A/N: Before I begin, I'd like to thank everyone for following me, as my blog has recently gained 500 followers! Therefore, as a celebration for hitting this number of followers, I've decided to treat you all by writing an SSS one shot! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Prompt: Check Shirt
Ever since the Uchihas have returned to Konoha from their travels across the shinobi nations, Sakura has been busy with her schedule as a medic in the hospital. Such duties involved her teaching fresh medics the basics of medicine, treating her critically conditioned patients through long hours in surgeries, managing the children's clinic for mental trauma along with her childhood friend, Ino. Thus, the Fifth's apprentice's responsibility also consisted of holding meetings in her hometown with foreign medics to see the children's mental health clinics' performances in other lands since she and Ino opened them before she set foot on traveling with Sasuke.
As for Sasuke, well, his duties being welcomed into fatherhood had him involved with running errands and looking after Sarada, as well as being a husband at the very same time. There were times where Sakura assisted his fatherhood's obligations on her days off, and she could not really blame him due to him being orphaned at a tender age of seven. Him being an amputee was the other reason; although, he kept on reassuring her that she does not need to bother herself with it. His spouse could not help herself but offer him a smile, as she placed her trust in him that he is able to do it.
At the end of that particular month, Sakura has received her pay check and her heart was gleeful, as she had been waiting all along for purchasing some household items by sticking to her budget after being done with work - a few bonsai trees, some throw pillows and a vase.
As she was making her way to her new home through the streets of Konoha, something dark caught her from the corner of her vision. She halted in her steps to divert her direction towards the display behind the window of a store - a navy blue check shirt on a male mannequin standing before her. She thought it would look absolutely marvellous on her spouse, where she was aware that he had a fondness for dark coloured clothes.
Her footsteps took her to the men's clothing store to examine the material of the shirt and to check if they had the same measurement of her husband's torso. She was fortunate enough to find the exact size for Sasuke through searching a stack of folded shirts, and as her fingers traced over the item, she was able to tell that the quality was outstanding. Sakura made up her mind to buy this shirt at the thought of Sasuke wearing it – and looking perfect in it.
A smile played on her lips as she enthusiastically waited in the queue before the sales counter.
"What are you trying to say, hmm?"
The owner of the question was answered with a babbling sound.
"Sarada, I still don't know what you're trying to say."
Through making that statement, he was still being answered with the same babbling sound.
Sasuke was lying on his side on the sofa with his daughter being sprawled before him. His long index finger lightly tapping against Sarada's soft lips, as she was squealing with joy. Her tiny fists flying around, as she simply admired her father spending an ample amount of time with her.
Earlier that day, Sasuke looked after her as usual since Sakura had left for her duties in Konoha's hospital. It started with him feeding her a mashed apple-banana, taking her with him to the grocery store to purchase certain food and cleaning products for the household as she sat snugly in the baby carrier, being able to observe her surroundings ahead of her. Sasuke returned to his home, giving his daughter a lukewarm bath in after which he took his time in securing her diaper with his lone hand. After a short while, Sarada drifted towards her slumber which gave her father the perfect opportunity to clean their apartment. When she regained her consciousness, she puked on his outfit following her father fed her okyau, when he lightly patted her small back to ease her with swallowing her meal. He never really minded the splatter on his dark long-sleeved top due to her being an apple in his eye. Instead of negatively reacting towards it unlike other people, he grabbed a damp cloth and quickly ran it along the light-coloured smear on his chest and proceeded to spend time with his daughter by playing with her and various toys. After she gained her absolute good spirits, Sasuke settled Sarada onto her seat so she could watch some television while he started to prepare dinner from with the earlier morning's groceries before his wife made an appearance into their apartment.
She should be expected anytime soon, he thought to himself.
After a few moments, their apartment's front door bursted open, a familiar feminine voice called out "Tadaima!", where Sasuke expected it to be none other than Sakura, as she set her bags down on the genkan to sit on the wooden polished floor so she could take off her sandals.
Sasuke scooped Sarada in her lone arm as he made his way towards the genkan in which his response was "Okaeri".
Sakura, who had been looking forward to seeing her family after such a long day, took Sarada from Sasuke's embrace in while he bent down to reach out for the bags on the floor.
"Something's cooking," She stepped through the hallway as she inhaled the scent, "what's for dinner, Anata?"
"Takikomi gohan."
"Can't wait to try it," she said excitedly, as she leant forward to place a peck on her husband's cheek. Heat bloomed to his ears and to the nape of his neck as he muttered "Aa".
"Thank you for the feast", Sakura uttered as they have concluded their meal.
The dark haired-man said the same thing under his breath, feeling satisfied with himself that he was able to cook with one hand. The corner of his lips turned upwards slightly at his woman's reaction.
"Oh, I got something for you," said the pink haired woman, getting up from her dining seat to fetch the bag laying across the floor at a corner of their small dining room.
Dark brows knitted together curiously, accepting the bag from her delicate hands, and reached out inside of it to reveal a neatly folded navy blue checked shirt.
"What's the occasion for, Sakura?" He enquired, diverting his direction up towards her face.
"Well," She paused to tuck a lock of rose coloured-hair behind her ear, "When I saw it on the window still, I thought it'd look perfect on you."
"And how can you tell it'll look perfect on me?", he questioned, inspecting the clothing in his only hand.
"Why not just try it on? I know your size already.", suggested his wife, clasping her hands behind her back.
He frowned from hearing this and responded, "What of the plates, Sakura? I should wash-"
"Anata, I'll take care of them later.", she cut him off reassuringly, impatient to see her husband in his new attire.
He gave her a nod and together they walked towards their bedroom, where Sarada was drifting away with slumber contentedly in her cradle after being breastfed as soon as Sakura reached home. In return, he transferred his cooking onto the serving bowls, and prepared their small dining table.
In that very moment, the pastel haired woman helped her husband with pulling off his top, as he stood idly there with his undershirt. Delicate fingers unfolded and unbuttoned his brand new shirt as she wrapped it securely around his torso. She proceeded to button his shirt by taking her time, where he simply observed her gentle countenance. 'She must be enjoying this,' he thought to himself.
"There.", she said, taking a few steps back to fully observe his whole profile.
It looked absolutely perfect on him.
"Well, what do you think?", she enquired him curiously.
His form turned around to look at his shirt through the reflection of a mirror on top of their dressing table. The shirt fit him in every angle of chest, waist, sleeves and length of his torso.
"Sakura, thank you", his candour words echoed in her ears, where she rejoiced in return from observing his warmth of regard.
"Anata, can you be more responsible than this?! You could've handed her over to me!", Sakura chastised him, concerned by the fact that they were going to be late for their outing, "Seriously!"
"What was I supposed to do then, Sakura? You are already busy.", intimated her husband, gently depositing his daughter down on her seat.
He did not understand as to why his wife was nagging at him. The Uchihas were preparing themselves for their picnic hangout in which they were all ready by wearing their newest attires, ready to embrace the blissful, breezy spring season before the warm summer would start. Sakura was packing their bento boxes with various assorted savouries and sweets, such as okaka onigiri, karaage, tamagoyaki and korokke. She also made sure to fill flask with sakura tea. Everything was almost ready by the late afternoon but an obstacle raised out of nowhere.
Whereas Sasuke, he was tending to their daughter by feeding her a bottle of lukewarm milk, where she, in return, up-spitted at his brand new check shirt. Of course, he could not really blame her, especially when she was a few months old.
Sakura did not know who to be angry at; her husband for having a point or at herself.
"Besides, I would've paused this, and helped you with her vomiting.", she turned to him, wearing a stern expression, diverting her back to him, "And get yourself cleaned up for we are gonna be late, Sasuke-kun!"
With her back turned to him, she went on nagging regarding the whole situation being pulled out of nowhere. What's with her nagging? After all, it's just a shirt, Sasuke thought. There was absolutely no need for her to make a huge deal on a simple shirt getting a stain from Sarada's up-spitting. Though it was understandable that it did not need to be cleaned immediately due to creating a contrast against the dark material, Sasuke stood there contemplating these things until a sudden idea emerged through his head, being amused.
A rustle of a clothing fell on the light rose head, and a chuckle was heard from the dark-haired man. She raised her hand to lift the dark clothing off her pastel coloured head to slowly observe what actually happened and touched a spot at where the smear landed on. Sakura turned around to see her husband smirking deviously at her, wearing his white undershirt and dark trousers. Sasuke, of all the people, dared to throw his check shirt with Sarada's vomit on it at his own wife, just before their hangout!
"You- you just didn't do that, did you?!", she started, being incredulously enraged at him.
"Hn.", snorted her husband, where that even infuriated her even further.
Without any continued thought, she advanced towards him, raising her voice at him, "What were you thinking, anata?! We don't have time for this nonsense!"
"Sakura, it's just a shirt. There's nothing to be fussed about.", back answered her husband, "Besides, we have time for this."
"How can you say that we all have time for this when today's the only day I'm off from the hospital?", exclaimed Sakura, pushing the shirt forcefully at his chest.
Before their argument could lead to anything more serious, a sudden wail was to be heard in the room, and they both turned their heads towards it's owner: Sarada. She must have gotten quite upset at the sight of her parents arguing with each other.
"It's alright. I got her.", Sakura was the first who made her way to their only child, scooping her into one arm as she held his navy blue shirt in her other hand, whereas he nodded at her and went his way towards the picnic basket on the dining table, and continued to pack in which Sakura left off.
His spouse glanced at his back and looked down at his shirt, being clutched in her hand, as she headed towards their lavatory, carrying Sarada with her. One thought came to her head, where she pondered her husband's earlier words.
Some things can't really be helped, can they?
Several years later, Sarada was helping her mother unpacking her father's clothes as they had just moved into a new apartment after their previous home was accidentally destroyed by the hands of her mother. Unintentionally, a navy blue check shirt was being folded in Sakura's hands as Sarada stared at the clothing, but could not remember if she has ever seen it before.
"I didn't know Papa has a taste in fashion," she blurted, folding her father's plain charcoal shirt.
"I got this for him when you were just a baby", interjected her mother, as she held up her husband's check shirt to examine it closely.
"He must've been quite fashionable back then.", muttered the young spectacled girl, who could simply not picture her father being fashionable after seeing him a few months ago
"Not really, since he wore always cloaks on them," eyeing the check shirt in her hands, "Not only that, he was very careful not to show them since you puked on them.", she proceeded to neatly fold the shirt in her hands.
"So, wait. Papa still wore them even after I puked on them?!", exclaimed Sarada,
"Well, he made sure to wipe them off before leaving the house."
"Papa must've felt quite embarrassed", she snickered at the thought of him being flustered in public and looked at the remaining clothes as she suggested, "Say, Mama, don't you think most of his tops are too old & plain?"
"Now that you've mentioned it, we should get him something before he gets back."
"Maybe a tartan shirt?", Sarada recommended.
"Great idea.", her mother agreed.
"He's starting to resemble you more and more, Sarada."
"I thought he's starting to look like you, Papa.", intimidated the current Hokage, gazing at the way her father held her first born son in his lone arm.
Through her red-rimmed glasses, her salt and pepper haired father wore such a tender expression before his first dark-haired grandson, who happened to be gazing back at him with such curiosity, an uchiwa displayed proudly at the back of the child's white onesie, as the older man, on contrast, wore the midnight blue tartan shirt his wife and daughter bought him long ago. The petal-hued medic made her way into the living room where her husband, daughter and grandson settled together, as she brought with herself a small rectangular tray carrying two sencha cups. When she approached them, she settled two steaming, filled sencha cups onto the low coffee table, propping herself next to her spouse on the sofa. Sasuke felt his wife motioning him with her doe-like eyes to hand her over their grandchild in order for him to sip his sencha tea, just like Sarada was doing so. When he was about to hand over the baby, the Uchiha child up-spitted at his grandfather's chest.
Upon Sarada witnessing this, she gasped whereas Sasuke briefly closed his eyes and just simply sighed at this. Sakura, on the other hand, could not help but adorned a slight, sanguine smile at the sight before her eyes.
"I'll take it from here.", said the pink haired woman, eagerly carrying her dark-haired grandson in her slender arms, attempting to gently sway his tiny form against her own as she stood from the sofa to aimlessly, slowly roam around the room. Sarada got up from her seat to sit next to her father but not before taking a tissue paper from it's box to hastily wipe off the small patch of light-coloured vomit on Sasuke's chest pocket.
From across the room, Sakura was able to reach to an inference after being by her husband's side through all those years from her gaze on the very recent incident. She came to an acceptance due to her recollections on similar instances in the past.
Some things never really change.
A/N: Many thanks to BeatOneHeart who was so helpful in suggesting me a prompt & taking the time to beta it for me. Hopefully, I'll be writing one-shots often from now on. Feedback would be very much appreciated! :D