Chapter Text
At some point, it had simply become normal.
No one knew exactly when it started—not Sakura, not Suo, and certainly not anyone else. It wasn’t like there had been a moment where either of them noticed it happening. There was no conversation, no decision, no sudden realization. It had just slipped quietly into their routine, the kind of change that happened so gradually no one questioned it. Somehow, without either of them realizing, Sakura and Suo had begun spending most of their time together.
It showed itself first in fights. Sakura would always be the one to charge in ahead of everyone else, fists flying without hesitation, reckless and fast the way he always was. And yet, without fail, Suo would be there just behind him. Not rushing forward like Sakura, but moving calmly and precisely, stepping into gaps Sakura didn’t see, blocking the people who tried to circle behind him, making sure Sakura never ended up surrounded.
It wasn’t something they planned, and they never spoke about it, but their movements fit together strangely well—Sakura pushing forward while Suo quietly covered everything behind him. Sakura never thought about it much. If he noticed anything at all, he simply brushed it off and would occasionally tell Suo that he didn’t need the support. And Suo never commented either. He simply watched Sakura move ahead of him with that same calm smile, adjusting his own steps slightly to match.
It happened outside of fights too.
When the group walked home after school, everyone would start together in a loud cluster of voices—Nirei talking too fast about something, someone else arguing, Sakura grumbling about a fight—but little by little the group would spread out. Someone would stop at a store, someone would rush ahead, someone would turn down a different street.
And somehow, every time, Sakura would look to the side and realize Suo was still walking beside him.
Sometimes Sakura would start complaining about something that annoyed him that day, and Suo would listen with that same calm expression, occasionally adding a quiet comment that only made Sakura grumble more. The conversation would carry them halfway down the street before Sakura noticed the others were gone.
“…When did everyone else leave?” Sakura would mutter, glancing down the empty road.
Suo would simply look ahead and answer mildly, “Some time ago.”
Then there were the smaller things. The things Sakura never noticed.
The way he grabbed Suo’s sleeve without thinking when trying to pull him toward something. The way his hand sometimes landed on Suo’s shoulder during a heated conversation. The way he leaned slightly against him while pointing something out across the street
Sakura simply moved like that—quick, direct, careless about personal space.
Normally that would have been a problem, because Suo didn’t like being touched. Most people eventually realized it. He never reacted harshly, never made a scene, but he always moved away—a quiet step to the side, a smooth shift out of someone’s grip so subtle most people barely noticed it happening.
Except with Sakura.
With Sakura, Suo never stepped away. He never pulled his sleeve free, never shifted his shoulder out from under Sakura’s arm, never slipped out of his grasp. He simply stayed where he was, letting Sakura grab him, shove him during fights, lean against him when he complained about something stupid like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Neither of them thought much about it. It had just slowly become part of their everyday routine, something that happened so often it stopped feeling strange.
If Sakura noticed anything at all, he simply assumed it was convenient. Suo was nearby. Suo was reliable in fights. Suo listened when he talked. So naturally he ended up standing next to him. Simple.
At least, that was what Sakura told himself.
And Suo…
Suo had noticed too. Not consciously, not in a way that made him stop and question it. But somewhere in the back of his mind, the pattern had already settled into place long before either of them realized it.
Sakura moved first.
And Suo followed.
Like it was the most natural thing in the world.
One afternoon after school, the group gathered in the courtyard again.
The late sunlight stretched across the pavement, warm and golden, while the usual noise of after-practice chatter filled the air. A few students were still sparring nearby, others were sitting on the low walls catching their breath, and Nirei could be heard somewhere in the background talking a little too fast about something that had happened earlier.
Sakura had just finished sparring with someone who had confidently claimed he could “totally take him.”
The fight had lasted about thirty seconds.
Sakura stretched his shoulders, rolling his neck as if trying to shake the boredom out of it.
“Tch. That was boring.”
Across from him, Suo brushed a bit of dust off his sleeve with the same calm expression he always wore.
“You did win,” he said mildly.
“That’s not the point.”
Sakura grabbed his water bottle from the bench beside him and took a long drink, tilting his head back slightly before lowering it again with a sigh.
“People talk big and then fold immediately.”
Suo chuckled softly under his breath.
“Perhaps they were overconfident.”
“They’re idiots.” Sakura hissed.
Sakura leaned back against the bench, one arm resting loosely behind him as he watched the rest of the courtyard with mild annoyance.
Then something caught his attention—his head suddenly perking up like that of a cat.
“Hey,” he said suddenly. “Did you see that guy earlier?”
Without thinking, Sakura reached out and grabbed Suo’s sleeve, tugging him slightly closer so he could point across the courtyard.
“Over there.”
Suo followed the movement easily, leaning a little in the direction Sakura pulled him as he looked toward where the he was hinting at.
The said so guy Sakura was hinting at was awkwardly trying to hold their balance by holding on to a nearby tree before he fell into a bush.
“Hmm…I see.” Suo murmured a response as he lightly smiled.
“He almost fell and ate the bush,” Sakura continued, clearly amused.
Suo laughed quietly.
“That's unfortunate.”
Sakura snorted.
Meanwhile, across the courtyard—
Nirei froze mid-sentence.
“…Wait.”
Sugishita and Kiryu glanced at him, confused.
“Hm...What is it Nerei-chan?”
Nirei slowly lifted his palm and pointed toward the other side of the courtyard.
“Sakura-san just grabbed Suo-san.”
Sugishita and Kiryu briefly looked at each other, then glanced back at Nerei. They both blink at him, confused.
“…Okay?” Sugishita responds warily.
Nirei’s eyes widened dramatically.
“You’re not supposed to do that.”
Sugishita and Kiryu frowned.
“What are you talking about?” Sugishita asks more confused than before.
Nirei was already flipping open his notebook with alarming speed, pages rustling as he searched for something specific.
“Suo-san avoids physical contact!” he whispered urgently.
"Hmm...That is true!"
“You wrote that down?” Sugishita lifting an eyebrow.
“Yes!”
Nirei shoved the notebook towards them before pointing his palm out again across the courtyard.
“But look!”
Both Kiryu and Sugishita followed his gaze.
Across the courtyard, Sakura was still holding Suo’s sleeve while still rambling about the previous conversation.
“…He was chasing something,” Sakura was saying.
Suo nodded politely beside him.
“Hmm so that’s the reason he was in that awkward position.”
Sugishita scratched the side of his head slowly, as Kiryu tilted his head in amusement, his lips shaping into a knowing smile.
“Ohh~ He’s not moving.” Kiryu sing-sang his response.
Nirei’s grip tightened around his notebook.
“Exactly!!”
Meanwhile, Sakura finally let go of Suo’s sleeve.
The motion was casual, almost absentminded, like he hadn’t even realized he had been holding onto it in the first place. He stepped back a little, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms as if trying to shake the leftover energy out of them. The courtyard around them was still lively—voices overlapping from different conversations, the occasional sharp thud of practice hits from another group sparring nearby—but Sakura clearly still had energy to burn.
“Tch.”
Across from him, Suo calmly adjusted his sleeve, brushing away the last bit of dust from the earlier match like nothing about the afternoon had been particularly remarkable.
“Still unsatisfied?” he asked lightly, chuckling.
“That didn’t count,” Sakura replied immediately.
Sakura stretched his arms over his head again, glancing around the courtyard like he was searching for something—anything—to burn off the leftover restlessness buzzing under his skin. For a moment it looked like he might walk off to find someone else to challenge.
Instead, his eyes landed back on Suo.
“…Hey.”
Suo looked up.
“Yes, Sakura-kun?”
Sakura jerked his chin toward the open space nearby.
“Spar with me.”
Suo blinked once, the request clearly not surprising but still worth acknowledging.
“You just finished a match.”
“That one was weak,” Sakura said flatly.
“I see.”
Suo watched him quietly for a moment, studying him like he was actually considering the offer. Sakura shifted his weight impatiently, crossing his arms when Suo didn’t immediately move.
“Well?”
Instead of stepping forward, Suo tilted his head slightly.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”
Sakura stared at him.
“…What?”
“I don’t feel particularly inclined to spar right now.”
“You were just standing there!”
“And so I was.”
“So fight me!” Barked Sakura, annoyed that his request got rejected.
Suo smiled faintly, completely unbothered by the demand. Suo hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger lightly against his sleeve as if considering
“Hm…Have you considered fighting one of those feather-wands?”
Sakura blinked. Eyebrows starting to knit together.
“…What?”
“It’s something cats tend to enjoy.”
Sakura stared at him like he had just lost his mind. What kind of dumbass—was about to be his response, instead,
“Have you finally lost it? I’m not a cat!”
Suo tilted his head again, expression thoughtful in a way that was suspiciously amused.
“You’re quick to pick fights,” he began calmly. “Easily irritated. Extremely territorial.”
“…I am not territorial.” Sakura mumbled.
“Hm? You nearly kicked someone yesterday for standing too close to your seat.”
“That’s different! He was trying to take my napping bench!”
As if proving Suo’s point, his smile grows wider, continuing.
“And you glare at people who try to take your food.”
“That’s normal…” Grumbling the response.
Suo nodded slowly, not believing him at all.
“Very catlike indeed.”
Sakura looked deeply offended.
“Ugh!—You’re just asking for a fight,”
“—I WILL FIGHT YOU.” Sakura continues, requesting for a fight yet again.
“And yet I already declined.” Suo calmly responds.
Sakura groaned loudly and dragged a hand down his face.
“You’re impossible...”
“Thank you.” Suo said smiling, as he tilted his head.
“That wasn’t a compliment!”
“I accepted it anyway.”
Sakura turned slightly, clearly preparing to walk away and find someone else to spar with before this conversation got any more irritating.
But before he could take two steps, Suo spoke again.
“You really are energetic today.”
The comment was mild, almost absentminded, but it was enough to make Sakura stop.
He turned back halfway, brows knitting together in suspicion.
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Suo didn’t answer right away. Instead, he lifted his hand slightly and gestured toward his own sleeve, the faint crease in the fabric still visible where Sakura had been gripping it earlier.
Sakura followed the gesture
“You’ve been pulling on my sleeve all afternoon.”
Sakura froze.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then his face began turning red.
“...I wasn’t doing that on purpose,” Sakura muttered quickly, looking away.
Suo watched him with quiet amusement.
He took a slow step closer.
Not enough to crowd Sakura—just enough that Sakura immediately noticed.
“You seem to do it quite often,” Suo said lightly.
Sakura shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable now that Suo was standing closer again.
“I told you, I wasn’t thinking.”
“Yes,” Suo said calmly. “Is that so~”
Sakura shot him a glare, but it lacked its usual sharpness. His ears were already starting to turn red again.
Suo noticed immediately.
His smile deepened just slightly.
Sakura noticed that too.
“Stop smiling like that,” Sakura muttered, looking away again.
Suo leaned a little closer—not invading his space, just enough to look at him properly.
“Hm, like what?”
“You know what I’m talking about!—That one,”
“—The one where you’re enjoying this.” Sakura continued.
Suo didn’t deny it.
Instead, he studied Sakura’s expression more carefully.
Sakura’s posture had grown stiff. His shoulders were tense, like he didn’t quite know where to stand anymore. He kept glancing away, refusing to look directly at Suo for more than a second at a time.
And the color in his face was getting worse.
“Interesting,” Suo murmured happily.
Sakura immediately snapped his head toward him.
“What is.”
But Suo didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly, watching Sakura the way someone might observe a particularly curious reaction.
Sakura shifted again.
“…Stop looking at me like that.”
Suo chuckled quietly.
“You really are easy to tease.”
“I’m not!”
The denial came out too fast.
Suo took another step closer.
Not threatening, not aggressive. Just close enough that Sakura suddenly looked like he’d forgotten how to stand normally.
The blush that had started on his ears had spread fully across his face now. Suo noticed. Of course he noticed.
His eyes flicked briefly toward Sakura’s ears.
Then back to his face.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
Sakura immediately turned away again.
“…Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“You know what!”
Suo laughed softly under his breath.
Sakura looked like he might combust.
His hands flexed awkwardly at his sides, like he didn’t know what to do with them anymore. For someone who usually moved without hesitation, the hesitation itself was obvious.
And somehow, despite all his complaints—
He still hadn’t walked away.
Suo seemed to notice that too.
His teasing softened slightly, though the amused warmth in his voice didn’t disappear.
“You’re very expressive today too,” he said.
Sakura made a strangled sound somewhere between a groan and a protest.
“You’re the worst…” If he wasn’t blushing before, well he definitely is now.
But he didn’t leave.
Across the courtyard—
Three people had gone completely still.
Nirei stared with his mouth slightly open, notebook forgotten in his hands. Sugishita looked like he’d just witnessed something deeply confusing. And Kiryu—well, Kiryu was barely holding back a laugh.
They all watched Sakura and Suo in stunned silence.
Because from where they were standing, it looked less like two classmates talking and more like they had accidentally walked into the middle of some slow-burn romance scene.
Suo leaning in just a little too close.
Sakura turning redder by the second.
Nirei finally whispered, completely awestruck,
“…Are we watching a love story?”
Kiryu finally letting out a laugh.
Sugishita grimaced and rubbed his face.
“…I feel like I just watched a romance movie.”