AU: So basically college AU NaruSaku roommates is my favourite AU to write from methinks
Naruto has always been the kind of guy that tended to worry. So on the nights that he didn't know Sakura was staying out late, or was taking a late shift, or was just out with Ino or whatever else she could possibly be doing, he often spent them… Kinda stressing. Not because he was possessive or something—no, he just held a genuine concern for her wellbeing, and even held off calling until it was past midnight to avoid seeming like he was being overbearing.
And until he made that call or got a kind of confirmation that she was okay, he always—without fail—stayed up in the living room watching the Animal Planet until he knew.
It took her a long time to be able to make the connection between his choice in show, and the fact she only caught him watching it during those times she got home late. Most of those times, he would immediately shut it off the instant she walked in the door, and ask her how she was, and all the generic "hey you just walked in so let's have a conversation" talk. Nothing out of place, really. As far as she knew he just… Really liked to watch the Animal Planet.
But one day her curiosity got the best of her. She had gotten home late that night—overtime on her shift, and it was just hitting midnight as she walked in the door. As expected, the TV was spewing facts about (this time) some kind of snake in Africa, and the blonde was sitting on the couch, looking fairly absorbed by the show.
"I never would have had you pinned for a documentary-watching sort of guy, Sunshine," she told him lightly, despite the fatigue that wore down at her very being. He seemed kinda of surprised at the comment, and stumbled for a reply.
"I… Uh… well, I like 'em. The more you know, right? Haha." His laugh came kind of awkwardly, and another thought came to her.
"Especially one that only watches them late at night," she noted dully, hanging up her jacket and pouring herself a glass of water after. The roseate leaned against the kitchen cabinet, and raised an eyebrow at the blonde.
Naruto flipped the TV off with the remote, and stood with a stretch of his lean body. "Well, what can I say? I'm a closet intellectual."
"Only until I come home?" she questioned with a smirk. He pouted.
"You make me self conscious of my inner-brilliance. No one's allowed to know, you see."
"I think you're bullshitting me," she retorted with a laugh. Originally she was only teasing, but at the almost embarrassed look he gave in reply, her face fell a bit. "I was just messin', Sunshine. What you chose to watch is your own business."
Naruto shrugged, and moved around her to get into the cabinet and pull out a ramen cup. "It's just easy to stay awake to. Mindless facts keep me up." He said it like it was nothing, but the actual statement confused her.
"Why would you want to stay up? You always turn it off when I get home anyway, so…" Her jade eyes followed him as he filled the cup with water and put it in the microwave, seeming to give her words thought. As the clock reached halfway, he sighed and just shrugged again.
"I don't like going to sleep when I don't know if you're okay or not, so I wait up," he confessed in a grumble. He had expected her to be annoyed by the overprotective gesture, or maybe insulted that he felt the need to try and ensure her safety that much. But the smile he was granted, along with the tight hug with a light laugh told him otherwise.
"Sunshine, you're too cute sometimes."
After that, he would come to notice that he got a lot more texts telling him about her night time plans, and that he seemed to be taking in a lot less random facts about animals.