Hi everyone! I know it's been a while, but here's a new Sasusaku oneshot I've cooked up! I hope you enjoy, and also please make sure to check out @kanimecomm where I also post my oneshots (before here) and where you can find wonderful oneshots written by other talented writers!

I threw another small ball of paper at the side of his head, smiling as it caught in the spiky black locks. It had been inexplicably adorable to watch him attempt to stay awake through the day's classes after the all-nighter she knew he'd pulled to study for the morning's exam. His eyelids drooping every so often, dark eyelashes batting quickly in an attempt to wake himself up, purple circles dark against his pale skin. But now he'd finally given in and was sleeping soundly, head nestled in the crook of his crossed arms, his closed left eye just peeking out above the sleeve of his uniform, the left side of his hair littered with tiny balls of paper I'd been throwing at him for the past half hour. I cocked my wrist again, aiming at an emptier patch of bed-hair.

"Perhaps Ms. Haruno can answer my question?"

I froze mid-throw, the tiny paper ball falling pathetically onto my desk, bouncing a few times before rolling right off its edge.

"Or maybe Mr. Uchiha?"

The teacher glared at us, spectacles flashing. I aimed a kick at Sasuke's shin.

"Don't eat me, I'm not ramen!" He yelled, eyelids flying open. 

A dozen sets of eyes turned to us, the king of silence reigning over both of us, watching, listening as eleven round paper balls tumbled to the floor. Sasuke looked to the floor, then to me, then to the teacher, and back again. Like a bubble bursting, laughter swelled in the room, the loudest being a certain blonde troublemaker and probably the protagonist of Sasuke's "nightmare". 

Only the teacher's glare bored down on us now. Well that and Sasuke's seething anger radiating towards me. I smiled nervously at the teacher, who shook his head at me. 

"Ms. Haruno, Mr. Uchiha, come see me after class."

"This is your fault."

"How is it my  fault?

"You threw paper at my hair!"

"You fell asleep in class!"

Sasuke and I glared at each other from either side of our conjoined desks, before he finally sighed and massaged his temples. 

"Whatever, I don't have the energy for this right now."

His circles looked more pronounced in this lighting and his movements were slightly sluggish. I let my chin fall into my hand, my frown sliding off of my face. 

"Do you think you did well at least?"

"I'd better have," Sasuke grumbled, setting his pen to paper. "Normally physics isn't really a problem, but for some reason this lesson just went over my head. I mean I had to study like a crazy person to even understand half of it. And now I'm paying the price."

He continued writing the 1000 word apology letter–or essay as I preferred to call it– that the teacher was making us stay after school to write. 

"Mm. It's alright, everyone has things they don't understand," I offered. 

"I don't," he said sharply. 

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I'm an Uchiha! I'm perfect at everything all the time!"

He glared at me again. 

"And yet, I have nightmares of Naruto eating me," I mocked. 

He groaned, putting his face in his hands. "It's not funny! I swear I have that nightmare every time I don't get enough sleep!" He gestured wildly, illustrating his nightmare.  "Naruto thinks he's made out of ramen, and so he tries eating himself, and then when I try to stop him, he lunges at me and starts biting my arm yelling 'RAMEN' at the top of his lungs!" He shuddered, a haunted look in his onyx eyes. "It's terrifying."

Unable to help myself, I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach. 

"It's not funny."

"It–hahaha–it so is!"

He rolled his eyes, and kicked my gently under the table, the side of his shoe resting against my toe. That sobered me up really quickly. He rolled his eyes, and continued writing, his foot remaining.

He sat hunched over his paper, uniform tie slightly loose around his collar. I couldn't help but marvel at his figure, noticing new and old changes: how broad his shoulder were, how long and bony his fingers were as they gripped his pen, how long and dark his lashes were as they brushed against his cheeks with each blink. I could just barely see his chest rise and fall, rise and fall, the folds in his shirt changing ever so slightly with each breath. The familiar fluttery feeling started up inside me, spreading to every member, pulling my lips into a soft, toothless smile. Affection bubbled up inside of me, demanding to be let out.

"I really like you, Sasuke-kun."

The smooth sound of pen on paper ceased and a blush bloomed along his cheeks, spreading to his ears and down his neck. 

"Wh–how can you say such embarrassing things so easily?" He spluttered. 

"Hehe, I can't help it," I grinned. 

He bit the inside of his lip, trying to compose himself, then averted his gaze. 

"How can you say that when I've rejected you three times?" 

I propped my chin up on my hands. "Because I know you like me."

The past me would never have been so brazen, would never have even thought that Sasuke could've felt a fraction of what I felt for him. Indeed, it had taken many months of strengthening my mental fortitude, practicing with a doll, and being encouraged by friends to even confess the first time. That was when I learned that rejection was a painful, vile thing that had the power to tear a person down if you did not strengthen your defenses. But what I also discovered was the relieving power of words: voicing your feelings aloud was liberating, as if you'd jumped over an impossibly high hurdle. And so I confessed again in the middle of that same junior year, and again at the beginning of our senior year. This would be the fourth time I was confessing, nearing the end of our senior year. Each time the response was the same, and yet I'd begun to have hope as time passed with the little moments and with reactions like this one.

"H-How... how on Earth could you possibly know that?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning away from me. "Why would I reject you every time if I actually liked you?"

I leaned back as well, eyeing him until he squirmed uncomfortably before speaking. 

"To answer your first question, you're not very subtle, Sasuke-kun." I took my time explaining myself, laying out all the moments, the evidence that I'd gathered before him slowly. "You kiss me hello or goodbye on the cheek."

"Wh–Naruto does the exact same thing! You're gonna tell me he likes you too?" he interjected. 

I rolled my eyes. "No, of course not. We all know that blonde idiot is head over heels for Hinata, except for her. But when you do it, it's different. You... your lips linger just a bit longer." It was my turn to blush now. 

I continued before he could interrupt again.

"And that time you held my hand under the desk when we were watching that sad movie in class."

"You were crying! Of course, I'd comfort you!" 

I shook my head. "Your hand stayed there long after I'd stopped crying, Sasuke-kun, and don't try to deny it. I have the memory of an elephant, you know that."

He shook his head, and I could see his agitation growing as he stood and started pacing. 

"How about when you pulled me away at that festival to watch the fireworks together? Or how you, who shies away from physical touch, lets me hug you whenever I want? Or how about when you kissed me on the forehead when you were carrying me to my bed when we had that movie marathon night?"

He turned on me. "You were awake?"

I don't know when it had happened, but I was now on my feet as well. "Of course I was! You think I could possibly sleep when you're right beside me? When you were holding me so gently like that... I..." I swallowed thickly, steeling my resolve. "I would go on because I still have loads of proof at my disposal, believe me, but I think it's time I answered your second question."

"This is ridiculous," he said, running his hands through his hair. "I. Don't. Like. You. How many times do I have to say it?"

"Ah, but see, that pained look in your eyes betrays you," I said, smiling bitterly.

He stiffened, staring at me. 

"You think after knowing you for so long, watching you for so long, I can't read you?" I paused, taking a breath. "You asked me why you'd reject me every time I confessed if you didn't like me back. I know why, and you know why. You say that high school romances are fleeting, silly affairs that always end up with one, if not both people, hurt. That teenage hearts are fickle things not to be trusted. But that's wrong. You're just scared. You're scared of getting hurt, getting betrayed. So unbelievably scared, that you won't let anything start. And if that's the case, how are you ever going to start anything meaningful? 

"Any kind of relationship carries some risk, romantic ones more than others, because it means trusting someone with your entirety and loving someone in their entirety. It requires a leap of faith, I know that. And I know that's something you're afraid of doing. But I'm not. I'm ready to take that leap with you. I've been ready to take that leap for a long time. I love you, Sasuke-kun. I think I've loved you ever since I've known you, and yeah, just being a close friend satisfied me for a while, but I want more with you. So much more, if you're willing to give it. And..." I paused, averting my gaze for a moment, before meeting his wide onyx eyes once more, resolutely. "this is the last time I'm going to confess to you. I love you, but I can't spend the rest of my life waiting for you to grow a pair either. So... yeah. This is the last time."

My eyes stung, and I knew it was time to go. 

"I'm going to turn this in. See ya," I said, brandishing my finished apology letter, and slinging my bag over my shoulder. 

I hurried to the teacher's lounge, blinking tears out of my eyes, my chest constricting painfully. 

Not yet, not yet, not yet. Don't cry yet!

Truthfully, I had no idea what to expect from Sasuke. Sure, I had acted all-knowing saying he liked me and all, but did he like me as much as I liked him? Did he value me enough to actually come after me? Or was it a passing crush? 

My sight blurred at the thought of him rejecting me once again, having to move on from what had been an almost life-long love. 

I made it outside after practically throwing the apology letter in my teacher's face, which I was sure to pay for later, but my mind was now racing, my heart pounding loudly in my ears like a drumroll, but whether it was to precede my infinite happiness or infinite despair was yet to be known. 

Badum, badum, badum.

I was almost at the school gate now.

Badum, badum, badum. 

Time was running out.

BADUM, BADUM, BADUM.

"SAKURA!" 

I stopped in my tracks, but did not look back, too afraid that my ears were playing tricks on me. 

A warm hand around my wrist. I looked down. Pale skin, bony wrist, long fingers that I knew so well. He pulled me to face him as I choked back a sob. Raven hair and beautiful onyx eyes that reflected a melee of emotions erased any doubts I had as to whether it was him or not. 

"How-how could you just leave after saying all that you are just so–"

"Just so what?" I bit back.

"So infuriating I just– shit!"

And with the swear word still on his lips, he closed the small gap between us. Hands moving to my hips, mine in his hair as tingles spread throughout my body, feeling like fire igniting beneath my skin. Each of us pulled the other closer still until every single inch of us was touching, as if we wanted to meld into each other. But our lungs protested the union, and we pulled apart panting. 

I looked up at him through my lashes, breathing hard, my hands still tangled at the base of his neck. His ears and cheeks were flushed a deep crimson unlike anything I'd seen before, and I was sure mine were of a similar shade. 

I swallowed, then grinned, savoring the expression, the moment. 

"Do you love infuriating people, Sasuke-kun?" I breathed teasingly. 

He frowned, but the corner of his lip quirked up nonetheless. He pressed his forehead against mine, breathing the words against my lips. 

"Just the one in front of me."

I swallowed thickly, averting my eyes. "I hope you know I'm never going to let you go now."

"I would be a fool to run away, anyway," he chuckled.

I looked back at him, scanning his dark eyes in search of an answer. 

"I'm in it for the long haul, Sakura. No matter how terrifying it is," he said, as if reading my mind. 

Tears stung and blurred my vision, relief spreading through me. 

"Not like you've given me much choice in the matter." He smirked. His eyes flicked towards my lips and he dipped downwards. My face tilted upwards to meet him.

"As I thought, I really, really love you," I whispered just before we melded together again.