A/N: Welcome welcome to my absolute not a hipster modern au (though it may be a hipster au). This is the ItaShi and SNS fic I've been talking about for months. Enjoy!
Chapter One
Sasuke decides to move in with Itachi and Shisui just as Shisui finally get's his big break. Between Sasuke meeting a new friend, Itachi quitting his editing job, and Shisui's new co-star - things are heating up in the Uchiha household. [Modern AU]
Itachi gnawed his lip as he contemplated exactly what to write and how to write it. Balance, he reminded himself. The right amount of description, the phrasing, and dialogue was a disaster altogether. If he was going to -
Can we talk?
All thoughts of writing were gone.
It wasn't like Sasuke be so vague. If he wanted to talk, he would talk—no beating around the bush. And if he didn't want to text it, he usually called without warning. This was going to be interesting.
Shisui ran his fingers through his hair.
"You know I love the kid—"
"He's eighteen now."
"We got the third bedroom for guests, not roommates."
But the look on Itachi's face was enough to make Shisui's resolve falter. He knew Itachi wouldn't ask if he had any other choice. He also knew he'd only make this exception because it was his little brother.
And, as far as Itachi was concerned, the sun shined out of Sasuke's ass.
Shisui sat down and threw an arm around Itachi.
"Fine. But only because it's Sasuke."
Itachi leaned over and pressed his face into his neck.
"Thank you."
Shisui rubbed his back and did everything he could hide how warm Itachi made him feel.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm basically a martyr."
As far as Sasuke was concerned, Shisui was an idiot. He was an idiot who had miraculously managed to woo his brother and now suddenly Itachi had quit his editing job and was writing full time. For once, Sasuke actually agreed with his parents about Itachi's brash decision to just quit his stable job.
At least publish something first, Christ.
On the other hand, that was pretty much the only thing he managed to partially agree with his parents on. He had only been eighteen for three months when shit finally hit the fan.
God forbid he be allowed to make any of his own decisions. God forbid he differ from the path so carefully planned for from his father. Itachi had already strayed, so god forbid that both sons developed into their own unique people. How tragic that must have been to have individuals as sons instead of little finance prodigies.
It had begun when they wanted him to quit baseball. And he had done so—but only because the culinary school he was accepted to didn't have a team.
When he got his acceptance, he told them his decision. They were furious and they – well, his father – had given him two options: stay at his original, traditional, prestigious university, or get out.
Sasuke had promptly called his brother.
Itachi leaned in the doorway of what would be Sasuke's room. It was grey—very, very grey. The bedspread was grey. The walls were grey and the furniture was just a touch past off-white. Shisui wrapped his arms around Itachi, leaning his chin on his shoulder.
"The nursery is beautiful."
Shisui cherished Itachi's breathy laugh.
"We should paint it blue."
"Hm, he doesn't love red like you?"
Itachi turned and wrapped his arms around Shisui's neck. He gave him a gentle peck.
"We're not the same person, Shisui."
"Clearly. You're the much more tolerable brother."
Itachi swatted at the back of Shisui's head as he slipped by toward the kitchen.
"Insulting Sasuke is not good foreplay, Shisui."
"Who said I was trying to start anything with you?"
Itachi leaned against the island and shrugged, ever so casually, as his cardigan and shirt slipped off his shoulder—Shisui absolutely did not gulp at the sight—
Itachi's eyes were knowing.
"You're always trying to start something with me."
"Last box!" Shisui cheered as he dropped it on the bed.
Sasuke frowned. Last box was an interesting way to put it considering there were only three boxes in the first place. He glanced around and sighed. The room was so…grey.
He blinked out of his thoughts as he felt someone ruffle his hair—Shisui—
"So when do you—"
"Don't you fucking—"
Shisui flicked him in the ear, and Sasuke's blood pressure skyrocketed.
"Language, Sasuke. What would Itachi sa—"
"So help me god, Shisui—"
There was a jingle of keys and the boys glanced at each other in panic.
Itachi walked in and put down the groceries. The apartment was quiet…not a comforting thought when his brother and boyfriend were home together.
He peeked into Sasuke's room and frowned. They stood facing the doorway and Shisui's arm was around Sasuke.
"Ita, you're home!" Shisui walked over and wrapped his arms around Itachi, who raised a brow at Sasuke over his shoulder.
"How was unpacking?"
"Great. Fantastic. I'm going to, uh—I'll start dinner."
Itachi spared Sasuke a long glance as he practically ran into the kitchen. He frowned at Shisui.
"What did you do?"
Shisui tried to look innocent, but Itachi knew better. As long as he had known Shisui, the man was always up to no good. And if he wasn't actively causing mayhem, he was working toward causing it. It was an irritating, though (thankfully) predictable cycle.
Itachi raised his brows. Shisui's face turned into a pout.
"Why do you always look at me like that?" Shisui moved to nuzzle into Itachi's neck. "I was just trying to get along with your little brother."
He planted a few kisses on Itachi's neck. "Just like you asked."
Itachi pulled him away, and shook his head. He was lucky he had years of practice in pretending to not give a shit, because Shisui's face when he tried to butter him up never failed to make his stomach flip even after five years together.
"Once again, anything involving Sasuke is awful foreplay."
Shisui grinned and Itachi only had a moment to register the glint in his eye before he was pushed onto the bed, arms pinned above his head. Shisui laid a few kisses down from his ear to collarbone, relishing in the small gasp from Itachi.
"How's this for foreplay?"
Itachi nibbled back on Shisui's ear.
"Much better."
Shisui nearly melted at the tone. If normal Itachi was hot—which he totally, absolutely, entirely was—Itachi in the bedroom was undeniable. The man had a way with words, and lord knows that wasn't the only thing that mouth was—
"In my bed? Seriously?"
Itachi scrambled up and tugged his cardigan around himself.
"Sasuke. Is dinner—"
"Yeah. It's in the oven."
Shisui, the smug bastard he was, wrapped his arm around Itachi, dragging the mortified man out of the room. Stopping at a totally-not-scarred Sasuke, he smirked and opened his mouth, but a gentle pinch from Itachi was enough to make him snap it back shut.
"Whatever you were going to say, shove it, dear."
Shisui was tugged out of the room muttering about how there was something he definitely wanted to shove somewhere and subsequently whining when Itachi hit him with another not-so-gentle pinch.
Sasuke headed out of orientation and walked back across campus. This had been a total waste of time. How was it possible that it took five hours to get a uniform, register for courses, and learn what could have (should have) easily been in a webinar? Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair.
It was fine. He chose this. He chose this. He took out his phone and started to find the fastest way home. Another perk of living at Itachi's was the actual reasonable driving distance to campus.
Sasuke's phone flew out of his hand as ram of a person nearly knocked him over.
"Ah—oh, hey. God, shit, I'm sorry."
Sasuke picked up his phone and frowned, it was cracked. Of all the fucking…at least it was insured. He let out a breath.
"Crap—oh, crap, your phone. Um, uh—here, hang on, hang on."
The man in front of him, scribbled his number on one of his notepads, and shoved it at him. And then he beamed this blinding smile.
"Whatever it costs—the, yeah, whatever. Just, uh—text me and I'll get it you. I promise. I'm so late to class—I'm really sorry, I gotta scram, but, uh—just text me!"
And then he was gone, leaving Sasuke to do little more than frown down at the sheet of paper. Had the man stayed longer than thirty seconds, he would have heard that he didn't need him to replace it—there was a reason Sasuke had gotten the expensive warranty.
Still, Sasuke found himself staring down at the name, biting his lip. Something about him had completely caught Sasuke off-guard—something about the frazzled grin and bright hair and eyes like—
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and headed to his car. It didn't matter. He didn't need the man to replace the phone and he'd probably never see him again.
It didn't matter.
Itachi's version of charging rent, when it came to his little brother, was, apparently, forcing him to make dinner. According to Itachi, Shisui was a terror in the kitchen and according to Shisui, Itachi wouldn't know flavor if it bit him in the ass.
So, Sasuke it was.
Except dinner was always…awkward. Itachi would ask about Sasuke's day and Sasuke would give him the same automatic "it was fine" that he gave everyone else. Shisui would inevitably find some moronic reason to tease him about something and Itachi would give him his grin of death and then they'd sit in silence for the rest of it.
Super functional.
Except, tonight—Shisui was practically bouncing in his chair, and it was only half a moment after everyone sat down that he spoke first.
"So…I got it."
Itachi's head spun.
"They called?"
"They called on the way home from the audition." Shisui's grin grew. "They said they were super impressed."
Itachi squeezed a knee. "This is huge, Shisui. I'm so proud of you."
"Yeah, congrats." Sasuke didn't look up as he stabbed a piece of broccoli, doing all he could to ignore the nauseating way the two were smiling at each other—
Shisui nodded for a moment, only a little surprised by the genuine compliment.
"Yeah, thanks." His demeanor immediately shifted back to pure, bubbling joy.
"We start Monday; I just need to sign some stuff and I think they are going to email the script out before we do the reading, but holy shit—I can't believe I got it. I can't believe I got it. I'm—"
Sasuke picked up his plate and tossed it into the sink. The rest of his conversation hardly needed his input.
"Sasuke," Itachi called his attention back to the table, "what happened to your phone?"
An image of a certain lopsided, sheepish smile flashed through his brain.
"Some idiot knocked into me and it fell."
"Huh." Sasuke watched, with some alarm, as a smile crept onto Itachi's lips.
Frankly, Itachi grinning in any way made his stomach turn. It was as if Itachi knew the moment something was going to happen to him—every time Sasuke had seen his brother grin, like this, something had. Something weird and bizarre and Sasuke was not in the mood for that shit. He already had enough going on with his parents and starting school and having to wear this stupid looking uniform (because, really, who decided that uniform looked good? He wanted to cook, not look like he belonged in a cartoon), and moving in with his brother and his brother's stupid boyfriend.
No, Itachi was not grinning right now.
If he didn't acknowledge it, that meant it didn't happen, right?
Shisui climbed into bed and leaned against Itachi's shoulder, only to be shrugged off.
"You're mad."
Itachi's eyes didn't leave his book.
"I'm not mad."
Shisui rolled his eyes and sat up trying to put himself in front of the book to see Itachi's face. Itachi elbowed him out of the way.
"Then you're whatever your specific word is for mad."
Itachi pursed his lips and closed the book with a sigh.
"You just failed it mention it was romance."
Shisui grabbed Itachi's hand, relieved that he didn't pull away this time.
"I didn't think it was important. I've done romance stuff before."
Itachi snatched his hand back and rolled over. He took his glasses off and began to tuck himself in.
"It's nothing, Shisui. I'm just tired."
Shisui sighed and laid down next to Itachi, pressing into him. He hated when Itachi got like this. He knew that he hated confrontation, but Shisui wasn't sure he could handle the blow out that would happen if he let Itachi bottle this up.
He wrapped his around his waist and pressed his head against the nape of his neck.
"I love you, Itachi."
Shisui felt Itachi relax a little in his arms and resisted the urge to smirk.
"I love you, too." A pause, and Shisui almost lost hope for a moment.
"You've never been in a romance with another man before. And I'm happy for you, but it's just—it's stupid, Shisui."
"If it makes you that uncomfortable…"
Itachi sat up and spun around with such speed that Shisui nearly jumped back.
"That's what I don't want. Don't you dare refuse the offer."
Shisui brushed a stray hair from Itachi's face and tucked it behind his ear. He just was so…beautiful. He was always beautiful, but this—this side of Itachi that so few people got to see, when his eyes flashed with passion and fire and life…Shisui felt himself fall, just a little deeper, for the man in front of him.
Shisui stroked his thumb along his chin—Itachi's expression didn't falter. Unwavering—that's what this man was. He was fire disguised as ice—he was…
The kiss was automatic. It was light, and soft, but Shisui found himself pressing into it as if he could let Itachi feel all he felt just through this—
He only pulled back far enough to look him in the eye.
"I love you, Itachi. And only you."
Itachi leaned into his touch and returned it by intertwining his fingers through Shisui's hair. When he spoke, it was just as gentle as his kiss had been.
"Thank you, Shisui."
A/N: And that's chapter one! Cheers! Kinomi Akai beta-ed for this chapter and she is so outstanding and made it what it is. She's absolutely wonderful, go check out her work.
Thank you for reading, let me know what you think!