Work Text:
Suo felt a change in his life the moment he saw him for the first time. He had recently moved back to Makochi after a few years studying abroad. The place wasn’t completely unfamiliar, but being welcomed back with the same warmth as before he left was a little bit jarring, although that didn’t reflect on his calm demeanor and soft smile.
Suo introduced himself to his neighbors, an elderly couple who owned a small bakery, Saboten, next to his new tattoo shop, Jigoku Bana. The couple was more than happy to welcome him, thanking the young man for the thoughtful gift of a high quality box of matcha, giving him in return some of their freshest baked anpans. The couple also asked for him to take care of their grandson if he ever saw him, he was very easily flustered due to his shy nature.
After the introduction, Suo went back to his tattoo parlor, thinking about the very little changes this small town had faced while he was away, even though he had experienced quite the opposite, he was no longer the same boy that left this tranquil town. He reminisced a bit about how he got into the tattoo business and how his life was different from what he himself had thought, but nevertheless he was happy to be here, reunited with his old friends and starting this business along with them.
Since opening his new parlor, he started going to the bakery every once in a while, his friends were quite enamored with the pastries and breads they sold. He made it a point to go at least once a week so he could fetch some for them, mainly Kiryu and Nirei, but Tsugeura joined them in their request for some sweet treats.
It was in one of his regular visits to Saboten when he first laid his eye on him. Behind the counter was an unfamiliar face, a person that was partially hidden behind the counter, too busy arranging the display to pay any heed to the visitor. Suo could only see the top of his head, where he noticed mismatched hair, part black part white, quite unusual. He coughed a little to try to gain the attention of the employee.
“Excuse me.”He finally decided to say when it appeared that the person behind the counter hadn’t noticed him even after making some noise.
Finally, his voice appeared to attract the other's attention, which resulted in a soft thump, the employee’s head hitting the bottom of the counter in their haste to stand up.
“Ow.”Was the only sound it left the boy that was finally facing Suo, massaging his head a little to lessen the pain of the headbutt he just got from the counter, a little scowl marring his face. It was then when Suo could finally see the boy in his entirety. (He’s cute) Suo thought to himself, before quickly regaining his composure.
“I came here to pick up some pastries…”His eye closed while he smiled, after he was able to pick up the name of the boy in front of him from the tag on his chest (Sakura, it sure fits him) Suo couldn’t help but think to himself.
“What pastries are you going to take?”Sakura asked Suo, no greeting, no introduction, straight to business. His scowl had almost disappeared and his hand had left his head, grabbing a pair of pliers to pick the requested pastries.
“I’ll take 3 anpans and 3 pain au chocolat.”replied Suo with his calm smile still in place, silently admiring the distinctive features that made Sakura quite unique. Sakura on the other hand, limited himself to picking up the products, carefully packaging them before handing the bag to Suo.
“It’s going to be ¥1,200,” said Sakura, extending his hand to receive the money.
Suo took out his coin purse, counted his change and handed the exact amount to the awaiting hand. Sakura quickly counted the coins and put them on the register.
“Thank you for your purchase,” said Sakura rather awkwardly, blushing slightly while doing a barely there bow. Suo couldn’t help himself and smiled a little bit wider, it sure was a cute image.
“See you later, Sakura,” Suo replied as he exited the bakery, leaving a stunned and flustered Sakura when he was called by name, not used to it.
Suo returned to his own business, handing the bag of treats to Nirei, who was in the reception in charge of the appointments so he could distribute the pastries amongst the rest of them.
Suo was left quite intrigued by the appearance and shy demeanor of the bakery’s employee, so he decided to amp up his visits to twice a week instead. His friends at the tattoo parlor shop were quite happy, however Kiryu always sent a knowing smirk to Suo every time he came back with another bag of sweet treats, which he pretended to not acknowledge.
After a few weeks of this visit arrangements, which ended up in some days successfully coinciding with Sakura and some with disappointment, Suo managed to find out the boy’s schedule. In one of those visits he witnessed an adorable moment.
—
It quickly became part of Suo’s schedule to go to the bakery at least twice a week. During one of these trips, it appeared to be like any other time he had gone, Sakura was being as serious as always when he heard a voice calling from the kitchen.
“Haru-chan, there’s a fresh tray of melon pan. Can you come and fetch it to put in the display?”
Suo recognised the voice as being the one from the elderly lady that owned the bakery. Sakura turned red as a tomato, flustered beyond belief as he hurriedly went to the kitchen. The sudden blush in the other’s face along with the nickname was something that Suo couldn’t help but think that was utterly adorable.
Sakura returned quickly with a tray full of freshly baked bread. He left the tray on the side before redirecting his attention to Suo. His blush was still prominent on his cheeks, but it was pink now instead of red. Behind him came the elderly lady with another tray, leaving it besides the other.
“Oh, Suo-san! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, how are you doing?” greeted the lady with a gentle smile, while Sakura was busy trying to package the pastries Suo had ordered before he had to go for the tray to the kitchen. Suo’s smile turned a bit more reserved, but still gentle and calm as always.
“It’s been a while indeed. I’ve been doing well, thanks for asking,” Suo answered politely, omitting the fact that he has been coming to the bakery more frequently. He was about to cut the conversation short when he heard a small voice trying to catch his attention.
“It’s going to be ¥1,200,” Sakura said in a rather quiet voice, not looking Suo in the eye, still clearly flustered. His hand was extended, waiting for the payment, while the lady couldn’t help herself, carefully watching the interaction between the two boys.
Suo was quick to take out the change from his coin purse and put the coins in the awaiting hand.
“Oh, Suo-san, remember I mentioned I had a grandson? Well, he’s here, Haru-chan, have you already introduced yourself?” She patted Sakura a couple of times in the back, making the boy bow slightly by accident, smiling happily at Suo.
Meanwhile, Sakura was getting very flustered again, his once calming blush becoming a forest fire again. He grumbled a bit under his breath before doing as he had been told.
“My name is Sakura Haruka,” Sakura said, reluctantly, his voice a bit shaky and his eyes avoiding Suo. His grandma’s smile got wider, happy to see the boy even if he was shy, properly interacting with others. Suo was a little surprised by the other’s attitude, but still was very pleased to finally know the full name of the boy.
“I’m Suo Hayato, my pleasure,” Suo introduced himself, afterall, it was the right thing to do. Sakura finally put the change that he had been holding in his hand onto the register. Before anyone could said anything else, the elderly lady spoke again.
“Hope you take care of my grandson, Suo-san. He’s very shy and a little bit stubborn,but he’s a very nice kid,” the elderly lady said with a soft, warm smile while looking at his grandson, softly patting his back. Pleased with the whole interaction, the grandma returned to the kitchen, leaving both boys alone. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Suo finally said goodbye and left the bakery.
–
Suo’s life continues as usual, working and relaxing with his friends at the tattoo parlor, going to the bakery to see the cute employee from time to time, going home and doing his chores. The change in seasons, from winter to spring was a welcome one. He hasn’t been back to Makochi for longer than a couple of months, but seeing how the flowers were beginning to bloom and the snow disappearing was certainly something truly magical to witness.
On the first day of April, however, his recent routine was shattered by an unexpected visit to his shop. Suo was in the middle of tattooing a client when he saw Nirei’s face appearing in his station.
“Suo-san, there’s someone asking for you in the reception,” said his friend nervously while stepping inside, just enough to be completely visible, still holding his trusty schedule at hand. Suo was certainly surprised, he didn’t have any more appointments for the day and he was not expecting anyone in particular.
“Is it a walk-in? If that’s the case, please inform them that they need to schedule an appointment. If not, did they give you their name?” Suo replied calmly while still tattooing, he was almost done with his work but that didn’t mean he could slack off and do a subpar job on his customer. Nirei took a look at his notebook to verify something before returning his attention to Suo.
“He said his grandmother sent him to bring some ‘new products’ for you to taste… His name is Sakura from what I saw on his nametag that also has the next door’s logo,” Nirei read from his notebook, he had always been quick to catch and learn details from everyone, that’s why he was the one in charge of the reception. His attention changed from his notes to his friend, expecting an answer.
Suo was even more surprised now, of all the people he could have thought would come here, Sakura was certainly the least likely, he had never seen the boy leave the bakery except to take out the trash. His facial expression remains calm as always, his pulse never faltering, almost done with his work.
“Oh, yes, he’s the grandson of the owners’ bakery. Let him know I’ll be with him in a few minutes,” Suo indicated Nirei while finally putting his tattoo machine away, cleaning the last remains of the ink, before starting to gather the materials to cover the new tattoo. Nirei was quick to add the new information to his notebook before agreeing to Suo’s instructions and leaving the station.
After the blond left, Suo took some plastic wrap and used it to cover the fresh tattoo. He left the plastic to the side and took some skin adhesive tape to keep it in place while he gave his customer instructions on how to take care of it, mainly keeping the area clean and not to touch it with dirty hands. The customer thanked Suo before leaving with a smile on his face, admiring the new piece of art on his body. After the client left, Suo was alone in his workspace, so he quickly but carefully cleaned his station and disposed of all the disposable materials like the needle on his tattoo machine and his latex gloves.
Suo stepped into the reception area, completely forgetting to unroll his sleeves due to his want to see Sakura, where he could see the other boy awkwardly doing small talk with the rest of his colleagues and friends. Once he saw him, he strolled in his usual pace to the group, waiting to see if Sakura would notice him before he called out to him. Suo was almost there when, as if his name had been called, Sakura raised his head and his gaze connected with Suo’s starting an intense blush matching the color of his namesake.
“What a pleasure to see you here, Haru-chan,” Suo couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease the other, he had been craving the chance ever since he first heard the adorable nickname from the grandma’s lips.
This only made Sakura fluster further while mumbling something unintelligible under his breath, making Nirei and Tsuge a little bit worried, while Kiryu simply had a tiny smirk on his lips while giving Suo a subtle glance.
“Do you have a fever, Sakura-san?” quickly asked Nirei while Tsugeura tried to touch Sakura’s forehead to take his temperature. Sakura flinched, about to react, but thankfully Suo and Kiryu acted faster, each of them holding one Nirei and the other Tsuge by the shoulder, dragging them a couple of steps away from Sakura to give him some space.
“Sorry about that Sakura-kun, my colleagues can get a bit carried away,” Suo apologized on behalf of his friends, giving them a quick glance before setting his gaze once again on the visitor. Slowly he took one step closer to Sakura, still maintaining a rather nice distance to prevent overwhelming the other boy again. After a couple of minutes, Sakura finally calmed down, his blush toned down from a fiery red to a soft pink.
“It’s fine… Grandma sent me here to bring you some tests of our new recipes for the new spring season,” Sakura managed to say in a rather low voice, almost a whisper, but clearly heard by Suo due to the close proximity. Haruka extended one hand with a basket full of various breads, pastries and cookies, all of them sakura flavored.
Suo couldn’t help himself but smile a bit softer while looking at the products, it was clear the indirect message even if the messenger itself was oblivious to it. Kiryu peeked a bit into the interaction before taking both, Nirei and Tsuge, to the employees room so he could leave Suo and his visitor alone.
“Thank you for coming, we’ll be sure to eat everything, the products of the bakery are super delicious,” Suo thanked Sakura, raising his gaze from the basket to the mismatched ones of his companion, the soft smile still on his lips while carefully taking the basket from the other’s hand.
It was at this moment that Sakura finally set his eyes on Suo’s arms, visible due to the rolled up sleeves, seeing well defined muscles and a couple of what appeared to be traditional styled chinese tattoos. Those details made Sakura extremely flustered, so he practically shoved the basket into Suo’s chest, making their hands touch for a second, before fleeing the store in a hurry.
Suo was taken aback by Sakura’s reaction, he didn’t know if he had said or done anything to potentially provoke the other, but still the brief and warm contact of the other’s hand on his own made up for the sudden departure. Suo stood there for a few moments, collecting himself before going to reunite with his colleagues to share the goodies.
Suo and his friends enjoyed the gifts from the bakery, everything was so delicious. Suo and his crew made sure to personally thank the bakery’s owners for the gifts, as well as complimenting the tastes and aromas. They brought with them a small packet containing a beautiful tea set decorated with cherry blossom petals as a form of thanks.
Weeks passed, the cherry blossoms bloomed and withered, however spring was still in full swing. When they finally ran out of the tasty treats, Suo was, once again, designated as the one in charge of going to the bakery to get more of them. Slowly but surely his colleagues caught onto his special interest for the cute boy attending the bakery, so from time to time they managed to drag Sakura to their tattoo shop just to hang out.
After some visits, the customers of Suo’s Jigoku started confusing the dual-hair colored boy as one of the staff, which made Sakura fluster and Suo to almost giggle with glee. Nirei, Kiryu and Tsuge also got closer to Sakura, so gradually he started coming to visit by his own volition.
One day, however, Suo had to run to town to purchase some stuff as an emergency. Nirei had ordered everything to their providers as usual, but their suppliers had delivered the equipment and materials to the wrong address. So here Suo was, walking through the shopping district going from store to store purchasing the required items on his shopping list.
It was during this unusual shopping trip that, in the distance, he managed to see a distinctive head walking a few feet away in front of him. Sakura was walking in the same direction as him, so he could see his nape and back. As Suo was about to call out the other, he realized there was another one walking beside him. His heart dropped in his chest a bit, noticing that it appeared to be a brown haired female, smaller than Sakura. They appear to be quite close, they were walking side by side, almost touching and carrying quite a few bags.
Suo didn’t realize he had stopped walking until he could barely see both of them, so he shaked his head to clear it and decided to continue with his own shopping trip. However, he couldn’t stop thinking of Sakura and the girl together as well as their closeness. Still, even if his head was a bit of a mess at the moment, he entered the next store and then the next. When he was on the last one, he raised his gaze to the window while he managed to catch Sakura and the girl walking just outside the store, so this time he was able to see the subtle affection on both of their expressions.
If Suo was a bit confused earlier, he was even more confused now, he needed to know the nature of the relationship between the two, as well as if he even stood a chance. The elderly woman from the bakery kept sending him subtle messages giving him hope, but he needed to confirm it from Sakura himself once and for all.
Everyone in the tattoo parlor noticed that something hasn’t been quite right with Suo since he returned from the shopping trip, but no-one was able to pry it out of him, not even Nirei who was the closest to him. Even if Suo maintained his apparent usual calmness, there was something in his gaze, how he stared to the air, lost in his own thoughts. However, while Suo was exiting the parlor to visit the bakery, Nirei was able to catch the determination burning in his eye ready to finally confront whatever had been bothering him.
Suo walked the few steps that separated his own business from Saboten, it had been only a few days since that day where he saw Sakura with that girl, not even enough time had passed so his regular visits to the bakery were even interrupted. It was his twice a week visit like always, so Sakura was completely unaware of any tumultuous feelings Suo might have, greeting him as usual.
“Suo-san, the same as always?” asked Sakura, still a little bit flustered, but much more used to the other boy than the first time they ever met, he was re-arranging the products on the display when Suo entered the bakery.
After finishing his task, which didn’t take more than a couple of minutes since he was almost done when the other entered, he noticed that Suo hadn’t replied yet so Sakura finally raised his gaze to meet the eye of the customer while he fixed his posture.
Sakura raised his white eyebrow, maintaining the visual contact with a little bit of difficulty, his gaze inquisitive while still waiting for an answer. Suo snapped out of his trance, walking towards the counter while a small but rather tense smile formed on his lips.
“Sure, the same as always, Haru-chan,” Suo teased the boy, even if he had some question he wanted to ask Sakura, he couldn’t stop himself from flustering the other boy.
Sakura blushed quite hard, still not quite used to being called in such an affectionate manner, but not as hard as the first time Suo called him like that. He almost dropped the pliers he was using to pick up the pastries, but was able to prevent it due to his fast reaction reflexes.
“Stop calling me that!” Sakura grumbled under his breath while he finished packaging the products on the bag before handing it to Suo, who was already giving the boy the exact amount to pay. Sakura took the coins and put it on the register, about to thank Suo for the purchase when he saw the tattoo artist open his lips to say something, so he stopped himself to listen.
“Do you have a girlfriend, Haru-chan?” A mischievous smile appeared in Suo’s lips, his eye glinting with curiosity and an foreign emotion Sakura couldn’t identify.
It took him a few seconds to process the question before his face exploded in color, stuttering so hard before he was finally able to form a more or less coherent sentence.
“W-what are you talking about?” Sakura practically screamed, his face taking an almost purple shade due to how flushed he was.
Suo got a bit worried because of such a violent reaction and almost stopped, but he remembered what he saw in the shopping district and he needed answers now before anything could even happen.
“Don’t lie to me~ I saw the two of you a couple of days ago very close while on a shopping date,” Suo sing-songed to Sakura, prodding the other for answers. He knew that he had no claims on Sakura, he didn’t even know if the boy had any kind of interest in him, maybe a potential friend at most and he wasn’t even sure about that. Still, he needed to know before he let himself fall deeper, he couldn’t nor wanted to get hurt if he could avoid it.
Sakura took a few more moments to process Suo’s statement, after which he slowly started to regain back his normal complexion and an odd calmness Suo didn’t expect. Sakura got lost in his thoughts for a few minutes, his gaze lost before focusing back on the boy on the other side of the counter. He let out a sight before steeling himself.
“Kotoha is my sister, we met each other and our older brother, Hajime, in the orphanage,” Sakura recounted briefly, he didn’t want to dwell too much on the past. Even if the circumstances of their meeting were not the best, Sakura could never regret becoming family of those two, Kotoha and Umemiya, along with all the other children in the orphanage as well as the elderly couple that took him in as their own grandson.
Suo was left momentarily speechless, in his own selfish desire to know the truth, he neves stopped to think that there might be other explanations rather than the most common one. It appeared his judgment was clouded by his own unfunded jealousy. He lowered his gaze, a bit ashamed of his own baseless assumptions.
“I didn’t pretend to pry such delicate matters from you Sakura-kun. I was nosy and rude, my accusations were baseless, I please beg you accept my most sincere apologies,” Suo, with a bit of difficulty, was able to gather his courage to apologize while bowing his head. He made a huge mistake, he put his own foot in his mouth and now he had to live with the consequences of his own actions.
Sakura was surprised by the sudden shift in Suo's attitude, sure he was quite annoyed about the false accusation of him being in a relationship, but he didn’t think it was such a big deal.
“Raise your head, it’s no big deal. Almost everyone here knows that, you didn’t because you just moved back,”Sakura was quick to dismiss the whole situation, a bit flustered while moving his hands trying to dispel the awkward ambiance around the two of them.
Suo wasn’t quite sure about Sakura’s dismissal, but still raised his head, quickly realizing that Sakura was telling the truth due to his flustered but honest facial expression.
“If you’re sure… Then I’ll take your word for it,” Suo smiled again, a small little thing, still feeling a little bit guilty. However, even if the situation was not what he had planned and he had almost ruined everything in the process there was one more thing he wanted to clarify.
“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you, Sakura-kun, if you’re comfortable.” Sakura tilted his head to the side, confused but still willing to hear Suo out, indicating with his body language for the other to continue speaking. Suo’s facial expression tensed a little bit without losing his smile, breathing slowly before taking the plunge.
“I’ve been interested in you ever since the first time I met you. Would you go out on a date with me?” Suo’s face was completely serious, awaiting for a reply.
Sakura, on the other hand, his face turned a violent shade of red, confused and strangely happy after Suo’s confession. He stuttered and almost tripped in his own place while he tried to comprehend the situation. After a couple of minutes, Sakura regained enough clarity to finally be able to reply.
“I’d love to,” Sakura answered, his voice small, but Suo had all his attention on him so he was able to hear him loud and clear.
Suo couldn’t stop his lips from spreading wide, forming a happy grin that illuminated his whole face, while Sakura just tried to hide his embarrassed and happy smile in the palms of his hands.
Omake:
After Suo left, Sakura entered the kitchen so he could calm himself a little. That had been an intense moment he didn’t expect. His grandma was in the kitchen, rearranging some trays and other tools with a wide grin on her face. Sakura knew by his grandma’s smile that she had heard everything.
“Congratulations Haru-chan! I told you he was interested in you”
His grandma hugged him tightly, happy that his grandson’s spring had finally arrived. Sakura was flustered but happy, he couldn’t deny any longer that he’d been interested in Suo ever since the first time he saw him when he first was moving into the store next to them.
“Thank you grandma”
Sakura said, hugging her back, it had been a bit embarrassing when he finally noticed how his grandma was trying to help him date Suo, but in the end it was all worth it.