Chapter 24 – Maybe We Should Try

The sound of a careful knock on her door had Sakura's eyes fluttering open, her exhaustion still present and threatening to make her sleep for even longer, ignoring the person at her door.

"I'm coming in."

Sasuke.

He looked how she felt when he entered, not pausing for a second as he closed the door behind himself, ignoring the rules by doing so. There was a sigh, but he didn't approach her, remaining by the door until he leaned back against it, eyes shutting.

"Mother said you can stay as long as you like," he informed her. "If you want to."

Did she want to? Honestly, after her hellish day, Sakura couldn't decide which one was worse: facing her parents after that horrific argument or staying with the Uchiha family. Although her parents weren't abusive in the slightest, she couldn't be bothered dealing with the constant suspicions or stressful atmosphere. At least if she stayed with Sasuke's family, she could avoid Fugaku in the huge mansion. If she remained at her parents', she would have to face her mother at some point. The house wasn't even an eighth of the size of Sasuke's.

Nodding, she shut her eyes again, relaxing further into the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sakura sighed at that. "There's not much to talk about."

"Yes, there is," he disagreed. Her eyes opened when she heard him approaching the bed, sitting in his earlier spot, but he made no move to touch her, instead keeping a distance between them. "You're having panic attacks. That's not nothing."

Gods, she couldn't be bothered arguing with him. The whole point of her being at his place was to avoid further arguments. "Please, Sasuke-kun," whispered Sakura. "I don't want to argue."

"You think I do?" Sasuke questioned, frowning. "You didn't see the state you came here in. It looked like Itachi was carrying you."

He may as well have been. Even now, however many hours later, her body felt like it was weighted down. Moving was impossible for her – it was a good thing she didn't need the bathroom.

"I'm too tired."

He sighed. Running a hand through his hair, Sasuke averted his gaze, though it was soon drawn to the photograph beside her bed. The memory seemed to be a pleasant one for him, for it caused his eyes to soften.

"Then at least let me stay with you," he requested quietly, looking to her once more. "Until you're feeling better."

That wasn't fair, she internally screamed at her stupid, stupid heart. He was being the Sasuke before all the drama and the pain, reminding her of the boy she'd fallen so hard for and it wasn't fair. How the hell was she supposed to make her mind up on such an impossible decision when he kept bouncing between personalities?

Despite her thoughts, she nodded in agreement, her insides aching when he settled down beside her. He remained on top of the covers and facing her, hesitating for a moment before he gently took her hand, holding it securely.

And because he somehow seemed to sense that she needed it, Sasuke didn't try questioning her further or starting up another conversation. Instead, he lay with her for the longest time, silently offering her comfort, carefully brushing away a lone tear that slid onto the side of her nose, frowning softly while cupping her cheek afterwards.

There were no expectations or hints at ulterior motives as they lay there together and when Sakura looked into his eyes, she found only concern. It had her releasing a sigh of relief, relaxing completely.

When she eventually shivered slightly, he left her for all of ten seconds to fetch another quilt, the thickness of it secretly delighting her, especially when he tucked it around her, bringing it up to her chin. There was a tender smirk pulling on his lips when she smiled, his eyes growing just that tiny bit lighter and they continued to lighten as she readjusted the quilt, covering him too once he was beside her again.

"You're going to get into trouble," she eventually told him.

Sasuke shrugged, stunning her by bringing their joined hands closer, his frown at her cold skin leading him to bring his other hand to them, covering hers completely and sharing his warmth.

"Hopefully he'll give himself an aneurysm."

"Sasuke-kun," she chided, though couldn't hide her giggles.

He smirked and she felt her heart-warming in a way it hadn't for the longest time around him, reminding her of the old days when they first got together and he was just showing her the other side of him, the one he kept hidden from their friends.

But how long would it last?

"Do you remember the first time we lay like this together?"

How could she not? "Your parents let us camp outside the beach house together."

Itachi and Shisui hadn't been too far from them at Fugaku's insistence, but that hardly mattered because the older boys had given them as much privacy as possible, uncaring if they were disregarding Fugaku's orders.

"We were awake all night," he reminded her. His gaze lowered to their hands and he sighed. "Things were much simpler back then."

Yes, they were. Now, everything felt like it was so tangled that it'd never be straightened out again – her feelings being the messiest of them all, becoming a constant cause of frustration.

"I wish we could go back in time," admitted Sakura softly with a sigh. "To before everything that…"

"I don't know how to be that person anymore."

"Neither do I."

When he met her eyes once more, his own were filled with reluctant acceptance, eyebrows knitting together. "Where does that leave us if we can't be those people?"

Lost. Confused. Scared. Heartbroken.

But she couldn't tell him that. Not when he looked just as defeated as she felt.

What else was there to say, though?

The silence of the night weighed down on them both and in response, she shuffled a little closer to him, forehead coming to their joined hands.

Their relationship was mentally draining her, wearing her down to the point where she was now having panic attacks, but…

Gods, why was there always a but when it came to her?

"Finding our way," she murmured after another silent moment, looking to him. "Lost but finding our way."

Sasuke seemed to appreciate the honesty and he nodded, asking, "Do you think we can?"

"I want to," she said while realising it was the truth. She truly did want things to work out between them because despite everything, he was Sasuke. Her Sasuke. He was the man she loved with every fibre of her being. "I really want us to."

They each had their flaws, some more extreme than others. However, Sakura was not so ignorant as to believe she was wholly innocent in their relationship. Her sneaking around with Itachi was the ultimate betrayal. Not only was she semi-cheating, she was doing so with his beloved older brother, the man he'd basically worshipped as kids.

And in moments such as the one they were currently sharing, she could feel her guilt swelling to the point where she was certain it was written all over her features.

But if it was, he didn't comment on it.

"I…"

Sasuke was frowning again, unable to look her in the eye and it had dread settling in the pit of her stomach. There was a multitude of directions that the conversation could go, each progressively worse than the last and it had her fighting hard to remain composed, to keep the fear from showing on her face because that would make things so much worse, wouldn't it?

"I have an appointment," he eventually muttered, scowling. "With a therapist."

He…?

The news had her slowly leaning up onto her hands, leaning over him ever so slightly. "You…?"

"I was being serious when I said I wanted to change."

Yes, but to go to therapy…

"I also… want you there."

Tears filled her eyes.

"If you want to."

She nodded quickly and wiped at her eyes, smiling despite the tears. "I'll be there, Sasuke-kun. I promise, whenever you need me, I'm there."

He gave a relieved sigh at her agreement, turning to lay on his back. It looked as though he'd been trying to find ways to ask her for the longest time and knowing Sasuke the way she did, Sakura knew that he would have overthought absolutely everything, even the tiniest of details. That was just who he was.

"Thank you."

No, Sasuke-kun. Thank you.

Smiling shyly, she settled down much closer to him, making him tense slightly when she rested her head on his chest, fingers fidgeting with his shirt. There was no mistaking the pounding of her heart, her nerves creating a faint tremble in her hands, but he soothed them by placing his hand over hers, thumb stroking her knuckles.

It made her smile when she heard the quickening of his own heartbeat.

"I've been making a mess of everything," he quietly confessed and she swallowed hard, eyes shutting at the self-loathing in his voice. "You're perhaps the only good thing in my life but the way I keep treating you is…"

She shuffled impossibly closer.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was rougher, clearly indicating his emotions getting the best of him and so Sakura kept her head on his chest, knowing he preferred it when she didn't see him in such a state. Instead, she continued to hold him, allowing him to get everything off his chest. It was the best way for them to communicate half of the time, as they didn't talk over one another or side-track the other.

"I feel lost," he said, unknowingly repeating her own devastating realisation and making her heart ache further. "Like somewhere down the line of trying so hard to please my father, I've lost myself."

That was what she'd suspected right at the start of it all. When Itachi's absence had created a strain on the family, when more pressure was dropped on Sasuke's shoulders, he'd started to change. He'd taken full advantage of having his father's unwavering attention, doing his utmost to make him proud. It'd been heart-breaking witnessing how far Sasuke pushed himself for the smallest amounts of praise, even more so when Fugaku tore into him mercilessly for the slightest of mistakes.

Although Sasuke hid his reactions in front of his father, the words still cut him deeply. He merely got better at keeping up his cold front, allowing the words to brush off him in the moment. Then, once he was alone, he faced the criticism, allowing it to tear him up.

Sometimes, he forgot to switch that cold mask off, allowing it to take over all parts of his life.

Sometimes, he lost the switch entirely.

"I don't know how to get back to what we used to be."

"Therapy is a start," Sakura assured him gently and she pressed a kiss to his chest, over his pounding heart. "It shows how hard you're trying, Sasuke-kun. I can see how hard you're trying."

"But will it be enough?" he asked. "What if it doesn't help and I can't change?"

He couldn't think that way. Being so pessimistic was going to drag them down, though she knew she couldn't outright say that to him. It would break his heart, because he couldn't help being that way.

"At least give it a few sessions before thinking that," she said. "The change might be so gradual that you might not be able to see it for yourself."

"But you will."

She smiled, nodding. "I will."

He shifted beneath her until Sakura lifted herself, allowing Sasuke to turn onto his side so that they were face-to-face, his eyes searching her features.

"I miss this."

Her smile saddened and she reached out, stroking his cheek. "I miss this, too."

It almost felt like old times. Way back before they were weighed down with the pressures of family and society in general.

When they'd first started their relationship, they hadn't cared about appearances (as much) or what people thought of their being together. They'd been happy learning about one another and seeing the other in a new light, happily believing that they didn't need outsiders' opinions. Lately, however, it was safe to say they'd both been experiencing the pressures of being like the other couples, who were unashamed to admit that they were sexually active. Hell, it wasn't until recently that she and Sasuke had made out in front of others.

It didn't register in her mind until she was shutting her eyes that she experienced no fear when Sasuke shuffled closer, their foreheads coming together. Perhaps it was because he made no other move following that? Whatever it was, didn't matter to her – no, it did, just not in a negative way. The relief of realising she was learning to relax in his presence once more was enough to nearly reduce her to tears.

Instead, she snuggled closer, smile returning when he accepted her in a comforting embrace.

"Is this really okay?" she whispered. Despite her words, she pressed her face into his neck, eyes shutting. "Your being in here with me?"

"I'm eighteen now," was all Sasuke said in response. It sounded like his own exhaustion was catching up on him, just as hers was.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun. I love you."

She felt his smile. "I love you."

She couldn't believe how well she'd slept.

Burying her face into the arm beneath her head, Sakura bit back her grin.

They'd moved around during the night, ending with him spooning her, his arms wrapped securely around her and refusing to let go. Again, she found that she wasn't scared – she believed it was the reason behind her suddenly elated mood.

His even breaths tickled her scalp, but she couldn't find it in her to complain. Although, if she was going to complain about anything, it was definitely about the horrific case of morning breath she was plagued with.

Grimacing, Sakura glanced down at the arms, wondering how she would detach herself without waking her boyfriend since brushing her teeth was a must.

There wasn't only accidentally waking Sasuke that she had to worry about, though. He wasn't actually supposed to be in her room – with the door shut especially – so what would she say if she happened across his parents and they asked her where he was? She couldn't lie to them, could she?

And…

What if she crossed paths with Itachi? What would he say if he found out?

Why was she worried? Sasuke was her boyfriend. They had every right to share a bed. They–

Gods, she needed to get her shit together.

Ignoring the anxiety clawing away at her insides, Sakura carefully detangled herself from Sasuke's warm embrace, silently promising she would only be a few moments.

Her anxiety steadily increased as she darted her way across the hall, consciously being as silent as possible to remain undetected. Nobody really used the bathroom opposite her room – there were several on that floor and she was fairly certain the main rooms had en-suites.

She made quick work of relieving herself, brushing her teeth and washing the makeup she'd regrettably slept in off, all the while reprimanding herself harshly for doing such a stupid thing. Gods, her pores were going to be clogged as hell now, meaning spots. Like she had the time and energy to deal with them on top of all her other problems.

The trip back to the room was made just as quickly and Sakura let out a sigh of relief when she managed to shut the door behind herself without interruption, smiling at the sight of Sasuke continuing to sleep peacefully in her bed. It made her so unbelievably happy seeing him so relaxed, his features smoothed out of their usual scowl. It reminded Sakura of their first couple of years together, when they'd both been so carefree and happy.

Smiling, she slipped back under the covers, snuggling up to him once more and she giggled when he immediately accepted her, nuzzling his face into her neck.

She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the tender moment with a heart that was swelling with love for the man in her arms.

This.

This was why she didn't leave him.

Beneath his harsh, cold exterior was the boy she'd fallen so hard for. The one who always looked out for her, who let her see all sides of him, the one who dropped everything for her. Despite his faults, he cared. He loved her.

His nose brushed against her throat and Sakura shut her eyes. Relaxing was the easiest it had ever been, leaving her to melt into his embrace, shivering delicately when Sasuke's hand grazed the skin between her shirt and shorts, attempting to close the distance between them completely.

"How do you feel?"

She smiled, fingers tangling in the back of his shirt when his hand clutched at her back. "Better than yesterday," came her truthful response. Leaning back, she met his gaze, smile warming when she saw he was still in the process of waking up. She'd never tell him (for it'd annoy the hell out of him) but Sasuke was unbearably adorable when he first woke up. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Dark eyes rolled at that. "If you're going to unnecessarily apologise for anything, apologise for feeling like you can't open up to me."

It stunned her into silence when she nearly went through with his mock order, the apology already starting to fall from her lips when Sasuke's gaze snapped back to hers, wide with disbelief.

"I was kidding, Sakura."

"I-I know. I–"

Gods, why did she always have to ruin everything?

Just as he was about to pull away, she grabbed a tighter hold of him, keeping their bodies close.

"Sakura–"

"I'm sorry," she told him with a sigh, eyes shutting again.

"Don't apologise."

"But I've-"

"Done nothing wrong," he muttered.

How could he say that after she'd destroyed such a tender moment between them?

Shaking her head, she snuggled into him, doing her best to shove the negativity from her mind.

She had to get the moment back!

But just as she nuzzled into his neck, she heard his breathing cut off sharply, his hands soon coming to still her.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

"You're…" When Sakura fought against his hands to look up at his face, she was surprised to find that he was blushing and unable to meet her eye, instead staring intently at the photograph on her nightstand. "Just don't move so much."

Why–

Her own cheeks burned and sheepishly, she brought her arm between their bodies, keeping it secure against her chest. As though it wasn't bad enough she'd completely (and idiotically) forgotten she wasn't wearing a bra or underwear, the friction of their bodies being so tightly pressed together in her attempt to get the tender moment back had hardened her nipples. Much to her utter mortification, Sasuke had felt them.

Smiling and keeping her arm between them, she shuffled closer again, about to tangle their limbs once more when Sasuke stopped her again.

But much to her surprise, it wasn't because of her.

It was him.

He was the one who was embarrassed.

Keeping her eyes away from the demanding sight before her was impossible. Even though she knew her boyfriend wouldn't appreciate it in the slightest, she couldn't help but glance downwards to the space between their bodies, the bulge in his sweats making her swallow nervously.

Of course, there'd been times in the past where they'd made out and he had been aroused by it, but after all that had happened, it just…

Damn it, why did it take her by surprise?

"I should-"

No.

He was so not pushing her away again.

They would be normal again!

Grabbing the collar of his shirt, Sakura tugged him back to her, capturing his lips in a kiss that startled him, leaving Sasuke to tense against her. It took mere seconds for him to relax into her, however and he reciprocated the kiss with equal vigour, hands seeking out the best place to grab, leaving her skin tingling in his wake.

Swallowing down her slowly building nerves, Sakura ensured she was fully in control as she pushed against him, following his lips eagerly as she slid her thigh over his body. Hands threading through dark, soft hair and hips rolling experimentally as he sat up with her, they both sighed shakily.

The feeling of Sasuke gripping at her body wasn't as unpleasant as the past few times had been. Like in the gym, it was welcome.

"I love you," she told him in a gentle whisper, eyes shutting when Sasuke's lips moved to her throat. There was no stopping her quiet gasp at the sensation, one that seemed twice as pleasurable due to the insistent rolling of their hips. "I love you so much, Sasuke-kun."

His lips returned to hers, only pausing between their kissing to tell her, "I love you."

They would be okay.

Gods, the friction was maddening. It had her fingers tightening their shaky hold on his hair, his own grasp on her hips strong, guiding her into a rougher rock that had her breaking the kiss and dropping her forehead to his, struggling to hold back her noises of pleasure.

They were going to be okay.

She felt impossibly warm – so did he, if his blush and the intense warmth of his skin was anything to go by – but it wasn't in a bad way.

"I love you," he murmured again, only hesitating for a moment before he was lowering her onto the bed. "Tell me if this isn't okay."

To prove that it was, Sakura wrapped her legs around his waist, heart stuttering when Sasuke pulled away to remove his sweats, leaving him in boxers. The next thing to go was his shirt.

Nervous butterflies exploded into thrilling hotness when their bodies came back together and Sasuke's hands trembled while coaxing her into wrapping her thighs around his waist, his eyes fixed on hers, asking if it was okay, if she wanted to stop.

Her only answer was to grind against him, pausing as they were both overwhelmed by the feeling of being so vexingly close.

Sasuke groaned against her lips, eyes squeezing shut. "You're so wet."

The flimsy shorts she was wearing had never been more unwanted than in that moment, but the realisation didn't startle her. It couldn't when he began a slow, terse grind that had her toes curling against his calves, going between gripping at the sheets and his skin before deciding on the latter. Somehow, just being able to touch Sasuke in such an intimate way, feeling the power behind his thrusting hips, increased her pleasure and she slipped a hand beneath his underwear, making him gasp into her neck when she clutched a tighter hold of his ass.

She could feel the wetness of her arousal soaking through her shorts and while part of her was embarrassed about it, her mind was snatched away from the useless emotion, Sasuke's lips and tongue swallowing her mewling fervently.

It had to be the furthest they'd ever gone before and it simultaneously thrilled and terrified Sakura.

Flinching when his inexperienced hand grabbed too harshly at her breast, she reached up, catching his arm, smiling in forgiveness when Sasuke apologised profusely and began to pull away.

"N-No, don't stop," she begged in a shy whisper, hooking a leg around his hips to keep him pressed against her. "Just… be gentle."

Though she wasn't comfortable in stripping down for him, Sasuke didn't seem mind, continuing to explore beneath her vest, hand cupping her breast experimentally, fingers tracing around her nipple curiously.

They ignored the slipping of her shorts, the continuous brushes of his underwear on her bare heat leaving Sakura to clutch desperately at him and Gods, in that moment, she was so tempted to tell him to hell with it all. Take it all off. She wanted more, damn it.

"I'm-" He choked back his next groan, body tensing and she watched in awe as the strain began to show on his features, telling Sakura without words that he was fighting back his fast approaching orgasm. "Sakura."

Daringly, stupidly, driven entirely by her raging hormones and in response to the vulnerable way he moaned her name, she reached down between thrusts and shoved his underwear down, muffling her moan into his shoulder when their bare sexes rubbed together, his responding groaned curse pushing her closer and closer to the edge.

Gods, it was so wet. So unbearably hot. So fucking intense. And that was before he leaned back to look at her, his gaze zeroing in on her and causing the rest of the world to fade away, reminding her of their love and the future she wanted with him more than anything.

It was at the prod of his length at her weeping opening, the feeling of him being so tantalisingly close but refusing to enter, that was surprisingly her undoing. Body going taut against his, her nails dug into his skin, undoubtedly leaving obvious scratches down his back and sides as she tried to anchor herself to him, but soon all ability to think was wiped from her entirely as she felt an explosion of wetness shooting up between their bodies.

They'd just…

Her cheeks were already on fire from their scorching make-out session, so they hid her embarrassment well.

Sasuke's features were just as red, their pants for breath mixing in the little space between them.

Then, he was grabbing his shirt that'd been dangling on the edge of the bed, using it to wipe her clean, all the while unable to meet her eye until he was done.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, she stopped him by abruptly sitting up, eyes wide with horror as she grabbed at his arms. Although she'd expected some marks due to her grip on him, Sakura hadn't realised just how tightly she'd been holding onto him. It'd been hard enough to not only leave scratches, but to make him bleed. She'd made her boyfriend bleed.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun," she told him brokenly.

He seemed curious as he looked down at the scratches. "Don't be. I didn't even feel it."

But…

Sasuke silenced her by smiling softly and leaning closer, placing a soft kiss to her lips. "Really, Sakura. I'm okay. It doesn't hurt." Another, much deeper kiss was the cause of their next pause, but she didn't mind in the slightest, Sakura found, her heart swelling with relief when she once again managed to relax. "I am surprised, though. I didn't expect…"

Yeah, she wasn't exactly sure on what to call it either, never mind how to explain where it even came from. Was that normal? Was that how those at school had felt whenever they cluttered the halls, lost in one another's embraces, slobbering all over each other?

She'd honestly never experienced such need before. Such a primal desperation that sunk its grip not only in her body, but heart, too. Part of her was ashamed for giving in the way she had, especially after all that'd gone on, but her heart was feeling way too relieved and grateful to allow her brain a chance to intrude on the moment.

"Maybe it's a sign," she told him hopefully, smiling when he kissed her again.

"A sign?"

"That we're moving forward."

She felt him smile into their kiss and when Sakura moved to hold onto him, she felt his shoulders relaxing.

"You're amazing."

Amazing? Her? Really? "You think?"

"Despite everything, you're still so hopeful and positive. It's hard to feel negative around you," he murmured against his lips. Then, taking her by surprise completely, he threw himself back and dragged her with him, easing Sakura into straddling his waist. "Even if you deserve so much better than me, you're still the perfect person for me."

It took way too much effort to stomp back her childish squeal of joy and happiness and because of focusing so hard on trying to hold that back, she was unable to stop the happy creasing of her eyes, or the wide grin that split her lips.

But she shouldn't have bothered either way, because Sasuke seemed to appreciate her reaction wholeheartedly, dark eyes softening and scanning her features one by one, sighing deeply.

"It's been too long since you last smiled like that."

Her heart simultaneously sunk while skipping beats.

"I'll make sure it happens every day."

"As previously discussed, we feel it is only fitting that we review the terms of your staying here, Haruno."

She straightened in her seat at the dinner table, refusing to look at any other family member as her gaze focused solely on Fugaku.

The man sat proudly in his seat at the head of the table, chin tilted haughtily upwards as it usually did. If his harsh personality didn't tell others of his higher-class status, then Fugaku's aura alone did. It practically screamed entitlement.

When he nodded in her direction, Mikoto gave a twitch of her lips and Sakura wondered sadly if it was supposed to be a smile. "Firstly, we would like to thank you both for respecting and abiding by our rules. You have earned our trust in doing so."

Guilt had her briefly glancing downwards at the table, but she masked it by smiling bashfully and taking Sasuke's hand, meeting his eye with the same smile. As expected, he was being reserved, though she couldn't tell whether it was because of the discussion or his father in general.

"We are aware of the fact that you are both eighteen now – adults, more or less," continued Fugaku, nodding once more to tell Mikoto she was done talking and Sakura bit back her agitation at the interaction, mainly because she had no right to be annoyed by it. Not when she also acted in such a pitiful way. "As adults, we find it only fitting that you are given more freedom."

Okay, she had no idea it would feel so grossly uncomfortable having Itachi sitting in on the conversation. While Sakura had always known she wouldn't like it, she hadn't thought it would be as bad as it was. It felt like her skin was crawling, especially when she accidentally caught his eye and had to pretend like everything was normal between them.

"From tonight – or when you next choose to stay – you may share a bedroom."

She wasn't the only one who was blushing, thankfully. Sasuke's face was growing redder by the minute.

Gods, it was so freaking humiliating. They weren't even asked if they wanted to share, simply told that they could. Or was that in an attempt of glossing over that particular conversation?

"All we ask in return is that you must be considerate of others and use protection."

Sakura choked on thin air and dropped her gaze to the table.

Grossly uncomfortable? No. She'd take that feeling instead of what she was feeling now. Now, it was way worse, especially when she felt Itachi looking away too, focusing on his food once more.

What was he thinking?

"Do not make us regret giving you such freedom."

They nodded quickly.

"You may go and move your belongings now."

They quickly excused themselves, desperate to get away from them all.

It was only into ten minutes of packing up her stuff to move it all to another room that Sasuke caught her wrist and sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed. For the time being, her daywear was left to hang in her wardrobes, but all pyjamas and socks were currently strewn across her bed. The underwear drawer remained untouched because like hell she was letting Sasuke see her underwear. They may have been intimate earlier that day sure, but still. It was bad enough Mikoto insisted on washing her clothes for her. When she found out Sakura always took her laundry home with her to wash there and bring back when cleaned, it'd been a mortifying conversation.

"Stop," he ordered quietly, causing the embarrassing thoughts to disappear.

His reluctance to help and overall quiet mood had made her a little unsure, but Sakura had pushed it aside as his father upsetting him by humiliating them the way he had. Had that been the case, then she knew Sasuke would eventually talk to her about it and move on from it. But… It seemed that wasn't the case. Not entirely, anyway and it had her feeling unsure of herself suddenly – or more than before, anyway.

"What's wrong?"

Slowly, as to not offend her no doubt, Sasuke released her wrist, sighing again. "It doesn't…" Stunning Sakura with his grimace, he met her eye, frowning. "It feels wrong."

She hesitated for a brief second before sitting by his side, sinking into her bed and staring at the opened wardrobe. Trying not to fidget with the pyjama shirt in her hands, Sakura bit her lip and placed it behind them, adding it to the mountain of clothes.

"You don't want me to move into your room?" she questioned quietly, unable to explain the conflicting lighter feeling of her shoulders.

Was she excited to move into Sasuke's room? She wasn't so sure. In a way, yeah. Definitely. It meant they had his family's blessing and trust, but in another way, it was a bit like… Well, they had his family's blessing.

"It's on his say so," Sasuke muttered, mirroring her thoughts unknowingly. "We're allowed to share a room, to explore the sexual side of our relationship, because he allows it."

The same gross feeling from the dining room returned to Sakura, followed by the nightmare of Fugaku looming over her, pinning her to the bed.

"I know it probably makes no sense because of what happened earlier," he continued in a murmur and she smiled weakly when the tips of his ears turned a deep shade of red.

Shaking her head, Sakura reached out and took his hand, entwining their fingers. Out of habit, they'd left her bedroom door open but it wasn't overly concerning – they simply kept their voices lowered, so as to not evoke Fugaku's anger should he hear them badmouthing him.

"It makes perfect sense," Sakura assured him with a smile. "Today's been great – the best it's been in a long time, right?" He nodded once, smiling faintly. "Why should we change our pace for others' sakes?"

It wasn't said as though they had to share a room, anyways. They were simply told–

Actually, no they weren't. Fugaku had told them to move her stuff, hadn't he? Well, that they 'may' move her stuff.

Her train of thought was disrupted by the pinging of her phone, the sight of it lighting up on her nightstand making Sakura frown curiously. She reached for it without a second thought, though her stomach twisted sharply at the sight of Shikamaru's name and message.

Ino attacked her mother and trashed their place last night.

"Holy shit," she said before she could stop herself.

"What's wrong?"

Dropping her arm to her side with a frown, she repeated the message to Sasuke and to prove how bad the situation truly was, his eyes widened in shock.

"Her own mother?"

Sakura nodded, swallowing hard.

How far have you fallen, Ino? She wondered helplessly.

Another ping.

We're doing this tonight.