Chapter Text
The bell rang.
“Don’t forget that your essays are due on Tuesday! I want them all on my desk and don’t even dream of making up excuses! You have the whole weekend to write it. You may now leave.”
All students slowly got up and started leaving the classroom. It was their last period and they were all visibly amused about going home.
“Have a good weekend, Mr. Uchiha”, a girl was smiling at him as she was leaving.
Sasuke simply nodded while cleaning the white board. He was exhausted after such a long day of classes. Although he liked his job, being a teacher could feel very demanding especially when he had many tests and essays to correct. For example, he knew he would spend almost the whole weekend doing corrections. Yet, he couldn’t help but look forward to doing it in the comfort of his home.
Sasuke had barely arrived home when he felt his phone vibrate inside his jacket’s pocket. He unlocked his phone, sighing deeply at the sight of the text message he had just received.
‘Hey, Sas! Wanna grab a drink tonight? The first round is on me!! Karin and Juugo are coming too. Meet us outside Tsunade’s at 9:00 PM. See u later!!’ – Suigetsu
Sasuke sighed once again. He was tired but it was finally Friday so he wouldn’t mind having a much needed drink...or two.
**********
Naruto whistled so that everyone in the pool could hear him.
“Alright, everyone! We’ve trained enough for today. I’m very proud to say that every single one of you has been making a lot of progress lately. Keep up with the good work! I’ll see you next week!!”
That day had been a very productive one. Seeing everyone’s improvement motivated him to become better too. He couldn’t lag behind as a coach.
‘Absolutely not!’ he smiled ‘Oh let me check the time.’ Naruto took a look at his watch ‘8 PM?! Crap, Sakura is going to kill me if I arrive late! I promised I’d be at the restaurant on time!’
Naruto quickly picked up his things and drove home. 30 minutes would be enough for him to go home, take a shower, change into some nice clothes and then drive to the restaurant. At least, that’s what Naruto was hoping for.
Naruto made it just in time. Sakura and Ino were at the entrance of the restaurant, probably waiting for everyone to arrive. Sai and Chouji were already there too. Naruto smiled, waving at them.
“Hey, guys!”
Sakura beamed as soon as she laid eyes on him. Ino was right behind her. Naruto couldn’t help but notice the way the blonde’s hands were gently resting on Sakura’s hips. That and the huge diamond ring she was wearing. He glanced at Sakura’s left hand to confirm his suspicions. He snorted.
“Jeez, guys. Get a room already!” he loved teasing the two girls. Sakura’s facial expressions were priceless.
“Shut up, Naruto...” Sakura was visibly flushed.
“Stop teasing my girlfriend, blondie. She will punch you with no hesitation.” Ino winked at him playfully.
He heard Sakura clear her throat.
“Anyway, now we just have to wait for Shikamaru and his girlfriend to get here. They must be on their way. I knew not everyone would be here on time. That’s why I told you to be here 30 minutes earlier.”
“Wait, wait, wait...hold on!” Naruto shook his head in confusion “Since when does he have a girlfriend?!”
Ino immediately burst out laughing. Naruto scratched the back of his head with a quizzed look on his face.
“You didn’t know about that?! Naruto, do you even check the messages on our group chat? Everyone knows!” said Ino in between chuckles.
“Everyone but me apparently”
“Nothing I hadn’t expected from a dumbass like you” Sai was grinning mischievously.
Naruto growled.
“I’m not that dumb, Sa-“
“Hey, guys! Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Shikamaru had finally arrived and, just as Sakura had said, he brought his girlfriend. Naruto didn’t know her but he had to admit that she seemed pretty cool and a bit intimidating. The girl spoke.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Temari! I’m afraid this dumbass didn’t tell you my name.” She said, pointing at her boyfriend “I’m very pleased to finally meet you all.”
After everyone introduced themselves, Sakura interrupted their talk.
“Alright, shall we go inside? I reserved a table a few days ago so we just have sit and order our food. Either way, it’s rather chilly outside and I don’t want to catch a cold.”
The group headed inside the fancy restaurant Sakura had chosen.
It was mid October and the autumnal nights were getting colder and colder. Naruto loved autumn because he liked the way the leaves on the trees changed colours. Besides, pools during spring and summer get pretty busy limiting his time to train his swimming which was just as important to him as being a coach.
**********
Sasuke was the first to arrive at Tsunade’s. The name of the bar could be read on the red neon sign that was right above the front door. It was a small bar but Sasuke and his group of friends had been going there for a few years and, somehow, it had become a tradition for them to gather there to have a few drinks from time to time.
Sasuke put his hands inside the pockets of his black trench coat as it was cold. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to wait long for everyone else to arrive. He was wearing a burgundy turtleneck sweater, paired with black jeans and black boots. Even though he had grown out of his “emo” phase (like Suigetsu used to call it), he still preferred dark colours to bright ones. Especially black.
He turned his head to look as he heard the deep rumble of Suigetsu’s KTM motorbike getting closer. Karin was seating behind him.
‘Uh, I didn’t think those two could survive spending more than 5 minutes alone. Apparently, I was wrong huh?’ Sasuke smirked.
“Hey, Sas! You made it!”
“Sasuke! You’re here too!” Karin practically ran to greet Sasuke.
“Tch. I thought we were supposed to meet at 9.”
“Yeah, sorry man. I had to pick up Karin. Juugo was supposed to give us a ride but he texted me saying he wouldn’t be able to come so...”
“Well, now that we’re here, we should get inside” suggested Karin. As per usual, the young woman wasn’t dressed in proper gear for such cold weather. Seeing her like that made Sasuke roll his eyes.
“I still think your motorcycle is too cool for you, Suigetsu.” commented Sasuke as he stepped inside the bar.
“Shut up, Sasuke.”
“Hn.” He smirked.