Chapter Text
The first thing Mika registers is that Shu's house is warm. His apartment has a run-down air conditioning unit and a poor heating system, but he has simply assumed this is normal. Now, stepping hesitantly into the entryway, he finally notices himself shivering.
He has to stop because he cannot worry Shu. Not after all Shu has done for him, Mika cannot inconvenience him like this. He shifts his small backpack slightly to take weight off his injured ankle, not daring to say a word. The silence hums between them. Mika is still holding the acanthus that Nito allegedly bought him.
Shu glances over to him.
"Well?" He says, raising one eyebrow, "Go on then." Go on? Mika didn't know what to do. What was Shu implying?
"M'sorry… What d'you mean?" Mika looked confused, unable to meet Shu's eyes out of shame. He should be ashamed of himself, he thinks, for being so slow on this uptake.
"The guest room is down the hall, Kagehira." Shu sighs, as if he can't believe he has to explain. Suddenly, it clicks. He's offering Mika a place to stay. Embarrassed, but too tired to argue, he walks down the hall to the room Shu mentioned.
In the doorway, he freezes. The room is beautiful, with an overhead light and tan carpet. The wine-colored bedspread is clean and folded. There are even a few books on the wooden shelf. The light doesn't flicker and the wallpaper is all one color. It looks complete. Unbroken.
Suddenly, the warmth of Shu's house feels too hot. The fabric of Mika's usually soft hoodie is scratchy, and he could have sworn the stray thread on the cuff wasn't there a minute ago. His hair won't get out of his face and the pain in his ankle is infinitely worse. He is acutely aware of how odd and out of place he looks in such a perfect room. Every minor disturbance has been amplified and hits him all at once.
"I-" Mika takes a step back, tears forming in the corners of his stupid, mismatched eyes. "I can't take this. Why- Why would you-" He can't finish what he wants to say. The thoughts won't come out as proper words. He feels faint and dizzy. There isn't enough oxygen to breathe.
Shu does not comfort him, but watches silently. He doesn't interfere at all. He appears even slightly irritated as he sighs.
"Kagehira, please refrain from fainting in my house. That's rather…" Shu trails off. "Immature of you." He decides. His eyes betray nothing. "And yes, you can. This is yours now. Be ready to come back to rehearsal." With that, he leaves.
Mika hears 'Do not disappoint me'. That he needs to keep his skill and not fall behind Nazuna and Shu.
Mika is left alone in the serene guest room, the silence now a heavy weight pressing on him. Shu's words echo in his mind, mingling with his anxiety and frustration. The room, so meticulously arranged and calming, seems like a cruel juxtaposition to his inner turmoil. He wants to sit down but the bed, so neatly made, seems too pristine for him to disturb.
He moves slowly, gingerly lowering himself onto the edge of the bed. The warmth of the room, once comforting, now feels stifling. Mika's hands tremble as he fumbles with the acanthus from Nazuna, clutching it tightly to ground himself. The pain in his ankle is a constant throb, exacerbated by his emotional strain.
As he tries to steady his breathing, he feels a deep sense of guilt. Shu has gone out of his way to offer him a safe space, and here Mika is, overwhelmed and unable to appreciate it properly. His thoughts drift to the hours of practice, the demands of their routine, and his desire not to let anyone down. It is all too much to process at once.
In the quiet, Mika becomes acutely aware of the softness of the bedspread beneath him and the faint scent of lavender in the air. These details, which should be soothing, instead highlight the chasm between his current state and the ideal that Shu's home represents. His emotions spiral, mixing exhaustion with a profound sense of inadequacy.
Eventually, Mika turns out the lights and curls up in the bed, tugging the blankets around him. Still, he clutches the acanthus tightly between his fingers.
Just down the hall, as he sees the lights go out, Shu breathes a sigh of relief.
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Miles away, someone in a hospital room is looking out the window. The wind is cool and ruffles the leaves close enough for him to touch. If it were not for the other person in the room, he might have. The other person with indigo ringlets and a nervous line of a smile. Light green eyes peering anxiously from behind thin black glasses. He is sitting beside the first boy. Papers are spread between them.
"You know, Tsumugi," The first boy says conversationally, tucking a wispy blonde curl behind his ear, "I have been thinking. The Five Eccentrics."
Tsumugi's grin widens eagerly, like a child who simply can't contain Christmas-morning excitement.
"You've finally decided on the lineup?" He guesses abruptly, "Tell me, Eichi. It's exciting to see our plan finally working out." Eichi gives him a reproachful glance, reluctant to yet reveal his intricate web of half-truths.
Finally, he gives in. "The first three suggestions- Rei Sakuma, Kanata Shinkai, and Wataru Hibiki." When Eichi says Wataru's name, he falters slightly. But he is back in an instant, so quick that Tsumugi convinces himself it never happened. "Then, Valkyrie's Shu Itsuki… And the first year Natsume Sakasaki." The last name is dropped with a pause, with a hint of hesitation.
"What's the matter?" Tsumugi, perceptive as always, raises both eyebrows. "I'll tell Natsume right away. He'll be excited, I'm sure!"
Eichi is unsure. Natsume is a gamble, a wildcard, and a complete enigma. Chosen on somewhat of a whim. Eichi has combed the pool of first year students time and time again, but each time, Natsume's glittering eyes of citrine draw him back.
"Yes," Eichi murmurs, "I'm sure. Being cheered on by the whole school is something to celebrate, is it not?" His mind is no longer on his own rhetorical question. Looking down at the five labeled photographs, Eichi's pale blue gaze lingers particularly on one.
Shu Itsuki