Uchiha Sasuke was speechless as he gazed upon Itachi, something that had never occurred before in his 23 years of life. Not when he had to present his first project in kindergarten nor when he had to explain his parents murder to police in middle school nor when he was the valedictorian in his senior year and had to give a speech during the graduation ceremony. Thus, he didn't know how to deal with the situation at hand without acting like a complete and utter fool.
The deities must have blessed the raven that day, however, because the Hatake made the first move after a few awkward seconds (he couldn't tell if the other male had sensed his distress or if it was just good manners) and stuck his hand out to shake. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. Sasuke, correct?"
"U-uh y-yeah. It's nice to meet you too," the Uchiha stuttered in response, his dry tongue slipping out to lick his lips, which were just as parched. He gently slipped his hand into Itachis' grasp and squeezed down a little before commencing in the shaking motion. Glancing downwards, he noted that the other mans' hand was slightly larger and more tan than his own. His grip was strong too, signifying that he was sincere and had the potential to become someone great. Internally, Sasuke pondered what other parts of the appendage could grab before a light blush dusted his cheekbones. When had he begun to sound like a combination of Madara and Izuna? It wasn't shocking his thought pattern was similar to that of his 'parents,' but for Kamis' sake, why had he subconsciously chosen to pick the worst half of both of the men and ended up sounding like a perverted woman?
Suddenly there was an awkward cough from Naruto. Sasukes' glazed onyx eyes blinked rapidly in succession before shifting to stare at the blond.
"Hey, bastard, maybe you should lay back down. You've been clutching poor Itachis' hand there with this zoned-out expression on your face for about a minute now," the cerulean-eyed male suggested, shifting awkwardly before turning his attention to the other raven. "Hey, sorry about Sasuke man, as I told ya' before he doesn't fare well in the Suna weather."
Sasuke immediately retracted his arm and scuttled backwards on his towel. "S-sorry, I-I don' know what was up with that," he cried, his previously pink face flushing a deep scarlet.
Itachi chuckled softly before giving him a warm smile. "Ah, it's alright, I understand. It took me awhile to get used to the heat and sun when I moved to this area of the country as well."
Although he knew the other man didn't think anything was strange regarding his previous actions, the Uchiha still felt rather mortified. He wasn't acting like himself at all. There was a sudden lull in the conversation now, and everyone in the little group could feel the awkward tension in the air.
"Well," Itachi said plainly, "I doubt you guys want me to intervene with your beach day, so I am just going sit right over there. " The man motioned a few feet away with a jerk of his heard, a few onyx bangs lingering over his face due to the motion. "Thank you very much for shooing away those police officers, once again I appre-"
"No Tach!" Naruto proclaimed, already having had picked out the Hatakes' nickname. He flashed his signature bright grin. "You come over here and sit with us! The bastard doesn't mind sharing his spot!" The blond flumped down right next to Sasuke and wrapped his right arms around the ravens' narrow shoulders. "Do ya' Sasuke?"
The brunet snarled and shoved Narutos' arm away before the man could pull him in for a hug. "Get off me!"
"So, so mean to poor Naru-Chan," the blond fake sobbed, falling onto his back before rolling onto the sand next to the towel dramatically.
The Uchiha cleared his throat before turning to regard Itachi, a stoic look on his pale face. He was determined to make up for his fail of a moment before. "Of course, I would be willing to allocate you some of the space on my towel. It would only be proper to offer our guest a space."
The dark-eyed man looked rather wary of this prospect, his dark orbs travelling from Sasuke to Naruto, then back to Sasuke once again. "Are you sure that would alright? I surely do not wish to intrude."
The tan man laughed and sat up straight. "No, of course not! The more the merrier I say! Sasuke tends to be an emo bitch at times, but he hasn't insulted you once yet, so I guess he took a shine to you! You should feel proud my friend, this is a very rare occurrence."
Sasuke shot him a withering look. Apparently the difference in the way he acted around Itachi was quite noticeable if the idiot could figure it out. "No Naruto," he snapped, his slowly building irritability slipping into his tone, "maybe I just feel as if I should be polite to the gentleman who purchased our drinks for us. Especially since it prevented my apparent 'illness."
The blond blinked rather dubiously, then shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, whatever. The main point is that we wouldn't care at all if you sat with us."
Itachi gave a curt nod before hesitantly making his way towards the towel. He gracefully sat down next to Sasuke, the side opposite of where Naruto had been. The air that had blown against the ravens face as the other man had sat down was rich and addicting, smelling of some sort of aged fruit and nut. It made thousands of little butterflies hatch in Sasuke' stomach and flutter around as if they were going ape shit. His nerves were very frazzled and feeling of nausea had dominated the majority of his digestive system. Along with never having been speechless, Sasuke had never experienced the feeling of a crush or truly being in love. If this was what everyone was experiencing when they found their 'special someone' then they must be pretty fucked up. Why in the hell would anyone want to feel so shitty all the time?
He honestly could not contemplate this idea.
There were suddenly giggles and high-pitched screeches from somewhere closer to the shore. Sasuke felt his body tense, such horrendous noises only came from one type of creature; females. While he could tolerate most individuals in the population of the opposite sex (many were actually very insightful and just as intelligent and talented, if not more so, than himself, not that he would never admit it), a few were unbearable. The raven didn't know if there were names for specific types, but the characteristics of this kind were identified easily. Revealing clothes, gobs of make up, unnaturally colored hair and energy that would put an atom bomb to shame. It disgusted him that other men attracted to such vile individuals.
"Wow, lookit' that ass!" Naruto cried as four girls came into view, his cerulean eyes narrowing and mouth opening in a foxy grin. "I can't pass an opportunity like this up! There's no competition down here on this end of the beach!"
Sasuke watched as the blond man stood up and wiped the particles of sand off of his trunks. "Hey, Tach, you wanna join me? I will let you flirt with one of those fine ladies, but I do get to choose which of them I want for myself."
Itachi visibly bit his plump bottom lip, white teeth barely visible under the pink flesh. "Um, that's okay. I think I would prefer to stay here with your friend, if that would be all right."
"Suit yourself," Naruto replied, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Just don't complain to me when you get sick of the bastard here. He gets pretty boring pretty fast."
The raven held back a growl as the blond man jogged over to the girls. He wasn't really boring, was he? It was true that he didn't smile a lot, and tended to brood rather than talk, but did that really mean he was uninteresting? He had a fantastic job that let him meet a lot of cool people, a badass house with a badass car, real cool parents, and enough close acquaintances- he never truly connected with most people enough to call them his 'friends'- to last the average person several lifetimes! Really, who needed a social life or outgoing personality when you could have everything he had?
…
…Oh Kami, whom in the hell was he trying to kid? He was insipid, duller than the vegetables that were sitting in his refrigerator at home! There was no way that a god like Itachi could, or even would, want to have a lover like himself? It would be a miracle if the man would even talk to him every again! Oh, woe is Uchiha Sasu-
"So," Itachi stated softly "your friend there, he is… very interesting."
Sasuke halted his ill-minded thoughts and shifted slightly to look at the man of his affections. The beauty was actually speaking to him? This was an odd turn of events. "Hn, I think he's more of an idiot than anything else," the raven muttered back, rolling his eyes.
There was a chuckle from the other man. "That's not a kind thing to say. He seems very nice, if not a bit different. In a world full of people who are all alike, it's nice to see someone who stands out."
"I suppose," Sasuke mused, a little too excited with the situation to pay any mind to the fact that he did not agree.
"Does he always act in such a way?" Itachi questioned, his ebony locks of hair swaying gently as a sea breeze blew in.
"Most of the time, yes," the Uchiha responded, scowling as the saltiness of the air overpowered the mild scent of the male beside him. "But I will admit he takes charge in situations that call for it."
There was a soft noise that sounded suspiciously like Sasukes' own usual 'hn' in reply. A comfortable silence overcame the two for a period of time before Sasuke flipped onto his stomach.
"Stupid fuckin' heat and sun," he grouched, twisting his abdomen in an attempt to see the irritated skin of his back. The flesh was beginning to sting, a precursor to the burn that was to come within the next minutes of exposure to the sunlight.
"That looks rather painful," Itachi noted, staring rather openly and unashamedly at the other males' body.
Annoyance flashed through Sasukes' eyes, "you don't fucking say?"
Itachi smiled once again, making the irritation Sasuke had felt earlier slip away instantly. "I was a bit of a captain oblivious there, wasn't I?" he snorted, leaning back onto his arms that were pressed against the cotton towel. "Why didn't you put on sunscreen before? I have a feeling you know how sensitive pale skin is."
"Yes mother, I know," was the snarky reply "and I did put it on, hence the reason the rest of my body hasn't turned into a smoldering pile of ash. I just couldn't reach my back. I was going to ask Naruto to apply some for me, but then he saw those bimbos and ran off the hills with them."
Itachi shot him a skeptical look. "I doubt you would randomly combust due to sunburn. Plus, it looks as if your arms are plenty long to be able to reach a fair majority of your spine. I think you were just creating an excuse so that Naruto would touch you."
"What-what the hell?" Sasuke managed in a shaky voice. "M-me and Naruto? There's no way, no fucking way man! We fooled around in high school, experimentation was the best way to learn at the time, but I do not hold any romantic feelings for the idiot now!"
The other seemed rather unimpressed by his explanation.
"Y-you see!" he screeched and reached his arms in awkward positions, becoming rather desperate in his attempt. One appendage was wrapped around his torso, while the other was positioned over his right shoulder. "I can't reach my whole back!"
At this point, the raven tipped over from his seated position and landed awkwardly with a grunt. He flopped around on the fabric, body twitching and moving like a not-so-bright seal would have. The Hatake just shook his head slightly.
"The more you deny it, the more convinced I become that you are lying through your teeth."
Sasuke let out a groan of frustration. "I fucking swear that I am not kidding you!"
"Mm, is that so?" Itachi taunted, eyes glimmering with something that akin to mischief. "Then prove it. Let me aid you in putting on your sun block."
The Uchiha gazed at the other man suspiciously. What in the hell would allowing him to apply sunscreen accomplish? Why would Itachi care if he had feelings for Naruto? Maybe the other man had feelings for the Uzumaki? If that was true, however, then why had he decided to stay with Sasuke instead of go with the blond? Jealousy of seeing him with other people, or perhaps he believed Sasuke loved the blue-eyed man too and was trying to narrow out the competition? This, of course, brought him back to the sunscreen dilemma. Itachi was one big Fricke' enigma and Sasuke had never been a fan of mystery stories. Despite this, he found that he was still terribly attracted to the man. How peculiar.
"I suppose so, if it assuages you and your incorrect perception on the relationship between Naruto and myself," the raven stated slowly, removing the beige bottle from his backpack and handing his over to Itachi. Their fingers brushed slightly during the passage, and Sasuke could feel tingles traverse throughout his system.
"Well then my fine sir," Itachi grinned, moving off the piece of cloth and straightening it out before motioning to it with his elegant hands, "lay down on my station and I shall get to work immediately."
Staring skeptically at the Hatake as he positioned himself in the designated area, Sasuke tensed his body in anticipation. It did not hit him until now just how out of hand the situation had become. If this were any other individual Sasuke had just met, he would be rather freaked out by such a proposition. With Itachi though, it was different. He did not feel at all threatened, to a point where he felt he could remove the walls of his castle and throw his 'ice prince' façade away. He would never reveal such information to the man however, as it was a weakness. Sasuke had strived since he was a child to become just as successful as his uncles one day, possibly take over the companies when they retied, and having a known weakness would not do. Itachi would have to settle with him the way he was, although the raven doubted he would stick around much longer. Most could not stand Sasuke' bitterness for very long.
There were two soft clicks as the lid of the sun block was snapped open and then shut after the desired amount was removed. Soon a light pressure was applied to Sasukes' back and a cooling sensation made the stinging from before become less intense. Smooth hands worked out the deep tension knots that had embedded themselves into muscle.
"I prefer to give my clients a bit of a massage during the application process. Is this all right with you?"
The Uchiha had to suppress a groan and barely managed to nod his head in approval. Itachis' finger had to be fucking magical to feel this good. Of course he had received massages before, but all of them combined could amount to this. In the back of his mind, as his eyelids drooped from their previous position, Sasuke wondered idly what other kinds of pleasure those hand could bring to other areas of the body…
Damn, he was turning into a pervert.
"You know, Sasuke," he heard Itachi whisper lowly a few minutes later, warm breath blowing against his ear, "it's okay to close your eyes and rest. I promise nothing bad will come of you. You can trust me."
The Uchiha replied with a barely audible 'hn' and let his eyes close completely. He wasn't sure why he was so exhausted today (it really made no sense since he had gotten plenty of sleep the night before), but it felt good to be able to relax completely. Something strange did seem to transpire though, although he was not entirely sure. Just as he was about to drift off, he thought he felt those wonderful hands trail down his taunt stomach to an area they really should not have been…
Sasuke woke up by himself two hours later with no signs of any other life forms. An empty feeling grew inside his gut, thinking that maybe he had imagined the whole scenario no matter how realistic it had been. Even the dream he had in the dream after falling asleep seemed like it could be someone his mind would come up with.
He released a pathetic sigh and moved his unusually lax muscles to clutch his phone. Upon deactivating the sleep mode, however, his theory was disproved with a note
'Hope you had a good rest sleeping beauty. I had to run, but maybe (hopefully) our paths will cross again one day.
-Hatake Itachi
P.S. You are really adorable when you talk in your sleep.
Sasuke flushed a dark red at this. His strange mannerisms had always gotten him into some… strange situations, but this one had to be one of the more embarrassing ones. Why the hell did he have to sleep talk in front of Itachi, the most gorgeous man he had ever laid his eyes on?
Suddenly, the phone in his lap vibrated once more. He glanced down and let out a groan, his face going a few shades darker if that was possible, as he read the message.
Saucy-Chan~,
I heard you saw a very beautiful man from Izuna! I bet he is very charming (and has a nice ass). I think you should tap that (or let it tap you)! I am only saying this because I feel like it would be beneficial to your health.
Fucking Madara.
TBC
A/N: I apologize for how short this is, I was going to continue on, but doubt had gotten the best of me. I read some of the absolute masterpieces other authors have penned and I feel as if mine here pales in comparison. Despite this, however, I will continue to update as it seems as if a number have people have taken interest in it! I would like to thank all of the people who read and those who reviewed, you do not understand how thankful I am for all of you. Please continue with your amazing support.
If you have questions, do not be afraid to ask. I will establish now that there will be incest (note the Madara and Izuna), but I am not sure what relationship those involved will have. This chapter is kind of funky because I changed the pace and series of events while in the midst of writing this. Please let me know if you feel I'm moving too fast, I will assure you though that Sasuke and Itachi aren't just going to frolic into each others arms. There will be an actual base on to build the relationship on first.
When I say I may update faster if I get reviews, it is not me saying "I need x number of reviews before I update again," it is more of "I would be more motivated to write if I know people actually enjoy this and don't just read it and think it's terrible." So, in other words, I will probably update more rapidly if I receive encouragement, but it depends on my personal life as well. School nand the work that comes with it (hooray for Pre-AICE/AP classes!) takes up time I love critiques, and as usual flames are accepted. I briefly looked it over for errors before, and will continue to do so in the next few days. Please forgive missing words/replaced words for a short period of time (if there are any).
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the series Naruto or any of the characters. The plot of this story, however, is my own.
