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HAKUOKI 30kisses challenge - Nu#09: Hear all, trust nothing. „Monday Sorrows“
No.: #09
Name: Monday Sorrows
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
manaika
Series: Hakuoki
Pairing: Shinpachi/Sanosuke
Rating: Teens (K+, PG-13, 14 and above),- see warnings
Warnings: Love between two males, mentions of smut, slight angst and relationship themes.
Summary: Made for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
30kisses, list Nu/acquisition. #09: Even if Mondays are always the most angsty days in the life of High School teachers, you just have to pay attention to what your inner voice tells you, to guide you through your worries.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuoki, or any of it’s characters. The creators do. My muse owns the idea of the fic, myself the work and the time I put into writing it. Credit me at least those, ok?
Notes
Another SSL shot, 2nd in the arc, features Harada-sensei and Nagakura-sensei in their everyday life as teachers. Here I have to mention that english is not my first language, therefore many of the terms used in school, as the names of the gym utensils, are not known to me. I took a dictionary and translated them how I best found fit. If you find words that are incorrect, or not used in that sense and know the correct term, please tell me. I’m going to need it in the future.
It’s set more or less directly after the first one, the first day after Chirstmas break. In the last part they have been writing with the kids their mid-term exams. I wrote it before I got the information that the school year in Japan starts in April and ends in March. However, there are always some exams written, so you can take it that they were some random tests, or season-exams (if a thing like this doesn’t exist, I’m borrowing artistic licence and making it up). I’m also aware that there isn’t a Christmas break in Japan, but it suited the mood, so you can take it as another artistic licence.
Monday Sorrows
#09. Hear all, trust nothing.
„So how was Christmas? I never got to ask yesterday.“ Sano spoke up as they were riding in his ferrari to work, after a few days of Christmas break.
Shinpachi had been away for the days, visiting his family in Tokyo and yesterday evening he appeared on Sano’s porch with his suitcase, looking worn out and tired of the long travel (even despite the bullet trains being extremely fast) with his arms outstretched to his boyfriend.
Not that he hadn’t been expecting Shinpachi, he just thought that his boyfriend would stop by his apartment first and come to Sano’s place much much later.
It had been a nice surprise.
They used the time to make up. And it did not involve much talking.
So it happened now, that after a wonderfull night they were driving in his car to work, Shinpachi’s suitcase in the luggage compartment, talking about their Christmas.
„How do you think?“ his boyfriend grunted. „I had to sing crappy songs, eat fancy food, that didn’t reach your by far, and listen to my parent’s complaining how I finally don’t grow up and don’t get a girlfriend instead of staying with, I quote, that gay person. Seriously as if they didn’t know you had a name.“ He huffed.
Sano smiled sadly.
Shinpachi’s parents were catholic and they were strictly against his relationship with Sano. But at least they were with him, which could not be said about Sano’s parents. Shinpachi seemed aware that the conversation was heading into the wrong direction, so he turned it around.
„And you? Had someone over?“
„Nope.“ Sano shook his head. „Just me. But I went to the Christmas party at the Dojo that Kondo-san has hosted.“
„Ah, yeah. How was it?“
„As every year: We drank cheap sake, ate food bought at the conbini, listened to old music, talked about work...“ It was the same every year, the same drinking party, the same guests, the same music, the same conversations... One would ask himself why he bothered, but at least he wasn’t alone. „After I got tired of it I went home, opened your present, thanks by the way. I seriously needed that.“
„It was the only thing I could think of that would make you feel at least a little better.“
„A weekend at a wellness hotel? Of course it would! You know what a massage I got? I couldn’t walk untill last friday.“
It was a good thing that Shinpachi was from a fairly wealthy family. It wasn’t everything in life, but it was certainly helpfull when they needed a bit more money than usually. If he didn’t gamble it away before they could put it to use, that was.
„And you? Did you like your present?“
„Oh babe, you don’t know how I squealed as I opened it.“
„Really?“ It was stupid, so Sano had felt a bit unsure about it, but he knew Shinpachi needed it and that he would prefer rather something practical over something expensive and commercial.
„Yeah. I needed a new razorblade so much...“
Sano smiled. „You mentioned it awhile back.“
„And that aftershave is like silk. You always buy me such practical things I can’t afford...“
„Because you gamble your money away.“
„Because I have to pay the rent, the electricity, gas and water and still want to save up, was what I wanted to say, but I guess one could put it your way too.“
Save up to gamble, Sano added in his mind, but he voiced something else.
„My offer still stands.“
„Sano...“
He knew Shinpachi was tired of hearing it, but Sano was tired of being alone in that big house too.
„Look, if we just moved together we could split the costs, make some spare money renting your flat, and we would get to spend more time together.“
The topic came up sometime during the late summer, when they took a week off from work and spent it together, before the next semester started and there would be no more time. For some reason, Shinpachi didn’t like the idea, even though Sano found his boyfriend would profit the most of it.
„And my parents would come and kill us for practicing heretism.“
Usually that was the reason he gave.
„Since when do you care?“
„I don’t. I’m just not sure if it’s worth the trouble.“
Sano’s body jerked with shock as he heard the last sentence. Unfortunately, his hand jerked too and the wheel was yanked sharp left, so they almost drove onto the sidewalk. But fortunately, having the reflexes he had, Sano caught himself and regained controll fast enough. He pulled to an empty lot at the sidewalk to calm down his heart again, ignoring Shinpachi’s squeak of distress.
„What the fuck was that?!“
„I almost crashed, but nothing happened it’s alright, but anyway that’s not the point. What?!“
„What what?“ Shinpachi was looking at him like had just grown another head. Which was understandable, since this was the first time it happened that Sano almost crashed. Sano never crashed. Sano always had his car under control. Untill now, when he heard words he never thought he would hear.
„What you said just now.“
„What did I say just now and Sano, are you sure you’re alright?“ Shinpachi was giving him a very worried look.
„No, I’m not.“ Besides the fact that he almost crashed, he wasn’t sure he heard right. „Why wouldn’t moving in together be worth the trouble of going through a bit more of your parents grumbling?“
„That’s it?! That’s what you’re worrying about?! Sano you almost shrotted your car!“
Shinpachi stared at him.
Sano stared right back.
Shinpachi sighed.
The shock had already worn of and so he could muster a reply, without hyperventilating. „Ah well, you know. They are already cursing like old sailors when the topic of the two of us dating comes up and yeah well, I know there could be several advantages, but when I think about it, it seems to me like too much trouble for a small thing.“
Sano didn’t actually believe his ears.
„A small thing? Twenty years woth of dating are a small thing?“
Shinpachi paled as he heard the betrayed tone of Sano’s voice. „Wait, wait, wait a sec there!“ he raised his hand as if trying to stop the trail of thoughts in Sano’s head. „I didn’t mean it like that! I mean moving in together! I mean, it’s just, I mean, argh damnit Sano!“ he teared at his hair, while Sano just watched him. „We spend the entire day working together, we spend the weekends together. We are together 76,2 percent time of the week. That’s almost three times more than a regular couple and 1 point 5 times more than a married couple. And well...spending the evenings of the workdays together... I get home and sleep untill the next day and I can’t imagine you doing something else.“
Sano looked away.
„Actually, I go over the lessons for the next day....“
„That’s not my point.“
He knew that already, alright. But Shinpachi didn’t get what Sano meant.
„Yeah, yeah I get it. I just thought you would find it nice to have company when you sleep till the next day.“
„I’m too tired for sex on workdays.“
Sano felt his annoyance growing.
„Have I said a word about sex?“
„Huh?“
Sano sighed. Seriously. What was it with his boyfriend and using a brain?
„Nothing, just forget it.“ He started the engine again to avoid a possible outburst of frustration Shinpachi tended to cause more often than not, but his boyfriend laid a hand on his wrist.
„Wait.“ The blue eyes were serious as they bored themselves into golden. „What’s your problem?“
Sano didn’ t look at him, his eyes fixed on the key. „No problem.“
„Sano.“
Why did Shinpachi never get a hint? Fine, he wanted to hear it, he got to hear it.
„You just don’t get it, do you?“ Sano didn’t bother hiding the annoyance anymore.
„Right now I’m as lost as I can be.“ He looked like that too with those big blue eyes staring at Sano hurt.
„Why do I put up with you, remind me again.“
„Good sex?“ Shinpachi tried a joke, but Sano decided to use it as a rebut.
„And there’s the problem.“
Shinpachi looked utterly mortified.
„You’ve got a problem with our sex life? Oh god, am I becoming frigid?!!“
Sano groaned and banged his head against the wheel. „You know, I never really understood how you passed your final exams at college.“ No matter how much he tried, Shinpachi always seemed to misundertsnad him. He was a teacher damnit, he was supposed to know how to explain things! He sighed invardly. „Sometimes I get the feeling that there’s only air between your ears.“ No helping it when the student was dumb, he guessed.
„Am I becoming boring?“
„For fuck’s sake, no!“ This was getting ridiculous.
„Then what?“
Sano tried again, this time through examples. „Look, it’s as you said. We are working together, but besides a few seconds during the breaks, we don’t get much time alone. And on the weekends all we do is have sex and eat, in this order. Nothing against routine, but seriously, when was the last time you took me out?“
„The weekend before Christmas.“
„Yeah, an hour at dinner and then we went home and had sex.“
Not like that, jerk. He meant a date.
„In other words, you need cuddly time.“
Sano was gripping the wheel very tightly and the leather squeaked.
„Shinpachi. If we weren’t sitting in my expensive car and I wouldn’t want to dirty the seats with your blood, I would kill you right now.“
„Alright, alright, I get what you are saying, but I still don’t think it’s worth the trouble. If you want to we can go on a date any evening you want to, so that can’t be the problem. I may have be an airhead sometimes, but I’m not stupid. What’s it really?“
Honestly, he didn’t know. He had been feeling weird lately and stupid thoughts were going through his head every day.
„Christmas depression?“ he offered. He had been alone after all. He hated being alone for Christmas. Weird thoughts always came to him then.
„You went to see your parents, am I right?“
And then there was that.
„Yes. No. Yes. Kinda.“
Shinpachi raised an eyebrow. Sano sighed.
„I went to the house. I don’t know what possessed me, but I was lonely at home, so I went for a walk. Then the thought that I could at least check if my parents are still alive crossed my mind, so I went. I got as far as to the front door, but I didn’t enter. Something just held me back.“
He didn’t see his parents since he left for Tokyo University. He didn’t bother paying them a visit after he returned to Kyoto to teach at Hakuoki High. But that didn’t mean he never checked on them.
„How does it look?“ Of course Shinpachi knew. They had known each other since High School and Shinpachi had helped him through some nasty things. There was no point in hiding it.
„It’s even in a worse shape than last year. The windows are completely broken, the walls consist of more cracks than wood and bottles of cheap sake are all across the yard. Oh, and the doorlock was somehow removed.“
„Kami-sama...“ Shinpachi breathed and Sano couldn’t but agree.
„Yeah. And I was confronted with the sight on the 24th december.“ When one was supposed to be with his family. Only for his family, he was dead.
„Sano...“
„Don’t.“ Sano knew what his boyfriend wanted to say, but he didn’t want to hear it. Instead he continued. „I thought about going in, but then I heard my mother’s drunken talk and my father’s mumbles and I found I couldn’t face it. Not only would I be making a fool of myself, but get even yelled at and rejected again.“ He was an unwanted child after all. „So I thought, yeah they are as alive as they can be and left. I took a last look and I caught my father watching from behind the window.“
His father had never told him as his mother in actual words that he wasn’t welcome. Maybe that meant something? He never could get a clue what his old man was thinking.
„And? What happened?“
Sano shook his shoulders. „Nothing. I left.“
„Oh.“
„Yeah.“ What else was there to so say, after all? But back to the topic at word... „And don’t misunderstand me, but after I’m still trying to cope with it, you go and say that living together with me isn’t worth the oh-so-big trouble of your parents complaining. You’ve got a hell of a timing, really.“
„...Oops?“ Shinpachi offered.
Sano didn’t even find the strength to be annoyed anymore. And it was only short before 8 am.
„Well, I guess an oops is more than I could have expected from you.“
„Sano...“ Something seemed to sink through the thick skull though, he noted at Shinpachi’s next words. „I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize that it could hurt you. I thought that as a practical person you would see it the same way as I. You know, paying for the migration service, all the paperwork around it, and on top of it all, having to deal with the bitchin’ of my parents, because of five evenings which would be mostly spent sleeping and doing a little left-over work...“
„I see your point.“ Sano didn’t need to hear that again. He got it already. The problem was something entirely else. „But you don’t see mine. It’s not about the trouble, it’s about being together. All I ever see of you is at work, or 60 hours in the bed. Sometimes it feels like this relationship lost it’s spark.“
He was probably exaggerating a little, but it was the only way to make Shinpachi finally understand what he was trying to tell him.
„You can’t possibly mean that.“
„I’m just saying how I feel. Didn’t you hear? Talking about your problems with your partner is recommended for a working relationship.“ He was sick of being alone in that big house (even when he bought it, it seemed rather small) and they were together twenty years, twenty fucking years and they were still living at separate places. Sometimes he felt like the virgin maiden waiting for the prince to finally jump over his shadow.
„And what do I do?“
„Oh I don’t know.“ His annoyance was back. Yay. „You said you’re not stupid, so try using those braincells you claim to have. I’m out of ideas.“ He settled for staring ahead, because he had the feeling that if he would just look at Shinpachi, he would tear his head off.
„You think moving in would help?“
Yes, was the original reply he wanted to give, but he chose an elaborate one. Something to do with teacher syndrome and explaining things for the upteenth time to a dumb student, he guessed. „Look, we are together twenty years and we reached a stand still. The logical thing to do would be to take the next step.“ And he couldn’t resist the need to punch Shinpachi into the gut with his next words. „And as a math teacher, logistics are your speciality. But it seems you’re either too convenient, or too much of a chicken.“
Shinpachi was silent for a while. „I’ll think about it.“
Sano nodded and started the engine again, not sure if he should feel annoyed or accomplished. He somehow always dreaded it when Shinpachi said he’ll think about something. Creatures with such a feeble brain shouldn’t be allowed to do that.
„Sano.“
„What now?“
„I love you.“
In spite of himself, Sano found himself smiling. Damn him. Even if he was a creature with a feeble brain, somehow Shinpachi always knew when he needed to hear those words. That was probably why he said them so rarely.
„Me too.“
„We’ll figure this out, I promise.“
Sano found himself ruffling Shinpachi’s hair before he took hold of the control lever and they ressumed their way to work again, falling into familiar patterns. Somehow their arguments never lasted long. Because most of the time, Shinpachi would back off and let Sano have his way. All in all, despite being a stupid oaf, Shinpachi was a good boyfriend. Those twenty years just proved it, right?
„Say Sano?“
„Yeah?“
„Now that you mentioned it... I heard about an 80ies party being held at the bar we sometimes go to.“
He meant a gay bar nearby. Sano had frequented it in high school too, but back then with different accompaniment.
„Ah, yes, I heard about it too.“ Of course he heard about it. He was the first that the bartender had told.
„Wanna go? It should be a Saturday, sometime next month.“ Sano had to supress a grinn. It seemed that something really did sink into that thick skull. „You like the 80ies music, right?“
Like? He loved it!
„It’s the music of my youth, Shinpachi.“
„I’m just a year older than you, you know.“
Yeah, right. They were in the same class at high school, after Shinpachi dropped a grade. He had been a great friend, and back then, that had been something Sano needed: A friend. Sano found himself chuckling. „Those were some crazy times back then...“
„Worth a bit remembering, don’t you think?“
Not everything had been bad after all. With Shinpachi a door had opened and suddenly he hadn’t been alone anymore. He found friends, a boyfriend...he wondered what had happened with that one.
„I would love to, Shinpachi.“
„Good. So it’s a date.“
„So it is.“
„Hook line and sinker.“
„Excuse me?“
Shinpachi grinned. „You are smiling again.“
Was he? Damn jerk of his boyfriend for manipulating him so easily!
„Why you...“ suddenly Sano smirked, an idea coming to him. „You seem to be forgetting something, Shinpachi.“
„What?“
„That I’m at the wheel and I could, I don’t know, for example yank it anytime right and crash into the nearest wall. I could make it look as an accident and then be rid of you for the rest of my life.“ That didn’t actually sound as bad prospect... „Oh, dolce vita...“
„You wouldn’t want to murder your darling sweetheart.“ Why not? He said so now, didn’t he? „And I’m not talking about myself.“ That made more sense. However, he was wrong. Sano smiled wickedly. „I have enough money for the repair, don’t worry.“
„Oh.“
Exactly.
„Then how about we make a deal? I keep my trap shut and you don’t kill me.“
„The best idea you had today Shinpachi. And it’s not even 8 am.“
„It’s always such a pleasure riding with you.“
„Trying to have the last word?“
„I’m not succeeding, am I?“
„Nope.“
„Thought so.“
„The wheel is in my hands.“
Blessed silence fell.
They were five minutes from the school when Sano remembered suddenly.
„Ah, no, I take back what I said. There’s something I needed to talk to you about. Work related.“
If there was one thing he could give Shinpachi credit for, it was not mixing private life and work together. They were either boyfriends or colleagues, so his tone was strictly collegiate as he replied. „Sure, what is it?“
„Wait a minute.“
And the car pulled to the sidewalk again.
„The correction exams will be written this week, won’t they?“
It was rhetorical question, but Shinpachi answered anyway.
„Yeah. So?“
„There’s someting I wanted to ask...“ Sano said as he was rumaging through his case. „I have noticed that...where...ah here it is.“ He took out a paper. „I wanted to ask if Okita Souji will be retaking his math exam.“
Shinpachi wondered why Sano would need to know who passed and who didn’t pass a math exam, but he didn’t bring it up as it struck a chord.
He frowned. „Now that you mention it...“ Shinpachi took out his notes and rumaged through them. „Where is he... Okita...Okita... here you are! Yeah. He left his paper empty.“
Sano frowned. „Did you have the feeling that the current lessons are something he couldn’t manage?“
„His grades have been dropping...“
„That wasn’t my question.“
„I know what you’re getting at. I didn’t give it a thought untill now, but that you brought it up, I thought it was strange. Okita is a slack off, but he never had problems with his grades. He is a bit of a genius, being good at anything he does. But to the end of the semester...like he’s got no clue.“
That was a nice comparison.
„Yeah. He didn’t pass his Japanese History exam.“
Shinpachi’s head snapped to him.
„What? I thought it was his best subject.“
„No, his best subject is PE. But he almost didn’t pass that one too.“
Shock was written all over Shinpachi’s face.
„What?! How’s that possible?! Everyone passes PE. Especially with you teaching it.“
„Well, he almost didn’t. He has been especially clumsy this term.“ Which was weird, since Sano knew him from Kondo-san’s dojo. That boy had never been clumsy. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen him at the dojo for a while. „It’s like he’s a different person.“
„Different person?“
„Yeah.“
„What now?“
„Nothing. I’m his homeroom teacher, so I’ll take necessary action. Thanks for informing me.“
„No prob.“
ox*xo
They arrived at school with enough time to spare for Sano to make coffee and Shinpachi to read the morning newspaper. As they entered the room, they greeted Hijikata-san, who was smoking at the opened window. Their demon-vice only shook his head as he saw them in their Morning-routine-after-a-night-at-Sano’s-place-version (the only one when Shinpachi had enough time for the newspaper. The other two were staying at his place, where he never set the alarm clock, so they arrived with a total of five minutes to spare, thanks to Sano’s ferrari, or they spending the nights separately, which Shinpachi had no chance on arriving early).
„You two should just marry. This looks like a scene out of a daily soap rather than a routine Monday morning.“
„No, this is a routine version 2 Monday morning.“ Sano replied with a smirk and laid the coffee next to Shinpachi, then sat down at his own desk. „Tell that him, though.“ He gestured to Shinpachi. „He’s the one who has such a big problem with moving together.“
„I told you I’ll think about it.“ Shinpachi mumbled from behind the paper.
Sano shook his head and turned to Hijikata, sipping on his coffee.
„How was your holiday?“
„Boring.“ Hijikata replied stoically and Sano burst out laughing.
„No colleagues to annoy you, huh?“
„With no students to piss you off and work finished, I see your problem.“ Shinpachi didn’t look up from the newspaper as he said that, but the humor in his voice was evident. „Get a hobby, Hijikata-san.“
Hijikata growled. „You two...“
Sano chuckled. „Now, now, we’re just teasing you.“
Soon the other teacher’s and the students streamed in too, and it was time for the first day after the break to start.
Sano decided that his class needed a praise. Almost everyone aced their tests and in the rating they had surpassed Shimada’s class 2B, scored even higher than that fish Ito’s 3rd years and they were equal with Shinpachi’s 2A, which had such straight A students as Saito and Yamazaki. And how Shinpachi got to be the homeroom teacher of the best class at Hakuoki High, Sano did not know. Probably something to do with Hijikata being stuck with the first years. Sano envied him. He had the only female of their school in his class.
But his class wasn’t so bad either, he decided as he stepped in and everyone stood up.
„G’mo’nin’ Sano-sensei!“ the chorused and he gestured them to sit.
„Class, today I wanted to discuss with you the results of the exams.“
They paled. Sano smiled.
„Well done.“
A whisper went through the class and everyone was staring at him.
„We are on equal points with 2A.“
Heisuke bolted up in surprise.
„We beat Saito?!“
That caused an explosion of cheers errupt in the room. Sano let them bask in the joy for a while, before he tapped the board and the class quieted down. All but one.
„That means that Shinpa-sensei won’t be able to tease you for being stuck with such irresponsible slack offs as us, doesn’t it?“ Okita Souji spoke and everyone chuckled.
„Shinpa-sensei should look into the mirror when he says those words.“ Heisuke commented and another chorus of laughs echoed. The two partners in crime high-fived.
„Talking about irresponsible slack-offs, Okita-kun...“
Sano watched with satisfaction as the boy flinched.
„This wondrous result is not thanks to your genius skills. You will be retaking all of your exams, as it seems. Including PE.“
„I thought I’d pass that one.“
„I don’t like your result.“ Sano raised an eyebrow. „Or do you admit being stupid and clumsy?“
„Che. I could beat the whole teacher body at any time.“
Sano clutched his hand and resisted the urge to throw the spare chalk he kept in his pocket at the kid. He had been doing that too often lately, his target mostly the cheeky brat in front of him. He should stop that. The poor kid didn’t need more brain-damage than he already had.
„Then prove it. Or I’ll make you eat those words.“
The class chuckled at that and Okita scowled.
„Furthermore,“ Sano continued without taking notice of the boy in the rage of his puberty, „Toudo Heisuke.“
„Yes?“ the kid looked worried and Sano smiled encouragingly.
„I would like to highlight your work of the last quartle of the year.“
The kid blinked.
„Huh? Me?“
„Yes, you. I have recieved praise on you from Ito-sensei, Shimada and even Hijikata-san. Your grades are getting progressively better and you work hard. Keep up the good work.“ He turned to the whole class. „Some of you,“ his eyes flickered to the still scowling Okita for a moment, „should take an example from Toudo-kun. Moving on, if some of you want to retake the tests, or have the feeling that they didn’t do their best,“ Sano’s eyes flickered to Souji again, „please do so in the next two weeks. It’s January and to the end of February, the final exams will start. The corrected papers will be handed to you at the begginning of the given lesson. Do any of you have questions to this?“
And so the class went on. They discussed the preparations for exams, the upcoming field trip and the class representative held a voting concerning the newest discussion around Valentine’s Day. After that the bell soon rung and the students bolted from their seats, probably hoping they still could catch the cafeteria before the next lesson started.
Sano shook his head. Youth these days... Heisuke passed him on his way out and Sano suddenly remembered there was still an open issue to be discussed.
„Toudo Heisuke, for a word please.“
The kid turned around with a puzzled look and approached the desk.
„What is it, Sano-sensei?“
Sano waited untill the door closed behind the last student.
„Heisuke.“
Heisuke blinked at the lack of honorific. It wasn’t that they weren’t informal with each other, but never outside school.
„Sano-san?“
Sano eyed him. „You are good friends with Souji, right?“
„We hang out, yeah.“
Sano nodded. „That means that if Souji was behaving strangely, you would notice, right?“
Heisuke’s eyes narrowed. „Strangely?“
Sano’s eyes bored themselves into the kid. „I see you know what I mean.“
Heisuke looked away. „Yeah, I have noticed that Souji is...strange lately. Stranger than usual.“ He frowned contemplatingly. „He’s still the same, but...something has changed.“
This perked Sano’s attention. „What has changed?“
Heisuke shook his shoulders. „Dunno...I would say he’s grown too serious, only...he’s still being a walking disaster as always and acts as the brat he is, alright.“
„I see...“ Sano looked away thoughtfully. What could this strange behavior of his once best student mean, he had no clue. But he would be damned if he didn’t find out.
For a few moments there was a contemplating silence until Heisuke spoke again, something occuring to him.
„Maybe that’s it...“
„What?“ Sano raised an eyebrow at him.
„He acts so.“ Heisuke looked at him. „I mean, it’s all it is: An act.“
That was what Sano called an idea. „Are you saying something could be troubling him?“
„Most likely.“ Heisuke hesitated, then finally added: „Last time he stayed over night I beat him at Tekken.“
Tekken would have been the last thing to worry about, but untill this moment, Sano would have sworn to whoever asked, that if Souji lost at that game it was on the day that hell froze over.
„It seems it’s more serious than I thought.“
„Why are you asking anyway, Sano-san?“ Heisuke asked.
„Because Souji didn’t pass either his math, history and classical literature exam and made PE for D-.“
„What?!“
Sano nodded. „I told so, didn’t I? He’s retaking all of his exams and I’m not satisfied with the grade he got at PE.“ He looked at Heisuke. „Heisuke, as his best friend, could you keep an eye on him? And if you find out something, or if anything in your opinion strange happens, could you tell me? If something’s up, I would like to solve it before it becomes a major issue.“
Heisuke nodded. „You should probably ask this Hajime-kun and Yamazaki too. They use to hang out with us and...“ Heisuke smirked, „I think that Hajime-kun has a thing for Souji.“
Sano chuckled and nodded. „I’ll do that. Thank you, Heisuke.“
Heisuke nodded and turned to leave, when Sano remembered something.
„Oh, and Heisuke! I heard from Ito-sensei that you are contributing to an art challenge. Congratulations.“
Heisuke scratched the back of his head embarassedly. „Thanks! It’s not like I have many chances to win, but I kinda thought, why not...“
Sano smiled. „Ito-sensei praised your work and said you had a lot of chance.“
Heisuke blushed and scratched his head embarrassedly. He quickly found a way to change the subject, though. „But Sano-sensei, I thougth you were avoiding Ito-sensei if possible.“
„Whatever personal issues I have with out art teacher don’t matter, if one of my class is a little genius at painting. Keep up the good work.“
„Yessir!“ Heisuke grinned from ear to ear and seemingly flied out of the class, his spirits raised. Sano smiled. This was the part of teaching he loved so much.
ox*xo
He made a short stop at the teacher’s office and grabbed himself a sandwich he had prepared in the morning. He would spend the next four hours at the gym, he needed energy. He felt a presence behind himself and then lips pressed into the crook of his neck.
„Yo. Grabbing energy?“
He had to give it to Shinpachi, it seemed that blockhead had thought over at least over a part of their conversation. He turned around and came face to face with sparkling eyes.
„Yep.“ He replied. „I’ll finish this and head down.“
„OK, don’t let yourself be disturbed. I have to prepare for the next lesson anyway. See ya in three hours?“ He asked with a hint of unsureness in his voice. They always spent the hour before lunch together, but it seemed that after their morning conversation, Shinpachi wasn’t sure he was welcomed.
Sano smiled assuringly. Even if Shinpachi was working to get on his shit list, there was no reason for him not to come to the gym as usually.
„If you don’t decide that you’d rather spend your free hour with something better than me, yeah.“ Sano winked. Shinpachi’s face lit up.
„But babe, what could be better than you?“
„That’s what I wanted to hear.“ It seemed the good mood was finally returning to him, Sano noted as he ate his food.
Shinpachi grinned. „You’re so full of yourself...“
„Seen into the mirror lately?“ Sano asked as he took another bite, supressing chuckles.
Shinpachi smirked. „By the way, I haven’t congratulated you yet to the results.“
Sano grinned from ear to ear. „I win.“ Was his only reply.
Shinpachi rolled his eyes. „Yeah, yeah, I know. You are equal with the best class, you even beat Ito’s third years, yadda, yadda.“ Shinpachi waved it off, seemingly annoyed, but then he smiled. „Congrats though. I won’t spoil your fun being a sore loser, besides, your class has some real geniuses.“
At the mention of geniuses, Sano frowned. It startled Shinpachi.
„Something the matter?“
„Okita.“
„Aaah, yes...“ Shinpachi recalled their morning conversation. „Have you spoken with Heisuke?“
„Yeah.“
„And?“
„He’ll keep an eye on him and tell me when he notices something. I’m also intending to talk to Saito and Yamazaki about this.“
„If you want to, I can ask them. They’re in my class, after all.“
Sano nodded. „That would be great.“
Shinpachi sighed. „I guess talking to Souji would do wet shit, huh?“
The corners of Sano’s mouth pulled downwards as he chewed on his sandwich. „Yeah.“ He swallowed the bite down. „If anything, it would just put him on alert and he would be too cautious around me. I want to talk with him only after I have something concrete I can pin him with. Anything else wouldn’t do a thing.“ With that he took the last bite of his sandwich and stood up. „Alright. Up I go. There’s only ten minutes left and I still have to change.“ He gave Shinpachi a small peck on the lips. „See you.“
ox*xo
Two double-hours of gym were no fun, Sano decided. And especially not when you trained a bunch of hormon-driven teenies. Monday morning. Two hours with 2A were alright. But two classes with 2C after that were too much. Why had he gotten the most impossible, most crazy, most raging class of the whole Hakuoki high? One hour with them and he was ready for the senior club. He was getting too old for this job...
„15 minutes break!“ he announced as he looked for the tenth time at the clock in hopes the time for the break came. This time it did. The students streamed out immediately, either for the changing rooms to lie down on a bench and rest, or for the cafeteria to buy themselves an energy drink. Sano, slumping onto the wooden bench, asked himself if he shouldn’t join them.
Then he felt a familar presence and every tension poured out of his shoulders.
„Yo.“
A warm smile spread across his lips as he heard the voice of his boyfriend. He was too tired to care about what he had said to his lover in the morning. Now he was just happy to see him.
„Yo.“
Shinpachi brought their lips together and sat down next to him, handing him a bottle of water. „Figured you would be out of it.“
„Thanks.“ Sano said and drank the water in small sips. Then he leaned his head on Shinpachi’s shoulder and sighed heavily. „I don’t get it.“
„Hm?“
„I make them run laps, I make them jump over the buck, I make them climb the ribstall, and they still have enough energy to throw stupid jokes and be wiseass. Did we have this much energy too, Shinpachi, when we were their age? I don’t remember.“
Shinpachi chuckled. „Well, it was a long time ago. And we’re not getting any younger.“
That was true. And back then they had other things to worry about than abbundance of energy. Which was really ironic, because now they seemed to be lacking it.
„Our mid-life crisis will be starting soon.“ He said suddenly.
Shinpachi pulled a sour face. „Oh joy...“
„Maybe it has already started and we were too busy to notice.“ If he thought about it, they should be already mostly past it.
„I hope you’re joking.“
„I’ll grow grey hair soon.“
„That would be a shame...“
„Maybe I’ll dye it.“
„Please do.“
„We’ll get old and rusty. You’ll be on a walking stick and I in a wheelchair.“
Shinpachi looked at him quizzically.
„What’s with you today?“
„It’s Monday.“ Was Sano’s simple reply.
„Oh, yeah, right. How could I forget? But I have good news.“
„Hm?“
„Lunch will be soon.“
„Oh thank god...“
„It get’s even better. A coffee will be waiting for you.“
„Don’t tempt me.“
„And the best thing comes now: You won’t be returning to the gym untill tomorrow.“
„Have I finally died and found myslef in paradise, I wonder...“
Shinpachi chuckled. „Feeling better?“
„Yeah.“ Sano raised his head and took another gulp of the water. Slowly the students started coming back, greeting Shinpachi-sensei while they were at it. It was nothing new that Shinpachi was visiting him an hour before lunch at the gym. He did so every free hour he had. And somehow it came so every term that he had at least one day of the week an hour free before lunch. Kondo-san was too kind...
The bell rung. Sano took a last gulp of the water and stood up, taking off the hood of his jersey. „Alright gentlemen! I hope you had enough energy drinks!“ he whistled and everyone stood themselves into a straight line. Sano took the attendance notice and a pen and Heisuke stepped forward, but something was off. „Class 2C, PE attendance, Okita Souji missing.“
Sano frowned. „Okita-kun is? Why is that? He hasn’t excused himself.“
„Sano-sensei, I think he has snuck away.“
Shinpachi watched the vein popp at Sano’s head and his hand tremble as it clutched at the pen so that Shinpachi feared that it would snap. It was the last one Sano had. His boyfriend breathed deeply in and out. „Once any of you see him, tell him to see me.“
„Yessir!“ the class chorused.
„We will now ressume the lesson. 5 laps around the hall!“
ox*xo
At the end of the lesson, Shinpachi thought it was a wonder that Sano still could stand upright. The students scrambled for the showers, tired, but with still enough energy left to be desperate for the refreshing water, while all that Sano could do, was take the towel Shinpachi offered him and wipe his face with a sigh.
„The more I teach, the more I get the impression that I’m getting too old for this job. A few years ago I wasn’t this exhausted after four hours spent here.“
„It’s probably just your imagination. It’s the day after Christmas break, you just need to get back into old patterns.“
„Maybe...“
„I’m sure.“ Shinpachi smiled. „I doubt that a hord of raging teenagers could tire you out, Harada-sensei, if I am not able to achieve that.“
Sano had to laugh. „I have to admit, Nagakura-sensei,“ he said between chuckles, „there might be some truth to your words.“
He ruffled Shinpachi’s hair. „I’ll go shower and then we can head to lunch, ok?“
„Hurry up, I’m starving.“
„Glutton.“
Fifteen minutes later they entered the lunchroom, the fresh scent of water, shampoo and Sano’s Hugo Boss carrying after them.
„Let’s see...mushroom miso as soup, main course either Udon, or smoked salmon...Ah hell.“ If the Udon was anything like the last time, he didn’t know what to pick. He tended to get sick after smoked salmon. At the prospect of starving, his stomach churned loudly in protest. Sano sighed. „I should have just made bento after all.“
„I told you so?“ Shinpachi sounded from behind him and Sano sent him a glare. Yeah, alright, so he would have had the time to make some in the morning, but as he woke up, after a week of loneliness in the arms of his beloved and opted his choices, he decided to rather stay in bed with Shinpachi for a while longer. After that there hadn’t been any time left for preparing a lunchbox. Lazy him, yeah. He slacked off so often, after all, it wasn’t even healthy. Right, he thought as his inner voice was dripping sarcasm.
„Shut up, Shinpachi.“
In the end they both picked Udon and sat down at their standard table, staring at the plates in front of them as if it was poison there instead of lunch. They shared a look.
„Itadakimasu?“ Shinpachi offered and Sano nodded. They should eat at least a little.
However before they could take a bite of what wanted to be Udon, a falsely polite voice sounded from beside them.
„Harada-sensei! Nagakura-sensei!“
Sano gritted his teeth and turned to look at their colleague.
„Ito-sensei.“ Their art teacher was carrying a plate of smoked salmon and Sano felt his stomach turn. Though, he wasn’t sure whether it was the fish, or the person that caused it.
„I just wanted to congratulate to those wonderfull results you got!“
„Thank you.“ Sano forced a smile onto his face. He didn’t know why, but an encounter with their art teacher always left a bad feeling in his gut. „You did well, too.“
„I heard you praised Toudo-kun for his work. Please do that in the future too. He has talent that should not be overseen.“
„It’s your guidance that makes it unfold.“ Before this tanuki started teaching at their school, he was the head of the painting class at the primary school of arts. As he was a kid, Heisuke took a few courses there.
„You flatter me.“ Ito-sensei smiled sweetly.
„Was that all you wanted, Ito-sensei?“ Sano asked in hopes of getting rid of this person as soon as possible. „Or did you have an issue to discuss with us?“
„No, no.“ Ito-sensei shook his head dismissively. „I just wanted to pay my regards. I’ll stop bothering you now.“ He bowed. „Bon Apetit.“ With that he left.
Sano stared after his retreating form, muttering a quiet „Tanuki“ under his breath.
„He asked me out, you know.“
His head snapped to Shinpachi as he heard that.
„I mean Ito-sensei. He asked me if I wanted to go for a drink after work with him, his treat.“
Sano’ s eyes widened and he had hard time to force back a scandaled scream.
„Ito-sensei asked you out?!“ He sneered and clenched his teeth. The nerve of that racoon!
„Lower you voice, damnit!“ Shinpachi hissed. It was already a wonder no one (and especially the teacher in question) heard them. „Anyway, I politely refused and told him I had plans with you. He didn’t bother me after that, but I think he’s plotting something. Be careful, ok?“
That fish was always plotting something, Sano thought to himself as he nodded. Then looked at his food. He wasn’t really hungry anymore.
„Eat.“ He raised his head to look at Shinpachi. His boyfriend was unusually serious.
„Eat.“ Shinpachi repeated. „You haven’t eaten since the morning and you are a pain to deal with when you’re hungry.“
Sano glared at him.
„And I won’t have you starving yourself. Don’t think I didn’t notice you losing weight over the week I was away.“
Sano blinked in surprise. He barely lost a pound, how did Shinpachi notice...?
Shinpachi showed the chopsticks into his face, a piece of flesh between them. „Eat, or I’ll force feed you.“
Sano sighed in defeat and picked up his chopsticks again, and started eating. Better get it down before it gets cold. If there was one thing worse than cafeteria food, it was cold cafeteria food.
page 2
Name: Monday Sorrows
Author:
manaikaSeries: Hakuoki
Pairing: Shinpachi/Sanosuke
Rating: Teens (K+, PG-13, 14 and above),- see warnings
Warnings: Love between two males, mentions of smut, slight angst and relationship themes.
Summary: Made for
30kisses, list Nu/acquisition. #09: Even if Mondays are always the most angsty days in the life of High School teachers, you just have to pay attention to what your inner voice tells you, to guide you through your worries. Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuoki, or any of it’s characters. The creators do. My muse owns the idea of the fic, myself the work and the time I put into writing it. Credit me at least those, ok?
Notes
Another SSL shot, 2nd in the arc, features Harada-sensei and Nagakura-sensei in their everyday life as teachers. Here I have to mention that english is not my first language, therefore many of the terms used in school, as the names of the gym utensils, are not known to me. I took a dictionary and translated them how I best found fit. If you find words that are incorrect, or not used in that sense and know the correct term, please tell me. I’m going to need it in the future.
It’s set more or less directly after the first one, the first day after Chirstmas break. In the last part they have been writing with the kids their mid-term exams. I wrote it before I got the information that the school year in Japan starts in April and ends in March. However, there are always some exams written, so you can take it that they were some random tests, or season-exams (if a thing like this doesn’t exist, I’m borrowing artistic licence and making it up). I’m also aware that there isn’t a Christmas break in Japan, but it suited the mood, so you can take it as another artistic licence.
Monday Sorrows
#09. Hear all, trust nothing.
„So how was Christmas? I never got to ask yesterday.“ Sano spoke up as they were riding in his ferrari to work, after a few days of Christmas break.
Shinpachi had been away for the days, visiting his family in Tokyo and yesterday evening he appeared on Sano’s porch with his suitcase, looking worn out and tired of the long travel (even despite the bullet trains being extremely fast) with his arms outstretched to his boyfriend.
Not that he hadn’t been expecting Shinpachi, he just thought that his boyfriend would stop by his apartment first and come to Sano’s place much much later.
It had been a nice surprise.
They used the time to make up. And it did not involve much talking.
So it happened now, that after a wonderfull night they were driving in his car to work, Shinpachi’s suitcase in the luggage compartment, talking about their Christmas.
„How do you think?“ his boyfriend grunted. „I had to sing crappy songs, eat fancy food, that didn’t reach your by far, and listen to my parent’s complaining how I finally don’t grow up and don’t get a girlfriend instead of staying with, I quote, that gay person. Seriously as if they didn’t know you had a name.“ He huffed.
Sano smiled sadly.
Shinpachi’s parents were catholic and they were strictly against his relationship with Sano. But at least they were with him, which could not be said about Sano’s parents. Shinpachi seemed aware that the conversation was heading into the wrong direction, so he turned it around.
„And you? Had someone over?“
„Nope.“ Sano shook his head. „Just me. But I went to the Christmas party at the Dojo that Kondo-san has hosted.“
„Ah, yeah. How was it?“
„As every year: We drank cheap sake, ate food bought at the conbini, listened to old music, talked about work...“ It was the same every year, the same drinking party, the same guests, the same music, the same conversations... One would ask himself why he bothered, but at least he wasn’t alone. „After I got tired of it I went home, opened your present, thanks by the way. I seriously needed that.“
„It was the only thing I could think of that would make you feel at least a little better.“
„A weekend at a wellness hotel? Of course it would! You know what a massage I got? I couldn’t walk untill last friday.“
It was a good thing that Shinpachi was from a fairly wealthy family. It wasn’t everything in life, but it was certainly helpfull when they needed a bit more money than usually. If he didn’t gamble it away before they could put it to use, that was.
„And you? Did you like your present?“
„Oh babe, you don’t know how I squealed as I opened it.“
„Really?“ It was stupid, so Sano had felt a bit unsure about it, but he knew Shinpachi needed it and that he would prefer rather something practical over something expensive and commercial.
„Yeah. I needed a new razorblade so much...“
Sano smiled. „You mentioned it awhile back.“
„And that aftershave is like silk. You always buy me such practical things I can’t afford...“
„Because you gamble your money away.“
„Because I have to pay the rent, the electricity, gas and water and still want to save up, was what I wanted to say, but I guess one could put it your way too.“
Save up to gamble, Sano added in his mind, but he voiced something else.
„My offer still stands.“
„Sano...“
He knew Shinpachi was tired of hearing it, but Sano was tired of being alone in that big house too.
„Look, if we just moved together we could split the costs, make some spare money renting your flat, and we would get to spend more time together.“
The topic came up sometime during the late summer, when they took a week off from work and spent it together, before the next semester started and there would be no more time. For some reason, Shinpachi didn’t like the idea, even though Sano found his boyfriend would profit the most of it.
„And my parents would come and kill us for practicing heretism.“
Usually that was the reason he gave.
„Since when do you care?“
„I don’t. I’m just not sure if it’s worth the trouble.“
Sano’s body jerked with shock as he heard the last sentence. Unfortunately, his hand jerked too and the wheel was yanked sharp left, so they almost drove onto the sidewalk. But fortunately, having the reflexes he had, Sano caught himself and regained controll fast enough. He pulled to an empty lot at the sidewalk to calm down his heart again, ignoring Shinpachi’s squeak of distress.
„What the fuck was that?!“
„I almost crashed, but nothing happened it’s alright, but anyway that’s not the point. What?!“
„What what?“ Shinpachi was looking at him like had just grown another head. Which was understandable, since this was the first time it happened that Sano almost crashed. Sano never crashed. Sano always had his car under control. Untill now, when he heard words he never thought he would hear.
„What you said just now.“
„What did I say just now and Sano, are you sure you’re alright?“ Shinpachi was giving him a very worried look.
„No, I’m not.“ Besides the fact that he almost crashed, he wasn’t sure he heard right. „Why wouldn’t moving in together be worth the trouble of going through a bit more of your parents grumbling?“
„That’s it?! That’s what you’re worrying about?! Sano you almost shrotted your car!“
Shinpachi stared at him.
Sano stared right back.
Shinpachi sighed.
The shock had already worn of and so he could muster a reply, without hyperventilating. „Ah well, you know. They are already cursing like old sailors when the topic of the two of us dating comes up and yeah well, I know there could be several advantages, but when I think about it, it seems to me like too much trouble for a small thing.“
Sano didn’t actually believe his ears.
„A small thing? Twenty years woth of dating are a small thing?“
Shinpachi paled as he heard the betrayed tone of Sano’s voice. „Wait, wait, wait a sec there!“ he raised his hand as if trying to stop the trail of thoughts in Sano’s head. „I didn’t mean it like that! I mean moving in together! I mean, it’s just, I mean, argh damnit Sano!“ he teared at his hair, while Sano just watched him. „We spend the entire day working together, we spend the weekends together. We are together 76,2 percent time of the week. That’s almost three times more than a regular couple and 1 point 5 times more than a married couple. And well...spending the evenings of the workdays together... I get home and sleep untill the next day and I can’t imagine you doing something else.“
Sano looked away.
„Actually, I go over the lessons for the next day....“
„That’s not my point.“
He knew that already, alright. But Shinpachi didn’t get what Sano meant.
„Yeah, yeah I get it. I just thought you would find it nice to have company when you sleep till the next day.“
„I’m too tired for sex on workdays.“
Sano felt his annoyance growing.
„Have I said a word about sex?“
„Huh?“
Sano sighed. Seriously. What was it with his boyfriend and using a brain?
„Nothing, just forget it.“ He started the engine again to avoid a possible outburst of frustration Shinpachi tended to cause more often than not, but his boyfriend laid a hand on his wrist.
„Wait.“ The blue eyes were serious as they bored themselves into golden. „What’s your problem?“
Sano didn’ t look at him, his eyes fixed on the key. „No problem.“
„Sano.“
Why did Shinpachi never get a hint? Fine, he wanted to hear it, he got to hear it.
„You just don’t get it, do you?“ Sano didn’t bother hiding the annoyance anymore.
„Right now I’m as lost as I can be.“ He looked like that too with those big blue eyes staring at Sano hurt.
„Why do I put up with you, remind me again.“
„Good sex?“ Shinpachi tried a joke, but Sano decided to use it as a rebut.
„And there’s the problem.“
Shinpachi looked utterly mortified.
„You’ve got a problem with our sex life? Oh god, am I becoming frigid?!!“
Sano groaned and banged his head against the wheel. „You know, I never really understood how you passed your final exams at college.“ No matter how much he tried, Shinpachi always seemed to misundertsnad him. He was a teacher damnit, he was supposed to know how to explain things! He sighed invardly. „Sometimes I get the feeling that there’s only air between your ears.“ No helping it when the student was dumb, he guessed.
„Am I becoming boring?“
„For fuck’s sake, no!“ This was getting ridiculous.
„Then what?“
Sano tried again, this time through examples. „Look, it’s as you said. We are working together, but besides a few seconds during the breaks, we don’t get much time alone. And on the weekends all we do is have sex and eat, in this order. Nothing against routine, but seriously, when was the last time you took me out?“
„The weekend before Christmas.“
„Yeah, an hour at dinner and then we went home and had sex.“
Not like that, jerk. He meant a date.
„In other words, you need cuddly time.“
Sano was gripping the wheel very tightly and the leather squeaked.
„Shinpachi. If we weren’t sitting in my expensive car and I wouldn’t want to dirty the seats with your blood, I would kill you right now.“
„Alright, alright, I get what you are saying, but I still don’t think it’s worth the trouble. If you want to we can go on a date any evening you want to, so that can’t be the problem. I may have be an airhead sometimes, but I’m not stupid. What’s it really?“
Honestly, he didn’t know. He had been feeling weird lately and stupid thoughts were going through his head every day.
„Christmas depression?“ he offered. He had been alone after all. He hated being alone for Christmas. Weird thoughts always came to him then.
„You went to see your parents, am I right?“
And then there was that.
„Yes. No. Yes. Kinda.“
Shinpachi raised an eyebrow. Sano sighed.
„I went to the house. I don’t know what possessed me, but I was lonely at home, so I went for a walk. Then the thought that I could at least check if my parents are still alive crossed my mind, so I went. I got as far as to the front door, but I didn’t enter. Something just held me back.“
He didn’t see his parents since he left for Tokyo University. He didn’t bother paying them a visit after he returned to Kyoto to teach at Hakuoki High. But that didn’t mean he never checked on them.
„How does it look?“ Of course Shinpachi knew. They had known each other since High School and Shinpachi had helped him through some nasty things. There was no point in hiding it.
„It’s even in a worse shape than last year. The windows are completely broken, the walls consist of more cracks than wood and bottles of cheap sake are all across the yard. Oh, and the doorlock was somehow removed.“
„Kami-sama...“ Shinpachi breathed and Sano couldn’t but agree.
„Yeah. And I was confronted with the sight on the 24th december.“ When one was supposed to be with his family. Only for his family, he was dead.
„Sano...“
„Don’t.“ Sano knew what his boyfriend wanted to say, but he didn’t want to hear it. Instead he continued. „I thought about going in, but then I heard my mother’s drunken talk and my father’s mumbles and I found I couldn’t face it. Not only would I be making a fool of myself, but get even yelled at and rejected again.“ He was an unwanted child after all. „So I thought, yeah they are as alive as they can be and left. I took a last look and I caught my father watching from behind the window.“
His father had never told him as his mother in actual words that he wasn’t welcome. Maybe that meant something? He never could get a clue what his old man was thinking.
„And? What happened?“
Sano shook his shoulders. „Nothing. I left.“
„Oh.“
„Yeah.“ What else was there to so say, after all? But back to the topic at word... „And don’t misunderstand me, but after I’m still trying to cope with it, you go and say that living together with me isn’t worth the oh-so-big trouble of your parents complaining. You’ve got a hell of a timing, really.“
„...Oops?“ Shinpachi offered.
Sano didn’t even find the strength to be annoyed anymore. And it was only short before 8 am.
„Well, I guess an oops is more than I could have expected from you.“
„Sano...“ Something seemed to sink through the thick skull though, he noted at Shinpachi’s next words. „I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize that it could hurt you. I thought that as a practical person you would see it the same way as I. You know, paying for the migration service, all the paperwork around it, and on top of it all, having to deal with the bitchin’ of my parents, because of five evenings which would be mostly spent sleeping and doing a little left-over work...“
„I see your point.“ Sano didn’t need to hear that again. He got it already. The problem was something entirely else. „But you don’t see mine. It’s not about the trouble, it’s about being together. All I ever see of you is at work, or 60 hours in the bed. Sometimes it feels like this relationship lost it’s spark.“
He was probably exaggerating a little, but it was the only way to make Shinpachi finally understand what he was trying to tell him.
„You can’t possibly mean that.“
„I’m just saying how I feel. Didn’t you hear? Talking about your problems with your partner is recommended for a working relationship.“ He was sick of being alone in that big house (even when he bought it, it seemed rather small) and they were together twenty years, twenty fucking years and they were still living at separate places. Sometimes he felt like the virgin maiden waiting for the prince to finally jump over his shadow.
„And what do I do?“
„Oh I don’t know.“ His annoyance was back. Yay. „You said you’re not stupid, so try using those braincells you claim to have. I’m out of ideas.“ He settled for staring ahead, because he had the feeling that if he would just look at Shinpachi, he would tear his head off.
„You think moving in would help?“
Yes, was the original reply he wanted to give, but he chose an elaborate one. Something to do with teacher syndrome and explaining things for the upteenth time to a dumb student, he guessed. „Look, we are together twenty years and we reached a stand still. The logical thing to do would be to take the next step.“ And he couldn’t resist the need to punch Shinpachi into the gut with his next words. „And as a math teacher, logistics are your speciality. But it seems you’re either too convenient, or too much of a chicken.“
Shinpachi was silent for a while. „I’ll think about it.“
Sano nodded and started the engine again, not sure if he should feel annoyed or accomplished. He somehow always dreaded it when Shinpachi said he’ll think about something. Creatures with such a feeble brain shouldn’t be allowed to do that.
„Sano.“
„What now?“
„I love you.“
In spite of himself, Sano found himself smiling. Damn him. Even if he was a creature with a feeble brain, somehow Shinpachi always knew when he needed to hear those words. That was probably why he said them so rarely.
„Me too.“
„We’ll figure this out, I promise.“
Sano found himself ruffling Shinpachi’s hair before he took hold of the control lever and they ressumed their way to work again, falling into familiar patterns. Somehow their arguments never lasted long. Because most of the time, Shinpachi would back off and let Sano have his way. All in all, despite being a stupid oaf, Shinpachi was a good boyfriend. Those twenty years just proved it, right?
„Say Sano?“
„Yeah?“
„Now that you mentioned it... I heard about an 80ies party being held at the bar we sometimes go to.“
He meant a gay bar nearby. Sano had frequented it in high school too, but back then with different accompaniment.
„Ah, yes, I heard about it too.“ Of course he heard about it. He was the first that the bartender had told.
„Wanna go? It should be a Saturday, sometime next month.“ Sano had to supress a grinn. It seemed that something really did sink into that thick skull. „You like the 80ies music, right?“
Like? He loved it!
„It’s the music of my youth, Shinpachi.“
„I’m just a year older than you, you know.“
Yeah, right. They were in the same class at high school, after Shinpachi dropped a grade. He had been a great friend, and back then, that had been something Sano needed: A friend. Sano found himself chuckling. „Those were some crazy times back then...“
„Worth a bit remembering, don’t you think?“
Not everything had been bad after all. With Shinpachi a door had opened and suddenly he hadn’t been alone anymore. He found friends, a boyfriend...he wondered what had happened with that one.
„I would love to, Shinpachi.“
„Good. So it’s a date.“
„So it is.“
„Hook line and sinker.“
„Excuse me?“
Shinpachi grinned. „You are smiling again.“
Was he? Damn jerk of his boyfriend for manipulating him so easily!
„Why you...“ suddenly Sano smirked, an idea coming to him. „You seem to be forgetting something, Shinpachi.“
„What?“
„That I’m at the wheel and I could, I don’t know, for example yank it anytime right and crash into the nearest wall. I could make it look as an accident and then be rid of you for the rest of my life.“ That didn’t actually sound as bad prospect... „Oh, dolce vita...“
„You wouldn’t want to murder your darling sweetheart.“ Why not? He said so now, didn’t he? „And I’m not talking about myself.“ That made more sense. However, he was wrong. Sano smiled wickedly. „I have enough money for the repair, don’t worry.“
„Oh.“
Exactly.
„Then how about we make a deal? I keep my trap shut and you don’t kill me.“
„The best idea you had today Shinpachi. And it’s not even 8 am.“
„It’s always such a pleasure riding with you.“
„Trying to have the last word?“
„I’m not succeeding, am I?“
„Nope.“
„Thought so.“
„The wheel is in my hands.“
Blessed silence fell.
They were five minutes from the school when Sano remembered suddenly.
„Ah, no, I take back what I said. There’s something I needed to talk to you about. Work related.“
If there was one thing he could give Shinpachi credit for, it was not mixing private life and work together. They were either boyfriends or colleagues, so his tone was strictly collegiate as he replied. „Sure, what is it?“
„Wait a minute.“
And the car pulled to the sidewalk again.
„The correction exams will be written this week, won’t they?“
It was rhetorical question, but Shinpachi answered anyway.
„Yeah. So?“
„There’s someting I wanted to ask...“ Sano said as he was rumaging through his case. „I have noticed that...where...ah here it is.“ He took out a paper. „I wanted to ask if Okita Souji will be retaking his math exam.“
Shinpachi wondered why Sano would need to know who passed and who didn’t pass a math exam, but he didn’t bring it up as it struck a chord.
He frowned. „Now that you mention it...“ Shinpachi took out his notes and rumaged through them. „Where is he... Okita...Okita... here you are! Yeah. He left his paper empty.“
Sano frowned. „Did you have the feeling that the current lessons are something he couldn’t manage?“
„His grades have been dropping...“
„That wasn’t my question.“
„I know what you’re getting at. I didn’t give it a thought untill now, but that you brought it up, I thought it was strange. Okita is a slack off, but he never had problems with his grades. He is a bit of a genius, being good at anything he does. But to the end of the semester...like he’s got no clue.“
That was a nice comparison.
„Yeah. He didn’t pass his Japanese History exam.“
Shinpachi’s head snapped to him.
„What? I thought it was his best subject.“
„No, his best subject is PE. But he almost didn’t pass that one too.“
Shock was written all over Shinpachi’s face.
„What?! How’s that possible?! Everyone passes PE. Especially with you teaching it.“
„Well, he almost didn’t. He has been especially clumsy this term.“ Which was weird, since Sano knew him from Kondo-san’s dojo. That boy had never been clumsy. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen him at the dojo for a while. „It’s like he’s a different person.“
„Different person?“
„Yeah.“
„What now?“
„Nothing. I’m his homeroom teacher, so I’ll take necessary action. Thanks for informing me.“
„No prob.“
ox*xo
They arrived at school with enough time to spare for Sano to make coffee and Shinpachi to read the morning newspaper. As they entered the room, they greeted Hijikata-san, who was smoking at the opened window. Their demon-vice only shook his head as he saw them in their Morning-routine-after-a-night-at-Sano’s-place-version (the only one when Shinpachi had enough time for the newspaper. The other two were staying at his place, where he never set the alarm clock, so they arrived with a total of five minutes to spare, thanks to Sano’s ferrari, or they spending the nights separately, which Shinpachi had no chance on arriving early).
„You two should just marry. This looks like a scene out of a daily soap rather than a routine Monday morning.“
„No, this is a routine version 2 Monday morning.“ Sano replied with a smirk and laid the coffee next to Shinpachi, then sat down at his own desk. „Tell that him, though.“ He gestured to Shinpachi. „He’s the one who has such a big problem with moving together.“
„I told you I’ll think about it.“ Shinpachi mumbled from behind the paper.
Sano shook his head and turned to Hijikata, sipping on his coffee.
„How was your holiday?“
„Boring.“ Hijikata replied stoically and Sano burst out laughing.
„No colleagues to annoy you, huh?“
„With no students to piss you off and work finished, I see your problem.“ Shinpachi didn’t look up from the newspaper as he said that, but the humor in his voice was evident. „Get a hobby, Hijikata-san.“
Hijikata growled. „You two...“
Sano chuckled. „Now, now, we’re just teasing you.“
Soon the other teacher’s and the students streamed in too, and it was time for the first day after the break to start.
Sano decided that his class needed a praise. Almost everyone aced their tests and in the rating they had surpassed Shimada’s class 2B, scored even higher than that fish Ito’s 3rd years and they were equal with Shinpachi’s 2A, which had such straight A students as Saito and Yamazaki. And how Shinpachi got to be the homeroom teacher of the best class at Hakuoki High, Sano did not know. Probably something to do with Hijikata being stuck with the first years. Sano envied him. He had the only female of their school in his class.
But his class wasn’t so bad either, he decided as he stepped in and everyone stood up.
„G’mo’nin’ Sano-sensei!“ the chorused and he gestured them to sit.
„Class, today I wanted to discuss with you the results of the exams.“
They paled. Sano smiled.
„Well done.“
A whisper went through the class and everyone was staring at him.
„We are on equal points with 2A.“
Heisuke bolted up in surprise.
„We beat Saito?!“
That caused an explosion of cheers errupt in the room. Sano let them bask in the joy for a while, before he tapped the board and the class quieted down. All but one.
„That means that Shinpa-sensei won’t be able to tease you for being stuck with such irresponsible slack offs as us, doesn’t it?“ Okita Souji spoke and everyone chuckled.
„Shinpa-sensei should look into the mirror when he says those words.“ Heisuke commented and another chorus of laughs echoed. The two partners in crime high-fived.
„Talking about irresponsible slack-offs, Okita-kun...“
Sano watched with satisfaction as the boy flinched.
„This wondrous result is not thanks to your genius skills. You will be retaking all of your exams, as it seems. Including PE.“
„I thought I’d pass that one.“
„I don’t like your result.“ Sano raised an eyebrow. „Or do you admit being stupid and clumsy?“
„Che. I could beat the whole teacher body at any time.“
Sano clutched his hand and resisted the urge to throw the spare chalk he kept in his pocket at the kid. He had been doing that too often lately, his target mostly the cheeky brat in front of him. He should stop that. The poor kid didn’t need more brain-damage than he already had.
„Then prove it. Or I’ll make you eat those words.“
The class chuckled at that and Okita scowled.
„Furthermore,“ Sano continued without taking notice of the boy in the rage of his puberty, „Toudo Heisuke.“
„Yes?“ the kid looked worried and Sano smiled encouragingly.
„I would like to highlight your work of the last quartle of the year.“
The kid blinked.
„Huh? Me?“
„Yes, you. I have recieved praise on you from Ito-sensei, Shimada and even Hijikata-san. Your grades are getting progressively better and you work hard. Keep up the good work.“ He turned to the whole class. „Some of you,“ his eyes flickered to the still scowling Okita for a moment, „should take an example from Toudo-kun. Moving on, if some of you want to retake the tests, or have the feeling that they didn’t do their best,“ Sano’s eyes flickered to Souji again, „please do so in the next two weeks. It’s January and to the end of February, the final exams will start. The corrected papers will be handed to you at the begginning of the given lesson. Do any of you have questions to this?“
And so the class went on. They discussed the preparations for exams, the upcoming field trip and the class representative held a voting concerning the newest discussion around Valentine’s Day. After that the bell soon rung and the students bolted from their seats, probably hoping they still could catch the cafeteria before the next lesson started.
Sano shook his head. Youth these days... Heisuke passed him on his way out and Sano suddenly remembered there was still an open issue to be discussed.
„Toudo Heisuke, for a word please.“
The kid turned around with a puzzled look and approached the desk.
„What is it, Sano-sensei?“
Sano waited untill the door closed behind the last student.
„Heisuke.“
Heisuke blinked at the lack of honorific. It wasn’t that they weren’t informal with each other, but never outside school.
„Sano-san?“
Sano eyed him. „You are good friends with Souji, right?“
„We hang out, yeah.“
Sano nodded. „That means that if Souji was behaving strangely, you would notice, right?“
Heisuke’s eyes narrowed. „Strangely?“
Sano’s eyes bored themselves into the kid. „I see you know what I mean.“
Heisuke looked away. „Yeah, I have noticed that Souji is...strange lately. Stranger than usual.“ He frowned contemplatingly. „He’s still the same, but...something has changed.“
This perked Sano’s attention. „What has changed?“
Heisuke shook his shoulders. „Dunno...I would say he’s grown too serious, only...he’s still being a walking disaster as always and acts as the brat he is, alright.“
„I see...“ Sano looked away thoughtfully. What could this strange behavior of his once best student mean, he had no clue. But he would be damned if he didn’t find out.
For a few moments there was a contemplating silence until Heisuke spoke again, something occuring to him.
„Maybe that’s it...“
„What?“ Sano raised an eyebrow at him.
„He acts so.“ Heisuke looked at him. „I mean, it’s all it is: An act.“
That was what Sano called an idea. „Are you saying something could be troubling him?“
„Most likely.“ Heisuke hesitated, then finally added: „Last time he stayed over night I beat him at Tekken.“
Tekken would have been the last thing to worry about, but untill this moment, Sano would have sworn to whoever asked, that if Souji lost at that game it was on the day that hell froze over.
„It seems it’s more serious than I thought.“
„Why are you asking anyway, Sano-san?“ Heisuke asked.
„Because Souji didn’t pass either his math, history and classical literature exam and made PE for D-.“
„What?!“
Sano nodded. „I told so, didn’t I? He’s retaking all of his exams and I’m not satisfied with the grade he got at PE.“ He looked at Heisuke. „Heisuke, as his best friend, could you keep an eye on him? And if you find out something, or if anything in your opinion strange happens, could you tell me? If something’s up, I would like to solve it before it becomes a major issue.“
Heisuke nodded. „You should probably ask this Hajime-kun and Yamazaki too. They use to hang out with us and...“ Heisuke smirked, „I think that Hajime-kun has a thing for Souji.“
Sano chuckled and nodded. „I’ll do that. Thank you, Heisuke.“
Heisuke nodded and turned to leave, when Sano remembered something.
„Oh, and Heisuke! I heard from Ito-sensei that you are contributing to an art challenge. Congratulations.“
Heisuke scratched the back of his head embarassedly. „Thanks! It’s not like I have many chances to win, but I kinda thought, why not...“
Sano smiled. „Ito-sensei praised your work and said you had a lot of chance.“
Heisuke blushed and scratched his head embarrassedly. He quickly found a way to change the subject, though. „But Sano-sensei, I thougth you were avoiding Ito-sensei if possible.“
„Whatever personal issues I have with out art teacher don’t matter, if one of my class is a little genius at painting. Keep up the good work.“
„Yessir!“ Heisuke grinned from ear to ear and seemingly flied out of the class, his spirits raised. Sano smiled. This was the part of teaching he loved so much.
ox*xo
He made a short stop at the teacher’s office and grabbed himself a sandwich he had prepared in the morning. He would spend the next four hours at the gym, he needed energy. He felt a presence behind himself and then lips pressed into the crook of his neck.
„Yo. Grabbing energy?“
He had to give it to Shinpachi, it seemed that blockhead had thought over at least over a part of their conversation. He turned around and came face to face with sparkling eyes.
„Yep.“ He replied. „I’ll finish this and head down.“
„OK, don’t let yourself be disturbed. I have to prepare for the next lesson anyway. See ya in three hours?“ He asked with a hint of unsureness in his voice. They always spent the hour before lunch together, but it seemed that after their morning conversation, Shinpachi wasn’t sure he was welcomed.
Sano smiled assuringly. Even if Shinpachi was working to get on his shit list, there was no reason for him not to come to the gym as usually.
„If you don’t decide that you’d rather spend your free hour with something better than me, yeah.“ Sano winked. Shinpachi’s face lit up.
„But babe, what could be better than you?“
„That’s what I wanted to hear.“ It seemed the good mood was finally returning to him, Sano noted as he ate his food.
Shinpachi grinned. „You’re so full of yourself...“
„Seen into the mirror lately?“ Sano asked as he took another bite, supressing chuckles.
Shinpachi smirked. „By the way, I haven’t congratulated you yet to the results.“
Sano grinned from ear to ear. „I win.“ Was his only reply.
Shinpachi rolled his eyes. „Yeah, yeah, I know. You are equal with the best class, you even beat Ito’s third years, yadda, yadda.“ Shinpachi waved it off, seemingly annoyed, but then he smiled. „Congrats though. I won’t spoil your fun being a sore loser, besides, your class has some real geniuses.“
At the mention of geniuses, Sano frowned. It startled Shinpachi.
„Something the matter?“
„Okita.“
„Aaah, yes...“ Shinpachi recalled their morning conversation. „Have you spoken with Heisuke?“
„Yeah.“
„And?“
„He’ll keep an eye on him and tell me when he notices something. I’m also intending to talk to Saito and Yamazaki about this.“
„If you want to, I can ask them. They’re in my class, after all.“
Sano nodded. „That would be great.“
Shinpachi sighed. „I guess talking to Souji would do wet shit, huh?“
The corners of Sano’s mouth pulled downwards as he chewed on his sandwich. „Yeah.“ He swallowed the bite down. „If anything, it would just put him on alert and he would be too cautious around me. I want to talk with him only after I have something concrete I can pin him with. Anything else wouldn’t do a thing.“ With that he took the last bite of his sandwich and stood up. „Alright. Up I go. There’s only ten minutes left and I still have to change.“ He gave Shinpachi a small peck on the lips. „See you.“
ox*xo
Two double-hours of gym were no fun, Sano decided. And especially not when you trained a bunch of hormon-driven teenies. Monday morning. Two hours with 2A were alright. But two classes with 2C after that were too much. Why had he gotten the most impossible, most crazy, most raging class of the whole Hakuoki high? One hour with them and he was ready for the senior club. He was getting too old for this job...
„15 minutes break!“ he announced as he looked for the tenth time at the clock in hopes the time for the break came. This time it did. The students streamed out immediately, either for the changing rooms to lie down on a bench and rest, or for the cafeteria to buy themselves an energy drink. Sano, slumping onto the wooden bench, asked himself if he shouldn’t join them.
Then he felt a familar presence and every tension poured out of his shoulders.
„Yo.“
A warm smile spread across his lips as he heard the voice of his boyfriend. He was too tired to care about what he had said to his lover in the morning. Now he was just happy to see him.
„Yo.“
Shinpachi brought their lips together and sat down next to him, handing him a bottle of water. „Figured you would be out of it.“
„Thanks.“ Sano said and drank the water in small sips. Then he leaned his head on Shinpachi’s shoulder and sighed heavily. „I don’t get it.“
„Hm?“
„I make them run laps, I make them jump over the buck, I make them climb the ribstall, and they still have enough energy to throw stupid jokes and be wiseass. Did we have this much energy too, Shinpachi, when we were their age? I don’t remember.“
Shinpachi chuckled. „Well, it was a long time ago. And we’re not getting any younger.“
That was true. And back then they had other things to worry about than abbundance of energy. Which was really ironic, because now they seemed to be lacking it.
„Our mid-life crisis will be starting soon.“ He said suddenly.
Shinpachi pulled a sour face. „Oh joy...“
„Maybe it has already started and we were too busy to notice.“ If he thought about it, they should be already mostly past it.
„I hope you’re joking.“
„I’ll grow grey hair soon.“
„That would be a shame...“
„Maybe I’ll dye it.“
„Please do.“
„We’ll get old and rusty. You’ll be on a walking stick and I in a wheelchair.“
Shinpachi looked at him quizzically.
„What’s with you today?“
„It’s Monday.“ Was Sano’s simple reply.
„Oh, yeah, right. How could I forget? But I have good news.“
„Hm?“
„Lunch will be soon.“
„Oh thank god...“
„It get’s even better. A coffee will be waiting for you.“
„Don’t tempt me.“
„And the best thing comes now: You won’t be returning to the gym untill tomorrow.“
„Have I finally died and found myslef in paradise, I wonder...“
Shinpachi chuckled. „Feeling better?“
„Yeah.“ Sano raised his head and took another gulp of the water. Slowly the students started coming back, greeting Shinpachi-sensei while they were at it. It was nothing new that Shinpachi was visiting him an hour before lunch at the gym. He did so every free hour he had. And somehow it came so every term that he had at least one day of the week an hour free before lunch. Kondo-san was too kind...
The bell rung. Sano took a last gulp of the water and stood up, taking off the hood of his jersey. „Alright gentlemen! I hope you had enough energy drinks!“ he whistled and everyone stood themselves into a straight line. Sano took the attendance notice and a pen and Heisuke stepped forward, but something was off. „Class 2C, PE attendance, Okita Souji missing.“
Sano frowned. „Okita-kun is? Why is that? He hasn’t excused himself.“
„Sano-sensei, I think he has snuck away.“
Shinpachi watched the vein popp at Sano’s head and his hand tremble as it clutched at the pen so that Shinpachi feared that it would snap. It was the last one Sano had. His boyfriend breathed deeply in and out. „Once any of you see him, tell him to see me.“
„Yessir!“ the class chorused.
„We will now ressume the lesson. 5 laps around the hall!“
ox*xo
At the end of the lesson, Shinpachi thought it was a wonder that Sano still could stand upright. The students scrambled for the showers, tired, but with still enough energy left to be desperate for the refreshing water, while all that Sano could do, was take the towel Shinpachi offered him and wipe his face with a sigh.
„The more I teach, the more I get the impression that I’m getting too old for this job. A few years ago I wasn’t this exhausted after four hours spent here.“
„It’s probably just your imagination. It’s the day after Christmas break, you just need to get back into old patterns.“
„Maybe...“
„I’m sure.“ Shinpachi smiled. „I doubt that a hord of raging teenagers could tire you out, Harada-sensei, if I am not able to achieve that.“
Sano had to laugh. „I have to admit, Nagakura-sensei,“ he said between chuckles, „there might be some truth to your words.“
He ruffled Shinpachi’s hair. „I’ll go shower and then we can head to lunch, ok?“
„Hurry up, I’m starving.“
„Glutton.“
Fifteen minutes later they entered the lunchroom, the fresh scent of water, shampoo and Sano’s Hugo Boss carrying after them.
„Let’s see...mushroom miso as soup, main course either Udon, or smoked salmon...Ah hell.“ If the Udon was anything like the last time, he didn’t know what to pick. He tended to get sick after smoked salmon. At the prospect of starving, his stomach churned loudly in protest. Sano sighed. „I should have just made bento after all.“
„I told you so?“ Shinpachi sounded from behind him and Sano sent him a glare. Yeah, alright, so he would have had the time to make some in the morning, but as he woke up, after a week of loneliness in the arms of his beloved and opted his choices, he decided to rather stay in bed with Shinpachi for a while longer. After that there hadn’t been any time left for preparing a lunchbox. Lazy him, yeah. He slacked off so often, after all, it wasn’t even healthy. Right, he thought as his inner voice was dripping sarcasm.
„Shut up, Shinpachi.“
In the end they both picked Udon and sat down at their standard table, staring at the plates in front of them as if it was poison there instead of lunch. They shared a look.
„Itadakimasu?“ Shinpachi offered and Sano nodded. They should eat at least a little.
However before they could take a bite of what wanted to be Udon, a falsely polite voice sounded from beside them.
„Harada-sensei! Nagakura-sensei!“
Sano gritted his teeth and turned to look at their colleague.
„Ito-sensei.“ Their art teacher was carrying a plate of smoked salmon and Sano felt his stomach turn. Though, he wasn’t sure whether it was the fish, or the person that caused it.
„I just wanted to congratulate to those wonderfull results you got!“
„Thank you.“ Sano forced a smile onto his face. He didn’t know why, but an encounter with their art teacher always left a bad feeling in his gut. „You did well, too.“
„I heard you praised Toudo-kun for his work. Please do that in the future too. He has talent that should not be overseen.“
„It’s your guidance that makes it unfold.“ Before this tanuki started teaching at their school, he was the head of the painting class at the primary school of arts. As he was a kid, Heisuke took a few courses there.
„You flatter me.“ Ito-sensei smiled sweetly.
„Was that all you wanted, Ito-sensei?“ Sano asked in hopes of getting rid of this person as soon as possible. „Or did you have an issue to discuss with us?“
„No, no.“ Ito-sensei shook his head dismissively. „I just wanted to pay my regards. I’ll stop bothering you now.“ He bowed. „Bon Apetit.“ With that he left.
Sano stared after his retreating form, muttering a quiet „Tanuki“ under his breath.
„He asked me out, you know.“
His head snapped to Shinpachi as he heard that.
„I mean Ito-sensei. He asked me if I wanted to go for a drink after work with him, his treat.“
Sano’ s eyes widened and he had hard time to force back a scandaled scream.
„Ito-sensei asked you out?!“ He sneered and clenched his teeth. The nerve of that racoon!
„Lower you voice, damnit!“ Shinpachi hissed. It was already a wonder no one (and especially the teacher in question) heard them. „Anyway, I politely refused and told him I had plans with you. He didn’t bother me after that, but I think he’s plotting something. Be careful, ok?“
That fish was always plotting something, Sano thought to himself as he nodded. Then looked at his food. He wasn’t really hungry anymore.
„Eat.“ He raised his head to look at Shinpachi. His boyfriend was unusually serious.
„Eat.“ Shinpachi repeated. „You haven’t eaten since the morning and you are a pain to deal with when you’re hungry.“
Sano glared at him.
„And I won’t have you starving yourself. Don’t think I didn’t notice you losing weight over the week I was away.“
Sano blinked in surprise. He barely lost a pound, how did Shinpachi notice...?
Shinpachi showed the chopsticks into his face, a piece of flesh between them. „Eat, or I’ll force feed you.“
Sano sighed in defeat and picked up his chopsticks again, and started eating. Better get it down before it gets cold. If there was one thing worse than cafeteria food, it was cold cafeteria food.
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