Work Text:
(1)
Handkerchief
“Sakura-kun!”
Sakura instantly recognizes the voice. He hastily finishes his drink, pouring the last bit of fresh water from the bottle straight onto his head in an attempt to cool himself, before approaching the person who’s calling him just now.
“Yo! Suo!”
His boyfriend takes one glance at his appearance and immediately grimaces. Sakura can guess why. His body is dripping with an insane amount of sweat with some fresh blood mixed in from the nasty cuts he’s gotten from the fight just now. He probably doesn’t smell nice either right now.
He knows for a fact that Suo loathes getting dirty and sweaty, which is ironic considering how much his boyfriend involves himself with street brawls. But it’s somewhat understandable considering Suo is not the type who sweats excessively, not even under the sweltering summer sun. Sakura wonders if people are going to be jealous of his boyfriend if they find out.
Those musings are interrupted when Suo fetches a handkerchief out of his pocket and begins to dab Sakura’s dirty face with it.
“Ack! Whatcha doin’ with that thing?! Hey!”
“Cleaning your face, duh.” Suo lets out a dramatic sigh and shakes his head. “You always go overboard and end up getting your whole face covered in dirt.”
“Man, everyone’s all dirty! You’re the only one with your pretty face untouched here!”
Suo glances around before dragging his gaze back to Sakura’s face. “Hmm, I guess you’re right. But not everyone looks as much of a dirtball as you.”
“That’s cause I went up to the front line!”
“Me too. I was right behind you, you know?”
Sakura makes a face at that. Suo just has this strange ability to defeat his opponent elegantly without getting any injury or even dirt stuck on his pristine clothes. Not everyone can do that. Sakura has never seen anyone else who fights like that besides his own boyfriend.
“You complainin’ but you actually love gettin’ an excuse to jab that hankie on my face.”
Suo chuckles with a smile. “True.”
Sakura sighs exasperatedly and lets his boyfriend continue wiping the dirt off his face. He can never understand why Suo loves doing it, but it’s clear that Suo is enjoying it.
“Alright!” Suo exclaims joyfully, crumpling the stained handkerchief and puts it back to his pocket. “See? You look more handsome when your face is not covered in dirt.”
Sakura promptly blushes. “Shut up. Quit sayin’ stuff like that when other guys are around!”
“Why? I wasn’t even talking about other men. I was talking about my man here.”
As if for emphasis, Suo brings up a lone finger to stroke Sakura’s flushed cheek. The slight touch makes Sakura almost shiver.
“Tsk. We’re done here. Let’s go back!”
Sakura stomps his way towards the rest of their comrades, leaving his giggling boyfriend behind. And he never says it out loud, but it fills him with warmth to hear his boyfriend’s laughing voice after such a gruelling fight.
He will keep it to himself, of course.
(2)
Juice
“Suo, you want a drink?”
His boyfriend is just about to point at something inside the vending machine, but Kiryu’s voice breaks through and distracts them.
“It must be nice getting a special privilege from our captain, huh?”
Suo merely chuckles. He understands very well that it’s just a teasing jab. However, turning his head to check on the rest of his team, Sakura finds Tsugeura and Nirei looking pretty much like a deer caught in the spotlight. Which means they’re both probably thinking the same thing.
Sakura rolls his eyes. “Fine. You guys go pick somethin’ too. It’s my treat today.”
“How generous, Sakura-chan~”
Sakura tries not to blush at Kiryu’s words. “Shut up. Just hurry up pick somethin’ before I change my mind.”
Kiryu points at a bottle of fruity drink while Tsugeura and Nirei busily go through the list of choices.
“I’ll take the banana milk! High protein is important for my muscle growth!” Tsugeura exclaims.
Nirei follows along, “I guess I will take the chocolate milk.”
Sakura makes a quick job getting all of them for his friends before his gaze lands on the various brands of teas displayed at the bottom row. He picks one of them and hands it to his boyfriend.
“Oolong tea. You like it right?”
Suo smiles. “Thanks.”
He ponders a little more before choosing something for himself. He doesn’t really have any favorites, so he decides to simply get a soda drink.
However, before his finger can press the button, someone suddenly grabs his wrist and prevents him from doing so. He glances up and is met with his boyfriend’s disapproving stare.
Sakura frowns. “What’s wrong?”
“You already drank soda yesterday,” Suo points out.
“So?”
“Too much soda is not good for your health, you know? Why don't you have this instead?” Suo pauses to pick a box of orange juice before handing it to Sakura. “Juice is healthier. It’s also good for your stamina.”
Sakura takes the box of juice wordlessly, a little embarrassed by Suo’s thoughtful gesture. Although this is far from the first time Suo is doing that, so he kind of already got used to it.
“What’s this? I didn’t know Sakura-chan could be such a good little puppy when it comes to his boyfriend.”
Suo stares exasperatedly. “Kiryu-kun, please stop teasing him.”
“Oh? My bad. I forgot Suo-chan is the possessive type. Hehe.”
Sakura’s face can’t possibly be any brighter now. He turns towards the main road and begins stomping his way to hide his flustered face, leaving his friends to catch up after him.
Truth be told, Sakura kind of likes it when Suo pays attention to him and smothers him. He’s never had a parent or older sibling who cared that much about his well being. Having his boyfriend scolding him for his bad habits is actually heartwarming for him.
Not that Sakura would ever say that out loud.
(3)
Game
“Sakura! You got a new game?!”
Sakura looks up to find Anzai and Kurita leaning over to take a look at the game player in his hand.
“You wanna try it?”
“Whoa! Can we? Really?”
Sakura shrugs. “It’s not mine anyway. Kiryu lent it to me, said I gotta practice more if I wanna beat him. So, he lent this thing to me and told me I could borrow it as long as I wanted. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me lending it to anyone else either.”
“Man, his family must be loaded, huh? If I got me a nintendo, I probably won’t let anyone else touch it. Not even my brother! Haha!”
Sakura decides not to mention the fact that Kiryu is technically a large company heir who lives in a huge mansion. Kiryu probably won’t appreciate it if gossip about him starts spreading at school.
“Well, I’d like to clear out this level first, but after that you guys are free to use it if you like.”
“Thanks, man! Can we watch though?”
Again, Sakura merely shrugs and gestures towards the empty seats on the desks near him. He waits until Anzai and Kurita find a comfortable position before starting the game again.
Alas, the game is proven to be more difficult than Sakura expected. It takes him five attempts to even clear out the mid-level boss. By now, his other classmates have started to gather around him and cheering along as he continues beating those pixelated monsters.
“Sakura-kun!”
Hearing that voice calling his name loud and clear has Sakura almost dropping the nintendo in his hand. He looks up just in time to see Suo making his way through the crowd with an unimpressed look.
“I thought you said you’ve not yet studied for the upcoming english test.”
Sakura pouts at him. “Even if I study, I won’t understand a thing anyway. So, what’s the point?”
“Huh? Since when did our captain become such a pessimistic wimp?”
“The fuck you mean?!”
The air surrounding them becomes tense. Their classmates are whispering. Sakura is only mildly irritated because he knows that Suo only riles people up when he’s got an ulterior motive. Still, it does piss him off slightly.
“Come with me to the library,” Suo says, leaning into Sakura’s space with such a sweet smile that’s a contrast to his sarcastic jab before. “Forget the game. I will help you study. I will make it interesting and easy for you, just like that game.”
Sakura gives him a deadpan look. Although it’s clear that Suo is winning this one.
Even Suo himself might not know this, but Sakura honestly would rather spend all day cooped up with him trying to study a difficult subject rather than spending his day alone trying to clear all the games on that nintendo switch. He’s had enough of being alone in his old home. Nowadays, he’s discovered that having people around is actually nice. And it’s extra nice if that person is a boy whom he can kiss and cuddle with.
Of course, the part about him enjoying being kissed and cuddled remains as his little secret. But he thinks Suo already figured him out anyway.
“Fine. I’ll go with ya.”
Several heads turn at him in shock. They did not expect him to relent that quickly. Sakura merely ignores them, handing that nintendo player to a baffled Anzai with a quick instruction to give it back, before proceeding to grab Suo’s hand and leading his boyfriend away from the crowd.
“Um, Sakura-kun. You’re not mad, right?”
“What?”
“I disturbed you when playing that game,” Suo says sheepishly, “It’s not like I have any problem with you playing Kiryu’s games. I’m just a bit concerned about your grades.”
“I know.”
A beat of silence passes before Suo speaks again quietly, “Next time you could invite me. Kiryu is not the only one who’s good at games, you know? I’ve played a few myself. I can even teach you some tricks to climb up the levels.”
“Okay.”
He senses an awkward tension between them, so he pauses to look Suo in the eye and says, “Stop feelin’ bad about it. I never hated it. Studying with you, I mean. It’s not boring.”
Suo’s eye widens a fraction before his mouth curls into a relieved smile. “Good, then.”
(4)
Wound
“Sakura-kun! What happened to you?!”
“Hm?”
Sakura follows the direction of Suo’s concerned gaze towards the visibly bleeding wound on his arm.
“Oh, this? I ran into some thugs on the way. They were tryin’ to steal from that old man Yamato, the one who always brings his grandkids to Pothos. One of those bastards tried to stab me, but it’s fine. The wound ain’t that deep. No need to worry about it.”
The frown etched on Suo’s face indicates that his boyfriend is not convinced at all.
"You can’t be too careless with a wound like that. If you don’t treat it, it might give you infection and you’ll get sick.”
With a heavy sigh, Suo grabs Sakura’s hand and pulls the boy along towards the direction of the left wing building where they use most of the empty classes as makeshift storage rooms.
“Hey! Where are you taking me?! Class is about to start! I thought you hate skippin’ classes?!”
“Treating your wound is more important,” Suo answers curtly.
They finally arrive in front of a nondescript door. The only indication telling them that this room is not just another empty classroom is the word “infirmary” scribbled in fading black ink right above the door’s rusty knob.
“Suo, seriously, you worry too much! This ain’t even the first time I got a wound like this. I’ve been through much worse.”
“And you were lucky you didn’t get tetanus!”
His boyfriend absolutely doesn’t buy his reasoning. Sakura finds himself soon getting ushered to the makeshift infirmary bed. Suo then goes around the room, checking every drawer and cabinet while muttering something under his breath that Sakura can’t quite catch.
It doesn’t take long for Suo to find what he’s looking for; a box of first aid kit. He immediately gets to work, wiping the blood off of Sakura’s arm before cleaning it with an antiseptic and carefully bandaging it.
Sakura watches it all wordlessly. He’s a little mesmerized with how quick Suo’s hands are moving and multitasking everything. He’s always known that his boyfriend is good with his hands— in more ways than one. But to see Suo in action like this is pretty fascinating to him.
“You’ve got a talent for this,” Sakura comments absentmindedly.
“Hm? What? Being your personal caretaker?” Suo chuckles. “I guess it’s written on my job description as your lover.”
Sakura shakes his head. “No. Not that. I mean, in the medical field,” he says, gesturing at the medical kit scattered on the bed and the bandages wrapped neatly around his bicep. “You seem to have a knack for it.”
“Oh, please. It’s just first aid. Everyone can do that.”
“No. I don’t know how to do half the things you just did.”
Suo laughs. “That’s because no one taught you to do it.” His smile abruptly turns into something somber. “Ah, I guess I should teach you too. Remind me about it later, alright? Let’s just go back to class now.”
Sakura nods and lets Suo lead the way again. It occurs to him that he actually kind of likes the way his boyfriend was fretting over him.
(+ 1)
Dizzy
“Suo.”
“Yes?”
Sakura squints his eyes, frown etched on his face, trying to pin-point any particular thing about his boyfriend that has been bugging him since this morning.
“Sakura-kun, what is it?”
He hesitates a little before asking, “Um, are you alright?”
“I…am alright? I think? Why wouldn’t I be?”
Even Suo himself looks puzzled with the question. Sakura tries to shake off his worry, but his gut feeling is rarely wrong, and right now it is telling him that there’s something seriously wrong with his boyfriend.
“Suo—”
“Hm?”
“Err, your face is kinda red.”
“It must be from the sun,” Suo answers casually, “It’s really hot today. My body is kind of sensitive to heat, but honestly I’m fine.”
Oh.
The dots connect in his head. Sakura realizes it now. Suo really has been looking rather weary since their morning patrol.
Having solved the mystery, Sakura immediately jumps into action. He grabs his boyfriend by the arm and leads him towards the shaded area in front of the empty row of closed shops.
“Wait here!”
Sakura hastily pushes Suo towards one of the rusty benches by the sidewalk before taking off again.
“Sakura-kun! Where are you going?”
He doesn’t slow down as he shouts back, “I’ll be back in a bit! Don’t move!”
Thankfully, he quickly finds a vending machine only a few hundred meters from there. He wishes Nirei is here with him to help him choose which drinks and snacks he should get for Suo. Alas, his friend can’t join them for the afternoon patrol. Nirei and half the class got a stomach ache after trying out the spicy noodles Tsubaki bought for the whole squad. Good thing he actually listened to Suo not to eat it before patrol.
Deciding on a bottle of water and a melon bread, Sakura hurriedly goes back to where his boyfriend is waiting.
“Suo! You okay?”
On the bench, Suo curls into himself, seemingly trying to catch a little nap. He glances up at Sakura through his bleary eye. His face is getting a little redder now.
“Ah, thank you.”
His boyfriend immediately rises up to take the bottle of water from his hand, yet deliberately ignoring the piece of bread. Sakura frowns at his choice.
“You gotta eat up. You gonna pass out at this rate.”
Suo stubbornly shakes his head. “I’m fine, Sakura-kun. I don’t normally eat a heavy meal at this hour.”
“Ugh, c’mon! Just a bite, okay? I swear eating a bread once won’t mess up with your diet. Hell, you look pale enough, Nirei probably can kick your ass right now!”
Suo huffs out a small laugh at that. “Fine. If you insist.”
Sakura smiles happily and opens the bread package for him. He cuts a piece with his hand and pushes it towards Suo’s lips without thinking. Suo glances at him, seemingly asking a silent question that Sakura can’t quite understand. His boyfriend then leans forward and takes a small bite from his hand without breaking their gaze.
For some reason, the moment Suo’s lips graze against his hand, Sakura’s heart suddenly jumps into a wild march. His heartbeats are so loud in his ears that Sakura wonders whether Suo can hear it too.
“Sakura-kun.”
“Y-Yes?”
Suo’s expression morphs into something so gentle that has Sakura unconsciously holding his breath.
“I think I need a little rest,” Suo whispers.
A weight lands on his shoulder. Soft strands of hair tickle his cheek, and that’s what it takes for Sakura to fully realize that what Suo means by “a little rest” is to take a nap on his shoulder— on his fucking shoulder.
This looks like something straight out of those romance dramas Kiryu loves to binge on.
Sakura swallows thickly before shakily bringing up his hand to rest on Suo’s head. The little sigh that Suo lets out when Sakura’s hand cradles his head is absolutely driving Sakura crazy.
“I-I will send a text in the group to let everyone know we’ll be coming back a little late.”
“Mm, yeah. You do that.”
Even his fingers tremble slightly when he tries to type out in the chat. Something warm and fluttery swirls inside his stomach but Sakura can’t understand what it is. He doesn’t think it is bad.
However, it occurs to him now that he apparently likes taking care of his boyfriend too. He wonders if this is how Suo feels whenever the boy is fretting over him.
Sakura closes his eyes and decides to simply enjoy the moment.