Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!
Summary: Sasuke is tired. Sasuke is hungry. Sasuke is...well, hunting, now. Vampire AU, SNS, will be explicit. Two years later...it's done! New chapter will be up every day until the fic is finished!
A/N: It's a shorter one today! A little breather, but still important :) I hope you like it!
Bite Me
Chapter 13: Shopping
"Of course it needs to be perfect," Sakura hissed, walking out of the store. "The only thing more important than the ring are the flowers, because if I get those wrong then Ino will never—"
"Ever forgive you," Naruto laughed. "I know. You know she'd say yes anyway, right?"
Sakura let out a soft laugh, looking down at her feet.
"I…"
"And then every time you ever did anything wrong, she'll be all 'well at least I didn't propose with carnations—'"
Sakura laughed, shoving her shoulder into his.
"What?" Naruto asked, laughing as he stumbled. "I'm—you know I'm right! 'Course, I don't know shit about flowers. Are carnations actually good?"
"You think I know? I'm calling her parents in for that one."
Naruto laughed.
"You know what," he said, "that's brilliant. I'm still your best man though, yeah?"
"Of course you are," Sakura said, "although I don't think you'll be doing a ton. Ino loves planning this stuff anyway, so…"
Naruto laughed.
"The title without any of the work," he said, stretching his arms up, "you really know how to treat a man right."
Sakura snorted.
"I know absolutely nothing about treating men in any sort of way. Do you think that store sells rings?"
Naruto paused, staring across the street—
"Uh," he said, squinting, "not any of the big fancy ones you think Ino would like. You sure she wants something this expensive?"
"Does she need it? No," Sakura said. "But I'm about to start making that sweet doctor money, so—"
Naruto laughed and swatted at her shoulder. Sakura threw him a grin.
"You are. We're all gonna start mooching on you, soon—'specially me, since you so rudely left me all alone to groom all those poor little animals—"
"I worked with you for two weeks for one summer and I sucked the whole time, don't even start with me," Sakura said, pointing at him. "And I don't think you have a mooching bone in your body. I think you've paid for every dinner we've had together since—since like, we met. The second time, you know what I mean."
"Yeah, yeah, you've got student debt," Naruto said, waving it off. "Not to mention you're never free, so I gotta sweeten the deal with something to make it better than catching up on the sleep you never get—"
Sakura laughed.
"You're not wrong. I forget what it's like to feel awake."
"That's comforting," Naruto muttered, and Sakura punched his shoulder.
"I'm making money now, anyway! Not a lot, but—"
"For the—uh—residency, yeah?"
"Yeah. For the next four years. We said—Ino and I, we agreed that—we'd do this once we were...settled. In one place, together, for a while, you know?"
"Yeah, makes sense. I guess you're stuck in the same place for the next…uh. Five years? Four years?"
Sakura bit her smile.
"Four," she said softly, looking down at the sidewalk.
Naruto watched her for a moment longer, smiling softly.
"Must be nice for you guys to actually get to be with each other every day, huh?"
Sakura's smile widened.
"It's a dream," she told him, looking...completely lost in it. Smiling away like the sickeningly in love girl that she was—
"You disgust me," he told her, and Sakura laughed.
"You're one to talk. How's the boy?"
Naruto snorted.
"He's…" Naruto laughed, shaking his head, "well, you know. He's...definitely Sasuke. Definitely..."
Sakura squinted at him. "Should we be ring shopping for you too?"
"What?! No! We've barely—"
"Uh-huh."
"No, I mean, we've—"
"Uh-huh."
"Sakura, we—"
"Uh-huh."
Naruto's phone rang.
"Twenty dollars says it's him."
Naruto huffed out a breath.
"...No deal," he muttered, fishing his phone out of his pocket. Sakura's grin widened and she paused, pressing the heel of her shoe to the pavement as she waited for the—
"...Hi Sasuke."
Sakura reeled back and laughed.
"...Hi? Why do you sound so disappointed?"
"Sakura's being a jerk," Naruto told him, "tell her to stop making fun of me."
"I'll do no such thing. What's the current topic? I'll tag in."
Sakura, apparently perfectly able to hear him, only laughed harder.
"Ask him what kind of ring he wants!"
"Sakura!" Naruto hissed, swatting her away. "You—oh my god."
"Did she say ring?"
"She said ring," Naruto said, twisting away from her. "We're ring shoppin—"
"Tell him not to tell Ino!"
"Why on earth would I tell Ino?"
Naruto laughed.
"Sasuke's way better at keeping secrets than I am, you know."
"This is news to me," Sasuke said, just as Sakura muttered, "that's a good point…"
"I'm not sure I've managed to keep a single secret from you so far."
"That's 'cause I annoy you into telling me," Naruto said, swatting a laughing Sakura away as he continued. "What's up?"
"Nothing. I just woke up and I'm stuck here. I can—"
"Aw," Naruto laughed, "I'm so glad you chose me. I can send you ring pictures to keep you entertained?"
"That's not a bad idea," Sakura said, "he does dress much better than you do…"
"You've seen him once!" Naruto protested, just as Sasuke muttered, "that's not exactly an accomplishment."
"Wow," Naruto said, as Sakura laughed again, "wow to both of you—you're both big jerks, and I don't have to deal with this kind of treatment, you know—"
The "yes, you do" was simultaneous, and from both sides. It only had Naruto laughing harder, though, even as—
"Oh, Sakura—jewelry store there—"
"I see it," she said, marching them across the street. "Tell your boy we're going to need some hard opinions."
Naruto laughed.
"You hear that?" he asked, holding the phone a little closer.
"I did. You have me until the sun goes down."
"And I'm gonna take full advantage. Get ready!"
"Is it tough being on different sleep schedules?" Sakura asked, walking past another display case.
Naruto blinked.
"Huh?"
"Because Sasuke works nights," she said. "Doesn't he work nights now?"
Oh. Oh, yeah, he had told her that.
"Yeah, he does," he said, surreptitiously checking his phone…
"I'm useless enough after call nights. I barely remember the next day. I'm pretty sure Ino just carries me around."
Naruto laughed.
"It's not that bad. I dunno. We make it work."
It hadn't really been a problem yet—although Sasuke had to have been exhausted when his schedule kept flip-flopping back and forth. They weren't—or, well, they did spend a lot of time together—and, okay, maybe way more time than Naruto spend with any of his other friends, but that didn't mean—
'Second one is nicer.'
Naruto grinned.
'Rubies, huh?'
"Sasuke likes the second one!" he announced, and Sakura trotted back over. Naruto's phone beeped.
'Fuck off.'
Naruto laughed.
'Bet red's your favourite colour!'
"It is really pretty," Sakura said, looking at it again. "I...hm…"
"If you're not convinced, don't do it," Naruto told her. "You want something that's gonna make Ino pass out as soon as she sees it, which means you've gotta pass out when you see it too."
Sakura laughed, nudging him a little, but conceding the point.
'It's navy blue, actually.'
Naruto blinked down at the message, surprised. He was honestly expecting black, but he guessed that was maybe more out of necessity versus anything else…
Naruto stood up onto his toes, grinning, and reached over the case to snap a photo.
'This more your speed?' he typed out, pressing send just as—
"Ah!" he jumped, as Sakura pulled the fingers he'd snapped under Naruto's nose back.
"I know you're being in love and all that, but I need you to focus."
"I'm not—we—the—"
Sakura tilted her head to the side.
"No? You haven't said I love you yet?"
"No!" He—okay—even if they were dating, he wouldn't—he didn't—
"Huh," Sakura said, turning around.
"What—what do you mean huh—Sakura, you—come back here!"
'If you can afford that price, I'll happily divorce you.'
A/N: That's it for today! I am going to be quiet here before I spoil things :) See you tomorrow!
Until then,
- Kinomi