Friends.

 

Sakura thinks she might be losing her mind, a braincell at a time, maybe. She woke up barely ten minutes ago, her hair is in a disarray, she could still feel the remnants of the nibbling cold when she washed her face moments before, and now she's sitting at the dining table with an opened cereal box by her bowl — filled to the brim and untouched.

 

The cereals came in the form of little alphabets, she doesn't remember when she bought them, or if she even did.

 

And it seems that the longer she stares at her bowl, where the crispy cereal has long mellowed, half-submerged into a lake of nutritious white, the more the floating letters started to look as if they spelled 'friends'.

 

It's peculiar.

 

Especially when she starts picturing Kazuha in her head. Her soft features, warm and down to earth smile which she honestly believes— if the girl were to exist in the 15th century, she would simply be put on a stake for having such a bewitching smile.

 

(A weird compliment, but a compliment nonetheless.)

 

"It's getting soggy,"

 

She blinks at the raspy voice approaching from behind and does a double take at her bowl. Just a soggy mountain of bloated edible letters, none of which magically floated around to spell 'friends'.

 

Yeah, it's probably just the weekday morning daze.

 

Briefly, she forgets what Kazuha was even talking about, so she looks up at the girl with a perplexed expression.

 

"Your cereal, it's soggy."

 

Kazuha jerks her chin towards her bowl, a lazy smile creeping up her lips before she turns into the kitchen.

 

Sakura's eyes follows the younger girl's back, she watches in silence as Kazuha reaches for another bowl in the upper shelves. Her gaze doesn't leave Kazuha even as she opens the fridge and yawns, an elbow leaning against the freezer. Without a moment's falter, she swiftly swipes the carton of milk placed at the fridge's door without so much as having to look around for it.

 

Sakura considers it as one of Kazuha's idiosyncrasies, knowing where everything is, in a place that wasn't even hers.

 

She's sure her other friends don't— hell, they still confuse the washroom with the storage room sometimes. She figures it's probably because they don't sleep over at hers every other day of the week.

 

The word comes to her mind again.

 

Friends?

 

"It's my style though, soggy cereals?" Sakura replies with an arched brow just as Kazuha walks back and occupies the seat beside her instead of any of the ones opposite.

 

At her answer, Kazuha scrunches her face and lets out a tiny noise of disapproval. She reaches for the cereal box with her slender arms and bumps into Sakura deliberately just as she mouths 'Ew', quiet but teasing.

 

Sakura's nose catches a familiar scent when Kazuha invades her space, her chewing slows and internally, she scoffs in amusement.

 

Do friends smell like each other? She's pretty sure her flowery scent was slowly sticking to every single one of Kazuha's clothes the more the latter keeps coming over.

 

"Ow," Kazuha lets out a grunt in surprise when an elbow lightly meets the side of her ribs.

 

"Don't discriminate my soggy cereals." Sakura retorts in between spoonfuls, playfully glaring at Kazuha from the corner of her eyes.

 

The younger girl's state of hair matched hers, dark brown strands having a mind of their own and sticking out in various directions. None of which they bothered to even straighten out, a telltale sign of how used they were to the sight of the other in dull mornings.

 

"Alright alright, to each their own." Kazuha chuckles and retaliates by nudging Sakura back.

 

Suddenly, it turns into a nudge-of-war between the two. Their laughter fills the room with comfort unrivaled, the kind of sound so melodious and warm that it's all you would ever need to hear in the background on a bustling day to wash away the weariness, even if it was just a little.

 

"If you had to eat soggy cereals to save my life, would you do it?"

 

Sakura quizzes her then, her spoon pointed right at Kazuha as she looks at her with a rather serious expression.

 

"Sure, it's not a big deal- it's literally just cereal. They end up all the same anyway," Kazuha shrugs, pauses to eat another spoonful of her own with just the right amount of crunch and milk, then turns to Sakura to finish her own sentence.

 

"In our tummies-"

 

"Pile of shi- oh. Right, our tummies."

 

Breakfast ends with a bit of chaos— Sakura accidentally spitting milk due to their unsynchronised answers because she ate as she talked, Kazuha's squeal when a drop of it got on her cheek before it ultimately ends with the two girls cleaning the table with mirroring bedheads.

 

Not your usual kind of morning, but it was certainly theirs.

 

Now it circles back to Sakura's thoughts, can she really define whatever they had as things that casually happen between 'friends'?

 

 

i.  i had plans for the weekend but wound up with you instead

 

Sakura could do it with her eyes closed.

 

Within the four walls of her bathroom, in front of the sink, she's gotten used to her arm reaching a certain angle downwards to her right, where a cup with two toothbrushes sat. And she'd take the pink one that was always leaned towards the right side of the cup which was hers, it was accompanied by another similarly designed toothbrush but in green.

 

Her towel rack which previously hung hers only, now hung two. It's almost routine at this point— she takes a shower and once she finishes, despite the glass door fogged up with steam, her hands naturally reach for the towel on the left without having to look. Subsequently, she would stand dazed in front of the sink with heavy-lidded eyes and grab her pink toothbrush in a particular movement.

 

Sakura stares mindlessly at her reflection in the mirror, hands languidly brushing her teeth. The day has barely started and she feels like falling asleep again, maybe if she had taken a cold shower she would have been wide awake by now.

 

But a cold shower in a cold morning was merely asking to get her cryopreserved, just the thought has chills crawling down her spine.

 

The door swings open out of the blue and Sakura turns to face the one who's been responsible for her change in routine since... she can't really recall. But the fact that she's gotten used to Kazuha navigating her house like it was her own, barging in her washroom while all she has on is a towel wrapped around her body was very telling that it's a routine that's been integrated between them for a long while.

 

"Excuuuuse me." Kazuha chirps, leaning over to Sakura's side to grab the green toothbrush from the cup, rightfully hers.

 

Sakura hums lazily, tugging up her towel and staring at the younger girl in the mirror, toothbrush hanging at the side of .

 

"I could have been , I basically am actually." She points out, all she hears to her left is the swift and rhythmic noises of Kazuha brushing her teeth ecstatically.

 

"You should lock your door," Kazuha tells her, which prompts Sakura to turn her head towards the latter to roll her eyes at her.

 

"You should knock," is all she says, because Kazuha is half right.

 

She gets a quirky response, Kazuha all but turns to her and grins with full of white foam, cheekbones working overtime with that blinding smile of hers.

 

It's a silly gesture, one that makes the corners of her own lips curl up in amusement. Sakura feels the drowsiness slowly dissipating — Kazuha has that effect, more often than not, she's the most effective source of eradicating whatever sort of fatigue that would weigh her down.

 

She's the 'happy pill' kind of friend.

 

"The other day, I saw a pair of cute toothbrushes at the supermarket. Had like super adorable characters on them, thought you might like them. Should I get it for us?"

 

Kazuha informs her, body fully turned to face Sakura as one hand brushed her own teeth while the other reached out to brush away damp strands that stuck to Sakura's cold cheeks.

 

"I have other spares, don't need to get it." Sakura tells her before spitting out the toothpaste in the sink.

 

When she straightens back up, Kazuha places an arm around her shoulders. They feel warm on her bare skin but she doesn't move away. Kazuha lightly bumps the crown of their heads together, fingers playfully tickling Sakura's collarbone, the blonde doesn't even seem bothered.

 

"It's a pair of Chiikawa toothbrushes."

 

"We absolutely have to get it."

 

 

ii. you were there my lonely nights keeping me together

 

Sakura is tucked in bed earlier than she's used to.

 

Given that her body simply wasn't keeping up with the day's workload, there's not much to do but sleep when her immune system is feeling like .

 

She still hasn't submitted her Statement of Absence for an afternoon class she skipped, makes a mental note to make a short visit to the clinic to get a doctor's note the day after. Or maybe get an e-copy of it via teleconsult instead, that is if her legs refuse to work tomorrow.

 

She's halfway to slumberland when she suddenly hears the softest click of her door, muffled footsteps approaching the foot of her bed. A minute later, the spot behind her dips and her bed creaks at the newfound weight, an arm slings itself across her midriff and without opening her eyes, Sakura turns around and lets herself be cacooned by the familiar warmth.

 

"I could have been a stranger you hugged."

 

"I don't give my spare keys to strangers."

 

Not even her parents had the keys to her apartment, and she only had one other spare besides her main ones, so it doesn't take much pondering for Sakura to know that it's Kazuha's arms that she's currently nesting in.

 

"Have you been drinking?" Sakura's nose crinkles when she catches a whiff of alcohol mixed within Kazuha's scent.

 

"Just a little, some party Yunjin dragged me to..." Kazuha mumbles against the crown of her head, the slurring of words at the end of her sentence shows that she's a little out of it.

 

Sakura pulls herself away from Kazuha's grasp, eyes turning into slits. Her actions confused the other girl, who merely looked at her questioningly. There's the slight furrow in Kazuha's brows the moment she loses Sakura within her hold, something akin to disappointment.

 

On a normal day, maybe Sakura would have found her little expression endearing but with her current condition, she's been a little sensitive the entire day. She just hopes Kazuha didn't bring in any potential viruses besides her slightly reeking with alcohol from whatever party she was dragged into.

 

"And you came into my bed with outside clothes? Kazuha." Sakura sternly says, sniffling as she buries herself within her sheets further.

 

"No no, I was wearing a long coat- I hung it outside. Whatever I'm wearing now is clean, I swear."

 

Reasoning was useless when Sakura's giving her a nasty glare that could probably bore holes into her head the longer she stares. So Kazuha sighs and retreats out of the comfort of the older girl's bed before trudging her way towards the bathroom.

 

"Finee, I'll take a quick shower..." She whines, shoulders sagging as she kicks herself out of Sakura's room, unaware that the latter was silently giggling at her complaints.

 

While Kazuha was in the shower, Sakura comes across an annoying problem. Try as she might, she just couldn't fall asleep. Sure Kazuha was partly to blame for the intrusion— something she was long used to and rarely complained about (maybe she should start) but all in all, despite wrapping the entirety of herself with a blanket, sleep refuses to come.

 

"I leave to shower for a while and come back to a human pupa on the bed, you good?"

 

Under the sheets, she hears Kazuha's muffled chuckles resonating across her room. Sakura doesn't give a verbal answer, she wriggles her feet from under the blanket and it's enough to evoke another round of giggles from the younger girl.

 

"I heard you weren't feeling so good today."

 

Feet shuffling towards her bed, the right side of the mattress sinks like it's all too familiar, like she's long accustomed to the presence who seem to have made a home at that particular spot. It's when Sakura realises that she would subconsciously leave the right side of her bed vacant, always claiming the left side instead like an unspoken habit.

 

Some nights, Kazuha comes in without a word and leaves promptly in the mornings before she'd wake. Sakura would be able to tell because the pillows would shift from its usual spot, and a faint scent of citrus would linger. Most nights, it's easy to tell because her lithe body simply magnetises Kazuha's arms, they coil around her like another blanket of security, anchors her and her late night thoughts when it gets a little lonely.

 

"Just a little under the weather." Sakura replies, half of her face peeking out of the sheets to see Kazuha rapidly tapping away on her phone, back propped up against the headboard.

 

It's probably Yunjin again, always consistent with wanting to know the whereabouts of Kazuha, especially when it's past their dormitory curfew— something Sakura completely understood and probably would have done the same if her roommate rarely comes home.

 

Yeah, she should probably do something about that.

 

"You know, you literally have a dorm." Sakura points out flatly.

 

"I know." A mindless hum.

 

"And a roommate who probably misses you," Sakura presses on, Kazuha gives her a side glance before going back to tapping on her phone.

 

"It's fine, Yunjin and I see each other every day." Kazuha reasons weakly, she has a hunch on why the topic of her dorm was being brought up, much to her dismay.

 

Sakura rolls her eyes, like we don't either.

 

"Surely she questions your daily escapades to mine?" Sakura questions her with a dubious look, Kazuha releases a groan and nods with pouted lips.

 

She puts away her phone on the bedside table and lays back down facing the older girl.

 

"Every. Single. Day." She emphasises each word, Sakura simply chortles at the sound of her whines.

 

"Don't be like that, Zuha. Spend more time with your roomie or get your spare keys revoked. Yunjin's just being a concerned roommate, a rightful one at that too." Sakura pokes her shoulder as she spoke with a firm voice.

 

"Whaaaat..."

 

"I'm saying," Sakura uses two fingers to pinch Kazuha's lips before the latter could complain any further, "I'm limiting your visits to two times a week because it honestly feels like you're at my apartment eight days a week."

 

Kazuha frowns, grabbing the hand that caught her lips and holds them captive in hers instead.

 

"There's only seven-"

 

"Exactly! I see you more than my professors combined and we don't even study in the same building." Sakura grouses, shaking her head at the realisation.

 

When did she start doting on Kazuha so much?

 

"Let's negotiate. How about three times a week?" Kazuha tugs on her hand, Sakura tries to pull away but it's hard when those long fingers that wrap around her hand just wouldn't let her.

 

"Two." Sakura shoots the younger girl a glare but it doesn't perturb her a single bit, if anything, the corners of Kazuha's lips seem to be lifting up.

 

"...Plus one equals three." Kazuha retorts swiftly, then she pulls a look that resembles a pleading puppy looking up at its owner begging to be spoiled just once more.

 

Sometimes, Sakura forgets Kazuha is good at holding eye contact. So it's no surprise when her gaze starts to falter as Kazuha's dark brown orbs continued staring at her. Any longer and Sakura is sure the younger would start shooting stars and beams out of those captivating yet soft pair of eyes.

 

"You are so..." Sakura's lips twitch as she breaks her gaze away. That felt more like a plea than a negotiation, one that Sakura still finds a hard time refusing. "...Fine, use your three tickets wisely."

 

"Don't even try to sneak in at night, I can tell you were here." Sakura adds on with a huff, and that moment Kazuha's expression changed briefly— eyes growing wide before they start blinking rapidly.

 

"What? I've never done that."

 

A blatant lie spouted with her entire chest, Sakura wishes she had Kazuha's confidence.

 

"Tell that to the crooked pillows and the toothpaste that always somehow ends up outside the cup." Sakura grumbles, turning to face the ceiling before closing her eyes.

 

"I wanna apologise but it's honestly impressive that you manage to spot the traces of me." Kazuha says with wonder.

 

"You do all the little things for me, it's kinda hard not to keep coming back when it feels like you're welcoming me all the time." The brunette adds on with a sheepish grin on her face, moving closer to the human cacoon.

 

Sakura flinches slightly with every jab of a finger that disturbed her peace, her assailant calmly fishing for a response in the form of poking.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Is all she ends up saying, because really, she doesn't have the capacity to defend herself when Kazuha's words were actually awakening the realisations she wasn't really aware of.

 

And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, Kazuha starts listing a few of everything she has (apparently) ever done for the girl in detail.

 

"You used to have one set of bathroom slippers, now there's two outside the door. Sometimes, you cook portions that are way too much for one person. You hang two towels instead of one and my spare clothes are always neatly folded in your closet even though you could have returned them. Oh yeah, you leave space for me on your bed."

 

What the hell, she realised all these before me...

 

Sakura is too ashamed to even move a muscle, doesn't even want to open her eyes because she'll see a smug Kazuha who has her pinned in the corner with pristine evidence to back her up.

 

"Unfortunately, I'm banned most days of the week now. Good for you though, no one to bother you."

 

"I didn't say you were a bother."

 

"I know."

 

Of course she fell for it again, Sakura whips her head so quickly to her right and sees exactly what she pictured. Kazuha with the biggest grin on her face she might as well win a Guiness World Record for it, shining eyes looking back at hers with a hint of slyness but also something else akin to fondness.

 

Sakura's jaw is clenched, the moment she feels her face burn is when she decides to go back into hiding— within the safety of her blanket until not even a blonde strand is in sight. Her heart is particularly noisy tonight, and it totally wasn't because of low blood pressure.

 

"Hellooo... can you let me in? I need a blanket too..." Kazuha sidles up to her then, tugging at the sheets with pursed lips as she curls into her side.

 

"...No."

 

"Alright, freezing to death then."

 

She hears Kazuha giving in easily and shuffling away, but Sakura knows it's another one of her tactics to get a better response out of the older girl. Sakura hates that it still works despite her being self-aware.

 

She suddenly pops her head out of the blanket and sees Kazuha lying facing up in a ridiculously straight position, arms on her stomach. The curls of her lips didn't go unnoticed by Sakura, who grunts under her breath.

 

"How do you that, guilt-tripping me and making me yield so easily."

 

Kazuha pops an eye open, the grin on her lips stretching a little wider.

 

"I don't need to do anything and you still adore me."

 

"Ew," Sakura responds curtly, growing a little too tired to even object, feels the lull of sleep finally embracing her. So she yawns and opens up her blanket to the younger girl with half-lidded eyes, "...come here."

 

And Kazuha listens, diving straight into open arms with a silly smile on her face that one would think she won a lottery or something.

 

Sakura pretends she hadn't just released a content sigh when Kazuha embraces her for another night once more, her warmth contributing to the drowsiness of sleep. And immediately she knows that she'll be getting another night of good sleep, where unnecessary late night thoughts couldn't reach her— not when she's in Kazuha's arms.

 

"Don't talk, you've embarrassed me enough." Sakura instantly says when Kazuha brings her head close, tucked under her chin where the familiar scent of her rose body shampoo was prominent.

 

When Kazuha laughs, Sakura feels it against her skin. It's mellow, enters your ears like a melodious tune. They feel like pearls dropping.

 

If Kazuha's laughter was a song, Sakura would be the composer.

 

"I'm thankful to you, for a lot of things." Kazuha mumbles against her head, even without having to look at her face, Sakura knew she was smiling.

 

She pinches her side when the younger doesn't abide by her words, cheeks feeling as warm as the sun. She's smiling too.

 

"Ouch- okay okay. Sleeping, I'm sleeping."

 

 

 

iii. friends don't say words that make friends feel like more than just friends

 

"I thought you wanted to stop?"

 

With her bag hanging off one shoulder, Kazuha approaches the blonde with furrowed brows and a questioning look. She waves a dismissive hand in front of her face, driving away the small cloud of smoke trailing from the cigarette between Sakura's rosy lips.

 

She had spotted the blonde from the campus' library on the fourth floor, where she sat near the big windows facing one of the campus exits. From up top, it was easy to notice a particular blonde wearing a familiar pair of glasses chilling beside the cigarette bin, patiently waiting for her.

 

"...It's hard." Sakura gives her a wry smile, almost apologetic, taking a last drag before putting out the cigarette and chucking it into the bin.

 

Kazuha nods in understanding, lips curling up in a comforting smile. Seeing the pack in Sakura's hand, she cautiously reaches out to gently pry them off the older girl's fingers, all while maintaining her gaze on her, tender eyes giving the blonde silent reassurance.

 

Sakura starts chewing on her lower lip but lets Kazuha do whatever, the younger is only trying to help her anyway.

 

"I can't think of much solutions so, I don't know... kiss me instead." Kazuha shrugs, feigns nonchalance as she fixes her gaze elsewhere the moment those words escaped her lips.

 

For some reason, Sakura thought her ears had failed her, so all she could answer was, "Eh?"

 

She stood there genuinely surprised, eyes doubling in size as she struggles to comprehend Kazuha's words. But the younger girl is kind enough to repeat herself and it's how Sakura knows her ears were working just fine.

 

"When it gets hard, when the urge is too strong," Kazuha looks straight back at her again, a hint of uncertainty painting her face, yet she firmly replies, "kiss me instead."

 

For a while, Sakura remains speechless, stunned upon bold words leaving Kazuha's lips but she doesn't feel repulsed or whatsoever. All she does is slowly crack into an amused smile, a scoff, then comes a string of chuckles that has Kazuha laughing along awkwardly.

 

"...What a crazy sentence." Sakura laughs into her hands, sending a light smack on Kazuha's shoulder.

 

"Are we not close friends enough for me to joke around like that?" Kazuha sounds like she wants to salvage the situation, taking Sakura's reaction the wrong way and wants to swerve the conversation elsewhere.

 

"What you just said? A joke? Someone's lying to save face..." Sakura doesn't give her a chance though, clearly intrigued by such a solution, one particularly interesting and never heard of in her life.

 

"Say I agree," Sakura suddenly says and it's enough for Kazuha pour her entire attention on her again, "but what do I do if I get the urge and you're not here?"

 

Sakura points out a flaw in the 'solution', big eyes gleaming with anticipation and curiosity upon what Kazuha's answer would be.

 

With haste and a smile, Kazuha starts digging up something out of her bag. When she opens her palm, it's a pack of chewing gums that come in various fruity flavours. Sakura hums in delight at the sight, one side of her lips curving up in a crooked grin.

 

"Here, take these instead then. I keep a stash that even Yunjin doesn't know about. Lord knows she'd eat it all." Kazuha admits, it's true that she has a little more bubblegum than one should have, but at least she doesn't have a stash of something weirder.

 

Sakura chuckles, gladly taking the 'goods' off Kazuha's hands. She gives it a pensive look, then turns back to Kazuha with a teasing smile.

 

"Why do I feel like this was your backup plan if I were to refuse your first intention?" Sakura suspects and with the way Kazuha stiffens for a moment confirms her suspicions, "It's like a 'Do you want a kiss?' situation and if the girl gives you a weird look, you take out a Hershey's kisses chocolate to save yourself from the embarrassment."

 

The lack of reply, the thumbs fiddling with the hem of her shirt, lips pulled between her teeth, all of a sudden Sakura feels sort of bad for exposing the younger girl just like that. She can't help how endearing Kazuha simply is, she teases her until her quirky gestures and shyness come out, blatant coverups she'd stubbornly never admit to.

 

"That... so- you want the gums or not?" Kazuha stammers, eyebrows knitted in a frown as she spoke with pursed lips.

 

Sakura's keen facial expression reading skills tell her that Kazuha looks partly disappointed thinking that her initial solution was for sure rejected, despite mentioning that it was merely a joke. So really, why did she briefly seem dejected?

 

Sakura laughs heartily at this, catching the brunette by surprise. She figures she has to do something to rid of that little upset look on Kazuha's face.

 

"I'll take both." Sakura quips, smile reaching her ears.

 

She's met with another confused look, she doesn't bother elaborating and just folds her arms across her chest, staring intently at Kazuha with an expectant look.

 

Then there was Kazuha who was wondering what was going through Sakura's mind right then, and why on earth was she looking at her like that. For a while, she feels like a rabbit in the eyes of a cunning fox.

 

"Well?"

 

Kazuha jumps slightly when Sakura calls her again, breaks her out of a trance she didn't even realise she was in.

 

"Huh?" She lamely replies and while she's caught off-guard, dainty fingers slip themselves into her hand where the pack of cigarettes were.

 

Sakura doesn't take it back though, she's holding her hand with the little box sandwiched between their palms. Small fingers curl within the spaces of her own, Kazuha subconsciously swallows.

 

"I'm lighting another cig if you don't place those pretty little lips of yours on mine in the next second."

 

It's hard to explain— what the effects of those words had on her but if Kazuha had to say, it feels like a thousand pound gravity weighing on her, until she's forced into the earth's core where it rivals the searing warmth that surged throughout her body then.

 

It didn't help that Sakura has a little smirk plastered on her face, she seems to know what she's doing— blonde curls cascading sharp shoulders, glasses framing her face so perfectly she almost looks like she came out of a manga, white button up shirt with the top two buttons loose, sleeves rolled up to her elbows accompanied with high waisted pants that accentuates her legs.

 

.

 

She went to a presentation looking like that?

 

A gentle pull on her hand brings Kazuha back to reality (she was in a trance again!), she gazes down to doe eyes looking back up at her through long lashes.

 

Oh, she'd be an idiot to not do what was asked then.

 

So Kazuha cups Sakura's cheek, mentally says 'screw it' because not only are they doing this in public but it's also right outside their campus. God forbid any professors or her friends are watching.

 

Not that she cares anyway, there's a pretty girl waiting right in front of her.

 

Sakura tastes like strawberry candies and smoke— Kazuha smiles against pink lips, feeling the desperate tug of her shirt that beckons her closer— it's a new combination of taste she'd willingly get used to.

 

Surprisingly, Sakura actually ends up smoking less.

 

 

iv. wouldn't it make sense if i was yours and you could call me your baby

 

Sakura is pretty sure their friendship has turned into a sort of situationship.

 

Nobody says anything about it though, friends don't do what they do— kiss a little here and there, and if anyone between them was aware that they were merely taking advantage of Kazuha's solution so that Sakura smokes less, none of them pointed it out.

 

Still, if anybody's asking, they're simply close friends.

 

Sakura is leaning against a pillar with her laptop bag hiked up one shoulder, the sun is forgiving today, she likes the gentle breeze ruffling her hair every now and then. She lacks a smile on her face though, eagle eyes watching two figures talking animatedly outside the auditorium where the Performance Arts Club had just ended their session.

 

I feel like I'm intruding something... Sakura laughs to herself, scratching her nape awkwardly when the girl whom Kazuha is currently talking to, Xiaoting, laughs against the latter's shoulder, sly hand snaking down her bicep to encircle her wrist.

 

Sakura holds back a giggle when Kazuha tries to gently retract herself from the rather touchy individual, not wanting to appear rude as she took a step back before the conversation continued as she wore an amiable smile.

 

Not wanting to seem like a creep, Sakura turns around and steps outside for a bit, pulling out a pack of cigarettes to entertain her sudden need of nicotine. Kazuha's a little busy anyway and she ran out of bubblegums to distract the itch.

 

Distract the itch or the unsettling feeling whirring in the pit of her stomach, she doesn't know, it's one of those times when ignorance is bliss.

 

"Sorry for the wait!"

 

Kazuha comes running up to her a few minutes later and by the time she nears, she notices Sakura drilling her heel into a cigarette .

 

The blonde smiles at her as a greeting, then she glances past her shoulders and jerks her chin, a knowing grin on her face.

 

"Girlfriend?" Sakura asks out of curiosity, but she doesn't expect Kazuha to turn into a rambling mess afterwards, hands waving dismissively.

 

"Huh? What- oh no no-"

 

"Hey relax, I was just asking." Sakura chuckles, patting Kazuha's arm where it was touched by another before.

 

"Yeah but... she's not- you know, my girlfriend or anything. I'm not interested." Kazuha clarifies too hastily, eyes flitting across Sakura's face, who simply laughs.

 

"She does seem very interested in you though. You should give her a chance-"

 

"You were smoking just now,"

 

Kazuha intervenes, eyebrows furrowed while giving Sakura a wry smile.

 

"Uh what? Oh yeah, I ran out of gums." Confused by the sudden change of topic, Sakura tilts her head, perplexed. "Why-"

 

Kazuha doesn't leave her room to finish her reply because in the next second, Sakura finds herself being reeled in for a sudden kiss.

 

Honestly, to Sakura, kisses never really felt like anything. Just flesh upon flesh, nothing like fireworks going off in her head or any of the sort.

 

But when Kazuha kisses her, it's not just empty warmth and a quick exchange. Sakura could feel unspoken words being conveyed upon her supple lips, a hint of desperation she couldn't quite grasp but longs to know what it would lead to if she were to indulge them.

 

Something slick swipes across her bottom lip, the tickling sensation has her knees going weak that Kazuha has to hold her waist firmly to keep her upright. And before she was going to subconsciously part her lips to invite Kazuha in, the latter pulls away with a sharp inhale.

 

Sakura is motionless within strong arms supporting her up, eyes the widest they have ever been. It's so jaw dropping that she can't say a word nor form a coherent thought, merely staring at Kazuha in disbelief, who ran a hand through her brown hair as if nothing groundbreaking happened.

 

She takes the same pack of gums from her bag and puts it wordlessly into Sakura's jeans pocket.

 

"Let's go for dinner." Shy smile, cheeks red, Kazuha starts pulling her along towards the bus stop.

 

By then, Sakura is half dazed, blushing from head to toe, too embarrassed to speak because Kazuha managed to make her so vulnerable like that .

 

Sakura looks at their intertwined hands, then she glances behind her where a pair of eyes were looking at them. A broad grin creeps its way up to her lips, not an ounce of guilt found when she realises that Xiaoting had witnessed all of what transpired.

 

In the diner, Kazuha sits beside her as usual. Occasionally, their arms would brush against each other's, knees knocking every now and then but they don't move an inch away from the other.

 

They share the same stories and laughter despite everything, maybe with a little more touching here and there, longer stares but otherwise, everything feels just about the same. And Sakura hopes that whatever they share would remain constant in this everchanging world.

 

"Can I stay the night? Pleaseee?"

 

Their arms are linked, tummies full and their smiles never once waned. Sakura rolls her eyes, shoving Kazuha playfully upon her pleas.

 

"You'd be breaching the three day limit, so no." She firmly tells her, it would be nice and she kind of misses Kazuha crashing at her house at random times of the day but she didn't want to be selfish.

 

"Let me breach it just this once, I promise I won't-"

 

She learns from Kazuha— how to shut people up (only each other) when they would ramble— by pressing her lips against the younger girl's. Inevitably it works, Kazuha was rendered pleasantly surprised.

 

"Yunjin's waiting for you. Told me in advance she's booking you for a girls' movie night together."

 

Sakura informs her, pulling away her arm and gently prodding Kazuha towards the bus stop where the latter's bus conveniently came on cue.

 

"Goodnight baby, now be a good roomie and go home!"

 

Sakura exclaims and waves, laughing when Kazuha instantly whipped her head back at her upon the choice of pet name.

 

She knows that's going to be etched on Kazuha's mind for the entire night, so maybe she shouldn't have said it? Sakura hopes it doesn't distract Kazuha too much from her quality time with Yunjin, else the redhead would be whining in her messages.

 

1:08AM (Four hours later)

 

zuhazana: had a fun girls night with yunjin

its honestly a blessing we share the same humour

 

kkurakkura: you two are such losers who share the same braincell

so cute fr

 

zuhazana: :)))

ill pretend u didnt just call us that

how was ur night and why arent u asleep yet btw

 

kkurakkura: gaming  👻

 

zuhazana: as always 🤨

also when did i become ur 'baby'?

 

kkurakkura: you have always been a big baby

super clingy

 

zuhazana: are u calling me a literal infant or an endearment term

 

kkurakkura: both

 

zuhazana: hah

nevermind lol

night!! sleep well and if u cant just hug the pillow that smells like me

 

kkurakkura: goodnight

thanks for the bubblegums

and the surprise kiss earlier

 

zuhazana: about that...

 

kkurakkura: dont worry bout it

i needed it

bye

also youre really not into xiaoting?

 

zuhazana: no im not

shes really just a friend

actually more of an acquiantance idk her that well, we've never hung out

 

kkurakkura: good.

anyway

💤 g'night baby (endearment term)

*sent a photo*

 

zuhazana: ong whoahah

pretty pretty

😳😳🫡🫡

 

kkurakkura : im rolling around in my bed it feels sooo comfortable

 

zuhazana: what does that mean

are u taunting me

i will actually come over

 

kkurakkura: i'll tell yunjin to put you on restraints

 

zuhazana: whats the selfie for

 

kkurakkura: no reason just because

...for u to stare at maybe?

dont breach the three day limit!!

goodnight srsly

 

zuhazana: oh!

 

The morning after

 

"I was gonna turn off your ten thousand alarms then BAM! Suddenly, I see Sakura's freaking pretty face. Setting her as your lockscreen, you're so down bad, sis."

 

Yunjin is as loud as ever in the morning, she's yapping about Kazuha's lockscreen where a low exposure of Sakura's selfie the latter sent last night was set. Kazuha is groaning in bed, hiding under her blanket because she's so utterly embarrassed that Yunjin just had to see it.

 

A series of laughter subsequently follows, then a prodding silence before Yunjin clears .

 

"...Can I have that picture too?"

 

"Wha- No!"

 

 

[+1] v. let's put the end in friends

 

It's rare for Sakura to come over their dorm.

 

In fact, it's probably her second or third time here and all of it previously was merely to fetch Kazuha, and then the two would be off to hang out somewhere, study even. This time, they made plans for the evening and before that, Kazuha had suggested for the blonde to come over for a while.

 

(It's barely the start of another week yet Kazuha has used up all her three tickets for three consecutive days, and seeing how Sakura is still very adamant on her not breaching it, this was what she came up with on a whim.)

 

And to Kazuha's utter surprise, Sakura actually agrees to come over.

 

Except, she kind of forgot to tell Yunjin until the very last minute. Kazuha earned an earpiercing shriek in response, she was sure the other rooms heard it, thinking someone smuggled a pterodactyl into their dorms or something. It also resulted in a super duper fast cleaning session, literally five minutes before Sakura came knocking.

 

Another thing, Kazuha forgot how her roommate used to have a crush on Sakura (she probably still kinda does) and used to grab at any opportunity to even just look at a strand of her brilliant blonde hair.

 

Even when Yunjin had somewhere to go in the next few minutes, she ecstatically swings the door open and smiles widely upon being greeted by the sight of Sakura, who was slightly taken aback by how energetically she opened the door.

 

"Hello Yunjin," Sakura waves with a small smile on her face, silvery voice entering their ears like a word of blessing.

 

"Hi- hey Sakura! Hi!" Yunjin excitedly responds, beckoning her to come in, of course she beats Kazuha in welcoming the blonde.

 

Kazuha raises her eyebrows in acknowledgment when Sakura looks her way, flashes her a gentle smile. Meanwhile, although Yunjin doesn't carry the same fondness for Sakura the way she used to, she's still sort of starstruck as she watches the blonde enter their humble abode.

 

The way she's acting reminded Kazuha of a conversation they had weeks ago, it was funny but it also ticked a nerve in her for some reason.

 

 

("Bro, I can't believe you're friends with an angel like Sakura- THEE Miyawaki Sakura! The most beautiful girl I've ever laid my eyes on, oh my god- if I were you, I'd be begging on my knees for her to be my girlfr- HEY! Watch where you're throwing that pillow!"

 

"Don't talk about my best friend like that."

 

"You keep saying 'bEsT fRiEnD' so you don't like her romantically right? So this means I have a chance and I can court her without friendly fire- WILL YOU STOP! That pillow is a hazard!"

 

"I'd like to see you try, you're probably not even her type."

 

"Funny because the other day, she asked me to hang out at a cafè."

 

"You guys what?!"

 

"HAH! The way you're acting! I knew you were lying! You like, like her don't you!"

 

"When did you two go out together..."

 

"I lied heheh, we only met briefly and she gifted me this crochet jellyfish keychain and bought me a drink saying she was sorry that you barely come back to the dorm to spend time with me. Crap, I should have proposed to her right then and there- Oh! Dodged that one!"

 

"You know... she did just recently ban me from going to her house..."

 

"That's what you deserve for ghosting me, so spend time with me! I'm your roommate for god's sake, I'm so lonely..."

 

"You're right, I should be putting more effort to be a good roomie. Sorry 'bout that... So, wanna go cycling or something?"

 

"HELL YEAH!")

 

 

Actually, just thinking back about it makes her eye twitch. Oh yeah, she's totally gatekeeping Sakura alright.

 

Sakura's saying something but Yunjin is busy giving heart eyes to her with a goofy smile on her face, then you have Kazuha who's side-eyeing her roommate the entire time.

 

"Hey, don't you have a club meeting to attend to?"

 

Kazuha reminds her roommate, ultimately jabbing her in the side with an elbow to bring her back into reality. Yunjin folds immediately, clutching her side where Kazuha had assaulted her.

 

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"

 

"There was a mosquito."

 

"On my ribs?!"

 

Sakura breaks into laughter, finding their dynamic amusing. Seeing how she was enjoying their interactions, the pair of roommates eventually laughed along with her.

 

"Anyway, I really gotta go now! Thanks again for the jellyfish crochet, Kkura, keep a lookout for another commission from me, yeah? And bye Zuzu! Have fun and good luck!"

 

Yunjin dismisses herself a while later, throwing a wink at Kazuha who gasps at the insinuation.

 

"The heck do you mean 'good luck'?!"

 

Then the door closes, Yunjin's giggling could even be heard in the hallways.

 

Kazuha shakes her head, feeling relieved that Yunjin's out of the picture now. When she turns to face Sakura, she sees a pensive look on the blonde's face. And just as she was about to ask if everything was alright, Sakura abruptly grabs onto her arm.

 

"Kazuha," She calls, tone serious with not a crack of smile in sight, it has Kazuha holding her breath, "let's stop being friends."

 

A frown, then confusion followed by a look of sheer dejection. Kazuha stares at Sakura with trembling eyes and parted lips. A million thoughts start swarming her mind, coming up with various reasons on why Sakura would say that.

 

Of course... she's been stepping on her boundaries and so far behaved like a clingy pest who could barely last a day without seeing-

 

"Why do you look disappointed?" Sakura breaks her out of her thoughts, strange, now there's a smile on her face, bringing Kazuha in yet another state of confusion.

 

"I was gonna say," Sakura continues with a light chuckle, using a finger to lift Kazuha's chin up.

 

Then she leans in, lips just barely grazing against Kazuha's ear.

 

"Let's be lovers instead."

 

Kazuha froze, something in her jumped and suddenly is opening and closing like fish out of water. She's certain she didn't hear things wrong, and scanning the look on Sakura's face, grinning with pink colouring her cheeks tells her that she heard things right.

 

"Lovers... wait what?" Kazuha breathlessly says, feeling her heart rate suddenly picking up, "R-really?"

 

Sakura nods, it's timid but isn't any less genuine. The way her fingers wrap tenderly around Kazuha's arm, occasionally picking at her sleeve has the brunette feeling warm inside. It bubbles up to her chest and she's feeling the heat rising up to her neck at the realisation of it all.

 

"We've been dancing around each other's feelings, don't you think it's time we do something about that?"

 

Sakura quizzes her in a teasing tone, the little head tilt she does is contributing to her abnormal heart rate, pacing faster than ever. Honestly, Kazuha thinks that if she passes out at this moment, she'd die happy.

 

"God, I wanna kiss you so bad..." That was meant to be in her head, not muttering under her breath like a lovestruck fool.

 

Kazuha turns even redder because of her own blunder, vigorously shaking her head before promptly replying, "I mean! Yes! Let's do something about that...!"

 

Seeing the twinkle in Kazuha's eyes and the blush coating her face, Sakura giggles. She brings a hand up to pat Kazuha's cheek, pinching the soft skin affectionately.

 

Even Sakura's touch now is making her feel like she's on overdrive, Kazuha feels like she's an earthquake waiting to happen.

 

"I'm suddenly feeling a love surge incoming, can I hug you before I combust?" Kazuha croaks out, hands grabbing at the side of her pants like her lifeline.

 

Sakura is suppressing more laughter, but she gladly takes a step back and spreads her arms in invitation.

 

Let's just say she expected a loving hug in return, not literally getting the wind knocked out of her lungs.

 

Kazuha wasn't kidding about combusting— she ends up tackling Sakura (with love) when she went in for the hug, arms coiling around the lithe figure so tight that they end up colliding with the door. She had a hand around the back of Sakura's head and the other wrapped firmly around her back, so thankfully Sakura didn't end up getting crushed or concussed.

 

Her knuckles hurt from slamming right into solid wood but all that didn't matter to Kazuha when she's able to hold Sakura like this, the blonde blissfully laughing within her arms.

 

On the contrary, Sakura felt like she was just sent on a short joyride. No one's ever charged at her like a bull or slammed her whilst engulfing her in the most intimate, warmest embrace ever, but she didn't hate any of it.

 

It's just simply not possible to hate Kazuha. How could she when the girl hugs her like she's the last human on earth, Sakura could feel the tips of Kazuha's fingers digging into her skin, they clutch onto her so ardently, wishing they could hold her until forever doesn't exist.

 

Plus, she just got lovingly tackled. Kazuha must have had a lot of pent up love for her to release.

 

"So I can really call you my girlfriend now?" Kazuha asks dreamily, corners of her lips curving up.

 

Sakura nods, her thumb Kazuha's cheek so tenderly. Seeing how she gets so unabashedly excited and blissful upon their new relationship status fills Sakura to the brim with fondness.

 

"Ah, you're seriously so cute, Zuha... Come here, you."

 

Unable to hold back, Sakura grabs Kazuha by her shirt collar and starts showering her with kisses. From her pretty lips to her bright red cheeks, trailing down her neck before letting their lips meet again— Kazuha's giggles were just music to her ears.

 

"The earliest I can schedule to move out of my dorm is like a month later," Kazuha tells her in the midst of their intimate exchange.

 

"What? Hey, don't be so hasty and leave Yunjin in the dust!" Sakura gasps in disbelief, slapping Kazuha on the shoulder.

 

"I'm not! Even she said I was better off moving out since I always spend time at yours. Plus, I could leave a spot for the dorm waitlist to the female students who need it more. Yunjin's all for it, I swear!"

 

Sakura hums in suspicion, Kazuha simply nods firmly, hands up in surrender.

 

"Dang... I kinda sound like a homewrecker." Sakura murmurs, if she looks at the bigger picture, she honestly does appear like one.

 

"You can wreck something else."

 

Kazuha suddenly says, pointing to her own pouted lips, eyebrows wriggling with hushed intentions. And if she thought she was doing something, flirting perhaps, Sakura thinks she's the one between them who could definitely do it better.

 

Sakura doesn't even have to do much, all it takes is trailing a finger down Kazuha's chest so sensually slowly, all while maintaining an intent gaze accompanied by a smirk so coy that mountains are moving, worlds are colliding and dimensions are opening as we speak.

 

"Brace yourself then."

 

Who's to say she ends up getting a little more than just a kiss?