CW: A very mild panic attack occurs in this chapter, but it's not anything too bad, I don't think. But still, just beware.
Hi guys! :-D How are y'all doing?
Another chapter! This one is a continuation from the last chapter, just something light and fluffy to cleanse the palette from all the angst, ha. There is a brief mention of a panic attack, but it's nothing major, so don't worry about it. Just Taka overthinking everything, ha.
Now, before I go onto the chapter... I have some news! So, back in February, right after I finished writing this story, I had actually written another IshiMondo fic, unrelated to the 'Problem' universe. I've not posted it yet because I didn't want to take away from this story, but at this point, I think posting it should be fine. The premise is that Mondo and Taka have been friends for a year, but Mondo is concerned that Taka doesn't really interact with anyone other than him in a personal manner, nor does he do much other than school work. Due to his concern, Mondo invites Taka to a party that Leon is throwing following the end of their first exams of their second year at Hope's Peak. Taka is very reluctant, especially after learning there will likely be alcohol at the party, but eventually gives in. It goes about as well as you would think.
It's told from Taka's POV like this story, and is titled Games and Consequences. It was originally a one shot, but I split it into three parts since it's almost 30,000 words and I figured splitting it would make it more digestible. I plan to post it on Monday, posting one chapter a day until it's all posted. Keep an eye out for it if you're interested! I'll post about it on my Tumblr as well, so don't worry.
Also! Last thing. I did end up posting the Mondo POV for the last chapter, which you can find on my Tumblr (dracothedeatheatingcupcake-ao3) if you are interested. I shared at the end of last chapter, but figured I'd share here in case y'all didn't see, ha.
Enjoy!
(Also, I wanted to thank those reading on FF . net. I really appreciate it! As I've said, I am posting this on AO3 (Archive of Our Own) as well, under the same story name and with the author name of DracotheDeathEatingCupcake, if you'd prefer to go there, but I plan on posting the whole story here if I can! I just can't post links here, unfortunately, oof.)
There's something strange, Taka thinks idly, about walking through the school after curfew.
It's silent, almost eerie, and very, very dark. There are only a few emergency lights on, which casts harsh shadows over the usually beautiful and lively school. If Taka were still afraid of the dark, he'd be terrified! Luckily, while it does make his shoulders tense, he can handle it. He's grown up quite a lot from the child he had been, terrified of his own shadow! Aha...
Despite his total lack of fear, he does find himself startling greatly when he feels an arm wrap around his shoulders, his heart racing as he wonders what fiend is attacking him, mind conjuring up several grizzly images. He relaxes almost immediately, however, when he realizes it's just Mondo... which, in hindsight, is kind of obvious, aha...
"Heh. Didn't mean ta frighten ya, kyoudai," Mondo mutters in his ear, causing him to shiver. He has to swallow thickly before he can have any hope of replying, trying to dislodge his heart from his throat.
"A-ah! I was not afraid! I..." he clears his throat, cheeks warm again. Realizing it would be futile to argue, Mondo snickering lightly, he decides it would be best to just change the subject. "Anyway... we should be quiet. It's so late... I'd hate to wake anyone up! Remind me to write us each up detention slips when I get back to my room!"
In the dim glow coming from the emergency lights, he can just about make out Mondo giving him a weird look, before the teen snorts.
"Of fuckin' course yer gonna do that. Ya nerd."
Taka does not have much time to come up with a response— a very witty one, obviously!— before they're in front of his dorm, Taka blinking up at it in surprise. Oh... right. The baths are close to the dorms... he... he'd forgotten...
"Uh... guess this is where we say goodnight, yeah?" Mondo mutters in his ear, causing him to shiver again. Is it just his imagination, or does the biker sound... disappointed...?
"A-ah... y-yes. I suppose so..." he replies back, equally as soft, equally as disappointed. While he knows they would have had to part at some point, he hadn't quite realized it would have to be so... so soon...
Silence descends around them as they stand, side by side, Mondo's arm a wondrous warmth around his shoulders. It's just as he's about to stammer out a hasty goodbye— knowing that one of them has to if they actually want to sleep that night— that Mondo's arm tightens around him, the teen turning to him with wide eyes.
"Ya wanna... shit. Ya wanna sleep over?!"
What?!
Taka stares at Mondo, eyes like saucers, wondering what the heck the biker had just meant. Sleep... over...?! As in-! In each other's... room? That-!
Grk!
"Y'ain't gotta! Heh, s-shit, I was just-! Uh-!"
Mondo's face— from what he can kind of see from the side and in the dim lighting— is bright red. His mind is still reeling, wondering what Mondo meant by that, if he truly means it, if it would be a good idea... but then, before he can fully settle his racing thoughts, everything a jumble in his brain, he feels Mondo moving his arm, the wondrous warmth disappearing, leaving him feeling very, very cold. Panicked, too busy mourning the loss of that wondrous warmth, he blurts out words before his mind can think about them, debate them, weigh the pros and the (numerous) cons...
"Y-yes! I would love to! Hahaha!"
Mondo stares at him, eyes equally wide, and laughs too, a little too loud for the silent school.
"Haha! Great! Let's, uh! Get in!"
Hastily, Mondo storms over to his dorm, one room over, plunging his hand into his pocket to pull out a keycard. He then presses it to the lock and opens the door quickly. He rushes inside, movements jerky, but pauses before entering fully, looking back at Taka with a soft blush on his face.
"W-well? Ya comin'?"
W-well then!
With bright red cheeks, Taka follows, stomach churning furiously. But, you know. In a good way.
"Heh, shit. Dunno why I'm so fuckin' nervous. We're bros, right? Bros sleep together all the time. Shit," Mondo mutters, voice kind of absent, like he's not exactly talking to Taka but instead is talking to himself. Mondo turns on the light as he passes a lamp, flooding the room with a soft, yellow glow.
Taka doesn't mention Mondo's muttering, too embarrassed and nervous to even dream of doing such a thing, and instead just looks around the biker's room, frowning absently at the mess he sees. He's been in the biker's room before, during the past two weeks of their tentative 'friendship', but Mondo had gotten very offended when Taka had absently offered to help him clean the mess up. That had actually sparked one of their fights, which Taka had ended up having to apologize for, despite the fact he still doesn't see how it was his fault. He'd just been trying to be helpful! But... people have often hated his way of 'helping'... you'd think he'd have learned better by now...
"Aw, shit... fergot it was such a mess... heh. I can. Uh... clean it up, don't worry..." Mondo mutters again, noticing where his gaze is settled, before bending down to pick some of the litter up. His hands are twitching as he goes, his face turning hard and his jaw clenching, which is how Taka knows Mondo is getting anxious. Usually, this is an indicator that the biker is about to explode, his anxiety usually quickly followed by his explosive anger...
Wanting to spare both of them the trouble, Taka walks forward and places a gentle hand on Mondo's shoulder, smiling softly when the biker looks at him, eyes still wide.
"Kyoudai... it's okay! I don't mind! Maybe tomorrow... maybe tomorrow, after class, we can clean it up together? But for now, we should probably sleep... it's after midnight, after all!"
And it is! He's never stayed out so late before! How thrilling! And terrifying!
Mondo clears his throat, nodding tightly. He drops the trash he'd been picking up back on the floor (Taka does his best not to wince, the mess making his inner clean freak want to cry) and lets out a short laugh.
"Yeah... yer right. Fuck. So goddamn nervous... been a while since I had anyone sleep over," Mondo admits, his hand coming up to rub his neck. Taka can't help but find it adorable.
"Well... I've never slept over before! So, you've got one over on me! Aha... but..." Taka pauses, frowning softly. "Are we allowed to do this? The rules say-"
"The rules say we gotta sleep in a dorm," Mondo interrupts, smirking at Taka. He'd said it so fast, too, like he somehow just... knew that Taka was going to say that... "An', last time I checked, this is a dorm. Rules ain't say shit 'bout whose dorm ya sleep in. S'long as it ain't a chick in a dude's dorm, or shit like that. We're two bros. It's cool."
Well... if that's so...
Nodding tentatively, Taka looks around, wondering where exactly he could sleep. Hm... if he moves some of the rubbish over, he could probably make himself a nice place to sleep...
"Uh... bro, what're ya doin'? I thought ya said we'd clean it in the mornin'?"
Taka looks back up at Mondo, frowning when he sees Mondo frown at him. He would have thought it was obvious...
"I'm... clearing a space? For me to sleep in? Is that... wrong?"
He'd always thought sleepovers entailed sleeping on the floor... right?
Wrong, apparently, if the weird look Mondo is giving him is to go by... hm...
"Uh... yeah? Shit, I thought we'd just, ya know. Share the bed. It ain't exactly small. Plus, we're bros! I used ta sleep with my bro all the time. Ain't nothin' weird 'bout it..."
Ah! Sleep! In the same bed! As Mondo!
Of course! Ahaha! That makes perfect sense! Right! Very logical! Nothing- nothing weird about that! Not at all!
Flushing, Taka nods, the smile he gives Mondo just a bit strained.
"Right! Of course! My mistake! Like I said, I've never... never slept over before! Aha!"
The pair stare at each other for a long moment, eyes wide, before Mondo looks away, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"Shit, uh. Sure. Whatever. Don't make it weird, dude. Anyway... I'm gonna, uh. Take a shower. Make yerself comfortable," Mondo mutters, before grabbing some clothes from his basket and heading into the bathroom. Taka stares after him with wide eyes, before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
Okay. Alright. So... this is a thing. That is... happening.
AHHHH!
How is he supposed to sleep beside Mondo?! How is he supposed to keep his... his... brotherly love contained while sleeping?! He's a particularly active sleeper, at least he had been when he was a child and would sometimes sleep beside his mother, and he knows that he tends to be a bit... clingy, in his sleep. It's why he usually sleeps with a few pillows, so that he can have something to hold onto during the night. What if he... grk! What if he tries to cuddle Mondo in the middle of the night?! Oh! How embarrassing! His new kyoudai would hate him for sure!
But how can he deny Mondo without offending or embarrassing the teen? He clearly seems to think it's a perfectly normal thing for two young men to do, to sleep in the same bed, and rejecting that would probably be offensive! Or maybe even... weird! He doesn't want to do that!
Oh dear... oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!
Should he... tell Mondo? About his cuddly nature? Should he ignore it and hope it doesn't become a problem? Or should he just man up and spend the entire night awake, eyes wide on the ceiling, refusing to sleep in case he embarrasses himself in his sleep?! Or should he just smother himself with the pillow and save them all the hassle?!
AHHHHHHHHHH!
Okay! Okay, okay, okay.
He can do this. He can think about this, rationally. He and Mondo, they're... they're brothers now, yes? And brothers... they tell each other things... yes? Without judgement? So, he should just... tell Mondo why them sleeping together might... potentially... be a problem. Mondo couldn't possibly get angry at him about something over which he has no control... right? Especially if he tells him before anything happens? Right?
Or maybe he'll just be offended, not believing Taka, thinking he is telling a lie to get out of sleeping together, and then he will stop talking to him, and they won't be brothers anymore, and then he'll be all alone again-!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
OKAY! This is ridiculous! He is sixteen years old, he should be able to handle something as simple as sleeping in the same bed as another man! Girls do it all the time! It's not weird, it's fine, and if he happens to accidentally cuddle Mondo then- then he can handle it later! M-maybe if he... if he held a pillow...? No... no, he can't guarantee that would work, what if his body gravitated towards the heat? Hnnnn, this is so pointless!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-
"Uh... kyoudai? You, uh... you okay?"
The voice— hesitant and soft and yet so achingly familiar— makes Taka startle so badly that he actually falls off the chair he hadn't even realized he'd taken a seat in at some point in his endless obsessing, hitting the ground with an 'oof'.
"Taka! Shit, y'okay?! The fuck, man?!" Mondo shouts, rushing over to him and kneeling beside him. Taka is about to stammer out that he's fine, he had just fallen, but the words die on his tongue when he looks up at Mondo and, with wide eyes, stares at the sight he is met with.
Because oh dear god, his hair is in a ponytail.
This... this isn't fair... Taka can feel his heart racing and his blood singing as he takes in the sight of Mondo kneeling on the floor next to him, eyebrows knitted in concern, glasses still on his face for some reason, with the blonde part of his hair— still damp from the shower!— pulled up into a high ponytail, the rest hanging limply down around his shoulders. Clearly, some god up there hates him, because his brotherly love is starting to make him feel very... very flushed...
"Shit, Taka, speak ta me, man. Did ya hit yer head?" Mondo questions after a moment passes, Taka just staring at the biker dumbly. He starts when he feels warm fingers touch his head, the biker carefully checking every inch for a bump. Grk-!
"I- I'm fine! Hahaha! I was just- nothing! Haha! Fell! Clumsy me! HAHAHAHAHA-!"
"Uh... dude, are ya... shit. Are ya actu'ly okay? I'm like... seriously gettin' concerned... y'ain't still feelin' woozy from earlier, are ya? Shit, should I take ya ta that nurse? Taka-"
"N-no!" Taka interrupts, feeling hot and cold and weird all over. Mondo is still touching him and it's hard to breathe, let alone think, and he knows he's being an idiot, but he's so confused, and he and Mondo are brothers but then why does he feel like this, what is wrong with him, why can't he just be happy with what he has, he's such an ungrateful child who doesn't deserve anything ni-
"Hey. Breathe, kyoudai, breathe. Yer panickin'. Ain't a big deal, we can handle this. Deep breaths... that's it, Kiyo, ya got this... breathe with me, okay, let's do this together..."
Taka does what he is told, without consciously thinking about it, just doing what his kyoudai tells him to do. Mondo's hand slides down to his back, rubbing soothing circles, and he focuses on it while he follows Mondo's breathing as best that he can.
Finally, after a minute or two, he manages to stop the rushing panic and feelings of inadequacy, as something a great deal calmer takes its place. Huh... that was... a lot faster than usual...
"Ya feelin' better, kyoudai?" Mondo mutters softly, head tilted as he looks at him with worry. Taka can feel his face flush, but he nods carefully, smiling shakily.
"Y-yes, k-kyoudai! I... I'm sorry, I don't... I don't know what came over me..."
He watches as Mondo shakes his head sharply, a soft scowl on the teen's face.
"Hey, what'd I say 'bout apologizin' ta me? Y'ain't gotta do it, bro. Not 'bout things like this. We're brothers. Brothers take care a' each other. When I was young, I'd get like that sometimes, ya know. My head would get all jumbled and it'd be hard ta think. Daiya, my bro, he'd help calm me down, like I did ta ya. So... don't worry 'bout it, 'kay? I'm happy ta help my bro. Now, why don't ya take a quick shower, huh? Know it's late, but I find a warm shower can help shake those bad thoughts loose. Y'ain't gotta, but... I dunno, heh..."
Mondo's cheeks are pink, but he doesn't try and run. He just looks at Taka, his eyes somehow more intense with the glasses, and Taka knows he is screwed. Absolutely, positively, screwed.
With a shaky smile, he nods stiffly, and stands up. Mondo stands with him, hands hovering to make sure he's okay, but backing off once it's clear he's able to stand just fine. He walks over to the bathroom, figuring a shower would help settle his head, but has to pause at the door, mind realizing something.
"A-ah... I don't have anything to change into... t-that's fine! I can just shower in the morning-"
Taka gets cut off when he feels something soft hit his head, with a gentle 'thump!' Blinking, he takes the thing off and sees-
"U-underwear?!"
It is! It's a pair of boxer shorts and a white wife beater! Grk-!
He looks up with wide eyes when he hears Mondo laugh, the sound loud and boisterous in the previously silent room. Well! He never!
"BWAHAHAHA! Ya should see yer face! Ahahaha! Ya look like I just threw shit at ya! Hahahaha!" Mondo guffaws, tears gathering in his eyes. Despite the (rather significant) disgust he still feels, he can't really stay mad... not when Mondo looks so happy, like a gleeful kid who got away with a harmless prank...
After a moment, Mondo calms down, but he's still grinning, wide and happy, so large his eyes are squinting with it. He- he looks-
Grk!
"They're clean, ya nerd. Somethin' fer ya ta change inta. I ain't an idiot, ya know, I thought 'bout it. Yer a little smaller than me, but they should fit ya decently. Now go on. Shower."
W-well! Well then! That settles that!
Face impossibly warm, Taka escapes into the bathroom, heaving a sigh of relief at the relative safety, grateful to have a moment alone to collect himself.
Okay. Sharing clothes. Sharing— grk!— underwear! That's... that's normal brotherly stuff, right?! Ahahaha! Right!
Taking a deep breath and shoving all thoughts out, not wanting to have another panic attack, Taka quickly strips and enters the shower, firmly not thinking about how mere minutes ago Mondo was naked in this shower and turns the tap as hot as it can go, the scalding water helping clear his head. He firmly refuses to think about anything as he lets the water wash over him, the warm tattoo soothing him greatly.
He does have a brief moment of panic— about a minute in— when he realizes he'll have to use Mondo's soap and shampoo, but he quickly tells himself to get over it and washes himself off as militantly as he usually does. The scent is overwhelming, some kind of manly, musky scent that Taka usually dislikes but now is made vaguely dizzy by, but he deals with it as best he can. He cleans himself off as quick as he possibly can and exits the shower the second that he is done.
He has another moment of panic when he realizes that he doesn't have a towel to dry off with, but that problem is solved easily when he opens a cabinet and sees the few extra towels the dorms come with still neatly folded inside— clearly never before used, since he highly doubts Mondo has ever folded a single thing in his entire life. It's a great relief, though, and he dries himself slowly, trying to psych himself up to putting on Mondo's clothes...
Eventually he cannot put it off any longer and has to put the clothes on. Okay... he can do this... he... he can...
His boxers have tiny cartoon dragons all over them.
Grk-!
Okay!
He resolutely doesn't think about it as he puts the clothes on and marches over to the vanity, knowing he has to at least rinse his mouth out before bed or else he will regret it.
He does his best to not snoop, honest, he does, but he can't help the way his eyes linger on the mess that is Mondo's bathroom counter. There are bits of trash and garbage tossed around, empty bottles knocked on their sides carelessly. Taka isn't even thinking when he picks the bottles up and settles them upright, flushing when he realizes what he's done. A-ah... well then...
In addition to the trash, there's also a lot of hair care products scattered around, which he supposes makes sense when he thinks about it. Taka only needs to use some hair gel and scissors to maintain his typical spiky hair style (though he's accidentally been letting it grow a bit longer recently, due to his distraction with everything going on with Mondo), but clearly Mondo would need a lot more to maintain his pompadour. (Which, by the way, he'd finally learned the proper term for after curiously asking Mondo during one of their better days earlier that week).
Still, it's a little surprising just how much the teen has. He's fairly certain there's more product here than you'd find in a typical teenage girl's room! N-not that he'd know that by experience...!
Ahem. There's also some makeup strewn about. Eyeliner, obviously, but there's also some other products that Taka doesn't know the name of. Some powdery stuff, some with color and some without. Bigger containers and smaller ones. It's kind of... strange, to think about Mondo wearing makeup, but it's not that strange, when he truly stops to think about it... and when he lets himself think about it for too long... grk-!
Ahhh, okay, enough snooping!
He quickly finds the toothpaste and spreads some on his finger, carefully scrubbing his teeth as best he can. He would have to do this sometimes, when his previous toothbrush would break, and they'd have to wait a little while to head to the store and get a cheap new one. It's not the best, but it's better than nothing, at least. He rinses his mouth out and— once he rises and realizes he's out of things to do to stall— freezes as he looks at himself in the mirror, eyes roving his face for a lack of anything else to do.
With his hair still damp from the shower— the gel he keeps in it washed away— the strands are beginning to curl around his face, longer than he usually keeps it but it doesn't... doesn't look too bad... if anything, it makes him look… younger. Less severe. He can't say he particularly likes it, but... but it's not... bad? He stops his eyes before they flick down to look at the rest of his body, not wanting to see himself wearing Mondo's clothes...
Ahh. Okay. He... he has to get out of here.
Taking a deep, steeling breath, he marches over to the door with intense determination, opening it just a little too forcefully. He blinks as he looks around the bedroom, heart freezing when he notices that Mondo is currently lying on the bed, glasses still on his face, a book in his hands-
Grk!
"Oh, hey. Ya took less time than I thought ya would. Figured I'd pass the time readin' some more a' this stupid ass book, ya know? Ya were right, though! 'S a lot easier ta read now! Ha!"
Mondo is grinning over at him, wide and happy and almost proud, and Taka...
Well. He figures there are worse ways to die...
"A-ah...! I'm! Glad! That they're working out for you! Aha!"
Mondo gives him a strange look, smirking lightly over at him.
"Yer such a dork, kyoudai. Now come on, get yer ass over here. I'm beat an' I know yer the type ta wake stupidly early, so we should try an' get as much sleep as we can. Turn off the light 'fore ya get in, would ya?"
Ah! Yes! Sleep! In the same bed! A-as Mondo-!
Should he... should he explain his problem now...? N-n-no... no he'll just... just stay up all night, it's fine, he's done that before, he'll just have to drink coffee instead of tea in the morning, that's all-!
Not wanting to worry Mondo any more than he already has that day, he stiffly marches over to the bed, dutifully turning off the lamp like asked as he goes. There is still some light coming into the room from the window, since Mondo has the blinds open a crack, so it's not pitch black. It's still fairly dark, though, which means he doesn't have to look at Mondo as he shakily gets into the bed, his heart racing a mile a minute.
A-ah... he's fine... perfectly fine... he's just... platonically sharing a bed... with someone he feels brotherly love towards... he's fine... totally... fine… ahahahaha!
Once he's in bed, he lays as stiffly as possible, his every sense heightened as he lays there, listening to Mondo shuffle around. Sometimes the biker will brush against him, an arm or a leg, and Taka will think he's about to spontaneously combust with how tightly wound he is.
He doesn't know how much time passes, but sometime later he hears a soft sigh, and both hears and feels the bed move as Mondo shifts around.
"Dude. Relax, would ya? Can't fuckin' sleep with ya stiff as a fuckin' board," Mondo mumbles sleepily. There's enough light that Taka— when he looks over at Mondo in panic— can see one eye open, looking at him with exasperation. Urg!
"A-ah! I- I'm sorry, I'm just-!" Taka says, too loud in the silent room. He winces at the noise, his stomach starting to knot up with anxiety. Mondo sighs again and turns on his side to face him, lifting himself up on one arm to see better. The hair that is not in a ponytail hangs down to the side limply from his scalp and Taka... Taka can't seem to look away...
"Ya nervous 'bout sleepin' in another dude's bed? Or 'bout sleepin' in my bed? Which one?" Mondo questions, a hint of agitation in his voice. Ah! Oh no! This is exactly what he had wanted to avoid! How awful!
"N-neither!" Taka lies, earning himself a soft growl from Mondo. He flinches, before looking down at the comforter he's under, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously. Well, perhaps telling the truth would be better... "Nnnn... alright. I- I guess both. B-but! It's just because I've... I've never done this before, kyoudai! I don't want to mess up and make you hate me again!"
Ah! He hadn't meant to say that last part! Oh no! Curse his big fat mouth!
"What?!" Mondo growls, shooting upright, glaring down at him on the bed. Taka cowers, feeling utterly miserable. Oh no, now Mondo hates him! He knew it! Why couldn't he just close his stupid mouth, he's such an idio-
"Kiyo, ain't a goddamn thing ya could do ta make me hate ya! Like I told ya, I ain't never hated ya! What could ya possibly do in yer sleep ta make me hate ya at all?!"
Taka looks up at Mondo, taking in his scowl, but also recognizing the confusion in his eyes... oh, no, he... Mondo has no idea... he... he's going to have to tell Mondo, isn't he...?
"I- I just...! I don't know, kyoudai! Just... I..." Taka bites his lip, looking down at his hands again, not able to look up at Mondo as he explains himself. "I... a-ah. It's been a while since I last shared a bed with anyone, b-but I know that I can get a bit... er... cuddly in my sleep! And I didn't want to make you uncomfortable! I'm so sorry!"
Ah! There! He said it! Oh, please don't hate him, please don't hate him, please don't hate hi-
"BWAHAHAHA! Is that what yer worried 'bout, Taka?!" Mondo guffaws, laughing loud and boisterous again, like earlier. It's startling, in the previously quiet room, and he has a minute to be grateful that the rooms are soundproof! But then he realizes that Mondo is laughing at him, and he feels a spike of hurt flood through him. W-what? W-why is he... why is he laughing...
"H-hey! I- I..." Taka protests, his voice far weaker than he'd intended it. That shuts Mondo up, the teen looking down at him with a sheepish smile, but also looking so... s-so...
Fond...
"Shit, didn't mean ta laugh at ya, ya dork. Just... ain't somethin' ya gotta worry 'bout, dude. It happens, ya know? In fact, if it worries ya that much, here-" Mondo states, before moving, laying back down and shuffling around the bed a bit. Taka has a moment to wonder what, exactly, the biker is doing, before he feels himself get roughly yanked off to the side, very abruptly.
Grk!
"Ah! M-Mondo!" Taka exclaims, struggling a bit. He doesn't mean to, not really, but he's just very, very confused as to what, exactly, is going on. He goes still, however, when he hears Mondo growl softly, something that he can tell is not meant to be threatening, but just a warning.
"Quit thrashin', I ain't gonna hurt ya," Mondo murmurs, his hands gentling as he carefully adjusts Taka, who just limply complies this time. After a moment of awkward fumbling, Taka finds himself laying down again— on his stomach, this time. With... with something hard underneath him... something warm and... and familiar...!
"A-ah!" Taka exclaims, stiffening as he realizes that he is now lying on Mondo, oh dear lord, why do you hate him?!
"Shut up, dude. Seriously, it ain't a big fuckin' deal. Bros do this sorta shit all the time," Mondo murmurs into his ear, his arm tightening around Taka's waist, safe and secure.
Oh? Do they, Mondo? Do they really?! Taka thinks frantically, heart pounding, so tense he doesn't know what to do. Part of him wants to cry, but he's still cried out from earlier, plus that would add another level of humiliation to this and he just- he can't- he doesn't understand-
He hears Mondo sigh again, before his hand moves, going to his back again, rubbing warm circles, and it... it feels... nice... his mother used to do this when he... when he couldn't sleep... but Mondo... Mondo isn't...!
"Shh, hey. L-look. If it bothers ya that much, I can sleep on the floor. I, uh… I'll be honest, I asked ya ta stay over 'cuz I didn't want ya alone, not after earlier. Not when y'ain't a hundred percent. But I don't wanna make ya uncomfortable. An' I know this ain't exactly somethin' yer used ta. I've slept in worse places than the floor, I'll be fine. Just... this really ain't a big deal, alright? Not ta me. It don't bother me a bit. But I get it if y'ain't the same. Yer an only, yeah? No sibs? Ya don't know what it's like. Don't worry, though, I'll teach ya. Just... ain't gotta happen all at once."
Mondo's voice is so soft and soothing and it... it's making him feel... Nnnn... grk!
"N-no... I-it's okay, k-kyoudai... I'm just... nervous... it's my first time, after all..." Taka mutters back, his face impossibly flushed. He hides it in Mondo's chest, the scent of his cheap body soap overwhelming, and yet... underneath that... there's the lingering scent of motor oil... and it's so... so soothing...
"Y'ain't got nothing ta be nervous 'bout, Kiyo. I've got ya. An' I'll take good care a' ya, okay? Ya don't gotta be afraid... I'm here..."
O-oh... he's never... never had someone tell him that before... he feels... feels so...
"T-thank you, kyoudai... I'm so... so happy to have you..." he mutters, his eyelids fluttering shut. He shuffles closer unconsciously, his heart leaping when he feels Mondo shift to allow him, his other arm coming over and holding him, like a hug... and it's so... warm... and... and comfortable... and Taka... Taka is so... so tired...
"Yeah. Y-yeah. Me... uh, me too. Now, get some sleep, kyoudai. We can deal with the rest a' this shit come mornin'. But now, ya can rest. I'll keep ya safe. Y'ain't ever gotta be afraid again, Taka... I've got ya now. And I ain't... I ain't gonna let you go... I won't fail you... promise..."
Taka doesn't know if Mondo says anything else after that, because before he knows it, he's fallen fast asleep.
It's the best he's slept in years.
He wishes they could do this every night...
~XoxoxoxoxoxoX~
(Bonus)
Taka wakes slowly, the next morning, feeling more sluggish than usual. His head hurts a little and his eyes feel uncomfortably dry, and there's an all-around grungy feeling within him that he cannot say he likes. He shifts slightly, making soft noises as he tries to bury himself in the wonderful warmth he's engulfed in, wanting to never, ever leave it... it feels so nice... he doesn't remember a time he's felt so safe before... he...
"Mornin', kyoudai," he hears a rough voice whisper into his ear, making him shudder quite pleasantly. O-oh... that... that feels... so good... and he... he knows that voice...
"M-Mondo..." he mutters sleepily, not quite fully awake yet, stuck in that moment between sleep and wakefulness. When he feels something rumble under him, the sound of soft chuckles filling the air, he scrunches up his face, wondering what he is laying on that is moving like that... it feels hard... and... and warm... and it… it smells like...
!
Taka's eyes shoot wide open as he remembers, very suddenly, where he is. And more importantly, who he is with-
Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god! M-Mondo is gonna kill him, h-he's gonna... gonna...!
"Shhh... shh, Kiyo, it's okay... relax, bro, it's okay," that soft voice rumbles in his ear, somehow... somehow making him... making him comply... how...?
"Yeah, that's better. We gotta get up soon. 'S almost 6:30. Ya wake up 'round then, yeah? Recall ya mentionin' that a bit ago, heh. But we got some time. Rest. I'll wake ya when it's time ta get up, don't worry."
O-oh... w-well. When you put it like that...
Taka is sure that, later today, when he's fully awake and not beyond exhausted, too exhausted to fight the warm and comforting embrace he has found himself in, he will panic. He will overthink, like he always does, and freak out, and wonder what he was doing, how dare he think that he deserves something as wonderful as this, how dare he think that Mondo would actually care about him, etcetera, etcetera, blah, blah, blah...
But now? Now, being held by Mondo, who is humming softly under his breath, some tuneless lullaby he's never heard before but absolutely adores, feeling warmer and more content than he has in years... feeling— for once— safe, and wanted, and loved, loved, loved... here, in this moment between sleep and wakefulness, dozing as he waits for his alarm to ring and to be brought back into the real world...
It doesn't matter.
None of it... none of it...
None of it matters.
And god does it feel good.
(And, tired as he is, he doesn't notice Mondo staring at him, the biker looking down at him as he rests, staring at Taka like he's the teen's entire universe. He doesn't notice the way Mondo's breath hitches as his own breath puffs out, fanning over the biker's partially exposed chest, goose flesh breaking out where it lands. And he doesn't notice how Mondo holds him just a little bit tighter at 6:29, the teen knowing he will have to let Taka go soon, to wake him up and let him get about his day, but something in him telling himself to hold on just a little bit tighter, to keep this moment from ending as long as he can...
It's probably a good thing Taka doesn't notice this, to be honest.
Hope is a very dangerous thing, after all.)
(And later still, when Taka finally manages to tear himself away from Mondo's room at 6:45, knowing he has to head back to his own room if he wants to get ready for the day, he's too distracted to realize he's still wearing Mondo's wife beater and boxer shorts. He is painfully reminded, however, when he comes face to face with another student, who just takes one look at him and raises a single, solitary eyebrow, a knowing smirk upon his lips.
"Took you two long enough," Togami drawls, before sauntering away, heading off to wherever spoilt, rich businesspeople go in the morning.
And Taka then enters his room, heart pounding, wondering what, exactly, the billionaire had meant by that...)
And that's all, folks! Just a tooth rottingly fluffy chapter, to cleanse the pallet from all the angst... ahahaha.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure why I had them share the bed, but I can't deny that I adored the idea, ha. And I had a feeling that Mondo, as close as he was to his brother, probably went to Daiya when he was little and had a nightmare, making the idea of platonic bedsharing normal in his mind. Of course, he and Daiya never slept as close together as he and Taka did, not past the age of eight, at least ;-)
And, of course, imagine his confusion when he feels decidedly not brotherly feelings when he holds Taka in his arms... aha. Not that he'll let himself think about it. Much.
Also, yes. I updated the tags again. :-) And Byakuya totally thinks Taka and Mondo are dating now, ha. Or at least are, ya know... ;-)
Thanks for all the comments and reviews! :-D