trigger warning: attempted assault, workplace harassment, fighting (it's nothing graphic or violent, but just thought I should place this here just in case)
Sasuke stayed in Sakura's embrace until he calmed down and felt more in control of his emotional state. He was so used to being withdrawn and distant with his feelings and mental health, but something about Sakura just completely disarmed him. He didn't want to burden her with his issues, but he also just wanted to be selfish this one time.
"Are you feeling better?" Sakura asked quietly, still hugging him. "Ah it's just, I uh had my first therapy session yesterday" Sasuke revealed, as he slowly sat up and met eyes with her. "I see, I know how difficult that can be but I'm proud of you for going" Sakura said sincerely. Sasuke muttered a quiet "thank you" in response, grateful for how understanding she was of him.
"But if you ever feel like this again you can come sit in my office if you want, I have a comfy couch" Sakura told him, trying to help anyway she could. "I appreciate it, but I shouldn't intrude on you like that" Sasuke said, not wanting to bother her. "Nonsense, you wouldn't be intruding in on me at all. Besides it would be nice to have some company" Sakura insisted, refusing to let up on the matter. "Alright, but don't expect me too often" Sasuke said with a small smile. "I won't, but maybe we could eat lunch together this week?" Sakura asked, hoping she wasn't asking for too much.
"Ah we can, when do you want to?" Sasuke asked, feeling better now that he had something to look forward to. "How about Friday in my office? Does 12 work?" Sakura asked him. "Yes it does, I need to get back but I'll see you then" Sasuke told her, as they both stood up from the bench.
Before they parted, Sasuke couldn't help but poke her forehead much like his brother used to do to him, "Hey! What was that for?" Sakura exclaimed, but Sasuke only smirked before walking back to the site and leaving Sakura confused at what just happened.
Sasuke got back to where Group 3 was working and was immediately bombarded with questions from the men. "Sasuke, are you dating Dr.Haruno? I can't believe she turned me down but picked you!" Naruto ranted loudly. "Wow looks like Dr.Haruno melted your heart of ice" Shikamaru remarked, as he lit a cigarette. "You must be a real sweet talker Sasuke, speaking of sweets, can you ask Dr.Haruno to buy us some more cookies from that one bakery like she did before?" Choji asked, while chewing on some beef jerky.
"We are not dating you idiot, and I do not have a heart of ice and no I will not" Sasuke said all at once, annoyed with all of them. "Oh come on man, don't be a jerk about it. We're just surprised she's talking to you, especially since she turned us all down!" Naruto repeated, unable to believe what was happening. "Maybe she didn't turn me down because I didn't ask her out before getting to know her" Sasuke bit out, as he walked away to get some more tiles for the floors.
"He does have a point" Shikamaru reasoned, as he finished his cigarette. "You shut up! My pick up lines normally work" Naruto grumbled towards him. "Not every woman wants to hear a ramen joke as a pick up line or go eat ramen on a first date" Choji said pointedly, while finishing off his midday snack.
Sasuke and Sakura only saw each other a few times before Friday, and little did they know they were being watched when they did. Jiji had been discreetly following Sakura around and listening in on her conversations when she spoke with a man who he learned was named Sasuke. He found out about their lunch plans on Friday and decided he would make his move then.
It was ten minutes before Sasuke was supposed to be at her office and Sakura was so excited to see him. She had picked them up teriyaki chicken, fried rice, and steamed vegetables and she was looking forward to sharing a meal with someone she cared for.
Sakura then heard a knock on the door, "Come in!" she called out, assuming it was Sasuke. "It's good to see you Sakura, how have you been?" Jiji asked slyly. "Jiji, is it urgent? Because I'm meeting someone for lunch and they'll be here soon" Sakura said exasperated, wanting him to leave as soon as possible. "Would that be the man you've been talking with from the construction site?" Jiji asked knowingly, as he began to approach her.
Sakura then felt a dangerous aura coming from Jiji as he came closer to her, "That doesn't concern you, if there's nothing urgent we need to talk about, please leave" Sakura asked once more, as she tried to go open the door for him.
But before she could do that, Jiji grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her up against the wall. "I've been so kind to you Sakura, but you choose some tattooed convict over me? I won't allow it" Jiji vowed, as he moved his right hand to just below the end of her dress. Sakura kept squirming and crying for him to stop, but he slammed her against the wall once more to still her. Jiji then forced their lips together and Sakura was thrashing her head back and forth whenever she heard a knock at the door.
"Sasuke!" she yelled as loud as she could, "You shut up, he needs to know you're mine" Jiji demanded, as he tried to connect their lips again. But before he could he felt himself being thrown to the floor, and then he felt a fist making contact with his jaw.
"She asked you to stop but you kept going, so I'm going to do the same" Sasuke said darkly, as he felt nothing but rage coursing through his veins.
Sasuke's mind went blank as he repeatedly punched Jiji until he saw red and some of his teeth scattered on the floor. Sakura yelling finally pulled him out of the trance, "Sasuke! Sasuke!
Please stop, you're going too far" Sakura pleaded, as she grabbed onto his arms to halt his movements.
He then looked down at Jiji and felt horrified at what he saw, he looked to Sakura and saw a mix of fear and worry in her eyes. Whether it was from what happened with Jiji or what she just saw him do, Sasuke didn't know. But he did know that he needed to get out there, ignoring Sakura's pleas for him to stay and listen to her, Sasuke left her office.
Sasuke didn't go back to work, he went straight to the closest bar he could find. It had been a while since he last drank but Sasuke just wanted to forget everything that just happened. The look in Sakura's eyes, Jiji's beat in face, everything, and alcohol would do just that.
It was pitch black by the time Sasuke stumbled out of the bar, he hadn't been this drunk in a while and he could barely see straight. "You're group told me you might be here" he heard a familiar voice from down the street say.
Sasuke looked up and was able to make out pink hair and a white lab coat, "Stay away Sakura, you saw how I really am" Sasuke drawled out, feeling a headache coming on. Sakura walked up to him and said, "I will not stay away Sasuke, and all I saw was a man protecting someone he cares about, even if you took it too far." needing him to know her true feelings.
"That's just who I am, I mess everything up, I messed up our lunch and I'm sure when the Leaf hears about this they're going to kick me out" Sasuke slurred, as he slid down the side of the wall. "That won't happen because I'll explain it to them if it comes down to it. Now let's get you home" Sakura said determinedly, as she slung his arm over her shoulders.
"I can't the doors are locked now" Sasuke told her, as her sweet smelling perfume invaded his senses. "Then it looks like we're having a sleepover" Sakura said dryly, before adding on, "And don't try to argue with me because you can't even walk on your own" with a slight glare.
So Sakura guided them back to her apartment building and took them up to the fourth floor where she stayed. Once inside, Sakura went to her room and laid Saske down on her bed, she then went and got him a bottle of water and took off his work boots. "Is there anything else you need?" Sakura asked softly, as she sat down on the edge of the bed next to him.
But she received no response and took that as a sign to leave but her movements were stopped by his raspy voice, "Please stay" was all he could get out. So Sakura placed the covers over him and then got in bed and sat up against the headboard on the other side of him.
About an hour went by and Sakura assumed Sasuke had fallen asleep by his slowed breaths. So she got up to go change her clothes, but she couldn't help but place a gentle kiss on his cheek and whisper, "Please don't be so hard on yourself Sasuke, I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't shown up" before heading to the bathroom to shower and get ready for sleep.
Little did she know, the raven haired man was still awake and her words had helped ease his tormented mind. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for her" Sasuke thought, before finally succumbing to his exhaustion.
Sakura awoke early for her shift after a night of sleeping on the couch, she had been tempted to sleep next to Sasuke but she didn't want to make things weird. She then went to the bathroom and got ready for her shift at the hospital, straightening her hair and putting on a dark green dress. Once ready, Sakura went to the kitchen and began cooking some eggs and toast when she heard the floor creak, and looked up to see a rough looking Sasuke.
"Good morning, how do you feel?" Sakura asked, as she guided him to sit on the couch. "I'm sorry for all of this" was all Sasuke said back, eyes downcast to the floor. "There's nothing to apologize for, I'm here to help you no matter what it is" Sakura said genuinely, while giving him an aspirin for his headache.
"I don't deserve your kindness" Sasuke said, not budging on his negative self image. "It's not about deserving it or not Sasuke, we can talk about this more later but you need to take a shower and then we're going to the hospital so I can clean up your hands" Sakura said, noticing his bruised, purple knuckles that were swollen and covered in scratches.
Sasuke didn't argue and went to the bathroom to shower, the hot water stung on his hands but soothed his sore muscles. When he was done showering Sasuke wrapped a towel around his waist, but realized he didn't have any clean clothes to put on. He then stepped out into the kitchen without thinking about it, "Do you have any spare clothes?" he asked nonchalantly.
Sakura turned around and immediately started blushing at the state she saw Sasuke in, "Um yes I do, one second" she stammered out, before walking by him to her room. She returned with a pair of jeans and a black long sleeve shirt, "Thank you" Sasuke muttered, as he took the clothes and went back to the bathroom.
He came out in the baggy clothes and found Sakura sitting at the table, "Sorry if those are too big, they're the clothes my dad wears whenever he visits" she explained, while pushing a plate of toast and eggs to him.
The two began eating quietly before Sasuke spoke up, "What happened after I left?" he asked. "Jiji just got up and left, I haven't heard anything from him since" Sakura said, while taking a bite of toast. "I'm sure the police will be knocking at my door sometime soon then" Sasuke spoke bitterly. "Let's worry about that later since it might not even happen, are you ready to go?" Sakura asked, changing the subject. "Ah I am" Sasuke told her, as he finished off his plate and stood up.
The sun was still coming out when they left her apartment and arrived at the hospital and then to Sakura's office, "Take a seat and I'll be right back" she instructed him, before leaving to get supplies. So Sasuke sat down on the couch and tried not to replay the events that occured in her office the day before in his mind.
Sakura came back in with a tray of rubbing alcohol, antibiotic ointment, gauze, and a few other medical supplies. She pulled a chair over and sat in front of Sasuke, "Can you show me your knuckles?" Sakura asked quietly. So Sasuke placed his elbows on his knees and placed his knuckles out in front of her, "This is going to sting" she warned him.
Sakura began cleaning his knuckles with the rubbing alcohol, causing Sasuke to wince in pain every so often. She then covered the large cuts in antibiotic ointment and wrapped his knuckles in bandages so the antibiotics could take effect.
Once she was done, Sakura didn't move, she only stayed there holding Sasuke's hands in her own. She then lowered her head to hide her face from him, "Sakura?" Sasuke asked cautiously. She said nothing but Sasuke watched her shoulders begin to shake and muffled sobs escaped her mouth.
Sasuke began to slightly panic, Sakura was breaking down in front of him and he wasn't sure what to do. She was always the one to comfort him, but he was going to have be that rock for her this time.
"Please don't cry, you're okay" Sasuke said quietly, as he moved her hands and intertwined their fingers. Sakura didn't speak and just began to cry harder, starting to hyperventilate when she was having trouble catching her breath.
Sasuke saw this and moved on an instinct he didn't know he possessed, and pulled Sakura into his lap and wrapped one arm around her waist and one around her head to tuck it into the crook of his neck. Sakura gasped at his actions but quickly melted in his embrace, soaking up all the comfort he was bringing her. Sasuke lightly pressed his lips to her head and whispered reassuring words to calm her down.
"You're safe"
"I won't let anyone hurt you"
"He'll never come near you again"
They both stayed like that for a while until Sakura's breathing evened out and she lifted her head up. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me" Sakura croaked out, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's okay to cry and if you want to talk about anything I'll listen. My therapist says that's good to do" Sasuke suggested, hoping it would help her.
Sakura couldn't help but laugh at his comment, he was already helping her so much whether he realized it or not. She couldn't remember the last time someone comforted her as she cried, and she had forgotten how nice it was to simply be held. The vulnerability of the moment they shared was not lost on her and neither was the kiss he placed on her head. Sakura already knew she liked Sasuke and she hadn't been able to tell if he shared the same feelings, but this all confirmed it for her.
"We can talk about everything sometime soon, I need to start making my rounds" Sakura told him, realizing how much time had gone by after glancing at the clock on her desk. "Ah I should probably head down to the site too" Sasuke agreed.
So Sakura shuffled off of Sasuke's lap and then he stood up too, they walked to the door together until Sakura stopped him by pulling on his shirt. He looked to her and Sakura got up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on Sasuke's cheek, before quickly heading out of her office.
Sasuke was left standing there dumbfounded with the tips of his ears slightly burning, "Next time we talk, I'm asking her on a date" Sasuke decided, as he shut the door and walked to the site.