Day 4 - Dream Run. An outtake from A Tiny Smirk is Devastating. For the maybe two people who are reading this but haven't read ATSiD, what you need to know is that it's a college AU setting. Sakura has a huge fangirl crush on Uchiha-senpai, but unknown to her, the guy she's married in-game is her beloved Uchiha-senpai, and Sasuke knows who she is :)
Sakura's morning run was her happy place. She had no assignments to worry about, no part-time job stress, and absolutely no thoughts about her summer internship were allowed to intrude. She may have started running in order to fulfill her university's physical education graduation requirement. but she'd kept it up because of the peace of mind it gave her, long after her roommates had quit.
That morning had been like any other, as she'd warmed up on the side, then started at a leisurely pace to get her blood pumping. There were very few people on the track, mostly freshmen who were eager to get that part of their graduation requirements done, or seniors grimly wishing they'd fulfilled their requirement in freshmen year.
At any rate, at that hour of the morning, no one paid any attention to anyone else. Sakura was no exception - with her hair in a ponytail and her earbuds in, she was in her own little world, drifting along with the current of people on the 400m track.
It was that preoccupation that allowed Uchiha Sasuke, campus heartthrob and so-called (by his idiot roommates) "chick magnet", to slip into the crowd with only a hoodie as a disguise. Normally, his morning run was through the faculty district outside the gates, but when he'd seen that distinctive pink ponytail amongst the runners on the track, he hadn't been able to resist. That seemed to be his theme this semester, with her.
He kept one eye on that pink ponytail and followed it from a distance. Her pace was easy to keep up with, and when they turned the bend, the slight smile on her face lit up that spring morning. It was… something.
Sasuke only caught a brief glance at her at these bends, which left him a bit dissatisfied. Considering the problem, he sped up so he was half a track ahead of her. That way, they would see each other in passing for most of the lap instead. Sasuke was very satisfied with his clever solution.
Sakura was horrified that she'd been so dumb. She'd recognize that back anywhere. She wasn't ashamed to admit that her extensive study of Uchiha-senpai meant she could ID him by his pace and the curve of his calf, but since she'd been so focused on her run, she'd totally missed him. It was only when he turned the curve ahead of her that she'd recognized him by the shape of his chin under his hoodie.
Uchiha-senpai! Here! Right! In! Front! Of! Me!
Involuntarily, Sakura slowed down and nearly tripped over another student. Her heart was pounding as she found a spot on the side of the track to catch her breath. I wonder how long I can get away with just standing there and watching him for a bit. Gotta play it cool. Don't stare, just glance out of the corner of your eye, so he-
SHANNARO!
He. Looked. At. Me!
Uchihasenpailookedatme!
Flustered, giddy, and rapidly turning a bright tomato red, Sakura did the only logical thing for a bonafide fan girl caught peeping at their idol.
She ran. Away. Far, far away, away from the track, away from the athletics area, and back to the safety of her dorm. Without even looking back once.
Leaving a very puzzled Sasuke behind. He'd have to reconsider his approach.
AN: For those who do know the story, I have to admit that I forgot about this scene when I was doing the plot thing, so y'all get it as an outtake. There's a scene where Weiwei sees Xiao Nai, stops dead, then they make eye contact and she turns right around and runs away. Oops. And yes, that's two days of fanfiction of my own fanfiction #sorrynotsorry