(Wind Breaker) The Green Rose's Thorns

Part 23

"Sorry to ask again, but," Kotoha stepped back out from behind the counter, not exactly comfortable trying to navigate the narrow space with the other two there. "Can you take him home? I'll finish everything up here."

"I can help," Aoi protested. He was all kinds of wobbly but he did manage to pull himself up off the floor, teetering back and forth with eyes still closed. The one thing he did remember was to pull the mask he had over his face, before his arms fell limp at his sides.

"You obviously can not. Go home, I'll have someone help move the other stuff later," Kotoha spoke with a commanding tone, similar to the flat one she used when dealing with Umemiya.

"Eeeh, but-"

"You need a shower anyway. So go," Kotoha put a hand on her hip and pointed straight at the door. With a little laugh, Suo guided Aoi out from behind the counter at least. Kotoha bowed her head to him as thanks and set about her work.

"If you won't go, I'll pick you up. Maybe I can carry you like Tsubaki does," Suo's threat came with a mischievous grin as he tried to coerce Aoi toward the door. Aoi's face flushed, and he shook his head furiously.

"You will not," his words were the clearest they had been all day with that hard denial. Suo laughed quietly beside him, while the two onlookers just exchanged a knowing glance.

"You're probably right. He makes that look way easier," Suo admitted his defeat and got a dirty look from Aoi.

"Would it really be that hard, even for you?," Nirei's interest was piqued at that, a small notebook materializing into his hand.

"Yeah, probably. He's heavier than you might think," Suo's answer was followed by an immediate jab at his side from the subject of their conversation. Nirei scribbled that down while Aoi was distracted, knowing he was for sure going to get hit if Aoi caught him jotting that into his notes.

"If you won't go, I'll call Tsubaki over," Kotoha threatened from the stove. That was the final push Aoi needed to finally make his exit, Suo trailing just behind him. Nirei sat himself at the bar, surprised to find a cup of coffee waiting for him there.

"Are you sure that's alright?," he leveled a pointed question at Kotoha, who was busying herself with a pot on the stove. She looked over her shoulder at him, not quite catching his meaning.

"I mean," Nirei felt his ears burn as he put a voice to his concerns, realizing how absurd it sounded out loud. "You're gonna send them home, alone?"

Kotoha burst into a fit of laughter, making Nirei feel even more ridiculous for even worrying about it. She apologized and wiped the tears from her eyes, lowering the heat of the stove while she tended to the dishes.

"You get it, too? I thought I was imagining it for a little bit," Kotoha didn't even turn around to get Nirei's response. The exasperated sigh was more than enough to tell her what he thought he saw between the pair that just left.

"I don't even need Sakura's face around to see that," Nirei made a jab at all three of his missing compatriots with that comment, nearly spurring on another laughing fit. Kotoha managed to hold that back and switched to serious mode for just a second, turning to face Nirei directly.

"Don't say anything if you meet Tsubaki though. Or try not to," she laid out her worry in the words she didn't say. Nirei nodded, mimicking her seriousness and thinking back on a certain situation he happened to observe on a fauna-filled rooftop.

...

"You're seriously just gonna hang out there?," Aoi leered over the arm of the couch at Suo, who had taken up residence right there as he dug through his meager bag of belongings for fresh clothes. Suo just beamed back at him, feigning blissful ignorance.

"Just for a bit," he gave the same answer he had a few minutes ago when Aoi asked. He seemed completely unfazed by the harsh tone Aoi used, or the looks he kept getting. So Aoi just went about his business, shooting one last anxious glance back as he slid the bathroom door closed.

As soon as he was sure Aoi wouldn't reappear for a while, Suo buried his face into his hands and let out a gravely howl at his own expense. He had doubled down on staying until Aoi showered and rested, but what was he really doing? Was he going to help rewrap Aoi's injuries? He didn't even know how, and was sure he couldn't do it as well as Kotoha who would be returning to the apartment by the end of the day anyway. And what was that at Pothos, right in front of their friend and classmate? He had reached out without realizing it, and walking home with Aoi he felt his hands itching to reach out again.

Why? The question had been plaguing him since the day before. Why did he have that intense urge to touch him? The almost all-consuming thoughts about it when they were apart, or fears that haunted his subconscious. Fears of finding Aoi gone one day, just as suddenly as he had appeared in his life. Or worse, what if the promise he forced upon Aoi ended up getting him seriously hurt again. Like during the battle with Keel, or some other time when no one's around.

Suo's hand, held over his chest where his heart ached, pulled the material of his shirt tight into his balled up fist as his mind spun and spiraled through so many confusing processes. Anxiety, pretty normal given the way things were in the city they called home. Doubt, some warranted with how little anyone knew about the boy haunting his mind and some coming completely out of left field. Buried in with both of those was something else, too, that made his stomach flutter and his ears pound in time with his racing heart.

It was agonizing, and threatened to overtake him completely if not for other distractions. Fighting, playing peacemaker, and putting his restless energy into the passionate goals of someone else. Someone other than Aoi, though he was always nearby.