Shuo woke to a scent-not the tempting aroma of food, but the smell of sunshine on his quilt, warm as if it had just come out of a dryer, so annoyingly cozy he could barely open his eyes.
He dragged his eyes open, squinted for two seconds to adjust, and clicked his tongue. The sun really had no sense of restraint.
He turned to look at the opposite bed. The quilt had been folded neatly and placed at its head, a stark contrast to his own messy bed.
Sai sat reading in the chair by the window. He had a new book in his hands-Principles of Basic Ninjutsu Chakra Control. Sunlight fell across the side of his face, gilding it in pale gold, even his eyelashes catching the light.
At the sound of movement, he immediately looked up and said softly, "Morning."
Shuo pushed himself upright, his hair a mess, his voice perfunctory. "Morning."
He got out of bed to wash up. As he brushed his teeth, he stared at himself in the mirror. There were still faint dark circles under his eyes, making him look short on sleep, but a closer look revealed that the corners of his mouth had actually curved upward by two millimeters, as if they were malfunctioning.
He frowned, rinsed his mouth vigorously, wiped his face, and forcibly pressed that slight curve back down.
When he came out, a paper bag was already on the table. He knew without looking that Sai had put it there.
Shuo walked over and opened it. Rice balls, fried eggs, and a small box of strawberries-exactly four, bright red and sweet-looking.
He glanced at Sai, who was still reading, and drawled, "What's the occasion? Strawberries, too? What a waste of money."
Sai put down his book and thought for