#sakura fics

[katlou303]

Update! Chapter 16 of a light exists in spring has just been posted!

[unknees]

—It’s Gonna Be a Long Long Time Till Touchdown

Aizawa Shouta x Haruno Sakura

Chapter: one-shot

Beta: @flowershinobi

Read on [AO3]

It didn’t take an ounce of intelligence to tell how infatuated he was with their PE teacher. Even an idiot like Shirakumo could tell. The only one who couldn’t, of course, was said teacher herself.

“Are you okay, Aizawa-san?” 

He could feel his classmates' eyes on them. 

Aizawa wiped the sweat on his forehead coolly, pushing his hair back so he could see her watching him. He liked it when her green eyes focused on him. 

“Yeah,” he answered, shrugging when Sakura’s eyebrows furrowed deeper. “Really, Haruno sensei. I’m okay.”

“If you say so.” She didn’t sound convinced. Instead, she leaned closer into him and Aizawa’s breath hitched when he felt her calloused palms covering his eyes. “I’ll just fix you up a lil, yeah? So next time you can properly avoid my attacks.”

He exhaled, subtly took a deep breath of her, and held the sweet smell of strawberry and coffee in his lungs for a moment before he wrapped one hand around her small wrist. It never failed to fascinate him how such small hands could punch a hole into the ground.

He sighed dramatically and muttered, “I see them coming just fine.”

“Mhmm,” she agreed. Aizawa couldn’t see her but he could easily hear the teasing smile in her voice. “Of course. You have the sharpest eyes in our class. Yes, yes. Of course.”

When she pulled her hands back, he gave her a deadpan look that he knew would make her laugh. And laugh, she did. His heart soared.

“Fine. I’m sorry that I’m a worrywart. I guess it comes with my old age,” she said, smiling at him as she offered a hand to pull him up.

“You’re not old,” he said exasperatedly. His bigger hand looked good around her smaller one. “You’re 21.”

“Well, back where I come from, you rarely make it to your 20s.” She said it so casually, as though she wasn’t talking about death. “It makes me feel ancient, and—“ she looked up at the sky and smiled sadly “—a bit lonely.”

“Well,” he mimicked her tone, brain whirling with ideas to counter her next attacks, “you have me as your punching bag now. Not so lonely anymore.”

Sakura blinked at him and laughed. Her pink hair danced in his face distractingly as he felt a sharp chop under his chin. “You’re too slow.”

“Calculative,” he corrected, massaging the front of his neck. 

“Yeah, that!” She rolled her eyes, smiling. “While I, on the other hand, am not so patient!”

“Wow, no way.”

“Smartass,” she murmured as she flicked his forehead with a bit of force that he knew would leave a mark. “I’m gonna check on Yamada-san’s vocal cords now. He’s been screaming non-stop.”

“Tell him to watch out for your nasty chop then. I can’t feel my vocal cords,” he grumbled.

Sakura rolled her eyes again as she gave him a salute, leaving him alone to help Hizashi. He wondered, not for the first time, what her life was before she joined UA.

What was life for someone who wielded power that could either break you or fix you? Someone who refused to submit to being labeled a hero just to survive. Someone who could blend in seamlessly, as though she was a shadow, mind as sharp as her tongue, and quick with her wit.

Haruno Sakura was, by far, the strongest, most well-rounded person he had ever known. And he wasn’t even being biased.

Apart from her cringe dad jokes, of course. Even his infatuation couldn’t blind him and save her from that tragedy.

He watched as her thigh muscle flex when she kicked Hizashi across the field. His face heated up at the thought of those same thighs around his face.

“You’re drooling,” Shirakumo teased.

Aizawa blamed it completely on his rampaging hormones. “I’m not.”

“Uh huh.”

He took a long look at her laughing and patting Hizashi’s neck before he pulled his eyes off her. Shirakumo was watching him with that shit eating grin of his. He snarled, “Fuck off.”

“Holy shit, dude. You’re gone gone!” Shirakumo laughed, his cloud acting like a shield around him as Aizawa’s leg thrusted out toward where his head had been. “Just go ask her out! We’re 17. We’re basically done with UA.”

His friend didn’t get to finish as Sakura’s voice interrupted their conversation. And as it was when it came to her, Aizawa’s head turned intuitively to exactly where she was.

He ignored Shirakumo’s loud snort followed by a soft, “Whipped.”

“Alright, class!” Sakura smiled at them. “That’s it for today! Your internship placement will be announced tomorrow so,” she paused as she scanned them, and Aizawa’s heart jumped when her eyes landed on him—he swore her eyes stayed on him a second longer—“I guess, this will be our last class together for a while.”

Everyone wailed a chorus of No! And amidst all the bittersweet byes, there was Shirakumo yelling, “I love you, Haruno sensei! Don’t miss me and Aizawa too much!”

Sakura laughed and her eyes were full with mirth as they met his. “I promise I won’t miss you, Shirakumo-san. But Aizawa-san, on the other hand,” she winked at him, “I’m going to miss him  with every breath I take.”

He knew she was just teasing Shirakumo. But in that moment, Aizawa knew. He was, in fact, gone gone, just as his annoying friend had said.

The whole class shrieked excitedly for him. Sakura, bless her beautiful oblivious soul, looked at them in confusion. She cocked her head with her fists on her hips before she chuckled, shaking her head.

“So, anyway! It’s been a pleasure, you guys! Goodluck for your internship! Have a good rest tonight, kick ass, and keep doing lunges to stay in shape! It would be a—”

Aizawa closed his eyes and sighed.

“—big step forward!”

She was met with total silence.

“Get it?” Sakura, undeterred, lunged forward with a force that made a hole on the cemented ground. Snickering and snorting, she looked up at them excitedly. “Big step forward? Because lunge is where you position one leg forward like you’re taking a ‘big step forward’ that your center of gravity lowered due to the distance between your two feet!”

Gone, he thought, as everyone else left the gym with a groan, and suddenly he found her stupid joke charming. 

Fucking hormones.

“Cementoss is gonna be mad at you again, sensei,” he said offhandedly. He had to will his heartbeat to slow down when Sakura flipped her strawberry-scented hair and grinned at him.

“Cementoss won’t know it was me. He needs concrete evidence. Get it? Concrete—” 

“Goodbye, sensei.”

A Travesty, really.

“Honestly, her jokes aren’t that bad. It’s the asking and explaining that ruins it,” Shirakumo commented as they walked out the PE field.

He hummed in reply, glad that his hair was long enough to hide the heat rising in his cheeks.

“And, as I was saying before,” his friend continued, “we’re basically done. We gonna embark on our new journeys to whereever the fuck it’ll take us. Japan, USA, Beijing, Malaysia. We’re gonna be everywhere!

But Haruno sensei?” Shirakumo’s tone turned somber. Aizawa turned in surprise to find him smiling at him sadly. “We heard what the Principal told her. She can’t leave.”

Aizawa’s eyes widened. How had he forgotten the most important tidbit of information they'd gleaned the first time they saw Sakura? His eyes desperately searched for pink hair. And when he found her talking animatedly to Cementoss as he fixed the hole on the floor, Aizawa suddenly remembered—

Sunset. White curtains. Anesthetic infirmary smell. Pink. And green. As green as the Nara forest that he and his friends had visited on their first year’s summer trip.

Oh. Oh.

He’d been distracted.

“Haruno sensei’s gonna be stuck here in UA,” Shirakumo’s voice pulled him back to the present. “If you want more of this, if this is not just a simple high school crush. This might be your only chance.”

He searched for her again, and his blood rushed to his ears when he found her already watching him. Sakura grinned, waving at him and mouthing, “You okay?”

This might be your only chance.

Aizawa waved back at her and nodded his head. 

Sakura’s grin turned into a soft smile. One that he would add to the ‘Haruno Sakura’ folder in his head.

This might be your only chance.

He turned his back on her and caught up with Shirakumo. His friend’s brows raised before he chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief when he saw his determined face. “You’re crazy.”

Maybe so, Aizawa thought, smirking.

There was lightness in his steps, a thrilling sensation that he couldn’t shake off. The same kind of exhilaration that he would get when he came across a stray cat to be adopted.

And just like with a stray cat, he would slowly and gently approach them. Carefully familiarize himself with and care for them until they grow attached. And it might take a while—days, weeks, months—but Aizawa was a patient man.

So, true. Maybe he was crazy. But, it wasn’t true that this would be his only chance.

He recalled the feeling of her breath against his skin, and squeezed his fists in his pocket harder.

Oh, yes. He was very patient.

[sharklng]

he JUST met these kids and already hates them

[jyacira1]

blank period sasusaku!

[brighteuphony]

ANBU Commander Owl from Run With the Hares (Hunt With the Hounds)

[frostmarris]

12 Days of AkaSaku - Day 1

ItaSaku under the cherry tree

@princessxgarbage and I accidentally collabbed hehe

Check out her fic that goes along with this!

[leewritestoomuch]

Hii!! I love your writing and was wondering if you could write something w the k13 + ss and whether or not they would catch you if you fell. Mybe also if you jumped into their arms, like that one trend a while back (like if they were holding something but you jump at them, what would they do)/and maybe how they are with trust falls!

Would they catch you if you fell?

This’ll be short and sweet

Naruto Uzumaki

He would catch you if you jumped, but he doesn’t even realize he did.

Then he’s confused because… what just happened?

He slowly puts you down

He’d always catch people in a trust fall too, but he can’t bring himself to fall back when doing a trust fall.

He wants to trust, but he can’t.

Sasuke Uchiha

Depends…

He might step out of the way if he’s not in a good mood or didn’t even process what you were doing.

If he likes you, he’ll likely catch you. Then complain.

Doesn’t trust anybody for a trust fall, but he’ll catch you if you do a trust fall.

Sakura Haruno

Catches you with full intention to do so.

She’ll hold you for a second cuz she’s strong and you don’t bother her.

When she does put you do, she asks what you did that for.

She’ll trust you for a trust fall. She doesn’t trust just anybody, so that’s a compliment.

And of course, she’ll catch you.

Sai

Catches you.

Tells you he read about something like this.

Tells you what it means.

If that’s not what you mean, or if it’s outlandish, you choose rather you slap him or explain to him how that’s not okay. Then probably slap him for his response (I don’t agree with slapping ppl, but canon typical violence guys)

He’ll catch you if you do a trust fall. Thinks it’s good for bonding so he’ll fall too!

Shikamaru Nara

Catches you, but is shocked and like “what??”

Puts you down like immediately.

Somewhere in there, he said “what a drag.”

He’s not doing a trust fall, he doesn’t care.

But if you screamed, “trust fall” and just fell back, he’ll catch you.

Choji Akimichi

Catches you without question. He didn’t fully realize what was going on, but he would do it over and purposely catch you too.

He will carry you around if you want afterwards.

Always catches you in a trust fall.

He trusts you and Shikamaru to catch him in a trust fall, but Shikamaru always loudly complains about it so more so you.

Ino Yamanaka

She catches you, but probably scolds you for just jumping on her.

Like give her some warning??

Especially if she had anything in her hands.

She can’t bring herself to fall back in a trust fall, even if she trusts the person. She’ll shout about not wanting to do it, but eventually she’ll do it to prove herself.

She always catches you, but some people will get dropped if they try.

Kiba Inuzuka

He probably does the same thing to you.

Like “CATCH ME” and a man that is way too big and buff is flying through the air, right at you.

So yeah he’d always catch you, but it comes with a cocky comment about how much you wanna be in his arms. Beware.

Randomly springs trust falls on everybody and gets pissed if they let him fall.

He will catch you.

Shino Aburame

He’ll catch you… but he’s so confused.

Don’t do that again…

He’s a little scared?

Might think something is wrong, but he kinda finds it cute when he finds out there is no real reason for it. Like you jumped in HIS arms? 🥹

He’s not up for the trust fall shit, but he’ll catch you if you do it anyways.

Hinata Hyuga

Catches you, but she is nervous and startled.

She probably says something heroic sounding like “I will never drop you.”

She’s sad when you get down out of her arms.

She’ll trust you in a trust fall and catch you too.

Neji Hyuga

Probably steps back and then gets just a little upset that he didn’t catch you, especially if you get hurt.

That or you knock you both down to the ground.

He’ll tell you that you shouldn’t have done that, but he’s sorry.

Same goes for trust falls.

He’s not doing them though, not unless you annoy him half to death to do it.

Rock Lee

He catches you enthusiastically, probably hugs you tightly too.

Now he’s got an idea, and next time, when you least expect it, he’s gonna do the same thing. He ends up knocking you both to the ground because at the speed he jumped, even if you catch him, you’re both going down…

Another type to scream “TRUST FALL!” And fall, and expect you to catch him. He will get up like nothing and say “let’s try again!” If you don’t catch him

He’ll always catch you though.

Tenten

Catches you and wraps her arms around you as she processes what you did.

She’s startled and maybe even a little alert, but when she pieces it together and realizes it’s you, she slowly puts you down.

She’s willing to do trust falls. She’ll catch you if you catch her. But if you prank her, she will give you that energy back.

Gaara of the Sand

He got startled and the sand blocked you…

He apologizes and probably lightly warns or scolds you about not jumping at him suddenly.

Tells you that you can try again.

He won’t do trust falls, but he’ll catch you with his sand if you do one.

Kankuro of the Sand

He let you fall.

Thought it’d be funny at first, but he’d feel like a total dickhead if you get hurt.

He won’t apologize though, but it’ll be obvious he regrets his decision.

Probably still tells you not to do sudden things like that, or more so, stop putting yourself in danger.

He’s not doing trust falls. If it’s the first time you attempt to jump or fall, again, he’s letting you fall.

Temari of the Sand

She’ll catch you, but immediately puts you down.

Tells you not to jump so suddenly.

Won’t do trust falls, even if she trusts you. Thinks it’s stupid and definitely not happening.

She’ll catch you though, then scold you for doing it.

[ksficrec]

Run with the Hares (Hunt with the Hounds)

By: @brighteuphony

Link: Ao3

Words: 9k | E | tw: -- | Ongoing

--

ANBU masks are passed down. Some are so notorious they never see the light of day, and some are better off staying buried. Kakashi finds himself faced with the past when the Hound is assigned to his guard detail.

🌸 I am so excited abt this fic!!! Brand spanking new, I am beta for it, and it's going to be so much fun!! tysm to brighteuphony for writing this and indulging with me hehehe, join us on this journey

[system-to-the-madness]

Cherry Blossom Comfort 🌸 Zuko x Reader

Pairing: Zuko x Reader(can be read as any gender, no pronouns used) Genre: fluff Word Count: 1 724 Warnings: Major Spoilers for the graphic novel “The Search” Summary: Zuko opens up to you about his feelings about his family

Sakura Festival Masterlist - Masterlist

Zuko’s head was heavily resting in your lap, cushioned on the deep red fabric of your gown pulled over your soft thighs. His amber eyes watched your face closely as you ran your hands through his dark hair, admiring the way the soft strands so effortlessly slipped through your fingers. It had been a while since you had sat like this. Between the conflict at the former colony of Yu Dao, now its own state, and the immediately following search for Zuko’s mother, there had been little time for any kind of quiet intimacy between Zuko and you.

After you had found his mother, and had returned to the palace, Zuko had been quieter than you knew him to be. He had spent a long time talking to his mother before leaving her and his half-sister in order to return to the palace, and you suspected that whatever they had discussed, was still occupying his mind. Usually, he talked to you about whatever thought he couldn’t get rid of, but so far, he had kept it shut inside, making you wonder if it simply was something he did not want to share, if he didn’t want to share it with you, or if he only needed a little more time to think about it.

A few days ago, he had eventually asked if you wanted to come to Ba Sing Se with him, an invitation you had gladly taken. You were staying at his uncle's place, a small house with only a few rooms, which gave the two of you the opportunity to share the narrow bed and cuddle up each night. In the palace, there were always guards around, and Zuko had been advised that it would be better if the two of you were not to sleep in the same room, at least not too often, to avoid gossip. Zuko had been in an especially bad mood after that for a while, grumbling about how he was your boyfriend and why anybody other than the two of you should be concerned with your relationship.  But if he had learnt anything in the year of being Fire Lord, it was that certain advice was better to be followed, and as much as both of you hated it, this was one of the instances.

This in turn meant both of you cherished the time at Uncle Iroh’s home even more. With the excuse of not enough space, you got to share a bed each night, falling asleep in each other’s arms without the concern of guards walking in or starting rumours.

Both of you were aware that you could not hide out in Ba Sing Se forever, but you had agreed that a holiday of a few days would be acceptable, and so you spent the days either helping in Uncle Iroh’s tea shop or talking long walks in the parks that spread wide and far through the city.

Now you were sitting in the garden that belonged to his uncle’s tea shop, back against the trunk of a blooming cherry tree, Zuko laying spread out on the ground, his head resting in your lap. Usually, you would have taken the opportunity to ask him what he was thinking about, but considering the events of the past month, the almost-war at Yu Dao and the reunion with his mother, which he still hadn’t talked about, you thought it would be better if he were the one to talk first. Or not. While you were curious about what had happened, you never wanted to make him feel like you were prying into parts of his life he wasn’t ready to share with you.

His eyes flickered from your face to the pink blossoms above your heads, before focusing back on you, a smile tucking at his lips before he spoke.

“You know,” he began, his voice soft, “For the time in which I was thinking Ikem was my father, I was almost relieved.”

Ikem, the man his mother had loved before having been married to his father Ozai, and the man who she had returned to after leaving the palace.

Quietly you nodded, more to yourself than Zuko. You had suspected as much, judging from his behaviour and how he had talked about Ozai in these days.

“If Ikem had been my father, I’d never have to worry about turning out like Ozai again,” he explained, his eyes almost absentmindedly tracing your features, like a routine that brought him comfort. “I wouldn’t be in danger to turn as crazy and delusional as him, or Azula. And I could have stopped feeling guilty for not being as powerful a firebender as them.”

You wanted to disagree, tell him he was as good as them, but the truth was they were more powerful than he would probably ever be, even though he had by far the better techniques and his skills were more refined. The only ones who had ever looked down on him for that had been the two of them, and to you it couldn’t matter less how good at firebending he was, or whether he was a bender at all. But you had a feeling this talk was better to be had at another time. Right now it was more important that Zuko got to share his thoughts uninterrupted, while he felt safe and comfortable enough to confide you.

“And Azula…” He trailed off, his eyes leaving your face and returning to the blossoms above him. “I always got told these stories when I was little, about siblings sticking together, through thick and thin, like Sokka and Katara. But Azula and I never were like that. Even when I tried to be what I thought a big brother should be like, she only ever took pleasure in humiliating me. If I had been only her half-brother, it would have felt like an explanation, and I could have stopped feeling guilty for it.”

A crease was forming on his forehead, and you brought your hand from his hair to his face, brushing over his forehead with your thumb.

“Why would you feel guilty for the way she was treating you, hm,” you asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Zuko agreed. “Still there were times when I just wanted to get along with her. I just wanted a normal family. For my father to love me the way my mother had, for Azula to treat me like her brother, even if that includes the one or the other rivalry. But not like some second-class human being.”

“In Azula’s eyes everyone who isn’t her is a second-class human being,” you mumbled.

“I know,” Zuko sighed. “But still.”

“I’m sorry that you never got the family you wished for,” you whispered. “You have every right to be upset about that.”

“For a moment I thought, I could have that family, you know,” Zuko admitted. “If Ikem really would have been my father- I could have had a normal family, the one I always wanted, a father who’s proud of me, my mother who never made me feel small or irrelevant and a sister who actually sees me as a human and not just a challenge.” He took a deep breath. “But I always would have doubted my position as Fire Lord,” he continued. “I wouldn’t have known where I belonged anymore.” He hesitated for a moment before he added: “I think I would have even started to doubt that I belong at your side.”

“I wouldn’t have allowed you to doubt that,” you told him, and the crease on his forehead softened under your insistent brushing over it. You could have been only of little help if he had started doubting his position as Fire Lord, but you would never let him question that the two of you belonged with each other. That was not a matter of heritage, it was a matter of your hearts, your souls. As dramatic as it sounded, you were convinced that Zuko and you were bound together by more than the emotions you were aware of.

Even before you had really gotten to know another, back when you had still been enemies, you had always found and saved each other, even when all rationality had dictated the opposite. You had defied probability and logic again and again, consciously, and subconsciously, so much that by the time Zuko had turned up at the Wester Air Temple with an awkward “Hello, Zuko here”, you had been convinced you were cursed to always run into him.

Now you were convinced it was something else entirely, something that would lead you back to find each other no matter when and where you were. For a while Zuko had loved to throw around the word ‘destiny’, and even though you hardly believed in that concept, you couldn’t imagine to not be bound to him by destiny.

Zuko’s eyes found yours, clear amber staring up at you on a mixture of wonder and admiration.

“No,” he finally agreed with you. “I belong with you. No matter who I am, or where, or when. I’m yours.”

You smiled at the certainty in his voice, knowing that right now there was absolutely no doubt in neither of your hearts about that. Gently you brushed his hair aside and leant down to press a kiss to his forehead. His eyes flickered closed blissfully, and you grinned at the way he puckered his lips, expecting a kiss there too, but you pulled away teasingly. When he realised you weren’t going to kiss him, he blinked his eyes open, frowning at you disapprovingly, while snuggling into the palm with which you cupped his face. Sometimes it still surprised you how touch starved he was.

“And I’m yours,” you whispered, making him blush. After almost a year of exchanged whispers like this you would think he had gotten used to them yet, but you loved how you were still able to fluster him so easily.

“I’m just glad I get to be by your side,” Zuko confessed, making you smile.

“I’m glad, too,” you replied before leaning down again, this time softly kissing his lips, pretending like the soft sigh that slipped past his lips did not make your heart skip a beat, but you had a feeling Zuko knew either way.

[mangostarjam]

taking care — wind breaker, aged up sakura haruka x f!reader, established relationship, "brat" as a petname, smut towards the end, 4.4k words

"Aren't you too old for this?"

Sakura Haruka grimaces and shoves his bruised hands into his pockets. You raise an unimpressed eyebrow. There's dirt smudged along his cheekbone and the end of his sleeve is ripped.

"They were tryin' to hit on a girl." It comes out mumbled. Haruka's two toned gaze is averted to the top of your head. It was always difficult to get him to meet your eye in your high school years, but ever since he hit his growth spurt and graduated you feel like it's gotten worse.

"Haruka-kun," you sigh, "c'mere."

You grab his arm and tug, taking advantage of his brief moment of surprise to drag him into the back of the bakery. Your coworkers wave and smile at the former school captain but otherwise leave the two of you alone.

"Y-you…! What're you doing?"

The back office of Saboten is neat and clean and thankfully empty. You shove Haruka into a chair and grab his chin, ignoring the flare of heat beneath your fingers as he turns bright red.

"Did you get hit on the face?" you ask, leaning closer to look. The dirt smudging his cheek is loose, brushing away easily when you stroke the smooth skin there. You probe gently at the strong bone beneath and ignore the way his chest seizes with a held breath.

"No," he mumbles, "it's just dirt."

Your attention is drawn — as always — to his eyes. A muted, stormy gray blue and a bright, shimmering gold meet your unabashed gaze as your thumb strokes along his cheekbone again.

"I'm glad you didn't get hurt." You allow yourself a tiny grin as he scrunches his nose at you. "You could've let the new Bofurin kids handle it… but those guys will definitely think twice about messing with anyone from our neighborhood now."

"'Course," Haruka sniffs. You wonder if he knows he's leaning into your palm. "It was a quick fight, anyway. Only losers are late."

"I told you, you don't have to pick me up from work. I can handle myself." You giggle as he scoffs. You slide into a crouch, propping up your elbows on his knees for balance. "Give me your hands, Haruka-kun."

Your boyfriend hesitates for a short moment before releasing a breath. His hands are rough, but he flips them over obligingly and doesn't flinch when you curl your fingers around his wrists. "You've bruised your knuckles again," you tsk. "I'll go grab the first aid kit."

"W-wait." Haruka's entire face is charmingly pink, the gentle hue sweeping along his cheeks and up to the tips of his ears. "You don't… I mean, I don't need you to —"

"I know," you hum, tugging his hands up to brush a gentle kiss along his skin. "But I want to."

Haruka stays quiet as you fetch the first aid kit and get to work disinfecting the tiny cuts on his hands. You're used to the comfortable silence, basking in the familiarity of tending to his battle wounds in the back of the bakery where you first met.

You never would've guessed that part of your job duties at the bakery would include taking care of the new out-of-towner all those years ago, though it wasn't like he went along with it quietly. Your boss at the time was adamant that the Bofurin boys deserved all the freebies the bakery could afford to give, and she never minded when you'd pop off to the back alley to administer first aid.

Nirei was the one who knew you were handy with a medical kit, but it was Suo who eventually tricked their first year captain into coming to you. Haruka was a lot pricklier back then, shying away from casual human contact like everyone was out to get him but diving into fights like nobody's business.

Luckily for you, in spite of his speed and reflexes, Haruka definitely wasn't used to girls who were willing to literally sit on him to force him to stay still for first aid. After enough times shoving freshly baked bread into his hands and making him into your first aid practice dummy, he started to show up outside the bakery's back door on his own, often looking like a disgruntled street cat.

Little by little, you learned which breads he preferred and you begged Kotoha to teach you how to make omurice the way Haruka liked it. Little by little, he stopped flinching away from your touch and even let you lean against him when you needed a short break from work or studying, propping your head up against his shoulder and staying still enough that sometimes you'd fall asleep.

Little by little, the two of you fell in love.

Haruka doesn't say anything as you finish smoothing the tape holding his new wrappings together, but he flips his hands to hold onto you as you rise from your knees. You smile. "Do you wanna get dinner at Cafe Pothos? Kotoha-chan might make fun of you, though."

"She'll make fun of me no matter what," he grumbles. You snicker as he ducks his head. From this angle, you can only see the pale white eyelashes of his left side pressing against his skin as he takes a deep breath. "Don'tcha need to finish your shift? I'll be outside."

"Aw, are you worried about me?"

"Shaddup" Haruka huffs. "As if I care."

You grin as he rises to his full height, still steadily avoiding eye contact as you squeeze his hands. After all these years, it's cute how flustered he still gets when you tease him. "Haruka-kun? You can let me go now."

"…Can't."

"Oh?" you raise an eyebrow and tilt your head to catch his eye. He scowls. "If you just loosen your fingers—"

"Sh-shut up." You watch patiently as your boyfriend takes a deep breath. It's quiet in this back office, though a wall is shared with the employee locker room and you can hear a few of your coworkers laughing and chatting indistinctly. The smell of rising dough and freshly baked bread permeates the room, cut through with the sharp tang of antiseptic cream.

Haruka's ears are still red. You catch a glimpse of them through his black and white hair and squeeze his hands again. So cute. "Haruka," you say.

"…What?"

You rise up on tiptoes to kiss him, holding onto his hands for balance as you rock forward. Haruka predictably freezes before making a rough sound and kissing you back, letting you take the lead as you lean into him. His heartbeat jumps beneath your lips as you move to kiss at the soft spot below his jaw, earning another strangled noise that makes you smile into his skin.

It's warm. You think maybe your own ears are red enough to match his, but you don't give him a chance to notice, pressing another quick kiss to his lips and disentangling yourself. "I've gotta get back to work. I'll see you in a bit, 'kay?"

You leave him in the back office, knowing he'll find his way to the alleyway behind the bakery to wait for you, as always. Your coworkers don't mention how long you were missing, but you take over the mopping and cleaning duties as a thank you anyway.

Haruka doesn't take your hand when you meet him after your shift, but he walks close enough that your shoulders brush with every step. The gentle ringing of the wind chimes strung up below the shopping district sign follows the two of you on your walk towards home.

"What should we have for dinner, since you don't wanna endure Kotoha's teasing?" you ask, grinning lopsidedly when Haruka snorts in response. The street lamps cast a glow along his black and white hair, haloing him in a light gold that pales in comparison to his golden eye.

He glances sideways at you as you pause at a crosswalk. You catch a flash of gold and blue before he faces forward again. "You're comin' over?"

"Yes, or else you'll eat instant noodles again and die of malnutrition," you say. The two of you step into the street, though he steps slightly ahead of you to make sure it's clear. "Unless you don't want me to."

"Let's have curry."

"Did you get ingredients for curry, mister?" you ask, bumping your shoulder into his arm teasingly. "Or will we need to stop by a konbini again for emergency supplies?"

"That was just one time," Haruka grumbles, but he glances back at you fondly as you laugh. "And I went shopping earlier, brat."

He lets you hold onto his sleeve as you enter his studio apartment and stays steady as you toe your shoes off in the genkan. The place is vastly improved from the first time you stepped foot in it all those years ago, when you were delivering food for a sick Haruka.

Gone are the creaky hinges and peeling paint — the walls are smooth and clean, the cabinet doors are all securely attached, and there are actual curtains hanging over the balcony doors. He still sleeps on a futon, but he also got a low table and cushions for guests after you complained about eating on top of cardboard boxes, and he got a dresser to store his clothing after you took him shopping so he'd stop wandering around town always wearing his high school uniform.

Making dinner is always fun, with Haruka, because even though he's grown and learned a lot, you still get to tease him about his bulk stack of instant noodle packages and he still turns bright red when you lean over the table to offer him a spoonful from your plate.

He's more relaxed here, more willing to close the gap between you when you reach out to him. It used to worry you in the beginning — would you always be the one to make the first move? Did he actually like you, or was he just going along with your flirting because he didn't know any better?

Then he does something like swiping his thumb along your lips and sticking the digit in his mouth, laughing at your surprised gasp and gathering up the dishes before you can form a coherent thought. He asks about your day and listens as you tell him about the cute little kid who came into the shop asking for curry bread because "that's Sakura-taicho's favorite, and I wanna be like him when I grow up!"

You bask happily in the furious blush that paints his skin, grinning to yourself as he stammers and jerks his face away.

"Did you get new towels?" you ask, handing him a soapy plate to rinse off. Your boyfriend takes it, huffing an amused snort when you yawn widely. It's nearing your bedtime, and your sated appetite is making you even sleepier.

"Yeah," Haruka says, "since you were complainin' last time that mine're scratchy."

"Oh, nice," you say, rinsing the suds off your hands and moving to stand behind him. You shove your face into his shoulder blades before he can move, wrapping your arms around his middle as he tenses beneath you. It's been ages since he was an active fighter defending the town, but you can still feel the power and strength of his densely packed muscles twitching under your hold. "Mm, I'm sleepy…"

"Gwah! What are ya, an octopus?!" Haruka sets the clean plate on the drying rack and settles his hands on top of yours, but he doesn't move you. He could easily overpower you, though you're hugging him pretty firmly, pressing your entire body up against his as you take a deep breath. "The hell're you doin'?"

"Hugging you," you say. Haruka's fingers tighten around your wrists, but he still doesn't move you.

"I got that, genius."

"I'm just recharging before I have to head home," you mumble into his shirt. You're saving both of you from embarrassment, here, hugging him from behind like this, so really he should be grateful that you're so considerate of his feelings.

"It's late."

"I know," you whine, squeezing him just a little bit harder. "I don't wanna think about it."

"You have a toothbrush here."

Oh. "I don't have clothes here."

"You can borrow mine." Haruka stiffens even more as your hands clench the front of his shirt. "I-It's not like I'm tryna get you to stay over! It's just that it's late and you've gotta get up e-early tomorrow! I'm not some kinda pervert!"

You giggle into his back and nuzzle your forehead into the strong muscle there as he finally relaxes. "I'd be kinda upset if you didn't think about it a little bit, Haruka-kun. I am your girlfriend, after all."

Haruka lets out a huge sigh and moves to brace his hands on the counter. "You can take a bath first. Lemme go heat up the water."

"Are you trying to be a gentleman again?"

"Wuh — what're you talkin' about? I already told you I'm not a pervert!"

You laugh. "Last time you went to heat up the water for me, you didn't come out for a solid twenty minutes. I thought you passed out in there."

"That was just — I was just —!" Haruka hangs his head and you press your cheek against his back. You can feel his heartbeat pounding in double time. "I was tryin' to calm down."

"You don't have to, y'know," you say softly, patting at his firm chest with a sigh. "I wanna do it too."

Haruka chokes on his spit. Or at least, you think that's what happens, because he lapses into a coughing fit and gently pushes you towards the bathroom with a red face. He refuses to answer your concerned questions, only shoving a pair of shorts and a t-shirt into your arms before shutting the bathroom door on your amused face.

You shower and bathe on your own, humming a nonsensical tune as you lather up with his shampoo and body wash. It's a minor miracle and mostly a testament to your relationship that he has amenities at all, the clean smelling soaps clearly picked out with a thought towards your possible use of them. It makes your heart stutter in your chest when you notice that he's stocked your favorite brand of lotion on the counter and even left a clean face towel and headband for you to use while washing your face, as if he knew you'd need them eventually.

His clothes are a little too big on you, but you cinch the waistband of his shorts and hope for the best as you step out of the bathroom. Haruka is sitting stiffly at the low table, glaring down at his phone as the screen lights up with texts.

"Is everything okay?" you ask.

Haruka looks up and freezes. You pause in the act of adjusting his shirt on your shoulders, blinking at your boyfriend as he seems to go through five stages of something before he turns a bright cherry red and slams his eyes shut. You snort.

"You've seen me naked before, Haruka-kun."

"S-shaddup! T-that's different!"

You get on your knees in front of him and cup his face in your hands. Haruka doesn't flinch, but he cracks open one stormy blue eye like he's worried about what he might see. You roll your eyes at him. "Are you good? Why do you look so pissed at your phone?"

"Oh," Haruka blinks and glances sideways at the offending item. His face is warm in your hands. "The guys found out you're staying over."

"Are they giving you advice on how to get laid again?" you ask, giggling. "I love you, but please don't listen to Umemiya-san. I promise I don't get turned on by plant based pickup lines."

"I'm gonna shower!" Haruka stands abruptly and shuffles past you, but he pauses at the door. "You can read it, if ya want. The chat thread."

You raise an eyebrow and pick up his phone as he shuts the bathroom door behind him. A generic wallpaper greets you as you swipe it open, but you notice a star emoji next to your name in his message history, which makes you smile.

The chat thread with Haruka's former classmates is at the top, filling with more unread notifications as you watch. Scrolling through, you grin to yourself as the boys send teasing and shy stickers, interspersed with their own complaints of struggling to find partners for themselves and throwaway comments about "that lucky bastard Sakura" snagging "the cutest girl on Tonbu street".

"What're ya laughin' at?" You blink as Haruka crouches in front of you, a towel hanging around his neck. He's shirtless, and you watch with interest as a gentle pink flush deepens and spreads along his skin. "Quit starin'!"

"Y-you're the one who came out shirtless," you squeak, setting his phone aside and reaching out for him. Haruka chews on his lip but lets you touch him. "That's so unfair!"

You trail your hands down his bare sides and smile as he tries to suppress a shiver. Then you reach for his hands. "The first aid kit is here," Haruka says, stretching out to grab it from its shelf. The movement puts his hard muscles on full display, though you have a feeling it's unintentional. Regardless, you can't quite tear your eyes away from his chest and stomach, watching as the muscles of his abs flex when he returns to his crouch.

"You're so stupidly hot," you mutter, accepting the kit and snapping it open. "I can't believe you just walk around looking like this."

"H-huh?" Haruka's eyes widen in surprise. You grab his hands to keep him from running away, but he stays still as you reapply ointment and bandages to his knuckles.

"I know you find it hard to believe, since people used to give you shit about your looks, but you are…" you pause and glance up at him, taking in his smooth skin, his beautiful gray blue and golden eyes, his fluffy black and white hair, "stupidly hot."

Your boyfriend sighs and places a hand on your hip. You set the first aid kit aside and grin up at his pleasantly pink face. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes, please."

Haruka kisses you slowly, tentatively. It's a little precarious, leaning up as he crouches in front of you, so you drag him to the futon and pull him over you, tugging him close by the ends of his towel. "You're so warm," he mutters, shifting his weight on his elbows and doing his best to keep from crushing you.

You sigh into the next kiss, wrapping your legs around his waist and pulling him down, huffing a laugh when he grunts and smacks his hand against the floor in surprise. "You're so far from me, how can you even tell?" you tease.

"You're always warm," Haruka grumbles. He noses along your cheek, smiling against the smooth skin there as you giggle. "And soft."

"Are you callin' me weak?" you ask, tilting your head to kiss him again. He breaks the kiss with a pant, nipping at the exposed skin of your collar as your shirt shifts. "Ah — hey!"

Haruka groans, one of his hands going down to grip at the soft give of your waist, holding you still as he grinds down into the cradle of your thighs. You moan as his hard length drags against you, wiggling your hips into the friction as something pulses in your core. "I should've given you another shirt."

"A-another shirt? What's wrong with t-this one?" You gasp as he rolls his hips again, arching into the touch as his free hand slips beneath your borrowed shirt to brush against the swell of your chest. You grab at his shoulders and back, dragging your blunt nails along his skin as you pant. "I l-like this shirt!"

"I like it too," he admits, hiding his face in the juncture of your neck and shoulder. His hand slides up to cup one of your tits, tugging and pinching as he sucks a bruise into your neck. "Y'look damn good in it."

You whine, throwing your head back as he shoves the shirt halfway up, snagging on the bottom of your breasts before he yanks it off of you entirely. He drapes himself back over you almost right away, kissing you breathless until you lick into his mouth to earn a strangled groan.

Haruka seems content to keep kissing you, and normally you wouldn't mind, but your borrowed shorts are getting uncomfortably damp and he keeps rolling his hips mindlessly and it's driving you a little insane.

"Haruka, touch me already," you plead. Your boyfriend pulls apart a few scant centimeters, two toned eyes scanning your face wildly until you grab one of his hands and shove it down your shorts. "O-oh, yes, please right there —!"

"Fuck," he bites out. "You're so wet."

"Haruka, you need to stretch me out," you say breathlessly, squirming as his fingers slide and press against the wetness along your lips. "Y-you're too big to go right away, you've gotta ngh —"

He dips one finger into your clenching pussy and freezes above you. It would be almost comical except for how much hotter it makes you, forcing you to buck into his hand as he pants. "S-stop squirmin' or I'll come in my fucking pants," Haruka grunts, forcing himself to begin fingering you in earnest.

He grits his teeth when you whine at another added finger, scissoring them immediately to hurry this up. He doesn't want to hurt you, but when you're laid out like this right in front of him, looking so pretty and perfect, it's taking everything he has not to rut into you like an animal.

"I'm ready, 'm ready," you breathe. You wrestle the two of you out of your bottoms and giggle when he sends one pair of shorts flying into the wall, but your attention is immediately drawn to the trail of black and white strands leading down to your boyfriend's cock. "Can I?"

"Fuck no," Haruka says, positioning himself between your legs again. "D'you want me to die?"

That makes you laugh. You reach out for him as he spreads your legs apart with rough fingers, his easy, overwhelming strength making something throb in your gut. Your sex life is actually pretty healthy, considering your respective jobs and commitments and Haruka's healing trauma. He's always been careful and attentive to your needs as you learned about desire together. It's not like you're deprived of it, or anything.

But when Haruka slowly pushes his way inside you, the muscles along his jaw ticking with restraint, the feeling of being filled by him makes something snap in your core and you cum with a breathless cry.

Haruka freezes immediately, hands slamming down on either side of your head as you clench and squeeze his cock unrelentingly. He barely manages a shallow thrust before he has to freeze again, hot breaths puffing on your face.

"Did you just…?"

"Uh huh."

"Does that always happen??"

"Your dick isn't magical, Haruka-kun," you giggle, looping your arms around his shoulders and wiggling your hips a little. "This isn't going to happen all the time, so don't get used to it."

"I wasn't sayin' that!"

Haruka pouts into your next kiss, but you lick into his mouth and manage to draw out a low groan and an aborted thrust. The ache in your gut hasn't lessened much. If anything, the pressure of his thick cock nestled inside you is making you tingle all over, and the way sweat starts to bead along his hairline makes you want to make him cry.

"You can move, please," you breathe, "you don't have to hold back."

"Don't wanna h-hurt you," Haruka grunts, pulling out slowly only to thrust back in with a force that makes your tits sway. He screws his two colored eyes shut, brows furrowing in concentration. "Fuck, you feel so good."

"You feel good, too," you sigh. "You can let go, I promise."

Haruka's next thrust makes you moan, and something in him seems to snap. He fucks you into the futon relentlessly, propping your ankles up on his shoulders, his dick hitting that spot inside that makes you see stars fuzzing along the edges of your vision. The angle presses your clit against his skin with every thrust, sending you quickly spiraling into another orgasm as you cry out his name.

"Hah, oh fuck I'm gonna —!"

Haruka groans a strangled garble of your name as he reaches his peak, thrusting into you deeply as his cock throbs and releases thick gobs of sticky cum inside you. He lets go of your legs immediately, pressing firmly into the muscles there to ease the strain of being stretched like that for so long, but he hides his face in your neck as the two of you catch your breath.

"Should I call in sick for work tomorrow?" you mutter absently, somewhat desperately grasping for some semblance of sanity. "I dunno if I'll be able to walk."

"Shit, did I hurt you?" Haruka asks, lifting his head and wincing at the pull of sweaty skin. He's glowing, bright and handsome above you, his hair damp with sweat. His two colored eyes are a little watery, his eyelashes sticking together in clumps with unshed tears from how hard he came. The sight makes something squirm in your gut.

You reach up to push his bangs out of his face and snicker as the strands stick up. "You didn't hurt me, you just fucked the strength out of my limbs. We'll need another shower."

Haruka blushes hotly, an impressive feat considering he's still solid and hard inside you. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm not hurt," you promise. You cradle his face in your hands and he leans into the touch. His hips roll slowly against you and he bites on his bottom lip as you gasp. "Haruka?"

"Maybe you should call in sick for work tomorrow."

"Seriously?"

Haruka nods, still blushing hard. "I swear I'm not a pervert, but you…"

You gape at him. "Are you calling me a pervert?"

"N-no!" You don't give him a chance to continue, leaning up to kiss him. You're both smiling when you pull away. "Who knew doing this stuff would feel better than fighting?"

You laugh out loud at that and flop back into the futon. "Are you seriously comparing the two things? Why're you thinking about fighting right now?"

"Can't help it," Haruka says, shrugging. "I could die when you make me feel so good. And fighting's what got me the cutest girl on Tonbu street."

[jmgangel]

When Futaba realizes she has a crush on Sumire she asks Akiren for relationship advice. Then she does the opposite of whatever he suggests cause she’s seen Shuake and she’s trying to avoid that.

[katlou303]

Update! Chapter fifteen of a light exists in spring is now up!

[unknees]

—The Adults Are Talking

Aizawa Shouta x Haruno Sakura

Omake: The Adults Are Alright

prev // next

[coloriza]

"Sakura had never felt so validated in her love until she met a man made better by her burning."

The Void Between Fireflies by @renaerys

[jyacira1]

magician x priestress pt.2

[celestial-sphere-press]

Fanbinding: Dirt and Ashes, or: The One-and-a-Half Body Problem by @tozettastone

In which Sakura carries half of Hidan across two countries, leaving a trail of blood, bodies, and other people's legs.

I made this book for @aetherseer as part of an exchange we did, and I had such a great time making it. I saw this fic on their list and remembered reading it ages ago and was like I CAN DO SOMETHING WITH THAT! and here it is.

The cover is Colibri bookcloth, handpainted with acrylic (all of the lettering is freehand- easy when the font you choose is irregular). @pleasantboatpress suggested including a quote on the spine since the title wasn't working there, so I got to add the absolutely banger quote from this fic "Your pain is sacred. Your suffering is beautiful."

For the edges, I used fluid graphite and polished and waxed them. On the endbands I used my Japanese silk thread for the first time (its a dream tbh).

For the typeset, I leaned in hard on the blood sacrifice aesthetic, creating the Jashinist symbol for the front page (and also the cover) and using a font aptly called "Bloody Scratch." You can't see them here but for paragraph breaks there are little scythe.

@tozettastone, if you would like a copy I would be happy to make you one!! (I think my ask to you got eaten, feel free to dm).