Chapter Text
Ensconced in the purr of the engine and the feel of the road under his tires, Itachi only realized where he had driven himself with appearance of the familiar middle class, two-story houses that marked Sakura’s neighborhood—and more specifically her street. Initial surprise gave way to self-awareness. Of course, on autopilot he had driven himself to her. Despite the newness of their relationship, Sakura calmed and centered him in a way he never would have believed a person could.
Turmoil and stress often led him to the tried and true outlet of an open road and no speed limit.
But tonight, stress was far from the only destructive entity consuming him.
From the start Sakura’s vibrant spirit and easy camaraderie had drawn in him, providing not only a sense of belonging, but that, perhaps, he could overcome, that the world was not so heavy. The older he got, the more he realized that his world, so insidious and dark, was not one he would ever be able to escape. It encroached and demanded and broke until the purity of the spirit was mangled and cynical just like it. A monster that chewed people up and spit them out, leaving not even those with strong character untouched, untarnished.
But Sakura. She was a balm to his senses, a levity in his soul, and—if he let her, perhaps she could be a bulletproof shield around his heart.
He turned the key in the ignition, shutting the car off entirely to save battery. And because he had not decided whether or not to get out. The silence in the car seemed to echo in a way it hadn’t moments before despite the fact that the engine was near soundless and the speakers void of audio input. As he looked up at the two-story simple home, it seemed to tower in a way the McMansion he lived in did not. Sakura’s car was in the drive, and he knew she was home. But the moon hung high in the sky, the stars little dots of light unhidden in the clear midnight hours, and he remembered the ‘goodnight’ text still on his phone from hours ago even as he picked up the device.
Still he hesitated, not ready to turn the car back on, to drive away with his petite girlfriend’s rest undisturbed. He knew without having to search inside himself that a simple night drive would not ease the tension in his muscles, the ache in his chest—the fist of anger gripping too tight to believe otherwise. Need and a sense of waylaid urgency rose, beating out thoughts of propriety and etiquette.
New relationship or not, Sakura would be upset to learn he had sat in her driveway and left without waking her when he knew he had come to her, with good reason, simply because he had not wanted to wake her so late. She had a giving heart and relished the fact that when she was needed, those she cared about did not hesitate to turn to her.
So he turned on the screen and pulled up their most recent text conversation and typed a quick text that consisted of an advanced apology for waking her and a request that she come outside her front door.
The minutes did not seem to tick by as he awaited a response; rather he watched the door and decided on a plan of action. Less than ten minutes after he’d pressed send, he saw the gold knob twist and he opened his car door, sliding out in a smooth motion and crossing the distance in barely a handful of strides in the time it took her to get both front and screen doors opened.
His plan seemed to go right out the window the second he caught sight of her. The suction of the first door closing completely seemed a faraway sound as he snagged her hip and tugged her in one simple pull into his chest; his other hand held the screen door out of the way in the process without him registering his own movement or the fact that one of her hands held it from closer to the inside handle. All of his senses and the engagement of his brain had seemed to suddenly narrow until only Sakura-centered acknowledgement got through.
The feel of her smaller body pressed against his, the bared curve of a hip under one hand. Grapefruit and honey in his nose, in the back of his throat. But more than the soft, suppleness of her body or the heady pure smell of her fogging his brain was the vivid green of her widened eyes. The slight part of her lips from the surprised gasped he had elicited for suddenly embracing her. He watched her expression closely as he slowly let go of the door in favor grasping her jaw, and laying his fingers across the delicate skin of her cheek.
She watched him right back, the last vestiges of sleep giving way to the hyperawareness of being held against him firmly and subjected to intense focus. The intimate, searching gazing did not last long. The need that had drove him to her had not just been to see her face or feel the calm only she seemed to bring him. It was to lose himself in her for a moment, to borrow of her fierce strength in a way she freely gave without question.
So, he used his grip to tilt her head back and bring his lips to hers. Her lids slipped shut in the process, anticipating, expecting a kiss. But the previous kisses, achingly few though they were, had all been gentle--a confirmation of affection, mere brushes of skin. This was not that. This kiss was on the other end of the spectrum.
He could not stop himself from clutching her closer, harder, as he pressed their mouths together in a bid to swallow her whole rather than taking small sips. He felt the tightening of his t-shirt at the shoulders, the weight of the base of her palm against his chest where she clenched the fabric in her hand, the other had come up to his head, tangling in his hair and cupping him lightly. He registered also, that despite the fact that he had sought to settle her more firmly against him, she had pressed forward, tucking her tiny bare feet between his dress shoes, and arching her chest into his in an attempt to merge her body with his. His focus remained on those full lips, plump and tasting of the vanilla chap stick she preferred.
The swipe of his tongue across the seam of those lips was the most polite he had been with her since she had opened the door, and she did not hesitate to part her lips, allowing him to press in, deep and consuming. Her tongue slid against his, and it took her a fraction of a second to decide to let him lead unchallenged, instead she focused on twining her tongue around his and flicking at his lips, tasting rather than exploring in response to the wild way he kissed her. He was far from savagery and did not feel the need to dominant her, overwhelm her, so much as seek and devour in a way that sucked all the oomph out of his unreasoning anger and restored a semblance of balance to the chaos uprooting his life.
After the first few moments of their kiss, he felt more settled, centered, than he had since bidding her goodnight. He noticed that they had not just pulled each other closer, but he had backed her against the bricked wall of her home for support without avidly pressing her into it. As he slowly eased back, he noted other details that had been unimportant initially. She wore a baby blue tank top and simple black-and-gray-and-blue flannel pajama bottoms, her exposed skin raised in a pattern that indicated chills that meant the shudders in her slight frame had been part shivering from the cold. Her lips, no longer pale pink, but kiss-swollen red, were parted, this time to allow a near panting intake and exhale of breath in lieu of the oxygen deprivation their heated exchange had wrought.
He had a second to marvel at the tussled, half-lidded, ravished look she presented, before logic set in and he knew he had to make a decision. Send her back inside to the warmth of her home and promise of her bed and then leave. Or the original reason his subconscious had taken him here. To bring her on his night drive, finally combining the two most calming and freeing things in his life. Despite having enjoyed his fill of her, he knew without having to search too deep that he was inclined for the later.
But waking her up to kiss her senseless was an easily accepted indulgence. And no matter what he wanted right then, it was her sleep and her participation involved, and therefore her permission was required. And yet, he found himself a little at a loss. Never before had he had to ask a girlfriend if she wanted to accompany him on destination-less long drive in the middle of the night, that would probably include him going far too fast. And not just because he had never had a girlfriend before Sakura.
Sakura, however, took care of that for him. A soft smile on her pretty face, mischief and mirth in her eyes; and he knew what he was about to be in for. “If that’s why you wanted me up and out of bed so late, you’re more than welcome to repeat.” She paused as a thought occurred to her. “Though I make no promises about future crankiness.”
Chuckling softly, he shook his head and felt the awkwardness leave him, no longer muddling his thoughts or tying his tongue. “To be fair, I woke you because I wanted to take you on a drive with me.”
Pretty green eyes blinked a few times in rapid succession as she canted her head just the slightest to the right in the way that marked not confusion but surprised curiosity. “I, uh, I’ll admit. I didn’t peg you for the night drive kind of guy, Itachi.” Before he could even consider her words, her eyes widened as a realization seemed to strike her. “Not that I’m saying no, or anything. I’m just…surprised.” Shaking her head, she sucked in a soft breath. “I mean, yes, Itachi. I would love to go for a drive with you.”
With another soft chuckle, he took another step back from her, returning her personal space to her despite the fact that she clearly did not mind his invasion of it. He had always found it fascinating how Sakura’s quick mind was able to process and consider at such high speeds, and when jumbled, it often came out in a tumble of course corrections that had her rolling her eyes at herself and shaking her head. Never would he tire of her and the seeming endless facets that she was comprised of.
“I’m glad, would you like to grab anything from your house? We will not be stopping anywhere, merely driving.”
She nodded, both acknowledging and processing. “Yeah, lemme grab my phone and keys.” Words delivered even as she slipped back through her front door and darted out of sight. When she reappeared minutes later, her sleep-tussled hair had been straightened a bit, though she did not look particularly any more bright-eyed than she had when she went inside. In one hand was a small rectangular object and a lanyard with keys jingling freely.
It took her seconds to lock up and pocket the items. And even as she turned to him, she bit her lip and began to turn back. Clearly, she had realized she had completely bypassed the notion of shoes. He caught her arm, gently turning her back to him once more before she could unlock the door again. When she shot him a curious look, he shook his head. “Just going for a drive. You have to be up early, don’t you? You can sleep, I won’t mind.” He just wanted her near. Preferably in his arms.
Would she agree to sit in his lap while he drove? There would certainly be enough room for her.
Tugging on the limb still in his grasp, he guided her back to the Audi he had tuned up for the specific purpose of racing. Though it had never seen a street race, just the open road.
Sakura trailed behind, expression caught somewhere between warm amusement and consternation. “You woke me up…to accompany you on a drive…that you’re okay with me falling asleep on?”
He nodded without looking back, knowing her well enough that she would eventually make peace with whatever oddity she found with his intentions. Reaching the car, he opened the driver’s side, and let go of her arm so he could lean in to move the seat back. Once he was standing straight once more, he met her gaze. “Long night drives…are soothing to me. If you wish to remain awake and interactive I will not tell you that you have to sleep, but I am, essentially, only asking for your company.”
She stared at him for a few seconds, clearly still trying to wrap her mind around it. He took a small step back towards the car, folding his body backwards into the seat. And, as she continued to watch, motioned for her forward. She broke eye contact to flit her gaze to the passenger seat before returning them to him, her confusion increasing. He sighed, realizing that, for as comfortable as he was around her, he would actually have to spell out his exact intentions to get her to properly cooperate with him.
“I want you, Sakura. In my lap. While I drive.” He watched her, weighing if he needed to say anything further.
A beat, and then. “In your lap?” But before he could respond in anyway, she nodded. “You want cuddles. And you want to drive. Of course you do.” With chime-like laughter, she stepped towards him and bent down. “So…how would the logistics of me in your lap work, exactly?”
Finally, he thought. Knowing she had not meant to be difficult. Reaching out for her once more, he curled his arm around the small of her back and ushered her forward, shifting his long legs so she could place one foot on the floorboard. Ducking her head, she followed where he guided until she was perched in his lap, and then; after closing the door, he tugged at her pajama-clad legs until she was turned sideways in his lap, her back against the door as she leaned heavily into his chest. Having her in the position that would best work for this scenario, he let go and encouraged her to shuffle about until she was comfortable in her new position.
It did not take her long to readjust enough to grow comfortable and still, her body pliant and relaxed in his arms. Still, he felt the need to make sure. “Comfortable, Sakura?”
She upturned her head so she could met his gaze more easily and smiled, “Yup, we’re good.”
As he turned the key in the ignition and readied the car to drive off, she tucked her head back into the hollow of his collarbone and sighed. “I take it back, what I said earlier about waking me up in the middle of the night. Kisses are required and we must do this again.”
He let a smile tug at his lips, as a yawn interrupted her sleepily delivered command. She was already mostly asleep by the time the last words were out of her mouth.
This was going to be the first in slew of favorite drives, he knew, could practically feel the truth of it in the hum in his veins, skin, bones.
Setting the car in gear after backing out of his spot, he pressed his foot on the gas and took off into the night.