AN: Here’s the next chapter! It’s a little short, so I’ll try to have the next one up quicker next time. Once more, thank you for all of the support! ^^

Kenta returned midway through the day, long after all of the excitement of that morning. Julian was in a way relieved. While he was sure Kenta would have done anything he could to make it more bearable, it wouldn’t be enough. Kenta couldn’t directly counteract an order from Julian’s parents, not unless Julian’s life was in danger. The only reason Kenta was even there in the first place was because Kedaka felt there was a higher than normal threat against the Takakita family from without. Kenta’s position had no bearing on what went on within. That was the agreement Kedaka had so graciously established.

Julian had managed to retreat to one of the gardens by then. He was still within clear view of the house, and still being carefully monitored, but it was a lot easier to pretend he wasn’t with the grass under his bare feet and the wind tugging at his collar. Kenta smiled warmly as he walked over. It was easy to smile back as if nothing bad had ever happened.

Kenta stopped long enough to share a whispered conversation with Seiji before moving closer. He crouched down beside Julian and smiled up at him. “I know you probably hate it, but you do look nice in that,” he commented genially.

Julian’s shoulder slumped a little just at the memory of getting into the complicated kimono but he managed a weak smile. It did look good on him. He was objective enough to know that. After all, that was the whole point of these ridiculous things. It was rich blue and green with just a hint of dark red as contrast. It was a work of art all on its own, but it managed to simultaneously soften his appearance and make him seem warm. It was truthfully one of his least hated that he owned and thankfully expensive enough that his parents preferred it as well. Now if only he could bend his waist enough to lean back a little, it’d almost be alright.

But Kenta didn’t understand all that. All he saw was all he was supposed to see. A pretty kimono and a pretty boy.

“Seiji said you had a rough morning,” Kenta continued as he moved to sit beside Julian on the small wooden bench. The familiarity and closeness was infinitely better than Seiji cold distance and Julian immediately turned into it.

“That’s putting it mildly,” Julian agreed. His palms still ached from being rub so roughly and he kept them carefully inside the silk of his sleeves.

Kenta sighed. “He said you may have strained your knee further. You have to be more careful, Julian-sama. I know it’s frustrating being limited in such a way, but - ”

“I didn’t really have much of a choice,” Julian interrupted him. He now wished he knew exactly what Seiji had whispered to him. “Believe me, I would have much rather been left alone.”

Kenta’s entire attitude shifted as suddenly as the wind. His eyes came up to stare intently at Julian. “Did someone hurt you?” he asked quietly as he slowly straightened out his fingers.

“No,” Julian replied. “It’s fine. I’m just tired and a little sore.” He smiled the same way he always did when patrons at the bar asked him about his day. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“We’re supposed to protect you…”

“Not from this,” Julian sneered quietly before sighing. It just wasn’t worth throwing a fit over every time the subject came up. That would be all he ever did if that was the case, and he wasn’t going to let them make him miserable like that. “There’s nothing you could have done,” he told Kenta softly. “It was hardly the end of the world, just uncomfortable. I think I’ll live,” he finished archly, tilting his head teasingly and daring Kenta to disagree with him.

Kenta stared at him, eyes wide and open and worried before he sighed and accepted Julian’s attempt at good humor. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked.

Julian smiled. “I’m very, very clean now,” he replied. “So I guess that’s good. They took my shoes though.”

“What?”

He carefully pulled up his skirt so that is toes could just barely peek out. He wiggled them playfully. He was supposed to be wearing socks, but if they weren’t going to give him shoes than he wasn’t going to bother. Besides, it’s not like anyone could see his feet. Not unless he showed them like he was for Kenta. “See? No shoes. Apparently I can’t be trusted with them. No pants either, or any shirts with buttons. No scissors, just in case I get the brilliant idea to cut more of my hair off. They’re very cross at me for that, apparently.”

Kenta’s fingers tightened and loosened then tightened again. “I - ” he started to say before visibly swallowing whatever it was. “You’re hair looks nice now.”

Julian grinned. “I think so too,” he agreed before reaching up to ruffle his fingers through it. He carefully pulled out all of the ridiculous clips they’d tried putting in it and pulled it out till it flopped it front of his face. His bangs were getting long enough again that they covered his eyes and the back just barely touched the top of his shoulders. “Though I may have been tempted to chop it all off as badly as I could just to make them angry.”

Kenta laughed. “But then you’d be stuck looking pretty silly.”

“I suppose.”

“Just how long was your hair?”

Julian reached back and held his hand perpendicular to his waist. “Rather long.”

Kenta’s eyes widened slightly. “Do you ever miss it?” he asked.

“No,” Julian replied without hesitation. “It was so heavy sometimes it made my head hurt. And it was difficult to care for. I wasted so much of my life brushing and washing and braiding it. It was weird, at first, not having it. It had never occurred to me before that I had other options. I can actually touch my hair now without being worried I’m going to mess it up or get it tangled in something. I can feel it move in the breeze.” It was hard to explain. It wasn’t so much that he had hated having long hair, he just didn’t miss it. That wasn’t who he was anymore.

Kenta stared at him and listened to every word he said. Then he smiled and gently brushed Julian’s bangs back with one hand.