Shu didn't feel good. After his conversation with Free, he was able to shed a burden from his mind. They were on good terms again and to his delight, Free's grandfather left. The only downfall was that he took Kristian and Kane with him. He was going to miss them both. One day later after their departure, their parents dropped a bomb on his head. They haven't contacted him in nearly a year, just silence for his voicemails. Shu only confirmed they're alive through the monthly deposits for their shared account.

He sighed, scrolling through his phone. He was sitting by the stadium. The rest were cheering on a battle between Valt and Sisco. He was exhausted. He barely had any sleep the previous night. He couldn't eat. Nightmares came back in full swing. Everything he'd improved, all the baby steps he took to make himself better just went down the hill. He wished he could disappear.

"Hey," Free sat down beside him. "You look tired."

Shu barely managed a smile, "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Shu looked at the battle. It seemed Valt had the upper hand. "A bit, I guess."

"Nightmares?"

"Kind of."

"Did you eat anything?"

Shu didn't answer. He rested his head on Free's shoulder instead. He had been reluctant to have any physical contact in front of the others. But he was too tired to care. He closed his eyes, "Give me a minute."

Free stilled, waiting in silence when he realised Shu had fallen asleep despite the loud cheers and arguing of the members down the stadium. Things must be really bad. It didn't take much time for Shu to snap out of his sleep spell and sit down. "I passed out for a second there," He said, sounding delirious. "Sorry."

Free frowned, "Shu, c'mon let's get you back to bed. You're in no condition to be walking around."

"Guys!" Cuza interrupted. The two looked to see the rest of the team staring at them. "We're going to grab some snacks. You two coming?"

"Sure," Shu stood, avoiding Free's judging gaze as he hopped down the steps to the stadiums. Free followed them close, his hands shoved in his pockets. If Shu noticed his gaze burning holes in his back, he didn't show it. The albino was engaged in a conversation with Valt.

Their destination was the bakery by the BC Sol. The only sweet shop before the town. It was closed due to the bad weather the past couple of weeks, but now the glass cases were adorned with different bread and drinks. They walked in. The owner welcomed their familiar faces with a wholehearted smile. Since he came to live in BC Sol, this bakery had been a common hangout of theirs. "My favourite customers are back I see," She cheered, guiding them towards the delicacies.

"Chocolate doughnut for me! And probably two sugar buns. Chocolate milkshake for dessert."

"Dude, are you buying the whole bakery?" Cuza laughed, ordering himself a chocolate bun and a strawberry sundae.

Shu watched them from behind, his eyes searching through the strawberry desserts. Free stood beside him, "Anything to your interest?"

Shu didn't answer. He stared. Nothing looked appetising to him. His eyes flicked through the menu of drinks. He felt queasy. He had skipped breakfast. He barely had any dinner last night. At this point, he was going to pass- The world tilted left. Shu stumbled on his feet, grabbing Free's hand to balance himself. Shit, he jinxed it.

"Shu," Valt's alarmed cry rang out.

Shu blinked out of his dizzy spell. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"You're not, obviously," Honcho's stern voice said. Shu turned to him, annoyed. "When did you last eat anything?"

Shu scowled, "That's none of your business."

"If you pass out, it becomes everybody's business," Rickson added, philosophically.

"Why are you so snappy, are you trying to pull a Free?" Sasha asked, her eyes on his hand, still holding Free's arm. Shu didn't trust himself enough to let go of the blonde.

"What do you mean trying to pull a Free?"

Sasha shrugged, "I don't know. Someone was really antsy last week."

Valt took his wrist and led him to one of the benches. "Here, sit." He pushed a plate of various bread to him. "Now, eat."

They all sat down around the table and started sharing food. Shu felt Honcho's and Valt's burning gazes on him. Free was beside him, idly looking at him. He sighed, picking up one of the buns and biting into it. The tension quickly broke into fervent chatter about the arriving bladers. Shu tuned out the conversation, he thought back to his conversation with his mother. He had missed her voice, but he valued the silence. It was better when he was ignorant of all their business.

Someone grabbed his hand under the table and started drawing circles across his skin. Shu looked at Free, staring at his phone on the table playing a recap of one of the battles. He peered to his screen. It was Lui's and his battle. He hadn't dared to watch any of those battles in the god blader's cup. He didn't want to think about it. He barely touched his bey. But it was interesting to watch him from the camera's point of view. "This game was brilliant," Free said.

"It took me almost three years to beat this guy. Lui's crazy strong."

"We still didn't battle, though." Free rested his face on his palm. "I'd be glad to take you on."

"I'd pay to see that," Silas answered. "What we missed is a battle between you two."

"What about me!?" Valt sighed. "You didn't finish our battle either."

Shu nodded, "That's true. Who knows what would've happened if you didn't forfeit. I want to see that game."

Free hummed, "I guess that can be arranged. Besides, everyone's coming next week, it's possible everyone wants a game."

"It's gonna be pure chaos," Rickson chuckled, finishing his drink. "We should go on our annual hike before everyone comes."

"Annual hike?" Honcho asked, "What's that?"

"It's something we always do. You'll see," Sasha grinned, being vague. "It's pretty fun."

"Sounds fun!" Cuza cheered, "Sign me up."

"Sign me up, sign me up," Carl parroted his words.

After the quick snack, they started walking back to BC Sol. Shu didn't look any better but at least he ate something, Free thought letting his mind wander to his previous suggestion.

Free stepped into the dark hallways of BC Sol, it was around midnight. Earlier, he had stepped out to train for a few hours and decided to pass out in the fresh grass signalling the arrival of the spring. With the warm breeze tickling his skin, it hadn't taken much time for him to lull himself to sleep. He stepped into the cafeteria, in search of a midnight snack Ange kept in the top drawers when he saw the faint silhouette of a figure sitting by the window, an empty glass of water cradled in his hand.

"Shu."

The male jumped, almost tumbling out of his chair as he gripped the edge of the table to keep himself balanced. "Free," Shu grimaced, "Don't scare me like that." Placing the glass on the table, Shu stood. "Where have you been?" He asked, wrinkling his nose. "You smell."

Free shrugged, yawning to his arm. "Out in the wilderness." He answered, shuffling through the drawer to find a jar of freshly baked muffins. He bit into the chocolate treat with a satisfied hum, "Want one?"

Shu shook his head. Free didn't pester, instead, he put back the jar. "C'mon, let's go."

"Where to?"

"How many nights did you come and just sit there without sleeping?"

Shu scowled, "Today's the"

"Liar, liar," Free sang, "C'mon. Let's go to my room. It's not like you're falling asleep anytime soon, anyway."

Shu ignored him, marching towards the door. "No, thank you."

Free chuckled, "I'm not going to eat you."

Shu paused by the door and shifted on his feet. Free could see the fight leaving his body as his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine."

Free jogged over to the door, finishing the last of the muffin. He moved to sling an arm across his shoulder. Shu shook his head. "You stink, Free."

Free shrugged, " Let's go."

They took a staircase by the end of the hallway and reached the floor with the library. Free led him through a smaller passageway with a staircase leading to another room on the top floor. He pushed open the door and flipped on the switch. "Home sweet home."

Shu stepped in, eyes scanning the area. It was...normal. A queen-sized bed pushed towards the window, a nightstand beside it. A wooden cupboard with a mirror sat opposite to it. The walls were bare except for the odd photo of a couple holding a very young Free. Beside it was another picture of him holding the trophy from the international blader's cup. He looked at the bookcase with encyclopaedias, a layer of dust resting on each of them.

"This is really empty," He turned to Free, gesturing to the rest of the room. The blonde shrugged, pulling his shirt over his head. Shu flushed, "Why are you stripping!?"

"Shower?" He said, tossing his shirt to the laundry basket Shu just spotted, hidden behind the narrow corner beside the cupboard. "See you soon~" He sang, walking over to the door leading to an attached bathroom. "Sit wherever you like," He informed, closing the door.

Shu stood awkwardly. There were not many options except for the bed. He walked over and sat down on the crisp white coverlet. His room held this haunted feeling, probably evoked by the lack of furniture. He looked over to the nightstand where another picture of his parents sat inside a wooden frame. His father had his same wild blonde locks. He studied the picture, tracing his fingers through these people, only a memory in Free's mind.

He didn't know when he started to doze off, with the picture in his hand. But when the bathroom door clicked open, Shu snapped awake. He swivelled around, disoriented to see a very naked Free except for the towel wrapped around his waist. Steam rolled off his skin as he raised a questioning brow. "What are you doing?"

Shu didn't answer. He stared, flabbergasted before averting his gaze. His ears flushed a deep red as he clutched to the photo. "Nothing."

He heard Free hum as he walked over to the cupboard. The door creaked and there was a shuffle. After a few minutes, he finally said, "You can look now. Geez, Shu I didn't know you couldn't handle a little skin."

Shu looked at him defensively. "Of course I can! It was just-" He stopped, unable to form a comprehensive answer. What was he supposed to say? Because he had this very obvious crush on this man?

"Is it because I'm a hot blonde?"

"Shut the fuck up," He shot back, placing the photo back on the nightstand. Free slumped into the bed smelling of fresh water and soap. He rolled to the side and gestured for Shu to lie down.

Shu didn't argue. He was exhausted. He slid into the sheet as Free threw it over them. The chill of the night is ever present in the room. But it was better than those cold nights of winter. "Nightmares?" He asked, tracing his fingers along his cheek. Shu curled to himself.

"They're bad, they've gotten really bad," Here they were, replaying the same midnight conversation again. Shu, dishevelled by lack of sleep, mumbled all his secrets to this person. He shuddered, feeling Free's fingers slip into his hair, easy intimacy. He felt his neck heat up as Free shifted closer, his breath tickling his cheek.

"Is there a reason? Something is bothering you?"

Shu hummed, staring at the rise and fall of his chest. "Kind of." His eyelids started slipping close, he forced them back open. "Remember when I told you about my parents?"

"Yeah, the smart people."

Shu sniffed, giving him a dry laugh. "They don't talk to me. Actually, they didn't talk to me for like, a year? They just send money and go silent. No voicemail, no message, not even a hi." Shu felt his fingers pause for a second before resuming.

"And," He started, flustered, saying that he wanted to speak. It was so hard bottling up all of those things. Maybe he will feel better, right? "And, my mom called a while ago, okay? She-she told me, "They're divorcing, mom and dad, I mean- I mean," Shu stopped curling his hands on Free's shirt.

"Shu I'm-"

But Shu cut him off, "It's fine, it really is. Parents do that all the time, right? Like, I've known a couple of my friends whose parents divorced. They fought over his custody-custody and stuff. It h-happens, okay? My parents are not perfect, and I understand that but-but my mom- mom said she doesn't-'' He choked, tripping on his words.

"Hey, hey," Free whispered, so close that his lips hovered over Shu's forehead. He slid his hand to his back and drew comforting circles, "It's fine if you're surprised with everything, these things take time to process, Shu. And your parents-"

"It's not the divorce," Shu whispered to his shirt, staining the fabric with his tears. "I-it's not the divorce. Mom called me to tell me she doesn't want-want me. She wanted to start a new life, she-she said she'd found another person. She wants-she wants to start a new family with him. And I-I-I have no...place in there.

"The funny thing is," He kept rambling, drawing shaky breaths. "Dad called me too, he told me he needed to focus on his research, I know he also-also wants the same thing. I-" He hiccuped, "I don't know, Free. I've tried so hard to impress them. I really did. I tried my best, kept my grades up, didn't complain, I didn't say a single-" He sobbed, "I didn't say a single thing to offend them even when I was feeling so lonely, so-so depressed. But I don't know why no one wants me."

"I don't know what I could've done to make them stay."

With that, he broke down. Crying so hard he choked on his sobs, his whole body curled against him trembling with the force. Free kissed his hair, "I don't know why I'm telling you all this..." He whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Hey," Free kissed his forehead and took his face in his arms. Shu looked at him, cheeks flushed with tear tracks glistening under the light of the room. "I'm glad you told me alright? You don't have to suffer in silence, I'm here. I'll always be here," He embraced him again, burying his face in his white locks. "I'm sorry you have to go through that. No child should be going through this, Shu. Your parents are being ridiculous."

Shu sniffled, "I'm so tired of everything." Free held him as he cried himself to sleep in his arms. But he stayed awake to see Shu mumbling in his sleep, fervently grasping at his locks in a nightmare. Free pried his hands off and hummed a lullaby his mother used to sing until Shu calmed down and fell back asleep.

At one point, Shu screamed for his mother in his sleep, tears rolling down his closed eyes. Free kissed his hair, hatred building against the people who broke him so badly that he couldn't count the number of his broken pieces scattered across the floor. How can a parent make a child feel like this?

---

Shu woke with Free's arms around him. His steady breathing against his neck, his face so close he could kiss his lips. He blinked his burning eyes, swollen from hours of crying. Lords, he really fucked up last night, didn't he? "The things you do to me," Shu whispered, reaching out to touch his cheeks. His skin felt soft against his fingertips, I love you, Shu thought with a reluctant smile on his face. But he was terrified. He gave love, he always did. But it seemed as if he was never receiving anything in return. That's why he was terrified when he started to get attached, and fall in love. He was always ready to offer his heart, but all he got back was the unconsolable cracks that never seemed to diminish.

"This is nice."

Shu drew back his hand, startled to see Free smiling. The latter grabbed his fingers and placed them back on his cheek. "I didn't say that was bothering me. Slept well?"

Shu nodded, feeling awkward after last night's confessions. "I guess so."

He tightened his arms around Shu, pulling him against his chest. "That's good. We should go have some breakfast-" He yawned. "Probably."

"Did u sleep well?" Shu asked, seeing the tired lines on his face. "Did I-"

"No, don't mention it."

Shu wanted to mention it, he wanted to thank him, for listening. But the silence in the room was serene and comfortable. It felt as though the air was brimming with peaceful energy. It felt a crime to break that peace. A knock on the door broke his thoughts. Shu pulled away from Free, panicking. "Who is it?" Free's bored voice asked, not even bothering to look up.

Honcho and Valt barged in with flushed and panicked faces. "Free, Shu is-" Valt started, and his voice droned out, seeing his best friend sitting on Free's bed. Looking at him through his crimson eyes, wide in surprise, in his crumpled white shirt, his white locks in disarray. Shu flushed.

"We weren't doing anything-" Shu blurted out.

"That makes it even worse," Honcho commented, crossing his arms. "Young man, we were worried sick! We couldn't find you anywhere."

"Shu!" Valy gasped, "Did you have-"

"Do not finish that sentence. And no. Valt. Gods, no."

Free finally sat down, yawning into his hand. "I found him in the kitchen last night," he added, getting down from his bed and walking to the bathroom. He stretched his arms, "And I decided it's better to keep him here, rather than wandering around the hallways like a ghost."

If Valt and Honcho noticed his swollen eyes, they didn't comment upon it. Or maybe Valt didn't see at all, because he seemed to be preoccupied with beating down all the scenarios in his head. Shu patted down his locks. "I just came here because he invited me, I fell asleep I guess."

"That's fine," Honcho said, "As long as you're okay."

"I'm not some baby, you guys can lay off," Shu said, flushing at the attention. He really didn't need them caring about him. He was fine with keeping everyone outside the walls he'd built.

"Last time we did that, you ended up in Mexico, in some shady underground place."

"Valt," Shu groaned, falling back to Free's bed. "Stop that, already. It's too early for this shit." Then he sat up, frowning. "Wait, what time is it anyway?"

"It's ten in the morning, not that early, you know?" Valt grinned, "Gods Shu, you sound like me now!"

"Dang," He said, rubbing his eyes, trying to ease the burning feeling.

"Don't rub them," Honcho said, "You'll make it worse."

Shu averted his gaze to the floor. "I presume you guys are here to take me to have breakfast?"

"Precisely."

Shu sighed, he had no will to fight them. He discovered, despite the exhaustion weighing his bones, he was quite hungry too. Free walked out with a towel around his neck. "You guys are still here?"

"Well, sure we are! Let's all go have breakfast," Valt said. Shu frowned, Valt didn't sound like his cheery self. Was something wrong?

"You guys go ahead, there's something I need to say to Shu. We'll be right behind you."

"Okay?" Honcho said. "See you two in the cafeteria then."

Valt followed him out of the room. As their gazes met, Shu couldn't help feeling guilty, there was something in his eyes which made him concerned. He'd have to talk with Valt later.

"You feeling good?" Free sat beside him on the bed.

"Yeah. Yes, I am. Thank you."

"Shu, I was thinking-" He started, trying to keep his voice nonchalant. But Shu could hear the seriousness behind the forced nonchalance. Free De La Hoya being serious. He placed his hands over his knees, sighing. "Okay, listen. When my parents died, I stopped talking."

Shu turned to him, surprised. He was not expecting that. "I stayed like that for an year," He said. "It was not only the shock, it felt as though there was no point, you know? When the closest people to you are gone, I felt there's no point in talking. And my uncle and aunt decided to take me to a therapist. Not because they were sick of me, but because they knew I needed help..."

Shu didn't like the way this was going, but he kept listening anyway. "And I hated it. I didn't need help because how could a random stranger understand how I was feeling when the people around me couldn't. It felt ridiculous. But funny enough, she did understand."

"You're smart, I think you've already figured out what I'm tryna say."

"No," Shu whispered quietly. "I don't want to."

"I won't force you. But it did make me better. I was too depressed to think that anyone would understand and would actually listen to me. You know, sometimes your feelings can make you feel silly. Sometimes your mind convinces you there's nothing wrong with you, you're just being dramatic. But you're not."

Shu stood up, flushed. "Listen, I really don't need your lecture right now. If you don't want to-"

Free stood with him and grabbed his wrist before he could leave. "Talk to me. Talk all the things you wanna say. I don't mind, Shu. I would gladly listen. Hell, I would always listen." Free took his shoulders. Shu looked up at him. "This is not me discouraging you from talking to me. But it worries me. It worries me to know that your mind brings you to all those dark places and I do not have the professional knowledge to help you."

"I'm scared for you, Shu."

Shu stared, perplexed. Never he thought he'd hear these exact words from the man who seemed to not care for anyone else in the world. He seemed so relaxed, so- Shu didn't have the words to describe his demeanour. But it was not this. "Why? Are you scared I'll kill myself?" He meant it to be a nonchalant question, but his voice cracked. Shu winced.

Free sighed, "Please. Just once. I'll book an appointment with her just once. If you don't like it, you don't have to continue. Just once, give it a try. For me?"

Shu scoffed, "Why do you think I'd do that for you?"

"Because you won't say no to a hot blonde." Free smile. "Would you?"

His words drew out a surprised laugh from the albino. But he would. This time he- "Don't answer me right now. Think through it and then tell me."

"Free-" Shu started.

Free grinned, "Think. Through. It."

Shu sighed, defeated. "Alright, alright I will think through it. Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

Like you couldactually love me, Shu thought. "Forget it. Let's go. Valt must be waiting." 

A/N

Free x Shu just makes me happy. Idk why. It's such a nice ship when u think about it.