A/N: This was an old submission for Sasusaku Month 2014 Day 6. Prompt: Night In.
Finishing off training for the day, Sasuke swung a towel over his shoulder. The winter air seemed to do its job cooling him off. He didn't know why but he always liked spending his time in the cold. He walked past the academy, his sight lingering for longer at the swing that hung from a tree. Walking past all these nostalgic sceneries definitely stirred some emotions within him. But instead of bitter emotions, he had learned to cherish the good ones instead. With light feet, he made his way home.
A nice hot shower was what he wanted the most. And what came after that would certainly be the highlight of his day. He and Sakura had planned a night out together to catch a movie in the theaters. They'd been so busy lately that finding time for each other was harder than they anticipated.
He was running early, as usual, but decided to drop by her apartment anyway. The sun was just starting to set, painting the sky with a beautiful hue of orange and blue. He saw the lights in her living room was lit, announcing her presence. Knocking on her door once, he didn't hear a response. He tried knocking again, but no response.
Using his spare key, yes they had spare keys to each other's apartments, he unlocked the door and walked right in.
He scanned the apartment and there she was, lying on her couch. She didn't seem to be awake, which would explain how she didn't hear his knockings. But then a shinobi would never let their guard down like that.
Seeing her sleeping so peacefully, he didn't dare to wake her up. He kneeled in front of her, tucking her hair that was covering her face behind her ear before he gave a peck on the forehead.
Just as their skins touched, he noticed something off. He lifted her hair from her face and touched her forehead, her cheeks. It confirmed his suspicion. She was having a fever.
Without thinking any further, he slipped his arms around her knees and back, lifted her up, walked towards her bedroom and gently placed her on her bed before heading to the bathroom to get a piece of cloth and a bowl of water.
He remembered this was something his mother would do whenever he was sick. He dipped the cloth on the bowl of water, wringing the cloth but still wet enough before placing it on her forehead. Images of a young Sakura in the Forest of Death suddenly resurfaced.
He pulled the covers on top of her, making sure she was comfortable.
Idiot.
He knew she had been working too hard at the hospital. She had been too focused taking care of her patients that she had forgotten to take care of herself. She was always a warrior. Well good thing he was there now.
He took a chair and sat next to her, watching her eyebrows scrunch up.
Guess their plans would have to wait.
.
.
Without realizing, a few hours had passed. He had started dozing off, tilting his head down, arms crossed in a seemingly comfortable position despite leaning back on a chair.
"Sasuke-kun?" His eyes flew open when she called his name. "What are you doing here?" She spoke with hooded eyes. Her hands reached from under the covers to touch the damp cloth on her forehead.
"Rest Sakura. You have a fever." Sasuke took her hand and placed it back under the blanket.
"How long have you been here?"
"Hn. Doesn't matter." Her face softened. Even though she was sick, she was still as beautiful as ever.
"Does this mean our movie date is canceled?" He noted the slight tinge of disappointment on her face. He placed his hand on the crown of her head, giving her an expression just as soft. "But I feel better already. Thanks to you." He did notice her fever had gone down considerably. But that didn't mean she was one hundred percent ready to run laps around the village.
"You need to rest." His girlfriend was stubborn all right. He knew that. Her mouth was pouting. She was giving him that look she would give whenever she wanted Sasuke to do something for her, and at that moment it took Sasuke his entire self-control not to melt in front of her.
"Sakura." He knew this wasn't a battle he would emerge victorious from.
"But I'm hungry." Her voice had gotten considerably higher in pitch, and that was the final straw. Letting out a defeated sigh, Sasuke finally gave in.
"Fine. But we're staying put." As if all the strength she had lost was finally back, she propped herself up, and pressed a light kiss on his cheek.
.
.
They ordered some food to be delivered from Sakura's favorite restaurant. They sat on the couch after finishing their dinner, all huddled up in a warm fortress of blanket. His arm wrapping around her and her head leaning on his shoulder.
It took them ten whole minutes to pick a movie, arguing over whether a comedy would be better than a thriller. He ended up letting her choose anyway.
Not even halfway into the movie, she had fallen asleep in his arms. He noticed this when Sakura was no longer talking or commenting about the movie. He watched her chest rise and fall into an even rhythm.
He knew she was still exhausted, despite all that talk saying she was all healed. He couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.
Again, he carried her to the bedroom and gently laid her on her bed, placing the covers back on her.
"Are you going home?" She asked him with such a soft voice, barely audible. Sakura wasn't forcing him to stay. It was just a simple question. But he thought he should stay and spend the night with her just to make sure she was getting better.
Saying nothing, slipped under the covers, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. She shifted her body to face him, wriggling herself closer to him. Thank Kami the weather was cold. She nuzzled herself, sighing in contempt before drifting back to sleep.