Unedited.
Slow Me Down
Slow me down, don't let love pass me by
Just show me how 'cause I'm ready to fall
He was listening to the rain.
Which was pretty amazing considering this was Fire Country and their weather was normally nothing but sunny and humid all year round. Most residents of Konoha never saw snow until they reached chuunin. He was grateful for the rain. The pitter patter of drops breaking on the roof was a nice change to the usual sounds of early summer that he was used to. Not to mention the smell. He loved the smell of the air after a rain, like everything had been washed clean. It was refreshing.
The sound of the back door sliding open cut through the rain and light footsteps announced someone's arrival. From the feel of their chakra he was sure it was Shisui.
"Thought I'd find you out here Itachi," Shisui said, sitting beside him on the porch. Itachi smiled, leaning against his cousin. For once Shisui didn't immediately jump into regaling him with the tales of his latest exploits.
"Close your eyes," Itachi whispered. "Do you hear it?" The way rain pinged off the roof, the way it fell in rivulets down the wooden porch, the way it crackled against the stone walkway leading through the garden, the way it splashed into muddy puddles.
Silence stretched between the cousins, but around them the rain played an orchestra on the landscape. Itachi breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of drenched grass. He felt Shisui's arm loop around his waist. A kiss was pressed to his temple.
"Wouldn't it be great if everyday was like this?" Shisui said suddenly. Itachi shrugged, still listening to the rain. "No duties, no responsibilities, no worries, just us."
"It would be nice," Itachi finally agreed. Shisui readjusted, leaning his back against the porch railing so that Itachi's head rested on his chest, right over his heart. For a moment Itachi forgot the rain and took in the steady pounding of Shisui's heart. It was a sound he loved even more than rain. It was irrefutable proof that he was never alone in this world. It was comfort. If he could, he would spend the rest of his life lying against Shisui's chest, listening to his heartbeat.
Afternoon faded into evening. Itachi could tell from the way the temperature dropped, just a little. The rain let up. Itachi imagined the grass and his mother's flowers glistening in the late sunlight breaking through the clouds. Warm beams of evening light fell across his face. What would happen if more people stopped to appreciate what a beautiful world the place was? What if more people closed their eyes and listened to the rain, hearing it as Itachi did? What if more people were content to listen to the heartbeat of someone they loved?
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the chirping of crickets began to sing through the air Itachi wondered how many people just went through the motions. He wondered, if not for the incident when he was younger, if he would be one of them. Absently, Itachi brushed a few stray strands of hair away from where he could feel them tickling his face, fingers skittering over old scars.
If only he could convince more people to listen to the rain.
Slow me down, don't let me live a lie
Before my life flies by I need you to slow me down
A/N: These guys seriously give me so many feels.
Not satisfied with the ending. It gave me a lot of trouble so I just sort of barfed something up and slapped it on there. Sorry. That sounds really gross.
Heavily inspired by Emmy Rossum's Slow Me Down.