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there's a knock at sakura's door that disturbs his otherwise typical afternoon. he looks up from his foldable table and tries to wrack his mind for any probable deliveries he ordered. when he comes up empty, he presumes a hallucination or mistaken identity and turns back to his table. still, the knocks return again.
they're sharp raps against the door with slight pauses in between, as if the deliverer themself is nervous to inflict them. sakura squints at the door suspiciously then rises. maybe it's his vice-captains, dropping by again to check in on him. maybe it's anzai and his friends, stopping from sheer chance to say hi. he thinks through every possibility and prepares himself for each one, running through his dialogues and expressions in response.
when sakura swings open the door, though, there's you.
you wring your hands before him anxiously with a smile as you ask, "wanna go for a walk?"
sakura blinks. your fingers tangle together like branches whipping about in the wind. you're dressed in a casual t-shirt and shorts, as if you went home to change immediately after school then came straight to his apartment.
"...you came here just to ask me on a walk?" he parrots, voice pitched a little highly in disbelief.
you nod. a flush descends upon the jut of your cheekbones like doves settling in a tree. you peer up at him trepidatiously, and the flutter of your eyelashes makes sakura's heart beat some sort of discordant rhythm. trying to shift his gaze anywhere else, he looks back in his apartment at the papers strewn about on the ground and slipping off his tiny table.
well. it's not like his assignments were anywhere close to being done, anyway.
"give me a second," he tells you, then leaves the door open as he goes back in. it's half an invitation, but it's one you take anyway. carefully, you step into the apartment and look around with unleashed curiosity.
sakura unplugs his phone and checks the battery, then after glancing at your distracted figure, grabs an unopened bottle of water from his cupboard. he returns to the entrance and sits down to put on his sneakers, while you wait patiently at the side. when he's done, he gestures to leave. you follow him out through the door.
"you're not going to lock it?" you ask a bit worriedly as you watch sakura close the door.
"nah," sakura waves off your concern flippantly. "not like anyone would try to rob this dingy little apartment."
sakura's response makes you smile as you look around. you think the vines crawling over the walls look quite homely, actually, but you can't deny that the rest of it does look rather...dilapidated. though, as you glance at sakura, you can't help but think that it's got its own charm.
you trail him down the stairs, each step sounding a metallic creak beneath your scuffed shoes. with the fall of both of your footsteps, they sing an off-tune harmony that ripples through the air.
as you both reach the bottom, sakura turns to you. "anywhere in particular you want to go?"
you contemplate for a moment, then look at him instead. "where do you usually go?"
sakura shrugs. "just...anywhere."
it's an awfully vague response. at the small furrow in your brows, he elaborates, "i don't exactly...plan it out beforehand. i just walk wherever i feel like."
"okay," you lean back and look at him head-on. "then lead the way, sakura!"
sakura looks considerably self-conscious as he searches his surroundings, evidently aware of your gaze on him. eventually, he picks a random direction and sets off towards it. you bound forward a few steps to catch up to his wide stride, then return to normal walking as sakura slows down his pace for you.
it's...nice. it's that transition point where the spring weather sits on the precipice of summer, warm enough for the concrete beneath your feet to radiate heat but cool enough that the temperature isn't overwhelming. you shut your eyes to welcome a gentle breeze, one that coasts across your face and rustles the stray strands of your hair. sakura's eyes inadvertently slide to you then move away again.
you walk together through the streets. you focus on the feel of each step, the shift of pressure from the heel of your foot to the sole then to the ball. you count the number of times your shoes meet the ground and lose count by accident. your pace matches sakura's then falls out of rhythm and catches up again, a cycle that repeats endlessly. the monotony of it is lovely in a way you can't put into words.
above you, clouds roll across the expanse of the sky. you tilt your head back and track the wisps of orange and yellow that begin to unravel in the continuous blue. they melt into the colour and varying shades of pink and purple surface, bordering the contrasting colours. somewhere, distant, you hear the chirp of a bird preparing to return to its nest.
you laugh lightly. sakura turns to you, questioning.
"it looks just like your eye, sakura," you smile up at the sky. "it's beautiful."
fixated on the clouds and the gradient and the arriving sunset, you miss the same dash of pink streaking across the sky that's reflected on sakura's cheeks. he turns his head away the next second, although his ears burn red like crushed rose petals, and doesn't respond. you focus on the part of the sky that's dyed amber, and think of the catlike gaze which shares that exact shade.
the wind carries your sigh upward to rest amongst the clouds. you return your gaze to the path before you and take another step forward.
it's just a normal walk, but your stamina runs short. eventually, your legs begin to ache in between your quickened breaths. when you think you really can't go on, you set your palm against a wall and call sakura's name.
"sorry, sakura," you apologise. "i'll just rest for a second and catch up."
you meant for him to go on without you, feeling bad for disrupting his walk. instead, sakura crosses his arms and leans against the wall to wait patiently. you pant slightly as you catch your breath, lifting your foot to grasp it by the ankle in an attempt to stretch your sore muscles. then, sakura starts as if remembering something.
"here," he offers the bottled water he was carrying. you stare at it for a moment, feeling warmth bloom along your nape like spring flowers, then take it with a duck of your head in thanks. you join him in leaning your backs against the wall as you twist the cap of the bottle. tipping your head back, you drink until the burn in your throat eases. a trickle of water trails down the side of your jaw, and sakura tracks it until he catches himself and fixates his gaze on the ground.
"thanks," you return the bottle to him as you wipe the stray drop away. sakura presses his lips together as a blush instinctively flares over his face, and nods in response.
you both set off again once you feel prepared enough. this time, sakura keeps pace with you and lets you set the speed at which you walk together. you try to balance a casual gait with a brisk stride, not wanting to hold him back. still, he keeps his steps slow and steady, and you gradually fall back into your usual meander.
the sky rusts over orange, smearing yellow over the cotton-white clouds. the colour dyes the blue into rose and lavender as it spills across the endless canvas like fervent splatters of paint. it's bewitching to watch, and you unashamedly halt in the middle of the pavement to stare. sakura pauses with you, standing beside you as you direct your gaze towards the sky. while you watch the sky, though, he watches you.
sakura finds himself watching the light in your eyes as you admire the sunset. the sky stretches overhead like an artist's palette, but he can only focus on the colours reflected in your iris. the tilt to your mouth as you behold the sight before you and the curve of your lips as you wear the whisper of a smile captivate his attention entirely. for a second, he wishes he could see the world through your eyes. what kind of beauty must you see, for such childlike wonder to pour out from every crevice of your expression?
though you expected to walk back to his apartment together, sakura insists on walking you home instead. you accept with a smile and a nod of thanks. this time, when you set off, you lead the way and sakura follows. when you finally pause at your door, he lingers by the doorstep like he doesn't quite want to leave yet.
“thanks," you tell sakura sincerely. he doesn't voice it, but you can read the confusion at your gratitude off his face.
"for letting me walk with you, for waiting while i rested, and for giving me water," you elaborate. pink dusts over his cheeks in response.
"for—letting you walk with me?" he repeats, lilting your words into a question.
"mhm," you nod. "for sharing this piece of your life with me. thank you for letting me be a part of it."
the crinkle of your eyes and the pull of your lips into a smile are as blinding as the sunset. sakura feels his whole face succumb to the warmth of a blush.
"...anytime," he returns with effort. the unspoken invitation for future walks makes you grin even wider.