//

it’s not like sakura doesn’t notice, her friends didn’t but she does. she supposes she has her keen observation skills to thank for that. or maybe yuri is simply on the amateurish side of being ‘subtle’— at least it’s what sakura assumes to be. 

the way yuri throws discreet glances at her whenever she isn’t looking, and the way yuri’s eyes flit somewhere else at the last second when she looks back her way. sakura definitely acknowledges how yuri is still able to keep her composure afterwards, feigning as if she hadn’t just looked at her like with fascination glinting in her eyes.

sakura is no stranger to the gazes yuri gives her either. the way yuri looks at her compared to the way she looks at others— there’s a vast difference, and sakura is confounded that no one else in their circle could perceive it. 

yuri looks at her with understated longing, with fondness so warm and gentle that sakura could truly feel herself being enfolded in them. when she talks, yuri’s eyes are solely focused on her; nothing else. everything else is blurred out, and sakura is the focal point. it’s so tender— yuri’s gaze, she looks at sakura as if she holds the entire universe.

(and with the way yuri’s eyes settle upon her, perhaps she does.)

///

her gaze is merely one factor among many others, there’s more. frankly, sakura is quite amazed with herself for being able to spot the little things. again, maybe it’s her exceptional observation skills or maybe she has just read too many romance novels. so she knows of the telltale signs, more or less. 

if there’s one thing sweeter than honey, it has to be yuri’s voice— mellifluous and fervent. yuri’s voice resonates in her ears like a deep, pleasant melody; sort of like the balmy days of late summer. give it a short listen and sakura is immediately enticed into a state of serenity, revelling in the heartfelt tune of yuri’s comforting voice. 

(she’s certain that even the angriest of bulls would cease charging.)

all those moments when yuri would go to her whenever she needed someone to have a listen to her self-written songs, sakura is convinced it was merely an excuse to serenade her. 

“close your eyes as you listen to me, unnie.”

“hm? why?”

“i want you to... be able to feel and indulge yourself in my voice.”

because in every lyric of her written songs, there’s a hint of her, a piece of her incorporated in words so profound and so exquisite that merely explaining them would not do them justice.

when sakura closed her eyes as yuri’s mellow voice welcomed her eardrums, every other noise present seemed to wane. all she heard was yuri. and then she would feel a flicker of warmth igniting from within as she attentively listened, which would eventually sprout from her core, evolving into a potent yet benign flame as she deciphered what yuri had tried to convey.

even when she had her eyes closed, she could feel yuri’s tender gaze on her. and she would let her lips dissolve into a gentle grin for yuri to see, a simple gesture which portrayed that she was thankful. 

she knew yuri would take it as her enjoying her singing, but her smile definitely meant much more than that. to be yuri’s muse and inspiration as she wrote her songs, it was, beyond any doubt, both an honour and a gratification.

“thank you.” she would then say after yuri sang.

and yuri would give her that baffled look, because she was the one who was supposed to thank her for listening, but sakura would thank her instead. 

///

yuri’s touches cause ripple effects— a mere tap on sakura’s arm and almost instantly, it’s warm. when yuri pulls away, there’s a lingering sensation; her touches are like sun spots on sakura’s skin. it’s not just warmth per se, there are jolts similar to that of electricity, but it’s much more to the tingling feeling. 

yuri’s touches are warm and electrifying, the combined sensation creates ripples which spread throughout her body. it’s spellbinding that it leaves the cherry blossom stunned, then she’d find herself secretly craving for more of yuri’s mild touches.

yuri is naturally a clingy individual, often latching herself onto others like a koala stuck to its favourite tree. but more than anyone else, sakura just knows that she herself happens to be yuri’s favourite ‘tree’. it’s not just a gut feeling, sakura notices the subtle difference (she’s starting to think her eagle eyes are getting the best of her). 

when it comes to sakura, yuri happens to clasp onto her a little longer than she would to others. if yuri thinks she doesn’t notice, then obviously she’s very mistaken. it isn’t just the length of time, there’s also the unique way yuri holds her.

yuri would carelessly envelop her arms around others, before squeezing them in a supposedly death grip for playful measure. then there’s sakura, whom she (secretly) dotes on, reeling her in for a rather light and gentle embrace. holding onto her like a delicate cherry blossom. there’s no playful squeezing. instead, yuri relaxes when sakura is within her arms. 

being the shorter one, yuri seems to have an ideal place on sakura’s shoulders. yuri would place her chin on her shoulder, adjusting until she feels comfortable. and in most instances, sakura could hear— feel, yuri’s warm breath grazing her ear whenever she releases a (not so discreet) brief sigh of contentment. 

then sakura would just let herself be immersed by the calming wave that is yuri, before breaking into a thin smile, musing whether yuri, too, notices the little things.

(but that’s sort of overestimating the brunette, yuri happens to be blunt most of the time.)

furthermore, there’s the birthday kisses. a habit of yuri which sakura finds endearing and soft, is when the girl would plant mellow kisses on top of a person’s head as a congratulatory. yuri does it every time (like it’s her forté). she never forgets, she simply loves her friends, she cherishes every single one of them. 

when yuri kissed sakura on top of her head, it was pleasant and demure. it also lasted a few seconds longer than it usually does, sakura noticed. yuri kissed her head with so much tenderness and affection. 

“happy birthday, unnie! there’s a lot i want to say but i’ll keep it short. let’s stay best friends together for a long time. i love you.”

perhaps yuri said it because she was afraid, afraid of unrequited feelings. and maybe she thought sakura would take the last three words in a platonic way, but sakura could clearly feel the sincerity behind her words. when yuri said there was a lot she wanted to say, sakura knew she meant it. she sort of wished yuri expressed herself (maybe muster up the courage to confess), but they were surrounded by their friends at that moment, so they were both saved by embarrassment.

(it was an indirect confession, in the form of a birthday message.)

///

jo yuri is often one of the smallest in size within her class. she also doesn’t really excel in physical education (she hates it to the moon and back), she claims it’s hard. but really, she simply at sports yet she doesn’t want to admit it. 

she’s a diligent and modest student, reserved and shy at times. she’s always engaging in class (except during her all-time most hated subject more than p.e itself, mathematics).

though who knew someone like jo yuri, skates? she does. it’s one of her hobbies and possibly the only sport she excels in. to many, including sakura, the information was quite baffling. it was something least expected from the brunette.

sakura finds it cool though, charming (and attractive) even. the way yuri has full control of the board when she skates exceptionally, the broad grin plastered on her face making her look like the happiest girl in the world, the way she does tricks effortlessly and making them look like an easy task. 

yuri skated ever since she was 12, so watching her perform various tricks so easily with the (daunting) board kind of puts sakura at ease. there’s a smaller chance of her possibly getting hurt but that doesn’t mean watching the girl performing much more dangerous tricks was less nerve-wracking.

there were times when yuri stumbled over her own feet or failed to do tricks, resulting in a few grazes here and there. (she’d get back up laughing heartily though.)

there was also one time when yuri landed wrongly and sprained an ankle (sakura had to reprimand her for being careless). and yuri would still crack up after her fall, then sakura would attack her with a swarm of slaps on her shoulder for being ‘a reckless idiot’.

sakura is a worry wart, this yuri knows. she likes it when sakura shows concern for her well-being, she likes watching sakura nursing her wounds while looking like she was the one who experienced the fall instead.

sakura even forced her to wear protective gears at some point, to which yuri declined wholeheartedly because she claimed she was an ‘expert’ and that she would be more careful. 

(that was until yuri sustained another small injury, her poor cheeks got pinched mercilessly.)

that was merely watching the brunette skate.

when yuri came up to sakura with her board in hand, along with a dubious, sly grin on her lips, suggesting for her to give skating a try, the cherry blossom was quick to decline.

sakura is scared of many things— bugs, heights and even puppies. and after watching a series of an idiot named jo yuri fall on her numerous times while skating, sakura has never been more scared. 

but when yuri pursed her lips, eyes looking up at her with plead, sakura yielded. it was evidently a stupid idea, for her to agree just because she couldn’t resist yuri’s damn puppy eyes, internally she called herself stupid.

there might as well be a huge neon sign on top of her head with multiple arrows pointing at her spelling out ‘stupid’ right then. 

yuri was quick to reassure her though, telling her that she needn’t perform tricks, just basic skating would do. and then sakura realised that maybe yuri had suggested her to do so as an excuse for skinship. it was a possibility, or maybe yuri just wanted to see her falling on her with embarrassment too.

when sakura shakily placed a foot on the deck of the skateboard, she immediately held onto yuri for support. and with yuri’s eyes giving her a message of encouragement, sakura breathed in before placing her other foot on the deck.

she only stood on the board with both feet and she was already internally rejoicing. (a small victory.) yuri had to stifle a laugh when she saw a gleeful smile on sakura’s lips. that was just stepping on the board, afterwards was the most dreaded part of skating, sakura thought.

thinking of it made the smile on her lips dissipate, she had to kick off for the board to move. and suddenly she regretted her life decisions. (cue the neon sign.)

yuri had sensed her fear of course, so she held both her forearms tightly while gazing into her eyes intently with reassurance.

“don’t worry, unnie. i‘ll catch you, i won’t let you fall.”

ironic, because she already did. slowly but surely, she’s falling. plunging deeper and deeper every second, every moment, every day. 

///

at some point, sakura has grown tired of yuri being a coward. just confess, what’s so hard? she’s certain that something is holding her back. she knows exactly what it is. yuri is afraid that it’s unrequited. oh, if only she knew and noticed the little things about sakura the way the latter did.

so now they’re sitting on a patch of grass, their bicycles parked under a big oak tree. sakura has always loved walking around han river when nightfall arrives, she likes to cycle here at night, loving the feeling when the wind ruffles through her short brown locks.

it’s relaxing, pleasant and all she thinks of is the wind. the feeling gives her a peace of mind and she has absolutely nothing to worry about at that point in time.

the stars are gleaming magnificently, etched on the dark blanket. sakura has her eyes on them, and yuri is supposed to have her eyes on them too. but she guesses yuri would rather gaze at her than the bright stars. she doesn’t have to look to know, she feels it— her gaze.

“yul,” her lips part ever so slightly.

“yeah?” yuri’s reply came a second late, probably catching herself staring for too long.

sakura turns her head to look at yuri instead, noticing the little breath the girl has taken when does so. she dons a gentle smile.

“do you have someone you like?” she asks in a light tone.

and for a moment, yuri is caught off guard, unsure of how to respond. because if she’s careless, she’ll end up exposing herself. (not that sakura doesn’t know anyway.)

sakura knows, but she wants to hear it.

“no- uh... no,” yuri replied, obviously panic-stricken because her eyes dart everywhere but her.

when she catches sakura’s suspicious look, yuri relents. she sighs in defeat, fiddling her fingers as her cheeks turn into a shade of pink.

“...y-yes.” 

sakura hums, holding back a chuckle. she decides to ‘pry’ further, a tease of some sort.

“thought so. who’s the lucky one?” 

yuri is much more nervous now, and suddenly sakura feels a little guilty for having her expose herself like this when she knows the answer. but it’s amusing, and yuri is adorable.

“um... it’s a girl.” yuri starts meekly and sakura rolls her eyes, as if she doesn’t know yuri prefers girls to guys ever since she was a fetus.

stalling huh.

yuri clears , taking in a deep breath before regaining her composure. she knew the question was bound to come knocking at her door sooner or later. sakura is relentless, so yuri knows there’s no way out.

just don’t say her name and i’m safe.

“she’s pretty, like... very pretty. i think it’s an understatement. i like the way her big eyes sparkle when she talks about her favourite things, her pretty smile... but that’s just the exterior part of her.” 

yuri chuckles lightly, scratching her chin out of nervousness as she shifts her gaze elsewhere. sakura’s intent gaze on her isn’t quite helping to ease her inner turmoil. but she continues nonetheless. 

“i love her interior even more, the way she shows compassion, the way she wants to strive and improve herself constantly to become a better person than she previously was. it’s something not i, alone admire, but many others too. she’s perfect. if i tell her this, she wouldn’t agree, but in my eyes, she’s perfect.” 

sakura expected it; the warm, fuzzy feelings erupting from the pit inside her stomach. she expected it, but she wasn’t ready for it. she manages to keep a calm front though.

“but she doesn’t know she owns a place in my heart.” yuri punctuated, hanging her head low as the broad smile is no longer evident.

her voice came out despondent, and sakura has to resist the urge to outright push the fact that the brunette owns a place in her heart too. she decides to keep up a little more, hoping that it would push yuri into actually doing something, maybe act on her feelings instead of them all bottling up. 

“are you ever going to tell her?” sakura’s eyes train on yuri’s slightly slumped figure.

“...no.”

“why?”

yuri takes in a sharp breath, rubbing her eyes nonchalantly before releasing a frustrated sigh. she looks up and their eyes meet, sakura could see the dismal reflecting in her eyes. yuri’s lips curl into a dry smile.

“because she deserves someone better than me. she’ll only ever see me as ‘jo yuri’, nothing more. besides, the feeling isn’t mutual-“

it was unexpected, so unexpected. one minute, she’s rambling on about the person she loves to the said person, the next, the person does exactly this. intervening her rambling mid-sentence then lips crashed against lips, kissing her to oblivion.

for so long, yuri yearns for the taste and feel of sakura’s lips against her own. she assumes they’re soft, plump by the way they always look glossy. they are. it’s sort of like a dream becoming a reality.

sakura’s lips are warm, the sensation sending a rush of heat through her veins. 

and when sakura pulls away, gazing at her with eyes so genuine, yuri is left breathless. breathless because, what? sakura didn’t just kiss her, did she? she did, and it’s something that never crossed her mind. ever.

“you’re right, i’ll only see you as jo yuri. the jo yuri whom i’ve fallen for, the jo yuri who deserves me as much as i deserve you.” sakura mutters.

the cherry blossom takes her hand in hers, the other brushing away her brown strands covering her stunned face. her cheeks are dusted red, a lone tear may or may not be trickling down when she recognises the familiar gaze the cherry blosssom is giving her. 

the gaze filled with the same amount of fondness, affection, warmth, love when yuri looks at her. 

and there’s just bliss blossoming from within her that it’s inexplicable as sakura leans in once again.

“no other person is better than you. even if there is, i only want you.” 

—

end.