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“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“No… Not this time.”
Minegishi hid his face in his hands, then ruffled his hair, his eyes not leaving Shimazaki. It had to be a joke because this whole situation was too ridiculous to be true. Okay, this whole day was a joke - a bad one of course - made by someone who stood above people and espers.
They had lost. They had lost against a bunch of kids led by a shady medium. Only now, Suzuki was on the way to prison, Serizawa had disappeared, and Shibata... Well, they hadn’t had any contact with him for a few hours. On top of that, Shimazaki showed up blood-spattered and, what was worse, with a cold.
“I really didn’t know it’s possible.” Shimazaki shrugged and sniffed. “I’m ill because... Because... they beat me.”
“And you look terrible,” Minegishi said. Oh, how much he wished he didn’t have to say that.
“I believe you. Is there anything I can sit on?” Shimazaki shifted uneasily and tilted his head. Strands of his hair, usually kept in place with gel, dropped to the side, making him look even more miserable. Minegishi had never seen him in such this bad a state. Maybe because Shimazaki had never lost any fight before. Sure, there had been sparring matches between the Super Five, but they had never turned into anything severe. Suzuki hadn’t let them.
Then again, they’d never tried to take over the world either. They couldn’t predict it’d give such effect.
Minegishi grabbed one of the chairs beside him and approached the other esper. Shimazaki reached out to him the same way he always used to when he wanted a hug, but Minegishi slapped his hands away and held him by the arms.
“Sit down. I need to to take care of your wounds,” he muttered. He didn’t wait for the answer but scuttled to the kitchen to find a first aid kit.
They barely fled. After the battle, Suzuki had been taken away by Joseph who most likely had forgotten about the rest of the Claw espers at first. It had given Minegishi and Hatori a few valuable minutes to run and they hid in an abandoned apartment outside Seasoning City. The neighbors didn’t seem to be aware of the intruders, so they could stay there for a few hours and plan their next move.
Actually, they didn’t know what they should be doing. They couldn’t hide forever - the world called them terrorists and everyone’s eyes were on them now.
Minegishi found a first aid kit in the cupboard. He had to stand on a sink to reach it and spilled medical patches all over the floor as he jumped off. He cursed under his breath. In responses, he heard Shimazaki sneezing and coughing, and Hatori whining in his sleep. A mattress squeaked; then, there was an ominous silence. Minegishi almost could hear steps of the government espers coming for them.
“Toshi, do you wanna get a pizza?” Shimazaki called. Minegishi closed his eyes and put the last patch back in a box. Shimazaki’s question took away Minegishi’s willingness to help him. He’d wait here, yes and thank you, because if Shimazaki asked about food, it meant he didn’t feel that bad.
"If you really want," he answered. “But I don't know if they'd deliver pizza to prison though,” he finished in his mind.
He swallowed hard, fear constricting his throat. If they’d be put in prison, they’d be in individual cages, solitary confinement. All of them would live in isolation without a chance to see each other or even send letters.
How long would they be sentenced to anyway? Forty years? Life imprisonment? Getting caught meant that Minegishi would never see Shimazaki again. Of course, he’d be free from his stupid jokes, but...
Minegishi leaned his head against his knees and pressed the first aid kid to his chest. He didn’t want to lose Shimazaki; he didn’t want to live without him and his stupid jokes. World domination wasn’t supposed to look like this. They had been supposed to succeed or die, nothing in between. No one had told them they would meet a real and strong resistance or that they could lose and not die. A scenario of living in a prison had been nonexistent until now.
“If you don’t have an antiseptic spray you can always grow this... thing,” Shimazaki spoke again. A squeak and a rhythmic knocking gave away he was rocking on a chair. Minegishi finally got up and went back to the room. Shimazaki turned his face to him.
“What was its name?” he asked.
“Plantago major.”
“Plantago major. Heh, do you remember? You have to remember.”
“I have no idea what do you mean.”
Shimazaki sulked at first but then smiled. He loved when Minegishi joked about his memory. “Jokes” - that was what he thought they were. Minegishi just didn’t like being reminded about past, no matter how pleasant it may have been.
“Do I have to remind you of everything?” Shimazaki asked as he accepted the first aid kit. Minegishi stood between his knees, took out the antiseptic spray and swabs, and began cleaning the wounds on Shimazaki’s face. He huffed, annoyed. It wasn’t the best moment to bring back the memories. Not the best moment, nor the place when the bed was taken by Hatori.
“Our first and last sparring match,” Shimazaki hummed. He winced when Minegishi brushed over a scratch on his forehead. “You were as merciless as you are now.”
“It isn’t that bad.”
“It is! I’m dying.” And to prove it, he coughed, sneezed and sniffed. Minegishi rolled his eyes and tossed a swab onto the ground before taking a new one.
***
They fought only once, shortly after Serizawa had joined Claw. The fight wasn’t serious - neither Shimazaki or Minegishi tried to seriously hurt each other. Moreover, no one had been angry, or had gotten on the wrong side of the other, or lost a bet. They just needed exercise, a challenge.
The fight was almost a draw, with a minimal advantage given to Shimazaki. At the very last minute, when Shimazaki planned to land a final blow, Minegishi shot his way thick vines armored with thorns. Shimazaki hardly dodged. Still, the plant grazed over his forehead, leaving behind a long, red streak.
By some accident, they didn’t have any first aid kit. Why would they have one, anyway? They were tough, unscared of blood or minor scratches. Nonetheless, Minegishi’s heart broke every time he saw Shou - small, bruised, and aching after training sessions. Minegishi always ran to a pharmacy to buy colorful band aids because Shou - goddamnit - was only a kid who did not deserve to walk through the world bruised and aching.
Fine, besides band aids with dinosaurs they didn’t have anything else. And so, Minegishi had to grow a greater plantain - the same plant his grandmother had used to soothe his knee with when he had scratched it painfully. He was seven and thought it was only a trick to stop his crying. By twelve, though, he learned it was common to use a greater plantain in medicine. It had taken another few years until he used this information.
Minegishi picked the leaf up and pressed it against Shimazaki’s scratch. The silence between both espers was tense. Neither of them wanted to claim their victory or loss. Was it a real draw then? Were any of them capable of accepting a draw?
Shimazaki reached to the leaf and held it, frowning. He seemed to want to say something a few times but gave up. Minegishi didn’t rush him. He sat beside him waiting, staring at his frustratingly handsome face. He was surprised at his own thoughts he would never say aloud - he liked Shimazaki. He wasn’t in love, no, but he was interested and curious. Minegishi didn’t intend to let himself to fall for someone, couldn’t see himself falling for someone. It would probably end with a nasty hanahaki anyway, which was very possible in his position.
“Incredible,” Shimazaki suddenly whispered. He let his hand down, unaware the leaf was still in the middle of his forehead.
Minegishi gasped and felt a strange but pleasant feeling growing in his heart. He burst into laughter. He clutched his belly and curled himself up, trying to stop but failing, failing and failing. His own laughter was everything he heard. He even missed Shimazaki’s confused “What’s the matter?”
Minegishi laughed for a solid few minutes before he managed to straighten himself up. Only then he noticed a smile on the other’s esper face. The leaf had come unstuck and now lay on the floor.
“‘Cause... Because the leaf...” Minegishi choked out. He started laughing again, at the memory of Shimazaki’s expression - desperate and beaten, with a stupid green spot on his forehead. Tears streamed down Minegishi’s cheeks. He wiped them away and clenched his teeth. He still giggled, but was able to regain control over his emotions.
Shimazaki was quiet. He smiled, but he was quiet. Finally, he turned his face to Minegishi and whispered: “Wow.”
“Wow?”
“ Wow , yeah. Your laugh is the...” He trailed off and swallowed. He rubbed his nape and turned his face away. Minegishi noticed a redness slowly covering his neck and cheeks of Shimazaki. “Your laugh is the most beautiful thing I’ve heard in years.”
Minegishi’s “curiosity” over Shimazaki’s persona rapidly changed into something more after that, and Minegishi soon had to change his relationship status from “single” to “taken.”
***
“Why so silent out of sudden?” Shimazaki asked, snapping Minegishi away from his memories.
“I’m trying to remember why the hell I agreed to this.”
“Ahh, yeah, it was my charm,” Shimazaki twitched when Minegishi pressed a swab against his wound. “Ow, it hurts! Are you done?”
“Almost. What had happened, anyway? You got hit by a rock?”
“Even with a gun to my head, I still wouldn’t know.” He raised his head and showed a scratch on his chin. “I almost got them, seriously,” he muttered. “But a kid appeared and…”
“It doesn’t matter now. We would’ve lost anyway.”
Minegishi cleaned the remaining wounds and tossed the swab onto the pile of the used ones. He took the first aid kit from Shimazaki’s lap, but as he turned to to return it back to its place, Shimazaki embraced him around the waist.
“He beat Suzuki.”
“Ah, you mean that kid,” Minegishi whispered clenching his fingers around the first aid kit. He hugged Shimazaki. “I fought him too, but...”
Fear clutched his throat again, but this time it was another kind of fear - darker and harder to define. Before, Minegishi had been anxious about their future, about their relationship. And now he felt something heavy and sticky encroaching onto his soul, taking away hope for a normal life - even if the life would mean spending years in prison without Shimazaki. In prison, at least he would be safe and far from danger. But this fear, this unknown darkness, whispered into Minegishi’s ear that he’d never find peace. It watched him closely, followed every his step.
Cheerful music tore Minegishi from his thoughts. He glanced at Shimazaki’s phone and recognized Serizawa’s name.
“Don’t pick up!” he said, covering the mobile with his hand. “Serizawa was with them when they were taking Suzuki. Maybe they’re trying to find us now.”
He stepped back. They couldn’t hide forever. The world was huge, but now there would be mugshots everywhere - posters in subways and splashed over the television. Everyone would be looking for the terrorists and the Super Five wouldn’t disappear completely.
“They’re nearby,” Shimazaki muttered hiding the phone to his pants pocket. “Four... No, five of them. Let’s go.” He reached to Minegishi. “We’re taking Hatori and getting out of here.”
“Go without me.” Minegishi had to step back again. Shimazaki tried to say something, but Minegishi interrupted him, his voice - as he hoped - firm. “I know someone who will be on my side. Maybe it’s not much but... But maybe it’s gonna be enough.”
“No way! You’re going with us!” Shimazaki tried to approach him. Minegishi stepped back and back and back until he was on the other side of the room. His heart ached at the sight of Shimazaki’s shattered face. He left him there - far away, countless of obstacles between them, away from the loved touch in such bad moment.
“Trust me, I will be fine,” Minegishi said. “Take Hatori somewhere safe and… And come back to take me, alright? I know what I’m doing, really.”
He didn’t know what he was doing, to be honest. He clutched to hope that this particular kid who saved his life will be on his side again, that Serizawa will say that everyone from the Super Five had been manipulated by Suzuki. He had to try it. If not, he would come up with something else.
“No goodbyes,” he whispered when Shimazaki reached to him again, last time. “Go.”
He turned his face away, ignoring the conversation between Shimazaki and Hatori. He didn’t glance at them or said a word. With relief, he accepted silence and absence of the other’s espers auras.
Something pricked his senses. Five people made their way to Minegishi.
He waited for them. He wanted to be done with it.