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Kohaku was going through it.
Ever since the disbandment date for Double Face was officially announced by New Dimension, Kohaku has dreaded the day of their final live. He knew it was coming, he really did. He was reminded when they did their photoshoot for the solo live promotions. He was reminded during every practice and lesson. He was reminded when Ibara suspended their “non-idol” activities. He was reminded when Madara planned an extended trip abroad, not specifying to Kohaku how long he’d be out of the country. He was reminded during their very last recording session. And well…
…the young assassin felt like he was going to explode from all these pent up emotions.
Kohaku could recognize some of them—sadness, anger, frustration, betrayal—but there were a handful he felt he couldn’t put a name to.
Everything felt too bitter, too cruel, too much .
He wanted so desperately to go to someone and talk about this. Niki was the first one who came to mind. Despite his airheadedness, Niki always gave Kohaku good advice when he needed it. And he gave really good hugs. And he made good comfort meals, which was always a plus (Kohaku would never turn down an opportunity for Niki to make some daifuku for him. Or dango).
Rinne would also be a good option. Not better than Niki, though. Whenever Kohaku would try to talk about his personal life with Crazy:B’s leader, he would always make teasing remarks, getting all up in Kohaku’s personal space. Still, he did give great comfort to the boy. And surprisingly, good advice. Rinne was the one who convinced Kohaku to ask out his now boyfriends.
Speaking of them, Aira and Hiiro would definitely be open to Kohaku talking as well. Ever since they had become partners—actually, even before then—they always offered the assassin to vent after jobs with Double Face, or simply a shoulder to cry on when things got a bit too much for the younger. Kohaku could tell that they wanted him to talk to them more and truly open up, and as much as he wishes the same, he doesn’t want to bother them with something so… impure .
His sisters could be a good option, though Kohaku wouldn’t willingly go to them first. They’d both make huge deals out of it, and that was the last thing Kohaku wanted. He loves them, but they can be horribly overbearing sometimes. Especially the oldest Oukawa. Sakura would be miles better than her to vent to.
His cousin might also be an option, as much as Kohaku didn’t want to admit it. What was it Tsukasa said to him? “If you’re in pain then say it?” He knows that if he does decide to talk to Tsukasa, the older wouldn’t judge him. If anything, Tsukasa would openly lend his shoulder for Kohaku to cry on, just as a good older brother would do. Maybe he would go to him.
…Though, he could also be honest and talk to Madara—
“—Kohaku-san? Heeey, we’re starting in ten!”
The boy in question was brought back to reality by a gloved hand waving in front of his face, belonging to the exact person Kohaku was thinking about.
Oh , Kohaku thought. It’s already the night of the live .
Did he take too long to make a decision on who to go to? Oh well . He decided he’ll deal with his feelings later.
He realized as he came back to his senses that both him and Madara had their Nebula outfits on. Kohaku was sitting on the makeup chair, staring at his reflection. Madara was hovering behind him, and he figured that the older must’ve just finished getting his own makeup done.
Kohaku brushed Madara's hand away. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I heard ya.”
Madara smiled at Kohaku, patting his head, much to the boy’s annoyance. “You know, if you’re nervous, you can always tell Mama~!”
Kohaku rolled his eyes, pulling away from Madara and walking towards the door of the dressing room. “...We have’ta be on stage soon, right? Let’s get ta the wings then.”
As he walked, Kohaku fell back into his thoughts. It’s already time for the live? The final live ? Those weeks leading up to that moment went by fast, too fast if you’d ask the pink-haired idol. Kohaku started to fidget with his outfit, playing with the purple ribbon by the cuff of his sleeve as he organized his thoughts.
Memories of Crazy:B’s own solo live creeped into his mind. Kohaku remembered his nervousness leading up to it, but it wasn’t the same as the kind he’s experiencing now—not even close . In fact, he’s never been this nervous for a live since he started idol work.
“Double Face, you’re on in five!”
Kohaku turned towards the stage manager’s voice as he entered the wing, giving her a small nod. He continued fidgeting—almost pacing around the wing to calm his anxiety—watching the backstage staff run around and making sure everything was in place for the live. He heard shouts of commands from the staff, yelling about light cues, sound cues, cameras. It was loud, yet quiet at the same time, as if the sound wasn’t properly traveling through Kohaku’s ears. He tapped his fingers together, trying to distract himself, before being gently pulled into a warm embrace.
“W-Wah— huh?” He looked over his shoulder to see Madara hugging him from behind. He pouted.
His back was pressed to Madara’s chest, his arms wrapping around Kohaku’s midsection, though his grip wasn’t strong. If he really wanted to, Kohaku could easily break out of Madara’s arms. But, he didn’t. In fact, he almost melted into the hug.
“Madara-han, will ya stop treatin’ me like a small child?” he asked, sighing. He felt Madara shake his head. This guy … Kohaku thought.
“I can tell you’re nervous, Kohaku-saaan~ Mama’s here to make you feel better~” Madara reached over to Kohaku’s hands, pulling them away from each other to rub them. “Relax a bit, yeah? You’re thinking toooo much. We got through sound check and you sounded great. I know you know these songs and their routines, you’ll do amazing things, kid.”
Kohaku sighed. Hesitating for a moment, he silently turned around in Madara’s hold to hug him tightly. He held onto him, being careful to not smudge his makeup onto the dark suit. He heard Madara laugh, his voice vibrating in the younger’s ear pressed against his chest. He gently patted Kohaku’s head, playing with some strands of his hair.
“Double Face on in one minute!” Kohaku heard the stage manager call from somewhere in the distance. “Places please!”
Kohaku let go of his hold on Madara, taking in a deep breath. He felt the older pat his back gently as they headed onto the darkened stage. The opening instrumental for the live started as they headed towards the middle of the stage, following the little markings on the stage floor.
Kohaku could now clearly hear the fans cheering, watching the sea of teal penlights bobbing in the crowd. He smiled. Kohaku knew that the fans who were watching their live, whether in person or through a screen, were devastated knowing that it would be the last time. Not too far off from how Kohaku felt in the moment, and in the past few weeks.
As the partners got into position for Nebula, Kohaku felt his heart palpitate, the same feeling that usually accompanied him when he stepped foot on stage. He took a deep breath, looking over to Madara.
Madara-han is here… He hasn’t left yet… you can do this…
His in-ear counted them in. The opening notes of Nebula played. Kohaku breathed.
In his peripheral vision, Kohaku saw Madara glance over at him. He gave the younger a slight nod as the intro started to play. Kohaku mentally counted the beats and recalled his lines as Madara sang.
“Kimi no akatsuki nijinda kyoukai-sen zutto.”
“Kowakute tsunagi tometa.”
As Kohaku reached out his hands, he took a good look at the sea of penlights, cheering on Double Face.
Wow. He thought. Every time I see it doesn’t feel real .
As he danced, his thoughts drifted to Aira. He’s always reminded of his boyfriend when he performs, doesn’t matter if it’s with Crazy:B or Double Face. If he had never met “loveswan” all those years ago on that idol forum, Kohaku knows he wouldn’t be standing on the stage he is now, let alone be out of the prison he called home. He wouldn’t be singing or dancing with the bees, or with Madara. He probably wouldn’t even know what idols were.
He briefly wondered if Aira was in the crowd. Actually, he knew Aira was, along with Hiiro. He was sure the bees were too. And Tsukasa. And maybe even his sisters—definitely Sakura. They were all there, watching him. Watching his final live in Double Face.
Kohaku took a glance at Madara as they sang through the first verse. For some reason, it hurt to look at him. It stung, in a weird way. Kohaku didn’t like it. He really, really didn’t like it.
By the chorus, Kohaku had easily faded into his performer mindset; it was an odd but welcoming fog in his mind as he perfectly sang his heart out and hit every beat in the choreography. It was second nature by now, especially with all the practice they had beforehand.
Before he knew it, they had already made it through the bridge. It was then, at the last chorus, that Kohaku really heard the lyrics, facing Madara as they sang together.
The two made eye contact. Kohaku wanted to cry.
“I can’t let go of your hand—”
Finally, they made it through to the end of the song, striking their ending pose. Kohaku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The fog slowly started to fade from his mind as he was brought back to the moment. You did it, Kohaku. You got through it. Don’t cry… don’t cry…
The bright stage lights faded into darkness, the two members shifting into a more relaxed posture. Madara gave a pat to Kohaku’s back before the lights came back up. The crowd erupted in cheers as Kohaku and Madara waved to their fans.
“Double Face, reporting for duty!” Madara called out. The partners striked their signature pose, then continued to wave to the fans. Kohaku rubbed his gloved hands together.
“This is Mikejima Madara!” his partner said.
“An’ I’m Oukawa Kohaku. Thanks ta everyone fer attending our farewell live!” The fans cheered in their support, Kohaku hearing some cries from different parts of the venue. He stifled a laugh. After a small pause, Madara continued.
“Our first song of the night was a brand new one, ‘Nebula’. How did everyone like it?” The crowd erupted again, and Kohaku couldn’t hide the smile on his face.
“Madara-han and I practiced a whole lot fer this, we hope it didn’t disappoint!”
Madara and Kohaku moved back to center stage as their leader introduced their next song.
“We will continue this live with =EYE=!”
─── ⋆⋅✧⋅⋆ ───
Two more songs later, the duo had completed the opening act of the live.
Kohaku sat in the dressing room again, his stylist doing simple touch ups on his hair and makeup. He looked at himself in the mirror, gently humming the tune of his solo. Madara-han must’ve just started his solo performance, huh?
It occurred to the boy that he hadn't heard his unit mate’s new solo. When Crazy:B was working on theirs, they had constantly been sharing ideas between each other in and out of practice. One day, they sat down in Cafe Cinnamon while Niki was on break and just worked together. Kohaku had gotten some great advice from the older bees that day, especially from their queen bee himself.
Looking back, Madara really never said a word about what his solo sounded like or what it was about. Kohaku could probably come up with many different ideas of what Madara could be singing about, but he decided against it for the moment. Maybe if he made it to the wings in time…
“—All done, Oukawa-san. You can head back up now,” his makeup artist said, starting to reorganize her things. “Good luck!”
Yeah, he can make it back. Kohaku smiled at her, sitting up quickly to leave the dressing room. “Thank ya kindly!”
He made his way backstage, the sound of Madara’s delicate yet powerful voice starting to get louder and clearer as he approached.
“We notice a gentle presence.”
“The light is there.”
Kohaku watched as Madara danced and glided around the stage. He looked like he was having fun, a stark difference from when he’s performing as Double Face. Whenever the two sang together, Madara would look so serious and stoic, not breaking from his persona of “the Green-Eyed Executioner”. Watching him like this now… well, Kohaku wasn’t used to it.
He looked so bright and dazzling to Kohaku.
Kohaku didn’t notice that the song was over until Madara was already coming off stage. The older member passed Kohaku, giving him a bright smile and gentle pat on his head.
“It’s your turn now, Kohaku-san. Make Mama proud!”
Hesitantly, he nodded, took a breath, and made his way on the dimmed stage. He could feel his heart race again.
Just breathe, Kohaku… he thought to himself.
It was odd—Kohaku felt more nervous at that moment than he did when his solo first debuted with Crazy:B.
Maybe it was because of the circumstances. Crazy:B’s was celebrating the work they had put in the past year—they celebrated a milestone with the knowledge that they’ll continue working together for years to come.
But Double Face was quite the opposite, wasn’t it?
Double Face is celebrating their last live together. It’s the last time Mikejima Madara and Oukawa Kohaku will share a stage, at least for a while. For now, it’s their last time performing as partners, as buddies .
Kohaku always enjoyed being on his own, at least to an extent. It was lonely when he was growing up; his sisters were sometimes too busy to spend time with their baby brother. But after coming to the city and being put into a group with the bees, and later forming Double Face, he learned to value his free time away from the craziness that was Rinne, Niki, HiMERU, and Madara.
And yet, at that moment, he didn’t want to be alone.
As the opening notes played, Kohaku watched the stage around him light up in bright pinks. Below him was the river animation he chose with sakura petals floating in the water. It gave him pleasant memories of when he organized Spring Evening’s Respite, despite the slight discomfort from the presence of the sakura petals. He was still learning to enjoy them.
The petals reminded him of home, in a bittersweet sense.
The song started, and Kohaku sang and danced perfectly.
“I only made a hazy image of the landscape of my heart, like a faint dream…”
As he sang, his mind drifted to his home—well, former home. ES had become more of a home than the Oukawa manor had ever been, considering the circumstances. The only pleasant memories he has from those 15 or so years were the short ones with Tsukasa over a decade ago and various times when his older sisters would pay him an extended visit at the zashikirou.
He remembered Sakura, who would visit him the most. She was the one to give him the books he studied, teaching him how to read and write. She made sure to always visit him after her lessons then pass on all of her new knowledge to the younger. She was the one who fueled his sweet tooth, always bringing him extra daifuku after dinner.
She was the one who gave him his laptop, too.
Out of all the Oukawas, Sakura was the one who supported Kohaku the most.
(And well, Kohaku thought he spotted a familiar shade of pink hair somewhere in the front section, right beside a shade of cherry red, but he could’ve just been imagining things.)
His solo was over before he knew it. A weird feeling of emptiness flooded Kohaku as the instrumental faded out. He could barely remember the performance.
Walking off into the wings with a dazed look on his face, Kohaku spotted Madara watching him. Waiting for him. Seeing the older, Kohaku vaguely wondered if Madara had any help on his solo.
The second Kohaku stepped into the wing, Madara pulled the younger into a gentle hug. He was careful to not let Kohaku’s makeup stain his outfit as he had gotten ready for No name yet, but he still provided the comfort Kohaku sought in the moment.
“You did great, Kohaku-san. Mama’s veeeery proud of you~”
Hesitantly, he nodded, giving Madara a quick squeeze before pulling away. “...I have’ta go get changed…”
Madara patted his back. “Go then. And smile more! You have four more songs to go~!”
─── ⋆⋅✧⋅⋆ ───
Kohaku didn’t realize how much more work Madara had compared to himself. At least for this live. Learning the Double Face songs, then working on his solo, and performing as MaM. It must have been exhausting.
Hello, New Year ended. Kohaku watched as Narukami took over MCing so Madara could run off stage to change. Kohaku had already changed into his Bye Bye Buddy outfit.
Kohaku held up his fist to Madara as he passed, watching as his leader smiled brightly and fist bumped the younger.
“Thanks Kohaku-san~!”
Kohaku hummed as Madara ran to the changing area.
Within a few moments, Madara was already standing next to Kohaku, adjusting his glove. He turned towards the younger, bumping his shoulder playfully. “You reaaaaady?”
Kohaku simply nodded, watching the Switch members and Narukami come off stage. As Naru passed, she gave the two a bright smile.
“Break a leg, you two~”
Madara patted Kohaku’s head (“ how many times is this guy gonna pat my head?” Kohaku thought) . “Thaaaanks, Arashi-san!” Madara said. He took a glance at the younger, noticing Kohaku’s blank stare with slight worry. “Are you okay, Kohaku-san?”
…Was he?
Kohaku couldn’t tell.
They were approaching their last two songs of the live, and most of the night—no, most of the weeks leading up to this moment felt like an absolute blur to Kohaku. He didn’t like the feeling. Not at all.
He was conflicted. Kohaku wanted to be present and live in the moment of the live. And yet he felt so disconnected from everything for the past few hours. All he wanted to do was experience the performance. But at the same time, he just wanted to curl up in his bed and pretend that Double Face wasn’t ending. He wanted to sob his eyes out at the fact that he couldn’t do anything to save Double Face.
But, Madara didn’t need to know that. Not right now.
So, Kohaku took a deep breath and turned to face Madara. “Yeah. Guess it’s jus’ nerves.”
The older smiled, patting Kohaku’s shoulder. “Don’t be! We’re almost done here, and soon you’ll finally be free!”
Kohaku was taken aback. What? Did he just say that?
“H-Huh? W-Wait, Madara-han, whadda mean by tha—” Before Kohaku could finish, Madara was already walking on stage.
Kohaku felt a stinging behind his eyes, but he blinked it away, reluctantly following his leader on stage.
He quickly fell back into a performing mindset, letting Madara introduce Bye-Bye Buddy. Kohaku shook his nerves out, moving into their starting position.
Kohaku had a love-hate relationship with Bye-Bye Buddy.
Yes, the song is so fun. The beat is bright and despite how complicated the choreography was, it was so fun to learn, especially once Kohaku was able to ace the footwork. The music video was another thing that Kohaku loved about the song. It was fun, except when Madara took half the time trying to get one scene down.
But still—
“Oh, Buddy Buddy, even if you can’t see the next step, you already know, right?”
“Buddy Buddy, because we’ve crossed such dangerous bridges our own way before—”
—The lyrics were the exact thing Kohaku didn’t want to think about.
He didn’t want to think about how it was the end. How Bye-Bye Buddy is the last song on this setlist. How this would be their last official performance as Double Face.
Kohaku didn’t want it to be the end.
“So, until we meet again, this is our last mission.”
─── ⋆⋅✧⋅⋆ ───
Kohaku’s eyes stung as the two waved goodbye to the fans, his cheeks aching from smiling so much.
Encore went as expected. Madara had made a big show of it, yelling out to the fans, “we got called back for an emergency mission!” Kohaku had laughed at the older’s antics before performing Nebula again.
As the music faded out, the screams and cries of the fans roared throughout the venue. Teal penlights shook and bobbed as the adrenaline from the entire show slowly wore off.
As Madara and Kohaku exited the stage and into the wings, the younger felt all those emotions—sadness, anger, frustration, betrayal—start to rise to the surface. Everything he couldn’t feel for the past few hours, weeks, was suddenly starting to flood him.
The backstage crew started to surround the partners as they made it further into the wings. Stage crew led them to the stairs so they could get to the dressing rooms. There were people handing the duo towels and water bottles. Some shouts of congratulations traveled through the backstage area. And with the sudden rush of emotions, Kohaku was overwhelmed.
Eventually they made it back to the dressing rooms. The backstage crew started to clean up the wings, leaving Kohaku and Madara to their own devices.
“You did great, Kohaku-san,” Madara said from across the dressing room, his back facing Kohaku. His jacket had already been taken off, leaving him in just the black turtle neck. “Mama’s sooooo proud of you!”
There was a waver in the older’s voice that Kohaku wasn’t familiar with. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s ever heard Madara sound like that.
“Thanks, Madara-han,” he started, almost hesitantly. “You as well—” Kohaku looked over at Madara. While his face back still towards the younger, Kohaku could see Madara’s face reflecting in the mirror in front of him. The older’s eyes were red, tears threatening to fall.
It was a sight Kohaku didn’t see often.
All at once, Kohaku felt all his emotions overflow at the surface, threatening to explode. It felt like the fog clouding his mind for the last few weeks had finally faded. He felt everything again—betrayal, frustration, sadness. It was a like ringing in his ear and it was loud and just too much too much too much—
The boy was suddenly wrapped up in Madara’s arms, the older squeezing him tightly. Kohaku sniffled, his vision blurry from tears. When did I start crying?
Without even thinking, Kohaku squeezed back just as tightly, refusing to let go even for a second.
“...Madara-han…” he sobbed pathetically, burying his face into his shoulder. “...Madara— Mama… please… please don’t… don’t leave me…”
He felt Madara rub his upper back, and Kohaku cried a bit harder.
“...Kohaku-san, aren’t you glad that it’s over?” the senior asked, his voice cracking a bit from the tears. Kohaku sobbed again, pulling away from the older. He hit his chest, but there was no real strength behind it. Kohaku looked up into Madara’s eyes, watching as tears slowly falling down from the older’s cheeks.
“No! Don’t say that, Madara-han!” he cried, sniffling. “Why— why would ya ever think that? I’m not… I’m not glad it’s over !” Kohaku launched himself into Madara’s arms again, crying onto his shoulder.
Kohaku continued sobbing into Madara, letting himself be comforted by the older, though it didn’t help soothe him. In fact, it served as a reminder that Madara would eventually leave Kohaku, and he already has in a sense by disbanding their group. Kohaku’s grip on Madara didn’t let up, but eventually Kohaku’s sobs died down into smaller cries.
“...I know why ya wanted to disband Double Face,” Kohaku whispered into Madara’s shoulder. He felt Madara continue to rub his back, then move higher to play with his hair. Kohaku felt a bit calmer.
“...I know ya wanted to protect J, an’ I know ya wanted to protect me .” Kohaku tightened his hold on Madara, more and more tears escaping. “...I get why ya did what ya did. But why…? Why again…?
“A-An’ I know that I say I hate our jobs and I hate Double Face,” Kohaku’s tears fell again as his voice cracked, a sob threatening to escape. “...But I never did. I never hated Double Face, or you, Mama. I don’t… I don’t want this to end.”
Kohaku’s grip tightened. “...A-An’ you’re leaving Japan soon, right? Did yer promise mean nothing to ya? You said ya wouldn’t leave me alone, Madara-han…!” Kohaku leaned further into Madara, sobbing again on his shoulder.
He felt Madara hold him closer, one hand playing with his hair and the other holding him securely, grounding Kohaku. They stayed like that for a while before Madara finally spoke.
“...You’re not gonna be alone, Kohaku-san. I promise. You’ll still have Crazy:B—”
Kohaku cuts him off harshly, tightening his grip. “That’s not what I—!”
“—And you can still talk to me, you know? Mama’ll will alwaaaays be there for his kid,” Madara rubbed Kohaku’s shoulders.
“I won’t be gone for long, I promise. It’ll feel like just a few days.” Kohaku pulled away to look at Madara as he patted the younger’s head. “And if you need me back home, just call. I’ll get on the first plane back!”
Kohaku rolled his eyes, the last of his tears falling. He wiped them away. “As if that’ll actually happen…” He sniffled, and Madara gave him one more pat on the back.
“Feeling better, Kohaku?” He asked after a moment. Kohaku nodded, pulling away to shrug off his jacket. Madara went back to his station to clean up. As he did that, Kohaku looked at the jacket, inspecting it as he spoke up in an uncharacteristically small voice.
“Um… sorry about the whole… cryin' thing, Madara-han…”
Madara shook his head, moving past Kohaku to pat his back. “It’s nothing, Kohaku-san!” He hung up his own jacket on the costume rack. “I’m glad you got it all out. You looked so on edge leading up to the live. I forgot how similar you are to me!”
Kohaku stared at Madara’s back, an embarrassed blush creeping up his face before turning into a scowl. “I was gonna talk to someone, but—”
“But you forgot?” Madara asked playfully, turning around to face the younger.
The older received a jacket to the face.
Madara kept an arm around Kohaku’s shoulders as they walked out the back of the venue and into the cool summer night. The wind blew and Kohaku cringed as the brisk air hit his face. He rubbed his cheeks.
“...Ugh, crying sucks,” he said. He heard Madara laugh beside him, and he sent a glare towards the older.
“Oiiii! Kohaku-chan! Mikejima-kun!”
Kohaku turned towards the loud voice. In the distance, he saw the rest of Crazy:B standing with Aira and Hiiro. Niki waved his hand above his head, hoping to get the youngest bee’s attention. Kohaku’s boyfriends immediately snapped their heads towards his direction, starting to run over to him.
“Kohakucchi!” “Kohaku!”
Kohaku was suddenly thrown off balance by two weights clinging onto him. He felt Madara pull away, giving space for the other two. He heard some murmurs coming from Madara, as well as from the bees at a distance.
Soft hair tickled his neck, blond and fiery red filling his vision. He chuckled, hugging the two back as best as he could.
“Rabu-han, Hiiro-han—” soft red hairs tickled the side of his neck, pulling a laugh out of the pink-haired idol. “H-Hey! Hiiro-han, that tickles…”
Aira was the first to pull away, looking at Kohaku with sparking green eyes. It was the same expression he’d always have when talking about or watching his favorite idols. Knowing that it was directed towards him made Kohaku feel so so warm inside.
“Kohakucchi! Your performance was so rabu~! ” Aira gushed, wrapping both his arms around Kohaku’s arm. “You sounded sooo good~! And those dances looked so complicated! You and Mikejima-senpai were so cool ~!!”
Kohaku chuckled. “Thank ya, Rabu-han…” He suddenly felt Hiiro pull away, standing up straight to look at the younger directly.
“...Kohaku, were you crying?”
Kohaku looked at Hiiro with surprise. “Eh?”
“Your eyes are a bit red,” Hiiro lifted his hand to cup Kohaku’s cheek, rubbing his thumb across smooth skin. “And swollen. Are you okay?”
Aira pouted, holding Kohaku’s other cheek. “Yeah, Kohakucchi, did something happen?”
Kohaku looked between his boyfriends, blushing slightly from the sudden affection. “...Um, ‘m okay…” He took both of their hands from his face, holding them gently. “...Sorry, Rabu-han, Hiiro-han, ‘m still just processin’ eveythin’, I think…”
Hiiro and Aira share a look, then pull Kohaku back in for a hug.
“Aww Kohakucchi! It’s okay to be upset~” Aira said, nuzzling Kohaku’s neck.
“I agree with Aira,” Hiiro said, hugging Kohaku a bit tighter. “You don’t have to be sorry for feeling your emotions!”
“We’re here for you, KohakucchI!”
“Always!”
The older two squeezed Kohaku, and he couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh. He squeezed back, hiding his face in between the two’s shoulders.
“Thanks, you two. I love ya both,” Kohaku whispered.
“And we love you, Kohaku!” Hiiro exclaimed, hugging tighter.
“Always~!” Aira added.
“Oiii! Are you three lovebirds done over there!” Rinne called out. The three broke away from each other, turning in the direction of the older Amagi. “We have’ta head out now! I’m sure little Kohaku-chan’s hungry after all that singin’ and dancin’!”
Niki nodded in agreement to Rinne as he threw an arm around Madara’s shoulders. “I’m sure you are too, Mikejima-kun~!” The man in question smiled at Niki.
HiMERU also nodded along. “The dinner reservation should be soon. HiMERU believes we should leave now so we won’t be late.”
The older bees and Madara begin walking, Kohaku and his boyfriends following close behind. The youngest felt calmer, surrounded by the people he loves, and looking forward to a warm hot pot meal with them. The group fell into quiet conversations, Madara talking about his upcoming trip abroad with a pat to Kohaku’s head, resulting in his hand getting swatted away. At some point during the walk, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, knowing it was Tsukasa. He made a mental note to text him back, and to call his sisters. For now though, he would enjoy the company of this new family.
─── ⋆⋅✧⋅⋆ ───
“Hey, Mama…?” Kohaku whispered as they stood in front of the dorms, the bees and Kohaku’s partners walking into the building ahead of them.
He heard Madara chuckle. “Yeah? What’s up, Kohaku-san?”
Kohalu shifted his weight between his feet, fidgeting with his bracelet. “Yer gonna leave the city soon, right? Do ya think… we’d still stay in touch?”
He saw Madara smile in the corner of his eye, the older reaching over to ruffle his hair. “Of course we’ll stay in touch, Kohaku-san! Like I said, Mama would neeeever leave his kid in the dust!”
Kohaku pouted, swatting Madara’s hand away from his head, causing Madara to laugh softly. They looked at each other, knowing that what they were feeling in the moment—in the past how many weeks—was unnamable. They had created a strong familial bond with each other, something neither of them had expected. Now, because of that, it was too hard to actually say goodbye .
Without hesitation, Madara pulled Kohaku into a hug. Kohaku hugged back, his grip tight.
“...’m gonna miss you, Madara-han.”
“I’ll miss you too, Kohaku-san.”