Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Haruka heard the dull crack behind him, the sound of flesh meeting bone. A common sound during a fight, one he could dimly hear echoing from all around, but for some reason this one stood out. As he buried his own fist into another thug's gut, he tried to remember who was behind him.

The blood in his veins turned to ice. 

It was Nirei.

His last opponent hadn't even hit the ground yet in the time it took Haruka to whirl around. And there's his next victim: tall and wide with frosted tips, bloodied fist pulled back for another blow.

Haruka grabbed the man around the middle and yanked with all his strength. He lifted the guy fully off the ground, gaining momentum as he twisted and flung him directly into another thug trying to join the fray. Both of them went down hard, where Tsugeura jumped in to make sure they stayed down.

Satisfied that the others had things covered, Haruka turned his attention to his injured friend. "Nirei! Are you--"

The words died in his throat.

It wasn't Nirei behind him.

It was Suo.

Suo, crouched defensively at Nirei's side. Suo, with his eye narrowed in pain. Suo, with dark red blood streaming from his nose, dripping from his chin onto his immaculate silk changshan . 

Suo, who smiled at him -- more of a grimace, perfect teeth stained red -- and said, "My hero, Sakura-kun!"

Haruka barely heard him. There was a ringing sound in his ears that drowned out anything else. The edges of his vision grew dark, closing in until all he could see was red, red blood.

Suo's blood.

Suo was bleeding.

Suo was not supposed to bleed.

Haruka turned again. Eyes darting about, he tried to find the guy he tossed aside. He had to find him.

He had to make him pay.

A hand around his wrist startled him back to reality. It gripped like a vice, twisting until Haruka was forced to face Suo again. His friend wasn't smiling anymore, and his brow pinched with worry.

Worry? He's worried about me?

"We're fine, Sakura-kun," Suo said, gentle but firm. "Nirei-kun and I can handle ourselves. Focus on helping the others."

Behind him, Nirei nodded frantically, face pale but eyes gleaming with determination. He was clearly shaken, but looked unharmed. Both of them could still fight.

Haruka met Suo's eye, burning crimson, and nodded.

Just like that, the steel grip on his arm vanished. Suo pivoted on one foot, graceful as a ballerina, and sent a man twice his size flying over his shoulder. Where he landed, he didn’t get up again.

Suo always made it look effortless. That didn't change, even with his face covered in blood. Hayato Suo didn't break a sweat.

And Haruka could return to the brawl, safe in the knowledge that his vice captains had his back.

These skirmishes never lasted long. Today was just a ragtag group of idiots who heard Furin had strong fighters, and came to test their luck. They were hardly worth the effort it took to punch their lights out -- which was precisely why Haruka's first years were sent to deal with them. No reason to roll out the upperclassmen for something so trivial.

Normally, Haruka would be annoyed by how quickly they wrapped things up. There was no satisfaction in an easy win against weaklings; no time for conversation when the fight was over as soon as it started.

But for once, Haruka was glad the fight didn't drag on. He wasn't sure he could hold out another few seconds, let alone minutes or hours. Not when his mind kept slipping back to dark stains on white silk. 

While Kakiuchi and Takanashi chased after the last few goons, making sure they left town, Haruka took the time to assess the rest of his team. 

Most of his boys had a few scrapes here and there, but nothing serious. Tsugeura looked like he took a few hits to the face, as usual, but his booming laughter convinced Haruka he was fine. Anzai already had a cold compress pressed against his cheek, handed out by Kiryu. Their eyes met for a moment, and Anzai shot Haruka a huge grin and a thumbs up.

Haruka jerked away, grumbling as he felt his face heat. It was good that no one got seriously hurt, but he didn't need to go around smiling all stupid like that. It made Haruka's chest feel weird.

Strange, though, he still couldn't find--

A steady hand landed on his shoulder. “Great work as always, Sakura-kun,” came the familiar airy lilt from behind him.

Haruka lept away with a startled hiss. There was only one person who ever touched him so casually, and Haruka wasn't particularly happy with him right now. Especially when Haruka saw the state he was in.

Suo didn’t even bother to wipe the blood away. The whole lower half of his face was absolutely crusted with it, congealed and flaking around his serene smile. Bloodstains ran all down the front of his shirt, blooming like ink on the smooth fabric. 

To get that messed up, his nose must have bled a lot. At least it wasn't still gushing -- and Suo didn't seem that bothered, anyway.

Haruka was pretty goddamn bothered, though.

He shot out an accusatory finger. “Where the hell have you been?! You vanished after the fight!”

“I went to make sure Kakuichi-kun and Takanashi-kun came back safely,” Suo replied, voice thick like he couldn’t breathe through his nose. “They made sure those gentlemen won't show their faces around here again.” He steepled his fingers under his bloody chin, satisfied like a cat in a sunbeam.

And just what the hell was Haruka supposed to say to that. Did he not even notice? Or was this just a new way for Suo to fuck with him?

“S-Suo-san!” 

Both of them turned as Nirei scrambled over. Heads turned to follow him, and Haruka realized, Ah shit, this is about to be a whole thing.

“I'm so s-sorry, Suo-san!” Nirei wailed, drawing even more attention to them. “It's because I didn't see that guy coming, and you had to protect me again--”

Suo's smile didn't falter as he smoothed his hands over Nirei's shoulders. “Please think nothing of it, Nirei-kun. I'm sure you would do the same for me.” 

“I would!” Nirei blinked rapidly, fat tears spilling from his eyes. “I will! I'll get stronger and make it up to you!”

“I know you will, Nirei-kun.”

While Nirei sobbed, the rest of their class had come to surround them. Haruka tried to side-step his way out of the center, but couldn't escape before Tsugeura grabbed him.

“Dude, did Suo actually get hit?!” Tsugeura shook Haruka hard enough to make his head rattle. “Didja see what happened?”

Kiryu drifted over as well, crowding in on Suo's side. “Wow, that looks totes painful,” he said, and poked Suo's cheek. “Want me to get some ice for it?”

All around them, people were trying to get a look.

“I've never seen Suo get hurt!”

“Yeah, Sakura gets messed up all the time, but never Suo.”

“Damn, who got one over on our vice captain?”

Haruka growled in the back of his throat, ducking out of Tsugeura’s grip. The rest of the class was too distracted to notice him slip out behind them. He found Kiryu's first aid kit and snatched up a clean rag and water bottle.

Pushing back through the crowd, he could see Suo’s smile started to strain around the edges.

“My, what’s all the fuss about?” Suo laughed and waved his hands to keep the class at bay. He shifted back a step, subtly. “This sort of thing is normal in a fight, isn’t it?”

“Not for you, man!” Tsugeura said, and several others shouted their agreement. He moved in closer, and Suo’s hands twitched. 

While it was somewhat validating to see someone else on the receiving end of Furin’s overbearing concern for once, Haruka couldn't let this go on. He raised his voice over the chaos, “Everyone shut up and get out of my way.”

Immediately, the class fell silent. The boys around Haruka parted, giving him a clear path back to Suo. The vice captain froze where he stood, hands still splayed defensively.

Haruka strode through them, painfully aware of all eyes on him. He dumped water on the rag as he went, and only stopped when he was close enough to grab Suo by the chin. “Hold still,” he said, raising the rag.

Suo’s eye widened, but he didn't try to pull away. Rather, he barely even breathed as Haruka started to scrub at the blood caked on his face. And he really did have to scrub -- it was all half-dry and sticky, a real mess to clean up. Why didn't this idiot wipe it off while it was fresh? He wondered as he worked.

Part of him worried he might irritate Suo's skin if he went at it too hard, but Suo never flinched. He didn't jerk away or complain. Just kept watching Haruka, following every movement with that one inscrutable eye. 

“What happened?” Haruka broke the silence at last.

It was Nirei who replied. “I-I tripped one of them with my pill bug stance. But another guy came at me before I could get up. Then Suo-san jumped between us, and…” He trailed off miserably, tugging at the collar of his uniform. 

Haruka's eyes slid back to Suo. “And?” he prompted.

“There wasn't time to get into position and block properly,” Suo said, calm as ever. “So I blocked with my face.”

Someone snorted behind him. “I guess that's one way to do it…” he heard Kiryu sigh.

Haruka scowled, and jerked Suo's head up so he could get at the mess caked under his chin. “That’s stupid,” he said.

Suo laughed, thick from the blood still clogging his nose. “Perhaps,” he agreed. “But it worked.”

“No it didn't. Your face is busted.”

“It will heal.” Head still tilted back, Suo pinned him in place with his gaze. “I'm really not as fragile as I look, Sakura-kun.”

There were a lot of words to describe Suo, but fragile was nowhere near Haruka's vocabulary. Suo was untouchable. Unbreakable. Unknowable. Impenetrable.

Incredible.

At some point he must have leaned in, so focused on cleaning up the blood he didn’t realize. When he met Suo’s eye, Haruka could see each individual eyelash framing that bright crimson. He stared for a moment, hand going still with the rag pressed against Suo’s cheek.

And Suo--

Smiled. 

Like he knew something Haruka didn’t.

Haruka’s cheeks flooded with heat. He shoved Suo away, suddenly pissed at the whole situation.

“Whatever!” he shouted, not sure why he was so loud. “At least clean yourself up, so I don't have to look at your messed-up mug!” To drive this home, he whipped the bloodied rag right at Suo's insufferable grin.

Suo snagged the rag out of the air with ease. “Aw, but you were treating me so tenderly, Sakura-kun!” he pouted, earrings swaying as he tilted his head. “I could really feel how much you care!”

If Haruka's face got any warmer, steam would start shooting out of his ears. He turned to the rest of the class and snarled, “The fuck you all starin’ at, huh?! Show’s over, go home!”

There were a few snickers from the peanut gallery, and someone complained about being ordered around, even as they did as they were told. God knows why any of them listened to Haruka, but they always did. Any bitching and moaning was all in good fun. The boys gave their well-wishes to Suo as they left in groups of twos and threes. Smiling now with a clean face, Suo thanked each of them for their hard work.

When it was just Haruka, Nirei and Suo left, Nirei found his voice again. “Are you sure you're okay, Suo-san?” he asked. “Your nose bled a lot -- it’s not broken, is it?”

“Nope, not broken.” Suo pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the bone under thin skin. It was clearly bruised, and still clogged with blood, but Suo went on, “Honestly, it doesn't even hurt anymore. That guy’s punch wasn't particularly strong.”

It doesn't hurt anymore, he said. So it did hurt before this. Suo was, in fact, capable of feeling pain. 

That fact didn't make Haruka feel better at all.

He started back toward Furin without a word, and his two vice captains fell in step beside him. They kept up the conversation, perfectly happy to talk across Haruka like he wasn't there.

“That’s good, at least,” Nirei sighed, shoulders slumping. “Still, it was scary seeing you covered in so much blood!”

Suo clasped his hands behind his back, still carrying the bloody rag. “Head injuries tend to bleed a lot,” he said, matter-of-fact. “Even a shallow cut will look a lot worse than it is.”

Haruka cast him a sidelong glance. “Had a lot of head injuries?”

At this angle, he could only see Suo’s eyepatch and the curve of his mouth. “Is that your way of saying I'm messed up in the head?” he chuckled lightly. “But no, it's just something I've read about. You've probably taken more blows to the head than me, Sakura-kun.”

Haruka bristled at the teasing note in his voice. “What's that supposed to mean, asshole?!” He rounded on Suo, fists raised. “If you wanna go, I'll break your stupid nose myself!”

“Maybe another time.” Suo brushed past him, unfazed. “Hurry up now, we ought to give our report to Hiragi-senpai before it gets much later.”

Begrudgingly, Haruka followed him and Nirei. He knew Suo wasn't really trying to pick a fight, but still… he was always like that. Teasing, making jokes, pushing Haruka’s buttons. Acting like nothing really affected him. Not even getting his face smashed made any difference. 

But Haruka knew Suo could get emotional. He showed it differently than the others, but Haruka learned to recognize when Suo got carried away. Hell, he even saw Suo completely lose his cool that one time with Keel. It was a side of him Suo tried to keep hidden, but Haruka knew it was there.

That must mean Suo trusted him, at least to some extent --right? Haruka still wasn't quite sure what to do with that trust; it made him feel itchy if he thought about it too much. But everyone kept saying it was good to trust each other. Trust made everyone stronger. Trust meant no one had to fight alone.

So if Suo trusted him, surely he would tell Haruka if something was really wrong.

Right?

Reporting back should have been a simple matter of telling Hiragi that they took care of the problem, and then they could all go home. It was the only reason Haruka agreed to make these reports in the first place: they were quick and easy.

Of course, nothing easy today. News spread like wildfire in a small town, and the whole school was already buzzing with it when they set foot back on campus. Everyone wanted to get a look at stupid Suo’s stupid bloody nose.

Suo didn’t exactly do himself any favors. He could have at least buttoned up his jacket to hide the horror show painted down the front of his shirt. But no; Suo strolled right in, casual as ever, apparently oblivious to the stares he drew from the other classes on their way to the roof.

Umemiya thought it was hilarious, for some reason. He kept busting out laughing, and insisted on hearing a play-by-play of the fight from Nirei, who was more than happy to indulge. Of course, that only gave the upperclassmen even more time to fuss over them. 

Hiragi cracked an ice pack for Suo’s nose, and gave him careful instructions for how to apply it to keep the swelling down. Tsubakino suggested about fourteen different products for getting bloodstains out of clothing, rifling through her purse to show what she used. She and Hiragi both kept tripping over each other while trying to help, which only made Umemiya laugh harder. 

Haruka took a seat out of reach of the others, where he could wait out this storm in relative peace. A small part of him couldn’t help but wonder why no one ever doted on him like that when his nose got punched in.

(Not that he would want them too, but it was the principle of it all.)

Suo kept the same placid smile through all of it, letting himself be pushed and prodded, this way and that. “Everyone wants to talk to me today. I feel like a celebrity!” he laughed, still holding the ice pack against his face as instructed. 

How was he not freaking out right now? Their upperclassmen were so annoying sometimes. 

“Getting your shit pushed in isn’t something to be proud of,” Haruka grumbled.

“There’s no need to be jealous,” Suo replied. “Next time you get a bloody nose, I promise I’ll take good care of you.”

Haruka snapped his head away to hide the blush that immediately overtook his face. “Like hell you will.”

It was another goddamn eternity before they were finally able to get away from the third years. Even then, Haruka still had to carve a path through all the idiot rubber-neckers trying to see what happened. Whispers followed them all the way to the front gate. Whoever said guys don’t gossip was a fuckin’ liar.

Haruka was used to people talking behind his back. First he learned to ignore it, and then he learned to shut them up with his fists. These days he stuck to the former, since most Furin shit-talking was done in good fun. Flying off the handle over some light ribbing wasn’t a great look, he learned pretty quickly.

Still. The thought of what they might say about Suo behind his back…

Haruka bit his tongue until he tasted copper.

“Should we grab something to eat?” Nirei asked, breaking the tense silence between the three of them. “Y-You’re always hungry after a fight, right Sakura-san?”

Haruka shrugged. “I could eat,” he said. “Let’s head to Pothos.” At least Kotoha would probably be normal.

“Sorry, my social battery’s completely empty,” Suo said, apologetic. “I think I’ll just head home for the day. See you boys at school tomorrow, okay?” Without waiting for a response, he turned and vanished down a side street.

Come to think of it, Haruka wasn’t sure where he lived. Was it far from the school? Should he and Nirei have gone with him, to make sure he didn’t run into any trouble? Was there anyone at home to make sure he kept putting ice on his face? They had known each other for months now, fighting and training and sharing meals together, but Haruka still knew next to nothing about Suo’s life.

“Do you think Suo-san’s really okay?” Nirei interrupted the spiral of his thoughts. His shoulders slumped, staring forlornly after their friend. Haruka didn’t have to be a mind-reader to tell Nirei still blamed himself for what happened.

Haruka rubbed his bruised knuckles against the crown of Nirei’s head. “If he says he’s fine, he’s fine,” he said. “And if he’s not, I’ll kick his ass for lyin’.”

Nirei gave a watery laugh. “You’re right, we should trust him.”

Something squirmed in Haruka’s gut. He wished he could believe his own words.

Chapter Text

Suo came to school the next day with a wide bandage over his nose.

“It’s just to cover the bruise,” he insisted, before Haruka could even say anything. “Trust me, this sort of injury looks real ugly for a while.”

Haruka knew that. He couldn’t count the number of times he got his nose punched in, and spent the next week watching it go through every gross color of the rainbow. Even if it was broken, there wasn’t much to do besides cover up and hope it healed straight.

Still. Seeing the edges of blackened skin on Suo’s face, just brushing the edge of his eyepatch, made Haruka want to squeeze something really hard. His fingers twitched with the impulse, bringing to mind an image of pulling on Suo’s cheeks until he apologized.

Apologized for what, Haruka wasn’t really sure.

He settled on just grabbing Suo by the shoulders to hold him still, so he could get another look at his busted nose. The swelling was way down from yesterday, which meant he actually bothered to keep ice on it last night. He didn’t sound congested anymore either. Suo was mostly back to his normal self — save for the blotchy, bruised mess hidden under that bandage.

Suo submitted to the examination without complaint, waiting patiently until his captain was satisfied. He let Haruka’s eyes roam where they pleased, until they finally landed on his wine-red one. Suo’s smile curled wider, crinkling up his eye at the corner.

Suddenly hot under his collar, Haruka shoved Suo away. “Just don’t get hit there again, dumbass,” he snapped.

“Darn, there go my plans for the day,” Suo chuckled and shook his head, golden tassels brushing his shoulders. “And here I was thinking I’d run face-first into the next punch thrown my way.”

Bastard’s always got a joke ready. Haruka didn’t dignify that with a response. With a scoff, he stomped to the other side of the classroom and threw himself down at an unoccupied desk. As soon as he was out of the way Suo was swarmed by the rest of their class, and Haruka was perfectly happy to watch the chaos from afar.

Anzai was first to pounce on their vice captain. “Check it out guys, Suo-san and I finally match!” he said, pointing between the bandages on his own face and Suo’s.

“Nah, you’re still way more messed up,” Takanashi teased, and Anzai stuck his tongue back at him.

“At least it doesn’t look crooked,” Kiryu added from his desk. He didn’t look up from the flashing colors of his phone game. “It’d be a shame if Suo-chan’s face got messed up like that.”

Tsugeura pulled Suo into a one-armed hug. “But a crooked nose is kinda manly! Maybe it’d make him look cooler, like the eyepatch does!”

“Oh dear, you figured it out.” Suo smiled pleasantly, even as he slid out of Tsugeura’s grasp. “I only wear this eyepatch to look cool.”

Across the room, Haruka rolled his eyes. He’d heard enough stories about that stupid eyepatch to learn Suo was always full of shit.

Apparently, Tsugeura hadn’t caught on yet. “Wait — For real?” he gaped at Suo.

“Nope.” Suo’s eye took on a mischievous gleam. “It’s a seal to keep the ghost possessing my body from escaping.”

With a very manly squeak, Tsugeura jumped a full five feet away. “D-D-Don’t even joke about that, man!” he yelled, high-pitched and absolutely shaking in his sandals.

Takanashi sighed. “C’mon man, not even Sakura’s gullible enough to believe that.”

“Don’t be insensitive, Tsuge-chan,” Kiryu scolded.

And Suo just laughed and smiled through it all.

Haruka seriously didn’t get it. How was he able to act so casual all the time, even with everyone getting on his case? No matter what anyone said or did, Suo never changed. He never got flustered or embarrassed the way Haruka did. He just rolled with the punches — literally, most of the time — and cracked some stupid joke. 

Maybe he was jealous of the ease with which Suo interacted with the others. If Haruka could just lighten up and mess around like everyone else…

We like you just the way you are. Everyone was pretty keen to beat that lesson into him not too long ago. Watching his class now, as loud and rowdy as ever, Haruka couldn’t help but smile a bit himself. If things could stay just like this forever, maybe they’d be alright.

Although…

Someone was conspicuously missing from this picture. Mismatched eyes raked across the classroom, finally landing on Nirei huddled up somewhere near the back. Bent over his notebook, he had a pen pressed against the page, unmoving. There was a faraway look in his eyes, not really seeing the scribbled notes in front of him. 

Haruka had a pretty good idea what could be going through that fluffy blond head of his. The poor kid put a lot of pressure on himself, and took it real hard when someone got hurt. Seeing Suo take a hit must have shaken him even more than it did Haruka, despite how Nirei tried to keep up a brave face.

I should say something, Haruka thought, rubbing at the back of his neck. But what? Could he really make everything better just with some words? Ugh, dammit. Suo’s usually the one who deals with this kinda stuff.

He was saved from having to think of something when the classroom door banged open. It was just Enomoto here to tell them their patrol routes for the day, but it was exactly what Haruka needed to make everyone settle down. Class 1-1 weren’t dumb enough to keep fucking around in front of the upperclassmen.

As usual, Suo took charge of splitting the class up for patrols. He was a lot better at keeping track of who worked well together than Haruka would ever be. They’d be meeting up with some second years once they hit the streets, so small groups of three or four made the most sense. As long as nothing big happened, these regular patrols could manage the day-to-day chaos of Makochi.

Haruka waited until several groups had already left before he raised his hand to interrupt. “Suo, I want you and Nirei with me today,” he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at Nirei.

Nirei jolted in his seat at the sound of his name. Suo, on the other hand, didn’t seem surprised. “Very well, we’ll handle the shopping district,” he replied, and moved on to the next squad. 

They were the last ones out of the classroom, as they had to wait for Suo to finish sending out the others. That suited Haruka just fine; he was hoping to steal some time for just the three of them, without the rest of the class poking around at their business. Once everyone else had a head start, Haruka kicked up from his desk and led the way out. 

His vice captains fell into his orbit, slotting in right where they belonged. Haruka always felt he could breathe a little easier when he had them both at his sides, ready to take on whatever he couldn’t handle. That still held true, even when Nirei had his shoulders hunched in misery, careful not to catch Suo’s eye.

Out on the quiet streets surrounding the school, Haruka shot Nirei a sidelong glance. Nirei kept his gaze trained downward, still fidgeting with his notebook. Heaving a sigh, Haruka bumped him with his elbow. 

“If you got somethin’ to say, spit it out before we join up with the second-years,” he said, eyes straight ahead.

Nirei jumped, startled. “Wh-What?” he squeaked. “No, I-I, I’m just—”

“Nirei-kun,” Suo’s even tone cut across his stammering. “I hope you’re not still blaming yourself for my injury.”

Nirei’s silence spoke volumes. It hung over them for a few moments, before Suo huffed out an exasperated breath. “As I said yesterday, it’s only natural to want to protect one’s friends. I’m sure you would do the same thing in my place.”

“But you’re always the one protecting me,” Nirei sniffled. “You and Sakura-san both. I’m not strong enough to return the favor.” 

“Not strong enough yet, ” Suo said, not unkindly. He reached around Haruka to ruffle Nirei’s messy hair. “But you’ll get there. In the meantime, it’s okay to rely on us when you need to. Right, Sakura-kun?” 

Haruka grunted an affirmative, “Yeah, duh.”

Still, Nirei chewed his lower lip, watery eyes downcast. “E-Even if it means your nose gets knocked crooked?” he asked.

Suo’s laughter echoed through the side-streets. He pulled ahead to face them, walking backwards with the same ease with which he did everything. 

“Even if someone knocked my nose clean off my face,” he said, grinning wide and genuine. “Even if I lost my eye, as long as I was protecting something important, I wouldn’t regret it.”

Dammit, Haruka had to look away. Saying stuff like that, with his warm eye and bright smile… It was irritating how cool Suo was sometimes.

“D-Don’t say that, Suo-san!” Nirei cried, aghast. “You can’t lose an eye, you’ve only got one left!”

“As far as you know!”

“That’s the second-year group up ahead,” Haruka interrupted, pointing with his chin at the boys gathered on the next street corner. “Get your heads in the game.”

Suo spun to face forward again, gliding back to his place at Haruka’s right side. “Someone’s bossy today,” he teased under his breath.

“Shut up,” Haruka hissed back. “I’ll break your nose myself.”

Suo just kept laughing.

The second-years put them on painting duty. Again.

Old-man Mako wanted some graffiti on his shop covered up, so his daughter could paint a mural instead. Which was all well and good — Haruka liked murals as much as the next guy, he supposed — but he still didn’t see why this was his job.

“Quit scowlin’ like that,” one of his senpai said, shoving a paint roller in his face. “We all gotta pitch in and take care of the town.”

Right. Sure.

It wasn’t all that bad, even if Haruka grumbled about it the whole time. Once he got a rhythm down, he could put his body on auto-pilot and think about other things. Like wondering if Nirei could make himself grow taller by stretching all the way up on his toes to paint way over his head. Or how Suo always took his Furin jacket off and folded it neatly out of the way, even though Haruka never saw him get even a spot of paint on himself.

For a little while, he entertained the thought of rolling white paint right over Suo’s stupid smiling face. At least then Haruka wouldn’t have to notice the bruises all over again, every time he glanced over.

The sun beat down on them as they worked, sweltering with the early promise of summer. Before long Haruka and Nirei shed their jackets as well; Nirei’s tied around his waist and Haruka’s tossed aside in a heap. Haruka pulled the end of his shirt up to wipe sweat from his face, frowning as he realized how much they still had to cover. 

Why’s this dumb mural gotta be so big? His neck was already getting stiff from looking up so much. Groaning, he hiked his shirt up higher, flapping the front to get a bit of a breeze over his midriff. 

Something prickled at the base of his spine. Hot like the sun, but more targeted. It kind of felt like the danger-sense he picked up during battles, when someone tried to attack him from behind. Haruka whipped around, searching for whatever moron thought they could get the drop on him.

But the only person behind him was Suo, laser-focused on painting with meticulous efficiency. Whatever put Haruka on high-alert was nowhere to be seen.

Weird. Well, not like his senses were perfect. For all he knew, a mean stray cat just shot him the stink-eye in passing or something. Though it did throw Haruka off his rhythm, and he set his paint roller down with a sigh. 

“Need a break, Sakura-kun?” Suo asked without turning his head.

Haruka rolled his neck until it gave a satisfying pop . “No,” he said. “I’m just breathin’ for a sec, get off my back.”

“Take care not to over-exert yourself,” Suo went on, like he didn’t hear Haruka’s response. He leaned back, tassels swaying, so Haruka could see his little smirk. “If you get heat stroke, I’m the one who’ll have to carry you all the way back to school.”

That was one hell of a mental image. Would Suo carry him on his back, piggy-back style? Or would he go with something like a fireman’s carry? Or even — perhaps, maybe — bridal style?

Harukra’s face flushed impossibly hotter. “As if I’d let you—”

“Everyone remember to drink lots of water, too!” Nirei shoved two water bottles at them before Haruka could really get going. “If you’re sweating a lot, you gotta drink a lot!”

Haruka took the water begrudgingly, but he made sure to glare at Suo the entire time he gulped it down. Couldn’t let the bastard think he won.

Suo didn’t seem to notice, sipping his water slowly as he looked over their handiwork. Though he still didn’t break a sweat, even in this weather, Haruka noticed he rolled his sleeves up past his elbows, almost to his shoulders. It was a bit of a shock, seeing Suo’s smooth skin and toned muscles exposed like that. He always covered himself up so thoroughly, wearing a long-sleeved changshan no matter how hot it got. 

What the hell am I thinking about, Haruka wondered, watching a drop of condensation from the water bottle roll over Suo’s knuckles and down his forearm. Paint fumes must be getting to me.

At least it was better than thinking about blood dripping thick and red from his chin. Except now he was, and just like that, Haruka was in a shitty mood again.

“Hey, do you guys have a lot of paint left?” Nirei’s question snapped him back to the present. “I’m just about out over here.”

“We’re running low as well,” Suo said, leaning into Haruka’s work space to peer at the empty can by his feet. “Mako-san said there were some more cans in storage. Want me to go fetch them?” 

On any other day, Haruka would’ve said You don’t need my permission, do whatever you want. But his eyes lingered on that bandage again, edges curling up in the heat, revealing inky black bruises underneath. 

A frantic voice in his head said, Don’t let him go off alone.

“You’re injured,” Haruka said, tossing his empty water bottle aside. “I’ll do it.”

Suo blinked at him, and cocked his head to one side. “Did you think I was planning to carry the paint cans with my nose? ” he asked, smiling like Haruka was a particularly idiotic child.

Haruka might, in fact, be the biggest idiot on the planet. “No!” he snapped. “I just—” Running a hand through his sweaty hair, he tried to think of a good excuse and came up blank. “Ugh, can you let me do something nice without makin’ a big deal about it?!”

Suo chuckled lightly into his hand. “Of course, Sakura-kun,” he said, eye twinkling. “Thank you.”

Haruka stormed out of the stifling alleyway before either of them could argue with him any more. 

Walking away only made him more antsy, tapping his foot while old-man Mako puttered about to unlock the storage room for him. Once it was open, Haruka grabbed four cans — two on each arm — and hurried back out again. He was anxious to return to the others, before—

Before what? What, exactly, was he so freaked out about? Did he really think some rival gang would get the jump on them in the five minutes Haruka was away?

Anything’s possible, that nagging voice deep in his mind said. It conjured up a vision of Suo and Nirei crumpled on the ground, broken and beaten, blood splattered across fresh white paint.

Grinding his teeth, Haruka picked up the pace, practically running back to the alley. The heavy paint cans swung precariously on his arms, clanging together as he skidded around a corner to find his friends.

Nothing had changed when he got back. Nirei had his back against an unpainted part of the wall, showing Suo something on his phone while they waited. Suo leaned over to see the screen, nodding as Nirei rambled, long tassels shining where they dangled freely. Around them, just outside the alley, the daily bustle of Makochi went on peacefully.

Haruka’s body relaxed as soon as he had eyes on them again. No one ambushed them behind Haruka’s back, and no one was bleeding. At least, not this time.

“Break’s over,” he called out, lifting the cans with a grunt. The thin handles were starting to cut into his skin, where they hung from his arms.

Nirei and Suo looked up, a little shocked when they saw him. “Th-That’s so much! Do you need help?” Nirei asked, fumbling to put his phone away.

Haruka rolled his eyes. He was only a little out of breath from the run back — and only because it was so goddamn hot, not because the paint was too heavy. “I got it, chill,” he said, trudging back to where they had all the painting tarps set up. 

Whether the heat or the weight, something must have thrown off his awareness, because his foot caught under one of the tarps. Haruka pitched forward, dragged off-balance by the extra weight of the paint cans. Before he could fall flat on his face, an arm shot out and caught him around the waist. The cans slid off his arms, clattering to the ground with a sound like dishes falling out of a cupboard.

Heart pounding, Haruka looked around at Suo, still gripping him tightly. He gave Haruka a smug smile and said, “That was a close one.”

At this distance, Suo could probably feel the heat radiating off him, the way his pulse thundered in his veins. He jumped back out of Suo’s reach. “Fuck off!” he shouted, pissed that Suo got to witness something so embarrassing. “I said I don’t need your help!”

“Ah yes, I almost forgot.” Suo tapped the side of his nose. “Because I’m injured, right?” There was more of an edge to his voice than his usual teasing tone. Something about it made Haruka’s hair stand on end.

Swallowing hard, Haruka bent and grabbed one of the cans again. It was thankfully still intact, only a bit dented at the bottom. He shoved it into Suo’s arms without looking at him, like a coward.

“You’re not painting with your nose, are ya?” he grumbled. “Get back to work before I dump paint over your head!”

Suo shook his head with a long-suffering sigh. “Our captain is so demanding, Nirei-kun!”

“I’m staying out of this,” Nirei said blandly. He snatched one of the fresh cans out from between Suo and Haruka, and got right back to painting.

Ignoring them both, Haruka popped a can open as well. He slopped a generous helping into his paint tray and dunked his roller in, before slapping paint over the graffiti at random.

Once again, Suo took up a position at Haruka’s side, covering up the spots Haruka missed without complaint.

Chapter Text

Over the next week or so, Suo’s bruises went from blue and purple to dull brown, to faded yellow, and finally disappeared entirely. In no time at all, Suo’s face was free of any bandages or blemishes. There was no trace that he ever took a punch straight to the nose. People’s memories faded along with the bruises, and he was back to being class 1-1’s unbreakable vice captain.

Everyone moved on, except Haruka. It got easier as the evidence faded, but he just couldn’t get the image of Suo with bloodstains all down his changshan out of his head. There were times that Suo smiled at him, and all Haruka could think about was blood in his teeth, dripping off his chin.

He knew it was stupid. Most of Bofurin had scrapes and bruises in various states of healing at any given time. It was a miracle Haruka’s own nose wasn’t completely flat from getting smashed in so often. Getting his face beat to a pulp was just the price of getting to live the way he always wanted.

So why did it surprise him so much that Suo was the same way? Though he never talked about himself, he wouldn’t have joined Bofurin if he didn’t believe in their mission. He wouldn’t stick around when things looked doomed if he didn’t care.

As long as he’s protecting something important, huh… Haruka turned Suo’s words from the other day over and over in his head, as if they could somehow produce new answers for him. The more time he spent obsessing over this the more irritated he got, but he just couldn’t put Suo out of his mind. There was a tightness in his chest these days, a nagging anxiety, like if he stopped paying attention something terrible would happen again.

A loud ping! from his pocket interrupted his thoughts and brought Haruka back down to earth. He was out on patrol near the river, flanked by Kiryu and Kakiuchi. 

(And maybe that was part of the problem; Suo kept saying it made more sense, tactically, for him, Haruka and Nirei to take different patrols. “If we’re always together, someone could wipe out the class’s entire leadership by beating us,” he said, as if that was possible. Haruka didn’t even want to entertain the thought, but he couldn’t exactly admit how lost he was without them.)

Everything was quiet so far, which was why he bothered to pull out his phone and check who sent him shit. He was still pretty clumsy with this thing, so Kiryu got there before Haruka could remember which of the little icons opened the group chat. 

“Uh-oh,” Kiryu said, already tapping away at his phone’s keyboard. “Looks like there’s trouble over by the park. They’re calling for back-up.”

Kakiuchi squinted off in that direction. “We’re not too far from the park, we could— Hey, Sakura, wait!”

Haruka didn’t wait, or even bother reading the messages. He took off running without a word, hitting top speed in just a few strides. Behind him he could hear the other two panting as they kept pace with him, but they may as well have been a million miles away. Haruka’s mind was solely focused ahead, on getting to the fight before it was too late.

Suo’s leading the park patrol.

Echoing shouts reached his ears as the park’s greenery came into view. Haruka skidded around a corner, fighting to maintain his balance as asphalt and concrete gave way to soft grass. There, by one of the picnic areas: a throng of bodies all trying to knock each other’s lights out. At a glance he counted at least fifteen enemies — likely more — surrounding three in Furin uniforms.

In the chaos, Haruka picked out Tsugeura’s bright orange curls most easily. He had two guys hanging off him, trying to hold him in place while a third readied a baseball bat. He got as far as raising the bat over his head before Haruka’s knee rammed into his crooked yellow teeth.

That’s one down, Haruka thought, as he slammed the guy into the dirt and kicked the bat out of reach. He turned in time to see Tsugeura pull one of the thugs on him into a headlock and swing him by the neck into the other. He whirled back around to meet Haruka’s scowl with a beaming grin.

“You couldn’t handle these clowns on your own?!” Haruka shouted, throwing a right hook at a guy trying to get in from behind Tsugeura.

Tsugeura shook his head, smile slipping. “Not with Suo on full defense,” he panted. 

That was all the talk they had time for. Two more losers came rushing in to avenge their fallen friends, and Tsugeura and Haruka both had to turn back to the fight. Haruka’s fist hit the next guy’s jaw with a satisfying crunch , falling right into a kick to the chin that sent him sprawling across a picnic table.

Haruka did a quick sweep of how everyone else fared. Nearby, he saw Kiryu pull a guy off Kurita — the third member of the park patrol — and throw him right into Tsugeura’s waiting suplex. Someone else tried to raise a bat over Kiryu’s head, but it was ripped out of his hands by Kakiuchi. Kakiuchi used the bat to trip that same thug, leaving him wide open for Kiryu to finish with a blow to the side of the head.

The tide of battle was turning, but there were still way too many assholes here, ruining the grass and cracking the old wooden picnic tables.

And he still couldn’t find Suo.

Haruka kicked and clawed his way through, searching frantically for Suo’s dark auburn hair among all the losers with bad bleach-blond dye jobs. “Full defense” meant there was a civilian here to protect, so he was probably trying to stay on the fringes of the fight. These creeps kept crowding in way too close, leaving Haruka trapped at the center of the chaos. 

“Let—me— through!!" Haruka shouted, drilling a kick right into the closest idiot’s spine. He used that guy as a springboard, giving him just enough air to round-house kick the next one that got in his way. 

There — Haruka caught a glimpse of reflective gold while he was airborne, just a flash before he landed his full weight on the thug’s chest. He barrelled straight towards it, crashing head-first into whoever tried to get in his way and smashing them against the ground.

Just ahead, three more guys had Suo surrounded, spitting insults in his face. 

“You think those fancy dance moves are gonna be enough?” one of them jeered.

Another twirled something in one hand; Haruka recognized the silver glint of a switchblade. “Just hand over the kids, and we’ll let you live!”

Suo didn’t respond. Everyone in class 1-1 knew what it meant when Suo fell silent during a fight: he was pissed.

“Get back here, freak!"

Haruka whipped around just in time to duck under a glass bottle swung at his head. Crouching low, he put all power into his legs and sprang up to blast his assailant right on the chin. When he reeled back, stunned, Haruka followed up with a spinning kick to the chest that sent him flying.

Behind him, he heard a girl’s voice scream, “Watch out!”

One of the thugs was sprawled on the ground at Suo’s feet, but another had managed to grab his wrist. The third brandished his switchblade, lunging for Suo’s blind side.

Realistically, if Haruka actually slowed down and thought about it, Suo was in no real danger. He watched Suo punish loads of morons who thought they could sneak up on his right. He knew Suo could easily reverse any grab on any part of his body.

“The trick is to break through the thumb,” Suo explained once, guiding Haruka’s hand around his own wrist to demonstrate. Slender but sturdy, and warm against Haruka’s palm. “Four fingers together are quite strong, but the thumb on its own—” He twisted in Haruka’s grasp, easily pulling free. “Is a weak link.”

“Try that again,” Haruka said, while Nirei scribbled diligently in his notebook nearby. He grabbed Suo’s arm, holding as tight as he could. “You won’t break free this time!”

Suo smiled at him, twisted out of Haruka’s grip, and grabbed Haruka’s arm before he could react.

“Your turn!” he said. “I promise it’s super easy.”

If Haruka waited for just a moment, he would probably see Suo flip the jerk grabbing him over his head and blow the knife guy away in one kick. It would all look effortless and beautiful, and Suo would laugh about it right after. He’d be fine; there was no way he wouldn’t be fine. Suo was always fine.

Except when he wasn’t.

The rational part of Haruka’s brain was long gone. All he could see was red stains on soft white silk.

Haruka rushed straight through the first guy, grabbing him by the collar. Using his own momentum, Haruka yanked that guy right around and flung him into his friend with the knife. Knife-guy reacted quickly enough to not accidentally stab his friend, but not fast enough to avoid 200 pounds of dipshit flying at him. The two went down in a heap, and Haruka stomped on knife-guy’s hand until he dropped the switchblade with a scream. 

Breathing heavily, Haruka glanced up to meet Suo’s eye. He looked surprised, brows raised and mouth hanging open. But he was quick to compose himself, saying, “You’re a real knight in shining armor, aren’t you?” only slightly out of breath. 

“The fuck are you doing?!” Haruka snarled in his stupid smiling face. “That guy had a knife!”

“What I do best,” Suo replied, and gestured behind him. 

For the first time, Haruka noticed the two people huddled behind Suo. A boy and a girl, both wearing uniforms from a nearby middle school. They peeked around Suo’s back with tears in their eyes.

Shit, right.  

“I'll take care of things here,” Suo went on, when Haruka didn’t immediately turn to rejoin the fight. “So you can focus on what you do best. Right, Sakura-kun?”

What Haruka did best. That was his cue to turn around, charge back into the fight, and trust Suo to deal with any stragglers that came his way. Always right behind him, ready to pick up what Haruka couldn’t handle.

Haruka’s feet stayed rooted to the spot.

A loud thud sounded behind him, followed by Tsugeura’s triumphant whoop. Suo’s gaze slid away from Haruka, and his face broke into a satisfied smile. “Ah, never mind. Looks like our friends just took out the last of them,” he said, and turned to reassure the middle schoolers. Whatever he told them was drowned out by Tsugeura reciting Bofurin’s creed at the top of his lungs. 

It gave Haruka a chance to pull himself together. The hell is wrong with me? Why did he freeze up like that? No one was even hurt this time, but Haruka just couldn’t bring himself to leave Suo’s side. Was it really just the threat, the mere possibility of his friend getting hurt again, that made him hesitate?

Haruka shook his head vigorously, scattering those thoughts. Dwelling on it right now would only make him more confused. The important thing, right now…

“Oi.” All heads snapped to Haruka as he planted himself in front of the two kids. “What did these guys want with a couple’a middle schoolers, anyway?”

The kids shrank away from him, and Haruka recognized a familiar fear in their eyes. Hardly surprising; the guys at Furin were cool about it, but Haruka was still very aware of how he looked and sounded. 

They looked to Suo instead, who gave them a reassuring smile and a little nod. It’s okay, he’s one of the good guys, he was able to convey, with just that small gesture. 

The boy finally spoke up, “Our parents couldn’t afford the fee for my class trip,” he said, voice shaky and eyes trained on Haruka’s sneakers. “But I heard that these guys would lend money to anyone, even middle schoolers. So, I borrowed some money — N-not a lot! Just enough to cover the trip, that’s all!”

Haruka crossed his arms, and the boy flinched. He scuffed his foot over the flattened grass and went on, “B-But they started telling me I had to pay it back right away. They said something bad would happen if I didn’t. I didn’t have the money, so I just tried to avoid them. Until, today…

“They cornered us on our way home, and said they were gonna keep my sister as collateral until I could pay them back.” He squeezed his eyes shut, shameful tears spilling down reddened cheeks. “I never meant to get Yuna involved, b-but I didn’t know what to do—”

“I t-told you not to get involved with those guys, stupid!” his sister cried, clinging and shaking him by the shoulders. “A boy in my class borrowed money from them, and they made him into their slave when he couldn’t pay them back! You never listen to me—”

Suo put a gentle hand on her head, and the other on the boy’s shoulder, calming both before an argument could break out. “I think your brother’s learned his lesson now, right?” he said, with a glance toward the boy. He nodded, still staring at the ground in misery.

“Anyway, that’s when we entered the scene,” Suo addressed Haruka, even as both kids still clung to him. “We heard shouting from the park, and came to find that group—” he jerked his chin toward the pile of groaning thugs, “Surrounding a pair of defenseless middle schoolers. Of course, we had to step in.”

The boy suddenly perked up. “Eyepatch-san was amazing!” he said, eyes gleaming. “He came flying in out of nowhere and kicked the scariest guy right in the face!”

Haruka couldn’t help the proud little smirk that pulled at his mouth. “Show-off,” he muttered, just for Suo’s ears.

Suo returned a shit-eating grin. “I would never.”

“And then, during the fight, those guys couldn’t even touch him!” He jumped out in front of them, striking a clumsy imitation of one of Suo’s stances. “Even when it was three against one, he was like — woosh, bam! ” Flailing his arms haphazardly, he earned himself a giggle from his sister.

“Does everyone at Furin learn to fight like that?” the boy asked, looking up at Haruka with stars in his wide eyes.

“No,” Haruka said flatly. “He’s just weird.”

“You’re so mean to me, Sakura-kun,” Suo pouted, but the kids both laughed, so he couldn’t really be too upset. With a more serious expression, he leaned down to tell the boy, “Please be more careful in the future, okay? There are a lot of people who will try to take advantage of you, so remember what happened today whenever something seems too good to be true.”

The boy’s smile faded, and he gave Suo a solemn nod. 

Suo turned his eye on the girl, who fidgeted nervously, a dusting of pink on her cheeks.

Haruka felt his own face heat, mirroring the girl. Wait, hold on…

“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders,” Suo said, apparently oblivious to whatever the girl felt. “Make sure your brother stays out of trouble, alright? And if he doesn’t listen, feel free to give him a smack from me.”

The girl nodded as well, playing with the ends of her hair. As Suo went to straighten up again, she stepped forward, lifted up onto her toes and planted a kiss right on Suo’s cheek.

Haruka’s head burst into flames, right there in front of everyone. Behind him he heard Tsugeura gasp, and Kiryu’s airy laugh. 

“Th-Thank you for saving us,” the girl mumbled, red enough to rival Haruka’s strongest blush.

Suo smiled back at her, tassels swaying in the light breeze. “You’re quite welcome.”

The girl grabbed her dumbfounded brother and dragged him away as quickly as she could. Suo watched them go, amused, before turning back to find everyone gaping at him. 

“Is there something on my face?” he asked, touching the edge of his eyepatch.

“Suo’s got a little girlfriend,” Kurita snickered.

Normally, just the word girlfriend would have put Haruka right over the edge, lighting up like a red neon sign. He braced for it, ready to be teased for how easily he blushed. Instead, he felt the blood drain from his face, cold in his veins and where it ran through his heart.

Suo with a girlfriend. Somehow, the thought filled him with a whole new kind of dread.

“Don’t go spreading rumors,” Suo scoffed. “I have no interest in middle school kids.” There was a tightness to his face. Haruka almost thought it mirrored the icy claws in his own chest.

“What kinda girls are you interested in?” Tsugeura asked. He put one sandaled foot on the back of a defeated thug trying to get up, slamming him back down again.

Suo tilted his head, tassels glinting red and gold when he moved. “Girls, hm?” he tapped his chin, thinking. “Maybe Godzilla?”

“You’re so weird, dude,” Kakiuchi said, shaking his head.

“G-Godzilla’s not a girl!” Tsugeura squawked, offended. “Is it?”

“Maybe in some of the movies,” Kiryu replied, already back on his phone.

“Hey assholes, I’m not cleanin’ this up by myself,” Haruka snapped, gesturing to the mess they made of the picnic area. He was a little desperate to end this conversation. 

It took about twenty minutes to put the park back in order. Haruka and Tsugeura picked up the knocked over picnic tables and put them back into their rightful spots, while the others dragged the defeated goons somewhere out of the way. Furin sometimes left their opponents where they lied, but it would be a pain if other people couldn’t enjoy the park thanks to a bunch of unconscious creeps lying around.

The group’s leader came around just as they were about to leave. With a trembling hand, he snagged the loose fabric of Suo’s pants. “B-Bastard, you’ll pay—”

Suo gave him the kind of look one might reserve for a particularly large cockroach. He shook off the man’s hand, poised to deliver swift justice.

Haruka was faster, crushing the loser’s nose beneath his heel. “Keep your filthy hands off him,” he snarled. “Cause trouble around here again, and I’ll make sure you never wake up!”

“Nice one, Sakura!” Tsugeura cheered.

The rest of the team ran ahead, already discussing where to get a meal and celebrate their win. As if there was any debate to be had; as long as Haruka was here, they would end up at Pothos. Kotoha’s omurice was the only thing he ever wanted to eat after a fight.

It took a moment to realize Suo wasn’t at his side, where he always gravitated. Haruka looked back to find him lagging behind a few paces. When Haruka met his eye, it was like Suo had scrubbed all emotion from his face, eerily blank.

“You good?” Haruka asked, uncertain.

That strange expression melted away, snow and ice giving way to blooming flowers of red and glittering gold. “Of course,” he said. “I’m just glad I can always count on my captain.”

The sun was just starting to dip below the tops of buildings when Haruka’s rowdy group invaded Café Pothos. They came demanding omurice and sugary sodas and just a cup of tea, thank you. Feigning irritation, Kotoha went right to work, cracking a whole carton of eggs into a bowl one by one. 

Someone must have messaged the group chat, because Nirei already waited for them at the café. Notebook at the ready, he was regaled with a full reenactment of the fight by Tsugeura and Kurita, complete with visuals and sound effects. Of course, in this retelling Tsugeura fought off a hundred guys all on his own, valiantly holding the line until Haruka could arrive with back-up.

Haruka mostly ignored the theatrics. His eyes kept drifting back to Suo, sitting straight-backed at the bar with his steaming cup of tea. From the corner of his eye, he watched Suo savor every sip, tranquil as a zen garden despite the noise all around him. Any trace of that unsettling blank look from earlier — or what caused it — was gone. 

He must have felt Haruka’s eyes on him, and treated Haruka to a feline smile over the rim of his teacup. Haruka looked away sharply, ears burning. 

“It’s a good thing Sakura-san’s squad was nearby,” Nirei said, pen scratching furiously at the page of his notebook. He was almost at the end of this one; Haruka wondered if he already had another ready to go.

“Yeah, you really saved our bacon!” Tsugeura clapped him on the back, making Haruka almost shove a spoonful of omurice down his throat. “We’d be in real trouble without you!”

Haruka shrugged him off, scowling. Something about this didn’t sit right with him. The others kept treating him like a hero just for curb-stomping some losers, but why did they even need him? In such a wide-open area like the park, Tsugeura could easily bulldoze through ten guys by himself. Suo could probably take down twice that many with one hand tied behind his back, and Kurita was no slouch either. The three of them could probably handle thirty or fourty guys, no problem.

So why did they call Haruka? Why make him worry like that, when it was only some run-of-the-mill idiots?

“They were a bunch of weaklings,” he said, scraping his plate loudly with the spoon. “You coulda handled it yourself, instead of wastin’ my time.”

Tsugeura frowned, stung by his harsh words. If only Haruka could go one day without putting his foot in his mouth. 

“I mean — Yeah, I guess.” Tsugeura scratched at his orange curls, awkwardly. “It was taking forever, though. They kept making me run around, and Suo had his hands full protecting the kids…”

A silver knife flashed in Haruka’s memory. It sliced straight through white silk, stabbing deep, drawing dark red blood. No matter how many times he saw that Suo was fine, that possibility kept playing over and over in his mind. Every time he saw sitting all prim and proper, like nothing could ever touch him, he imagined that knife twisting deeper.

Haruka raised his voice over Tsugeura to say, “If Suo can’t handle three guys without my help, maybe he shouldn’t be leading patrols.”

The clink of a teacup meeting its plate echoed through the silent cafe like a gunshot. Haruka didn’t dare turn his head, but he could feel Suo stiffen next to him, a pillar of ice. No one else dared to move or speak a word. Even Kotoha stopped where she was, frozen with a dripping stack of dishes in hand.

“Good grief,” Suo said under his breath. Then, loud enough for the others to hear, “What’s got you so bent out of shape today, Sakura-kun?” His voice was light, but Haruka could feel his eye on the back of his neck like a brand.

“I’m just sayin’,” Haruka mumbled, glaring at the dregs of his omurice. “You’re the one who said we should take separate patrols, but you had to call for me anyway.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Suo fold his hands on the countertop. “Okay,” he said, carefully controlled. “For the record, I was not the one who called for backup.”

“M-Maybe I jumped the gun a bit,” Tsugeura chuckled nervously, already back at the table with Kiryu. No one could blame him for putting some distance between himself and the storm brewing at the bar.

Suo turned to give Tsugeura a reassuring smile. It did nothing to melt the frost gathered around him. “I don’t disagree with your decision. A drawn out fight would have caused more damage, so we needed a way to end things quickly.”

“All the more reason I shoulda been there from the start!” Haruka slammed his fist on the counter, earning a stern glare from Kotoha. “You coulda died if I didn’t get there in time — that guy in your blind spot had a knife!”

He stood up to face Suo at last, bearing down on the taller boy, still seated. Another spike of anger shot through him when he saw how unfazed Suo was. His fingers spasmed with the urge to grab Suo by the collar and shake him. Why don’t you care? He wanted to scream in his face. Why do you keep putting yourself in danger? Why won’t you let me keep you safe?!

In the face of Haruka’s mounting rage, Suo laughed. “A little dramatic, don’t you think?” he said. His eye still bored into Haruka, frigid against Haruka’s heated skin. “I was perfectly aware of the guy in my blind spot, and his knife. While I appreciate your help, I’m actually quite good at not getting stabbed.”

Haruka ground his teeth. That’s not the goddamn point!

“You’re sticking close to me from now on,” he said with finality. “Since I keep needing to save your ass.”

“Sakura-kun, we talked about this—”

“If you wanted to call the shots,” Haruka cut him off. “Then you shoulda made yourself the grade captain! But you picked me, so I get to decide how we do things!”

That, finally, got a reaction out of Suo. His eye grew wide, shock and outrage bleeding through the icy indifference. He stood abruptly, and Haruka put up his fists instinctively. Shit, now he really did it. They might actually have to take this outside.

Instead, he watched a wall slam shut between them. Suo’s face morphed back into that blank, emotionless mask from earlier. 

“As you wish, captain,” he said.

Then Suo dug into his pocket, and placed a few coins neatly on the counter. “Thank you for the tea, Kotoha-san,” he said, unnaturally flat. “Good night, everyone.” And he was out the door, leaving a frozen void in his wake.

Haruka’s heart beat a painful rhythm in the silence that followed.

“Are you a complete moron?” Kotoha asked.

Haruka rounded on her, but any retort died in his throat when he saw the look on her face. Unlike Suo’s cold fury, Kotoha’s temper blazed like the sun. 

“Did someone knock your brains out?” she went on, fists clenched like she might hit Haruka herself. “Since when do you talk to your friends like that?”

Haruka gaped at her, at a loss.

“Sakura-san,” Nirei said, voice surprisingly firm. “You’re being really unfair.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t just order him around like that,” Kiryu agreed. “Suo-chan has feelings too, y’know.”

Tsugeura, Kurita and Kakiuchi murmured their agreement, still a little too stunned to speak up.

Hot shame stabbed into Haruka’s gut. He knew, even as he ran his mouth, that it was wrong. His anger was irrational, his worry misplaced. Digging in his heels and acting like an asshole would only make everything worse.

Haruka just didn’t know how else to deal with these feelings. There was this constant, gnawing anxiety that he’d look behind him and find Suo covered in blood again. That if he took his eyes off Suo for even a second, he’d lose him.

It was no excuse. All he could do now was play damage control, and hope he hadn’t broken everything beyond repair. 

Haruka groaned. “I know, I just— Shit.” He scrubbed his hands through his hair, eyes trained downwards. “Sorry.”

“We’re not the ones you should apologize to,” Kotoha huffed, turning back to her sinkful of dishes. 

“I’ll talk to him at school tomorrow,” Haruka said. Assuming he doesn’t just deck me on sight.  

Tsugeura raised a hand to get Haruka’s attention. “Maybe this is a stupid question,” he said, brow furrowed. “But why are you so worried about Suo all of a sudden? He’s, like, the last person that needs extra protection.”

It was useless to lie around these guys. Kotoha in particular would drag the truth out of him, one way or another.

“I… Keep thinking about how he got hurt before,” Haruka said, staring down at the empty teacup Suo left behind.

Kakiuchi squinted at him. “When did Suo get hurt?”

“You mean when he got his nose smashed?” Tsugeura asked, tilting his head. “That was like, over a week ago.”

Right, because everyone else just moved on. The normal reaction to someone getting hurt in a brawl (normal for Bofurin, at least). Haruka was the only one still freaking out about a stupid bloody nose.

“But it could happen again,” Haruka said. God, why was it so hard to admit this? “He could get seriously hurt, and I won’t be there to help.” 

“Sakura-chan…” Kiryu’s sympathetic eyes only made him feel worse.

Haruka squared his shoulders, shielding his burning face. “Look, I just want him to stop putin’ himself in danger. Is that so wrong?”

“All of you Furin kids put yourself in danger,” Kotoha called over the clatter of dishes. “I’ve lost count of all the times I had to put Ume back together after a fight.”

“This is different!” Haruka snapped.

“How is it different?” Nirei asked, with genuine concern. “Suo-san is a member of Bofurin, just like the rest of us. He knows what he’s doing.”

Haruka didn’t know how to answer. How could he explain that every breath was a struggle, whenever Suo wasn’t at his side? Even now, he felt his vice captain’s absence like a hole in his chest. It made him antsy, desperate to pull Suo close and shield him from danger. Sink in his claws and never, ever let go.

“It’s just different,” he said simply.

Nirei and Kiryu exchanged a look that Haruka couldn’t decipher. 

“In any case, you’d better sort this out before you come begging me for food,” Kotoha said, leaning over the counter to jab Haruka in the chest. “‘Cause if you start acting like that again in my café, I’ll slap you, since Suo’s too nice to do it himself!”

Nice. Suo was only nice to people who deserved it. Right now, Haruka wasn’t sure he was one of those people.

He yanked out that thought before it could take root. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll fix this.”

Chapter Text

The next morning, Haruka rolled himself out of his futon at the ass-crack of dawn. He put in his usual training reps, grabbed his jacket, and headed straight for school. 

The early morning sun dyed the market street in orange and gold. Haruka had never seen Makochi this quiet, nearly silent save for the soft chorus of wind chimes. A few of the shops were only just setting up for the day, sleepy owners waving to Haruka as he passed. 

Café Pothos was still closed when he went by, which was just as well. Kotoha probably wouldn’t be too happy with him if he showed up now. 

Furin was even more deserted. With none of the usual suspects sparring in the courtyard or leaning out the classroom windows, the place felt like a ghost town. Haruka paused at the school gates, hands shoved deep in his pockets, anxiety churning his stomach.

Suo was often the first one in the classroom in the morning. At least, that’s what Nirei told Haruka, and Nirei was usually right. It was the entire reason Haruka went through the trouble of getting here so early; whatever he planned to say to Suo, he wanted to say it in private.

One problem: Haruka had no idea what to say.

He wanted to believe that Suo would forgive him, even if Haruka’s apology came out all jumbled and lame. Though Haruka hated to admit it, he knew deep down Suo was kind, patient, and gentle. Blunt when necessary, and not afraid to point out difficult truths. Even if he was an insufferable bastard sometimes, Haruka had come to rely on Suo more than anyone else when it came to understanding his own feelings.

Not that Haruka would ever tell him that.

And yet, he knew that everything had a limit. While Suo might have endless patience for his friends, he showed no mercy for those who preyed on the weak. Cruelty was paid back tenfold, and with a smile. Haruka thought there was a part of him that really enjoyed putting troublemakers in their place. 

He could only hope his outburst yesterday didn’t land him on the list of people Suo wanted to punish. If it was too late, and he already crossed that line…

Actually. Suo probably wouldn’t even do anything drastic. He was no fan of infighting, judging by how Suo often played peacekeeper between Haruka and Sugishita.

No, even if Suo hated Haruka, he would continue to do his job. He would follow orders, do exactly as he was told to the letter. Always polite, professional, and devastatingly, unwaveringly cold .

Haruka’s chest ached with the thought. I have to fix this.

The classroom was blessedly empty when he slid open the door. Haruka let out a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping. He still had a little more time to get his shit together.

He posted up by the window, sitting on one of the desks with his feet on the back of a chair. From here, he had a good view of the whole courtyard and the front gates. As soon as Suo arrived, he would know. He wouldn’t get ambushed today.

Every muscle in his body tensed when someone approached the gates — Only to unwind again when it was just that third year with the ponytail and glasses. There was someone else with him who Haruka didn’t recognize at a distance; probably one of his advisers.

What if he doesn’t even show up today? The thought struck deep into his chest, as Haruka’s mismatched eyes locked onto the gates again. What then? Somehow, Haruka didn’t think stalking Suo to his house to apologize would win him any favors.

Haruka shook his head vigorously, clearing away his doubts. He’ll be here. Suo never missed a day of school. There was no reason to believe he’d start now, just to avoid Haruka.

But goddamn, the wait for him was excruciating. Haruka kept getting all worked up whenever someone came into view, only to deflate when it was some random upperclassman he didn’t recognize. After less than an hour, his nerves were completely shot. 

And he still had no idea what he was going to say when Suo did finally show up. 

At last, his eyes caught on a glimmer of gold. The early sunlight glinted off Suo’s tassel earrings as he crossed the courtyard. Suo crossed the courtyard. Hands clasped behind his back, shoulders straight, chin high. Haruka watched him until he slipped out of sight, jiggling the chair under his feet nervously.

Maybe he wasn’t even mad anymore. Maybe they both just needed to cool off overnight, and now everything would be fine.

A few minutes later the door slid open, and Haruka startled so badly he almost fell sideways off the desk.

Suo made a small sound of surprise, hand lingering on the door.

Pushing down the panic in his throat, Haruka swallowed hard and said, “Hey.”

He half expected Suo to turn on his heel and leave. But he didn’t storm out, or slam the door, or lunge across the room to throw Haruka out the window. Instead Suo closed the door carefully, and hid his hands behind his back again. When he turned around, he wore a thin, frosty smile.

“Good morning, captain,” he said.

Okay, yeah, he was still pissed.

“L-Listen, uh,” Haruka stammered. This was so much harder than he expected, and he never thought it would be easy. “Yesterday, I — I shouldn’t’ve said all that shit.”

Suo blinked at him slowly. That lone eye pinned Haruka in place, like an insect on a corkboard. Go on , he seemed to say, from behind the wall of ice between them.

Haruka suppressed a shiver. “I know you don’t need me to save you.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, dropping his eyes from Suo’s intense gaze. “And I was bein’ super unfair. I’m not gonna order you around — that’s not the kind of captain I wanna be.

“So… I’m sorry,” he finished, lamely.

Suo crossed the room in just a few long strides, and Haruka was proud of himself for not shrinking away. “Thank you for the apology,” Suo said, stopping just in front of him. He peered down his nose at Haruka, eye unreadable. “However, I’m afraid I still have to settle the score.”

Cold dread seeped into Haruka’s stomach. What would it take for Suo to be satisfied? Screwing his eyes shut, he braced for impact. “Do your worst.”

Suo raised an arm, and—

Flicked Haruka right between the eyes, hard.

“Ow! ” Haruka reeled back, rubbing his forehead. “What the hell, man!”

Suo laughed, genuine and bright and warm enough to melt even the deepest permafrost. “There,” he said. “All is forgiven.”

“That’s it?” Haruka stared at him, incredulous.

Suo smiled at him, twinkling red and gold in the early sunlight. “I know you only worry because you care,” he said, and stepped back out of Haruka’s personal space. “And I understand that this is all still very new for you. So, as long as you’ve learned your lesson, I’m satisfied.”

Haruka seriously didn’t get this guy. Didn’t he at least want to duke it out? Didn’t he want to prove that Haruka’s fears were unfounded?  

“Fine, whatever,” Haruka grumbled. “Worrying about you is a waste of time, anyway.”

“But it’s cute when you show how much you care!”

Heat rose in Haruka’s cheeks, made worse by the way Suo’s grin widened. “Shut up! I’ll seriously punch you!”

Laughing again, Suo dodged out of Haruka’s reach before he could make good on any threats. He took up his usual spot by the window, eye trained on the slow trickle of students starting to flow into the school. Watching him in profile, Haruka thought the line of his shoulders was a lot more relaxed.

“May I ask you something, Sakura-kun?” he said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Sakrua shrugged one shoulder. “Go for it.”

“What’s making you so anxious lately?”

Great question. He still couldn’t quite explain the itch he felt down his spine during a fight. The unshakable feeling that as soon as he turned his back, something terrible would happen. 

Blood on white silk.

Haruka chewed his lip, jiggling the chair under his feet this way and that while he tried to come up with an answer. Its metal legs scraped noisily against the floor, matching the frantic rhythm of Haruka’s heart. Mercifully, Suo kept his gaze on the courtyard, unbothered by Haruka’s fidgeting. 

Any lie or excuse Haruka tried to come up with would crumble the instant Suo turned that clever red eye back on him. For all he tried to hide behind the layers of thick skin built up over the years, Suo always managed to cut him straight to the bone. He would have to open up, even if it felt like carving a piece out of his own chest to admit.

“Dunno,” he said after some thought. “I guess I’m just… Frustrated.”

“With anything in particular?” Suo asked, still facing the window.

Haruka let his sneakers drop onto the seat of the chair, rocking it side to side as he chewed his lip. . “I… Hate that I can’t be everywhere at once,” he said, slow as he chose each word. “Someone might get hurt when I’m not around, and I wouldn’t even know until it’s too late.

“I know I can’t always protect everyone, but I can’t help how I feel, either.” Haruka gripped the fabric of his pants, hands curled into fists. “I just gotta get stronger so I can keep everyone safe — Even if that’s a naive thing to want!” he added, before Suo could get a snide comment in.

At last, Suo turned to meet Haruka’s eyes again. Smiling, despite the way his brow creased. “I don’t think you’re naive, Sakura-kun,” he said softly. “If anyone can make that miracle happen, it’s you.”

The sincerity in Suo’s words brought a new wave of heat to Haruka’s cheeks. How could he just say shit like that with a straight face? It made him anxious in a different kind of way whenever Suo was honest like this; like his heart would break right out of his chest and flop out onto the floor, for everyone to see.

Haruka yanked the collar of his jacket higher around his burning ears, facing the window again. “Not tryna make a miracle,” he grumbled. “Don’t treat me like some kinda superhero.”

“Of course,” Suo said, like he had no intention of listening to a word of Haruka’s protests. 

“Anyway,” Haruka smacked the desk he sat on with his palm, desperate to get back on topic. “Like I said, I’m not gonna tell you want to do. You’re better at the strategy stuff, anyway. So if you think we should patrol separately…” He trailed off, grinding his teeth. Even if he could admit it was for the best, he still hated the idea of Suo being so far out of reach.

Sunlight glinted off a tassel earring as Suo tilted his head. From the corner of his eye Haruka could see him waiting, patient as ever, for Haruka to finish his thought.

Haruka swallowed hard. “It’s just easier to relax when you’re around,” he finished, his voice small and meek. “That’s all.”

His face would definitely catch fire for real this time, if he blushed any harder. There was no way Suo wouldn’t notice, watching him with that bright, intelligent eye. He would see right through Haruka, right to where his heart fluttered like a frantic bird in his ribcage, and he would laugh. It was such a silly thing to admit, after all.

Suo did huff out a laugh, but it was soft, affectionate, without a hint of malice. “If you want to spend more time with me that badly, you only need to ask,” he said. 

Haruka’s head whipped up. “Huh?!”

Something sparkled in Suo’s eye, an emotion Haruka didn’t have a name for. Sweet like honey, and almost hopeful, Haruka felt his heart stutter in his chest at the sight.

“Very well,” Suo heaved a big fake sigh, making a show of exasperation. “If it helps put your mind at ease, we can stick together from now on.”

That felt way too easy. “What about — Y’know, all that strategy stuff you’re always yappin’ about?” Haruka asked, suspicious. There had to be a catch.

Suo put his foot on the chair Haruka kept messing with, forcing all four legs onto the floor with a clang. He leaned over the chair, right into Haruka’s face, eye dark and lips pulled into a smirk. All that warmth deepened into something much hotter, something that made Haruka’s skin prickle.

“We can’t have you getting distracted by how much you miss me , can we?” 

Haruka jerked back, flailing to keep his balance on the rickety old desk. “I don’t — That’s not—!!” he spluttered uselessly. Suo was way too close, and Haruka’s heart kept pounding way too hard, pulse rushing in his ears like it did during a high-stakes fight.

The classroom door rattled open. Haruka blinked, and Suo was back at the window, smiling pleasantly at where Nirei hesitated in the doorway. 

“Good morning, Nirei-kun!” he called out, like he wasn’t just giving Haruka a heart attack mere seconds ago.

Nirei’s eyes flickered between Suo and Haruka nervously. “Good morning,” he said, pulling the door closed behind him again. Fidgeting with his school bag, he asked, “I-Is everything… Alright, with you two?”

“Mhm! Nothing to worry about.” Suo looked to Haruka again, but all the sweet honey from earlier was long gone. “Sakura-kun and I will be patrolling together more often, for the foreseeable future.”

Haruka couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He grunted, “Yeah, whatever,” leaning his chin against one palm.

Nirei’s brow furrowed, and he flipped his notebook out of his jacket pocket. It was a new one, just barely cracked open to the first page. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked, scribbling something down. “What you said before about someone trying to target our leadership could still happen…”

“It’ll be alright.” Suo waved a hand, casual, unbothered. “We’ll just make sure we don’t lose. Right, Sakura-kun?”

Now that was something Haruka could agree to. “You’re goddamn right.” he said, with a ferocious grin.

Most days, the Furin boys spent more time doing odd-jobs around town than they did actually fighting. Painting over graffiti was just the start of it; there was always someone who needed furniture repaired, an old lady who needed a light bulb changed, some kid who lost their dog. The first years even had to do trash pick-up once a week, trudging around town with garbage bags, cleaning up litter. 

Haruka had to learn a lot of new skills very quickly. When he first came to town, all he really knew how to do was throw a good punch. That was all he needed to get by, and he thought he liked it that way.

Now, just a few short months later, he knew how to find a stud in a wall and mount a television. And how to coax a frightened cat out of a tree. And the amount of grocery bags he could reasonably carry in one trip. Every day brought some new busywork, some new frivolous favor for someone who couldn’t take care of it themselves. 

Sometimes Haruka wondered if the townspeople just liked having Furin as their own personal errand boys. Then they would shower him with all the food he could eat, and suddenly he didn’t mind fixing windows or chasing lost cats.

That was how things usually went, anyway. When Bofurin was at peace, their patrols were spent taking on whatever chores needed to be done around town.

Instead, Haruka and his team found themselves brawling in the streets almost every day.

At first it seemed like unconnected incidents. Even when they weren’t at war, a few skirmishes here and there weren’t too uncommon. Troublemakers always seemed to find their way to Makochi one way or another, itching to test their luck against Bofurin’s strongest fighters.

But this was the third day in a row that Haruka found himself bashing some bastard’s skull into the concrete. 

This particular group wasn’t too large — only around ten guys — but Haruka couldn’t help but feel there was something strange about them. The next loser who rushed him predicted Haruka’s right hook, almost like he had seen it before. He managed to get a decent hit around Haruka’s block too, before Haruka ducked under the next blow and drilled a punch right into the man’s stomach. The guy dropped like a sack of bricks, spilling his lunch onto the street.

Haruka rubbed at the bruise surely blooming on his ribs as he scanned the battlefield. This residential street wasn’t exactly an ideal place to fight. It was narrower than the market street where rival gangs usually showed up, with way more obstacles to fight around. Parked cars, trash cans, bikes chained to telephone poles — all of it made for a huge pain in the ass. They had to deal with these assholes quickly, before they could do some real damage to people’s homes.

Luckily, Haruka’s squad was good at fighting efficiently. The third guy who rushed him wasn’t fast enough to avoid Haruka’s uppercut right to the chin. Nearby, Kiryu ducked under a metal pipe, and shoved the wielder off-balance before his swing could hit the windshield of a car. Haruka was quick to put the guy down with a swift kick to the spine. Kiryu flashed him a peace sign, half hidden by his loose sleeves, before he turned to throw another guy to the ground.

Someone went flying right past Haruka, momentum carrying him face-first into a pole. Startled, Haruka turned to find Suo already intercepting another punch thrown right at his face. Suo grabbed his attacker’s arm and pulled him along, almost as if leading him in a waltz, before sweeping his legs out from under him. The man managed to catch himself, scraping his palms on the asphalt, and Suo brought his heel down on the man’s back to finish him off. 

Suo looked up, caught Haruka watching him, and grinned. His eye blazed like the afternoon sun overhead, hair fanned around his face as he moved, tassels fluttering, glittering red and gold.

Harkua couldn’t bring himself to look away.

“Suo-chan, catch!”

The spell was broken, as Suo’s attention snapped to Kiryu instead — and the thug three times his size that Kiryu just tossed his way. Unfazed, Suo ducked, got both arms under the guy’s torso, and heaved him up and over his head. The guy flew about five feet and hit the ground , rolling head-over heels into a cluster of trash cans with a loud crash. Cans toppled over, spilling stinking garbage over the hot asphalt.

“Whoops,” Suo said, straightening up. “I’ll have to clean that up when we’re done.”

Can you guys take this seriously?! Haruka wanted to snap at them both, but movement caught his eye. A shadow dashed out from behind a car, low to the ground, closing in on Suo’s right side. He saw Suo turn, already shifting his stance to counter, but Haruka thought he saw a flash of silver.

He thought he saw dark crimson splattered across Suo’s changshan.

Haruka kicked off into a sprint, reaching Suo first and shoving him to the side. He barely registered Suo’s little huff of surprise, the way he stumbled off-balance. Without breaking his stride, Haruka smashed his knee into the would-be assailant’s face. He grabbed the guy by the collar as he reeled back and slammed him down onto the ground. 

Pinning him there, Haruka searched for the knife. He forced the guy’s fist to uncurl, pulled up his sleeves, raked his eyes across the ground nearby—

And found nothing. There was no knife, just this idiot thinking he could take advantage of Suo’s blind side with nothing but his fists.

What the hell? Haruka stared down at the thug’s empty hands. Did I really imagine it?

“Sakura-chan, look out!” 

Haruka looked up to find a baseball bat already halfway through its swing toward his head. The man behind the bat, the last of these stupid assholes, sneered where he towered over Haruka. Time slowed as Haruka considered if he had time to jump out of the way — no, not from his position kneeling over this guy on the ground. His block would be slow, too — he could only get one arm up to protect his face—

Before he even had the chance to try, Suo appeared out of thin air at his side. He caught the man by the wrist and twisted until he dropped the bat, kept going until his shoulder popped.

The man let out an agonized wail. “Fucking brat!” He clutched his dislocated shoulder, staggering away from Haruka and Suo. “You’ll pay for this!”

Suo advanced on him, silent as the grave. Whatever kind of look he had on his face struck fear into the man — or perhaps he just realized he was the only one left standing, with the rest of his friends strewn about on the ground. 

As soon as he made a move — whether to attack or run, Haruka couldn’t be sure — Suo flashed forward and smashed the heel of his palm into the man’s nose. The guy staggered back into the brick wall of a house, where Suo delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his head.

After he hit the ground, the little suburban street was quiet again.

Save for the sound of Haruka’s heart pounding in his chest, surely loud enough to be heard all the way back at the school. He stared transfixed at Suo’s back, watching as he took a deep, steadying breath.

When he finally turned back to Haruka, Suo’s expression was carefully blank. 

“Are you alright, Sakura-kun?” he asked.

Haruka blinked, and gave himself a little shake. He ripped his eyes away from Suo to look down at the unconscious punk still pinned beneath him. 

After a pause that was just a little too long, he said, “Yeah. Of course.” He stood up, still avoiding Suo’s eye. “I coulda handled that guy myself.”

Suo’s brow pinched ever so slightly. “Please try not to get distracted during a fight,” he said with a thin smile. 

Haruka clenched his hands into trembling fists. What was he supposed to say? I thought he had a knife? He so clearly didn’t. I thought you were going to get hurt? I don’t want anyone to touch you ever again?  

None of it sounded like a good enough excuse.

Suo didn’t push him. He clasped his hands behind his back and picked his way through the scattered bodies, over to the mess he made of someone’s trash cans. After another moment struggling with himself, Haruka went to follow. It seemed unfair to make Suo clean all that up by himself.

His eyes caught on something red, and Haruka’s heart nearly stopped.. A smear of blood spanned Suo’s palm, half-hidden from the way he held his hands together.

Haruka grabbed Suo’s arm and wrenched him around. “You’re bleeding!” he shouted, suddenly furious. What the hell was Suo thinking, hiding an injury behind his back like that? Did he really think Haruka wouldn’t notice? 

He gripped Suo by the wrist and pulled him close, examining his hand closely. There was only blood on his hand, but Haruka couldn’t tell where it came from. “Where is it? Where does it hurt?!” he demanded.

Suo stood frozen as Haruka turned his hand this way and that. He took a second to collect himself, putting a careful smile in place on his face. “Sakura-kun,” he said slowly, patiently. “I’m fine. That’s not my blood.”

Haruka stared at him, struck dumb. “You… You’re sure?”

“Quite sure.”

“Oh.”

Haruka looked back at the bloodstain. Without the haze of panic, it was obviously someone else’s blood, splashed onto him during the fight. That wasn’t exactly uncommon; Haruka’s own bruised knuckles bore the evidence of the men he pummeled. 

“Yeah, that…” Haruka swallowed hard, wiping some of the blood off Suo’s skin with his thumb. “That makes sense.”

Suo tilted his head, and his smile curled into something more mischievous. “Are you going to let me go, or did you want to keep holding my hand?” he asked.

Haruka dropped his hand like it was something poisonous. “I-It’s not like that!” Why did Suo always have to word things in the most embarrassing way possible? He turned away, hiding his flushed face in the crook of his arm, and snapped, “I really thought you were hurt, jackass!”

Just like that, they were back to normal. Suo laughed, light and tinkling like wind chimes. “It’s sweet how you’re so concerned about me,” he said, leaning into Haruka’s personal space. “If I do get hurt, will you nurse me back to health?” 

“Will you shut the hell up—”

“Hey,” Kiryu called, from where he squatted over the body of a defeated thug. “Can you guys stop being weird for a sec and come look at this?”

Haruka whipped around, hackles raised. “ He’s the one being weird!” 

Both Kiryu and Suo ignored his protests. Suo had already hopped over to Kiryu’s side, bending down to get a better look at the man Kiryu pointed out.

“Doesn’t this guy look kinda familiar?” Kiryu asked, gesturing to the guy’s face with his sleeve. “Wasn’t he, like, at the park that one time?”

Suo put a hand to his chin, frowning. “You’re right, I recognize his piercings.” He pushed the man’s head to the side with his foot, revealing the many rings and chains on his ear. “He was part of the group harassing those two kids for money.”

“They’re still around?” Haruka scoffed. “I thought we taught those assholes a lesson!”

“Perhaps they need some remedial lessons,” Suo chuckled darkly. “With idiots like these, repetition is key.”

Haruka felt a sudden chill in the air, despite the blazing sun overhead.

Kiryu, still crouched by the passed-out punk, hummed thoughtfully. He lifted one of the man’s arms, letting his wrist hang limply. A thin strip of leather encircled his wrist, dyed blood-red and held in place with a silver clasp.

“Lookie here,” Kiryu said, pointing to an insignia stamped into the leather. A stylized shark, curled around the kanji for iron. “That’s totally a team logo. I didn’t notice before, but they’re all wearing these.”

He was right; Haruka could see similar leather straps on all the guys passed out around them. Did the dudes we fought back then have those too? He scrunched up his face, thinking hard, trying to remember. Man, if only he paid more attention to those sorts of details—

A hand chopped him lightly on the head, right on the split between white and black hair. “Don’t blow a fuse, Sakura-kun,” Suo teased.

Haruka rounded on him with a snarl, ready to ring his neck. “The fuck is your problem, huh?!”

“You know, if you think too hard when it’s really hot like today,” Suo said, deftly side-stepping out of Haruka’s reach. “Your brain might melt and leak out of your ears.” 

“That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard—”

“Aw, you don’t believe me? Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself!”

Kiryu sighed, resting his chin on one knee. He pulled out his phone and started up a game, while Haruka chased Suo around the bodies of passed-out losers. 

Over Haruka’s screeching and Suo’s laughter, Kiryu asked, “Can you guys maybe pick someone else for your squad next time?”

Chapter Text

Nirei was able to trace the shark insignia back to a gang that called themselves the Ironskins. There wasn’t a whole lot of information out there, but Nirei managed to dig up a few posts about them online. It seemed they mostly skulked around the underbelly of a nearby city, extorting vulnerable folks for money.

Why they decided to expand into Bofurin’s territory, they couldn’t say for sure. “Maybe a change in leadership?” was Nirei’s best guess. “In any case, this is the first time they’ve ever challenged another team so openly.”

The thing was, they weren’t really trying to challenge all of Bofurin. When Haruka mentioned the Ironskins to Kaji, sometime after their sixth run-in with the group, Kaji said he’d never seen them before.

Hiragi said the same, when his squad came across Haruka’s team fighting another day. As soon as the Ironskins caught sight of the third-years, they turned tail and ran. 

“Some of the other first years said they’ve had run-ins with the Ironskins,” Suo told the team one morning, jotting down what they knew so far on the chalkboard. “But it seems we’re getting the brunt of it. They’re probably targeting our class.”

Anzai raised his hand to ask, “Why us? Just ‘cause you guys beat them before?”

“Who cares why?” Haruka slammed a fist against his desk. “We just gotta send them packing for good!”

Showing off a little bit was worth it sometimes, if only for the way Suo beamed at him. One of his rare genuine smiles, the kind that made it hard to think straight.

True to his word, Suo stayed close to Haruka’s side whenever possible. He paired them together for every patrol, and trailed along after him wherever Haruka went. Haruka started to hear whispers around the school, calling Suo as his shadow — Ever present, never far behind his captain.

Little did they know, they had it backwards. Outside of a fight, Suo was the brains of their class, Haruka the one who just did as he was told. Suo was the one who knew all the patrol routes, always subtly nudging Haruka in the right direction when he got lost. 

When fights did break out, Haruka was the one glued to Suo’s side. 

At first, it was just so he could keep an eye on Suo. He positioned himself in such a way that he could always glance over and make sure Suo was safe, unharmed, no nasty surprises waiting for him as soon as Haruka turned around. If anyone even looked at Suo the wrong way, Haruka would be right there to put them in their place.

And if he spent a little time just watching how Suo fought, could you really blame him for that? Haruka had never seen a ballet before, but he imagined it wouldn’t be even half as enthralling as Suo when he got serious. Every movement was elegant, precise, not a hair out of place. If Haruka wasn’t careful, he would find himself mesmerized by the way those golden tassels flowed around his face, how his one red eye gleamed, how his lips curled into a satisfied smirk when he took out an enemy twice his size.

Suo noticed the extra attention, of course. “You seem quite distracted lately,” he said, after catching Haruka staring one day. Skewering him with that sharp red eye, he asked, “Is there something I can do for you, Sakura-kun?”

Chagrined, Haruka did everything he could to hide his burning cheeks. “You’re already doin’ plenty,” he replied. “Leave the losers to me.”

Though he never complained, Haruka could see frustration in the slight pinch of his brow, the stiff line of his shoulders.

“These guys are starting to learn our moves,” Suo pointed out. “If you’re distracted, they might find an opening.”

After he mentioned it, it did seem like the bastards could predict his attacks better and better each day. He recognized more of the same faces each time they fought, and they were getting bolder. At times, it even seemed like they intentionally tried to separate Haruka and Suo during a brawl. To what end, Haruka didn’t care to find out.

More and more weapons started to pop up during their battles. It felt like old times, with all the improvised weapons Haruka found himself dodging every day. First bats and switchblades, then rods of rebar and heavy metal pipes. Haruka even pulled a pair of brass knuckles off one thug after a particularly brutal fight.

At the same time, the rest of the class started coming back with fewer injuries when they weren’t teamed up with Haruka.

“We spotted some punks hanging around near the river,” Takanashi reported after their patrol one day. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, at Sugishita already slumped over his desk. “But they took one look at Sugishita here and ran off without a fight.”

Nirei, ever the diligent scribe, tapped his pen to his chin. “Were they really just scared off by Sugishita?” he wondered aloud.

“Dunno.” Takanashi shrugged. “Maybe they’re finally giving up on beating us!”

Then why am I still fighting them off every single day? Haruka thought, scowling. He glanced up at Suo standing by the window and just happened to catch his eye. Though he was no mind reader, Haruka thought he saw the same question reflected in the downward curve of Suo’s mouth.

If the enemy got stronger, Haruka just needed to match them. He needed to fight harder, move faster, stand firm in front of the things he wanted to protect and bite any hand that came to take them away.

He knew it was wrong. Clinging so tightly to one of his friends, playing favorites — the excuse that Haruka was new to this could only take him so far. Every time he jumped between Suo and some Ironskin asshole, he was only making things harder for the both of them. For Suo, forced onto the sidelines, unable to fight his own battles without Haruka getting in the way; and for Haruka, putting more of the burden on their other teammates while he wasted time watching Suo like a hawk.

Something was bound to snap.

Another hot, humid day in Makochi dragged into the late afternoon. Their patrol had been uneventful so far; a rarity these days. He and Anzai spent the last hour or so helping the lady who ran the flower shop unload a big delivery, while Suo entertained her toddler nearby. The baby’s babbling, answered by Suo’s bright laughter, provided a sweet soundtrack for their manual labor. It was hard for Haruka to complain when he could glance over whenever he wanted, and catch Suo with a huge beaming grin on his face, his pinky fingers grasped tightly in two fat baby fists.

The sight made something in his chest go all warm and soft, a smile pulling at the corners of his own mouth.

Perhaps sensing those mismatched eyes on him, Suo tilted his head to look over. “Want to swap, Sakura-kun?” he asked, smirking at the way Haruka mopped sweat from his brow. “You look like you could use a break.”

“I’m no good with kids,” Haruka grunted. In his experience, most children ran off screaming as soon as they got a good look at his eyes.

He tugged at his collar, peeling the white t-shirt away from damp skin. “Besides, me an’ Anzai are better at the heavy lifting. You just keep that little rugrat out of our way.”

Suo followed the movement with one eye, laser-focused on the way Haruka tilted his head back to stretch his neck. If Haruka didn’t know any better, he might have thought Suo was sizing him up, but this felt… Different. Something behind Suo’s eye looked almost hungry.

It was gone as soon as he blinked. “I’m perfectly capable of moving boxes — ack!” Suo broke off with a yelp, as the baby took advantage of his distraction to yank one long tassel earrings. Head pulled harshly to one side, Suo pried the boy’s little fingers off with a strained smile, saying, “Not a toy, little one, please let go!”

Haruka barked out a laugh. “See, he likes you best!”

Suo sighed, long-suffering, while the baby clapped and giggled in his lap.

“This is the last one,” Anzai huffed, coming in behind Haruka to set down another box of ceramic flower pots. Rolling his shoulder, he looked around at where the shop owner knelt by one of the boxes, sorting through its contents. “You sure you don’t need more help unpacking?” he asked.

“Oh no, you’ve done more than enough already,” the woman said, clamoring to her feet and brushing dirt from her apron. “Let me grab something cold for you boys, to thank you for all your hard work!”

She vanished into one of the back rooms and returned with fresh water bottles and an assortment of frozen ice pops. Haruka and Anzai took their refreshments eagerly, while Suo guided the little boy back to his mother. 

“I hope my little Nao-chan wasn’t too much trouble,” the woman said, hefting her toddler up onto one hip.

“Not at all,” Suo replied with a bright smile, and accepted just a bottle of water as payment. “We’re always happy to help out.”

Good-looking and great with kids. It was hardly fair. All the old ladies in town must love him, Haruka thought, chugging his own water.

The sun dipped low in the sky by the time the flower lady quit fussing over them and let them go. Sunset was pretty late these days, but the shadows were already starting to grow long and dark. Haruka’s stomach grumbled loudly, and he tore open one of the ice pops with his teeth.

They had barely set one foot outside the flower shop when someone shouted, “There they are!”

Haruka threw his handful of ice pops aside just in time to catch the fist that came flying at his face. He pulled his attacker close enough to knee him in the gut, watched him crumple to the ground. Once he was down, Haruka kicked him over, looking for the familiar dyed red band with the shark crest.

He wasn’t even surprised anymore.

“Keep them away from the flowers!” he yelled to Suo over his shoulder. Of course, he didn’t even need to bother — Suo had already taken up a defensive position, without Haruka needing to say anything.

Haruka intercepted the next guy as he lunged toward Suo with silver rings around each knuckle. A blow to the chest sent him staggering back, easy for Haruka to finish off with an uppercut straight to the chin. Another one tried to grab him around the middle, and Haruka speared his elbow back and felt the crack of a tooth knocked loose. 

It was always the same, day in and day out — these losers just couldn’t take a hint.

“Incomiiiiiiiing!”

Another body plowed through the fight like a freight train. Sandals slapping loudly against the asphalt, Tsugeura slammed into a punk with a wooden baseball bat raised over Anzai’s head. Both of them hit the ground with enough momentum to skid a few feet, the punk shrieking with Tsugeura’s weight on top of him.

Hot on his tail were Sugishita and Kurita, who both threw themselves into the fight without hesitation. Without breaking stride, Sugishita hooked one long arm around the closest enemy’s neck and flung him ten feet across the street into a metal lamp post. Snarling like a beast, he turned on the next poor bastard and nearly knocked his jaw clean off.

Clearly the Ironskins thought they could deal with three Furin students, but they weren’t stupid enough to stick around when reinforcements came. Spitting insults and curses, they dragged their injured comrades to their feet and beat a hasty retreat.

“Get back here, you assholes!” Haruka screeched, ready to chase them out of town once and for all.

“Sakura, wait!” Tsugeura was fast enough to grab Haruka by the arm before he could run off. “Don’t go chasing them on your own, it’s dangerous!”

Haruka threw his head back in a wordless shout. He was getting so fucking sick of fighting off these same clowns every goddamn day.

He jerked out of Tsugeura’s grasp and snapped, “The hell are you guys doing here? I coulda handled them myself!”

Tsugeura scratched at his thick orange curls, accustomed to Haruka’s bad temper by now. “Y’know, it’s the weirdest thing,” he said, staring off in the direction the Ironskins just ran. “We caught those guys skulking around not far from the school, but they ran when they saw us coming.”

Haruka’s scowl deepened. Where had he heard this story before?

“I wanted to go after them and make sure they didn’t cause any trouble, but we lost track of them on some of the side streets,” Tsugeura went on. “Then I heard the commotion and came to check it out — And sure enough, it was the same guys picking a fight with you instead!”

“So they didn’t wanna fight you, but they tried starting shit with us?” Anzai panted, still catching his breath after the brawl. “Do we really look like the easier targets?”

“I doubt it,” Kurita said. “Sakura and Suo are a pretty deadly combo, after all — No offense, Anzai.”

Suo — where’s Suo? Haruka’s head snapped around, finding his vice captain checking out the bruises on Sugishita’s knuckles. He was completely unscathed, as usual, and looked up at the mention of his name. 

“Well, I didn’t do much this time,” Suo said, with a tight smile. “Sakura-kun made sure I barely had to lift a finger.”

Haruka felt a familiar pang of guilt deep in his belly.

“We should probably head back and let the others know what happened,” Anzai sighed. “After we fill everyone in, I wanna get some grub.” He gazed forlornly at the pile of discarded ice pops he and Haruka threw aside at the start of the fight, long since melted into colorful sugar water.

By the time they finished their report, the sky had gone from clear blue to watercolor stains of orange and yellow. Just a sliver of the sun was still visible over the rooftops, bright red where it hung so close to the horizon. The growing shadows did little to cool the air, still thick with humidity. It was shaping up to be another hot night.

Nirei trailed along after Haruka and Suo, his nose buried in his notes as he walked. “I think I’m seeing a pattern here,” he said, as Suo pulled him aside before he walked into a street lamp. “At first I thought they were keeping away from Sugishita, but that might just be a coincidence.” He looked up, pointing with his pen at Haruka. “They’re actually trying to pick fights with Sakura-san.”

“So Sakura-kun is the favorite, hmm?” Suo said, watching the sky overhead with a laid-back little smile. “You must be so flattered.”

Haruka snorted dismissively. “Who gives a shit? We need to figure out how to make them leave.”

“Yeah, I’m still working on that.” Nirei snapped the book shut with a frustrated sigh. “Sorry, guys. I’ll go over all my notes again tonight, and see if I can figure something out.”

“Try not to lose sleep over it, Nirei-kun,” Suo said, gently. 

They parted ways at the usual intersection; Nirei off one way, Suo another, and Haruka on his way toward Pothos. He was already hungry from the fight earlier, not to mention all the thinking he was doing lately. Thinking made him even hungrier than fighting.

Maybe Kotoha would have some new insights, as well. She wasn’t a member of Bofurin, and tried to stay out of their business, but sometimes an outside perspective was worthwhile.

About halfway down the street, he caught just the slightest echo of someone shouting. Haruka stopped dead, tilting his head toward the noise. Toward the direction where Suo just went off alone. Again, he picked up raised voices — words unintelligible — followed by the loud clang of steel against stone.

Haruka went from zero to top speed before his brain even had a chance to catch up, sprinting toward the noise.

Down the side-street where he parted ways with Suo, around the next corner, to a narrow alleyway where he could hear the voices growing louder. A heavy thud reached him, followed by a pained yelp. Haruka careened into the alley just as another metal impact rang out.

There, in the shadows cast by the setting sun, Haruka counted six guys, all dressed in black. One was already on the ground, groaning pitifully, but the other five had Suo surrounded.

Suo, with his back to the wall, had no space to maneuver like he usually did. Most of his face was hidden in shadow, but Haruka could make out the grim downward turn of his mouth. Just next to his head, the brick wall he braced against bore the cracks of a heavy hit. Dark blood dripped from a cut on his temple, soaking into his eyepatch.

Haruka watched in slow-motion as the scrawniest of the group hefted a long metal pipe for another strike.

His entire vision went red.

“Don’t fucking touch him!!”

Haruka barreled down the length of the alleyway. He slammed into the man with the pipe, carrying him another few feet before finally throwing him to the ground. The man’s grip on the pipe loosened, and Haruka took the chance to yank it from his hands. Someone grabbed the back of his uniform, and Haruka twisted to chuck the pipe into the new attacker’s legs. It nailed him right in the shins, tripping him into hitting the ground face-first.

With the others distracted by Haruka’s appearance, Suo took the chance to swap places with the man closest to him and smash the bastard’s face into the wall. The man left a smear on the bricks as he crumpled, but Suo had already turned away, pivoting on one foot as he prepared to kick the next guy coming up behind him.

Haruka was faster. He lunged like a feral animal and caught the guy around the middle before Suo could strike. This one he lifted entirely off the ground, and with a grunt, threw him down on top of the one he tripped before. Their heads knocked together as they collided, and neither tried to get up again.

That left only one unfortunate loser left. Haruka rounded on him with a snarl, fangs bared, vision dark around the edges.

The last man standing stared wide-eyed at Haruka for a moment, then Suo behind him. Then he turned tail and ran as fast as his legs would carry him.

“Get back here, bastard!”  

Haruka wasn’t even sure if he was the one who said it; his own scream sounded so far away. Everything was muted, dampened by the rush of blood in his ears, the adrenaline flowing like electricity through his veins. 

He kicked off the ground to give chase, but a strong grip yanked him back. “Sakura-kun, don’t!” a familiar voice tried to reach him through the haze of anger clouding his head.

Incoherent with rage, Haruka reeled around, ready to drive his fist into the teeth of whoever dared to stop him—

And froze in his tracks when he recognized alarm in Suo’s eye.

It didn’t matter. As soon as Haruka’s eyes found the streak of blood down his face, another surge of hatred spurred him on. Twisting in Suo’s grasp, Haruka broke his hold just the way Suo taught him all those months ago. 

He made it another three steps down the alley before Suo hooked both arms under Haruka’s.

“Stop it!” Suo panted, and this was the first time Haruka could remember him sounding out of breath. “He’s not worth it!”

“Let me go! ” Haruka screeched, thrashing in Suo’s arms. “He’s getting away!”

Suo’s hold tightened around him. “And he might be running towards reinforcements, or some sort of trap,” he said. He used his height advantage to lift Haruka and pull him back. “Chasing him blindly will put you in even more danger!”

Haruka didn’t care. No form of logic or strategy could reach him right now. He was going to catch every last bastard who hurt Suo, and tear them limb from limb. All he had to do was shake Suo off and run fast enough to catch up to the guy—

“Please don’t make me knock you out,” Suo’s voice was pained, a tone that dug a knife straight into Haruka’s gut. “I really don’t want to.”

That, at last, made Haruka go very still. His body still buzzed with energy, a single thread pulled tight enough to snap, but he stopped struggling. 

Suo released a small sigh. “If I release you now, will you stay put?”

Haruka couldn’t suppress a shiver. Pressed against his back, he felt every one of Suo’s words rumble in his chest. Every labored breath ruffled Haruka’s hair. If he focused hard enough, he thought he could even feel Suo’s frantic pulse against him.

And he was so warm. Was Suo always this warm? Did it always feel this nice to have Suo’s arms around him — even if it was only to hold Haruka back from getting himself killed?

Could Suo also feel the way Haruka’s heart thudded painfully against his ribs?

Instead of trying to pull away again, Haruka slumped back against Suo’s body behind him. He took a deep breath, and nodded.

Slowly, gingerly, Suo dropped his hold on Haruka’s arms. He was still on edge when Haruka turned around, ready to pounce if Haruka tried to run off again. That one inscrutable eye looked him up and down, as a drop of blood seeped from under his eyepatch.

Haruka desperately wanted to reach out and wipe it away. He wanted — needed — to brush Suo’s hair aside and get a good look at the cut on his temple. Clean it, bandage it, make sure it would heal without a scar. But something on Suo’s face kept him frozen in place, helpless as he watched thick crimson stain his skin. 

The tension between them was unbearable . He needed to shatter it, before Suo could put up any more walls.

“You couldn’t knock me out even if you wanted to,” Haruka said, a gruff imitation of a joke.

The corner of Suo’s mouth twitched, a minute crack in his armor. “Let’s hope we never have to test that theory.”

Behind him, one of the losers on the ground groaned and tried to sit up. Haruka jumped in front of Suo in a flash, fists raised for another fight. “These bastards just don’t know how to give up,” he growled.

“Wait.” Suo put a firm hand on Haruka’s shoulder. “Let me handle this. There are a few questions I’d like to see if he can answer.”

Haruka only needed a glimpse of his razor-blade smile to be convinced. He stepped aside.

The man managed to inch his way toward the pipe, arm outstretched across the filthy asphalt. His fingers just managed to brush the metal when Suo pressed his heel into the back of his hand. Not hard enough to do any damage, but enough to make the man’s head snap up.

Suo smiled down at him. “If you’re willing to talk, you can walk out of here with all your bones intact,” he said, as if he was discussing the weather. “Otherwise, I’ll have to persuade you.”

The man grabbed Suo's ankle with his other hand, and spat back, “I ain’t afraid of you!”

Suo’s eye narrowed, and his smile curled wider. “Do you know how easy it is to break a finger?” He ground his heel down, watching how the man flinched. “It doesn’t require much force — especially if I used, for example, a metal pipe.”

The man’s gaze flicked from Suo back to the pipe, just out of his reach. Perhaps he thought he could throw Suo off and manage to grab the weapon before he could regain his footing. 

As if Haruka would let that happen. He moved to pick up the pipe himself, before this idiot could get any funny ideas. The man glared at him and opened his mouth to make some stupid observation about Haruka’s appearance, most likely. Whatever insult he was about to say turned into a yelp when Suo leaned more of his weight onto the man’s hand. Something popped under Suo’s heel.

“Let’s start with something easy,” Suo said in that same bright, friendly tone. “Are you affiliated with the group known as the Ironskins?”

Wisely, the man decided to stop wasting their time. “Y-Yeah, you could say that,” he mumbled.

Suo nodded. “Great. And are you aware that you are currently on Bofurin’s territory?”

“Look man, it wasn’t my idea—”

“If you could keep the excuses to a minimum,” Suo cut him off. “This will go a lot faster.”

The air around him crackled with frost. A shiver went down Haruka’s spine, and he wasn’t even on the receiving end of Suo’s wrath this time. Suo sucked every last bit of warmth around them, turning what should have been a warm, muggy evening into a blizzard risk. When he exhaled, Haruka was a little surprised to not see the cloud of his breath.

Their captive swallowed hard, and nodded.

“See how easy that was?” Suo smiled wide enough to show his canines. “Now, this next question is important: what were you trying to accomplish here?”

The man looked around at his fallen comrades, perhaps considering if it was really worth selling out his team like this. Would the punishment from the rest of the Ironskins be better or worse than whatever pain Suo could dish out?

“We—” he started, then shook his head. “I don’t gotta tell you brats anything—”

“Sakura-kun,” Suo held out his hand to Haruka, without taking his eye off his prey. “Could I borrow that for a moment?” 

Something about Suo right now reminded Haruka of their fight with KEEL. He didn’t seem nearly as out-of-control, but he had the same chilling look in his eye. The same aura that made Haruka’s instincts scream for him to run.  

There was another part of him that couldn’t look away.

Silently, Haruka handed over the pipe. Suo flipped it around in his hand, relishing in the way the thug’s eyes went wide. He shifted his foot to the man’s wrist, leaving plenty of room to strike his hand.

“Shall I start with the little finger?” Suo asked, already taking aim. He didn’t wait for an answer before thrusting the pipe down—

“Wait! I’ll talk, I’ll—”

The pipe missed his finger by just a hair, cracking the asphalt next to the man’s hand instead.

Suo tilted his head to the side, tassels swinging where he leaned over the man. “Go on, then,” he said, grinning in the evening shadows.

“W-We’re not — official Ironskins, yet,” the man started, eyes fixed on the end of the pipe. “The boss is takin’ in a lot of new recruits, b-but he said we gotta prove ourselves before we can be full members.”

“Prove yourselves how?”

“He said we gotta t-take out the eyepatch bastard that’s been causing so many problems for us!” 

Haruka’s breath caught in his throat. All of his absolute worst fears were now confirmed. This wasn’t just a random attack — this was targeted.  

He caught Suo’s eye, surprised to see his own bewilderment reflected on Suo’s face.

After a momentary pause, Suo asked, “Why?”

The man scrunched up his face like he thought that was the dumbest question he’d ever heard. “‘Cause you’re a — whazzit called in Bofurin — a general?”

“You mean a grade captain?” Suo brought his free hand to his chin, and Haruka saw the gears turning in his head. 

Haruka couldn’t just let that slide. Stepping closer, he started to say, “He’s not—”

Suo shot him a warning look. Keep quiet, he ordered, with just that one dark red eye. Reluctantly, Haruka snapped his mouth shut.

Turning his attention back to his victim, Suo asked, “Why are you targeting a first-year grade captain? There are certainly much bigger threats in Bofurin.”

The man laughed, a wheezing sound from his bruised chest. “Easy target,” he replied. “We get to knock some dumb kid down a peg, then brag that we beat one of Bofurin’s captains.” He grinned, lopsided and cocky. “People will really take us seriously.”

Suo nodded slowly, as if he understood this moron’s insane logic. 

“All we had to do was wait ‘til your little guard dog turned his back.” The man jerked his chin toward Haruka. He just went right on digging his own grave, “Everyone says you’re always hidin’ behind him when the Ironskins come around, so you must be easy to pick off on your own!”

Haruka bit his tongue, holding back the surge of guilt that pushed up his throat, threatening to spill out. Is this my fault? He wondered. All that time spent trying to keep Suo out of harm’s way — did he really just make everything worse?

He felt Suo’s eye on him again, a cold dagger against his skin, but Haruka couldn’t bring himself to look up this time.

“Well then,” Suo said at last. “You and your friends can run home to your boss.” He leaned down so he hovered just over the man’s face. “And tell him that first-year captain isn’t such an easy target after all. There are no weak links in Bofurin.”

Having said his piece, Suo tossed the metal pipe aside at last. As he turned to walk away, the man pushed himself up with a sudden surge of strength. He was on his feet in the time it took Haruka to blink, lunging toward Suo with a shout, “As if I’ll let you walk away, cyclops freak—” 

Suo spun on one foot, striking out with the other to hook his ankle around the man’s neck. He used that momentum to carry through, sending the man flying past him, straight into a brick wall. The man’s forehead bounced off the bricks, leaving a bloody stain behind as he collapsed in a heap. 

“Thank you for taking the time to chat,” Suo said cheerily to his unconscious body.

Haruka scrambled to catch up with him as Suo strode out of the alleyway, not once looking back. Despite everything they just heard, he was unchanged. If not for the drying blood down the side of his face, he could have been out for a casual stroll. Turning back onto the main road with his hands behind his back and his eye on the night sky, Suo was the perfect picture of peace. 

On the other hand, Haruka was wound so tight he could snap at any moment. Every shadow might hide another enemy, another assassin waiting to pounce. If he turned his back again like he did today, they really would try to take Suo away from him.

He absolutely could not let that happen. 

They made it back to the main street, now lit with the warm orange glow of streetlights. On a pleasant balmy evening like tonight, the town thrived with people out enjoying the fresh air. Housewives gossiped as they finished up their shopping for the day, kids walked their dogs before curfew, laughter spilled out from the open door of a packed restaurant.

It was serene, and more importantly, it was public. Haruka and Suo were just another couple of students out minding their own business. They could talk safely here, without worrying that someone might try to pick them off in the night.

“Suo, wait,” Haruka snagged his friend by the arm, turning Suo to face him. It took a concentrated effort to meet Suo’s eye, rather than staring at the blood caked around his eyepatch. “What the hell are we gonna do?”

Suo let out a breath, shoulders sagging. “Right now I just wanted to get some distance, in case those guys wake up again.”

That was hardly the most pressing issue in Haruka’s mind. “They’re coming after you, ” he said, deathly serious. “Because they think you’re our captain.”

“Yes, quite the amusing mistake,” Suo chuckled. His eye gleamed in a way Haruka didn’t like one bit. “And one I believe we can use to our advantage.

“Advantage?” Haruka repeated, incredulous. “This isn’t the time for scheming! Those guys tried to jump you the second I was out of the way! They’re seriously trying to take you out!”

Suo smiled, completely unmoved by the panic behind Haruka’s words. “That makes this the perfect time for scheming,” he said, turning to keep walking again. “Now that we know what their plans are, luring them into a trap will be much easier.”

“A trap?” The realization dropped into Haruka’s stomach like a stone. “You don’t mean—”

“We have the perfect bait right here,” Suo went on, as if Haruka hadn’t said anything. He toyed with the end of one tassel, smoothing out the golden strands. “Now I just have to come up with the right kind of trap…”

Haruka pulled in front of him, rounding on Suo and forcing him to stop. “Hell no,” he growled. “I’m not gonna let you put yourself in danger like that.”

Suo’s gaze softened, his brow knit together. “If it’s all planned, I won’t really be in any danger,” he said, as if soothing a frightened animal. “This is the best chance we have to—”

“Then I’ll be the bait!” Haruka spread his arms, offering himself up. “They want the captain, so it should be me!”

“You don’t use your king to draw out the opponent,” Suo said. “Better to sacrifice a bishop — or the queen, if you can force a checkmate elsewhere.”

“This isn’t a goddamn game! ” Haruka’s shout echoed down the street, drawing a few startled glances their way. Shit — the last thing he needed right now was to get caught making a scene. He drew up his collar around his ears, tinged red at the tips.

Amused by Haruka’s outburst, Suo tried to stifle a little chuckle with one hand. “I know, Sakura-kun. Believe me, I’m taking this very seriously.”

He sure didn’t look very serious. Bathed in soft orange light and deep blue shadows, Suo’s grin flashed dangerously behind his fingers. Wine red eye wicked, calculating, already envisioning a thousand different ways to punish their enemies. There was definitely some part of Suo that was thrilled to take these risks.

At times like these, Haruka had to be the voice of reason. Calm, logical — everything that he usually relied on Suo for.

“As long as you’re a target, you need to stay out of the line of fire,” Haruka said, willing his voice to hold steady. “When we protect someone, we don’t throw them out in front.”

Suo’s hand dropped; as did his smile. “I don’t need—”

“What if it was someone else?” Haruka talked over him, desperate to make him see reason. “If there was a hit out for Nirei, would you want to use him as bait?”

Uncertainty flitted over Suo’s expression, for just a moment, before he steeled himself again. “Of course not,” he said quietly.

“You’d want him to stay somewhere safe, right?”

“You know that’s different—”

“It’s not!” Haruka grabbed Suo by the shoulders, just resisting the urge to shake him. “You’re in danger, Suo! Just let me — let us protect you!”

Suo’s eye burned into him. “The reason I’m in danger is because you’ve been too focused on protecting me, as of late.” The even tone of his voice didn’t match the sharp line of his mouth. “They think you’re my bodyguard, of all things. If you were more focused on yourself, this wouldn’t be happening.”

Haruka flinched away from the ice in Suo’s voice. That thought had lingered at the back of his head, ever since they interrogated that loser. If he hadn’t clung so desperately to Suo’s side, if he could just be normal, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad. Now Suo had a target on his back, and it was all Haruka’s fault.

Of course Suo had every right to be pissed about that. Haruka was being stupid, paranoid — he wasn’t acting like a proper captain. A real leader would know how to use everything in his arsenal to gain an advantage, even if it meant putting one of his own in harm’s way.

But to use Suo like that, like just another tool, the bait in a mousetrap…

Haruka’s eyes lingered on the blood crusted on Suo’s temple.

“I won’t let you get hurt again,” Haruka said with finality. “There has to be another way.”

Suo closed his eye and breathed in slowly. He clasped his hands behind his back again, regaining his composure. When he met Haruka’s gaze again, he had drained all emotion from his expression.

“Are you going to order me to stay behind, captain?” he asked, deadpan. His tone rose goosebumps along Haruka’s arms.

Haruka held his ground, despite the icy claws of guilt that squeezed around his throat. “No,” he said, emphatically. Frustrated, he scrubbed a hand through his hair, scraping his scalp. “I just — Can you really blame me for being worried?!”

The icy mask cracked, and Suo heaved a heavy sigh. The shadows cast over his face made him look tired beyond his years, already resigned to some terrible fate. Tilting his head back, he watched the last dregs of color seep out of the sky, as the first few stars winked to life against inky black.

“We’re not going to see eye-to-eye on this right now,” he murmured under his breath. Dropping his gaze to Haruka again, he offered a tight smile. “It’s getting late. Would it assuage some of your fears to walk me home?”

Haruka’s heart did a backflip in his chest. He nodded, mouth too dry to respond otherwise.

“Then follow me.”

Suo led them down quiet side streets, deserted save for the occasional stray cat. Though Haruka jumped at every new shadow, Suo remained the outward picture of tranquility. Back straight, head held high, utterly confident in his own ability. Never one to shy away from a confrontation, no matter how doomed the odds. 

He was right that Haruka let his protective streak run for far too long. Even this enemy team — this group of nobody losers — picked up on Haruka’s little obsession. Perhaps it was a sign for Haruka to finally back off.

On the other hand — could it really be called paranoia if the threat was real?

They came to a stop outside a rather nondescript house, nestled into the suburbs a short walk from the town center. Though it was hard to get a good look at it over the solid stone fence, Haruka could make out a traditional-style exterior and courtyard. No lights shone through the windows, eerily dark and quiet.

“Do you live alone?” Haruka asked; the first words either of them uttered for quite some time.

Suo glanced back at him as he opened the lock on the gate. “Most of the time,” he said with a shrug. “Why? Did you want to come in?”

“N-No!” Haruka said quickly, the tips of his ears burning again. For some reason, stepping foot in Suo’s home felt like a line he couldn’t cross right now. 

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Sakura-kun.” Suo pushed the iron gate open with a soft creak.

Before he could disappear behind the walls, Haruka’s hand shot out and snagged Suo’s sleeve. Suo stopped in his tracks, turning just enough for Haruka to see one eye under the dark fringe of his hair. 

Haruka swallowed hard. “Listen — I’m not gonna order you around, alright?” he said, proud of how his words didn’t waver. “But I’m not the only one with an opinion. The whole class has been fighting off these Ironskin bastards, so they should all get a say in how we handle this.”

Suo brought a hand to his chin, considering Haruka’s suggestion. “You have a point there,” he said after a long moment’s thought. At last, a tentative smile melted some of the frost between them. “Alright then, tomorrow we’ll both make our case to the class, and come up with a plan together. Does that sound agreeable?”

“Yeah,” Haruka sighed, relieved.

Suo chuckled lightly. He reached up to tap a finger to Haruka’s forehead, just to make him jump back with a startled hiss. “Do try to relax tonight. You’re far too high-strung lately.”

“I’m not high-strung!” Haruka snapped. “I’m normal-strung, if anything!”

“Of course you are,” Suo said, with a much softer smile. “Good night, Sakura-kun.” He closed the gate carefully behind him, and disappeared up the shadowy walkway to his house.

Haruka cupped his hands around his mouth and called after him, “Clean the blood off your face, idiot!”

A tinkling laugh answered him, cut off by the soft click of a door shut tight.

Haruka waited outside for a long moment, breathing the warm night air while he willed his heart to stop beating against his ribs. He watched as a light switched on in one of the house’s windows, spilling pale yellow light out into the perfectly landscaped courtyard. He could just make out the shadow of Suo moving around inside.

For a moment, Haruka wished he took Suo up on the offer to come inside. The warmth and camaraderie seemed a lot more appealing than heading back to his own empty apartment.

Maybe another time. Someday when they could enjoy each other’s company without the threat of war hanging over their heads. Someday when Haruka didn’t feel a chasm widening between them. Someday when Haruka didn’t need to hold so tight, and Suo didn’t keep trying to pull away.

Tonight, he couldn’t linger here on the street like some kind of stalker. Haruka shoved his hands in his pockets and slunk back into the shadows. He made note of street names and landmarks as he went, sure to commit the route to memory. Adding Suo’s house to his mental map of the town would likely come in handy in the future.

Once he shut the door to his own apartment behind him, Haruka had only one mission for the night:

Figure out how to convince the class to protect Suo.

Chapter Text

“You’re telling me they actually got the drop on Suo yesterday?!” Tsugeura shouted loud enough that the classes next door could probably hear him.

“That is decidedly not what we’re trying to tell you,” Suo said, covering his ears with a strained smile.

The rest of the class gathered around them, in various states of shock and concern after hearing Haruka and Suo’s story. Well, Haruka did most of the talking. Suo, that jackass, only chimed in here and there with corrections. Always downplaying the danger, reminding him “There were six guys, Sakura-kun, not twenty,” insisting he had everything under control.

Well, it sure as hell didn’t look that way to Haruka. His eyes kept coming back to the bandage on Suo’s temple, halfway hidden beneath the curtain of his hair.  

“I dunno, man,” Anzai said, frowning. “It kinda sounds like you woulda got your head caved in if Sakura didn’t get there in time.”

Haruka shot Suo a pointed look. See? He gets it!

Suo ignored him, addressing Anzai instead, “While I appreciate Sakura-kun’s help, I avoided getting my head caved in before he showed up. Once they lost the element of surprise, they weren’t that tough.”

Anzai ducked his head, away from the intensity of Suo’s gaze. “It’s just a little close for comfort, that’s all I’m sayin’…” he mumbled, also eyeing the bandage on Suo’s face.

“Those guys aren’t the main problem,” Haruka snapped. “It’s the fact that their whole team has it out for you. Aren’t you even a little bit freaked out about them coming after you?!”

Suo tapped a finger to his chin, the exact opposite of freaked out. “Hmm, not particularly. Like I said yesterday, we have the advantage now that we know their plan.”

“What plan? All we know is—”

“Nirei-kun,” Suo cut him off, turning almost completely away from Haruka to where Nirei huddled nearby. “You’ve been awfully quiet. Have you figured something out?”

Nirei startled so badly he almost fell out of his chair. Nose buried deep in his notebook, he must have zoned out while the class argued. Now he peered over the edge of the pages, round eyes flitting nervously between Suo and Haruka.

“Um, maybe,” he said, pausing to flip to an earlier page. “Suo-san texted me what he found out from his interrogation last night, so I went over everything we know…” Trailing off, he chewed the end of his pen, lost in thought again.

A pang of irritation caught Haruka off guard. For some reason, the idea of Suo and Nirei texting each other late into the night rubbed him the wrong way. Why couldn’t Suo just wait until they saw each other at school to explain everything? 

He shoved the thought away to examine later. Suo’s texting habits weren’t top priority right now.

Suo tapped Nirei on the head to get his attention again, and gestured for him to take the podium at the front of the room. With a deep breath to steady himself, Nirei scurried to the front and spread his notes out over the teacher’s podium. He squared his shoulders, meeting the many eyes of the class with determination.

“S-So, the other day, I said the Ironskins might be trying to expand their territory into Makochi,” Nirei began, his voice wavering ever so slightly. “But now I think they’re actually getting pushed out of their existing territory in the city. That’s probably why they’re so desperate to find an ‘easy win’ here.”

He turned to erase some of the dicks scribbled on the blackboard, making room to jot down his thoughts as he spoke. “They’re not known for having a lot of strong fighters. That’s probably why they always show up with weapons — they can’t hold their own against more combat-focused teams without them.”

“Makes sense,” Tsugeura said, leaning forward to give Nirei his full attention. “Once we take away their bats and stuff, they’re kinda wimpy.”

Nirei nodded, and underlined where he wrote no strong fighters. “They usually focus on scamming money out of people who can’t fight back, so looking scary with weapons was good enough,” he went on, more confident now that the class hung on his every word. “But there’s a lot of competition in the city, and if a stronger team decided to get rid of them, the Ironskins would be in real trouble.”

“Is there a point to all this?” Haruka interrupted. If he wanted a lecture, he would have gone to a regular school. “Or are we just makin’ up what-ifs for fun?”

“I’m getting there!” Nirei wagged a finger in his direction, fully occupying the role of teacher for the moment. “After getting forced out, the Ironskins came to Makochi and started trying to run the same scams, right?

“But Makochi is a much smaller town, and protected by Bofurin.” He wrote Bofurin under Makochi, and circled it. “They can’t just fly under the radar here as easily as they did in the city. So, they need a way to carve out a place for themselves here. They have to challenge Bofurin, whether they like it or not.”

A hand shot into the air next to Haruka, making him hiss in surprise. “And that’s why they started coming after us?” Takanashi asked, once Nirei nodded in his direction. Haruka wondered when everyone started pretending this was a real lesson, raising their hands to speak and everything.

“I think so.” With rapid strokes, Nirei wrote out class 1-1 and then below it, easy target.

Haruka slammed his hands on his desk and shot to his feet with a snarl. “We’re not easy!”

“Sakura-kun, let him finish,” Suo said, placing a gentle hand on Haruka’s arm. Haruka plopped back into his seat, ears burning after his outburst.

Somewhat shaken by the interruption, Nirei stammered, “Th-That’s just how they probably see us!” He tapped his piece of chalk against the board. “We’re only first-years, so an outsider might think that makes us the lowest-ranked, the weakest—”

He broke off again when Haruka growled low in his throat. Suo patted his arm, chuckling lightly. 

Another hand went up. “I still don’t get how this leads to them targeting Suo,” Kakiuchi said. “Even if they think he’s our captain, why focus so hard on taking him down?”

At that, Suo stood and approached the podium himself. “Do you mind if I take the lead from here, Nirei-kun?” he asked, offering the poor boy a way out of the spotlight.

Shoulders sagging with relief, Nirei handed over the chalk and let Suo take his place. Straight-backed with one hand held loosely behind him, Suo began to draw out a diagram of Bofurin’s class structure. Umemiya at the top, the Four Heavenly Kings, the grade captains — each one represented by their own spot in the hierarchy.

“Now, if you were in charge of a struggling gang like the Ironskins, how do you challenge Bofurin?” Suo asked, as he connected the lines between each grade captain. “Personally, I would try to take out Bofurin’s captains one by one, starting at the bottom.”

He drew a neat X over the dot on his diagram labeled 1-1 . “Find the weakest link, and break it.”

A stone dropped into Haruka’s stomach. That X marked his own defeat — or in this case of mistaken identity, Suo’s.

It didn’t bother Suo one bit to speculate on his own demise. In the same bright tone, he went on, “Next, spread the word that you defeated one of Bofurin’s captains, and strong people will seek you out.”

“Oh!” A lightbulb went off behind Tsugeura’s eyes. “They’ll get a bunch of new recruits!”

“Precisely.” Suo tapped the chalk over where Nirei wrote no strong fighters. “Most will be trash, but greater numbers are always an advantage. Grow the team, find the strongest among your ranks, and move on to the next target.”

He crossed out the next grade captain, and the next. Each of the first-year captains fell, and the second-years followed. A brief vision of Kaji and his vice-captains covered in blood, defeated, flashed through Haruka’s mind. Just the thought made his whole body tense, ready to seek revenge.

Suo’s eye gleamed with a sinister red light as he crossed out the last of the grade captains. “Sow some chaos and confusion. Make people question whether Bofurin is as formidable as they think they are,” he went on, and several people gasped when he drew a line through the circle representing Hiragi. “Once Bofurin’s leadership begins to break down, those at the top become a lot more vulnerable.”

Tsubakino, Mizuki, Momose, all crossed out. Then, finally, a single stroke slashed through Umemiya’s spot at the very top. 

A suffocating silence fell over the class. The other guys exchanged nervous glances, unsure what to make of Suo’s little presentation. From how confident he came across, it seemed like this was something he gave a lot of thought to.

As if that should come as any surprise. Haruka could have guessed that Suo came up with these wild schemes just for fun. He was more than a little touched in the head, and way too pleased with himself, but not stupid enough to actually stage a coup.

Rolling his eyes, Haruka took it upon himself to punch through the tension. “You don’t gotta sound so excited about it,” he said. Around him, he heard a few people sigh.

Suo laughed, light and airy. Setting the chalk aside, he steepled his fingers under his chin. “Of course, I would never do such a thing!” he said, a perfect little angel of innocence. “And I doubt our enemies are smart enough to plan this far ahead. Right now, they’re probably only thinking about the first step.” He tapped the first captain he crossed out, the one the Ironskins believed was Suo himself.

“Consider the rest of it a worst-case hypothetical,” he finished, grinning like an asshole.

There were way too many probablys and hypotheticals getting tossed around for Haruka’s liking. Was it so much to ask for a straight answer, for once?!

Haruka pushed up from his seat again, mismatched eyes burning. “Take this seriously, dammit!”

“I’m as serious as I need to be,” Suo replied smoothly. “These so-called Ironskins are just run-of-the-mill bottom-feeders, after all. We only need to show them their usual tactics won’t work against us.” His smile sharpened into a blade. “That part is easy.”

Haruka had a pretty good idea where this was going, and he was already pissed about it. “Fine, what’s the plan?” he asked through gritted teeth, though he knew the answer.

Suo didn’t shy away from his glare. He leaned against the podium, cat-like and cunning. “I’ll let them catch me alone, and convince them to bring me to their leader. Either as a guest or a hostage, whatever works.”

Gasps of shock and alarm escaped their classmates, but Suo continued as if he couldn’t hear them, “Of course, we’ll have a squad watching from nearby, ready to follow in secret. Once they lead the way to their base, it’s a simple matter of putting these playground bullies in their place.”

A few of the other boys had already opened their mouths to protest, but they clammed up when Haruka erupted, “What the hell is wrong with you?!” He stormed the podium and grabbed Suo by the front of his jacket. Teeth bared in the crazy bastard’s face, Haruka snarled, “Yesterday you wanted to be bait, and now you wanna get taken hostage? Are you insane?!”

Leaning away from Haruka’s rage, Suo attempted to pacify him with a hand on his shoulder. “You can come to my rescue if something goes wrong,” he said, keeping his voice neutral so he looked like the reasonable one here. “Like I said, we’d have a team nearby the whole time. I’d never really be alone!”

“B-But, Suo-san,” Nirei spoke up, though he flinched when both Suo and Haruka turned sharp eyes on him. “If we have to p-pull you out early, this kind of plan won’t work a second time. They’ll be on the lookout for traps!”

Suo’s smile curled at the edges. “Then I’ll just have to make it work the first time,” he said simply.

As if Haruka would let Suo pull this kind of stunt even once. His grip tightened as he fought the urge to pull Suo closer, hold onto him with both hands. “You’re not gonna do this—” he started to say.

“I’m well aware of where you stand, Sakura-kun,” Suo cut him off, eye glittering coldly. “Right now, I’d like to hear the rest of the class’s thoughts.”

Haruka held that gaze for a moment longer, searching for something in the ruby-red depths. Suo was as inscrutable as ever, looking down on Haruka from the other side of his carefully constructed walls. With a frustrated huff, Haruka shoved him away and stomped over to slouch against the window, fists buried deep in his pockets.

From the back of the room, a new voice spoke up, one that hadn’t been part of the discussion until now. “If Suo-chan thinks he can pull this off, we should let him try.”

Every head in the class whipped around to where Kiryu sat perched on his desk. He set his phone aside and pulled one leg up, wrapping his arms around. “Suo-chan’s plans have always worked before,” he said, chin resting on his knee. “I think we should trust him.”

Surprised, but grateful for the vote of confidence, Suo beamed a brilliant smile back at Kiryu. “Thank you, Kiryu-kun,” he said. “I’ll try to live up to your trust in me.”

A familiar pang of guilt struck Haruka in the gut. How was it that Kiryu was able to put his faith in Suo so easily, but Haruka couldn’t bring himself to do the same? Could he really just trust in Suo’s plan, blindly believing that it would all work out?

This isn’t about trust, Haruka justified to himself. No one trusted Suo more than him. Haruka would gladly put his own life in Suo’s hands. If he wanted to offer up Haruka as a hostage instead, he would gladly walk into the sharks’ lair, believing that his friends would come for him.

But Suo couldn’t be the one in danger. Haruka wouldn’t let those worthless, low-life losers lay a finger on him ever again.

With the floor now open for discussion, Tsugeura was the next one brave enough to speak. “Is it really a good idea to go and raid them at their base like that?” he asked, his usual cheer dimmed by the heavy atmosphere in the classroom. “It didn’t work out too well for us last time.”

Of course, Suo had an answer ready. “The Ironskins are a much weaker team than KEEL, at least in terms of fighting power,” he replied right away. 

“Going after other teams isn’t really Bofurin’s style…” Anzai pointed out, with some hesitation.

“After all the trouble they’ve caused, I believe we’re well within our rights to go on the offensive.” With a mischievous glint in his eye, Suo added, “Especially if they were to capture one of our vice-captains.”

“T-They’ll probably try to rough you up,” Nirei mumbled. His watery eyes flickered up to the bandage just above Suo’s eyebrow, stark white against his skin. Evidence of his close-call.

Suo’s face softened. He reached out a hand to ruffle Nirei’s hair. “I can handle whatever they throw at me,” he said, soft and reassuring.

This asshole acted like he had all the answers. Suo clearly spent his time last night thinking of every possible argument, and how to refute them. He was just that confident in his own terrible plan.

Haruka’s scowl deepened, a vein twitching in his temple.

Despite Suo’s carefully crafted arguments, Haruka wasn’t the only one still harboring doubts. The other boys shifted uncomfortably in their seats, sharing worried looks. Haruka’s sharp ears picked up a few whispers here and there, dissent in the ranks.

“I dunno, it sounds really risky…”

“Yeah, and I still got scars from the fight with KEEL.”

“But Kiryu thinks it’ll work!”

“Sakura clearly doesn’t, and he’s our captain…”

Haruka thought he would be relieved that the rest of the group rejected the idea. It was what he wanted, after all. But when he caught Suo’s eye again — saw the disappointment there, the resignation — Haruka could only feel hollow inside.

“If everyone isn’t on board, I won’t press the issue,” Suo sighed, tassels fluttering as he shook his head. “Let’s think of something else.”

Here it was: Haruka’s turn to make his case. He didn’t try to take the spot at the podium, but he did straighten up to say, “We’ll hunt down the bastards’ base, while you stay here where it’s safe.”

Suo blinked at him once, twice, in utter disbelief. “Stay here?” he repeated. “At the school?”

“Since they’re only lookin’ for you, they don’t wanna get their asses beat by the rest of us anymore,” Haruka explained. He fought to keep his voice steady, as his heart slammed against his ribcage. “We just gotta follow them when they run away. Eventually they’ll lead us back to their hideout, and no one has to get hurt.”

Suo’s stare threatened to pierce right through him, but Haruka held his ground. 

“That… Might actually work.”

Their heads snapped to Nirei. He flipped through the pages of his notebook, so engrossed that he hardly noticed the intensity of the attention on him. “I’ve been keeping track of all the Ironskins movements, trying to pinpoint how they’re coming and going,” he went on. “If we just try to follow them and gather more data… Yeah, I think we could figure this out!”

“That could take days. Weeks, even,” Suo said, with just a hint of frustration. “And that’s assuming they don’t notice they’re being followed every day.”

“ Your plan counts on them not seeing an obvious trap when they catch you wandering around alone.” Haruka jabbed a finger in Suo’s direction. “At least I’m not trying to force a hostage situation!”

Suo squeezed his eye shut and took a deep, steadying breath. When he opened it again, his expression was blank, emotionless. Completely closed off. “You want me to stay behind,” each word slow and forced, “While you take all the time you need to track them down.”

“Once we find ‘em, you can join the fight and teach ‘em a lesson,” Haruka offered, an attempt at compromise. Almost to say, you still get your revenge! You love punishing bad guys, right?

From the way Suo’s jaw clenched, he did not consider it a worthwhile trade-off.

Kurita’s hand shot up. “Wait, Suo’s one of our best fighters. Don’t we need him out there fighting these guys off?” he asked.

“Not if those idiots aren’t even trying to fight the rest of us anymore,” Takanashi reminded him. “If he’s the only one they want, it takes a lot of pressure off the rest of us.”

“Couldn’t he be some kind of distraction, then?”

“That’s the same as being bait, idiot!”

“Well, what if he—”

While the class bickered, Suo stepped back from the podium. There was a faraway look in his eye, as he tilted his head back to stare at the opposite wall. Though he was surrounded by the chaos of their arguing classmates, Haruka thought he looked remarkably lonely. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, though; an effect of how wrong he looked without a smile on his face.

“This isn’t fair,” Kiryu broke through the commotion again, his usually gentle voice firm. His eyes found Haruka’s from across the room, brow furrowed, expression serious. “What does Suo-chan want to do?”

Suo didn’t move, a perfect sculpture of rigid control. “I will accept whatever the team decides,” he said, just as deadpan as his face.

Kiryu frowned, still watching Haruka. He wasn’t angry, or even accusatory. Rather, Haruka had the strong impression that Kiryu was disappointed in him. It twisted the knife of guilt deeper into his gut.

But he couldn’t back down now.

“Then we’re going with my plan,” Haruka said with finality. “Suo’s gonna stay here until we find the Ironskin’s base, so we can take them out once and for all.” He looked around the class, jaw set with a confidence he didn’t truly feel. “Everyone good with that?”

There were some murmurs of assent, though no one looked happy about it. Not a single one of them was brave enough to look Suo in the eye, even as they sealed his fate. Notably, Kiryu kept quiet, sighing as he picked up his phone again.

“I’m sorry, Suo-san,” Nirei said, eyes fixed on a crack in the floor tiles.

“It’s alright.”

Haruka expected to hear that same cutting ice he associated with Suo’s anger. The kind of cold fury that sliced him straight to the bone, frozen shards lodged between his ribs. It would hurt, but he could take it. For the sake of Suo’s safety, Haruka could withstand the coming ice age between them.

However, anger was not the emotion he found when he finally met Suo’s eye.

Suo looked devastated.

It was just the slight pinch of his brow, the way his eye crinkled up as if in pain. The corners of his mouth twitched, like he couldn’t stop them from pulling down. His arms hung limp at his sides, shoulders slumped, head tilted down. 

On anyone else, it would be quite subtle. For Suo, who so often wore that pleasant smile like a shield, he may as well have started crying.

“If you really think this is for the best,” he said, in a small voice that barely reached across the room. “Then I’ll stay here.”

Agony ripped right through Haruka’s chest, crushing his lungs, forcing a horrible, shuddering breath out of him. This is my fault, he thought. I couldn’t even protect him, I just made everything worse—

Haruka watched the blank mask slide back into place. All of that sorrow, resignation — Suo buried it under a layer of controlled indifference. Then he stepped away from the podium, weaving through the jumble of desks and nervous students who scrambled out of his way. He took up a spot at the back of the class, by the window, staring out into the courtyard below. Shoulders straight, hands locked behind his back.

Haruka was probably the only one who noticed how his hands trembled, curled tight around each other.

“S-Sakura-san?” Nirei prodded him. Haruka ripped his eyes away from Suo, blinking down at Nirei like he forgot anyone else was still here. Still clutching his notebook, Nirei stammered, “W-We should work out patrols for today, r-right?”

It took a moment for the gears to turn in Haruka’s head. “Patrols. Right,” he said through lips that had gone numb.

Right, because if they were going to track down the Ironskins, they needed to stop sitting on their asses and hit the streets. Which meant Haruka had to start giving orders. Which meant Haruka had to pull himself together, like, now. He couldn’t exactly rely on Suo to split up the class.

With some help from Nirei, Haruka managed to cobble the team into something that resembled their usual formations. It all went smoothly right up until Haruka called out Suigishita’s name, and realized the jerk wasn’t even here. They just had that whole important discussion, tried to get everyone’s opinions, and Haruka never even noticed that one of them was missing.

Some team captain he was. It was so common for Sugishita to show up late or not at all, at some point Haruka’s brain just stopped looking for him. When it was time to roll out, Sugishita would materialize wherever he needed to be, often with Suo coaxing him along to join the others.

Haruka’s eyes darted to Suo again. He hadn’t moved an inch, carved from ice in his silent vigil by the window. With his right side to the class, Haruka couldn’t even get a good look at his face beyond the eyepatch. Though he was definitely still listening, Suo showed no reaction to anything happening around him. 

Ugh, fine. Sugishita would just have to sit out today’s patrols too. It was his own damn fault, for being such a pain in the ass.

After most of the others had set off on their routes for the day, Haruka pointed to Nirei. “You’re comin’ with me,” he said. “I need you taking notes on everything we find out.”

Nirei shuddered, apprehensive about going to the front lines with Haruka. But he straightened up and gave Haruka a firm nod. “I’ll do my best!”

“Guess that means I’m going with you guys, too?” Kiryu asked, standing up from his desk and stretching. There was a steely set to his face that Haruka didn’t like, but he was mostly back to his usual self.

Realistically speaking, Kiryu wasn’t a substitute for Suo. They filled similar roles, but Kiryu could never replicate the way Suo took complete control of a fight when he needed to. He simply didn’t have the same finesse, the same untouchable grace. Haruka liked Kiryu a lot, but if he absolutely had to choose, he would rather have Suo watching his back.

That wasn’t an option now, and someone had to keep an eye on Nirei if anything happened. Nirei wasn’t so defenseless these days, but he still wasn’t much of a fighter. It was only thanks to Suo’s teachings that he could hold his own at all.

God dammit, it always came back to Suo. When Haruka glanced his way again, he remembered that painful look in his eye, and the guilt threatened to suffocate him again.

Should he say something, before they left? What was even left to say? I’m sorry? This is for your own good?

I don’t want this either, let’s think of something else, please don’t hate me—

Haruka shook his head vigorously to scatter those doubts. Beckoning for Nirei and Kiryu to follow, Haruka strode out of the classroom without looking back. He just needed to toughen up and get his job done. The sooner they took care of their bottom-feeder infestation, the sooner he could work things out with Suo.

Hopefully.

He thought putting some distance between himself and the school would help, but it only made him feel more and more empty. By the time they reached the main shopping district, there was a gaping hole where Haruka’s heart should have been.

“I think we’ve got, like, two days,” Kiryu mused, swaying the ends of his loose sleeves as they walked.

Nirei looked up from his notebook with alarm. “Two days until what? You think the Ironskins might try to attack the school?!”

“Oh — no, they’ll probably keep jerking us around as long as they can.” Kiryu laughed a little, utterly joyless. “I meant we’ve got around two days before Suo-chan snaps.” He paused, tilting his head to think. “Maybe less.”

A creeping sense of dread crawled up the back of Haruka’s neck. He didn’t know what it would mean for Suo to snap, but the way Kiryu said it made it sound all too real.

For once, Haruka’s predictions were actually correct. The Ironskins they spotted skulking around town booked it as soon as they saw Haruka’s group coming. From the texts he saw in the group chat, the rest of their class wasn’t having much luck either. Clearly, the wanna-be sharks had no interest in picking random fights they couldn't win anymore. 

It made them annoyingly hard to get the drop on. Haruka wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, and these bastards had their heads on a swivel, searching for their target. They scattered like minnows as soon as they saw a real predator coming.

One of them called out before Haruka even spotted him, “Yo, Bofurin dogs! Where’s your master hiding?”

Haruka chased them all the way to the right at the edge of town, while they laughed and barked like dogs as they fled. He only stopped when Kiryu pulled him back, before Haruka could go tearing across the bridge after them. Their taunts faded away on the other side, and Haruka threw his head back in a frustrated shout.

If they couldn’t manage to pin these guys down, finding their base or leader would take forever. Chest heaving after his sprint across town, Kiryu’s deadline — Two days, maybe less — weighed heavy on his mind.

It did nothing to help the misery wound tight around Haruka’s chest. The whole time they spent searching, he struggled to focus on what was right in front of him. Any time they had a moment of quiet, his mind would conjure up the memory of Suo looking so lonely and sad, just to chip off another piece of Haruka’s heart. Sometimes he imagined tears in that desolate red eye, and wanted to scream until his throat collapsed.

Anger, he could manage. Even hatred, as painful as it was, Haruka knew like a bitter old friend. Plenty of people throughout his life hated him, spat on him, called him horrible things with nothing but malice in their hearts. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was familiar.

If Suo would just stop holding back and get mad — yell at him, hit him — maybe this would be easier to handle. They could finally duke it out like Haruka always wanted, speaking with their fists when words failed them. Maybe that way, Haruka could finally make Suo understand his feelings. Maybe Haruka would figure out his own feelings, and why they made his belly twist and his heart ache.

Maybe he would finally understand the parts of Suo that he was so intent on keeping hidden behind thick walls of ice.

But he didn’t just make Suo angry this time. He made Suo sad. Sadness, heartbreak, despair — these were things Haruka felt for himself, in his lowest moments. He never imagined he could inflict those feelings on someone else.

Fucking hell, how was he still figuring out new things, after months at Furin? Why did no one ever take the time to write down all the friendship rules he might need to know? Important stuff, like “ What to do when you care so much about your friend that you fuck everything up and make him sad.”

Then again, if the answer was “ It’s too late, you’re doomed,” maybe he’d rather not know.

They called it quits sometime in the late afternoon. It was well past when their usual patrol shifts ended, and most of the class had already messaged him to say they were heading out for the day. They had family to go home to, after all. Younger siblings to look after, groceries to pick up before dinner, a mother who worried if they stayed out too late. 

(Haruka did his best not to hold it against them, and most days he succeeded.)

Kiryu said goodbye at the school gates, keen to avoid whatever kind of storm might be brewing back at the classroom. “I let Suo-chan know we were heading back, so he’s expecting you guys.” He waved his phone over his shoulder as he walked away. “Good luck!”

Only Nirei was brave enough to go looking for Suo, though he hid behind Haruka’s back, trembling the whole way. It reminded him a little of their first day here, when they were both so unsure about what waited for them in class 1-1. Like that first day, Haruka’s instincts told him to prepare for a fight.

Just as Haruka reached the classroom door, it slammed open with a bang that echoed down the empty hallway. Nirei squeaked, clinging to Haruka’s back like he expected a raging monster to come flying at them.

It was only Sugishita. He blinked down at them, half-asleep, before his face twisted into the usual scowl.

Haruka glared right back. “Where the hell were you this morning?” he demanded. 

The jerk didn’t bother to respond. He used his bulk to shoulder past Haruka, hands shoved in his pockets as he slouched away. Haruka would have just let him go, if not for the fact that the classroom was empty.

“Hey!” Haruka lunged after him, and managed to grab the back of his jacket. “Where’s Suo?!”

Sugishita looked back over his shoulder like he thought it was the dumbest question he’d ever heard. “Dunno,” he grunted. Then, with a crooked sneer, “Somewhere planning how to kick your ass, hopefully.”

Haruka’s eyes widened. What the fuck? Did Suo go and vent to Sugishita of all people?

Suigishita yanked his jacket out of Haruka’s limp fingers and stomped away. Haruka stared after him, mouth hanging open like a moron, while his brain rebooted itself.

Forget Sugishita; he was just being an asshole, like always. There was a more important problem right now:

Suo was missing.

“S-Sakura-san,” Nirei’s quiet voice made Haruka jump, wheeling around to face him. To his credit, Nirei didn’t flinch this time. “You don’t need to get so worked up. Suo-san probably just went home.”

Worked up? Who was getting worked up? Haruka was having a perfectly reasonable reaction to his friend disappearing while there was a team of thugs out for his blood.  

“Those guys are still out there,” Haruka said, pulling out his phone. Maybe one of the others spotted him, or mentioned something in the group chat. Suo hadn’t said a word in there all day, but maybe Haruka could get him to respond—

A hand on his arm pushed the screen away from his face. Nirei’s eyes were hard as steel where they looked up at him, brow furrowed with determination. “I really think you should back off,” he said.

I don’t have time for another lecture! “If he went out alone and got himself hurt, we need to find him now!” Haruka got in Nirei’s face, forcing his friend to stagger back a step. “He could be bleeding out in an alley, for all we know!”

“He’s not!” Nirei shook his head frantically. “Suo-san wouldn’t let that happen! He’s probably — I mean, I just think—”

Whatever he wanted to say died abruptly mid-sentence. Nirei froze up like a startled bunny, staring at something over Haruka’s shoulder with eyes almost popping out of his head. Before Haruka had the chance to guess why, a familiar voice made him wince.

“Heyyy Sakura, you got a minute?”

Haruka glowered over his shoulder at Umemiya. “Not really,” he said. In fact, this was the last kind of distraction he needed right now.

“Sure ya do!” Umemiya looped an arm around Haruka’s shoulders, already steering him away. “Sorry Nirei, I’m gonna borrow your captain for a bit!”

“Of c-course, sir!” Nirei saluted with his left hand, since the right still held his notebook. By the time he realized his mistake and scrambled to swap, Umemiya had already dragged Haruka up the stairs. 

It was surprisingly cool on the roof, even with summer in full swing. A nice breeze blew through the rows of growing crops, broad green leaves swaying gently. Haruka swore those things got bigger and bigger every time he came up here. Tomatoes hung fat and heavy from the stalks closest to the arbor built near the stairs. Most still orange, just a few shades off from being completely ripe.

Umemiya went right past the quiet shade of the arbor and the picnic table there, and stopped to rifle through some gardening equipment instead. Straightening up, he held out a pair of thick gloves and a watering can for Haruka.

Haruka eyed the implements warily. “The hell are those for?” he asked.

“Keeping your hands busy while we talk,” Umemiya replied, grinning.

He set Haruka to work watering the tomatoes, while Umemiya himself crouched down in the dirt to dig up some weeds. Despite saying he wanted to talk, Umemiya didn’t try to strike up a conversation. The soft rustle of leaves and distant birdsong filled the space between them, and Haruka grew more and more impatient.

Waste of my damn time, he grumbled to himself, dumping water inelegantly over the plants. He still didn’t know where Suo was, if he was even safe, and now he had to deal with one of Umemiya’s random whims. 

“So,” Umemiya said at last, and as if he could read Haruka’s mind, “What’s going on with you and Suo?”

Haruka’s heart thudded into his throat. 

“I was just lookin’ for him,” he replied, forced-casual. He didn’t want to let Bofurin’s leader think that there was any possible problem. “Why, didja need him for something?”

“Hmm, not exactly.” Umemiya dug his fingers deep into the soil to pull up a weed by the roots. “I just wanted to know why you guys are fighting.”

Fighting? Is that all this is?

“Did he say something to you?” Haruka asked. He didn't picture Suo as the type to run and tattle on him to their upperclassmen. Then again, he didn’t think Suo was the type to offer himself up as bait, either. Maybe he really would go crying to Umemiya, if he disagreed strongly enough with Sakura’s leadership. 

Sensing Harkua’s anxieties, Umemiya sat back on his heels with a sigh. “No, it’s nothing like that,” he said, waving a hand. “Actually, he barely said a word at all. He just came up to the roof earlier and asked if he could meditate here.”

Haruka only stared at him, so Umemiya went on, “I thought it was weird for him to still be here, instead of out working with you.” He pushed up onto his feet, stretching until his back popped. “But it’s not like this place is off-limits or anything — Sugishita’s up here all the time, y’know — so I said he could stay as long as he needed. He left right around the time you got back from your patrol.”

That meant he was probably still at the school. Haruka felt some of the tension drain out of his body. Though after hearing all that, he was suddenly a lot less keen to find Suo. 

A wave of guilt crashed over his head. He could imagine, all too clearly, Suo alone under the canopy with that heartbreaking expression from earlier. For all the excuses he made, Haruka knew he was the one who put that look on Suo’s face. Suo was his friend, one of his first and only, and Haruka made him look like that.

Talk about lame.

Umemiya put his hands on his hips, smearing dirt from his gloves onto his white t-shirt. He didn’t press Haruka for an answer, just stood there waiting, head tilted curiously to one side. It was unnerving. Irritating. It reminded him a little too much of how Suo would always wait patiently for Haruka to sort through his thoughts.

Scowling, Haruka dumped the last of his water over the tomatoes. “I told him to stay back today,” he said, shuffling over to the hose to refill. “That’s all.”

Umemiya’s brows shot up in surprise. “Is he sick or something?”

“No!” What a horrible thing to suggest — That Suo couldn’t only get hurt, but sick. Something Haruka couldn’t control or protect him from. 

“This is just — temporary. Just until we figure out what to do about those shark dipshits.”

“The Ironskins, right?”

Haruka nodded. Somehow, this happy-go-lucky moron always knew exactly what was going on. Haruka often wondered if being Bofurin’s leader gave Umemiya psychic powers as well.

He twisted the valve on the hose, letting the heavy stream of water thunder into his watering can. The noise gave him a good cover while he tried to decide what was safe to tell Umemiya. If he gave away too much, it might seem like Haruka and his team couldn’t even handle this gang of nobodies without their leader’s help.

When the can was full, he was out of time. “Those bastards are targeting Suo, because they think he’s a captain,” he said, white-knuckling the handle. “So until we have a way to beat them, he’s gonna stay here.”

Umemiya eyed the uneven wet spots in the dirt under his precious plants, frowning. “Got it.” He rubbed his chin, smudging grit across his skin as well. “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.”

Haruka perked up. “It does?” he asked, hopeful. Of course, he should have expected Umemiya would understand. He was always going on about protecting the town, his family. Maybe someone would finally get why Haruka was so desperate to keep Suo out of harm’s way.

“Something was really bothering him. I don’t know Suo all that well, but even I could tell something was off.” Umemiya folded his arms, brow pinched. “Now it makes sense. Of course he’d be upset about getting left behind.”

Haruka’s heart sank. So, not even Umemiya understood.

“No one’s leaving him behind!” he snapped, too quickly. He struggled in vain to get his temper under control, but the rest of his words still came out in a rush. “I’m just not about to let him do something dangerous and get himself hurt!”

Haruka stormed back to the garden, splashing water over whatever vegetables were next to the tomatoes. Cucumbers? Eggplants? Honestly, who even gave a shit. He just wanted to get this over with so he could get away from Umemiya’s prying eyes.

Those eyes followed his every movement, as Haruka drowned the next row of crops. A slight frown pulled at Umemiya’s mouth. He crouched down, examining one of the stems broken by Haruka’s rough treatment.

“What makes you think he’s gonna get hurt?” he asked, without looking up.

“Because they almost cracked his skull open yesterday!” Haruka snarled. “Those fuckers are out for blood, and he’s not as invincible as he thinks he is!”

In his mind, Haruka ran through all the knives, bats, pipes, and other assorted weapons he had seen in just the last week. The cut on Suo’s temple when Haruka found him yesterday, the cracked bricks right next to his head. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the image of Suo covered in blood out of his head.

Umemiya rested his cheek on one stained glove, peering sideways at Haruka. “Suo seems like the kinda guy who knows his limits,” he said.

“That doesn’t matter!” Haruka ground his teeth so hard his head ached. “He wants us to use him as bait, to draw out the enemy leader or something — but he’s definitely gonna get hurt if we do that, and I won’t be able to protect him this time!”

“If Suo’s the one suggesting it, he probably understands all that,” Umemiya pointed out. “Don’t you think he can handle himself?”

Everyone kept saying that: Suo can handle himself. What did it even matter, if he was trying to throw himself to the wolves like some kind of sacrificial lamb? Suo was strong, but they couldn’t expect him to take on an entire enemy team by himself. Even if he could make it out alive, Haruka would never let him go through with that. He wouldn’t let those bastards spill even one more drop of Suo’s blood.

Haruka upended the watering can, splashing water everywhere, and chucked it aside with a loud clang. “I don’t care!! ” he shouted, finally rounding on Umemiya. “I know Suo’s strong, and smart, and he can take care of himself, but he’s driving me fuckin’ crazy right now!”

He dug both hands into his hair, gripping the black and white strands, nails scraping at his scalp. “Every day these guys are getting more vicious, and I just keep thinking about what might happen if they get their hands on him—” Haruka broke off, struggling to breathe as his chest tightened. He sucked in a harsh gasp and kept yelling, “And then Suo goes and says I should let them capture him — or whatever they’re gonna do with him — and I’m just supposed to be okay with that?!”

Something hot stung his eyes, and Haruka scrubbed at them furiously. His hands came away wet — some water meant for the garden must have splashed on him. Haruka caught the look of shock on Umemiya’s face for a moment, but he was beyond caring. 

“I don’t want him to fucking sacrifice himself like this!” he shouted, balling his hands into fists and pressing them into his eyes again. “I wanna be the one who protects him, not the other way around! I just want to keep him safe! Why can’t he get that through his head!!”

A ringing silence followed in the wake of his words. Panting heavily, shoulders heaving, Haruka couldn’t bring himself to look at Umemiya. Any respect Umemiya might have had for him was surely lost now, after seeing Haruka throw a tantrum like a toddler. He wouldn’t be surprised if Umemiya chose someone else to be their class’s captain right here and now.

Haruka wouldn’t even blame him.

Instead, Haruka felt strong arms wrap around his shoulders, and pull him against a warm, solid body.

Every muscle in his body went rigid, caught like a wild animal in a bear trap. “Get the hell off—”

“I’m glad, Sakura,” Umemiya said, and Haruka could feel the words vibrate through his chest. “You finally got to the heart of it.”

Getting to the heart of it left Haruka completely, utterly exposed. Flayed alive, all his organs laid out for Umemiya to judge. A thick breath heaved out of him, and it took until Umemiya tightened his hold for Haruka to realize it was a sob.

Great. As if all the screaming wasn’t bad enough, now Umemiya would see him cry. Haruka couldn’t even remember the last time he shed a tear, let alone in front of someone else. If the roof collapsed right here and took both of them down with it, Haruka would consider that a blessing.

“You wanna be the one protecting him,” Umemiya repeated, almost to himself. He chuckled softly, patting down Haruka’s messy hair. “You must really love him, huh?”

Love? The word knocked the wind right out of his lungs more effectively than any punch. Love him? Seriously?

Is that what this is?!

Fire spread through his veins, scorching his whole body from the tips of his ears right down to his toes. This time Haruka put all his strength into throwing Umemiya away, before he could feel the heat radiating off him. For all the good it did — He knew his face must be redder than the damn tomatoes right now.

“Wh-Wh-What the fuck are you t-talking about?!” he screeched, covering his face with both arms.

Umemiya gave him a knowing smile that made Haruka want to swan dive right off the edge of the roof. “Well, you guys are always together,” he pointed out. “And the way you were talking about him just now — it kinda seems like you like him as more than a friend, y’know?”

“Shut up,” Haruka said, without any of his usual bite. “I’ll kill you.”

At that, Umemiya actually laughed, the jackass. “C’mon, it’s nothing to be ashamed of! Plenty of the guys here end up dating each other, it’s totally normal—”

As if that was what Haruka was worried about, and not the fact that Umemiya thought he was in love with Suo.

Suo, one of his first friends, one of the first people to teach him what friendship even was. The person who trusted Haruka so completely, he didn’t hesitate to make him captain. His unbreakable rock, the foundation Haruka built his strength on, the brains behind his brawn. 

Suo with his mysterious red eye that always saw through Haruka like he was transparent, right down to his very soul. Suo with his infuriating grin, his airy laugh, the incessant teasing until Haruka was ready to burst into flames. Suo and the way he came alive on the battlefield, leading his opponents to their doom in an effortless waltz. 

And the way his perfect cupid’s bow lips curved around his name, “Sakura-kun!”

Oh, god, Haruka realized, with another flush of heat. Fucking hell.

It explained everything, didn’t it? Why Haruka was so desperate to keep Suo close, why he felt Suo’s absence like a hole in his chest. Why he always sought out flashes of red and gold during a fight, why it was so impossible to drag his eyes away. Why every day, all the stupid thoughts in his head always circled back to Suo, Suo, Suo.

“Earth to Sakura?” Umemiya called, from somewhere very far away.

Haruka shook his head helplessly. “What — What the hell,” he gasped, struggling to get enough air in his lungs again. Every breath came short and choppy. “What do I — I never—”

What did people do when they fell in love with their friends? Was this sort of thing even allowed? Suo was already upset with him — what if this just pushed him away for good? What if he didn’t want Haruka to love him? What if he hated Haruka for thinking about him this way? What if, what if—

A blow to the top of the head broke him out of the spiral. Haruka staggered back with an indignant squawk, hands flying to where Umemiya just punched him. 

Umemiya grinned down at him, so bright he was hard to look at. “Cheer up, Sakura!” he laughed, loud enough that they could probably hear him down in the courtyard. “Everything will definitely work out now!”

“How can you possibly know that—”

“For one thing,” Umemiya cut him off. “Anyone with eyes can see that Suo absolutely adores you. So I think you’ve got a pretty good chance there!”

If he said one more goddamn word about it, Haruka was going to have to strangle him and hide the body under his own garden. He was halfway into a crouch, ready to lunge, when Umemiya held out a hand to stop him.

“But that’s only if you guys can have an honest conversation,” he went on, suddenly as serious as a heart attack. “Right now, you need to take a step back from those feelings and acknowledge Suo for who he is. Not just as a friend, or an ally, or even a lover — but as a capable member of Bofurin.

“If you can do that, then everything else will be easy!”

Exactly what part of that was easy? Haruka had only just put a name to these feelings, and now he was just supposed to set them aside? Whether this was love or something else, it didn’t change how Haruka felt: he couldn’t bear to see Suo get hurt again. No matter how capable Suo was, Haruka refused to put him in danger.

But is this really protecting him, another part of him, long buried, resurfaced at last, Or smothering him?

“I—” his voice broke and he swallowed, tried again, “I’ll try.”

Umemiya clapped him on the shoulder, and gave a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll be fine,” he said. “Just remember: the most important thing is trust. That goes for friends and partners.”

With that, Haruka was finally free. Umemiya let him stagger away, down the stairs and back toward his classroom. Each step jumbled the thoughts around his head, disjointed ideas overlapping and competing for his attention. 

I’m in love with Suo — I can’t lose him — What if he hates me — I’m holding him back — But I love him —

“Sakura-kun.”

Haruka stopped dead in his tracks, just outside the classroom. Slowly, robotically, he craned his neck around toward the sound of his name. 

There, at the end of the hallway, stood Suo. Back straight, chin up, eye dark. Half-hidden in shadows cast by the late afternoon sun, Haruka could only just make out the blank, hollow expression he wore. Only his tassel earrings caught the light, shimmering brilliant red and gold as Suo stepped closer.

“I’d like to speak with you,” he said. “Alone.”

Chapter Text

Suo didn’t take him into their classroom, or to the roof like Umemiya did. Instead, he led Haruka through the halls to a part of the building he’d never been to before. Apparently there were a lot of unused classrooms scattered about, from back when Furin was a normal school. They weren’t technically off-limits, but the chances of someone finding them in one of the abandoned rooms was slim to none.

Haruka wasn’t sure that was such a good thing, as he followed Suo to what might be his own execution.

Suo picked one of the unused rooms and stepped inside, leaving the door open for Haruka behind him. Haruka cast a glance up and down the hallway first, making sure they were alone, and shut the door with a decisive click.

“What’s up?” he asked, and cringed inwardly. Stupid question; they both knew damn well what this was about. Hopefully Suo wouldn’t notice how he kept his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting.

Thankfully, Suo wasn’t looking at him. He stood by the window with his back to Haruka, staring out at god knows what. Hands clasped behind him and golden tassels gleaming in the late afternoon sun, he was the outward picture of serenity. It was only because Haruka watched him so closely these days that he picked up on the stiffness in Suo’s shoulders. 

After a long moment he took a deep breath and turned to Haruka. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look particularly angry either. In fact, his face was a mask of perfect neutrality. “Sakura-kun,” he said. “Have I done something to upset you?” His tone matched his expression, giving nothing away.

“Huh?” Haruka blinked at him. That… wasn’t how he thought this would start. 

“It seems that you’ve lost faith in me,” Suo went on, voice flat. “I’d like to know why, so I can make amends, if possible.” 

“I haven’t — What?” Haruka stuttered, shook his head. “The hell’re you talking about?” Weren’t they here so Suo could rip him a new one? Why was he trying to apologize?

Suo’s gaze flickered down, thoughtful. “I see. So it’s not something I did,” he said, almost to himself. When he looked up again, a drop of sadness seeped into the deep red of his eye. “Then why are you treating me like this?”

Because I love you, I don’t want to lose you. The answer was right there, but Haruka couldn’t bring himself to admit it just yet. It was still too fresh, too raw. His old instincts kicked in, to hunker down and guard his heart at all costs. 

“I’m not tryna treat you any different.” The lie didn’t even sound convincing to his own ears.

Suo’s eye narrowed. He clearly didn't buy it either.

“You won’t let me fight,” Suo said, still in that stilted tone that made Haruka’s skin crawl. “You won’t let me work, and now you won’t even let me leave the school. What I want to know is why.”

Guilt churned in Haruka’s stomach. Even still, he tried to play it off. “What, you actually want to chase those assholes all over town while it’s hot as balls outside?” Haruka scoffed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Some of the guys are probably jealous that you get to relax.”

The corners of Suo’s mouth twitched, but this smile was nowhere near amused. “As much as I love to sit around drinking tea in my free time…” He took a long stride forward, bearing down on Haruka. “I do not appreciate being babied.”

Haruka stepped back. “I’m not—”

“Maybe it wasn’t your intent,” Suo left no room for him to argue. “But it feels like you think I’m too weak to be your vice-captain. Of course I would be hurt by that.” 

Hurt. That’s how this all started in the first place. Haruka couldn’t bear to see Suo get hurt again, but he couldn’t even do that right.

Haruka dropped his eyes to the floor, unable to meet Suo’s hard stare. “You’re not weak,” he mumbled to the cracked tiles.

“I know that,” Suo said. “Do you?”

Of course I do. It should have been easy to say. Haruka had plenty of chances over the past few months to witness Suo’s strength for himself. He was their rock, the solid foundation the team could always fall back on. Even if he wasn’t at the center of a brawl, Suo was always there thinking, strategizing. Without him as the brains of the team, everything fell apart. 

Bofurin needed him. Haruka needed him. Knowing his untouchable vice-captain had his back was the reason Haruka could always go all-out.

But he’s not untouchable. For a moment, the red sheen of the sun behind Suo cast the illusion of him drenched in blood. Dripping from his hair, his chin, soaked deep into the silk of his changshan.  

Then Haruka blinked, and he was back to normal, whole and unharmed and patiently waiting for an answer.

His hands clenched into fists in his pockets. Pull yourself together, moron. Umemiya said they needed to have an honest conversation, to get at the heart of the issue. That couldn’t happen if Haruka kept freaking out about nothing.

Haruka took a deep breath and steeled his nerve. “That stuff you said this morning — The plan you came up with...” God, why did he sound so afraid? With the way his heart kept pounding, you would think he was about to jump off a cliff. “I wanna understand why you think it’s a good idea. Like, your thought process, and stuff,” he finished, lamely.

Caught a little off-guard by the change in topic, Suo didn’t respond right away. He seemed to think for a few tense heartbeats, then said, “Okay, fair enough.”

He crossed the room to the dusty blackboard, covered with years-old scribbles and graffiti. An ancient eraser and some crumbling chalk still lingered in the tray, left behind by whatever students last used this classroom. Suo made quick work of clearing a space on the board to use while he explained.

“As things stand, I see the situation with the Ironskins going one of two ways.” With a piece of chalk already worn down to barely more than a stub, Suo drew out a diagram with two branching paths. “Number one: They make us chase them around, effectively wasting our time and running us ragged in the summer heat.” That first branch he labeled waste of time, and circled with a quick flourish. 

“If they’re patient, all they need to do is wait for one of us to slip up, and give them an opening to strike.”

Haruka rolled his eyes while Suo wasn’t looking. Great, another lecture. “As if we’d ever let them pull one over on us like that,” he said.

Suo huffed out a quiet breath — not quite a laugh, but close. “Your confidence is inspiring. However, that brings me to the second possibility.” For this, he wrote out desperate = dangerous. When Haruka raised an eyebrow, he went on, “They don’t ever find an opening, and they start to get desperate. Remember, they’ve been pushed out of their territory and need to find a foothold here to stay in business.”

He turned to face Haruka again, eye bright and glittering again. The crazy bastard really was a born teacher, with how much he came alive while explaining stuff to a captive audience.

“What do you think a group of impatient criminals would do when they get desperate?” he asked, pointing at Haruka with a finger covered in chalk dust.

“Isn’t this supposed to be about what you think?” Haruka grumbled under his breath. His eyes caught on the word dangerous for a moment, before he looked away stubbornly. “I dunno, maybe they’ll just give up and leave.”

That got a little chuckle out of Suo, and hope fluttered in Haruka's chest. If he could still make Suo laugh, maybe this whole thing wasn’t doomed after all.

“I suppose that’s not impossible. They could also get bored and disband.” Just to humor him, Suo made room for a third option, labeled bye-bye, sharks. Smirking over his shoulder at Haruka, he added, “Wouldn’t it be nice if all our problems just went away on their own?”

Patronizing jackass, Haruka thought, even as warm affection flooded his chest. Goddamn, was this what being in love felt like? Going all soft and fuzzy, even when Suo did something downright annoying? How did anyone live like this?!

“Assuming they don’t just leave,” Suo went on, interrupting Haruka’s thoughts before he could get too distracted, “I believe the Ironskins will keep escalating until something works. Even the weakest animal will lash out when cornered, after all.”

Under his second branch, Suo wrote intimidation, extortion, and blackmail. “If they can’t beat us in a fair fight, they’ll turn to more underhanded tactics,” Suo said as he drew his neat characters on the board. “They’ll look for easier targets: people outside of Furin who can’t fight them off. Maybe they’ll even try to track down people we care about, like family and friends.”

“You can’t be serious.” Haruka shook his head. “You’re just makin’ stuff up to freak me out!”

Suo tapped the word blackmail. “From Nirei-kun’s research, we know this is how they’ve made their money before,” he said, smile fading. “Remember when we saved that pair of kids? They were threatening to keep the girl hostage until her brother could pay them back.”

Dammit, he was right about that. At the time, it seemed like an empty threat. They didn’t realize what a huge pain in the ass the Ironskins would become, in just a few short weeks. 

Suo set the chalk aside and faced Haruka again, brushing the dust from his hands. “Many of our classmates have loved ones outside of the school.” The implication landed heavily on Haruka’s shoulders. “If they were to get dragged into this…”

Haruka dragged a hand down his face, stifling a groan. If it got to that point, they were completely screwed. The upperclassmen would definitely step in as soon as it looked like any harm might come to the town, if not Umemiya himself. Then everyone would know Haruka and his team couldn’t handle this little gang of nobodies on their own. 

But that was just a worst-case scenario. Right now, he couldn’t imagine those Ironskin idiots were anywhere near kidnapping people’s families. They were dragging the class along in a wild goose chase for sure, but there was still time before things got that bad.

Right?

“So, your plan to stop all of that from happening,” Haruka waved a hand at Suo’s little diagram. “Is to sacrifice yourself before they can go after anyone else.”

Seeing the logic, he could almost understand it. If it was his own neck on the line, Haruka probably would have gone along with it despite his misgivings. But with Suo being the one at risk…

Suo tilted his head, tassels glinting in the red sunset glow. “That’s an interesting choice of words,” he said, bringing a hand to his chin. “I really don’t see it as a sacrifice at all. At least, not any more than usual.”

“Usual?” Haruka repeated. Temper sparking, he fought to keep it from becoming a flame. “You’re talking about letting them capture you!”

“All of us put our bodies on the line to protect this town,” Suo replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “That’s what it means to be part of Bofurin.”

What an insane way to think about it. Sure, they got beat up while fighting off the kind of punks that came to mess with Bofurin, but that didn’t mean they were sacrificing their bodies. They were just acting as a shield, taking the hits so no one else would get hurt…

Okay, maybe he kind of had a point.

Still, there was a world of difference between getting in a street brawl and jumping into shark-infested waters. From where Haruka stood, the latter was far more likely to end in tragedy.

Haruka shook his head, struggling to get his thoughts in order enough to argue. “It’s too dangerous,” was the best he could come up with. “You’re gonna get hurt. You’re already injured!”

“You mean this?” Suo raised a hand to his temple, where the bandage hidden under his hair betrayed his vulnerability. “It’s just a scratch.”

“That’s not the point,” Haruka snarled. The frustration burning in his belly began to catch, pumping heat through his body. He trembled with the effort it took to stay where he was, while his temper screamed at him to either lash out or run.

Open and honest, Haruka reminded himself, grinding his teeth. Figure this out, come on! He covered his face again, shoved the heels of his palms into his eyes, like that would help force down all these conflicting feelings. 

“You can’t get hurt,” he ground out through his hands. “You’re not supposed to get hurt.”

He couldn’t see Suo’s face, but heard him breathe a soft sigh. “I don’t know what kinds of strange rumors there are about me,” he said, steady and patient as always. “But I am a flesh-and-blood human, you know. I bruise and bleed, just like everyone else.”

That was the whole problem: Suo wasn’t just like everyone else. Haruka thought he was used to seeing his friends get hurt during a fight. If he saw someone like Tsugeura or Anzai take a hit, he could handle it. He could shoulder the pain and keep going, keep doing what he needed to do.

With Suo, he was back at square one. Just the thought of what those guys might do once they had him—

“Sakura-kun.”

Suo’s voice was suddenly much closer than he should have been. When Haruka lowered his hands, he found Suo just an arm’s length in front of him. Godammit, he didn’t even hear the bastard move. 

He studied Haruka, like a little amoeba under a microscope, that one dark eye searching for answers in Haruka’s very soul.

“What are you really afraid of?” Suo asked, low and quiet, the words hanging in the air between them.

Haruka’s breath stuttered. He was just too close, too direct. Every one of Haruka’s defenses crumbled under that watchful gaze of glittering red. Soon enough, he would have no secrets left.

He only managed to hold eye contact for a few seconds before Haruka wrenched his head to the side. “I know I’m bein’ stupid, alright?” His voice wavered pathetically, and he ached to reach out and close the distance between them. “I know I’m holding you back. I know I shouldn’t care this much!”

Suo, mercifully, leaned back just a bit as he took in Haruka’s admission. When Haruka dared to glance up, sympathy melted any lingering ice in his expression.

“A captain should care about his team,” he said, with such gentle understanding that Haruka almost couldn’t stand it. “But there’s a line between caring and becoming overprotective. You have to trust that every one of us will do what we need to, so you can focus on your own battles.”

“I know!” Haruka heard this speech so many times, from so many people. He couldn’t lose his cool just because his friends took a hit, he couldn’t get distracted, he had to trust them, trust them, trust them. “It’s just — If something happened to you—”

“Something might happen to me,” Suo cut him off. “I might meet my match, and I might go down in a fight.”

Haruka pushed both hands through his hair, tugging at black and white strands. “You can’t,” he choked on the words. “You can’t.”

“It’s a risk I accept every time I set foot on a battlefield.” Suo drew even closer, close enough to reach out and touch Haruka, but he didn’t. Arms behind his back again, it seemed like he was waiting for something. “It’s a risk we all accept. But we keep fighting anyway, because we all believe in Bofurin.” A small smile, genuine this time, pulled at his lips. “We believe in you, Sakura-kun.”

He hated the way Suo said his name like that. Like it was something precious, like Haruka really deserved his kindness. 

Suo was so patient with him. Even when they both knew Haruka was being an idiot, he still tried to understand. He always knew exactly what to say, when to push and when to back off. When to tease, and when to take Haruka’s hand and lead him back to that place of acceptance and sunlight.

Would he still look at Haruka like that if he knew the truth? If he knew how Haruka wanted to hold him tight and never let go?

Haruka shook his head, at a loss. Damn, why was it so hot in here? Why is Suo so close? He just kept standing there, well inside Haruka’s personal bubble. Watching.

“You… You don’t get it,” Haruka mumbled, eyes trained on the floor.

“Then please, help me understand,” Suo said, as if it was that easy.

“It’s different… When it’s you.”

“When it’s me?”

“When it’s you, and I think about you going down — If I ever lost you somehow, I—” Haruka’s voice cracked. He couldn’t put it into words; saying it out loud made it too real.

There was a long moment where Haruka could hear nothing but his own ragged breathing. Part of him wondered if Suo would just give up and leave. Nothing he said made any sense, after all. Maybe he would get sick of Haruka’s bullshit and walk out.

At long last, Suo whispered, “Look at me, Sakura-kun.”

It took every ounce of willpower in his body, but Haruka forced himself to look up and meet Suo’s eye again.

The sunset behind him dyed Suo’s hair into a blood-red halo. It cast his face into shadow, where he loomed over Haruka. No light reached that one eye, almost as black as his eyepatch in the darkness. An easy smile did nothing to soften his features, a jagged scar carved into a glacier. When he opened his mouth to speak, he sucked every bit of warmth out of the air around him.

“There is no power on this earth that could ever tear me away from your side.”

Every self-preservation instinct in Haruka’s head screamed at him to run, but the black hole of Suo’s gaze kept him frozen in place. He had no choice but to stand his ground, unflinching. 

Haruka swallowed hard, and retorted, “You just said you might go down.”

“Well, it’s not like I plan to lose, silly!” Suo laughed, and heat came rushing back into the room all at once. Whatever spell Suo cast over them dispelled, his smile friendly and innocent again. Toying with the end of one tassel earring, he added, “And anyway, even if I did get knocked down, I would just get back up again.”

What the hell was that? Haruka was sure he saw the face of the devil just now. Even if Suo was on his side, it should still terrify him. 

Instead, the knot that made itself at home in his chest for so long finally started to uncoil. None of the monsters waiting for them outside were even half as scary as the one right in front of him. Somehow, that came as a relief.

It all seemed so simple when Suo said it. Of course, of course he would just get back up again. If he ever fell, bruised and beaten and bleeding, Suo would get up and keep fighting. And he would probably make it look effortless, too.

When he thought of it that way, Haruka kind of wanted to see it for himself.

“Ugh, whatever,” Haruka grunted, fighting to hide the dopey little smile that threatened to give the game away. “If you ever get knocked out, I just have to beat the guy who beat you, right? Then I can help you up.”

Suo beamed at him. “That’s exactly right, Sakura-kun!”

God, this was confusing. Talking to Suo was such a pain in the ass, even at the best of times. The guy would spend all day making stupid jokes, and then suddenly say the most intensely embarrassing shit out of nowhere. Or, he’d be deathly serious one moment, and then laugh just to make Haruka’s chest go all tight and funny.

Why did no one ever tell him being in love was so goddamn embarrassing?

“Great, awesome.” Finally, Haruka could turn away from all that shimmering red and gold. Somehow, he managed to get through this talk without completely spilling his guts all over the floor. Now he could just make a hasty retreat, and figure out the other stuff on his own time. “Well, glad we cleared this up. Let’s head back and—”

“Sakura-kun,” Suo stopped him in his tracks. “I feel like there’s still something you want to say to me.”

Fuck. He was so close to getting away. “Uh, not really,” Haruka lied, badly.

“Hm, but it seems like you’re holding something back.” Suo slid back into his line of sight, tassels gleaming where they dangled over his shoulders. The look on his face as he blocked the door reminded Haruka of a hunter, finally cornering his prey.

Seeing how Haruka backed off, his grin grew wider. “You said it’s different when it’s me, didn’t you?” he asked, closing in further. “What did you mean by that? Why do I get our captain’s special attention?”

“Y-You’re too close—” Haruka tried to side-step and put some distance between them, but tripped on a broken old desk. He stumbled back against the wall, where Suo crowded into his space. 

“Is there a particular reason I shouldn’t get close to you?” Suo leaned down, so he could look up at Haruka through dark lashes. 

The more he pressed, the harder it was for Haruka to ignore the way his heart bashed against the cage of his ribs. Any coherent thoughts slipped right through his fingers, obliterated by the heat of that wine-red eye just inches away from him. Haruka’s gaze kept flicking down, down to Suo’s lips, his sly little smirk.

“Sa-ku-ra-kun,” honey dripped off each syllable of his name when Suo said it. “If you’re going to keep looking at me like that, you’d better follow through.”

What the hell did Suo expect him to do, after saying something like that? Fuck it, if he wanted to play stupid games, he could deal with the consequences.

He grabbed Suo by the shoulders and swung him around, swiftly reversing their positions. Suo made a small sound of surprise when his back hit the wall, but Haruka didn’t give him time to recover. The slippery bastard could squirm away in an instant if he really wanted to, so Haruka had to seize this opening. He held his breath, plunged his head underwater, and pressed his lips firmly against Suo’s.

Haruka had no idea what he was doing, and he probably sucked at kissing, but none of that mattered anymore. Any doubts or anxieties — or any thoughts at all, really — fled his mind as soon as Suo relaxed into him. His hands reached up to cup Haruka’s face, slender fingers cool against heated cheeks. With those hands he carefully guided Haruka to tilt his head so their lips could better slot together, locking like two puzzle pieces, and Haruka decided he could die happy right there.

After a few seconds — or maybe years, Haruka wasn’t really sure how time worked anymore — Haruka finally pulled back for air. It occurred to him that Suo could probably feel his heart pounding in his chest and shoved him away on impulse, holding the other boy at arm’s length while he caught his breath.

Even so, Suo watched him with a mix of affection and hunger that raised goosebumps along Haruka’s arms. His lips, glistening and pink in the dim light, curled into that familiar feline grin.

“Finally,” he breathed, eye dark with satisfaction. “I thought you’d keep me waiting forever.”

Haruka was sure he blushed from the tips of his ears all the way down to his toes. “You — You asshole,” was all he could think to say. Of course Suo knew. Haruka was an open book to him, and Suo could pick any page he wanted. “You just like to watch me suffer, don’t you?”

“What an awful accusation!” Suo clutched a hand to his chest, feigning offense. “I just didn’t want to rush you into anything. Is that so wrong?”

That innocent facade broke when he swiped his tongue over his lower lip. A quick flash of pink, before it retreated back behind his teeth.

Haruka’s brain stalled out, fixated on where that tongue just disappeared. What were they talking about?

“Just shut up and kiss me again,” he said, before he could think better of it.

Suo’s eye flashed in the dim light. “With pleasure.”

He snaked a hand into Haruka’s messy hair. Deft fingers dug into his scalp, forcing him to close the distance between them again.

Haruka kind of expected Suo to kiss the way he fought. Graceful, effortless, a balanced give-and-take. Of course there was power behind each strike, but it was all carefully calculated. Not a single movement wasted, not a hair out of place. Suo dispatched Furin’s enemies with perfect efficiency.

He could not have been more wrong.

Suo was demanding, ruthless, and selfish . He kept one hand tangled in Haruka’s hair and the other locked around his waist, holding Haruka exactly where he wanted him. When he wanted more, he pressed his tongue against Haruka’s lips, and didn’t let up until he parted with a gasp. Suo devoured the sound, diving into Haruka’s mouth like a man dying of starvation. 

And fuck, his tongue was actually inside Haruka’s mouth, swirling over his own and claiming every part of him he could reach. Haruka’s head spun and his knees trembled, threatening to give out. Maybe Suo noticed, because his grip around Haruka’s waist pulled tighter, fingers twisted into the fabric of his jacket.

Holy shit, Haruka thought, as Suo sank his teeth into his lower lip and pulled. An involuntary whimper escaped him, and he felt Suo shiver. I’m gonna fucking die.

“You made me so worried, Sakura-kun,” Suo sighed into his mouth, breathless like Haruka had never heard before. “I thought I’d never get to have you all to myself.”

There was almost so much he could take, before falling apart. Haruka’s knees finally buckled, and pulled Suo with him when he crashed down on his ass. He caught a brief glimpse of shock on Suo’s face, before the other boy’s full weight landed on top of him and punched the air right out of his lungs. Haruka wheezed, head spinning, back pressed flat against the grimy old floor tiles.

He expected Suo to get up and let him catch his breath. Again, he was proven wrong, as Suo grabbed his face with both hands and a wild look in his eye. He straddled Haruka, pinning him in place with his body, and crushed their lips together again. There was no finesse this time, just pure desperation.

As much as Haruka wanted to melt into a puddle and let Suo do whatever he wanted, the fall knocked a bit of sense into him. A dusty old classroom, where anyone could stroll right in and catch them, wasn’t exactly the best place for… Whatever they were doing right now.

He jerked his head to the side enough to break the kiss and panted, “S-Suo, wait—”

“Sakura-kun,” Suo moaned, actually moaned his name, and Haruka was going to fucking burst into flames . Especially when Suo turned his head further and pressed his lips to the side of Haruka’s neck, breath hot against his skin.

Haruka mustered up every bit of strength left in his body and shoved at Suo's chest. He ignored the confusion twisting Suo’s features long enough to say, “W-We’re still at school! What if someone finds us like this?!”

Suo stared down at him like he suddenly couldn’t understand Japanese. Then he blinked, and his eye cleared. 

“Oh,” he said. After a beat, he sat back and slid off Haruka’s lap. “Right. Sorry.” Shame crept into Suo’s expression, brow pinched and eye downcast.

Haruka pushed himself upright, even as his head still sloshed like he just pulled it out of deep water. Some insane part of him wondered if his liquified brain would slide right out of his ears when he moved.

“You alright?” was about all he could manage.

“Yes,” Suo said quickly. He pressed the back of his hand against his mouth, wiping away the mess of saliva. “If I went too far, then—”

“Don't even start,” Haruka waved off those concerns. He didn’t like the way Suo refused to look at him now. Did he actually think Haruka was upset about anything that just happened? 

Geez, he’s such a handful. Haruka sighed, fighting to piece himself back together. “Y’know,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “If we weren’t at school, I’d’ve let you keep going.”

That got Suo’s eye to snap to him, and he inhaled a sharp breath. He let it out again in a strained laugh. “You shouldn’t tease me like that, Sakura-kun. It's not nice.”

“You’re the last person who gets to complain about that!” Haruka shouted, jabbing him with an accusatory finger. “Do you even know what you do to me every goddamn day?!”

Suo blinked innocently. “What do I do to you, Sakura-kun?”

As if he doesn't know. “Ugh,” Haruka groaned, clambering to his feet again. “You’re a real demon, you know that?”

“Is that how you talk to someone who just kissed you so good your legs gave out?” Suo picked himself up as well, brushing dust from his loose pants.

For the first time Haruka could remember, Suo actually looked disheveled. His jacket hung off one shoulder, revealing more of his rumpled changshan. There were wrinkles in the white silk from where Haruka pushed and pulled at him. Flyaway hairs stood up from his head, bright red where the light shone through. Even his eyepatch sat slightly askew, enough to give Haruka just a glimpse of white scar tissue.

Haruka was careful to avert his eyes. In fact, he was having trouble looking directly at Suo at all, with the way he glowed with satisfaction. Not for the first time, Haruka imagined a purring cat, claws sunk deep into a helpless rodent.

“Sh-Shut up.” Haruka turned his back, sinking into the collar of his jacket to hide his burning cheeks. “And pull yourself together, man. People are gonna get the wrong idea if they see you lookin’ like that.”

“Well, God forbid anyone get the wrong idea ,” Suo chuckled. From the corner of his eye, Haruka watched him pat down his hair and smooth out his shirt. 

Haruka chewed his lip while Suo got his shit together. He could still taste the other boy on his tongue, a lingering sweetness that made his legs tremble if he thought about it too much. What the hell are we doing right now? Suo played it cool, but Haruka could feel that eye on the back of his neck like a sunburn.

Somehow, Haruka worked up the courage to stammer out, “H-Hey… Are we, like, b-boyfriends now?” He rushed through the word; it felt strange on his tongue. 

Suo paused behind him. When Haruka finally looked back, he had his hip propped against an old desk, ankles crossed and arms folded over his now-pristine changshan. 

“Is that what you want us to be, Sakura-kun?” he asked, head tilted so his tassel earring spilled over one shoulder.

Can you just give me a straight answer for once?! Haruka screamed internally. He would have thought Suo was just torturing him, trying to see how red Haruka’s face could get before he exploded. But Suo had that perfectly blank expression again, and Haruka wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

“I mean,” Haruka said, with difficulty. “Isn’t that — Aren’t people who do this stuff, usually. Y’know.” Goddamn, suddenly he couldn’t even get a full sentence out. Kissing Suo gave him fucking brain damage or something.

Thankfully, Suo understood his gibberish. “Not necessarily,” he said with a shrug, like he couldn’t care less either way. But Suo was usually better at hiding; Haruka could see the way his fingers dug into his own sleeves. “I would never make you commit to something you’re not sure about. If you’d rather just forget about this—”

“No!” Haruka surprised himself with the volume of his own voice. “No, I want this, I want—” His throat closed around the last word. Protecting himself from giving too much away.

It was far too late for that. The blank look on Suo’s face shifted into something heated. “I would love to hear the end of that sentence, Sakura-kun,” he purred.

Haruka made a frustrated noise in his throat and covered his burning face again. I love you, he couldn’t bring himself to say, no matter how deeply Suo’s eye cut into him. Surely he didn’t have to say it — Surely Suo could see through him, right down to all his deepest, darkest thoughts. There was no way he didn’t already know.

Instead, his mind latched onto something he could handle. “You said,” he started, swallowed hard, and continued, “You said nothing could tear you away from me.”

Suo inhaled slowly. “I did,” he said. “And I meant it.”

“Good.” Haruka found his voice growing stronger as he went on,“‘Cause I’m gonna make you keep that promise.”

When he peeked through his fingers, he found Suo wide-eyed and hopeful. Despite all that bravado from earlier, when the mask slipped he was just as afraid as Haruka. Just a boy, a human being of flesh and blood, building walls to protect his heart.

Haruka just had to be the one to tear them down. 

This time, Haruka took the first step forward. He pried Suo’s hands from where they gripped his sleeves and laced their fingers together instead. “You’d better be ready to stay right by my side forever,” he murmured, leaning forward to press his forehead against Suo’s. “You’re stuck with me now. I’m never gonna let you go.”

Suo searched for something in his eyes, molten red darting between silver and gold. Haruka didn’t know what he was looking for, but he stared right back with all the conviction he could muster.

Finally Suo exhaled a shaky breath, and dropped his head onto Haruka’s shoulder. “By your side forever,” he whispered into the collar of Haruka’s jacket. “That sounds perfect.”

“Yeah?” Haruka grinned, ignoring the way his ears burned.

“Yeah.” Suo pulled back, and Haruka finally got a look at the dusting of pink over his cheeks.

Something in his brain popped. Was he the first person to ever see Suo blush? He really hoped he was.

Suo squeezed his hands, bringing him back down from cloud nine. “So,” he said, suddenly all business, despite their close proximity. “Is it safe to assume you’ll let me leave the school now?”

Haruka choked a little, but Suo didn’t look angry anymore. Amused, perhaps, watching Haruka squirm.

“Shit — Yeah, of course.” Haruka tilted his head back with a groan. “Man, I’ve been a real jerk lately, huh?”

Gentle laughter, sweet like honey and bright as the sun, kept Haruka from sinking back into his guilt. “It’s alright. I’ll be more careful from now on, so you don’t have to worry so much.”

Then he leaned down, tassel trailing over Haruka’s shoulder, lips brushing the shell of Haruka’s ear. “And if you’d really like to make it up to me,” Suo whispered, each word hot against Haruka’s flushed skin, “I can think of a few ways to do that.

“Afterward, I’d appreciate it if we could revisit a plan to trap those pesky sharks,” he went on, while Haruka boiled alive under his own skin. “It’s only fair, don’t you think?” With a quick peck on Haruka’s cheek, he finally moved back to let him breathe again.

The absolute nerve of this guy to schedule another strategy meeting now of all times. Suo flipped so easily between teasing and casual, and it was driving Haruka out of his damn mind. 

“Sure, whatever you say…” Haruka said vaguely, swaying on his feet again.

Smirking, Suo tugged on his hands, and Haruka stumbled along after him, too dazed to resist. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Wh-Where’re we goin’?” Haruka slurred, fighting to keep his wits about him.

The look Suo shot him was all heat and honey. Red and gold. “Somewhere you can make it up to me, of course.”

He’s gonna be the death of me. Haruka very nearly tripped from the way Suo yanked on him. Or maybe it was because someone replaced his legs with jelly. One last thing caught his eye before Suo could shove him out the door though, and he dodged impatient hands to reach for Suo’s jacket again.

Haruka licked his thumb to wet it, and rubbed out a smudge of chalk on Suo’s collar. “You missed a spot, idiot,” he grumbled, pulling back once he was sure Suo was all clean again.

Suo stared at him for a long moment, mouth open slightly, pupil so dilated his eye was almost back. A little shudder went through him, and he laughed helplessly. 

“Oh dear, to think Sakura-kun had to see me so out-of-sorts!” He straightened out his collar, and gave himself another quick once-over. “I’m so embarrassed, how will I ever earn your respect again?”

“You’re so dramatic,” Haruka said, rolling his eyes. Once Suo seemed satisfied with how he looked, Haruka kicked the door open and led the way out. “C’mon, it’s gettin’ late and I wanna go home.”

Naturally, Suo took his place at Haruka’s side. Back straight, hands clasped behind him, and not a hair out of place. “Lead the way, my captain,” he said, grinning like the happiest man in the world.

Well, Haruka would just have to fight him for that title.

Chapter Text

“I hate this.”

“We know, Sakura-chan,” Kiryu said, without looking up from the map on his phone. “We heard you the first thirty times.”

And they’d hear it another hundred times, if Haruka had to wait much longer. They were already three hours into this mission, and so far had dick-shit to show for it. Three hours baking in the hot sun, watching Suo take a nice stroll around town like he didn’t have a care in the world. Three hours of following him around like a bunch of stalkers, while Suo chatted with the locals and stopped to smell the flowers.

Three whole goddamn hours, and those useless Ironskins had yet to show their ugly faces.

Haruka was absolutely at the end of his rope. Ever since they first set out this morning, he’d been ready to vibrate out of his own skin with nerves. They put two weeks of planning into this, thought of everything that could possibly go wrong, assured Haruka up and down that it would all work out.

They just didn’t account for what to do if their targets didn’t even show up.

Haruka checked the time on his phone again, and scowled when he saw only a minute had passed. This crazy plan needed to pop off, like, now.

“I hate this,” he repeated, emphatically.

Sighing, Nirei shot him a glance around the bulky binoculars he grasped with both hands. “Just be patient, Sakura-san. We knew this wouldn’t be easy!”

Easy was one thing. Sitting around sweating his ass off wasn’t exactly difficult, after all. It was the waiting that made Haruka want to claw his own face off.

He eyed the binoculars, wondering if he could convince Nirei to hand them over again. They were part of a compromise with Suo; an easy way to watch out for him, while keeping carefully hidden.

“It’s better if you all stay out of sight and follow at a distance,” Suo said, during one of their earliest strategy meetings. “Less of a chance that they’ll spot you.”

Haruka shut that shit down right away. If he couldn’t have eyes on Suo the whole time, visual proof that he was okay, then they weren’t doing this at all.

Nirei had jumped up from his seat, before Haruka could get too heated in their argument. “Wait, I think I have just the thing!” he said, and dashed out of the room. Taking all his notes with him of course, so that was pretty much the end of that meeting.

The next day, he showed up with some kind of crazy secret-agent contraption that he claimed were binoculars. They had all sorts of little knobs and widgets, which Nirei did his best to explain.

“Okay, so this one swaps between lenses,” Nirei pointed to one of the knobs, oblivious to the slack-jawed confusion on Haruka’s face. “There’s a whole bunch of them, and finding the right setting is a little finicky, but you can get 100-times magnification once you figure it out!”  

Suo leaned over the desk between them, brow furrowed, but still nodding along like he understood Nirei’s babbling. Hopefully that meant he was willing to work them into the plan, somehow.

“This dial here is for focus, and this one is supposed to help with stabilization,” Nirei went on, grinning like a little kid with a new toy. “And this last one—” He held the binoculars up to his face, and flipped down a lever on the side. “Is for night vision! How cool is that?!”

“If we end up needing that setting, something’s gone terribly wrong,” Suo said, with a thin chuckle.

Haruka didn’t have the slightest idea about the binocular market, but the more Nirei talked, the more nervous he got. “Jesus Nirei, how much did those cost?” he asked with a grimace. If he bought them for this mission, it was only fair for Haruka to chip in…

“Oh, I’m actually borrowing them from my great-aunt.” Nirei waved away Haruka’s fears. “She’s really into bird watching. As long as we return them in one piece, it’s all good!”

So they went out to test the things, and Haruka had to admit, they were pretty damn cool. Once Nirei did the hard work of getting all the settings just right, it felt like Haruka could see for miles. When Suo crossed to the other side of the school courtyard, Haruka could practically count his eyelashes from a hundred yards away.

Smiling mischievously, Suo cupped a hand around his mouth and called out, “See something you like, Sakura-kun?”

Haruka shoved the binoculars back into Nirei’s arms, face redder than Umemiya’s tomatoes. 

Nirei glanced between the two of them as Suo ambled back over. “Um, I’ve been meaning to ask…” He trailed off, swallowed hard. “You two are okay now, r-right? You’re not fighting anymore?”

“We never fought,” Haruka said, trying not to sound too disappointed about it. Suo still refused to spar with him, even now that they were… Together, or whatever.

“I-I mean, you talked things out and you’re friends again, yeah?” Nirei stared up at them with those big, watery brown eyes.

Suo gave him a reassuring smile. “Of course we’re friends, Nirei-kun.” He tilted his head toward Haruka, and his eye took on a sly gleam. “Actually, Sakura-kun and I are engaged now!”

Nirei gasped, already scrambling to pull out his notebook, while Haruka shrieked, “What the fuck are you talking about?!”

“You said you wanted me by your side forever!” Suo pressed a hand over his heart, suddenly shy and demure. “It was quite the touching proposal, really.”

“You— You know that’s not what I meant, asshole—!”

Nirei said nothing, just kept scribbling in that little notebook of his, while Haruka tried to catch Suo and wring his neck.

Haruka was unlikely to get binocular privileges again. He wasn’t allowed to hold the fancy ones at all anymore, after he squeezed them too hard in frustration, and left the metal casing a little dented.

As if it was his fault the manufacturer couldn’t build them with stronger steel, instead of fucking night vision.

Nirei and Tsugeura were on watch duty, though Tsugeura only had a pair of ordinary binoculars they found at a shop in town. Haruka just had to make do with squinting through the haze of heat rising off the asphalt. Even without all that spy stuff, he could make out Suo with his hands clasped behind his back. Golden tassels swayed like the pendulum of a clock as he walked.

Someone’s phone dinged, and Nirei’s head whipped around. “Hey, who forgot to silence their phone?!” He glared at each of their classmates in turn, unrelenting, until someone murmured an apology.

“Guys, don’t put random stuff in the chat,” Kiryu sighed. “We’re on an important mission, y’know?”

“Sakura’s about to lose it,” Anzai, the likely culprit behind random stuff in the chat, snickered. “Isn’t that important enough to tell him?”

Any other day, Haruka would have clobbered him for fooling around. All he could do right now was grind his teeth, and hope this would be over soon.

“Don’t distract him!” Nirei scolded, pressing the binoculars to his eyes again. “Suo-san has the hardest job right now, so he needs to focus!”

Following Suo and watching for trouble was one thing, but Haruka had insisted they needed a way to communicate. If things went sideways, they had to be able to tell Suo to get out.

“We can establish some hand signals,” Suo suggested. “With the binoculars, you should be able to see if I signal for backup.”

“What if we need to talk to you, huh?” Haruka wasn’t great at seeing every possible problem, but he could still think of a few reasons they might need to get a message to Suo. “Won’t it look weird if you keep checking your phone?”

Kiryu was the one who came up with a solution this time. He produced a pair of small, skin-toned earbuds that could apparently connect to Suo’s phone. Haruka didn’t really understand how it all worked — something about blue-teeth and text-speech — but Kiryu said they could read any messages directly into Suo’s ear.

It sounded too good to be true. Seeing Haruka’s skepticism, they connected the earbuds to Haruka’s phone first to test it. Kiryu set everything up for him, then sent the word test in the class’s group chat.

Half a second later, a little robotic voice said, “Message from Kiryu: Test,” right in Haruka’s ear.

Haruka must have jumped three feet in the air, hissing like a startled cat while Kiryu and Suo laughed at him. Before Haruka could tear them both limb from limb, the robot voice said again, “Message from Suo: You’re so cute, Sakura-kun, heart.”

Red enough to overheat, Haruka ripped the earbuds out and chucked them at Suo’s stupid smiling face.

“Don’t you want me to whisper sweet nothings in your ear?” Suo asked, unable to hide his delight at seeing Haruka’s flustered face.

“You’re a menace,” Haruka growled. “And these are supposed to be for you!”

Kiryu watched them bicker, as a realization dawned on his face. When Haruka went to give him a piece of his mind too, Kiryu had this knowing smile that made Haruka’s face burn hotter.

Suo got them back on track, though he wasn’t too thrilled about actually wearing the earbuds. “If they spot this, they’ll know we’re up to something,” he said, even as he popped one into his left ear.

“They’re just normal wireless earbuds.” Kiryu shrugged, loose sleeves swaying off the ends of his fingers. “If they notice, tell them you were listening to music or something.”

Even with the binoculars, the little plastic bud was impossible to notice if you weren’t looking for it. Suo only took one of them with him, to avoid blocking his hearing too much, and it was well hidden. With the naked eye, Haruka couldn’t see it at all.

Another five minutes dragged by at a snail’s pace. Haruka’s fidgeting had started to spread to the rest of the class, with several of the guys murmuring to each other anxiously. Even Kiryu looked antsy, attention split between his phone and Suo, mouth pulled down in an uncharacteristic frown.

“Maybe we should call it and try again tomorrow,” Kiryu said at last. He pulled up the chat, typing out the first half of a message. “Suo-chan must be getting tired too—”

Tsugeura waved a hand urgently. “No, wait!” Breathless with excitement, he pointed off in Suo’s direction. “I think I see them!”

In a flash, Haruka ripped the cheap binoculars out of his hands. “Where?!” he demanded, looking around frantically.

“Ah, there they are!” Nirei twisted one of the knobs on his spy gadget. “Tell Suo-san they’re at 7 o’clock, heading his way.”

“On it,” Kiryu chirped.

“What the hell does that mean? It’s like 4:30!” Haruka still couldn’t find the assholes. How did Tsugeura see them without all the extra zoom lenses, or whatever?

Apparently, Suo understood the message. He didn’t turn his head, but Haruka saw him extend one finger behind his back. One of the many signals they agreed on; one finger for yes, two for no.

A moment later, movement caught Haruka’s eye. Emerging from one of the quiet side streets, a group of men in gray hoodies approached Suo from behind. They each wore the red leather wristbands over their sleeves, stamped with the shark that symbolized the Ironskins. There were five in total, with two carrying what looked like wooden baseball bats. 

Haruka’s whole body tensed, instincts screaming at him to stop them before they could reach Suo. He can do this, he reminded himself. His grip around the binoculars tightened, until the plastic creaked in protest. Trust the plan.

The group moved slowly, under the impression that they could sneak up on Suo. Even without the warning, Suo probably would have noticed them coming. They all wore heavy boots that scraped along the ground, impossible to muffle. Two even had tacky gold chains around their neck that jingled with every step. 

Not exactly the stealthiest bunch, these Ironskins. Suo would probably laugh in their faces, if he wasn’t pretending to be deaf to the danger.

The tallest of the group raised his bat once they were close enough, and aimed right for Suo’s head. Haruka flinched, in spite of himself, but the impact never came. In the blink of an eye, Suo sidestepped out of the way. He gave the man a little push as he swung through nothing, causing him to over-balance and stumble a few steps. When he turned around again, brandishing the bat, he found Suo smiling innocently.

Kiryu giggled under his breath. “Suo-chan’s so cheeky.”

Already having too much fun, Haruka thought with a snort. “Come on, we gotta move.”

While Suo had the enemy’s attention, the rest of their class split into three smaller groups. Nirei and Kiryu’s groups went around to flank from the sides, while Haruka led his squad up the middle. They picked a new spot about thirty feet behind Suo and the Ironskins, where they could leap into action if something went wrong.

“Urgh, this sneaky stuff feels so wrong,” Tsugeura groaned.

“Don’t worry, big guy.” Anzai gave him a pat on the back. “I’m sure you’ll get to suplex someone when we find their base.”

Haruka shot them a warning glare, and they both zipped their lips. 

Not that it made much difference; he still couldn’t make out what Suo or the Ironskins were saying. Suo kept them talking while everyone moved into position, presumably putting his powers of persuasion to good use. The thugs surrounding Suo looked uncertain now, glancing at each other while Suo addressed the one who just tried to knock his head off.

Haruka checked his phone, where both Kiryu and Nirei sent confirmation that their teams were in position. Behind him, Anzai tapped out a message as well, letting Suo know they were ready for the next phase of the plan.

Whatever Suo said then made a crooked smirk spread over the tall guy’s face. He reeled back an arm, and drove his fist into Suo’s stomach. Suo staggered, coughing loud enough to echo down the street, but didn’t fall.

It took no fewer than four people to hold Haruka back. Tsugeura grabbed him around the middle before he could lunge forward. Anzai pulled one of his arms behind his back, while two other guys latched onto his legs.

“Sakura, you gotta relax!” Tsugeura hissed in his ear, while Haruka struggled in his grip. “Look, he’s fine!”

The haze of fury cleared enough for Haruka to make out Suo’s hands, still held behind his back where only they could see. His forefinger and thumb formed into a circle, the signal for I’m okay. After a moment, he curled his hand into a fist, thumb tucked. Hold positions.

A growl rumbled in Haruka’s throat. The second Anzai’s grip on his arm slackened, he pulled out his phone again. Stabbing each character on the keyboard, he typed out, That’s one.

Sometimes, when the weather wasn’t too bad, they held their meetings on the roof. Whenever they got stuck on some aspect of the plan, it helped to get a change of scenery. Nirei carried their stacks of notes up the stairs, all the notebooks he already filled, and spread everything out on the picnic table.

Umemiya was happy to give them the space, puttering around his garden while they worked. Occasionally he’d lean over Haruka’s shoulder, bright eyes sweeping over their plans, and nod approvingly. Once or twice he offered advice, though he was mostly determined to let the first-years figure this out themselves.

“I get that you gotta pretend to be helpless or whatever,” Haruka said during one of these meetings, tapping at a page of Nirei’s notes. “But what if they refuse to take you to their leader?”

“Well, the whole plan falls apart if I can’t convince them.” Suo steepled his fingers under his chin and batted his eye at Haruka across the table. “You don’t think I can do it?”

“We need to plan for everything,” Haruka bit back. “If they only want to kick the shit out of you, I’m not gonna sit on the sidelines and watch!”

Suo chuckled, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t just take a beating without defending myself.”

Scowling at him, Haruka had to look away to keep from getting distracted by how his tassels swayed and glinted in the light. “Yeah, but you’ll take a punch to the face and try to say it’s not that bad,” he grumbled.

Suo just laughed, but didn’t try to argue with that. “Alright, let’s agree on a limit, then. How about, you can come to my rescue if they land five good hits?”

“Fuck that! I’ll kill them if they hit you once!”

“Be reasonable, Sakura-kun—”

“How about three?” Umemiya interrupted, materializing right behind Haruka without a sound. Goddamn — how did such a big guy move around so quietly?

He grinned down at the two of them, and swung his gardening spade through the air like a baseball bat. “Three strikes, yerrrr out!”

Haruka rolled his eyes. Honestly, their leader was like a little kid sometimes. “Fine, three,” he conceded. “But I get to decide what counts, not you!”

Lips pressed into a thin smile, Suo remained reluctant to give up that much control. He had already made a lot of compromises just to get the plan to this point. Haruka understood his frustration, but this was something he refused to budge on. They needed a plan in case of failure, no matter how unlikely it seemed.

Umemiya circled around to the other side of the table and dropped a comforting hand on Suo’s shoulder. “It’s hard to put your fate in someone else’s hands,” he said, looking between Suo and Haruka with nothing but pride. “But as long as you trust each other, I know you’ll pull this off.”

Heat rose on Haruka’s cheeks. He started to tell Umemiya to buzz off, but stopped when he caught the look on Suo’s face. Suo’s eye had gone wide, and he ducked his head to avoid Umemiya’s gaze. In the second before he blanked out his expression again, Haruka thought he looked embarrassed.

Wow. So even Suo wasn’t immune to Umemiya’s brotherly charms.

“Very well, three strikes it is.” Suo quickly rifled through the jumble of papers in front of him, until he found a spot to jot down the new rule. “I leave myself in your care, Sakura-kun.”

Haruka’s message went through, and Suo held out one finger behind his back again. Understood, Sakura-kun.

The tall guy waved to his cronies, and two of them grabbed Suo by the shoulders. They shoved him forward, while the last two took up guard positions, as if escorting a dangerous prisoner. Even with their eyes on him, Suo beckoned behind his back for Haruka and the class to follow.

Haruka half expected the whole mission to fall apart right here. Surely, with five enemies on high alert, they would spot thirty Bofurin students following them. Even with all the care they took to split up and remain hidden, there was no way the Ironskins could be that oblivious.

He shouldn’t have overestimated them. The thugs were too focused on watching Suo to notice the gaggle of teenagers trailing after them. Everything went exactly the way Suo predicted, and Haruka had to admit that maybe this whole thing wasn’t as insane as he first thought.

The Ironskins led them toward the river at the edge of Bofurin’s territory. They went over the middle bridge, which was a real pain in the ass for everyone trying to follow in secret. There weren’t a lot of places to stay out of sight on the wide open bridge. Haruka had to coordinate with Nirei and Kiryu’s teams, hanging back until Suo and the Ironskins were out of sight before they crossed.

Blood rushed in his ears during those few minutes he didn’t have eyes on Suo. If they took an unexpected turn before Haruka caught up, they’d have to find him with the location tracker on Suo’s phone. Haruka couldn’t make heads or tails of the GPS thingy, so they’d lose more precious time while Kiryu tracked them down again.

Luckily, Haruka found the group straight ahead as soon as they were over the bridge. They entered a pretty run-down part of town, littered with crumbling buildings and broken old furniture. Haruka had to vault over an old refrigerator in the middle of the road just to keep up. In the chat, Nirei mentioned that people sometimes used this neighborhood to throw away stuff that they were too lazy to bring to a proper garbage dump. It was home to a lot of pretty rough types, suspicious eyes following the Furin students from the shadows.

The Ironskins stopped outside a decrepit apartment building, all grungy old bricks and broken, boarded windows. The front door had several planks of wood nailed across it as well, so they shoved Suo toward an alleyway that ran alongside the building. Suo hesitated, and turned to say something to the tall guy, grinning brightly despite the dingy surroundings.

Whatever he said didn’t go over well, because one of the other guys kicked him from behind with a heavy-soled boot. Suo almost lost his balance this time — or, at least that’s how he played it up — stumbling toward the alley as his smile slipped. 

Grinding his teeth, Haruka fired off the message, Two. Quit runnin’ your mouth.

Just before vanishing into the alley, Suo held out his hand with a sign that Haruka specifically rejected. His forefinger and thumb pressed together, in what was supposed to look like a little heart.

“What’s that signal mean?” Tsugeura asked, cupping his hand around his mouth so only Haruka would hear.

Face burning, Haruka shoved his phone back into his pocket. “It means he’s a jackass.” This was so not the time for Suo’s stupid jokes. They had a job to do. “Tell the others to spread out and look for other ways into the building.”

This was, in Haruka’s opinion, the worst part of the plan. Once Suo confirmed this was the right place, they would rush in to finally corner the Ironskins. In the meantime, for just these few moments, Suo was completely on his own, and Haruka was blind. All he could do was cling to the belief that Suo knew what he was doing.

“How will you give us the go-ahead?” Nirei was the one to ask. He chewed on his pen as he reviewed their notes, the scribbled pages now pinned to the chalkboard. “If they take you somewhere we can’t see, all those hand signals will be useless.”

Suo thought for a moment, touching finger to his chin. “I could just send a quick message. I’m pretty good at texting without looking.”

“You really think they won’t notice you on your phone?” Haruka said, flatly. He had definitely noticed Suo active in the group-chat while his phone was nowhere in sight before, but this seemed like a stretch.

The next day, Tsugeura was the one to show up with some crazy contraption. He came to school with some kind of robot dog action figure, about the size of an actual chihuahua.

“Ta-da!” He held it out triumphantly, to a very unimpressed Haruka and Suo.

He explained that it was an old toy one of his cousins still had kicking around: a remote-controlled dog that could move and bark on command. To demonstrate, he turned it on and pressed a button on the little black remote. A series of recorded dog barks from an old crackling speaker echoed through the classroom.

“If we can get out the part that makes noises, then all Suo has to do is hit a button to sound the alarm!” Tsugeura finished, grinning like he just won a gold medal at the olympics.

Kiryu covered his mouth, stifling a giggle. “Wait,” he said, voice muffled by his sleeve. “That’s actually kind of brilliant.”

Only a few minutes later, the poor robot lay in pieces on Kiryu’s desk. He and Nirei dismantled it without issue, and extracted the little battery-powered speaker. It still worked even without the rest of the toy around it, yapping excitedly when Nirei pressed the button again. 

They spent the rest of the day testing the limits of it, making sure the remote’s signal could go through walls and cover a decent distance. Satisfied that it would suit their purposes, they only needed a way for Suo to keep it readily accessible.

“This is so stupid,” Haruka said.

“I think it’s fun,” Suo retorted. “It’s just like a spy movie!”

He sat across from Kiryu with his sleeve rolled up, while Kiryu tried to fasten the remote to his wrist with some spare hair-ties. Once it was reasonably secure, Suo extended a finger-gun toward Haruka.

“What do you think, Sakura-kun? Would I make a good James Bond?” He mimed pulling the trigger with a pow sound effect.

Affection outweighed Haruka’s exasperation for a moment. What’s he gotta be so damn cute for? Of course, he’d never hear the end of it if he admitted he found Suo’s antics cute. Haruka would just have to take that secret to his grave.

“This isn’t supposed to be fun, dumbass! This is serious!”

“Aw, but don’t you want to be my Bond Girl?”

“What the hell are you even talking about—!”

The remote slipped from its makeshift bindings around Suo’s wrist, and clattered to the ground.

Nirei snatched it up and checked that the batteries hadn’t come loose. “Yeah, we'll definitely need something more stable—”

Tsugeura’s booming laugh cut him off. When Haruka went to ask what was so damn funny, he pulled both Haruka and Suo into a crushing bear-hug. “You guys are getting along real well these days, huh?” he said, beaming down at them.

Haruka wanted to explode, but the physical contact was almost worth it for the way Suo grimaced and begged, “Personal space, please, Tsugeura-kun,” in a strained little voice. A taste of his own medicine, perhaps.

Haruka motioned for Nirei’s group to try the front of the building, while Kiryu’s went around back. Sugishita trailed after Nirei, so he could rip the boards off the front door if they needed another way in. Kiryu confirmed in the chat that there was an entrance at the back as well, and a little finesse with a bobby pin had it unlocked.

While they each found their own ways in, Haruka’s team hunkered down just outside the door Suo disappeared through. It was some sort of service entrance, likely for deliveries or maintenance back when the building was operational. Now it sat slightly ajar, carelessly left open by the last idiot to walk through.

Raised voices echoed from inside, spilling out into the alley where Bofurin lay in wait. Haruka could just barely make out gruff laughter, jeers. He could only imagine what kind of insults they might spit at Suo, believing he was their helpless captive. Suo had the patience of a saint to get this far without blowing his lid. It was painfully clear now that Haruka never could have been the main character of this plan.

A hush fell over them, as even the voices from inside fell silent. Haruka craned his neck, pressing his ear to the cracked door, but couldn’t make anything out. Shit — Haruka’s mind and heart kicked into overdrive as he was rendered effectively deaf and blind.

What was going on within those walls? Was this really the Ironskins’ base? Was their leader even here?

Will Suo be okay?

The silence stretched for one, two, three terrible heartbeats.

Then Haruka’s pocket started barking.

He kicked the door open so hard it bounced off the wall with a loud bang. Haruka charged into the building, racing down the short maintenance hallway until he came to a wide open space that once served as the apartement’s lobby.

Some of the walls had been knocked down, old storage rooms merged with the main lobby, elevators ripped out and covered with wooden panels. It made for a spacious gathering place, furnished here and there with tattered old furniture. Several guys Haruka recognized lounged on threadbare couches scattered around the room, heads turning as he burst into the room.

Anything else in the room blurred into featureless gray obstacles, as Haruka laser-focused on two people at the center of the room.

From the way everyone gathered around him, Haruka could only assume the guy in the oversized suit was their leader. He had dyed red hair that needed a touch-up around the roots, and a tryhard little goatee. Gaudy rhinestone rings glittered on each finger, currently dug into the hair of the boy in front of him.

Suo was on his knees on the filthy floor, head craned back uncomfortably from the guy’s hand on him. The man’s other hand was pulled back in a fist, poised for another strike, blood already dripping from his knuckles.

Suo’s blood.

The night before the operation, Suo followed Haruka back to his apartment. Somehow they wound up sprawled on Haruka’s futon, Haruka’s ear pressed to Suo’s chest and Suo’s arms wrapped loose around his shoulders. He listened to that slow, steady heartbeat beneath him, and tried to keep his head above water.

“You really sure about this?” Haruka asked, when the spiral of his thoughts became too much.

Suo hummed softly, the sound rumbling in his chest. “Worried I’ll get cold feet at the last second?”

“Be serious,” Haruka snapped. Then, after a beat, “Please.”

Sturdy hands cupped his cheeks, lifting Haruka’s head. Suo smiled at him, cradling Haruka like a precious gemstone. Strands of dark hair framed his face, curled around his black eyepatch, his one warm eye.

“I’m not afraid,” he said, holding Haruka’s gold and silver gaze with ruby-red, glittering in the moonlight. “We came up with a good plan, thanks to everyone’s help.”

Haruka wasn’t quite sure he believed him. “You had to accept all my dumb ideas.” He bit his lip, a familiar guilt rising in his throat. “Is this what you want?”

“I’ll admit it’s not how I would have done things,” Suo chuckled. He brushed his thumbs along Haruka’s cheekbones, expression so fond it made Haruka’s heart ache. “But you thought of a lot of things I never would have accounted for. I’m lucky to have you watching my back, Haruka-kun.”

Haruka flushed a dark red at the sound of his own name, uttered so casually from Suo’s lips. They only agreed to start using each other’s given names in private a few days ago, and Haruka still wasn’t used to it. He dropped his head again, hiding his heated face in the fabric of Suo’s changshan. Another laugh vibrated through Suo’s chest, and Haruka could sense the bastard’s smug little smirk.

After a moment he moved to thread his fingers through Haruka’s hair instead, mixing strands of white and black. Haruka leaned into his touch, instinctively chasing that warmth. He had come to realize, over their last few weeks together, just how calloused Suo’s hands were. Part of him expected them to feel soft and dainty, but there was a surprising amount of power hidden in those slender fingers.

There was still a lot he had to learn about being close to another person.

“You’re gonna pay them back for all the trouble they’ve caused,” Haruka mumbled into white silk. “Right, Hayato?”

He felt Suo draw in a sharp breath, and raised his head to catch Suo’s wide-eyed stare. Flashing his canines in a grin, Haruka thought, Two can play at this game, asshole.

Suo recovered quickly, his eye crinkling up at the corner. He was more open these days, when it was just the two of them. Without any walls between them, he didn’t try to hide the adoration in his gaze. Tugging at him gently, Suo pulled Haruka into a kiss, slow and languid, like they had all the time in the world to enjoy each other’s company.

“Of course, Haruka-kun,” he whispered, when they parted to breathe. “I plan to go all-out tomorrow, so you’d better watch me.”

Haruka didn’t think he could ever look away, as Suo captured his lips once again.

In the time it took the Ironskins’ leader to look up, Haruka crossed the room in one leap. Low to the ground like a charging animal, he buried his fist into the man’s gut. Watched with satisfaction as the fucker folded entirely around his fist, before flying backwards and slamming into the far wall.

Every atom of Haruka’s being wanted to follow. To grab the villain by his bad dye-job and turn his face into a bloody pulp. To sink his fangs deep into his jugular and clamp down until he stopped moving. To pay him back not just for himself, not just for Bofurin, but for everyone this slimy bottom-feeder ever made a victim.

But that wasn’t his job right now. The leader of the Ironskins wasn’t his prey.

Instead, Haruka turned away, and extended his hand to the mastermind who brought him here.

Suo, with blood streaming from his bruised nose, smiled with teeth stained crimson. Looked up at him with sweet honey and bright red hellfire burning in that single eye. Pulled himself to his feet with Haruka’s help, and said, “There’s my savior, right on time!”

“Quit fuckin’ around.” Haruka bared his own teeth in a ferocious grin. “You’ve got a lesson to teach, don’t you?”

Suo’s eye gleamed, so brilliant and alive, Haruka could have kissed him right there in front of everyone. His hand lingered on Suo’s for just a moment too long, squeezed tight around warm fingers, before Haruka pulled away. With one last heated look, Suo slipped past him, light as the wind.

Haruka’s awareness came back the instant Suo was out of sight. Around him, the room had already exploded into chaos. The gathered thugs sprang into action as more Bofurin fighters swarmed in, hot on the heels of their captain. 

Kiryu’s group caught them from behind, throwing the men at the fringes into each other before they had the chance to fight back. Tsugeura finished them off, clothes-lining four guys as he came thundering in after Haruka. He flashed Haruka an enthusiastic thumbs-up, before turning to suplex the next asshole who made the mistake of getting close.

A moment later the front door went soaring across the room, ripped completely off its rusty hinges, and knocked two guys flat on their back. Sugishita followed it, grabbed the closest enemy by the face, and smashed his skull against the concrete floor. Another guy reached for Suigishita’s long hair before he could straighten up, but tripped over Nirei’s pill bug stance instead, tumbling face-first into a wall.

Haruka didn’t bat an eye. He didn’t look behind him, or waste time worrying. With a battle cry of pure rage, he flung himself into the battle.

Even on their home turf, these guys weren’t that tough. They were nothing more than a team of weaklings, just like Suo always said they were. A school of little fish who thought they could become sharks by gobbling up others. Despite all their bats and pipes and knives, they were no match for the simple power behind Haruka’s fists.

In between cracking noses and kicking assholes in the spine, Haruka’s eyes were always drawn back to a flash of red, a shimmer of gold. This time, he didn’t think anyone would blame him for getting a little distracted.

Suo Hayato was not someone who enjoyed the spotlight. He much preferred a supporting role, lifting up his friends so they could shine all the brighter. It was why he liked defending, teaching, taking care of logistics behind the scenes. More concerned with efficiency over style, Suo was happy to make his plans from backstage.

But, just for today, Suo Hayato became the star of the show. The others cleared a path for him, a wide open stage for his final act. Anyone who tried to interrupt Suo’s performance was quickly dealt with, thrown back into the brawl by Haruka.

And it was one hell of a performance. Whenever Haruka snuck a peek, Suo had that horrible little man either flipped head-over-heels or on the ground in a heap. To the untrained eye, it would look like Suo barely moved, while the head shark fumbled around helplessly. Every attack was parried or dodged by less than an inch, before he went crashing back to earth. Already the man was panting heavily, covered in dirt and filth, and Suo never even threw a single punch.

As he slipped through his opponent’s fingers again and again, Suo kept the same wicked smile on his face. The smile he chiseled out of ice, the one that brought no light to his one dark eye. It froze the air around him, raising goosebumps on the back of Haruka’s neck whenever he turned his back.

He caught Haruka’s eye for a moment, caught him watching. The edges of that smile curled, something indulgent in the way his bloody teeth showed through. In the next moment Suo stopped a punch thrown by the leader, lifted him completely off the ground, and tossed him over one shoulder like he weighed nothing. The man hit the far wall upside-down, and crashed to the floor head-first.

Show-off, Haruka thought, even as a fuzzy warmth spread through his chest. Part of him almost wished all that intense fury was focused on him instead. To be the absolute center of Suo’s attention, while they put everything on the line in an all-out fight… Something about that made Haruka’s heart race.

Haruka always said that Suo was a bit of a weirdo, but maybe they weren’t too different in that regard.

While Suo toyed with the boss, the rest of the class made quick work of the other Ironskins. It was a one-sided fight from the start, and before long Haruka stood among a familiar sea of unconscious bodies. The few enemies who managed to escape his fists fled when they saw their allies fall one by one, darting away like frightened minnows.

They left behind their leader, crumpled at Suo’s feet. Chest heaving, he reached out a trembling hand one last time, grasping at the loose fabric of Suo’s pants. He snarled something Haruka couldn’t hear, desperately clinging to the last dregs of his pride.

With that same smiling mask of death, Suo reached down and grabbed the collar of his cheap suit. He hauled the man to his feet one last time, to get a good look at his victim. A purring cat, with a helpless fish caught between his claws.

Suo pulled the man in close, and whispered something in his ear. Whatever he said made the man’s eyes stretch wide, jumping from Haruka, to the rest of their class still standing, to the bodies littered around them. His body went slack in Suo’s hands, face twisting with despair.

Satisfied, Suo let go and watched the man fall on his ass again. He took a step as if to turn away, then remembered something.

“Oh, while I’m here, let’s clear up one last misconception.” Suo dropped to one knee, where he gripped the man’s chin and forced him to meet a devilish red eye. “I am not the captain of this team,” he said, and pointed back toward Haruka. “That title belongs to my lovely Sakura-kun.”

Haruka couldn’t help but huff out a little laugh. He’s such a bastard. Still, Haruka knew better than to miss his cue.

He hopped over the groaning bodies between them, careful to step on a few fingers as he went. Once at Suo’s side, Haruka brushed a hand over his head, smoothing down a few flyaway hairs. 

“If you can’t even beat my vice-captain one-on-one, you don’t stand a chance against Bofurin.” Haruka flashed his own grin down at the defeated leader, not as chilling as Suo’s but every bit as terrifying. “Give it up already.”

The man looked like he had more curses to spit, but was drowned out by the rest of Haruka’s friends raising their voices in an ear-splitting cheer.

“You tell ‘em, Sakura!”

“Hell yeah, you’re no match for us!”

“All those who cause pain, who bring destruction—!”

There was no choice but to accept defeat. Hanging his head, the Ironskins’ leader rolled up one sleeve, and ripped off the leather band with his team’s insignia. Without looking up, he threw it down at Suo’s feet.

Suo slipped the leather band into his pocket, and pushed himself upright again. “A wise decision,” he said, brushing dirt from his pants. Then he faced Haruka, smiling through the blood all down his chin. 

“Shall we head home, Sakura-kun?”

They made it back to Bofurin’s side of the river, before they stopped to assess the damage. Aside from some split lips and bloody noses, the team looked pretty good for having just crushed an entire rival team. Everyone was in high spirits, high-fiving and hanging all over each other while they cleaned their cuts and bruises.

Haruka forced Suo to sit on the curb to get cleaned up. He took the paper towels and water bottles provided by Nirei, and got to work wiping the blood off Suo’s face. He was sure to take it slow, careful not to irritate Suo’s skin. And when he noticed Suo staring at him, he blushed, but didn’t try to run away.

“Quit lookin’ at me like that,” he grumbled, tilting Suo’s chin up to scrub away the dried mess on his neck.

Suo smiled, sweeter than honey. “Like what?”

Like you love me. Haruka bit down on the words before they left his throat. There was no way he could say something that sappy. Especially not with other people around.

Instead, he swiped a thumb over Suo’s lower lip, clearing away the last of the blood. “You’re such a pain in the ass,” he said, with all the affection clogging up his chest.

Suo laughed, brighter than the blazing sun overhead, lighter than the air in Haruka’s lungs. Every trace of ice melted between them, leaving nothing but a warm summer lake. Haruka was happy to drown in it, to sink into that deep red sunset forever.

His tongue traced the same path as Haruka’s thumb over his lip. “But I’m your pain in the ass,” he said, easily returning every bit of Haruka’s love.

Haruka suddenly didn’t care that they weren’t alone. He didn’t care that their whole class was milling around, caught up in their own conversations. He didn’t care that someone else from town might wander by and see them. He didn’t care about anything but the boy in front of him, beautiful and whole and safe , despite everything.

Haruka closed the distance between them and stole a kiss, just for himself. Savored the way Suo’s lips parted in surprise, the way his eye fell closed a beat later as he leaned into Haruka’s touch. He even liked the way Suo’s smile turned more than a little smug, when Haruka pulled away.

“I should get punched in the face more often, if it gets you to kiss me like that,” Suo whispered.

Haruka shoved him away, heat flaring in his cheeks before he could control himself. “No way — that was three strikes, dumbass!” Haruka shouted, holding up three fingers in his face. “Next time you get hit like that, I’ll kick your ass myself!”

“You’re so mean, Sakura-kun!” Suo poked at his bruised nose, pouting. “Can’t you see I’m terribly injured? You’ll have to carry me all the way home!”

“There's nothing wrong with your damn legs—”

“They’re at it again,” Kiryu sighed, nudging Nirei with his elbow. 

Nirei chuckled. “I guess nothing’s changed, huh?” 

“I’m impressed they still have so much energy!” Tsugeura said, way too loud as always. “It’s definitely a virtue, if you ask me!”

Haruka jumped to his feet, flush spreading all the way from his ears down to his fingertips. “Oi, enough standin’ around!” he barked, glaring around at his chatty classmates. “Let’s go eat already, I’m starving!”

Laughter filled the streets of Makochi as the first-year class rolled out, heading toward Pothos Café without Haruka needing to tell them. Most of them ran ahead of their captain, spreading the news of their victory to anyone who would listen. Those nasty sharks won’t bother anyone anymore, we made sure of it.

If anyone noticed how Haruka and Suo trailed behind, they didn’t comment on it. If they saw Haruka’s hand firmly entwined with Suo’s, they kept their thoughts to themselves. The two of them would certainly face a storm of teasing and questions once they got to Pothos, but for now, Haruka enjoyed the privacy while it lasted.

After all, he thought they earned a moment of peace.

and I believe, that every broken bone is meant to be

and when it heals it will be

stronger than it was before