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Taka’s ribs hurt. They really hurt.
He couldn’t blame Sakura for it, as she acted fast to save him from choking to death. Besides, he knew that the method to help had a chance of breaking a few ribs. It wasn’t her fault that it happened this way, and thankfully to her actions, he was breathing.
And he needed to breathe to put his friends in detention for skipping class!
Even if they skipped class to take him to the ER, there was no need for them to stay there and not go as fast as possible for class! Which was something that he told them as they took his awake body there, but no, they didn’t listen, so he had no choice but to give them detention!
“Maaaan, this is so lame. I still can’t believe you brought us here because we missed one class” Leon complained again, clearly not understanding the real reason why they were here. No one else would blame him though, only Taka would be so strict to give them detention for it.
“Quiet, Leon! It’s still detention time, and you know very well why I brought you all here! This is also detention time for myself!” even as he was supervising, and even as he had broken ribs, there was no excuse to skipping class, so he had to be there.
“But Taka-bro, you didn’t have to give detention to yourself!” Hiro tried to reason with him “You had just choked and had your ribs broken! In fact, shouldn’t you be resting instead of getting all worked up here?”
“I wouldn’t be getting so worked up if you two dropped the subject!” Taka went to cross his arms, but the pain he felt made him stop. Not a good idea.
“Guys, let’s just sit down and wait until it ends, it’s better for everyone” Mondo finally opened his mouth to say something, even though he couldn’t help but look worriedly at Taka. Probably because of his broken ribs.
Luckily, the group heard him, and they finally got quiet. The detention went smoothly afterwards, with them silently reading and doing some assignments at the time. Sure, some weren’t doing it as fast as the others, but they were doing it, it was what mattered after all!
After detention, Mondo approached Taka with his hands on his pockets.
“Hey, bro, do you want to sleep at my room again? I don’t know, man, I’m worried you won’t relax and you really should” he said it as a secret, as if no one could hear him being sweet and worried about his bro. He had a reputation, after all!
“Uh…” but that posed as a problem for Kiyotaka. He was so, so tempted to say yes, as it had been oddly pleasant to sleep next to Mondo. But there was something he didn’t want to mention, the real thing that made him choke on his food while Mondo chatted about his dream that Taka couldn’t help but think about it again…
How he ended up on top of him and Mondo hugged him as they slept together.
It was so embarrassing to admit that he was worried such a thing would happen again! And it really shouldn’t, not just because the idea made his heart race and his stomach churn with guilt, it was inappropriate to do such a thing while Mondo was sleeping, even if he had no control of it. He shouldn’t because what if he hurts his ribs even more because of how much both of them moved? He might get an elbow on the ribs for all he knew!
But still… it was very tempting, even if recalling how Mondo would talk about the moment, confusing it with his dream about his dog, was so embarrassing and mortifying…
“I don’t know, bro… maybe it isn’t such a good idea, I might move around and you could elbow me…” it wasn’t a lie, but he was still hiding the truth and it felt so weird! Usually, he wouldn’t hide things from his bro, but just the idea of telling him what really happened made his heart race all over again! He couldn’t do that!
“Still, I don’t feel like leaving you alone, and we can make a barrier of pillows so we won’t roll around too much… did something happen last time we slept together? Did I do something wrong while we slept and that’s the reason why you don’t want to do a sleepover again?”
See, Kiyotaka wasn’t exactly the most religious person, but he was at that point almost praying to any God to simply open the concrete beneath him and let the ground swallow him whole.
“No! It was nothing of the sort!” he tried to reassure his friend, even if the words seemed weird to say, since it was…well, a fat lie “I just don’t see it as necessary!”
“Yeah, but can you actually promise me you won’t be studying the rest of the day, when you have to rest?” Mondo stared at Taka, who couldn’t stare back in guilt. It was true, he planned to study the rest of the day, even if he was supposed to be resting his poor bones… but it wasn’t as if he couldn’t sit down and do his work! He was just not supposed to sit for too long… it wasn’t too long, right? Surely, he had a good basis for that!
“… I can’t do promises that I won’t be able to follow, Mondo. It would be wrong!” Kiyotaka confessed, looking down. He couldn’t face his friend after just admitting that he planned to study maybe more than his body allowed… he already knew Mondo was staring at him worriedly, there was no need to confirm that!
“See? Man, I can’t leave you to just study the rest of the day, at least let me take care of you one day!” god, he sounded so worried that Taka had to raise his head juuuust a little bit to see him. Why? Why did he do that, considering he knew Mondo would have that expression on his face? It made his insides churn around with guilt. It simply mattered too much to him if he was making his bro worry about him…
“…fine. Just for one day, I can take care of myself the rest! I promise I will attempt to not overwork myself on the followings days, but today I shall accept you taking care of me!”
“Thanks, bro. For real, it makes me a little bit relieved” Mondo smiled, and just like that, Taka knew he was doomed.
It was only hours later that they would meet again, though.
It was probably too late to try to run away, but Kiyotaka felt horribly tempted to do it as he reached Mondo’s room with a pillow and his bag. At least he was ready for it this time, not just being caught after the bell, but still…
“Why are you so nervous about it, dude? Are you sure nothing happened while we slept last time?” Mondo was still suspicious, or at least doubtful, and Taka couldn’t even blame him, he was acting so awkwardly! Mondo wasn’t stupid, of course he would find that weird!
“Yes, I am absolutely sure!” Kiyotaka tried to sound reassuring and firm, but with his voice and expression, he only managed to sound distressed and panicked “Please, just drop it. I don’t want to mention it, it was just a weird moment I had, nothing else!”
Maybe he shouldn’t even be saying that, as that made Mondo get visibly more curious. He didn’t want to get him worried either! But what else could Taka do about it? If he didn’t say something, the biker would probably continue asking questions and he didn’t really want to revisit his previous night there!
Even if the mere idea of it happening again still made his heart beat so fast…
“…fine, I guess. You can still talk to me about it if you want to, later.” Mondo didn’t sound convinced, but at least he was agreeing to let it be “Why did you bring your bag, though?”
“Well, I was hoping I could study at least a little bit. Surely there’s nothing wrong with studying, as long as it isn’t too much! And I will allow you to stop me if you think I’m overdoing it!” Kiyotaka felt as if he had to negotiate with a business partner, not his bro. But it was ok, he was just worried about him! It was endearing, to be honest, it made him happy!
“Alright, geez, but I’m watching you!” Mondo said, squinting his eyes at Taka. He grabbed one of his beloved comic books, but still peeked at him after opening it “I’m serious, bro!”
“Haha, I know!” Taka found it somewhat amusing, to see the pair of purple eyes peeking at him. He heard Mondo snort as he went back to reading, and so Kiyotaka sat down and started to study. It was a very difficult subject, math, but one he enjoyed anyway. And if he needed any help, he knew he could ask his bro, as he was really good at math! It was just one of the many things he admired on his bro.
Soon enough, though, his ribs started to hurt. Maybe it was because he was sitting for a long time? Or maybe the lack of any sort of cushion on his chair? Whatever it was, it really bothered him, and he couldn’t hold a cry of pain after a while.
“Hey, man, maybe you should take a break if it already hurts” Mondo put his comic book away, staring at Taka worriedly.
“I don’t really want to, though! I need to finish at least this segment of the book, Mondo, please!” Taka didn’t want to beg, but he was this close to. He really needed to finish that part, even if it wasn’t due for at least two weeks! It was just the way his schedule was organized, he had to finish that part! It might be a little desperate of him, but that’s just how he felt about the entire thing regarding his injury!
“But you’re in pain, bro!” Mondo protested, now getting up and sighing “Fine, then at least use this.”
He grabbed his friend’s pillow and walked towards Kiyotaka, gently pushing him a little bit forward so he could place the pillow on his back. Taka wanted to cry at how caring his bro was, he was just worrying him all the time and yet Mondo still took care of him!
“Thanks, Mondo! I mean it! You’re doing so much for me already!” Taka almost sobbed, looking at his friend who was now embarrassed.
“It’s nothing, really… I’m just doing what I know you would do to me if I was in your place…” he was right about that, to be fair. Still, it was an important gesture to Taka, and he would treasure it!
With renewed vigor, Taka went back to studying, the only sounds in the room being the scribbling of his pen. The pillow was perfect for his ribs, soft yet still firm enough to keep his back straight. Still, it couldn’t do miracles, and so Taka tried to only finish that specific part of the math book… and a few more exercises, until his ribs started to hurt again and he let another cry of pain, closing his book for now.
“Fine, I won’t study as much as I want! It really hurts! I think I have to law down so my spine won’t hurt as well…” the prefect sighed. Things just couldn’t go the way he planned…
“Maybe you could try to sleep already? I can turn off the lights if you want.”
“No, there’s no need to, I wouldn’t want to impose. I’m just going to lay down for a while, if I sleep too early it might ruin my sleep schedule” with that, Taka simply adjusted his pillow on the bed and took off his boots, laying down next to Mondo.
“So, you’re just going to lay down there and do nothing? You’re going to fall asleep like that, man, you might as well get undressed and let me get the blanket…” Mondo simply stared at him, dumbfounded.
“…well, yes” the way Taka sounded showed how much he knew it was quite the silly idea. But what else could he do? Surely, he would be able to stay awake for at least a considerable amount of time “I just have to wait until curfew, then it will be a good time to sleep!”
“…bro, it’s like, more than an hour until curfew. You can at least read the comics with me, it’s ok.”
“But that would require me adjusting myself, or you laying down to show it to me! No, it is not necessary! I will remain awake, just with my thoughts! And we can chat if you want to!” Kiyotaka was not going to change his mind about it. It was just how it should be! They could just chat and the time should pass, even if he wasn’t that good at social interacting!
“If you really want to. We could talk about this comic, though, it’s really good, hear me out!”
--//--
It didn’t take long for Kiyotaka to fall asleep.
Mondo just stared as his friend stopped responding, after saying so much about how the comic was too violent for his tastes. It wasn’t even that bad, it was just how Taka was. He wasn’t surprised.
But to see Kiyotaka sleeping… oh, he could see how his friend could worry about it.
He turned, and turned again, and almost did a whole 180° flip, before going back to his usual position, which at this point Mondo thought it was his usual, but there was no way of really knowing with how much he moved.
Sometimes he let out a few grunts and cries, probably in pain because of how much he moved. But if not even the pain and the vest he was wearing to keep everything in place and adjusted would stop him from moving, then nothing could. He was still somehow managing to not hit Mondo, which probably explained how his own night last time went so peacefully.
Even if it would have to be one hell of a hit to wake up Mondo, to be honest.
Mondo tried his best to not pay too much attention to his bro, simply letting him sleep. But it became harder as he moved, turned and frowned on his sleep, he expected that Taka could relax at least on his dreams, but not even that… but it would be hard to relax with his kind of injury anyway…
Was that the thing he was so worried about? But he had mentioned before that he turned around a lot, that was no news! Mondo said he would leave it be, but he was still curious. What could have been so bad for Taka? It sounded surreal, even more considering how well he slept that night!
That night had been one of the best he ever had… he wasn’t sure if it was maybe just having someone else around him as he slept, but whatever it was, it truly paid off as he dreamed of his beloved Chuck. It had been such a good dream, he still smiled as he recalled it. It had been so realistic too…
Next to him, Taka moved again, getting closer to him, his head almost resting on Mondo’s shoulder. That’s right, his friend was right there, and soon it would be curfew. He should probably wake him up so he could take off his clothes, it was probably uncomfortable to sleep clothed like that…
“Hey, Taka. Taka, wake up, bro” he nudged him until he finally stopped moving and opened his eyes, looking lost.
“Hmm? …what is it?” Kiyotaka looked so lost, it was kind of adorable. Wait, no, it wasn’t. Nope. Never mind that.
“It’s almost curfew, you might want to take off your clothes to sleep.”
“Oh, that’s true… I guess I did end up falling asleep as you said. I didn’t bother you too much, right?” Taka looked so worried about the possibility; it was so weird! What the hell happened last time?! “I didn’t get too close to you or anything like that, right?”
Oh? What was that all about?
“No, you just almost landed on my shoulder, but it’s alright” Mondo said, watching as Taka got relieved but didn’t say anything else “Not gonna elaborate on that, buddy? Is that what happened last time? ‘Cause if it is, it’s not a problem. I get it, you move around too much and might land on my shoulder or whatever you did, it’s fine.”
“It’s not…”
“What, not fine or not what happened?”
“I’m not telling you!” Kiyotaka got up to undress himself, turning so he didn’t face Mondo. Wow, really? Mondo took the time to take off his clothes as well, still frowning.
“You know you can’t hide things forever, bro. It’s easier to just say it” what the biker was not saying, however, is that Taka was just a bad liar. He couldn’t fake things even if his life depended on it, always too sincere. Even now, he didn’t try to lie, just to hide the truth as much as he could. But it would always take one slip of the tongue to figure out what happened.
“I’m not saying it! I don’t want to!” Taka insisted, looking distressed with the idea as he repositioned his pillow to be at the end of the bed and laid down again, still not looking at Mondo “I’m tired, I’m just going to sleep, goodnight!”
And Mondo could only stare at his friend’s back as he fell asleep again minutes after. Jesus, didn’t even wait for him to turn off the lights, which was what Mondo did after realizing that Taka was out. Mondo wasn’t sure if Taka would like to share the covers, but now he kind of had no choice as he put them on bed, covering Kiyotaka as well.
It would take him some time to fall asleep, as Mondo was still worried about his friend’s condition. And soon enough he was moving around again, flipping and this time doing the whole 180 degrees. Mondo was even impressed, really! The way he managed to do that was beyond his knowledge.
Taka was still turning around and shifting, managing to kick Mondo one time, but not that he cared. He just observed, wondering when he would stop so the biker could sleep without worrying so much, but as Kiyotaka moved…
He landed right on top of Mondo’s chest, slowly positioning himself to cuddle with him.
Ooooooh.
Oh, shit.
Mondo’s face burned as he realized the problem. Taka was a cuddler, and probably didn’t want to admit it. Then that must have happened last time, and that’s why he was embarrassed about it…
Still, it wasn’t so bad, even if Mondo’s heart was beating so loud Kiyotaka could probably hear it on his sleep. It was something bros could do, right? If they could sleep next to each other, there was nothing wrong with cuddling, as long as it was not intentional, right?
That posed another question, though. Mondo knew of it, he was conscious. What should he do? Should he push Taka away, and possibly harm him as he was injured? Should he just let it be so his bro could rest? Maybe all he needed was body heat!
Kiyotaka squirmed on top of him and touched his torso, tapping it a few times. Ok, that was just unnecessary for Mondo. But as soon as Taka stopped touching him, he woke up and raised himself, alarmed.
“OH GOD!” the shouting hurt Mondo’s ears a little, as Taka got flustered “I’m so sorry! I knew this was going to happen, this is why I shouldn’t be here! And now it’s already past curfew so I can’t go back to my own room! I should just sleep on the floor; it would be better for all of us—”
“Calm down, Taka! It’s ok!”
That made Kiyotaka shut up for a few moments, blinking.
--//--
Kiyotaka had to be still dreaming.
It had to be a weird dream where he fell asleep on top of Mondo again and somehow Mondo was alright with it. He was tempted to pinch himself, but no, as far as he recalled, you couldn’t picture things perfectly. It was real, then, but it made no sense!
“How? It’s embarrassing, Mondo! I shouldn’t be doing that, I overstep my boundaries, even if it was in my sleep!” Taka wasn’t as distressed as before, but he was still feeling a little bit unwell with the whole concept. It made his heart race as he looked at how red Mondo was. Clearly it was embarrassing for both of them!
“I mean, it kinda is, but… it was the most still you stayed, maybe you just need that to stay still? Some people really need body heat, I guess…” Mondo didn’t seem sure about it, though.
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you should be the one to give that to me!” besides, not that Taka would ever mention it, but the mere idea… made his heart accelerate even more. He could feel he was blushing too, could it really be ok for them to cuddle just so Taka wouldn’t move around and hurt himself even more?
“I’m offering, man! It’s a rare offer, you should just take it before it gets too weird! It’s fine, it’s just for this time! It’s not like we are going to make it a frequent thing…” the way Mondo spoke about it, though, only made Taka wonder if it could become a frequent thing. No, he shouldn’t be thinking like that!
“I… I guess, and if it did help me stay put, then there could be a benefit to it…” slow and uncertain, Taka lowered himself again, resting his head on Mondo’s chest. He was still blushing, and could probably place a safe bet on Mondo also being red as well, but he still did it.
Slowly, Mondo’s arms circled around him, embracing him not too tight. Taka could hear Mondo’s heartbeat, it was so fast… it almost matched his own, it was really nice to hear in a way, but he had no idea of what it meant. He moved his head a little bit, still adjusting himself, and heard Mondo laugh as his hair tickled his chin.
“Wait a minute…” Mondo mumbled, sounding half asleep already “Does that mean that when I dreamed and felt Chuck’s fur under my chin… was that actually just your hair? Oh, shit…that’s embarrassing…”
“Yes, it’s why I didn’t want to tell you anything about it” Taka confessed, closing his eyes “I was very ashamed…”
Mondo said nothing, just holding him there. It was still very, very awkward, but slowly as they got more tired, it was becoming more and more comfortable to stay together. Kiyotaka felt so warm, not just because he was under the covers, but because of the body heat from his bro. It was all so intimate, it felt so good Taka barely remembered that his ribs were cracked.
As Taka felt himself drift towards sleep, he could only hope that they could maybe cuddle again in future, maybe without the bruises for once. It would be really good… to make his heart again, as he felt Mondo’s arms around him, keeping him safe…
Little did he know that Mondo felt the same, both hoping for another time where they could hold each other until they slept.
It was a long night, full of dreams that none of them would ever talk about it. After all… how can you tell your bro that you dreamed about him in a very, very romantic setting, just after you two slept together cuddling?
They were both done of having things to be embarrassed about!