Part 14: The Man in the Picture

The worst part about Kyuubi staying over wasn't the invasion of their home, but the invasion of their personal space. Literally.

They had left him downstairs yesterday on the futon that Sasuke had laid out for him, but when Itachi awoke that morning, he got an eyeful of blond hair so physically close to him that his body jolted up on its own in retaliation.

A resounding thud and a yelp were the result as Itachi viciously kicked the invader out of Sasuke's and his bed. Some time during the night, the man had weaseled his way into their bed, effectively sandwiching his Otouto between their two adult, fully grown bodies.

Kyuubi was pressed against Sasuke's vulnerable body. In their bed. The whole night.

"You goddamn fucking lecher!" Itachi hissed, the volume of his voice loud enough to rattle the windows, and lunged off the bed in Kyuubi's direction.

What followed was an altercation that must have woken up his Otouto that Saturday morning.

"If I hadn't known you my whole life, I would have twisted a knife in your gut by now!" Itachi growled, fists bunched up in the blond's shirt.

"But it was so cold downstairs!" Kyuubi whined, rubbing the back of his head, which must have hit the floor when the man pounced on him. "I didn't know you were going to freak out that badly."

"What gives you the fucking right?!" Itachi could feel the anger flourishing all over his face and ears like a whistling tea kettle. His gritted teeth made the words flow out slower and more pronounced as he shook the other man's body.

"Ow! Ow! Stop it! I give! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay?!"

"You're sorry?" Itachi seethed. "For what? Violating my Otouto in his sleep? Overstepping boundaries as a guest in our home? Your thoughtless fucking words?"

"I didn't do anything!" the blond shrieked. "I only stole some body warmth! I was cuddling just as close to you as I was to chibi! No other intentions included. Scout's honor." He held three fingers up as an oath.

"FUCK YOU."

Itachi found his fist drawn back, the displeasure and fury rolling off his body in waves, before he felt himself being jerked back by insisting hands that were much smaller and smoother than his own.

"Aniki! Holy shit! What the hell is going on?!"

As soon as Itachi found himself dragged off, stumbling back on his feet as he was instantly tugged by his Otouto, Kyuubi jumped on his feet and bounded for the door. He looked sheepish, almost apologetic, but Itachi knew better.

"I'm sorry, Itachi! Don't hold it against me, okay?" he said. "Take our 15-year friendship into consideration."

"You should have thought of that before you decided to defile my Otouto!"

"He did what?" Sasuke asked incredulously, looking between the two as if he heard wrong.

Kyuubi gasped. "I did not! Oh my god, you possessive, brocon sonofa-" The blond looked between the brothers and sighed. "It's a misunderstanding," he finally said, directing the words at the younger Uchiha, who clearly he thought was the sane one.

That seemed to be the last straw for Itachi, who tried, once more, to lunge at the man. Unsuccessfully. He was still being held back by Sasuke. Had he wanted to shake his grasp, it would have been an easy feat, but he didn't dare harm his precious lover.

"Get. Out." Itachi delivered the words so calmly that a shiver befell Kyuubi. With an apologetic gaze in the boy's direction, for god knows what reason since Sasuke was left in the best hands, he waved and left, showering the brothers in silence.

Itachi was finally released when his Otouto heard the front door slam shut. He felt the boy edge back onto his knees on the bed and had to recollect his breath before he could turn around to face him.

A frown marred his precious Otouto's face. It disturbed Itachi greatly, and he reached out his fingers to smooth them across one of Sasuke's baby soft cheeks. The tension eased off of his shoulders slightly, enough for them to drop to their normal height.

His Otouto grasped onto fingers and pressed Itachi's entire palm against his cheek, solidifying his touch. Itachi's heart skipped a beat.

"Sorry I woke you, my love," he mumbled, guilty.

The corner of Sasuke's lips twitched.

"It's okay, Aniki. Want to tell me what happened?"

Instead of answering, Itachi's eyes darted all over Sasuke's body, looking for anything out of place. Anything different or strange. He didn't find any. The rest of the tension eased out of his body, but a growl escaped his lips.

"He was in our bed." The undisputed, underlying rage in his voice carried over to his constricted pupils, and he looked away to hide the ungodly sight.

Itachi felt his Otouto's eyes on him as if waiting for his attention to situate back on him, and he complied. Eventually.

"Was he now?" Sasuke replied, slight mirth in his gaze as he held onto Itachi's hand.

Noting the boy's response, Itachi nearly felt ridiculous. He opened his mouth, but was cut off by his Otouto.

"Hmm… So should I be jealous of another man snuggling up to my Aniki in bed late at night?"

Itachi's mouth fell open in surprise before he pressed his lips together in a thin line. "Fuck no. He's an eyesore."

Sasuke's bubbly laughter lit the room. "You're so silly, Aniki. Why are you jealous of him when he's an eyesore then?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed on his Otouto. He couldn't tell if the boy was trying to tease or console him. Probably both. With a huff, he found himself looking away again. This time, an indiscernible pout remained on his face.

"I don't like him touching you."

"So it's okay if other people touch me?"

Itachi made a face. "Sasuke," he nearly whined.

It was teasing. Forget the consoling. His Otouto was definitely teasing him.

Sasuke's laughter resonated again, this time louder and more hysterical. "Come here, Aniki," he finally said, tugging at Itachi's shirt. The boy pressed himself up on his knees and wrapped his arms around Itachi, hugging him tightly. "Am I crazy for tolerating this side of yours, I wonder?"

"Hmph."

"What?"

"You're being a dick, Otouto."

Sasuke snorted, pulling back to arm's length. "You were going to ruin a 15-year friendship over a shared bed, Aniki," he pointed out. "I don't think he had any bad intentions. You should let it go."

Itachi frowned. "If he does it again, I'm going to rip his balls off."

The boy did not dignify that with a response. Instead, he kissed his cheek and released him. "Are you going to the gym this morning?" he asked casually as he began to climb back under the covers.

"No. I want to stay with you."

Sasuke stifled a yawn and waved him off. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you get back," he mumbled, half-lidded eyes staring at Itachi. "Sleepy time, 'Achi."

God, how did he get so lucky?

The man leaned down and pressed a kiss to the boy's lips and smiled, whispering words of affection against the sleeping boy's mouth before he pulled back. "I'll be back in two hours, my love," he whispered.

Sasuke mumbled a response in his sleep.

H.J.

It wasn't long after Itachi left that music began to play in the bedroom. At first, Sasuke groaned and pulled the covers over his head, but as it continued to ring, he realized that it was actually his phone ringing.

He sat up, grumpiness written all over his face, before he realized it was a ringtone that he set to a specific someone. No wonder he didn't think it was his phone. It was not his usual ringtone.

With that realization, he snatched his phone off the nightstand and peered at the caller ID. Sure enough, a picture of a long-haired brunette with a smirk appeared on his phone. The picture was so large, it took up the entire screen.

Neji Hyuga, it read.

"You did not call me at 8AM on a Saturday," he groaned into the receiver when he picked up.

There was slight shuffling on the other end followed by a low, raspy sound akin to a chuckle. "Is this how you greet me after my short-term absence?"

"Ha. Ha," he muttered into the receiver while rubbing his eye. "Isn't it like 1AM in Konoha right now?"

"Yes… it should be."

Sasuke paused, eyes suddenly losing their sleep. "What do you mean, 'it should be'?" He had a bad feeling about this.

"You know how I flew to Germany for my cousin's wedding? Well, I decided to make an impromptu trip. Guess where?"

Uh oh.

Now, the boy was on full alert.

"Where are you right now?" he asked. "Frankfurt Airport? Munich?"

"You're so funny, cutie pie. I'm on a taxi headed your way. ETA ten minutes."

Shit.

Sasuke threw the covers off of his body, pressing the phone to his ear and shoulder as he began to undo his flannel and tug on an oversized sweatshirt and the first pair of black skinny jeans he could get his hands on.

"You know what? You know that cafe near my university that I always go to? Meet me there instead. I'll see you in twenty!"

Without waiting for a response, Sasuke ended the call and threw his phone on the bed. He pulled on his socks before he ran downstairs and rummaged through his backpack for his thick-framed glasses. Once he found those, he grabbed his keys, slid on his shoes, and locked the front door.

He noticed that his car was still in the parking spot, meaning Itachi had decided to jog to the gym that morning instead. That was better, he thought, as he started the ignition. It would take his Aniki a bit longer to return.

The last thing Sasuke wanted was for Itachi to spot Neji…. That was an absolute disaster waiting to happen. It was best for both parties to steer clear of one another, so the boy could not have the brunette showing up at his apartment.

Good lord. They had just dismissed one guest, and another one arrived. If it weren't for Itachi's recent touchiness, Sasuke wouldn't feel so on edge about Neji's sudden visit.

As he reversed in his spot, he felt guilty as if he was doing something wrong. He had just agreed to go out with Itachi, and things were good between them. However, he felt like he was betraying his Aniki by going to meet Neji without telling the man. He didn't want to stir up more negative energy when a previous landmine was already in place.

He hated the guilt. Loathed it. It made him nauseous. But some things were necessary.

The boy managed to arrive at the cafe in fifteen minutes, looking left and right for a long-haired brunette inside only to realize that he had forgotten his phone, hence losing his only way to contact the man. Granted, it didn't take more than a few seconds for him to be approached from behind and pulled into a backward hug.

"Sasuke! I can recognize you like a needle in a haystack."

Sasuke turned abruptly with a frown. Sure, he favored oversized pullovers and form-fitting jeans and he liked hiding behind his glasses in public so he wasn't disturbed by others, but the whole point was to be less recognizable, not more.

His brunette buddy was in a black t-shirt and white and turquoise windbreaker jacket. A black duffel bag hung from his shoulder, hitting mid-thigh. The man must have come straight from the airport, but, looking at his features, one could not tell because not a hair was out of place.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling the brunette to his usual table inside the cafe. They sat opposite to one another. "Did you not get my last text?"

"Text?"

That was a no.

"The reception in foreign countries isn't that great. It must not have been delivered. What's up?"

"My Aniki's in town," Sasuke replied, brows creased in concern.

Neji's eyebrows shot up momentarily in surprise before his good-natured mood dissolved. "Since when? I thought he didn't know where you transferred."

Sasuke huffed a laugh. "It's been almost a month," he began. "And, come on, he's a hacker. I knew sooner or later he was going to find me. I just didn't expect him to show up like he did."

"That makes two of us." Neji winked, receiving another huff of laughter from the boy. "Showing up unexpectedly, I mean. But really, it didn't seem like things ended on good terms when you left."

"Yeah…."

"After you left, I even heard he was reprimanded by the police a few times. Noise complaints, drunk and disorderly, destruction of property, even attempted battery and assault."

Sasuke winced. Yeah, they were definitely talking about the same person.

"We're working on that…."

"Does that mean you guys made up?"

See, the thing was Sasuke never told Neji about how deep the relationship between his Aniki and him ran. All the brunette knew was that they were extremely close and had a falling out, prompting the boy to move halfway across the world.

To top it off, Neji also did not know how deep Itachi's distaste toward him ran. Sasuke wasn't sure it was even a topic he should touch. The boy wasn't sure how to break it to Neji that his Aniki hated his guts.

"You look on edge, Sasuke. Everything okay?" Neji reached across the table to set his hand on top of Sasuke's, his frown marring his flawless face.

The morning sun's rays hit the window pane at an angle that spread a warm glow. Outside the large pane with the words Jo's Cafe painted in a white, cursive font, cars drove down the main street, the number of pedestrians began to multiply as the minutes ticked by, and life seemed to be moving at a normal pace.

Yet, Sasuke felt high-strung. Anxious. Unpleasant.

He retracted his hand and let it fall to his lap, and it was then the waitress came by to take their order. "Black coffee and a short stack for me," Neji ordered. "Want anything, Sasuke?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, stomach churning with nausea. "No, I'm good. Thanks."

When the waitress left, the boy finally swallowed the lump in his throat. "So… here's the thing…. My Aniki tends to be very overprotective of me and suspicious of other people, and, well, he's not very fond of people he doesn't know well."

Neji arched his brow and eyed him funny. "You mean he's a dick to your friends."

"Something like that."

It's actually much worse, his brain chimes in.

"So you're worried he'll see you with me and flip his lid," the man concluded.

Praise Jesus. Neji was too intuitive for his own good.

He wasn't sure what kind of face he was making, but, when a look of understanding befell the brunette's face, Sasuke exhaled loudly.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"No, no," Neji responded, both palms up. "I was the one who intruded without contacting you first. Maybe if I met him, he would warm up to me?"

Fat chance.

Sasuke gave a sarcastic laugh. The only way Itachi would accept his friend was if he was in a body bag.

"That bad, huh? Well, I know you're well off and you're getting a good education, but it seems like, even then, your brother isn't letting go, huh? He seems like a worry wart. If you've got those things down and he's still worried like crazy, maybe you could show him that you've got someone beside you who you could rely on. Maybe that'd ease his nerves."

Or make him go ballistic.

If Sasuke's intuition was correct, his Aniki didn't want anyone beside him except himself.

Speaking of, the boy hadn't realized how much time had passed since he left his apartment, but when he thought to check the time, he realized he'd forgotten his phone.

His eyes went wide and his breathing turned shallow.

What time was it?

He looked left and right, searching for a flock of any kind in the little cafe, finally spitting one above the cash register by the kitchen entrance.

10:37AM.

Sasuke forgot to breathe.

Oh shit. Oh no. No. Nonononono.

He abruptly stood, palms slamming against the table in his haste, and began scooting out of the booth. Sasuke bumped into Neji's duffel on his way past the brunette, who, by default, grew alarmed as a result of his odd behavior and followed after him.

H.J.

When Itachi came home, the parking spot in front of their townhouse was empty. He freaked out, nearly tearing the front door down in his haste to confirm what he already knew was true.

Inside, he screamed for his Otouto, searching the bedroom first before turning the place upside down for the boy.

Where would he go? To school? No, it was the weekend. No way he'd go to campus, especially if his backpack was still in the living room. To the gym? Fuck, that was even more unlikely. A walk? No, that didn't require his car. Coffee? Groceries? The fucking beach? Where?

His search turned up empty except for his Otouto's cell phone, which lay innocently on his bed. Their bed.

No phone. That meant no calls. No GPS. No location. Nothing.

"FUCK!" Itachi screamed, kicking the leg of the couch.

He picked up the phone and thumbed through it, accessing recent texts, and, when that turned up nothing, he moved to the recent call list… and froze.

A little circular icon next to the caller ID, no matter how small, showed in great detail the image of a man with long, brown hair and milky, white eyes. His pulse disappeared for a flat three seconds before it returned with a vengeance.

Engraved into his memory like an insect that burrowed into his flesh, that face brought forth a boiling hatred so violent it had nowhere to disperse but out. Itachi's blood pressure shot through the roof and his blood ran cold simultaneously as if malfunctioning.

Itachi would never forget that face.

He would sooner dump acid on his face than forget that face.

As if that wasn't enough to confirm the dread in the pit of his stomach, the name displayed next to the little circle was more than enough.

Neji Hyuga.

The two words haunted him like a recurring nightmare. A nightmare wrapped inside of a nightmare. A nightmare wrapped inside of a nightmare, then doused in gasoline and lit on fire.

Before Itachi realized what he had done, a resounding crack echoed through the bedroom, the result of Sasuke's phone being hurled across the room, shattering its glass screen.

His Otouto would never need to use that phone again, so it didn't matter.

"FUCK!" He screamed, hand skimming through his hair.

Itachi didn't know how he went about finding his Otouto. All he could do was search hysterically around areas they frequented together: the store, bakery, library, the park a few blocks down the street, even the goddamn university.

Just when he was about to have a public meltdown, a head of raven hair two blocks away from the university caught his eye. There were two figures standing in front of a cafe, a cafe that Itachi was quite familiar with, because he had found his Otouto once with a piece of trash flirting inside.

It wasn't difficult to spot a figure with hair as black as ink and pale skin because, ironically, Itachi had been sleeping with men who matched that description for years. So it wasn't abnormal for him to spot someone like that from so far away.

This time, however, the male whose raven hair caught Itachi's attention from a distance was accompanied by someone with long hair. It was hard to discern their faces because the long haired person's back was facing him, and his large form was blocking the shorter male's face.

But Itachi recognized that style of clothing peeking out: baggy on top and tight below. He also recognized the unruly spikes that stuck out in every direction.

For the love of no-shame, the long-haired male tugged the ravenette to him, wrapping him in a tight hug right in front of the cafe. It looked like the shorter one was struggling slightly, but the other one didn't let go.

Something ugly and nasty formed in the pit of his belly, his instincts flaring up madly, and Itachi began running across the street, paying no heed to the horns honking at him and cars swerving around him.

As he got closer, he made out phrases like "Calm down" and "Breathe", but he was beyond processing because, as soon as he set foot on the other side of the sidewalk, he knew that that raven-haired boy was his beloved Otouto, and the horseshit that was stuck to him like glue was Neji Hyuga.

Calm down. Calm down. Calmcalmcalm. CALM. His brain chanted at him. No matter how soothing the word denoted, it was screaming at him hysterically in his mind as if urging him to listen. His breathing came out harsher as he got closer.

But his heart begged to differ. Kill him. Tear him to fucking pieces.

His heart triumphed.

Naturally.

"Fucking bastard!" It flew out of his mouth before he even knew what he was saying, as if his body was used to throwing out profanity. "Get the hell away from him!"

Upon hearing the commotion, people inside the restaurant and on the street turned their heads, but didn't see anything out of the norm. Itachi, in his blind fury, had dragged the brunette off of Sasuke and into the alleyway next to the cafe, slamming his body harshly against the brick, grimy wall.

Itachi could not remember the last time he glared at someone so intensely that a headache manifested.

A mixture of surprise and anger blossomed on the brunette's face. "What the fuck is your problem?" Neji grounded out, shoving at Itachi's shoulders.

The man did not budge, his feet rooted deep into the ground.

"You," Itachi hissed, slamming Neji against the wall once more. "You are the problem. What were you doing to my Otouto?"

Recognition sparked in Neji's eyes. As if adding more pieces to the puzzle, Sasuke shrieked from behind the both of them.

"What the- Aniki! Holy shit! STOP!"

Itachi's eyes darted over his shoulder, words simultaneously flowing from his lips. "What were you doing out with this piece of shit?" he demanded. "You said you would be-"

Whatever Itachi was going to say was siphoned off like a voice cutting off from a phone without battery. He hadn't focused too much on the details of Sasuke's face when he approached, so he had not noticed, but, from up close, Itachi instantly zeroed in on the darkened lips that his Otouto supported.

But that wasn't right.

Because Sasuke never got like that unless it was after Itachi had kissed him silly. And, earlier, the brunette had his Otouto pressed so close to his body….

Whatever anger he previously felt was nothing compared to the absolute rage that racked his body. A tempest exploded in his chest, short-circuiting his brain, and Itachi found his fist digging into Neji's cheek… and then, there was blood. A lot of it.

Murmurs echoed somewhere in the near distance and Itachi's body felt heavier than usual, but his fists kept going, smashing and smashing, and the more blood there was, the more enraged he felt because it was a poor substitute for what that man had done to his baby.

His eyes glazed over to the brink of an outer body experience as if he was gazing in on himself doing something completely out of the norm yet he refused to control it.

"You piece of shit!" he snarled, absolutely livid.

Eventually, Itachi realized that the weight on his body was actually Sasuke's arms tugging at him, his cries echoing throughout the alley and drawing the attention of pedestrians, as he attempted to pull the berserk man off of the brunette, who began throwing his own punches.

It took four bystanders, all of which were large men, to pull an aggressive Itachi off of the brunette, and it took another two to hold Neji back from lunging in retaliation.

When it ended, Itachi's knuckles were battered, and no one dared look him directly in the eye. Murderous intent oozed from him like smoke during a fire, his glare focused solely on the brunette.

In the midst of it all, he couldn't help but think that, had he not just returned from the gym, he would have been in his regular day-to-day clothing, and, instead of sneakers, he would have been wearing his ankle high combat boots. If he did, he would have had access to and might just have pulled out his boot knife.

He didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.