Fugaku rarely read a tabloid with a smile on his face. Hinata came in with a coffee and fell into her normal prepared stance, waiting for his commands. "You know it's a proud day in a man's life when his son is in the news, and it's not a scandal."
Hinata tilted her head in question. After a few clicks, he shared the article."Though, Sasuke Uchiha seems to have a continuing problem with women fighting over him. Despite his reputation, according to an anonymous source, Uchiha is "driven and passionate as well dependable even if it doesn't benefit him." Hinata read, but her face fell as she trailed off. "Sir…"
"You don't agree?" Fugaku chuckled.
"No, sir, it's not that. I said this." Hinata clarified. "After the spill incident, a came up and asked me what I thought of him. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I thought he was an interested investor." She continued to scroll through the article.
"Your name isn't mentioned," Fugaku assured her. "I already looked for a credit."
"Sir, he didn't have a press badge." Hinata expressed concern.
"Then we should be glad that he wrote good things," Fugaku replied with a smile. "And you didn't air out my boy's worst qualities."
Hinata sighed with a continued look of concern on her face.
"You think my son is driven and passionate?" Fugaku teased, leaning back in his chair with an eyebrow raised.
Hinata caught his tone, turning red at the smile that spread across his face. "I think it's a trait among Uchiha men."
"So Itachi, too, then?" Fugaku added.
Hinata frowned, looking down at her phone, and then her face changed. Oh, he didn't like the look she got. "Sir, you haven't congratulated your son and his team yet," Hinata said politely but vindictively. "You're open for the next hour."
Fugaku's face twitched. He shouldn't have played with fire.
Sasuke glared at the article on his screen. Why did the press always focus on him and not his work? So far, in three articles, none of them focused on what they were about to put on the market, but all of them had a picture of him.
His email pinged. Another article. Sasuke's blood pressure shot up. A picture of his father with Hinata tucked on his arm. He took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the picture, only now it was moving.
His father came down the hall with his little assistant trailing behind him. Sasuke sat up straight as his father came to a stop at his office. Sasuke waited for a moment, and when his father didn't let himself in, he got up and opened his door. "Can I help you with something, director?" Sasuke asked his father.
"I wanted to congratulate your team on a great opening event." Fugaku waved his hand at their cubicles, and his team rubbernecked above their desks.
Sasuke could feel his father's professional voice. It was not really what he hoped for.
Fugaku looked back at Hinata, who looked amused. "Celebration." She said under her breath, hiding her smile poorly.
Fugaku nodded awkwardly. "Sasuke, make sure they all have a celebratory dinner. Hinata set it up and put it on the company tab."
"Yes, sir," Hinata nodded.
Fugaku looked around the room at the expecting faces before Sasuke's. He then cleared his throat. "I have to get back to work. Thank you all. Keep up the good work."
Hinata pressed her lips together, trying to keep her professional face. It made Sasuke's skin crawl. "Hinata, I need you for a minute."
Hinata waved off the director, following him into his office. "Did you have a problem with the new assistant that was assigned?"
"No, I want to know what that was about." Sasuke snapped.
Hinata glanced behind her through the glass. "The director came down to congratulate your team. He is proud of you." She paused. "Even if he struggles to say it."
"You made him come down here?" Sasuke accused.
"I reminded him he should." Hinata matched his tone. "That is my job."
"I am getting real sick of you saying that," Sasuke growled.
Hinata just straightened her posture, challenging his stare.
Sasuke waved his hand, indicating for her to leave.
Hinata did, but she paused with her hand on the door like she was going to turn back and say something. She made her way out of his office and down the hall.
"The Harunos are some of Mikoto's closest friends, though until recently, they were living in Europe. I'm sure she would have been shoving my boys and their daughter together since birth if they hadn't." Fugaku explained.
Hinata wasn't sure she should actually be present as the invitation was more of a throwaway, but he didn't want to go alone. "Is their daughter Itachi's age?"
"Sasuke's." Hinata nodded understandingly. "She's determined but spoiled. She's never understood the word no," Fugaku grumbled. "She's more like Mikoto than she is her own mother."
That told Hinata everything she needed to know about his feelings for her.
As the car came to a stop, Fugaku sighed. "This is going to be a train wreck. Maybe we should get a drink after."
Hinata smiled. "I really don't know if that is a good idea, sir."
"We can drink at the manor. If you have too much to drink, you can stay." Fugaku commented as they got out.
"Maybe," Hinata commented, unconvinced.
"You know, that wouldn't be an issue if you had just moved into the manor." Fugaku added.
Hinata wasn't going to reply to that. They were guided to a mostly full private table. Fugaku sat her next to himself and briefly said his hellos. Sasuke was the only one missing. Always late.
"Hinata, this is Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno and their daughter Sakura." Fugaku presented.
Hinata bowed her head.
"Fugaku, you're finding them rather young, aren't you?" Kizashi chuckled.
Hinata turned red.
"She is my assistant, Kizashi." Fugaku corrected, looking unamused.
"That's how I met my wife." Kizashi smiled at his wife, unfazed by the director's tone.
"She's your daughter's age." Fugaku countered in vain.
Hinata dipped her head, preparing for more accusations, but before they could be made, Sasuke entered. She was alerted to this by the woman, introduced as Sakura, jumping up, cheerfully calling his name.
Sakura greeted him at the door and drugged him in the seat next to her.
"Don't they look cute together?" Mikoto leaned over to the director to comment.
Fugaku's lips fell into line. He didn't seem to think so. A reflection between son and father. Fugaku leaned over to her. "You're not working. Drink. We'll both need it."
Hinata sipped her wine, but she hoped this wouldn't become a habit. Dinner was served as Mikoto spoke great things about the heiress. Singing her praises, listing her qualities. Hinata would have been more convinced if she didn't know Mikoto's motives. The girl was beautiful, and she was sure the Mikoto was only slightly exaggerating her gifts. Hinata was jealous. Sakura was beautiful, talented, and smart. She sipped her second glass of wine.
Something about hearing Sakura being on her way to a Ph.D. had hit her in the stomach.
Maybe it was walking back in time with Itachi at the university or the direct side-eye Mikoto gave her when she mentioned it, but something triggered it. Her mother's forgotten wishes dug at her. She didn't even know if Hanabi had started university yet.
She missed Hanabi's graduation. She missed helping her fill out applications and scholarships as they had planned. She missed taking her to campus for the first time and hearing about all her class and teachers. She would miss her coming home from her first exams, proud of how well she had done.
How long until Hinata saw her again? Would she ever call?
Hinata felt her eyes prickle and stopped the train of thought. The wave of emotion didn't go away. She couldn't just start crying sitting here.
"Excuse me," Fugaku caught her arm, looking worried. "Just going to the restroom." She lied.
Once out of the room, Hinata picked up her speed. She patted her eyes in the bathroom and took a few deep breaths. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes and nose turned red. She could explain it away with sneezing. Another deep breath, and she felt collected enough. Hinata rest against the door in the hall, pausing to look at her sister's contact on her phone. She pressed her lips together, pressed call, and held the phone up to her ear, but it rang once and then told her that the caller she was trying to reach was no longer available at this number.
Hinata's lip trembled as she lowered the phone. "Maybe I deserved it."
"Most likely."
Hinata's eyes snapped up to Sasuke's sharp stare. "I really do not want to fight with you right now." Maybe she shouldn't have had that glass of wine.
"Sasuke, wait," Sakura called from down the hall. Hinata turned her head toward her.
Sasuke's eyes snapped to Hinata, it was like he was asking her for help, but she didn't know what he wanted. What was going on?
Overwhelmed, the tears came back.
Sasuke could work with that. He reached out to her. Hinata hesitated as she took his hand. He pulled her to him, wrapping her arms around him. Her crying intensified as she hid her face. "It's okay," Sasuke hoped it was. It would be awful to say to someone who just lost a parent or found out their apartment burnt down.
Sakura turned red down the hall. Soon, his parents found their way out into the hall to find him. His mother started to huff like she was ready to screech, but his father gave her a look he hadn't seen him give her often. Her mouth snapped shut, and she gave him a deathly glare.
Fugaku approached them. "Is she alright?"
Sasuke wasn't really sure what to tell him. He didn't even know why she was crying. He opened his arms, and she sniffed, covering her face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Hinata whimpered. "I'm fine." Hinata squeaked, trying to pull herself together.
"Sasuke, why don't you take her home." Fugaku patted him on the shoulder. "I'll handle your mother for the time being." He added in a whisper.
Sasuke didn't need to be told twice. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her down the hall. They were handed their coats as they left, and he loaded her in his car.
Hinata sat in the car, wiping her eyes.
"You cry on cue?" Sasuke didn't know if he was trying to lighten the mood or make her angry, anything to make her stop crying.
Hinata turned her red eyes to him to glare. Maybe she wasn't faking it. "What was going on?" Hinata's voice broke.
Sasuke sighed. "I knew my mother wanted to set me up with that girl. She's done this before, but they started talking about us getting married, and I barreled out of there."
"And you used me to get out," Hinata concluded.
Sasuke wasn't going to apologize if that's what she thought. "It's your job." He mocked.
Hinata wiped her face again, but it just made her look more miserable. Her chest shivered as she tried to take deep breaths. She really worked herself up. "I wasn't supposed to be working."
"So, if it's not an act, why are you so upset?" Sasuke asked.
"Please just take me home," Hinata whispered to keep her voice from breaking.
Sasuke held his keys up. "No. Tell me why you're upset."
Hinata huffed, snatched up her purse, exited that car, slammed the door shut, and started walking toward the street.
Sasuke growled, starting his car to follow her. He rolled the window down and called out. "Get back in the car. Dad told me to get you home."
Hinata hugged herself. "I'll make it home. I won't tell him. Just leave me alone."
"Come on, just get back in the car," Sasuke growled. "I'm serious. Dad will kill me if you don't make it home."
Hinata ignored him, pulling her phone out to call a car.
Sasuke tightened his hands on the steering wheel, swallowing his pride. "I'm sorry, okay? You're clearly not faking it. Just get in the car. It's late and cold." He waited for a response. "Please."
Hinata's fingers hovered over the screen. She sighed and got back in.
She put her seat belt on and curl around herself.
Sasuke kept his mouth shut for the drive. He caused enough problems today. He stopped in front of her apartment building, and she didn't get out immediately. He turned off the car. He deserved the scolding she was ready to unleash.
Instead of the raging lecture he expected, he got a small, quivering voice. "I haven't heard from my sister since the day my father came to the office." She admitted. "I missed her graduation, and she's probably already starting university."
Sasuke didn't know what he was expecting, but that wasn't it. "So you chose work over family." He had heard a couple of versions of this story so far. "And now you have regrets?"
Hinata's eyes flashed at him in rage. She jerked the door open, slamming it shut before stocking toward her building.
Sasuke watched her until she got inside. He rubbed his face before slamming his hand on the wheel and let out a growl. He was going to regret it if he left now, wasn't he? Why did he have to be such a bastard if he knew he was going to feel bad about it?
Her emotions were raw, and she was being open, and he had to open his big fat mouth and say the first thing he thought, didn't he?
Sasuke sat in the car for a moment more before he looked down at the car's navigation. She put her apartment number in it. His hands tightened around the wheel and then released along with his resolve. He would just check on her and then leave. Just make sure she got up to her room. After all, she was accident-prone. She could have fallen down in the hall or something.
Then he could tell his dad that he made sure she got into her apartment safely.
Sasuke ripped the keys out of the ignition and jerked the door open. This was a bad idea.
