Morning came, and the three had all slept in without even meaning to, but Sasuke and Sakura were eventually awoken by Kiyoshi whimpering in his room. So Sakura got up to go get him, "Good morning honey" she said softly, as she picked him up. She got her response in Kiyoshi cuddling into her shoulder, soaking up the warmth she offered. Sakura had recently noticed that he was extra clingy to her in the mornings, and she had no complaints at all.
So she stayed there holding Kiyoshi for a while, speaking to him about the day ahead until he started to feel more awake and ready for the day. She then headed to the kitchen, and once there she found Sasuke already making them both coffee and Kiyoshi his bottle. "Thank you for doing all that Sasuke-kun" Sakura said, as she handed the bottle to Kiyoshi and took her mug. "Ah you're welcome, I'll start breakfast now" Sasuke told her, as he started getting ingredients out and putting a pan on the stove.
"Oh you don't have to-" Sakura began to say before Sasuke cut her off, "Let me do this for you" he said to halt her movements. A blush dusted over Sakura's cheeks at his words, so she went and sat on the couch with Kiyoshi to try and cool off.
Once breakfast was done, they all ate together and both Kiyoshi and Sakura were very impressed with Sasuke's cooking. Then they spent the rest of the day with each other, trying to spend a lot of time with Kiyoshi since they wouldn't be with him for the night.
Afternoon came, and Sakura had already packed a bag of the essentials for Kiyoshi to stay at her parents house. But now came explaining to him what the plan was to him, "Kiyoshi, would you like to go see Grandma and Grandpa tonight?" Sakura asked, while changing his clothes. "Geee" was all Kiyoshi said back, excited at the thought of his grandparents.
"That's right, they want to see you too. But would you be alright spending the night there without Mama?" Sakura asked him, wanting to make sure that he understood she wouldn't be there. But Kiyoshi's demeanor didn't change at all, he still appeared excited to be going.
After finishing changing Kiyoshi's clothes, Sakura placed him in the playpen with some toys so she could start getting ready for her date. She began by curling her pink hair and then painted her nails a light green color. She then put on a light blue sundress adorned with small white flowers, and a pair of white heels.
While she got ready, Sasuke had gone out to find something better to wear for their date. Since he had nothing to wear besides his travel clothes, he figured that he should try and do better for her. So Sasuke went into the first men's clothing store that he could find, but quickly realized that he had no idea what to pick. So after brooding in the store for a while, he finally decided to ask the woman working what would be good to wear on a first date.
"Oh how exciting, a handsome man like yourself going on a first date! Go to the dressing room and I'll bring some outfits!" the woman said loudly, as she pointed Sasuke in the direction of the dressing room. To which Sasuke could only sigh deeply, "Maybe I should have just stuck with my usual clothes" he thought to himself.
He then began trying on all the outfits the woman had brought him until he found one that he felt comfortable in. Sasuke was dressed in a pair of loose black pants, with a black button up shirt and a black jacket over it and his usual sandals. He had chosen this outfit since it covered up his bad arm the best, not that he was ashamed of it, it just wasn't anyone else's business.
"I'll take it, thank you for your help" Sasuke told the woman, as he grabbed the clothes he arrived in and handed her a large roll of bills and started walking out. "This is far too much sir" the woman began to say, but Sasuke had already left the store.
He quickly walked back to Sakura's, knowing that it was almost time to drop Kiyoshi off. "I'm back" Sasuke said as he walked in, "Saaa" Kiyoshi yelled from his playpen, while making grabby hands at Sasuke. And the raven haired man couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face, as he picked Kiyoshi up and sat down on the couch.
Sasuke was doing his best not to get too attached to Kiyoshi, not wanting to overstep any boundaries. He and Sakura weren't even dating yet and he didn't want Kiyoshi to misunderstand what place he stood in his life. But of course Sasuke wasn't going to ignore Kiyoshi when he called for him, so the two stayed on the couch together until Sakura emerged from her room.
"There you are Sasuke-kun, are you both ready to go?" Sakura asked them, looking as radiant as ever. "Ah we are" Sasuke said, as he stood up while still holding Kiyoshi.
Sakura talked with Sasuke normally on the walk to her parents house, while Sasuke found himself feeling more apprehensive as they got closer. Maybe it was how beautiful Sakura looked, or maybe it was that he'd be seeing her parents soon. He doesn't know how aware her parents are of his crimes and past, and he doesn't want his presence to create any tension between them.
But as if she read his mind, Sakura placed her hand on his stump, "You shouldn't have to talk to my parents any, it will be a quick exchange" she assured him. "It's not that I don't want to, but you know" Sasuke muttered, while trailing off. "I understand Sasuke-kun, just leave it to me!" Sakura exclaimed, as they turned onto the street her parents lived on.
"Mom? Dad? It's me" Sakura called out, as she opened the door to her parents house and came in. "There's my girl and grandson" Kizashi said joyfully, while walking out of the kitchen towards them. "Hey Dad, thank you for watching him tonight. But where's Mom?" Sakura asked, while giving him a hug. "She's out getting some snacks and toys for Kiyoshi" Kizashi told her, now turning to face Sasuke who was still holding the little boy.
"Sasuke, you've sure grown since I last saw you. What brings you here with Sakura though?" Kizashi asked skeptically, as he took Kiyoshi from his arm and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Sakura and I are going on a date" Sasuke replied simply. "A date huh? I always thought you were supposed to do that before kissing the girl, but things must have changed" Kizashi said a bit darkly.
Sasuke was startled by the man's words even though he didn't show it, how did Kizashi know he kissed Sakura? But his question was answered whenever Kiyoshi started giggling mischievously, "Kiyoshi told them last time we were here. But you don't need to meddle into this Dad, Sasuke-kun and I are adults" Sakura cut in to say before Sasuke could speak.
"Alright if you insist, I'll let you two figure it out. Go ahead and enjoy your date, your Mom will drop Kiyoshi back off in the morning" Kizashi informed her, as he shooed them out. "Okay we'll go, but let me hold him one more time before we leave" Sakura requested, while taking Kiyoshi into her arms.
"I'll see you in the morning, I love you so much" Sakura told him, hoping he understood that he would be back with her soon. "Mama, Mama" Kiyoshi said back to her with his small voice, enjoying all the affection she gave him.
Sakura gave him one last kiss on the forehead, before reluctantly handing Kiyoshi back to her dad and heading out the door. "That went pretty well, don't you think?" Sakura asked Sasuke, as they walked to the restaurant they had previously chosen for dinner. "Besides your Dad's brash comment, yes it did" Sasuke grumbled out. "He's just old fashioned, I had no problem with it" Sakura said with a blush, hoping he understood her words. "Hn, I didn't either" Sasuke said with a smirk.
Sakura was enjoying their banter back and forth as they walked, but she couldn't help but hear the whispers from the people around them.
"Poor Sakura-san, she's probably being forced to be with him."
"She went and adopted a baby right before he came back, how stupid!"
"The Uchiha must be a great manipulator, preying on her old feelings like that."
Sasuke must have heard them as well because he said, "Ignore them, they know nothing about us" while brushing his hand against her own. Sakura felt better hearing his words, but also sad because Sasuke was likely already used to people gossiping about him. And she knew that it wouldn't go away with him being back in Konoha now, especially always being seen with her and Kiyoshi.
But Sasuke was right, these people knew nothing about them and weren't worth ruining their night over. So Sakura lightly squeezed his hand back and then let go, just to let him know that she was okay now.
They finally made it to the restaurant and were able to get a small table for two in the back. Sasuke pulled Sakura's chair out for her as they sat down, causing her cheeks to heat up, "Thank you Sasuke-kun" she said sheepishly. "Ah you're welcome, get anything you want, it's on me" Sasuke told her, wanting to make the date as nice as possible for her. "You don't have to do that, I can pay for mine" Sakura tried to say, but Sasuke just gave her a look that said he wasn't going to change his mind.
So Sakura conceded and they both decided on what they wanted to eat and then placed their orders. The two talked quietly together, with mostly Sakura leading the conversation and Sasuke responding every so often, mostly just enjoying the sound of her voice.
Then their food arrived and the conversation died down as they began eating, until Sasuke spoke up, "You look lovely, I meant to tell you earlier" he said, while drinking his green tea. At his compliment Sakura choked on her miso soup, not expecting him to be so forward. "Thank you Sasuke-kun, you look very handsome as well. I can't believe you went out and bought new clothes just for tonight" Sakura remarked. "It was a bit out of character for me, but I wanted to do it for you" Sasuke said earnestly, while diverting his eyes from hers.
"I appreciate it Sasuke-kun, I'm having a really good time with you. I just can't help but feel bad for leaving Kiyoshi with my parents. I'm pretty sure the term for what I'm feeling is mom guilt" Sakura told him, trying to understand her own feelings. "My Mother was the same way, always feeling uneasy when she left Itachi and I with other family members" Sasuke said, wanting to ease her mind. "Really? Can you tell me more about her Sasuke-kun? If you're comfortable doing that" Sakura made sure to add, not wanting to push him too hard.
But Sasuke just gave her a small smile and began to tell her about his Mother and what she was like. It didn't hurt like he thought it would, in a way it made him feel better, like he was preparing Sakura to meet his Mother even though that wasn't the case at all.
"She sounds wonderful, I wish I could have met her" Sakura said wistfully, as she reached for his hand. "You two would have gotten along great, they all would have loved you" Sasuke told her, while intertwining their fingers together.
They stayed at the restaurant for a while after they finished eating, still holding hands as they talked. "Are you ready to go home?" Sakura asked him. "Ah, let's get out of here" Sasuke replied, as they both got up and left, still holding hands with each other.
On the walk home they stopped at a movie store and picked up a sci-fi movie to watch together. Then once they were back at the apartment, they both changed into more comfortable clothes to wear for the rest of the night. Sasuke put on a pair of black sweatpants and a black long sleeve shirt, and Sakura wore a navy sweatshirt with a pair of black leggings.
They both settled onto the couch, sitting a few inches apart from each other. Sakura was now suddenly feeling nervous at their proximity, even though they've already cuddled together many times. "Come here" Sasuke quietly asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"O-okay" Sakura stammered out, while scooting into his side. "Is something wrong?" Sasuke asked, while tentvently placing his arm around her shoulders. "I just feel kind of nervous doing this now for some reason" Sakura said, feeling a bit annoyed with herself. "I understand but you know I won't do anything you don't want right?" Sasuke asked, just wanting to make sure she knew. "Of course! I know you wouldn't, I just need to settle down" Sakura explained to him.
Sakura willed herself to calm down, placing her hand over his stomach and nuzzling her face into his chest. The steady rhythm of Sasuke's heartbeat began to soothe her nerves, as he placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her closer.
They stayed like that until the ending credits of the movie began to play, "Should we head to bed?" Sakura asked with a small yawn. Sasuke nodded and then picked her up bridal style in one smooth motion, "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shrieked, now fully awake.
Sasuke just smirked at her, as he went to the bedroom and laid her down and then got in next to her. "It would be nice if we could be like this all the time" Sakura said wholeheartedly, as she turned to face him. "We can" Sasuke said simply, like it was the obvious answer. "Is this your way of asking me to be your girlfriend? Because if it is, the answer is yes" Sakura told him with a smile, all the nervousness from earlier now completely gone.
To answer, Sasuke connected his lips with her own passionately, trying to convey his gratitude through the kiss. Sakura responded with equal fervor, burying her hands in his thick hair and
sighing in contentment against him. Time seemed to melt away as they continued to kiss, but Sasuke was the first one to pull away and speak.
"Does Kiyoshi need to know about us?" Sasuke asked, not knowing how he would react. "I'm pretty sure he already thinks we're together, he just doesn't know the word Papa" Sakura said with a giggle, as she snuggled into his side once more.
But Sasuke was still surprised at what she said, "Are you really okay with me being that to him? You know my past" Sasuke pointed out, unsure if he was fit to be a father figure. "There's no one else I'd rather it be, we just need to take it slow together. He's still so young, so I don't think it'll be difficult" Sakura told him truthfully.
"I trust your judgement, but I'll need you to lead the way on that" Sasuke insisted, knowing that she had the most knowledge on kids.
"He's already attached to you Sasuke-kun, he kept asking for you whenever you were on your mission" Sakura let him know before adding, "But let's sleep now so we're ready for him tomorrow" with a smile, thinking about her little boy being back home tomorrow.
Sasuke said nothing but rested his chin on the top of her head, and tightened his embrace around her. His heart felt incredibly full, he and Sakura were finally together and Kiyoshi wanted him with them too. He couldn't describe how great it felt to be wanted again, to have a family again.
As Sasuke drifted to sleep, he hoped to dream about a future filled with different shades of pink hair, emerald eyes and happy laughs from his two precious people.