Never Again (Kou x Mitsuba)

「Chapter 4」

Kou wrote in his notebook as the teacher was talking about their next quiz. He never liked taking notes for class because he didn't write as fast as his classmates.

Once the bell rang, signaling that it was lunch time, Kou stayed in his seat and laid his head on the wooden desk. Then, a pair of warm hands touched his shoulders.

"You okay?" The gentle voice asked with a hint of concern. This voice seemed familiar to Kou. And to Kou, it was quite comforting.

"I'm fine. I'm just not hungry." He mumbled softly before turning his head up to see a pink-haired boy. "Are you not going to eat lunch, Sousuke?"

"Ohoho~" a boy coos from behind the two, "First name basis already? Moving a little too quick, I see." He finished and turns to a girl who is standing next to them. "Hey, Nene-chan! Don't you think they're moving quick?"

The girl rolls her eyes and sighs. "Wrap it up, lovebirds. We're eating lunch. And you," Nene points to Kou, "You're eating with us."

Kou points at himself in a confused look. "Me?"

"Yes, you. Tsukasa stop playing with my hair." She scolds the playful teen. Tsukasa just giggles and apologizes.

Mitsuba pats Kou's head and looks at him, "Lunch?"

"Sure." Kou said quietly with a small smile.

Tsukasa and Nene gag loudly and shake their heads. "Gross. Let's go."

--

Kou learned that Mitsuba, and his friend group, ate on the frontal grounds of the school. He felt shy around people he wasn't too familiar with, example: Yashiro and Tsukasa. Mitsuba seemed to have noticed this and elbowed Kou softly.

"They're not going to hurt you, y'know?" He whispered with a smile.

Kou blushes from embarrassment and chews on his food. "I know they won't but I don't like socializing..." He mumbled back.

Mitsuba wraps his arm around Kou, almost making him choke on his food. "But you socialize with me!"

"That's different."

"How so?"

"Not telling." Kou stated with a 'hmpt' at the end.

"Seems like everyone is enjoying their lunch!" A deeper voice said cheerfully and came behind Mitsuba and Kou.

"Hello, little brother! Pack your things because we're going somewhere!" He said in a harsh demanding voice.

"Teru? What are you doing... here." Kou asked quietly, as if he didn't want to spark a fire.

"I'll let you know when we get in the car. Let's go." Teru said, trying to keep a smile on and resist the urge to drag Kou with him.

"C..can I finish my lunch first?" He asked hesitantly.

But before Teru could answer, Mitsuba spoke up and turned to face Teru.

"Oh you must be Minamoto's older brother. You're quite tall, Sir. And handsome!" He said with an odd tone. Almost as if Mitsuba was saying to Teru, 'Take him from me if you can, bitch.'

Teru's eye twitched, fully recieving the message. "Oh thank you. I don't get that many compliments from work!" At this point, he was starting to get annoyed at the snarky attitude coming from the 16 year old.

Mitsuba chuckled, "I can tell. An eye twitch wouldn't be an expected reaction to a compliment."

Teru laughed loudly, "I guess not! Anyway, I might as well pick you up after school since you're with your friends." He waves at the group and walks off quickly.

After Teru was gone, Yashiro claps her hands together. "Spill the tea sis."

Kou just looks at her with a confused smile, "I don't have any tea?"

She sighs and rolls her eyes, "Tell me why there was so much tension between you three." She said and pointed at the two boys in front of her.

"Uh..um well you see..." Kou started and mumbled quietly. He lowered his head and squeezed his hand, only to feel surprised that there was something he was holding onto. Kou's face flushed pink and he was at a loss for words to see Mitsuba's hand in his own.

The bell rang, lunch was over. In a way, Kou felt relief but he also felt anxious.

"Tell me later, okay?" Nene shouts back and walks of with Tukasa after they finished cleaning.

Kou nods and looks to Mitsuba. "Um... how long have you.. uh.." he drifts off, embarrassed to ask.

"How long have I held your hand?" Mitsuba finishes, raising an eyebrow. Kou nods and looks at the two hands still intertwined.

"I guess it was since I noticed you shaking." Mitsuba says and releases his grip from the boy. "Might I ask a... personal question?" Mitsuba hesitantly asks Kou as they walk to class.

Kou nods, "Sure."

"You're scared of your brother, aren't you?" Mitsuba finally blurts out.

Kou freezes for a second and nervously laughs. "Haha..! N..no he's just very tall so it's... intimidating," He lies.

Mitsuba stops and turns to Kou with a serious look. "So he doesn't do these to you?" Mitsuba pulls back Kou's collar and brushes his hand against the exposed purple and blue bruises.

Surprised, Kou pushes Mitsuba's hand away and covers his neck. "He doesn't," Kou said sternly.

Mitsuba took this as a sign to back off, so he did. Although he yearned for an answer as to why those marks were there, he thought it was not the right time to ask.

They walked to class in silence before Mitsuba started a random conversation.

"Do you remember when we first officially met? That day you were soaked in water?"

Kou shivered. How could he forget? In all honesty, he wish he could erase the entire memory. But of course, that was beyond him. "I remember. Why?"

Mitsuba stopped once again and this time, it was at the bathroom. The exact one where Kou was molested. "I saw you two walk into the bathroom. This bathroom. But why were you late if you changed clothes?" Mitsuba knew he was overstepping boundaries but he wanted to know and he wanted to know now.

Kou's eyes widened. "I.." He couldn't finish his sentence before he rushed past Mitsuba. "We'll be late for class!"

Mitsuba angrily grabbed Kou's wrist and pushed him against the wall. "Just tell me what's wrong! Why do you keep these secrets?" He yelled, "What is so important for you to keep quiet about?!"

Kou's eyes went glossy and wet. Warm tears started to drip from his face onto his circular glasses. "I have secrets for a reason! Don't you have secrets?!" He yelled back.

Mitsuba finally realized how aggressive he
was with Kou. He slowly released his hand from Kou's wrist, revealing a red hand mark, and his jaw dropped. "K-Kou I.. I didn't mean-"

Kou pushed Mitsuba away and harshly whispered, "I thought you were different.." Kou walked away and left Mitsuba behind.

Mitsuba walked slowly to class and opened the door as soon as the bell rang. He slugged to his seat and glanced at the back of the classroom. Kou isn't there.

He sighed. "I fucked up."

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