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Gakushuu was six years old when Ikeda almost died.
His father almost had a heart attack when he read the letter that had been sent right before what was almost his last call with his former student.
Gakushuu had never seen his father so relieved as he had when Ikeda picked up the phone.
Although the boy was still alive and no longer had plans on changing that, something inside Gakuho broke.
He was stricter and put emphasis on being able to fight back with words and actions— whichever would hurt more an attacker. He also emphasized the importance of communicating his feelings with people he trusted.
___
Gakushuu was seven when he got acquainted with Ren.
Some of their classmates picked on Ren for liking poems and flowers. They would stomp on the poor plants if they saw Ren admiring them.
Gakuho told him that bullies needed to be put in their place. So Gakushuu decided to do something.
The next time it happened, he yelled out about how pathetic the bullies were. The whole class was watching now, including the teacher.
The bullies got in trouble, but it wasn’t the end, Gakushuu could feel it. However, that was fine because he got his first real friend.
This wasn’t like the friendships he knew before; the ones that only last for as long as you were at the playground. They played together during recess and sat together the rest of the time.
Eventually, the bullies tried to strike again, this time at Gakushuu. They tried to find a flaw to exploit, an insecurity to latch onto. The only thing they could think of was how interested he was in squirrels.
Gakushuu proceeded to explain the future squirrel uprising, somehow managing to scare them away. He and Ren laughed at that before Ren suddenly stopped and asked if what he said was true.
___
Gakushuu was eight when Ren officially became his best friend.
This was their tenth time meeting outside of school. It had to be marked as a special occasion.
Gakuho walked out of his study to find his son wearing a blanket tied to his neck holding both of his friend’s hands with his own. Ren was singing the instrumental notes of Here Comes the Bride.
“What are you doing…?”
“Becoming best friends!”
“Hold on! Let me get the camera!”
Gakushuu was confused that his father chuckled when they put a Ring Pop on each other’s finger, but continued nonetheless. After Gakuho took too many pictures of their best friend ceremony, they went to Gakushuu’s room.
“Dad says I should be honest with people I trust, and I trust you a lot…”
Ren sensed this was a serious conversation and said with genuine concern, “You can tell me anything.”
“You can’t tell anyone.”
“I promise I won’t!”
After locking their pinkies together, Gakushuu stepped back and breathed in.
He turned into a wolf pup.
.
.
.
To his credit, Ren didn’t make a peep. That’s probably because of his shock though.
There were a plethora of questions after Ren came to terms with what he was seeing. Gakushuu answered them to the best of abilities.
In the end, their friendship strengthened. Gakushuu felt a burden lifted from his shoulders; he had someone of his own who knew, not someone connected to his father.
When Ren was picked up, Gakushuu decided not to tell his father Ren knew. It was his own secret; he should decide who knows and who doesn’t! He didn’t need to tell his father everything…
A gush of independence rushed over him— wait, no, that was rebellion, wasn’t it?
___
Gakushuu was nine when his father forgot his birthday.
Gakuho came back home from a meeting to find his son asleep on the couch, tear lines on his cheeks. His heart ached as he gently woke him up.
Gakushuu almost cried more when he saw him. He wore a wobbly smile and asked how the meeting went.
Gakuho just apologized and hugged him, which surprised Gakushuu. He petted his hair and suggested they watch a movie.
Gakuho promised him that he would make up for it. Gakushuu thought he already did. He would give up any future birthday gifts for moments like this…
___
Gakushuu was ten when he became his father’s therapy dog.
He guessed he got his wish without giving up birthday gifts when this first started to happen.
His father would sit on the couch, loudly sighing. Gakushuu would transform and lay with his head in the other’s lap. Gakuho would complain about his day, talking about things his son didn’t quite understand.
It was nice. Both to be petted and to be needed.
Sometimes though, his father would try to comb knots out of his hair with less gentleness than impatient children combing the hair of dolls.
He growled when this happened, and Gakuho would apologize. He was always too gentle afterwards.
Gakushuu told himself that it was fine that his father would barely touch him in human form. He had this. It was… fine.
It left a bittersweet taste in his mouth every time his father vents.
He told Ren about this. Ren told him that he would pet and hug him no matter what form he’s in.
Gakushuu almost cried.
He’s lucky to have such a good best friend.
___
Gakushuu was eleven when he stopped being honest with his father.
He was done.
Done with passive aggressive remarks, intrusive questions, and constantly having his problems “solved”. Logically, he knew his father was just trying to help.
But…
But he was sick of it!!!
So from then on, his day was good, he understood his lessons completely, and his classmates didn’t call him a freak behind his back.
His father didn’t seem to notice, using the unspent time to talk even more about his own day and problems.
(Heaven forbid Gakushuu makes a snide remark, asks questions, or tries to help like his father always does.)
___
Gakushuu was twelve when he met Shiota.
Shiota walked up to him after the school tour with fidgeting hands and eyes trained on the ground.
His future classmate took a deep breath and attempted to make eye-contact. “You’re the principal’s son, right?”
Gakushuu nods. “Did you need help with anything? I’m more than happy to assist you,” he reassured. This wasn’t the first time someone came up to him instead of the principal. The principal didn’t have the most inviting aura…
“I was wondering, um, if, like,” Shiota took another deep breath, “Could I get the guy’s uniform?”
There was only one reason Gakushuu could think of why he was being asked for help. “Of course. Would you like your gender on the teacher and student view of the student list to be changed to ‘male’?”
Shiota looked at him with surprise. “Y-yes! Thank you!” He gave a slight bow.
“Are you out to your caretaker?” Shiota’s wince told him all he needed to know. “I suggest buying a female uniform as well and having a male one in your bag in case you need to change.”
Shiota thanked him endlessly and denied Gakushuu when he offered to buy a uniform for him (it wasn’t fair for Shiota to buy one more uniform than he would have otherwise).
Over the rest of the year, Gakushuu would distract everyone nearby while Shiota Nagisa rushed to the restroom to change when necessary. On days when Nagisa left home before his mother woke up, they would sometimes talk.
They had become somewhat more than acquaintances. Nagisa was a genuinely kind person. However, something about him didn’t feel right…
___
Gakushuu was thirteen when he realized that the Virtuosos were his friends.
Sure, they hang out and study together. But then they asked him personal questions, showed concern, and teased him. And it just… clicked.
They weren’t just doing this because he was the principal’s son, or because he had the highest scores, or because he was Ren’s friend.
They were doing this because they liked his company— they liked him. They decided Gakushuu was worth their time and energy to gently pry his shell open.
Gakushuu tried his best not to show anything, but he must’ve not been good enough because suddenly the other Virtuosos tried to comfort him.
He avoided their faces as his eyes started to tear up and whispered, “I’m just really happy.”
His father told him not to show weakness to anyone but the closest people to him. But it was Gakushuu’s choice who that was.
He decided if the Virtuosos thought he was worth it, then they were also worth it.
___
Gakushuu was fourteen when he met a certain yellow octopus.
But that was a story for another day.