Chapter Text
The music blasted loudly in her ears, much louder than she thought was necessary. It shouldn't be difficult to hold a simple conversation without having to repeat herself. Especially not after every sentence. But Ino had forced her to go clubbing together before the semester started. She’d initially declined, clubbing not exactly being her preferred crowd. But Ino had managed to guilt her into coming, so here she was.
At this point, Sakura was counting the minutes until she could leave. She gave herself an hour before she’d tell Ino that she was going back to their dorm. An hour would be good enough for Ino, and quite honestly, the most she could tolerate.
She returned her focus to her friend, noticing the obvious pout painted on her lips.
“I don't see Sai,” Ino says, eyes darting around the club.
The blonde had a giant crush on Sai. Sakura had known him since high school and recently introduced them to one another. Sai had been his usual oblivious self. He didn't fare well with emotions, whether it be his own or from others.
So when Ino had been a stuttering mess, he’d asked if she had a stutter.
Ino wouldn't stop whining about how embarrassing it was and swore she was never leaving her room again.
If only that were true, maybe then Sakura wouldn't be here.
“I'm sure he’ll be here. He always seems to be glued to Naruto’s side nowadays. If he’s here, Sai is probably close by.” She reassures her.
Still, Ino remains deflated.
“If you say so.”
Sakura moves to speak once more, when Ino’s eyes furrow, her head tilting to look behind her pink-haired friend. Her expression shifts into one of panic as she turns back to Sakura.
“Okay, don't freak out, but I think I see Sasori. And I think he might be heading this way.”
She stiffens, her friends panic now spreading to her.
Shit.
Sasori, her ex-boyfriend, was a toxic piece of shit. Their whole relationship consisted of him constantly humiliating her. She should've known cheating would've been on the long list of acts he’d perform to further degrade her.
In truth, she’d only dated him to get over her feelings for a certain raven-haired boy. Sasori was what you would call a rebound for her. It's the main reason she stayed with him even after all the shit he used to put her through, because she didn't love him, so she didn't care.
When he cheated on her, however, well she had a lot more self-respect for herself than to actually consider staying with him.
Plus, it hadn't worked. Her feelings for her friend only grew stronger.
She hadn't seen Sasori in months, and now that she was threatened with a confrontation, she wanted to avoid it as much as possible.
Without bothering to look over her shoulder, Sakura hurried past Ino, intent on putting as much distance between herself and Sasori as possible.
“Sakura!” The call came from Sasori. Which did nothing to deter her, only causing her to speed up.
She quickly realized that there was no exit in the direction she was headed, only a bar. Maybe her next actions could be described as insane, but she truly couldn't bring herself to care with that fucker on her tail.
Sakura headed towards the bar, grabbing the first person she saw by the arm and pulling them towards her. Before they could get a word out, her hands laced around his neck, pulling him down to her height and crashing her lips onto his.
The man stands frozen, arms stiff at his side. She's screaming at him internally to do something. This wasn't gonna work if he didn't put in some effort.
She was going to pull away to tell him just as much when his hand moved to the back of her head, pulling her back in. His lips moved hot against hers while his free hand traveled down to grab her waist, pulling her against him.
Maybe this wasn't the best time, but Sakura could only think, he was a good kisser.
She threads her fingers through his long hair, tilting her head to the side and deepening the kiss. He followed her lead, shoving his tongue into her mouth; she released a muffled moan at the contact. The hand on the back of her head joined the one on her waist, grasping for more.
Sasori had probably gotten the hint. She knew that. But she’d found a different motivation to continue. No matter how much her mind told her to pull away, her body only pushed further.
Sakura wasn't the type to have a random hookup or one-night stand. She preferred being intimate with people she had a connection with that stemmed beyond physical attraction. So to say this was out of character was an understatement.
She was half tempted to drag him to a more secluded place when a familiar voice rang in her ear.
“Sasuke, what are you doing?!” Naruto shouted over the music.
She froze.
Pulling away quickly, she looked at the man more closely. Coming face-to-face with Sasuke. Her heart beat faster upon seeing him in this state. His cheeks were flushed, his lips swollen with her lipstick smudged around the corners. His eyes were hooded as he shot her his signature glare, helping her snap out of her trance.
She pushed away from him, putting a nice few feet between them. Glancing behind him, she saw Naruto, Sai, and Ino stricken with shock.
Sinking deeper in her embarrassment, she avoided eye contact when she found the courage to speak, “I'm- I'm so sorry, I didn't– I wouldn't have-”
“I know he was gone for a while, but I didn't know you missed him that much, Sakura.” Naruto interrupted her sorry excuse of an apology. She wasn't sure if she wanted to thank him or smack him.
Before she could decide, Sasuke beat her to it. He whipped his head around to face their best friend.
“Shut your mouth, you idiot.”
Naruto scowled, “Who are you calling an idiot, idiot?!”
“But Sasuke is much smarter than you, isn't he?” Sai joins in.
And that’s how the rest of the night progressed.
Sakura tried getting a word in to properly apologize for kissing him, but Naruto and Sai took up all his attention. She decided it would be best to apologize in a more appropriate setting where she wouldn’t have to strain her vocal cords, nor physically pull him away from the group in order to do it.
Not wanting to disturb Ino’s time with Sai, she opted to text Ino she’d left rather than seek her out. Her night was ruined, but that didn't mean Ino’s should be.
Stepping out of the club, Sakura took in a breath of fresh air. Her hand moved to touch her lips, thinking back to the ones that were pressed against them.
‘Shit, what have you done, Sakura?’
-
It was the night before the first day of classes. Sakura lies flat on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The ruffling of sheets came from the bed beside hers, her head turning to see Ino staring at her with eyes full of pity.
“It wasn't that bad, Sakura.”
She brought her hands to cover her face, “I made out with Sasuke. What part of that sounds good to you?” Her voice was muffled.
“Well, I'm sure the making-out part felt pretty good. You've had feelings for him since we were kids.” Ino pointed out.
“I mean, of course it felt good!” She turns to face Ino fully, “But what if he thinks I'm easy, or desperate?” She cared more about what Sasuke thought of her than she cared to admit. Sure, she’d grown into her own person in comparison to her younger self. But a part of her still held Sasuke close to her heart, even when she was with Sasori, and even now.
When he’d told her he was going to study abroad for two years, she’d come close to asking him to stay, begging him to stay. The thought of being away from him for a year made her heart ache. But she couldn't be selfish, not when it came to him. His happiness had always been above her desire to be with him.
So, she smiled and told him it was a great idea.
It's only been a year since then, and he’d come home early. A fact she only fully realized when she returned home after the incident. Despite everything that happened that night, she managed to smile at the fact.
He was back home.
The momentary giddiness was quickly replaced with a wave of shame. It was his first night back, and she’d kissed him. Sure, she wasn't aware it was him, but he didn't know that.
“C’mon, Sakura, he’d never think of you like that. Just explain the situation to him and he’ll understand. Plus..” She trailed off.
“Plus what?”
She looked at Sakura for a moment before shaking her head. “Never mind, let's just get some shut-eye. I have an early class tomorrow.”
She wanted to question Ino further, but let it go. She wasn't the only one with an early class, and talking about Sasuke would just keep her up all night.
As if he hasn't already.
-
Shit.
There were two minutes left until her class started. She’d slept through her alarm and hardly made it out the door on time. She sped down the hall, and when she finally spotted her classroom, she almost broke out into a sprint.
Luckily, she didn't need to. She made it right on the dot, though now the class was full, safe for one seat.
She walked up the aisle, her eyes moved to catch a glimpse of the person she would sit beside, only to stop in her tracks when they landed on Sasuke, staring straight back at her.
Forcing her feet to move, she walked towards the empty seat and threw an awkward smile his way as she took her seat.
“Hey, Sasuke. Looks like we're in the same class, huh?” She chuckled nervously. Her hands fidgeted as she spoke. He maintained eye contact with her, which intimidated her significantly more than she already was.
“Yeah.” It’s the only response he grants her. He doesn't give away anything. Not with his words, not with his face, nor with his body language. She can't read him at all.
Did he even remember what happened that night?
Was he drunk?
If that was the case, would bringing it up make the situation worse?
Damn it, what should she do?
“So, uhm, about the other night…” She starts.
Sasuke tilts his head, waiting for her to continue.
It seems like the world is against her when she is yet again interrupted. The professor enters the room at that moment, making sure to slam the door behind him. No doubt to silence the class.
Great.
Throughout the lecture, she tries grabbing Sasuke’s attention when the professor isn't looking, but he seems to be engulfed in the lesson. Any and every attempt ends in failure as his eyes are glued to the board.
The class drags on; she’d chosen to focus on the lecture and pull him aside after class. It was a better option than making gestures that would be ignored for the next thirty minutes.
Part of her was afraid he’d purposely been ignoring her, but the thought was quickly dismissed. Sasuke took his studies very seriously. He would turn in assignments days, even weeks, before they were due. He’d study for exams a month in advance, and complain when the professor would only give a two week notice.
Taking that into consideration, it’s unlikely he’s noticed her efforts at sparking a conversation.
She sighed to herself, but couldn't deny that it was pretty cute.
After a few minutes, class was dismissed. Sasuke was out the door before her, leaving her scrambling to pack her stuff. Quickly, she pushed through the crowd of students moving towards the exit, aiming to catch up with him.
She spots him immediately and moves towards him, grabbing his sleeve.
He stops in his tracks, turning to face her. His eyes move from her face to her grip on his sleeve. She lets go of him, her hand returning to her side, and looks him straight in the eye. Buzzing with determination, she tells him, “We need to talk.”
–
“You wanted to talk?”
Sakura stood awkwardly in the private study room. Sasuke already took a seat and was placing his laptop on the table. She wasn't sure if she should sit or not. It wasn't like she was staying, only to apologize and leave.
Clearing her throat, she gathered the strength to speak, “That kiss. I didn't know it was you. I was trying to hide from Sasori, so I panicked and just grabbed the first person I saw.” She pauses to take a breath, “I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I'm really, really sorry, Sasuke.” Her head dips down in shame.
She couldn't bring herself to look up, not even when he didn't respond.
The chair creaks as he leans back, his arms crossed. “Is that what you thought I was? Uncomfortable?”
Slowly, she raised her head, peering at him through her eyelashes, “Weren’t you?”
“Sakura, I had my tongue in your mouth. I’d say I was more than comfortable.”
Flushing profusely, she blurts out, “You don't have to put it like that!”
Then, she processed his words. Was he saying what she thought he was?
Did he... not hate it?
The idea never even crossed her mind. In all the years she’d fawned over him, he’d never given her the slightest hint that he reciprocated her feelings. Even outright rejected them at one point.
She pursed her lips, “I thought… maybe you felt like you needed to spare my feelings or something.”
He sighed, “Well, let me make it clear for you. I kissed you back because I wanted to, nothing else. There’s no need to apologize.”
Her eyes widened, and the flush on her cheeks spread to cover her face. He said it so casually, like it wasn’t one of the scenarios she’d painted in her head as a kid. She felt so hot, she thought she might pass out any second now. That was her cue to leave before she did something stupid like kiss him again.
“Well, now that that’s out of the way, I need to, uhm, help Ino.. clean the dorm?” She facepalms internally.
“Was that a question, or a statement?” He raises an eyebrow, clearly suspicious.
“Question– I mean statement! Definitely a statement. I’ll see you!” She says, running out of the room, leaving Sasuke grinning to himself.
-
“Let me get this straight. You followed him into a private room to apologize.” Sakura nodded. “
“Then, he told you that he enjoyed the kiss.” Ino continues.
“Yes.”
“And.. you ran out of the room?”
“Yes?” She winces.
Ino brings her hand to rub her forehead, “Where is your brain in that big forehead of yours?”
Sakura scowls, “What was that, Inopig?”
Her friend sits up straight in her seat and looks at her with an expression Sakura could only describe as one trying to teach a third-grader their multiplication.
“If I kissed Sai, and he told me that he liked the kiss. Do you know what I would do?” Ino pauses for a beat, “I would kiss him again.”
Sakura plays with her comforter, “I don't know. Maybe it was a one-time thing.”
The blonde groans from her seat. Sakura may be smart, but she could be dense when it came to things like romance. You’d think having a crush on the same man for years would've given her some knowledge. But since the man in question was also dense in the subject, it made sense that Sakura was oblivious to the signs.
“You two were in a private room. Do you think that’s a coincidence?” She questioned.
Sakura opens her mouth, then closes it. She hadn’t taken that into consideration. Sasuke wanting to study wasn't out of the norm. She’d thought he wanted to be productive while chatting.
Was it for something else?
Just then, she gets a ping from her phone. Picking it up, she reads the message.
Sasuke
Next time you kiss me, don't do it with another man on your mind.