title: It Was Always You
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH 2014
rating: T-M

summary: o23: Sakura believes that the best remedy for anything is hot tea. As her doting boyfriend, Sasuke begs to differ.

dedicated to: my girls reviee, DeepPoeticGirl, and SR :)

.o23.
A Hot Cup of Tea

It was so cold that Sakura could see her breath forming small billows of steam, even inside the house. She walked slowly, afraid that she would drop the platter of china teacups all over the wooden floor.

"Do you need any help?" Sai asked. His hand gently touched her waist while the other reached for the platter to take from her hands.

"I can do it," she said. She jerked slightly to retrieve herself from his grasp and saw the tea sloshing violently. She was already so far from the coffee table where the rest of Team 7 was waiting.

"On a second thought," she said. "Help would be lovely."

Sai smiled, taking the platter from her and walking with ease towards the table. Sakura sighed, rubbing her forearms, and setting herself down on the couch right next to Sasuke.

She and Sasuke had been dating for a while now; many outsiders had suspected there was something going on between the Uchiha boy and Sakura, but only Team 7 really knew the full extent of their relationship. Even then, Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi knew very little about their activities and activities, if at all.

Sasuke brought Sakura close to him, wrapping his arms around her and reaching for Naruto's blanket to clothe her in. Naruto argued in response, but once he saw the tenderness and care that Sasuke was giving Sakura, he immediately shut his loud mouth and shivered silently.

"My mom always used to say that a hot cup of tea was the best remedy for everything. Cold weather, the flu, down days…basically everything." Sakura handed a cup of tea to all of her teammates before taking the last one to herself. She held it in her hands for a few moments, allowing the tea to warm up her body.

Not that Sasuke wasn't already.

Naruto tilted his head back and drained the tea in one gulp. His eyes were closed in a state of peace, but once the liquid entered his mouth, his blue eyes were yanked open and he immediately began to choke, spitting some and swallowing some.

"That's fucking hot!" he growled, pounding his chest with his fist. "It hurts! I think I burned myself!"

"You're an idiot," Sasuke muttered, eyeing the puddle of saliva and regurgitated tea. He groaned in disgust.

Kakashi held up his Icha Icha Paradise, his eyes eagerly scanning the pornographic magazine. With ninja reflexes, he undid his mask under the book and finished his cup of tea, quickly remasking himself in speedy time. His students had to admire his agility.

"Good tea, Sakura," Sai said. "Black?" He held the cup gingerly in one hand with his pinky sticking out—it was habit, he would say—and sipped quietly. Sakura admired that Sai had such an appreciation for tea, and smiled, her eyes never leaving his face.

"It is."

Sasuke was just a tiny bit jealous at the exchange. He wrapped his arm even tighter around Sakura and drank his own tea, except without any of the pizzazz Sai used. He was an Uchiha; he didn't need some sissy tea to prove his manhood.

"Sakura-chan, you're not drinking yours?" Naruto asked, wiping up his previous mess with his leg. Sasuke twisted his face in disgust.

"Not yet," Sakura replied. "Maybe later, when it's cooled down."

"Sakura, tea is best when it's drunk hot," Sai butted in.

"That may be," she said. "But it's a little too hot for me."

Yeah, Sai, Sasuke thought. Guess who else is too hot for her, asshole?

.

.

.

Sakura didn't expect to see three of the four men passed out. Sai snored quietly in an armchair, sitting upright and proper, his chin barely touching his chest. She noticed the glossy sheen of his hair and wanted to ruffle it and see if it actually felt as soft as it looked.

Kakashi rested his head on the carpet, one hand over his chest. Icha Icha laid over his eyes like a sleeping mask, and Sakura noticed that there was a bottle of lotion conveniently placed an arm's length away from him. She was thankful that he didn't get a chance to use it.

Meanwhile, Naruto—he was a different story. Sprawled out in various different directions on the floor, he drooled , saliva still fresh and running down his chin. His blonde hair was tussled and Sakura noticed that his clothes had the familiar smell of sweat and ramen that she knew so well. Typical Naruto.

She went into her closet and pulled out three blankets, wrapping each of them around her teammates.

"They're all worn out, aren't they?" Sasuke asked, his arms snaking around Sakura's waist.

"Tell me about it. I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?" she asked.

"No."

Sakura shrugged, prying herself out of Sasuke's grip. She walked quietly towards the kitchen and began to boil some water, Sasuke following suit. He watched as his girlfriend reached for a cup that was too high for her own good, and for teabags too far for her short arms to reach.

"Let me get those for you," he said. He pushed her out of the way and handed the items to her, to which she smiled.

"You're a gent, you know that?"

"I know," he smirked.

Sakura rolled her eyes and placed the teabag into her cup. Once the water finished boiling, she reached for the hot kettle and put in her water, bouncing the teabag up and down until she saw that the water had turned a murky brown.

"Disgusting," Sasuke joked.

"Mm." She began to sip, her eyes closed in pleasure, when she opened them and shrieked. She nearly dropped the cup, but Sasuke quickly took it from her before anything could happen.

"What's wrong?" he asked, watching Sakura jump wildly in front of him. "What happened?"

"I burned myself! Shit, my tongue!" She stuck it out, trying to observe her wound cross-eyed. Sasuke had to admit that he had not seen something so amusing in such a long time.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked.

"Everywhere! Oh, damnit, now it's going to hurt to eat, and…"

"If I kiss it, will it make you feel better?"

"I don't know how that would help—"

"Well, it'll make me feel better, especially seeing Sai look you over like a piece of meat." He took Sakura into his arms and pressed his lips over hers, melding their mouths together. Eagerly, he used his own tongue to gain entrance into Sakura's mouth. His tongue found hers, and when he felt her wince, he did his best to kiss the pain away.

"Wrap your legs around my waist," he ordered, settling her comfortably on her countertop. Sakura agreed, and he felt her strong thighs squeeze his hips a little tighter than was comfortable. She knew how to make him hot and horny.

"You're going to wake them up," she joked. Her speech was slightly mumbled; after all, her tongue was burned.

"Fine, I don't care," he said, pressing his nose against hers. "Let them see us."

"You may not have shame, but I still have to keep up appearances."

She did her best to hold in her moan when he pressed up against her crotch. She felt heat pool in her belly, and she hated how Sasuke could make her feel all the things she didn't want to feel. Especially him, in this situation.

"Aa," she squeaked. "I hate you."

"I 'hayeu' too," he smirked, mimicking her new form of speech. "You said that hot tea is the best remedy. I beg to differ." He pressed his forehead against hers and leaned in, closing the distance between them. "This may be presumptuous of me—"

"When is it not?" she joked.

He smirked. "But I'd say that I'm your best remedy. After all," he continued, pulling out her tongue between his fingers and inspecting it thoroughly. She slapped his hand away, wondering what the hell he was doing.

"After all, what?" she asked.

His fingers began to unzip the zipper hiding her body from him. "I'd never cause you pain."

She wanted to laugh and tell him how cheesy he was, and how much Itachi and Mikoto would laugh at him if she told them, but when she felt his mouth over her chest and his fingers tugging at the clothing sealing her breasts together, she couldn't find the words.

Not that it mattered, anyway.

Happy birthday Sasuke-kun :)

That cowboy picture though NNGH