Murphy's Law of Love

Summary: Where fate – or Sasuke's overweening, pretentious family – drove them apart, but years later, their daughter brings them together again. SasuSaku. BoruSara. AU.

Their morning after is not romantic. In fact, it's their crack-of-the-dawn after because Sakura receives an urgent call from the hospital around 5 in the morning, after which she rushes around, changing her clothes hurriedly and lamenting, "Oh, god I forgot to bring fresh clothes!"

Sasuke is lying on the bed, only half-awake as she runs around, pulls on her undergarments, puts on her clothes, and disappears into the bathroom. He almost falls back asleep when he feels the bed dip beside him. He lets her kiss him lingeringly on the cheek and feels disgruntled when she pushes his hands away from her waist. "Let's not – turn each other on before work," she says, squeezing his hands and blushing as she gets up.

"I'll text you," she hollers as she rushes out. He hears the front door snick shut and his apartment feels dark, lonely, and stark once again.

He sighs and pulls the covers on top of his head.

"Ugh," says Ino disgustedly, the moment she sits down opposite Sakura at lunch. "You slept with him."

"How did you ever know?" Sakura asks sarcastically, rolling her eyes, lips twitching at Ino's masterful drama.

"I'm very good at my job," Ino preens. "Plus, we talked about it, like, yesterday."

"Which means you'd not have known otherwise. Which means you're not very good at your job," Sakura sticks her tongue out.

Ino shakes her head at her, amused. "You're acting childish. More so than usual. I take it that you had a lot of fun."

Sakura purses her lips and feels her cheeks go hot.

"Ooh, you're blushing," Ino teases. "Multiple orgasms?"

Sakura nods and ino's expression turns wicked, then smug. "See, I told you that you guys have unresolved sexual tension." Then she turns serious and asks, "Have you told Sarada?"

Sakura is worried about what her reaction might be, so she admits, "Not yet."

"Hmm," says Ino noncommittally and Sakura knows that she's probably roosting on a nest of snakes.

Some days, Sarada feels exasperated about the fact that she lives close enough to her college to commute from home.

Other days, she feels truly grateful about it. Today, it's a mixture of both as she watches Kakashi watch reruns of a dog race on some obscure cable channel. "Dad," she whines, burrowing her face in his arm half-aggressively and half-affectionately. "Please, please change the channel."

Kakashi pats her face absently. "Look. Puppies, Sarada."

Sarada can't really scowl at the cuteness, so she sighs and gives up. This evening, she's sitting in the den with her laptop on her lap. She's got an essay due tomorrow, and she's got the procrastination bug (which, she's kind of suspicious that she's inherited from Kakashi, she thinks, side-eyeing his profile).

She's just about to go back to work when the doorbell rings. Sarada sighs, knowing she's going to have to pull an all-nighter to complete her work, and trudges to the door – only to immediately perk up as she sees Aunty Rin on the other side.

She holds up a Tupperware box filled to the brim with chocolaty goodness and says, "I baked a brownie pie!"

"Goddess," Sarada tells her, before receiving her requisite hug and leading her in.

Shizune has come down from her room and greets Rin with a wave. They all go to the living room and immediately, everyone attacks the pie.

"Seriously Kakashi," Rin grins at Kakashi. "Dog races."

Kakashi shrugs and says, "They're cute."

Shizune just sighs and shakes her head.

Once upon a time, an exchange like this would have grated on Sarada's nerves, but she knows now that her dad only cares like that for her mom, so it's good now.

"Why didn't you come with Obito?" Sarada asks, pouting because even though she likes messing with him, Obito's her favorite.

"Because," Rin grins, "I'm here to invite you to his super-secret fifty-second birthday party."

"Oh, my god! He's that old?" says Sarada, already grinning gleefully and thinking up potential memes she's going to text Obito later, then suddenly frowns and turns to her parents. "Guys, you're old."

Shizune laughs. "Thanks for noticing, kiddo."

Sarada smiles to hide her discomfort because she doesn't like thinking about how the 'rents are going to age and – well, die on her. She knows it's still way, way, way in the future, but fifty-two is not far from sixty, and suddenly sixty feels a lot closer to a hundred. She shakes off the sudden bout of melancholy, and asks, "So, what's your plan? And when is it?"

"I was thinking this Sunday. I already booked a small venue – "

"A venue," Kakashi interrupts in that soft-spoken way of his. He sounds a little pained, and Sarada can understand where he's coming from because Obito and exciting events have a way of blowing up in their faces. She shudders as she thinks back to that time he tried to play with her in the ballpit when she was a kid and ended up causing a huge mess. The staff banned them from ever coming again. And more recently, his sweet fiftieth, where he'd ended up clogging the ventless hood of their barbecue table by burning three whole batches of meat.

"Come on, Kakashi," Shizune says, smiling in amusement. "You can't say his birthdays are forgettable."

"Yeah, Dad," says Sarada, patting his shoulder in support as he groans. She knows Kakashi's only doing this for show. No one who truly finds Obito annoying could stick with him through the years as her Dad had.

"Anyways!" says Rin, clapping her hands excitedly. "Sunday – "

"Oh, wait – Sunday?" This time, Sarada interrupts.

"Yes," says Rin, sharing a curious look with Shizune as she asks, "Do you already have plans?"

Sarada feels awkward telling her that she meets with Sasuke and Sakura every Sunday. Those few seconds where everyone is looking at her feel so stressful that the word 'no' is just on the tip of her tongue and in her mind, she's already planning a text to send to the two of them apologizing for missing this week. But as always, Shizune is super perceptive. She catches Sarada's hesitation immediately and says, "Why don't you invite them over as well?"

"Um," she says, feeling kind of bewildered and put on the spot. Sarada's mind goes a little blank at the suggestion because her brain perceives this part of her life and the Sunday part of her life as two very different places. It's a little numbing to think of these worlds colliding. She feels kind of insecure about her relationship with those two, even though they've proven that they do like her and appreciate her don't think of her as a hassle at all. It's just weird, is all, she thinks, then shrinks into herself as Kakashi pats her on the head.

Sarada sees Rin mouth "Who?" at Shizune, who answers her with wide eyes and an expression that says, "You know who," after which Rin immediately understands, whirls to Sarada, and says, "Yes! Definitely! Invite them!"

Sarada has to smile. She likes that they're not walking on eggshells around his topic and she deduces that if Shizune and Kakashi are secure enough in their parentage of Sarada to invite Sasuke and Sakura to a family event, then she can lean on their confidence and go for it too. "Are you sure?" she asks.

"Absolutely!" says Rin.

And so it's done. They decide on the gifts, Sarada begs for Rin to let Boruto come as well ("Obito hates that kid! Go for it!" Rin grins, then winks at Sarada. "Chou Chou, too," Sarada pushes her luck. "Done!" says Rin, clearly in an apologetic mood) and they decide on the time.

Later that night, she still feels kind of on the fence about this whole thing. She's not even sure if Sasuke is getting married (last she heard, it was a false rumor) or if either of them would even want to come. Whatever, she thinks, brushing away all other complicated thoughts and pulling out their group chat on her phone. No one's ever texted in it since she sent the pictures and she feels awkward about using it now, but it's better than calling them individually, she reasons. She types, then erases several phrases before thinking, fuck it, and sending: Guys, about Sunday. I have a family thing, but you're invited as well.

As soon as she hits send, she realizes how incomplete and irreverent that sounds, so she sends: Do you want to come?

But when that hits the chat, she cringes and realizes she sounds too clingy, so she adds: But only if you want to.

Then she swallows and stares at the messages in a passive sort of horror, because they sound extremely childish and awkward. That's not how she ever wants to sound. Ever. But she can do nothing but wait now, so she puts her phone down and goes back to her essay. Her eyes keep flitting to the screen, then the clock on her desktop, and she can't really concentrate on anything which is why she jumps a little when her phone pings with a new message. It's Sakura, who says: Really? Are you sure?

Sarada smiles a little, because she can just imagine her panicking over this just as much as Sarada had been panicking about sending her own texts a while back.

Yes, she types, effusing confidence in that single word and even adding a laughing emoji at the end. Then she promptly worries about whether it sounds too jokey, so she sends: Definitely.

Okay, comes Sakura's prompt reply.

When? This from Sasuke.

And where? Followed by Sakura.

She smiles as she texts them the details.

Wait, birthday party? Sakura texts, with a hyperventilating emoji that Sarada just has to grin at. She can imagine Sakura flailing behind that little yellow face as well.

Yes, Sarada texts back.

Oh, okay, comes the reply, followed by an enthusiastic: We'll see you then!

Great, Sarada texts backs. On the spur of a moment, she writes a joking: You aren't getting married this Sunday, are you Sasuke? Worried that he may feel offended, she follows up with a winky-face emoji. She'd honestly had kind of a mini-heart attack when she'd first read the news, followed by a waterfall of dread along with the thought; shit, my ship sunk even before taking off the dock. When she'd learned that it was false, she'd felt even more determined about helping them mend bridges.

Sasuke's reply is a quick and curt: No, which reassures her a lot.

Sakura diffuses it with a lol followed by a laughing-face emoji.

Good to know, Sarada texts back, then sighs, stretching and feeling weirdly drained. It wasn't even this hard texting with Boruto when they'd first started going out, and now look at her. Worrying about every single word and its implication as if she was coasting a minefield.

She scoffs a little at herself, then sighs and goes back to her essay.

Sauke-kun, Sakura realizes, has an enormous sexual appetite. She knows this because they've been having sex, then fucking, then making love for the past two hours now. Tomorrow is Saturday and she has a noon shift, but she's sure she's going to be walking funny anyway. Ino's going to make so much fun of her.

But right now, she feels nothing but warm tingles as she slips into the sheets beside him. She's commandeered a shirt from his closet (she wants to indulge in this particular cliché, of hogging your boyfriend's clothes) but it's a dress shirt and it's uncomfortably starched so she finds it itchy.

"I wish you had more casual clothes," she mumbles as he spoons her from behind and says nothing. She loves how his body presses against hers, so large and hot.

They languish in comfortable silence, his arms around her waist, legs tangled warmly, and Sakura feels a lovely sort of possession take over her. She feels infinitely grateful for this second chance, for Sasuke's leap of faith despite getting so incredibly hurt the last time they did this. She feels overcome with emotion as she turns around in his arms and looks at him.

He looks at her curiously, thumb gently circling her hip under the shirt, impossibly turning her on again. She takes a deep breath, presses a soft kiss to his lips, and brushes some hair away from his eyes. "Thank you," she tells him sincerely, to which he doesn't respond with words, but with a deep, hot, lingering kiss that takes her breath away and makes her heart skip several important beats. When they pull apart, she buries her head under his chin, breathing hard, afraid that she might start to cry if she looks at him again.

When she feels emotionally stable again, she pulls back a little and finally says what's been on her mind for a while now, "Um, do we tell Sarada? About us?"

He blinks slowly, making her heart stutter with how effortlessly gorgeous he is. "Your call," he says.

She thinks about it for a minute, then says, "Let's hold off. For a little bit at least. Let her get used to us a little more?"

He nods, stroking her belly button with his thumb, making small electric shocks run all the way down to the tips of her toes. Involuntarily, she presses her hips into his groin and he hardens against her immediately. With wide eyes, she looks at him. "Again?" she asks, already feeling her sex tingling in response as he slides his fingers between her legs.

"Aa," he says, looking her straight in the eye as he sinks his middle finger into her pussy. She gasps, grinds against his hand, and thus, starts another round of hot sex.

When they're done, Sakura is seeing stars behind her eyes. She feels impossibly tired as they lay side by side. "Just," she asks, breathing hard, "how sexually deprived are you, Sasuke-kun?"

His answer, once again, is an open-mouthed kiss which she returns with equal fervor and wantonness. It's a searing hot kiss that makes her toes curl with pleasure and she loves every second of it. Sasuke-kun's mouth feels sweet, hot, and smooth as velvet when she explores it.

After settling down again, she sleepily cuddles against his chest. "About Sunday," she mumbles. "You'll have to drive me?"

"Why?" he asks, fingers stroking her hair now.

She sighs, not even feeling embarrassed as she clutches his arm and admits, "I'm dropping my car for repairs tomorrow. I accidentally reversed it into a tree that day."

"…Which day?"

"That day. With the news. When I came over to rant at you."

His fingers pause on her head for a few beats, then continue. She can feel him smirking lightly, but she doesn't care. If it weren't for that, she wouldn't be here. They wouldn't be here, so she's glad that it happened. It was a push, a small one, but years in the making.

"Will you?" she asks. "Give me a ride?"

"Aa."

She scratches her fingernails on his bicep, knowing now that it drives him a little crazy. He responds by slipping his knee between her legs. Sakura can tell that this might lead to more, so she stalls by saying, "It's a birthday party. We'll have to buy presents."

As she'd known, Sasuke-kun sighs in frustration. She knows that he's never been a social person, and for him to voluntarily attend a virtual stranger's birthday party of all things, on Sarada's behalf, is just – such a testament to his love for her. It makes her eyes wet to even imagine the kind of father he'd have been and once again, she's avalanched by such an immense amount of guilt that it makes her a little breathless. "I'm sorry," she tells him trying to curb the thickness of her voice.

But she knows that Sasuke knows exactly what she's apologizing for again, because he holds her tighter, closer, pressing her to him. After a while, he says, "Then you buy the presents."

"That's not what I was sorry for and you know it," she tells him, sniffling a little.

He shrugs a shoulder and she feels the movement against her body. "Besides," she says, pressing a kiss onto his neck. "I already told you I'm dropping off my car for repairs. At least come with me. It could be a date?"

He sighs, and she can feel him mulling it over in his mind. Eventually, she feels his body sag against her in resignation and she smiles as he says, "Fine."

She says nothing in response, and after a while, they both fall asleep in each other's arms.

That's how they find themselves at the mall, next night. Sasuke doesn't like the very concept of malls. He finds them unnecessarily crowded and feels a little sulky as he follows Sakura into another shop. It's nine o'clock at night and the mall closes in two hours, so they're on a schedule. Sakura's afternoon shift ran a little late and Sasuke knows she's panicking a little as she shows him a leather laptop bag. "Is this too lavish? Not birthday party material?" she asks him.

He shrugs, because he honestly doesn't know.

"But you're a guy," she tells him with puppy eyes.

He sighs. "Not all guys are alike. We're not a hive-mind species, Sakura."

She purses her lips at him, then squints at the bag. "Just buy it," he tells her, knowing that there's no point in agonizing over something so trivial.

She looks at it a little more and Sasuke dares to hope, but in the end, she says, "Let's look at a few more shops."

Sasuke rolls his eyes, but follows her. Although he's not a big fan of malls, he is a fan of the company. However, a "few more stores" turn out to be a little too many for his tastes, so as Sakura browses through some books as potential gifts, he hesitates only a few seconds before texting Sarada: What present would you like us to buy?

Sarada's reply is a prompt: Omg, you're gift shopping? YOU?

With Sakura, he replies, feeling a little uncomfortable now.

Immediately, she calls him and he picks up without any fanfare.

"So, you guys are gift-shopping together?" Sarada says, sounding surprised on the other end of the line.

"Aa," he says, feeling weird about this whole thing.

"What did you buy?"

"Nothing, yet," he says, looking back at Sakura and feeling like he's cheating by calling Sarada. "What should we get?"

"Umm, what are your options?"

Sasuke thinks about all the stores they've been to already. "Books," he starts, looking around at the store they're currently in.

"Nope."

"Sweater. Cashmere."

"He'll rip it within a day."

"Scarf."

"Hmm. Maybe. What else?"

"…Leather Laptop Bag?" he says, as Sakura walks up to him with a curious frown. "Who" she mouths, and he says, simply, "It's Sarada," at which, she gives him a look of wide-eyed affront.

"Bag sounds nice," says Sarada on the other end, followed by, "Oh, and Sasuke? Maybe buy something for Sakura as well? It's better than agonizing about sending her a stupid Linked In connection."

Then she hangs up, leaving Sasuke feeling hot with embarrassment. Brat, he thinks affectionately, as Sakura says, "You called her?"

"Aa," he says, pocketing his phone. "It's better than mindlessly wandering around."

Sakura looks only slightly offended before perking up and asking, "So? What does she say?"

"A maybe on the scarf. Yes on the bag," Sasuke says, and she immediately looks triumphant. "I knew it," she mumbles, turning in the direction of the shop as he follows behind.

They quickly purchase the handsome cashmere scarf and go to the other outlet. As Sakura appraises the bag and gets it wrapped up, she doesn't notice him slip away to the nearest jewelry kiosk and buy a delicate necklace with a simple, emerald stone as the pendant. It reminds him of her eyes, he thinks, slipping the box into his pocket.

Sadly, he doesn't quite have the guts to present it to her that night.

The very next day, Sasuke finds himself idling his car outside Sakura's building. It's a nice apartment complex in a well-to-do district of Konoha that's near to the hospital she works at, he notes as he waits for her.

When she finally joins him, she looks a little frazzled.

"What's wrong?" he asks, putting the car in drive when she's settled down.

"Hmm," she says, shuffling through the gift bag in her lap. After she's satisfied, she puts it on the floor of the car and wipes her hands on her skirt, looking straight ahead. Finally, she confesses, "I'm just nervous. I mean – we're meeting the people who raised Sarada. It's kind of nerve-wracking."

"Haven't you already met them?" he asks, morbidly curious about how she'd proceeded with the adoption.

She sighs, and tucks her hair behind her ears. He stops at a red light and looks at her. She looks pained as she says, "Yes. A few times, actually."

"Explain," he says, taking off once again as the signal turns green.

"It's just – I didn't want to abandon her. I never wanted to leave her at an orphanage or anything. I knew that from the start, so I started looking at couples who wanted to adopt. Those two – there was just something about them. I knew they were it, the moment I met them."

Sasuke remains silent and she doesn't talk after that as well. Her confession makes his heart twinge with all these feelings and he realizes how alone and vulnerable Sakura must have been. His heart does a painful little flop in his chest as he thinks about her younger self; how harshly must his father have spoken to have broken such a strong person as her. He swallows and can't bring himself to speak for the rest of the ride.

The GPS leads them to a small garden café, and as they get off at the curb parking, he sees a small cluster of people already gathered at the Gazebo inside. He shares an apprehensive look with Sakura and both of them head inside.

The first thing Sasuke notices is Sarada, laughing happily with a man who looks very distinctly like Uchiha Obito – except, apparently now, he goes by Nohara Obito, as per the 'Happy 52nd Birthday to Obito Nohara' banner that's hanging over the gazebo front.

The second thing Sasuke notices is Naruto's kid, Uzumaki Boruto, hanging around at the snack table. He looks sulky – a distinct contrast to Naruto's sunny personality, Sasuke notes – and he genuinely wonders why Sarada likes him. Why him? Really, why this kid, out of every specimen in the world? (He knows, it's just his dead paternal side rearing its ugly head, so he digresses.)

The third thing Sasuke notices – and the one that breaks his Obito-Boruto-induced daze – is Sakura's hand slipping into his for just a split-second and squeezing once, before breaking away.

He shares a heavy glance with her, and after that, they're spotted by Hatake Kakashi, who languidly strolls to them and offers a hand to Sasuke. "Welcome," he says, as Sasuke shakes his hand. To Sakura, he says, "Look at you. All grown up."

Beside him, Sakura blushes, half hiding behind him, and sputters a quick, "Thanks." He realizes that she's genuinely embarrassed, so he turns his body to accommodate her better. But it's no use, because everyone has already noticed them.

"Oh, you're here!" says Shizune, running towards them with a huge smile, quickly followed by Sarada, Rin, and…Obito. Obito, who smiles knowingly at him, not looking surprised at all.

What follows is a quick introduction, followed by an exchange of food and gifts. He and Sakura linger uncomfortably at the edges and watch everyone have a good time. Rin makes everyone hoot with laughter when she breaks out a giant cake with a funny portrait of Obito on it. They watch as they all help him cut the cake (with a fine debacle of, "NOT my GROIN, Kakashi! DON'T cut my GROIN!") and everyone murks each other's faces with the frosting.

He notices how Sakura smiles a little wistfully when Boruto pokes a quick dollop of frosting on Sarada's cheek and licks it off with a kiss. To which (he's proud to have witnessed) Sarada smashes her entire plate of cake on his face and peals with laughter as he gives her chase. He catches her around the waist and whirls her around, gently setting her down and placing a soft kiss on her smiling lips, effectively smearing her mouth with cake. Sasuke bristles.

They get offered cake by multiple people, and Sasuke refuses every time. Sakura smiles at his lack of sweet tooth reminiscently while shaking her head when Sarada notices them and walks over, looking sheepish. "Hey!"

"Hi," Sakura answers enthusiastically.

"I know it's awkward, but thanks for coming," she says, rubbing her hand on her head.

"Thanks for inviting us," Sasuke answers.

She lingers awkwardly at their side, and finally, Sakura propels her in the other direction – the direction of her family. "Go, have fun. We're fine."

"If you're sure," she says, then takes off.

Not long after, Sakura is roped up in a conversation with Shizune and Rin, both of whom admire Sakura's work in the medical field, and soon Sasuke is left standing alone. To her credit, Sakura throws him quite a few apologetic glances over her shoulder, but she's polite and she doesn't return. He's wondering whether to break out his phone and commit a total social faux pas, but he doesn't have the chance. Obito finally joins him at the outskirts, and they both stand in stiff, awkward silence.

"So…" says Obito, finally breaking the silence when it gets too dense with unspoken sentiment. "She's your kid. Wow."

Sasuke says nothing. He knows of Obito's story. He got disowned for marrying too common. Eloping, of all things. He remembered his father muttering about court marriage distastefully, all those years back. The elders had been so scandalized that Madara had thrown him out and taken him off the register. No wonder he'd taken on his wife's last name.

"Did you know?"

Without any need for further explanation, Sasuke says, "No."

"Would things have been different if you did?"

"Yes."

"Hm," says Obito, cheerfully passive. "Do you resent them?" he asks after a pause.

"Sakura?"

"No. Our – your family. Your parents."

At Sasuke's tense, charged, silence, Obito says with an air of annoying pompousness, "To them, the Uchiha pedigree and philanthropy is more important than an individual's happiness, Sasuke. Did you think your parents would be any better?"

He had, actually. He'd dared hope. Clearly, he was half-senile. "That's morbid," Sasuke mutters, feeling ashamed of his family.

Obito shrugs and says, "You either die Spongebob or live long enough to see yourself become Squidward."

Sasuke is speechless for half a minute, then frowns deeply at him. "Did you just," he says, finally looking at Obito, "quote a cartoon to me?"

Obito slaps him on the back and he inadvertently hunches forward from the surprising force of it. Obito just grins at his scowl. "It's universal, Sasuke. See? Even you, of all people, knew it. Besides," he adds, gesturing at Sarada with his eyes. "You babysit a kid like that for two decades, you lose your edge very quickly."

This time, Obito smiles at him sincerely. "Regardless, she ended up at a good home. She's an amazing kid. I testify."

Sasuke opens his mouth to say that he knows, but Obito has already walked away.

Later in the afternoon, Sarada, ChouChou, and Boruto sit on the gazebo stairs and look at the small party of people. Obito has roped Rin, Shizune, and a faux-reluctant Kakashi to take selfies. Sarada observes them with a happy grin.

Then her eyes land on Sasuke and Sakura, who're sitting at the edge of the lawn. They make a pretty picture, Sarada notes. Plus, they look more comfortable with each other's company now. Hmm, she thinks with narrowed eyes. Something feels different.

Chou Chou, who's followed her line of sight, says in a slightly dreamy tone of voice, "Wow, your birth-dad is hawt."

"You're sick," says Boruto, and Sarada scowls in disgusted agreement.

As always, ChouChou's too cool and irreverent to pay much mind to them, which is probably why she says, "Also, your birth-mom is kind of gorgeous. You got the genetic jackpot, girl."

"So is my OG Mom, ChouChou," Sarada tells her in bland exasperation, resenting the fact that she has no filter.

"Yeah," says ChouChou, "Even your OG Dad is super hot."

Boruto frowns, looking heavenward as ChouChou proceeds to squint at Kakashi and studies his face rapterously.

"Please don't say gross things," Sarada says, feeling faint from the sheer disgust now.

"What, it's true! I mean, look at that beauty mark – "

"Stop."

" – and the jaw line – "

"I beg."

"Fine. But you owe me a bag of extra large barbeque chips."

"Anything," says Sarada, leaning into Boruto's side, who looks just as disturbed as she feels.

Sometimes, she feels grateful for these little things.

Sasuke drops Sakura off at her apartment. The ride back has been congenial but silent. He knows Sakura is mulling over today's events and so is he. He's – not very sure how he feels about Obito. He feels like a person who wears his resentment against the Uchiha like a badge of honor and Sasuke's only just half-way through that step himself, so it feels a little eye-opening to see where things might lead to.

When he puts the car in park, Sakura turns to him with a small smile. "Thank you for the ride," she says, reaching out a hand and taking his. She places a soft kiss on his knuckle and squeezes his fingers gently. The intimacy of it does something to his heart.

Sasuke refuses to explore that feeling, and just looks at her, sensing that she has more to say. Maybe she knows he's waiting because she doesn't take long. "I'm glad I chose them. They're wonderful people and they raised her with so much love," she says, then swallows, suddenly turning a little weepy.

"Aa," he says. Sarada did seem like the happiest kid today. It triggers a haunting sense of jealousy in his chest, to have seen her like that with strangers like Kakashi and Shizune and Obito, but he curbs it down, because he knows that if he starts thinking too much about it, he'll start resenting Sakura, and that's not what he wants to do right now. Or ever.

So in the end, they simply look at each other until she asks, "Will you give me a kiss goodbye?"

He doesn't even hesitate as he slides sideways on his seat and takes her mouth. He likes the sweet taste of her, the way her mouth opens readily for him, the way her tongue dances against his own, the way his belly quivers as he devourers her. He especially likes the way she keens when he makes the kiss too deep.

He breaks off as his dick starts to twitch. He knows that would only lead to trouble. They're both breathing hard and her eyes are dazed with just as much lust as he, himself, is feeling.

He swallows, then says, "Goodbye."

She smiles, slow, and mischievous. "Oh parting, you sweet sorrow," she says, shifting in her seat until she's close enough to nip his lower lip. The gentle sting of it does something to him – the sensation – it travels at light speed to his groin. Instantly, he's got a boner and she knows because she winks at him and says, "Until next time, Sasuke-kun."

Then she walks away and he's left alone in the car, holding the steering wheel with white knuckles, knowing that he'll be taking a cold shower as soon as he gets home.

That Spongebob line was from a tumblr post. Don't remember who, but all credit to them.

Anyway, leave a nice review and stop by my ko-fi (zunairaghazal) if you can!