~ Operation: Call Me ~

Description: Restless and unable to sleep, Sakura waits for her phone to ring. She loves the sound of his voice. But does she love him?

(AN) It's been an astoundingly long time, I know. Here's a short – let's call it what it is –pwp, starring one of my favourite pairings: Sakura and Naruto. This is set an in alternate universe that I intended to revisit for more Sakura x Naruto adventures, wherein Team 7 is an elite espionage and assassination unit, using their ninja skills in the modern world. As always, I can never tell whether I've made Sakura a bit OOC, since she's such a malleable character, especially when thrust into an alternative universe.

Yes, I'm still working on A Dangerous Game. No, I have not forgotten about it. But let's let writers block manifest itself however it so chooses...

-o0o-

Sakura lay in bed, restless.

The moon was bright outside, casting a shimmering glow across her bedspread through her open window. She watched as the shadows of clouds passed across her comforter, the moonlight dancing as it snuck through the small breaks of the cloud coverage.

She listened to the wind as it rustled the leaves on the trees just outside; listened to the soft tinkling of raindrops rolling off leaves and pitter-pattering against the metal eavestroughs just outside her window.

She couldn't sleep. It had been 3 days since Naruto and Sasuke had left on a two-man mission for Team 7, the elite espionage and assassination unit of which she and the two men were employed. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke all possessed a particular set of skills that were highly valued by the esteemed organization that succeeded where everyone else failed.

She was frustrated that she'd been considered unnecessary to the mission by the higher ups.

"That's not what this means, Sakura," Naruto had told her in a soft voice as he headed out into the night three evenings before, "You know that. You're the most kick-ass woman I've ever met. You're just sitting this one out."

Sakura had been livid when she'd discovered that she'd been left out of the loop for the upcoming mission. Somewhere in the back of her mind, nagging away at her, a little voice, sotto voce, told her that she'd somehow fucked up in a major way and the agency had taken notice. Subconsciously, she'd caressed her left side, just above her hip, where she'd been knifed on her most recent mission with the team.

Naruto, ever-perceptive to all things involving her, justice, and very little else, didn't miss the subtle gesture.

"You were wounded on that last mission," Naruto had whispered softly, as he reached out his hand and placed it gently over hers above her hip, "It was scary. We were all worried. The agency values its people and they just want you to rest up a bit so you can keep being their Number One Woman."

Sakura hadn't been able to subdue the hint of a grin that had made it to her delicate lips. Number One Woman.

He hadn't said Number One Operative. No, and that was because she, Sasuke, and Naruto historically spent at least 15 minutes a mission getting sidetracked and arguing that very point. Who was the best? In their small, tight unit, jam-packed with competitive personalities, each of them felt the need to profess that they were the best. Sometimes they argued it for a reason. Mostly they argued it to lighten the atmosphere and bring some humour to nights where there otherwise was none.

Sakura thought back to the actual topic of their discussion. She had been wounded. Yes, she had. And it had hurt. But it didn't quite ache like letting Sasuke and Naruto go on a mission without her ached.

"I worry about you guys," Sakura had said, her green eyes staring at some unknown object just to the left of Naruto's baby blues, "Who is going to take care of you two if I'm not there?"

She had known that they were professionals; two of the toughest, smartest – even though Naruto seemed to effortlessly behave in such a way that made that statement seem ridiculous at times – and most capable men she knew. They'd be okay without her. She just desperately wanted to be in the thick of things with them, watching their backs while they watched hers.

Naruto had grinned at her.

"We'll manage, somehow," he'd said, "I'll call you when the job's done."

It had been 3 days since he'd told her that and slipped out into the night, and she had still heard no word from either Naruto or Sasuke.

She hated this feeling. The feeling of a loved one sitting alone at home, waiting desperately for the phone to ring. She was not one of those women.

And yet here she was, tossing and turning and finally lying awake at night, staring forlornly at the telephone receiver on her bedside table.

Completely and utterly ring-less.

She knew they were okay. Their safety was not the problem, since she knew all too well how good the two men were. No, the crux of her problem was not the operative in her. It was the woman in her. And the fact of it, when she finally sunk into her pillow ready to admit it, was that she missed her man.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Somehow along the way, she and her handsome, charismatic, idiot goofball teammate had fallen madly in lust for each other. They had first slept together after a particularly long and tense mission, and had been seeing each other ever since. Sasuke, aware of everything to do with anything not to do with his personal life, had pointed out almost instantly that she and Naruto were sleeping together.

And, true to fashion, had proclaimed that he really didn't give a shit what they did in their spare time as long as it didn't interfere with the team. And, as consummate professionals, it never did.

Sakura kicked off her comforter, rolled over in bed, and tugged her light sheet over her, covering just below her collarbone. She stared out at the night sky, lost in thought.

Naruto had said he loved her.

Well, to be fair, he had breathed the words into her ear after a particularly hot night together, so who could say that he'd really meant what he said, or even remembered saying it during the throes of hot sex?

He'd said, "God, I love you, Sakura. I always have."

Just thinking about it made involuntary warm shivers dance up her spine. Had he meant it? Did she want him to have? Did she love him? Well, she knew she loved him. She loved both of her men. But was she in love with him was more to the point.

Such love was an unnecessary complication. It made people make irrational decisions out on the field.

They hadn't spoken about his proclamation.

It had been some weeks ago. 17 days, 16 hours, and approximately 25 minutes ago, if she were counting. Which of course she wasn't.

He hadn't brought it up, so neither had she.

What did it mean that he hadn't chosen to discuss such a huge confession with her – one that could potentially change their casual relationship forever? Naruto was nothing if not earnest and forthright.

Sakura released a puff of air on a sigh as she continued to watch the water droplets fall into the night. He probably didn't remember having said it. He probably hadn't meant it.

The ring of Sakura's phone to signify an incoming call was so starkly out of place in the night, that despite her desperate anticipation of a call she lurched forward in bed, her heart feeling as if it skipped a beat. She turned her emerald eyes on the moonlit phone, and watched the indicator light blink as the phone rang a second time.

Tentatively, she reached out and wrapped her pale hand around the receiver.

God help whoever was on the other end of the line if it wasn't Naruto or Sasuke calling at this hour. Normally she was known as an Angel of Mercy, but she'd worked herself up tonight, dwelling on Naruto and things of the past and thoughts of the future. She wasn't looking forward to stamping that all down in order to speak with someone else.

"Hello?" she questioned softly as she picked up the receiver and held it to her ear.

"Sakura! You're awake!"Against her wishes, her heart rate started to pick up at the sound of his voice.

"I wonder whose fault that is," she chided gently, her soft voice tinged with amusement as she leaned back in her bed to rest against the headboard, "calling at this hour."

She was never going to admit to him that she hadn't been able to sleep, her mind too caught up in missing him. She'd never be able to wipe that inevitable grin off his face if he came to know such juicy information. Well, she could punch it off his face, but then she'd be hurting her own interests.

"Heeeh, sorry Sakura!" Sakura could hear his soft, sheepish laugh. "I'll call back in the morning."

"No!" The word flew out of her mouth in a concerned jolt before she'd even paused to think about how very desperate she sounded. Damnit. She didn't want him to know that she'd been waiting to hear his voice.

"How did the mission go?" She quickly followed-up, in an attempt to disguise her unfortunately frantic response as if it was all business. She found she was gripping her receiver as if she meant to strangle it. With concentrated thought, she eased up her grip on her phone.

"Piece of cake!"Naruto's voice was like melted butter. "Went off without a hitch."

"Naruto." Sakura deadpanned.

"What?" Too innocent was his reply.

"You're lying to me. You know how I feel about you lying to me."

"So, okay, yeah. There was a bit of a hitch, bit we fixed it."

"What kind of a hitch?"

"Uuuh... like a bomb – "

"A BOMB?!"

" – shell..." He was heavy on the –ell, having realized too late his mistake. "Some chick attached herself to Sasuke while we were scoping out the target across the street."

She was relieved that there hadn't actually been an explosive complication to the mission, but she visibly cringed at the notion of a woman – even a bombshell, as Naruto so put it – invading Sasuke's precious personal space, especially when out on a mission.

"I'd have shit myself laughing if it hadn't been such a tense situation." Naruto laughed, his good humour so vibrant even across the phone line that she wondered if the only tension involved in the situation had been Sasuke's threatening glares to Naruto if he so much as squeaked at the unfolding predicament.

"I'm dying to know how this was resolved," Sakura said, grinning.

"I told her he was my lover, and that she had ten seconds to take her hands off my man before I showed her why I topped in our relationship."

Sakura burst out laughing.

"You didn't!"

"I did," Naruto's laughter mingled with hers, "and she ran off. Dude almost kneed me in the balls after, and our scuffle almost cost us our surveillance on the target, but I gotta tell ya, Sakura, it was so fucking worth it."

"God, I'm sorry I missed that," Sakura said, her laughter having died down.

"I just miss you." Naruto replied, all traces of humour gone from his voice.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. She wasn't ready to tell him that she'd been sleepless with missing him, but it felt so good to hear him echoing her own feelings.

Still, she tried to keep it casual, bringing her feisty temper back into the conversation.

"Let's go back to this bombshell for a moment," Sakura said, and she could just imagine Naruto gulping nervously on the other end of the line.

"She's nothing, Sakura."

"Nothing isn't described as a bombshell," Sakura reprimanded, focusing on making sure her voice sounded stern instead of playful, "It sounds to me like you were having a bit too much fun out there."

"Saaakura," Naruto's voiced begged for her to free him from the trap his honesty had accidentally plunged him into. But she wasn't ready to – not yet. She knew the direction she wanted to steer this conversation to, and she needed just a bit more...

Three days, evidently, was too long for her to wait without Naruto being with her. God, the man had totally messed with her physical independence.

"I guess I should be having some fun of my own," Sakura sighed dramatically.

"Wait, what?" Naruto sounded a bit bewildered, "Sakura – hey! It wasn't like that!"

"Can you convince me?" Sakura said, playfulness finally sneaking into her voice.

Naruto released a puff of hair, clearly relieved to know he wasn't actually in trouble.

"You know you're the only woman I want, Sakura." His voice came through the line so serious and deep, a contrast to his playful whining moments earlier. She loved hearing his voice. It sent warm tingles through her spine, all the way down to her toes. "I'll prove it to you, when I get back to Konoha."

A pool of warmth started low in Sakura's abdomen. "What would you do?" she whispered.

"I'd meet you at the door and have you pressed up against the wall before you've even had a chance to close it."

Sakura bit her lip, imagining the feeling of being pinned between the cool wall and Naruto's warm, muscular chest. She slid her free hand up her chest, giving her breast a gentle flick.

"I think I'd like that," she whispered, "I'd be running my hands over every part of you that I could touch."

"Saaakura," Naruto groaned, "I'm sharing a room with Sasuke..."

"Mmm," she hummed, continuing to brush the pad of her thumb against her breast, feeling the nub harden with arousal, "and I'm sharing a room with myself, all alone..."

"Sakura," Naruto's voice was a strained whisper, "are you touching yourself?"

Sakura set her receiver back in its cradle, hitting the speakerphone button as she did so. She ran her right hand slowly, sensuously down her stomach and gently applied pressure between her legs, over her panties. She gasped as the warm sensation of arousal flared through her.

Naruto heard her gasp and growled on the other end of the line.

"This is torture, Sakura." His voice held a tone of silent begging. Whether it was begging for her to stop or begging the Gods to evict Sasuke from his room, she wasn't too sure. Still, she was much too pleased with hearing his voice to stop now. And, she thought, as she continued to press her fingers against her panties, it had been torture for her without him.

"I have one hand on my breast," she told him, her voice barely above a whisper, "and one hand between my legs."

She heard the sound of muffled talking, followed shortly by the distinct slam of a door. She wanted to laugh with delight at the knowledge that Naruto was hiding in the bathroom.

"I'm imagining your hands," she told him, "and the feeling of you, pressed up hard against me, against that wall."

"Oh my God, Sakura." She could hear the strain in Naruto's voice, and it pleased her immensely. She hadn't done anything like this to him, ever. To anyone, really. She'd never been so bold. As it was, she had a hot blush creeping up her cheeks as she continued to tell him what she was imagining. But there was something about Naruto's goofy, sweet innocence, and yet impressively intense lovemaking that made her want to try this with the man.

They'd been friends – God, such good friends – for so long. How many times had they spoken on the phone, after a mission, just like this? Well, not just like this, since they'd been blissfully ignorant of their mounting attraction to each other. But they'd talked, laughed, and said good night to each other.

After that emotionally charged mission that had them falling into bed together instead of over the phone, they'd had a pretty regular schedule of passionate, sometimes creative, sex. Naruto, for all his boyish charms, was not one to disappoint in the bedroom. Especially, he'd told her one night, when it came to her.

She rolled her hips up toward her hand, and bit back a moan.

She was addicted to his voice, she'd come to realize. His constant need to speak did not stop in the bedroom, and she was delightfully disarmed by the words that seemingly thoughtlessly, effortlessly, seemed to flow from him.

He said I love you.

So they were having sex – one would think that would change things in their relationship; make their daily interactions and personalities seem so different from their usual nightly activities. But, God, he was always Naruto. An open book of freely expressed emotions and surprising fountains of wisdom he seemed unable to contain.

He said I love you.

Sakura didn't want to focus on that tonight. That was a conversation for another night, when they were both face to face, maybe even in each other's arms. Maybe that was a conversation that was never going to happen at all. But tonight, she was delighting in the power her voice was having over him, for once. She was giving him just a taste of what hearing him whisper into her ear was like. And she was benefitting from the whole exercise, immensely.

"Mmm," she moaned, her breast so sensitive to her touch. She closed her eyes, imagining Naruto as if he were right there, in her room, with her.

"I'm imagining your hand sliding down my stomach, and slipping between us," she lifted her hips once more, grinding against the palm of her hand, "and you slipping your fingers inside my panties."

She did just that with her own hand, deftly tucking her fingers inside her underwear.

"You'd be so wet," Naruto groaned.

"I am wet," Sakura sighed, rubbing her fingers against her clit, her body writhing into her ministrations, "and just from thinking about you doing this to me."

"You're killing me, Sakura," Naruto's voice conveyed an obvious struggle, "I need to be holding you right now. Tasting you."

Sakura moaned, thinking about Naruto dropping to his knees and pushing her panties aside. Whenever he did that... she rolled her hips harder against her fingers, her arousal burning a hole through her.

She knew he was able to hear her panting – her gasping moans as she pleasured herself, thinking solely about him. She knew what this had to be doing to his self-control. There was nothing he could do but listen to her, picturing her and how she'd look and taste and feel right now. Maybe, she thought, he'd already lost it and was stroking himself right now.

"I love it when you taste me," Sakura's voice was breathless, "feeling your lips on me, all over me, your tongue inside me, I – ahh, God..."

She slipped her fingers inside of her, imagining him, only him. How had they stayed just friends for so long? How had they denied themselves this obvious, intense, absolutely on fire attraction?

"Sakura," his voice was deep, molten heat, "I need you to come for me. I can't take this. Hearing your voice, knowing what you're doing to yourself and knowing that even if I run out the fucking door right now I can't make it to you by the morning is killing me."

Sakura gasped, her eyes pressed tightly shut as she continued to touch herself, fanning the fire of arousal that was coiling through her, threatening to engulf her and push her over the edge.

"I swear I'll do anything you want," his voice begged her over the phone, "I'll touch you, taste you, warship you, anything, when I see you again, if you just let me hear you come."

His voice was deep and raspy with desperation. She could tell he was drowning in his own arousal – that the sound of her breathless gasps and sighs was undoing him. She knew what she was doing to him was sweet, sweet torture, with him trapped so far away from her and likely unwilling to touch himself in such close proximity to his best friend and favourite nemesis.

She knew how much he wanted her, and God if that wasn't the biggest turn on of this whole escapade.

He said I love you.

Sakura let out a cry as she rubbed against herself, ran her hand over her body and back up to her breasts. She wanted Naruto. She wanted him so much more than just for this burning attraction they both shared. Their chemistry was undeniable, but the trust they shared, and the storied history they shared, everything they shared that led her to be able and confident enough to do this, with him and only him, was her undoing.

She knew that she loved him.

"Oh, God, Naruto...I – I..." She was panting, moaning a mishmash of his name, her desires; fighting to tell him what she was imagining him doing to her, but she couldn't form coherent words around her pleasured gasps. With one last thrust of her fingers, she threw her head back into her pillow and gasped his name, her orgasm pulsating through her, leaving her exhausted and spent.

"Fuck, Sakura," Naruto cursed, his voice cracking, "never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you doing that to me."

Sakura smiled a sleepy, pleasured smile, turning her head on the pillow to look at her phone.

"Mmm, I've imagined you doing lots of things to me."

Naruto laughed then – a breathless laugh of gleeful disbelief. "I miss you so damn much. You're fucking everything to me. Believe that."

Sakura's body and soul flushed with a new heat. Naruto's heart was so big. He had such an amazing ability to empathise with everyone, and he loved and cared for his own so deeply. Their relationship graduated to a physically one, and it was unbelievably fantastic and undeniably hot, but the basis of their connection was always going to be in everything that happened before, and everything that was bound to happen after.

He said I love you.

Sakura would have to bring it up, after-all. She had to know, for certain, if he really meant what he'd said. Because she knew now that not just her body, but also her heart, belonged to him. She wanted to laugh – she trusted him so much with both her passions: her work, and her heart.

She was completely and totally his, even if he she wasn't sure he was entirely hers.

"Naruto..." she whispered, picking up the phone and turning off the speakerphone. She pressed the receiver close, and contemplated deeply what she'd say.

"I..." She couldn't do it. Not over the phone. Not after what she'd just done. Maybe he wouldn't think she meant it – just like how she didn't think he was serious because of the circumstances in which he'd confessed to her.

You're fucking everything to me.

"You're everything to me, too," she admittedly quietly, closing her eyes tightly to the powerful feelings in her heart. "So get back her. Safe, and soon."

"Soon I can do," he said after a brief moment of understanding silence passed between them, "safe is another thing all together."

"Oh?" Sakura questioned, sleepiness finally beginning to find her.

"Sasuke might kill me for walking around in his presence with a hard-on."

"Hah!" She laughed – typical Naruto, always so shamelessly honest. "He'll get over it."

"Says the woman who doesn't have to try to sleep in the same room with him. I'm in for a long night."

Sakura sighed happily, "Mmm, that's too bad. I feel great."

Naruto laughed gently, "you're wicked, Sakura. Sweet dreams. Fuck, I know I'll be having them..."

Sakura whispered her good night to Naruto, her man, and pressed the end call button. She placed the phone back in its cradle, and snuggled up into her sheets.

She lay in bed, extremely happy.

Sleep found her shortly after.

-o0o-

(AN) So okay. Between this and 'Distractions', I've realized I can't actually write pwp. I honest to God sat down and was like, "Okay, *rolls neck*, this one is going to be about phone sex." And then I was like oh I guess they're an elite espionage and general ass-kickery unit and I ooooh I'll make Sakura be recovering from a mysterious knife wound to justify her not being with the team and Naruto will have dropped the L-bomb and – well, shit. Plot happened. Every time I write these two the whole story goes up in passionate love flames. Whoops?

As a result, I introduce you to the Operation series. This will be a series of one-shots starring Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke as top operatives of the bad-ass succeeds-where-everyone-else-fails Team 7, set in a modern world. In my mind, they're kind of like an over-the-top Charlie's Angels spin-off. By making it a bunch of one-shots, it means every chapter I post could be read as a stand-alone story, so when I inevitably don't post for forever I didn't necessarily leave anyone hanging.

These stories will range from T to M, for language, violence, and altogether likely sexy scenes. Old readers of mine (or anyone who has checked my list of written stories) will know that I usually write M. That said, don't expect all my stories with them to be futile attempts at pwp! Sometimes I like to just write plot. These one-shots will hopefully be combinations of funny, adventurous, angsty, romantic, and/or dramatic. I have several plots already worked out for this modern-day team (since I accidentally created back-story for my back-story...), but I'm also opening up the floor to do something I haven't done as of yet: if you think you like where I'm going with this, feel free to provide me with a prompt or plot request for future Team 7 adventures. Who knows? Maybe having a to-do list of requests will keep me from falling back into the abyss of real-life.

That's all for now, FanFiction.

~dancer-me