Boss is 100% my favorite BeyBurst character, and I wanted to write up some, "missing" and extra moments centering on him, because he deserves SO MUCH
Anyway, these will mostly be short and sweet, and there will also definitely be appearances from other BeyBurst characters. Because everyone is so good in this show, like wow.
(Also: I know in the dub he's called Honcho, but I'll stick with Boss as his nickname unless I'm doing something extra-dub-relevant. I hope that's okay!)
This first one takes place somewhere earlier in canon.
Enjoy!
Guilty by Association
Try as he might, Rantaro's never been that great in school. Granted, he's also not the worst in class by far – but all things considered, he could be getting much better grades. Still, he pays attention, turns his homework in on time, and follows…most of the rules. He may not be the most model of model students, but his teachers appreciate the effort he puts in, and so does his father, and that's enough.
Lately, though, there's something that's been threatening to lower his unfortunately meager test scores further.
"Boss!"
…And that something is currently just outside the window, a mere three and a half minutes before class is due to start.
It's a small blessing that his teacher hasn't arrived yet.
"Boss? This's your classroom, right?!"
Man, does that kid have a set of pipes.
Cheeks pink, Rantaro slouches further over his open textbook, trying to ignore the giggles and whispers of his classmates as well as the ruckus from outside. The last thing he needs right now is Valt getting him in more trouble with their principal – it's already happened on three separate occasions – because although the man is surprisingly lenient, Rantaro has none of Valt's accidental charm to keep himself out of detention.
"BOSS!"
He's grinding his lollipop stick between his teeth now, very much aware that everyone is staring at him (even the ones that refuse to call him by the nickname, which is kind of annoying). Maybe, if he sits real still and quiet, Valt will go scream into someone else's classroom window.
"BOOOOSS!"
Or not.
Why, oh why did he have to befriend the most persistent kid in the school?
"IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"
The legs of Rantaro's chair scrape obnoxiously against the tiled floor as he stands, padding to the very back of the classroom to stick his head out the window.
"What?!"
"Oh! So that's your classroom!" Valt says, unfazed as ever. He's been waving both arms as though that would somehow alert Rantaro to his presence faster, but now he drops them and grins ruefully. "It's kind of hard to tell from the outside."
"What are you doing out there?" Rantaro snaps, standing on tiptoe and craning his neck. His class is on the first floor, fortunately – unfortunately, Valt is currently standing about two rooms to the left, shouting at various windows.
Valt trots over before answering, peering up eagerly at Rantaro and bouncing on his feet, schoolbag still strapped across his body. "I'm stuck!"
One dark eyebrow raises as Rantaro's head tilts. "Stuck?"
Valt merely nods. "Stuck," he confirms, "I can't get in, and I'm gonna be late for class again. I need your help!"
"With what?" Rantaro asks.
Always one to somehow get two or three steps ahead in a conversation without actually speaking, Valt simply latches onto the windowsill in response.
Rantaro squawks and nearly loses his lollipop with the action. "No!"
"Aw, c'mon, Boss!" Valt wiggles from where he's letting himself dangle. Ground floor the classroom might be, but it's still far enough off the ground that there's no way he's getting in without some kind of assistance.
"You're gonna get us both in trouble!" Rantaro hisses, glaring down at his friend as he questions a lot of his recent life choices. He was doing just fine until this kid came along – so he's going to leave him hang there, and go back to his schoolwork, and ace today's quiz.
To his credit, Valt makes a valiant attempt at pulling himself up before he sighs dramatically and stands back on the grass. "You gotta help!"
He's not going to help."Get someone else!" Shoving away from the window, Rantaro crosses his arms with a frown.
"I tried!" Valt's voice is a pathetic whine, and he reaches for the windowsill yet again. "I couldn't find my classroom where Shu is, and Daina pretended he couldn't hear me!"
Incredulous, Rantaro steps forward and leans out the window once more. "How did you find my class, but not your own?!"
Rather than respond, Valt tries the chin up tactic yet again, grunting with the effort. "Please, Boss!"
"…You really are something else."
He reaches for Valt's hands, then, and his friend's eyes light up instantaneously.
"Thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Rantaro grumbles, tugging on wrists attached to hands which are in turn far too attached to the window ledge. "Let go, will ya? I can't help if you're hanging on like that."
"Oh, right, sorry!" All at once, Valt lets go –
– And nearly drags Rantaro out the window after him with the shift in weight distribution.
"VALT!"
"Sorry!"
It's surprisingly smooth going after that: Rantaro pulls on his arms, then his shoulders as Valt's shoes scrabble for purchase on the side of the building to help push him up into the room. Curling an arm around Valt's back to ease him the rest of the way through the window is the end of it, and before Rantaro knows it, he's glaring down at a slightly-exerted-but-not-really-any-worse-for-wear Valt in the back of his classroom. The other kids are still staring, of course, with a few bouts of scattered laughter. Valt's been garnering a reputation that puts Rantaro's to shame, and this isn't helping either of them.
Hands resting beneath his waistband, Rantaro blocks out the other students and fixes Valt with A Look.
"Thank you!" Valt's too busy gushing to be bothered, of course. "Thank you, thank you!"
"Yeah – okay – you're welcome."
"You're the best, Boss!"
His cheeks heat up a little at the praise, and Valt is laughing – so he gets behind him and shoves his friend firmly in the direction of the door.
"Seriously, thanks!" Valt rambles, something about almost forgetting breakfast and pushing on doors marked 'pull'.
"I got it!" Rantaro says, not really listening to anything beyond the umpteenth 'thank you'. "Just get going before my teacher – "
"Just what is going on in here?"
"…Gets…here…."
x
Waiting outside the principal's office a few minutes later, Rantaro balances his textbook on his knees to study, doing his best to ignore the very apologetic academic saboteur next to him.
Thanks for reading!
I have a few ideas for this, but updates might be a little sporadic anyway. I'll do my best to keep 'em coming though!
