Teach me {{Yukio & Pandamonium}}

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Today was sure to be like any other day. Nothing of supreme interest ever happened during school.....at least not for Hayato Natume. The young raven haired teen really didn't find school something that installed a deep fascination. Yes, he was good with his studies and he was one of the top students in the school, however that didn't mean much to him. In fact, it was kinda boring. Nevertheless, Natsume never failed to attend day after day. It was expected of him after all, especially with the family he came from. To be honest, they were bit old fashioned and odd, still Natsume loved them. That did not mean he enjoyed spending endless hours at home. No the mere thought ended up sending a chill down the teen's back.

 

Ever since he could remember, Natsume's childhood was a traumatic one at best. If being the youngest of his brothers wasn't bad enough, being forced into ridiculous outfits by his mother took the cake. Believing that she would never be able to have the daughter she longed for, Natsume's mother had taken her youngest child under her wing and insisted on dressing him as a female during his early years. Though at first Natsume had not really minded, wanting to indulge his mother's antics due to his undying love for her, after a while the teasing words began to get him. They were all said under good humor, yes, but that didn't make things easier. Little else could be said aside from Natsume being deeply relieved when news came forth that his mother was pregnant with a little girl. That first little miracle would be the first of two more. A sign that finally, Natsume's torture had come to an end.

 

From the moment all his sisters had come into the world, Natsume had turned his back on everything even remotely feminine. He refused to think about girly things and far less act upon them. Being feminine was a sign of weakness and that was a lesson he would never forget. While his friends found his dislike for feminine things truly hilarious, they didn't ever annoy him about it. That was one of the things he was truly thankful for.

 

"Tsume!" "Natsume-kun!" the voices of his friends broke the young teen from his thoughts. Aquamarine colored blue eyes lifted from the ground to look up at the group waiting for him in front of their lockers. No sooner had he spotted them, that a grin appeared on his features. "Yo!" he called out to them cheerfully, hurrying over to join them. It took him a small amount of time to pull needed books out of his locker before the group was off towards their first class.

[pandamonium]

The sound of shoes hitting concrete kept him going in a rhythmic pace. Ryuu checked the time in his phone.

"Fuuuck." He moaned as he picked up the pace. He was going to be late again, he felt it in his bones. Sensei was going to be angry. The sound of a bell could be heard in the distance.

"Oh good gods...make sensei late...I promise...to pray and leave...some delicious mochi in your shrine!" He bargained, running at top speed.

 

He ran through the hallways and slammed the door open. Making his way towards his seat and collapsing into it. Panting harshly, trying to breathe. Wiping sweat from his messy, black hair. The sensei wasn't amused. He walked over to him.

"Hayashi, Ryuu. Why am I not surprised."

He looked up, his steely, gray eyes making contact with angry, dark brown ones.

"Since you're late once again, you're stuck with two weeks of cleaning duty. One more day of your tardiness...and I'll make sure you're punishment is more severe."

Ryuu sighed. "Yes, sensei."

A smug look on his expression as he walked towards the front of the class.

"Now open up to page..."

He internally facepalmed as he remembered hee forgot to pick up his books. He turned to the person on his left.

"Hey. Let me partner up with ya. I need a textbook and you have one."

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Looking up when the door was slammed open, Natsume raised a brow a the sight of a familiar tardy face. Hayashi Ryuu. His classmate truly did seem to have a death wish. No matter how many times he was scolded at by Sensei, the boy never seemed to learn his lesson. Something truly curious because Natsume didn't see how waking up on time to be at school by the moment the bell rang, was something difficult. Then again, not everyone saw things the way he did. After all, Hayashi-kun did have one undeniable good quality. He was the embodiment of masculinity....something Natsume secretly admired about the other student though he did not make it a overly common habit of conversing with him.

 

Barely paying attention to the boy being scolded right next to him, Natume's eyes were already skimming over the textbook words before his absentminded studying was brought to a halt. Lifting his gaze to the late student beside him, the dark haired boy's eyes briefly flickered back to the teacher before releasing a sigh and conceding to the other student's request. Shifting his textbook over to the side so Hayashi could see it as well, Natsume eyed the other boy thoughtfully.

 

"You know, you might want to try and show on time to class more often.....most likely with your book. If not, it'll just seem like you want Sensei to kill you" he commented after a moment with an amused little smirk.

[pandamonium]

Ryuu moved his desk besides Natsume with a ear-splitting screech. Pulling out a red pen and a dark pink notebook with butterflies on the edge of each page. He snorted at the remark.

"I guess it would make life easier...but I got things to do."

He began to scribble down notes, skimming the textbook every now and then. He hated this class. He never understood what the sensei spoke of and spent most of his time scribbling notes without a clue of what they meant.

He looked over at Natsume. He was a bit envious of him. He wasn't a monster looking boy like himself and he had friends. Nobody would befriend him, he didn't understand why.

 

After class he returned the desk back with a jaw clenching screech. He packed his items and returned the textbook to Natsume.

"Thank you..."

He grabbed his bag and left the classroom.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Winching slightly at the sound of the desk screeching as it was moved, Natsume resisted the urge to shake his head and rub his temples a bit. Like most people, he held a great dislike for screeching sounds, however he hid it a bit better than others. Shaking his head lightly at the other boy's response, Natsume lifted his gaze towards the front of the class and started to copy down the notes that only he needed. The class wasn't hard at all for him. Unlike Hayashi, Natsume didn't mind what this class taught and the fact that he could understand it so easily, made things more simpler for him. That being said, it was no surprise he barely wrote down much notes at all.

 

Having focused on what the Sensei was saying throughout the class, Natsume barely spared a glance at the boy sitting beside him. The only thing that made him really wonder about Hayashi was the fact that he rarely saw the boy with friends of his own. It was odd really but Natsume didn't consider it any of his business. If he knew the boy a bi better, he might ask him why he didn't seem to have any friends, but as it was Natsume rarely even interacted with him.

 

"Sure, no problem" Natsume murmured as soon as the boy thanked him. Watching him go for a heartbeat, Natsume released a soft sigh as he allowed a small impulse to take over. Rising from his seat, the raven haired boy hurried towards the door of the classroom to catch a glimpse of the taller boy's retreating back. "Oi! Hayashi! If you need help with the homework, I'll be in the music wing of the school by the end of class. You can fin me there if you want a little help!" he called after the other boy, before slipping back into the room.

 

Honestly he had no real idea why he did that, but a part of him wanted to help the other boy if he could. And he couldn't deny he was curious bout him as well.

[pandamonium]

He stopped in his tracks, he turned his head to see Natsume at the doorway. Ryuu gave a small smile.

"Thanks! I'll take you up on the offer!"

Hee was surprised by Natsume's offer. A chance to have lunch with someone, plus get help with schoolwork? Today wasn't sho bad after all. He gave a small wave and continued on his way to his next class: home economics. He eagerly signed up for the class, not surprised to be the only boy in a sea of girls. He took his spot next to a tall girl with glasses. She had her nose buried in a manga. He checked the cover and nearly squealed with excitement. The new volume of Magical Mimi was out! He'd have to stop at the bookstore on his way home from practice.

 

After class, he headed to the music wing. He needed the help, tremendously. Ryuu approached Natsume.

"Hey. You busy? I need help with this week's lesson."

He plopped down besides Natsume. Pulling out his lunch and books. He always made his own lunch, alongside his younger sisters and parents. He began to eat quickly. Since he skipped breakfast to make it to school on time, an idealistic dream, he was ravenous.

"You wanch shome?" He asked, his mouth full, offering fried pork cutlet sandwiches.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Unable to stop the small grin that lifted the corners of his mouth at the boy's response, Natsume gathered his books quickly enough before slipping out of the room and heading towards his History class. It wasn't his favorite class but he wasn't about to skip it. Even if History did not garner Natsume's absolute attention, he still strived to get a good grad in there. It would lead to giving his brother's less reasons to tease him and his parents wouldn't be questioning his sudden lack of motivation for that particular subject. The last thing he needed was either his parents or brothers to come into school and start asking others about his motives. Natsume was sure he would never hear the end of it if that were to happen.

 

Having been a bit distracted writing down a few of the last notes he needed to compose his music piece for a class, Natsume glanced up when he heard Hayashi's arrival. Flashing the boy a welcoming smile, he didn't seem at all bothered by his presence. Natsume had been the one to invite him there anyways.

 

"Nah, I'm not busy right now" he greeted the other student calmly. Blinking a few times with a bit of surprise when Hayashi produced a lunch and began to eat it, Natsume had to use all his will power to keep from laughing in amusement. "No thank you. I think you need that food more than I do" he commented with a good humored tone of voice. Pulling out the book from their class, Natsume opened it to the chapter they had been assigned to. "While you eat, explain to me where exactly you need some help in. It would help me narrow things down a bit".

[pandamonium]

Ryuu finished chewing, he thought about it for a minute. "Well...I need help with today's lesson...and yesterday's...and last Friday's."

He set his lunch aside. Taking his homework and pulling out a pen. He couldn't ask his parents for help, they were busy with work. With baseball and helping his siblings, his grades were slipping. Even if the school asked to see his parents, they wouldn't be able to come. He was desperate for help, but wasn't sure how to ask for it. He envied Natsume. He was at the top of their class, plus he was super popular.

"I bet all this stuff is super easy for you. I kinda envy you."

He sipped his milk, going over his material.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Chuckling at the boy's answer, Natsume couldn't help mussing to himself how today was probably going to be a long day. Or at least the next few days he spent teaching this other student. Natsume honestly didn't mind one bit, but at the same time, he couldn't deny that he found the situation a bit funny. "I'll help you the best I can then" he said with a smile, pulling out his own notebook and opening to the first page of notes he had for Friday. Blinking a bit at Hayashi's words, the raven haired teen looked over at him with a touch of gentleness in his eyes. "It wasn't easy at first, however, it helps that I had older brothers to lend me a hand when I needed it. Besides, once you get the principle hang of this class, the coursework work will move more smoothly from there on" he stated calmly.

 

Moving his notebook over for Ryuu to see it, the boy pointed out a few things he had written down while saying "Copy this down, it simplifies things a bit more. Sensei often forgets that not everyone is as smart as he is". A grin lifted his face at the thought of that. "You know, I don't know why you should envy me. I mean, yeah I understand things easier than you do, but there's nothing really amazing about that. If anything, it should be the other way around with me envying you" Natsume mussed.

[pandamonium]

Ryuu turned to Natsume, eyes wide. He snorted a laugh.

"Why would you ever envy me? I'm not exactly cool."

He looked back to Natsume's notes, copying them quickly. He enjoyed this time. It's like hee had a friend. Smiling at the thought.

 

Nodding at the truth he spoke. Ryuu chuckled.

"Yeah...sensei does think that...he's always irritated at how my grades aren't as good as everyone else. Buy he might also not like me cuz I'm late a lot."

He finished copying Natsume's notes and handed him back his notebook.

"Thanks. It means a lot you took time to help me."

He gave him a smile, tears at the corner of his eyes. He never felt such relief.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

"Being 'cool' isn't all its cooked up to be, you know. Sometimes I'd prefer to not have so many eyes watching my every move. You'd be able to do what you liked without having to worry about everything else. I guess, your freedom is what I envy about you. Besides, if you noticed, you have everything a girl could physically want. You're the embodiment of masculinity" Natsume replied easily enough. He didn't mind his popularity, it was fun to get to know people of all different sorts. However, having to watch the picture you portrayed to the world was tiring.

 

"That could be it, as well. You gotta try and get on Sensei's good side. Some might think it's a pain at first, but it'll be worth it in the end. He's not that bad of a person. You just gotta know how to handle him" Natsume chuckled. He didn't mind his teacher all that much and he knew his teacher liked him. Natsume did his work to the best of his capabilities, so it gave him a bit more leniency from their teacher.

 

Seeing the tears in the corner of the boy's eyes, Natsume sweat - dropped while smiling at Ryuu saying "It's not a problem. I'm happy to help. If you ever need help on other things, you can just ask me".

[pandamonium]

Ryuu snorted. "Freedom, huh? Guess so...though...I'm not that free. I got responsibilities towards the baseball team and my family, but I guess it's suck to always be looked at, huh?"

He blushed at the statement. "Dude, I'm not looking for a girlfriend. Like no offense, but the only girls who like me are those who are looking for those super tough guys and I'm not."

 

He snorted in annoyance. "Yeah...I'm not his kiss his ass to do better in class. I don't like him and he doesn't like me. We have a mutual thing going on."

Once Ryuu didn't like someone, it was nearly impossible to get him to like them, but the opposite was true. When he liked someone, he was like a puppy. Super sweet and protective.

 

Ryuu wiped the tears from his eyes. "Thanks. But I don't think you'd want me to ask for your help every time. Well thanks for your help. I'll leave you to your, uh, music work?"

He began packing his things into his bag. He grabbed his bag and left.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

"Sort of, but once you get a bit used to it, then it's not as bad as you think. It's just stressful in a way, when you add it to life at home as well" the boy replied with a lighthearted grin. He honestly had no idea how he had gotten the popularity he seemed to have developed during his time in this school. Nevertheless, there was no point in fighting against it. After all, his brothers had had the same popularity when they had been here before him. "Seriously? Huh, I wouldn't be able to imagine you as softie" Natsume added thoughtfully following the boy's next sentence.

 

Chuckling and shaking his head at the boy's comments, Natsume couldn't find it in himself to argue his point anymore. After all, everyone had a different way of seeing things. Just because he thought of something a certain way did not mean Ryuu had to think that same thing he did. "Fair enough. I guess Sensei isn't for everyone after all" he conceded, laughing with a clear bit of amusement in his eyes.

 

"Composing" Natsume told the boy helpfully, the entertainment in his expression never leaving even as he added "And it's honestly not a problem. The ball is in your court though. Should you need help, you know where to find me". Watching the boy leave, Natsume turned his attention back on what he had been doing before with a pensive little frown touching his features.

[pandamonium]

Ryuu entered his class. Since the bell hadn't rung, nobody was around. He sat at his assigned desk. Dropping his bag on the table and pulling out a small box. He pulled out his embroidery ring and continued working on the dark red rose he'd recently started.

 

The bell rang, stuffing the box and ring into his bag. Pulling out a notebook and pen. He was in a better mood than he had started with. He hoped that he'd get a chance to see Natsume again. He enjoyed their little chat, excited to have someone to talk with in school. No longer feeling as alone as before. For the remainder of the day, he as very focused on his schoolwork. Feeling more energized from the interaction between him and Natsume.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Yawning and stretching his arms over his head the moment the final bell finally rang, Natsume strolled down the halls of the school in order to get to his locker. Hearing the growing sounds of familiar voices, he wasn't surprised when he spotted his usual group of friends waiting for him in the spot they had designated as their usual meet up zone. Right by his locker. Greeting them all with a light smile and a quick "Hey", Natsume wasted little time in putting the books he wouldn't need in his locker while taking the ones he'd probably have to use for homework.

 

Though he did pay attention to his friends and what they were saying to him, his mind kept wondering back to the little chat he had had with Ryuu. It had been nice, something he had not been expecting. He would have thought the two would have been a bit awkward around one another being as they had never spoken before, however, that was the furthest from what had actually taken place. In a way he was glad about that. Ryuu seemed like a nice person and Natsume wouldn't mind being able to talk to him some more.

 

Plopping down in a nicely shaded spot near the school gates, just under a large cherry blossom tree, Natsume let out a content sigh as he laid back on his back, head resting on his hands. "I take it you're not going home, Tsume?" one of his friends stated with clear laughter in his voice. "Nah, I'm gonna hang out around here a bit longer. Just until the girls head out for their practice. I don't think I could handle them ambushing me today when I have schoolwork to do" Natsume chuckled out a response. He quickly rejected his friends offers to head to their own homes, but he thanked them nonetheless. For now he felt like relaxing a bit under the clear skies before marching to his "Doom" as he liked to call it.

[pandamonium]

Ryuu quickly finished his cleaning duty. Having his bag he hurried to his locker. He was already a bit late for practice. Pulling out his gym bag, he slammed the locker shut. Running towards the gym. He erupted the sweat from his brow and quickly changed into his uniform. His coach must already be angry at him being late for practice again. He'd never understand why he was late so often.

 

When he arrives on the field, his coach was steaming.

"Hayashi, Ryuu! You're late! Begin running alongside your teammates!"

"Sorry, sir."

He began running towards the rest of his teammates. Catching up with the rest. As he ran, he noticed someone sitting underneath the cherry tree. He felt his heart skip a beat. Could it be...Natsume? As he got closer, he felt excited. It was him. He debated between waving or just smiling. He chose the former. He waved at Natsume.

"Natsume!"

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Having been quite content to cloud gaze for a few long moments. Natsume raised his head slightly when he heard someone calling his name. Looking around for a few short moments, the blue eyed boy finally spotted Ryuu's form running with the rest of what he assumed was the baseball team. Smiling at the other boy's waving, Natsume lifted his own hand and returned the gesture all the while calling out cheerfully "Yo, Ryuu!".

 

If he remembered correctly what Ryuu had mentioned earlier and that truly was the baseball team, Natsume entertained the idea of watching them practice. He had nothing better to do after all, going home wasn't an option and though he did like to lay around and relax, he did want to spend a bit more time with the other student.

 

Standing up slowly, then raven haired teen dusted his pants off before bending to grab his school bag and place a strap over one shoulder. With that done, Natsume calmly made his way over to a few bleachers that were next to the baseball field. Settling down near the top, he pulled out some schoolwork he figured he could get started on while watching the baseball team practice.

[pandamonium]

After running their laps, he noticed on the bleachers, Natsume. He nearly giggled with joy. Natsume was going to watch him play! With a large grin on his lips, he followed the other players towards their coach. Who was going to tell them about their challengers from the all boys school to the north of them. He had heard they were fierce competitors.

 

They got into their positions askew began practice. Ryuu was an outfielder, it gave him a chance to watch Natsume. He was kind of flattered that Natsume was going to watch. It meant that he was going to play his hardest, to impress him.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Watching the team discuss something with their coach, Natsume relaxed a bit in his seat as he waited for practice to begin. He had seen the large grin on Ryuu's face when the other student had taken note that Natsume would be watching him and honestly, it did warm Natsume's heart a bit. He was used to his friends enjoying his presence, but when he saw the sheer happiness in Ryuu's expression, he couldn't help but want to keep doing things that would bring that expression back time after time. If spending time with him and becoming his friend would do that, then Natsume didn't mind at all.

 

Lowering his gaze to write a few answers down on his schoolwork while the players finished talking to their coach, the boy's blue eyes only shot up when he saw the group disperse once more to spread out on the field. Noticing that Ryuu was on the outfield, Natsume shot the boy a grin and a quick thumbs up as he allowed himself to become focused completely on their practice.

[pandamonium]

Ryuu blushed when Natsume gave him the thumbs up. It made him want to impress him even more. He wanted Natsume to like him and think he was cool. Someone worthy pig being by his side. The pitcher threw a fastball, but the batter hit it. Running towards first base. Ryuu saw the balk quickly approaching and ran after it, catching it before it went over the fence. Throwing the balk to third base. Sadly, the batter didn't make it. He was out. A couple teammates cheered at Ryuu. He hoped Natsume saw it. He looked over at the benches.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Watching Ryuu run after the ball and toss it back was impressive, especially when he managed to get his teammate out. Smiling as the others cheered for the boy, Natsume met Ryuu's eyes square on and gave him a bit of a clap. Even going as far as calling out a cheerful "Nice one!" over to the baseball player. Even if he had never bothered to learn to play baseball and coming to watch the games before had never caught his attention, he found himself enjoying observing and cheering for the other boy. He couldn't really explain it, but it was just fun to be here, seeing a practice play out when someone you considered as almost a friend, was participating in it. For once he could admit he wasn't completely bored. No, not at all. He was downright entertained.

[pandamonium]

Ryuu heard Natsume cheer for him. Nobody but him. He felt pride swell up in his chest. He wanted to make Natsume proud of him. He rarely cared what others thought of him. But with Natsume, Ryuu wanted to impress him. Be his friend. Someone to talk with and share much with. He was considering making him a bento as a thank you for helping him with his homework.

 

After practice, he took out his water bottle. Gulping the water down. He collected his gym bag and climbed the benches towards Natsume.

"Did you enjoy watching?"

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

Natsume watched the practice game with attentive eyes for the duration of which they played. Once things seemed to be slowing down, he turned his attention back to the work he had calmly laid out. It wasn't hard so he had answered most of the work by the time Ryuu had climbed the bleachers to talk to him. Glancing up at the other student, Natsume grinned and nodded saying "I definitely did. It was fun to watch". Looking out at the field for a second he added "You play really well. Your team should be lucky to have you".

 

He was being honest when he said those words, it was rare a time when Natsume lied about things to people he liked. Packing his book, he stood and stretched his arms over his head all the while asking "How was cleaning today? It must have been dreadful, neh?"

[pandamonium]

A wide grin spread on his lips, a slight blush on his tan cheeks. "Thanks. I tried my hardest for you. Didn't want you to get bored sitting up here."

He sat besides him, waiting for him to collect his things. He was hoping they could hang out for a bit, until he remembered hee had to pick up his younger siblings. He grabbed his bag, throwing it over his shoulder.

"It wasn't that bad. I'm used to cleaning up since my mom's pretty busy with her work."

He stood up with a slight groan. He was tired, but feeling energized.

"Hey, I gotta go pick up my sisters. Do you mind if we, you know hang out sometime?"

He scratched his head in embarrassment.

If you don't wanna, that's cool too. Just wondering...all I better head out."

He began clinching the stairs downward, already beginning to regret his question.

He probably got creeped out. He thought to himself.

[Yukio_of_the_Snow]

With eyes widening slowly in surprise towards the other boy's words, Natsume felt a light dusting of pink touch his features as well, however with a slight clearing of the throat and a brief glance away, he managed to push his blush down in order to maintain the same calm expression he was known for. He wasn't some kind of girl that would blush easily over the fact that a soon-to-be friend had tried to impress him during a practice. "Really? Well thanks for that, though I doubted I would have gotten bored. Baseball is kinda interesting when you have someone you know playing on a team" Natsume replied with an easy, reassuring smile.

 

"Well I guess it's a good thing you're used to it" Natsume said with a touch of amusement. Though he did feel bad about the boy's punishment, he couldn't help but find amusement in it as well. He was getting off a bit easy with the teacher that some people had called the "demon" of the school.

 

Blinking over at Ryuu after his question, Natsume tilted his head ever so slightly to the side before chuckling under his breath and following after the other student. "That's fine with me. Tomorrow morning, I'll wait for you at the gates of the school. I'll try to introduce you to the rest of the group, I'm sure they'll love you. That way, you won't get bored just having to hang out with me or be alone when I'm busy with something" he said, flashing the boy a friendly smile. Reaching the ground finally, he turned to look at Ryuu once more while adding "Just try not to be late, neh?". Teasing nature touching his voice for a moment.

 

With that, the raven haired boy turned and quickly headed over to the school gates where he could already hear the engine running of his family's business car, waiting to pick him up.