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The sunset over the Musashi Shrine was a bruised purple and gold, the kind of evening that felt like it was holding its breath. For Takemichi, these moments were still a bit of a miracle. No blood, no screaming, no motorcycles roaring toward a fight just the quiet hum of cicadas and the steady weight of Mikey's head on his shoulder.
"Takemitchy," Mikey murmured, his voice thick with the impending threat of a nap.
"Yeah, Mikey-kun?"
"You're warm."
Takemichi felt that familiar heat climb up his neck. Even after all this time, after literally leaping through decades for this man, a simple compliment could still turn his brain into mush. "It's... it's mid-July, Mikey. Everyone is warm."
"No," Mikey huffed, shifting his weight. He crawled forward until he was sprawled across Takemichi's lap, looking up at him with those dark, bottomless eyes that used to terrify the underworld but now only held a soft, lazy light. "You're differently warm. Like a heater. Or a fresh taiyaki."
Takemichi let out a huff of laughter, his hand instinctively finding its way into Mikey's blonde hair. It was softer than it had any right to be. "Am I just food to you?"
"The best kind," Mikey whispered. He closed his eyes, leaning into the touch of Takemichi's fingers.
They sat in silence for a while. Takemichi watched the shadows lengthen across the stone steps. He thought about how Mikey's hand was currently hooked into the belt loop of Takemichi's jeans, as if even in sleep, he was making sure his "hero" wouldn't disappear into another timeline.
It wasn't always grand gestures and saving the world. Sometimes, romance was...
Sharing a single stick of chocolate Pocky (Mikey always took the bigger half).
Takemichi learning how to tie Mikey's hair back so it didn't get in his face.
The way Mikey would go completely silent and soft whenever Takemichi praised him.
"Hey," Mikey said suddenly, eyes still closed.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I was thinking." Mikey reached up, fumbling until his fingers caught Takemichi's chin, pulling him down slightly. "About the future."
Takemichi's heart skipped. "The future?"
"Yeah. The one where we don't have to fight anymore. I think I like this one best. The one where I get to be bored with you."
The Center of the World
Takemichi felt a lump in his throat. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against Mikey's. The Invincible Mikey, the leader of Toman, the man who had carried the weight of the world, was currently just a boy in love with a boy who cried too much.
"I like this one best, too," Takemichi whispered.
Mikey grinned a real, sharp, mischievous grin and suddenly lunged upward, pressing a quick, messy kiss to the corner of Takemichi's mouth. It tasted like sugar and the salt of the summer air.
"Then you're stuck with me," Mikey declared, settling back down and tucking his face into the crook of Takemichi's neck. "Forever. No more jumping away."
Takemichi wrapped his arms around him, holding on tight. "I'm not going anywhere, Mikey-kun. I'm right here."
The sun finally dipped below the horizon, leaving them in the cool blue of the evening. Mikey was snoring lightly within minutes, and Takemichi just sat there, the happiest "heater" in Tokyo.
The peaceful snoring was short-lived.
The heavy, rhythmic clomp-clomp of boots on stone steps signaled the arrival of someone who didn't care about the sanctity of a nap. Takemichi looked up, his hand still buried in Mikey's hair, to see Draken standing at the top of the shrine steps, hands in his pockets and a skeptical eyebrow raised.
"I leave you two alone for twenty minutes to go buy drinks," Draken sighed, dangling a plastic bag of sodas, "and I come back to find you've turned Takemitchy into a bed."
Mikey didn't even open his eyes. He just tightened his grip on Takemichi's waist. "Go away, Ken-chin. He's occupied."
"Occupied?" Draken stepped closer, a smirk playing on his lips. "He looks like he's losing circulation in his legs."
"I'm fine, Draken-kun!" Takemichi said, perhaps a bit too loudly, his face flushing a deep shade of crimson. "Really! He's just... tired."
Draken didn't go away. Instead, he sat down on the other side of Takemichi, the weight of his large frame making the wooden porch creak. He set the drinks aside and leaned back on his elbows, watching the way Takemichi's eyes darted nervously between the two of them.
"You know, Mikey's right about one thing," Draken said, his voice dropping into that low, rumbling tone that always made Takemichi's stomach do a backflip.
"W-what's that?"
"You are warm."
Before Takemichi could process that, Draken shifted. He didn't lay across Takemichi's lap like Mikey, he was far too tall for that, but he leaned his heavy shoulder against Takemichi's, effectively pinning him between the two strongest men in Tokyo. Then, with a casualness that felt illegal, Draken rested his head on Takemichi's other shoulder.
Takemichi froze. To his left the "Invincible" Mikey, purring like a cat in his lap. To his right Draken, the heart of Toman, smelling like motor oil and expensive shampoo, breathing softly against his neck.
"Hey!" Mikey yelped, finally opening one eye. "Find your own Takemitchy, Ken-chin!"
"I don't see your name on him," Draken replied calmly, closing his eyes and letting out a long, contented exhale. "Besides, he's got two shoulders. It's only fair."
"He's my hero!"
"He's everyone's hero, Mikey. Stop being greedy."
Takemichi sat perfectly still, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "U-um, guys? I can't really move."
"Good," they both said in unison.
The bickering died down as the cool night air settled over the shrine. Mikey eventually grumbled something about "sharing just this once" and drifted back to sleep, his hand finding Draken's over Takemichi's stomach.
Draken reached up, his large, calloused hand gently patting Takemichi's cheek. "Relax, Takemitchy. You've spent so much time running around saving us. Just stay still for a bit."
Takemichi felt the tension drain out of him. He leaned his head back against the shrine pillar, looking up at the first few stars peeking through the clouds. He was sandwiched between the two most dangerous, loyal, and apparently affectionate people he had ever known.
It was heavy. It was hot. It was probably going to result in a very sore back tomorrow.
But as Mikey mumbled in his sleep and Draken's thumb traced a soft line along his jaw, Takemichi decided he wouldn't trade this "human pillow" status for anything in the world.
It started with a distant roar of engines a sound Takemichi had learned to identify even in his sleep. Then came the loud, boisterous clatter of footsteps hitting the shrine stairs.
"I'm telling you, Mitsuya, if Mikey isn't here, he's definitely at the restaurant!" Baji's voice boomed, echoing off the torii gates.
"Keep it down, Baji! It's a shrine, have some respect," Mitsuya's calm, exasperated voice followed.
Takemichi froze. He was currently pinned to the floorboards. Mikey was draped across his lap like a very expensive rug, and Draken was leaning heavily against his right side, snoring softly against his neck. He looked like a human sandwich.
"Oh," Chifuyu's voice drifted over the top step. "Found them."
The entire First, Second, and Fourth Division captains rounded the corner. Baji, Chifuyu, Mitsuya, Hakkai, and the Kawata twins all stopped dead.
For a second, Takemichi expected them to laugh. He expected Baji to make a joke about how "lame" they looked. Instead, a weird, soft silence fell over the group.
"Look at that," Smiley chirped, his grin actually looking genuine for once. "Our leaders finally found a place to park."
"Takemitchy looks like a tired mom," Angry pointed out, his permanent scowl softening.
Mitsuya stepped forward, looking at the way Takemichi was carefully stroking Mikey's hair while trying not to wake Draken. "You've got your hands full, Takemitchy. You okay?"
"I'm... I'm fine, Mitsuya-kun! Just stuck," Takemichi whispered, his face glowing like a neon sign.
Baji didn't say a word. He just walked over, kicked off his boots, and sat down directly behind Takemichi, leaning his back against Takemichi's. "Move over, partner. My back hurts from the ride."
"Baji-san!" Chifuyu hissed, though he was already scurrying over to sit cross-legged next to Takemichi's legs, resting his head on Takemichi's knee. "If Baji-san is staying, I'm staying."
One by one, the "mother figure" of Toman found himself the center of a literal pile.
Mitsuya and Hakkai settled on the other side, leaning against Draken.
The Twins sat at the foot of the porch, Smiley resting his head on Takemichi's ankle.
Pah-chin and Peh-yan (who had wandered up last) just sat on the steps nearby, acting like honorary guard dogs.
"You know," Baji muttered, his head resting against the back of Takemichi's, "we'd all be dead or in jail if it wasn't for you, crybaby."
"He's right," Mitsuya added softly, closing his eyes. "You're the only one who can keep these two idiots grounded." He gestured to the sleeping Mikey and Draken.
Takemichi felt a swell of warmth that had nothing to do with the summer heat. He looked down at Mikey's peaceful face, felt Draken's steady breathing, and heard the quiet chatter of his friends surrounding him. He wasn't just a "hero" or a "time-leaper" anymore. He was home.
"I don't mind," Takemichi whispered, a small, teary smile breaking across his face. "I'll stay as long as you guys need me."
Mikey stirred in his sleep, subconsciously grabbing Takemichi's hand and squeezing it tight. "Takemitchy..." he mumbled. "Don't... leave..."
"I'm here, Mikey-kun," Takemichi promised, settling into the pile. "I'm not going anywhere."