Stay Stay Stay

It felt like all the air had left the room.

Or, maybe that too much air had filled it, and that was why she felt so lightheaded.

There was a ringing silence after Sasuke spoke the words that changed everything. He looked as nonchalant as he ever did, hands in the pockets of his letterman jacket, a somewhat ironic smirk on his face like he hadn't just revolutionized their entire relationship. Leaning up against the doorframe like he owned it.

And oh God how she loved him.

She knew the expression on her face had to be completely unattractive. Mouth agape, eyes wide, chest heaving as she tried to process what he'd just said, she knew that she'd just wasted hours of careful preparation on her appearance just to blow it when it most mattered, but she didn't care.

"You…" she squeaked, before trying again. "You're saying that…Sasuke…you love me?"

"Aa," he replied easily. "Maybe forever. But I realized it here. In this room."

His gaze flickered from her face to a seat by the window. Sakura remembered he'd sat there last year, next to her; she remembered studying with him, explaining proofs in detail and listening while he explained the Pythagorean theorem to her. Many, many excruciating hours. It was here, then, that he realized it?

Not the most romantic revelation in the world, she thought, her lips lifting into an incredulous smile. But he wouldn't be my Sasuke if it was.

"Sorry if that changes things," he muttered, and an adorably insecure expression took the place of his previous nonchalance. He looked out the window instead of at her, while she trembled like a leaf in the wind, too bowled over by what she was hearing to articulate anything intelligently. "But I figured you should know."

"I…I don't…I can't believe this. Sasuke if you felt this way for this long why didn't you tell me?"

He frowned, like he was confused by what she was asking. "You had a boyfriend," he murmured, rubbing the back of his head in what was clearly a self-conscious gesture that made her heart melt all over again. "You loved him. I had to wait."

Sakura couldn't coax her lips out of a smile if she tried. Instead, she almost floated over to Sasuke, resting her hands on his chest, one over his heart; it was pounding nearly as hard as her own, and his silver-black eyes darkened immediately, sending a spike of something electric rocketing up her spine.

"I did love him. I did love Kiba," she conceded, her smile widening. "But I was never in love with him. Even at our best. Not like the way I was with you."

He raised an eyebrow, a slow smirk stretching across his lips. "Not like the way I am with you," she corrected herself, and Sasuke's hands were on her hips in the next moment, yanking her in against him. The electricity between them sharpened into something like fire, and she exhaled sharply through her nose as she watched Sasuke's gaze snap from her eyes to her lips, then back again.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted you," she whispered, before lifting herself up on tiptoe (even in heels, she was still much shorter than he was) to kiss him sweetly on the corner of his mouth. "No idea, Sasuke. I just…"

He cut her off then, and not a moment too soon. He turned his head to kiss her properly, a kiss full of so much shocking, aching love that tears immediately flooded her eyes. She never would have thought Sasuke – quiet, aloof, chilly Sasuke Uchiha – to be capable of so much affection, but it seemed that, like everything else so blisteringly wonderful about him, he had his own careful, private way of expressing it. He wasn't one for grandiose gestures, poetry recitations, public displays or clichés; he was Sasuke, pure and simple, with all that entailed.

And she loved him from the bottom of her heart for who he was.

Her hands slid from his chest up through his hair before her arms wound around his neck, permitting no distance between them. He released a strangled groan into her mouth at the contact and in a flash, had her lifted up on her old desk, stepping between her legs as the kiss suddenly took on an entirely new dimension.

It was impossible not to compare her romantic reality with her sexual past; perhaps it was unfair, because Sasuke seemed to eclipse Kiba in every conceivable way, but she couldn't help it. Sasuke awakened something in her that Kiba couldn't possibly touch. She'd kissed Kiba a million times, slept with him a thousand, and she'd been attracted to him every minute of their relationship, but nothing compared to kissing Sasuke. Nothing compared to knowing that he liked her, wanted her, loved her.

She wanted friction. She wanted heat. She wanted that perfect, gorgeous mess of connection with Sasuke, and all rationale flew out the window when he deepened the kiss, her legs sealing themselves around his narrow waist as a wanton moan escaped her lips.

Sasuke smirked dangerously at her before pulling back a bit to kiss her neck. Hot breath fanned against her throat as she clawed his back; the need to shed her tights, skirt and sweater became all-consuming, and never once did the prospect of getting caught cross her mind. She forgot where she was, what she was doing. She forgot that they'd broken into their high school illegally, and were currently hooking up on her old desk in the junior honors math room. She forgot everything, willfully and gleefully, in favor of memorizing every nanosecond of this beautiful moment with Sasuke.

He loves me, she thought, dazed with the notion and drunk on the reality as Sasuke's tongue traced a sinful path from her jaw to her collarbone. He said it, he said he loves me!

"You're crying," Sasuke murmured suddenly, looking up at her from beneath his messy black fringe, eyes cloudy with desire but also tinged with concern. "What's wrong."

"Nothing!" she laughed, choking on happy tears. "I'm such a loser. Sasuke I'm so fucking sorry I didn't tell you before. I'm sorry I dated Kiba when I still loved you, and dragged him into everything and made all this so crazy, and I'm sorry I tried not to love you and I'm sorry I…"

"Stop apologizing," he growled, wiping away a stray tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "Just…stop talking."

Sasuke was Sasuke. A man of few words and a man of action, but Sakura would take action any day. His quiet, enduring care for her, understated but startlingly present, his gruff, no-nonsense demeanor and his adorable discomfort with discussing his feelings, all of it made him exactly who he was:

Someone she wanted to stay.

"My dad's gonna hate this," she giggled, drawing a startled chuckle from Sasuke, who clearly hadn't been expecting that. "Seriously. I mean you know Daddy adores you – and he's been on the Sasuke/Sakura fan train since we were in kindergarten – but Dad? I don't know."

"Hates me that much, huh?" Sasuke drawled, kissing her jaw.

"You have no idea. He gets me pepper spray every Christmas, and I found out tonight he's been hoping I'd use them on you."

"I told you to stop talking."

It was the easiest thing he'd ever told her to do, and she shut up instantly. Her fingers drifted back down his chest, pausing at the buttons on his shirt, before her eyes met his again, shyly this time. A silent request for permission.

Sasuke was miles ahead of her in so many ways. He was a peerless athlete, an excellent student, strong and fast and capable and decisive, but in this one area, she was more experienced than he was. She knew, even if he didn't, that once they surrendered to this incredible storm brewing between them, there would be no stopping it. No going back.

And Sakura was more than ready to take that plunge.

If you had told Sasuke last week that he would find himself in this situation – inside his old math classroom with a willing Sakura Haruno sprawled provocatively over her old desk, legs wrapped around his waist, hands ready to rid him of his shirt – he might have laughed at you.

Now, there was nothing funny about the situation. This was everything he'd fantasized about since realizing he wanted Sakura for himself. Not in a million years could he have predicted that she would look three times as alluring as she did in his dirtiest dreams.

But here she was. Breathtakingly beautiful, eyes open and trusting, filled with desire heated and reckless enough to match his own. She wanted him, he knew, and he also knew his self-control was waning. Everything about her screamed sex.

If he wanted this, he could have it. Sakura was giving him permission, encouraging him even, with every subtle roll of her hips and every expectant flutter of her eyelashes. In this field, she knew what she was doing, and even if she was more experienced than he was, he wasn't stupid enough not to realize where all of this was leading.

And the knowledge that he could have Sakura right now, that she was ready and as eager as he was, was more tempting than anything else he could have imagined. Right here, on this desk, the same place he realized he'd fallen in love with her, he could live out months of dark, filthy fantasies, and…

Something held him back.

Yes, they both wanted this, but didn't Sakura deserve better? It wasn't her first time, but it would be her first time with him. And he knew, deep down, that he had to make it special. His mother had (unfortunately) instilled in him that he was to be a gentleman, and even if he was a jerk 99% of the time, in this one regard, he had to think about the future.

For as amazing as it doubtlessly would be, he knew he would regret it. Acting on his immediate desire for her, instead of taking things slowly, like a proper relationship.

"I want you," he confessed darkly, and he allowed himself the momentary victory of watching her lick her lips in satisfaction. "But…"

She blinked, then smiled, understandingly. "But not right now. Like this." She rolled her hips again to make a point, and Sasuke hissed before glaring at her.

"Yeah."

She giggled.

"Never thought you'd be such a…"

"Sakura if you say prude, you're gonna walk home."

"I was gonna say 'gentleman!'" she laughed, kissing him chastely on the lips. "I guess I'm just…not really used to it."

I bet, he thought in irritation, helping her down from the desk. Inuzuka probably banged her the same fucking minute she said he could.

"I think you're right, though. I think we should wait a little bit. Take things slowly."

"Aa."

"This is just…just the best date. The best night. I'm so happy, you made me so fucking happy, Sasuke, you have no idea, and…"

Sasuke stiffened suddenly, head whipping towards the door. "Shh," he hissed. "You hear that?"

Sakura craned her neck to see what he was talking about, just as the sound of rusty wheels rolling along the linoleum floor became louder and louder. Green eyes went wide in fear.

"Shit, the janitor's here!" she whispered. "Sasuke, what do we do?"

Sasuke's concern that they might lose their easy dynamic as they made the transition from friends to lovers was never further away than in that moment. Because behind Sakura's horror, there was excitement. She was secretly thrilled that without some adventurous quick thinking, they risked getting caught in their illicit jaunt. Her rebellious streak hadn't been lost in translation.

"Out the window," he hissed.

"Are you crazy?! Sasuke we're on the second floor!"

Grinning at her, he gestured to his back. "Then hop on, scaredy-cat."

... ... ...

"We left our froyo," Sakura laughed as Sasuke walked her up the driveway to her house. "We're busted if they find it, I'm the only one in school who eats pomegranate froyo with chocolate sprinkles."

"That's because it's revolting," Sasuke replied easily, smirking when Sakura elbowed him in the side.

They stopped on the top step, the porchlight illuminating Sakura's face in the darkness. She was blushing, whether from him or the chilly night air, he couldn't guess, but he liked it either way. Wind tousled her pin-straight hair back and forth as she smiled shyly up at him.

"Did you wanna come inside for a little while?" she asked.

Did everything she say have to tempt him?

He almost said yes, before registering that he was not as alone with Sakura as he would have preferred; two sets of eyes peered through the living room window around the curtains. Sakura apparently hadn't yet noticed that her fathers were watching their exchange.

Knowing he hadn't yet won Iruka over, he doubted taking Sakura up on her offer would win him any brownie points. And if this thing was going to last between them, he couldn't have Iruka hate him forever.

"It's late," he said evasively. "Get inside."

"All right. Sasuke…thank you so much for tonight. For everything. It was perfect."

Frankly, he could have done without the whole nearly-being-caught-by-the-janitor-so-they-had-to-sneak-out-the-window-and-shinny-down-the-drainpipe part of their evening, but he decided not to mention it to her. The smile on her face was so genuine that it made him smile, too, something that he typically avoided. But Sakura's happiness was contagious, even more so knowing that he'd made it possible.

"Good night," she said softly.

He doubted that they would make a cliché couple – knew that many of their dates from now on would involve terrible horror movies, boundless road trips, everything they'd always done with the awesome addition of hooking up – but he decided to indulge in one cliché tradition. He smirked – it was closer to a smile, it always was when she was around – and inclined his head. Spitefully hoping Iruka was still watching, he kissed her gently, the perfect way to end a nearly-perfect first date.

"See you tomorrow," he said softly, pulling back to memorize the way she looked in the lamplight with stars in her eyes.

"For what?"

"I'm your boyfriend, I can see you when I want," he replied arrogantly, pretending not to glow inside at the way she shined hearing his careless remark. "Get inside, it's freezing."

"Okay, okay. Jerk." She removed his varsity jacket and handed it back to him. "Put this on before you get pneumonia. You'll be garbage at the final football game next week and I can't have you embarrassing me by losing."

It looked like they would retain everything about them that made them such good friends: the same playful, witty banter, the same laidback easiness that made them so comfortable with each other, the same unspoken but unbreakable devotion to each other that led them both to this point. And that made Sasuke happier than he had any right to be: knowing he could have Sakura as a friend and as a Something More. Have his cake and eat it, too, so to speak.

There was such a thing as getting everything you wanted.

"Annoying," he said fondly.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here, my dad might shoot you if you stick around."

He smirked and turned back to his car, one hand in his pocket, the other raised in a lazy farewell. He heard Sakura close the door shut behind her as he slid into the driver's seat, victorious smirk in place; he turned the key in the ignition and drove off, unable to feel anything but complete and utter satisfaction with how everything had gone.

Inexperienced he may be, but as far as first dates went?

Homerun.

note.. sorry to keep you waiting so long for such remorseless fluffernutter, but...well, i guess i'm not sorry. let me know if you liked it!

(my husband and a bunch of our friends and i just booked a trip to new orleans next month. never been before, should be a good time. you guys have any spring break plans? holla.)

xoxo Daisy :)