Finally

Getting caught in the rain while walking home from doing the groceries was cliche. It was cliche but in the long list of growing cliches, it was the most tame in Sakura’s opinion.

And it was a welcome one.

At age twenty, one wouldn’t be able to picture Sasuke running through the rain, but it was a regular occurrence when they were genin. Sakura would squeal and complain about her hair while Naruto cackled. The three of them would race each other to the closest place to take shelter.

Sakura had loved those moments. Sometimes they could only find the overhang of a shop to huddle under. The lack of space meant that they would need to stand arm to arm. The skin not covered by clothes or Sasuke’s arm guards would press together, droplets of water making their flesh clammy.

She had loved those moments, where she could pretend just for a moment it was just them in the quiet. The moments only lasted seconds whenever Naruto was with them. He would whine about the rain and shove them with his shoulders to make more room for him under the overhang. It usually ended with Naruto falling on his bottom and soaking his pants.

The three of them would fight, Naruto arguing that it was all Sasuke’s fault for hogging the space and Sasuke calling him an idiot because he splashed water all over them. Sakura would toss in some comments and depending on how much damage there was to her hair, clothes, and prettily applied makeup she would get annoyed with both boys.

Those days were simple. She tried to get Sasuke’s attention, Naruto would try to extend the time they all spent together, and Sasuke would pretend that he didn’t want to hang out with them.

Sasuke would pout, shoving the lower half of his face into the high collar of his shirt, the tips of his ears turning red.

Kind of how they still turned red even though he was a long way from being that thirteen year old boy.

“Wait a sec,” Sasuke mumbled as he kicked off his sandals, toeing them off of his ankles, and pushed them toward the wall for some semblance of order. He left the grocery bags he was holding at the entrance and shuffled to the hallway leading to the full bath and his bedroom.

Dumping the bags off to the side, Sakura leaned back to rest her head on the apartment’s front door. It didn’t take long for Sasuke to come back with towels. He dropped the smaller one on her head and wrapped the larger one around her shoulders.

“I can toss your clothes in the wash while you shower.”

Without looking at her, he bent down and scooped up the bags from the floor and turned toward the kitchenette. Using the towel wrapped around her as a shield, she slipped out of her wet clothing, letting her capri pants and light sweater fall on the floor with a wet plop.

Patting her undergarments with her fingers, she shimmied out of them as well, deciding they needed to be washed as well considering the rain had completely soaked through. Sakura kicked her clothes into a pile and made sure her feet were dry enough before making her way down the hall to the shower.

As the hot water ran down her back, Sakura giggled to herself. Her panties were cotton and plain and even her civilian bra was a boring beige. When she was a genin, she was forced to comply with the supportive and protective bandeau that was covered in mesh, but she always made sure that her underwear had cute prints just in case it wasn’t her turn for laundry duty on missions. Sakura didn’t want to be caught with anything frumpy.

Things had really changed over the years. The first time she had shimmied out of her top, Sasuke hadn’t even given himself time to see the plain black brassiere she had been wearing before he was unhooking it and sliding it off of her torso. Sakura had squeaked something out about not even looking cute that day and he had just snorted in her face before completely engulfing her breast into his mouth.

She sank deeper into the bath, not bothering to open her eyes when the doorknob rattled and finally opened up.

“Here’s some clothes.” Sakura opened a single eye and watched as Sasuke placed a small bundle of dark fabric on the dry surface of the sink. “I didn’t bother with pants, but maybe one of my boxers can fit as shorts?”

Sakura gave him a noncommittal hum as a response and closed her eyes again. She listened as he started the washer. There was the slightest rustle of clothing before he finally closed the lid.

“Scoot over.”

Sakura sat up and slid forward, making room for Sasuke to take a seat behind her in the bath. Once he was settled she laid back to rest her back on his chest. Sasuke cradled her body in between his raised knees, squeezing her body with his legs due to how cramped they were.

“My bath isn’t big enough for us.”

“I can’t believe you got in here with me.”

“It looked comfortable, but now I have regrets.”

“At least it’s warm.”

There was no comfort in cramped spaces but there’s comfort in a space that was just for them. Comfort in no longer being insecure whether it be about her forehead or her place in his life.

“We still have to make lunch,” Sakura groaned, sinking more into Sasuke’s hold. “The rain makes me want to be lazy.”

“You would get nothing done if we lived in Ame.”

“We should have bought take-out,” Sakura continued to gripe.

“I thought we were going to make shabu shabu?” Sasuke pinched her cheek, tugging on it. “You made me splurge on that marbled cut of beef.”

Sakura groaned dramatically, braced her hands on the sides of the tub, and stood up. She dried herself off and slipped on the long sleeve that Sasuke set out for her and then shimmied into his boxers. She had to roll the band twice until they fit like a pair of loose shorts under the long length of the oversized shirt.

She left him to soak in the bath. She had taken a shower and soaked for a longer time than he had while he had put all of the groceries away. While he ran hotter than Sakura, she knew Sasuke had issues when it rained. He never liked to voice his complaints, but he moved more slowly from the weather pains.

It was one of the reasons he kept to wearing tops with long sleeves and was unlikely to remove his cloak. Despite the warning aches he had, the both of them were still caught unaware by the sudden torrent of rain, not expecting it to be as harsh as it was.

Sakura was in the middle of chopping the vegetables for the shabu shabu when Sasuke shuffled into the kitchen. She barely lifted her head to acknowledge him as she arranged the chopped vegetables in a bowl. Sasuke swat at her with the loose sleeve of his that remained only half filled.

“You could ask like a normal person.” Sakura wiped her hands on a hand towel before she tied the sleeve into a knot so that the excess cloth didn’t disturb him.

Sasuke’s lips twisted into a crooked grin and he lifted his shoulder and lightly draped the leftover fabric on her face. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Sakura tried to keep from smiling, but was unsuccessful. She snorted and brushed his sleeve off of her face. “Take the vegetables to the table.”

Sakura followed him to the chabudai in the sitting area and laid out the tray of sliced beef and rice. She had already laid out the sauces and set the broth in the hot pot on top of the induction cooker.

“We didn’t have an electric one,” Sasuke murmured as Sakura adjusted the heat settings.

“You had a gas canister type, right?” Sakura asked as she placed the ingredients into the pot. “My parents have one like that too, but Papa’s trying to convince Mama to make the switch ever since I told them we got an electric one for your apartment.”

“Father always tried to light it without matches when Mother’s back was turned. She caught him every single time.”

“Every time?”

“He would have gotten away with it once if it weren’t for the fact that I cheered a little bit when it looked like he succeeded.”

Sakura giggled, imagining a smaller and much younger Sasuke at dinner with his family. It was difficult to picture the stone faced Fugaku getting into any mischief. Sakura had only ever seen him a couple of times when he was on duty and the memories were fuzzy. Even in the single family photograph that survived the years, his face was all stern lines despite the soft smiles on Mikoto’s and Sasuke’s faces. Uchiha Itachi’s face was softer with youth, but he was practically a replica of his father, unsmiling.

Shabu shabu was a simple enough dish for the both of them. Sakura was sure that even without her Sasuke could prepare it, but the enjoyment came from sharing the experience with others.

“Don’t steal all of the mushrooms!” Sakura scolded through her giggles as she swiped a couple of mushrooms before Sasuke could get to them.

“You definitely ate more of the mushrooms than me.”

“No I didn’t!”

“You always eat a majority of the mushrooms.”

Foraging for edible plants was one of the responsibilities that was usually handed to Sasuke or Sakura when they had to make camp for missions. Naruto could never remember which mushrooms were safe to eat. He had almost poisoned them once in his excitement to gather as many as possible because Sakura had a preference for mushrooms on long missions.

Sasuke would always let her have the last mushroom. Twelve year old Sakura used to hold on to those moments. They were more precious than jade to her preteen self who had desired nothing more than his attention.

“Fine, here you go.” Sasuke rolled his eyes and feigned annoyance as he handed her the last of the mushrooms.

Sakura shimmied her shoulders in excitement and held out her bowl for him to drop the mushrooms in. “Thank you!”

“I don’t need you tackling me because I ate the last of the vegetables again.”

“That was once!” Sakura’s face burned with embarrassment, heat flooding quickly to her cheeks. “And I was on a diet. I told you guys I wasn’t eating meat that week. Twelve year old me was ridiculous.”

“You were heavy. And you’re bigger now.”

“Shut up, you literally carry me like I’m a sack of rice,” Sakura mumbled, chewing on the tips of her chopsticks. “And I’m barely taller than your height at age fourteen, you ass.”

Sakura considered herself to be of a decent height. She was at least taller than Hinata, nevermind that she wore heels every day and it gave her that little boost. She remembered carrying the boys all of the time when they were around the same size and even though she could still carry them with her enhanced chakra strength, it was awkward considering how much they had outgrown her.

But there was something amazing and so comforting in how they had physically outgrew her━both Sasuke and Naruto. The three of them had made it to this point and that was something to be grateful for.

“Are you going to whine about the last piece of meat too?”

“You’re just being obnoxious now.”

---

After their late lunch, they had a routine. They would share the task of taking dishes back to the kitchenette and Sakura would wash them and place them in the rack while Sasuke placed any leftovers into containers for the fridge.

After cleaning up, Sakura would fill Sasuke’s oil diffuser with whatever scent she found suitable for the day and they would settle in for an afternoon of working in comfortable silence or Sakura would help Sasuke with some of his physical therapy.

Or they would get involved in other forms of physical activities.

Their relationship had been progressing in secret. It wasn’t as if it were a well kept secret. Everyone knew they spent more time alone with each other than with their friends and Sakura’s feelings were well known.

But it was easier when what they had was just their own. There were no spectators to their relationship and touching each other was easier when it was at their own pace.

For Sasuke, touching Sakura was almost instinctual. He had been concerned at first that it would be difficult, but it ended up being more natural than he thought it would be.

When they were genin there was a shift from needing to touch to wanting to touch. There was comfort in just having his hand on her back and he would notice things like how even though she was thinner than Naruto, she was soft unlike the bony feel of their friend through his baggy clothing.

The touch always meant comfort, safety—family. But there were some days that it meant curiosity, yearning. At age fourteen, Sasuke had an inkling as to what was brewing, but that wasn’t for him. Not yet at least.

It wasn’t until years later and a few weeks of fumbling around that Sasuke was finally able to claim it as his, allow himself to have something that was soft as his.

With the fingers on his lone hand settling into the grooves of Sakura’s fingers, he asked her, “I’m still yours, right?”

The tea kettle whistled angrily as Sakura crushed herself against Sasuke, arms wrapped around his waist.

“You’re so stupid,” Sakura had whined and he couldn’t fault her for it—not when he had decided to ask in the middle of a debate of whether he should get an electric kettle for his apartment or not.

And ever since then, touching had become more commonplace.

They would be picking produce in the market and his knuckles would brush against her lower back. His fingers would wrap around her elbow and he would gently guide her down different streets instead of redirecting her with words. Sasuke would grip the hem of her tops for no reason other than to have hold of her.

“Sakura.”

“Hm?” Sakura looked up from where she was massaging the scar tissue of what remained of his left arm.

Her hair had always been silkier than his, but he liked the way it fluffed up when she let it air dry it instead of using the hair dryer she favored so much. Sasuke especially liked it when she showered in his apartment and had to use his products, resulting in her smelling like him, like she was part of everything that made up his apartment.

“Sasuke-kun,” Sakura murmured softly as he rubbed his thumb along her pulse point, fingers wrapping around her hair.

Kissing was more fluid now. The first attempt had been clumsy and he was sure Sakura had dreamt of a more romantic first kiss, not one that tasted like miso.

He had initiated their first kiss after their first successful attempt at making miso soup from scratch with their own dashi.

“Yeah, it tastes good,” wasn’t the phrase that should have followed either, but it was the first thing that came out when he realized what an awkward move he had made. It wasn’t unwanted, simply unplanned.

But getting past the first awkward kiss paved the way for more.

Clumsy presses of lips turned into languid, lingering kisses. Curiosity drove the need for more exploration.

What would it be like to kiss Sakura under her jaw? In the hollow of her throat? Under a breast? Between her thighs?

So many questions that needed answers and Sasuke went in search of them.

He found Sakura liked it best when he held her the way he did now—with his weight pressed down on her from above, the pressure of his body against her in the cradle of her thighs. It kept them as close as possible and Sasuke liked it that way.

“I just ate,” Sakura grumbled. She moved her face so she wasn’t breathing directly up at him.

“Yeah, I can taste all of the mushrooms you kept for yourself.”

“Hey!”

Sasuke pressed another kiss to her mouth, tugging on her lower lip with his teeth. She tasted like lunch and smelled like him, but most importantly she felt like home.

---

Gasping, Sakura loosened her hold around Sasuke’s neck. Her hands slipped from his shoulders and found purchase on the front of his shirt, gripping tightly until her knuckles turned white.

“Was that good?” The corners of Sasuke’s lips twitched upward as he thrust his hips against her, repeating the action from earlier. He had tilted her hips so that his dry thrusting hit her in just the right way.

“Shut your face,” Sakura replied breathily.

“Shut my face?” Sasuke snorted. He paused in his rocking and propped himself with what remained of his left arm. He tugged on the hem of the borrowed shirt she was wearing, pulling it up until it bunched up under her armpits. “Take this off.”

As soon as Sakura fell back on the couch after removing the shirt, Sasuke loomed over her with his hand palming her left breast.

Sasuke had always been taller than her even if it was only by a centimeter or two when they were children. When he had left two years ago Sakura had to tilt her chin upward only slightly to look him in the eye, but Sasuke had grown a lot in his time away. Now his body completely encompassed hers when he caged her between his forearm and the upper part of his left arm.

His larger frame over hers caused a delightful shiver to run down her spine. Sakura enjoyed the sensation of being completely surrounded by him. The world would fade away as she lay under him and he blocked her vision so that he was all she could see.

“Cold?” Sasuke asked, lips brushing against her sternum. A red eye, unobstructed by his bangs, peered up at her from beneath inky lashes. “Bed?”

“Yeah.”

There was barely ten feet from the couch to his bedroom, but Sasuke held her hand as he led her inside. He guided her to the bed before dropping her hand and crossing to the window to close the black out curtains.

“The rain is still coming down really hard,” Sakura muttered, crossing an arm across her chest and rubbing the opposite arm for warmth.

“Well, it’s almost the rainy season.” Sasuke turned his back to the window and cocked his head as he watched her, right hand on his hip.

With a smile on her face, Sakura raised her arms up, reaching towards him. “Warm me up?”

Smiling softly, Sasuke held his arm out and let Sakura step into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his torso with her hands against his shoulder blades.

Warm. Sasuke had always been warm.

Sakura—and Naruto as well—used to curl closer to Sasuke’s sleeping roll on missions to take advantage of the heat that radiated from his body. Sasuke would complain that they were crowding him, kicking when Naruto tried to squeeze between him and Sakura or when he buried his face between Sasuke’s shoulder blades.

If Sakura was lucky, she would end up between both of the boys who had higher body temperatures than she did. She would wiggle her body closer to Sasuke and if she was lucky he wouldn’t scoot over an inch to avoid her cold hands and legs.

Flesh to flesh, Sasuke was still warm. His skin heated up the more his heart raced. Sakura loved to place her hand on his pectoral, right over his heart, and feel it drum a fast cadence beneath her fingertips.

Warm. Sasuke had always been warm.

And that warmth was also found in the red and purple of his irises when he gazed into her eyes.

“It would be warmer in bed,” Sasuke murmured, leaning down to press his forehead to hers.

“Really trying to get me there, huh?”

His bed wasn’t new territory. She and Sasuke had put it together while Ino and Sai argued with Naruto about which parts connected to what. Sakura had napped in it after a long day of shifts at both the children’s institute and the main hospital.

Sasuke had tongued Sakura into two orgasms on that bed.

“Yeah.” Sasuke curled his hand around Sakura’s neck, tilting her chin up with his thumb under her jaw. “I am.”

Something that had carried on from their youth was the one tracked mindedness Sasuke had when he had a goal. It had been frustrating when they were younger and Sasuke only opened up to her on the rare occasion, but now it was a trait she couldn’t deny enjoying. Not when it benefited her so much.

There was no wariness when it came to his bed. She fell into it easily, letting him drag her borrowed boxers down her slender legs, knowing she had no reason to be uneasy within the walls of Sasuke’s room.

“You okay?” Sasuke pressed an open mouthed kiss to her shoulder as he hooked her knee around his leg and pressed himself against her so his chest was flush against her back.

“Perfect,” Sakura chirped, anticipation building low in her stomach as Sasuke slid his hand around her thigh and slowly inched his fingers toward where she was softest.

Sasuke being the one that needed to be accommodated when they were being intimate took the lead. It let him do what was comfortable for him without treating him like an invalid and Sakura wouldn’t flounder around and unintentionally embarrass him.

But Sakura preferred it when they were wrapped around each other and she was overwhelmed by the heat of his body.

For so long everything she felt was trapped inside, waiting to be allowed to burst out of her. She had not been prepared at first for the force of it to be met with a downpour of returned affection that left her drowning and gasping.

Gasping sometimes in the quite literal sense as Sasuke dropped open mouth kisses to her neck and shoulder. His breath would fan against her ear, warm and heavy as he panted in tandem to the swivel of Sakura’s hips as he strummed his fingers in pleasant sweeping motions between her folds.

“Shit.” Sakura’s face heated up at the way Sasuke groaned when he slipped a digit in and felt the way her muscles clenched around the finger. “You good?”

“Per…fect. Yeah, perfect,” Sakura moaned, her words catching in the back of her throat. “One more?”

Sasuke thrust his finger experimentally, curling it. “Too tight. Wait a moment.”

Sasuke kept a steady pace, slipping a second finger in when she became slicker and more stretched out. His middle and ring fingers scissored and curled, thrusting as he rubbed the heel of his palm against her clit. Soon enough, Sakura was grinding her hips to meet his hand, the movement causing Sasuke to push against her as her backside rubbed against his crotch.

Usually this was where Sasuke would slow down and let Sakura ride his hand and grind her body against his. It was pleasant to move against each other before Sasuke adjusted their bodies so that he could hover over her and trail kisses over her chest and down her stomach. It was nice but Sakura wanted to break away from routine.

“Give me another finger,” Sakura demanded, grabbing Sasuke’s wrist so that he couldn’t pull away. Sasuke’s fingers completely stilled inside of her and she whined at the loss of friction.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I want more.”

The stretch burned. Sakura’s breath hitched as Sasuke eased in a third finger. He kissed the side of her face and whispered praise as Sakura took in the additional finger for the first time. There was a discomfort in the fullness. She was used to taking in three of her own fingers, but they were slender and small while Sasuke’s fingers were thicker and he could completely encase her hand in his own.

Sasuke pulled his fingers out slightly and thrust gently back in. He tugged on his fingers to repeat the action, but Sakura grabbed his wrist.

“No! Nope. Just…leave them in for a bit.”

Sakura took a deep breath. She could feel herself adjusting around the intrusion as she inhaled. She hoped she could become accustomed to the size. From fooling around she knew she was going to have to take much thicker.

“You should touch yourself.” Sasuke laid a sloppy kiss to her temple. “Fondle yourself or play with your clit.”

“You say that too easily.”

“I want you to feel good, not tolerate it.”

“What a gentleman,” Sakura teased him, reaching between her thighs with the arm closest to his hand.

“Shut up.”

Together they worked in sync until Sakura was moaning incoherently to the point that she wasn’t even sure what it was that she was attempting to say. Her world became the sound of her ragged breath over Sasuke’s soft murmurs and the slick, wet noise of Sasuke’s fingers stirring her up.

She almost didn’t hear Sasuke asking her if she wanted more.

“What?” She tried to focus on his words, blinking her eyes rapidly as if it would straighten her thoughts.

Trying to make sense of his question, Sakura was caught off guard when a well placed thrust and curl of his fingers sent her tumbling over the edge she had been seeking. She had blissed out, her toes curled, and a high pitched cry got stuck in the back of her throat as she curled inwards on herself as if trying to trap the sensation.

Carefully, Sasuke eased his fingers out slowly to prevent the chance of hurting her. He trailed kisses on her shoulder and her head, slow and firm and full of so much care.

“Would you want to do more?” Sasuke asked again, shifting his body so that he wasn’t pressing his erection against her. Sakura wiggled backwards, seeking his heat and the hardness of his body. “Oi…”

Giggling Sakura turned in his hold, digging her chin into his chest as she looked up at him. His right eye was still red, matching the flush on his high cheekbones. Biting her lower lip, Sakura snaked her hands down the waistband of his pants.

“Can I have more?” She batted her eyelashes as she gripped him at the base of his cock and stroked slowly, twirling her fingers around the head and swiping the slit for some of the leaking precum. The lubrication helped the glide of her hands, making Sasuke twitch in her hands.

“Fuck it,” Sasuke hiccuped on the words with the hitching of his breath, “take all you want.”

“Are you sure about that?”

She wanted to be greedy, take absolutely everything Sasuke had to offer, but perhaps some insecurities hadn’t completely disappeared. Yes, she wanted more and more of Sasuke, but there was a part of her that still expected him to shield his vulnerable state, to hide himself away from everyone including her.

Sasuke stared at her, not a single word spoken even after she removed her hands. Just vibrant red eyes looking into hers.

“What if I want more?” His hand squeezed at her hip and then slid around to the small of her back.

“I think that could be arranged,” Sakura whispered against his skin, warm breath fanning against his chest. “I want you to have all of me.”

Kissing Sasuke was nothing like what her preteen mind had conjured up in her fantasies. She had liked to consider herself grown up back then, but dreamy pecks were nothing in comparison to the heat of Sasuke’s mouth making its way down her stomach.

There was nothing innocent about the way mismatched eyes looked up at her from between her legs, spiky black hair tickling her thighs. Nothing of it reflected her childish desires.

Young and adoring, Sakura had seeked undeniable proclamations of love for all to bear witness to.

Nineteen and overwhelmingly in love, she received adoration in the spinning of tomoes and the strokes of a tongue that didn’t let up no matter how much her legs trembled.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Sakura grumbled as Sasuke stood up on his knees, hair rumpled from her fingers gripping it, a shiny smear on his chin, and a proud gleam in his eyes.

“Good?”

“Yes. Now stop being smug about it.” Sakura reached behind her and grabbed one of his pillows, throwing it over her head at him, hitting him in the chest.

Chuckling, he crawled back over her and let her wipe his mouth with her thumbs.

“So messy.”

“Worth it.”

This time Sakura couldn’t help but laugh at his proud expression. Her laughter melted into sighs as Sasuke smothered her giggles with his mouth with open mouth kisses.

“I’m taking your pants off.”

Sasuke pulled back to raise an eyebrow at her. “Not even going to ask?”

“Nope!” Sakura chirped and hooked her thumbs into his waistband, pulling his cotton lounge pants and underwear down in one go. “Oh, hello.”

“Every single time. You’re embarrassing, you know that?” Sasuke helped her to fully remove his pants and then settled back into the cradle of her thighs. He braced himself on the remainder of his left arm and stroked her thigh with his right hand. “How are you still cold?”

“Long or short answer?”

“I’m just grabbing the blanket.”

“Good idea.” Sakura nodded in mock seriousness as Sasuke secured the blanket over his shoulders, cocooning her in his warmth under it.

There was a bit more fumbling than Sakura had anticipated. Sasuke had let her guide his cock towards her opening in favor of holding himself up so that he could hover over her. With a slight thrust of his hips, the head of it nudged its way in and Sakura took a deep inhale. It was almost comical, even to herself, how loud the intake of air had been.

“This isn’t going to work if you tense up like that,” Sasuke huffed, giving another shallow thrust. He snorted at the resistance he felt. “You’re practically pushing me out.”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Sakura closed her eyes and inhaled a much slower and calming breath. “I’m good.”

Sasuke eased his way in, going as slow as possible, halting whenever Sakura wrinkled her nose in discomfort. It was a peculiar type of pain, similar to the pinch of over stretching.

“How are we doing?” Sasuke gasped as he bottomed out, going as far in as was going to be possible.

Sakura blinked up at him, unsure of how to respond. Was it uncomfortable? Yes. Was it also one of the greatest moments of her life? Yes. She could watch him looking down at her with that soft, tender expression forever and be satisfied.

And then she shifted her hips to adjust herself—seeking some comfort—and the noise Sasuke made…Sakura’s eyes widened in awe.

It was a new sound, somehow deeper and more of a whimper than his usual bed sounds.

“Can we stay like this for a bit?” She slid her arms timidly up his arms and drummed her fingers against his shoulders before hooking them behind his neck.

Nodding, Sasuke slid forward on his arms, pressing their bodies together. The action caused him to slip further inside, but Sakura ignored the uncomfortable stretch in favor of kissing Sasuke. She spread her legs open further to accommodate him better and it helped with the pain.

When discussing sex with Ino, Sakura had never expected there to be so much room for thinking. Was she supposed to be so hyper aware of everything?

She couldn’t stop thinking about the shape of Sasuke’s lips and the way the muscle of his jaw jumped when she scraped her nails against his shoulder blades. She couldn’t help but notice the way his hips thrust shallowly as he kissed her and massaged her breast, plucking at her nipple and rolling it under his thumb. The grinding of his hips against hers seemed subconscious, like he couldn’t help it.

“You can move more.”

Sakura crossed her ankles behind the small of his back, pushing her heels against him to encourage him.

“Shit,” he hissed as he thrust deeper. Sakura squeaked in response and he paused. “You okay?”

“Yeah, that was just,” Sakura swallowed, “that was good. Again?”

Hesitantly, Sasuke pulled back and thrust his hips forward, watching her face for any signs of discomfort.

“Don’t stare too much,” Sakura whined through a soft moan. “Um, speed up a bit?”

Sasuke followed her directions until they settled on an even pace that had her breath hitching when he pushed in deep. Feeling self-conscious of the way the tomoe of his Sharingan spun with every sound she made, Sakura dropped her gaze to Sasuke’s clavicle, focusing on the hollow of his throat.

He’s too pretty, Sakura grumbled inwardly as she traced the line of his throat with her eyes, counting the splatter of tiny moles that dusted his skin. The one just under his jaw was proving to be one of her favorites, second only to the one she had found under his Adonis belt near his right hip.

Not entirely sure where the desire came from, Sakura leaned up, flattened her tongue against the hollow of his throat and dragged it upward before pressing a kiss to his chin. Sasuke groaned deeply, clearly enjoying the action. He chased her mouth to press a hard kiss to her lips and thrusted harder against her hips.

“Touch yourself,” Sasuke murmured against her mouth. “Touch yourself.”

The demand sounded more like a plea, strained and caught in his throat. His fingers scrambled desperately for hers and dragged them down her body and placed them between her legs. Sakura didn’t fight the way he guided her index finger to circle the knobby bit of flesh right above where they were joined.

“Touch yourself,” he pleaded again, voice muffled as he kissed and sucked at her throat.

“Fuck,” Sakura whimpered softly. She could feel the way her inner walls fluttered, clenching around him. “It’s too much.”

“Just come.” Sasuke closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. “Just come.”

Face flushed and his warm breath fanning her face, Sakura’s chest swelled at the way his lips quirked up at the corners. Sasuke was content and warm and just as lost in her as she usually was lost in him.

“I love you,” she whispered, wrapping her arms under his armpits and pulling him into a tighter embrace. “I love you so much, Sasuke-kun.”

“Wha—wait. No.”

Sakura opened her eyes, brows furrowing at the panic in his voice. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know the true extent of her feelings. Sakura had been telling him she loved him since she was thirteen years old.

She looked up at wide mismatched eyes in confusion, mouth opening to voice her concerns and immediately shutting tight when she felt a wet warmth flooding inside of her.

“Oh,” she muttered in realization of what the sensation was. She could make a tonic later just to be safe.

Sasuke sagged forward, catching himself with his arm before he completely collapsed on top of her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, but Sakura could still see the red of his ears.

“Did you just—?”

“Yes,” Sasuke cut her off, voice muffled against her shoulder.

Sakura giggled, rubbing her cheek against the top of his head. “You’re so cute.”

Sasuke’s head snapped up quickly and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Don’t call me cute when my cock is inside of you.”

“But you are!” Sakura protested as he pulled away from her and flopped his body next to her. Semen leaked out from her and trailed with him as he settled on his bed. “Okay this part is kind of gross.”

“Yeah we should wash up again.” Although he made the suggestion he didn’t move from where he was laying.

“I need to pee,” Sakura grumbled, sitting up.

She grabbed the clothes she had borrowed from the places they ended up and made her way to the bathroom to clean up. When she returned to the bedroom, Sasuke had his pants back on and had removed the sheets from the bed.

“Gonna put these to wash.” He balled up the sheets and tucked them under his arm, hiding them from her.

“I bled, didn’t I?”

“It’s fine.” Sasuke shuffled on the balls of his feet. “I know how to remove blood stains. Comes with the shinobi lifestyle.”

“I’ll change the sheets while you do that then.”

This was also not something Sakura expected when she thought of sex. Her daydreams of her first time always ended in cuddling and not wanting to pull away. Daydreams didn’t involve being covered in someone else’s sweat and cum. They didn’t involve the changing of sheets and bleeding from the extreme stretching of her hymen.

This was more real and for some reason it was relaxing. A calm sense of contentment filled her as she shook out the fresh set of sheets for Sasuke’s bed.

Something about the natural way they moved around each other to clean up felt like she belonged in the space.

“You should stay here.”

Like it was hers too.

“We could make miso soup everyday.”

An arm wrapped around her from behind as she finished tucking the corners into the hospital style she was used to.

“How are you feeling?”

“Sore.” Sakura leaned her head back against him and tilted her chin up to look at Sasuke. “Which I expected.”

Standing on her toes she kissed the underside of Sasuke’s jaw.

“And happy. Which was also expected.” Sakura rubbed a hand on his forearm. “And you?”

“Tired.” Sasuke dropped his chin on top of her head. “But content. Which was expected.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“A little.” Sasuke chuckled, backing away a bit when Sakura elbowed his stomach. “But I’m being honest.”

“Good.” She turned in his hold and kissed the spot above his heart. “I like when you’re happy.”

“It’s a feeling I could get used to.” Sasuke released her from his grip to cup her face. He rubbed his thumb over the apple of her cheek and up the apex. “Did you have anything to do today?”

She had planned to have lunch with Sasuke and after a massage she was going to head to the children’s institute to go over some more paperwork. Sakura had already finished her shift but getting rid of some of her work for the next day would free her to help take over more of Ino’s usual responsibilities since she was still away on her honeymoon.

“Nothing I really have to do,” Sakura mumbled against his chest. “But I should do them.”

“It’s still pouring out.” Sasuke rubbed circles on the small of her back with his palm. “Maybe you can wait out the rain?”

Sakura dug her chin against his chest, looking up at him with a soft smile. “And if the rain doesn’t let up?”

“After a couple of hours, I suddenly remember I have an umbrella somewhere in this apartment.”

“A couple of hours?”

“Or a few.” Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. “I would say stay but your mother knows where I live.”

“So if it weren’t for Mama you would want me to stay?” She pulled back, sliding her hand down his arm until she reached his fingers. She slid her fingers into the grooves of his own and interlocked their fingers.

“You would stay.” Sasuke squeezed her hand gently. He wasn’t wrong. She would stay every night if she weren’t living with her parents. “And maybe we could try and make that miso soup again for breakfast.”

“Hmm,” Sakura hummed, lightly swinging their arms back and forth. “The tomato one?”

“Yeah. Our recipe that we finally settled on.”

Our recipe.

“That sounds nice.” Sakura stood on her toes and Sasuke leaned down to meet her for a chaste kiss. “But I’m throwing it out if you try to add those chilies again.”

Sasuke chuckled, filling his room with the soft sound of his laughter. It circled them both and swirled inside of her, spreading a pleasant heat that started in Sakura’s chest and expanded outwards to her limbs.

Warm. Sasuke would always be warm.