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Who: Hiyoshi and Gakuto
When: Right after the truth about Niou came out
Where: The gym
What: A friend in need and all that.
Sparring was exactly what Hiyoshi needed right now. A way to get out all his frustrations without getting himself in trouble. Gakuto suggesting it had been perfect, minus the small flaw where Gakuto couldn’t last a minute against Hiyoshi when he was serious, so the eventual work around was Gakuto coming at Hiyoshi with the bo, and Hiyoshi parrying and disarming him, over and over. Mostly harmless besides Gakuto being knocked down onto the mat repeatedly, but still satisfying enough that Hiyoshi kept calling for Gakuto to get up (to be knocked down again) until it was very clear that the redhead had taken as much as he could for today.
It didn’t fix the situation at all, but Hiyoshi did feel a bit better afterward. He wiped the sweat off his face and hands before passing Gakuto his water bottle, and then picking up his own.
Gakuto’s stamina was shot by this point, and he gratefully took the water bottle and started gulping it down. He decided for now, he was staying put, right there on the mat. Even though it hadn’t been much of a session, Gakuto did learn a thing or two, the most obvious being he still had a long way to go in his training.
Hiyoshi looked at least a little more at ease after the whole thing, and that was all Gakuto had wanted. “I’ve still got a lot of work ahead of me.” He said idly, mostly to fill the silence.
Hiyoshi snorted, the closest thing he’d done to laughing since the truth had come out. “You did well for being so new.” The main thing being that Gakuto hadn’t given up, even when he clearly must have wanted to. He knew Gakuto had been doing it for him, and he should probably thank him for that. But he wasn’t good at that, so instead he sat down on the bench and offered it in a round-about sort of way. “You didn’t have to let me kick your butt, you know.”
Gakuto finished off his water, shrugging. “I’ve been practicing, but we haven’t had much chance to practice being disarmed.” He was sure he would be learning more once Ohtori was caught up to speed. He watched Hiyoshi sit down and smiled softly. “I know. But you know how I feel about lying so… yeah, I get that anger. Better me, someone with quick reflexes, than someone else. I at least know how to fall.”
“Well now you’ve been disarmed every barehanded way possible. We start disarming with nunchucks next week.” Hiyoshi studied his water bottle for a second and then took another sip (next lesson Gakuto– pacing your water intake.) Of course the reason behind the sparing was going to come up eventually, and he sighed. “It was my fault for being stupid. That’s why I’m mad.” He’d let his guard down and it had bitten him in the ass.
“Cool, I feel enlightened.” Gakuto joked. He was actually excited for the next step in training, but he could be excited later. He moved off the mat to sit next to Hiyoshi. “You weren’t stupid. I honestly didn’t catch on until like, a few days ago. He’s a good actor.” Gakuto knew it was worse for Hiyoshi, who had apparently been dating Uion. “The only one who’s stupid is the guy who felt to betray you like that.”
Hiyoshi grit his teeth. “He stayed in character. For two weeks straight. With no breaks.” He tried to stay calm, but his grip on his bottle tightened. “He’s literally insane. And I fell for it.”
Gakuto saw the tension in Hiyoshi’s body and gently put a hand over his grip on the water bottle. “Again, that’s his fault, not yours. I don’t know what the end goal was, but you aren’t stupid for trusting someone.”
Hiyoshi huffs and looked away, but he didn’t pull away from the touch. He knew it was all Niou’s fault, but… ugh. He was working himself up again, and he’d just started to get things under control. He took a few deep, slow breaths, planning on repeating mantras in his head but only coming up with a half-assed ‘you’re okay, you’re okay’.
Gakuto was worried he was only making things worse, but he thought back to the worst lie that had ever been told to him. He thought about what would have helped him in that moment. Empty words were really useless, so instead, he sat with Hiyoshi and started one of the deep breathing exercises Hiyoshi had taught him. He didn’t tell Hiyoshi to join him, at least not out loud. If the other joined, great, if not, then Gakuto could just say he was cooling down.
It wasn’t intentional, but soon enough Hiyoshi’s breaths fell in sync with Gakuto’s. Maybe it was ingrained in him from following others in training for so long, or maybe it was just how humans worked, but it happened before Hiyoshi even realized it. Naturally. Soon enough he noticed, but he didn’t stop, letting the exercise do its thing, calming his body and his runaway thoughts, and his tension drained bit by bit.
Eventually, the exercise ended and they were just sitting there. He studied Hiyoshi’s body language and was glad he had at least done the breathing exercise. He was almost scared to say anything, just in case it sent Hiyoshi into another spiral. Gakuto wasn’t sure how he was keeping himself together, except that he was simply more concerned for Hiyoshi at this time.
After a moment of thought, he decided words weren’t needed. He just bumped his shoulder against Hiyoshi’s, letting him know he wasn’t going anywhere until Hiyoshi told him to.
It was hard for Gakuto, but it was what Hiyoshi needed. No words, no judgement. Just peace in the moment. Even the little gesture of the shoulder bump meant the world, and exhausted from emotions Hiyoshi took it as permission to let his normally stiff posture slip, and rest his head on Gakuto’s shoulder.
Gakuto shifted his arm around Hiyoshi just enough so this position was comfortable, but said nothing. If this is what Hiyoshi needed, Gakuto would provide it. All of his internal struggling over his crush on Hiyoshi, and his hurt over finding out the other had a boyfriend was just… gone. All he was concerned with was helping Hiyoshi feel… safe. Safe to feel what he was feeling and safe to know there was at least one person who wouldn’t lie to him.
It was nice. Probably the first time Hiyoshi could remember doing something like this, but then again, there weren’t many people in his past he’d trusted very closely. The point of touch gives him something to focus on, shutting out the rest of the world and surrounding him with that sort of safety that only comes from completely relying on another human being. It was a good ten minutes before Hiyoshi finally stirred and sat upright again, rubbing his neck where it was a bit sore from the angle.
Gakuto was pretty impressed with himself that he managed to stay awake. Usually, when he used up his stamina like this, he was out like a light. When Hiyoshi sat up, he rolled his shoulders, offering Hiyoshi a soft smile. “You good?”
Hiyoshi nodded. “Better.” He wasn’t sure if he’d be anywhere nearing ‘good’ for a while, but at very least he was miles ahead of where he’d been earlier. Who knew all that stuff about humans needing physical touch was actually true. He was quiet a minute, thinking about bed and thinking about sleep, and then sighed because even though he didn’t think it was going to come easily for him, he had to try anyway. “Shift tomorrow is going to suck.”
Gakuto nodded. “I mean, you could take the day off. Or we can spar again once you’re done.” He offered. “You don’t seem like the type to call sad off work, so maybe option 2.” He thought about it for a moment. “Tell you what. You’re going to get through work because you’re disciplined and all that… and when you’re done, we’ll do something totally not disciplined.”
Gakuto pegged him right on that one: calling in sad after publicly announcing what had happened would be nothing short of humiliating for Hiyoshi. Toughing it out was his only option, but no one said he couldn’t have fun after work. “Not disciplined. Sounds good.” He didn’t even feel the need to ask Gakuto what he had planned– he trusted him implicitly.
It’s a good thing he didn’t ask because Gakuto had no clue what he was going to have them do. Something Hiyoshi would like. He would have to think about it. “Then let’s do that. And if you need meditation breaks during your shift, just come patrol the chem lab. Lots of suspicious explosions over there. Security should check those out frequently.” He grinned. He didn’t have much to offer, but he was doing his best.
That got a small smile from Hiyoshi. He really did appreciate how hard Gakuto was trying to cheer him up. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Gakuto.”
Gakuto was not blushing. He swore he wasn’t. He patted Hiyoshi on the shoulder. “No problem, Hiyoshi!” He laughed, feeling bashful at being thanked. “But…you should probably try to sleep. I find it helps after being, you know…” He waved his arms around. “This. You’ll wake up tomorrow, and you’ll feel an iota better. And every day the iota doubles. And maybe, someday, you’ll even be completely better and whole again.” Did he know what he was talking about? Not quite. His iota had a big hole to fill.
Hiyoshi sighed and got to his feet. “I hope so.” He was sure Gakuto was right in theory, but the whole being stuck on the same base as Niou for the next five years thing made it hard to imagine. Oh well. He’d make it through somehow. He always did.
“When you’re in a better place, I’ll tell you why lying bothers me so much.” Gakuto offered. “Just to even the playing field a little.” He yawned, wondering if he was even going to make it back to his room. “I’ll be here, you know. If you need to do this again.”
It would be a lie to say Hiyoshi wasn’t a little curious about that. “Okay, deal.” He gathered his things, and took a step towards the door before pausing. “You’re a good friend. Thanks.”
Gakuto smiled softly. “You, too, Hiyoshi.” He said before waving him off. “Good night.” He would finish cleaning up the gym and then make his way to bed himself, with the hope that tomorrow would be easier for them all.
When: Right after the truth about Niou came out
Where: The gym
What: A friend in need and all that.
Sparring was exactly what Hiyoshi needed right now. A way to get out all his frustrations without getting himself in trouble. Gakuto suggesting it had been perfect, minus the small flaw where Gakuto couldn’t last a minute against Hiyoshi when he was serious, so the eventual work around was Gakuto coming at Hiyoshi with the bo, and Hiyoshi parrying and disarming him, over and over. Mostly harmless besides Gakuto being knocked down onto the mat repeatedly, but still satisfying enough that Hiyoshi kept calling for Gakuto to get up (to be knocked down again) until it was very clear that the redhead had taken as much as he could for today.
It didn’t fix the situation at all, but Hiyoshi did feel a bit better afterward. He wiped the sweat off his face and hands before passing Gakuto his water bottle, and then picking up his own.
Gakuto’s stamina was shot by this point, and he gratefully took the water bottle and started gulping it down. He decided for now, he was staying put, right there on the mat. Even though it hadn’t been much of a session, Gakuto did learn a thing or two, the most obvious being he still had a long way to go in his training.
Hiyoshi looked at least a little more at ease after the whole thing, and that was all Gakuto had wanted. “I’ve still got a lot of work ahead of me.” He said idly, mostly to fill the silence.
Hiyoshi snorted, the closest thing he’d done to laughing since the truth had come out. “You did well for being so new.” The main thing being that Gakuto hadn’t given up, even when he clearly must have wanted to. He knew Gakuto had been doing it for him, and he should probably thank him for that. But he wasn’t good at that, so instead he sat down on the bench and offered it in a round-about sort of way. “You didn’t have to let me kick your butt, you know.”
Gakuto finished off his water, shrugging. “I’ve been practicing, but we haven’t had much chance to practice being disarmed.” He was sure he would be learning more once Ohtori was caught up to speed. He watched Hiyoshi sit down and smiled softly. “I know. But you know how I feel about lying so… yeah, I get that anger. Better me, someone with quick reflexes, than someone else. I at least know how to fall.”
“Well now you’ve been disarmed every barehanded way possible. We start disarming with nunchucks next week.” Hiyoshi studied his water bottle for a second and then took another sip (next lesson Gakuto– pacing your water intake.) Of course the reason behind the sparing was going to come up eventually, and he sighed. “It was my fault for being stupid. That’s why I’m mad.” He’d let his guard down and it had bitten him in the ass.
“Cool, I feel enlightened.” Gakuto joked. He was actually excited for the next step in training, but he could be excited later. He moved off the mat to sit next to Hiyoshi. “You weren’t stupid. I honestly didn’t catch on until like, a few days ago. He’s a good actor.” Gakuto knew it was worse for Hiyoshi, who had apparently been dating Uion. “The only one who’s stupid is the guy who felt to betray you like that.”
Hiyoshi grit his teeth. “He stayed in character. For two weeks straight. With no breaks.” He tried to stay calm, but his grip on his bottle tightened. “He’s literally insane. And I fell for it.”
Gakuto saw the tension in Hiyoshi’s body and gently put a hand over his grip on the water bottle. “Again, that’s his fault, not yours. I don’t know what the end goal was, but you aren’t stupid for trusting someone.”
Hiyoshi huffs and looked away, but he didn’t pull away from the touch. He knew it was all Niou’s fault, but… ugh. He was working himself up again, and he’d just started to get things under control. He took a few deep, slow breaths, planning on repeating mantras in his head but only coming up with a half-assed ‘you’re okay, you’re okay’.
Gakuto was worried he was only making things worse, but he thought back to the worst lie that had ever been told to him. He thought about what would have helped him in that moment. Empty words were really useless, so instead, he sat with Hiyoshi and started one of the deep breathing exercises Hiyoshi had taught him. He didn’t tell Hiyoshi to join him, at least not out loud. If the other joined, great, if not, then Gakuto could just say he was cooling down.
It wasn’t intentional, but soon enough Hiyoshi’s breaths fell in sync with Gakuto’s. Maybe it was ingrained in him from following others in training for so long, or maybe it was just how humans worked, but it happened before Hiyoshi even realized it. Naturally. Soon enough he noticed, but he didn’t stop, letting the exercise do its thing, calming his body and his runaway thoughts, and his tension drained bit by bit.
Eventually, the exercise ended and they were just sitting there. He studied Hiyoshi’s body language and was glad he had at least done the breathing exercise. He was almost scared to say anything, just in case it sent Hiyoshi into another spiral. Gakuto wasn’t sure how he was keeping himself together, except that he was simply more concerned for Hiyoshi at this time.
After a moment of thought, he decided words weren’t needed. He just bumped his shoulder against Hiyoshi’s, letting him know he wasn’t going anywhere until Hiyoshi told him to.
It was hard for Gakuto, but it was what Hiyoshi needed. No words, no judgement. Just peace in the moment. Even the little gesture of the shoulder bump meant the world, and exhausted from emotions Hiyoshi took it as permission to let his normally stiff posture slip, and rest his head on Gakuto’s shoulder.
Gakuto shifted his arm around Hiyoshi just enough so this position was comfortable, but said nothing. If this is what Hiyoshi needed, Gakuto would provide it. All of his internal struggling over his crush on Hiyoshi, and his hurt over finding out the other had a boyfriend was just… gone. All he was concerned with was helping Hiyoshi feel… safe. Safe to feel what he was feeling and safe to know there was at least one person who wouldn’t lie to him.
It was nice. Probably the first time Hiyoshi could remember doing something like this, but then again, there weren’t many people in his past he’d trusted very closely. The point of touch gives him something to focus on, shutting out the rest of the world and surrounding him with that sort of safety that only comes from completely relying on another human being. It was a good ten minutes before Hiyoshi finally stirred and sat upright again, rubbing his neck where it was a bit sore from the angle.
Gakuto was pretty impressed with himself that he managed to stay awake. Usually, when he used up his stamina like this, he was out like a light. When Hiyoshi sat up, he rolled his shoulders, offering Hiyoshi a soft smile. “You good?”
Hiyoshi nodded. “Better.” He wasn’t sure if he’d be anywhere nearing ‘good’ for a while, but at very least he was miles ahead of where he’d been earlier. Who knew all that stuff about humans needing physical touch was actually true. He was quiet a minute, thinking about bed and thinking about sleep, and then sighed because even though he didn’t think it was going to come easily for him, he had to try anyway. “Shift tomorrow is going to suck.”
Gakuto nodded. “I mean, you could take the day off. Or we can spar again once you’re done.” He offered. “You don’t seem like the type to call sad off work, so maybe option 2.” He thought about it for a moment. “Tell you what. You’re going to get through work because you’re disciplined and all that… and when you’re done, we’ll do something totally not disciplined.”
Gakuto pegged him right on that one: calling in sad after publicly announcing what had happened would be nothing short of humiliating for Hiyoshi. Toughing it out was his only option, but no one said he couldn’t have fun after work. “Not disciplined. Sounds good.” He didn’t even feel the need to ask Gakuto what he had planned– he trusted him implicitly.
It’s a good thing he didn’t ask because Gakuto had no clue what he was going to have them do. Something Hiyoshi would like. He would have to think about it. “Then let’s do that. And if you need meditation breaks during your shift, just come patrol the chem lab. Lots of suspicious explosions over there. Security should check those out frequently.” He grinned. He didn’t have much to offer, but he was doing his best.
That got a small smile from Hiyoshi. He really did appreciate how hard Gakuto was trying to cheer him up. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Gakuto.”
Gakuto was not blushing. He swore he wasn’t. He patted Hiyoshi on the shoulder. “No problem, Hiyoshi!” He laughed, feeling bashful at being thanked. “But…you should probably try to sleep. I find it helps after being, you know…” He waved his arms around. “This. You’ll wake up tomorrow, and you’ll feel an iota better. And every day the iota doubles. And maybe, someday, you’ll even be completely better and whole again.” Did he know what he was talking about? Not quite. His iota had a big hole to fill.
Hiyoshi sighed and got to his feet. “I hope so.” He was sure Gakuto was right in theory, but the whole being stuck on the same base as Niou for the next five years thing made it hard to imagine. Oh well. He’d make it through somehow. He always did.
“When you’re in a better place, I’ll tell you why lying bothers me so much.” Gakuto offered. “Just to even the playing field a little.” He yawned, wondering if he was even going to make it back to his room. “I’ll be here, you know. If you need to do this again.”
It would be a lie to say Hiyoshi wasn’t a little curious about that. “Okay, deal.” He gathered his things, and took a step towards the door before pausing. “You’re a good friend. Thanks.”
Gakuto smiled softly. “You, too, Hiyoshi.” He said before waving him off. “Good night.” He would finish cleaning up the gym and then make his way to bed himself, with the hope that tomorrow would be easier for them all.
