Work Text:
Parent-Teacher Meetings
Gakushuu doesn’t even think to bring it up, because never once in his life had he needed to sign parental permission slips or relay any information about his classes or anything like that because his father was the fucking principal of the school he went to. So he doesn’t even think to bring it up, until Gakuhou says one day during dinner, “isn’t the parent-teacher meeting coming up soon?”
“Yeah, same time every year,” Gakushuu replies, not really thinking about it. But there’s a thoughtful silence on the other end of the dinner table and Gakushuu stills.
His father was no longer principal of Kunugigaoka, which meant he could no longer sit into staff meetings or gossip about his kid with the teachers, which also meant he was, as far as the school system is concerned, a regular parent. That could go for parent-teacher meetings. That, if the glint in Gakuhou’s eye meant anything, will go for parent-teacher meetings.
“No,” Gakushuu says.
“Asano,” his father starts.
“No!” Gakushuu yells, “I will disown myself. I will run away from home.”
Gakuhou looks amused. “You’re not a child anymore.”
“No,” Gakushuu repeats, “no no no no no.”
Many many fruitless no-s later, Gakushuu slams the parental permission slip with slightly too much force onto Hachiho-sensei’s table. She startles but picks it up to drop it with the rest of the pile, but then glances a little closer and does a double take. “Asano, your father is coming for the parent-teacher meetings?!”
His classmates pause in their conversation to whip around and stare with wide eyes. Gakushuu sighs in defeat. “Yes.”
“Like your father, our ex-principal?” Someone squeaks.
“My parentage hasn’t changed since the last time you met me, Tanaka,” Gakushuu says. He’s already burning with embarrassment and Akabane is practically vibrating in his seat with the need to poke fun, and the virtuosos are giving Gakushuu apologetic looks.
Gakushuu deliberates breaking both his legs. Gakuhou, happily walking to the car, says “don’t be dramatic, Asano.” He’s never dreaded going to school this much before, even though Graduation day comes a close second.
“Jin, I will pay you to crash this car,” Gakushuu begs.
“Jin, I actually pay you,” Gakuhou says cheerfully. Their driver, Jin, snickers as he pulls up near the gates,
Gakuhou gets out of the car and walks into the building like he owns it. Technically he does, Gakuhou isn’t Kunugigaoka’s principal anymore but he still owns the school building and the land it’s built on. Everyone turns to gape at their ex-principal strolling through the halls and Gakushuu stuffs his hands in his pockets and sulks as he walks behind his father.
Eventually a staff member walks up to Gakuhou to greet him, and Gakuhou raises a hand and says, “you can drop the formalities today, Nijere. I may be your former employer but today I am here as Gakushuu’s father.” And gives Gakushuu a solid pat on the head for effect.
Gakushuu is beyond mortified. Nijere-sensei looks like he died on the spot and couldn’t figure out if he was currently in heaven or in hell, and Gakuhou looks unnecessarily pleased about himself. “You are Gakushuu’s math teacher, yes?” he continues, “how is he doing in class?” Like he doesn’t know Gakushuu is still in first place. Gakushuu’s sure that man is here to torment both his son and his ex-colleagues and laugh about it more than anything.
Nijere-sensei trips over his own feet, stammers something intelligible, then straightens up and leads Gakuhou down the hall. Gakushuu squints at both of them. A normal untrained eye wouldn’t be able to tell but Gakuhou is incredibly entertained, so Gakushuu thinks he’ll be fine if left unsupervised for a bit and wanders off. He spends an hour idly chatting with curious schoolmates and saying “yes, the ex-principal did turn up today,” and listening to Akabane and the virtuosos laugh at him. Eventually he does have to look for Gakuhou again but he’s nowhere to be found.
But of course, Gakuhou wasn’t some normal visiting parent confined to the public areas such as the auditorium or the classrooms, so Gakushuu sneaks into the teachers lounge to see him and a few staff members sitting around and chatting the way adults do. Figures. Don’t these people have jobs? Other nosy parents to explain their teaching ideologies to?
“-Gakushuu,” his father is saying. Oh great, they’re talking about him. Gakushuu doesn’t like where this is going.
“He’s been wonderful,” Miyaki-sensei says, “of course, he always has been. Asano’s been spearheading the few new initiatives around the school and he’s already garnered a lot of attention from the new students who weren’t from Kunugigaoka Middle School. It’s like he’s fast-tracking his way back into student council again.”
“It’s great to see him flourishing without my presence,” Gakuhou says, in the same tone of voice he always gets when he’s about to go off in ridiculous tangents or long-winded reminiscence and Gakushuu feels a bit of dread building up. “I remember when he first entered middle school four years ago.”
“He’d been so adorable,” Enko-sensei coos, “he’d what, come up to my shoulders? He a full head taller than me now.”
“He was a really cute kid,” Gakuhou agrees a little too earnestly, “he’d learnt so much in these four years, no? I don’t think I’ve yet to formally thank everyone for helping me watch over him all this time.”
“Aww, Sir,” Guro-sensei says, “no thanks needed. I try not to play favorites in class but we’ve watched him grow up since he was, what, nine?”
“My favorite staff meetings where the ones where you brought him along on the weekends,” Amaya-sensei sighs, “he was always more well-behaved than my actual students.”
“Gakushuu paid more attention than you did during those meetings,” Gakuhou teases, “I did enjoy the years when he was growing up. He’s so strong and independent now and I’m glad that he is, but I almost miss having a baby on my lap. I think I have pictures saved somewhere on my phone… oh, here’s one when he was seven-”
Enough. “Stop!” Gakushuu says. He hops up from behind the counter, face burning. “Dad! Seriously!”
“You’re not allowed to be in here,” Gakuhou says, eyebrow raised.
“Neither are you,” Gakushuu retorts. He can see himself in the reflection on one of the windows and his face is crimson. “If you wanted to gossip you could go out to dinner. You came here for a regular parent-teacher meeting like every other parent!”
“This is a parent-teacher meeting,” Gakuhou says, eyes twinkling. The teachers milling around laugh a little.
“Parent-teacher meetings don’t involve you offering to show my teachers my baby photos!” Gakushuu’s aware he’s acting a little childishly right now but he thinks it can be justified with the circumstances, and he stomps his foot.
Gakuhou sighs. “What a willful child I raised,” he says, “what’s a father to do if he can’t share his son’s most adorable memories?”
Gakushuu points an accusing finger. “This is a serious breach of workplace conduct and professionalism.”
Gakuhou stares at Gakushuu consideringly for a moment, then says, “did you know that one of your first words was actually ‘professional’ because I had said it around you a lot?”
The teachers laugh again. Gakushuu didn’t know it was possible to blush even harder but he did.
“Another one of your first phrases was education system,” Gakuhou tells him.
Gakushuu throws his hands up in exasperation. “I’m waiting outside,” he grumbles, and storms out.