Title: Build Me Up (Leo x Sakura)
Leo's fingers tremble as quickly as his heart beats. His face has gone red, but he can't tell if it is out of anger due to her ridiculous beliefs or embarrassment because of his desire to physically reach out to her.
To touch her.
The words that fall from her lips leave somewhat of a stinging pain in his chest. "I'm just not as good…" He can hear them a million times over in his head. Leo wants to scoff at them, and tell her how silly she's being.
But then, doesn't that make him a hypocrite?
He wants to say something to her. His lips even part more than once, giving his voice plenty of opportunities to rise up. It doesn't.
He only stands there next to her under the blanket of the night sky decorated in stars, watching her as she stares down at her feet.
"I'm sorry," she speaks. "I… I probably just ruined the mood. B-but it's getting late s-so…" Her voice trails off. She's telling him that she's leaving, but he still can't find it in himself to do anything.
Sakura doesn't even meet his gaze before she starts to inch away from him awkwardly. He watches as she turns her back on him, and something in him moves to grab hold of her hand.
She squeaks in surprise, and all he can muster is a low, breathy, "…Wait."
There's a long pause between the two of them before Sakura can let out a small, "Okay…" of her own. "I-is there something wrong, Leo?"
"Don't say things like that about yourself," It hurts when she does.
Sakura's eyebrows raise in surprise before she gives him a weak smile. "Oh… please don't mind it. I'm… You all are so talented. Especially you, Leo. You're such a hard worker, and you –"
He involuntarily grips her hand a bit tighter. "Sakura, please. Don't build me up to tear yourself down."
"Um, L-Leo… my hand…" she mumbles. Leo winces before immediately letting go, and the reddening of his face worsens.
Unable to look her in the eye for a moment, he utters a small apology. "Please, listen to me. I feel as though you're a remarkable woman. To hear you say less than pleasant things about yourself… practically tortures me."
Sakura frowns. "Oh, I'd never want that! I just… um… sometimes it's hard living up to everyone else's accomplishments. E-especially yours."
Suddenly, Leo feels guilty. "Do I… make you feel that way? Because that's truly the last thing I'd want."
"No, it isn't you," Sakura assures him. "I just think you're amazing and I really strive to be just as amazing."
"But you are, and I desperately want to prove it to you, even if it means forever!" Leo blurts out. The minute Sakura's cheeks change color, he regrets his choice in words. "Er… well, that is to say…"
Sakura's giggling doesn't help right now. "W-was that a confession?" She asks.
He's at a loss for words. "I… I didn't plan for it to happen like this. I wanted to tell you during the day, after we'd had a nice outing or something…"
"Y-you… wanted to take me out on a date?"
"Not necessarily a date per say but… ah, there's no point in hiding this anymore," Leo mumbles. This all went much smoother in his head. However, the sound of Sakura's soft giggling makes him feel a little better.
"Th-then… let's spend forever building each other up." The way she says it makes his heart skip a beat.
"Yes," he finally smiles. "Let's."
