The demon had been back in full demon form since he reached the hallway of the house upon their return, the human-shape fading away and giving way to his demonic self. Itachi found that he didn't really mind it either way, but wouldn't admit that he was quickly becoming fond of the demons ability to charm. Mask or not, it worked.
Itachi hadn't expected to sleep anywhere other than the basement. Call it force of habit, call it making the best out of a bad situation, but he hadn't expected the demon to give up his own bed.
"I don't sleep" Itachi reminded him. "It'll be more useful to you"
"I'm not planning on sleeping tonight, wolf" The demon had been distracted since they'd got back. He'd given Itachi his glasses without any form of bribery or hesitation and had immediately walked off into the living room.
The bedroom situation came about when he told Itachi to go to bed, telling him he might as well sleep in his room, before he went and disappeared off somewhere else. Of course, Itachi didn't sleep and so he didn't move towards the bed. He stayed in the demon's room though, choosing a book from the bookcase and starting a new one. It was very strange to have free time, to just pick a book and read it in the chair by the light. For all his solitude in his own room, he found that those four walls were un-motivating and lifeless. His room, his place, with his own things…none of that seemed to matter anymore.
"You really won't sleep?" Itachi almost dropped the book, his body tensing as the demon surprised him once again.
"Not tonight" He told him, feeling not even a drizzle of overwhelming tiredness.
"Why?"
"I'm not sure" Itachi had a thousand reasons that he knew of for his insomnia, none of which he'd admit out loud. After a moment, when the demon didn't make a move to leave, he unfolded his arms and stepped away from the doorframe he'd been leaning on with pure male confidence.
He searched through his drawers and Itachi watched him curiously, defences prickling when the demon pulled out a rope. Itachi slipped his book away onto the nearest surface and rose to a stand as the demon moved to sit on the bed by comparison. He had a coy grin and mischief in his eyes and Itachi's chest clenched as he assessed his escape plans.
"I've hit a wall with my work," The demon said softly, wrapping the rope around his fingers and never taking his gaze from Itachi's. "And now I can't stop thinking about the food that's not in those cupboards"
Itachi struggled with the urge to run to the basement with his tail between his legs, putting the cans and things back within five minutes just to appease the demon's disappointment.
"Are you going to put them back?" He asked, and the rope went taut between each fisted bunch.
"It's just food" Itachi frowned. "Why are you so concerned with it?" Demons didn't need to eat much, and they weren't very fond of human foods by comparison to their own demon foods. Itachi hadn't ever tried it, or ever had the urge to.
"It's not the food, wolf. It's you" Itachi's stomach flipped. "The food is not in the cupboard because you took them out. You moved them" Itachi rose his chin just a little, half in disbelief that the demon was getting so worked up about it. Maybe he was just venting stress. "What's to say, next time, you won't do something else behind my back?"
"It was a game" Itachi admitted. "I was bored, figured it to be revenge for you keeping me in the basement for so long"
"I apologised for that"
"I was still angry" Itachi reasoned, wondering why the words were flowing freely. Had the demon affected him that much? Given him new chances, new opportunities - new courage?
"I didn't think you liked playing" The demon began twirling the rope through his fingers, each rotation making the end 'thump' softly on the demons thigh. "In fact, you were rather against it"
"I blame your conditions"
"So it's my fault" The demon smirked.
"…somewhat" He didn't want to give him full control of the situation. Bad move, Itachi. He mentally scowled at himself.
"Come here" The demon crooked a finger - the one on the hand that held the rope - and Itachi froze.
"Why?"
"You're a very good distraction; come here" Itachi stepped closer and his wrist was taken. The demon's hands were rough - but not as harsh as he'd originally thought. They worked the rope around his right wrist before he realised he was being tied up.
"What are you doing?" Itachi flicked his eyes up, feet apart to ready his balance- The demon had him bound, his strong arms carefully moving Itachi to the bed. He scowled at it, eyes burning red as he turned on the demon. "Whatever you're planning, stop it"
He was hoisted up and tossed onto the bed seconds later, his positioning somewhat inelegant due to his hands being together. He forced himself to sit up, glaring as the demon found the long bit of the rope that was left attached to Itachi's wrists. A nudge and Itachi was reminded of the demon's strength. He was felled again, rolled over with his hands tied to the headboard moments after.
It was completely undignified. On his stomach, hands bound - though not altogether uncomfortabe or harsh - he felt stupid. His body felt aflame as the demons hand brushed over his head (an action he couldn't work out if he liked or loathed) and then followed his hair down his neck, his back, his spine, his ass - and then right down to his right foot.
"I think my mind can rest at ease now" The demon said, and Itachi tried to roll over to glare at him again.
"You can't be serious? Untie me"
"No" He grinned and Itachi's hate dissolved. "Having you safe and bound like this, I don't have to think about you rearranging my furniture, or my clothes, or maybe taking my weapons and hiding them somewhere stupid"
"I'm not a child" Itachi gaped; surely those were actions that children would do!
"I know that" The demon's eyes raked over his body and it was another move that he couldn't figure out if he loathed or loved. "But at present, I don't trust you any more than I would a kid. So until I'm done with my work, you stay like that"
"Untie me" Itachi demanded, suddenly feeling the weight of his situation. The demon had been in the cells in the facility, demanding to be released. Now, it was the other way around.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" The demon was walking out, Itachi losing confidence. "It's making me feel better already - keep struggling like that, wolf!" Itachi stopped instantly, refusing to cater to the demon's wants.
0-LINEBREAK-0
He was insanely bored, staring at the bars of the bed for hours on end wasn't a good way to die - and Itachi was slowly beginning to actually feel 'bored to death'. He thought it a miracle when the demon finally came back for him, sitting on the side of the bed and leaning over to undo the ropes. Itachi watched with hopeful eyes, saying nothing to sway the demon's decision to free him, until he was definitely freed. He felt a 'thank you' bubble up in his chest, but the demon simply tossed the rope to the floor and marched right back out, as if he'd just 'remembered' that Itachi had been tied up for a few long hours and needed to be untied.
0-LINEBREAK-0
"Damnit" The black shirt stretched over his shoulders as he rubbed his forearm over his face, the hem of it rising up and placing down oddly. He didn't notice, just went straight back to his papers.
He'd been working more often, leaving Itachi to move around or read or do some of the puzzles that he found - card games and strange human-things. He was content more than he was bored, and while the demon paid him little attention, Itachi realised that he wanted it. He'd spent so long in the shadows; not talking to his brother, obeying his father, in solitude, confinement, being sidelined. The demon had taken him away from that and while it had initially been disturbing, he didn't altogether loath the demon at all.
He was quiet company, with the occasional odd outburst or sporadic leaving spells; if he hit a 'block', Itachi would be tied up to the nearest stable thing and the demon would work much faster. Itachi had seen it for himself - the demon definitely worked better knowing that Itachi was secured to something.
With that thought, he realised that it was probably a psychological thing; the demon would feel safe in the knowledge that his only lead, the only bargaining chip he had, was secured and going nowhere. Of course that was all there was to it. It didn't matter that Itachi sort of maybe, perhaps just a little bit, found himself kind of…liking it.
He supposed it was some kind of shock, considering his 'sheltered' life and limited associations with other people. Having the demon pay so much attention to him, anything was now obviously game. Including being tied up and turned on by it. If the demon knew about that, he didn't let on.
He was currently tied to the staircase, a few paces away from where the demon and his table were at in the dining area. As a Uchiha, his strength should allow him to break through the staircase with enough force, but it was hardly worth the strain or effort. The rope though simple wouldn't easily fray itself into separation, so he kept himself coiled up by the rails, comfortably watching the demon as he wrote and shifted papers.
After a short while, the pencil stopped moving and was placed down thoughtfully, those calculative eyes turning on Itachi for a second.
"You know what the people in that Kennex building do, don't you?" He said quietly, staring at his sheet. Itachi looked up, testing the waters with a nod.
The demon didn't have to know that half of the things that got passed through that building were things that he'd directly signed and agreed to. Granted, his father was the overseer of the entire operation, but Itachi had been put in the trusted position to keep that section running. He briefly thought what idiot would be attempting to keep it afloat now.
"You've seen the effects?" The demon picked up the pencil, fiddling. Itachi nodded, but the demon wasn't looking. "And you still let them do it?" The pencil snapped.
He wouldn't tell the demon anything. Clearly something was bothering him and anything Itachi had to say would only be shot down - it was impossible for the demon to understand Itachi's side of things. There was no point in trying.
Itachi's breath caught as the demon turned to him, his eyes sharp and calculating and angry. This was what Itachi had been expecting. This side of the demon, the one that was angry that there even was such a thing as the Uchiha Corps Facility. Angry at what they did, at what they'd achieved - at what cost.
"Why wasn't I taken there when I was brought to that place?" He asked steadily.
"You were clearly a high level demon" Itachi said, quiet and calm. "We'd rather study you. There was no reason for you to be sent there" Itachi tried to hold the question in. When the demon turned back to his paper, seemingly ending the conversation, Itachi bit his lip to keep his mouth shut. He should've just let the matter alone. "Why did you want to be in there?". He asked quietly.
The demon didn't answer and Itachi supposed he deserved it. It was the demon's business, and Itachi - being an employee, former or not - wasn't going to just be trusted with his private information. He couldn't expect the demon to surrender information that easily.
"Because some things are bigger than ourselves" He eventually said.
Itachi recognised the tone - it was the same humble tone he used when thinking of Sasuke's life before his own. "I can't completely trust you" The demon murmured. "And that irritates me more than it should" Why? Itachi held his tongue this time, deciding to look at something else. The demon stood up seconds later, gave another stretch and gathered his papers. He took them with him when he left the room and didn't come back in until the sun had risen.
"Breakfast is in the kitchen"
The demon untied his wrists and gave them a slight rub and squeeze to get the blood flowing again - something he'd started doing. When he entered the kitchen, Itachi drew two conclusions. One, that he'd be eating alone. Two, the demon was leaving again.
He slipped into the chair and looked at the probably-shop-bought food in front of him. There was no point in asking the demon where he was going, he probably wouldn't tell him. There was also no point in asking, pointlessly, if he was leaving. The evidence was there with the demon's jacket, his overly large sword and his boots. Itachi instantly presumed he wasn't going out into 'South of France', and when the demon opened up his shadow-portal in the wall, he expected a sort of happiness that he'd been right. Instead, he was numb to it.
Had the demon slept at all? Had he worked through the night? Itachi paused, his fork through his plate of food, as he watched the demon disappear without a word or any explanation through the portal.
He ate his breakfast in silence and severe thought - childishly planning another revenge tactic. He checked the cupboards - the demon had put every tin back. When? Itachi hadn't heard him do it, hadn't seen him move to and from.
Go out, he considered. The demon left you, leave him. Go out.
The demon had also told him that he couldn't guarantee that he was completely safe outside of the house. Nonetheless, he trusted his instincts. He had no 'South of France' money to buy anything with but the walk might be nice - perhaps he could remember the route they'd taken to that restaurant.
He could also think of his Plan of Leave. That's what he was calling it, because calling it an Escape Plan seemed too much like he was being held against his will and despite the restrictions, Itachi knew that wasn't the case.
After brushing his hair and getting washed, he left the house in broad daylight with his new glasses over his eyes as the heat prickled his skin. The door made an odd sound as if it locked itself behind him, but seeing as Itachi had no key to lock it himself (and the demon had told him the house was Sealed) he presumed it had secured it's grounds.
It felt entirely odd to be outside and doing nothing - he couldn't remember the last time he'd had time off, or away from the facility to do something so pointless.
Plan of leave, he reminded himself. Get something the demon wants and force him to exchange it for your freedom.
That would be his back-up, if only for the reason that finding something the demon liked could be difficult. Soldier-Itachi might've gone for the demon's family, but Itachi-Itachi knew that wouldn't help his cause at all.
Tell him you'll happily stay in another realm, away from any Uchiha's. Exiled.
But the only Uchiha known to have done that was reportedly irretrievably mad.
His thought process dipped in and out of odd ideas, some better than others and some more likely to work. He made it to the restaurant - it looked very different in the daylight - and then he walked the same route back.
The whole time his attention was split between his Plan of Leave, possible threats and remembering his way home. His memory was good, but things always looked different at opposite ends of the day.
He reached the small gate at the front of the house and felt like his mission had been completed. He hadn't been attacked like he thought he would, he hadn't been followed like he'd assumed he could've been, and he'd thought of a few workable plans to ensure his freedom.
It was a morning well spent, he decided, as he walked into the house and closing the door behind him. It made another sound, as if it was locking itself behind him again, and Itachi stared at it for a while. Magic.
Someone had gone through a lot of effort to keep the house hidden and secure. The demon had also told Itachi that the home was 'one of' - presumably the demon had more. Were they all so hidden and protected?
He walked into the kitchen for a glass of water, finding the demon sat at the table.
"Nice walk?" He asked, swirling the strong-smelling liquid in its clear glass. Itachi recognised it as alcohol. His tone wasn't offended, or even angry. How to respond, Itachi wondered, trying to imagine a response where the demon wouldn't lash out. He didn't want an angry demon on his hands, and that thought stunned him for a second. He'd dealt with thousands of angry demons in the same way - violence or sedation - this one was clearly grating his abilities.
"I was careful" He assured the demon. "I wasn't followed" And at least I came back. The demon 'hmmm'd' as he drained the glass and pushed it forwards, out of his grasp. Itachi noticed the cuts and bruises - purpling marks - on the demon's knuckles. Nowhere else, but a perfect set on each hand. Itachi moved the glass from the counter top and sat carefully in the seat next to the demon.
"I wouldn't sit so close" The demon's hands fisted. "I have a million questions and an equal amount of ways to restrain you until you answer them"
"You're assuming I won't answer them of my own free will"
"You know, the thought never crossed my mind" The demon slid him a glare. "You're a stubborn, deceptively calm, aggravating, non-listening, rule-breaking little shit of a Uchiha that used to run an empire of experiments, all the while ignoring his own brother and surrendering all loyalty to the fucker who's tortured him his entire life. Why would I assume I'd be correct in thinking you'd willingly tell me anything?" His mood had changed so much - always seemed to when he got back from wherever he'd been.
"Why not?" Itachi asked, and the demon seemed to darken with rage - his skin colour deepening as a hint.
"Why would you?!" The chair fell as the demon launched up, hands on the counter top. "You couldn't speak to your own brother, your entire life was dedicated to that fucking place. I was always under the impression I'd have to force it out of you - always"
"Perhaps you were mistaken" Itachi vision blurred completely, a sure sign his defences were up and his sight was slowly failing him - and perhaps a bit too late, for the demon had his throat within one fist and his wrist within the other.
He couldn't ignore the chill that crept through his veins, and then the rush of excitement that hurried after it. Something other than rope? He blamed his father for all of it. Clearly he'd become accustomed to such treatment and now the demon had it within his power to use. And hell knew Itachi wasn't going to resist because the demons idea of 'restraint' felt more like 'play'.
"You were never going to tell me anything; not when I saved your ass, not when I let you out, not even now you think we're friends" The grip was loosened and Itachi felt himself wobble. …think they were friends? It was true, the demon had begun to feel less like his captor and more like some kind of lodger, but friends? His mind laughed at the idea, but…something was making him panic at the idea of not being friends. The demon released him and started pacing.
"Then why keep me here?" He asked instead, ignoring the pounding in his head. "Why waste your time?" The demon stalked out, ignoring Itachi and returning with the rope.
His wrists had almost been ready to react, to nudge themselves together willingly and see where the demon might tie him up next. The other half knew that the demon would only tie him up and leave him while the stress was vented elsewhere. He wouldn't admit he wanted to 'play', but damn if his veins weren't thrumming with adrenaline. In a split-second decision he began to move away.
"Get back here, wolf"