flashback when you met me / your buzzcut and my hair bleached / even in my worst times, you could see the best of me / flashback to my mistakes / my rebounds, my earthquakes / even in my worst lies, you saw the truth of me / now i woke up just in time, now i wake up by your side / my one and only, my lifeline / i woke up just in time, now i wake up by your side / my hands shake, i can't explain this
- dress, taylor swift (reputation)
her discarded signature red dress on their bedroom floor was the first thing sasuke saw when he opened his eyes. looking at it, the uchiha symbol on its back made its way to his heart.
there's a strange calmness in this space they created, this atmosphere inside their bedroom where they whisper their hellos and goodbyes. it's too early a thought in a morning such as this, but he couldn't help but think about how they said more goodbyes in their years of being married. he blinked at the piece of garment he took off his wife last night and thought about how nice would it be to never say goodbye anymore.
sasuke shifted on his side to see his sleeping wife, soft under the sheets and the morning light, and he's content by the comfort of knowing she's just there. sakura has always been there, and he knows that she will always be. he's comforted by the memories of her promise when they were mere kids—that he will be happy every day, that he will never regret if he stayed with her, that she'll do anything for him.
and she stayed true to her promise, making him as happy as he can be while he stares at her today. he might never fully grasp the intensity of her faith and love for him, but he's forever grateful nonetheless.
his lone hand shakes a little as he reached out to lightly run his fingers down her naked back earning a small shudder from her sleeping form. how many mornings like this did he miss? how many nights did she spend alone in this large bed? how many apologies must he say before his guilt dissipates?
it has been years and he knows he's been forgiven of his mistakes and earthquakes, but his mind is still his biggest enemy. it never fails to remind him of his misdeeds and faults that's why every touch, look and kiss he gives to her is a silent act of apology on her skin, hoping she can feel what he feels—that he's sorry and he will apologize for everything until his dying breath.
that he loves her; that much is true.
"you're making that face, sasuke-kun."
the cadence of sakura's voice brought him back to his senses and he's never gonna get tired of waking up to his wife. her creamy skin is smooth under his fingertips, and her smile shuts off the chaos in his mind until all he can hear is the thrum of his beating heart that was saved multiple times by her healing hands. his lifeline.
one of those hands palmed his face as he asked her softly, "what face?"
she smiled sleepily against the pillow, her eyelids dropping heavily. "that face that says 'i am overthinking again'," she drawled. her thumb caressed the skin between his brows, "you'll get more wrinkles if you don't stop that."
sasuke took her hand on his face and squeezed a little, "maybe you can teach me how to hide them since you do it with yours."
her laugh was muffled when she buried her face on her pillow and his skin broke out in gooseflesh when she saw how beautiful she sounded even with the reduced melody of her mirth.
leaning on the stump of his left arm, sasuke pushed himself up to hover on her back. he kissed her softly on her head, closing his eyes and inhaled the green apple scent of her hair while his right hand rests on the bare expanse of her back.
sakura faced him, half of her face still buried on the pillow, and peeked her one eye to him. radiant smile emerged from her lips and he couldn't help but lean down and kiss her cheek. she finally shifted her whole body so she could lie on her back as she looks up at him still with her lips in an upturned curve.
he always wonders what she sees when she looks at him like this—as if he didn't do anything wrong, as if he didn't hurt her. he looks down at her, with her bare body and soul all laid out for him, and all he can see is a person who embraced all his worst lies and still saw the truth in him.
sasuke exhaled a content sigh when she reached up to tug him down for an embrace. his lone arm wrapped itself on her tiny frame, smooth and pliant under his hand, and buried his face on her neck.
"can we stay here a little longer, sasuke-kun?" she asked him while her hands tug softly on his hair. "like this?"
in answer, with his eyes still closed, he moved his legs to tangle around hers as he puts himself comfortably above her. his head on her neck turned to kiss her under her ear, up to her jaw, and slowly made his way to her lips to kiss her briefly.
"as long as you want, sakura."
sasuke felt rather than heard her smile when she said her greeting, "mmm... good morning, sasuke-kun."
he kissed her again in return, thinking that it is indeed, and it's the taste of the rest to come.
~fin~