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Dissonance

Summary:

'He whirls back to face Mika with a horrified gasp, covering his traitor mouth with fingers that feel the overwhelming urge to punch himself. What he sees is just another stab to his frantically pulsing heart, thrumming so loud in his ears that he's sure Mika can hear it from where he stands.

But Mika's scarlet eyes are wide, his expression knocked so broadly open to show just how shocked and vulnerable he truly is, with the distinct look of someone who has just been brutally winded. With brows furrowed and lips parted to expose the tips of his fangs, his already pale face has become, if at all possible, bloodless.'

It starts off as a spat. An argument they've had countless times before. But when the line in the sand is crossed and barbed words are thoughtlessly thrown in the air, someone is bound to get hurt.
Unfortunate that it takes hurting Mika for Yuu to understand how he feels about him.

Notes:

Song that gave me the idea for this fic: I Found by Amber Run.
To me, this song sums up how Yuu and Mika feel about one another, and it's so damn poignant it's painful.

Chapter Text

-

As far as arguments go, Yuuichirou and Mikaela have had their fair share.

Ever since they were children trapped in the underground city of Sanguinem, struggling daily to survive on scraps and faith, the two argued like cat and dog. It wasn't that their opinions divided over what ultimately had to be done, but the methods in which they took to solve their problems differed vastly.


Yuu was all heart, preferring to fight his way out of every altercation with fists and unbridled, stubborn fury, transfiguring himself into an uncontrollable inferno that scorched any who dared stoke his ire. Conversely, Mika was all brains; calm, collected and always willing to stand back and use his head, to think about his situation and discern what would be the best option to continue, opting to go with the flow like a gently paced river.


In the end, however, despite their differences and arguments, they always managed to find a middle ground to work on, as they worked towards the same goal of simply surviving through the day and keeping the children safe. That was primarily all they cared about, their special family unit, and any petty argument was quickly forgotten with the high trill of a child's laughter echoing in the dark streets that twist through the underground city. 


But the cobbled together harmony between them could only last so long before it was all torn away, when their ill-fated escape attempt left them broken in ways unable to repair. When the children fell to the fang of their captors, when Yuu fled the underground alone and when Mika touched the veil that separated life from death, it shattered both of the survivors of the slaughter and set them adrift each into different rapids of cruelty that this ruined world was all too willing to push them into. 


As they grew older, sundered and alone, the loss of their family and the tragedies their separation had wrought between them had caused their attitudes on life to alter significantly. Yuu took Mika's old words and attitudes to heart, choosing instead to use his head in situations that required it, despite the nightmares and survivor's guilt that hounded him daily, while Mika had nothing and nobody, trapped as he was among emotionless monsters, thus had to turn to himself to survive the harrowing nightmare that followed in the wake of every step. 


They had both undeniably changed, but their link to one another remained unbreakable even through the dark years of their separation, until they met again and joined together permanently. But despite their mutual happiness at their reunion, the addition of Yuu's demon possession and Mika's vampirism had jammed a solid wedge between them that they still struggle to overcome. 


Mikaela's distrust of humanity - thanks in part to his vampiric state and upbringing - means that he wants nothing to do with the humans of Shinoa's squad and especially Guren, who he believes is completely evil and reprehensible, while Yuuichirou wants nothing more than to properly integrate Mika into his new family, who are prepared to welcome him with open arms. 


But Mika consistently shies away, always placing a distinct distance between the humans and himself, as though he has dug a moat of poison around himself and there is no drawbridge to cross. Yuu understands it's a result of the hell he went through during the years they were apart, but that doesn't excuse the blatant animosity he holds towards Guren, and his almost violent recoil from any forms of kindness  the team offers.


Yuu hates it. Hates that Mika is so reluctant to understand that his squad is his family now too. That Guren was the one who lifted Yuu from the pitiful and suicidal survivor of a massacre, to the man who would give anything to protect his family. He doesn't understand Mika's desperation to get away from his squad, even now when he knows that they're not the evil manipulative monsters that he'd believed they were in the beginning.


As a result, their arguments intensify each time the topic is broached.


So here they are.


Standing in the room allocated to the two of them within Ferid Bathory's overly ostentatious mansion, their voices carry along the vaulted ceilings, but muffle against the blood red of the drapes. They face one another, their opposing stances as well as a a distance of a few feet between them feels like a chasm has opened in the floor and the bottom is nowhere in sight. Yuu just wishes Mika would see his side for once.


"Why do you continue to follow through with this ridiculous plan? You know I don't trust those humans, and you shouldn't either." Mika is not yelling, but his voice is loud and accusatory.


"Come on, Mika! Why can't you just understand that they're my family?"


You won't listen.


"Because they're not! You can't trust them!"


Yuu huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, what? You're my only family and I should only trust you, is that it?"


"Yes!"


"Please, Mika. Stop it."


I want you to be on my side. By my side.


"Yuu-chan, you need to see sense-"


"I don't understand why it's so hard for you to accept them. It's not like they're going anywhere, and for that matter you aren't either!" Yuu feels the frustration build inside of him, coiling around his chest like a hundred barbed vines, each tightening slowly and jabbing their sharp thorns deeper and deeper into his soul. "Why are you so against this?"


Why won't you listen to me?


"Because they're not good people, Yuu-chan. The human army has been experimenting on people like us for a really long time. They've been using you!"


"So what?! It's not like we're in the army's hands now!" Yuu throws his arms up in annoyance. "We're only doing this on our say-so, and what's so bad about that? Besides, if it helps to save my family, I don't care that I'm being used."


"Yuu-chan-!"


"No, I don't want to hear it, Mika! They're my family just as much as you are! And we are going to get through this together!"


Why can't you understand?


"I'm just trying to protect you!" 


The dam breaks, and Yuu's anger at the situation spills over into sentences that fly out of his mouth without his permission. He growls his way into a warcry, almost to the point of tearing out his own hair in frustration.


"Maybe I don't want you to!" He spits as he turns away and folds his arms over his chest, before the implications of his words can catch up to his brain. "Maybe I don't need you to! I survived four years without you, Mika! What makes you think that I can't do it now?! I have a demon now, and I have a family to look after! I'm not some kid living in the underground anymore, and I don't need another vampire trying to control my life! I can take care of myself!"


A heartbeat passes.


And another.


Silence.


Yuu expects a yell, a rebuttal, something, but is thoroughly surprised when Mika does not respond at all.


Instead, he goes completely still in Yuu's peripheral vision, a black and white blur that is frozen in place as though a blizzard has just stolen all of the heat from the room, leaving behind naught but a statue.


As the seconds pass, the room maintains a gloomy quiet for longer than Yuu feels comfortable with. It takes him several more beats of the odd silence before he ponders over why Mika would suddenly go so still. What had he said to stun Mika of all people?

 
A moment more before his own words return to him like a poisonous fog in his head, and a cold weight immediately grips his chest in a vice. 


Oh shit! Oh fuck! Oh no!


He whirls back to face Mika with a horrified gasp, covering his traitor mouth with fingers that feel the overwhelming urge to punch himself. What he sees is just another stab to his frantically pulsing heart, thrumming so loud in his ears that he's sure Mika can hear it from where he stands.


But Mika's scarlet eyes are wide, his expression knocked so broadly open to show just how shocked and vulnerable he truly is, with the distinct look of someone who has just been brutally winded. With brows furrowed and lips parted to expose the tips of his fangs, his already pale face has become, if at all possible, bloodless. 


But the shock is only momentary. When it breaks, his eyes lower themselves to the dark carpet as he acquiesces to what Yuu had said, and his expression tightens to a frightening blankness that looks so heartbreaking on Mikaela's face. Yuu watches the blond's gloved fingers slowly curl into his palms like shrivelling petals on a dying flower, hears several tremulous breaths enter and exit his lungs in long suffering draws, and Yuu contemplates biting his own tongue off. 


He watches his best friend shut down right in front of him, shuttering himself to mask his pain just as he did when they were children. Only this time there is no smile to hide behind. 


The dismal aura surrounding Mika intensifies as his mood drops to the lowest that Yuu has ever seen it, and Yuu feels his heart crumble in his chest at the sight of him now.


"I see," Mika utters, and his voice is so flat that it's horrifying to hear. "You're right." 


Oh God no.


"Mika..." Yuu attempts to say, but his voice fails him. His tongue refuses to cooperate and his throat closes over in regret, his own eyes wide and distressed. "I.. I didn't- No, I... I'm so-"


"It's okay," Mikaela cuts him off quietly, and the sound of his defeated voice twists Yuu's stomach in the worst way. He steps back and turns towards the exit. "I'll leave you alone."


"No wait, Mika, I didn't mean that! I'm sorry!" Yuu pushes out desperately, but Mika has already crossed the room and opened the door. "Don't go! Please!"


"I'll see you later."


"Wait-!" Yuu rushes towards him, chasing the flutter of his white cloak and aiming to halt him in his tracks, but by the time he reaches the vampire he's already outside of the room and pulling the door shut.


With a grim sense of finality, the door closes behind him quietly; Mika has never been one to slam a door - even as a child his temper was almost non-existent; but Yuu can't help but feel the soft sound of the latch clicking is like the foreboding slam of a judge's gavel deeming him a guilty man. But guilty of what? Ignorance or hubris? His mind can't decide which is worse or which is more appropriate.


How stupid was he to say that?! To Mika, of all people? Why did he say it? Why, why, WHY?


You fucking dick! You knew that was a sore spot and you couldn't help yourself, Yuu's brain screams. You just had to dig into the vampirism, didn't you?! You had to go right for where he's weak! 


Unable to control his own feelings, Yuu turns to the nearest wall and, with a roar, punches it as hard as he can. The drywall in the mansion shudders beneath his blow, leaving a fist-sized dent behind in the plaster as his hand smashes against the hard surface. 


It's stronger than it looks, apparently. 


He felt the skin on his knuckles break after the first strike, but that isn't enough, and so he punches it again in a new spot. And then again, and again, until the regret saps the fury from his body.


"You fucking idiot." His voice comes out in a near sob, as he gasps for air in a room that feels empty of it in Mika's absence.


Panting with his hands now bloody and covered in white plaster dust, he backs up against the opposite wall and slides down, propping his elbows on his knees and staring at his handiwork. All that is left is the crushing weight of the guilt that his thoughtless words had caused. 


Why did I say it?


A desolate stillness comes over the room, a suffocating blanket of silence that is only broken by a short knock at the door a few moments later.


"When I heard banging coming from your room, this isn't what I expected," a voice calls from the door that opens slowly into the room. Around the doorframe peeks a head of blonde hair, but not the shade he would prefer in this moment.


It's Mitsuba. And from the concerned look on her face, she likely knows exactly what has happened. She probably heard the whole thing. 


"I saw Mika walk past looking really upset. What happened? Are you alright, Yuu?"


Ah. Nevermind, she doesn't know.


Yuu doesn't respond to her, instead closing his eyes and resting his forehead in his hands, burying his fingers into his hair and gripping the black strands tightly. After a moment's pause, he hears Mitsuba's soft footsteps approach as she walks over and senses her nearby as she lowers herself to sit next to him. 


She doesn't attempt to comfort him, instead she examines the destruction his self-aimed rage left behind in the red-painted remnants of what had once been a pristine bedroom wall.


"I'll take that as a no." She mutters.


For what feels like an age afterwards, the two of them sit in a silence that feels as though it is sucking the air out of the room, the only sound to echo against the now damaged walls being Yuu's chest heaving in and out in measured breaths. He feels dizzy and sick to his stomach, while the oppressive aura of his own self-defeat bears down on his shoulders like a yoke of shame. He knows Mitsuba can see it as clear as day, and he mentally begs her to chastise him like the child he feels like.


Please. Please yell at me. 


Punch me, hit me.


Hurt me.


I deserve it.


Please.


"You want to talk about it?" 


No. I want Mika.


He considers not even answering, to leave the question open so that she can take his silence as his answer and leave him alone, but he knows she's too stubborn for that. The ache in his chest only intensifies at the thought.


"No," he whispers after a moment, feeling his eyes water behind his lids. To open them would release the anger and the self-loathing that comes with making Mika look so cut open and raw. "What's there to talk about? I'm an asshole, pure and simple. If I'd just kept my stupid mouth shut, I wouldn't have hurt Mika so bad. God, I'm such an idiot."


He hears her huff a small, amused breath beside him, and it feels like a cup of water dumped on the fire scorching his mind. It's not enough to douse the pain of the sorrow his mistake had caused, but it seems like a start.


"Maybe that's true. But you admitted it, at least. I'm sure if Mika heard you say that, he'd agree," she offers, a wry smile sounding loud and clear in her voice.


"He probably would," Yuu says, as the corners of his mouth struggle to approximate a weak smile without crumbling into tears, but the action aborts itself, unable to continue with the risk. "He definitely should, though. Because it's true."  His voice wobbles in the effort to hold back his regret from spilling over.


The tense atmosphere is suffocating, and Yuu feels Mitsuba's gloved hand come to rest on his bicep. She's trying to provide at least a little comfort in her own way. He doesn't want it, but it's nice to have her support even if he doesn't deserve it.


"You guys were fighting, I get that much. I've never seen you two fight before. But for Mika to walk away looking like that..." She trails off, voice low, and Yuu just wants her to leave him alone. But she won't. He knows she won't, not when he's like this. "Whatever you were fighting about must have been bad."


"It wasn't," Yuu grits out, fingers fidgeting in their grip of his hair. "It's the same thing we always argue about. But I crossed the line this time."


"How so?" She says, voice lilting up with her question. "What did you say?"


"We were arguing about what we're doing here, and why we're doing this. Mika kept saying he couldn't trust anyone here, that I shouldn't either, and that he's just trying to protect me. But I got angry and yelled that I didn't need his help in taking care of myself, and I said... I said that I didn't want a vampire to control my life again." The heat that built behind his eyes threatens to spill over as he hears the sound of Mitsuba's breath catching in her throat.


"Oh, wow."


"Yeah," Yuu grunts, sniffling immediately after. "You can be damn sure that I can and will jam my foot directly into my stupid mouth whenever possible. I just wish it hadn't been with Mika."


"Heh, well, you might have a point about that one," the girl giggles, before her demeanour returns to sombre. "Do you regret what you said, Yuu?"

 
With a hiss, Yuu drops his hands and turns away to glare at the opposite wall, the first angry tear carving a hot path down his cheek. His lips press together as he reaches up to scrub the wetness away roughly with fingers that are too enraged at himself to consider being gentle about it.


"What d'you think?" He says harshly, voice rasping with emotion. "Of course I do."


"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"


"You know he does."


"How much?"


How much?


How much does Mika mean to me?


He means...


Yuu pauses to think of the answer, but it was obvious to him the moment the question was asked.


"The world."


"Hm?"


"He means the world to me."


"Really?"


"Yeah."


"Okay then. Tell me why he means that much to you."


Yuu swallows in trepidation, and a second passes as he formulates his answer, his voice coming reluctant as it fights through the storm of his emotions and into the air.


"I abandoned him to die, Mitsuba." 


Mitsuba's brows furrow with the answer, but she waits for Yuu to elaborate.


"I bet you heard the story by now from someone; that I was livestock for the vampires, and that I escaped after everyone died?" Mitsuba hums in agreement. "Well it's true. Mika was a part of my family underground. When we tried to escape together, I lost everyone, watched all those innocent kids get butchered right in front of me. Mika included."


A soft, shocked inhale was all the reaction he got.


"I tried to save him, but there was so much... so much blood. It was everywhere. He begged me to just leave, and I... I couldn't save him. I had no choice but to run."


Yuu holds up his hand and stares at it, curling his fingers into his palm. 


"But the very second I turned my back on Mika, I felt like I died right there alongside him. And for so long afterwards, I felt so hollow. Like someone had torn out my soul and held it so far out of reach, I couldn't even see it anymore."


"Wow, Yuu," she whispers sorrowfully, breath stolen with his words.


 "I used to dream about seeing him again. To tell him I was sorry for leaving him behind, that I missed him, that I wanted him back so badly. But those dreams usually ended up being nightmares."


Mitsuba hums sympathetically, but she does not say anything. Instead, she waits until Yuu is ready to speak again and, after a short moment of silence, he does.


"When I found him again in Shinjuku... it was like my heart grew back. And I could feel it beating again for the first time in years. At the time I didn't know how he survived, but I was just so happy that he did." Yuu's face stretches into a smile, fond with the memory of his discovery.


"I knew I needed to help him, and that's why I was so determined to get him back. To save him, vampire or not, he belonged with me and not with the bloodsuckers. When we met again in Nagoya he was... I don't know what happened to him, but he was just... covered in blood and wounds."

Yuu's hands gesture as though he is picturing the damaged form Mika had in Nagoya. Mitsuba makes a noise of agreement, as she remembers the way he left them on the battlefield, injured and carrying an unconscious Yuu.

"He desperately needed blood so that he wouldn't die, but he continually refused. Said he didn't want to become a monster."


 Yuu takes a shuddering breath in and lets it out slowly.


"He wanted to die, Mitsuba."


"Oh?"


"But I wouldn't let him."


"I see."


"I talked him into living for me, and pretty much made him drink my blood. I didn't care if he was a vampire, I finally had him back. I didn't know I could be so stubbornly persuasive." 


Mitsuba allows a small smile to cross her lips at that, but she says nothing.


"And now that I have him here with me, I never want either of us to feel that way ever again," He says quietly, his voice barely loud enough to break the quiet of the bedroom. "He belongs with me and I can't risk losing him, Mitsuba, not again."


"I understand."


Yuu sighs, lifting a hand to scratch at the wet line of a tear marking its travel down his face. 


"I... I just want him to be safe, and to let me protect and provide for him, just like he did for me when we were kids. I want to return the favour he gave to me when we were underground, but he won't accept it. I know he's a vampire now and that he's strong enough to defend himself, but that doesn't mean I want to let him stand on his own and bear the brunt of my problems all over again. I just... I can't do that, not anymore. This time, I want to be the one who stands for him."


Mitsuba takes a moment to digest those words, before she speaks again. 


"Have you told him that?"


"I've tried, but he won't listen." Yuu mutters, reaching up to rub at one of his watering eyes. "He keeps telling me that he needs to keep me safe, but I don't need protecting. He's the one who deserves protection. I want him to be included in this family, but he's resisted it the entire time. He keeps telling me not to trust anyone, but I just can't do that. I trust you guys, and he fights it every step."


"Hm. Sounds like he's as stubborn as you are."


Yuu huffs a wet laugh. "You'd be right about that."


"Well, maybe you should just humour him."


"Huh?"


"I mean, that guy has seen some shit, that much is obvious. And you know as well as I do that there's a reason why he's acting the way he is. Who knows what he was exposed to when he grew up among vampires. Not only that, but you have to understand that vampires don't think the same way that humans do. As a species, they're more pragmatic and more aware of any potential danger than we are. That's probably why he's so combative to trusting anyone other than you."


"Yeah?"


"Yeah. I know he hasn't been a vampire for long, but I've seen him fight and the hallmarks are all there. He's protective of you because you're the last thing he believes he has. Wouldn't you get overly protective of something like that?"


"You're damn right I would. But... what does it mean for us, though?" Yuu asks, eyes beseeching the girl.


"It means that if you keep fighting his mindset, you're never going to get anywhere." She says, voice hard into teaching mode. "I can give you a little bit of advice. You're gonna need to attempt to see things from his side, find the middle ground and work it out together. He wants to keep you safe and protect you? Let him. You can easily give the same back if he's close to you. But at least talk to him and figure out how you're going to proceed as a pair, and not as two separate entities. Or you'll end up just like this again; sulking and punching walls."


Yuu pauses in contemplation, unable to find any fault in her words.


"I see. But... how do you know so much about the way vampires think?"


"Well I was a part of the vampire extermination squad long before you joined. Duh." She sniffs, nose turned up in a pretend display of haughtiness. "I had to learn how the bloodsuckers thought so that I could fight them more effectively. It's not that hard to gather how a person thinks by observing how they do battle. Even an moron like you could do it, if you put your mind to it."


Another wan laugh. "Hah, then I guess you're right. I suppose I could give it a shot, but I can't promise anything."


"Just so long as you try."


"Hm. Who knew Mitsuba Sanguu could be a good therapist?" Yuu chuckles fondly, watching her face pinch in annoyance. "Don't need to pay money to an actual shrink if I have you around."


"Shut up, idiot." She huffs, as she folds her arms over he chest and leans back against the wall. "I only helped you because I hate looking at your miserable face."


"Sure, sure."


The two of them lapse into a more amicable silence, the tension in the air nullified by the friendly banter. After a pregnant pause, Mitsuba's soft voice breaks the silence with a sentence that feels like a blow to Yuu's chest.


"Hey, Yuu... have you ever considered... that you might be in love with Mika?" 


A heartbeat. 


Two.


Three.


Yuu's breath catches in his throat as he processes her words. His head whirls to stare at Mitsuba in shock.


"W-what?"


Mitsuba's expression holds no inkling that she could possibly be joking, and her voice comes out firm and unyielding, but soft.


"I've heard you speak about him, the way your voice gets when you say his name, and it's sweeter than anything I've ever seen you come out with." She says, purple eyes gazing deep into surprised green as her hands return to his arm. "He's important to you, and you said it yourself that he means the world to you. You want to protect him, despite all of his power as a vampire, and you want to provide for him more than just blood. I've seen the way you look at him when you think nobody is looking. I hate to say it, Yuu, but if that's not love, then I don't know what is."


Yuu splutters indignantly, but ultimately can't think of anything to say other than; "B-but we're family, MItsuba! There's no way-!"


"Family? Don't be stupid! You and I both know that's bullshit. Think hard about it." Affronted, her fingers flex against his bicep threateningly. "I'm not going to judge you either way, but there's no need to lie about it. You love him more than family, don't you?"


Love?


Do I love him?


Yuu looks inward, and remembers the way he felt when Mika would smile at him when they were children in Sanguinem, the fluttering that would tickle the inside of his chest when he caught sight of it. It always confused him, and so he put distance between them to try and make sense of the way his heart sped up whenever Mika was near. 


He didn't know how to explain the horrible fear he felt whenever Mika would go to the vampire noble and come back late at night tired and weak, bearing gifts of food and bedding for their family. 


I worried for him.


He didn't know why he always demanded that Mika sleep next to him at night, when there were other children nearby that could have easily benefited from the comfort he made exclusive for Mika. Or how they would consistently be one another's crutch as they weakly limped back from their unwilling blood donations. The blond, of course, never argued about it and instead took his stubborn demands in stride as he did with everything else. 

He remembers the way the Mika's pale skin felt as they touched, be it from gripping hands as they pulled one another along the dark streets, to pressing close together for warmth on the cold nights in the Hyakuya house. Mika had to be near him, not only so he could keep an eye on him, but for another reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.


He didn't understand why he felt like Mika was so special, but he didn't have the emotional maturity at the time to understand what was happening until it was too late.


I always wanted him nearby.


He remembers the horror of watching the blond fall to that vampire noble, seeing his blood paint the pristine white floor a ghastly red, and watching the colour trickle from the corners of his paling lips. Those bright blue eyes dilated with desperation, pain and fear, and the feel of that weak palm shoving hard into his chest, begging for him to just go, you idiot


He remembers the cold, gnawing emptiness that his loss had caused afterwards. He felt nothing but rage and seething hatred for the creatures that took Mika away from him in those four long years of agonizing loneliness. He wanted revenge, not only for the deaths of his family, but the frigid absence Mika had left behind with his sacrifice.


I was nothing without him.


But... finding Mika alive again after such a long time had rekindled a fire in his chest that burned with an intensity that could rival the sun, and being near him had felt as though he was basking in its warm rays. Granted, Mika now is a shattered shell of the bright and exuberant child he had once been; four years of living amongst monsters and murderers had not been kind to him. 


But to look at him now, even as a vampire, knowing that he had survived such hell just to see Yuuichirou again, and fighting to remain by his side brought Yuu such immense joy. He knows that Mika lives for him and him alone, and it warms him so much to know it. 


He gives me hope.


The blood he sheds so that Mika stays alive is a mere pittance to how much he would truly give him if he were able. Mika is everything to him; his family, his partner, his other half, his world. Vampire or no, Mikaela belongs with Yuu, and Yuu cannot imagine Mika with anyone else. They are intrinsically linked through the bonds of more-than-family, but they both had never stopped to consider what could be between them.


And Yuu feels so stupid to not have put thought into it sooner.


Yes. Her words are true.


"Holy shit. You... you're right," he breathes, shocked. "I do love him."


"It's good that you admit it, Yuu."


He hears a satisfied huff come from the girl next to him, and feels her fingers tighten around his arm. In the next moment, she abruptly stands, dragging him up to his knees and, surprised, he looks up to meet her annoyed purple gaze. 


"So what are you doing sitting here sulking, you idiot?" She growls, her grip around his bicep verging on painful. "Go to him and tell him that yourself!"


"I'm not sulking!" He tries to argue, but she does not relent as she forces him to his feet. "Besides, I can't do that!"


"Why not?" She whirls on him, furious eyes glaring deep into his own. "Is this some macho thing that you're trying to do? Trying to bottle up your feelings? Well, forget it! I won't let you wallow in your own stupid misery!"


"But-!"


She yanks his arm as she turns towards the door, compelling him to dig his heels into the plush carpet. His resistance forces a frustrated groan from her as she releases his arm and circles behind him, palms shoving him between his shoulder blades towards the exit.


"No buts! You will go out there and reconcile with Mika, right now!" She grits out, and Yuu is unable to withstand the force that she is pushing against his back, as he reluctantly takes a few steps forward. "I won't hear any excuses!"


"But Mitsuba-!"


"I said. No. Buts!" She yells, and with a final shove, he is at the door, turning to stare down at her furious expression. "Don't you come back here until you make up or make out with him!"


Yuu's face erupts into a bright red that she smirks at, as she firmly plants her hands on her hips and glares at him until he finally makes his feet walk out the door. 


"You've been hanging out with Shinoa too much, Mitsuba." He grumbles, fingers coming up to rub at the bruise that her tight grip had likely left on his arm. "You're both so perverted."


She snorts. "Hah, I like to think I'm not as bad as her. But tell me Yuu, am I wrong?"


Yuu sighs, knowing that he can't dismiss the fact that she's right. He needs to go and talk to Mika and work through this issue. Together. What comes after that, he'll have to wait and see.


"No, you're not."


"Good of you to admit it." Mitsuba grunts, pointing a finger directly into Yuu's face. "Now, if you don't get moving and go see Mika right now to apologise, I swear, Yuuichirou Hyakuya, I will make you regret it."


"Okay, okay! I'm going!" He whines, before he turns back to her with a small smile. "Thanks, Mitsuba."


"No problem, now go!" She says, as she waves him off with a returned smile. "And good luck, Yuu!" 

Yuu nods, gritting his teeth as he marches onwards in search of Mika.

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