Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

The Games We Play

"Let's play a game, Sasuke-kun!"

"Fine, but I get to choose this time."

"Aww, no fair!"

"But mom lets you choose every time you come over!" He points an accusing finger.

She puffs up her cheeks. "Fine, what do you want to play?"

"Hide and seek," he says with all the pride a seven-year old can possibly have.

"Again?"

"Were you sleeping?"

"Not anymore," he replies dryly but doesn't open his eyes.

"Don't be mean," she reprimands without offense.

"Sakura, it's 4 am. If there's anyone who's being mean–it's you. Let me sleep."

"Maybe I have a reason for calling at this time, you know."

"Maybe, maybe not. Guess I'll never know. Bye."

"Fine, hang up. I'll be there in a sec anyway."

Before he realizes what she meant, his window slides open and winter invades his room.

"Damn, it's a blizzard out there." Pink hair pops out of a red hooded windbreaker and casts small piles of snow unto his carpeted floor as the owner ruffles them off.

"You're insane." He deadpans, but nonetheless gets up and walks over to her with a towel in hand.

"I am aware." She flashes him that warm smile and he wonders if the biting cold even had any effect on her at all.

He tosses the towel and it lands on top of her head, abruptly stopping her halfway through removing her windbreaker. It covers half of her face, but he's sure she's giving him a dirty look.

"Mikoto-san didn't raise you to treat me like this," she playfully chastised whilst getting rid of the obstructing material.

"You spend too much time with my mother–shoes off." He points at the garment as if it offended him before walking to the other side of the room. He takes the spare slippers–apparently, his mother found out about Sakura's liking for his bed, so much so that she'd unintentionally slept over a couple of times enough to garner a pair of her own slippers–and walks back to her.

She says a little thank you despite the gesture being small now that it's sort of a routine.

"What can I say, she's cool."

"Did you really come all the way here so we could talk about my mother?"

"No, but can we talk about her homemade hot chocolate?"

"Why didn't you sneak up on her window then?"

"Maybe I should sometimes."

He rolls his eyes and she suppresses a giggle. She collapses onto his bed and his dark sheets inflate around her form briefly, the contrast making her look unlawfully breathtaking.

She hums. "Let's play a game."

He walks calmly to the foot of his bed and looks at her as she stared pensively up his ceiling.

Having received no answer, Sakura shifts her eyes towards him expectantly.

He sighs before unceremoniously plopping down beside her. "What game?"

He swears he can hear her beaming. "Twenty Questions."

"Why?"

"Nuh-uh, Sasuke-kun. I'll go first." It's typical of her to dodge him even though they both know she'd end up telling him anyway. "Okay, um, were you really sleeping before I called you?"

He turns his head to her and gives her a bland look. This girl will be the death of him, although he'd known that for a time now.

"Sasuke-kun, participate properly."

He sighs again and turns away. "Yes. What do you think I'd be doing up at four in the fucking morning?"

"Don't fucking cuss, you potty mouth. And I'd count that as a question. Hm, maybe you were practicing a speech or contemplating about mowing the lawn."

He ignores the fact that she cussed, too. "It's snowing."

"I didn't say mowing the lawn now." She clicks her tongue as if satisfied that she's proven a point. "Alright, moving on–do you prefer a steak or a salad?"

"Salad. Now will you tell me why we're doing this again?"

"I would, if you'd answer my next question."

"Which is?"

"Will you ever love me?"

They are instantly enveloped in silence after she utters her query.

He feels his bones cracking under the weight of her unyielding gaze, and his muscles tensing at the sound of the tears forming in her throat.

His eyes remain fixed on the ceiling as he fought the urge to punch himself in the gut.

"Why do you always want to play hide and seek?"

"Because I'm good at it!"

"But it won't be fun anymore if we play it all the time!"

She was right.

"You think I don't," he started.

Sasuke–who slows down his strides when they walk home together; who keeps desserts in his bento despite not liking sweets for her to have; who brings an extra shirt every Thursday because she always forgets to bring one for her gym class; who lets her play with his hair; who let her climb up his window at 4 am–he thought she knows already. Silly girl, she thinks he doesn't love her.

"It's not–I, I don't know. I mean I know you care, but you know I'm in love with you."

Everyone knows, Sakura, he wanted to say. It was unnecessary that she tell him, but still, hearing it directly made him want to turn inside out.

He remains quiet for a few more moments, afraid that if he speaks now, he'll end up tearing his heart out only to sew it on his sleeve.

"You've always been terrible at hide and seek."

He sees confusion on her features at his statement, and he holds back snort. It lasts briefly and he knows that by the way that the greens in them brighten.

They're still lying on their backs, but he can hear the beating of someone's–he wasn't sure whether it was his or Sakura's– heart so thunderously it'll probably drill a hole in its owner's chest.

"I never liked that game," she says indignantly even as her breath catches in her throat at the feel of his hand brushing against hers. "And you cheated."

He smiles faintly. "I was helping you."

"I was perfectly capable of finding you on my own, thank you very much." Her voice was barely above a whisper at the last syllable.

"Please, it would've taken you forever to figure out where I was… Or how I felt."

He doesn't look at her when he says this, but he captures her hand in his.

a/n: I've had a thing for subtle romance lately. Also, I've been on a break from uni for month already, but I have this big fat writer's block and please someone save me. I tried writing an update for CTLOS, but it just wasn't working orz.

Anyway, I hope everyone's enjoying the month, especially now that we're canon with a little salad-chan on the side. x