Adoration

They were currently standing in a rather busy corner of Konoha's marketplace, and while Itachi knew their little trio was attracting attention—and not for the usual reasons Uchihas and Hyuugas did—Itachi just couldn't be bothered. Not today. Not when he'd just gotten back from an especially grueling field mission in the land of Tea to find... this.

"Sasuke," Itachi said, exasperated for once at his foolish younger brother. Black painted fingernails rubbed at his temple, as he tried and failed to ease the headache building there. His other hand was preoccupied with the many grocery bags his wife had been lugging around with her.

His pregnant wife.

His eight-month pregnant wife.

Truthfully, he expected this from his brother's best friend, perhaps even Kakashi, but Sasuke? Really? Men from clans were known for their traditional values, but it seemed his brother was the great exception. Even Nara Shikamaru, Konoha's genius tactician and arguably the laziest man in existence was more of a gentleman. A slight chauvinist, but a gentleman.

Itachi questioned his little brother's sanity at this point—and then his manners next. Their mother's gentle, but firm teachings never seemed to stick with him. But he at least thought his little brother would be a bit more considerate seeing as how Hinata was in such a delicate state.

Itachi knew for a fact that Sasuke knew that her own mother had had problems with pregnancy because he had made sure to explicitly tell him. Twice. While he was completely sober and focused. He did it so that he wouldn't stumble across something as foolish as finding his wife—who, did he mention could hardly even find the will to move some days?—carrying four plastics in her hand, while his brother decided to stick his hands as deep in his pockets as they could go.

"It's dinner, Itachi," Sasuke defended. "Meat, seasoning, a few vegetables. You're overreacting. She's not carrying a damn foldable bookshelf. I could carry all that with a finger!"

"Then why didn't you?"

There was a reflecting pause at the logic in his older brother's question, before Sasuke snarled stubbornly, turning his head away and folding his arms like he had absolutely nothing to feel repentant for.

"Because I insisted on carrying it," Hinata intervened, momentarily distracting her husband with a firm squeeze of his arm. Her soothing fingers came up to replace his own against his temple, rubbing it and letting her chakra flow through to rid him of the annoying ache.

Her loving touch wasn't enough to deter him. Itachi knew she was covering for Sasuke. He could see it in the way she smiled at him. Too polite. Too appeasing. It made him want to reach over and stretch her cheeks with his thumbs until she gave a brighter, cheerier smile. He refrained from doing so, however. Not wanting to let others hear the endearing squeaks of indignation that would surely follow.

He poked her forehead instead.

And for a seemingly endless moment, all they did was stare at each other, trying to get the other to back down. In the distance, birds cawed and children screamed. Closer, Sasuke still huffed, though he was glancing at them from the corner of his eye, waiting to see who would emerge the winner.

Usually, it was his brother.

But ever since Hinata had gotten pregnant and began getting angry or crying for the most absurd of reasons, he budged far more often. But he still had the advantage—and every single one of them knew it. As soon as Itachi's eyes bled red or he'd invade her personal space, whatever resistance, whatever problem she had would suddenly become far less urgent.

But Itachi's Sharingan wasn't activated. Neither was he stepping any closer.

So, they waited.

Much to everyone's dismay, however, there was no winner.

The intense stare down was broken when Itachi suddenly drew her forward by the arm, as a man that hadn't been looking where he was going stepped past. He would've bumped right into her. Rather roughly at that, if his size was anything to go by.

The man, seeming to notice that he just narrowly avoided hitting someone, turned around to apologize.

"Oops," he said, tilting his head back to look at the couple, "Sorry about th—"

He came face to face with a glare so disturbing that the apology ended in a terrified shriek that sounded as if it came more from a woman or a small child than an adult male. Distantly, Itachi noted HInata's suddenly tight hold around his waist and Sasuke's hand gripping his shoulder with enough force to shatter a boulder.

Itachi would've scoffed if he didn't think it would just make them tighten their grips even more. But really, why did they even bother? Like he needed to be anywhere near the man to do damage.

"Itachi," his wife called in that reprimanding voice of hers that he still hadn't developed a good defense against.

"Mmm?"

"Look at me."

He didn't do so right away. More out of defiance than anything else. He knew he was acting juvenile. Perhaps the stress of being constantly on guard in the land of Tea had gotten to his head. But he waited until the man had fled from their little group and for Sasuke's fingers that were still wrapped around his shoulder to ease. When they didn't drop completely, Itachi brushed them aside.

Finally looking down at her, his eyes widened in surprise at what he saw in her eyes—emotions brimming with things he didn't want to give name to. But there was enough of them to make him feel unworthy.

Itachi never knew tenderness before her. Not like this. This was uncomfortable. And despite the confident way he held himself, he felt too clumsy for it. Too awkward. Too everything. But Hinata was so eager, and her eyes were so bright, and—

He could try.

"I'm still here," Sasuke announced, coughing uncomfortably. The sappy face his brother was making made him queasy. "So, if you two could tone down the affection that would be great."

"I know you are," Itachi said serenely, gaze never wavering from Hinata's now red face. "And I'm nowhere near done with you yet."