(A/N: I don't own anything from the franchise and the song Nothing New from Taylor Swift. If I did, maybe I'll be raking millions now which will never happen except in my dreams. The nickname Takemitchy from Mikey refers to his future self while the simple name of Takemichi refers to his past self for your reference. Lastly, I found out one of my fics, "Bye Bye Baby" has been posted by another person on a different account without my knowledge and consent. This is the second time that this has happened to me and if warning will not suffice then you leave me with no choice but to report you. Kindly refrain from posting our fanfictions on another account and site without the author's knowledge as aside from it's a copyright infringement, it is simply disrespectful to us, the authors, who spent an amount of time writing and editing their own fanfictions in a certain fandom).
Nothing New
By: Aztec999
They tell you while you're young
"Girls, go out and have your fun"
Then they hunt and slay the ones
Who actually do it
Criticize the way you fly
When you're soarin' through the sky
Shoots you down and then they sigh, and say
"She looks like she's been through it"
Lord, what will become of me
Once I've lost my novelty?
They're running swiftly along the streets, breathless laughter slipping past their lips as the woman from behind them yelling curses at them.
"You fucktards! If you're not gonna buy anything then stop bullshitting other people!" A loud slam from the door echoed behind them afterward.
"Oi Takemichi. You're a real bastard sometimes. It's a good thing that the store owner didn't call the police because of your harmless prank." Akkun finally stated once they're far away from the store and heaved a deep breath.
"Oh, c'mon man. The woman wouldn't do that. Why would she call the police for a simple prank like that? I mean there are a lot of other delinquents doing more extreme harm to other people and they didn't even bat an eye anyway." Takemichi replied nonchalantly.
"You're a hopeless case sometimes." He shook his head in fond exasperation.
"Wait Takemichi. Aren't you and Hina have a scheduled date and cram school today?" Takuya piped up.
The blond just shrugged and didn't deigned him a response.
"Are you for real Takemichi? Stop being like that to her dude." Yamagishi pushed up his glasses and looked at him with an arched brow.
"Hey, stop looking at me like that." Takemichi raised his arms placatingly. "I'm sure Hina would understand. I mean it's just the first grading period and I can still probably pull up my grades in the future besides we can just reschedule our date on another day anyways."
His friends looked at him with varying expressions on their faces to which Takemichi laughed lightly.
"Oh, c'mon now guys! We're still pretty young yet you have these wrinkly expressions on your faces."
His friends looked at him and just sighed in unison.
They guessed it's just one of Takemichi's "usual days."
I've had too much to drink tonight
And I know it's sad
But this is what I think about
And I wake up in the middle of the night
It's like I can feel time moving
How can a person know everything
At eighteen, but nothin' at twenty-two?
And will you still want me when I'm nothin' new?
His sapphire irises stared rightthrough the ceiling. A blank expression on his face as his mind buzzed from the effects of alcohol that they drank earlier at the karaoke bar. They decided to skip their afternoon classes with him sending a simple message to Hina that he wouldn't be able to make it to their supposed date at the cram school due to an emergency.
The emergency that he pertained was indulging himself in the usual spontaneity and recklessness of his youth…
Something that felt a luxury now these days when he was now—
Takemichi shook his head faintly and cut off his wandering thoughts, sighing deeply.
One of his hands had reached out absently for something in the ceiling.
The light of his own youth that was never on his hands.
How long will it be cute
All this cryin' in my room
Whеn you can't blame it on my youth
And roll your eyes with affеction?
And my cheeks are growin' tired
From turnin' red and fakin' smiles
Are we only bidin' time
'Til I lose your attention?
And someone else lights up the room
People love an ingénue
"Takemitchy!" The familiar cheerful yet commanding voice rang out through the hallways of their school, making the students part to the side like the scene in the bible where the sea parted for Moses.
"Mikey-kun…?" The blond blinked a few times when he saw Mikey sauntering towards his direction with Draken behind him looking resigned and annoyed as usual. Takemitchy didn't even bother throwing the question of how, when, why and what to Draken as Mikey was probably acting on his whims again and no one could really do anything about it.
"You need to make sure that you'll come later okay?" Mikey crowded his space offering him a jovial smile and an expression that won't accept no for an answer.
Takemitchy sweat dropped.
"O-of c-course Mikey-kun! I'll be there! It's Emma's birthday after all! I won't be missing it!" Takemichi offered him a bright yet nervous smile.
"Great Takemitchy! Make sure to bring Hina with you as well! Emma is looking forward to see your girlfriend with you later at the party." Mikey patted his back a bit loudly which made Takemitchy winced a few times.
"Oi Mikey. Stop slapping his back like a springboard. Takemitchy's back ain't made of steel you know." Draken commented with a sigh leaving his lips.
"Oooppss… My bad Takemitchy. See you later!" Mikey waved goodbye at him and left the school with Draken in tow.
Takemitchy's smile remain frozen on his face. His mind was racing.
He needed to make a quick stop at the future first before anything else since he discovered something that only Naoto can answer.
Besides, he can still make it at the party later right since it's just a quick information gathering?
I've had too much to drink tonight
How did I go from growin' up
To breakin' down and I
Wake up (wake up)
In the middle of the night
It's like I can feel time moving
How can a person know everything
At eighteen, but nothing at twenty-two?
And will you still want me when I'm nothin' new?
"Hey partner! What're you doing here all by yourself? You're just looking at Hina and the others having fun at the party." Chifuyu sat down beside him on the tatami mat.
Takemichi took a swig of his beer casually before speaking again. "It's still way too early to party like an animal. I'm saving my energy for later when the girls finally decided to leave or rest. It would be kinda different if it's just us the rest of boys who will be partying." He shot him a lopsided grin and a playful wink.
Chifuyu stared at him before laughing in fond exasperation. "You're weird sometimes."
"What makes you say that?" Takemichi asked curiously.
"You just have your moments like this sometimes. It's hard to put it into words but you're less inhibited and less awkward I guess."
"Must be the alcohol talking. Makes people confident I guess." Takemichi took another swig of beer from his can.
"Maybe. And don't get fucking drunk partner. You know the last time you did; you black out and you passed out for almost the entire day." Chifuyu chided him.
"Yes mom." Takemichi rolled his eyes playfully.
"Stop sassing me dumbass. I'll get some barbecue for us. Just wait here." Chifuyu stood up and went to the barbecue stand where Draken was placing the freshly done barbecues in a plate.
Takemichi watched him go, the bright smile falling off his lips as his sky-blue eyes dimmed a little and his face morphing into a blank expression.
'You're a real shitty partner Takemitchy. I didn't know half of this people and yet I'm the one standing here as a guest to their goddamn party.' Takemichi thought in disdain as he finished drinking off the remaining contents of his beer in one go.
I know someday I'm gonna meet her
It's a fever dream
The kind of radiance you only
Have at seventeen, she'll know the way
And then she'll say she got the map from me
I'll say I'm happy for her
Then I'll cry myself to sleep
Oh, oh, whoa
Oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh-oh
"How does it feel like to be an adult Takemitchy?" He plopped down on the bed of the other unceremoniously, watching him read a manga in half curiosity and half disinterest.
"I don't know. Boring I guess." The raven-haired boy answered noncommittally.
"What a Takemitchy thing to say." The blond clicked on his tongue as he plucked the manga away from his hands suddenly and lie down beside him.
"Hey! I was reading that!" Takemitchy protested in annoyance.
Takemichi seemed unperturbed by his irritability and just grinned widely in response as he scooted closer and cupped his cheeks gently with his hands.
"I kinda understand where you're coming from Takemitchy. Adult life is boring and uneventful. You've got to have a decent job to survive, pay your bills, being independent and all that jazz. But your life is still more interesting isn't it? Because you're everybody's hero and you're bending time in your own hands to save them, right?"
Takemitchy's eyes grew wide for a fraction of second, his breath hitching at his throat upon hearing his words. "I…" He trailed off, his voice falling apart.
"It must be really hard for you isn't it?" Takemichi whispered as he brushed his lips lightly against his quivering ones.
"But I know that you're not giving up soon even if this is your 27th time leap here. So please Takemitchy, just for a while, make me feel something. Make it seem that I'm having the time of my life here in your arms because I know for a fact that I will fade like a smoke once again and I don't have a say anything on it." He murmured against his lips before the other returned his kiss passionately, tugging off his school tie and throwing it on the ground.
Sweet moans and cries of pleasure vibrated against the walls of his room afterward.
Takemitchy's mind was clouded with haze and lust as the blond leaned down on him, burying his face into the crook of his neck.
"You're gonna play the hero thing again and will try to save them including me. But we all know for a fact that I'm beyond saving at this point Takemitchy so goodbye…"
I've had (I've had) too much to drink tonight
But I wonder if they'll miss me
Once they drive me out
I wake up (wake up)
In the middle of the night
And I can feel time moving
How can a person know everything
At eighteen, but nothing at twenty-two?
Takemitchy woke up to the blaring sound of his alarm from his phone. The sunlight hitting his face harshly making him grimaced as he sat down on the bed and took his phone from the bedside table and turned it off.
"Fuck. I feel like my whole body is on fire and my joints are going to pop." Takemitchy bemoaned. "I'm not gonna drink like that ever again in a party even if they tell me to."
Takemitchy headed towards the bathroom, nursing his throbbing head with his hand. For some unknown reason, he felt too exhausted and drained.
It's as if he went on a long journey and he couldn't remember what it was.
Weird. He must've dreamt of something again that he couldn't remember.
But when he looked at the mirror, he was both surprised and puzzled at what he saw there.
Silent tears continued streaming down his face and he couldn't for the life of him figured out the reason behind that.
And will you still want me
Will you still want me
Will you still want me
When I'm nothin' new?
(A/N: Inspired by one of the vault tracks in Red Taylor's version album which is Nothing New. The lyric, "How can a person know everything at 18, but nothin' at 22?" described Takemichi perfectly well. He's an adult yet sometimes he makes mistakes and irrational decisions like a teenager would. And as he grew older and older, the depression also stays with him due to the unfortunate events and experiences that he went through based in the canon events of the manga. Since past and actual teenager Takemichi wasn't shown much in the manga, we can just infer his characterization based on his future's memories in the middle school when he was bullied by Kiyomasa and the gang. He's more spontaneous, lively and a bit irresponsible during his youth but he grew more distant, pessimistic and cold after that bullying event took place. A stark contrast to his future self who is more driven, determined and emotionally expressive. I guess the purpose of this selfcest fic is different from the first one that I wrote. I just want to explore both of their characters together and well it ended up being angsty and melancholic in the end as usual since I eat misery and sadness for breakfast lol. Reviews are amusing so let me hear them from you).