Sakura sighed as she stared at Sasuke's annoyed expression as he burst through her door. She gave him a knowing look and sat up from her bed, patting the empty space next to her.
Naruto had another visitor, therefore, Sasuke was locked out of their room once again.
Sakura was used to Naruto or Sasuke barging in unannounced when the other was entertaining. This happens a couple times a week now.
Ever since they all moved into their two bedroom apartment, Sakura had an open door policy whenever one of her friends needed a place to stay and her two most frequent guests happen to be the very two males who reside in the bedroom right on the other side of the wall.
Sasuke all but dragged his feet across her carpeted floor and plopped down onto her mattress with a soft thud. Sakura gave him a soft smile and a comforting hand on his back.
"Third girl this week huh?" Sakura asked.
"Aa" a muffled reply came from Sasuke who was still lying face first into her bed.
Naruto has had an unusual amount of visits lately, he usually has a girl over once every other week or so but it's progressed to at least two a week as of late.
Sasuke hasn't had any conquests over, Sakura assumes because of Naruto's inflamed libido. As a result, Sasuke has been more irritable than normal.
"You're tense Sasuke-kun." Sakura teased as she rubbed his back.
"Aa." Another muffled grunt from the dark haired man.
Sakura bent down, her head level with his, to whisper huskily in Sasuke's ear.
"Seems like you need to get laid."
Sasuke sat straight up and Sakura couldn't suppress the giggles that were released. Sasuke did his best to hide the red tint creeping up the back of his neck and the tips of his ears.
He threw a pillow at Sakura's face during her fit of laughter in an attempt to distract her from his embarrassment.
Sasuke would agree, he does need to get laid, however, he doesn't want to go ahead and fuck any girl he could pull. Not anymore. He's tried his best to extinguish the feelings that stir within him whenever he's with his pink haired roommate, but they've only proved to strengthen over time.
Though he's tried, Sasuke hasn't been able to pinpoint where or when exactly these feelings arose but whenever Sakura pops into the picture his mood instantly brightens.
Sakura throws the pillow back at the man, her laughter coming to an end as she wipes an invisible tear away from her eye.
"Want to go get some food?" Sakura asks with that sweet smile that Sasuke wants to be his and his alone.
She stands and stretches, her arms reaching high above her and her shirt rises as she does so, a moan escaping her mouth as she releases the tension built in her muscles.
Sasuke's eyes roam over the taut ivory skin of her stomach and the noise she just made leaves him wanting to hear more.
He runs an aggravated hand through his unruly locks and stands leaving the room to grab his coat.
"Sasuke?" Sakura calls out, waiting for an answer.
Sasuke looks back to meet her gaze and his breath gets caught in his throat.
Sakura stands there, her bubble gum hair disheveled as her head is tilted to the side cutely, her plump lips forming a slight pout and her eyes are wide, searching his face impatiently. Her white top is crumpled and slightly transparent, her pink shorts are indeed short and they sit low on her hips accentuating her womanly curves.
Sasuke had been too annoyed by Naruto's sock placed on his door knob to take in Sakura's appearance prior, so to take it all in suddenly was like a slap in the face.
"Aa. Get dressed." He said as he turned away suddenly, exiting the room and shutting her door. He stood there momentarily attempting to vanquish the dirty thoughts flooding his mind.
Sasuke grabbed his jacket from the couch and began placing his arms within the sleeves when his bedroom door opened.
His head turned to meet Naruto's friend exiting their room. The girl was blonde, her hair was curled and slightly frizzy, her eyes were brown and on top of them was a heavy amount of eyeshadow. Her red lipstick was smudged and the second Naruto followed her out the door you could see why. Red was smeared across his neck and chest.
Naruto closed his door behind him and stood upright as he made eye contact with Sasuke. He smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
"Hey Teme, this is Yuki." Naruto introduced.
Sasuke gave a quick glance to said female before returning his stern gaze to his blonde haired roommate.
Just as awkward silence was about to fill the air Sakura stubbled into the room.
"Sasuke? Have you seen…Oh. Hi." Sakura paused when she saw the two unexpected figures in the room.
"Hi Sakura-chan." Naruto said embarrassed. Naruto always felt a pang of guilt whenever Sakura bore witness to his affairs. He didn't like it when she saw this side of him.
Naruto has had a crush on Sakura since the moment he met her, but he never believed he stood a chance. Especially not against Sasuke, whom Naruto knew had a crush on the girl long before he did.
Naruto can see that Sasuke treats Sakura differently than any other girl, he actually talks to her. Naruto stood back to let his friend have a chance with the girl of his dreams long ago, but nothing ever happened between his two roommates.
"Hi" Sakura said, giving Naruto one of her smiles, before she turned to the other blonde in the room, "Hi, I'm Sakura, Naruto's roommate."
Sakura stuck her hand out for the girl to take, but Yuki only eyed Sakura up and down with a look of distaste plastered on her face. Sakura felt her blood begin to boil when the girl simply shrugged her off, turning to her boys instead.
Sakura glared at the girl when she gave them each their own flirtatious wave and blew kisses goodbye.
Sakura couldn't help but scrunch up her face and stick her tongue out towards the door when the girl finally left.
"You look cute today Sakura-chan, you guys going somewhere?" Naruto asked, his eyes moving back and forth between his two housemates.
Sasuke did have to agree with Naruto, she did look cute but then again, she always did. Her shoulder length hair was now combed and sleek, her lips pink and glossy and her viridian eyes stood out underneath long dark lashes coated in mascara. Her outfit was simple but put together, black jeans, a red top, a faded jean jacket, and a pair of white sneakers that aren't so white anymore.
"We're headed out to grab some food." Sakura answered him.
"Oh cool! I'm starving!" Naruto exclaimed with too much excitement. "Gimme one sec and I'll put some clothes on!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, he didn't want Naruto's company. He wanted Sakura's full and undivided attention while they sat and ate something other than ramen.
Naruto emerged minutes later, now wearing an orange hoodie and some jeans.
"Ready?" He asked his friends as he stepped into the living room, Sasuke scowled when he noticed the blonde haired male's eyes linger on Sakura a bit longer than he'd like.
Naruto smiled sheepishly at Sasuke, having been caught staring. His cheeks tinted pink and his eyes scanned the rosette once more. At least she didn't notice, Naruto thought.
In annoyance, Sasuke stalked out of the apartment, leaving a confused Sakura and an embarrassed Naruto behind.
It didn't take long for the two to catch up to their brooding dark haired comrade. The trio walked the streets arguing about where to go.
"Naruto, we can't eat Ichiraku's every day. It's not healthy." Sakura scolded.
"I eat it every day and I'm as healthy as I can be!" Naruto argued, placing his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest in triumph.
"That's because you're a different species." Sasuke rolled his eyes.
Naruto stuck his tongue out playfully at his raven haired rival, before wrapping an arm around Sakura's shoulder pulling her closer to his side.
"So Saks, where do you wanna eat?" Naruto asked, staring straight ahead as a smile graced his features.
Though Naruto would casually put his arm around the petite girl often, the innocent gesture still bothered Sasuke to no end. Naruto was able to show certain emotions and shower Sakura with affections that he was unable to. Sasuke understands that Naruto has a different type of relationship with Sakura than he does.
When Sakura's upset she usually turns to Naruto for comfort. Not him. Though Sasuke wishes he could share those types of moments with Sakura, he struggles with intimacy.
Sasuke watches the two through the bangs that cover his eyes, his stomach twists and turns as he watches Sakura laugh at something Naruto says and she leans into his embrace.
Sakura laughs, Naruto will do anything to make her laugh, she knows. She leans into the warmth he offers in this cold weather. Naruto always comments about how cold she is to the touch, so he's always making sure she's nice and warm.
She appreciates how sweet he is.
Sakura looks to her right to see Sasuke, hands stuffed into his pocket, his head down, bangs hiding his eyes. She pulls away from Naruto slightly and interlocks her arms with the boys at her sides. She smiles brightly at Sasuke who raises a brow at her antics. She wants him to feel included so she leans her head against his shoulder. He usually hates any physical contact, but he lets her do this without any hesitation. She's happy, both of her boys with her, each connected at either of her sides.
Sakura leads them to her favorite place to eat. A little hole in the wall cafe tucked away in the corner of an alley. It's a quiet dimly lit space, with tons of delicious pastries. Sakura's mouth watered just at the thought.
Naruto loved how Sakura's eyes seemed to sparkle when they walked into the small eatery, she was gleaming with excitement.
They sat at a small square table in the same fashion as they always do, Sakura on one end and the men each at one of her sides. Sakura hummed in delight as her green irises scanned across the page, searching for her usual order.
Sasuke was unimpressed with the menu selection, there wasn't much food but mostly desserts and pastries. He hated sweets, but Sakura loved them, so he'd deal with the tiny selection.
Naruto, on the other hand, was just happy to be there. Though he'd prefer ramen, he didn't really mind what they ate as long as they all got to hang out together.
The three ordered their food and ate in more peace than usual. Sakura was slightly concerned but more pleasantly surprised at the lack of arguing between her two housemates during the lunch. She smiled at each of them in between bites of her sandwich. Things were nice. She wished they would do this more often.
Sasuke stared at his pink haired crush as her eyes glazed over and she got lost in her mind. She does this often, he notes, and he wants nothing more than to figure out every thought that goes through her pretty little head. He watches her smile falter and her eyes lose that little bit a sparkle they hold. He can't help but wonder what thoughts pulled her into such a daze and if he can ease any of her worries.
Naruto watches Sasuke eye the woman beside them. To anyone else, his dark haired friend seems emotionless and bored but Naruto could see that Sasuke's eyes hold concern and interest. He smiles sadly at the scene before him. A beautiful girl who works herself to death and is oblivious to the fact that the two men in her life in love with her, a man who gets everything he wants but is too prideful to give into his emotional needs and desires, and then himself, a man who's heart breaks as he stands aside, day by day, waiting for his best friend to finally take away the girl of his dreams.
"Are you guys ready to go?" Sakura asks her friends as she puts her jacket on.
Both the men nod and start straightening up themselves, getting ready to leave the cafe. Sakura waves goodbye to the girl behind the counter as she exits the building, her boys following quickly behind her. Sakura walks down the street, humming to herself as she browses at all the shops and street vendors.
"Let's go home and watch a movie." Sakura said with a smile, as she eyed one of the smaller snack vendors they passed.
"Yeah!" Naruto beamed with excitement. "You in Teme?"
"Hn." Sasuke smirked. He didn't mind the idea, the day had gone fairly smoothly after Naruto's latest conquest had left so he was optimistic about a movie night.
With a few giggles and the biggest smile plastered on her face, Sakura practically skipped over to the vendor cart and purchased a more than necessary amount of snacks and candy for said night in.
After a long and tiresome debate, the trio settles on a comedy movie, Sakura laid out all of the snacks out on the coffee table before plopping down in her designated place, right in the middle of the couch, in between Naruto and Sasuke. She began eating a bag of chips, occasionally offering one here and there to her friends. It made her giggle when Sasuke nonchalantly bit the chip directly out of her hand, like it was natural. He didn't even glance her way, but simply kept watching the film.
A ping of jealousy hit Naruto as he watched the exchange. He forced his back onto the screen, and distracted his mind by picking out a new snack from in front of him. Sakura's giggles continue to fill the room, this time caused by the movie and not his childhood rival.
Sasuke watched Sakura more than he watched the actual movie, he was captivated every time she laughed, every time she asked a question, every time she popped a candy into her mouth. Her eyes shined bright against the television in the dark apartment. Sasuke looked slightly past the girl to see Naruto staring back at him. Something strange filled the dobe's eye but Sasuke couldn't place it.
The blue and black eyes turned their attention to the pink head of hair falling slowly. Sakura was falling asleep, they could tell. Sasuke leaned forward, taking the snacks that lay in her lap and moving them to the table. Sakura, unconsciously, leaned over as exhaustion took over her and she soon found comfort against Naruto's side.
Sasuke felt an odd emotion erupt within him. He wanted nothing more than for the petite frame to be cuddled up at his side, not Naruto's. Sasuke sat still and silent for the remainder of the film, he didn't like the smile that he saw across Naruto's face every time he looked to his right so he did everything he could not to look.
The movie ended and Sasuke stood up abruptly, he couldn't help looking down at the two cuddled up on the couch. Naruto had placed his arm around Sakura's slender shoulders as she curled into his side, her arms wrapped around herself and her legs balled into her chest. She was cold, he could tell. Sasuke moved and started to bend down, he was gonna pick her up and put her to bed like he had so many times before.
"No, leave her." Naruto stopped him, his voice barely above a whisper. He stared down at the girl in his arms, smiling. It felt right holding her close like this.
When he looked up, he saw Sasuke raise a brow at his protest.
"I don't wanna wake her." He answered.
"She's cold." Sasuke stated.
Naruto ran a hand up and down her bare arms, she was cold. She always was.
"Can you grab one of the blankets for me?" He asked, gesturing to their bedroom.
"Hn." Sasuke rolled his eyes and made his way to the room.
Sasuke had begun to head to the room he shares with Naruto but then quickly changed directions to Sakura's room. He wasn't about to grab a blanket that Naruto had sex with some random girl on for Sakura. No. He would grab her one of her own. That was a blanket he could trust.
He made his way back and covered the girl in the soft, light pink blanket. Sasuke didn't want to leave the two alone on the couch all night but he was currently out of reasons to stay. So he sulked back to his room, he lingered in the doorway, watching as Naruto's head tilted and rested against Sakura's. Finally he turned away, and all but slammed the door shut. A small part of him hoped that the slamming door would wake Sakura up from her slumber, so that way every one could go sleep in their own beds.
Naruto flinched at the slamming of the door, he turned his head as much as he could, without waking the girl, to stare in concern at the closed door to his bedroom. Sasuke was upset, he was sure. But he wasn't about to lose this moment with Sakura. It was a moment he'd cherish forever. He smiled down at the top of her head, his hand combing through her soft locks. His heart fluttered when she smiled and nuzzled further into his embrace. Naruto did something he had never done before, and kissed the top of her head, taking in the strawberry scent of her shampoo. He was happy. He closed his eyes and sleep welcomed him gladly.
Sasuke, on the other hand, couldn't sleep as much as he tried. He tossed and turned, in bed, his stomach unsettled as he wondered what could possibly be going on outside his door.
He knew nothing like that would happen between the two tonight but then again those thoughts wouldn't leave his head. Naruto and Sakura. He told himself it didn't bother him, and that they were two independent individuals free to make their own choices. Yet here he was. Bothered endlessly simply by the proximity between the two of them while they sleep on the couch.
Somehow Sasuke managed to fall asleep during the night, but not for very long. He, as usual, was the first to wake up. He noted the empty bed on the other side of the room and his mood worsened automatically.
He opened his door and noted the pink blob beside the yellow one. He ventured closer to the couch for a better observation.
Naruto had somehow managed to sprawl out awkwardly, he was at a diagonal, his back resting against the arm of the couch, one leg stretched out along the couch while his other hung off of it. Sakura had somehow found herself lying in between his legs, still curled into a ball with her arms lying lazily against Naruto's abdomen. The blanket long forgotten on the floor. Her breath was slow and lazy, while his were erratic and uneven in between obnoxious snores.
It irritated him how comfortable they looked, how natural they looked in each other's arms.
He ran an agitated hand through a tangled mess of bed head and dragged himself into the bathroom. He needed a hot shower.
The shutting of a door woke Sakura up from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes lazily, after with a big yawn and a stretch, noticed her position. She and Naruto had fallen asleep on the couch together. She smiled at the warmth radiating off of him, his mouth was wide open as his head hung back uncomfortably, drool pooling at the corner of his lips.
She carefully pushed herself off of the man, grabbing the blanket at her feet and placing it on the blonde before her. The bathroom door was closed and the shower was running so she figured Sasuke was up and getting ready for the day.
Sakura looked at the time and noted she had to be at work in three hours. She was interning at Konoha Hospital during the summer, in hopes of securing a job there after college. The pay is decent but the hours are long and exhausting. Sakura went to her room to get dressed and ready, she'd go in early, she decided, in hopes of getting off before dinner time.
When Naruto woke up, several hours later, both of his housemates were nowhere to be found. He was disappointed he woke up so late and had missed his chance of seeing Sakura. He knew that if she had work, she wouldn't be home all day. Naruto couldn't figure out where Sasuke could have gone, they didn't have practice today so he usually would stay home and mope until Sakura got home. He tried to call but his best friend failed to answer his cell phone. Naruto sighed and decided he would go out to eat ramen since he was feeling hungry.