Love?
Hinata was drunk.
Drunk and pressed up against him in a way that made it hard to keep his composure.
A pair of enormous, creamy breasts were shoved against his chest, of which he had a clear view of topside due to their height difference. Her hands rested on the wide planes of his shoulders, soft legs curled and pressed against his thighs, as she sat in his lap.
Her face was red. Cloudy. Not with lust, but with intoxicated relaxation.
He wouldn't take advantage of her.
"You're so warm," she declared, shifting closer.
He wouldn't.
"Itachi," she said, gasping.
There was something about the way Hinata said his name then. Groggy, breathless, and entirely too drawn out. It made him feel as though everyone had been saying it wrong his entire life.
He swallowed when she pressed her face into his neck. "... What?"
Nipping his collarbone was her answer.
Uchiha Itachi was many things. A businessman. A genius. A philanthropist. Saint, however, was definitely not among them.
Really, it was time he stopped acting like one.
But before his hands could even move, he swore he felt the pinching fingers of his mother on the back of his neck warning him to behave. Itachi groaned. Uchiha Mikoto had many faults, but she at least pounded how to properly treat a woman into their heads.
Sober consent is important, she told them repeatedly, and I want no bastards from either of you running around. You will not cause a scandal because you couldn't control your urges. Neither will you ever get yourselves into such a state of inebriation that women can take advantage of y—
Why was he making himself relive this?
Itachi wrapped his arms around her in preference, his head falling into the crook of her neck. He inhaled deeply, reveling in her lavender scent. It startled her, he knew, but he ignored it in favor of bringing her closer to him, hiding her voluptuous body from any wandering eyes and keeping her safe in his arms.
"I—Itachi!" she yelled, pushing him away to look at him.
Oh, so now she's being shy? Itachi sighed, spreading warm breath over her skin, making her push even harder. Only after a long minute of deliberation did he finally oblige.
And what he saw took his breath away.
Light caught in her orbs. Twinkling. Hopeful. Hesitant. Whatever smart remark he had for her vanished with an inhale, and suddenly, the rest of the world no longer mattered. Perhaps it never did.
Love was such a peculiar thing. He could hardly handle the enormity crammed into the word. It was overwhelming, like a flood of sunshine after a long night; yet, it was small as well. As if the stars had all been packed into one person to shower them in brilliance.
Wait.
His thoughts came to a screeching halt, as he watched her tilt her head at him. Her hands were on his cheeks now, rubbing idly over his bones in a sweet caress. She was saying something, but his ears weren't cooperating. Because...
Sure, they'd been seeing each other for a few months, but—
Love?
Hinata smiled adoringly at him.
"Why not?" he muttered, thoroughly confusing her, before he claimed her lips with his own.