Chapter Text
“Why’d ya use my address,” Sakura griped at the phone.
Nirei’s laugh sounds tinny and distant through the speaker. A small part of Haruka ached, happy that his friend was enjoying himself at college but also missing him terribly. Not that Haruka would ever admit that to anyone.
The phone crackled as Nirei spoke. “I told you! I didn’t know what they’d send me and didn’t want my parents to see anything bad.”
“Bad?” Haruka echoed quietly with a snort. “You mean like,” he pulls a box covered in hand drawn dicks out of his mailbox and promptly drops it into the bag at his feet, finishing the thought with a, “Nevermind.”
Nirei laughs again, bright and loud enough that the sound cuts out for a second. Haruka finds himself smiling, listening to Nirei talk himself in circles about classes, college girls, and the friends he’s making. By the time Nirei has reached the end of his conversational spiral, Haruka has reached the final piece of mail in his box. For some reason, it gives him pause. He grabbed it face down, so the sender’s name stares at him from the slip of paper like something living.
He stares back. “Hey Nirei, ya got something to tell me?” There’s a paperclip at the top right corner and when he slides his fingers, it splits to show there’s two postcards. Haruka takes a deep breath, makes himself not crumple them in his fist. “Run into any old faces?”
Nirei ends the call with a ‘don’t know what you’re talking about Sakura-San! I gotta go’ and leaves Haruka with a pair of postcards that feel more like a bomb. Or maybe that primed and ready to blow feeling was coming from Haruka himself? He wasn’t sure. Feelings were never his strong suit before and they still weren’t now. He’d still much rather throw a punch at his problems.
Haruka couldn’t punch a postcard though. That’d be stupid and just give the middle schoolers and Kotoha something to laugh at him for. It wouldn’t matter anyways. The sender wouldn’t feel the hit and that makes the whole idea worthless anyways. Something annoyed and weirdly pleased bubbles up in his chest as he looks at them again.
‘Course that bastard still writes pretty, Haruka grumbled. He pulled the card addressed to him out from under the paperclip before putting the one to Nirei in the bag. No reason to stay outside and stare at mail when he could do the same thing in the privacy and warmth of his apartment. The door was a bit sticky but it locked and it wasn’t like Haruka cared that much. He left the bag of Nirei’s mail in the corner.
He stared at the lines of the letters, the beat up edges of the card, the slight staining that was probably water damage. There was no return address and the sender’s name was signed at the bottom of the left side. That familiar, time-worn grief and hurt throbbed.
Hello Sakura-kun,
Did you know you can turn your own photos into postcards? Neat right? It didn’t feel right sending something to Nirei at your address and not sending you something as well. Please enjoy the photo on the front. It’s one I took while in Chongqing, China. Kind of reminded me of Makochi a bit.
Suo H.
Haruka flips the card over to see a building light up with golden and blue lights and a lit up night sky behind it. He stares at it for a long time. Tracing the architecture with his eyes while a thousand questions crossed his mind. When did Suo take this? Why was he in China? Why did he leave Makochi?
He pins it to the cork board that Tsubaki had insisted on getting him years ago. He wonders why it feels right to have it, to have something from him, up there amongst the photos of their his friends. Ultimately he decides to ignore it. He’s got work.
The trouble with Suo, the same as when they were fifteen and first years, was that he never let anything sit. He always had a joke, a teasing comment, a lie at the ready to make them face whatever it was they were trying to ignore. Even if whatever they were avoiding was him. Haruka would die before admitting he missed Suo, even after everything. A tad dramatic, but it felt true.
Haruka had another postcard in his mailbox. Just one. No other mail this time, thankfully. Though Nirei usually warned him if he was going to be getting anything in Haruka’s mailbox. It made Haruka wonder how much contact Nirei had with Suo.
He looked at the back first again.
Hello again Sakura-kun,
Nirei-kun said you’d received the last postcard. He suggested, well many things. I thought you’d enjoy another photo since Nirei-kun said you’d enjoyed the last one. This one is a cute cafe I saw recently. I thought you’d enjoy the cat shaped bread. Haha.
Suo H.
Haruka wondered what Nirei had said, when they’d last spoken, and how they’d last spoken. He ran his thumb across the letters of his own name for a long moment before catching himself. With ears reddening, he flipped the postcard over. He’s wrong, is Haruka’s first thought.
The photo is of a small shop that’s seemingly tucked onto a quiet street. The exterior is painted white with the door painted black. It’s got the homey, lived in feel that some of the older shops around Makochi have. There’s a red neon sign that says ‘Fresh’ and cat shaped breads in the window. They’re cute, but not what has caught Haruka’s attention.
Also in the window is a reflection of the photographer. It’s hard to tell how much Suo has grown and changed from the reflection. He looks warm bundled up in a long, thick dark reddish coat. His hair might be longer but Haruka can’t really tell. He’s a bit distracted.
Slightly obscured by the camera is Suo’s face and the brightest smile. Haruka finds himself smiling back at the photo. He feels silly, smiling at a photo of someone who he can’t get in contact with, but he doesn’t make himself stop. Just goes to add it to the cork board.
tell hi m 2 give me a way 2 contact hm - delivered 3:44 p.m.
Nirei - 4:15 p.m.
Sakura-kun you have to be clearer when you text.
Suo. - delivered 5:27 p.m.
Nirei - 5:27 p.m.
I make no promises.