Streetwise / sheltered SabiGiyu

They're highschool classmates of the same age

Giyuu is a quiet bookworm/artist and Sabito is a playboy bordering on delinquent. Both have less than stellar home lives

Eventually a rumor starts that Giyuu is a foster child, and some morally questionable students are gossiping about it in the bathroom one day

Sabito walks in and they try to include him in the gossip, but he snaps at them and tells them to shut the fuck up

Sabito is a foster child too, but he's always been bouncing houses since he was maybe 11

He never knew that Giyuu was in the system, too, and he's curious - why wasn't Giyuu in a permanent home, too?

He starts to follow Giyuu around, looking for a chance to catch him alone and talk. It's difficult, because Giyuu gets picked up from school (strange) and is otherwise always around others

One day, Sabito is out and he sees Giyuu at a shopping center. Giyuu is drawing(?) something, and he's alone!!

Sabito has a battle plan laid out in his head already. All he needs to do is execute it!

He saunters up, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. "Hey. Tomioka."

Giyuu jumps a foot in the air. He whips his head up and, when he sees it's Sabito, his eyes go wide like a deer on the highway.

His eyes flick nervously away and he lowers his head.

"Hello..."

'Quite the greeting', thinks Sabito to himself. 'What's wrong with him?'

No matter. Sabito puffs up and starts his plan. "I need directions," he announces with all the authority of heaven.

Giyuu looks confused, but manages to respond. "Directions... Um... Sure."

"How do I get to Y-Mart from here?" asks Sabito loudly.

Giyuu looks even more confused. "Um... I... I think it's west of here..."

"West? Which way is west?"

"Um..."

Giyuu falters and his voice starts to tremble. "T-that way."

Sabito nods deeply. "I see. Due west?"

"Yes..."

"Got it. So I go due west from here. How long?"

Giyuu starts to blink rapidly and struggles to answer. "---- Um.... Um..."

"Well?"

Giyuu's mouth opens and closes like a fish's. He's shaking deeply, and is looking anywhere but at Sabito. No answer to Sabito's question is coming out.

Sabito scowls down at Giyuu. He's not dumb - he knows Giyuu's freaked out.

But, Sabito has no clue why. Sabito isn't some thug and has no reputation of shake-downs - in fact, he's usually interrupting them - so why was Giyuu acting like it was a hostage situation?

Time passes and Giyuu still hasn't answered. He's clutching his sketchbook and looking to the side, head down and avoidant.

The reaction leaves a very bad taste in Sabito's mouth.

"... Sorry to bug you. I'll ask someone else," says Sabito.

He spins on his heel and moves to leave, but apparently, Giyuu decided to smart up at the last second.

"W-Wait," he gasps, and Sabito stops to look over his shoulder. Giyuu looks distressed, but for an unknown reason.

Quickly, Giyuu flips a page of his sketchbook and starts to draw something. Sabito is confused, but turns around and waits for him.

In a flash, Giyuu is ripping the page out of his sketchbook and holding it out to Sabito.

Still no eye contact... But...

On the page is a hastily drawn map of the center. Y-Mart is noted with pretty, fluid writing, and a compass is in the corner.

When Sabito is busy looking at it, Giyuu stands, gives a small bow, and power-walks the opposite direction of the store.

Sabito doesn't notice - he's too busy looking at the cute little character on the map that looks just like him.

"You are here," it says, above the small, smiling Sabito.

Sabito jumps back to reality. He looks up, gratitude forming in his mouth, but Giyuu has gone.

Sabito looks around, left and right, but there's no sign of him...

... Except a pencil case on the table Giyuu was sitting at.

Sabito picks it up and turns it over in his hands. The color is an orange-pink and it's covered in little fish.

'It's... It's really cute', Sabito catches himself thinking. 'Definitely his...'

Scene change.

Giyuu comes out of the bathroom stall he was hiding in and looks around warily. He checks his phone - apparently he's going to be picked up by the fountain.

Carefully on the lookout, Giyuu washes his hands, leaves the bathroom, and goes to meet his ride

He opens the car door and flops inside, letting out a huge breath.

"Are you okay?" Tsutako, his sister, asks, looking back from the driver's seat. "Your text startled me."

Giyuu takes a moment to respond - all the stress of the encounter is still making it hard to think.

"... Saw someone... I don't like."

"What?" Tsutako doesn't start driving quite yet, letting Giyuu talk to her first.

"..."

Giyuu tries to think of how to tell her, but it's hard when he doesn't understand his own feelings, himself.

"Did you talk to them...?"

"No, he came up and talked to me... Only asked for directions... I just panicked..."

Tsutako looks at Giyuu sympathetically, but stays quiet.

"... I'm okay. I'm fine," says Giyuu. "Let's just go home."

Part 2

The next day at school, Giyuu realizes he left his pencil case behind. All he has is one pencil with no eraser.

He looks to his classmates, but hesitates - he's never really talked to any of them much, so wouldn't asking for a favor be inappropriate...?

Homeroom starts, and he needs to fill out a form, but he has no eraser, and he begins to panic --

Just then, the door swings open, and in comes Sabito.

The teacher glares at him. Sabito is very late.

All eyes are at the front of the class.

"Reason?" asks the teacher.

"Broke my leg," Sabito sniffs.

The tension spikes, and everyone holds their breath.

The anxiety that Giyuu already had layers on top of the hostile air in the room. He starts to feel sick.

The teacher doesn't respond - they just glare daggers at Sabito, challenging him to walk into the room and take his seat. Sabito glances at his desk, then at the teacher.

A silent question: you gonna waste your precious homeroom time on me?

"-- Stay after the bell," says the teacher curtly. "Sit down."

Sabito shuffles over to his seat, drops his bag on his desk, and promptly makes a pillow out of it.

"Don't get comfortable," says the teacher. "New seats today."

A murmur goes around the room.

"I already made the seating chart. I'm going to put namecards on each desk. Find your name and sit down there."

Chairs clatter as all the students stand and gather. It takes some shoving, but Sabito eventually gets up, as well.

A girl whispers behind Giyuu, probably to her friend. "I want to sit next to him..." she says, and her friend giggles.

Giyuu stares blankly ahead.

"Okay. Find your name."

The students obediently move around and settle into their new spots. Giyuu ends up being pretty much the same place, against the middle-wall.

Next to him is...

"Where's my seat?" asks Sabito, and his friend waves him over to sit next to Giyuu.

Giyuu stares at the desk, heart pounding.

"Hey, why were you late?" asks the other boy.

"Working," sighs Sabito. "... I'm tired."

"What the hell, is that legal?"

"Whatever..."

"Come play soccer after. We're betting today," says the boy. "I'll pay you and split the pot."

"$50 down and 80/20 winnings."

"What the fuck, Sabito? What's friendship to you?"

"You're betting against my other job, you know..."

Giyuu stares at his desk, not daring to even breathe, hoping it'll make him as small as possible...

But it's no good. He can feel Sabito's eyes on him.

The conversation dies off as the teacher hushes the class, and Giyuu glances to Sabito.

He's leaning on his arm and staring directly at Giyuu!!!!!

Giyuu's face flushes hot when their eyes meet. He hears a small laugh, barely audible over the lecture of the teacher.

"Hey," whispers Sabito. "Stay after class."

Giyuu's heart squeezes in anxiety.

Giyuu remembers that the teacher wants to have Sabito, though, so Giyuu can just--

"Wait for me," Sabito says, interrupting Giyuu's thoughts. "Don't run or anything, I just want to give your pencil case back."

Giyuu looks up at that. Sabito has it?

They make eye contact again, and Sabito gives a wink. The soft smile is something Giyuu has never seen before, and he--

"Sabito!" The teacher barks.

Sabito's expression, so soft for Giyuu, instantly turns sour. His nose scrunches and he turns to face the front of the class.

The rest of the classes come and go unremarkably. Giyuu isn't able to gather the courage to ask for an eraser, but he manages without one by focusing.

When class ends for lunch, Sabito is kept behind by the teacher and pulled into an office.

Giyuu brings his lunch, so he stays in the classroom and eats it, nervously watching the door.

Eventually, it slides open, and a very angry Sabito comes into the classroom. He walks over to his desk and collapses into his chair, burying his face in his arms.

Giyuu watches him with amazement. What happened in that office?

A long, drawn-out groan comes from Sabito. It is muffled in his arms, but the emotion in it is pure exasperation. Giyuu stops eating and just watches Sabito.

Sabito turns his head in his arms to face Giyuu.

Giyuu has been caught staring, but it's hard not to stare at the huge disturbance in the room.

Sabito blinks slowly at Giyuu, then sighs and straightens up.

He pulls his bag open and takes out Giyuu's pencil case. He shakes it in the air, rattling it loudly, and then sets it on Giyuu's desk.

"Take better care of your shit," says Sabito.

"... Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me."

"---"

Giyuu nods, takes the case, and puts it away.

Giyuu looks back at his lunch. Although it's delicious, it's hard to keep eating when Sabito is staring at him. He hesitates to start eating again.

"Looks good."

Giyuu looks back at Sabito. "Huh?"

"You make it?"

"...?"

Why was Sabito talking to him?

Giyuu glances around the room - only a few other people are there, all on the other side and chatting. Sabito is the only one near him.

"My sister made it for me."

"Jealous. I'm an orphan and have to work mornings."

Why was Sabito saying this----!?

"I-I'm sorry," says Giyuu.

"I thought you were one, too."

Giyuu glances at Sabito. His wisteria eyes immediately catch and pierce Giyuu, and Giyuu swallows thickly.

"--- My sister and I are," says Giyuu quietly.

"Nice, you got eachother."

"... Yeah."

The anxiety that spiked every time Sabito was near him as getting unbearable. Just like last time, there was no escape route for Giyuu. Sabito's eyes had him pinned down to his desk - the cues Giyuu gave were ignored.

Silence now hung over them. Giyuu was frozen and could not move - he stares at his food and wishes with all his heart to be released from those eyes.

A gentle voice, quiet as a whisper, comes from beside him.

"... I'm sorry for scaring you. I'll leave you alone, now. But I want to talk to you."

Sabito gets up from his desk. His hand rests on Giyuu's desk for a brief moment, entering Giyuu's vision.

The hand is covered in small scars and rough with calluses.

Giyuu stares hard at that hand - and then it leaves, Sabito exiting the classroom.

--- what was that?

Giyuu has never seen such marred hands, never on a student. What kind of work did Sabito do that he had so many injuries? Not even mentioning the scar on his face...

As Sabito leaves the classroom, Giyuu watches him go with wonder.

Why was *Sabito*, of all people acting this way? The things Giyuu had seen and hesrs him do are so wildly different, he's getting dizzy. Those affectionate smiles and soft words, so obviously aware of Giyuu's emotions, were so unexpected that Giyuu could hardly believe it real.

Giyuu takes a bite of his lunch.

Sabito is an orphan, too... And only has himself, it seems. Giyuu hasn't been in the system for a while since his sister turned 20. Life got a lot better for him after that, but... It seems like Sabito is really curious about Giyuu.

Curious about Giyuu's life as an orphan like him...

Giyuu felt a small amount of empathy stir.

He finishes his lunch, puts away the boxes, and then gets out his sketchbook.

TBC

Part 3

Despite orders to stay on grounds, Sabito jumps the fence behind the school and leaves right as the as classes end.

He wanted to stick around and scope out Giyuu more, but teachers were looking for him, and he just wasn't feeling it today.

He takes out his phone out to text his foster, but when he does, he notices the folded up map Giyuu drew him.

Sabito walks far enough away from the school to avoid company and opens it up again.

This time, he's looking at the other side.

It was covered top to bottom in sketches, doodles, and small bits of poetry. There was barely any space left on the paper - all of it was covered in carbon lines. Some haphazard, some deliberate, all mesmerizing.

Sabito doesn't really have an eye for art, so the figures and cloth studies weren't interesting to him, but the way the "normal" sketches were layered on top of emotional scribbles was intriguing. He hadn't ever seen a sketchbook like this, and not one so... Packed

On that one page, there was so much to look at, so much to take in.

He flips the page back to the map. The lines are clean, neat, and deliberate. He flips it again. A mess.

Sabito carefully puts the page back in his bag, pressed in a textbook. It keeps it flat while he walks to a stationery story and buys a clear-file.

From there, he goes to his job. As he works, he keeps taking out the page, staring at the poetry on it, and musing on it.

The shift doesn't go smoothly, though. It's interrupted when the foreman grabs Sabito and pulls him into his office.

Before Sabito can protest even a little, the foreman starts. "You're in trouble with your school, and they're threatening to rescind your worker's permit."

Sabito scowls deeply but says nothing. ... It was a long time coming.

"Look," says the foreman, "I'm a drop-out myself, and I have a lot of regrets about it. Don't burn this up. Get back on track and I'll hire you again. Go home early."

Sabito looks offended. "You're firing me?"

"Yes."

"But--"

"Keep your safety equipment. Like I said. It's temporary."

Sabito clenches his fist and looks at the ground. It's taking a lot to stay calm - the foreman sees this and sighs.

"You're a senior, right?"

"..."

"It's just one more year. You're a clever kid - why on Earth are you doing construction?"

"..."

The foreman sighs, taking off his helmet. He scratches his balding head, then rights the helmet back on.

"Look..." he says.

Sabito waves his hand in the air as if to dismiss the sentiment. "I got it, I got it. Stop. Just... It's fine."

The foreman sighs again. "Come back tomorrow to pick up your check and leave the keys."

"Okay."

Sabito turns, leaves the office, and walks away.

He walks across the yard to the lockers, changes, and leaves quietly.

Ah, right.. He forgot to tell Urokodaki about what happened at school today.

He digs out his phone and stares it a long time before finally making the call.

A gruff voice answers over the phone, so deep it's hard to make out. "There you are," it says.

"Hey. School's on my ass again."

"I know."

"Said they're going to take away my permit."

"I know."

"You... 'Know'."

"We'll talk when I'm home."

Urokodaki hangs up.

The fury washes over Sabito like a wave and he grips his phone tight as death. But, the anger subsides as quickly as it came, hissing out of Sabito's teeth. He covers his face with one palm and breathes slow, quietly reigning in the frustration best he can.

He knows for a fact that Urokodaki is doing this - the bleeding heart is trying to get Sabito to focus on school and is making use of his authority over Sabito, it seems, because Sabito is refusing to listen.

Completely heedless of Sabito's wishes and reasons for it.

Completely, and utterly, ignoring Sabito's own will.

The fury threatens to rekindle and Sabito pushes it down, deciding to put away his phone before smashing it on the ground or something ridiculous. It wasn't cheap, after all.

The most frustrating part is that they both have the same intentions. Damn old man is worse than Sabito.

He shoves his phone inside, looks up at the sky, and sighs...

Now he's got this free time, and he doesn't know what to do with it.

He wanders down the road, looking to kill time.

=Scene change=

Giyuu nibbled on his pencil, staring hard at his paper. The balance was off but there was no room for another figure...

Frustrated, he flips the page of sketchbook and moves on. Have to keep moving, have to keep sketching...

He looks up and starts to hunt for another subject,

and he catches a florescent-orange hoodie, standing out obviously in the crowd.

The person turns his head, scanning a storefront, and Giyuu catches a hint of peach-colored hair.

It's him--!!

Giyuu panics. He looks around - the distance between him and Sabito is big enough that Giyuu can still run. He grabs his belongings (all of them, this time) and scurries away as Sabito slowly wanders toward the food court.

Although Sabito was turning out to be less of a bully than he came off to be, Giyuu knew Sabito was probably in a bad mood after school. He was supposed to be kept after by the teachers even longer, and Giyuu assumes for something bad. Giyuu has no interest in being around that.

But... there is only one entrance into the food court. Sabito is coming in and Giyuu would have to slip past him if he wanted to run home or hide in a bathroom again. Moreover, Giyuu feels like he sticks out pretty hard with his big sketchbook and schoolbags.

There's no time to plan anything - Sabito's coming right at him now. Giyuu just needs to get away!

Panicked, Giyuu raises his sketchbook to cover half his face and starts to walk quickly away perpendicular to Sabito.

He keeps his eyes on Sabito, making sure he isn't noticed...

... and runs right into a garbage.

A large THUD echoes out. Giyuu had kicked it with full force, and with full force, the garbage can bolted to the floor hit him back. Giyuu lets out a pained gasp and hobbles, barely keeping balance.

All of his fear is replaced by mind-numbing pain.

All of his defenses were dropped, and all of his focus, gone.

"You okay?"

Giyuu opens his eyes. Sabito is standing there, hands in hoodie pockets, looking smug as always.

"--- Yeah," Giyuu replies.

"Hmmm..." Sabito hums a playful note, scanning Giyuu up and down. "That sounded pretty bad."

"I'm fine," growls Giyuu thoughtlessly.

Sabito rolls his eyes. "And your toe?"

Giyuu glances down and hisses. His pinky toe, exposed in his sandals, is bleeding and mangled.

"---"

Sabito bends down and picks up Giyuu's sketchbook off the floor. He hefts the thing in the air.

"Take better care of yourself, too."

Giyuu sighs. Slowly, he sets his foot on the ground. It's not too painful, but it hurts, and Giyuu really wants to sit down.

He starts to shuffle away from Sabito. "Gonna sit...." mumbles Giyuu.

He really doesn't want to be in this situation, but he is, and needs to handle it.

Sabito follows Giyuu casually, carrying the sketchbook. An empty table is right nearby and Giyuu collapses into it. Sabito sets the book down and sits next to Giyuu. He props his chin on his hand and stares at Giyuu.

'This again...' Giyuu thinks dryly.

The pain and overall damnable situation has completely ruined Giyuu's mood, and now he's stuck here with Sabito. That Sabito. The same Sabito who--

Maybe his distaste shows on his face, because Sabito is soon asking him,

"What your problem?"

Giyuu keeps his eyes on the ground. "Nothing."

"Liar."

Once again, all manner of etiquette is meaningless to him!!

Giyuu keeps his mouth shut... He just wants this whole situation to stop, and saying anything would make it worse...

"I'm talking to you."

He's trying to agitate me...

"Seriously? Ignoring me?"

Just breathe, get your things, and go when the pain stops...

"Are you *five*?"

Giyuu whips his head and glares with full resentment, right in Sabito's eyes.

Instead of anger on Sabito's face... He's smirking, almost looking like he's holding back laughter. That just makes Giyuu more upset.

Sabito's mirth comes through in his voice. As he speaks, the smile he was holding back slips through. "Man up and say it straight. Come on. You can do it."

"You..." growls Giyuu.

"Me?"

"*You*!"

"Yes, me?"

Giyuu feels like he's gonna seriously lose it. "You're *bothering* me!"

Sabito nods slowly. "Why do I bother you?"

"You never leave me alone... You won't take the hint... I don't like it."

Again, Sabito nods.

But then, he says something Giyuu doesn't expect.

"You get on my nerves, too. I seriously don't know what to do with you."

Giyuu scowls in indignation. "What did I ever do to you?"

Sabito jabs a finger in Giyuu's face. "You are the rudest little bitch I've ever met."

Giyuu blinks at the finger, going a bit cross-eyed. He's seriously confused. They barely have ever talked, and never of Giyuu's own volition. He's the one who has been slighting Giyuu, while Giyuu has been nothing but a wallflower the entire time.

"That's just putting it simply," Sabito continues. He pulls his hand back. "And worst part is, you're thinking right now, 'what the fuck did I do that was rude', aren't you?"

Sabito starts to count on his fingers. "You never look me in the eye. You acknowledge my presence.

When I ask you basic questions like directions, you act like you're getting mugged. When I so much as look at you, you look like you're going to vomit. You stare at me ALL the time, no shame whatsoever.

And worst of all!" Sabito says, clenching his fist. "Is that you won't even do me the justice to make it right. You don't tell me in any way, ever, that I'm bugging you. You just expect me to psychically figure it out. Like you're the main character of your own little world.

Its peak narcissism." Sabito turns and looks back to Giyuu, catching his eye. "You wouldn't even tell me until it forced it out of you. The simple little, 'I don't want to talk'. You're seriously hopeless."

Giyuu states at Sabito, eyes wide. Sabito keeps his gaze unwavering.

All of the anger slowly slips our of Giyuu's hands. His clenched fist unravels and he lays his palms face up on his lap.

His eyes lower, and he bows his head slightly. Sabito's eyes stay on him, pinning him down, relentlessly trapping Giyuu in his shame.

Giyuu breaks the silence. "I'm sorry..." he says quietly.

Sabito continues to watch Giyuu quietly, leaning back again on his palm.

Giyuu keeps talking. He isn't sure what he's supposed to say on a situation like this, but he tries.

Part 3.5 checkpoint

Sabito wanted to pull everything out of Giyuu, whether Giyuu wanted to or not. Wryly, Giyuu wonders if that's why he hated Sabito's eyes on him all the time. Couldn't keep up any defense to them.

"I'm sorry for not being clear. I don't like you. I don't want you talking to me."

Giyuu pauses for a second, hesitating, but he ignores it. This is the time to be brutally honest, right?

"This is your fault, too."

Sabito flashes a knowing smile. "For what, being disliked?"

"No," replies Giyuu, exasperated. "You... You have no tact!"

"You, neither."

"What!? I--"

"I already told you straight what you did. Reflect on it a little." Sabito lets out a sigh. "Later, though. I already talked about that. More importantly..."

Sabito drops the playful tone he was holding to a quiet, deep one. "What do you have against me?"

The Giyuu of moments before would have cowered in fear at that tone. But with everything already said, everything already aired...

Sabito had carefully constructed a strange atmosphere around them. It was one where, somehow, he seemed ready and willing to be brought down. He wanted the brutal truth, and Giyuu was starting to understand his character Sabito wanted to find the anomaly and rectify it.

Even so... The environment Giyuu had been raised in was...

It was completely different from this...

Giyuu had never been seen this way... Never instigated this way... Never prompted to be so honest...

It felt inherently wrong to dare such a thing...

Even for the sake of growth, saying his reasons and feelings out loud was something you did when you wanted to wrong someone else...

But Sabito's determination was blinding...

And Giyuu found himself trusting in it.

He swallows dryly and then opens his mouth. Feelings that Giyuu thought couldn't be attached to words fall out in a choppy, jumbled mess as he struggles to meet Sabito's expectations.

"You're... Agitating. Whenever you're around, everything gets... Painful. You're relentless..."

He continues. "And... You never think anything though, it feels like. You just say what you want... It hurts people."

Sabito blinks. He looks a little surprised but doesn't speak yet, for Giyuu continues.

Giyuu's voice grows firm. "That's it. You never think things through."

Sabito asks a question at the pause. "So I did something thoughtless, burned you, and never realized?"

Giyuu nods slowly.

"Are you going to tell me about it?"

Giyuu breathes in, out. That's a really good question. He tries to think on what to do...

But apparently, he takes too long. Sabito bumps his leg against Giyuu's, prompting him to spit it out. Giyuu's anger flares again at the contact.

"I'm *trying*, goddamn it!!" snarls Giyuu, bushing up like an agitated animal.

Sabito barks with laughter and quickly muffles it. Before Giyuu can snap again, Sabito lifts his hands in a gesture of defeat. "Sorry, I'm sorry, sorry. I'm really sorry. Talk when you're ready."