She tripped over her own feet as she stepped past the front door, causing Sasuke to instinctively reach out and grab her upper arm, stabilizing her.
"What are you doing?" he chided.
He'd known Sakura was clumsy by nature, but the tendencies in question had been somewhat knocked out of her by her shinobi training as well as the finesse that was required from a medic.
Now, she only tripped, fell, and crashed breakable items to the floor when she was hurt, tired, or drunk.
And there was a sneaking suspicion in the back of his mind that told him the latter might be the case tonight.
"Sorry," she muttered under her breath, before straightening and heading to the couch, flopping down on it as soon as she reached it. Almost immediately, she bent over to undo the strap on her high-heels, silky pink hair sliding forward, over her shoulders, with the movement.
They'd been at a party organized by no one other than her best friend, a certain blonde-haired kunoichi with a loud mouth that Sasuke had come very close to hating in the months that he had been dating the pinkette. It was a reunion of sorts, he'd gathered, a tradition started before the war that he could no longer escape, not with Naruto as a friend and with Sakura as a fiancée.
It had been nice enough this time around, though, he had to admit. He wasn't quite able to put his finger on the reason why. Perhaps it was the warm, balmy weather—not too hot, not too cold. Perhaps it was the fact that they had been outside, seeing as being confined into a restaurant and surrounded by twelve loud idiots was not his idea of a perfect night out. Perhaps it was the fact that the conversation had finally, blissfully drifted away from where it had been the month before and nearly every day since—from his and Sakura's recent engagement, from the rock on her finger, from their future wedding. Perhaps it was also the fact that they had left relatively earlier than usual.
The possibilities were many. Whichever one was real, he did not know.
"I'm too tired," Sakura confessed, kicking off her heels and bringing her legs up onto the couch, massaging them gently. "I shouldn't have drunk that glass of wine, either."
Sasuke watched her carefully, almost suspiciously, as he moved across the room. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Annoying as it was, nowadays, he found it very hard to tell. She was always so perfectly put together, and tonight was no exception. She had on a patterned, silky dress that flowed down to the middle of her thighs and a glittering, silver necklace that ran down the valley of her breasts. Her small feet had been encased, up until only a minute before, in strappy sandals that made her shapely legs seem even longer than they already were. Her pink hair was styled effortlessly in a bun on top of her head, with strands falling and brushing against her cheeks, forehead and shoulders. Her lips were tinted a glossy pink; her eyes were darkened by green eye-shadow. Her skin was as flawless as always, but under all the make-up, he found it impossible to see her dark circles.
But she'd been at the hospital since the night before. She'd completed her shift, was supposed to come home in the morning, but as usual, something interfered and she was unable to. She was strong, she was skilled, she was needed. There was always something someone requested her help with—be it at the hospital, at the Hokage Tower, out on the field, or literally anywhere else.
She didn't spend much time home.
"I'm fine," she said with a sigh, leaning back, sinking into the soft plush of the couch before repeating, "Just tired."
Sasuke heaved a sigh of his own. "When's the last time you ate?"
A faint smile touched upon her lips. They were the words she heard from him the most, except for the traditional, "You're annoying."
"This morning," she replied sincerely. "But don't worry. I'm not hungry. I'm just sleepy."
"That's ridiculous," he scoffed. "You're not going to bed without eating first."
"Hmm," Sakura made a small sound of agreement in the back of her throat as she settled deeper into the cushions, snuggling into a corner, stretching her legs out in front of her and closing her eyes contently.
Sasuke suppressed a groan.
Starting his way down the hallway without another word, he walked into the bedroom they shared, and then into the attached bathroom. A hot bath had always been something that relaxed Sakura, even when she was in the worst of states, and if there was something that she needed at the moment perhaps even a little more than food in her system, that was a couple of minutes of relaxation.
Returning to the living room, he slipped his arms underneath her small body and easily lifted her up, jolting her from her light doze and causing her to gasp.
"What are you doing?" she asked, drowsily, leaning her head against his shoulder.
Sasuke frowned as he carried her carefully down the hallway, thinking that she was lighter than the last time he'd held her.
"You'll take a bath while I make you something to eat," he answered firmly, setting her down on her feet once they were in the bathroom, holding firmly onto her small waist for a moment to ensure that she wouldn't fall over.
She smiled tiredly up at him. "Thank you."
"Don't fall asleep in the tub," he warned as he left the room, catching her small giggle.
It wouldn't be the first time that happened.
Thankfully, he was able to hear her approaching footsteps right as he finished dishing food onto two plates. She appeared, dressed in a black, silky nighty with hot pink, lace trimming, with her face clean of make-up and her hair pinned in a wet pile on top of her head.
"It smells delicious," she told him as she curled up on the couch.
Sasuke conformed and brought the plates into the living room, setting them on the coffee table.
She groaned as she leaned back into her seat. "This feels heavenly," she added. "I'd forgotten how good it felt to have time to actually enjoy being clean—not just fall asleep right after it."
Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at her remark, because it certainly wasn't as if she wouldn't have already been into a deep, deep sleep, had it not been for him and his insistence that she had a proper meal beforehand.
"Here," he said, handing her a plate of warm rice and chicken. "Eat up—and then you can go to sleep."
"Mmm," she moaned as her lips closed around her fork for the first bite.
Sasuke settled beside her with his own plate in his hands and stretched his legs out onto the coffee table.
"Wake me up tomorrow? I'm starting to hate the sound of my alarm."
"No," was his firm answer.
After a moment of silence, he turned to see a frown on her face.
"Why not?"
"I'm not waking you up on your day off, Sakura," he declared, speaking in a tone that suggested she was stupid for even considering it, not to mention saying it out loud. "You need sleep."
"I will sleep," she countered. "But—"
"But nothing," he snapped. "You'll wake up when you'll wake up. You need to slow down and just rest, woman."
Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw her move, leaning forward and setting her plate on the table. With a frown, he turned his head, about to complain, when she suddenly shifted closer and pressed her lips to his in a sweet, chase kiss.
He watched her with wide eyes as she pulled away.
She smiled softly at him.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For taking care of me. I've gone without anybody doing that for too long… and I'd almost forgotten how good it felt."
For a moment, he was silent.
Then, resisting the urge to clear his throat, he motioned towards the coffee table.
"Eat your food."
Sakura giggled and reached out for it. "Yes, Sir!"
Sasuke wasn't the best fiancé. He knew that. He hadn't been the best teammate or the best boyfriend, either. He was rather socially awkward and a bit too cold for the type of companion that Sakura needed—and deserved, if he were completely honest. He didn't bring her flowers. He didn't take her out on many dates. He didn't make a big fuss out of her birthday. He didn't even show much affection.
But—a trait ingrained so deeply into his being—he was protective. Sometimes overprotective, he was sure she would say if prompted. He ensured that she got as much sleep as possible. He dragged her out of the hospital when she'd been there for too long. He drew her hot baths when she needed to relax and offered her the best comfort that he could when she was in distress. He cooked her food, and he made sure she actually ate it. He covered her up in the middle of the night, once she'd kicked the blankets off, which, for some reason or another, she ended up doing more often than not. He picked her up from work when her shifts ran too late and he knew she was too chakra-depleted to properly defend herself should something happen.
No, Sasuke wasn't the best fiancé—not by far. But he tried—so very hard.
Because she simply made him want to be.
He didn't know how to love her—not yet. No one had ever taught him, and perhaps more importantly, he couldn't remember how it felt to be loved by someone other than her, and Sakura loved so fully and completely that he wasn't sure he had it in him to follow her example. But, slowly, with her help, he was learning.
Because, if there was something that he did know for sure about his existence, it was that she was the most precious person in it, and that, if, at some point in the future, the need arose for him to give his life for her, he would do it without a single moment of hesitation.