Itachi smiled at his phone Monday morning as he headed up the elevator to his father's office. This was going to be fun.
He knocked and peaked his head in Hinata's office, jumpy but no more than usual. Good, his father hadn't gotten to her yet.
"Morning." He greeted her.
Hinata glanced down at her schedule, backed up to him, and waved her hand toward his father's office. "Uchiha-sama is free till 11 if you are here to see him."
"He called me up here." Itachi waved his cell up. "Seems I'm in trouble."
"Oh?" She seemed confused but then frowned, looking over to the door.
"Has he been in a foul mood?" He asked knowingly.
Hinata kept her mouth shut but shifted her eyes down.
A good assistant, not a good liar.
"Well, this should be fun then." Hinata gave him a worried look as he headed out her main door and rounded to his father's office. No need to get her in any more trouble by not announcing him.
Itachi knocked on his father's door and waved through the glass. His father glared at him and nodded his head in.
He stepped inside and sat down with a grin that he knew was only serving to make his father angrier.
His father looked at the clock. "I have a meeting at 11."
"I know," Itachi told him.
His father's face twitched. "Is there a particular reason you took my assistant shopping this weekend?"
"She's Sasuke's age. I wanted her opinion on a gift for his birthday." Simple to the point.
"I don't see why that means you had to take her shopping with you." Fugaku pressed, annoyed.
"I thought it would be easier to pick it out if she could see." Itachi shrugged. "What are you getting him?"
His father huffed. Itachi didn't know why he thought he was going to get something else out of him. The man had raised him, and he should know better.
"I'll have Hinata pick something up." He grumbled.
Itachi sighed deliberately. "You're not even going to pick it out?"
"I don't have the time." His father snapped.
Itachi smiled. "Of course." He slapped his hands on his knees and got up. "Glad we talked." He headed out with a wave leaving his snuffed, annoyed father behind.
Hinata blinked. "A gift for Uchiha-san?" She asked. She immediately regretted it as her boss snapped his eyes up at her. He hated repeating himself.
"Is that going to be a problem? You have already chosen what Itachi is getting him." He glared back down at his work.
Hinata turned red, she didn't know that he knew, but now she was sure he was not happy about it. "No, it's not a problem, sir."
"Status." She read of his meeting for the next day quickly and took his snapped notes.
Hinata looked at the coat Itachi had bought his brother. She sighed. She didn't even know this man, and here she was to buy him another gift. She tilted her head at the coat, a long black wool coat that fits the shop model's shape. For the size, he was slim, shorter than his brother, likely had dark hair and eyes like his brother and father.
She didn't know anything more than that and what she had heard about him from Itachi. Maybe something to go with the coat?
Hinata looked over to a neatly folded pile of scarves. Something with color to pop against to coat. What colors did he like? What would look good on him?
She didn't know what he looked like. What would look good on Itachi? She picked up a red one. It seemed too stark, she was pale, and it made her skin look sickly. Itachi wasn't much darker than her.
Hinata knew the company colors were a deep red, but would it be a little too on point?
She chewed on her lip, picked out three, put them in a row, and took a picture. She hoped she wasn't bothering Itachi on his day off by asking him which one would be best.
'The purple one.' Hinata stared at the text for a few seconds, then the three she picked out, none of them were purple. She lifted them. There was a deep purple one underneath the three she had picked.
That would do.
Hinata carefully folded the other three and put them back, and picked up the purple one. Would he be too little to receive from his father? His brother had gotten him a coat.
She brought it with the card she was given and continued, if anything, she could return the scarf.
There were so many more stories in the mall than Itachi had even gone into. She had to admit, though, designer items tended to be so ugly. She looked into the bag and wondered if she had made the wrong choice. She headed for the entrance when something caught her eye. She remembered something that Itachi had said. She disappeared into the shop.
Hinata set the wrapped gift on a side table in her office. She kept the scarf and made it a double gift. She wasn't asked what she got when she reported getting the gift, so she didn't tell him. Maybe he didn't care what she got him. She just found it so strange that these two didn't know what to get their family.
Hinata knew exactly what she would get her sister and father if someone asked her. Maybe he had been gone that long. Would she start to lose touch with her sister the longer she was away? She hoped not, her sister called her every night, and they would talk while Hinata cooked, but what would happen when Hanabi went to university? Would she still have the time?
Maybe she was thinking too much.
She looked at her schedule and noticed a new appointment that she didn't put in. She grimaced. She was going to be poked and prodded by another stylist for an outfit for the event.
Hinata sighed, looking toward the door. He sure liked his appearances.