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the street is cold and quiet as she strolls towards her house in the dead of night. sarada's hands are trembling, and her knees are weak. everything worsens as she closes in on her home, her nerves building up and giving her a nauseous feeling in her throat.
she knew a lecture surely awaited her once she arrived home, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. she knew her mama and papa would yell, that her mama would cry, and that her papa would have that disappointed look in his eyes, but she couldn't give a damn about it anymore. all she wanted was a hug from her papa, even if it was one out of shock before he started yelling.
maybe if she had snapped out of her momentary anger long enough to talk about what was wrong, she wouldn't have made the rash decision of running away. maybe then she could've just recieved a hug, some comfort or reassurance, and she wouldn't have to even think about the lecture that was surely going to come with it.
damnit, she just wanted a fucking hug from her papa, why did she have to screw things up so badly?
the weak feeling in her knees was spreading to the rest of her legs, and she didn't feel like she had enough energy to walk the rest of the way home. a sob tore from her throat when her legs gave out under her, and she fell to the ground, pounding the pavement with her fist as tears fell down her face.
why was she so stupid, why did she have to fuck everything up-
"sarada" she hears a voice from behind her.
it sounds scared, and hurt, and afraid, and she knows without even looking that it's her papa-
strong arms surround her, pulling her into a firm chest, and she can't stop the sobs that break from her lips. sasuke rocks her back and forth in his lap, brushing his fingers through her hair like he can't believe she's actually there. warm lips press against her forehead and a hand pulls her glasses off of her face, wiping away her tears. he rocks her for what must've been an hour but still doesn't feel long enough, murmuring reassurances and sweet nothings, until she almost feels like she's five again instead of sixteen and a jonin with too many responsibilities and anxieties and she just wants to stay here forever.
eventually, he speaks again, quiet and gentle, with no hint of anger in his tone at all. "are you okay? you aren't hurt, are you?"
sarada shakes her head weakly, not trusting her voice, and cuddles closer to his body. sasuke breathes out a 'thank god' and runs his fingers through her hair again.
a few moments later, sarada speaks. "can you wait until tomorrow to lecture me?" she mumbles, and she hates the way her voice cracks at the end of the sentence. sasuke huffs out a breath that she guesses is supposed to be a laugh.
"i'm not going to lecture you. just please, don't ever do that again" he whispers. "you scared the shit out of me, you know"
"i'm sorry" she apologizes quickly. "i was mad, and then i was stubborn and didn't wanna admit i was wrong. i'm sorry"
"i'm not mad" he repeats. "i promise i'm not mad at you." i was scared, and maybe a little mad at myself. but "i'm not mad at you"
she nods, and they sit in silence again. she feels a hot tear land on her cheek, and looks up to the sight of her papa crying.
"papa?" she mumbles, grabbing one of his hands.
"ah, i'm fine. just, promise me you'll never do that again, okay?"
she intertwines their pinkies and says "i promise", and sasuke smiles a little. grabbing her glasses off of the ground, he picks her up, as if she were still five and they were walking home from the academy. sarada wraps her arms around his neck, starting to feel the drowsiness from the last few days catching up to her.
"let's go home" he whispers, and she nods in response, smiling.