Part 7
Itachi was equivalent to an alpha male. Wolves were the beasts of the woods, and he was the human version of a predator on the streets. In short, he was as masculine as they came and he resided at the top of the food chain.
He had an intimidating figure: large, tall, and muscular. For reference, he was six-foot-three and one-hundred-and-ninety-five pounds of hard muscle, while Sasuke possessed a lithe and toned body, could not have weighed more than one-hundred-and-fifty pounds, and stood approximately six inches shorter than him, leaving him staring at Itachi's shoulder when they stood in front of one another.
Often, if not always, his features remained nonchalant, virtually impenetrable to taunts and threats. After all, those were easily taken care of with a gun or a knife or even the pen that sat innocently at his desk. However, Sasuke didn't have the same approach as Itachi. To go as far as not even pulling out a knife in his possession when he was faced with adversity spoke volumes to how nonconfrontational and merciful his personality was.
Itachi's eyes were a smoldering onyx, cold and unfeeling, zeroing on others like a bolt of thunder unlike Sasuke's, which were twinkling, caring, and like round gems you would find deep in a secluded cave. In contrast, Itachi's were callous and Sasuke's were compassionate.
They were as different as night and day. Physically and mentally.
When it came to Sasuke, Itachi was often frustrated, frazzled, and caught in a loop of surprise. The complete opposite of his usual demeanor.
Frustrated because the boy was like a restless bunny, who hobbled around like he was an athlete when he was severely injured. He refused to listen to Itachi like a child who refused to follow directions. Itachi hated to admit that he didn't know what to do with the boy when he refused to listen. He had no strategies to convince the boy to listen, and due to the fact that he had never had an issue in his life with that particular scenario, he was left stumped. It wasn't as if he could force Sasuke to listen to him. Just acknowledging that statement made Itachi scowl. What was the boy doing to him?
Nervousness was wiped from Sasuke's daily interactions with the man once Itachi grew more and more demanding of things regarding his physical state, which was the opposite of what the boy should have felt. He should have felt compelled to listen, but instead Itachi would get reports of his various activities in the complex. This was to a degree that Itachi had to pause his work and take matters into his own hands.
There was a saying in Mandarin that spoke to him in this scenario, something he heard in passing at a meeting with the Triad a year ago. The statement was "Wǒ ná nǐ méizhé" (我拿你没辙), and it translated into "I don't know what to do with you."
Itachi also became frazzled in Sasuke's presence, an emotion he spent days identifying because it was so uncommon. Unfounded. It involved worrying, fatigue of the mind and body, because he was, as the common folks say, strung up. The worrying led to being anxious, which further contributed to his daily irritation.
This was tied to his frustration. The boy was as stubborn as they came. It almost appeared as though he listened to everyone except Itachi. Sasori instructed him to walk often? Sasuke did so. Neji and Naruto called him for lunch? He stopped roaming and sat down at the dining table. But Itachi? When Itachi told him to stop walking so often that his stitches would not tear, the boy simply dismissed him with a huff of laughter or an eye roll or a comment about his habits of worrying.
Since sleep was an essential aspect to recovering, Itachi would remind the boy to sleep early, but he would return to the bedroom after midnight, and Sasuke would still be awake watching a movie or a show or reading a book from Itachi's shelf. As always, he would remove whatever it was that occupied the boy's attention, physically guide the boy onto his back, and pull the covers over him, ignoring the pout that was directed toward him. He would then occupy the chaise lounge, which he moved next to the boy's bed, so he could act as a barrier between the entrance and where the boy slumbered.
At one point, Sasuke inquired why he did such a thing when he was sure he had a million bedrooms in the place to which Itachi ignored completely, not dignifying the curious question with an answer. The boy went on to talk to Itachi in the dark about how it must have been uncomfortable sleeping there and how he felt bad about occupying his bed. When Sasuke was sure he had stated his last bit, Sasuke would continue about his day, lodging at least one complaint about Itachi. Itachi had a fleeting thought about how this must have been what it felt like to have a sleepover, and that it wasn't so bad.
Finally, he was constantly caught in a loop of surprise with the boy. Judging by the boy's nature, it was always unintentional that the things he said made Itachi pause to process them. He was often astonished by Sasuke's nonjudgemental and considerate nature. His ability to utter statements that Itachi had never heard before was unparalleled. He eventually realized that Sasuke's utterances were normal to the boy, an integral part of his daily life. This served as a reminder that they were different in many aspects.
To balance out the myriad of new emotions though, he wanted to acknowledge that he experienced feelings of calm and curiosity when it came to the boy. The more Sasuke's presence grew, the more Itachi became compelled to dig into the peculiar nature of this. Not to mention he left out the concerned part for the boy's well-being in his musings because that was too evident to even require acknowledgement.
A knock on his door brought his attention away from the images on his desk. "Enter," he said.
Naruto came in, cheeks slightly flushed as if he'd been running across the compound, and bowed. "Just a heads up, Itachi-sama. Sasuke-sama is headed this way."
Itachi palm came forward to flick the open manila folder closed on his desk, concealing its contents. It reflected some items of interest that he would rather the boy not see. He was too pure to consider what the underground arena was like, and Itachi was not interested in discovering the look on Sasuke's face if he caught a glimpse of it.
"Why?" he asked, gaze flickering over to the blonde.
"He insisted, and your orders were to give him whatever he wanted within reason, Boss. Neji is walking him over. I figured you'd want to know before he came."
Itachi mulled over the explanation and chose to dismiss it. He was going to check up on the boy soon anyway, so this saved him a trip. The blonde perked up and Itachi was well-aware of the approaching footsteps outside his office.
"Allow him to enter. You and Neji can return to your normal duties."
"Yes, Boss." Naruto stepped out and was immediately replaced with Sasuke, who was ushered in before the door shut behind him.
When the boy stepped in, Itachi noticed that he turned a curious gaze around his office. It was quite large that the distance between the door and his desk measured approximately 150 feet.
"Hi, 'Tachi," the boy chirped, gaze yet to settle on him. "I haven't seen you all day."
Itachi's lips twitched at the nickname, and he chose not to comment, unsure about whether Sasuke knew he had shortened his name. The boy had gone from refusing to even utter his name to subconsciously providing him with a nickname. He pushed his leather office chair back and skirted around his desk to lean against the wide edge, observing the boy quietly.
Sasuke seemed to be in a good mood these days. He must have gotten used to being in a manor with so many intimidating men in suits that he didn't even blink anymore, roaming freely without worries. Judging by the large glass vase in his hands, he must have had an enjoyable morning. He caught a glimpse of narcissus flowers, gerbera daisies, peonies, and carnations.
Itachi remained patient as he allowed the boy to dawdle around his office, watching as various expressions danced on his face when he encountered different objects along his shelves. He hid the amusement that brimmed in his eyes when the boy's face scrunched up when he stopped by a small coffee table in the middle of the room, which sported a few cans of coconut water.
"I'm allergic to coconut," Sasuke commented out of the blue.
Itachi blinked, the mirth immediately fading in favor of a frown. This was news to him. It wasn't stated in any of his medical files.
And then, the boy did something that Itachi couldn't help, but huff a silent laugh about. While balancing the vase of fresh-cut flowers in one hand, he bent down and, one at a time, removed the unopened cans as if they were pairs of stinky socks, placing them underneath the coffee table as if hiding them from existence. Then, gingerly, he set the vase at the center of the table and rearranged the flowers briefly before he straightened and grinned cheekily in Itachi's direction, bestowing his first glance on the man.
"I brought you flowers," he said, smile never fading.
"You brought me flowers?" Itachi repeated slowly with a single brow arched. His expression and tone must have encouraged some amusement, because the boy huffed a bout of laughter.
"Yeah," he replied. "I spent all morning gathering them. Aren't they pretty?"
Sasuke was a breath of fresh air to Itachi, so different and vibrant in a bunch of ways, including his choice of words, hobbies, and actions. He liked that about the boy. It fascinated him.
He nodded wordlessly.
The boy now stood before him, staring at him as if he was thinking of how to word what he wanted to say next. Itachi spared him the misery. "Is that all?" he said, watching closely for flickers of other emotions. He identified determination along with a hint of stubbornness.
"Can I… May I go home now?" the boy asked.
Itachi's reply was immediate. "Did you come here to give me flowers or convince me to return home?" he asked, more coldly than he intended, but the boy didn't back down. Despite the topic of conversation and his tone, Itachi inwardly was proud of the boy. Sasuke was definitely not afraid of him. Even his presence did not make him nervous as it once did, such as when he was first invited into his home over ten days ago.
"Both," Sasuke stated firmly.
"Are you completely healed?" Itachi asked even though he knew the answer.
"Yes."
That was a lie. But not one that grated on Itachi's nerves. He hated lies, attributing them to personalities of people who were lower than scum, but not Sasuke. He didn't utter a lie with the intent to harm or manipulate. It was just something he said so he could return home. Once again, Itachi experienced an oddly unsettling feeling that spread across his chest.
The boy knew that was Itachi's original stipulation to leave the compound, but there was absolutely no way a through-and-through gunshot wound through his abdomen would heal in under two weeks.
"No."
Sasuke's lower lip jutted out, reminding Itachi of a small child. He didn't argue because he knew that Itachi knew he wasn't completely healed. That point was evident.
"What requires your attention so urgently that it requires your leave?" Itachi inquired, staring through his long eyelashes at the boy.
"Weeell," Sasuke began, biting his lower lip as if contemplating if he should say. The uncertainty left his eyes and Itachi knew he would say it. "There's this spring festival in town," he began. "I've been waiting a month to go to it, and today is the only day it's here."
"What is so alluring about a festival?"
The boy crossed his arms and damn well pouted in front of Sasuke. "What isn't alluring about a festival?" he countered. "The pretty lights. The food. The sweets." He paused to look at Itachi as if uttering that final word would change his mind. Itachi would not deny that a spark of interest was there, but not enough to change his mind. "The booth games. The cool prizes. The music."
Food? Games? Prizes? Was that all it took to put that look of excitement and wonder on the boy's face? Well, sweets were understandable, but not the rest of it. After receiving complaint after complaint from Sasuke about dying of boredom in the estate, despite the acres of land he could explore, this was what it took to satiate him?
The ordinality of it was baffling.
"I know it's futile to ask you to let me leave," Sasuke stated, before he tacked on in a mutter, "not for my lack of trying."
Itachi might as well have snorted. Never has anyone spoken to him so casually before, unafraid of the repercussions of their tone and choice of words.
"You're busy, so I won't ask you to go and I know you're going to have someone follow me around anyway, because you have nothing better to worry about, so if I may request Naruto or Neji to accompany me so I can go, that'd be good enough for me."
He wanted to go so badly that he would take either of those goofballs?
"I promise I will return after," Sasuke said, holding up three fingers. "Scout's honor."
The boy was never a boy scout, Itachi told himself with a sigh, but he mulled over this for a moment. The festival was held in his territory annually, and it came to fruition because of the group's donations. It wasn't unfounded to experience it at least once. "We shall go."
"Really? Yes! You are nice after all!" Before he realized it, Sasuke's body had collided with his, and Itachi had arms around his waist, which coiled along his back in a tight hug. He was stunned by the outward display of emotion, but not upset nor uncomfortable.
When the boy realized what he had done, his arms dropped to his side and he cleared his throat, backing a way with a slight tinge of color on his normally smooth, pale cheeks. He mumbled an apology, which Itachi found amusing.
"Nice after all?" he repeated once Sasuke backed away a few feet. "Was there something regarding my hospitality that made you consider otherwise?"
The boy looked up from his feet at him after a moment. The embarrassment was gone from his face, which Itachi thought was a pity. "Uh, well, the selective mute thing," Sasuke pointed out. "Most of what you said is a demand. Oh, and… the staring." The last thing was spoken in a bare whisper as if he was compelled to say it, but didn't want the man to hear it. Tough luck.
Wow, he certainly had a list of complaints against Itachi, the man mused.
"I can accommodate anything you'd like as long as you make the request, Sasuke," Itachi said, leaning slightly forward to eye level. However, I will not accommodate anything that I consider would put you in harm's way. Nor will I withdraw my staring," he said, gaze rooted on the boy as if proving his point.
Perhaps, it was his interest to see the pink tinge on Sasuke's cheeks again that caused Itachi to be at such close proximity to the boy, but he was also one to not hide his actions, especially actions that he could not control. Itachi had tried to divert his gaze from the boy, but he could not accomplish it no matter how often and hard he tried. When he did succeed, his eyes would simply trail back to the boy and remain there longer as if making up for lost time.
He noticed the subtle bobbing of the boy's adam's apple before Sasuke took a small step back and his flabbergasted state ebbed away. "Two out of three isn't bad," he finally muttered.
God, could this boy be any more amusing?
As promised, when dusk set, Itachi found him on the streets with Sasuke at his side and Neji and Naruto close behind. The man had given Sasuke strict instructions for the outing, which included: 1) never leaving his side, 2) never leaving his sight, and 3) any monetary events were to be fulfilled by Itachi.
If the boy was in violation of any of these, they were to abandon the festival and immediately return to the manor. When he stated these, Sasuke agreed easily, calling Itachi, once again, bossy and a worry wart.
"You two may roam, but remain within forty feet," Itachi said, directing it at the two behind them.
Naruto whooped with a fist in the air and Neji grinned and immediately hit a takoyaki booth to his left.
The man noticed that, no matter which direction Sasuke looked, his eyes lit with excitement and a smile lingered on his face.
"Let's go get some dango, 'Tachi!" he exclaimed, a hand clasped around the man's wrist.
Itachi regarded the touch bemusedly, unaccustomed to human contact that didn't aggravate him. "You haven't had dinner," he stated.
Sasuke shot a smile over his shoulder at him. "It's okay once in a while," he insisted. "And look! They have triple flavored skewers. Vanilla, strawberry, and green tea."
Itachi nearly smiled. His excitement was contagious, and the words that he uttered were so full of child-like wonderment that they were hard to refute. Plus, dango was exactly up Itachi's alley.
"Itachi-sama," a man exclaimed gleefully from behind the booth when they approached, bowing deeply. He regarded the greeting with a small nod and allowed the boy to pick out the skewers. Despite the vendor's insistence that they were free of charge, Itachi ended up paying for four of them.
The boy easily tore into one of them, the entire round piece stuffed on one side of his mouth like a chipmunk on a binge. As they ate, he found himself dragged to another booth, where an old lady manned a pool of goldfish. By then, Sasuke had finished his first skewer and was receiving the net from the lady.
"Ohayo, Itachi-sama," the old grandma uttered with a small bow. "Is this your friend?" she asked kindly, the corner of his eyelids crinkling.
"Yup!" Sasuke piped up before Itachi could get a word in. He plopped down on the small stool and went about attempting to catch a goldfish with the thin net.
After a few minutes of failing to catch a goldfish, the boy turned to Itachi with a pout. "Help, please?" he pleaded, thrusting the hand-held net at the man.
Itachi found himself thinking fondly of the gesture. He accepted it wordlessly and took a seat next to the boy, gaze trailing after the most vibrant goldfish. With a flick of his wrist, he dipped it into the water and reemerged with a flopping fish on his first try. He transferred it over to a small plastic container in the old lady's hands, which was filled three-fourths of the way with water, before it was sealed with a lid that had tiny holes in it.
"No way!" Sasuke huffed. "How did you do that in one try?"
He brooded for the barest of seconds before Itachi handed the container over to him, noting the perk in the boy's features when he gingerly accepted. "Thank you," he chimed, happiness plastered all over his face.
Once again, Itachi was struck with the oddity of how something so cheap and ordinary contributed to such great satisfaction and elation in the boy.
From there, the things in their hands only grew in quantity.
The boy must have noticed that, at every booth they approached, he was repeatedly greeted and offered a variety of additional free gifts, which he allowed Sasuke to decide whether to accept. He must have also realized that Itachi paid for every booth they stopped at despite the constant utterances that the food, games, and activities were free of charge.
The only thing Sasuke must not have realized was that he was dragging the man around by his hand and only released him when they were standing side-by-side at the next vendor. Itachi eventually understood that, to Sasuke, his first two stipulations meant that he had permission to drag him in any direction he wished to go. He shook his head at how his words were interpreted.
They found themselves walking toward the end of the strip of land that carried the bright lights and booths, having gone through almost all of them. Itachi had a large cloth bag in his hand, which was offered to him by one of the vendors, and that was where he kept all the items that they had won. The only exception was the goldfish, which Sasuke seemed to guard with his life in his hands.
The boy was still glancing around as they strolled along, unaware of his surroundings, but just when he was about to be tugged to the last booth at the end of the lineup, Itachi spotted a blonde running in their direction. This blonde was definitely not Naruto.
"Sasuke!" the new blond shrieked, a look of panic and worry plastered evidently on his face.
With a start, Sasuke swerved around, glimmering happiness drained from his face when he set sights on this new person. Before he could even utter a word, Itachi found himself standing in front of Sasuke, his massive body blocking him from view. Naruto and Neji must have noticed the commotion, too, darting toward them instantly to stand behind Sasuke, tucking the boy between the three of their figures.
"Who are you?" Itachi demanded with narrowed eyes, his voice as cold as nitrogen. The hard metal inside his coat pressed against his ribs, evidence that it was available to his every whim whenever he needed it.
The newcomer regarded him with a mixture of confusion and fear. His lips pressed in a thin line as his gaze attempted to dart behind him to catch a glimpse of Sasuke. Itachi refused such an outlandish request, stepping forward with the threat of bodily harm.
He only paused when he found fingers clutching around the hem of his coat from behind. The man looked down and over his shoulder and he was gifted with a small smile. "It's okay," the boy uttered to him. "He's my friend."
That's all he said before he sidestepped him, and Itachi found their positions reversed with the boy standing in front of him.
H.J.
Sasuke was fixed with a look so utterly filled with concern that it made him feel guilty.
"Where have you been?" Kyuubi yelled, exasperation filling his voice.
"Watch your tone," Itachi commanded from behind Sasuke, and, sure enough, Sasuke confirmed the scowl on the man's face with a flicker of his gaze.
Sasuke stared at the blond, unsure of how to explain the situation. How was he supposed to tell his friend that the reason he could not receive calls or contact him was because his phone had been subjected to a bullet and that he could not remember the man's number?
"I… Sorry," he said, unsure of what else to say.
Kyuubi shot him an incredulous look. "Do you know how long I've been searching for you? I thought you were kidnapped or died or something!"
Sasuke mulled over his words. He wasn't that far off.
"Do you know how worried I've been?" Kyuubi looked behind Sasuke, at Itachi no doubt, and his eyes narrowed. "Who is that?"
Sasuke frowned, feeling conflict brewing. It didn't help that Itachi was still incredibly tense behind him as if he expected Kyuubi to pull out a knife and slash him to pieces. "He's a friend. I've been sick so I've been staying with him for the last couple of days."
"If that was the case, why didn't you contact me to let me know?" Kyuubi demanded, his disapproval growing deeper.
"My phone broke, and I wasn't in a state to do so. I'm sorry."
"You… You're not being forced into anything, are you?" Kyuubi asked, lowering his voice, as he eyed Itachi with suspicion and skepticism.
Sasuke felt movement behind him, and he reached behind him to grab a hold of Itachi's dominant hand, which had begun to reach toward the lining of his coat. He grasped and tugged on the man's fingers. "'Tachi, stop," he whispered softly, looking into the man's defiant eyes. "I'm okay."
He felt the man still and, a few seconds later and much to Sasuke's relief, he dropped his hand.
The boy turned back to wave off the blond's concerns casually as if they were unfounded. "Not at all." Sure, Itachi was bossy sometimes, but within reason. He also took it upon himself to protect Sasuke, which the boy found annoying at times but appreciated, but he never felt threatened by his existence. "Thank you for worrying about me and looking for me," he said with a small smile. "I'm sorry again for making you worry, Kyuubi."
"It's nothing bad, is it? Your illness?"
"No. Recovery is just taking a while is all," he said with another reassuring smile. "I'll be back soon, so in the meantime take care of my place for me, will you? You still have my spare key, right?"
Kyuubi nodded begrudgingly.
"Thank you," Sasuke said as he began to turn in the direction he came. "Don't worry about me. I'm probably in the safest place known to man," he stated, sending Itachi, who had mirrored his movements, a cheeky smile. "Right, 'Tachi?"
Itachi grunted, which Sasuke took as his verbal answer, and waved goodbye at his friend. "It was good to see you, Kyuubi!"
After that, they began to make their way back to the manor. Sasuke hummed quietly to himself and admired his pet goldfish in his hands. Itachi had bought him so many items and won so many prizes that it was hard to recall what they had in their large bag, which was transferred over to Naruto to heave around.
After stepping over a large stone along a decorative path, Sasuke's humming was brought to an end when a sharp pain dug into his side. His steps faltered and he doubled over with a breathy pant. The container housing his fish plopped on the ground, but remained upright. Thank goodness.
He found himself immediately picked up off of his feet. Itachi's arms weaved underneath his arms and behind his knees, gracefully carrying him like a princess out of a fairytale.
"My goldfish," he mumbled, the side of his face pressed against the man's chest.
"Is that what is important to you right now?" Itachi's growl cut through the quiet night. "I told you not to overexert yourself."
"But you won it for me," he grumbled, the pain dissipating into a small, dull ache.
He heard Itachi sigh in irritation as he directed Neji to pick it up, and he would have loved to see what that looked like on the man's face, but his eyes were closed to soothe himself.
By the time they arrived home, the pain was gone and Sasuke was back to his normal self, even demanding Itachi to put him back down on his own two feet. But the man refused to listen and treated Sasuke as if he was crippled. So instead, he chattered on.
"The vendors seemed to really like you and respect you," he commented. "They were so nice."
Itachi grunted. Seemingly, that was his answer these days.
Vaguely, Sasuke wondered if the saying about yakuza taking care of their community was true. A few people at the booths regarded Itachi with nervous glances, but the majority bowed respectfully and showed him the utmost hospitality, as if glad he had stopped by.
Soon enough, Sasuke found himself being lowered in bed and he stretched out in it like a cat.
"Get some rest," Itachi demanded, staring down at him with a chastising gaze.
Sasuke almost rolled his eyes. "You say that, and then you go about sleeping on a hard, lumpy lounge chair," he said, staring scathingly at said furniture behind the man.
Itachi looked at him. Wordless. Shocker.
"Do you want to just sleep in this bed?" he asked, watching as the nonchalance on the man's face morphed into something more interesting. In fact, Itachi was looking at him in an extremely funny manner as if he'd grown another head. "I feel bad about taking your bed and you refuse to use another one of your rooms even if they're right down the hall, so I'm not sure what to do. It doesn't seem like I'm leaving anytime soon either, and I'm sure you're stubborn enough to continue to sleep there forever." His last few words sounded like a cross between a mutter and a whine.
The man didn't look as though he hated the idea. In fact, it almost appeared as if it was simply a foreign concept to him.
"You're very chatty, Sasuke."
Sasuke shot an exasperated look at Itachi for those words. "Well, at least one of us has to talk," he said with definite frustration in his voice no matter how normal the pitch was.
Itachi seemed so amused by that that he didn't dignify that with an answer, as if proving his point. Sasuke noticed this and released another irritated sigh. "I can see how childish you are," he stated, pointing an accusatory finger, while his face twisted to showcase his emotions.
The man shrugged in response. Shrugged.
Sasuke huffed.
"I'll sleep in the bed if you allow me to take the side you normally sleep on."
Sasuke snorted. So predictable. "You're so consistent with your ways. Do you always think someone is going to barge in guns blazing in the middle of the night?"
Itachi looked at him, seemingly surprised that he was aware of the reason he made such a request. Either way, he wasn't backing down from his condition.
"Fine," the boy muttered.
Another few minutes later, Sasuke noticed, for the first time, that the man had stripped down to normal clothing. He had pulled on a stretchy sleeveless top and was wearing a pair of gray sweats when he exited the adjoined bathroom.
Sasuke was suddenly privy to an expanse of skin he'd never seen before since the man was always in a suit that covered him from neck to toe. This expanse of skin, which he initially assumed to be just a slight shade darker than his pale skin, was actually riveting to look at.
The reason why: it was filled with so much ink that he couldn't discern any image from the intricate twisted lines, which danced along Itachi's arms and biceps only to go into hiding underneath his shirt. From his distance, he noted that most, if not all of his skin, was tattooed. Sasuke didn't even get a chance to look at them, too stunned into silence by the discovery, before Itachi turned off the lights, climbed into bed, and laid down next to him.
In the midst of the dark and silence, the boy noticed that Itachi's breathing was leveled. The other thing was that, even though he was laying a few feet away from him, he was the human version of a heater, radiating waves of heat. Sasuke found himself lulled into a drowsy state from the warmth.
Sasuke felt a hand by his side and the tell tale sign of a blanket being dragged over his chest before all movement ceased. The oddity of another being in bed with him was less nerve-wracking than he anticipated and actually felt rather comforting.
This was what warmth feels like, he thought as he allowed his eyes to fully close. He would ask the man about his tattoos later, he reminded himself.
"Night, 'Tachi," he mumbled.
Somewhere, in the moment just seconds before he fell asleep, he heard a mutter back and smiled.