Gift Fic For rin_aokuro
Title: Unexpected Lessons
Pairing/Group: Gen
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Notes: I hope there’s a few things in here that you like! Happy Holidays!
Summary: “It’s only temporary,” Is what he tells all of his friends after getting the position.
He’s nervous while he waits, the only one sitting in the small chair in the office area, and he looks around the room. He has just handed over his application and didn’t expect to have the interview the same day, but he can’t really complain though. The interview was easy enough and the questions were simple; where did he see himself in ten years and how long would he plan to work here.
Currently, he’s waiting for the assistant director to return with some more papers that he needs to sign. He’s lost track of how long he’s been waiting though - the interview itself only lasted maybe fifteen minutes and then he was left by himself to await paperwork to finish the process so he can begin work as soon as they need him.
“Ah, sorry they both got really busy and decided to send me to give you these to sign and tell you what you would be needed to do around here,” Juri blinks and stares at the smaller man who just walked into the office with a stack of papers. “I’m Yasui, you’ll be working directly with me in my classroom.”
“Classroom?” Juri asks, already looking through the new paperwork. “I thought I had to go through some kind of training or something before they put me in a room.”
Yasui laughs a little. “Ordinarily you would, but you’ve gone to college for a year already and we’re kind of short handed.”
“Are they going to just push me in there and not explain what needs to be done?” Juri asks, looking up at Yasui with wide eyes. “I don’t really know how to take care of kids on my own, I have a younger brother but I was never left alone with him because my older brothers were always home.”
“I’ll be in there and you’ll watch a few videos first, and if you have any questions you can ask anyone else here and I won’t leave you alone in the room with them,” Yasui tells him, and Juri’s anxiousness slowly starts to dissipate. “Go ahead and read through these and sign what you can, I have to pop back into my class to make sure they aren’t tearing apart the room.”
Juri nods and watches Yasui leave before he turns back to his stack of papers, not really reading anything because he figures if it’s that important they’ll explain it further. He just continues to sign his name on everything he had been given, and it takes at least half an hour before Yasui returns and Juri doesn’t really have too much left to fill out.
“I’m supposed to take care of your paperwork and show you what videos need to be watched, then tomorrow when you come in you can go right into the classroom and interact with the kids,” Yasui says, and Juri nods.
It takes Juri another fifteen minutes to sign the remaining papers, and then Yasui is leading him to another empty room and setting him up to watch the training videos. The videos are boring and repetitive, but Juri watches them anyway. He learns more about how to properly change a diaper and disinfect a changing station than he ever thought possible. He loses track of what he watches and the details of it, everything blurring together, and thankfully before he falls asleep at the table Yasui returns to tell him that he's free to leave for the day. Juri thanks him and then leaves to meet his friends for lunch.
Juri meets up with a few of his friends from college later, after he’s had time to run home to grab money from his mother, for a late lunch, and as they’re sitting at their table and awaiting the waitress Juri tells them about his new job. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t to be stared at silently by all of his friends.
“You’re sure you want to work with kids?” Hokuto asks once they’ve all received their drinks and given the waitress their order. “You don’t even like dealing with people who are five years younger than you.”
“It seems like a great place to work at, the people I met today were really friendly and I get benefits and full-time hours,” Juri replies, taking a sip of his water. “Tomorrow I have to watch a couple more training videos but then I’ll be in a classroom with one other dude. I think he said his name was Yasui something.”
“That’s great and all, but what I’m saying is you don’t like kids,” Hokuto says. “Isn’t this like, I don’t know, the worst job you could have?”
Juri shrugs. “I’m sure I can get used to it, it’s not like I’ll be alone with them and they’ll be too busy with whatever they do in there to really pay me any attention.” When nobody replies, Juri sighs. “It’s only temporary anyway. Just until I get enough money to pay off my school debt and get enough for the next semester.”
“I’m happy that you got a job. I know you needed one to save money while you’re on summer break from school,” Shouki says, and Juri already knows there’s a ‘but’ coming. “I’m just with Hokku on this, I don’t think this place is a good idea for you. No matter how much you need the money, can’t you try to find something else?”
Juri blinks, looking at the two of them before sighing. “You guys don’t understand, you don’t really even have to work to be able to afford all your college necessities plus other things you may want. I can’t do that, my parents have a house to pay for and kids to feed.” Juri smiles a little. “It may not be the ideal job for me, considering my tolerance with young kids, but I need this job or I can’t go back to school when the semester starts again.”
“Juri,” Shouki starts, and Juri shakes his head.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it under control now.” Juri tells them, and they eat in silence.
Juri’s parents are far happier than his friends had been, and he’s just pleased that someone is happy for him. Of course his parents tell his older brothers, who have to call and congratulate him for getting his first job as well. He goes to bed in a good mood, more than ready for his first day of work.
His first day at the center is hectic to say the least, he gets to work early and the moment he steps into his classroom he’s met with loud screams and a mess of toys across the floor. Yasui is across the room tending to a crying child and Juri has just enough time to put his things away before he’s got a little girl tugging on his arm and crying about a toy being taken from her.
“Uh,”
“Rin, find another doll to play with. You didn’t have that first and you know it’s not nice to take something from your friends,” Yasui says calmly, and Juri watches as the little girl promptly stops crying and goes to get another toy. Yasui looks at Juri then. “Sometimes they only cry because they want a toy that another child has.”
“So what do I do then?” Juri asks.
“You just talk to them, be sure to get on their level and speak to them. You also need to be positive when speaking, you’ll get used to it after a few days,” Yasui says, smiling before he turns to go after a pair of boys who were kicking down the block tower that Rin had begun to build.
Juri doesn’t know what exactly he’s supposed to do now, but he goes over to where a group of kids are playing with cars and sits with them. It’s fun to be able to play with toys with the kids, and before he realizes it he’s playing alongside them and laughing at the nonsensical gibberish they spit out. Yasui is standing off to the side watching him, but he doesn’t say anything so Juri figures this is okay to do. Technically he’s still working, even though he’s currently rolling a blue car across the little track and snorting when one of the boys tells him he’s doing it wrong.
“Breakfast is served at 8am and then lunch is at eleven, at noon they’re put down for naps and that’s when we do all our paperwork for the day and clean up a bit,” Yasui explains, and Juri nods as he tries to remember everything. “Before every meal, including snack, they have to wash their hands and you’ll need to help some of them.”
“They can’t do it themselves?” Juri asks, and he thinks it’s a valid question since these kids seem to be fine running around getting into everything.
“Some can, some can’t. Either way you’ll need to assist them to get to the soap and make sure they actually wash their hands and not eat the soap and to also prevent them from falling off the steps,” Yasui tells him. “I’ll show you how to do everything properly before I let you attempt it. Don’t worry, I won’t let you do this on your own.”
Juri nods, following Yasui around like a puppy as he learns the way to do things in the classroom and how to take care of kids when they fall or hit another child. Juri’s shocked to see just how easily Yasui can manage things, and how he handles the children. Juri wants to help Yasui out, but he’s completely clueless and ends up sitting back to watch Yasui usher a small group of children to the bathroom and then to wash their hands. Juri’s more than a little amazed to watch how easily Yasui moves from one activity to the other, all the children following his instructions eagerly.
Juri has a lot to learn before he’s ready to begin, so for the rest of the day he pays as much attention as he can to how Yasui does things, and he even interacts with the kids without them running up to him first. His first week of work ends without anything major happening, and he still isn’t used to having such a busy schedule but he goes to work everyday with a smile on his face. Juri’s never had a real job before, he’s worked plenty of meaningless jobs just to make money really fast, but this is his first full time job with hours that keep him away from home a grand majority of the day. He catches up on his school bills by taking any extra hours they offer him, and manages to start saving up for his next semester of school.
Juri begins to come in earlier than his scheduled time and starts staying later, if possible, than he’s meant to. Some days he shows up before Yasui even arrives, taking him by surprise when Juri’s already got the tables cleaned and the kids sat down for breakfast. It only takes Juri two and a half months to be completely caught up on everything he needs to be, and he still has another two months before the next semester of school starts up, so he’ll have plenty more opportunities to add more and more money to his bank account.
“So how come you’re always working every chance they give you?” Yasui asks the third time Juri shows up for work before he does, and Juri looks up from where he’d been folding their blankets to be used for naptime that day. “I mean, it’s cool that I get to see your face every single day, but don’t you have friends or something--people you’d rather be hanging out with?”
Juri shrugs. “It’s mostly to save up for school next semester and to pay off the debt from last semester. If I don’t have this job then it’s harder to get the money gathered to keep going.”
“So are you planning to quit after you save up enough for the next semester then? Because if you do that’s going to really suck,” Yasui says, sitting in front of Juri and helping fold blankets. “Just. Let the boss know ahead of time, because finding replacement workers are really hard.”
Juri blinks, confused by Yasui’s tone and words. “I hadn’t planned to keep working here once I got enough money for school, no.”
“Kids need consistency. You shouldn’t have taken this job if you weren’t going to stay,” is all Yasui says. “I need to set up for lunch, put the blankets with the cots when you’re done folding them.”
Juri isn’t really sure what’s going on with Yasui now, but he just keeps silent and goes back to the blankets. Once that task is done he puts them away and goes to offer Yasui some help, but he’s ignored instead. The rest of the day is weird and quiet, despite all the kids running around and being as noisy as possible, and it’s kind of lonely now that Yasui isn’t actively trying to start a conversation. Juri tries not to dwell on it for too long, keeping himself busy and staying out of Yasui’s way for the rest of the day. Thankfully the day is over before Juri realizes and so he helps clean up the room before taking off, avoiding Yasui’s gaze as he leaves.
He meets up with Shouki for dinner and tells him about the past few months of work, also about Yasui and the strange conversation they’d had that had resulted in a very awkward silence. Shouki doesn’t say anything at first, taking sips from his drink and eyeing Juri almost critically.
”What?” Juri hisses after awhile. “Spit it out already.”
“I don’t blame him for getting kind of snippy,” Shouki finally says.
“Why? I didn’t do anything wrong, he asked me a question and I answered,” Juri says, picking at the food on his plate.
“Yes, but you’re doing good at this job right?” Shouki asks, still staring at Juri in that way that makes him uncomfortable. “You’re enjoying every day that you go there, even though you dislike children?” Juri nods. “And you’re good at whatever it is you do there, otherwise they wouldn’t ask you to come back or even work earlier. Correct?”
“Yeah but-”
“So why would you throw all of that away and just quit because you have enough money to get you through your next semester at school.” Shouki says, clearly not impressed with Juri’s decision to quit working after a few months. “It’s just kind of stupid if you ask me. Because weren’t you the one who gave all of us that little lecture about how you hate not having enough money to afford this and that because your parents can’t afford it?”
Juri sighs. “Fine. I see your point. I do.”
“Apologize to him the next time you see him, even if you didn’t do anything wrong, apologize,” Shouki tells him.
“I don’t even understand why he was so upset!” Juri whines. “It’s not like we’re super close and my quitting would have ruined our friendship or something.”
“He’s probably just disappointed in you because of how you’re going about this, but you just decided not to quit didn’t you?” Shouki asks, and Juri blinks. “Anyway. Like I said, when you see him again, tell him you’re sorry and things should go back to normal.”
“When did you get to be the smart friend? I thought you were supposed to be the loud and obnoxious one,” Juri mutters, laughing when Shouki kicks him under the table.
“Don’t get used to it, I only have these moments every few years or so.” Shouki grins at him. “Be sure to tell me all about how you guys make up when you see him again.”
“Yes dear,” Juri snorts.
The third month of work approaches quickly, and Juri’s not really sure where the time went. He’s had two surprise evaluations and had helped out in four other classrooms, but he didn’t really like hanging out in the other classrooms since Yasui wasn’t there and he didn’t know the other teachers enough to feel comfortable talking to them. So he sits in silence, just watching how things are done in different rooms, and unless they need help with something he doesn’t really move from his spot against the wall. The other teachers are friendly, but Juri still can’t bring himself to talk to them. He overhears talk of the upcoming Christmas party and Juri definitely doesn’t want any part of that.
The moment Juri’s break comes he nearly trips over himself to get out of the room--maybe he’ll be able to catch Yasui and they can talk. Yasui is in the breakroom when Juri gets there, but he seems to be on his way out of the room. He smiles and waves at Juri, though.
“Hey,” Juri says, frowning when Yasui clocks back in from his break. “You’re going back already?”
Yasui nods. “Yeah, my break started about an hour ago. I need to get back in class before they rip apart the dude in there.”
“Oh, I’m just going on mine.” Juri says, clocking out for his break and sitting at the table. “I don’t really like being out of your class, it’s uncomfortable around the other teachers and I feel pretty useless.”
“You need the training, so just think of it that way and it’ll be okay.” Yasui tells him, still smiling. “Besides. It’s only for today, you’ll be back with me tomorrow!”
Juri nods, waving as Yasui finally leaves the room. Nobody else seems to be on break right now, so all Juri can do is lay his head on the table and hope the rest of the day goes by quickly. He just wants to be back in a classroom with someone he’s comfortable with, in a classroom where he knows exactly how things are meant to go. He ends up falling asleep on the table.
“Are you going to the Christmas Party?” Yasui asks, and Juri blinks because he really hadn’t planned on it. “We have one every year, it’s a lot of fun and you should totally go.”
“Okay,” Juri agrees, wondering just why he agreed so fast.
The longer he thinks about it, the more he’s kind of excited about it since he doesn’t get a chance to talk to the other people who work here unless he comes across someone on their break. The party doesn’t start until the center closes, and Juri isn’t really in that big of a hurry to get there so he takes his time shutting down his room. Yasui is waiting for him after work, and they go to the party together. He watches in mild amusement as his supervisor drinks and parties with the rest of them, the line between boss and worker never being crossed, and yet everyone having a fantastic time together. Juri finds himself watching Yasui more than what’s going on around them, thankful that he was the first person Juri had met and had the opportunity to work with. Juri never really liked small children, but in just three months of working with Yasui, he doesn’t think they’re so bad and he doesn’t see himself being able to work anywhere else. He still has a lot to learn, but he already knows that Yasui will be there every step of the way.
There’s a lot more people at this party than Juri had expected; he honestly had no idea just how many people he was working with until tonight. The party happens at a bar, but Juri’s the only one who can’t legally drink so he gets some soda and hangs out with Yasui at their designated table and listens to everyone around them talk. It’s interesting to hear the other teachers discussing their students and how their classes are set up, some of them definitely having kinder things to say than others, but Juri figures they’ve all been drinking and their words aren’t really causing harm to anyone.
“Can I talk to you?” Juri nudges Yasui, who just nods and they go outside where it’s quieter.
“I didn’t ever apologize for how I acted that day in class,” Yasui starts, taking Juri completely by surprise. “I’ve just seen so many people come in and then leave, it’s not fair to the kids because they’re so young and get attached so easily.” Juri watches Yasui fidget a bit as he speaks. “It’s not easy working there, I know that, but you shouldn’t take the job if you really have no desire to stay for a long period of time. That’s my point.” Yasui frowns when Juri stays silent. “Anyway, my point is. I’m sorry, I just wanted you to hear my reasoning behind wanting you to stay here.”
“My turn now?” Juri asks, smiling a little when Yasui nods. “I really like this job, and oddly enough you. You’re fun to work with, and you don’t get mad at me when I mess up a few things. So I think I’m going to stay.”
“Even when you’re going back to school?”
Juri nods. “I’ll still work, but probably not as often as I have been, but I’ll still be there every chance I can.”
Finally, Yasui grins and Juri has to resist the urge to hug him. “Great, because I still have a lot to teach you.”
Pairing/Group: Gen
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Notes: I hope there’s a few things in here that you like! Happy Holidays!
Summary: “It’s only temporary,” Is what he tells all of his friends after getting the position.
He’s nervous while he waits, the only one sitting in the small chair in the office area, and he looks around the room. He has just handed over his application and didn’t expect to have the interview the same day, but he can’t really complain though. The interview was easy enough and the questions were simple; where did he see himself in ten years and how long would he plan to work here.
Currently, he’s waiting for the assistant director to return with some more papers that he needs to sign. He’s lost track of how long he’s been waiting though - the interview itself only lasted maybe fifteen minutes and then he was left by himself to await paperwork to finish the process so he can begin work as soon as they need him.
“Ah, sorry they both got really busy and decided to send me to give you these to sign and tell you what you would be needed to do around here,” Juri blinks and stares at the smaller man who just walked into the office with a stack of papers. “I’m Yasui, you’ll be working directly with me in my classroom.”
“Classroom?” Juri asks, already looking through the new paperwork. “I thought I had to go through some kind of training or something before they put me in a room.”
Yasui laughs a little. “Ordinarily you would, but you’ve gone to college for a year already and we’re kind of short handed.”
“Are they going to just push me in there and not explain what needs to be done?” Juri asks, looking up at Yasui with wide eyes. “I don’t really know how to take care of kids on my own, I have a younger brother but I was never left alone with him because my older brothers were always home.”
“I’ll be in there and you’ll watch a few videos first, and if you have any questions you can ask anyone else here and I won’t leave you alone in the room with them,” Yasui tells him, and Juri’s anxiousness slowly starts to dissipate. “Go ahead and read through these and sign what you can, I have to pop back into my class to make sure they aren’t tearing apart the room.”
Juri nods and watches Yasui leave before he turns back to his stack of papers, not really reading anything because he figures if it’s that important they’ll explain it further. He just continues to sign his name on everything he had been given, and it takes at least half an hour before Yasui returns and Juri doesn’t really have too much left to fill out.
“I’m supposed to take care of your paperwork and show you what videos need to be watched, then tomorrow when you come in you can go right into the classroom and interact with the kids,” Yasui says, and Juri nods.
It takes Juri another fifteen minutes to sign the remaining papers, and then Yasui is leading him to another empty room and setting him up to watch the training videos. The videos are boring and repetitive, but Juri watches them anyway. He learns more about how to properly change a diaper and disinfect a changing station than he ever thought possible. He loses track of what he watches and the details of it, everything blurring together, and thankfully before he falls asleep at the table Yasui returns to tell him that he's free to leave for the day. Juri thanks him and then leaves to meet his friends for lunch.
Juri meets up with a few of his friends from college later, after he’s had time to run home to grab money from his mother, for a late lunch, and as they’re sitting at their table and awaiting the waitress Juri tells them about his new job. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t to be stared at silently by all of his friends.
“You’re sure you want to work with kids?” Hokuto asks once they’ve all received their drinks and given the waitress their order. “You don’t even like dealing with people who are five years younger than you.”
“It seems like a great place to work at, the people I met today were really friendly and I get benefits and full-time hours,” Juri replies, taking a sip of his water. “Tomorrow I have to watch a couple more training videos but then I’ll be in a classroom with one other dude. I think he said his name was Yasui something.”
“That’s great and all, but what I’m saying is you don’t like kids,” Hokuto says. “Isn’t this like, I don’t know, the worst job you could have?”
Juri shrugs. “I’m sure I can get used to it, it’s not like I’ll be alone with them and they’ll be too busy with whatever they do in there to really pay me any attention.” When nobody replies, Juri sighs. “It’s only temporary anyway. Just until I get enough money to pay off my school debt and get enough for the next semester.”
“I’m happy that you got a job. I know you needed one to save money while you’re on summer break from school,” Shouki says, and Juri already knows there’s a ‘but’ coming. “I’m just with Hokku on this, I don’t think this place is a good idea for you. No matter how much you need the money, can’t you try to find something else?”
Juri blinks, looking at the two of them before sighing. “You guys don’t understand, you don’t really even have to work to be able to afford all your college necessities plus other things you may want. I can’t do that, my parents have a house to pay for and kids to feed.” Juri smiles a little. “It may not be the ideal job for me, considering my tolerance with young kids, but I need this job or I can’t go back to school when the semester starts again.”
“Juri,” Shouki starts, and Juri shakes his head.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it under control now.” Juri tells them, and they eat in silence.
Juri’s parents are far happier than his friends had been, and he’s just pleased that someone is happy for him. Of course his parents tell his older brothers, who have to call and congratulate him for getting his first job as well. He goes to bed in a good mood, more than ready for his first day of work.
His first day at the center is hectic to say the least, he gets to work early and the moment he steps into his classroom he’s met with loud screams and a mess of toys across the floor. Yasui is across the room tending to a crying child and Juri has just enough time to put his things away before he’s got a little girl tugging on his arm and crying about a toy being taken from her.
“Uh,”
“Rin, find another doll to play with. You didn’t have that first and you know it’s not nice to take something from your friends,” Yasui says calmly, and Juri watches as the little girl promptly stops crying and goes to get another toy. Yasui looks at Juri then. “Sometimes they only cry because they want a toy that another child has.”
“So what do I do then?” Juri asks.
“You just talk to them, be sure to get on their level and speak to them. You also need to be positive when speaking, you’ll get used to it after a few days,” Yasui says, smiling before he turns to go after a pair of boys who were kicking down the block tower that Rin had begun to build.
Juri doesn’t know what exactly he’s supposed to do now, but he goes over to where a group of kids are playing with cars and sits with them. It’s fun to be able to play with toys with the kids, and before he realizes it he’s playing alongside them and laughing at the nonsensical gibberish they spit out. Yasui is standing off to the side watching him, but he doesn’t say anything so Juri figures this is okay to do. Technically he’s still working, even though he’s currently rolling a blue car across the little track and snorting when one of the boys tells him he’s doing it wrong.
“Breakfast is served at 8am and then lunch is at eleven, at noon they’re put down for naps and that’s when we do all our paperwork for the day and clean up a bit,” Yasui explains, and Juri nods as he tries to remember everything. “Before every meal, including snack, they have to wash their hands and you’ll need to help some of them.”
“They can’t do it themselves?” Juri asks, and he thinks it’s a valid question since these kids seem to be fine running around getting into everything.
“Some can, some can’t. Either way you’ll need to assist them to get to the soap and make sure they actually wash their hands and not eat the soap and to also prevent them from falling off the steps,” Yasui tells him. “I’ll show you how to do everything properly before I let you attempt it. Don’t worry, I won’t let you do this on your own.”
Juri nods, following Yasui around like a puppy as he learns the way to do things in the classroom and how to take care of kids when they fall or hit another child. Juri’s shocked to see just how easily Yasui can manage things, and how he handles the children. Juri wants to help Yasui out, but he’s completely clueless and ends up sitting back to watch Yasui usher a small group of children to the bathroom and then to wash their hands. Juri’s more than a little amazed to watch how easily Yasui moves from one activity to the other, all the children following his instructions eagerly.
Juri has a lot to learn before he’s ready to begin, so for the rest of the day he pays as much attention as he can to how Yasui does things, and he even interacts with the kids without them running up to him first. His first week of work ends without anything major happening, and he still isn’t used to having such a busy schedule but he goes to work everyday with a smile on his face. Juri’s never had a real job before, he’s worked plenty of meaningless jobs just to make money really fast, but this is his first full time job with hours that keep him away from home a grand majority of the day. He catches up on his school bills by taking any extra hours they offer him, and manages to start saving up for his next semester of school.
Juri begins to come in earlier than his scheduled time and starts staying later, if possible, than he’s meant to. Some days he shows up before Yasui even arrives, taking him by surprise when Juri’s already got the tables cleaned and the kids sat down for breakfast. It only takes Juri two and a half months to be completely caught up on everything he needs to be, and he still has another two months before the next semester of school starts up, so he’ll have plenty more opportunities to add more and more money to his bank account.
“So how come you’re always working every chance they give you?” Yasui asks the third time Juri shows up for work before he does, and Juri looks up from where he’d been folding their blankets to be used for naptime that day. “I mean, it’s cool that I get to see your face every single day, but don’t you have friends or something--people you’d rather be hanging out with?”
Juri shrugs. “It’s mostly to save up for school next semester and to pay off the debt from last semester. If I don’t have this job then it’s harder to get the money gathered to keep going.”
“So are you planning to quit after you save up enough for the next semester then? Because if you do that’s going to really suck,” Yasui says, sitting in front of Juri and helping fold blankets. “Just. Let the boss know ahead of time, because finding replacement workers are really hard.”
Juri blinks, confused by Yasui’s tone and words. “I hadn’t planned to keep working here once I got enough money for school, no.”
“Kids need consistency. You shouldn’t have taken this job if you weren’t going to stay,” is all Yasui says. “I need to set up for lunch, put the blankets with the cots when you’re done folding them.”
Juri isn’t really sure what’s going on with Yasui now, but he just keeps silent and goes back to the blankets. Once that task is done he puts them away and goes to offer Yasui some help, but he’s ignored instead. The rest of the day is weird and quiet, despite all the kids running around and being as noisy as possible, and it’s kind of lonely now that Yasui isn’t actively trying to start a conversation. Juri tries not to dwell on it for too long, keeping himself busy and staying out of Yasui’s way for the rest of the day. Thankfully the day is over before Juri realizes and so he helps clean up the room before taking off, avoiding Yasui’s gaze as he leaves.
He meets up with Shouki for dinner and tells him about the past few months of work, also about Yasui and the strange conversation they’d had that had resulted in a very awkward silence. Shouki doesn’t say anything at first, taking sips from his drink and eyeing Juri almost critically.
”What?” Juri hisses after awhile. “Spit it out already.”
“I don’t blame him for getting kind of snippy,” Shouki finally says.
“Why? I didn’t do anything wrong, he asked me a question and I answered,” Juri says, picking at the food on his plate.
“Yes, but you’re doing good at this job right?” Shouki asks, still staring at Juri in that way that makes him uncomfortable. “You’re enjoying every day that you go there, even though you dislike children?” Juri nods. “And you’re good at whatever it is you do there, otherwise they wouldn’t ask you to come back or even work earlier. Correct?”
“Yeah but-”
“So why would you throw all of that away and just quit because you have enough money to get you through your next semester at school.” Shouki says, clearly not impressed with Juri’s decision to quit working after a few months. “It’s just kind of stupid if you ask me. Because weren’t you the one who gave all of us that little lecture about how you hate not having enough money to afford this and that because your parents can’t afford it?”
Juri sighs. “Fine. I see your point. I do.”
“Apologize to him the next time you see him, even if you didn’t do anything wrong, apologize,” Shouki tells him.
“I don’t even understand why he was so upset!” Juri whines. “It’s not like we’re super close and my quitting would have ruined our friendship or something.”
“He’s probably just disappointed in you because of how you’re going about this, but you just decided not to quit didn’t you?” Shouki asks, and Juri blinks. “Anyway. Like I said, when you see him again, tell him you’re sorry and things should go back to normal.”
“When did you get to be the smart friend? I thought you were supposed to be the loud and obnoxious one,” Juri mutters, laughing when Shouki kicks him under the table.
“Don’t get used to it, I only have these moments every few years or so.” Shouki grins at him. “Be sure to tell me all about how you guys make up when you see him again.”
“Yes dear,” Juri snorts.
The third month of work approaches quickly, and Juri’s not really sure where the time went. He’s had two surprise evaluations and had helped out in four other classrooms, but he didn’t really like hanging out in the other classrooms since Yasui wasn’t there and he didn’t know the other teachers enough to feel comfortable talking to them. So he sits in silence, just watching how things are done in different rooms, and unless they need help with something he doesn’t really move from his spot against the wall. The other teachers are friendly, but Juri still can’t bring himself to talk to them. He overhears talk of the upcoming Christmas party and Juri definitely doesn’t want any part of that.
The moment Juri’s break comes he nearly trips over himself to get out of the room--maybe he’ll be able to catch Yasui and they can talk. Yasui is in the breakroom when Juri gets there, but he seems to be on his way out of the room. He smiles and waves at Juri, though.
“Hey,” Juri says, frowning when Yasui clocks back in from his break. “You’re going back already?”
Yasui nods. “Yeah, my break started about an hour ago. I need to get back in class before they rip apart the dude in there.”
“Oh, I’m just going on mine.” Juri says, clocking out for his break and sitting at the table. “I don’t really like being out of your class, it’s uncomfortable around the other teachers and I feel pretty useless.”
“You need the training, so just think of it that way and it’ll be okay.” Yasui tells him, still smiling. “Besides. It’s only for today, you’ll be back with me tomorrow!”
Juri nods, waving as Yasui finally leaves the room. Nobody else seems to be on break right now, so all Juri can do is lay his head on the table and hope the rest of the day goes by quickly. He just wants to be back in a classroom with someone he’s comfortable with, in a classroom where he knows exactly how things are meant to go. He ends up falling asleep on the table.
“Are you going to the Christmas Party?” Yasui asks, and Juri blinks because he really hadn’t planned on it. “We have one every year, it’s a lot of fun and you should totally go.”
“Okay,” Juri agrees, wondering just why he agreed so fast.
The longer he thinks about it, the more he’s kind of excited about it since he doesn’t get a chance to talk to the other people who work here unless he comes across someone on their break. The party doesn’t start until the center closes, and Juri isn’t really in that big of a hurry to get there so he takes his time shutting down his room. Yasui is waiting for him after work, and they go to the party together. He watches in mild amusement as his supervisor drinks and parties with the rest of them, the line between boss and worker never being crossed, and yet everyone having a fantastic time together. Juri finds himself watching Yasui more than what’s going on around them, thankful that he was the first person Juri had met and had the opportunity to work with. Juri never really liked small children, but in just three months of working with Yasui, he doesn’t think they’re so bad and he doesn’t see himself being able to work anywhere else. He still has a lot to learn, but he already knows that Yasui will be there every step of the way.
There’s a lot more people at this party than Juri had expected; he honestly had no idea just how many people he was working with until tonight. The party happens at a bar, but Juri’s the only one who can’t legally drink so he gets some soda and hangs out with Yasui at their designated table and listens to everyone around them talk. It’s interesting to hear the other teachers discussing their students and how their classes are set up, some of them definitely having kinder things to say than others, but Juri figures they’ve all been drinking and their words aren’t really causing harm to anyone.
“Can I talk to you?” Juri nudges Yasui, who just nods and they go outside where it’s quieter.
“I didn’t ever apologize for how I acted that day in class,” Yasui starts, taking Juri completely by surprise. “I’ve just seen so many people come in and then leave, it’s not fair to the kids because they’re so young and get attached so easily.” Juri watches Yasui fidget a bit as he speaks. “It’s not easy working there, I know that, but you shouldn’t take the job if you really have no desire to stay for a long period of time. That’s my point.” Yasui frowns when Juri stays silent. “Anyway, my point is. I’m sorry, I just wanted you to hear my reasoning behind wanting you to stay here.”
“My turn now?” Juri asks, smiling a little when Yasui nods. “I really like this job, and oddly enough you. You’re fun to work with, and you don’t get mad at me when I mess up a few things. So I think I’m going to stay.”
“Even when you’re going back to school?”
Juri nods. “I’ll still work, but probably not as often as I have been, but I’ll still be there every chance I can.”
Finally, Yasui grins and Juri has to resist the urge to hug him. “Great, because I still have a lot to teach you.”