person that he cared about the most upset and feel unloved. Why was he trying so hard to deny his feelings? He didn't know... he guessed that he would have to own up to it sooner or later, and now the time has come. He needs to stop being ashamed if he wants to keep Michikatus in his life.

"I am in love with you," he whispered, almost as if he was trying to absorb himself into Michikatsu- to transfer all the bottled up romantic love that's built up over all these years.

"but then.. why does it seem like... you're always trying to push me away romantically...? Why do you only... accept affection... via our 'arrangement'...?"

"Well I," He thought for a moment. "don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know why I've spent so long hiding my feelings for you from you, even though we're safe..."

"Me neither... I don't know why... it took me so long to realize... that I've been in love with you... all this time..."

"Well then, I guess there's only one thing to do now." He hugged him tight, kissing his chest.

"What is it...?"

"Michi, will you be my boyfriend?"

"I've been your boyfriend... but... we just didn't acknowledge it... 'till now..." he chuckled.

➽─── 1 YEAR LATER ───❥

"Muzan isn't my favorite person, but it really took you two long enough..." Yoriichi said, weaving flowers intricately into his brother's hair.

"What do... you mean...?"

"Well, 9 years is kind of a long time to know if you wanna marry someone..."

"Really...? I'd thought.. you'd be complaining... that we're moving too fast..."

"Nearly a decade... isn't too fast! I knew I wanted to marry Uta much sooner than that..."

"We've only been dating... for one year..."

"The other 8 count, even if you two didn't wanna admit it.." 

"You knew...?"

"It was pretty obvious, brother..."

"Oh..." He sighed, then tried to change the subject. "How did you learn... to do hair like this...?"

"I'm sure you already know this, but my daughter loves to turn me and her into princesses... and for her flower girl hair today, I had to learn how to put flowers in hair..."

"I see..."

"She's very happy with it... thank you for letting her participate..."

"No problem..." Michikatsu said as Yoriichi finished tying the tie on his long, flowery braid.

"I'm going to sit in my chair now... I'll see you in a few minutes." Yoriichi stood up, then hugged his brother, glad that he's finally marrying the man he's been waiting for all this time.

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1737 words

L to anyone who thought/was hopping I was gonna write full angst <3 

Can't be done without a happy ending :::D