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Chapter Text

1

Hakkai

To this day, Hakkai was still not proud of himself for lying all those years ago about his situation at home and how he was “taking Yuzuha’s punishments”. He doubted he’d ever not feel an ounce of shame whenever he looked back at that one Christmas night.

However, if you asked him if he’d do it again if he had the power to go back in time, he would say yes in a heartbeat. Not only did it change his and Yuzuha’s (and to an extent, Taiju’s)  lives for the better, he had also gained something irreplaceable that he’d cherish for the rest of his life. 

Not something. But rather, someone irreplaceable. Multiple someones.

“This movie is terrible, ” Takemichi - who was sitting beside him - whined, rubbing his eyes harshly with his sleeve, his face damp with the tears that kept spilling out of his eyes. If Hakkai wasn’t used to his friend’s crybaby tendency, he’d be worried about Takemichi’s hydration. “Why are we watching this? Who chose this?!”

“ You, dumbass,” Chifuyu - who was sitting on Takemichi’s other side - said, stealing some of the popcorn from Takemichi’s popcorn box. Hakkai recalled that he’d already finished his own 10 minutes into the movie they agreed to watch this weekend. 

And now, 10 minutes before the movie would end, Hakkai himself was sipping air out of his soda cup. 

Takemichi, on the other hand, still had most of his food (Hakkai figured he was too busy crying to even chew) - well, at least he still had it before Chifuyu started eating them. 

“I told you it’s too sad for you,” Chifuyu finished, just as he finished the last of Takemichi’s snacks.

Hakkai grinned at that. “Don’t think I didn’t see how you rubbed your eyes a couple of times, Chifuyu.”

“Shut up, Hakkai.”

Hakkai shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the movie. It was almost ending and Hakkai wouldn’t miss the last scene. Contrary to what Takemichi said, it was a good movie despite it being sad! Maybe he’d ask Yuzuha to watch it with him again next time.

His friends, on the other hand, didn’t have the same idea as him and continued with their bickering. 

“I can’t believe you ate all my popcorn.”

“What? You weren’t eating it anyway. Besides, that’s payback for eating the last popsicle in my fridge the other day.”

“I already replaced that!”

“Excuses, excuses-”

“Shhhh!!” someone from the back of their seats hushed them and Hakkai heard the quiet apology from Takemichi before they quieted down and - Hakkai guessed - turned their attention back to the movie.

Then there was silence. Only the lines from the actors could be heard in the cinema.

That was until Hakkai heard the familiar - more muted and repressed this time - sniffles coming from his friend beside him. 

Before he could offer his own comfort to his obviously suffering friend, Chifuyu had beaten him to it.

“Are you crying again?” There was teasing laced in his voice.

“Shut up, Matsuno. I’m sad because of this damned movie and I’m even sadder because someone ate all my food.”

“Oh for the love of-” Chifyu sighed, acting a lot more exasperated than he really was. From the corner of his eyes, Hakkai noticed him scoot closer to Takemichi - as much as he could with the armrest between them. “Come here,” Chifuyu said and opened his arms - like he was asking for a hug - so Takemichi could - Oh.

As if they’d done this multiple times already, Takemichi leaned into Chifuyu’s space and rested his head on Chifuyu’s shoulder, as Chifuyu wrapped his arm around him and rubbed a comforting hand on his back. “There, there-”

“Stop saying that-”

“I’m comforting you as a good friend and this is how you talk to me? I see how it is, Hanagaki.”

Takemichi huffed at that, and if Hakkai was looking at them properly, he would have noticed the fond smile that stretched Takemichi’s lips. A smile mirrored by Chifuyu, who turned his attention back to the movie, resting his head on top of Takemichi’s. All teasing and arguments about food seemed forgotten at this display of casual intimacy.

Ah…

He wasn’t particularly close to either of them before that whole mess with his brother during that one fated Christmas evening. They were in the same gang, but they weren’t friends . But after that night, things changed and what was once forced companionship at most turned into a precious friendship Hakkai wouldn’t exchange for anything. Toman might have dissolved years ago, but the friends he made while he was in it would - if Hakkai could keep it - stay forever.

It’s nice to have friends, Hakkai thought, his grin unnoticed by his two companions as he watched the remaining three minutes of the film. 

Chapter Text

2

Atsushi

Let it be known that Atsushi liked Chifuyu. 

He was the latest addition to their little group of misfits (Yamagishi’s words, not his) and an honorary Mizo Mid Crew (“Makoto, he didn't even go to the same middle school as us-” “That’s why he’s called honorary, idiot-” ). Atsushi didn’t know the exact details on how him and Takemichi became friends - all he knew was that it happened during that time when Mikey showed interest in him and dragged him wherever he went, during the time when the rest of them weren’t in Toman yet. Not that it mattered, really. Chifuyu quickly became Takemichi’s friend that just hung out with them regularly, to their friend. And that friendship stayed, even after two years since Toman dissolved.

So yeah, Atsushi liked Chifuyu. Even if, admittedly, he was a tiny bit - just a little miniscule microscopic blink and you’ll miss it - jealous when he noticed that Chifuyu was quickly becoming the closest to Takemichi even just within months of knowing each other.. He doubted Takemichi even noticed it himself. Not to mention, he was way too kind to even rank his friends even just in his head. And he’d be smacking Atsushi on the head if he ever found out that Atsushi was thinking this way.

But again, he understood, okay? Chifuyu was kind and loyal and just the kind of friend anyone would want to have. If he - and all of them - would lose the Takemichi’s Best Friend Award, he’d gladly hand it over to Chifuyu.

Besides, some things just scream Takemichi and Chifuyu all over them.

Like…

It was after a school day, and they were in Takemichi's house, like always. Hey, out of all of them, he had the biggest room and was always the one who was alone in his house. Atsushi had stopped asking where his parents fuck off to majority of the time. Takemichi didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it anyway.

Makoto and Yamagishi were arguing over something that Atsushi was certain he didn't want to be involved with, while he and Takuya were watching the television - well, flipping through the channels in hopes of finding something interesting. Takemichi was laid down on his bed, face first, and Chifuyu was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, reading one of Takemichi's manga. Uh, his manga that Takemichi borrowed, rather. It had that shoujo manga cover and between the two of them, it was Chifuyu who liked reading those. It was almost comical given how ruthless he could be when it came to fighting. 

From the corner of his eyes, Atsushi saw how Takemichi raised his head, rested his chin on his palm before his eyes landed on Chifuyu. "Hey, I haven't finished that," he said.

Chifuyu lowered his book so he could look at Takemichi in the eyes. "You borrowed this two weeks ago," he said, almost accusatory.

"I forgot to read it." Takemichi held his hand on a peace sign before he sat down on the bed. "What page are you on?"

Chifuyu looked at him for a couple of seconds before he sighed, and… spread his legs? "Come here."

Takemichi grinned, and Atsushi watched as Takemichi jumped from the bed and fucking… crawled to where Chifuyu was. He sat between his legs, on the space that Chifuyu made for him with his back against Chifuyu's chest - 

And Atsushi suddenly felt like he was intruding.

He looked away so quickly and caught the eyes of Takuya and -

Uh, guess it wasn't just him who was watching their two friends do their, uh, thing. Takuya smiled awkwardly at him before looking at the television where he settled on some foreign movie. Not that he was paying attention to it, evidently.

Now that he was listening, even Yamagishi and Makoto were no longer arguing. He didn't want to look at them and confirm that they all collectively ignored what they were doing to watch their friends instead.

Almost unwillingly, like he was being pulled in, Atsushi's eyes drifted to where Takemichi and Chifuyu were in their own tiny world, unbothered and unknowing that their friends were watching their whole exchange.

Chifuyu had his chin on Takemichi's shoulder as they flipped through the pages of the shoujo manga in front of them. Takemichi's hand was on Chifuyu's knee and his back was pressed against Chifuyu's front. 

…They were so comfortable that Atsushi just knew that this happened so many times before that it was their thing now.

When Chifuyu and Takemichi left the room to get some snacks for them - with Chifuyu dragging Takemichi by the hand while complaining how hungry he was, Makoto said, "So, you think we should buy gay porn magazine for Takem- "

"Oh my god, please. Not now."