You sat at the desks you always sat at, with you in between the window and Maki.
You fidgeted with your right hearing aid while listening with your left, until you came to regret that decision when the door flung open and slammed into the wall, a high pitched squeal ringing in your left ear.
Gojo came walking in with his usual giddy grin and his usual eccentric pose that would be cute if his limbs were a little shorter.
"And you're getting a new classmate today!"
You glanced at the door as a boy with a uniform like yours, only white, entered, and suddenly it felt like all the air in the room got a whole lot harder to breathe in. A shadow loomed over him, and you weren't interested in finding out what it could do.
You jumped to your feet, holding your arms out as vines burst through the floor boards, their thorns aiming at him, while Maki held her blade, Toge's hand held the one thing that kept his voice back and Panda kept his fighting stance.
Who was this kid?
•••
You stared out the window, the dream replaying in your head. You had never seen the boy before, not much to your surprise since your dreams seemed to be playing a game with you, but he seemed quite familiar.
"Is she okay?" Maki questioned.
Toge turned and shrugged before slowly approaching you and making himself known by placing himself between you and the window.
You lifted your chin from your hand. "Did the bell ring?"
"No. Are you okay?"
You nodded, then saw Gojo enter the class, prompting Toge to sit down. The bell, however, hadn't rung yet and Gojo coming early was like streamers being hung on the large tree in the centre of town: something important was happening.
He stood at the front of the class with a grin. "You're getting a new student today!"
Your eyes widened, your hands tightening into fists in your lap.
No way.
No way.
No way.
The door slowly opened and a boy you definitely knew walked through the door, with dark hair and even darker eye bags, an unsure look in his eyes that couldn't be mimicked by anyone else.
Maki's gaze flickered to you before going back to the boy who stood in front of the class. Even though he was the only one standing, he seemed so small, his eyes to the wooden floor and his brows furrowed together like something was paining him. Of course, naturally, his eyes would every so often gaze away from the floor to look at Panda, who still wore his giant panda head.
"Introduce yourself," Gojo urged.
"Hi, I'm Yu-"
"She's deaf." Maki's thumb jerked in your direction. "Use sign."
Much like you on the first day, a chill was sent down the boy's spine as Maki spoke with her golden glare piercing through him. "My... name... is... Yuta Okkotsu."
His hands moved timidly, unsteady, as if he couldn't remember how his name was spelled. You knew quickly that he was still a beginner in sign. Why he would take this class, you had no idea.
There was a desk right behind yours, which was his only option to sit at, but Gojo took it my the edge and dragged it so it was aligned with yours.
Your eyes couldn't help but wander during class, down to Yuta's bag on the floor, which was barren of any keychains or pins. Panda had, well, pandas all along his bag, while Toge had a keychain of a rice ball. Even Maki had a sword keychain on her bag, the gold ones that people normally get as souvenirs. At your feet, your backpack has a small stuffed animal that Mimiko had sewn for you a long time ago.
Unlike with Maki, Panda and Toge, you had only ever had one dream with Yuta, and it didn't say anything about him. He just had a shadow looming over him.
•••
You played around with the food you had chosen from the cafeteria as the others talked and Toge's hand placed itself on your shoulder, resulting in your head tilting up to look at the others.
"What's with you and the new kid?" Maki asked bluntly.
You shrugged. "Nothing really. I just thought I recognized him from somewhere."
"He has weak vibes. Like if I blew on him hard enough, he would fly away."
Toge and Panda gave each other plotting glances while you smiled.
After a while, you noticed all of them turn in a different direction and you followed their gaze. "What is it?"
"I hear fighting," Maki told you, beginning to rise to her feet. The four of you went around the building to find a group of boys surrounding someone, kicking them on the ground.
"Oi!" Maki's voice sounded through the air, so commanding that you swore you heard it. She stood tall, her hands clenched into tight fists.
The group turned, revealing who was on the ground: Yuta.
"Back away from the kid," Maki ordered.
"Or what?"
She scoffed, cracking her knuckles. A drop of the sun fell into her eyes and they burned with her glare.
You had never seen Maki fight, but you were sure that she could. She had scares on her knuckles and toned biceps, although they weren't large like your dad's.
She stepped forward. "Toge. Panda. Protect Y/N, would you?"
"If she needs it," Panda responded, stepping in front of you while Toge took your shoulder. You tilted your head, watching Maki rotate her shoulder backwards before sending the first punch right across one of the guy's faces.
The other one lunged forward and she grabbed his shoulders, bashing her knee into his chest.
The other one stood and tried to hit her from behind but she spun around with her foot out and he kicked into the wall.
"Wasn't there a third?" Panda questioned.
Suddenly, someone wrapped their arm around your neck and pulled you back.
"Y/N!" Maki called. "You let her-"
Even more suddenly, you grabbed the boy's arm and flung him over your head, his back slamming into the concrete. You didn't hear a crack but you were at the very least sure that it hurt.
You waited, wondering if he'd try and do something, but watched as the three boys struggled to their feet and ran off.
"Since when could you do that?" Maki questioned with a proud grin.
You shrugged and knelt down next to Yuta, tapping his back to signal him to get out of the turtle-like position he had taken. "Are you okay?" you asked once he could see you.
His left cheek was bruised and there was a scratch on the corner of his lips, but other than that, he didn't seem too injured. He nodded and sat up straight.
You held out your hand and he took it so you could pull him to his feet.
"Be careful of those guys," Maki said to him. "They seem way stronger than your scrawny ass."
"Yeah... The two of you seem a lot stronger than me too."
You, not acknowledging his compliment, took his wrist and began pulling him towards the bleachers.
Toge sat next to you, handing you things from inside your bag as you held out your hand. Creams he had never heard the name of but smelled remarkably like different kinds of flowers were held in small containers about the size of lip balm.
"Put this on your lip and this on your bruise," you instructed. "Are you allergic to anything?"
He shook his head.
"Good."
You held up a mirror that Nanako insisted on you bringing everywhere and he began gently dabbing on the strange concoction you carried in your backpack.
"My friend gets hurt often from doing crafts," you explained. "My dad knows a whole lot about first aid so he made those remedies."
"Cool," Maki muttered, holding up a container that treated burns.
Toge's eyes travelled to your hands, which had bandages and scars from working with thorns and scissors and paper.
"Thanks," Yuta signed hesitantly, handing you back the containers you had lent him.
You nodded, putting them back in your bag. "Lunch is almost over."
"Let's start heading to class then."
•••
"You're doing great, Yuta," you teased as you helped him up from being slammed onto the ground again.
"I don't think I can do this," he groaned.
"You'll figure it out!"
"Figure out how to keep you from throwing me over your head?"
Maki laughed in the distance, her sword resting beside her on the bleachers. She had been enjoying the show much more than you had enjoyed constantly slamming Yuta into the grass.
"Maki, your turn," you called as you pulled your hearing aids out and shoved them into your pocket.
You sat next to Toge and swung your legs onto the space beside you so you could lie down, your head on the bag of one of Maki's weapons.
"Tired?" Toge signed, to which you nodded and turned over, trying to block out the sun. The shadow of Toge's arm loomed over you and you smiled. "Thanks."