Would seriously love some feedback :)

Sasuke's POV

Sasuke was laying in the grass, his lone hand propped behind him. He, Naruto, and Kakashi had trained for a few hours and generally messed around for a few more. It was Saturday and although Sasuke would rather have spent the day with Sakura, she had been called in for an emergency surgery. He had been disappointed, but he knew how important Sakura's work was. And, he wasn't sure what to do with himself around her after having kissed her the previous evening, so he was thankful for the time to get his thoughts in order.

After he grew bored, he watched Kakashi and Naruto spar for a while, but it eventually turned into a sexy-jutsu off, and Sasuke found other things to occupy his mind. The unfortunate (fortunate?) thing was, whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was Sakura. Her wide eyes from last night, the look of her hair, falling over her cheek while she mended his skin with expert care and precision, the way she had gasped so quietly when he had pressed his lips to her forehead…

It all came back to that. The kiss. Not a real, true one; the thought of actually kissing Sakura either made Sasuke feel like he was burning alive or needed to leave the village immediately. It was absurd, but he warred with what he wanted, what he deserved, and what Sakura wanted and deserved. Some nights, all of those aligned. On most others, not so much. Then, there were his…dreams.

Sasuke dreamed of kissing Sakura a few times. It was rare and embarrassing and thankfully hadn't happened since he had returned. Now, they had turned into daydreams. His mind was filled with possibilities. Did she want to? Did she expect him to since he had moved in? How long could he take to prepare himself to kiss her and not feel the need to jump into a portal or grab her?

It wasn't that he was against it. He wanted to…but at the same time, he didn't. On the way back to Konoha, Sasuke decided that he was okay with not understanding why he cared for Sakura, just that he did. So, he attempted to be okay with not understanding all of the emotions he was feeling around her and simply just feel them.

But it was getting harder to just feel and not…act.

He had acted last night. He knew why he did it. He had been relaxed under her touch for most of the evening. But, when she moved to the floor…Sasuke had been nearly sent to the brink. When felt her breath on his inner thigh while she coasted up his lower half with her hands like it was nothing, his heart had literally stopped. When he opened his eyes and took in the sight before him, he was overcome with affection for Sakura. Soft, quiet, then loud and heavy in his head. He was enraptured with the reality that she had not only healed his body when he had been at the brink of death, but stolen his heart from the reaper over and over again, reminding him that he was cared for and safe with her. He was loved.

He remembered how wide her green eyes had gotten and how…pretty she had looked. No, not pretty. Beautiful. Her pink hair had gotten longer since the war and was draped over her shoulders, falling onto his skin. It was a shock to his system to look at Sakura and feel a crushing sense of want, of need.

It used to terrify him, but the feeling lessened each day he spent surrounded by pink and green.

Sasuke hadn't ever looked at girls the same way other boys his age had. He mainly saw them as an annoyance, an obstacle he had no business or time entertaining. So, he chose the alternate route; solitude. It was easier and frankly, he had thought for a bit that his childhood trauma had ruined any chance of him having a physical relationship. He hated touch, making the way girls reacted to him throughout his childhood feel like more of a cruel joke than anything. Sakura had been the only girl he had tolerated.

It pained him to admit, but while in madness, he had only ever envisioned Sakura as his side, helping him raise a child. They were cold, harsh hallucinations that held no warmth for the kunoichi. The thoughts were possessive and cruel. He had taken a long time to forgive himself for those.

Sasuke sighed and glared at the two idiots sparring. Both of them had repeatedly reminded him of his treatment of Sakura when they were on Team 7.

Some of it had been good. He was made aware that he grabbed her hand frequently. He never realized. The two others talked about how Sasuke had always protected her as genin, Naruto even bringing up the time he had demanded Naruto save her, even if it meant his life. Kakashi said he caught Sasuke staring at her in confusion several times, which was "simply adorable", according to him.

Sasuke had only grimaced. He had remembered doing that several times. He also had never remembered getting caught.

They also recognized why he put her under the genjutsu during the 4th war, but also chided him on his harshness. However, Kakashi was especially vexed when it came to his words about enjoying romance. And…the other stuff.

"I know it was wrong." Sasuke gritted his teeth at his former teacher. To his idiot friend, he said, "I also know I'm lucky she didn't hear it. You don't have to remind me."

Naruto had shaken his head in reply before saying, "You were a different person then, Sasuke. And because she didn't hear it, the only person who needs to forgive you is yourself."

That hadn't sat well with him.

The rest of what they talked about was embarrassingly uncomfortable. Sasuke had never been more thankful for his hair covering his ears. He closed his eyes again and thought over the conversation with a resigned sigh.

"So, you're finally doing the thing?" Naruto asked. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Because Hinata told me that Sakura told her that you're living together now!"

Kakashi was wide eyed. "Seriously? I told you that we could find you some accommodations."

"And I told you I had it handled." He eyed his old teacher with a slight smirk. "I have a door that locks, don't I?"

Kakashi's response had been bland, but hit the mark. "Hm. Does her bedroom?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're both blowing it out of proportion."

"Sasuke, I'm not sure that you're correct," Kakashi said, thoughtfully. "You came back and have really only spent time with her. You do lots of couply things together and the endless parade of men asking for Sakura's hand ceased when you came back."

Sasuke nearly choked. "You're kidding me."

"You do bring her lunch quite a bit, Sasuke," Naruto said.

He glared at them both. "Not that part, you idiot. Have men really…" He couldn't finish the thought.

Kakashi laughed his great, booming laugh. "Oh, you have no idea."

Naruto cackled at the look on Sasuke's face. "She stopped getting direct proposals after she punched the sixth or seventh guy to randomly approach her."

"Good for her," Sasuke mumbled. Naruto continued laughing while Sasuke stoically looked at the ground. "Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. I have no desire to talk to either one of you about this, so get it all out now. I've been on edge."

"I bet that edge would really cut through some tension," Naruto said, suggestively.

Sasuke looked at him. "That didn't make any sense."

"Yes it did!"

"No, you idiot. It. Didn't."

Kakashi sighed. "Ah. Just like old times."

Sasuke glared at him, but relented. "Whatever. It's not like that between us." They both looked at him. "What? It's not."

Naruto snorted. "Come on, Sakura blushed hard this morning when I ran into her. And all I did was ask about how her night was!"

"Don't ask her again. It was awkward." It was anything but, but they didn't need to know that.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, since you live together now, you'll eventually see her naked by accident or something by walking in on her changing. I did like five minutes after Hinata moved in!"

"I'm not a perv, Naruto," Sasuke replied coolly, trying to hide the thought of that very thing happening flashing behind his eyes. Hypocrite.

"I think Sasuke will be a perfect gentleman," Kakashi said thoughtfully. However, when he smiled, it was anything but kind. "He'll ask her out on dates, give her her first kiss, and do all sorts of wonderful things!"

Sasuke swallowed. "You both are awful. I have no idea why I ever come here."

They both had laughed.

Sensing their fight coming to an end, Sasuke opened his eyes and stood. Kakashi and Naruto were walking back to him, talking about some old Jutsu they had seen in Sand.

Naruto paused when they reached Sasuke. "We can talk later, Kakashi. Sasuke, you want to go get ramen?"

Sasuke shook his head in disgust. "No. Sakura had a long surgery. I'm getting shioyaki."

Kakashi nodded appreciatively. "Good choice. She loves that dish."

Sasuke knew that, but he didn't say anything.

Forty minutes later, the sky had opened up and started pouring just as Sasuke walked into their apartment. He froze on the threshold at the thought before quickly shutting the door, his breath held. It was their apartment now, he assured himself. He lived there. With her.

Sasuke closed his eyes and set his head against the door. He commanded his lungs to breathe. He could do this. He could be…normal. He could try.

After placing the takeout in the kitchen, Sasuke noticed that the lights had been dimmed, but Sakura's door was open. He crept down the quiet hallway and stepped into her room.

"Sakura, I have-"

He froze.

He couldn't move a muscle, not when barely walking into Sakura's room had revealed a conveniently placed mirror reflecting the smooth expanse of Sakura's back, exposed by a shirt ridden and covers tossed in sleep.

His eyes couldn't help but roam while his body remained frozen, eyeing the edge of her shoulder blades, the way her spin curved and dipped, and two small indentations at the small of her back. It was ridiculous, but his mouth dried and his heart pounded in his chest. She wore shorts, her legs curled and wound through the deep emerald sheets.

Sasuke nearly swore at himself. He was a ninja, he had seen bodies before. He had seen her body before, when her clothes ripped on missions as genin. But the way her hair was strewn over her face and her partially opened mouth looked…strange to him. It was Sakura like he had never seen her. He felt strange.

Sasuke's head tilted to the side. The feeling in his chest was affection, he already knew that, but it had moved lower. To his stomach and to his-

He closed his eyes and quickly shut her door. Flinching the entire way, he eventually made it into the bathroom and shut that door behind him. Methodically, Sasuke began to prepare for a shower, trying to force the panic from his head.

In. Out. In. Out. In out. In out. Inoutinoutinoutin-

He didn't wait for the water to warm up. The cold instantly jolted him and finally, finally, it felt like he could breathe. Closing his eyes and leaning one hand against the tiled wall of the shower, Sasuke's body felt like it had been flayed alive. His hand twitched at his side, in his hair, against his chest, on the wall. He felt restless, unable to pace in the small shower.

Remembering how simple tasks could stop his mind, Sasuke began to wash. His hands shook, but he managed to wash his hair, his body. He cursed Naruto, as if the blonde idiot had conjured the incident with his words from early. Shortly after starting, he was able to sort through his thoughts, as ridiculous as they made him feel.

It was…not okay, to have stayed there for that long looking. It had shocked him so much that he had frozen. She looked so much and nothing like what he had imagined she would be in such a state of undress.

During his travels, Sasuke had thought endlessly about Sakura. He had tried to come up with so many reasons as to why. He knew that thinking about her when they were genin was normal. They had been teammates. They had learned things together, had been on missions together, had trained endless hours together, the list went on and on. He knew who she was then. A young girl who desperately wanted to be accepted by her two overpowered, hot headed teammates. She was always at a disadvantage and she knew it. That caused her to stay back and not try as hard. It was easy to decide that at the end of the day, he was thankful for it, despite how it slowed her progress. It made her safer.

Thinking about her as a jounin was what made him nervous. She was smart. She had knowledge he would like to know. She was beautiful. She was strong, mentally and physically. She had trained long and hard to make it to where she was, just like he and Narauto had, but without the benefit of a bloodline or tailed beast. She did it on her own. She was stunning when she fought. She was still so good on the inside, like nothing had affected her. He knew it had, but she was so much stronger than him in that aspect.

Sasuke closed his eyes to-

"Sasuke-kun?"

His hand slapped against the wet tiles. He felt horribly exposed, even with a door and curtain separating them. Wide eyed, he croaked out a response. "Yes?"

"Did…did you bring dinner home?"

It took a few moments, but the initial shock of conversing with Sakura while naked wore off and his racing heart calmed. "Yes. I'll be out in a minute. I'm sorry if I woke you."

She gave a cheerful response, her retreating footsteps signaled her exit to the kitchen. Sasuke quickly finished washing and got out. Thankful for the spares he always left in the bathroom cupboard, he slipped a pair of boxers and black sweatpants on. He didn't have a shirt and didn't particularly want to put the dirty one from training back on, so he opted for a short shirtless walk.

That is, until he remembered that Sakura would be in the kitchen.

Sasuke winced. He looked down at himself and wondered if this would freak her out. She had seemed fine the other night…

Turning, he wiped at the foggy mirror with his hand until he could get a clear enough image of himself. Sasuke was never one to indulge in long looks in the mirror, opting to ignore them all together. After his parents died, Sasuke shattered every mirror in the house. He looked too much like his mother.

Looking at his reflection now, Sasuke was a bit startled. His hair covered his rinnegan, but less so than when it was dry. His skin was pale, but he had a freckle on his upper chest he had forgotten was there. Sasuke pictured the scrawny kid he used to be and compared the image in the mirror with the image in his head. He had grown. In size, in stature. He shifted on his feet. Sasuke felt…weird. Like he didn't know what to do now that he knew what he looked like all of the time. Still like his mother, but looking more like his father with age.

Sasuke shook his head and tsked at himself. He opened the bathroom door before he could second guess himself and made his way into the hallway.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke grunted in acknowledgement. He turned the corner and the bright lights of the kitchen made him squint. He briskly walked past Sakura, who was standing by the counter, purposefully ignoring her opened mouthed gaze. Sasuke quickly sank to the ground by the couch and dug in his bag for a shirt, his cheeks blushing furiously.

Sakura cleared her throat behind him. "Erm. I, uh, plated the takeout you brought home." Her tone softened. "Thank you. It's my favorite."

"I know," Sasuke responded, shoving his head and arm through the holes, gritting his teeth. Finally clothed, he took a deep breath to steady himself. That had been much harder than he thought it would have been. Sasuke looked over his shoulder, but kept his eyes away from the pink haired kunoichi. "Salty, right?"

Sasuke finally looked up at Sakura. His chest tightened. She was standing with her back against the counter, her hands white knuckled and her green eyes shimmering. She looked thoughtful, but…sleepy? Sasuke couldn't tell. But her cheeks were flushed and her mouth had formed a perfect "o". Thankfully, she was wearing pants and a sweatshirt. Sasuke didn't think he'd be able to keep his eyes from her skin if her legs were bare. His eyes traveled up.

His breath caught for a second. Sakura looked…her eyes… Sasuke couldn't find the words.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I love seafood."

Sasuke nodded slowly. "I know."

The silence after his words was deafening. Maybe Naruto had been onto something about cutting the tension between them. Even though his comment had been stupid.

Moving to beat the awkwardness, they began to eat, Sakura filling him in on her surgeries and their outcomes. Sasuke was always fascinated to hear how she manipulated her chakra into knives small enough to fix the smallest vessels in the human body. It gave him ideas for his own jutsus. He could easily admit to himself that he actually enjoyed listening to her talk. When they were children, all she wanted was to talk about him. Now, she talked about anything and everything under the sun that Sasuke suddenly had an interest in.

"Anyways, enough of me!" Sakura smiled, sipping her drink. "How was training with Naruto and Kakashi?"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair. The two of them hadn't broached any serious topics or talked about their past since Sasuke had moved in. He wondered if the details of this afternoon would fall into that category. Tilting his head, Sasuke decided that he wanted to tell her. "It was a good day. We talked about you."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Really?" She set her glass down. "What in the world about?"

Sasuke took a moment to steel himself. "They asked a lot of questions about my living here."

Sakura's cheeks flushed, but she smiled, eyes closed. "Oh, those two are the noisiest ninja's I've ever met! I'm sure it wasn't easy to avoid their interrogation."

"I didn't avoid it." Sasuke stared at his hand where it rested on the table. She stared at him, but he kept his eyes down. "We talked about it, how it's been going."

"And…" Sakura began slowly. "I hope you said it's been going…good?"

Sasuke's ears felt hot. He looked up. "Ah." He cleared his throat and took a drink. He couldn't help the smirk from forming at his next words. "They're happy I have a lock to sleep behind, apparently."

Sakura laughed. "Well, I hope they didn't grill you too hard." She huffed and shook her head. "I swear, I feel like I'm going to have to start avoiding Naruto. He hounds me every time I see him for 'juicy details' of our continuous sleepover." Her cheeks flushed and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's pretty ridiculous."

Sasuke regarded her thoughtfully. He wondered how she would react to his next words. "Kakashi mentioned something I had forgotten about."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"We were talking about our habits as genin. Apparently, I…stared at you. A lot."

Sakura looked startled for a moment before chuckling awkwardly. "I don't know about that! I think it was probably the other way around!"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, it's true. I remember trying to understand you quite a few times when we were kids." His eyebrows furrowed. "It was always when I had watch and everyone was asleep, so I'm not sure how Kakashi saw." Sasuke closed his eyes briefly, kicking himself for admitting that he stared at her while she was sleeping, like a total freak.

Sakura, however, didn't dwell on that specific detail. "Well, you know sensei. He's got eyes in the back of his head!"

Sasuke muttered a noise of agreement. He tapped his fingers on the table. So far, the conversation was easy. He wasn't sure what he had been afraid of. He didn't have a reason to. That is, until he said his next words.

"Kakashi said men have been proposing to you since the war."

Sakura's face drained of color and Sasuke nearly cursed out loud at his stupidity. His tone hadn't been accusatory, but he still worried that she thought he was upset or angry. Her expression was that of someone who was confronted with a topic they desperately wanted to avoid. He knew it well. "Sorry, forget I mentioned it."

"No, no!" Sakura lifted her hands up in front of her. "I was just…surprised by that question, that's all." After a few moments of silence, she asked, "Well…what all did Kakashi say?"

Sasuke hoped his shrug looked nonchalant, but tension wracked every muscle in his body. "Nothing much. Just that men apparently were lined up around the corner, asking him if they could marry you." He definitely didn't pull it off.

Sakura chuckled nervously, her hand on the back of her neck. She looked…embarrassed? He couldn't tell. "Oh, he's exaggerating. I don't think anyone's asked him, but I've had a few misunderstandings with shinobi or civilians that I healed or helped out in the war."

That piqued Sasuke's interest. "Oh? Like what?"

Sakura's discomfort was now something of an amusement to him. He was honestly surprised that she had random men proposing to her. It wasn't that she wasn't beautiful, she was, it was just a weird thing to think about; Sakura married to someone else. It didn't make sense.

Sakura leaned back in her chair with a huff. "Kami, the worst was a shinobi whose life I saved. He was on the brink, but I was able to restore his chakra levels. He came to my parents house for weeks, asking to see me." She laughed at Sasuke's narrowed eyes and darkened expression. "I wasn't there. I had already moved out and made an effort to conceal my new address."

Sasuke nodded, but was unconvinced. "Did he eventually find you?"

Sakura smiled grimly over the edge of her glass. "Unfortunately. I was at work and he showed up with a load of flowers and a ring." She shuddered and Sasuke couldn't help but smile at her antics. Adorable.

"And you turned him down?"

Sakura's eyes flicked open in alarm. "Of course I did! I had no interest and he was just a patient. Besides," she sniffed. "He was pitiful, crying and clinging to my coat. It really was sad."

Sasuke snickered. "I'm not sure I agree."

Sakura gave him a mocking look of admonishment. "Well, the good news is, the proposals died down a few months ago." It seemed his ease with the topic loosened her lips a bit. "For a while, it seemed like there was a random man in front of me on bended knee once a month!"

Sasuke was pleased, then confused. Surely, she had found one of them attractive, funny, or honorable enough to accept? And he had been…he had been gone. For almost three years. He hadn't promised her anything but a 'next time', something she easily could have gotten over…right? He would have understood if she had moved on. He would have deserved it. But, the question still begged; if so many men were interested in her, why hadn't she said yes to at least one of them? He asked her as much.

Sakura blushed furiously, looking anywhere but him. "I-, well, I guess…" She tucked her hair behind her ear again and Sasuke found his chest warming at the sight. He knew this tick of hers and found himself thankful for it. He would ease her nervousness, if he could. "I didn't love any of them and I want to marry someone…someone that I love."

The warmth in Sasuke's chest became an inferno, ignited by her words now and stoked by the memory of her confession weeks ago, whispered against his skin. Sasuke couldn't help the small, knowing smile from forming, his eyes twinkling with mirth in his understanding.

Sakura pursed her lips, her hands smacking to her flaming cheeks. "Oh, don't make fun, Sasuke-kun! It's not nice!"

He couldn't help but laugh. It was small, breathless. He was enraptured and amazed by her. She had waited when she could have had anyone. It made him giddy. "I'm not, I'm sorry." He composed himself, finishing his tea. "I'm…happy that you said no. To all of them."

Sakura's hands slowly fell back to her lap. "Really?"

He nodded.

She smiled, so soft, so happy but hesitant, it made his heart lurch. He was sad that it took so little from him to make her so unbearably happy. He could see her trying to restrain herself. She was glowing, her green eyes glowing. Sasuke took a deep breath and felt his features soften. He should make her look and feel like this more often.

Sasuke gestured towards the table with his chin. He cleared his throat in order to speak. "We should clean up. Get ready for bed."

Both of them closed their eyes, the unintended 'us' insinuated by his words. They were going to get ready for bed. Together. Something they had avoided since their third accidental meeting in the bathroom before bed.

They both quickly rose, ignoring the other's heated cheeks, and cleaned together. Sakura brought dishes to the counter and Sasuke washed them. Once they were all in the sink, Sakura stood next to him and dried. The silence was tense and Sasuke unwillingly recalled Naruto's crass remark from earlier.

Once he had washed the last dish, Sasuke stood at the sink, a towel over his shoulder. He looked down at the pink haired kunoichi, lost in thought while drying the same dish for the third time. His eyes traced her profile, her nose, her lips, her chin. They trailed down her throat and over her collarbones before quickly skirting to her bare shoulders, arms smooth and deceptively small for her immense strength. He eyed the dark blue dress and decided he liked the color on her.

Sakura placed the last dish to the side and looked up at him, smiling brightly. "All done! Thanks for…" She trailed off when she realized how close they were. "...your help."

Sasuke made a noise of agreement. Sasuke couldn't stop staring at her cheeks, her nose. She wasn't blushing. He was close to her, much closer than usual. He tilted his head and wondered…what if he tried to make her blush on purpose?

Pushing the thought aside, Sasuke leaned his hip against the counter, clutching his arm with his hand. He glanced down at the sink. "Dishes are easy. It was my chore as a kid."

Sakura's eyes widened. "R-really?" She chuckled, grimacing. "I honestly hate doing the dishes. Something about wet food." She made an adorable face, tongue out in disgust and everything.

"Then I'll wash and you'll dry."

Sakura looked spellbound by his offer. Sasuke's head tilted, wondering if there was something insinuated by those words. They were living together, so was it not expected to split chores? Sasuke didn't want to be waited on like a guest while he lived there. He would do his fair share. However, he could understand Sakura's desire to keep him happy and welcome.

"What are you thinking," he asked.

Sakura was contemplative in her response. "Do you want my honest answer? It might be a bit startling."

Sasuke was startled by that answer, but he was able to properly prepare himself for any of the other possibilities presented by the pink haired kunoichi. "I think I can handle it."

She shook her head with a small grin. "I was thinking about how much you've changed. About how much we've changed." Her smile became shy and secretive while she stared at the floor. "I like having you here. Probably much more than I should. Even if I sometimes make you uncomfortable or something. That's what I was thinking."

He studied her in the silence. Her eyes, for once, were hidden with her confession. Her tone left something for him to grasp onto. Sated happiness with a nervous edge. It was almost as if she was afraid she would do or say something that would push Sasuke away.

Ah, he thought. That is it.

"Sakura," he murmured. When she looked up, he slowly intertwined their fingers. Her eyes got impossibly wider. He pushed on, hoping that his next words put her at ease. "I know I haven't said much about…us. But I…" He swallowed, desperately trying not to falter. "I want to be here. With you. I don't want to be anywhere else. With anyone else."

The silence stretched. Again, Sasuke didn't know what she was truly thinking as her eyes were staring at their hands. Her fingers curled more firmly into his, hesitant at first, but eventually squeezing his tightly. He squeezed back, hoping she got the message.

"Can I ask a question," she whispered, her voice softer than he normally heard. He squeezed her fingers in response. Still shielding her eyes from him, she whispered even fainter than before, "You say our bond is different and you talk about us…" Sasuke's stomach dipped when he realized what she was getting at. He thought she knew. How could she not know?

Finally, she looked up at him. Her eyes were wide, but with confidence. She had been steeling herself for this, he realized.

"Is there an us? Are we…together?"

Sasuke hated that he saw flashes of uncertainty in her eyes. He hated every moment she doubted his intentions. DId she truly, really not understand what he did during those two years? When her expression faltered in his silence, he received his answer. But of course, he should have known. You don't spend ten years rejecting someone and then expect them to suddenly believe that you want to be around them.

Sasuke squeezed her fingers and smiled. His whole body felt soft with an affection tinged with sadness for their predicament. Her pain, caused by his inability to deal with his own pain, and all when they were kids. Kami, they still were kids. The thought that they were young and would learn what they needed to calmed him and gave him the ability to speak.

"Ah," he said, quietly. His lips pressed into a thin smile, portraying his own nerves. "We are… together. If you want that, that is."

Sakura looked like she had been shocked. Her hand nearly slipped from his grip, but he held on. She quickly sputtered back to life, shaking her head and grasping his hand a little bit too tight. "I-yes! Sorry for screaming, but yes!"

Sasuke couldn't help himself; he lurched forward with his one arm and clutched Sakura tight to his chest. He was wracked with guilt at how something as simple as explaining something he thought she already knew could cause the woman in front of him to bubble over with joy. He could see it in her eyes, her posture. This was everything she had fought for. And the only thing he had to do was admit to himself what was right in front of him all along.

"I'm sorry I didn't make that clear sooner," he murmured into her hair. His fingers slipped through the pink locks trailing down her back. She smelled like roses and spring rain. He sighed into the skin at her temple. "I'm terrible with words and I have no idea what to do with myself but I…I know I want to be here."

Sakura gasped into his chest and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. Finally, the tears he recognized. Sakura's fists clenched his shirt tightly, almost as if she was afraid he was going to disappear. He ran his hand along her back like he'd seen his father do with his mother and hoped that the message was conveyed. I'm here. I'm here. I'm here.

"Sorry," she mumbled after a moment. "It's like I said the other morning. Sometimes…I feel like it's a dream. That I'll wake up and you'll be gone…"

"If it makes you feel any better," Sasuke murmured. "It sometimes feels like a dream to me, too."

Sakura pulled back unexpectedly. She looked at him with curiosity furrowing her brows. "Really?"

Sasuke nodded, his bangs tickling her pink cheeks. He felt remorse with his confession. "There was a time when I didn't think I deserved this."

Sakura's eyes sparkled. "And…do you? Now?"

He sighed. "Sometimes I don't but…it's getting easier."

Sakura's answering smile was blinding. "Well, we'll just keep working on that."

Sasuke smiled. "Ah. I think we can manage that."

They slowly disentangled themselves, Sakura sniffing and taking a step back to wipe at her face. Sasuke glanced at the clock on the wall. "It is getting a bit late. You have an early surgery"

She nodded, grabbing his hand once more to squeeze it before letting it hang between them. She gave him a small smile before turning to go, but paused. Clutching her hands at her chest, Sakura turned and looked up at Sasuke with something like fluttering apprehension attempting to cover a sneaky motive. She stepped closer to him and with one hand on his chest and her eyes trained on his, Sakura pressed her lips lightly to Sasuke's cheek.

He held still, afraid to scare her, afraid to grab her, afraid he would run. He closed his eyes to calm himself and sighed when she stepped away. It was over too soon and not soon enough. His mind and his body were warring within him, but his heart was satiated.

"Good night, Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

"Good night.

This one was fun and sad to write. I think Sasuke struggled, but he did his growing during his travels. When he came home, he was ready to try :)