Part 2: The Onset of the Unhinged (Part 1 of 4)
Three months prior…
Itachi Uchiha was no saint. Rather, to phrase it better, he went about life at his own pace and did whatever or whoever the hell he wanted. He gave no flying fucks about how people perceived him, and that was the definition of his mental clarity and his freedom.
He held a government-sanctioned job as a hacker, which allowed him to work from anywhere as long as he had his laptop and prevented him from having to deal with people. If he got sacked from his job - impossible, mind you, given he was one of the best in the business - then he'd kick back and do zilch.
The job was only a means to appease his boredom, but it wasn't particularly a necessity because he was, in layman's terms, quite wealthy. That was what happened when an inheritance was invested into the stock market. The numbers followed an uptrend like clockwork.
His days were predictable because they were so mundane, so rarely did much of anything catch him off guard. If he wanted some companionship, he'd stop by one of the local hotspots, and they'd be in a hotel in a matter of minutes. If he was bored, he'd partake in a challenging job request. If someone took in his appearance and affiliated him with the yakuza, and wanted to prove their superiority due to their inferior nature, he'd beat them down without an ounce of mercy. If he couldn't sleep, he'd slave away at the gym in the dead of the night.
All in all, he came and went as he pleased without giving a damn about what anyone around him. Depending on who was asked, he was described in a variety of ways: frightening, vain, a prodigy, a gangster, short-tempered, and quite frankly the list was too long to list in a single breath.
Oh, and also drop-your-briefs-and-bend-over sexy. That's right. Couldn't forget that one. And yes, briefs, not panties. Itachi didn't do women. The high pitched voices and the overly delicate bodies were not up his alley. He liked it hard, dirty, and rough, and the idea of women left a bad taste in his mouth.
The medley of descriptions were in abundance, but he rarely paid attention to any of them. Yes, he'll admit he was not everyone's cup of tea, but the world still turned around. Those were people's perceptions of him, not his perception of himself, and no one had any say in his life nor the way he lived it. And if they did, Itachi turned a deaf ear.
The one exception to his detached attitude was his Otouto, Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi had always held a particular fondness for the boy that superseded his life philosophy, and it was very evident in the way he treated Sasuke.
He would admit to walking on eggshells on the very rare occasion around his Otouto because he disliked when the boy thought ill of him. He wanted to emulate the qualities of a good big brother around Sasuke whenever he could.
Because Sasuke was special.
Granted, he had given himself away on multiple occasions in the past few years, and he was sure his Otouto had an inkling of his true personality if the twinkle in his eyes each time Itachi slipped up was anything to go by. Yet, he never broached the subject so he, too, left it be.
"What'cha up to?" The smooth baritone held an edge of immaturity, remnants of the boy's youth.
A dark head of hair popped into his field of vision, and from his reclined position on the plush sofa, Itachi reached out a hand to yank on one of the boy's bangs. Silky hair fell between his thumb and index fingers, and Itachi smirked upon seeing the irritated look on Sasuke's face.
"Did you just get back?" he asked half-heartedly, as he tucked his arm back underneath his head.
Sasuke grumbled, swatting his hair from his face, and circled around the couch, only to lift up Itachi's legs and plop himself down before setting the man's legs back in his lap.
"Yeah. You'd expect professors to honor the scheduled time, but they seem to love to hear themselves talk."
It was half past eight in the evening. The boy's course was supposed to end by 7:30, and it was only a fifteen minute walk home, so the time difference had been a bit concerning.
"Did you do anything fun today?" Sasuke had asked him, fingers thrumming along Itachi's shins.
Itachi liked his touch. It felt nice. Especially for a boy who often voiced his displeasure in touching others and vise versa, he was carefree with Itachi and that, in turn, made the man feel special.
Nonchalantly, as if answering his question, he lifted his other arm, which had been dangling off the couch, and placed it in Sasuke's view.
"What? No way!" the boy exclaimed, hand reaching out to delicately grasp onto Itachi's wrist. "What'd you get this time?" Curious eyes gazed hungrily over the black ink tattoo sleeve that coiled along his skin and disappeared beneath the hem of his T-shirt.
"An old-fashioned stopwatch. A snake in place of the chains. The rest of it is just redistributed designs."
He would keep out the fact that he had the roman numerals of Sasuke's birthday embedded in the tattoo albeit hidden. He had done it on a whim, finding the ironic hilarity of such a sentimental touch, but Itachi would take that little secret with him to the grave.
Itachi's eyes filled with mirth as he set sights on Sasuke's look of awe. When Sasuke had first discovered Itachi's back tattoo, he had pleaded to see the whole thing. The boy had fawned over the intricacies of the art and couldn't help but gush over how good it looked on Itachi.
He recalled feeling like a proud peacock with its feathers spread and had sat patiently as the boy traced over every line with his fingers. This time was no different except the wounds were fresh and all he could do was look.
Upon his steady gaze on the emotions that danced along the boy's features - more blatant and varied than he could ever muster himself -, Itachi noticed something that stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of Sasuke's neck. "What's this?" he asked casually, brushing his fingers along Sasuke's nape.
The action redirected Sasuke's attention, and the boy cringed. "Just Neji being Neji," he answered.
Itachi's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second. He had heard that name a couple of times by now. "I thought you didn't like people touching you."
"I don't."
"Then, pray tell, how this came to be."
Rooted on his neck was a single purplish spot. Dark enough to last a couple days. Dark enough to be seen for quite a few feet away.
Something tickled along Itachi's chest. A foreign feeling of something just as dark as that harrowing mark.
Sasuke fixed Itachi with an exasperated look as the man swung his legs over the couch and sat himself up, closer to Sasuke now for a better look.
"Are you a virgin, Otouto?"
"What?" A throaty shriek and a loud gulp. The boy looked flabbergasted at the question.
"I'd want to say yes, you are, given that you hate other people's touch. You wouldn't be able to tolerate hands on you, much less having a cock make a mess inside you."
Ah, Itachi should be careful. His speech borderlined something rather indecent and his default personality that he saved for everyone except Sasuke reared its head.
The boy looked shocked, and then miffed. "I don't think that's any of your business."
"Isn't it though? I'm only looking out for you, Otouto. It worries me when you say one thing, but do another."
Sasuke huffed and rolled his eyes, but a red hue began to inch up his nape. "Oh, please, Aniki. If I should be looking out for anyone, it'd be you."
It was a thoughtless remark, one that was spoken off-handedly with any deeper hidden meaning, but it sparked a flame where there should have been none.
Again, here was an instance where the boy insinuated that he knew what Itachi's did on his off time. This was odd and surprising to the man, given that he never stained the house with his one-night stands, so he wondered how the boy knew and how long since the boy had known.
"Then, should we try out my touch, Otouto, to see if you're receptive to it?
Sasuke's mouth gaped at the question, and the sudden image of something else gaping zipped through Itachi's mind. Rather than being disgusted, a tremor of thrill racked his body and excitement, for once, reared its head.
"What are you saying?" Sasuke asked, mouth dry and eyes wide. "You don't mean–"
"I do."
Silence met their ears, so the man continued, his speech easygoing and unhurried and his countenance quite relaxed despite the topic at hand.
"Think about it," he murmured. "You've known me your entire life, you trust me, and you enjoy my touch." As if illustrating his point, he cupped the base of the boy's neck and brushed his thumb along it gently. "See? You don't shy away from me, and you don't flinch either unlike what we both know happens when other people touch you. Frankly, I'm surprised you allowed that boy to leave this mark here when you're quite vocal about your dislikes."
"He caught me off guard" came the quiet explanation.
His thumb paused briefly in delivering strokes to Sasuke's neck before it resumed as if giving the boy a massage.
"He wouldn't have had I been there," Itachi replied. "I can provide a safe zone for you to lose your virginity and vent your frustrations. Or would you prefer to remain a virgin for the rest of your life? Not that there's anything wrong with that either, but recently it appears you're more wounded up than usual."
A smirk graced Itachi's lips and his eyes reflected his amusement as the both of them took in that implication. Itachi chuckled lightly when a small gasp escaped Sasuke. Ah, so the boy finally understood that he could hear him masturbate late at night in his room.
A reassuring smile slid onto Itachi's lips as he leaned forward, predatory eyes stalking Sasuke's expressions. The boy's brows were furrowed together in confusion and thought, so Itachi let him process his words.
"You just say the word, and I'll do it for you, Otouto, so your first time isn't taken by some sloppy half wit."
The man's fingers danced up along Sasuke's skin, reaching to tilt his chin to meet his gaze as his thumb brushed lightly across the boy's lips.
"Have you kissed anyone before, Sasuke?" he queried with a slight tilt of his head. "And I mean an adult kiss, not your usual baby ones that you gave me growing up."
Sasuke glared. "How rude, Aniki," he muttered, shaking away Itachi's hand.
Oh, how Itachi loved to ruffle Sasuke's feather. The man took that as a 'no' and, instead of his usual teasing which borderline bullying, a genuine smile uplifted his features. The emotion was evident, astounding even himself, but it seemed Sasuke took it as teasing based on his crossed arms and resounding 'hmph'.
To be truthful, Itachi rarely kissed. He never allowed for any during his romps in the sheets, and he never made out with anyone for any reason. He simply had no reason nor desire to exchange such a pleasantry. Outside of his rowdy youth and experimental phase in life, the only kisses that he'd exchanged in the last handful of years was between him and Sasuke. And those were the platonic ones on cheeks and foreheads.
But here, as they stared at each other in newfound territory, Itachi certainly had a desire to kiss. There was something about the soft, pliant lips that gave way to his thumb when they were stroked that appealed greatly to him, igniting a spark below the belt that smoldered and begged for attention.
Itachi was the devil's work, and had he not known previously, his proposal definitely took the icing on the cake and made his case glaringly evident. The more he spoke of it, the more titillating it became, and the more titillating it became, the more unhinged and outrageous he turned.
"Let me show you how to kiss," Itachi murmured, his half-hooded gaze settled on the pink lips that edged him to close the distance. He felt compelled to lean closer until he was a hair's breadth away from Sasuke's slightly parted lips.
The boy seemed to tense up, sitting ramrod straight at the sudden proximity, before he subconsciously held his breath.
"Breathe, my little Sasuke," the man uttered, his hot breath fanning over the boy's quivering lips. "Now, lean forward and press your mouth to mine," he commanded softly like a Siren's song. Briefly, Itachi noted the tenderness in his own tone, and mentally he shook his head with a little laugh. He'd never use that voice on anyone before. See how special his Otouto was?
As soon as he picked up on the shift in movement, as if the boy was preparing to oblige, Itachi hummed gently in appreciation. "What a good boy."
And then, he felt the hesitant pressure against his own mouth that told him Sasuke had done the deed. The boy rested his lips against Itachi's in a sweet peck-like fashion. As soon as his Otouto felt the valleys of Itachi's lips, he began to pull away as if that was the end of that.
However, Itachi had lifted his palm and pressed it lightly against the back of his nape while his freshly tattooed arm held onto the boy's wrist to keep him there. He cradled Sasuke's neck and further tilted the boy's head to the side while he did the same.
Their lips collided with minor added pressure and Itachi began to coax Sasuke to move his mouth to mirror his own movements.
"So sweet," Itachi whispered fondly as he trailed his tongue along Sasuke's lower lip. Small gasps and moans echoed in his ears as his Otouto's hands clenched onto his shoulders. "Open for me, Otouto," he said while his tongue slid between the seams of Sasuke's lips.
The boy obliged and Itachi took his time to slip his tongue inside. Despite the ugly monster that shrieked and clawed inside of him, begging to be released from its cage. he remained gentle on the surface to prevent himself from scaring the boy.
When Itachi dove into Sasuke's mouth, his body groaned in appreciation. His Otouto's tongue was slightly stiff against his own, but Itachi could not have recalled a better kiss that he had in his entire lifetime. A steady tickling sensation dripped down the corners of their mouths, where saliva pooled from their ensnaring kiss.
When he finally pulled away to allow Sasuke the opportunity to breathe, Itachi noticed a few things. For one, both of their chests were heaving. He wouldn't have been surprised if only the boy's lungs were struggling to take in as much air as possible from being neglected so long, but his own chest was throbbing.
A standard kiss like that should not have vexed Itachi so, yet he was left affected more so than at the end of a standard one-night session.
The second thing he noticed was the pretty hue that Sasuke had turned; it was reminiscent of the rare occasions during dusk when the sky turned an orangish pink.
How pretty, he thought.
And finally, the last thing he noticed was the shiny, wet lips that pouted and whined to be kissed again. A string of saliva remained between their lips, the last connection to their actions, before it thinned and severed.
"How was it?" Itachi asked, voice like liquid molten lava.
Sasuke's eyes were glazed over and he seemed like he was in a daze as he continued to stare at Itachi's reddened lips.
"...Felt so good" came the (almost) childish response. Sasuke's slim, pale fingers reached up to press against his own lips as if the boy had difficulty believing what he just felt.
Itachi had yet to release his hold on his Otouto, and now he simply did not want to. Amusement and lust rimmed his gaze at such an honest response. The pure sexual innocence that rolled off the boy in waves was enough to put a priest's fidelity to shame.
Itachi would do anything to hoard that look for himself, and he was a man who was capable of many things. His head swam with other kinds of kisses he could teach the boy, kisses that would feel even better than what he just experienced with Itachi. Those kinds of kisses, akin to mouth-to-mouth kisses, Itachi never gave out to anyone.
Like he had stated previously like a broken record, Sasuke was special.
He wondered how much pleasure he could drown the boy in before he became a crying mess. He'd like it if he could teach Sasuke to spread his ass open and beg Itachi to eat him out. Or if he'd beg Itachi to fuck him bareback without a condom, so he could be the first and only recipient of Itachi's cum.
Hmm, Itachi was getting ahead of himself.
These blatant thoughts ran amok in his head as he stroked the boy's cheek with the back of his hand. Sasuke leaned into his touch, and the grin that mentally projected Itachi's thoughts widened to the point of pain.
He tried to reel it back, albeit unsuccessfully, and his eagerness threatened to explode.
"A-Aniki?" came the hesitant voice that broke through his musings.
"Hmm?"
"Can w-we do that again?"
Oh?
Sasuke was staring at his lap, leaving his timid words to hang in the air.
Itachi could take this in different directions. On the one hand, he could simply say yes and succumb to the kisses that made him feel. But on the other hand, he could demonstrate other kinds of kisses, namely ones that involved his Otouto's tight, little hole and Itachi's cock.
Whereas those two options were wonderful, something else popped up in his mind: the need to sever any future contact that his Otouto would bound to have with other parties. The mere thought was an erection killer.
"We can, Otouto," he answered calmly, leaning in to trail his lips along the column of the boy's neck. "But you have to promise me something first if you want to do that again."
"What is it?" Sasuke whispered, having the sense that if he spoke any louder he would spook Itachi. The man wanted to laugh at that. How fucking adorable.
"You have to promise me that, besides me, you will never kiss another person again."
How absolute were Itachi's words even to his own ears. They left no room for debate. He wanted to tie Sasuke down to him forever. The rapid growth of that monster in his chest was beyond his control. The shackles had broken, laying abandoned in the abyss, and the only thing that had held it in was Itachi's layer of skin.
He could only imagine how many more people would fall under the boy's spell if he allowed them a kiss like he allowed Itachi. And he despised the mere suggestion that his Otouto would touch another human being.
Promises were absolute to Itachi. Nothing infuriated and pushed him over the edge more than a broken promise. Promises were etched in stone, never to be altered or erased. They were permanent. For life.
Sasuke stared at Itachi as he spoke those words, eyebrows arched high in surprise, but he didn't open his mouth to question its application. This was the unfurling ace that Itachi held in Sasuke's presence: his trust.
And it was rightfully placed because Itachi would never harm his own Otouto, and he would never force him to do anything against his own free will.
He did not initiate the kiss then, and he was not forcing Sasuke to make a promise now. He allowed the boy to make his own decisions, and he never held any choices that Sasuke made against him.
"Never… again?"
Itachi could practically hear the boy's thoughts without him uttering them aloud. Sasuke must have been thinking what harm would there be to promise such a thing when other people grossed him out? How would making that promise change anything in his life when he couldn't even see himself touching, let alone kissing, another soul?
When he finally nodded his head in acquiescence, Itachi felt like he had been dosed with drugs because he had never felt so high.
Sasuke wanted to kiss him. Not only so, but Sasuke wanted to kiss him again so much that he'd promised to never do so with anyone else for as long as he lived.
"Say it, Otouto," Itachi prompted, placing a kiss on the boy's cheek.
Sasuke pouted. "I promise never to kiss anyone else."
As soon as those words reached his ears, he almost purred in pure, unfiltered delight. This time, it was Itachi who dove in for the kiss.