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Sakura has been likened to a cat for a variety of reasons: his aversion to social interactions, his grumpy expressions, and the way he will wander back home eventually at the promise of food. Sakura may have a lot to his name, but shame is not one of them; if he's hungry, he will march to Café Pothos in hopes of scraps despite these allusions. His stove demands it after the last few failed attempts at home cooking.
So it is completely normal of him to stroll towards the cafe with his hands stuffed in his pockets, stomach desperate for some nice and warm omelette rice. His presence inside the cafe is not at all unexpected as he waltzes inside, the aroma of tea and cooking strong enough to taste.
What isn't expected is Togame behind the counter at the front of the cafe.
Sakura freezes in his tracks. His heart speeds up. His mind tries to wrap around the sight before him, but then Togame catches his eye and gives him that warm smile of his and Sakura's brain refuses to work any longer.
"Hey, Sakura," Togame greets like it's any other day, like he has worked here for years and Sakura just hadn't noticed it. "Nice to see you. Do you want to have a seat?"
Sakura still can't form thoughts. He's confused as hell, trying to make sense of all this. Togame saunters around the corner, and an apron similar to Kotoha's winks into view. It's wrapped comfortably around his hips. Sakura looks at it longer than needed. He forces his eyes back up to see Togame staring at him in mild bewilderment, like Sakura is the one out of place.
"Is something wrong, Sakura?" Togame asks gently, taking a step forward.
Sakura's voice finally returns to him, its volume seemingly amplified by its abrupt leave. "What the hell are you doing here?" Sakura demands, and he makes a quick scan of the cafe to ensure that he hasn't offended anyone. It's empty though, so Sakura whirls back round to look at Togame. "Since when do you work here?"
"Oh, Choji and I came to visit, and he's off with Umemiya right now, so I went—" Togame trails off, and his hand makes its way to the back of his head, scratching there awkwardly. His hair is short, so he's probably just feeling his bare neck right now. Sakura doesn't know why he's thinking about that, or Togame's soft-looking hair, or how the uniform looks on him.
"You went where?" urges Sakura, trying to remain focused. This is probably a mere result of the hunger he's suffering through right now. Of course. That's it. He's hungry, and it's making his brain fuzzy and weird. Not to mention, anyone would be affected by such a strange turn of events. Seeing Togame today had not been on his list. Not that it's unwelcome; it's just... not what Sakura expected. Maybe if there had been some head's up— What would be the point of that? Togame can go where he pleases. It's of no concern to Sakura. It's just—
What is he even thinking about right now?
Sakura tries to kickstart his mind again, but by the time it switches back into focus, Togame has said something, and is looking at Sakura with a bashful twinkle in his deep green eyes. Sakura balks; he hadn't been listening. Shit. "That doesn't explain why you're here," Sakura tries to divert, darting his eyes around for Kotoha. Where the hell is she, and why isn't she managing her own restaurant? People (him) are starving here—
Togame's brows furrow a little bit in confusion, and Sakura feels his stomach drop. Shit, what had he said? Damn it.
"Kotoha-san had to go out for groceries, so I'm manning the cafe for now," explains Togame in a way like it's the second time he's said it. Sakura feels his face tingle.
"Oh," Sakura replies uneasily. "When did she leave?"
"About half an hour ago, but I told her to take her time." Togame's smile is back, and Sakura just stares at it — its shape, the curve, the unnameable feeling it stirs in his chest. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here," Sakura brushes off brusquely, glancing over at the glass cases besides the cash register. A few cakes glisten in the soft afternoon light, and Sakura hears his stomach growl in appreciation of delicious food. Unfortunately, it is loud enough that Togame hears it too. Their eyes meet, Togame looking at him with wide eyes, gaze soft and searching. Sakura's face is on fire now, his palms feeling sweaty in his pockets and his skin vibrating from embarrassment. Togame then laughs, which doesn't make anything better, then takes Sakura's arm, moving him further into the cafe.
"Obviously, you're here because you're hungry." Togame guides Sakura to a seat and Sakura sits himself down, trying not to look at Togame. It's not really Togame's fault; this is Sakura's default reaction to anyone realizing that he is a human being with needs and he isn't stone-cold invincible like he attempts to portray. It makes him prickle when people seem to see right through him, like it's so easy to read him when he can't read people to save his life. Even after all this time basking in the attention of so many people — a situation he had never thought possible, it still makes Sakura's nerves wind tight like he's being cornered by moving walls.
But with Togame, the feeling is a little different. Something about Togame makes the feeling stranger, but also nicer than with anyone else. It doesn't make any sense, but Sakura hasn't been much of a thinker anyways, and he's definitely just letting his hunger get the better of him. That has to be the reason Sakura's eyes follow after Togame's back, watching it flex under the black T-shirt he's wearing. He had been wearing it that time before, at the festival, in the space of a stall, under the glowing trails of fireworks.
Sakura recalls that night, how everything seemed to shatter and fix itself all in one movement, thanks to Togame's words. That's another example of the foreign feeling that Togame brings with him like the air he breathes; Togame's words had pierced through him, past the defenses and doubts and despair, reaching Sakura like no one else had before. Togame had said it before that night: I'm an outsider. It doesn't sound exactly right, like the word exudes a meaning not necessarily accurate to the situation, but Sakura had understood what he meant. Maybe that's why Togame feels different. Sakura doesn't see him often, so when he does manage to catch him, like right now, as Sakura sits meters away from Togame behind the counter, the feeling is hard to decipher.
All Sakura is sure of is this: he wishes he could see Togame more often.
The thought makes his face steam. He doesn't know why; it's just how he feels. So why does it feel so fucking indecipherable? So... exhilarating?
He should leave, before things get more weird. "It's fine," Sakura says, but he doesn't rise from the chair for some inexplicable reason. It's like his body wants him to stay, despite the chaos happening in his head. "I'm not that hungry."
"Your stomach growled again while you were sitting," Togame calls back, still turned around and and rummaging through the kitchen.
"Well..." Sakura doesn't know how to rebuff that, so he just lets out a grumpy sigh. Drawers slide and cutlery clinks, and Sakura cranes his head to try to grab a glimpse of what Togame is concocting back there. "Can you at least tell me what you're making?"
"Kotoha-san left you something. Said you'd probably be coming around." Togame glances over his shoulder, and Sakura feels his mouth pout. Togame chuckles. "Are you like a house cat, Sakura?"
"Huh?" Sakura throws back. "That's what everyone says."
"Yeah, you know like how cats leave their houses but they always come back for food eventually?" Togame swings around the counter, holding a steaming plate of omelette rice. Sakura nearly rips it out of his hand, but keeps a grip on himself to allow Togame to set it down in front of him. He grabs a spoon and digs in while Togame pulls out the chair across from him and seats himself in it. He leans back as Sakura eats, and once Sakura has eaten more than half the dish and finally reached a satisfactory level of hunger satiated, he meets Togame's gaze.
"What?" Sakura probes, narrowing his eyes at Togame. His stare is stirring that foreign feeling again, like Togame has some book on Sakura's own feelings that Sakura hasn't even read.
Togame's smile pinches, like he's trying to stop it from growing wider, and it makes Sakura more suspicious. "What?" he repeats. He looks down at his meal. "You want some?" The ravenous hunger in him is screaming its disapproval, but he offers anyways.
Much to his secret relief, Togame shakes his head. "No, no, I'm good. It's just... I was thinking that you even kinda look like a cat."
Sakura's nose scrunches. "The hell? How?"
Togame shrugs. "I don't know. Like—" He extends a hand then, slowly, like he's expecting Sakura to bite him, like a fucking cat. Sakura stays still though, lets Togame reach out and— Touch his hair. His hand is large on Sakura's head, his body rippling at the touch of Togame's fingers ruffling his hair. "Your hair, kind of," Togame is explaining, but the edge of his palm makes contact with Sakura's cheekbone, skin on skin, and Sakura feels its imprint still on his face when Togame pulls away. Sakura tries not to look at him, looks downwards. He then realizes that the shirt is not the same one from the festival. This one is tighter, the sleeves encircling Togame's strong arms. The material is taut over his muscles, tightening over every flex. Sakura swallows, even though he has nothing in his mouth.
"Sakura." Sakura whips his eyes up to Togame's face, who is watching him with concern. "You okay? Sorry about—"
"No, sorry, I zoned out." Sakura scoops up another bite of omelette rice and shovels it quickly into his mouth, trying to sink into the flavors of it. "So why were you in town? Like, if Tomiyama was with Umemiya, why didn't you stay with them?"
Togame's brows rise. "Oh, you know," he replies with a shrug. "Choji really likes hanging out with Umemiya, so I wanted to give them some space." His face becomes pensive, and Sakura stops chewing. He looks like he wants to say something important. "Also, I, uh, wanted to see you."
Sakura stares at him. The funny feeling returns, so strong that he's aware of everything happening in his body, particularly his heartbeat speeding up. "Why? Are you okay?"
"What? Yeah?"
"Oh." Sakura traces the ragged edge of his almost-gone omelette rice with the curve of his spoon. "Then why did you want to see me?"
Togame smiles until his eyes disappear. "Just because."
Sakura's cheeks burn. "But why?"
"I wanted to check on you, see how you're doing."
"I'm doing just fine," Sakura insists, then proceeds to take another bite of his omelette rice, except he hadn't been looking, so he misses and ends up with a spoonful of nothing. He unleashes a frustrated groan and aims properly this time, while Togame laughs. Sakura doesn't see what's funny about any of this.
"I know," Togame says, propping an elbow on the table between them, and Sakura doesn't miss the way his arm strains against his tight sleeve. Togame should go back to wearing loose clothing. It would garner far less attention. "I guess I just wanted to see you again."
Sakura looks at him bemusedly. "You're talking like I live in a different country."
"I know you don't. It's just..." Togame's eyes fall on him, and Sakura feels oddly weightless all of a sudden, like they're somewhere else, away from everything. "Sometimes I wish we spent more time together."
Sakura's breath catches in his throat. It's like he read Sakura's thoughts. Before Sakura can say anything, the bell chimes. They both look over towards the door, which has swung open with Kotoha standing in the doorway, grocery bags stacked up her arms.
"Oh, Sakura, I knew you'd be coming by," Kotoha announces with a smile, and Sakura's ears feel hot at her presumptuous words. He's not that predictable, is he? "Did Togame-kun give you your omurice?"
Togame is out of the chair and already by her side, scooping all of the bags into his own hands, setting them on the counter. Kotoha smiles at him with gratitude. "Yeah, I was telling him that he's just like a cat that way, you know?"
"Right?" Kotoha laughs. Sakura doesn't like this one bit. "He'll wander about, but he'll always come back for the omurice." They both start laughing and Sakura harrumphs, finishing off the last few bites of his omelette rice before stomping over to give his plate back.
"Sakura, you should hold on to Togame-kun here," Kotoha teases, grinning up at Togame. "He's just as tall as Ume, so he can reach all the high places."
While Togame laughs bashfully at Kotoha's praise, Sakura's mind stays stuck on something else Kotoha said. He should hold on to Togame-kun? Why? What does that mean? Why did she say it like that? Does she want him to capture Togame or something? What does that even mean? Togame can do what he wants. If he wants to help out, he can. Totally. Preferably in less distracting clothes. If it gets any hotter, sweat would be visible, and that would scare away customers.
Sakura is about to impart this crucial piece of wisdom when he sees Kotoha handing Togame a bag of leftover cakes as thanks. A small bag.
"He's going to need more than that," Sakura suddenly says.
Kotoha and Togame look over at him. Sakura bristles, but manages to clarify with, "His appetite is not going to be satisfied with just that."
Togame makes an amused face at him. "Don't say it like I'm some kind of demon."
Sakura just cocks an eyebrow at him as Kotoha laughs and piles more food into boxes for Togame. "It's nice to see that Sakura knows you so well though, isn't it?" she observes, and she tosses a knowing smile his way. Sakura doesn't get it; he just remembered something Togame had done a while back, making food disappear faster than a blink right in front of Sakura.
"I guess it is," Togame agrees, looking thoughtfully at Sakura. Sakura frowns back. They are talking about this like it's a big deal. It really isn't. "But I actually can't have all this. Thank you, Kotoha-san, but I'm going to give some to Sakura."
"Okay, but you really don't have to. He'll be back in a few hours around dinnertime."
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" exclaims Sakura irately, then looks towards the outstretched bag in Togame's hands. The way his arms are extended makes his shirt pull in that distracting way again. Togame is smiling like an angel of benevolence. The whole picture irks Sakura. Shamelessly, he takes all the cakes he likes, but Togame just lets him, like sharing with Sakura is the easiest thing in the world.
Maybe it is, but it's not like Sakura can actually ask.
One look at Togame renders the need to ask unnecessary. The answer lies in the rich green of his eyes: Always.