It had been a long night of solitude. He was seated in a tattered armchair, awaiting a certain shark nin's return. His ebony hair was draped over his shoulder, loosely bound by a purple hair-tie. A lamp, positioned on his left, shone dimly, illuminating a book with wrinkling pages. All was quiet. Tired red eyes flickered over the parchment, then to the door. His palm supported his cheek lazily, and an inescapable sigh passed through his parted lips. He knew Kisame would be returning tonight.
Perhaps he had set himself up for this. The moment he heard the other would be returning he picked up a book and took residence nearest the door.
His attention sharply returned to the book, and the weariness drained from his face. The thump thump thump of leaded shoes sounded outside. He heard the click as the lock was turned and the creak of the door opening as some large figure attempted to be stealthy.
(And he was stealthy, for the most part. The Uchiha simply had good hearing.)
"You're late." The raven spoke, eyes fixed on the book as he feigned nonchalance.
"Don't pretend you weren't waiting." He could hear the grin in Kisame's words, and shifted his hand slightly to conceal a trace of a smile.
The blue-skinned man tapped his shoes over the doorframe, dislodging mud and grass that had caked onto the soles, and stepped out of them. As per their cleanliness rules, Kisame set the pair beside the doorframe on a mat, next to Itachi's own. The door shut, and the sound of clothing rustling fell upon his ears as Kisame undoubtedly hung his organization coat on the hook beside the overhead lightswitch.
Moments later, a warm hand, skin calloused, guided the raven's chin upwards. Their gaze did not meet, as both had closed their eyes, sharing a gentle kiss. "Tadaima."
The younger breathed his response against his partner's lips, eyes opening halfway. "...Okaerinasai."
Kisame pulled away just slightly, voice rumbling from his throat, keeping his eyes on the raven. "What are you reading?"
"A book." The coy answer was near immediate.
"You don't say."
A self-satisfied smile lit the Uchiha's expression, and he turned his gaze aside. "Nothing interesting."
"Read it to me."
"You'll get bored."
"I don't mind."
"You ought to sleep, you just got back."
"If the book is as boring as you say it is, I'll fall asleep listening."
"On the floor?"
"We can share the chair."
Itachi glanced over, making the mistake of looking at Kisame's attempt at puppy dog eyes. "... If you stop making that face."
"So it worked?"
"Not even remotely."
Kisame's lip quirked upwards, and the nin swept the other off the chair, then sat down, placing Itachi on his lap. After settling, the raven turned to the passage he was reading.
"... Once upon a time, there was a young boy standing by the water's edge..." Out of what must have been curiosity, Kisame cracked open an eye, peering over Itachi's shoulder to try and look at the words. Itachi cooly shifted his hand, making it impossible to see. Resigned, the shark man set his chin on the Uchiha's shoulder, closing his eyes again.
"The night was dark, and the moon illuminated the water, sending light dancing across the stream." Itachi, too, had closed his eyes. This story, as Kisame had suspected, was not in the book.
"The boy approached the stream, kneeling by it and peering at his reflection."
" 'What has become of me?' He asked the bubbling brook with a shaking voice. 'Where will I go?' "
"As he watched the liquid flow on, unresponsive to his plea, he noticed a shadow within it. The boy jumped back, a kunai in hand, as a figure broke the surface.." Against his neck, he could feel Kisame's smile.
"And the boy was faced with a true monster," the shinobi interjected, "-but stared at it intensely, as if he were trying to intimidate it." The weasel raised his hand, softly letting it hit Kisame's forehead.
"This is my story. Behave." He didn't have to see him to feel Kisame grinning. He wrapped his muscled arms around the raven's waist and nuzzled closer.
"The boy took stance," Itachi continued, "-a glare in his red eyes, ready to fight at any given moment. A harsh laugh from the shadowy figure startled him."
" 'So young and so ready to kill! If I knew you were a minnow, I wouldn't have surfaced. You sure know how to glare, kid.' "
"The boy, disliking the other's cheery demeanor, responded sharply. 'I am no minnow, and you are no predator to me. What do you want?' "
" 'Such a harsh tongue,' he returned, 'on such a little brat! I am here on business for the Akatsuki.' "
"The younger's eyes narrowed. 'Akatsuki?' "
" 'A place where the big fish go so they don't get lost at sea.' With that, the figure submerged himself again, and just as quickly as he had come, he was gone."
"The boy straightened, his weapon-bearing arm slackening to his side. After a few moments, he approached the water, staring into it for any signs of the earlier man. He found none."
"He stepped back, filled with new resolve. The boy decided he would find this 'Akatsuki'... But that is a story for another time." The raven closed the book, as if he had truly been reading from it, and glanced over his shoulder.
"Kisame..?"
The blue-skinned man was asleep, though his grip on the other remained strong. His breath tickled the side of the raven's neck in a slow, steady rhythm. A secret smile passed over his lips, and Itachi reached towards the lamp, pulling the chain to turn it off.
"Goodnight, Kisame."