naruto fic: "say pretty, pretty please"
this is my second entry for sasusaku-month, it's a *gasp!* modern-day, highschool au
Title: "say pretty, pretty please"
Rating: G/PG
Words: 6,091
Characters/Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura, the Uchiha family
Theme/Prompt: july 7th - teacher
Warnings/AN: Perhaps too much fluff? It's an AU, so no spoilers. Oh, and there's mentions of a teen dad, but really... it's nothing much.
Summary: And to think it’s all thanks to the little brat.
Disclaimer: the OC is miiiiiine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time he sees her is when his mother forced him to go with her to pick Maya up.
It’s summer and too hot to be outside; he refuses to be complacent and stays in the car instead of going with his mother to wait for the kids to come out of the building. His mother talks animatedly with the other mothers and he has to marvel at the fact that, even though Uchiha Mikoto is actually a grandmother already, she looks the youngest among them all.
Bored out if his mind, he turns to the radio, plugging his iPod to the USB port and going through his list of music. Just as he stops on one of his favorite songs, Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child of Mine, the daycare’s bell goes off, signaling the end of classes, for lack of a better word. He frowns as the cheery squeals of children reaches his ears, not understanding how these kids found summer school appealing. Then again, he thinks, glancing at the happy children leave with their mothers, it may be because they are not older that four and summer school for them is just a morning spent playing with their friends.
Still, having been subjected to summer school himself up until he turned thirteen, his dislike is understandable. And come to think of it, he’s sure his brother shares such dislike so why he let their parents enroll little Maya in one this summer is beyond him.
Parenthood softened him up.
Just as the song ends and he thinks his mother’s taking way too much time, a musical laugh reaches his ears. Usually, such a thing goes unnoticed by him, but something about this laugh makes him turn and stare through the tinted glass of the windows of his mother’s car.
And the air in his lungs leaves him in a rush.
The woman, who can’t be older than him, smiles and laughs at something his mother says, obviously getting along just fine with the Uchiha matriarch. Her long hair, that is a unique shade of pink, glimmers under the sun’s rays and sways gently to the summer breeze. One of her hands grasps Maya’s little one gently, and Sasuke notes with something akin to surprise how the little girl refuses to let go, especially considering Maya has always been shy around strangers. The woman pushes a few strands of hair behind her ear, which allows him to appreciate the green of her eyes.
She is definitely one of a kind.
Sasuke would be lying if he says he doesn’t want this unique female to be his. Because he does, so much so it frightens him a little (and that in and of itself is quite a feat-he is, after all, an Uchiha). Where is this all coming from? He has no idea, but one thing is sure.
He will definitely get her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time she sees him, which also happens to be the first time he sort of talks to her, is when he comes to pick little Maya up.
He is gorgeous; that’s the first thought that crosses her mind when he steps through the doors. He is extremely gorgeous… and probably the father of a four-year-old (because, you know, there was only one child with those striking onyx eyes and black hair and fair complexion). The second thought comes unbidden and fills her with apprehension, leaving her at a loss. Shaking those thought out of her head, Sakura approaches him slowly, her ever-welcoming smile in place as she ask him if she can help him.
There is a pause on his part, as he gives her an once-over, taking his sweet time too, until his eyes land on hers. He speaks.
“I’m here to pick up Uchiha Maya.”
The deep tone of his voice and the mesmerizing glint in his eyes leave her mind reeling, but she is nothing if not professional while at work, so she simply nods, her smile still in place (seriously, she feels like the expression in frozen there), and tells his softly to wait.
It shocks her the way he’s making her react, because she doesn’t speak softly. God, if anything she’s been told to be the loudest of her circle of friends-well, maybe except for Ino. This shyness and the sudden urge to stutter around this man, this… stranger, doesn’t sit well with her usual overconfident persona. Not at all. Oh, but she knows she’d be unable to prevent it from happening at some point, it is only a matter of time.
Walking into one of the classrooms, she spots Maya coloring quietly by the window, smiling happily at her messy masterpiece. The conflicting feelings she’s been having about the alluring male waiting in the lobby come back at full force then, as she watches this lovely child… this adorable little girl who has managed to brighten up her mornings without fail ever since she started this summer job.
She could love her, concludes Sakura, she could love her as her own.
Oh, God, stop thinking like that! Nothing is going to happen, you don’t even know the guy!
No matter how many times she reprimands herself (for one reason or another), Sakura never listens. But now… now she’ll make an effort. Because there is no need for those thoughts, really, no need to drag little Maya into something that doesn’t even exists. So, what if there is a possibility they might end up going to a few dates? That’s not reason enough to involve the little girl into something that will probably be a summer fling.
Assuming, of course, the gorgeous teenage dad is actually interested.
Again, pushing those thoughts aside, Sakura gathers Maya’s backpack and hat before calling out her name.
“Yes, Sakura-neechan?”
She smiles at the cute image she presented. “Time to go home.”
Maya nods, her bright smile never faltering, and after she put the crayons back in their place, she makes her way towards the door, picture in hand. “Is otou-chan here to pick me up?”
Sakura, walking behind the little girl towards the lobby, never gets her chance to answer, for just a she opens her mouth, Maya lets out a high-pitched scream.
“SASUKE-JICHAN!”
Never mind the ringing in her ears, Sakura is too shocked by the image that greets her then to care. The young man (Sasuke, his name is Sasuke) reaches out in time to catch the little girl (his niece, it’s only his niece), and the stoic (and cold, so very cold) expression on his face softens and warms up as the child embraces his neck.
“Hey, little brat, all ready to go?”
And right then, Sakura knows, she starts falling for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sasuke can’t believe he has to bribe her, his own niece, to get her to tell him the teacher’s name. Only to find out it was pointless.
“What do you mean ‘which teacher’?”
Maya looks up at him at him, blinking adorably while eating a chocolate bar. All kinds of candies lie scattered around her, opened and unopened. Once she finishes with the chocolate, already reaching for another one, she answers: “I have more than one teacher.”
Sasuke growls softly, being completely ignored by the little girl sitting in front of him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he talks again. “I only ever see one when I go pick you up.”
Maya scrunches up her little nose, before starting counting with her little finger. “Well, there are six teachers,” she replies, adopting the same condescending posture Itachi uses with him when explaining something that should be obvious. “There’s Hinata-neechan, Ino-neechan, Shizune-san, Tsunade-sama, Ka-”
“Tadaima.”
The quiet voice calling from the entry hall cuts Maya’s list abruptly as she jumps up and runs towards it, letting out a high-pitched scream as she goes.
“OKAERI, OTOU-CHAN!”
Sasuke sighs, but remains sitting on the living room’s floor, determined not to move until he gets what he wanted. He looks up just in time to see his brother enter the living room, Maya held securely in his arms. He is smiling at his daughter, not an uncommon sight, but it never ceases to amaze Sasuke how easily taken one is when dealing with Maya.
Seriously, the girl is so cute it’s not even funny anymore.
Itachi leaves his suitcase on the couch and then kisses Maya’s forehead tenderly, then he turns to greet him. “Otouto.”
“Aniki,” he replies evenly and gives Maya a pointed glare. “Come here, brat, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“What is this about? And why is Maya covered in chocolate?”
He ignores Itachi’s questions, his eyes fixed on the little demon who is smiling as if she is actually enjoying watching him squirm. But no matter how much he glares, Maya ignores him preferring to cuddle with her daddy. Itachi, who had taken sit on the couch, strokes her hair lovingly.
“Maya?”
At her father’s gentle inquiry, she doesn’t hesitate to answer cheerily. “Sasuke-jichan bought me sweets so I would tell him the name of my teacher!”
His brother smiles at her and then turns to him. “Which teacher?” he asks and when his only response is a glare, he arches an eyebrow. “You do know she has more than one teacher, right?”
“Apparently not,” he growls lowly.
Itachi only smirks in response. Just then, their mother appears, and Sasuke knows he should take his leave while he can.
“Dinner will be ready soon-Sasuke! I told you not to give Maya-chan sweets before dinner! I-”
“Sasuke has a crush on someone. A girl.”
He fidgets uncomfortably under his mother’s piercing stare-
“Really?”
“One of Maya’s teachers, apparently.”
-and frowns at her disbelieving tone. What is it with his family? Just because he’s never expressed interest in girls before didn’t mean… tch.
In a matter of seconds, his mother is kneeling in front of him, grabbing his hands excitedly. “Which one?”
Oh, great, it seems that everyone knew that Maya has more than one teacher, everyone except him.
“He won’t tell,” Maya pips up from Itachi’s lap, a mischievous smile on her face.
“Oh, is it Hinata-chan? Or is it Ino-chan? Maybe-”
“I don’t know her name,” he interrupts his mother’s tirade.
“Oh, well. What does she looks like?”
Sasuke looks at his mother in wonder, questioning himself why it never occurred to him to ask Maya such a simple question. Her striking features are hard to miss and even harder to forget. Surely, Maya would remember such a unique woman, the child is bordering on genius. Catching Itachi’s smirk over his mother’s shoulder, he realizes his brother had wondered the same. He glares and then averts his eyes from the expectant stares of his mother and Maya.
“She…” he pauses, cursing inwardly as the blush rushes to his face, but presses on. “She has pink hair-”
“SASUKE-JICHAN LIKES SAKURA-NEECHAN!”
“Maya stop screaming.”
The tinkling laugh of the little girl is a clear sign of how she didn’t listen to him. His brother chuckles good-naturedly and his mother pats his cheek affectionately. So, feeling he has been humiliated enough, Sasuke scowls and excuses himself, retreating to his room. Once inside, he falls on his bed and the scowls slowly leave his face, making way for his trademark smirk.
So, Sakura, huh? In hindsight, he should’ve seen that one coming. And now that he has the name, he only needs a plan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next following week goes like this.
Since the kids attending Konoha’s Summer Kindergarten were growing in number steadily, there were around eighteen girls working as of now, they were divided in three groups of six to manage the three classes: K-1, K-2 and K-3. Maya-chan is in her class, K-2, that is managed by the founder of the school, Tsunade-sama (she likes to be called that), Shizune-san (Tsunade’s oldest associate) and three of the girls that made her circle of friends: Ino, her best friend, Hinata and Karin. And while the kids of each class are absolute responsibility of the teachers in charge of said class, anyone can go look for a child when the parents arrive to pick them up, no matter which class the child is from.
Sasuke comes to pick up Maya-chan every day, the time at which he arrives vary, but never going after two. He never acknowledges any of the girls who approach him, remaining stoic until he catches sight of her.
Sakura knows she shouldn’t get her hopes up, but it’s kind of hard not to when every time she steps into the lobby, Sasuke is upon her within seconds, leveling her with a cold stare and arching one of his perfect eyebrows until she squeaks the mandatory question (How can I help you, sir?). And then, having his deep, smooth-like-silk voice wash over her as he answers (I’m here to pick up Uchiha Maya).
Kind of, sort of, really, really hard.
When it happens for the first time on Monday, she had been playing with Maya-chan when Ino comes rushing into the classroom, exclaiming about an eye-candy standing in the middle of the lobby. Sakura rolls her eyes at her friend, but allows her to pull her up and away from the smiling child.
“I’ll be right back, Maya-chan.”
Conscious of both Hinata and Karin following them, just so they could later comment on Ino’s taste in man, she sends them a pleading glace, to which the chuckle amusedly. Once the four of them reach the lobby all sense of amusement leaves their faces. She can hear Ino daring them all to criticize her now and Hinata’s soft intake of breath and Karin barely suppressed whistle. She can hear all of this as well as the other girls sighing and whispering around her. But nothing really registers in her mind as her eyes stay glued to this real eye-candy of a man.
Who happens to be none other than her secret crush-bordering-on-love, Uchiha Sasuke.
Karin, being the bravest of the four without a boyfriend, approaches him, all charm and sassiness on display. And, to the utter shock of every girl present, only gets a cold glare in return. The red-haired girl fidgets uncomfortably, not feeling in the least discouraged and tries again, only this time, she doesn’t get a glare but ominous silence.
For Sasuke’s stare has found Sakura’s.
She knows she should have made her retreat the moment she saw him. Whatever feelings he evokes in her confuse her to no end and she doesn’t know how to handle this crush-bordering-on-love she has for him. It unsettles her because it’s nothing compared to anything she’s felt before. However, all her inner turmoil is put to rest the moment Sasuke sidesteps Karin and walks in her direction. With every girl gaping at her, Sakura can only struggle to get the mandatory question out, feeling lightheaded and suffocated and jittery all over.
“How can I help you, sir?”
Luckily, her smile snapped up the moment he saw her, because she doesn’t think she would’ve been able to muster it now.
“I’m here to pick up Uchiha Maya.”
His voice washes over her, leaving her in a daze, but she manages to nod and do as requested. After she gathers Maya-chan, everything is a repeat of the last encounter. The little girls’ exited yells, his softening expression, everything. But, unlike their last encounter, he doesn’t leave as soon as his niece is secure in his arms. He lingers in front of her, and Sakura can only blink in confusion. After a few minutes, in which everyone’s eyes dart back and forth between them, Sasuke seems to have lost some kind of battle and he turns to leave.
As soon as he’s out of the door, Ino is on her, demanding answers. “What the hell was that!?”
And Sakura tries to answer to the best of her abilities. “I don’t know…”
The next following days are just a repeat of that first one, only her friends decide to come up with theories to explain the Uchiha’s behavior. On Wednesday, Hinata reveals a little piece of information that proves to be quite shocking.
“What? He’s one of the friends of your heartthrob of a cousin?”
“Yes, Ino-chan, he usually comes over my place with Shikamaru-kun and Na-Naruto-kun.”
“Naruto? He’s friends with Naruto?”
“You know Naruto, Sakura?”
“Yeah, he used to be my neighbor when we were kids, before he moved in with Jiraiya-san.”
By Friday, every girl working there, including Karin, though she wouldn’t admit it, glare daggers at her for being the obvious favorite of the Uchiha heartthrob. Though, it mystifies Sakura to think they would be jealous of her, when obviously nothing happens between them other that the exchange of the required question/answer. And when the times comes for Sasuke to arrive and their routine to begin, she is ignorant to the change that’s about to happen.
So, after returning with Maya-chan holding her hand tightly to the lobby, her smile a more real one now that she’s kind of gotten used to his alluring persona, Sakura waits for their routine to come to an end. But as soon as Maya-chan is secure within his strong arms and he starts staring at her, a voice breaks through the silence.
“Sasuke-jichan wants you to come to the playground with us on Sunday!”
A voice that belongs to none other than Uchiha Maya herself.
Sakura feels the heat rushing to her face at an alarming pace as her gaze moves from Maya to her uncle and back. “W-what?”
Maya grins adorably, but answer nonetheless. “Silly Sakura-neechan, Sasuke-jichan wants you to come to the playground with us on Sunday. You know, a date.”
At this statement, there’s a collective gasp around them, followed closely by Ino’s excited yell. Sakura turns to stare at him, questioning him with her eyes, only to find him averting his gaze as a significant smaller blush adorns his cheeks. But, oddly enough, he looked expectant.
“I… Is she…?”
Sasuke nods curtly, and her blush deepens.
“Oh, I… I would love to.”
He turns to stare at her fully, one of his perfect eyebrows arching, questioning her silently. She smiles in response, what she hopes is the brightest smiles she has, and that is answer enough. Maya beams at her and demands she gives them her address because they would pick her up. She writes it down on a piece of paper and hands it to Maya, smiling sweetly at the girl. Sasuke nods at her again and leaves.
Like the previous days, Ino is on her demanding answers, but Sakura doesn’t hear her as her eyes remain glued to the retreating form of Sasuke.
God, I’m falling hard…
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Their date is everything he expected it to be, and yet not.
Sunday morning comes unexpectedly fast, and while he’s waking up, he can’t help but have some second thoughts. Only to banish them later; this is what he wanted, that girl is what he wanted.
Sakura.
Before he can even blink the sleep away, Maya barges into his room all ready to go and telling him to hurry up because they were late. “Hurry up, Sasuke-jiichan, hurry up!”
“Maya, we agreed to pick her up at noon… it’s too early,” he drawls into his pillow, resolute on getting some more sleep in order to survive the afternoon with his little demon of a niece.
“Ah, but, otouto, it’s already half past eleven.”
Sasuke can’t even think of a remark for his brother as he’s already jumping out of bed while looking at his clock-that lie wrecked on the floor. Ignoring Itachi’s smirk, he rushes to his bathroom, berating himself mentally from having overslept.
At this rate, the day is going to suck.
Only, it doesn’t.
They arrive at her doorstep ten minutes late, with Maya reminding him of this fact as each of those ten minutes passed. She opens the door with a bright smile on her face and his heart skips a tiny beat, greeting her with his trademark smirk-that falls somewhat short next to Maya’s beaming face.
“Good morning, Sakura-neechan!”
“Good morning, Maya-chan!”
He realizes then that Sakura is not one of those girl that has a job she barely tolerates (many girls he’s met before, that have worked with kids, never like them), he can see, clear as water, that Sakura actually enjoys what she does, even if it is only a summer job.
And maybe he starts to see her as more than a simple want then.
Sakura calls a quick good bye to her mother and closes the door behind her, turning to him expectantly. He gives a more softened smirk and offers her the arm that’s not attached to the hand Maya is clinging to. She blushes and smiles again, but takes it, wrapping her hand around his elbow. Being brought up to be a gentleman, he opens the doors of his car to both girls, and maybe putting more of a show by bowing to them as they climb into it. He is rewarded with a beautiful smile and a happy giggle.
He’d planned to engage her in conversation so he could learn more about her, even though he isn’t one for long talks (or really anything that involves more than short sentences), he had had a plan-that goes down the drain as soon as they sit to eat lunch.
Having been a quiet boy all his life, he doesn’t really have a choice on the conversation topic, as his darling niece monopolizes Sakura’s attention quite effectively. He won’t complain, of course, for Maya is doing what he planned, prompting Sakura to talk about herself, thus allowing him to learn everything about her without really having to say anything. As he eats his lunch, listening to the girls bond, he can’t help but smirk from time to time, both at Sakura’s slightly shocked (and incredibly adorable) face and at Maya’s choice of questions that range from bizarre to plain rude (but then, Itachi’s little princess says the questions in such an adorable and endearing way that there is no way anyone would deny her an answer).
His smirk, however, sometimes widens or softens whenever Sakura looks up at him, smiling a little before returning her whole attention to the little imp sitting on his lap.
The only downside of the day is the constant gossip that follows them wherever they go, the constant mumbling and gushing of how cute they look together and aren’t they a little too young to be parents?
But Sasuke can ignore it, he’s always been good at that.
“Maya-chan is… a very cheerful girl.”
Whenever he envisioned them talking, the topic sure wasn’t his niece, but given he has no better topic at the moment, he’s not going to complain. “She certainly is. And a mischievous one, too.”
They’re on the park’s playground, sitting on one of the benches. All the gossip that’s been following them is suddenly pushed to the background and he turns to focus on her, while still keeping an eye on Maya (the last thing he needs is his brother’s wrath if something happens to her). His gaze must have been too intense, perhaps, because in a matter of seconds she’s blushing and trying very hard not to avert her eyes, but she’s stubborn, he can tell, and refuses to shy away.
“She talks about you a lot. About your whole family, really, but mostly about her daddy and her Sasuke-jichan.”
There’s this gentle smile on her face as she speaks, almost as if she’s remembering some of the things Maya has said; she probably is.
“But I find it hard to reconcile the Sasuke she speaks of with… you.”
At this, it’s her stare the one that turns intense and he suppresses the urge to fidget on his seat. Instead, he tilts his head to the side and arches an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well, you sit here with me and you look so… cool and aloof, sometimes even giving the impression that everyone around you is just not worth your time. But when Maya talk about you, it’s always about this great uncle who’s gentle and kind with her, if not a little rude and short-tempered, but that’s always funny to be around,” she pauses a little, her eyes glazing over. “This uncle that’s not afraid to smile from time to time and show that he cares for those dear to him.”
Sasuke blinks surprised as her eyes focus on him again, her smile turning a little sad. He has this incredible urge to hug her and make the sadness go away.
“Some people may think she’s making it up, for how you act, but I know it’s true. I’ve seen the way your whole demeanor softens when you are with Maya, it’s like you’re this completely different person.”
She looks like she’s going to say more, but remains quiet, and leaves him to ponder her words.
He knows she’s somewhat right. He did create this cold façade around himself for the general audience, and only those close to him (his family and that moron of a best friend) have seen him show emotions other than apathetic and impassiveness. The difference here is that out of all those people around him, those he holds dear, Maya is the one who seems to have no problem at all at bringing forth his feelings.
She just… she’s too cute to be anything other than real with her. It happens to everyone who’s around her, they can’t not show their emotions with her.
And it’s not like he does it on purpose, but other than her mother, he’s never had a role model that led him to believe that being honest with what he feels is okay. His father never showed much emotion when in public, only within the presence of his family, and even then it isn’t much. Itachi used to be the most open of the Uchiha men, but he too closed up after Maya’s mother disappeared on him.
He… he just doesn’t want to risk anything until he’s sure people is there to stay.
His silence must have meant something to Sakura, because she starts to stammer an apology. He stops her, saying it’s fine before making an effort to engage in small chitchat, not something he would normally do, but if he wants to have more than one date with this girl, he supposes he has to try.
Or so Itachi says.
It’s not like she’s going to deny me a second date, I mean, I’m Uchiha Sasuke, every girl’s fantasy. She’s the same as all those fangirls…
“So, Sakura… which school do you attend to?”
She turns to him, looking slightly surprised, and when he starts shifting nervously (and trying by all means to hide this fact from her), she gives him this amused smile.
“Konoha’s Institute for girls.”
…right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The second time he asks her out (or the first, actually, because the one who did it the last time was Maya), she declines and he looks slightly put out and… crestfallen.
Sakura, while feeling surprised that he would take her rejection so hard (and why would he if he can have any girl he wants?), can’t help the guilt from crushing her for making him feel bad. So she hastens to explain that the only reason she’s declining is because she has a previous engagement, thus is not available on the requested day.
Sasuke, she notes, is not one to give up so easily and his resolve hardens after hearing her reasons, asking again. “So, uh… how about the Saturday next to this one? Are you free then?”
“Yes, I’m free then,” she says, a little too eager perhaps.
The fact that he’s scratching the back of his head while avoiding her eyes and blushing adorably has nothing to do with her answer nor her enthusiasm. Nope, not at all. It’s just that she really wants to get to know this boy-this man. The Sasuke that hides behind layers of cold indifference and biting sarcasm and disdain.
The one that’s standing right in front of her now.
“Okay, then… I’ll pick you up at seven. Sounds good?”
“It sounds perfect.”
They’re both blushing brightly when it’s time for him to leave, Maya trailing behind him and giving her a big smile, looking exactly like the cat that eat the canary.
And so begins her first summer love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This summer fling (he had intended it to be) turns out to be much, much more.
And Sasuke can’t be happier about it.
“What do you think of this?”
Sasuke sighs, shifting uncomfortably as he glances at the gossiping mothers a few feet from where they are. The blush is coming already and he drops his voice to a minimum. “I don’t know, it’s fine I guess. Just pick something, Sakura.”
Sakura pouts and sends him a pleading look, tilting her head just so that she looks cuter. “But I can’t just buy anything. It has to be perfect!”
“She’ll like whatever you get her.”
“But I want her to love her present,” she pauses and walks towards him, pouting some more. “Sasuke, come on, help me out here. You know her better than I do.”
Sasuke sighs again, but eventually relents. Grabbing her hand, he starts to walk through the rows of the toy store, looking for the prefect present. “I just don’t get why you’re trying so hard to get her something perfect. I mean, she already loves you. My whole family does, so there’s no need to try and please them to get them on your side.”
“It’s not that. I know your family likes-”
“Loves.”
“-me, Sasuke. But that doesn’t mean I can go out of my way being ungrateful. I own Maya a lot. We own Maya a lot.”
He stops walking slowly, coming to stand in front of a counter with dozens of dolls. When he turns to look at her, he finds her staring back seriously, feeling her hand gripping his tightly. “What do you mean we own her?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
The look on his face must have said no, it isn’t obvious, because she sighs but then a smile blossoms on her face and she’s giving him that look.
That look that always leaves him tingling inside.
“If it weren’t for Maya, you would’ve never asked me out. And if you had, I don’t think I would’ve said yes. You’re very, very handsome, and your aloof and mysterious attitude is quite attractive. But, when presented with the real you, that façade kind of falls too short to really spark my interest.”
Her confession of sorts leaves his mind reeling for a moment. Because, he knows Sakura likes him, just a she knows he likes her, but he never really thought about what it is about him that she likes. He’s always assumed it was his looks; it seems he was wrong.
The light touch on his cheek and the soft brush of lips over his mouth snaps him out of his little revelation, only to find Sakura smiling shyly at him.
“I like this you better than the one you present to everybody else, the Sasuke Maya introduced to me. So, there, we own her a lot.”
Sasuke sighs for the third time that day, but amazingly enough he doesn’t feel annoyed. Pulling Sakura into his arms, he takes a moment to enjoy their proximity, placing a gentle kiss to her temple. For once, he doesn’t care about the gushing mothers that haven’t stopped looking at them, focusing on the fact that now he knows this girl is going to be the dead of him.
Shocking, really, that the thought doesn’t even bother him.
“Come on,” he says suddenly, breaking the embrace. He moves to exit the store, pulling her along with him.
“Where are we going?”
“To get Maya’s perfect present.”
He doesn’t elaborate more, but Sakura has always seemed very good at understanding his silence and the meaning behind his cryptic words. So she gives him a firm nod and follows without complaint.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
While Sakura had mostly expected the little girl to be disappointed, a small part of her wanted her to be happy with her present.
She just didn’t expect her to be… this happy.
As soon as Maya opened her present (she tore the paper off rather quickly), she let out a happy yell and clung to her for the better part of an hour, saying how much she loved the present and thank you so much, Sakura-neechan! Itachi and Mikoto had shared a look then, glancing at Sasuke and then at her, a knowing smile on their faces.
Now, with Maya unattached from her arms and playing happily with her friends (the handmade doll Sakura gave her clasped firmly in her hands), she sits on the steps leading to the backyard of the Uchiha Manor. The back door suddenly swings open and a very flustered Sasuke comes out to sit by her side.
She doesn’t really need to hear anything, his face says it all. “Is the teasing really that bad?” There’s uneasiness in her voice, she knows, and can’t really help herself as she hides her face into his shoulder.
“Don’t worry; it’s just going to be me. They’re too polite to take such liberties with you so soon.”
Sakura sighs relieved, pulling back a little to give him a tentative smile. Instead of a suffering sigh, like she’d expected, Sasuke shows her his trademark smirk.
“Oh, just give it time. They will start teasing you as soon as they decide you’re here to stay.”
By the way he keeps smirking, his statement obviously hasn’t registered in his mind completely, but once it does, his expression goes from playful triumph to thinly veiled shock and he averts his gaze to the side, focusing on the playing children.
He’s frowning slightly, looking annoyed, probably at himself. “Listen, Sakura-”
“Am I here to stay, Sasuke?”
Her voice is barely above a whisper, but it’s enough because he turns to her, staring intently. Sakura knows then that the carefree mood that used to envelop them is gone now, turned a little bit too serious for her sake. But she will endure, for him; because he looks so sure of himself it’s hard not to trust him with this.
“I want you to. I want you to stay for as long as you please,” he pauses, takes a deep breath and grabs her hands. “The question here is… do you want to stay?”
Things are becoming too serious, but Sakura can’t find it in herself to care or to stop, really. Because she knows the answer to his question. “I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me.”
“What if I say I’ll have you forever?”
His look is too intense, his eyes smoldering with a foreign yet familiar feeling and she rapidly getting lost in them. She knows the answer to this question as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So, Sasuke-jichan, when do I get my thank-you present?”
“The doll is your thank-you present, Maya.”
“I thought the dolly was my birthday present.”
“I can make you another doll if you want, Maya. I can make you dozens of dolls if you want; after all, you deserve them. You deserve the world.”
“Yay! Thank you, Sakura-neechan!”
“…Sakura, don’t spoil her.”
“But she does, Sasuke. You said so yourself.”
“You do realize she’ll hold that over our heads for as long as she can, right?”
“Oh, she’s just a little girl! Stop making her sound like this manipulative she-devil.”
“…”
“What?”
“You’re cute, Sakura-neechan.”
“You’re so effing cute. Especially when you’re being your naïve and innocent self.”
“………hey.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She has yet to answer, blinking slowly as she keeps searching his eyes. He doesn’t know what she’s looking for, but hopes she finds it soon, because the wait it’s making him itch. He can feel the stares of his family burning holes in the back of his head and has to resist the urge to run and hide.
Her eyes drop to his hands for a few seconds, gazing at his bandaged finger and then she traces each one with one of her own, slowly, pensively. When she looks up again, she’s smiling.
That smile reserved for him only. And Sasuke gets his answer.
“Then I’ll stay forever.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
End.
comments are very very welcomed!!
Title: "say pretty, pretty please"
Rating: G/PG
Words: 6,091
Characters/Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura, the Uchiha family
Theme/Prompt: july 7th - teacher
Warnings/AN: Perhaps too much fluff? It's an AU, so no spoilers. Oh, and there's mentions of a teen dad, but really... it's nothing much.
Summary: And to think it’s all thanks to the little brat.
Disclaimer: the OC is miiiiiine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time he sees her is when his mother forced him to go with her to pick Maya up.
It’s summer and too hot to be outside; he refuses to be complacent and stays in the car instead of going with his mother to wait for the kids to come out of the building. His mother talks animatedly with the other mothers and he has to marvel at the fact that, even though Uchiha Mikoto is actually a grandmother already, she looks the youngest among them all.
Bored out if his mind, he turns to the radio, plugging his iPod to the USB port and going through his list of music. Just as he stops on one of his favorite songs, Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child of Mine, the daycare’s bell goes off, signaling the end of classes, for lack of a better word. He frowns as the cheery squeals of children reaches his ears, not understanding how these kids found summer school appealing. Then again, he thinks, glancing at the happy children leave with their mothers, it may be because they are not older that four and summer school for them is just a morning spent playing with their friends.
Still, having been subjected to summer school himself up until he turned thirteen, his dislike is understandable. And come to think of it, he’s sure his brother shares such dislike so why he let their parents enroll little Maya in one this summer is beyond him.
Parenthood softened him up.
Just as the song ends and he thinks his mother’s taking way too much time, a musical laugh reaches his ears. Usually, such a thing goes unnoticed by him, but something about this laugh makes him turn and stare through the tinted glass of the windows of his mother’s car.
And the air in his lungs leaves him in a rush.
The woman, who can’t be older than him, smiles and laughs at something his mother says, obviously getting along just fine with the Uchiha matriarch. Her long hair, that is a unique shade of pink, glimmers under the sun’s rays and sways gently to the summer breeze. One of her hands grasps Maya’s little one gently, and Sasuke notes with something akin to surprise how the little girl refuses to let go, especially considering Maya has always been shy around strangers. The woman pushes a few strands of hair behind her ear, which allows him to appreciate the green of her eyes.
She is definitely one of a kind.
Sasuke would be lying if he says he doesn’t want this unique female to be his. Because he does, so much so it frightens him a little (and that in and of itself is quite a feat-he is, after all, an Uchiha). Where is this all coming from? He has no idea, but one thing is sure.
He will definitely get her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time she sees him, which also happens to be the first time he sort of talks to her, is when he comes to pick little Maya up.
He is gorgeous; that’s the first thought that crosses her mind when he steps through the doors. He is extremely gorgeous… and probably the father of a four-year-old (because, you know, there was only one child with those striking onyx eyes and black hair and fair complexion). The second thought comes unbidden and fills her with apprehension, leaving her at a loss. Shaking those thought out of her head, Sakura approaches him slowly, her ever-welcoming smile in place as she ask him if she can help him.
There is a pause on his part, as he gives her an once-over, taking his sweet time too, until his eyes land on hers. He speaks.
“I’m here to pick up Uchiha Maya.”
The deep tone of his voice and the mesmerizing glint in his eyes leave her mind reeling, but she is nothing if not professional while at work, so she simply nods, her smile still in place (seriously, she feels like the expression in frozen there), and tells his softly to wait.
It shocks her the way he’s making her react, because she doesn’t speak softly. God, if anything she’s been told to be the loudest of her circle of friends-well, maybe except for Ino. This shyness and the sudden urge to stutter around this man, this… stranger, doesn’t sit well with her usual overconfident persona. Not at all. Oh, but she knows she’d be unable to prevent it from happening at some point, it is only a matter of time.
Walking into one of the classrooms, she spots Maya coloring quietly by the window, smiling happily at her messy masterpiece. The conflicting feelings she’s been having about the alluring male waiting in the lobby come back at full force then, as she watches this lovely child… this adorable little girl who has managed to brighten up her mornings without fail ever since she started this summer job.
She could love her, concludes Sakura, she could love her as her own.
Oh, God, stop thinking like that! Nothing is going to happen, you don’t even know the guy!
No matter how many times she reprimands herself (for one reason or another), Sakura never listens. But now… now she’ll make an effort. Because there is no need for those thoughts, really, no need to drag little Maya into something that doesn’t even exists. So, what if there is a possibility they might end up going to a few dates? That’s not reason enough to involve the little girl into something that will probably be a summer fling.
Assuming, of course, the gorgeous teenage dad is actually interested.
Again, pushing those thoughts aside, Sakura gathers Maya’s backpack and hat before calling out her name.
“Yes, Sakura-neechan?”
She smiles at the cute image she presented. “Time to go home.”
Maya nods, her bright smile never faltering, and after she put the crayons back in their place, she makes her way towards the door, picture in hand. “Is otou-chan here to pick me up?”
Sakura, walking behind the little girl towards the lobby, never gets her chance to answer, for just a she opens her mouth, Maya lets out a high-pitched scream.
“SASUKE-JICHAN!”
Never mind the ringing in her ears, Sakura is too shocked by the image that greets her then to care. The young man (Sasuke, his name is Sasuke) reaches out in time to catch the little girl (his niece, it’s only his niece), and the stoic (and cold, so very cold) expression on his face softens and warms up as the child embraces his neck.
“Hey, little brat, all ready to go?”
And right then, Sakura knows, she starts falling for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sasuke can’t believe he has to bribe her, his own niece, to get her to tell him the teacher’s name. Only to find out it was pointless.
“What do you mean ‘which teacher’?”
Maya looks up at him at him, blinking adorably while eating a chocolate bar. All kinds of candies lie scattered around her, opened and unopened. Once she finishes with the chocolate, already reaching for another one, she answers: “I have more than one teacher.”
Sasuke growls softly, being completely ignored by the little girl sitting in front of him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he talks again. “I only ever see one when I go pick you up.”
Maya scrunches up her little nose, before starting counting with her little finger. “Well, there are six teachers,” she replies, adopting the same condescending posture Itachi uses with him when explaining something that should be obvious. “There’s Hinata-neechan, Ino-neechan, Shizune-san, Tsunade-sama, Ka-”
“Tadaima.”
The quiet voice calling from the entry hall cuts Maya’s list abruptly as she jumps up and runs towards it, letting out a high-pitched scream as she goes.
“OKAERI, OTOU-CHAN!”
Sasuke sighs, but remains sitting on the living room’s floor, determined not to move until he gets what he wanted. He looks up just in time to see his brother enter the living room, Maya held securely in his arms. He is smiling at his daughter, not an uncommon sight, but it never ceases to amaze Sasuke how easily taken one is when dealing with Maya.
Seriously, the girl is so cute it’s not even funny anymore.
Itachi leaves his suitcase on the couch and then kisses Maya’s forehead tenderly, then he turns to greet him. “Otouto.”
“Aniki,” he replies evenly and gives Maya a pointed glare. “Come here, brat, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“What is this about? And why is Maya covered in chocolate?”
He ignores Itachi’s questions, his eyes fixed on the little demon who is smiling as if she is actually enjoying watching him squirm. But no matter how much he glares, Maya ignores him preferring to cuddle with her daddy. Itachi, who had taken sit on the couch, strokes her hair lovingly.
“Maya?”
At her father’s gentle inquiry, she doesn’t hesitate to answer cheerily. “Sasuke-jichan bought me sweets so I would tell him the name of my teacher!”
His brother smiles at her and then turns to him. “Which teacher?” he asks and when his only response is a glare, he arches an eyebrow. “You do know she has more than one teacher, right?”
“Apparently not,” he growls lowly.
Itachi only smirks in response. Just then, their mother appears, and Sasuke knows he should take his leave while he can.
“Dinner will be ready soon-Sasuke! I told you not to give Maya-chan sweets before dinner! I-”
“Sasuke has a crush on someone. A girl.”
He fidgets uncomfortably under his mother’s piercing stare-
“Really?”
“One of Maya’s teachers, apparently.”
-and frowns at her disbelieving tone. What is it with his family? Just because he’s never expressed interest in girls before didn’t mean… tch.
In a matter of seconds, his mother is kneeling in front of him, grabbing his hands excitedly. “Which one?”
Oh, great, it seems that everyone knew that Maya has more than one teacher, everyone except him.
“He won’t tell,” Maya pips up from Itachi’s lap, a mischievous smile on her face.
“Oh, is it Hinata-chan? Or is it Ino-chan? Maybe-”
“I don’t know her name,” he interrupts his mother’s tirade.
“Oh, well. What does she looks like?”
Sasuke looks at his mother in wonder, questioning himself why it never occurred to him to ask Maya such a simple question. Her striking features are hard to miss and even harder to forget. Surely, Maya would remember such a unique woman, the child is bordering on genius. Catching Itachi’s smirk over his mother’s shoulder, he realizes his brother had wondered the same. He glares and then averts his eyes from the expectant stares of his mother and Maya.
“She…” he pauses, cursing inwardly as the blush rushes to his face, but presses on. “She has pink hair-”
“SASUKE-JICHAN LIKES SAKURA-NEECHAN!”
“Maya stop screaming.”
The tinkling laugh of the little girl is a clear sign of how she didn’t listen to him. His brother chuckles good-naturedly and his mother pats his cheek affectionately. So, feeling he has been humiliated enough, Sasuke scowls and excuses himself, retreating to his room. Once inside, he falls on his bed and the scowls slowly leave his face, making way for his trademark smirk.
So, Sakura, huh? In hindsight, he should’ve seen that one coming. And now that he has the name, he only needs a plan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next following week goes like this.
Since the kids attending Konoha’s Summer Kindergarten were growing in number steadily, there were around eighteen girls working as of now, they were divided in three groups of six to manage the three classes: K-1, K-2 and K-3. Maya-chan is in her class, K-2, that is managed by the founder of the school, Tsunade-sama (she likes to be called that), Shizune-san (Tsunade’s oldest associate) and three of the girls that made her circle of friends: Ino, her best friend, Hinata and Karin. And while the kids of each class are absolute responsibility of the teachers in charge of said class, anyone can go look for a child when the parents arrive to pick them up, no matter which class the child is from.
Sasuke comes to pick up Maya-chan every day, the time at which he arrives vary, but never going after two. He never acknowledges any of the girls who approach him, remaining stoic until he catches sight of her.
Sakura knows she shouldn’t get her hopes up, but it’s kind of hard not to when every time she steps into the lobby, Sasuke is upon her within seconds, leveling her with a cold stare and arching one of his perfect eyebrows until she squeaks the mandatory question (How can I help you, sir?). And then, having his deep, smooth-like-silk voice wash over her as he answers (I’m here to pick up Uchiha Maya).
Kind of, sort of, really, really hard.
When it happens for the first time on Monday, she had been playing with Maya-chan when Ino comes rushing into the classroom, exclaiming about an eye-candy standing in the middle of the lobby. Sakura rolls her eyes at her friend, but allows her to pull her up and away from the smiling child.
“I’ll be right back, Maya-chan.”
Conscious of both Hinata and Karin following them, just so they could later comment on Ino’s taste in man, she sends them a pleading glace, to which the chuckle amusedly. Once the four of them reach the lobby all sense of amusement leaves their faces. She can hear Ino daring them all to criticize her now and Hinata’s soft intake of breath and Karin barely suppressed whistle. She can hear all of this as well as the other girls sighing and whispering around her. But nothing really registers in her mind as her eyes stay glued to this real eye-candy of a man.
Who happens to be none other than her secret crush-bordering-on-love, Uchiha Sasuke.
Karin, being the bravest of the four without a boyfriend, approaches him, all charm and sassiness on display. And, to the utter shock of every girl present, only gets a cold glare in return. The red-haired girl fidgets uncomfortably, not feeling in the least discouraged and tries again, only this time, she doesn’t get a glare but ominous silence.
For Sasuke’s stare has found Sakura’s.
She knows she should have made her retreat the moment she saw him. Whatever feelings he evokes in her confuse her to no end and she doesn’t know how to handle this crush-bordering-on-love she has for him. It unsettles her because it’s nothing compared to anything she’s felt before. However, all her inner turmoil is put to rest the moment Sasuke sidesteps Karin and walks in her direction. With every girl gaping at her, Sakura can only struggle to get the mandatory question out, feeling lightheaded and suffocated and jittery all over.
“How can I help you, sir?”
Luckily, her smile snapped up the moment he saw her, because she doesn’t think she would’ve been able to muster it now.
“I’m here to pick up Uchiha Maya.”
His voice washes over her, leaving her in a daze, but she manages to nod and do as requested. After she gathers Maya-chan, everything is a repeat of the last encounter. The little girls’ exited yells, his softening expression, everything. But, unlike their last encounter, he doesn’t leave as soon as his niece is secure in his arms. He lingers in front of her, and Sakura can only blink in confusion. After a few minutes, in which everyone’s eyes dart back and forth between them, Sasuke seems to have lost some kind of battle and he turns to leave.
As soon as he’s out of the door, Ino is on her, demanding answers. “What the hell was that!?”
And Sakura tries to answer to the best of her abilities. “I don’t know…”
The next following days are just a repeat of that first one, only her friends decide to come up with theories to explain the Uchiha’s behavior. On Wednesday, Hinata reveals a little piece of information that proves to be quite shocking.
“What? He’s one of the friends of your heartthrob of a cousin?”
“Yes, Ino-chan, he usually comes over my place with Shikamaru-kun and Na-Naruto-kun.”
“Naruto? He’s friends with Naruto?”
“You know Naruto, Sakura?”
“Yeah, he used to be my neighbor when we were kids, before he moved in with Jiraiya-san.”
By Friday, every girl working there, including Karin, though she wouldn’t admit it, glare daggers at her for being the obvious favorite of the Uchiha heartthrob. Though, it mystifies Sakura to think they would be jealous of her, when obviously nothing happens between them other that the exchange of the required question/answer. And when the times comes for Sasuke to arrive and their routine to begin, she is ignorant to the change that’s about to happen.
So, after returning with Maya-chan holding her hand tightly to the lobby, her smile a more real one now that she’s kind of gotten used to his alluring persona, Sakura waits for their routine to come to an end. But as soon as Maya-chan is secure within his strong arms and he starts staring at her, a voice breaks through the silence.
“Sasuke-jichan wants you to come to the playground with us on Sunday!”
A voice that belongs to none other than Uchiha Maya herself.
Sakura feels the heat rushing to her face at an alarming pace as her gaze moves from Maya to her uncle and back. “W-what?”
Maya grins adorably, but answer nonetheless. “Silly Sakura-neechan, Sasuke-jichan wants you to come to the playground with us on Sunday. You know, a date.”
At this statement, there’s a collective gasp around them, followed closely by Ino’s excited yell. Sakura turns to stare at him, questioning him with her eyes, only to find him averting his gaze as a significant smaller blush adorns his cheeks. But, oddly enough, he looked expectant.
“I… Is she…?”
Sasuke nods curtly, and her blush deepens.
“Oh, I… I would love to.”
He turns to stare at her fully, one of his perfect eyebrows arching, questioning her silently. She smiles in response, what she hopes is the brightest smiles she has, and that is answer enough. Maya beams at her and demands she gives them her address because they would pick her up. She writes it down on a piece of paper and hands it to Maya, smiling sweetly at the girl. Sasuke nods at her again and leaves.
Like the previous days, Ino is on her demanding answers, but Sakura doesn’t hear her as her eyes remain glued to the retreating form of Sasuke.
God, I’m falling hard…
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Their date is everything he expected it to be, and yet not.
Sunday morning comes unexpectedly fast, and while he’s waking up, he can’t help but have some second thoughts. Only to banish them later; this is what he wanted, that girl is what he wanted.
Sakura.
Before he can even blink the sleep away, Maya barges into his room all ready to go and telling him to hurry up because they were late. “Hurry up, Sasuke-jiichan, hurry up!”
“Maya, we agreed to pick her up at noon… it’s too early,” he drawls into his pillow, resolute on getting some more sleep in order to survive the afternoon with his little demon of a niece.
“Ah, but, otouto, it’s already half past eleven.”
Sasuke can’t even think of a remark for his brother as he’s already jumping out of bed while looking at his clock-that lie wrecked on the floor. Ignoring Itachi’s smirk, he rushes to his bathroom, berating himself mentally from having overslept.
At this rate, the day is going to suck.
Only, it doesn’t.
They arrive at her doorstep ten minutes late, with Maya reminding him of this fact as each of those ten minutes passed. She opens the door with a bright smile on her face and his heart skips a tiny beat, greeting her with his trademark smirk-that falls somewhat short next to Maya’s beaming face.
“Good morning, Sakura-neechan!”
“Good morning, Maya-chan!”
He realizes then that Sakura is not one of those girl that has a job she barely tolerates (many girls he’s met before, that have worked with kids, never like them), he can see, clear as water, that Sakura actually enjoys what she does, even if it is only a summer job.
And maybe he starts to see her as more than a simple want then.
Sakura calls a quick good bye to her mother and closes the door behind her, turning to him expectantly. He gives a more softened smirk and offers her the arm that’s not attached to the hand Maya is clinging to. She blushes and smiles again, but takes it, wrapping her hand around his elbow. Being brought up to be a gentleman, he opens the doors of his car to both girls, and maybe putting more of a show by bowing to them as they climb into it. He is rewarded with a beautiful smile and a happy giggle.
He’d planned to engage her in conversation so he could learn more about her, even though he isn’t one for long talks (or really anything that involves more than short sentences), he had had a plan-that goes down the drain as soon as they sit to eat lunch.
Having been a quiet boy all his life, he doesn’t really have a choice on the conversation topic, as his darling niece monopolizes Sakura’s attention quite effectively. He won’t complain, of course, for Maya is doing what he planned, prompting Sakura to talk about herself, thus allowing him to learn everything about her without really having to say anything. As he eats his lunch, listening to the girls bond, he can’t help but smirk from time to time, both at Sakura’s slightly shocked (and incredibly adorable) face and at Maya’s choice of questions that range from bizarre to plain rude (but then, Itachi’s little princess says the questions in such an adorable and endearing way that there is no way anyone would deny her an answer).
His smirk, however, sometimes widens or softens whenever Sakura looks up at him, smiling a little before returning her whole attention to the little imp sitting on his lap.
The only downside of the day is the constant gossip that follows them wherever they go, the constant mumbling and gushing of how cute they look together and aren’t they a little too young to be parents?
But Sasuke can ignore it, he’s always been good at that.
“Maya-chan is… a very cheerful girl.”
Whenever he envisioned them talking, the topic sure wasn’t his niece, but given he has no better topic at the moment, he’s not going to complain. “She certainly is. And a mischievous one, too.”
They’re on the park’s playground, sitting on one of the benches. All the gossip that’s been following them is suddenly pushed to the background and he turns to focus on her, while still keeping an eye on Maya (the last thing he needs is his brother’s wrath if something happens to her). His gaze must have been too intense, perhaps, because in a matter of seconds she’s blushing and trying very hard not to avert her eyes, but she’s stubborn, he can tell, and refuses to shy away.
“She talks about you a lot. About your whole family, really, but mostly about her daddy and her Sasuke-jichan.”
There’s this gentle smile on her face as she speaks, almost as if she’s remembering some of the things Maya has said; she probably is.
“But I find it hard to reconcile the Sasuke she speaks of with… you.”
At this, it’s her stare the one that turns intense and he suppresses the urge to fidget on his seat. Instead, he tilts his head to the side and arches an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well, you sit here with me and you look so… cool and aloof, sometimes even giving the impression that everyone around you is just not worth your time. But when Maya talk about you, it’s always about this great uncle who’s gentle and kind with her, if not a little rude and short-tempered, but that’s always funny to be around,” she pauses a little, her eyes glazing over. “This uncle that’s not afraid to smile from time to time and show that he cares for those dear to him.”
Sasuke blinks surprised as her eyes focus on him again, her smile turning a little sad. He has this incredible urge to hug her and make the sadness go away.
“Some people may think she’s making it up, for how you act, but I know it’s true. I’ve seen the way your whole demeanor softens when you are with Maya, it’s like you’re this completely different person.”
She looks like she’s going to say more, but remains quiet, and leaves him to ponder her words.
He knows she’s somewhat right. He did create this cold façade around himself for the general audience, and only those close to him (his family and that moron of a best friend) have seen him show emotions other than apathetic and impassiveness. The difference here is that out of all those people around him, those he holds dear, Maya is the one who seems to have no problem at all at bringing forth his feelings.
She just… she’s too cute to be anything other than real with her. It happens to everyone who’s around her, they can’t not show their emotions with her.
And it’s not like he does it on purpose, but other than her mother, he’s never had a role model that led him to believe that being honest with what he feels is okay. His father never showed much emotion when in public, only within the presence of his family, and even then it isn’t much. Itachi used to be the most open of the Uchiha men, but he too closed up after Maya’s mother disappeared on him.
He… he just doesn’t want to risk anything until he’s sure people is there to stay.
His silence must have meant something to Sakura, because she starts to stammer an apology. He stops her, saying it’s fine before making an effort to engage in small chitchat, not something he would normally do, but if he wants to have more than one date with this girl, he supposes he has to try.
Or so Itachi says.
It’s not like she’s going to deny me a second date, I mean, I’m Uchiha Sasuke, every girl’s fantasy. She’s the same as all those fangirls…
“So, Sakura… which school do you attend to?”
She turns to him, looking slightly surprised, and when he starts shifting nervously (and trying by all means to hide this fact from her), she gives him this amused smile.
“Konoha’s Institute for girls.”
…right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The second time he asks her out (or the first, actually, because the one who did it the last time was Maya), she declines and he looks slightly put out and… crestfallen.
Sakura, while feeling surprised that he would take her rejection so hard (and why would he if he can have any girl he wants?), can’t help the guilt from crushing her for making him feel bad. So she hastens to explain that the only reason she’s declining is because she has a previous engagement, thus is not available on the requested day.
Sasuke, she notes, is not one to give up so easily and his resolve hardens after hearing her reasons, asking again. “So, uh… how about the Saturday next to this one? Are you free then?”
“Yes, I’m free then,” she says, a little too eager perhaps.
The fact that he’s scratching the back of his head while avoiding her eyes and blushing adorably has nothing to do with her answer nor her enthusiasm. Nope, not at all. It’s just that she really wants to get to know this boy-this man. The Sasuke that hides behind layers of cold indifference and biting sarcasm and disdain.
The one that’s standing right in front of her now.
“Okay, then… I’ll pick you up at seven. Sounds good?”
“It sounds perfect.”
They’re both blushing brightly when it’s time for him to leave, Maya trailing behind him and giving her a big smile, looking exactly like the cat that eat the canary.
And so begins her first summer love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This summer fling (he had intended it to be) turns out to be much, much more.
And Sasuke can’t be happier about it.
“What do you think of this?”
Sasuke sighs, shifting uncomfortably as he glances at the gossiping mothers a few feet from where they are. The blush is coming already and he drops his voice to a minimum. “I don’t know, it’s fine I guess. Just pick something, Sakura.”
Sakura pouts and sends him a pleading look, tilting her head just so that she looks cuter. “But I can’t just buy anything. It has to be perfect!”
“She’ll like whatever you get her.”
“But I want her to love her present,” she pauses and walks towards him, pouting some more. “Sasuke, come on, help me out here. You know her better than I do.”
Sasuke sighs again, but eventually relents. Grabbing her hand, he starts to walk through the rows of the toy store, looking for the prefect present. “I just don’t get why you’re trying so hard to get her something perfect. I mean, she already loves you. My whole family does, so there’s no need to try and please them to get them on your side.”
“It’s not that. I know your family likes-”
“Loves.”
“-me, Sasuke. But that doesn’t mean I can go out of my way being ungrateful. I own Maya a lot. We own Maya a lot.”
He stops walking slowly, coming to stand in front of a counter with dozens of dolls. When he turns to look at her, he finds her staring back seriously, feeling her hand gripping his tightly. “What do you mean we own her?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
The look on his face must have said no, it isn’t obvious, because she sighs but then a smile blossoms on her face and she’s giving him that look.
That look that always leaves him tingling inside.
“If it weren’t for Maya, you would’ve never asked me out. And if you had, I don’t think I would’ve said yes. You’re very, very handsome, and your aloof and mysterious attitude is quite attractive. But, when presented with the real you, that façade kind of falls too short to really spark my interest.”
Her confession of sorts leaves his mind reeling for a moment. Because, he knows Sakura likes him, just a she knows he likes her, but he never really thought about what it is about him that she likes. He’s always assumed it was his looks; it seems he was wrong.
The light touch on his cheek and the soft brush of lips over his mouth snaps him out of his little revelation, only to find Sakura smiling shyly at him.
“I like this you better than the one you present to everybody else, the Sasuke Maya introduced to me. So, there, we own her a lot.”
Sasuke sighs for the third time that day, but amazingly enough he doesn’t feel annoyed. Pulling Sakura into his arms, he takes a moment to enjoy their proximity, placing a gentle kiss to her temple. For once, he doesn’t care about the gushing mothers that haven’t stopped looking at them, focusing on the fact that now he knows this girl is going to be the dead of him.
Shocking, really, that the thought doesn’t even bother him.
“Come on,” he says suddenly, breaking the embrace. He moves to exit the store, pulling her along with him.
“Where are we going?”
“To get Maya’s perfect present.”
He doesn’t elaborate more, but Sakura has always seemed very good at understanding his silence and the meaning behind his cryptic words. So she gives him a firm nod and follows without complaint.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
While Sakura had mostly expected the little girl to be disappointed, a small part of her wanted her to be happy with her present.
She just didn’t expect her to be… this happy.
As soon as Maya opened her present (she tore the paper off rather quickly), she let out a happy yell and clung to her for the better part of an hour, saying how much she loved the present and thank you so much, Sakura-neechan! Itachi and Mikoto had shared a look then, glancing at Sasuke and then at her, a knowing smile on their faces.
Now, with Maya unattached from her arms and playing happily with her friends (the handmade doll Sakura gave her clasped firmly in her hands), she sits on the steps leading to the backyard of the Uchiha Manor. The back door suddenly swings open and a very flustered Sasuke comes out to sit by her side.
She doesn’t really need to hear anything, his face says it all. “Is the teasing really that bad?” There’s uneasiness in her voice, she knows, and can’t really help herself as she hides her face into his shoulder.
“Don’t worry; it’s just going to be me. They’re too polite to take such liberties with you so soon.”
Sakura sighs relieved, pulling back a little to give him a tentative smile. Instead of a suffering sigh, like she’d expected, Sasuke shows her his trademark smirk.
“Oh, just give it time. They will start teasing you as soon as they decide you’re here to stay.”
By the way he keeps smirking, his statement obviously hasn’t registered in his mind completely, but once it does, his expression goes from playful triumph to thinly veiled shock and he averts his gaze to the side, focusing on the playing children.
He’s frowning slightly, looking annoyed, probably at himself. “Listen, Sakura-”
“Am I here to stay, Sasuke?”
Her voice is barely above a whisper, but it’s enough because he turns to her, staring intently. Sakura knows then that the carefree mood that used to envelop them is gone now, turned a little bit too serious for her sake. But she will endure, for him; because he looks so sure of himself it’s hard not to trust him with this.
“I want you to. I want you to stay for as long as you please,” he pauses, takes a deep breath and grabs her hands. “The question here is… do you want to stay?”
Things are becoming too serious, but Sakura can’t find it in herself to care or to stop, really. Because she knows the answer to his question. “I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me.”
“What if I say I’ll have you forever?”
His look is too intense, his eyes smoldering with a foreign yet familiar feeling and she rapidly getting lost in them. She knows the answer to this question as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So, Sasuke-jichan, when do I get my thank-you present?”
“The doll is your thank-you present, Maya.”
“I thought the dolly was my birthday present.”
“I can make you another doll if you want, Maya. I can make you dozens of dolls if you want; after all, you deserve them. You deserve the world.”
“Yay! Thank you, Sakura-neechan!”
“…Sakura, don’t spoil her.”
“But she does, Sasuke. You said so yourself.”
“You do realize she’ll hold that over our heads for as long as she can, right?”
“Oh, she’s just a little girl! Stop making her sound like this manipulative she-devil.”
“…”
“What?”
“You’re cute, Sakura-neechan.”
“You’re so effing cute. Especially when you’re being your naïve and innocent self.”
“………hey.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She has yet to answer, blinking slowly as she keeps searching his eyes. He doesn’t know what she’s looking for, but hopes she finds it soon, because the wait it’s making him itch. He can feel the stares of his family burning holes in the back of his head and has to resist the urge to run and hide.
Her eyes drop to his hands for a few seconds, gazing at his bandaged finger and then she traces each one with one of her own, slowly, pensively. When she looks up again, she’s smiling.
That smile reserved for him only. And Sasuke gets his answer.
“Then I’ll stay forever.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
End.
comments are very very welcomed!!