Chapter Text
The bell rang, an awful and ear-grating sound that dug it's way into Atsushis eardrums as he forced himself into the school.
He never had anything against school, I mean it was always better than whatever education he'd ever gotten at the orphanage so he was always grateful, but it didn't mean he liked the small inconveniences that came with school life.
One of those inconveniences was of course...The students, as soon as he entered the school he was met with a flood of adolescents hurrying to their classes like cats to their food bowl.
-"Hey! Atsushi!"
A voice called out from behind him and he felt the young woman bump into his shoulder as she caught up.
Atsushi greeted her with a warm smile as they attempt to navigate through the packed hallways, Lucy started talking about something meaningless as they walked, which got lost under the sounds of the hallway and atsushis thoughts.
He opened his locker, it was as neat as he could keep it considering he barely had any time between classes nowadays, and threw in his bag, pulling out a math book along with a random pencil that he probably found on the floor.
Atsushi weaved through the hallway, narrowly slipping into his classroom and taking his seat, noticing his teacher Kunikida looking especially pissed off.
Written across the whiteboard in big letters is "COMPETITION" as Kunikida stood to the side, arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently as the students file in.
Atsushi sat down next to Lucy, who's already drawing odd sketches of dolls on her desk as she waited for the lesson to start, while Atsushi looked around the classroom, it was his first day of senior year, so most of the faces were familiar.
Before he could start taking to Lucy, Kunikida cleared his throat loudly, pointing his pen at the words on the whiteboard.
-"Good morning class!" he exclaimed a bit too enthusiastically, receiving groggy and indecipherable mumbles back that he seemed to accept as good enough.
- "i hope you're all excited for another year of high school! As you can see, there's going to be something of a competition on the third of October-"
The blonde man paused briefly, writing the date onto the board before continuing.
"between the ADA-high school and the black lizard private school across town."
Groans grew from the students, nobody really liked The black lizards, considering them to be too preppy and snobby for their own good.
Kunikida scowled at the reaction but went back to teach fractions and algebra or whatever else they talk about in maths, Atsushi couldn't keep himself focused on the board knowing Akutagawa might be at the competition.
His mind wanders as he stares at his paper, he didn't particularly like Akutagawa, I mean he's so snobby! And goth... and mysterious...And so...? He shaked his head, trying to focus on anything but him.
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"Atsushi? Are you alright?"
Junichiro's voice cut through his daydreaming, and he realised he had been playing with his food.
"wha- oh, yeah I'm good, I just zoned out."
He took a bite of his undercooked rice, watching as Naomi clung to his brothers arm as they eat.
Before Junichiro can respond, Naomi whispers something in his ear that makes his face flush, causing him to playfully push her away while Atsushi zones out again, eating his food in silence.
His mind keeps wandering back to him, does he even know I exist? If he does, does he think I'm a dork? Even thinking about him made him go mad.
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Akutagawa hates a lot of things, especially school, the uniform he was forced to wear, his classmates, his teachers, in short he hated basically anything and everything.
When it came to things he liked?... He likes gin, figs taste good? And a cup of tea was always good for relaxing? (as if he relaxes)
He sat at the lunch table, moving the food around as if it was radioactive, he had attempted to eat the rice but it just made him feel sick, so he decided to just buy something to eat after school instead.
-"are you alright dude?"
Tachiharas voice stood out from his thoughts as he snapped back to reality, looking up at the ginger with his usual scowl.
-"yes, I'm doing great."
The ginger looked weirded out by his response but just leaned forward to converse with whoever was beside him, The goth couldn't bother looking who.
He stood up, and walked away, throwing out the half-eaten food that he wasn't going to eat no matter how hungry he was.
He ran a hair through his jet black hair as he headed to the kiosk not far from the school, it was a small shop between his school and the ADA-school owned by some creepy guy named Ivan who would sell basically anything he could get his weird, skinny hands on.
The bell on the door jingles as he walks in for the fourth time this week, giving a polite nod to Ivan as he walks past the counter to the food area.
The goth picked up a box of figs from the grocery aile and considered buying them as dinner, but he knew that would never be enough food, especially considering it's the only thing along with chazuke he's been eating the last few days.
Oh right, He could make chazuke.
He made his way towards the section with tea in it, reaching his hand up to grab a box of Green tea from the top shelf.
But before he can grab it, another hand snatches it from the shelf, he looks down with his usual scowl which quickly fades as he spots Atsushi.
- "Oh! Sorry uhm-"
The shorter boy pushes the tea Box into Aku's hands, who is just standing there confused.
-"you can have it! Sorry, I uhm-"
Atsushi practically runs away, leaving aku just standing there awkwardly with a box of tea in his hands.
Huh, That was... Oddly nice? He barely knew who that guy was anyways, he just recognises him from wherever. He was strange.