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Current time
Memories
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Four years
Even if he had marked each passing day on the calendar, it was still hard for him to believe.
But it was real, and he could feel it, especially with the slight movement of her back attached to his chest each time she breathed, or when in her unconsciousness she tried to change position, but never moved away and instead pressed herself closer to him.
He could confirm it because he see her, he hugged her closer and the touch between them reconfirm him that he was awake, and not dreaming.
It was a recurring thought that it could all be fake, some kind of hallucination to haunt him; so, every morning, he would wake up before her and watch her in her sleep as long as he could, holding her, wondering what she was dreaming when the corner of her lip turned up few seconds in a small smile, what would make her so happy? It was easy for him to admit that it would make him a little jealous if it wasn't him.
Watching her sleep always took him back to that night, to the first time he'd seen her like this, resting peacefully five years ago, before they were… this.
He was nervous, angry, confused.
What had he done wrong?
He didn't get it.
Why, if he was trying to protect her, had she abandoned him?
Taking her away from his brother, her kidnapper, her abuser, it was the right thing to do, he knew, he told himself so day after day. He had freed her.
And not only that!
Nope.
He had also given Sasuke a second chance to start over, away from his sins. A second chance to rebuild his life and lead him down the path of good, as it should have always been.
They should thank him for everything he had done for them.
Instead, he was alone, moody and with the shadow of a week's growth beard.
It was a mess; he hadn't even realized it the moment he got to the kitchen. How on autopilot his body was trying to persist, carrying out nonexistent commands from his brain that was desperately trying to keep him alive.
Like at that moment, when he was looking inside the fridge without making any movement, and after almost 5 full minutes he grabbed the carton of milk and unashamedly took it directly, making a face.
It was sour.
He put it back in the fridge and went into the living room, completely unaware that he had left the fridge open, and sat up straight, looking at his reflection in the off TV.
Even before the darkened image he could notice certain things about his appearance, such as, for example, his hair, loose and disheveled, with a few strands slightly gathered by the knots that he had as a result of not having even passed his fingers through it.
His abdomen and arms, previously with well-defined but not exaggerated musculature, were now soft or lost due to the lack of the intense physical activity to which he was used to do.
His face looked tired, and that tiredness made him look older, it was melancholy as in that state he looked so much like his father.
The remarks ceased when soft knocks interrupted his thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the wooden door—new and shiny, which his concerned friends had installed—and waited for them to stop, positive that the person on the other end would assume he wasn't home.
Eventually they stopped and the whole house fell silent again.
He wanted to refocus on his self-assessment, but not even three minutes later the knocking on the door returned, making him wonder if it was the same person as moments ago.
He didn't budge either though, getting exasperated when the blows got a little harder than before.
And this time they didn't stop.
The anger came back to him, stronger and intense, causing some of his bones to snap as he stopped suddenly and walked toward his driveway in silent steps, glaring at the wood that separated him from the outside world with hatred and hoping that whoever wanted to bother him could feel it.
The banging stopped again, and a small sense of victory washed over him, but it didn't linger as he saw the faint shadow that slipped under the door instead of disappearing, growing larger, covering more space.
He stayed in the same position for a while, ignoring the tension building in the back of his stiff neck as he waited for whoever was at his door to leave, but the more time passed the more anger built inside him until finally exploded, causing him to hold his breath in his lungs, ready to scream, unlocking the door to face whoever was on the other side.
But his mouth closed immediately.
Still with his head bowed he saw the person who had been so insistent at his door, looking up at him with wide, surprised eyes from where she was sitting below, a puzzled expression on her face, was Hinata.
Suddenly his current state hit him with the force of a thousand bullets.
He took two steps back at the same time she slowly stood up still looking into his eyes, and then looking at him from top to bottom, probably judging him with the sad look that had taken over her features and then back to his eyes.
She got into his abode with slow steps, stiff and alert as if she were going on the lion's den, and with each of her steps he would retreat only a few seconds later, suddenly feeling deeply ashamed that he was not prepared for such a situation and allow himself to be seen in that state.
She looked around the room, taking in every spot where dirt and garbage had accumulated, totally different from the last time she'd been there.
He wanted to say something, but the thought of his breath from more than three days of carelessness reaching her nose made him seal his mouth tightly. With a soft sigh she walked over to the coffee table and began to collect a few plates, glasses and wrappers on it, and when her hands were full, she turned to look at him with a small smile on her lips.
—I'll do some cleaning while you get ready —she told him, and he knew that behind that smile and her soft words there was an order, an order for him to go up those stairs and not come down until he took care of his hygiene completely, and he knew that there was no room for discussion when she turned her back on him and disappeared into his kitchen.
Hesitant, he finally climbed the stairs, his mind was a tornado at the latest series of events, feeling unfulfilled, unaware of his own footsteps.
He reached his room and without stopping he went directly to his bathroom, undressing and getting into the bathtub, sitting down, and letting the hot water fall on him.
He could see her, in his mind, walking around the pigsty that was her house, wrinkling her nose and probably regretting ever going there. He couldn't let that go on, so coming to his senses and standing up, he grabbed the shampoo and started washing his hair.
It didn't take him that long, with the same shampoo that fell from his hair he washed his entire body, being thorough in all those areas where he could see and feel the dirt, scratching so much that in the end a furious shade of red stood out on his skin. With the water still rinsing the suds off his body he brushed his teeth over and over, until he couldn't taste anything but the cool mint of the toothpaste and making sure it stayed that way after a couple of gargles with mouthwash. The real problem came when it was time to detangling his hair, even with that incredibly smoothing conditioner he couldn't do it, the comb, despite its thick and strong cells, didn't seem to go past the top half of his hair.
With a resigned sigh, he removed the excess products on his body and left the bathroom, still with the comb in his hands because there was no way he would stop trying to break the annoying knots in his hair and went to one of his drawers to grab a pair of old gray sweatpants, baring his chest and continuing his unsuccessful attempt at the mirror, slowly losing patience.
He was surprised at how quickly his arms gave up to the constant raised position, leading him to finally give up and carelessly drop the comb off the cabinet attached to the mirror.
He left his room and walked towards the stairs, meeting the sight of Hinata at the bottom of the steps, visibly unsure if she should go up, and when she saw him at the top, she seemed to regret even thinking about it, which he should assure her in some way it was fine.
Just not that day.
—You didn´t have do it —he told her after a moment of looking around his living room, finally more decent than he'd left it when he'd gone upstairs to bathe.
He heard her mutter something that was unintelligible, presumably she was rejecting his previous words before walking past him and looking for a large garbage bag, ready to take it out but that he didn't allow when he took it from her hands and did it himself, because it was his house and she was the visitor, he had been impolite enough to let her do all those things while he relaxed in his bathroom.
—I-I wanted to make something to eat but... your kitchen is... —empty, he knew what he wanted to say before her voice died between murmurs and attempts not to stutter.
—We can order something —he suggested, trying to hide the embarrassment that were coming back to haunt him at the circumstances.
He tried to run his hand through his hair, but as his fingers sank into his strands and they didn't want to go any further down he found himself frustrated, remembering how tangled it was but not being persuaded to stop, instead he pulled harder, but didn't go absolutely any further. She smiled slightly and told him in a small, soft voice to sit on the floor to help him as she did the same on the sofa, spreading her legs so he could fit more comfortably. Silence enveloped them for a short moment, until he spoke again.
—What happened? —she asked in a whisper, concern dripping into her words as her fingers carefully parted the hair, starting where it was least troublesome.
"You" he wanted to say, but bit his tongue because that would sound accusatory, totally different from what she wanted.
Instead, he leaned back slightly, bringing his arms up until he finally placed them on her thighs and letting his hands dangle in the air, also wanting to touch her knees through her leggings, but that would be going a bit beyond the "innocent" touch he wanted to appear.
—Very much, really —he answered finally, deciding that the half-truth would be the best option at the moment —I've been a bit out of myself for a while now and it hasn't been a good thing, my urges... I haven't been able to control them like I normally do —he said, small sighs —I was suspended from my activities after I put a case in jeopardy when I hit one of the suspects —He paused for a moment, closing his eyes as a wave of pleasure spread through his body when she, after pulling his hair a little harder than she wanted to, she caressed his scalp with the tips of her fingers to calm the pain.
She hummed lightly, to encourage him to continue.
—It's happened more often in the last few months than I'd like to admit, and then…—he cleared his throat uncomfortably —then ours happened…
Silence enveloped them.
Ours... it had come out of his lips naturally, even when he had inwardly ordered himself not to say such a thing, it wasn't enough.
She stopped her self-imposed task for a few seconds, seconds that to his perception seemed like hours, but the lump that had formed in his throat and threatened to spread to his chest suddenly disappeared when the relaxing movements began again, however new doubts were born in him, after all he had expected to happen, calm was not one of them.
And the doubt slowly turned to panic, obviously he said something out of place.
He cleared his throat and tried to get to his feet, but the gentle way one of her hands had left his head and settled on his shoulder to hold him in place in a grip he could definitely break if it wasn't for how heavy her small hand felt on him.
It was absurd how overpowered he felt with that simple gesture, the tension in his shoulders disappearing as they were covered by both her hands, massaging them slowly and tortuously but effectively, only to have his breath trapped hopelessly in his lungs when those same hands began to descend to his chest and then descend a little more, crossing each other.
All the air was released of his lungs as he finally realized he was being hugged, and out of the corner of his eye he could see her, looking up at him as she rested her head on her own shoulder.
When he turned his head to get a better look at her, they stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.
The closeness of their lips was tortuous, intense and intriguing, but the real event was in her big pale eyes, him being unable to turn his own eyes away because hers were beautiful and with a depth that could rival the sea. She had him so trapped that he completely missed the moment when she, yes, she, reached out and sealed her lips with his, only being aware from the moment the pearly eyes that had him imprisoned closed.
His interior became the definition of an earthquake, but his exterior was as calm as a statue.
That stillness was shattered when their lips parted and she resumed her sitting upright position and released him, causing him to quickly twist his entire body, one knee flat on the floor while the other remained flexed and his foot on the surface. flat, with his hands firmly on the tops of her thighs.
In this position she was looking at him from above, with a relaxed and expectant expression, while he from below only took two seconds before violently colliding their lips again because it was more than clear that it was what they both wanted, and who was he to deny it?
She quickly wrapped her arms around him, one hand behind his back and the other in his hair, needlessly preventing him from pulling away from her. He did the same, pulling her hard against the edge of the sofa until his arms were firmly around her hips, her entire body pressed against him, forcing her legs around him.
Their mouths were a complete mess, both fighting for the dominance that neither of them would relinquish, thrusting their tongues and nipping at each other's lips. He wasn't embarrassed to say that the needy growls were coming out of his mouth, for her little moans didn't show any emotion different from his.
The small gasp of surprise she gave when he pushed himself up, lifting high enough to take her with him, then dropping them both onto the counter in a more comfortable position only caused his confidence to skyrocket, taking him beyond satisfaction with the knowledge that, just as he had dreamed before, he was the cause of it. It felt good to have her lying down while he towered over her; it felt right.
Without breaking contact he lowered his lips, first kissing her cheeks multiple times, outlining her jaw with his lips and almost biting her chin, he continued down her neck until he reached the top of the coat that was so annoyingly kept on his way, but that intrusion would not stop him, and while still concentrating on the base of her neck with his hands he tried to undo the zipper that kept her restrained from him, a task that turned out to be more complicated than it should have been, almost causing him to send everything to hell and break the damn thing.
When he finally opened it, he wasted no time feeling the upper part of Hinata's breasts with his lips, no longer having enough patience he ripped the tight black camisole without any effort, leaving only the bra to cover her full breasts, but it didn't matter at all, not while he was in charge of marking every visible space.
Her erratic breaths fascinated him, her body was showing him how good she felt with him, and they called him even more. It was a good thing the bra came with the hook at the front, otherwise he would have missed the soft bounces due to its release, mesmerizing to such a degree that it sparked movement again as he pushed his covered but highly aroused crotch against hers, causing a mixture of sighs, moans and gasps combined into a beautiful symphony that called him to continue, and who was he to ignore the call?
He submerged again, this time his mouth going directly to one of her breasts while the other was squeezed by his hand, alternating between one and the other, giving the same treatment to both, pleased by the sensation of her nipples against his tongue.
After a few minutes he was pulled up by his hair, immediately meeting Hinata's lips again, now both bare breasts pressed against each other as they tried to eat their mouths. At some point he had started rocking against her again, now having his erection at its peak but still unbearably trapped in his pants, causing a friction between their sexes that brought him to the brink and he wondered how he would feel without all those barriers between them.
And apparently, he was not the only one with that unknown, because her hands traveled all over his side until they reached the waist of his pants, lowering them along with his shorts as much as her short arms allowed her, but he continued the work, finally taking them off and taking a straight position as he released his waist from her legs to do the same with the her annoyingly difficult to remove leggings, but when he finally did he threw them behind him without any care and froze with the view.
He had dreamed of this countless times in countless scenarios, and none had done it justice. The shine caused by her fluids were just perfect, especially being highlighted by the lack of hair. The idea that this was her intentions from the beginning was just exciting, even more when he didn't know if he had taken off her underwear along with her leggings or she simply hadn't put on anything underneath.
Apparently, he had been staring for a long time as her fine hands appeared trying to block his vision of that point, lightly brushing one of her nails against the tip of his cock that was quite close to her entrance, sending a shiver through his spine.
—No —he growled grabbing her wrists and brushing her hands away, looking directly into her eyes with a frown and making a superhuman effort not to come right there when she, flushed, bit her lower lip at his reprimand.
He threw his body back, bumping against the arm of the sofa and letting go her wrists to sneak hands into her hips and around to her buttocks, making little effort to lift her and heard a small squeal of surprise at the same time in which he passed unashamedly his tongue along her vagina, teasing her clit as he reached the end of its stroke. Looking at the expressions she made as well as the way her hands moved nervously over her own face, undecided whether to cover her mouth, her eyes, whether to stay on her cheeks or go up to his head, and all of this only gave him more motivation to keep eating her out.
His tongue invaded her entrance and the feel of his quivering walls, tightening around it as if she were trying to send a direct message to his cock, delighted him.
He went as deep as he could and twirled his tongue making sure there was no unexplored space, coming out and servicing her clit again with little sets of varied motions and then back in again.
—Itachi —she called in a soft but sharp gasp, and he turned his tongue inside her one last time before pulling away.
Wasting no time he took her left leg and placed it over his shoulder while the other hand pushed her other leg forward, bringing it as close as he could to her torso, where she circled herself with her hands, holding it up. Having now a free hand he took his erection, passing it up and down her slit, teasing her a little and also wetting himself with her juices, to then stay still at her entrance just pressing lightly and looking straight into her eyes.
Then he started to move his hips forward, she put up little resistance and soon the head of his penis was inside, he came out a bit and then he gave a little push forward earning a delicious moan as some more of his cock got into her. He brought his hands to Hinata's hips and gripped them firmly before repeating the process, pushing a little harder and grunting as half of his member was inside her. He did the movement again, faster and harder, and it only took two more thrusts before he was fully into her.
He took half a minute to enjoy the feel of her insides, hot and tight and throbbing, almost causing all his self-control to slip and end right there, but he took a deep breath and held on, beginning to move slowly and steadily, joining her in her moans, but the visual stimulation of the movement of her breasts was too much and progressively his movements became stronger, faster, and erratic.
It wasn't long before their moans and gasps rose in volume and echoed throughout the room, almost covering the sound of his balls colliding with her ass. He sometimes leaned down to claim her mouth hungrily, grasping one of her breasts and readjusting her legs for a position that would allow him to go impossibly deeper.
He came out of her, and the groans of annoyance and disappointment were immediate, he for his part ignored them because it would not take long to return to her.
He made her turn on her side and he lay down behind her, staying with his back completely pressed against the back of the couch, taking her leg and pulling her back to leave her leg over his hip, with his free hand he took his cock again to reposition it again on her entrance. In his movements he briefly bumped into the puckered spot between her buttocks and briefly considered claiming that hole as his own too, which he instantly dismissed as he needed to prepare her and he didn't have the patience for that at the moment, so he went back to her cunt and got in unceremoniously, hitting hard from the start.
In this position it was more comfortable for him to kiss her, covering with his mouth the screams and moans that Hinata let out when he rammed her particularly hard or when he hit the point that he quickly learned was the one that brought her to the peak of pleasure.
By the time she came it felt like an Olympic victory.
The violent spasms in her body only spurred him on to continue thrusting at her, finally determined to finally come, which he achieved almost a minute after she did.
They both stayed as still as they could despite their heavy breathing and spasms, him teasing her by bringing his hand to her hypersensitive pearl only to feel it tighten again, him not leaving her insides.
Overwhelmed by exhaustion, the two fell asleep almost instantly, Itachi with his hand around her waist, hugging her close to his chest and preventing her from falling to the floor.
Three hours later when he woke up, he was alone and barely covered in his sweatpants.
The memory, despite the bitter way it ended, always excited him.
After that, their next meeting was three days later and it had ended exactly the same as before. One meeting led to another and then another. In a short time they had toured his entire house and had sex in every possible place. It was a full year of a clandestine relationship, experiencing all sorts of things, some that would no doubt have caused him to lose his job if they had been found out.
He jumped a little when he felt the small hand on his member, stroking him.
He looked at Hinata, still giving her back to him and one hand thrown back, touching him. From where he could see her face her eyes were still closed, but the smile on her lips had changed to something more playful, obviously awake.
He began to leave little butterfly kisses on her neck and when he wanted to go deeper and mark it, the soft skin of her throat was replaced by that of his other hand, blocking it.
—No —she blurted out, dragging the "o" hoarsely —I told you last night, no marks
He growled and bit his fingers.
—Why are you ruining the fun? heartless woman
She laughed and turned around, now facing him, still moving her hand over his erection.
—I told you, today I have an important meeting and I can't let them see the hickeys, and you…—she lightly kissed his lips and smiled—…always get carried away
—You can wear makeup —he complained.
—Too much makeup to make it look natural
—I rectify, heartless woman —he repeated; however he kept kissing her, making it deeper when he ended up on her hand and shoulder.
They both lay panting for a few moments as they recovered, and then she stood up, pulling the sheet over her and walking to the bathroom without looking back.
— Do you want company? —he asked with a hint of flirtation in his voice.
—I can't be late —she answered, closing the door behind her.
Faced with her refusal, he simply stayed in bed while he waited for her to come out since he should also start preparing for work, being one of those rare moments where he found himself without a case that would have gotten him out of bed at dawn, something which was deeply appreciated.
About twenty minutes later she came out with her body and hair wrapped in towels and threw the sheet that had previously covered her onto the bed. She went directly to the closet, opening it and taking out the clothes that he had previously prepared for that day along with the box of newest shoes she had.
It was almost Deja vu, he thought, remembering something that happened some days before and still gave him a mini heart attack every time he thought about it.
—Which one do you think I should wear? — She asked him as she showed him two shirts.
Lifting his head slightly from his position on the bed, he looked at the two garments: one was a soft peach color, with long sleeves and buttons in the form of small pads of a darker shade, while the other was yellow with apparently elbow-length sleeves and a pocket on the upper left side, plus it seemed to be half a size smaller than the other.
—The pink one —he answered without hesitation and congratulating himself internally when he saw her nod pleased, something that didn't happen often when it came to clothing.
He continued to watch her as she pulled out a pair of black formal pants and placed them on the bed next to him and quickly reached for her underwear, dropping the towel and getting dressed.
They had been living together for eight months now after dating for two years, and she had barely lost the inhibitions that came with it.
It was strange to tell the truth, even since before they became a couple they had had a fairly active and unrestricted sexual life, even something a little irresponsible if he was honest, both had been having relationships only relying on the contraceptive treatment that she religiously maintained and nothing more, agreeing that when and if she got pregnant at some point they would both accept it without further ado, although surprisingly none of that had happened yet.
But when he asked her and managed to convince her to move in together, it was as if all that had never happened.
The way in which she kept glued to the opposite end of the coach as if being near him was toxic, or how she had had sleepless nights to prevent him from approaching her, or the way in which she would take her clothes, shoes and makeup to the bathroom, fully preparing herself inside it. The worst part of that situation was the way she would dodge him whenever he tried to kiss her or even get close.
It was alarming.
It took a lot of patience and trying for her to finally drop all of her sudden inhibitions, and even on stormy nights these inhibitions seemed to rise again, feeling in the way her body would shake when he held her close.
He knew that all of this was his brother's fault, Sasuke's, his actions, and he deeply cursed him for it.
—What's in this box?
He snapped out of his thoughts and froze when he looked at her.
In his hands was the old shoe box where the letters were.
—It feels a bit heavy —she told him and moved it up and down as she brought her ear closer to the box.
—It's nothing important —he replied, trying to remain calm as he stood up and approached her. —Which one are you looking for? —he asked, referring to the array of shoe boxes on the top shelves.
She pointed to one that was higher than she could reach, and he quickly took it and handed it to her, taking the other box from her hands and quickly putting it even higher than it was originally. This seemed suspicious enough for her due to the way she narrowed her eyes at him and glanced sideways at the spot where she'd put the box.
Then in what was an act of desperation to draw attention away from it, he leaned down and grabbed her face, kissing her hard.
It seemed to work when after the initial surprise she kissed him back, grabbing his hair.
With one foot he closed the closet door and led her to the bed, throwing her onto it and climbing on top to continue their kisses. He was still naked and semi-erect, which led him to keep going until his cell phone started ringing.
They both stopped panting and looking at each other, until finally he moved and took the call, regretfully acknowledging the tone he had set for everyone related to work.
He listened with minimal attention as he was informed about a recent murder and where he should go to start the investigation, while he watched as Hinata sighed and sat down, muttering that "he didn't have time anyway" before putting on the shoes that he had previously gave her and standing up, approaching him, giving him a quick goodbye kiss.
When the call ended minutes later, she had already left in her car.
He sighed, stood up and headed to the bathroom, taking a quickly shower, and changing into his usual outfit, grabbing the box from the closet, heading out the driveway to his own car and finally leaving, putting the box on the seat on the side, with the decision to take it where she couldn't find it again.
—See you tonight? —The question brought him back to the present again and he noticed her leaning with her hands on either side of him, automatically pursed her lips and they were reciprocated with a soft kiss.
—If someone doesn't get killed today —he half-joked, it was clearly a possibility.
—I'll be waiting for you —she kissed him again —I'll prepare dinner and everything
At that he laughed.
—In that case, I'll be here —and received one last kiss along with a farewell.
He didn't take long before preparing to leave as well.
As he fixed the sleeves of his shirt and went downstairs, he noticed on the table a few leftover invitations from the wedding that would be in a few days. He approached without avoiding a smile and took one in his hands, still not conceiving that he was going to marry the woman with whom he shared his bed.
Looking at the clock on the wall, he realized that he would be hopelessly late if he didn't leave immediately, so he took the bag that he had left on the back of one of the dining rooms chairs the night before and left.
As soon as he got into his vehicle while adjusting his tie, he realized that he still had the invitation in his hand, so he carefully placed it on the dashboard and started on his way to the precinct.
The day passed boring and full of accumulated desk work that he could no longer escape.
However, things were better this way, not only because that indicated that the rate of violence was decreasing, but also that he could ask for the corresponding days off for the time of the wedding and the honeymoon, maybe a little more.
At five o'clock he said goodbye to everyone and wondered if Hinata had already arrived, doubting it a little because the meeting she had that day was quite important and days before she had told him that it would take almost all day, on the other hand, the implication of that she would make dinner also told him that it wouldn't be as late as he initially thought.
The sinking sun made something shimmer for a brief moment and his eyes immediately flew to the invitation, sparkling in the soft sunlight. When he stopped at a traffic light, he took it in his hands again and stared at it for a while.
The sound of muffled arguing caught his attention, and he glanced over at the car waiting beside him. Unlike him, they had the windows of the vehicle down, so their screams, though unintelligible, reached his ears in a muffled way.
It was a young couple, probably only a little older than him and Hinata, they were arguing strongly but their expressions were anguished. The woman was covering her face with both hands and was leaning forward while the man tried to touch her, being rejected with a shake of the shoulders. From time to time the woman uncovered her face and yelled something at him before resuming her position.
He tried to ignore it all, the man's expression being uncomfortably familiar, he glanced around the street and noticed the post office on the next corner.
When the traffic light changed again, he felt some relief, but the door of the other couple's vehicle, the one on the woman's side, opened and she walked out past their car and got away. He followed her with his eyes until she was quite far away, then looked back at the other vehicle and felt sorry for the man's devastated look but moved forward as the horns behind him rightly became insistent.
He parked in front of the post office and inserted a coin into the meter, sure from how empty the place was that it wouldn't be long.
As he made a short line, he kept thinking of the man's desolate face, an expression he knew from experience.
Clearly his and Hinata's relationship wasn't perfect, though he liked to think they were very close to it, but he'd be lying if he said they hadn't had arguments, and most of them differed on the "small" word. And one of the biggest problems was that every time they argued they stopped talking, and when that happened, she used to sink into the memory of Sasuke in one way or another. That had led him to get rid of everything that could remind her or him of his brother, and it had worked, not having saved photos and the permanent disconnection of Sasuke's phone had paid off, her periods of silence taking less time.
Their last big argument the year before, however, had nearly ended in disaster.
His eyes felt heavy when he tried to open them and the familiar, yet unknow scent invaded his nose violently. The unbearably white light made his eyes ache and he inertially closed them again before opening them more carefully.
He scanned his surroundings and quickly recognized where he was.
A hospital.
He winced as a pulse of pain tore through his chest and tried to bring his right hand up to his heart where the sensation was, but it was impossible due to the weight on him and the other hand gripping his.
When he looked to it, he immediately recognized the dark hair. Hinata was with her forehead resting on his arm, still not noticing that he had woken up. Something he immediately noticed was the way she was trembling slightly and the soft sobs she let out and which he wouldn't have heard if it wasn't for the silence that enveloped them.
—Hinata? —he called, with difficulty. She quickly raised her head and looked at him, gasping for breath.
—You're awake —And he couldn't seem to remember.
—What happened? —he asked.
Seeing the change in her face was terrifying if he was being honest. The initial expression of complete disbelief quickly changed to sadness and then annoyance, immediately letting go of him and leaning back in her chair.
—They shot you —she replied, almost spitefully. He didn't understand —you got shot in the chest, Itachi, you died twice
Well, that explained a few things.
—Death hurts like a bitch —he said with a bit of humor, trying to lighten the mood a bit, but it had the opposite effect.
—This is not the time to joke around! —She yelled at him, jumping to her feet. —You don't know how scared I was! I was in a meeting when they interrupted us to tell me that you were in the hospital. They told me that I should come as soon as possible!
—Hinata...
— No! —She yelled —Let me talk!
He closed his mouth.
—When I arrived, they told me that you were in surgery. Twelve hours! You were in there for twelve hours and I had to watch as the doctors and nurses came in carrying more bags of blood than I could imagine would be necessary.
She paced the room, which he had barely noticed was a private one from the lack of other beds.
—I also heard from outside how they were screaming because your heart stopped twice, twice! And I almost slapped the nurse who came out to tell me that I should prepare for a third time because then they might not be able to keep you alive.
He listened in silence, barely able to make out what she was saying because of the drugs in his system.
—So you were in an induced coma for five days while you were in ICU, and they wouldn't let me in because the first time I saw you after the operation I had a panic attack when I saw you with all those tubes coming out of you —she stopped her walk, seeming to want to touch him but holding back —yesterday they were able to move you to this room and I haven't dared to sleep because I feel that if I closed my eyes, you would leave and I wouldn't be able to say goodbye, and every time your fingers moved I thought you would wake up, but you never did
He was still watching her, noting the dark bags under her eyes and the way she was still shaking violently, but exhaustion was visible on her.
—I… I was scared —he finished in a whisper.
Pain shot through him again, but it wasn't from his wound, it was another kind of pain.
—I… —he tried to speak —I'm sorry
It wasn't enough, he could see it in her expression, but he had to try.
—There were children…—he said, trying to remember the last thing that happened—I was trying to help them… he was aiming at them…
The memory of the suspect in murdering a woman, his wife, pointing the gun at his youngest son, just two years old, warning them not to get close.
—I was trying to convince him to give us the children —he said with confusion.
—I know —she whispered —I know, Kisame told me everything.
She sat down again.
—The children are fine, they're safe —she told him, as if she knew it was something he wanted to ask —You saved them, you're a hero.
—I'm not a hero —he denied softly —it's part of my job, keeping them safe.
The two were silent.
—Itachi —she called in a low, broken voice —I…I don't think I can take it.
He looked at her blankly.
—Your job is very dangerous —she whispered —I don't think I can bear knowing that someone could kill you at any moment.
His heart, according to noises made by the machine connected to it, was racing.
—I… I think we should…
—No —he quickly denied, wincing at how painful it all felt.
—Itachi
—I... I'll be more careful! —He said with a bit of desperation —in any case they will take me out of the field for a while
With a grimace he tried to sit up and that alarmed her, approaching him and trying to prevent her from doing so, he took advantage and took her hand.
—Please —he beg —you can't… you can't…
—Itachi, calm down.
He shook his head and pulled her toward him with difficulty, burying his head in her stomach and wrapping his hand around her hips.
—You can't leave me —he whispered.
—I won't —she told him in the same tone, but he was suspicious of those words.
—You can't —he repeated.
—We'll talk about that another time —she said —I'm not going anywhere, but you have to calm down.
She began combing his hair and massaging his head, something that always soothed him when he was at his worst, and now it was working too.
—I have to call a nurse —he heard her say after a while —I'm supposed to have done it since you opened your eyes.
However, he did not release her and only whispered:
—A bit more please
The weeks after that were tense, she hadn't left him like he thought she would, but it was clear to him that she wasn't comfortable with the situation. More than once he heard her cry when he was supposed to sleep after taking pain medication and medication to help him sleep. He felt helpless during that month of complete rest that the doctor had ordered, but when he was sufficiently recovered, they both sat down and had an open-hearted talk.
He had made it clear that he would not quit his job but admitted that he was reckless in those kinds of situations and that he would work on it, she for her part insisted that she did not want him to quit and that she would never ask him to do that, but it was difficult for her to live with that new fear obtained from that situation. It took him many tries to finally convince her, but they had largely patched up their relationship, of course, putting both of their commitments in the way.
Three months later he asked her to marry him, and the "yes" he received was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He finally finished sending the invitation, opting for the cheapest and slowest service, hoping that would be enough.
He left the post office and headed straight home, already half past six by the time he arrived. Hinata's car was already in its usual spot in the garage and when he entered the house, he was greeted by her, still in the clothes with which she had left in and an apron.
—Wait at the table, dinner will be ready shortly —she told him after a long kiss, leading him to the dining room.
—Isn't it a little early for dinner? —he asked as he sat down, letting her remove his jacket and loosen his tie.
—Yes, it is —she confirm with a nod, hanging both garments in one of her arms —but I have good news, so eating a little earlier is not bad.
And she left without letting him say anything else.
Shortly after she began to set the table, a small selection of dishes began to appear before him: pasta, beef, cauliflower salad and a stir fry, accompanied by a bottle of wine and a pitcher of cherry juice.
In an improper but completely welcome act, Hinata sat on his lap and began to feed him, which he accepted and did the same to her. He didn't lose sight of the fact that there was only one glass for wine, so when he poured himself, he gave her some, which she declined and instead had a glass of juice.
—So what's the reason for celebration? —he asked when they finished eating, adjusting her snugly on his lap.
—Well, do you remember that project I've been trying to get all this time? —He nodded. I got it!
—Really? That is fantastic! —He said, with genuine emotion —I knew you'd get it, the other idiots didn't stand a chance anyway.
She laughed at his comment.
—They also said that if everything went well, I could direct the next two projects abroad
— So what are we doing here? —He asked —We should be celebrating outside —he said as he leaned towards her with the intention of kissing her, but between laughs she covered his mouth with her hands and shook her head.
—I told you I had good news! but there's more — Still with his mouth covered he said "more?", this being muffled by her hands, but she seemed to understand and nodded.
However, instead of saying something, she stood up walking towards the hallway and left him sitting, confused and not knowing if he should follow her or wait for her there, but when he was going to stand up she appeared again, with her hands behind her back and a slow, childlike walk, along with the widest smile he had ever seen in his life.
Facing him again, still smiling and with watery eyes, she leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, not allowing him to react before straightening up again and finally bringing her hands forward, revealing what she was hiding.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw it and he looked into her eyes again, seeking confirmation that came in the form of a nod, a laugh, and a tear.
A ringing began to sound in his ears as she looked back at him, not hearing anything else.
It's finally here. The penultimate chapter of this story.
Quick clarifications:
This is set a week before Sasuke received the invitation.
The random couple in the other car had just broken up.
As for the ending, Hinata shows her a positive pregnancy test!
This is one of the longest chapters I've ever written, I'm a little concerned that it's too long. Although I have to say, I was satisfied with the lemon in this chapter.
