Jo sat on the floor in dry clothes and a towel around her neck. She wore a loose olive shirt and some shorts. The three boxes of pizza sat on the coffee table and they busted out some paper plates, keeping it simple. They all sat around, munching on pizza. Hanna was cross legged on the couch with her plate in her lap, flipping through channels, looking for the weather channel.
"Do we have to watch the weather channel?" Jo asked as she took a bite of her pizza and turned to the group. "Wht do you guys want to watch?" She asked and the Akatsuki just looked at each other. They didn't know what the options were.
"Hey, let's watch terrible boss." Hanna suggested.
"We watched that the other day." Jo countered.
"But they haven't."
"What's it about, yeah?" Deidara asked from his seat on the grinned.
"Basically these three guys try to kill their bosses but they don't know how and they don't have the balls. It's hilarious." Hanna explained, a hug grin on her face.
"We could watch Paranormal Activity." Jo suggested. Hanna looked at her, startled.
"Since when do you want to watch scary movies?" Hanna asked.
"We have a house full of assassins'." Jo pointed out around a bite of pizza. "I like to think they can keep us safe."
"Who the fuck said we'd protect you?" Hidan asked her as he leaned back and fit half a slice in his mouth at once. Jo snapped her eyes to him.
"Do you want to sleep in the dirt tonight?" She threatened. "And don't just shove it in our mouth like that. It's rude." She lectured, doing the same thing. Hanna snorted at her friend.
"Oh yea? The fuck are you gonna do about it?" Hidan smirked when she said nothing and continued to fit more pizza into his mouth. Jo waited before she spoke, she wanted to make sure he had plenty in his mouth.
"Oh, yeah." She moaned out suddenly, startling many of the people in the room. "Deep throat that like the bitch you are, baby." She said with a straight face. Hidan choked on his pizza as did Deidara, Kisame before laughing with Hanna. Konan hid her laugh behind a hand and Sasori and Kakuzu shared looked of mild annoyance. Hidan looked at Jo, completely horrified and outraged, his face growing redder by the minute. He was about to open his mouth to bitch her out but she made the motion to imitate a blow job and Hidan flipped out. He stood up suddenly, startling Sasori who sat next to him who had to quickly make sure his pizza wasn't knocked out of his hands, scowling at the disruption.
"The fuck is your problem, bitch?" He roared at her and she could see a vein popping out of his head.
"You're acting like a slob." Jo told him calmly. "Either that or you really need to suck something." She smirked at him, egging him on further.
"Oh, yeah?" Hidan roared. "I think you're the one wanting to suck something!" He smirked. "How 'bout you suck mine, since you seem so fucking determined!"
"Hidan, no." Hanna groaned and Jo just smirked at him. She leaned on the table and rested her face in her hand.
"Oh, baby, you wish." She told him. Hanna groaned and tossed her head back, frustrated with her friend.
"Can you two stop having your weird dick measuring contest?" She pleaded.
"What the fuck is your problem, bitch?" Hidan roared at her. She just wouldn't stop smirking, taking joy at his flustered face.
"I just love seeing you get all worked up." She commented, wriggling in her seat. Hidan roared in frustration before moving forward.
"I'll fucking kill you!" He shouted and ran at her, about to tackle her. Kakuzu tripped him and Jo saw her chance. She grabbed him and rolled them until they were away from the group. She pinned him down and straddled him. "Get the fuck off me!" He shouted at her. He could force her off, but hurting her in front of Pein would be the dumbest thing he could do. She just smirked.
"Oh, but I'm comfy here." She said lowly and started to grin on him. "What's the matter, big boy? Do I make you nervous?"
"Jo! Stahhhhhhp!" Hanna whined and buried her head in her shirt. "I don't want to see my roommate fuck an anime character." She cried. Kisame wrapped an arm around her and patted her arm.
"There, there." He said, sharing in the discomfort. "I don't want to see Hidan screw anyone either."
"Should we help him?" Sasori asked with an almost bored sigh.
"Nah. Let him suffer." Kakuzu said, eating his pizza.
"Jo." Lily mumbled after stumbling into the living room, rubbing her face. Jo and Hidan stopped…what were they doing, arguing? Well, they looked at lily. "If you wanna fuck, go upstairs." She mumbled and rested her foot on Jo's shoulder before kicking her off the jashinist. Jo just rolled off him easily before picking herself up and walking out of the room.
"Don't encourage her!" Hanna shouted from the couch. Lily just rolled her eyes and took a bite of her own pizza.
"Are we going to watch something?" Kakuzu asked, tired of the conversation.
"Yeah, we still have to decide." Hanna said, bouncing in her seat. "I still want Terrible Bosses." Lily shrugged and pulled it out and turned it on. She then sat near the table and dropped the bag she had brought with her.
"What's that?" Deidara asked her as she pulled out a note book and her text book.
"Math." She told him. "really, really, horrible math."
"Lily, you shouldn't do your homework while you're still drunk." Jo said as she walked back into the room with a glass of wine. Lily let her head roll to the side and she just smiled before going back to her homework. Jo shook her head and sipped her wine. They all settled in and started watching the movie but they soon got distracted.
Hanna had wanted a drink and went into the kitchen only to scream her head off, scaring the daylights out of many of the people in the living room. Jo had jumped up, as had Lily, but Lily tripped over the table, flipping over it and falling, landing on Kauzu and Sasori, who rolled her off them. Jo bolted to the kitchen and screamed as well. They heard a thud. Itachi and Pein reached the room first and stopped.
"Help us." Hanna told them, fear plain in her eyes as she looked at the bugs on the floor. They were camleback crickets. Jo was sitting on top of the table. Lily pushed past Itachi and saw what the commotion was about. She turned on her heal and walked away.
"Nope. Nope. Nope!" She repeated as she went into the living room, running from the horrors on the floor.
"They're just crickets, yeah." Deidara laughed and moved towards one to shoo it away but jumped with a yelp when they started to hop towards him. Jo and Hanna screamed while Deidara stumbled back. "What the hell, un!" Pein pinched the bridge of his nose and Itachi left to go back to the living room. He found his seat had been taken by Lily.
Lily sat in the chair he had occupied with her legs crossed like a pretzel and her books were in her lap. She wore the lavender nightshirt again and her hair was in a bun. She had grabbed yet another bottle of wine. He decided to sit in front of her chair and lean against it. He liked the spot where the chair was, and since that isn't a possibility, the floor in front of it was the next best thing.
He quickly found that maybe it wasn't the best. The moment he leaned back, chills went down his spine as fingers slid through his hair. His eyes went wide, but he sat still as a statue.
"So soft." Lily mumbled as she combed her fingers through his hair. She gently pulled out the hair tie and kept running her fingers through his hair. Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. It felt nice, as much as he didn't want to admit. Konan watched with a small smile as she sipped her water, staying silent and letting the poor man enjoy himself.
Lily started braiding his hair. She grabbed a small section, sectioned it into three smaller parts, and started braiding. Itachi reached behind and moved her hands away. He rested his hands in his lap and she just started braiding his hair again, ignoring his sigh.
"Kill it!" Hanna shrieked as Kisame laughed at the two girls.
"The fuck are you waiting for?" Jo shouted.
"What the fucks make you think I'll kill a stupid bug for ya, bitch?" Hidan laughed at Jo. She grabbed something off the table and launched it at him. He laughed and side stepped and laughed harder when it hit Deidara and knocked him over.
Sasori and Kakuzu got tired of the screaming and decided to kill the crickets. It was harder then they thought and they ended up chasing the crickets around the kitchen.
"I can help." Zetsu offered as he came into the room. Everyone looked at him. His leafy thing had been left behind, so he almost looked normal. Zetsu walked into the kitchen and crouched down. The crickets started hopping over to him. He picked them up and carried them outside without a word.
"What the fuck?" Hanna mumbled as she leaned forward and swung her legs off the counter. "How did he do that?"
"He's just good like that." Kisame told her and held out a hand, ready to help her down. She smiled and took it, hopping off the counter. "Now for that drink!" She sang and turned to the cabinet. Jo rolled off the table and walked out. Before she left, she stood next to Hidan and he stared at her. Without warning, she punched him in the jaw. Hidan was down on the ground and Jo walked out. Kisame was roaring with laughter as she left, shaking her hand.
"Want a drink?" Hanna offered him with a grin. He looked over and saw she had poured two shots of a clear liquid. He took it and drank before cringing at the burn.
"What is it?" He asked. "It's strong." Hanna just grinned.
"Everclear."
Itachi grabbed her wrists and tried to move them but she clung to his hair. After a few seconds of struggling, he gave in. Konan chuckled to herself.
"I'm sorry, man." Jo mumbled to him and tipped her glass at him.
"Where's Hidan?" Kakuzu asked.
"Your boyfriend's on the ground." Jo said and Sasori choked on his pizza.
"He's what?" Kakuzu growled. Jo just blinked at them. Was it something she said?
"I punched him." She explained, still shaking out her now aching hand. "He's on the ground." Kakuzu, Sasori, Pein and Konan seemed to relax at that. "Where's Tobi?" She asked and they looked around. Where had he gone?
"I think he went to sleep." Konan explained. "He likes to be well rested." She explained.
"Did not expect that." Jo said, blinking in surprise and she filled up her glass.
"Where is the brat?" Sasori asked.
"I knocked him out by accident." She explained. "Sorry." Sasori just shrugged. "Lily, stop braiding his hair." Jo said and Lily yanked on his hair, making him grunt.
"Leave her be." Itachi mumbled. He didn't want his hair ripped out. Lily hummed happily and kept braiding his hair. Her phone buzzed and she pushed it off the arm of her couch. She was going to ignore it. Jo sat on the couch and looked at the tv.
"When did it end?" She asked. Pein just shrugged. No one had really paid attention, the girls were entertaining enough. She flipped it off and settled on some weird cartoon. "If you guys are tired, you can go to bed if you want. You don't have to stay up just because we do." She explained. Some people nodded at her. "Konan, you can have the guest room, by the way. Since, you're the only girl." Konan smiled at her and nodded in thanks. Sasori stood up to leave. He wanted to go to bed. Being human again was taking a toll on him and Jo could see the bags under his eyes. Needing to eat and sleep was hard to get used to. "Night, Sasori. You need anything, my door is next to….well, you know where it is." He nodded and left. "That goes for all of you." Zetsu nodded and stepped into the wall. Jo guessed he was going to sleep as well.
"I am going to sleep as well." Konan said as she stood. "Thank you for your hospitality." She said. Jo snorted.
"You're going to regret that any day now." Jo teased. Konan glanced at Itachi and then back at Jo, smiling. Jo looked at Itachi as well before sharing a smirk with Konan. "Maybe not." Konan nodded and left. She had to go grab her stuff from upstairs and move it to the guest room. There was a small wardrobe but she didn't want to mess with anything that wasn't hers. She set her bag on the chair and began looking for something to wear to bed. Did she buy anything to sleep in? She quickly realized she had no pajamas. She would have to borrow pajamas. She hated having to ask for something else, but she didn't want to ruin the new clothes they bought for her.
Konan walked back down the steps quietly and headed to the kitchen. Jo was too short to borrow clothes from and Lily was too lanky. Hanna was the closest match. She walked down the hall and into the kitchen. She stopped and raised her eyebrows, taking in the sight.
Hanna sat on the counter and Kisame was leaning on it next to her. Kisame was laughing as Hanna was cheering something at Deidara who was chugging a bottle of something.
"Chug, chug chug!" Hanna cheered. Deidara coughed and stopped. Hidan laughed and patted him on the back, almost knocking him over.
"Ha! Way to bitch out!" Hidan told him and drank from the bottle as well. "Damn, this shit is strong!"
"I think my insides are on fire, yeah." Deidara groaned as he sat in a chair. Hanna just laughed until she saw Konan. She beamed and tried to hop off the counter, but slipped and hit the floor. Kisame and Hidan roared with laughter. She slowly picked herself up and wobbled over to Konan.
"Hey, pretty lady." She said to Konan. She smiled at the drunk woman. "You ok?" She asked as she grabbed the woman's arms. "Everything ok?" She slurred. Konan gently rested her hands on the girl's shoulders to steady her. She smiled and nodded.
"Yes." She responded. "I was wondering if I could borrow pajamas. I seemed to have forgotten to get some today." Hanna stared at her and Konan wondered if she said something wrong when Hanna started to sniffle and tear up. She was shocked when the woman held her to her chest and started to jump around.
"Oh, god, you're so fucking cute!" Hanna screamed as she ran into the living. "Konan is such a sweetie, oh my god I'm gonna cry."
"You are crying." Kakuzu pointed out.
"Shut it, stiches." Hanna sobbed as she hugged Konan. Hidan, who had walked in while Kisame and Deidara stumbled behind, roared in laughter at the nickname.
"Hanna, you're killing her." Jo told her, a hint of worry in her voice. Hanna started sobbing and holding Konan even tighter. She fell to the floor, taking Konan with her.
"I just wanted pajamas." Konan said, but it was mumbled.
"What did she say?" Kakuzu said, looking at Pein who shrugged. She struggled to get her head free, not wanting to hurt the girl. She was able to free her face and breathe.
"I just wanted to borrow some pajamas." Konan told them. Kakuzu snorted. Jo stood and set down her glass.
"I'll get you some of hers." She explained. "She's useless right now. Let me see if I can get her to let go." Jo mumbled as she wobbled over the two, feeling the buzz. Probably wasn't wise to have everyone intoxicated, but it was a Thursday night and it had been a long stressful day. Jo bent over and poked Hanna in the side who screeched. "Turn lose, Hanna." She poked her side again, earning an whimper and a wiggle. "Turn loose." She ordered more forcefully. Then Jo started tickling her sides. "I said turn loose, bitch!" Konan was freed and Hanna was scrambling away from Jo, laughing and crying at the same time, trying to catch her breath.
"What the fuck." Jo mumbled and shook her head. "I hate these two. Come on, let's get you clothes." Konan was catching her breath and let Jo lead her out of the room and up the stairs, finally getting the pajama's she need. "Sorry, she doesn't usually get that bad."
"I take it our presence is not helping matters." Konan deduced and Jo snorted.
"We'll manage. Don't worry about it."
The next morning, Pein woke up before Konan. He had slept in the guest room with her, and shared a bed with her. They had been friends since childhood, and he had loved her since, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. There was too much at risk. It was a cowardly thing to do, to hide it, but he couldn't risk it.
Pein sat up and looked at his friend. She slept peacefully on as the glow of dawn crept through the windows. Her hair was down and spread over the white pillow and he wanted to reach over and run his fingers through it. She had a soft smile on her face and she was on her side, facing him. One leg was on top of the blankets, and he could see her pale, slender leg and the funny pajama shorts she wore. They were blue with clouds on them, and a blue tank top.
Pein reached out and brushed some hair out of her face and gently traced her cheek. She hummed in her sleep and he paused, watching her for a few more seconds. He couldn't help but feel relief that they were all safe for now. He no longer had to worry about them, about her. For now at least. It was good enough for him. They needed the break from running and hiding and fighting.
He stood up and pulled on some dark jeans, not changing out of his white tank top, and quietly stepped into the hall, closing the door behind him. The sun was just barely starting to light up the sky, but not enough to really provide much light. Just enough. He made his way down stairs and down the hall to the kitchen. He stopped and froze at the sight. Kisame was sprawled out on the couch, snoring. Hidan was on the floor with Jo laying across his stomach and chest. Deidara was in one of the chairs. He looked at Itachi and saw the poor man was awake. He looked tired. In his lap, Lily had rested her head. He was holding something to her head, and to his surprise, it was a bloody paper towel. He frowned and glanced at her. Itachi saw and nodded. She's fine. Pein turned on his heel and went to the kitchen.
He wasn't the only one awake. Hanna stood at the counter, humming as she looked at something on her laptop. He got closer and saw it was the weather. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. He could see the bags under her eyes.
"Morning." She offered. He nodded at her. "Sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you." He told her. She smiled and took a bite of cereal.
"You hungry?" She asked. He nodded and she smiled. "Come here, I'll show you how to work the Keurig first." She said. Pein walked over and watched as she explained it. She then showed him where all the plates and things were and let him make himself breakfast. Pein watched and listened, taking in everything she showed him but something else was on his mind. He was surprised at her behavior this morning. She was the calmest of the three, but she usually had a shyer, more gentle air about her. This morning, that shyness was replaced with a self assuredness. He looked her over, trying to see what was different.
Her hair was pulled into a pony tail with some bangs falling out. She wore a collared shirt with a logo on it, dark green cargo pants, and heavy boots. She looked at her watch.
"I have to go to work now. If you need anything, ask Jo. She should be getting up soon. Don't wake up Lily, she's nice, but she's hell in the mornings." She pat his arm and grabbed her coffee, chugged it, and walked out, leaving Pein to his own devices. He looked around the empty kitchen and set to making himself food.
Jo was startled awake when the door slammed shut. She grunted and rubbed her face and sat up. She rubbed her face and looked at the man laying on the floor next to her and she groaned before pulling herself off the floor, accidently elbowing him in the process.
"Shit." He mumbled. "What the hell?"
"Sorry." She mumbled and stood. "Go back to sleep." She ordered and shuffled into the kitchen. Hidan dropped his head back on the floor and went back to sleep.
"Jo." Itachi said. Jo turned and saw Lily resting on his lap. "She hit her head."
"Did it stop bleeding?" She asked. He nodded. "Then don't worry about it. She's tougher than she looks and her skull is as hard as a rock." Itachi nodded and began shifting, intending to pick her up and put her in her room.
Jo shuffled into the kitchen and found Pein pulling out some pans. They nodded at each other as she went to make coffee. She was so tired and her head throbbed. She almost regretted continuing to drink.
"Is it alright if I cook?" Pein asked her. She raised an eyebrow at how polite he could be. She nodded and he pulled out some food from the fridge. She got her coffee and left, heading for a shower so she could get ready for work. Hopefully the shower could help wash away some of her racing thoughts.
She fell asleep on Hidan. She teased Hidan, flirting with him. It was harmless of course, wasn't it? Isn't it ok to do that? Surely it was normal to flirt and tease other people. Then why did she feel like she was going to get in trouble, or get caught? She shook her head. She needed to stop. It was fine. People flirt, people tease. Hell, people date and kiss and fuck. She needed to get past this.
Lily stirred as he set her gently on her bed. She gasped and sat up, registering a man was hovering over her as she slept. Itachi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You fell asleep downstairs." He told her gently and she looked him over, trying to piece together what happened. She struggled to think as her head throbbed. Instead she leaned back onto her pillow and put her hand on her head as it throbbed. "You hit your head on the table." He explained she nodded.
"Sorry." She mumbled. He just hummed in response and turned on his heel, leaving her to sleep. Before he closed the door, he looked over his shoulder and found she had already rolled over onto her side. He let a small smile grace his features. She was a funny girl and more perceptive than she let on. Little did he know he was leaving her there, blushing to herself.
Jo left her bedroom and bumped into Sasori. She let out a surprised oof and Sasori steadied her. She nodded in thanks and looked him over and he hummed.
"You sleep alright?" She asked. He nodded at her and she offered a small smile. "I know you're not used to being human again. If you need extra food or sleep, just go for it." Sasori just eyed her up and down before continuing down the hall. Jo just rolled her eyes and followed him, checking her phone as she and Jo left to dump stuff in her room. She grabbed her phone and checked her emails as she headed downstairs. She came back into the kitchen and saw Pein, Kakuzu, Deidara, and Kisame in the kitchen. "It's too fucking early to be up." She mumbled at them, shaking her head in disapproval. "Ok, guys, I'm heading out for the day. Behave." She instructed and grabbed her things from next to the kitchen table. Jo walked out on the small group, leaving Pein to his cooking.
"What are we going to do?" Kakuzu asked Pein calmly as their leader cooked. It was weird seeing him do something so simple, but he seemed to know what he was doing.
"We need to know how much they know of us." He stated simply. "When Lily wakes up, we will ask her. After we can determine how much they know, we need to gather information on how we got here."
"We don't even know how we got here." Kisame pointed out. Pein nodded.
"They have technology in their world that we do not." He explained. "It is possible they will be able to make better sense of it than we can."
"What if they can't help us, yeah?" Deidara asked, lifting his head up from the table it was resting on. "What if there is no going back?" The group stood in silence for a few beats, waiting for Pein to respond. He turned off the stove and slid the eggs on the plate.
"We will solve that issue when, and if, we get to it." He instructed. "Until then, we will focus on gathering intel." He explained and turned around, a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate in the other. The group nodded in understanding and he left them to discuss things among themselves. Pein walked down the hall and up the steps to the guest room. He carefully opened the door to see Konan had rolled over. He shut the door quietly and she hummed, acknowleding his presence.
"Morning." She mumbled softly as he walked around to her side of the bed. She sat up and smiled. "You made me breakfast?" She asked, seeing the plate of food. He nodded and she smiled softly at him, making room for him to sit. He set the mug down on the nightstand and handed her the plate. She took it from him and thanked him.
"Deidara brought up the question of what we will do if we are stuck here." He told her. Konan paused and looked at him, running the same question through her head. "I could not give him an answer." Konan thought on it and the implications of never returning to the lives they had all built for themselves.
"I suppose we would have to make the best of it." She answered but still looked concerned. "This isn't something any of us can control. But we are strong, and we can adapt if that is what it takes." She said and grabbed his hand. "For now, perhaps we should see it as a blessing. We can take this time to rest. Heaven knows we need it." She explained. Pein looked at her for a few minutes before leaning forward and resting his head on her shoulder. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair as he just breathed. They had endured so much. There was so much left unsaid and undone, and now they may never have the opportunity to complete the things they worked so diligently towards, the goals they had all dedicated their lives to. He had to lead a group of assassins in a world they knew nothing about. The task was daunting but what choice did they have?
The day had passed without incident and Lily had joined them all downstairs sometime in the afternoon. She found herself in the kitchen, starting to put together dinner, knowing Jo would be home soon.
"Did you want help?" Itachi asked from behind her, startling her. She straightened up and spun to see him standing behind her. The cold from the fridge sent a chill down her spin as he stared at her. She blinked and realized she was holding a bag of cheese to her chest. She giggled nervously. "Sorry for startling you." He apologized.
"No worries." She waved him off and handed him the bag. "Put these on the counter. I'm gonna grab some more stuff." She instructed and turned back to the fridge. She heard him moving around the kitchen and she turned her attention back to the fridge, pulling out everything she needed in order to cook. She carried it all over the the counter where they would be working. She pulled out two cutting boards and carefully passed him a knife. She noticed he had rolled up his sleeves and Lily eyed his forearms before looking away with a small blush on her cheeks. The two sat quietly, chopping vegetables and chicken and tossing it all into a pot she had set between them.
"Mix that," She instructed as the last of the ingredients were added to the chicken and vegetables. "We are going to put it all into these casserole dishes." She explained and opened up a cupboard, seeing one of the larger dishes at the top. It was too high for her to reach, and instead of asking for help, she decided to try and grab them herself. She tried standing on her toes and her fingertips just brushed them.
"Would you like me get them?" Itachi offered from his spot and she ignored the offer, instead jumping. Her fingers hooked around the handle and it came out of the cupboard as she landed. She didn't realize the smaller one was stacked on it and it slid out, crashing to the ground, glass scattering all over the floor around her bare feet.
"You guys ok?" Hanna called from her spot on the couch after hearing the crash.
"We're fine." Lily called back and Hanna just shrugged, turning her attention back to the television.
"Why are we watching the weather again, un?" Deidara asked. Hanna nodded and hummed as she sipped her beer.
"Because I need to watch that storm." She explained, pointing to the large system forming on screen. "If it's a hurricane and hits land just right, I might have to go and leave Lily and Jo alone with you losers."
"Who the hell are you calling a loser you fucking bitch?" Hidan shouted as he picked her up off the couch, holding her in a chokehold.
"Kisame! Beer!" She gasped and handed it off to him, trying not to spill it. Kisame took it and chuckled as she was lifted out of her seat. Hanna was kicking and trying to get free. Kisame reached back and punched him in the groin. Hidan dropped Hanna and dropped to the ground, swearing at the shark man. Hanna landed back on the couch and fell over, leaning against Kisame, who had his arm still up and over the back of the couch. She tried not blush as she felt the muscles under his shirt moving. She could feel him chuckle and he brought his arm to wrap around her shoulder, pulling her closer.
"Saved your beer." He told her and handed it back. She nodded in thanks and sipped it, trying to drown her embarrassment.
"Shit." Lily hissed as she winced. "Shit, shit, shit."
"Are you alright?" Itachi asked her from his spot at the counter. Lily braced herself against the counter, keeping her weight off of one foot. Blood was starting to pool onto the floor. She handed him the remaining casserole dish and nodded.
"Put everything into this." She instructed. He took it and quickly put everything into the dish and slid it into the oven. "30 minutes should be ok." She instructed and tried to hop away, only managing to get glass in her other foot. "Ow, ow, fuck." She hissed, leaning onto her heels. Itachi set the timer, closing the door and walking over to her, glass crunching under his feet as he approached her. Lily was startled as he picked her up, bridal style and she gripped at his shirt as though steadying herself.
"You'll get more glass in your feet." He explained.
"I uh, have a first aid kit in the bathroom upstairs." She explained. Itachi nodded and set off for the bathroom, carrying her silently up the steps and down the hall. Lily held her breath nervously, trying to ignore being held in his strong arms. He silently set her on the large counter next to the sink. She stuck her feet in the sink and opened the cupboard under the sink. "It's the red bag. Can you hand it to me?" She asked and slid open a drawer, grabbing tweezers. He did as he was told and handed the bag to her, looking at her feet. He could see just how much glass was in her feet as the blood rolled over the glass and into the white sink. "Thanks." She pulled out a bottle of peroxide and took in a deep breath as she grabbed the tweezers tightly. Itachi stood aside and watched her. Lily pulled one foot up slightly so she could reach and starting removing glass. The first one caused her to grunt and hiss in pain as she struggled to pull it out. She huffed when the glass fell into the sink. This would take a while. Lily saw Itachi was still there and looked at him.
"You can leave now." She mumbled, embarrassed at her clumsiness and went to the next piece of glass. She grit her teeth and yanked hard. She grunted and rested her head on her knee, catching her breath. That one hurt.
Instead of leaving, Itachi moved towards her and rested his hand on hers, gently taking the tweezers from her.
"May I help?" He asked her. Lily looked at him and narrowed her eyes. He didn't care, he wanted something. Itachi stared back at her. Lily's teal hair was still in a bun and very messy now and she looked tired.
Lily nodded and leaned back on her hands. Itachi gently held her ankle and started pulling glass from her foot as gently as he could. She held still and kept as quiet as she could, biting her lip to try and stay silent. Every so often she would let out a hiss or a grunt and Itachi would look at her, making sure she was ok. She would nod and he would continue. He never pointed out the red tint her eyes were starting to get, trying to spare her the rest of her dignity and ignore the tears of pain she tried so hard to keep back.
He was almost done with the top half of her foot when he heard a sniffle. He glanced at her and saw she was looking at the ceiling. She was trying to keep back her tears. Her jaw was clenched shut painfully and her hands were in fists. He needed to distract her, but what could he say to the stranger who had taken them in?
"What did you mean last night?" He asked her, just blurting it out without thinking. Lily frowned, trying to think of what he meant. "While you were in the pool." He saw it click in her face. She shrugged.
"I say things when I'm drunk." She shrugged it off. "Everyone does."
"You spoke as if you know the burden of difficult decisions." Itachi continued. "Earlier, I was speaking with Hanna and she let slip you had a few run ins with the law a few years ago." Itachi looked at her and saw she was staring at him with such hate. "You were a criminal." He pieced together and she snatched the tweezers from him.
"If you're going to help me, then fine," She spat bitterly, "but if you're just gonna sit here and ask stupid questions, then get out." Itachi stared at her, almost startled by the sudden shift in personality. He took a step back and inclined his head. He should have known better than to bring up a sensitive topic.
"I apologize if I have offended you." He told her and turned to leave. Lily grunted as she tried to pull out the glass and paused. She started it technically and all he did was ask a question. He wasn't attacking her and he didn't deserve to be snapped at like that.
"I…." Lily spoke but hesitated. Itachi stopped in the doorway, looking at her. "I made a lot of bad choices." Itachi listened. "I'm sorry. It's just not as far in the past as I like to imagine." Itachi watched her.
"Have your choices cost the lives of others?" He asked quietly as he stepped back into the bathroom. Lily shrugged.
"Sometimes." She admitted. "Not always. But then again, they always had the choice to walk away as well." Itachi walked back over to her and took the tweezers from her hands gently and went back to pulling glass from her feet.
"Hn." He said, agreeing with her.
"You guys have opium in your world?" She asked after some silence. He nodded and glanced at her.
"I finished this foot." He told her. She nodded and handed him the bottle of peroxide.
"Ok, so I need your help with this. Make sure you have a good grip on my ankle." He followed her instructions. "Pour a little at time over the cuts and wait. They should turn white. Then wash that away with water. Keep ding that until the cuts don't turn white." Itachi nodded and began. Lily bit down on her hand to keep from making noise. Once he was done, he looked at her.
"Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded, sniffing away the tears of pain. He didn't hesitate and grabbed the tweezers to begin pulling glass out of her other foot. A few moments of silence passed before he spoke again. "You had mentioned opium." He pointed out.
"For get it." She mumbled before hissing. She tried to tug her foot away but he had a good grip on her ankle. "It's nothing."
"It must be something for you to have asked." He pointed out and looked at her before continuing his work. Lily stared at him for a few seconds.
"Do you guys have morphine?" She asked. He nodded and she spoke again. "Do you guys have heroine?" She asked. Itachi frowned and thought. He shook his head. "It's a drug in the same family as morphine and opium. It's extremely addictive and very dangerous." She explained. "We actually have a huge problem with it in this country because it not only gets you high, but it also blocks pain. Imagine you ache just from living, your bones hurt or your muscles are sore every day and then there's this medicine that makes everything ok again, no more pain." Lily paused and Itachi looked at her. She rested her cheek on her knee with a sad smile.
"You were addicted to this substance." He stated. She hummed and let out a dry chuckle.
"There was a saying where I grew up, that if you used heroine, you were trying to commit suicide." Lily told him quietly. "Even if you just started and were using non lethal doses, everyone knew it would just get worse."
"Do you still take heroine?" He asked her softly. She shook her head and he couldn't help but feel relief. he couldn't explain why but he ignored it and went back to his work, gripping her ankle firmly as she reflexively tried to pull it away. "If people know how dangerous it is, why do they use it?" Lily shrugged.
"For some people, it's worth the risk." She admitted. "Other people start off using medicine like morphine or something similar, but end up addicted by accident. Maybe they had a surgery and the doctor gave them a pain killer. But after a while, the pain killer doesn't work. They then can turn to heroine."
"You know much about this drug." He pointed out. She let out a dry laugh.
"I should." She told him. "It's been a part of my life since I was little." They sat in silence for a bit and Itachi kept working on her feet. After a few minutes she spoke again. "I used to sell it." She admitted to him, closing her eyes, not wanting to see the disgust in his eyes. "I started selling it when I was young, just trying to make enough money to live, you know?" She shook her head at herself, opening her eyes only to stare at her reflection. "But then I started using, and I used with friends. Just about anything that would get you high, we'd take. We were so stupid." She mumbled. "I had a couple of close calls, and it's a miracle I'm still alive." Lily admitted and looked at her hand that was now bruising from her biting it. "Some of my friends, and the people I sold it to, they weren't so lucky. I lost so many people to that drug."
"Are you still involved in any way?" He asked her. After a pause, Lily shook her head and looked up at him. Lily was startled to see a sympathetic smile. "Didn't you tell me, the guilt won't change anything?" Lily blinked. Had she said that? Itachi smirked and lifted his hand. He poked her between the eyes. Lily blushed a bit and looked away before resting her face on her knee. She closed her eyes.
"Just…..shut up and rip glass from my foot." She mumbled. Itachi smirked and continued on with his work.
