Note: So if you aren't familiar with esports, or sports in general, the first half of this is probably going to be confusing. I'd explain more on how casting and post-game analyzing works, but it's 1:30 am and I am sleepy af. I suggest tuning into the LCS or a CS:GO event on Twitch if you get the chance, if you're more than just a little perplexed. Anyways, the breaks in this chapter are just perspective changes from the casters/analysts to Itachi's POV. I thought it would be fun to try but I get that it came off a little clunky. It won't be a regular thing, though, since the story isn't entirely focused on tournaments and gameplay.


Itachi wasn't necessarily a difficult person to please, but he wasn't someone that found great pleasure in little things. His enjoyment of most things was passive, and calm, and it wasn't often that he found himself fighting the urge to grin ear to ear. In a way, Itachi envied people like Shisui and Kisame, who wore their hearts on their sleeves and flashed toothy grins at even the prospect of going out for ice cream.

There was one thing that would always bring a smile to his face, however.

Itachi sat with his legs crossed in the players' lounge, his eyes glued to one of the television screens. His phone was in his lap with the Instagram app open, still on the edits screen where he had been adding a filter to his selfie with Konan, but at the moment all of his focus was being concentrated on the screen, his teeth biting down on smiling lips.

The cameras were panning over the audience as they waited for the intermission to come to an end. Rogue just knocked the snot out of Clan Nara, so the production team was still setting up their equipment while the hosts were taking a short break before the grand finals.

"Good luck, Susanoo" was written on a sign that was being held up by a young man wearing an Akatsuki snapback that matched his t-shirt. A few rows over was a cartoon of Deidara drawn on some white poster board. He was holding a transgender flag in one hand, and a controller in the other, and the word "Represent" was written beneath him in colorful bubble letters. There was also a sign that cheered on Hidan with some joke that ended in kappa. The other Akatsuki fans in the crowd that Itachi could see were wearing t-shirts and hoodies, and began to cheer when one of the two hosts started talking about the upcoming match.

Even over the audio from the televisions, some airing news broadcasts while another was showing a documentary, Itachi could hear the cheers that echoed through the halls of the stadium.

Support was something he never felt back home – he was always only being urged to perform better, even if he was as far as his glass ceiling would allow him to go. It was a lonely childhood, and it was an even lonelier adult life once he was dropped off at the airport by his father.

But these people… These people didn't personally know him. They were total strangers, and they only knew him as the person he was on streams and in interviews. They didn't know any of them and they were still wearing their jerseys and buying tickets to watch them from a faraway seat in a giant stadium. His own parents didn't attend his piano recitals, but these complete strangers were standing up in their seats and cheering as they walked in a single-file line out of the backstage area.

His own parents skipped out on the fundraising event he organized in high school, but these unfamiliar faces were clapping and waving signs and attending this event just to watch him play a video game.

And that's why he was smiling bright enough for his cheeks to ache by the time he sat down at his station. Itachi didn't normally get too excited over much, but he was on cloud nine listening to the crowd cheer for them.


"I actually have to agree, my money's on Rogue for this matchup."

Kotetsu tried not to look positively scandalized, "You're serious? You're talking about the guys that took second place at Worlds this year – you think that an orgless team that was formed three months ago can stand up to that?"

Next to him, the other analyst shrugged, "You have to remember that this isn't the same Akatsuki we saw three months ago," Raido motioned at the monitor that was built into their desk, "More importantly, this isn't the same Susanoo we saw at Worlds two years ago. I don't think they've had enough time to build the kind of synergy that they need to qualify for the Stockholm Major."

"Even so, you can't deny the fact that a large part of his recent struggles is because he was stuck with a team that, to be perfectly honest, didn't belong together," Izumo fiddled with the pen in his hand, "Now that he's back on a top-tier team, I think that we're about to see a major comeback for his career."

"My main concern is that the support position is critical for a team's success," Ebisu added, "They're all important, yes, but it's the support that can spell a complete wipe during that final push, or an ace that wins them the game," he gestured towards the stage, "We saw Susanoo start to slip even before he left Team Anbu, so there's a strong possibility that he could drag a perfectly good team down with him as he struggles to adapt to a brand new environment."

Raido's expression curled inwards, "That's harsh, but we'll have to wait and see because now it's time to take this to the casters' desk," he turned towards the camera, "We'll see you after the game. For now, it's time to watch Rogue versus Akatsuki eSports."

The camera began to pan away, and then it was replaced by the video feed of Anko Mitarashi and Genma Shiranui, who both winked their hellos.

"That was probably the most polite way I've ever heard anyone call someone trash, Ebisu, you savage son of a bitch," Anko grinned, "Welcome back, ladies and gents, to the final match of the day, Akatsuki eSports versus Rogue. Rogue's been performing pretty well so far, having taken all of their matches three-oh, but I want to hear what you think, Pumpkin."

Genma's eyes flashed under the bright lights, "As long as you don't ask me what I think about the fact that your shoes are off under the desk, I'll tell you anything you want."

Anko's eyes rolled.

"Honestly, I think they're not giving the rest of the team enough credit," he turned and leaned his elbow on the desk, "They flubbed their first game, but they turned things around against Clan Nara. Akatsuki's more than just one rusty kid."

With a shrug, Anko looked down at the monitor in their desk with a smirk, "I guess that's to be expected from the guy that's got the hots for their DPS."

"I've got the hots for shut the hell up," Genma laughed.

"Anyways, it looks like both teams have been dropped into the arena and have started game one, and we can see that Curse and C4 are wasting no time in farming those bots over in the southeast corner."

"That's one thing I've always thought was what made matches with them fun," he noted, "They're an aggressive team when it comes to farming and building their resources, but they never rush with their pushes across the map. They orchestrate everything perfectly."

Anko nodded, eyes glued to the monitor, "But it looks like DancingStrings is already trying to scope out Samehada?"

Genma frowned as he watched Kagura's character dash across the map to where Kisame was duking it out against one of the beefier NPCs, "Looks like she's going to try and force him into a handicap by taking away his free respawn early in the game – Samehada doesn't even see her coming, if she plays this right she'll take the kill – not even wasting a second, she's already launching acid grenades..!"

Red lips pulled into an excited grin, "Samehada's trying to get out of the affected area, but his shield's already wiped out!"

"This was an incredibly risky move but it looks like it's going to pay off – holy shit!"

"An excellent shot from Susanoo from across the map!"

Genma twisted his water bottle open as he struggled to not bounce in his seat, "Susanoo's rifle rips through her shield and Samehada has the advantage as he starts tearing into her – she turns to run away but Susanoo has already dropped a shield to trap her in– and she's been cornered!"

The DPS dropped, and the icon for her respawn popped up next to her icon, "First blood goes to Akatsuki eSports at the two-minute mark!" Anko nearly cheered, waiting for the production team backstage to make the adjustments, "Let's get a replay with their mic feed so we can see exactly what just happened."


"Hey, Kisame, it looks like Kagura's heading in your direction."

Kisame didn't look away from the NPC that he was hacking away at with an energy sword, "I see her on the mini map. Wait."

Itachi followed her movements through his scope as she crossed into their territory and sprinted across a bridge, "She hasn't picked up any reqs."

"We'll hit her once she's too close to run away. Let her think she's safe."

"Kisame she's already –"

"Wait."

Kagura switched to corrosive grenades, throwing one at Kisame and the other just behind him for when he tried to double back.

"Get her."

Itachi's middle finger pulled at the trigger on his controller, and her toon lit up like a light bulb as Kagura's shield soaked the damage. There was another spark, "Shield's down."

"Throw down a barrier for when she tries to run," Kisame was already turning away from the NPC, and his sword slashed across the screen and directly through her midsection to force her health bar down to the two-thirds mark.

"Running back to the req station to upgrade," Deidara said.

"Got it," Kisame knocked her bar down to the bottom one-third, where it turned red, "I'll cover you."

Itachi pulled the trigger, and Kagura's toon slumped to the ground.


"That was amazing – this is what I love about Samehada as their shotcaller," Genma smacked the desk with an open palm and tilted his seat back, "He knows how to manipulate his opponents and control a situation. He wanted to turn Rogue's trick back on them, and pulled it off perfectly."

Anko rolled her eyes, but silently agreed with his praise in the back of her head, "Alright, alright, keep your hands above the desk," she looked back to the monitor, "And that kill was enough to unlock their level 2 requisitions so Samehada and C4 are already picking up their upgrades."

"Meanwhile, it doesn't look like Rogue's wasting any time," Genma cut in, " is already running into the abandoned area to scout it out while he can, dropping a sentry ward right behind the wall where his teammate just fell."

"These are two teams that play out their early games very differently, and I think we're in for one hell of a fight, Pumpkin."


One hour later...

Itachi was sweating. He could feel moisture beading along his hairline and just above his hairline. The stadium lights that were beating down on them like they were a system of heat lamps hovering over a lizard enclosure, and his hands were beginning to ache from gripping his controller so tightly.

On the screen that was just six inches in front of his face, his character powerslid around the corner as his fingers were already working to cycle through his in-game menu. Deidara's health bar was already filling back up from Itachi's medkit while he began to turn to Hidan to reinforce his shields.

"Gonna overload my shield for an AOE," Kisame activated his sprint and charged into the other team's base.

"Right behind you," Itachi raced after him.

Even over the noise of the game, and the chatter of his teammates, he could hear his heart racing. He could practically taste it when it leapt up into his mouth at the sight of Kisame's overshield dropping to 0% in the first blast, and then his regular shield disappearing at the second blast. His thumbs danced over the d-pad and buttons as his fingers tapped at pedals and triggers.

A barrier dropped in front of the two while Deidara and Hidan ran around it, looking to make the final push.

They noticed the mistake almost immediately – Rogue had gotten trapped by their own NPCs near the stairs of their stronghold, and accidentally clumped together when they tried to move around them. The explosions from Kisame overloading not one, but both of his shields had all but obliterated their defenses, and Itachi risked a glance over his monitor to see the panicked expression on Hakui's expression as he struggled to recover his team.


"Absolutely ruthless! Curse went straight for their support, and even with Juzo throwing himself in front of DrHakui as a human shield, it doesn't seem like anything will be able to stop him from getting what he wants!"

Anko jumped out of her seat in her excitement, knocking it backwards onto the stage, "Curse destroys the only defense has with a well-timed strike with his Ultra Sword, and – oh my god – C4 launches a plasma grenade right in the middle of it all! DancingStrings, Beekeeper and Juzo are taken out in a triple kill, and at the thirty-two minute mark, the last member of Rogue is slaughtered by Curse in a brutal beatdown!"

Mirroring his teammate, Genma sprang to his feet and ran a hand through his previously neatly-straightened hair, feeling his makeup begin to melt from the sweat and oil that had accumulated on his face, "They can't respawn in time! Akatsuki has done it! They're moving in for the final push and, ladies and gentleman, they will be taking out the exposed core, and they will be qualifying for DreamHack Stockholm!"

"A fantastic performance from Akatsuki eSports! This is the return we were looking for! This is the team we remembered from Worlds!"


Itachi dropped his controller onto the desk, pulling off his headset and nearly yanking the earbuds out of his ears to fling them across the keyboard. The sweat in his hairline trickled down to his jaw, but he could hardly care enough to notice.

The victory graphic splashed across his screen, and he stared at it in shock as the rest of his team pushed their chairs back for a group hug.

He looked up at the stands, where fans were on their feet, bouncing around, cheering and chanting their team name. The shoutcasters bouncing around and screeching behind their desks resonated in his ears.

They won.

It was his first victory since leaving Team Anbu nearly seven months ago.

"Itachi, get the fuck over here!" Hidan called.

Turning to face his team, Itachi saw them all huddled together in a semi-circle where Konan had suddenly appeared from backstage, pride written all over her face. A smile finally broke out through his demeanor of disbelief, and he jumped from his seat to join the rest of his team, filling the empty space that they had left just for him.

As Deidara's arm slipped over his upper back, just under Kisame's, he had to fight back tears.

Itachi was finally a part of a real team again.

"You all were perfect, I'm so proud," Konan was beaming, orange eyes glittering, "You guys worked so hard."

With that, they broke apart and gave quick individual hugs before stepping away from their stations to go shake hands with the members of Rogue. Despite receiving $3,000 in prize money for their team, it probably only barely covered the costs of traveling to the event, and they were clearly disappointed in not qualifying for the upcoming Major.

After shaking Kagura's hand, Itachi followed the rest of the team as they made their way up stairs to where the analysts were stationed for an interview. The stadium layout had them settled in what looked like the VIP box, and what parts weren't covered in wires and personnel were decked out in DreamHack décor. The production staff worked quickly to get them all mic'ed up and settled between the analysts in their own chairs, but most of it was a blur to Itachi, who had finally come down from the adrenaline from the match and was now ready for a nap.

"Welcome back to the analysts' desk, we are here with the entirety of Akatsuki eSports, who were kind enough to sit down with us for a post-game discussion before going off to celebrate their win," Raido shifted so that he was facing the team, "That was a pretty intense match, how are you guys feeling right about now?"

There was a round of sheepish chuckling.

"We just wanted to make Angel happy," Deidara pushed a lock of blonde hair behind his ear as he spoke, "We busted our asses for that, so it's a relief that our time training wasn't wasted."

"So, you guys must be pretty excited, this is the first year you'll be traveling together to Sweden, yeah?" Kotetsu asked.

Kisame nodded, "Yeah, every year something would always come up, where we had to sell our spot or drop out at the last minute, so we're really hoping things work out this time."

Izumo had to lean over the desk to see around the rest of the analysts, but he propped himself up on his elbows and met Itachi's eye, "Susanoo, I noticed that you were a lot less aggressive during this event than we've seen you play in the past. What was going on in your head during those matches?"

"Not to come off as haughty, but, I used to always feel like I was more than just the team's support," Itachi admitted as he wiped away the drying sweat on his brow with his sleeve, "When I wasn't giving my teammates buffs, I was worrying about whether or not they were farming properly, or if they were dealing enough damage on their own – and, in a sense, they weren't," he stared down at his hands and hoped that he wasn't coming off as a complete twat, "Now, I'm on a team that I know I can rely on to get their jobs completed. That allows me to stay off the front line, be patient, and focus entirely on providing support they need. I guess, in short…"

Itachi's fingers curled around the edges of his jacket sleeves, looking up to meet Kisame's gaze, "I trust them wholeheartedly."

Through his exhaustion, Kisame's face broke out into a slow, warm smile. The deeper meaning of his words must have sunk in when Itachi's hand slid over under the desk to rest on his knee, because that beautiful smile expanded as he took Itachi's hand in his own, squeezing gently.

It was quiet, tender moment between the two, kept private only by the cover provided by the analysts' desk, but it affirmed what he felt. Itachi trusted him, he trusted the rest of his team, and damn it all if he didn't admit that he trusted their fans to continue supporting them if they found out about their relationship. It was hard to think otherwise after seeing them out in the stands cheering like that, and any sponsors that would want to pull out over it would be digging their own graves.

Itachi tried to convey his thoughts through their silent eye contact as Hidan answered Ebisu's questions about his decision to use a melee weapon over his usual assault rifle choice. As he was explaining how they picked up on Rogue's lack of preparation for close combat, Itachi found it difficult to break eye contact as his fingers wrapped tightly around Kisame's.

They'd be fine.

He wasn't ashamed.

He didn't need to worry.

Everything would be fine.

Itachi wasn't really sure who moved first, or when he stopped breathing. All he knew was that, at some point, Kisame's face was covering his, and Itachi's head tilted back so that their lips were perpendicular to each other, and someone was asking some sort of question but he wasn't sure what it was because everything started to sound like it was behind drywall. He could hear Kisame's breath, though, as he sighed contently into the kiss, and there was the faint soft smacking sounds of lips breaking the seal they had created together.

The taste of sweat intermingled with the familiar sweet flavor of Kisame's mouth, and a thrill ran down Itachi's spine when he felt the hand holding his offer another gentle squeeze. That was actually most likely his brain melting and falling out his butt, because Itachi was clearly not thinking when he brought his free hand up to run the tips of his fingers along the sharp angle of Kisame's jaw, instead of pulling away because every eye in the room, and the eyes of literally tens of thousands of people watching the livestream at home, was locked on the two men that were dipping back in for a second kiss.

By the time they had the wherewithal to peel their faces apart – which was probably only like three seconds even if it felt like an eternity of sappy slow-motion making out while the camera panned around them all fancy like – Konan's eyes had widened to a size that was genuinely worrying, and Hidan's jaw had fallen through the floor. Deidara looked more curious than anything, probably because had never been updated on their agreement to come out after the qualifier –

After the qualifier.

Reality slammed into Itachi like a bullet train being driven by a pissed off engineer, and his dark eyes glanced from the camera, to Kisame's goofy grin, to the dozen other people standing in that room. Eventually he settled on meeting the gazes of the analysts as he literally felt all of his blood drain from his body.

"I am so sorry, it wasn't my intention to–"

Kotetsu nearly exploded into a fit of laughter, Ebisu stared into his mug of water with flushing cheeks, and Izumo had to slap a hand over his mouth in a shitty attempt at muffling his own suppressed laughter.

Raido only looked mildly amused as he shook his head, his cheeks tinged with pink, "No, no, we're actually all out of time here, anyways. Thank you guys for coming back to sit with us," Raido turned his smile towards the camera, "And thanks so much for everyone that's stuck around for this segment of the broadcast. We're going to take it back to the main stage, where our hosts are talking with Rogue's team captain, Beekeeper."

One of the cameraman raised his hand with one finger raised, and one of the producers stood with his hands over his headphones.

"Aaaand we're off, great job, everybody," the producer declared stiffly, clearly embarrassed.

Itachi pulled his hand away from Kisame's so he could push up the sleeves of his jacket; his blood had finally returned to his body and it felt like a blush had broke out from his scalp to his toes, "I pity you, sometimes," he met one of the analysts' gazes as he clumsily tried to work the conversation past the two of them snogging on camera, "These lights are beyond sweltering. How can you survive wearing those suits?"

Kotetsu grinned wolfishly, "We strip between segments."

"I beg your pardon..?"

"Yup, we just get a bunch of fans in here, get naked, and –"

Izumo slapped a hand over his coworker's face with a pleasant smile, "I'm afraid that the heat is beginning to get to him," he said apologetically, "It doesn't help that he's already somewhat retarded."

Kotetsu shot him a sharp look that went unnoticed, and Raido followed Itachi's suit by pulling off his sport coat to fold it onto the desk, "It's really just a matter of finding the right fabrics," he explained, "Once you stop buying off-the-rack clothing, your world changes. However… Kotetsu is somewhat right. We typically shed our outer layers once we're off camera."

Itachi hummed with lukewarm interest as he stood with the rest of his team. To be perfectly honest he only asked the question in the rhetorical sense – it wasn't as if he actually expecting any sort of in-depth answer that ended up prompting a debate between Raido and Ebisu over the best fabrics to wear in warm environments like this.

Thankfully, Konan saved him from being sucked into the conversation any further, "Well, thanks, guys, but it's time for us to take off."

"Oh, no, totally!" Izumo stood up so he could navigate around the table to shake their hands, "Go celebrate! Seriously, congrats, you guys knocked this one out of the park."

Raido nodded, "And be safe getting home. Traffic'll be crazy tomorrow," he reached out to pull Konan into a hug, "Tell Yahiko I said hi. It's been a while since we all got together."

"I'll see if he wants to meet up for drinks next time we're in New York," Konan pulled away to wave at the rest of the group with a smile.

Deidara groaned once they stepped out of the room, "I'm so fucking tired," he rubbed at shoulders that were tense from competing all weekend, "Tell me that I can go sleep."

"Well, we have one of two options. We can get dinner before the after party, or we can go take naps before the after party."

The blonde made a face, "But, either way, we're going to the after party."

Konan nodded, eliciting a chorus of groans and exhausted sighs from the rest of the team as they crossed the stage floor, carefully to keep out of sight from cameras that may be still rolling. Parties were great, and all, but events like DreamHack and PAX seemed to be nothing but party-hopping once the show floors closed for the day. It was a lot of meandering, a lot of talking to people you don't really want to talk to, and a lot of going to sleep at two or three in the morning when you have to be backstage at nine.

"Naps will just make us even more tired," Kisame mumbled, seemingly more to himself than anyone else.

"My vote is for food," Itachi lifted both of his arms up to stretch the tight muscles in his back, ignoring the ache for now, "There's a Mexican restaurant called Mamacita's not too far from here."

That was one perk of being a professional gamer – you typically found yourself familiar with big city landmarks by the end of your first year.

"So are we just not going to talk about what just fucking happened?" Hidan nearly spat, "Or was I the only one that saw those two sucking tongue like a couple of bitches in heat?"

Konan shot a look over her shoulder while they made their way through the winding halls of the backstage area, "Oh, words will be had, I can assure you of that."


The door to their hotel room slammed shut behind them, and Itachi had to ruthlessly bite at his own tongue to prevent the girlish shriek that threatened to tear its way past his lips; his stomach dropped at the sight of pretty orange eyes flashing angrily.

This was it. He was going to die. Konan looked like she could go on a rampage throughout Austin, murdering the townsfolk and tearing through buildings, and Nagato had that scary cold demeanor about him that told Itachi that he wasn't any less livid than his coworker.

"What the hell just happened?!"

Goodbye, cruel world. You've been a complete and total bitch, but it was nice knowing you.

"Kisame, I thought I knew you better than this – explain to me what exactly was going through your head when you decided to start making out on what might as well have been live television during an interview!"

Oh, come on, it wasn't as if they were making out, or fucking each others' brains out over the desk. It was two kisses. It lasted maybe five seconds. Still, Itachi clenched his fists by his sides hard enough for his nails to dig into his palm painfully, and met Konan's infuriated gaze with his own shameful one.

"This wasn't how we wanted to come out," he explained in a voice that was much too calm against the worry that clambered up his throat, "We had a plan, and I acted impulsively. I accept full responsibility –"

"What, you were so emotional that you decided to chuck any sense of professionalism out the window?!"

Itachi nearly, nearly, flinched. "To be thoroughly honest, yes," he answered truthfully, feeling his nails begin to bite into the flesh of his palms, "But I understand that it's not a valid reason for behaving like that. I won't waste your time with excuses."

For maybe half of a second, Konan's expression softened, and Itachi thought that maybe he would live to see another day, but her eyes flitted to where Kisame was standing next to him, and they practically glowed with a rage that had been stewing for half an hour.

"And you – sneaking around behind our backs – sleeping with the shiny new toy -?!"

Oh, okay, sure, let's just make it seem like he was just a novelty item.

That stung a little.

"Did you even stop for a second to consider how that would make us feel?! How long has this been going on - how long have you been lying about this!?"

The muscles over Kisame's jaw flexed, and he crossed his arms over his chest defensively. It was obvious that what their coach said cut a little deeper for him than it did Itachi, if the way his brow curled upwards was anything to go by. His lips parted as if he was going to say something, but his jaw snapped shut again and he took a few deep breaths through his nose to ground himself, eyes drifting towards the floor. It was likely that Kisame didn't consider this kind of response when he decided that he wanted to keep things on the down low.

Eventually, he lifted his impassioned gaze to meet Konan's steely one, and the intensity between them was almost palpable.

"We started seeing each other the day Nagato asked me to call him about a second tryout," he answered in a cool voice that wavered only slightly with stress, "It was my idea to keep things a secret – I was worried that you might not take him seriously as a player if you knew there was something between us. At the time I thought I was making a better decision for the team... I can see now that I was wrong."

With the way flames practically jumped from her eyes, one would wonder if Konan had been born in the year of the dragon and she was taking it a little too literally. However, at that, the flames extinguished and the vehement demeanor nearly visibly cooled to an icy, almost hurt expression. "Is that what you think of us?" she asked quietly, "You think so low of us that you think we couldn't look past a minor concern like this?"

"What we did was sophomoric, insolent, and was a repugnant display of character," Itachi answered solemnly, "With everything you two do for all of us, you deserved better than this. I truly am sorry for how we handled the situation."

There was an excruciating long silence that was full of a tension so thick that you could almost see it in the air. It felt as if it was actually weighing down on his thin shoulders, but Itachi was pretty sure that it was just his anxiety beginning to escalate and freeze every fiber of his being.

Konan's eyes darted between the two of them for a good long while before finally settling on Kisame, who looked as if he was about to shrivel up on the spot from shame. Itachi was surprised – he didn't think that this would affect Kisame this badly but it was clear that he felt like a huge piece of shit. He must really have a strong conscience. That, or he was close enough with Konan to where the idea of losing trust with her was genuinely painful.

Off to the side, Nagato leaned against the wall in silence, eyes fixated on Konan as if trying to get a read on her. Itachi got the feeling that this was how most disputes were handled.

Eventually, she released a heavy sigh that ended with her lips doing that vibrating thing parents did when they were blowing bubbles on their kid's belly that Itachi always kind of thought was weird. Thankfully, though, her shoulders sagged in defeat and it was obvious that the worst of her anger had subsided for now. Konan pulled her hair out of its bun to comb her fingers through it a few times, shaking through any small tangles, and looked at Kisame with a raised eyebrow.

"So… Are you going to just let your boyfriend say all of the pretty words for you? Or are we getting an apology from you, too?"

Some, though not all, of the tension in Kisame's shoulders bled away at the almost teasing lilt in Konan's voice, and a small, sheepish grin broke out over his face as he shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry, mom."

Orange eyes rolled, but Konan offered a placated smile and reached out to pull the mountainous man into a hug, "Yeah, yeah, come here."

Itachi gripped the fabric of his shirt as if it would calm his racing heart. He had an idea that those two would have a much longer talk in private later but, as things were, it seemed like everything would be alright. It felt like he had literally dodged a bullet as he watched Kisame's thick arms nearly envelop Konan's frame to squeeze her tightly.

"I love yooou," he heard Kisame murmur in a song-song voice against her shoulder.

Konan laughed quietly and shook her head, "Uh huh, I love you, too," she stepped back and turned to Itachi, "You, too, kid. Come on."

He gladly stepped into the slender arms that were stretched outwards towards him. Hugging, or even touching, other people wasn't his thing, honestly (Other than Sasuke and Shisui, who were rare exceptions) but the validation of the situation being put behind them was calming. There had been a bump in the road, the bump was smoothed out, and everything would be fine.

"You two take showers and get into clean clothes, if you want," Nagato finally chimed in once the group hug disbanded, "We'll leave to get dinner in half an hour."

They murmured their "Okays" and waited in silence for the door to shut behind the two, before they both nearly stumbled back as their legs gave out. Itachi dropped into a nearby chair, and Kisame settled with sliding down the wall to the floor.

"Man…" Kisame rubbed his face with both hands with a chuckle, "We fucked up."

Itachi snorted, but suddenly felt too exhausted to actually make any sort of facial expression as he said, "We? This was all your crazy idea."

Another laugh, then another, and then the two were covering their faces as they finally allowed themselves to go through the motions of feeling panicked, which apparently involved giggling like little kids.

"That could've been so fucking bad."

It felt as if a physical weight had been lifted off of Itachi's shoulders as he sighed, sagging into the chair he was in. "I am well aware of this."

A low laugh rumbled in Kisame's chest and, with one final heavy sigh, brought his hands from his face to reach out to the younger man, "C'mere."

Part of Itachi wanted to protest that he was suddenly way too exhausted to move; the other part of him knew that the same exhaustion would prevent him from trying to argue. He practically slithered off of the chair to crawl across what little space was between them, settling between Kisame's propped up knees and dropping against his chest in an incredibly lazy form of cuddling.

"What are you doing?" he asked around a yawn when Kisame pulled his phone out, tapping for the front-facing camera.

"Taking a picture," Kisame used his free hand to tilt Itachi's face up, "Kiss me."

A disapproving huff escaped his lips, "Really?" They just kissed on a livestream with thousands upon thousands of viewers. How much more public can you get?

Kisame grinned, "You know what the kids say. Gotta make it Instagram-official."

"It's Facebook official, Kisame."

"Yeah, like ten years ago, maybe."

Itachi blinked slowly. He always thought that photos of couples kissing were a little silly, something that only high school couples did, but there was an excited spark in Kisame's eyes that told him that this had little to do with making things quote-unquote official. Thinking back to what he had said in the bar, about wanting to be able to be open about their relationship, Itachi wondered if this was simply his way of celebrating finally being able to do things like this with him.

After another second of thought, his lips quirked up into a small smile that widened when Kisame's eyes flashed happily. Itachi could feel him practically grinning ear-to-ear when their lips met, and he'd be a liar if he didn't admit to feeling pretty damn proud of himself for being the one to make him this happy.

Because that's what he wanted; Itachi wanted to make Kisame as happy as he could be.

There was a quiet click of the camera snapping the photo. Neither of them moved for a few minutes, though. A billowing calm had settled over the two of them, and Itachi found himself snuggling closer into the delicious comfort of Kisame despite being well aware of how badly he needed to go take a shower in the room he shared with Deidara and Sasori. It was difficult to find the will to pull away when all you wanted to do was spend every waking moment with someone, just like this.

Kisame clearly shared a similar sentiment, as he dropped his phone on the carpeted floor so both of his arms could wrap around Itachi's shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. As he pressed his lips into inky black hair, Itachi's eyes slid shut in silent contentment. With the way his face was tucked into his shoulder, Itachi could feel Kisame's heartbeat in his neck, strong and steady, just like he was.

And, oh, if it didn't make him feel so safe, and peaceful

Kisame's voice was soft, only barely a whisper, "You're so beautiful…"

On a whim, he lifted one languid hand to cup the other man's cheek. He slowly ran his thumb over Kisame's sharp cheekbone, gently caressing the trio of small, thin tattoos there.

"You have no idea how important you are to me…" he continued after another kiss to the top of Itachi's head, "It's kinda scary, Itachi."

Itachi didn't answer. He only used the hand on Kisame's cheek to guide his face down to meet his, bringing their lips together in an unhurried kiss. In spite of knowing exactly how he felt, having come to terms with just how much he wanted Kisame in his life not too long ago, Itachi didn't know what that meant; this was something that was still so new to him. He could only hope that Kisame understood what he was trying to say as their lips moved with one another.

To say that the day had been a rollercoaster, a series of ups and downs, would be an incredible trivialization. Normally Itachi would be sitting in the tub with his arms wrapped around his knees, using Shisui's iPod dock to play music to unwind.

When they were like this, however, with Kisame's arms wrapped around his body, their lips met in a kiss that spoke volumes of tenderness and more affection than either of them knew what to do with…

Itachi was happy.

He wouldn't have things any different.