Sasuke glared at his screen, confirmation of his suspicions laid out in front of him. He got up suddenly and spooked his assistant in the process. She jumped up to join him. He waved her off, stocked down the hall, and jammed his hand on the elevator button in a futile attempt to get it to come faster.
"What did it do to you?" Itachi asked with a tilt of his head, walking up beside him.
Just who he was going to see. "When were you going to tell me?"
Itachi gave him an innocent look. "Tell you what?"
"Hinata is wearing the Uchiha family ring." Sasuke snapped. "You're the only one who could have given it to her."
Itachi's face twitched from confusion to understanding. Of course, he knew what was going on. Why would he act like he didn't even for a second? The whole building was talking about it.
"I didn't know she was wearing it," Itachi told him.
"What?" Sasuke barked. "You didn't think she would wear it? You thought you were going to be able to still keep it a secret?"
Itachi's eyes flicked to the side, putting his hands in his pockets.
"You've been lying to me all this time." Sasuke breathed. "But then, you've been pushing me at her. Why?"
Itachi opened his mouth, but Sasuke shook his head.
"You know, I just checked. You never went on that cruise with dad. You were the one at her apartment," Sasuke pieced together. "It was you the whole time, and you didn't tell me."
Itachi's lips came into a line, and he looked down.
"How long?" Sasuke asked.
"How long?" Itachi asked, confused.
"How long have you been sneaking around with her?" Sasuke barked.
Itachi made a face. "I think sneaking is the wrong word."
"You know what? I don't know why I'm surprised. All you do is lie." Sasuke had run out of steam. He looked at his brother. Itachi didn't even look apologetic. He didn't look embarrassed. He just looked… resigned. Sasuke didn't need this right now. "You deserve each other." Sasuke got in the elevator that finally came and slammed his hand on a floor.
Sasuke closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and then his breathing sped up. His chest constricted, and his face twisted. He repeatedly pressed the ground floor button and held off the growing emotion until he got to his car.
Sasuke slammed the door, and there in the dead air, he let his chest constrict painfully, lowered his head to the steering wheel, and let out a pained cry that he had held in.
He felt betrayed, but the more he thought about it, despite what his brother had teased, Sasuke had never told his brother what he was feeling.
He could barely admit it himself. Though, the crushing feeling made it easier.
Sasuke shook his head against the steering wheel. He sat up and aggressively wiped his face.
Fugaku sat back at his desk and watched Hinata frown at her phone for a few seconds. "Something wrong?"
"Uh, Sasuke-sama cleared his schedule for the rest of the day. His assistant reported he went home and didn't tell anyone why." Hinata explained. "Oh, and Itachi-sama requested me to set you up for dinner," Hinata added as she started typing.
Fugaku nodded. "Set up a reservation for three."
Hinata glanced up with a question.
"Unless you already have dinner plans?" Fugaku added.
"No, sir." Actually, she had been asked to have more after-work dinners today than in her entire career. She avoided getting roped into anything that was just going to a wave of questions she couldn't answer.
Fugaku nodded and moved his mouse to wake up his computer. "Status."
Itachi pulled out Hinata's chair. She smiled and bowed her head. Itachi took a moment to watch her hands as she folded them in front of her. Sasuke was right. That was the Uchiha family ring. Itachi had been hearing about the ring all day, she had even been cornered in his department for a while, but he couldn't step away to tease her about it, not that he thought she was getting married. It didn't seem like her to not mention something like that.
Then there was something Kisame had said that had tipped him off. His assistant didn't always give him straight answers, and that was one of the issues with having one of your college friends work for you. They knew how to push your buttons. What had he said? The ring looked familiar? Itachi had thought that he had meant that the ring was some design that was in an advertisement, but no, that bastard knew about it before he did.
Which all fit together once Sasuke had blown up.
Sasuke's blow-up was… unsurprising but concerning. Itachi had long since learned that when lying to his little brother, it was best to let him make his own conclusions and roll with what he came up with, but this time Itachi genuinely didn't know what to say. Itachi was just as shocked as Sasuke was that Hinata had the family ring.
Well, maybe not quite as shocked. Itachi knew their father better. He did take after him, after all.
But Sasuke knew his brother always lied to him… he had never gotten this angry about it before. What was different this time?
"Sasuke is really broken up about our engagement." Itachi voiced.
Hinata's head whipped around to him. "Pardon?" Itachi had expected her to be more confused, but after all the gawking, she must have wondered what his father's ultimate plan was.
"He was furious. He blew up on me for lying and left." Itachi explained.
"Sasuke-sama wouldn't assume…" Hinata's eyes snapped to the director, accusing him with her cross stare. "Why does he think that?"
Itachi picked up her hand. "This ring you're wearing is the Uchiha family ring. It goes to the fiancée of the first son to get married, and he knew it wasn't him."
Hinata gaped angrily at the director. "What?" Hinata quickly moved to take the ring off.
"Don't you dare." Fugaku snapped, stopping her in her tracks. Hinata challenged him with her glare. "I knew what I was doing when I told you to put it on."
"You should have warned us," Itachi told his father, sipping his water.
"She wouldn't have agreed to it," Fugaku explained. "But now the whole company has seen it, so she can't exactly just return it, can she?"
Hinata furiously squeaked, trying to find words. "This!? This is your plan!? This is going to have the opposite effect. I wanted to stop the misunderstandings she was having. This!" Hinata held up her hand. "It's so much worse."
"Who?" Itachi wondered.
"Your mother attacked Hinata at the gala," Fugaku explained.
Itachi's face sobered quickly.
"Because she thought I was seducing her sons! What do you think she is going to think when she sees this?" Hinata snapped.
"She is going to know that you are off limits," Fugaku claimed. "She has no choice."
Itachi shrugged. "I don't know. I wouldn't put it past her to call the council to stop it."
Hinata looked between them and shook her head. "You two don't seem to realize this is a terrible idea. I'm not marrying Itachi-sama, so you can get back at your ex-wife!"
Fugaku calmly put his hands together. "Hinata." With his tone changed, Hinata's lips fell into line, she was listening, but she was not happy about it. "It's getting harder to hide Itachi's condition."
Hinata's angry face melted to become more serious.
"Eventually, if he needs to leave work, I may have you have him live with you to minimize the people who will see his condition," Fugaku told her in a tone that was soft but serious.
Itachi was surprised that his father would guilt her like that. "Dad…"
"I understand," Hinata said professionally, lowering her head.
"No one needs to know about that how this came about, not even Sasuke," Fugaku told her.
Hinata looked conflicted but nodded again. "Yes, sir."
Itachi didn't like this. It felt like a business meeting.
"You will accompany Itachi to events from now on," Fugaku added.
"Sasuke-sama…" Hinata started.
"I will handle Mikoto. She's going to be distracted for a while." Fugaku answered the question she couldn't ask.
"But Hanabi-chan…" Hinata continued.
"Will be family. Of limits." Hinata didn't look so sure.
Itachi felt the air turn cold, but he was feeling what Hinata was feeling, and probably why she wasn't arguing. His father had made up his mind, and telling him no was not going to get them anywhere. "I think we should start with dessert." Itachi broke the tension.
Hinata looked down at her hands.
"And some wine. We are celebrating, after all," Fugaku added.
"Itachi-sama can't drink," Hinata corrected.
"Well, you and I can." Fugaku corrected.
Hinata put the director in a car and watched it drive off. Itachi let out a loud sigh.
Hinata looked up at him and gave her a soft smile.
"You're fine with this?" Itachi asked.
Hinata straightened. "It's my job."
Itachi shook his head. "I think your job doesn't extend this far into your personal life."
"My job is to ensure everything runs smoothly for the director. That extends to his personal life most days. And his family." Hinata was trying to convince herself, at this point, the alcohol was helping. This was how the director wanted to solve the problem. It wasn't like she was actually engaged. Surely, now the director was so active in this 'fight' he would protect her sister as long as she was playing along.
Hinata was just hoping Fugaku knew what he was doing, though she didn't know why both Fugaku and Itachi thought that this would make Mikoto less aggressive.
They spoke about it like she didn't have a choice.
"I have to lie to Sasuke-sama more." Hinata lamented, looking at the ring. Now she understood why he was so angry. Sasuke recognized it. He probably thought they got engaged and didn't tell him. Which was… sort of what he was meant to think. Hinata's heart ached for him. His family protected him in the worst ways. Surely they could just tell him it was to protect Itachi's health? Why wasn't he allowed to know?
Did he hate hearing about his brother's health so much they were willing to go to such lengths?
Hinata let out a whimper. This was a terrible idea.
Itachi patted her shoulder. "Hey, don't look so upset. Being engaged to me won't be that bad."
Hinata gave him a look. "Don't tease me."
"I can't tease my fiancée?" Itachi asked with a sly grin.
Hinata swatted his hand away. "Go home and talk to your brother. Sasuke-sama doesn't like being lied to."
"He'll get over it," Itachi told her. "He always does."
Hinata didn't know about that. She felt like every time something like this happened, it only worsened his temper.
"If dad would have told me about this, I would have properly proposed." Itachi put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to the side. "Would you have said yes?"
Hinata looked up at him. "No."
Itachi pouted. "Not even if I said please?"
"No, because it's you."
Itachi put his hand over his heart like and faked being hurt. "Ow."
Hinata tried to convince herself that this wasn't the worst idea, but maybe the only worse idea would be if Fugaku had picked Sasuke.