i srsly love fuuta

"Giotto-san?" You asked, looking up at the blonde. He smiles and tilts his head.

"Yes, [Name]?" He asks.

"Um... I realize that there is no age limit with this school, but..." You drop your voice to a whisper. "How old is this kid? Are you sure he'll do okay here? There are some pretty weird people at this school."

"That's why I'm here, [Name]. Will you look after him while he's here?" Giotto asked, gesturing to the small boy standing next to him. You hummed slightly, crouching down and smiling kindly at the kid.

"What's your name, bud?"

"Fuuta de la Stella." He replies, "Nice to meet you, Nee-chan!"

"N-nee-chan?" You ask. Giotto smiles.

"He won't cause trouble. Fuuta is a good kid. He's special in his own way, which I'm sure you'll be acquainted with sooner or later."

"Giotto-san... you're not getting me into anything sketchy, are you?" You ask, raising a slight eyebrow at him. His smile doesn't change, and Fuuta trots over to you, tugging on the hem of your pants.

"Nee-chan, will you show me your office?" He asks sweetly, looking up at you with large brown eyes. Inwardly, you swoon, and mentally curse Giotto for leaving you with such a cute kid.

"S-sure. I'll show you around the school, too. Okay?"

Fuuta's smile is so precious and bright you could melt.

[...]

"Nee-chan! Look what I did!" you can hear Fuuta's voice before you can see him, and you turn every which way, trying to pinpoint the small boy. "Down here, Nee-chan! Can I show you what I did?" He asks so earnestly, but your mouth falls open.

"Fuuta! What on earth happened to you?!" You gasp, falling on your knees and grasping his arm. His sweater and pants are torn, his hair is ruffled, and there are strangely colored and gooey substances sticking to his face, hair and clothes.

"I was with Verde-nii-chan! Can I show you what I made in his lab?" Fuuta asked, tugging on your skirt eagerly.

"No!" Your voice is harsher than you intended. "First, we're going to get you cleaned up. I don't know what's gotten you so dirty, but your safety is my first priority. Plus, don't tell anyone I said this, but Verde is a really sketchy guy. I don't have time to deal with him and his shenanigans."

"Nee-chan, that's not nice." Fuuta pouts. "You always have time for me, but you never talk to Verde-nii-chan or anyone else. It's like you don't even like to be with them." Your eyes widen slightly.

"That's not true, I just have lots of work to do." Fuuta clenches fistfuls of his sweater, shaking his head. He looks upset, and you want to make him feel better. What he says next not only hurts your feelings, but also your pride.

"With Verde-nii-chan and the others, I have fun. They show me cool things. But I feel like you don't want me to see those things, Nee-chan. I definitely like being with them." He doesn't say 'more', but you don't need to hear the word to know what he means. Your hands are resting motionless in your lap before you stand. Slowly, you reach out to him.

"Let's get you cleaned up." You try to sound gentle, but he steps back, shaking his head. When he looks up, you're stunned to see tears in his eyes.

"I'm going back to Verde-nii-chan." He says stubbornly.

"Fuuta." Your voice is sharper, and he twitches.

"No! I won't!" His voice is raised. "I'm going to go and play games with Verde-nii-chan!" He turns and runs off.

"Fuuta, wait!" You call after him, but he's quick, and as soon as he darts around the corner you know it's useless to go after him. You stand in the hall, still wide-eyed, arm reaching out. "Fuuta...?" You ask. Silence answers you.

[...]

The next few days, you don't see Fuuta at all, and despite the fact that you're worried to death about him, you can't bring yourself to ask for him. It's after school one day when you realize how much you miss him. You had been carrying a cup of juice back to your office, when it slipped from your grasp and fell to the floor, shattering instantly upon contact. You stare at the glass and spilt juice, before slowly kneeling down to pick up the shards of glass.

"[Name]?" You want it badly to be Fuuta, but you know it's not the small boy. Giotto walks forward and kneels in front of you. "Are you hurt?" He asks, and you shake your head.

"...I..." You swallow hard. "I messed up, Giotto-san." Even though he doesn't say anything, you know he's listening. "I-I think Fu-Fuuta hates me." Your cheeks are warm, and it takes you a moment to realize you're crying. "I'm s-so worried about him. I didn't want him learning about the mafia because he's so small, but..." Giotto puts his hand over yours, and he gently pries your clenched fingers apart. You can't even feel the sting of the glass, nor feel the blood running down your fingers. His other hand comes up to wipe the tears from your cheeks.

"I understand." He says, and you choke back a sob. "It's hard to bring someone into a world like this. But eventually, he will understand, and he'll need to know these things."

"I-I know, but... I don't want him to know. I just want him to stay the way he is now, even if it's away from me." You cry softly. "But I miss him so much."

It takes you nearly an hour to stop crying.

[...]

For the first time in a week, Fuuta pokes his head around the entrance to your office. He sees you hunched over the desk, one arm lying motionless and the other holding a pen. He tiptoes in to come face to face with you, and it startles him to see you're crying. Looking on your desk, he sees medicine for headaches and eye drops. Looking at what you've been writing, he sees the words 'I'm sorry' scrawled several times. He stills almost completely, staring at your sleeping figure, wide-eyed.

"Nee-chan..."

You wake to a soft noise, and opening your eyes, you rub them free of remaining tears. 'I was crying?' You think, looking around for the source of the noise. You see Fuuta curled up in a corner with his head buried in his arms, and you nearly fall out of your chair in your haste to get up. "Fuuta! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" You ask.

"Nee-chan..." Though it warms your heart to see he's talking to you, you still check him for wounds.

"Did you trip anywhere? Is everything—"

"I'm sorry, Nee-chan." He sniffles, raising his head to look at you with large, watery eyes. "I'm sorry, Nee-chan." You feel your throat close up, and you nod, bringing him into your arms. His own smaller ones wind around your neck, holding you tightly.

"Me too," you say, voice cracking. "I'm sorry, too." The two of you stay that for longer than you can keep track, but he falls asleep in your arms, so you carry him to the lounge. You want to let him sleep on the couch, but his arms and legs tighten instinctively around your neck and waist, so you have no choice but to sit on the couch with him. Not that you minded though, all the stress of worrying over him is gone as the two of you sit together wrapped in each other's arms.

Hopefully, you think, you can warn Verde later to not lay a single hand on Fuuta later.

Extended Ending

Fuuta smiles softly, looking at a picture of himself as a younger kid standing next to you. Walking carefully, he wraps his arms around you, causing you to jump. "Fuuta! Don't do that!" You scold lightly, giving him a reproachful look. He laughs slightly,

"Sorry, [Name]-chan."

"That's sensei to you." You huff. He merely chuckles and tightens his hug, burying his face in your hair. "J-just because you grew a little taller, doesn't mean you can get away with this."

"But I grew more than just a little taller, didn't I? I'm much more mature now." He smiles, and you feel your cheeks heat up.

"Sh-shut up."