he watched as she packs her suitcase—5 years worth of clothes and mementos and feelings all in one tiny space that she'll have no trouble carrying out of their home.

my house now, he corrected in his mind.

when she's done, she stood straight with her back facing him and he could see the slight tremble of her body in the slope of her shoulders, the width of her hips, and the soft noise of her breathing.

he fought the urge to run, to hold, to never let go...

but he had already chosen to go away instead; to go far away and chase his passion... his music. she might be the one leaving this broken home, but he left her first.

she took her things and move towards the bedroom door where he stood lifelessly.

when got close, he wrapped his hand on her wrist.

stay. stay a little longer. let me hold you.

her green eyes looked up at him and they are the catalyst to his demise. they're as vivid as their first meeting, as beautiful as their first kiss, as fierce as their first fight, as breathtaking as their first love-making... and as sorrowful as their last goodbye.

" sakura ," he said, desperately trying to convey his true feelings. i love you. do you hear me? i love you. i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i love you.

she smiled that smile that broke something in him. he knows that smile. he knows that she knows. and in words she said...

" i already know, sasuke-kun ." she caressed his face one last time and said, "but you already made your choice... and i'm choosing myself now."

the soft click of his front door reverberated loudly against his ears, and there's no chasing the music anymore...

because the music is gone.

a/n: a continuation of the singers au i got for the first love and heartache :P consider this the night ssk was talking about in heartache huhu i love ex-lovers trope so much sorry! this was also my entry for the sstwitfest2020 for the prompt "i already know" hehe also pls know i'll be uploading the rest of the snippets i wrote ever since so expect little pings from me if you are following this. thanks for reading as always!

ps. also, if you are a filipino ss content creator, newbie or first-time or veteran, we have a travel zine project called LAKBAY! this is open for everyone, even the non-filipino fans! as long as you have traveled here in the philippines, you can also join. feel free to send me a message here or on twitter! THANK YOUUUU :)