Title: Between the Lines

Summary: According to Konoha, Sasuke barely tolerates Sakura-but what's his side of the story?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke wouldn't be such a giant bag of dicks right now.

Prompt: His Side of the Story from day fourteen of the SasuSakuMonth Prompts.

Rating: T

Words: 1,755

Warning(s): Sexual tension (come on, when is there not?) and the use of the word "erection."

Author's Note: Guuuys. This prompt was so hard, you don't even know. I had no idea what to do for this, and I'm still unsure of how it turned out. Review, please?

"Annoying," Sasuke scoffed, rising from Sakura's pinned form.

The two had agreed to meet early this morning for training. Sakura needed to work exclusively on her evasion and speed-skills that were tested in the extreme against the last Uchiha. Due to Sasuke's nearly unmatched speed, he was the perfect opponent for Sakura to practice dodging, as well as catching up to. As she had pointed out, it was all good and well if she could avoid being hit, but to win she had to land a few hits of her own.

And she had been doing a decent job, Sasuke admitted grudgingly. The hours spent ducking mountain-crushing blows from her master had paid off, and Sasuke had a tough time catching the kunoichi without his sharingan activated. While she had an equally tough time catching him, her blows were fierce when landed, even without the backing of her super-strength.

When Sakura had left an opening, Sasuke had gone for it without hesitation, sweeping the nimble woman of her feet with a well-placed kick. As she stumbled, he closed in for the kill, trapping her wrists in one hand as he would and enemy and placing his other threateningly on the nerve on her neck. He had smirked then, full of confidence at his victory-though he had never really expected otherwise.

It was when she had started wriggling that the problem arose.

"Dammit!" the green-eyed woman cursed, thrusting her hips against his in a desperate attempt to throw him from her body. The movement summoned heat deep in his stomach, and it took a second for Sasuke to realize what was happening.

Ergo, his rushed and rude escape maneuver, leading him to this situation.

Green eyes furrowed in fury and the pink-haired woman leapt to her feet without the use of her hands. Long gone was the girl who shied from challenging him, and Sakura stalked to where he was gathering his belongings. Their height difference allowed him to look down upon her with the disinterested gaze he knew she despised as he slung his packed bag over his shoulder.

Her cheeks were flushed with rage, and her rumpled clothes did little to kill his rising desire. Determinedly, he kept his eyes locked on hers, refusing to let them waver for fear of the consequences.

"Best two out of three," she demanded through clenched teeth, arms crossed tightly. She hovered just within his realm of personal space, pressing enough for him to make out the floral scent laying beneath the sweat. Close enough to make his palms clench slightly in discomfort.

"If you'd made it more interesting, we'd still be sparring," he answered, voice low and scathing. As much as he wanted to spin around and walk away, out of the range of her unwelcome charms, he sensed retreating now would be giving in to her challenge.

"More challenging, my ass," Sakura declared, cocking her hip angrily, "You landed three hits on me-three-and one of them was that pin just now."

He hoped the sigh of longing came across as aggravated.

Damn this woman! Sasuke cursed, finally turning away from the land-locked siren. His grip on his bag was white-knuckled as his emotions waged war.

A large part of him wanted her. At nineteen, Sasuke was hardly new to lust. That came with the hormones of puberty. Yet, as a boy he had no problems quelling his physical desires. Now, for some reason, this girl was fanning his tightly coiled hormones and twisting them around her delicate, calloused fingers.

And she wasn't even doing anything!

That was probably the worst part, he acknowledged. Sakura wasn't to blame for his suddenly rampant desire as she had done nothing to incur it. No flirting, no coy looks, no revealing clothes, nothing. The only person in charge of his emotions was himself, but Sasuke felt tested and tried.

"Just let it go, Sakura," he called, back to her as he slowly walked away from his temptress, "We're done for today."

"Argh!" she screamed frustratedly, and unbidden an image of her green eyes sparking in annoying rose to his mind, "Well, fuck you, too, asshole!"

Loud enough for her to hear him, Sasuke snorted.

He wished.

_x_

According to a village gossip, Sasuke barely tolerated his pink-haired teammate. They rarely spoke to each other when Naruto wasn't present, and when they did, Sasuke's face was permanently stuck on "disdain." In reality, this couldn't be further from the truth.

The only human beings Sasuke had ever considered his family after his clan's annihilation all lay within the bonds of Team 7. It's just that, Sasuke didn't do emotions. There would always be a part of him that believed love was just a weapon that destroyed you, and that part made it hard for him to be openly affectionate towards his teammate.

Especially in regards to Sakura.

The girl in question glared at him from her side of the side-walk. Despite their earlier disagreement, the two were walking to tonight's team dinner. Avoiding each other for the short walk would actually be more trouble than it was worth, as their paths overlapped to their destination: Naruto's apartment.

However, it was obvious from the moment that Sasuke spotted her leaning on a pole at their corner that the legendary medic was vexed. Her eyes were slitted underneath her long eyelashes, and she had spun away from the pole and stalked up the path alone once he was close. Sasuke chose not to retaliate, knowing her anger was just, but he refused to apologize.

Instead, he pulled a page from Shikimaru's book and thrust his hands deeply into his pockets, walking slowly after her. Unfortunately, this granted him the perfect view of her perky ass as it swayed in front of him, and Sasuke was forced to catch up to his annoyed teammate's side to avoid a repeat performance of this morning.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes as he pulled up beside her, but said nothing. True to character, Sasuke stayed silent as well. They were halfway down the beaten path leading to Naruto's when she spoke.

"I know there was something else going on this morning," she accused, gaze forward, "That was a good spar by anyone's standards and you know it."

"Hn."

She could take from it what she would. He was not going to admit he called practice because he had nearly gotten an erection.

"Was it flashbacks?" she asked, voice uncharacteristically soft considering her previous anger, "I know you won't hurt me anymore, Sasuke-kun, you don't have to worry."

Sasuke sighed and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Leave it to Sakura to worry about him when he was being a dick.

"It's not that, Sakura, just leave it alone."

"No!" Sakura cut him off from his path and shoved him against the wall of the apartment they were walking next to, her forearm digging into his trachea, "Goddamit, Sasuke, I hate it when you cut me out!"

He noticed the dropped "kun"-that only happened when she was truly furious or worried-when his eyes detected a small, flying object speeding directly for Sakura. His eyes widened, and before Sakura could blink, her back was pressed against the wall, Sasuke pressed protectively against her front.

She caught a glimpse of his red eyes before they whipped over his shoulder to assess the situation, and, out of habit, hers followed. Down the street a group of children played, tossing a small white ball back and forth. At a second glance, it was revealed to be a game of keep away, with team members scattered along the street.

Sakura nearly rolled her eyes at Sasuke's over-protective reaction, but resisted in respect for his pride-okay, and also because she was flattered that his first reaction was to shield her. After years of ambiguity, a little reminder that he cared was welcome

"Calm down, Sasuke, it was just some kids messing around," she pressed lightly against his muscled chest.

Her touch brought Sasuke's gaze spinning back to hers, causing her to catch his breath. Although no longer red with the sharingan, Sasuke's obsidian eyes were no less striking as they burned into her. He had yet to pull away from her even though her hands were splayed across his pectorals, and his eyes continued to burn into her, demanding an answer that she didn't know the question too.

He really was beautiful, with his square jaw, aristocratic nose, porcelain skin, and raven hair. Every so often-when he fought shirtless at practice-Sakura was reminded that she had fallen for his looks first: his brooding countenance calling to her more than she could begin to describe. Now, pressed between the brick wall of the apartment and the hard planes of his body, Sakura doesn't dare look away. His eyes are filled with an emotion, or maybe several, that Sakura can't put a finger on, unfaltering in their perusal of her face.

She feels his gaze sweep along her cheeks, eyes, before resting on her lips. There is hardly a moment for her to recognize this fact before he has pushed away, striding down the sidewalk and leaving her burning against the side of a building.

"Oh," she murmurs, pieces of the puzzle that is Sasuke falling into place, "Oh!"

She grins wickedly, suddenly understanding the reason Sasuke was so quick to end their morning sessions. She sidles up to him, nearly skipping, with her hands interlocked behind her back. Sensing her sudden change of mood, Sasuke's eyes flick questioningly towards her and she grins like the Cheshire cat in response.

"You know," she drawls, coquettishly bumping him with the side of her hip as they walk, "I think you're pretty special, too."

He pauses in his step, his expression dumbfounded and complete with raised eyebrows. The hesitation in his step gives Sakura a chance to swoop in and place a light kiss at the corner of his mouth before striding ahead.

"And you're hot, too!" she calls back.

At first, Sasuke isn't sure how to react, frozen in place. Slowly, a grin works its way over his expressions, and he continues walking forward again until he has caught up with Sakura.

Sure, according to the villagers Sasuke barely tolerated Sakura. But according to him, she was the most important person in his life.

And it barely took any reading in between the lines to figure that one out.