Thank you for clicking the link that brought you here! This is yaoi, but for this fic we're pretending the Uchiha brothers are not actually brothers. I love any kind of feedback you want to give, but I do NOT require it to update. I have a lot of family things to deal with and school is my priority, but I will work hard on this and I will finish this.
I do not own these characters and I do not make any money off of this either.
888
The tall, ostentatious building loomed high overhead, higher even than the dorms and other department buildings surrounding it. A thousand different things were painted on it; supposedly only the best art students were allowed to paint something onto the art department headquarters when they graduated. There was everything from Star Wars characters to scenes from the Bible to nearly nude women. Although the themes and scenes differed drastically (maybe even to the point of paradox), there was some sort of underlying quality that tied them together, making it look cohesive instead of like a children's finger painting experiment.
Sasuke stared up at the building, his gaze lingering on the scantily dressed women. He wasn't a pervert, and he was gay anyway. What he liked was that they were painted realistically. They didn't look like models out of magazines; in fact he was sure that the brunette near the roof had walked by him a minute ago. All looked confident and proud; their 'flaws'- big noses, or super-round faces, or mouths disproportionately small, or large thighs- seemed to bring out their beauty.
The talent on the building proved the school's reputation: this college claimed some of the best art teachers in the country and most of the graduates went on to promising careers with exhibits nationwide and even in foreign countries. Sasuke wasn't here to study art, however. He needed a job desperately; he couldn't handle living with Naruto much longer, even if they had settled into a friendly friendship instead of their violent rivalry from their high school years. So when he saw the ad in the newspaper for a modeling job that paid easy money to stand and let people look at him he figured it couldn't hurt. The job was only for a few weeks, his name and information would remain unknown, and his own college was far enough away that it seemed nearly impossible for anyone to recognize him. Though Naruto's enthusiastic response to the news made him want to turn down the job after all.
The wintry weather was getting to him through the layers of his long gray coat, so he finally stepped inside to get out of the January cold. He went in through the main doors, trying not to get knocked over by tardy students running to their classes, carrying huge sketchbooks and other art materials. The hallways were painted, too, though it was more haphazard then the outside of the building. He counted the numbers above the doors and stopped at the end of the hallway, pausing outside a classroom with a naked figure painted very realistically onto the door. It was hard to tell what gender the person was because he/she was drawn from a back view and the hair was an in-between length, but either way the person was stunning. It was so detailed that he leaned in closer to look at the shading, to marvel at the precision with which each muscle was done.
He was so intent on admiring the door that he didn't notice someone come up behind him until they spoke. "Beautiful, aren't I?"
Startled, the raven turned and faced a handsome man, maybe in his early thirties, with silver hair and an eye patch. Sasuke stared for a moment, taking in the sudden beauty then looking back at the door. His eyes darted back and forth again before seeing it. Had he been anyone else he would have blushed because the man was obviously naked when the artist did this… and thinking about a man he had just met naked usually was how he got himself into trouble. A weird feeling started working its way into his gut though he wasn't sure why yet. He was getting a bad feeling but brushed that thought away. This was a legitimate job and there was no reason to believe someone would hurt him or take advantage of him here.
"One of my best students did this." The man shifted his one eye from staring at himself admiringly to the boy in front of him. He lazily studied him and the scrutiny from a total stranger made him uncomfortable. Then it looked like he lost interest but his smile was so big that his sole eye was just a happy half moon. "You'll be good for this, Sasuke Uzumaki. They'll like you."
"How do you know who I am?" He scowled, then felt a little silly. Of course this man had to be the professor who placed the job advertisement. Sasuke hated being at a disadvantage when meeting people. "Anyway, I thought that my real name wasn't going to be used."
"I already know all my students and we don't have any visitor requests today so it's obvious you're our subject." He scratched his nose. "What's with black-haired students and attitude problems lately?" The last part was muttered under his breath, but whether it was because he didn't mean for Sasuke to hear it or because of the bright orange book he'd pulled from nowhere and started reading even before he'd finished speaking, the confused raven had no idea. "What name do you want to use instead then? I'm Kakashi, by the way."
'Am I that boring to talk to?' He thought; this guy didn't seem competent, but Kakashi was clearly in charge so maybe he knew what he was doing. He heard loud noises coming from inside the classroom and checked his watch, curious. "I'll use my middle name, Ritsuka. We're five minutes late… shouldn't we go in?" Kakashi kept reading, leaning against the wall. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt; he looked completely unprofessional.
"I guess so. I told the class they'd have fresh meat today so I bet they're excited to meet you." He finally moved and reached past Sasuke to open the door and Sasuke jerked back to avoid contact. He cursed himself in his head for his too-obvious reaction, but he wasn't sure if Kakashi noticed because he was still reading that book, not even watching where he was walking but stepping over bags and avoiding desks and chairs with eerie precision.
The professor led the way into a large classroom and Sasuke followed a few steps behind, the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach growing a bit when he saw all the people that would be drawing him. There were about twenty, most of them were girls. Aside from occasionally being cute, girls were annoying background static. Like white noise. But the few boys that were in the class were good looking. Of course, just when he needed a break from men, potential boyfriends popped up like weeds. It couldn't hurt, he told himself, as long as he only looked at them.
The man sitting near the door was ruggedly handsome. He looked tough but gave off the same vibes as Naruto; a rough attitude with a mean left hook, but a good heart that more often than not disabled it. They even looked similar from the spiky untamed hair down to his outfit of holey jeans and a thick, worn sweatshirt.
Unfortunately, there was some kind of pink-haired monstrosity next to the boy, and the two were definitely friends, so Sasuke resolved not to go near the boy because that pinkness would affect him merely by association. Sasuke would hold hands with his boyfriends in public, but he drew the line at pink.
Right in front of the windows sat a man that looked way older than the rest. His face looked old the way vampires look old without being wrinkly, and his posture was too perfect and he wore dress pants and a button-up shirt. None of the other students were dressed so formally. The sunlight that poured all over the pale-white man had absolutely no affect on his aura. It was like a fog of creepiness was emanating from that area, and it rolled onto Sasuke as soon as he glanced over. Golden eyes glimmered at him and he quickly decided not to look his way ever again. That brief second of eye contact instantly reminded of every horror movie he'd ever seen.
It was in that moment, as he tried to focus back on following Kakashi to the center of the room without tripping over various props, that he saw him sitting in the corner. The man was gorgeous. The man faintly resembled a vampire. The man also looked scarily like himself. This wasn't mere vanity; it was true.
He had dark, all-but-black eyes, heavy lines underneath them that implied too many sleepless nights, and even darker hair just longer than his shoulders held back in a loose ponytail. The darkness of the man's eyes and hair set off skin that was at least as pale as his own. He was a few inches taller than Sasuke and probably wasn't more than three or four years older. The dark beauty's most notable feature was probably… overall hotness. Like cream-in-your-pants hot. If Sasuke wasn't so edgy today he was pretty sure he'd be hard.
He thought he was subtly checking him out, but the taller man noticed. Eyes so powerful they burned him locked onto his own so suddenly that he caught his breath. They were scorching, borderline predatory when they looked at him; which made Sasuke remember that after his last boyfriend he needed a break- a really long break- from dating. Reluctantly, and somewhat regretfully, he wrenched his eyes from the burning ones.
The staring match hadn't lasted even five whole seconds, but Sasuke found himself a little embarrassed by such intensity. So he distracted himself by looking at the classroom. It was smaller than he expected, but with high ceilings, skylights, and fancy windows that made it feel bigger. The walls were pure white, probably so the artists wouldn't be distracted by too much visual stimulation. The middle of the classroom had a raised square area that Kakashi was standing on to address his class, who were scattered all around him at their easels. He gestured with his book for Sasuke to stand with him. Sasuke promptly obeyed, a little unnerved by all the eyes on him but he didn't show it.
"Class. Today we're working with my new boyfriend." Sasuke glared at the silver-haired man (who hadn't stopped reading, even to make his announcement) then rolled his eyes. Maybe this would deter the girls that had begun whispering every time they thought Sasuke looked in their direction. The teacher continued to read his book, apparently oblivious to the uproar that began at his bold statement. Sasuke focused on a weird plant just outside the window, trying to ignore them.
"Sensei, how do you always pick up the hot ones?"
"Yeah! You're too old for him anyway!"
"They're not actually dating, idiot! Sensei already has a girlfriend!"
"I'll show you some fun uses for paint in exchange for your number!" Sasuke noticed it was Mr. I-Wish-I-was-tough-but-somehow-I-still-pull-off-good-looking. Sasuke wouldn't have pegged him for being gay.
"Oh knock it off, Kiba! He's not gay!" The girl with the abominable hair had a voice to match it.
"He didn't deny it yet!"
"That's because he's too cool to dignify such a random, idiotic accusation with an actual response, Kiba!"
'Idiotic?' He thought. 'Well, it should be fun to burst her bubble.'
"Ahem." Inexplicably, Kakashi's quiet cough was enough for them all to quiet instantly. "Anyway, so you'll be drawing him."
"What's his name?" The raven was relieved to know he wasn't alone as half the class shivered at the sound of that voice. Kakashi looked at creepy-man with an odd expression. "We should know a little bit about him, right? We'll be seeing him for the next few weeks, after all." The words were perfectly innocent on their own, but the guy's voice could probably turn something like 'pass the salt' into an innuendo.
"Our subject goes by Ritsuka."
"Hey, doesn't he look like Uchiha?" Kiba stage whispered to pinkie. She punched his arm to shush him as the whole class furtively looked to the quiet man in his corner. He shrugged, clearly indifferent and resumed writing out what Sasuke thought looked like math equations in his notebook. "He does look like you." The sensei's voice trailed off a bit, and Sasuke began to wonder what it was about that man that kept people away from him. There was sort of a crater of space around Itachi which no one looked like they wanted to get into… as if behind that handsome face was a mind-eating alien that devoured souls or something. But maybe Sasuke had been watching too much sci-fi lately; another reason to get away from Naruto.
Kakashi tugged on Sasuke's coat sleeve to catch his attention. "I'll need you to get changed."
Sasuke nodded. "Where and into what?" Kakashi brought Sasuke to a screened off area in the back, calling orders for his class to get ready as an afterthought. Once they were behind it, Kakashi started digging through a chest, looking away from his book for only the second time since he'd started reading. "Okay, shirts and pants off." Kakashi turned to another corner to ruffle through a hidden closet, smiling at the weird look he was getting from his temporary employee. "They can't draw you if they can't see you." He taunted.
"The ad said nothing about nudity." The raven did not find the joke funny. Kakashi had remembered his fake name well enough, didn't seem to like creepy-man (brownie points in Sasuke's book) and had discreetly kept from making physical contact, which proved the man was observant if nothing else. But Sasuke would walk out if these sorts of things would be happening. He didn't dislike living with Naruto that much. He was his legal guardian, after all.
"That's true, but to wear this you need to take off your current clothes." The art professor held up a suit on a hanger. Sasuke coughed to hide his awkwardness, waiting until Kakashi turned around before changing. He used the opportunity to check the scars on the back his thigh; they had faded considerably since he checked last.
"Have you ever done this before?" Sasuke paused in fixing his tie, startled by the question but hid the fact. "No. Why?"
"I don't want you to be nervous." In contrast to his flippant mood earlier, the lazy art teacher was being serious. Kakashi had turned back around, making careful eye contact. "If anyone does anything inappropriate let me know." Oh shit. Did that mean that something bad really was going to happen, or did Kakashi somehow know about what he'd just escaped from? "You're my responsibility." He broke the tension easily by winking his one eye at Sasuke. "But have fun with this, alright?"
Sasuke nodded again. Kakashi had eased some of his anxiety, so he felt bold enough to follow the teacher and step out from behind the screen. "Where should I… huh?" He looked about to ask the art Sensei what he should do now, but he was mysteriously gone.
"He disappears like that sometimes." The raven knew who the creepy chuckle belonged to before he looked. The old one was much too close, even for a touchy-feely person. Sasuke attempted an inconspicuous retreat but the man moved as well, staying in the raven's personal bubble. "Come over here so we can see you properly." He grabbed onto Sasuke's wrist without asking. The smaller man shuddered, casually trying to yank his arm away but he was hyper-aware of everyone's eyes on him and he refused to appear weak so he counted his breaths to distract himself, focusing not on the clammy skin on his wrist and allowed himself to be led directly into the beam of light shining down from the skylight. He felt dirty having the man touch him, even something as innocent as his arm, so he was immensely grateful when his wrist was released.
"Oh, Orochimaru, stop hogging him!" The pink girl bounced perkily over, not at all put off by the killer vibes the snake-eyed man was sending out. "No, Sakura," the evil one said smoothly. "You choose to monopolize the last one. Besides," he looked at Sasuke in that gross way, just like his last boyfriend did when he was in that mood. "He has just the body type I have been looking for." Sakura pouted but returned to her seat. Orochimaru gently pulled on Sasuke again, this time getting a better hold and bringing the raven in front of him so he could guide the raven with a hand on his lower back. Sasuke stared straight ahead stoically, ignoring the cold skin on his as much as he could but screaming inside.
But for all the pervert vibes he was beaming out, Orochimaru touched him nowhere else and let go of him completely as soon as they got to the couch that was upon the platform. Sasuke got comfy on the chair, facing the window so he could look outside at the courtyard if he got bored, trying not to wrinkle the fancy navy blue suit too much, and then sat as still as possible. Against his better judgment he couldn't help but sneak a few peeks at Mr. Gorgeous- Uchiha, was it?- when he was pretty sure the man wasn't looking at him. Uchiha seemed to stare at his body a lot, though that could be because he was drawing him… ok, time for new thoughts.
Sasuke relaxed, listening to the quiet scribbling of pencils and the like. Although a few people chatted they kept their voices down so the music that Sasuke had just noticed could be heard. It sounded familiar… maybe Mozart? Beethoven? It wasn't much of a struggle to keep still. He slowly slid his eyes closed, content to have the warm sun on his face and the gentle melody in the background.
He remembered- Moonlight Sonata. Melancholy, but soothing.
The first time he'd heard it was his first time running to Naruto's apartment. Who knew idiots could play the piano? But the rain had been heavy and Sasuke was more concerned about getting away from his angry boyfriend then being protected from the weather. Even now, Sasuke was unsure what he'd done to Kabuto. The man was always so calm and then out of nowhere, hitting him like that…
Naruto's first reaction was embarrassment at getting caught doing something so personal. Of course the second Naruto saw the bruise on his best friend's face he had leapt up, embraced him, and got him all dry and safe again. And after Naruto was done with Kabuto, there were assault charges… even now Sasuke was unclear about how the charges had been mysteriously dropped without himself having to tell his side of the story. But there was a restraining order involved.
Calming. Well, usually. Recently this music drags too many memories back up. He'd have to convince Naruto to learn something else. Not like Sasuke was planning on more panic attacks, but just in case…
After Kabuto, there were three others. They all started out nice enough. Buying him gifts, taking him to fancy restaurants, never pushing the sex issue because they knew about his past, Sasuke had nothing but model boyfriends… at first. Three or four months in, it was like they were transformed into angry, possessive bastards. Sasuke had done what he could, and put off the breakup for as long as he could… but some damage couldn't be undone. The scars on his thigh and back would fade eventually, as would the bruises on his ankles, but as he was right now the only one he stand touching him at all was Naruto and even his best friend had to be careful.
But it didn't matter, because he was away from all that. Naruto protected him like the brother he'd never had, and Sasuke felt safe. Of all his boyfriends the last had been the most controlling, but surely even abusive, psychotic bastards had better things to do than stalk an ex-lover, right?
Today is a good day, and it will only get better from now on. Sasuke decided this. Maybe all of Naruto's positive thinking was sneaking into his own thoughts.
He opened his eyes to enjoy the outside, checking the sky for more snow clouds that could cancel classes tomorrow. He saw movement among the bushes just next to the window and a rather large form. Was it a bear? But bears aren't common in this area, they were scared off by all the students. He squinted a bit to see better, aware he shouldn't shift his expression too much but he had that feeling in his stomach like he had swallowed razor blades and they were churning his insides. The figure shifted again; he was now sure something was there. No, it was much worse than a bear. He met eyes with those of Juugo. He looked like he'd been in a terrific accident; half of his right arm was missing and there were strange gashes across his chest, his baggy shirt and jeans soaked in blood though somehow he had the energy to smile with all his creepy might at his ex, the evil grin growing at seeing Sasuke's reaction.
His mouth slowly fell open in a silent scream of horror, his body rigid as he broke his pose and jumped up, slowly backing away from the windows. What is he doing here? What happened to his face? Did Naruto smash his nose in? But Naruto couldn't have torn off his arm, could he? How did he find me? What does he want with me now? Hasn't he done enough? How can I escape? Why? The torrent of questions and half-formed thoughts of calling Naruto or the police occupied him so he didn't even realize he'd jumped up and started backing away from the window.
"Hey man… you okay?" Sasuke blinked a couple times, and the face he'd seen at the window- thought he'd seen?- was gone. For now, he couldn't seem to get grounded and was sure he wouldn't feel right until he'd talked to his guardian. He sort of registered that the man walking cautiously towards him was the guy who reminded him of Naruto. "Dude, you don't look so good. Is everything alright?"
Sasuke took a deep breath, collecting himself and meant to lie perfectly, say he was fine, but in that moment he closed his eyes and lost himself again. He couldn't get Juugo's face out of his head; the man was burned into his retinas and brought another tightening in his chest.
"I-, it's…" Sasuke choked up, unable to get the words out, that tight feeling in his chest clenching. If he could just calm down then he'd pass it off as a slight stutter, but he could feel a panic attack coming. "I…" his mouth failed him again. The edges of his vision had blurred, were fading… and he was quite light-headed…
The room tipped a bit. He faintly heard a chair scraping against the linoleum floor and footsteps rushing, getting louder, magnifying into the only thing he could hear and he couldn't really see and each breath scraped along his throat like sharp gravel… Strong arms slipped under him and around his waist, keeping him up. The warm body behind him scared him with its abruptness and he tried to fight it, still caught up in the memory of not-long-enough-ago. "Don't touch me!" His voice finally obeyed him, too late and too loud.
"As soon as you relax. This job isn't a good fit for you if you're going to have panic attacks and fall all over the place." That voice was silk rustling against his ear. It was entirely too close… so close he could feel the person's soft breath on his cheek and a muscular chest up against his back and the hands criss-crossing around his midsection. He stopped struggling. He wasn't ready for so much physical contact yet, but this presence was… not unpleasant. The words bugged him, challenged him, but the tone was non-aggressive. He stopped struggling and carefully reregulated his breathing. The man holding him up felt his efforts and chuckled gently into his ear. "Much better, kitten."
He pushed again and was released from the embrace. "What did you call me?" It came out way louder than he thought it would, and he remembered again where he was. 'Dammit.' On his first day, too. Kakashi's hand dropped onto his shoulder protectively and his rescuer released him and took a step back in response. 'When did Kakashi get back in here?' Sasuke's muddled brain wondered.
"Are you alright?" The teacher questioned. The raven nodded, thoroughly embarrassed as he saw almost the entire class had jumped out of their chairs and were all staring at him. Luckily he had grown up with Naruto, which gave him the control to keep the blush off his face. "You nearly passed out. Did you skip breakfast this morning, or was it the heat? They always overdo the heat in this room." Sasuke glanced at his helper and lost his breath. Why did it have to be the hot one who had helped him? Sasuke needed to be single for a while, dammit! Though this should be mortifying enough to deter any man for a while.
Kakashi tightened his grip, and he realized he had to answer to reassure him… or at least the class. Sasuke nodded, but Kakashi knew something was up, anyway. He looked at his rescuer, their eyes met; those intense eyes were looking at him again and it was too much, like the guy was analyzing his soul and weighing whether he was worth the trouble or not.
But the guy covered over his hesitation anyway. "These kinds of things can happen pretty easily. You'll be alright; I'm a certified nurse." He looked back at those eyes. They were telling him to go along with this story for now. But why he was willing to cover for him? Why was this stranger so eager to help? Ideas of being manipulated entered his mind, but he pushed them away. There had to be some good people in the world, right?
He had to look at the art teacher when he answered. "I think I forgot to eat this morning… I was pretty busy." He swallowed and spoke louder, keeping his voice normal to hide his worry that they would find out what a mess he really was. "I just felt dizzy for a moment." He steadily but nervously faced the stunning man who'd made excuses for him and bowed formally. "Thank you." He then bowed to the rest of the class. "I'm sorry for causing such a disturbance."
"Class is over. Everyone out before I change my mind." Kakashi waved the class away to pack up. Only Uchiha stayed on the platform, ushering Sasuke back onto the couch. "Check him, Itachi, would you?" Itachi had already started. Kakashi was eyeing him, supervising his student as he checked Sasuke's pulse. 'Like that'll help.' Sasuke thought. How on earth could having his hand held- even by a really hot guy- help his heart to beat at a normal rate?
"You really didn't eat this morning, did you?" Brightly black eyes were on him, and so close because the guy was bent over to check his pupils. Bright, but deep, like looking into the sea at twilight. There had to be a bottom in the night-sky eyes but he couldn't seem to see it … oh right. They were waiting for an answer.
He sighed. "Not really. There was a lot of stuff going on." Naruto was all that was going on, but that man was a tornado all on his own anyway. He carefully retracted his hand, still uncomfortable with the touch. "But just now was… I just thought I saw something really weird outside."
"Care to elaborate?"
While Sasuke knew the art professor was concerned, he was embarrassed over nearly fainting and therefore somewhat cranky. It was nobody's business but his own. "No." He said firmly, letting his brows knit together. Itachi was staring at him again, assessing his responses. Was he a psychologist as well as a nurse?
"Are you sure you want to continue with this job? Perhaps something else would be better." Itachi looked like he was watching his face for something.
"You mean something less strenuous?" He said with disgust. Something seemed to click in Itachi's expression and Sasuke couldn't make sense of it. It didn't matter, though, because the Uzumaki was determined to stick to his resolution. No dating for a while, no matter how hot those pants made Uchiha look. Or how many muscles he felt when he was being held. "It was a moment of weakness. I'm fine." He stood and walked back behind the panels and changed as quickly as he could.
"As long as it doesn't happen again. Maybe you should get yourself checked out." The professor sounded casually concerned, but the threat of dismissal was still there.
Sasuke came back out in his own clothes again, putting his heavy coat back on and wrapping his scarf tight around his neck. "Right. I'll do that." He said but nobody believed him. By now Itachi was packed up and Kakashi was ready to go as well. They walked out of the building in silence, Sasuke even with his look-alike and his employer trailing behind reading his book once more.
Once in the courtyard Sasuke muttered a goodbye, avoiding eye contact with Itachi who was still subtly checking his balance, color, and breathing rate. He stomach gave a little flip with the thought that this man genuinely cared if he was alright. Recognizing that this could be a dangerous thought, he turned to walk towards the bus stop when Itachi called for him to wait. Sasuke did so without thinking, turning around to watch the man come towards him. Behind that long black hair Sasuke could see Kakashi lingering, walking extremely slowly to the parking lot and glancing back occasionally. Sasuke was a bit touched by how the professor was still trying to protect him even outside the classroom. Not that he needed it.
"Come with me." Itachi boldly reached for Sasuke's upper arm. He reflexively pulled out of the hold and scowled. He didn't care how hot this guy was, he had no right to go touching him and making demands.
"Why should I? I told you, I'm fine." He said, sounding much harsher than he intended. Out in the cold it was easy to see that the taller man was paler then he had first seemed. But the waning sunlight also showed the healthy shine to his hair, the flawlessness of his skin, and the ease with which he carried a large briefcase, backpack, and art bag. With as much sheepishness he could push through his obstinate nature he said, "I already thanked you for helping me."
Itachi adjusted the straps on his backpack. "No, you didn't. Not properly." He replied with equanimity unfazed by Sasuke's apparent ingratitude. That analyzing expression overcame his face again, then he said, "I need to make sure you eat enough after that scare. Come so I can buy you dinner." Sasuke opened his mouth to protest but the older man shut down his argument. "Don't make it a big deal. Come on." He started walking to the parking lot, not even looking to see if Sasuke was following.
Not entirely sure why, Sasuke did follow. There were enough good reasons, such as he was hungry, and he knew better than to say no to free food, and he would rather not take the bus back home, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Kakashi smile and give a little wave which meant this was okay, but none of them were the real reason. He just felt connected to this man. Which was dangerous if the man had the same sexual orientation as himself. He couldn't seem to remind himself enough that he should stay out of a relationship for a couple months or at least until the scars healed. That was embarrassment he wasn't looked forward to revealing to anyone. He walked a little faster to walk side-by-side with his companion. Out of the corner of his eye he admired the way he walked so elegantly.
"I promise to minimize physical contact." Itachi said quietly. Sasuke couldn't keep the surprise off his face, but wasn't really sure how to react to that. How much did this man know? Or was he just being really obvious? Maybe this guy was like Sherlock Holmes or House or something. Way too observant.
"Thank you." Sasuke mumbled. One of the corners of Itachi's lips moved up fractionally, which he guessed to mean 'you're welcome'. Uchiha suddenly stopped in front of a black car, popping the trunk and stowing his bags inside. Sasuke tried not to ogle the car, but it was shiny and expensive and definitely not something college students drove. He climbed in the car when Itachi did, once more surprised when he saw the car was spotless and the leather seats were without blemish. What kind of college kid had these standards?
Starting up the car and jacking up the heat, Itachi let the car warm up for a minute. Sasuke had felt barely the slightest bit of unease about going with a man he only met an hour ago to an undefined location, but being alone with him in the car cast a shadow of reality across Sasuke's mind. This man might be merely pretending to be nice. People did things like that all the time. But Kakashi had approved, so maybe Itachi was safe. Itachi turned on his GPS unit and flipped through a few different options before he interrupted his silent meanderings. "Is Panera acceptable?"
Sasuke nodded, strangely reassured that he hadn't chosen a fancy restaurant. This guy could afford someplace expensive, as was clear by his vehicle, but the fact that he offered something simple like Panera could mean that he wasn't trying to impress Sasuke. They pulled out and onto the road. "We'll be there in about ten minutes."
"Oh." Then, "Are we going to the one next to Starbucks?"
"Yes." Itachi adjusted the heat now that it was sufficiently warm in the car. "But you aren't allowed to have any frappuccinos or other nonsense until you've eaten a sandwich or two." His tone was like a brother scolding his younger sibling, something Sasuke couldn't decide if he liked. Naruto had never managed to pull off the tone in-between guardian and friend, but this authoritative mix was comforting in its own way.
"Whatever. You're paying." He played with a string unraveling from his scarf. "Actually, my roommate works there. He's not scheduled today, though." Itachi acknowledged this with a nod.
They were comfortably quiet the rest of the drive, neither being big talkers. They snagged a spot right in the front and as they entered Itachi held the door for him like a gentleman. 'Talk about mixed signals,' he thought. Itachi offered to pay, but they are eating someplace low key, but then Itachi is holding the door, yet he talks to him in a brotherly way. 'Or,' Sasuke thought, 'I could be over-analyzing everything.'
As they waited in line, Sasuke realized something. "We haven't been formally introduced, have we?" He met Itachi's burning eyes and felt a small thrill. Dammit, why was control so difficult around this guy? "I'm Sasuke Uzumaki."
Itachi gave him a weird look, and Sasuke realized his mistake. "No, wait, I mean, I'm really Ritsu- that's not- I'm- oh, fuck it." They moved forward in the line, Sasuke glancing at his shoes and Itachi as impassive as ever. He tried to explain himself without sounding like an idiot. "I just didn't want a bunch of strangers knowing too much." Itachi was looking at the menu, not looking too bothered by Sasuke's revelation of his real name. "You won't tell anyone, right?" Other than occasional expressions, which Sasuke was now thinking were accidental, Itachi's face was stoic so Sasuke could hardly guess what he was thinking.
"Of course not, Sasuke." Another tiny frisson came over him as his name flowed out in that mellifluous voice. "I am Itachi Uchiha. It is a pleasure to meet you." He ushered him up to the register to order first. Itachi doubled Sasuke's dinner before choosing his own.
Itachi paid then brought Sasuke to the seating area, seeking the quietest spot. "Hatake-sensei may seem foolish and incompetent, but I assure you, he is a good man and will keep his promise to take care of you. But you have to take care of yourself, too. He does not like babysitting."
'Was that a joke or not?' Sasuke let the comment go, whichever it was supposed to be. They sat in the back of the store where it was reasonably quiet and no one was near enough to hear them. There were more than a few glances in their direction from the female customers however. "What triggered the panic attack in the studio?"
Sasuke wasn't in the mood to discuss this. "I don't see how that is any of your business." He really did want to be pleasant today, plus Itachi bought him food, but he wanted his personal life to remain private.
Itachi didn't return the scowl. "Shall I tell you about myself, then?" Sasuke knew he was trying to establish a connection to get Sasuke open up to him more so he didn't say anything, curious as he was. Itachi continued nonetheless. "I am 24; I passed the bar exam when I was 17. I worked as s a lawyer at my father's firm for several years. I received my certification as a nurse during that time, at my father's request. Recently my father has been involved in various… things." He told his story with little emotion until this point. "I put up with his doings until I helped a client with different views." A smile hovered around his lips when he said client, making Sasuke wonder what brought the emotion from Uchiha. "That man convinced me, through both his words and actions, that the right, no, the only decision was to leave and pursue my own path." He paused. "Anything else you want to know?"
Sasuke shook his head. He did want to know more, but was still feeling a bit uncooperative.
"Tell me a little about you. Where do you go to school? Why did you take this job? What are your parents like?"
The least risky answer at this point was the last question. "I don't have parents. My best friend was able to adopt me because he's older, so I have a legal guardian. I graduated early from high school and started university last year. This job is… I need money to move back out. I can't handle living with my guardian." He thought about what he said after a second. "Well, it's not like he's abusive or anything. He's my best friend but he drives me crazy when we spend a lot of time together."
"Move back out?"
"Yeah. I practically lived with my boyfriends before they started hitting…" The younger man felt the urge to smack himself. He had fallen right into the trap and landed on his face. "Alright, fine. My past relationships are the source of my… incidents. But it's not a big deal. I can handle things on my own now." He was now planning an escape. Soon. Maybe in the next five minutes. It would be easy enough to pretend to get a phone call or go to the bathroom and never come back. He had figured he could at least get through dinner without examining all his issues but Itachi was sharper than he had estimated.
"Hm." Itachi was silent for minute, digesting the information. Sasuke was content to watch the thoughts flicker behind the man's eyes where his emotions hid beneath his stolid face. Interruption seemed to be the theme of today, because three plates were suddenly and loudly dumped on the table. Uzumaki snapped his head up to glare at the person for making a sudden noise, but it softened when he saw who it was. Instead his face eased into a smile, surprised but happy to see his roommate. "Hello, Naruto. I didn't think you were working today."
Sunshine radiated in the smile aimed his way. Itachi looked up at Naruto with an expression Sasuke hadn't seen yet. "I wasn't supposed to, but Kiba called out again. How did the job go? By the way, next time you forget to retrieve the food you pay for, it will just keep sitting there until it gets… cold…" Naruto trailed off when he saw Itachi, and then Naruto smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh! I know you! You were that lawyer that got me out of trouble that one time!" Sasuke felt a smidge of jealousy when Naruto embraced the man, not liking such familiarity with the man he was on-a-date/not-on-a-date with. He did feel better that Itachi didn't quite return the hug.
"Yes, I believe you were the boy who roughed someone up a little too much." Naruto grabbed a chair from one of the other tables and pulled it up to theirs. Itachi took the moment to nudge Sasuke's food towards him until he took the hint and started eating. He hadn't realized it, but he was starving. It was a good thing he had the second sandwich.
Naruto smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Heh, well, the bastard had it coming. But how do you two know each other?"
"Sasuke came to model for my art class, but he nearly passed out. I wanted to be certain he ate something. I am guessing you are his legal guardian?" Sasuke affirmed Itachi's question then rolled his eyes at Naruto's alarmed look and hurried to clear his mouth. He would have stopped Itachi had his mouth not been full of deliciousness.
"But I'm fine, it wasn't really anything." Sasuke knew the blonde wanted to ask more but didn't want to bring up all his personal issues in front of a stranger, but Itachi foiled his plans to avoid Naruto's mothering again.
"We were actually just talking about the nature of his panic attacks and how they started."
Naruto got all excited at this news; he sat up straight in his chair and gave Sasuke the 'you're in trouble' look. "You had a panic attack? Sasuke, that's something you should tell me. I'm your legal guardian and your best friend and your roommate. You didn't think that was something I should know?"
Now the brunette felt kind of bad. "I just didn't want to worry you. You have enough going on at the moment." The blonde sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Teme, I would much rather know all the small stuff than have it accumulate into something huge. And seriously, that's what I'm here for." He stole a sip of Sasuke's soda. "What set you off?"
Sasuke stole his drink back. "Juugo." Naruto's face got all dark and murderous. Itachi quietly observed the two, making no comment but analyzing all the same.
"And what the fuck is that good-for-shit son of a bitch doing near you?" His hands were clenched and he looked ready to storm out and deliver some whoop-ass.
"It's alright; I only thought I saw him." Naruto opened his mouth but the brunette knew what he was going to say. "And yes, I'm sure it wasn't really him. We do have a restraining order."
"I know, but I won't feel like you're safe until that mother-fucker is dead. Pardon my language." He zoned out for a few moments while Sasuke finished off his sandwich, starting to wonder just why the imaginary Juugo had looked almost dead. Wishful thinking, perhaps? Naruto then turned to Itachi. "So you took care of him? Thank you."
"It wasn't a problem." Itachi drank the last of his water. "It wasn't severe. He was so insistent on being alright that I wanted to make sure he actually was."
A thought struck Sasuke. "So when you said he helped you, Naruto, was that when you beat Kabuto into the hospital?" He started on his second sandwich, feeling much better. The parts of Itachi's meal that had been left unguarded were slowly and sneakily finding their way into Naruto's mouth.
The older man didn't seem bothered by the theft of his food, but at this question he gave Naruto a pointed look. The blonde chuckled and meekly answered, "No, this was actually about Kimimaro. Bastard had it coming, you now? And I'm pretty sure I heard the universe telling me it was my job to deliver." He laughed at his own joke until he really noticed Itachi's expression. "Ahem. Anyway, I won't be beating Juugo. I forgot- He got busted for drugs."
"Really?" Sasuke honestly couldn't remember if he'd ever seen Juugo using. It wasn't surprising that he was a druggie, though.
Having finished Itachi's meal for him, he stood up to go back to work. "Yeah, he was selling to minors and stuff. It was in the newspaper this morning." Naruto frowned, and Sasuke knew he wasn't going to like this. "So, um, I know you probably didn't, but I know he was pushy, and I mean, I know you, and you wouldn't normally, but I'm not very… I need to be one hundred percent on this, and, um, just… don't get mad, alright?" His pseudo-son looked blankly at him. "I just need to hear you say that you didn't ever use any drugs and that he never forced any on you."
"Are you an idiot?" Naruto looked sort of hurt, and Sasuke considered he had point; Juugo was definitely the type of person to force drugs into his body and he owed his guardian that much. With a sigh, he said, "no, he never tried to get or forced me to take anything. I'm clean."
The sun returned to his friend's face. "Well, I have to get back to work. There's still an hour till closing, and then I have to stay for clean-up. You mind taking this kid home?" He stuck out a thumb to gesture to Sasuke, who resented being called a kid but was more focused on spending more time with Itachi. He liked the man, but he could sense there would be more discussion about his past then he would like.
"Not a problem. Are you still at the same location?" He gathered their dishes to bring them to the trash can. "Unless Sasuke has a problem with it, of course." Great. Itachi's thoughtful, too? Maybe they should go ahead and get married. He's hot, intelligent, has Naruto's approval, and is considerate of other's opinions—what more could Sasuke want?
Naruto blushed a bit. "Yeah, I mean, I guess I should have asked. Is that alright?"
The younger Uzumaki didn't want to cause trouble or make his guardian worry, so he nodded and followed the older man out after giving Naruto a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Finish up the laundry for me, please."
Sasuke sighed as they walked out. He hated doing the laundry, which was why Naruto was supposed to take care of it. "When you said your name was Uzumaki, I wondered if you could be related to Naruto." Itachi looked at the younger man out of the corner of his eye as he pulled out of the parking lot. "He's the one I was talking about."
"What do you mean?" If he could stretch this topic, then they wouldn't discuss his personal life anymore tonight.
"Naruto's case was special. I generally didn't handle assault charges, but he promised there was a good reason for not telling the whole story. I was taught never to trust clients, but, as I'm sure you know, Naruto is different from other people."
"He certainly is." Who could argue with that? In both good and bad ways, his guardian is unique. "When we lived in the orphanage, he used to pull pranks and cause trouble. He was always playing and seemed to take few things seriously. Still, our caretaker favored him, the younger children looked up to him, the older kids respected him, and his grades were almost as high as mine."
"You sound proud."
He thought for a moment. "I guess I am. When I first met Naruto, some teacher was yelling at him, saying a stupid kid like him would never amount to much." The memory was strong: Ebisu-sensei, red-faced from angrily screaming at his fourth grade student. Young Sasuke had peeped in on his way back from the bathroom, awed by the cool expression of determination until his kindergarten teacher noticed him spying. "People like that drive him crazy. And he hates seeing others get picked on."
"And that's why he reacted so violently when someone hurt you." The younger man winced at the change in topic, and Itachi noticed despite his focus on driving. "I know you don't want to talk about this. I won't bring it up anymore, but promise two things."
Uchiha was observant and belonged to that special group of people who had their lives changed by Naruto, so if his conditions were reasonable Sasuke might go along with them. "Maybe."
Itachi heard the stubbornness still present and half-smiled. "If you're not feeling well, you'll tell me first. No more lying about it."
"Alright." It made sense and could save him from embarrassing himself in front of the class further. "What's the second?"
The car stopped and Uzumaki just noticed they'd arrived home already. "Swear to me," he tapped the shorter man's chin to make sure he was paying attention, "you'll stay away from Orochimaru, no matter what."
He snorted. "That won't be a problem, he's creepy." He was startled when Uchiha's eyes flashed for a moment.
"I still need you to promise, regardless of the circumstances, you won't go near him."
"I promise." The raven couldn't figure out what his deal was. But if it made him feel better…
"Alright." Uchiha smiled and the tension was gone, just like that. Sasuke climbed out of the car, fiddling with his keys. "Have a good night," the voice called out from the rolled down car window.
Sasuke looked back at the man in the car and realized all over again how good-looking he was. His refulgent eyes followed his every move as he unlocked his door and stepped inside. "See you Wednesday." As soon as he shut the door he peeped out the window to watch the impressive vehicle pull away. He thought of his vision of Juugo in the art room and the horrific feeling of nearly fainting, but also of his full stomach and the way his chest didn't feel tight when Itachi had touched him. Yeah, today was a good day. And perhaps this job won't be so bad after all.
888
Please feel free (but not obligated) to express any opinions, comments, or disparaging remarks. Thank you for reading!