Faster Than the Lilac-coloured Petals Can Fall
Written for Into the Rainbow: Vrains Shipping Week
Turn 6 #VSWLilac
Ship: Hotdogshipping | Shoichi/Yusaku
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains
Title: Faster Than the Lilac-coloured Petals Can Fall
Word Count: 3,144
Rating: T
Warnings: Underage
Tags: Alternate Universe - Faster Than A Kiss, Age Gap, Marriage Proposals
On the surface, a high energy teacher and a low energy student have poor compatibility. Computer science teacher Kusanagi Shoichi was often described by his students as being akin to a golden retriever in enthusiasm and friendliness, he tried really hard to rather good results, he was fair and likeable. However, he was weak to students who had too strong a will and too hard a head, finding them difficult to work with. Though, given how he was literally fresh out of university at twenty-four, that’s not surprising.
Meanwhile, third year Fujiki Yusaku was not any of those things. He wasn’t hard-headed, he wasn’t overly enthusiastic in his studies nor friendly to his peers. He was content to sit in the far right corner of the classroom and stare out the window with a melancholic expression on his face. He would just scrape by on average grades, pleaded by teachers to work a little harder. Pleaded by all teachers to do sans Kusanagi Shoichi.
To Kusanagi-sensei’s other students, it was assumed it was because he disliked Yusaku’s lacklustre attitude towards his education. However, the truth was anything but. After all, Shoichi’s favourite thing to nag Yusaku at dinner was about how his grades were forever wavering at about the barely passing mark. And yes, Shoichi nagged Yusaku about this to him every night, even on nights that Yusaku cooked.
See, twenty four year old Kusanagi-sensei and sixteen year old Fujiki-kun are married. And they have been married for about a few months now.
Three months ago, Yusaku and his six year old little brother Ai were orphaned. Their parents were killed in an accident and there were no safeguards in place for them due to the suddenness of the accident. Yusaku kept a brave face for his younger brother as the pair of them were tossed about from distant relative to distant relative until enough was enough. No one wanted the unsociable teenager or his bratty younger brother so Yusaku walked out. He took Ai and their meagre suitcases and walked out into the big, wide world… only getting so far as the local park before the situation really sunk in.
They had no money. No welfare. No social capital. Though Yusaku was quietly confident in his ability to scrape together something, the lack of foresight was upsetting Ai and it was getting very late. Yet despite it being well past midnight, a saviour did stroll into the park and that saviour wore a plain pair of glasses and crumpled suit and taught computer science: it was Yusaku’s very own homeroom teacher.
“Thirty-five thousand.” Kusanagi said to Yusaku, holding up three fingers. And then the bid went up.
“I don’t need your money.” Yusaku sneered.
“Forty thousand. Hell,fifty-five thousand. That’s how much I’m willing to spend to keep you on your feet.” Kusanagi kept going. “Come to my place, let me give you somewhere safe to stay.”
“I don’t need your sympathy.” Yusaku snarled.
“It's not sympathy!” Kusanagi yelled back.
“Oh, really?” Yusaku retorted, standing his ground and standing up off the park bench. “Then why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and marry me?”
“I will then!” Kusanagi snapped back.
Their raised voices began to make Ai cry but the deal had been done. Kusanagi grabbed Yusaku’s hand and Yusaku grabbed Ai’s and Ai grabbed the bags and together, they were all strung along and taken home. Then, the next thing Yusaku knew was that he was taking a bath at his teacher’s apartment and, better yet, his younger brother was being pampered by said teacher, too. For being a big, strong boy in the face of the adversity that he and Yusaku were going through. When Shoichi gave Ai some grape flavoured lolly, that was the first time that Yusaku had seen Ai smile in weeks. It made his heart flutter, he would admit.
Staying with Shoichi, Yusaku learned of a whole new world about him. He seemed plain and puppy-like but he had a lot going on. He was constantly squirrelling money away for his younger brother who had to live in professional, assisted living because of his intellectual disabilities and such. That, apparently, Shoichi had been bit of a rebel in his youth. Things like that. It made Yusaku feel very… surreal.
Together, he and Shoichi wrote up a contract of what to expect in this ramshackle marriage between teacher and student. Shoichi teased Yusaku about a thrilling lifestyle from the next day onwards but it was more tedious, even embarrassing, than thrilling, as it would turn out. Shoichi didn’t even seem interested in touching Yusaku, which was becoming bit of a complex for him as of late. After all, in the three months, they had become quite close and yet…
And yet Shoichi seemed entirely uninterested in the budding youth that slept beside him every night. Yusaku found it quite disconcerting. After all, wasn’t Shoichi a man?
He certainly seemed like one with his long showers after work, the haphazardly hidden porn in search history, and he seemed like one physically. How his stink was strangely alluring, the shape of his face and how it was adorned with facial hair. Yusaku had become quite attracted to Shoichi but it didn’t seem reciprocated. Though, ultimately, Yusaku supposed that Shoichi was a teacher before he was a man of personal desires. But Yusaku still pined, for at least a first kiss.
It was probably better that they did without those sorts of rituals common to actual, married couples. It would be a disaster after all if anyone caught the scent of suspicious behaviour surrounding them. Kissing Shoichi would likely make them too close, Yusaku concluded as he stared out the window, ignoring his name being called, even though he had classmates poking and prodding him, reminding him that his attendance had to be taken.
He could hear them, of course. The nonchalance was all purposeful but eventually he did pipe up for attendance, making Kusanagi-sensei performatively huff and puff about punctuality. And it absolutely was performative because later, as he was patrolling the classroom, he passed Yusaku a most salacious note about how he was going to make meatloaf for dinner tonight, pissing Yusaku off. He tried so hard and he thought Shoichi did too but that just made it all for naught.
It was an inconspicuous little sticky note but it got Yusaku up in arms. It was evidence of their inappropriate relationship, even if it was anonymous. It was like Shoichi wanted to be found out. Yusaku confronted Shoichi about it at dinner, over the meatloaf that he did indeed make for them, but was merely waved off. It was fun to be flagrant and risque and it just made Yusaku confused.
“It's infuriating how hot and cold you can be.” Yusaku sneered as he stabbed the meatloaf with a fork. “Some days, you don’t even look at me and then you pull stunts like that. It's like you want to get us in trouble.”
Shoichi didn’t have anything to say to that. Yusaku’s accusations weren’t too far from the truth but he still hadn’t meant to hit a nerve that deep. Before he could say something a little too loud and something he couldn’t take back, Ai began to whimper as a warning.
Thus, their row couldn’t get too big, though, and even though Yusaku did want to make it big because he didn’t want to get Shoichi in trouble despite his feelings but because of Ai. Ai started to tear up at the table as Shoichi and Yusaku began raising their voices at one another but was fortunately placated when Shoichi asked for Ai’s help to wash the dishes and since he helped, that meant another sweet in his jar. They were really beginning to pile up ever since Shoichi had started spoiling him.
Of course, for every spat, there was something sweet afterwards for Yusaku, not just Ai. A couple nights later, Shoichi took Yusaku on a date, to make up for his shenanigans from the other morning. He hadn’t meant to ruffle feathers so much so a date was very much in order.
He took Yusaku to the beach late at night and left Ai with Shoichi’s friend Kengo who lived two floors above them in the same apartment complex. They didn’t mean to be too long out, just enough to have a breath of fresh air. For this date, Shoichi got his motorcycle out of storage and Yusaku felt nervous around it. He had heard that Shoichi had been a teenage delinquent but seeing the motorcycle made it real for him. There was something gnarly and genuinely rebellious about seeing the motorcycle wheel out of storage. Its carapace was a dark purple with black stripes, it seemed to be an older model but treated extremely well.
“You like it?” Shoichi asked.
“Yeah, it's really cool.” Yusaku replied, awed.
“Better hold on tight then.” he said as he gave Yusaku a second helmet.
They cruised the streets for a while, enjoying the nightlife and Yusaku squeezed Shoichi’s midsection hard. He didn’t typically go so fast but he couldn’t say he didn’t like it. Especially with his face buried in Shoichi’s warm, broad back. It was truly the good life and then when they got to the water’s edge, they pulled up by a pier and it was beautiful.
The waters were a deep black at night but they were lit up, not just with stars that peeked through the light pollution of the city but with bioluminescent plankton, too. Yusaku had never seen anything like it, his eyes were going wide and Shoichi felt his heart skip a beat to witness such a free expression on his totally not spouse’s face.
“I haven’t been somewhere like this in so long.” Yusaku exclaimed as he just drank in the new and unusual sight. “Thank you.”
“No worries.” Shoichi replied and he put his arm around Yusaku and for a whole second, Yusaku was certain they were going to kiss.
They didn’t. Not even in a brief kiss on his forehead but Yusaku did get his hopes up. Just the feeling of Shoichi embracing him from the side made him feel all electric. It too was not something Yusaku had experienced before. He really wanted to be kissed but he knew why he wasn’t but he really wanted it. The butterflies in his stomach squirmed and he chastised himself for it. He ruined his own moment and looking up at Shoichi, he seemed totally oblivious, smiling and enjoying the scenery as he was. Yusaku felt like a pervert.
That feeling would reverse though soon enough. Not too long after they got home, before they could even go a couple floors up in the apartment building to go collect Ai from Kengo, there was a knock on the door - and that knock came accompanied by a voice.
“Hello, Kusanagi-sensei, it’s me, Ishikawa from the English faculty.”
Shoichi felt his blood run cold. Why was a co-worker - and one from a completely different department - here so late. It was, like, eleven o’clock.
“Hello? Shoichi? I’ve been tasked with investigating a rumour that a student has been seen in this vicinity with you.”
Yusaku turned his head to Shoichi: eyes hard and wide, panic overtaking him. Overtaking them both. There was another knock on the door but this knock managed to open it.
“Huh?” Ishikawa murmured. “It's open, well, pardon the intrusion, I just want to clarify this rumour.”
Shoichi grabbed Yusaku’s hand and they both bolted for the closet in the side room. It was a mess. No brains at all to it, just pure instinct as they holed up inside of that small, confined space with all the cleaning supplies and the like. They probably made too much noise but they were trying so hard to be quiet but Yusaku could hear Shoichi’s heart race. He was on top, in between Yusaku’s legs, and his hands were on the walls of the closet, hanging on, nails almost scraping through the wood. Shoichi’s breath was warm and made Yusaku blush.
The minutes that followed were agonising. They were just waiting for something. Anything. It was difficult. To say nothing of just how intense it was to be crowded and on top of each other like that. Yusaku felt himself shift awkwardly and Shoichi pretended not to notice. Their faces were mere inches away from each other. It would be all too easy to have that first kiss of theirs by accident but that would be the nail in the coffin.
The dark, warm air gushed as the closet was finally opened - but not by Shoichi’s coworker. Instead, they were greeted by a very tired looking Doujun Kengo who was hiding beneath his lavender-coloured fringe and a very energetic looking Ai who grinned from ear to ear.
“Found you.” Ai teased.
Shoichi sighed and he could have collapsed on top of Yusaku there, just so much stress evaporated from inside of him. Thank goodness. But it was all well and fine in the end. Kengo helped Shoichi and Ai assisted Yusaku and that was the end of it. Kengo had managed to shoo out Ishikawa by telling him that Shoichi wasn’t around and hadn’t seen anything suspicious - and Ai was surprisingly good at plugging the bluff, too.
The following morning though, it didn’t seem they had gotten away entirely from the rumours. Or even the sensations of the night before. Yusaku was still chastising himself for wanting to be kissed. The night drive being a precious memory to him and even the scandal afterwards still had his own heart racing. He could scarcely hear his classmates as someone asked a dreadful question.
“Kusanagi-sensei,” a voice rang out, “is the rumour about you going out with a high school student true?”
Shoichi shook his head and Yusaku perked up more than he should have as Kusanagi-sensei began his lecture, “You should always fact check and verify information,” he began sternly, “but that rumour is egregiously false.”
The student who asked nodded and took that answer wisely. Besides, wasn’t it a crime? Punishable by getting fired at the very least, if not by jail time or similar. And also disgusting.
Their words were true but they still made Yusaku’s skin crawl as he pretended not to listen. He also noticed the way Shoichi’s grey eyes softened. Was it with guilt or something else? Fortunately the early morning chatter of the homeroom gave way to other topics of conversation but Yusaku made up his mind.
He was getting greedy and perverted. He owed so much to Shoichi for his kindness in the past three months. He shouldn’t risk it. He was sixteen, just shy of seventeen, he wasn’t an adult but surely he could try. He would make it on his own and shelter Ai himself.
That afternoon, Yusaku picked Ai up from his kindergarten and they made off together. He told Ai the truth: he didn’t want to bother Shoichi any longer and risk him getting in trouble. Ai accepted it but he seemed disappointed to leave but he did with Yusaku. So, that evening, Shoichi came home and there was nowhere there to greet him. His apartment was empty.
Yusaku sat on the bench at the train station with Ai underneath his arm. Ai clutched onto his jar of lollies from Shoichi and by their feet was their suitcases neatly packed up. He stared off into the distance, a cold wind blew but Ai was just a nice little heat pack by his side.
Yusaku sighed. He had been happy, he reminisced. They both had been. Shoichi had given them both a lot of happiness and joy, even love, the first of since the accident that had claimed their parents’ lives. But Yusaku didn’t want to endanger that so it was best to abandon it. Yet despite he rationalised it as protecting Shoichi, his heart yearned.
The train began to clink and clatter, encroaching on the station as he came down the line. Yusaku lifted his head and he jostled Ai’s shoulder. He had begun to fall asleep nestled in Yusaku’s side. Understandable, it was getting late. It was very dark.
So dark that Yusaku didn’t didn’t notice dropped lollies on the ground - and Shoichi didn’t either until he had stepped in one, crunching down on it with his boot. Shoichi blinked and when he looked closer, it just wasn’t one. It was many and he felt his heart inflate with hope. It wasn’t too late, he was certain.
Even as the train came closer and closer and Ai finally found his voice to protest. He hugged Yusaku tight and he cried for Shoichi. He begged, teary eyed, didn’t Yusaku love Shoichi, why was he doing this? Yusaku held onto Ai’s hands and there was no way he could explain himself because it was true. He did love Shoichi. It was because he loved him that it was better to stay far, far away but looking into Ai’s big, yellow eyes, Yusaku’s words failed him.
“I found you!” Shoichi yelled.
The train whistled and Ai could have jumped with joy. Yusaku turned around and he felt his heart skip a beat. Shoichi had torn his jacket off, his hair was mess up, he was puffing and panting and Yusaku had never been happier to see him. Yusaku began to smile. He watched as Shoichi shuddered, his back to a cascade of falling jacaranda petals and the chilly wind that blew. He looked handsome and Yusaku could deny himself any more. Neither of them could.
He embraced Yusaku and hugged him hard. Yusaku hugged back and he tilted his head up. Shoichi kissed him and that kiss took his breath away. Shoichi’s kiss was tickled with his goatee and tasted savoury but he had such a deftness to him that was inexplicable and graceful. Yusaku kissed back, clumsy and hungry, and Shoichi adored it. Their kiss left them both breathless in the end and in a husky voice, Shoichi told him.
“I won’t let you go,” he said, he took a breath and his expression was indescribable, his brows were upturned and he looked as though he was holding back tears yet the shine to his eyes was gentle, “nothing’s even happened yet. I’m going to keep both, I promise you that, my job and your smile. You and Ai are really important to me, I want to stay together forever. We’re a family, don’t you think, Yusaku?”
“Y-Yeah,” Yusaku croaked, “we’re family.”
Ai began to bawl and he wanted in on the hug, too. He stuck himself to Yusaku’s leg as Yusaku and Shoichi kissed again to the background of lilac-coloured petals that fell slower than they could kiss.