Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
This Lonely Fortress - 2
It was quite a few days later before they met again, between numerous schedule conflicts and far more numerous doubts.
They eyed each other furtively until Hinata broke under the tension.
"The Mangekyou. Kiss very powerful." A beat. "I-I-I mean it's very powerful."
"...Yes. It is."
Silence.
"Which makes your ability to warp genjutsu all the more unique."
"Thank you. And only took you a few mouths to figure it out."
"...thank you..."
The attempt at conversation fell flat, like a punctured balloon. But both parties were stubborn.
"Thank you for helping me."
"It was you who won your triumph."
"And I wouldn't have made suck progress if it weren't for you."
"...indeed…"
Hinata played with her fingers. Itachi studiously looked everywhere but her.
More silence. More fidgeting.
Finally, Itachi sighed. He turned to look at her in the eye, expression too blank to be natural. "We are dancing around the subject, Hinata." She gulped, fighting the rising blush she could feel creeping up her neck. They were two grown adults. They will deal with this like mature adults. "First, I must apologize for my lips -" Itachi coughed, a faint pink tinge on his cheeks and Hinata tried to not burn like the sun, " -my lapse in control."
Then what he was trying to say sunk in. Her buzzing nerves stilled, shrinking into something cold and heavy at the bottom of her stomach. Apologize? Why was he apologizing? Did he think it was a mistake?
The thought that he regretted it caught her breath with a cruel hand. Hinata fought against it, forcing the words out of her throat.
"Nibble mind that!" she blurted. "All that matters that you accomplished what no other could. Though we found a solution, I'd appreciate you giving me some licks on dealing genjutsu."
What was wrong with her? The more aware she was, the worst it got...her slips didn't even make sense anymore. Hinata covered her face no longer caring how it looked, and yet caring so much about what he thought of her that she thought she might combust on the spot.
"It would be best if we continued with our current momentum, as I'm not sure what the tongue-term effects are," she suggested, face muffled by her hands.
Anything to avoid breaking this fragile, beautiful dream. She'll continue to be his test subject for eternity if they could stay like this. If she didn't die from mortification first.
Itachi didn't respond. Hinata peeked at him from between her fingers. He stared at her for a moment, looking as he wanted to say something else. It was so very hard to tell.
"Very well," he agreed. He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes like all his other smiles. Eyes were the window to the soul, but Hinata didn't dare to look too closely.
AN: Feel the awkward.
Feel it.
Feel it now.
(And it was completely punintentional for me to buss out so many bad puns. )