[AllTakemichi] Control

Chapter 40

Takemichi wakes up feeling drained, his eyelids heavy. He sits on the bed for a while before dragging himself into the bathroom. Staring at his sluggish reflection in the mirror, he sighs. Once he finishes washing up, he slaps both cheeks - hard - trying to shake off the grogginess.

He skips breakfast today. The moment he steps outside, he notices four Black Dragon members tailing him in plain clothes. Just like Kokonoi said, they keep a respectful distance, not interfering with his daily life. Normally, Takemichi might have gone up to greet them, but not today. He's not in the mood.

His mind feels foggy. What were Akkun and the guys saying earlier? He doesn't think he's seen Kazutora or Hinata today either. In class, he can't even tell what subject he's supposed to be learning. He's just so sleepy. When break time comes, everyone leaves the classroom. His friend heads off to grab a drink, and Takemichi just collapses onto the desk and dozes off.

"Takemitchy, hey, wake up." He hears Mikey's voice faintly in the background.

Groggily, he opens his eyes - and finds Mikey's face inches from his own. Takemichi jerks upright, startled.

"Mikey-kun! What are you doing here?!"

Mikey grins at him. "Let's go on a date, Takemitchy."

"Huh?"

"Huh what? Let's go." Mikey reaches out to grab his hand, but Takemichi instinctively pulls away, backing off in surprise. Mikey looks just as taken aback. Takemichi can see it - he's surprised by the strong reaction... and maybe, just a little hurt. Afraid Mikey might think he's avoiding him, Takemichi quickly rushes over and throws his arms around Mikey's neck.

"Mikey-kun, don't get the wrong idea. It's not that I don't want you to touch me or anything. I know this sounds insane, but please - just don't let your hand touch mine, okay? If you do, something's gonna happen to me."

He'll get thrown back to the future. And now is not the time. There's still too much left to do. Mikey stiffens at the sudden hug, but after a beat, he chuckles and wraps his arms around Takemichi's waist.

"Takemitchy's being bold today, huh? Showing affection right out in public. Usually we save this kind of thing for private, don't we?"

Takemichi freezes and glances around. There are still a few classmates lingering in the room. They probably didn't hear what he said to Mikey... but they definitely saw him hugging him out of nowhere. And Mikey's voice? Loud and clear. Every word. Now those lingering classmates are staring with wide, scandalized eyes, jaws practically on the floor like they've just walked into the middle of a romance drama.

"So, Takemitchy," Mikey smirks, clearly enjoying this, "can we go on that date now?"

"Anywhere's fine."

Because if they stay here any longer, Takemichi is going to die of embarrassment.

Mikey gives him a ride on Bob. From the road, Takemichi immediately knows - they're heading to the beach. On the way, they even stop by to grab a bag of taiyaki.

Takemichi still feels uneasy about earlier, so he hesitantly speaks up.

"Mikey-kun... about what happened just now..."

Mikey cuts him off - of course he knows Takemichi's still dwelling on his reaction.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just a tiny thing. I wouldn't even ask if you don't wanna talk. When have I ever forced you, you idiot? You're always weird anyway. And I'm weird too, always believing you've got a reason for everything. We're a strange pair, huh?"

From behind, Takemichi gazes at him with sparkling eyes, then suddenly wraps his arms tightly around Mikey's waist.

"If we're not holding hands, then a hug's fine too, right?"