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the river is very peaceful at night, no one except manjirou himself would go to the river alone at midnight. it's where he'd go for some peace of mind, when things in his head look like scribbles; similar to that of chicken scratches, he'd ride his buba alone to find answers, go to the river to pull the rambled strings in his head into a fine line.
the temperature is cool at night, a specific smell that calms him down, he never actually dips his feet or plays with the flowing water. he mostly just sits near it, be near it. if he closes his eyes, he'd hear itー the streaming sound, slow, accompanied by the crickets chirping. he got a lot on his mind today, so many wonders. questions that needed to be answered.
so he calls out for his answer to come meet him at midnight tonight. he knows it's selfish; abuse of power as the leader of the tokyo manji gang, if you were to put it in words. he knows that he can just wait for tomorrow's meeting and ask his answer to wait after him. but no, he's just a little kid on the inside, if he wants him now then he'll get him now.
he's been here for an hour, had purposely told the younger boy to come at a later time. he wants to use this time to fully dissect his memories.
hanagaki takemichi, a boy out of nowhere. all bloodied and beat up, with a back so big, so full of something. as if he is carrying many, many, many burdens not known to others. big blue eyes, always wet with tears, gleaming with hopes and determination. when the sun hit his eyes the orbs shine like stars, plastered all over as if his eyes were a pair of galaxies of his own. a stark contrast to manjirou's own empty ones. takemichi's eyes are the milky way; expressive and honest, spilling unsaid words all over while manjirou's ones would be like the black holeー empty and sucked out of all emotions.
a boy, boy of full mysteries. sometimes it's like takemichi is a wholly different person. it'd slip out sometimes, the maturity different from the rest of the teenagers. the usually bright and shining eyes that'll fade; dull, as if he was hiding something only he knows. or maybe only he and chifuyu knows. manjiro noticed it for a long time nowー the shared look between the both of em, knowing something. something that they won't share with the rest of the world. with manjirou.
he closes his eyes away to shake the image of, but even then he could still picture the boy so clearly.
then, he heard the soft footsteps.
"eh? mikey-kun? did i get the time wrong? i came here 20 minutes earlier than you've told me too… what… have you been waiting long in this weather!? and all alone too! where is draken-kun?"
manjirou smiles to himself, eyes still closed. sweet honeyed voice greets him as his ears lasp on it greedily. he hears the worry in his voice, and he loves it.
"ah, takemitchy. you're finally here." he sat up from where he was lying down, and he saw him; takemichi with no product in his hair. soft fluffy light hair, the moonlight illuminates themー making it appear even brighter before him. manjirou might mistaken it for a halo if he didn't look long enough. he is not in his school or gang uniform. just takemichi, in his soft blue sweater and track pants. there was the scent that manjirou grown to love, the sweat mingled with the fabric softener. it's soft, just like takemichi.
when it's the two of them like this, it's no longer the leader of tokyo manji 'the invincible' mikey and the first division captain hanagaki. it's just mikey-kun to takemitchy. sano manjirou to hanagaki takemichi.
he sees takemichi who looks at him, pink colouring his cheeks. maybe it's just the weather. "yea yea i'm here. why are you all alone? it's dangerous!" he rushed over him, but not close enough as manjirou would have liked. but any closer and takemich could listen to the strong thumping sound of his heartbeats. manjirou's eyes and facial expressions might fool you, but his heartbeats are honest. the goddamn truth.
"mikey-kun? hey, you alright? woah it's really cold here," takemichi rubbed his arms, blew air into his palm. it's cute. adorable.
manjirou smiles, but it's more to himself. he took off his jacket and threw it over takemichi's head. "there, wear it." takemichi froze in place, before he spluttered.
"eh- eh? me? your jacket? what about mikey-kun?" he spewed out, still not moving or making any attempts to put on the jacket on himself.
manjirou just look at him. if possible, takemichi's face seems to redden even more; must be the weather. he reminds himself.
"i can stand some cold, i'm not like babymitchy here."
and if manjirou saw the look on takemichi's face upon registering what he had just said, he'd say nothing and continue on blaming the weather.
it feels like a century, the silence stretches between them. before takemichi finally, finally looks away and put on the jacket. manjirou looks from the corner of his eyes, perfect fit.
with that, manjirou took off his shoes, then socks. he felt the curious blue eyes on him but he continued on with his shirt.
"mikey-kun, what-"
manjirou spared a glance at takemichi, and he smiled; still not offering any answers to takemichi.
he walks towards the river, step by step. until he reaches the water, slowly stepping on the big slippery stones, it'd hurt like hell if he slips and falls here. he feels the soil underneath his feet, tiny stones everywhere he steps. the water flows slowly, the river's not deep; only leveling at his knee. he shivers ever so slightly. fuck, the water's cold.
"mikey-kun! get back here or else you're gonna catch a cold!"
he ignored him, as if he's testing something. to prove, but for what? manjirou doesn't know. and it's been bugging him.
he turned his body fully to face the confused boy. a slight grin plasters his face.
"hey takemichi, would you save me?"
before takemichi could even say anything back, manjirou submerges himself in the water. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10ー counted until he can't remember, till water fills his lungs, till he hears a muffled scream and he feels his body being pulled away and dragged.
he opens his eyes to see takemichi hovering over his face. close. but not enough. he inches closer, closer till he can feel the warm breath on him. his lips are already parting, justー
takemichi doesn't get the message. he pulls his face away, face contorted in various emotions. eyes watering again.
"you… what was that for?" takemichi lightly punches his chest. he can't really say anything aside laughing to himself. he really thinks takemichi's gonna let him kissー
"and you're laughing? seriously mikey-kun… i don't get you sometimes. suddenly getting inside the water like that, now we're both wet and cold."
manjirou laughs again, because takemichi just proved something. and he doesn't know what.
"i didn't ask you to do that," he said, eyes eating the sight of wet takemichi, shirt sticking to his body, a different kind of shine on his face.
"even if you didn't ask, i'd still do it." determined, takemichi pressed on with his words.
amused, he stared right at the big blue eyes. "really?" he didn't really mean anything by it. just to fill the silence between them.
big blue eyes stayed fixed on his black ones. unwavering.
"for you, i'd do it over and over again. even if you say no, i'll do it."
oh.
manjirou tries to not get faltered, tries to find the lies, it must been somewhere, but no matter how hard he tries, no matter how far he looks, he just couldn't find it, not in those galaxy eyes. the eyes never lies.
don't just simply say that, you wouldn't know what effect it'll have on me. don't look at me with the very same look you give to him and her. don't give me hope, don't part those lips. don't give me an entrance. don't try and save me.
don't make me fall for you, only for you to not catch me and let me shatter into thousands of pieces on the ground.
"isn't that something you should say to hina?" there, he saw takemichi's face twists in all kinds of way. his eyes hid a secret again. something only he knows; something to do with her. but takemichi finally realized that manjirou doesn't know what he's thinking. so his face reddens, not because of the weather this time. manjirou is sure of it.
"i don't mean it that way!"
of course you don't.
"so you'd save me no matter what?"
"yes," the answer came fast, no hesitations. it's the truth, manjirou knows that. but even if it wasn't he'd be just as happy to believe it. because takemichi says so.
takemichi wants to save him. but can he be saved?
"okay," he said nothing more. even if his heart has so much more to tell. before he knew it, he'd already slip. slipped past between takemichi's hold. he will fall, and fall he does.
▪︎
why did you leave?
i didn't want us to meet because I knew this would happen.
so you've arrived, takemitchy.
let this be the last time we meet.