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Even retired, Shinichiro is still dealing with Black Dragons because he has the younger generations stopping by to see him almost all the time, asking for advice or because they idolize him and want to take a look. At first he had been embarrassed because these boys all seemed to think he was really cool, and yeah, he is, but there is also the reality to face when they realize he's not even that much of a strong fighter.
"We already know," Hanagaki Takemichi says without preamble one random day, he's one of the few boys that hangs around and actually talks to him, and he has actually started to grow fond of him too, seeing him as a precious kouhai to give life lessons to. He's also just a year younger than his own brother. It makes him wonder if he should be pushing Takemichi towards Mikey, because Mikey needs that kind of influence in his life but Takemichi would rather sit in the garage with him.
"Huh? Know what?" He asks, a bit distracted by the bike he's fixing up.
"That you suck."
He sputters.
Excuse me?!
"Takemichi means at fighting," Seishu, sweet kid, amends. He always seems to be there to soften the blow that Takemichi unintentionally makes with his words, yet he always looks so damn fond of the boy, too.
"Ah," he says casually trying to keep his cool, but he's inwardly panicking. He's never really cared much before if he's being honest but he'd grown to like these kids, and what if they stopped coming by because they don't need anything from him anymore?
"That's what I like about you," Takemichi says, not caring for Shinichiro's inner turmoil, "you're really average but somehow amazing."
Oi, is that even a compliment?! But he instantly relaxes when he sees the look of admiration in Takemichi's eyes.
Somehow, that hasn't changed one bit.
"I want to be just like you," the boy declares with determination, and Shinichiro's heart squeezes.
How cute, he thinks, because the boy is actually being honestly straightforward for once with his words.
"Yeah, but maybe you shouldn't slack off like I did and take some martial arts classes," he eventually says, because he finds that he doesn't want this boy to get his ass kicked like he did.
Fortunately, Takemichi listens and takes some classes and actually rises up through sheer willpower to become a good fighter. If not the best. He's the top three of the class, right behind Mikey and Baji, but he also doesn't pay attention to anyone else to even be aware of them.
Shinichiro knows all of this more because of his brother than Takemichi himself, since Takemichi doesn't really talk much about himself like that.
Mikey complains about Takemichi almost every time they see each other. Apparently Takemichi doesn't even know who he is despite the fact that he made the effort to introduce himself.
"I can't tell if he's arrogant or air-headed," Mikey mullishly says on one such day, actually stomping around a bit to express his displeasure.
"He's Takemichi," Shinichiro responds meaningfully with a fond smile.
He's glad that the two have met, but he didn't think at this rate they'd even be friends or anything but at least Mikey knows of Takemichi's existence now.
He just didn't realize through all the complaining that it meant that Mikey was actually paying a lot of attention to Takemichi over the years, and somehow that has evolved into something even he can't totally wrap his head around.
The first time he gets a clue though is when his brother- Invincible Mikey- commander of his own popular gang, gets kidnapped by a bunch of middle schoolers.
It's a possibility that his younger brother can be defeated, he knows, but his brother also has his own captains by his side and well, he can't understand how it even happened when he tries thinking about it logically.
But he still worries when someone from Toman runs up to him all flustered, and tells him that his brother has been taken as a hostage and he needs to be saved.
Shinichiro is ready to drop everything and go, he even tries to call up Akashi and Wakasa just in case but the Toman boy interrupts him.
"W-wait- Shinichiro-san, Mikey said to make sure that Hanagaki shows up."
Shinichiro stares at the boy blankly. "What?"
"It's all part of the plan," the boy squeaks out, easily intimidated by him.
"What plan?" He asks with a suspicion rising inside of him.
Has Mikey finally decided that he's had enough of Takemichi?
His brother hasn't stopped complaining after all but he never sensed any malicious intent. However it has started to become a drone to him a while ago.
Is this a trap to ambush Takemichi, he wonders and even though he's relieved that his brother is fine, he starts to grow worried about the conclusion that pops up in his mind.
He doesn't call up Takemichi, instead he shows up to where his brother is holding himself hostage and sighs as a headache starts appearing when he sees the set up.
It actually looks pretty convincing. There are some gangsters that he's pretty sure are lackeys in the Toman division hanging around in a circle with Mikey tied to a chair in the middle. And there's only one light bulb hanging from the ceiling so it looks somewhat ominous.
No one even makes any attempt to stop him when they see him walking in.
"What are you doing?" He asks as he stares down at Mikey.
Mikey looks up and pouts in disgruntlement. "Why are you here? Where's Takemitchy?"
Takemitchy? When did that happen?
He massages his temple. "Why did you want Takemichi here?" He asks, even though he's starting to come to a realization now.
"So he can save me," Mikey replies like it's obvious.
"You don't need to be saved," he points out dryly as he leans down to untie the ropes around his brother. This is so, so ridiculous, he thinks, the effort Mikey went through to get Takemichi's attention.
"Aniki, I want Takemitchy," Mikey says and Shinichiro pauses, his eyes flicker up to his brother. The boy's eyes are intense, and its almost unnerving but he's showing how serious he is about this.
He sighs, relenting as he straightens up and takes out his phone from his pocket. He apologizes to Takemichi in his heart for tricking him like this but he just wants to get this over with.
"Hey, are you busy?" Shinichiro asks when Takemichi answers after the third ring.
"Playing video games," Takemichi responds shortly and once Shinichiro listens more intently he can hear the familiar track of Mario Cart in the background.
"I need a favor," he starts tentatively as he stares down at his brother. Mikey has eagerly perked up.
"...what is it?" The boy sounds a little distracted.
"My brother is being held hostage, and I don't know if I can make it in time," it pains him to lie, "can you be there for me?"
The sound of the game stops so the boy must've paused it, and Shinichiro feels a rush of warmth because Takemichi has always been so attentive to those in need. It makes sense why Mikey is going to the trouble to stage his own hostage situation.
"Eh, Shinichiro-senpai," Takemichi says, for some reason sounding surprised and confused, "you have a brother?"
Shinichiro chokes on air.
He covers his receiver and turns around because he doesn't want Mikey to hear.
"Yeah, you should know him, you were in the same class for years," he says quietly which is hard to do when the entire warehouse is almost silent and the sounds echo. Those gangsters surrounding them are just lounging around like it's a leisure afternoon.
"Ah, I'm sorry I'm not good when it comes to remembering people," Takemichi admits, sounding a little bashful about it.
There must be something seriously wrong with Shinichiro because he finds it to be endearing. Though he feels a little bad for his brother.
"That's alright," he says, "I'll give you the location."
"En, I'll bring Inupi-kun just in case," Takemichi agrees without hesitation.
Shinichiro falters, second guessing his choices before he ends up muttering the location.
He'll make it up to Takemichi somehow. Everything will return back to normal once Mikey has what he wants, so he can only indulge for now.
Ten minutes later, Takemichi arrives looking prepared to fight anyone in his way, and Shinichiro has stayed around outside watching as the boy charged in, but Seishu strangely doesn't follow the other boy in, instead he turns to his direction, spotting him almost instantly.
Shinichiro feels ashamed under Seishu's judgemental gaze.
He raises his hand and waves awkwardly.
Seishu frowns at him and turns away to walk inside.
Ah, he must have just lost one of his special fan boys.
*
It doesn't end there like he had hoped, but Shinichiro at least knows what he's getting himself into as he watches Takemichi carry Mikey effortlessly in his arms after hostage situation number ten, and he wonders when his brother is ever going to try the easy communication route when it comes to getting what he wants.
Takemichi may not have given him any attention in the beginning but its difficult to really capture his interest when he's so goal oriented. He has friends and makes time for them but he's usually busy trying to improve himself. All you really need to do is talk to about a common topic of interest and then he's hooked in, but no, Mikey seems to enjoy this method a way lot more. Probably because it means he gets to be so close to Takemichi whenever the boy holds him.
It's starting to get frustrating for some people though, he can tell, especially for Seishu who's face pinches with irritation. It's probably because unlike Takemichi, Seishu is more aware of what's happening and he knows who Mikey is.
The founder and commander of Toman.
But Takemichi doesn't even seem to know that Toman even exists.
Seishu has stopped by Shinichiro's side one time as they both watched Takemichi setting Mikey down on his feet yet Mikey still shamelessly clings onto Takemichi like he needs his help to stand up.
Mikey's friends all stand off to the side looking like they're suffering from second hand embarrassment but Baji cheers Takemichi on. Seemingly they don't mind that their own guys are often getting their asses kicked by Takemichi.
"Shinichiro-san," Seishu says and ouch, there's so much formality in his tone now, even more so than before yet his eyes are so cold. "You have to end this deception."
Oh right, that's actually a problem. He just forgets because he's been making sure to spoil Takemichi rotten as a reward for each time he 'saves' Mikey, and his wallet is really light these days.
Well, he has been called an enabler before by his own friends.
"It's not harming anyone," he says as an excuse, well except for those pretend bad guys that are part of the set up, but when he looks, he sees that Seishu is unimpressed.
"You're lying to Takemichi," the boy's voice is clipped but trembles with suppressed anger, "how do you think he'll feel when he finds out?"
He thinks about it, and instantly feels like the worst. "I'll talk to Mikey about it," he promises.
It's a conversation that he already really dreads.
*
It takes a lot longer than he wanted to get around to it because he can't bring himself to take away something that's making Mikey glow with happiness. However he remembers that Takemichi can get hurt by this if he ever finds out and forces himself to tell his brother to put an end to the charade.
It's a Saturday and close to the evening and the house is nearly empty because Gramps has gone on some sort of vacation resort he got from one of the student's parents as a thank you gift, and Emma is having a sleepover at some friend's place.
And Izana is probably off terrorizing the locals. Something Shinichiro should talk to him about, too one day, but for now he focuses on the current situation he's dealing with.
The lamp is on the in the living room, and he finds Mikey seated on the floor to make it easier for Draken comb his hair for him. The two notice him but Draken only mutters a greeting before focusing on his task, while Mikey stares at him with an unnerving intensity.
"I know what you want to say," Mikey says before he can bring the issue up. "I've decided I'm going to move things along since Takemitchy is taking a long time to get a hint."
"What exactly about this is giving him a hint?" Draken mutters as he starts dividing sections of Mikey's hair to braid it, and Shinichiro finds that he agrees with that even though he's partly responsible for allowing it to continue for this long.
He takes a seat on the couch and crosses his arms. After a sigh, he says, "Takemichi doesn't understand much if you don't directly tell him. Usually he has Seishu there to translate things for him." But Seishu has decided that he wants Shinichiro to be a responsible adult therefore he hasn't said anything himself about it yet. He only makes sure that Mikey doesn't go too overboard with taking much of Takemichi's time.
"Really?" Mikey mutters but he looks put out. "Inui seems to be really close to Takemitchy."
Ah.
"Yeah, they're childhood friends," he says, treading lightly. But he thinks Seishu might have a bit of a puppy crush on Takemichi if the look of adoration in his eyes means anything. The only one besides him who had caught on was Haijime and the brat spends a lot of time poking fun about it, as if he isn't as hopeless with his own crush.
Mikey's face curdles like he drank sour milk. "Yeah, childhood friends," he says darkly and Shinichiro decides that he's not going to touch whatever that jealously is coming from with a ten foot pole so he quickly moves on.
"You need to quit the whole hostage charade," he says without missing a beat.
"I know," Mikey agrees, a little too easily but he figures out why when the boy continues, "but I'm going to do it one last time though."
"Why?" He asks in a strained voice, placing a hand on his temple. He hears Draken let out an exasperated sigh.
"It's the final act," Draken says dully, his eyes looking like he's seen death. Mikey's friends probably have more to endure through when it comes to this entire mess, he realizes.
"Yep," Mikey chirps, eyes lighting up as he smiles.
Shinichiro takes that for what it is, not trying to dive deeper than the surface because he's perfectly content with knowing that at least Mikey will finally stop.
So, he nods and leaves them both there to take a nap; he's gone through so much thinking today on how to phrase what he wanted to say, but forunately it had been much simpler than he thought it would be. He'll have to find a way to apologize to Takemichi though if the boy gets upset about all of it but he'll cross that bridge later.
*
It's a nice summer day, and Takemichi had planned to visit the dojo to hang out with some friends and talk to Shinichiro-senpai, but then he gets intercepted on the pathway by a boy who's looking flushed and disheveled like he's ran a marathon.
"What?" He asks impatiently because his popsicle is melting in his hand.
"They have Mikey!" The boy shouts looking frantic.
"Where?" He sharply asks, and he waits for the the boy to give him the locoation before he drops everything and runs.
This isn't the first time that it happened but he always feels the surge of protectivess all the same. Who knows when he started to care for the boy? He isn't just Shinichiro-senpai's younger brother to him anymore. But he tries not to dwell on those thoughts as he makes his way to Mikey.
Minutes later he arrives at the hideout and kicks down the door, everyone inside turns to look at him in surprise.
"You have something that belongs to me," he says dangerously, tipping his chin up.
The gang members all share a look then start roaring when they get into action, some pulling out weapons as they charge at him. He effortlessly kicks them down and knocks the more stubborn ones out with a decisive chop. He sighs.
"You need to learn how to fight back," he says exasperated, walking through the strewn bodies to get to the boy tied to the chair.
Mikey manages to smile. "I don't think it would've made a difference, they ambushed me."
Takemichi clicks his tongue, untying the ropes that are trapping the older boy's body to the chair while simultaneously checking him over for any injuries. "What if I can't come and save you?" He asks pointedly.
"I don't know, but I like it when you come in and rescue me everytime. It makes me feel like a princess," Mikey says then winces when Takemichi pinches the boy's thigh in response, feeling a slight flush on his face.
"Knights don't hurt their princesses," Mikey says with an exaggerated pout.
"I'm not a knight and you're not a princess to me," Takemichi retorts. But he inwardly admits that Mikey does indeed look pretty. He should just blink more though to look less creepy sometimes whenever he's staring at Takemichi.
"Well," Mikey says, standing up, and moving closer to him, his dark eyes dancing with something as Takemichi takes a step back instinctively. "You're my hero."
Takemichi turns away, ignoring the way his heart skips a beat. "Whatever," he says, "I'm only doing this for Shinichiro-senpai."
"Ah, my brother seems to know my type if he keeps sending you to me," Mikey says, undeterred if anything he's getting more persistent.
"Let's go," he says brusquely, not wanting the boy to see his flustered state.
He knows he's just teasing, messing around as usual just to get a hint of emotion from him, so he tries not to react as best as he can, while forcing himself to ignore the feelings that arise within him around Mikey.
At least there hadn't been an audience this time though, because it's always makes him feel ten times more self-conscious.
And Mikey doesn't say anything else much to Takemichi's relief as they walk back to the Sano dojo, but the silence is also companionable.
"Thank you, Takemitchy," Mikey says when they arrive at the front of the building, the boy smiles over at him and Takemichi just nods stiffly, wanting to leave because there he goes, feeling like a trapped prey under that dark, heavy gaze.
"You never want to spend any more time with me," Mikey says suddenly when Takemichi turns to leave. He halts and looks back at him in confusion.
The boy oddly looks like a dejected puppy.
Takemichi has always had a softer spot for animals so without thinking he reaches out and pats the boy's head.
Mikey stills under his touch for a moment before he shudders then his head snaps up, and his cheeks are slightly pink, with his eyes wide and lips parted in breathless awe.
Inexplicably, Takemichi feels his own face heating up and he quickly retracts his hand.
He clears his throat. "I'm not sure you'll like the kind of person I am," he admits, because Mikey had looked so sad earlier he decides to be honest.
The other boy frowns and opens his mouth, looking ready to argue.
"I'm from a gang," he blurts out before the other boy can say anything. He believes that Mikey is sheltered since he keeps getting captured by some very weak low level thugs, and Shinichiro has never introduced them before.
Mikey's face goes through various expressions, a lot of disbelief and confusion as he stares back at him, and he looks like he's in pain.
Takemichi almost regrets telling him the truth because no way is Mikey going to look at him the same ever again, or be comfortable around him after that.
Then the boy slaps a hand to his face while making a hissing sound like a boiling tea kettle.
"Mikey?" He asks worriedly.
The boy takes a deep breath, and slides his hand down his face. His gaze when it meets Takemichi is intense. "You really don't know who I am, do you? Even after all this time?"
"I- Well, you're Shinichiro-senpai's brother-"
"Sano Manjirou," Mikey cuts in, sounding almost hysterical, "The Invincible Mikey. Toman's commander," when he's met repeatedly with a blank look he shouts out desperately, "Your Mai-chan!"
Takemichi gapes. "You're- Mai-chan is a girl," he brings a hand to rub his chin as he thinks it over.
He had met Mai-chan at the vending machine around the dojo and the girl had lended him some coins to buy snacks because he forgot his wallet. They talked a lot whenever there was a break time but Takemichi honestly didn't know much about her. He started to call her Mai-chan as a nickname but he had honestly forgotten what her name was when she told him. He had only remembered some sounds of it.
And she seemed to like it a lot anyway.
"Should I grow out my hair?" The girl had asked and Takemichi said yes because he thought it was the right answer.
Now as he looks back at Mikey, he notices that the boy has shoulder length blonde hair. It's usually clipped up when he sees him.
"A girl?" Mikey asks in a tone as dark as his face.
Takemichi feels a pressure over him all of a sudden. "You were really cute," he says to explain himself then shakes his head because that might sound weird. "I mean-"
"Cute huh?" The other boy looks more excited than disgusted by his words and he takes a step to get into Takemichi's space so their faces are really close. "Cuter than Inui?" He whispers against Takemichi's cheek.
Takemichi's mind turns blank. He doesn't know what to say to that. He never really even pays attention to how Inupi looks, he just thinks the boy is soft and warm to be around.
He blushes though because Mikey is staring at him so intently with a soft light in his eyes, and if he tilted his head just a bit then the boy's lips would be brushing against his skin.
It would be an accidental kiss.
"No," he hoarsely says, wanting to escape.
"Liar," Mikey says with a smile, "you always said the opposite of what you felt whenever you were trapped."
Turns out Mikey really is Mai-chan, because she- well he- had said the same exact thing before.
"What do you want?" he sounds on the verge of tears but he's more frustrated and confused than anything. And Inupi isn't here to help him understand.
"At first I wanted Takemitchy to notice me," Mikey starts, his voice low, "but now I want everything."
Takemichi frowns in confusion, and the boy gives him a really affectionate look before he leans in so his lips are an inch away from his own.
"I want all of you," Mikey murmurs with slanted eyes.
Then Takemichi is being kissed.
It's a truly glorious feeling that he never wants to forget.
*
After Takemichi gets his first kiss, everything seems to make a lot more sense. From the way Mikey's friends have always waited for him to save Mikey himself and well, just the reason why he's always the one thats being called to help even though he knows Shinichiro has other people to contact.
He can't even be angry that he's been deceived because strangely he finds that Mikey's dramatic attempts to get his attention are endearing.
Plus, Shinichiro-senpai has bought him a lot of new video games and manga to add to his collection to make up for it.
He soon finds out that Mikey is actually a gang leader and one of the strongest people he's ever met, and he feels foolish and ashamed of himself when he realizes that they've techinally been childhood friends yet he hadn't really spared much thought to Mikey until recently.
"It's okay, because in the end you're mine and we have a whole future together," Mikey had reassured him when he tried to apologize. His heart almost bursts from the declaration as his face heats up, because the boy has been saying the most romantic lines he's ever heard.
And he likes them a lot. He wishes he can say some in return but Mikey has always stolen his breath away and seemed utterly content with Takemichi's presence.
It takes a while though for Takemichi to even realize his own feelings despite having been in a relationship with Mikey for a few months.
He's always liked being around the other boy, and kisses are nice, especially when they're cuddling in bed afterwards. But he finds that his heart beat isn't settled anymore and he wants more of whatever he has, if that's even possible. He likes Mikey, and yet, it doesn't seem like it's enough to sum up his feelings.
He had tried to talk to Inupi about them, but Koko had quickly told him to find Shinichiro-senpai instead.
But Shinichiro had never dated anyone before. And neither has Inupi but Inupi always seemed really smart about things Takemichi didn't understand.
"I'm not sure if I'm being insulted or not," Shinichiro says with a weary sigh, "but I'm glad that you decided to talk about your feelings. Communication is really healthy and the most significant element of any relationship-"
"Why are you stealing Akashi's words," Wakasa calls out from where he's sitting on the couch with a magazine. He hadn't seem interested in whatever they were talking about but randomly he'd have an input.
Shinichiro ignores his friend. "There isn't much I can do to help, but you should talk to Mikey about this. You know he's never going to judge you."
"Yeah, he's a simp that worships the ground that you walk on," Wakasa pipes in, and Shinichiro pinches the bridge of his nose while Takemichi ducks his head to hide a pleased smile.
Is it weird to fall in love with your boyfriend? he thinks, because he's falling really hard for Mikey right now.