Mutual Insecurity

"Oh, my poor child!" Mikoto Uchiha cries, dabbing her eyes with a tissue while sitting in a chair beside Sasuke's bed at his condo. She's feeding him and fretting like the overbearing mother she's always been. 

"It's just a hairline fracture, Mom. I'm not dead." 

Itachi made his little brother go straight home after leaving the hospital, where the teary-eyed woman was waiting to take care of her son. She narrows her eyes with a pretty frown, "Hush and eat so you can rest." 

The youngest Uchiha brother barely holds back rolling his eyes because she'll only pester him further. He says nothing. 

A satisfied tug pulls at Mikoto's lips as she admires his childish pout, feeding him another bite, "Your father says you'll be working from home for the rest of the week while you adjust to wearing a sling." 

"Who told him? Itachi?" 

Fuck. That's just what Sasuke needs, his father thinking lowly of him for getting injured on the job. 

"Actually, I did," she continues before he can interrupt, "If you're not careful, you could hurt your arm further, and then you'll be wearing a cast and not just a brace. You don't want to have to have surgery, do you?" 

After Mikoto leaves, Sasuke groans, flexing his fingers as he stares at his injured arm. This is all one big inconvenience. It's the busiest time of the year, and he's nursing an injury to his dominant arm. The tension in his brow lightens when he recalls Sakura's trembling hand in his earlier, the way she refused to show him her face because she was crying. He sighs, running his good hand through his hair. Obtaining this injury is far better than what would've happened if he hadn't stepped in. 

Sasuke's feeling weird. 

The way his pink-haired assistant looked and behaved earlier is unfamiliar and off-putting. She was released before him, so she stopped by his room. With the most solemn look on her face, she'd bowed low and apologized profusely. He was so stunned at that moment that he could only nod in acceptance. Then, the woman left without another word, her mother thanking him one last time. 

Unintentionally, he and Itachi overheard Sakura's mother fretting but couldn't decipher her exact condition. Is she seriously injured? Will she be returning to work tomorrow? Wait. Why is he so worried? It must be because Karin is out this week. If both assistants are gone while he's also injured, the office will be a wreck upon his return. The D.O.O. is relieved Sakura wasn't run down by that car. That's the only thing he knows for a fact. 

A notification buzzes his phone, and he picks it up to see a message from Haruki, 'Something odd happened today.' 

'What's up?' 

The typing bubble shows for an extremely long time. So much so that when only one sentence shows up, Sasuke is taken off guard, 'I'm starting to see a coworker as more than a coworker.' 

The Uchiha man is stunned because other than confirming that neither is married or dating, they haven't talked about their love lives. 'What made you suddenly realize that?' Honestly, he has no idea how to approach this sort of conversation. It feels like he's on thin ice. One wrong move, and he'll fall through and make things awkward. 

'I don't want to go into details, but something happened, and now I'm starting to think I might've misunderstood them all this time. Maybe we won't be friends, but I've treated them almost like an enemy since meeting them.' 

Oh, so he doesn't mean romantically. He just means he's suddenly considered this person an actual human being with a life of their own. As awful as that sounds, Sasuke's gone through it repeatedly. It's easier to see coworkers as just that. If he considers their life, family, and well-being, making executive decisions without bias will be more complicated. 

Don't get attached to colleagues. They're not your friends. 

His eyes widen as he again pictures Sakura, this time her red face when her mother was talking about her earlier. 

Hesitantly, he responds, 'I think I understand what you mean. It's best to keep your distance if you don't want things to develop further. No good can come from making things personal in a workplace.' 

When he reads over the message he sent, he acknowledges that his inner supervisor has shown through but doesn't take it back because it's the truth. No matter if it goes well or not, it's dangerous ground. If they become friends, all it'll take is one falling out to ruin everything. One must relocate or get a new job if they become lovers. Worse, the entire business will suffer from the tension if they attempt anything that goes horribly wrong. 

'You're probably right. Thanks for not sugarcoating it. I prefer honesty.' 

'You wouldn't have texted me if you didn't.' 

'True.' 

Sasuke debates telling Haruki about the car incident but decides against it. There's no need to concern his friend, especially when he knows how much the man worries. A frown dusts his lips as he clicks off the screen. He decides to take his mother and brother's advice and rest while he has the chance.

The following day, the D.O.O. is woken by the smell of bacon and the sound of someone knocking on his bedroom door. Groaning, he rolls over to check his phone for the time, only to sit up in disbelief when he realizes it's almost seven o'clock. 

Before he can even jump out of bed to hurriedly get dressed for work, a familiar voice meets his ears, and the door to his room opens, "I'm coming in." 

Bright green eyes lock onto him in surprise before Sakura closes them with a red face. "Sorry! Your brother told me I should make sure you eat breakfast. I'll just sit this down and go." 

What the fuck is she doing here?! Sasuke stares in disbelief as the slender woman crosses the room to set a tray of food, coffee, and juice on his nightstand while avoiding looking in his direction. 

His mouth opens to say something as she turns to scurry out, only to swallow his words when he sees a dark purple color peeking out on the skin of her neck above her shirt collar. Did she get that yesterday?

The door closes behind her, and Sasuke glares at the tray. It at least appears she cooked it herself. Obviously, his brother's behind her being here, so he can't be too upset at the woman. It would've been nice to have been given a chance to change out of his pajamas before her arrival, though. 

…..

Holy shit! Who is that man?! 

Sakura frantically washes the dishes in the condo's beautiful kitchen, still in awe of the incredible quality of the residence. Just minutes ago, she went to give her boss his breakfast. The messy hair. The half-awake, dazed expression on his gorgeous face. Seeing him in a t-shirt for the first time. All of it has thrown Sakura off guard. 

Typically, women are overwhelmed to see men in a suit or tuxedo for the first time because it's so rare. In this situation, she's only seen Sasuke in professional, high-end business clothes. She groans softly, squeezing her eyes closed and wiggling her toes. Have his arms always been so muscular? 

"How did you get in?" 

Sakura jumps in surprise, turning to see the man in question sitting the breakfast tray on the counter. He avoids meeting her eye. She blushes, facing the sink again, "Itachi gave me a key. I'll give it back, if you want." 

"No," he grumbles, heading down the hallway again, "Keep it while we're working here." 

Oh, great. He's angry again. 

The pinkette's irritation and embarrassment disappear as she sneaks one last glance at his retreating form before he turns into one of the rooms. He saved her life yesterday. No matter how rude he is, she owes it to him to be on her best behavior. She's in his debt, after all. 

She recalls her conversation with S last night and nods with determination. Nip this feeling in the bud before it's too late. Sasuke would undoubtedly be against her approaching him in a more personable way. He's so closed off to everyone, even his brother and Mr. Uzumaki, who's apparently his best and maybe only friend. 

Sakura frowns, rolling her shoulders back as she finishes the dishes and dries her hands on a small towel. For some reason, she feels she's become a burden to her boss in the last twenty-four hours. She's guilty for storming off like she had yesterday because if she'd simply kept her cool, neither of them would've been in the middle of the street. So, Sakura focuses on her job like her life depends on it. She swallows the insecure and unfamiliar emotions to ensure the D.O.O. will have utmost productivity. 

At six o'clock, it's time to leave, but the pinkette hesitates. Sasuke's been in his home office all day, working diligently. He refused to eat lunch earlier, too. Knowing she's likely to get scolded by him, Sakura sighs and scours the refrigerator and cabinets before preparing a meal. She plates the food and looks up at the ceiling as if praying to God for strength. 

Please let this man accept the gesture without arguing. 

The woman knocks on the office door, entering when she hears a response. Heat rises to her face as she feels Sasuke's gaze on her. She crosses the room to put the tray on the edge of his desk. 

"I thought you left at six." He sounds cautious. 

"Well, you'd probably skip dinner if I didn't make you something and guilt you into eating it, right?" She tries to come off as sarcastic and casual but can tell it wasn't wholly successful. Sasuke watches as she stands before his desk and bows, "I'll actually head out now. Good night, Sir." 

"Thank you," he suddenly says. His voice is quiet and hesitant. 

Sakura's eyes lift to meet his, widening, "What?" She isn't sure if she misheard. 

The Uchiha man's frown deepens, but he repeats himself more confidently. Somehow, his stare is less hawk-like than usual, "Thank you. For the meal." 

The previously mild blush on the pinkette's face becomes less so as she realizes that her boss is being completely genuine for the first time. She nods awkwardly and excuses herself, "Oh, um, you're welcome! See you tomorrow." A mortified groan passes her lips as she shuts the office door behind her and flits toward the entrance of the large condo. 

Honesty looks good on Sasuke. 

Very good.