Chapter Text
Nirei is just about reaching his limit.
Don’t get him wrong, though; he is by far the happiest he has ever been. After all, Nirei can now proudly say he is dating his two best friends, both of which he loves very much. Who wouldn’t be over the moon?
It’s been a week since his confessions were accepted, and yet he still struggles to let that sink in. He had been fully prepared to nurture his unrequited crushes, content on admiring those two amazing people from afar.
And now, they are walking back home from school, chatting about anything and everything (well, sort of. Nirei is rambling like always, whist Sakura nods to show he is listening and Suo adds a teasing remark every now and then).
Sakura walks in the middle, like he tends to do, with his two boyfriends on either side. Their pinkies are linked, an action initiated by Suo that Sakura complained about but is now holding on the tightest.
All is well with the world.
Until, they reach the time where he has to separate from them. Nirei reluctantly lets go as they stop in front of his house.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” He bids them goodbye.
“Aki-kun, aren’t you forgetting something?”
Nirei frowns thoughtfully, a little disoriented at the use of his first name despite it not being anywhere near the first time Suo has said it.
When his brain comes up empty, Suo’s smile only gets wider. He points towards his own cheek and it’s only then that Nirei gets the message.
He flusters a little, wondering if he’ll ever get used to this, but refuses to back down. He approaches Suo, who only flutters his eyes closed expectantly, his smirk never faltering.
However, instead of kissing his cheek, Nirei decides to be bold and, at the last second, he gently grabs Suo’s face and let their lips meet. He marvels at the sound of surprise that escapes the usually unfazed boy, and a pleasant shiver goes down his spine when the kiss is eagerly reciprocated.
It doesn’t last long, barely more than an innocent peck, but Nirei still feels dazed when they pull away. Even more so when he notices the hint of a blush covering Suo’s cheeks.
“Good night, Hayato-san,” He says after an instance of silence, voice whispered like a secret.
It’s always a delight to watch Suo have to visibly claw his composure back together. Eyes half-lidded and a much more tender grin on his face, Suo hums in response.
Nirei then diverts his attention to Sakura, who had been suspiciously quiet. Sakura is very obviously not looking at either of them, staring at a line of ants walking on the ground like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. His face is painted in a deep shade of crimson, the color reaching even the tips of his ears.
“Good night, Haruka-san,” Nirei tells him tentatively. They briefly make eye contact, until Sakura looks away again.
“You too,” He murmurs, then hesitates for a few seconds. “...Akihiko.”
And it’s not a kiss, not even close to it, but it makes Nirei feel warm from his head down to his toes.
After Nirei closes the door behind himself, and only then, he slides down to the floor and covers his face with his hands. The sound that leaves him is not a squeal, thank you very much.
It’s not like he doesn’t want to kiss Sakura. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. He wants to kiss him so badly, it turns his brain into mush more often than not. He knows he should be content with what they already have, with the small glimpses of a more affectionate Sakura that very few get to see, but perhaps having his feelings returned made him greedy.
What breaks him out of his wallowing in self-pity is the sound of his phone alerting him to a notification. He checks it, surprised to see that Suo messaged him, not in their shared group chat with Sakura, but privately. The message is simple, asking Nirei if they can video-chat.
“Aki-kun, send help,” is the first thing Suo says after he accepts the call. His voice is a little muffled, as Suo has his face pressed against a pillow, but it sounds miserable all the same.
For a brief, but terrifying moment, Nirei worries that something serious happened. Suo’s tone is always hard to read, so he can’t rule it out.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s killing me,” Suo replies vaguely, but now Nirei can tell he’s being dramatic just for the sake of it. “Be sure to leave plenty of cherry blossoms on my grave, so everyone will know who did it.”
Nirei huffs out a laugh, shoulders relaxing from their previous tense position. “What did Haruka-san do?”
“What didn’t he do?” Suo lifts his head slightly to look directly into the camera, a near pout on his face, and Nirei’s heart can’t help doing several back-flips. Surely Suo knows how pretty he is, and is using it to his advantage. It would be frustrating, if Nirei wasn’t so utterly lovesick. “When I dropped him off at his place, he kept glancing at my lips and then licking his own. He bolted afterwards, but… Aki-kun, I used to think I had plenty of self-restraint, and yet he is truly testing that belief,” Suo then glared at him, though without any traces of true malice. “I thought I should share my suffering, especially since this is your fault.”
Nirei squawks indignantly, though inside he feels glad he’s not the only one being tortured by their boyfriend. “How is any of that my fault?”
Suo smiles, the gesture a little sly, as he lowers his voice to one that sounds just a tad too seductive for Nirei’s heart to handle. “You kissed me in front of him, of course he would be left wondering what what would feel like. My, couldn’t you wait until our private lesson tomorrow? You really are insatiable.”
Feeling like his face is on fire, Nirei splutters unintelligibly for a few seconds. “I- That’s just- You didn’t seem to be complaining at all earlier!”
Suo giggles at his distress, bright and free and ringing like bells. His laughter echoes around Nirei’s room, and he immediately wishes he had set to record their conversation, just so he could trap the sound safely in his pocket to be heard whenever he felt like melting into a puddle.
“Touché.”
“Besides,” Nirei is not done. “I’m not the one who was complaining about not getting to kiss Haruka-san just seconds ago!”
At that, Suo pulls a face, like he’s deep in thought. He blinks his big doe eye at Nirei, and coupled with his index finger resting at his chin, he looks like the very picture of innocence. “But, Aki-kun… Weren’t you freaking out for that same reason before I called?”
Nirei opens his mouth to ask how the hell he knows that, then closes it. He is far too transparent, apparently. That, or Suo has gotten eerily good at reading him. “…Touché, I guess,” With a despaired whine, Nirei buries his face in his hands, and as such, what he says next comes out barely audible. “Do you think he knows?”
“I wouldn’t bet on it. That boy wouldn’t take a hint even if it hit him on the forehead.”
That reassures him only somewhat. “What should we do? Talk to him about it?”
Suo hums lazily, considering. “Communication is important. In this case, though, how do you think Haruka-kun would react if we asked him about kisses?”
Nirei pauses and tries to imagine it. The scene in his mind goes like this:
They go to a seclude spot behind the school, where a cherry tree is still mid-bloom, then they pour their hearts out for Sakura to hear.
Sakura begins blushing at their heartfelt speech, and it’s endearing, until the red on his face has reached concerning levels, even for him.
The vision ends with Sakura fainting and them desperately calling his name.
Is it dramatic? Maybe. But Nirei can’t get the picture of an overwhelmed Sakura out of his head and the thought make his stomach churn. Something must have shown in his expression, because Suo sighs heavily.
“I think we’ve reached the same conclusion,” He says with a slight smile that doesn’t reach his uncovered eye, running a hand through his hair.
Nirei shakes his head lightly, just to clear his thoughts. “Maybe we can test the waters a bit? Try something a little less stimulating than a kiss on the lips?” He sees Suo brighten a little at his idea, so he decides to continue. “If he reacts positively, we go to the next step. If not, we stop.”
“And if he asks, we come clean,” Suo adds slowly, followed by an eager nod and a much more convincing smile. His expression shifts into something that could only be called ‘adoring’. “Aki-kun, you’re a genius.”
A startled sound escapes Nirei, before he chuckles bashfully, scratching the back of his neck. “Ah, that’s not true. It was just an idea.”
Suo’s eye narrows in a way that lets Nirei know he should have just accepted the compliment. However, before Suo could say anything about his self worth or lack thereof, he is cut off by a yawn that Nirei could not suppress.
He rushes to apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep that well last night and it’s really taking a toll.”
Suo shoots him a sympathetic look, but there is a glint in his eye that screams trouble. “Is something troubling you? Or were you perhaps thinking too much about Haruka-kun and couldn’t fall asleep?”
There it is.
Nirei puffs out his cheeks at the tease. “You and him both, actually,” He mumbles instead of the denial that’s on the tip of his tongue. He is rewarded with Suo’s rare flustered expression.
“Oh,” is the only thing that leaves Suo’s mouth for a few moments. It feels like a victory when he clears his throat, shifting his gaze away. “Sweet dreams, Aki-kun,” Another pause. “I love you.”
And then he hangs up before Nirei can reply.
Nirei grins, giddy in a way he can’t describe. It’s not the first time Suo’s said those three little words, but each time feels like a special treasure he never wants to forget.
He types on his phone, a quick but sincere ‘I love you too’ that Suo sees but doesn’t say anything to. Nirei doesn’t mind, it just means he was caught off guard. Nirei wonders if that pretty pink is still dusting his cheeks, and goes to sleep with his heart full.
That night, he dreams of kissing Sakura. Gentle and unhurried, they trade soft kisses until they’re both breathless.
When he wakes up, he is as determined as he’s ever been to make that dream come true. Not that particular day, but someday. Hopefully soon.