Welcome back everyone!
I haven't posted a story in quite a while, so I'm excited to get back into the swing of things!
A friend of mine ignited the spark of creativity in me, so I decided to write another Naruto Fanfic!
It's primarily a Sasuke/Sakura Romance and Humor story, with Naruto and Hinata being the secondary couple.
Not sure yet how long it's gonna be, but I'd like to make this my longest story, I've written enough one-shots.
The rating might change, but I'll set it as Mature for now as I've gotten a bit more spicy in my writing over the years.
I wrote this in a word processor and imported it, so hopefully it's formatted properly.
I gave it a couple of passes, but if things seem jumbled while you're reading it, I'd appreciate if you'd let me know.
Anyway, I'm glad to be writing again and I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't the rights to the characters in this Fanfiction. This story is set in the real world, not the Naruto universe.
Sasuke Uchiha stood in contemplation on the sidewalk, getting soaked by the downpour of rain as his dark eyes observed his newest obsession: Sakura Haruno.
Morning walks had been a part of his routine since he was a child, enjoying the time alone to reflect, but usually the dreary Seattle weather painted the scenery in various shades of gray.
The endless gloom of rain and nimbus clouds above had perfectly encapsulated his inner mindscape, although his roommate Naruto Uzumaki had a few choice words for his brooding nature.
But to his surprise, he had recently seen a vibrant clash of color in the otherwise bleak city, a bright pink head of hair distracting citizens through the window of the Blossom Café.
Sniffing indifferently at first, he buried his cold hands back in to his pockets and continued on with his musing, shoving the beautiful head of hair into the back of his mind.
Despite his general air of nihilistic dislike for most things, the universe seemed determined to push the two of them together when his hyperactive roommate begged him to accompany him to the nearest beverage dispensary.
The pair of friends created quite the paradoxical relationship as the blond-haired man buzzed with energy and felt inclined to greet everyone they passed on the sidewalk and Sasuke walked behind steadily, blending in with the dark palette of the city.
"C'mon, Sasuke! Hinata's been talking about this place non-stop, so you know it's delicious!"
Naruto exclaimed with a face-splitting grin, hands clasped behind his head as he narrowly avoided the depressed businessmen and giggling schoolgirls sharing the sidewalk.
Glancing up at the orange-clad man he referred to as his best friend, Sasuke felt a throb behind his eyes whenever he even looked at Seattle's resident knucklehead.
As strange as their friendship was, Naruto was the only thing that kept him going when his parents died in a car crash, dumping him at the same orphanage as the sunny blonde.
Naruto stood smiling as he held open the café door for a group of elderly women, his kind eyes brightening the mood of anyone they were set upon.
Chuckling despite himself, Sasuke walked through when Naruto bowed with a flourish. The blonde bumped into his back, sending him sputtering when Sasuke looked up, the smirk frozen on his lips.
Behind the counter of the café was a smiling woman, her beautiful pink hair rerouting the connection his eyes had from his brain to his heart.
"What the hell, your legs stop working?" Naruto yelled at the dark-haired boys back, grumbling as he stepped around the stunned Uchiha.
Before he could make it two steps, Sasuke was grabbing him roughly by the shoulder.
Before Naruto could even complain, Sasuke had him turned around and bent over suspiciously.
"You didn't want to warn me, you bastard?!" The Uchiha hissed, his eyes boring into his best friends accusingly.
Naruto just blinked in confusion, taking a look around the café before returning to his friend's huddle.
"If I had any idea what you're talking about, I'd tell you. You gotta shit or something?"
The blonde started laughing at his own words before Sasuke shut him up with a hiss and shifty eyes. "No you idiot! The pink-haired chick behind the counter!"
Emphasizing his words with a flick of his gaze to the oblivious woman, Sasuke dragged Naruto away from the doorway as a couple entered the establishment.
Drawn back to the conversation by a loud laugh, Sasuke grew annoyed when Naruto showed no signs of stopping, the act drawing the attention of everyone in the café, specifically the pink-haired woman.
Wiping a tear from his eyes, Naruto grinned at Sasuke teasingly before pointing a finger at him accusingly.
"I've known you a long time, and you've never shown interest in a woman. Why would I start thinking any differently?" Naruto asked, making a little to much sense as evident by Sasuke's narrowing eyes.
"Besides, you hang with Hinata just fine, and that fan club of yours in school never bothered you, so what's the deal?" Naruto reasoned, before strolling up to the counter, leaving Sasuke to mull his words over begrudgingly. To his surprise, the hyperactive blonde was blabbering away with the pink-haired barista with no issue, causing annoyance to combine with suspicion in his mind.
Sighing in resignation, Sasuke stuffed his hands back into his pockets and schooled his features, attempting to seem nonchalant.
Naruto turned to him excitedly when he stopped next to him, beginning to introduce the two with a joyful flourish of his arms.
"Yo, Sasuke! This is Sakura, she runs this place with her parents! Hinata got me addicted to the hibiscus tea and I can't stop coming back!" He grinned, not bothering to lower his voice, causing Sakura to smile apologetically at annoyed customers waiting for their daily caffeine addiction.
Smacking Naruto lightly on the arm, she turned to Sasuke with an outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you! I'm Sakura, a friend of Hinata and Naruto's."
Her smile is distracting enough, but the smooth skin of her palm keeps him shaking her hand for longer than usual, and he fixes Naruto with a glare when the blonde clears his throat.
Looking between the two with a bemused smile, Sakura grabs a pen and asks the two men what they want.
Sasuke looked up at the menu, realizing that he hadn't spent any of his attention on his surroundings, deciding on a large black coffee while Naruto got two hibiscus teas.
Guess Hinata's coming over. Sasuke noted with amusement. The couple were very rarely separated once Naruto finally reciprocated the Hyuga woman's feelings.
Stepping to the side so Sakura could continue taking orders, Sasuke finally took a look around the café, enjoying the atmosphere of the establishment.
Nestled on the corner a short walk from their apartment, it was no wonder Naruto frequented the café. There were couches and leather chairs set up in any number of configurations, and Sasuke could see himself sitting up in the corner with his laptop, working on any number of things.
There was definitely a bias towards Japanese themes, as made evident by the tatami flooring and the bamboo lanterns filling the space with a comfortable orange glow.
Turning back to the counter, Sasuke was surprised to see the aptly-named Sakura giving him an unrecognizable look, her brow drawn low as she rested her chin on her fist.
Clearing his throat and giving the pink-haired woman his undivided attention, Sasuke missed when Naruto excused himself to the bathroom with a grin.
"So, are you the reason it's called the Blossom café?" Sasuke inquired, doing his best to start up a conversation. Spending years avoiding relentless fangirls left him with little in the way of social skills in regard to the opposite sex. Alas, he was determined to remedy his shortcomings with the beautiful woman studying him.
Blinking in surprise, a small smile dusted Sakura's lips as she took a fond look around the café she had grown up in.
"Yeah! My parents met working in the service industry and started this place when my mother was pregnant. I'm still not sure if I'm named after the café or the other way around!" She said with a laugh, a nostalgic smile adorning her lips as a myriad of memories surfaced.
Content to watch the vibrant woman, Sasuke was surprised to hear her say his name, completely missing her returning question.
"Sorry, spaced out for a second there. I guess I needed that black coffee more than I thought." He noted with a slight upturn of his lips, causing a quiet laugh in the pink-haired barista.
"I hear that! Almost all day it seems." She teased, handing Sasuke his simple orders with a quick warning for the heat.
Muttering his thanks, Sasuke took a hesitant sip only slightly burning his tongue, much to Sakura's amusement.
His eyes widened at the bold flavor, and he had to consciously keep himself from taking a deeper drink.
"This is really good." He breathed out, giving the cup another approving look, the warmth filling his stomach and providing an addictive comfort.
Sakura beamed at the Uchiha, her cheerful disposition at his appreciation causing a blush to adorn the tips of his ears.
Finally returning from the bathroom, Naruto smiled conspiratorially as he glanced between his friends. Already his mind began formulating a plan to keep these two within close proximity.
"Yo, Sakura! You should come back with us, I'm sure Hinata would love to see you and give her thanks for the tea." Naruto offered, his smile resting naturally on his face whenever he spoke to anyone.
Glancing at the clock and sweeping her gaze across the café, assessing the workload her coworkers would have at her disappearance, she nodded in affirmation.
"My shift is just about over, so I'd love to go with you guys." She spoke, beginning to take off her white apron and hanging it on a hook nearby.
"If you guys take a seat in the lounge I won't be long." Flashing a smile at the two men, she began talking with her coworkers and washing her hands in the sink.
Nudging Sasuke and flashing a troubling grin, Naruto nodded his head at an unoccupied couch before making his way over to the lounge.
Grumbling at his friend's obvious planning, Sasuke followed the happy blonde, taking another glance back at the pink-haired barista, their eyes meeting briefly.
Struggling not to trip when Sakura smiled at him, the beautiful expression embedded in Sasuke's mind, a returning smile adorned his face when he saw the woman cover her mouth to suppress a giggle.
Taking a tentative seat next to his best friend, Sasuke sighed deeply at the shit-eating grin on Naruto's face and the wiggling of his eyebrows.
"Not a word you bastard. This is all your fault anyway, a little warning would have been nice." The dark-haired man grumbled, taking another sip of his hot coffee, wincing as he scalded the tip of his tongue.
Squawking in protest, Naruto stopped with his mouth open, a retort falling from his lips as he leaned back in contentment.
"Nah, you're right. But I can't take all the credit for this one, Hinata's always getting on me about how clueless I am." The fond smile gracing his lips at the thought of his girlfriend, he almost missed the amused chuckle Sasuke let slip.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure she's always getting on you. My ears don't stop working when the sun goes down, you know." Sasuke teased, chuckling again at the embarrassed blush on Naruto's face.
Starting to argue his case, the words died when Sakura strode up to the pair, sharing a smile with Sasuke that Naruto filed away for revenge.
"Ready to go guys?" She asked, only receiving a nod from the men before she started walking to the door.
Sasuke was quick to beat her to the entrance, much to Naruto's amusement as the Uchiha held the door open, letting Sakura walk through with a smile and a 'thank you' before he let it close on Naruto.
Already a few steps ahead, Sasuke and Sakura both laughed as the blonde ran to catch up, his shouts drawing the attention of Seattle's finest pedestrians.
"Oi, you bastard! Didn't know you wanted a fight that bad?" Naruto challenged, punching Sasuke on the shoulder lightly.
Sakura rolled her eyes fondly, already seeing Naruto's competitive nature firsthand at a college party two weeks ago.
Sasuke didn't seem bothered by the knucklehead's outburst, shoving his hands into his pockets as he traded places with Sakura, walking next to the road.
"Alright, I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you're not getting off so easy next time!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at Sasuke in challenge.
Smirking back at the blonde, Sasuke opened his mouth to retaliate, much to the amusement of Sakura.
"I'm sure Hinata's tired of saying that to you every night. Didn't think you were actually listening when she gave her feedback." Sasuke chuckled, his eyes glancing over at the pink-haired woman, her laugh filling his stomach with an unfamiliar feeling.
Naruto felt his cheeks redden as he kept up his tirade, his boisterous voice filling the Washington streets all the way back to their apartment.