Work Text:
Sugishita's daily life was quite simple and straightforward.
He'd wake up, eat breakfast with his grandparents, go to school early to help Umemiya tend to his plants, attend classes, go on patrol, go home, attend family dinner, and go to bed (not counting the several power naps spread throughout the day).
Even before he officially went to Furin High this was his routine. Sure, things sometimes strayed a bit from the norm but it all came down to the same things in the end.
That was until someone showed up to stir things up.
Ever since Sakura arrived in town things have been a lot more hectic. Of course this could all just be a coincidence, but Sugishita likes to blame the bi-colored teen for it anyway. First the fight with Shishitoren, then KEEL, followed by that battle against Gravel he heard about. All ending with the big battle against Noroshi a few months ago. Somehow every major event had Sakura somewhere in the main cast. It annoyed him to no end!
But you know what annoyed him even more than any of this?
The fact that Umemiya took a liking to the guy.
Ever since they met his idol has been pestering his classmate about pretty much anything. He always tried to involve the younger boy into conversations, he all but abducted him from his classes and he even gave him the privilege of helping him in his garden! Sure, he could admit that the two-toned boy was a lot cooler than he had previously thought, but Umemiya was a bit too overhyped about him in his opinion.
And Sakura? He wasn't even appreciative of any of it!
He was always complaining about it! Saying how annoying he thought the older teen was or how he didn't care about the plants! And Umemiya? He just laughed it off! Really, he will never understand how his idol could stand that guy. Unbelievable!
However, lately he has noticed that his grade captain's behavior has been a bit off. For the past month or so Sakura has become more.. skittish? Kinda like how he had been at the beginning of the school year. He thought the boy had grown used to touch and other kinds of affection by now because of how their other classmates act around him, but now he had gone right back to flinching.
Even his behavior towards Umemiya had changed! Whereas before he would voice his annoyance at being pulled from class by the older teen, now he would try to find any excuse not to go with him. And when it didn't work he just kinda let himself be pulled along with that strange look on his face that he couldn't quite describe.
And it all started back up again around the same time the boy told them all about his past that one day on the rooftop.
He supposed telling that story may have brought up some painful memories for him and he automatically reverted back to his old habits. He probably needs a bit of time to process everything again. But honestly? A month was quite a long time to be stuck in the past..
Well, it didn't really matter to him anyway. As long as he wasn't bothering him with it he doesn't care.
It was later afternoon. Classes had ended for the day and they didn't have patrol. By the time Sugishita rose from his desk most of his classmates had already emptied out of the room.
Ah, he couldn't wait to get home. Classes had been a drag today and he really wanted to sleep after all of that. But as he checked his bag and pockets to see if he had everything with him, he noticed that he was actually missing his keys.
He let out a small groan as he tried to recall where he had left them. Sure, he could probably get in his house without them by ringing the doorbell, but his grandparents liked to take a nap before dinner and he would hate to wake them up for something as dumb as this.
He faintly remembered how his bag had fallen over when he was tending to the tomatoes that morning. Could his keys have fallen out over there? Well, it was the only location he could think of anyway, so his best course of action would be to go up and check before looking anywhere else.
So, with a quiet grumble, he made his way towards the stairs.
With legs as long as his it only took him a minute or two to reach the door leading to the rooftop. He quietly opened the door, not wanting to disturb Umemiya if he was still up here. Thankfully the rooftop seemed vacant, so he quickly moved towards the spot he remembered being at earlier that day.
Much to his relief, his keys were indeed there. He let out a small breath as he successfully retrieved them from beside a planter. He immediately deposited them in his bag so he wouldn't lose them again.
Great! Now he could finally go home-
A bang from behind the stairwell building made the tall boy snap to attention. What was that? Was there someone up here after all?
He heard a voice and immediately recognized it as Umemiya's, but couldn't distinguish what was being said. He glanced at the door leading to the stairwell. He should really get out of here and not disturb whatever the third year was doing, but the thud he just heard concerned him. What if Umemiya was in trouble? Most people at school had gone home already, so if he left as well the other wouldn't have anyone to help him if he needed it..
It wouldn't hurt to take a quick look, right? Just to make sure he was okay.
Sugishita quietly crept around the small building. About halfway there he heard another bang, followed by a small gasp of pain. Panic struck his core and he quickened his pace, ready to round the corner and help Umemiya when his idol's voice sounded again. But this time, his words were very clear.
"Murderer."
The long-haired teen froze mere inches from the corner. His eyes widened at the pure unadulterated hatred in his friend's voice. For as long as he had known him, he had never heard the other use this tone of voice before. Not even in the face of their worst enemies.
"You should be grateful this is all I'm doing. You deserve far worse for what you've done." the older spoke again, and Sugishita shook himself from his shock long enough to finally dare to peek around the corner.
The first thing he saw was Umemiya. The white-haired teen was standing there, unharmed, facing the wall. There was a dark glint in his eyes that the younger really didn't like.
The boy then followed the other's gaze towards a second person present with them on the rooftop. A shorter teen was leaning heavily against the building, hunched over. Blood was dripping steadily from their nose as quiet gasps left them. The distinct hair color left no debate of who this was.
Sakura.
Sugishita's first instinct was to growl at the other boy, but he suppressed it in favor of remaining unseen. What was he doing here?! Didn't he leave class earlier with the rest of their group? And what the hell did he do to Umemiya to make him this upset?
Yet, he unwillingly felt his anger give way to worry as the older teen approached the bi-colored boy and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. He watched as the third year pulled him forward before slamming the other back against the wall. He flinched at the sound his classmate's head made as it connected with the building behind him.
Sakura's legs buckled beneath him, but the Bofurin representative's grip held him upright. Sugishita's eyes widened even further as Umemiya reeled his arm back only to then strike his grade captain in the face. If the boy hadn't been bleeding already he definitely would be now.
"No wonder your father couldn't look you in the eye. I wouldn't have either if I knew of your past before." the white-haired man's voice sounded as he leaned in closer to the younger teen's face. The other just let out shallow gasps as he tried to breathe while blood clogged his nostrils.
Another fist struck the boy, this time hitting his stomach. "I would have given everything to keep my parents alive. And here you are, not even blinking at the fact that you've killed your own mother." he spat, before letting the boy drop to the ground.
Sugishita was speechless as he watched the scene unfold before him. It wasn't hard to guess what Umemiya was talking about while he was beating his underclassman, but he failed to understand why. Why was Umemiya doing this?! They had all heard Sakura's story. They had all sympathized with his situation and many of them had reassured the boy it wasn't his fault his mother passed away during childbirth. He thought everyone felt that way!
Apparently, that wasn't the case.
He knew of Umemiya's story too. It was quite similar in the way the older teen had lost his family and then blamed himself for that as well for a long time. He thought the other had gotten over that by now, but after seeing this..
It felt like Umemiya was pouring all his frustration, anger and self-blame of the past out onto the only person who could truly understand his feelings.
A small grunt of pain pulled Sugishita back to the present just to watch his idol pull his leg back from where he just kicked Sakura in the side. The long-haired teen clenched his fists. God, what does he even do in this situation? He loves Umemiya. He's his role-model! He'd follow this man to the end of the earth if he had to, but this-
"The fact that you can still smile after what you've done says enough." the white-haired teen said, leg raised up once more. "You're not normal. You're barely even human." The leg moved forward, ready to hit its target.
"You're a monster."
Sugishita moved before he could even process what he was doing. Within seconds he was standing in front of his classmate, using his arms to block a kick that was never meant for him. Two pairs of eyes widened at his sudden appearance and the older boy lowered his leg.
"Sugishita-kun?" he questioned in sheer disbelief. And honestly? The other couldn't blame him. The lanky teen couldn't believe what he was doing himself either! Was he really defying Umemiya right now? He suppressed the shivers that went down his spine at just the thought of upsetting his idol. He didn't want to do it, but his body just moved on its own!
He just couldn't stand by and watch his captain get hurt like this.
The older stared at him with an unreadable look on his face. Then, after a moment, he looked past his friend to the boy lying on the ground behind him. He made a move to step past him, but the other moved to stand in his way once more.
"Move, Sugishita-kun." the white-haired teen said, a dark look on his face. The tall boy swallowed hard, but stayed in place. He was honestly so fucking scared of his idol right now, but he couldn't step aside and let this shit continue. It didn't feel right.
"Sugishita." Umemiya called out again, clenching his fists in anger, but the other's stance remained firm. He wasn't budging, no matter what.
For a moment, it really looked like the third year was going to start a fight with him. But then, seemingly having considered the possible downside of being seen fighting his most devout believer, he unclenched his fists and stepped back.
"Fine, have it your way." he said with a huff, reaching up to slick some loose strands of hair back into place. "Lock the rooftop door when you leave." he told the younger boy before turning on his heels and leaving without another word.
Sugishita stood frozen as adrenaline continued to coarse through his body. He had trouble getting his head around what the hell just happened. What happened to Umemiya? Why did he act like that? Why did he look so-
A groan from behind him snapped him from his trance and he whipped around to see Sakura pushing himself onto his feet. He leaned unsteadily against the wall as he wiped at the blood underneath his nose with his sleeve. The boy honestly looked like shit, but Sugishita wasn't about to comment on it. Being at the receiving end of Umemiya's wrath would do that to you.
As he stood there, observing his classmate, he took notice of the multitude of old wounds and bruises littering the other boy's body. Yellowing patches on his exposed wrists, healing scrapes just beneath his hairline, a slightly swollen jaw. He couldn't help but wonder just how many of those were the result of fighting during patrol..
..and how many of those were Umemiya's fault.
"How long?" he blurted out. The two-toned boy startled at the sound of his voice and looked up at him. The lower half of his face was covered in blood, mostly due to the intense nosebleed that was still going on, and his dark blue eye was already swelling shut.
"What?" Sakura replied, not really having registered the words. His mind was still too busy coming to terms with the fact that Sugishita of all people had jumped in to save him.
The long-haired teen growled. "This isn't the first time this has happened. How long has this been going on for?" he asked again, agitated. Inwardly, he hoped that he was wrong. That this was just a one-time thing. But with the way the two had acted earlier, with Umemiya's aggression and Sakura's resignation to the situation, he doubted it was.
The other boy continued to stare at him for a moment longer before looking away. "..a while." he replied simply. And when his classmate let out a rumbling sound of warning, he continued with a sigh. "About a month, I think."
A month.
Umemiya has been beating up his classmate for a month.
Sugishita's fist clenched so hard it trembled. He felt as if his world was falling apart. Umemiya was the kindest person he knew. He stood up for him and became his first friend. He taught him to protect the town and everyone in it! How could someone like that go and beat up one of their own like this?!
"Why didn't you say anything?!" he burst out, anger and frustration boiling over. It had been going on for a month and Sakura hadn't said a word! Not to him, not to their classmates, and definitely not to his vice captains because there's no way they would allow him within ten feet of their leader if they knew what he had been doing to their friend.
Sakure let out a noise that sounded like a strange combination of a laugh and a sob. "Yeah right. Like that would've helped." he spat while he tried to stop his nose from bleeding. The boy was clearly trying to hide his true emotions beneath a blanket of indifference, but the taller boy had seen enough of him to know the other teen was deeply troubled by the situation.
More anger was rising within Sugishita as he watched his captain. "What do you mean by that, huh?" he sneered. "You think we're not strong enough to protect you?" Like hell they weren't! Their classmates adored him and they were all capable fighters! All their captain had to do was cry out and they'd come running-
"That's not it."
Sakura let out a small, shuddering breath. His shoulders were hunched, as if burdened by a heavy load. Another thing that Sugishita noticed was his eyes. They had lost that lively glint they usually had, replaced by a void look. He hated it.
"It wouldn't have mattered if I told any of you or not. I mean," he started again. He glanced up at his classmate with a pain-stricken look in his eyes. Almost if he had lost all hope.
"If I told you that your beloved leader was hurting me, would you have believed me?"
Sugishita immediately opened his mouth to say that, yes, he would have believed him. But before he could, realisation set in. If he hadn't witnessed what he had just now, would he have believed Sakura? Would he believe that the man he adored above anyone else in this world was capable of abusing a fellow student?
The answer was simple.
No.
"Our classmates would have believed you." he ended up replying, but truthfully he wasn't even sure about that. No matter how much they adored their captain, would they choose his side over Umemiya's without any real evidence? Without seeing the truth with their own two eyes? Bofurin's leader was famous in town and had been for many years. And Sakura? He had only been here for a couple of months.
The other boy seemed to be thinking the same thing and scoffed at his answer. "Don't be an idiot. Everyone in Bofurin loves him. Hell, all of Makochi does! Compared to that I'm just an outsider." He said with a snarky tone of voice. Then, quieter, he added, "I'm not stupid enough to think that they'd believe my words over his.."
The taller boy didn't know what to say. Sakura had clearly thought about it before and come to the conclusion that suffering in silence was the only option. But what he didn't understand was why he just kept taking the beatings. He was one of the best fighters in their class, if not the whole first grade! Why didn't he defend himself?
"You could've at least fought back. You're not weak." he said, voicing his thoughts. But Sakura just shook his head. "What do you think would happen if someone found me fighting the leader of Bofurin? One word from him and the whole school would turn on me." he replied. And yeah, Sugishita supposed fighting a whole school on your own wasn't really an option either.
But still. "So instead you just keep letting yourself get beat up? What kind of solution is that?!" he cried out, even when he himself didn't see a way out of the situation either. Because what do you even do when someone with such a high social standing with everyone in town decides you're his personal punching bag?
"There is nothing else I can do!" Sakura yelled in return, frustration clearly audible. His bottom lip trembled as sadness seemed to overtake him. "I love this town, Sugishita! This is the only place I've ever felt accepted. And I want to stay here!"
He looked down again. "But if I go around accusing the most beloved person here of abuse people will surely turn on me. Whether they believe me or not, they will hate me for 'forcing' that kind of behaviour out of Umemiya. I don't.." His breath hitched.
"I-I'd rather suffer than leave this place." he said with resignation. "It won't be like this forever, anyway. Once he graduates I won't have to see him so often anymore. I just have to endure it for a few more months.." The boy looked absolutely miserable when he said those words. Sugishita couldn't stand it.
He wasn't Sakura's biggest fan, that was something everyone knew. But he didn't hate the guy. If anything, he admired him. He had gone to hell and back during his childhood and still managed to come out as a genuinely good guy. One that could look effortlessly cool in the face of danger. One that could still be vulnerable around the people he trusted.
What Umemiya was doing was wrong. No matter what reason his idol may have for doing this, this behavior wasn't acceptable! And he would not stand by idly and watch it happen when he could be doing something about it.
And thus, he made a decision.
"I'll help you."
Sakura's head snapped up. "W-what?" he stuttered out with wide eyes. At that moment he truly looked like the young teenager he was instead of the seasoned fighter he usually portrayed himself to be. This only solidified the other's decision.
"I'll be there whenever Umemiya-san seeks you out. I won't let him do anything to you anymore." he told the other. If his captain wouldn't protect himself in fear of repercussions, he would simply have to do it for him.
And even if it came down to a fight, he was Umemiya's most loyal follower. If he were to stand up against the other, people would definitely think twice before blindly believing Umemiya's words. They would realize that if Umemiya's guard dog starts protecting someone else against him, something bad must be going on.
"Sugishita.." his captain breathed out. A look of guilt crossed his features. "You don't have to do that. I don't want him to get upset at you." he said. Causing a rift between his classmate and the person he looks up to most wasn't something he'd ever want to do.
The taller boy let out a growl. His hand flew forward and grasped the collar of his captain's shirt, pulling him close to his face. "I don't care if he gets angry at me!" He did. "I am not letting him take out whatever is wrong in his head on you." Because something clearly wasn't right with his idol. He would never hurt a friend like this.
Not in his right mind, at least.
"Umemiya-san needs help, but so do you. And right now, the one being hurt is you, not him." he told the other as he loosened the grip on his shirt. "When he reaches out to you again, no matter where you are or for whatever reason, let me know. You're not meeting up with him alone again."
Sakura looked stunned by his words. He was quiet for a moment, but then a faint smile appeared on his face. His hand rose up to grab the other teen's wrist and give it a small squeeze.
"Thank you." he said quietly. Sugishita huffed and looked away, releasing his grip on the other's shirt completely. He can't believe he's doing this for someone like Sakura. But then again, he can't look the other way either. If someone, no matter who, is in need of help, he'll always reach out a hand.
"Go patch yourself up." he replied as he turned around and headed for the door, not even checking to see if his grade captain was following. His mind was going a million miles an hour to process everything he'd just learned. He already knew he was going to have to bring this up with the four kings despite Sakura's clear reluctance to get anyone else involved.
He can't believe that the person who has always been so kind to him and everyone else would do this. Even more so, he can't believe he's actually personally going to have to protect one of their own against their leader! But.. that's why he's part of Bofurin, isn't it?
His loyalties may lie with Umemiya, but it is still his duty to protect the town and anyone living here.
And Sakura belonged to their town now.
So yeah, as a fighter of Bofurin, as a member of class 1-1, and as an inhabitant of Makochi, he will make sure no one hurts his captain.
Even if that meant defying his idol.