Chapter Text
September - Week 3
The autumn breeze was crisp on this particular morning, making Sanemi happy he didn't have to walk to school anymore. Being 16 had it's advantages - most notably a driver's licence. Sanemi found himself driving constantly; to school, work, store, picking up his sibilings. Whatever errands his mother needed done, Sanemi was happy to help out. Ever since their Father walked out on them, things have been difficult. Sure, the child support checks were nice but that didn't stop his mother having to work two jobs. Sanemi and Genya also work part-time to help out. They stepped up three years ago, never once second guessing it. Their family needed them.
"Jesus fucking Christ, Genya!" Sanemi slammed his hand down on the horn for make two quick bursts of noise. They were going to be late for school if his idiot brother took any longer primping his mohawk.
A few seconds later, Genya came running out of the house,"I'm coming...!" He shouted and he turned back to lock the door.
Sanemi rolled his eyes, setting his playlist on shuffle as Genya finally got in the car.
Genya smiled, eyes falling on 'Circles - Post Malone' flashing on infotainment system,"Oh, I like this song."
"Good." Sanemi changed it while he pulled out of the drive way.
"...Why are you being a jerk today?" Genya pouted, starting to buckle up.
"Because you insist on making us late."
"We aren't going to be late! School starts in, like, twenty minutes."
"If I weren't driving, I would hit you." Sanemi muttered.
Genya rolled his eyes playfully, not taking his brother's words to heart.
"Also - where did you get the audacity to come in my car smelling like you fucking bathed in Axe cologne?"
"I didn't put that much on..."
"It's like a factory blew up in your laundry."
"Well..." Genya shrugged, not able to come up with a good retort.
"Trying to impress someone?" Sanemi smirked, letting his mood shift. His favorite past time has always been embarrassing the hell out of Genya. The way his whole face turns red is too funny.
Right on cue, Genya's face burned,"No! Of course not."
"We have the same P.E. class, idiot, I see who you are eyeing."
"'Nemiii..." Genya groaned, hiding his face.
"You're hopeless." Sanemi tsked,"If you want to ask him out - just grow a pair and do it."
"I am putting my earphones in now." Genya huffed, not wanting to have this discussion.
Sanemi chuckled, letting his little brother off the hook for now.
Giyuu groaned as he woke up to his alarm blaring. He felt around for his phone, nearly knocking over the empty cans and take out bag from the night prior that laid abandoned on the desk.
'7:30am' flashed on Giyuu's phone screen.
"Guess I should get up..." He sighed to himself, leaning back in his chair to stretch after he shut the alarm off. Giyuu took his hair out of the ponytail he liked to keep it up in and brushed his fingers through the thickness. It didn't take much time to throw new clothes on and brush his teeth. Giyuu had a good routine going. He got home at about 5pm, did his homework, showered, and ate some shitty meal before hopping on his computer to get at least five hours of gaming in before falling asleep. Most nights, he was capable of making it to his bed before passing out - didn't seem to be the case last night though. Monday mornings typically were spent drooling in his desk chair.
Maybe it wasn't a healthy routine, but Giyuu didn't care too much. It was his routine.
Giyuu grabbed his backpack and keys, leaving his apartment by 7:45am.
He had his sister's car to drive but perferred to walk to school since it was so close. Giyuu placed his over the ear styled headphones on and scrolled for a specific song on Spotify. He had known that being alone with his thoughts for any length lf time wasn't easy. Music had done well to fill the void though.
Locating the song he wanted, Giyuu nodded in satisfaction.
'surrender - Zevia'
It was only a month into the new school year and Giyuu has already had enough. The classes were fine and his grades weren't hurting but he still dreaded walking into the building. Crowds were too much - and his school had to have been overpopulated. The city he has lived in all of his life has grown much faster than anyone anticipated. The cost of living has tripled since he was in middle school. Just because some new factories were built in the city two years ago, the economy is all messed up.
Being a couple minutes late to class was worth it, if it meant avoiding the hormone induced hell that was the highschool hallways. Besides - he had the damn demon bullies to avoid. They never missed an opportunity to pick on him. Not that it messed with him mentally, Giyuu just didn't like wasting time.
Still - he felt like this was going to be a long year.
"Hey, 'Nemi? Your club is starting up today, right?" Genya smiled.
"Yup." Sanemi side-eyed his brother as they walked into the school,"But whatever you are planning to ask next - no."
"Aww! Come on..." Genya groaned,"I want to play with your friends too! I have gotten better at MMO's!"
"Thought you said all the lore was too confusing?"
"It is - but, I really wanna join the Gaming club!"
"Hell no." Sanemi scoffed,"I'm not letting you embarrass me."
"That isn't fair, you can't make me stay away from a school club."
"Literally find any other club."
"Nemi!" He whined as the first bell ring.
"Ah, nice conversation. Gotta get to class now." Sanemi walked off, rolling his eyes.
"I'm not giving up...!" He heard his brother call from down the hall.
Sanemi didn't like getting to school this late. He was an early riser and liked to get situated before having to go directly to class. Sanemi would punch anyone who dared to call him a nerd, but he did like to spend his mornings before school in the library. Typically he did extra credit work or studied to ensure his GPA stayed at or above a 4.0. Having a good future actually meant something to Sanemi - more than he could say for a third of the student body at this godforsaken school.
"Sanemiii!" He heard the undeniable shriek that belonged to Mitsuri Kanroji. She was a year under him, making her a sophomore. She joined the Gaming club last year, where Sanemi has evidently met most of his friends. Mitsuri was a nice girl but way too loud. He wondered how Obanai put up with his girlfriend's constant fucking squealing.
Sanemi spared her a glance, noting the outfit she had picked for today. He was lowkey surprised she hadn't gotten dress-coded yet this year. Mitsuri wore a grass green mini skirt with white stockings. Her pink knitted top was longsleeved but had a wide cut out where you could see deep into her cleavage. Sanemi would shake his head in disapproval, but he knows it would be hypocritical. The V-necks he always wore were very self-indulgent.
"Are you ready to kick off a new year of gaming!?" Mitsuri smiled as they walked in the same direction.
"Obviously...all of our schedules have been so fucked. We haven't gotten to do a raid since last school year."
"Oh, I know! I hope we get a few more people in the club this year so we don't have to turn to rando's for raids! Though it is fun meeting new people..." She hummed.
"I would rather have a reliable team, thanks." Sanemi scoffed.
"Aawwww! You think we are reliable!?" She hugged Sanemi's arm,"You are so sweet!"
"Shut up...!" Sanemi hissed, shaking her off his arm. Last thing he needed was Obanai pestering him about 'flirting with his girlfriend'.
It was going to be a long year.
Giyuu came into his english class about five minutes late. The teacher, Mrs. Ubuyashiki, just smiled at him and continued her introduction for the lesson today. Giyuu looked at the floor as he made his way to his seat in the back of the class.
"Look what the cat dragged in." Obanai scoffed.
Giyuu knew it was a mistake, but he looked up anyway. Obanai had a foul mouth about virtually everyone so he didn't take it to heart. It wasn't Obanai he wanted to catch a glimpse at though, but his seat mate.
Sanemi Shinazugawa.
Giyuu was honest with himself since he first met Sanemi on the first day of school Freshman year - he liked him. His crush on Sanemi was instant from the moment he laid eyes on him. Sanemi was a hard worker, confident, and selectively kind. Sure, the kindness has never extended its way to Giyuu but that didn't change his mind too much. Sanemi was everything Giyuu wasn't, which made him so incredibly attractive. Also - Sanemi was hot. Definitely didn't help with the crush.
"What are you looking at?" Sanemi sneered at Giyuu as he passed by the desks.
Giyuu bit his tongue and shuffled quicker to his desk, not wanting the attention. Thankfully, Sanemi and Obanai seemed to carry on after the interaction. Mrs. Ubuyashiki had everyone's full attention now.
Sanemi was happy to get out of class - he felt Giyuu's fucking glare on him for half of the period. The bastard made Sanemi's teeth grind. Giyuu and his 'too good for anyone here' attitude really pissed him off. Pretty, privileged guys like Giyuu who never had to lift a finger for anything in their life rubbed Sanemi the wrong way. Giyuu does little to hide his disgust for him anyway - always staring at Sanemi with that judgy look. Like, shit dude, you aren't into scars. WE GET IT. Get a new fixation. Obanai hated Giyuu too. Their mutual hate for a pompous bitch gave them a good foundation for friendship back in Freshmen year.
Sanemi had gotten to his math class faster than he realized. He felt some of his sanity return. Math had always been his favorite subject, it felt good to solve problems that no ones else could.
"...Excuse me." He heard the even, emotionless voice behind him. Sanemi turned quickly to glare at the offender.
"What!?"
Giyuu looked back at him, eyes blank and unamused,"You're blocking the doorway to class."
Sanemi narrowed his eyes,"The fuck are you doing here? You aren't in this class."
"My schedule was changed. Sorry to disappoint."
"Fuck you." Sanemi grabbed the front of Giyuu's shirt, pulling him close. The smug bastard didn't even have the decency to look inconvenienced.
"Next time you get mouthy with me, will be the last time you talk." He growled lowly before shoving Giyuu back and fully entering the class himself.
Giyuu took a deep breath to keep composure...but, fuck...that was too close. Having Sanemi's face so close to his own sent shocks throughout his body.
Was he weird for crushing on someone who so obviously despises him? Very.
Did he care? Not when the violet eyes are looking so intently at him.
Giyuu pulled himself together and walked into class, seeing mostly everyone in their seats now. Giyuu walked over to the math teacher.
"You must be the new student to my class." Mr. Kanamori smiled.
"Yes. Where should I sit?" Giyuu asked.
"Hmmm...over by Sanemi. He is the white haired boy. Don't mind his attitude, he is harmless." Kanamori chuckled.
Giyuu felt his heartbeat quicken, this was his opportunity to get closer to Sanemi! He quickly looked around before finding the desk he was assigned too. Giyuu looked up at his partner who was already plopped down in his chair. He was met with the violet eyes that belonged to Sanemi once more. Oh...and Sanemi did not look happy.
Giyuu took a breath and sat down. He decided not to talk this time since their interaction by the door seemed to still be weighing in Sanemi's mind. But that's okay, there was always tomorrow.
The rest of the period went on quickly, Sanemi was thankful for that.
He stalked out of the Pre-Calculus class as soon as the bell rang. Could you believe his luck? He had to deal with Giyuu fucking Tomioka until the next time Mr. Kanamori decided to change their seats. The only solace was that Giyuu was kind of shit at math, which was funny. But it made Sanemi wonder how he even got placed in the course.
Sanemi came into his next class, whipping his head around to make sure there was no obsidian rat nest hair style in his proximity. He sighed in relief and dropped his bag on the floor, next to his desk.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Tengen smiled at Sanemi,"You ready to kick off the club today?"
"Fuck, yes...I need a distraction." Sanemi grunted as Tengen took his seat.
"Maybe you should get a girlfriend then." Tengen snickered.
"Not interested." Sanemi frowned, getting sick of how Tengen always wanted to set him up.
"Boyfriend?"
"No." Sanemi punched Tengen's arm - of course Tengen wasn't phased though. He laughed through the abuse.
"Come on, Sanemi you are going to stress yourself to death one day. You need someone to help you unwind." Tengen winked.
"You are disgusting."
"Maybe you are just jealous~ The girls and I just can't help to flaunt our love!" Tengen sighed dramatically. Tengen and their club president, Gyomei, were on the football team. On the cheerleading team - Tengen openly dated three of them. The captain, the co-captain, and an impressive flyer.
Sanemi scoffed,"You're in highschool. 'Love' isn't a thing."
"You poor boy." Tengen ruffled Sanemi's hair, being met with curses and bats of the hand,"One day, you will also experience love."
"Fuck off...!" Sanemi glared as the bell rang. Ms. Tamayo stood to quiet her class down.
As the lunch period began, Giyuu went to his locker. He hardly used the thing, really. It had some snacks though - Giyuu never really got the the motivation to make lunch for himself. So, a granola bar and a bag of chips would have to cut it.
"You really won't come?" He heard a sickeningly sweet voice behind him. Giyuu turned to see his ex, Shinobu. They dated last year for a few months - mostly so Giyuu can challenge his sexuality preference. He had an inkling that he was gay since he was in middle school but he reasoned that it was because a girl just never caught his eye.
He met Shinobu last year in a shared P.E. class. She was pretty, sarcastic, and didn't take shit from anyone. So, when she started offhandedly flirting with Giyuu, he humored it. He even got comfortable enough to tell her about his online persona.
After a few months of wishing he was dating Sanemi still, Giyuu came clean to Shinobu. She was accepting that Giyuu was gay but did not accept that it was Sanemi of all people that had his attention. She thought that was, in her words, pathetic.
"No, I'm not going." Giyuu shook his head.
"You are going to torture our poor guild for another year?" Shinobu asked, tapping her purple converse on the ground. She wore baggy blue jeans and a tight black shirt hidden under a cropped sweatshirt that was gray and decorated with lilac butterflies. Her hair, save for the bangs, was pulled in to a golden clawclip. The purple tips of her black hair were vibrant today, meaning she probably dyed them again this last weekend.
"It isn't torture. They don't need to know who I am."
"Sanemi seems keen to figure it out~"
"I don't care - he hates both versions of me. Also, keep it down, will you?"
"Your loss, Giyuu..." Shinobu hummed, leaving the boy alone.
Giyuu sighed, heading towards the bathroom to hide for the rest of the lunch period.
"Hey Boo!" Mitsuri smiled at Shinobu as she walked into the club meeting room. Mitsuri sat next to Obanai, feeding him some cookies she had baked.
"Mitsy." Shinobu grinned back, taking the seat next to her best friend.
"Did I see you talking to that emo rat face?" Obanai raised an eyebrow at Shinobu.
There was a gasp,"Are you guys going to get back together!?" Mitsuri giggled.
"No." Shinobu shook her head,"That will never happen."
"'Cause he's a homo?" Obanai taunted.
Sanemi elbowed him,"Got an issue with that?"
Obanai rubbed his arm,"No. He is just so obvious about it. Looks like the type of gay you can find lurking in the back of a Spencer's store."
Tengen laughed,"You know what? That tracks."
"Good afternoon!" Kyojuro smiled as he came into the room, having a medium sized cooler in hand.
"Ayyyeeeee! There he is!" Tengen smiled as both of them did a god awful handshake.
Gyomei stood, his thick glasses glaring in the light,"It seems like all of our past members are here."
"Tch. Not him." Sanemi spat out. Everyone knew who he was reffering too - AquaBlade.
AquaBlade was infamous for not giving any personal information. He has never been to a club meeting, never gotten on the microphone during their gaming times, and never even gave them his real name. All they know is that he is male and goes to the school. Gyomei has a list of the members in the club, but has respected AquaBlade's wish of staying anonymous.
"He will be on discord tonight." Gyomei nodded,"Now to the bigger issue - has no one been able to recruit anyone for our club?"
The room grew silent for a few beats.
"Not exactly..." Tengen sighed,"Once people learn we typically play WoW, they get turned off."
"I don't know why!" Mitsuri whined,"It's a fun game!"
"A dying game." Shinobu sighed.
"Well, we play other things sometimes!" Rengoku smiled,"Phasmophobia, Overwatch, DBD..."
"So no new memebers then?" Gyomei reiterated.
"...Guess not." Sanemi shrugged. As if fate was in play, the door to the meeting room opened. A small boy with long hair looked at all of them lazily.
"...Is this where the Gaming club meets?" He asked. Sanemi recognized the kid right away - Muichiro Tokito. They shared a gym class along with Genya, and most of the people in this room actually.
"Mui!? You really wanna join?" Mitsuri smiled.
"Yes. I enjoy videogames." Muichiro closed the door and sat down his things to sit next to Kyojuro.
"Welcome aboard!" Kyojuro bellowed,"We were just talking about the need for new members!"
"I suppose we have nine members now. We are getting close." Gyomei smiled, satisfied with this development.
"Nine members?" Muichiro took stock of the people in the room,"You must be blinder than people say. I only see eight of us here."
Shinobu raised an eyebrow at his bluntness,"Hey now - we don't joke like that here." She scolded.
"It's fine." Gyomei dismissed it,"We do have a ninth member, he prefers to only meet on discord though."
"Oh..." Mui hummed,"At least we can do ten man raids then."
"Kid, nine people are in the club." Sanemi glared, leaning back in his chair,"As we just pointed out."
"I usually play two characters. We are capable of doing ten man raids." Mui shrugged, taking out some fruit snacks to eat.
"At...at once?" Mitsuri gasped.
"Yes. One keyboard for each hand."
"You are probably shit at both of them then." Obanai frowned at the boy.
"Bring that talk to PvP we will see how it goes." Mui retorted.
Tengen laughed,"This freshie is starting to grow on me!"
"And he is sooo cute, huh!? Just like a little brother~" Mitsuri gushed as Kyojuro started sharing his feast of a lunch with Muichiro.
The majority of their meeting went smoothly. In the last five minutes, Gyomei clapped his hands to call attention to himself again.
"I have written out a schedule for our activities. Please review it...the only activity you are required to attend is Friday raid nights." He said, specifying the rules since Muichiro was new.
Everyone gathered around to look at the schedule.
Monday Nights - Overwatch
Tuesday Nights - Teambuilding
Wednesday Nights - Cozy Gaming
Thursday Nights - Popular Vote
Friday Nights - World of Warcraft Raiding
"Oooohhhh! I love cozy gaming time! My Animal Crossing island has never looked better!" Mitsuri clapped her hands excitedly.
"I am in the top 500 for Overwatch...you all will only bring me down." Mui chimed in.
"Teambuilding? Oh! You guys can all come play that karaoke game at my place!" Tengen chuckled.
Sanemi found himself enjoying the moment with a small smile. He really liked this club, not that he would willingly admit it outloud. However, there will always be one hang-up for him.
AquaBlade
The smug asshole was stupidly good at every game he played. Though he wasn't active on the mic, he always managed to have comebacks and snippy ass comments on discord or the in-game chat. Sanemi had been secretly crushing on him for awhile now, which was fucking ridiculous because he doesn't even know the guy's real name.
AquaBlade always managed to appeal to Sanemi's competitive side since they often were neck-to-neck for best DPS in the game. Sanemi knew it was insane to like someone who you haven't technically met yet - but that was going to change this year.
He had one quest:
Uncover AquaBlade's true identity