Work Text:
Inspiration: “heart to break” by kim petras
summary: kou introduces his ghost boyf to his bro. He has questions that are hard to answer.
The thrilling paint by numbers sequel to the overall mostly fine first two. But its important for the rest of the narrative and honestly i'd be lying if I wasnt absolutely in love with the idea of teru being a grumpy inlaw. So here we go!
Also, just so everyone can appreciate how ridiculous I am, I made a 5 page script/character study thing. Y'kno, for the draaamaaaa.
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There was a spring in his step as Kou made his way home. Sun on his back, summer air in his chest, the sky felt so wide open and blue he could get lost in it.
It had been an hour since his meeting with Mitsuba, but it might as well have been ten seconds ago. His heart beat out a humming bird rhythm, the events replaying over and over again in his head. Shy eyes peering up at him, a soft flush coloring his face. The way his voice caught when he spoke, or how his fingers worked anxiously in the fabric of Kou's tie.
Kou was certain he wouldn’t be able to think of anything else tonight. Or ever.
000
“Big bro!!”
Kou started, narrowly avoiding dropping the egg he was holding. A pair of tiny arms had latched around his leg, two bright blue eyes looking up at him. With his clean hand, he ruffled her hair, smiling.
“Hey, princess. How was school?”
Leaning into his hand, she smiled up at him. “It was good! I colored!”
“Yeah?” he cleaned off his hands on his apron and leaned to see her better. “What did you color?”
Tiara waved her arms excitedly. “Mokke! I colored Fairy!”
“Oh cool, can I see??”
“She left it at school.” Teru rounded the corner, a tired smile on his face. “I already asked.” he teased.
Kou snickered. “That’s fine. Tomorrow then!”
Tiara nodded quickly, a bright smile on her face. “Yeah!”
Leaning against the door frame, the older boy watched the two talk and play. The days exhaustion slipped away. It reminded him why he did what he did. As he watched them, he noted that his brother seemed happier than usual.
“Say,” Teru spoke up, curious. “did something good happen today?”
The boy stiffened, his entire face turning bright red. Then, he itched his cheek and grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess so!”
“What?” Tiara bounced in place. “What happened??”
Not meeting their eyes, Kou said, “I got my first kiss.”
All was still for a moment, before the two blonds began to clamor and crow among one another. Tiara pulled at his sleeve insistently. “Wooow, really??”
Teru whistled lowly, taken aback by the news. “Oh my. You're growing up so fast!” he sighed, tilting his head.
“No way.” Kou laughed, waving a hand and petting his sister with the other. “Its not that big of a deal!”
It was obvious to Teru that this was, in fact, a very big deal. “So? Who was the lucky girl?”
Pausing, Kou's smile turned frail. Forcing a laugh, the boy stood and turned back to the meal he'd been preparing. “O-Oh, well...no one you'd know.”
As the younger blond began to work on breading chicken, Teru watched him closely. Tension lined his jaw and shoulders. Humming quietly, the teen wondered exactly what his brother was hiding from him.
“That so?”
“Yeah.”
He'd just have to figure it out himself, then.
000
There was absolutely no way he could tell his family about Mitsuba. Laying in his bed, Kou stared up at his ceiling and tried to puzzle through this predicament. A breeze came in through the window, rustling the blinds.
If Teru or his father found out about Mitsuba, that was it. It would be over. If not for himself, then definitely for the spirit. Kou wasn’t confident in Mitsuba's ability to hide out until Teru graduated school.
It hurt to lie.
It hurt to pretend.
But it would hurt so much more if something happened to Mitsuba. He didn’t think he could handle that a second time.
Part of him wanted to believe that Teru wouldn’t react the way he had when he'd found out about his friendship with Hanako. That he'd be excited and proud for his little brother, like he was supposed to be. Maybe he'd even like Mitsuba.
Fairy was rummaging under his bed for spare candy. Sometimes he forgot to empty his pockets after school and the little mokke would sniff out what was left. Glancing down at it, he sighed.
“What do you think I should do?” he asked.
Blinking, the soft pink creature stared back up at him. Instead of answering him, it lifted a candy up. “Want one?”
A faint smile tugged at his face. “No thanks. You keep it.”
Fairy went right back to its task, munching away happily. Kou watched it a bit longer, before rolling over again. He'd ask Hanako later. If anyone would have advice, it would be him.
000
“Are you out of your mind, kid?”
Wincing, Kou itched his cheek. “Is it really that bad of an idea...?” he asked warily.
Hanako looked up from the cards he held, face blank. Sighing, he nodded to the mirror. “Why don’t you ask him? He's the one whose impacted here, not me.”
A mokke set down one of its own cards. Hanako cursed quietly. “How did you manage that, you little devil...?”
Ignoring the spirits, Kou glanced at the row of mirrors cautiously. A bouquet of flowers was placed in a cup, the only reflection in the glass. He hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Mitsuba since the other day and he didn’t want his first conversation to be about his imminent destruction.
“I'll think about it a bit more.”
Eying him over the top of his cards, Hanako shrugged. “If you say so.”
Looking at his phone, Kou sighed heavily. Time for class. He'd catch up with Mitsuba later, he supposed. “I'll see ya later, Hanako.” he waved and headed off.
The door closed with a soft click behind him. Not looking up from his cards, the spirit tutted. “You're awfully cold.”
On the other side of the mirror, Mitsuba pretended he hadn’t heard him.
000
The moment class ended, Kou made a bee-line for the nearest bathroom. He breezed by several friends, who looked after him in confusion. As he rounded the corner, they shrugged and turned to walk away.
Sliding into the room, he took a breath and made an attempt to look calm and collected. The few students in the bathroom quietly vacated, shooting him odd looks as they did. Kou ignored them and approached the row of sinks. Clearing his throat, he raised a hand to the mirror and knocked. One, two, three. The surface rippled, before smoothing out. In the glass, Mitsuba leaned his chin on his laced hands.
He wore a playful grin. “You rang?”
Butterflies swarmed his chest. Kou made an effort to see Mitsuba as often as possible. If he wasn’t in class or some sudden club he'd been pushed into by classmates, he was at the nearest mirror. It had gotten him a number of odd looks and rumors as of late. But the butterflies never left.
“Hey!” the blond greeted, smiling wide. “I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to say hi and check in on you.” he paused to catch his breath. “How are you??”
Mitsuba blinked owlishly, face warming. “Oh. I'm good? You?”
“Doing great!” Kou said, then as if struck by a great idea, barreled on. “Hey, do you want to come have lunch with us today??”
His excitement and good mood was infectious. “Sure?” It felt impossible to say no. “Just give me a call.” then, face turning red, he waved a hand. “Y'know, if I have time.”
The way Mitsuba's voice caught was lost on Kou. “Great!!”
The warning bell rang shrilly above them. Glancing at his watch, Kou made a face and then offered the redhead a sheepish smile. “I gotta get going. But I'll see you at lunch!”
As he turned to leave, Mitsuba fought down the way his heart rattled against his ribs. “I-If I have time!” he called after the boy.
His ears felt hot, as silence settled over the room. A lunch with friends. No. A lunch with a boyfriend and his friends. It felt like a dream come true. Although if he were honest, Mitsuba wasn’t entire certain they even were dating. Neither of them had brought it up.
The idea of asking and ruining this illusion made his stomach turn.
No point in that, he mused.
000
Birds called, their forms blending in with the clouds that scuttled through the sky. Below, students milled about, working on club activities or talking amongst one another. Mitsuba leaned over the railing, watching them go about their day with a longing that put an ache in Kou's heart.
Yashiro laid out a blanket, humming to herself happily. “Mitsuba, are you ready?”
Pulling himself away from the view, the redhead floated over to the group. “Yeah.”
Hanako settled into the shadows of the roof, peering over Kou's shoulder as he unloaded his bag. The blond passed a bento to each of them, grinning. “I hope its alright. I had a lot of leftovers.”
The girl took hers happily. “Thank you, Kou!”
Mitsuba hummed as he popped open his own lunch, a delighted smile alighting on his face. “Oh, wow!”
Glancing between their lunch boxes, Hanako hummed curiously. “Something about this seems... off.”
“What do you mean?” Yashiro asked, blinking. “It seems normal to me.”
There was a distinct difference between their lunches. While they all had relatively similar parts – fried chicken, fried eggs and rice – Mitsuba's had an extra tray. Inside of it, was a neat row of pink mochi and apples cut to look like rabbits. In his rice, a pink rabbit had been painstakingly painted on.
It was quite obvious what was off about their lunches. Mitsuba hummed happily and dug into his meal, oblivious to the jealous looks he was getting. Kou itched his cheek, cheeks warming.
“I just had a lot of extras after making lunch.” he mumbled.
Eying the mokke like rabbit in the rice, Hanako asked, “Making lunch for who, I wonder.”
The boy ignored him pointedly. Turning to Yashiro, he smiled. “How is it, senpai?”
Despite her own bitterness, the girl smiled sweetly. “Its really good! Thank you, Kou.”
“That’s good.” Kou laughed sheepishly. Turning to the redhead, he asked, “How is it?”
Glancing up from his food, Mitsuba gave a thumbs up. “Its cute and its good. I could do without the pumpkin, but its a win for me.”
“Not a fan of pumpkin?”
“Nope.” the spirit plucked the bits of pumpkin out of his bento and dropped them into Kou's.
Kou ate a piece, chewing thoughtfully. “Well, I can always find another side for you next time.”
The fact that there would be a next time was beyond wonderful. Mitsuba stuffed a piece of egg into his mouth and tried not to smile too wide.
“Now, what do we have here?”
A shadow fell over the picnic. Kou felt his stomach drop, cold filling the space it had occupied. Turning, his eyes met a pair of ice blue that he knew all too well. A beat of silence passed.
“Bro...?” his voice came weak, the effort to speak draining. “What are you...?”
Hanako ducked behind Yashiro, eying the older blond over her shoulder. “Get him out of here.” he said flatly.
Beside the spirit, Mitsuba scrambled away from the blanket and into the shadows of the roof. Chancing a glance back at the redhead, Kou felt his heart stop. The sheer terror in his face was too familiar to ignore. Without a word, he moved to put himself between his brother and the boy. Mitsuba made a faint noise of surprise. The look of dejected understanding that lit Teru's face stung.
“I was wondering who you were sneaking around with.” Teru mused aloud, shifting his gaze to the redhead. His smile was razor thin. “Truthfully, I think you could do better.” he said with distaste.
No words came. Swallowing hard, Kou glanced around the rooftop for a means of escape. He had to get Mitsuba out of here. His gaze landed on the still open door that lead down to the stairs and his heart jumped.
“They can go.” Teru said flatly. “I'm only interested in you right now.”
When Kou turned to look at his brother again, the thinly veiled hurt was visible in his expression. Biting his lip, he turned to Yashiro, who met his gaze with a determined expression. Without a word, she moved to where Mitsuba had been huddled and reached out her hand. The redhead eyed it dumbly, before taking it.
“Thank you, Yashiro-senpai.” Kou murmured.
She smiled sweetly at him. “Its nothing.”
With that, she pulled the two spirits along as she made her way to the door. Yashiro ducked around Teru, giving him a wide berth as she passed. Mitsuba turned, throwing a panicked look over his shoulder as he realized Kou wasn’t going to follow. The blond offered him the most reassuring smile he could, watching him until the trio disappeared into the building.
The door shut with a click, throwing the rooftop under an icy sheet of silence. Kou tore his gaze from the door, praying that they could escape successfully. Prayed that Mitsuba would have the good sense to hide and not be a hero.
Teru was watching him with an impassive expression. His eyes, slivers of ice, searched him for something Kou couldn’t put a finger on. When it became apparent that Kou wasn’t going to speak up first, the older blond sighed heavily.
“It isn’t like you to lie, Kou.”
He didn’t move to defend himself. After all, lying by omission was still a lie. The disappointment in his brother's eyes hurt.
“I really expected better from you.”
Bowing his head, Kou inhaled sharply. He bit his lip, trying to even out his voice. “I'm sorry. But!” then, looking up, he frowned. “How was I supposed to tell you after last time!”
The look of disappointment deepened. “I suppose I should have seen this coming.” Teru mused. “You became too attached to No.7. This is only the next logical step.”
A shudder ran up the boy's spine. The logic made his skin crawl. Teru didn’t seem to notice, eying the abandoned picnic. “We had a deal. Only once.” his gaze hardened.
“This is different!” Kou exclaimed, clenching his fists.
His brother cocked his head. “And how is that?”
“Because, I...!” he stopped, the words sticking in his throat. “I...!”
He'd never said it aloud before. Not to himself or to Mitsuba.
The older boy tutted softly. “You don’t need to say it.” He eyed the overturned bento, the rabbit shaped apples covered in fried rice. “In fact, I'd prefer you didn’t”
His heart ached. “Whats that supposed to mean??”
Teru leveled him with a pitying look. A wave of hot indignation swept over the boy, ears buzzing. “W-Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to hear it!” he cried, clenching his fists at his side. “Cuz it wont change anything!!” then, taking a deep breath, he scrunched his face up and shouted, “I...! I love him!”
Birds called, beating their wings as they took off into the sky. The air seemed to reverberate in the echo of his fierce cry to the heavens. Kou could feel the tension in the air, thicker than soup. Teru sighed heavily.
“You're 14, Kou.” the older boy said flatly, rubbing his forehead tiredly. “You don’t know what love is.”
Kou snapped back, “I do!”
“You don’t” Teru said firmly, dropping his hand to look at the boy properly. His gaze was cool and hard. “Love isn’t lunch boxes and notes.”
Bits and pieces of their last real argument returned, the same helpless feeling of frustration rising in his chest. “D-Dont tell me what I know! I'm not as smart as you, but I know how I feel!!”
Another sigh, not unlike when they'd try to reason with Tiara. Then, in an even tone, Teru spoke. “Alright. Lets say that this is love, and not just hormones and idiocy speaking.” he crossed his arms. “What then?
Blinking, Kou looked up at his brother. Furrowing his brows, he mumbled, “What do you mean?”
“Whats next?”
“I...I don’t know?” he shook his head, exasperated. “Why does that matter??”
Teru's mouth formed a flat line. “Of course you don’t You aren’t taking any of this seriously.”
Throwing his hands in the air, Kou snapped, “Whats there to think about???”
Regret set in immediately. A dark expression settled over his brother's face. It might have been kinder to have just been hit. “How about your heritage, for starters? You've worked so hard to get where you are, long suffering as its been.”
He didn’t need to be reminded about his own failings. Kou opened his mouth to say as much, cut off as the older boy continued.
“You're throwing away all of that hard work for something that isn’t even human.”
“Don’t call him a thing.” Kou said, voice harsh.
Raising a brow, Teru cocked his head to the side. “What else should I call him?”
“By his name!”
“He isn’t even that person anymore.” That tone was back. As if this were a chore. “He's Tsukasa's play-thing.”
Frustration threatened to swell up and overtake his thoughts. “He's still a person! He still deserves to be respected!”
“I cant respect someone like him.” The older boy shifted his weight, adjusting his position. “He was already a menace before Tsukasa even got to him. He has yet to prove that he isn’t little more than a rampaging monster.”
“He isn’t like that!” Kou grit his teeth. “He's never tried to hurt anyone-”
“He's tried to hurt you on multiple occasions.” Teru said flatly. “He trapped you in a painting.”
The words died in his mouth. “That’s..”
“He's an unstable monster.” his brother said, frowning. “He could snap at any moment and turn into something awful.”
“Mitsuba would never do that!” Kou cried, clutching the front of his shirt. “He's made mistakes before, but he would never hurt me!”
Teru was quiet for a moment, allowing the younger blond to catch his breath and reel in his emotions. When he felt like Kou could focus on the topic properly, he said, “You have quite the opinion of him. But, would someone who cared about you ever put you into harms way?”
Kou bit his lip, looking up at his brother. “I-”
“Would the try to trap you, play with your emotions?” Teru pressed, holding his hands up. “Is that love?”
“Its exactly what you're doing right now!!!”
Stunned silent, Teru stared at Kou wide eyed. Then, quietly, “Excuse me...?”
He clutched at his shirt front, a helpless gesture. “You keep saying that you know best, but that’s not true!” Kou sucked in a wet breath, attempting to steady his voice. “I...I know that there’s a lot still up in the air. Tsukasa is still lurking around and its not like I can say for sure that Mitsuba wont take his side.”
“Kou-”
“But!” he looked up sharply, pinning his brother in place with his gaze. “But I want to believe he wouldn’t do that! Because I love him and I just want to see where this goes!” his breath caught, voice watery.
As Kou made a vain effort to reel in his frustrated tears, the older boy watched him mutely. The boy's words settled over him heavily. Teru hadn’t intended to make his brother cry, or to instil distrust in him. Regardless of his intentions, that’s exactly what he'd done. Instinct told him to rush over and make sure Kou knew he was safe and loved, but he couldn’t move his feet.
If he rushed over and soothed his brother, would anything be accomplished?
Biting his lip, Teru spoke softly. “I'm worried about you, Kou.”
“H-Huh...?”
Those big, teary blue eyes were on him. Vulnerable and lost. Teru looked away. “This is a big step. And you're taking it with someone I don’t trust.” he said, running a hand over his face tiredly. “A normal relationship can turn sour easily, but this is...”
“Do you trust me?”
Looking up, Teru felt his heart squeeze. Kou watched him with a somber expression, hand still working anxiously at his own shirt. “...What?”
The younger blond swallowed hard, voice watery as he scrubbed at his cheek clumsily. “B-Because if you trust me, if you really do, y-you'll know that I can do this.” his voice wavered. “I-I'm not a kid anymore.”
This was unfair.
How was he supposed to respond to that? Teru bit his lip hard, trying to reconcile the crying boy in front of him with the things he'd said. Common sense told him not to take anything Kou said seriously. The boy was running headlong into incredibly bad situations and he was asking his brother to trust his judgment.
A warm, rough hand took his own in a tentative hold. Blinking, Teru realized belatedly that Kou had crossed the distance to stand before him. There was a maturity in the boy's eyes that he couldn’t deny.
Kou held his gaze, squeezing his hand gently. “Trust me. Like I've always trusted you.”
How could he say no to that face?
Sighing heavily, Teru brought a hand up to ruffle the boy's hair. Kou made a faint sound of irritation. “Alright.”
A relieved smile alighted on Kou's face, eyes lighting up. He flicked the boy in the forehead. “But don’t think that this is over.”
Yelping, the younger blond rubbed his forehead. “H-Huh??”
“We'll revisit this as things progress.” he attempted to gather up the calm he'd lost earlier. “I don’t want you to hide things and get into trouble because you're afraid to come to me for help.”
Kou bit his lip, nodding. Giving in, Teru pulled him into a tight hug. All of the tension eased from the boy's shoulders as he buried his face in his brother's shoulder. Belatedly, the teen realized Kou was already tall enough to reach his shoulder without standing on his tiptoes. His heart ached.
Where was the time going? He wondered.
The soft chime of the lunch bell rang out. Clearing his throat, Teru pulled away and attempted to regain that calm he'd lost. Kou swiped at his nose, snuffling. “I suppose its time to get back to class.”
“Y-Yeah.” Kou nodded. “I'll see you at home.”
Teru ruffled his hair, a faint smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “Yeah.”
He watched his brother walk away, heart in his throat. Against the vast blue sky, Teru was a flicker of golden sunshine. He seemed so small, the weight of too many responsibilities wearing him down. To have someone so kind and caring was a precious gift that Kou would always cherish.
Alone on the rooftop, Kou let out a long sigh. He'd talked the talk, now he needed to prove to his brother that he could rely on him.
Casting a glance at the abandoned picnic, the blond ran a hand through his hair. He hadn’t eaten at all and honestly, his appetite was long gone. But seeing the lunch he'd made for Mitsuba spilled all over was so disappointing.
Kou made quick work of cleaning up the mess. While it was sad to see food go to waste, he was sure that the birds would have a good meal. All he wanted to do was go to check on Mitsuba. Once the lunch boxes were stuffed in his bag and the blanket folded and put away, he made his way to the door.
For a moment, as he stepped through the door, the world was a grainy blur. When his vision adjusted to the lower lighting, the first thing he saw was a glow of soft pinks and reds. Leaning against the railing, Mitsuba picked at his scarf anxiously.
The redhead turned to face him, eyes wide. “Kou!”
“Mitsuba?” the blond looked at him owlishly, crossing the distance to the boy quickly. He looked him over, hands fidgeting as he fought the urge to reach out and check him physically. “You're still here? Are you alright??”
Making a face, the spirit huffed. “Me? What about you?”
Kou laughed faintly, touched by the concern. “I'm fine.”
Mitsuba didn’t seem quite like he believed him, but he let it drop. “That’s good...” he sighed, shoulders slumping.
Glancing around, Kou blinked. “Where are the others?”
The spirit shrugged absently, pointedly looking away. “At class. Told 'em I'd be fine by myself.”
It was hard to imagine Yashiro actually agreeing to that demand. But then again, the redhead had his stubborn streak. “Oh.” he said simply.
A beat of silence passed. The longer Mitsuba refused to look at him, the more and more concerned Kou became. It dawned on him with startling clarity that the boy had been here for a while.
“H-Hey, um...” Kou began, voice catching. “Have you been here....the entire...?”
Mitsuba's cheeks flushed as he sunk into his scarf. “Enough of it.”
Oh no.
Heart skipping a beat, the blond looked at the ground and willed it to open up and swallow him. He bit his lip and fidgeted with his shirt hem. What was he supposed to say?
“Did...” the redhead murmured, plucking at the end of his sleeve. “Did you really mean all of that...?”
“Eh...?”
“Don’t eh me.”
Kou swallowed hard, heart beating a mile a minute. “...Yeah, I did.” he said, solemnly.
A jolt ran through the redhead. Face as red as his hair, he looked down and inhaled sharply. Kou looked away, unable to bear the anxiety. A soft weight rested against his chest and he started, vision filling with red. Two hands came up to grasp at his shirt front, fingers tangling in the fabric. Heart hammering away, Kou tentatively wrapped his arms around the other boy.
Mitsuba was cold to the touch, his form sturdier than Hanako's. But right then, Kou felt like a warmth had spread, jumping from the blond's fingertips to the spirit's body. He held him fast, burying his face in the boy's hair. The fingers in his shirt slowly loosened, hands shyly reaching around to hug him back.
A bolt of courage surged through Kou. Swallowing hard, he brought a hand to the redhead's chin, tilting it up. Mitsuba blinked in confusion, eyes damp. Kou didn’t leave him guessing long, leaning forward to press their lips together.
It was a light, chaste kiss. Not the deep, desperate one they'd shared that day in the bathroom, or the quick pecks they chanced when no one was looking. But Kou felt the world shift, warmth and butterflies alighting in his chest. He never wanted it to end.
Someone laughed outside, their voices ringing out happily. The spell was broken and Kou reluctantly pulled away. Mitsuba followed his lips for half a second, dazed. A jolt of warmth filled the blond's stomach and he felt his face redden.
The words came in a breathless rush. “I love you.”
Mitsuba's dazed expression melted away into shock. His breath hitched and he pushed away from the blond, squeezing his eyes shut tight. “T-Thats...!!!”
Kou didn’t think he could contain all of the love he felt for the boy if he tried. He laughed breathlessly, heart soaring. “C'mon, lets go eat. I never finished my lunch.”
Turning, he began to head down the stairs. A hand caught his, the chill barely there. Turning, he blinked. “Mitsuba...?”
Face beet red, the redhead fought to keep eye contact. “I...!” he gulped, eyes suspiciously dewy. “I love you to!” he said, the words tumbling out.
A surge of happiness overtook him. Kou grinned wide, all sunshine and warmth, and Mitsuba swore he could outshine the sun. “Does that mean we're boyfriends?” he asked, excitement impossible to ignore.
Mitsuba rolled his eyes, glancing away. “Duh.” he sunk into his scarf, mumbling. “Moron.”
It didn’t matter to him if Teru was right. Even if it meant that he'd never be able to be put back together, Kou would repeat this mistake over and over again. As they traipsed down the stairs, Kou was certain that he wouldn’t regret this choice.
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