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Sly likes to think no one can get under his skin. It's rather difficult for those that don't know him well to do so, but it's painfully easy for those close to him to get on his nerves if they want to. Of course, said people know what boundaries aren't to be crossed, and what things can be attributed as jokes or pranks. Aoba had figured this out quickly enough; being Sly's twin had that effect.
They'd met Ren in their first year of middle school, and learned he had an older sibling a grade above them quickly. His name was Sei, and while Sly didn't choose to interact with him much, he'd somehow ended up sitting in the seat behind the black-haired boy in maths, and two seats to his right in English. Sly made a habit of distracting him as best he could throughout their lessons on equations and variables, and much to his delight, Sei succumbed to passing notes and whispering while the teacher's back was turned easily.
Of course, high school hadn't wielded the same amount of carefree banter between assignments. Sei and Sly had long since exchanged numbers, but with Sei's significantly larger workload it ended up with Sly rambling aimlessly about whatever he could think of on speakerphone while Sei made a few noises to show he was listening while working. It turned out to be rather efficient, as Sly eventually admitted to himself that it was nice being able to talk mindlessly to someone like that. Sei simply liked using the former's voice as white noise, tuning in every once in a while so he could prove to the other he'd been listening.
Winter arcs into colder months silently, and on this particular morning Sei finds himself bundled up at the bus stop, waiting for said vehicle to deliver him to another day of his senior year. He pulls his phone out of his coat pocket, shivering and tapping at the screen through fingerless gloves. His fingertips are red and frozen, but somehow the device manages to pick up on where and what he clicks.
Sly: where r u
Sei glances at the clock at the top of the screen, and realizes his bus is running late, and has been for fifteen minutes now.
Me: my bus is late!! :O
Sly: arent u freezng
Me: im ok!
Sly: ok well like dont blame me when u get frostbite lmao
Sei smiles out of habit at the screen, nuzzling deeper into his scarf and inhaling the frigid air. His ears perk up at the loud groaning of a familiar engine, and opens his eyes as the bus pulls up in front of him. The doors swing open, and Sei steps in. "Hello." He greets the driver courteously and quietly, eliciting a nod of acknowledgment from the latter. He takes a spot near the front, propping his legs up against the back of the seat in front of him. He fiddles with his phone for a while before getting bored, then sticks earbuds in his ears and sets his music library on shuffle. Leaning his head against the window, he decides on napping before he reaches the school.
Sei was well aware the first bell had already rung by the time his bus arrived, as the warning bell blared along with the secretary on the PA announcing that the students on said bus were to be excused for being tardy. He forwent the usual stop at his locker (he seemed to be among the few people that actually used them), and headed straight to the second floor for first period.
That is, he would have, if a familiar arm hadn't hooked around his and dragged him away.
"Sly!" Sei whispers, intimidated by the echo his soft voice still caused in the wide hall. "Get to class!"
"Oh, come on, Sei." The blue-haired male sticks his tongue out at the other. "Skipping one class won't kill you."
"Yes , but knowing you you'll keep me out the whole day!"
Sly blows a raspberry his way. "Chill." He says, waving his hand aimlessly in the air. "I'll have you back by lunchtime, so don't be a tightass, okay?"
Sei puffs up his cheeks in a pouty expression, but relents to following the other nonetheless. "What did you even want to do today?" He asks, eyes darting back and forth as they exit the school where Sei had entered just minutes ago. Sly shrugs and jams his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. "Needed some moral support."
"Support for what?" Sei inquires, now curious. Sly grins and withdraws a hand, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the cluster of stores nearby. He flashes Sei a toothy grin and says, "Noiz hooked me up with the tattoo artist who gave him his piercings. He says this dude won't be an asshole like the last one." His fingers involuntarily head toward the bridge of his nose, picking at the nasty scab where a bridge piercing should've been. Sei sighs inwardly and reaches up to tug Sly's hand away from it, and the blue-haired male sticks his tongue out at him.
Sly yawns, threading his hands into the blue tresses cascading down the back of his head and scratching at his neck absentmindedly. "Maybe if you got a tattoo or something people wouldn't be such asses to you sometimes." He says aimlessly. Sei covers his mouth with his hand and laughs into his palm, garnering Sly's attention. "What?" He asks, bristling and raising an azure eyebrow. The black-haired male shakes his head and composes himself, running a hand through his bangs. "I just can't imagine how Tae-san would react if I came home with a tattoo." Sly catches onto his humor and lets out a snicker himself at the mental image of a tattooed Sei.
Sly takes him to a place called the Black Needle, and throws open the door with a flourish while Sei knits his fingers together nervously, intimidated by the dark interior. "Welcome!" A tanned man with a pale green teardrop inked on his cheek pops up from behind the bar, smiling warmly. The place isn't exactly packed, but many of the bar stools and booths are taken by punk-esque twenty-something year olds and attractive women wearing short dresses and red lipstick. Sei notes that the couples scattered about don't seem to be simply men and women; among them are boys and girls sitting a little too close to be considered friends. Sei sighs in relief silently; seeing other people that were more open about their non-heterosexuality made him relax a little.
Sly grabs a stool at the bar and waves the teardrop-tattoo man over, hooking his arm around Sei's shoulders and eyeing the few people looking their way. "Noiz got me a reservation?" He says, voice going up at the end of his statement, making it sound like a question. Sei sees the recognition bloom in the man's eyes. "Ah, of course!" He says, clapping a hand on Sly's shoulder. "I'm Mizuki. You must be Sly, right?"
Said male nods, cracking a grin in greeting. "The studio's back here." Mizuki tells him, jabbing his thumb at a doorway covered by swishing black curtains. "Your boyfriend can come too if he wants."
"O-oh, no, I'm not--" Sei starts, flushing and waving his hands animatedly. Sly rolls his eyes, amused, then stands and tugs Sei along as Mizuki leads them to the back. "Come on, boyfriend." Sly says, wiggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly, laughing when Sei shoots him a dirty look.
Sly opts for a lip ring this time instead of salvaging the idea of a bridge piercing. Mizuki explains the upkeep and instructions to avoiding infections while dipping the needle in alcohol and sterilizing it, then wiping off the excess with a stainless towel. Sly nods and seems to be paying attention for once, Sei notices. He plays with his studded bracelets while Mizuki hands Sly a bottle of disinfectant. He isn't fond of needles, and he's a bit miffed at Sly for dragging him back here to watch his lip be pierced. Sei looks down at his phone when Mizuki finally does position the needle for piercing, and winces when he hears Sly's quiet squeak of surprise. Mizuki inserts a stud immediately after removing the needle, and wipes around it with an alcohol-soaked Q-tip to rid it of the blood leaking around it.
Sei's stomach lurches at the sight of blood and adds to his previous edginess over the needle. "Excuse me." He mumbles, clutching his bracelets and exiting the studio. He slips into a nearby booth, empty except for a half-finished glass of a bright red drink across from him. Sei looks down at his phone and decides to text Ren.
Me: do u have time to talk??
He doesn't get a response, but keeps checking his texts on edge for another minute until a tie-clad man approaches him. "Would you like a drink, sir?" He asks politely, pink eyes shining in the dim light. "Ah, uh, water would be fine." Sei smiles weakly back at him as the man nods and makes his way to the bar. He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, but his nervousness returns easily when he jumps as someone slides into the seat across from him. "You're too pretty to be here alone, right?" The man grins cheekily, his relaxed tone putting Sei on edge. "Uh, my friend's in there." He says, pointing at the studio where Sly and Mizuki still reside. This response makes the man's grin grow for some reason, and Sei's instincts scream to run. "Friend, huh? No boyfriend?" The man runs his tongue across his teeth, scooting closer so Sei can smell the smoke on his breath. "I-I'm just waiting for my friend, s-so please--"
"YO!"
The entirety of the store turns their attention to Sly, who has appeared from the studio with Mizuki and is fuming in anger. His golden eyes lock with Sei's dark ones, and despite the pissed look on his face, seeing him relaxes Sei slightly. The blue-haired male stomps over to the booth and, with no prior warning, slams his fist into the man's cheek. "Fuck off!" He yells. "He's not interested!"
Sei's eyes widen in surprise and he jumps up to separate the two, but now the mystery man has murder in his eyes. "Who the fuck are you?" He spits, stepping out of the booth and drawing himself up to his full height. Sly raises his fists, smirking, and stares up at the man, unresponsive. This irritates him even more, and he roars as he throws multiple punches to Sly's stomach. Said male avoids most all of them, choking when the man lands one. He doesn't let the man gloat, though, and shoves his knee up into the man's crotch. "Hey, hey!" Mizuki shouts, pushing the two apart and elbowing between them. Even though their fight hadn't lasted a minute, both are out of breath. Sly stares the man down one more time before grabbing Sei's arm and shoving his way outside. "Thanks for the piercing." He shouts over his shoulder at Mizuki, venom no longer lining his voice.
They're walking back to the school when Sei speaks up. "You didn't have to punch him." Her mumbles, and Sly whips his head around to glare at him. "That asshole was being a shit and you weren't going to do anything." He practically growls. "You've got to fucking stand up for yourself, Sei!"
"I know, I know." Said male says quietly, threading his fingers together. "I'm sorry."
"Dammit, Sei!" Sly spins around and grabs Sei's shoulders. "Don't be fucking sorry! Just-- just--" He exhales, loosening his grip and leaning forward to rest his head on Sei's shoulder. "Be careful, okay?"
"I promise." Sei whispers, rubbing Sly's back and wrapping his other arm around the latter. Sly's blown up like this before, but Sei felt terrible every time it happened. He was bad at standing up for himself; it was his flaw. He didn't have much control over it, but of course he wasn't going to tell Sly that.
What has never happened before went by in seconds. Sly leans back up and brushes his lips against Sei's, sliding their mouthes together. Then, in an instant, it's over, and Sly is pulling back. Sei doesn't realize how hot his face is until he brings a hand to his cheek; it feels like he's about to catch fire. "I like you a lot, okay?" Sly mutters, jamming his hands into his hoodie and trying to hide the pink-tinted tips of his ears. Sei stands there in shock for a moment, his mouth hanging open as Sly starts to walk away, but a wide smile soon spans his features. "That's great," he breathes, words hot on Sly's ears as he catches up. Then, louder, slipping his hand into said male's pocket and threading it through foreign fingers, "that's great!"