Chapter Text
Studio Unz looks perfectly unassuming, standing completely oblivious to the darkness that has overtaken the day.
Even after everything that’s happened, Hachin walks in because he’s not sure what else to do. Someone’s gotta tell Joe and Sojun what happened, right? Well that and maybe, just maybe, a small part of him is hoping that when he opens the door, Yasu will be on the other side. However unlikely that may be, Hachin can’t help but latch onto that glimmer of hope. Said door to their practice studio looks the same as always, reading “DOKONOJOFINGER” scrawled in blue marker by Yasu’s hand.
“I haven’t heard from them and- Oh!” Joe’s surprised voice comes through as Hachin makes his way in.
To his disappointment, there is a conspicuous vacancy in the center of the room. Hachin can’t look anywhere but there.
“Oi, Hachiko, you’re late,” Sojun scolds, flicking his drumsticks in his direction.
“Yeah, sorry,” he pushes a laugh out. “Got caught up at the candy shop!”
“Well now we just need Yasu,” Joe says, looking over at his bandmates.
“He’s probably just running late!” Hachin lies. Probably badly. “We can start without him.”
Fifteen minutes later and still no Yasu, Joe and Sojun catch on.
“Guess Yasu’s not coming,” Joe finally accepts with a deep sigh. “Maybe the rumors are true.”
“Rumors?” Hachin asks. “What rumors?”
“That he got caught up in the First Gale of Darkness,” Joe finishes for him. “Some guys were talking about it.”
“Faa, so it’s gotten out?” Hachin sighs, shoulders dropping. “He looked pretty different when I saw him flying around.”
“You knew? Flying? What?” Joe looks at him wide-eyed. “Why didn’t you say something, Hachin?”
“I was hoping he’d show up anyway! Because…” he pouts, looking down at the floor. “He told me he’s quitting the band. Faa!” He throws his head in his hands. “I didn’t wanna believe it…”
A warm hand claps him on the shoulder, a comforting touch. “I see…” Joe murmurs.
“Well in that case,” Sojun announces from the other side of the room. “I’m leaving.”
“Wait!” Hachin interjects, turning around to try and stop him, but the door is already shut.
“Bastard,” Joe curses. He turns to look at Hachin. “Listen, if Yasu doesn’t come back soon...”
“Shut up,” he bites back, shrugging the arm off and stalking towards the door. This whole thing is so shitty and he hates it and to be honest, it kinda feels like his fault. Hachin sulks out of the studio and down the street, no particular destination in mind other than away.
“Faa!” he shouts to no one in particular. “This sucks!” Hachin leans against a graffitied wall in an Under North Zawa alley, thumbing open his phone to no messages from Yasu. Of course not. Why would there be?
Tilting his head back against the wall and turning his gaze towards the sky, Hachin starts replaying the conversation from last night in his head again. He was pissed, rightly so, but that doesn’t excuse what he said and how he acted. Honestly, he shouldn’t have said those things to Yasu.
And because of that, Yasu…
“I fucked up, huh?” he says dryly to the sky.
Hachin just can’t help but feel like he’s the one that set him off. The whole bento fiasco was obviously those damn delinquents' fault, but what he said to Yasu that night...
That’s all on him.
And he still hasn't even fucking apologized. The honey bun sits untouched in his jacket pocket. He was so distracted by the everything that had happened to Yasu that he didn’t even remember to say he was sorry. Fuck.
As Hachin replays the conversation from last night and the one from earlier today, he can’t help but feel like he did this.
And what if...?
What if this has been boiling for a long time? Stewing within until one day the opportunity presented itself and Yasu simply reached out and grabbed it? Could he have been bothered by something for a while and Hachin just never noticed?
Man! Some best friend he is! Prides himself on always striving to beat Yasu, and he never even realized how much Yasu was upset! And if nothing changes, then what? Hachin doesn’t want to even consider the possibility of no Yasu in his life, not anymore. God, he’s way too important for that. He’s everything.
And that’s what really bothers him.
Whether Hachin specifically was the one that turned Yasu dark or not doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Because either way, it’s still his goddamn fault.
“I gotta do something,” he decides, pushing up from the wall and making his way out of the alley. “Yasu, I promise. I’m gonna fix this.”
As he’s leaving the alley, Hachin notices motion out of the corner of his eye high up on a nearby building, but he’s not quite quick enough to make out what it is before it’s gone. He shrugs and continues walking.
Down by his feet lay a single blue-black feather.
The next morning, Hachin gets to school early to wait by the school gate. Students flash past paying him little mind, far too preoccupied with their own lives. A revving engine signals Sojun’s arrival, but he ignores Hachin and strolls into the school grounds with no acknowledgement. Whatever.
He’s trying to play it cool, scanning the groups of students arriving hoping for a familiar face to appear amongst the crowd, perhaps complaining about being late or carrying a bento or two.
Hachin waits until the bell for first period goes off. No sign.
“I guess he’s not coming…” he sighs, hiking his bookbag up his shoulder. “I’ll have to find him later.”
Later turns out to be after school.
Hachin pops into the bento shop on the small chance he might have returned home, but no luck. Yasu’s not at the counter, though Hachin didn’t really expect him to be. But if there’s anyone who might have an idea of where he is, it’s his mom. Sure, Yasu’s going through some shit right now, but he wouldn’t abandon her, right? That’s a bit too far, even for this edgy new version of Yasu. The bell above the door tingles, signaling his arrival, and sure enough, Yasu’s mom emerges from the back.
“Oh Hachin!” she says with a smile. “You’re back again today!”
“Hey Auntie!” he replies with a grin of his own. “I wanted to stop by.”
“Well,” she places a hand on her cheek. “I’m sorry, but Yasu’s not in right now.”
“He’s not?” Though that was expected.
Auntie shakes her head. “No, he left a note this morning saying he’d be out for a while.”
So he’s even left here too, then? Well, Hachin obviously can’t tell her everything that’s going on. No way! Quick Hachin, think! Where would Yasu be if not here?
“O-Oh yeah!” he laughs. “I know! He’s staying with me, actually.”
Auntie lights up at that. “Oh really? That’s great!”
“Yeah! We’re having a blast! Buuuuut…” Think Hachin think! “Yasu forgot his toothbrush!”
“Oh,” she sighs good-naturedly. “Silly Yacchan. Forgetting his overnight stuff!” She turns around to start heading up the stairs. “I’ll be right back!” She disappears up them, and Hachin lets out a big sigh.
“Phew… it worked.”
Auntie emerges with a bag of items which Hachin readily accepts with a smile.
“Don’t worry Auntie!” Hachin reassures her (and himself too, a little). “I’ll have Yasu home soon!”
Placing a croquette in his hand, Auntie nods. “You two have fun, alright?”
“Course!” he tries to say, but it comes out more as “Cmf!” due to a mouthful of croquette. With a wave and a collection of Yasu’s things (not part of the plan, but he can’t exactly get rid of them now), Hachin leaves the shop.
But he’s still no closer to finding Yasu. He’s not at school, not at the studio, not at the shop. Then where could he be? Last Hachin saw him, he was ready to shut a whole bunch of people up that were pissing him off.
Wait…
“That’s it!” he exclaims aloud, earning a weird look from cat myumon with an eyepatch walking into the bento shop.
If Dark Yasu wants to shut up that stupid gang that keeps messing with DOKONJOFINGER, then he just has to find them! If he finds the delinquents, he should find Yasu. And luckily, he knows just where to look if he’s itching for a fight. A renewed pep in his steps, Hachin takes off in the direction of the local delinquent hangout spot.
“Hey wait hold on-! Shinigami Yatagarasu!” a voice calls out.
Bingo.
“Tch, I don’t wanna hear it.” That’s Yasu’s voice no doubt. There’s a whoosh, and then an impassioned, “TAKE THIS!”
“What are- Mmph?” Hachin hears them struggle, and then no more sound is made. It’s at this exact moment that he finally skirts the corner, reaching the alley with Yasu in it.
He’s floating above his target, hovering in the air with those magnificent wings. In his gloved hand are a collection of those x-shaped stickers he was flaunting yesterday.
“Yasu!” he shouts in between pants. “I finally found you!”
“What?” Yasu abruptly turns around, no longer paying attention to the delinquent. He makes eye contact with Hachin, his one visible eye showing a brief moment of surprise before it’s tempered down into indifference. “Why are you here?”
“I’ve been tryin’ to find you all fucking day, dude!” Hachin answers. “You haven’t even seen Auntie since yesterday! Why would you worry her like that?”
Yasu grits his teeth. “It’s none of your business.”
“Bullshit!” Hachin fires back. “Making sure you’re ok is definitely my business!”
“Well?” Yasu challenges, extending his arms out so Hachin can get a full glimpse of his dark form. “Don’t I look okay to you?”
“You look great but that’s not the point! FAA!” he groans in exasperation. “I’m trying to talk to you!”
“Well maybe I don’t want you to,” Yasu says indignantly. “You want me to shut that buzzing trap of yours?” he threatens, brandishing a sticker with a glint in his crimson gaze.
“I came here to apologize, asshole!” Hachin blurts out. “Okay? I want to say I’m sorry.”
Yasu doesn’t say anything, his eye narrowing, but the sticker remains in his hand.
“I said some shit the other night that I shouldn’t have and I’m sorry. I don’t blame you for what happened and I’m sorry if I sounded like I did. I don’t wanna fight you or anything. I just want you to know that I’m sorry about everything that happened and I want you to come back to the band.” He closes his eyes, tensely awaiting a response from Yasu.
“Annoying.”
Hachin’s eyes fly open and he looks up at Yasu in shock. “FAA?”
“I don’t even remember what you said. Why does it matter?” he blows him off. “Still noisy as hell.”
“I-It’s more than that!” Hachin stutters. “I’m also sorry for not noticin’ how worked up you’ve been! And now you’ve-”
“Tch, you really want me to shut you up that bad?” Yasu threatens, holding the sticker up.
“Bastard!” Hachin curses back. “If you’re gonna shut me up, at least wait until I’m done apologizing!”
A cold wind whips up the alley, shifting discarded newspapers and breezing through Hachin’s hair. It almost seems to coil around him, engulfing him as a shiver makes its way down his spine.
“That buzzing is so annoying!” Yasu exclaims, seeming to envelop himself in the cold wind and using it to his advantage. The whole alley whips up in a storm of x stickers flying everywhere.
“Fafafafaa this is bad! Yasu!!!!” He ducks, just barely dodging one coming straight for his face. “I gotta do something!” He leans back just as one of the stickers hits him square in the forehead, and he peels it off with a wince.
“I’m gonna shut you up!” Yasu announces amid the chaos. He brandishes his guitar, the light gleaming off of the sharp edge. His dark wings unfurl and block out the late afternoon sun, darkening the alley. In this moment, he really does look like a grim reaper, a harbinger of death, ready to strike down with his trusty scythe.
Yasu seems to rear back, scythe raised, and Hachin barely has enough time to jump out of the way before he swoops in.
“Shit!” he exclaims. “When did you get so fast?” This new Dark Yasu exudes power, speed, and precision. He definitely wasn’t like this before. Sure, Yasu was pretty fast and pretty strong, but not like this.
“Buzz off!” Yasu shouts as another sticker is chucked his way, narrowly missing Hachin’s face.
“I was just trying to say sorry! Sheesh! Chill!” Hachin takes off running towards the other end of the alley, hoping to find some sort of tactical advantage awaiting him there. What that would be, he really doesn’t know, but anything’s better than dodging a whirlwind of stickers. He sharply turns a corner, placing a hand on the graffitied brick wall for a chance to catch his breath.
“Faa...” he pants. “Since when is Yasu so strong and fast? Is that what the Darkening does?”
As soon as the words leave his lips, that same cold wind from earlier whips up again. It almost seems to convey confirmation to him, encouraging him to get stronger and faster himself.
“Wait a sec…The Darkening?” he whispers to himself just as Yasu comes screaming around the corner.
“There you are!” he points down at Hachin with the scythe. “Now I’ll shut you up for real!”
“Oh yeah?” Hachin challenges. “Watch this!”
“Huh? The First Gale of Darkness?” Yasu stops, frozen in the air, sticker still in hand, as he begins to realize what’s happening.
“This is what I’ve been waitin’ for!” Hachin grins fearlessly. “Now I’ll be able to… fafafaaaaa…”
The wind kicks up even more, swirling all around Hachin. It envelops him entirely, chilling him to the bone.
“FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Hachin hears the wind rushing in his ears, feels it blowing past his cheeks. His heart beats loudly in his chest but not in fear – in anticipation. The wind whispers to him, and Hachin listens.
“Don’t you want to help Auntie?”
“Don’t you want the band to keep going?”
“Don’t you want to save Yasu?”
“I do!” Hachin exclaims confidently.
“Then fly, wings of darkness.”
The roaring in his ears increases in volume for a brief moment, drowning everything else out. Hachin’s vision goes black, and he shuts his eyes to try to fix it. When he reopens them, he feels power rushing through him. Now this is what he’s talking about!
“Hachin!” Yasu calls out, an edge of worry in his voice. Hachin isn’t worried though. This feels awesome!
“IT’S TIME TO BEEGIN!” Hachin announces with a flourish. He too, rises from the alley into the air, but this time unassisted. “DARK HACHIN IS HERE~! FAFAFAFAAAAAA~!!!!”
Now that there are two pairs of dark wings, now the number of red eyes has doubled, now they’re evenly matched. Hachin takes a moment to look over his sick new outfit. Black, sleek, strappy, with buzzing black wings to boot. His purple mask for concerts has been replaced with a sweet black one, and his purple parka is now a black cropped jacket. He looks downright devilish.
“Whaddaya think? I look pretty awesome, right?” His wings buzz with power, keeping him aloft at the same altitude as Yasu.
“Sure but-“ Yasu cuts himself off before that thought goes any further. “You?” he gasps, eye wide in disbelief. “You did this to yourself?”
“You betcha! Just try and shut me up now!” Hachin taunts, flaunting his buzzing dark wings by doing a midair twirl.
“You made yourself go dark on purpose???” Yasu is still balking. “I mean, I knew you were an idiot but-“
“You’re the idiot!” Hachin cuts him off. “For not letting me apologize!” He then stops himself before he can get carried away like he did that other night. That’s what caused all this, right?
“You’re so stubborn,” Yasu says, but it’s not as vitriolic as before. “Why would you do this to yourself?”
[To save you.]
“Because I wanted to, duh!” he answers. “So say whatever you want!” Hachin tells him confidently, staring down his dark best friend. “But if you’re gonna be a grim reaper, then I’ll be a devil or whatever!” He strikes his signature pose, pointing two finger guns in the air. “Devil One Second Kill Hachin and Shinigami Yatagarasu! Taking MIDICITY by storm!”
“Shinigami Yatagarasu Yacchan,” Yasu clarifies quietly.
Hachin tilts his head, blinking once. “Faa? Yacchan?”
Yasu looks away, cheeks turning slightly redder and fingers clenching into a fist through his skeletal gloves.
“I think I get it now…” Hachin murmurs to himself. How could he have been so blind before?
As another wind whips up in the alley, it seems to empower Hachin even further, fluttering his wings. He knows what he needs to do. It’s why he became dark, right? Time to save Yasu!
“Damn, bein’ dark is fun! Was it like this at first for you too, Yasu?” The wind lifts him up even higher, bringing Yasu along as well. “Now we’re even! We can settle this fair and square! C’mon Yasu!” He gestures a thumb to his chest. “If you think you can defeat Dark Hachin, you’re wrong! Whaddaya say?”
“Yasu this, Yasu that,” Yasu shakes his head. “So noisy… I’ll still shut you up!”
“Faa! I’d like to see you try!” Hachin flashes a glint of his stinger in the light. “I’ll sting you, Dark Hachin Style!”
Yasu’s feathered wings flap once at Hachin, pushing Yasu away from him and blowing the wind right in his face.
“Oi, get your ass back here!” Hachin calls out, rearing back to make chase.
Yasu looks about ready to flee, to just dip and get out of there. But hey, at least Hachin should be able to keep up with him this time. Even in the air! But before Yasu skedaddles…
“Hey, Yasu?” he tries, bringing the energy down for just a moment so that he doesn’t scare Yasu away. He wants to at least try to talk to him before Yasu runs away again. “You got teased by those punks, didn’t you? The ones that bought all the bento. But you didn’t tell Auntie…”
Yasu’s one visible eye widens in surprise. “Hah?” he gasps. He’s not fleeing yet, so that’s a good sign; Hachin takes it as a cue to continue.
“Are you really that embarrassed to be called Yacchan?”
“What are you getting at?” Yasu presses, a little breathless.
“I mean…” Hachin shrugs. “What does it matter? Why do you care what they think? They’re just assholes.”
Yasu looks unsure of himself right now, arms crossed over his chest, almost seeming to shrink into his cloak. “Well they-!” he starts to say.
“You shouldn’t care if they call you Yacchan or not!” Hachin cuts him off in earnest. “I don’t care what they call you! So why should you? It doesn’t matter!”
“H-Hachin?” he gasps.
Now he’s getting passionate, emotion burning in his core. How could Yasu let such a small thing get to him when he’s so incredible? Does he not see how amazing he is? Does he really not know?
Hachin thinks back to that day at the school festival, when Yasu sang and fundamentally changed Hachin’s world. He was absolutely mesmerized, starstruck, infatuated. He knew right then and there he’d never even come close to the talent within Yasu, but that was okay, because that meant he got to listen to him sing. He was so incredible that day.
And he still is.
“I think you’re the coolest in the world when you sing! That won’t ever change!”
There’s a beat of pause as Yasu stares back in abstract shock. Was that too much?
“S-so that’s why!” Hachin continues on, pointing Yasu’s way and maintaining eye contact despite the heat in his cheeks. “This right here?” he gestures to Yasu’s form. “This running away and pretending not to care? This Yasu right now isn’t cool at aaaaaaallllll!” he draws that last word out, hoping he got his point across without too deep of a proverbial punch. Heart beating wildly in his chest, heat burning in his cheeks, Hachin eagerly awaits a response.
Yasu closes his eyes and takes a deep, deep breath.
“You…” he grits out. His crimson eye flies open, glowing brighter than he’s ever seen. “You’re so annoying!”
And with a magnificent flap, Yasu abruptly does an about-face and takes off away from him.
“Yasu, wait!” Hachin calls out, firing up his own wings of darkness and taking pursuit. “Why are you running?”
They chase all over Under North Zawa, flying over rooftops, slipping in between buildings, and ducking clotheslines and traffic lights. Hachin himself is a little uncoordinated, but can you blame him? He’s never flown before! He’s not exactly sure what he’s doing! It sure feels cool, though.
Turning a corner at breakneck speed, Hachin has misjudged his altitude, and he collides with a koala myumon on the street, knocking her over.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” she yells at him.
“You alright, Yuka?” the tanuki next to her asks, extending a hand to help her up.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Sorry!” Hachin quickly apologizes to the pair before resuming his chase. That’s about all he can afford right now. He doesn’t want to lose Yasu!
As fast as Hachin is flying, he’s still not fast enough; Yasu is just out of his reach. He wasn’t far off earlier; they really are evenly matched. Which is great, because Hachin can now keep up. But it’s also not great, because he’s not gaining any distance. And then suddenly, Yasu takes an abrupt turn.
“He’s going to school?” Hachin remarks to himself, following him closely behind.
They descend upon DOkonjo High, which appears to be in chaos – or at least, more chaos than usual. From above, Hachin can see various other students and staff stickered up. He can also see some of the other students who also appear to be in dark, unfamiliar outfits. The First Gale of Darkness has reached here too? Things are getting out of hand. He’s gotta fix this soon!
In fact, Hachin is so preoccupied with taking in the scene of the schoolyard that by the time he raises his head to continue his pursuit of Yasu, Shinigami Yatagarasu Yacchan is nowhere to be found.
Shit! Frantically, Hachin looks around trying to find some sign of him, hoping to spot some drifting feather in the air, anything. He doesn’t find that, but below, hanging out by the front gate to the school, he does spot his two bandmates. Maybe they know something? It’s worth a shot!
Leaning back and swooping back into a deep dive, Hachin is reminded of when Yasu did this exact thing to him. When he’s in control, it’s a lot less scary. Still, he’s never exactly flown before, so as the grass approaches with breakneck speed, he promptly pumps the brakes and narrowly keeps himself from faceplanting on the school lawn. Skidding to an inelegant stop in front of Joe and Sojun, he flashes a grin, remembers they can’t see it through the mask, and then greets them.
“Yo guys!”
“What?”
“Huh?”
His bandmates look up just in time to see him almost fuck up the landing.
Joe coughs once then just stares with his mouth gaping open. “Oi, oi, what’s with the outfit?”
“You like?” Hachin does a twirl. “The Great Dark Hachin is here! The Devil of DOkonjo High! Feared by the masses!”
“The what!?” Joe balks in blatant disbelief.
“That is the most ridiculous outfit I’ve ever seen,” Sojun deadpans.
“You guys seen Yasu? I tracked him here but lost him! Boy is he fast!” Hachin sighs exasperatedly.
“Excuse me, what?” Joe still looks very confused; Sojun just looks annoyed.
“Last I saw he was headed that way,” Joe says, pointing his finger. “But-“
“Thanks!” Hachin cuts him off. “I swear I’ll bring Yasu back!” He clenches his fingers into a fist. “DOKONJOFINGER isn’t over yet! That’s why I turned dark after all!”
“HAH? Wait Wait. You turned dark ON PURPOSE?” Joe can barely believe it. “Do you even know what that does?”
But Hachin isn’t really listening.
“He is the biggest idiot I’ve ever known,” Sojun scoffs, shaking his head.
“Alright, gotta go save Yasu! I’ll see you guys later!”
Hachin takes off.
Yasu is running.
Well, not exactly running. He’s flying, tearing across the sky and silencing any who piss him off. Being like this is powerful, it’s fulfilling, it’s finally giving them all what they deserve. And he’s been able to successfully shut up everyone who has stood in his way.
Except one.
“YASUUUU! WAIT UP!” the voice screeches behind him, still giving chase. Hachin, who, in his bid to talk to Yasu, to apologize to him for something he didn’t even really do, turned himself dark. On purpose.
And now that he too can fly, he hasn’t stopped following since. Yasu thought he might’ve lost him at school when Yasu was flying through the halls silencing the teachers and students that always caused him problems, but now he’s (un?)fortunately caught up.
To be honest, Yasu’s not entirely sure why he’s running. At first, he just ran because he wasn’t sure what to do about this new Dark Hachin, and because he was annoyed. At Hachin yes, for calling him out on his bs, but also himself. Not that he’d ever admit that second part aloud, though. Really, he just needed some time to think and some more mouths to stick shut, and he thought if he dipped, Hachin would follow and then grow tired and give up.
That hasn’t happened. Hachin has stayed in hot pursuit the whole time.
At some point, Yasu is going to have to address this thing, or he could just keep shutting up damn delinquents who never shoulda opened their mouths in the first place. Under North Zawa has seemed a lot quieter and more peaceful these past few days.
As if on cue, a loud cacophonous noise reaches Yasu’s ears and he instinctively pulls his reaper hood down tighter to shut it out.
“What was that? Where are you?” he demands, scanning the streets from above and looking for the source. Whoever the fuck it was deserves a nice shiny x-sticker on their mouth. “I’ll shut you up!”
As he pivots in midair looking around the nearby streets and alleys for any sign, suddenly, motion catches his eye. Yasu flits his head up just in time to see a large, looming form appear right next to him. Its dark aura fills the space, blotting out the setting sun and casting shadows over his own dark form as it growls, flashing its large sharp teeth.
Oh fuck.
“A Dark Monster?!” he exclaims. Where did it come from? How? Yasu’s so startled by the sudden appearance that he doesn’t move, just remains shocked to a midair standstill as it rears back with a gurgling groan. “Shit!” he realizes too late. He’s too close! Yasu flaps his wings once, trying to get away, but the monster is closing in and he’s not sure if he’s gonna make it and-
“HEY BUZZ OFF!”
In a flash, quicker than Yasu can even begin to comprehend, Hachin is next to him grabbing him by the arm. Yasu looks over at his friend in wide-eyed disbelief at the sheer disregard for his own safety.
“Hachin?”
Then Hachin, in a rather impressive and surprising show of strength, yanks him away just as the Dark Monster launches its attack. A massive purple beam of energy shoots out of its mouth, narrowly missing them both and slamming into the building behind them. The blast is so powerful that the shockwave shakes up the air, sending them both careening through the sky one after the other before they both crash onto a nearby rooftop.
Yasu hits the ground with an OOF! that briefly knocks the wind out of him. The impact has enough momentum to bounce him once more as Hachin lands with a yelp nearby. They tumble over each other before finally skidding to a stop.
Despite the chaos in their crash landing, Hachin has somehow managed to keep a hold onto Yasu, gripping the sleeve of his cloak tightly. Now that they’re not actively crash landing, Yasu coughs a bit in an attempt to regain his breath. Gathering some semblance of himself back, he’s finally able to see where he is. He’s on his back on the concrete rooftop, wings splayed out and a little worse for wear. But despite a few scuffs and scratches on his outfit, he’s relatively unscathed. Honestly, pretty lucky. After taking stock of himself, he looks up, and Hachin fills his entire gaze.
Hachin has ended up over him on his hands and knees, kneeling above Yasu’s torso with a hand placed on either side of his head. His red eyes are wide and close enough that Yasu can see the concern laying with them. Though his face is still covered by a dark mask, Yasu can hear him breathing heavily, still recovering from their tumble, and he can see tints of red peeking out from the top of it, dusting Hachin’s cheeks.
Hachin’s wings are extended out protectively around Yasu, the iridescent scales reflecting the light in a myriad of colors scattered around the pair of them. Hachin’s body is blocking the setting sun directly, causing him to be illuminated in a way that highlights the shiny black outfit and the contours of his face, which Yasu is now beginning to realize is close.
Like, really really fucking close. Their noses are but a few inches apart. So close that if…
Yasu coughs once again, but this time it’s not just to get the concrete dust out of his lungs. His heartbeat quickens, thumping another cadence in his chest as his cheeks warm. Scrambling to give his feet purchase, he pushes off the ground and quickly rights himself to a sit, shaking off whatever that was.
Refusing to make eye contact, Yasu merely mumbles a simple, “Thanks.”
“N-No problem,” Hachin stutters, also pointedly not looking at Yasu. There’s a beat of silence and then, Yasu hears him take a deep inhale. “But you gotta be more careful!”
“You’re one to talk!” Yasu retorts, finally able to face him and crossing his arms as he stands up. “Tch. It’s not like I needed your help!”
“FAA?” Hachin recoils, rising up to meet him. “You were frozen! If I hadn’t been there you woulda been zapped to hell ‘n’ back!”
“So you decided to dive right into the danger.”
“To save your ass!” Hachin yells back, leaning in.
“I had it handled!” Yasu fires back, leaning in more.
“Sure didn’t look like it!”
“Why even try? You coulda gotten hurt!
“I tried because you were gonna get hurt!”
“Fuck off!”
“No you fuck off!”
“GGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRAWWWWWWWWW!!!”
The pair stop their banter glaring at each other’s dark red eyes, only a small space between their forehands. Slowly, both of their heads turn towards the sound to see the same Dark Monster looming over them. It hasn’t left.
“Shit, Yasu, we gotta do somethin’! I don’t wanna die! FAA!” Hachin yelps, jumping back. “I haven’t even had my first kiss yet!”
“HAA? Why are you even talking about-?” Yasu shakes his head, cutting himself off. [Not that he wasn’t thinking it too.] “Never mind. You’re so dramatic.” Yasu reaches behind himself and summons Yata’s Iron Blue Ceremonial Crow, deathly sharp and powerful. “And noisy.”
“Faa?” Hachin’s face is still noticeably redder than usual.
“But not as noisy as this bastard.” He gestures with a thumb at said annoying bastard. “Let’s shut ‘em up.”
The fear on Hachin’s face melts away to a toothy grin. “Yeah, let’s do this! A Dark Hachin and Dark Yasu team-up! Beelieve me, Dark Monster! Your reign of terror is over. You’re going against both a reaper and a devil! The Beeginning of the End!” Hachin points at the monster as he too brings out his own guitar, brandishing BUN BUN NEEDLE with a flourish.
“GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!”
“Damn, guess he doesn’t like the name,” Hachin frowns, slightly dejected.
“Never mind the name!” Yasu shouts, exasperated. “What are we doin’? Born Born Dance? Obento Magnum?”
“Lemme start! I still got a bitchin’ rift to show off!” Hachin finishes the announcement with a loud electric strum on his guitar. “Check this shit out! I’ll make you BOTH say GYAFAFFUN!!”
Hachin then rockets into the air, hovering in front of the monster’s face. “YEAAAH!” he shouts enthusiastically. He flashes Yasu a wink that makes his heart stutter a bit before launching into a full guitar solo with some runs and serious power behind it. Yasu’s never heard it before, but even he can’t lie: it’s impressive.
Hachin’s always tried to compete with his guitar skill, claiming that he needs to beat Yasu, but the truth is:
He doesn’t really need to.
As Yasu watches in awe as Hachin finishes the solo with a triumphant “WE ARE DOKONOJOFINGER DESU YO!!!”, Yasu knows who’s winning this rivalry.
“I think you’re the coolest in the world when you sing.”
Well, I think you’re the coolest in the world when you play.
“Now your turn, Yasu!”
“Yeah!” Yasu leaps into the air, wings of darkness flapping and taking him up near Hachin. He strums his guitar once, feeling the power flow through him and his strings. It feels good.
“Goodbye, Goodbye,” he starts singing. With each note and chord, Yasu feels his power growing as he launches into a stunning performance of “World, World, World.” It’s his own song, the one that means the most to him personally, and he really wants to kill this Live (and by extension, this monster).
“I will change the world!” he finishes triumphantly.
“Hachin!” he says as the last note is still echoing out. “Let’s finish this together!”
Hachin’s face is starry-eyed, as if he too was enthralled by the performance. It takes a moment, but he realizes that yes, Yasu’s talking to him. His sharp grin grows even wider, if that’s possible. “Yeah!” he cheers.
Hachin flies over to him, putting his back against Yasu’s. Twin pairs of wings of darkness extend out next to each other, keeping them both aloft. Yasu has the sharpened scythe of his guitar aimed at the monster, while Hachin’s got his own sharpened end of BUN BUN NEEDLE pointed at it. They’re truly in sync. Just a bit more! They’ve got this!
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Hachin asks.
“’Betrayal is Unacceptable’?”
“You got it.”
“3! 2! 1!” Yasu counts down. Hachin nods, ready to go.
“Whoooooaaaa~” they sing in unison, playing together. “Whoooooaaaa~”
“It was during one trial, at the beginning of summer,” Yasu starts solo. “Now no one knows how we met…”
Hachin takes over, picking up right after him. A flawless transition. “Feelings of inferiority overflow. If you speak with your fists just once, nobody will notice, Oh!”
Sharing a side-eye look at each other, they begin to sing again in unison.
“There’s nothing scarier! You can’t break my oath!”
“In our break there is no betrayal!” Yasu sings solo just as the monster roars once more. They’re so close! Guitars, voices, souls in sync.
“Whoooooaaaa~ Whoooooaaaa~”
With another big inhale, Yasu prepares for their finale.
“Sing out! We’ll carry on!”
Glancing over his shoulder, he sees Hachin looking back at him, giddy and proud.
“Stand by you till the end,” he sings, still looking at Hachin. “We are proud of that summer day, so today there should be no betrayal!”
Hachin rejoins him. “There’s nothing scarier! You can’t break my oath!”
“It cannot be conveyed into words. In our break there is no betrayal!” Yasu sings.
“Whoooooaaaa~ Whoooooaaaa~”
For the final verse, Yasu turns around to face Hachin directly. Hachin seems to get the message and does the same. The monster almost seems to be a distant memory at this point, their music drowning everything else out.
“Precious things like teasing each other,” Yasu sings, looking nowhere but Hachin. “Bring our hearts together and then they become one. My man, I’m here.”
The monster lets out another roar, thrusting their attention back towards it. Here goes nothing!
“Alright! Alright!” Yasu sings, letting his voice echo out over the night air as he prepares Yata’s Iron Blue Ceremonial Crow.
“Whoo!” Hachin cheers, finishing his notes. “FAA!”
And with the final hit, Yasu rears back with his guitar, the scythe-like end glittering in the moonlight. Hachin has BUN BUN NEEDLE out, stinger ready and wickedly sharp. With a powerful cry in unison, they both strike at the Dark Monster.
“HOUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
They make contact, each stabbing with all their might into the beast. It recoils, shrieking once with a discordant cry.
“GRRRAAAWWWWRRR!”
And with that final roar, the monster shatters into pieces into the night.
“FAFAFAAA~ NICE LIVE!” Hachin loudly whoops, relishing in their victory. He strikes a pose backlit by the still-glittering remnants of the Dark Monster. “That’s the power of Dark Hachin and Dark Yasu! YEAH!” His heart is beating wildly in his chest, still riding the adrenaline high. They did so well! Yasu sang amazingly (like he always does) and Hachin just nailed that rift! What a feeling!
“Way to go, Yasu!” Hachin cheers, holding his fist out for a bump. Yasu seems to be slightly startled by the motion, shaking his head once before giving a grin and bumping back.
“We really did great, huh?” Yasu says. “Even without Joe and Sojun.”
“Even without them, you were incredible, Yasu! I mean, you’re always incredible, but like, that performance was WOW!!!” Hachin gushes. “And how’d you like that melody? Pretty sweet, right? Betcha I win!”
“I still didn’t say it, you know,” Yasu lightly teases.
“No, but you will!” Hachin declares. “I guarantee it!” He laughs a bit, trailing off and placing a hand behind his head. “I liked playing that song with you. We should uh, duet more often, Yasu.” Hachin internally cringes at the way he said that, but it’s not like he can take it back now. “But we should also go back and tell Joe and Sojun about how good we did! A successful win for DOKONJOFINGER! Just wait until our next Live, when we’ve got everyone! We’ll kill it!”
Yasu suddenly becomes very, very quiet. “Uh huh,” he mumbles.
“Yasu?” Hachin glances over to see him looking very conflicted. “What’s up?”
“Nothing…”
Bullshit. Hachin flies closer to Yasu’s face. “What’s the deal?”
Yasu pointedly flaps his own wings once, creating distance between them. “Nothing! I-! It just... doesn’t matter.” He flaps again, further widening their gap.
Even after their incredible Live, he’s still trying to run away? Oh hell no! Not this time!
“Oh no you do NOT get to pull that shit again!” Not when they should be happy about their victory! Not when for a brief moment Hachin really thought he saw in Yasu’s eyes emotion that shook him to the core! Not when, for the briefest moment, he let himself consider that maybe, just maybe, Yasu feels the same way!
Hachin quickly catches up, nearly tackling Yasu onto the same roof from earlier.
“What the hell, man?” Yasu shouts after standing up and dusting off his pants and cloak. Hachin lands in front of him, throwing an angry point his way.
“You don’t get to run away again!” he tells him, determination in his gaze. “Not now!”
“HAH?” Yasu challenges, summoning his guitar once again in a show of power, gripping it by the neck. His feathered wings fan out, losing a few stragglers in the process that drift down towards the concrete.
“B-Because!” Hachin fights back. “I finally caught up to you after chasing your ass all day! And we just played together and sang together and I-! I don’t want you to leave the band! I still haven’t even made you say Gyafaffun!”
Yasu doesn’t say anything, just takes a deep breath and holds steady.
“I know those guys said some shit earlier and I know I said some shit too. But I’m sorry, okay?” Hachin dips his head down, briefly facing the ground. Taking a momentary breather, he musters up the courage to continue. “I’m sorry. But I really meant what I said earlier!” He’s gaining ground now, the words spilling straight from the heart. “It doesn’t matter what others call you! It doesn’t matter if you think I’m noisy and need to shut up or whatever! I want to keep playing with you, Yasu! I don’t want you to leave! I don’t want you to stop singing and playing guitar! I mean, I only started playing because of you!”
“Me?” Yasu blinks once, surprised by the admission. “What did I-?
“Faa! D-Don’t tell me you don’t remember!” Hachin cuts him off with a pout on his face. His voice tempers down in volume before he continues. “In elementary school, at the cultural festival. You sang and I knew right then you were so much more talented than me. Like, leagues better. So I vowed to practice guitar to be the best at that, since I knew singing was never gonna happen with you around. So yeah!” God, why does his face feel so hot right now? “Even then, I thought you were the coolest in the world when you sang! And I still think that! You’re incredible! The most incredible person I know!”
“Hachin?” Yasu’s voice is almost breathless as he utters the word.
“So that’s why-! Why you gotta drop this dark thing! As cool as it is, you can’t quit the band! I mean, that Live we just did was amazing, right? Do you really want to give that up, Yasu?”
Yasu sharply inhales as the realization hits him.
“So please, come home to Auntie,” Hachin pleads. “She’s so worried. Come back to school, to the band. If those guys try to fuck with you again, know that I’ve got your back. Just…” Hachin stands before Yasu, reaching his hand out in a placating gesture, hoping Yasu will take it. “Please, Yacchan.”
The night is oddly silent as Hachin awaits Yasu’s decision.
“Hachin, I…” he trails off, gazing down at the outstretched hand. “I’m sorry.”
Hachin deflates at that, shutting his eyes and dropping his head down. He shoulda known better than to pour his heart out at a time like this. Well, he tried his best, didn’t he? If Yasu doesn’t want to listen then-
A hand grips his own.
Hachin’s eyes fly open as he looks down at their conjoined hands in blatant shock.
“I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting,” Yasu clarifies. “I’ve been kind of a dick, huh?”
“W-Well,” Hachin stutters, still unable to look away from Yasu holding his hand - oh god they’re holding hands BREATHE HACHIN BREATHE - “Kinda. A-And I’m sorry too! For what I said! What happened wasn’t your fault.”
Yasu smiles, actually smiles and Hachin’s heart beats like a thunderclap in his chest. He swallows, trying to calm himself down and to keep from blurting anything else out. Because he doesn’t exactly trust himself to not say something stupidly sappy right now. And after all they’ve been through today, dropping even more feelings out in the open isn’t the best idea. He’s held his tongue this long; what’s a little longer?
“Thanks, Hachin.”
“Yeah!” he squeaks. That’s about all he can handle right now.
“I should probably get back to the shop,” Yasu says, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. “And-”
Yasu’s cut off by another blustery, chilly wind blowing their way.
“The First Gale of Darkness?” Hachin wonders aloud.
The pair shiver as the gale passes over them, and that seems to answer his question.
“You’ve flown well, wings of darkness,” it whispers to them.
“Hah? What do you mean?” Yasu asks.
“You’ve fulfilled your duties.”
And then just as quickly as it comes, the wind comes to a head, blowing so hard that Hachin has to shut his eyes to keep them from watering. When he opens them, Yasu’s standing in front of him.
Just Yasu, no wings, no Grim Reaper, just plain ol’ incredible Yasu. Glancing down, he realizes he too has lost his wings and outfit.
“Gonna miss that look,” he sighs. “But at least it’s over.”
Hachin glances over to see that Yasu is frowning very hard. “You couldn’t have waited until we were off the roof?” he shouts at the disappearing wind in annoyance.
“Oh, right.” Hachin looks around them, spotting a rickety metal fire escape. “We can take that?” he offers.
Many stairs later, Yasu and Hachin are back on the ground in an alley, panting hard.
“Yeah, definitely going to miss flying,” he gets out between breaths. “That was awesome. Even if I did almost crash like, four times.”
“Yeah,” Yasu agrees. “And there are still people out there that won’t shut up.”
“There always will be,” Hachin shrugs. “But you can also tell them to fuck off.”
“Just wish they would actually fuck off,” he sighs, turning to start walking down the alley. Hachin quickly scampers up next to him so that they can walk side-by-side.
“If they don’t, know that me and the rest of DOKONJOFINGER have got your back!” Hachin gives him a big thumbs up and a wink.
Yasu gives a small smile and a chuckle in response. “Yeah, I know.”
They walk for a few minutes in a somewhat companionable silence before Hachin abruptly realizes something.
“Shit!” he exclaims, stopping in his tracks. Frantically, he begins digging around his parka pockets looking for it. “Should be in here…” Even if he’s transformed and then de-transformed, his stuff should still be here, right? How does object permanence work when it comes to Dark Transformations?
“What are you doing?” Yasu asks, standing nearby looking mildly annoyed, but for Yasu, that’s pretty normal.
“Okay, okay, so before everything happened, right? I wanted to apologize,” Hachin starts explaining. “And I wasn’t sure if words were gonna like, work. I’m not great at ‘em.”
“Riiight,” Yasu says, eye narrowing in slight confusion.
“Anyway, I got you something!” Hachin tells him. “If I could just find the damn- AHA!”
With a triumphant grin so big he shuts his eyes, Hachin presents the apology offering to Yasu. “TADA!”
“What the hell, dude.”
“Faa?” That’s so not the reaction he was expecting. Hachin cracks open his eyes to see a befuddled Yasu staring at him.
“Why the fuck do you have my toothbrush?” Yasu asks, grabbing it out of Hachin’s outstretched hand. “That’s like, so weird, bro.”
SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT- “WAIT THAT’S NOT THE GIFT!” Hachin desperately tries to backtrack. “That’s-”
“This really is my toothbrush,” Yasu confirms, looking at it closer in the dim light. “Why do you have this?”
“Okay, okay trust me it’s not as weird as it looks!” Hachin tries.
“You sure about that?” he challenges back.
“Really!” Hachin continues. “I was looking for you and went to the shop and you weren’t there and Auntie didn’t know where you were but like, I didn’t want her to worry, right? So I lied and said you were staying with me but forgot your overnight stuff so she gave me your toothbrush. It makes sense trust me!!!”
Yasu pauses for a moment, taking that in. “You went to the shop looking for me?”
“Well yeah!” Hachin says with a bit of indignance. “I wanted to make sure you were okay after the whole Gale of Darkness thing and runnin’ off. And also to make sure Auntie was okay.”
“And you lied… so she wouldn’t worry about me?” Yasu asks, voice surprisingly gentler than usual, eye widening and reflecting the pale moonlight.
“Well, yeah,” he answers a little bashfully, hand rubbing the back of his head. “If I told her the truth, I dunno what woulda happened. But I knew I didn’t wanna worry her sick ‘n’ all.”
“Huh,” is all Yasu says in return.
“So…” Hachin tries a few beats of silence later, after they’ve resumed walking. “You’re not mad?”
“It is weird, Hachin.”
“I know!”
“But that’s also… kind of you. Checking on her like that,” Yasu finishes with a small smile on his face.
“Faa!” Hachin yelps, feeling his cheeks warm in response. “Well I couldn’a left her with no idea of where you were. I care about her. And you.”
That last part was definitely not supposed to be said aloud. Dammit, Hachin!
Loudly gulping and trying to play that off, Hachin reaches back into his pocket. “A-Anyway, let me get your actual apology gift, Yasu!” Laughing awkwardly, he fishes around until he feels the paper bag. How old is this honey bun at this point? Does it matter? It’s probably fine, right? Right?
“R-Right,” Yasu says, still looking surprised.
“This is the right one this time, promise!” Hachin announces, pulling the bag out and holding it in front of Yasu while also pointedly not making eye contact with him. Damn, this is not how he expected this to go down. Why is he all jittery about this anyway? It’s just Yasu and-
God, who is he kidding? It’s never been “just Yasu”, has it?
“What’s this?” Yasu asks, pulling Hachin out of his major internal freak-out. Keep it together, man!
“Open it,” Hachin manages to say whilst his heart is still beating wildly in his chest.
“It’s a…” Yasu unwraps the bag and reaches inside. “Sticky bun?”
“Honey bun,” Hachin corrects him. “From that shop we went to as kids.”
Yasu looks at the bun, at Hachin, then back at the bun.
“You probably don’t even remember, fafaa!” he awkwardly laughs, turning away from Yasu. “But I wanted to apologize and sweets seemed like a good idea but like, it’s over a day old at this point so you probably wouldn’t even wanna eat it and I’m not even sure why I said anything and-” He realizes something. “Oh my god Yasu why haven’t you called me noisy yet I cannot stop talking.”
Hachin manages enough courage to look over at him only to see him with a mouthful of pastry. “Oh, that’s why…”
“S’not bad.”
“Yeah! So uh, sorry!” Why is he so bad at this?
Yasu wipes icing off his sugar-coated lips - DO NOT THINK ABOUT THIS HACHIN - with the back of his hand. “Stop it,” he says.
“Sor-”
“The apologizing. It’s getting annoying,” Yasu continues, putting the rest of the bun back in the bag. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I fucked this all up, didn’t I?”
“Yasu…”
“Let those jerks play me, left you all to fend for yourselves.” Yasu clenches his fist and the paper bag loudly crinkles in response.
“That wasn’t your fault, Yasu! That was those delinquent assholes. They were trying to fuck with you.”
“I know. But damn if it didn’t hurt walking away while you- while you-!” He winces. “It fucking sucked! It felt like-! Like I left my heart on that field as I walked away!”
Hachin deeply inhales. “Yasu?”
“And the worst part was they taunted me, Hachin!” Yasu starts spilling it all out. “They taunted me as I was leaving about how you were there by yourself! And again the next day! About how you cried and begged… For me to help… And I did nothing!” He shakes his head. “They did call me Yacchan, and that did piss me off. But I think…” Yasu looks down at the crumpled bag in his bandaged hand. “I think the real reason I let the First Gale of Darkness take me was because I was so mad about you getting hurt because of me,” he admits.
“You were worried... about me?” Hachin gasps.
“Yeah! I care about you too! And doing that-! I felt like shit, man! And then that night to see you all bruised and knowing it was my fault!” Yasu continues. “And then to blow you off while dark and-” He pauses in a moment of self-reflection. “I’m saying a lot right now, aren't I?”
“It’s okay, Yasu.” Hachin tentatively places a hand on his arm as a comforting gesture. “Get it out.”
“Fuck those guys! I hope even without Shinigami Yatagarasu Yacchan they still shut up!” Yasu angrily kicks a can down the alley. “At least it was good business for the shop. That's like, the one good thing that came outta this. Well, and getting to do a Live with you.”
Yasu smiles and Hachin briefly thinks that this is how he’s gonna die.
“I guess what it comes down to is: I’m sorry too,” Yasu finally says. “You’ve been way nicer to me than I’ve been to you, so like, you don’t need to apologize. The honey bun was sweet, though.”
There’s a long stretch of silence, both breathing hard and not sure what to say to the other.
“You… mean that, Yasu?” Hachin dares to ask.
“Y-Yeah.” Yasu quickly straightens his spine and continues walking in the direction of the shop, and Hachin has to pick up speed to catch up.
Hachin fiddles with his parka sleeve before daring to ask even more.
“Even the uh,” he falters for a moment. “The part about caring?”
Yasu loudly sighs, but there’s an echo of fondness hidden within it. “Yes, now don’t push it.”
“Okay, okay!”
Inside, though, Hachin is practically buzzing. Yasu does care about him! But probably as like a friend thing, right? Friendly rivals and bandmates? He couldn’t possibly allow himself to consider anything more. He’s been living with this crush for who knows how long. But Yasu did say “heart”… What does it all mean???
Even if he’s unsure about where they stand, he’s still giddy as hell. It’s been a helluva day. Chasing Yasu, turning dark, defeating a Dark Monster with an awesome Live, becoming un-dark. What a day. And Yasu is coming back to the band! DOKONJOFINGER lives!
They turn a corner, approaching the last alleyway before the shop, which deflates him slightly. He’s gonna have to say goodbye to Yasu for the night. Yeah sure, Hachin’ll see him tomorrow at school (well, hopefully. Yasu does have a tendency to skip when he’s not feeling it), but this feels… different. It’s not like anything about them has fundamentally shifted, because even now, they’re still Hachin and Yasu.
But at the same time, things do feel different in a way. Like this meant something.
Perhaps Hachin is too sentimental, and he’s far too much of a coward to say any of this to Yasu. Yasu’s not one to show much emotion, and he’s already shown far more than he’s used to. No need to push him further.
“Long walk, huh?” Hachin breaks the silence. “And those outfits were cool. Maybe we could bring them back for a special Live!”
“Yeah, maybe.” Yasu sounds distant and almost contemplative. Sneaking a glance over, Hachin sees him quickly turn his head forward, as if he was just looking at him. There’s another beat where neither says a word, until this time, Yasu breaks the silence.
“Hachin.”
“Yeah?”
“You said something earlier.”
“Okay, you’re gonna have to be like, waaay more specific. I’ve said a lot today,” Hachin replies. “But it’s not like I regret any of it!” he quickly adds. “I’m glad that you’re okay now.”
Yasu abruptly turns his head to the side, gazing at the brick wall. “Never mind.”
“Faa?” What an odd response. “What did I say?”
Yasu flinches and stops walking. Okay, now Hachin is concerned. He didn’t say anything too mean, did he?
“Just…”
“Just what?” Anticipation is flaring in his gut, mingling with apprehension. What exactly is throwing Yasu off this much? They don’t have too long to discuss it, because they’re nearly back at the bento shop. Only a few more steps and they’ll turn the corner and arrive.
Suddenly, Yasu places a hand on Hachin’s shoulder and pulls him in. Obviously, Hachin wasn’t expecting this at all, and because of that, he lets out a yelp and stumbles a bit. But before he can really ask what’s going on, he’s very abruptly made speechless.
Because holy shit.
Yasu leans in very, very close to Hachin’s face, and all he can do is stare back wide-eyed, heart absolutely pounding in his chest. He can’t look anywhere else but Yasu’s face. Why would he want to? His breath hitches in his throat, unable to form coherent words or thoughts. Sure, he’s maybe played out this scenario when he was falling asleep or whatever, but he never allowed himself to think it could actually happen! This is real! Really real!
Yasu leans in even further, and Hachin shuts his eyes in anticipation. Quickly, gently, lips press against his cheek, and then they’re gone.
Holy fuck.
Eyes fly open to see a surprisingly bashful Yasu, cheeks tinted and eyes looking to the side.
“There,” he says quietly after a beat. “Now you’ve had your first kiss.”
“Th-That doesn’t count!” Hachin blurts out before he can think better of it. “It wasn’t! Y’know! On the lips!”
“Huh?”
“Here I’ll show you!” Impulse control out the goddamn window, Hachin yanks Yasu in by the jacket collar, slotting their lips together for a brief moment.
He really does taste like honey bun.
Then as quickly as it all happened, Hachin retreats and panic begins to set in. Shit, what if Yasu was just doing that as like a thank you thing and now he’s ruined it? Fuck! He just got Yasu back and now he’s not gonna want anything to do with him! How dumb can he be, letting this crush get the better of him and-!
At the same time though, wow was that incredible. It was like the high of hearing Yasu sing but like, times a thousand. Better than he could’ve imagined. Hachin feels like he’s positively buzzing from head to toe. He’s vibrating with a mix of excitement and sheer nerves.
“Faaa,” he says without really meaning to, a little dazed, a lot anxious, and extremely infatuated.
Yasu’s been quiet. He’s standing a few feet away, fingertips ghosting over his own lips.
Hachin takes a deep breath, tries to formulate words, fails, and then just kinda stares at him open-mouthed.
“I guess you’re right,” Yasu finally speaks, breaking the silence.
“So…” Hachin trails off, very much at a loss of where to go from here. Neither can really face each other right now; they’re just awkwardly dancing around the subject.
“I’ve still, uh gotta get home,” Yasu says.
“Right.”
“Don’t wanna keep Kaachan waiting.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Hachin agrees.
“A lot has happened, and. Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
They briefly make eye contact and both quickly blush and look away.
Another long beat of silence. “But I’ll see you tomorrow?”
That perks Hachin up. “Course!” he replies. “I’ll be at the school gate! You know where to find me!”
Yasu smiles in return. Though the shop is just a few steps away, before he leaves, Yasu reaches for Hachin’s dangling hand with his own wrapped one and gives it a small squeeze.
Oh.
So it’s not just him that’s noticed the shift in their relationship. Hachin really doesn’t know what this is, where they go from here, any of it really. But he knows they’ll stand by each other no matter what.
Sure, they’ll have a lot to talk about later, but they’ve had enough of that for today. Hachin’s perfectly content to ride out this high for tonight and figure everything else out later. At the very least, they seem to be on the same page.
“See you tomorrow, Hachin,” Yasu says, fondness in his voice. “Thanks for everything.”
Hachin smiles back.
“Bye, Yacchan.”