A/N: Ah no smut in this chapter, but I hope you still like it. TiMER and love at first sight by theeflowerchild on here updated and that kind of spurred me into updating more quickly haha, both amazing fics if you like SS with an age gap.

Sakura was reviewing notes for class in Sasuke's office (and taking up more than half the desk space with all her stationary and pens) when Sasuke nudged her with his foot.

"Hey. There's an event hosted by one of the company's partners, we're going. It's next weekend." He was reading the email off his computer screen and while he normally dreaded going to these kinds of things (networking was insufferable at his level), it would be made exponentially more tolerable with Sakura there.

She set down one of her neon highlighters, "Excuse me, how do you know I'm not busy that day?" She huffed. Really, he might be some big important business man but, surprise! She had a life outside of him.

He couldn't help but wince. Oops. "Well, do you have something that day? It's a black tie event, a jewelry showing. You'll come with me, right? We can just show up, look around for a while, then leave." Really, he just had to show his face to make the partner happy. Sasuke was the boss, but some of the people he worked with could still be a real pain. Going to a jewelry event with his pretty girlfriend would be far easier than dealing with their passive aggressive emails if he didn't attend.

After a quick glance at her planner, she was definitely free that day. She chewed the end of her pen. "I don't have anything to wear."

He deadpanned, "When has that ever truly been a problem?"

Her lips spread into a hopeful smile, "Shopping tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. I'll buy you whatever you want."

"Sounds like a pretty good deal, but what's in it for you?" she teased.

"You show me everything you try on." He tapped her with his foot again. "Just my idea of fun."

"They don't allow sex in the dressing rooms, just letting you know."

"I'll be on my best behaviour, promise," he said, dark eyes smoldering.

"Um," she said, clearly affected by that point, "doesn't mean we can't have sex now. Here. And after we go shopping. Just, um, not then. But I already said that."

"Are you saying you want to sleep with me right now?"

"Yes, please."

He smirked, "Never would've guessed." He got up from his seat and pulled her with him to the bedroom.

They finally settled on a pink gown that Sasuke promised didn't clash with her hair. Sakura immediately hung the garment in the closet, gushing over how pretty it was and how she couldn't wait to wear it.

A week later, on the day of the event, Sakura was double checking that she had everything she needed in her purse when Sasuke's phone received a noisy notification that echoed in the foyer. That was rare, only a handful of people were on his favorites contact list, giving them a special alert sound.

"Ah, fuck," Sasuke muttered when he read the message.

"What is it?" she asked, snapping her purse shut. They were just about ready to leave.

"Naruto," he said with a sneer. "My idiot best friend. He got married recently, went on his honeymoon and whatever, so he'd been leaving me alone for a while. But now he wants to get ramen so we can 'catch up.' He's going to want to meet you."

"I don't see the harm," she said brightly. "I love ramen anyway."

"You wouldn't like it if you were friends with him. Anyway, I'm sure you'd like his wife, so I told him to bring her too."

"Well if he's a friend of yours, I want to meet him. It'll be fun, like a double date," she giggled.

"He's tried setting me up before, obviously didn't work, so he'll be glad I'm bringing someone along."

"How do you even know him?"

"Met him a long time ago in school. Couldn't shake him off after all these years. He's in politics, somehow."

She frowned, "Oh, so you're the same age. I didn't even think about that, but now I'm kind of worried. Won't he think I'm a gold digger or something?"

"To be fair, you were looking for money," he pointed out.

"Be quiet," she snapped, blush growing on her cheeks. "You were on the hunt for a hot piece of ass, so we all have our vices and reasons!"

"Well when you put it like that," he smirked, reaching around and grabbing a healthy handful of her backside.

She squeaked, eyes widening adorably. "Don't put me in the mood right before we have to leave," she chastised without any real venom.

"Sorry," he breathed before capturing her lips in a heated kiss, sounding decidedly not sorry. When he started trailing kisses down her neck, she finally pushed him away and insisted that they were leaving now. He followed her. So annoying, so cute. He loved her.

The showing was more or less what Sasuke expected: fellow pretentious rich people walking around and appraising the jewels as if they knew what they were talking about. Sasuke had nodded to those he knew and avoided those he didn't. They'd probably circle the room a few times then leave. At least Sakura seemed to be impressed.

Most of it was either too gaudy for his taste or too boring to warrant a second glance. "See anything you like?" he asked for good measure.

She shrugged nonchalantly, "It's all nice. But nothing major, no." She knew Sasuke: he would snap up whatever she lingered on without a second thought. Really, the pieces were amazing, but nothing she could wear in her daily life — ironic, considering how she was gifted a pricy dress for just this evening.

He hummed, "We'll leave soon." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a group of buyers moved out of the way and revealed a prized piece at the center of the room, originally skipped over by Sasuke. The deep ruby jewel glittered under a spotlight, perched on a black cushion, a true crown jewel. Sasuke knew he had to have it. With his level of wealth, it had been a long time since he truly yearned for something, but this was a must have. Walking away from that would be a mistake.

He touched Sakura's arm, "Will you go grab us some champagne? There's someone I have to talk to for a moment, boring stuff." And like the sweet, almost naive girl she was, she walked to the other side of the room to grab the drinks without a clue to what he was really doing. Sasuke pulled aside one of the men circling the room with clipboards and quickly filled out all the necessary fields.

He sped through the forms and barely gave himself time to think. If he had paused, the doubt and shyness would have crept in: Was it okay for him to give it to her at this point? Would she like it? Would she accept?

By the time the couple left the event, Sasuke was the owner of a shiny new toy and Sakura had no idea it would actually be hers soon.

Butterflies flitted around Sakura's stomach as they drove to meet Naruto for dinner. Sasuke opened her car door for her when they arrived and gave her a reassuring peck on the cheek. "He'll love you and if he doesn't, I'll punch his lights out." His attempt at being comforting made her laugh, loosening the knot in her tummy just a little bit.

The ramen place was more of a cozy stand than anything. Two people took up half a booth and no one else was sitting behind the curtain, so Sakura assumed it was Naruto and his wife, Hinata. Sasuke had reassured her a million times that as much of a doofus as his friend was, he had a kind heart.

Sakura was grateful for the intimate setting because Naruto would have drawn attention to them immediately with his booming voice.

"Oi! There he is! Finally, we've been waiting for years. Oh and he has his lady friend with him," Naruto waggled his eyebrows suggestively. He may be older than her, but maybe maturity level wasn't something to worry about.

Sasuke and Naruto slugged each other on the arm in greeting, Sasuke giving a begrudging, "Good to see you."

Hinata, on the other hand, was as serene as can be. "We're so glad you could join us. It's really a pleasure to meet you, Naruto's been bouncing off the walls in anticipation. I apologize in advance if he comes off strongly, he really cares for Sasuke." Sakura quickly decided she liked the dark-haired woman.

As the two men caught up with each other between slurping noodles in an almost competitive fashion, Hinata chatted about the honeymoon she just returned from. It sounded truly wonderful, and Sakura blushed thinking about the life she could potentially be living with Sasuke. Where would he take her? A penthouse? A luxurious cabin? A beach house?

Naruto clapped his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, signaling the end to their conversation. He turned to Sakura, bright eyes brimming with curiosity. "So, where'd you guys meet? I don't think the bastard told me." An innocent question, but Naruto still had no idea what the original nature of their relationship was, so Sasuke couldn't help but cringe.

"Online," Sakura supplied helpfully with an easy grin. Sure, online. Let him think they met on Tinder or whatever. He could just buy someone's silence if there was an issue. Or whatever the fuck.

The rest of the conversation flowed easily, Naruto providing a few embarrassing stories about a younger Sasuke and Hinata showing real interest in Sakura's art. When Sakura excused herself to use the restroom, Naruto nudged Sasuke, "Geez, didn't know you liked 'em young. Hey, stop kicking me! I'm just saying! You should've said something earlier, I would've tried setting you up with someone more 'your type.'"

"My type is Sakura, that's it," he muttered.

"Well we're happy for you," Hinata supplied helpfully. The Uzumakis worried that Sasuke would stay a brooding bachelor forever; age difference aside, Sakura seemed like the perfect injection of sunshine into his life.

Naruto nodded in earnest, "So when's the wedding?"

"You're not invited," Sasuke growled.

"Oh, eloping? Eager are we?" He yelped when Sasuke kicked him again.

After the success of meeting Naruto and Hinata, the pinkette hoped for an equally smooth outing with her own blonde best friend. As soon as Ino caught wind of Sakura being romantically involved with someone, she demanded to meet him as soon as possible. She couldn't believe Sakura had hidden him for so long!

It was a brief encounter: the girls had a bit of time between classes to meet Sasuke at a campus cafe. He paid for all the drinks, of course. That already caused Ino's eyebrows to raise. Had Sakura found herself a gentleman?

Sasuke answered all the probing questions with diligence. No, he didn't have kids. No, he's never been married. No, he's not being paid to act like Sakura's boyfriend. (The irony.)

Ino sipped at her drink and squinted at him. Yeah, he'll do. She checked her watch and all but dragged Sakura away, thanking Sasuke for his time.

"How old is he?" Ino whispered to Sakura as they made their way to their next lectures.

"Um…" she hesitated. She had never asked about Ino's feelings on dating a man so much older, not that it would've stopped her. "Older."

"Sakura Haruno, you've got yourself a real man! I didn't know you had it in you," Ino declared proudly. "He's hot. And he's rich, right? I can totally tell. You better trap him now." That bespoke suit? That black credit card? She was fanning herself.

"Ino!" Sakura hissed, playfully hitting her friend's arm.

"I'm just saying. Where did you even find someone like that? Like, damn!"

"Online," Sakura mumbled. The white lie came a little easier before, when she wasn't telling it to her own best friend, but she and Sasuke had agreed to keep the original nature of their relationship a secret.

"Well consider me impressed," she said, then sighed dramatically, "I guess I don't have to know all the gory details as long as he makes you happy. Don't forget I'm being your maid of honor." They parted ways when Ino reached her building and Sakura shook her head at yet another mention of a wedding. As much as the thought of a white dress in her future made her dizzy, she felt significantly lighter with her friend's approval. One day.

"So, did I pass the test?" Sasuke asked when Sakura came over the next day. He had told her to dress up a bit for a celebratory night in, and she chose to get ready at his place. She had enough things accumulated there that she could get ready comfortably. Sasuke had watched her finish up her makeup, amused at the way she hummed to herself. Now, they took dinner outside in the backyard to enjoy the balmy evening and setting sun. Sakura poured them each a glass of wine and stood near the lawn, admiring the view.

"I think so," she said cheerfully, planting a noisy kiss to his cheek. She was euphoric. It was the weekend, she loved her outfit, her eyeliner had turned out well for once, and dinner was sure to be delicious. Not to mention, Sasuke had earned Ino's approval.

"We've met each other's best friends, now what, I get to meet the parents?" he asked with a wicked grin. He was sure his parents would have adored the woman standing before him, but he didn't want to dwell on that thought.

She groaned, "My parents are going to be insufferable, I just know it. Don't you want to wait a bit?"

He thought it over for a moment. "Well, I think I'm going to need to meet them soon," he said simply, kneeling down. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the ring box. He opened it and presented her with the ring he picked out at the jewelry event: a dazzling ruby set in a platinum band.

"Sasuke," she gulped, "I-is that...?" she couldn't even finish her sentence.

"It's whatever you want it to be," he said candidly. "An engagement ring, a graduation present, a happy memory, I don't care. I just want you to have it. And I want you to wear it." He slid it onto her left ring finger, satisfied with the way it fit perfectly and sparkled brilliantly.

"Sasuke," Sakura whined.

"What? Do you not like it? Did I do something wrong?" He rushed to stand when he saw the way her tears spilled over.

"No, I love it," she wailed. She took another look at the ruby sitting on her finger and started sobbing into Sasuke's chest. He rubbed soothing circles on her back, holding her close.

"Whenever you're ready. Just wear it, please."

She nodded and looked up at him with red, puffy eyes, "I'm never taking it off!" She sounded so determined, he couldn't help but chuckle and leave a sweet kiss on her wide forehead.

"That's the goal."

When they finally sat down to eat, she stretched her arm out to admire the ring again. She looked up at him demurely through her lashes and gave a coy, "Thank you, Daddy."

A/N: Ring totally inspired by Sasuke Retsuden! And! This scene from a Chinese drama called "Well Intended Love" It turned out weird so I didn't finish, but it had a jewelry sale episode and of course the rich guy that's with the main girl does something cool when her shitty ex tries embarrassing her lol

Also I made Ichiraku have a booth bc I could not figure out how to seat them where SS and NH could talk comfortably in a line lol unless NH weren't sitting next to each other in the beginning, which would've been weird.

And what is pacing? LOL I think that in canon once they were both ready and figured out their feelings, they got married (and had Sarada) very quickly, so that's why it happens so fast here too. They can only pine for long enough ;)