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Chapter Text

With how messy Mikey’s family was and how much freedom they all were used to getting, it’s really no surprise he never realized how weird it was to never see Takemichi’s parents except for a few photos around his house, no matter how late or early they came to visit. When he thinks about everything later, the first time he noticed something it was the way Akkun looked at Takemichi after Kioyomasa. Because sure, someone getting into a fight that they couldn’t win for you, not backing once no matter the injuries they get, is big. But not enough to get someone to look at you as if you’ve done something impossible. At the time, though, it was nothing but a passing thought that Mikey dismissed easily. And he could somewhat understand Akkun’s protectiveness - they were friends, after all.

Even if the way Takemitchy’s friends always - always - were somewhere closeby to him was a bit weird.

Even if the redhead sometimes looked more like a vicious guard dog than a friend.

All of them teased Akkun about that at some point.

None of them noticed the way he would stay tense until the first blow in a fight.

Later, Mikey would lie down on a roof, staring unseeingly into the evening sky, and rewind each and every interaction, trying to see what he missed back then, just as he did with Hakkai after the Taiju debacle (because Hakkai was his, and he was hurt on his watch) - and the reminder would set him off again.

He wouldn’t get inside until dawn.

For a while, it was perfect. They were in the past, together, and they were going to fix everything. Takemitchy was crying - of course he was - but so was Mikey (he blamed his childish body), but everyone was alive and they were going to keep them that way. They talked and talked even as Shinichiro nudged them inside to eat (and he would be teasing Takemitchy for being so small after), freaking Mikey’s brother and (their) friends out.

And that’s how hours passed without their notice, and Takemitchy pales, blubbering about being too late and stumbling outside, only to run headfirst into a tall adult body just outside the Sano household’s gates.

The moment Takemitchy realizes who’s in front of him, he reacts.

(There are two things Mikey’s known for.

First, he’s invincible.

Second, he’ll tear apart anyone who dares to touch what’s his.

The Dark Impulse has no part in either of these things.)

Mikey snaps.

Takemichi moves to the Sano house by the end of the week.

The first day he comes to school after the whole mess, he’s escorted by a surprisingly willing Draken, who promptly gets attacked by a frenzied terrified guard dog the moment they’re in sight.

(Akkun has been Takemichi’s friend since kindergarten, so he was a frequent guest at the Hanagaki house. In fact, he tried to visit and sleep over as much as he could, but Takemichi was at his most relaxed when he was outside. And who stayed outside the most?

Sendo Atsushi could tell you a number of reasons why he decided to become a delinquent, but he never voiced the most important of them all.

He did it for a friend.)

(Through it all, no one could explain Draken’s protectiveness of Takemichi. Mikey’s guesses ranged from “you’re too cute to let anyone hurt you” to “maybe he went to the past with us”.

Draken never gave even a hint either way.)

Chapter Text

One day in kindergarten Sendo Atsushi heard yelling in the playground and moved closer to see what's going on - a boy stubbornly talking back to a group of slightly older kids only to get beaten up for that. But there was a harassed looking girl cowering slightly to the side from them before she mumbled a sorry in the boy's direction and ran away just as the beating started, so Atsushi grudgingly helped the boy up after the older kids left.

And that's how Atsushi met Hanagaki Takemichi.

Takemichi, as Atsushi - newly dubbed Akkun - soon found out, was a stubborn kid when he wanted to. He also had a protective streak that was usually directed at the strangest of people, which led to Takemichi often being bruised. But his smiles when Atsushi came to help or asked if he could come to Takemichi's house to play for the first time were the brightest things ever .

Atsushi didn't know when things went wrong, but with time Takemichi changed from a kid who was hopeless in a fight but never let it stop him to a kid who was hopeless in a fight because violence terrified him, his “You’re gonna stay the night?” lost the excited continuation of “For real?” in exchange for the confused “Why?” undertone. But Takemichi seemed to breathe a little easier when they were wandering outside, so Akkun took to dragging him off after kindergarten to go exploring, since his parents never minded longer routes and Takemichi’s weren’t there anyway.

(Atsushi didn’t realize until years later how wrong that was.

It took much longer for him to understand why his parents seemed to always fall for his ploys to stay the night at Takemichi’s house - and always watched him carefully when he came back.

The day he finally got it Atsushi came to his mother for no reason and wordlessly gave her a tight hug, hiding his tears in her greyed hair.

They really deserved a better son than him.)

Turned out, Takemichi wasn’t the only one who had a mile long protective streak, but unlike his friend Akkun wasn’t a crybaby, so of course it fell on him to watch Takemichi’s back every time he decided to play a hero - again. Well, he couldn’t be there every time, but he tried.

That didn’t mean that he enjoyed the “Mama Atsushi” nickname some idiot gave him in their first year of elementary school. So he punched the idiot.

Later that idiot cornered him to declare that there will be payback and to come in the evening - after their curfew - to a playground nearby, if Akkun wasn’t a coward that is.

Atsushi wasn’t afraid of the delinquent-wannabe, but he wasn’t an idiot and called the three boys he and Takemichi befriended lately with him.

They won.

Takemichi met him with angry kids the next day, ranting at Akkun about making him worry and insisting that they take him with them next time.

He barely managed to calm the other boy down before the first lesson started, but those last words gave Atsushi an idea.

Akkun really really regretted that he decided to make that idea a reality when they were in middle school. He should’ve found another way, and maybe then the five of them wouldn’t be punch bags for Kiyomasa and his gang. This was his responsibility. His fault.

So he was going to fix this.

But then Takemichi called out to Kiyomasa, and then stood up for himself and for his friends - Akkun included - and maybe he wasn’t dealing any damage, but he wasn’t giving up either.

It was as if somehow the time turned back to when Takemichi was that kid that wasn’t going to stop just because he couldn’t win instead of the scrawny kid who couldn’t handle anyone bigger than himself without freezing up.

It was a miracle.

It was also another of Akkun’s failures.

Atsushi clenched his fists as he watched Touman’s commanders save his friend.

He couldn’t fail again.

(He barely managed to calm the other boy down before the first lesson started, but those last words gave Atsushi an idea.

He pondered if that idea was a good one when one day in their third year of elementary school when Takemichi didn’t come to school without any warning, only for his father to grab Akkun after the school day was over, demanding to know his son’s whereabouts right this second or else .

Atsushi didn’t know what scared him more about his friend’s disappearance - that something happened to Takemichi, or what was waiting for him when he came back.

A few days passed with no news and dozens of wild rumors, and then came the morning of the next Monday - and with it a very quiet and very nervous Takemichi with a dangerous looking older - and much taller - kid following him and watching his every move.

By that time Akkun’s nerves were frayed with the lack of proper sleep, worry and - he admitted it, if only to himself - fear for his friend.

So he snapped.

Later, Atsushi fell asleep almost as soon as the first lesson started, a small smile on his face despite the fresh bruise on his cheek courtesy of an amused for some reason Draken.

Takemichi will be alright.)