Title: Tests
Prompt: July 5 / test
A/N: I think Sasuke's the kind of guy who would keep testing his friends—maybe unconsciously, but still. It's not so much insecurity (though that does play a part) as much as it is he's waiting for the slip up, the big mistake—that yes, he was right, it was stupid to have friends and to trust people.
Summary: It was early when he returned, his house as empty as he feared it would be.
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It was early when he returned. An hour before sunrise, at most, he was sure. Already the sky was brightening, the dark sky turning into a paler blue.
Quietly, he opened the door. The hallway light was still on and he wondered for a brief moment if Sakura was still awake, waiting.
No, that was impossible. While he could go to work sleepy and still survive, her patients needed more care and consciousness. Maybe she left the lights on before she went home for the night.
Slowly, he took off his work clothes, stretching his body as he did so. The boots slipped off, the cloak fell down, and his back was sore from all the crouching he did today. Stakeouts were a tiring thing, more so when you were perched on the edge of a roof to do it.
Maybe he should trade off with Naruto tomorrow, let his body recover from the sleepless night. He had missed too many dates these past two weeks and while Sakura was understanding, even she had limits.
This was probably more than—Sasuke stopped thinking as he spotted Sakura sleeping on his couch, her laptop still playing news reports. Her headphones were slipping off her head, and she frowned lightly in her sleep.
So she had stayed.
Sasuke released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "You should have just gone home," he murmured, kneeling next to the sofa. He brushed her locks to the side, watching her shallow breathing as she slept.
And he was an idiot, wasn't he—he kept testing her when he shouldn't, when she had more than proved that she was capable of handling his secret. He just kept expecting without telling her the rules, without telling her what he wanted, and if he was disappointed, he only had himself to blame.
Somehow, she always managed to do what he hoped.
This, this was more than enough. This was more than he deserved.
He could never pay back this debt, this trust that she gave.
Sasuke kissed her brow and settled down on the floor. It was too late to move her—she'd have to get up in an hour or so and if he tried now, he was sure to wake her.
It was too late for yesterday but for today, for tonight—he'd have to call Naruto and tell him to take the stakeout.
It was time he gave a little in return.