Unfeasible discreetness [GaaSaku]
Title: Unfeasible discreetness
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #21 - Obvious 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2062
Summary: Possessing a healthy supply of self-respect made all the difference. She did have self-respect, right?
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters.
Authors Notes: AU. Insufferable Gaara makes yet another appearance.
~~xxx~~
#21 - Obvious - Unfeasible discreetness
“Sakura, stop staring at the man,” Ino whispered fiercely. She lifted her face up towards the next person in line, smiling widely despite her annoyance at her friend. The queue stretched out for a bit from the front of their booth, an event that boded well for the donation campaign they were hosting for the local orphanage.
“I’m sorry,” Sakura apologized, knowing very well she was being awfully evident. She finished writing the donation receipt for the woman on her side of the stall and smiled at the next contributor, signalling for them to come forward. As the old man approached, she whispered to Ino, “I just can’t help it. I mean, look at him.”
Lifting blue eyes from the paper before her, the blond woman glanced over to the right of the line. She had to confess, her friend was correct: the man was strikingly handsome. With rare dark crimson hair and set of broad shoulders that could make the sun stop in its tracks, it was inevitable to gape. Not to mention the shapely rear and pair of muscular calves, courtesy of the army green cargo-shorts he was wearing. Nonetheless, this was no reason to neglect their current task. They were working for a cause here, after all.
“Guys like that are probably used to being chased by hordes of women,” Ino replied, sotto voce. “So don’t give him yet another reason to increase his most likely already overblown ego.”
‘She might just have a point’ the roseate haired woman thought. As she looked at the redhead from underneath her lashes, sitting on one of the park benches and looking unaware of the appreciative glances passing females threw his way, it seemed he did live in his own little world.
“You’re right,” Sakura replied, nodding. It was one thing to make your interest clear but it was something altogether different to be plain obvious. ’Just like the dumb girls walking past him and gaping’ she thought dryly. Possessing a healthy supply of self-respect made all the difference. She did have self-respect, right?
She ogled.
“Sakura!” Ino hissed.
A reply came in the form of a shrug. “It’s not like I’m ever going to talk to him or see him again,” she said defensively. “But yeah, he’s bound to notice if I keep it up.”
“Bound to?” the blond asked in disbelief. “He’s already completely aware of it.”
As Sakura handed over the receipt she had just written to the old man before her, she realized her friend was right. The redhead’s jade eyes came into direct contact with her gaze as she tried to steal another glance his way.
‘Shit,’ Sakura thought with vehemence. ‘I refuse to blush.’
Luckily, the next person in the queue stepped up to her and her attention was needed elsewhere. She clung to her pride as best as she could and managed to avoid looking his way for a time. The spring fair where their booth was located served as interference. A number of people walked past, enjoying the amenities, disrupting her line of sight. By the time she and Ino managed to attend to everyone in the queue, Sakura looked up to find the park bench where he was sitting empty.
‘Story of my life,’ she thought deprecatingly, letting out a deep breath.
“Want something to drink?” Ino asked. She stood up from her chair and stretched languidly. They had been sitting at their donation booth during the whole morning. The neighbouring orphan home needed painting and repairs in some of its wings, therefore, the local clinic that gave the kids medical attention had set out to raise funds. Sakura had risen as champion of their cause and when she’d mentioned it to Ino, the blond had been more than happy to help out.
“Some lemonade would be nice,” Ino mumbled. “I’ll go see how Hinata and Lee are doing at their stall and get some on the way back. I’ll be back in 5 minutes.”
“No problem,” Sakura replied. “You can take longer if you want. The rush seems to have gone down so I can handle things here by myself.”
“Yosh!” the blond shouted over her shoulder as she walked away.
A couple with a little boy in tow walked up to the booth, wanting to make a contribution. Sakura took care of them and answered their questions about the orphanage gladly. They were interested in adopting a brother or sister for their child; due to health issues on behalf of the wife, they were unable to have anymore children. Sakura, being a doctor, naturally asked all about it and got completely involved in the conversation.
By the time they thanked her for her time and left, she was caught completely off-guard.
“I’d like to make a donation,” the redheaded man said, slipping up to the front of her stall as soon as the couple walked away.
If she thought he was attractive at a distance, up close he was the equivalent of sin.
“Sure,” she replied in a wavering voice, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “How much would you like to contribute?”
“Is there a limit?” he asked, pulling out his wallet. There was an edge of arrogance in his tone that made Sakura blink for a moment.
“Well, no,” she said. “But we only ask for contributions that don’t involve too much of a sacrifice. Whatever you can give is fine.”
Jade eyes surveyed her curiously, a sneer coming to his lips. “How much do you need?”
Sakura scrunched her brows in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“I asked how much you need.”
“Need?” the roseate haired woman countered, utterly perplexed.
“I assume,” the man said in a tone that made clear he found her intelligence lacking, “that you have a goal sum you want to reach. It’s kind of like the standard when it comes to fundraising.”
He was lecturing her when it came to raising funds for a cause? Who did he think was the one who was always in charge of charity projects at the clinic?
Sakura let out a derisive chuckle. But she refused to be upset at his implied jibe. She would be polite. “Yes, naturally we do have a sum. But why would it interest you?” Emerald eyes looked up at him, a steel glint in their depths.
The redhead seemed to be amused by this. “How much are you missing?” he asked, countering her question with a query of his own.
She was caught off guard again, wondering just what he was up to. She replied, “I’m not sure. We have more than one booth here so we’d need to count up the total.”
“Well, find out for me,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Excuse me?”
“I said I want you to find out how much you’re missing to reach your goal,” he replied, stating his words slowly as if wanting to make sure she understood.
Sakura was about to start huffing in indignation. How dare he order her around! “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” she retorted. “The totals are only counted at the end of the day.”
He let out a long-suffering breath. “Are you saying that you’re about to pass on the largest donation you’ll get because you couldn’t get your little rear over to the other booths and ask how much they’ve made?”
Her mouth flew open at that. She was equally overwhelmed by irritation and hope. On one hand, if he really did make the donation he was implying he would make, it would be the best thing ever. But did he have to take on such an obnoxious attitude?
While Sakura was deciding either to tell him that his donation would be most welcome or to let him know he could go to hell with his money, she glanced behind the man to find Ino standing there, a plastic cup of lemonade in each hand. She was staring at the redhead and making signals for Sakura to control her ire.
Sure, the guy was a jerk but they were doing this for the children. She had to keep that in mind.
A couple of deep breaths later, she managed to find her voice amidst her annoyance. “Are you truly willing to make such a large donation?”
Her obvious reining in of her temper turned his lips upwards into a sly grin. She was suddenly breathless but for completely different reasons. “I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t, would I?” he stated haughtily.
‘Insufferable ass!’ Sakura thought fiercely but she found herself smiling in return. She was certain he was doing it on purpose.
“That’s better,” he said approvingly. “You look prettier when you smile than when you’re glaring at me like a gorgon.”
She couldn’t help herself: she let out a loud bark of incredulous laughter. Ino had been right, the man really did have an overblown ego.
Sakura opened her mouth to counter his claim but she was interrupted by someone yelling her name.
“Sakura, Sakura!” Naruto shouted, coming towards the booth at a run. “Sorry I’m late,” he added breathlessly, walking up to Ino and greeting her quickly before bending over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “I overslept so I made a run out the door as soon as I could.”
“Quite literally,” she replied with a smile, surveying his sweaty shirt. “Don’t worry, you’re still in time to visit the food stalls.” She’d managed to lure him to the fair with promises of fresh ramen.
“Yosh!” he exclaimed as he stepped forward, turning towards the redhead at hand. “Gaara, I’m sorry I made you wait. I’m glad to see you’re already making a contribution, though.” He offered him a pat on the back as greeting. “You know I stayed out late last night,” Naruto apologized sheepishly.
‘HUH?!’ Sakura exclaimed in her head. It was enough for her to do a double-take.
“No problem,” the redhead replied in a resigned tone. “I assumed you were still sleeping when you didn’t answer your phone.”
“You know each other?” Sakura finally asked, her confusion evident.
“Of course!” Naruto answered happily. “He’s the childhood friend who’s visiting over the weekend. You know, the friend I told you about, who left the Konoha orphanage because he turned out to be the lost heir of this huge corporation?”
‘Oh, that friend’, Sakura thought. He had been bubbling over with excitement for the past few days in regards to his visit. And it turned out to be the smouldering redhead with the wicked grin? Naruto was going to have to be much more informative about his acquaintances from now on!
Oblivious to Sakura’s consternation, Naruto went on. “Since both of us grew up at an orphan’s home, we decided we wanted to make a big donation to you guys.”
“I see,” she replied, her mind in a whirl. Sakura looked up towards Ino, only to find the blond looking as unbelievingly confused as her.
“How much did you contribute?” Naruto asked Gaara.
“I haven’t been able to donate yet,” the redhead answered, irritation in his voice. “I’ve been trying to but it’s been rather difficult.”
“Really, why?” the blond asked, turning innocent eyes to Sakura.
“Never mind!” she exclaimed, finally letting her temper come to the fore. She tried her best not to grind her teeth. “How much would you like to donate?” she asked the redhead.
“How much do you need?” the redhead countered once more.
“Arrrgh!” Sakura screamed in irritation, earning a deep chuckle from him in response.
“I will go and find out for you, sir,” Ino said, stepping up and taking charge. “Would you like some lemonade in the meantime?”
“Why yes, thank you,” he replied cordially, taking the proffered drink. Turning towards Sakura, he graced her with an arrogant look over the rim of his cup as he drank.
Biting her lip was all Sakura could do to prevent steam from coming out of her ears.
Ino threw a warning glance her way as she hurried off.
“Oh yeah,” Naruto popped up, belatedly remembering his manners. “I haven’t properly introduced you.” He turned towards the redhead, “Gaara, this is Sakura.”
He smiled at her, offering his hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Sakura said in a sweetly false tone.
“Believe me,” he countered in a low tenor, “the pleasure’s all mine.”
~~xxx~~
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #21 - Obvious 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2062
Summary: Possessing a healthy supply of self-respect made all the difference. She did have self-respect, right?
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters.
Authors Notes: AU. Insufferable Gaara makes yet another appearance.
~~xxx~~
#21 - Obvious - Unfeasible discreetness
“Sakura, stop staring at the man,” Ino whispered fiercely. She lifted her face up towards the next person in line, smiling widely despite her annoyance at her friend. The queue stretched out for a bit from the front of their booth, an event that boded well for the donation campaign they were hosting for the local orphanage.
“I’m sorry,” Sakura apologized, knowing very well she was being awfully evident. She finished writing the donation receipt for the woman on her side of the stall and smiled at the next contributor, signalling for them to come forward. As the old man approached, she whispered to Ino, “I just can’t help it. I mean, look at him.”
Lifting blue eyes from the paper before her, the blond woman glanced over to the right of the line. She had to confess, her friend was correct: the man was strikingly handsome. With rare dark crimson hair and set of broad shoulders that could make the sun stop in its tracks, it was inevitable to gape. Not to mention the shapely rear and pair of muscular calves, courtesy of the army green cargo-shorts he was wearing. Nonetheless, this was no reason to neglect their current task. They were working for a cause here, after all.
“Guys like that are probably used to being chased by hordes of women,” Ino replied, sotto voce. “So don’t give him yet another reason to increase his most likely already overblown ego.”
‘She might just have a point’ the roseate haired woman thought. As she looked at the redhead from underneath her lashes, sitting on one of the park benches and looking unaware of the appreciative glances passing females threw his way, it seemed he did live in his own little world.
“You’re right,” Sakura replied, nodding. It was one thing to make your interest clear but it was something altogether different to be plain obvious. ’Just like the dumb girls walking past him and gaping’ she thought dryly. Possessing a healthy supply of self-respect made all the difference. She did have self-respect, right?
She ogled.
“Sakura!” Ino hissed.
A reply came in the form of a shrug. “It’s not like I’m ever going to talk to him or see him again,” she said defensively. “But yeah, he’s bound to notice if I keep it up.”
“Bound to?” the blond asked in disbelief. “He’s already completely aware of it.”
As Sakura handed over the receipt she had just written to the old man before her, she realized her friend was right. The redhead’s jade eyes came into direct contact with her gaze as she tried to steal another glance his way.
‘Shit,’ Sakura thought with vehemence. ‘I refuse to blush.’
Luckily, the next person in the queue stepped up to her and her attention was needed elsewhere. She clung to her pride as best as she could and managed to avoid looking his way for a time. The spring fair where their booth was located served as interference. A number of people walked past, enjoying the amenities, disrupting her line of sight. By the time she and Ino managed to attend to everyone in the queue, Sakura looked up to find the park bench where he was sitting empty.
‘Story of my life,’ she thought deprecatingly, letting out a deep breath.
“Want something to drink?” Ino asked. She stood up from her chair and stretched languidly. They had been sitting at their donation booth during the whole morning. The neighbouring orphan home needed painting and repairs in some of its wings, therefore, the local clinic that gave the kids medical attention had set out to raise funds. Sakura had risen as champion of their cause and when she’d mentioned it to Ino, the blond had been more than happy to help out.
“Some lemonade would be nice,” Ino mumbled. “I’ll go see how Hinata and Lee are doing at their stall and get some on the way back. I’ll be back in 5 minutes.”
“No problem,” Sakura replied. “You can take longer if you want. The rush seems to have gone down so I can handle things here by myself.”
“Yosh!” the blond shouted over her shoulder as she walked away.
A couple with a little boy in tow walked up to the booth, wanting to make a contribution. Sakura took care of them and answered their questions about the orphanage gladly. They were interested in adopting a brother or sister for their child; due to health issues on behalf of the wife, they were unable to have anymore children. Sakura, being a doctor, naturally asked all about it and got completely involved in the conversation.
By the time they thanked her for her time and left, she was caught completely off-guard.
“I’d like to make a donation,” the redheaded man said, slipping up to the front of her stall as soon as the couple walked away.
If she thought he was attractive at a distance, up close he was the equivalent of sin.
“Sure,” she replied in a wavering voice, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “How much would you like to contribute?”
“Is there a limit?” he asked, pulling out his wallet. There was an edge of arrogance in his tone that made Sakura blink for a moment.
“Well, no,” she said. “But we only ask for contributions that don’t involve too much of a sacrifice. Whatever you can give is fine.”
Jade eyes surveyed her curiously, a sneer coming to his lips. “How much do you need?”
Sakura scrunched her brows in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“I asked how much you need.”
“Need?” the roseate haired woman countered, utterly perplexed.
“I assume,” the man said in a tone that made clear he found her intelligence lacking, “that you have a goal sum you want to reach. It’s kind of like the standard when it comes to fundraising.”
He was lecturing her when it came to raising funds for a cause? Who did he think was the one who was always in charge of charity projects at the clinic?
Sakura let out a derisive chuckle. But she refused to be upset at his implied jibe. She would be polite. “Yes, naturally we do have a sum. But why would it interest you?” Emerald eyes looked up at him, a steel glint in their depths.
The redhead seemed to be amused by this. “How much are you missing?” he asked, countering her question with a query of his own.
She was caught off guard again, wondering just what he was up to. She replied, “I’m not sure. We have more than one booth here so we’d need to count up the total.”
“Well, find out for me,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Excuse me?”
“I said I want you to find out how much you’re missing to reach your goal,” he replied, stating his words slowly as if wanting to make sure she understood.
Sakura was about to start huffing in indignation. How dare he order her around! “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” she retorted. “The totals are only counted at the end of the day.”
He let out a long-suffering breath. “Are you saying that you’re about to pass on the largest donation you’ll get because you couldn’t get your little rear over to the other booths and ask how much they’ve made?”
Her mouth flew open at that. She was equally overwhelmed by irritation and hope. On one hand, if he really did make the donation he was implying he would make, it would be the best thing ever. But did he have to take on such an obnoxious attitude?
While Sakura was deciding either to tell him that his donation would be most welcome or to let him know he could go to hell with his money, she glanced behind the man to find Ino standing there, a plastic cup of lemonade in each hand. She was staring at the redhead and making signals for Sakura to control her ire.
Sure, the guy was a jerk but they were doing this for the children. She had to keep that in mind.
A couple of deep breaths later, she managed to find her voice amidst her annoyance. “Are you truly willing to make such a large donation?”
Her obvious reining in of her temper turned his lips upwards into a sly grin. She was suddenly breathless but for completely different reasons. “I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t, would I?” he stated haughtily.
‘Insufferable ass!’ Sakura thought fiercely but she found herself smiling in return. She was certain he was doing it on purpose.
“That’s better,” he said approvingly. “You look prettier when you smile than when you’re glaring at me like a gorgon.”
She couldn’t help herself: she let out a loud bark of incredulous laughter. Ino had been right, the man really did have an overblown ego.
Sakura opened her mouth to counter his claim but she was interrupted by someone yelling her name.
“Sakura, Sakura!” Naruto shouted, coming towards the booth at a run. “Sorry I’m late,” he added breathlessly, walking up to Ino and greeting her quickly before bending over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “I overslept so I made a run out the door as soon as I could.”
“Quite literally,” she replied with a smile, surveying his sweaty shirt. “Don’t worry, you’re still in time to visit the food stalls.” She’d managed to lure him to the fair with promises of fresh ramen.
“Yosh!” he exclaimed as he stepped forward, turning towards the redhead at hand. “Gaara, I’m sorry I made you wait. I’m glad to see you’re already making a contribution, though.” He offered him a pat on the back as greeting. “You know I stayed out late last night,” Naruto apologized sheepishly.
‘HUH?!’ Sakura exclaimed in her head. It was enough for her to do a double-take.
“No problem,” the redhead replied in a resigned tone. “I assumed you were still sleeping when you didn’t answer your phone.”
“You know each other?” Sakura finally asked, her confusion evident.
“Of course!” Naruto answered happily. “He’s the childhood friend who’s visiting over the weekend. You know, the friend I told you about, who left the Konoha orphanage because he turned out to be the lost heir of this huge corporation?”
‘Oh, that friend’, Sakura thought. He had been bubbling over with excitement for the past few days in regards to his visit. And it turned out to be the smouldering redhead with the wicked grin? Naruto was going to have to be much more informative about his acquaintances from now on!
Oblivious to Sakura’s consternation, Naruto went on. “Since both of us grew up at an orphan’s home, we decided we wanted to make a big donation to you guys.”
“I see,” she replied, her mind in a whirl. Sakura looked up towards Ino, only to find the blond looking as unbelievingly confused as her.
“How much did you contribute?” Naruto asked Gaara.
“I haven’t been able to donate yet,” the redhead answered, irritation in his voice. “I’ve been trying to but it’s been rather difficult.”
“Really, why?” the blond asked, turning innocent eyes to Sakura.
“Never mind!” she exclaimed, finally letting her temper come to the fore. She tried her best not to grind her teeth. “How much would you like to donate?” she asked the redhead.
“How much do you need?” the redhead countered once more.
“Arrrgh!” Sakura screamed in irritation, earning a deep chuckle from him in response.
“I will go and find out for you, sir,” Ino said, stepping up and taking charge. “Would you like some lemonade in the meantime?”
“Why yes, thank you,” he replied cordially, taking the proffered drink. Turning towards Sakura, he graced her with an arrogant look over the rim of his cup as he drank.
Biting her lip was all Sakura could do to prevent steam from coming out of her ears.
Ino threw a warning glance her way as she hurried off.
“Oh yeah,” Naruto popped up, belatedly remembering his manners. “I haven’t properly introduced you.” He turned towards the redhead, “Gaara, this is Sakura.”
He smiled at her, offering his hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Sakura said in a sweetly false tone.
“Believe me,” he countered in a low tenor, “the pleasure’s all mine.”
~~xxx~~