#cwrites;

“So, who do you all think is the most attractive among us?” It sounded like a rhetorical question coming from Baji. The boy was laying down at the temple floor, both hands behind his head, bronze eyes scanning the faces of his friends as he waited for an answer. When all he got was curious stares, he sighed loudly. “Yeah, that was unfair. Everyone knows it’s me.”

Kazutora snorted, which promptly made Baji frown, offended. “So full of yourself, stupid-Kei.” Kazutora shook his head.

“Eh? If not me, who’s it then?” Baji sat up from his spot, glaring daggers at Kazutora. 

“Of course it’s me.” He shrugged, a large, teasing smile on his face.

Baji opened his mouth to retort, and of course with them involved something this stupid and simple would turn into an argument. But then Pah-chin decided to join their stupidity. 

“I think it’s me.” Pah-chin said nonchalantly, not even looking up from the game he had in hands.”You two look crazy, I bet it makes girls scared.”

“Shut up, your face is stupid!”

Deep inside, Draken knew he should keep his mouth. That it wasn’t a serious conversation, just boys being stupid. But he thought that giving the right answer would make them agree with him and drop the subject. How wrong he was.

“I think it’s Mikey.” The moment the words left Draken’s mouth, he knew he had screwed up. His friends went quiet, and even Mitsuya stared at him with wide eyes as if he was an alien. “What?”

“Dude…” Baji started, his smile turning vicious. He got elbowed by Kazutora, but that wasn’t enough to make him stop. “Are you like... gay for him or something?”

His face went pale and god, he didn’t even know what to say to defend himself. Mikey, the little demon, who seemed uninterested until now, decided it was a good time to join the conversation. He turned towards Draken, smiling with a knowing glint in his eyes.

“Aw, you think I’m pretty, Ken-chin?” Mikey pouted, and all the guys started laughing. Draken felt his ears and the back of his neck become hot, and he knew his face was getting red.

“You’re all a bunch of assholes.” He frowned, getting up to leave because there’s no way they would stop teasing him anytime soon. Fuck.

Mikey was laughing, that stupid, melodious laugh, his eyes closed from how hard he was shaking and Draken hated how even right now he couldn’t stop thinking that yeah, that small fucking demon was beautiful.

Mikey felt restless that night. He tossed around, wrapped the blanket around himself and then proceeded to throw it away again, feeling cold and too hot at the same time. His head felt it was spinning and he couldn't just sleep like he wanted to. Next to him, Draken would groan, mutter at him to stay still, but he just couldn't.

How could he when it was that day. It had been a normal day like any other, but Mikey still remembered that on this same day, on a reality that he and Takemichi managed to change, Draken had died. And they were okay now. Together. Everyone was saved, including Ken. But every year, at July 7th, it was as if Mikey could feel all the pain again. The dread. The emptiness. His whole body nothing more than a pile of nothing. And it hurt, it always did. It didn't matter if they were seventeen, drinking together with Toman for no reason, or if he had spent the whole day with Draken (like he had today). July 7th hurt like a wound that could never close. He could hear the clock ticking and his own breathing and everything was just too much.

What Mikey didn't expect (and had never lived before, because damn, he and Draken had just admitted their feelings towards each other a couple months ago) was the strong arms that suddenly held him in place.

"You move too much." Draken groaned, voice heavy with sleep.

Without thinking too much, the taller just pulled Mikey close. Closer, until he felt his body being engulfed by the warm, bigger one of his stupidly tall boyfriend.Pressed like this, from head to toe, Mikey had his face almost painfully smashed against the muscled chest. He whined a little, tried to find a better position, but then he heard.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

It was a slow rhythm, beating right against his ear. Draken's heart. Alive, beating, making his body warm and right there, next to him.Mikey closed his eyes. Relaxed. Released the breath he didn't even realize he was holding.It was okay. He would be okay. He wouldn't be empty because Ken-chin was there with him.