Archive of Our Own

~✿~

The Monday morning sun reflected off the blonde hair ahead of Suo as he made his way to school. He called out to his friend with a smile, picking up his pace to walk next to the shorter boy.

Nirei, seemingly lost in his own world, jumped at the sound of his name, frantically looking around the street before he spotted Suo and gave a meek wave, “good morning, Suo-san.” He replied. There was an unusual curve to his shoulders, as if he was trying to make himself seem smaller.

After a small catch-up, the two continued their walk to school together, occasional small talk bouncing between them. As more students began to fill the street, Suo perked up, remembering he had new info for his friend.

“Nire-kun, by the way, I learned something new about Kusumi-senpai. Figured you’d like to know as soon as possible,” he smiled, expecting the blonde to jump up with glittering eyes, pull his notebook from his pocket and pry out every detail he could.

Instead, Nirei looked away, a flimsy smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck, “r-right, um. Could you text it to me later?”

Suo’s uncovered eye widened. He came to an abrupt stop, unable to comprehend the out of character response. “What about your notebook? You’re not going to write it down?”

The blonde looked away, his hand reached for the pocket that usually held his beloved notebook, but aborted the motion halfway through, “I-I don’t have it today.”

Suo stood silently for a moment, bemused. All traces of a smile left his face as he took a careful step forward, hand moving slowly to rest under Nirei’s fringe, “are you feeling unwell? It’s not like you to forget something so important.”

Nirei seemed to freeze at the accusation, only making Suo more suspicious. His eyes darted from left to right, fingers curling around the cuffs of his sleeves as his messy hair curled around the redheads fingers. Suo resisted the urge to bend down and get a better look at his friend's face, not wanting to invade his personal space too much.

“A-ah!” Nirei took several steps back, snapping out of his daze and nearly bumping into one of the passing students, if not for Suo’s gentle hand on his forearm, “I’m fine, I just… washed my jacket last night and forgot to put it back in my pocket!” A wide smile broke out on the shorter boy's face, his cheeks strained from effort.

Suo could only stand and watch. His hands moved to clasp behind his back in an attempt at grounding himself as he returned the fake smile with his own, “my Nire-kun, how foolish of you. You’ll have to be more careful in the future!”

Nirei could only nod, turning to continue their walk towards Furin. When he spotted Sakura up ahead, the boy used it as a chance to escape Suo’s scrutinising eye. The redhead stayed a few paces behind the duo, observing.

Nirei’s body language was deceptively normal, almost as if he were forcing natural movements. His steps synced with Sakura’s, hands moving as he spoke, but with less enthusiasm than usual. Most damning of all, his smile didn’t reach his eyes, even when Sakura shyly asked about the game Nirei had been playing recently. His excitement was being dampened by something.

Suo had every intention of finding out what.

~✿~

The classroom was as rowdy as usual, just how Tsugeura liked it. He’d just finished his morning pull-ups when the door slid open, revealing the grade captain and his two seconds. The three were immediately pulled into a conversation, but Tsugeura couldn’t help but notice Nirei’s quiet retreat to his desk.

The boy slipped away from the crowd, towards the windows, and sat down, quietly watching the class from the corner of his vision. An atypical stoop made him appear smaller than he already was.

Tsugeura had noticed the blonde’s distance over the past day. They all had. All yesterday he'd been quieter, almost shy. Suo seemed especially worried - not that he’d share why with anyone - and was keeping a close eye, but there was a strange distance between the two.

Even Tsugeura could tell this was a delicate situation, but Nirei was his friend too! It went against his virtues to leave a friend suffering.

With that thought in mind, the ginger made his way across the classroom, feet planted in front of Nirei’s desk, hands rested on his hips and a beaming smile on his face. “Nirei-kun!” He exclaimed, hoping to come across as open and welcoming.

Nirei looked up, appearing to meet his eyes, but it seemed he was actually focusing on Tsugeura’s headband. The glances from their classmates burned into his skin, but he continued on, “wanna come to Muscle Power later? They’re testing new menu items today so it’s all on discount!”

Tsugeura had been waiting eagerly for Nirei to come to class, knowing that there’d be discounted options on Tuesdays. It was the perfect excuse, there was no way Nirei could refuse! Yesterday, he’d claimed money was tight and that was why he couldn’t go with him, even when Tsugeura offered to pay.

To say Tsugeura was shocked would be an understatement, Nirei never turned down his invitations!

The ginger stood there proudly, a radiant smile spread across his face. He’d finally get his long awaited yes! Even if Nirei wasn’t willing to open up about his problems just yet, a meal with friends should at least cheer him up.

“Um-” Nirei began. Tsugeura’s ears twitched eagerly.

“I actually have to do some chores when I get home… so, maybe next time.” He answered with a flimsy smile. His hands were white knuckling his pants, and it was clear that he was struggling to keep his head up. Nirei really was a terrible liar.

“You couldn’t do them after?” Tsugeura nearly whined, lowering himself into a crouch so that Nirei could stop straining his neck, “We’ve not hung out after class for ages, plus we don’t have patrol today!”

Nirei only shook his head, letting his hair obscure his eyes and he muttered a quiet “I promised I’d help my mum,” then, nearly silent, to the point that even Tsugeura didn’t hear him, “I’m so sorry.”

~✿~

Kiryu grinned as he and Nirei headed up to the roof, arms looped together. He always loved being able to chat to the blonde, with them being the only two in class who were interested in fashion, hair care and other such things.

Nirei had been out of it this week, and the class was becoming antsy as a result, so after Sakura didn’t come down from the roof in time for Wednesday patrol, Kiryu took the opportunity to drag him back with Nirei, hoping that some idle small talk might ease his nerves.

Much to Kiryu’s delight, it seemed to be working! As soon as he mentioned that the blonde’s hair smelt different, he was given an excited explanation into how Nirei had tried a new hair mask to combat the damage caused by frequent bleaching. The pink haired boy nodded along, pleased to finally get more than a one word response out of his friend.

Just before the two reached the rooftop, they heard the door open and the sound of heels clicking down the stairs. The next moment, Tsubakino came into view, giving them both a cheery wave.

“Tsubaki-chan-senpai!” Kiryu called, returning the wave with a grin. Eager to keep the good atmosphere going, he pulled Nirei up the last few stairs by the elbow in order to chat with their senior.

“Kiryu! Nirei!” Tsubakino squealed, “you’re both looking fabulous today!”

“Hehe~ You too senpai! Did you get more ripped?” Kiryu replied with a wink. “Nirei-chan told me you pole dance, is that where you get your muscles?”

“Oh you!” Tsubakino coo’d ruffling Kiryu’s hair and causing several clips to fall askew, “I actually took up deadlift recently. Ume convinced me to join him at the gym.” He gave a small flex, the muscles clear even through his gakuran, “I’m glad it’s paying off!”

“Totally! Totally!” Kiryu clapped enthusiastically. He turned to Nirei excitedly, but froze when his eyes landed on the boy. His friend was pale, a sheen of sweat coating his face as stared at his feet, hands weakly covering his ears. “N-Nirei-chan…” he stuttered out, grabbing his friend's sleeve.

“Oh! Um, sorry?” The blonde replied, blinking rapidly.

“Tsubaki-chan-senpai was telling us about his new workout… i-is’t that exciting?!” Kiryu tried to inject his earlier enthusiasm back into his voice, but his friend's expression washed that mood away.

Tsubakino leaned down to be closer to Nirei’s level, “are you okay dear? Maybe you should skip patrol today, I’ll let Ume know.”

Nirei didn’t give a verbal response, fists lowering to clench at his sides as he gave an inconclusive shrug.

“Um-” Kiryu hesitated, fumbling for his words, “T-Tsubaki-chan-senpai, do you know if Sakura-chan is still on the roof?”

Tsubakino jumped at the sudden address, clapping his hands and trying for a smile, “yes! He was just finishing his chat with Ume!”

Kiryu carefully took Nirei’s hand in his own, their fingers threaded together, “great, we’ll be fetching him then! Later!”

The two younger students gave a brief wave - one more enthusiastic than the other - to their senior before continuing upwards. Kiryu pushed open the door to the roof, squinting at the light. He searched around, calling out to Sakura when he spotted him and pulling Nirei along with him all while fighting to keep a smile on his face.

~✿~

Nirei was jittery.

Well, more jittery than usual. Sakura’s cheek rested on his palm, elbow firmly planted on his desk as he watched his friend fidget. It was only twelve, but at the rate Nirei was picking at the cuffs of his jacket it would be threadbare by the end of the day. His blonde hair wasn’t styled, instead sitting in a curly mess on top of his head. It had been getting more tangled by the day.

Now, Sakura wasn’t worried, necessarily. He just wanted to make sure this behaviour wouldn’t impact… their patrol! Yeah, they need to be in top shape if they’re going to protect the town, doubly so for Nirei since he’s still learning.

With that thought circling around his head, as well as a feeling that was vaguely reminiscent of concern, Sakura stood from his seat and made his way over. After all Nirei had done for him, it was only fair that he repaid the favour by checking in.

Without his usual bravado, the bi-coloured boy stood before his friend's desk, hands resting either side as he leaned down slightly.

“Nirei.”

Said boy jolted in his seat, looking around the room before zeroing in on Sakura. A wobbly smile found its way to his face, but his shoulders stayed stiff, hands clasped tightly in his lap, “S-Sakura-san. D-do you need something?”

Sakura could already feel the rosy tint warming his cheeks, but pushed on regardless, “nah, just… uh, are you okay?”

Nirei stared at him for a long moment, eyes widening minutely. Sakura watched as he looked down, hands now grasping at his pants. His face scrunched and he gave a small nod, “why wouldn’t I be?”

Sakura raised a brow at the behaviour. He was no expert on the intricacies of other people, but right now his friend was an open book even to him. He straightened his back, looking down at Nirei with a furrow between his brows.

The blonde had fully retreated into himself, eyes still shut and shoulders curled over. Sakura looked around helplessly at the empty classroom. It was a sunny Thursday and all of their classmates had decided to eat lunch outside while Suo had gone to the vending machines to get the three of them drinks.

He was on his own with this one.

Hesitantly, he reached out a hand, aiming just to tap his friend on the shoulder. What he wasn’t expecting was the violent flinch as soon as he made contact. Sakura retracted his hand immediately, taking several steps away from the desk as his own panic flared.

Nirei’s eyes were wide. He stood up, chair clattering to the floor behind him as he floundered, hands waving frantically, “N-no wait, Sakura-san-” he quickly rounded the desk, alarm clear in his eyes. Nirei stumbled forward and Sakura took a tentative step back. The two boys stood at a standstill, both vehemently aware of their fragile situation.

Sakura looked away, eyes beginning to sting. He didn’t want to feel like this, he didn’t want to be afraid… but Nirei was afraid. Why was Nirei afraid? Why was Nirei afraid of him? His breathing began to pick up, shoulders trembling as he watched Nirei’s hands flailing in his peripheral vision.

The shorter boy was stuttering over apologies and reassurances, looking around the room as if a solution would marvelously show itself, and by some miracle, it did.

The classroom door slid open slowly. Suo looked up from the drinks he was carrying in his arms, eye homing in on the two, widening minutely, “Have I interrupted something?” He asked without the regular teasing tone.

Sakura took a quiet, deep breath before shaking his head, looking towards the door, “No, everythin’s fine,” he replied, then turning to Nirei, “it’s fine. Sorry.”

“N-no… I’m the one who’s sorry. You just, um, caught me off guard,” Nirei reasoned weakly.

Suo watched the two with a curious gaze, eye darting between his friends before he huffed, hoping to reset the mood, “come now, we need to eat before lunch is over. Shall we go up to the roof?”

~✿~

Sugishita didn’t like bothersome things.

He considered most of class 1-1 bothersome, something Umemiya would probably chastise him for. He couldn’t help it though, people can be a lot, especially at Furin.

That being said, he wasn’t stupid.

With his head laid on his desk, he did his best to filter out the general chatter of the other boys. There was a pinging from someone's phone, before the class grew quiet. Sugishita’s ear perked.

“Are you okay, Nire-kun?” Suo’s voice spoke up, prompting Sugishita to blink open his eyes and look over. He immediately understood what prompted the question, as Nirei stood, face blank and eyes glued to his phone screen. When he'd started acting weird on Monday, Sugishita figured it would pass, but as the weekend grew near, Nirei's behaviour only seemed to become more erratic.

The blonde stuttered out a “y-yes! Sorry, yes,” before turning away from the redhead to face the grade captain, “Sakura-san, would it be okay if I left early today?”

Sugishita felt his own brow raise along with the rest of his eavesdropping classmates at the out of character question. Sakura appeared slightly startled too.

“I mean, I don’t have an issue with it but… can I ask why?”

“Just um,” the blonde waved his phone, “family emergency. N-nothing to worry about, I just need to head home.”

Sugishita wasn’t stupid. Even as Sakura gave a reluctant nod, dropping the issue, Sugishita could see the tense line to Nirei’s shoulders. The shorter boy gathered his things and gave a cheery farewell before sliding the door shut. His smile was too wide.

There was something itching inside Sugishita’s chest, pressing against his ribs while squeezing his lungs. He didn’t like it, so in an attempt to ignore the unfamiliar discomfort, he turned away from the once again lively classroom, cheek cushioned in his hand as he looked out the window.

It was in this near sleepy daze that he caught sight of his blonde classmate walking toward the school gate. His phone was pressed to his ear, stride quick and flighty. Just as he reached the far side of the courtyard, he froze. Sugishita watched with mild curiosity as Nirei lowered the phone from his ear and stared at the screen for several seconds. He then rounded the short wall surrounding the school and ducked away.

The pressure in Sugishita’s chest returned, stronger and harder to ignore as he continued to stare down at the gate, waiting for a head of blonde hair to pop up. He waited a full minute before his tight lungs forced him to stand up and stomp out of the classroom. He was vaguely aware of someone asking if he was going to see Umemiya, to which he gave an absent grunt before continuing down the corridor. Probably better if he wasn’t followed.

His feet carried him down Furin’s staircases, through the corridors and out the main entrance. He kicked up dust as he strode across the courtyard, finally slowing when he reached the gate.

Sugishita didn’t like bothersome things, but when the sound of shallow breathing and frantic sniffs reached his ears, he couldn’t stop his body from rounding the gate and crouching next to the blonde. There he sat, next to the curled up Nirei, entirely unsure of what to do. He wasn’t even sure if he’d been noticed.

For a long while, the two sat there. Nirei, with his face buried in his arms and shoulders shaking. Sugishita, with his legs crossed as he searched for something to say.

He thought what would Umemiya-san do? while pulling at his fingers just to have something to focus on. He turned to look at the blonde once more and noticed something new. Nirei’s nails had been digging into his palms so hard that they’d begun to bleed.

Without really thinking, Sugishita took the boy's wrists into his hands and used his thumbs to open up the fists, mumbling “you shouldn’t do that,” under his breath.

The simple action seemed to snap Nirei from his trance. The shorter boy slowly drew his eyes towards Sugishita, mouth slightly agape as tears continued to fall down his face. The two stared at each other for a long while, silent, before Sugishita spoke once again.

“I won’t tell.”

Those three words were all it took for Nirei’s shoulders to finally relax. He leaned his head back against the wall and hugged his knees close to his chest, returning to staring straight ahead.

“thanks.”

~✿~

Sometimes, only sometimes, Kotoha really hated running her own business. Like when a class full of Furin boys barge in and demand to all have an omelette rice, or when she has to stay way past sunset just to do a stock take and look at the month's earnings. She just wants to cook dammit, she’s not an accountant!

Not that it mattered to the government.

Usually, when she had to stay late, she’d ask Umemiya to walk back to Furinen with her, but as much as she loved her brother, it was a Sunday and she just wanted some quiet.

It was as she made her way off the main street, that a leering voice caught her ear.

“Come on Akihiko-chan~”

Akihiko? She thought, pressing herself up against a wall as her fight or flight began tickling the back of her mind. Surely not…

“We gave you a whole week and you've got nothing new for us? That's just not acceptable.” Another voice tsk'd. Kotoha felt her skin crawl as she carefully peered into the alleyway.

Sure enough, pressed against a wall by five taller boys, was one Akihiko Nirei. Kotoha pressed a hand over her mouth and quietly reached for her phone. Does she call someone? But they'd hear her voice…

“I don't… they're my friends…” Nirei's trembling reply drew her from her thoughts.

The boy was shaking, hands clenching the hem of his shirt as he looked at the ground.

Kotoha almost felt nauseous. In a swift movement, she pulled up her camera app and tilted her phone around the corner, just enough to capture the scene.

One of the boys who had yet to speak stepped forward, “aren't we your friends too? We've known each other for longer, so make good on your promise, yeah?” His voice was mocking as he slung an arm over the blonde's shoulder.

Nirei shook his head, opening his mouth to respond, only to be cut off by a fist in his stomach.

Kotoha felt her breath catch, pressing further into the wall and trying to keep the phone steady. The other boys stepped closer to Nirei, like predators eager to rip apart their prey. They said something Kotoha couldn't hear, expressions grim as they leered over the boy, before one of them clapped Nirei on the shoulder with a huff.

“Let's go on a walk, seeing as you need more convincing~”

Kotoha watched helplessly as Nirei was led down and out the other side of the alleyway, the stranger's hand firmly gripping his shoulder and keeping him close. She felt her knee’s tremble as a shuddering breath finally rattled its way out of her lungs. She stared down at her phone, the video waiting to be played, and made a decision.

She quickly scrolled through her contacts, pulling up a rather barren chat log and attaching the video to a new message for class 1-1’s grade captain.

~✿~

Nirei hated being a burden to his friends. They’d tell him he wasn’t, tell him he was doing great with his training and was allowed to take his time… but he knew the truth.

That was why he played into his strengths, that being his intelligence. Nirei knew he had a better memory than most, good observational skills and that he was a fast learner. He was grateful he could use these skills to make up for what he lacked. Or at least, he used to be grateful.

Having his face pressed against a wall while his notebook was ripped from his hands made him second guess that.

“If you’d just played along we wouldn’t have to do this!” Spat the boy with his hand on the back of Nirei’s head. Nirei lamented the loss of his evening walk as a sense of Deja vu washed over him. He watched the four other boys snicker.

Two of the five were familiar, Koji - who was pressing him against the wall - and Naoki. They’d gone to the same middle school as Nirei and this wasn’t their first time picking on him. Only difference now was the three older boys in matching jackets.

Naoki spoke up next, leaning close in order to make eye contact, “y'know, we almost didn't recognise you with that piss yellow hair. You do that yourself?” He and Koji giggled, but one of the unfamiliar boys just let out an agitated sigh.

“Quit bullshitting. Who is this guy exactly, and why should I care?”

“Akihiko Nirei,” Koji introduced him, threading his fingers further into Nirei's hair and pulling him away from the wall, “our ex-classmate, and now a member of Bofurin. Somehow.”

“And?” the boy spoke up again after eyeing Nirei. He was clearly growing bored.

“Well, you see Daiki-san,” Naoki spoke quickly, before grabbing at the blonde's jacket, feeling for the inside pocket and proudly pulling out a familiar notebook, “this little freak is a treasure trove of information!”

Daiki took the notebook, the two other unknown boys leaned closer as he opened it. All three of their brows raised.

The boy to Daiki's left let out a low whistle, “this guy's hobby stalking or something?”

“He's been like this since middle school, Minato-san,” Koji explained, still not letting go of Nirei's hair.

The blonde felt himself growing more and more panicked. Goosebumps bloomed along his skin as the three older boys skimmed the pages of his notebook. His eyes frantically scanned the alleyway he'd been forced into, looking for an escape or a way to draw attention. He was ripped from his thoughts when a hand grabbed his face.

“Akihiko, was it?” The assumed ‘leader’ asked. Despite himself, Nirei nodded, “you might have guessed, but my name's Daiki. These are my buddies, Minato-” he pointed to the boy on his left, “and Kenzo-” the boy on his right.

Nirei followed along, silently hoping that his nerves weren't as obvious as he knew they were.

Daiki spoke again, still clutching Nirei’s face, “your old friends here told us about your little freak hobby. I didn't believe them at first, didn't think anyone could be that weird. But here we are, so here's the deal,” he leaned closer. The hand on the back of his head moved away as Koji and Naoki took a few steps back, “we're gonna keep this little notebook of yours and you're gonna report to us whenever we ask. Any info you learn, about anyone in Bofurin, comes straight to us, yeah?”

A spark of defiance lit in Nirei as the demand registered, and in a moment of confidence, he slapped away Daiki's hand and scowled, “l-like hell I will. Those are my friends-”

A sudden force cut off Nirei's declaration, he was slammed back into the wall and had the breath knocked from his lungs.

Daiki let out a low chuckle, shaking out his fist as he flipped through Nirei's notebook once more. “You're friends, huh? This ‘Haruka Sakura’ your friend?”

Nirei felt the blood drain from his face at the question. His hands clutched his aching stomach, but he did his best to stand up straight, a hard set to his brow as the other continued speaking.

“Let's see, ‘Lives alone… apartment 201’ oho, what's this? ‘Remind him to fix his lock?’”

Nirei swallowed around the lump in his throat, regret and shame washing over him as the boys let out a mocking “oooh.” His ears began ringing as the implication sank in. Sakura was a heavy sleeper, he knew from the many times he’d napped on his desk and nearly missed patrol, if they really tried to break in-

“-older sister Akari Kiryu, works at the cafe on-”

“Stop!”

The plea escaped Nirei’s mouth unbidden as the boys continued their threats. His heart was a rabbit's pace in his chest as he looked up at them, feeling all the more pathetic due to his hunch.

Daiki looked down at him with a sneer, “what?”

Nirei took a steadying breath before speaking again, “please, stop. I’ll… I’ll get you information. I’ll do what you ask,” he straightened as much as his body would allow “just don’t hurt my friends.”

The alleyway quietened for a few moments, a pin drop silence that made Nirei’s hands clammy, until the five boys burst out laughing, loud and unapologetic.

“Fucking hell, he’s just as pathetic as you said!” Minato howled, clapping Koji on the back.

“Told you, he’s one of those self-righteous types,” Naoki laughed along, moving to sling his arm over Nirei’s shoulders and pull him close, “no going back on your word, yeah? You wouldn’t want to make a fool of us.”

“R-right,” Nirei stuttered, the weight resting on his shoulders not helping his bruised stomach, “am I allowed to ask a question?”

The laughing stopped, the boys all turning to look at the blonde with hard glares. Daiki let a smile stretch across his face, demeanour brightening in an unnatural way, “well, seeing as you’ve been so cooperative, I don’t see why not!”

The taste of blood filled Nirei’s mouth as he bit into his lip, hands clenching the cuffs of his coat, “why do you want this information?”

“Why?” Daiki echoed, crossing his arms over his chest, “isn’t it obvious? We wanna take Bofurin down so that we can claim Makochi as its own!”

As Daiki spoke, cunning sneers appeared on both Minato and Kenzo’s faces. The two turned in unison, giving Nirei a better look at the emblem on the back of their jackets, ouroboros - a snake eating its own tail - with ‘Usodoku’ written underneath.

“U-Usodoku? You’re a new gang?” Nirei stuttered.

“Yeah~,” Daiki droned, as if they were only gossiping, “there’s a couple dozen of us, y’know, nothing on Furin’s numbers, but with the injuries from that whole Noroshi thing,” he leaned forward, lightly tapping Nirei’s nose with his finger,"and you on our side, we have a bit more of a chance!"

“Oh…” was all Nirei could muster in response.

He watched, unmoving, as the group gave varying goodbyes before making their way out of the alleyway. Nirei finally managed to take in a proper breath, ignoring how his ribs protested the action, as he sank to the floor, burying his face against his knees in hopes of muffling his sobs.

~✿~

The sun began its slow rise above the horizon as Nirei continued to toss and turn in his bed. He hadn’t managed a wink of sleep, stress and nausea making it impossible to relax for even a second. He stayed in bed for a few more hours, before dragging himself away from his duvet at the call of his name.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, but his mother didn’t seem to notice. He waved her off at the genkan while he slipped on his shoes, closing the door behind him with a deep breath to help him face the day.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Suo came up behind him on his way to the school. After the one eyed boy started sounding too suspicious, Nirei made his escape in the form of Sakura, who was a few steps ahead.

Each day after that felt like his own personal hell. New questions would come his way, along with skeptical and pitying looks. He had to turn down invitations to eat, skipped patrols, and even hid away in the toilets or abandoned nurses office whenever he got the chance.

When his phone went off in class on Friday, a threatening text telling Nirei to meet at the same spot on the coming Sunday, it felt as if his organs were being wrung out. The room started closing in, getting smaller and smaller. Nirei was only vaguely aware of the excuse he made to leave before he fled.

He felt like such a coward.

Pain bloomed anew across his ribs when he was once again cornered in the alleyway. The bruising had barely yellowed, the skin still tender. Despite the pain, he kept what he’d learned throughout the week to himself. Daiki, clearly unsatisfied, led them all further out of town towards the park. Further away from people.

Nirei had to give them credit, they kept all their blows on his torso and legs. He’d have to be careful with how he walked, but at least his summer uniform kept the deep splotches of purple and blue hidden. That made it easier to muster the courage needed to go to school again on Monday.

That courage began to waver when he reached the classroom door. He hadn’t been intercepted by a single classmate on his walk over, he hadn’t even seen any of them, and now, there was no chatter coming from the other side of the door. That was beyond unusual for the untamable class 1-1.

His hand faltered for a moment before he slid the door open, bracing himself. For what, he couldn’t say, but his stomach was doing backflips regardless. He was greeted by close to 40 pairs of eyes, all closing in on him and sucking the air from his lungs as soon as he stepped foot in the room.

“G-Good morning…” he said to the floor, scuffing his shoes.

“Nirei,” Sakura’s gruff voice began. Footsteps echoed in Nirei’s ears and the sudden desire to turn tail and run overtook him, but the door slid shut behind him before he had the chance, the class captain now stood mere inches away.

“Kotoha sent me a video. I think you have something to tell us,” the black and white teen continued, hand moving to slip his phone from his pocket. He didn’t even need to press play, Nirei could already see himself cornered by the five boys in the thumbnail.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat, hands clenching the cuffs of his gakuran, “I was just-” he managed to choke out, before his throat closed up. They found out. He couldn’t even hide his pathetic actions for more than a week. Now they’d tell Umemiya - actually, he probably already knew - and then he’d get kicked out of the school, probably blacklisted by all the people in Makochi too-

“Nirei-chan?” A hand suddenly held his own, dragging him from his thoughts and back to the classroom. He was being given an assortment of concerned looks. Had they been speaking?

Suo then stepped forward, a serious set to his brow. His other classmates backed off, sensing the blonde needed space.

“Nire-kun, you know we’re not mad, right?” Suo asked, sounding as if it were supposed to be obvious.

But… why wouldn’t they be mad? They should be furious. He’d betrayed them, he’d given in to enemy commands and brought nothing but shame to Bofurin’s name. Again.

Nirei couldn’t manage to meet any of their eyes, shoulder blades pressed back against the door as he began to squirm. “B-But-”

“No ‘but’s’! We’re not mad at you Nirei!” Sakura exclaimed, actually sounding really rather mad, “we’re mad at those fuckers who beat you up! Why didn't you tell us?”

“Wh-” tears began stinging the backs of Nirei’s eyes as he finally met his friend's gaze, “because… because you’d hate me! I messed up again! It’s always me, I’m at the root of every problem, just like when we fought KEEL, or when Endo nearly took you away!”

His abrupt outburst startled his classmates, many of whom could only stare with wide eyes as Nirei continued.

“I’m supposed to be your second in command, I’m supposed to support you, to help you get to the top! But I’ve done nothing!” His voice warbled pathetically, palms pressed firmly against his eyes in a weak attempt at stopping the tears. His shoulders hitched with every breath, choked sobs the only sound filling the silence of the astounded classroom.

Nirei had to stop his body from further curling in on itself when he heard a long, exasperated sigh in front of him. This was it, he’d told them all the truth they refused to admit. They were all too kind, but now he’d shone the light on how useless he really was, they wouldn’t be able to deny it any longer.

A pair of arms encircling the blond halted all his thoughts. His muscles locked as the warmth of another wrapped around him. He waited a few seconds, not trusting that pain wouldn’t follow, but when the hug only became firmer, he finally pulled his hands away from his eyes, shocked to be greeted by a head of black and white hair taking up his vision.

“S-Sakura-san-”

“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” The other cut off, quiet and firm.

After a few moments, more arms wrapped around him, pulling him away from the door so that people could hug him from behind as well. Nirei’s breath caught in his throat at the feeling of insurmountable affection coming from the boys that now surrounded him. A flick on his forehead took him out of that sentiment.

“Honestly, you think so little of yourself at times,” Suo sighed out fondly, his single eye creased by a somewhat strained smile while his hand rested on Nirei’s head.

“You always listen to our problems, why wouldn’t we offer you the same courtesy Nirei-chan?” Kiryuu chastised, squeezing him from where he’d latched onto the blonde’s back.

A chorus of affirmative hums followed the statement. Even Sugishita, who had neglected to join the group hug but was stood closer than expected, nodded emphatically.

A firm hand on his shoulder drew his eyes up towards Tsugeura. The usually jovial boy had a resolute set to his brow, “now, gonna tell us who those guys are so we can show them exactly how Furin deals with a threat to one of our own?” He grinned, punching his fist against his palm.

One of our own Nirei’s brain echoed. They really did see him as one of them. He nodded, pulling out his phone and sending a text to Daiki. Not even a minute later, he was sent a location. Nirei turned his phone, showing the others, all of whom had made up their minds.

“You stay here,” Sakura began, readjusting his jacket, “Umemiya wants to talk to you too. We’ll pummel these guys and come straight back.” He gave Nirei’s hair a firm ruffle before moving past him to open the door. The other boys all began to follow suit, but were stopped when the blonde pushed through and grabbed the back of Sakura’s gakuran.

“My- um. They took my notebook…”

The bi-coloured teen stared for a few moments, before a new spark lit in his eyes. The atmosphere of the room grew a tad bit fiercer.

Sakura turned to face Nirei fully, a confident grin on his face, “I’ll make sure none of their blood gets on it then,” he replied, patting the blonde’s shoulder one last time before nodding towards the door, marching his fellow classmates towards their battleground.

A smile wobbled its way onto Nirei’s face as he watched them go. He would get stronger, he’d become reliable, just like Sakura, Suo and all the others. He’d prove to everyone that he was right for Furin.

~✿~