Day 4

Work AU

Part II of the Business Rivals AU (refer to Day 3)

He kissed languidly down her neck. And then bit her.

"Sasuke!" Hinata shrieked, flinching away from him, and rolling over to glare at him.

He looked at her for a few seconds, to trace the reminiscent flush from their earlier...activities, and then rolled over on his back, facing the ceiling, an arm crossed over his bare chest. "Congratulations." Her blush deepened. TImidly, she sat up, pulling the sheets to her chest. "Relax. You worked hard for it. You should be proud."

"I am." She said quietly. "But...it's different now."

"It doesn't have to be."

"But it is."

Sasuke turned and stared at her profile, waiting until she finally looked at him. "We've always been rivals. A month ago, you'd be out celebrating." A month ago, Hinata and Sasuke were too focused on crushing the other to ever bother getting to know each other. A month ago, Hinata and Sasuke were friendly strangers. Then it turned to unfriendly strangers very quickly.

Hinata smiled softly, hooking a long strand of hair behind her ear. "And yet, I'm here with you."

And now they were sleeping together.

Life had never amazed Sasuke before the way it did now.

"Yeah." Was all he could say.

The two were quiet for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Sasuke's bedroom was shrouded in a dim early morning glow. Soon, they'd have to get out of bed, get ready for the day.

He inched closer to her.

But not yet.

"Sasuke," Hinata murmured. "What happens now? To your family, I mean?"

He sighed heavily. "Tch. Don't worry about us. Plenty of other suckers out there to swindle."

A grin touched his lips, knowing she would burst out laughing. "And that," Hinata turned to face him, inching closer herself. "Is why my family got the contract."

"No one likes a gloat, Hyuga."

"That goes double for sore losers, Uchiha-san."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

Hinata shrieked again as he quickly straddled her, pinning her down, and brushing her hair away from her neck. He leaned in.

"Sasuke…" She said softly. He listened carefully as she continued murmuring his name. Gently, she ran her fingers down his bare back. He hadn't planned for this, but quickly decided he wanted Hinata to pay a little more attention to him.

"You know…" Sasuke whispered. "I worked really hard on my proposal."

"Mm, I know...you did so well." She praised him mindlessly, lost in her lust.

Gently, he nosed the lobe of her ear. "Not well enough."

"Sasuke," Hinata sighed sadly, truly regretful her victories came at a cost.

"It's alright. I know how you can make it up to me."

She stilled under him, looking up with that blush that made him feel like a god. For a split second, his grip on her waist tightened.

Neither were under the illusion that what they were doing was acceptable.

The fact that their families were sworn rivals did little to curb their attraction towards each other. If it had only been that, Sasuke wouldn't have cared one bit. In the short amount of time they had been seeing each other, it surprised him how little he had come to care about anything other than Hinata. That included his father's high expectations.

So what if he was sleeping with the competition's daughter? He liked her. Alot. Admittedly, more than he should.

But Hinata was right. Things were different now.

The Hyuga had come out victorious. Big changes were coming soon, to the company, to the banking community, to the Hyuga family. To Hinata.

He wondered if that change included him.

Without wasting anymore time, Hinata lifted herself up and gently pressed their lips together. Sasuke let himself get lost in it, and pushed those aching thoughts away.

Quickly, he fumbled for the left-hand drawer, desperate to find his stash.

Today, Hinata was still his.

And he'd be damned if he let it go to waste.

The car ride was quiet.

Hinata looked out the window, hands in her lap. Sasuke drove slowly, taking the long way to work. The plan was to drop her off at the office. He'd go to work. Then, they would meet after.

It was routine.

And yet, it felt different.

He concentrated on his driving.

"Sasuke," Hinata called for him. He glanced over at her. She was still facing the window. "Would you ever tell your father about me?"

"If we agreed on it."

"So...if I told my father about you…" Hinata prompted slowly.

Sasuke felt his chest tighten with the unspoken promise. "Yeah, I'd tell my old man about us. You know I don't give a shit what he says. And no offence, but I couldn't give a damn what Hiashi thinks about us."

She laughed at that. "I know."

"Your cousin, on the other hand…"

"Don't worry." Hinata laughed into her palm. "He hates Itachi more than he hates you."

His mood skyrocketed. "Thank goodness." He replied with a smirk. He'd fight Neji if he had to. But Neji was also a two-time taekwondo nationalist.

Well, fine. If he had to get his ass handed to him, just to prove a point...it'd be worth it.

Too quickly, they arrived at Hinata's office building. Sasuke pulled over, parking down the street, away from onlookers. Hinata, who knew when Sasuke had something to say, stayed in her seat and waited.

Sasuke drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "That contract is worth millions of dollars."

"I know."

"You're going to be busy." Too busy for him.

"I'll manage."

"I don't want you to push yourself."

"This is what I want."

"Are you sure about that?"

"More than anything."

"It's not going to be easy."

"It never is."

Sasuke paused, irritated at her easy responses. "My family won't stop until they beat yours. You know our fathers. You won this contract, but there will be others. We'll be facing each other again." And I know how much it hurts you. It hurts me too.

Hinata sighed through her nose, eyes closing. "I know. Sasuke, I...I've been thinking about this for a long time. Every day. Every night. I look at you, and I... I feel so happy. And so scared."

Sasuke's throat ached. "Hinata…"

"And," Hinata added in an uncomfortably loud voice, the kind she did when she was nervous. "And I'm fairly certain I'm falling in love with you." She did not look at him. "That's why...that's why I'm not afraid anymore."

Hinata fell silent, finished with her speech and quietly waited for him to say something.

Sasuke was not an emotional person. Had this been any other woman, any other person, he might have tried to change the subject. Avoid her eyes. Find any excuse to not say anything at all.

"I want to be with you." He said without a trace of hesitation. "For as long as I possibly can. For as long as you want me."

"I'll always want you."

"Then always." He decided easily. Too easily. The realization made him question everything he thought he knew about himself.

Hinata looked at him, eyes shining, perfect lips stretching into a wobbly smile. "Then we'll fight. If you keep being so pessimistic, I'll fight you too, Uchiha-san."

And just like that, they were back to normal. "Call me as soon as you can and I might let you win." Smirking, Hinata leaned in and kissed him soundly.

"I will. I hope your father takes it well."

"I hope yours doesn't put a bounty on me."

"Neji wouldn't need a bounty."

"Get out of my car."

GIggling, Hinata stepped out, ducking her head one more time to meet his eyes. "Bye, Sasuke. Drive safe."

"Work hard today. I'll be coming for you soon."

And maybe, being rivals is what made it all so fun.

Being secret lovers is what made it so dangerous.

But being with each other is what made it all worth it.

Ten years later, the Hyuga and the Uchiha families shocked the banking industry when they merged companies, creating the first banking firm to be successfully co-led by former business rivals.

It helped that their CEOs were also happily married.

I know, it's short. Sorry guys, I'm getting burned out. I hope I have more inspiration tomorrow. As you all know, tomorrow is the angst/woes AU and this is where I thrive. Please leave me any feedback or ideas, I want tomorrow's to be amazing.

-Gen.