'Kisame likes going out with me. I've found someone else who loves old movies. I can cook more than soup and ramen.' Itachi was sitting on his bed, writing in his List of Living. Adding to the pro side, at least.

He reread his most recent additions, only mildly surprised to realize that they were all connected to Kisame, in one way or another. It figured; Kisame had pretty much become his entire life, over the course of the last few months. The shark was a comfort, their time together relaxing-

A crash came from downstairs, making Itachi sigh and shut his notebook. Kisame's apartment was also an escape from this hell he was all too often trapped in.

Several minutes later, he heard footsteps walk up the stairs, followed by Sasuke poking his head into his brother's room. "Mom wants to know where you put the painkillers," he said.

"Her pills are downstairs," Itachi replied.

"She wants yours," Sasuke spat out, glaring at his elder brother.

"Too bad," the weasel said. "They're mine, not hers. She needs to take her own prescriptions, or she'll never get better."

"Right, like I'm going to tell her that," Sasuke growled. "You're such a coward, Aniki. You just hide up here all day, and then make me deal with mom and dad! Not to mention that you always run off, so I'm stuck with them! I hate you!" Sasuke slammed the door shut, taking off down the hall once more.

Itachi flopped backwards onto the bed, staying still for a few moments, eyes staring up at the ceiling. "Sasuke, you shouldn't have to care for them. They ought to be the ones caring for you. You stay here, coming at their beck and call, and always live how they want you to." Itachi shut his eyes. "I may be a coward, but at least I'm not a prisoner."

-n-

Kisame noticed the Uchiha was quieter than usual the next day, not even bothering to hn back to half of his questions. Worried, the shark took Itachi home after school, not even bothering to ask the weasel if it was alright.

Once they arrived in the apartment, Kisame quickly dialed the Uchihas' home number, while Itachi walked into the living room, flipping on the TV and lying down on the couch. "Your dad said you could stay over," Kisame said, walking into the room a few minutes later, eyes traveling from the weasel to the TV. "Since when do you watch the news?"

Itachi held up the remote for the shark to take, eyes still glued to the television. "Look, we can watch this for a while, but you're going to have to tell me what's wrong soon enough. Alright?" Itachi nodded once. Kisame sat down on the floor in front of the couch, head resting against the weasel's shoulder.

It was half an hour before Itachi spoke. "My brother hates me."

"You already told me that," Kisame said.

"No…he really hates me. It took this long for that to hit me."

Kisame twisted around to see an agonized look on the Uchiha's face. "Am I really that detestable?" he asked quietly.

"No, you aren't," Kisame replied, shutting off the TV. "Sasuke's just emo."

"…"

"Itachi, the kid doesn't hate you. He's just…I'm not really sure. Mad at you, I guess. Probably to the point of not being able to stay close to you for a period of time." Oh yeah, that was really going to make Itachi feel better. "But he can't hate you. Not matter how much the two of you may think that, it's not possible."

"…?"

"You're tied together by the life you share. Bastard father, demented mother. Both of you hate it, and both of you have different coping mechanisms for it. Maybe he's just mad because you have a different way of dealing with this then he does, and yours works better."

"Better?" Itachi asked bitterly, pulling back his sleeve to reveal the pale cuts decorating his arm.

"You've stopped, haven't you?"

"Hn."

"See?" Kisame motioned for Itachi to move and sat beside him on the couch. "Itachi, you're brothers. Sasuke can hate what you do, what you say, and everything else about you…but he simply cannot hate you."

Itachi sat still, allowing he words to sink in. once they had, he slowly moved towards Kisame, crawling into his lap and pressing their lips together.

"No matter what happens, I come to Kisame, and I always feel better," Itachi thought, eyes drooping shut as his mouth began working against Kisame's. "He's like a cure-all medicine for me. Why is that?"

His fingers tangled in Kisame's hair as their kiss deepened. "This feeling…relief? Bliss? This euphoria that he gives me…is it really just an escape?"

Itachi was vaguely aware that he was leaning back, and an instant later they fell onto the couch, Kisame shooting out an arm to catch him at the last second, preventing him from crushing the weasel. "What is this piece of heaven, mixed in with my hell?"

"…Itachi?" Kisame asked softly, eyes wide with disbelief.

Silent tears were streaming down the Uchiha's face. "Angel, what's wrong?" A weak sob escaped the weasel, startling Kisame. "Angel…" he sat them up, holding Itachi to his chest. "Angel, calm down."

Itachi clung to the shark, more tears sliding down his cheeks with each passing moment. "I don't know how it happened. I don't understand why it happened. But, I think that…I really…may possibly…love Kisame."