chapter seven t e en
Itachi was supposed to stay the night at Shisui's. On top of being disgustingly in-love and annoyingly inseparable, they also had work stuff to go over and get done. So it should have worked out–Sasuke and Sakura should have been safe, she should have been able to leave his house at the dead of night without anyone seeing.
But it was almost funny, how things worked out sometimes. And how they fell apart.
Sasuke was in the kitchen, standing in the refrigerator light and downing a full glass of water, when Itachi walked in. He nearly spat the water out in surprise but he managed to gulp it all down, even as his throat constricted. His mind raced, along with his pulse. "W-What are you doing here?" he asked, nervous but casual.
Maybe, he thought–prayed–Itachi missed her, maybe she'd already driven away, maybe–
The bright kitchen light flickered on and he was all too aware of his current state, clad in only his boxers, hair disheveled, lips swollen, and his whole body marked. Itachi took one look at him before averting his gaze, shaking his head in disbelief and disappointment. "She's gone," he said, voice deep and monotonous.
The tension in the room was thick and suffocating. Itachi's anger was a quiet thing, but Sasuke's was violent. "What did you do?" he demanded, walking around the kitchen counter towards the older man. His blood boiled, his fist clenched, he shook all over.
"How long has this been going on?" Itachi asked instead, looking at his brother like he didn't know him anymore.
"What did you say to her, nii-san?"
"Was it before, after, or during your trip to Suna?"
"Why are you here?!" Sasuke shouted.
The silence that came after was even more deafening. Itachi ran both his hands over his face and yanked at his hair in frustration, and Sasuke had never seen his brother–cool, collected, and level-headed at all times–this distraught. It's been going on for a while, he explained. There was something wrong, something that was wedging itself between him and his fiancé.
Shisui's been unable to look him in the eyes, he's been fidgety. The comfortable silence that he'd grown used to was replaced with the stifling weight of words unsaid. It was obvious that Shisui was keeping something from him and he never pried, but things came to a head tonight and now… and now Itachi knew exactly what it was.
"You're not going to keep seeing her, otouto," he said with finality.
"Fuck you, Itachi," Sasuke bit out. He walked around his brother and bolted up the stairs and into his room. He snatched his clothes off the floor and quickly threw them on, before running back down. He needed to see her, needed to make sure that she was okay, needed to reassure her that everything was going to be okay and he didn't give a shit what his brother thought.
Itachi was at the bottom of the stairs, but Sasuke just walked past him.
"Sasuke, I swear to fucking God," he called out, just as Sasuke reached the front door, his voice threatening. "If you walk out that door, I'll call the cops on her."
He cringed, whipping around to face him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "She's your friend!"
"She's your teacher," Itachi retorted. "You're a child, she's a grown woman. She took advantage of you."
He was bluffing. He's got to be. He couldn't possibly do that to Sakura, he knew that would end her entire career. Sasuke's fist tightened around the door knob. He wanted to call his brother's bluff, but he couldn't risk it. He's never seen him this angry.
He let his hand fall to his side. He made his way back up to his room, shoving a shoulder against Itachi as he passed.
Sasuke paced in his room. He waited a moment, then another. Through thin walls, he listened for the clinking of glass and Itachi's footsteps retreating to his own room. And when there was nothing else, he finally opened his window and snuck out.
He drove to Sakura's apartment only to find that she wasn't there.
**✿❀ ❀✿**
He was a heart attack. He was a blizzard of nerves and emotions. He hasn't had a wink of sleep and it showed. She hadn't been home all night and she'd missed all his calls but Sakura texted him at 4:30am, telling him to meet her at the rooftop after school. And that's where he's been all day, skipping all of his classes and ditching his friends.
Finally, the door opened, and there she was.
Sakura's tense shoulders relaxed the moment she saw him, relief visibly rushing through her body. She smiled softly, eyes bright, and Sasuke felt air in his lungs for the first time that day. Then she was rushing into his arms and he held her with no intention of letting her go. "It doesn't matter," she said, pulling away slightly, just enough to look into his eyes. "It doesn't matter that Itachi knows and I don't care what he thinks. It doesn't matter because I choose you."
–at least, that was how he wanted this scene to play out. But there was no warmth in her eyes when she looked at him, there was no reassuring smile on her lips. She looked at him in a way that she's never looked at him before; with indifference. The beating in his chest stuttered to a halt. He already knew, before she even said anything.
She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes downcast as she approached him. Everything seemed to still when she stood before him. She looked up at him briefly but she never met his eyes.
"Where were you last night?" he asked, before she could say anything. The sound of his voice was unrecognizable to his own ears; it was cold, silent fury.
She hesitated for a moment. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw, and finally, "I was with Kiba."
Sasuke didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't that. He hadn't been prepared for that. Suddenly, he felt like punching something, so he did, whirling around and connecting his fist to the chain link fence. He heard her gasp sharply along with the clank of metal. He punched it another time, then his fingers clung onto the wire like he wanted to tear the whole thing down. "You're unbelievable," he laughed humorlessly.
When he turned to face her again, she was hugging herself, lips tight and eyes glassy. "It's over, Sasuke," she said, barely above a whisper. "We're over."
"Why? Because Itachi-nii said so?" he asked bitterly. "It's still him, isn't it? It's always going to be him."
"This isn't about Itachi!" she cried out. "I should never have let this happen. It was unprofessional and selfish, and I shouldn't have–"
"Did you love me at all?" The words came stumbling out of his lips and he hated it. Hated how weak he sounded, hated the slight crack in his voice and the way he shook. Hated that he desperately wanted her to say yes, that he was begging for the tiniest crumb. She could say yes and he would hold onto it forever.
"Not in the way you wanted me to," she answered, meeting his eyes and holding his gaze for the first time since she got there.
"Sakura," he pleaded.
"That's Haruno-sensei to you," she said sharply. It was another blow he couldn't take. "I'm your teacher and you're… just one of my students. This is how it was always supposed to be. I-I could lose my job if I continue entertaining your feelings."
And that was the final straw. "Entertaining my feelings?" he repeated. The hurt he felt a second ago quickly morphed into resentment. He was always better at this than her; he could be so cruel. "Is that all it was to you? Is that what happened last night? Were you just humoring me when you begged me to fuck you–"
He heard it before he felt it, the force of her open palm against his cheek. Sakura has always been very strong, very physical, and he knew it should hurt. But he didn't feel a thing. Now, he was the one with eyes downcast, head bowed.
"I'm sorry for letting this go on for so long," she continued, even as her voice shook. "I'm sorry for inconveniencing you. You may go."
