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The fight doesn't end in the way they had expected.
There's only so much a group of sixteen year olds can do against college students, even when they have The Invincible Mikey on their side.
Keisuke aches all over in a way that scares him for once. It's alien.
This had not been their usual scuffle.
There was nothing lighthearted to the way the men punched to maim, eyes dead to the world.
The black haired boy couldn't remember seeing this much malice in someone's eyes since he founded their gang at twelve. He should have been prepared for this kind of thing to happen. For them to lose. But it was still hard to accept.
They were humiliated. Their gang's renown must be something of the past. Word of mouth reached far and there were many spectators.
Was this it?
Was Toman finished, just like that?
"Kei."
Keisuke freezes at Mikey's soft tone. Their commander sounds exhausted.
The boy doesn't know what to say. He makes space beside him on his bed so Mikey can sit, so close that their legs are pressed together.
They stay silent for a few long minutes, just existing together, thinking about what went wrong.
Arrogance, Keisuke guesses. They got too cocky, and this was their repayment. They kept forgetting that they were still kids that should stay surrounded by their own age group.
Keisuke doesn't move as Mikey's hand finds the back of his head, bringing their foreheads together. The blonde looks so tired.
Broken.
They had almost died that day. Had needed to stay at the hospital for nearly a week. Keisuke's head was still wrapped in bandages, an eye covered. Mikey had to walk on crutches for two months after breaking his left fibula. It was so fucking embarrassing. They had tried so hard.
Keisuke can't hold it in anymore. His throat is clogged and he can hardly breathe as tears spill from his eyes. He hates this so much. He hates seeing his best friend look so defeated. He hates that he was stupid enough to think that they could win. He hates that this is his fault.
"I'm so sorry, Manjiro." he chokes out, breathing harshly. "It's all my fault. I'm so-"
Mikey interrupts him with a single look. Keisuke closes his mouth, continues to feel tears slide down his cheeks as the blonde peppers kisses all over his face. Cheeks, forehead, nose, chin, rubbing against him softly before sighing.
"I agreed with you. We thought it would be easy, so quiet down. Don't blame yourself." Keisuke couldn't remember Mikey ever sounding so gentle. It warms him up from the inside out, despite his best judgement. "I only came here to check on you, because I missed you. And I knew you would be beating yourself up over this."
Mikey had always been generous with his affection, and in this moment Keisuke appreciates it immensely. He wraps his arms tightly around the smaller boy, pulling him into his lap. Mikey clings to him like usual, wrapping bruised arms around his neck, foreheads still pressed together. It was Mikey's way to show his friends that he was there for them. That they could depend on him no matter what.
"Mikey. What's gonna happen to Toman now?" he breathes, eyes glued to his friend's lips, bitten raw. He brings a thumb to rub against the cut on Mikey’s bottom lip, feeling a shiver run down his spine when the other boy hisses softly. "Ain't you using lip balm?" he whispers, afraid to break this moment with harsh words.
Mikey's eyes are closed as he shakes his head. His breath is definitely more laboured than usual. "Toman's still ours. A lotta people might leave, but as long as the founders are here," he shrugs "I don't care if we are just a run-of-the-mill gang. You know that."
Keisuke does, but it was a long fought battle to have their gang grow. Years were invested into finding members that were strong enough not to tarnish their name.
Who would have guessed it was the creator's own fault that they had reached this point. Keisuke didn't have this in mind when he suggested they start a gang.
His fingers draw patterns on Mikey's back before sliding under his shirt, and he immediately flinches at the cold skin. "Mikey, what the fuck. Why's your skin so cold?"
Mikey hums, before sliding his own freezing hands under Keisuke's sweater. The boy curses, jumping in place.
"You motherfucker, get off."
"You done crying, now? Ya know it doesn't look good on me when I do it."
Keisuke begs to differ, but holds his tongue. Mikey was too sympathetic for his own good, but still hated crying. "Did you stumble here from your house, dumbass? It's cold as shit outside."
Mikey doesn't reply for a long minute. Keisuke wonders if he's already taking a nap, half annoyed, half fond at his ease to fall asleep so fast.
He freezes when his friend's body starts shaking. Is he cold? Did he get sick?
When he hears a sharp inhale, Keisuke's heart falls to his feet.
Mikey is crying.
Keisuke holds him tighter, mumbling softly into his ear as he rocks them side to side. "Hey, Mikey. It's ok, remember? You said it yourself, boss." the younger boy pulls back, holding Mikey's face gently between his palms as he tries to find his eyes.
There they are. Brighter than ever with tears sliding down his flushed cheeks. Keisuke's heart hurts. He never wants to see his friend like this.
"Hey, baby. Breathe with me." Mikey does after a moment, shakily and with difficulty, eyebrows furrowed, trying his hardest to stop his tears from falling.
Keisuke can't have that.
"Angel, hey," Mikey meets his eyes. "I'm kinda sick of telling you this, but. It's fuckin’ ok to cry. Cleans up your eyes or some shit."
Mikey giggles. The sound makes Keisuke's heart squeeze. "Or some shit, yeah. Thanks, Kei-chan."
Keisuke returns Mikey's favor before he can comprehend what he's doing. The smaller boy's skin tastes salty as he kisses along his cheeks and eyes, still rocking them gently. It's a soothing motion that they both appreciate. Mikey keeps giggling, hands tightening around Keisuke's arms. "Tickles." he whispers breathlessly.
Keisuke's mouth stretches into a smile for the first time in a week. "Why you cryin' then, genius?"
Mikey hums, mumbling under his breath. "'Shitty commander."
And just like that, Keisuke is furious. His lips purse into a heavy line, brows furrowing as he looks back at the blonde. "Don't say stupid shit like that."
"It's true-"
"Like hell it is, you dumb fuck. You are the best commander anyone could have. You are strong as hell, and as much as it annoys me to say, you're even stronger than me. Toman wouldn't exist without you, so shut up with the-- the depressed shit."
Mikey chuckles, eyes far away, but his childhood friend isn't finished.
"You're the kindest dude I know. Everyone in Toman knows they can count on you to kick ass and help everyone out. But you're not fuckin' immortal, Manjiro. We shouldn't expect you to win every damn time. We trust you a lot so you should do the same, for fuck's sake."
Keisuke's breathing heavily by the time he's done, arms growing tighter and tighter around his friend. Mikey only stares back at him with an indecipherable expression. It's something calm.
Emotions high, Keisuke only wants to stare at Mikey forever, drinking in how soft he looks after crying. His friend should know by now that he is adored by Toman.
By Keisuke.
"You're so pretty, y'know." he starts, embarrassed. "Maybe this whole gang thing wasn't a good idea. Ya should be out there breaking hearts, maybe be a model or some shit."
Keisuke didn't know why he was saying this now, but it felt important. Sometimes he had to be honest with what he thought. Mikey deserved the stroke to his ego, even if it was already inflated.
The blonde looks shocked for a moment, mouth open and staring right back. Then, he smirks. "So you think I'm pretty?"
Keisuke's in the mood to be soft right now, for some inane reason, so he smiles back, "Yep. All sweet like one of those angels we see in those american churches."
Mikey laughs. It's deep and honest and shakes Keisuke down to his bones. He is drowned in warmth. He wants to hear this sound for the rest of his life.
The smile on his face hurts by now, unwilling to leave his cheeks no matter how hard he bites his bottom lip. Keisuke's skin feels weird, like ants are trailing across his knuckles and veins, and he has a sudden urge to kiss.
He does so without a second thought, tasting Manjiro's laughter right from his lips, devouring his gasp like it's the air he needs to keep living. Keisuke had never kissed anyone before, but this feels right. He has half a thought to pull back and tell Mikey that they had been missing out, before his smaller friend pushes back against him insistently, almost toppling them over on the bed. Keisuke feels so hot, in a way he had never experienced, and he can only be grateful that he can share this with his best friend.
The blonde tastes sweet, no doubt after eating his favorite dorayaki, and the dark haired boy can't help but moan against his mouth, glad he took his chance while he still had the time. They should have been doing this ages ago. Keisuke feels like he can float away, all his worries about Toman and their loss shoved to the back of his mind.
They don't discuss gang matters for a good while after that.