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The dim light of the inn flickered weakly, casting long shadows across the modest room. It was a far cry from the wilderness they had grown used to on their travels, but after a grueling day of hiking, sparring, and fending off rogue bandits, the comfort of a proper bed and a roof over their heads was a luxury Sakura wasn’t going to take for granted.
Sitting on the bed, she exhaled a long sigh, letting the exhaustion seep out of her. The faint buzz from the sake she’d had earlier softened the sharp edges of her thoughts. It had been Sasuke’s idea—though she suspected it was less of a suggestion and more of a means to placate her after they’d had yet another argument over his stubborn insistence on doing everything alone.
Her gaze flicked over to him, seated cross-legged on the floor by the small table, his profile lit by the lantern. He was still nursing the last drops of sake from his cup, his expression distant and contemplative. It was rare to see him indulge in anything resembling relaxation, and even rarer for him to drink. But tonight, it seemed even he had decided to let his guard down.
“Sasuke-kun,” she called softly, breaking the silence.
He didn’t respond immediately, his gaze fixed somewhere far off. Then, after a moment, he turned his head slightly, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “Hn.”
That was as close to an acknowledgment as she was going to get. She rolled her eyes, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders as she settled into the bed. “Don’t stay up too late, okay? You’ll regret it tomorrow.”
“Hn.”
Typical.
With a small smile, she closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the blanket and the faint buzz of alcohol lull her toward sleep.
But just as she was about to drift off, his voice cut through the quiet.
“Sakura.”
There was an odd edge to it, something serious yet… strange. She cracked one eye open, turning her head slightly to look at him. “What is it now, Sasuke-kun?”
He didn’t move from his spot on the floor, but his brows were furrowed, his expression unusually intense. “We need to talk.”
Her stomach sank slightly at his tone. “Talk about what?”
“Who the fuck is Blanket?”
Sakura froze, her grogginess evaporating almost instantly. “…What?”
“You heard me.” He gestured vaguely toward her with his sake cup. “Why are you sleeping with some guy named Blanket instead of me?”
For a long moment, she just stared at him, completely dumbfounded. Surely, she’d misheard him. Or maybe she’d had more sake than she thought, and this was some bizarre drunken hallucination. “Sasuke-kun,” she said slowly, “what are you talking about?”
His scowl deepened, his gaze flicking toward the quilt covering her. “Don’t play dumb. You said goodnight to him earlier. I heard you.”
Realization hit her like a kunai to the forehead. He was talking about the quilt.
A giggle bubbled up in her throat, but she bit it back, trying to keep her expression neutral. “Sasuke-kun,” she began carefully, “are you… jealous of a blanket?”
His glare could have set the room on fire. “Don’t deflect. I want an answer.”
That was it. Sakura burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as the absurdity of the situation washed over her. “Oh my God,” she wheezed, “you’re serious!”
Sasuke’s frown only deepened, his expression darkening like a thundercloud. “You think this is funny?”
“Yes!” she managed between gasps of laughter. “You’re accusing me of cheating on you… with fabric! Do you even hear yourself right now?”
“I’m not accusing you of anything,” he muttered, his tone defensive. “I’m just asking why you’d choose him over me.”
Sakura wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still giggling. “Sasuke-kun, Blanket isn’t a person. It’s just a blanket. A piece of fabric. It keeps me warm.”
“That’s exactly what I’m supposed to do.”
She froze, her laughter cutting off abruptly. “What?”
He stood up, a little unsteady on his feet but still managing to look as intimidating as ever. “You don’t need Blanket. I’m right here.”
For a moment, she just stared at him, torn between laughter and exasperation. “You’re insane,” she muttered, shaking her head.
“I’m not the one whispering sweet nothings to a blanket,” he shot back.
Her jaw dropped. “I wasn’t whispering sweet nothings! I was just saying goodnight because—oh, forget it. I’m too tired for this.”
She turned over, pulling the blanket up to her chin and closing her eyes. “You’re drunk. Go sleep on the sofa.”
There was a beat of silence, and then: “I’m not sleeping on the sofa.”
She turned back to glare at him. “Why not?”
“Because I won’t betray you like that.”
Her confusion deepened. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He crossed his arms, his expression deadly serious. “You want me to cheat on you with Sofa now?”
For the second time that night, Sakura found herself laughing uncontrollably. She buried her face in the pillow, her shoulders shaking as she tried—and failed—to catch her breath.
“Sasuke,” she gasped, “you’re… you’re unbelievable.”
“I’m not joking,” he said, his tone as serious as if they were discussing a life-or-death mission. “You’re my wife. I’m not sharing a room with Sofa.”
At this point, she wasn’t sure if it was the sake or pure exhaustion that was making the whole situation so hilarious. “Fine,” she said, sitting up and throwing her hands in the air. “Then what do you want me to do, huh? Throw the blanket out the window? Burn the sofa?”
He nodded, as if this were a perfectly reasonable suggestion. “That’s a start.”
Sakura groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “Okay, listen to me very carefully, Sasuke-kun. Blanket isn’t a person. It’s a piece of fabric. Sofa isn’t a person either. It’s furniture. Nobody is cheating on anybody, okay?”
He didn’t look convinced. “Blanket’s been all over you. And now you’re telling me to sleep with Sofa. I don’t trust either of them.”
She couldn’t help it—she laughed again, though this time it was tinged with a hint of exasperation. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re ignoring the problem,” he countered, stepping closer to the bed. “If Blanket isn’t a threat, prove it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How?”
“Get rid of him.”
She gaped at him. “You seriously want me to throw the blanket away?”
“Yes.”
“Are you insane? I’ll freeze!”
“I’m right here,” he said matter-of-factly, climbing onto the bed and settling down beside her.
Before she could stop him, he reached over and yanked the quilt off her, tossing it unceremoniously onto the floor. “Stay away from her,” he muttered under his breath, glaring at the discarded blanket like it was his mortal enemy.
Sakura stared at him, equal parts amused and incredulous. “You’re really doing this?”
“Hn.”
Shaking her head, she lay back down, her head resting on his shoulder. “You’re going to feel so stupid in the morning,” she said, still smiling.
“Hn,” he muttered again, his arm wrapping around her possessively. “As long as Blanket knows his place.”
Sakura closed her eyes, letting his warmth and the faint smell of sake lull her to sleep. Despite his ridiculous antics, she couldn’t deny the odd comfort of knowing that, even drunk and completely irrational, Sasuke was absurdly, unquestionably hers.
And in the morning, when he inevitably remembered none of this, she was absolutely going to remind him. In detail.
The early morning sun streamed through the thin curtains of the inn, warming the small room where Sakura was already stirring. She stretched languidly under the blanket, feeling oddly refreshed despite the sake she’d had the night before. Beside her, Sasuke lay on his back, his face turned slightly toward her, his breathing slow and even.
She blinked at him, her memory of the previous night slowly coming into focus. The sake. The arguments. The sheer, mind-boggling absurdity of Sasuke’s drunken rant.
Her lips curled into a smirk. Oh, she wasn’t going to let him live this one down.
Rolling onto her side, she propped herself up on one elbow and gave him a gentle nudge. “Sasuke-kun,” she called softly. “Time to wake up.”
He didn’t respond, so she nudged him again, this time a little harder. “Come on, sleepyhead. Rise and shine.”
With a low groan, Sasuke’s brows furrowed, and he finally cracked one eye open, glaring at her in irritation. “What?” he mumbled, his voice rough with sleep.
She grinned. “Good morning, husband.”
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her overly cheerful tone. “What do you want?”
“Oh, nothing much,” she said airily, sitting up and hugging the blanket around her shoulders. “Just thought we could have a little chat about last night.”
He groaned again, rubbing his face with one hand. “What about it?”
Sakura tilted her head, her smirk widening. “You don’t remember, do you?”
“I remember we drank sake,” he said slowly, frowning as he tried to piece together the rest. “Then we went to bed.”
“And?” she prompted, barely able to contain her amusement.
He shook his head, his expression darkening with unease. “What did I do?”
“Oh, Sasuke-kun,” she said, her voice practically dripping with glee. “Where do I even begin?”
His frown deepened, and he sat up, his sharp gaze fixed on her. “Sakura. Just tell me.”
She clasped her hands together dramatically. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He crossed his arms, his patience clearly wearing thin.
“Last night,” she began, savoring every word, “you accused me of cheating on you.”
His eyes widened slightly, though he said nothing.
“With a blanket.”
There was a beat of silence as he processed her words. “…What?”
“You heard me,” she said, grinning like the cat who’d caught the canary. “You were drunk and convinced that I was having some sort of torrid affair with my quilt. You even called it ‘Blanket.’”
His expression remained stoic, though there was a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. “You’re making this up.”
“Oh, I wish I were.” She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “You were completely serious, too. You demanded to know why I was sleeping with ‘Blanket’ instead of you.”
He stared at her, his face carefully blank. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not,” she said, unable to suppress a laugh. “You even made me throw the blanket on the floor because, and I quote, ‘Blanket needs to know his place.’”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath.
“Oh, and it gets better,” she continued, thoroughly enjoying herself now. “When I told you to sleep on the sofa, you accused me of trying to make you ‘cheat’ on me with Sofa.”
His hand dropped, and he gave her a look that could have killed a lesser woman. “Stop.”
“Nope,” she said brightly. “You need to hear this. You actually said, ‘I won’t betray you with Sofa.’ I thought I was going to die from laughing.”
He let out a long, slow exhale, his expression grim. “I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t care if you believe me or not,” she said, leaning back against the headboard with a smug smile. “I was there. It happened.”
For a moment, he said nothing, his gaze fixed somewhere in the middle distance. Then, finally, he muttered, “I hope I just dreamed it.”
Sakura burst out laughing, clutching her sides as tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. “Oh, no, Sasuke-kun. This was no dream. This was real, and it was glorious.”
He shot her a glare, though the faint pink tint to his cheeks betrayed his embarrassment. “If you tell anyone about this—”
“Oh, please,” she interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. “Who would believe me? The great Uchiha Sasuke, jealous of a blanket? It’s too ridiculous to be true.”
He didn’t respond, his lips pressed into a thin line as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
“Hey, Sasuke-kun,” she called after him, still grinning.
“What?” he said without turning around.
“Just so you know,” she teased, “Blanket and I have decided to take a break. You’re safe… for now.”
He glanced over his shoulder, his expression caught somewhere between irritation and resignation. “You’re insufferable.”
“And you’re ridiculous,” she shot back, her laughter bubbling up again. “But I love you anyway.”
With a faint shake of his head, he muttered something unintelligible and headed for the door.
As the door closed behind him, Sakura leaned back against the headboard, still smiling. Oh, yes—she was definitely going to hold this over him for the rest of their lives