Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sakura's apartment was a shithole.  

He knew it, his guardians knew it, his landlord knew it. And if he had a choice in the matter, he would definitely live anywhere else than in this cold and leaky excuse of a house. 

But he didn't, so this was his home now. 

Currently, the weather outside was getting a lot colder as they got closer to the new year. This being such a crappy apartment, the temperature inside wasn't much better than outside. The portable space heater Kotoha had gifted him a few weeks ago was on full blast to try to keep him warm, but it was doing a piss poor job at that. 

Sakura sighed as he wormed himself further underneath his blankets. Even with the space heater, two blankets and a long-sleeved shirt and pants he was still cold. He was starting to regret not taking Nirei up on his offer to buy him another thick blanket last week. All he could do was hope he didn't freeze to death overnight. 

Okay, maybe he was exaggerating a little bit. It wasn't that cold.  

Still though, he couldn't say he was in any way comfortable right now. He tried to fall asleep as he listened to every little sound his home made. The creaking of the wooden floorboards, the dripping of the leaky faucet, the metal tinkling of the stairs outside. The wind and rain were blowing against his window like crazy as well. The weather had been awful all day and it didn't look like it would get better any time soon.

Normally it wouldn't bother him that much, but today he was dealing with a massive headache and every small sound shot pain straight up to his brain. He would've taken some medicine to combat this but he ran out a couple of weeks ago and hadn't bothered to buy some more. 

He hoped he wasn't getting sick again. 

The boy tossed and turned in his bed for a long while, the clock passing 1, 2, and eventually, 3AM. He really hated nights like this. He already knew he was going to be dead on his feet at school tomorrow (which wasn't the best when a good part of the day consisted of fighting thugs outside). 

Ugh, he could already hear Suo and Nirei berating him for his lack of attention tomorrow..

It took another half an hour of struggling to get comfortable before the boy finally settled down enough to fall asleep. 

Sakura wasn't sure what woke him up at first.  

He had not opened his eyes yet, but he knew it was still night. He could still hear the rain and wind bellowing outside, so he probably hadn't been out for that long. It wasn't unusual for him to wake up during the night. And he would've just gone back to sleep like usual, if he didn't feel like he was being watched. 

He cracked one eye open, ready to scold himself for being paranoid for no reason. Instead, he felt his blood run cold at the sight before him.  

There was a man standing next to his futon, staring at him. 

The man's eyes widened slightly as he noticed that the boy had woken up. For a moment, no one dared to move. Then, with some very fast and precise movements, Sakura sprang up and tackled the guy to the floor. The man let out a loud grunt of pain as he was slammed against the ground. The boy above the intruder raised a fist, but didn't strike down just yet.  

The bi-colored teen wasn't exactly sure what to do in this situation. If it was any old street fight he'd knock the guy out without hesitation. But this wasn't a street fight, this was an encounter inside his home. He didn't know who this guy was, what he was doing here or how the fuck he was supposed to deal with this. Should he knock him out? Should he call someone? Should he, I don't know, ask what he was doing here?!

He didn't get to make a decision as he was suddenly hit in the head from behind. Pain exploded at the place of impacts and he cried out as he was flung away from the man. The boy slammed face first into the wall on the opposite side of the room with a painful crunch. He turned back to see another man standing inside his apartment. 

He had been so focused on the first guy that he forgot to check for more intruders! 

To his utter dismay, a third guy appeared from the small hallway outside his room. He watched as the first guy stood up from the ground to stand with his partners. He also noticed how the one who hit him was holdings a crowbar, which would explain why the hit had hurt so much in the first place. The third man was carrying a bag on one shoulder and held a small metal box in one of his hands. 

Sakura's eyes widened as he recognized the little locked box as the place where he kept his saved-up money. His guardians send him a little amount every month to pay for rent and food and any leftover money (which wasn't a lot) he kept locked in that box. He thought he had hidden it well in the cupboard underneath his kitchen sink, behind some old cleaning supplies the previous renter left behind, but I guess it wasn't that well-hidden after all..  

Sakura rubbed his arm underneath his nose when he felt wetness dripping down his chin. His arm came back bloody. Damn, they got him good with that hit. His head was probably bleeding as well, judging from the force the man had used. Well, nothing he wasn't used to. 

Fortunately, these guys didn't seem like great fighters. They obviously weren't build for agility and they didn't seem that strong. If they hadn't gotten the jump on him he would probably come out unscathed. He could take these guys out easily. There was just one small problem. 

They were inside his apartment. 

His apartment may be a shithole, but it was his home. He couldn't afford to lose it. The walls were brittle and easily damaged (he once accidentally kicked a hole in the wall, which was currently covered up by a conveniently placed box). If his apartment got destroyed he would be in big trouble.

If his asshole of a landlord decided to kick him out for raking havoc he would have nowhere to go. This was the only place he could afford! He would be forced to either be homeless or move to a different city, away from Makochi. Away from Furin. He didn't want to lose all of his friends and start all over again in a new place!

The men before him seemed to have recovered from the shock of being attacked by a teenage boy and began closing in on him. They stared at him for a moment before smirking, obviously thinking he wasn't a real threat. One of the men pointed the crowbar right at him. "Ya got any more?" he asked as one of the other men shook his stolen cash box at him, almost mockingly.  

The bi-colored boy gritted his teeth. He couldn't let these guys get away with this. What if they break into someone else's home next? There are a lot of old people in the neighborhood who wouldn't be able to defend themselves against these guys. He had to make sure they wouldn't get the chance to continue on with this. 

Mind made up, Sakura jumped to his feet and immediately struck the nearest guy with his fist. The man gasped and clutched his abdomen where he had been hit. Seeing that the other two were momentarily stunned by the sudden attack on their partner, the boy took the opportunity to quickly kick out their legs from underneath them, making them fall to the ground. 

The teen huffed. He couldn't use his usual go-to attacks as he wasn't able move around as much or jump up high here. He also had to avoid using too much of his strength if he wanted to avoid damaging his apartment. He had to limit himself to smaller, less effective strategies. 

Ignoring the guys sprawled on the floor, Sakura dashed at the other guy. The man, still recovering from the gut punch he had just received, barely managed to avoid his incoming kick. Not yet deterred, the two-toned boy twisted his body around and kicked him in the head, flinging him right into his closet door. He flinched as he heard the old wood splinter and break beneath the weight of the now unconscious man. 

Shit, he had used too much strength for that one. 

Hearing the floor creak behind him, the teen swiftly avoided the incoming crowbar that was aimed for his head. He kicked out at the guy and manage to strike him in the ribs, but the man didn't budge. Damnit, now he wasn't using enough power! 

The other guy then attacked him from behind, using his own damn cash box as a weapon. He narrowly avoided the metal object, but ended up getting pushed into a corner in the process. He hadn't even noticed they had migrated so close to the wall. 

The man with the box glared down at him, seemingly not at all amused by this turn of events. He struck again, forcing Sakura to dodge to the left. And of course, as luck would have it, his futon and blanket were right where he placed his foot, making him trip and fall to his knees. Immediately he felt pain shooting through his shoulder as the man with the crowbar hit him again. 

The bi-colored boy huffed. This was getting really annoying. He had to hurry up and end this already. He rose to his feet, grabbed the crowbar in one hand and pulled. The man lost his footing and stumbled towards him. The teen immediately took the opportunity to grab the guy's head and thrust his knee into his face. The man let go of the crowbar and dropped like a sack of potatoes, finally knocked out. 

Two down, one to go.  

Sakura looked at the last remaining intruder and scoffed. The man now looked more afraid than angry, probably realizing what kind of situation he was in. He had been right; they weren't a match for him after all. They were just a bunch of weak assholes trying to make a quick buck.

The man looked back at him with a fearful look on his face, cash box still in hand. Sakura had him cornered in front of his window and wasn't planning on letting him leave either. Kinda pathetic that a grown man couldn't even win against a teenager. Sakura took a step forward, ready to knock his lights out as well, when the man decided to ruin his day more than they already had. 

The man turned around and broke his window with the metal box. 

The teen gasped, eyes widened in horror as he watched the glass splinter into a thousand small pieces. Within seconds the man had fled through the now broken sheet of glass. The boy barely even registered as the man jumped off his balcony and disappeared from sight. All he could focus on right now was how he didn't have a window anymore. 

Cold air and rain immediately began making its way inside, soaking the floorboards. He felt a shiver run down his spine and he honestly didn't know if it was because of the temperature or the events that had just transpired. 

This wasn't good..

He heard some scuffling behind him and turned just in time to see the other two guys flee the scene through his front door. He must not have used enough force to knock them down for good. He wanted to go chase after them, but his feet wouldn't budge. He was stuck, rooted inplace before the broken window.

He wasn't sure if it was because of the shock, cold or the damage he sustained in battle, but he felt his legs buckle underneath him and he dropped down to the floor. For a moment he just sat there, staring at the night sky as heavy water drops battered his body.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to deal with a situation like this. There was no way he could figure this out on his own.

He needed help.

He looked at the ground beside him and found his phone. The screen had a huge crack in it, probably from being stood on during the fight, but at least it hadn't been stolen. He barely even looked at the screen before tapping on a random contact. He didn't care who it was, he just needed someone to help him.

The phone rang a few times, but after about 20 seconds the person on the other side picked up. "Hello? Sakura-kun? Are you alright?" Suo's drowsy voice came though the device. So that's who he called. Sakura opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. It was hard to think. It was like his brain wasn't working right now. 

"Sakura-kun?" his vice captain asked again, now sounding more worried than before. The bi-colored boy let out a shuddering breath before finally speaking. "Someone broke in." he stated. He hated how shaky his voice sounded. Not just his voice, he himself was shaking as well. Was it from the cold?

Suo's reaction was immediate. "What?! Are you okay? Hold on, I'm coming right away." his friend said. He heard a lot of rustling on the other end of the line before the other boy's voice returned. "Are they still there? Are you hurt?" he questioned. Sakura shook his head, but realized he had to verbally reply as his vice captain couldn't see him. 

"They're gone." he answered. On the other side of the phone he could hear a door slamming and then the sound of fast footsteps hitting wet pavement. "Stay on the line for me. Okay, Sakura-kun? I'll be there soon."

Sakura placed the phone down on his lap. He stared out at the dark world outside as rain and wind pelted his body. He should probably move away from the window, shouldn't he? He was just sitting here getting rained on. That can't be good for his health, can it? Yet, he couldn't find the will to move. 

This was it, wasn't it? His apartment ruined. His window was shattered, his closet was broken, and his belongings were currently getting soaked. There was no way he could afford to get everything fixed or replaced, even if his money hadn't been stolen. 

He couldn't stay here. 

Shit, he had put so much effort into coming here to attend Furin. Screaming matches with his guardians to get them to see his point, working his ass off for good grades despite his teachers deducting points on every test for no reason, doing strange jobs here and there so he could pay for the security deposit on the apartment which his guardians refused to contribute to.

He worked so hard to afford this and to stay here, and now everything's ruined!

His hands crept up into his hair to clutch at the momochrome strands. He didn't want to leave. He couldn't leave! There's no way they'd accept him anywhere else like they had here. He didn't want to go back to hiding who he was, what he looked like. He didn't want to go back to being alone!

He likes it here. He wanted to stay! He wants-

"Sakura!" 

The two-toned boy flinched hard and turned around, eyes landing on the soaked appearances of his vice captain and the leader of Bofurin. 

Wait what? 

"Umemiya?" he quietly wondered. The white haired male skidded to a stop next to him and took in his form. By now the boy was soaked from head to toe by the rain showering his room through the broken window. His body was shaking hard, presumingly from the cold. 

Umemiya gently but quickly pulled him away from the window to a drier area of the room. He then took off his long green coat and draped it around the shivering teen. "I got a call about a potential fight in the area. Met your vice on the way here who told me what happened. Are you okay?" the older boy asked worriedly as he adjusted the fabric around his body. 

Sakura unconsciously snuggled his face into the material, the scent of dirt and cheap cologne filling his senses. While he would never ever admit, Umemiya's presence was a welcome one. He already felt a lot calmer than he did earlier. He supposed he just had that effect on people.. 

"Sakura?" the Bofurin representative asked again, trying to get his attention again. The bi-colored teen just blinked at him before returning his eyes to his window. "It broke." he replied. Damn, why did that sound so dumb? But it was all that was on his mind right now. He can't live here with a broken window.. 

The white-haired teen stared down at his underclassman with a frown. Sakura didn't seem to be all there right now and it worried him immensely. The blood in the younger boy's hair and on his face also made him wonder if he could be suffering from a concussion. If he had been struck by that crowbar he had seen lying around on the floor then that could be a good possibility.  

He wasn't sure what happened exactly, but looking at the scene around them he could make a guess. Shattered glass littered the floor, as did big splinters from the broken closet behind him. Weirdly enough, despite there being a crowbar, there was no damage on the front door. It had been wide open when he and Suo arrived, and it was clear that no force had been used to enter the apartment. Had the door not been locked? Can it even lock?  

Whatever, he could worry about all of that later. Right now, they had to take care of Sakura.  

"Suo, can you take him to your place?" Umemiya asked as he turned his attention to the first year who stood at the other side of his drenched underclassman. "I'd take him to mine but I think he wouldn't appreciate the loud atmosphere right now." he said as he looked back at the almost catatonic boy wrapped in his coat. He was well aware of just how loud and energetic he could be and that was not something Sakura needed right now.

Suo nodded immediately. "Of course." he replied as he wrapped one of his arms around his captain's shoulders, steering him in the direction of the door. Before he left, he looked back at his upperclassman. "Please find and deal with whoever did this. Because if you don't I will." A shiver went down the white-haired boy's spine as the lone red eye glared at him. He quickly nodded and watched as the two younger boys left the apartment. 

Yeah, Suo was a scary guy.

Umemiya looked back at the window and put his hands on his hips. What a mess. The assailant or assailants were long gone, the apartment was ruined and he had no clue how to help. He wasn't sure how to track down the one responsible for this, but he was sure at least one of the people living around here had some security cameras. With some luck he would be able to get a look at the culprit and bring them to justice.

As for the apartment.. 

He knew Sakura lived in this part of town, but he never realized in what kind of dump the kid lived. Even without the damage, it was barely even considered a home. It didn't even look lived in and now what little possessions his underclassman had were all soaked by the rain. 

The teen began gathering the few items scattered in the main room of the apartment and moved everything to the kitchen, where the rain wasn't beating down on everything. After that, he found a broom in the hallway and began sweeping the glass and other debris into a pile in the corner. He really didn't want to accidentally step on that.

The teen let out a sigh. That's all he could do right now. Sakura didn't have anything to temporarily patch the window with and no shops were open just yet. He would just have to hope that the rain didn't damage the interior too much before he could do anything about it. 

Umemiya took out his phone and scrolled though his contacts. As much as he didn't want to bother anyone this early in the morning, he had some favors to ask.

As soon as he unlocked the front door, Suo gently pushed his friend inside. They were both soaked as he hadn't thought about bringing an umbrella in his hurry to get to Sakura's place.  

Not bothering with his own clothes for the moment (he was wearing a jacket so he was still fairly dry underneath) he led his captain to the bathroom. He sat him down on the lid of the toilet before leaving to find his friend some clothes. Thankfully, he was a little bit taller than Sakura so it wouldn't be an issue to find something that fit his two-toned friend. 

He fished some sweatpants and a shirt from his closet (yes, he owns stuff like that. He only ever wears it at home though). Upon his return he found Sakura still in the same place as before. Umemiya's coat had slipped off the boys shoulders, showing just how bad the teen was shivering underneath. He wasn't sure how long the boy had sat there in his apartment getting rained on, but it can't be good for his health. 

Suo approached his grade captain and knelt down before him. He placed a hand on the other's knee, making the boy look at him. "I got some dry clothes for you. Do you think you can manage to change on your own?" he asked gently. Sakura just stared at him with confused, glazed eyes. The one-eyed teen frowned and pressed his hand against the other's forehead. It definitely felt warmer than it should be. 

He sighed. It seemed like his friend wasn't going to be of any help right now. "Alright, I'm going to help you out of those wet clothes. Alright, Sakura-kun?" He received the tiniest nod in return. Not wanting to waste any more time, he began removing the wet articles of clothing. First Umemiya's now drenched coat, then the boy's white shirt that had basically become see-through with how wet it was. He then carefully removed the boy's shoes and took notice of how his feet had left bloody marks behind on the interior of the shoes. He would have to take a look at those in a minute.

Lastly he helped the boy step out of his soaked pants, leaving him in just his underwear. Suo quickly grabbed a clean towel from a cabinet near him and wrapped it around his friend. He then grabbed another towel and began drying the boy's hair. The other's face was quite flushed, and for once Suo wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or from the fever he seemed to be running right now. It didn't matter anyway. Suo would make sure his classmate was well taken care of. 

It didn't surprise him when he lifted the towel away from his friend's hair to find it covered in blood. Another thing he would have to take a good look at later once he was done drying his friend off. When the teen's monochrome hair wasn't dripping wet anymore, he threw the towel on the ground with the wet clothes from earlier. He could deal with that later.

He made quick work of drying off the other's body. The few times his fingers grazed the other teen's skin he almost flinched at how cold he was. He began to wonder if he should run his friend a warm bath, but decided against it. It was the middle of the night and he didn't want to accidentally hurt his friend because he was too tired to keep an eye on him. 

He took notice of the big blooming bruise on the other boy's shoulder. Looks like he took a hit from that crowbar there. He also checked the boy's nose to make sure it wasn't broken as it had been dripping blood everywhere until Suo had stopped it with some tissues. Thankfully, the damage seemed to be minor.

He put some ointment on the bruise before he quickly finished toweling him dry. He then helped his friend put on the clothes he had picked out earlier. Luckily, the boy's boxers where still moderately dry so his friend was saved from the embarrassment of changing those too. 

He then took another look at the head injury his captain had sustained. Upon further inspection the wound seemed quite shallow and wouldn't require any stitches. He cleaned and disinfected the wound and made sure it stopped bleeding before letting the two-toned strands fall back into place. The white part of Sakura's hair was stained red, but that was something that could be fixed with a quick shower the next day.

He then returned his attention to his friend's feet. He carefully lifted one off the floor to look at the sole. It was littered with small cuts, most likely from the broken glass he had literally been sitting in when they'd arrived at his apartment. He checked for any possible shards of glass that could still be stuck in there, but thankfully there was nothing. 

He then checked the other foot and found a few small pieces of glass still poking out of the sensitive skin. He quietly beat himself up over how he didn't carry Sakura to his home to avoid damaging his feet even more. He took some tweezers out of the medical kit he had grabbed earlier and removed the shards of glass. Once he was sure there was no debris left, he carefully cleaned and then bandaged his captain's feet. Sakura didn't even flinch during all of this.

He performed a quick concussion test to make sure the boy was okay and luckily he responded to everything correctly. Still, he would keep an eye on it just to be sure. When that was finished, he led the shorter boy to his bedroom where his futon and blanket were still laid out from when he left earlier that night. He gently pushed his friend down onto the futon and pulled the blanket up to his chin.  

"It's still early, try to get some more sleep." he told the boy. And Sakura was probably dead tired from the events from earlier because within the minute he was out like a light. Suo let out a sigh as he watched his friend sleep. He pressed his hand against the boy's head once more and found that it was warmer than it had been earlier. It seems like he was getting a proper fever.. 

Suo then stood up. He was tired, but he still had a few things to take care off. Firstly, he put Sakura's wet clothes and the used towels in the laundry basket in the bathroom to be washed later as they were all covered in blood. He also hung Umemiya's coat out to dry on the towel rack. He would return it to the older boy the next time he saw him.

Then, he pulled off his own wet clothes and changed back into his sleepwear that had been haphazardly thrown around the room in his haste earlier. After that he grabbed a spare futon and put it down next to his friend. He knew he could use his parents' room to sleep in since they weren't home, but he wanted to keep an eye on his friend to make sure he was okay. 

Lastly, he grabbed a bowl of water and a small cloth before returning to Sakura's side. He soaked the cloth and wrung it out before placing it on the boy's forehead. He had never cared for a sick person before, but he was pretty sure this was supposed to help against a developing fever. 

Before settling on his futon, he shot off a text to Umemiya to update the older boy on Sakura's condition. He didn't know what his state would be like in a few hours, but he doubted that the boy would be going to school that morning.  

He felt his eyes starting to close as exhaustion began to settle in. He glanced at his friend with a small frown. While this certainly was a very unfortunate turn of events, he couldn't help but wonder why Sakura was exhibiting such strange behavior. He had been a lot quieter than normal and it worried him. The boy was only ever this quiet and far away when something was troubling him a lot.

But just what was bothering his friend so much?

Chapter Text

When Sakura woke up that following morning, he felt terrible. His clothes clung to his form with sweat and he honestly felt like he'd been hit by a truck. 

He kicked the too-hot blanket away from his body and sat up. He immediately regretted his actions as his vision swam before him, making his already upset stomach churn even more. A small wet cloth fell away from his forehead, but he barely even noticed. The boy groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. 

Maybe he should lie back down and wallow in his own misery a little while longer.. 

When he opened his eyes again, he blinked at his environment in confusion. This wasn't his apartment. He looked at the strange furniture and items scattered around the room. He definitely didn't recognize this place. 

He began to panic slightly as he noticed he wasn't even wearing his own clothes anymore. How did he end up here? What did he do last night?! Then, before he could overreact and possibly do something stupid, a small note next to the futon caught his eye. He picked it up and read the text written down on the pristine white paper. 

Good morning Sakura-kun, 

You developed a fever during the night, so I decided to let you sleep it off instead of waking you for school. Don't worry, I informed everyone of your absence and they wish you well. Feel free to use anything from the fridge and cabinets. I left some medicine on the counter as well. I'll be back after class. 

Sincerely, 
Suo 

Ah, that's right. He spent the night at Suo's place. He could vaguely remember how the other boy had taken him to his own house and helped him change into some dry clothes before putting him to bed. He probably would've blushed just at the thought of that if he didn't have bigger things to worry about right now. 

His apartment was ruined, he was sure of it. 

If the broken window wasn't enough to get him kicked out, then the water damage certainly was. There was no way the awful wooden floor stood any chance against the weather. His landlord was gonna be beyond pissed, no doubt about it. That guy was unreasonable on a good day, so he can't imagine what he would be like when something like this happens. 

He let himself drop back down on the futon. Despite how hot he had felt moments ago, he now felt nothing but an ice cold sense of dread creeping up on him. What was he gonna do? He was going to get kicked out for sure and he didn't have anywhere else to stay! This was the only affordable place he could find in Makochi!

And even if it wasn't, he didn't have anything to pay a possible security deposit with. He probably wasn't going to get the deposit on his previous place back and the little amount of savings he had were gone, taken by the assholes responsible for all of this.

God, if his hair wasn't already half white it certainly would be now because of the stress.. 

Sakura turned over onto his side and curled up. All of this was making his head hurt more than it already did. He needed to figure this out, he really did. But he also needed to have a clear mind for that. And right now half of his mind was already occupied by how absolutely terrible he felt. His head, his stomach, everything hurt. 

Maybe he should just lie here for a bit longer.. 

Suo opened the door of his house and announced his presence. Only silence answered him back, which he wasn't all that surprised by. Sakura had seemed really out of it when he had left that morning, so it wouldn't a surprise if he was still asleep. He'd had a bad night, after all. 

When he entered his bedroom, he saw that his prediction was correct. His classmate was still fast asleep on his futon. At least he seemed to have moved around a little bit as the blanket had been shoved aside and the cold towel he had placed on his head earlier was missing. The note he had left behind had also clearly been moved, so it seemed like the boy had read his message. 

He knelt down next to his grade captain and placed the back of his hand against his forehead. Still hot but less than when he had left. Upon seeing goosebumps on the sleeping boy's arms he put the blanket back in place. He then grabbed the now dry cloth and ventured into the kitchen to get a bowl to wet it once more. When he arrived there he noticed how the medicine still stood untouched on the counter. 

Looks like Sakura didn't get up long enough to grab any after all.  

He returned to the other boy's side and put the wet cloth back on his forehead. His friend's face scrunched up momentarily at the sudden coldness on his head before returning to its relaxed state. Suo couldn't help but smile down at his classmate. Despite the circumstances, he looked quite peaceful right now. 

He looked up at the clock. It was still early, but perhaps he should start on dinner. He wanted to make something easy for Sakura as he didn't know if he could stomach a full meal. Soup was probably the best option. 

Mind made up, Suo stood up and grabbed the small bag of groceries he had picked up on the way. He wasn't a masterchef, but he knew his way around the kitchen well enough to do this little thing for his friend.. 

Sakura blinked his eyes open as the smell of food hit his nose. His stomach immediately responded with a loud growl, much to his embarrassment. 

The nap he took must have done him good because he already felt a lot better than he did earlier. He reached a hand up to his head and plucked the still moist cloth from his forehead. Suo must've put it on him when he returned from school. He placed the cloth on the edge of the small bowl of water next to his futon. He then got up, albeit a little wobbly, and made his way to the kitchen. 

There he found his friend stirring something on the stove. Said friend noticed his presence immediately and turned to smile at him. "Good afternoon, Sakura-kun. Did you sleep well?" Suo asked as he continued to stir the pot. The two-toned boy stepped closer and peered into the pot. Looks like his friend was making some kind of soup. 

He frowned as he saw bits of vegetables floating around in the pot. "I don't like vegetables.." he muttered, earning a soft chuckle from his friend. "You need vitamins to get better." the other replied amused. He stopped stirring for a moment and gestured at the dining table behind them. It had already been set with a tablecloth, spoons and empty bowls. "Take seat, I'm almost done." Suo said. "I was actually planning on waking you in another ten minutes but it seems that wasn't necessary." Sakura just grumbled as he sat down and watched his friend finish their meal. 

It wasn't long before the soup had been served and they both began eating. Unsurprisingly, Sakura stuck to fishing out the small bits of meat while avoiding the vegetables as much as possible. Suo reprimanded him for that only twice before giving up. He knew how stubborn his friend could be and knew better than to waste any more energy on this than needed. 

At least Sakura seemed to be a lot more lively now than he had been last night. In between bites he even asked about how school was today, to which Suo happily replied with a story about how he and Nirei took down a bunch of thugs (the blond boy was really starting to get the hang of fighting and it was making him quite proud).

Once satisfied with the meal, the two boys cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink to be cleaned later. Sakura had actually offered to clean them right away to repay him for cooking for them, but the other teen just told him he would handle it later. The two-toned boy was still a bit under the weather so it was best if he retreated to his futon for now. 

It was later that evening that Suo finally prompted him about his odd behavior the previous night. "I can imagine that it must have been quite scary to wake up to strange people in your apartment, but you never struck me as someone who would be put out by that for more than a minute. It's hardly the strangest thing any of us have encountered." the eyepatch-wearing teen wondered.  

Sakura looked down at his lap at those words. He could understand the concern. A home invasion was nothing compared to some of the shit he had seen in his time at Bofurin, or before coming to Makochi for that matter. And yet it had affected him in such a strong way. He knew it wasn't actually because of the invasion. It was all because of his shitty apartment situation..

The boy let out a sigh. "I'm gonna have to leave Makochi now, you know." He didn't know how break the news gently, so he just ended up bluntly stating it like this. Suo blinked at him in surprise. "Why would you want to leave?" the other teen asked rather perplexed. The bi-colored teen gritted his teeth at his friend's wording. "I don't want to leave! I have no other choice!" he snapped back. 

His hands gripped at the blanket Suo had forced around his shoulders earlier. The teen had said he didn't want his cold to worsen so it was best to stay warm. Right now, he didn't want anything more than to hide underneath the soft material. Hide away from his friend, the world, and all his troubles. He didn't want to have to deal with anything right now.

"My landlord is an asshole." he stated after a moment of silence. "He threatened to kick me out a few times already for the most minor things. He-" he swallowed hard. "There's no way he will allow me to keep living there. And even if he did, I can't afford to replace the window and other damaged stuff." 

Despite having felt better earlier that evening, he could already feel his nausea returning. "It's the only place here I can afford.." He didn't want to think of what was going to happen. What needed to happen. He didn't want to leave goddammit! 

Suo stared at his captain with barely concealed sympathy. He knew the other's financial state was bad, they all did. Sakura never really complained about it, but they could see how he sometimes would quietly count out his cash to see if he had enough when getting food with his class. Or how he would deny wanting something when they were out shopping despite clearly being interested just because he couldn't afford it. 

This situation was just really driving the point home. Unlike himself, who was quite well-off, Sakura didn't have any leeway in terms of money. He couldn't afford extras like new clothes, furniture or, in this case, a new window.  

Suo reached over and clasped his hand firmly on his friend's shoulder. "It's going to be alright, Sakura-kun." he stated. The bi-colored boy pushed his hand off and shook his head. "It's not! I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave!" he all but cried out. His breathing sped up and he let go of the blanket to reach up and pull at his hair. "Fuck, I'm such an idiot! I should have just let them take my shit and leave!" 

If he had just complied with their demands, he would still have a home.

The auburn-haired teen was quite startled at the sight of his friend breaking down like this. He'd never seen Sakura behave like this before. It was like all of his pain and stress was all pouring out at once. 

He tried to calm him down, but the other boy was near hysteric. "You don't fucking understand! You don't know what it was like before!" he cried out again. The grip on his hair looked outright painful now. "Everyone hated me! I couldn't be myself! I don't want to go back to that life!"

Panic was starting to constrict around Sakura's heart like a venomous snake. It was getting hard to breathe. Vivid memories of the past flashed before him. Of him coming home to an empty house because the ones he had to call family couldn't stand to be around him. Of him being forced to dye his hair and wear sunglasses when going to school. Of his guardians screaming at him to just be fucking normal!

He didn't know what it was like to have someone touch him without it hurting. He didn't know what it was like to be talked to with kind words instead of the hurtful ones he was used to. He didn't know what it was like have people wanting to be his friend without them turning their backs on him.

He'd been forced to be alone for so long that he had forgotten what it felt like to be loved.

And it hurts..

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts-

And now that he had finally gotten a taste of all these good things, he was about to lose it all. He would never be able to experience this kind of happiness ever again. He couldn't go back to living like that. It would kill him! 

"I can't do that anymore, Suo! I can't! I'd rather die than-"  

Slap 

Sakura's head snapped to the side. He sat there, frozen in place, before slowly releasing his hair to put a hand to his stinging cheek. He turned his head back to look into the raging eye of his vice captain. 

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Suo yelled at him, his usual composed demeanor completely gone. Sakura stared back at him with wide eyes. It wasn't often that he saw his friend this angry. 

The one-eyed teen grabbed his shoulders and squeezed, digging his nails into his flesh in the process. "You're talking like you're alone again! Stop trying to fix everything on your own and start relying on others!" the teen exclaimed.  

Suo then took a deep breath before softening his gaze. "You're right, I don't know how your life was before coming here. And you don't have to tell me either. But you need to understand that you're not alone anymore. I'm here for you. And so are our classmates, our upperclassmen, and everyone from Makochi." he told the other teen. 

"We love you, Sakura-kun, and we will do anything to find a way for you to stay here. Everything will be alright." Suo finished. He raised one hand up to wipe away a stray tear from the other's cheek, which the boy hadn't even noticed was there.

Sakura stared at his friend in disbelief. He could feel the sincerity and affection radiating from the other. Suo really meant what he had said. He sighed and let his head fall forward until it rested against his vice captain's shoulder. Suo's right, he should've asked his friends for help instead of letting himself drown in his own despair. He really was an idiot sometimes..

"I'm sorry.." he breathed out. Suo wrapped one arm around him while the other pulled the blanket back up around the other's shoulders. 

"It's okay, everything will be alright." 

The next morning Suo once again went to school alone. Sometime during the night Sakura's fever had returned full force and he had to stay home an additional day. It wouldn't surprise the auburn-haired boy if the stress of the situation had more effect on his friend's health than the weather did. 

Their classmates bothered him a lot throughout the day about their captain's condition. They were quite worried as the two-toned boy hadn't even replied to any of their 'get well soon' texts. Suo just told them he had a bad cold and that he would be back soon enough. 

He hadn't told any of them about what had actually happened. He wasn't sure if Sakura even wanted them to know. He had meant to ask him last night but he completely forgot after the conversation they'd had. The only one he had told anything to was Nirei, but only because the shorter boy said he was gonna visit Sakura at his apartment (which obviously wasn't an option). 

It was especially difficult to keep the blond away from his own home when he learned that that's where his bi-colored friend resided for the time being. As much as he loved Nirei, that boy was a walking ball of stress and that's not something Sakura needed any more of right now.

After school, just as he was about to leave, he was suddenly approached by Umemiya. He straightened his posture and greeted the leader of Bofurin with a somewhat forced smile. "Can I help you with something, Umemiya-san?" he questioned. He really wanted to get back home to Sakura so he hoped it wasn't something major. 

His reluctance must've shown on his face as the white-haired teen just laughed and patted him on the back. "Don't worry! I'm not here to pull you away from your friend!" he said with a grin. "Actually, I was wondering if I could come with you to see Sakura?" he asked. 

Suo frowned at him. "He's fine if that's what you're worried about." he replied rather curtly. Umemiya didn't give it any mind thought. "Not what I was thinking about, I knew you would take great care of him." he said with a smile. "I wanted to show him the work we did on his apartment! We finished the last few things this morning so he should be fine to move back in now." 

The one-eyed boy stared at his upperclassman in surprise. "You fixed his apartment?" he questioned. The older boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It took a bit to convince the landlord to let us work on it but one of the grannies promised him a cookie recipe he'd apparently been pestering her about for years so it all worked out in the end." he answered with a grin. 

He then leaned in close. "That guy is a real pain to work with by the way. I didn't know we had such difficult people in town." he semi-whispered, almost like he was afraid the man would somehow hear him.

Suo sighed. "Alright, you can come with. But please be mindful that Sakura-kun is still a bit under the weather. I don't think he'll appreciate it if you are being too loud." he replied as he started walking in the direction of his house. Umemiya just beamed at him. "Don't worry! I'll be as quiet as a mouse!" he laughed as be fell in step next to his underclassman. 

Why did Suo doubt that statement? 

"Sakuraaaa!" 

Ah, that's why. 

It seemed that Umemiya had immediately forgotten about being quiet as soon as he stepped foot into the auburn-haired boy's home. He heard a yelp coming from his bedroom in response to the white-haired teen's yelling. Great, Sakura had been woken up.. 

Umemiya immediately waltzed right to the bedroom and barged in, startling the still drowsy teenager. The boy stared up at the older teen in confusion. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, not at all pleased that his nap had been interrupted. The taller boy knelt down next to other and pressed a hand against his forehead. He then retracted his hand again and smiled. "Looks like the fever is gone." he said with a grin. Sakura just cautiously stared at him. 

What was this guy up to? 

Without warning, Umemiya picked the poor boy up from his futon and carried him out the door. "What the hell?! Let me go!" The bi-colored teen cried out as he was manhandled by the older boy. He immediately began throwing punches at the other to try to get free. "I gotta show you something!" the taller boy tried to explain as he dodged the fists trying to connect with his face.  

Thankfully Suo stepped out in front of the two, stopping the Bofurin representative from kidnapping the struggling teen. "Maybe you should let Sakura-kun change into some warm clothes first. We can't have him catching another cold, can we?" he said as he glared at his upperclassman. 

The white-haired teen froze and looked down at Sakura, who was indeed wearing nothing but a shirt and sweatpants. "Right." he replied sheepishly as he put the two-toned boy back down on the ground. Sakura huffed in annoyance before looking at his one-eyed friend. "Do you.." He didn't have any clothes with him other than the sleepwear he had arrived in. He would have to borrow some of his friend again if he wanted to stay warm in this weather.

Suo nodded. "I'll get you something to wear." he said before disappearing into his bedroom. Sakura then glared up at Umemiya, who was all but bouncing in place. Why had Suo even allowed the guy inside? The sheer amount of energy radiating off the other boy was going to give him another headache.

A minute or so later his one-eyed friend returned to join them at the door. "I put some clean clothes down in the bathroom. Feel free to take a shower as well. There's still some blood visible on your skin." the boy said. He didn't mention how Sakura didn't smell all that great anymore after lying in bed sick for two days straight, but the other seemed to take the hint anyway. He blushed furiously before leaving the room. The sound of running water sounded not long after.

Suo let out a small sigh and looked up at the white-haired teen beside him. There was still one issue that needed to be discussed. An important one at that. "Did you find out who did this?" he asked quietly. Umemiya's smile faded slightly. "We found the guys. Three men belonging to a small group that has apparently been committing crimes like this all over this side of town." he told the other. "I sent Hiragi out to confront them. Pretty sure Kaji went too, so I doubt those guys will be back anytime soon."

The younger boy huffed and looked back in the direction his captain had gone to. "Good." As much as he'd love to get out there and beat those guys up, he knew that his upperclassmen were more than qualified for the job. They may not outright say it, especially Kaji, but those two were fiercely protective of anyone on the Tamon team.

Umemiya nudged the moping boy lightly. "Come on, you can beat some ass next time. Sakura really needed you." he commented with a grin. Suo sighed. Okay, he couldn't disagree with that. 

It took another ten minutes before Sakura reappeared at their side. He now wore weather appropriate clothing and his hair and skin was void of any blood or grime. Suo couldn't help but smile when he saw his friend dressed in his clothes once again. He almost wanted to say that the boy looked cute in his slightly oversized shirt and cardigan, but he kept his mouth shut.

He wanted to live, thank you very much.

"Ready to go?" the eyepatch-wearing teen asked. Sakura put his shoes on and nodded. Umemiya clapped his hands and smiled brightly. "Alright! Let's go!" he exclaimed before taking the bi-colored boy's arm and pulling him out the door. Suo watched in amusement as his friend shouted profanities at the older teen as he was dragged away to god knows where.

The vice captain quickly followed the two to make sure his friend didn't murder the leader of Bofurin somewhere along the way.

Sakura stared at the scene before him with wide eyes. 

When Umemiya told him that he and a few others had done some work on his apartment, he honestly didn't expect much. What can a kid even do in a situation like this? He knew Umemiya had connections all over town, but who would want to come out to help on such a short notice?

Well, quite a lot of people apparently.

He almost didn't recognize his apartment anymore! The broken window had been replaced and dark blackout curtains had been put in place before it. The shattered closed had been thrown out and in it's place was a new one. It had some scuff marks so it was probably second hand, but he couldn't care less. 

His futon, blankets and clothes seemed to have been washed and laid folded up on a small table (which was also new because he definitely didn't own a table before). His other stuff was all dried off and put back in their original places.  

"We tried to save most of your stuff, and what was beyond saving we replaced!" Umemiya said with a bright smile. Sakura appreciated that, although he didn't have that many belongings to begin with. And what he had was very cheap anyways. "I would've liked to replace the floorboards as well but that just wasn't an option at this time." the white-haired teen sighed.

The two-toned boy just didn't know what to make of all of this. He looked between his apartment and his upperclassman in disbelief. Had Umemiya really gone through all this trouble just for him? But why? 

He must've said something out loud because the white-haired teen suddenly wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "As your older brother I have to make sure you're safe and comfortable in your own home. I can't just stand by and watch you struggle with this on your own!" he explained. He could barely get a word out before the taller boy was dragging him through his apartment to his front door. 

"Look!" Umemiya exclaimed excitedly. The older teen fished a pair of keys from his pocket and stuck them in the broken lock on his front door. And to Sakura's absolute amazement the lock actually clicked shut! 

"We fixed it! Now you can actually lock your front door when you leave or go to sleep. That should make living here feel a lot more safe!" he told the boy. He took the keys out again and handed them over to the other. "These are the only copies, so don't worry about anyone barging in unannounced. I got you two keys in case you ever lose one. Or you can give one to someone else in case of emergencies." 

Sakura stared down at the keys in his hands. It was just a simple ring with two metal keys, but there was one detail that immediately caught his eye. There was a small black cat key chain attached to the ring. It looked old and worn, but clearly well cared for. Umemiya smiled as he saw the younger boy caress the key chain with his finger. 

"That one's Kotoha's. She asked me to put it with the keys so its easily recognizable if you ever lose them." Sakura looked down at the keys, back up at the door and then at his apartment. Umemiya had done so much for him. How could he ever repay him?

"Thank you." he said quietly. The older boy smiled and enveloped the other in a tight hug, earning a startled yelp. "Of course! Anything to help my little brother!" he exclaimed loudly. Then, more quiet, he added "If you ever need help with anything like this don't hesitate to ask, okay? We're here for you." 

Sakura swallowed hard and hid his face in the older boy's chest. "Okay.." 

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Umemiya released the teen and stepped back. "Right, I'm going back to do my duties! I'll see you guys tomorrow!" he said before leaving the apartment. Sakura watched him go with a small smile on his face.

Umemiya really is a good guy.

"So, what do you think? Did they do a good job?" Suo piped up from behind him. The two-toned teen nodded and turned to face his friend. "It's better than how I left it." he commented. The one-eyed boy laughed at that. "Your place was a wreck when you left, of course it's better than that."

Still, one thing kept bothering him. He looked down at the keys in his hands once again. "Do you think my landlord will let me stay here now?" he asked, worry audible in his voice. They may have fixed up his apartment, but he was still the one responsible for this mess. Suo just smiled. "Don't worry about that. Umemiya-san had a good conversation with him about his treatment of you. He shouldn't be an issue anymore." 

He didn't tell the boy that Umemiya had mentioned how he straight up threatened the man when he had expressed how he wanted to kick Sakura out. Sometimes the residents of Makochi tended to forget that Bofurin was still a group of delinquents. They don't mind occasionally roughing up a civilian or two if it meant protecting one of their own from harm.

The bi-colored boy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Good." he said before venturing back into the main room of his apartment. Suo followed him, but stood still in the doorway. "I'll be going home now, Sakura-kun. If you need anything don't hesitate to call." the eyepatch-wearing teen said. 

The other boy nodded in acknowledgement. His face then changed like a sudden thought had occurred to him. "Wait." he said as he fiddled around with the keys in his hands. After a short moment he strode over to his vice captain and held out his hand in front of him.

"Here." 

Suo looked down at the outstretched hand. One lone key stared back at him. His eye widened in surprise. "You're giving me one of your keys?" he asked. Sakura didn't dare look him in the eye. "Y-yeah.." The auburn-haired boy slowly took the key from his friend's hand. "Why?" he then asked as he looked down at the object. He'd thought that after today Sakura wouldn't even entertain the thought of anyone else having access to his home like this.

The bi-colored boy flushed red. "It's just in case of an emergency. D-don't suddenly come in without knocking okay!" he all but yelled. Suo didn't mind though. He watched the blushing boy with a smile. It seems like Sakura really trusted him and that made him very happy.

"Maybe you should take some more fever medication. Your face is all red."

"Shut up!"

Suo watched with a small grin as his friend turned around and stomped away from him. The boy was so easily embarrassed and it amused him endlessly. Yet, as much as he just wanted to stand here and observe his bi-colored friend for a little while longer, he knew the boy needed his space.

"Well, I'll be going now. Take care of yourself, Sakura-kun." the one-eyed boy said. The other teen looked back at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you at school tomorrow." he replied back. Suo gave a nod and turned to leave.

"Suo."

At the mention of him name, Suo turned back one last time. Sakura fiddled with the cream-colored cardigan before looking at him. 

"Thank you. For today and yesterday."

Suo's eye lit up at those words. His captain wasn't one to express his gratitude often, after all. "You're welcome!" he replied back with a bright smile. The boy then gave one last wave before leaving the apartment, locking the door behind him with his newly gifted key.

Once he was finally alone, Sakura let out a quiet sigh before looking around in his apartment. True to his word, Umemiya really fixed everything and it looked pretty good too. The work didn't look rushed even though it had been completed in like a day. It really made him wonder how his upperclassman had made such good connections with other people that he was able to ask someone to do this for him.

He let out a groan. How was he ever supposed to repay him? And Suo too. That guy had to put up with his sick self for almost two whole days! He was like, I don't know, gonna have to buy them a thank you gift or something. With what money he didn't know, but that was a problem for future him.

Still feeling a bit weak from being sick, the boy placed his freshly washed futon on the floor and lay down. He put his arm behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. By now, all his previous stress and panic had completely evaporated. Seeing what the people here were willing to do for him made him truly realize how lucky he was. 

Despite the wet and freezing weather outside, he suddenly didn't feel all that cold anymore.

He was glad he came to Makochi.