A/N: Hi hiiii! The last time I updated this was about two months ago or so, and to be honest, that's an achievement for me.
*high fives every single one of you*
I do not own Naruto. Italicized lyrics are from "Paradise Circus" by Massive Attack.
Please excuse any mistakes, I only read the entire thing over about twice then I got too anxious and had to post it or else it would at least take me another three hours to edit and check every sentence.
Yeah- I have issues. I'll see you at the bottom. Enjoy!
midnight pickup
. . .
Love is like a sin, my love,
For the one that feels it the most
. . .
Sasuke ignored the biting chill of the cold at the back of his neck. He watched the white puff of his exhale for a moment before he tucked the cream colored coat in the crook of his elbow. The warm air from within the hospital was nice against the stiff skin of his nose and hands and he unconsciously wiggled his fingers to aid the blood flow. Though he welcomed the heat the building provided, Sasuke was never fond of the sterile smell that clung to the white walls; no matter how many times he frequented the hospital due to a pink haired doctor.
"Hello, Uchiha-san! Sakura is currently with a patient that just underwent surgery and she should be in her office shortly."
"Aa," Sasuke nodded at the older woman sipping on her hot tea behind the reception desk. The knowing smirk she tried to hide behind her chipped orange mug went ignored. "Thank you."
The cool stillness of the room confirmed his suspicion that the office had been unoccupied for quite a while. There was no lingering warmth that only a human body could emit; there was only the constant blasting of the artificial heat from the vents.
With a long, exasperated sigh, Sasuke shut the door gently behind him and didn't bother to turn on the lights. The luminous silver light that beamed in through the open shades was enough for him to maneuver around perfectly fine. He made his way to Sakura's wooden desk and shook his head at the mountain of paperwork that nearly took over the entire surface. Some pieces fell over when he plucked a random manila folder from the mass. The red 'URGENT' stamped across the cover caught his eye and when he was a quarter of the way through the patient's file did he notice that majority of the mound of folders on the desk were categorized as urgent.
Sasuke's jaw unconsciously ticked in irritation. This woman was going to work herself into an early grave; and he'd follow right after because of the guilt of not doing anything about it. And, also, because there was no world for him if she didn't exist in it.
No longer interested, the file was tossed back on top of the pile to rejoin the others and Sasuke moved to park himself on the plush green apple colored couch to brood. He lifted his legs to rest them on the low dark wooden table that was marked with several coffee and tea stains.
Clumsy girl, he thought, half amused.
The cream coat was neatly folded beside him. Sasuke lounged his arms onto the back of the couch and turned his head this way and that until he heard a satisfying pop, letting go of the breath he was holding.
Sasuke sat there, head tilted back as his eyes unseeingly roamed across the ceiling, and allowed the frustration and anger and annoyance to wash over him. God, how she was so annoying. He would never understand how such a petite woman with pastel pink hair- for goodness' sake- could be so infuriating.
It was two AM when Sasuke had enough of reading a historical scroll, idly waiting for his girlfriend to come home from her shift that ended seven hours ago and made the fifteen minute walk to the still brightly lit hospital to drag her home. He knew that an argument would ensue because she always claimed that she was an 'adult' that was perfectly 'responsible' and knew when to call it a day. But the fact that just the night before she had spent an extra twelve hours in the building that both saved lives and witnessed deaths conveyed that- no- she did not know when to call it a day.
It also displayed how stubborn Sakura could be.
He hadn't come after her that time and instead waited for her to get home to begin the scolding.
That night, or morning, really, she slept with her back towards him. And though Sasuke would never, never, admit this to her (even though he was positive she already knew because she was just that irritating), he wasn't not fond of her cuddling against him- throwing her leg over his and burying her nose along his neck. Sasuke was his calmest in those moments.
He mentally cringed at the word 'cuddling'.
When he awoke Sakura was already getting ready for the day and she gave him a terse "morning" before pecking him a brief kiss on the cheek. She once made him agree way back when they first began their relationship that no matter how resentful they were towards one another that they always had to say goodnight before bed and greet each other a good morning. She had said something about how it was important to never go to bed angry with one another because it would just breed more negative feelings the next morning and it would produce a cycle until it ended with both of them "hating each other's guts". It was a rule she upheld, and thus, he did too.
Sasuke was sure that tonight would be a repeat of the previous one because she tended to misinterpret his concern for him trying to baby her.
One of his largest regrets in life was planting the seed of insecurity in her head about her abilities. When he came back, it took him two years to finally accept the feelings towards his former teammate, he worked hard to ensure that she understood that he considered her as an equal. He wasn't outright about it, but he showed her in his own way, and when they started dating he would whisper his remorse for ever causing her to feel incapable- lesser.
She would always brush away his silent apologies with a soft brush of her fingers or a slow kiss, but it was apparent that it would take more time for that feeling of inferiority to completely disappear since she always picked a fight when he claimed that she was working too much. The man pinched the bridge of his nose at the thought of another argument.
It was then that the door opened, letting in a wide strip of fluorescent light from the hall, and revealed the subject of his musing. Sakura was wrapped in her white lab coat and in her hands was another massive cluster of files. Balanced on top of it all was a mug of what he guessed was black coffee. Sasuke was getting tired of the sight of manila folders.
Sakura's eyes went wide before they narrowed in displeasure and suspicion, her temper getting the best of her.
"What are you doing here?"
"You really have to ask?" Sasuke wasn't known for his patience either and the small amount that he did have thinned at her tart tone.
His reply was a scoff as the woman smoothly kicked the door shut behind her, not caring to flick on the lights, and moved to place her items on the small corner of her desk that wasn't already occupied by stacks of reports, files, and documents.
It seemed like she was content in ignoring him so Sasuke spoke first, cutting the cold silence that buzzed with tension.
"You're coming home. Now," he rumbled. Maybe that wasn't the best approach, Sasuke briefly mused, but he really didn't feel like beating around the bush- it was past three AM.
Sakura put down her mug a little too harshly causing the dark liquid to swish over the side, burning her hand. She grit her teeth and flicked her wrist in reaction. She lifted her hand to her mouth and sucked at the skin that stung before remembering what had caused her to snap in the first place. Furious jade eyes met heated dark ones.
"I'm busy," she said through clenched teeth.
She could feel the tense aura radiating off of Sasuke at her immature response.
Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Do you realize what time it is?"
Sakura stopped herself from rolling her eyes because she knew that if she did one more childish act then Sasuke may just break a tooth from all his jaw clenching. Then again, one of the small joys in life that she appreciated was pushing her boyfriend's buttons. She and Naruto always had a good laugh over it.
"Yes, I am aware of the time. And you're being condescending, so I'm going to ignore you now," Sakura stated and turned her back to him to begin organizing the fresh reports she was given. She barely had time to register the spike in Sasuke's chakra and his approaching steps when he snatched the folder in her hand and threw it, hitting the window so suddenly that it shivered before the papers exploded from within and flitted to the floor.
The room was so quiet that the only sounds were of the papers softly fluttering and Sasuke's deep breathing in her ear. He was standing so close that Sakura could feel his chest briefly brush against her back with each inhale. She knew Sasuke was trying to keep his composure and that she was walking on a fine line with testing his temper. The woman wondered at what made him lose his cool so quickly because though he wasn't an incredibly patient person, he had hell of a more restraint than her.
She heard his breath hitch before he spoke.
"Do not turn your back on me," Sasuke rasped. "Sakura. You do not turn your back on me."
The way he said her name and that last sentence with such desperation confused and irked her. Sakura shifted to turn around and expected to meet his glare with one of her own for his commanding tone, but stopped short when she saw the anguish in his expression. His brows were furrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line- but it was his eyes. His dark eyes seemed to be pleading with her in a way Sakura was not familiar with. Then she remembered his words:
"You do not turn your back on me."
-and she understood. She understood in the way that only Haruno Sakura could understand Uchiha Sasuke- like she had for almost half her life.
His tone was not demanding, but more of imploring; urging, for her to confirm that she would not turn her back on him. It sounded like he was not only speaking to her but also saying it aloud to himself. Sakura bit her lip at her realization and the guilt felt heavy in the pit of her stomach. Too many people have turned their back on Sasuke, and the one person that he began to convince himself that wasn't going to betray him to whisper nasty things behind their hands or judge him with pitying eyes or completely disappear to never return-
…Sakura realized her mistake.
She turned her neck back so that she faced her overwhelming desk once more. A small sigh escaped her lips, suddenly too tired. All the fight boiling in her veins cooled and in its place was a weariness that she felt in the marrow of her bones. Sakura took a half step back, leaning into the hard chest behind her, and smiled a little at the way Sasuke stiffened. All those years and he still hadn't kicked the habit of being unaccustomed to physical contact.
"Sasuke-kun, what am I going to do with you?" she whispered airily, a slight teasing in her voice. Barely moving her head, Sakura looked upwards to watch the man's expression and she almost giggled at the way his eyebrows knitted in confusion at the turn in events. He was probably expecting her to growl and throw something, which would be typical of her short temper.
Shaking her head- they were being so silly, and she was so tired of arguing- she reached for the limp hand by his side and gave a small tug. "Come sit with me." Sakura didn't need to ask because she knew he would follow her to the ends of the earth, and she would do the exact same for him in a heartbeat.
Sasuke didn't hold her hand back; and she was okay with that because he was still probably really displeased with her. Sakura sat down first and when her boyfriend did the same she closed the distance between them and latched onto his arm, holding it tight against her chest, and rested her temple on his shoulder.
"Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura felt him shift a bit, getting into a more comfortable position. "Hm," he hummed lowly.
She inhaled Sasuke's scent deeply not caring if he noticed. "I'm tired."
"Che," Sasuke scoffed. "That's why I'm trying to make you go home, stupid." His insult didn't hold any fire in it.
"But I'm not done. There's still so much I have to do-"
"And it'll still be there in the morning."
"-but I could do it now."
An exasperated sigh escaped Sasuke's lips. "What you need to do," he said slowly, "is rest." There was something that had been picking at Sasuke's thoughts the past few days and he thought that now would be a good time as any to finally mention it. "Sakura, is there something wrong?" Sakura opened her mouth and before she could deny that 'no, nothing is wrong'- Sasuke continued, "Has something happened?"
There was a slight pause before she countered, "Why do you ask Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke sensed the hesitation in her reply. She tried her best to not squirm under his unwavering stare.
"You've been overworking yourself more so than usual. When was the last time you properly ate and slept?" Not giving her a chance to answer Sasuke ploughed on. "You're the one always lecturing about the importance of rest."
Sakura's pout at being thoroughly scolded at morphed into a hard, grim frown. "I have no time to rest. I can't rest when there are people dying- people that I can potentially save." The hairs on her arms raised causing Sakura to shiver. "How can I possibly sleep…?" she trailed off, becoming lost in her own thoughts.
But she was jerked out of her dark muse when Sasuke grasped her chin between his thumb and index finger and raised her eyes to meet his. "Tell me what happened." He wasn't asking anymore, his dark orbs were hard and calculating.
Those eyes were and would always be her undoing; Sakura broke down at the sight of his searching gaze laced with concern. Bottom lip trembling, she explained, "I'm an idiot, that's what happened! This patient- this kind, sweet elderly man... and I- he- " her throat clogged painfully, preventing any more words to spill, she only managed a shaky sharp inhale. Sakura's unsteady breathing began to pick up and she raised a trembling hand to weekly rub at her forehead.
When she finally began to gather herself Sakura noticed that she was seated in the middle of the couch, her legs thrown over Sasuke's lap; her shoes on the floor. One of his hands rubbed at her taut calves, up and down and again, while his free hand rested at the base of her neck, fingers running through her pink locks.
"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.
"Mmm," Sakura hummed. She closed her eyes causing the tears that were blurring her vision to cascade down her cheeks. She felt the hand on the nape of her neck travel around and wipe away the tears. Her throat tightened up again at the soft comfort Sasuke was providing and she had to chew on her lower lip to stop a whimper from escaping.
Sakura was torn; part of her wanted to pull away and distance herself, not allowing her moment of weakness affect Sasuke and to brush everything off. But the other half of her wanted to latch onto the man and let the rivers of tears flow and the sorrow consume her.
Decision made, Sakura snuggled into the warmth the body of her boyfriend provided and inhaled. "Mm, I'll always be all right when you're with me."
"Sakura. Talk to me," Sasuke urged.
Sakura couldn't help it, she let out a small snort at his words. "The man that rarely speaks is asking me to talk. Silly."
From her position, head against his shoulder, she felt Sasuke tense. "Stop that," he chided. "Don't hedge around what you want to say, and just tell me." He felt the woman sigh and he distinctly smelled coffee- burnt, strong coffee.
There was a pause, the only sound was a pair of footsteps clack clack clacking down the hallway as it passed by Sakura's office door. Sakura sniffed shortly and then began.
"The man, he'd been hospitalized for the past week due to a recent surgery I performed on him. He seemed to be regaining his strength each day and I was so happy for him because though he was physically considered as elderly, he laughed and joked and smiled constantly- not once complaining about the amount of pills he had to take or the soreness I'm sure he was feeling. He always told me to stop worrying my "pretty, genius head" over him." Sakura's voice had cracked, raising a pitch, at the end of her sentence. Sasuke noticed her eyes glaze over becoming wet and shiny once more, her gaze far away.
"And yesterday as I was checking up on him he asked if he could be released early. His daughter is heavily pregnant and is due any day and he had heard that she was having pains so he wanted to be home and be there for her while her husband worked. He was supposed to be in our care for another week or so in order for us to make sure that he was completely healed, but he had never asked for anything and he had asked so nicely and how could I say 'no', Sasuke-kun? So, I let him. I authorized his release last night, but even then I had a feeling- a gut feeling that something wasn't entirely right- and then he…"
There were several things Sasuke wanted to say: "It wasn't your fault," was one. "You did your best," was another. But they all sounded so damn cliché that Sasuke instead chose, "You can't beat yourself up over it."
Sakura scoffed. "How can I not? He almost died; in front of his daughter, no less. She's been by his side since they brought him in, pacing back and forth when she really should be off her feet."
"Wait. He's alive?" Sasuke interrupted. His eyebrows furrowed a bit, perplexed, taking a moment to catch up. He had assumed from the way that she was acting that the man had died, but if he was alive then…
"Yes. Well, he's alive now. He had collapsed early this morning in their home and I knew- I fucking knew- I shouldn't have let him leave early. There are strict rules and procedures about the healing period for such a strenuous surgery, especially for a man his age, and I- I let it all fucking blow in the wind because I was too soft. I should've held my ground." Sakura's tongue clicked in disappointment and lowered her head.
"Is he fine now?" Sasuke asked cautiously.
"Yes, he's stable now and is sleeping soundly just down the hall."
"Then why are you so upset?"
Sakura jolted out of Sasuke's arms and sputtered, "What- why? Why am I so upset? Because a sweet, caring man- a father, a grandfather- collapsed and almost died because I released him way too early when he should have been under my care so I could keep an eye on him. But of course I made a mistake and it nearly cost his life. Not to mention how all the stress is affecting his pregnant daughter who fell asleep on a plastic chair in the lobby while I stabilized her father when she should have been at home relaxing comfortably in bed. God, I am such an idiot."
Her hands bunched up into small fists and placed them over her eyes. Every time she closed them, behind her lids she could see the toothless grin of the nice man with all his wrinkles proudly displayed before it was replaced with the image of his pale, so pale, motionless expression.
"No more," Sasuke said, stern. Sakura didn't bother to move her hands from her eyes and he didn't care. Sasuke stood from the couch and reached for the coat he had brought along with him, unfolding it. When he peeled the white lab coat from her shoulders only to replace it with her cream one did she finally meet his eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked, uncertain.
"I said no more."
She shook her head quickly and pushed away his arms. "No. No, I still have a lot to finish up here. I told you, I'm busy. Not only is there a ton of paperwork but I also want to freshen up on some medical studies. I need to keep working. I cannot make another mistake. I can't. I won't."
Sasuke sighed, frustrated. "You're not listening to me."
"You're not listening to me!" Sakura screeched back.
Dark eyes narrowed, making sure the pair of green ones were staring back, attentive. "You're coming home with me. Now. The man is fine, his daughter is fine, but you- you are not fine. You need to rest, properly, in a bed and for at least eight hours. And you need to eat-"
Sakura opened her mouth to argue. "-a fucking granola bar doesn't cut it, Sakura." She shut her mouth, her expression was a mix of pissed off and looking like a child being thoroughly chastised.
"You have colleagues and nurses for a reason. Let them help. Now, put on your coat, it's cold outside."
Pouting, Sakura snatched her coat from the offering hand and pushed her arms through the sleeves. She looked down at thick buttons dejectedly, and Sasuke, always so observant, rolled his eyes as he grabbed her hands and pulled her up to stand before him. Between the couch and the coffee table, there was only so much space for two adults, therefore, Sakura's nose practically brushed against Sasuke's chest as he quietly buttoned her coat closed with ease.
When he was done, Sasuke lifted his hand to her face; Sakura, whom was expecting him to gently cradle her cheek gasped in surprise when Sasuke flicked her forehead instead. "Come on," he smirked.
A small smile had made its way across Sakura's face, her eyes warm. She stood on her tiptoes to softly kiss the tip of Sasuke's nose, then his chin. "Thank you," she breathed, sincerely, eyes never leaving his.
Sasuke nodded and let Sakura lace her fingers with his.
"Always," he promised.
A/N: *twiddles thumbs* I swear, I didn't intend it to get so angsty. How did it get so angsty? I don't know.
I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something; I have a thing for angst.
It also wasn't supposed to be this long, either. But what's done is done and I don't necessarily hate this piece so I consider that a success. I kinda like it really.
It was also pretty cool to play around in Sasuke's head.
OH. And, I don't usually (never) read the manga or watch the recent episodes because I feel like I'm so far gone that I've given up on trying to figure out what's going on- like, really, someone please catch me the fuck up on what in the flying duck's name is going on in Naruto because the last full episode that I watched was before Shippuden and all this time I've just been gaining info. via a quick Wikipedia skim or from other fan fictions
(like why does Sakura have the seal on her forehead now? why is Sasuke suddenly in the picture again? where's Tsunade? who is this crazy Kaguya individual? Obito-what, I thought you died, man?).
BUT DUDE, that last chapter though. Chapter 685 has gone down in the books for one of the best SasuSaku moments evahhh. *commence squealing* I searched up the manga only for that scene. I've never done that before. And then commence the rivers of tears for the apparent end of Naruto.
Okay, I'm done rambling. I have class in 30 minutes and my stomach is growling a storm; there's a baby polar bear in there.
Love you all! Thanks so much to everyone that spent the time reading, favoriting, alerting, and especially reviewing. I really love reviews, guys. They get me through the day. Just talk to me. Until next time!
