Chapter Text
Closeness was normal.
Closeness was sought out by everyone. From wobbling ducklings running after their mother to solitary predators who still craved closeness at certain times of the year.
Everyone seeks it, whether they want to admit to it or not.
And humans were no different. Nirei would even argue they were a species that couldn’t survive without it. Closeness was expected between humans.
From friendly strangers to a close person, they all craved the closeness that came in different forms with a different people.
It could be subtle touches, fist bumps between friends, hugs or ruffled hair, or even cuddling between close friends and family members. Holding hands and sharing kisses between lovers.
Nirei knew all this. Understood it in theory, but he only got to experience it through his parents and Granny Sato.
So, it would be understandable that he was a little less experienced when interacting with strangers in terms of closeness.
In truth, Nirei didn’t shy away from touch, especially with those he considered close, like Sakura, Tsugeura, Kiryu, and Suo-san.
Even Sugishita! Though their interactions were limited to quick pats on the back, considering the tall, long-haired male’s potential to easily suffocate him if he truly wanted to.
First, starting with Nirei’s shy pats, which he couldn’t stop, meant to encourage the other. Unsurprisingly, he earned a weird look from the blue-haired boy before he slowly started returning them bit by bit.
Even now, whenever Nirei remembered how their kinship had started, the thought of Sugishita-kun initially made the blond smile awkwardly.
Not blaming the taller male for not realising Nirei was not as sturdy as Sakura or those guys he was fighting with daily.
It's safe to say if Suo-san had not been there to catch him, he would have easily seen himself flying into a wall and ending with something worse than a simple concussion.
With Suo-san calmly patting his back and reassuringly cooing over him, Nirei was trying to get the much-needed oxygen into his lungs.
He attempted a shaky, rosy smile, offering a thumbs up to the surprised boy reaching for him.
To Nirei, it still seemed as if Sugishita-kun was getting ready to go and check whether he was alright, yet something made him freeze in place.
Back then, he didn’t realise it as he was busy comprehending that he was fine and dandy and alive.
But looking back, a dark aura was emitting somewhere behind him, causing the air to become heavy with dangerous intent.
Yet even when Nirei tried to pinpoint where it was exactly coming from, all he could focus on was the light scolding Sugishita-kun was receiving from Sakura with Kiryu’s playful voice teasing the taller male about being mindful when handling fragile cargo, and Suo-san’s hand still on his back.
Even after Nirei finally gathered his wits and stood up, walking to the small group to reassure everyone, Suo-san’s hand was still gently placed on his shoulder; the sharp atmosphere easing yet never fully disappearing until the very same evening when the group went to Kotoha-chan café to eat dinner.
So, closeness with his friends was normal. The touches varied from shy caresses of his shoulder to the boys ruffling his hair that even Kotoha-chan couldn’t help but follow when everyone complained about his hair being soft.
And once everyone’s touches had disappeared, only one always remained. Suo-san was always there, shoulder to shoulder.
The boy, who was head taller than Nirei, always flashed him one of his soft smiles whenever he noticed his curios hazels peering at him from behind his fringe - trying to figure out when their normal had turned into whatever this was.
It’s normal for friends or close friends to exchange small touches, like when Sakura shyly brushes their shoulders to more visible ones, where Nirei uses Tsugeura as his personal monkey bar.
And yet Suo-san’s touches seemed different, lingering, always finding a way to stand close enough so some part of theirs would touch without restricting their movement. Small yet still noticeable occurrences.
Like when they’re hanging out with their small group, and Suo-san is there, the guy would be close, closer than what Nirei remembered him to be whenever he was next to him or when Nirei was using the other as a meat shield when there was a fight happening.
It didn’t matter. The guy always leaned into Nirei’s touch without a second thought. Be it shoulders, arms, back, or even knees and legs, when they sat next to each other!
Nirei even started noticing that Suo-san let his fingers linger a tad bit longer whenever he was sharing some of his food with him or handing him stuff that Nirei either asked for or was simply handed.
And call him crazy. Hell, overthinking would be fitting, too, but Nirei has proof! Proof that was so clear yet only made his heart stop for a second while his brain told him he was looking into this too deeply.
But whenever he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and truly focused on the events that started their friendship, the first touch from the dark-haired brunette was when Suo-san saved him from becoming a literal pancake.
Nirei’s brain had only a second to register the cold hand enclosing the back of his collar before he was unapologetically tagged by Suo-san, who had instantly jumped out of the place that would soon become a battlefield between his newly acquired friend and the mad fanatic.
When at a safe distance, Suo-san was quick to let go of Nirei's collar as he put his hands behind his back.
Not sparring the blond a second look as he watched those two engage in a fight with amusement, lighting his wine-coloured eye.
At that moment, Nirei had realised a small detail about Suo-san. His eye seemed much duller upon his greeting when he and Sakura first entered the class than it was now.
Another ‘proof’ would be when Suo-san was calming Nirei down after those two morons decided it would be a grand idea to start a war with the lions – cause self-preservation is apparently in neither of these idiots dictionaries by the looks of it!
Releasing an irritated sigh without him even knowing, Nirei didn’t pay attention to the side glances he was getting from the three boys at his table as he put his elbows on the table, returning to the earlier days.
Yes, back then, Suo-san was also caressing his shoulder, albeit it was fleeting and lacking the reassuring pressure; Nirei was now sure the other boy was making sure he wouldn’t lean closer to his side just as he was walking far enough that Nirei could be still hidden behind his back but without touching him.
Not like he would dare to. Albeit less conscious of his touches, the air surrounding Suo-san spoke of hidden tension that kept reminding Nirei to stay away.
Subtle but nonetheless heavy. Easily telling him that Suo-san did not like closeness if he could help it.
Nirei even tried putting what he felt from the other into a shape or words, but all he could see was the hazy image of something.
It wasn’t like when he saw Sakura as a stray cat that could easily shift into a raging tiger – its hackles rose as if anticipating getting hurt – Suo-san was dizzying.
It wasn’t until he saw the brunette annoyed while he was fighting Kanuma-san with Sakura responding to Umemiya-san that the composed boy, who seemed always smiling and nice, was rotten to his very core.
Only then did the hazy image in Nirei’s head become clearer, morphing into a shapeless beast mockingly playing with its prey that he could easily devour without much effort if he so chose to.
That day, Nirei had realised more than he hoped to. Noticing subtle changes that significantly impacted their group dynamic later on the line.
For example, the lions become Bofurin allies, strengthening their bonds. Even Tomiyama-senpai and Umemiya-san seemed closer.
Sakura and Togame-san even looked to gain stronger respect for each other from what he saw when he…
‘Ah…so that’s when…’ Leaning into his side, Nirei was oblivious to his friends’ gazes as they slowly returned to their breakfast.
After the battle with Shishitoren, both sides decided to have a picnic near their base. Nirei now understood this was where the subtle shift began.
Previously, Suo-san maintained a respectful distance, waiting until everyone was seated before taking the last spot, his movements calculated to avoid accidental contact with others.
But that day, the second Nirei sat down, he felt a gentle breeze brush his left side, indicating someone had chosen to sit next to him. Honestly, he expected anyone but Suo-san.
Back then, he didn’t really question it, seeing as there were some lions with them, the boy probably seeking familiarity from the Bofurin members or was maybe still feeling bitter for him to interact with his usual tactfulness.
Nirei also didn’t focus on their knees brushing, reasoning he was giving Hiragi-san more leg space.
He also chose not to comment when Suo-san casually brushed his slender fingers against his as he shared a portion of his food, claiming to be on a diet.
But that was before he realised Suo-san’s touches were not lessening but instead increasing or becoming bolder?
Either way, the leap was big yet so swift and subtle that no one seemed to have noticed, not even him!
Not until their closeness suppressed anything Nirei expected it to – making it hard, if not impossible, not to question the brunette's shift in their shared contact.
Yet when exactly. That’s something Nirei seemed to get stuck on. But it had to be after the fight with Shishitoren and somewhere during it…
“…Think he’ll start writing on the table again?” Tsugeura leaned towards Sakura, who was too busy eating to catch what the ginger asked, letting out a confused, Heh? with a spoon in his mouth.
Kiryu let out an amused huff at the sight, "For the sake of our safety."
Leaning into his palm, the pink-haired boy pushed a bundle of napkins towards the mulling blond, who was lost in thought.
The boy's usual childlike hazels were replaced by a sharp focus as he analysed something. Completely oblivious to his surroundings.
If Kiryu didn’t know the boy, he would think he looked kinda scary.
When it became clear that Sakura was putting all the pieces together, and was getting ready to snap the blond out of his trance before he could accidentally do something that would put them closer to death's doorsteps, their potential executioner came to their table.
Kotoha looked like her usual self with casual clothes under her green apron, mostly meant for Umemiya’s larger posture – probably to clean their plates – only to see two plates empty with Sakura finishing his fill while poor Nirei-
“Oi!”
With zero remorse, Kotoha cuffed the blond over his head, causing the guys at the table to wince in sympathy for the boy.
Nirei let out a painful groan, successfully taken out of his head.
“Whyy?” He whined, not caring he had to look like a child, rubbing the spot where she had hit him.
“You want this to work,” Kotoha-chan tapped her temple a few times, giving the boy a teasing smile,
“Eat. You better not waste my ingredients or write on my tables again. Understood?” Her eyes not so subtly glanced at the napkins with furrowed eyebrows.
Without hesitation and slight fear, Nirei shouted, Yes ma’am! Before digging into his untouched breakfast – the others watched him with sympathy as they handed the scary lady their plates with a quick, Arigatou~
Sakura soon followed to no ones surprise, letting out a satisfied sigh as he slid a little from the chair - earning a smile from Kotoha-chan, who ruffled his split hair, causing Sakura to blush a harsh pink.
Grumbling under his breath, the boy turned his flushed face away from the girl as he crossed his arms.
His blush softened but did not fully disappear even after she stopped patting him and instead looked at the table with a mulling expression.
Putting the stacked-up plates down, Kotoha-chan leaned with her hip against the table closer to Sakura, who seemingly didn’t know what to do as he froze in place with a wide-eyed expression,
“One of you seems to be missing… Nirei-kun, where is Suo-kun?”
Nirei’s hand, holding a spoonful of omurice, stopped mid-air at the question directed at him. With a slightly confused look, he glanced from his food to see everyone staring at him, waiting for him to answer.
Unsure, his hazels shifted between them. “Eh, why ask me? Sakura-san is the president!” Nirei exclaimed, pointing at Sakura, whose dual eyes held no emotion whatsoever, similar to the others who watched him with a hint of scepticism.
A brief silence passed between the group, with Nirei’s resigned sigh breaking it,
“His favourite bakery announced a special delivery of teacakes from Switzerland, and he wanted to get there before they could be sold out.”
“My oh my, what a reliable vice president you are, Nirei-chan! Knowing where your partner is.” With a cat-like smile, Kiryu was quick to pat his back a few times, causing the blond to be taken aback a bit
“Did you guys really not know where Suo-san was?”
Sakura finished swallowing his coffee before answering with his usual gruff voice, “Mhe, why bother. I know he’ll tell ya, and if he was needed, you’d text him without me havin’ to ask ya.”
Visibly unbothered by Nirei’s bewildered expression, Sakura returned to his warm drink. The implication that he was being used as the conduit between Sakura and Suo-san made Nirei feel weird.
It was an added responsibility that he didn’t know whether he wanted or not. With a softly trashing heart, Nirei leaned over the table towards Sakura, who was sitting opposite him, glancing at the blond from behind the cup with his honey-brown eye,
“I-I, that’s too much trust, don’t you think! I mean, what if Suo-san won’t answer me. You’re the president, wouldn’t he be more likely to- !”
Nirei didn’t expect to have Sakura’s phone trusted into his face, causing him to jerk away. Not fully understanding the sudden gesture, Nirei looked around the table, with everyone gesturing at him to look at Sakura’s screen.
With visible hesitation, Nirei leaned closer. The screen showed the message history between Sakura and Suo-san, who inconsistently responded to the other boy with short replies or simple fox stickers.
“Sakura-chan is still lucky with his replies, ya know~” Kiryu added in a whiny voice, showing his history with the brunette who wore an eyepatch where Suo-san was mostly responding with fox stickers to some of his messages while on some, he had only reacted.
It wasn’t long until Tsugeura’s booming voice joined in, “You at least are getting some form of response! He only reacts to mine!”
As the ginger showed his phone, he earned a soft huff from Kotoha-chan, who probably didn’t even have Suo-san’s number, while the other two boys tried reassuring the whining Tsugeura.
Baffled by all this, Nirei wordlessly sat back in his chair. Taking out his phone, he couldn’t help but check his own history with Suo-san, thinking his memory had to be getting worse because there was no way he remembered their messages correctly-
Oh. Nirei’s eyes scanned each reply he received from Suo-san. The messages were detailed yet straightforward, with only slight inconsistencies when Nirei messaged randomly at 10 in the morning, and Suo-san responded at 16:05.
He was even receiving different stickers, reactions with the additional gif from the brunette, and if Nirei were to scroll further, he would find reels that the other had felt like sharing with him,
‘I was just catching him at good times.’ Nirei reasoned with himself. Not understanding why getting special treatment from the foxy boy made his heart flutter in a way he didn’t understand.
Or better yet, didn’t want to understand. Thankfully, before his mind decided to go against his wishes and started to analyse everything about all this, Kiryu’s soft voice brushed against his ear – the boy shamelessly leaning over his shoulder so he could peer at his screen – catching him off guard,
“And that’s exactly why we will start using you,”
With reddened cheeks, Nirei jerked away from the mischievous boy, who only flashed him a small grin as a form of apology, “Suo-chan always replies to you.”
Kiryu was grinning at him with a knowing look that made Nirei wonder what the boy ‘knew' here.
It was clear that the guys had noticed something; whether they thought there was a shift or not was not important.
What was, was that it was clearly there. Nirei wanted to know when the shift happened to see the reason for Suo-san’s intent.
But to find that, he’ll have to do what he does best, a little investigation! The Furin members in their class, even their leader and the four heavenly kings that sometimes hang out with them, including some second years, were observant in their own right.
Enough, that is, Nirei could get something out of them that they noticed about Suo-san’s shift.
Not to mention Kotoha-chan had to have a third party's insight, so this investigation shouldn’t pose too much trouble…right?
“Ah, so that’s it!” Nirei was taken out of his thoughts by the excited Kotoha, who slammed her fist into her palm with realisation lighting up her face, her eyes immediately falling on him,
“If I ever need him to hurry up here, I’ll just contact you.”
Nirei didn’t like the self-satisfied smile on her face that leaned closer to his with an overexcited expression of someone who had figured out a complicated equation – the guys encouraging her realisation with Sakura even muttering, go for it.
Feeling betrayed by all his supposed friends for being hastily thrown as the sacrificial sheep to the unpredictable predator that was Suo-san, Nirei felt he didn’t have any other choice but to voice his objection,
“Like hell! I ain’t getting used by any of you just cause you’re unable to contact him at the perfect time!” His loud voice easily drowned out the soft noise of the bell hanging over the entrance door.
As it became clear, they were about to argue with him, a calm and familiar voice came from behind Nirei,
“Contact who?”
“AAAAAAHHHH!”
If it hadn’t been for him catching the back of his chair, Nirei would have tipped over, falling onto the hard floor below.
His widened hazels met the brunette's usual enigmatic smile as the boy wordlessly righted his chair. Meanwhile, the others exclaimed his name with varied expressions,
“Suo-kun!”
“Suo-chan!”
“Suo.”
Their voices blended together, differing only in honorifics - making the boy holding a package tilt his head as he reached to massage his ear with an unwavering smile,
“Oh my. Did I miss something, or was I missed by all of you that much?”
Nirei noticed the package bore the logo of Suo-san's favourite bakery as the brunette went and retrieved one of the empty chairs.
He seated himself at the head of the table and placed the box down with a soft thud—Sakura on his left and Nirei on his right.
Suo-san was in the perfect position to flash everyone his tight smile, telling everyone that the boy had speculation and that they better start elaborating, with Kotoha-chan saving all of them from the inevitable interrogation from the intense boy.
Letting out a tired sigh, she used Sakura’s chair to lean on it with her hand, her focus solely on the brunette,
“I said that I’ll start asking Nirei-kun to contact you whenever you’re late for breakfast.”
As if that simple sentence had soothed something inside the boy, Suo-san’s wine eye enlarged with understanding, “Aaah, that's so.”
Nirei jumped a little in his seat when the eye that was not too long ago hidden as the boy closed it when he smiled at them was shinning with it's usual youthfulness,
“You know I don’t mind if you contact me to request me to go to someplace. Of course, if it’s a false alarm, I hope you realise the fine won’t be cheap.”
Pushing the box closer to Sakura, Suo-san put his chin on his hand as he leaned closer to Nirei, who looked a little pale as he responded with uncertainty - pulling his hand over his chest, he gave the boy whose smile could rival an angel suspicious once over,
“What kind of fine.”
Nirei ignored when Suo-san bumped their knees and kept his there – a familiar pressure that now seemed a little out of place to the blond – watching Suo-san tip his head, his long earring easily sliding off his shoulder,
“No tea hangouts. Depending on how hopeful or unnecessary the requested place was, I’ll decide for how long.”
Hearing the supposed threat that was made to provoke Nirei to retort back, and start their usual bantering whenever they find themselves behind their group or sitting alone somewhere in their base.
It was normal to share such closeness with your friend; it was normal to hang out with your friend. So why did it not felt normal?
If Sakura had revealed their ‘dates’ where they game in the split-haired boy room, Nirei would not mind.
So how is it that Nirei felt his cheek flush and his heart hammer in his chest as Suo-san bluntly shared their hangouts with the whole group who-
“You do what now?!” Nirei put his heated face into his hands when he heard Sakura’s loud voice.
The boy put his hands against the table as he leaned closer to Suo-san, whose expression did not shifted upon being glared at.
“Man, I think they’re having a secret tea party without you-“
“I know that!” Sakura interrupted Tsugeura as he snapped towards the boy and bared his teeth at the sheepish boy.
Kiryu covered his mouth with a surprised expression, “Oh my, is that why you went to buy those then?” He pointed at the box that was again securely held in Suo-san’s arms after he saw Sakura move his hands.
“Why yes! I wanted Nirei-kun to try these. Next month, we are planning on trying a different ones, which are.” Suo-san dragged the last word as he leaned closer to Nirei, who still had his face in his hands.
Knowing the conversation won’t move unless he speaks, Nirei dragged his hands down his face, murmuring into his hand,
“Pineapple teacakes.”
“Sou, sou. Nirei-kun had requested them specially, and I made the necessary arrangements with the nice lady in the bakery to-“
Having just about enough of having the boy showcasing their closeness, Nirei, for some reason, felt shy about.
The blond was quick to put the spoon with his omurice into Suo-san’s mouth, who first looked taken aback but obediently started chewing afterwards.
Nirei watched the brunette with narrowed eyes as he pushed the box into the middle, dragging Nirei’s plate towards him, and started eating his half-finished food,
“Aren’t you supposed to be a man drowning in mystery?”
Without looking up from his food, Suo-san responded in a calm voice, “Ah, yes, that’s what people say.”
Watching the exchange, neither of them felt like they wanted to see Nirei combusting. Instead of commenting, Kotoha-chan let out a defeated sigh, seeing that the brunette who eats the most sophisticated out of all of them won’t need his portion, leaving the teens to their demise.
Not even realising Kotoha-chan had left, Sakura’s blazing duals were drilling holes right into Suo-san, who continued calmly eating,
“Why is it that you never invited me?” Sakura grumbled with an offended tone as he huffed.
Even though Nirei knew Sakura was not hurt, something made him want to go and explain it - tell the other that there was no way Sakura could sit and simply enjoy the present.
Yet before he could even let out a sound, Suo-san replied – carefully splitting the omurice with his usual smile,
“Why is it that you never invited me to your game dates?”
Retorting with a question of his own, it was clear Suo-san didn’t want to lie, nor did he want to tell the truth.
Taken a little aback by the boys words, who continued eating as if his words were enough of an answer, Sakura clicked his tongue – ignoring Kiryu, who was leaning on the table with Tsugeura,
“Oh, he got you there.” Tsugeura only nodded, wordlessly agreeing with the pink-haired boy as they both watched Sakura lean back into his chair with crossed arms and furrowed eyebrows,
“Cause ya never want to play! It’s actually annoying. Are you shitty at games and don’t want to embarrass yourself, or is it that you’re master at it and are holding back.” The boy narrowed his duals as he mulled over his own words.
Earning him a simple smile from Suo-san but a bright-eyed Nirei who turned his attention to him – his early embarrassment completely gone by the looks of it,
“Oh! Suo-san is- phfhjp?!”
With wide eyes, Nirei couldn’t finished as a spoon full of the last bit of omurice was fully trust into his mouth by tightly smiling Suo-san, whose eye was closed, making it impossible to know what the other was thinking.
Nirei’s first instinct was to lean away from the onslaught, sitting himself down as he started coughing a little from the force the spoon suddenly entered his mouth – hearing a glass being pushed towards him, he earnestly grabbed it, giving a quick nod to Kiryu before he drank the refreshing water.
Too busy trying to soothe his irritated throat, Nirei did not catch the way Suo-san’s smile twitched as his hand let go of the closest glass to him, his attention shifting to Sakura,
“To answer your previous question, just like you didn’t invite me due to my lack of interest in gaming, so do we not invite you for your lack of peace of mind.”
Sakura narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “What does that mean, eh?”
“Simply said you-“
“Sakura, let’s be honest, you could not sit still for 5 minutes.” Tsugeura interrupted Suo-san as he let out a soft sigh.
Not minding the interruption, the brunette instead added, that as he pointed with his two fingers at the ginger.
This prompted a loud, heeeeeeh! From the black-and-white-haired boy who slammed his hands onto the table, earning a quick, hey from Kotoha-chan, who was cleaning glasses behind the counter – going ignored as they were focused on the dramatic boy who was close to Suo-san’s smiling face,
“Mind you! For a fact I can-. . .” As if realising what he was about to say, Sakura blinked a few times before retreating into his seat, “Alright, point taken, but still!” He whined.
Nirei watched all this from behind the glass with keen hazels. It was clear Sakura was just acting dramatic – who would have thought the boy was such a drama queen in disguise – but even if he logically knew this, his heart kept fluttering against his chest as if feeling guilty for having his dirty secret discovered.
‘Even more reasons to find when this closeness came to be.’ If Nirei finds the reason he can know the brunette's intent, and thus adapt accordingly.
So far from what he saw, Suo-san was making no move to reassure Sakura by ruffling his hair like he does with him, nor does it look like he had his knee pressed against Sapura’s as Suo-san’s sitting posture indicates his left leg was facing forward.
Nirei bit his bottom lip as his mind devised a quick plan to test something. If Suo-san reacts how he thinks he will, investigation will be in order, but if he reacts the other way to what Nirei's about to suggest, their closeness is no different from Sakura's and the others.
Sakura was about to grumble more but was interrupted by Nirei’s voice,
“E-Etto! Sakura-kun, if you want to, you can join us this evening. I don’t think Suo-san would mind either, right?” He turned to the brunette, whose smile seemed to lower slightly before returning to its previous position.
Having not expected that, Sakura’s eyes widened a little before they looked down in confusion. Probably sensing the sudden shift in the air too, Sakura turned his weirded gaze towards them and slowly shook his head, “Ah, no, it’s fine. I was just-“
“Even if Sakura-kun was available, unfortunately, I only brought enough for two people. Apologies Sakura-kun.” Suo-san bowed politely to the slightly flushed boy, who waved his hands and repeated that it was all right and straightened up.
Suo flashed the boy a quick smile before his attention turned to Nirei, who was mulling over something before resolve seeped into his hazels, taking the boys at the table aback a little, even Sakura, who couldn’t help but feel like he was about to be pushed under the claws of a vicious beast.
His life flashed before his eyes the second Nirei showed everyone his brilliant smile,
“It’s alright, Suo-san! Sakura-kun,” Ignoring how his split-haired friend was shaking his head with wide eyes full of betrayal, Nirei got up from his seat and slowly started leaving the space,
“You’re free to join Suo-san today instead of me; I just realised I had something to do.”
Nirei gave a quick bow to Suo-san, whose smile didn’t reach his eye that even his polite smile was able to mimic,
“I apologise, Suo-san, for forgetting to tell you, so please treat Sakura-kun to the teacakes for me and enjoy yourself.”
The boy gazed down at Nirei, who turned down the voice that told him it was hurt swirling in the dark red sea and not simple morning tiredness as he straightened – the dimmed wine following him.
Nirei didn’t like how the one eye made him feel like he was drowning in Suo-san emotions – if this is what it felt like having one of his eyes on him, imagine if-
Not wanting such a disturbing and unrealistic thought to continue, Nirei shook his head as he quickly approached Kotoha-chan with a quick apology.
Ignoring all the eyes on him, even Kotoha-chan’s confused ones, Nirei wordlessly made his way around the counter and, with an awkward smile, gently started pushing the girl towards the entrance with her loud complaints – yet never did she turn to cuff or scold him.
Once outside, the café become eeriely quiet, with no one wanting to be the one breaking the sudden silence charged with tension. Nor did Sakura feel like pointing out how Suo's grip on the box was-!
Locking his dual eyes on Suo’s tight smile that was directed at him, Sakura couldn’t help but let out a strangled noise before clearing his throat and asking in what he hoped was easy tone of voice,
“Soo…where should I meet you?”
Neither of them felt like sticking their neck out just to comment on how Suo visibly scrunched the cardboard box further.
Three weeks had already passed, during which he had gathered,
“Absolutely nothing.” Nirei grumbled as he shut his small notebook close. Walking through the halls of Furin, it was quite rare for the building to be this quiet.
Always a noise of chanting, cheering or laughter, sometimes accompanied by wood breaking, resonated throughout the building.
‘Guess 4 AM is the calm hour’, Nirei thought as he slowly ascended the stairs to get to the third floor.
His investigation had started with Kotoha-chan and a hint of hope…
“You want what?”
They were standing a little further from the Pothos, with Kotoha-chan looking unsure whether she heard him right.
A little sheepish, Nirei scratched the back of his head, repeating his previous question,
“I- Could you tell me whether you noticed any difference between how me and Suo-san interact with each other and with others?”
It seemed it had taken a few more seconds for the question to fully settle. Either that or Kotoha-chan was formulating her answer.
However, because of how her eyebrows were drawn, Nirei would have to go with the first option.
“Okay, okay. Let me just get this straight,” Kotoha-chan pinched the bridge of her forehead,
“You want an outsider to tell you whether there is any difference between your guyeses relationship compared to others.” She said it as if she was expecting Nirei to realise something.
Instead of that, Nirei simply nodded in confirmation, causing one of her eyebrows to twitch as she watched him in disbelief,
“You’re stupid.”
Not expecting her to say that in such a deadpan voice, Nirei flushes a little, quickly talking back, “I- That’s not it. I just-“
But he stopped when he saw her put her palm up, her eyes serious as she gazed at him.
They may be similar in height, with Nirei being a few inches taller, but at this moment, it felt like Kotoha-chan was much taller.
A big sister scolding her little brother,
“I meant it as in you complicated things unnecessarily so. You want to know whether there is a change? Go and ask the person it’s related to.” Kotocha-chan gestured at the café, earning a wince from the blond, “He’ll gladly tell you that I’m confident in.”
“Ah! So Suo-san would tell me but wouldn’t tell others?” Nirei beamed at the girl whose face shifted in a grimace.
Keeping up his smile, he hoped his trashing heart wouldn’t give away the fact that the thought of going up to Suo-san and bringing this up caused him an unnecessary big reaction like that.
But the way Kotoho-chan was looking at him, he knew she knew. But she’ll be running into a wall unless he doesn't confirm it.
To further his point, he took out one of his spare notebooks and pen from his back pocket and patiently waited for her to give him anything.
Kotoho-chan sighed in defeat, “Listen. You know just as I do that if you do things the way you usually do, he will corner you and confront you,” her amber eyes shone with something that Nirei was unable to decipher,
“You won’t be able to run from it and understand it behind the scenes. Not this time.”
Guess he should expect her to find a way around telling him her thoughts and confirm she did know why he was doing this his usual way.
Gather intel from people who interacted with the person in question while staying in the shadows.
After he meets with said individual, Nirei simply scrapped or added new information, causally asking for them. But this…couldn’t be brought up in a casual conversation. This would require confrontation, which Nirei would shamelessly like to avoid.
Unfortunately for him, though, Suo-san is confrontational when the boy decides that enough is enough.
Proven by time and time by the way he fought. Letting the opponent have his fill and a chance to outmatch him, but when it got repetitive, Suo-san ruthlessly struck and finished it.
So, with a deep inhale, Nirei let his fringe partly fall over his dimmed eyes as he uttered, “I know…”
With an indifferent expression, Nirei took the last step before deciding to go to the left; the sun was yet to peek from behind the tall buildings, casting the halls into a serene blue.
Nirei remembered that day since strong emotions like shame and confusion were linked to it, but thankfully, Kotoha-chan took sympathy on him - first asking how he felt about the relationship.
Earning her nothing but a small smile and is not about my perception but yours. Which, in turn, got her to tell him that her perception may be false just like his, if not more.
Sometimes…Nirei is not even surprised people mistake her age for being over 20s.
Thankfully, by the end, Kotoha-chan had said that from what she had observed, Nirei was physical with everyone, while Suo-san was more careful, only allowing some people like Sakura and him to physically interact with him more than Tsugeura and Kiryu, and others are just barely there.
But the most important information that she had shared with him was that,
“Suo-san seems to instigate more physical touch with you than others. But take it with grand of salt. I only see you guys interacting here, and the chairs don’t allow much space.”
Valid. But noted, nonetheless.
Next up was Umemiya-san. Nirei decided to go from the top down. As the leader, he should have a better affinity of the inner doings of his members, including their relations with each other.
But all he got from the white-haired man was a clueless face,
“ Heh? I don’t know. I leave these things in your care! After all, no one understands what’s happening inside you better than yourself.”
…Alright fair. But what if he’s confused about what’s internally happening to him and he’s seeking external sources.
Nirei had voiced this thought, and of course, Umemiya just gave him a reassuring smile as he let himself sit on the ground with his hands dirty from the soil,
“Aah, you see. What you’re seeking is not a source but confirmation. Confirmation to something you believe to be the truth while ignoring the reality. You know what’s happening here,” He had placed his hand on his chest, his blues seemingly reflecting the bright sky above,
“But you seek to avoid it because you’re not familiar with it. You see…instead of running from the unknown, I believe we should embrace it. Be curious about it!”
…But then…what if I get hurt…Nirei will most definitely remember the exact words that older had spoken forever, spoken with such a peaceful expression,
“You patch yourself up. It will be painful, but no matter how long it will take, you should held your head up high and look towards a better tomorrow with more experience under your belt.”
Nirei sighed as he stopped in front of a window that overlooked the further streets of Makochi. A great spot to watch the sunrise, he thought as he opened the window so he could lean over the edge.
Even if the conversation with Umemiya didn’t bring the information he was seeking, it felt like it gave him something to ponder once he finished his first task.
The blond let the gentle morning breeze play with his bleached strands as he closed his eyes…
… Ah , yes, next up was their leader. Hiragi-san, thankfully, didn’t give him a hard time like those two; instead, he just raised one of his sharp eyebrows before trying to think of an answer.
Only giving him a vague description of how the fights usually go,
“ He seems to be shielding you a lot. Even now, when you know how to partly defend yourself, he seems to be close by just in case. But don’t take my word for it. I rarely go on patrols with you these days, seeing as you’re more than capable.”
As much as he didn’t want to agree, it was true that Suo-san – even after he had taught him plenty of self-defence tactics, the brunette never let out from shielding the blond.
Nirei is unsure whether he’s overthinking things again, but Suo-san seems to only let past guys whom he knows Nirei will be able to take care of.
If that was true, the boy was able to move freely through the battlefield, focus on his opponent, check on Nirei, and simultaneously analyse new opponents. Nirei couldn’t help but be more impressed.
‘Suo-san wa sugoi desu~.” He buried his face into his arms as he felt a soft blush creeping up to his cheeks, it must be the cool wind, he reasoned.
His next stop was Tsubakino-chan. Nirei knows he’s subconsciously prolonging the inevitable by asking people they may hang out with but are not with 24/ 7. Sue him!
But, from expecting nothing, Nirei was close to giving up after what he told him,
“ I get it!” He snapped his perfectly manicured fingers with expressions of realisation before he pointed at him with a finger gun, “ You want to make sure Suo-kun is reciprocating your love.”
…Yeah, it is safe to say Nirei booked it out of there pretty quickly, followed by the twin's loud hyena laughter and a loud, matte! From the confused beauty.
Looking back, he’s unsure why he thought it would be an amazing idea to go to Kaji-senpai…but past Nirei thought it would be ground-breaking .
“ Haaah, how would I fuckin’ know? Why should I even care! You have couple issues? Good. Deal with ‘em yourself, learn, grow, kiss it better and run into the sunset.”
At the time, Nirei was too speechless to properly respond or run, to be honest. His senpai’s words, mixed with the boy's loud tone, caused him to freeze in place while barely holding his pen.
Giving more space for Kusumi-senpai and Enomoto-senpai to peep in,
Ren-kun, I don’t think they share such a relationship, Kusumi-senpai showed on his phone, while Enomoto-senpai barked in laughter when he saw his president’s bewildered expression,
“ That’s what you get for reading shoojo mang-AGH!”
“URUSAI!”
It’s safe to say that Nirei moonwalked right out of there, seeing as the second years were about to undergo one of the familiar ‘bonding moments’ Bofurin was known for.
Leaving with no information for his investigation but new information about his three senpais' that he had immediately written down.
Without him even realising it, three weeks had already passed with the weather getting closer to autumn based on the leaves changing colours and the clouds getting heavier, prompting him to wear a long coat with a baggy sweater.
His last stop.
The memory was still fresh as it happened three or two days ago...
Clunching his notebook filled with truthfully useless data, Nirei was stubborn enough to finish his investigation as he stood before the Pothos café.
Taking a deep breath with a resolve, he pushed through.
The warm air hit him almost immediately – and if he wasn’t here on a mission, he would have taken off his warm clothes and made his way towards the group of boys who looked at him as if they saw a ghost.
Fair, considering Nirei was quick to dodge all of them whenever he saw them – either tracking one of the potential people he wanted to talk to or simply going through the data he gathered, not wanting to be disturbed.
The face whose expression was the most surprised with an eye that quickly went from wide to serious within a mere second was none other than Suo-san, whom Nirei had the most complicated time dodging.
It was easy at first; Suo-san gave him space even though it was clear the boy knew something was up.
He left Nirei, trusting the blond would come to him if needed, probably not realising he was part of the equation.
However, after two weeks of cancelling their tea hangouts, constantly turning the other direction whenever they were about to cross paths or flat out not coming to the group's usual hangouts, Suo-san seemed to have enough.
Thankfully, before the brunette could make any moves, Sakura had volunteered to deal with the issue at hand – president responsibilities and whatnot – Nirei was prepared to deal with an annoyed dragon, not a frantic tiger.
So, it was safe to say Sakura had easily caught him, demanding answers for him with zero stoicism as he shook him.
To which Nirei had only one answer, retorting with his own question that he kept asking for the past two weeks,
” Could you tell me whether you noticed any difference between how me and Suo-san interact with each other and with others?”
Not expecting him to say that, the split-haired boy stared at him ludicrously, giving Nirei enough time to slip through the claws of the confused cat before sprinting to safety while Sakura yelled and shambled after him.
Nirei won’t ever admit to it, but his body was instinctually taking him to Suo-san. Thankfully, he quickly realised that and changed his course, successfully escaping Sakura.
The boy may have the stamina of a beast and run like a bull, but when it comes to searching, he sucks .
Now, ending on a term like that is never good – and he can see it in the pout Sakura was making into his cup, but Nirei promised himself he’d buy his friend sweets when this whole circus he created himself is over.
‘ Should have listened to her.’ He grumbled in his head as he moved closer. Nirei feels like he aged during these three weeks.
Ignoring Kotoha-chan's soft scolding of where were you to the way, Suo-san carefully got up from his chair, fully intending to drag Nirei to the closes alley and-
‘ I need sleep…’ He thought, resisting the urge to massage his eyes, his stern hazels locked with Kiryu’s wide greens,
“Me. You. Out.”
Without waiting for the other to reply, Nirei turned on his heels and steadily walked out, leaving the guys once more in silence and giving them a sense of déjà vu.
Seeing the brunette sharply inhale, and about to follow after the blond, Kiryu slowly got up, making sure his tone was playful with a hint of the intent behind his cat-like smile,
“My, oh my. Tsuge-chan, do you think I’ll get one of the famous interviews?”
“Either that, or he is ready to beat you up.”
Not minding the comment and even huffing with a smile once he saw Sakura and Suo giving the ginger boy a look of disbelief.
Kiryu leisurely waved his hand as he finally got out and gently started pushing Suo, who seemed to resist until Kiryu full-on pushed, him down.
His smile never wavered even if he was looked at from below by the dark wine that did not match the boy’s smile,
“More than beating, I’m expecting him to ask me about my face routine seeing those panda eyes of his.”
To emphasise his point, he dragged the skin under his eyes down before slowly making his way out – knowing pretty well what awaited him.
Once the pink-haired boy was out, Sakura didn’t waste a second and turned towards Tsugeura to ask,
“What did he mean when he said famous interview?”
The fact Sakura caught onto Kiryu’s words faster than the brunette showed that Suo’s mind was preoccupied with other matters.
Not wanting to point it out, Tsugeura turned to the awaiting Sakura with a brilliant grin,
“Nirei-kun is known over Makochi as the ‘small detective’. When younger, he loved solving and gathering data all around the town and helping with small stuff like people misplacing their stuff or forgetting to pay. Stuff like that,” He rolled his wrists, showing no signs that he noticed his words caught Suo’s attention,
“Later it even got to the point of ‘who is the cheater’, tons of crazy stuff. But, basically, people got used to it so much that when Nirei wore this face,” Tsugeura tried imitating Nirei’s serious face that he walked in yet failing as he seemed goofier than the blond was – causing Sakura and Suo to exchange quick glances,
“The people knew he was out for blood!” The boy bared his teeth and put his hands to resemble claws, nearly getting decked by Sakura if not stopped by Suo, who was quick enough to grab the boy's hand – both wearing surprised expressions earning a quiet cackle from the boy,
“Juust joking. But no, that face basically tells you that Nirei-kun is gathering intel on something or someone. This caused the townspeople to label it the famous interview.”
"You didn't know?" Tsugeura looked at Suo, who wore a conflicted expression. Before he could respond in any way, the door theatrically opened, and Kiryu walked in with a big smile.
Ignoring Kotoha-chan's, my door! The boy pointed with his thumb at the door while looking at Tsugeura,
“Your turn.”
Letting out a yoosh! Tsugeura got up with a big grin, “Bring it on!” He exclaimed as he let Kiryu sit in his seat and leave the café.
And before the pink-haired boy could even open his mouth and push Suo, who acted…different during these 21 hellish days, throwing a person once into a wall with an expression that clearly conveyed the guy is better off playing dead.
“Kiryu-kun, what is he gathering intel about so…intently.”
Kiryu had stopped trusting that smile these last few days, he thought as he reciprocated the devil's smile with one of his own.
Sakura was looking between them in clear confusion but interested enough not to word his question about the charged silence,
“Aah, ya know~”
“No, I don’t~”
Suo replied with the same tone as the two boys kept smiling at each other, making it seem like they would jump on each other any second if Kiryu didn’t diffuse the silence – choosing to pick peace over friendly teasing – if all goes well, he’ll have time to do that later,
“Mochiron, mochiron,” He waved at Suo, whose smile seemed to tighten even more, ‘Poor guy, Nirei-chan? Clear communication is veery important in a healthy relationship.’ Kiryu thought, disappointed at his friend's action that caused more turmoil than it needed to,
“Nirei-chan is simply trying to understand the unexpected closeness you seemed to started to develop.”
“Through others?”
Seemingly too surprised by the answer to speak, Sakura’s voice was the first to break the shocked silence as he looked at Kiryu with wide eyes, who, in a turned shrug,
“He’s much more of an observer than a feeler. The fact he’s already inquiring us shows he felt the difference, and now he wants to understand it.”
Not taking it as a sufficient answer, Sakura leans into the table with the same expression, “Through others? If he feels there is a problem, shouldn’t he be talking to Suo about it?”
The lack of blush on Sakura’s face showed that even the boy was about ready to end this weird period the group went through, as he ignored the obvious and instead focused on the fact that it was a problem.
And Kiryu can’t blame him. As the president, it was his responsibility to stop Suo, who was progressively going berserk whenever they went on a patrol and when Nirei chose to ditch them for a group that didn’t have Suo in particular.
The blond was not subtitled during these few days, that’s for sure.
Before Kiryu could answer the black-and-white-haired boy, Kotoha-chan stepped in to clean their table,
“Nirei-kun is just trying to eliminate all the ‘wrong’ possibilities until he’s left with the reality.”
“That’s stupid.” Sakura retorted immediately, to which Kotoha-chan responded with, tell me about it, leaving the group of boys to clean the dishes,
“I mean, they should know what’s up with them, right? How can others know? They’re not part of the rel…relation…” As if something clicked in his head, Kiryu curiously turned to the smiling brunette, who was eeriely quiet.
Not reacting when Sakura leaned into his space to scan him with furrowed eyebrows, “Are you like…” He gestured with his hand; a pinkish colour was slowly appearing on his face the more he spoke with Suo, staying quiet,
“Are you like…ya know, to... toge-”
Before he could finish, a girlish screeching came from outside, turning everyone’s attention to the door with Sakura getting ready to charge in and fight whatever threat was outside – the soft flush adorably staying on his face, making the boy less threatening is what Kiryu thought.
His greens turned towards the doors that were thrown with too much strength, banging against the wall before Tsugeura quickly slammed them closed, putting his entire weight on them to keep them from opening – his chest heaving,
“Demon.” Was all he muttered before Kotoha-chan slowly came from behind the counter, cracking her knuckles,
“Oya, oya. Ya wanna see a true demon…”
Nirei slowly fluttered his eyes open, leisurely gazing at the rising sun peeking in the distance.
He doesn’t know what was happening inside the café, but he does remember when he was walking away, annoyed by Tsugeura’s teasing that was already there due to Kiryu – he once again heard the boy scream like a girl.
And all he could think at that time was, ‘Karma is bitch, isn’t it?’
Letting out a tired sigh, Nirei massaged his forehead. He can’t believe, after all that, he still didn’t have a definite answer.
Everyone either told him what he already knew himself, or they chose to either tease him or simply respond to him through the surface perspective they had on his and Suo-san’s shift in their relationship.
‘It feels like wasted time.’ He knew there was something different, but what was-!
As Nirei was trying to connect everything he knew by now, the feeling of someone standing behind him caused the fine hair on the back of his neck to stand up – yet before he could react in any way, he saw a pair of familiar hands caging him against the window, feeling the pressure of his chest being pressed against his back making Nirei realise he was cold before.
Nirei wanted to say something – more like stutter – yet thankfully, he was stopped when he felt the boy lay his forehead on his shoulder, the strands from his earrings gently tickled his exposed neck as he was slightly bent duo to the taller one weight as he hugged Nirei from behind.
Ignoring how his heart fluttered and face flushed due to the cool wind entering, Nirei took a breath in,
“Suo-san.” He exhaled, trying to get a peek at the brunette, only to watch him nuzzle into his shoulder before Suo-san flashed him a radiant smile with his back still pressed against him,
“Nirei-kun, gotcha~”
Ah, right. He was running away from the predator. This was only Suo-san’s playful manner in showing that he won the game.
Nirei tried ignoring how the realisation made him feel less light as he turned forward with a small smile, letting out an awkward laugh.
Not seeing how the smile fell from Suo-san’s face the second, his eyes shifted from him. The playfulness was replaced with seriousness, as Suo slowly retreated, letting his finger linger on the short one's waist before Nirei felt him step next to his right.
Instinctually stepping away to give Suo-san the space, Nirei glanced at the brunette before refocusing on the town that was yet to wake up – He did not react when he felt Suo-san elbow brushing his as the brunette leaned against the window stool.
Not wanting to stare but also unable to look away, Nirei kept stealing glances at the boy who was enjoying the wind playing with the strands of his hair with his eye gazing forward.
This way, he looked…peaceful.
More so than Nirei remembers him to be through these three weeks. It almost felt as if it was due to-
‘Shut up.’ He scolded his thinking as he gently shook his head, letting his head drop on his folded arms with a slight frown caught by Suo without Nirei noticing. Seeing the blond won’t start speaking, Suo-san leaned into his side and closed his eye,
“Ne, Nirei-kun?”
Nirei hummed to show he was listening, “A little rabbit told me you were going around trying to find dirt on feeble me.”
Hearing such rumor, Nirei’s half-dropped eyes opened wide as he quickly snapped his body to turn towards Suo-san, who was already looking at him with his head resting on his hand adoring a small pout,
“Kiryu is a liar! Don’t trust him. I was going around to-…to…I-ehm.”
Finally noticing their closeness, Nirei felt his cheek heating up with Suo-san only remaining in his position with only a soft brush of pink on his cheeks that had to be due to the chilly morning.
Nirei watched the pout shift into a patient smile as Suo-san leaned a bit closer, tilting his head as he peered at him from behind his fringe,
“You were just going around to…” his voice was soft as he trailed off. Waiting at Nirei to finish what he had started, the blond could not find his voice, so he looked away from the piercing wine.
Deep down, Nirei knew Suo-san was giving him a chance to explain his behaviour even though he already knew everything he needed. Usually, he would give him more time to explain himself.
But seeing his reaction and having to deal with being constantly ignored, Nirei was not surprised the leisure dragon of the Bofurin had lost his patience quite quickly,
“Kiryu-kun told me you wanted to know whether there was a change in our relationship or if that was just you.”
Ah. So that was what I was doing, Nirei thought. Umemiya’s words suddenly made much more sense as he listened to the boy who was supposedly his age talk so maturely as he gazed outside with a dimmed eye,
“So I had to wonder. Why didn’t you come to me to talk about this?”
Nirei was already looking at him when Suo-san turned to him, looking genuinely conflicted more than confused. As if there was something he didn’t understand about it rather than Nirei being-
Taking a deep breath, he decided early mornings were terrible for such talk as it made everything feel more vulnerable,
“In the past, when I wanted to know something about someone. I asked around, and then, if I would have the chance to meet them, I would either add or erase whatever I had on them,” Suo-san was intensively listening to each word Nirei was saying, making the boy glance away,
“Only after I met them do I form my own opinion. And if there is a shift, I need to record it. But what I think might be different from how it really is, so I always-“
Nirei stopped in his rumbling after hearing Suo-san’s soft voice asked,
“Do you feel there is a change between us, Nirei-kun?”
He swallowed as he shifted his eyes from Suo-san to the outside before he settled on his hands that were linked together, noticing he was brushing one of them,
“I- I don’t want to assume and then respond to a change that may not even be there. What if-“
“If you feel unsure,” Suo-san’s voice was so calm as he interrupted Nirei that he could easily speak over him if the blond wanted to.
But the brunette spoke with no edge, his voice laced with serenity that Nirei forgot he missed so dearly.
Without thinking too much about it, he gravitated towards the force he had been running from for the past three weeks with eyes lit up as Suo-san was going to teach him something new – and by the looks of it, Suo-san had noticed if the small smile told Nirei anything.
“If you feel unsure,” Suo-san repeated himself much more confidently, “It’s alright. Create your own assumption and test it. See what happens. You may be wrong, but what if you are right?”
They were close enough that Nirei could see himself in Suo-san's eye, which resembled a deep wine he could get drunk on if he gazed long enough – his blond strands mixing with Suo-san’s browns.
There was no tension, only peacefulness in this moment. No thoughts or fluttering hearts, just two boys enjoying the presence of each other as the soft sun casted its light on them. Causing the colour to shift in Suo-san’s eye with something akin to softness,
“I’m right here Nirei-kun. If you have questions about me, I expect you to talk to me rather than go to the others.”
Suo-san teasingly flicked his forehead, successfully shattering the moment and causing Nirei to retreat with a yelp as he started massaging the spot where he was assaulted – Suo-san watching him as he was leaning on his folded arms with a warm smile.
There were still many things unsaid that Nirei could feel between them. But in this moment he only huffed at his childish friend, leaning against the side of the window as he gazed down at Suo-san,
“You’re angry.”
All the response he received was a sharp grin showing Suo-san canines that forced his eye to close with the sun giving the boy an ethereal look as he let out an airy laugh,
“Oh, Nirei-kun! I’m pissed.”