Chapter 9 – What Difference Does It Make?
The perverted sadist was back, Sasuke noticed grumpily while chewing on his lunch, head in hand. Most days, he tried to make it himself, wanting to give his older brother one less task in his never ending, chaotically busy days. However, that morning, Itachi had beaten him to it, handing the lunch over with a smile before he left for work.
Much to his annoyance, he was at the mercy of public transportation once more. The headmaster had decided to suspend Sakura as punishment for the one-sided fight – would have excluded her, if he and the others hadn't spoken up about how she was provoked. In response to the suspension, her mother had grounded her and taken away her car keys, but that didn't stop Sakura from walking to his house whenever Itachi wasn't home.
The amount of sex they were having was incredible. Sasuke wouldn't have thought he'd have the stamina to keep up (sometimes, he didn't, but settled on pleasing her in other ways), but surprisingly, it wasn't too difficult to do so. Every time she wanted him, it was like she flicked a switch and he was ready, needing her.
Would he always feel so strongly for her? Would her simply looking at him a certain way always set his blood on fire?
Gods, he hoped so.
"Oi," snarled his best friend.
Languidly, Sasuke looked to him, not bothering to apologise for his lack of concentration as he continued to chew on a slice of tomato. It seemed Itachi had gone grocery shopping late last night on his way home from work – they'd been out of tomatoes for almost a fortnight. That was probably why he'd gotten up earlier to make his lunch, too. To try and make up for the lack of his favourite snack.
"Are you listening?" Naruto demanded, fist coming down on their table. "I said we have to find a way to lift Sakura-chan's suspension."
"And I said what's the point?" replied Ino with a roll of her eyes. As usual, she wasn't eating much, if anything but Sakura had told him it was another one of her intense diets. "There's only two days left of it."
"The point is that she's grounded," came his angered response. Picking up another slice of tomato, Sasuke quietly ate it, watching the interaction without a care. "I miss my friend y'know."
What difference would her coming back make to him? She avoided him – wouldn't even look him in the eye. What exactly did Naruto miss? Looking at her, but never having a real conversation anymore?
Like it even mattered.
While Sasuke preferred her presence over everyone else's at the school, he wasn't fussed about her return. After all, he still saw her after school most days. They still spent most of their time together.
"I know!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, leaping to his feet. It irked Sasuke that his idiot best friend always had to be so dramatic. So many people were staring at them – the sadist included, he noted belatedly, refraining from narrowing his eyes on the man. "We can have one of our movie nights."
A movie night?
Sasuke couldn't think of anything worse.
"A movie night?" she repeated while wrinkling her nose.
Even Sakura thought it was a bad idea – which was saying seriously something.
Closing the cupboard door, Sasuke handed her the seasoning she'd asked for before leaning on the island in the kitchen, sighing.
Naruto was unnecessarily concerned about her in terms of Sakura's grounding and suspension. It was clear to Sasuke that she was handling it well – if anything, she was enjoying herself. As she'd told him on the first day of her suspension: she got to stay up late and sleep in, got to eat whenever she felt hungry, could read and listen to music and do whatever else all day long. Sure, there was homework, but her parents weren't there or cared enough to make sure it was done. She was basically given a holiday.
Now, if he'd been concerned about the changes in her…
Sasuke narrowed his eyes fractionally.
She'd yet to admit whether she regretted attacking the girl who'd been badmouthing her. Based on her current cheeriness (along with her overall good mood all week), he was willing to bet she didn't. Not in the slightest.
"Done," Sakura announced happily, rushing around the kitchen to grab the dishes. There was no use in telling her to slow down. He'd been trying to for weeks now and had learned the hard way it only aggravated her. No, the best thing to do was to simply let her get on with things. "C'mon, Sasuke-kun. Sit down."
Like usual: Kizashi and Mebuki were nowhere to be seen, though wherever they'd gone, they'd taken Sakura's car keys with them. She'd already searched the house, apparently. Would she have really left if she'd found them? Honestly, Sasuke no longer doubted her – not with the way she'd been acting as of late. He'd–
Spluttering after a mouthful of the meal she'd cooked, Sasuke covered his mouth, body almost convulsing as he reached for his drink, guzzling the water between coughs.
"D-Damn it, S-Sakura-"
"Too much salt?" she murmured, frowning. "Garlic? Basil? Oregano? Chilli powder?"
She'd added all of that to one dish? Yes. Yes, she had, because Gods he could taste it all, but not in a good way. There was no blend of flavours, they were all overpowering. He couldn't even taste the meat.
"Try it for yourself," he demanded hoarsely. Damn it, his eyes were watering, but he couldn't find it in himself to care, not when he could still taste it.
Within seconds of trying the dish she'd prepared, Sakura was coughing and retching, doubling over with her hands grasping the edge of the island as she tried to control herself.
"Fuck–"
"This is garbage," he felt no shame in telling her bluntly. Grimacing, he shoved the plate away from himself. "Now I see why you were cooking it for so long when it barely takes half an hour."
Anger flashed over her features as they twisted. "Oi, don't be mean, Sasuke-kun-"
When it came to defying him, he loved it when he saw her anger. In any other situation, he disliked it, for it meant she was getting herself into trouble again.
"It's a simple dish," he goaded, smirking. "How did you mess it up this badly?"
"You…"
Sasuke ducked as spaghetti flew over his head, eyes widening as he heard a splat behind him. When he looked over his shoulder, he found it sliding down the recently installed white gloss cupboard.
Her mother was going to murder her. Brutally.
Just as he turned to warn her of that, however, he flinched when another handful of spaghetti was thrown his way. That time, he failed to dodge it.
His eyes opened, glaring at her angrily.
"Sakura-"
"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" she asked teasingly. She was already standing, hand digging into the mess she dared to call dinner.
Like hell he was being dragged into something so childish–
He ducked again.
"Sakura-"
He was forced to dodge again.
Damn it, how much food had she made?
When he was once more forced to dodge, Sasuke reacted completely on impulse by grabbing his own food and flinging it back at her, satisfied by her startled squawk. Barely even taking in the sight of the Bolognese in her hair, he grabbed at more of his food just as she did, unable to stop his grin when they simultaneously threw and dodged their meal.
Grabbing the leftover spaghetti, Sasuke hid behind a cupboard door, peeking out to see where she was, only to cringe when the disgusting food landed on the side of his face and hair before he had the chance to hide again.
It went on for a good ten minutes, the pair of them scraping whatever they could get their hands on and hurling it at one another.
The sound of her laughter – her real laugh – had a part of him that he hadn't even realised was tensed, relaxing.
Catching Sakura just as she tried dashing for the pan of leftover spaghetti, Sasuke spun her, but was unprepared for them slipping on the sauce that coated the tiling. She squealed as they fell, though he expected gratitude at some point for breaking her fall, allowing Sakura to land on him.
Then, she was laughing again, her expression so carefree and happy, leaving Sasuke to stare up at her in hidden awe, admiring the beauty in her smile. Even though she was covered in the vile food, she was so undeniably beautiful, his chest constricting with an intense emotion he couldn't fully understand or begin to explain.
Was it love?
Sasuke was unable to ponder the thought or his feelings further, too caught up in Sakura's sudden kiss and the way she shifted her body over his, already working on unbuttoning his pants.
He choked back a moan, head falling back when she started working over his length with her mouth. His hands tangled in her hair, not even feeling the spaghetti as he guided her.
Gods…
He couldn't get enough of her.
She looked so peaceful when she slept.
Absentmindedly, Sasuke traced the curve of her spine with his fingertips, smirking faintly at the goosebumps that broke out across her skin.
Her once neatly styled pink hair looked more like an explosion on the pillows, causing her serene expression to appear so out of place in comparison. It was apparently too warm to sleep under the covers, she'd told him when he'd tried covering her, though settled on having the covers over her legs at the very least. After all, it wasn't actually warm. He himself was freezing.
After their food fight, they had the messiest sex he'd ever had (which wasn't saying much, considering he'd only ever slept with Sakura). They'd spent what felt like hours cleaning the kitchen afterwards and even longer in the shower (though that was mostly because they'd gotten distracted by the other's nakedness, soon giving in to their lust).
In two short weeks, he would be sitting his driving test – Itachi wouldn't let him forget. Somehow, in the already chaotic days that he lived, he found time to take him out on lessons, sometimes even eating during said lessons when they fell on his lunchbreak. It made him feel inexplicable guilt because he never got a moment to himself, but Itachi would hear none of it when Sasuke told him someone else could give him lessons – even a real instructor if it truly came down to it.
Hopefully, once he passed, they would get out more rather than always staying stuck in one of their homes. While the sex was mindblowing and he thoroughly enjoyed each and every time, Sasuke found himself wanting to take her out. Not necessarily in Konoha, considering how likely it was someone from school would see them and pass the gossip onto Naruto. Just somewhere for them to be like an ordinary couple – if that was what they were.
The sound of her phone ringing captured Sasuke's attention and he leaned back on his elbow, glancing in its direction. Sighing, he reached behind himself to ensure it was nothing serious and upon seeing the name 'Ino-Pig' he put it back.
"Who is it?" came the tired mumble from beside him.
Smirking, Sasuke resumed his earlier ministrations of drawing patterns along her bare back, his smirk widening when she shivered delicately. "Ino."
She groaned. "She'll be wanting to talk about the party."
His fingers stilled. "What party?"
It was with a weary sigh that she turned onto her back, unabashedly exposing her breasts to him. He wished she hadn't – it was difficult focusing on what she was saying when she did.
"You didn't hear this from me, okay?" He nodded, although couldn't help but wonder who the hell he would've heard it from if not her. If it was something major, then Ino wouldn't have told anyone else. Then again, it was highly unlikely that he'd let on he knew. "Ino was planning on throwing a party in a couple of weeks and–" She rolled her eyes. "–seducing you or confessing to her feelings."
He frowned at that. "And you supported that idea?"
She laughed. "Like hell I supported it! I told her what she wanted to hear."
As he often did whenever Naruto wouldn't shut up or leave him alone. Did that make them bad friends?
Who really cared?
"Tell her I'm not interested." To spare him from the annoying experience of having to turn her down again.
"Nope. Deal with it yourself."
"What if I fall for it?" he questioned, hoping to spark her jealous rage. Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke added, "What if she manages to seduce me?"
Sakura snorted at that and pushed his back to the bed, sliding her thigh over his body until she was settled comfortably, straddling him. "Please," she murmured and rolled her hips, making him sigh. "Nobody will ever be able to satisfy you like I can."
How confident of her.
…And completely true.
"We're meant to be," she told him, not for the first time. Lowering her chest to his, she captured his lips in a scorching kiss that had him clutching at her body, erection twitching persistently. "Even if we do somehow manage to fall apart, we'll always come back together sooner or later."
He doubted they would even fall apart. Not when she kissed him like that. Not when she made him feel such strange, warm emotions. Not when she took away his loneliness.
Hand coming to the back of her head, Sasuke shifted his position, purposely rolling his hips into hers, catching her moan with his kiss.
"I'll always love you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered between kisses. "Always."
A/N - I am so sorry that this has taken so long, guys. I've been re-reading They Never Knew and Until It Was Too Late and trying to decide whether I should rewrite them. Once B,B&H is done, I think I will eventually rewrite them both.