Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mizuki wakes up and checks the time. It’s 7:30. He opens his parlor in four hours and thirty minutes. He’s safe. But what about Koujaku? Doesn’t he open his salon in a couple of hours? He remembers having him stay overnight on his couch.

Koujaku drank a few too many drinks at Black Needle last night and Mizuki insisted he sleep over at his apartment, which is located just above his parlor. Mizuki was a bit worried, helping his friend up the stairs with Koujaku’s arm over his shoulder and the younger man’s arm around his waist. While he used to engage in Rib a lot, his muscles have diminished a bit over time due to his hospitalization…

He heads over to the living room to find Koujaku very much passed out on his couch. It’s almost as if he hasn’t moved an inch since he flopped face first onto the cushions. Mizuki wonders if he’s dead from consuming all that alcohol, but notices the faint rise and fall of the man’s back. He glances over to the corner table between the two futon couches where he left both his and Koujaku’s allmates. Beni was sleeping on top of Cherry’s body. He placed a large pillow underneath them last night so they could rest comfortably. While Mizuki is aware that allmates can’t necessarily feel discomfort since they are robots, it does not feel right to him letting them sleep on top of a hard surface. He also could have put Cherry in her charging station, but she just looked cute with Beni resting on top of her. He didn’t have the heart to separate them overnight.

Mizuki takes Beni out of sleep mode by petting the top of the bird’s head gently three times and his eyes open to life.

“Yo.” The bird chirps.

“Hey, Beni. Could you wake up Koujaku for me? You’re really good at that.” He requests.

Beni lets out a gruff sigh. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Thank you.” Mizuki smiles as he places him in between his friend’s shoulder blades.

Beni hops over to the exposed area of skin on Koujaku’s neck. Mizuki remembers the hassle it took to take his choker off last night before letting him rest. It was one of the most frustrating accessories to fiddle with, especially in the dark. Before he could recall further, the bird gives his owner’s neck a couple of rough pecks, which causes Koujaku to jolt awake. Beni falls over due to the sudden movement, but is able to catch flight before he would have the floor.

Mizuki laughs in response, “Goodmorning.” He greets his friend with his usual smile.

“‘Morning.” The elder man grunts out, slightly squints his eyes due to the morning light. It's interesting seeing Koujaku look disheveled when he always presents himself as perfect and well put together in public. “What time is it?”

“About 7:30.”

Koujaku adjusts his kimono. Mizuki thinks it must have been uncomfortable falling asleep in jeans but something tells him that his friend was too drunk to notice. “Damn.” is all Koujaku says. He sounds and looks exhausted.

Mizuki couldn’t help but feel empathetic about Koujaku’s situation. “Are you alright? Not too hungover to work today?”

“Yeah, I’ll manage.” Koujaku gruffed out. “I feel awful though.”

Suddenly, the shorter man lightens up, “I can make you breakfast! You’ll feel a bit better after you get something to eat.”

“You don’t have to-”

“But I want to.” Mizuki cuts him off.

“O-Oh, okay.” The man awkwardly smiled. It reminded Mizuki of the same smile Koujaku gave him when he was too drunk to walk back home last night. “Can I at least help you make it?”

“No way! Get some more rest, I don’t want you collapsing at work from fatigue.” And that was that. Koujaku didn’t argue with him, and he certainly didn’t have the energy to argue with him either.

Mizuki woke Koujaku up with, “Hey, wake up, hippo.”, a nickname from Aoba he’s grown so fond of. He smiled when he got a muffled groan in response.

“What’s up?”

“Breakfast is ready. The table is already set and everything.” The artist pads to the kitchen and his friend follows a few moments later.

“You didn’t need to cook all of this for me!” Koujaku exclaimed.

“Well, it’s too late now.” Despite Mizuki saying this, he was grinning. “Breakfast should always be your most caloric meal of the day anyway. Better eat it before it gets cold.”

Koujaku feels a bit setup, but says nothing about it and just eats the food his friend made for him instead. On the kitchen table was a variety of food: white rice, toast, sweetened pork strips, eggs sunny side up and scrambled, tuyo (a fish that Mizuki explains Filipino people typically eat for breakfast). There were also pitchers of water and orange juice placed on either side of the table and a mug of black coffee placed in what Koujaku assumed to be his seat.

“How did you know I liked my coffee black?” He asks.

“I’m an artist. I notice a lot of details.” Mizuki had this content look on his face he always had when he would interact with his rib members...which reminded him of something he didn’t necessarily want to think of right now.

“Ah...I see…” Koujaku’s gaze drifted to Mizuki’s neck, where the bandages used to hide the self-inflicted scratches that he gave himself when he was awoken from frequent recurring nightmares. The tattoo and scratches were still there, but a lot less apparent than before. He could see the top of the wings and heart peak out with the form-fitting, black turtleneck he now wore often.

“Like how you’re staring at me right now...what’s up?”

Shit. Fuck. “Sorry...I was spacing out a bit since I’m still a bit tired.” Koujaku made up a lie on the spot, but immediately regretted it afterwards.

“You avoid eye contact with me when you lie.” His friend stated. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

The statement reminded Koujaku of how long he’s been friends with Mizuki. While he is childhood friends with Aoba, his friendship with Mizuki also runs deep. Lies no longer go past unnoticed anymore. “I just got a bit sentimental after looking at your neck is all.” Koujaku wants to throw himself in front of an ongoing car for admitting it, but it’s better than making up another lie.

Mizuki puts his hand over his neck self-consciously. The atmosphere of the room changed and they did not like it. “I’ve been to a couple of appointments for laser tattoo removal, but it will take another few more for it to be completely gone.” He had that worried look on his face, the one where he was still smiling despite the obvious discomfort he’s in. No matter what, Mizuki seems to always be smiling, half of the time now being forced.

Koujaku stared at his plate while he ate. “You’re planning to get your old tattoo done again, right?”

This question caused his friend to lighten up a bit. “Yeah! I contacted the same artist who inked me in Ecuador. I’m planning on booking a flight in advance for the appointment soon.”

“Oh, you got it done in Ecuador?”

Mizuki nodded. “I met her while I was visiting the country. It’s a really personal tattoo for me, so it’s important I get it done by the same person.” He explained.

Koujaku remembered when Mizuki temporarily left Midorijima. It was eerily quiet without him, and Koujaku and Aoba would talk about how things were a bit weird without the high-spirited artist. It was a feeling they had to get used to once again while Mizuki was hospitalized. “I see...we’ll all be waiting for you when you return. Me, Aoba, and Dry Juice.”
Mizuki winced a bit at that statement and then Koujaku started to feel guilty again. “Ah! I didn’t mean that in a depressing way. I meant that in a way that we’ll be happy when you return again.” Nice going, asshole.

“Hah...I don’t know if Dry Juice would miss me that much after convincing them to join Morphine.”

“We all know each other like family. We love you no matter what, Mizuki, and we know you didn’t know Morphine had ulterior motives.”

“I-I know that but…” The artist draws his lips in a tight line and his seafoam green eyes look downwards, “...can we finish talking about this some other time?”

“...Alright.” Koujaku glances to the side. There are prints on the wall of paintings done by Filipino and Ecuadorian artists. He has always wanted to ask his friend about them and is about to, but Mizuki speaks first.

“Do you know who this Ren person is? Aoba told me he started dating him recently, but I’ve never seen him before.” Seeing people he has never seen before, especially as a local on a small island of twenty-six years, must be strange to him. Rib leaders tend to see and remember a lot of faces too, so it’s nothing surprising that Mizuki would ask.

“I haven’t really met or seen him before either. Aoba says he was an online friend he’s met a couple of times. Apparently his alter Sly knows more about their past than he does.” Koujaku explains. “When you were in a coma, Aoba and I got chased down by the police. We got separated and I was going to go looking after him, but he sent me a text saying he was meeting up with someone at Platinum Jail. And that I shouldn’t worry about him anymore for the time being. That person was Ren.” Koujaku had this unreadable expression he puts on while he’s upset the entire time he was talking and it put Mizuki off guard for a moment.

“Oh...That’s interesting.” The man took the air in the room as a cue to change the topic.

When they finish eating breakfast, Koujaku insists he helps clean up and his friend allows him.

“Thank you for the meal...you seriously didn’t need to do all of that for me.” The hairdresser gave him a sheepish smile.

“Like I said, don’t worry about it! I always love cooking for people.” Mizuki returns the smile.

Koujaku’s gaze on the man softened. He’s so grateful that he is friends with someone who is immensely sweet and kind. “You’re the best. I’m so happy that after everything, you’re still here. With me.”

He notices the tan skin of Mizuki’s cheeks heat up a bit when he says that. It’s something he thinks about all day at work.

Chapter Text

“I think I might be bi.”

Mizuki did not necessarily expect something like this from his womanizer of a friend, but it also made sense. While he loved women, Koujaku’s relationships with men were very deep and complex. Typically deeper than relationships he has had with women. But that’s only from observations the artist has made as his friend.

“Oh? What made you come to that conclusion?” Mizuki asks.

Koujaku glances to the side, a bit sheepish. “I uhm...may or may not have liked Aoba more than a friend in the past...and I may have also caught some feelings for some of my Benishigure members from time to time. There’s other things too, but...being friends with Aoba is one of the overlying causes that made me realize I think.”

The younger man grins brightly. “Well, I’m happy you came out to me. Have you told anyone else about this?”

“No, just you...I have seen you with men and women before and I felt the most comfortable sharing with you. And you’re one of my very close friends.” The words held weight to them, and it made Mizuki hesitate a bit.

“If you don’t mind me asking...ahh, I don’t know how to say this…” He scrunches his eyebrows in thought.

“W-What?” Koujaku asks.

“Well...everyone knows I like men and women, but...what I’m trying to say is...if you’re going to match up with guys, are you planning on keeping it under wraps?” He made sure to choose his words very carefully, but when he said them out loud he realized talking about this was harder than he thought. Mizuki’s curiosity isn’t helping either.

“Ah...I’m not sure.” Koujaku firmly answers. “As much as I want Benishigure to know, I’m afraid that might accidentally bleed into the knowledge of the general public…” Of course. Koujaku takes a lot of care in his public image. And Mizuki is especially worried about how Koujaku might handle other people’s reactions. “And I don’t know where to start...actually experimenting with other men…”

“You know, when I started, I usually pursued people that I trusted enough. I’m always here to help. I can always just listen too.” The shorter man gives him another warm, reassuring smile.

“Thank you…”

“I promise it’ll come naturally to you. And if you realize that you aren’t bi, there’s no pressure coming from anyone. Stay true to yourself.”

“You’re an amazing friend Mizuki...I would be lying if you didn’t take part in helping me realize as well.” Danm. He really just said it, huh. Without even thinking.

Koujaku is immediately put off guard of what he just said and checks Mizuki’s face for any discomfort in his features, but it remains the same. If anything, it looks like some of the blood rushed to Mizuki’s cheeks and his smile is a bit more natural. It’s a very endearing sight.

“Haha! Really? You really know how to flatter someone.” The artist replies.

Koujaku’s face heats up and he becomes flustered. “Listen! You’re a very charismatic guy, it’s pretty easy for people to like you!”

“Uh huh, sure.” He gives the hairdresser a look that he’s fucking with him.

“But uh, yeah...I want to explore with men more as I’ve been with women all my life and I want to be sure if I actually like men. I just don’t know who I would want to explore with.” Koujaku explains.

“You could always...try with me if you’re comfortable. No pressure if you don’t want to.” Mizuki offers, putting his clenched hand on his lower thigh. “Just so you don’t need to go through the stress of coming out to other people if you’re not sure yet. And I’m your friend, so we don’t need to go through the awkward phase of getting to know each other.”

Koujaku feels his eyes nearly bulge out of his head. “Like...on a date?”

Mizuki really wanted to laugh but he had a feeling that if he did, he would hurt him. “I mean, yeah! It can also be something casual, no personal feelings attached. Again, if you are not open with the idea, there’s no hard feelings.”

“Mizuki…” He utters. “I haven’t been on a date in six years…I don’t know how any of this shit works…”

Mizuki did let out a laugh this time. “Don’t worry! Me neither!”

“For real?”

“Yeah!”

“...I’ll think about it. For now…” Koujaku takes a glance at the time through his coil. It’s getting pretty late… “I need to start heading home. I’m opening the salon early tomorrow morning again.”

“Alright! Rest well!”

Koujaku smiles. “You too.”

When Koujaku got a call from the hospital, he almost didn’t answer it out of fear of the nurse telling him that his friend had died. Instead, she told him that Mizuki just woke up. He remembers ditching whatever he was doing: at the time, he was on break at work. But he didn’t really care about his job right now. He yearned to see his friend again—speaking, and not comatose.

Right after he heard the words, “We’re calling you to tell you that Mizuki has woken up today.” Koujaku dropped everything he was doing and ran to the hospital with all the energy he had left. It took him about fifteen minutes to arrive by running and his heart was about to leap out of his chest. Whether it was from the running or the fact that the man was going to see his good friend again, he didn’t know.

When Mizuki woke up, the first thing the man saw was the glaring LED lights burning his corneas. He had half a mind to think that he was still in the possession of Morphine, but the sounds that belong to a beeping of a monitor told Mizuki he’s in the hospital. Everything was a blur to him, nurses surrounding him and most likely trying to speak to him, but all of their words were just noise to him. They removed the oxygen mask from his face, which he was unaware of even wearing until now, and continued to press him with questions. But he couldn’t answer any of them. He did not process anything that was being said to him and it was overwhelming.

“Mizuki?”

Suddenly, his vision starts to clear up and the first sight he sees is Koujaku’s face. Instead of his usual grin though, his brows are wrinkled in concern and he seems very hesitant to approach the man. He knows that his friend’s eyes are focused on the bandages on his neck, and this pains him deeply. Mizuki smiles weakly in response to this, trying his best to hide whatever angst he had (his obvious vulnerability of being in the hospital says otherwise). “Hey.”

Mizuki finds out he has been comatose for a week after being brainwashed by Morphine. He does not remember anything after the Rib team conducted their...experiments on him. The artist, however, gets informed by Koujaku over what has happened.

“I don’t exactly know when you were brainwashed, but...Aoba and I had a feeling you were acting differently.”

It was Mizuki’s turn to furrow his eyebrows. “Ah...what gave it away?”

Koujaku seemed hurt by that question, and it makes Mizuki feel even worse for asking it. “You weren’t as lively as you used to be anymore. You had this glazed look in your eyes. Like...like the eyes of a dead fish...it was so unsettling.” The older man absent-mindedly moved his hand to Mizuki’s wrist to feel his pulse. A part of Mizuki is puzzled by this, but the realization hits him harder than a speeding car.

“It was very irresponsible of me to think that...Morphine, a team that is notoriously known for wiping out entire Rib teams, could even solve a personal issue that only affected me...I’m...sorry.” The artist wanted to cry, but he was too scared to. He hated crying in front of anyone, even if he knew they weren’t going to get mad. So he did all he could to internalize his melancholy, yet the crack in his voice told Koujaku otherwise.

“Hey, it’s alright, Mizuki, relax.” The hairdresser was very quick to reassure his friend. “I’m just happy you’re okay.”

“Is Dry Juice okay?” Mizuki dug his nails into the palm of his hand. His Rib team...oh shit…fuck...

“Yes, nearly everyone in Dry Juice recovered fully and is okay. Everyone’s fine. We’re just worried about you.”

The shorter man’s heartbeat accelerated in response, and he knows that because he could hear it through the vital sign monitor. He knows Koujaku can hear it too. “Everyone’s fine?”

“Yes, everyone’s fine. I know it’s hard to believe after everything that has happened.” Koujaku explains. “Hell, even I’m having a hard time processing everything. Benishigure has been a huge help supporting everyone and...and they care about you and Dry Juice too.” The words come tumbling out without thinking and the older man hopes that what he’s saying is making any sense.

“Aah…” Mizuki’s voice cracks even more than before. Shit, did he make him feel worse? The hairdresser internally panics until he searches Mizuki’s face and notices his friend had a smile on his face. But the tears of stress made his expression hard to read . “Dry Juice and Benishigure always have each other’s backs, no matter what.”

“Are you sure about this?” Koujaku asks.

“Sure about what?”

“Are you sure you’re fine with...going on a date with a friend? It’s not going to ruin our friendship or anything regardless of whether it does or doesn’t work out?” The hairdresser explained, being really careful of choosing his words. “You mean a lot to me Mizuki...I don’t want to lose you.”

Mizuki was a bit perplexed about the last part, but he decided to let it go. “Since when did you become so weary, Koujaku? We’re in our mid to late twenties, I can assure you we can handle things maturely if either of us slip up.” The artist gave him a smile, even though he was also unsure of how this was going to work out. “It is just a casual date and there’s no pressure. If you find out you’re uncomfortable with the whole thing altogether, just let me know! Like I said, there’s no hard feelings.”

Koujaku found it a bit hard to believe that this was going to go well at all, but he needed to trust his friend. Mizuki only wants to help him, and to have him be more comfortable in discovering himself. He just does not know how to interact with anyone in a romantic context without it turning into sex. However, the idea of having sex with anyone in the future to Koujaku wasn’t as appealing as it used to be. He’s unsure why.

“Are you alright?” The artist places his hand on Koujaku’s shoulder gingerly.

“Yeah...sorry, what did you say? I spaced out a bit.” The older man admitted, a bit embarrassed.

“Have you been getting enough rest lately? I’ve been noticing from my coil that you’re online very late at night.” Mizuki’s lips curl into a small frown. He’s gonna concern himself to death before Koujaku does at this point.

The hairdresser wants to ask him the same question, but he knows the answer. They both very much know the reason why Mizuki stays awake at night. So he lets it go and explains himself instead. “I...I think I’m just trying to get used to new changes in my routine…”

The shorter man’s lips press into a firm line, but he says nothing. He knows his friend has something more to say, but he’s not sharing. The artist, however, does not press more and does not take it personally either. He supposes a lot has changed since...a recent chain of events have thrown all comfort of routine and normalcy out the door. “That’s okay. I understand what you mean. And I’m here for you.”

Koujaku grins, and Mizuki notices the darkness under his friend’s eyes was still very much there since they last had breakfast together. “I trust you by the way, with...helping me figure everything out. As long as I help you as well.”

“So you were paying attention!”

“Haha! I just processed what you said. I really appreciate it. I appreciate everything. Really.”

Mizuki’s smile is different this time. A lot different from the others he has given Koujaku---the older man can’t explain it but it made him feel some type of way that made his heart skip a beat.