Sakura is stressed.

Three overnight shifts on the trauma floor with too little sleep drain her of life, peace, and everything in between. It's snowing. Sasuke has a meeting that keeps him late, so she drives herself to work. But her car isn't starting, and it's nearly two in the morning.

Sakura is stressed and cursing and kicking at her tires because her battery dies. She literally can't.

"I'm about an hour out," Sasuke tells her, "Sorry. Unless you want to wait that long."

Sakura frowns. "No, I don't. I should've gotten a ride earlier with Kurenai."

The sound of highway noise slightly muffles Sasuke's voice. "Ino still didn't answer?"

"No," Sakura sighs, leaning against her stupid car, "I don't want to call her a third time. I tried calling Sai too, still nothing."

Her friend huffs. "Mind holding on a second?"

She doesn't have anything else to do. "Yeah, sure."

The phone goes quiet. Sakura tries to look like she isn't in distress. A single woman on the streets late at night is a target and half. While Sakura could beat the shit out of anyone who thought she was defenseless, she isn't in the mood. So she paces around the car, pressing the phone to her ear and watching her surroundings.

A minute later, highway sounds filter through the receiver. Sakura perks up.

"Itachi's coming," he informs her, "I'll stay on the phone with you until he gets there."

Immediately Sakura tenses.

"Did you wake him up for this?"

Her friend laughs a little, "I didn't but you make it sound like the worst thing in the world if I did."

She flushes red, already feeling anxious. "I wasn't trying to wake anyone."

"Anyone or specifically Itachi?" The inflection in his question reminds her that Sasuke and Itachi are in fact related and have similar mannerisms.

She knows he's asking because minutes ago she was more than willing to wake Ino. But Ino isn't Itachi and doesn't watch her across rooms or give her eyes that make her stomach turn in knots. It's weird and embarrassing and now she's going to be with him alone for a few minutes.

"Doesn't he work early in the morning?" she says instead, looking at a few passersby. "I don't want to be a bother."

Sasuke just sort of snorts and she can practically hear him rolling his eyes. "I think Itachi would appreciate your consideration more if he wasn't leaving work when I called."

"What?" Sakura's exclamation meets the sudden appearance of a car swerving into the parking lane. "Huh?"

The door opens before she can properly process that it's only been a handful of minutes. But she does make a mental note of how close their jobs are. Sure enough, Itachi steps out into the street in a dress shirt rolled up to his elbows and a somewhat sour look on his face. Sakura isn't sure if he's upset with having to come to get her or the fact that he has to leave work at two in the morning. Either way, he's walking around the car with eyes on her and then her car. Sakura watches back because what else is she supposed to do?

Itachi walks around her to the driver's door. "Is this open?"

She nods twice, "It is. Hold on a second Sasuke."

"Is he there, already?"

She moves to the front door, watching Itachi attempt to start her car. "Yeah. Yeah, he's right here."

Itachi tries the gas several times, checking for something on her dashboard before coming to the conclusion she already reached. "Did you leave the light on?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"Do you have jumper cables?"

"...no? I just assumed you might..."

Sasuke's laugh takes her eyes off the man shifting through her glove compartment. "Close your mouth, Sakura. I see you drooling from here."

"Huh?" That snaps her out of it. "I wasn't!"

"Just play nice. He's had a long day. Don't pull any of the shit you do all the time."

"I'm always nice, you asshole." Sakura counters.

"Never denied that playing," he teases. Before she can actually respond, Sasuke changes the subject, "Put him on the phone."

She rolls her eyes. "He's doing something."

"I'm checking your manual," Itachi corrects.

"He's checking the manual," she relates.

"What does he need?" Itachi asks.

Sakura pulls the phone away from her ear and away from Sasuke's stupidity. "He wanted to talk to you about something."

Itachi smacks his teeth, closes the manual after finding what he is looking for, then gets out of the car. "Tell him to call me directly. It's too cold to fix this now. We'll come back in the morning."

"He says to call him directly," Sakura repeats. "And I'm staying over, so I'm gonna need a ride in the morning."

"Ask Itachi," Sasuke counters, "I'm going to be too tired to get up that early."

"You were supposed to pick me up in the first place!" Sakura complains, "I'm in this mess because you changed plans on me."

"I can't help when my boss needs me, Sakura."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm waking you up whether you like it or not. You better not make me late. And call your brother."

She hangs up before Sasuke can offer any more complaints, turning around to see Itachi looking at her curiously.

"What?" she challenges.

"Do you always talk to him like that?" he asks.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "When he's being a jerk, yeah."

"Hnn." Seconds later, Itachi's pulling his phone from his pocket. Turning away, he presses the phone to his ear. "Yes, Sasuke,"

Sakura gets a good look at his forearm, veins and all. She scans upward, watching the way his fingers basically swallow the phone. She's never really taken time to assess Itachi's hands and arms, but, well, she has no complaints whatsoever about them. Turning away, Sakura opens the trunk to get her overnight bag.

Itachi's already walking back to the car. She dutifully follows behind him, surprised that he opens the door for her upon her approach.

She mumbles thanks. He nods, paying attention to Sasuke and whatever they're talking about.

Once Itachi closes her door, the first thing Sakura notices is how warm her seat is. Glancing at the dashboard, she spots the seat warmers, specifically the passenger side. Meaning, Itachi takes time to make sure her seat isn't cold when he picks her up. A small gesture that puts an appreciative smile on her face.

The second thing she notices is how much the car smells like Itachi. Which isn't surprising. This is his car. But the scent is befitting of the man currently settling into the driver seat. Slightly dark, slightly woody, kinda floral, a tad bit spicy, with a hint of vanilla. When he shifts to put on his seatbelt, she gets a better waft of the smell on Itachi specifically. And when he leans his arm on the armrest between them, holding the phone to his ear, a small smirk on his face at whatever his brother says, Sakura concludes that all of it just works.

It's ridiculously sexy, mostly because he's not trying to be. He's just talking on the phone, watching the road, driving to his house so Sasuke can bring her to work in the morning.

Then Itachi lets out a breathy chuckle that has Sakura pulling her bag close to stop the tiny somersaults in the pit of her stomach. She shifts in her seat, inadvertently drawing his attention. Itachi glances at her from the corner of his eye. It's the longest and shortest second anyone has ever assessed her from head to toe in.

When he gets back to her face, his brow raises. Sakura does the same. Itachi turns his head.

"Yes, can you repeat that, Sasuke?"

He continues his conversation. Sakura revels in knowing she manages to distract him enough to miss words in the conversation. Because, really, it's not fair that she's the only one distracted here.

The scents, the smirk, the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Those god damn veins.

Sakura looks out of the window so as not to prove Sasuke right. She is absolutely not drooling.

A/N: Arm veins. I just...yeah. I'm a sucker for arm veins.

-Cece^^