Strife (Sasori x Reader)

Strife

Your sandals clacked against the stone path as you hurried to your destination. Sweat beaded on your forehead, and you found yourself annoyed considering how much effort you had tried to put into your appearance. People shot you strange looks, mumbling amongst themselves as you ran past, but you kept it from your mind. You were ten minutes late and afraid that you'd already missed out on your date with your old friend.

This village sat under the radar from the bigger communities, and due to the circumstances it was one of the safest places you could meet with Sasori without rousing suspicion.

You spotted the tea café, and a grin brightened your exhausted features. As you approached you tripped over a crack in the walkway, but narrowly caught yourself on the door. You heaved a breath of relief as your eyes darted the inside before they landed on a flash of red hair. Your heart thumped wildly in your chest from the run over, but you knew that the extra flutter was caused by someone else. It felt so good to see him after such a long wait. You had missed him dearly.

He only spared you a glance as you went to take a seat across from him, and you beamed at him despite the absolute mess you represented.

"Sasori, I—"

"You're late," he mumbled as he idly thumbed through the selection of teas and desserts available. A moss-colored pot of tea sat to his left hand side, and a small porcelain cup sat in front of you with what you assumed to be cold green tea. His ring glinted in the soft yellow light of the flickering candles with every page he flipped through.

Your smile was exchanged for a sheepish look, and you rubbed the back of your head as you laughed nervously. You trained your eyes on the rounded mahogany table before you set them upon your cup. "I'm sorry, Sasori... I overslept," you said, cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"Hm." He was no doubt aggravated.

You bit your lip as you took in your surroundings. Various pieces of art hung from the navy blue walls, and the floors  reflected various scratches in the worn, deep brown wood. His hat sat off to the side of the table, and the small amount of customers chattered about softly. No one paid attention to you, nor your date in his signature black and red coat. Here you felt at peace, and you enjoyed the leisure that came with not having to stay hidden.

"Uhm... Thank you for the tea, Sasori," you said as you brought the cup to your lips. You savored the flavor for a moment before your eyes lit up with flustered glee at the familiar taste.

"It's one of their cherry green blends; your favorite." He finally stopped what he was doing and regarded you with a slight glare. However, you noted the way his lips ever so slightly curled at the corner. Your own smile only widened at the sight. "As you can tell it's cold now. I ordered it for you when I got here," he said as he rolled his honey-brown eyes. "Half an hour ago."

You restrained yourself from spitting your tea. "Half an hour ago? That was twenty minutes before we even planned to meet!"

"I'm well aware," he said. "However, I'm busy, and I had hoped you would have been a bit more punctual." He pushed a lock of hair from his face, his brow furrowed in annoyance. "I had figured you'd understand our limited time together is rare enough as is."

You pouted, unable to help yourself. "Oh, come on, Sasori..." you said. "Don't guilt me like that."

"It's not my fault if you feel guilty of your own actions. I couldn't care less whether you showed up or not."

You huffed, flustered. "Really?" You asked with an incredulous tone. His apathetic statement had actually managed to hurt your feelings. Your shoulders tensed as you frowned, disappointed. "Is that really how you feel?"