Who I'm allowed to be- an Ishimondo fic

Chapter 8

TW: Signs of SA, bruises

A/N: Stay safe everyone! Love you! A summary will be given after the chapter and will recap what happens between the bold letters

Taka sighed glumly, resting his head against Mondo's back as they zoomed down another road. Hope seemed so far away at this point. "How can he just go missing, Mondo...?"

Mondo frowned. He wished he could be sad with him; cry with him. But he couldn't. Despite everything going on, he couldn't get himself to cry. It just didn't happen.

He almost felt bad. "I'm sure he'll come up eventually, Taka... should I just take you home?"
Taka just hummed, and Mondo felt him wrap his arms around his waist a bit tighter. "Can I be honest with you, Mondo?"

"Course, bro."

He hesitated. "I... I'm scared to be home alone. I'm scared... things will repeat and... no one will be there to help."

Mondo began to slow down in front of Taka's house, his address given to him the night before. He stopped for a moment. Taka sighed and got off. "I just... if you're awake, text me, okay? I don't... know if I can sleep under these circumstances."

He began to walk away. Mondo grabbed his wrist. "Taka-"

Taka gasped and pulled his hand away quick, staring wide eyed at Mondo. "S... sorry. What's wrong?"

"Why don't you stay at my place again? I can help you pack if you need."

He watched a small smile form on Taka's face. "That'd be great. But I don't want to overstay my welcome-"

"You're not!" Mondo said, taking his hand in one slow motion. "I promise. You're a real big help too, y'know."

Taka looked down at their hands, interlocked. He smiled staring at them. "Thanks Mondo. I'll go pack a bag."

"Ah, let me help you!" He said, following him inside.

The house was very spacious, an entrance hall, two staircases that led upstairs and a chandelier. "Wow..." he muttered.

"Up here." Taka said, already halfway up the stairs.

Mondo nodded, taking off his shoes. Taka walked into his room. "Sorry for the mess." He said with a nervous laugh. "I wasn't expecting anyone prior, so..."

The "mess" he referred to happened to be a messy bed. That was it. Besides that, the room was practically spotless. "Well, let's see... you'll need your uniform. You might need a pillow too. We don't have any other beds to stay in, but I could always sleep on the couch."

"That won't be necessary. If anything, we could share a bed. I don't take up too much space." He said. "Uhm- if that's not an issue for you, that is."

Mondo shrugged. "You might have to put some pillows on the floor then in case I kick you off the bed." He said with a laugh, met with Taka's confused expression. "I'm half joking."

This is where the trigger warning is applied to!! Please skip ahead to the next line of bold lines if this applies to you! Love you all!! <3

Taka didn't take it as a joke very well and picked up an extra pillow. "I guess I only need my toothbrush and my meds now."

"Alright, come on then!" Mondo said, eager for this "sleepover".

He followed Taka into the bathroom, who proceeded to stare at his backpack. He didn't move away from the doorway. "Uhm... you going in?"

"Yeah, just..." he didn't finish the sentence, standing at the doorway.

Mondo squeezed between him and the door. "Well, which toothbrush is yours, Taka?"

Taka finally walked in, grabbing his toothbrush. "I can do this." Though it felt like he was telling himself rather than Mondo.

Mondo noticed he refused to face the mirror. "Is something wrong, Taka?"

"What? No, nothings wrong!" He said, smiling and rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

This caused his shirt collar to slip slightly. Just enough to reveal a light purple color, barely visible. A shade he couldn't see in the pool, too bright from the sun. "What... what's that?" Mondo muttered, reaching out and slipping the collar a bit further down.

Taka instinctively slapped his hand away. "I... I'm sorry, Mondo, I just..."

Mondo had no words to express his sorrow. He hugged Taka tightly. "I don't know who the fuck woulda hurt you, but I can beat them up if you want, I don't care how big and strong, bro."

"Mondo, you mustn't result to violence!" He said, tearing up but trying to maintain his composure.

"Is there anything I can do? Is this okay?" He said, pulling away slightly.

They. We're. So. Close. "No, Mondo." He said, lightly pushing him away. "You can't change the past." He sighed. "I just... I just need to look forward to a better future. That's the best I can hope for... can we not talk about this?"

"Course, bro... well, where's your meds?"

Taka pulled up his collar and avoided eye contact with his reflection, opening a cabinet beside the mirror and grabbing an orange pill bottle. "Okay, I'm ready to leave."

End of TW.
Summary: Mondo finds out about Taka's past and does his best to console him. They are now leaving Taka's house.

Taka got onto the bike after Mondo, holding his pillow between him and Mondo and holding on tightly to both. The stars above shone brightly and Taka found himself humming softly, though it went unheard to Mondo past the bike's engine. Getting to Mondo's place, Mondo helped Taka carry his things in. Taka passed out the moment his head hit the pillow on Mondo's bed. He was right- he didn't take up much space on the bed.

Mondo fell asleep quickly after checking on his brother, waking up after a full nights rest. When he woke up the next morning...

A/N: Yeah, I'm leaving it on a cliffhanger right now cos I'm starting to see crap. I need sleep. GET GOOD REST EVERYONE. Love ya!