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Steep, Sip, Spiral
Suo x Sakura
…
The familiar sound of clinking chopsticks, noodle slurping, and Nirei’s occasional choking on bean sprouts acted as the backdrop for today’s after school outing. The group of boys— including Nirei, Suo, Tsugerua, and Kiryu— sat at the cramped, little table in the ramen shop that had exactly one rickety rotating fan and no leg room. Crowding the table were four large bowls of steaming hot ramen, along with Suo’s lone cup of jasmine tea, which no one bothered to ask about anymore.
Today’s topic, for the time being, was egg consistency; specifically, as it pertained to the perfect consistency for eggs in ramen.
Tsugerua raised his chopsticks in the air, as if calling on the laws of justice. “Soft boiled eggs are the only proper answer! It’s the golden standard!”
“Wrong.” Kiryu replied, simply. “Runny yolk adds to the umami flavor of the broth. Anything other than that is just a waste of an egg.”
“Gooey eggs are a sensory nightmare!” Tsuguera screamed, forgetting to employ his inside voice, due to his pure, unadulterated passion for the integrity of eggs.
Before the conversation could go any further, however, as it was sure to elicit some kind of fiery debate, with tensions increasing, the soft jingle of the door cut through the air.
A girl stepped in, pretty and tall, with silky, long hair that shimmered in the light, like she was in a shampoo commercial. The energy shifted in the ramen shop, so much that even the egg conversation had quickly been forgotten.
Kiryu softly eyed the girl with an intense reverence, as she walked past their table. “She’s really pretty, huh?”
“Yeah… she’s gorgeous.” Tsugerua commented, his body immediately settling into a sitting position, his posture upright.
Nirei had raised his attention to the young woman, a pink hue tinting his cheeks, as he audibly hummed in agreement. “I think long hair is super pretty on girls.”
“I like long hair too!” Tsugeura exclaimed, grabbing Nirei’s hand with a force that nearly ripped his arm off— or so it felt. “Looks like we share a type, Nirei-kun!”
Face twisting in a silent agony, Nirei desperately smacked Suo’s arm for help, the curtain haired boy furrowing his eyebrows, in amusement, while trying to free his hand from Tsugerua’s gorilla grip.
Kiryu, meanwhile, eyed Suo with a look that gave the impression that he knew Suo’s darkest secret. He propped his chin on his arm, before turning the attention to him.
“What’s your type, Suo-kun? You didn’t even react to her, like the rest of us… so what makes you tick?”
There was a pause, Nirei’s hand going free, the blond sighing in relief, while Tsugeura looked at Suo with interest, as well. However, even though Suo caught the look in Kiryu’s eyes, he held a neutral expression, like a disciplined undercover agent.
The door to the bathroom, a few feet away, softly creaked open, as a lazy, two toned boy made his way back to the table. He paused, halfway in the booth, next to Nirei, as he heard the tail end of the conversation.
“Someone who likes herbal tea, has straight bangs, is multilingual, and wears lip gloss.”
The words hung in the air, the tone shifting at the table. Not in a suspicious way; not in a dramatic way. Not even in a way that anyone else felt, other than Sakura, causing Kiryu to eye him with an intrigued eyebrow raise.
Sitting down quickly and grabbing his chopsticks, Sakura tried to look normal, after realizing he had been standing like a lost NPC for a beat too long…
As the other’s continued their conversation, Kiryu’s eyes had been taken off of Sakura, as Tsgueura nearly strangled him, remembering their egg debate. Sakura sat quietly, lodged between Nirei and a brewing storm of internal panic, while attempting to eat, the normal chaos ensuing around him.
His fingers softly touched his forehead. Bangs? Yes, but not the straight ones. He grimaced, an eye twitching, as he realized he didn’t have a taste for tea, nor did he speak anything but a barely passable rendition of Japanese, either. He also didn’t wear anything but a generic brand of cherry chapstick that he found in convenience stores.
A lump quickly formed in the back of his throat, the realization hitting him so hard, he felt like he gave himself whiplash…
He wasn’t Suo’s type.
Why did this matter? Sakura wasn’t ready to say it out loud… or in a whisper… or even ready to think about it, unless he wanted to send himself into a panicked spiral… But he couldn’t deny that this reason caused him to feel a large pit in the bottom of his stomach that didn't go away,
Not after he ate his ramen.
Not after he went home.
Not after he stayed up until three a.m., researching the difference between lip gloss and other lip products…
Even after walking into class the next morning, the pit was still there, plaguing his body with a nausea that he couldn’t make go away… and when Suo looked up at him with that godforsaken smile, that nausea grew so intense, he thought he might actually throw up.
He needed to do something…
…
Sakura had never had tea in his life… except for the really sugary, bottled teas they put in vending machines; even then, he had only had a small taste, before he threw it away, disinterested in the flavor.
But today was different.
Today, he was on a mission. A very off the cuff, not so well thought out mission. But a mission nonetheless… and that mission led him to the one man he knew would have the answer about all things plants.
“...Can I help you?”
Sakura slammed down his fist, with a fervor that made his upperclassman hesitate. “I need tea.”
Umemiya softly blinked, looking from side to side. “... That could mean a couple different things.”
“I need herbal tea.” Sakura frantically beamed, nearly leaning across the little coffee table. “The good kind.”
There was a moment of silence, the pair staring at each other, before Sakura felt a hard sting across his back, making him keel over from the wind being knocked out of his lungs.
“Herbal tea!? I didn’t think you’d be into that stuff!” Umemiya beamed, standing with the smile of a proud dad, before something clicked. “...Who are they?”
Sakura’s body stiffened, quickly inhaling a large breath. “W-Who is who…?”
There was a suspicious look behind those big, beaming, blue eyes…one that sent an impenetrable fear through Sakura’s body, praying to whatever gods that existed that Umemiya didn’t read this for exactly what it was…
“I-I’m just going through some character development…or something.” He quickly added, scratching the back of his neck. “...Wanted to try new things..”
After a moment, the upperclassman simply shrugged, his expression going back to one of excitement and anticipation, as he quickly moved to prepare some tea samples.
“This tastes like swamp water!”
“No… it tastes like fresh flowers, with a dash of honey-like sweetness and a hint of grassy undertones.”
Sakura looked down at the cup, through watery eyes, holding his body back from fully rejecting the herbal tea.
“Isn’t it soothing?” Umemiya added, a dreamy look in his eyes as he sipped from his own cup. “Like a relaxing hike in the forest on a fall afternoon?”
...Sure…if you add in licking the grass and the dirt in the forest, he thought.
Sakura took another gulp of the tea, this time, holding it in his mouth and forcing it down, a tear escaping his eye, this time. Umemiya looked at him with a concerned face, as the underclassman attempted to give him a pained smile, while taking another shaky sip.
“...Spit it out.”
“B-But..”
“You’re not throwing up in front of me.”
…
So maybe tea wasn’t his drink. No big deal, right?
Yes, it tasted like gardening mulch, soaked in rain water, and yes, he still tasted the hot, wet sadness on his tongue. But this was only one piece to the Suo love puzzle, and Sakura was determined to not give up just yet…
…Until…
The table looked like a warzone. Flashcards were strewn about, pronunciation guides littered its surface, writing sheets with scribbled handwriting were thrown around. The scene looked less like a study session and more like Sakura had lost a long winded battle with the English language.
“Why are there so many irregular verbs!?” He hissed, crinkling the page of the textbook. “Why is English so hard!?”
Sakura knew that there were a lot of things he was bad at… but languages, he discovered, he was horrible at. He sighed, slamming his head down on the table. The librarian looked over at him, but instead of shushing him, they simply shook their head in pity; he had been at this for hours…
“ Hello, my name is Sakura. ” He said in English, his face flat against the table. “ How are you? I am well, thank you… No, I am suffer...”
His voice was dull, a dark cloud looming over his head. Was this enough to count as being multilingual? Maybe if he spoke fast enough, Suo wouldn’t be able to tell that he had no idea what the difference was between ‘there,’ ‘their,’ and ‘they’re’…
As he sighed in defeat, cursing the English language and all who spoke it, a sudden flash of blond hair caught his attention, the familiar mop causing him to suddenly jolt from his chair.
“Kaji-senpai! Wait up!” He yelled, scrambling out of the school library with the grace of a newborn deer.
Kaji blinked, his life flashing before his eyes, as Sakura bolted around the corner, practically tackling him in the hallway; his headphones blared loudly, the sound leaking through, as he ripped them off in pure confusion.
“What the hell, Sakura?” He mumbled through his lollipop, which he nearly dropped.
“Help me with my face!” Sakura blurted, gripping Kaji like he were a lifeline.
The upperclassman raised an eyebrow, rolling the lollipop slowly in his mouth. “Dude, what the fu—”
Sakura gripped Kaji’s uniform jacket, as he pulled him into the nearest bathroom, ignoring the confused and concerned looks from passing students. “No time for questions, just help!”
The blond opened his mouth to protest, but instead, he sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. “... You have ten seconds to be more specific, before I beat you.”
“Bangs! How do I look good with straight bangs?”
Kaji squinted at the boy, like he asked him to solve a physics problem, his brain visibly buffering. “I-I don’t know… I just let mine grow out and hope for the best, I guess.”
“Uh… okay?” This time, it was Sakura’s turn to blink in confusion.
“H-Here… let’s try something.” The upperclassman stammered, sensing that Sakura was on the verge of insanity, for some reason he didn’t quite know.
He pulled Sakura in front of the mirror, before raking his two toned locks in front of his face and scrunching them above his eyes… he looked more like a mop than he normally did, and not in the hot, sexy way that Kaji rocked his hair.
“... I think that’s how you’d look with these bangs?” His voice was laced with uncertainty.
The two looked in the mirror, Kaji desperately trying to hold back a giggle, as he saw Sakura’s face twist into a frown, his last shred of hope shriveling before his eyes.
“I look like a disaster!” He screamed, his eyes actually welling with tears, making the upperclassmen swallow his laugh.
“... Why do you want straight bangs, again?” He spoke softly, Sakura avoiding his eyes now, not replying. “... Who is this for?”
There it was again— just like with Umemiya and the herbal tea disaster.
“W-What?” He quickly sniffled, straightening his back. “I just… wanted to try a new style, is all.”
Kaji looked at him, studying him like he were reading an open book; spoiler alert: the book was not convincing at all. But still, he decided not to push him any further.
A sigh came from the blond’s mouth, as he watched Sakura try to collect himself. “Have you tried styling your hair? Like straightening or curling? Maybe adding gel or something? Go ask Tsubaki-senpai to help you figure out what works best for your face… I’m sure he can help.”
Sakura looked up, blinking, as Kaji ruffled his hair back to the way it was before; his body stood tall, as if he were being inflated, again, the advice giving him one more sliver of hope.
As Sakura said thanks and went to leave the bathroom, Kaji watched, shaking his head with a small chuckle.
…
Sakura sat, nervously, in Tsubaki's room, taking in the fashion posters lining the walls, hair products sitting in front of him, and the intense scent of a butterscotch scented candle that filled the room. Tsubaki’s sleeves were rolled up, working like a surgeon performing a life changing operation.
“Hold still, I’m almost done.” He spoke, Sakura whining.
“But it feels like you’re gonna burn me!”
“I’m not! Stop your pouting!” He parted Sakura’s hair with precision and swiftness. “Relax… when you get out of this chair, you’re gonna look like an anime prince sent from heaven.”
Sakura gulped, having never seen himself with styled hair before… he was quite antsy, especially fifteen minutes later when Tsubaki sprayed something all over his head, nearly drowning him.
“There! Look how precious you are!”
As he turned around in the chair, his eyes instantly widened, a bright pink blush coating his cheeks. “...Wow..”
Sakura’s front pieces were curled, framing it so that the hair stayed out of his face, wispy pieces making his features look more delicate and soft; Tsubaki also left his signature antenna at the top of his head, finding them to be too cute to tame. He had never imagined that his hair— that his face— could look like this…
Tsubaki tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes, as he observed Sakura looking at himself in the mirror. “You know… I wasn’t expecting this request when you pulled me aside in the hallway, today… who is this for?”
Sakura whined, nearly throwing himself out of the chair; how come they all seemed to know!? “Maybe I just wanted to change my hairstyle? Have we considered that?”
He laughed, crossing his arms before leaning against the wall of his room. “Fine, fine… is there anything else you need from me?
Sakura’s eyes widened slightly, remembering the last piece of the puzzle— lip gloss. “Y-Yeah, actually! What lip gloss do you use?”
There was a moment of silence… there seemed to be a lot of those today.
Tsubaki moved toward the vanity, producing a small, pink tube, holding it out for Sakura to see. “Cherry blossom delight… super fitting for you , huh?”
Sakura stared at the tube, with a tilted head, letting Tsubaki continue. “Super glossy, by the way, and super long wear too… stays on when you’re eating, drinking, kissing someone… hypothetically, of course.”
Sakura shot him a glare. “Stop mocking me.”
He giggled, tilting Sakura’s head back, somewhat roughly, before applying a small amount on his lips and smoothing it out.
“Is it supposed to feel so sticky?”
“Mhmm. Now rub those lips together.”
Sakura did as he was told, before looking at himself again. He couldn’t help but softly smile, seeing how different— no— enhanced he looked. Was he always so… pretty?
Watching him with a soft smirk, Tsubaki tested him again, determined to get the answer. “... He’s gonna love it, don’t you think?”
“I hope so.” Sakura beamed brightly, before realization kicked in, and he glared back at Tsubaki, who began laughing. “H-Hey! Stop putting words in my mouth!”
“That was all you!” The upperclassman laughed, before patting him on the back. “Besides, you can’t hide anything well… now go, get your boy.”
He pushed Sakura out of his house, before waving goodbye and watching him walk down the street.
“Of course I knew. Everyone does, stupid.” He chuckled to himself, before closing the door.
“Was that a boy?”
“He’s so pretty!”
The sun had begun to set, a warm orange hue enveloping the town, as Sakura sped walked back home. He was used to people staring at him, but not like this— not while calling him pretty!
He hoped he wouldn’t see any more people and definitely not someone he knew… but of course, fate came to toy with him.
Exiting the door of a coffee shop, a soft chime echoing in the air, was none other than Suo motherfucking Hayato, his auburn locs glistening in the evening light.
He held a steamy to-go cup, a tea bag string hanging from the side. As he looked up, his head tilting to the side, he instantly spotted his friend, offering him a signature Suo smile.
A soft whistle left Suo’s lips, instantly causing a bright blush on Sakura’s face. “Didn’t expect to run into a model on my way home. New look?”
Sakura tried to act normal, his brain short circuiting. “Y-Yeah… just experimenting.”
Suo hummed, stepping a bit closer; so close that Sakura could smell the fresh scent of the grass smelling tea… it made him feel slightly nauseous again.
“But you know, your usual bed head look will always be my favorite.” He spoke, the small gap in their height used to his advantage, as he leaned forward. “It really suits you.”
As quick as Suo drew closer, he moved away, already beginning to walk home. “Get home safe.”
Sakura stood like a deer in headlights, his lips parted in disbelief at Suo’s words. He was about to run after him, when Suo called over his shoulder— soft, playful, and so teasing.
“...The lipgloss looks amazing by the way. You should wear it more often.” He said with a smirk.
There was that look, again; that look that made Sakura’s heart race and his knees feel weak.
As he stood on the sidewalk, an internal panic rising through his body, Suo chuckled, increasing the distance between them. “You really fell for that, just to get my attention, huh? At least, now, I know for sure~”
…