“Heyyyyyy, kiddos!” Umemiya chirped, placing the gaming console on the ground next to the TV. One by one, with a very dad-like grunt, he would pick up the boys in a tight hug.

Nirei was mid-slice of carrots when he was hugged from behind and hoisted. He giggled like a child. “Umemiya! Careful!”

“What’cha cookin’, kid?” the older male inquired, setting the boy down and draping himself across his shoulders.

“Making yakisoba for all of us.”

“Ooooh. Sounds yummy,” he hummed. “And look at you with your hair up! The ladies would just be all over you!” Umemiya made cooing sounds as he pinched at Nirei’s ears, resulting in flustered giggles from the blonde.

Suo was next. As he helped Hiragi set up the gaming system, he was suddenly scooped like a bride. He subconsciously kicked his feet with a tiny gasp. “Hello, Umemiya.”

“Suoooooooo. You’ve been taking care of yourself, right, kid? Not just worried about everyone else, yeah?”

The redhead sighed dismissively. “I’ve got to get this hooked up if we want to play games.”

“That’s not what I asked you.”

“I—“ he exhaled with that polite smile of his. “Of course I have; it’s just that sometimes, others need my help more than I need rest.”

“Oh! My dear pupil! You wound me so!” The oldest cried out. He cradled Suo to his chest like a baby, gently humming the lullaby song to him.

Sakura scowled. What a dork

That scowl was replaced by a rather manly yelp when he was swept off of his feet and thrown over Umemiya’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Put me down!” he cried. When the white-haired male began to spin him, he pounded his fists against his back. “Umemiya!”

Hiragi huffed with a grin. “Alright, Umemiya, put the kid down.”

“Awwww! But why?!”

“First, he looks nauseous as shit. Second, we got the console set up.”

With a groan from the older male, Sakura was back on his feet. He sat down next to Suo with a huff and crossed his arms. When Suo patted his head, he shot him a glare.

“Hey, Sakura,” Hiragi hummed, “Y’ever play Smash Bros?”

“Heard of it,” he replied. “Never actually played it.” The boys turned to look at him as if he were a space alien. Even Nirei looked up from his vegetable chopping to gape at him. “What?” he asked, confused by their incredulous looks. His patience shortly wore thin. “Okay, what?! Is it like some rite-of-passage game? I bet you’ll shit yourselves when I tell you that I can’t play chess either!”

Suo turned to him with a Cheshire grin. “Now, young Sakura, we are going to teach you the ways of the gamer.”

The boy snorted. “Oh yeah, sure. Like I need to know how to wear the same hoodie for five days straight and shower once every two months.”

Hiragi snorted at that, clapping a heavy hand on Sakura’s shoulder. “Nah, kid. This is just like the party game ever.”

“Wrong,” Nirei called from the kitchen; he hadn’t even turned to look at them, as he was caramelizing onions on the stove. “The party game ever is Mario Party.”

“Wrong again,” Umemiya chimed. “Wii Sports is the way to go.”

“Absolutely not,” argued Suo. “The best one is totally Carnival Games.”

There was a collective groan from all of the boys except Sakura. Hiragi scoffed. “Do you want someone to throw a book at you?”

“Barker is SUCH a bitch, dude!” Nirei cried. There was a subsequent, loud sizzle from the pan in the kitchen.

“Careful now, don’t singe your eyebrows off,” Suo hummed.

Sakura felt like he was missing something again…

A small controller was put into his hand. It was blue, and it had four buttons and a joystick. How simple…

“So, first, you pick who you want to be,” Umemiya hummed, taking a seat next to the boy. “My favorite to play is Kirby. He’s a little hard to get used to because of the timing.”

“Teach him to play Pikachu. He’s like the easiest,” Hiragi mused.

“No way! Teach him to be Lucas! That’s my main!” Nirei chirped. Sakura couldn’t help but grin when the blonde sneezed. At least the food was getting seasoned.

“Of course you play Lucas,” Suo grumbled.

“And who do you two main?” Nirei huffed, stirring the contents of the pan.

“Palutena, duh,” Hiragi reported proudly.

Suo sat next to Umemiya, putting the oldest male in the middle. “Sora main here.”

“Booooo DLC player!” the silver-haired male chided, wrapping his arm around the boy’s neck. “Pay-to-win, Pay-to-win!” he cooed.

Suo’s visible eye rolled, and he snorted. “Paying only gets me the character. It’s the skill that sells it.”

“I wanna be this guy!” Sakura interrupted. “He looks cool.” Hovering his “P2” icon over the character, the boy looked at the rest of the group.

Hiragi gaped at him. “You wanna be…”

“Mister Game and Watch…?” Suo asked.

“What’s wrong with him?!” The half-and-half boy barked, a blush creeping onto his face. “He’s so cool! He’s old-fashioned gaming!”

Umemiya grinned at him. “You’re right. He’s based off of the first ever Nintendo console, the Game and Watch. He was the first video game character to ever exist.”

Sakura’s eyes lit up. “I wanna play him!”

“Game and Watch it is,” Umemiya hummed.

The boys showed Sakura the ropes, and as expected, the young man greatly enjoyed himself. What they were not expecting was how fast he excelled.

“How the hell did you take two stock already?!” Hiragi yelped, fiddling with his joystick in a panic.

“His down smash demolishes. And I can edgeguard with neutral B,” the boy chimed.

“You talk like you’ve been playing this game for years,” Nirei noted.

“Your noodles are boiling over,” Hiragi grumbled at the sound of the bubbling pot.

Game after game, Sakura continued to absolutely destroy his friends in the game. Not a single one of them could defeat him. Even after changing characters, the half-and-half male still managed to steal stock after stock from them.

Now, it was him against Suo for a final deathmatch. Infinite stocks, 10 minutes time, total chaos.

Umemiya watched the screen with a delighted, soft smile. His baby brothers were really getting along, and it warmed his heart to see Sakura enjoying himself.

Delighted and frantic war cries filled the room. They were neck and neck. When one person would take a stock, the other would match it. Each boy was giving it his all, and both were at a stalemate within the first minute.

Soon, Sakura had the up on Suo, and Umemiya was truthfully getting tired of the same narrative over and over again.

Experimentally, he poked a single finger against Sakura’s foot. The boy merely twitched, curling his toes up. When they un-scrunched, he waited for Sakura to charge up a strong attack before he skittered his fingers over it.

“What are you— ngh! D-Doing?!” he yelped, jerking his foot away.

“Nothin’!” chirped the older boy.

“Don’t screw with me. I’m about to beat Suo’s ass!”

“Hardly! We’re one stock apart from each other!” the redhead argued.

“Boys! Don’t argue,” the white-haired male chided. “You’re both the winners in my heart!”

Sakura made a gagging noise, and Suo’s visible eye rolled. Umemiya glared at the two before sneaking a pinch to Suo’s side and a squeeze to Sakura’s kneecap.

For Suo, his response was a small jolt and a death glare.

Sakura on the other hand…

“DON’T!” he exploded, yanking his knee away. His features softened when he realized everyone stopped to stare at him. “S’just a sensitive part of me… Don’t touch it; that’s all.”

Sensitive, hm? He’s sensitive there… Now, Umemiya was not born last night. What Sakura needed to say, but was unable to, is that he was ticklish there. His knees are not sensitive; they’re ticklish.

“Ah, I see,” Umemiya hummed. “You’re ticklish,” he informed bluntly.

Sakura let out a strangled squeak when he was pinched again. “I— I am not!”

“Are.”

“Not!”

“Aaaaare!”

“Nohohohohot!”

Suo grinned evilly when the oldest’s fingers continuously prodded around the half-and-half boy’s right knee.

“Dohohohon’t tihihihickle mehehehehe!”

“Don’t tickle you? But Sakura, you just said you weren’t ticklish! Why would you mind?”

“Ahahahahasshohohohole!”

“Oh! How cruel!”

“Stahahap! Yohohohou’re dihihihistrahahactihihing mehehe!”

Shooting a wink to Suo, Umemiya only continued.

Despite the handicap of his knee being squeezed, Sakura still managed to keep his lead through giggles and jolts of his body. He couldn’t help but blush deeper when he noticed Hiragi watching him with a sweet grin. He was down to the final minute; he could do this!

“Stay on it, kid! It would be a cryin’ shame if you were to… lose focus.” Umemiya’s hands traveled up to squeeze at Sakura’s thighs, his touch unrelenting. “Don’t lose it!”

“Gngh— bahahahastahahahard! Nohohohoho!” he squealed, squirming.

“Hmmm… I thought you weren’t ticklish, Sakura?” the oldest cooed. “This is such an oddity. I wonder what’s happening.”

“Dohohohohon’t! Stahahahahap!”

“Don’t stop? Oh, so you want to lose? Is this like a… giving up control thing? Y’know, my therapist says—“

“Nohohohoho!” Sakura’s character splatted against the screen, and a pillar of lightning followed. He had lost a stock, damn it! “Stohohohop dihihihistrahahahactihihihing mehehehe! Bahahahastard!”

“Sounds like a skill issue, Little Sakura,” Suo cooed, poking the boy in the side.

“Ughhhhh! Stahahahap ihihihit! Yohohohou two suhuhuhuck!” Sakura whined. His laughter grew in pitch when he felt skittering fingers on his foot

Hiragi was grinning evilly, his free hand around the half-and-half boy’s ankle, his other hand tickling his foot with precision. Now within the final seconds of the match, the boys were tied. Suo had the upper hand because of this cheating! But Sakura was determined to keep his streak alive. He focused his attention into a down smash slam… followed by a side B—

“NAHAHAHAHA! DOHOHOHOHON’T!” he cried. Umemiya’s squeezing hands traveled up to his ribs and prodded around. “NONONONONOHOHOHOHOHO!”

The oldest smiled beamingly. “Don’t lose, kid! Keep it going!”

“UHUHUHUMEHEHEHEMIHIHIHIYAHAHAHA! HIHIHIRAHAHAHAGIHIHIHI! NOHOHOHOHO!”

Five… four… three… two…

“Shit!”

“No!”

“How did he—?!”

“GAME!”

“YEHEHEHEHES! YEHEHEHEHES!”

“That little shit.” Suo grumbled. He tossed his controller to the side and tackled the giggling Sakura to the floor—though, there wasn’t very far for him to travel. Umemiya and Hiragi let go with surprised chuckles. “So, Little Sakura, how’d you manage to cheat?”

“Cheat?! It was you three cheating! I could’ve easily whooped your ass into next Sunday if you weren’t t-tick… t-tickl—distracting me!”

“Ohhhh, distracting you, hm?” the redhead teased. “Don’t you mean tickling you?”

“I see; I see,” Hiragi hummed. “He was mad that we tickled him.”

“Oohoohoo!” Umemiya cooed. “Little Sakura can’t handle the word tickle!”

“I guess so. Look at how red he gets when we say the world tickle around him,” Suo observed.

The white-haired male couldn’t help but giggle at Sakura’s increasing blush. “Mhm. Mhm. How curious… I’m just tickled by this information.

“Shut up; shut up; shut up!” The boy whined. “You three are terrible! Nirei’s my only friend now!”

The blonde let out a little cheer from the kitchen.

“What I think is that you need to tell us how you managed to get so good in only an hour,” Hiragi said with a death glare.

Suo’s hold on him got a bit tighter. “We have our ways.”

Hold on… Were they gonna hurt him…?! They were just having fun and being—

“Relax,” the redhead whispered as he held Sakura’s arms over his head. He shifted to sit on his hands. “We would never hurt ya’, Little Sakura.”

Before he could relax, Suo dug into his underarms without mercy. “WAITWAITWAIT NAHAHAHAHAO! NOHOHOHOT THEHEHEHERERE!” he squealed, kicking his legs.

Umemiya grabbed onto his knees and squeezed both of them, cooing at him. “Ooooh tickle tickle tickle, kiddo! You’re so precious!”

As if he couldn’t have been more embarrassed! A blush formed at his neck as he screamed in laughter.

“GUHUHUHUYS!”

Suo smiled sweetly at him: a rare, genuine sight. “Hmm?”

“IHIHIHIT TIHIHIHICKLEHEHEHES!”

“I’m sure it does,” the redhead chimed. “Why, I’d be down for the count if I was being tickled riiiiight here!” Giving the half-and-half boy a break by moving his fingers to his neck.

In turn, Sakura’s laughter died to gentle giggling once more, as Umemiya had picked up on the signal and moved down to run his fingers up and down the boy’s calf. He wriggled slightly, his body merely twitching in response.

“You’ve been carrying so much on your shoulders… Why don’t you just lay back and laugh for a while?” Suo’s whispered voice in his ear caused a warm vibration to spread from his head to his toes. His blush spread to his ears and face now.

He nodded.

The redhead shot Hiragi a knowing look, and soon enough, there were skittering fingers on Sakura’s feet again.

The half-and-half boy lay there giggling like a child. His eyes were squeezed shut in mirth, and his body jittered from the tickly feeling. Daresay, he was… enjoying it. The gentle treatment went on for minutes, and his giggling was rather cheerful.

At least, until Umemiya decided that he had had enough of a break.

Sakura felt Suo getting off of his wrists, the other murmuring something about “not wanting to trap him.” As he went to sit up, to curse out his friends, he was pushed back to the floor with a heavy weight on his hips.

“So… you gonna tell us how you did it?” asked the eldest, a terrifying calmness on his face.

Giggles started flooding out of him like routine. His hands, now free—albeit trembling—shot up to grip his senior’s wrists.

The two held intense eye contact until Umemiya’s lips curled into a sweet smile. “Oh, kid. You’re just too cute.”

And then, Sakura felt two hands on his sides and tummy like lightning. He didn’t even get a chance to react! His hips bucked upward as a strangled yelp left his lips, all before he dissolved into sweet laughter. “Nohohohoho!”

“Oh, yes. See, when the head of Bofurin asks you a question, Sakura, it’d be wise of you to answer,” Suo chirped, sitting cross-legged with that patient, polite smile of his.

The half-and-half boy couldn’t even keep his grip on Umemiya’s wrists, especially not when they traveled up to his ribs. Sakura’s laughter grew in volume, his tummy quivering in the cold air as his shirt rode up.

Innocently, Suo’s two fingers crept up his side like walking limbs. They strolled along his sides and traced torturous circles along the bare skin before pinching around his belly button. The boy tossed his head back and cackled loudly when a finger dipped inside.

“Such stamina,” Hiragi praised. “I wonder what’ll make you crack.”

“I know,” Umemiya chirped, “but our little friend here is enjoying himself; I can tell; best not to tucker him out so fast!”

And all good things, as beautiful and sweet; as torturous and breath-stealing; as giddy and exciting as they may be, must come to an end. Despite his enjoyment, it would be Haruka Sakura who would end his own merriment.

“Ihihihi cahahahan tahahahake ihihihit!”

Tsk tsk tsk… poor baby.

So confident…

All of that confidence melted away when Umemiya’s hands shot up under Sakura’s arms without warning. His back arched off the ground and thrashed madly, trying to escape. The white-haired male’s fingers followed wherever he would attempt, leaving no opportunity for escape.

Suo continued his soft treatment of the boy’s stomach, utilizing gentle prods and tracing over anything else. As the tummy beneath his fingers would jolt and twitch, he’d only smile, resting his cheek on Sakura’s lower ribs. One finger turned to two hands raking around the sensitive skin.

“Uuuup, and dooooown, and aaaaalll arooooound. Only the softest touch for my Little Sakura.~” he cooed.

Meanwhile, Sakura could barely think. The back of his head was glued to the floor while his back arched up. Umemiya’s weight on his hips rendered him immobile, with his arms free but just shy of stopping Suo’s torturous caresses. He could form no thoughts in his mind; he could move no limb to protest. He could scream his head off as his blush swallowed his whole face.

“Hmm… That redness looks quite serious, Suo, my friend. What are your thoughts?” inquired Umemiya, not ceasing his tickling for a second.

“Mhm, I agree… he’s far too flushed to continue for long,” mused the redhead. “Say, Umemiya, would you arch your back upward for me? Make a little room, please.” When his senior obliged, Suo smiled that calm, patient grin. “Now, Sakura, I know you can’t hear me right now, as you’re being far too noisy—for reasons I’m totally unsure of—but I think it’s time for myself to show our upperclassmen how to solve a problem. Don’t you?”

Belly laughter was the answer he received.

“Now… what to do…” he drummed his fingers along the warm, bare skin of the boy’s tummy. “Ah! Yes, naturally. Here we go!” With a deep breath, Suo ducked his head down and blew a raspberry onto Sakura’s skin.

“OHOHOHOHO SHIHIHIHIHIHIT! NOHOHOHOHOHO!”

“Ah! Umemiya, he seemed to enjoy it. Please arch upward once again!” Another breath, another raspberry.

“SHITSHITSHITSHIT! SHIHIHIHIT! FUHUHUHUCK!”

“Such a rotten mouth!” Umemiya cried out, honing in on Sakura’s underarms with a bit more fervor. He looked down evilly at the boy—a side which Sakura had seen only once before. A simple command was given to him; one that he would be able to ignore for a few good minutes. “Crack.”

And yet, nothing. Sakura’s screams of laughter were merely background noise for the tiny apartment.

“OHOHOHOHO MY GOHOHOHOHOD! SHIHIHIHIT!” Accompanied Hiragi’s attempt to study the controllers better.

“NOHOHOHOHO! BAHAHAHASTARDS! HYEAHAHAHAHAHA!” Was a sweet symphony to join Nirei’s plating of their meal.

The two continued their ruthless attack on the younger boy. Despite his hot blush, the intensity of their tickling, and the duration, Sakura still was going on strong. Umemiya ought to be the one to put his baby brother to bed after as an apology.

Raspberry after raspberry, Suo continued without mercy. His repetition led him to an experiment of sorts: berries toward the sides and hips were less ticklish, while berries toward the ribs and atop of the belly button were the most. He breathed in heavy for another one until he heard a frantic plea.

“OHOHOHOHO FUHUHUHUCK! NOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOHORE!”

He sighed, sitting up. However, Sakura was still hoarse with merriment. “Umemiya.”

“PLEHEHEHEHEASE! STAHAHAHAP STOP!”

“…Umemiya!”

“IHIHIHI CAHAHAHAN’T TAHAHAHAKE IHIHIT! STAHAHAHAP!”

“Hajime!”

When Umemiya’s fingers came to a halt, and Sakura’s upper body fell backwards, Suo was there to catch him. He gently pat the boy’s back as he caught his breath, subsequently snaking his hand under Sakura’s white top to rub the warm skin of his back.

“Just breathe, Sakura. Don’t speak; just breathe,” Suo soothed in a whisper.”

Umemiya’s fingers started to gently brush through his hair. “Shit, kid— Haruka, I’m so sorry.”

“S’okay… had… lots’a… fun…” rasped the boy.

A delicious smell of meat and veggies entered their noses, and a huge bowl of Yakisoba was soon prepared on the counter.

“Eat up,” Nirei hummed. “Get his strength back up.”

The half-and-half boy was gently shook, but he only groaned, clinging onto Suo’s free arm. Hiragi huffed with a fond grin, bringing back an extra plate for Suo, while Umemiya did the same for Sakura.

The five boys shared their meal in total delight. Sakura stayed glued to Suo for a good five minutes, eyes shut—at least until he realized that he was snuggled up to the redhead, then he promptly shot up like a spring, his blush creeping back. It was at this point where he would begin his meal.

After food was shared, Hiragi offered to clean up, while Umemiya offered to wash the dishes. While the two older men completed their cleaning, the Switch was booted back up. Nirei quickly loaded into the game and selected his main fighter. He took his hair out of the ring ponytail… Business…

And finally, throughout a day full of losses and revenge, Haruka Sakura was at last defeated.

Game and Watch: Many

Lucas: 1

Nirei’s laughter would bounce off of the walls of the flat soon after, Sakura’s following in hot pursuit. Suo’s soft giggles would follow along his tickling fingers. A smile of true joy at Nirei’s adorable snorts would form on his lips.

Umemiya couldn’t help but smile at the sight and sound of his baby brothers’ delight.

“Umemiya-san has referred to the town as his family before,” Suo smiled. “Maybe that’s what he means?”

“Maybe!” Nirei nodded. “Apparently it’s an international holiday celebrated on May 24th. This says the holiday apparently started in America and is a day to cherish and celebrate brothers, wether biological or not.” 

The thought of acknowledging someone as his brother made Sakura’s face warm.

Suo tilted his head in thought. “I don’t recall any events being planned.” 

“And I didn’t get any messages about it this morning,” Nirei added, scrolling through his contacts. “Maybe we’ll find out inside?”

“TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY!” 

The members of Bofurin cried out, clapping their hands over their ears and jumping in alarm as Umemiya’s voice blared out of the loud speaker. 

“For fuck’s sake!” Hiragi shouted in the background. “Stop yelling into the mic!”

“Sorry! I got too excited!” Umemiya laughed. 

Sakura glared up from where he’d caught himself after Ume’s yelling had caused him to miss his chair. His face flushed at his classmates’ concerned looks as everyone righted themselves.  

“But today is a special day,” Umemiya said. “Today is a day where we appreciate the brothers in our lives. I consider this town my home and everyone in it members of my family. By extension, I consider all of you my brothers!” 

A blush framed Sakura’s face at the notion.

“Brothers are the ones we can count on and the ones we’re always there for,” Umemiya continued. “They are our friends, loved ones and family, and I feel truly in my heart that if you take a second to look around, you will find brothers in each other as well!”

Sakura felt eyes on him, but despite the warmth rising up his neck he chanced a look to see his friends grinning at him. Well, except for Sugishita. The pink on his face flared and he whipped his head back towards the speaker. 

“Today I want you all to do something fun or share a delicious meal together if you can! Know you have everyone here at Furin. You all are amazing and make me proud every day. I am thankful to have you all in my life!” Umemiya cheered.

By the time he’d finished yapping Sakura thought he was going to start sweating he was blushing so hard.

“Told you so,” Suo whispered, smiling at Sakura’s fluster.  

“You okay, Sakura-san?” Nirei asked. 

Sakura nodded, unable to look at them. Having brothers in his friends? The warmth and comfort in his heart at the thought was almost too overwhelming to bear. His friends and the others he knew at Furin, even the friends he’d made in neighboring gangs made his days. But how was he supposed to be brotherly? Was it spouting off his feelings to an audience like Umemiya? The mere thought had him wanting to crawl beneath his desk. Even if he did gather the nerve, he had no idea what to say without making himself sound stupid. And asking how to be brotherly seemed almost worse—the last thing he wanted was to admit how bad he faired to those who meant something to him. 

Why did Umemiya make a whole holiday out of this stuff?

“Sakura-kun?”

If he’d at least mentioned it before, he would’ve had more time to think!

“Sakura-san?” 

Nah, who was he kidding, he’d still be fucked.

“HEY SAKURA!”

He jumped in his seat. “OI! What?” He snapped, rounding on the voice to find Kurita waving a hand in front of his face. 

“You were totally zoned out,” Kiryu replied as Sakura smacked Kurita’s hand away. 

“You looked really worried, too,” Nirei frowned. “Are you okay Sakura-san?”

“If you’re feeling out of it, I can make you a protein shake!“ Tsugeura offered.

“M’ fine!” He grumbled, blushing slightly. “What’re you yelling at me for?”

“Well duh, it’s our patrol day!” Anzai grinned.

“Yeah, you were the one who reminded us this morning,” Kakiuchi added.

“Oh.” Despite himself Sakura’s blush got worse. “Right.”

“Goodness, Sakura-kun, I thought you’d have the routine down by now!” Suo smiled.

“I do!” He glared. 

Suo’s gaze took on a teasing glint. “Then why are you the only one still sitting at your desk?”

Sakura’s eyes widened and he glanced about the room. Everyone else had already left—well, except for his friends waiting for him. 

Pink dusted his cheeks and he jumped to his feet. “I’m not! Let’s go!” He yelled, only for an impossibly firm grip on his shoulder to stop him in his tracks. 

“Ack!” Sakura gasped. “Why?!” 

“Probably because something is still bothering you,” Kiryu said, brushing pink strands of hair into a bobby pin.

Sakura’s face warmed and he looked away from them but didn’t move to free himself. Anzai, Kurita, Takanashi and Kakiuchi looked at each other. Suo tilted his head and Kiryu and Tsugeura frowned.

Nirei’s eyes widened in realization. “Is it about Brother’s Day?”  

The blush spread to Sakura’s ears. Had he been that obvious? 

The knowing and concerned looks on his friends’ faces only made it worse. They exchanged glances as Sakura clenched his fists.

“You guys…are great…” he muttered, his group looking at him in surprise. “But…”

“But?” Suo asked, relaxing his grip. 

“I…don’t know how to be brotherly,” he finished, eyes dropping to avoid their disappointed gazes.

“What the hell are you even talking about!?” Anzai cried.

Sakura looked up just as everyone looked at him in amused bewilderment.

“Sorry,” Takanashi chuckled. “It’s just that you’re the most brotherly person here?”

“He’s right Sakura-chan!” Kiryu beamed. 

“Wuh-HUH?” Sakura cried, turning a bright scarlet. 

Nirei’s eyes glistened with joy. “You worry about us being safe more than we do!” 

“And are always there to have our back,” Suo smiled, patting his shoulder.  

All their happy faces felt like the sun to his soul, but the rate his blush was increasing he was going to catch on fire.

“Yeah! I’ve got to give it everything I’ve got just to keep up with you!” Tsugeura grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. “I want to be there for my little brothers too!” 

Kurita pumped his fist in the air. “Hell yeah to that!”

“Hey, what do you mean little brother?” Sakura said, his eyes narrowing as he batted away Tsugeura and Suo’s hands. “I’m no little brother! Nirei is the youngest!”

Nirei’s eyes widened. “What! No I’m not!” 

All eyes flew to him and he ducked his head under their gaze.

“But…Nirei-kun…you call us all so formally...” Suo frowned. 

“Oh, we-well,” Nirei said, fidgeting with his hands as pink framed his eyes. “It’s just that I look up to you guys a lot and you help me get stronger every day. It means the world to me…” 

Kiryu gave him a shoulder-hug and Anzai and Kurita gave him head pats as he giggled at their antics.

Sakura had almost turned just as pink as he watched the scene. Knowing that his friends and classmates felt the same as he did brought more comfort than he thought he’d known. 

“Awe this is all so sweet!” Kiryu said, patting Nirei’s shoulder. “But now I can’t help but be curious, who is the youngest?”

“Oh! Let’s see!” Nirei cheered, opening his notebook only to stop on the first page. His eyes widened and he looked up at Sakura. 

Everyone followed, making Sakura flush under their combined gaze. 

“…Sakura-kun?” Suo asked. 

“Huh?! No, the cutoff is April 1st!” He shouted, the color in his skin deepening as their surprise turned to awkward smiles and hushed snickers. 

“Is it correct to assume April 1st is your Birthday?” Suo said with his ever peaceful smile. 

Sakura squinted his eyes, flicking between his friends expressions trying to figure out sneakiness in his tone but finding none. 

“Yeah, so?” he grumbled. 

“Then that would make you the youngest,” Kiryu said, looking to Nirei. “Unless someone shares the same day?”

“Umm…I don’t think so,” Nirei frowned, flipping through the pages.

“That’s bullshit!” Sakura glared. “If the year starts on April 1st I have to be the oldest!”

“But it doesn’t,” Nirei blinked, squeaking and hiding behind his notebook when Sakura whipped toward him. “It starts on the 2nd!”

Would the others mess with him? Definitely. But Nirei? 

He turned the information over in his head until he turned his back to them and hid his face in his hands. 

“Awe, it’s okay Sakura-chan,” Kiryu smiled. 

“Yeah!” Tsugeura nodded. “Times and dates and stuff can be super confusing!”

“Is there anyone else even close to mine?” Sakura mumbled. 

“Yes, quite,” Suo said, smiling softly. “We are just days apart.”

“Three days to be exact!” Nirei seemed to sparkle as he flipped through the pages once more. “The rest of us have much larger gaps with me and Kiryu-san in September and August, and then Tsugeura-san being the oldest with a birthday in May!”

“What?!” Tsugeura cried. “When did you all get younger than me?”

Suo failed to stifle an annoyed glare, and Kiryu hid his smile with his sleeve.

“What day in May?” Anzai asked, looking over to Kurita. 

“And which in August?” Kurita squinted.

Takanashi and Kakiuchi grinned at each other as Nirei flipped through his notebook.

“The fifteenth!” Tsugeura cheered.

“Mine’s the nineteenth,” Kiryu replied. 

“Hell yeah! Still the oldest!” Anzai declared, holding up his hand. “I’ve got five days on you, Tsugeura!”

“Nice!” Tsugeura said, high-fiving him.

“And I’ve got–” Kurita squinted in thought before smirking at Kiryu. “Fourteen days!”

“I figured,” Kiryu shrugged. “It was the most likely outcome given the date.”

Sakura’s head span as he tried to keep track of who was older than who only for Nirei to pipe up.

“It looks like Kakiuchi-san and Takanashi-san are between Kurita-san and Anzai-san with birthdays in June and July!” Nirei added.

“What does all this stuff even matter?” Sakura groaned, his head beginning to ache. 

“Hardly at all,” Suo replied. “We’re all in the same class in the end.”

“Though you do have to admit,” Anzai grinned. “It is a crazy coincidence that us four out age you guys.”

“Oh!” Nirei gasped, writing frantically. “You’re right! Well, except for Tsugeura-san.”

“True, true,” Takanashi nodded.

“Well, with birthdays all clustered in late spring, summer and early fall, it’s not that surprising.” Kiryu blinked.

“Sure, but it did get me thinking on the holiday, and while we do a pretty good job of backing each other up, there’s one thing brothers do that we’re slacking on pretty hard,” Anzai said. 

“Uhh…” Sakura hesitated, looking between his friends. “What would that be?”  

A sneaky grin overtook Anzai’s face. “Messing with our little brothers of course!” 

His buddies mirrored his grin and Sakura bristled, narrowing his eyes but his friends only sighed. 

“I thought this is what you were trying to do, Anzai-kun,” Suo said, shaking his head. 

Kiryu put his hands up in a shrug. “Same, I’m not surprised at all.”

“What do you mean ‘try’?” Anzai asked, his smile growing as he crept toward them. “That’s absolutely where this is going!” 

“Watch out,” Kiryu beamed. “There’s not really anything you can do to us that we can’t do to you!”

“Well said, Kiryu-san!” Nirei nodded.

Sakura’s eyes darted around at everyone’s increasingly sneaky expressions as they shifted to ready positions.

“What the hell is going on?!” he shouted, raising his arms in defense. “What are we squaring up for?!”

“Pfft! We’re not squaring up!” Tsugeura grinned, shaking out his wrists. “We’re making up for lost time!”

“Alright, what should we do?” Takanashi grinned, scrunching his face up in an exaggerated thinking expression. 

“What if we catch them all and play with their hair?” Kurita smirked, only for Suo to stifle a laugh. 

“How old did you say you were again, Kurita-kun?” He asked, making the others snicker. 

“Who’s side are you on?!” Kurita cried, whirling on his buddies. 

“Heh, I know what we should do!” Anzai smirked. “How about something you never grow out of?” 

Sakura scrunched his face up in confusion and Suo blinked in curiosity. “And that would be?”

“No matter how grown up you get,” Anzai’s smile became wolfish, hands curling into claws with wiggling fingers. “You’ll always be hella ticklish!” 

Sakura’s face flushed and Tsugeura, Nirei and Kiryu’s eyes widened. 

“Oooh! Good idea, Anzai!” Kakiuchi said, tickling the air and grinning at Nirei and Kiryu’s nervous smiles. 

“Oh, I agree!” Suo replied, the others whipping their heads toward him. “But who’s to say we’re not going to be the ones tickling you instead?” He mused, smirking as Kurita and Kakiuchi shivered.

“Oh! You’re right Suo-san,” Nirei grinned. “We have the numbers!”

Mischievousness shone in Kiryu’s eyes as he wiggled his fingers back. “Come on, Sakura-chan!”

“What?! No!” Sakura cried, his blush growing. “Cut the shit, this is stupid!”

Before anyone could reply Tsugeura fell hard onto his knees. 

Everyone flinched as the ground shook and Nirei jumped in fright. “Ts-Tsugeura-san?” When Tsugeura’s didn’t answer he moved to his friend’s side. “Are you okay?”

Silence lingered and smiles disappeared. 

“Tsuge-chan?” Kiryu asked. 

Tsugeura mumbled something under his breath and he leaned closer. 

“What’d you say?” Takanashi frowned. 

“Yeah, man, you good?” Anzai asked, his hands lowering.

Tsugeura took a deep breath and yanked Nirei and Kiryu into a rough hug. “HA HA!” He cheered, jumping up with one under each arm. “I said: ‘GOT ‘EM!’” 

“Tsuge-chan! Why?!” Kiryu gasped, only for fingers to wiggle into his side. “Ahh! Ahahehehaha!”

“Ehehehe! Oho nohoho!” Nirei laughed, Tsugeura grinning as he gently scratched along his ribs. 

“Nice, Tsugeura!” Takanashi grinned, moving towards the remaining pair. “Looks like we might not be so outnumbered after all!”

“What happened to having each other’s backs and all that shit?” Sakura snapped.

“Oh we have your back all right,” Kakiuchi smiled. 

“Yeah, you guys are missing out on all the fun!” Anzai said, jabbing his thumb at Tsugeura.   

Nirei laughed brightly, kicking and twisting in Tsugeura's hold while Kiryu flopped over and giggled toward the floor. The sound sent butterflies fluttering around Sakura’s insides and he could feel the heat creeping across his skin. 

“That’s quite alright, I’m having plenty of fun spectating,” Suo replied. 

“Uh, oh, is someone nervous?” Kurita grinned, wiggling his fingers at them.

“Don’t–Dohon’t mess with me!” Sakura growled, his face tinting pink. 

“We don’t even have to touch him!” Kakiuchi smiled, repeating the gesture.

A bright blush and ticklish smile took over Sakura’s face. “Ahahassholes!” Sakura snapped, a few nervous giggles bubbling past his lips despite his efforts to look angry. Takanashi and Anzai joined in and he smiled helplessly. “You crehehepy mohotherfuhukers! Dohon’t doho that!”

“To answer your question,” Suo replied, smiling as Sakura clapped his hands over his eyes. “I am not nervous at all.”  

“And why is that?” Takanashi asked. 

“Because you can’t catch us,” Suo smiled. “Right, Sakura-kun?” 

Sakura started, whipping his head toward Suo and blushing furiously in realization. “Ah yeah, r-right.” 

“Awe come on, you guys want to play too!” Tsugeura grinned, speeding up the fingers tickling Nirei and starting to poke at Kiryu’s ribs.

Kiryu kicked in protest and Nirei squealed. 

“Nohohaha! Nahat the pohohokes!” Kiryu giggled, only to squeak as they were replaced with ticklish pinches. “EEK! NOhohoho! Thahahahat’s WOhohorse!”

“I can tell by both your smiles that you want some tickles too!” Tsugeura called, taking a sturdy stance and worming his fingers under one of Nirei’s and one of Kiryu’s underarms.

“Sakura~” Anzai taunted, him and his friends smiling at the simultaneous scream and newly hysterical laughter coming from the captured duo. “Time to laugh your head off!” 

Sakura blushed brightly and turned to tell off Anzai but he was already mid-pounce. Air caught in Sakura’s throat and a strangled shout left him as he grabbed Anzai by the shoulders and they crashed to the ground. 

Suo’s eye widened at Sakura’s swift takedown and Anzai laughed maniacally. 

“Can’t catch you my ass!” he snickered, hovering over Sakura and scribbling his fingers into his stomach, making the younger boy yelp and yank the tickling hands from his skin. 

“Neheheh! Noho!” Sakura grunted, trying to push Anzai off only for him to smirk and put his full weight onto Sakura’s legs. “You! Youhou bahahastard!” 

“Come on, I’m only trying to tickle your belly!” Anzai grinned, making Sakura turn as pink as his namesake. 

“Dohohohon’t cahahall it thahahat!” He cried, his strength lessening with each giggle. 

“Awe then what about tummy?” Anzai smirked, inching his fingers closer. “Tickles for your tum tum?” 

“Yohohou fuhuhucking weheheheirdohohAH! AHAHAHA!” Sakura cackled, throwing his head back as Anzai raked his nails down his middle. 

“See? All better!” Anzai teased, laughing at the wobbly half-glare his victim attempted before bursting back into hysterics.

“And then there was one.” 

Suo’s gaze snapped toward the voice to see Takanashi, Kurita and Kakiuchi sneaking toward him. 

“It’s your turn, Suo!” Kakiuchi said, grinning at how his smile became a little strained.

“Don’t think we forgot about you,” Takanashi added.

Suo forced himself to relax. “No need to trouble yourselves.” 

“Awe, but we’re feeling left out!” Kakiuchi replied, him and Kurita circling around to his right and left. 

His leg tensed to step back but that would trap him closer to the wall. He needed to go forward. 

The trio started to close in and he couldn’t help but death-grip his hands behind his back. He needed to wait until the absolute…last…second! 

His assailants hadn’t even finished reaching before Suo cut between Takanashi and Kurita and stood at the center of the room. 

“Oooh!” Kurita grinned. “Looks like Suo wants to play after all!” 

“Only entertaining you and your childish antics,” Suo replied, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from their hands. 

“We’ll see about that!” Kakiuchi snickered, trying a scribble to his neck only for him to duck back and narrowly sidestep Kakiuchi’s pokes. 

Suo chanced a glance toward the door only to yelp. The fingers that prodded his ribs were grabbed and before he could think he’d splayed Kurita flat on his back. 

“OKAY THATS IT!”

Nirei looked up amid his giggles to see Takanashi and Kakiuchi chasing Suo around the room with playful fierceness in their eyes while Anzai continued to tickle the daylights out of Sakura.

“Wait, wait, hold on!” Suo said, his peaceful smile overwritten by a wobbly one. “You were the ones who started this!”

“But you throw your brother to the ground!?” Takanashi asked, throwing his arms wide to block him in while Kakiuchi dodged around the desks Suo tried to put between them.

“Over a little rib tickle?” Kakiuchi smirked, wiggling his fingers. 

“N-Noho!” Suo replied, clapping a hand over his mouth a second too late.

Takanishi’s grin doubled in size. “Uh, oh, Suo! Was that a giggle I just heard?”

With more fluttering around his insides, Suo didn’t dare open his mouth. Until Kurita barreled toward him on all fours. 

“AH! WaHAIT wait wahait!” Suo cried, scrambling around and over furniture. 

“Wow, they’re going crazy!” Tsugeura awed, shifting his hands to Nirei and Kiryu’s sides.

“WAhehehahaha!” Nirei squealed, trying to twist away from Tsugeura’s fingers. 

Kiryu flailed, laughing at tickles and Kurita chasing Suo like a gremlin. “I’m dyhiHIHIHING! I’m dehehehehead I’m dyhyhyhying!” 

Tsugeura chuckled, his grip loosening slightly. “You’re okay!”

Nirei’s eyes widened in realization and he squirmed with purpose.

“I haven’t even gotten your worst spot yet!” Tsugeura snickered.

“Yehehehehet?!” Kiryu cried. “Tsuhugehehe!”

Tsugeura opened his mouth to reply and fingertips suddenly scribbled across his knee. The result was a squawk and a surprised jump. “WAH! Wahahahuh?” He looked down to see Nirei’s hand squeeze above his kneecap. “EEHehehe! Nirehehehei!” 

“Yehe! Yehehes!” Nirei cheered as Tsugeura’s grip loosened further, letting his other arm slip free and using both hands to lightly scribble behind his knee. 

“AHAHEE!” Tsugeura yelped, leaning to the side to pull Nirei up and away from the spot. “NOho! Dohohon’t tickle!”

“Yeheheah rihight!” Kiryu cried, pulling his arms from Tsugeura’s loosened hold and feathering his fingers on the back of his thigh. “Youhou tickled us first!”

“NAHAHE!” He laughed, leaning back the other way only for Nirei’s knee tickles to resume. “GUHUHUYS! NOHO! I’M GOHOHONNA–”

Nirei and Kiryu’s shouts joined his as all three of them crashed to the ground. They all groaned from the impact, Tsugeura just barely catching himself from landing on top of them.

Suo heard the guard drop from the exit and swept back toward it, not daring to turn his back to his assailants. He deflected all their scribbles, pokes and jabs like he would in combat, his smile becoming more confident as their attempts grew desperate. Suo was only one step from freedom when an impossible weight settled above his ankle. He looked down wide-eyed to find Tsugeura grinning up at him, his hand holding his leg in a firm grip. His gaze snapped up to three wickedly smiling faces and six sets of spidering fingers. Suo threw his arms up and his gasp ended in a panicked shriek as Kurita, Kakiuchi and Takanashi tackled him into the hall. 

“GOTCHA!” Kakiuchi yelled, trying to finally tickle Suo’s stomach only to be poked there himself.  “EHE!”

“You’re only making it worse for yourself!” Takanashi grunted, him and Kurita grappling for Suo’s arms as Kakiuchi gently scribbled his middle. 

“EhehEHA! NOHOhoho!” Suo cried, kicking his legs in protest only to loudly squeak when Takahashi spidered his hand up to his neck. “EEHEE! PLEHE! PleheheHEASE!” 

“After talking all that shit?” Kurita snickered.

“And causing all that trouble?” Kakiuchi added, lightly dragging his fingers up Suo’s side and making him hiccup in his laughter. “If you ask me you’re getting off easy!”

Suo laughed in reply, trying to kick at Kurita as he gently scribbled under Suo’s arm. 

“I’ll say! You fucking decked me!” He smirked. 

“Sounds like we got all of you!” Anzai snickered, poking and squeezing any tickle spot he could reach while Sakura just laid there, all energy to fight gone as giggles spilled out of him. 

Anzai looked up as Tsugeura wrapped Kiryu and Nirei into a big bear hug and wiggled his fingers into their necks and shoulders. The air filled with their giggles and Tsugeura’s chuckles added to the mix as they tickled him back in an attempt for release. 

“Well, I’d say it’s time for the big finale!” Anzai stilled his fingers and smiled with glee as he pushed Sakura’s shirt away from his stomach. “Ready?”

“Wuhuhuh? Whuhut thehe hehehell?” Sakura glared, only for Anzai to take a comically large breath and blow the biggest raspberry onto his belly. 

Sakura erupted into loud, desperate cackles as he pushed Anzai’s head away.

“Are you telling me you don’t like raspberries?” Anzai laughed. “You’re turning the same color as them so I figured you would!” 

Sakura clenched his blushing hands into fists and swung at him. “IHIHI’M GONNA KIHIhihill yohohohou!”

“Awe, you can’t do that to your big brother,” Anzai replied, flashing the cheekiest grin as he dug his fingertips under Sakura’s arms. 

Sakura didn’t deny it, but only because he was laughing too hard, and definitely not because of how happy it made him that someone wanted to be so silly and gentle with him. 

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!” 

Before Sakura could process the shout, the underarm tickles stopped and he was pulled up into a hug.

“Senpai!” Anzai cried, patting Sakura’s head. “Our little brothers were bummed out and we were just cheering them up!”

Sakura looked up to see Kaji fuming in the doorway and his face burned. 

“Guys have been worried and looking for you! ” Kaji shouted, making Nirei and Tsugeura flinch as he rounded on the Suo and the others in the hall. “Let him go and get off your asses!”

Sakura blushed down to his neck as he fought out of Anzai’s embrace. Tsugeura finally released Kiryu and Nirei and they helped him up. Anzai snickered in amusement as he stood, offering Sakura a hand. He huffed, but took it anyway. Kaji caught Sakura’s gaze and the slightest blush tinted below Kaji’s eyes as he turned to leave. Everyone moved toward the hall, dusting themselves off as they moved after their senpai to catch up with the rest of their team. 

“So,” Anzai whispered, flashing a grin. “That was fun.”

Trying to bring some ease to his troubled mind, Sakura looked around and breathed in deeply, letting the fresh air feel his lungs before he exhaled, tiredly. Finally, he managed to recover some of his sense of self, thoughts beginning to form inside his once clouded, but not yet clear, mind.

What had he done?

Sakura filled his lungs with air, just as if he was about to scream them out of his chest, but stopped midway. His lips trembled, hesitating. Just like they hesitated minutes ago.

It wasn’t supposed to end like that, but it happened before he could take note of it. In a blink of an eye, what was a moment of playfulness and fun between classmates turned into tension, awkwardness. His own words were being replayed inside his head, the confusion in Suo and Nirei’s faces seemingly imprinted inside his eyes.

If only he could go back, apologize or, maybe, just laugh back at those dumb comments like a normal person, Sakura thought.

He dragged his body towards one of the benches, dropping himself on top of it as he let out another frustrated sigh. Just when he was learning to get comfortable around people, to get to call them his friends… Why did he have to mess it up? To stir trouble again?

Looking up to the sky, Sakura was about to allow himself to sink deep into these thoughts. Part of him hoped that if he waited for long enough, things would be back to normal when he walked down those stairs and faced his friends again. But… that was not how people acted after an argument, right?

However, just as Sakura was about to close his eyes, a loud - extremely loud - voice called out to him, working like an anchor pulling him back down to the “ground”. “Sakura? What’re you doing over here?”

“U-Umemi- ahem,” he coughed, almost choking with his own surprise. Shit. Sakura wiped the corner of his lips before looking back at the other guy. He came to the rooftop to be alone, to isolate himself and because he knew (or, hoped) that no one would be around there by that time of the day.

Well, he was wrong. Awfully so, because, of all the people that could be hanging by the rooftop by the time he was at the verge of having a breakdown, it had to be…

“W-what are you doing here?” He hissed, almost too defensively. 

Umemiya chuckled, flashing Sakura with his signature, friendly bright smile. “I forgot to water the crops yesterday and it doesn’t seem like it will rain today… I was worried they would get thirsty.”

“...Tsk,” Sakura held back his words, knowing he would be able to argue against that. He looked down, his head between his hands. Well, maybe having someone else there wouldn’t make that much of a difference, after all. He could just ignore and-

“You didn’t answer me,” Umemiya continued, his back now turned to Sakura as he was crouching down before some of the crops, putting up his best efforts into watering them evenly. “You look like you have a lot on your mind. Would you like to share it?”

“It’s- it’s nothing,” Sakura sighed, staring at Umemiya’s figure while trying to figure that guy once.

“It doesn’t look like it’s nothing,” Umemiya replied softly, pushing himself back up on his feet before he turned around to Sakura, tilting his head, “it looks like big trouble, if you ask me.”

Damn it.

Sakura clenched his hands and felt his words die at the back of his throat when his eyes met Umemiya’s. If he wanted to make out of it unnoticed, he would need to come up with a descent, convincing lie - but how could he do it when his senior was seeing right through him?

He averted his gaze, his lips pressing into a thin line while Umemiya slowly walked towards him, closing the distance between them. Before Sakura could say something else, Umemiya was already sitting by his side, trying to get a look at his face again.

“Maybe I can help you. That’s what we are here for, right?”

“I… I think I messed up, just that,” Sakura mumbled, sheepishly.

“Messed up as in a fight?” Sakura didn’t say a word back, just slightly shook his head, hesitating as he didn’t know how much information would be a proper amount to share. 

“As in… a different fight?” Sakura nodded. “A fight… with your friends? Like, in an argument?” He nodded again and Umemiya let out a quiet ‘oh’, setting his eyes back forward as now they both stared blankly at the rooftop’s floor.

The only thing keeping the two of them to be surrounded by silence was the sound of the crops’ leaves ruffling and the gentle wind blowing past them. Still, it took at least a couple moments before Umemiya hummed something, as if figuring out a puzzle.

“You know, we can perceive things differently when we look at it a second time,” Umemiya started, fiddling with his fingers as he tried to turn his track of thought into a proper explanation, “sometimes it’s not as bad as we think it is.”

“...how?” Sakura arched his eyebrow, confused.

“Well, it’s- hm,” he stopped again, letting out a soft chuckle, “alright, I think I know how to make you understand.”

Sakura tilted his head and was about to talk back at that when he felt Umemiya’s hand latching onto his side. Before he could do anything about it, those fingers dug it in once, twice and, just like that, giggles rushed past his words, making it out of his mouth first.

“W-whahat are you- wahait, that’s- that tihihickles, damn it!” Sakura growled between his restrained laughter, grabbing Umemiya’s hand and trying to pry it off his side. “U-Umehemiya, stohohp!”

“Come on, you’re barely trying,” Umemiya teased back, pushing Sakura’s hands out of his way and making way for his own, now tickling both of Sakura’s sides. The other guy laughed, curling his body forward in a vain attempt to escape the older one’s grip.

Still, Sakura couldn’t quite figure out why he was being tickled now, of all times. Truth to be told, he never really understood why this kind of thing would happen, but this certainly didn’t feel like the time to be tickled or to think of tickling someone.

Then why was Umemiya doing it?!

Sakura noticed how he was cornered against the fence that circled the rooftop’s edge, but didn’t figure out what he could do about it. He was now holding both Umemiya’s arms, trying to stop his hands from climbing up his torso as he laughed and kicked his feet like a dork.

“T-thahat’s not- ahAhah, stohohop it!” He growled, trying to sound at least a bit irritated at his senior, but not even a child would believe him at that moment. 

Sakura felt his cheeks warming up more and more whenever he caught a glimpse of Umemiya’s playful, bright smile shining at him. Was he having fun? It sure did look like it - and that made Sakura even more annoyed.

He brought up one of his knees, trying to get some more space between him and Umemiya, but it was another fruitless try. “W-why ahahare you- ahaAha, tihihickling me?! I thohought you’d hehehelp!!”

“Oh?” Umemiya hummed, grabbing one of Sakura’s arms and pulling it up a bit just to tickle the newly exposed spot, “helping you? I thought we were having a fight!” Umemiya cooed, almost as if he was mocking the younger teen.

And if Sakura wasn’t too busy laughing his head off and worrying about calling someone else's attention, he would’ve cursed or snapped back at Umemiya right there and then. Still, when the other’s fingers spidered and prodded at his ribs, oh-so-dangerously close to his armpit, a loud and high pitched shriek escaped his lips. Umemiya laughed fondly, focusing his efforts on that sweet spot that seemed to keep Sakura on the edge.

“U-UmeHEhemiya!!” Sakura squirmed violently, his voice cracking as he laughed between his lines, “nahAHahat thehere!”

“You know you can’t talk like that in a fight, right, Sakura?”

“FihiHIhight my ahAHahass!” Sakura hissed, wishing he could pull his arm just a bit, just so he could smack the other in his face. “T-thihihis isn’t a fihihight!”

Umemiya smiled at those words. Then, just like it started, the tickling stopped. Once tensed up and pressed against the fence, Sakura’s body slumped down as he was released from Umemiya’s grip and spared from a continuation of the ticklish assault. 

“You’re right, it was no fight,” Umemiya nodded, giving Sakura some space before sitting down by his side. He chuckled seeing how the other jumped in his seat, fearing that he would be tickled out of the sudden again. “I was just messing with you.”

“A-and what does it have to do with anything?!” Sakura hissed, waiting a few seconds to lower his guard again. He eyed Umemiya up and down, double checking if it was actually safe to rest. He sighed, “I don’t understand.”

“You do”, Umemiya corrected, a proud expression taking place in his face as he looked at the younger teen. “You said you had a fight with the boys in your class, right? Maybe it wasn’t really a fight.”

Sakura frowned a bit, cocking his head as he stared at Umemiya. He was confused, but curious at the same time.

“Well, just because something didn’t end like we wanted or we said something we shouldn’t, it doesn’t mean it’s over or that there is no way back. Sometimes, it’s not even as bad as we think it is to the other people,” he explained calmly, smiling as some memories came to his mind.

Umemiya placed a hand on Sakura’s shoulder, shaking it tenderly as he looked at the other. “I’m not really sure what happened, but I know that there is no way those guys would turn their back to you.”

Sakura widened his eyes slightly, realization striking him as he slowly nodded. He looked down again, taking in a moment to reflect upon those words. 

“Now, I need to finish watering the plants,” Umemiya said, springing back up and stretching his arms above his head before walking up. “If you need, you can still hang around for a bit more.”

“No,” Sakura muttered, smiling softly, “I think I see it now. I should go now.”

“Mhm!” Umemiya nodded, content with the answer. “See you later then, Sakura.”

“Yes, see you later.”

Sakura hissed slightly as he rubbed his left side. The little clash he had with these damn punks while patrolling the streets had him left with more scratches than expected. He bit his lip as he thought back of their cowardness, attacking a girl that was just passing by, which caused the condition he was in right now.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been hurt by those lowlifes. "Sakura... does it still hurt?" He didn't even have to look up to know who this voice belonged to. Nirei was eying him with a worried expression, holding a little first-aid kit in his hands. Suo was standing behind him, eying him with concern as well. The dual-haired blushed a bit and looked away.

"…‘m fine, it doesn’t hurt at all," he mumbled, feeling a sudden sting again that made him groan. Both Nirei and Suo sighed at the sight, knowing this wasn’t something that could be helped normally. Without saying a word, the two guys approached their class’ leader, with Nirei quickly taking the spot before the chair Sakura was sitting on. 

“I told you it doesn’t hurt,” Sakura insisted, but ended up not resisting when Nirei held him by one of his ankles, rolling up the hem of his pants up to his knee and exposing the bruised skin. Sakura clicked his lips, looking away. Suo chuckled, standing next to Sakura and tilting his head a bit as he looked down to the bruised leg.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of~ Didn’t you take those three all by yourself? And you came out of it with just a couple bruises. That’s our captain for you.” "S-S-Shut up..." Sakura mumbled, feeling his face heating up due to the compliment, "of course I did... that's my duty after all."

He had mumbled the second part almost inaudible, but the words didn't go unnoticed by them and Sakura avoided his eyes when he caught Suo smiling at him. "...Anyway, let's go back to-" he wanted to get up but remained seated when Nirei glared up at him.

"We can't do this Sakura, we still need to take care of that..." the blonde insisted and brushed his fingertips carefully over his knee, caressing the wounded skin. "Let me at least disinfect it. The action made the other twitch and a cough-like sound left his lips, that caught his friends' attention. "Sakura...?"

“It’s nothing,” he spoke in a rush, his hands clenching at the edge of his seat while he pressed his back against the chair’s rest, “just- just get over with it.” Nirei nodded, opening the first-aid kit and picking the needed tools and medicine for it. 

Sakura would probably have managed to end that conversation at that exact moment, with Nirei soon starting to tend to his wounds with no other pesky question or inconvenient doubts, if it wasn’t for the guy standing next to him.

That sudden flinch and the way Sakura’s lips pressed into a thin line didn’t go unnoticed by such an attentive eye and, just like Nirei, Suo just wished to see their captain well again. “Careful, Nirei,” Suo added, his tone gentle, “Sakura’s knee seems a bit sensitive.”

“I-I told you it doesn’t hurt,” Sakura insisted with a small pout on his lips, looking over his shoulder to give Suo a wary glance. Something about that made shivers go down his spine, but just when he was about to add another comment to that matter, Nirei’s fingers pressed a little too close to the back of his knee, making Sakura jump in his place. 

Suo chuckled, placing one hand on Sakura’s shoulder to make him sit back still. “Well, hurting or not, you can’t be moving while Nirei is patching you up.” Sakura stared up at his grinning friend, feeling the pressure of his hand on his shoulder. It wasn't uncomfortable, but strong enough to make it harder for him to get up.

He let out a sigh before he looked back at the blonde, nodding. “I’ll be careful, please relax Sakura…” Nirei had waited for his approval to continue, though he could already guess why he had twitched just now... A lot of the guys in class were ticklish and he even had an extra section in his character profiles for it. Still... Sakura is ticklish?!

The thought alone made Nirei want to explore his new-found information, but he had to hold back... well, just a bit wouldn't hurt, right? He traced a single finger over the back of his calf, before poking it into his knee pit again. The reaction was even stronger this time and Sakura let out a surprised gasp. "WhAHt tehE?! What did you just do?" he asked.

The sensation felt strange and it made his inside tingle. What was wrong with him? Nirei open and closed his mouth a few times, not sure what to say. Doesn’t he know? He wondered. Before he could excuse his doings, Suo gently pushed Sakura back into his chair.

“Sakura, it’s just some medicine. We won’t need to tie you up for that, right?” he teased, making their class leader pout and blush a little. Still, it felt weird, enough to make it impossible for Sakura to just relax.

Stiffening his muscles and filling his body with tension, Sakura watched Nirei’s fingers holding his leg by the calf while his other hand slowly and carefully worked on his bruises. He should be nervous because of the pain, not because… of that weird, funny feeling.

“Sakura,” Suo called, playfully, “if it’s not hurting, why are you so nervous? You look like a scared kitten right now,” he teased, lightly poking at the spot between Sakura’s neck and collarbone, making the guy squeal and jump on his seat again. “Oh, wait, are you ticklish? I had no idea.”

"I'm- nghGh I'm noHot a- Pffft... stoHOp thaHahat!" Sakura stuttered, as he scrunched his shoulders up and bent his head a bit to the side to block his invading finger. Again, he could feel this strange feeling that forced him to giggle. How could a touch feel so gentle? How was a touch aimed not to hurt, but to feel... nice?

He didn't know. It just didn’t make any sense to him and maybe that said more about him than the others. It wouldn’t be the first time that he was an outcast in any context. Sakura shook these thoughts away when he heard Suo's sweet poison-laced voice next to his ear. "...What wrong Sakura, too ticklish to answer?"

"WhahAht... WhAht's thAht eHeven meHean?" he asked, not familiar with the word. Ticklish? What was that supposed to be? An illness? Nirei's ears perked up at his friend's comment and he felt his chest sting a bit. So he was right. His hand gave his knee a gentle squeeze, earning his attention. "...You... You really don't know what tickling is?"

While there was no formal answer to that question, something about Sakura’s confused face must have given it away to Nirei. As expected as something like this would be, it still surprised him to some major degree.

Just as Sakura was about to ask, Suo slid his hands down Sakura’s back and wormed his fingers under both his arms, prodding at the sensitive spot under both sides. “This is tickling, Sakura~” he giggled, amused. “H-HEHey!” Sakura squealed, his free leg kicking up while he pressed his elbows against his side.

“Now, we could give you a proper demonstration, but you’re in so much pain that it’s better to get you treated fir-” Sakura growled, with a wobbly smile on his lips. He looked over his shoulder, even more tense than before. “I-I’m not hurting, dahamn ihit,” he snarled, almost challenging.

“Hmmm, is that so?” Suo chuckled, looking down to Sakura’s crooked expression and then at Nirei’s expectant eyes, as if the latter was just waiting for his words. Their eyes met, and as if they had a sudden, unspoken, mutual agreement, Nirei's eyes began to shine. Yosh!

His hands moved quickly and while one hand was carefully embracing Sakura's leg, his free hand wiggled around his bare knee, beginning to tickle him seriously. Suo followed his friend’s example right away, smir- ahem grinning from ear to ear as he began to squeeze up and down Sakura's sides, wiggling his hands into the sensitive area. This is gonna be fun!  

"Since you're not, let us show you what it truly means~" "PffFtt- ehEhhEheheh! WhAhat's h-hahppeHEneniIHhing?!" The dual-haired was at loss of words. He didn't even have time to react before his friends were touching him again. Their fingers pressed and wiggled over his body and he couldn't do anything against it.

His lips trembled and the first bits of laughter came out of them. Was that his laughter? It had been a long time since he heard it... and strange as it was, he didn't hate it. Still… this tickling made it hard to focus on anything else. "AhHahhaahah g-gehEht your h-h-hHAhands off!" He felt his face heating up, a deep blush already spreading over his face.

"You're so ticklish Sakura and your laugh is really adorable~" Nirei commented, sucking up his friend's expression and made mental notes to add all he was witnessing right now in his notebook for future references. Unlike Nirei, Suo didn't seem to be so impressed with this so-called discovery.

Truth to be told, he already had suspected it before and his theory was just proving itself to be right. “So, what do you get it now? We can go on it you need some more help to understand it.” Sakura whined between his giggles.

His arms pressed shut against his sides, trying to stop Suo's hands from exploring and torturing his nerves, while he kicked his feet around Nirei, trying to dislodge Nirei's hands from his sensitive knees. The tickling made it hard to think, to know how to react. Somehow, fighting seemed to be easier, to be something more controllable than being tickled.

Sakura shook his head, these thoughts leaving his mind almost at the same pace as giggles left his mouth. “E-EHEHehnohough!! AhHAHAh, yohohou two cahahn stohohop!”

"But I don't want to! I've never seen you smile yet alone laugh before, Sakura..." Suo teased, not even thinking about stopping it. "Besides, I can't move my hands away when you clench your arms like this. Say, Sakura, do you really want us to stop?" he wondered out aloud.

His hands, still being "trapped" wiggled upwards and Sakura could suddenly feel ten fingers attacking his armpits. A new wave of tingles flooded his body and he laid his head back, pressing it against Suo's chest while loud chortles left his mouth. "HahAhhhahahHAHH! N-NoOHohohho thAht’s- waAhahhAhH!"

Nirei was watching the playful back and forth between his friends and decided to switch spots as well, his curiosity getting the better of him. Carefully pulling down Sakura's rolled up trouser leg, he moved his potion a bit. Squatting in front of him, he began to poke his belly, using both hands to keep both himself and Sakura in position.

"AhHhAhahahhA! WhAhHAt, noOHhohot thEhehre!" The dual-haired’s reaction followed right away and Nirei felt how he tried to suck in his stomach, which only made the tickling more effective. Should he do it? His cheeks turned a bit red as well as he thought about it. He really wanted to tease him as well.

The blonde watched Sakura’s smile, his happy expression, unusual but not unwelcomed. He knew that if Sakura really wanted to, he could break free any time, but seeing him accepting it, letting them see this side of him, trusting them… it made Nirei truly happy and feel warm inside and he came to a conclusion. Yes, he should do it.

He took a deep breath before he began to chant "Coochie coochie coo~" while squeezing his lower sides playfully. “Pfft…” Suo scoffed quietly from behind, unable to hold back his reaction and keep his facade. For a moment, he even forgot to keep tickling Sakura under his arms, making him squeal loudly when the tickling suddenly resumed with full strength.

“S-Suo?” Nirei chirped, digging into Sakura's sides as he looked past the laughing mess between him and Suo. “Don't worry, I just found it really cute! You sounded adorable just now,” Suo nodded, resisting the urge to laugh again when Nirei's brain seemed to short circuit for a moment, “can you do it again?”

“N-No!” He pouted, taking out his frustration on Sakura's stomach. “It- It was for Sakura! Not you! And I-” “GUHUHUYS!! AHAHhaha, plehEHEHEASE!!” Sakura shrieked, surprised with his own reactions, but unable to help it as being tickled while being ignored was proving to be worse than having his friends’ attention.

It was as if the sensations felt more intensive, more ticklish and Sakura wished that they would've just continued to talk to him instead of just tickling him while casually talking with each other. Wait... why didn't he want them to stop? The dual-haired shook his head. The sensations were giving him strange ideas and he didn't know why.

He hadn't even realized that Nirei had stopped the tickling upon hearing the word "please". However, his hands still remained where they were and were now gently rubbing over his belly which still tickled a bit but was much better than before. He could handle that much.

"Ohh sorry, Sakura. Are you alright? We didn't go overbo-" "SuHush iHit!" Sakura panted, taking in some well-needed breaths of air. His mind was still clouded from all the laughter but he could slowly focus on the blonde in front of him who was giving him a sheepish smile.

A sudden squeeze on his upper flanks made him gasp again and he could hear Suo's voice. "Don't worry about it Nirei, if he can still talk back to us, he should be fine~" he suggested, tilting his head to the side so he could have a look at Sakura’s flustered expression, with cheeks flushed to the brightest shade of pink in the market. “Right, Sakura?”

“I- hnghaha, thahAhat’s not- agh, I dohohon’t know, d-damn it!” Sakura whined, already feeling his friends’ fingers picking it up from where they left it, making him squirm left and right in his seat, trying to find a way to pry them off his body or stop them in their tracks. “I-It’s wehEHeheird!”

Nirei giggled, leaning a little closer as he poked Sakura’s stomach over and over, changing his attention over the guy’s hips from time to time, just to come back seconds later and catch him by surprise. “Sakura, it’s okay to say if you are having fun! Everyone should have fun with their friends, right?”

“Exactly,” Suo nodded from behind, trying to get his hands under Sakura’s arms again, tickling the highest ribs he could reach while he was at it, “I can grant you we are having a lot of fun.”

“Y-YOHOhohou two suhUHUck!! AHAhaha, t-thiHIhis is hehEHEhell!” Sakura laughed helplessly, his body telling the opposite of his words as he shook his head back against Suo’s body as the tickling emptied his hand again, making it almost impossible for him to think of anything else.

Suo giggled at his honest reply, smiling down at him. He was just too fun to tease. "Then why are you laughing so much Sakura? If it's really like hell, you surely wouldn't, right?" Suo teased before he let out a fake gasp. "...But did I hear you right? We... We suck... did you hear that Nirei? Are we so bad at it?"

He locked as with the blonde who decided to play along. "He- Pfft He did say that... mhm I didn't think I would be so baHad at it either," he said, trying to sound hurt, whereas you could clearly see him biting on the lip so that he wouldn't giggle. "NooHOh t-thaht's noHot-" Sakura wanted to say, but was interrupted when Suo spoke up again.

"Do you know what that means, Nirei?" "H-Hehy doHon't iHignore meHEh?" "What does it mean, Suo?" he asked, already guessing what the brunette would say. "We should spice things up a bit~" Spice things up a bit!

"NohoHOho!" Sakura's eyes shot open and he began to buck a bit stronger, his legs were kicking out and he accidently kicked the blonde lightly, who caught the foot in his arms. It all happened fast enough to take any chance of reacting from him.

Before Sakura realized it, Nirei was pulling at his leg, tickling and digging into the back of his knee and the bottom of his thigh, while Suo shoved his hands under both his arms at once. He cackled like a madman, shaking his head left and right as he uselessly thrashing inside his friends’ grip. “GUHUHUYS!! AHAhahah, t-tooho muhuHUHUCH!!”

Sakura stomped his free foot on the ground and rocked his body back and forth, trying to find a way to escape those tickly touches that seemed to follow him everywhere no matter what. He felt tears forming on the corner of his eyes and clinging to his lashes, his face warm and burning in a now even brighter shade of red.

Was being tickled always this intense, Sakura thought - but only for a moment as all he could focus on was the ticklish sensation overwhelming his nerves. "You brought this upon yourself Sakura..." Suo teased, his fingers wiggling even more eagerly into his armpits, "and now you have to take the consequences for it. Nirei get his shoe off~" he ordered, feeling him flinch.

Sakura didn’t like where this was going. Were feet supposed to be ticklish as well? He didn’t know, but if Suo even asked for said spot, then it must be a pretty sensitive area as well. This was bad. He couldn’t even handle the current stimulations of his nerves… he had to do something, anything.

"NoOHoho doOhn't you dAhahre ahAhah f-fuHuhuck oHOhoff," Sakura cursed and tried to pull his foot out of Nirei's hold, but the blonde had him in a surprisingly-strong armlock, making it hard to pull him off, especially if you had to deal with these damn sensations under your arms at the same time, sucking up all your energy.

"Don’t worry Sakura, I’ll be gentle~" Nirei encouraged, which wasn’t helping. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Sakura cursed innerly, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t stop it. Nirei chuckled as his free hand began to work, opening the shoelaces before pulling it off his foot.

He could see his toes wiggle once they were freed, curling as if it could protect them from being tickled. His fingers brushed slowly over his arch, testing the waters, and once again, he wasn’t disappointed. "StoOHohop p-pleHEehse ahHgh damnh iHit!"

“Just a bit more, yes? We are almost done with you,” Suo explained as if this all was part of some medical examination or work in progress. How could he tell Sakura to wait when he could barely form a proper sentence?!

“Right, we still have to report about your patrolling and probably check the week's schedule with the class,” Nirei said, one grip closed around Sakura’s ankle while he tickled the trapped foot with the other, “there also might be a meeting at the rooftop later… We should spare some time just in case.”

“Ahh, such a busy schedule, right? That's our captain for you!” Suo added, his voice sweet and almost convincing if it wasn't for his hands tickling Sakura under his arms.

Sakura felt his head getting light and the sentences becoming harder to form. His cheeks and stomach felt sore after smiling and laughing for so long, making him wonder if tickling could also be a bit painful like that.

“S-SUHUHUOHOH!! AHAhah, I caHAHAhan't- N-NihiHIREHEHEI, S-STOHOHOP IT YOU TWOHO!!~” he whined, feeling like he had reached his limit of what he could handle. "PleHehehase noHOho moOHhore," he said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse. The smile on Nirei's face disappeared right away, turning into a light frown.

His fingers slowed down a bit before he stopped his tickling, letting his foot rest in his lap. "S-Suo, I think he had enough..." he said, looking at his friend. Suo didn’t seem to have heard the change in his voice as he continued to wreck his poor armpits. "SUO! Let's stop for a second!" Nirei said a bit louder.

That caught the other's attention and he gave Sakura’s armpits one last wiggle before her removed his hands as well. When he felt or rather saw Sakura exhausted state, his usually teasing mimic switched one similar to Nirei.

He laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "…You're okay, there Sakura?" "We didn't overdo it, did we?" Nirei asked, a bit worried as he watched the dual-haired taking in some much-needed breaths, his chest moving up and down as he tried to regain his senses and calm down form their combined tickle attack.

However, those worries didn't seem to reach Sakura. With a dazed, blank look in his face, Sakura took a moment to rest by himself. He wheezed, taking deep breaths while feeling his whole body tingle.

It wasn't until he saw Nirei waving his hand before him that Sakura understood that there was something else happening around him. Shaking his head, he blinked a few times before getting back into his right mind. “H-Huh?” Suo chuckled, now placing both his hands on Sakura's shoulders. “He is fine, we didn't break him.”

Nirei nodded, letting a little sigh of relief while Sakura only seemed to grow more confused by the second, looking back and forth between his friends in the vain hope of figuring the scene out. “W-What are you two about?!” “Hahah, don't worry, Sakura,” Nirei smiled, brighter this time, “let's just get you patched up and go back, ok?~”

He grumbled a bit, but didn't complain much as he watched Nirei finishing his treatment. Seeing his smile calmed him down a bit and he rubbed over his sides, to get right of the ghostly tingles that were still lingering on them. The events came back to his mind and he suddenly wondered if the other two were ticklish themselves.

"... I want to tickle you too..." he mumbled more to himself then the others. "You said anything?" Nirei asked looking up at him and Sakura felt himself flush again. "O-O-Of course not... give me that..." he stuttered, grabbing his shoe and yanking it on, before he stomped away, stopping after a few meters before looking back. "C-Come on, let's go back..."

Nirei smiled as he got up. "Right away, Sakura~" he said chuckling. Suo looked after them, feeling a light tingle on his neck, as he repeated the words in his mind. ‘…tickle you too…’ ehh? Sakura has really grown up, he thought and couldn’t help but smile. Things are gonna get interesting from now…