Loyalty and duty were always the most important thing for nin. No matter what village they hailed from. They had to be loyal and they had to understand what their positions entailed. It was even more obvious for each clan who had their own system of rank and loyalty.
Shisui Uchiha was a talented ninja and a loyal one. He never chose self preservation or desire over what was expected of him. Yet that did not mean anything when he looked at Itachi. His loyalty to his clan and his village could not be questioned. But his love for his cousin was even greater.
It did not matter that they were both boys or that Itachi would eventually be dragged into an arranged marriage. It did not matter that Shisui was not part of the main branch in the clan. It was irrelevant that they were family because the Uchiha clan continued to marry within the family.
He knew his duty. And there were times where he resented it. There was a part of him that hoped that Itachi would end up becoming the Hokage, because if he did then his expectations with the clan would fall to Sasuke. If Itachi was to become Hokage, he did not have to marry some pretty cousin and produce Uchiha babies.
In a way, Itachi would be free.
Freedom was not something either Uchiha had much of. They had to find the time to slip away from the rest of the world and be together. Even if it was just training, they were still side by side as they should be.
It was a known fact with the two of them. Where one Uchiha was, the second was not far behind.
They had gone to the river to swim. Or…Shisui had swam and dragged Itachi in with him. The boy was not the strongest of swimmers and was self conscious about it. But he always followed Shisui's lead and they had spent most of the afternoon splashing around.
Eventually Itachi had waded over to one of the larger rocks in the lake and lay out in it, reminding Shisui of a cat. There was even a little tilt to his lips that only proved to Shisui that he was enjoying himself.
It was days like these that made everything else worth it. Shisui rested his chin against Itachi's pelvis and smiled up at the boy. Itachi propped himself onto his elbows to meet the elder's eyes.
"You look content." He noted and the other Uchiha hummed, placing a quick kiss against Itachi's navel. Itachi smiled at the contact, eyes bright.
"I am." Shisui admitted, lips still pressed against Itachi's skin. He grinned as Itachi reached and stroked his fingers through his curls. There was no one out in the woods. It was like they were the only people in the world.
"We should probably return soon…" Itachi hummed. Shisui grunted fingers reaching to tug at Itachi's waistband. The boy shuddered slightly, swatting at his cousin with a playful smile.
"Shisui, we could get caught." He argued.
"Let them see." Shisui argued back, but relented and instead groped Itachi through his pants. Itachi arched up with a gasp.
"Shisui!" He admonished and Shisui dipped his tongue into Itachi's navel, rendering the boy speechless.
"If you had been born a woman I would be able to marry you. They probably would have matched us up before you could walk. I would be able to hold your hand while we walked down the street." As he spoke, he moved up Itachi's body, planting gentle kisses against his flesh with each word. "I would be able to bring you treats and kiss you without fear of reprimand."
Shisui ran his thumb over Itachi's lip and watched as the Uchiha's lips curved up. Itachi's hair and skin was still damp and beads of water clung to his skin and trailed down his cheeks. Shisui had never seen anyone so beautiful.
"I am not a woman." Itachi argued softly, reaching for Shisui's fingers and linking them with his own. "But when we are here you can kiss me and hold my hand." Shisui smiled tenderly as he leaned forward to kiss the boy.
"And what else?" He teased and Itachi nipped at his lip.
"Behave." He scolded, sounding very interested in where this was going. They had the entire day to themselves and Shisui did not plan on wasting a second of it.
"Or what?" Shisui purred. He pressed his lips against Itachi's throat and the boy relaxed against him, eyes falling shut.
"Or…I…" His voice trailed off and Shisui grinned in triumph as he felt Itachi wrap his arms around him to pull him closer.
It seemed very much like a victory to him.