Through tangled, panting breaths both Sakura and Sasuke fought to regain their composure. A deep red stained Sakura's cheeks and her eyes remained halfway closed as she savored the intense feeling making her body quiver. Sasuke on the surface appeared much more composed, as was his nature, but the fact that he had yet to open his eyes or remove himself from within her gave away the truth. Still lost in her daze Sakura pushed him away gently, enough so that he was able to roll over and sit up beside her in her bed.
In the months that Sasuke had been gone, Sakura had thought day after day what she would tell him once he returned. But at that moment there was nothing, her mind couldn't think of a single thing to say to him that wouldn't entirely ruin the blissful silence that had seemingly settled between them. She was so lost in her own mind that she hadn't even noticed he had slipped from the bed and began getting dressed.
When she heard a zipper she finally returned to reality and looked over to see him partially clothed and grabbing his shirt from the spot it had found earlier on the floor.
"Sasuke?" she muttered, her voice still raspy from before, "What are you doing?"
"I can't stay. I only came to see you, and now I have to go."
"What?" Sakura said with slightly more volume than before as she sat up in bed, holding the sheets up to cover her chest. "You're already leaving? I thought you said you wanted to talk?" Her tone was incredulous, and for a second it felt like a small crack had made its way into her heart. That crack grew a little more when he didn't respond, only focusing on getting himself dressed to go back on his personal hiatus.
"Sasuke! What the hell? You're just going to come back, fuck me, and then leave?"
"That's not all tonight was," he finally replied, his voice low and quiet.
"Then what was it?!" Each time she spoke her voice grew in power until she was practically yelling in pain. She could see his microscopic reaction, the tiniest grimace at her questioning his actions flashed across his face for a split second. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as her curiosity grew. "Will you tell me what's going on? You're hiding something."
Right as he finished getting dressed he faced her directly, the look in his eyes guarded and unreadable. He couldn't tell her what he was thinking, what he was feeling after what they had just done. He wasn't like Naruto or Kiba, he couldn't just tell her that whatever emotions he had about her were almost too much for him to bear. He didn't have the right to love her like this yet, he didn't deserve to love her so powerfully until he was sure that he had atoned for all of the horrible things he had done in his past. Of course, he wanted to tell her everything, after all that was the entire reason that he returned. After hearing from Ino's incessant texts that Sakura was suffering without him, he thought his return would finally be the time that he could spill his thoughts and emotions without hesitation. But he was wrong.
"I can't tell you yet," was all he could think to say.
Sakura could see the tiniest softness return to his gaze. The smallest change in his eyes was enough for her to realize this wasn't anything she should worry about, that she would know when he was ready to tell her or when she was ready to hear it. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she slumped back down into the bed.
"Will you at least stay the night? I'll drop the questions if that means you'll sleep here one more time before you go."
Sasuke watched her every move, memorizing the way her curled hair flattened out onto the pillow beneath her head. The way the sheets she had covered herself with so tightly before now molded to her body as she laid under them. And she knew he was staring at her, he could see her try to hide the fact that she was peeking out of her peripherals to gauge his reaction.
"One night won't hurt," he thought to himself before sliding back into bed with her.
Sakura almost told him to at least take off his clothes again so he could sleep comfortably, but she presumed he had a reason behind it and chose instead to be happy he was giving her one small allowance. Once he settled in, she laid her head onto his chest, draping one leg over his own and one arm across his stomach. The rhythmic beating of his heart echoed through his chest, lulling Sakura to sleep with each sturdy beat. When his arm gently wrapped around her back she gave in, letting her body and mind swiftly steal her into sleep.
Sasuke, however, stayed awake for some time after she slipped into sleep. He watched her body rise and fall over and over again as her breathing slowed down. She knew, he believed, that there was a reason behind him staying dressed. He always admired her ability to recognize the littlest things about him because it made his life infinitely easier. Even then, when her gaze questioned his choice of clothing to sleep in, she didn't ask. Perhaps because she knew she wouldn't get an answer out of him, or perhaps because she didn't truly care. Regardless if she had or hadn't, how could he have explained that he didn't feel as though he had earned the right to feel her skin pressed against his all night? Sex was one thing, but holding your lover in your arms as you both drift off to sleep was another entirely, and he didn't believe he was able to do that just yet.
Hours passed before he finally drifted off into sleep, even though he knew his alarm would go off at sunrise like it always had. But the few hours of sleep he was able to get had dreams that featured the woman asleep on his chest. Some memories, some featuring his personal desires, and one particularly outlandish dream of them as ninjas in some fantasy land with special powers. The dream itself never mattered to him. The only thing that mattered was her.
"Kiba, wait- I'm-"
"Yeah, me too."
Ino's airy moans and Kiba's raspy grunt echoed down the hallway of Kiba's home. Ino gripped onto the sheets below her and bit the pillow nearby, letting the waves of pleasure ripple over her one after another. Gasping for air, Kiba pulled out of her and flopped onto his back beside her. Letting her body limply fall to the bed below, Ino looked over and saw Kiba red-faced, sweating, and a wide, childish grin spread across his face. Another jolt of attraction rocked her when she saw the way his hair clung to the sides of his face and a small droplet of sweat roll down his neck.
"You're too attractive, Kiba. I hate it."
Even though he laughed as a reaction, Kiba couldn't help but feel his ego inflate the tiniest bit. He couldn't imagine any higher honor than the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen calling him attractive.
His heavy breathing finally slowed down, and he rolled over to his side and propped himself up on his elbow. "But you don't hate me, do ya?" he spoke quietly as he ran his hands softly down her back. Kiba watched the chills raise up on her skin and smirked, satisfied by her reaction.
"I could never hate you if you're doing that," she practically mewled. Ino was a self-proclaimed addict for back scratches and Kiba knew this, exploiting his insanely strong nails to melt her into putty under his hands.
Watching her give in to his touch was his own personal addiction. She was loud, confident, powerful, brilliant and beautiful. And yet she would turn into a kitten at his touch, and if what she had told him in the past was true, he was the only one who could get that reaction out of her. It was just one of the many reasons why he wanted them to work out.
He grabbed her hip and rolled her onto her side so he could spoon her from behind. Ino wiggled into his grip, trying to remove any small gap that may be between them. She cherished the warmth that his body always gave off, and he loved the way her soft, velvety skin felt against him.
"I missed this…"
Ino didn't realize she spoke aloud until she felt him tighten his grip on her in response. She didn't repeat it, nor did she deny it, which was enough for Kiba to try risking it all for her again.
"Do you want to try again? Us, I mean," his quiet, gravelly voice behind her ear was enough to make her eyes close in delight. She couldn't understand how one man could be so unfairly attractive in everything he was. His looks, his personality, his ability to know what she wanted before she even did, not to mention his skills in bed. Everything about him was so unbearably attractive to her that she couldn't resist the temptation he offered.
"I thought you'd never ask."
Ino rolled over in his arms until she was pressed up against him, her fingers lightly tracing the sharp jawline of his she adored so much. Their lips drew together without thinking, and the kiss they shared was nothing short of breathtaking. They moved slowly, savoring the taste of each other without any rush to separate. It was right when Kiba's hands slid down to her hips to draw her closer that the tiniest whine rang out from down the hallway. Kiba groaned at the sound while Ino only giggled at their moment being ruined.
"You should let him out, Kiba. He's been locked in there a while."
Kiba pressed the lightest of kisses to her forehead. He hated having to leave her side but appreciated that she appeared to love his dog just as much as he did.
"Don't move a muscle. I'll be right back."
Ino grumbled when she felt his warmth disappear and curled deeper under the blankets. She inhaled deeply, loving the way that his bed smelt so much like his own scent and his signature cologne. After so many nights tangled to him underneath those same sheets, the smell eventually turned into one that made her feel safe and relaxed.
Holding his package in place, Kiba ran entirely nude down the hallway to let Akamaru out of the room he'd been holed up in all night long. The second the door opened, the large white blur that was Akamaru sprinted out into the hallway towards the bedroom where a certain naked blonde lay completely unsuspecting.
"Akamaru wait!"
Kiba's yell was all Ino heard before she was assaulted by licks and snuggles which she welcomed with nothing but laughter. The giant dog laid down on top of the blankets and laid down next to Ino like he always used to back when she was a regular guest at their home. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his fluffy fur, noting that he smelled particularly fresh compared to his usual 'dog' smell.
"That's not fair," Kiba muttered as he sunk back into the bed, throwing the sheets dramatically over his body, "he always gets all of the attention." Even though he was trying to be pouty, Kiba returned to his place behind her as the big spoon, pulling his body close until he was fully pressed against her. Suddenly, surrounded by the people they loved and wrapped in comfortable warmth, both Kiba and Ino felt a wave of sleepiness wash over them.
"I'll make it up to you in the morning," she whispered, closing her eyes as she felt the weight of her exhaustion begin to take hold.
"Mmm, you better. I'm not letting you leave until you do."
A soft kiss on her shoulder was all Ino remembered before disappearing into a night of heavy, undisturbed, refreshing sleep.
