//

iz*one are fully-pledged beagles, this hitomi (actually everyone) knows. so it was no surprise that after almost two hours of executing a rather chaotic live, hitomi started to get weary. to add to that, it was already late in the evening— sleep beckons her jaded body.

hitomi plodded back to her sole room, producing a brief and tired sigh as she closes her door behind her. hitomi was bouncy during the live, so she wonders how she became dazed soon after they ended the live. maybe because carrying out a two hour live straight wasn't exactly an easy task (they did talk a whole lot plus the very necessary screams). all in all, it had been a fruitful night and just as she lay sprawled on her bed, sakura knocks and enters without waiting for her response— and suddenly her night became more fruitful.

hitomi turns to lay on her stomach, her curious eyes landing on the intruder. she saw how sakura's lips slowly curled up when their eyes met, and hitomi couldn't help but return a small smile fondly.

"hey you," came sakura's simple yet cool greeting as she closes the door, ambling towards her bed.

"hey-" hitomi doesn't even have the chance to finish her greeting because sakura proceeds to place herself on top of her small back, embracing her from behind.

it's a good thing sakura hadn't jumped on her, hitomi wouldn't know if her spine could take all this (warm) weight on her back. hitomi whines about the sudden weight, wriggling in sakura's grasp as if she doesn't favour any of this, but the expanding smile on her face says otherwise. 

sleep? suddenly hitomi doesn't know her.

eventually, hitomi relents, staying still under sakura's weight. she's warm anyway, hitomi thinks, doesn't really want the warmth nor the fluttering feelings to leave just yet. 

"you look pretty today." sakura mutters out of the blue.

and hitomi shivers, because sakura's lips are so close to her ear and her deep, raspy voice tickles her eardrums. she tries to ignore the smile spreading on her lips, cheeks turning erubescent.

"only today?" hitomi teases— sakura's breathing against her ear is distracting.

hitomi feels a little nuzzle on the back of her head, she giggles, wondering why sakura is being clingy at the moment. (either way, she sure as heck isn't complaining.)

"you know that's not true, honda hitomi is pretty everyday. i especially adore your fit today." sakura's voice is muffled against her back, but hitomi catches every single word, she starts to wonder if this was really the senior that had (also) been shy to confront her before.

"i had to resist the urge to tackle you during our live, did you know that?" sakura admits, and for what? to intentionally make hitomi turn scarlet red? (she seems to enjoy doing that apparently.) and yes, hitomi actually caught sakura staring at her quite intensely a few times, but she had to feign ignorance because 1) they were live, eyes are on them and 2) absolutely no privacy. 

hitomi groans (so suddenly because she's trying to ignore her searing cheeks after hearing sakura's sly words), her back is actually starting to ache from sakura's dense bones. "unnie, my back really hurts-"

hitomi forces her body to turn over when sakura doesn't seem to listen— which effectively made the latter lose her grip and untangles herself from hitomi's petite frame. hitomi rolls away to one end of her bed laughing while sakura sits up at the other, lips pinched in a pout. 

furrowed brows, pursed lips and twinkling eyes? now sakura is just trying her luck, playing with hitomi's heart and of course she easily succeeds.

"you dressed so cool today." hitomi makes an abrupt remark about sakura's girl-crush appearance today. no doubt that her outfit swoons both the ladies and gents. sakura shrugs with smug.

"what? you're just gonna take the compliment and not think i'm lying?" hitomi points out.

"we all know you only speak the truth, hii." sakura merely grins, laying down before rolling beside hitomi who props up on her elbows to look down at her. 

"boop!" sakura reaches up to poke hitomi's fluffy cheeks with her fingers, earning a (not so) playful glare. snarky hitomi is showing but sakura finds that side of her adorable— well, scary but still adorable.

"ask me to open a can of soda again, you were real cute."

hitomi scoffs, shooting her a weird look.

"what? you're weird."

sakura chuckles, she takes hitomi's hands in her own and starts to play with her fingers. such small gesture but it still manages to make hitomi's insides a mess. hitomi fixates her eyes on sakura's features while the latter fiddles with her hands. having a room all to herself meant sakura's occasional invasions, can you believe that hitomi went from admiring sakura from afar to being her one and only? others can only dream.

sakura meets her eyes for a split second before focusing on her hands again, this time she laces their fingers together. hitomi's hands feel small in hers. how such small action manages to inject her with a surge of bliss remains bizarre to her, being in the same space merely brings them content.

"hyewon was kind of clingy to me today," sakura vocalises, looking at hitomi with anticipation (with the intent to make her feel jea-redacted) but she only becomes confused when hitomi barely reacts, only nodding her head. 

"mhm, i can see that." was all hitomi said, she sounded casual with no hints of envy on her face. just her gaze fixated on their intertwined hands with a crooked smile on her face.

"are you jea-"

"don't worry, it's hyewon unnie so i understand how she can get." 

sakura frowns, actually bumped that she didn't get her desired reaction but it made her a little more upset because she happened to be the only one among the both of them to feel jealous during the live. 

"well that , i got a little jealous seeing jjaeyeon being all over you." sakura might as well be the youngest since she looked like an upset baby who had dropped her ice cream.

and for a while hitomi contemplates on being a little brave, she tells herself that she should never hold back in their relationship, the world can end at anytime so hitomi figures it would be best to make the most out of every moment.

hitomi prods her chin, pretending to think deep before shooting out a killer line. 

"would a kiss help to rid of your jealousy?" and just as hitomi says that, she spots the mischief sparkling in sakura's chocolate doe eyes. yes hitomi is brave... but sakura somehow happens to be braver.

"hm... how 'bout a hundred times the kiss?" sakura proposes without a second thought, lips curving up on one side more than the other with sly. this side of sakura... is detrimental to hitomi's heart, she gets too flustered that her mind panics and blanks out— how the hell does hitomi respond to something as shameless as that?

then hitomi abruptly becomes timid and starts to wrap herself in her blanket, wanting to combust in embarrassment. 

"nevermind, i'm sleeping-"

"okay okay, just two will do." sakura pleads, tugging on hitomi's blanket before the girl becomes a human burrito. 

seeing hitomi's tremulous lips and pink tinted cheeks, sakura starts to feel mousy but doesn't let the feeling overwhelm her, because no matter what, she's getting her daily dose of honda hitomi tonight. (nothing rated, she swears...)

it's already pressuring enough for hitomi that she's hovering over sakura, then comes the hand cupping under her ears, pulling her close. hitomi shuts her eyes as sakura pulls her down, breath hitching when she feels soft, honey lips against her own. 

the first one was chaste and brief, they pulled away shortly before sakura reels her in for another, this time a little longer. and then the next few were just split second kisses against each other's lips, ephemeral yet adrenaline-rushing. 

hitomi breaks away for a breather, their lips merely ghosting, she gazes into sakura's deep brown orbs with half-lidded eyes. the dainty hands that once cupped her face are now wrapped around her neck, the other holding her waist close. sakura's touch burns, though hitomi doesn't shy away.

"i thought you said two," hitomi mumbles in a breath, a little ragged but she manages. 

sakura simpers, her eyes are enticing, and hitomi falls so easily. "ah... did i really?" sakura teases her, hitomi doesn't get another word in because she's pulled in once again for a fervour kiss.

then another, and then another, and another until hitomi loses count, because her mind is in a spiral with each kisses lasting a little longer than the previous ones. her neatly tied hair becomes disarrayed, chocolate strands falling over the sides of her face, sticking out in different directions because sakura's hands can get rather aggressive. but the older is still careful and manages to be gentle with her touch. 

even with the air-conditioning on, it's flaming in hitomi's room.

yes, sakura's lips are addictive, once they start, it gets a little difficult to stop (hitomi is so certain that their lips are swollen). sometimes, sakura gets too indulged and she forgets about catching their breaths. hitomi forcefully pulls away from their heated exchange, sakura looks up at her dumbfounded.

"unnie, i-i need... to breathe..." hitomi pants, moving away from sakura to finally sit up to regain well-deserved breaths. sakura's breathing is also uneven, but it wasn't as ragged her own.

god, how does she do it?

"sorry, i got carried away." sakura apologises with a sheepish smile carved on her lips, sitting up as well.

of course it's easy to get carried away, just a taste of hitomi's plump lips is enough for her to be greedy for more. not just hitomi's lips, there's also her soft face to hold in her hands (to hold her like she's her entire world).

the sight of flushed hitomi with dishevelled hair makes sakura's throat dry, the colour of her face would mirror hitomi's. sakura sighs, knocking her own head for being a hopeless dolt. 

"you okay?" sakura asks when hitomi exhales deeply, gently brushing the strands covering her face. hitomi nods slowly, a shy smile on her lips. the girl looks tired, sakura did disturb her sleep after all...

caressing hitomi's soft cheeks only led sakura's eyes to her glossy lips, she bites her tongue to resist but she finds herself leaning in again. hitomi seems to understand, unmoving as she gives sakura permission to invade her space yet again.

but god said enough is enough and yuri came barging in hitomi's room like a barbarian, causing sakura to instantly pull herself back (she ends up rolling to the ground) while hitomi visibily froze like a still frame.

"unnies! we can't find the air-conditioning remote- ah there it is!" yuri's eyes widens with euphoria seeing the remote on hitomi's bedside table, but she gives hitomi a brief glare before she exits happily with the remote in hand, leaving hitomi's door open.

"chaeyeon unnie! hii hid it in her room i told you, it wasn't me!"

it took a few seconds for the couple to regain their composure after a huge shock. sakura rises from the ground with jelly legs while hitomi clutches her chest. it's not like the group doesn't know they're together, it's just that they rarely show affection for each other in front of them, so yuri barging in was like a bombshell to the both of them.

they broke into a fit of giggles, just pure bliss reverberating around the room.

"i'll let you rest now." sakura says once they have calmed.

a part of hitomi wants sakura to stay in her room, but she knows that if sakura does stay, they wouldn't be sleeping. so hitomi nods in agreement, eyes trailing sakura who went around her bed towards her side.

and hitomi's heart swells when sakura presses a soft kiss against her forehead.

"goodnight, hii."

she'll sleep well tonight.

—