Chapter Text
“I must be cursed.”
Sakura thought as he looked at the daisy in his hand, which he had won after helping a little girl down a climbing frame. It was such a lovely gesture that he left the playground with his face as red as the flower's petals. He reminded him of them...
The bicolor had no idea when red and yellow became his favorite colors... it was even strange to think how well they looked together. Perhaps the city of Makochi was a supernatural place, like the Bermuda Triangle, because it seemed almost impossible that his life had changed so much.
He had always been accused of theft . Now he was even given presents when he came home from school.
He always took care of his injuries himself. Now he was scolded by Kotoha for doing dangerous things.
He had always lived alone, just wandering on a tightrope. Now he had faithful friends and could run through flowery fields.
He had always thought that love didn't exist. Now he was in love with his two vice-captains.
Yes, Sakura could be slow, but he wasn't as innocent as others thought. No one checked his browsing history, he always used the incognito tab in the end and... it's best to leave that aside.
The thing is: Haruka knew about his feelings for both of them, but the bigger problem was that he knew they both had something. The way Nirei looked at Suo with such affection, his pupils almost turning into two hearts, and the way the older man smiled sincerely at the blond were just a few examples to set off Sakura's romance radar.
They were in their second year and by then, the half-boy knew a lot about the two of them. Not only did he know them, but he also kept their favorite things in his house. That old bachelor's quarters, once all run down, now looked like a decent place.
Now there was a bed! Honestly, his back thanked him for it. It wasn't the biggest bed in the world, but it fit the three of them after a long patrol.
“Sakura-san, that's amazing.” Nirei said excitedly when he saw the new addition to the other's minimalist room.
“It's just a bed, it's no big deal.”
“It's not just a bed, it's your new bed! We have to celebrate.” joked the blond.
“Nirei-kun's right!” Suo wrapped his arm around his host's neck. “We have to inaugurate your new bed, Sakura-kun.”
Haruka's mind worked fast enough, all because of that damn one-eyed grin.
“Sakura-san... why are you so red?”
“No reason at all.” He coughed forcefully and moved away from Suo, who laughed.
“Nothing? Are you sure? We're just having a slumber party.”
“I think our little cherry blossom misunderstood my phrase, Nirei-kun.”
“Fuck you!” yelled the owner of the house, kicking the laughing redhead.
“S-Sakura-san!”
Nirei tried to help break up the fight, but ended up getting elbowed by the two-eyed man. Soon they both stopped playing and went to help the little sun.
He left the food he'd won in the sink, then put each one in the cupboard and hung his uniform on the clothesline outside. Walking to the bathroom in his underwear, he closed the door and began to fill the bathtub. The warm water soothed his muscles and, at some point, three rubber duckies began to swim. Sakura just watched the objects float by and relaxed, resting his head on the edge. Even in this, they influenced him.
Enjoying the solitude, now not as painful as before, the boy let his thoughts run wild.
Unfortunately, he still had that damned question in his head: What had it been like to fall in love with those two?
Before, Nirei had just been some jerk who talked more than he did. His ridiculous style when he entered the coffee was another point against wanting anything to do with him. Okay, you don't have to remember that Sakura didn't want to talk to anyone at the time, but Nirei seemed annoying.
However, contrary to his expectations, the blond wasn't so bad. All right, he was worse than a fighting amoeba and more of a walking punching bag, but his sense of justice and moving words were what made the bicolor see him in a different light.
Akihiko slipped into his heart. His exaggerated expressions when he saw Sakura getting into any fight, his fearful smiles, the looks of admiration, the way he wouldn't stop talking when he gave information about someone, always remembering Sakura when he picked up a special loaf of bread at the bakery.
Shit! Sakura still remembers when he first thought he was cute.
That day, Suo skipped class because he was sick and said he would be back at school in two days, so the guys didn't have to worry about visiting him since his mother wouldn't let them. (It was clearly a lame excuse, but the gang decided not to bother the vice-captain that time). The day passed as usual, a bit awkwardly without Suo's jokes, but Kiryu took up his post of annoying Sakura with Anzai and the rest of the gang.
It was late afternoon. The half-and-half were returning from the Roppo Ichiza area after helping Tsubaki with some questions. The good thing was that he got extra food and walked calmly home.
Halfway across the bridge, he saw a familiar hairdresser doing acrobatics and shouting. Like a curious cat, he walked quietly down to the bottom. There was his informant, his school coat tied around his waist as he jumped from one point to another.
A little smile appeared on Sakura's face, and he pulled out his phone, making a short video of the little yellow frog and sending it to Suo at the same moment.
“Ah? Sakuraaaaa!” Nirei noticed his presence and fell to the ground.
The older man came out of his not-so-secret hiding place and went to help the younger man. The blond had mud all over his face from falling near the bank of the stream, and Sakura couldn't hold back his laughter.
“You fell like shit, haha.”
“Sakura-san! Don't be mean!” he said with red cheeks and a pout on his lips.
“Rule number one: never get distracted. Suo should have taught you that.”
“I haven't got to that module yet.” He giggled and brushed off some wet earth with his forearm. “My mom's going to complain about me coming home like this, I can already feel my ear hurting.” he sighed.
“You can go to my place if you want.”
“Really? I'm going!”
“Hey, usually people refuse out of courtesy.”
“But it's a very rare request from you, I can't miss the chance.”
“You bastard! You've been hanging around that pirate bastard too much.”
“He's my sensei.” He stopped talking when his stomach rumbled.
“Yeah, it's about time I stopped.” he stood up and held out his hand to him. “Let's go.”
Nirei accepted the help, but as he set his left foot down, he groaned and only didn't fall because he was close to the other one.
“I-I think I've hurt my foot…”
“Great, now I'll have to babysit.” He huffed as if he was annoyed. Without thinking twice, he put the bag away and turned around. “Up you go.”
“B-But-”
“I'm as strong as Tsugeura, so shut up and climb!”
Seeing no other alternative, Nirei obeyed, wrapping his arms around Sakura's neck and letting him hold his legs.
The walk home was silent. But a comfortable silence. Sakura even found it strange that the other man didn't say much, until he noticed him dozing on his shoulder as he passed in front of a window. The blond hair in need of a touch-up falling on his forehead, his cheeks slightly brown from the mud and his involuntary beak from being propped up in a strange way, made Sakura's heart soar in his chest.
He had trained so hard, even without the presence of his Suo prof, who was passed out from sleep...
Haruka hurried home, or else he would have a heart attack from admiring his friend's beauty.
That day ended with the two of them sharing the old futon half-and-half. Blondie fell asleep almost immediately, while Sakura couldn't stop freaking out thinking about how adorable his clothes looked on him.
Only the gods know how he freaked out when he was alone afterward and that scene happened a few times after that, no matter how many extra futons he had, Nirei always ended up clinging to him at some point. If he could protect Blondie, he would do it without hesitation!
Putting the ducklings away, he finished his bath and got into his pajamas. It had been a long day, and he needed to rest.
He needed to stop thinking about those two!
He was ready to call it a day, but his phone vibrated, announcing a new message. It wasn't unusual, given that his friends wouldn't shut up for a second, but this one was special. So special that Sakura smiled like an idiot looking at the screen.
Suo🏴☠️
Thanks for your help today! Good night, Haru-kun ^^
Haru... Haru... Haru... Haru... Haru... Haru... Haru...
Oh, God! Sakura was in a state of sheer frenzy, rolling around on the bed while screaming his head off. Even though Suo had been treating him like this for months, it was still too much for the poor bicolor's heart.
It was during a trip to the beach. It was the beginning of the second year and everyone wanted to celebrate Furin's new captain, Kaji Ren. At first, everyone thought it would be Sakura, but he thought it would be better to continue as one of the captains rather than the overall leader. He had a lot to learn and would be at the older man's disposal.
Thanks to Umemiya's idea (nothing new) and Hiragi's patience, Furin was able to go and see the sea! There's nothing like getting together with friends and enjoying the salty breeze and relaxing waves.
It was a nice day, Sakura laughed so much at the silly jokes that he got a headache. However, even in this light and welcoming mood, the boy couldn't help but notice his red-haired vice-captain. Suo, unlike the other shrieking animals, would still put his foot in the water from time to time, but at no point did he dare to enter the water, always making excuses or taking his attention away from him.
At some time in the afternoon of the third day, the group went on an excursion to a part where there were several natural pools. It was the most beautiful thing in the world, and many people took advantage of the stone areas to light fires and have a good barbecue! Umemiya immediately grabbed his portable barbecue and his group of helpers to set up the small camp while the others enjoyed themselves.
Sakura saw his vice-captain sneaking out and didn't wait long to go after him. Damn, when did he get so curious? Normally he wouldn't have minded... but this was one of his friends he was talking about.
Hastening his pace, he caught up with the redhead. Maybe the sun beating down on his hair would make it even redder and more charming... Just maybe.
“Oh, Haruka-kun.” He gave a small smile. “Do they need me with the meat?”
“No. I think Hiragi even kicked you out for just working.” he joked, and the other turned slightly red. “What? seriously?”
“Maybe…”
Sakura sighed, grabbing his wrist and heading for a quieter, more secluded area.
“Why aren't you playing with us? I'm surprised you're the only one out of the water.”
“It's just that the Chinese spirit in my eye is allergic to salt water.”
...
“Okay, I must admit it was creative, but it didn't convince me.”
“Who did you learn to be so insistent from?”
“I'm looking at my teacher right now.”
That got a chuckle out of the older man.
“It's just... Well... Because I have a spirit sealed in my eye, I've contracted a curse that prevents me from entering the water.”
The two-eyed man rolled his eyes at the joke, but, observing the other man's manner and the low, somewhat unsure tone of his voice, he put the pieces together.
“You can't swim?”
“Well... How can I put it... My family didn't really go to beaches or places with pools and lakes. So I never learned.” he shrugged, looking away.
“And that's why you don't want to get in the water?”
“Yes? Are you trying to kill me, Haruka-kun?”
“No, you idiot!” He huffed. “What I mean is that there are people there who can't swim either. Just don't go into the deep areas, and you can stay by my side too if you're scared.”
“Oh, so I'm going to be protected by Haruka-kun? What an honor!”
“Shut up.”
The two returned and everyone celebrated when Suo joined them. Sakura smiled foolishly at his laughter and thought it was funny how the red-haired man clung behind Nirei at times. Usually they were always the ones protecting the blond.
Those were fun moments.
At night, the bicolor was on the balcony of the house they rented. Even though they were far from the sea, the salty air came in and the sound of the waves was relaxing. At some point, Suo appeared beside him and unceremoniously embraced him. It wasn't the first time they had been so close, but it was still a surprise.
“Today was amazing, thank you, Haru.”
Haru? They already spoke each other's first names, but to give them a nickname?! That was enough for the bicolor to turn extremely red as he returned the hug.
Suo's low voice speaking so fondly of Haru only helped to confirm what Sakura had already suspected. He liked Hayato.
After that, whenever they were alone, Suo always called him Haru. Sometimes he would call him that in the middle of conversations together, causing envy from most people and a blush to appear on the face of half-and-half.
Sakura replied with a thumbs-up emoji and put the device away. His heart gradually calmed down, and his mind reminded him that this was wrong. Nirei and Suo were having something, and he was here, wishing for his best friends.
It had been two weeks since he had caught them kissing after a patrol and, as happy as he was that the two of them were a good match, his heart ached to know that he wouldn't have a chance with either of them.
Tired from thinking about it again, Haruka covered himself up and turned on his side, clutching his turtle plush and trying to get a good night's sleep.