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inui pretended he didn’t see when mikey came at the shop. he pretended he didn’t see the lingering looks he and draken shared with each other in the middle of the night. pretended he was asleep when the broken moans flowed around from the tight space in the room behind the register.
he pretended he did not saw how draken seemed always tired, how he always was trying to call someone.
pretended to ignore his mumbles of “fuck this shit” or “going for a smoke”.
it was one these nights, they both couldn’t find sleep. when inui saw from distance the lights of the shop turned on, he sighed. that guy knew no rest, using work to escape his thoughts.
for a while, he thought draken and mitsuya were together. always sharing dinner after busy work days, in each others space talking hushedly and chuckling. then mitsuya stopped coming around. draken told inui he was out of the country for work.
it was a cycle, his and mikey's relationship. fighting, sex, ghosting. he could understand him, to an extent. if he saw koko after all these years, he would also try to reach him.
then mikey started coming around againg. he always wondered, is kokonoi at the same state? drugged on a-class cocaine, eyes empty and body frail?
he pretended he didn't see mikey on his way out of the shop that night.
***
“i tried to call you. multiple times.”
“and i didn’t want to pick up, ken.”
draken looked up from the sink. he was just washing his hands, about to close the shop againg and go for a ride. he could not concentrate even on the bike he was fixing. part of him knew he wouldn't be able to do shit properly. the other part hoped a certain someone would come.
he started feeling used to his presence at night, to touch his skin and feel the rush only mikey could ever give him.
he remembered one night. they always ended up one in front of the other, smoking cigarettes till all the stars hid and the sun was just about to shine. mikey was leaned against a wall, his body shaking from god knows what. draken held him through the night, safe in his arms and the smell of his childhood.
he clenched his jaw, holding tight onto his self-control. he wanted to punch the figure standing next to him, to throw him out of the shop and out of his life, this time for sure.
“then why the fuck are you here, manjiro?”
manjiro. the name was spit out with as much venom and anger draken kept inside the weeks the younger did not come. they always met at night, when draken felt his emotions go on overdrive. daytime was not safe for a nationally searched criminal. he thought the little bitch overdosed and died.
mikey was leaned against a wall, and he looked as sober as he could be. his eyes were a little more focused, althought he was tremblimg. draken huffed when he saw a bottle of pills in his front pocket.
after drying his calloused hands with a towel, he went to get his things from the back room. breathing was getting harder when the smaller was around.
“hand me the gun, manjiro. how many times am i going to repeat to you? if you want to see me so much, come without the fucking gun.”
a brow was raised at him, head tilted sideways. empty eyes were staring into his soul, into his childhood and all the memories they made.
“oh? what do you want me to do? fall down to my knees with hands behind my head?”
he still handed the gun to draken, who locked it in a cabinet. snarling, he came closer to the shaky figure.
“you could start with falling to your knees, yeah.”
the sight was sad, really. mikey has changed over years. draken was so, so scared for him.
“i am the leader of the most strong criminal organization of japan. i don't fall to my knees, people do it for me.”
the bastard was fucking with him. the fucking audacity he had. coming here, fucking around with draken's emotions, acting like a chlid. some things never change.
he could never hit him. never. the invincible mikey that relied only on his body strenght was now a bag of bones.
“get to the point. what the fucking do you want from me?”
a breathless chuckle fell from bitten lips.
“i wanted to see you.”
the older looked at the clock. 4:22 am.
draken released a breath, his body falling down next to mikey. he took out a box of cigarettes from his pocket, taking one out and lighting it up. he inhaled from the nicotine as much as his lungs could manage.
in the end, mikey was all alone. he had no trust in anyone in his life. draken was his only escape from the routine of killing people and doing a-class drugs. he was tired of the smell of blood, of the emptiness of his penthouse, of sanzu running after him. draken's presence was grounding when mikey was on the edge. with him, he was not sano manjiro, the leader of bonten. he was mikey.
he thought about suicide, quite often at that. he thought about ending it all. when his mind could not shut up, when he was standing at the edge of a building about to fucking end it all, he came. he came to smoke and fuck and not talk, because draken knew him more than anyone else. he still tasted like sunrise bike rides and street fights, still smelled like motor oil. draken was all he had left.
“do you want to hurt me, ken-chin?”
draken looked at him, clearly surprised. they were close, but not touching yet.
“what the fuck do you mean? if i wanted to hurt you, i would have already.”
mikey did not speak for a minute, letting the words sink in. draken did not ask. he waited patiently for mikey to explain himself if he even wanted to.
“are you lying?”
draken felt himself get a little worried. what the fuck was mikey talking about? yeah, draken was angry, so so angry. but he could never, ever hurt him in any way.
“mikey, what is happening?”
silence. mikey was smoking his cigarette, looking at the distance. his bony hands were covered in red, blue-ish bruises. he stubbed out the filter of the cig, then looked at draken. he looked so, so cold.
“i think it's better if i leave.”
before he could even think about standing up, draken grabbed his wrist, dragging him closer to bigger body. ken grabbed his chin, making the smaller look at his eyes.
“you”, draken said through his teeth, “are not going anywhere. i will not let you dissapear again. do you fucking understand me?”
for first time in years, mikey felt his eyes water.
“just let me go. i'm sure you can find another whore, right? inui seems like a nice replacement for me.”
draken was getting livid at this point.
“what the fuck are you talking about? do you even hear yourself? do you think i would let you in my life again just to fuck you? are you out of your goddamn mind?”
their faces were getting closer, both glaring. who the fuck made mikey think that way?
“i'm tired of keeping quiet, you know? from where are the fucking bruises, mikey. who hurt you so much to think i want to, too?”
mikey huffed, his eyes still glaring.
“nothing to worry about ken-chin. it's not your goddamn business.”
lips slamed. draken grabbed at skinny waist.
“you're so fucked up.”
mikey climbed into his lap, his lips in a sickening smile.
“fuck me, ken. make me feel like i could breath again.”