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Suo’s right side is his blind spot. Duh. Anyone with at least one working eye can see that. Enemies use this to their advantage all the time, but he’s use to it. He knows how to deal with it. He refuses to let them catch him off guard.
Everyone in his class knows he can handle himself. They know his blindspot isn’t a hindrance to him. They know he’s a good fighter despite his disability. They all know this.
Well, almost all of them know this.
“I gotcha Suo-kun!”
He sighs as Tsugeura, once again, goes after an opponent that was coming at him from his right. He sensed the guy coming, of course he did, and would’ve handled it accordingly if it wasn’t for the orange haired boy. He’s been doing this a lot more, covering Suo’s blindspot. It’s weird, and a little annoying.
Suo can take care of himself, after all.
“Tsugeura-kun,” he says, walking up to the other after all their opponents have been beaten, “why do you insist on covering my right side? You know I can defend myself properly, right?”
“Huh?” Tsugeura tilts his head in confusion, as if he doesn’t know what he’s been doing. Suo glares at him. He can’t tell if the other is being genuine or is putting up an innocent act. It’s irritating. Then again, a lot of what Tsugeura does irritates him. “Of course you can handle yourself! But it’s easier fighting when you don’t have to worry so much, am I right?”
“I don’t-“
“You need to go easy on yourself Suo-kun!” Tsugeura laughs, slapping Suo on the back. The brunette stumbles a bit from the force. “We fight together and not alone for a reason!”
Suo sighs. Ah, he should’ve known better - it’s just like Tsugeura to disrupt years of his training just because he wants to be helpful. He’s still irritated, mostly because of how…kind, the gesture is. It’s invasive and unnecessary but so kind that Suo, for a split second, doesn’t know what to do with himself.
So, as always, he hides.
“My, how thoughtful of you, Tsugeura-kun,” he smiles and steps closer to the other boy, wrapping his right arm around Tsugeura’s left arm. He pretends not to notice the blush covering Tsugeura’s nose and cheeks. “That means you’ll protect me from now on, right?~”
“Y-Yeah! Of course!” Tsugeura chuckles nervously and rubs the back of his neck, “I’ll always have your back!”
Suo hums and closes his eye, his smile staying on his face. He wonders how long it’ll take Tsugeura to realize that Suo doesn’t need protection - that he doesn’t need anyone to see for him. He can handle himself, just like he always has. Just like he always will.
(Someone is trying to disrupt his perfect facade, to peel back his layers and see that underneath everything, what he crazes most is to be seen, to be treated like an equal and not some indestructible demigod - he can’t let that happen, and not by Tsugeura of all people, who is completely unaware of what he’s truly started.)
Oh well. He’ll let Tsugeura have his fun for now while having his own fun. He doubts the orange haired boy could ever disrupt Suo’s routine that much.
Kiryu always smells like candy. Sweet. Nice. Overwhelming.
Well, Sugishita didn’t always think he smelled nice. The overwhelming part was more accurate. He hated smells that bothered his nose too much. It became a nuisance to deal with, and he hated bothersome things. He hated the way his nose scrunched up on it’s own whenever Kiryu was nearby. Bothersome. Annoying.
Like always, he just wanted to be left alone.
Of course, class 1-1 as a whole wouldn’t allow that. Sakura always yells at him, Nirei tries to be encouraging, and Tsugeura is friendly to everyone. They were supposed to be a unit. Sugishita didn’t care. At first.
Kiryu was the most persistent. Always dragging him along to places he didn’t want to go to. Always trying to get him to participate in group activities. Always including him in the conversation. The pink haired boy refused to leave him alone. He didn’t like it.
Umemiya told him he should try to get along with his classmates. He befriended Nirei a bit, but that’s because the blonde can befriend anyone. Suo and him are…cordial. Tsugeura is- Tsugeura. Sakura is a work in progress. Kind of. He doesn’t completely hate the guys guts anymore so he counts that as progress.
Kiryu is the one who sticks around. The scent of lollipops and bubblegum slowly becomes a constant in Sugishita’s life, and after a while, it stops becoming a bother to him. Because Kiryu is pushy, but he also cares.
Now, he can tell when Sugishita wants to talk, and when he wants to stay quiet. He can tell when Sugishita is tired of interacting with people. He can see when things become too bothersome. Kiryu is pushy, but he isn’t cruel. He cares.
And over time, the smell of candy becomes a comfort to him. So in return, he tries to put in an effort for his- friend? Is that what they are? Friends?
Sugishita finds himself hoping they are.
“Ah, Sugi-chan bought me candy again!” is what Kiryu says every time Sugishita gives him some sweets from Makochi’s local candy store. It’s on his way to school, so it isn’t a bother to simply walk in, grab whatever candy catches his eye first, pay, and leave. Kiryu likes all types of candy, so he’ll eat anything Sugishita gives him.
And it makes the pink haired boy happy. Sugishita finds he likes making him smile.
“This is delicious~” Kiryu hums. He then leans against Sugishita’s desk, invading his personal space which he tends to do a lot. Sugishita is overwhelmed by the scent of strawberry licorice. His body slumps and relaxes as the comforting scent washes over him.
“Wanna watch me play?”
Sugishita nods and turns his head to watch Kiryu play one of his many gacha games. The pink haired boy doesn’t say much the whole time he’s playing, but he doesn’t have to. They both are enjoying the comfort of silence. He offers Sugishita a piece of licorice, and he tries it. It’s good. Sweet.
Not as sweet as Kiryu though.
Nirei is a touchy person. He likes being hugged and hugging people. He likes a comforting arm around his shoulder. He likes to loop his arms around his friends arms. He likes cuddling. He likes it all.
He’s always been like this. His mom loves physical touch, and would always hug him and kiss his forehead and carry him around on her hip (until she couldn’t anymore). So he picked it up from her.
He became a bit touch adversed during middle school, when the bullying got worse and the kids started physically tormenting him instead of verbally. His mom was his only safe space for touch for a while, and even then he’d sometimes flinch if she moved just a bit too fast around him.
Nowadays, he seeks and gives out touch like it’s second nature to him. He has nothing to fear at Furin. Plenty of his friends are touchy people as well, so it’s perfect! He hasn’t felt this comfortable at school in, well…ever. He’s very grateful for the friends that let him feel safe and openly welcome the warmth he offers.
Some aren’t so touch friendly like he is, and that’s fine. Not everyone is comfortable with it, and he’d never force them to be. Sakura happens to be one of those people. He doesn’t mind it when Nirei touches him (he’ll complain, but he doesn’t pull away), but he rarely reaches out to others. Nirei never pushed it. Sakura is opening up at his own pace, and Nirei is proud of him for that.
So that’s why it shocks him when Sakura sits next to him one day and places his chin on Nirei’s shoulder. He doesn’t flinch at the touch, but he does when he notices just who is sitting beside him. Sakura is blushing, not uncommon. He’s tense and stiff, but he doesn’t back down when Nirei looks at him.
“Are you done writing?”
He flinches again and looks away from Sakura to look at his notebook. Right. He was writing down some new information he got from class 1-3. The info doesn’t feel so important anymore. “Y-Yeah, I’m done. Why?”
Sakura doesn’t answer. Instead, he grabs Nirei’s arm and hugs it to his chest, resting his head fully on Nirei’s shoulder now. Nirei can actually feel the way Sakura’s face warms up at the contact. He’s sure his own face isn’t any better. “S-Sakura-san, is something w-wrong?”
“No,” Sakura mumbles, “just…wanted a hug. Is that-“ he pauses, “-is this…ok?”
Oh. That’s…
Nirei doesn’t know why Sakura is touch adversed - why he blushes at the very mention of human contact. He has theories of course, but he’d never pry. Sakura will tell him when he wants to. And even if he never does, that’s ok too.
What matters now is that Sakura is comfortable enough with him to seek out his warmth. He feels safe enough with Nirei to do this with him, and that makes Nirei happy. All he wants is to make Sakura feel safe with him, just like how he feels safe with Sakura.
So, he simply lays his head on top of Sakura and feels the other relax at the added touch. “It’s perfectly fine,” he whispers. Sakura hums and nothing else is said between them. They sit in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence, until their patrol starts.
Kaji wears headphones for multiple reasons. Mostly so he doesn’t have to listen to the taunts of his opponents. He’s gotten better taming…that side of him, but he’d rather be safe than sorry.
He also genuinely prefers listening to music than his loud as hell classmates. He likes his friends, like being around them, but sometimes they can be too much. Especially Enomoto. That guy can be loud as hell.
Kusumi isn’t loud. Of course he can’t be since he’s mute, but also in general. His footsteps are quiet, his movements are quiet, even the way he fights is quiet. Kusumi’s whole presence is one that is calm and silent.
Kaji likes that about him. He likes how he can just be around Kusumi. He doesn’t need to be a class captain or a beast, he can just existent as Kaji Ren. It’s comforting. Kusumi is comforting.
He feels a light (soundless) tap on his shoulder, and he turns to look at Kusumi. The other holds his phone up, and Kaji automatically goes to read what the other has written on his notes app.
“What are you listening to?”
He grunts and looks down at his phone. “Illit.”
Kusumi tilts his head, which Kaji knowns means “Who is that?”
“Some K-pop group Kiryu-kun downloaded onto my phone,” he grunts. Him and the first year began recommending music to each other a bit after the whole Keel thing. Kaji is more into metal and rock, but the K-pop girl groups the pink haired boy loves aren’t all that bad. Aespa and Dreamcatcher are his favorites so far.
Kusumi taps his headphones gently, before pointing at his own ear. He doesn’t listen to music with others much, but of course, Kusumi is the exception. He disconnects his headphones from his phone and replays the song he was listening to. Kusumi isn’t one to have a strict music taste. Country, pop, rock, jazz - if he likes the song then he likes it. Another thing Kaji likes about the other boy - his flexibility in any situation.
Once the song is over, Kusumi gives him a thumbs up. He brings out his phone again and types his full response. Kaji reads it once he’s done.
“It’s adorable seeing you listen to cute pop songs. I quite liked that one, got anymore you recommend?”
Kaji huffs and blushes at the compliment, choosing to ignore it. Kusumi compliments him a lot, and he never knows how to respond. At least the other never seems put off by him ignoring the compliments, since he keeps giving them out.
“Ever heard of Twice?”
Kusumi shakes his head and Kaji takes the opportunity to start playing their songs. Kusumi hums in approval and begins bobbing his head to the song. Kaji smiles, happy that Kusumi seems to be enjoying himself. The other stays by his side as he goes through his K-pop playlist, quiet, calm, and content.
By the end of the day, Kusumi has listened to Twice’s entire discography.
“Oh Umemiya, this salad is delicious! Did all of this come from your garden?”
Umemiya puffs up his chest in pride at Tsubaki’s praise, happy that they like his food creation so much. He’s been working hard to provide a hearty and healthy salad for his friends and family, and it looks like it all paid off.
He loves showing Tsubaki his food creations first. Sugishita isn’t a good guinea pig, since he only nods his head when asked if it was good. No feedback at all. Kotoha tends to give too much feedback, and while he appreciates her help, he isn’t a pro-level chef who can follow her instructions. Hiragi, Momose, and Mizuki also don’t give him much feedback. More than Sugishita, but still not enough.
Tsubaki is perfect. Sure, they usually spoil him with compliments, but he knows Tsubaki will be truthful with him. If they don’t like his dish, then they’ll say it outright. Umemiya appreciates all the feedback he can get from them, positive or negative.
He also loves making people happy with his food, especially Tsubaki. The way they light up when they eat good food always makes his heart warm up in delight.
“Yep! Everything was grown and harvested up here!” he says. Tsubaki hums in happiness and goes to take another bite. Last bite he tried the lettuce with some tomato. This bite has lettuce and cucumber. Tsubaki hums happily again as they eat.
“It’s so good Ume! It all tastes so fresh, and the tomato and cucumber aren’t too mushy. It’s perfect!”
Tsubaki stabs their salad, this one having lettuce, tomato, and orange pepper. They lift up the fork towards him and smile brightly. “Here, have some!”
Umemiya doesn’t have to tell Tsubaki that he already tried each crop from his harvest - no, they know that already. This isn’t a taste test, but a simple show of sharing food with the ones you cherish. It’s a philosophy him and Tsubaki hold close to their hearts. So, he lets the other feed him, tasting his creation in all its completed glory.
“It’s good!” he says. Tsubaki nods enthusiastically. “Ah, I’m so glad it turned out fine!”
“Your food is always so good Ume,” Tsubaki blushes and places a hand on their cheek, “I adore everything you make!”
Umemiya laughs, feeling happier and happier the more Tsubaki praises him. Praise means he did a good job, and a good job means Tsubaki is happy. And of course, if Tsubaki is happy, then he’s very very happy.
There’s nothing he enjoys more than seeing that blush and smile directed at him.
“Here, try some of these snap pea’s!”
“Oh Ume, you’re too good to me!”
He could be better though. For Tsubaki, he’ll always work to be the best.