iii. valentine's day

The first Valentine's Day they shared as a couple wasn't particularly special; in fact, it had completely slipped their minds.

Sakura had been working a late shift at the hospital, buried elbows-deep in paperwork, while Sasuke had been gone on a weeklong mission. It was just like any other normal day, and neither had really left the confines of their objectives to notice intimate couples swarming the streets in fits of love and infatuation. It wasn't until a day later when he returned that Sakura had looked at the calendar and realized the significance of February fifteenth.

"Do you know what yesterday was?" she had asked, laughing. She considered how upset she would have been if she had just been a few years younger, and a little more obsessed with the brooding boy she now called her boyfriend.

"Tuesday?" he had replied with a raised eyebrow, lounging comfortably on her couch with a scroll in his hands.

She laughed again, amused. "Valentines Day," she said. "Yesterday was Valentine's Day."

He had soundlessly looked toward the calendar on the wall, and smirked. "Aa," he agreed. "I guess you're right."

They hadn't said much about it afterward. It wasn't as if they were particularly upset; they had lives, after all, and duties that couldn't be ignored. It was outlandish to dote over a trivial, missed holiday that was nothing more than a commercial extravaganza. Sure, it would have been sweet to share it together—most Valentine's Days in the past Sakura had shared with Naruto over a bowl of ramen, and Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he had looked at a calendar in Orochimaru's hideout to even realize when it was the most romantic day of the year—and she would have enjoyed the intimacy, but Sasuke kissing her on the fourteenth and Sasuke kissing her on the fifteenth were no less different, and no more special.

The second Valentine's Day they shared as a couple was the first one they shared together. It just so happened that it had rolled around on a Saturday, the one day Sakura had off of the hospital, and Sasuke had completed a mission days prior, and was on rest until Monday. It had merely been a coincidence and that she had woken up that morning, and there he was, next to her, sleeping soundly.

Hell, she had only even remembered that the holiday was rolling around because Ino wouldn't shut the fuck up about it; it was her first Valentine's Day married to her beloved Sai, and Sakura was sure they would be spending it indoors, wrapped up in their sheets until they stumbled out for some dinner, only to end up in the bathroom wrapped up in each other.

With a drawn sigh, she lazily propped herself up with one hand, and stared at the sleeping man next to her. He looked so peaceful, so content, his arm still slung around her waist from when she had fallen asleep up against his back. It was almost strange to see Sasuke like this, guard drawn, trust ensured as he slept next to another person.

She remembered when she had first started sleeping with Sasuke. He always fell asleep last, and had carefully left his eye on her out of habit. She didn't really take it personally; she could only imagine what it must've been like in the dungeons of Orochimaru's lair, surrounded by experiments, and evil servants of the vicious man. He had to be careful, or he'd be skinned alive.

Now, he slept comfortably beside her. He had no qualms with falling asleep first, holding him against her, or even passing out with his back towards her—a position which would normally upset a partner, but only thrilled Sakura. He trusted her enough to put his guard down. It was touching.

"Stop staring at me," he whispered into the pillow, not even bothering to open his eyes.

She giggled. "Happy Valentine's Day, Sasuke-kun."

He mumbled something incoherent, and then offered a dignified, "huh, what?"

"Happy Valentine's Day," she repeated.

With a tiny whine she found unbelievably cute, he opened his eyes with a thorough roll she knew was for her. "It's Valentine's Day?" he asked, smirking.

She snorted. "As if you didn't know."

With a sigh, he rolled on his back, removing his arm from her body. She felt the loss of heat, and couldn't help the frown that surfaced on her face. "You're right, I knew."

The frown automatically changed to a pout at his blatant disregard. "You're not going to wish it back?"

"Do you care?" he asked, smirking once again.

She shrugged, and threw herself on her back next to him. The ceiling suddenly became very interesting as a blush crept up her cheeks. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He chuckled, and her heart skipped a beat. With a tiny smile, he turned his gaze to her, his fringe falling into his line of sight. "I understand that this is a very special holiday to some people, but I really haven't planned anything."

She grunted. "As if I expected you to."

"That's fair," he said, and the smile turned back into a smirk. "I won't buy you flowers, or chocolate."

"Flowers die," she stated, obvious. "And I much prefer pastries, anyway."

He gave her one, long look, and sighed again. "I know."

"I know, you know," she replied, and sighed herself.

A silence befell them as Sasuke carefully sorted through the words in his head, deciding what to say to please the girl next to him. He still wasn't very good at being a good boyfriend, but he knew from the start that she had no special expectations from him, just that he was there, dedicated, and interested. It would make him good at being a bad boyfriend, though, if he didn't do something a little special every now and again.

He sighed again, something he often found himself doing around the pinkette. She was so annoying. "Would you like to get breakfast at the bakery this morning?"

She immediately lit up, just like he knew she would. It made his heart twitch. "Really?" she asked.

"Would I say it if I didn't mean it?" he snapped.

She ignored his tone, and smiled even wider. "Your treat?"

"My treat," he assured her, nearly sinking into his pillow. He was already regretting this—

Until she pushed her lips against his cheek, soft and sweet. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered against his skin, and fell back into her place beside him.

He sighed for the nth time, but ultimately settled for a smirk. "Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, Sakura."

Weeee happy vday everyone. I got sushi with my best friend and it was cute and wonderful; we got each other sexy lingerie, and she got me the cutest mug for my birthday which is Tuesday that has a picture of us dancing from her brother's bar mitzvah when we were fucking wasted. It's cute. We're cute. Hope you all had as great of a day as I did.

My tumblr is on my bio, please follow me, and I'll follow back.

AS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT YOU ALL SHOULD TOTALLY LEAVE REVIEWS. I'D APPRECIATE IT. IT'D BE THE BEST GIFT EVER!

Peace.