Seventeen

Twenty minutes had come and gone, and Sasuke was still nowhere to be found.

Sakura toyed with the hem of her threadbare coat somewhat anxiously. She was sure Sasuke had just gotten caught up talking to his parents, or something, but she just couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something was off. The sharp winter wind bit at her fingers and nose, and Sakura folded her arms against the cold. She was debating going back into the house to wait for Sasuke there. Standing outside among the delicately pruned shrubs was beginning to get old.

"Sorry," a cold, familiar voice reached Sakura's ears. "Getting out of there took longer than I expected."

Sakura immediately looked over her shoulder to see a somewhat frazzled looking Sasuke approaching her. He looked incredibly irked, when he hadn't only half an hour before. What had happened in that time to make him look so angry? Had his parents been upset with him for leaving the party? Was Sayomi upset? Sakura cringed at the thought.

"Everything okay?" she asked carefully, trying not to upset his already precarious mood.

"Fine," Sasuke breathed out, somewhat absently, looking pointedly over her shoulder. Decidedly not making eye contact.

"Okay…" Sakura frowned up at him, willing him to look at her.

Sasuke remained silent, eyes fixed on some point in the distance.

They stood side by side while they waited on the valet to bring Sasuke his car, neither one of them speaking. Sasuke was silently stewing and Sakura was doing her best not to stir the pot. Suddenly, going to Sasuke's apartment didn't seem like such a grand idea. Did he even want her there anymore? The silence between them was tense and awkward.

"Um, Sasuke?" Sakura ventured quietly, not quite looking at him. "I can just go home, if you'd rather. If you can just drop me off at Tsunade's place I can – "

"You don't want to come back with me?" Sasuke's eyes fixed her in place, then. She felt as though his gaze had nailed her to the earth. There were traces of hurt behind his swirling onyx irises, the corners of his eyes had softened ever so slightly. His expressions were so subtle, so barely-there. But she could see them.

"N-no, I do, but you just seem like you might not be in the mood to…entertain right now?" Sakura attempted to keep her voice neutral, not wanting to spark Sasuke's temper.

"It's not that," Sasuke bit out, although not too harshly. "I just… Ah. Please. Come back with me."

Sakura cast a glance up at him through her curled lashes. She really did want to spend the rest of the night with him… "Alright, Sasuke-kun," the suffix rolled off her tongue like she'd said it a thousand times before.

The look he gave her suggested that he had liked it.

Sakura pressed her temple to the cold glass of the window, straining to look at the stars as Sasuke drove them to his new apartment. He had been oddly quiet, even for him, since they had gotten into the car. She had hoped that his mood would have lightened after he reassured her that he wanted her to come over, but apparently, she wouldn't be so lucky.

Sakura shot him a tentative glance. He was staring dead-ahead, both hands locked firmly onto the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. His lips were pressed into a thin line and his brows were drawn together in the middle. For someone who usually was so in control of his emotions, Sasuke was certainly doing a poor job of it tonight.

"So," Sakura began, thankful for the alcohol that still remained in her system. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you or is this just going to be a really awkward night?"

He shot her a scowl, which quickly softened to a frown, which further progressed to a blank stare. "Nothing is the matter, Sakura."

"Okay, let's try this again," Sakura said, turning to face him from the passenger seat. "Either you give me some idea of what's going on with you, or I'm just going to call a cab and leave when we get to your apartment. I want to spend time with you, but I also can't stand the thought of awkwardly sitting in your apartment while you brood about something all alone."

Sasuke sighed, then, and for a moment he looked so sad that Sakura genuinely regretted giving him an ultimatum. For a while she thought he wouldn't answer, and she regretted her words all the more because she didn't want to go back to Tsunade's. She really did want to stay with Sasuke.

"Someone from my past…an old boss actually, approached me before I left the party," Sasuke's voice was strained, and Sakura observed as he somehow gripped the steering wheel even tighter, the leather squeaking beneath his hands. "We didn't part on good terms before, and he tried to offer me a job."

"And that upset you?" Sakura asked, no hint of sarcasm in her voice. She was genuinely curious and worried about him. He seemed incredibly…effected.

"That man," Sasuke snapped with a sudden hostility in his voice, "is a manipulative, evil snake. It never fails to amaze me that he isn't in prison by now for some reason or other."

Sakura frowned. "You said he was an old boss, you worked for him before?"

"I did," Sasuke replied, eyes fixed steadily ahead on the road. "When I was young. A summer internship while I was in college."

"What kind of job was it?" Sakura asked, a little timidly. Getting this much information from Sasuke in one sitting was rare. She wanted him to keep talking.

"Research," came his short reply.

"What kind of research?" she pushed the envelope further, wincing slightly.

"…eugenics."

"Ah," Sakura frowned. "I see…"

"He was unethical," Sasuke rushed out. "For a while, I was so caught up in the science of it all…in the knowledge and power that we could unlock in the human race…" He shook his head. "I'm not proud of the time that I spent with him."

"You were young," Sakura soothed, reaching over to place her hand over his own on the steering wheel. "We all do stupid things when we're young."

"I was older than you are," Sasuke snapped back, fixing her with an intense stare as the car slowed for a stoplight.

The red glow washed over Sasuke's face, changing his eyes into glowing orbs that Sakura felt could see-through to her very soul. She squirmed.

"We women mature much faster than you boys do, you know," Sakura finally supplied, trying desperately to lighten the very intense mood. She did her best to swallow the lump in her throat inconspicuously.

"That's not an excuse for some of the projects I assisted on, Sakura," Sasuke murmured, gently pulling his hand out from under her own as the car started moving again. "And yet here I am, begging you back to my apartment like I deserve you."

"You don't have to beg me, I want to," Sakura insisted emphatically, placing her hand on his thigh instead. "What's past is past, Sasuke. You're a good person now."

"You believe that?" Sasuke asked, pulling into a parking spot behind a tall, black apartment building.

"I do," Sakura nodded, even though he wasn't looking at her anymore. "That tough guy, bully exterior doesn't fool me for a second."

One minute, Sakura was in the passenger seat, and the next she was in Sasuke's lap straddling his hips, with her arms braced on the headrest behind him. He had pulled her over so fast that she hadn't even realized what had happened. She thanked the universe for the slit in her dress, otherwise the delicate fabric may have ripped. His lips were on her in a second, sliding from her neck to her face to her lips and back again before she could even think to kiss him back. His hands had clamped down snugly on her waist and Sakura had the passing thought the she hoped he would never let go.

"Sakura, what you said before," Sasuke breathed her name between hot-mouthed kisses. "Can we really…"

He didn't have to finish his sentence. "Yes," Sakura replied, grasping his collar in her hands and pressing a deliberate kiss of her own to his mouth. His suppressed moan did horrible things to her stomach.

Sasuke fumbled for the door latch blindly, his other hand never leaving her waist as he pulled them both from the car. As soon as they were out, he had her back pressed against the freezing metal of the door and his tongue in her mouth.

"Mmm, cold," Sakura mumbled against his lips, pushing him forward to get herself away from the car. "Let's go inside."

Sasuke's eyes were even darker than usual when he finally looked down at her. Sakura thought it was all very romance-novel as she stood there staring up at this rich, gorgeous, dark-haired man who seemingly only had eyes for her.

In an instant, they were running, Sakura trailing behind as Sasuke pulled her by the hand into the building. Luckily, no one was in the lobby to see them nearly slam into the elevators as they skidded to a stop, Sasuke pressing the up button repeatedly like that would make the doors open faster.

Once they were safely inside the elevator and Sasuke had pressed the button for the seventh floor, he had pressed her up against the wall and reclaimed her mouth with his own, wandering hands grabbing anything they could get ahold of. Sasuke not being in control of himself was startling. And hot. Super hot.

He only released her when the elevator dinged and the door slid open. Calmly, as though he hadn't just been expressing his desire to fuck her brains out, he led her by the hand out of the elevator and to his apartment. Number 728.

Keeping his stoic mask in place, he unlocked his door and pushed it open, allowing a trembling Sakura to enter before him. She walked a few paces forward and paused, keeping her back to him and waiting for the tell-tale click of the door closing.

Click.

Sakura waited for about ten seconds. When nothing happened, she turned around to see Sasuke hanging his coat on the hook by the door, then pushing his sleeves up to his elbows, exposing his muscular forearms. She swallowed heavily. How he was suddenly being so calm was beyond her.

He approached her then, still infuriatingly calmly, pausing just in front of her to gently brush a few locks of hair from her face. He finally kissed her, and it was gentle and slow and sweet and deep, and suddenly taking their time didn't seem so bad. Their first time, their only time, as a matter of fact, had been awfully rushed. Amazing, but rushed nonetheless.

He was gently prodding her backwards, to his room she suspected, and she willingly let herself be led, trying to contain her giddiness when she felt his fingers toying with the zipper at the back of her dress. Maybe he was a little impatient after all, Sakura thought, as she felt his hands shaking lightly as he attempted not to rip the zipper in his eagerness to get the dress off.

"Easy, easy, Sasuke-kun," Sakura mumbled against his mouth as they entered his bedroom, which she vaguely noticed had nothing but a futon on the floor. "Let me help you."

She stepped away from him, then, reaching behind herself to finish unzipping the dress before Sasuke tore something and Tsunade killed them both. The crimson material fell to her feet with a light thud, leaving Sakura exposed to the chilly air of Sasuke's apartment and the cold eyes of the man himself.

Except they weren't cold. They were swirling with life and awe at the sight of her. Sakura blushed beneath his fierce gaze, suddenly embarrassed (and a little bit cold), as she reached to instinctively cover some of her torso with her arm. She was thankful she had started wearing cute underwear again some time ago…

"Tch," Sasuke clucked at her, suddenly in front of her and holding her arm away from herself. "None of that, please."

"It's cold in here, Sasuke-kun," Sakura pouted, blood already heating at his close proximity. He smelled like expensive cologne.

"I have blankets," Sasuke hushed her by crashing his lips into hers once again, drawing her near to him with warm hands and strong arms. Suddenly the cold was all but washed away as Sakura surrendered to the pooling feeling of desire deep in her gut.

Sasuke's fingers were dipping dangerously low beneath the hem of her lacy black panties, and Sakura suddenly became annoyed by his abundance of clothes. Pulling back, she pouted up at him again. "Why is it that I'm almost naked and you're still wearing so many clothes?"

Sasuke smirked down at her then, slowly reaching to begin unbuttoning his dress shirt, teasing her with his lack of speed. Growling with surprising frustration, Sakura reached forward and yanked, sending several buttons flying in all directions. She paused momentarily, a little afraid to meet Sasuke's gaze after doing something so impulsive. That had probably been an expensive shirt, after all…

Actions speak louder than words, however, and Sasuke's told Sakura that he didn't mind the loss of his shirt. He had her pinned back on the bed in an instant, intense, dark eyes fixed on her own in such a way that Sakura felt she couldn't blink, couldn't move.

He was kissing her again, then, and she could almost feel the stress of the events of the night leaking out of both of them as they lost themselves in lips and teeth and skin. Seeing Sasuke with Sayomi, her dance with Kabuto, all of that was fading away into nothing in the presence of Sasuke and Sakura and the things that they felt for each other there in that moment.

She could feel the heat of his desire pressed up against her thigh, and vaguely she marveled at the fact that she had actually managed to get tangled up in a sexual relationship with her professor. Yes, class was over now, but that didn't change the fact that they'd had sex while she was still his student and they might never have met had she not been in his class. The thought had her smiling uncontrollably under the heat of his lips.

Sasuke must have noticed, because he pulled back a bit, quirking an eyebrow up at her and her grinning face. To Sakura's surprise, his own lips lifted almost imperceptibly into a smirk. "What?" he asked, breath tickling her nose lightly.

"Nothing," Sakrua did her best to shrug while laying beneath him. "I was just thinking about how I've only been in school for a semester and I've already managed to fall for one of my professors."

"Aa," was all Sasuke said, while continuing to stare at her.

Sakura felt an intense blush stain her cheeks as she debated whether or not she should have said that. She hadn't exactly made a love confession, but still…did she just freak him out? He was just staring at her.

Suddenly, Sasuke leaned forward, lips pressed up against her ear as he breathed: "I certainly hope I'm that professor."

Sakura responded by rolling him over onto his back in a quick flip, landing on top of him with her legs straddling his hips, hands pressed against his bare chest. "Of course it's you, Uchiha-sensei."

Those five words were his undoing, it would seem, as all traces of his calm behavior flew haphazardly out the window. Sakura found herself back on her back in an instant, Sasuke's lips making a wet path down her neck to her clothed breasts. His left hand was glued to her hip, his right had reached behind her in an attempt to unhook her bra. She let him struggle for about five seconds before his groan of frustration against her chest prompted her to reach behind herself and unhook it for him. Who would've thought? Uchiha Sasuke was not skilled in the art of bra removal.

His failure didn't seem to bother him though, as he ripped the black bra from her body and threw it across the room with a flick of his wrist. She lay bared before him, trying to keep her blushing in check as his eyes devoured her naked skin. He stared for so long that Sakura eventually looked down at her torso to see if she had turned a color or something.

Their eyes locked, and Sasuke's lips were back on her in a moment, kissing her like she had never been kissed before. The licked and kissed and bit to the point that Sakura felt she could cry if they didn't do something soon. Never in her life had she been so turned on.

Sasuke seemed to be struggling as well, if the sounds he was making were any indication. Every few seconds, a seemingly uncontrollable shudder and buck of his hips would roll through him, each time sending a jolt to Sakura's core that begged to be satisfied. A strangled sound escaped her lips that was both cathartic and embarrassing. She chose to be thankful for it when it prompted Sasuke to literally rip her underwear in his hasty attempt to remove them.

"Sorry," he breathed raggedly into her mouth as he reached down to remove his own pants.

"It's ok," Sakura sighed back, reaching out to help him remove his last articles of clothing. "You can buy me new ones."

Sasuke grunted in response, lips back on her and now naked flesh pressed up against her. Sakura let this go on for about thirty seconds before a shudder of desire racked through her, prompting her to squeak out his name mixed with a shaky moan. Finally, he seemed to lose his control, using one hand to anchor her and another to guide himself inside of her, causing both of them to groan loudly into each other's shoulder.

"Sakura," Sasuke rasped out, voice seductively deep against her throat. "I…can't wait another two months to do this again."

Sakura could barely think straight, let alone form a coherent sentence, so she merely nodded her head and hoped she didn't look too ridiculous as her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. At least she knew he enjoyed it too.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out as he reached behind to lift one of her legs up over his hip, deepening the angle as he continued to thrust into her with reckless abandon. His name escaped her lips like a curse, like a praise, and her quiet moans only seemed to encourage him further. A light sheen of sweat now covered them both, despite the cold, and Sakura began to contemplate the possibility of doing this all night.

As if reading her mind, Sasuke's lips came to rest on her ear, alternating between licking, biting, and sucking. "Can we do this again tonight?" he panted, words rushed and barely audible.

"Yes," Sakura sighed, tears forming in her eyes as pleasure threatened to overwhelm her small frame.

Neither one of them lasted long. Weeks of pent up sexual tension saw to that. He remained on top of her for several minutes, pressing dozens of surprisingly soft kisses all over her upper chest, neck, and face. Sakura's earlier tears nearly returned at the utter sweetness of the gesture. He eventually rolled off of her, reaching over to tug her gently onto his chest, wrapping his arm around her small middle and resting his chin on top of her head. She couldn't help but feel that they had been made to fit like that.

It might have been hours later, it might have been minutes, Sakura wasn't really sure, when Sasuke spoke again.

"I really do want you to meet them, you know. My parents."

Sakura froze underneath his hand, which had taken to twirling her hair round and round his fingers. "Your parents? Really?"

"Aa," Sasuke affirmed. "They are not such bad people, Sakura. They will like you."

As confident as Sasuke often sounded, Sakura couldn't help but believe she heard the slightest tremble to his voice as he spoke. Did he really believe that his parents would like her? An eighteen-year-old ex-student from a poor family? How could they possibly when there were girls like Sayomi to compare her to…

"If you say so…" Sakura finally replied. "You should meet my parents as well, then."

Sasuke didn't reply, but he didn't need to. The tensing of his shoulder and chest muscles under her head told Sakura all she needed to know. The thought clearly made him nervous.

"What? They'll love you, Sasuke," Sakura reassured him, trying not to smile at his obvious discomfort. "They already kind of know about you, anyway…"

"They do?" Sasuke asked, sitting up a little to look at her. There was genuine surprise in his eyes.

"Well," Sakura smirked propping herself up on her elbow to see him better. "It was kind of Naruto's fault. He let it slip over Thanksgiving that I had a special someone, so of course my mother nearly lost her mind. I think the only way for her to not like you would be if you were a mass-murdering lunatic. My father will…take some work. But he'll come around."

"Hn. Do they know I was your professor?" Sasuke asked, quirking a suspicious eyebrow up at her, a smirk hiding behind his lips, hair slightly disheveled and cheeks almost pink.

"Ah, no," Sakura blushed, despite the fact that she was laying naked in his bed with only a sheet to cover her modesty. "I just told them you were from my anatomy and physiology class, so not technically a lie. It'll be fine. Probably."

"Do you have any siblings?" Sasuke asked suddenly, surprising her a little. It wasn't like him to keep a personal conversation going for so long.

"Nope," Sakura shook her head, flopping over to her back to look up at the ceiling. "It's just me and my parents. And you?"

"I had a brother," Sasuke said quietly, almost too quietly to hear.

Sakura froze, choosing to remain silent. If Sasuke wanted to tell her more, he would. She was simultaneously terrified to push him and insatiably curious to hear more. She couldn't believe he had even answered her question – she hadn't really been expecting him to.

"Itachi," Sasuke continued.

When he paused again, Sakura reached out to lace her fingers with his own, keeping her gaze locked firmly on the ceiling so as not to pressure him. Relief washed through her like rain when she felt his fingers tighten around hers almost imperceptibly.

"What happened, Sasuke?" she ventured timidly.

A pause. "He died," his voice had grown hoarse, tired. "Years ago."

"Were you close?" Sakura wondered, swirling patterns onto his hand with her thumb, hoping he trusted her enough to tell her.

"At times," came Sasuke's reply. "I spent much of my time jealous of him, Sakura. I always believed he was my father's favorite, and that drove something of a wedge between us. But he deserved none of my spite. He was…a good brother."

"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura sighed, rolling over to prop herself up on his chest, no longer worried about giving him his space. "You were a good brother, too."

"How do you know?" he asked, and the look in his eyes made her so sad.

"Because I know you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled softly, tracing his jaw with her finger. "That's all I need to know."

"I wish he could have met you," Sasuke frowned, catching her hand in his own. "He would have been surprised that I ever…found someone. Especially someone like you."

"Someone like me," Sakura feigned offence, sitting up and holding the sheet to her chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke sat up too, blanket wrapped around him to his midsection. "It means that you're young and cheerful and very bright," he emphasized the last word by reaching forward and giving a light tug to the end of her bubble-gum hair.

"I guess that's true," Sakura smiled, reaching up to run a hand through her tangled pink locks, unintentionally letting the sheet slip a little from her bare chest. Before she could grab it again, the sheet was ripped from her entirely by a devious-looking Sasuke.

Open-mouthed in shock and blushing from a mix of anger, embarrassment, and excitement, Sakura grabbed the blanket around Sasuke's waist and ripped it away as well, folding her arms across her chest as he hmphed in what appeared to be a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

They sat there staring at each other for a few moments, before Sasuke's eyes began to wander, and finally he reached out to tug Sakura's arms away from herself. He pulled her into a gentle kiss, flipping her tenderly onto her back as he claimed her mouth over and over again. Sakura sighed contentedly as he ran a lightly trembling hand through her hair.

She could get use to nights like this.

AN: Man, guys, I really don't like this chapter :/ my apologies if it's riddled with errors and typos, I literally couldn't force myself to read it again xD I hope you guys like it better than I do!

I feel like this story has maybe two or three chapters left in it, I have a few things left that I want to do, such as meeting the parents and tying up a few other things, but not much else. I will definitely be starting another SasuSaku multi-chapter when I'm done, though :D and of course more one-shots.

Don't forget to leave me a review and let me know what you think! Thank you all so much for sticking with this story, I appreciate all your support!

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~love, loony