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"You're growing your hair out?" Draken blinks at his best friend, the notion unexpectedly coming from the one person that's always preferred his locks to be short and easily maintained. He eyes the blonde's hair, noting how they reach just a little short past his ears and nearing his chin. Draken hadn't even noticed it growing past its usual length.
Mikey smiles, one that reaches ear to ear and Draken's breath almost gets knocked out of him at the sight (it's been a while after all since Mikey's ever allowed himself to grin so freely and wide, especially with a certain black haired friend). Lithe fingers reaching towards the strands hanging on his forehead, tugging them to straighten out the natural curl that sways at the very end of his hair. "Yeah, It wouldn't be too bad, don't you think?"
"But why?" Mitsuya pipes up from next to Draken, and the tattooed male glances at him. The purple haired had this wide eyed look to him, looking a little breathless himself. It's no doubt because of the familiar grin Mikey sports on his lips. Draken wouldn't admit it himself but he knows all of the founders (sans Kazutora) have missed seeing him be so expressive, this is evident of the fact that Baji and Pah have gone completely silent in their bickering and instead turns their attention to the conversation that was happening outside of them when they caught a whiff of it.
"Why not?" Mikey lets his smile slip a smidge, eyes leaving them and focusing on the finger that's curling and twisting the pale gold of silk. "It wouldn't hurt to try something new."
Mikey likes the familiarity of things, that much they all know. Him trying something new is always a step outside of his comfort so for him to even try to suggest that he wants to grow his hair is a huge leap and commitment from what he knows that he likes.
They all glance at each other discreetly but with how perceptive Mikey can be, Draken wouldn't be surprised if he somehow manages to catch the fleeting looks they threw. If he did notice, Mikey chooses not to say anything and instead continues to fiddle with his newly longer than usual bangs.
Draken sees Baji grin, a tell-tale sign that he's up for a little teasing. There was a slight pause of panic that Draken felt within him, it's only been 3 months since the incident and there was a small part of him that still refuses to push Mikey too far, not until he's absolutely sure that Mikey has pulled through enough that he doesn't lash out at anyone, least of all Baji, who he knows still makes Mikey tense up whenever he arrives and shows up.
"Are you sure you're ready to commit to that? Having long hair is a lot of work, you know?" Draken watches the smile falter from Bajis face, the way it always does whenever he tries to slip back into habit with his longest friend. It was hard really, having to watch them both skitter around each other, wounds still too fresh to poke without it hurting.
Ever since Mikey had welcomed Baji back into their little circle of friends, a tension was always felt when they hung around each other. No matter how much they both tried to hide it, it's clear as day whenever Mikey stiffened around Baji and the way Baji was always hesitant with his actions and words towards Mikey. It was a constant back and forth between them that they refused to acknowledge. It's still too new after all, the hurt that both of them felt.
Draken knows that there's no animosity between them, especially from Mikey towards his childhood friend but there's still that lingering barrier that refuses to feel anything other than blame. Had Baji not agreed to anything in the first place then maybe it wouldn't have ever happened at all, that maybe his refusal would discourage Kazutora from taking action and not end up accidentally killing the brother of the person he was trying to steal for.
Mikey stops his fiddling, fingers uncurling a strand and dropping his hand back down onto the table. There was rigidness that lingered on his shoulders at the supposed friendly jab. Obsidian eyes, so similar to his brothers, turn to face Baji. "I think I'll manage." He returns a tiny grin, no doubt his way of trying to alleviate the strained atmosphere that resides from the bated pause they all took.
It was at that time that Mitsuya chose to step in, a reassuring smile plastered on his lips. "Are you really sure about that Mikey? Your neck is going to feel hotter, you know? And you'll sweat." He mentions the last part since they all know how much Mikey despises the act of sweating in his clothes, granted it takes a bit for him to work it up, it still doesn't change the fact that he still does.
That's one thing Draken will never understand about Mikey. How the blonde likes the thrill of fighting but not the repercussions of it in the form of the bodily fluids that secretes from their pores. Draken scrunches his face at his own imagery, Ew.
"A little sweating is not gonna kill me, you know." Mikey says a little carelessly with a shrug. That 4 letter word makes them all tense up at the mention of it and Draken can immediately see the regret that crosses Mikey's face as he cringes at his choice of words.
Almost immediately, the regret was washed over and replaced once more by a blank slate. Mikey looks away and to the side, his hand reaching for his spoon and clutching it tightly between his fingers. He makes no move of actually scooping up the sundae that's half on its way to melting by this point.
Mitsuya gives a chuckle, strained as it was, it lighten up the mood. Draken knows the effects Mitsuya had on their group dynamic, always the mediator that one because of course he is. "Right. Just as long as you'll like it then I see no point in making a big deal about it." He nods, with a reassuring quirk of his lips.
Mikey gives him a once over, and for a moment Draken sees a flash of intensity in his gaze as though he's searching for something in Mitsuya's eyes. A second longer and it seems like he doesn't find what he's looking for as his shoulders relaxed in a laid back sort of way and another smile forced itself into his lips.
"I think I'll like it just fine." He says it like it's final.
They all leave it at that.
—
Draken mentions it to Emma once.
A week after Mikey's confession of growing out his hair, the founders had all been left to wonder why it is exactly that Mikey decided he wanted to change his look. Draken thinks it's unlike him, he's never been one to care much about growing them in the first place, remembering a time where Mikey had made a comment about his own hair and asked him how he'd ever deal with the hassle of taking care of them in the long term.
"He wants to do what?" Emma gives them all a confused look, handing them all a glass of lemonade as refreshments whilst they wait for her brother to finish with his forever showers.
"He wants to grow out his hair. Trying something new apparently." Mitsuya nods to himself, a soft smile as he thanks her for the drink. He fiddles with the cold glass, staring straight into the icy yellow colour. "It doesn't sound like him does it?"
Emma shakes her head, a soft furrow lining her eyebrows as though she's in deep thought. A breath leaves her chest as she tugs her bottom lip into her teeth, gnawing at the sensitive skin. The tray she holds presses itself into her stomach as her face contorted into an expression of conflict.
Baji notices first. Draken almost feels a bit jealous with how quick he can read her but he guesses it makes sense since they both practically grew up together long before he even showed up in their lives. "Something the matter?"
"I—" She takes a deep breath. "I think I might know why he wants to grow it out." Emma purses her lips together as they all say up straighter.
"Yeah?" Draken prompts and she nods once more before taking a seat next to Pah.
She looks down at her lap, tray now on hold towards her chest. "I— the other week, I had this nightmare about Shinichiro." She starts and Draken can practically feel the tension that runs through every single person in the room. "He came back home in that dream but he wasn't the Shinichiro that I knew, he was just— covered in blood and he kept blaming me and I- I woke up in a panic."
Emma shakes her head, a flush of red colouring her cheeks. "I know it sounds stupid and I know that it wasn't my fault but I still ended up crying. I guess Mikey heard me since he came over to ask me if I was ok." She clutches the tray impossibly closer. "But I— "
"I called him Shin-nii."
A drop of a pin could be heard as the silence took over. Draken stares wide eyed at the blonde who keeps looking down in shame. "I know it hurt him, he looked so devastated, but they just— they just looked so alike, you know?" Emma sniffles, a hand coming up to brush away the tears threatening to leave her waterline.
Another moment of silence.
"... I know what you mean. The first time I saw them together I thought I was seeing doubles at first. If it wasn't for the hair and height, I would've assumed they were twins." Mitsuya adds his two cents. Pah laughs at that, having experienced the same thing.
Having the two side by side was almost uncanny. Mikey's face was quite literally copy and pasted from his brothers, it was almost laughable how much they looked like each other despite the contrasting personalities.
"... You think he's growing out his hair to differentiate himself from Shinichiro-kun?" Draken finally says what was on his mind. It wouldn't be too far-fetched, he thinks he'd do the same had someone call him by his dead brother's name.
"It's the closest conclusion we've gotten." Mitsuya shrugs, looking thoughtfully to the side before taking a swig at his drink. A sigh left him as it cooled down his palpating heart, Draken finds himself taking a sip of his own.
Drake sighs a heavy one, leaning back against the cushion of the familiar couch. "I would've been upset too." He admits.
"Yeah…' He hears Mitsuya and Pah agree with him. Baji stays silent which is unusual so he takes a peak at him. The ravenette sports a frown on his face, no doubt thinking about the things that happened those short 3 months ago.
Emma notices too as she settles a warm hand on his knees. Thai makes Baji look up with regret and she gives him a smile as though to get through to him with an honest to god 'Not your fault'. A wobbly smile stretches across Bajis face too and he takes it upon himself to grab her hand in his to give it a squeeze. "Sorry." He says and Emma nods instead.
It was at that moment that a floorboard squeaked causing all heads to turn towards the stairs leading up to the second floor. Out came Mikey, flushed red from the no doubt hot shower he took, hair wet and straightened from the water. Draken notices that the state his hair is left in makes it all the more obvious of how much longer it grew from the last time he took a haircut.
A smile makes its way to his face, a hand coming up for a wave before he halts, stopping dead in his tracks as he zeroes in on his younger sister. A blink and a frown takes over his face. "What's wrong? Your face is red." He tells her as Emma hastily wipes at her cheeks, not at all helping her case.
"Nothing!" She squeaks a response, shaking her head. Mikey tilts his head to the side, blonde locks sticking to the skin of his cheek. He's clearly unconvinced at her answer and shoots them all a look, a silent demand really.
Mitsuya smiles and shakes his head. Instead, he jerks his head towards Mikey's sister who is giving them a pleading look, no doubt swearing to them to not give him anything about what she told them.
Mikey stares them down for a couple seconds before sighing, a hand coming up to brush away his hair and slicking them back and away from his forehead. "Whatever it is, it better be good."
Draken answers this time, a smile making its way to his face in an attempt to placate the overprotective side of Mikey. "It wasn't anything bad, don't worry."
Blinking, Mikey sighs after a moment. "Right."