Yuki Yamada wearing 15 cm insole just to match Draken’s height in the original. Seeing them close, it really looks like Draken and Mikey came out from the manga.
-have you gone insane, mikey?! -emma! your dolls are dead! -no! mikey! i’m sorry!
kindergarten it’s a weird period of a person’s life. and to manjiro sano, it was no exception
he couldn’t complain though. barely assisting to the classroom, spending the day eating in his seat, watching other kids do the things that, well, kids do. and ignoring his exhausted and poorly paid teachers, observing them while they attempted to get the class attention, unimpressed and mostly bored. he has always been a reserved and mature (only when he felt like it) kid. certainly one of a kind
there were actually just a few things he could count with his palm that caught his attention, but they were all outside school and all involving his older brother at some point 1. his motorcycle 2. his gang 3. all types of candy 4. showing off his talent at the dojo 5. and his brother somewhat girlfriend this last point, we could say, it’s the most important for him now
it was tuesday, and on tuesdays, mikey has a two hours class with miss yukishi, an elder woman that imparts writing to the lower grades. she has decades of experience at his school and an impeccable record in the field of teaching
mikey didn’t like her class at all, simply because he always had work to do as shameless as it sounds, and she smelled like rosemary and wet soil much to mikey’s disguise. but she was kind after all, one of the few professors that managed to get him to focus. and on that particular day, he felt like attending and giving her a chance. mistake or not, he was surely glad he took the decision to be present
the assignment for the day, was writing a note with a minimum extension of 10 words, to whoever he wanted about any topic. his options were:
his older brother, no. he is dumb his little sister, no. she will make fun of him his grandpa, no. he is busy and he probably don’t like those kind of things keisuke from the dojo, no. he is even dumber y/n from his brother middle school oh, y/n from his brother middle school
young manjiro thought about love the same way he felt about santa claus. an illusion, something that makes people freak out, and act stupidly. he was used to feel embarrassed of his brother and the weird things he did for girls, so he swore to the gods that he would never lacerate his dignity like that. until he met you
see, he never felt attracted to any of his classmates, of course not. girls his age were missing teeth, wore funny pigtails, used too much glitter on their school artwork and were extremely nosy. they bothered him. while you, you were quiet and sweet, way too tall compared to his diminute height, your hair was perfectly combed and you always smelled nice. besides, the best thing of all, you hanged around his house sometimes, and you always watched him practice at the dojo, complimenting him and bringing him snacks. you were amiable, you were pretty
and he likes pretty things he likes pretty victory, he likes pretty praise, he likes pretty candy, he likes pretty girls like you
so one day, he definitely saw why his brother was whipped for you, he understood it and reciprocated it, much to shinichiro’s misfortune
he vividly remembers a few nights ago, catching the two of you sharing a few pecks on the lips in his house backyard, when you both thought no one would see you. and it certainly was a strange feeling for him, like when you want something from a store and you arrive just in time to see that someone else is taking the last piece, exactlylike that. he was mad, he frowned, and he went to sleep without having dinner
a very much concerning thing coming from him
in that moment, he decided that he was taking action by himself, and with miss yukishi most recent assignment, he had a plan
you might have shared some kisses or whatever disgusting things, but he knew his older brother was a dumbass and that he probably hasn’t asked you out yet. so he was taking advantage on that later, mostly like plan b. for now, the card was his holy grail
a couple of classes later, staying a few hours after school time for practicing, some elderly advices for troubles with the ladies and thousands of attemps in the trashing can, he finally wrote something eligible. miss yukishi was patient and she was good at what she did, so little manjiro finally accepted her to what she truly was, a great teacher
now, he just had to give it to you
buthow?
it shouldn’t be that hard, right?
-how did you dare to write stuff like this to my girl?! you tryin’ to ask her out or something?!
the thing is that, emma found the card under mikey’s pillow while roaming curiously on his room and she had the brilliant idea to run to shinichiro and make fun of him together. it seemed like a good plan for starters, until the older one figured out who the card was for, and his burlesque smile turned into a disgusted grimace
-she is not your girl yet! you are a coward enough to not make a move, so i will beat you to it!
lie his brother was a lot of things to him, a prick, a pathetic gangster wannabe and a lovefool. but shinichiro sanowasnota coward, and he was just talking things that he knew would get on his nerves. a risky road to take, indeed
-that’s so not happening! and it is actually not your problem! thank god emma told me about this -she is a snitch! snitches deserve to die!
the little girl was hiding under his big brother’s leg, fearing for her life and the safety of her toys. fat, hot tears falling from her cheeks, regretful. that’s just how kids were, doing things without thinking. she didn’t expect all of this to happen, not at all
-hey! apologize to her! and to me too! how can you stab your brother from the back like that, huh?! -you both can kiss my butt! -you little shi-
-good evening, grandpa sano. can i come in?
the three pair of eyes gleamed and directed down the hall at the same time, where your voice was heard
-she is here!
emma screamed and mikey jumped to snatch the piece of paper from his brother’s hand, running to you -give me that! -no! y/n! don’t read anything he gives you!
you were just greeting the old man, and in an instant, you felt the three of them ambushing you
-hi y/n. this is for you, i wrote it. open it now- mikey was sweating and clinging to your waist, subsequently grabbing your hand and carefully placing the piece of paper inside. it was not just paper, actually. it was his tiny heart, his innocent emotions harboring for the first time, all of this, in your palm -huh? are you guys okay? -please don’t- shinichiro was practically on the floor, with pleading eyes. what the hell was going on? -please hurry, could you read it now? -o-okay, calm down you too
they didn’t even greet you, and you noticed emma’s watering eyes, something you will take care of after this mess. you needed to open it
and when you did, it had the words
you are sweet like dorayaki that is why i like you
mikey
it was done, you read it. he followed your eyes scan the paper in front of him, his effort, his feelings. everything stood there, freezed. relying on your reaction, waiting. certainly not patiently, but waiting
he was, nervous? he doesn’t really know. his heart felt like stopping from how fast it was beating, and he was breathing so harshly that he even felt dizzy for a moment. this is all new to him, and he wasn’t sure if he was really enjoying it anymore
so this is love? ew
until you crouched in front of him, and folded the tiny piece of paper on a square, holding it close to your chest. you looked at him tenderly, and smiled
-this is really nice of you, manjiro. your writing improved a lot, i’m very proud of you- you even noticed that -you really think so?- his eyes were glowing. compliments fell on his ears every once in a while, in the dojo and sometimes at school. but hearing it from you was a diferent level, you were thatspecial, and you had no idea -yeah, of course. and also, you know i like you too, mikey you leaned closer and smooched his left cheek twice, leaving marks of your cherry chapstick all over it -be good, okay? and be sure to thank miss yukishi for teaching you what you now know, treat her nicely and be grateful always, can you do that for me? you were well aware of his blind hatred to miss yukishi, and with this, you hoped he learned a lesson. he was a kid after all, and he still needed to learn about a lot of things -sure thing. can i ask you something too? you hummed, stroking his hair gently, placing his gold locks behind his ear, carefully listening his words -can you give me another kiss? -hey!
before shinichiro could even bark again, you grabbed his face and another big loud kiss was now planted on his right cheek. from all the smeared balm you couldn’t really see if it was a natural nervous blush or the cosmetic pigment, but you decided to believe it was the first option, and your smile went wider -there. now i payed my debt, right? -can i have another? -absolutely not, go get a shower or something. we are going out- shinichiro interrupted, stepping between your crouched figure and his brother -whatever, mom -yeah, yeah. go to your room, you smurf
-thanks again mikey, i loved it
you loved it
-before you leave, i want to know something
you and shinichiro were going out together, and he was staying at home, as usual. other times, when the two of you spend time alone, he is left with this certain sensation of emptyness that makes him sleepy and uneasy. but now, this feeling in his heart is due the way he emptied it completely that night, he wasn’t glad you were his brother’s, but you were aware of how he felt, and not only that, you even said you liked him too, so he was content. you even kissed him three times
he was so ready for not washing his face in months and running tomorrow to the dojo to show keisuke your marks on his cheeks
oh, first love
-are you serious right now? -let him talk, shin- the older one rolled his eyes, squeezing your hand tighter
-can i be next? -next in what? -when you get rid of my brother, can i be your next man? -are you sure you are four years old, manjiro? -sadly, yes -that’s it, you are done
his back was leaning against one of the bars of the front fence of your shared school building
it was getting cold, and although he was wearing his trusty oversized sweatshirt, he could feel the chill of the material, piercing through the fabric and reaching his back. he felt goosebumps creep all over him
it had been two hours since your classes ended, but you stayed at your club finishing an extra job. after finding out, he decided to wait for you outside to accompany you home. if you asked him why? he wouldn’t really know, not that he was interested in finding a reason
-are you ready? sorry for keep you waiting
and there you were
chifuyu looked at you
there are times like this, where his heart stammers against his chest faster than normal and it’s mostly when he stares at your eyes. it’s confusing, what do you mean to him?
every single thing around becomes blurred when his eyes meet your shining gaze, as if every material object wandered and got lost in an infinite space
no more street lamps, no more houses
as if everything else begins to fade into clouds
clouds that are opaqued with the sun of your presence
that’s what you were for him, the luminary in his system
he usually sees himself as a stubborn little satellite that stays closely to you, witnessing all of your glow, always trying to reach your dangerous warmth, willing to be consumed by you, to be burnt entirely
foolishly, he thinks that heat would take a thousand light years to hit him, but it really just took an instant, on a simple day like this
your hand entwined with his, and he felt he would fade into ashes
