Chapter 05: Sumire - Dangerous to Know II
I couldn't sleep that night.
My mind was a mess and my thoughts refused to shut the hell up. They ranged from Michi being beaten up by Kiyomasa, a nightmare-like scene of us finding my brother dead, to Mikey taking a liking to Michi, to imagining how Shinichiro died, and to all the moments I've had with Mitsuya. The nights we've spent, side by side, talking about everything and anything mundane — fingers intertwined, and occasionally our lips would connect to a series of not-so-innocent kisses. Over the years, Mitsuya had gained a good understanding in knowing how I'd slept. It no longer mattered if he'd slept beside me, a single look at me and he could tell.
I spent hours staring at the black ceiling, watching it change colours and listening to the sounds of the nightlife, wishing that Mitsuya was with me. It felt somewhat weird not to have him by my side as I'd gotten used to his presence during the time I basically lived with him and his family. In the end, I managed to get a few hours of sleep with my phone still clutched in my hands. My blue eyes fluttered open at the first light peeking through my curtains.
The first thing I saw, the item which the sun just happened to fall on first, was my Toman's jacket. I took in the way sunlight enlightened the golden embroidery Mitsuya had sewn on it by himself with a silent understanding. Toman. I pushed myself up, letting the buzzing phone fall somewhere on my blanket, and my burgundy violet hair fell loosely around my shoulders.
Tokyo Manji Gang.
It was the only place where I felt I could be myself — its founding members were the only people I'd come to consider as my extended family members. With them, I never had to pretend to be something or someone other than Hanagaki Sumire. So, why was I so out of it? Just because Mitsuya asked me on a date, making things more official than they already were? It wasn't something new for us. Maybe the label was, but it was not an activity I should be overly concerned about. Us going out together. Perhaps I was scared of testing the 'new' area in our relationship…then again, we'd long crossed that boundary of what made us simple friends.
"Annoying," I grumbled, running a hand through my messy hair. It was a mess around me, nearly surrounding my body in a weird circle shape, entangling with my legs. It was getting too long, however, Mitsuya liked it. He'd asked me not to cut it, saying it would be a loss or something along the lines. I'd pouted and whined but listened to his request, ignoring Draken's teasing that I was whipped.
My phone kept buzzing; blindly I searched for it and grabbed it.
There were a few missed messages from Draken, Mitsuya, and others. Pah-chin had sent me a text asking which store was selling Mikey's favourite Dorayaki as the 'asshole had commanded him to buy more before school' (his words, not mine). Smiley and Angry had both emailed me, complaining about the other twin doing something to piss the other off (I wasn't entirely sure what exactly happened there, and not awake enough to deal with it). Baji wasn't awake this early, and Chifuyu normally didn't text me if he could tell me at school himself. Both Mucho and Sanzu were silent, they were the type that would call me, instead of texting, if there was a need for it. Draken asked if I had any plans today or wanted to hang out with him and Mikey.
I blinked at the messages and emails, yawning as I wondered, 'How in the hell were they already awake at - five-thirty?' I did not want to know about whatever had woken them up, choosing to respond to only Mitsuya and Draken. The only two people who weren't at the risk of pissing me off and ruining my mood at this ungodly hour.
The cold floor greeted my feet when I moved to get up, unwillingly dragging myself to the bathroom. It wasn't like I could've fallen back asleep, not with my mind being a mess.
On my way to the bathroom, I passed by Michi's room which was, naturally, closed. I cast the door an envious glare, knowing how deep of a sleeper my brother was compared to me. He could sleep through storms if he was allowed. I briefly considered waking him up, just to fuck with him, only to stop and remember that we weren't on exactly speaking terms — that he'd gotten beaten up by Kiyomasa just yesterday and it had been a while since I'd spent a night in our home.
"Fucccck," I ran a hand through my hair, pulling the bathroom door open and closing it with a louder bang than I meant. I made sure to lock it, knowing Michi had probably gotten used to me not being here. There would be an eventual chat between us, but not today.
Right now, a warm and hot shower was waiting for me.
...卍...
As expected, I didn't see Michi.
I knew he was awake. I could hear him moving upstairs. But by the time I was ready to leave, he had yet to come downstairs. As I stood in the hallway, I narrowed my eyes at the stairs, contemplating whether I should give my brother a warning about what he could expect when dealing with Mikey or not.
I chose not to.
It was his own fault for believing Masaru, for getting involved and…and I was running from facing the truth. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed my shoes and slipped them on. The moment I stepped outside, I was greeted by the familiar engine of Mitsuya's Impulse. I paused at the front door, watching Mitsuya staring at his phone before he heard the door closing and looked up. My lips pulled into a smile and I waved, feeling my heart beating as I took in the way he sat there on his bike and how the sunlight enlightened his light lilac short hair.
He was breathtaking.
"Mornin', Takashi!" I skipped over, feeling my heart beat louder and louder with each step I took towards him.
Mitsuya smiled, pocketed his phone and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Sumire." His voice sounded better than last night, I thought. More awake.
I threw my hands around him, pulling Mitsuya into a hug which he returned, briefly hiding his face into my neck. My eyes widened when I felt his lips on my neck, leaving a trail of kisses, causing me to shudder and I could feel my face turning bright red. Mitsuya chuckled, fully enjoying my reactions whenever he did something like this.
His lavender eyes sparkled with mischief when he pulled away, glancing me up and down as if in search of something. There was a faint frown before he handed me my helmet.
"You didn't get enough rest, did you?"
I took the indigo-coloured helmet into my hands, "Speaking of yourself?" I retorted, giving his panda-eyes a pointed look. "My mind was occupied with how to approach my brother and sort things out. What's your excuse, Takashi?"
He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep, I missed the warmth beside me."
My eyes widened, that cheeky little -! I was fairly certain that my face was redder than a tomato.
"Takashi!" I protested, glancing around in case someone heard him.
Mitsuya chuckled, watching as I struggled to put my ponytail under the helmet. It took me a few moments to get the strap under my chin to click shut. I climbed on the bike, grabbing Mitsuya's shoulder before moving my hands to his waist. The cheeky little bastard was still chuckling while I was making myself comfortable on his Impulse. I glanced over his shoulder when Mitsuya took my hand and kissed my knuckles before releasing my hand.
"Hold on tight," Mitsuya said, grinning when he saw me burying my face in his back.
With that, we took off.
I failed to see my brother stepping out and staring after us with a confused expression.
...卍...
The founding members of Toman had come to an agreement that I was not to ride a bike on my own. Not when I nearly crashed Baji's precious bike and almost ran over Mikey who had been standing too close when they attempted to teach me how to ride. Each was wearing a varying expression as they stared at me.
Pah-chin had burst out laughing, and I remember him rolling on the ground, clutching to his sides as he watched me struggling and Baji being held back by a humoured Draken, preventing him from murdering me for scratching his bike. Kazutora stood in the back, hands pocketed, laughing. Mikey had an irk mark on his forehead, glaring at me for almost killing me. And Mitsuya? He stood away from all of us, face-palming and mumbling something incoherent under his breath.
Since that day, I hadn't been allowed to ride a bike.
No matter how much I begged for a new chance, they kept refusing me. Chifuyu quickly learned why when he allowed me to sit on his bike, after much of me begging and fluttering my eyes at him. Baji had tried to warn him, only to end up laughing (he got a stomachache from laughing too much) as he watched his Vice-Captain panicking when I hit the wrong pedals and nearly crashed into a street pole.
Yeah, bikes and I…we didn't get along.
I did love the sensation when I was riding with one of the boys, feeling the wind brushing past my face and playing with my hair. It was freeing. There were no responsibilities and no worries. I yearned for a day when I could ride on my own but doubted it would come.
I shifted my head on Mitsuya's back, staring at the passing scenery as we headed towards my school. Our schools weren't too far from each other, just a good enough distance that allowed him to drop me off in the mornings. There were days when I would walk to school by myself or meet up with either Baji or Chifuyu or Ryusei on the way there, depending on whether Mitsuya took his bike or not.
The streets were filled with students and teachers heading to their respective schools, and the roads were surprisingly busy. Despite it all, Mitsuya still made it to my school with enough time to kill, coming to a stop almost outside the front gates. I could feel everyone's eyes on us, or of those, who bothered to look in our direction. One of the teachers stood there, greeting everyone with a sleepy expression. He was a fairly young teacher, a substitute in either Chifuyu's or Baji's class.
"Thanks, Takashi," I said as I took my helmet off, releasing my long ponytail. Its ends reached my white collar, tickling me a bit. "Shall I wait until your club activities are done or -?"
Once I was off of his Impulse, I handed Mitsuya my helmet, watching him rest it around the handles.
"I'll have either Hakkai or Pah or Peh to pick you up if it takes too long," Mitsuya said, brushing a stray lock behind my ear. "After that, we can go on a date."
I nodded. "Sure, give me a ring or text me. I can always make Chifuyu give me a ride too if the others are too busy, although I'd love to mess with Hakkai." I added, grinning and causing Mitsuya to sigh.
"I don't know how you two are like this," Mitsuya shook his head.
"His reactions are fun!"
"…As long as I don't have to deal with you two fighting," Mitsuya said, revving the engine back to life. Before I could stop myself, my hand shot out and brushed through his light lilac hair. He blinked.
"No promises, but I'll try to behave," I said, liking the feel of how soft Mitsuya's hair was under my touch.
I pulled back, ignoring the looks we had gained from those around us.
"Have a good day, Sumire," he pecked my cheek before revving the bike's engine back to life and I watched him take off.
"You too," I muttered, fingers touching the spot his lips had touched on my cheek.
Yeah, this boy - he was going to be the death of me, I thought with a cheeky grin.