A warmth blossoms in his chest at Eikichi's acknowledgement of Chidori's sacrifice and his empathy. His statement about knowing how she felt flusters him a little, but only deepens that warm feeling inside him. He is absolutely ride-or-die for the people he's chosen. Yes. Yes, he sure is. And there's something to that word. Chosen. Eikichi chose Junpei, of all the people. And he wasn't the only one.
Twice. He was someone's choice twice.
He looks at Trismegistus and makes a silent promise to the part of him that's Chidori. He promises he won't waste a second with Eikichi. He promises he won't take the time they have for granted. He swears he'll live every day to its fullest by the other persona user's side. And Trismegistus nods its head as though in approval before fading away.
"The luckiest, man. I didn't know what we meant to each other until it was too late, though. But now she's with me and I'll never forget it." ....well, until he does. But maybe he won't. Tatsuya said something about his heart remembering. Maybe it will be like that with Chidori. And maybe it will be the same with Eikichi.
Junpei moves toward the bathroom to let Jackson come out. And his hand freezes on the door handle. With Eikichi. Wait. Wait a minute. His eyes widen and he looks at Eikichi suddenly. "I....saw you. Back home. On TV one night."
Jackson trots out. Junpei moves from the door. The bathroom disappears. How did he forget this?? "You were being interviewed. And I remember thinking 'wow. That guy looks cool as hell.'" It wasn't much. It wasn't recognition. But he'd stopped on the channel. He'd taken notice of Eikichi. And it made enough of a mark for him to remember it now. Eikichi is there in the world. In his world. And even if Junpei doesn't remember what they had here, he'll be facing off against Nyx so that Eikichi can keep living his successful life. That makes it worth it. That makes all of it worth it.
"Heh. My boyfriend's a time traveler."
Wait. He immediately goes red. Is....is that the right word? Boyfriend?
"The mind follows the heart, right?" He'd repeat Hade's line to him. "And your heart is overflowing with love."
He dries his tears as Junpei let's out the cat from the bathroom. Jackson gives a small mew at the both of them before it goes to sleep in its potted plant it had been so horribly taken out of suddenly. Rude.
Then Junpei drops a bombshell about his own future, and it piques Eikichi's curiosity. He knows he shouldn't really think about it, but it's hard to not be enticed by the idea.
"So I graced your television set and you remembered me? I hate to be a heartbreaker, but that was probably an older me, not your time travelling boyfriend." It was almost effortless how he had slipped into that role, pretty much how he was able to summon his persona. Eikichi had years of practise the fake it til you make it, after all. "But who knows what happens in the future, right?" He winks at him. "Let's think about the now, boyfriend."
Wait! How is Eikichi pulling this uno reverse on him?? Going from completely dense and oblivious about Junpei's feelings to now so confidently slipping into the boyfriend role. God. It's so criminally unfair how easy it is for Eikichi to make him flustered! Boyfriends, though. He likes the sound of it. He's boyfriends with the Great Michel~!
"Well, boyfriend. Your makeup's a little messed up right now. Not that I don't find you hot no matter what, buuut just sayin'. If you wanted to get cleaned up and you needed a hand, I got two to spare." Junpei teases right back. "Then again, you're not fifty, so I suppose you wouldn't need the help."
Just playfully throwing Eikichi's words back at him from the other night. Time to play a round of Eikichi's greatest missed opportunities with that reminder. Junpei makes his way toward one of the mattresses on the floor and plops onto it. Eyebrows raise in slight challenge as though to say: your move, bro.
"Awww come on, I didn't think you--" Eikichi deflates immediately, clicking the top of his tongue. Well, Junpei is right. It was a missed opportunity that he didn't realize he had wanted back then. God, how many times had Junpei thrown little hints at him and he'd just been blissfully unaware?
The he goes into the bathroom wordlessly and returns just as quickly with nothing but a small wet towel in his hands and sits himself right next to Junpei, his legs crossed together.
"Fine then, if you want to help me out, just take it all off." He lowers his voice slightly. "I don't think I'll be needing it for the rest of the day."
Junpei raises a brow at the message sent out to Tatsuya. Knew....what? Knew what!! But then Eikichi's leaving and Junpei lets out a little huff. He's not gone for too long, however...coming back, settling close, holding that towel. Junpei looks at him, a half smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "That a promise, bro? You do have a whole day of avoiding me to make up for..."
He accepts the towel and swabs it smoothly across Eikichi's skin. It's a funny thing. He can imagine doing this just as easily for both removing makeup and swiping up some blood after a fight. That's just the two sides of Eikichi Mishina, huh? Beautiful and dangerous. Of course, Eikichi's not only two sides. Junpei would liken him to something more like a diamond -- multi faceted and highly valuable (at least to Junpei).
"But it's fine, dude. You not catching on. Heh. I....only realized when you, uh. Borrowed Sumire's costume," he lets out a laugh -- half embarrassed but half genuinely amused. "It looked really fricken good on you."
And there he is, Eikichi Mishina without makeup, just a little red on the cheeks. He wasn't exactly a fan of the stuff he'd found around this world to emulate what he had at home, and they washed off so easily it put into question why he'd bother. But they were Eikichi's identity. He didn't let just about anyone see him without it on.
At that comment, he thinks back to when it happened and...
"Definiiiiiitely one of the reasons! But it was pretty fun, too. You gotta admit!"
He's not sure what to do with the damp towel now. Junpei doesn't exactly want to leave his spot next to Eikichi, but he doesn't want to hold it either. He's wondering if he could lob it into the laundry bag from here, even though it's a little far. For now he holds it and--
Ah! His attention returns to Eikichi immediately after the speedo offer and his cheeks go a little pink. "I mean, tempting? But I think right now, I'd kinda prefer you to be kissing me again. That's the boyfriend perk, right? Unlimited kisses from Eikichi Mishina! And it's kinda criminal we've only had one so far today..."
"Should I hold you pin you against the wall then?" He winks before quickly adding, "Kidding! Kidding!"
Unless...
Eikichi takes the towel from his hands, like he knows exactly what Junpei is thinking, and gets up to lock the door, throwing the towel behind his back as far as he can toss it. It smacks on the wall and lands on the floor next to where the door for the bathroom would be. Junpei would know by now that Eikcihi keeps the room meticulously clean so this is very unusual for him to not put in the time and care.
Or maybe he just has someone else on his mind. He looks back at Junpei slowly, seizing him up. No more waiting. No more interruptions. There's a mischievous glint in his eyes again as he comes back to him and the bed, and crawls closer.
"You're right, it is downright deplorable." His voice is lower again and there's a growl at the back of his throat. Eikichi can be shy sometimes and let the mask slip, but for some reason his confidence is extremely high when he's around Junpei. Like he could step into fire and not be hurt (this is a lie and he would be) and do whatever he damn wants. So he goes for a second kiss, feeling their lips touch and meet in bliss, hopefully one of many more they would have that morning and afternoon and night.
Listen. Junpei's not opposed to the being pinned against the wall thing for other reasons, just not confessing a crush! That's like testifying under duress!! Especially when your (now) boyfriend is a human lie detector. So Junpei shrugs with a smirk at the offer. "You could. But maybe you should just pin me to the bed instead."
Wait. Ah. Junpei's saying this shit without thinking about the implications. Not that the heated kiss from earlier was any chaste thing and not that Junpei hasn't gone there in his mind several times since realizing he liked Eikichi, fantasizing about any which position one could imagine so long as it was the two of them somehow entangled together. But there's fantasy and then there's reality. And the reality is Junpei's never been with anyone before like that, so he's a little shy about navigating these new waters.
But then Eikichi looks at him like that and he speaks in this thick, rich tone and Junpei so clearly understands how this guy became the boss of his school. God. He'd follow Eikichi to the ends of the Earth if Eikichi keeps using that tone. Junpei reaches up to pry off his baseball cap and fling it to the side so it won't get in the way of those kisses and then he eagerly meets Eikichi's lips. Their first kiss was wonderful. 10/10, no notes. But this one comes after they've talked and established they're together, so there's nothing to hinder it. No thoughts of things that should be addressed, no desperation to not lose one another. Just enjoying this thing of theirs now -- this thing they can call their own.
Junpei's always been drawn to Eikichi's hands -- admiring them as they worked whether cooking or drawing. He liked watching Eikichi's fingers when he would bring them to his face near his lips in those moments he was being playful or teasing or cocky. And when Junpei could get away with it, he'd reach out to touch and guide those hands himself. Now, he has free access to Eikichi's hands and Junpei blindly reaches for them, leading arms to wrap around him and enthusiastically placing his hands on the small of his back -- ensuring Eikichi's fingers can dip beneath his shirt and have full access to his bare skin. Because that would be nice, he thinks. Those fingers roaming freely along his spine. He shivers just thinking about it.
In the meantime, their kiss! It's impassioned and just as bruising as before, but this time, Junpei parts his lips. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but it feels right to deepen the kiss and taste Eikichi with his tongue.
"...Is that what's on your mind each day?" God, Junpei's thoughts were full of twisted depravity and it makes him laugh. It also puts into perspective all the other comments Eikichi remembered that come flooding back into his mind, when he thought they were barbs at him and how he is in general to get a rise out of him. Well, that is what Junpei had been doing, just not the way Eikichi thought.
He can't help but think back to that time they found ropes and candles in Seven Sister High's Janitorial room. For...emergencies, they had hoped.
Eikichi in some ways has gotten so good at playing a role that it took over how he was before and became who he is. In truth, he hasn't really done anything like this either, unlike his friend Lisa, and is just winging it from whatever he's managed to sneak into his house without his father noticing, like all other healthy boys his age. Except he'd never really...thought about liking another boy before. Then again, if Miyabi had been a boy, it would have ended up exactly the same, just he would have needed to switch to a different type of magazine. After all, Eikcihi doesn't fall in love with how a person looks, it's their heart and personality that draws him to them. It's also why he didn't even blink at Jun and Tatsuya's public displays of brohood, just commenting on how they were making Lisa angry. He should have known that observation would come to bite him a few months later. Eikichi and Junpei, the two of them, being idiots and doing as well without realizing it.
He feels his hands being moved and sort of understands what Junpei is implying, putting them around his neck to deepen the kiss until...oh. Oh, he knew this was going to happen eventually, but it looks like they both have pent up energy. He tries to do it as well, but it's not perfect. Hesitant, a little unsure how he's suppose to move his tongue in there. But it's fun. That's the important part, right? He takes a sharp breath through his nose and hums.
Yes. The answer is yes. About 70% of the time, he's having some kind of pervy thought! And then those thoughts were full of Eikichi before he left. Even now, while kissing Eikichi, his mind is wandering along a heated path. They need to get him a pair of heeled boots. At some point. To pair with that speedo. For no real reason.
But oh! Eikichi's tongue has joined in to play and as far as Junpei's aware, Eikichi is doing everything right. He must really know what he's doing because it all feels very good to Junpei so far! He can't even tell the others hesitation, if only because Junpei is diving in full force. He moves closer, the closest he's ever been excluding the night of the dreaded cuddle. But perhaps this is even closer than that as Junpei slips onto Eikichi's lap.
Eikichi locked that door for a reason, Junpei thinks. And so, he feels that gives him permission to get handsy. One slips into Eikichi's hair that he'd only gotten to touch when he was picking out forest debris. Now he can touch and appreciate all of these things without fear. And that other hand (his right and dominant hand) does just that, resting on Eikichi's chest before slipping down to the hem of his shirt and dipping beneath so he can touch skin. Junpei's hands are a little rougher -- calloused from continual use, whether swinging a baseball bat or his broad sword, but always so very warm. It shouldn't feel unpleasant.
Well. At first.
Grinning deviously against Eikichi's lips, Junpei flutters fingers along Eikichi's stomach just to test how ticklish he is. Which is probably not the best way to set a sexy mood, to be fair! But Junpei is gonna continue to tease Eikichi just the way he would as his best bud! And if Eikichi wanted to punish him for his bad behavior, then oh no. Junpei would have no choice but to accept his penance.
It's amusing, really, that despite Eikichi seemingly like the one leading this entire dance between them, it's Junpei that seems to be deciding where everything is going. Also don't act he doesn't already have both of those pieces of clothing, Junpei.
Oh this is...really nice. He can feel his entire body burn up the second Junpei moves even closer, making no effort to push him off. They are still kissing, maybe they should stop soon? Well he can breathe by his nose, this is fine. Everything is fine.
Then it becomes way more than he anticipated. It feels like Junpei's put molten lava on his chest as his hand touches him on his skin and his face becomes incredibly hot. It doesn't matter if his fingers aren't smooth, in fact, it feels more like it's digging into his skin making it worse. Is he having a sensory overload or is this just right?
And then...
"Oh my go-oooood!" Like a cork popping from a bottle, he breaks off their connection the second Junpei starts tickling, his stomach muscles involuntary wincing from inside. He falls over akin a sinking boat, taking Junpei with him.
And down they go! Junpei drops along for the ride and branches off into a laugh, burrowing his face in the crook of Eikichi's neck. This is genuinely a lot of fun. Kissing Eikichi, tasting Eikichi, teasing Eikichi. His mind circles back to that middle one. Tasting Eikichi. He hums against Eikichi's throat, spreading a few kisses there before his hands slip from where they are under Eikichi's shirt and land at the top of his pants. He draws back to meet Eikichi's gaze, the smile fading away to something a little more serious. Because he doesn't want this to be taken as a joke.
"I..." there's a moment of uncertainty. Is it too much too soon? Should they just continue their slow make out and see where it went from there? A nice, lazy pace because they had nowhere to go and no place to be but with each other? He bites his lip and then decides, fuck it. If intrusive thoughts were winning for Eikichi today, Junpei would let his do the same!
"I wanna put my mouth on you," his palm trails to the seat of Eikichi's pants to indicate where. He keeps eye contact, tilting his head. "Would that be okay? Or is that something we should save until later?"
He smiles to break some of the tension of the moment to make a little bit of a teasing joke. "I'm real curious if what they say about eating fruit affecting the flavor is true!" And Eikichi's diet is primarily fruit and veg, so....
"You asshole!" Eikichi, purposefully makes fake efforts at trying to push him off as tries to kiss his cheek before Junpei starts going a little more downward. The reality of the situation hits him when his boyfriend gets quiet and serious. He hadn't really been thinking about that, but it's very, very obviously clear that his body want it.
Eikichi gives Junpei time to collect his thoughts and it looks like he's hesitating, giving him an encouraging look. Honestly if he hadn't suggested it, Eikichi might have gone the other end on top of him. They still had time for it anyway. It couldn't be all that different than from what he had read, right? But then Junpei's hand is really close and he's not sure if he'll be able to last long. Not fair...
"If you're not doing it, I am." That resolves that, doesn't it? Choose your poison, Junpei. But then Eikichi looks a little panicked himself. "Wait, how would you know the difference?" He adds as the joke doesn't land, just glad he'd taken his shower before calling him over. Oh god, had Junpei already done this with a bunch of dudes to know how they tasted?! Shit, here he was, having barely touched a girl's breast in his life, let alone another guy's chest.
His smile grows as Eikichi makes it an either/or situation, feeling a nice little tingle at the thought of Eikichi doing it to him. He's busy thinking about that so when Eikichi follows up with his second question, it disarms him. "Oh! Uh..."
He scratches the side of his cheek, sheepish. "I wouldn't. Not really. I mean, I've tasted my own." Is that weird? M-maybe it's a little weird. Junpei waves his hands in front of himself to try and make it more of a normal thing. "I-I was curious! And sometimes you don't got a tissue around and--"
Oh my god. Junpei will stop going down the strange path of his solo sex life. "A-anyway! You're my first...uh, everything." His smile returns, soft. And he looks at Eikichi, enamored -- the way he's always looks at him, really. Like the world revolves around a single point and that point is not the sun, but Eikichi Mishina. Fuck, it's so stupid neither of them realized they were into each other until very recently. "But I want you to be. Everything I do with you is a lot of fun, Eikichi. Always has been. So this is gonna be the same, right?"
Right! Junpei has no doubt. He might get shy here and there, but honestly he feels so comfortable around Eikichi. "Anyway, as for who gets to go first. From what I hear, 69 is a pretty niiiice number." His eyebrows wiggle playfully. Maybe it will be a disaster. Junpei's not so sure he could concentrate on pleasuring Eikichi while receiving it himself, but even if it is a disaster in the sense of not going as smooth and perfect as the movies make it seem -- it's still bound to be a lot of fun!
Eikichi just scoffs at the comment as Junpei seems to trip over himself with excuses. Again.
"Pffft. Bro. Bro." He holds up a hand for him to stop. "I feel that every guy should at least try their own once before they ever subject someone else to it, otherwise they shouldn't even ask." Leave it to him to make it seem like the most normal thing ever.
"You could have fooled me," he added pointing with a small wink. "I kissed Miyabi and we did...get a little intimate real quick before I went off to face Nyarlathotep, but it was nothing like this." Makes sense for a guy to get a real quick make-out session before thinking he was saving the world, right? He didn't think everything would go to hell in a handbasket. "Oh and some guys at school on a dare, and this girl kissed my cheek at Seven Sisters when we fixed the curse emblem problem buuuuut that's about it." A pause. "W-what I-I make it sound like I have experience now but yeah...not r-really? Not like this...never like this."
And while the idea of both of them on top of each other is really enticing, "I think," he ponders, putting a finger on his lip, "I'd like for us to look at each other before we think about that." Leaving it open for later. When they both have more experience than just awkward kissing. "Hmmm....if we're really doing this, did you take a shower this morning?"
Maybe it's just his affinity for water, but the idea of doing something while there's water raining on them, the steam filling the room...they aren't undressed yet anyway. It wouldn't take that much more time. And he's no longer worried about his hair colour changing either now that it's permanent.
He laughs a little at Eikichi's compliment, though the smile dims when Eikichi goes on to list his numerous experiences. Not so much because of the experiences themselves -- especially because Eikichi assures him that it's never been like this with any of them. But it's more the trace of guilt over hearing Miyabi's name. Eikichi wouldn't be with Junpei if he wasn't okay with it. Junpei knows this, but even so...Miyabi is Eikichi's past and she's his present -- well his present back home at least. Junpei's certain she'll be his future as well. A love like the love they shared isn't something that can be erased with the remaking of the world. Is it really okay to be doing this?
Eikichi's words seem to echo Junpei's thoughts, overlapping with that if we're really doing this. He snaps out of his daze to look at him, mind catching up at the question about the shower. Junpei shakes his head, sitting back from Eikichi. "Not this morning. I had a long ass cry in the shower before bed yesterday, though. And proceeded not to sleep at all. But I'm not tired now!" He assures. Although it's only a matter of time before Junpei conks out -- especially now that they've not only mended their relationship but upgraded it!
The prospect of seeing a naked Eikichi is enough to keep him going for now, though! No fatigue whatsoever. "I've been trying to get in the shower with you for a while now, so you know I'm game. You don't know how close I was the night I got back to just busting open the door, pushing you against the shower wall and kissing you. Lucky me, getting to live past Junpei's dream."
"Oh my god, bro, I'm sorry." Eikichi feels that pang and guilt for waiting a day, but he needed to clear his mind. Even if, honestly, he should have done it yesterday. "I was just...terrified." Which is so goddamn stupid thinking back now it goes right back to being a comedy in three acts.
"Okay then, once we...do it...after that, I am putting you to bed so you can at least nap for a few hours." What that meant, he wasn't sure yet, but he wasn't going to have Junpei being a zombie and then fall sleep mid-kiss. They were running on teen make-out energy, but that battery would run empty soon, he feared.
"Heh." He should have seen it. He knows this. Hell, he's pretty sure deep down he knew it down to his soul, that even Hades was aware, but his own fear kept everything at length's bay. He clicks his tongue again and thinks back to the night two days ago. "...I think." His eyes go back to looking at Junpei. "I think if you had...I would have let you." Which is a monumental thing to admit. "Besides," he adds, raising his left eyebrow, "I think you saw all my drawings of you." All water under the bridge now. "Maybe you sleeping next to me was that kick I needed to admit it to myself."
He stands up and stretches his arms, before walking over to the appearing door, taking the towel from the floor and putting it properly into the clothing bin. Then he did an overly exaggerated movement as if to present the door to him.
"Now Mr.Iori if you step right this way, I believe this little situation requires an...encore?"
Junpei shakes his head, waving his hands after the apology. It wasn't him. Junpei could have just as easily ignored the imposed distance and tried to fix things. But in a way, he needed that cry and that sleepless night. Because it wasn't only the falling out with Eikichi that had been on his mind. He needed to recalibrate to being back in the Fae Realm again and to continue processing everything happening home. But for now, he shrugs at Eikichi's assertion that he'll put him to bed -- as though challenging it and saying we'll see! After all, Junpei's not tired and therefore that clearly means he's going to be wide awake to spend as much time as possible with Eikichi!! (He will not.)
The confession about allowing the kiss brings a warm smile to Junpei's face, and he kicks himself a little for not following through! But things are as they should be. They got here and that's what mattered. And it seemed as though Eikichi found Junpei's note. He didn't think it was going to be something Eikichi revisited for a bit, but also he didn't anticipate the following morning was going to turn out the way it did either.
But Eikichi is up and the bathroom is there for the two of them. Eikichi makes that joke which earns a faint laugh. Junpei slowly gets up from the mattress and follows him. "I didn't mean to look at the notebook. It was...I thought it was your sketchbook with Miyabi. And I was looking for a reason to talk myself out of going in there with you. Feeling guilty was just as good of an excuse as any. Maybe the only excuse."
He doesn't go into the bathroom just yet. Instead, he takes a moment to loop his arms around Eikichi's midsection and peek up at him. "Why were you so terrified, though? It's just me, dude. Probably your current dumbest friend. Definitely your dumbest boyfriend. You threatened me with a knife and I still stuck around. Even in the impossible scenario where I didn't like you -- I wouldn't have been scared off by Eikichi Mishina's big ol' crush on me! And besides! You telling me The Great Michel would have thrown in the towel that easily? Wouldn't have even tried to win over that Junpei Iori guy?"
"You were stuck in my mind when you were gone," he chuckles, watching him come closer, his eyes never leaving him. "Pretty sure I kept pestering Ta-chan and Gramps to help look for you."
They were really alike, weren't they? They kept making up excuses for the other to keep at an arm's length. And here they were now, calling each other boyfriends. When Junpei gets to him, he lowers his forehead to his, closing his eyes. He didn't realize how much he needed this, especially in this world, this uncertainty. The questions he ask, part of him wants to be this cool guy and just crack a joke at it, but Junpei at this point deserves the truth.
"L-listen I-i..." He bites his lip as the pain in his voice causes brings back old memories and his stuttering. "I-i know it was just you...I just...I never really told you what h-happened back then when I was a k-kid right?" He stops to take a deep breath, and brings in Junpei closer to him into a hug. "Miyabi, she was the most beautiful, popular girl at school. I-i was the chubby, s-stuttering loser that l-liked to draw. T-the other kids, t-they didn't like me or our friendship. T-they pulled down my pants in front of her. S-she liked me too, but there was so much peer pressure, she told me she hated fat people like me." There's a pause again, as he regains a better control of the waves moving inside his head. "When we met again this year, I didn't even know it was her. She felt so guilty about it she had gained weight to show me it wouldn't matter, but I had done the opposite - embracing my Michel personality hoping she'd like me more that way..."
The hug is suffocating, as if Eikichi is afraid Junpei will leave or disappear in his arms. There's tears in his eyes, but at least no mascara to color his face again.
"T-That's why I was so terrified! We don't know how long we'll be here! I c-couldn't risk it! When you cried in my arms two days ago, I couldn't tell you anything. What would happen if you didn't like me...or worse that you hated or were disgusted by me for liking you. I don't know if I had that willpower to do it all over again. So that's why I...pinned you to the wall. I couldn't think straight. I just wanted that pain to be over with."
There's a reprieve in being able to freely touch and hug Eikichi now. To hold him because he feels like it and to feel Eikichi's forehead against his own. When Eikichi asks if he told him what happened when he was a kid, Junpei shakes his head unknowingly. No, he didn't. Junpei's heard Eikichi stutter a few times, but never really batted an eye about it. Generally it happened in moments like this -- moments of raw and open vulnerability. His hands come up to settle on Eikichi's back, tracing comfortingly along it as Eikichi relays his story. And Junpei is given the final piece of the puzzle, the full picture of Eikichi unlocked.
Kids could be cruel. Eikichi lived a lonely life of mockery. But the one solid truth of both then and now is Eikichi always had a big heart. And Miyabi had the gift to see straight into said heart. Junpei gets it. The lengths one would go for popularity. Especially as a kid. Hadn't Junpei himself sought popularity by becoming the jokester? Hadn't he gone to house parties before just to appear 'cool' and hated every minute of it? So he can't fault Miyabi. But also, he understands the deep cut it gave Eikichi. A cut that still has yet to mend. A cut so deep, Michel was born to be the bandage. Eikichi's own created persona in a way.
This story explains why there were so many different images of Miyabi, too. It all makes so much sense.
Junpei knows their relationship is bound for a tragic path. He knows at the end of it, he's going to have to say goodbye to Eikichi. But it won't be because oof rejection. Junpei adjusts so his hands could go to one of his new favorite places to touch Eikichi -- resting on his chest and feeling the thump of his heartbeat.
"You're perfect," he utters. "Whether you're a chubby, stuttering kid or The Great Michel. You're perfect 'cause at the heart of it, you're Eikichi Mishina -- who loves with his whole heart, who uses the strength he has to fight for the ones he cares about, and who has more talent in his pinky than those dumb kids who bullied you will ever have. Miyabi could see it. I see it, too."
Junpei leans in, using his boyfriend powers to give Eikichi a quick peck. Because kisses can be used for things other than intense, passionate makeouts!
"It's hard when that's the kind of shit you carry with you and it's scary to open yourself up to hurt. But I hope if me and Miyabi taught you anything, it's to trust your instincts. You fell for two people, and they both wound up liking you back. If you've shown someone your heart, it's impossible not to like you back. I never imagined I'd wind up with a guy, but...I can't imagine it being anyone but you, Eiki-chin." He pats his chest with a smile. "So remember that, if a third person ever rolls around into your radar."
And then Junpei winks playfully. "Of course, I'm far from done with you yet. So no third person until you live it all out to the fullest with your second person."
Those aren't words Eikichi Mishina had ever heard in his life and they echo in is mind, as he half-listens to what Junpei says next. As a child, chastised for being too fat or not working enough by his father, he always felt deeply flawed. As he got older, he used those words said to him like a shield, to fight back once his persona - or his shinigami as he thought it was back then - awoke and he used like a tool. Those words that replayed in his mind that made him live through hell, stuck in that loop of self-deprecation and wanting to rise above the waves attempting to drown him to become something worthy in Miyabi's eyes. Maybe even his father's eyes as well. Consumed by the need to be accepted by others, continuing the cycle of bullying by thinking he was aiding others by taking care of them. Despite this, the cracks of Eikichi Mishina showed from time to time, as he really did care for the people in his school, as Yukino had mentioned to Tatsuya about people like him being a rare breed. Being all about himself, but never really for himself. All the while, still having small pockets of showing emotion, allowing himself to show them around his friends, but keeping that Japanese mindset to keep the harder, darker feelings locked in. Like his father had taught him, and probably like his father had been taught by his grandfather. Presenting an image that he had cultivated over the years.
But this was different.
In the Scorpio temple, it had been Eikichi who had fought his shadow that knew everything about him and his guilt, accepting that he was a part of him, and he had become far stronger for it. It was him who had spoken to Miyabi, telling her he didn't care what she looked like. The entire battle hadn't really been for himself. It had been for her. When she had cried in his arms and thanked him, he had felt on top of the world. Yet now, Eikichi realizes, he never had cried for himself.
So now, he does.
Ugly, terrible and loud sobs as he hangs on Junpei for dear life, as all that built tension that had been locked in his heart since his childhood is released all at once, opening the floodgates that don't seem to stop. Did Junpei mention someone else? Huh? Honestly he's not listening anymore at the point.
"Thank you..." his voice is meek and raw, his head spins and his eyes sting. "Thank you..."
Sometimes it hurts to heal. But in order to build yourself back up stronger than ever, the entire foundation needs to come down. And so, Junpei holds Eikichi quietly as he weeps in his arms, thinking even now how perfect Eikichi is. Perfectly flawed. Perfectly rounded. Perfectly human. He's all the more beautiful in his vulnerability. How could anyone look at him and think otherwise? It's because they're not truly looking at him. They don't see him. Not like Junpei does.
"You don't have to always be strong or the bravest or the coolest, to be worth something." Junpei utters, lips pressing against Eikichi's temple. It's giving him permission to cry. To cry as long as he needs to. To shatter if it'll help. Because Junpei will be here to help glue him back together again. And he'll do it any time it needs to be done because for as cathartic as this is, Junpei knows these deep-seated fears and pains can't be erased with a good cry. But the chasm they've made in Eikichi's heart can close a little bit -- can make it easier to cross so he can better face his fears in the future.
Taking Eikichi's face in his hands, Junpei inches in to kiss the tears from his cheeks and end with a lingering kiss to his forehead. "You're worth everything to me, Eiki-chin."
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Twice. He was someone's choice twice.
He looks at Trismegistus and makes a silent promise to the part of him that's Chidori. He promises he won't waste a second with Eikichi. He promises he won't take the time they have for granted. He swears he'll live every day to its fullest by the other persona user's side. And Trismegistus nods its head as though in approval before fading away.
"The luckiest, man. I didn't know what we meant to each other until it was too late, though. But now she's with me and I'll never forget it." ....well, until he does. But maybe he won't. Tatsuya said something about his heart remembering. Maybe it will be like that with Chidori. And maybe it will be the same with Eikichi.
Junpei moves toward the bathroom to let Jackson come out. And his hand freezes on the door handle. With Eikichi. Wait. Wait a minute. His eyes widen and he looks at Eikichi suddenly. "I....saw you. Back home. On TV one night."
Jackson trots out. Junpei moves from the door. The bathroom disappears. How did he forget this?? "You were being interviewed. And I remember thinking 'wow. That guy looks cool as hell.'" It wasn't much. It wasn't recognition. But he'd stopped on the channel. He'd taken notice of Eikichi. And it made enough of a mark for him to remember it now. Eikichi is there in the world. In his world. And even if Junpei doesn't remember what they had here, he'll be facing off against Nyx so that Eikichi can keep living his successful life. That makes it worth it. That makes all of it worth it.
"Heh. My boyfriend's a time traveler."
Wait. He immediately goes red. Is....is that the right word? Boyfriend?
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He dries his tears as Junpei let's out the cat from the bathroom. Jackson gives a small mew at the both of them before it goes to sleep in its potted plant it had been so horribly taken out of suddenly. Rude.
Then Junpei drops a bombshell about his own future, and it piques Eikichi's curiosity. He knows he shouldn't really think about it, but it's hard to not be enticed by the idea.
"So I graced your television set and you remembered me? I hate to be a heartbreaker, but that was probably an older me, not your time travelling boyfriend." It was almost effortless how he had slipped into that role, pretty much how he was able to summon his persona. Eikichi had years of practise the fake it til you make it, after all. "But who knows what happens in the future, right?" He winks at him. "Let's think about the now, boyfriend."
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"Well, boyfriend. Your makeup's a little messed up right now. Not that I don't find you hot no matter what, buuut just sayin'. If you wanted to get cleaned up and you needed a hand, I got two to spare." Junpei teases right back. "Then again, you're not fifty, so I suppose you wouldn't need the help."
Just playfully throwing Eikichi's words back at him from the other night. Time to play a round of Eikichi's greatest missed opportunities with that reminder. Junpei makes his way toward one of the mattresses on the floor and plops onto it. Eyebrows raise in slight challenge as though to say: your move, bro.
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A lot.
"Fine! You're right. I was totally dense. I can't believe - actually gimme a sec, I need to send something to Suou. Hey Leaf-chan! Please send a message to Tatsuya for me; Hey you fucking asshole, you already knew, didn't you? Well fuck you. And put a little heart emoji next to it."
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"Fine then, if you want to help me out, just take it all off." He lowers his voice slightly. "I don't think I'll be needing it for the rest of the day."
Now it's his turn to dare him on.
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He accepts the towel and swabs it smoothly across Eikichi's skin. It's a funny thing. He can imagine doing this just as easily for both removing makeup and swiping up some blood after a fight. That's just the two sides of Eikichi Mishina, huh? Beautiful and dangerous. Of course, Eikichi's not only two sides. Junpei would liken him to something more like a diamond -- multi faceted and highly valuable (at least to Junpei).
"But it's fine, dude. You not catching on. Heh. I....only realized when you, uh. Borrowed Sumire's costume," he lets out a laugh -- half embarrassed but half genuinely amused. "It looked really fricken good on you."
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At that comment, he thinks back to when it happened and...
"Wait a minute. Is that why you had me pose?"
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"Do you want me to do it again? I don't have Sumire's outfit anymore but I'm pretty sure I have an equivalent of a speedo somewhere."
Cause he does remember saying that.
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He's not sure what to do with the damp towel now. Junpei doesn't exactly want to leave his spot next to Eikichi, but he doesn't want to hold it either. He's wondering if he could lob it into the laundry bag from here, even though it's a little far. For now he holds it and--
Ah! His attention returns to Eikichi immediately after the speedo offer and his cheeks go a little pink. "I mean, tempting? But I think right now, I'd kinda prefer you to be kissing me again. That's the boyfriend perk, right? Unlimited kisses from Eikichi Mishina! And it's kinda criminal we've only had one so far today..."
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Unless...
Eikichi takes the towel from his hands, like he knows exactly what Junpei is thinking, and gets up to lock the door, throwing the towel behind his back as far as he can toss it. It smacks on the wall and lands on the floor next to where the door for the bathroom would be. Junpei would know by now that Eikcihi keeps the room meticulously clean so this is very unusual for him to not put in the time and care.
Or maybe he just has someone else on his mind. He looks back at Junpei slowly, seizing him up. No more waiting. No more interruptions. There's a mischievous glint in his eyes again as he comes back to him and the bed, and crawls closer.
"You're right, it is downright deplorable." His voice is lower again and there's a growl at the back of his throat. Eikichi can be shy sometimes and let the mask slip, but for some reason his confidence is extremely high when he's around Junpei. Like he could step into fire and not be hurt (this is a lie and he would be) and do whatever he damn wants. So he goes for a second kiss, feeling their lips touch and meet in bliss, hopefully one of many more they would have that morning and afternoon and night.
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Wait. Ah. Junpei's saying this shit without thinking about the implications. Not that the heated kiss from earlier was any chaste thing and not that Junpei hasn't gone there in his mind several times since realizing he liked Eikichi, fantasizing about any which position one could imagine so long as it was the two of them somehow entangled together. But there's fantasy and then there's reality. And the reality is Junpei's never been with anyone before like that, so he's a little shy about navigating these new waters.
But then Eikichi looks at him like that and he speaks in this thick, rich tone and Junpei so clearly understands how this guy became the boss of his school. God. He'd follow Eikichi to the ends of the Earth if Eikichi keeps using that tone. Junpei reaches up to pry off his baseball cap and fling it to the side so it won't get in the way of those kisses and then he eagerly meets Eikichi's lips. Their first kiss was wonderful. 10/10, no notes. But this one comes after they've talked and established they're together, so there's nothing to hinder it. No thoughts of things that should be addressed, no desperation to not lose one another. Just enjoying this thing of theirs now -- this thing they can call their own.
Junpei's always been drawn to Eikichi's hands -- admiring them as they worked whether cooking or drawing. He liked watching Eikichi's fingers when he would bring them to his face near his lips in those moments he was being playful or teasing or cocky. And when Junpei could get away with it, he'd reach out to touch and guide those hands himself. Now, he has free access to Eikichi's hands and Junpei blindly reaches for them, leading arms to wrap around him and enthusiastically placing his hands on the small of his back -- ensuring Eikichi's fingers can dip beneath his shirt and have full access to his bare skin. Because that would be nice, he thinks. Those fingers roaming freely along his spine. He shivers just thinking about it.
In the meantime, their kiss! It's impassioned and just as bruising as before, but this time, Junpei parts his lips. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but it feels right to deepen the kiss and taste Eikichi with his tongue.
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He can't help but think back to that time they found ropes and candles in Seven Sister High's Janitorial room. For...emergencies, they had hoped.
Eikichi in some ways has gotten so good at playing a role that it took over how he was before and became who he is. In truth, he hasn't really done anything like this either, unlike his friend Lisa, and is just winging it from whatever he's managed to sneak into his house without his father noticing, like all other healthy boys his age. Except he'd never really...thought about liking another boy before. Then again, if Miyabi had been a boy, it would have ended up exactly the same, just he would have needed to switch to a different type of magazine. After all, Eikcihi doesn't fall in love with how a person looks, it's their heart and personality that draws him to them. It's also why he didn't even blink at Jun and Tatsuya's public displays of brohood, just commenting on how they were making Lisa angry. He should have known that observation would come to bite him a few months later. Eikichi and Junpei, the two of them, being idiots and doing as well without realizing it.
He feels his hands being moved and sort of understands what Junpei is implying, putting them around his neck to deepen the kiss until...oh. Oh, he knew this was going to happen eventually, but it looks like they both have pent up energy. He tries to do it as well, but it's not perfect. Hesitant, a little unsure how he's suppose to move his tongue in there. But it's fun. That's the important part, right? He takes a sharp breath through his nose and hums.
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But oh! Eikichi's tongue has joined in to play and as far as Junpei's aware, Eikichi is doing everything right. He must really know what he's doing because it all feels very good to Junpei so far! He can't even tell the others hesitation, if only because Junpei is diving in full force. He moves closer, the closest he's ever been excluding the night of the dreaded cuddle. But perhaps this is even closer than that as Junpei slips onto Eikichi's lap.
Eikichi locked that door for a reason, Junpei thinks. And so, he feels that gives him permission to get handsy. One slips into Eikichi's hair that he'd only gotten to touch when he was picking out forest debris. Now he can touch and appreciate all of these things without fear. And that other hand (his right and dominant hand) does just that, resting on Eikichi's chest before slipping down to the hem of his shirt and dipping beneath so he can touch skin. Junpei's hands are a little rougher -- calloused from continual use, whether swinging a baseball bat or his broad sword, but always so very warm. It shouldn't feel unpleasant.
Well. At first.
Grinning deviously against Eikichi's lips, Junpei flutters fingers along Eikichi's stomach just to test how ticklish he is. Which is probably not the best way to set a sexy mood, to be fair! But Junpei is gonna continue to tease Eikichi just the way he would as his best bud! And if Eikichi wanted to punish him for his bad behavior, then oh no. Junpei would have no choice but to accept his penance.
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Oh this is...really nice. He can feel his entire body burn up the second Junpei moves even closer, making no effort to push him off. They are still kissing, maybe they should stop soon? Well he can breathe by his nose, this is fine. Everything is fine.
Then it becomes way more than he anticipated. It feels like Junpei's put molten lava on his chest as his hand touches him on his skin and his face becomes incredibly hot. It doesn't matter if his fingers aren't smooth, in fact, it feels more like it's digging into his skin making it worse. Is he having a sensory overload or is this just right?
And then...
"Oh my go-oooood!" Like a cork popping from a bottle, he breaks off their connection the second Junpei starts tickling, his stomach muscles involuntary wincing from inside. He falls over akin a sinking boat, taking Junpei with him.
The answer is yes, he is very ticklish.
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"I..." there's a moment of uncertainty. Is it too much too soon? Should they just continue their slow make out and see where it went from there? A nice, lazy pace because they had nowhere to go and no place to be but with each other? He bites his lip and then decides, fuck it. If intrusive thoughts were winning for Eikichi today, Junpei would let his do the same!
"I wanna put my mouth on you," his palm trails to the seat of Eikichi's pants to indicate where. He keeps eye contact, tilting his head. "Would that be okay? Or is that something we should save until later?"
He smiles to break some of the tension of the moment to make a little bit of a teasing joke. "I'm real curious if what they say about eating fruit affecting the flavor is true!" And Eikichi's diet is primarily fruit and veg, so....
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Eikichi gives Junpei time to collect his thoughts and it looks like he's hesitating, giving him an encouraging look. Honestly if he hadn't suggested it, Eikichi might have gone the other end on top of him. They still had time for it anyway. It couldn't be all that different than from what he had read, right? But then Junpei's hand is really close and he's not sure if he'll be able to last long. Not fair...
"If you're not doing it, I am." That resolves that, doesn't it? Choose your poison, Junpei. But then Eikichi looks a little panicked himself. "Wait, how would you know the difference?" He adds as the joke doesn't land, just glad he'd taken his shower before calling him over. Oh god, had Junpei already done this with a bunch of dudes to know how they tasted?! Shit, here he was, having barely touched a girl's breast in his life, let alone another guy's chest.
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He scratches the side of his cheek, sheepish. "I wouldn't. Not really. I mean, I've tasted my own." Is that weird? M-maybe it's a little weird. Junpei waves his hands in front of himself to try and make it more of a normal thing. "I-I was curious! And sometimes you don't got a tissue around and--"
Oh my god. Junpei will stop going down the strange path of his solo sex life. "A-anyway! You're my first...uh, everything." His smile returns, soft. And he looks at Eikichi, enamored -- the way he's always looks at him, really. Like the world revolves around a single point and that point is not the sun, but Eikichi Mishina. Fuck, it's so stupid neither of them realized they were into each other until very recently. "But I want you to be. Everything I do with you is a lot of fun, Eikichi. Always has been. So this is gonna be the same, right?"
Right! Junpei has no doubt. He might get shy here and there, but honestly he feels so comfortable around Eikichi. "Anyway, as for who gets to go first. From what I hear, 69 is a pretty niiiice number." His eyebrows wiggle playfully. Maybe it will be a disaster. Junpei's not so sure he could concentrate on pleasuring Eikichi while receiving it himself, but even if it is a disaster in the sense of not going as smooth and perfect as the movies make it seem -- it's still bound to be a lot of fun!
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"Pffft. Bro. Bro." He holds up a hand for him to stop. "I feel that every guy should at least try their own once before they ever subject someone else to it, otherwise they shouldn't even ask." Leave it to him to make it seem like the most normal thing ever.
"You could have fooled me," he added pointing with a small wink. "I kissed Miyabi and we did...get a little intimate real quick before I went off to face Nyarlathotep, but it was nothing like this." Makes sense for a guy to get a real quick make-out session before thinking he was saving the world, right? He didn't think everything would go to hell in a handbasket. "Oh and some guys at school on a dare, and this girl kissed my cheek at Seven Sisters when we fixed the curse emblem problem buuuuut that's about it." A pause. "W-what I-I make it sound like I have experience now but yeah...not r-really? Not like this...never like this."
And while the idea of both of them on top of each other is really enticing, "I think," he ponders, putting a finger on his lip, "I'd like for us to look at each other before we think about that." Leaving it open for later. When they both have more experience than just awkward kissing. "Hmmm....if we're really doing this, did you take a shower this morning?"
Maybe it's just his affinity for water, but the idea of doing something while there's water raining on them, the steam filling the room...they aren't undressed yet anyway. It wouldn't take that much more time. And he's no longer worried about his hair colour changing either now that it's permanent.
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Eikichi's words seem to echo Junpei's thoughts, overlapping with that if we're really doing this. He snaps out of his daze to look at him, mind catching up at the question about the shower. Junpei shakes his head, sitting back from Eikichi. "Not this morning. I had a long ass cry in the shower before bed yesterday, though. And proceeded not to sleep at all. But I'm not tired now!" He assures. Although it's only a matter of time before Junpei conks out -- especially now that they've not only mended their relationship but upgraded it!
The prospect of seeing a naked Eikichi is enough to keep him going for now, though! No fatigue whatsoever. "I've been trying to get in the shower with you for a while now, so you know I'm game. You don't know how close I was the night I got back to just busting open the door, pushing you against the shower wall and kissing you. Lucky me, getting to live past Junpei's dream."
Past Junpei.....from only two days ago.
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"Okay then, once we...do it...after that, I am putting you to bed so you can at least nap for a few hours." What that meant, he wasn't sure yet, but he wasn't going to have Junpei being a zombie and then fall sleep mid-kiss. They were running on teen make-out energy, but that battery would run empty soon, he feared.
"Heh." He should have seen it. He knows this. Hell, he's pretty sure deep down he knew it down to his soul, that even Hades was aware, but his own fear kept everything at length's bay. He clicks his tongue again and thinks back to the night two days ago. "...I think." His eyes go back to looking at Junpei. "I think if you had...I would have let you." Which is a monumental thing to admit. "Besides," he adds, raising his left eyebrow, "I think you saw all my drawings of you." All water under the bridge now. "Maybe you sleeping next to me was that kick I needed to admit it to myself."
He stands up and stretches his arms, before walking over to the appearing door, taking the towel from the floor and putting it properly into the clothing bin. Then he did an overly exaggerated movement as if to present the door to him.
"Now Mr.Iori if you step right this way, I believe this little situation requires an...encore?"
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The confession about allowing the kiss brings a warm smile to Junpei's face, and he kicks himself a little for not following through! But things are as they should be. They got here and that's what mattered. And it seemed as though Eikichi found Junpei's note. He didn't think it was going to be something Eikichi revisited for a bit, but also he didn't anticipate the following morning was going to turn out the way it did either.
But Eikichi is up and the bathroom is there for the two of them. Eikichi makes that joke which earns a faint laugh. Junpei slowly gets up from the mattress and follows him. "I didn't mean to look at the notebook. It was...I thought it was your sketchbook with Miyabi. And I was looking for a reason to talk myself out of going in there with you. Feeling guilty was just as good of an excuse as any. Maybe the only excuse."
He doesn't go into the bathroom just yet. Instead, he takes a moment to loop his arms around Eikichi's midsection and peek up at him. "Why were you so terrified, though? It's just me, dude. Probably your current dumbest friend. Definitely your dumbest boyfriend. You threatened me with a knife and I still stuck around. Even in the impossible scenario where I didn't like you -- I wouldn't have been scared off by Eikichi Mishina's big ol' crush on me! And besides! You telling me The Great Michel would have thrown in the towel that easily? Wouldn't have even tried to win over that Junpei Iori guy?"
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They were really alike, weren't they? They kept making up excuses for the other to keep at an arm's length. And here they were now, calling each other boyfriends. When Junpei gets to him, he lowers his forehead to his, closing his eyes. He didn't realize how much he needed this, especially in this world, this uncertainty. The questions he ask, part of him wants to be this cool guy and just crack a joke at it, but Junpei at this point deserves the truth.
"L-listen I-i..." He bites his lip as the pain in his voice causes brings back old memories and his stuttering. "I-i know it was just you...I just...I never really told you what h-happened back then when I was a k-kid right?" He stops to take a deep breath, and brings in Junpei closer to him into a hug. "Miyabi, she was the most beautiful, popular girl at school. I-i was the chubby, s-stuttering loser that l-liked to draw. T-the other kids, t-they didn't like me or our friendship. T-they pulled down my pants in front of her. S-she liked me too, but there was so much peer pressure, she told me she hated fat people like me." There's a pause again, as he regains a better control of the waves moving inside his head. "When we met again this year, I didn't even know it was her. She felt so guilty about it she had gained weight to show me it wouldn't matter, but I had done the opposite - embracing my Michel personality hoping she'd like me more that way..."
The hug is suffocating, as if Eikichi is afraid Junpei will leave or disappear in his arms. There's tears in his eyes, but at least no mascara to color his face again.
"T-That's why I was so terrified! We don't know how long we'll be here! I c-couldn't risk it! When you cried in my arms two days ago, I couldn't tell you anything. What would happen if you didn't like me...or worse that you hated or were disgusted by me for liking you. I don't know if I had that willpower to do it all over again. So that's why I...pinned you to the wall. I couldn't think straight. I just wanted that pain to be over with."
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Kids could be cruel. Eikichi lived a lonely life of mockery. But the one solid truth of both then and now is Eikichi always had a big heart. And Miyabi had the gift to see straight into said heart. Junpei gets it. The lengths one would go for popularity. Especially as a kid. Hadn't Junpei himself sought popularity by becoming the jokester? Hadn't he gone to house parties before just to appear 'cool' and hated every minute of it? So he can't fault Miyabi. But also, he understands the deep cut it gave Eikichi. A cut that still has yet to mend. A cut so deep, Michel was born to be the bandage. Eikichi's own created persona in a way.
This story explains why there were so many different images of Miyabi, too. It all makes so much sense.
Junpei knows their relationship is bound for a tragic path. He knows at the end of it, he's going to have to say goodbye to Eikichi. But it won't be because oof rejection. Junpei adjusts so his hands could go to one of his new favorite places to touch Eikichi -- resting on his chest and feeling the thump of his heartbeat.
"You're perfect," he utters. "Whether you're a chubby, stuttering kid or The Great Michel. You're perfect 'cause at the heart of it, you're Eikichi Mishina -- who loves with his whole heart, who uses the strength he has to fight for the ones he cares about, and who has more talent in his pinky than those dumb kids who bullied you will ever have. Miyabi could see it. I see it, too."
Junpei leans in, using his boyfriend powers to give Eikichi a quick peck. Because kisses can be used for things other than intense, passionate makeouts!
"It's hard when that's the kind of shit you carry with you and it's scary to open yourself up to hurt. But I hope if me and Miyabi taught you anything, it's to trust your instincts. You fell for two people, and they both wound up liking you back. If you've shown someone your heart, it's impossible not to like you back. I never imagined I'd wind up with a guy, but...I can't imagine it being anyone but you, Eiki-chin." He pats his chest with a smile. "So remember that, if a third person ever rolls around into your radar."
And then Junpei winks playfully. "Of course, I'm far from done with you yet. So no third person until you live it all out to the fullest with your second person."
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Those aren't words Eikichi Mishina had ever heard in his life and they echo in is mind, as he half-listens to what Junpei says next. As a child, chastised for being too fat or not working enough by his father, he always felt deeply flawed. As he got older, he used those words said to him like a shield, to fight back once his persona - or his shinigami as he thought it was back then - awoke and he used like a tool. Those words that replayed in his mind that made him live through hell, stuck in that loop of self-deprecation and wanting to rise above the waves attempting to drown him to become something worthy in Miyabi's eyes. Maybe even his father's eyes as well. Consumed by the need to be accepted by others, continuing the cycle of bullying by thinking he was aiding others by taking care of them. Despite this, the cracks of Eikichi Mishina showed from time to time, as he really did care for the people in his school, as Yukino had mentioned to Tatsuya about people like him being a rare breed. Being all about himself, but never really for himself. All the while, still having small pockets of showing emotion, allowing himself to show them around his friends, but keeping that Japanese mindset to keep the harder, darker feelings locked in. Like his father had taught him, and probably like his father had been taught by his grandfather. Presenting an image that he had cultivated over the years.
But this was different.
In the Scorpio temple, it had been Eikichi who had fought his shadow that knew everything about him and his guilt, accepting that he was a part of him, and he had become far stronger for it. It was him who had spoken to Miyabi, telling her he didn't care what she looked like. The entire battle hadn't really been for himself. It had been for her. When she had cried in his arms and thanked him, he had felt on top of the world. Yet now, Eikichi realizes, he never had cried for himself.
So now, he does.
Ugly, terrible and loud sobs as he hangs on Junpei for dear life, as all that built tension that had been locked in his heart since his childhood is released all at once, opening the floodgates that don't seem to stop. Did Junpei mention someone else? Huh? Honestly he's not listening anymore at the point.
"Thank you..." his voice is meek and raw, his head spins and his eyes sting. "Thank you..."
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"You don't have to always be strong or the bravest or the coolest, to be worth something." Junpei utters, lips pressing against Eikichi's temple. It's giving him permission to cry. To cry as long as he needs to. To shatter if it'll help. Because Junpei will be here to help glue him back together again. And he'll do it any time it needs to be done because for as cathartic as this is, Junpei knows these deep-seated fears and pains can't be erased with a good cry. But the chasm they've made in Eikichi's heart can close a little bit -- can make it easier to cross so he can better face his fears in the future.
Taking Eikichi's face in his hands, Junpei inches in to kiss the tears from his cheeks and end with a lingering kiss to his forehead. "You're worth everything to me, Eiki-chin."
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cw: there do be some sexytimes from here on out lol
cw: here be penni (but not the pasta kind)
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not a real tag
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1/2
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Me trying not to laugh at that entire tag challenge impossible
x) hehehe embrace the stupidity
Is this porn or is this a comedy a pornmedy, if you will
ALL OF THE ABOVE
>B] 1 tag until disaster lmao
5...4...3....
...2...1...
c r y i n g lol
What is porn but not a comedy
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Not an actual real bonus tag