Work Text:
You didn't like Tomioka Giyuu. He only speaks to nag at you, to point out your mistakes.
"Are you listening to me?" Tomioka asks, in that soft, velvet smooth voice of his. A long finger taps a point on the page sharply. "You’ve filled this report wrongly. Please redo it." Ice blue eyes bore into yours as he peers down his elegant nose at you.
You glance at the report you’d only just submitted in his hand. He was so nosy. It wasn't even his business to check your reports, he just started doing it out of the blue. He cited something about it being a senior teacher's job to review a new hire's work before it reaches the principal.
In your opinion, he takes it way too far. He even leans over your shoulder to point out things on your computer screen, icy blues flickering to you whenever he speaks, as if checking if you're truly listening. Give me some space!
Tomioka Giyuu only ever speaks about work. He never goes to lunch with anyone, never makes small talk, never misses a work submission. He never tones down his 'upstanding teacher' persona.
You have long wondered. Is he like that even on weekends? So cold, so restrained, so.. Tomioka Giyuu?
You see him once for yourself, on a Saturday run to a convenience store.
He's crouched near a gutter dressed in a ratty old tshirt that looks barely any more presentable than his tracksuit. He's wildly flailing a soggy piece of canned anchovy at an obviously disdainful tabby cat.
Perhaps its the need to annoy him, perhaps its just morbid curiosity, but you wander over.
"It doesn't seem to like you," you comment idly. He looks up, and his eyes are clear as the blue skies. He says nothing.
You crouch down beside him, beckoning over the stray cat.
"It does," Tomioka says, out of the blue. "I've fed it before."
You snorted, not quite believing him. You manage to pat a little of the cat's fur after scooting closer. The creature hisses, clearly offended.
It extends its small paw, ready to scratch and punish you for your hubris. Tomioka moves faster.
Catching your wrist he tugs you none too gently out of harms way. His hand is large and impossibly warm. His eyes are blue as ice.
"You'll get hurt," he says, like its a fact. Unintentionally you bristle, flushing in annoyance.
You pull your arm out of his grip, and without another word, you continue your walk to the store.
Cold blue eyes watch you go.
Tomioka Giyuu eats his lunches alone. But today, so do you. Your only other friends in the staff room were off campus for a course, leaving you to pick at your cafeteria ramen alone.
You look up at the gentle sound of someone moving into the seat in front of you. Tomioka gives you his signature flat look, as he sits, ramrod straight in the chair, looking all at once highly picturesque and incredibly uncomfortable.
Before you can ask him what he wants, he places his bento box on the table with a thump. "You're eating alone."
It's not a question. You assent to it anyway, telling him that the other teachers were busy. You trail off as you talk, uncertain if he's even listening. Tomioka Giyuu's silence never fails to make you feel like you talk too much.
As you shut yourself up awkwardly, he turns to you, eyes questioning. You squirm uncomfortably under his gaze, breaking eye contact to prod at your cooling noodles.
The silence drags on, punctuated by the soft sound of Tomioka unpacking his lunch. You had nearly brought a mouthful of noodles to your lips before a flash of yellow intruded its way into your vision. It was a bulging roll of egg, held delicately by worn wooden chopsticks, suspended inches from your face.
You meet Tomioka's unflinching gaze as he holds the egg up to you.
"Have some egg," he murmurs, like this was all completely normal. "It's good," he adds when you don't move.
Tentatively, you drop your noodles back into your bowl and take the egg, chopsticks clacking against his. You thank him, voice coming out soft and uncertain, but he nods resolutely at it and watches you intently as you lifted it to your lips.
He was right, it was good. You tell him as such and his lips quirk into a tiny approximation of a smile that leaves you strangely breathless with shock. Wholly oblivious to your reaction, he resumes eating his food in complete silence, and after a little more staring to confirm that he wasn't going to turn to you again, you go back to your own food.
The next time you speak to Tomioka Giyuu, its over his desk near the end of the day, as he reviews your work. You could feel the grimace, painting your face as you stood there, waiting for the inevitable scolding you were sure to get.
Tomioka shuffles the papers in his hand, peering at you over the top of them, eyes a stormy blue under the office's dingy fluorescent lights. Its an intense gaze, making you shiver.
"Well done," he says, still staring intently at you. "I can tell you've really improved."
You blink in shock at that, wondering if you've misheard him. At your lack of response, Kanroji Mitsuri manages to sidle in behind you, beaming.
"Isn't that wonderful, (Y/N)? You're getting the hang of the work now!" Kanroji smiles, smacking you reassuringly in the back with a bit too much force, pitching you forward.
You catch a glimpse of Tomioka's raised eyebrows before his hands are on your shoulders, steadying you, and your papers are scattered on the ground. You're deaf to Kanroji's frantic apologies as she bustles around you and Tomioka's feet, gathering up the papers.
Tomioka was too close. At this distance, there was nothing to distract you from the blue of his eyes, the regal incline of his nose, or his soft lips, parted slightly in concern.
You shook yourself out of your daze quickly, leaning back out of his grasp with a barely muttered thanks.
Glancing away, you accept the papers back from an apologetic Kanroji, unable to meet Tomioka's eyes again as you feel his stare bare into you.
"Are you okay?" Tomioka asks, softly.
Not looking back, and cursing your sudden bout of shyness, you nod quickly, giving him a hurried thanks for his concern. Quickly, you turn to shuffle back to your desk, lying to both of them about having to leave soon, just to escape the awkward vibe in the room.
The next day brings no respite from the strange turn your relationship with Tomioka Giyuu has gotten to. In fact, its only gotten stranger.
Tomioka had sat himself again in front of you at lunch, this time looking strangely pleased at the arrangement, even as you sent him obvious looks of confusion over this. Your discomfort with the situation went completely unnoticed by even the other teachers at the table. In fact, Kanroji and Kochou Kanae looked completely at ease with Tomioka's presence, as if he sat with you guys every single day of the week. As if he hadn't spent the last three months of your working there, eating all alone in the sanctity of his office desk so far.
Today he offers you an entire egg roll, pristine and looking absolutely delicious, which he hands over to you almost reverently, perching it atop your bowl of white rice. Tomioka ignores your look of confusion, accepting your thanks with dignified stride, blue eyes sparkling with an unreadable emotion.
Your own dry school cafeteria issued saba fish goes forgotten as you tuck into your surprising prize, eating with far too much gusto to fake disinterest in the gesture. Beside you, Kanroji and Kochou share a giggle at your expense, watching this unfold with glee. They turn down your offers to share, and that was enough to send you into a suspicious tilt. Kanroji never turns down food.
You look between them and Tomioka, trying to discern if there was something happening here that was escaping your notice. But Tomioka says nothing, tucking into his food at last, and neither do the girls, although they won’t stop giggling over it.
If it annoys you, you don’t say it. You’re too busy peeking over at Tomioka over the rim of your bowl, watching as he smiles contentedly into his salmon soup.
The train station was as busy as ever when you reach it, and you walked quickly along with the flow of people, careful to avoid any stray elbows as you went.
In your insistence to avoid bumping into anyone, you walked straight into a path of an energetic looking man, his clipboard blocking you from moving past him. Dressed in the gaudy red shirt of an insurance agent, you had a moment to realise your folly before the man started his spiel.
“Miss! How are you! May I have a moment of your time?” he asked, a forced, smarmy grin pulling at his face. You started, darting away to avoid eye contact and trying unsuccessfully to walk around him.
“Please,” he says, and there’s a hint of desperation under that cheery candour that makes you feel just as guilty as you are uncomfortable to hear his sales pitch. “It won’t take but a moment! I just want to tell you about our latest insurance plans, perfect for a working adult like yourself! Why don’t you come to our booth over there to hear more?”
His hand shoots out to grab your wrist in a vice like grip, preventing your further attempts to shy away.
You had never been good at telling people no, and this time was no different. You squirmed uncomfortably trying to find the politest way out of this situation, twisting your hand this way and that, unable to shake off the iron grip of the agent as he continued to talk, unperturbed.
All of a sudden, the man's unnervingly cheerful speech cut right off, as a heavy hand descended upon his shoulder with an audible thump.
From behind him, you could hear a chillingly curt voice speak out, low and dangerous. "I think she isn't interested in what you're selling. Let her go."
Peering past the agent's shoulder, you were met with the steely blues of the one and only Tomioka, his glare, usually so blank, pointed enough to cut glass. A thrill of emotion you can't quite place raced through you. Was it relief to see him come to your aid? Or was it admiration to see him stand up for someone like that? You've certainly never seen him look so... Authoritative.
It was kind of hot.
You tried to immediately banish that thought.
The agent faltered; his eyebrows raised in shock at Tomioka's sudden appearance. If you didn't know better, you'd think he looked scared.
"Leave her alone," Tomioka repeated, his hand squeezing down slightly on the agent's shoulder, causing him to squeak.
"Of course, of course!" the man blubbered, his smarmy grin sliding off to reveal a horrified, placating smile, "my mistake! You uh have a good day now miss, and uh sir!"
Noticing that he'd let your wrist go, Tomioka released the man from his grasp. He wasted no time in scampering off immediately, not even daring to look back at either of you.
You shuffled on the spot awkwardly, looking at your shoes before tentatively looking up to meet Tomioka's gaze. You were surprised to find that the harsh look in his eyes was gone. He looked at you gently, eyebrows just so slightly down turned, as if he was distressed.
"Are you okay?" he asked, voice low and gentle.
You nodded fervently, feeling more than a little silly all of a sudden. It felt like you keep running into him in the strangest situations recently. It was actually getting a bit embarrassing that he had to help you out so often. "Sorry, you're always having to help me out."
Tomioka's eyes widened inestimably. It was slight enough for a stranger not to notice, and you were surprised you did. You were shocked at how in tune you were getting to his emotions, as vastly difficult as they can be to discern.
"You don't have to apologise. It’s not your fault," he says, still looking a bit taken aback.
"Still," you mutter, wondering at the nagging feeling in your chest, and how much of that you can blame on Tomioka, and how much you can blame on yourself. "You help me at work, and now even outside of work, I just-" you stopped to take a breath.
When Tomioka sensed that you weren't about to continue, he hummed softly. "I don’t think I'm much help. But I don't mind it either way."
"I'm sorry," you repeated, and what you were apologising for, you didn't even know.
Tomioka bowed his head at you, concerned. "Its fine. I like helping you."
The words were so kind, and his gaze was so gentle that you felt your heart clench tightly. A foreign feeling swelled in your chest, and you were far too tired to make any sense of it.
"Why?" you asked, voice coming out strained and choked. Why was he always barging into your business? Why did he care? "Why would you care about me? I can't do anything right, you've said so yourself."
Tomioka's brow furrowed slightly and you hated how well you knew his face to tell. "When did I ever say that?"
"You think that," you shoot back without thinking. It was like a dam had burst in you, and all your bottled emotions and stress that had been stewing in you was leaking out. "You're always telling me that my work isn't good enough, that I'm not good enough. Every single time I hand anything to you, you have something to nit-pick! So, isn't that what you think? That- that I'm useless." you stutter, breaking his gaze to stare angrily at his shoes.
"That," Tomioka said sharply, "is not true."
At the sudden change in tone you glanced up, and was surprised to see his gaze dark, his blue eyes stormy, full lips set into a thin grim line. He looked angry.
Distantly you thought that you were seeing more emotion from him in these ten minutes than you've had from him all year.
"I was never trying to put you down," Tomioka says, and his voice is uncharacteristically loud and sharp, betraying his mood like never before. "I wanted to help you improve. And you always do. You are a tireless worker, and a dedicated teacher. You have so much potential that me, and everyone else can see."
You blink at him, struck completely dumb by his sudden tirade.
"Stop saying such negative things about yourself. It helps no one, much less yourself, to put yourself down like that. You work hard, and take criticism into stride. You never make the same mistake twice, and you're always improving. I-" he faltered, as if recollecting himself and remembering that he was in public. He pauses and you wait for him to continue, watching him with bated breath.
The next time he speaks, his voice is calm and soft as it always had been. "I've always admired that about you."
The people in the busy station rush around the two of you, leaving you both in a small cocoon of silence, the sort of surreal privacy one can only find in a crowd.
It takes you a moment to process his words, his praises and his emotions, as raw as you've ever seen it from him. Tomioka doesn't seem to mind, waiting patiently as you try to get your thoughts in order.
You couldn't remember why you'd ever think he was cold.
He appeared apathetic and uncaring, but with a sudden clarity you realised that with Tomioka, it was the little things that counted. The small acts of kindness and concern that he bestowed on you. What he avoided saying in words, he made up for in his actions, and in his careful observations, a kind of calm collected sweetness that before tonight, you may have never realised. You knew full well he wouldn't have minded even if you never did. He would just go on, being quietly kind, and being unjustly hated by you.
You felt like a complete jackass.
The realisation made your tumultuous emotions overflow, and with a choked cry, you could feel your eyes tearing up.
Tomioka gasped audibly at your tears, hands shooting forward as if to shield you from your own sadness. Wavering, he shoved them back into his coat, pulling out a packet of tissues. He held the tissues out, motioning as if to dab at your cheeks before changing his mind and instead holding them out to you desperately. You sniffed, rather amused by his frantic antics despite it all, accepting the wad of tissues gratefully.
"I'm..." Tomioka gaped, staring at you. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."
"It's fine," you blubber, dabbing at your eyes and feeling simultaneously incredibly foolish and amused. "I'm not crying because of you."
"Oh," he murmurs, eyes never leaving yours. "Then, are you tired? Are you hurt anywhere?"
You shake your head, still unable to stop your sudden unreasonable bout of tears.
Tomioka tried again. "Do you want to sit down?"
You nod, and Tomioka gently gathers you in his arms, ushering you to a nearby bench. The other commuters take one look at your crying face and try to stay clear out of the way, providing the both of you with a wide enough berth to get to the bench unhindered.
You settle down beside Tomioka, and sit in silence while he gently pats your back, still looking very confused but not asking you any questions, for which you're grateful for.
"I'm sorry," you repeat, once your tears have blissfully made way for slight hiccups, allowing you to speak again.
"What for?"
"For not noticing sooner," you wave a hand around for emphasis.
Tomioka tilts his head, and you have to work hard not to smile at the cute gesture. "That we're in public?"
"What? No. I mean about how nice you always are to me."
"Oh," Tomioka says, his expression betraying nothing, although a slight blush that dusts his cheeks suggest otherwise. "It's nothing special."
"You even give me food on the regular."
"You... Looked a bit sad," murmured Tomioka, blue eyes swimming with sincerity. "Kanroji mentioned that food is the best way to cheer someone up."
You gave him a shaky smile. "She's right."
Tomioka smiles at you, stunning you immediately to silence. "I'm glad to hear that."
You couldn't help a blush of your own, and could feel it burning across your cheeks as you watched him smile serenely at you, his already unreasonably handsome face becoming near blinding.
Thinking to get out of that powerful gaze, and also maybe hoping to push your luck to its limits, you shift closer, wrapping your arms around him and tucking your face into his shoulder.
You feel him stiffen under your touch and you pause worriedly wondering if you should pull back. But in the next second you feel warm arms coming to rest around you pulling you in closer.
The blush on your face was well and truly threatening to burn your skin right off.
You feel soft lips press itself to the top of your head, lingering longer than necessary, and leaving your skin tingling in its wake. You part slightly and meet Tomioka's gaze straight on, at the joy dancing in his cerulean blue eyes and the curve of his full lips.
And for the first time in a while, you think that everything's going to be okay.