Chapter Text
Sakura Haruka is one of a kind. Of course, his looks certainly make him so. Heterochromatic, with a third of his head pure white instead of black. It's hard not to call features like that striking, or beautiful. Unique. And while Togame was first struck by his uniqueness, he learned that there was much more of a draw to Sakura Haruka than just his looks. His heart, his pride, his ability and the confidence he had in it. His openness and honesty even with someone he was by all means fighting as an enemy. Togame was an enemy.
And yet, by the end of the battle, an understanding made itself known. The tides changed, perspectives with it, they fought as equals and they took every hit with a bloody grin. For the first time in a long time, Togame fought and enjoyed it. He fought with that beautiful, stunning boy, with his wolfish grin and self satisfaction. That boy who finally forced Togame to see the light. To realize his own mistakes. One eye of steel and the other of amber, piercing through his soul, as his fists landed over and over again, bruising Togame’s body until he was spitting blood and could hardly stand. But all he felt was the warmth welling up in his chest. This boy was one of a kind. He was beautiful.
Of course, Togame was not thinking any of this during his battle with Sakura. The massive amounts of emotional turmoil overpowered everything, even after his fight was done, even after Chouji lost. It was one of the longest days Togame had ever lived, he thought.
But, in the downtime of the following days, he could not take his mind off of Sakura Haruka. He was no longer “othello-kun,” the prideful boy he met in the tunnel. He was Sakura, the boy who saved him, the boy who kicked him so hard he was forced to come back to his senses. He couldn’t forget that wild look, his dual-colored eyes pinpoint with adrenaline, hair messy, blood dripping down into his mouth, wide open with the grin of a beast. He had to see him again. He had to see more.
---
Togame shuffled through the streets of Furin territory, his orange jacket carefully folded over his arm with the logo hidden. He didn’t want to attract any attention for the wrong reasons. He wasn’t here to pick a fight.
That said, upon reaching the school, there were definitely a few distrusting eyes turned his way. Even without the jacket, he still (unfortunately) had some notoriety being the second in command of Shishitoren. He just hoped nobody would report his presence to Umemiya.
Ultimately deciding against entering the school, Togame waited at the front gate, attempting to appear as innocuous as possible while scanning the slow-moving crowds exiting the gates. It seems a lot of Furin has after-school activities or something, there weren’t a lot of people leaving considering school had ended already.
There. Sakura finally emerged from the school some minutes later, flanked by some of the first years who had been at the “tournament.” Suddenly, Togame was a little nervous. Here he was, showing up with no plan at all, on enemy turf, to pry Sakura away from his friends and get him alone. This one probably could’ve used a bit more forethought, but it was too late. The one with the eyepatch… Suo, was it? Suo-kun caught his gaze first, nudging Sakura, which in turn notified the little blond next to him to search for whoever they were looking at. Togame shrunk a little as they approached watching Sakura for his reaction. His eyes were narrowed, not quite in suspicion, but more like confusion.
Togame stepped away from the wall he was leaning on as the trio came up to him.
“Yo, Sakura. And company.”
“Well! If it isn’t the Shishitoren’s second in command!” Suo-kun greeted, “I wonder what we can do for you here at Bofurin?” He smiled lightly. The blond boy was fretting behind them, probably worried there was going to be another turf war or something based on how the last interaction on school grounds went.
“Well.. I was actually hoping to talk to Sakura for a bit.. If you’re not busy, that is..”
“Hah? Me? Why?” Sakura asked bluntly. Togame lightly scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. He stuttered a bit as he tried to think of an answer besides “I want to know more about you,” which was not only cringe but would likely give everybody the wrong idea and possibly even scare Sakura off. His gaze flicked to the others. Performing in front of an audience was never his thing. Was he blushing already? God he hoped not.
“Um.. just.. Some stuff from the fight..” Togame mumbled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eyepatch-kun’s eyebrows raise. Christ.
Sakura studied him for a moment as Togame tried not to fidget. He may have a bit of “acting sadistic” under his belt, but that was more of a job than anything. He almost felt out of character doing something for his own personal gain like this. Those eyes were looking straight through him.
Whatever Sakura was looking for, Togame wasn’t sure if he found it or not. He just sighed and started walking, leaving his friends at the gate.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
---
The boys walked in silence for a few minutes, meandering their way around town back towards Shishitoren territory. Togame let the silence brew. He wasn’t quite ready to start talking yet. He led them towards an old two-story building near the territory line, gesturing towards the fire escape stairs and taking them upwards. As they arrived on the rooftop, Togame removed his glasses and took a moment to just look at the sky and breathe. A clear, sunny day, with little cotton candy clouds. Perfect weather.
Sakura cleared his throat.
“So? What did you want to talk about,” he mumbled gruffly. He was looking at Togame, but not quite meeting his eyes yet.
Togame paused.
“Hah.. I’m not even sure where to start, I didn’t really plan this at all..” he chuckled, scratching his cheek. Where to start indeed. He took a seat on the concrete, sitting cross-legged and looked back up to Sakura, who took the hint and sat next to him as well. Togame sighed.
“I know I already apologized, and as much as I want to do it again, I guess the most important thing I wanted to say was thank you,” he began. “If it wasn’t for what you told me, and- and what you showed me during that fight, I don’t know if I ever would have realized how wrong I was about Chouji and Shishitoren. I just wanted him to be happy the way he used to be, but I did it all wrong. I let things get so bad. I acted like I was doing the right thing, or doing him a favor, when I really just left him alone and nearly destroyed our team.
I regret it. I should have pushed through and fought for what I thought was right instead of averting my eyes. The way you always push through, Sakura. I admire that. During that fight.. I thought you were amazing. And as strange as it sounds.. I’m really glad we fought.”
Togame sighed shakily. He felt lighter. So light he felt like he could blow away in the breeze. His stomach was fluttering with nervousness. He fiddled with his hands, not brave enough to look Sakura in the eye just yet.
Sakura pondered his speech, trying to remember what exactly was so “amazing” during that fight. They were basically equals when it came to ability. So.. his words? Or was Togame picking up what Umemiya talked about, having a conversation with his fists? He was unsure. But he did know one thing.
“I’m glad too.” He said. Togame looked up, hopeful and curious, waiting for more. Sakura blushed a little, realizing he would need to explain himself to not look like an asshole.
“That is, um, I’m glad we fought. It was fun. I don’t think I’ve ever had that much fun going all-out with someone. I’m still kind of mad you purposely whiffed that last punch, but.. I think I get it now.” Sakura paused, leaning back on his hands and staring up at the sky. “This is the first time I’ve ever understood.. or even tried to understand someone I fought with.”
Togame was once again struck by Sakura. His heart was practically skipping beats. He understood him. Sakura wasn’t angry, or confused, or firing off questions about why Togame did what he did. And Togame might have even helped him. Sakura clearly wasn’t accustomed to bonds made from fighting, maybe even any positive experience from fighting, he learned new things and feelings. And he just looked so beautiful, bathed in amber light, the serious set of his features glowing in the now sinking sun.
“Yeah. Me too.”
---
3 days later, Togame finds himself outside the gates of Furin once more. And this time, he has a plan. It's a Friday, and he is going to hang out with Sakura Haruka, and it's going to be fun. Sakura does not know this yet, as Togame was not smart enough to grab his phone number when they went to the rooftop. But it's going to happen.
The boy in question was now exiting the school, by himself this time. Togame waved him over, a little smile gracing his face. Sakura immediately started marching over when he noticed.
“You again? What do you want, Togame?” He questioned.
“Let’s hang out today.”
---
And with only a mild amount of embarrassed sputtering from Sakura, they were off. Togame first brought him to a ramen shop nearby, which by some fortuitous coincidence had been helped by the Bofurin team this week with renovations or something, and they ended up eating free. Sakura’s face had turned a very interesting shade of red when the shopkeeper was thanking him. Easily embarrassed, Togame thought. Cute.
Lunch itself wasn’t an interesting affair, both of them working on eating quickly rather than talking much. Sakura seemed to wolf down his food in record speed, but waited for Togame to finish with minimal complaint. It was delicious.
Next up, the arcade. Togame was absolutely floored to learn that Sakura had never been to the arcade before. Thus, he vowed to make sure this boy had the most fun possible his first time.
“Listen here, Sakura. The arcade is a wonderful place filled with games and snacks and questionable carpet stains. Everybody should visit here with their friends at least once. Its the spirit of youth. So let’s play!”
-
“Hey Sakura, I bet you can’t beat me at skee-ball.”
“Skee-ball? What kind of old man game is that? I’ll beat you any day.”
-
“Mario Kart..? I’ve never played it before.”
“I pity the childhood you’ve lived.”
-
“Dude, check out how ugly this knock-off pikachu is… I dare you to grab it.”
“A crane game? Aren’t those, like, always rigged against you?”
“Yeah, but you can still win.. If you don’t suck that is.”
“I don’t suck! The odds are against us! Even I know that!”
…
“Fine. Watch me.”
-
“What, we got all these tickets tonight and we can only choose from these tiny-ass prizes?!”
“Shh, shut the fuck up the guy is right there! Just pick something, Sakura.”
“Ugh, fine. Whatever. Gimme the tiny shark.”
-
And so, 3 hours later, they had played just about every game in the building and decided to call it quits, tiny shark and ugly “pukicho” in hand. Namely Sakura’s hand, since Togame was too busy laughing at him and didn’t want to take either item home. Togame volunteered to walk Sakura to the train station, so they walked side by side in companionable silence. Until Togame realized his time was ticking, the last rays of sunlight quickly disappearing below the horizon, turning the sky a deeper and deeper blue.
He slowed to a stop.
“Hey, Sakura..”
Sakura stopped, turning to realize Togame had fallen behind. The taller boy was staring at the ground.
“Did you have fun today?” He asked quietly.
Sakura blinked. “Ah.. yeah. I did.” He mumbled, a little thrown off by the sudden question.
Togame sighed and smiled gently. “Good. That's good. Um..”
He trailed off, not sure how to begin or how he wanted to say it. All was still for a moment until he suddenly squared his shoulders, marched forward the few steps separating him and Sakura, and met him face-on. Sakura twitched in surprise.
“Sakura. I’d love to hang out again. I had lots of fun today, and I, uhh.. want to get to know you better, if its ok with you that is.. Uh, basically what I’m trying to say is..”
Togame trailed off for a brief second before grabbing Sakura by both shoulders, his eyes sparkling with determination.
“Sakura. I like you. Please go out with me!”
“Eh… me? Huh?” Sakura gaped, his face rapidly turning what could only be described as tomato red. He floundered, his mouth moving but no sounds coming out as he started practically vibrating in place. Not once had someone ever expressed interest in him like that. Hell, he didn’t even have friends before coming to Furin. A confession? To him? Seriously??
Togame waited patiently, his own face turning red the longer the moment dragged on. He smiled nervously, letting go off the other boy’s shoulders to give him some space to breathe.
“Y-.. You’re asking me to date you?” Sakura finally stuttered out, his gaze skipping back and forth between Togame’s face and the wall next to them.
“Yeah.” Togame said simply.
“What- Wait hold on, so then you’re.. gay??” He questioned further.
“Umm…”
Togame pondered this for a moment. It honestly hadn’t even crossed his mind that having feelings for a boy would indeed make him homosexual.
“I guess, yeah?” He cleared his throat. “Is that.. Is that bad?”
Sakura seemed to gain some of his brain back after hearing the careful tone.
“No, its not, I just.. uh.. I don’t even know…” Sakura really didn’t know what to do. Did he like Togame back? Was he just shocked? Wasn’t it weird to have feelings for a guy you punched the shit out of a few days prior? He definitely liked Togame as a friend by this point, but Sakura had never had a crush, or close friends. Were friends supposed to make you feel this embarrassed? Or did that mean he was gay too? Should he say yes even though he wasn’t sure yet? Was that bad?
The longer he stood there, the more questions entered the flurry in his brain. He almost felt dizzy.
Luckily, the taller boy took pity on him.
“Its okay if you don’t want to. Or if you don’t know yet.. but… Can we at least meet up again? It doesn’t have to be a formal date, we can just hang out, right? Maybe see where things go?” Togame offered. Maybe it was a little sneaky to request that when Sakura was obviously lost, but his pretty red face was just too irresistible. Togame’s heart was practically beating out of his chest with leftover adrenaline from his confession, and having such a pretty boy in front of him was not helping at all.
Sakura clutched the plushies he was holding tighter. Nothing could go wrong with that, right?
“I- I don’t really know, but.. yeah. Hanging out again sounds good. It was.. Nice. Spending time with you.” He bit out, trying to overcome his own embarrassment without falling back onto his habit of screaming obscenities and practically running away.
Togame brightened instantly. He would call that a success.
“Great! We can meet sometime next weekend, then? Oh, I have to get your phone number too. Here, take my phone.”
Sakura just nodded faintly, juggling the plushies and typing his phone number into the smartphone plopped in his hand.
“Nice. Okay, the station is just around the corner, do you still want me to walk you there?”
Sakura shook his head. “No its alright, I’m fine. T-thank you.”
Togame sighed happily. Sakura was using his manners for once. Too cute.
“Alright, if you say so… Then, goodnight Sakura. I’ll see you later.” Togame said, watching as Sakura returned the sentiment and quickly turned away. The tips of his ears were still burning. He had a lot to think about tonight.