Archive of Our Own ^beta

Not meeting Suou on the way to school was unusual, and Sakura was even more surprised not to see him in the classroom either. Suou had never been late that Sakura could recall. Maybe he was sick? Should he and Nirei visit him and bring him something like when Sakura himself had been sick? Where did he even live, though? Nirei probably knew, or could find out. But then, Suou probably didn't live on his own and would be fine anyway…

Thinking of the devil, Suou chose that moment to saunter into the classroom. His smile didn't look one bit different than usual, but the bandage covering most of his cheek sure did. Sakura's vision went red. His chair scraped loudly as he jumped to his feet.

"Who?" he growled, barely recognising his own voice.

No matter how serious the fight, he had never seen Suou injured. He'd never even seen him get so much as winded.

"Sakura-kun," Suou greeted him in sing-song, before sighing sadly. "My cheek was itchy and I forgot I was holding a knife when I scratched it. That's all."

Sakura blinked. "What? How the fuck can you be so clumsy?"

Suou sometimes seemed absent-minded, but Sakura had learnt that was only in appearance. Maybe he was more carefree at home, though. Stupid of him to worry Sakura like that. With a click of his tongue, Sakura sat back down.

"There's no way that's true," Anzai said as he walked up to Suou.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. He stared at Suou again. Was he playing tricks on him?

"Fine, fine, you got me," Suou said, hands raised in front of him in fake defence. "My neighbour's cat got lost on the roof and when I went to retrieve it, it attacked me. Ungrateful creatures, aren't they just?"

"Why didn't you just say that from the start?" Sakura asked, annoyed.

"That would be no fun at all, Sakura-kun."

Behind him, Anzai still looked suspicious, but that was Suou's own fault for never giving a straight answer to anything. As if to drive the point that he was a smartass and people should know better by now, Suou sat with a slow and deliberate flourish, peacefully smiling like the Buddha.

A few minutes later, Tsugeura finished his workout by the window and came to sit with them.

"Wow. Who even managed to land a blow on you, Suou? Do we need to launch a raid?" he asked, punching his fist into his own open palm.

With a desolate sigh, Suou looked down. "I met a bear on my way to school," he replied sadly. "I didn't mean to disturb it, but…"

"What?" Sakura asked, slapping the desk with both hands.

Frowning, Tsugeura glanced at Sakura questioningly. "I'd rather not hurt animals. It's not my virtue."

Meanwhile, Sakura glared at Suou who looked the very picture of innocence. Might as well talk to a wall.

"Do you know anything about this?" Sakura asked Nirei, pointing at Suou's face.

"No," Nirei replied, head tilted as he tapped his pen onto his notebook.

Sakura decided he might as well leave it at that, or he'd go mad trying to get anything out of Suou. If Suou wanted to talk about it, he would.

At lunchtime, chairs shuffled with the usual four of them moving around Suou this time. Nirei started quizzing Tsugeura on his current training routine, and Sakura sheepishly asked Kiryuu if he could show him again how to make a screenshot on his phone so he could save messages.

Despite whispering to avoid anyone else overhearing and making fun of him, Sakura kept throwing suspicious glances at Suou because whispers or not, Suou never missed a chance to embarrass him. Yet no pointed mocking followed. Suou simply stared ahead, seemingly lost in thought.

Then Suou rose to his feet, subtly bracing himself. To anyone else that might have looked fine, but after years of getting into fights in which he was often outnumbered, Sakura had developed a keen instinct for perceiving anything off, any subtle little thing that he could use to his advantage.

"That's it," Sakura growled, fists clenched. He was going to ask for an answer and this time, he wouldn't give up until he got one that was fucking real.

He started to stand but Kiryuu's hand landed on his shoulder, unexpectedly strong and unforgiving as it pushed him back down.

"Now, now, Sakura-chan~," Kiryuu said in his normal, quiet voice.

Sakura was ready to shake him off with a few choice words, but he realised Kiryuu wasn't even looking at him. His piercing gaze lingered on Suou.

Slowly, Sakura turned again.

Suou noticed their attention and tilted his head in a silent question, as if he truly had no idea what they might be thinking about despite the way he'd just stood. Silently, holding his gaze, Sakura willed him to be honest with them. With him.

"I think," Kiryuu said with a bright grin, although his tone held a challenge, "that we should all hang out at Sakura's place after school today."

Because he was looking so closely, Sakura didn't miss the flash of relief in Suou's eyes. If Sakura hadn't already been sitting down, he might have fallen on his ass. That sense of relief felt familiar, but only because Sakura had experienced it himself in the past. He recognised it. The pain of it. The lack of words.

Then Sakura's brain caught up with him.

"What? Why are we ending up at mine again?!"

But even as he spoke, a plan was forming in his mind. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

Then Kiryuu said that Sakura just needed more assistance with technology than anyone could reasonably provide between classes, and Sakura growled and rumbled and muttered, but out of the corner of his eye, he never lost track of Suou.

If Sakura was wrong then that was fine. If he wasn't, then he most definitely had to fucking do this. This was how Sakura would have Suou's back, whether or not Suou wanted to talk about it.

Nothing appeared out of the ordinary as they hung out at Sakura's flat. However, the concerned side-glances to Suou increased as the afternoon lingered on. Usually he was the first one to leave, right around the same time every time, yet today Suou remained silent as the clock ticked on.

Eventually, Kiryuu yawned and stretched. "I'm going to be heading home now. I wanted to speak with my sister tonight before it gets too late."

Tsugeura nodded and mentioned something about his training, but Sakura was only looking at Suou, who seemed to be spacing out again. Yeah.

"Suou," he said forcefully. "Mind staying? I've got something to ask you."

"Counting on you, Sakura-chan!" Kiryuu said as he left the room.

Nirei and Tsugeura also nodded and wished them well as they quickly followed Kiryuu out, not insisting or wondering about keeping secrets. They probably all thought Sakura was going to ask about Suou's injuries. They were wrong. If Suou wanted to talk about it, he would. If he didn't, then it wasn't Sakura's business. Though the next time Suou got himself into a fight, he'd better ask Sakura to be at his side first.

"Yes, Sakura-kun?" Suou asked, appearing entirely relaxed.

Sakura's eyes lingered on the bandage, not liking it at all. As carefully applied as it seemed, it didn't belong there. His gaze moved to the eyepatch that he would never ask about, then to the beautiful tassel earrings that moved as elegantly as their owner. Briefly, his eyes caught on Suou's mouth but he didn't dare linger; there was nothing for him here. Suou's uniform was spotless, not a crease to be seen. He must not have been wearing it whenever whoever he fought did a number on him. What other injuries lay underneath?

"Sakura-kun?"

Sakura sighed and scratched his head. He hadn't really thought that far. It was just that, well. Suou had reminded him of himself, the first few times Sakura knew he couldn't go back home and wasn't sure where he was going to sleep nor how he was going to hide it.

"It's late," Sakura said slowly, staring at Suou in a challenge. "You might as well stay the night."

For a blink, Suou's eyes widened and there it was again, the flash of relief Sakura had spotted earlier. Of course, it quickly disappeared, but Sakura was already getting up anyway. "I'm going to shower. I guess you can call your parents or whoever you need to while I do."

With the noise of the shower, Sakura wouldn't be able to tell if Suou had done it or not, and they could maintain whatever polite fiction Suou wanted if he wished to pretend everything was fine.

Suou inhaled sharply, and Sakura counted that as a fucking win. It felt like the first honest reaction he'd gotten out of Suou today, and damn if he wouldn't treasure it as the victory it was. Just when he reached the sliding door, Suou started speaking, softly — too soft. Too serious, not an ounce of mocking or assurance in his tone. Wrong.

"Sakura-kun, I'm not—"

"I didn't ask," Sakura cut him off without turning back. He didn't want to see whatever expression Suou wore right now, whatever was making him speak with this voice. "I'm not asking anything. I'm not asking for anything either, no exchange. I'm offering. You take it or you leave it, it's none of my fucking business."

Then he slammed the door shut behind him, and showered. When he came back, Suou had arranged the futon so that two people could sort of fit under it. He'd also removed his uniform jacket and changshan and hung them beside Sakura's. His undershirt didn't hide the bandages snaking from his right shoulder down to his wrist, and hinted at even more tightly wrapped around his waist.

After Sakura finished his visual assessment, he noticed Suou was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. Unreadable.

"Gonna need any help with that?" Sakura asked, waving vaguely toward the bandages.

Suou's expression softened. "Not tonight, no."

"Whenever that changes, you just let me know," Sakura said carefully, hoping Suou would hear the underlying invitation to stay for however long he needed.

They sat next to the futon, and Sakura looked around for something to do. Despite his big words earlier, it was still pretty early to sleep.

"Have you figured out yet how to watch videos on your phone?" Suou asked.

"You can watch TV on a phone?" Sakura asked, surprised.

Suou shook his head in mock despair. "Whatever are we going to do with you, Sakura-kun?"

Sakura knew he should growl or at least give a good grumble as a reply, but hearing Suou's teasing again only made him want to purr.

Although Suou had better not push it either.

The next morning was slightly awkward because Sakura didn't have much, and only ever one of the few things he did own. He drank water from the tap from the single glass in the flat, rinsed it, then refilled it before offering it to Suou.

"So considerate, Sakura-kun!" Suou praised exaggeratedly, holding Sakura's gaze the entire time he drank from the glass.

Sakura could get annoyed in answer, but while Suou did keep the eyepatch on when sleeping and that hadn't moved at all, his hair was all tousled at the moment. Very unlike his usual image. That sight was a privilege that no one else had ever been granted, at least no one in Furin. Sakura smirked as he looked away.

"I usually go to Pothos for breakfast," he said as he stretched.

He didn't keep any food in the flat beside a couple of cereal bars. He had no fridge, no way to cook. There was no point.

At Pothos, Suou attempted to pay for them both, but Sakura slapped Suou's hand away from his wallet so hard Suou winced from the backlash. Sakura had forgotten about his injuries. He clicked his tongue and looked away, embarrassed.

In the end, Kotoha didn't even charge them and Sakura knew better than to argue with her about anything. Not worth it, unless he wanted to risk never being allowed to eat anything she ever made again.

"Hey, Nirei," Sakura asked later, when Suou wasn't within hearing range. "Do you know where I could get very cheap glasses, or things like that? I only have one at the apartment."

Nirei looked surprised, then sharp before he exchanged a glance with Kiryuu.

"Let us take care of this, Sakura-san."

So much for subtlety.

After school, Sakura and Suou patrolled around town while Kiryuu, Nirei, and even Tsugeura excused themselves. By the time Sakura and Suou headed back to the flat, the three of them were carrying a mountain of bags and boxes that had Sakura turn pale.

In the end, it was hard to say if the guys understood that Suou was staying at Sakura's or if they were just making their own life more comfortable, because they'd bought five of everything. Helplessly, Sakura watched Nirei and Kiryuu fill the tiny kitchen cupboard as he tried to figure out how he felt about all this. Before he'd come to a conclusion, though, Suou of course had to ruin it all.

"It's like the teenager version of a wedding gift list," he pondered aloud, hiding his mouth behind his hand in fake modesty. "The newlyweds are getting everything they need to start their new life."

Sakura's flush surged up so brutally and suddenly that he nearly went faint from it. His red face could probably be seen from the moon if he stepped outside.

"New–newl–newnewl," Sakura gurgled while waving an arm at him. "What are you even saying?!"

"Hearing troubles already? At such a young age?" Suou asked desolately, fake sadness that even Sakura could pick up written all over his stupid face as he tilted it. A tassel earring brushed against his shoulder. Sakura stared and nearly missed it when Suou moved closer and suddenly had his hand on Sakura's forehead.

"Or a fever, perhaps?" Suou wondered.

He was so close. His hand was so warm. He smelled like Sakura's room more so than the scent Sakura had learnt to associate with him, and the thought only made Sakura flush harder.

But he didn't step back. And the light in Suou's eyes shifted from kind to dangerous. Something inside Sakura twisted. He had never been able to look away from the strong. He couldn't have done it now had his life depended on it.

Sakura exhaled slowly.

"I brought takeaway for everyone!" Tsugeura interrupted, breaking the moment.

"We can try out our new plates!" Kiryuu said with obvious delight.

Everybody settled down around the protein-heavy, thankfully delicious offering. As usual, Suou only filled a glass with water and declined anything else.

Notebook in hand, Nirei shuffled next to Sakura and asked in a confidential tone that wasn't nearly as low as he seemed to think, "Have you seen Suou-san eat yet?"

Sakura remembered the shared breakfast at Pothos as he met Suou's eyes, but he didn't reply. He just smiled then dug into his own food.

"You're already taking after him," Nirei complained with a big, disappointed sigh.

So maybe he knew about the current situation after all. And he didn't mind, nor did he ask any unwelcome questions, even with his notebook in hand. None of them did. They meddled, but they didn't pry.

Sakura didn't know which god to thank that he ended up at Furin, but even if he did, he wouldn't have known any word powerful enough to express how grateful he was.

Without discussing it, Suou stayed over that night as well, in the brand new guest futon that apparently someone — Sakura had quickly given up on figuring out who gave away what — didn't need anymore. The next morning when Sakura woke up, the new futon was empty and quiet noises echoed on the other side of the door. Sakura lounged for a moment longer in the shared warmth they'd built in the room, letting Suou do first whatever he needed to.

At the unexpected smell of coffee, Sakura abruptly sat up. After blinking a few times, he stormed to the kitchen corner. His gaze fell first on Suou holding a new-to-them cup with an angry panda design on it, then onto the new-to-them kettle plugged above the tiny kitchen counter. Sakura had a kettle now. Beside it, a second cup with a grinning chibi pirate wearing an eyepatch was also filled with coffee.

"Good morning, Sakura-kun," Suou greeted him, holding the cup on his palm so Sakura could grab the handle.

Mouth agape, Sakura stared at the cup, then at Suou again. Suou's smile felt… gentler. Like none of this would lead to any teasing. Quickly, Sakura looked at the cup again. He didn't know what to do with this. Why was his heart beating so fast when he'd just woken up? This was stupid.

This shouldn't feel so comfortable.

This shouldn't feel so domestic.

This shouldn't feel so precious. Like something Sakura wanted to experience again and again.

Sakura clicked his tongue, grabbed the handle and turned his back to Suou.

"Th–Thanks," he said, barely remembering his manners before cursing himself for stumbling on his words — his word! Just one! — and decided to just down the coffee in one go to end his suffering already.

"Sakura-kun, that's still—"

Of course, it burnt his tongue and the roof of his mouth, but there was also satisfaction in feeling the burn flowing down his throat and further, until it settled in his stomach.

That was an easier excuse to explain why his face felt so hot about nothing at all.

When he placed the empty cup in the sink, he caught Suou's gaze, still smiling as he sipped peacefully, looking comfortable and right at home in Sakura's kitchen.

The burn Sakura felt up to the tips of his ears didn't abate. Before Sakura could say or do something stupid, he stomped towards the bathroom. Sometimes, there was something about Suou that made Sakura feel just a little bit desperate.

That evening, Suou figured out how to boil eggs by placing them in a bowl filled with hot water from their kettle and leaving a plate on top. He even steamed vegetables that he must have bought when Sakura wasn't looking. Who knew kettles could be so versatile? Sakura declined to have any, but the soft-boiled egg already elevated the instant ramen they had to heights Sakura hadn't known existed.

As they settled into a routine over the days, his flat's transformation caught Sakura off guard. It wasn't just about having stuff there. Maybe it wasn't even having Suou here, or not just that at least. The place felt… lived in, these days. Homely.

But thinking that way led to Sakura's stomach doing strange things while his face burnt, and sometimes he was worried that Suou could read his thoughts.

"Sakura-kun?" Suou asked once it was just the two of them in his flat again.

"What's… for dinner tonight?" he mumbled shyly.

Suou's grin was so bright, Sakura wished he could hold it in his chest forever, but he would have to settle for engraving it in his memory instead. Already, Suou moved more easily, his injuries healing. That lost, spaced-out expression hadn't returned since the first day.

And Suou also ate normally when it was just the two of them. There was nothing special about it in the end, but trust Suou to make a mystery out of anything. Like out of the way he looked at Sakura sometimes, as if he was waiting. Waiting for what, Sakura didn't know. Didn't let himself pretend that he knew.

But Sakura did know.

"Good morning, Sakura-kun!" Suou said brightly one morning, pushing a cup of coffee into his hands.

Even with eyes still encrusted with sleep, Sakura had learnt to reach for the cup handle half-blind by now. Suou's lips on his cheek as Sakura accepted the cup was new, though. Sakura startled, but Suou must have expected this because he still had a hand on the cup and another on Sakura's wrist, so he didn't burn himself.

The k–kiss was over before it had even started, a simple peck that seared Sakura's cheek, that felt heavier than any punch he had ever received there. Sakura accidentally slapped himself in his rush to cover his cheek with his other hand. He could only stare as Suou threw him a knowing glance before sauntering over to the bathroom.

They'd be late if they didn't move on, and so there was no time to wrangle an explanation out of him. Sakura knocked himself on just about every doorway, counter corner, and steps as he readied himself and they left. The entire walk to school, Sakura threw suspicious glares at Suou, who looked nothing but wrongfully innocent, like nothing had happened.

"Oh, Nirei-kun! Good morning!" Suou said as he spotted their friend.

"Good morning, Suou-san! Good morning, Sakura-san! Oh my god what happened, why are you so red so early in the morning?"

Sakura grumbled something unintelligible because no way was he telling the truth, instead stomping ahead to walk in front of them, hands in his pockets. Behind him, he could hear Nirei quizzing Suou who just pretended not to have a clue either, and that just made Sakura even angrier…

…but also even happier, that for a moment longer, this — whatever this may be or become — stayed just between the two of them, a secret that belonged only to them. At least for today. At least long enough for Sakura to figure out what to do with it.

His face stayed beet-red the entire day.

Everyone, from his classmates to the upper classmates, commented on it. Everyone.

By the time school ended, Sakura had reverted to full anger. Still, he waited for the door of his flat to close behind them before pointing an accusing finger at Suou.

"This is all your fault!"

Suou hummed thoughtfully, hands behind his back as he tilted his head and gazed at Sakura.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

The challenge blasted a shiver up Sakura's spine, a surge of electricity that started from his toes and zapped him straight through to the brain. He gasped, out of breath for an instant before the same rush that preceded a fight overtook him.

"As you wish," he said, smirking, heart beating wildly.

Two steps, and he stood right in front of Suou. No peck on the cheek for him. Sakura could only see Suou's mouth right now, the hint of a smile at the corner, but when he glanced into Suou's eye he saw the uncertainty there, the hesitation. Suou was holding his breath.

Sakura pressed his lips against Suou's, then closed his eyes because that seemed like the thing to do. Definitely nothing like a fight, after all. The texture was strange. Pleasant. Warmer than he'd expected. Suou exhaled softly, like he was releasing all the tension in his body. Sakura felt it against his own lips, breathed the air Suou had breathed then kissed his lips again. Such unexpected, addictive softness.

Then he opened his eyes again and stepped back, slapping a smirk onto his face because hah, hadn't he just raised the stakes? But he knew his own eyes were open too wide, and he was too out of breath.

And Suou was looking at him with so much lov–affection, more than Sakura had ever seen, especially so obviously directed at him, that Sakura barely knew what to do with himself or what to say next.

"Sakura-kun," Suou only said, like a prayer, and this time he was the one who closed the distance between them, much closer than Sakura had. Suou's hand slid behind his neck, fingers brushing against his nape. Sakura gasped softly, nearly silent, but enough of a sound for his lips to part and for Suou to lean in, eye closed as well, and to kiss Sakura more deeply. By instinct, Sakura pressed himself even tightly against him, fist gripping Suou's shoulder, eyelids sliding down so he could focus better on the sensations, on learning this new way of fighting that felt more like a dance, and like yet another way to have a conversation without words.

The next morning, Suou gave Sakura a peck on the lips just before they left the flat.

"I'm going to skip school to run an errand today," he said as the door closed behind them. "Give my apologies to our class?"

"An errand," Sakura repeated, searching Suou's face as they started the walk to school. Was that a euphemism for a fight? "Do you need company?"

"Sakura-kun wants to carry my shopping bags!" Suou exclaimed, holding his face in both hands like a love-struck groupie. "How romantic!"

There was no helping it. Sakura flushed.

"I'm being serious!"

"I know," Suou said, glanced behind Sakura, then kissed him on the mouth again.

"Suou-san?!" Nirei asked behind Sakura.

Sakura jumped out of his skin.

"Good morning Nirei-kun! I'm not going to be in school today. Take care of Sakura-kun for me today, would you?"

"I can take care of myself just fine!" Sakura roared, but Suou had already walked away.

Meanwhile, Sakura felt frozen in place. He could feel Nirei's intensity beside him. He heard the noise of the notebook being shuffled out of a pocket, then the click of a pen. Jerkily, Sakura turned toward Nirei.

Was he going to have to talk about it?

With fire in his eyes, Nirei stared at Sakura as his pen slowly moved to touch the page. Then he mumbled to himself as he started scribbling madly, and turned to continue walking toward the school.

"Let's go, Sakura-san!" Nirei called over his shoulder. "We're going to be late."

After a few seconds, Sakura ran up to Nirei and fell into step with him. Thank the gods, Nirei didn't ask any direct questions. Walking beside him scribbling and mumbling felt normal, and slowly Sakura relaxed into what had apparently become his life, now. Though Suou was usually here, too. When Sakura looked backwards, of course Suou was nowhere to be seen by now. Sakura felt like he'd just been played and he didn't like that.

Having perhaps interpreted Suou's words quite literally, Nirei didn't leave Sakura's side all day, but honestly that didn't feel too far from their usual routine. Sakura didn't mind so much. Maybe he even derived a bit of strength from it. Something solid that he could rely on, to make up for the concern that furrowed his brow every time he looked at Suou's empty seat.

After school, Sakura headed straight back home. Relief flooded his veins when he saw Suou's shoes in the entrance.

Then he found Suou in the bathroom, on his knees digging into the first aid kit, shirt dripping with blood, wrist held carefully against his stomach while he rummaged in the box with the other. His hair was matted with blood.

Fury battled with heartbreak as Sakura stared, wide-eyed.

"Sakura," Suou said gently, dropping the honorific for the first time. "I'm okay."

He was talking softly, slowly, like Sakura was some kind of beast to pacify.

Sakura sure felt like one right now. Wild, nervous energy flooded his body with no outlet. His fingers kept twitching.

"You're not," he said, forcing the words out like poison past his throat.

He approached Suou, fingertips barely brushing against Suou's bruised cheek.

"Why won't you let me fight for you?" he asked, voice breaking on the last word.

He had to hide his eyes with his other hand. He felt like he was going to cry, and he'd sworn to himself he never would again. Why wasn't Suou relying on him? Fighting was all Sakura was good for; it was the one place his confidence was born from. What good was his strength if he couldn't use it for the people he loved?

What good was he?

Eyes still hidden behind his hand, Sakura fell to his knees, like it would be easier to catch all of the feelings bleeding out of him if he didn't stand.

Suou shifted closer and wrapped his fingers around Sakura's wrist, but he didn't push or pull or force him to show his face. Sakura could barely hear what he said, but the gentle tone eventually worked to calm him down. And with his mind screaming less loudly, Sakura finally realised how big a deal it was that Suou let him see him in that state, without hiding. How hugely he had to trust him. He trusted Sakura.

Awkwardly, Sakura cleared his throat and moved his hand, concealing the tears he had to wipe away.

"Let me do this for you," he said roughly, yanking the first aid kit out of Suou's hands.

He filled their bowls and glasses with water and slowly cleaned the blood off Suou's face, knuckles and arms. Sakura tried not to blush when Suou let him look after the injuries on his torso as well, but thankfully no teasing followed. Throughout it all, Suou talked normally, asking Sakura about school and their classmates as if he hadn't just seen them the previous day.

Using the skills Sakura had learnt to look after himself for someone else, someone he cared deeply about, healed something in his soul. He couldn't have found the words to explain it. For a second he wondered if that might be another of those conversations without words? But he would die before he ever asked anyone about this.

As he glanced up at Suou and found his gaze filled with fondness and, and gratitude, Sakura realised perhaps it was the first time Suou let someone else do this for him, too.

"My home is closer to a dojo than a family home," Suou said softly once their eyes met. "Sometimes, things get a little complicated."

Sakura's voice stayed stuck in his throat. He couldn't talk about his home; he couldn't. He had nothing to offer in return for Suou sharing this piece of himself.

With a small smile, Suou covered Sakura's cheek with his palm and brought his face closer, close enough to kiss the corner of Sakura's lips.

Of course, Suou would never ask anyway, Sakura thought, face burning. He was so fucking considerate, in his own way.

"I just wanted to clarify things with you. I've resolved the problem at home now, and I will go back to live there again from tomorrow. But I wanted to see you first."

Sakura nodded, and finished his work in comfortable silence.

Despite returning home, Suou still spent a lot of time at Sakura's, with the others and also just the two of them. Apparently, that included a lot of cooking dinner for Sakura.

The first weekend after going back home, Suou knocked on Sakura's door early on Saturday morning carrying a big, heavy box, and invited himself in before Sakura even had a chance to get up.

"What's in the fucking box?" Sakura asked, still wearing his night gear and trying to rub the crud out of his eyes.

"It's a small stove," Suou said in sing-song.

He put the box in the hollow space on the kitchen counter where it would fit, then looked away from Sakura in fake modesty, hands cupping his cheeks. The bandages Sakura had recently replaced there still looked neat.

"My master gave it to me," Suou added, glancing at Sakura from the corner of his eye, "as an engagement present for us."

"Eng… Eng.. Engagement?! What the hell did you tell him?!"

He could feel the tips of his ears burning. Suou was still a mean bastard, nothing like a gentleman at all. And yet, his teasing tone only made Sakura want to purr, and Sakura grinned as he cornered Suou against the kitchen counter and leaned in.