Chapter Text
And they said that boys were boys, but they were wrong
Chifuyu watches with disinterest as Kisaki Tetta climbs the steps of the higher platform to stand next to Mikey. He already knew what was to come out of Mikey’s mouth next.
His own captain stands beside him, arms crossed, not afraid to show his disapproval. Maybe that is why Toman had the guts to get noisy about the newly appointed 3rd division captain sitting with his back to the Commander.
Chifuyu continues to stand quietly as Toman gets rowdy, openly unhappy with this decision when they recognize Kisaki from Moebius, at least until Draken challenges them to step forward. Chifuyu almost wished someone would try, but he knew that no one would be suicidal enough to stand toe to toe with Mikey.
Chifuyu glances at Baji before quickly turning away when Baji meets his eyes. They already challenged Mikey on this decision, but it only took one glare and a threat of house arrest for them to step down. The threat of Valhalla after Moebius was too great. So they needed Kisaki.
Chifuyu exhaled, feeling defeated when Mikey concluded the nomination ceremony for 3rd division captain. But before he could depart with his captain, he saw a flash of bleached blonde running to the steps - past Draken - right to Kisaki. Chifuyu audibly gasped as the fist connected to the 3rd division captain’s cheek, glasses chattering then shattering onto the ground.
“Holy shit,” Chifuyu mumbled to himself, quickly looking at his captain, confused as to why he was grinning. Before he could even question him, Baji was following the other captains up the steps.
“Mikey. Let the first division handle this guy,” Baji grinned, cracking his knuckles.
“Why should the first division?” Mucho huffed. “It obviously falls into the fifth division’s jurisdiction,”
“He’s not a part of Toman , correct? So it’s anyone’s game,” Baji grinned as Mucho clicked his tongue.
“Fine, Baji… I will let the first division take care of it. I am disappointed in you, Takemichy,”
“We will teach him a lesson, and he will come back and give a proper apology,” Baji seized Takemichi by the arm and dragged him out of the crowd. Chifuyu was quick to follow.
“Holy shit, that dude is dead,”
“Baji is going to take care of him? He is a goner,”
“Would it be inappropriate to pray for his soul?”
“He is going to need it,”
“Uh, I am sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I didn’t mean to-”
“Shut up,” Chifuyu glared at the bleached blonde. He believes he heard Draken address him as ‘Takemichy’. “You will speak when Baji asks you to,” Takemichi swallowed as he sealed his lips closed.
Content with his compliance, the duo dragged Takemitchi away from the shrine and down the street to a park.
“So, what was that about?” Baji crossed his arms as he pushed Takemichi to take a seat on the swings.
“Um, well,” Takemichi swallowed, wringing his hands together. It was obvious he isn’t used to punching as his knuckles were already bruising, “Kisaki is bad news! You have to believe me! He will destroy Toman ,”
“You are not even in Toman ,” Chifuyu pointed out.
“Please! He- He,” Baji sighed, causing Takemichi to crease his pleading.
“Proof?”
“What?”
“Do you have proof to back up your claims?”
“No…” Takemichi sighed, slumping his shoulders.
“I don’t like that dude either, but at the end of the day - it is Mikey’s decision. Got it? Don’t pull that shit again,”
“Y-Yes!” Takemichi attempted to stand to leave but was stopped by Baji.
“Oh, we aren’t done yet. I can’t just let you leave with some words,” Baji sent his fist into Takemichi’s face a couple of times before letting him fall to the ground.
“Let’s go, Chifuyu,”
“Yes, Baji!”
The first division captain and first division vice-captain basically forget about Takemichi and the whole ordeal with the 3rd division captain the next day. They share a box of pocky as they walk home from school, discussing what they should do now.
The simple bliss of being two boys hanging out was suddenly disturbed when Chifuyu felt something hard whacking the back of his head. He wanted to scream Baji’s name, but his eyes closed and he blacked out before he knew it.
When he woke up, he was slouching against a rundown arcade machine, arms restricted to his side with several layers of duct tape. The same as his ankles.
The area was dimmed, causing Chifuyu a headache as his eyes attempted to adjust to the new environment.
“Ah! He is awake!” a cheery voice rumbled and whacked Chifuyu’s skull as he was lifted by his hair and shoved into a stool. Chifuyu’s thighs trembled as he fought gravity to stay seated on the stool and not fall over as he wouldn’t be able to catch himself.
“Is everyone here?” the same voice asked. A few grumbled and cheers followed after the question. “Good! Because now the main cast is here!”
“Kazutora! What the hell is this?!” Chifuyu’s eyes snapped to Baji’s voice. He was in a similar situation as himself, bruised and restricted with duct tape.
“You know what this is about!” Kazutora grinned, a crazed expression sketched his face. “I want you to join Valhalla! So we can kill Mikey!”
“I already told you that I won’t go along with your plan! So why did you bring Chifuyu and that guy into this?” Chifuyu glanced over to that ‘guy’ Baji was talking about - surprised to find the bleached blonde from the other day laying on his side. He was also restricted with several layers of duct tape, but his mouth was covered unlike Baji and himself. His blue eyes screamed for help.
“I know, so I have to persuade you now. Because I don’t want to fight you. Remember what you told me? If hell awaits for me, you will be by my side. What happened to that? Is it because of this guy?” Chifuyu’s scalp burned as a harsh grip took hold of his hair.
“Kazutora! Stop!”
“So, I was right,” Kazutora pushed Chifuyu away, causing him to lose balance and fall onto the ground. As his chin bounced against the dirty carpet, Chifuyu left his lip busting open, mouth filling with blood. Chifuyu would hear Baji calling for him. “Listen, Baji. If you join Valhalla, I will let these two go!”
“Kazutora! Are you out of your mind?”
“Just a little,” the side of Chifuyu’s face burst into pain as Kazutora stomped his foot into his cheek. “You can watch him die. Then the other one,”
“I am not even close to the other dude! I don’t even know his name,”
“Ouch! Don’t hurt poor Takemichi’s feelings like that! It is okay - he is just more of a witness. I know he is close to Mikey. So he can run off and tell Mikey that we are coming for him!”
“Kazutora! Stop!” Chifuyu coughed up blood as Kazutora sent a kick straight to his stomach. Then to his ribs. Then back to his stomach. Chifuyu couldn’t even hear Baji anymore as cheers echoed through the arcade. It must be the other members of Valhalla.
What sucked the most is that Chifuyu couldn’t move out of the way of the upcoming assaults.
Chifuyu suddenly felt a weight sitting on top of him as a fist collided with his face over and over again. If blood and pain weren’t blurring his vision, he would be able to see the crazed expression on Kazutora's face.
Man, he didn’t even know this guy. How was he tied to Baji?
Chifuyu felt like he was suffocating with the assault on his face, especially with blood sliding down from the back of his nose down to his throat, bubbling in his mouth.
“Kazutora, please stop,” Baji cried. “I will go along with your plan. Just please stop hurting him,” Baji sobbed.
Kazutora chuckled as he stood up, wiping his knuckle against his shirt.
“Good! Good! Now, Takemichi! Run and tell Mikey we will be coming after him on October 31st! A week from now! We will crush Toman!”
The cheers lured Chifuyu to sleep.
Chifuyu woke up in a pile of trash. Chifuyu groaned as he lifted himself up. The tape still secured his arms to his side, but now his ankles were free.
Shit.
“Oh! You are awake,” Takemichi chuckled. “Um, it took me a while, but I managed to wiggle my phone out of my pocket and call Mitsuya. He is on his way,”
Chifuyu didn’t digest the words as he wigged himself to sit up properly and brace himself on his feet. Pain shot from his ankle, making him collapse back into the trash bags.
“Fuck,” Chifuyu groaned. Every part of his body was pulsing in pain that he couldn’t focus.
“You don’t look good. You really should take it slow,” Takemichi tried again to reach out to Chifuyu.
Luckily, he didn’t have to try harder to get Chifuyu to stay still when he heard Mitsuya’s voice.
“Damn, they really did a number on you guys,” Mitsuya sighed, immediately going to Chifuyu’s side and tearing the tape off. Hakkai did the same to Takemichi.
“Chifuyu? You good?”
“T-They got Baji,”
“Takemichy told me. It is okay. We will get him back, okay?” Chifuyu nodded, tears welling, stinging as they fell down his face. “Let's get you patched up, okay?” Mitsuya dragged Chifuyu to stand up and guide himself to climb on his back.
“You are okay to walk yourself?” Takemichi stumbled around his words as he nodded to Hakkai’s question. “So, what happened?” Hakkai asked as they began walking away from the trash dump.
“I was at school when Kazutora suddenly came to my class. He tried to drag me out of school and when I resisted; he kicked my ass. Then I woke up in Valhalla’s hideout,”
“Baji and I,” Chifuyu cleared his throat. “Were walking home from school before I suddenly felt something hitting the back of my head, knocking me out. I woke up tied up and at their hideout. Then I got my shit rocked until Baji agreed to join Valhalla,”
“Kazutora said they plan to attack a week from now! On Halloween!” Takemichi added.
“Kazutora… did he have a tiger tattoo on his neck?” Chifuyu sank into Mitsuya’s warmth. He hoped that Hakkai did not mind as Chifuyu soaked up some affection from Mitsuya as he felt like crap.
“Yeah, he did,” Mitsuya sighed.
“Shit,”
“Do you know him…?”
“He was a founder of Toman before he got sent to juvie…”
“Juvie?”
Chifuyu’s eye twitched as the conversation continued around him. He only now realized that he couldn’t open his other eye as it was swollen shut.
Damn. He really was going to kill me if Baji didn’t stop him . Chifuyu thought to himself.
“Baji and Kazutora were really close back then. They were kind of impulsive and always getting into trouble. But when that day went down… I don’t understand why things went south so fast,” Mitsuya sighed. Chifuyu realized he missed a huge piece of the story. “I can’t believe Kazutora would go this far. So they are planning to attack on Halloween?”
“Yes,” Takemichi sighed. “What are we going to do?”
“First, we are going to patch up Chifuyu. Then call Mikey and tell him what went down. After that, it is Mikey’s choice,” Mitsuya carefully adjusts Chifuyu on his back. “Are you still doing alright?”
“Uh-huh…” Chifuyu mumbled, realizing that he couldn’t close his lip properly and he got bloody drool on Mitsuya’s jacket. Gross.
It wasn’t long before Mitsuya was climbing up some stairs, two flights, down the hall, stopping at the second to last door. Chifuyu’s apartment.
“Um, your key?” Mitsuya questioned as Chifuyu realized they were just standing in front of his door. His mom should still be at work. So they can’t knock. But there is no way he could let his mom see him like this.
Fuck, his book bag. Who knows where it is now after that attack.
“Uh,” Chifuyu sighed, attempting to wiggle off of Mitsuya’s back, but Mitsuya adjusted his hold, keeping Chifuyu on his back.
“Don’t fall now,” Mitsuya chided, misunderstanding Chifuyu’s movements.
“Look in the potter plant. There is a spare key,” Chifuyu pointed at the single plant beside the door. They kept a spare really for Baji so he could come in as he wanted.
Hakkai took the initiative to grab the spare key and unlock the door.
The small mew and a jiggle from a bell on a collar greeted them at the door.
“Peke J!” Chifuyu mumbled into Mitsuya’s shoulder. The cat meowed, hissing at the guest. “No, don’t be rude,”
Mitsuya chuckled as he lowered Chifuyu onto the couch and Peke J immediately rushed to his side, rubbing his small face into Chifuyu’s arm. Mitsuya excused himself to the restroom to wash his hands and grab the first aid kit.
With gentle precision, Mitsuya began to clean Chifuyu’s face before putting bandages where needed.
Hakkai and Takemichi awkwardly stood in the doorway, taking glances between Mitsuya and Chifuyu then at each other.
“Do you need… your wounds to be tended, too?” Hakkai awkwardly asked.
“Oh, um. I am fine!”
“Okay,”
It was awkwardly quiet again minus the slight hisses coming from Chifuyu every once in a while, then soon a soft apology would come from Mitsuya. Peke J just sat and watched. Sometimes Peke J would get on his hind legs and swat at Mitsuya’s hands.
“Peke J. I am trying to tend your friend’s wounds,” Mitsuya lectured the cat, causing the feline to sit back down and tilt his head. Chifuyu snorted, wincing in pain.
“Where else does it hurt?”
“My chest and ribs… and my ankle,” Mitsuya nodded.
“Can you take off your shirt-”
“Mitsuya!” Hakkai gasped.
“Stop that,” Mitsuya huffed, signaling Chifuyu to unbutton his school uniform. Chifuyu realized that his school shirt was covered in dirt and blood. Man, his mom was going to kill him for ruining his uniform.
Mitsuya quickly applied arnica ointment on Chifuyu’s chest before kneeling on the floor to check Chifuyu’s ankle and do the same.
“All better?” Chifuyu nodded.
“Thank you so much,” the beating started to feel like a faded memory with Mitsuya’s care.
“No problem. I will call Mikey now,”
Mikey stood with his arms crossed, a hard glare disoriented his face, misplaced anger about to burst.
Chifuyu hid his anxiety behind his bandages and his feline. Peke J mews, singing his lullaby, unaware of what’s going on to settle the anxiety bubbling within his friend’s chest.
“So… Kazutora took Baji?” Draken repeated. Chifuyu and Takemichi nodded, tired of the same question.
“That bastard,” Mikey growled. “Who the hell does he think he is?”
“It looks like we have another reason to fight Vahalla,” Mitsuya muses.
“Um, there’s no way to get him back before the battle with Vahalla?” Takemichi tried, swallowing heavily as Mikey turned his glare over to him. Despite his apology, with the help of his favorite snack, Mikey was still annoyed with Takemichi.
“No. despite he was coerced into joining Valhalla, he technically made the decision at the end to join. So we have to defeat Valhalla to take him back,”
Takemichi nodded, not actually understanding what the hell Mikey said. Was that some type of delinquent rule he was unaware of?
“I will assemble the rest of Toman to inform them of the upcoming battle. Chifuyu, rest, okay? None of this is your fault and we will get Baji back,”
“Thank you, Commander,”
The rest said their goodbyes before leaving Chifuyu alone with his thoughts. A single tear rolled down from his good eye, soon absorbed by the bandage on his cheek.
“Baji…”
A heavy warm hand rustled Chifuyu from his dreamy state. Chifuyu blinked, dislodging the tears as he yawned.
“Mom…?” Chifuyu mumbled, but the familiar chuckle shook him more awake. “Baji!”
“Hey, relax. Don’t move too much,” the worried look on Baji’s face felt out of place to Chifuyu.
“No, I am … okay. Mitsuya patched me up. What - what are you doing here?”
“Well, I live in the same apartment complex-“
“No, in my room. Are - is this okay?”
“Your mom let me in, so it’s okay -“
“No. That isn’t what I meant,” Chifuyu pouted. He knew Baji was deflecting. Because if they address it, then it’s real. But it was real regardless if anyone said anything or not.
“It will be,”
“Did they hurt you?”
“No, I am okay,” Baji smoothed Chifuyu’s bangs. “I am so sorry you got wrapped into this,” Chifuyu frowned as he wrapped his arms around Baji’s neck, catching the boy off guard. “Chifuyu…”
“Baji,” Chifuyu swallowed the lump in his throat. “Baji, don’t,”
“Chifuyu,”
“Don’t leave. Don’t leave. We will get you back. I promise - Mikey promise!”
“Okay, okay,” Baji rubbed small circles on Chifuyu’s back. “This is all temporary,”
“Does… he - Kazutora. Does he-“
“We just bear the same sin,” Chifuyu only nodded. Baji pushed Chifuyu back a little to place a kiss over the bandaged eye. “You don’t deserve this…”
“Will we be okay?”
Baji answered Chifuyu’s doubt with a kiss.
Mitsuya cleaned and redressed Chifuyu’s bandages the next day. Hakkai stood over them like a hawk.
“Chifuyu, don’t fall for Mitsuya with his handsome side profile!”
“Um, okay?” Chifuyu closed his eyes so he couldn’t see Mitsuya anymore.
“Hakkai…” Mitsuya’s voice held a playful bite.
“Sorry,” Chifuyu could feel Hakkai’s presence descending away, but opted to keep his eyes closed anyway.
Chifuyu could only count down the days until the battle. Then Baji will be back by his side.
He could still remember the kiss on his lips.
“Why are you turning red?! What are you imagining?” Chifuyu fought the flush creeping on his cheeks as Hakkai pointed an accusing finger at him.
“Mitsuya is just so nice-”
“I knew it! Mitsuya, stop tending to his wounds so carefully!” the group of boys burst into laughter. Chifuyu ignored the ache in his cheeks and heart.
Chifuyu took Mikey’s advice to heart and rested. He glanced outside every once in a while to catch a glimpse of Baji. He knows they can’t risk being seen with each other before the battle, but he can’t help but hope he sees Baji in passing.
And god, was he beautiful every time he does manage a glance.
Chifuyu closed his good eye, pushing the memory of getting beaten away, and reminisced about the kiss they shared.
Chifuyu sighed as he rested on his bed, and picked up the manga he had been borrowing from Baji.
Baji said it himself. They will be okay.