Adoration

His perfect, straight-laced boss was hiding something.

Ikose just knew he was. No one could be that damned perfect. Uchiha Itachi was the young head of a successful international company, an early graduate of some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, and a handsome bachelor to boot. The man was the whole package. Sure, he'd had his fair share of scandals, but they always turned out false. His reputation counted amongst the cleanest in the business world.

Besides, it wasn't as if those in their company believed them to be true, considering the man's no-nonsense attitude. Itachi would break at the core first, before losing his control over himself. Hell, even he didn't dare question his virtues. As far as he was concerned, Itachi was touched by some divine light at birth. Yes, he'd been called a fanboy multiple times throughout his life for that one, but any employee of Uchiha Corp that claimed they weren't were dirty liars. Itachi had steered their company through several rocky situations with his perpetually calm face and commanding tone. They always came out on the winning side because of his leadership. His cousin, Shisui, was the exact same. Together, the two of them managed to negotiate bold—and as one reporter put it, utterly astounding—trade deals that consistently made headlines in renowned economic journals.

Everyone was interested in them. If not for their looks or money, then for their ability to negotiate. Aya, however, had planted the idea in his head that Itachi led a secret double-life a fortnight ago, and now, Ikose couldn't get it out. The woman might've been his best friend since childhood, but she could be a real menace when she wanted to be. She could mess up his thoughts in under a second without even realizing it.

So, that was why Ikose was hiding under a table in the middle of the night on a Friday—the day Itachi usually went home later than everyone else. Ikose had tried staying longer than him a few times over the years. At one point, he'd even reached 4am, and Itachi was still there working. The man had thrown him a glance so sharp that Ikose had yelped and sped out the door before he could even think about stopping. Ikose always thought it was because his boss needed to make sure everything was running smoothly over the weekend, but now he wasn't so certain.

Shit! My neck hurts, he thought. God, I should've thought this through better. Why did I even listen to Aya and her nonsense? What if he doesn't go home until six, or worse, what if he stays here until Monday? Maybe that's how he gets that inhumane amount of work done! I can't take that!

He was thankfully proven wrong when after a moment, Itachi sighed.

The sound was sudden enough to startle him, though he piled his hands over his mouth to make sure that no sound escaped. It was followed by the soft sound of his computer powering off. Normally, he wouldn't have been able to hear that because Itachi's office door was usually closed. Not even his secretary could come in without express permission. On Friday nights, however, the door was always cracked open. That just made him even more suspicious. Itachi was definitely listening in on them with those keen ears of his. But why would he care what time they left?

Ikose waited a bit more until he heard Itachi grabbing his things.

He snuck out from his hiding spot, then made a mad dash out of the building. He knew enough about Itachi's habits to know that he'd speak to Shisui before leaving, then to a few guards about locking up, so he had plenty of time to leave first. Ikose didn't want to lose him by having to take the stairs, while he took the elevator. Ikose wasn't made for silence, but tonight, some distant ninja ancestor must've given him his blessing because he didn't make a peep. Not even when he sprinted down the hall to reach the elevator.

When he was finally outside, Ikose took note of the time.

Half past one, he read on his phone. Not bad. He's definitely not out for shopping though. He doesn't take the car on Fridays, so he can't be going home. Aya said he lived across the city. A bar or a restaurant maybe?

He was getting even more excited now.

Ikose grabbed himself a dozen steam buns from a nearby stall, so if he got caught, then he could at least pretend to be doing something. He waited a few minutes beside that stall for Itachi to come out. The thought of being fired didn't even cross his mind, possibly because the idea that Itachi might've actually been some undercover mafia leader or nighttime vigilante made him positively giddy inside. It would suit him perfectly. He could hear his inner fanboy squeal in delight. Maybe he could be his sidekick!

Itachi emerged soon enough. Shisui leaned against the glass doors and waved goodbye. He made a drinking motion with one hand, then said something that his ears failed to catch—a meeting time maybe? Ikose watched Itachi nod, then wave off the guards that asked whether or not they needed to accompany him, before gliding down the stairs with his briefcase in hand. He made a sharp left turn once his feet hit concrete.

"Don't leave me hanging like last week!" Shisui called out. Itachi merely lifted a hand in a half-hearted acknowledgement that Shisui laughed at, before disappearing back inside of the building.

Ikose allowed some distance between them, before following.

It got more difficult to blend in the longer they walked. Itachi seemed to want to avoid all of the crowded areas that would've been shorter to pass through. Instead, he took small side roads or went around entire streets with only a few spatterings of people. Ikose widened the gap between them because of that, but it was easy enough to see him, despite the distance. Itachi was nothing, if not great at commanding attention.

Ikose ducked into an alleyway when Itachi stopped before a bar.

There were stairs that led down, obstructing the actual place from view.

I can't follow him there without getting caught. Damnit all.

"Awaku Ikose," Itachi called. His voice was soft, but it carried, and he let out a strangled gasp at the sound. He was so dead. "Why are you following me?"

He didn't move. Ikose valued his life and his job, and he knew that if he so much as twitched, Itachi might actually end both. When Itachi realized he was frozen, however, he simply rolled his eyes. Ikose gaped at the sight. No matter how annoying anyone was, he'd never seen Itachi do that.

"Frankly, I don't care. You can explain yourself on Monday. You should leave, before—"

"Itachi!" a distinctly feminine voice called. "You're back."

They both turned to find a woman there with long hair and kind, opalescent eyes. Her cheeks were red, though he wasn't sure if it was from the cold, booze, or the sight of his boss—he had that effect on people. She wore a sleeveless black button-up vest, dark pants, and a lavender apron around her waist.

"Oh, you brought a friend," she went on with a quick glance behind him. "Come on in."

Ikose could've died from happiness.

Was he really drinking with his boss? Was he really sitting down in a stool in one of the most quiet, upscale bars he'd ever seen in his life and being poured a glass of poison by a beautiful bartender beside the Uchiha Itachi? Was this even reality?

Ikose pinched himself so hard his skin turned red. The area stung. This was definitely real.

The way Itachi raised an eyebrow at him as he did so wasn't something he'd ever expected to see. He'd always seen him as the perfect robot that he was. But here, in this bar, with him glancing every so often at the woman that drifted here and there to serve customers, he looked—dare he say it—human.

"Why were you following me?" Itachi asked, shattering the silence between them into glass. There was no anger in his voice, but there was no warmth either.

Still… Ikose would rather die than admit the truth.

"I didn't mean to," he said quickly. Too quickly. Ikose breathed to steady himself. "It's just, well, I saw you walking on the street. I debated calling out to you, but before I knew it, I was following instead."

Itachi gave him a look that told him he knew he was full of shit. But before he could refute his words that woman returned with her sashaying hips and shy smile. Ikose's eyes widened when Itachi's jaw closed and he swallowed whatever it was he was about to say. Itachi put his elbow on the counter, so he could cradle his chin, before leaning forward.

"Hinata," Itachi said, catching the woman's attention. His voice was so low that Ikose blushed. She barely spared him a glance. Instead, she dropped to her haunches to rearrange a few bottles along the counter's bottom shelves. "Are you listening to me?"

"Hmmm?"

The slight smile on Itachi's lips made Ikose's eyes widen.

"When does your shift end?"

"At five."

"Won't you close early?"

"I can't," she said, appearing briefly over the counter to shoot him an apologetic look. "I closed early last time you came, Itachi. I heard Shino and Kiba came looking for me. They said they plan to drop by again later."

Itachi hummed, though Ikose couldn't tell if it was one of deliberation or disapproval. He wasn't so well-versed in Itachi's mannerisms to know something like that.

"You're the owner," Itachi said after a moment. "You can do whatever you want."

She made a noise of disapproval that made Itachi's eyes soften.

Was this really his cold, calculating boss?

"Itachi came here to take cover from the rain one Saturday morning a few years ago," Hinata suddenly explained. She was looking at Ikose in full now. The weight of her gaze was both uplifting and heavy all at once, though perhaps it was only the latter because he also felt Itachi looking at him as well. As if just daring him to say something stupid. "Oh, how many years has it been now?"

"Seven," Itachi chimed.

"That was back when you were still… Vice-President?" she waited for Itachi to nod, before continuing. "Vice-President of Uchiha Corp. He's been coming here ever since."

Well, that explained the all-nighters on Fridays.

Frankly, Ikose was surprised that he hadn't made a move on this woman during all that time. Barely an hour drinking, and he could already tell that he was smitten with her. Ikose took a sip of his drink, while trying his best to discreetly watch his boss from the corner of his eye. The amber liquid burned all the way down, but he didn't even make a face. How could he? Itachi was drinking it straight, so he could damn well do the same!

"It's been seven years, Hinata," Itachi finally said. "When are you going to marry me?"

Ikose coughed. Hard. An hour ago, he didn't even know his boss had a girlfriend and now he suddenly had a fiancée? Oh, Aya was never going to believe this. Hell, he'd know several magazines that would pay him a pretty penny for this little tidbit of information—not that he would though. He wasn't a snake.

Ikose looked up to find Hinata blushing so hard that he feared she'd faint. He didn't blame her. He was a guy—a straight guy, though maybe he'd consider swinging the other way for Itachi—and that line made him feel hot all over.

"You and Shisui are always teasing me," she said with a huff. When she looked away, Itachi's eyes trailed down her neck and over her ample chest. They flew back up as soon as she faced him again.

Good god, Ikose thought. His boss was a sneaky pervert.

"Are father and Neji still giving you a hard time?" Hinata asked.

"They won't give you to me," Itachi said. "They're too overprotective for their own good. I'm seriously debating just taking you with me and eloping at this point."

"Itachi," she said. All love.

"I know." He took a sip of his drink. Itachi looked oddly forlorn. But just as Ikose caught sight of the look, it disappeared. Itachi grabbed her hand from across the counter and pressed a kiss against her fingertips, as if to further mark her as his.

Hinata was blushing again. "You still haven't introduced me to your friend."

"You know all of my friends," Itachi said easily. Ikose was jealous of how unruffled he was. It seemed that wasn't an act then, but actually a part of his general demeanor. "This is Ikose. He's an employee that followed me from the office."

"I—I didn't!" Ikose somehow managed to stutter out.

He would die on this hill.

The three of them turned when the bell on top of the bar's door pealed, signaling the arrival of another customer. Hinata had on an easy smile to welcome the person, and it only widened when Shisui stepped inside.

"Itachi!" he called, smiling. "Have you proposed yet? If not, I'm going to steal your precious treasure awa—" Shisui stopped when he caught sight of Ikose. "Oh? What's this? You brought the little rat that was hiding out in the office. Is this some new form of hazing?"

Ikose promptly covered his face with both of his hands in embarrassment.