#ssm19d17

They are seated on the hardwood floors of the house they just bought, both adults relaxing after a day’s work as they admire the landscape. The sounds of the water cascading over the koi pond gave her a sense of calm, a feature that she had insisted they have because she knows that even though Sasuke liked the modern designs of their previous home, he still had this desire for the traditional sense of architecture, because it reminded him of his old house. So of course she would give him that.

The night’s sky is painted in dark blue and gray tones, with specks of light from the stars that colored it. She could hear the cicadas in her garden as well as the occasional fish splashing about. It was a relaxing evening, until her husband dropped one of the most unlikely proposals she’s ever thought she would hear from him. 

“Marry me again.”

It had taken her a moment for the words to sink into her highbrow mind, but yup, Sasuke definitely asked her to marry him again. There’s a tint of a blush on his cheeks, and he’s avoiding her eyes, which told her that he’s acting out of character and that something is definitely up.

Sweet as it was though.

Suddenly, she senses the fact that Sarada has carefully shut the door to her room, her lovely daughter most likely trying to avoid getting caught eavesdropping, except that Sakura knows her family all too well.

“It was Sarada’s idea wasn’t it?”

Uchiha Sasuke lets out a deep exhale, as if she had just taken a load off his shoulders. His eyes soften then, lips tilting up upon the calm that settled over his handsome features. It occurs to Sakura that it wasn’t really the suggestion that stressed him out, but the fact that he had been trying to do something in secret with their child.

“She told me to ask you directly.”

“And?”

“And to pass it off as my idea.”

She quirks an eyebrow.

“Her idea of romantic.”

“Pfft.”

She giggles lightly, a hand coming up to brush the tear of glee off her eye. It’s amazing how one of the most powerful shinobi in the world is rendered powerless when it comes to his offspring. 

He’s been back permanently for nearly three years now, and though he still goes on several dangerous missions, her husband now managed to keep close contact with their daughter, a luxury they both enjoyed especially when he had personally taught Sarada how to summon his messenger hawk. 

They were simply too adorable.

“Okay.”

“Hm?”

“Yes, I’ll marry you again anata.”

He releases a relieved breath.

Really now, as if she’d say no.

“Did she at least tell you why she wants us to get married again?”

“Pictures.”

“Oh.”

“We never had wedding pictures, so she wants us to have some.”

“That’s thoughtful of her.”

“She wants at least fifty guests.”

“Well, it’s not like we don’t have the budget for it, even if we just bought this house.”

“And our fifteenth anniversary is coming.”

“Otou-san and Kaa-san would be so happy. They’ve always wanted a bigger reception..”

“Naruto already wants to officiate.”

“…”

“I don’t know how he found out so quickly.”

“He is the hokage after all.”

It’s natural for them to list down the reasons as to why holding a ceremony once more is a good idea, and not just because they wanted to surrender to Sarada’s whims. 

There’s a spark of excitement in his eyes. It made her heart race because she’s always liked it when he was excited.

And this, this is amazing.

They’re about to do something special. 

A treasured memory for the future. 

And though Sakura has always known of their deep connection and has no problem about supporting him in his secret missions, the Uchiha matriarch could not help but want another tangible thing that could show the world that they loved each other, aside from Sarada anyway. 

“Are you sure about this?”

“Aa. But only if you want to.”

His constant consideration for her feelings touches her heart. He had always been more careful with her emotions, still carrying that guilt with him from time to time even if he shouldn’t be, especially since he left on that really long mission. 

So, she takes his hand in hers, kissing his knuckles as she pours out her love for this man, eyes telling him that she loves him. 

She always has.

And she always will. 

Of course she would want to marry him again. Sasuke cups her cheek in his lone hand and leans in to meet her lips, sealing their promise.

. . . She stands in front of her beloved two weeks later, reciting those vows and holding his hand tight as she balances her feet on tall wooden slippers. She tries to stop herself from crying because Naruto is already sobbing as he pronounces them man and wife again.

.

.

.

Perfect.

It is perfect.

.

.

.

There’s a new memory that sits atop their table of photographs. It’s the day they renewed their love for each other.

fin

………………………………

BONUS:

Quick doodle of Naruto crying during the wedding. He’s wailing because they look so beautiful.

Note: Couldn’t help but write a mini chapter for today’s prompt.

“Ink and Paper “ immediately made me think of a wedding. Whew, it’s the first time I’ve attempted to participate in SasuSaku month but only for a little bit. :D I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Was looking for wedding attires and came across an artwork of a couple that looked so cute. Cherry blossom petals are a must for this art so yey. 

This will be added to my fic “Of Apples and Cinnamon”

Sakura sent him a bookmark made with a pressed cosmos flower the week after he had told her he liked to read. Sasuke sent back a postcard from a temple he had visited in Kyoto with his family when she told him she had only ever been to China to visit relatives but other than that had never left Osaka.

When it was reaching the end of the project, Sakura had written her home address in her letter, asking if they could continue being penpals. That New Year Sasuke sent his first greeting card to someone outside of his family.

Sakura and her parents express delivered him and his family a crate of crabs and Sasuke had to explain to his parents who it was that he knew that lived in Osaka.

They continued sending letters back and forth, even after Sasuke entered middle school and his parents bought him his own cell phone. It was when he was a third year middle school student that he finally got curious and included his phone number in a letter to Sakura.

“Hello?” A soft, feminine voice rang clear through the speaker but Sasuke almost didn’t hear it over the beating of his heart thudding in his ears. Even with years of written correspondence, Sasuke was worried that the phone call would never come or that Sakura would see the request of a phone call and get scared off.

“Hey,” he had answered back and after that Sakura exploded into a steady stream of chatter. She was much more talkative than he was but it was pleasant just to hear her talk.

For the longest time there had been a silent agreement that they wouldn’t send pictures of themselves. For middle school he had only explained that he would be wearing a gakuran and Sakura told him the colors of her serafuku. When high school started up Sasuke received a LINE message from Sakura. Well, it was from her address but it was sent by a Yamanaka Ino. The message read “Isn’t she cute?” followed by a photo of who Yamanaka insisted was Sakura wearing her high school uniform for an all girl’s school that Sakura told him before that she was attending.

The western style uniform suited her and she was cute but Sasuke didn’t respond to the message that her friend had sent him using her phone. Instead he sent a picture of himself wearing his own high school uniform.

Ino-chan says to tell you that she approves, was the message he got back after school. He could only assume that she had met up with her friend that was going to a co-ed school and shared the photo.

They continued with LINE messages and phone calls but never stopped their handwritten letters, or packages as they were more likely to be because Sakura insisted on sending small gifts whenever she could. Sasuke returned the favor as well, always sending her things that could only be found in shops in Tokyo.

“Why don’t you ever change the girly charm?” Kiba asked when he caught him messaging during one of their breaks before the teachers rotated. Kiba flicked the bell and polymer cherry blossom cell phone charm attached to Sasuke’s phone. Normally Sasuke wouldn’t go buy accessories for himself but Sakura had sent him the charm as a return gift for the charm he bought for her when he and his friends had visited Disneyland.

Eight years of letters, barely four years of phone calls, and now Sasuke was on the shinkansen to Osaka to take the exam for his first university of choice. His father wasn’t happy with his decision to go to a school so far from home but his mom advocated for him and reminded his father that he had an uncle that owned a senbei shop in Osaka.

“Hey. I’m at the station,” Sasuke spoke into his phone, looking around for someone with rose gold hair.

“I think I see you,” Sakura replied back. “Turn to your left.”

Sasuke did as he was told and smiled softly at the petite girl bundled up in a thick winter coat waving ecstatically.

“Holy crap, you’re tall!” Was the first thing Sakura said to him in person and even though he knew she spoke in a Kansai dialect, the Osaka-ben was still something he had to get used to. “Are you hungry? It’s lunchtime, we should go get something to eat.”

“A bit.”

“Wait. You need to head to your uncle’s place, right?”

“He thinks I’m arriving this evening.” Sasuke’s ears warmed up as Sakura laughed into her hands. “We, uh, have time.”

“That excited to hang out with me, huh?” Sakura teased him, grabbing onto his free hand. “You’re lucky Ino-chan doesn’t know you’re here, Sasuke-kun.”

“Excited to keep me to yourself, huh?” Sasuke returned the tease, watching as the apples of her cheeks bloomed pink. Sakura interlocked their fingers and squeezed his hand.

“I waited eight years. No one can blame me if I don’t tell anyone my boyfriend finally came to visit.”

“I would have come sooner but if I told my mom why I wanted money to come to Osaka she would have come along as well.” Sasuke could imagine all of the ways his mother would embarrass him when she met Sakura.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here now. Even though you’re so freakin’ tall.” Sakura nudged him with her shoulder, playfully. “Ready for the exam tomorrow?”

Sasuke nodded and let himself be led out of the station and into the city. Sakura started listing all of the shops they had to visit and Sasuke was sure that he was going to end up gaining a few pounds after he moved in the Spring.

After being in the same class for so many years, one would think that Sakura would have mustered up the courage to talk to Sasuke by now. She wasn’t as shy as she once was, but despite Ino’s weekly pep talks, her steps always faltered when she tried to get closer to him.

She ranked at the top of their class, right next to him, but it felt like she was always looking at his back. He hardly acknowledged anyone in their class, so she tried not to take it to heart when he always seemed to avoid eye contact with her. But Sakura’s heart was too big, she took everything too personally, and she felt like she would never get close enough to tell him how she really felt.

So her diary heard all about Sasuke for years and years and years. The pages were well acquainted with how his back looked as she trailed behind him in the hallway, how fast he ran when playing games at lunchtime, how his eyes never seemed to miss anything. She always used purple ink when writing about Sasuke.

For all her years of observation, Sakura could never quite tell exactly how Sasuke felt, let alone how deeply. She always missed the signs.

When she looked at him, the back of his neck would prickle with heat. When he had to pass out tests and he got to her paper (with a 100% at the top, always), his hands got a little sweaty. She was kind to everyone in their class, so he didn’t want to read into her sweet smiles too much.

But he caught her staring at him so often, could always feel those green, green eyes boring into his back. He always had to look away from her, never wanting to scare her off with his midnight eyes and stormy disposition. She didn’t bother him the way the other girls in their class always did. He noticed her and he needed her to know. He decided he would share his lunch with her one day during freshman year. The peaches growing in his backyard were particularly ripe this year, so when the lunch bell rang, he got ready to approach her with the sweetest smelling fruit he could pick.

He rounded the corner outside their classroom and was merely five paces away from tapping her on the back so she would turn around and face him, finally, finally face him after he avoided her for so long. She often seemed to shy away from his intensity, but he would be gentle, at least for her. Before he even extended his hand, Naruto threw his arm around Sakura and declared, “Sakura’s my girlfriend!” to all their friends.

Sasuke walked back around the corner so quickly he missed the way she shoved him off and looked around to see if Sasuke was nearby to witness it all. She wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea.

She didn’t see that familiar spiky hair, but she noticed a peach had fallen on the ground and split open.

.

It wasn’t until nearly a year later did Sakura decide that she couldn’t take it anymore.

Her latest diary was nearly full, and every time she laid eyes on him it felt like her mouth would betray her and blurt out her secret. She couldn’t hide around the corner forever.

It was Valentine’s Day, and she always hoped to open her locker to find a gift from a secret admirer. This year, though, was the same as usual and her locker only held heart shaped chocolates from Ino. Just because no one was confessing their undying devotion to her didn’t mean the holiday was any less special. Sakura loved Valentine’s Day, the pinks and reds were familiar and welcomed. She still wrote to him with purple ink.

It was a long letter that read the way Sakura talked, rambly and sweet, but always firm in her feelings. There was no way Sasuke would lack any clarity when it came to understanding how Sakura felt about him. She wished for his happiness at the end, even if it wasn’t with her. She just needed him to know.

As usual, his back was turned to her when she approached him. He was standing at his locker rifling through papers when her soft voice sounded, “Sasuke?”

He turned around immediately, nearly dropping his papers in his haste. Her heart beat even faster. The letter felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket.  

She had already written everything she had to say to him, so she didn’t bother with a speech she knew she would mess up. She took the letter out and handed it to him, “Happy Valentine’s Day.” The paper was shaking slightly in her grip.

Sasuke looked at the letter for several long moments before he took it from her and murmured, “thank you, Sakura.”

She hadn’t even been sure if he was going to take it, so a verbal response sent her stomach in a flurry and had her cheeks stained pink. She went back around the corner into the classroom so quickly she missed the smile on his face.  

.

She didn’t get a response until one month later.

Or, she didn’t even allow him to get close to her, worried he would reject her face-to-face rather than just ignoring her. When she glanced at his back, it was more quickly than before. When she walked around their classroom, it was never past his desk.

Sasuke wondered if the letter had been a dare, a prank. He hardly felt her looking at him anymore. Had he been wrong in his assumption that she liked him? Was she really Naruto’s girlfriend?

He didn’t care. He wasn’t so callous as to not give her an answer, especially when he had been trying to get close to her for so long, if only she would let him.

On White Day, Sakura found a plump peach sitting on top of a letter on her desk. She bit into the peach, but quickly shoved the letter in the space under her desk, worried she would start crying, tears of joy if it was really from who she hoped, tears of disappointment if it was someone else. The sweet peach juice rolling down her chin was much preferred to her salty tears.  

Sasuke watched from the back door of their classroom. Was she that hungry?

.

His letter had been short and to the point, but it was more than enough for Sakura.

I like you too.  

.

Sakura knew she was a hopeless romantic, but hadn’t expected her boyfriend to be one too. They continued writing to each other even though they went to school together. A letter in her locker was enough to make Sakura beam all day. She had waited a long time for this.

They even developed the habit of passing notes in class, something the two top students never would have done. They were lucky enough to be Kakashi’s favorite students, so he pretended not to notice the colorful sticky notes from Sakura’s stationary collection being passed across the aisle.  

I’m bored.

Hi bored, I’m Sakura!

Don’t be annoying. What are you doing?

Writing to you?

I was hoping for something more exciting. I’ll have to start. I’m sitting here, waiting for class to end so I can eat lunch with my girlfriend.

You must have one lucky girlfriend if she gets to eat with you ;) I’m sitting here being distracted by my boyfriend.

I know you’re bored too. You’ve looked at the clock ten times within the last two minutes.

It’s a twitch...

Hm, what else is over there? Kakashi’s desk? Does someone have a crush? Should I be worried?

Oh yeah, because old pervs who smell like dog are my type. I’m hungry.

Sasuke placed a peach gently on her desk along with a note: Wash your hands before we eat lunch, they’re covered in ink. Now pay attention in class.

Sakura folded the note in half and turned back to her notebook. She would need to focus if she wanted to keep her spot above Sasuke in the class rankings.

.

Take last month’s incident for example, where Sakura tried to sneak out to meet her boyfriend – alone for once – only to be busted by her overprotective father in a very embarrassing way. She’d been avoiding the manga kissa like the plague since then.

When her father got home that night, he told her that he had a good talk with the Uchiha boy and that she was grounded. However, it seemed that whatever ‘talk’ that was, her father had eased his murderous glares whenever her boyfriend’s name came up.

After three weeks, Kizashi finally caved in and told his little girl (not so little anymore), that she could visit her boyfriend on Sundays, if only his parents were at home. Sakura was dumbfounded, as she never imagined this development in such a short period of time.

She had asked her Otou-chan several times about these visits before. Sasuke was constantly at their porch ever since he introduced himself to her parents as her boyfriend. Although he’d never go inside and only sat with her on the porch until the sun went down enough to tinge the sky with pink and lilac hues, at least he was there with her. Sakura had never stepped inside – or outside – his home before, then there was the T7 incident, and even Sasuke’s visits were limited. They were also laying low, not sneaking out for a while.

So, when her father said those words, eyes contemplative and gauging her reaction, she’d thought it was a prank.

“Where’s the camera, Otou-chan? This is not funny!” she’d said, and Kizashi only laughed.

🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸

One true fact about Sakura Haruno: she was a terrible liar – and everyone knew it.

She couldn’t lie to save her life. And the one time she was successful, the blunt lie didn’t do her any favors at all.

It was the third Sunday that she spent at the Uchiha’s that she noticed it. While Sasuke was helping Mikoto-san with the dishes, Sakura went back to Sasuke’s bedroom to pick up her bag when something shiny caught the corner of her eye.

The window was cracked open, allowing a stream of sunlight to enter the room. The partial opening created a holophote straight to Sasuke’s desk, beckoning to a rolled magazine beside his printer.

Curious like a cat, Sakura turned around to peek through the hallway and checked if she was safe. Not hesitating, she jumped back to the other side of the room and picked up the magazine, unrolling it in the process.

At the sight of the cover, she flung the offensive object out of her grasp, dropping it to the floor with a sharp thud.

Astounded, she glared at the splayed pages by her feet as if that alone would burn it from her sight.

Three questions popped into Sakura’s mind then: WHAT? HOW? WHY?

Because how did her Sasuke-kun, reserved and polite, have such an object in his possession?

Her face flushed as pink as her hair, the temperature rising and burning her skin. Her breathing hitched when she imagined what he used that item for. Why else would a teenage boy have such magazine in his bedroom?

She scooped the magazine up and closed it quickly before she could accidentally peek at anything she didn’t want to see. Holding it closed, she stared at the title, her thoughts racing and moving from possibility to possibility.

“Icha Icha Bunnies…” She whispered.

Why would Sasuke have such a perverted magazine in his bedroom?  

Eeek!

Realization dawning quickly, she rolled the item and stuffed it beside the printer again, swiping her hands up and down over her sundress.

Deciding to not intrude further, Sakura grabbed her bag and flew downstairs, ready to forget what she saw. She’d rather die than bring that up with Sasuke now.

So, she pretended nothing happened, omitting the fact that she knew his little dirty secret.

🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸

Several Sundays after the “zine incident” as she called it in her mind, she was again alone in Sasuke’s bedroom, waiting for him to finish his shower.

They had gone swimming earlier, as the weather was pleasant and the lake at the border of the property gleamed and reflected the sun, forming an alluring summer image.

Mikoto found them running back to the house all wet, as they had jumped into the lake with their clothes on.  She ushered Sasuke into her master bedroom to take a warm shower while Sakura used Sasuke’s bathroom.

Sakura didn’t want to impose, so she warmed up quickly, and put on the clothes that Mikoto had brought for her when she picked up Sakura’s wet ones with the weak whispered excuse of, “You can’t go home in different clothes or poor Sasuke’s really done for this time.”

Sakura flinched inwardly and only imagined that the woman was going to take her wet clothes to the dryer.

Once again, she was left alone, and she knew that her boyfriend was a Princess. He liked to take long hot showers, and then take his time to get ready. Sighing contently, she stepped inside his room and sat by his desk, enjoying the recline of the expensive office chair he had.

She was looking for some distraction, sweeping her eyes around the room when her traitorous eyes looked for a confirmation she didn’t want to see.

But there it was! Still by the printer…

To her surprise, she noticed the volume of the degenerate roll had increased exponentially. Scooting closer with her chair, she poked the pile as if it was a scared animal and it would jump and attack her at any moment.

Dragging a couple fingers, she swiped a little until the roll was half undone and she noticed there were new additions to the roll. Two more additions!

He now had three volumes! THREE!!!

How dare he?

They had gone to third base already, and things were only heating up! And he still needed to look and think about anything else – anyone else – other than her? Wasn’t she enough??? Sakura thought disturbingly.

Because even though she tried to keep an open mind, she’d expected him to share his little secret with her, or at least, that he’d stopped leaving it in obvious places after she started to frequent his house and his bedroom as often as now.

For God’s sake it was on his desk! His mom cleaned that desk!

That was it! She couldn’t take it anymore, because she could only stay quiet about this for so long. She would need to eventually come up with little lies to cover up the fact that she knew something about him, and he had no idea.

She would need to do the only thing that came to her mind - she would need to confront him and just ask. Otherwise, the questions would keep coming and the guilt that was building up – the one that pointed to her hiding something from him – would catch up with her.

With a newfound resolve, Sakura rolled the three magazines back and held them tight, tapping them to her crossed thighs as she waited for her boyfriend to return to his bedroom.

🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸

The picture that she painted was terrifying.

Barefoot and legs crossed, resting on top of his desk, Sakura reclined on the comfortable chair, clad in one of his black shirts and borrowed cotton shorts that were possibly too short – or were her legs that long?

Resting half of her weight on her elbow over the armrest while her head was nestled on the cushion of the chair, Sakura’s posture screamed relaxed and calm, if not for her maniac scary grin and her holding of sinful magazines.

SHIT. SHIT. SHIT.

Her eyes shifted into two tiny slits when she caught him flinching slightly after entering the room.

Calculating, she followed him with her jade orbs as he slowly approached her. Sasuke ran the tips of his fingers over her calves and knees, trying any tricks to get her to melt before she’d explode.

He travelled the length of her smooth leg, stopping mid-thigh only to draw little lazy circles before the hem of her cotton shorts. Usually by now, Sakura would be a mess of shivers and pants, anticipating the next touch, and asking him to just kiss her already.

But not today.

Today her eyebrows creased, and her frown deepened, her lips curled ready to snarl, and though her skin tingled with gooseflesh, her breathing only indicated how distraught she was.

Sasuke’s hand slackened and stopped its ministrations, he locked eyes with her after glancing to the fisted magazines by her lap. Wrong move, friend, his mind supplied.

“I-I can explain—” he started.

By the look on her face, a look that he had seen not so long ago, he thought – aimlessly – that her father would never need a paternity test in his life, for she had the spitting image of his murderous glare – and again he was on the receiving end of a Haruno’s wrath.

“You can now, can’t you? Mr. ‘I have an explanation for every question’.” She challenged, voice laced with heat and impatience. He wondered how long he had left her alone to dwell over her clear discovery in his room, and if she was at this point already – spitting fire and ready to pounce – he could only think it was long enough.

“They are not mine!” And this time, he glared because Sasuke Uchiha detested lies but he detested even more when he was telling the truth and the receiving end didn’t believe him.

“Oh? These—” Sakura shook the rolled magazines towards him, “—are not yours? These magazines that were rolled and tucked beside your printer, in your room? That’s a rich excuse even for you, Uchiha!”

“They are not! They weren’t there before—”

“Yeah, they weren’t—” Sasuke sighed, as it seemed she had listened for once, “—they were in the store before! How’d you get to buy 18+ magazines huh? This screams Kakashi all over it!”

FUCK.

“That’s not what I meant—”

“I know what you meant, Sasuke.” She whispered his name without the suffix, and he shivered, in excitement or fear, he didn’t know.

“Miss May over here,” Sakura unrolled the Magazine and picked the corresponding one without even checking and Sasuke swallowed then, because he knew she had spent a lot of time looking and overthinking this, “—has been on your desk since last month. Now we have Miss June and July. So, how long until I can expect Miss August to join the party?”

“WHAT?! Saku—"

She didn’t let him say anything else, lifting a finger while she tossed the promiscuous ink-and-paper bundle on the table. Uncrossing her legs slowly, she stood up and place a hand over her hip.

With the finger still mid-air, she extended her arm to push it against his chest, and he took a step back.

“Tell me Uchiha, what do you think when I touch you like this?” Sakura slid a finger through the thin material of his shirt, down to the planes of his stomach, stopping to play with the waistband of his boxers that peeked through his shorts. With a single finger, she had him panting in anticipation.

“Better yet,” she continued, crouching between his legs, and running her fingernail over the bulge prominent over his shorts, “did you think about me or Miss July over there earlier by the lake? Tell me...”

That snapped him back to reality, because as much as he was enjoying the minx before him, he could never let his Sakura believe that there was anything else – anyone else – in his mind while she was the only one that could render him speechless like this.

She was the only one that could set his skin on fire and burn him with desire. She was the only one that made him do crazy things like dry hump in public – images of them sneaking out to a private booth at T7 filled his mind and he groaned remembering the thrill of doing unspeakable things to his girlfriend and almost getting caught.

He couldn’t let her assume anything else.

Swiftly, Sasuke snatched her wrist, stopping her tantalizing movements. He snaked his free arm around her waist and hoisted her up, flushing her tight against him.

Cautiously, he dropped his forehead to the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply her scent if only it would give him enough courage to pour what he felt into words. He laid an open-mouthed kiss before inclining to reach the shell of her ear.

“It’s you. Only. You.” He whispered, punctuating each word with finality, feeling proud when it triggered a shiver that ran through her spine and she writhed in his embrace.

The silence following it faltered his tenacity, and Sasuke grasped her chin between his two fingers, raising it firmly to look in her eyes. When obsidian met viridian, he searched for that spark that she reserved for him but found only insecurity.

She didn’t believe him.

“You don’t believe me.” He stated softly and she parted her lips but instead of saying anything, she tried to mouth a question timidly. “They are my father’s.”

Sasuke saw three emotions passing through and morphing his girlfriend’s face then: Surprise, which switched to disbelief, and then indignation.

She needed to believe him. No, he needed her to believe him.

Stepping aside from her, he grabbed the magazines harshly, forming a stack of paper. “I will prove it to you then.”

If his version of pouring his heart out didn’t work, he’d have to do something else.

🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸

He didn’t turn the table, he flipped it.

Sakura saw a puppy turning into a wolf – in a span of two minutes – as Sasuke switched from inquisitive to mortified and then possessive. Her spell was broken – one second, she had him in the palm of her hand, and the next he had her panting at his mercy.

Lifting the pile with a hand, he used the other to grab her tiny wrist, tugging it to have her follow him.

She was still in shock, as if his determination and statement could ever make any sense right now. Fugaku-san’s? Pffft.

Everything was happening so fast, and Sakura knew she might have swung from emotion to emotion like a monkey swings from tree to tree – overestimating actions and assuming things, as much as Sasuke did.

It was stupid – childish and stupid. She cursed herself under her breath, muttering an intelligible string of colorful words regarding her stupid jealously, her stupid self-conscious moment, and her stupid teenage hormones.

Her boyfriend continued to march downstairs, tugging her along with his resolve and that pile of magazines.

When they reached the living room, Sasuke called his father a few times, until he heard the click of a door opening by the end of the hall. Not wasting any minute, he spun around and gestured her to follow him. And Sakura followed him, like a lost puppy followed a stranger, curious to see where he was going but afraid to see what they were going to do.

By the time they turned into the hallway, Fugaku opened his office door, a hand holding a stack of papers and the other a sleek black pen, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and eyes down cast at the ink spreading and marking white.

The Uchiha patriarch continued to emblem his consent on paper and only huffed as his son called him one more time, confirming that he had heard him, despite the fact that he hadn’t replied or made eye contact yet.

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. Her mind working quickly, she had an idea of the disaster she was about to step in.

Although she had been dating his son for months now, Fugaku was still a mystery. Sakura had no idea where she stood with him – did he even like her? Or her presence in his home? To be honest, Fugaku Uchiha intimidated her and she didn’t want to impose on his home, much less cause any commotion.

Green-green eyes swept from Sasuke to the stack of magazines, to the serious concentrated gaze of her possibly-future-father-in-law, and her presence in the middle of the hallway, dressed in Sasuke’s shirt and Mikoto’s short shorts, dumpy haired and barefoot.

She confirmed then, it was like a magnet; trouble followed Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha was the push and pull force that kept her on the edge of that magnetic field.

Everything went down like this:

Sasuke paced firmly, stopping in front of his father. Without any hesitancy, he shoved the infamous Icha Icha monthly magazines on Fagaku’s chest. “Here,” he had almost yelled, “you can have all your magazines back.”

She could see how distressed Sasuke was; shoulders moving up and down heavy with trepidation, pants leaving his parted lips, and strands of dark hair sticking to his neck.

Sasuke took his father’s silence and frown as a sign to go on – that was his second mistake in a row. “I never actually paid attention to them, and now I don’t need ’em either.”

No. No. No. No. No.

Sakura paled and then turned beet red. The smug tone added to the last part of her boyfriend’s sentence only fuelled the situation with insinuations and discomfort.

Trying not to make any sound, she backstepped gently, trying to go back from where they came from, so she could turn on her heels and just run, run, run – run far away from this mess! And then, when her dumbass boyfriend caught up, she’d pummel him into next Sunday.

Before she could place another foot behind her and continue her escape plan, there was a clunking noise where metal met the floor.

“What did you just say, young man?”

Behind Fugaku, stood Mikoto, flushed with anger or embarrassment, she didn’t know. By their feet, Sakura could see the cause of the loud noise she heard as a tray bringing Fugaku’s afternoon tea rested now on the floor.  

The Uchiha matriarch marched towards them, stepping in between her husband and younger son. By her lack of composure, Sakura could imagine that Mikoto had either understood everything that just happened, or she had at least picked up parts of the father and son’s interactions.

Sakura could see how both men’s necks turned red when Mikoto glanced between the two and caught sight of what caused the whole commotion. Fugaku tightened his hold on the stack of papers and magazines over his chest and Mikoto narrowed her eyes.

“What’s this?” Mikoto whispered, but her voice was anything but soft.

“Miko—”

“That’s why I kept finding T7’s receipts, even after Sasuke had stopped—” The incredulous look her husband threw her way made her pause the detective binge. “Don’t give me that look, who do you think does the laundry?!”

“It’s not what you think,” Fugaku started while Sasuke walked backwards towards Sakura.

“No, it’s what I see! Save it, Fugaku, I’m not that naïve—” Mikoto spat back, and then with some hurt she added softly, “—and young, it seems.”

Sakura couldn’t see if her possibly-future-mother-in-law was actually hurt or feigning it to get a thorough explanation. Sakura was a woman, too, and she knew many persuasive tricks after watching her own parents’ ridiculous fights over the years.

“It’s not only pictures,” The Uchiha patriarch said securely, and glancing over Mikoto’s shoulder, he continued in a lower tone, “where do you think all those new tricks came from, woman? I’m not that creative!”  

Forget about running, Sakura wished the ground would swallow her up.

She felt Sasuke freezing beside her, and the choked sound that came from his throat could only be his gag reflex upon hearing such a comment from his parents.

A can of worms was opened in front of him – poor Sasuke-kun!

Taking the engrossed whispers happening between the older couple as a cue, Sakura snaked an arm around Sasuke’s middle and guided him away, back to his room. When he sat on the edge of his bed, shoulders slumped and limbs slackened, Sakura thought how adorable defeat and astonishment looked on him, even though there was a slight possibility of permanent trauma after such a series of disastrous events.

Stepping between his legs, Sakura hugged him affectionally, bringing his head to nuzzle her neck. She patted his head, threading her fingers through his dark locks, whispering sweet nothings as she told him everything would be ok.

🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸 🍅 🌸 

10 YEARS LATER

“You disappeared today.”

Sakura approached the edge of the bed while pushing one of her husband’s t-shirts over her head. She climbed in on all fours and cat walked playfully, a hint of mischief in her green eyes that were locked with onyx ones.

“Uh—this afternoon you mean?” She said, while pulling the duvet aside and sliding her legs under it. “Ah, I had to get away for a moment,” she remembered, “I ended up having another interesting, yet awkward conversation with your father.”

“Did you now?” Sasuke asked amused, with the nostalgia that her words brought.

Sakura nodded and tried to get comfortable in her husband’s embrace. He held the corner of the duvet up while she twisted and turned. With his free arm, he scooted her closer, cradling her lower back.

Impatient that his plan was not as successful as he imagined, he huffed, curling his lip into a pout. Sakura raised a manicured eyebrow, questioning his silly behaviour.

“I’m trying to get closer, but this little one,” he brushed her swollen belly gently, “is not letting me.”

Amused, Sakura chuckled as he tried to turn her around to have her back against his front. Sasuke knew by now how his wife loved to fall asleep whispering quietly in his embrace, brushing their noses and nuzzling his neck. Normally, they wouldn’t be spooning until later in the night when both were fast asleep.

“Wait, I want to finish this conversation looking at you, then you can man-handle me as you please.” She teased and then narrowed her eyes, noticing something he hadn’t yet. “Isn’t it weird that we’re back in your old room after so long? I could swear this bed was bigger back then…” Sakura trailed off, arching her eyebrows suggestively.

“Tch.” Sakura could faintly see a blush creeping up his neck. He might be a tease when it comes to physical affections, but Sakura was a tease with words, her mouth could undo him quicker than anything else. And she enjoyed the power she had over him with such a simple act. “Calm down, woman. I don’t want a repeat of other things.”

By other things, her husband was hinting at the times they were caught in this same bed, but in some compromising positions – first by Mikoto, which they did not talk about it, and then years later by Fugaku, who threatened to bring back the open-door-rule for his nineteen year old son’s bedroom.

They both shuddered, probably remembering the same memories.

“What did you two talk about?” Sasuke broke the silence.

“Let me see, something about a desperate phone call Fugaku-san received years ago about a certain someone hiding in a washroom…”

Sasuke sighed, running the hand that wasn’t caressing Sakura’s belly over his face. “Of course, he’d bring something like that up.”

“I didn’t get the whole story yet, Sasuke-kun. It’s been years, I think the mother of your child deserves to know. Just saying…”

Flustered, Sasuke tried to hide by resting his forehead as close as possible of hers. When he was unsuccessful, she teased lightly “I always thought defeat looked good on you.”

“Ok, only because I – I mean ‘we’ – wouldn’t be here if not for what I said to your father after I left that damned washroom.”

Sakura squealed victoriously and squirmed around his embrace, trying to get ready for the rare occasion where her reserved husband was going to tell her a story, their story.

“Quiet! You don’t want them coming over and thinking things.” He reprimanded and Sakura mimic a zipper being closed over her mouth. “Ok, you know everything before you escaped. When I opened that door, your dad was there waiting for me.”

“Go on.”

“Tch, I’m skipping to the conversation.”

“Ok, ok, just tell me already!”

“When your father cornered me with accusations and a talk about dignity and reputation and what a young lady deserves, I told him...” Sakura reached a hand when he paused, cupping his cheek. She brushed her thumb in a soothing way as to encourage him to continue. “I told him ‘Sir, I love your daughter, and I want what’s best for her. I wouldn’t do anything to harm her or her reputation. I would never do something she wouldn’t want me to do, and I respect her and your wishes. I will try to keep my distance as you asked, but I can’t promise you that.”

Wide eyes and mouth agape, Sakura was stunned by her husband’s declaration. A soft sniff followed by several others filled the silence in the room, and this time, it was Sasuke’s turn to brush a thumb over her cheek, collecting the tears that kept running down.

“Shh, see why I didn’t want to tell you?” He whispered.

“You—You’re all stoic and cold around everyone, but me of course! —”

“—but you.” He agreed, a smile tugging his lips.

“—you went all Romeo and said you loved me to my father, before you even said those words to me?!” Sakura paused, pulling the hem of her shirt up to clean her face. “Wow, you’re a real softie, Sasuke-kun.”

“What?! Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Tch.”

“But you’re my softie.”

“Hn.”

“I wonder now what talk you had with your father after the 'zine incident'…”

A deep groan escaped him as Sasuke turned his wife around and tucked her under his chin, her back pressed tightly against his chest. All patience and fluff gone with the unpleasant memory of Fugaku Uchiha trying to explain himself to his son after such a traumatizing discussion involving forbidden sinful magazines and the reason to buy them in the first place.

“Sasuke-kun?”

“Shh, sleep.”