tags: gender neutral reader, established relationship, fluff
It’s only a few weeks into your relationship that you decide to pop the question to Sakura.
"When did you know you liked me?"
Sakura pauses mid-bite, the spoon in his hand hanging in the same way his jaw does. A few grains of rice fall back onto his plate.
"What?"
You prop your elbows onto the table, uncaring of what dining etiquette you're disobeying by doing so. You're by no means finished with your own meal, but you've decided that this question is pressing enough for you to take a break from eating.
"Before we got together, when did you realize that you liked me?" you elaborate.
Sakura’s cheeks heat up in that familiar way they do whenever the topic of romance arises around him. A small smile forms on your lips as he clears his throat, attempting to dispel the rosiness that’s sprawling upward from below his collar. It does little to help.
“Um,” he says.
There’s a pinch between his dark brows - a sign that he’s thinking hard about your question. A part of you wants to reach across the table to smooth the skin out with your thumb, but another part of you enjoys Sakura like this. Deep in thought over you.
“I didn’t realize I liked you like that until Suo said something,” Sakura grumbles - a quiet confession.
A bark of laughter escapes you before you can even think to contain it. The sound worsens the red hue of Sakura’s cheeks and draws fleeting looks from some of the other patrons of the restaurant you had chosen for your lunch date.
“Sorry. Sorry,” you manage to say between peals of laughter. You try and rein in your mirth, so you can speak. “Sorry, Haru,” you say placatingly. The unamused expression on his face melts into something softer and shyer when he hears the use of the nickname that only you ever call him. “Didn’t mean to laugh, but it just makes so much sense that it would be Suo who’d make you realize you like like me.”
Although you wouldn’t consider yourself particularly close with Suo, it makes perfect sense in your mind that he would help Sakura sift through his feelings for you. He seems to have that uncanny ability of knowing and seeing too much. The thought almost makes you shiver.
“Well, when did you know you liked me?” Sakura flips the question back onto you, determined to get the focus of the conversation off of him.
“Second time I met you.”
Sakura’s eyes widen considerably, and you nearly laugh again at the pure and unadulterated shock on his face.
“What?” he sputters out. The spoon that was once in his hand clatters against the surface of the plate below as Sakura tries to wrap his mind around what you have said. It’s all very amusing to watch it play out across his face. “That early?”
You make an affirming sound.
“That early,” you confirm.
His brows bunch together once more.
“When was that even?” Sakura’s face scrunches up as he rifles through his memories, trying to recall your second interaction together.
“A few days after we first met.” You start smiling before even realizing it, fondly reminiscing about the moment you began to form a crush on Sakura. “Some jackass on campus was bothering me, trying to follow me to my next class. Before I could tell him off or say anything to get him to leave me alone, you appeared out of nowhere and told him to shut the hell up. Afterwards, you walked me to my class.”
You dreamily sigh.
“I was gone for you from that point forward.”
For a moment, Sakura is rendered speechless. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, no words forming on his tongue, but he’s quick to regain his bearings.
“That’s what made you like me?”
“Mhm. You were like my knight in shining armor,” you tease. A bit more thoughtfully, you say, “I thought it was very sweet of you to do what you did, considering you barely knew me as someone other than Nirei’s friend at the time. It was easy to start crushing on you from that moment and even easier to fall for you once I started getting to know you better. I was so hopelessly gone for you, it was a bit embarrassing honestly.”
You shake your head as if you can shake away all of the embarrassing moments that occurred when you were in the depths of yearning over Sakura.
“But look where it got me.”
You beam as you look at Sakura from across the table. The light filtering through the window bathes him in a warm glow, making him look even more beautiful than usual if that’s even possible. Some days, you still can’t believe that all of your feelings for him are reciprocated.
“I got you,” you say - voice soft and so utterly and terribly in love.
Right on cue, a blush blooms on Sakura’s cheeks, which you take delight in. You hope that no matter how long you’re together for, you can continue to draw these sort of reactions out of him.
“You want to hear about all the times that made me like you more and more?” you grin.
Sakura covers his face with his hands, the tips of his ears burning.
tags: gender neutral reader, pre-relationship, holiday shenanigans (reader and sakura get caught under the mistletoe), kissing
This can all be blamed on Suo.
You. Sakura. The mistletoe hanging above you that definitely wasn't there earlier.
Suo's doing. You're sure of it.
Your eyes linger on the bundle of green for much too long before darting across the room. Though the apartment borders on overcrowded, full of your friends milling about, playing games, and chatting with one another, you easily pick Suo out from among them all. It's as if he can feel the heat of your gaze because he’s already looking in your direction, a stupid closed-eye smile on his face. You’d give anything to make it disappear.
“So, uh.”
You quickly tear your eyes away from Suo. You got so caught up in your attempt to make Suo spontaneously combust with your mind that you very nearly forgot who you got caught under the mistletoe with. Nearly is the keyword because there’s no way you could ever forget Sakura Haruka’s presence.
Sakura is looking everywhere and anywhere but at your face. Expectedly, his cheeks are colored scarlet, a steady warmth unfurling from beneath the collar of the ugly holiday sweater that Nirei wrangled him into wearing. With its plethora of fuzzy pompoms of varying sizes and shimmery tassels, the sweater makes Sakura look silly, but he also looks so soft and cozy and unfairly cute in it, and you would say something about it if you didn't know it would make him heat up even more, and he already looks red enough as it is. Your irritation with Suo fades away as quickly as it came on.
"We don't have to do anything you don't want to, Sakura," you say, soft and gentle, quiet enough that nobody can eavesdrop on your private conversation with the steady chatter and holiday music playing in the background. Although you have thought about what it would be like to kiss Sakura a truly embarrassing amount of times, an amount that would surely get you teased for the rest of eternity if you ever confided in your friends, you would never want to make Sakura do anything he's uncomfortable with. "It's just a silly tradition."
There is a long pause, but you are patient. You know that Sakura is gathering his thoughts, thinking of what to say. You take this time to admire how pretty he looks in this lighting; the fairy lights that Tsugeura haphazardly strung around the apartment bathe Sakura in pure unadulterated warmth. Sakura is pretty in every lighting, but he looks softer right now. You mentally catalogue everything about how he looks in this moment from the fluff of his two-toned hair from running his hands through it one too many times to the gentle swing of the tassels attached to his sweater. They flicker to the bob of his throat when he swallows.
"I don't mind."
Immediately, you lift your gaze. Sakura is looking at you, holding eye-contact for the first time since you found yourselves in your current predicament. The question of whether you heard him correctly or not bubbles up your throat and sits on the tip of your tongue, but you know. You know that you did not mishear Sakura, not with the way you tend to hang onto his every word when he talks and not with the way his whole face is now aflame.
"You sure?"
You inch forward a little, not quite crowding Sakura into the corner of the apartment you're holed up in but definitely closer than before, testing the waters. All he has to do is say the word, and you'll ease up and back off, no questions asked, but your eyes drop down to Sakura's lips wondering, not for the first time and surely not for the last, what they might feel like against yours.
Sakura nods, a look of determination crossing his face. It almost makes you laugh, not at him necessarily, never at him, but because it's the same look he gets when he's about to throw himself into a fight or tackle a problem head-on. It's just so him that the corner of your lips curl into a small fond smile.
You move forward even more, fully encroaching into Sakura's personal space. Your fingers slide into his belt loops and gently tug, making him meet you halfway. He makes a surprised sound in the back of his throat, but goes regardless, following your lead. You tilt your head and lean in, closing the gap between you.
The kiss is short. Sweet. Nothing more than a quick press of the lips. And yet, you think it may be the most wonderful kiss you've ever had.
The sound of whooping and hollering erupting behind you makes you roll your eyes as you pull away from Sakura, but you can't help the wide grin that settles onto your lips. You stand slightly in front of Sakura, shielding him from the prying eyes of your friends, as you try and get them to settle down and pull their attention elsewhere like to the other bundle of mistletoe across the room.
Your friends are idiots, but they are your idiots, and maybe, you can hold off on Suo's spontaneous combustion. After all, he's the reason you and Sakura ended up under the mistletoe together.
tags: gender neutral reader, fluff, established relationship, sleepytime shenanigans
Sakura shivers as you drag your fingers along the expanse of his bare back - your touch lazy and light. The route they follow only known to you.
"That tickles."
The pillow crinkles under Sakura as he turns his head and glances back at you. He squints, brows furrowing. It's difficult to see much of anything in the overwhelming darkness of night, but this close to you, Sakura can still make out the shadowy outline of your face, your expression lax and softened with drowsiness.
Your eyes flicker to meet his. They cut through the darkness and seem to shine. At least, to Sakura they do.
You hum. "Feels nice though? Right?"
He makes a contemplative sound. A grumble. You take it as a yes.
"Turn back around. Guess what I'm writing."
Sakura does as you say, his cheek coming to rest against the pillow once more.
This is not the first time that you've had him try and make sense of the scribbles and doodles you seem to enjoy so much tracing into his skin, and he's sure that it will not be the last. He's not exactly sure why you like it so much, but the feeling of your gentle touch is nice. Relaxing even if it makes the short hairs on the back of his neck stand on end sometimes.
Sakura's eyes slip closed once he feels your hand on his back again.
Your finger traces a short line down his spine.
"I."
“Mhm.”
You move your finger in one smooth loopy motion. Pause. Your touch disappears for a moment before you mirror the action you've just made.
A crease forms between Sakura's brows.
"Again."
You repeat the movement - still as incomprehensible to Sakura as the first time.
"It's a shape, not a letter," you offer as a clue.
"One more time."
You repeat the motion for Sakura again, and this time, a mental image begins to form in Sakura's mind.
"A heart?"
"Mhm. The next thing will be a letter."
You drag your finger down before curving up again.
"U?" Sakura guesses. "I heart U?"
This time, it is not the pad of your fingertip that makes contact with Sakura's back, but rather, it's the familiar sensation of the plush of your lips. Sakura stiffens at the unexpectedness of the kiss.
"I love you too, Haruka."
"What?"
Sakura shifts. You loosen your hold around his midsection, allowing him to move more freely as he rolls onto his side to face you.
"What? You said I love you, so I said it back."
You attempt to feign innocence, but the crinkle by your eyes and the smile you're barely concealing give away your true intentions. Sakura's mouth opens and closes a few times as he tries to gather his thoughts to say something, anything, back to you, but a small yawn from you makes him stop.
"I'm sleepy," you mumble, stating the obvious. You're hardly able to keep your eyes open. "Turn over again. Wanna hold you."
Sakura is grateful for the darkness because you're unable to see the way that his cheeks burn. He wants to tell you that you're already holding onto him, but he knows what you mean. What you actually want. He turns onto his side again, facing the wall and away from you once more.
You snuggle closer to Sakura, tightening your arm around his middle. A drowsy kiss is pressed to his spine.
"Good night, Haruka. I love you."
"Night."
A pause.
"Love you too."
You've already drifted to sleep by the time he says it.
summary: sakura likes the way you smell. he thinks it makes him a freak.
note: i like him terribly so. this may be so incredibly niche but it’s for me :p
pairing: sakura haruka x gender neutral reader
tags: gender neutral reader, established relationship, minor angst but it gets resolved, sakura-centric
sakura hasn't put much thought into the products he buys for himself for much of his life. unlike like some of his friends, he doesn’t have an elaborate multi-step self-care routine. he’s content with his generic shampoo and conditioner and his cheap laundry detergent that he buys from the corner store on his block. he’s satisfied until he’s not, until he's dating you and subconsciously begins to seek out your scent. sakura is blissfully unaware of this fact until one day it hits him like a punch in the gut. the realization that he likes the way you smell. a lot.
a sense of shame takes root in his chest. he feels like some sort of creep, feeling this way. it’s weird. he’s weird, he’s convinced. and yet, sakura can’t help but start to take note of the products you use when he’s over at your place. it’s not snooping if it’s on display right? sakura knows it’s just a flimsy argument that he's using to reassure himself, but he has to know what sort of products you’re using. he makes a mental list of the brands and scents of your shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and laundry detergent amongst other things. and when he’s at the store, he’s skittish as ever, feeling as if he’s doing something intimately wrong as he buys the same products you use for himself.
sakura thinks you won’t ever discover his shameful secret. if only.
you're at his place instead of yours for a change of pace. sakura's lounging on his dingy couch that he bought second-hand when he first moved into his apartment. he's waiting for you to finish up in the bathroom, so he can hit play on the movie you've been meaning to watch together. his head’s resting on the back of the sofa and he turns his cheek towards the hallway when he hears the bathroom door unlock, expecting you to enter his view soon enough.
you do, and sakura's stomach drops when he sees what's in your hand. it's a shampoo bottle. identical to the one you own.
"what's this?"
sakura's at a loss for words, unable to come up with a good excuse on the fly.
“it’s the same one i have.”
he feels himself teetering on that tightrope, at the verge of falling down into the abyss of loneliness once more. are you mad? are you going to leave him?
“how come you bought it?”
sakura takes a deep breath, trying to pull himself out of his spiraling thoughts. no, he shouldn’t assume the worst. all you did was ask him a question. your tone isn’t accusatory, merely inquisitive.
“i-i like the way you smell.” he says small and quiet, entirely unlike how he usually is. he chooses to let his head hang low, staring at the couch cushions rather than you. he’s afraid of what he may see if he looks your way. even if he doesn’t want to think the worst, he’s sure you’re put off by what he’s said. who wouldn’t be?
“haruka, can you look at me?” sakura stubbornly keeps his head down. tendrils of fear have taken ahold of his heart, paralyzing him. he stiffens when you gently sigh. “please?”
slowly, sakura lifts his head, bracing himself for your reaction. sakura expects disgust or distaste to be plastered across your face, but he's shocked when he's greeted with a smile, bleeding with a fondness that's so familiar to sakura it makes him ache a little.
"i'm not mad," you say as if you can read sakura's thoughts. or maybe you can just read his expression. "i'm flattered that you think i smell nice, and i honestly think it's really cute that you want to smell like me."
"really?" sakura's brows furrow, disbelieving. "you don't think it's weird? or gross?" sakura doesn't know why he's saying these things, things that could push you further from him, but he doesn't get why you don't think what he's done is strange or unusual.
sakura startles when you take a seat beside him on the couch. he didn't even notice you moving across the room.
“why would i think that?” a confused lilt to your voice. you reach out towards sakura, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear before caressing his cheek. the tips of your fingers rub against the ends of his hair. “i think it’s sweet. honestly, i really like the idea of us using the same products." your expression goes thoughtful. "it's like even when i'm not around, a part of me is still with you." a rosy hue colors sakura's cheeks. he didn't expect you to say something so embarrassing. you continue on, a growing grin on your lips. "and now whenever i sleep over, i don't have to worry about packing toiletries, i can just use what you have here!”
your laughter fills the air when sakura pulls back from you, rolling his eyes at your attempt of lightening the mood. it works though. sakura is admittedly feeling considerably better than he did just moments ago. he doesn't know how you do it. you somehow always know what to say, what he needs to hear. sakura no longer finds himself performing a balancing act on that tightrope as often as he once did in his adolescence, but from time to time, he's there again, teetering from side to side, afraid of falling. but now he realizes that fear is unfounded.
note: i love putting him in cheesy ass scenarios :( sorry. it will happen again :(
pairing: sakura haruka x gn! reader
word count: .7k
tags: gender neutral reader, pre-relationship, aged up (18+)
"what's your favorite color?" you ask, giving sakura a curious look. the question is out of the blue, but it doesn't catch sakura completely off guard like it may once have in the past.
for the short time that he's known you (since nirei first introduced you as one of his new university friends), sakura has come to learn that you have a tendency to ask questions that seemingly come from nowhere. even when you try to explain to sakura your thought process, which you have time and time again, he can't pretend to understand what possesses you to ask the questions you do. he’s just come to accept that it’s apart of who you are.
sakura shrugs his shoulders, looking off in the direction of the convenience store that nirei and suo went into earlier to grab some snacks and drinks.
“don’t have one.”
he casts a sideways glance at you and is unexpectedly met with a frown that mars your lips.
"everybody has a favorite color." you pout. sakura's eyes flicker to your lips for a brief moment before he looks away once more, his cheeks warming. he hopes you take no notice of it.
“well, what’s your favorite color?” sakura throws back at you, partially because he wants to shift the attention off of him and partially because he’s a little curious.
although sakura has begun to slowly consider you to be apart of his circle of friends, he hasn't actually hung out with you one-on-one all that much. normally, you two are accompanied by nirei and suo for group hangouts or study sessions, which leaves very few opportunities for sakura to be alone with you. not that he's looking for chances to be alone with you or anything.
"easy," you say before telling him your favorite color. sakura mentally repeats to himself what you've said. he's not sure what he thought your favorite color would be, but now that you've told him, he can see it. it’s fitting that you'd like a color like that.
"now that i've told you my favorite color, you have to tell me yours!"
sakura opens his mouth, ready to protest once more that he doesn't have one, but you silence him by holding up a hand in a placating manner.
"i know. i know. you don't have one," you say, playfully mocking sakura's words, which makes his brows pinch together. "but that's a lie because everyone has a favorite color. let me guess..."
you fold your arms across your chest and tap your pointer finger against your chin in faux deep contemplation. you hum, looking up in thought. it’s not long before you raise your finger in the air in an aha motion. “i got it! your favorite color is yellow!”
sakura startles when you turn all of your attention solely onto him. his heart races. he really wasn't lying when he said he didn't have a favorite color, but with the expectant look that's painting your features, sakura's rendered unable to say anything other than "yeah, it is."
“really?” you lean in closer, seeking out sakura’s confirmation. sakura instinctively leans back.
“y-yeah,” he stumbles over the word, unable to think of much beyond the warm scent of your fragrance spray that hangs in the air. he feels like it’s clinging to his clothes despite the distance he’s tried to put between you two.
“i had a feeling you would like yellow,” you say, obviously pleased with yourself.
"huh? what gave you the idea i liked yellow?" sakura's face screws up in confusion. he doesn't think that he ever gave any indication that he liked yellow over any other color before.
"i just had a feeling." you shrug your shoulders before smiling. "you just seem like the kind of person who would like yellow."
"what does that even mean?"
sakura really doesn’t understand you sometimes.
"yellow's just a nice color, that's all." your gaze falls gently onto sakura's face, lingering on the left half, on his left eye, with an expression that sakura can't quite decipher.
before sakura can probe you with more questions, asking you to elaborate further, nirei and suo have returned with bags with overflowing with snacks and drinks. your attention shifts to the arrival of your friends. the topic of conversation flows in a different direction, though sakura's thoughts remain on what you've said.
sakura's never really given much consideration to his favorite color before, but when you had guessed that it was yellow with such a hopeful look on your face, he couldn't say anything other than yes. all other words failed him.
yellow's not such a bad color, he supposes. he could grow to like it. maybe, he'd be able to understand one day why you think it's such a nice color.
note: my beautiful princess tsubaki <3 had this idea on my mind for a bit, so i hope you enjoy!
pairing: tsubakino tasuku x gender neutral reader
word count: 1.8k
tags: gender neutral reader, he/him pronouns used for tsubaki, vague descriptions of violence, established relationship, fluff, pet names, reader is an acts of service kind of person
it’s in the heat of a fight when it happens.
tsubakino and the jikoku unit are on patrol when one of the townspeople informs them that some punks are causing trouble on the outskirts of makochi. they are quick to intervene, and the fight they find themselves involved in isn’t difficult by any means, each member of the jikoku unit able to take on their opponent with ease.
the guy that tsubakino’s facing is rather unimpressive, but he’s able to get a lucky hit on tsubakino. the punch doesn’t hurt in the slightest, but tsubakino notices something right after he gets hit.
the shift in tsubakino’s energy is nearly palpable, causing some people involved in the brawl to freeze. the twins pause from fighting for a moment, meeting each other’s gaze and sharing a look before turning towards tsubakino. there’s only one thing that would set their captain off like that.
tsubakino has chipped a nail.
tsubakino’s opponent appears to notice him inspecting his nails and scoffs. “aw, is the princess upset because she ruined a nail?” he taunts. a foolish move considering it only serves to anger tsubakino more.
“my partner just did my nails,” tsubakino smooths his skirt out before turning his attention to the punk responsible. “and you just had to go and mess it up.”
the man must have come to his senses because his hands shake as he holds them out in front of him in fists. he tries to step back, to put some distance between himself and tsubakino, but it’s futile. in one smooth kick, tsubakino knocks him out.
tsubakino turns towards the rest of the jikoku unit with a tight smile on his face. “let’s make this quick boys!”
members of the jikoku unit follow the command from their captain, no longer taking the time to leisurely play around with their opponents. they knock out the men with ease, pushing them out of town with their tails tucked between their legs.
“great work guys!” tsubakino’s smile is no longer as tight as before as he praises his unit for a job well done. “that’s the end of our patrol, so you guys are free for the rest of today!” he says, clapping his hands together.
with tsubakino's dismissal, most of the jikoku unit disperses, saying their goodbyes as they pass by their captain. the only people who stick around are his vice-captains: the sakaki twins.
"that includes you two," tsubakino says, wagging a finger at his second-in-commands, "you're free to go."
"we'll see you tomorrow," uryu says, dipping his head slightly. uryu and seiryu begin to walk off, but seiryu makes sure to sneak in a cheeky comment before they can get too far.
"enjoy your time with your partner, tsubaki!" there's a knowing look on seiryu's face as he waves goodbye over his shoulder.
"i will," tsubakino replies, smiling.
once his team is out of view, tsubakino takes his phone out and pulls up your contact. clicking the call button, tsubakino raises the mobile device to his ear. it only rings once before you answer.
"hello beautiful," you say in a sing-songy way, making tsubakino's smile widen.
"hi baby," tsubakino coos. he draws the phone closer to his ear as if it will bring you even nearer to him. "what are you doing?"
"nothing much," you sigh, "just getting some work done at home. what about you? you should be done with patrol by now, right?"
"yeah, i just finished! had to sort some guys out who were causing trouble on the edge of town, and one of them messed up my nails," tsubakino pouts as he inspects his nails again. the damage isn't devastating, but his one chipped nail already bothers him.
"are you alright? no injuries?" you ask, concern seeping into your voice.
"no injuries," tsubakino promises, sweet and reassuring. although tsubakino can take care of himself, which you're more than well aware of, he knows that you can't help but worry about him.
"good. good," you say, sounding relieved. "if you're free right now, do you want to come over to mine? i can fix your nail since i know it's going to bother you if it doesn't get fixed soon," you lightly tease.
"that sounds great,” tsubakino beams. “i'll pick up some snacks and drinks for us on my way over, so i'll be at yours in half an hour or so?"
“sounds perfect, my love. i’ll see you soon.”
tsubakino and you exchange goodbyes and i love yous before ending the call. he then begins walking back towards the center of town, thinking of what he wants to pick up for you two to share.
although the decision is really made for tsubakino since many of the townspeople offer him food and drinks as he passes by their establishments. he tries to turn some of them down, but they insist, placing to-go bags directly into tsubakino's hands for him to take. once tsubakino's hands are completely full, he opts to take side streets to your place instead of the main road. it's thankfully quieter on this route, and no good-natured shop keepers offer tsubakino any of their goods.
tsubakino arrives at your front door, a little less than half an hour after the call ended with you. he lightly knocks on your door, unable to do much more with his hands full. he can hear the pitter patter of footsteps before the door swings open, revealing your beautiful face.
"hello gorgeous," you greet before quickly ushering tsubakino inside. "let me take these from you. thank you so much for grabbing something on your way, you didn't have to."
"thank you honey." tsubakino gives you a kiss on the cheek, leaving behind a light imprint of his lipstick. "and i was planning on buying us some snacks and drinks, but the townspeople essentially shoved these into my arms as i was passing through the center."
"ah, as they usually do?"
tsubakino hums in response, wrapping himself around you as you unload the food and drinks tsubakino was provided with onto your kitchen table. you lean back into tsubakino's hold, pressing a kiss into the column of his neck.
"do you want to eat right now or do you want me to fix your nail first?"
"are you hungry?" tsubakino asks in return. "or thirsty?"
you make a contemplative sound. "not really. i can fix your nail first and then we can eat afterwards?" you suggest.
tsubakino drops his chin onto your shoulder, squeezing you a little tighter. "sounds good, baby."
"how about you go take a seat at my work station, and i'll join you after i quickly clean up here?"
tsubakino releases his hold on you and follows your suggestion. he makes his way through your apartment, pushing the door to venture into your bedroom. your work station is in the far corner of your room, and tsubakino takes a seat in the chair that's unofficially designated as his.
you’re not far behind him, entering your room only a few minutes after tsubakino takes a seat. you take the seat opposite of him, flipping on your desk lamp and making yourself comfortable.
“okay, let me see the damage.”
tsubakino places his left hand in your open palm, allowing you to inspect his nails and see how your work has held up from his fight.
"at least it's only one," you murmur, rubbing the pad of your thumb over the nail of his index finger. the red polish that you previously used to paint tsubakino's nails has chipped off in some places, exposing his nail bed.
you let go of tsubakino's hand, so you can pull open your desk drawers. "you can play some music in the background if you want, love," you say as you dig through your drawers to locate the supplies necessary to repair the chipped polish.
tsubakino pulls outs his phone from his pocket, opening up the music player app and putting the playlist you made together on shuffle. music suddenly fills the room, playing at a low volume from his speaker. the corner of your lips quirk up into a smile as you continue placing everything you need onto your desk.
you gently take tsubakino’s hand, beginning the process of carefully taking off the polish on his left index finger. tsubakino props his elbow onto your desk, resting his chin into his open palm, content to watch as you work away.
you're mostly relaxed, singing along quietly to the song playing in the background but from time to time, your face will scrunch up slightly in concentration, careful to not mess up tsubakino's other nails or smear any of the ruby red polish onto his cuticles. you’re too cute. tsubakino's so lucky to have a partner like you.
you're so supportive of him and his interests. you've always been like that. you often send him links to fashion articles or posts you think he would be interested in and enjoy surprising him from time to time with new hair, skincare, or makeup products you think he would like trying out. he appreciates how you've also tried to familiarize yourself with his interests, whether its through your own research or by asking tsubakino questions when he's talking about the latest fashion trends.
however, tsubakino was most touched when you offered to do his nails for the first time, shyly informing him that you've been trying to teach yourself how to do nails, so he wouldn't have to pay and go to a salon to get it done. you profusely apologized when they turned out a little wonky the first time you did them for him, but that's still tsubakino's favorite set he's ever gotten done because you did them for him.
you've definitely improved over time and grown far more confident in your skills. tsubakino thinks you could make some real money doing people's nails, but you brush him off whenever he brings it up, saying that you're content with having one client.
it doesn't take you long to finish fixing up tsubakino's nail. you carefully look it over for any imperfections, turning tsubakino's hand slightly from side to side before you appear to be satisfied.
"all done!"
"amazing work as always!" tsubakino praises, holding his hand up to admire the job you've done. you really are so talented.
"you flatter me, love," you say, laughing lightly as you put your equipment away in your desk drawers. once everything is in its place, you dust your hands off and offer a hand to tsubakino. he places his hand in yours, smiling when you kiss the back of it.
"shall we go eat now that's taken care of?"
"we shall."
tsubakino allows you to lead him out of your bedroom and into your kitchen, smiling the whole way through. he really is so lucky to experience a love like yours.
there's a physical weight to your gaze. heavy, but not necessarily oppressing. uncomfortable, most definitely. a deep valley has formed between your brows, set in rigid concentration. your eyes have glossed over, gaining a glass-like sheen. sakura shifts in his seat as you continue staring holes into him. there feels like there's no end in sight.
"what are you looking at?" sakura finally says, buckling under the pressure. you blink, snapped out of your reverie. sakura exhales a sigh of relief, thankful to no longer be on the receiving end of your unending gaze.
"your lips are chapped."
sakura immediately goes on the defensive. his hand comes up to cover his mouth, the pads of his fingers running over his lips. "no, they're not," he denies.
(they most definitely are.)
he lowers his hand and crosses his arms over his chest, looking off to the side. "and so what if they are?" he grumbles. he can't believe that's the reason why you were staring at him. wait, does that mean this whole time you've been staring at his lips? the realization makes the tips of his ears warm.
"relax, it's not a bad thing." you roll your eyes, but your tone is still gentle. soothing in a way that has sakura unfolding his arms. the tension loosening from his shoulders. "i was just going to ask if you wanted some chapstick. i have some on me."
"what?" sakura blusters. heat unfurls from below his collar, sprawling up his neck. won't that basically be like an indirect kiss?
sakura opens his mouth, ready to shut you down, but the words die on the tip of his tongue. you look so sincere that sakura finds it difficult to reject your offer.
"fine," he ends up saying, unable to say no.
your eyes light up, and a beaming smile stretches across your cheeks. sakura looks away for a moment, your brightness blinding him. he's unsure how his agreement could bring you such joy, but he doesn't comment on it. there are some things that he knows he simply won't understand.
"come closer, so i can give it to you."
sakura moves his chair forward until his chest hits the side of the table. something flashes in your eyes, but it's gone as fast as it comes. sakura holds his palm up over the table, ready to receive the tube of chapstick you have.
he doesn't expect you to place your hand in his and lean across the table to press your lips to his. the kiss is fast and fleeting, but it makes sakura's head spin. his brain is having a hard time comprehending what just happened but the sound of your giggles brings him back.
"why'd you do that?" he sputters before pressing his lips tight together, smearing balm across them.
"you said you wanted some chapstick," you innocently say. the grin on your lips say otherwise.
"i thought you meant that you had a tube of chapstick with you," he says exasperatedly.
you prop your elbows onto the table, dropping your face into your open palms. "yeah, i do, but where's the fun in that?"
sakura just groans, unable to come up with a real response. he was so busy trying to prepare himself for an indirect kiss that he was blindsided by you actually kissing him. he subconsciously wets his lips with his tongue.
