title: celebration

genre: friendship/romance

pairing: SasuSaku, implied NaruHina

prompt: none

word count: 469

dedication: to our dear Sasucakes. Happy belated birthday! Sorry it's late, know it's not much, but hope you like it anyway. :)

disclaimer: don't own

notes: this is a disappointing fic for me. oh wells.

It's over, Sasuke thinks, as his eyes close, clouds of dust and shouts surrounding him still.

The war is finally over.

Madara is dead. In the end, Kakashi's first lesson, teamwork, was the Uchiha's downfall.

Sasuke can barely make out the "Teme.." and the "Sasuke-kun…" that is mumbled from somewhere nearby, until two thuds resound on either side of him. He doesn't need to open his eyes to know who the bodies lying next to him are. A hand, rough and calloused, but with slender fingers, reaches out to his from the left, and another, squared and strong, reaches out from his right.

Team 7 links hands.

A smirk slowly stretches across Sasuke's lips, as the sounds of battle die down and victorious cheers begin to sound off in the distance. Likewise, a face framed by pink hair has a gentle smile, and the tanned, whiskered one has a broad grin already rushing to meet the ends of his ears.

"I could really use some ramen right now…" Naruto mumbles, causing Sasuke to snort, and Sakura to chuckle lightly.

"Typical," Sakura's voice drifts lazily. "When we get back, you can have all the ramen you want at Ichiraku's, you silly fox."

"Really? I'll eat the whole stand, dattebayo!"

Sasuke cuts in, "Then you'll get indigestion, dobe. Even with that 'iron stomach' of yours, I doubt you can digest wood."

Naruto sniffs, offended. "Stop trying to be funny, teme, 'cause you suck at it."

A hand ruffles Sasuke's hair. "Slacking off, all of you?"

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura says, her smile growing.

"The one and only," Kakashi replies, eye crinkling.

"We're not slacking off!" Naruto grumbles. "We just fought a psycho-immortal weirdo, Kakashi-sensei, give us a break."

Sasuke "hn"s in agreement.

"All right, all right," Kakashi says, hands raised in defeat. "But don't come running to me when the ground isn't comfy enough for you."

"Oh, go away," Naruto moans, waving him off with his other hand.

"Going," the silver-haired jonin calls, already a short distance away.

"Finally," the jinchuuriki breathes happily, already starting to snore.

Sasuke too, is almost drifting off to sleep until someone snuggles up to him and lays her head right above his heart.

"Glad you're coming back," she says softly.

"Hn," he grunts, tightening his hold on her hand. I love you.

She smiles. "Took you long enough."

They begin to float into dreamland, accompanied by Naruto's happy mumblings of "Hina-chan~", until Sakura squeezes his hand lightly. "Oh, and, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hm?" he asks, gently squeezing back.

"Happy birthday."

Sasuke's lips form a lazy smile for the first time in years, as he replies, "Aa." Thank you.

I'm home.

notes2: AAAND IT'S DONE.