Work Text:
“Why… early?” Sakura asks with a yawn, stopping in his tracks as he rubs at his eyes sleepily.
Nirei and Suo stop in their steps sharing a fond look with each other before the former crouches down to gently take his grade captain’s hands away from his eyes.
“You’ll irritate your eyes like that, Sakura-san,” the teen says, cupping the boy’s cheeks and softly gliding his own thumbs over the younger’s eyelids, “Are you tired?” Nirei asks as he pulls his hands away, “Do you want me to carry you?”
Sakura stares up at the vice captain’s words before he raises his hands towards the older, waiting to be held.
Suo chuckles as Nirei picks their grade captain up, unable to hold back his teasing, “Awwee~ our baby must be really tired, huh?”
“I’m not a baby!”
“You aren’t anymore?” Suo mock frowns before grinning at the boy, “You don’t have to grow up so fast, you know, Sakura-kun,” he says, poking their grade captain’s plump and pink cheeks.
“Suo-san…” Nirei sighs before directing his next words to the younger, “You should rest up now until we get to Umemiya-san.”
Sakura swats Suo’s poking hand away but misses completely. With a huff, he wraps his arms around Nirei’s neck and rests his chin on the crook, “Why we goin’ to Umemiya?”
“Hmm, I wonder why,” Nirei smiles as he adjusts his hold on the younger, “Umemiya-san only said he has a surprise for you, Sakura-san!”
“Surprise?” the younger asks, his voice slowly rising, the grip he has on Nirei’s jacket tightens, and Suo can see the way his eyes light up from where he stood beside them—their grade captain was practically vibrating with excitement, “What’s the surprise?”
Suo grins, “Sakura-kun is getting the zoomies already?”
“Sakura-san must really like surprises.” Nirei smiles as he rubs slow circles on the younger’s back, an attempt to calm him down.
“Surprises here are nice! I like ‘em now!” Sakura beams at the two teens.
His vice captains felt relieved at that. Ever since Sakura had regressed, they had noticed some things— reactions —that they knew just weren’t right .
One of them being Sakura’s apprehension towards surprises.
Children like surprises, don’t they? Their grade captain was apparently the exception to that.
Long story short, their first surprise had almost been a bust. If they hadn’t gotten the cake and ice cream out on time, they would all have to witness a five-year-old Sakura in tears.
Just the sight of their little one on the verge of a breakdown already broke their hearts.
So, after that incident, they all silently vowed to overwrite their grade captain’s childhood in whatever way they can.
Getting their youngest to enjoy surprises was one of their first agendas—small gifts and little treats, an hour would barely pass before they pull out another one of their surprises on Sakura.
It didn’t take long before their little grade captain became conditioned to get a little excited at the word ‘ surprise ’.
“What’s the surprise?” Sakura whines, waiting for them to tell like they always do.
Nirei and Suo share amused looks before they both shrug at the younger.
“We’re not going to spoil the fun this time, Sakura-kun.”
“Let’s find out when we get there, Sakura-san!”
“Tell me!”
“Hm?” Sakura hums, hearing his vice captains call his name and feeling Nirei’s gentle hand pt his back repeatedly.
“We’re here, Sakura-san.”
“Where… we?” the younger asks with a yawn before blinking at the closed door in front of them.
Suo laughs, taking his chance to poke their grade captain’s cheek while he’s still half asleep, “I’m glad you managed to fall asleep despite how excited you were earlier.”
“We’re at the rooftop, Sakura-san,” Nirei says as he gingerly places the younger down, keeping his hands on Sakura’s middle to keep him steady.
“… Rooftop…” Sakura mumbles quietly before suddenly perking up with a gasp, “My surprise!”
They watch their grade captain exclaim as he stands on his tiptoes to reach and turn the doorknob.
Once opened, the younger rushes into the rooftop, leaving his vice captains to adjust to the bright blue sky and turning to the direction of the garden where Umemiya would usually be.
That’s when they hear their Sakura shout, “Ugly dog!”
What?
Nirei looks to Suo in bewilderment before they both rush after their little one, “S-Sakura-san! Be careful!”
Umemiya-san wouldn’t just get him a dog!
… Right?
They didn’t pay it much mind when Sakura called it ugly, but who knows how big it is, if it’ll pounce on the younger at the sight of him, or if it’ll bite him out of excitement!
The panicking vice captain quickly runs over to his grade captain and hoists him up into his arms, looking around for the supposed ‘ugly dog’, but instead he spots someone by the picnic table wearing a yellow jacket with a familiar logo embroidered on the back.
“Oh? Shishitoren?” Suo utters from beside Nirei and Sakura.
Umemiya calls out to them with a grin, “Good morning, you guys! Sorry to call ya in so early!”
Nirei and Suo bow their heads as they greet their upperclassman, “Good morning, Umemiya-san.”
“Is there something we can help you with, Umemiya-san?” Suo asks, the usual polite smile dawning his features as he eyes the other person sitting by their leader, his broad back still facing them, “Something related to Shishitoren’s second-in-command, perhaps?”
The teen in question turns his head towards them, “Heya~ sorry to bother you guys so early…”
“Not at all, Togame-san!” Nirei says before crouching to place their grade captain down. The younger swiftly hides behind his vice captain’s leg, his cat-like eyes staring down the stranger a few meters away.
“Hmm…” Togame smiles, his eyes fixed on the five-year-old before he asks with a drawl, “Is that Sakura?”
Sakura pouts, his brows furrowed in confusion as to why the stranger knows his name, “Who’re you?”
The older smiles, waving a hand at the younger lazily, “I’m your friend…”
The vice captains stare questioningly at the teen’s hand, to which Shishitoren’s vice immediately notices and chuckles before showing the leash off to them, “Ah, this is for-“
“They’re here?!” a high pitched voice exclaims followed by a loud thump and something clattering on the table.
“Woah!” Umemiya bolts up at that, reaching for something in front of Togame.
Before the first years could voice their confusion, they catch a glimpse of something moving around from Togame’s lap before it jumps off and zooms towards them.
“Ah, not so fast-“ Shishitoren’s second-in-command pulls the leash in his hand.
“Ack! Kame-chan no fair!”
Suo blinks, “Oh?”
A mop of wavy and light colored hair, brown beady eyes, plump and rosy cheeks, a small and petite body that’s probably half a head shorter than their grade captain.
It was a child.
A child that looks around four, or maybe five years old.
There’s another child in the rooftop that isn’t their Sakura and it’s-
“T-T-Tomiyama-san?!” Nirei gawks at the sight.
Shishitoren’s regressed first-in-command grins brightly at the call of his name, raising a hand up to them, “Hi! Wanna play? Let’s play! Come on!” he jumps up and down, looking ready to pounce at them any second.
Sakura’s hold on Nirei’s leg tightens as he eyes the other child nervously, “Is that my surprise?”
“D-don’t call Tomiyama-san a ‘ that ’, Sakura-san!” Nirei says, a bit flustered.
Suo smiles in amusement, hiding a laugh behind one hand while the other nudges their grade captain gently from behind, “Why don’t you say ‘ hi ’, Sakura-kun?”
“I-I don’t wan-“
Choji stops at his jumping and stares at the grade captain, “Ooh!” he says, reaching behind him and managing to unclasp the snap hook of the leash before running to the younger.
“Eh? How did you figure that out?” Togame says in fond exasperation, watching his little leader get closer and closer to the little grade captain with nothing to restrain him now.
“Your eyes!” Choji exclaims, transfixed at the heterochromatic orbs, failing to notice the other’s breath hitch or the way his body tensed as he continues, “They’re like the marbles Kame-chan collects! So pretty! Really shiny!”
Sakura blushes at the unexpected compliment, his cheeks flushing a bright red as Shishitoren’s leader inches closer to stare at his eyes, even reaching his hands out to touch.
“Y-you- t-too close!” their grade captain stammers as he pushes the other child, a bit too strong that he falls on his bum.
Choji blinks up at the other, expression unreadable, “You… you pushed me…”
Sakura gasps, pulling his outstretched hands to his chest upon realizing what he’d just done, “I-I didn’t mean-“
Before he could even blurt out an apology, Choji jumps back up to his feet with a big grin, his eyes sparkling as he stares at Sakura, “Wow! You’re strong!”
Sakura already flushed cheeks turn an even darker red, “H-huh?”
Shishitoren’s leader continues babbling, “I like that! I like strong! I like you!”
“W-what-“
“That makes you my friend!”
“F-friend?!”
“Wanna be friends?! Let’s be friends!” Choji exclaims, reaching out to hold Sakura’s hand in his, “We’re friends now!”
“But I-“
“Okay, friend, wanna play? Let’s play! Let’s play over there!”
“W-wait-“
The smaller of the two pulls at the other’s hands, practically dragging them to the garden for whatever game he already had in mind.
“Well…” Umemiya says after a moment’s silence, his eyes spying the two little ones playing a game of run and chase—Sakura doing the running away while Choji did the chasing, “The surprise went better than I thought!”
The quartet settle down around the picnic table, Umemiya sitting on one side, Togame choosing to sit on one corner diagonal to Bofurin’s leader, so that Nirei and Suo sat together across from him.
They could hear their little ones from where they sat, or rather, they could hear Choji chattering tirelessly. Their only indication that Sakura is also there were the two-second silences before the other began babbling again.
It seems Bofurin’s baby is conversing with Shishitoren’s just fine.
“Now then,” Umemiya starts, his expression serious that Nirei and Suo straighten up in their seats, “You two must be hungry!” he says, dragging a basket that was on the side of the table opposite to Togame and taking out some sandwiches and a thermos bottle, “I called you in so early, after all,” he adds while pushing the light meal on to them, “Help yourselves. Ah! Sakura must be hungry, too, right?“
Shishitoren’s second-in-command nods, “We can talk after you two eat. The sandwiches are really good.”
Bofurin’s leader grins proudly, “Of course they’re good, Kotoha-chan made them, after all! Help yourself to another serving, Togame!”
The other teen replies with a smile, directing his gaze to the first years, “I will, but it’s your underclassmen’s turn to have their share.”
“Thank you,” Suo smiles to the older before adding, “But I had quite the hearty breakfast at home, so I can’t possibly eat anymore.“
Umemiya couldn’t help but frown at that before looking to the other first year, “What about you, Nirei? Have you and Sakura eaten yet?”
The vice captain stares at the older, stammering a response, “T-thank you, Umemiya-san! But we already ate breakfast before we left my house…”
At their leader’s dejected face, Nirei quickly utters, “A-ah! But, Sakura-san tends to get hungry when he plays so maybe-“
As if on cue, Sakura comes running to the picnic table with Choji, hand in hand.
“Oh my,” Suo teases immediately upon seeing their joined hands, “You’ve gotten quite close already?”
Sakura flushes at that as he pulls his hand away from the other, “I-it’s not like I wanted to! He won’t let go!”
“You don’t have to be shy now, Sakura-kun!”
“I’m not!”
“Are too.”
“Am not!”
Choji doesn’t pay their banter much mind as he clambers up on the bench, “Ume-chan, got any sandwiches and juice left?”
Togame grabs hold of the boy’s backpack harness to keep him steady lest his little leader loses his balance and hurts himself, “Choji, be careful…”
“But Sakura-chan’s hungry!” Choji reaches for the light meal while his eyes scour the table for the sweet drink, his cheeks puffed in determination, “We gotta feed Sakura-chan!”
Sakura blushes an even brighter red at that, climbing up on the bench with Nirei’s assistance just so he can glare at Shishitoren’s first-in-command, “I never said I was hungry. You’re the hungry one!”
“Nuh-uh!” Choji shakes his head, “You said your stomach was grumblin’!”
The younger huffs, “I said your stomach’s grumblin’!”
“That’s what I said!“
“You’re not listenin’ at all…”
“Am too!”
“Are not!”
“Am too!”
Umemiya laughs, his eyes softening at the sight before he takes out some juice boxes from the basket and some more sandwiches, placing them close to the little ones, “Here you are! Eat to your heart’s content!”
And Choji does just that, taking a big bite out of the sandwich, then a long sip from the juice box that Togame poked the straw in for him, “Mm!”
Umemiya smiles, directing his gaze to their youngest, “What about you, Sakura?” he asks, shaking the juice box in his hand.
The little one in question purses his lips, glancing at Choji who was eating his food deliciously, then stretches his hand out to the older, “I guess…”
They all silently watch their little ones eat, internally gushing and cooing over their bright eyes and puffed cheeks that’s more accentuated with the food they’re having.
Togame lets out a quiet and fond sigh, brushing to get a crumb off of Choji’s cheek, while Nirei helps Sakura poke open his juice box.
“Uhm, Togame-san?” Nirei asks after another moment’s silence.
“Hm?”
“Do you, uh, mind telling us what happened to Tomiyama-san exactly?” the teen asks, taking his notebook and pen out of his pocket.
“I don’t think I can say much…” Togame smiles apologetically at the younger, “He was fine the other day… We even talked about brawling a few groups this week,” he chuckles a bit before frowning, “But yesterday, when I got to Ori, he was already…” he glances to his little leader, his cheeks rosy and full.
“Kame-chan?” Choji asks, a bit of the chewed sandwich falling from his mouth as he tilts his head questioningly at the older, “You hungry? Wanna bite?”
Togame just smiles, wiping the spilt food from the younger’s mouth before running his hands through the light curls, “It’s okay, you can have it all…”
“Okay!”
“I see…” Suo hums as he and Nirei glance at their little grade captain who was trying a sandwich Umemiya gave him, “It seems we might never know how they regressed.“
“I take it Sakura was the same way?” Togame asks, glancing to the boy in question, oblivious on the subject matter.
Nirei nods, pocketing his notebook and pen as he answers the older, “He didn’t show up to class one day, and he didn’t pick up our calls or answered any of our messages. When we arrived at his apartment-“
“We found an adorable little Sakura-kun~” Suo finishes, his lips curving up to a teasing smile, to which their grade captain pouts angrily at, but doesn’t retaliate, “You’re not going to talk back, hm?”
Sakura scrunches his nose before speaking with his mouth half full, “You told me not to speak when my mouth’s full!”
“And you listened until just now,” Suo laughs.
“Nirei!” Sakura whines, looking to his other vice captain with a look that clearly said ‘ Suo’s being mean to me! Do somethin’ about him! ’
The teen sighs, having seen that look plenty of times that he can hear it, then he smiles to his fellow vice captain, looking almost resigned, “Suo-san…”
They hear Umemiya laugh from across them, “It’s always a fun day for you guys, huh?”
“With Sakura-kun, how can it not be?” Suo replies, shrugging as he smiles.
“Fun!” Choji suddenly cuts in, having finished his last sandwich, “Sakura-chan is fun! I wanna have fun now!” he exclaims, jumping off the bench and tugging at the hem of Sakura’s shirt, “Let’s play, Sakura-chan! Let’s have some fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!”
“Choji…” Togame sighs, reaching out to release his little leader’s grasp on the little grade captain’s shirt, “Sakura’s still eating… How about you rest your tumm-“
“Oh! Birds!” the younger points towards the other end of the rooftop where there were a few pigeons loitering, “RAAHH!” he shouts, pulling away from Togame’s hold and running off to the birds.
Umemiya laughs, amused, “It’s never a dull day with you guys, too, huh, Togame?”
“Well, Choji knows how to keep us on our toes, after all.” Shishitoren’s vice couldn’t help his laugh, his eyes still trained on his leader before he sighs, “Which is why we can’t bring him to the brawls we’re heading to later today…”
“Bringing a child to a fight definitely isn’t the best choice.” Suo says, looking to his grade captain who’s pointedly avoiding his gaze.
Togame nods, “We thought about leaving a few of ours with him at Ori, but, well,” he laughs sheepishly, “As expected, we can’t match his energy.”
“Only a child can match another child’s energy, right?” Umemiya chuckles, understanding, “I’m sure Sakura can help with that.”
Their little grade captain blinks at the call of his name, blushing at their gentle gazes before puffing his cheeks and furrowing his brows, “W-what?”
“I’m happy…” Togame smiles, “Choji has a little friend to play with today.”
“Choji,” Togame says, crouching down to meet the younger’s eyes as he holds him by the shoulders, “I’ll be going now…”
Tomiyama eyes the hands on his shoulders, tapping his fingers on them rhythmically before grinning up to the older, “Okay!”
The older smiles, “You’ll behave, right?”
The younger scrunches his nose, looking at his vice with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “Mhm!”
“Choji…”
Tomiyama pushes himself away from the teen, running off to where Sakura had been staring at the exchange curiously, “Time to play! Yay! I’m gonna play all day now!” he exclaims as he grabs hold of the grade captain’s hand and runs off with him in tow.
“H-hey-!”
“Oh, there they go.” Suo says amusedly, watching Sakura get dragged along by Shishitoren’s leader.
Nirei nervously calls out to the two, “D-don’t run in the hallway, Sakura-san, Tomiyama-san!”
Togame stands back up once his little leader’s silhouette can’t be seen, letting out a dejected sigh as he mumbles to himself, “I guess he’s fine without me…”
“Don’t worry, Togame,” Umemiya says, patting the teen on the back as he declares, “We’ll make sure Tomiyama has loads of fun while he’s waiting for ya!”
Togame smiles gratefully to them, “Then, I’ll leave him in your care,” he says, nodding before making his way towards the school gates.
The first years make a bow to the older as their leader waves to Shishitoren’s second-in-command until he’s out of sight.
“So…” Umemiya speaks up after a moment’s silence, turning his gaze to the vice captains, “Nirei, Suo.”
“Yes, Umemiya-san?”
The older grins, “Where do you think those little ones ran off to?”
Nirei pulls his phone out in a hurry, typing something out as he stammers, “I-I’ll tell everyone t-to be on the lookout!”
“They should still be closeby,” Suo says calmly and assuredly despite his quick pace entering their building.
Umemiya chuckles as he pulls out his own phone, “I think we’ll need some extra hands with us today~”
“H-hey,” Sakura calls out to the younger skipping ahead, panting as he keeps up with the other’s pace, “Did, didn’t you wanna say b-bye to him?”
Tomiyama turns to the grade captain, “Who? Kame-chan? Not really.”
The younger furrows his brows at that, “Why? He’s-”
“‘Cuz Kame-chan will come back!”
“He will?”
“Yeah!” Tomiyama grins, “I’m just here to play!”
Sakura sighs, sounding relieved, “So, he didn’t leave you for good…”
Tomiyama stops in his skipping, looking at the little grade captain with a frown, “Kame-chan would never leave me. Never ever!” he says before grinning, “He promised he’ll come back later then we’ll both head home! Sakura-chan should visit us next time, too, okay? Let’s play at Ori!”
“Ori?” Sakura tilts his head, unfamiliar with the word, “What’s that?”
“My home!”
“Home?”
Tomiyama nods, “Ori is where Shishitoren is!“
“Shito…?”
“Yeah!” the little leader bounces as he nods, “Shishitoren is all the people I love! They’re my family! My home!” he puffs his chest with pride, “Shishitoren is my home…” he says as he stares into mismatched eyes, “Furin is yours, right?”
“I-” Sakura doesn’t finish his response, noticing the looming shadow over them and looking up to a shocked Hiragi.
“What the- Is that Tomiyama…?” the teen mumbles, staring at Shishitoren’s regressed first-in-command.
Tomiyama squints his eyes before pointing at the older and shouting, “You’re it!”
He grabs hold of Sakura’s hand and runs the opposite direction of where Hiragi stood, “Let’s go, Sakura-chan, before he catches us!”
“Ah! W-wait-“
The little grade captain picks up his pace, running side by side with the little leader, “What does ‘ it ’ mean?” he asks, referring to what Tomiyama had shouted at the teen.
“It is… it!” Tomiyama grins at his explanation as he pulls the younger to an open classroom and crouching down behind the chairs, “We can’t get caught, Sakura-chan. We can’t be it!”
“I don’t get it.”
Shishitoren’s leader muffles his laughter behind his hand, “You don’t have to. Just follow me and let’s have some fun!”
Sakura nods, the idea of having fun becoming more and more enticing with the other boy, “Okay!”
Tomiyama quiets down and the grade captain follows suit as they both listen for anything coming from behind the door. They stay that way for a minute before getting up and making their exit.
“I think we’re safe now!” Tomiyama grins, “Let’s go before he finds us!”
Sakura nods as they both reach for the door, only for it to slide open on its own.
Black sneakers are the first things they look at on the newcomer, a contrast to the silver pointed shoes on Hiragi’s.
“You two…” Kaji says from behind his lollipop, his eyes narrowing as he looks between Sakura and Tomiyama, “Hiragi’s been-“
Before he could finish, Tomiyama’s scream cuts him off, “You’re it, too!”
At the word, the little ones immediately bolt out through the open space between Kaji’s legs.
“H-hey! Get back here!”
Sakura huffs, “Why’s he it?”
Tomiyama giggles at that, “Everyone that isn’t us is it, Sakura-chan! Now keep runnin’!”
Sakura looks behind them, watching as the teen becomes smaller and smaller as they run farther away from him. He grins, “Where’re we goin’ now?”
“Anywhere that doesn’t have an it!”
It’s a repeating pattern of run, hide, run and chase after that, with the little leaders dragging more and more teens into playing ‘ it ’.
Before long, almost all of Furin are participating in their little game and realizing belatedly the power of Shishitoren’s first-in-command, Tomiyama, and their very own Tamon’s first year grade captain, Sakura.
“H, how,” Hiragi places his hands on his knees, panting heavily, “How many more do we need to catch two kids, huh?!” he exclaims at his group who were in a similar state as him, if not worse.
“Sakura-san,” Nirei wipes the sweat off his forehead, “Sakura-san isn’t going easy on us today…”
Kiryuu wheezes, trying to catch his breath, “Sakura-chan never ran like this when we played with him...”
“Do you think,” Tsugeura grins despite the exhaustion, “Sakura-kun’s been holding back?”
“He’s a kid, dude.”
“But it’s Sakura…”
“Ain’t no way, he’s been goin’ easy? On us?”
Suo laughs, “Isn’t that nice? Sakura-kun must be having lots of fun with his new friend.”
They all look at their vice captain grimly before a shout draws their attention back to the situation at hand.
“Gotcha brats!”
The teens round the corner, ready to cheer, only to find Kaji on the ground, sporting a bruised chin, Kusumi and Enomoto were kneeling worriedly beside him, while also tending to their own injuries.
They wince at the sight.
“Oh… False alarm, I guess…”
“Seriously, kids are a whole different breed.”
“I don’t think I can last any longer, dude…”
Hiragi was just about to ask where the children had gone, but Umemiya’s booming voice cuts him off, echoing throughout the whole school.
“Tomiyama! You’re it!”
All of Furin let out a collective sigh of relief upon hearing their leader’s loud declaration before collapsing where they were.
The game is finally over! is what they all thought.
Hiragi, Nirei, and Suo quickly make their way downstairs, following the sound of Umemiya’s boisterous laughter along with Tomiyama’s deafening wails.
“You caught ‘em,” Hiragi puffs out, taking in the sight— Umemiya holding a crying Tomiyama in one arm, while he cradled a dazed Sakura in the other— he couldn’t help but utter, “Can’t believe the whole school’s turned upside down cuz of these two misfits…”
“Hiragi, not in front of the kids!” Umemiya gasps dramatically, but they’re sure enough neither of the two children could’ve heard with the Shishitoren leader’s loud whining.
“Let me go, Ume-chan!” Tomiyama screeches, clawing at the teen’s arms as he kicks and squirms to break free, “This isn’t fair! I want down!”
Umemiya smiles, maintaining his firm hold on the child in his arms, “But I’m it, right? And I’m supposed to catch you.”
“But I wanted to win! You’re the loser! Not me!”
“Hey, is Sakura alright?” Hiragi asks, noticing how quiet the grade captain is, “He isn’t hurt anywhere, is he?”
Nirei and Suo take a step closer to the older, somewhat reluctant to take Sakura from his arms if the younger really is hurt somewhere.
Umemiya smiles reassuringly at the two, “Don’t worry,” he says while handing the boy over to them, “I think he’s just shocked when I picked him up.”
“S-Sakura-san? Are you okay?” Nirei asks while Suo checks their little one’s body for any signs of injury.
“Hehe…”
“Sakura-“
They all look at the younger, stunned at the sight of their little grade captain slowly breaking into quiet giggles and, before long, bursting with laughter— his eyes curved into tiny crescents, his lips wearing a big grin, his demeanor radiant and light— he looked like pure happiness personified.
“Again!” Sakura exclaims, vibrating with joy they’ve never seen before, “Can we play again?” he asks with the sweetest smile.
“See?” Umemiya grins, radiating with a sort of pride that only a big brother of a big family would have, “I told you I can put any kid to sleep, even someone as hyper as Tomiyam- mmph!” he exclaims rather loudly before Hiragi slaps his mouth with his hand.
“Shut it!” Hiragi hisses, eyeing the hammock for any signs of movement before taking his hand back, “You can also wake any kid up with that voice…”
Umemiya chuckles sheepishly, “Now then,” he says, turning his attention to the little one yawning on their picnic table, “It’s nap time for you, too, Sakura.”
Sakura puffs his cheeks at that, blinking slowly as he fumbles his words, “Bu‘m not s,s-eeply…”
Umemiya smiles fondly as he wraps his arms around the child, cradling him as he sways from side to side, “C’mon now, you need to sleep so you can be strong.”
Sakura whines a quiet complaint, but wraps his little arms around the older anyway.
Umemiya hums a soft lullaby while rubbing soothing and slow circles on the younger’s back. There’s some whining, a bit of squirming, and a lot of yawning before Sakura settles his head on the teen’s chest, leaning closer to where his beating heart is.
He hears the little grade captain mumbling before his breaths even out, finally falling asleep. He caresses the boy’s cheek before continuing to gently pat him on the back, “I’ve got a special talent, don’t ya think?” he asks in a hushed tone, smiling to himself.
Hiragi rolls his eyes as he lets out an amused chuckle.
The door to the rooftop opens, signaling the arrival of company. The teens wait by the picnic table, knowing who the visitors are. They sent them, along with the other leaders, to handle things downstairs, after all.
“Oh!” Nirei exclaims before toning his voice down, making his way to their leaders with a bow, “Thank you for watching over him, Umemiya-san, Hiragi-san.”
Suo adds, following after his fellow vice captain, “Sakura-kun really tuckered himself out today. He’s asleep already?”
“I’ve got the magic touch!” Umemiya grins, “Wanna hold him?”
“Umemiya-san, I don’t think-“
Hiragi sighs, watching the teens flinch when Sakura whines, “So, everything okay down there?”
“Mn,” Suo jests, “Everyone’s having their well-deserved nap time now.”
Hiragi chuckles at that, “Nap time, huh?” he sighs, still feeling the strain from their earlier game, “I could definitely use one of those right about now.”
“You guys should rest, y’know,” Umemiya smiles, showing off the sleeping Sakura in his arms, “I can take it from here.”
“Right, I almost forgot,” Hiragi mutters then moves to knock their leader in the head.
Umemiya bites his tongue, keeping his pained yelp in before frowning at his friend, “What did I do now?”
“That’s for turning our high school into a daycare.”
The white-haired teen stammers, “Wha- It’s not like- Did you want me to turn Togame down?”
Hiragi huffs, “I would’ve wanted to know beforehand that I’d be chasing around two kids the entire morning.”
“Okay, I’m sorry, but I left a message, didn’t I?”
“I barely had time to check my phone with everything going on-“
Suo laughs quietly, “Wah~ They’re like a married couple fighting,” he adds upon noticing a nervous Nirei looking back and forth between Sakura and Tomiyama, “What if the babies start crying…”
Hiragi and Umemiya quickly shut their mouths at the last statement; the former grumbling his last complaints under his breath, while the latter hides his embarrassment by laughing.
“You gotta admit though,” Umemiya grins, “Sakura’s been having lots of fun playing with someone his age.”
“Probably his first time, even…”
Sakura wakes up first, the sound of whimpering cutting his nap time short to his displeasure. He frowns, rubbing at his eye as he lies on his stomach and reaches for Tomiyama, the source of the quiet whines, “Hey…” he calls out, patting the boy’s head.
The little grade captain tilts his head, noticing the other child’s eyes were still closed as he releases a sob.
“Sakura-kun?”
“Tomiyama-san?”
Suo and Nirei peeks into the hammock, immediately checking on the little ones when they heard a cry.
“Sakura-san,” his vice captain smiles gently, swiftly bringing the child into his arms and patting his back, “There, there… It’s okay, you’re okay,” the teen says, having mistaken the crying for their grade captain’s.
Sakura flushes at the comfort, clenching his fists on Nirei’s shirt and burying his face into the crook of his vice captain’s shoulder, “Not me…” he mumbles, glancing to Tomiyama who had quieted down and remained asleep.
“Hm?” Suo turns to the sleeping little leader, “If it wasn’t you, then…” he reaches for the younger in the hammock, running a hand down the child’s back in comfort.
“Everything alright?” Umemiya asks, making his way to their group, “Did Sakura cry in his sleep?” he asks, caressing the little grade captain’s flushed cheek.
The vice captains shake their head, “Apparently it was Tomiyama-san…”
Their leader hums in thought just as the boy in question begins whimpering as he tosses and turns in the hammock.
“Hey, Tomiyama, it’s okay,” Umemiya says, reaching for the younger.
Tomiyama gasps, his eyes open and coated with a wet sheen before he lets out a loud cry, “WAAHH!”
The teens flinch at the volume, beginning to panic at the sight of the crying child.
“T-Tomiyama-“ Umemiya tries to wrap his arms around the regressed leader only for his arms to be slapped away, “What’s wrong? Somethin’ hurting?” he asks, trying to soothe the child by patting his shoulder instead.
The little leader babbles through his relentless sobbing, “K, me -ft… me-cha- eft, m… Kam-ch,n… lef-, me…”
Nirei tries to decipher his words, “Something about Togame-san?”
“He must’ve had a nightmare,” Suo says.
Umemiya gives the boy a comforting smile, “It’s okay, Tomiyama, it’s just a-“
“WAAAHHHH!” Tomiyama continues to wail, louder and louder as hiccups and sobs fill the rooftop to their distress.
Sakura pouts, reaching his hand out towards the boy.
Their vice captains notice the action, turning to their grade captain in question.
“What is it, Sakura-san?”
“Do you want to comfort him, Sakura-kun?”
Sakura only leans forward, his pout looking more determined. Nirei smiles as he leans closer to the hammock so they can make contact with the crying little leader.
What they weren’t expecting was for their little grade captain to slap Tomiyama right in the middle of his crying face.
“S-S-Sakura-san!” Nirei exclaims in a panic as he leans back, “W-Why did you-“
“Liar!” Sakura cuts his vice captain off in a huff, looking at Tomiyama angrily.
“Sakura-“
“Were you lyin’?” their little grade captain continues, “You said he wouldn’t leave you! Never ever!”
Tomiyama sniffles, wiping at his tears, “B-but d,dream-“
“So what?” Sakura huffs, “A dream’s just a dream until it’s real!” he declares, “He didn’t really leave! So, quit cryin’!”
The little leader hiccups, “O,okay…”
“He’ll come back and you go home together,” Sakura adds, his voice much quieter, “He promised… He doesn’t break promises, does he?”
Tomiyama shakes his head, “N-no! Kame-chan doesn’t break them!”
“Good.” Sakura nods, “Furin isn’t your home, it’s mine! Your home is Shi, Shito- Shishitoren!”
Tomiyama grins, shedding the last of his tears, “Yeah!”
Just then, the door to the rooftop bursts open with an anxious Hiragi leading a worried Togame.
“What happened? We could head the crying from the first floor!”
“Is Choji okay?”
Tomiyama beams, jumping out of the hammock with surprising ease before running off to his second-in-command, “Kame-chan’s here!”
The teen in question crouches down, wrapping his arms around the younger and picking him up, “Yeah, I’m here to pick you up…” he smiles before asking jokingly, “Did you miss me? Probably not-“
“Yeah!” Tomiyama exclaims, holding on to the teen just a little bit tighter as he nuzzles his cheeks against the older’s, “Missed you lots…”
“O-oh…”
“Bye-bye!” Tomiyama says with a wave, “Let’s play at Ori next time, Sakura-chan!”
Sakura blushes at the invite, waving shyly, “Okay…”
“Thanks again for today,” Togame nods to Umemiya before adjusting his hold on his little leader, “If you ever need someone to babysit Sakura… we’ll be at Ori…”
Umemiya grins, “No problem! We’ll visit next time for sure!”
Once Shishitoren’s commanders have left, Umemiya crouches down and smiles fondly at the little grade captain hiding behind his vice captain’s legs.
“Sakura~”
“What?” Sakura puffs, his reddened cheeks looking much more visible, “I didn’t do anything.”
“I’m just real proud of ya.”
“But I-“ the little grade captain feels the warmth of a hand run through his hair and looks up to find Suo smiling at him.
“You really are amazing, Sakura-kun.”
Nirei sniffles, bending down and holding their little grade captain impossibly close, “Sakura-san, really…”
Sakura tries to push the teen away but to no avail. He nuzzles into his vice captain’s shoulder as he mumbles, “I didn’t do anything…”
“You did so much more than you will ever know, Sakura.”
🍃🎐🌸
“Found you!” Sakura announces, peeking behind the legs of a few students where Tomiyama chose to hide.
The little leader squeals as he runs out of his hiding place, “It’s Sakura-chan’s turn now!”
Sakura grins, running off to search for his hiding place while Tomiyama covers his eyes and begins counting to ten.
“One… two… three…”
After their earlier chaos, it seemed like Tamon’s first year grade captain and Shishitoren’s first-in-command had calmed down, enough that they decided to play hide-and-seek in a vacant classroom, with different classes switching to keep watch and play along.
“Eleventeen… sixty-forty… thirty-second…”
“I don’t think he knows how to count...”
“Shh!”
“Seven-eleven… square root … twenty…”
Sakura looks around frantically for his perfect hiding spot before the time runs out— though, with way Tomiyama was counting, no one’s sure when that will be; in the end, only the children know.
“Eighteen… cloud nine… uhh…”
The little grade captain stares at an open locker at the back of the classroom and runs inside, closing it just a little bit so he doesn’t get locked in.
“Oh, right!” Tomiyama exclaims, remembering the last numbers, “Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! Ready or not, I’m comin’!” he cheers, uncovering his eyes and runs around.
He quickly approaches the first year vice captains guarding the door and points, “Is Sakura-chan hiding behind the door?”
“He isn’t, Tomiyama-san.” Nirei smiles at the younger while Suo shakes his head, “That’s against the rules~”
“Okay!” the little leader runs off to the back of the classroom, passing by the lockers, even the one that has black and white tufts pf hair sticking out.
“Sakura-chan’s so good at hiding!” Tomiyama pouts, circling the room before going back to the lockers again, leaning against the one next to where Sakura was currently hiding.
The child hums, thinking hard given his knitted brows, “Where-“
“Boo!” Sakura exclaims, popping out of the locker.
Tomiyama squeals, hugging Sakura in excitement, “Sakura-chan! Where’d you come from?”
The whole class takes in the adorable sight while stealing a few snapshots of the two regressed teens.
“All the pain is worth it.”
“For sure!”