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“Do you like listening to music, Sakura?”
Togame asks the question much too casually, apparently, because it seems to roll right off of Sakura’s shoulders. Then, a few seconds later, Sakura lifts his head and looks up at him, blinking a few times.
“Huh? Sorry, what?” Sakura says, before his head tilts to the side. “Music?”
Togame nods as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone. It’s a pretty standard smartphone, just like Sakura’s own. But the last time Togame took a look at Sakura’s phone, it had been devoid of just about everything, and it really only had a ton of contacts of his class and school mates, thanks to Bofurin.
“Yeah, music.” Togame waves his phone around a little, the charms hanging from it jingling a little as he does. “You ever heard of it?” He teases, half-grinning at Sakura.
Sakura’s cheeks immediately go pink, his anger already noticeable. It’s adorable, really, how easily riled up Sakura is. Togame shouldn’t take advantage of it as much as he does, but he really can’t help himself. Sakura is much too adorable when he’s flustered, even more so when he’s trying to backpedal when he obviously isn’t sure what he’s talking about or doing.
“Course I’ve heard of it! I–I just wasn’t expectin’ you to suddenly ask me about it, that’s all!” Sakura lets out a huff as he crosses his arms over his chest, scowling at Togame.
Togame laughs lightly at his reaction, shaking his head slightly. He reaches back into his pocket and pulls out a pair of earbuds, the wired kind that actually plug into the phone. As he pushes the earbud jack into place, he glances up at Sakura over the rims of his glasses. “You didn’t answer my question, though. You listen at all?”
Sakura shrugs one of his shoulders, suddenly looking a bit sheepish. “Dunno. I guess? I kind of just listen to whatever Nirei and Suo show me, I guess, but like… not really on my own.” He runs a hand along the side of his arm, up and down, his eyes avoiding looking in Togame’s direction at all. “S’that fine?”
“I mean, sure,” Togame nods, pressing an earbud into his right ear. “I’m not gonna judge you for not listening to music a lot. Just thought I’d ask. I didn’t really take you as someone to listen recreationally, but I wondered if you’d surprise me again.”
“Again,” Sakura mumbles under his breath, like he can’t believe Togame just said that. Always incredulous when it comes to him, Togame’s noticed, but it just keeps him coming back for more.
Togame smiles then as he lifts his phone up, tilting his head to the side a bit. “You wanna listen? Maybe I can get you hooked on some good tunes.”
A scoff is the main response Togame gets from him, but by now, he can tell Sakura’s mannerisms. Despite Sakura curling in on himself and trying to feign disinterest on the subject, Togame knows he’s gotten his attention. Sakura’s ears are red, his cheeks still pink, and he keeps glancing at Togame’s phone in his hand.
Smiling to himself, Togame decides to “ignore” Sakura next to him. He keeps one earbud hanging out as he taps his phone to life, unlocking it and heading straight to his favourite music app. He taps on his simply curated playlist, and right as his thumb is about to press the ‘Play’ button, a hand is shoved right into his face. Togame fails to keep his smile from turning into a grin as his gaze lazily drifts up to look at Sakura, staring at him for a moment.
“Yes, Sakuraaaa?” Togame drawls out his name on purpose, if only to watch the blush on Sakura’s cheeks deepen because of it.
Sakura is practically pouting, though he’s trying to make himself look angry in some way. He shoves his hand further into Togame’s face, trying to turn his pout into a scowl. “The fuckin’... earbud or whatever.”
Togame bites at the inside corner of his lips. “What about it?”
Sakura turns redder, probably because he’s frustrated. “Gimme it!”
Togame laughs as he gives in, grabbing the left earbud and dropping it into Sakura’s open palm. “You should really learn to ask for things more politely, y’know.”
With a huff, Sakura jams the earbud into his left ear, glaring down at Togame’s phone. There’s a beat of silence, before Sakura mutters “thanks” softly under his breath. He probably thinks Togame can’t hear him, but he certainly can—and Togame’s entire being aches with just how fucking cute Sakura truly is.
He waits, though, until Sakura’s impatience gets the better of him again. Sakura shifts on his feet, his eyebrows furrowing together, and he grits his teeth as he turns his eyes up to Togame’s face, glaring at him. “So?” His voice is grumbling, somewhat annoyed.
Togame’s thumb is still hovering over the ‘Play’ button. “So… what?”
Sakura makes a frustrated noise, face scrunching up completely. He almost looks like he’s about to throw a tantrum with how he’s acting. Instead, he merely lets out a rumbling sigh and runs a hand through the dark half of his hair. Togame lets himself look, his gaze switching between Sakura’s two different coloured eyes, mesmerized by them.
“You gonna play your damn music or what?” Sakura finally grumbles out, his eyes briefly meeting Togame’s.
In that brief second, Togame feels a lot of things. His ever growing feelings for Sakura. His amusement in Sakura’s mannerisms and behaviour. His overwhelming urge to say fuck it and just kiss Sakura right then and there.
Instead, Togame reigns himself in and doesn’t allow for his impulses to get the better of him. He tucks his chin in towards his chest as he chuckles, shaking his head a little. He presses play, though, to appease Sakura’s wishes.
The song that comes on is one of Togame’s favourites, Rainy Night by Kingo Hamada. He’s an artist that Togame found a few years ago, and his music is right up Togame’s alley. Not many people are aware of the guy’s existence though, considering he’d only dropped basically one album then faded off into obscurity. Togame loves his music, even if no one else does. Choji listens to it only because Togame makes him, especially when they’re hanging out together.
The song plays for a minute or so, with no real reaction from Sakura. All that happens is they settle back against the rooftop’s railing together, shoulders now brushing together. Togame glances to his right, studying Sakura’s side profile again. He’s handsome like this, when he’s not constantly frowning and scowling and forcing himself to make ugly faces just to pretend he’s some mysterious badass without feelings. (He’s handsome any other time, too, but Togame is trying to make a point here.)
A few strands of white fall into Sakura’s eye, but he doesn’t seem to notice. This time, Togame does let his impulse get the better of him. He sits up slightly and reaches out, using a finger to brush the strands back into place. Sakura immediately looks up at that, jolting slightly in place. He stares at Togame with wide eyes, a lovely flush spreading across his cheeks again, and Togame bites down on his tongue to keep from chuckling.
“Whaddya think?” Togame asks, nodding slightly down towards his phone. He pulls his hand back, letting it fall into his lap as he does.
Sakura’s mouth falls open, undoubtedly trying to say something, but all that comes out is a strange and garbled noise. His flush grows even deeper, the boy being obviously embarrassed by what just happened, but Togame merely smiles. It’s small and soft, his own gaze turning softer by the second.
“It’s not that terrible, is it?” Togame laughs lightly as he turns away from Sakura, letting his head fall back against the metal railing behind him. He closes his eyes to let himself get lost in the music again, his urge to tease Sakura faded just a bit. Right now, he truly does just want Sakura to allow himself to get lost in some music, needing nothing more.
Quiet follows Togame’s comment, but only for about another minute or so as Kingo Hamada’s voice gently rings through Togame’s right ear. Then, just above the music, Togame hears Sakura:
“It’s nice.”
Togame resists the urge to shoot right up and grin at Sakura. He simply grins to himself instead, gripping at his phone slightly tighter. Part of him wishes that they were holding hands right now, instead, but Togame can only be so selfish in one sitting. He compromises with himself, shifting his right leg further out until it goes bumping into Sakura’s.
He can feel Sakura jump slightly next to him, body stiffening. That’s the kind of reaction Togame’s expecting. After all, Sakura is jumpy when it comes to just about everything: emotions, vulnerability, physical touch, compliments… the list is endless. Togame finds it endearing, all the same.
What he doesn’t expect is for Sakura’s knee to begin pushing back into his own. There’s a gentle pressure between their knees now, and Togame feels his heart threatening to skip a beat. He can’t stop smiling, even as the song goes from Rainy Night to one of the slower and much more heartfelt songs within Togame’s playlist.