Party
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Parties thrown by the Uchihas tended to be large social events, and this one was, unfortunately, no exception. Itachi and Neji had never been very good mingling with other people, and were currently both leaning against the wall trying to look inconspicuous together and failing. Their hands, clasped together, were half-hidden in the folds of their fine clothes, and while Neji thought they exuded the very essence of being together, they were both still beset by girls and other men alike, all with eyes for one or the other (or in the strangest cases, both). Itachi's sour look had been in place since they'd entered the gates of the Uchiha compound, and Neji's own look hadn't been long in coming.
Fugaku came by eventually, glaring at them both. "The guests are anxious to meet you, Itachi," he said. Nodding at Neji almost as an afterthought, he moved off with Mikoto in tow, schmoozing with the rich and the noteworthy around Konoha.
Everything was such a power play now, Neji thought dispassionately. Hand still loosely holding on to Itachi's, he followed the older nin across the room and only half-listened after he was introduced. The wife of this particular diplomat kept shooting him nasty looks, and soon after that he figured out that she, like every other female with an eye for Itachi, was jealous of him. Neji still wasn't used to this, and as the night wore on it became clear that half the women in the room were ready to slit his throat and take Itachi for themselves.
Until they got to one couple.
It was a quarter to eleven; the party was at its height. They were making idle chatter with an elderly couple and trying to hide that they were together when the woman said to Neji, "You don't need to hide from us, dear. We've seen stranger pairs in our lifetime, and you are quite normal and welcome in this world where everyone's so busy knitting a damn scarf out of the yarns they tell to make themselves bigger."
After that, things got considerably better. It was well past one in the morning when Itachi escorted a yawning Neji directly to his room, saying if he hadn't had an arm around Neji on the way home the Hyuuga would have fallen flat on his face. Itachi politely turned around so Neji could undress and crawl into bed, and then tucked the covers in almost tenderly around him. They stared at each other, dark eyes intense and pearlescent eyes sleepy, before Neji hesitantly leaned up to kiss him shyly. He felt the oddly gentle brush of fingers on his cheek and cracked his eyes open. Itachi was…caressing him?
"Sleep well, Neji," the Uchiha said, rising.
"You too, Itachi."
With a puff of white smoke he was gone, and Neji fell into sleep.