Spider Silk
By: WhisperedSilvers
Prompt: "With the way you're looking at me sweetheart, maybe I should be on that menu you're holding."
Summary: It was confirmed. Shisui had lost his goddamn mind. —Shisui/Sakura
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Sasuke stares at his cousin with disbelief.
Clearly, he has heard wrong, because surely, Shisui is not flirting with his teammate in front of him. Obviously, he has gone momentarily deaf, because Sakura did not like smooth-talkers, her apparent ire for them is practically blatant. Everyone has heard of her incident that had occurred last month in the hospital.
A salacious, loose-tongued ANBU operative had put the moves on his only female teammate, in her hospital, surrounded by her subordinates, not to mention a handful of well-known shinobi. It was rumored that the slimy ANBU member ran his fingers through her hair and then attempted to swindle her to get a drink.
Sakura, as polite as ever, declined and told him that she is quite taken up at the hospital to be even dating for that matter.
The ANBU operative had taken that as a challenge and pressed.
Now, neither Sasuke nor Naruto were there to throw him out the window and Rasengan him into oblivion or inflict psychological terror via the sharingan, but it was heard that Sakura had effectively disabled his jaw and broken several ribs—it was said that she had caused so much physical damage to said ANBU operative, Tsunade had to heal him before he choked on his own blood.
She didn't reprimand her beloved pupil, but she had dismissed his teammate from the hospital for three days.
So obviously, Shisui hadn't heard of this altercation or he wouldn't be struggling to smooth-talk his female teammate, because there was a precedence for this type of thing.
He is sure that a blood vessel had popped in his brain because Sakura's lips had quirked up.
"I like tempura," Sakura said, her eyes briefly flickering to the display menu and then back to her meal-companions.
"So do I," Shisui agrees, in leans in over the table, not to make her feel hunted, but to make her feel important.
"Why are you here, Shisui?" Sasuke tries to change the subject, his fingers digging into his thighs.
"I can't visit my little cousin and his beautiful teammate?" he pouts.
Sakura doesn't reply, but her eyebrows raise in surprise.
Sasuke scowls, "My teammate is off limits."
"I don't hear her complaining," Shisui turns to look at Sakura and winks.
Yes, Sasuke is almost positive that he is hemorrhaging, because Sakura is smiling, and she's smiling so earnestly. It's different he thinks, her eyes are lighting like shards of glass, or is it glass-like crystals because it reflects in different facets of color and it's almost sparkling when her emerald orbs catch the light of the overhead lamp.
It's almost as if she likes the way he looks at her.
"Sakura," Sasuke's voice is rough, "Say something."
"What do you want me to say, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura inquires lightly, her fingers grasp her cup of tea and she sips slowly, "He's your cousin."
The younger Uchiha pales, even he knows when he's caught between a rock and a hard place. There are very few people that could defeat him in a spar, Shisui and his brother were a couple of those very few people. Even if Sasuke is to get serious, he has no doubt, that Shisui would practically mop the floor with him. Engaging with his cousin one on one in battle is not the best tactic, therefore, Sakura has to take the lead from here.
"Tell him that you're not interested," Sasuke demands.
Sakura stares at him blankly and turns to look at his older cousin. In the driest, most deadpanned tone, she states, "I am not interested, Shisui-san."
Shisui's cheeks are twitching, he's trying to hide a smile and a laugh at her monotonous take on his younger cousin's voice, he hums, "Are you sure? I can make it worth your while?"
She raises a brow in question.
"Tempura," He says, "Any place. Any time. On me."
Sakura's eyes glitter.
Sasuke scowls, "Sakura. Focus."
"Tempura, Sasuke-kun," She reminds him demurely.
Shisui's heart feels like it's floating and sighing at the same time. Her pink hair is more like a quiet coral in the setting sun and her eyes—green, green like mint, alive and it breathes, she cares for his cousin so, but she likes to play with him as well and he's just so in awe of her.
"He's bribing you!"
"It's working," Sakura shrugs.
Sasuke wants to know why he isn't brain dead yet. Shisui is positively glowing at Sakura's somewhat subtle reciprocation, obsidian eyes warmer than a soft fire, his teeth white against his jasmine tea and his positively beaming.
Sakura is not faring much better, because she is hiding her elation behind a warm stack of dango.
His brain is slow when he looks in between his cousin and Sakura. He has to think about his previous assumptions, his previous deductions, maybe Sakura does like smooth-talkers, Shisui isn't stupid – as much as he wants to believe that he is because he is the most unorthodox Uchiha to probably live– he's different than most of the guys that approach his teammate—at least approaches her when he was around.
Shisui presses, but he gives her enough space to look for an out if she's uncomfortable and he's charming in his own way.
He's soft and enchanting, and he doesn't make Sakura feel hunted.
Sasuke suddenly feels ill, because he finally gets what they're doing; they're playing a game.
Sasuke looks at his cup of tea, he wonders whether or not he should order some soju. Maybe Sakura's better suited to be an Uchiha than he previously thought – having Sakura for a sister sounds better than having Naruto for a brother that much was for sure – after all, his kaa-chan and her are the only two women he's scared of.
He pauses at that fleeting thought — comparing his mother to his female teammate — he groans. Forget soju, he's ordering sake.
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footnote1: requested on tumblr.
feedback is appreciated.