Chapter 21: I’ve Liked Him Since I Was a Damn Teenager

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The morning after the dinner, things felt…tense.

Ken sat on the living room floor, folding laundry. Arashi paced the kitchen like a storm cloud in sweats. They hadn't spoken much since the ride back. Ken had barely slept—his mind haunted by Mikasa's hopeful expression and Arashi's teasing grin.

Should he have said something?

Should Arashi?

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of Arashi's phone.

Mikasa.

Arashi stared at it for a long moment. Then sighed and answered.

"Yeah? …Okay. Yeah, I'll come."

Ken looked up. "Your sister?"

Arashi ran a hand through his messy hair. "Wants to talk. I'll be back in a bit."

Ken nodded slowly. "Don't say anything dumb."

Arashi paused at the door, smirking. "Me? Never."

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Mikasa was waiting at the café near their family mansion, sipping something sweet with a plastic straw between her lips.

She looked calm. But her eyes were serious.

"Thanks for coming," she said softly as Arashi sat down.

He stayed silent, waiting.

She didn't make him wait long.

"Do you like him?"

Arashi raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Ken."

Silence.

Then Arashi leaned back in his chair and looked at her directly. "Yes."

Mikasa's fingers curled around her drink.

"I'm not saying this to hurt you," Arashi continued, his voice lower now, more honest than she'd ever heard. "But yeah. I've liked him for a long time. Since I was…what, sixteen? Seventeen?"

"You always fought."

"Yeah. We still do." He smiled slightly. "But something about him always pissed me off in the right way. Like he made the air feel more alive."

Mikasa looked down.

"I figured it out after he moved out," Arashi admitted. "Every time I walked into my place and he wasn't there, it felt…empty."

"So," she said quietly, "you two are…"

"Not officially. Not yet." He exhaled. "But I'm not letting him go, Mikasa. I'm serious about him."

Mikasa nodded slowly. Her shoulders slumped just a little.

"I thought maybe if I waited long enough, you'd grow up and start seeing the girls around you."

"I did grow up," Arashi said gently. "That's how I knew it was always him."

She smiled, a little shaky, but genuine. "He's lucky. You're not easy to deal with."

"And you're the strongest little sister I know."

They didn't hug, but something eased between them.

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What neither of them knew…

Was that Ken had been there the whole time.

He stood frozen on the other side of the café's wooden divider, holding his takeout bag with wide eyes.

He'd only come in for his order.

He didn't mean to eavesdrop.

But now?

His heart thudded so hard he could barely hear anything else.

Arashi had liked him since they were teens.

All those fights. All that tension. All the teasing. It wasn't just rivalry.

It was something deeper.

And it had always been there.

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Later that night, Ken didn't say anything at first.

He just stood in the doorway of the apartment, watching Arashi flop onto the couch like usual.

"You're late," Arashi muttered.

"I went to get coffee."

Arashi cracked open an eye. "You okay?"

Ken walked over and sat beside him. "I overheard you today."

Arashi blinked. "What?"

Ken stared ahead. "At the café. With Mikasa."

Silence.

Then Ken turned to him, cheeks flushed but voice steady.

"So you liked me even when I had braces and cried after horror movies?"

Arashi let out a slow, embarrassed groan. "God, you heard all of it?"

Ken smiled faintly. "All of it."

A beat of silence passed. Then Ken reached out and slipped his fingers between Arashi's.

"I think I'm starting to fall for the idiot who fought me every day just to get my attention."

Arashi looked at their hands.

Then at Ken.

Then leaned in and kissed him softly.

This time, it wasn't a dare.

It wasn't a game.

It was something real.

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