Hinata sat up in her living room, feeling her hair curl around her face. She dug her hands into it to take out the last of the pins that were barely holding on. She was glad her living room didn't have any windows, light would be killer on the hangover she had right now.
Hinata stretched over Sasuke to lay the fist full of pins down on the coffee table before sitting back and looking down at him. His head was going to hurt too. Hinata winced as she got up to make coffee. She shouldn't have slept in office clothes, and Sasuke should have showered after spending all that time on a plane, but Sasuke made them stop to grab another bottle of wine and a few sweet treats from the convenience store, and when they got back to her apartment, they spent the rest of the night talking.
When they got tired, the conversation wasn't over. Sasuke pushed the couch back and laid on a blanket on the floor until one of them fell asleep. She couldn't remember who fell asleep first. She couldn't even remember what they stayed up to talk about.
Coffee brewed, and in her cup, Hinata leaned against the counter. Did she wake him up?
Despite all the conversation, none of it was about what they planned to do. She was still upset. With a clear head now, she could somewhat understand Itachi's position, maybe until his brother finished school. If she were sick, she wouldn't want her sister to give up part of her life or education to spend endless days in the hospital for her, but life didn't work out how people wanted. What were they planning to do if Itachi had complications in surgery and didn't make it? Surely they would have to tell Sasuke then, and if that were the case, and he hadn't known, would he ever talk to his father again?
How many more lies had they told her, right to her face?
Did it run in the family? Sasuke was always unsurprised by his father and brother's web of lies, but was it because he was used to being tangled in them, or was this something all of them did?
Hinata made another cup of coffee and brought it to him, stretching past him once more to sit on the coffee table, settling back down to sit in the mess of blankets. She looked at him for a moment. As far as she knew, Sasuke hadn't lied to her, he used her to lie on more than one occasion, but she couldn't remember a time that he lied to her about anything more than his feelings. Which was understandable, no one always told you what they were really feeling.
Hinata nudged him with her knee. Sasuke sucked in a breath and raised his head, looking slightly confused, scrunching his face. She pointed at the coffee. He raised his eyebrows at it, sitting up to drink it. "What time is it?"
Hinata sipped her drink. "I'm late for work."
"Mmm?" Sasuke hummed as he took his first swig. "Because we slept out here?"
Hinata shook her head. "No, I put in a personal day."
"Before or after you realized you were late for work?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.
Hinata giggled. "Last night."
Sasuke made a face. "Oh. Even when you're drunk, you're responsible."
"I called out for you too." Hinata smiled into her coffee.
Sasuke groaned. "You're really annoying."
Hinata pulled her knees up to her chest and sat the hot cup on her knees. "We should shower."
"Together?" Sasuke asked cheekily.
"No." Hinata countered. "I shouldn't have slept in this."
"You're welcome to sleep less." Sasuke got kicked for his efforts.
Past that, Hinata ignored his comments. "Then we should clean up the blankets and make breakfast."
"Go shower. I'll go get breakfast." Sasuke took a bigger swig of his coffee, which she was sure burned before he put it to the side and hopped up.
"You need to shower, too. You just got off a long flight, and your hair is a mess." Hinata tugged on the edge of his pant leg to encourage him to sit back down.
"I'll wear a hat. Go. Shower. You look like Medusa." Sasuke padded over to his shoes at the door.
Hinata ran a hand through her hair. The pins had kinked, holding it in all different directions all night. She was sure she looked like she went through a wind tunnel.
Sasuke rubbed his face before he grabbed his coat. "Do you have hangover medication?"
"I think I'm out." Hinata looked over her shoulder in the kitchen. She spent too much time drinking with Uchihas.
"I'll grab some." Sasuke's hand hovered over the doorknob as there was a knock on the door.
Hinata sat up straighter. "Who's that?"
Sasuke peered into the peephole. "Uh… bad news… your cousin."
Hinata scrambled to her feet. "He was supposed to start today. He probably was told I didn't come in when he got to the office."
"Is there a scenario where he doesn't kill me?" Sasuke whispered.
Hinata glanced down at her clothes. "Or both of us?" The knock was harder the second time. Hinata pushed Sasuke away from the door. "Go shower."
"Yeah, that's not incriminating." Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Now." Hinata shoved harder toward the spare bedroom and braced herself to open the door.
Sasuke took longer than he needed to dry his hair, but he wasn't eager to go out to the lions' den. Neji was waiting in the living room with a suspicious look and a cup of coffee. Hinata was dressed differently, but her hair was still curly. She merely brushed into tame it.
"You spend a lot of nights here?" Neji asked coldly.
"Yes," Sasuke answered flatly.
Neji wasn't spooked by his honesty. "Before you started dating?"
Sasuke sat down. "Yes. I think that's why they call it a guest room."
Hinata snapped a hand down on her cousin before he could flinch at the comment. "Sasuke-san and Itachi-san both use the guest room. It is not a problem." Hinata stated authoritatively.
"It is if they were interested in you." Neji countered.
"You're modern, aren't you?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow sarcastically and watched Neji's pulse, raised by the tension in his neck.
Hinata gave him a look. "I am an adult. I am engaged." Oh yeah, he almost forgot about that. "And like I already said, if anything 'inappropriate' did happen, it would be none of your business."
Sasuke was surprised. He expected a 'we didn't sleep together', not a dodge.
Neji's face twitched. "You still smell like alcohol."
"We drank," Hinata admitted. "We had a rough night."
"And what exactly is going on? Not only did you not show up for the job you assured me you were very dedicated to, but you never returned yesterday." Neji turned his accusation to Hinata.
"Family matter." Sasuke excused.
"I AM family." Neji countered.
"Not yet." Sasuke crossed his arms.
"Keep it up and that will be permanent." Neji jabbed a finger at him.
"Stop it." Hinata snapped at him. Sasuke offered a smug smile. "And don't bait him." Sasuke only lost half his smile. "Neji-san, if you're going to work with us, you have to understand I can't tell you everything, and I refuse to fight with you every single time something like this happens."
"That means you decided not to quit?" Sasuke asked, stirring the pot.
"What?" Neji asked.
Hinata put her head in her hands, making her hair bounce in front of her face. She was cute with a bedhead.
Fugaku sat down at his desk and briefly checked his phone and email. Hinata and Sasuke both called off the last three days, but she hadn't sent in another time off request this morning. Did that mean that she was coming, or did she finally decide to quit?
Fugaku knew his son. Even if he was furious, his temper would eventually run out.
Hinata… Itachi said Hinata looked destroyed, and she wasn't answering a single call, message, or email sent to her. Fugaku wasn't sure she was coming back this time. If he was being honest, this life wasn't really made for someone like her, soft and kind, like her mother was.
Fugaku closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. At least they got Itachi's name out of the papers. His door opened, and a tray with water and a pill was sat down. He glared at it. "What is this?"
"Hinata asked me to make sure you had one first thing this morning." Lee told him cheerfully.
"Hinata talked to you this morning?" Fugaku squinted up at Lee.
Lee pointed at her office. "She was just in. Her coat is hanging in her office."
"She was here?" Fugaku got up.
"Sir, your pill." Lee insisted, holding the tray up at him.
Fugaku felt his face twitch, but he took the pill as commanded. "Where is she now?"
"She said she had to talk to HR." Lee shrugged.
HR… That could be bad. Fugaku sat back down and felt his stomach knot as he waited for her to come back with her decision.
"Sir, she left this for you as well," Lee revealed a folder that twisted his knots. "If you need anything…"
Fugaku waved him out, taking a breath and opening the folder. It was only an expense report. He was going to have a heart attack at this rate. He laid his head back, took a few deep breaths, and slowed his heart rate as he heard his door open.
Hinata stood there with a flat look on her face, holding her phone up like she did when she waited for him to ask for his status. Was she going to act as if nothing happened?
"Are you going to make me ask?" Fugaku wondered.
Fugaku recognized the cold look he got next. He wasn't sure Hinata could fully make that look. He had gotten glimpses of it over their time together, the look her mother gave him when she was completely and utterly done with his shit. "Yes, sir."
Fugaku sat up. "Are you going to quit?"
"Are you going to apologize to your son?" Hinata answered in a monotone. That wasn't a yes, but it also wasn't her usual professional speech.
Fugaku considered her for a moment. "How is he? He never did come home."
"He's moving in with me," Hinata shifted to her other leg, daring him to tell her that, and he wasn't allowed.
Fugaku crossed his arms. "Is that so?" Hinata only nodded, forcing him to continue. "Right, guess he's found a loophole. He knows I don't want to lose both of you, so he gets to break the rules without consequence?"
"I really shouldn't be on that list of what is important to you at the moment, sir." Hinata countered.
"Well, as unfortunate as this situation is. I know my son." Fugaku waved his hand at his office. "He's not here throwing a fit. He's confrontational when he's at his limit. Obviously, you've smoothed things over." Hinata's eyebrows twitched down. She didn't like his wording one bit. "No matter what he believes, we lied to protect him. You can disagree with the method but not the sentiment." Hinata's jaw set. He should make his point quickly. "You, on the other hand, if you're anything like your mother, will disappear." Fugaku let out a heavy breath. "You cut out your father in favor of me. I don't think you won't cut me out in favor of Sasuke."
Hinata's eyes didn't soften on him, but unfortunately, she was too much like her mother, and even if he wanted only to make a point, he knew that those words would hurt her later when she had a moment to think about it when the disappointment and rage subsided.
"Set up a family dinner tonight. The whole family, you and their mother included." Fugaku nodded, thinking about his decision.
Hinata looked down at her phone, piercing her lips. "You're already booked."
"Cancel it and anything after. It will probably be a long night." Fugaku waited for a rebuttal, but nothing came. She changed the appointment on her phone, and then her cold eyes slid back up. She looked like her father when she did that. "Status."
