The Wish That Brought Me You (Itachi Uchiha x Fem Reader)

Chapter 6: An Eventful Evening

The two of us stand side by side, cooking what will be a delicious meal. I have been assigned the very important role of cutting onions and other vegetables while Itachi takes care of the pork and noodles.

I dice evenly and carefully, making sure the slices aren't too big nor too small. However, my eyes begin to sting half way through, so my vision goes blurry. I accidentally turn away from the onion in front of me for a split second. When I wipe the forming tears from my eyes and face front again, I notice that my index finger is bleeding.

"Shit," I curse, and grab a paper towel.

Itachi looks over in my direction, curious as to why the slicing has stopped. When he sees the blood on the paper towel, his eyes widen with worry.

"What happened? Are you alright?" He asks frantically.

I still cannot understand why he's so concerned for my well-being. After all, aren't I a bit of a burden to him? I've done nothing but make more work for him ever since I came along. And yet, he's kind to me.

"I have a bandage," he says, "One minute."

I grab his shoulder before he can exit the kitchen.

"Don't worry about it," I assure him, "The bleeding's already stopped. It was only a small cut. And I've already finished slicing the vegetables anyhow."

He sighs, shaking his head in disapproval.

"You really should be more careful," he advises me, "Or one of these days it'll be more than just a small cut."

I nod in response and then remove my apron, taking a seat in a nearby chair as I watch him prepare our dinner tentatively.

Since when do I have a thing for guys with ponytails?

As I stare at him for longer and longer, I conclude that there's no denying it. He's the most beautiful man I've ever laid my eyes on.

It's going to be a shame when I go home only to never see his beautiful face again. I frown at the sheer thought of such an event occurring.

I'll just have to make the most of my time with him while I'm still here, I guess!

Just then, there is a loud knock on the door.

"Hey! Uchiha! Open up!" A familiar voice calls.

Itachi rolls his eyes warily. Rather than him, I get up from my seat to answer the door since he has his hands full while preparing the meal.

"Hey, guys," I greet as Deidara and Kisame stand in the doorway, waiting to be let in.

"Y/N!" Deidara exclaims, "What are you doing here? Is Itachi forcing you to do manual labor for him or something?"

I glance at Itachi, who seems ticked off already.

"Deidara, get out," Itachi orders, pointing toward the exit, "Or I'll have to do a bit of manual labor on you!"

Deidara raises his eyebrows at the threat.

"Thanks, but I'm not into S&M," he retorts.

I nearly choke on my own laughter. Itachi, having lost his fighting spirit, simply returns to the ramen.

"Anyway. My man Kisame told me that you're making dinner tonight; that's why I stopped by," Deidara explains.

He smiles goofily at me and I return the happy grin.

Kisame, meanwhile, collapses onto the couch, letting out a well-earned groan.

"It smells good, Itachi," he says in his raspy, low voice, "Tonkotsu Ramen, is it?"

Itachi nods once.

"Good nose," Deidara remarks before changing the subject, "So, Y/N, how would you like to make some more art with me tomorrow? I can teach you how, if you want."

I think about his offer for a moment before smiling.

"Sure!" I accept, "I think that sounds like a great——"

"No," Itachi interjects matter-of-factly, "Tomorrow, Y/N is going to spend the day with me. We have things to do, Deidara. Go find someone else to make your art with."

Deidara, irritated, growls in frustration.

"You always ruin all of the fun, Itachi!" He yells, "Y/N likes making art with me! She's not your hostage! You can't tell her what to do!"

Itachi turns around, his arms crossed.

"Do you seriously want to hang out with him, Y/N?"

I nod, smiling at my new yellow-haired friend.

"Yeah," I affirm, "I like this guy."

I notice Itachi cringe a bit.

"Fine, then," he concedes, "Do as you wish. Just... don't get hurt, please."

Deidara snorts.

"She'll be fine if she's with me," he declares.

The rest of the night flies by quickly. Itachi's ramen turns out to be absolutely heavenly, and it's very amusing to watch my three newfound friends bicker with one another. But, once Deidara heads home and Kisame locks himself in his own bedroom, only Itachi and I remain in the living room. 

It's getting late, and I'm tired. A long yawn escapes from my lips.

"You can sleep in my room," Itachi says, "I'll rest here."

I narrow my eyes in protest.

"This is your place! I'm kind of... intruding. So, I'll stay on the couch. Don't worry about me! I can sleep anywhere!"

He shakes his head slowly, his lips curled subtly upward.

"I insist."

I sigh, giving into him at last.

"Fine," I whine, "But only for tonight, alright? I don't want to be a burden."

After a long, wordless pause, I stand from the couch.

"I'll be off then. I'm exhausted."

I give him a little wave and start to walk toward the vacant bedroom, but I'm held back by his arms wrapped around me from behind. I lose my breath as I instinctively flinch away from him.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he says, a bit dejected.

I wave his apology away.

"No, no! I was just shocked, that's all!" I insist, "I really don't mind at all! ...See?"

I embrace him tightly, resting my head on his shoulder as I breathe in his scent and feel the warmth of his body heat. His arms creep around my back, tugging me even closer to him.

This feels... so good. I don't want to let go.

But even so, I force myself off of him, tapping his shoulder awkwardly and clearing my throat.

"G-goodnight, Itachi," I mumble and then scurry off toward the empty bedroom.

I hear him quietly whisper 'Goodnight' back to me but I quickly enter the room and shut the door behind me. 

My heart is thumping out of my chest. I breathe in and out deeply and sink down onto the floor.

Holy shit! I'm actually starting to like him for real! That can't happen! I have to return home——I can't get attached to some boy from this world!

I look out of the nearby window, gazing up at the starry sky.

Well, I'll just spend most of my time with Deidara or the other Akatsuki until I find a way back home. Yeah. That way, my feelings won't be able to develop very much further. After all, 'out of sight, out of mind', right?