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Yugo Asuma doesn't really know what to feel about his senpais.
Don't get him wrong! His senpais are really nice and welcoming! Some of his kyodais (particularly Alban and Uki) have already bonded and gotten along with some of them! There's really nothing wrong with his senpais, it's just…
Well…
Ike-senpai and Vox-senpai
It's jarring for him to have his sensei appear in front of him right there after going missing. His mentor, the man he considered to be his father.
But he isn't the same, is he?
There wasn't a flicker of recognition in his eyes when the two of them met. Yugo was on the verge of tears, just seeing his mentor there in the flesh but the fact that he couldn't even recognize him? Let's just say that all of Noctyx had to stay up with him that night in his room.
It's gotten better overtime, Yugo could actually talk to Ike without feeling like he would cry at any moment. It's simultaneously a blessing and a curse.
His senpai is so much like his sensei, down to their personality and mannerisms. The difference is that his senpai doesn't even know him.
Then there's Vox-senpai.
Yugo won't lie and say he wasn't intimidated when he first faced Vox. The man had a commanding aura to him. Like a single word will make everyone fall to their knees in front of him.
Of course Vox's intimidating aura was immediately shattered as soon as he opened his mouth. He was actually very kind and funny, further proven whenever he would shower his genmates in words of affection and love or when he would have one of his spats with Reimu or Fulgur.
It didn't really click that he was the demon that Sensei talked about. He didn't actually expect any of Sensei's friends to be in this world. It took Yugo seeing Vox gingerly placing his haori on top of Ike's sleeping form in the lounge to realize that Luxiem were all actually Sensei's close friends.
~~~
Yugo grunts as he puts down the last box that Sensei had. He wipes away a bead of sweat from his forehead and opens it, ready to help Sensei unpack all his things into his new home.
Yugo pauses at the sight of the material sitting inside it. He reaches forward and carefully unravels the haori, mouth gaping in wonder. To put it simply; it looks absolutely beautiful. The top color of it is black but it fades into crimson as it nears the bottom. Various floral patterns with black, red and white petals adorn the haori and the material made from the finest silk he's ever touched. Something about this haori seems… ancient.
"Yugo? What are you– oh." Sensei's voice comes from behind, making Yugo jump and turn around.
"Sensei! I–" he cuts himself off, noticing Sensei staring at the haori in his hands with a melancholy look on his face. "...Sensei? Are you okay?"
Sensei shakes his head, as if shaking away his thoughts and plasters on a smile, "Of course. I was just reminiscing about how I got that haori."
"Oh?" Yugo raises the haori a bit, tilting his head to the side, "how did you get it, Sensei? It seems a bit old."
"... Let's just say that I got it from a friend."
~~~
Yugo couldn't say that he completely understood Vox and Ike's relationship. It was vague before, when Sensei talked about it but even now, when he was able to bear witness to it himself, he was still a bit confused.
He knew that his sensei cherished his friend very much, from the fond way the tone of his voice would turn into during one of the rare instances his sensei would talk about the demon.
There are… moments, where Yugo could hear a hint of regret in his sensei's voice whenever he talked about the demon.
In this world though? Ike doesn't hold any sort of regret in his voice whenever he talks about Vox, there isn't a hint of sadness or melancholic fondness as well but there's… Yugo can't really explain it. Ike holds no regrets nor anger and sadness towards Vox but his eyes… Ike looks at Vox in a different way than how he looks at the rest of Luxiem. It's similar to how Vox looks at Ike as well. Full of love and fondness yet also enveloped in yearning and sorrow, Yugo can't wrap his head around it.
…Such as right now, Yugo bears witness to one of the most entertaining yet confusing spectacles of his life.
"Ike! Thank you, oh I love you so much! I'm going to cherish this forever!" Vox exclaims, hugging the small gorilla plushie on his chest with the biggest grin on his face.
Ike has a more reserved smile, staring at Vox with that weird look the two of them always give each other. "Well, with how much you love monkeys so much, how could I resist when I saw this cute guy by the window?"
"He may be cute but he can never top you ." Vox's voice goes down a bit, his grin turning into a more sultry one as he leans closer to Ike.
Ike sighs exasperatedly before rolling his eyes. "All plushies are cuter than humans, it's just a known fact."
"Ah but you're not just some human, you know? You're an angel." Vox easily counters, his voice back to normal as he falls into step beside Ike.
"I'm not from heaven though. If you're doubting that, you can always ask our senpais for confirmation."
There it is again.
Vox is looking at Ike with that look in his eyes. Yugo really can't wrap his head around these two. Is this how Sensei acted with his friend as well? Nonetheless, Yugo could believe it, even in another world, Sensei's dodging skills when it comes to romance are impeccable as ever.
Yugo sighs and scratches the back of his head. If those two really liked each other, what's holding them back? That's one thing he could never really wrap his head around.
He could hear Uki's voice in the back of his head, telling him, "For what it's worth? I don't think that he intentionally wanted to hide things from you. I think that he just wasn't ready."
~~~
"Sensei, can't you tell me more about yourself?" Yugo asks, stretching his arms up in a groan during one of their breaks.
He can hear his sensei chuckle and a book closing before he opens his eyes to see Sensei giving him an indulgent smile, "What else do I have to tell? I think we know each other plenty enough, Yugo."
Yugo plops back into his seat beside his sensei and hums, "What about… the friends you made before you met me?"
This makes him pause, Sensei blinks his eyes at Yugo and tilts his head, "My friends?"
"Yeah! You rarely talk about them but when you do, you always have this smile on your face!"
Sensei huffs out another small laugh before he folds his arms over the table. "Sure, I'll tell you more about them."
"I had five really close friends…"
Yugo listened to his sensei talk for hours.
"...He was big! But he wasn't really scary, he tries to come off as intimidating but he's really such a sweetheart…"
His cheeks hurt from grinning so much.
"...Such a goofball, you know there was a big part of his life that he didn't wash his rice?"
His stomach is sore from laughing.
"...So reliable! Anytime an event happens, we always double check with him…"
But throughout all of Sensei's stories, Yugo could always hear the sadness in his voice.
"..." Sensei is silent. He stares down at his hands, slowly clenching and unclenching them.
"We always had a saying, you know?"
Yugo slowly puts a hand on his sensei's shoulder, a frown slowly forming on his face. Did he go too far? Ask for too much? "Sensei…"
"You can be anyone you want. So don't be afraid and live your life because this world is full of hope."
Yugo unconsciously repeats the same phrase his sensei always told him when he was feeling down. The same words that he borrowed from a certain demon.
"He was always so supportive…" Sensei clasps his hands together. Yugo startles when he sees a tear roll down his cheek before Sensei hastily wipes it away.
Yugo sees Sensei take a deep breath before he plasters on a smile, "I think that's enough time for chitchat, yeah? We should continue your lesson."
And Yugo nods, letting the two of them fall back into their comfortable routine.
~~~
Yugo thought that Ike would be more open than his sensei.
He was dead wrong.
In fact, it seems like his sensei was more willing to share than Ike.
No matter who he asked, even the other members of Luxiem, no one could tell him what Ike's past was like.
…Except for one.
Vox stares at him with a raised eyebrow, perfectly manicured fingers tapping the rim of his cup, "Why do you ask? Is there something going on?"
Yugo can feel beads of sweat forming on the back of his neck as he smiles nervously towards Vox, his voice sending shivers down his spine. "I uh–"
"I'll admit. I do know a hint or two about Ike's past but… well, it isn't really my place to say, is it? If you wanna know more, ask him yourself." Despite the words not being unkind, the way Vox says it, tense and with a hint of protectiveness still has Yugo ready to dart out the door at any second. Now he remembers why he ever thought the demon was intimidating.
The thing Yugo's come to notice very quickly with Vox is the fact that he's extremely protective of his genmates. It reminds him a lot of Fu-chan in that regard. The suspicious narrowing of their eyes, crossed arms, tense voice, it's all the same with those two.
He's especially protective of Ike, that much is obvious.
Yugo raises his hands in a placating manner, "I'm sorry senpai, I didn't mean to come across as nosy I just…" he looks off to the side, falling quiet. He can't bring himself to admit to Vox about Ike being in his past. It almost feels… wrong?
Vox softens up just a bit. He sighs and relaxes his stance, taking a sip from his cup of tea. "Look, if you want to learn more about Ike, I suggest talking to him yourself instead of asking around. The retelling of the experience doesn't even compare to the delight of actually being with Ike."
Yugo thinks that he should know more than anyone how amazing it is to be with Ike. He nods and gives the best smile he could muster, "Of course. Thank you for the advice, senpai."
Vox waves a hand, a smile slowly adorning his face. "Don't mention it, really."
~~~
"You know Yugo? I really loved him." Sensei says one night while staring up at the moon.
Yugo jolts in surprise, staring at his sensei with wide eyes. He doesn't really speak, letting the silence wash over them as he watches his sensei sigh and curl up into a ball.
"I'm a fool. I wasn't dense, I could clearly see that he liked me but… I was afraid of too many things. I was fine with our friendship, with our back and forth. I guess my compliance came back to bite me in the ass later on, huh?" A humorless chuckle escapes from his lips.
Yugo scoots closer towards Ike sensei and hugs his side. He doesn't really know who his sensei was talking about but he has his guesses.
He feels his sensei's hand comb through his hair. The minute shaking of his body. He can even hear Sensei's staggering breaths.
"...I'm sorry Yugo, what kind of sensei am I? Crying about this right in front of you." He laughs again, taking off his glasses to wipe away his tears.
"Sensei… How long have you been hurting like this?"
He doesn't respond, Yugo can hear sniffles coming from him though.
"A certain demon I knew always said something, you know what it is?" Sensei says after he's calmed down.
Yugo nods, thinking that it was always the same phrase that his sensei told him. The words that he and his friends always used to say to encourage everyone.
He was wrong.
"I love you." Sensei whispers into the night. He clenches his fist and sighs, "I could never say it back to him. No matter how much I wanted to."
Yugo doesn't get it. If the two liked each other then why hold back? Sensei was the one who always told him to shoot his shot before he regrets it. Is this why..?
Sensei looks down at him, for once he lets Yugo see the sadness in his eyes. His melancholy smile as he combs his hand through Yugo's hair. "There are so many things that I could've said. So many things that I took for granted. Do me a favor and cherish everything you have right now, okay? So when all is said and done, you can look back at everything you did and proudly say that you lived the best life you could have wanted."
Yugo nods and hugs his sensei tighter. "I get it, Sensei. I'll cherish everything right now."
He can hear his sensei huff out a fond chuckle before he hugs back. "You're the best student that I could ask for, Yugo. Thank you for being here."
"No, thank you, Sensei, for taking me as your student. For teaching me everything I know."
~~~
From across the table, Yugo spots Ike and Vox laughing ang grinning at each other.
"There was this big garden with different flowers, you should've seen it, Vox, it was absolutely gorgeous ." Ike speaks, moving his hand in gestures with a smile on his face.
Vox looks absolutely smitten, looking at Ike with the softest and most serene smile on his face.
Ike pulls out a small notebook from his pocket and places it on the table, "It was a really good place to get inspiration for my next novel." He looks up at the demon and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, "Do you… want to take a look? It's not really written out yet– Just a few ideas that I've thought of and a few snippets to get my brain juices flowing but–"
"Ike, I would love to take a look at your work. It would be an absolute honor to me. Your writing is so beautiful and mesmerizing, I could get lost in the mountains upon mountains of words and sentences you've created and I wouldn't complain." Vox says, his voice soft and sincere as he grasps Ike's hand.
Ike blinks, as if his brain is processing Vox's words before he huffs, red blooming across his cheeks, he lets a soft but big smile grace his face. "Thank you, Vox… that means a lot."
As Vox literally
lights
up at the prospect of making Ike happy, his face splitting into a grin, Yugo huffs an amused sigh before turning back to his kyodais, silently vowing to himself that he'd try to give them a little push– sensei or not, Ike is still someone he's grown attached to. Yugo wants to see his senpais happy and if that means encouraging them to act more on their feelings for each other? So be it.