Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Mondo felt numb. How else would you feel while staring at the body of a friend, a body you put there yourself? He still had the dumbbell in his hand, subconsciously, clenching it in his fist as he tried to wrap his mind around the scene in front of him. Chihiro was on the ground and they weren’t moving.

The biker looked down for a moment, and, upon seeing the deadly weapon, gave a shout and dropped it like it had burned him. He felt sick to his core, and the scent of iron suffocating him didn’t help either. ‘Oh god oh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck what am I gonna do?’

Mondo began to nervously pull at his hair, unable to look at the limp body of Chihiro but unable to leave them alone. Tears sprung in his eyes as he realized what he had to do. ‘I can’t kill anyone else’ he thought, justifying his actions by repeating the mantra until he had finished. Once the excruciating task of rearranging the locker rooms was complete, Mondo allowed himself to sit down and take in what had happened.
“Oh Chi, I’m so fuckin sorry, I never meant to do a goddamn thing to you. I don’t know what came over me, it’s just no fair-“ he inhaled shakily “Why do I always fuck up? God, I’m so damn stupid, now I’ve got the blood of 2 innocent people on my hands..”

Mondo couldn’t rip his eyes away from the hacker’s small form, even as tears flooded from his eyes, blurring his vision and the hideous scene before him. When the tears began to slow, he picked himself up and plodded to his room, duffel bags in hand, and the weight of the dumb bell on his soul.

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-
Time had passed. Mondo watched the minutes click by on the clock in his room. He lay there, trying not to make eye contact with the door of his bathroom, where the gym bags were concealed. His head hurt, he realized. ‘I bet Chihiro’s head hurt after you bashed in their skull you fucking coward’

Mondo’s thoughts consumed him. He sat up in bed, attempting to shake the thoughts from his head. They still remained, stuck in every crevice of his skull. He couldn’t breathe. And so he did what any emotionally suppressed person would do. He screamed.

Mondo wailed and wailed, for Daiya and the years they had together, everything that they got each other through, and all the things Mondo has had to do on his own. He cried for Michi and the unknown, the horrible scene he saw in the stupid motive video. He wept for Chihiro, their wasted potential, their overflowing strength, all lost because of his childish fit of jealousy.

And finally, Mondo sobbed for Kiyotaka. Oh god, how would he react when he heard the announcement? Finally Mondo had a real friend, a brother for the first time in a long time, and he completely screwed it up. Some distant part of his mind was thankful for the soundproof walls in his dorm. Mondo slid down the wall, until he was sat on the floor, head in hands. His head really did hurt.
-
A few hours later, and Mondo had completely given up on sleep. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw was Chihiro’s blank stare. When he opened his eyes, they just drifted back to the bathroom with their bags, and he couldn’t handle much of either of those images any longer.
Mondo stood up with a groan and headed for the door, needing to be anywhere but his room. His hand froze upon the handle, as he wondered where he could go. Water didn’t work at night, and the kitchens were locked, so there wasn’t much to do in that way. The thought of going anywhere near the training rooms made his stomach lurch, and he didn’t want to just walk around. It seemed like there was nothing to do but count down the hours until the morning announcement. Then again he was next door.

Mondo’s heart leapt into his throat. What would he think? Kiyotaka was very adamant about getting the proper amounts of sleep, exercise, and food, and Mondo doubted he would be pleased to be roused in the middle of the night. What if he asked why he was awake? What if Taka already knew what he had done? What if Mondo accidentally told him and Taka hated him forever and told everyone and-

And Mondo was looking at the outside of Kiyotaka’s door. His hand, inches away from the wood, hesitated. ‘Calm the fuck down, if you knock he probably won’t even hear you and you can just say you tried and go back to your room’ Mondo thought. He inhaled and rapped lightly on the door. Time seemed to stop, just for a little. The silence was deafening. Mondo couldn’t tell if he was relieved or disappointed at the lack of sound when he heard shuffling on the other side and soon the door was swung open, and a bleary eyed hall monster stood on the other side of it.

“Kyoudai? What on earth are you doing up at this hour?”

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-
“Kyoudai? What on earth are you doing up at this hour?”

That was certainly a good question. Mondo stood there for a moment before rushing to Kiyotaka’s side and embracing him desperately. Taka stiffened, but quickly returned the gesture. “Hey hey hey, what’s happened? Kyoudai look at me- it’s okay.” Taka raised his hands to Mondo’s shoulders, pushing him away lightly to look at his face. Mondo refused to meet his eyes. “Hey” Kiyotaka led Mondo to his bed, sitting down next to him. “Kyoudai I don’t understand what’s happening. Please tell me what’s going on.” Mondo tried to pull Kiyotaka into him again, avoiding the question but he continued to keep the biker at arms length.

“Mondo.” He said sternly, causing him to look up at the hall moniter. “It is 4:00 in the morning, a time when all sensible people are asleep. Now I would appreciate it if you would tell me why you and I are awake.”

Mondo sighed. He couldn’t just tell Taka ‘yeah sorry I’m awake, I’m just being tortured by the image of my dead friend that I killed tonight. Hauling a dead body and setting up a crime scene is a lot of work, ya know?’ So he made up a lie. It felt like he was getting too good at that.
“I had a really bad dream and I didn’t know what to do. I can leave now if ya wan-“ Mondo was cut off by Taka pushing him on his back and laying his head on his chest. “What the-“ he was cut off yet again by the hall monitor. “Shh. If you think I’m going to let my kyoudai battle these nightmares alone then you’re sadly mistaken. I understand what you’re going through Mondo, and I am here to help! That’s what friends are for, correct?” Kiyotaka said with a fierce grin. ‘Oh if only he knew how little he understood’ Mondo thought bitterly. “Thanks Taka.” Mondo said gratefully. “Naturally Mondo.” Taka replied, squeezing Mondo’s arm reassuringly.

And thus, the room began to fill with silence, interrupted only by soft snores or movements by the teens. Every negative thought in Mondo’s head was being drowned out by the happiness he felt in that moment with his kyoudai. Mondo and Kiyotaka slept well that night, for the last time.

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-
‘Ding dong big bong’

The two boys jolted awake at the announcement, not realizing or caring how close they were to each other. Kiyotaka was the first to get up, stretching his arms high above his head, his night shirt riding up and exposing his stomach a bit.

“Well, I hope you slept well last night kyoudai, I know I did! Now, let’s go down and have breakfast with the others, shall we?” Taka expectantly grinned in the direction of the biker. Mondo made no effort to move. He felt sick, his stomach doing somersaults as he began to remember the events of last night. This morning they would all know, and by that night someone would be executed. It had to be him, there was no way he would let them all die, no way he could let Taka die. “Mondo? Are you coming?” Taka asked again, buttoning his uniform shirt. He shook his head. “Yeah I mean, not right now. I’ll be there in a minute, alright?” Mondo glanced up at Taka. “Okay. Are you sure you’re okay, bro?” Taka queried, hand on the door handle. “Yeah. Don’t worry about me, go eat yer breakfast.” Mondo waved him off.

As Kiyotaka’s footsteps descended down the hallway Mondo’s ill feelings increased tenfold. He knew. That sick build-a-bitch knew everything and he was gonna let everyone tear each other apart for the second time. Mondo flopped back onto Taka’s bed, inhaling deeply through his nose. He knew he had to go out soon but he was desperately trying to savor any moments of peace he could get. Mondo sat up, and started making his way down the hall to meet the others.

Suddenly, a horrified yell rattled down the hallway, and something in him stopped. They knew. Then that sick tune rang out of the screens lining the halls. Ding dong bing bong. A body has been discovered!

Mondo’s feet carried him all the way to where the others were, and he followed them all the way up to the training rooms. ‘Stay cool stay cool, you’ve never seen this before, don’t be fucking numb but don’t be over the top about it, just be normal’
Mondo’s inner commands screeched to a stop as he peered through the doorway of the girls locker room. What. The. Actual. Fuck. Was that. He stood there, and all thoughts drained from his head about pretending for his peers as he looked at Chihiro’s tiny body tied up between 2 racks, something written in blood on the wall behind him. What the hell was this supposed to be? He didn’t work this hard on setting up the murder scene for some heartless bitch to come and disrespect Chihiro like this- no way.

Various gasps and exclamations rang around the room. “What the hell is this supposed ta be? Blood lust? Don’t you bastards have any respect left?” Mondo roared, looking around at the others for any sign of guilt- any sign of remorse. The only expression aside from horror was that prick Togami’s smug face. God, how Mondo wanted to rip that off of him and tear him to shreds.

The only thing stopping him from doing that was a firm hand on his shoulder. Mondo turned around and saw his kyoudai looking right back at him, looking a little green but trying his best to retain his composure. Forget the execution, seeing Kiyotaka so rattled was far more painful than anything Monokuma could think up.

Speak of the bitch, his face lit up the monitor in the room. “Upupupu! As much as I just love looking at the despair on your faces, you’ve got an investigation to get to! This trial is sure to be a doozy, I just can’t wait much longer!” Monokuma’s chilling grin punctuated the statement, and with that, the students began their investigation.

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-
The investigation was simultaneously endless and over too quickly for a certain biker. Soon, Monokuma announced it was time to head to the trial grounds, and everyone began to make their way to the elevator. Mondo rose from his position of guarding the scene with Sakura, and he only felt more queasy as he stood. Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Looking back, Sakura was there, attempting to comfort the biker. He and Sakura hadn’t spoken much, they really have only been around eachother while guarding a classmate’s body. Yet somehow, as Mondo locked eyes with her, he felt she knew everything about him at once. And for just a second, her wise ice-blue eyes soothed his panic and worry. Saying nothing, the martial artist walked out of the room, and her gentle footsteps grew quieter and quieter until all Mondo could hear was his own breathing.

Inhaling shakily, he looked to Chihiro one last time, though the moment he did, and peace Sakura had granted him was quickly ripped from his soul. The teenager’s small form was strung up, and the smell of blood tainted the room. Mondo looked at them, paying silent respects in his mind, before shoving his hands in his pockets and plodding down the hall to his demise.

-

Blue.

Why in the goddamn hell did he have to say blue?

It happened so quickly, Mondo didn’t even know what to say, he let his guard down as suspicions were turned to Genocider Syo and Togami, and that inescapable statement left his lips. A blue tracksuit.

Mondo didn’t realize his error at first, but it became painfully clear once Makoto, Kyoko, and the others quieted and stared at him. “Hey Celeste, I don’t remember you specifying what color Chihiro’s tracksuit was, right?” Makoto verified. “No, I never said that I saw them holding a blue tracksuit, only that they had a tracksuit.” Celestia stated, flicking her large, red eyes in Mondo’s direction.

“Whoops! Looks like the gang leader was able to lead you all to this conclusion, that he himself murdered poor Fujisaki! How dreadfully ironic.” Monokuma tittered, his eyes gleaming with sickening delight.

Mondo literally felt the color drain from his skin, and his head felt as if it would float away without him. He did it. He fucked up for the the last time. He was filled with feelings of regret and fear and anger and exhaustion and sadness, all clashing with eachother in a cacophony of chaos. Mondo was so overwhelmed he almost didn’t hear the stamping of boots on the floor, or the creaking of his wooden podium. Suddenly, he was yanked from his thoughts, and he saw a certain hall monitor standing in front of him, arm extended as if shielding the biker from their classmates. “No! You’ve got it all wrong! My friend Mondo would never kill!” Kiyotaka shouted, looking at his peers in anger at their accusation. He then turned back to Mondo. “Listen, I don’t know how you guessed the jumpsuit was blue, but that doesn’t mean you killed Fujisaki! Tell em bro, tell them how wrong they all are!” Kiyotaka pleaded.

Mondo’s voice wouldn’t work at first, so he cleared his throat and shakily apologized. “I’m...... sorry I couldn’t keep our promise, kyoudai...” he said solemnly, not even looking at his friend.

His shirt was soon trapped in the balled up fists of an enraged Ishimaru. Mondo looked down, and the pain of guilt stabbed him as he saw tears roll down Kiyotaka’s face. Suddenly he pulled himself in, screaming in the biker’s face. “Why? Why did you do it Mondo? Why would you kill him? Please, make me understand!” The prefect sobbed. “I...” Mondo struggled for words.

Unfortunately it seemed like Monokuma was never in short supply of the wrong thing to say. Revealing all of Mondo’s traumas, his deepest insecurities and most shameful actions to the students around him. Everyone was shocked, but Kiyotaka was on a different plane. Mondo couldn’t even bear to look at him anymore, afraid to see those big red eyes once filled with admiration and joy be replaced with pure hatred and disgust. “Well, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the verdict and consequence for the ultimate killer- I mean, ultimate biker, mondo Owada!” His heart clenched again, he knew this was coming, but imagining the tortures to come and knowing that he would be destroyed in the cruelest way made Mondo physically ill.

A clattering noise was heard, and Mondo looked up to see his best friend ready to lunge at Monokuma, knuckles white as he desperately gripped the wooden arm of the bear’s throne. “Please, no! You can’t do this to him” he cried, and a small part of Mondo knew this would happen. But then something unexpected came from the moral compass’ mouth. “Take me instead!” He shouted, without hesitation.

Now there were numerous parts of this statement that added to the meaning of Taka’s proclamation. Firstly, an execution was brutal, they had already witnessed the horror’s leading up to Leon’s death, and willingly going through that punishment for a crime you didn’t even commit was beyond selfless. Not to mention the fact that he’s only known Mondo for a few days and is already willing to go through unimaginable pain in his place, declaring so with such passion and without an ounce of hesitation, it was incredible. But nobody was able to appreciate the incredulity of the teen’s outburst because of one despicable plush.

“Well, as grossly emotional as that whole thing was, I’m afraid that nobody can trade places for an execution. I mean, how would you all feel knowing a murderer gets to live while some sad sap had to die for sentimentality? Exactly. Now, without further ado, I have prepared a very special punishment for our very own Mondo Owada!” Monokuma’s smile grew as the button starting the punishment rose. “Wait! Please don’t do this! Please wait, don’t hurt him!” Kiyotaka wailed. But it was of no use. Monokuma pressed the button and the silence that followed was unbearable.

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After Monokuma had pressed the button, it seemed that time had stopped. Nobody moved or spoke, and for a solid second Mondo felt at peace. That moment was shattered as the clattering of the heavy steel chain and the heavy claw fastened itself tightly on Mondo’s neck. His hands automatically flew to the metal clasp, and as he did, the chain tightened and began to rip him back into the hallway. His arms flew out as he struggled to breathe, and he saw Kiyotaka vault over Monokuma and desperately reach for Mondo’s arm. Their fingers brushed for a moment, but the contact ceased abruptly as the biker was dragged down the dark hallway.

Mondo was scared. He was really scared, and that only made him feel worse. Even on his way to his punishment he couldn’t be strong, two people had died for his point and he couldn’t even be strong. The collar choked him, and he could feel the embroidery on his jacket coming undone on the hard, rough floor. Tears pricked at his eyes, and his head was spinning.

He came to a slow stop, but he was then yanked onto a motorcycle, and his hands were bound behind the back of the bike. A monokuma scurried over to him, and fastened a mocking yellow pompadour hat to its head, jumping onto the bike. He frantically looked around and spotted his classmates huddled behind a chain link fence. His eyes managed to pick out the white uniform of his kyoudai among them.

Then, a motor loudly roared to life, and Mondo was barely able to catch a breath before the bike started down the ramp. His stomach leapt into his throat and wind screamed past his ears as he plummeted to the ground.

He watched as the cage grew closer to him, and the last thing he saw was the mocking bear ejecting himself from the seat, and he heard the metal scream as the opening closed and his bike only sped up. A heart wrenching scream echoed through the room, and it took Mondo a while to realize that the screams of horror were not coming from him.

He couldn’t speak or cry or do anything. He felt like he was being curdled from the inside out. Then, the overwhelming colors, squealing metal, the fear and terror all stopped abruptly. Everything went black. And Mondo was alone again.

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It was quiet. Too quiet. Mondo looked around the dark area he landed in, and started to pick himself up. He could barely see his hand waving in front of his face. The darkness seemed to consume everything, and it gave Mondo a slightly off feeling. Looking around, there were no seams or even walls that he could find. He was completely and utterly alone in this darkness and had no way of leaving.

He didn’t know how long exactly he’d been sitting there, but after some time he saw a doorway that definitely wasn’t there the last few times he looked around.

Walking towards it, he grabbed the knob cautiously. Twisting it, he opened the door and was met with a bright but not entirely unpleasant light. Stepping out into this new area he saw someone he never expected to see again. The red head stood up and lazily walked over to where Mondo had just emerged, clapping a hand on his back and pulling him in for a quick hug.

“Hey Mondo! Long time no see dude, how ya been?” Leon said nonchalantly, as if Mondo weren’t in one of the weirdest goddamn situations he had ever been in. “Leon? But you’re- oh.” Leon managed to spare a bit of sympathy, pulling back to look at Mondo. “Yeah. We’re dead. Kinda sucks at first but you get used to it. The first few days are the worst, I think. But hey, it didn’t take long for you to get all fixed up!”. “Fix me up? The hell d’you mean?” Mondo asked. Kuwaiti gave him a look that made it seem like he’d just asked what color the sky was. “Well I mean, death isn’t always easy on us my man. I mean, you saw my-“ Leon paused for a moment before continuing “last… moments I guess. You didn’t expect me to pop up here completely fine, did you?”

He started walking with Mondo, showing him around the room they were in. “To be honest, after your- you know- I was expecting it to take a lot longer for you to get it together. That was fricking brutal.” Mondo simply offered a nod in response, not wanting to talk about the executions any more than Leon did.

“How did you know about what happened anyway?” Mondo wondered aloud. “You remember those cameras that were in every single room?” “Yeah…” “Well, it turns out that those weren’t just for surveillance purposes. Monokuma has been broadcasting the entire killing game live, to the rest of the world.” “He’s been what!?” Mondo shouted, confusion and anger and a sickness all swirling together as he struggled to wrap his mind around the fact that their life or death situation was prime time television.” “Yeah, it’s disgusting. We get the stream of the killing game up here, and while it was a screwed up thing to start with, broadcasting the whole game, it’s nice being able to watch over our friends in a way. At least there’s one good part of it.”

“Can I see?” Mondo asked, wondering about Taka, even now. “In a bit man. You should really rest up. Down there is a bunch of rooms, pick one out and it’s yours. Your name’ll appear outside after you’ve chosen. I’ll see you in a bit Mondo.” Leon said, pointing down a hallway to their left before walking away.

Mondo clomped down the hallway, the full effect of the situation finally weighing down on him. He turned the knob to one of the first rooms he found, and was shocked to see his childhood bedroom. Everything was as he left it, blankets turned back neatly, inviting him to clamber into bed. The photos taped to the wall near his closet were exactly as he remembered them. Lots of pictures with Daiya and the gang, and a few of him and Chuck. Mondo collapsed onto his bed, which was much more comfortable than he remembered it being, and as the combined nostalgia, exhaustion, and pain hit him, he began to sob. It was a dry and broken cry, and every time he tried to stop, the waterworks started up again. Eventually, he fell asleep, and dreamed of a better life, one before the game and the death and the lies.

Chapter Text

Mondo woke up from a dead sleep, feeling comfortably rested for the first time in ages. He sat up slowly, and decided he should get up and check on what had happened at the academy.

As he walked down the hall, he saw a sight that made his heart drop to the floor. Leon was talking to Chihiro by their room, and Chihiro was laughing at something he had said and they just looked so natural. Nothing like the crumpled mess Mondo had most recently associated them with.

Feeling panicked, he tried to go back and hide in his room until, well, forever. But unfortunately the biker just couldn’t catch a break and he heard a voice call after him. “Hey Mondo! Chihiro over here has been wanting to talk to you.” Mondo cursed in his head as he turned around to walk over to the two teens.

“Hey Mondo.” Chihiro said, their soft voice seemingly devoid of any malice. Why did they have to be so kind? “Hey Fujisaki…” Mondo mumbled, looking at the floor. “Well, I’m gonna just go, I guess. See you guys later!” Leon said, thankfully reading the room for the first time and leaving the two alone.

“So I just-“ Chihiro was interrupted by Mondo’s nervous yell “God I’m so fuckin’ sorry Chi, I just, there’s no excuse, I didn’t even- well I mean I did but you know I never wanted to hurt you and-“ Mondo trailed off as the hacker placed a small hand on his arm.

“Mondo, please wait. I know what you’re going to say but I have something to say first.” He looked at Chihiro as they spoke. “I know you blame yourself. Not only for what happened to your brother, but what happened to me. And before you go and interrupt again I just want to shut you down. What you did to me was- well I’m not going to lie to you and say it didn’t hurt. I was scared, and I know you were too. It doesn’t make us any less strong Mondo. I forgive-“. Mondo covered his ears, unwilling to hear them finish that phrase. He could handle a lot, but hearing that sweet programmer forgive someone as guilty -as unclean- as him, he couldn’t stand it. He lowered his hands and looked down at them again. “No, you don’t need to forgive me. Ya really shouldn’t, not after all that. So, I think it’d be better if we just, didn’t talk? Or see each other? Or anything I guess, I don’t know man.” He trailed off, eyes not leaving his feet for a minute.

Then, the unexpected happened. Chihiro hugged Mondo, clinging tightly to him. “Mondo please, I know I don’t need to forgive you. But I want to. In fact, I already have, so suck it up and deal with it. Why won’t you let yourself be pardoned? I didn’t want to die. But neither did you, and I know that. So don’t clam up and ignore me for forever, please? I want to get to know you, and I want to be your friend.”

And with that request, how could he possibly say no? So mondo hugged back, accepting their forgiveness and a small fragment of guilt broke away.

Chapter Text

After a few moments, the two teens were making their way to the viewing room, where they could watch what had transpired since they last checked the broadcast. Leon glanced briefly up at the two of them before moving more to the right end of the couch. “I rewound it to a little after where we left off yesterday.

Kiyotaka glanced toward the note that had appeared and picked it up slowly. Mondo squinted at the screen, but couldn’t quite make out what the letter said, the prefect’s hands and head were in the way of most of it. After staring blankly at it for a moment or so, he folded it in half and dragged himself onto his mattress. After that, nothing else much happened. He didn’t seem to sleep, the hall monitor just laid there, unmoving, and alone. Strangled sobs could barely be heard through the television set, and Mondo wanted nothing more than to reach through and grant his friend some semblance of comfort.

“I’m takin’ a breather, guys.” Mondo spat out quickly, storming down the hallway to try and find his room. It wasn’t fair. He couldn’t bear seeing the prefect in such pain. Why was he as useless after life as he was during it? Anger and pain and something for which there was no name sériels through him, and with all his might, he slammed the door to his room shut. The door reverberated for a moment, but showed no signs of cracking.

After a few minutes of stewing in his emotions, Mondo heard Leon call for him. “Dude, you’re gonna want to see this.” Mondo walked back down the cold hallway, and turned to glance at the monitor setup. Kiyotaka seemed to be in a weird, sciency type of room, with Yamada in the corner, being creepy. Wait, what was he holding? It appeared to be a comically large, vibrantly colored mallet. Wait-

The biker felt as if his world had stopped. No sooner had Kiyotaka’s hand risen to his head than his body slammed to the floor. An agonizing hybrid of a wail and shriek ripped out of Mondo’s lungs, as the blood began to pool around his friend’s head, soaking into his uniform. A cry of shock left Chihiro, and they placed a hand on the biker’s shoulder, whether that was to steady themselves or their friend is unsure.

Hifumi gave a small yelp, and tiptoed around the hall monitor, letting the door close behind him, leaving Taka all alone in that cold room. “No. No no no, wait, stop. This- this isn’t how it’s s’posed to go… You’re supposed to live, dammit!” Owada yelled senselessly at the broadcast.

Ishimaru gave a light groan, and everyone watching the video held their breath. “Ngh…why is it so cold? I-“ he winced. “I don’t understand…”. Leon looked down uncomfortably, fiddling with one of the safety pins on his pants. “Mondo, I’m coming, Kyoudai…” he said, turning his head to the other side. A chilling smile bloomed on his pallid face. It froze like that.

Chihiro turned their head away from the screens. Mondo felt like his insides had been replaced with cement, and a queasy feeling built up inside of him, one he’d only felt a few times before. Blearily, he stood from the couch and stumbled back to his room, slamming the door behind him. This wasn’t happening, he’s fine he’s, he’ll… Mondo’s train of thought died off as a sob wracked his body.

Why are you crying? Why the fuck are you crying? This isn’t new. You’ve seen death before- hell you’ve caused one. You’ve been in more fights than you could remember, so why are you crying over some dude you met a few days ago?

‘Maybe, just maybe, it’s because he’s the only one besides Daiya who ever made the effort to understand you’ the terrible influence Mondo had done his best to shove away in his brain piped up insufferably.

But we’re not crying today, Mondo reinforced to himself. Real boys don’t cry. You can muscle through this. Just shove it down, it‘ll hurt less if you ignore it. But that didn’t stop big crocodile tears from rolling down his face, destroying his eyeliner and soaking his tshirt.

Chapter Text

Mondo got up shakily, ignoring the way his whole stomach flip-flopped as he did so. He just- he just couldn’t stand to watch anymore, okay? Leon tried to put a comforting hand on the delinquent’s shoulder, but it was pushed off like the touch burned him. Pounding down the hall, he barely registered the writing on his own door before slamming it shut and sliding down the door into a sitting position. He could hear the blood rushing to his ears, and the choked sobs that escaped him. Mondo felt like his organs had been ripped out one by one and shoved back in in all the wrong places. He felt like he had eaten lava, and was blistering from the inside out. God, was this how Taka felt? Hopefully not. Mondo let his head thud against the door, squeezing his eyes shut as tears slipped out and slid down his cheeks.
Soon after his escape, the biker heard a soft knocking on the door. Electing to ignore it, he turned his face away from the door. Hopefully whoever it was would give up and go away. Furrowing his brow, Mondo stood and cracked it open. A certain pop idol was out in the pale hallway, looking up as the hinge creaked.. He closed the door in her face.

Was it petulant? Absolutely, she was only trying to help. But how can a situation like this be helped. Oh god, is this how Taka felt, watching the execution? Probably not, you deserved it. Some part of his moral being must have known justice was being served- for Daiya and for Chihiro.

She knocked again. “God, fine! The hell d’you want?” Mondo growled as he flung the door open. Sayaka stood there neutrally. Making no attempt to enter the room, wearing no pity or disdain on her face, simply a look of observation. “He’ll be crossing over here soon. I thought you might want to wait for him. It’s terrifying enough, and being alone makes it worse, trust me.” She smiled bittersweetly.
Mondo pondered her suggestion for a moment. What makes her think he’d even want to see a coward like him. He’s probably pissed at you for leaving him alone, and for lying to his face.

“I doubt that.” Sayaka stated, once again reading his mind with her freaky psychic powers.

“Please, if you won’t do it for me, do it for him. And yourself. I can’t imagine the guilt you must be feeling, but that guilt is no reason for you to lock someone out during their time of need.” She continued, giving Mondo a final glance before turning down the hallway again.

As her footsteps grew quieter, Mondo found himself spiraling once again. She was right, of fucking course she was right.

He walked into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. Entering the common area, he paid no mind to the television running in the background, also ignoring the look Chihiro and Leon shared. He knew he looked like shit, but so help him if anyone pointed it out.

Time was passing slowly as he watched Celestia run around the halls, until Mondo heard the turning of a doorknob.

The door slowly opened and red eyes met lavender.

Chapter Text

Red eyes met lavender and the world slowed again.

“Kyoudai?”

That was all it took for the walls to come crashing down. Mondo was next to Taka before he could get another word out, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.

The two embraced for what could have been hours or minutes, and nobody disturbed them as they wept into each other. Eventually they separated, and Taka naturally had questions

With some help from the others, Mondo explained the concept of the broadcast, the rooms, and Hifumi’s betrayal to Kiyotaka. Eventually after more crying and hugging, he lead the back-haired teen to the hallway of rooms. Taka looked at Mondo’s door, and selected the room right across from it.

As he opened the door, Mondo peered over Taka’s shoulder, curious to see the childhood bedroom of his best friend. It was quite a small room, with very few furnishings. A small bed with crisp white sheets sat in the corner, next to a wooden desk with a pile of books on it. Mondo swore he saw the spines of The Hobbit and The Velveteen Rabbit sticking out amidst the various textbooks. There was also a bureau, presumably holding the other 9 sets of his typical uniform, and an exercise mat rolled up in front of it. The room was expectedly neat, but still had evidence of Kiyotaka’s presence.
Looking down at his kyoudai, he was not surprised to see tears once again spilling out of his eyes as he took in the sight.
“Oh my gosh, it’s exactly as I left it.” Taka breathed out. Walkingin, he examined every inch of the room. Mondo stood awkwardly in the doorway until Taka’s hand wrapped around his and led him to his bed, where the two sat down next to each other.
Eventually, they laid down, staring at the ceiling. Mondo could see several glow-in-the-dark stars stuck up there, and he could almost picture an excited little Kiyotaka painstakingly deciding the placement.
The two laid in comfortable silence for quite some time. Still, there was something eating away at Mondo. How could someone as smart as Kiyotaka fall for such a blatant trap? It just didn’t make any sense to him.
“What’s on your mind, kyoudai?” The moral compass asked, breaking the silence. “Whadd’ya mean?” “Oh nothing, you just seemed like you wanted to say something.”

Oh, he had no clue what he wanted to say to him. There were just too many things, way too many to spew out at once.

“You’re- you were gotta be prime minister! What happened to that, huh? Why’d y’a just give up?!” He slammed his hand on the desk. “Excuse me?” Taka retorted, shocked at the outburst. “Yer a smart guy, don’t tell me you didn’t think nothin’ was sketchy about that ‘secret meeting’ after curfew? You knew it was off, and y’a still fuckin’ went along with it! Yer not the typ’a guy ta go down without a fight or somethin’. So why’d y’a let yerself get picked off by that geed?”

“What’s the point Mondo?! What was the point of staying alive?” He screamed back. “Well fuck, Taka, how’m I supposed ta know? I thought you really meant that shit about fixin’ up your name and your debt and shit!” “I did!” “Well shit man, what the hell happened?”

“There was no escape, Mondo, we both know that. And even if there was, what kind of life would I have? Why would I want that without you? Mondo, you are the only person who understands me. I’ve never bonded with someone like this before and I sincerely doubt there is another man of your stature and grace on this earth! You built me up, you made me believe in myself more and want to become better. And then you just left. You, you killed him and-“ the prefect hugged himself, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Without you, I am nothing. Without you, there was no point to it all.” Taka stated matter-of-factly.

“To hell with that bullshit,” Mondo started. “I thought bein’ prime minister was the point. As if you even need a fucking point to do half the shit I’ve seen ya do. What was the point of us all eating together in the mornings? Of all that extra studyin’ you did and keeping up that morals committee in middle school when not a damn soul would stand by you? Why wasn’t your life’s goal enough of a reason to stay?” His voice became thick as he continued, staring deep into those red eyes he had grown used t.

“What good would I do as prime minister if I only ever had one friend, if I could only convince one solitary person to tolerate me? How could I have united a nation if I couldn’t even unite our class? I was being foolish and terribly optimistic of my own abilities.” Taka responded.

“I thought you were gonna prove those bastards wrong by bein’ the best damn PM regardless of how much others liked ya.”

“Believe it or not, Mondo, the opinions of the voters tend to influence their votes. And anyway, who would I have had to support me in my campaign- my life? I am so sick of being alone” Taka took a deep breath.

“Do you have any idea how that feels, Mondo? You had a whole gang of comrades, people who would fight and die with you- I had nobody. So watching as my only person was tortured to death in front of me was more painful than any bullying or torment I had experienced. Being forced to wake up the next morning without you and see my classmates become accustomed to the grotesque violence and not seem remotely phased by it, all the while my world had come to a screeching halt. I never wanted to die more in my life. So maybe that’s it. Maybe you’re right, and some part of my brain knew- even hoped- that it was a trick. But you don’t get to act like you know what I was thinking, what I was feeling. You just don’t.”

Mondo stared at Kiyotaka. Slowly, he stepped closer to him until Taka had to tilt his head up to meet Mondo’s eyes.

“I may not understand entirely what yer goin’ through, but I can promise you one thing. You’ll never be alone again, kyoudai, and that’s a man’s promise, ya hear?”

Kiyotaka nodded, and wrapped his arms around Mondo once more. “I missed you terribly.” he whispered. “Me too.” Mondo replied.

Chapter Text

Mondo stirred, not truly registering where he was at the moment. Deeply breathing in, soft black hair tickled at his nose. He slowly opened his eyes, peering down at the prefect curled up on his chest.

His heart skipped a beat. Mondo was pleasantly surprised at how close the two were now, especially considering their argument the previous night. Well, there was no way in hell he was moving now.

It wasn’t often in the short period he had known Kiyotaka that he actually saw the boy calm and unburdened with his anxieties about his life, but now, in this sleeping state, he couldn’t help but stare a bit as the ever-present crinkle between his dramatic eyebrows was no longer visible.

He watched over his kyoudai, taking in the beauty of this moment. Well, not like he was beautiful- he wasn’t gay or anything. But who would he be to deny his friend’s obvious attractive qualities? But this moment, the fact that he was still able to enjoy something as small as a morning with his best friend, was beautiful.

He laid there for several more minutes before Taka’s face scrunched and he opened his red eyes. Smiling upon seeing his friend, Taka squeezed him tighter. “Good morning Mondo.”

“Mornin’ Taka.” Mondo replied. “How’d ya sleep?”

“Better than I have in a long time. I’m so glad I get to see you again.” Mondo cracked a smile at that. He was so glad to have Taka in his life again. Well, afterlife, but still.

“I wanted to apologize for my words last night. I was hurting and afraid, but that is no excuse for starting a fight with you after all we have been through.”

“No, Taka, it’s fine. Really, man.” Mondo ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I uh, thought you’d never wanna talk to me again.”

“What?” Taka looked at him with a look of utter confusion. “Mondo, I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t I want to speak with you again?”

Now it was Mondo’s turn to be confused “Taka, I’m… I’m a murderer. I’ve killed 2 innocent people. As if that ain't bad enough, you’re the fucking ultimate moral compass. We’re like the opposite ends of the spectrum- decent guy to shitty scumbag.”

“Mondo, what happened to Daiya was not a murder. It was an accident, you were traumatized, and you had to assume your brother’s position as head of the gang at such a young age. You did everything right given the situation.”

“What about Chihiro? I killed him, oh god, I killed him and for what? To defend my fucking manhood?”

“Kyoudai listen to me.” Kiyotaka grabbed Mondo by the shoulders. “Yes, what happened to Chihiro was tragic, but if he’s already forgiven you, why can’t you forgive yourself? I don’t care what you say you are, I say you are my kyoudai and we have a bond forged by men. Nothing changes that.”

The two stared into each other’ eyes for several moments, raw emotion finishing the sentences without needing words.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Mondo broke the silence “Thanks Taka.”.

“Of course, Mondo.” Taka replied with a small smile. “Well, we should get started for today. I’m not sure what time it is, or if that even matters anymore, but we should still mae an effort to be around our fellow classmates and to keep updated on our surviving classmates.”

“Yeah, sounds good to me man.” Mondo stretched his arms above his head and slowly stood up from the bed.

The two went out into the hallway and walked into the common area, where Kiyotaka froze upon seeing his killer.