pants on fire (1/3)
title: pants on fire
note: ok this was done ages ago. so it's basically a typical sasuke-returns-after-getting-his-revenge. there's no backstory to the massacre, no pain invasion, no batshit psycho sauce, etc
disclaimer: blahblahblah
summary: it started out with a lie. and then another one. and then--well you get the point.
“It’s so pretty!” Sakura gushed as she held Shizune’s left hand in her own, staring at the engagement ring. “It’s so…”
Shizune chuckled at the sixteen-year-old girl’s behavior. “Pretty?”
“YES!” Sakura cheered. She flailed, jumping up and down on the hospital’s linoleum floors, acting much like a child despite her age and esteemed position. “Ne, Shizune-neechan, can I please try is on?” she asked, pouting. “Please?!”
“Mm… Fine…” The brunette looked reluctant but eventually Sakura’s puppy dog eyes took affect and she removed the ring, putting it into Sakura’s eager hands. Immediately, her pager went off and she frowned down at it. “Damn…” She looked back up at Sakura who was admiring the diamond and sighed. “Keep that with you for a bit, will you? There’s an emergency down in trauma. Ugh.”
Sakura nodded eagerly as Shizune ran away, slipping the ring onto her own finger, admiring it dreamily.
Her thoughts of a certain tall, dark and handsome man proposing to her were rudely interrupted when a nurse called out her name eagerly.
Do you mind?! I am trying to have a fantasy here!
“Dr. Haruno, come quick!” the nurse said loudly. “Tsunade-sama says you must come immediately! Sasuke Uchiha has returned!”
Sakura wasn’t quite sure what to say.
Or do.
When she first stepped into the room, she prepped herself to be calm, cool and professional. She wasn’t going to be little Sakura-chan, but Dr. Haruno, instead. She sounded cooler. She was cooler. And hotter. And smarter and much stronger and hell of a lot more professional-
Well would you look at that…
He really got hot, Inner Sakura crowed when Sakura glanced up.
Sasuke sat on the bed, shirtless with bandages wrapped around his torso and over his right shoulder. There was one around his forehead and many on his arms, as well.
She busied herself, reading over his chart though not quite taking in the words. Despite the fact that her head was bowed, her chin almost touching her chest, Sakura couldn’t help her eyes from roving over his lean figure, taking in the rippling muscles and observing the small, white scars.
Oh, boy. I’d so tap that.
“Well, Uchiha, was it worth it?” Tsunade asked with her hands on her hips as she stared down at the boy sardonically.
Sasuke showed no emotion. “Hn.”
The Hokage rolled her eyes and sighed. “When you are out of the hospital, expect to have a long conversation with me regarding your punishment,” she said. Tsunade then turned on her heel and left the room to give Team Seven time for a proper reunion.
It was too quiet for Sakura’s taste.
She soon closed the chart, realizing she had been staring at for too long to make the action look believable. She put it in the pocket at the foot of Sasuke’s hospital bed and went to the window, hoping to open the curtains and let some bright sunshine in-
“Whoa, Sakura-chan, what is that?!”
Sakura frowned and looked over her shoulder. She let go of the curtains and turned around to raise her eyebrow at Naruto. “What are you talking about?”
“Th-th-that!” Naruto yelled, pointing at her hand.
Kakashi and Sasuke both brought their gazes to what Naruto was pointing at, only to stiffen and momentarily allow their impassive facades to slip.
“Who?!” Naruto raved, grabbing Sakura’s shoulders and shaking her. “How could you not tell me you’re engaged, Sakura-chan?!”
Sakura’s eyes widened a fraction when she realized the extent of her teammates’ stupidity. Seriously? Seriously?
They think this ring is mine?
Morons.
Slowly, as an idea came to mind, a devious grin made its way onto her face.
“Well…” Sakura took a step back, out of Naruto’s grip and fingered the ring while looking away dreamily. “We’ve just been trying to keep it on the down low-”
“Who is it, Sakura?” Kakashi asked. He sounded sweet, almost happy for his supposedly-engaged student, but under the sugary voice was a thick layer of steel. It didn’t seem like anyone was happy for her, Sakura noted with a small pout. “Is it Lee? Is he harassing you still? Kakashi-sensei can give him a good-”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not Lee-san.”
“Then who is it?”
Sakura looked at Sasuke, surprised he cared enough to ask.
“Yeah, Sakura-chan, who am I gonna beat the crap out of for not getting my blessing first?! WHO?!”
Who? Hm…
Sakura smiled wearily at the three before squeaking the first name that came to mind.
“Shikamaru!”
Shikamaru was her first boyfriend. He was her first kiss and some.
Maybe he wasn’t exactly her first love but they shared a lot of firsts together.
They had gotten together sometime when she was fourteen and training with Ino and Chouji to take the chuunin exams again. In some extra training, one thing led to another and someone fell on the other and lips collided and feelings bloomed and they became… something.
It was fun at first but eventually, Sakura came to notice how much Shikamaru really wasn’t there. At first, she just blamed his lack of care on his lazy personality but it didn’t take her that long to figure out that she wasn’t the girl he really wanted.
She didn’t get mad. She would’ve been a hypocrite to have been angry with him.
Instead, the two were adults about the situation, having stayed together for a year before breaking off shortly before Naruto’s return.
They had remained very close but only as great friends.
Sakura had no shame in calling Shikamaru a pimp.
“Oh, my God, you slut!” Sakura shouted, pointing at Shikamaru accusingly. “Another one?!”
The blond girl huffed slightly and pushed her glasses further against her face before walking out of the room.
Shikamaru frowned at her. “Nice. Thanks, really. I was so close to getting into her pants.”
“…really?”
He rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”
“Oh. Well. See.” She then began to shift her weight from side to side while making a show of biting her nail. “I kind of like... uh... needyoutopretendtobemyfiancé…”
“…what?” Shikamaru chuckled softly and poked at his ear with his pinky. “I’m sorry. I thought I just heard you ask if I could pretend to be your fiancé.”
“I DID!” Sakura glared at him. Annoyed, she threw a pencil that sat on the table at his head, scowling when he dodged it.
“Why?” He went to where she stood and leaned back against the table behind it, almost sitting on it. “What’d you do?”
“Oh. Well. See…” Sakura smiled cutely, poking Shikamaru lightly on the shoulder. “See, Shizune-neechan let me wear her ring for a little - because it is so pretty - and so yeah, when I went to see Sasuke, I was kind of wearing it, and Naruto saw it and he kind of made a big deal about it and then Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke saw it and well, they asked me who I was engaged to and I-”
“You told them you were engaged to me?” Shikamaru concluded, almost wincing. “Why would you do that?”
She pouted. “Well I couldn’t just say it wasn’t mine!”
“Of course you could’ve!”
“No!” Sakura yelled, punching him. “No, I could not, Shikamaru, because then I wouldn’t get to make Sasuke jealous!”
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. “You still feel something for that guy?”
“No!” she retorted, immediately on the defense. “Hell no. It’s just… well I got a bit of a rise from him and I’m just…” Sakura huffed. “Ugh, I’m just playing on a theory, here, okay? But please?!”
He paused and seemed to actually consider the idea. “Well what do I get out of this?”
“My eternal friendship?” Sakura offered with a large grin, gently nudging Shikamaru’s upper arm. “Huh? Huh? How ‘bout it?” When Shikamaru merely raised an eyebrow at her, likely questioning her sanity, Sakura sighed. “Okay, okay, uh… I’ll… uh… I can make you a legend among the female race!”
Shikamaru snorted and barely repressed a smirk. “I already am, stupid.”
Sakura rolled her eyes. “Shikamaru, just do it.” She pouted. “Please?”
They stared at each other for what felt like forever until Sakura brought out the big guns (read: Puppy Dog stare) and Shikamaru gave in. He sighed. “Fine.”
Sakura clapped once before giving him a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Shikamaru!”
Her gratitude did nothing to make him any more comfortable with the situation. “What are we trying to do, anyway?”
“Destroy Sasuke, obviously,” Sakura replied oh so nonchalantly, glancing at her nails. “He left me on a freaking bench-”
“That’s nice. Now, I repeat, what are we trying to do?”
Sakura frowned. “You’re so mean.”
“Stop avoiding the question, Sakura.”
“Fine.” She sighed, relenting. Sakura struggled to find a way to articulate her thoughts. She shrugged. “He thanked me. I told him I loved him and he thanked me.” Sakura looked up at Shikamaru, utterly confused. “What does that mean?” Her cheeks reddened and she chewed her lower lip. “Do you think that maybe he might… well… you know me? Or something.”
“If anything, it’d be ‘or something.’” Shikamaru replied bluntly. Honestly.
Sakura nodded. “Fair enough.” She smiled, remembering that morning. “But he reacted when he thought I was engaged to you. He looked a bit mad. Do you think he’s mad?”
Cringing, Shikamaru replied, “Well I hope not.”
Sakura laughed at his reaction and patted his arm. “Oh, don’t be silly.” She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you for helping. You won’t regret this. I swear.”
Shikamaru nodded, but somehow he didn’t believe her.
TBC