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Mitsuya would lie if he said, he didn't feel giddy. All the growing excitement, the brimming enthusiasm, neverending anticipation almost worked like magic, turning him into a seventeen-years old who was about to have his first date.
Instead of a man in his thirties, who was about to celebrate the fourth year of his marriage.
Mitsuya would lie if he said, this wasn't all he could think about.
He and Draken had planned their anniversary this year, doing something they used to do when they were young. Draken was the one who proposed the idea of doubling it down with Halloween celebration by going to an amusement park.
Mitsuya couldn't help the nostalgia flooding him with memories, when he heard his husband suggested that.
"Remember, when Luna kicked that Sadako when we visited the Haunted House because he managed to scare Mana to cry?" Draken snickered. The girls had just visited Mitsuya last week, and this conversation already got him missing them.
"You're the one who is encouraging her to protect Mana," Mitsuya chuckled.
Draken and Mitsuya were amped to celebrate the Halloween properly, with Mitsuya baked tons of cookies and made a lot of sweet treats; Draken helped with the decorations on his house, going all out on the fake cobwebs, insect toys, and plastic bats; Luna and Mana did everything they could have their hands on—ah, that was one of the fondest memory Mitsuya had ever had.
Even if his mother literally tore everything down when she went home, ignoring Luna and Mana's pleas, nothing could take away the happiness of that moment from him.
It wasn't the amusement park, but that day, Draken and Mitsuya also took Luna and Mana to the Halloween fair at the mall. Draken chipped in to buy the girls a witch hat and fluffy bunny ears (Draken sneakily bought him a cat-ears, while he wore dog-ears himself). Mitsuya kept telling Draken, that he shouldn't spoil his sisters that much, but Draken merely shrugged it off with a nonchalant, "Why not? They're my sisters too?" that got Mitsuya flustered so hard, he had to slow his steps so that Draken wouldn't see him acting awkwardly.
For once Draken was oblivious, he took the big brother role seriously, as he let Luna and Mana dragged him everywhere. He was also genuinely attentive to their babbles, even Mitsuya was impressed by his patience.
Don't get him wrong, Mitsuya loved his sisters but his sisters could be too much to handle.
Back then, it seemed like Draken was their actual brother, instead of Mitsuya, and Mitsuya would lie if the thought of Draken becoming a real brother to them didn't get him hyperventilating.
Now, years and years after that silly thought, Mitsuya had lived that little dream, finally getting ahold of himself.
"I tried to invite them, you know," Scratching the back of his neck, Draken grinned sheepishly. "For the sake of the old time. But Luna said, she didn't want to see you getting lovey-dovey with me."
Mitsuya hated himself for blushing so hard at that.
It wasn't a secret, everyone knew he and Draken sometimes couldn't help themselves from acting chessy around each other. He was familiar with people repeatedly complaining about how he and Draken should tone it down.
The 'it' being every romantic gesture one could think about.
Still, knowing that his sister was also attuned to that aspect...
"And I told her, that's great then," Draken winked at him, seemingly delighted over the blush that graced Mitsuya's cheeks. "I can be extra lovey-dovey with your brother."
Mitsuya shoved him off the couch, but it only resulted in Draken not budging from where he was sitting, and burst into laughter, instead.
Which did nothing to dampen the embarrassment that Mitsuya currently experienced.
"I can't wait, Taka," Sliding his arm around Mitsuya's waist, Draken's eyes sparkled with an almost childish euphoria. "I can't wait to go on the Halloween date with you."
Even if Mitsuya responded to that with an exasperated eye roll, he would lie if he said, he wasn't looking forward to the day.
The afternoon descended slower than Mitsuya had hoped for. It was always like that when he was waiting for something.
And that something was the day they finally went out for their wedding anniversary.
Draken had secured the tickets long before, anticipating the surge of visitors on the D-Day, saved them from the hassle of stuck in a long queue. They dressed casually, didn't even look like they matched each other, unless one had the eyes to see. There were tiny dragons details, courtesy of Mitsuya's design, on their outfits. Almost too subtle, like they were the secrets only known to them.
They decide to explore everything as long as they could still have the energy for it.
Mitsuya would lie if he said, he didn't feel giddy. All the growing excitement, the brimming enthusiasm, neverending anticipation almost worked like magic, turning him into a seventeen-years old who was about to have his first date.
Their first pick was the Haunted House.
Draken wanted to reminisce about the old time, even going as far as making a bet with him whether Sadako would still make an appearance, considering that there had been tons of scary figures which were more popular.
It should be an unsettling experience, but even without Draken's running commentary over the decorations, the costumes, and the sound effects; it still ended up being the fun one. Mitsuya didn't think he had this much laugh in weeks, and he didn't even care whether people who crossed paths with them were bothered.
Draken expressed his disappointment once they exited that the ghosts were too modern for his taste, as if he was born in the sixties.
The next one was a rollercoaster. It was also Draken's pick. This amusement park was pretty well-known for their affinity in Halloween celebration, that they even put surprise on the rollercoaster ride.
This year, apparently, an enactment of one of the most famous chapters of Detective Conan, where someone got beheaded while riding the rollercoaster. He and Draken had the privilege to sit right in front of the stunt, it was crazy that they didn't feel any slight discomfort at the scene before their eyes. The only downside of this was them drenched in fake blood, but the staff compensated by giving them a commemorative T-Shirt and a bunch of novelties.
So, they ended up wearing matching T-Shirts after all.
"I can believe I actually see the reflection of the thread," Draken was still high from the unforgettable ride and he didn't show a sign to come down any time soon. "You see, I kinda expect them to pull this kind of trick. And I'm so glad we're in the front row!"
Mitsuya used to read Detective Conan when he was young and Mana inherited the habit, who apparently collected the manga as well.
"We should've told Mana!" Draken managed to read his mind. "Bet she's gonna be hella jealous of you."
Mitsuya snickered, but he was compelled when Draken dragged him to record a short video about their experience. Mana hadn't been online, but Mitsuya was genuinely curious about how she reacted too.
Time marched on and yet, the crowds hadn't dissipated. If anything it seemed to increase, more and more. Draken decided he didn't have the patience to queue for the bumper cars, and the line for the drop tower was insane too, so they decided to go and grab a bite before returning again.
"I started to think that maybe it was a bad idea to go here at the peak of the season," Draken bemoaned, when they went back only to find the line growing even longer.
"C'mon now, Ken," Mitsuya entwined their hands, which Draken was quick to squeeze in response. Mitsuya offered a comforting smile. "Why don't we do the sightseeing? We're already here after all, it'd be a waste to just spend the time queuing."
Draken threw one last glance at the drop tower queue, before letting Mitsuya pull him, taking him wherever the man went.
Turned out there were tons of mini games stalls too. Crowds everywhere, but still enough options to move to another if one stall had enough visitors at its capacity.
It was like a glorified version of the arcade.
Mitsuya took Draken to the "Bang My Head" stall, that despite its sexualized name, it was a fun game where you hit the head of moles with a hammer. Mitsuya used to play a similar game at the arcade. He might have been more advantageous in recognizing the pattern, that he scored higher than Draken, every time.
The raw determination on Draken's face when it came to his turn, Mitsuya almost felt bad for the moles, but it seemed Draken wouldn't want to let him at the victory, not that easy at least.
It still ended up with Mitsuya winning, but hey, Draken had practically made a spectacle when he played, so it was also a win-win situation for the man at the stall.
The next one, might be his road of triumph.
Draken's eyes literally sparkled when he spotted the shoot-for-prizes stall. There were a bunch of teenagers who apparently occupied the stall where the guy who man the target shooting seemed so in distress, he was close to making himself the target.
Mitsuya was a bit uneasy with the crowd, but he didn't have time to voice his refusal, when Draken half-dragged him to the game.
The stall guy looked horrified at Draken's sudden appearance, with his tattoo and all, Mitsuya wouldn't be surprised. But the teenagers had to tire him off so much, that he opted to ask Draken if he wanted to play too.
"Hey, we're not done yet!" One of the rascal protested.
"You've been doing this for like half an hour now," the guy sighed. "Give it a break, I have other people who want to play too."
The boys sneered, giving both Draken and Mitsuya a stink eyes.
"How could old men like them win, anyway?"
Mitsuya froze. Either none of these youngster saw that Mitsuya had been carrying their prizes from the previous stall, or they just wanted to rile them up.
Draken was usually a mature one in this situation, but it seemed like the kids had hit the right spot.
"I'll show you win," he gritted his teeth, sliding money to the counter.
The stall guy handed him the gun, and explained the rule: he had three bullets to use, each target contained a different prize, the bigger the prize the harder the target was.
Draken waved him off, before the guy finished talking.
"Ken—" Mitsuya started, but Draken had taken his stance.
"I'm gonna win this for us, Taka."
Mitsuya would lie, if he said, he didn't feel frustrated. He should stop Draken when he could, he could prevent this all from happening. What started as an enjoyable date night, had morphed into something he'd rather avoid if he could.
He pinched the bridge of his nose out of exasperation, so often he had lost count.
It wasn't like he didn't try though.
He did, but he could always do harder, better.
As the brother of two troublesome sisters, Mitsuya would say his patience was nearly endless.
He would lie, if he said that he didn't spare some for Draken, because he always had soft spot for Draken, even before they'd gotten into a relationship.
And if there was anything that Draken hadn't done much, then it had to be testing his patience.
This wasn't just their fourth anniversary, this was the day Mitsuya found out he apparently had limits when it came to his husband.
His very childish husband.
"Sorry, I went too far," Draken tried to reach Mitsuya's hand, as if the skinship would discourage Mitsuya from doing something extreme, like maybe, leaving Draken right here and right now.
Mitsuya wasn't cruel per se, but he could be, if the situation allowed him to.
"And what? You just couldn't help yourself? It's all just an impulse?" Mitsuya scoffed. "The only impulse I appreciate is my own bike, and you know it, Ken."
Draken scratched the back of his head, having a decency to look embarrassed.
Or slightly ashamed.
"Yeah, well, it's triggering something in me, so maybe it's all just instinct." He tried to loop his arms over Mitsuya's shoulder, but Mitsuya skittered away from him, arms crossed over his chest, with a bonus of seemingly permanent frown.
His avoidance prompted the other occupants of the stall into laugh.
Mitsuya glared at them, Draken too, but of course it was futile.
"You're not a teenager," Mitsuya begrudgingly turned back to Draken. "you should be able to control yourself."
Draken shrugged. "Ah, well, you always make me feel young, Takashi, maybe I just straight up forgot."
Mitsuya shoved all the plushies Draken got him, because apparently he's easily triggered by a bunch of teens, booing him for not being able to win any big prizes for his husband.
It was fun at first, with them competing against each other: them for the sake of annoying Draken, and Draken for the sake of proving himself that he could win. The game could just end right there after the first round. Or two if they wanted to be sure.
But, no.
It went on, and on, and on.
If there was anyone who's more frustrated than him, then it had to be the stall guy who seemed to share his sentiment.
"Don't forget them too, then," Mitsuya simply said, before he walked away.
"Takashi—!"
The boys who had been watching the lover's quarrel snickered and cackled even harder.
"Look, the old man didn't win his hubbie's love."
Mitsuya heard Draken scold them. "Shut your trap, you babies!"
Mitsuya managed to put a distance between them, enough to hide the smile that threatened to break his annoyed husband persona.
Mitsuya couldn't stay mad long at his husband, when Draken was clearly trying to redeem himself. He had a brilliant idea of storing their belongings in the deposit counter, even didn't let Mitsuya move from where he was (they were resting at the cafe).
It was much easier to go without having a bunch of plushies on their hands, or too many goodie bags.
"See, I can hold your hand again," Draken grinned, taking Mitsuya's hand in his, entwining them.
Mitsuya rolled his eyes, but the fond smile that escaped, showed his true feeling.
It had been a long day, but Draken told him that it wasn't a proper date in the amusement park, without them going on the ferris wheel.
Which was cheesy as hell, but Mitsuya would lie if he said, he didn't feel giddy. All the growing excitement, the brimming enthusiasm, neverending anticipation almost worked like magic, turning him into a seventeen-years old who was about to ride the ferris wheel with his boyfriend for the first time.
Instead of a man in his thirties, who was about to go up there with the man he married for four years.
The line was as long as the others, but Draken convinced him it was worth the wait.
Luna and Mana called them while they were queueing and they ended up having a video call, that Mitsuya almost forgot they were waiting for their turn on the ferris wheel, until Luna pointed that out for them.
"Oh, yes, it's our turn, Ken," Mitsuya bit his lips, feeling conflicted about continuing the call or ending the call.
Mana decided it for him. "Talk to you, later then, Nii-san! Have fun!"
Unfortunately, Mana wasn't fast enough to hang up, because Luna still had the opportunity to yell as loud as possible to embarrass them. "DON'T FORGET TO KISS AT THE TOP!"
Which automatically earned them laughs from the people around them, including an amused smile from the girl who opened the capsule for them.
Mitsuya scrambled to pocket his phone, flushed bright red, and when he glanced sideways, he noticed Draken was too, even if he looked rather pleased with himself.
The girl kindly didn't tease them, and merely wished them a wonderful ride.
Once they were seated, the capsule started moving slowly. Only when they were high enough, away from the crowd, Mitsuya groaned.
"Remind me to pay her back, that's embarrassing as hell."
The complaint only got Draken chuckle. "But she gave us the best reminder—"
Mitsuya threw him a glare.
"I hate you both."
Draken grinned. "That's a weird way to say you love us."
Mitsuya puffed his cheeks petulantly, shifting his gaze, but his annoyance quickly melt when his eyes caught the view.
Even at night, the view was still as beautiful.
With lights from the whole amusement parks, from the rides, from the crowds; to the sight beyond, the glimpse of the city lights, the sparkle from the tall buildings and its surroundings.
Mitsuya found himself leaning to the glasses, absorbing the scenery.
"Wow, it's fucking beautiful," Draken voiced his thought out loud.
Mitsuya chided him almost on reflex. "Language."
The higher the capsule got; the broader the view was, the more breathtaking it got. The night wasn't as dark, and the muted background only amplified the beauty of the panorama.
And as if it couldn't get better, the ferris wheel gently stopped, when they were on top.
And as if it couldn't get better, the firework bloomed at the darkness of the night, close enough that the color exploded rained its light on them.
Mitsuya would lie, if he said, he didn't feel giddy. All the growing excitement, the brimming enthusiasm, neverending anticipation almost worked like magic, turning him into a seventeen-years old who was about to have his first date.
Instead of a man in his thirties, who was about to celebrate the fourth year of his marriage.
Years ago, he might be a nervous wreck.
Years ago, he would be awkward as heck.
Years ago, he had to keep his heart in check.
Now, when Draken's hand found his, Mitsuya entwined them in response; in surety, in certainty.
"Happy anniversary, Takashi," Draken kissed his knuckle. Mitsuya watched him, a soft smile stole its way to his face.
He reached for Draken's cheek, the other hand caressing him.
Mitsuya wondered if he would ever stop getting sucked into those black holes that Draken had as eyes.
If it would never stop, then he would be more than okay.
"Happy anniversary, Ken," Mitsuya said, tracing the cheekbone with his thumb. Draken closed his eyes, savoring his touch, but Mitsuya didn't feel the pull lessen.
Draken caught that hand too, bringing it closer to his lips, before he pecked his pulse point.
Years ago, his heart would just jump out of his chest
Years ago, his happiness would result in more distress.
But when Draken opened his eyes again, with lips still anchored in his wrist, Mitsuya found it in himself, everything he felt back when he was seventeen.
Without the restlessness.
Without the nervousness.
Only more room for adoration and fondness.
"Takashi," Draken called with a gentle whisper, before the gravity of his words pulled Mitsuya closer.
Only his name, but it brimmed with so much love it overflowing.
"Yeah, Ken?"
Mitsuya would lie if he said, he didn't feel giddy. All the growing excitement, the brimming enthusiasm, neverending anticipation almost worked like magic.
"I love you."
Words that had been said for the umpteenth, and yet it was just like the first time, Mitsuya had ever heard it.
Like the final act to conclude the whole play, Mitsuya met him in the middle.
"I love you too."
As they both exchanged kisses languidly, bathed in the colors of the fireworks, Mitsuya hoped he could always be seventeen, even later in his seventy, as long as he had Draken by his side.