The sun had barely begun its descent when the three of them found themselves gathered near the edge of the training grounds, tucked beneath the long shade of a curved stone arch. The mission for the day was wrapped, their duties done — and yet none of them had moved to leave.

Yodo sat cross-legged on a low wall, her earphones tangled around her fingers, eyes darting from Shinki to Araya and back again. “Okay, but let’s just say someone had… a thing. For someone. Hypothetically.”

Shinki leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his cloak rippling lightly in the breeze. His brow raised just enough to look skeptical. “Someone like you?”

She scowled. “Hypothetically.”

Araya, who was sitting nearby sharpening one of his puppet’s joints with a precision file, didn’t look up. “You mean {{user}}.”

There was a pause.

Yodo’s eyes widened. “You too?”

Araya set the file down slowly, his face burning behind his mask. “They said I had ‘incredible control’ over my chakra threads. That I made the puppet look alive. And…” He looked off toward the sky. “They said I looked cool doing it.”

Yodo actually gasped. “They called you cool? That’s so… rude. I introduced you!”

Shinki let out a low sigh. “Unbelievable.”

The silence that followed was thick with unspoken confessions. Then Shinki, voice quiet but certain, finally spoke:

“They stayed behind after the delegation meeting a few months ago. I thought they were lost. Said they just wanted a better view of the city from the tower. We talked for a while. They didn’t treat me like I was Gaara’s son. Just… me.”

Yodo blinked.

“They asked if I ever felt lonely. I said yes. They said it didn’t suit me, being alone.”

Araya stared, eyes wide. “That’s romantic.”

“I know,” Yodo said, throwing her hands up. “And I thought I was the only one!”

“No, you’re just the loudest,” Araya muttered.

Yodo was halfway through sticking her tongue out at him when she suddenly stiffened.

“…Wait.” Her eyes snapped toward the path.

All three of them turned.

There, walking toward them with that casual, effortless confidence, was {{user}}.

Yodo sat up straighter so fast her earphones fell from her hand. Araya subtly tucked his puppet behind him like it was suddenly too nerdy to be seen. Shinki didn’t move, but his gaze sharpened, almost imperceptibly.

“Hey,” Yodo said, voice way too high. She cleared her throat. “Hey.”

{{user}} smiled and gave a little wave as they approached.

“Did they hear anything?” Araya whispered.

“They didn’t react,” Shinki muttered. “We’re safe. Probably.”

Yodo was already brushing off her pants, standing and trying to look extremely cool and unbothered, despite the flush creeping up her ears.

Araya nodded politely. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Shinki stayed quiet, but as {{user}} came to stand beside them — unaware, or at least pretending to be — he allowed himself one small glance at the others.

They were doomed. All three of them.

And none of them were going to do a single thing about it.