Chapter Text
The school bell had rung, and Class 1-1 had just settled in to lounging in the classroom. Students fidgeted at their desks, buzzing with morning energy. Quickly, the topic of after school plans spread throughout the first years.
“Guys!” Anzai announced, “After school today we gotta try out this new Mochi shop!” He whipped out his phone and started shoving the screen into the faces of his classmates. His screen showed a website showcasing the shop’s menu.
Kiryu leaned in to get a closer look. “Oh, I’ve heard about this place. Mochi no Mori” He responds. “They have a limited selection and close when they run out.”
“Man, I promised my mom I’d come home and finally do my laundry.” Kurita whined.
“Ha, that’s tough man. But seriously… do your damn laundry.” Anzai laughs while Kurita dries fake tears with his sleeve.
“I hate laundry…” Kurita whines under his breath.
Sakura managed to catch a glimpse of the photos Anzai is parading around the classroom, and they did, in fact, look delicious. He’d heard of mochi before, but never had the chance to try it himself.
His thoughts were interrupted when Tsugeura loudly took over the conversation, pitching his “protein mochi” idea, whatever that was supposed to be.
The two toned boy was sitting in the front of the classroom with Suo on his left and Nirei on his right. At Furin, they didn’t necessarily have assigned seating, but there was a silent understanding that whichever seats were beside Sakura– belonged to Suo and Nirei.
“Say Sakura,” Nirei started leaning towards his grade captain “Do you have any plans after school today?”
Sakura turned and was met with an absolutely blinding smile. He almost had to squint, Nirei was practically radiating pure sunshine. “Nah, it’s not our turn to patrol.” Sakura said, turning his attention back to the classroom.
“That means you’re free to take us to the Mochi shop then?” Suo teased.
Immediately, Sakura’s face flushed red. “Huh! Why do I gotta take ya!?” He sputtered.
“Well because you’re our Captain of course.” Suo said with a smile, closing his eye and tilting his head. “And you just said you were free.”
“That’s not what I said!” Sakura countered, his voice rising.
Nirei opened his mouth, ready to start dutifully mediating the two boys, when the door to the classroom slid open.
Hiragi strode in, flanked by his two vice captains.
As if on cue, all idle chatter died instantly, tension settling over the room. Every pair of eyes tracked the three as they made their way to the teacher’s podium. It wasn’t every day a Heavenly King made a personal visit to their classroom.
And just before the silence became too overwhelming–
“Umemiya needs the gym cleaned out,” the older boy states blandly, popping a few Gas-kun 10 into his mouth. “And your class is the only one without patrols tonight so, lucky you, you get to help us with that.”
The class sat in silence only for a few seconds– before letting out a collective sigh of disappointment.
“Bruh, that literally could have been a text,” someone muttered anonymously from the back of the room.
Sakura snorted, caught off guard by the comment, he had to squash down the rising laughter that bubbled in his throat.
Shit, that was actually a little funny– he allows himself to admit.
Sakura’s internal struggle does not go unnoticed by a certain box-dyed blonde boy. Nirei’s eyes softened as he smiled to himself.
Little things like that have been happening a lot more lately, and Nirei could not have been happier at Sakura’s growth. It was nice to see their stray growing more relaxed around them. It’s taken time for sure– but he’s been making progress, and taking more steps towards opening up.
“Hey! Who said that?!” Hiragi snapped, eyes darting across the room searching for the guilty student. “I don’t wanna hear it! I’m allowed to make announcements in person sometimes. Gotta keep a close eye on you runts!”
With that as his parting words, he stomped out of the classroom and disappeared into the hallway as quickly as he came.
“Awe man, I guess no more Mochi.” Anzai sniffled as he deflated into his chair.
Meanwhile, Kurita looked downright thrilled to have escaped laundry duty.
Sunlight filtered through the window of Furin High’s gym, illuminating the space in a natural warm yellow glow. Focused streaks of light highlighted the dancing dust motes that flowed freely through the air.
Gross
That was the only word that crossed Sakura’s mind as he stared up at the smudged glass.
The gym echoed with the sound of squeaky sneakers and idle chatter as Class 1-1 worked to clean. Some students were mopping the wooden floors, while others worked to organize the random clutter scattered throughout the space.
The gym had become the students' makeshift training area. Instead of the typical P.E. activities, it was far more common to find boys sparring here. As a result, the gym was cluttered with things you typically wouldn’t expect.
Tables lined the walls, usually used to hold cups and water bottles. Several small blue training mats lay scattered across the floor, already thick with dust.
Hence, the freshly recruited clean up team of first years.
Why his seniors decided that now the gym needed cleaning was beyond Sakura– but it didn’t change the fact that it was exactly what Class 1-1 was ordered to do.
“Hey Sakura! Mind giving me a hand with this?”
In the far corner of the gym, Tsugeura had several foldable chairs precariously balanced in both of his arms. Like some sort of circus act that looked like they were about to fall and clatter to the floor any second.
“What are you even doing?!” Sakura hisses as he marches over to take some chairs off his arms.
“It’s my virtue to never make multiple trips when carrying things!” the muscular boy excitedly explains.
“Huh?” Sakura looks incredulously at the other.
Tsugeura, blissfully ignorant of Sakura’s judgement, happily marches to the gym’s supply closet. Shaking his head, the heterochromic boy eventually followed.
The gym closet was actually bigger in size than what he was expecting. The room was illuminated by a single lightbulb, and a couple small high up windows with cobwebs decorating the panes.
On one side of the room there was a corner where fold up chairs were stacked haphazardly, and on the other, various types of sports equipment sat forgotten.
Sakura stopped, quietly inventorying the things Furin had.
Baseball bats, that may or may not have had suspicious dents in them, were collected in a plastic garbage bin for storage.
Nets were draped along hooks lining the walls.
Soccer balls sat in a large wired basket in the center of the far wall.
Then, his gaze lingers on the basketballs, neatly lined up on a rack.
Growing up, Sakura never really had a chance to participate in sports. After all, sports usually meant other people– and that had always been the problem.
When he was younger, it would have been unthinkable to imagine anyone asking him to join their team. More often than not, he’d be left on the sidelines, forced to watch as the others laughed and ran out onto the field.
His thoughts drifted to the many summers that he spent alone.
After years of trying– and failing– to ‘fix’ him, his foster parents eventually gave up. They moved him out of the main house and into a shed instead.
Out of sight, out of mind.
The shed had the bare essentials: four walls, a floor, a roof, a bathroom and a shitty futon. Only the essentials. Nothing more.
He didn't notice when his hands began to shake, as a familiar ache curled through his ribs as the memory settled in.
Isolation did strange things to time. It moved slowly– agonizingly so. Seconds stretched into hours, hours into days, and there was nothing to dull the boredom or quiet his thoughts.
The stillness was almost as suffocating as the loneliness itself.
“Hey…”
Tsugeura’s voice barely registered.
That summer, Sakura had reached his limit. The heat turned the shed into an oven, trapping the air inside until it felt thick and unbreathable– humidity clinging to his skin like a weight.
Pulling on his hoodie despite the heat, he stepped out of the shed and wandered through his old town without any real destination in mind. The outside air felt fresher– stirred by the wind– it was a relief, even if it was temporary.
He walked only to pass the daylight hours, waiting for the temperature to drop enough that sleep might finally come.
Eventually, he found himself at a city park.
The sun had painted the sky in hues of orange and purple, casting the world in a warm glow. One corner of the park held a public basketball court, currently occupied by a group of boys who looked to be around his age– if not slightly older.
They ran up and down the court, shouting to one another–
“Pass the ball!”
“Here! Over here!”
“Shoot!”
Sakura watched as the boy with the ball came to a stop, pivoted, and sent it arcing toward the hoop hanging several feet above them.. A few other guys leapt, trying to swat it out of the air, but missed as it sailed cleanly through.
…It actually looked a little fun.
“Sakura?”
The ball struck the backboard and ricocheted off, sailing past the rim and toward the edge of the court. It bounced once, then again, losing momentum as it rolled toward where Sakura stood just outside the boundary.
Despite his better judgment, Sakura stopped it beneath his foot before it could roll any farther. He crouched down picking it up, turning it slowly in his hands. It was lighter than he thought it would be, the leather soft and faintly squishy beneath his fingers.
“Hey, thanks man!”
A boy Sakura didn’t recognize jogged over, waving a hand with an easy smile, already waiting for the ball to be passed back.
Sakura startled at the sound of his voice. He rose too quickly, spinning on his heel as his hood slipped back.
The other’s smile flattered. Then vanished.
Sakura watched as the boy’s hands fell to his sides, his expression shifting into something painfully familiar. They stood there in silence, neither of them speaking. The other boy’s gaze flicked briefly to the basketball in Sakura’s hands– then to Sakura himself.
He didn’t need to say it for Sakura to understand.
Contaminated
Sakura’s grip tightened around the ball. If he had touched it, then it was like him– tainted. Worthless.
“Keep it.”
The words were short, clipped. The boy turned away as if even that much acknowledgement was too much to spare.
Sakura went home that night with a new basketball– and the weight of old wounds.
“SAKURA!”
Hands clamped down on his shoulders as Tsugeura finally broke him from his memories, snapping him back to the present.
“You good?” the muscular teen asks him as he startles at the contact.
Tsugeura stood right in front of Sakura, bent at the waist so they were eye to eye, concern written plainly across his face.
“Huh!? Y-yeah I’m fine!” Sakura bristles, the guilt of making his friend worry crashes into him. “Hands off!”
He pushed the other teen’s hands off his shoulders. Tsugeura’s arms easily slide to the side.
His guilt is then only worsened when Tsugeura doesn’t look convinced by his defensive shouts. Tsugeura’s brows furrowed while his eyes still searched for– something– in his dual colored ones. An awkward silence stretched between the two of them.
Sakura’s mind scrambles to find something– anything– to say. Nirei was the one he relied on in situations like this, but he isn’t sure having Nirei here right now would ease the ache in his chest.
For now he can only silently pray that news of his little episode doesn’t make it back to his chronically worried vice captain. He didn’t even want to imagine the sad look on his face.
He opens his mouth, attempting to formulate the words he needs, but Tsugeura beats him to it. Tsugeura’s eyes spark like he finally found what he was looking for in Sakura’s gaze.
Sakura mentally braces.
“Do you play basketball?!”
What?
…that was not what he was expecting.
“Is that one of your virtues!?!” the boy says, eyes sparkling.
Oh boy, here we go. Sakura can only watch with wide eyes and a shocked expression as Tsugeura does what he does best– misread social cues.
But hey, it’s not like Sakura was any better himself.
“You were so focused on the basketballs,” Tsugeura explains, nodding to himself. “You must have a deep appreciation for the sport!”
“No I haven’t!” Sakura shouts as a blush rapidly spreads across his face at the ridiculous turn this conversation took.
He is only greeted with a look that screams, ‘I don’t believe you’.
“I HAVEN’T!! I only know– like–one trick anyway! I’ve never made a basket in my life!” He rapidly defends.
“Oh? Sakura knows a trick?” Suo and Nirei materialized beside them, poking their heads into the gym closet. Suo’s hands are clasped behind his back as he gives Sakura the biggest shit eating grin he’s seen.
“I wanna see Sakura!” Nirei lunges at the two toned boy, already pulling out his notebook. “Have you played any sports before?!” he enthusiastically asks.
“No! I don’t!” he sputters, becoming overwhelmed by the sudden attention he was getting. “It’s not even a big deal!”
Sakura marched over to the rack and picked the most inflated-looking basketball, giving it a few firm squeezes to test the air.
The other boys in the room looked curiously as Sakura investigated each ball. The anticipation was starting to suffocate the small room they were in, when the heterochromic teen finally turned around.
He grumbled passed the group into the open gym, giving himself space. Turning back, Sakura adjusted the ball in his grip.
In a single motion, he flicked it into the air. As it rose, he twisted his wrist, sending the ball spinning rapidly. When it dropped, he caught it effortlessly– balancing the spinning ball on the tip of his index finger.
“See!” Sakura said, the ball is still spinning on his finger. “That’s it. Not a big de–”
“WOW!” his three classmates interrupted in a cheer of astonishment.
“Sakura! That’s amazing!!!” Nirei could barely hold his excitement as he raced around the boy. “Where did you learn how to do that?” he asked, notebook at the ready.
Sakura paused and seemed to consider his words carefully.
“Just had a lot of free time,”
“That’s pretty cool, Sakura. It takes a lot of skill to keep it going that long.” Suo praises.
“How virtuous.” Tsugeura chimes in.
“Yeah!” Nirei comments, “I’ve seen people do that online, but I’ve never been able to do it myself.” he chuckles, looking a tad bit disappointed.
Out of everyone in the class, Nirei knew he sat firmly at the bottom when it came to strength or physical ability. It wasn’t just fights– sports left him struggling to keep up, too.
“Give me your hand.” Sakura interrupts Nirei’s self-deprecating thoughts.
Nirei started as Sakura’s sudden request, “W-what?!”
The phrase was just so out of context for Sakura that Nirei wondered if he had heard him wrong.
“What do you–”
Sakura suddenly stops the spinning ball, pinching it between his feet to keep it from rolling away. Next, he meticulously grabs Nirei’s hand earning a yelp from the blonde boy.
At this point, they have drawn the attention of the rest of the class, but Sakura is so focused on his task that he doesn’t even notice the extra eyes that accumulate.
Sakura carefully positions Nirei’s finger until the shorter boy is pointing to the ceiling.
“Stay there.” Sakura orders. The boy picks up the basketball and in the same sequence of movement catches the spinning ball back on his finger, but this time the heterochromic boy gives the ball a few good smacks increasing the ball’s speed.
“...W-w-what?!” Nirei is still thoroughly confused by this, and glances over to Suo who just gives him a thumbs up.
Thanks, really helpful, Nirei inwardly cursed.
Once Sakura reached a speed he liked he slowly reached for Nirei’s posed hand. He grips the other’s curled fingers, holding the hand steady as he slowly brings the rotating ball to the confused boy. Nirei instinctually leaned away in anticipation. Then, Sakura touches their index fingers together. They stayed like that for a split second.
Then Sakura stepped away, crossing his arms.
Now the ball is balanced on Nirei’s finger. “Woah! How?!?” Nirei looked in astonishment as he looked at the spinning ball on his own finger.
The rest of the class oohs and aahs. Eventually the ball slows, loses balance, and falls.
“That was amazing Sakura!” Nirei’s never been able to do the trick by himself. He was over the moon by the simple fact that Sakura helped him do something that he always wanted to try. “Thank you!”
The blush that just barely receded from earlier comes back at full force. “W-whatever!” he stammers.
“You know if you wanted to hold Nirei’s hand. You could have just asked him.” Suo teases with his usual grin.
“Y-you! Me! Outside! Right now!” Sakura sputters and points at Suo, his face somehow becomes even redder.
“But Sakura.” Suo raises his hands innocently– he was not innocent, “You’re busy at the moment.”
“What?!” Sakura doesn’t have time to be confused as he is tackled by the mob which is his class. They knock him to the ground all with pleading tears in their eyes.
“Please Sakura,” Anzai begs at the front of the group. “Can I have a turn? I want to spin the basketball on my finger.”
“Then do it yourself!” Sakura loudly retorts.
“We don’t know how!” Anzai whines.
The class collectively produces their best puppy dog eyes, hands clasped hopefully together.
“Please!”
“...F-fine! One turn each! I ain’t doing this all day!” Sakura finally relents.
Then, in a blink of an eye, the whole class formed a line– pushing, shoving, and fighting over who was in front of who.
Watching his classmates' antics, Sakura allowed a small smile to tug at his lips. They were complete idiots–loud, pushy, impossible– but they were his idiots and he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.
Not that he would ever admit that outloud.