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Mishima was greeted by Kurusu walking up to his desk at the end of the day. He smiled up at the taller teen, finishing packing away his stuff before standing and asking if Kurusu was ready to go. The taller said he was, and they started to leave. However, they were called upon by Kawakami before they could get out of the door. Sharing a concerned look, they turned back and walked over to the teacher's desk. Kawakami didn't speak until all of the other students were out of the room (she had sent the helpers for the day off to copy something), but she did frown...
"I heard there was an incident with Ito-kun earlier, before I arrived," she started, and Mishima felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't get in trouble for fighting, not now, he had only just made friends, he couldn't-
"Mishima and I were talking about how angry the rumours about my criminal record made him, then Ito-kun came over. He tried to say that Mishima was wrong, that I was bad, but Mishima stood up for me. After he said what he had to, Ito-kun attempted to punch him. Mishima stopped him by dodging and grabbing his fist before telling him to not try to hurt him or me again." Kurusu spoke up, tone completely no-nonsense as he stared Kawakami down. The teacher raised an eyebrow at him, eyeing him before looking at Mishima.
"Is that true?" she asked, and the bluenette nodded. It was quiet for a long moment before Kawakami sighed, rubbing her forehead as she spoke, "Ito-kun wanted me to get you in trouble for attacking him. But... I think you two are telling the truth."
Mishima released a breath he didn't even know he was holding as Kawakami sent him a small smile before she frowned again, "Mishima, I'm worried about you."
The teen in question instantly tensed, eyes widening. Kawakami picked up on that, so she pressed on.
"You bore the brunt of Kamoshida's abuse, right? None of the other students really talk about it, but anyone with eyes could see that he favoured you... And with what came to light about your parents-"
"My parents are no one else's concern, Sensei." Mishima cut her off, glancing at Kurusu. Kawakami frowned before sighing, eyes tired as she examined Mishima.
"You didn't tell him..." she sighed, and Mishima rolled his eyes.
"I can't just talk to people about these things..." he stated, raising an unimpressed eyebrow as Kurusu watched the interaction with barely concealed confusion.
"Not even your friends?" Kawakami countered, raising her own eyebrow as she leaned forward to examine Mishima, who continued to look unimpressed.
"Considering the fact that I only accepted that Kurusu actually wants to be my friend today? No, I haven't told him," the teen replied, causing Kawakami to frown. She hesitated, sighing, before speaking.
"That's another reason I'm worried about you," she stated, steepling her hands under her chin, "You don't want to accept that anyone cares for you. It's almost like you're scared of people getting too close..."
Mishima's heart stopped for a second, freezing in his chest at Kawakami's accurate assumption, but he ignored it in favour of saying, "Sensei, you of all people know why that is."
Kawakami winced slightly at that, but didn't argue. It was quiet for a long moment until the teacher sighed, frowning still as she spoke, "Mishima... You know I'm always here. Always. If you ever need to talk..."
"You're willing to listen. I know," Mishima smiled a little at that, relaxing slightly. Kawakami nodded before telling the boys to go before they missed their trains. Mishima told Kurusu to wait for him outside of the class and to not listen in (he specified that, raising an eyebrow and glaring at Kurusu, smiling when the other teen went to linger by the stairs) before focusing on Kawakami.
"I'm okay," he sighed, but she didn't look convinced.
"You're not, Yuuki. You're really not..." she replied, frowning as she stood so she and Mishima were at a more even height. The teen sighed again, rubbing his brow and leaning against the nearest desk.
"I know..." he muttered, eyes downcast, "Are you still coming to the funeral and wake?"
"Yeah, I'll be there. Are you sure you won't need me to take Saturday off to help you prepare?" Kawakami replied, sitting on the edge of the desk opposite Mishima. The teen shook his head, smiling a little.
"You're needed here," he stated, but Kawakami frowned deeper.
"You need support Yuuki..." she murmured, watching the teen closely. Mishima knew she was right, of course she was. He just didn't know how to ask other people for help, or how to accept it when they offered...
"...Kurusu's been pretty helpful. He even introduced me to the first person I've called a friend in years." the teen said, tilting his head and staring up at the ceiling. Kawakami made an interested noise, so he continued, "Sakura Futaba, his guardian's daughter. And yes, I did consider her a friend before I accepted that Kurusu wanted to be friends. She and I had a heart-to-heart about bad childhoods and how Kurusu has saved us, then she forced me to call her by her given name and accept that we're friends..."
"How has Kurusu saved you both?" Kawakami asked, but there was something off about her tone. Mishima looked over at her, examining her, and her shifty looks gave her away.
"You know about Kurusu's extracurricular activities," he observed, and Kawakami almost flinched. The teen sighed, smiling reassuringly and asking her how she knew. She hesitated before sighing, rubbing her brow as she muttered.
"I was dealing with that couple I told you about, the ones who kept asking me for money... He found out and suddenly, they were apologising and giving back all the money and well... They were completely different, almost like they'd had a change of heart," she replied, eyes on the door as she made sure nobody entered. Mishima made an understanding noise, then the teacher turned the question around on him. He didn't even hesitate as he replied.
"After Suzui attempted to... I ran, and Kurusu found me. He figured I knew something and wouldn't leave until I told him. After that, I went with him to confront Kamoshida. He threatened to get us kicked from school, on the day he confessed to everything no less, but Kurusu acted before that. You remember when Kamoshida didn't come to school for a while? I think that happened because of what Kurusu did. If he hadn't stopped Kamoshida... There was every chance that bastard would have killed me." he stated, staring out of the window. Kawakami stared at his, wide-eyed and mouth agape, so he turned back to her with a small smile and cut off anything she might have had to say, "You didn't know. You couldn't have done anything."
"But-"
"I need to get going, okay?" Mishima cut her off as he stood up, smiling slightly. Kawakami hesitated before standing too, sighing and forcing herself to smile. She seemed to hesitate before smirking and raising an eyebrow.
"So... Why is Kurusu waiting for you? You guys going on a date?" she teased, her smirk becoming more of a fond smile when Mishima blushed and squawked, excuses rolling off of his tongue.
"I... No! It's not like that! I just... His guardian offered me a job after he found out about my parents dying! I'm going with Kurusu to see Sakura so we can discuss his offer!" he argued, pouting when Kawakami smirked again, raising an eyebrow.
"You're protesting a lot. One might think you have a crush on him..." she stated, softening when Mishima was unable to argue that, "It's okay. I'm kinda surprised, since I thought you didn't like him much, but I get you. He is your type..."
Mishima continued to blush as he rolled his eyes, heading to the door as he called over his shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow, Sensei!"
Kawakami wished him a good evening as he left, smiling and shaking her head fondly. Mishima walked over to Kurusu, his cheeks still flushed and a smile tugging at his lips. Kurusu sent him a curious look as they silently started to walk, neither speaking until they got to the train station.
"Kawakami said she knows about you and how you've been helping people. Mentioned something about that couple that had been blackmailing her for money suddenly deciding they didn't want to be so evil." Mishima said softly, leaning against a pole as they waited for their train. Kurusu's eyes widened, a hint of worry in his eyes, so Mishima continued, "She wanted to talk about me having friends and I told her that Futaba and I are, after our heart-to-heart about our childhoods and how you saved us. She became a little shifty and I figured out that she knew, so we shared how we both figured you out."
Kurusu relaxed, nodding slightly before speaking up, "I'm surprised you're willing to talk to her about that..."
Mishima hesitated, unsure what he could tell Kurusu, before sighing, rubbing his forehead as he spoke, "I lied, when I said my parents had no relatives. Kawakami... She's my aunt, on my mother's side. But no one knows that because we worry about people thinking she has favouritism towards me, about how people would react..."
Kurusu blinked in surprise before nodding, not saying anything but clearly okay with the fact. Mishima let out a sigh of relief, smiling up at his friend. Neither spoke for a long moment, but Kurusu eventually did.
"Why were you blushing, when you left the classroom?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he examined Mishima, who started to blush again. He hesitated for a second, embarrassed, before mumbling out his reply.
"Aunt Sadayo -uh, Kawakami- asked why you were waiting for me. She... She assumed that we were... going on a date..." his voice was quiet as he gripped the strap of his bag tightly, ducking his head shyly. Kurusu didn't say anything for a long, anxiety-inducing moment, and Mishima was worried that he may have caught on, may have realised that the bluenette had feelings for him and would be angry or disgusted or weirded out and that he'd-
"I'd be pretty embarrassed if my aunt assumed I was going on a date with my friend too," Kurusu said, his voice steady and non-judgemental. Mishima looked up to see him smiling slightly, relaxing when he realised that Kurusu was none the wiser about his crush... They fell silent again as they waited for the train.
-=--==---===--==-=--==---===--==-=
When the pair got to LeBlanc, the only one there was Boss. The older man looked up and smiled, putting away the cup he had been drying as she spoke, "I was half expecting you to not come, kid."
Mishima shrugged, unsure what to say as Kurusu pushed him over to the bar. He took a seat opposite Boss, carefully placing his bag on the floor as Kurusu went upstairs to take his bag up and change into some normal clothes. Boss made quick work of three coffees, placing one next to Mishima, one near the edge of the bar and keeping one in his hand. The pair were quiet for a long moment before Mishima sighed, speaking up.
"What would working here entail?" he asked, looking up from where he'd been examining his coffee. Boss took a sip of his own drink before answering.
"Depends on how busy it is. Cleaning tables, washing and drying up, making coffee and curry, 'n handling the till mostly. If I need to take a day off for whatever reason, I may need you to run the place for a while. I'd need to make sure you could handle that first, obviously, and I'd never ask ya to do that on a school day." he stated, and Mishima nodded. He could probably do that... The main question was his hours, which he asked Boss. The older man seemed to think about it for a moment before speaking, "Again, depends on how busy it is. Worst days are Monday, Thursday and Sunday, so probably them, but I'm okay with you popping by to pick up any extra shifts you want. Come in at least once a week and you'll get paid for each shift you do. If it's particularly busy or you have to deal with any particularly shitty customers, I'll pay ya extra. You'll also get free coffee and curry whenever you're here, and I'll teach ya how to cook and run things around here."
Mishima thought about it, frowning. It seemed too good, Boss seemed to nice, it was all too... perfect... Boss seemed to understand his hesitation as he spoke again, "In all honesty kid, the main reason I'm doing this is not for you."
That caught Mishima's attention, prompting the teen to look quizically at up Boss. The man sighed, glancing around as he leaned forward.
"Akira and Futaba seem ta like ya. I don't really give a damn about you, but they would probably annoy me until I forced you ta take the job. And if ya help with the cafe, if I deem ya good enough, I will let you run it occasionally. When you do, I'll use that opportunity to take the kids out. I'm just helping ya out because it benefits me and the kids." his voice was low, secretive, and Mishima sighed, relaxing into the idea. Boss wasn't doing it out of some misplaced sense of kindness or with any reason for it to be him he needs, he just needed someone to help him and Mishima was the easiest person to access... The teen considered it for a split second before pulling away with a smile. The bell of the cafe door rang, but the pair ignored it.
"You would need me most on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays, right? I can work with that. My main issue is the Phansite..." Mishima muttered the last bit, but a sudden voice caught his attention.
"I can help with that!" Futaba said, jumping onto the seat next to Mishima, "What are you two talking about, other than the site?"
"Boss offered me a job here, remember? I'm taking him up on the offer, but by doing so I'll have less time for the site." Mishima replied, smiling a little at the smaller girl. She made an understanding noise as Boss started to make her a coffee.
"Gotcha. I can help, though. If you want," Futaba offered, and Mishima smiled at her. He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off.
"Are you asking Futaba to help with the Phansite while you train us?" Kurusu asked, his sudden voice not surprising Mishima as much as it did Boss since the teen had heard him walking down the stairs. He turned and smiled at the taller ten, replying quickly.
"We were talking about how I'm getting a job here. I forgot about training you guys," he stated, earning a noise from Kurusu, who picked up his coffee and leaned on the bar next to Mishima. Boss speaking up drew the three teen's attention to him.
"Training them in what?" he asked, tilting his head as he examined Mishima. The bluenette was hit by the urge to hide away, but he hid that as he smiled.
"Mixed martial arts and boxing. I picked them up a few months ago, after the club I was in at school got shut down, and Kurusu and the others want to learn," he explained, shrugging. Boss blinked in surprise before nodding. Futaba was staring at him, though, so he asked her what she wanted.
"I'm just thinking about how I get why Akira has a crush on you," she stated, and Mishima blushed brightly as he rolled his eyes.
"Kurusu does not have a crush on me," he insisted, earning matching laughs from Futaba and Boss. He glared at them both slightly, unable to fight the smiled that tugged at his lips. With an exaggerated eye roll, he looked up at Kurusu. However, the taller teen seemed to be frowning, upset...
"Why do you always run yourself down?" he asked, eyes meeting Mishima's as he continued to frown. Mishima sighed and sent him a flat look, his silent judgement speaking volumes. Kurusu frowned deeper but seemed to get the memo, pouting a little, "You're better than what they told you..."
Mishima scoffed despite himself, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as a bitter smile crossed his lips, "Tell that to my self-confidence."
Kurusu had a hand on his shoulder in an instant, the other gently holding his hand as he frowned.
"You. Are. Better. Than. That. You've done so much to help others, to help me. You're kind, and funny, and sweet, and helpful, and caring. You don't see it, but I do, Futaba does, the others do. You are so much better than you think..." Kurusu's voice was steady throughout his speech, as was his hold on Mishima's gaze. The bluenette wanted to argue, but Kurusu pulled him into a crushing hug before he could, and he didn't even fight it. Instead, he melted into Kurusu's arms, unable to stop himself as he nuzzled into Kurusu's chest, arms curling around the taller teen's waist. They were quiet for a long moment, basking in the proximity of the hug, until Kurusu pulled away. Mishima almost groaned at the loss of contact, but managed to catch himself at the last second. He must have worn some sort of displeased expression because Kurusu smiled slightly before sitting on the stool next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Mishima wanted to be embarrassed as he leaned into the touch, sighing and closing his eyes, but he couldn't. He was just too damn happy that someone wasn't hurting him when they touched him...
"Damn, you really are touch starved," Boss observed and Mishima pulled away from Kurusu instantly, sitting up straight and tense. The sudden movement startled Kurusu, who jumped and nearly fell off of his chair, but Mishima caught him before he could, apologies rolling off his tongue.
"Shit! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spook you. I... Sorry-"
"It's okay, Mishima," Kurusu cut his babbling off with a soft smile, placing a hand on Mishima's (which the bluenette hadn't removed from his arm after catching him) and rolling his eyes fondly. Mishima couldn't help but feel like he wasn't worthy of such kindness, so he pulled back, sitting as straight as he could and moving his hands to his lap. It was quiet for a long moment before Boss sighed, catching Mishima's attention.
"I wasn't judging ya, kid," the older man stated, shaking his head a little as a rueful smile tugged at his lips, "We're all probably all a little touch starved."
Mishima frowned at that, glancing at the other three and thinking for a long moment before speaking up, "Huh. Okay. That kinda makes sense."
"How? I'm not touched starved!" Futaba tried to argue, but Mishima smiled a little at her, rolling his eyes. She frowned, pouting, so he explained.
"I'm not sure about Boss, because I haven't spent much time with him, but you and Kurusu do lean into any touch you're offered more than someone who isn't touched starved. You both seem to gravitate towards Sakamoto, who is clearly the most affectionate of all your friends, probably in the hopes that he may hug you or put an arm around your shoulder. You're both pretty affectionate, if the sheer amount of hugs Kurusu has given me in just the past two days and the way you keep hugging Boss is anything to go by. You both always look pretty unhappy when whoever you're touching has to let go or something. Need I go on?" he stated, smirking a little when Futaba stared up at him, her eyes wide and mouth agape. It was quiet for a long moment, and Mishima started to worry that he'd gone too far, that he'd made the others uncomfortable, that he'd-
"Damn kid. Where'd you learn that that's all touch starved shit?" Boss asked, smiling a little, and Futaba seemed to snap out of her trance.
"Yeah! I didn't even realise I did all those things!" she agreed, shuffling so she was a little closer on her chair. Mishima shrugged, blushing a little, but Kurusu placing a soothing hand on his back caught his attention.
"How did you know all that?" the taller teen asked, moving his hand up to Mishima's shoulder and tugging him a little closer. The smaller teen went willingly as he replied.
"My dad was a therapist. He had a lot of books and I had a lot of free time as a kid," he stated, leaning into the touch when Kurusu pulled him against his side. The taller made an impressed noise, leaning his head against Mishima's. The bluenette could hardly believe that Kurusu was so okay with touching him (especially so kindly!), but since they were both touch starved, it made sense. That was all it was. Kurusu was touch starved and knew Mishima was too, so he figured it would be best if they had contact, to help them both... right? It had to be. No way Kurusu wanted Mishima's touch in particular. They were friends (miraculously, Mishima's mind supplied) but that was all. That-
The door of the cafe opened, and Mishima sprung away from Kurusu, on his feet in an instant. The woman who walked in blinked in surprise and Mishima looked back at her, just as surprised. It was quiet for a long moment before the woman scowled.
"If it isn't the little faggot," her voice was low, dark, and Mishima almost flinched. He forced himself to stay still, smiling brightly at her as he made himself to fall into a fake persona.
"Mrs Nakamura! It's been a while. How may we help you?" he asked, moving so he was behind the counter, standing next to Sojiro. Nakamura blinked before her scowl returned in full force.
"What does that mean, fag?" she snarled, but Mishima didn't falter, his smile still in place as he efficiently started up the coffee machine.
"Exactly what I said, Mrs Nakamura. How may we help you?" he repeated, sending her a feigned innocent look before focusing on Boss, "I'm sorry, Boss, the machine you have is a little different to any I've worked with before. I know I said I could it handle but..."
"It's cool, kid," Boss replied, asking what the issue was. Mishima lied smoothly and Boss went with it, helping him work the machine. The bluenette thanked him before turning back to Nakamura.
"Sorry, it's my first day here. You know how long it's been since I last made anyone coffee like this," his voice was kind, friendly, and one may have thought he wasn't talking to a massive homophobe. Nakamura was red in the face, eyes dark as she glared at Mishima.
"You... You work here, you fucking fairy?" she hissed, advancing, and Mishima was thankful that the counter was between them. What he was less thankful for, though, was the way the woman's words made Kurusu and Futaba so visibly troubled...
"Boss is my friend's dad and offered me a job after my parents died. Which I'm sure you already know about, Mrs Nakamura. After all, you and my mother were such close friends," he kept his voice steady, ignoring how his heart was jackrabbiting in his chest and how his mind kept supplying images of a different time, back when Nakamura didn't hate him... She glared at him again, her eyes darker than before.
"Of course I know that," she snarled, hands gripping the edge of the counter tightly. Mishima could see the other three human occupants of the room (plus Morgana, who had appeared at the bottom of the stairs) shift like they were ready for a fight, as Nakamura continued, "I am curious as to why I was not invited."
"I assumed you wouldn't want to spend so long with a 'faggot'," the insult burned Mishima's tongue as it left his mouth, acidic as he advanced, "but if I was mistaken, I should be able to add you to the list..."
"Your parents kept you after you turned out to be a freak?" Nakamura pressed on, smirking a little. Mishima didn't falter, even as his heart squeezed painfully at the reminder that his sexuality was just another thing his parents hated about him...
"They couldn't have another child, so they needed someone to carry on their legacy. Even if it is just a freak," he replied, smile in place. Nakamura snarled and reached out, grabbing Mishima by the front of his shirt and pulling him close. At least, she tried. Mishima untangled her hand before she could even blink, twisting and pressing it to the hard wood of the counter, his smile never leaving his face as he spoke again, "Mrs Nakamura, I would appreciate it if you did not attempt to assault me whilst I am working. If you have an issue, my boss is right there. Would you like to discuss the matter with him?"
Nakamura snarled again, yanking her hand away. She glared at him one more time before turning and leaving. No one spoke for a long moment. Not until Mishima sighed and slumped over the counter, pressing his forehead to the cool wood.
"The hell was her problem?" Boss asked, audibly bewildered, so Mishima sighed again and stood up properly. He looked and sounded exhausted when he replied.
"That was Nakamura Mari, the mother of my old friend Yuuri. I mentioned him briefly this morning. She is also a massive homophobe and blames me for her son being gay." he stated, rubbing his brow. That made everyone go quiet again, but he continued after a long moment, "Sorry I made one of your customers leave, Boss."
"You ain't got nothing to be sorry for, Mishima," Boss spoke instantly, glaring at the door, "I don't want any homophobes here anyway."
Mishima blinked in surprise before nodding and smiling, but he tensed as soon as Futaba spoke up.
"What was with those comments about your parents?" she asked, frowning and watching Mishima closely. The bluenette hesitated before sighing again, drooping.
"She found Yuuri and I kissing once. It's why he and I are no longer friends- she hated that I 'turned her precious boy into a fag' or something. After that... She told my parents, who were also massively homophobic." he replied, forcing the memories of that night away. The pain, the anger, the betrayal... That had been the first time his mother hit him (his father had, many times, before that night, but she hadn't...). No one seemed to know what to say to that for a long moment before Kurusu sighed.
"Homophobic parents are the worst," he stated, prompting Mishima to laugh as he relaxed, nodding in agreement. Kurusu smiled at him before rounding the counter and pulling him into another hug. The smaller relaxed into the embrace, sighing and closing his eyes as the tension he held fled his body. Kurusu hugged him tighter, arms around Mishima's shoulders and Mishima's around his waist. It was quiet for a long moment before Futaba spoke up.
"Let me hug him too, Akira!" she whined, causing a chuckle to escape Mishima unbidden. He pulled away from Akira enough to speak to her, but not completely, as he smiled.
"Group hug?" he suggested, which made Futaba grin and nod. Kurusu let go of Mishima with one arm and the smaller teen copied him, allowing Futaba to slid into the space they had left, wrapping their arms around her. As the trio hugged, a sense of happiness, of belonging, that Mishima hadn't felt in a long time filled him... For the first time in a long time, he felt like things would turn out for the better...