NOTE: this story is a sequel to my multi-chapter fic, "with a little
help from my friends". it will make more sense if you read that first!

————

Mondo had wondered just what his boyfriend was up to, but he hadn't expected what he found.

Kiyotaka fell with an awkward squeak when he heard his dorm room door open, landing flat on the mattress of his bed. Mondo took a moment to stare at the ceiling and blink in surprise.

"You're supposed to knock," the prefect chided as he pulled himself up. His face was nearly as red as his eyes. Mondo chuckled self-consciously.

"S-sorry. You weren't responding to my text messages. I thought maybe somethin' happened..."

He hadn't removed his gaze from the ceiling, and Kiyotaka gulped. Mondo looked down as he heard the smaller boy pat the mattress beside him. He smiled, and then leapt onto the bed, sending Kiyotaka into the air for a brief moment.

As usual, he propped his head up on an elbow and laid on his side. He waited for Kiyotaka to start talking, as he usually did about now.

Being so busy with schoolwork, and seeing as they saw each other just about every day, the two had hardly had any real "dates". They did, however, make a point of meeting like this every night, of spending their last hour or so of the day with one another, just cuddling and talking about whatever had happened that day, or politics, or dogs, or motorcycles, or anything, really.

Being together was easy. Spending time together was simple and comforting and fun. They didn't need all the niceties and candlelight dinners that other couples did.

Tonight, however, Kiyotaka was quiet, and his gaze kept flickering back up to the ceiling. Mondo sighed and reached forward to ruffle his hair, gesturing upwards with his eyes.

"So, uh... Any particular reason ya stuck glow-in-the-dark stars to yer ceiling?"

"Eep," Kiyotaka said. Or, he didn't say that, but it sounded like it.

Mondo remembered having glow stars in his room, but he'd been ten at the time. It was a bit unusual for a teenager, especially one as academically serious as Kiyotaka. He had them in many sizes and sprawled all over, as if he was trying to replicate the sky. As best one could with little pieces of plastic, anyway.

"...It's silly," the red-eyed boy finally said after a short silence. Mondo made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. It was probably both. Even when he was being frustrating, Kiyotaka was endearing.

"C'mon, you can tell me. I won't laugh," the biker insisted.

I'll probably think it's cute.

Kiyotaka sighed, stretching his arms out and not noticing that one of them smacked against the side of Mondo's head. He didn't say anything. Collisions between the two of them were much less common now that Mondo no longer sported a bulky pompadour, but Kiyotaka was generally unconcerned with personal space.

It was intimate, in a way. They touched each other often, even when they did not intend to, like the other person being in that space was as normal as breathing. Mondo wondered briefly if this was what it was like to be married, to so freely share space, and he quickly avoided the train of thought.

"Well, okay," Kiyotaka began, and Mondo shook his head to remind himself to pay attention. "You see, my home is small and old, and it's not in the center of the city. It's on the outskirts, where city meets forest, so there is not as much light pollution there. Sometimes, when I'm home, I like to sit on the roof and look at the stars."

"Oh?" Mondo asked, just to let the other boy know he was listening.

"I miss them here— the stars. This school is so big, and it's right in the heart of the city, so you can't really see stars anywhere around here. There's too much light. I miss seeing them... The empty sky makes me homesick."

"Oh," Mondo repeated, though his inflection had turned sympathetic. He was gently toying with the fingers of Kiyotaka's hand, trying to replicate the sort of careless affection he was so often showered with, and he noticed the prefect's lip curl upwards at the corner.

"Normally I would take the opportunity to go home for the weekend when I feel like this, but I just got word from my father that he'll be very busy for the next few weeks and will likely be unable to host me. Which I understand... He doesn't want to have me over at all if he can't offer me any of his attention. He would just spend the entire week feeling guilty."

Must be nice to have parents, Mondo didn't say, as that would be insensitive to the unique struggles that came with having them. Kiyotaka was always so concerned about his father's well-being, and as far as he could understand, it wasn't one-sided.

"I oughta meet him sometime," Mondo muttered mostly to himself. He could see that Kiyotaka had heard him, but didn't say anything.

Mondo looked up at his boyfriend and managed a nervous smile, one that was returned with a characteristic grin as the prefect scooted closer. Kiyotaka didn't really know how to consciously smile only halfway, or with a closed mouth. But he took good care of his teeth, so he could get away with that. The prefect was nuzzling up against his side now, happily burying his head in Mondo's broad chest. Mondo gulped. He was just too cute sometimes.

I have to kiss him, he thought suddenly, and he felt his face go red.

They'd been together for a few weeks now, perhaps longer, and yet that still hadn't happened— not a real kiss, anyway. He'd been able to tell that Kiyotaka had wanted him to on a couple of occasions, when the atmosphere was nice and no one else was around, but each time he had chickened out.

The other boys had started to tease him about it (which was unfair, seeing as Leon and Hagakure were the ones who ruined his first attempt), and Kirigiri was actually mad. Said something about putting in so much work to get them together only to have Mondo treat it like it was middle school. She wondered, apparently, if he was serious enough about this.

He was serious. He was super, incredibly serious. He had every goddamn intention of marrying this boy someday (and he didn't care how corny or ridiculous that was), of raising dog-children together, of watching him climb his way to the top of the political ladder with the assurance that he'd always put food on the table, even if something bad happened and Kiyotaka came crashing down.

The truth was that he'd just been too nervous to kiss him.

The act itself wouldn't normally have been a big deal. If he'd just one day decided to up and do it, he wouldn't have worried so much. But they were dating now. They were a couple. Now, their first kiss felt like something of a relationship milestone, and he wanted it to be absolutely perfect.

And while he'd never been much of a romantic, Kiyotaka was quickly changing that. Mondo had an idea, one he was actually quite proud of. He fixed his gaze on the glow stars on the ceiling and smiled. Getting the boy to agree to it was another thing entirely, but he had to try.

"I get what you were going for here, but it's doesn't compare to the real thing, yeah?"

"Indeed," Kiyotaka sadly mumbled against his chest. He still looked embarrassed.

"But, y'know, it is a Friday night, so if you'll let me..."

Mondo felt anxious all of a sudden and scratched the back of his head, taking a deep breath to calm down. The last thing he wanted to do was yell at his boyfriend.

"Yes? What is it?" Kiyotaka encouraged. He sat up a bit to look at Mondo, his expression as blissfully innocent and trusting as always.

"...So I know you've been kinda hesitant to get on my bike with me, 'specially cause I don't have any helmets, but if you'll let me I could take ya somewhere nice, just the two of us. An' you could see plenty'a real stars there."

Kiyotaka groaned instead of responding, something Mondo couldn't help but chuckle at. He saw his thick eyebrows scrunch together as he thought on the idea. Clearly, he wanted to see what Mondo was hinting at, but he also had very serious safety concerns about the bike.

"My father would die if he knew," Kiyotaka said. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself not to go. Mondo rolled onto his side again to face him.

"It'd just be this once, an' then I'll get you a helmet."

"And what about you?"

"I'll think about it." He flashed a cheeky grin, and Kiyotaka sighed in exasperation.

To his surprise, the prefect swallowed once, hard, and then nodded slowly. Mondo raised his eyebrows and repeated his question with his eyes.

"Fine," Kiytaka sighed. "Just this once, because there's never any traffic this late and I know you know what you're doing, but you have to obey the speed limit and you have to promise to start stocking helmets—"

"Yeah, yeah, okay! Great!"

Mondo couldn't keep his excitement contained, and he sprang up from the bed and ran towards the door.

"Get dressed— somethin' warm, okay? Gets cold at night this time of year and it's colder on the bike. I'll be back in... Gimme like twenty minutes, okay?"

Mondo fled without waiting for a response.

The first place he went was his dorm room to fetch his thermos set, and then he made his way to the cafeteria. He made hot chocolate and filled two thermoses with it, and prepared some instant ramen to fit inside the larger third container (he'd figured out some seasoning tricks to make it taste better by now). They could share the ramen bowl, he decided, and he shoved two pairs of chopsticks into the carrying case. He grabbed a bag of mini-marshmallows at the last second, figuring it would be good for the cocoa.

He packed up the food and then ran with it back to his room. He rifled through his clothes and found his gang's jacket and a long-sleeved shirt to wear underneath and bundled up as best he could. He was never one to wear a proper winter coat.

Finally he grabbed a couple of blankets and his lantern, and he sprinted outside with everything tucked under his arms as best he could manage. It was a tight squeeze to fit everything into the side pockets, and he really hoped that thermos set was as durable as it promised to be and would hold together and keep everything warm. He double-checked the bags once, twice, and then hummed in satisfaction.

He looked at his phone— twenty-two minutes. Not bad.

He knocked on the dorm room door, and Kiyotaka opened it, revealing his thick tan jacket and red scarf (one he often forced Mondo to wear) and usual boots.

"You're late," he said. It wasn't necessarily a condemnation, but not even two minutes would slip by Kiyotaka unnoticed.

"I said like twenty minutes, not exactly twenty."

Kiyotaka shook his head at that, but then he grinned and took Mondo's hand. Mondo gulped as he gave him a gentle tug and led the way to the parking lot.

Mondo always felt a surge of pride at the sight of his bike, but he knew it was a pride that his boyfriend would not understand. He always tried, though, and asked an awful lot of questions to try and learn, and that he appreciated. Mondo had done the same with politics, even if it got insanely complicated sometimes. But, then, other people said the same things about motors. He supposed it was a fair exchange, and that what was important was that they supported one another's interests.

Even if he didn't always understand what he was saying, Mondo liked listening to Kiyotaka talk, and he hoped the same applied in reverse.

Mondo took his seat first, and then he patted the spot behind him. His rear seat was pretty comfortable— it had a back, unlike most, and the leather was plush. It was necessary to have a comfortable seat if one was on a bike as often as Mondo.

"How do I stay on?" Kiyotaka asked once he'd finished gingerly seating himself. Mondo could hear the slight croak in his voice that indicated he was scared, and he felt a little guilty about that.

"Here," he said, and he reached behind him to grab one of his arms. "Ya just wrap your arms around in front n' hold onto me. And hold on real tight, okay? I don't want ya fallin' off."

He was thankful that Kiyotaka couldn't see him smirking, and Kiyotaka was grateful that Mondo couldn't see his blush.

The prefect did as he was told, and he buried his head against Mondo's back. He felt his boyfriend's chuckle, felt his lungs and ribcage vibrate with the movement of it.

"Ya holdin' on?"

"Yes."

"Real tight?"

"Yes!" He squirmed impatiently.

"Okay then," Mondo teased. "I'm gonna hit the gas, alright?"

He waited until he felt a nod to move the vehicle, and then he pulled out of the parking lot slowly and turned onto the street.

Normally he'd be zipping along by now, but he had a passenger, and a very strict one at that, so he stuck to the speed limit. It made his fingers itch at first, but after a short while he got used to it. It was nice, in its own way. He could take time to appreciate the scenery, and he still got the nice breeze on his face and wind in his hair. He always smiled when he was on his bike.

He wished Kiyotaka would enjoy the scenery, but he refused to lift his head or loosen his vice-grip at all unless they were stopped at a light or a sign.

Soon, the city disappeared. The bright lights vanished, and they passed fewer and fewer cars, and the road became less freshly paved and a little bumpy here and there. Then, the road began to slope upwards. Kiyotaka peeked out when he could and saw pine trees below them.

"It's not exactly a mountain," Mondo said, breaking what had been nearly forty minutes of silence. "But it's pretty high up, so I hope you're not scared'a heights or anything."

Kiyotaka shook his head.

"I like the view."

"That's good, then, 'cause it's why we're up here."

A few more minutes, and the ground flattened out. Mondo slowed the bike to a stop as he pulled away from the road slightly. He parked far enough from it that it wasn't right in view of the road, and wasn't at risk of being hit. He engaged the kickstand and quickly dismounted, wasting no time with explanations. He figured the view could explain for him.

Kiyotaka looked around as Mondo started pulling things from the side bags, and he felt his mouth fall open. He got off of the bike and stepped forward, towards the edge of the flat cliff they were perched on, and looked out at the sky and at the earth below.

Mondo had promised him stars, and he had more than delivered.

It almost looked like someone had spilled glitter across a black canvas for the sheer amount of them, how many of them were so close together in certain spots. Some shone brighter than others, and he saw a few tinted with red or blue. He could make out a couple of constellations. The moon was out, and was nearly full. Between the light of the moon and stars, it was bright enough that he could see clearly enough despite the lack of lamps or streetlights.

He was momentarily startled when he heard Mondo clap behind him. He'd been rustling about for a minute or two. Kiyotaka turned to face him.

"Tada!" Mondo exclaimed, and Kiyotaka blushed and put his hand over his mouth.

Mondo had laid down a blanket and set up a little picnic area, where he'd set down some thermoses and a lantern. He had another blanket hanging from one arm, one he apparently intended to drape around the two of them as they enjoyed their picnic.

Kiyotaka seemed to be struck with a momentary fit of laughter, and Mondo sighed as he lowered his outstretched arms and shook his head. He smiled, though.

What a dork.

After a minute or so, the prefect recovered, and then he ran eagerly to the edge of the blanket. Both boys took their seats with their backs to the motorcyle, facing outwards at the tapestry of stars above and in front of them. Up here, one didn't have to look up to see them. They were right there, and Kiyotaka swore he could reach out and grab some of them if he wanted to. He would probably put them in his boyfriend's hair, as he'd taken to doing with flowers whenever he fell asleep. He smirked at the thought, and Mondo gave him a suspicious glance as he twisted open one of the thermoses.

"Ooh! Cocoa!" The prefect shouted as he took the proffered cup. He pouted slightly. "It's a pity we don't have any—"

"Mini marshmallows?" Mondo interrupted, and he offered up the bag of them. Kiyotaka laughed under his breath as he took it and tossed a few into his drink.

"You really did think of everything."

Mondo grinned fiercely as he wrapped the spare blanket around his own shoulders and then threw the other end around Kiyotaka's. The prefect unconsciously pressed towards the movement, shifting slightly so that they were seated shoulder-to-shoulder, and he used one hand to hold his cup while he pulled the blanket around himself with the other.

"So am I the best boyfriend ever or what?" Mondo asked, grin still firmly in place, as soon as Kiyotaka had finished his sip of cocoa.

"...Fine, yes. Yes, you are."

He allowed the biker to slip an arm around him and pull him closer. He laughed at how proud of himself Mondo looked, and wondered when he'd turned into such a sap. Suddenly Mondo's expression changed, and he laughed almost sheepishly.

"Look what you've done to me," he chuckled, almost as if in answer to Kiyotaka's question.

He waited a moment for Kiyotaka to have some more of his cocoa, and took a few sips out of his own cup, before he opened the container of ramen. Kiyotaka wiggled excitedly in place as Mondo pulled out the chopsticks and handed one of the pairs to him.

"Pork miso?!"

"Of course. Now, we'll have to take turns, since I actually forgot to bring napkins... We'll make a mess if we try'n share it." He gestured at the container, and Kiyotaka set his cup down (remembering to screw it closed first) and picked it up, holding it close to his face. He inhaled deeply before taking his first bite.

What's with you and smelling your food? Mondo wondered. It was just another mystery about that strange, wonderful boy that he'd eventually get to the bottom of.

The bowl was passed back and forth, and the cocoa was finished. When Kiyotaka had finished eating he neatly packed up his cup and the bowl and then snuggled into Mondo's shoulder, tugging the blanket as far over himself as it could go. Mondo finished his food and drink, and then he packed everything up, leaving for a brief moment to put the empty containers back into his side bags. He practically ran back, and heard Kiyotaka laugh at his awkward rush to get back into position.

For several minutes, neither boy said anything. Kiyotaka looked up at the stars, and his face settled into a small smile that he probably wasn't aware of. He also didn't notice that Mondo was looking at him rather than the stars. He could see the glistening lights reflected in those big ruby eyes, and the biker took to studying the slight changes in his boyfriend's expression as his eyes flickered back and forth, taking in as much of the sky as he could like he wanted to take a mental picture. Mondo pulled his phone out and snapped a few pictures of the sky, and then he hit the button to turn the camera around.

"Say cheese," he said, and Kiyotaka blinked at him for a moment before processing the request. He smiled somewhat awkwardly at the camera, and Mondo snapped a picture. The prefect watched as he hit a few buttons.

"What are you doing?" He mumbled.

"I'm settin' my wallpaper," Mondo replied, and after a moment he exited the window to show Kiyotaka the main screen. He quickly realized that Kiyotaka was studying and judging the various apps he kept, and then withdrew the phone and put it back in his pocket.

Another minute or so of peaceful silence, and then Kiyotaka pointed out that they hadn't had their usual nightly talk yet because Mondo had interrupted him in the midst of sticking glow stars to his ceiling. Mondo laughed, and then asked him what he'd done in school that day (during what little time they'd been apart, anyway).

Apparently Celes and Togami had gotten into some kind of "lying competition", some sort of game in which they each had to try and trick the other into believing something false, and the class was split nearly in half on the subject of who to place their bets on. Mondo laughed, and told Kiyotaka about the awkward situation he'd had to defuse during his last period— Yamada had developed a bit of a crush on Chihiro, and Mondo wasn't about to let that guy anywhere near her. Kiyotaka expressed concern at this, and Mondo assured him vaguely that the problem had been taken care of.

"It's probably past normal weekday curfew by now," Kiyotaka thought aloud. Mondo gulped and nodded.

The prefect's cheeks had a slight rosy glow to them. It was possible it was only for the cold, but the tint of color was undeniably there. He turned to face Mondo and caught him staring, and he flashed one of his dazzling smiles. Mondo felt his heart skip a beat and swallowed again.

He was so calm, so happy, and they were alone. The atmosphere was about as romantic as it was ever going to get.

Now's as good a time as any, Mondo thought, and then he cleared his throat and squeezed the arm he still had thrown around Kiyotaka's shoulder. The other boy looked at him quizzically, and Mondo moved his other hand, noticing how it trembled slightly with nervousness, towards his face.

He tenderly held Kiyotaka's chin, running his thumb along his lower lip. Kiyotaka's eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. His cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, and he almost squeaked in his surprise and embarrassment. For someone who could be so serious, he was awfully shy in moments like these. He never refused it (unless they were in public), but it always seemed to catch him off guard.

All right, this is it. No big deal. He's your best friend and he's your boyfriend. You love him. You can do this, Oowada.

The biker began to lean forward, tilting his head slightly. Within moments he could feel Kiyotaka's lashes against his cheekbone, and he felt his eyes flutter closed. After what felt like an agonizingly long couple of seconds, he felt warmth against his lips as he pressed them against his boyfriend's.

Gently, now.

Mondo was careful to keep his mouth closed, careful to give the other boy time to adjust or to pull away if he wasn't ready. He pulled back and then pressed forward again, a bit harder this time, as he pulled the arm around the raven-haired boy's shoulder in to draw him closer. The angle was a bit awkward, but it would have to do for now. Finally Kiyotaka seemed to recover from his embarrassment or surprise or whatever it was that had been keeping him so still, and he moved. He shifted slightly to better face Mondo and tilted his head further in the other direction, then pushed his head forward to deepen the kiss.

Mondo shifted their positions, turning to face the other boy entirely and cupping his face in his hands. Kiyotaka had to move his legs over his to be close enough that he didn't have to crane his neck too far forward. The prefect whimpered a bit, and as he did so his mouth opened ever so slightly. Mondo took this as an opportunity, and he slid his tongue out of his own mouth to meet his boyfriend's lip.

Kiyotaka seemed to stiffen for a moment, no doubt nervous. It was highly unlikely he'd ever done anything like this before, and he wasn't normally one to lose his composure so easily. Mondo waited, giving him all the time he would need. After a moment, he steeled his nerves and opened his mouth further, hesitantly meeting Mondo's tongue with his own. Mondo had to remind himself how to breathe.

Kiyotaka was a shy but desperate kisser. His lips and his tongue were clearly inexperienced, but he made up for this with his enthusiasm. Mondo led the way, being the more practiced of the two (if only by a very small margin due to the occasional drunk girl at a party). He pulled Kiyotaka's face as close to his as physics would allow, and a low groan escaped the back of his throat. This seemed to excite Kiyotaka, who wrapped his arms fully around Mondo's neck and pulled himself so close that he was nearly in Mondo's lap at this point. He was in his lap, actually. It was surprisingly comfortable.

Mondo quickly lost track of time. Every time their lips parted for a moment, Kiyotaka would take in a gasp of air before smashing them together again, and every time they reconnected he would let out a soft sort of mewl. It was clumsy sometimes, and would result in the smashing of noses or teeth, but Mondo didn't mind and Kiyotaka always giggled at it. Kiyotaka's hands ran through the larger man's now-smooth hair, and explored his back and his arms and his chest, and eventually came to rest once more around his neck. Mondo kept his own rougher hands cupped around his boyfriend's pale face, as something about the gesture was intimate to him. He felt like he was protecting him, somehow.

After what was probably a couple of minutes (which was an awfully long time to do nothing but kiss someone, Mondo thought), Mondo felt something stir in his abdomen and pulled away, resting his forehead against Kiyotaka's to catch his breath. He didn't want to get too excited this early and figured it was best to stop while he still could. He could feel the heat in the other's face, could hear him panting softly to refill his own lungs. He intertwined his fingers in Kiyotaka's, smiling at the difference in the size and texture of their hands. Kiyotaka ran his thumb along the back of his hand in lazy circles. Mondo finally opened his eyes, and saw his boyfriend smiling up at him, slightly teary-eyed.

Feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden, Mondo shifted to remove his phone from his pocket once more and glance at the time.

"It's gettin' late."

"Yeah?"

"We should probably start headin' back."

"...Yeah."

Mondo moved to stand up, and stuck out his hand to help Kiyotaka do the same. His hands were cold despite being a bit sweaty, he noticed. He grabbed the two blankets and folded them into tight squares.

"Shoulda brought you some gloves. I should really start keepin' em in my side pouch there," Mondo thought aloud, gesturing at the bag with his eyes. Kiyotaka chuckled.

"Could you fit a helmet in there? Two, even?"

"...Yeah, I guess," Mondo relented with a sigh.

"You did promise," Kiyotaka reminded him.

Mondo glanced at him and chuckled under his breath. Kiyotaka was talking and acting normally enough, but his eyes were fixed firmly on the grass beneath his boots and his face was still a bit red. He also seemed a bit fidgety.

He didn't say anything more as Mondo finished packing everything up. Mondo glanced back at the boy one last time, and then moved to swing his leg over the motorcycle in order to take his seat. He barely noticed Kiyotaka's stance straighten and brow furrow with determination

"Wait, you forgot something!" He screeched suddenly, and Mondo jumped back from the bike.

"What, what is it?!"

His sentence was cut off by Kiyotaka grabbing his head and pulling him down to his height to plant a kiss on his lips. He could feel the other boy smiling, and felt his own face heat up at having been caught off guard. He lingered there for a long, almost lazy moment before pulling back and releasing Mondo's face.

"For good luck," he sang, and then he hopped casually onto the back of the bike, looking very pleased with himself.

"Fuck," Mondo mumbled as he took his place behind the handlebars.

He'd have to pay the sneaky prefect back for that one later, but for now he was too happy to care. Kiyotaka was much more relaxed on the ride back, and when Mondo dropped him off at his dorm he saw him practically skip through the door.

Wait 'till Kirigiri hears about how great I did, Mondo thought with a proud smirk as he headed toward his own room.

He replayed the entire night in his head over and over again, smiling all the while, until he fell asleep.

————

A/N: why do i keep writing ishimondo when i have other projects and otps? why does this pairing come so easily to me in writing? the world may never know.