Work Text:
Inspiration: “this cage” amano tsukiko
summary: kou n mitsuba die in the painting together. In the real world, they're dumb ghost lovers and theres a tragic shitty thing there. Que some mystery.
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Stars spun around them, a dizzying pinwheel of blurring white and deep blue that sent him reeling. His stomach lurched and a cold feeling of dread washed over him. They could fall like this for eternity, a voice said, there was no telling if the ground would ever come.
Above him, a pair of terrified eyes met his own. Lacing their fingers together, one pair bigger and rougher than the other, he squeezed. Offering a warm smile, Kou pulled lightly. Mitsuba came easily, mouth opening to say something and then closing.
Brilliant displays of light played out in the redhead's eyes, as shooting stars raced by above. Between the spray of lights, the terror began to fade. Lifting a hand to touch the boy's cheek, Kou rested his forehead to the others.
Eyes slipping closed, Mitsuba leaned into the touch.
000
The halls felt empty, without the vibrant laughter filling them. Shadows creeped and crawled, murmurs occupying the space students once had. Mitsuba watched the world pass by from the third floor hall's windows.
Nothing had changed.
Where Kou's laughter or the pretend Yoko and Sato's voices began, all that was left in the end was silence. Putting a hand to the glass, he watched the police work outside. Yellow tape was strung all across the grounds.
Days later, it was still the only part of the school that moved.
Murmurs of investigations, of the consequences of whoever had put an early end to the youngest Minamoto son, filled the shadows. Mitsuba chose to stay in the sunlit halls. It felt too lonely in his own boundary.
Night brought on memories. Of stars, of falling, of Kou's hand in his own as they walked along dark halls. Mitsuba sought the night sky. In the absence of everything else, it seemed to swallow him.
000
On the roof, he found Hanako staring up at the moon. He wore an odd expression, something Mitsuba couldn't put a name to. For a moment, he debated turning around and leaving.
“You know where the idea of wishing on stars comes from?”
Mitsuba stopped in his tracks. Swallowing, he turned to look at the older spirit. “H-Huh...?”
Hanako's gaze stayed on the moon, full of something Mitsuba didn't know the name of. “Because it was said that the gods created shooting stars. If you wish on one, its said they will hear it.”
He didn't want to be here.
Turning to look at the redhead, Hanako tilted his head. “You wished, right? But it didn't come true.” a mirthless smile turned up the corners of his lips. “We're not all that different I suppose.”
Tsukasa flitted across his minds eye. Mitsuba took a step back. “You think so...”
“I do.” turning back to the moon, the smile fell away. “We're both alone.”
000
Class began. Students milled about the halls, whispering and murmuring. A memorial was set up. The somber photograph did little to capture the radiance of Kou's personality. Mitsuba avoided it.
No one knew what happened.
Everyone had their theories, of course. Most were considerate enough not to talk ill of the youngest Minamoto. Most.
“I heard he was pining over someone.”
“Really? Who?”
“There was a boy...”
Mitsuba hated it. He hated every last rumor he heard. Hated that he was alone, that he'd caused all of this and still, he had nothing to show for it.
When school was in session, Mitsuba stuck to his boundary. Beyond just the whispering and murmurs of students, there was a real danger that lied in Teru. The teen had yet to surface, still grieving, but when he returned, the spirit had little doubt that it would end badly.
And he would deserve it.
Mitsuba would gladly accept any punishment the elder Minamoto exacted upon him, because he couldn't stand to look in the mirror. Couldn't handle that even after everything that he'd done, he had lost the one thing he'd wanted most.
000
“Have you heard? There's a boy that waits every day by the window of the third floor.”
“Really? Why?”
“They say, he's waiting for a lover.”
“That's so sad!”
“They say that...”
000
“How about I die to?”
The stars shone like gems in the night sky in the painting world. Here, they were dim, barely visible through clouds and light pollution.
Mitsuba laid his forehead against the cool glass of the hallway window.
000
Teru returned to school at long last, a month later. Mitsuba's heart wedged itself in his throat, that shock of golden hair and his blue eyes so familiar it hurt.
Long, sleepless nights made themselves evident in his face. His eyes had lost a luster that Mitsuba didn't know he needed to see.
Something had died inside of the older boy and for however bad as Mitsuba felt, Teru must have felt so much worse. A wild thought took him, one day after school.
As Teru turned the corner, books in hand, he paused. Alone in the late afternoon sun, Mitsuba stood. Shadows played over his face, half hidden behind his scarf and hood. Teru watched him for a long moment, before sighing heavily.
“I'm not interested in whatever you're planning on doing.” the blond said, stepping around him.
A choking cold took hold of the redhead. “I killed him.”
Teru's footsteps halted. “I know.”
Wheeling around, Mitsuba stared at the teen. “T-Then aren't you going to avenge him?” he demanded, voice cracking. “A-Aren't you going to k-kill me???”
The look the blond shot him sent ice shooting up his spine. Tired, empty. Not the same person he'd met in the hallway months ago. “Whats the point?”
“H-Huh?”
Empty and dull, the blue of those eyes. “Will it bring my brother back?”
Mitsuba flinched.
Teru tilted his head, regarding the spirit. “It wont bring either of us peace.” he said flatly. “Its pointless.”
He turned and walked away. Standing in the last rays of dying light, Mitsuba felt his heart twist in his chest. Teru's form disappeared around the corner, leaving him alone to his misery.
000
“How about I die to?”
000
The memorial was gone, when Mitsuba next visited the entrance. No flowers, no photos. No sign that Minamoto Kou had ever existed.
000
“They say, that he's been waiting for a long time. If you go there at night, during a full moon, you might even see him.”
“Really???”
“Yeah.”
“But... what about the person he's waiting for...?”
“Well...”
000
Brilliant sprays of light caught in wild blue eyes, smile wide and bright. Above them, stars shot across the sky. A warm hand against his cheek, a hand around his waist. Drawn in, towards the safety of Kou's embrace.
The ground might never come. They might fall forever.
Leaning into the hand, heart beating out a hummingbird pace, Mitsuba let his eyes flutter shut. Felt Kou's breath ghost across his cheek, his arm tighten around his waist. The world spun around them, an endless sea of stars and possibilities.
When he next opened his eyes, they were laying in a puddle of hot blood. Fingers twitched against his hip, breath stuttering and rasping in his ear. Mitsuba held fast, pressing his face into the blond's damp neck, unsure if he was trembling or if it were Kou.
The ground had come, after all.
000
It rained all that week. From dusk til dawn, gray skies shadowed the city. Colorful umbrellas bobbed along outside, as students made their way out into the world. Mitsuba watched the world pass by, wondering if the sun would ever return.
In the painting world, it never seemed to rain. Sunsets blended into dazzling sunrises, the night sky a curtain that separated halves of a play.
Kou's smile, as they splashed about in an empty pool. The warmth of his skin, his calloused fingers sliding against his arm. A spark of sunshine, against the endless gray.
Geese called outside, drawing the spirit from his thoughts. Looking up, he felt his heart lodge in his throat. Graceful wings cut against the night sky, stars shimmering around them. The clouds had pulled back, a full moon shining down.
It had stopped raining.
Something tugged at his chest. A need to be closer to that luminescent sphere, to bathe in its cool light. Mitsuba climbed the stairs to the roof, every step pulling at his heart. Once, he'd heard a story about the moon being a portal to the afterlife. When a song was played on the piano, it would open it up, allowing spirits to pass.
If it meant spending another day in this world, then Mitsuba would gladly embrace the end. Now and then, through the windows placed neatly at each landing of the staircase, he chanced a glimpse of the moon.
Slipping through the door, the spirit felt the breath leave him. So much bigger than he'd ever seen it, the moon hung like a golden disc. A breeze chilled his skin, tousling his hair. Mitsuba made no move to sink into his scarf.
Why was he standing here alone?
A heart rending frustration tore at him, the unfairness of it all burning up his throat. Tears stung his eyes as he stared up at the moon. He wanted to scream. He wanted to demand why him, beg for Kou to return to him, plead for another chance.
Just one more chance to see that smile, to tell him how sorry he was.
But nothing came out, when he opened his mouth.
000
Another night, spent roaming the halls. Another night, spent seeking out some corner of the school where Mitsuba felt less alone, less miserable. The moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the hall in pale light. Mitsuba found himself back at the hallway.
Someone was there.
A faint glow against the inky black, outlining a familiar form. Soft, messy blond hair fell into forlorn blue eyes. Mitsuba felt his heart jam in his throat.
Staring beyond the glass, the boy searched for something. The view of the school grounds beyond were ingrained into his minds eye. Mitsuba could have painted them with his eyes closed.
Kou didn't look a day older. He still wore those same rolled up pants, his rumpled black shirt. As if he stepped out of a memory. The blond sighed, resting a hand on the window. Without warning, he leaned forward.
Mitsuba felt a scream lodge in his throat. Blind panic spurred him into action, closing the distance between himself and the boy. Kou slipped through the window. Mitsuba let out a desperate cry, following after him.
Stars spun above them, wild and free. A dizzying pinwheel of white set against the deep blue of night. Mitsuba swung a hand out towards the boy, tears beading in the corners of his eyes. Kou glanced back, startled. He took the hand, touch cool against Mitsuba's own.
A blinding smile spread across the blond's face, eyes warm. Mitsuba yanked, pulling him close as they fell through an endless night sky. He felt so small against him, so faint. With his free hand, Kou looped it around his waist.
They could fall like this forever. Time could stop, just like this.
Mitsuba held fast, burying his face into the crook of his neck. Smelled the fresh air and the strong salt of the far shore on his skin. Closing his eyes, Mitsuba wrapped his arms tight around the boy.
Time didn't stop. The ground came.
Damp grass met their fall. For a long time, they just laid there. Taking in the sound of one another's breathing, the chill of their bodies pressed together. A hand came up to tangle in Mitsuba's hair, fingers shaking as they threaded through the locks.
Mitsuba curled his fingers into the fabric of the boy's shirt, squeezing his eyes shut. Above them, the moon hung full and gold.
000
“Have you heard? A boy stands every night here in this hall, waiting for his long lost lover.”
“That's so sad...!”
“It is. They were star crossed, you know?”
“They say that on the night of the full moon, they'll meet. And when they do, they'll be together in the next life.”
“Gosh, I hope so...”
000
Stars shone like diamonds above them. Kou reached out, taking Mitsuba's hand and lacing their fingers. The redhead leaned against him, closing his eyes and resting his head on his shoulder.
Squeezing Kou's hand, his heart ached. The blond pressed a kiss to his forehead. He didn't need to say it. Mitsuba knew.
Their wings had been cut and the future had changed. But if the freedom couldn't be chosen, it didn't matter if they were alive or dead.
Kou had made his choice long before that night in the hallway.
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