backyardbbq | Stupid dumb exorcist geniuses

[Even during normal classes, things don't feel quite right. Everything's almost surreal, and has been since Kyoto. After facing off with Toudou, testifying at the meeting, signing that contract...

There's so much he can't talk about. Things that other members of the Order would never be able to relate to even if he could talk about them. Some of his elder peers might be able to understand, but never completely, and his students...

It doesn't matter. There's little point in thinking on it with the Morinas Contract in place. He'll just have to continue on as he always has.

Bon will find Yukio walking away from the locker area, a heavy school bag slung over one shoulder, a distracted expression on his face, and a bento in one hand (probably a Rin creation, because when has Yukio ever been seen with a homemade bento that wasn't?). Looks like he's off to have lunch, but there's a group of three nervous looking girls heading in his direction with obvious intent.

Intercept?]

[YEAH he can see those girls coming from a mile away. And with how distracted Yukio looks, it's definitely time to intercept. Misdirection should spare the girls from heartache.]

Oi, Okumura-kun!

[Sometimes it still feels weird, calling Yukio that instead of 'sensei', but they have appearances to keep up during the day.

So yeah, he's jogging up, acting like he hadn't seen the girls at all.]

I, er, mind eating lunch with me? I missed part of the notes last hour.

[Blatant lies, Bon never misses notes. But it serves the purposes of getting Yukio's attention to ask him some serious things, as well as give him an out to avoid nervous girls and their probably love confessions.]

[Yukio turned to look back at Bon, blinking a few times before offering the other boy a smile.

Missing notes? Now that's not something Yukio ever thought he'd hear from Bon. He was always very attentive during class, both Yukio's and his normal daytime classes. Even the other teachers at the cram school spoke of him now and then, praising his dedication to his studies after hours.]

Ah... not at all, Suguro-kun. I still have my notebook with me. We can go over it together.

[The girls seem to deflate as a unit, drifting away slowly now that whatever plans they might've had have been foiled. Yukio, surprisingly enough, doesn't seem notice them at all.]

Alright, c'mon.

[Even if the girls drift away on their own, Bon will wait until he and Yukio are well on their way before quietly telling Yukio about that particular problem.]

You gotta be careful, walking around by yourself like that. You're gonna get cornered by a group of lovestruck girls eventually.

[He's not surprised that Yukio is popular, but he's sure he would rather avoid that headache. Bon himself had been dodging the affections of one of the girls from their class.]

[That earns Bon a few more confused blinks, and Yukio glances briefly over one shoulder as if looking for such a group of girls. The three Bon is talking about are out of sight by now, but the young exorcist doesn't seem terribly surprised at the news. He's been cornered before. Usually he can talk his way out of things, but not all girls are so easy to reason with.]

I'll need to be on my guard in the future. [He's still smiling, but there's some exasperation in his tone.]

I suppose I should be thanking you for the rescue.

Don't worry about it.

[He's not one to ask for praise. He's just doing what he thinks he should be doing anyway.

But it does give him the perfect opportunity to get into what he actually wanted to discuss with Yukio.]

I'm surprised you didn't notice them, though. Got a lot on your mind?

Paperwork, mostly, and I have a few lesson plans that need tweaking. I'm afraid I couldn't get as much work done as I would've like to over the last few weeks.

[It's not a totally lie. There's always paperwork to be done, especially when one is the babysitter of the son of Satan.]

What about you? You're not usually one to miss notes.

[Bon is sure it's more than that. There is always paperwork, but Yukio didn't always seem as distracted as he is now.]

Mmn? Oh, no, I didn't need the notes. It was just the first excuse I could think of, to get your attention for a bit. To rescue you from the approaching hoard of girls, I mean.

[That sure is an awkward turtle moment.]

But we could still eat lunch together, if you don't have things to do right now. Renzou and Koneko had other things to do, so I'd be by myself anyway.

[Just a bit awkward turtle-y, yes, but Yukio laughs it off.]

That's fine with me. With you around I might even get to finish my bento without any unwanted interruptions.

[Which is a rare thing, unfortunately. Normally he has to find a place inside to hide away (usually his office) if he wants to eat in peace.]

There's a shady spot just around the corner that should be unoccupied if we don't dawdle.

[Shade was good. It was the start of September, so the weather was still pretty hot. Thankfully they still got to wear their summer uniforms, so it wasn't unbearable. But it could still be uncomfortable, especially in the huge classrooms with no air conditioning.

The shady spot is unoccupied, which means relief from the sun. Bon plops down on the ground and pulls out his own lunch from his bag. Unfortunately, he doesn't have Rin to cook for him, so his food is all store-bought.]

You know, I'm almost jealous. You never have to deal with ramen for meals.

[Yukio rests his bag off to one side settles himself down carefully, those long legs crossed beneath him and his back against a tree. Even now, while on break, he doesn't seem to relax fully. While students eating nearby loosen their ties or slouch in the grass, Yukio retains his perfect posture.]

Living with my brother has both upsides and downsides. Lunch is definitely one of the upsides.

[Speaking of which, the bento he's just unwrapped? Looks pretty amazing. There's even some meat in there, an uncommon treat.]

[Yeah, Yukio pretty much hit the jackpot of the lunch lottery. Bon's got convenience store bento which is not nearly as good.]

See, if everyone saw that, I think the girls would leave you alone, since they'd assume you already had a girlfriend.

[Even if Yukio isn't relaxing, Bon is. Because it's too damn hot to be proper all the time, and appearances don't matter as much as ability does in Bon's mind.]

[It's okay, Bon. If it weren't for Rin, Yukio would be in the same boat. Assuming he remembered to get himself a lunch at all.]

Maybe. I usually take lunch in my office if I can manage to sneak away, that way I can get a little extra work done while I eat.

[Geez, Yuki, way to be the most boring kid on the planet.]

[So that's where Yukio hides every day. It makes sense, Yukio has always been about taking work seriously. It's one of the things Bon admires about him.]

You'll have a break soon, won't you? After we're done with our exams.

[He shakes his head, swallowing some rice before responding.]

That depends on what kind of requests are coming in. The call center's been very busy as of late.

[Normal school, teaching at the cram school, taking missions... this kid's got himself a pretty packed schedule.]

Oh yeah, because of all the people suddenly seeing demons, right?

[He heard about that, several of the students have been acting strange lately.]

[A nod. Godain wasn't the first civilian to report seeing demons, and he certainly wouldn't be the last. Not with everything that was happening...]

They're mostly smallfry and easy to take care of, but they can be a problem in higher numbers.

Mmn.

[After a short pause, Bon speaks again.]

Regular classes, teaching in the cram school, and all that extra work too...this might sound weird, coming from me, but don't forget to take breaks.

[Bon is always studying and gives Rin a hard time for slacking off, but Yukio is doing three times the work he is. He definitely deserves a break every now and then.]

[He smiles again, but it's that same smile that Bon sees him put on in class all the time. The indulgent one he uses while dealing with teachers or while humoring overly interested classmates.]

I appreciate your concern, but I'll be alright.

...you know that smile doesn't fool anyone, right?

[Nope sorry, he's calling Yukio out on it.]

[That makes the smile falter a little. He's not used to anyone but Rin and Shura calling him out on his bull.]

I'm not trying to fool you, Suguro-kun.

Yes you are.

[Nope sorry, there is another one joining the calling-out party now. But he'll be reasonable about it.]

Look, I get that you've got a lot on your plate. There's probably a bunch of stuff you couldn't even begin to explain, and you don't have to. You've got the right to keep your own secrets. But would it kill you to be honest about it, and just say 'it's a little stressful' or 'I could use a distraction from all this stuff I have to do' or something like that?

[That's very thoughtful of him, but it's still jarring as heck. He's spent so long watching his class bond with each other, keeping himself separate from them, to have one of them speak so openly to him (like one teenager to another instead of a student to a teacher) is a little baffling.]

... Students have enough to deal with without having to worry about their teachers.

You're only my teacher after 5 pm, Okumura.

[Yeah, he's pointedly using no honorifics there. Until cram school classes start, Yukio is his classmate, his equal.]

[A statement like that from someone else might earn them quite the unhappy face. Alright, let's be real. If Rin said something like that, Yukio would probably take it in the worst way and be pretty annoyed.

But since Bon isn't Rin, he gets a smile and a quiet chuckle instead. There's still something less than completely genuine about that smile, but it's worlds away from the one he pasted on before.]

You're a very honest person, Suguro-kun.

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