#shippuden.ll

[lliminall]

yandere!itachi uchiha x reader | general headcanons

tags: gn reader, stalking, controlling/obsessive behavior, itachi being a creep but he knows it

itachi is largely a hands-off yandere. at least in the beginning, he really doesn’t interact with you much. you would have no idea the extent of his attachment to you, or how much time he spends trailing you and simply observing your each and every mannerism. he considers himself to be a kind of silent protector, someone who watches out for you without expecting anything in return.

the longer this goes on though, the stronger the pull towards you becomes. itachi doesn’t just want to be stuck in your peripheral. it loses its satisfaction the more he sees you smiling and chatting with friends, family, coworkers. why does he have to be stuck on the outside, while they bask in the soft light of your presence? he does more for you than any of those people do, and you don’t even know it. he’s more devoted to you than any of those people are, and you don’t even know it.

when the quiet (and intimidating) shinobi begins hanging around your work place more often, you don’t think anything of it. he’s been nothing but courteous in your interactions with him, succinct but polite. it’s the strangest feeling, though. you can’t seem to shake the feeling that you’re being watched while he’s there, sipping on a cup of tea in his quiet corner of the cafe. when you turn to look, his eyes are never on you.

itachi is lucid enough to recognize that there’s something wrong with his behavior. creepy, even. but as a shinobi he’s done far worse things than follow some civilian around from the shadows. and anyway, he’s doing this for your own good. you can’t use chakra. you can’t fight. and itachi has spent his entire life witnessing how dangerous the world around him is. however questionable his actions may be, those concerns are easy enough for him to brush away when he remembers that his reason for doing them is just. he’s more than willing to dirty his hands for your sake.

it’s endearing, how kind you are to him despite knowing nearly nothing about him (certainly not as much as he knows about you). you emanate a sweetness so uncommon in his world, so often snuffed out by the harsh realities witnessed by shinobi. it makes you rare. it makes you special. it makes you a cool and healing oasis for him to come and be refreshed by, when he needs to be reminded that not everything is violence and drama and underhanded work.

your relationship with itachi likely doesn’t progress beyond that until you begin seeking him out. asking him about his day when he arrives for his usual order. waving him over when you see him on the street. itachi really was content with being a nameless figure that protected you from the dark, or at least he tried to be, until you began encroaching further and further into his life until he could no longer ignore how good it felt to have you there. you don’t even know that you’re sealing your own fate with every conversation you tug him into.

itachi is a yandere so subtle that you may not ever realize just how deep and dark his feelings for you run. even if you were to get into a romantic relationship with him, he easily plays off any concerning behavior as harmless overprotectiveness. he just cares about you so much. and you know how much violence and death he’s surrounded by in his work, surely you can understand why he would want to keep you safe? you don’t need to worry about any of it. itachi will take care of everything. you just need to let him take the reigns.

all of that can change in a second if you try to leave him, though. itachi is a loner by nature. he doesn’t form intimate relationships easily, and when he does, he’s locked into them. that uchiha loyalty is not to be taken lightly, and if you force his hand he’ll use any means necessary to keep you under his protective wing. it would be easy enough to put you under a genjutsu to keep you in line. you’re a civilian; you wouldn’t even know what hit you or how to break out of it.

that’s assuming he even has to go to that length, though. itachi is one of the most revered shinobi in the leaf. you know that you can’t overpower him, run from him, or hide from him. even if you had the courage to try, one hard glare from him is enough to put you back in your place. he doesn’t like the thought of scaring you but he’ll do what he must. you’ll wonder what happened to that gentle and good-natured man you used to know, as he’s tugging you back to your home and you’re shaking with the memory of that cold, blazing red glare.

as long as you can stay within his carefully placed guidelines, itachi is a relatively easy yandere to have around. if you never cross his barriers you’ll never have to witness that dark and possessive streak he holds for you. even if you do, he’s more than ready to forgive and forget if you’ll just learn your lesson and give yourself back up to his protecting arms. ultimately, he wants you to be safe and happy and his. he doesn’t want to take any more from you than he absolutely has to—he just needs you to meet him halfway.