A belated Valentine's Day gift.
orange soda
It was the fourteenth of February at approximately 6:43 in the morning when a sharp knocking at the door snapped him from his slumber. In two minutes, his lingering drowsiness was forcibly wrenched from his body. In four minutes, the impatient knocking continued, echoing painfully in ears. And in two more minutes, he was stumbling out of bed towards the door, banging his exposed shins on coffee tables and wall corners, followed by indecent curses under his breath and a annoyed hand running through his lopsided dark hair.
He groped irritatingly at the impossible locks and trinkets on the door in the dark apartment, chilly air tickling bare legs and skin on his forearms forming goosebumps uncovered by his lone T-shirt. After what seemed like aggravating ages and more insistent knocking on the door, the irked boy was ready to kick the door so far, it flew out of the entire apartment complex landing on some unfortunate soul's new BMW, just so that he would never have to be bothered by those goddamn locks ever again.
As if reading his mind, the door unexpectedly swung inward, startling both him and the culprit at the other side of his doorway. His dark, slightly widened eyes locked on to the stunningly bright candy apple green ones of the girl standing in front of him, hand raised, ready to knock again, prior to his sudden answering.
Blinking and breaking eye contact, she coughed awkwardly, staring at the ground. Sasuke's eyes, however, never left her face. How could he look away from this random girl who showed up on his door step at six in the morning? As if Sasuke were the intruder, the girl began twirling her bubblegum pink hair around her finger, thinking of some nice way to turn him away. He almost expected her to say: "Uhm, I think it's really weird of you to come see me so unexpectedly early in the morning..." with the way she was acting.
"Hey, uh, I know it's early and, um, I'm probably intruding– No, I mean, I am intruding, but that's not the point 'cause what I wanted to say was, uh, if it's not too much trouble– No, I mean, uh, um... this is awkward." Sasuke could do nothing but continue to stare at her incredulously, no emotion flashing across his pale features whatsoever. For some reason, he found it extremely difficult to process her explanation, so he didn't say anything.
She looked up at him pleadingly, her eyes searching for mercy. After receiving nothing other than his empty stares, she turned her view to the imaginary spot at the hem of her skirt. Her eyes drifted up uncertainly, landing on his boxers donning his family crest. Seeing this, as if she committed a crime, she quickly averted her gaze to her boots, her face adorning a slight pinkish hue. He could have imagined it, though; it was pretty chilly in the winter.
"O-Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it! I won't stall anymore! No more beating around the bush! I definitely won't make this harder than it really is! I'm going to say it now! I really am! I– I did it again! Damn it! Just say it, Haruno! This is why you don't have many friends..." Are you serious? Sasuke's jaw hung open slightly at the weird girl arguing with herself right in front of him. He had a feeling this was no longer a conversation between the two of them. Not like he ever really was part of it.
He was just about to interrupt her when she slapped herself harshly in the face. His eyes widened quite a bit, resting on the red mark on her cheek. This girl was really starting to bother him. She turned towards his figure, determination burning in her emerald eyes, lips set in a tight line. He couldn't help but stare at those plump, pink lips; they were a little chapped in the cold wind, but otherwise perfect.
"Okay! Mr. Uchiha Sasuke, resident of Hokage Apartments, room 723!" And he wondered how she got his information. She paused dramatically, "They accidentally left some of your mail in my box..." He blinked at her. That's it? "Yeah... I, uh, left it with the guy at the front desk... You see, my box is one above yours, so..."
So, she searched for his information, made the journey all the way to his room, woke him up at 6:43 in the morning, made him wait outside in the freezing cold while she rambled on, just to tell him she had some of his mail? And she didn't even bring the mail to him, making her whole trip meaningless. Wonderful.
In under thirty seconds, he blinked at her one more time, took a step backwards into his apartment, slammed the door, and replaced all the locks.
And, of course, in under thirty more seconds, the familiar repetitive knocking at his door froze him in place, five feet away. He debated on whether to ignore her or actually tell her to leave him alone to her face.
In a minute, he had stumbled back to the door in the dark, once again banging his shin on a corner, fumbled around with the locks, and swung the door open to meet the familiar girl with her fist raised. He opened his mouth to send her away, but before he could, she silenced him with her cold hands. He stared wide-eyed, surprised at her bold action.
"Before you say anything, please listen to what I have to tell you!" Well he didn't really have much of a choice there. "I know, you're going to think I'm desperate and pathetic and annoying," You got that right. "But please, I need your help!"
He waited for her to go on, but she just chewed her bottom lip and looked away. "Um, can you take me here?" His eyes widened, coming to the conclusion that she might really be desperate. She removed her hands from his lips to rummage through her bag for something. A condom, perhaps? Again, he opened his mouth to protest but was once again silenced; only this time, it was a piece of paper.
The Flaming Leaf Amusement Park!
Number 1 Amusement Park in the Fire Country!
Boys and girls, grab your lover and spend Valentine's Day at the Flaming Leaf Amusement Park! Ride the lover's Tea Cup Spin, or the famous Cave of Love! Test your strength as a couple in the Haunted Mansion filled with bitter ghosts ready to rip you apart (your lover and you, of course, not your limbs)! Guys, impress your girls by showing how macho you are and lending her a shoulder for when she's really scared of Vertigo Drop! (Not recommended for small children under 5 feet.)
Couples can get an all-day pass for as little as fifty percent off! (Only on Valentine's Day)
No refunds or exchanges made after purchase.
With his mouth hanging open, Sasuke's eyes traveled all around the paper, cringing at the pictures of couples riding attractions together, donning face-splitting smiles. He looked at the girl (whose name he doesn't even know) exasperated, waiting for her burst out yelling, "You've been Punk'd!" and having Ashton Kutcher come running out with billions of cameras flashing in his face.
"Are you kidding me?" The first words he ever got out that morning. And they aren't happy ones.
She was almost surprised at this reaction, blinking and quickly shaking her head.
"Why?" His eyebrow was raised in confusion, but she only smiled, her pink lips curving up ever-so slightly.
"Because I like you!" He frowned hard at her. Giving in, she sighed and eyed the flier in her hands. "Okay, okay. So, my boyfriend broke up with me two weeks ago, because apparently, I'm too pushy and bossy, and I ask too much of him!" She glared at the paper as if she had to largest urge to rip his face to shreds as easily as she could to that flimsy piece of material. "Anyway, we had been going out for about a month or two, and I was really looking forward to Valentine's Day, but he went and broke it off. And then, he had the nerve to casually walk up to me yesterday with his freaking arm around some blondbimbo's waist, and go 'Oh hey, Sak, I didn't see you there! Let me introduce you to my ex-girlfriend. Sak, this is Ino. Ino, Sak.'" Her name is 'Sock'? He found her imitation of a deep voice rather amusing, and unconsciously became wrapped up in her story.
"The balls on that guy! God, and that blond was such a ho! It's the middle of February! Who the hell where's a dress that barely covers your vagina while walking around in the streets of the shopping district? 'Oh, Sai, it's so cold! Can you hold me 'til I feel better? Pwetty pwease?'" This time her impression of the girl's voice actually made him laugh out loud, causing the girl to snap out of her memories and stare at him.
Surprised at his sudden outburst as much as she was, he cleared his throat awkwardly and replaced his scowl. She continued to stare at him, mouth wide open.
"What?" Uncomfortable being stared at so intently after doing something so out of character, Sasuke forced his uneasy feelings into agitation.
"Nothing, just... you have a killer smile!" He felt his face heat up randomly up to his ears. "And your laugh! It was so... so musical! You know, you should smile more often, Mr. Grumpy Pants!"
He cleared his throat. "Anyway, what does this have to do with me?"
She seemed to suddenly remember the situation at hand, finally averting her gaze to the wall next to his head. "Oh! I was getting to that part! So, Sai, that's his name, was all like, telling me about his plans to go to The Flaming Leaf on Valentine's Day, with the whore. And that really offended me 'cause he was so against doing anything when we were together! And I love amusement parks! And then he goes and asks me if I'm doing anything with anyone special! So, naturally, I can't go and tell him I'm still not over how he was just a jerk! And I can't deny a challenge, so I told him that yes, I did have plans and I'm going to The Flaming Leaf, too! But then my plan backfires and he suggests we all go together on a double date! And, y'know, I don't actually have anyone to take, I know, sad, isn't it? So that's how I ended up here."
Sasuke blinked a couple of times to comprehend the situation. "So why me?"
"Well, let's just say you're the only one in this apartment complex that's not married, balding, homosexual, or morbidly creepy in anyway."
"Why does he have to be from this apartment complex?" He pondered, rubbing his eye.
"Because I have power here." She explained confidently, smirking softly, bright eyes dancing.
This caught his attention, and his eyebrow raised. "Oh? How so?" He challenged.
"Let's just say my aunt owns the very room that keeps you out of these winter winds here in Konoha." Her smirk widens as she volleys the imaginary ball back into his court.
"Landlady, huh?" His smirk emerges as well. "So you're saying it has to be from this complex because you can bribe them."
Her eyes sparkled as he finally understood her proposition. "No rent needed for a month."
Sasuke's luck was finally looking up, and he smirked. He had just lost his job a few days ago, still short a hundred of his rent. He was beginning to consider it.
"So what's in it for you?" He tested the waters, in case of any traps. She only lowered her eyes and smiled.
"Take me to the Flaming Leaf and pretend to be my boyfriend just to prove to my ex that I'm that much better than him." Sasuke thought about it, imagining the shocked face of that guy he doesn't even know who pisses him off for some reason.
"Sounds easy enough." He started, leaning against his door frame.
"So what do you say?" She asked with caution, not wanting to scare her catch away.
He paused for a bit. "What's your name?"
She smiled softly. "Call me Sakura. Haruno Sakura." So it wasn't Sock?
He looked at her challenging orbs with equally fierce determination. "Alright, Sakura. I'm in."
"Excellent." She smiled even wider so that her perfect white teeth showed through past her lips. "I'll swing on by at 9." She turned to leave but quickly turned back. "Oh, and Sasuke?"
"Hm?" He gave her a lazy look.
Her smile was wider than ever. "Be sure to use your killer smile."
,
As promised, at exactly nine in the morning, the sharp knocking at the door was met by a series of metal clinking as the locks were undone for the third time that morning. The door swung open, revealing a passive Sasuke clad in a simple black jacket over his navy blue dress shirt, dark jeans that fit his legs perfectly, classic sneakers, and a white muffler to top it off.
Sakura, who had been looking around precariously up to this point, gave him a once over, smiling with satisfaction overflowing from her. "Nice." The corner of his mouth twitched. "But I did like the lollipop boxers." She said playfully, glancing at her own attire, the same one from earlier.
He frowned at that. "They're not lollipops." He argued, almost pouting like a child.
"They looked a lot like lollipops to me." She laughed when his 'pout' deepened.
"Wait, we're going to an amusement park..." Sasuke said uneasily, sweat forming visibly on his forehead. Sakura's eyebrows raised.
"What's the matter?" He only shook his head and turned to keep on walking.
Once they were in Sasuke's Mercedes and driving to the Flaming Leaf, Sakura took this opportunity to launch into a list of things a boyfriend should know.
"Okay, so my birthday is on March 28. My favorite flowers are daffodils. I love the color red. My hair color is natural and I don't wear contacts. I absolutely need my daily dose of a White Chocolate Mocha from Starbuck's. My favorite movie is Poltergeist. I hate romantic comedies, but I love horror/action. I adore Hello Kitty, Pokémon, and Scooby-Doo. I hate Coke, the drink, and never, ever give me mac and cheese. Oh, and I'm 20, by the way. Okay, your turn!"
Sasuke took a moment to take in all that information, succeeding in seconds like the Uchiha prodigy he is.
"My birthday is on July 23. I hate flowers; they make me sick. My favorite color is blue, preferably navy blue. My hair stays spiky naturally because of the way I sleep. I hate coffee. I don't remember any good movie other than Saving Private Ryan. I despise romantic comedies, but I'm alright with action. Pokémon is beast, but I will not do Hello Kitty. I'd rather drink orange soda or maybe a martini than Dr. Pepper. I like tomatoes. And I turn 22 this year."
Sakura nodded along, taking mental notes, including his love for tomatoes and preference of orange soda over Dr. Pepper. "Can't go wrong with orange soda..." She commented mindlessly.
"Alright, we've been dating for a week now. This is our third date, but we've never done anything past kissing, maybe. We met in the same apartment complex just like we did this morning. Got it?"
"Simple enough."
It was pretty quiet as he parked the car near the entrance to shorten the walking distance, and out of sheer convenience. After buying their tickets, getting a discount as promised, they entered the park. He swallowed hard, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head taunting him, telling him he was nervous and better yet, scared.
In Sasuke's opinion, it looked like St. Valentine threw up everywhere. Red and pink decorations hung off of everything possible. Balloons floated around tied to railings, and some were for sale. But the worst part was the number of couples macking on each others faces, walking around, sitting and talking, riding attractions, buying souvenirs and drinks. Sasuke's lip curled in disgust. This was their idea of romantic?
"Huh." His attention snapped back to the pink-haired girl checking her phone for the time. "He said to meet at the entrance at 9:50. It's already three minutes past 10..." He rolled his eyes.
"Don't expect people to be exactly on time every time they plan something." She huffed and scowled at him, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis.
"Well, if he's late he should call, right?" Sasuke sighed as Sakura continued to mutter things quietly to herself, still checking her phone every five seconds. "Oh right! I didn't get your number yet!" He gave her a weird look. She rolled her eyes this time. "Wouldn't it be weird for two people dating not to have each others phone numbers?"
Sasuke contemplated it, deciding it made sense. They exchanged numbers quickly, and time went passing by as they sat on the cold bench.
Anxious, Sakura's knee never stopped shaking as she fiddled with her cell phone and her endless amount of phone charms. Sasuke's hand jerked out to stop her knee, letting it linger for a moment, and finally dragged it back to his side, unintentionally brushing her thigh, causing her to shiver noticeably.
"UGH, where is he? It's already 10:36!" She yelled out, frustrated, standing up suddenly. Her outburst somewhat startled Sasuke. He half expected her to break down and start crying, but she continued to glare at no one in particular.
"I just hate it when people make me wait! Come on, let's go, Sasuke." She declared, grabbing his arm, leading him to a line for a popular attraction. He was surprised at the strength emitting from such a tiny body; her head only came up to his collar bone.
He looked up to discover what they were in line for. A sinking feeling hit the pit of his stomach as he read the sign saying "Vertigo Drop," and his eyes traveled upward to the point where the sun blocked out anything else visible. His lips were set in a tight line and his permanent scowl deepened. Sakura, on the other hand, was too busy fuming on about people being late and only glared at the crack in the cement walkway.
"Uh, Sakura, I'd rather not ride this one." He muttered, looking around.
"We're riding this one." Her glare told him she was serious and set in stone, so he decided not to say anything.
They walked into the gate, the metal bar clinking noisily, and the worker smiled painfully at them. "Please enjoy your ride! This way please!"
Sasuke felt like he was walking to his own death sentence as they neared the plastic seats that would strap them in to their eminent doom.
,
"I am so sorry, Sasuke." Sakura continued to repetitively apologize while rubbing Sasuke's back, which was hunched over as they sat on another bench. His face was buried in a plastic bag from a gift shop.
"Why didn't you tell me you had acrophobia? Or that you hate amusement parks? If you did, you wouldn't be emptying your insides into that bag." Sakura insisted, still rubbing his back, looking around full of guilt.
Sasuke muttered something along the lines of "No rent" and "month" before jerking with another spasm and a wave of nausea.
"You're so stupid, Sasuke..." When he felt like he was done, Sakura handed him a napkin and drink to rid his mouth of the aftertaste.
"Hm... orange soda." He mumbled with the straw in his mouth. She smiled softly at him, her fingers grazing his cheek.
"Hey, Sasuke...–"
"Sak!" Both their heads snapped away to see the guy jogging towards them. Sasuke presumed this was 'Sai' and, his scowl was back in place. "Oh man, I've been looking all over for you!"
"Sai?" Sakura's mouth opened and closed like a fish, and she blinked a couple of times. "Where were you? You're late!"
"Late? I was sure I'm on time! 9:50, right?" Sai argued, scratching his head.
"It's 11." Sakura deadpanned.
"Oh, is it? I hadn't noticed." Jerk. Sasuke side-glared at him, but the other seemed to not notice. His attention was solely on Sakura. Sasuke's glare darkened.
Sakura sighed, not wanting to ruin her mood more than it already was. "Anyway, where's Ino?" She emphasized Ino as if she were a criminal or something repulsive.
"Oh, she went to powder her nose." Can't you just say she's in the bathroom?
Sakura nodded knowingly but suddenly remembered another presence. "Oh! This is my boyfriend, Sasuke." She offered, gesturing towards said boy. He liked the way she said it. "Sasuke, this is Sai."
Sai gave him a once-over, nodding his head in acknowledgment. Sasuke glared at him in return.
"Quite the rude one, isn't he?" His eyebrow twitched at this comment. Standing up abruptly, startling the both of them, Sasuke turned and headed toward the nearest restroom.
"Sasuke?" It was Sakura. "Where you going?"
With a grunt and a mutter of "Bathroom," Sasuke disappeared from their sight past the doorway.
He was angry. And he didn't know why. Something about that Sai guy just pushed at his buttons. He gripped the sink until his knuckles turned white and messily washed his face with the cold tap water. His thoughts wandered back to Sakura as he wiped his face with paper towels. She was weird and annoying and meddlesome and cranky and... not his. Maybe that's what bothered him. The fact that Sakura was Sai's, but never his. He growled and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, replacing his scowl with his usual stoic expression, throwing the door open and stepping outside.
At a distance away, it looked like Sakura and that bastard were hitting it off pretty well. She was smiling a bit and occasionally laughing. God, he loved her laugh. He shook those feelings away quickly, spotting a girl with blond hair tied in a high ponytail join the two, wrapping an arm around Sai's. That's probably Ino.
His breath caught in his throat when Sakura's body tensed and her smile was replaced by a fake one. Uncaring, Sasuke made his way back to Sakura's side, satisfied when her eyes lit up.
"Hey." She whispered.
"Hn." His gaze caught Ino's, who smiled and winked at him. He frowned and looked away, teeth clenching at the her giggle.
"Well, I know this is supposed to be a double date, but I was wondering if you'd like to hang out with me today, Sak. You know, catch up and talk. If it's alright with your boyfriend." Sai spoke up, stepping a little closer to Sakura, also expertly shaking his arm free of Ino's grasp in one swift motion.
Sasuke looked at Sakura, who stared back wide-eyed. This is what she wanted, right? This is why she woke him up at 6:43 in the morning. Fine then, if it made her happy...
He shrugged, uncaring. "Fine with me." He glanced back at Sakura, who's eyes were still wide, mouth open. She almost looked hurt. But her features soon hardened to a frown.
"Fine then." Her jaw clenched visibly, as she led them away from Sasuke and Ino. His fist unclenched, one he didn't know he had made. What was that? It was as if she were angry at him, for doing what shewanted.
Ino, who's eyes remained locked on the couple's retreating figures up until now, finally turned her attention towards Sasuke. She placed a perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder, batting her long lashes at him. "Why don't you and I go do something, then?"
He didn't even hear her. He didn't even see her. All he saw was Sakura, walking with that goddamn bastard. "What ever."
And she dragged him off to some place.
,
Ino had tried making moves on him for the past half hour, but he was unresponsive with everything. She touched his thighs, his muscles, breathed and whispered in his ears, but he just sat there, glaring holes into a drink booth.
Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and pulled her neck down roughly so that his mouth was directly at her ear. "Hey, why don't you get me a drink?" He whispered huskily into her ear. The blond shivered visibly and stood up dazed, nodding as she quickly walked to the booth, ready to seduce the worker for a free drink.
Sasuke took this opportunity to escape, searching for a head of pink anywhere. He finally saw something out of the corner of his eye, turning quickly. It turned out to be a crying kid holding a pink balloon. Walking around, he dodged all the couples listening for her laugh, maybe. The thought of that loser making her laugh sickened him.
Out of breath and ready to call it a day, Sasuke leaned on the railing near the massive Ferris wheel, not daring to look up at the towering height. Then, he heard her voice, chattering away. He swore it was his mind playing tricks on him, but turned around anyway. Sure enough, there was a pink blob, and a black one to accompany it. They were getting ready to enter the Ferris wheel, next in line.
"Yeah, I heard! If a couple kisses at the top of the Ferris wheel, they'll stay together forever!"
"Awww, how cute!"'
This caught his attention, though he never really believed in such things. The thought of him kissing her disgusted him. He made a sprint for the Ferris wheel, as Sakura just boarded the gondola. Just as Sai was about to go on as well, Sasuke slipped through the doors as they were closing. Sai's shocked face was priceless, and he began yelling angrily outside the gondola's closed doors. The worker led him away, and Sasuke watched with amusement, completely forgetting the presence of a certain girl.
"Sasuke?" His attention snapped back to her confused features. "What the hell are you doing?"
His expression darkened. "Sorry, but I'm crashing your play date."
"After tossing me aside, you're here crashing my date with Sai?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. The gondola started moving ever so slightly.
"Tossing you aside? What are you talking about! Isn't this what you wanted?" Sasuke's loud voice echoed in the small compartment.
"I didn't ask to be handed over to Sai!" She argued.
"Well, what do you want from me then!" He pressed on. They were ten feet above the ground now.
"I like you! Is that a crime!" Sasuke had almost missed her confession. Instead of joy, anger bubbled up within him.
"You like me! Are you serious! After going on and on about your ex, you're telling me you like me!"
"Yes! There was no mail in my box! I just needed an excuse to talk to you! I always see you walking around, looking really lonely, you know! But I thought I was pretty lonely, so maybe we could become friends! But then when Sai comes along, you let him take me like it's nothing! Ugh, I'm confusing myself!" She panted hard when she was done. "And I really, really wanted to do something special up on this Ferris wheel. I might've been hopelessly waiting for you to rescue me."
Sasuke was speechless. All along it was a lie. She didn't want her ex-boyfriend... She wanted him. And he might want her back.
"I..." Sasuke started. Sakura looked up at him in anticipation. The gondola neared the peak of it's course. "I..."
And he threw his head down, throwing up all over the floor of the gondola, barely missing his shoes.
,
"You threw up."
"I know."
"It almost got on my boots."
"I know."
"We missed the top of the Ferris wheel."
"I know."
"I really like you."
"I know."
"Do you like me, too?"
"... I do."
He bent over to lightly brush his lips to hers, insistently pressing a little harder when her cold hand rested on the back of his neck.
"You taste like orange soda."
"I know."
,
It was the fourteenth of February at approximately 6:43 in the evening when a sharp knocking at the door snapped him from his slumber. In two minutes, his lingering drowsiness was forcibly wrenched from his body. In four minutes, the impatient knocking continued, echoing painfully in ears. And in two more minutes, he was stumbling out of bed towards the door, banging his exposed shins on coffee tables and wall corners.
After fumbling around with the locks in darkness, Sasuke finally managed to open the door. His dark eyes met familiar bright green eyes, belonging to the girl with her fist raised, ready to knock again. In her other hand was a tray of containers and drinks.
"Hey, uh, I know I'm intruding, but I brought you dinner, medicine for your stomach, and some orange soda." She explained, smiling brightly.
He couldn't help but flash her his 'killer' smile, stepping aside to make room for her entry.
"Oh, and they really did leave some of your mail in my box this time, by the way." She commented, flipping on his lights. She paused in her steps turning back quickly. "And Sasuke?"
"Hm?"
"Nice smile."
He couldn't help but smile again at that.
You can't go wrong with orange soda.
fin
Happy (belated) Valentine's Day, everyone!
Sorry, I thought the ending SUCKED. I got lazy midway and really tired, since I'm still sick. But I tried. I feel accomplished. But still tired.
Anyway, thanks for reading.
P.S. Sorry to Sai/Ino fans. Personally, I love those two, but I needed an antagonist. I picked randomly, seriously.
,
Came back here after what, 3 years, and DAMN, thanks for all the favorites! But please, I like reviews 'coz they motivate me.