Adoration

It was Itachi's first, and quite possibly last, mission he had with his soon-to-be girlfriend. Soon-to-be because he hadn't actually asked the woman properly yet. Neither did their outings extend past a few house visits and sweets being passed around. She was incredibly stubborn for a woman. Her tastes were grounded—not to mention, questionable, considering his little brother's loud best friend was apparently her type—and getting her to succumb to his charms was a slow process. Painfully so.

He'd spent an inordinate amount of time plotting ways to get her to fall for him. Even going so far as to ask his cousin, Shisui, for advice. The man was all too happy to laugh at his face before even attempting to help. And even then, his outgoing, charismatic, to-die-for (according to hundreds of fangirls) cousin had just ended up a dopey smiling mess in front of her.

That idiot.

... But his love life wasn't the point.

The point was that being an elite member of the ANBU, Itachi didn't get to work with regular jonin often. And the Hokage specifically avoided placing two ninjas that were in any way "involved" on teams for obvious reasons, but they'd made an exception in this case due to the delicate nature of the job. Still, that didn't stop the Hokage from reminding them no less than eight times before they left that they were professionals and he expected them to act as such. Which basically translated to: 'Courting or not, I don't want to hear anything about you two getting cozy.'

Throughout the meeting, Itachi couldn't help but think that the Sixth read too much smut. Because Kakashi was clearly off his eggs if he thought that Itachi would even attempt at getting frisky with a woman that could very well paralyze him for life... down there. His father would have an aneurysm if his genius was never passed on. Sasuke would have to compensate. Shisui would try to fix it—and that was just a whole different mess he didn't want to get into.

The mission started out pleasant enough.

They'd been tasked to infiltrate a manor and track down the ringleader of a group of missing ninjas from Kiri. All pretty standard. The only reason they were specifically chosen was because they needed to go undercover, and who better than two born and bred blue-bloods that could actually fit into high society? It helped that news of their courtship—sage, they made it sound like two shimmying peacocks—had already spread, so their showing up together was hardly a surprise.

It didn't take long to weed out the traitors. Barely two nights, and they'd already figured out where they'd been holing themselves up. Hinata was better than him at needling nobles for information, and while she busied herself with their glamorous world, Itachi took darker, more secret paths. Seducing servants with a stare, pinning guards against the wall.

Again, all standard.

But it was after their mission that things started to go downhill.

As soon as they announced the success of their mission, their very rich, very posh hirers had insisted on throwing a celebratory banquet. And since they were in a rather remote part of the country, ninjas were rare. Ninjas with some degree of nobility, even rarer. It didn't take long for women to saunter up to him, batting their eyelashes for attention; and in typical Uchiha fashion, they were all looked at, judged, and ignored in a matter of seconds. Though for reasons beyond him, that only seemed to turn them on more.

The young men that had gathered around Hinata were meeker, asking questions with blushes on their faces. The older ones were curious and pushy, as if they had more of a right to her attention simply because of their years.

Regardless, she politely declined their advances.

She even tilted her head in his direction, as if subtly reminding them all that the man openly courting her was nearby. Their stunted faces had been quite the sight. Though he would've preferred it if she had made a beeline towards him instead. But he'd take what he could get.

Itachi had decided to take a long walk after that. To revel in the peace the countryside had to offer. While he enjoyed silence, he wasn't keen on giving up his life in the bustling city of Konoha in exchange for solitude here. He'd grow bored sooner or later. Perhaps even weak. Like the rest of the small town's denizens.

By the time he thought it prudent to return, the sun had already begun to set. It was between debating entering the more crowded areas to search for a souvenir for his brother or just using his sharingan to find Hinata for dinner that he stilled, his good mood suddenly taking a turn for the sour.

Hinata had her back turned to him, picking out prime cuts of beef at a small stall nestled between large wooden crates filled to the brim with spices. She had a bag of vegetables in one hand, clearly looking to prepare herself something to eat, rather than just dining out.

She smiled shyly at the two vendors in a way that made his insides twist.

The two smiled back.

A man, heavy with age, and his much fitter son manned the stall. They both sported bronze tans and dirty blond hair. It must've been darker at one point, but the sun had no doubt had its way with the coarse strands. It probably felt as rough as it looked. Their hair reminded him somewhat of the wild maims donned by the Inuzuka clan, Itachi noted absently. But other than that, they were different people entirely.

For all intents, they seemed like kind, genuine people.

He didn't know why her smiling at them bothered him more than when she'd done the exact same thing to the pompous nobles and wealthy landowners from before, but he could venture a guess.

They were sincere.

Warm. Pleasant. Accepting—and all those other traits he associated with civilians. They were grateful just for her attention, seeking nothing more than her time and a casual conversation with a new face. And seeing as how they were neither ninjas, nor politically important individuals, they were also oblivious to the rest of the world's knowledge of his apparent interest in her.

It was enough to make his eyes bleed red.

"Are you attached, Miss?" the older man asked. "This is quite a bit of food."

"Oh, I'm here with someone," she said vaguely. "Though I'm not sure where he is at the moment. But I figured he'd turn up sooner or later."

"He?"

"Yes. I just hope he's hungry... and that he likes beef."

The man laughed. "No worries there, Miss. If it's meat, he'll eat it."

"That's reassuring."

Itachi listened in on their conversation as he approached. His gait was casual, but deliberate enough for people to know he wasn't aimlessly wandering. There were always one or two exceptionally bold women in crowds, the sort confident enough to approach him. While he didn't fault them for their interest, he also wasn't one for idle conversation with a woman clearly trying to get in his pants. His father would have his head if he ever showed an iota of the playful insolence his cousin did.

So, Itachi deliberately furrowed his brows and turned up his scowl, knowing that the look on his face alone was enough to send men running towards the hills with their tails between their legs. Kakashi had once joked that he could curdle milk with his glare—or at least he thought he was joking. He hoped so.

"So," the stall owner went on, "if you're still single, would you mind if I offered up my son here as a potential prospect? We live a modest life, but I can assure you that he's a good ma—"

"Dad!" his son yelled, blushing.

"You need to put yourself out there, son!"

"Don't ask for me! That just—"

"Oh, there's no shame in having your father ask for you!" He hit the boy over the head. "So, what do you say, Miss?"

Hinata's smile faltered. "I'm sorry, bu—"

"Hinata," Itachi suddenly called, startling her into turning.

Behind her, the two store vendors stilled, openly gaping at him. If it was because of his sudden appearance or his looks, Itachi didn't know. It was always hard to tell with people.

But that wasn't important now.

In a flash, his hand settled on the small of her back and he leaned down for the briefest of instances to press his lips flush against hers. It was a strange sensation. His, thin and chapped. Hers, cushioned and petal-like. The difference was startling, and he realized now why his father always carried around lip ointment.

Not a second later, and he was already pulling away. Her lips trailed after his out of instinct, before she stopped herself.

Itachi took a moment to peer at her wide eyes and red face. Her mouth was slightly ajar.

"I—Itachi!" she stuttered, reeling back but unable to do so because of his hand firmly holding her in place. She touched her lips in a way that had him smirking in satisfaction.

"Mmm?" Itachi hummed, licking his lips distractedly. He didn't get a taste, but he just knew that she was so much more delicious than she looked. His entire face was tingling.

"Why did you..."

Instead of answering the implied question, he grabbed the bag of groceries from her and threw a wad of bills on the counter, before meeting the eyes of the vendors to nod briefly in acknowledgement. By the time they gathered their wits enough to scramble for change, Itachi was already walking away.

"Are you coming?" he asked, turning his head to shoot his soon-to-be girlfriend a stare.

Hinata hesitated, before, "Y—Yes!"

He turned quickly, not wanting her to see the small smile that turned his lips.

As she caught up to him, head bowed and hands folded in front of her, Itachi couldn't help but notice that she hadn't bought any beef. He mentally patted himself on the back for that one. He hated beef. Two birds with one stone never rang more accurate in his mind. Placing a hand on the small of her back that had her blushing intensely, Itachi steered her towards another stall filled end to end with raw fish. Perhaps it was time they got to know each other's preferences.