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Kiyondo doesn’t feel that much of a difference. Except that his head feels suddenly…empty…quiet. The voices in his head finally calmed down…
“Well shit”
Kiyotaka’s eyes open impossibly wide as he processes the voice. A sound that he thought he would never be able to hear again.
“Who would have thought that it’d actually fucking work…”
Kiyotaka’s head turns so fast he can almost feel the whiplash, eyes starting to sting.
“M..” His gaze settles on the big figure before him “Mon..”
Mondo stands tall, looking at him with bright, tender, alive eyes.
“Those… those wooden figures… They look pretty cool” He lifts a hand to awkwardly scratch his neck “I could say I'm actually jealous they look so -”
He doesn’t know exactly when he started moving, but suddenly he founds himself against Mondo’s chest, clawing at his tank top like his life depended on it. Feeling his breathing quickening and his eyes flooding. Warm tears wet the fabric against his face and hands reaching to hug the big, warm, alive body, not letting go. Like as if, would he dare stop making contact with him, Mondo would again disappear.
“It…It’s ok ” Taka feels a pair of arms, enveloping him, making him feel the safest he ever felt in what seems years.“I’m here Kiyotaka” A hand finds its place between his shoulder blades, tenderly stroking circles and the other one resting on his head, gently carding through his hair.
With a desperate sob, Taka lets go.
He doesn't know how much time he has spent crying, or when they find their place on the floor. But he doesn’t really care. The hands leave their respective places and tenderly hold his face, thumbs softly wiping away some of the tears that haven't stopped falling.
Between his sniffing he hears him talk again
“You good?” He nods twice. “good…good...”
“Now…”
Suddenly, instead of cradling his face, the hands grab the front of his coat and bring him close to Mondo’s face, his pomp bending against his forehead, and only inches keep them apart.
“ What the FUCK are you doing here?” Mondo’s eyes are furious, completely different from how he looked what felt like a couple of minutes ago.
“I’m just… Hiro came and told me-” He starts mumbling, utterly confused.
“No! Not here here!” The biker huffs at his baffled expression.
“Why the fuck aren’t you running for Prime fucking Minister?!” Oh.
“I’m… I’m ta-” He starts to explain before being rudely interrupted.
“What happened to the whole restoring the Ishimaru name??”
“They-” A second time.
“What happened with all the changes that needed to be done?”
“I just-” Again.
“And what about your family eh? Yer pop’s been hoping that you’d one day come back an’-” Oh, that does it.
“I AM TAKING CARE OF YOUR FAMILY!” well that seems to finally make him shut up.
“I AM MAKING SURE YOUR GANG STAYS LIKE YOU WOULD HAVE WANTED!”
Kiyotaka starts to feel that, now very familiar after all these years, fire in his belly, making its way to his chest.
“I AM MAKING SURE THAT YOUR LEGACY CAN CONTINUE, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE FUDGNG WANTED!”
Up to his head.
“HECK, I EVEN STARTED DOING CARPENTRY SO I CA-”
Eyes flaring up.
“I NEVER FUCKING WANTED THAT!” The fire in his head dissipates in a second, taking his breath with it.
“...Excuse you?”
“YOU WANT THE GANG TO STAY TOGETHER? THEN LET MICHI TAKE CARE OF FUCKING THAT! HE’S BEEN IN THE GANG BUSINESS FOR WAY LONGER BEFORE YOU! THE KID’S MORE THAN PREPARED FOR THAT!”
“...” He can't think of anything else, just sitting there, dumbly staring at the once older man, now a couple of years behind. Why does he still feel like he was way younger though?
“YOU WANNA TAKE CARPENTRY? THEN FINE! BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU WANNA! NOT BECAUSE I FUCKING SAID I WANTED TO DO IT!” Still with nothing to say, Taka lowers his head, focusing on the ground, feeling Mondo’s head rest on his after a bit.
When the biker takes a deep breath to calm himself down, Kiyotaka is reminded of when was the last time he felt him do that, the last time he felt the warm air against his forehead. With a new lump in his throat, he wills away the tears that are starting to newly form on his eyes. Now is not the time. Thankfully, Mondo’s voice helps him get distracted from it.
“You want to take Chi n’ me with you always? Fine, you have my coat, you have Alter Ego, but DON’T pretend they are us. Especially me, because that isn't fucking us, they’re just an AI programmed to act like that!”
He feels his cheeks heat up a little, wondering if Mondo saw him everytime he desperately talked to his cellphone, taking part of a one sided conversation that he daily willed himself to believe was real.
“Just... shit… Just don’t give away your own dream and life because you want to keep something that’s already gone.”
Taka immediately lifts his gaze at that, with wide desperate eyes. That last part cutting through his heart and making it bleed again, after a couple of long years. It's been a while since it scabbed, but it still never stopped hurting. Mondo notices that and lifts a hand to tenderly cup his cheek. His gaze is soft, but also with a hint of sadness in it.
“You’re an amazin’ man Kiyo… and you can help the world way more than with just one fucking gang. An amazing one though.” The biker finishes that last part with a smirk, but somehow without making it feel less touching. “But still. You’re so much more than this. This… other you… This isn’t the true Kiyotaka. This isn’t the kid that became the best damn kyoudai in the whole world. This isn’t… the man that I love, and always have…”
Newly formed tears start flowing down his face, but just as intensely as the first time. The thumb resting on his cheek tries to gently wipe them away, obviously, without any success.
Kiyotaka shamely lowers his gaze, but Mondo manages to lift his head with a hand on his chin. He gives him a soft smile, one that reaches his eyes, now filled with love and without a trace of sadness.
“So please, Kiyo, let me go. Live your own life, make the change that we need with that big brain o’yours. Be happy, be the happy Kiyotaka that believed in the good in everyone and worked hard to make damn sure that everyone else was ok.”
He wants to say no, to refuse being alone again, to not let anyone take his first and best friend, his first and only love away ever again. But Mondo is not done, and cuts his spiraling down train of thought with his next words.
“An’ know that you’ll never be alone. You have your own family, your new family… You have our friends that worked so fucking hard to live for us. And… You have me… I’ll always be with you…”
Taka is almost sure that his eyes should be shining right now, with the tears and the love and the-
Mondos out of place grin is what stops his lovey dovey feeling, knowing that…
“Except on tuesdays, those are the days that I spend it with Daiya and Chuck”
Taka snickers at that and Mondo just stares at him, proud that he managed to make him laugh… How long has it been since the last time he did…
When Kiyotaka lifts his gaze again, Mondo’s hands find again their place in the raven haired man’s cheeks, he sees how the biker’s eyes finally fill with tears.
“I love you, Taka, so please…live, for me” That last part is thick with emotion, and Taka can't do anything else other than hide his face in Mondo’s neck, his voice cracking up as he finally sobs.
“I miss you so much… I want to make you proud-”
“And you do, every day…” Taka feels again Mondos arms snaking around him and keeping him close and gently rocking both of them “But just focus on your life and let Michi finally take the reins please. The boy’s been ready since I started studying at Hope's Peak.” Mondo pauses as Kiyotaka nods against the crook of his neck. “That, and he makes wheelies way better than you”
Taka laughs breathlessly, half amused and half offended at the critic.
“Well excuse you! I haven't learned how to maneuver a motorbike since I was 13!”
“12, actually”
“Mondo!” Taka frees one of his arms from the hug to slap the other man on the shoulder.
Both men laugh softly, keeping themselves in the same position for a couple of minutes, just feeling each other breath calmly.
“But seriously tho, stop living my dream and start living your life. Plus, you have a new sibling that can maybe make this happen again… shit, I'm actually impressed!”. Taka nods in agreement without moving from his place.
“I too never thought he could actually do that… but I was a bit much desperate to question it”
“Hey, neither did I”
They both chucke again, feelin the rumble of laughter in each other with pleasure.
“So… How is the rest? Is Chihiro…” Kiyotaka starts to ask softly.
“He’s fine… We had a lot of time to talk an’… we’re good.” Taka nods silently “He asked, if this actually worked, to tell you hi. Maybe you’ll be able to talk to him too. BUT”
Taka feels Mondo lift his head again, with the same gentleness as always.
“Only if you promise me to first get back up and be the Kiyotaka Fucking Ishimaru that we always knew and wanted. Not some cheap Super Sayajiin Fusion bullshit that tried to pull my eyeliner, but clearly didn't have the right damn pulse.” Mondo ends the semi rant with a couple of waves of his free hand.
“... the flaming eyes were cool though…” Taka mumbles, making Mondo agree
“Yeah, they were pretty cool… but I like your real eyes more.”
That makes Taka feel his face heat up in what clearly must be a blush, if Mondo’s cheesy smile has anything to say. Said eyes roll as he again slaps the other man’s arm sofly, but without being able to fight back a smile.
“Pff, Mondo”
When he sets his gaze again on the former man, all that he sees is an indescribable fondness that makes him imposible to look away from.
“Hey, promise me you’ll do it… ‘kay?”
“Yes, I promise, as a man” Taka affirms with his usual seriousness, suddenly sitting straight.
Mondo’s big smile reaches his eyes, as he rests a hand on one of Kiyotaka’s shoulders.
“Great! Because you know damn well that you can't break those!”
Crimson eyes shine as his owner chuckles at the words.
“Wouldn't ever dream about it”
Both men smile at each other, knowing they should be parting soon but knowing that, this time, it won’t be the last.
“Tell Hiro hi for me. Ok?”
“Yes, and you tell Chihiro too…and the rest.”
Another gaze, big crimson eyes meet a shining lilac pair, both slowly tearing, and this time, their owners let the tears run freely.
Kiyotaka closes the distance between them and gently presses his lips against the other’s. A light peck, an unspoken promise of “I’ll be back”.
With a last smile Taka closes his eyes, repeating the same motion as he did when he arrived there. Surprisingly, the voices he thought would come back, never do. His head feels blissfully calm, only his own thoughts to greet him.
When he opens his eyes, he doesn't feel that weird flaming sensation that had just settled there for who knows how many years. His eyes feel tired, but surprisingly dry, taking into account the past couple of who knows how long periods of time. That’s until his gaze settles on the face before him.
Dark brown eyes, clearly tired (he thinks a little bit guiltily), look at him with a steadily growing smile.
Hiro waits a second and just greets him with a “Welcome back bro”.
Although he knows that it hasn’t been the first time today, he feels his then dry eyes start to water again.
It's true that he has always been an easy crier, but it has been so long since he actually let himself go, since he let all the grief he had inside wash away and mourn what he couldn't in all these years of playing tough. So, in the arms of his new brother from who knows how long he has been part of his new family, Kiyotaka Ishimaru lets himself go.