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[sunny steps back. he looks hurt, or scared, and mob doesn't understand.

people are cowardly. they can't save you. you can only save yourself.

doesn't it make you angry?

mob glances away, down at the desk where milk is dripping down onto. the best thing he can probably do to help the new kid is let him flee, to leave him alone. he can only rely on himself. right?

but the kid gasps then speaks. mob stares again, well aware of the eyes on them. he should look away again. he should look away again. he'll only make things worse. they'll only make things worse.

instead after a long beat he stands. offers a little nod.

and for sunny just a light skittering in his head, trying to dig deeper. searching.]

[Sunny tries to ignore the feeling in his mind. He can't entirely, but he finds he's not exactly unused to it. Being haunted.

and don't you think you deserve to be?

He digs in his heels. He'd decided to do this, so he was. Mari would be proud of him for helping. That was the kind of person she was. ~~Or had been.~~

Sunny starts walking, only glancing behind to make sure Mob was following him. He ignored the eyes on them. The eyes that told him he absolutely should not have been doing this.]

Your name's Kageyama?

[the scratching feeling of the voice fades as they leave the room, mob following after, tripped on his way but stumbling through and making it to the hallway.

by a passing window a moth climbs over the dusty glass.]

people don't matter to you. they're characters. entertainment.

[mob glances up when sunny asks that, eyes darting away nervously.]

he could be fun too.

[it takes a moment but mob manages,] Yes. Kageyama Shigeo. I-

I didn't catch your name.

[The tripping does go unnoticed by Sunny and he moves to try to catch Mob by the shoulder before anything terrible happens. Though... he seemed used to the treatment. Sad.

For whatever reason Sunny's panic response keeps going off. Was it because of Mob? He didn't seem like someone that would be causing him any issues but-

Maybe he was the problem? Someone inherently bad to be dealt with? A boss battle to be won?

Sunny is snapped out of his strange thoughts by Mob's words, and he looks over again. He takes in the other teen's appearance. No. This was no boss. This was just another person.

or a joke character, one only there to be tormented.

He let out a soft, annoyed sound, pressing his hand to his head again. What was he thinking? Where were these thoughts coming from? Was he always like this? Always so awful in his head? Stop. Stop it.]

I'm Sunny Suzuki. [He pauses. Japan, right.] Ah, Suzuki Sunny. I'm American so I'm not used to the order.

It's nice to meet you. [polite, with a bow of his head and still with the air of a flinch just waiting to happen. like he's still waiting for the other shoe to drop, though that's thawing.]

I like your name.

you're naturally cruel, to play with him. you know you'll hurt him in the end. you can't help yourself, your nature. you hurt everyone.

hurt him now.

[the boy's room comes up, and again entering it will cut off that skittering feeling down the neck.]

Edited 2023-01-08 05:58 (UTC)

You, too. [Sunny himself gives a little nod in return, expression softening at being told he liked his name.]

Thanks, my sister always did, too. [Or. Does.

Deep breathes. Inhale. Exhale. Sunny wasn't going to hurt this kid, even if it would be easy to. No one would be around to see in the bathroom and even if they did everyone would approve.

It would be easy and so like him.

just another disposable-

The strange oppressive feeling in his head diminishes when he pushes open the door and enters the room. Sunny takes a long breath, looking at himself in the mirror as though expecting there to be something behind him. Something.

There was nothing but the stalls.

He goes to grab some paper towels to dry Mob up, since they couldn't very well just leave him under the dryer like the bag.]

Does this always happen? [He hands the towels to the other teen.]

Edited 2023-01-08 06:11 (UTC)

[sister.

something in mob's chest twists at that.

in the bathroom he glances to sunny again, a long moment of waiting- this would be the time things usually go wrong. but. they don't. and mob thaws a little more. he should know better but he just... wants it to be different this time. he wants to talk like this.

he's so lonely. (even if it's a prank is it okay to pretend? is it pathetic? is he pathetic? he doesn't deserve this-)

he moves over to the sink, routine in leaning over to get his hair damp and hope to clean some of the milk out of at least it before it started to go sour. his jacket was a lost cause there, but it was always worse feeling in his hair.] Does she go here?

[a conversation, a semi-normal conversation. that bathroom is blessedly quiet besides the running water, the crinkle of towels he takes from sunny's hands to dab at his wet hair.

the question leads to a pause. (answer faster, he'll get mad.) he swallows.] Yeah.

[what else is there to say?]

[The bathroom felt like a sanctuary. Whatever had been gnawing at Sunny didn't seem to be here. Perhaps it had been peer pressure pushing down on him? Everyone else was bullying this Kageyama so maybe he thought he should have, too?

Strange idea but he was a teenager. That was something that was normal for teens.

At least he didn't feel the desire to go along with it in here, as he moved over to open Mob's bag and remove some of the items. He gently dabs them free of milk.]

No, she's in high school. I hope her day's going okay. [And less weird than his.

Once he's cleaned the school work and bag of as much milk as he can get with paper towels alone, he puts them underneath the dryer. For a long moment he watches the papers gently flutter under the heated air.]

I'm sorry. That's awful.

I hope so too. [mob answers, a little easier, just... so grateful for this little conversation. it's so normal, like things were before asagiri joined the school.

not that he remembers that well. it's all an odd blur but he's pretty sure-

sunny doesn't throw his bag in the toilet or try to take any of his things. mob eases just a little more.] It must be hard, moving so far.

[a careful glance through his wet bangs before he goes back to dabbing at them. then sunny says sorry and his throat feels tight.

it's so nice to hear. sometimes he wondered since no one seemed to listen, no one wanted to help, that maybe the real problem was him all along.

(he doesn't deserve this.)

he puts the towels down on the sink, grip shaky.] You shouldn't-

[a pause, teeth clicking shut. a false start then-] You shouldn't do that, what you did. It was nice, but she might pick on you.

She's- [horrible, hateful, terrible] - She's bad.

I miss my friends. [There was no unusual nagging at the back of Sunny's head when he says this. It was simply true. He missed them dearly. Even instant messaging fell a little flat, since the time zones were so different. They usually didn't catch each other.

He blinks and glances back at Mob when he starts speaking again, sounding so nervous. So nervous because it was true.

There was a pit in Sunny's stomach that knew very well he was going to pay for this. He'd done something wrong by helping Kageyama. He absolutely, positively should not have done this.

And the only way out of this now was to bully him or at least start completely ignoring him. Then he'd no longer be a target. Everything would be much easier and less painless if he just walked out of this room right now and never spoke to Mob again.

You know... Before we met, I had a lot of trouble fitting in...

The words rang in his head and his eyes widen.

No, he wasn't going to abandon Kageyama.]

She will, yeah. Because she's an miserable person. But that isn't on you. [A long pause.] Being alone is hard. [Sunny had been alone for so long.

He couldn't remember a time when that had happened, though. Of course he'd always hated to be alone, but this was different. There was a gaping hole of loneliness that he could relate to.]

[mob nods, because yeah, understandable. everyone and everything that was familiar just out of reach. he wants to say something like 'you'll meet people here' but he's afraid it will come off wrong, or it'll annoy sunny, or it won't be true. people here aren't very good. the world is-

he shuts that line of thought off. dabs at his shoulders with the wet paper towels in hopes of cleaning the bit of milk that got on them. only glances up when sunny speaks again.

his mouth opens and closes. no one seemed to see how terrible she was, so hearing it is yet another massive sort of relief. he swallows, looks back down at the towels in his hand. puts them aside again, chest tight.]

I don't want her to pick on you. [he does try.] That'd be worse than being alone, seeing that. So-

[so what? is he really going to push away the only person who's been willing to talk to him. he wavers, tries,] Maybe we could talk after school?

[that was safer, wasn't it? the idea of walking with someone alone is a little overwhelming, and he glances from sunny then away several times, nervous.]

[Sunny understands Mob's feelings about not wanting to be the cause of Sunny getting picked on. Hell, Sunny really doesn't want to get picked on, either. But how could he seriously leave Mob alone when he was clearly having such a hard time?

This wasn't like when Aubrey became part of their group, though. Or Basil. Neither of them were actively being picked on, they just weren't fitting in. Besides, they had been a proper group. This time it was just him.

Sunny glances to the side, slight frown on his face as he considers what to do. What to say to that. There were no assurances he could give. No doubt Mob was going to be hurt when and if Sunny did get bullied. He looks back over at the suggestion of after school and nods.]

Yeah, okay. We can meet at the gate.

[that eases mob a little. it's not ideal, it never would be, but the idea of having someone to talk to just a little on the way home? it's a bit of a luxury. he still isn't entirely sure sunny isn't going to try and hurt him to be funny either, but-

he wants to believe. sunny has been so nice. the world isn't so terrible a place.

the bell for lunch ending rings and mob picks up his bag quickly, glancing to sunny again and offering a little nod.] I... I'll see you there.

[before he's moving back to class. their class, where everyone eyes them both for a little too long.

the day is normal enough. another teacher berates him, though not as harshly. he skips gym to hide because he doesn't want them stealing his uniform again. he doesn't like skipping classes but it's harder to care lately. people cover their noses and laugh about how he smells like spoiling milk.

eyes remain on sunny too, a hostility thick in the air. students that look away, a crow at the window.]

ah, i see now. what you did.

how terrible you are, sunny.

[the day ends. mob waits carefully in the classroom and the hall for people to leave first, hoping no one will catch him meeting sunny.]

[It was impossible not to notice the eyes on him. Somehow the grainy darkness of the world only emphasized the whites of the other students eyes when they watched him. Again, Sunny felt his stomach twist. No one approved of what he had done.

Somehow it felt like they were giving him a chance to redeem himself. Waiting for him to hurt Kageyama and restore the rightful balance of the school.

But he doesn't. Instead he does his best to ignore the oppressive feeling weighing down on him. To focus on his schoolwork. That wasn't hard, at least. Sunny had always been a smart kid and the answers that he was able to supply on worksheets were the only comfort that he was finding that day.

When the bell rings to end the day, Sunny sighs in relief. It was over. He could go home. Maybe talk to Mari about her day. Discuss how strange things were.

Ah, but no, he had to wait, didn't he? Slowly, he collects his belonging and heads over to the shoe lockers. His shoes are still awaiting him, but so is something else, as he reaches in and grabs them. Something crawls onto his hand and his heart starts racing.

The legs. This was-

A spider. There was a very large spider crawling up his arm. His eyes widen in horror as he tries to get it off, waggling his arms inelegantly until it finally flies off of him. At least he wasn't afraid of spiders like he had been (But why?).

Still, what was that? There were a few snickers coming behind him, and there was a sickening feeling that the spider had not simply managed to crawl in there on its own. He clenched his teeth and put on his shoes, heading over to the school gate.]

[mob waits by the gate, staring down at his shoes. there's no one around for the moment and he glances up when he hears sunny approach. so far so good, he even offers a little nod. a crow watches from the trees.]

How... was your first day? [it's stilted, rusty, like he isn't sure how to wield socializing beyond keeping his head down. it's just... it wouldn't be so bad to secretly be friends. to hear more about his sister, or his friends.

maybe everything could work out. the crow blinks, tilts its head.]

[Sunny was privately relieved there was no one around. He'd had enough of the school kids for today, thank you. He returns the nod as he gets close to Mob.]

Okay. [Not great, really, but he wasn't going to get into it.] The schoolwork doesn't seem bad. [Simple topics. Frankly Sunny wasn't that great at talking to new people, either. Or in general.]

[mob can't particularly relate there, but to be fair it's a lot harder to handle school when your work is being taken or damaged with milk or whatever else routinely happens.] You must be smart.

[sunny seemed smart. he starts walking, only pausing to see if maybe sunny wanted to go a different way. he didn't mind either way, he did want to avoid the river if he could, in case those highschoolers were around again.]

[Was Sunny smart? He supposed he'd always been kind of academically gifted. More than anything it was nice for him because he didn't have to work hard at school and could focus on things he actually liked.]

Maybe. Mari's the one that's always been really talented. [Just proud of his sister over here. It's clear he really loves her.

In any case, Sunny doesn't seem to have any issue walking the way Mob was. He knew he should have asked the other boy how his day went, too. But, he could guess. It was bad.] Do you live far from here?

[mob nearly smiles at that since-

no, he wouldn't know. he didn't have any family. being proud of a sibling was foreign.] She probably says the same about you.

[older siblings are proud of their younger ones, that. is just something he knows. why? maybe books.

he's a bit distracted as they walk, glad for the distraction of a question, really.] Oh, not too far. It's only a few more minutes. [the idea of inviting sunny in- no. he can't do that, he's never been good at keeping the house clean and it's kind of a mess. he doesn't have a lot to offer a guest either.] I'd um, invite you in but it's kind of a mess.

[Sunny wasn't sure about that. He definitely struggled more than Mari at a lot of things, but he did know she was always proud of him and everything he accomplished. So. Maybe.

It's a nice thought, regardless.]

I don't mind mess. I hate doing chores. [Days and days go by for chores he was supposed to do, until someone confronted him and made him do it. Still, it was probably rude to try to push his way into Mob's house when he was uncomfortable.]

Mm, you could come to my house, if you wanted.

[that startles mob a bit. going to someone else's house? that... sounded nice.] I'd like that. If it isn't too much trouble.

[what an oddly nice day. it makes him... nervous. happy.

something about the world shudders. down the path they're walking stand some figures, faces hard to make out, one with a mop of dark hair and one with hair vividly pink.]

[Sunny shakes his head.] It's no trouble. [He wasn't the sort to offer if he wasn't serious about it.

Though, perhaps, the thought does make him nervous. Not because of Mob, really, but because of the strange feelings he's been getting ever since he had started school earlier that day.

His eyes drift off, slowly falling onto the figures down the pathway. For some reason, his heart skips a beat. He's not entirely sure why, he can't even see their faces. But...

Maybe turning down a different way would be better. Sunny takes stock of the area around them, seeing if there was a path they could turn off at.]

[the problem with the people down the path isn't entirely obvious. there's just something off about them, like someone only glanced at their faces and remembered them from memory. the gaze slides off them easily.

mob doesn't bat an eye. the pink haired one holds a bat.]

Where are you going? [she asks. even mob looks a little confused before glancing down. something about all this felt off even to him, something wasn't right.]

[No, no, there was definitely something wrong about these people. Sunny isn't even sure what, just that they make him want to Run. It's a visceral reaction he can't even put a name to.

They were familiar and entirely foreign at the same time.

He freezes at the question, eyes going wide. She was... talking to him, wasn't she? For some reason he felt sure she wasn't directing it at Mob.]

How fast can you run? [An anxious question for Mob. They needed to not be here. He needed to not be here.]

[mob blinks and glances over, sunny's fear spiking his own. the girl walks closer.]

this is the world. you hurt them. they'll hurt you.

I- [mob starts to turn but he's not fast, no, and the girl grabs his wrist. he pulls uselessly.]

run away. that's who you are.