A/N: phew, this is my longest chapter yet! enjoy!

"You two aren't dating?" Itachi stopped stirring the chicken and onions. He had just asked about their relationship when Sasuke broke the news that they weren't together.

Sasuke kept chopping carrots and replied nonchalantly. "No."

The sizzle of stagnant food filled the kitchen and he had to remind his older brother not to burn their dinner. They were having curry tonight.

Resuming his task, Itachi narrowly avoided ruining the chicken.

"You certainly appeared to be in a relationship," he commented while adding spices, then broth.

Sasuke moved on to cutting peeled potatoes and didn't respond immediately.

"We're not." There was a marked stiffness to his tone.

He had touched a nerve and decided to push. "Did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

Itachi scoffed lightly. "That you like her."

"Of course I like her," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "She doesn't need me to tell her that."

"Romantically," Itachi emphasized his point with a wave of his spoon - it was like pulling teeth to get Sasuke to talk about his feelings. He noted that he had an easier time interrogating hardened criminals than his closed off brother.

Unable to deny the accusation, he became tight-lipped instead; head down and bangs obscuring his features as he paid a suspicious amount of attention to the potatoes. Though, if he didn't stop his assault with the knife, the diced chunks would become minced very soon.

If it was this difficult for Sasuke to talk about his feelings with his own brother, then Itachi concluded that he hadn't told her yet. It was likely he hadn't even hinted at it.

"Oh, little brother," Itachi lamented. "Nothing but heartache will come out of pining."

Sasuke gave him the cut-up vegetables as well as a look of mild annoyance. "As if you know anything about it."

He was being testy but Itachi took the jab well, chuckling. "Yes, but you underestimate what I've learned from observation."

Even if Itachi was married to his career, with its odd and long hours, he still possessed knowledge of romance from indirect life experiences. Meaning he soaked up bits and pieces from his friends, literature, and people-watching. While he did not consider himself an expert by any means, he knew enough to give decent advice.

The younger Uchiha tried to move past his stubbornness, knowing his brother was right. And if he was going to talk about this with anyone, it would be with Itachi. So, he sighed and conceded. "I don't want to ruin our friendship."

Itachi stirred in the potatoes and carrots, then placed a lid on the pot to let the stew simmer. Setting down his spoon and facing the young man, he sighed as well. Onyx eyes met a similar pair and he stated, "You risk failure with every action you take. Although," the corners of his mouth turned up wistfully, "father would have argued that Uchihas never fail."

A slight smirk appeared at the mention of his father's familial pride, which bordered on arrogance.

Then it fell when he remembered the subject at hand, crossing his arms at the vulnerability that came with the mere thought of confessing. He didn't want to think about opening up and getting hurt as a result.

Sensing his hesitation, Itachi spoke again. "What's the worst thing that could happen? She's disgusted and rejects you completely, cutting off your friendship and refusing to speak with you."

He scowled. "Hinata wouldn't, she's nicer than that."

"I'm sure she is," Itachi assured him. From his impression of her, she seemed sweet; the type that picked up stray animals from the street. "Now what's the best outcome? She's madly in love with you too and you sweep her off her feet and ride into the sunset, happily ever after."

Something in Sasuke's chest fluttered at the idea of her acceptance, but he was stopped short by the worry that she didn't reciprocate his feelings. He was confident that if he hadn't pursued their friendship, she wouldn't have given him a second glance. Sure, he might have been considered a heart-throb (to his contempt), but she wasn't swayed by shallow qualities like looks or money.

The irony; to be adored by many, but to fall for the one person that wouldn't have paid him any mind.

"But what's likely to happen? If she doesn't like you in that way, then she turns you down gently because she cares about you. And because she values your friendship, she won't break it off."

It would sting, yet it was better than being flat out rejected and subsequently ignored.

"If she does like you, then all is well and you two will officially make a cute couple."

Itachi's words held sound logic that he couldn't refute. "Sometimes I forget you have a degree in psychology."

"And criminology," his brother quipped. "I dual majored."

"Right. Watch the curry," Sasuke gestured to the pot that was steaming profusely.

"Ah," the chef quickly grabbed the wooden spoon and set to mixing.

Gathering the knife and cutting board, he placed them in the sink and rolled up his sleeves. He contemplated while he washed the utensils. As he thought about the potential outcomes of confessing, a strange combination of anxiety and hope churned in his stomach.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…

The Hyuuga sisters were sitting on Hinata's bed and relaxing in each other's company, as they missed each other dearly. The younger of the two just completed the semester and was now entirely free to catch up.

"Tell me everything," Hanabi propped her head up with her palms and gave Hinata her full attention. "Every detail of everything you did this past year."

Hinata giggled. "I'll try my best." She paused to think before excitement lit her features. "Oh! I made a new friend!"

Her sister grinned in response, happy for Hinata.

"I met him through mutual friends, at this coffee -"

She interrupted, "Wait, did you say him?"

"Yes?" Lavender eyes narrowed in questioning.

Hanabi's brows wiggled suggestively. "Pictures, pictures," she demanded.

A faint blush colored her cheeks at the teasing, "Hanabi, two of my best friends are guys."

"Yeah but you practically grew up with Shino and Kiba, I know you don't like like them. Now show me." She was insistent, eager to see who her sister was spending time with. Hinata barely posted about herself on social media, mostly posting about food, places, or cute animals. When they texted, the college student would mention hanging out with new people, but Hanabi assumed they were more acquaintances than anything since she didn't gush about them. Lastly, she was shy, which made it harder for her to make close friends.

Never able to refuse her baby sister, Hinata pulled out her phone and scrolled though her photo album. She chose to display a candid of Sasuke she took on a whim. That day, they sat next to a window in the library and she momentarily glanced up from her notes to her study partner, only to be stunned by the sight.

He was ethereal.

With dusk approaching, the lighting illuminated his high cheekbones and strong jaw; his skin was practically glowing. Not to mention his hair... The setting sun's rays did justice to the normally solid raven tresses, lending them an unnatural radiance. He was relaxed, mouth barely parted, and admiring the forest that bordered their side of the library. Although she preferred his rare genuine smile, she found herself strangely attached to his calm countenance as well.

It was her favorite photo of him... For artistic purposes, of course.

Hanabi clutched her arm and emphatically declared, "He's hot."

Dodging the statement, she grinned and cocked her head. "You're fourteen, he's too old."

The high school student rolled her eyes, grumbling something about being born at the wrong time. "Go on with your story," she pressed.

Hinata continued, relaying how they met to their studying and gradual friendship – they sat together in physics lecture and frequented downtown Konoha on the weekends, exploring a new place each time. She told her how she owed Sasuke her life for his physics help, but she would make it up to him when they took chemistry together in the upcoming fall semester. Chemistry was her favorite subject, and for good reason, because she wanted to become a pharmacist.

"Wow," Hanabi breathed out. "Does he have a brother? It's obvious he's all yours."

"What? No, it's not -"

Ignoring her sister's protests and ruffled behavior, she continued. "You two will have the most beautiful kids." Sniffling, she pretended to dab away non-existent tears, "My Hinata is all grown up!"

Looking beyond the exaggerations, Hinata pondered. What if her words had merit? She hadn't really considered Sasuke in that light before, enjoying his friendship too much to even think about turning it into a relationship. Her pulse unexpectedly quickened at the thought of that change.

No, he was far too handsome to even look at her romantically. Way out of her league, she decided. More often than not, she was on the receiving end of angry, jealous, and even devastated glances when they went out. She wished she could wave a sign around that stated, in bold and large font, that they weren't together. Though he's never complained to her about it, she worried she was ruining Sasuke's chances at dating by spending so much time with him and casting the false image that he was taken.

And several times during the semester, she's seen Sasuke approached by stunning girls with legs for miles and the occasional boy, equally as beautiful, while waiting alone at their designated meet up spot. Each instance, she watched him easily reject the person and then scan the area for her, making a quick getaway upon spotting her. She secretly wondered why he dismissed these gorgeous strangers; if he turned them down, maybe it was because he was holding out to date someone even more beautiful, if possible.

He was a bit peevish when that happened so she would tease him for being popular, famous even. "Maybe you could model, your dashing good looks will make you rich and you wouldn't have to live on a college student budget."

Throwing an arm around her shoulders, he briefly squeezed her for the cheeky behavior. "No thanks. I'd rather live on a college student budget than be chased by rabid fans that only want me for my appearance."

She laughed and leaned into him, comfortable in his embrace. "I'm sure they'll be charmed when they find out about your casual indifference and frequent brooding."

Now it was his turn to huff in amusement. "Those are my most attractive features."

Her mind wandered out of the memory and into the present, where Hanabi was still discussing the children that would result from her and Sasuke's union.

"Do you think they'll have pale or dark eyes? Or what if one was black and the other white? Hmm."

Hinata's cheeks turned a lovely scarlet, which her sister picked up on. "Looks like you're curious about your future kids too."

"Hanabi!" She admonished. "I'm only nineteen and if things work out, I'll be a full-time student for the next seven years." Then she added, almost as an afterthought. "And Sasuke and I are friends."

"Not for long…" the girl muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing," she dismissed and cleared her throat. "Now about his brother?"

"Definitely not, he's at least ten years older than you," Hinata asserted with a no-nonsense tone. Age gaps didn't faze her if both parties were of the age of consent, but Hanabi was barely fourteen. Changing the subject, she asked, "What happened to Konohamaru?"

Hanabi's shift in attitude was so immediate, it was almost concerning - from disappointed to wrathful in a split second.

"That punk," she began with a sour expression.

Hinata grabbed a pillow and reclined to a more comfortable position. She had a feeling this story would be a long one.

The first thing he did when he woke up in the morning was check his phone. Yes, he admitted to himself, the new habit was because of Hinata. He'd be a dirty liar if he said he didn't enjoy texting her. In fact, he looked forward to it, to learning obscure facts about her like her aversion to shrimp.

Luckily, he had a new message notification from Hinata. Since her name meant "place in the sun," she was saved in his phone with none other than a sun emoji. It was fitting for the bright girl. Plus, he knew that she saved his name with a tomato emoji and he wanted to do the same for her.

He opened her message, which read:

"Your birthday is coming up! We should do something to celebrate!"

Frankly, he had forgotten about it until she mentioned it. He didn't really care for his birthday; the excitement of aging wore off in his early teens. But if she was delighted over it, he wouldn't rain on her parade.

"yeah? are you going to come down to konoha for my birthday?"

"I could :)
What's a few hours on the train to visit one of my best friends?"

Astonished, Sasuke reread her reply several times, to be sure he was seeing it correctly. Would she really do that? For him?

Maybe he would actually have something to look forward to this year.

Okay, play it cool, Uchiha.

"if you insist (smirking emoji)"

She laughed. He was always so aloof, or at least he acted like it.

"I do!
What do you want to do on your day of birth?"

"eat you out"

Her jaw dropped, pale eyes nearly bugging out of her skull. She wasn't quite sure what to say, seeing as her brain short circuited at his forwardness.

Not a second later, he corrected himself in a succession of rapid texts.

"SHIT
take you out
like to a restaurant or something
fucking auto correct
i'm so sorry"

Sasuke threw his phone to the other side of the mattress in frustration, where it collided with a pillow. Burying his burning face in his hands, he groaned. God, he sounded like some kind of fuckboy. He hadn't seen her in two months and he was just trying to make plans with her, then he had to go and make it weird! Not to mention, there was a familiar discomfort in his boxers when his other head fixated upon the faux pas.

Rolling onto his side, he lamented over her reaction, which would certainly be negative. She would think he was a pervert, she would be disgusted with him, she would -

His phone buzzed its familiar vibration and he instantly lunged for it. Although he dreaded opening the text, curiosity compelled him.

"lmao (laughing emoji)
It's okay"

The breath he didn't know he was holding left in a sudden woosh. Thank goodness for her mercy. Hinata really was a ray of sunshine.

Meanwhile, she was in tears, cracking up over the misunderstanding. She clutched her stomach as side-splitting laughter wracked her body. Neji even knocked on her door, asking if things were alright, to which she barely wheezed out a yes.

Her brand of humor was not usually this crude, but she felt that this was too good not to enjoy. Sasuke never slipped up and it was amusing to catch him flustered - if only she could see the look on his face right now.

To diffuse some of the anxiety he was sure to be experiencing, she added on:

"Where do you have in mind?"

Bouncing back from his initial searing embarrassment, he messaged back:

"there's a pretty good ramen place near my house"

By now, her hysterics had calmed down significantly and she could breathe easy again.

"Sounds good! I like ramen"

"and there's a really old shrine you might like
it's over run with cats
they're taken care of by local cat ladies"

She smiled. He remembered that one time she told him she liked shrines. Not necessarily for religious reasons, but for the historical architecture and calm atmosphere.

They proceeded to plan the rest of their day trip. She would get there on the first train and leave on the last train home so they could maximize their time together. Their itinerary included exploring various sites of Sasuke's side of Konoha. He lived on the outskirts, on the opposite side of town from the university, where it was more forest than city.

Enthusiasm bubbled in her chest at the prospect of seeing him again. And he, the same.