Dress
As he drove through the hills of Upstate New York going into the city, Tony couldn’t help thinking about what he had read about Sakura Haruno. Friday managed to compile a pretty thick file on her and as he expected, half of it are missions reports. SHIELD’s missions report.
What he didn’t expect was everything else.
Sakura Haruno officially joined SHIELD at 20 in 2009. Too young to be a killer. But a killer she was, and a good one too. She has succeeded in every mission SHIELD have sent her to, from assassination to spying to protection. She even went on a couple of missions with Romanov, and her very first mission was with Barton. She was taking her orders directly from Fury, just like the two super spies. He sent her only on almost impossible missions, with hardly any backups, but she would always come back with the job done.
Everything seemed to be going well in Killerland until 2 years later, when she was taken off the active roster for incapacity, and was let go 2 months after that for insubordination. Her file doesn’t precise her supposed injury nor the nature of her misconduct.
After that, she left Washington for London, where they lost sight of her for almost a year until she reappeared in a refugee camp in Iran of all places. There were pictures of her in a white vest of a humanitarian foundation in a med tent helping the injured.
Following that, dozens of the same pictures in dozens of different locations, but always refugee camps and always in a Third World country. Then SHIELD managed to find a money trail confirming that the foundation, the “Konohagakure’s Foundation” was hers. But it was only 2 years after that -which really, it is almost seems like they weren’t even trying to find her at all- that they found out that the foundation was financed by a pharmaceutical company named HRI, the Haruno Research Institute based in Hong Kong. They were known for their supplements and tonics and have been taking over the southeast Asian markets by storm with their products.
A soon-to-be billionaire indeed. And it surprises him that she was still not if he was being honest. The pharmaceutical industry was a multibillion market, and seeing her margins, she should have entered the billionaire club by then.
As of now, they are building some labs in Italy and preparing to start distributing in Europe as well.
There were some documents on the foundation of the institute itself, some tax reports, a list of investors and the complete list of the executive chairs of the company that he skimmed over. It seems that just like him, she doesn’t take any part in management. She mostly spends her time with a team of researchers and scientists in a laboratory or with the foundation in refugee camps.
That’s where SHIELD’s files about her stopped, since the organization disbanded. But Friday managed to find more about her by following the money and her itinerary. She travels a lot, even when she doesn’t have work. And when she said that she loves Fashion she wasn’t lying, she goes to Fashion Weeks all over the world, and spends more on clothes than she does on anything else. She has about half a dozen properties around but stays mostly in hotels and in camps.
And then there are her people. Friday couldn’t find anything about her bodyguards, it was like they were ghosts. But Scarlett, her personal assistant and in charge of all her affairs, is actually Scarlett Moore, also an ex-SHIELD. She took some time off two weeks after Sakura left the organization under the pretext of her mother’s death and disappeared. When looking at her file in the agency online, it turned out that she was not just SHIELD but also HYDRA. She went on a mission with her now boss only once in 2010, but clearly something happened between them.
But all of that is not even the weirdest part, it is what is not written. Before 2009, Sakura Haruno is nowhere to be found. Friday tried to look her up with different physical make-up and still nothing. It’s like she never existed before SHIELD. No prior education, no bank statements, no medical records, no family.
“You are five minutes away from the Plaza boss. Should I send a message to Miss Haruno?”
To be completely honest, Tony didn’t even know if he still wanted to go ahead with this dinner. Although now it was clear that the miss wasn’t after him, he wasn’t sure if finding out she was an ex-killer turned tycoon was better.
But if he was even more honest with himself, he was vexed. How dare an ex-agent of a clandestine organization controlled by a criminal organization who wanted to take over the world call him a war criminal, the jokes really wrote themselves.
“Let her know I’m here” he said as he stopped just in front of the Plaza. Getting out of the car, he lets Friday take it around the back. As soon he steps foot inside, the Paparazzi are on him, flashes on flashes attacking him as they fire questions upon questions on him like vultures. Since becoming an Avenger, he hasn’t really been coming to anymore social events, expect when he is accompanying Pepper as her date.
Security came to help him out of the barrage of press attacking him, letting him make his way to the elevator with everyone’s eyes still following his every step.
Arriving at the rooftop floor, he is greeted by none other than Scarlett Moore. The blonde is wearing a black suit as strict as her expression, it seems that it was just not the bodyguards that liked to glare at him.
“Mr Stark”
“Miss Moore” he said with a grin just to annoy her even more, which clearly worked. If she is surprised that he knows who she is, she doesn’t show it.
“Please this way”
He followed half a step behind her as they made their way to the reception hall, a hand in his pocket.
“So shouldn’t someone called Scarlett be a redhead?”
“Lady Sakura is saying goodbye to some associates of hers, the fashion editor of Vanity Fair among others, she asked me to lead you to a private resting area while she finishes” she said instead of answering his taunts. Really, these ex-SHIELDS agents were never really fun. And never really loyal. He thinks of Romanov and Maria Hill, he really wonders why he is trying to have more of them around him. What am I doing.
“Here we are” she said as she let him come in before her, her standing by the door as he took a seat in one of the lounge chairs. “She shouldn’t be long, but would you like something to drink? I can get a server here to wait on you”
Was that…sarcasm? Not so boring then.
“I think I’ll be alright, but I could use the company” he proposed, with with an invitation to sit next to him.
“You think you are clever” he blinked. That’s not what he expected her to say. She closes the door as she makes her way to him, her eyes not leaving his person as she smiles. She was pretty too, in a completely different way than Sakura, hers feels almost like an otherworldly beauty, while Scarlett is the beautiful blonde everyone crushes on in high school : high cheekbones, legs for miles, a cold heart and all that.
“Let’s stop pretending like this is a normal situation” she starts, the smile leaving her face. “We both know that you have searched everything there is to know about her and the only reason you are here is because of some morbid curiosity you have. We were both SHIELDS, we know how we work”
“Err no, I am an Avenger. And you are from HYDRA”
“That’s the same thing.”
Well, that is not exactly wrong.
“What exactly are you hoping to find here?”
“For one, I’m really curious to see how I can get my colleagues to call me Lord Tony”, that earned him another glare. “because really, sometimes I feel like my teammates don’t take me seriously at all, how did your ‘Lady Sakura’ do it?”
Whatever she was going to say got cut off by the door opening. Letting one Lady Sakura come into the room.
Scarlett gets up to greet her, while he stays seated.
(He would never admit it to anybody, but he actually freezed up.)
She truly was gorgeous. She was draped in shades of purple and pink, with some green peeking through. He wonders then if this was the dress she thought as too much because he felt like he couldn’t get enough of the sight of her. Her pink hair was pined up in the back of her neck, letting her bangs free to frame her face. The only jewelry she is wearing is some gold earrings and her little purple tattoo almost making the look whole.
“Mr Stark” she greeted him with a smile, she seemed genuinely happy to see him. Why does that make him feel guilty?
He cleared his throat, moving to his feet as well and buttoned up his jacket, glad he chose to wear white. Getting closer, he takes her hand to kiss it like he did this morning.
“Miss Haruno, you look breathtaking” he breathed out with his lips still inches from her hand, earning him a bigger smile and he was sure that she was blushing even more prettily under her make-up.
“Excuse me, Mr Stark”, two pairs of eyes turned to the blonde. “Before you go, if you could send me the address of where you will spend the evening.”
“What? No !” The pinkette cried horrified, letting go of his hand and turning to her assistant.
“It is just a safety measure” drawled the assistant.
“I can assure you Miss Moore that the young miss will be her safest with me” he smiled, playing the role of the senior picking up his prom date from her father‘s home with ease.
“I don’t need you to send a whole team after me ! I can take care of myself and nothing will happen.”
“Pardon me, but it is my job to make sure of that, my Lady.”
“Scarlett” hissed the Pinkette, but the woman in black kept her eyes locked on his.
“We are leaving”. This time Sakura is the one taking his hands in hers, tugging him towards the exit.
“My lady-“ “Don’t wait up ! I’ll see you tomorrow”
“Tomorrow?!?”
She didn’t bother to answer back, leading him into the elevator. As they got in, they could see Scarlett at the end of the corridor speaking on her phone, her eyes following them as the door closed on their forms.
“She’ll probably have us followed” sighed the rose-haired woman. He intertwined their fingers together, making her look up at him.
“She could try”. That makes her smile, and the rest of the elevator ride is spent in silence.
They quickly arrive in the parking lot, where Friday is waiting for them with the car. After opening her door and making sure she got in, he got in behind the heel and started the engine, leaving the building swiftly.
“Where are we going?” She asked, she had nothing else on her, not a clutch or a phone, making him wonder if she trusted him this much or she was that confident in her own skills.
“Have you ever been to the Aman Club?”
“I don’t think I have ever heard of it.”
“It’s an exclusive club in Manhattan, they have an amazing view of the island and good music too. I think you will like it.”
“I’m excited. I don’t really have the occasion to go out much in New York, unless it is a party I’m invited to and…they are always with the same people.”
“But you travel a lot, don’t you?” He ventured to look at her, knowing that they were safe with Friday as his co-pilot.
“Yes. Mainly for work, but you knew that”
He arched an eyebrow at that.
“Don’t look at me like that, I know you looked me up. Scarlett told me that someone was looking at my SHIELD files online. I don’t know how she knows, but I know she is telling the truth. To be honest, all of this knowing everything about someone just by using the internet is still very confusing to me”
“I was just curious” he tried to shrug it off.
“You were suspicious, you thought I was targeting you.”
He stays silent at that, using the road as an excuse to not look at her.
“It’s fine” she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “I don’t really mind, I don’t really care. Although, I would have told you everything you wanted to know”
He looked back at her. “You really would have answered all my questions?”
“Yes” she nodded, “Unlike what you think of me, and what Scarlett would like me to do, I have nothing to hide”. She looked at him then, “You don’t believe me.”
“You don’t have a single mission failure in your file. I don’t believe that someone who is so good at playing spies would tell me all of her secrets.”
“I am a terrible liar” she admits, her smile getting bigger and leaning towards him, as if she was going to share with him a funny anecdote and not her SHIELD history. “If you really read all of my mission debriefs you would find that I was never sent to any undercover mission”
He blinked. That was true.
She leaned back, looking ahead as they were nearing the skyscraper where the Aman was held.
“It used to give Fury headaches how horrible I was at it. He tried to train me but, like many before him, he failed miserably. And that is also why I never take part in any negotiations at the company” she jokes looking back at him again, her features getting lost in the dark as they entered the underground parking “so yes, I would have answered all of your questions honestly”
The car stopped, but neither of them got out. They were looking at each other. He could see her face clearly now, her pretty little face with her pretty eyes and her pretty smile. She has a dimple on her left cheek. He thinks as he remembers all their interactions so far, how strained and awkward she looked when he asked her about SHIELD. She is a terrible liar.
Something eased up in his chest, yeah sure there was still the whole she-is-an-ex-agent part, but at least now he knows that he doesn’t have to be on his guard all the time with her. She is not another Natasha.
Now it’s his turn to lean towards her, a hand still on the heel.
“Well then, I cannot wait to know more about you Miss Haruno”
She leaned over as well, their faces now just a foot away from each other.
“Call me Sakura.”
“Then call me Tony.”
ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
After their little moment in the car, it took them some time before finding their bearings. But Sakura was 90% sure that he wanted to kiss her back there. Okay, so maybe 85%.
The maître d’hôtel is now guiding them towards their table. The restaurant in itself is really more like an exclusive Jazz Club. She could see a big table full of people from the Versace party in the back.
It was cozy, the music softening the atmosphere and the dimmed lights adding a very New York feel to the place. Their table is by the bay window and just like he said, the Manhattan view was breathtaking.
“I will send your server shortly” said the maître after seeing them to their seats. Sakura looked at the gorgeous man in front of her, already looking around for their waiter, not having the patience to wait for him. Or maybe he was nervous about being alone with her after their car moment. Definitely 90%.
The Rosette was woman enough to admit that she had a type : tall, dark and handsome with a brooding look around them. But she finds that she also likes Tony’s boyish grins and the way he moves his eyebrows when teasing her.
Their waiter made his entrance just as she was about to open her mouth. He welcomed them before giving them the menu and telling them the chef’s suggestions for the evening. Tony orders a bourbon on the rocks while she asks for a glass of her favorite white wine. He asks the waiter to bring the bottle.
“It’s funny but I would have pictured you as a red wine girl.”
She smiled at him, he was always so full of misconceptions about her. Even before finding out about her past with SHIELD, he was making up ridiculous theories about her life. A celebrity, right. As if I could sing on key to save my life.
“I don’t know much about wine, I just like it when it’s sweet. I was told that good wine isn’t supposed to be sweet, but I don’t care.”
He hummed “you really love your sweets, how did you find the cheesecake?”
“You were right, it was really good. It is my favorite dessert now.”
“Told you” he said smugly, enjoying his little victory. She leaned closer to him.
“How about some humility, Mr Stark?” She said with a smile. She can’t help but smile every time they are together, he is just so fun. And familiar.
“I thought we agreed to call each other by our first names hum?” he said with a tilt his mouth. She loved his smile.
“Then, Tony” he shudders at her tone, low and seductive, “thank you so much for the treat.”
Their waiter came back cutting short her little game. He sets the superhero’s drink in front of him, then opens the wine to pour her a glass, setting the bottle on their table.
“I’ll be back shortly with the appetizers” he said, before leaving them alone once again. Tony took his glass while she took hers.
“To us,” he toasted.
“And to strawberry cheesecakes” she added, making him laugh. They each took a sip after their little roast, setting their glasses down. She knew by the look he was giving her that he meant business now. He was on a mission to know all he could about her.
“So why does she call you ‘Lady Sakura’?”
“That’s your question?” she asked, amused. He never failed to surprise her.
“That is my first question actually and I would like an answer, missy.” he joked with his finger pointed at her. She laughed, taking another sip of her wine.
“It actually started as a joke, but I don’t know how it happened but next thing I knew, everyone was calling me that” she admitted, and it was the truth. She doesn’t really remember what she and Scarlett were talking about, but somehow she was telling her that back home, a female head figure was called ‘Lady’.
The blonde then got everyone to call her Lady Sakura and even if it was a little embarrassing, she didn’t hate the title. In an ideal reality, where her world was not destroyed and where the only nepotism she would have inherited of would have been from Lady Tsunade, she would today be Lady Sakura, heir to the Senju princess’s legacy and advisor to the Hokage.
Sometimes when she hears her name being called that way, she likes to imagine that Konoha was still there, that she was just on a diplomatic mission in the name of her village. The thought never last more than 60 seconds, and the wake-up call is always brutal, but she will take that over nothing.
“It doesn’t seem like a joke to me, Miss Moore seems to respect you a lot”. Sakura decided that this was probably her favorite interrogation ever. It was almost sweet how he was trying not to make her feel caged in. “and she is very protective.”
“Ugh” she couldn’t help the eye roll at that “Scarlett is my assistant, my head of security, my business manager. She is my mother and she is my father”. That made him laugh.
“Yeah, I had one of those.”
Virginia ‘Pepper’ Potts. Who doesn’t know about how the billionaire playboy settled down with his former assistant, now CEO of Stark Industries. That’s why she was so surprised when he asked her on a date that morning.At the hotel she googled them and was surprised to find out that they had broken up. The tabloids couldn’t shut up enough about how many times the beautiful CEO was seen without her loyal knight at her hip at every social event she goes to.
“But you were colleagues once, no? How did that happen?”
“Scarlett swore her loyalty to me after I saved her life on a mission” she answered, he responded with an inquisitive look, clearly doubting her words.
“You really are a terrible liar.”
“I am not lying !” she gave a nervous giggle at that. Oh god. His deadpan look doesn’t help. “Okay fine, it’s not the whole truth but I’m not lying, it’s not my story to tell” she admitted. That seemed to convince him. Now he just looks amused, probably mocking her.
Ugh. It’s not her fault damnit, she was part of a team that were trained and specialized in assaults, and as a medic she never had to learn how to deceive people. As if she could be anything close to subtle with her hair anyways, it’s literally her fate.
“Don’t pout”
“I’m not pouting” she mumbled.
“It’s cute” he said with that grin that she decided she actually hated.
Thankfully, their server decided to show up right at that moment with the appetizers. Good timing. She was starving.
“Have you decided on your starters?”
He took his leave as soon as they had placed their orders, after pouring them more wine.
Sakura looked at the display of cute little finger foods on her plate. She could never tire of how many kinds of foods there seemed to be on this planet, and the work put into making each of them. It’s the same passion that people back home have for their culture too, but the art is different.
“So tell me something” he started, going for a veggie canapé, “if you knew this was going to be an…interrogation, why did you come?”
“You aren’t the only one curious” she decided on the smoked salmon, “plus I knew this was never going to go anywhere, anyways.” He looked offended at that. Men, they will always take rejection as a personal attack. “I will be leaving New York in three days, and you have already made up your mind about what kind of person I am.”
He had nothing to say to that, choosing to finish his whiskey in one gulp instead.
“I may have been slightly wrong about you” he pinched his forefinger and thumb together, “but just slightly, I am hardly ever wrong”, he shrugged.
“Sure”. Humility is really not his strongest suit. She thought, amused. He keeps looking at her with an inquisitive look, expecting, she just arched her eyebrow at him.
“You don’t think that you have been wrong about me?” he said, gesturing to his face.
“About what?” She asked, baffled.
Now he looked vexed, which amused her even more. “Now you are the one pouting.”
“I’m not” he pointed his finger at her, moving it around like a teacher lecturing his misbehaving student “lady, you called me a war criminal, I demand an apology.”
She laughed openly at him, making him grin. She raised her glass to him, making a toast.
“I’m sorry that I have offended you, and that’s sincere” she said before finishing her glass. He went on to pour her another.
“Are you trying to make me drunk?” Not that that would work.
“And get killed by Miss Moore? Nuh uh.” she giggled at that. “And why did that apology make me even more offended?”
“I am so sorry” she laughed, “that my apology makes you feel offended.”
“Now you are just playing with me.”
“No, I’m very sincere, see?” She pointed at her face, trying not to smile “very serious face”
“Very serious” he agreed “I guess that’s how you convinced the SHIELD to hire you”. I guess we are back to this again.
She takes another sip of her wine, a big one. I wish I could get drunk for this conversation.
“SHIELD was not really a choice at the time” she started. “I told you that Fury saved me, I was lost -literally- and they found me.”
“What do you mean?”
Their waiter arrived once again, taking their empty plates away and setting their starters down. He left as swiftly as he came after confirming their next courses.
They both started eating. She had to think about how she was going to answer his question and he was letting her gather her bearings.
“My home got destroyed when I was 20” she said quietly, catching his attention. He is looking at her now. “They found me injured and lost, fleeing. I was the only survivor” she swallowed, feeling like her throat was so dry.
But she willed herself not to drink more wine. Not now anyways.
“How” his voice came out strangled, he cleared his throat “How did your home get destroyed” he asked softly.
“War” Oh God. Not the tears. She could feel them coming up and almost choking her. Crybaby Sakura. She remembers Ami’s taunts, still haunting her years later, and a whole Galaxy over. She wouldn’t let them fall though, she took another bite, forcing the lump down and downdownDOWN.
She feels his hand holding hers, taking the fork out of her hand. Good timing too. She was starting to feel the utensil give in to her strength. That would be fun to explain.
She watched as he brought her hand to his lips, letting it rest on his cheek. Mesmerized, she moved her fingers under his, caressing his cheekbone.
“When they found me I lost everything, I had nothing else to lose and nothing else to live for, so when Fury asked me to join them I had no reason to deny his request. At the time, the thought of killing some targets in the name of peace so I could belong somewhere didn’t seem so bad.”
He held her hand tighter, putting it down on the table but not letting go.
“Fury was taking advantage of you. You were vulnerable and he used you” he hissed.
He is angry for me. She wonders what he thought of her now, some victim of PTSD instead of the trained killer he thought she was. Well, I am both.
She held his hand tighter.
“I still don’t mind” she shrugged. He was looking at her now, unsure. “At the time I was so detached, I couldn’t care less about those lives. And I still don’t” he tensed even more, but he still didn’t let go of her hand.
“I was the best at what I was doing, so Fury would send me after the worst of them all : traffickers, traitors, assassins. I was not the agent to send if it was to frame or to kill an innocent person for the ‘greater good’, so don’t worry, I am not that much of a psycho” she smiled lightly, trying to joke a little. But she was never the funniest one in the room and it was not going to change now.
But he smiled back at her, his tense shoulders easing up.
“That is yet to be determined” he said, tightening his hold on her hand. Present, reassuring. “So you would have stayed if not for your injury?”
“My injury?” it took her a minute before she understood what he meant. “That’s what they put in my file?”
“It’s not the truth?”
She shakes her head. “I asked to leave.”
That surprised him. “Why?”
“I wasn’t okay with what SHIELD was doing. They said they were an organization working to protect the planet, but they are really just taking care of the US government’s enemies. And they do not care about innocent victims as long as they deem their deaths justified. They make peace only when it benefits them, but more often than not, they are at the heart of every conflict of modern society, waging wars because it’s lucrative for their cause.”
“HYDRA did too much damage to the organization, and the world" he agreed.
“Even without HYDRA the SHIELD is not innocent. And Fury is as guilty as Piers, he let fear turn him into a monster that can’t see past power” she sighed “I didn’t want to be a part of that. And,” she stopped, unsure.
“And?” He inquired, clearly intrigued. And what does he think of me now?
She let go of her fork, holding her now free hand to him, asking him for his. He doesn’t even hesitate to take hers, which makes her smile. At least it seems like he doesn’t think that she is a monster anymore. She leaned closer to him, tugging at his hands to ask him to do the same, which he did.
“At first, they would only send me on missions inside the country. And even my first missions abroad were mainly in West Europe, so for so long I always thought that everyone were living as we were all are. I was living on the base until the agency found me an apartment in downtown DC. I love being up and I love pretty things, so they gave me this beautiful condo with a gorgeous view of the White House and Washington Park. It was new to me but I was convinced that this was how everyone else in the world was living. But I was wrong,” she took a minute to organize her thoughts, “they started to send me to Africa, to Latam, to Asia and it was…horrifying how in many parts of these places people didn’t even have enough to eat, they didn’t have water or money to buy medicine. Children were dying every day and families would leave their homes to flee wars to find themselves starving and dying of illness and simple infections. And there was no one to help them. No one. Not their government, not the foreign forces waging wars in their countries in the name of ‘freedom’, whose freedom we don’t know, not the UN, not SHIELD. The organization created to bring peace to the world. Where is the peace in that?”
He had no answer to that. She saw him swallow. He clearly didn’t expect her answer. She wondered then if he thought that the reason she decided to create the HRI was just for ambition and social standing.
“So you left Fury to be the Strawberry Charlotte version of Mother Theresa” he said softly, without any heat behind it.
“I also wanted to take over the world” she joked back.
“And he let you go? Just like that?”
She shrugged, “I told Fury that I was leaving and not taking no for an answer, he tried to convince me to stay, even presented me with the Avengers initiative.”
“He asked you to be an Avenger?” he almost cried out, catching himself trying not to scream.
“Yeah, but I wasn’t interested, I didn’t want to be the face of whatever agenda Fury had in mind. I was determined to leave and he was way too clever to part on bad terms with me so he didn’t make any more fuss.” She explained.
“My people trained me to be a fighter.” she continued only because she knew her training will be questioned next, and she wanted to cover it before he asks her where exactly is her home located. “But I was also trained to be a healer, I couldn’t just let all of these people die when I knew it was my duty as a doctor to help them.”
“You are a doctor? I didn’t know you had a PhD?”
She couldn’t help a sigh at that. That fucking paper. She has contacted dozens of universities around the world to help her get a PhD so she could legally practice in this world. But they all wanted her to do a 5-year program, no matter how many times she explained that she didn’t need it.
“You don’t need a PhD to be a doctor” she mumbled.
“Uh. Yes you do” he said, clearly amused now. “That is literally what it means."
“I don’t need it, I’m a doctor” she glared at him, not willing to compromise on that. She has a lot of insecurities, she has had them all her life. But one thing she is 100% confident in is her skills as a medic. She knows she is good. She knows she is the best.
“Alright, alright” he said, chuckling and letting go of her hands to hold his up as a gesture of peace, smart enough to understand that this was not a fight he was going to win.
She takes her hands back, settling them on her lap as their waiter arrives with their next dishes. The air was lighter now, she could see the tension leaving his shoulders completely as he instructed their server about their main, working his charm. That seemed to be his default setting, her identity must have unsettled him a lot then.
As they are left alone once again, they let the soft jazz wash over them as they started on their third course, the silence between them calm. But as their eyes locked once again, a different kind of tension filled the air.
She shifted her eyes to her soup, hoping to find something to talk about to distract her from his heated stare.
“How did Iron Man happen” she asks, genuinely curious to know. At the time when it happened, the words at the agency were that he got kidnapped by terrorists during his visit in Afghanistan and made the armor to free himself, and the rest was history.
“I got kidnapped and it was my only way out” he shrugged.
“No I mean, why did you continue after that? You had no reason to.” she clarified.
“The world needed a hero” he tried to laugh it off, but she kept silent, looking at him. Knowing that there is another reason behind it. It didn’t take him long to give her the answer she wanted.
“It was a way for me to finally be in charge of my destiny, if that makes sense” he shrugged “I have found my way” he echoed her, smiling at her and holding out his hand once again. And Sakura took it, because she was always a tactile person, that was her love language that she inherited from her parents and that she applied to her teammates, never mind that every single one of her boys were touch starved and got awkward when she touches any of them.
The rest of the evening went smoothly, with a touch here and there, and the heated stares coming back more and more. They talked about his missions, all of the shenanigans that his teammates pull on daily. All in all, it was a fun date, and when they left the restaurant Sakura couldn’t help but lament how they wouldn’t probably see each other again after this.