Marionette
Everyone noticed how he manipulated her, everyone but her. AU
Disclaimer: M for language at the moment
Cover Image by: Abalixa on Deviantart

Chapter One

Her roommates didn't really like him, which was why he was currently slipping through her bedroom window at 11 o'clock at night on a Thursday.

She had started leaving it slightly ajar when she realized he no longer preferred being let in through the front door.

Sasuke, for lack of better words, was a bit of a loose cannon. He had a temper that he did not appropriately keep in check on most days, and on others he had certain recreational habits that her roommates did not approve of in excess. (Though he liked to argue with her that those habits were partially responsible for keeping his temper at bay).

She was currently sprawled out on her plush queen-sized bed, engrossed in a current events article she was reading on her phone. If she had heard him come in, she had yet to acknowledge it. He unceremoniously kicked off his sneakers and made his way towards her.

The dim lighting in her room encased his face in shadow as he stood over the end of her bed watching her. After a couple minutes she lifted her eyes from the small screen she was so preoccupied by and gave him a questioning stare.

"What?" she asked.

He smirked and took her acknowledgement as an invitation to crawl over her body and invade her personal space. An inch away from her nose, he silently stared into her green irises. She raised an eyebrow at his behavior.

"Nothing," he said as he fell to the side nearest the wall.

"Then don't distract me!" she exclaimed.

She went back to her article as he raised his upper body to remove his white shirt. Tossing it off the bed near his shoes, he lay back down and looked over her shoulder at what she was reading. The material of his loose basketball shorts was sticking to her bare thigh, but she ignored it.

"You're reading about my brother?" he seethed as he abruptly snatched her phone.

She turned her head towards him as he hastily scrolled to the top of the write-up. A scowl marred his handsome features as a photo of his elder sibling stared back at him. The resemblance was uncanny.

"Fuck that guy," he said as he locked the device. Reaching over her, he placed it on her nightstand. She sighed at his childish reaction and turned to her right to switch off the bedside lamp. The streetlight outside cast a faint glow over his scowling features as she turned back towards him. She couldn't help but suppress a snicker. He turned into a little bit of a brat whenever the subject of his successful sibling was breached in his presence.

Sasuke was a little spoiled. It came as a result of growing up with money. His parents had paid for a year of his college tuition in full, yet he had failed out after only a semester and a half. Though he liked to brag to her that he aced every exam, the issue was that he never showed up to class. "Why should I, if I don't need to?" he would retort.

Itachi had grown up before their family came to prominence, and as a result his achievements and attitude towards life vastly differed from his. It was this that Sakura found intriguing. When the article mentioning the elder Uchiha had popped up on her feed, she couldn't help but click on it.

"Oh come on," she said. He scowled for a little longer as he penetrated her with his stare, both of them lying on their sides facing one another. He then abruptly reached over and pinched her exposed thigh, hard.

"OW!" she yelped. She slapped his hand away. "Stop that."

Incensed, she tried to turn over and face away from him. Before she could move, he slipped his hand under the back of her loose shirt (his shirt) and brought her closer until they were chest to chest. Since she was only wearing a pair of black silk panties, his action had exposed her rear, but neither of them paid this any mind.

Tucking her head under his chin, she felt his Adam's apple as he swallowed. "You're annoying," he mumbled. His voice had dropped an octave in preparation for sleep, and she could feel it vibrate through his chest onto hers. She tugged on the longer hair at the back of his head, but otherwise didn't respond. Nuzzling her nose into his neck, she inhaled his masculine scent.

"Where were you?" she whispered. He seemed tired and she wondered what he had been doing prior to his arrival.

"Around," he responded softly.

She dropped the subject. Lately he had been rather elusive when it came to his whereabouts, but she thought nothing of it. She had been swamped with wrapping up her finals in preparation for commencement. While Sasuke had fallen off early on, Sakura was so close to getting her degree that she could taste it. Just a couple more weeks.

The shrill ringing of her phone jolted both of them awake. Burrowing further into him she tried to feign sleep and ignore it, but the sound would not cease. He grumbled and squinted his eyes at the harsh morning sunlight now emitting from the window.

"Who the fuck is calling you?"

He blindly reached behind her to silence her phone, but as he lifted it he saw the caller name on the screen. Sluggishly tapping accept, he brought the phone to his ear.

"Naruto."

"What are you doing answering Sakura's phone, bastard?!"

The loud mouthed idiot was much too energetic, and Sasuke found himself distancing the device from his still sensitive ear.

"What do you want?"

"I have to meet him for brunch," Sakura muttered tiredly.

Giving no more heed to the conversation, she turned over. Her back now facing him, he eyed her silhouette before tuning back into the chatterbox on the line.

"...you're a real dickhead you know that? We have plans! And I need to know what to-"

"Call back later," he cut off.

"What the-hey wait, Sasu-"

Quickly thumbing the end call button, Sasuke put the phone on silent and uncaringly tossed it to the floor.

They were awoken an hour later by an incessant pounding on the front door. "What is that?" she asked groggily. From behind her, Sasuke tightened his grip on her waist. They heard Ino angrily stomping from her room to the entrance of the apartment, effectively putting a stop to the banging by swinging the door open so hard it ricocheted off the wall.

"I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" they heard her screech.

"Where's Sakura?" Naruto.

Sakura could just imagine the death glare Ino was probably giving him at that very moment. Suddenly the door to her room was swinging open and Ino was screeching at her instead.

"Sakura, I swear to god if this jackass wakes me up one more ti-when did HE get here?!"

Noticing the dark haired Uchiha shacked up behind her roommate had her changing course.

Before Sakura could respond, Naruto shoved Ino to the side and barreled into the room. Pointing his finger right at her he said, "I'm not pointing fingers, but you were supposed to meet me half an hour ago!" he exclaimed.

"What time is it?" she asked blearily.

Ino, realizing she was now being ignored, threw her hands up with a frustrated growl and exited the room.

"Ungrateful...stupid...forehead."

The slamming of her door shook the walls of the apartment.

"HEY, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Their normally silent and aloof third roommate, Nara Shikamaru, had been roused by the pandemonium.

After shooing Naruto out of her room so she could get dressed, she bent over and picked her phone up off the floor. 10 missed calls from Uzumaki Naruto and one text from Yamanaka Ino. She didn't blame Naruto. She was nowhere near ready and she had left him high and dry for a couple extra hours of sleep in Sasuke's arms. Ino on the other hand, had probably sent her what was sure to be a reprimanding and aggressive message after retreating back to her bedroom.

Now facing the wall, Sasuke had twisted her blanket between his legs and was seemingly back to sleep. She took this as her cue to head towards her en-suite bathroom and quietly shut the door. After sitting on the edge of the tub to adjust the water temperature for her shower, she opened Ino's text before running the tap.

"What the hell is wrong with you? First I get woken up by that loud IDIOT, then I come into your room and see that jackass all over you?! You told me you weren't seeing him anymore! After everything he's done to you, you just willingly invite him into your bed?! I told you before, I don't want him in my house!"

Exasperated, Sakura quickly deleted the message in fear that Sasuke would see it and unleash his wrath. She had caught him looking through her phone on more than one occasion, and subconsciously, she had become cautious about what she kept stored on it.

After all, he was only being curious right?

TBC..