Work Text:
Bang woke up in the night to – well, a bang. It came from the other side of the dojo. Bang slipped out of bed, instantly alert. He padded down the hall, the floor boards so familiar beneath his feet that he didn’t need a light. Bang paused before the door leading to where the students slept – currently only Garou and Charanko. One thunderous set of snores came from within. Bang cracked the door open. Garou was sprawled out on his stomach, drooling into his pillow, while Charanko lay rigid a few feet away, eyes wide open. Bang stuck his head inside.
“Is everything okay?” Bang whispered.
Charanko nodded vigorously.
Bang shrugged and went back to bed.
–
Two days later, Bang was trying to fix Charanko’s sloppy footwork to no avail. For the fifth time that hour, Bang swept Charanko’s legs out from under him and knocked him on his back. As Charanko got up, his uniform slipped, revealing a large, fresh bruise on his shoulder that Bang didn’t remember putting there. Bang dropped his offensive stance.
“Charanko, how have you and Garou been getting along lately?” Bang asked.
Charanko shrugged. “Same as usual, I guess.”
Bang narrowed his eyes. “He hasn’t been beating you up again, has he?”
Charanko looked skyward. “Not… exactly?”
“Do I need to have a talk with Garou?” Bang leaned forward, crossing his hands behind his back.
Charanko shook his head. “It’s not… really… his fault.”
“Hmph.” So there was something going on. It was especially odd of Charanko to come so close to defending Garou when he was often unwillingly on the receiving end of Garou’s unique brand of chaos. Unless… maybe Bang had been misinterpreting his students’ apparent mutual animosity all along.
“I see.” Bang nodded. “Now, let’s try that combination again.”
–
Bang found Garou wolfing down some leftover rice in the kitchen. Bang sat down next to Garou, handing him a napkin.
Garou took the napkin and wiped a grain of rice off of his forehead. It was not clear how that rice had gotten there. “Whaddya want, old man?”
“Can I not simply wish to spend time with my pupil?”
Garou side-eyed Bang. “Don’t start going soft on me, now.” He shoved another helping of rice into his mouth.
Bang sighed. “You know, Garou… I may seem… traditional in some ways, but I want you to know that I can be very open minded.”
“Sure,” Garou slurred with his mouth full.
“If you ever want to… share anything about yourself, please know that I am ready to listen.”
There was a significant pause. Garou stopped chewing, appearing to ponder Bang’s words. “Um, yeah… there was something.” Garou swallowed his food.
Bang propped his chin on his wrists, trying to summon the benevolent mentor aura Bomb was much better at.
“I’ve been thinking lately about who I am.”
Bang nodded encouragingly.
“And who I want to be.”
Bang leaned forward.
“I think I’m g…”
Bang tried and failed to smile.
“...gonna get a haircut.”
Bang blinked. He coughed. He sat up straight and tried not to look too surprised. “Of course. If I may ask, what’s brought this on?”
“I just…” Garou grumbled unintelligibly, pulling at the points of his hair. “My hair’s kinda distinctive. I don’t want people bothering me, and I don’t want to bother people anymore. I want –”
“A fresh start?” Bang suggested. That had been his motivation behind growing a mustache, so he thought he could understand.
“Yeah. That.”
–
That night, Bang heard a yelp coming from the students’ room. He frowned but decided that checking in on them might not end well. Bang rolled over and tugged his blanket over his head.
–
The following morning, Charanko didn’t look like he’d gotten much sleep, almost stumbling into the doorframe on his way to wash up. Perhaps a chat would help.
During the evening meal, just the three of them, Bang spoke up. “I was just thinking there’s something I wish I had known when I was your age.”
Garou groaned.
“Don’t look at me like that, young man; this is important.” Bang took a moment to hope desperately that this would work, then launched into his story. “I once dated a woman who lived quite near me. We saw each other pretty often, and we ended up having dinner together most nights. Eventually, it became a routine. I always looked forward to eating with her after a long day of training, but I didn’t stop to consider how she felt about it.
“After a few months, she broke up with me. I didn’t understand why. Everything had seemed to be going well. But she told me she couldn’t get enough space from me. She had friends and family she was missing the opportunity to spend time with because of our dinners. And, of course, she wanted evenings when she could relax by herself, too.
“In any kind of relationship with another person, it’s important to be aware of each other’s boundaries. Even if everything seems fine, you never know what the other person is feeling. They might be uncomfortable or hurt and just afraid to speak up about it – which is why checking in regularly with your partner is important. I find young people tend to hold themselves back from telling the truth because they don’t want to cause offense, but honesty is always preferable.”
Finished, Bang took a sip of water, hoping the message had gotten across. Charanko twitched in his seat, fiddling with his chopsticks. Garou stared off into the distance, mouth hanging open. Bang stifled a sigh.
–
Not long after, Charanko approached Bang.
“Is there anywhere else I can sleep?” Charanko asked.
“Are you and Garou having problems?”
“Pretty much.”
“Well,” Bang cleared his throat, “Remember what I said about setting boundaries and communicating earlier?”
Charanko groaned. “I don’t think that will work.”
“It’s at least worth a shot, isn’t it?” Bang patted Charanko on the shoulder.
–
Several hours later, Bang witnessed Charanko, flopped face down on the grass, talking to Garou while Garou poured a bucket of water over his head. Or at least, Bang assumed they were talking. He could just barely see Charanko’s chin moving.
Garou snorted, tossing the bucket to the side. He shook his newly-shorn hair out of his eyes. Charanko must have said something else, because Garou then frowned. Garou scratched the back of his head and offered Charanko a hand up, muttering something. Bang smiled to himself and left.
–
Bang woke up the next morning to a hole in the wall, an embarrassed Garou, and an exasperated Charanko. Bang examined the damage, frowning. “Even I never caused property damage when I was with my partner, though I was quite vigorous in my youth.”
Bang was met with dead silence. Without turning around, he continued, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It takes time to become accustomed to –”
A wheezing sound came from behind Bang. He glanced over his shoulder to see the the souls of both his pupils leaving their respective bodies. Bang shoved the souls back in and cleared his throat. Charanko immediately collapsed on the ground, while Garou let out a stream of expletives.
“This whole time –” Garou stuttered. “You thought me – and Charanko – were…banging?” He gagged.
“No, no, no, no…” Charanko whimpered, clutching his head.
“You mean…” Bang scratched his mustache. “You’re not a couple?”
“NO!” Garou roared, shaking his head like a dog as if trying to physically dislodge the painful images from his mind.
“Then what happened here?” Bang indicated the hole in the wall.
“I thrash in my sleep!”
Charanko looked up with hateful eyes. “You punch me in your sleep. It’s become that instinctual.”
“So I tried to sleep facing the wall,” Garou continued, “but then I broke it.”
“Does that mean I’m stronger than the wall?” Charanko wondered.
Bang pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tonight, I’ll have you try some of my sleep medication,” he informed Garou.
“You’re gonna sedate me?” Garou protested.
“Please sedate him,” Charanko insisted.
“I’m not sedating anyone,” Bang said firmly. “It will hopefully put you into a deeper sleep and keep you from moving around.”
“Fine,” Garou scowled.
–
One week later, nothing could wake Garou – not a bucket of cold water, not a scream, and not even a swift kick in the balls (courtesy of Charanko).
Bang resignedly got to work on a steel outbuilding.