Love In A Mug

Chapter 9

Itachi stood in front of the full length mirror fiddling with his shirt having already changed for the upteenth time. It had been a long time since he felt this nervous but he was determined that today would be the day. "Daddy! Are you ready yet?" Was the third time his son had pestered him to hurry up.

Itachi sighed. His shoulders slumped in defeat. It had been a few weeks since Cassandra caused a scene at the café and after receiving the note Naruto had given him that he had started to notice things about the blonde. Things he wouldn't have noticed back then, when he considered the younger one annoying.

Despite their bickering Itachi seemed to always leave the small restaurant with a smile. Feeling lifted especially on a bad day. And Kiyoshi was uncannily drawn to him. They say that children have a keen sense about people and their surroundings and his son was pleading to go visit on every opportunity.

Maybe he was like a ray of sunshine in their lives. And gods with everything they've been dealing with they needed some.

"Yes. We can leave now." He called out as he turned and grabbed his wallet off of the chest of drawers.

"Nuto said we can bake cookies today." Kiyoshi reminds excitedly whilst waiting impatiently by the front door for his father as he descends the last step.

"I remember." He smiles. Kiyoshi hadn't been this excited since they had gone to the Fair last month. Naruto had always came through for the child. Always staying true to his word. Kiyoshi didn't have to worry about Naruto going back on his promises like his mother.

The older raven placed a hand on his hip and stretched his head in a false act of trying to remember something. "Now where are my keys?"

The littlest Uchiha whined. "Dad, they're right here." He pointed on the table next to him.

"Where?" Itachi looks around pretending to be confused.

Kiyoshi huffed a tiny pout on his face. "Right there!"

Itachi blindly searched for them under a magazine while trying to mask his chuckle.

"Dad!"

Itachi smiled, finally grabbing his keys. "Ok. Ok. Let's go. If only you were this enthusiastic to clean your room." He joked.

Kiyoshi huffed making the older chuckle more. His son reminded him so much of Sasuke when he was little it wasn't funny. Itachi would tease his baby brother relentlessly who was easily annoyed by it. "So serious, aren't we." He said as Kiyoshi skipped to the car.

Kiyoshi rocked back and forth to the music. It was kidzbop the new Korean kids band that everyone in school was listening to. "Daddy, can you please turn it up? This is my favorite song!" He exclaimed from his car seat in the back.

"Oh, really?"

"Hum-hum. It's a love story." He explained.

Itachi raised an eyebrow taking a quick glance in the rear-view mirror. "How do you know it's a love story?" Curious to hear his son's explanation.

Kiyoshi's crescent smile dropped off as he said that and Itachi's heart clenched to see his son sad all of a sudden. Sometimes it was hard for Kiyoshi because he and his mother's marriage didn't work out even though it was for the betterment of all of them. Every child longed for their parents to be that great love story.