I'm reaally sorry about all the grammatical errors!
Inviting himself to his clan leader's household was quite a serious offence. Shisui was sure his parents would murder him if they found out, but that didn't stop him from walking down the long corridors in the direction of the only room with light spilling through its fusuma. Itachi's house used to be silent most of the time, so hearing so many voices coming from the same place made Shisui feel a tiny bit intimidated.
He knew how important dinner time had become for Itachi. He would never stop talking about it, of how much it pleased him to share his day with his family. Ever since Sasuke had become a genin, finding time to spend together at any other hour was almost impossible, and now he had started taking missions that required travelling to other countries. They barely saw each other.
So, when he recognized Sasuke's voice, Shisui hesitated for a second while standing in front of the door. He didn't want to ruin Itachi's quality time with his family. He had to force himself to remember Itachi lying in a hospital bed, pale and motionless, to regain his determination. He wasn't about to allow that to happen ever again.
"Who's there?" Fugaku asked and hearing the smile in his voice gave Shisui enough courage to slide the fusuma open with one swift movement.
"Excuse my interrupting," Shisui said, bowing his head immediately. "My deepest apologies for bothering you at this hour, sir."
"Shisui!" Sasuke exclaimed, but Shisui didn't look his way. He kept his head down, his eyes fixed on the tatami floor, and realized that Itachi's little brother was apparently the only one shocked to see him there. That made him relax a little.
"Stop that, Shisui," Fugaku said after a few seconds. His words were so heavy with affection that Shisui felt the tip of his ears get warm. "Come and take a seat, boy. There's more than enough food."
Shisui lifted his head and couldn't help feeling suddenly shy. It always happened to him when he was with Itachi's family, even after all the times he'd already joined them for dinner. It wasn't like him, and he hated it. He made his best to try and stay serious, fighting the endeared smile that tried to make its way into his face after realizing that Sasuke was pouting slightly.
"I'm sorry, sir, but…"
"No sir," Fugaku chided, frowning slightly. That expression usually intimidated Shisui a lot, but since Fugaku still had the shadow of a smile on his lips, he managed to stay calm. "I've already asked you many times to drop the formalities."
Shisui took in a deep breath and forbade himself from showing how flustered he was. He needed to convey how serious was the reason behind his sudden visit, and he didn't want Itachi to think he wasn't angry at him. He kept his shoulders squared and walked in the room.
"I need to talk to Itachi."
Fugaku seemed to sense that something wasn't right, because this time his frown was authentic. He gave him a onceover.
"I figured so," Fugaku commented distractedly. His attention was focused on Shisui's ruined uniform now, and Shisui felt like dying of embarrassment. He regretted deeply not changing his clothes before heading there. "You've just arrived from your last mission, right? You better have gone to get your check-up before coming here, young man."
One could only count on Fugaku Uchiha to make Shisui, a nineteen-year-old elite jōnin, feel like a little kid.
"Of course, sir," Shisui said, and almost chocked when Fugaku sent a disapprobatory glare his way after hearing the word sir again. "That's where I'm coming from. And that's precisely why I have to talk to Itachi."
"Well, go on, then," Fugaku nodded in Itachi's direction. "I think he's starting to get a little impatient. He's been unusually quiet since you came in. I must warn you, that's exactly what Mikoto does before making a fuss."
Mikoto, the only person in the entire village with permission to slap Fugaku Uchiha on his arm and have no consequences, made good use of her privilege. The room was filled by the very unusual sound of Fugaku's laugh, and Shisui had to take a deep breath.
He didn't want to get Itachi in trouble. He didn't want to ruin the precious moment he was having with his family. And he didn't want to interfere with his clan's leader good humor.
But Itachi had to learn his lesson. And talking to him in private had evidently not worked at all, judging by the questionable decisions he'd taken in his absence.
"Shisui," Itachi called, yanking Shisui out of his thoughts with his velvety and familiar voice. Shisui held his breath and tensed up before giving up his efforts not to look at Itachi and slowly turning his head his way, bracing himself to see the only pair of eyes that could make him melt.
He wasn't disappointed.
Hiss heart fluttered as much as it always did when he was met by Itachi's sparkling and lovely black eyes, which beamed so much that Shisui didn't need to see a smile to feel how content he was. Itachi's hair was still wet from a shower, and the corners of his lips were barely curled up in the tiniest smile. His gaze was as sharp and observing as ever. His skin had its habitual tone, slightly warmer than his brother's, and his cheeks were tinted a soft and healthy pink because of the warmth of the room.
He looked gorgeous.
Shisui couldn't help a blush from creeping up his face this time. But he really tried to force it down. And then he gulped after noticing that he'd been holding his breath.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Shisui hissed, making sure to sharpen his voice. Even he shuddered at hearing it. Itachi's smile dropped immediately, as well as the color in his cheeks. "Did you think I would forget about it because I was away on a mission?"
It was like cutting the mood with a kunai. An unsettling and cold silence fell upon the entire family, and its four members looked deeply disconcerted. Shisui felt guilty, but Itachi's attempt at pretending to be confused made him angrier.
"Don't you dare to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Itachi," Shisui said, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Tsunade-sama told me you didn't go to your appointment at the hospital a week ago. You never forget your meetings, so there's no way you can convince me that you forgot about it."
Fugaku and Mikoto understood immediately. Their eyes lit up with displeasure and worry, respectively.
"A week?" Mikoto repeated. "Itachi, you went to that mission in the woods three days ago. You spent the night there. Did you do that knowing that you hadn't to go the hospital for your treatment?"
"I won't tolerate this attitude, Itachi. Not even from you," Fugaku said, his voice dangerously low. There was no sign of his smile anymore. "I never ask you about your treatment because I have always deemed you old and smart enough to deal with that by yourself. Now I see that I might be mistaken."
Itachi didn't say a word and refused to look at his father. He still had his eyes on Shisui's. His were burning with shame and betrayal. Sasuke was looking at everyone, still confused, and his parents' displeasure started to rub on him.
"What is wrong, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, but Itachi ignored him. "I thought you were okay now. The doctor said so."
"He is okay, Sasuke," Shisui clarified hastily, knowing that otherwise Sasuke would start getting distraught. He didn't want him to feel bad, he didn't have the fault. "But Tsunade-sama said he needed a preventive treatment. His condition makes him vulnerable, and even the mildest infection can become something as serious as his pneumonia from last month. This is not optional, she gave him strict orders to follow the prescription."
"That's why Tsunade-sama told me about it personally," Fugaku muttered, mostly for himself. Like he was just realizing something. "At that moment I couldn't understand why she was doing that. She must have suspected from the beginning that your stubbornness would drive you to be stupid enough not to follow her orders. It was negligent of me not to have taken note of that."
"I'm fine," Itachi protested, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. As if he were the one who needed to find his patience, and not his entire family. "I don't need any special treatment. I know how to take care of myself, and what happened last month was an isolated case. There was an epidemic. It will not happen again.
"There's no way you can know that for sure, Itachi," Shisui said, narrowing his eyes. "You can't decide when the next epidemic will break out. And, sorry to break this to you, but you have an autoimmune disease. You do need a special treatment."
It was like dumping a bucket of cold water on Itachi. I always was when someone brought up his illness. Shisui hated douing that, because he despised that disease as much as it was evident that Itachi did; but that didn't mean he would just allow him to pretend it didn't exist.
Itachi's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly, and Shisui felt a tight knot forming in his stomach.
"Nothing is up to discussion when it comes to your health, Itachi," Fugaku said. "You know that. There's no other option than be obedient."
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, love," Mikoto said, barely a whisper. She already looked as distraught as she could be. "You're just as competent as any other elite shinobi. You only need to take better care of yourself."
Sasuke remained silent, staring at his empty plate. Shisui imagined it had to be very hard for him, to decide whether he wanted to side up with his parents or his brother. He did not doubt that Sasuke would have behaved in the same way if he'd been on Itachi's place, or even done something dumber. His pride was as twice as big as Itachi's.
Though, to be fair, Itachi wasn't nearly that prideful in most situations. Only delicate matters concerning his health could bring up that side of him. And also, the strict side of Shisui.
"Don't you see how much you make us worry, Itachi?" Shisui continued, softening his voice. "We love you. You think that by acting like nothing happened you are sparing us from your burden, but you're only hurting us. We want to see you healthy, alive. Not suffering in a hospital bed."
Itachi finally looked down, his face slowly regaining its color. His eyes, radiant with joy barely a pair of minutes before, were now filled with sorrow and shame. He could be very stubborn when he proposed, but he was way too intelligent to continue a discussion he knew he was going to lose. His love for his family was his greatest weakness.
"I'm sorry," Itachi said finally, his shoulders drooping. "I'll go tomorrow to the hospital. I promise."
"No, you won't spend a single night more like this," Fugaku declared, startling Shisui and Itachi. They both looked at him with wide eyes. "You have your medicine, right? Go take it and wait for me in your bedroom. In this second. I don't want to hear one single complaint. Understood?"
"But father—"
"Not. One. Complaint," Fugaku warned, without blinking, and for some reason Sasuke was the one who seemed to get the most uneasy because of this.
"Just go, Itachi," Sasuke said. "Father is not in the mood."
Then Shisui remembered that Sasuke was the one who was always in trouble, ever since he'd been assigned in that team with the Hokage's son, and had to contain a smile. It made sense that Sasuke was the one more familiarized with the point in which his father obviously would take no more unruliness.
"Let's go, Itachi," Shisui whispered, making his way around the small table to get to Itachi's side. He sneaked his hand into his and pulled him to stand up. "If you behave, I might even ask your parents for permission to spend the night here. To keep an eye on you."
"You don't need permission, Shisui—" Mikoto started, but Shisui threw her a significant look. Then she understood and smiled softly. "—I mean, yes. There's no permission for Shisui to stay over if you don't have your medicine first, Itachi."
That small act would've normally made Itachi smile, but not that day. Shisui's heart clenched painfully when he noticed that he was still refusing to look at his eyes, even as he gently guided him towards the door. Itachi didn't look angry, but there wasn't even a trace of that pleased contentment he'd had in his face the first time he'd seen him. He was just as expressionless as he forced himself to be in his missions.
He didn't try to let go of Shisui's hand, though, and that was at least something.
As expected, Fugaku had some very useful knowledge about the most basic medical procedures. Like most shinobi with the jōnin rank. He didn't hesitate for a second while he carefully mixed the antibiotic powder with the liquid solution. He didn't look nervous at all, either.
Shisui did, though. He was sure.
Itachi didn't seem troubled, at least not by the syringe in his father's hands, but didn't look any happy either. He had his head pillowed on Shisui's lap and wouldn't meet his eyes unless it was to glare at him whenever he accidentally pulled his hair too hard while he caressed it in a way that was supposed to be comforting.
"This is nonsense," Itachi complained, for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. "I already completed my antibiotic round last month. The infection is completely gone. I'm just fine."
"Tsunade-sama said you were to receive this injection once a month and once a month are you going to receive it," Fugaku replied, for the fifth time too. "Until she says otherwise. But then you'll be starting with your vitamin shots. There's no use in trying to avoid it."
"But it's so stupid," Itachi said, and Shisui knew him well enough to recognize a whine when he heard it. "It takes so long. You've been preparing that injection for the last half an hour. You have more important things to do. Or we could still be at the table, peacefully conversing."
"While I also was enjoying making fun of your brother's second kiss," Fugaku muttered, filling the syringe with the milky substance he'd obtained as a result. "Your health always comes first. You know it. Not only yours, but also your mother's and Sasuke's. And you know your attitude would be completely different if it was Sasuke who tried to skip his medication."
"Sasuke would never need something as stupid as this for so stupidly long," Itachi murmured bitterly, pressing his face against Shisui's thigh. It made Shisui's stomach flutter.
"I'm not telling you anything because I know you're upset, and you never use inappropriate words," Fugaku said, while he dampened a cotton ball with alcohol. "But I would mind my language if I were you."
"I'm sorry, father," Itachi replied right away, raising his head only to press his face against Shisui's belly this time. "But this is nonsense and a waste of time."
Shisui pinched his arm reprovingly. Itachi stifled a grunt against his abdomen.
"In moments like this I always remember how young you are," Fugaku said, coming closer to them. "Worrying so much about anything that could be seen as a weakness. Not receiving the proper medical attention will make you truly weak, you'll see."
Fugaku tugged at the waistband of Itachi's pants and boxers until he had uncovered his entire right buttock, and Itachi stayed awfully still. Shisui took his hand again and intertwined their fingers together for reassurance while Itachi's father swabbed his skin with the cotton.
"Deep breath," Fugaku instructed, and Itachi complied. That didn't seem to help at all to relax his muscles, though. Itachi jumped a little when his father inserted the needle and, judging by the trouble Fugaku had to entirely push it in, he also tensed up as much as he could. "You're only making this harder for yourself, Itachi. Relax. Now."
"Just give him a second, sir," Shisui blurted, before he could think better of what he wanted to say. Then he started drawing small circles with his free hand between Itachi's shoulder blades and, ignoring all of his survival instincts, pressed a kiss against Itachi's jaw. That made the younger finally relax with a sigh.
Shisui had to face Fugaku's sidelong glare after that, though. Even as he depressed the plunger without further problems, except for Itachi's weak protests and occasional wriggling. Fugaku didn't blink once until there was no medication left. Then he retrieved the needle, making Itachi shudder, and firmly pressed the cotton ball against the tiny wound.
"You've been dating Itachi for a year now," Fugaku said, while massaging the injection site in spite of Itachi's grumbles. "And that concedes you the obligation of stopping the formalities. But that doesn't give you the slightest permission to have the audacity to kiss him right in front of me. You're not allowed anywhere near his mouth until you've got all your blood tests done and signed by the hospital."
Shisui paled.
Itachi stifled a snort against his thigh, because they'd already been kissing for more than a year, but he quickly disguised it as a whimper. That made Fugaku massage for a little longer.
"You're going to be sore for a few days," Fugaku informed, though both Itachi and Shisui already knew that. "I'm not as good as the hospital nurses. But I won't hesitate to do this again if I ever find out you tried to skip a dose again. Understood?"
Fugaku readjusted his son's clothes, and then gave him a slight warning swat on his thigh. Itachi threw at him the same look Shisui always saw in Sasuke's face when he was sulking, but his father didn't seem bothered at all by it. He only gathered what he'd used and got ready to leave.
"You may stay this night, Shisui," Fugaku said. "But you're taking a shower first, and then borrowing some of Itachi's clothes. That antibiotic is strong, but I won't take any chances with any foreign bug you could be carrying with you. And. No. Kisses. I'll know, Shisui Uchiha."
Shisui gulped. However, as soon as the door was closed and Fugaku's steps couldn't been heard anymore, Itachi reacommodated himself better in Shisui's lap and starting peppering his mouth with kisses. Whoever thought Itachi was a diligent son, was entirely wrong. He also was a terrible boyfriend, for he apparently wanted Shisui to get murdered.
He tried to stop him by holding his shoulders, but Itachi fixed him with a murderous look.
"You so stubbornly insisted on making that needle get stuck in my rear," Itachi whispered, just as dangerously as his father. "I might as well enjoy every single privilege I may obtain from that. Sharing germs is only one of them."
"Did it hurt that much, my love?" Shisui asked, but the only answer he got were more tiny kisses. Itachi could be a rebel, but he was the obedient kind of rebel. Shisui could only comply and nuzzle him, trying to help his irritation go away. Though he suspected that would take a few days.
He sighed.
Well.
At least he would most likely have a very healthy boyfriend for that month. No hospital beds. No distressed family.
Only a very murderous father-in-law.