Chapter Text
Komui isn’t sure when he first started feeling protective of Aichi.
Their first meeting, Aichi had seemed like a complete baby to him. Someone insignificant and weak, not even worth his time to fight. Then Emi had appeared, and Komui had lost all sense and challenged Aichi to a fight.
He hasn’t regretted it since.
It had been ages since they had won the Circuit, and life had gone somewhat back to normal. Komui liked to split his time between Card Capital and Shop Handsome, getting to spend time hanging out with all the important people in his life made him happy, and he enjoyed managing it. Card Capital had become more popular thanks to Q4’s win at the Circuit, and Aichi especially had become more popular. The manager liked having him teach new players how to play, so Komui didn’t get to have many fights with him anymore.
But that was fine.
Aichi had grown a lot throughout both regionals, nationals and then the circuit. Komui remembered how much he had changed when he had lost himself to the search for power, but then Kai had snapped him out of it, and Aichi had shocked them all with his win against Ren.
During cardfights, Aichi was powerful. Komui often found himself awestruck by just how confident his big brother was, how much of a leader he had become. But outside of a cardfight? He was still so soft, and kind.
He always had time to talk to Komui, over text or in person. Even when Komui had stopped seeing Aichi as just ‘Emi’s brother’ and more of an actual big brother, their friendship had only grown deeper, and Komui couldn’t believe that he had ever thought of Aichi as weak.
Of course, Aichi was still soft. Komui knew that the older boy often struggled with getting his voice heard over the louder members of their group (himself included, he knew that) and he really didn’t like confrontation. Outside of Vanguard, Aichi was kind and compassionate rather than loud and hot-headed.
That’s when the strange feelings first appearing.
Komui often found himself watching Aichi whenever they weren’t cardfighting, and he had noticed an odd feeling blooming in his chest, which no one could explain.
(“It’s a feeling of rivalry!” Gouki had yelled, when Komui asked him.)
Aichi had mentioned off-hand a couple of times that he had been bullied when he was younger, and even Kai had mentioned it once or twice. But he had never gone into detail. However, Komui could paint a picture of how bad it had been (he wasn’t as stupid or naive as people thought he was). Emi’s worry over her big brother, and her mentions of him switching schools when he was younger had already begun to prove how bad it was, but Aichi’s reactions to small things that Komui had noticed had pretty much confirmed it. Komui didn’t know much about trauma, but Aichi had a lot of different reactions that not a lot of the others noticed.
Whenever any of them (particularly the older and taller boys) would raise their arms in his direction, Aichi would flinch and brace himself as if they were about to attack them. But he always managed to hide it. Not to mention his reaction to yelling, or when people would point at him.
Komui noticed that only Kai had noticed Aichi’s movements, but now that Komui had begun to pick them up, there was no way to ignore them. After the first few flinches, Komui had felt that strong feeling in his chest grow more and more.
And then he had realised what it was - the need to protect Aichi with all his strength.
After the realisation, Komui tried his best to always make sure Aichi was safe and happy. When the older boy would come into the shop looking down, or anxious, Komui would pull him away from the crowd and into a corner of the shop for the two of them to either fight or talk. If he looked sad, Komui would play up more than usual to bring a smile back to his face.
Komui owed a lot to his big brother after all. Even after calling him weak straight to his face, and flailing in front of him almost every day, Aichi continued to let Komui hang out with him. He would be encouraging and supporting no matter what, and Komui wanted to be like that to him too.
Somehow, without realising it, Aichi had become an actual big brother to him.
Of course, he’d never actually say any of this to anyone. But he tried his best to be a good brother to Aichi, even toning down his crush on Emi (but that was hard to do whenever she was around).
It was hard, but looking at Aichi right now, laughing as Komui argued thoughtlessly with Kai while they were hanging out with the gang at Card Capital, Komui didn’t regret his choice one bit.
He would do anything to make his big brother smile.