gureshin - the lavenders that grow on your porch

the assignment

[shinya's pov]

"What class do we have next?" I asked Mahiru. I was pretty sure Seishiro stole my timetable.

Mahiru laughed. Her voice sounded as smooth as milk, "Oh, silly Shinya. It's Language and Literatures next."

"Oh," I sagged. The Language and Literatures teacher hates me. Well, 90% of the teachers here hate me - except the Music teacher, he doesn't hate anyone.

"Come on, we're going to be late," Mahiru grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards the classroom. To anyone else, it might seem like a sweet action - perfect and pretty Mahiru Hiragi gently leading her disappointment of an adopted brother towards the right classroom. In reality, however, she was squeezing my wrist so tight my fingers became paler than usual. I felt them go numb. 

Mahiru entered the classroom with a dazzling smile. The boys blushed and the girls waved, desperately trying to sit next to her. I entered the room with my head down. I felt someone throw their eraser at me. 

I looked up, trying to find a seat. There were two seats available - one seat in the middle next to the window, the one I usually sit in. I was going to make my way there until my eye caught the other empty seat. It was near the window in the back row and I saw who was sitting there.

His hair was as dark as sin, his eyes a dusky shade of violet. Guren Ichinose.

A small smile flicked up my face and I made my way to sit next to him.

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked him. He looked up, surprised as if he wasn't expecting anyone to talk to him at this time of the day. 

"Uh sure," he muttered, trying not to draw attention. Wise move. Kind of. 99% of the class was already looking at us. 

I happily sat down and made a show of taking out my books and placing them neatly on my desk. I felt one less pair of eyes on me when Guren looked away. I was kind of disappointed, but I don't really know why. Mahiru glared at me like I ripped up her favorite sweater. What do you want Mahiru? It wasn't as if Guren was your boyfriend or anything. 

Wait.

I recalled all those rare times Mahiru and Guren had to do group work together. Mahiru always seemed somewhat nicer at those times and her act seemed a little more convincing. She was always super nice to him whenever she thought no one was looking even though she ignored him in the hallways. Mahiru used to always bully Guren like everyone else but now she just walks by him. 

Does my foster sister have a crush on the one and only Guren Ichinose?

I grinned. That sounded interesting. Beautiful and stunning Mahiru Hiragi from the prestigious Hiragi Clan falling in love with Guren from a lowly branch family. This was good fanfiction material, if I'm being honest.

But somehow my heart kinda dropped to my butt. Why was I now disheartened? It's great that my adopted sister has someone she's genuinely interested in, even though she's cynical as hell. Did I feel like she didn't deserve Guren?

Or Guren doesn't deserve her?

You're being silly, I thought to myself, but my brain kept asking more and more questions. 

Why did Mahiru shoot me a glare? Did she not want me to be friends with Guren? But in theory, me being friends with Guren would give her a better chance because I would be his friend and she would be my sister, no matter how weird the term 'I'm with your sister' sounds. So why was she being so overly protective?

My stomach dropped and my mouth went dry. The only other reason she would act like this was because... because she knew.

You see, I found this out about a month or so ago. I wasn't like other kids, and not necessarily in a good way. 

I'm gay.

Yes, I am a homosexual man and I have never told a soul. Apart from Shinoa. 

I know I love Shinoa and all, but that wasn't a wise move. Shinoa loves drama and secrets. She couldn't keep a secret to save her life. And if she told her totally trustworthy and respectful sister...

I stiffened. Then Mahiru would have dirt, secrets and blackmail against me. Though she had no evidence, it was her word against mine...

Suddenly Shinoa didn't seem as epic as I once described her to be.

I snapped out of my daydream as the classroom door flew open. Not literally, of course, the teacher just liked to bang open doors in the most overly theatrical way possible. 

"Alright guys, get back to your seats," Mrs. Rikudo told everyone who was standing up.

You know how I said that she hated me? She never really shames me in public but I see passive aggressiveness when it happens. But otherwise she's okay. To other students, anyway. 

"Today, we will start our summative assessment." That deserved a few gasps and paincky noises around the room.

"Calm down," Mrs. Rikudo sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but it's starting today. It's going to be ongoing for about a month and you'll be doing in groups of three."

This sounds immature, I know, but people immediately started grabbing each other's hands and I saw groups of three I already formed. I snorted, half amused, half disappointed as nobody reached towards me. I glanced at Guren out of the corner of my eye and realized that nobody reached towards him too. Shigure and Sayuri were too far away anyway.

I wondered if he would be willing to be in a group with me. 

Mrs. Rikudo laughed, about just amused as I were and said, "No, I will be choosing your groups. I've already got them picked out. Stop holding each other's hands now."

There were groans around the room and everybody slouched back down onto their chairs. I swear, some people were casting glares and glances towards Guren and I, probably hoping they didn't end up in a group with us.

"Alright," Mrs. Rikudo took out her clipboard. She was old school that way, "Here are the groups."

I wasn't really listening. I think I heard Shigure and Sayuri's names being called. They were in a group together, I think. Good for them.

Until the last group came.

"The last three people in the group are, as you might know," Mrs. Rikudo glanced at the clipboard, "Mr. Shinya Hiragi, Ms. Mahiru Hiragi,"

Ah great. Mahiru and I are in a group. At least it's someone I live and put up with every day.

"And finally, Mr. Guren Ichinose."

I felt my stomach drop and fill with butterflies at the same time. Guren looks equally surprised, but just for a moment. Mahiru's face looks bright until she masks her face with false disgust. 

She glares at me across the room.

That wasn't fake.

a/n: i don't know what language their studying in by the way make it up yourself I'm lazy af sorry lmao