Ten minutes later... Leo was still following Shiro around, almost like an overly obsessed puppy. Any longer and someone might mistaken them to be lovers.
And it was severely one-sided!
Shiro tried to shake him off by taking a detour through the park.. after all, he wouldn't want someone as persistent as him knowing where he lives. Yet the second year still lagged behind him, wearing that same, innocent smile like everything he does was nothing short of a fun game. Honestly, it was really beginning to creep Shiro out. And he was a stalker himself!
Eventually Shiro arrived home, and looking back, he saw that Leo wasn't that far behind. He stopped near the stairway that led up to the apartment doors, then turned around to look at the brune. Shiro forced a grin, attempting to mask his annoyance by faking friendliness. "You can stop following me now." He said sternly, despite his smile.
On the other hand, Leo was simply looking for a bone to catch. He was pretty adamant on befriending him.. but Shiro could tell that there was an underlying motive here. He wasn't an idiot.. in fact, his intelligence exceeds that of a typical psychopath. "Sorry, sorry! A lot of people tend to remind me that I don't know when to quit!" Leo apologized playfully. He was bound to start prying himself into his life, much to the other's dismay.
That's when two voices were overheard nearby. And when the both of the men looked over, it was you and Seiichiro, walking home together with slushies in hand. When your eyes landed on Shiro, you instantly perked up and quickened your approach. "Shiro! Hey! I didn't expect to see you here!"
The young man seemed to display evident surprised when he saw you walking alongside of his brother. His fingers twitched next to his side. It looked like the two of you were having a nice outing together.. was it... a date?
You also spotted the familiar stranger near him as well. This caused you to raise questions, but your shock far outweighed your curiosity. Both you and Leo lit up in surprise, to which you pointed at each other and exclaimed in unison.
"It's you!!"
Seiichiro tilted his head, sipping on his mango slushie. "Eh? You two have some kind of history together, or something..?" You were busy crossing your arms and scanning Leo up and down skeptically, tilting your hip.
"Yeah, I met him at school today. He's a second year. And frankly, he's not showing his seniors much respect." You decided to lay down casual banter, teasing him to gain a sense of comradery. Obviously, the second year took the bait and started bickering with you. Your ability to attract friendly arguments were always apart of your questionable character.
"We're off of school grounds, so technically I can drop the honorifics!" Leo exclaimed, also mirroring you in crossing his arms. From an outside perspective, the two of you were acting like childish siblings. But regardless, seeing the brune left a bad sensation in Shiro's stomach. He was wondering what more he had to gain.. meeting you must've not have been any coincidence.
The youngest's eyes flashed with a bit of hostility. He could never enjoy his day without any men trying to befriend you.
Leo stuck out his tongue, provoking you for the first time-but before all hell broke loose Seiichiro was the one who casually stepped in between, gently waving his hands to ease both parties. Though.. it was quickly realized that neither of you cared.
"Come on, it's not hard to call someone senpai, is it?!"
"Over my dead body! Eugh!!!"
The second year was visibly cringing. Seiichiro laughed in amusement, he was enjoying himself due to this teenager's flamboyance.. surely, it's not something he sees every day considering his younger brother was the aloof type.
Speaking of... When the oldest glanced at his brother, he saw something.. very surprising. He noticed that Shiro was wearing a smile that was uncommon considering his character. It wasn't just a smile, however. He could see that it was provoked by his excitement; one that curled his lips effortlessly before he even realized it himself.
Shiro, without long, had gently pressed a few of his knuckles against his lips to try and hide it-- though he did so comfortably. He was relatively at ease. "Hey, what's so funny?" Asked Seiichiro.
"..Oh, it's really nothing." He was trying to sweep his emotions under the rug, yet it was awfully clear how he was grinning because of something indiscernible. Whatever. His brother shrugged it off, and once again their full attention would reside on you and Leo's banter.
"Aaanyways, what're you doing here with Shiro?" You questioned them. The two in question paid each other a quick glance-- before they answered out of turn, ultimately overlapping each other.
"It's because we're buddies!"
"He's been stalking me."
An odd dynamic, that's for sure. You laughed at the indiscernible characteristics of the standoffish Shiro, you definitely felt the urge to tease him-- that's for sure. "Awe, look at your brother making friends..!" Seiichiro nodded and stood beside you, mocking the situation using his mere wit.
"Pfft.. heh.. Any longer, and he'll have a host club lined at his feet!! P-Pff-" He chortled and turned away. Imagining it was enough to make him roll on the floor in tears.
Shiro rolled his eyes. If anything, he could make a ton of different things that are better than standing here, dawdling around. His eyes quickly peek at you, noticing your smile, and that happy laughter of yours. It was so precious... And he was aware of how selfish it is to want to keep it all to himself.
But now he sees that there was another problem-- A threatening issue -- that wants to destroy all that he's built. He couldn't allow that to happen.
Though that merely begs the question: What should he do with him..? Leo didn't exactly display any ulterior notices thus far.. still, he couldn't risk it. He can't jeopardize his plans...
"Anyways, I should probably introduce myself properly. This is the first time I've formally introduced myself to you all.. and I'm pretty sure the first impressions have already been made-- but uh," The brune cleared his throat. "I'm Leo,"
"Leo Sasori!"
He placed a few fingers on his forehead delicately, hand on his forehead, handing you all a confident afterglow. "But, you should know that it's pronounced as Le-oh, not Lee-oh." he continued ranting on and on, wagging an index finger. "Because everyone I meet often refers to me as Lee-oh, which I find great and all... but frankly, that's not how it's said according to my birth certificate. I wish I could ask my mom and dad why they decided to make my name so unique, because it causes me a lot of trouble on a day to day basis.. Even my friends think of me as a foreigner, so they like to pick on me a lot for it. And it's not even just my social circle... It's everyone outside of school, too! Honestly, a name like Takuya would be a suitable name for a guy like me, right?"
You were watching him, attempting to smile, but a queasiness in your stomach caused you to feel sick. In that instant, your head quickly felt like it was travelling at eighty miles per hour. Why did that last name sound so familiar? Why was it making your heart race...? Why did you get the suspicision that he found you on purpose?
"Sa.. Saso..ri..?" You stuttered out. The boys noticed that you looked pale, like you've seen a ghost. You were struggling to pull you and your thoughts together, feeling as you were being suffocated by your throbbing brain. "Sasori... I'm sure.. I've..." You touched your head gently. "I'm sure I've heard that last name before..."
The others were blatantly oblivious to your inner trauma. Leo just shrugged his shoulders, hyping himself with a snarky chuckle. "What can I say? Everyone knows me for how smart I am. I'd like to say my intelligence pales in comparison to the average person." Seriously, someone come knock this guy off of his high horse!!
Seiichiro suddenly nudged you-- noticing you appeared to be in between your thoughts during the meantime. "Maybe you heard of him because he's an apparent prodigy...? Gossip is usually how his name is thrown around.. I believe it was around last year when I first heard of the guy."
His words raised some more questions for you. Sure, you've never met the second-year a day in your life... yet something was eating at you from within. All you wanted to do now was indulge in your troubles. Even if that means getting closer to Leo.
Unbeknownst to you, a certain someone was intensifying his gaze upon your anxious self. Just like always, he wore an expression that made it seem like he knew much more than he was letting on.
So he just kept watching you.
Very, closely... at that.
Rather than biting his tongue any longer, the observant Shiro inches forward, grabbing your attention just by his presence alone. The three of you froze up when trying to anticipate his next action, but it simply happened far too quickly for any of you to realize. Shiro leaned in slightly front of you, his red eyes narrowing as his quiet breath tickled the edge of your ear. "I have to tell you something."
His voice wasn't the usual kindness you've heard before .. but instead, a dry, flat voice sent ripples of alert through you, urging your muscles to be on guard. Shiro could tell you were developing an answer, but before you could give your reply he deliberately interrupted you. "You'r-"
"It's.. kind of important, so I want us to be somewhere nice and quiet... Where we can be uninterrupted..." Like he was attempting to allure you, your cheeks flushed with red on impulse while your heartbeat quickly picked up the pace. That line of his had put you in a state of paralysis....
And not only did his words seem so intimate... It also had you feeling a bit of flattery.
"U-Um..? Right now?" You asked him. You wanted to get to know Leo some more, but you suppose it could wait.... There looks like there's some more pressing matters for you to tend towards. Given that Shiro still stood close to you, you had the feeling that it was serious. "..Okay, I'll go with you. Whatever you have to say, it better be worth my while."
And so, you agreed to go with him, and during your departure, Seiichiro and Leo quickly butted their heads together under suspicision. "Where are you guys going?" Asked Seiichiro, folding his arms in unison with the brune beside him.
"I want to have a chat with [L/N]." Said Shiro. He wasn't going to have it any other way, either. The youngest twin could tell that you were rather distressed about something... And he was worried that it'd be only a matter of time before he had to watch you break.
And if he had to choose between standing aside, or being the one to do it.. then he'd gladly have the ladder.
[Chapter END]