"Food" prompt [izusaku]
Izuna nearly growled as he walked down the streets of New York City, beyond angry at his idiot business associates. Their meeting had run three hours later than it should have and Izuna was, as his brother termed it, "hangry."
He couldn't help it though, it was past eleven in the evening and he hadn't had dinner yet. Izuna Uchiha, while a fierce businessman, always made sure to eat at least three meals a day on time. So he navigated his way through the Big Apple, passerby (even native New Yorkers) leaping aside at the murderous scowl on his face.
His stomach grumbled and Izuna stopped dead in the street, glancing around for possible food options. He wanted something quick and fast. There was a seedy bar on one side of the street, a pizzeria, and a bright purple food truck. Izuna didn't feel like heading into the bar and dealing with drunks nor did he feel in the mood for pizza.
Mood black, Izuna stepped over to the food truck, examining the light blue lettering on the side: Bowled and Beautiful. He snorted a bit at the pun, wondering what Madara would think of it.
"Howdy," a voice said from within the truck. "If it's in a bowl, we can dish it out. How may I serve you?"
Izuna looked up into bright green eyes and felt his tongue tie. The woman in the truck had long pink hair pulled into a high ponytail and she wore a jaunty smirk on her face. She had a lot of energy for the time of night and Izuna felt some of his stress melt away from her infectious joy.
"What's the special?" he asked, still a bit dazed.
"Today's special is tonkotsu ramen which is a pork bone broth," she said. "It's $11."
Izuna's stomach gurgled on cue. The woman's smile grew and Izuna laughed a little as he said, "That sounds delicious."
She nodded, taking his money before ducking back into the truck. "You know, we chose to do this dish because of a dear friend of mine." She snorted, cracking an egg on the stovetop before turning back to the noodles. "You know, he's a bit of a dullard but a day doesn't go by where he isn't eating ramen."
"You're kidding," Izuna said, laughter clear in his voice. "Is his name, by chance, Naruto Uzumaki?"
Sakura paused, turning to him and giggling. "Well, I suppose his reputation precedes him."
"I was just in a business meeting with him and my nephew Sasuke. He is quite…talkative," said Izuna, hesitant to insult her friend.
"You're the uncle?" Sakura asked. "The one who harassed Sasuke all through high school?"
"Ah, no," Izuna replied with a wry smile. "That would be my older brother, Madara. I'm Izuna."
Sakura grinned back, a little chagrined. "Sorry about that. It's just…well, Sasuke regaled us all the way from high school to now with horror stories of the uncle who terrorized him. Of course, he probably deserved it, the little shit that he is. Anyone who knocks that ego down a few pegs is good in my books."
Izuna nodded, more than a little enthralled now. This woman managed to put up with his nephew and not take any of his nonsense? She was absolutely lovely. He'd almost completely forgotten his hunger by the time she handled a steaming hot bowl over to him. He nearly moaned, it smelled so heavenly.
"Please stop by again anytime," said Sakura. "It's nice to get to know some of Sasuke's relatives, especially the ones with blackmail material."
"Of course," Izuna said, bowing his head slightly before stepping away.
He took a bite of the ramen and, as expected, it was phenomenal.
Six Months Later
Izuna straightened the cuffs of his jacket, smoothed his hair, and grabbed his phone with a look of intense concentration upon his face.
Madara fought the urge to laugh.
Like clockwork, Izuna was primping and preening. He always did so at 11:30 on the dot, right before lunchtime. It never failed to make Madara smile.
"Going to see her again?" Madara teased, unable to help himself.
A light flush rose high on Izuna's cheeks as he turned to his brother. "So what if I am?" he asked, a defensive note in his voice. "The food is great."
Madara leaned forward against his desk, smirk curling up his lips. "I'm sure it's the food; nothing to do with the pretty woman who owns the business."
Izuna ignored him, swiping his thumb over the screen of his phone and examining the most recent posts by Bowled and Beautiful. Unbeknownst to him, Izuna began to smile, a beautiful, honest smile.
Madara, watching his brother, softened. It had been months—years—since he had seen his brother so happy, so excited for something. They'd been running a cutthroat business empire for far too long and it warmed Madara to see his younger brother's happiness. Plus, they'd been out of the country for the past few weeks and Madara knew his brother was eager to see the restauranteur.
"Well, go on then," Madara said, shooing his brother from his office. "Don't want to keep your girl waiting on your date."
Madara laughed, long and low as Izuna flipped him off before leaving the office. Still chuckling, Madara pulled up a social media page, looking at the three excited women standing in front of a colorful food truck. He read the short biography, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Sakura Haruno, huh?" he said, eyes on the pink haired woman in the middle of the picture. "Good luck brother."
Izuna followed the map on his phone, feeling something like a stalker as he did so. Still, the ladies of Bowled and Beautiful posted their locations online for a reason, to help long-time customers and fans find them throughout all of New York City. So what if Izuna ate there every day? It just made him an excellent, memorable customer.
(Even if he went every time with the intention of asking Sakura for a date before chickening out.)
So, Izuna made his way to Bryant Park, smiling when he caught sight of the bright purple truck. There was already a long line of about thirty people outside but that didn't bother Izuna in the slightest. He'd waited in lines much longer before for this food.
He watched as the redhead, Karin, flitted about, pulling orders and yelling them out to the women in the truck itself. He paused as Karin caught sight of him, expression lighting with what could only be called "shit-eating."
"Yo, Sakura!" she called out.
Izuna's heart fluttered as she appeared, annoyance clear on her face.
"What?" she demanded, cocking an eyebrow at Karin. "We're a bit bogged down if you haven't noticed."
Karin just smirked, gesturing to Izuna. In turn, he fidgeted a bit, hoping he didn't look nervous or flustered. Sakura's face went through multiple expressions, some too fast for Izuna to catch before settling into a beautiful smile.
"I'm taking five," Sakura said, looking at Karin.
Karin nodded. "Make it fifteen," she said, accepting Sakura's quick hug through the window. "Have fun."
Izuna watched, hope in his chest as Sakura made her way to him.
"Thought I'd seen the last of you, Uchiha," said Sakura, a teasing tone in her voice.
"I didn't think you'd notice my departure," Izuna said, a bit surprised and happy.
"Are you kidding? You're our most loyal customer," Sakura replied. She paused, flushing. "Besides, I always make your usual with extra care."
"Really?" said Izuna, heart light and buoyant.
"Well, of course," said Sakura. "You always manage to find our location and come, rain or shine. I was…worried when you didn't show for two weeks straight. I was a bit concerned something happened to you."
"I'm sorry," Izuna said, feeling incredibly guilty. "Madara and I had to go out to France on a last-minute business trip. I apologize for worrying you."
"It's fine," Sakura said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You could always give me your number to make up for it; keep me from having to worry."
Izuna's eyes went wide and he heard himself stammering, "Y-yeah, of course!" He fumbled with his phone before pressing it into Sakura's hands. "Here."
Sakura grabbed it up, typing her number in and sending a text to herself. She turned her gaze back to Izuna, leveling him with a bright grin. "I need to head back in before Ino murders me. I'll catch you at the beginning of the line."
So saying, Sakura hesitated for a brief moment before pressing a kiss to his cheek. She hurried off, waving to him all the while and ignoring the whistles of the crowd in line.
Izuna stood stock-still, fingers pressed against the warm spot where the feeling of Sakura's lips lingered. He jolted when his phone vibrated, looking down at the text he'd just received.
Izuna [11:43 AM]: Want to go out tonight?
Sakura [11:45 AM]: 6:30.
Izuna glanced up, catching sight of Sakura watching him through the food truck window. She looked nervous, biting her lip. Izuna grinned, turning his gaze back to his phone. He felt a little ruffled but he did his best to keep his calm as he typed out a response.
Izuna [11:46 AM]: I can't wait.