Gender neutral reader, 9.4k, modern high school au, slow burn, angst with a happy ending, tooth-rotting flu ff, reader is described as pretty/attractive, gyutaro is a nerdy delinquent, daki is a Mean Girl™, enemies to friends (daki), strangers to best friend’s brother to lovers (gyutaro)
Warnings: excessive cursing because teenagers, mentions of abuse and neglect, self-hatred on gyutaro’s part, sibling fights, VERY brief mention of suicide, daki is a bitch at the beginning but she gets better i swear
Notes: I took inspiration both from the Kimetsu Academy Tales’ take on modern high schoolers Gyutaro and Daki and from my own ideas and headcanons. I took a lot of liberties, especially with some of the other demon characters (like the fact that I made Douma the pretty popular boy that everyone simps over) and their personal interests (daki is a cheerleader and gyutaro had a wild kratts phase. I will die on this hill). I also switch between using Daki/Ume throughout the fic depending on whose POV is mainly in the scene, but mostly I refer to her as Daki.
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Daki had been more than a little vocal about her not wanting to go to her junior orientation, but Gyutaro, being the responsible older brother that he is, hauled her there at 9 am anyways. Whenever she’d begin whining and hitting his back from where she sat on the motorcycle behind him, complaining about how badly she didn’t want to go, he’d just twist the throttle and drown out her voice.
She was still complaining by the time he pulled into the school’s parking lot, groaning and moaning in an e fort to be as annoying as possible as he undid the straps to her helmet and stuck it into the back compartment of his bike.
“I don’t want to gooooo,” she said, and he wouldn’t put it past her to throw a temper tantrum.
“You’re going,” he said. “I missed my junior orientation, and I was totally lost when school started.”
She furrowed her brows. “Yeah, but you dropped out, so why would that matter?”
He grit his teeth. Dropout. He never liked calling himself that, the words leaving a bitter taste on his tongue, but to be fair, that’s what he was. A high school dropout.
“It matters because you’re not going to drop out,” he said, giving her a stern glare. She stuck her tongue out at him. Childish. “Watch me.”
“If you do, I’ll kick your ass.”
“And I’ll call child protective services.”
He groaned. “Jesus, just go to the orientation, will you?”
“Fiiiine,” she drawled, beginning to prattle on about how it’s totally useless anyways. But Gyutaro tuned her out when he spotted what had to be the most gorgeous person he’d ever seen from across the campus.
You walked calmly, holding an air of confidence that Gyutaro could never have had himself. You were hypnotizing; he couldn’t bring himself to look away. You glanced over your shoulder, and brie ly, your eyes met. Gyutaro’s heart skipped a beat.
“Oi, brother, stop staring.” Daki snapped him out of his stupor with a smack to the back of his head. “You look like a perv.”
“Who are you even looking at?” She asked, and Gyutaro nodded his head in your direction. Her eyes widened for a split second upon taking in your appearance, before pulling her face into a scowl. “Th ey’re okay, I guess. I’m still prettier.”
Gyutaro looked between you and Daki. “I dunno, they’re giving you a run for your money.”
She smacked him on his head again, and he snickered. “Who even is that kid, anyways?” he asked, glancing in your direction once more.
“I don’t know. Never seen ‘em before.” Daki shrugged. “By the looks of it, they’re probably in my year.”
Gyutaro’s interest notably piqued at this, and Daki glared at him. “Fucking perv.”
“Am not,” he argued, buckling back on his helmet and lipping o f the kickstand a ter Daki had dismounted. “Now go. Be good. You’d better not get into trouble before school even starts.”
He twisted the throttle and zoomed out of the parking lot. Over his shoulder, he could see the vague outline of Daki giving him the finger as he rode o f.
As he rode back to his apartment, he couldn’t keep his thoughts from wandering to you. You, with your pretty face and confident walk and... No, he was getting ahead of himself. You’re miles out of his league, and the quicker he can get that in his head, the happier everyone will end up being.
Still, a little voice in his head told him, a guy can dream, right?
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“Turtles, turtles, turtles.... where’s the part about turtles...,” you muttered to yourself, lipping through the pages of the he ty encyclopedia you’d pulled from the library shelf. You sat down at one of the lone tables in the public library, pulling your notebook and pencils from your bag. All for a biology presentation you totally hadn’t waited to do until the last minute.
Unbeknownst to you, Gyutaro was watching you from across the room. He was wide-eyed and staring, like a deer caught in the headlights and unable to blink or move away.
It was you. at stupidly pretty person he’d spotted from across the courtyard when he want to drop o f Daki two weeks ago. The one he couldn’t stop thinking about (in a totally-not-weird-way), the one who he really didn’t expect to run into when he was going to return the books he’d borrowed the previous week. In the back of his mind, he’d hoped he might run into you again, and that next time he did, maybe he would be able to stop himself from staring at you like a creep
Yeah, that didn’t work out well.
Without thinking, his feet began to carry himself over to you. Not close enough to be weird, just.... to get a better view, that’s all. Yeah. Totally not creepy.
You gave a little “Aha!” sound as you lipped to a page of a large photograph of a green, stubby shelled animal. “Finally, I was starting to think this book didn’t even have turtles,”
“ That’s not a turtle.” the words slipped out of Gyutaro’s mouth before he could stop them, and at once he slapped his hands over his mouth in horror.
You looked up at him, and he wanted to do nothing more than run away and hide in some dark, dank corner where he belongs. He hadn’t meant for you to see him—he was used to people cringing away at his monstrous appearance, and he knew it’d hurt even more if you did it.
Your eyes widened for a split second, and then... You cocked your head. No cringing, no grimace, you were almost looking at him like he was normal.
“What do you mean it’s not a turtle?” You asked.
God, he wanted to run away so bad. But he steeled himself in place and grit his teeth; he dug this hole for himself, and now he has to follow through. In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.
“ That’s Testudo kleinmanni,” he said, trying with all his might to keep his voice from cracking. “Or, more commonly called the Egyptian tortoise. I-it’s technically a turtle, since it’s in the order Testudines, but for sake of specificity, it’d be better described as a tortoise.” He couldn’t stop himself, now; the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. Awkwardly, he leaned down to point at the picture. “See how its shell is more concave and juts upwards? at’s a tortoise’s distinction, since turtle shells are more flat and smooth. Also, tortoises are exclusively terrestrial animals, while turtles are semi-aquatic.”
Well, shit. Whatever sliver of a chance he thought he might’ve had with you just disappeared into thin air, all because he couldn’t keep his nerdy, know-it-all mouth shut. He fucked up, and he knew it—if it wasn’t for the fact that he wanted to maintain a shred of dignity, he definitely would have hightailed it out of the library in a second.
“Huh,” you said, looking at the picture. He was waiting for you to slap him, curse him out—any number of things that he probably deserved for not being able to keep his smartass thoughts to himself. “ That’s really interesting, actually. I didn’t know that.”
...What.
“Do you think you could find the section on turtles?” You continued, o ffering him the encyclopedia. “ The aquatic ones, I mean. I swear, I’ve been going through this for half an hour, but still, nothing.”
“Um.” You can’t be serious. Not only are you not upset, but you’re asking him to talk more? “Yeah. Sure.”
Against his better judgment, he took the seat next to you, scooting as close to the opposite edge as possible so as to not accidentally touch you. He couldn’t imagine what he’d do then.
“You checked the index, right?” He asked, taking the book from your hands and lipping to the back.
“...I did not.” You rubbed the back of your head sheepishly. “Wow, and here I thought I couldn’t look any more stupid, huh?”
Gyutaro cracked a smile. What gods took favor in you and gi ted you good looks and a sense of humor? It felt unreal.
He got to the T section of the index and pointed. “Here. Testudine, order. at’s the order that all turtles are in. It looks like you were looking at family Testudinidae, so if we backtrack and look at family Cheloniidae instead...” He flipped back to the section you were in, then a little further before. He stopped at a picture of a green sea turtle. “Voila. Sea turtles. These were more on the lines of what you were looking for, yeah?”
You were staring at him, wide eyed, and he swallowed. Had he fucked up again?
“Wow. I didn’t understand half of what you were saying, but either way, thanks.” You smiled at him then, and he felt his face heat up like a copper pan on a gas stove. “ This is exactly what I was trying to find.”
“N-no problem,” he replied, internally cursing himself for his awkwardness. Every bit of his instinct told him to run away before he could ruin whatever the hell this was.
You cocked your head at him. “I feel like I’ve seen you before... What was your name, again?”
Th is time his instincts won out. He shot up from his chair and bolted out of the library, not slowing down until he was a block away to where he’d parked his motorcycle. He held his head in his hands and groaned, cursing himself.
Hopefully, you’d forget him easily enough, and if all goes well, you’ll never see each other again.
Th at was what he wanted to hope for, anyways. Th ere was still this ache in his gut that urged him to go back, apologize for being so weird and awkward, and introduce himself.
Yeah. Like hell he will.
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When Daki came home a ter school, she slammed the door so hard that the whole house shook from its force. Gyutaro jumped and looked over from where he was perched on the couch, watching anime. When he saw her, he realized she was nothing short of fuming.
“ That bitch!” She shrieked, kicking o f her shoes and stomping over to him. She braced her hands on the edge of the couch, looking down at him. “ That boy-stealing, cock-sucking bitch!”
“ Those are some, uh, interesting choice words you got there,” he said. “What happened?
She hu ffed, and hopped over the side of the couch to plop down next to him. “ This bitch is trying to steal Douma!”
Gyutaro blinked. “Douma as in pretty-boy-Douma? And what do you mean, steal him?”
“From me!” She said, pointing to her chest. “ is was finally gonna be my year to get with him, and that bitch fucking ruined it!”
He blinked. “Since when do you have a thing for Douma?” He asked, thoroughly confused.
“Since, like, forever,” she said. “Don’t you remember?”
Gyutaro definitely didn’t remember, but for the sake of pleasing his sister, he nodded along like he knew what she was talking about. Daki groaned, and yanked the pillow out from behind her so she could bury her face into it. Gyutaro sighed. Sure, his sister was always prone to the dramatics, but she was still upset, so it was his duty to help her out.
“Alright, who is it?” He asked. “Do you need me to beat ‘em up?”
She sni ffed, looking up from behind the pillow. “Please?”
“Sure thing,” he smiled so tly. “Now, who is it?”
“Th e new kid,” she said. “Th e one you were staring at the other day, remember?”
Gyutaro freezed. “...You’re sure it’s them?”
She nodded frantically, eyes burning. “Positive. I saw them flirting with Douma with my own eyes!”
His gut clenched. He wasn’t sure what he hated more; the fact that his sister now apparently hated you, or the fact that you were most-likely taken. Either way, it made his chest hurt, and he didn’t like it.
“Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding,” Gyutaro reasoned, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice so as not to give himself away. “ They looked, uh, nice, I thought.”
“Nice?” She sco ffed. “Gyu, don’t give me that shit. They’re just a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and you know it.”
No. He didn’t know it. And he really, really didn’t want to believe her. You’d seemed so sweet when he met you at the library, this just doesn’t make any sense.
Gyutaro was at a crossroads. He had to choose between believing in the goodness of a person he’s met, or take his sister’s word that they’re nothing like they seem. They both seemed wrong and right at the same time.
In the end, like he always had, he chose his sister.
“Th at sounds horrible,” Gyu said.
Daki cocked her head. “Well, are you gonna beat them up or what?”
He hesitated. “I didn’t mean that literally, Ume. My delinquent days are behind me. I’ve had enough scrapes with the law as it is.”
She groaned, tossing her head back and getting up. “Fine. Be that way. Don’t help me,” she retorted as she stormed upstairs to her room.
Gyutaro massaged the bridge of his nose. He was bound to be in the wrong either way, huh?
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For the next two weeks, all he heard from Daki was the sins of this ‘new kid’ that she’d grown to hate even more with every passing day. Did he like listening to it? Not really, but he had to be a supportive older brother.
When Daki came home that a ternoon, she burst through the door, making Gyutaro glance up from the instant ramen he was eating. She had a wild grin on her face.
“Brother!” She exclaimed. “You’ll never guess what happened!”
He finished slurping up a bite of noodles and swallowed. “Did it have to do with the new kid?”
“Well, duh, it had to do with the new kid,” she said, tossing her book bag on the table and sitting down across from him. “But this time was di fferent.”
Gyutaro leaned forward and set his chin on his hand, vaguely bored as Daki started her story.
“Okay, so it all started at lunch, right?” She said. “I was shit talking the new kid to all my friends-“
“As per usual.”
Daki shot him a glare. “Let me finish. I was shit talking the new kid and they overheard me, right as I was talking about how they were a boy-stealing, bitch-faced slut. And, like, if I was them, I totally would’ve squared up, right there. But they didn’t say shit! They just kinda looked at me with this hurt expression-“
“Well yeah, you were literally shit talking them.”
She hu ffed. “As I was saying, they looked all hurt and stu f, and walked away like some hurt puppy or some shit. But I totally didn’t feel bad. I mean, I’m the victim here!” Gyutaro wordlessly nodded his head and hummed, trying not to roll his eyes.
“But. But!” She leaned forward, grinning with her eyes alight. “Later, I was walking through the halls and overheard them talking with Douma. Not just talking, oh no—they were straight up rejecting him!”
Th is made Gyutaro’s ears perk up. “Oh?”
“Right?!” She exclaimed. “ They said something about, like, him not being their type or whatever, so they should just stay friends. A stone-cold-bitch move, if you ask me.”
Gyutaro didn’t know if he should be relieved or disappointed by this information. On one hand, he was relieved that you didn’t have feelings for Douma, or anyone as far as he knew. But on the other hand, if a guy as good-looking as Douma wasn’t good enough for you, there was no way he had even a sliver of chance.
Daki noticed Gyutaro’s focus had started to wander, and she snapped her fingers to get his attention. “Hey! I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.”
Gyutaro reclined back in his chair, cocking his head with interest even though the pang in his heart was nearly unbearable. “Which would be...?”
“A fter they totally le t him in the dust all sad and heartbroken,” the pang in Gyutaro’s heart twisted, “Guess who gave him a shoulder to cry on?”
“Hm... Let me think...” He tapped his chin. “Was it you?”
“It was me!” She all but shrieked, and proceeded to run and throw herself onto the couch, stu fing a pillow in her face and screaming with her legs kicking back and forth in the air. “Oh my god, it was me! It was so romantic, too! Like, right out of a movie kind of romantic! And oh my god, Gyu, you will not believe how good he smells-“
Gyutaro tuned out his sister’s rambling about how perfect Douma was, setting out to finish his now-cold ramen and try his best to look apathetic.
When Daki’s screams had died down enough for her to talk, she poked her head up, and looked at her brother, still grinning. “Oh, also, the new kid? They’re coming over tomorrow.”
Gyutaro nearly choked on his noodles.
“ They’re what?” He coughed, wiping at the noodle splatters on his mouth.
“Coming over tomorrow.” Daki got up and skipped over to where he sat. “Since it’s a Friday, they might stay the night, too.”
“Stay the night?!”
She nodded eagerly. “Yup! A ter that whole thing in the hallway, I went up to them to apologize for all the shit-talking I did. I mean, they totally did me a solid with that little stunt! And then we kept talking, and it turns out we have, like, a ton in common. So now we’re besties!”
Gyutaro’s heart was pounding as he tried to wrap his head around all of this. She’d hated your guts just the day before. Was she really able to change her tune this quickly? And you were okay with that, enough so to come over to their apartment a fter being friends for a day?
Oh, shit, he thought, dread washing over him at this realization. You were going to come to their apartment. His apartment, technically, as he paid the rent, but that only makes it worse. You’ll see how broken his family is, the shithole of a house they live in, just how useless of a parent figure he is. All of the things that he’d tried so hard to bury away since he got to high school. He looked around, and the dread only mounted more; this place was ugly, falling apart, filthy-
He stood up suddenly. Filthy. He couldn’t help how poorly-made the apartment was, but he could control how clean it was.
“Brother?” Daki asked as he began to walk away. “Where are you going?”
“I’m gonna clean,” he replied. “If your friend’s coming over, I at least don’t want our place to look like a shithole.”
Daki frowned. “But it is a shithole.”
“Not for long,” he answered, beginning to pull various cleaning supplies out of the closet. “Not if I can help it.”
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Gyutaro bounced his leg. He twiddled with his fingers, anxiously glancing at the clock every few seconds. He was sweaty. His heart kept pounding like he was running a marathon, no matter how hard he tried to calm it down.
His manager had let him leave early (thank god she pitied his poor little life) so he’d be home before you got there. He wanted to make sure nothing was out of place—first impressions were everything
4:56 PM. Four minutes until you arrived.
Daki took a crunching bite out of her apple, looking at her brother quizzically from where she stood in the kitchen. “You good, brother? I know you’re not good around people, but it’s just one person. They’ll only see you for a second, anyway.”
“I’m fine,” he said, sounding harsher than he meant to. He took a deep breath, and tried again with a sof ter tone. “I’m fine. Really.”
She shrugged. “Whatever you say, bro.”
He checked the clock. 4:57. Three minutes until you arrived.
The doorbell rang.
Fuck, you were here early!
Daki took one last bite out of her apple, quickly chewing and swallowing before skipping over to the door and opening it with a cheery “Hi!”
He heard you greet her and come inside, closing the door behind you. He didn’t look up. He didn’t know if he could. Maybe if he sat still long enough, you wouldn’t notice him. Or at least not try to talk to him.
“Wow,” he heard you say. “Your place is... really clean. Like, super clean.” Gyutaro’s heart swelled a bit. His hours of work weren’t for nothing a ter all.
“Yup!” Daki nodded. “ That’s all my older brother’s doing. He was nervous about having a guest, so he power-washed this place from top to bottom.”
Dammit Ume! is This not the time! He thought furiously to himself, heart beating even faster. As much as he adored her having pride in him, he wanted nothing more than to disappear. As long as they don’t notice me, he thought, I should be fine-
“He’s right here!” Daki chirped, louncing over to the couch and tapping his shoulder. “Oi, brother, say hi!”
God fucking dammit, Ume.
Begrudgingly, he turned his head around, o fering a smile that he hoped didn’t look too much like a grimace. Maybe you don’t remember him...?
Upon seeing him, your eyes lit up with recognition. “Oh my god, Daki, you didn’t tell me your brother was Turtle Boy!”
Fuck.
Daki raised a brow. “Huh? Turtle Boy?”
You nodded, now excited. “Yeah! We ran into each other last week at the library, and he helped me research for a biology project, because apparently I know nothing about turtles.”
This is just getting worse by the minute, Gyutaro thought.
Daki barked out a laugh and covered her mouth. “Oh my god, do not get me started on this one and turtles. Throughout all of middle school the only thing he wanted was a pet turtle. Like, he was obsessed with them. He had posters, books, bedsheets...” she turned to him. “You probably still have all your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle DVDs, right?”
At that moment, it occurred to Gyutaro that curling up in a hole and passing away sounded like a wonderful idea.
You giggled. It was music to Gyutaro’s ears. “Yeah, that definitely explains a lot,” you said. You turned to him. “Are you looking to study them in college? Turtles, I mean. I think you’d make a great biologist.”
Daki burst out laughing. “College?” She wheezed. “Dude, my brother’s a high school dropout. It’d be a miracle and a half if he went to college.”
Gyutaro’s ears burned and he felt himself shrinking in on himself. Daki just couldn’t keep her big mouth shut, could she? He fixed his eyes on the ground, not daring to look up and see what kind of horribly pitiful expression you were looking at him with.
Daki’s laughter died down, and she gestured for you to follow her. “C’mon, let me show you around.” For once, Gyutaro was grateful his sister couldn’t stay on one topic for the life of her. You nodded, and followed as Daki led you down the hall to her room.
As soon as you were out of earshot, Gyutaro let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and slumped into the couch.
So much for first impressions.
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The evening went by quickly, and soon it was dark. A fter you and Daki had finished watching your movie, she pranced out to the kitchen with you in tow. Gyutaro hadn’t moved from where he sat on the couch, aimlessly scrolling through Netflix shows that looked interesting but he knew he was never going to watch.
“So,” Daki munched on a chip from the bag in her hand. “D’you wanna start getting ready for bed soon?”
You gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I can’t stay the night. I have to get up early for work tomorrow.” You checked the time on your phone. “My ride’s gonna come by soon, actually.”
Gyutaro couldn’t tell if he was relieved or disappointed. Sure, if you stayed over he probably wouldn’t be able to get a wink of sleep, but in a way, he was kind of looking forward to it.
Daki hu ffed, pu fing her cheeks out and pouting. “Aw, man! That’s no fun.”
“I know, sorry,” you said sheepishly. “We could do this again sometime, though.”
At once her expression shi ted into one of excitement. “Yes! And we’ll actually have a sleepover this time.”
Daki’s phone rang. She set her chips on the counter and pulled the buzzing device out of her pocket, confused, but her eyes widened as she saw who was calling her.
“Eep! It’s Douma! I’ve gotta take it, I’ll be just a few minutes!”
You nodded in understanding, and she all but ran into the other room. Vaguely, you could hear her cheery ‘Hey, Douma! What’s up?’ from down the hall as she answered.
It was quiet. Almost uncomfortably so. With the way the room was laid out, the back of the couch faced the kitchen, so Gyutaro knew the most you could see of him was the back of his head. It put him a little bit at ease, and half of him hoped you’d ignore him until Daki got of f the phone. He didn’t know how much more he could take of the intense heat of your gaze.
He jumped when you sat down on the couch next to him.
“Sorry,” you said, giving him another one of those apologetic smiles. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“S’fine,” he said, unable to meet your eye. He continued scrolling through Net flix, going up to his ‘recently watched.’
You pointed at the screen. “You watch th e Blue Planet?” You chuckled to yourself. “Well, I suppose I’m not exactly surprised.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve, uh, finished it, actually...”
You giggled and Gyutaro internally kicked himself. Did he want you to see him as an even bigger loser than you already did?
You seemed to notice his lushed cheeks, and tilted your head. “Hey, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s a good show.”
“Yeah,” he said, and that was all he could say. He didn’t want to open his mouth and make a fool of himself again.
It was silent for a while. And then; “Why’d you drop out?”
Th e sudden question made Gyutaro freeze up, and he slowly turned to look at you. Upon seeing his expression, you o ffered a sheepish smile and looked down.
“Sorry, that was pretty intrusive,” you said, scratching the back of your head. “You can forget I asked.”
“It’s fine,” Gyutaro answered almost too quickly, desperate to stay in conversation with you to avoid the awkward silence from before. “It’s not a big deal. A part-time job just wasn’t making enough to take care of my sister and I. Th at’s all there is to it.”
“Oh.” You were quiet for a moment, chewing the inside of your mouth. “...So you two have been on your own for a while now, huh?”
He shrugged. “More or less. I got emancipated as soon as I turned 16, and took Ume with me, so it’s been about... two years now?”
“ That’s... a long time,” you said. Gyutaro grit his teeth; he could feel it, you were starting to pity him. “So for the past two years, you’ve done... all of this?” you gestured around you.
Gyutaro chuckled hal fheartedly. “Yeah. Pretty sad, right?”
“No,” you replied immediately, which made him raise his brows. “I think it’s amazing.”
His heart leapt to his throat and for a moment, Gyutaro forgot how to breathe. He was about to say something when Daki came prancing back into the room.
“Sorry to keep you so long,” she said, pocketing her phone. She looked at you. “Is your ride here, yet?
You shook your head and pulled out your phone, opening your messages. “No, not yet. I haven’t... Oh, well shit.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, going up to you and peering over your shoulder.
“My ride home,” you grumbled, “can’t make it. Car trouble, or something like that.”
Daki’s brow furrowed. “Shit, what are you gonna do? Should we call you an Uber, or something?”
“Nah, too expensive,” you said. “I can probably just walk. It’s only a mile or so.”
“No way!” Daki exclaimed. “I am not letting you walk home alone in the dark.”
You waved her o f. “I’ll be fine.”
“Absolutely not,” she stated. Her eyes then suddenly lit up with a new idea. “Wait, why don’t we just have Gyutaro take you home?”
Gyutaro tensed at the sound of his name, a jolt of sudden fear shooting up his spine. You continued to wave her o f. “No, I couldn’t. I’ll be fine, really.”
She hu ffed, crossing her arms and turning to her brother. “C’mon, Gyu, you’ll take them home, right?”
“Sure,” he said, hoping his face wasn’t too obviously red. “You can, uh, borrow Ume’s helmet, I guess.”
“Brother only has a motorcycle,” Daki explained as you nodded along. “He’s a really good driver, though, so don’t be worried!”
You smiled so tly. “I’m not.”
Gyutaro’s heart swelled. Awkwardly, he stood up, and gestured to the door. “Are we gonna head out now, or...?”
You nodded, and the two siblings made quick work of getting you set up. Soon enough, you were strapping on Daki’s bright pink helmet and straddling the back seat of the rumbling motorcycle.
Gyutaro looked back at you, the visor to his full-face helmet lipped up and voice slightly mu ted. “You ready?”
You gave him a thumbs up, and he flipped his visor back down before launching the bike forward.
“Bye-bye!” Daki shouted from the porch as you sped o f.
Your arms had been at your side, but af ter the sudden movement, you instinctively pressed forward to wrap your arms around Gyutaro’s waist and hold tight. His waist was incredibly small, you noted—even with your arms around him you could grab onto each of your elbows if you so desire. You could also clearly feel the back of his spine and ribs as they pressed into your chest.
Gyutaro, as self-conscious as he was, was hyper-aware of how close you were, how there was no hiding his scrawny little body beneath clothes from you anymore. His neck heated up with embarrassment, and he sped up a bit in an ef fort to distract himself.
Clueless to his distressed inner being, you decided to be bold and experiment a little, and pulled in closer. Th is had gone beyond simply holding onto him for support—you wanted to know what it felt like to really hold him.
And to your surprise, it felt good.
The drive must have only lasted a few minutes, but it felt even shorter than that to you with how quickly you found yourself having to pull yourself o f of Gyutaro and hop o f the motorcycle. He shut the bike o f, and nodded his head towards the house.
“Th is you?” He asked, to which you nodded. He put up the kickstand and hopped o f, holding out his hand. You took o f your helmet and passed it to him, and he tucked it into the bike’s back compartment.
“Th anks,” you said. “I really appreciate it.” He shrugged. “It’s not a problem.”
“Well... goodnight,” you said, turning on your heel to head to your door. A ter a few steps, you stopped, whipping back around. “Wait, before I forget!”
He cocked his head. You rushed back up to him, holding out the glowing screen of your phone. He was still confused.
“Y’know, just to keep in contact,” you said, and then it clicked. You wanted his number.
Why the fuck would you want his number?
“Uh,” he wasn’t sure what to do; this had never happened before. “Sure.”
Hesitantly, as if you were about to yank it away any second, he took your phone and typed in his number. Gyutaro was incredibly glad that the visor to his full-face helmet was down—otherwise you’d surely see his sweaty, beet-red face.
“What should I put my contact as?” he asked.
“How about... Turtle Boy?” You grinned. The heat in Gyutaro’s face rose even further.
He handed you back your phone, and you bid each other goodnight. During his ride home, he couldn’t stop thinking about how you weren’t repulsed by his appearance, or judgemental of his financial situation, or pitying his home life. For Gyutaro, this very well might have been a first.
You just treated him normally. It was one of the best feelings he’s ever had.
.
.
.
Gyutaro was on break at work, scrolling through his phone, when it suddenly buzzed with a message alert. He tapped on it, and his heart sped up just the tiniest bit when he saw it was from you.
New Kid: hey hey gyu
New Kid: are you free tonight?
He was confused. at was the kind of question you ask someone if you want to spend time with them. Surely that couldn’t be what you’d meant. He swi tly texted back.
Turtle Boy: Yeah, why?
New Kid: well i was gonna see that new psychological horror movie with daki, but she ditched me for douma >:(
Gyutaro’s brow furrowed.
Turtle Boy: And what does this have to do with me?
New Kid: i’m asking if you wanna come see it with me instead, stupid
New Kid: i really wanna see it but i’ll look like a total loser if i go alone
Gyutaro’s heart pounded. You were asking him out. Well, no, not ‘asking him out’ in the allusion sense of the phrase, but you were asking if he wanted to go out somewhere. With you. It wasn’t a date. But, well, it wasn’t quite not a date, either.
He shook his head. He couldn’t get himself too caught up in overthinking it, so he went ahead and texted back.
Turtle Boy: Sure, that sounds fun
Shit, did that sound casual enough?
Turtle Boy: How much are the tickets?
New Kid: oh don’t worry about that, i’ll cover you!!
New Kid: you’re basically saving me soooo
His eyes widened. You were... paying for him? Why are you paying for him? That’s the kind of thing you’d do if you were, well... taking someone on a date.
He shook his head, remembering the last time you’d been at his apartment. You’d heard his financial situation loud and clear; you were just pitying him. You probably o ffered to pay because you didn’t think he could himself.
An ugly knot twisted in his stomach at the thought, and without thinking it through, typed out a reply.
Turtle Boy: Actually, I think I might stay in tonight. I want to make sure my sister’s home in time.
New Kid: oh okay!! we can always do it sometime else
Gyutaro felt like throwing his phone across the room. Had he seriously just lied to reject an invitation to the movies—something he had quite literally never received before—from you, the only person he’d actually ever want to see a movie with. He smacked his hand on his face. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world.
‘Sometime else...,’ you had said. So maybe Gyutaro didn’t totally sink the ship. Maybe there really would be another time when you’d want to go to the movies with him. Alone.
He stu ffed his phone in his pocket, knowing damn well that if an opportunity like this ever did arise again, he’d just fuck it up, like he always seemed to do.
.
.
.
“I can’t fucking believe you!” Daki shouted, seething with rage. “It’s Friday night, why can’t I go to Enmu’s party?!”
“Because Enmu’s a perverted douchebag, that’s why,” Gyutaro spat. “You’re not going, end of discussion.”
“You’re not the boss of me!”
Gyutaro’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, I am. I’m your legal guardian, actually, so yeah, I am the boss of you.”
She groaned in exasperation, clutching her face. “You’re not being fair!”
“How is it unfair that I don’t want you out at night when a bunch of good-for-nothing teenagers are out on the streets, drowning themselves in cheap tequila?”
“‘Good-for-nothing?’ Hah! You’re one to talk,” She said. “Just because you’re jealous that you never get invited to anywhere because you’re such a weird fucking freak doesn’t mean you get to take it out on me!”
Gyutaro stood up. “Watch it, Ume.”
“My name is Daki!” She screeched. “Can’t you get that through your thick fucking skull?! It’s not my fault that you’re so socially inept you can hardly handle any kind of interaction. Hell, even watching you say hi to (Name) is painful!”
“Don’t bring them into this,” he growled.
“What? Upset that I found out about your little crush?” She taunted. “God, you’re so obvious it hurts. Like you’ll ever have a chance with them. And you know what?” She suddenly got this evil little glint in her eye that made Gyutaro’s gut fill with dread. “I’m gonna do you a favor and tell them right now.”
She shot up the stairs to her room, and Gyutaro stared, shellshocked, before tripping over himself to race a fter her.
“Ume, don’t you fucking dare!” He shouted up the stairs as he chased her. “Ume! I’m serious!”
“And I’m Daki!”
He was out of breath, ravaged from his sudden burst of energy by the time he stopped at her door, watching and gasping in horror as she dangled her phone in her hands, grinning mockingly.
“Ume,” Gyutaro said, voice low and even. “Put the phone down.”
“Hm... How about... no?” She chirped, before pressing a button on the screen, the action followed by the telltale sound of a text message being delivered.
“You bitch!” Gyutaro had all but lost it at this point, seeing nothing but red. He snatched the phone from her hands and sent it clattering down the hall, screen shattering instantly. Daki let out a little yelp in surprise. “Why would you do this? Why the fuck would you do this to me?! I gave you everything. I dropped out of school so I could take care of you. I work overtime every other week to pay for your meals and your stupid fancy fucking clothes that you’re so hellbent on getting. I don’t have friends. I don’t have a fucking life because of you. And you’re still set on ruining the one thing that I actually had a chance with? The one time I get to be a normal fucking teenager and not a surrogate parent?”
Daki’s face was pale and her eyes were wide with fear, and quickly welling with tears. “Brother, I-”
“Don’t you think I know?” He shouted. “Don’t you think I know I don’t have a chance with them? That I never did? I know I’m ugly. I know I’m a fucking loser. But they never-” his voice broke suddenly, and he fell to his knees with a heavy thud. “... they never made me feel that way.”
His throat hurt as he tried to speak, tears spilling over when he screwed his eyes shut. “I don’t care if they’d never even think about dating me. Being their friend was enough. They made me happy. And now it’s gone, there’s no way they’ll ever look at me the same. People like me aren’t meant to find love, but-” he bit back a sob, choking. “...But I think I got pretty damn close.”
He wiped at the tears and snot his face, not caring that he was crying like a newborn baby. Hesitantly, Daki crouched down, her own mascara-tinted tears dripping down her chin. At once, she threw herself onto him and squeezed, almost knocking him over in the process.
“Brother, I’m sorry!” She sobbed. “I-I didn’t know you felt that way. I didn’t mean anything I said, I was just upset. I didn’t think... I didn’t think telling them would actually matter...” She buried her face in his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I make your life so di ficult. I’ll stop buying clothes! I can stay in at night! Please, brother... please don’t hate me...”
The white-hot anger in Gyutaro’s chest had long fizzled out, and now he just felt cold, hollow, and so, so vulnerable. He put his hand up to the back of her head with a sad smile. “I don’t hate you, U- Daki. I don’t hate you. I was upset, too. I didn’t mean any of it. You’re not a burden. You can keep buying your clothes and going to your parties. You’re my pride and joy, my little sister. And this doesn’t change that.”
He gently petted her hair as she wept, clutching his shirt in her fist so tightly like it was a lifeline.
“I’m sorry,” she cried, voice weak. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know, little one,” he cooed, pressing a kiss to her head. “I know.” .
.
.
Daki wasn’t at school today.
Th at was the first thing you’d realized that morning when you’d gotten to school. Usually, Gyutaro took extra care to drop her o f early, so she’d never even be a second late for her first class. Most of the time, she’d end up being late of her own volition, though. Oh, well. There’s only so much her older brother could do, you suppose.
Her older brother... Last night, you’d received an especially strange text from Daki. ‘fun fact, Gyutaro has a huge crush on you,’ she’d said, words that made your heart clench with giddiness.
Sure, you had an inkling that her brother harbored feelings for you; he was hardly subtle. Though his awkward demeanor and lack of subtlety only added to his charm, in your opinion. But still, it was nice to have confirmation before you made any real moves on him.
But when you’d replied to her, she didn’t respond. You’d assumed that she was busy snapchatting Douma, so you waited and checked again a ter a half an hour. Still, nothing. So then you’d decided that you’d just confront her at school tomorrow morning and get the whole thing straightened out—and then she wasn’t there.
Af ter your second period had ended and Daki still didn’t show up, you were getting a little worried, and decided to text her brother. Sure, there was a lot to be talked about between you and him, but right now, Daki was both of your priorities.
‘Hey, is Daki sick or smth?? She’s not at school and she hasn’t responded to me,’ you finished typing out the message and hit send.
Only to be greeted with a red exclamation mark and the words ‘not delivered.’
...Okay, weird. You didn’t have the best service in the classroom, but usually your texts still go through. You tried to send it again, and still, not delivered.
He wouldn’t block me, right? You thought nervously to yourself. Of course he wouldn’t; something as petty and cowardly as that was much too beneath him.
To test this theory, you sent a quick ‘hello’ text to Douma. You hadn’t texted in a while, but he and Daki were pretty much o fficial now, so there’s really no harm.
You hit send, and the text immediately went through.
Th at motherfucker actually blocked me.
At this point, you were more than a little pissed. Daki wasn’t responding, Gyutaro fucking blocked you, all the while you were itching to profess your love once and for all. You really couldn’t catch a break, huh?
A ter school ended, you got in your car and made a beeline for the Shabanas’ apartment. is was getting settled one way or another, and if you had to break down their door to do it, then so be it.
You rang the doorbell and stepped back, crossing your arms as you stared intently at the door, waiting for it to open. It didn’t matter which of the siblings ended up answering—they were both gonna end up getting a piece of your mind either way.
It was Daki who answered. She cracked open the door, and her eyes widened when she saw you.
“H-hey-”
“Daki, what the hell?” You forced open the door to let yourself inside, and she stepped back, not trying to stop you. “Why aren’t you answering my texts? And what the actual fuck is up with Gyutaro?”
“My phone broke,” she answered, opting to leave out the part where it was Gyutaro who broke it. “My brother’s out getting me a new one.”
...Okay, that was valid. Your temper simmered down a little bit, but that still didn’t explain the other half of the problem.
“And what about Gyutaro? I haven’t heard a word from you guys all day, and-”
She cut you o f mid-sentence with a cry of “Please don’t hurt my brother!”
You paused, your words dying on your tongue. “Daki, what-”
“He’s hurt enough already, and it’s all my fault,” she said, beginning to cry. “I don’t want him to hurt more.”
“Daki, what are you-”
“We had a fight, and I sent that text to get back at him, but I didn’t know how upset it’d make him!” She was rambling now, hiccuping on her explanation.
“Daki, please-”
“I don’t know if he could take it if you rejected him, he might actually kill himself, and I can’t live on my own,” she continued her mindless babbling. “So please, can we just pretend like none of this ever happened-”
“Daki, I’m in love with your brother.”
“-and go back to normal and my brother will be fine and,” she stopped suddenly, finally registering your words. She looked up at you, almost unbelieving. “You... You’re what?”
As heated as the moment was, you couldn’t suppress the giddy smile that split across your face at the confession. “I’m in love with your brother, Daki. I like him, too.”
She was silent for a moment, as if processing your words. en all at once, she pulled you into a tight, excited embrace, tears gone and replaced by pure elation.
“Why didn’t you say so?” She squealed. “Oh my god, brother’s gonna be so happy! He’s never dated anyone, did you know that? He hasn’t even had his first kiss yet. Oh my god, I can’t believe you actually like him.” She suddenly pulled away, hands still on your shoulders, staring at you intensely. “You’re not joking, right? No take-backsies?”
“I’m not joking,” you assured her, still grinning. “And I won’t be taking anything back.”
She squealed once more, clapping her hands together in delight. “Yay, you guys are gonna be so cute! When are you going to tell him?”
“Now, if I can help it,” you said. “Where is he?”
“At that electronics store downtown,” she replied, almost tripping over her words with how fast she was trying to get them out. “He lef t not too long ago, so if you hurry, you might be able to catch him.”
That was all the encouragement you needed to go running out the door and back to your car, Daki cheering you on as you sped out of her driveway, leaving skid marks in the asphalt.
Th e drive went by in a flash. All of a sudden, you found yourself outside of the electronics store. You pulled into the parking lot, and just then, you spotted Gyutaro walking out of the doors.
You put your car in park right there and jumped out. You didn’t care that you were halfway pulled in and taking up two parking spots; this was more important.
“Turtle boy!” You shouted from across the lot. He whipped his head around to look at you, stunned. You grinned, and bolted in his direction.
“Oh... Uh... it’s you...,” he mumbled as you skidded to a stop in front of him, out of breath and probably looking more than a little crazy.
“Why the fuck did you block me?” Okay, those definitely weren’t the words you’d meant to come out of your mouth, but it was a conversation starter nonetheless!
He stepped back a little, wide-eyed like some terrified cornered animal. “Uh, I-I-”
“More to the point, why didn’t you tell me?” You pushed forward, getting in his face as he tried to stumble away from you. At this point, you practically had him pinned against the wall. “I mean, I was gonna bring it up myself sooner or later, but did I really have to find out through Daki of all people?”
He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. He looked like he was about to burst into tears.
“...I’m sorry,” he croaked, voice raspy and just above a whisper. “I-it’s okay, though—I’ll leave you alone from now on. You’ll never have to see me again. I’m sorry.”
You blinked at him. Did he seriously think you were there to reject him? Had he not noticed the painfully obvious signs that you had a thing for him that you’d been giving since day one?
A ter you didn’t move or speak at his words, he shrunk and turned his face away, screwing his eyes shut. “...Please... I know already, just... You can leave now...”
“Gyutaro.” He visibly flinched at his name, and in that moment, you snapped.
You grabbed his jaw and wrenched his face forward, not waiting another moment before crashing your lips onto his. It was ugly, it was messy, and it kinda hurt a little bit, but still you pressed into the kiss, determined. You heard a sound of surprise escape from his throat.
When you pulled away with a quiet smack, he was looking at you as if you’d sprouted another head. A ter that burst of bravado, you ended up feeling a bit embarrassed.
“...Sorry,” you said, awkwardly patting his cheek. “I, uh, definitely should’ve asked first.”
“It’s fine,” he said quickly. “I didn’t... I didn’t mind it.”
“Oh. Good.”
It was silent. Uncomfortably so. You were both on the verge of saying something, but neither of you wanted to make the first move.
It ended up being Gyutaro who broke the silence. “Why did you...” He trailed o f, couldn’t finish his words, but you knew what he was asking.
“I’m in love with you.” Welp, there it was. No coming back from this now. You’ve come this far making a fool out of yourself—parking like a drunkard, cornering him like some predator, giving him what you were sure was the worst possible first kiss he could’ve had—you might as well see it to the end.
You sucked in a breath. “I’m in love with you. And I wish I could say I’m embarrassed by putting it so bluntly, but I’m not. Honestly, I’ve run out of fucks to give.”
He cracked a smile at your last few words, albeit a hesitant one, but it disappeared just as quick. He still sort of looked like he was ready to cry.
“You’re lying” He whispered, eyes glassy and on the verge of actually crying. “You’ve gotta be.”
“Oh my god, Gyu, I’m not fucking lying!” You slumped your head forward in frustration, and he jumped. “I like you! I want to kiss your stupid little face and talk about turtles and- and do whatever else it is that makes you happy because I’m in love with you.”
Silence. And then, “...You’re being serious?”
“Yes, oh my god, I’m being serious,” you said, exasperated. “Why else would I do all this? I don’t go running across parking lots for just anyone.”
Silence again. He snif fed. You looked up, and saw that his tears had finally spilled over. But this time, he looked... happy. Genuinely happy.
He realized you were seeing him cry like a loser, and he turned away rubbing his eyes. “S-sorry, I just... this... th is has never happened to me before. I didn’t think...”
“It’s okay,” you whispered, bringing your hand up to brush away some of his tears. It only made more spill out.
He gulped, and chewed on his bottom lip. “Can I...?”
You assumed he was asking if he could kiss you again, so you nodded, closing your eyes and tilting your head for his access. You were surprised to feel the solid weight of his head plop onto your shoulder, burying his face in the crook of your neck and inhaling shakily. When he breathed out, he tried hard to suppress his shudder.
You wrapped your arms around his waist, pulling him closer in and clutching his head. You could feel him smile against your shoulder.
“I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” he murmured. “I never thought it would actually happen.”
“Well, you thought wrong.” He gave a weak chuckle at your words.
“I guess I did,” he said. He pulled away. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
He looked down, suddenly shy. “Why... why me? I’m so ugly and weird a-and gross...”
“Hey,” you cut him o f with a stern look. “None of that while I’m here. I like you for you. You’re smart and funny and so awkward in this cute way and... I could list things forever, really.”
“But,” he pressed, “I’m so ugly and you’re so—so not.”
“I mean, I won’t lie to you and tell you you’re conventionally attractive.”
Okay, ouch. at stung a little bit. But he supposed that your harsh bluntness was better than sugarcoating it or beating around the bush. You’ve been nothing if not honest all this time, and he truly appreciated it.
“But,” you continued, once again bringing your hand up to cup his cheek. “While that may be true, for some reason I can’t help thinking you might be the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Heat rushed up his neck and for a second, he felt as if he might faint. Were you trying to kill him? You were trying to kill him, weren’t you?
“So...,” he started, painfully awkward yet again. “Are we dating now or...?”
You snorted. “I’d fucking hope so.”
“Just checking...” he leaned down to nestle his head against your shoulder once more, taking a deep inhale.
Th e two of you stayed like that for a while. Standing in silence, holding each other like it was the last thing you’ll ever do. Af ter a good while, though, you spoke up.
“You should probably get Daki her phone,” you said sof tly. “Knowing her, she’s probably having withdrawal symptoms by now.”
He snorted, but reluctantly pulled his head from the crook of your neck. “Probably. I should get going.” The look on his face told you that he wanted to do anything but.
“I can meet you there,” you said quickly. “At your apartment. You can take your bike and take my car. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” he answered just as quickly, then paused. “...You’re gonna be there?”
He sounded as if he didn’t believe you, like maybe this was some elaborate prank you were playing on him and you were going to stand him up just like he thought you should.
“I’ll be there. Promise. In fact,” you reached down to take the plastic bag that held Daki’s new phone from his hand. “I’ll take this. at way you know I’ll be there, at least to give it to Daki.”
“Okay.” He still looked doubtful, but your words made his face so ten, just a little. “Okay.”
.
.
.
so i binged the new season of kny and was possessed to write this for gyutaro because he is the only boy ever
might make a lil epilogue if it’s well received enough
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
izzy806
origamiaround
blakekathryn
kaledo-art
