This is the PREQUEL of my ModernAU oneshot 'Of Tequila and Friendship' it's a fluffy Itahina oneshot with a side of Sasuke/Hinata friendship. Also Naruto isn't mine and english ins't my first language.

Enjoy!


His brother was sulking.

Actually, sulking like a petulant child who lost his favorite toy.

Ok so maybe Sasuke was exaggerating.

Itachi wasn't sulking perse but he was still the sorry sod nursing a glass of whiskey in a corner in the event of the social season. (His mother's words since she helped organize it)

So yes, he was a sorry sod in a corner. A sorry sod who was trying to burn a hole into the unfortunate soul that had the misfortune of laying eyes on Hinata Hyuuga.

Sasuke had found it amusing at first. How his genius of a brother who excelled at everything, utterly failed at making his interest known to the former Hyuuga heiress.

It had been hilarious to watch the mishaps that followed perfect Itachi the-golden-boy since she started working in Uchiha corporation in Sasuke's division after she left her father's company.

Like the time he walked into a door watching her bend down to retrieve a dropped Pen.

Or the time he choked on his own saliva when she unintentionally showed him her cleavage while organizing his files.

Or when she just smiled in his general direction really.

His brother did not use to be this awkward around her before. He'd known her all his life. Admittedly from afar since their families weren't exactly close but they still ran in the same social circles. They met at charity events and fundraisers constantly. Plus, Sasuke and Hinata went to the same high school.

And she spent a lot of time at the Uchiha Mansion when she was dating his best friend Naruto.

Now that he thought about it, Itachi did spend a considerable amount of time helping them with their homework when she was there and he did pay more special attention tutoring her.

Was it the fact that she blossomed into an attractive woman? Or was it the fact that he was exposed to her daily now, making what-Sasuke-guessed were buried unresolved feelings resurface in the form of awkward encounters and burning jealousy.

Another delightful side effect of Hinata Hyuuga was the capacity of rendering any man that talked to her into Itachi's next target.

Because if you so happen to get a bit too close to Hinata, not only would you be on the receiving end of a scorching glare that'll make anyone pee their pants. You'd also be a victim of a case of very 'bad luck' and emotional scars.

Itachi can burn someone's life to the ground if he so desired. The sadistic bastard.

A desire that grew with every advance you made to the ex-Hyuuga heiress.

Hell, Sasuke himself hadn't been safe from his brother's ire when he made the mistake of openly flirting with her and getting her flustered. It wasn't even like that!

Ok, so it was a little bit like that at the time.

Because A) He wasn't blind. B) Hinata was nice and warm and didn't get on his nerves and C) She smelled really good.

The two weeks of hell that ensued left him with crippling paranoia and deep psychological trauma that made him swear to never ever ever think about Hyuuga Hinata that way ever again. Like ever.

They did grow to be friends however, though he kept denying it.

Speaking of friends. Sasuke spotted Hinata at the bar talking to a white-haired guy. She seemed very uncomfortable with every lingering touch this stranger made.

Her eyes darted around looking for an escape.

Jeez why wasn't his brother interrupting? He just has to be dramatic and extract revenge from the shadows.

The poor lovesick sociopath.

Oh, wait Itachi's back was to her. He seemed to be on the receiving end of one of their mother's lectures who was probably bugging him about talking to one of the women present.

Guess this guy will still be drawing breath after all.

Nevertheless, enough was enough.


Sasuke made his way to the bar and stepped between them. His back to the guy and focused his attention on Hinata.

"Hyuuga."

"Sasuke!" The relieved look on her face made his fist itch to connect with the guy's nose.

Unlike his brother, Sasuke's protective instincts always manifested in physical altercations.

So, he developed a (purely platonic) soft spot for her so what.

"Excuse me. We were in the middle of a conversation."

Sasuke turned his head and assessed him. He was about his age, shorter than him with short white hair and icy blue eyes that looked at him flatly with irritation.

The Uchiha snorted.

"Fuck off." He took Hinata's hand and pulled her away "let's go Hyuuga."

Hinata wasn't clingy, that was what he liked most about her yet she clung to him like a lifeline.

Oh he was so breaking this guy's jaw.

They made their way through the crowd milling around. Sasuke's glare deterred anyone from approaching them. Once they reached a relatively quiet spot. She was the first to speak.

"Thank you Sasuke."

"What happened there?" The raven-haired man asked. "who was that dick?"

The fact that she didn't chide him for his language was another indicator of how upset she was.

"That was Toneri Otsutsuki" she sighed "Possibly my future fiancé"

"Come again." His face was incredulous.

"My father is pressuring me about marriage" her voice wavered.

"Tell him to fuck off." He answered gruffly.

Maybe Hiashi Hyuuga should be on his shit list of people he was going to beat up.

Or better yet he'll unleash Itachi on him.

"You know how it is in our families. I may not be his official heir anymore but I am still his eldest daughter, there are certain expectation I can't run from."

Sasuke sighed. Sometimes he hated their families and social class. Belonging to an old rich family with noble blood made their life so complicated. If there was one thing, he understood it was expectations. You were supposed to be the top of your class, attend a prestigious university and major in finance or business and then take over the family empire or be part of it.

"I'm sure Itachi has already started the courting process." Her shoulder slumped.

Right. Sasuke was very much aware of Hinata's feelings towards his brother. He's seen all the signs. Being subjected to them in high school when she had a crush on his idiot of a best friend, he was intimately familiar with them. The incessant blushing, that stutter (That he secretly found endearing.) and the fixed gaze that was borderline stalkery.

Not that Itachi noticed.

Both were idiots in his opinion.

"Does it have to be that dick swab?" He smiled when a muffled laugh escaped her.

"That's not even a word Sasuke." She tried to stifle another laugh.

"Sure, it is. I just said it. So does it have to be him? He looks like a creep."

"He is very…pushy" She cringed at the reminder of a few encounters. Yep so on his shit list. "My father presented me with a list of potential suitors. But heavily hinted he wanted new ties to a powerful company. He even suggested Gaara."

"Hyuuga. Gaara's gay." Sasuke's deadpan face made her smile.

"I'm aware. That didn't stop my father from suggesting him."

"Your father is a dick." He answered.

"Is that the only insult you're going to use tonight?" She asked.

"Do you want me to get creative?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No. Not really." She shook her head "So now Toneri is the front runner. I really don't like him Sasuke."

"What if you were already dating someone else?" He pondered.

"As long as he's from a respectable family (Read preferably an heir to a business empire) Father shouldn't complain." Her eyes filled with mirth "Why? Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Sasuke made a show out of sweeping his gaze slowly down then up again. Making her cheeks ignite.

It was still fun to fluster her.

"I wouldn't mind" He smirked "But I am quite attached to my family jewels so no."

Hinata looked at him with confusion.

The Uchiha was debating between exposing Itachi's feelings to her or maybe doing the opposite. Because frankly, it was getting ridiculous and maybe if Itachi asked her out It'll remove the white-haired freak (that he was definitely going to beat up later) out of the picture.

"Your sister looks like she wants to talk to you." Sasuke motioned to the little Hyuuga who was indeed waving at them "I'll see you later Hyuuga."

He walked away in search for his own sibling.

Sorry Hyuuga. Brother trumps denied friend.


Gods she was beautiful.

How can his mother expect him to talk to some simpering airheaded heiress, when she was standing in that dress looking like that. Her tinkling laugh at something his brother said filling his ears like music. Her lavender tinted eyes looking up with such kindness and warmth.

His brother wasn't one to enjoy women's company but Itachi certainly understood why she made the exception. There was something about Hinata Hyuuga that just drew you in. A light, a soothing presence that was simply intoxicating.

Itachi looked down at the ember liquid filling his glass. He sometimes envied Sasuke's closeness with her (a closeness his foolish little brother was still denying) even though it wasn't the type of closeness he craved, he still envied him.

Something just seemed to always go wrong whenever he plucked the courage to ask her out.

Like the time he sent flower to her office and how she immediately assumed were for her coworker Karin. In hindsight he should've specified on his card. The result was being hounded by a redhead Uchiha obsessed fangirls who believed he was in love with her for an entire month.

Sasuke had a field day with that.

Or the time he brought lunch for the inhabitant of theirs small office ( when Karin wasn't there of course) that she also shared with his brother. And after many pointed glares towards Sasuke, he finally left them alone. He had been hoping to ask her out then but when he looked at her, he was alarmed to see her red-faced gasping for breath. She was allergic to the shrimp that was in her salad.

He almost killed her trying to ask her out.

When he tried again by bringing her coffee, he ended up spilling it on her white blouse. Effectively burning her and soaking her top completely. They were both mortified by Sasuke's input of "I wouldn't have pegged you for the type to wears a lace bra Hyuuga."

He never wanted to strangle his brother more than in that moment.

Although the delicate lavender flower pattern was quite a fetching contrast against her generous mounds.

Still that mishap didn't even rank on the top ten of his failed attempts. He felt like an idiot.

Not to say that Itachi completely lost his mental faculties around her or anything. He was still Itachi Uchiha. He was able to spend time with her and enjoy her company which probably was the contributing factor of his interest morphing into a deep-rooted love. It's just that whenever the words 'would you like to go out with me?' were about to pass his lips, disaster always followed. Maybe it was Karma coming to bite him in the ass for all the guys he terrorized. Not that he regretted it.

The point is Itachi sucked at confessing his feelings and his foolish little brother was an ass who constantly mocked him for it and was…. heading to his direction right now.

"Are you done brooding?" His brother asked as a way of greeting.

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Itachi answered taking another sip from his whiskey"You're the one who's always brooding little brother"

"How many of those did you have?" Sasuke said pointing at his glass.

"Two." Itachi frowned.

"So, you're not completely drunk. Good" He deduced. What was his brother getting at "Hinata's father is trying to marry her off"

Even if he had been drunk that sentence would've sobered him up quickly.

"To who?" Itachi wished Sasuke's had more tact when dropping a bombshell like that so suddenly.

"A creep named Toneri to whom she referred to as very pushy" Sasuke scowled.

Itachi's eyes darkened.

Hinata saying someone was pushy meant he's made unwanted advances that probably bordered on sexual harassment judging by his brother's expression.

"I got it." The younger Uchiha said. Itachi nodded stiffly.

"Did she accept?"

"She doesn't want to, but thinks she doesn't have another option." Sasuke sighed

He looked like he was about to say more but Itachi had already drained the rest of his drink before walking toward the ex- Hyuuga heiress.


Hinata was conversing with Hanabi and Ino when she felt a presence behind her.

She was surprised when she saw the older Uchiha.

He looked so handsome as always, even more so in his black tuxedo. The lighting somehow reflected in his dark eyes bringing out a deep shade of red she never noticed before, making his gaze even more hypnotic.

She blushed when she noticed she's been staring and hadn't said anything.

"I-Itachi. How are you?"

"Marry me."

Everything came to a halt.

"W-what?"

Hinata had only had one glass of champagne, she hadn't thought it was that strong but maybe it was since she must be hallucinating. Otherwise, why was Itachi Uchiha asking her to marry him? Or was this her brain conjuring a fantasy while awake. It must be.

However, she wasn't too far gone that she didn't hear her sister's incredulous whisper of "did he just say marry me?!" nor was she too far gone she didn't see Sasuke's jaw hanging open a few paces behind his older brother. The whole visual would've been hilarious if she wasn't in the midst of some type of mental breakdown.

"Marry me." He said it again, so maybe she wasn't hallucinating after all.

She kept on looking at him with parted lips and wide eyes as she heard her friend and sister excuse themselves and dragging the gaping Sasuke with them.

"How much did you have to drink ?" That was the only logical explanation

"That is not really relevant to my proposal." Itachi took a step closer "Marry me Hinata."

For a second her heart stopped, filling to the brim with hope and happiness and then reality came crashing down again.

"You spoke to Sasuke" Her head hanged low.

"Yes."

"He shouldn't have said anything" Of course Itachi would want to help, and she was sure the alcohol in his bloodstream helped him come up with such a solution.

It was cruel .

"Itachi you are kind. But that's not a reason to tie yourself down to me."

"You say it as if it's a hardship." Something flickered in his gaze "You are not a hardship Hinata. You're beautiful. You're strong. You're full of light. I would've asked even if I wasn't in love with you because you do not deserve to be with someone who sees you as means to an end and didn't at least see and appreciate you."

"W-what did you just say?" Her eyes widened even more.

"You're beautiful." His knuckles grazed the apple of her cheeks gently.

"I-I meant after that." Her heart hammered in her chest.

"I love you" Itachi's eyes crinkled "is that so hard to believe?"

"Please don't say it if you don't mean it." Her eyes brimmed with tears. This will completely break her if it was nothing but the result of a few glasses of liquor.

"I'm sorry" His hands cupped her cheeks whipping away the tear that escaped "I did not mean to upset you. But I just want to say it once even if you do not feel the same."

"Y-You love me?" Hinata's voice wavered her own hands curled around his wrists when he pressed their foreheads together. His eyes conveyed his sincerity, the absolute truth of his confession and all the deep emotions she somehow never saw before.

He thought she didn't feel the same. How can he think that? How can he be so blind to the way he halted her breath whenever he smiled at her. The way he made happiness bubble in her chest whenever he came by to spend time with her. How can he be so blind to the way her heart calls his name.

"Itachi" His name was but a whispered prayer between them."Please" She looked at him with a sense of desperation that left her feelings unquestioned and her soul bare. "Ask me again tomorrow."

"If you insist." His smile was blinding. For he too could read what she's been desperately hiding from him.

"Egghh! Just kiss already!" Sasuke's exasperated voice was heard from behind Itachi who turned around to scold his brother.

However, he wasn't able to as Hinata took hold of his collar and crashed her lips to his in a searing kiss.

Hinata could tell he was surprised judging by the flabbergasted look on his face when she pulled away with burning cheeks at her own boldness.

Maybe she had misread the situation after all.

That notion completely went out the window when he forcefully grabbed her waist with one hand and slid the other to the back of her neck to bring her in for a bruising kiss that redefined her entire being. Her startled gasp was all the leverage he needed to deepen the kiss, turning her to a complete puddle of melted goo as her brain decided to take a prolonged vacation and entirely forget about their surroundings.

But of course, Sasuke just had to chatter the moment completely.

"Damn. Itachi she needs to breathe you know." It was probably for the best since she could see her father seething at the other side of the room.

Right. They were in the middle of a charity event and Itachi Uchiha had just decided to snog her in a way no one present will soon forget.

"Itachi darling I am quite happy you're trying to provide me with the grandbabies I always wanted but maybe it's better you do that in private." Mikoto Uchiha had a sparkle of mischievousness that Hinata only ever saw in Sasuke's eyes when she spoke.

She felt her whole face turning red before darkness started to creep on her sense. Good thing he still had his arms around her so she wouldn't crack her skull when she fainted. Which she did but not before hearing Itachi's exasperated voice.

"Mother, was that really necessary?"


How did he find himself in this predicament?

Ah yes it was all Hinata Hyuuga's fault. Well, more accurately Hinata Uchiha now since his brother didn't waste any time to chastely kiss her once they were pronounced husband and wife an hour ago.

Which was how Sasuke found himself in this very annoying situation. Trying to hide his scowl behind his glass of whiskey in the event of the social season (His mother's words since she helped plan it). The Hyuuga-Uchiha wedding.

How the table have turned. He was the one brooding now.

The sudden engagement had chocked quite a few, especially since there was no knowledge of them dating prior to that very surprising proposal. Sasuke himself had been shocked when Itachi had up and went to ask for Hinata's hand out of the blue. It was true he was trying to give him the necessary push to confess but apparently, he pushed way harder than he thought.

Oh well. They were nauseatingly in love so that worked out well.

Except it was not working out well for the younger Uchiha. Since Itachi was officially off the market, the harpies that used to follow him around decided to try their hands at him instead. The number of his fangirls had doubled. All thanks to Hinata Hyuuga marrying his stupid brother!

Sasuke cringed away from the woman next to him who placed her hand on his biceps.

His eyes kept darting for an escape. He would've shaken her off but he promised his mother not to cause a scene at his brother's wedding.

"Excuse me. May I have a word with my brother-in-law."

Hinata! His knight in shining white dress! All his previous annoyance towards the ex-Hyuuga evaporated at the chance of an escape.

Sasuke could see the other woman glaring at Hinata's exposed back as she wedged space between them.

"May I have your arm?" She asked her eyes twinkling with mirth at his predicament. He would've been annoyed if she wasn't his savior.

"Arm. Leg. I'm yours." Sasuke answered as he escorted her to the dance floor.

They started dancing to the song that thankfully was a slow one.

"You looked like you were in a need of a rescue." Hinata said with a smile.

"You are officially my favorite Uchiha." Sasuke grumbled at the women still watching him like vultures.

"Don't let Itachi hear you say that." She laughed "You might hurt his feelings."

"Yeah, well Itachi can be a sadistic bastard at times. You are way too nice for him" He sighed "But thanks anyway."

"What are friends for?" She looked up at him with that mischievous gaze "we are friends Sasuke aren't we?"

Oh she wanted to force a confession out of him. Sneaky Hyuuga.

"So greedy Hyuuga. One Uchiha's affections is not enough for you?" Sasuke felt gratified at her pout and pink cheeks.

"What was that?" Her lavender tinted eyes narrowed and with a slightly higher voice she said "You want to follow in your brother footsteps and finally settle down?"

Sasuke felt his features rearrange in a horrified expression. Especially since he heard a few gasps and chatter increase.

"Did you honestly just do that?!" He growled at her as she laughed.

"I believe I did."

"I take it back." He scowled down at her. "You and Itachi deserve each other."

"I love you too Sasuke." She smiled at him and he could already feel his scowl lessening. Damn it!

"May I cut in." His brother's voice prompted them to stop dancing.

"No." Sasuke said with a flat voice, tightening his hold on Hinata "After what your wife just did, she'll have to be my shield from fangirls for the rest of the night."

"You realize she's my wife not yours little brother, right?" Itachi had an amused look at his face.

"I don't care." Sasuke tried to scowl at Hinata again. And failed when she laughed at his expression. Oh, how he longed for the days she used to stutter around him. "You can have her later in your honeymoon suite. Now she's mine."

He felt a cuff at the back of his head, prompting him to growl.

"Foolish little brother." Itachi still seemed amused "Someone might misunderstand that."

Sasuke felt his cheeks warming. That was not what he meant!

"You're adorable when you blush." Itachi just had to twist the knife. This time he did manage to glare at Hinata when she laughed again.

They really did deserve each other.


AN: I hope you enjoyed that! I certainly did. If you liked it check out Of Tequila And Friendship, you might find it amusing too.

Do leave a few reviews please.

-Yours truly

Lady Thunder Storm.