and the scarry skies above
shames and aches
He's sixteen when puberty hits, belated and hard. Where one day it was all chubby cheeks and soft skin, the next it is a breaking voice and aching bones. His first real growth spurt takes him up, up, up, until he's almost the same height as his sensei and they finally stand eye to eye without her having to bend down. He doesn't have to climb the cupboards anymore if he wants sweets. It also brings something else – something Sakura likes to call hormones, and refers to whenever he snaps at one of his friends or stares after a girl passing by. She likes to tease him about it, and laughs at him, but what she doesn't know is that he's comparing her to all of them and he finds them lacking. They don't have the same vibrant hair or eyes, nor the same alabaster skin. They lack her strength and iron will, her intellect and sharp tongue. Most importantly, they don't have her arms – covered in scars that shimmer in the moonlight. He wants to know how far those marks extend, and when he's alone with his thoughts at night, tired beyond belief and alone and dreading yet another morning, he can't help but think of her and he suddenly wants her so bad it hurts. He pulls the pillow over his head and fears to die of shame.
A/N: I'm so sorry I missed last week's update (and this week's as well). But life has been so hectic. I thought turbulent weeks would turn out to be the exception, not the rule, but alas that seems to be untrue. I'm hustling from one event into the next. Woe poor introvert me. Whatever happened to the good old times where I wouldn't have any appointments for weeks on end?
I hope you have a good weekend; thanks for your insightful reviews on the last chapter.
Lots of love!
planless