"Itachi, I'm home," Sakura called, gingerly discarding her sandals. She had stepped outside for 5 minutes to run an errand and her light summer dress was soaked in sweat after the first minute, which was absolutely ridiculous. Sadly, her apartment wasn't much cooler, as evidenced by her boyfriend's state of undress.
Itachi was clad only in a pair of light shorts as he lay on the floor, propping himself up on his elbows as he continued to read. Sweat trickled down his back, even with the fan blowing in his direction, but what amused Sakura most was the way his hair had been pulled back into a messy bun, with only a few strands sticking to the back of his neck. In all her time knowing Itachi, she had only ever seen him with his customary ponytail and, on the rare occasion as they had gotten closer, with his hair out. But never before had she seen him with his hair up.
Well, she could hardly blame him for using what worked – her own hair was clipped up to allow the breeze to reach her neck, and she sighed with relief when the fan turned to blow in her direction.
"Welcome back," he answered, smiling tiredly at her.
She ducked in swiftly to press a kiss to his forehead, only to recoil and wipe her lips with disgust. "Sweaty," she complained with a laugh.
Itachi chuckled. "You chose to do it," he pointed out.
"Sorry for just wanting to kiss my boyfriend," she retorted. "I'm going to have a shower and lie down. Far away from you."
"Good idea," he agreed seriously, with only the slightest hint of amusement tugging at the corner of his lips.
To their relief, the temperature dropped as the sun set. By the time they had finished washing up from dinner, it was cool enough for them to be sitting on the same couch and reading together. It was cool enough, Itachi had also decided, to take his hair out, and Sakura watched in amazement as it fell down his back in soft waves.
Sakura couldn't help but run her fingers gently through his hair, marvelling at his new hairstyle. "It looks so cute, Itachi," she teased, half-joking but also half-serious. "Can you please have your hair like this all the time?"
His answer was a deeply sceptical look, complete with one raised eyebrow.
She pouted. "But it's so cute."
"Not as cute as you," Itachi deadpanned.
"Ew," Sakura groaned, but she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face, especially when she saw Itachi's own mischievous little smile.