Chapter Text
It started with Kuboyasu getting angry.
Because of course it did. If it's not Nendo's bumbling idiocy, then it's Kaido's ridiculous fantasies, or Teruhashi's obsession, or Hairo's unerring vitality, or-
You pretty much get the picture. The point is, Kusuo's nuisances definitely live up to their title. His own life would be much more peaceful without them, and Kusuo should do away with them while he could.
Or at least, that was what he told himself. Somehow, even after all these 'years', it never quite seemed to happen.
But this time, it was different. This time it hadn't been one of the silly, inane situations Kusuo was somehow always dragged kicking and screaming into.
Kusuo had always known, in a distant, don’t think about it way, that Kuboyasu had a degree of paranoia that could rival his own. Kusuo could hear it, after all, and the reformed punk’s thoughts often mirrored his own. But — as much as Kusuo loathed to admit anything like this — Kuboyasu was usually better at handling it than he was.
If he was a normal person, seeing Kuboyasu so untethered to reality would have been scary. But Kusuo was an all-seeing psychic, so it obviously hadn’t induced any anxiety in him.
Apparently, all it took was an outing too late at night and some glass shattering, and Kuboyasu was no longer a diligent student hanging out with his friends, but a teenage delinquent fighting for his life.
Actually, maybe anger wasn't the right word for Kuboyasu's reaction. There was something too cornered animal-esque for Kusuo to feel good about just brushing it off as something so simple.
Honestly, Kusuo was glad he’d been the one closest to Kuboyasu. If he absolutely had to pick, it would be himself he'd put on the receiving end of one of Kuboyasu's strikes. Kaido would instantly fold, and Kusuo wasn't sure that Nendo would understand the intricacies required for this kind of situation.
Thankfully, Kusuo was more than fast enough to dodge the likely-devastating punch that Kuboyasu threw toward him.
It was the snarled-out "Get the hell away from me!" that made Kusuo pause.
Despite himself, he heeded the cry and stepped back. As he did, he was suddenly aware that people were starting to look. The realization made Kusuo's skin itch. But for once, avoiding attention wasn't at the forefront of his mind.
"Aren?" Kaido asked nervously, shifting closer to Kusuo. He was probably seeking comfort because, oh, you know, his best friend seemed to be falling apart at the seams.
"He's alright, Kaido," Kusuo reassured quietly.
It would have been understandable if Kaido didn’t believe him. Kuboyasu had pressed his back against a building, eyes wild and distant. His breathing was ragged and quick, his chest rising and falling in a motion that had to be painful.
“Kuboyasu,” Kusuo called out. The teen's eyes snapped to him. They were still wide and unfocused, but the fact that he was at least acknowledging external stimuli boded well. Kusuo ignored the pounding of his own heart as he said, "Everything is okay. Nobody wants to hurt you."
Kuboyasu twitched and blinked rapidly. He began to scan his surroundings, and a look of confusion slowly formed on his face as he seemed to register the people around him.
"...Saiki?" He asked as he slowly pushed himself off of the wall. "Shun? Nendo? What the fuck-"
Kuboyasu reached up to scrub at his eyes and startled at the presence of his glasses. "I'm not…" He marveled, bringing his hands back down to look at them. He flipped his palms down and wiggled his fingers, as though he was astonished that they belonged to him. Finally, he let out a groan and ran a rough hand through his hair. "Shit, man."
Yeah, that summed up how Kusuo was feeling quite well, too.
Kaido and Nendo were hovering around him, and people were still looking. Kusuo's skin crawled, but he tried to push through it, instead watching as Aren adjusted his glasses and came closer to them.
"Are you okay?" Kaido questioned, fiddling anxiously with his bandaids. Kuboyasu frowned and tossed a comforting arm over the shorter boy's shoulder.
"I'm…okay, homeslice," he reassured haltingly, like he wasn’t even sure his words were true.
While the former punk pressed Kaido into his side, he looked up and mouthed thank you to Kusuo. His stomach squirmed unhappily at that.
Ugh, there were some well-doers planning on asking after Kuboyasu. A heavier application of his patented don't notice me hypnosis and people were shuffling away with glazed-over eyes. Good grief, maybe now they could go home. Kusuo didn't need these people meddling. He was more than capable of handling something like this on his own.
His hands were shaking. Kusuo tucked them further into the sleeves of his cardigan with a scowl.
"What happened, new kid?" Nendo asked, tilting his head curiously. "Did something scare ya?"
"'Course not," Kuboyasu snorted, ruffling Kaido's hair before letting him go. "Just…a lil' unsettled was all."
Right. Okay, Kuboyasu. Whatever helps you sleep tonight.
Speaking of which, despite his front, the guy did look tired. To normies, it might not seem that way, but there was a curl of exhaustion sagging his shoulders and coiling in his eyes that wasn't there before his little trip down memory lane.
Funnily enough, Kusuo was pretty sure Kaido and Nendo were picking up on it, too. Never let it be said that those two could ever, under any parameters, be considered normal, though.
That meant Kusuo should probably help him get home. Not because he cared that much, but because it would be more work for him in the long run if Kuboyasu somehow managed to get jumped in this state.
"C'mon, guys, I'm okay," Kuboyasu smiled slightly and rubbed his neck. "I just need to go home and get some shut-eye."
Kaido wasn't convinced, but Nendo gave a thumbs up. "You know yourself best, new kid. We'll make sure you get home safe!"
Kuboyasu's smile took on a more genuine edge. "Thanks, Nendo."
He glanced down at his best friend, who was busy chewing at his lip and looking into the far off distance. Kuboyasu bumped his shoulder softly, which was enough to make Kaido move slightly. Kusuo pressed his lips together so he didn't snicker. "Let's drop you off first, actually. I know you got a strict curfew and all."
"But-" Kaido protested, looking up at Kuboyasu with a sharp worry. He looked back at Kusuo with those needy, sad puppy eyes.
Kusuo gritted his teeth. Good grief, this kid was shameless, wasn't he? Ruthlessly using his round baby face to his advantage. Kusuo ought to say no on principle.
"I'll make sure he gets home," he sighed. Kaido's face melted into warm relief, and Kusuo crossed his arms.
Fine. The chuunibyou won this round.
Kuboyasu didn't seem happy about not being able to walk Kusuo home, but he also seemed to know when to pick his battles.
Smart boy. He should utilize that more often. Maybe Kusuo would come out with them more if he wasn't stuck being the only lick of common sense around.
Kusuo watched through lidded eyes as Nendo let out an obnoxious yawn and stretched his arms above his head. "Man, I'm exhausted. What about you, little buddy?"
Kusuo ignored him the same way he'd been doing the entire time. Still, Nendo beamed like he'd said something in response.
After a while, Nendo glanced down the street and pointed. "Look, partner. My house is there!"
Yes, Nendo. Very good job.
"Did you wanna go?" Kuboyasu asked. His brain seemed kind of mush right now. He was sifting through his thoughts like he was panning for gold, trying to find something that was actually tangible.
Nendo shrugged. "Sure, new kid." He reached over to give Kuboyasu a pat on the back, and the former punk let out a chuckle.
"Bye, little buddy," Nendo grinned. His giant hand reached up, and Kusuo was treated to a moment of gut-wrenching terror as he tried to figure out what the big guy was going to do.
And of course, all it ended up being was a gentle head pat. Kusuo honestly thinks he would have preferred Nendo took a swing.
Kusuo and Kuboyasu watched as Nendo bumbled off. Nendo gave a huge wave, and Kuboyasu gave a smaller one back. Kusuo crossed his arms tighter and scowled harder.
Kuboyasu turned back to him and sighed. "Fuck, I'm happy to go home," he groaned. "Hey, now that they're gone, you don't actually have to walk me. Pretty sure I can get home by myself."
Kusuo rolled his eyes. Nice try, punk. He'd already determined that this was easier than having to sneak back and save Kuboyasu from whatever trouble would inevitably befall him.
"Okay, I should have known that wouldn't work," Kuboyasu huffed out a laugh, glancing up.
Kusuo gave him an appraising look before gesturing ahead. Kuboyasu grinned and began leading him to his house. Thankfully, the former punk understood the merits of a companionable silence, so Kusuo was able to close his eyes for a moment and try to relax.
…At least until Kuboyasu broke the silence. "Hey, about earlier," he said, uncharacteristically quiet. "I'm sorry. I could have hurt you."
Good grief. Kusuo had known an apology would come at some point, but that didn't mean he wanted to deal with it. He opened his eyes reluctantly and stared forward. "It's fine."
"Is it though?"
Ohhh boy. Kusuo shot a glance at Kuboyasu. From what he could catch before his x-ray vision kicked in, there was distress lining the other's brows.
A pang of pity shot through Kusuo. It's not as though he didn't understand Kuboyasu's plight; the thought of not being in control of himself, of being unaware of his surroundings, gave Kusuo chills. But he was also pretty sure this emotional talk would make Kusuo break out in hives if it kept up.
"It is," Kusuo responded.
Kusuo blinked just in time to catch Kuboyasu pressing his lips together unhappily. "I think," he sighed. "I have some shit to work through."
Yeah. Kusuo could have told him that. Not that he would have, but still.
"But that doesn't make what I did okay, Saiki," Kuboyasu continued. "Even if I didn't mean to, or if it wasn't entirely my fault. So, I'm sorry."
Good grief, why was Kusuo stuck with the most persistent guy around? If he was feeling any less generous, he'd call the punk worse than Hairo.
"It's fine, Kuboyasu," Kusuo responded, with perhaps a tad bit more force than he should have.
He took a breath to try and calm himself. Kusuo was just feeling kind of keyed up, was all. But not because of Kuboyasu's flashback. Obviously, Kusuo was irritated that his night had been dragged out so long. He really couldn't care less about the guy he was walking home.
"Are you sure?" Kuboyasu pushed. Kusuo stopped suddenly, and the reformed punk stopped a second later too.
When Kuboyasu looked back at him, his face was a mess of anxiousness. His Kaido impression was quite impressive, if Kusuo said so himself. Even the subtle asking for reassurance that they were still friends was spot on.
Kusuo sighed loudly so Kuboyasu understood how done he was with this conversation. "Yes, I'm sure. It's fine. You didn't hurt me, Kuboyasu."
Kuboyasu, annoyingly, quirked up his lips at his display of frustration. "Sorry. I know it's probably annoying that I keep asking you."
Kusuo shrugged. He wasn't wrong.
That got a soft laugh out of the teen. "Just wanted to make sure, I guess. Even if it didn't land, it was probably still scary to see me trying to hit you."
"Why would I care about that?" Kusuo asked, feeling his stomach drop even as he said the words.
Fuck. That wasn't the correct response at all.
Maybe it was because he was feeling so raw and exposed. Maybe that was why it just slipped out. Kusuo never would have screwed up like this if he was feeling better.
Kuboyasu's brows, once pinched and somber, furrowed sharply in confusion. "Why would you care about being hit?"
Well, when you said it like that, it sure sounded pretty bad, didn't it? Good griefing punk, being stupidly down-to-earth.
It was mostly because it wouldn't hurt Kusuo unless he was relaxed. And not only did the words 'Kusuo' and 'relaxed' not reside in the same universe, but he'd been tenser than usual when interacting with the punk, for obvious reasons.
And also, well-
He wouldn't have minded, mostly because being hit didn't really seem like a novelty to him. In fact, it probably would have been one of the better reasons he'd been struck because Kuboyasu was freaking out and out of his mind. That was better than someone getting mad at him for not going along with their desires.
Somehow though, he doesn't think that little explanation will go over well with Kuboyasu. He was missing some crucial information — namely, that Kusuo was a psychic — that would have made the whole situation less pathetic.
"I mean," Kusuo started, feeling prickly under Kuboyasu's intense, dissecting stare. Good grief, could he lay off a bit? This guy was just having trouble sorting through his thoughts, and now all of a sudden, they were laser-focused on Kusuo's little slip-up. "It would have been an accident, is all I meant."
"...Right. Okay, that makes sense, I guess," Kuboyasu finally acquiesced.
He was still unsure. But his mind was quickly returning back to its scrambled state, so Kuboyasu couldn't turn the issue over in his head very well. Kusuo bit back yet another sigh. At least one thing was going Kusuo's way, then.
Small victories. They kept Kusuo going.
Kuboyasu might not remember this conversation well tomorrow, or even if he did, there was little reason for him to continue down its path. It's not as though Kusuo was actually in any danger. Plus, he and Kusuo weren't even that close. The little kernel of suspicion would fall apart by tomorrow. Kusuo was sure of it.
They both relapsed into silence, Kuboyasu too tired to engage in small talk and Kusuo being - well, himself.
They finally got to Kuboyasu's house, and Kusuo was greeted with the semi-familiar sight of the heavily graffitied walls and roof. "Hey, thanks, homie," Kuboyasu said, turning to him with a small smile. “I mean it.”
Kusuo would have to make sure that Kuboyasu's sleep was dreamless. And no, before you ask, Kusuo firmly did not care that the reformed punk looked so tired. He just didn't want to put up with the guy being pissy because he didn't get his goddamn beauty rest.
He turned his face to the side with a frown, and it only deepened at the sound of Kuboyasu's laughter. "Okay, I get it. I’ll leave. Take care, though, 'aight?"
Pfft. Kusuo was the most powerful being in existence. He didn't have the need to 'take care.'
When Kusuo looked back, Kuboyasu was looking at him with soft eyes. Some part of Kusuo still shook from the discomfort of being paid attention to, but…
This kind of attention wasn't terrible. Kusuo could put up with it easily enough.
Finally, finally, Kuboyasu decided to actually go inside. Good grief, now Kusuo could go home and do something he actually wanted to.
Kusuo stood and watched Kuboyasu as he picked his way up to his front door and only turned to leave himself once the former punk was safely inside.