#ssfics

This was a sudden idea but it was fun to write! The idea entered my mind when I saw a tweet by one of my friends in the SS fam wherein her mom and tita (aunt) stalked her crush. Haha. And then poof, I suddenly thought of incorporating the “Titas of Manila” vibe in it! 

If you’re a Filipino and you consider yourself a “tita” regardless of your age, I hope you enjoy this!

Cla, thanks to you, this was born! This one’s for you! I hope this fic would make you smile! Stay happy!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto, nor any product, franchise, or establishment mentioned in this fic.

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“Hi, Mars!” A high-pitched voice called the attention of Mikoto Uchiha while she was seated at one of the aesthetic tables of Cafe Mary Grace.

“Mare! You’re here!” Quite surprised, she stood up and leaned closer to her new companion to give her a beso on the cheek. “Kushina told me you might not be able to come, so I thought it’s going to be just the two of us.”

Mebuki Haruno slightly chuckled as they both sat down. It was also a surprise to her that she was able to attend their monthly hangout. Originally, she had somewhere else to go to, but she didn’t want to miss out on the updates with her amigas’ lives so she had to find a way to be able to meet with them. “Well, Sakura doesn’t have any classes so she took over all of my tasks for Sunlife today. Anyway, how are you?”

“Well, actually…” Mikoto suddenly picked up her Longchamp from the chair beside her and started rummaging its pockets. 

“What are you looking for?”

“My White Flower.” She sighed. “Actually, I was having some sort of a migraine this morning and it’s quite hitting me again now. Wait, where is it…”

Rolling her eyes, the caramel-haired woman clicked her small pouch open and gave Mikoto what she was looking for. “Here. And I thought Kushina was the forgetful one.”

“Oh, thank you!” Mikoto chuckled bashfully. “You’re still always the girl scout! I think I forgot mine somewhere at home since I used it right after I woke up too.” Opening the lid of the tiny bottle, she placed a finger on its mouth and waited until the liquid that could somehow miraculously heal all kinds of aches dampened the tip of her finger. She applied it on her temples and repeated the process until she felt the soothing sensation that she needed. “Tch. How I wish these headaches would stay away from me, but it’s returning every now and then.”

“Is that a sign that even at eighteen, Sasuke could still be a kuya?”

A subtle gasp escaped Mikoto’s lips as her gaze landed on Mebuki. And with the way the other woman wiggled her eyebrows at her, she couldn’t help but blush. “N-no, that’s not the case!” She cleared her throat and straightened herself on her seat. “Not at all. We don’t need more babies at home, Mare. Besides, I already have lots of baby succulents in my garden.”

Mebuki chuckled at how her friend struggled to keep her composure. “But 43 is not that bad, Mars. I’ve heard it’s still okay being pregnant at our age!”

“I don’t think Sasuke would appreciate having a sibling that is enough to be his own child.”

“Oh well, that could probably make your son more soft, you know? He’s so much like Fugaku! Imagine him taking care of an infant. I bet he needs that. Like a practice!”

Her laughter only received an eye roll from Mikoto. And if Mikoto hadn’t seen another familiar woman by the restaurant’s door, she was sure she’d have to endure Mebuki’s insistence on the matter for a couple of minutes.

“Kumares! Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry I’m late!”

Mikoto knew the newcomer wasn’t quite sorry at all, but she only grinned due to its familiarity. “It’s fine, Mars. We haven’t ordered yet.”

Kushina Uzumaki rounded the table and gave the two a beso before placing her grocery bags on the same chair where Mikoto’s bag was. “That’s great! Oh well. I wasn’t able to stop myself from dropping by at Watsons after I bought some groceries!”

“Who would be able to resist the temptation of Watsons? I could relate to you! I’m sure Mikoto could, too. Did you buy anything?”

“I wasn’t intending on buying anything, really.” The redhead chuckled. “But then I saw a new shade of this famous supermatte lipstick and I knew I needed to have one while it’s on sale!” She opened a small paper bag to reveal its content. Quickly removing the cap of the cosmetic, she twisted its body and showed the lipstick to her friends. “It’s gorgeous, dattebane!”

“Wow, that’s good for you! I’m kind of becoming lazy in shopping at malls recently. I often just hoard some stuff on Shopee and Lazada or ask Sakura to do the shopping for me. Besides, that’s kind of her thing nowadays too.”

Mikoto groaned slightly. “The joy of having a daughter.”

Mebuki chuckled. “Oh yeah, I remember you’ve always imagined that Sasuke would be a girl when you were still pregnant with him. But don’t worry, isn’t Itachi about to get married early next year? You’ll have a daughter-in-law soon!”

“You’re right.” There was a sparkle in Mikoto’s eyes upon hearing the idea. “Wow. You’re right! I didn’t realize that! Izumi’s such a sweet girl and I can’t wait for her to be officially part of the family soon!”

“My, my! I can’t believe things are going too fast! Just a little bit longer and you’re already going to be a lola, Mikoto!” Kushina’s unabashed laughter filled their side of the venue, but the redhead woman didn’t care about the heads turned towards her.

On the other hand, her statement made the Uchiha matriarch glare at her, and for a second, she somehow thought that she saw her eyes became red.

“I’m kidding, ‘ttebane! You know you’ll still be as charming as me and Mebuki regardless of our age! Anyway, why don’t we order first?”

“Good point. Cha! I’m starving. It’s almost lunch time anyway. Waiter?” Mebuki raised a hand to one of the waiters who instantly handed menus to them and asked for their orders.

Kushina was the first to respond, “I’ll get the signature ensaymada – kindly heat it, okay? – and please prepare a dozen of Cheese rolls for takeout. How about you, Mikoto?”

“Mine is...hmm, Chicken Inasal Sandwich with Tomato and Wansoy Salsa.”

“That’s all for you both? Alright, for me—wait a sec—ah, this! Dory and Saffron Cream Pasta and Mary Grace Hot Chocolate. You guys don’t want to add anything?”

Kushina shook her head, but Mikoto turned to the waiter once more. “Please add a cup of tea for me. Thank you.”

“We’re all set then!” The redhead hummed with delight once the waiter left for their orders. “So what’s up with you guys recently?”

“Nothing much, really. Same old, same old.” Mikoto huffed. “Fugaku still has lots of businesses he needed to attend to. But recently, he often brings Itachi to his trips, as training, he says. I don’t even see them much anymore until they came home last week.”

“Still the busy man, huh? Minato’s the same! I called him out about it. Just because he’s the Mayor doesn’t mean he needed to stay at his office and have overtime!”

Mikoto crossed her arms on the table, smirking in amusement that Kushina had the guts to call out her own husband. “That’s the First Lady of Konoha for you. And what did he respond to that?”

“Gladly, he’s been going home earlier lately. It makes me happy that I could prepare dinner for him again. The thing is, it’s quite difficult to tolerate him because it feels like he’s another teenager in the house!” Kushina massaged her temples as her friends snickered. “I’m not sure if he’s just messing with me or he’s trying to practice being sweet again.”

“That’s why Naruto isn’t maturing,” Mikoto quipped.

“You’re right, though. He used to tell me that Naruto got much of his traits from me, but maybe the immaturity actually came from him!”

“Oh well, what is it with our husbands and their busy lives? Kizashi opened another shop in Suna last month, so he hasn’t returned since then.”

“How fun! I mean, missing your husband sucks, but the all-girls company seems fun, ya know? With just you and Sakura at home!”

“Yeah. You and Mikoto are missing out.” The Haruno matriarch chuckled, and then he proposed, “Perhaps we could invite you both soon for dinner?” 

“Sounds good to me. Sometimes I can’t stand Sasuke’s brooding at home.”

“Count me in, too! Oh, hey! Food’s finally here.”

True enough, the waiter returned to their table with the meals they have ordered, making them pause to say a prayer and then instantly devour their food. 

“By the way, have you heard about this thing going on with Hiashi and Tsume?”

Two pairs of eyes glanced from their food to Kushina.

“You’re not talking about a romantic thing, right?” Mikoto asked.

“Actually, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

“That seems like a joke, however.” Mebuki laughed before wiping her lips with a table napkin. “With how reserved Hiashi is, and how...how bold Tsume is, that seems like an extreme contrast.”

“I’m still not sure if it’s true. But we all know how Hiashi lost his wife to cancer so many years ago. And how...Tsume’s husband left them because she allegedly scared him, right? They probably need some romance once again.” Kushina shrugged while slicing her ensaymada. “Oh, well. It’s kind of being passed on to their kids because Naruto complained to me days ago about how Kiba seemed to be hitting on Hinata recently.” She snickered.

“But aren’t Naruto and Hinata together now?”

Kushina nodded with glee. “Yes, Mare! I was pretty surprised my son even had the guts to ask a girl out! Especially the Hyuga!” She laughed. “But yeah. Hiashi suddenly had a soft spot for dogs, and it seems like he often brought Hinata with him whenever they dropped by at the Inuzuka’s Petshop to have their pup checked up. And as told by Naruto, Hinata often mentioned how Kiba tried to spend more time with her.”

“Jealousy, huh?” Mikoto laughed. “Ah, young love.”

“I know! Naruto was pissed! I could remember how I was a bit like that – or worse – when a few girls hit on Minato back then!”

They all laughed, remembering how all of them were present in some of those encounters wherein girls threw themselves on the town’s young-looking mayor.

“Our husbands quite have the knack to attract girls, don’t they? Good thing Fugaku’s the kind who never even glances at his fangirls. To think that he still has lots until now! I’m not sure if I’d actually be bothered by the fact that Sasuke seemed to have gotten such attitude too.”

Mebuki bit her lip to stifle a giggle, mind lost in a memory that she wasn’t sure at first if she should share with her friends. “Speaking of Sasuke, I wasn’t able to mention this earlier but…”

Mikoto turned to Mebuki at the mention of her youngest son’s name.

“Well, how do I begin...I’m a bit bothered about why my daughter wasn’t introducing any guy that wants to court her. She wasn’t even talking about any crushes ever since, like every other girl! I was quite afraid that Sakura already became a plant or something. But weeks ago, I’ve tried asking her if there’s a guy that she likes and then – poof! – she went all red!”

“I think I know where this is heading…” Kushina snickered, but Mikoto only raised an eyebrow, wondering if she wasn’t catching up on something.

“She never mentioned the name of the guy. But…” The Haruno smiled mischievously, causing her two friends to lean closer as if a top secret information was going to be revealed inside the decorated walls of Cafe Mary Grace. “She described him – weird hairstyle, dark eyes, fair skin; also...quickly annoyed, rarely talks to others but engages in conversations with her especially through chats, and the one she often tags in memes despite knowing that he wouldn’t find it so funny.”

“So you’re thinking that it’s Sasuke?” Mikoto placed a hand on her mouth, unsure about what she should feel. “But we can’t be sure on the last descriptions!”

“The thing is...I’ve stalked my daughter online.”

“Stalked.” The raven-haired woman gave her a pointed look.

“Yes.”

Kushina guffawed in her seat while waiting for the next revelations of her friend.

“You stalked your daughter, Mebuki? Don’t teenagers dislike it when we invade their personal space?” Mikoto mentioned with her fingers forming quotation marks in the air. “That’s what Sasuke usually tells me whenever I ask him who he’s always chatting with on––” And then she gasped.

Mebuki and Kushina were looking at her now, pairs of blue and green eyes shining with delight at the notion that their friend seemed to have puzzled the pieces on her own.

“Oh, goodness.” Kushina chuckled once again. “I haven’t heard anything from Naruto, to think that they’re all best friends! This is great, ‘ttebane! But you haven’t told us yet what you’ve seen when you stalked Sakura.”

Mebuki laughed before she even got to say anything, almost making a vein pop on Mikoto’s already throbbing head. Because, how could they understand the story if the teller was laughing midway? 

“Well, I didn’t see her tag Sasuke on any meme.” The caramel-haired woman restrained another cackle.

“So how were you—”

“It was actually the other way around! I don’t know how I landed on that random Facebook page but I saw a comment of Sasuke tagging Sakura on one of those doctor memes albums. And then my daughter replied with ‘HAHAHA you’re the one who’s annoying, Sasuke-kun! I won’t be like this to my patients one day!’”

Kushina and Mebuki giggled like teenagers then, leaving the Uchiha matriarch at a loss for words.

“Who would have thought, Mikoto? We might end up as co-mothers-in-law!”

“I didn’t...I didn’t expect this. I’ve always known Sasuke to be the shy one. Although he always seems aloof, he’s actually just shy. I never even realized he and Sakura have developed such close friendship...or more. I used to think that only he and Naruto are the ones who are very close in their team.”

“Well, I was surprised with Sakura too. I know she adores both her bestfriends, I just never imagined she could adore Sasuke in a different way. If anything, I’d actually be glad if my assumptions are true.” She winked at her amigas. “They basically grew up together. And Sasuke grew into a fine gentleman with great values, props to you and Fugaku.”

“Alright! We must do something about this then!”

The other moms faced the redhead, each with an eyebrow lifted inquisitively due to her sudden declaration.

“Remember when we were helping you and Fugaku pass on letters to each other in class?”

“Oh my goodness, Kushina, that was a long time ago!” A crimson stain appeared on Mikoto’s cheeks as she remembered how her two best friends and their then boyfriends (now husbands) actually contributed to the relationship between the campus heartthrob and their batch’s top student. “I don’t think we could do such a thing for Sasuke and Sakura though.”

Kushina scoffed. “Of course we wouldn’t do the exact thing! For one, you and Mebuki should allow them to go out. Like, alone.”

“Actually, I’m fine with Sakura going out. She even usually goes out for some shopping with Ino. It’s just that I have a curfew for her. Hmm...maybe I could extend that whenever she’ll be out with Sasuke.”

“The thing is, knowing my son, he wouldn’t be straightforward in asking her out even if he wanted to. He’s so subtle at everything! I think he actually needs some push.” Mikoto nodded to herself as if she already has a to-do list of her own. Her two other friends grinned at each other, noticing the determination in the Uchiha’s eyes that seemed to be filled with hesitation moments ago. “You know what? This is actually a good idea. I don’t want Sasuke to end up being alone. He’s already getting a bit lonely now that his brother is not always around. And Naruto already has a girlfriend to give much of his time to.”

“Exactly!” Kushina clapped her hands, thrilled that they were going somewhere with this SasuSaku mission of sorts. “Those are great contributions, Kumares! I guess mine would have something to do with my son. Let me see...oh! Wait a minute! What if I ask Naruto to invite Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura for some sort of a double date? Oh my gosh! That would be so sweet, dattebane!”

The three women gazed at each other with silly grins on their faces. They only wanted to hangout and talk about life in general, what they didn’t expect was that they would end up strategizing as if they were gearing up for a school project, much like their High School days.

“Cha! It’s getting cold here.” Mebuki suddenly complained, immediately getting her small pouch that seemed to fit every possible item in it, which included a shawl that she brought out. Placing the shawl around her shoulders, she heard a familiar voice from behind her and for a second, her friends gave her meaningful looks that she didn’t quite catch at first.

For the one who had just entered Cafe Mary Grace was none other than her beautiful (and single) daughter.

“Oh, Sakura! You’re done meeting with everyone for their Sunlife insurance?”

“Yes, mom. I also picked up your box of Vitaplus goods,” the pink-haired maiden said while handing a package filled with health drinks.

“Wow. I didn’t know you’re into that.”

“Nah, Kushina, I have no time for networking, really. But I wanted to help a friend who’s into this, so I sometimes buy their big bulk. Besides, my future doctor here is kind of obsessed with these healthy stuff!”

Sakura only shrugged before greeting the other women in the room, “Hi, Tita Kushina and Tita Mikoto!” She then approached them with a beso on their cheeks. But for some reason, she was stuck in place when the Uchiha matriarch surprisingly hugged her, leaving her wide eyed.

“Great to see you, Sakura!”

She chuckled shyly as she pulled a chair from an empty table near them. “Um, thank you, tita. You too.”

“It’s so nice of you to help out your mom today, Sakura. Thanks to you, we were able to catch up with Mebuki today!” Kushina said. And then she smirked. “So how are you and Sasuke?”

Mebuki and Mikoto threw glances at each other while stifling their laughter. As always, it was Kushina who would do things right off the bat.

Sakura parted her lips in surprise, eyes blinking as all the titas in the table leaned closer to wait for her reply. “I...I’m fine? I think Tita Mikoto would know about Sasuke-kun, though.” She scratched the side of her head.

“That’s not what we mean, dear.” Mikoto smiled, grasping her hand from across the table.

“Right. How are you and Sasuke?” Her mom asked this time.

Her eyes widened at the implication of the hanging question. She fidgeted in her seat, looking down with the hope that the blush on her cheeks wasn’t prominent for them to see. “H-how are...we? But...t-there’s no such thing, mom.” 

The three women’s shoulders slumped, excitement suddenly leaving their system. Sakura was still trying to grasp the reason behind the on-the-spot interrogation when someone’s phone buzzed.

Saved by the bell, she thought.

It was Mikoto’s. A smile graced her lips when she saw the name on her caller ID. “Hello, Sasu-chan? Yes, we’re still here! Oh, you’re already right outside? Alright, thank you. I’ll be there in a bit.” She returned her phone inside her Longchamp before facing her friends with a beam. And for some reason, Sakura didn’t know if that was a good thing. “My son is there to pick me up. Let’s go?” 

Definitely not a good thing.

The other women agreed, settling their bill and gathering their stuff before exiting Cafe Mary Grace.

Once outside, they all saw a black Audi with Sasuke leaning casually against its side. Kushina, Mebuki, and Mikoto couldn’t help but grin like Cheshire cats. Sakura, on the other hand, shifted her weight from one foot to another, gripping the Vitaplus box in her arms even tighter.

When Sasuke sensed their presence, he glanced at their direction, eyes slightly widening at the presence of someone he didn’t expect to be there. But he quickly brushed it off and approached his mom, giving her a kiss on the cheek before gently lifting Kushina’s hand and pressing his forehead against it. He repeated the honoring gesture to Mebuki, which the woman responded with a cheery “Bless you!”

For a brief moment, it was as if the three elders were holding their breaths, bracing themselves while they waited to see how Sasuke would greet Sakura. 

Would he hug her, kiss her, hold her hand, or what?

Their expectations have faltered, however, when Sasuke simply turned to Sakura’s direction and gave her a nod. 

A simple, small nod.

That’s it? Mikoto blinked in surprise, slightly disappointed with her own son. He definitely got that from Fugaku! 

Sakura smiled in response at his raven-haired childhood friend, grinning a bit wider when she noticed the tinge of pink dusting his cheeks. Thankfully, their moms and aunt failed to see it.

“Do you mind if we give them all a ride?” Mikoto then asked once she recovered.

Sasuke – being Sasuke – simply shrugged and unlocked the car, opening both doors for them before assisting Kushina with her grocery bags to be placed in the trunk. As Kushina and Mebuki entered the back seat, he returned to get the box that Sakura was holding so he could also place it beside Kushina’s groceries.

He found his mom standing by the passenger seat then, with a hand on Sakura’s shoulder as if stopping her from going inside the car beside her mother. “Mom, what are you waiting for?”

“I’m actually thinking that Sakura should take the passenger seat so I and your titas could still talk at the back.” 

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at her. “Couldn’t you do that with you in the front seat?”

“No!” Three voices startled him and Sakura, though he was just asking the question to his mom.

“Well, you see, they agree with me.” Mikoto grinned. “I mean, I just really missed your titas, Sasuke-chan.” She intentionally completed Sasuke’s name to better gain his favor, well aware that he hated being called with his childhood nickname in front of other people. “Besides, while we talk, you and Sakura could have some—I don’t know—catch up or something.”

There was a pregnant pause after that as Sasuke weighed the predicament, sensing something strange. But when he realized that there was no point discussing a petty thing, he finally nodded at his mom and waited for her to get inside the car beside Mebuki. He closed the car door and waited for Sakura to enter the front seat next, before closing her door as well and rounding the car to go to his side.

Internally squealing, the three women at the back seat gave each other knowing glances that Sakura was able to catch through the rearview mirror.

Her neck suddenly felt warm the moment Sasuke entered the car. There’s this weird pressure of being this close to him and having the elders behind them, watching them carefully contrary to what Mikoto said that they would still converse with each other.

She busied herself with her phone then. And upon unlocking it, she noticed the latest Facebook notification that appeared on her screen: Sasuke Uchiha mentioned you in a comment.

Biting her lip to fight her smile from growing, she threw a glance at the man beside her. What made all her tension go away was the fact that he was also surprisingly looking at her with a smirk playing on his lips.

And then Sasuke drove off to bring the titas home.

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June 2019 | @AriannJS

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Some terms that might need definitions:

Mars/Mare/Kumare - (Tagalog; derived from a Spanish word) appellation for a female close friend; appellation for your child’s godmother 

Kuya - (Tagalog) big brother

Lola - (Tagalog) grandmother

Tita - (Tagalog) aunt

Amiga - (Spanish/also used sometimes in the Philippines) female friend

Peter sat on the ceiling with a textbook on his lap. He squinted through his glasses in concentration as lo-fi music played lightly in the background. The sun was setting in his bedroom window and peter was planning on staying with his books until it came back up. Tony told him not to stress out too much about ‘

“You’ve got this, Pete, you’ve been studying all week. You’re ready for anything they throw at you.”

As much as Peter wanted to believe his Dad, he just knew he’d regret it if he didn’t pull this all-nighter. Steve walked into Peter’s room with a box of pad Thai and an energy drink. Peter grinned appreciatively at the kind gesture, “Thanks Pops. I’m gonna need this.”

Steve smiled weakly and wrung his hands a bit, “You’re welcome, dear. Are you sure you really need to study all night? Maybe only a few more hours?”

“I really think I need to,” Peter sighed, already getting frustrated with his work.

“Hmm. Well, what if you invite a friend over to study with you? Maybe it’ll at least be fun that way.”

“That’s a good idea, Mr. America,” Wade said with a grin as he walked into Peter’s room.

“Oh, hi, Wade,” Steve smiled politely, “would you mind staying with Peter while he studies tonight?”

“It would be an honor, Captain.”

Peter rolled his eyes at Wade’s banter as Steve quietly closed the door behind him. Peter lowered himself halfway to give Wade what he called a “Spider-Man kiss.” Wade smiled into the kiss as his boyfriend hung upside down in front of him.

“You’d be even with my other head if you went a little lower,” Wade chuckled, “just saying.”

Peter laughed and set himself on his feet, “Not tonight, I have to study.”

“Well, I’ll help! That’s what Tony invited me here for anyway.”

Peter moved his things from the ceiling to the bedroom floor and the two boys sat cross-legged in front of each other. Wade held up flash cards and Peter flawlessly recited the definition on the back and resisted Wade’s urges to strip every time After a while Wade went on a snack run while Peter stayed home and played Kahoot. Wade burst into the room with armfuls of junk food right as Peter finished his study jeopardy game.

“Break time!”, Wade announced as he tossed Peter a bag of gummy worms and turned on Adventure Time. Peter munched on potato chips and watched cartoons for an hour or so before deciding to get back to studying. He opened a quizlet and was rewarded for each good answer by Wade who would toss M&Ms into Peter’s mouth. After a few rounds of quizlet, Wade started to notice that Peter was looking more and more fatigued.

“Babe let’s take a nap,” Wade suggested.

“Ugh… what time is it?”, Peter groaned at the idea of losing study time. It was 3 a.m. They could take a 3-hour nap before getting up and studying before the exam was scheduled. Peter was too tired to refuse. He took off his shirt before climbing into bed beside Wade. The mattress and the duvet never felt as soft as it did in that moment. Peter was already drifting off to sleep when he felt a gentle kiss on his forehead and a whisper from Wade, “I love you, baby boy.”

6 a.m. came too soon for Peter. He dragged himself out of bed and back to his PC. Wade went into the kitchen and Peter listened to the crackling of frying eggs and coffee brewing as he concluded his night of studying. He padded to the kitchen island and perched on a barstool. He was immediately presented with a strip of bacon, a cup of coffee, and two eggs- over easy, Wade knows him all too well. Peter smiled sleepily at Wade in thanks before digging in. After finishing his food, Peter quickly dressed and gathered his backpack. Wade walked with Peter to the school and promised to meet him when he was done with the test.

Wade hung out in the campus Einstein Bros. as he waited for Peter. He picked at his bagel and realized that he was a little worried for his boyfriend.

“You’re getting too involved in this shit. Why do you even care?”, a voice sneered in his head.

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” said the other, “he’s his boyfriend, he’s allowed to care about him. If the test is important to Peter it should be important to Wade.”

Wade sipped his coffee while the voices bickered within him. After a half hour he stood and went to Peter’s test building. Peter walked out 15 minutes later, and his face brightened up as soon as he saw Wade.

“How was it?”, Wade asked as he reached an arm out to Peter.

summary: She doesn’t see that all along, what he wanted was her. Her, not a perfect wife. Just Sakura. — SasuSaku, AU.  note: This is technically supposed to be 3.6, but I haven’t written the snippet that goes in between the two updates. I don’t plan on posting that separately either (it’s not terribly relevant to understanding the continuity of the fic).

// previous - masterpost

She sends him the divorce papers on a rainy Monday. The brown packet is thick and heavy, not with significance but legalese. The hard part had never been filing the papers. The hard part had always been in her head.

Her lawyer remarks good-naturedly that hers is the most carefully thorough divorce he’s ever helped file. Sakura forces herself to laugh, because isn't this how it had all began? How nice (how awful) it is for everything to come full circle.

By the time she leaves the attorney’s office, the clouds had cleared and the day is drenched in golden, late-afternoon sunshine. Sakura takes it as a sign.

It’s a Wednesday and Sakura is running on less than three hours of sleep and not enough caffeine when he finds her.

Exciting news! The ever-amazing @kermangot translated "Wade Loves Fall" into Russian!! I'm honored that someone would take the time to translate my writings, it really means a lot to me.

You can find the translated story below!

Steve smiled to himself as he watched Peter empty out his closet to find the perfect outfit for his date. He wanted something “nice, but not trying too hard.”

“Isn’t he adorable? I can remember being that young, innocent and excited.”, Steve leaned his head onto Tony’s shoulder wistfully.

Tony took a sip of his coffee and scoffed, “’Innocent’ my ass. That little boyfriend of his is gonna pull something soon, I can tell.”

“What makes you think that?”

“It’s their third date.”

Steve frowned a little and glanced up at his husband, “What’s significant about that?”

“The third date is when most people deem it acceptable to sleep with their partner. Some might even say you’re a prude if you don’t.”

Steve thought about this for a moment. Wade was a little bit older than Peter, and Peter was so naïve, he probably didn’t even know what he was in for. He needed to protect his son from this horn-dog, disgusting pervert that Peter calls his boyfriend.

There was a knock on the door and Peter peaked out his door at his parents, “Dad, can you get the door?”

“Why don’t you get it, you’re right there?”, Tony said with disinterest as he took another sip of coffee.

“I can’t just open it, I have to make him wait a while.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “He can wait outside.”

Peter turned his attention to Steve, “Pop, pleeeaaase?”

Steve chuckled as he walked over to the door and let Wade in. Wade stood awkwardly in the kitchen as Tony stared into his soul, enjoying Wade’s discomfort. Peter walked out a few minutes later to greet Wade, who immediately handed over the bouquet of wildflowers he had been holding.

“Flowers? For me? Oh, you shouldn’t have!”, Peter gushed, obviously flattered and embarrassed.

“Can you believe it?”, Tony deadpanned as Peter rushed to put the flowers in a vase on the table.

“Okay, well, we’re on our way to the movies. I’ll text you guys so you know where we are so if I die you’ll know where to start looking for my body.”

“Okay, sweetie, have fun.”, Steve smiled as the couple walked out. The door closed and he immediately whipped around to face his husband and frantically stage whispered, “We have to put a stop to this.”

Tony’s face lit up for the first time all day.

~             ~             ~

Peter and Wade sat down in the theater, quietly giggling amongst themselves. Steve and Tony sat several rows behind them in terrible make-shift disguises. Steve kept pulling his baseball cap down over his face in an attempt to avoid eye contact while Tony adjusted the scarf warped around his head and refused to take off his excessively large sunglasses.

Peter sat with the popcorn bucket in his lap, mindlessly eating as he watched the movie. Because of this he almost didn’t notice Wade slipping an arm around him. Peter didn’t realize that it was possible to simultaneously melt and tense up, but here he is.

Tony started to slap Steve’s thigh quietly but frantically at the sight of Wade’s arm around his son.

“What?!”, Steve hissed, afraid that Tony would attract attention to them and get them kicked out of the theater.

Tony dramatically pointed to Wade and Peter and in a moment of pure silence Steve gave an audible gasp. The two ducked down just in time to avoid Peter turning around and seeing that they’re spying on his date. They slowly rose back into their seats and intently watched as Wade inched closer and closer to Peter, who was staring straight ahead at the big screen. Right as Wade was about to lean in for a kiss, a bucket of popcorn came mysteriously flying towards him and hit him in the face.

Wade and Peter turned and looked around but saw nothing suspicious.

“Huh. That was weird. Are you okay?”, Peter asked.

“Yeah, of course. I wonder who threw that.”

~             ~             ~

Wade and Peter walked arm in arm into the restaurant with Tony and Steve walking several feet behind them. Peter laughed and talked with his boyfriend as his parents hid behind their menus a few tables away. Tony nonchalantly peered over his menu to see the boys as they talked and laughed while Steve worked on constructing a menu fort on the table.

They sat like this for quite some time, watching the boys and repeatedly asking the waiter for more time to look at the menu and water refills. The waiter arrived with Wade and Peter’s food and Tony groaned to see that they were sharing a plate of spaghetti.

“It’s like that kids movie with the dogs,” Steve murmured, excited to be able to make a movie reference that Tony would get.

“I would tell you to be more specific because dog-themed-kids-movies is probably its own genre at this point, but yes. It is like that kids movie with the dogs.”

“Oh, uh… you’ve got a little something right there. On your lip,” Wade chuckled as he motioned to his own face.

Peter blushed slightly and tried to wipe it off, “Better?”

“No, other side. Here, lemme just…” Wade leaned across the table and gently wiped some sauce off of Peter’s bottom lip. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked into Peter’s eyes and let his hand rise to caress his cheek. Wade’s voice fell to a low whisper, “There. Perfect as usual.”

Peter’s heart skipped a beat as Wade started to lean in closer. What if he had garlic breath? What if he still had spaghetti sauce on his lips? What if Wade thinks he’s a horrible kisser and he pretends not to notice but he never calls again and when he drops him off later it will be the last time he ever sees him and oh my god-

Suddenly some man in a headscarf dramatically bumped into a waiter carrying a tray of drinks that toppled over onto Peter and Wade.

~             ~             ~

Tony and Steve were rushing to get home before Wade and Peter did and realized that they had been gone this whole time. They got into the house just in time to see Wade’s car pull up from the window.

“Okay, they’re home.” Steve let out a sigh of relief. “They aren’t going to do anything sexual, everything is going to be okay.”

“Unless they decide to have a quickie in the backseat,” Tony said before taking a sip of his now cold coffee.

“…unless they WHAT?!”

“I had a really great time tonight, thanks for taking me out,” Peter said as he smiled shyly at Wade from the passenger seat.

“Yeah, no, totally, thanks for coming. Everything’s always more fun when you’re around anyways. Here, uh, let me walk you to the door. Don’t move,” Wade flashed a smile at his new boyfriend and ran around to open his car door for him.

They slowly walked in silence up to the front door and turned to face each other.

“Sooo… I’ll call you later. When I get home, if you want,” Wade glanced down and shuffled his feet a bit.

“Yeah, uh, I’d like that. You know, if you want to. But it’s almost curfew so I should probably head inside.”

“Oh, yeah, okay. So, uhh. Goodnight,” Wade turned around and started heading back towards his car.

“Wade?”

He immediately spun around, “Yeah, Pete?”

Peter took a few steps forward, grabbed the collar of Wade’s t-shirt and smashed his lips into his boyfriend’s. Wade stood stunned for a second before melting into it and placing one hand on Peter’s neck and the other on his cheek. They finally broke apart and Peter took a few steps backwards towards the front door. He opened it and stepped inside as Wade stood with a happy, stunned look on his face.

“Goodnight, Wade”, Peter smiled flirtatiously as he closed the door.

Wade couldn’t wipe the huge smile off his face as he slid over the hood of his car and hopped back into the driver’s seat. He leaned his back and just stared at the ceiling for a while, soaking up the best feeling he’s had in a long time.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

“PETER! OPEN THE HELL UP!”

Steve and Tony looked at each other and tried not to smile at the sound of a frantic Wade yelling for his boyfriend.

Ugh. Wade. Peter could do so much better. Peter is an honor student, he’s top of his class, he has a bright future full of opportunity, and he’s Tony’s son, dammit. And Tony doesn’t want his beautiful, perfect child in a relationship with a mercenary. Is that so wrong? Wouldn’t Peter rather date someone with more potential? A doctor maybe? No matter, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. As of now, Tony is just going to watch as his brilliant plan folds out.

Steve answers the door and narrowly misses getting punched in the face by Wade’s aggressive knocking.

“Oh, hi, Wade, it’s nice to see you today,” Steve feigned innocence, “Peter is in his room. Can I get you a snack or something to drink?”

“I’m good, Mr. Captain. Thanks.”, Wade grumbled as he walked past Steve and straight into Peter’s room, slamming the door behind him.

Steve and Tony froze and looked at each other in anticipation then scrambled to press an ear to Peter’s door when they heard muffled yelling.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about, baby!”, Peter yelled back, sounding confused and exasperated.

“Oh, don’t ‘baby’ me! You know EXACTLY what I’m talking about! HASHTAG SINGLE?!?! THAT’S how you’re gonna break up with me?!”

“Wade, I haven’t even posted in, like, a week. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“OH! SO YOU’RE TELLING ME. YOU DIDN’T POST THIS FUCKBOY MIRROR SELFIE. AND YOU DIDN’T CAPTION IT WITH A ‘HMU’ ‘EGGPLANT EMOJI’ ‘HASH.TAG. SINGLE.’”

“NO, BABY, I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT POST, I PROMISE-“

“GO TO HELL, PETER! WE’RE THROUGH.”

Steve and Tony ran across the room and tried to look like they’ve been busy in the kitchen this whole time as Wade stormed out of Peter’s room and out of the tower. They decided to wait a few minutes before checking on Peter. So far, everything has gone according to plan and Tony is very happy about it.

After about 5 minutes, Steve gently knocked on Peter’s door,

“Hey hun, can I come in?”

Steve opened the door upon hearing Peter’s automatic lock slide open and found him curled up on the bed, furiously wiping his eyes. Steve smiled sympathetically and sat down on the edge of the bed,

“Hey, big guy. What happened?”

Peter tried not to cry as he rehashed the conversation he had with Wade while Steve pretended he wasn’t listening at the door and heard every word.

“I just don’t understand,” Peter said tearfully, “I never posted that picture. That picture isn’t even of me, that’s not even our bathroom! But Wade wouldn’t listen so now the love of my life hates me.”

“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”, Steve chuckled and Peter couldn’t help but crack a half smile at his dad. Steve tried his best to cheer Peter up, but he couldn’t shake the guilt he was feeling. Peter wouldn’t need cheering up if it wasn’t for him. Sure, Wade is a jackass but he’s Peter’s jackass. If Wade makes Peter happy, who is he to keep them apart? He’s gotta talk to Tony about this, Steve can’t stand lying to his son.

                             ~                                                          ~                                                          ~

“Absolutely not.”

“But Tony-“

“Steve. Honey. If we tell Peter then we’re the bad guys. Peter will never trust us again! Let him be sad for now, he’ll bounce back soon enough and it’s like it never happened. It’s for his own good.”

Steve sighed thoughtfully as Tony continued tinkering with whatever the heck he was working on at the moment.

“Look, Tony, I know how much you dislike-“

“I hate him.”

“…I know you have strong feelings towards Wade, but I can’t live with myself after what we did to Peter!”

“Wait. What?”, Steve flinched when he heard Peter behind him.

Tony shut his eyes tight and cursed under his breath before dropping his tools and turning around to face his son.

“What did you do to Peter?”, Peter asked, narrowing his eyes at his parents.

“Nobody did anything to Peter. Go to your room.”, Tony snapped.

Peter turned his attention to Steve, “Pops, what did you guys do?”

“Steve, don’t do it. Be strong.”, Tony murmured.

But contrary to popular belief, Steve was not strong. At least when it came to Peter, that is. His son could give him that look with the puppy dog eyes that say “I trusted you and you betrayed me” and it’s all over. Any willpower Steve has will just vanish.

“We. Um. We sort of… shopped? For your photo?”

“Photoshop, Steve.”, Tony said as he rubbed his temples. He loves his husband and son but man, could they give him a headache.

“Yes, photoshopped. We photoshopped your face to another person’s body. Well, Tony did. And then we… hacked?”

“Yes, Steve.”

“We ‘hacked’ into your account and posted the picture for Wade to see. Well, Tony did. And we made sure the words under the picture would make Wade mad so he you guys would get in a fight… Well, Tony did.”

“Steve. We get the picture, dammit.”

Peter looked at his feet and took a second to process this. His own parents were trying to sabotage his relationship?

“Why? Why would you guys do that?”, he asked.

“We’re really sorry sweetheart”, Steve placed a hand on the side of Peter’s face, “We thought it was for the best. I think now we see that we were wrong, don’t we Tony?”

“Hm? Oh. Uh… yeah. Totally wrong. Won’t try this again anytime soon.”

“You mean that, Dad?”, Peter asked Tony.

“…Sure.”

Peter smirked. He had his Dad in a box right now and they both knew it. He might as well take advantage of this opportunity and embarrass him.

“Then would you mind calling Wade for me and explaining all of this to him? I’d like my boyfriend back.”

summary: She doesn’t see that all along, what he wanted was her. Her, not a perfect wife. Just Sakura. — SasuSaku, AU.

// previous - masterpost

Walking into the hospital at the beginning of the six AM shift feels like coming home. The antiseptic smell in the halls; the fluorescent lighting in the older wings; the unpleasant squeak of her shoes against the linoleum floors—these are still all terrible, but it’s a terrible that Sakura regards with intimate fondness.

“Sakura-san!”

Shizune is waiting for her outside the elevator on Tsunade’s floor, and a rush of warmth buoys Sakura’s chest at the unabashed happiness on the older woman’s face. The two hug, and Shizune is still beaming when she opens the heavy oak door to Tsunade’s office with one arm and ushers Sakura through with the other.

Her mentor’s sitting at the same messy desk that Sakura’s parked herself by hundreds of times during breaks in her shifts. Her head is bent over a mountain of paperwork, but Sakura can tell by the unhurried movements of the pen that it’s mostly just for show.

(Tsunade has never approached paperwork with anything resembling calm.)

“Hello, shishou.”

“Nice of you to join us again, Haruno.”

Sakura’s smile is large, is overflowing and full of sharp teeth that she has kept filed down and hidden for much too long. Tsunade looks up, and under the honeyed gaze of her mentor, with the hum of the hospital beneath her feet, Sakura finally starts to feel substantial again.