Chapter Four

Sasuke shrugged off his uniform jacket the second he left class, stuffing it in his backpack.

"You passed, why do you look so pissed off?" Naruto glanced over at him as they walked toward the parking lot.

Sasuke had taken to picking Naruto up because biking to school was making the idiot late. It had nothing to do with rapidly dropping temperatures.

"Pass-Fail grades are ridiculous. How am I supposed to know exactly how good it was?"

"Dude, your pasta was like the most consistent in the class. It was fine." Naruto's own pasta had been okay, but he'd added a little too much flour. Nothing to completely ruin it, but it could have been better.

"I don't want it to be fine. I want it to be perfect."

"Nerd," Naruto snorted, bumping a shoulder into Sasuke.

Sasuke opened the trunk as he got to the car, dumping his bag in it. Naruto made himself at home in the front seat, already fiddling with the radio. Sasuke slid into the front seat turning it down.

"Driver picks the music."

Naruto waved him off, putting on his seat belt.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Naruto was strangely quiet as they drove, scrolling through stuff on his phone. Sasuke was left with his thoughts as he headed to Naruto's apartment. He wasn't sure what to expect out of it. Sure, Itachi moved from their parents', but Itachi was nothing like Naruto and god knew their apartments wouldn't be the same. None of his other friends had apartments, either.

Naruto's apartment was…well, it lived up to Sasuke's expectations.

It was decorated like a bad gift shop. Knick knacks everywhere, blankets of sports teams and random logos on the couch, tapestries on every bare wall…Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto had ever heard the phrase 'less is more', but he certainly didn't believe it it.

They ended up in Naruto's room—where the decor didn't differ much from the rest of the house. Posters were plastered all over the walls. Sasuke could swear the walls were yellow underneath but it was a guess at this point, honestly.

"Sorry, it's a bit of a mess—" Naruto gathered a pile of shirts from the bed, tossing them into the empty hamper.

Sasuke shrugged, sitting on the bed. Naruto threw his bag to the floor and sat right next to him. Sasuke stared at the fact his knee was touching Naruto's knee and it absolutely felt like his entire body was suddenly on fire and Naruto was reading for fucks sake and didn't seem to notice they were on a bed together touching, and—

He pursed his lips, practically diving into bag to find some notes to read over. This was fine. He Just needed some notes. If he just focused on his notes, then—where were his notes? He couldn't—damn it, Naruto wouldn't stop fidgeting—would he die if he stood still? If he stopped reminding Sasuke that he was touching him? He—

"Oh! Sasuke!" Naruto slapped down on Sasuke's thigh and both of their gazes dropped to the touch.

Naruto recoiled.

"Ah—crap, sorry! I was just—I got excited, and—"

"It's fine—" Sasuke grabbed Naruto's waving hand and they both stared at it as if it was foreign. "I don't mind—when you—ah—"

Naruto nodded, eyes wide as he lowered his hand, slipping out of Sasuke's. Sasuke nodded and leaned back against the wall, dropping his eyes to his notebook. But this time, he couldn't even read. The words blurred together. Since when was he so concerned about Naruto and being touched by him? Why did it bother him? And why did his heart drop when Naruto's hand had slipped away—

"Oh right—I was gonna ask—d'you wanna go Black Friday shopping? There's some decent deals on games and I figured you'd wanna go and—"

"Yeah, that'd be cool." Sasuke swallowed. "What're you doing for Thanksgiving?"

Naruto glanced to the side, chuckling and pulling his knees up.

"Probably just chillin'. Might try to make a cool—"

"Alone?" Naruto turned to face him and his brow furrowed, before he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, uh, yeah. Most people are with family, and well, I don't—it's fine. I always make great food…"

Naruto had been planning on spending Thanksgiving alone. Sure, Sasuke had the displeasure of spending holidays with his family and they weren't exactly…jolly or wholesome or whatever families were supposed to be, but they were there, at least. They had traditions and got together, and…even this year, he had Itachi. Had Itachi been hurt not coming to family events? He had Shisui, but…Sasuke shook the thoughts away.

"Come to Thanksgiving with me."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"I couldn't—I just—"

"No, my brother is hosting. Come."

Naruto nodded, turning away. He sniffled a bit, running his knuckles against his eyes.

"Uh yeah, that'd be cool. Thanks." Naruto beamed at him, his eyes still shining and red.

Sasuke nodded, lips pressed shut. He changed his gaze to the ceiling and focused on his breathing. His chest was tight, but he wasn't upset. He was thrilled Naruto said yes, but he—Sasuke shook his head and turn a page in his notebook—

These were thoughts for another time.

Shisui wrapped his arms around Itachi's waist, nuzzling into his neck.

"You're tense."

Itachi sighed, relaxing into Shisui's arms. "Mm, I'm not now."

Shisui pushed Itachi cardigan out of the way with his nose, placing soft kisses on his shoulder.

"What are you so stressed about?" Shisui asked between kisses.

Itachi reached backed, running his fingers through Shisui's curls. "Work, mm, and Thanksgiving is tomorrow…"

Itachi turned and leaned into Shisui's arms. Shisui kissed Itachi's hair, twirling his fingers around his ponytail.

"Tomorrow will be fun. Sasuke and Naruto are cooking so the food will be killer, we'll have friends over, and it'll be great. Work can wait until after the holidays."

The beep of the fridge interrupted the moment—it pulled them back to the groceries which desperately needed to be put away. Itachi kissed Shisui once again before parting and placing peppers in the fridge.

"You're right. I just worry it'll be chaotic."

Shisui shrugged, reorganizing the pantry to fit more boxes.

"It can't be any worse than normal."

"Get the hell out of my way! The green beans are going to burn—"

"I'm not in your way, I'm basting the fucking turkey!"

"The turkey can wait thirty seconds so I can reduce—"

"Fine, I'm out of your way! Now if you'll excuse me—"

"You're more than excused."

"Do it yourself then!"

Naruto threw down a towel on the counter and went to sit on a barstool.

"You can't be serious. You're really going to—"

"No! If I'm so in your way then do it yourself. I'm the guest anyway—"

"Damnit, Naruto, just come help cut—"

"Nope."

Sasuke puffed his cheeks and took a deep breath before turning the green beans again. They still had two pies to cook once this turkey was out and neither one was prepped. And the potatoes still weren't fully cooked. He was also pretty sure they were going to run out of heavy cream -

"Look, I didn't mean it—just come over here."

A grinned creeped on Naruto's face as slipped off the barstool and walked around the island.

"Would you say the great Sasuke is...sorry?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, turning down the heat on the stove, waving Naruto off.

"Yeah, sure."

"Yeah sure, what?" Naruto leaned against the counter so he could face Sasuke while he stirred.

Sasuke glanced up at him through his bangs, before turning back to the food. Naruto pushed himself against Sasuke. Sasuke's back hit the counter and his breath hitched. They were inches apart. Naruto leaned forwards—so close Sasuke could almost feel his breath on his lips.

"I—" Sasuke's met Naruto's—bright, shining, Sasuke could just get lost in them. They were the purest blue he'd ever seen. But then they closed, and in the next moment, Sasuke felt Naruto's lips pressed against his.

Sasuke felt Naruto's lips pressed against his—

Sasuke's eyes widened before they fluttered shut. Naruto shifted and it made Sasuke slip his fingers through Naruto's hair, pulling him closer.

Sasuke broke the kiss, his eyes fluttering open. As they met Naruto's again, Naruto jumped back, but Sasuke grabbed his wrist.

"No—"

"I don't know what came over me. Shit—I'm sorry. That wasn't cool. I'll just see my way—I didn't mean to—well I did, but I'm sorry—"

"Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice more stern now. He stepped forward, using his free hand to turn the burner off. "I didn't mind."

Naruto blinked. His looked Sasuke up and down, his eyes finally resting on Sasuke still holding his wrist.

"Oh." He glanced back up at Sasuke who had a small smile on his face. "Oh. You mean you—you actually—"

Sasuke slipped his hand from Naruto's wrist to his hand.

"I like you," he nearly sighed. The pressure on his chest that had been building for weeks dissipated out of him saying it. Well, Naruto finally knew. Hell, he finally knew.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, beaming through squinted eyes. "I like you, too! I just didn't realize you were into guys."

Sasuke laughed, relishing in the way Naruto squeezed his hand back. "Well, I am."

Itachi pulled Shisui back into the hallway, hissing in his ear. "Don't you dare interrupt them."

"Careful dear, you're gonna spill your wine." Shisui turned to face Itachi. "Also what kind brother would you be if you didn't interrupt them? Getting caught is basically a right of passage."

Itachi rolled his eyes, taking a sip for his glass. "A good one. I don't want ruin anything for him."

"Getting caught didn't ruin anything for us."

Itachi grabbed Shisui's hand and tugged him into his office. Itachi made himself at home on the futon crossing his legs.

"Hopefully the food doesn't burn."

"Are you always thinking about food?"

"I'm always thinking about you." Shisui slid closer to Itachi, snaking an arm around his waist.

Itachi looked up at him, raising his brows. "You're lucky you're so smooth."

Shisui's grin widened. "I'm lucky to have—"

Itachi cut him off with a kiss and Shisui savored the taste of red wine mixed with Itachi. Just when he thought kissing him couldn't get any better, the genius added alcohol to the mix.

"Leave the cheesy pick up lines to the children." Itachi glanced up at him through his lashes and Shisui felt his stomach flip. How was it possible for him to be so damn alluring? And he wasn't even trying.

Shisui's pocket buzzed and he grabbed for his phone. "Tobi is here."

Itachi gripped his hand a bit tighter. "So he is coming?"

"Yeah, he never really gave me a direct answer until this morning." Itachi let Shisui's hand go as he left the room. Itachi sucked on his cheek for a moment. He wanted to meet this man, something was off about him. Not to mention the thought of meeting someone Shisui was actively kissing was undesirable at best.

Itachi downed the last of his glass of wine before exiting the room and coming face to face with a man who looked so familiar it was disturbing. Tobias immediately seemed to sense him and beamed a bright smile in his direction.

"You must be Itachi!"

Itachi took a few steps forward. "You must be Tobias."

Shisui's eyes flickered between the two. Itachi was practically coiled, ready to pounce—his arms wrapped around himself and his cold stare present. Tobias, clearly having no sense of danger, approached and patted Itachi on the back.

"So good to meet you. Shisui talks about you all the time. It's like meeting a celeb—"

"Does he?" Itachi glanced toward Shisui, a small smile dancing below his icy demeanor.

Shisui threw an arm around Itachi's waist, skating him toward the kitchen. "Ah, not that much. And well this is Sasuke, Itachi's twerp—"

Sasuke walked over, brushing his hands on a towel. "Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi's brother. And this is Naruto Uzumaki—"

"His bo—ah!" Shisui flinched from a pinch on his hip, and squinted down at a stoic Itachi.

"His friend," Naruto beamed, turning from the oven. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"You guys cooked dinner?" Tobias came around the island, looking into the pans.

"Yeah!" Naruto met his near the counter, walking him through the dishes for the evening. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in their direction before glancing back at Itachi.

"I'm going to shower before the others get here and dinner starts."

Shisui looked down at Itachi and kissed the top of his head.

"This is going well, I think." Itachi looked up and pursed his lips.

"Dinner should be good." He slipped out of Shisui's arms, grabbing at a wine bottle.

"Would you like a glass?"

Tobias talked…so…much. He had volunteered to say grace and given a maddeningly beautiful and inclusive speech about being thankful for one's food when Shisui joked about the fact they should say something. He had been joking, not genuinely prodding for someone to say a religious sermon.

Itachi jabbed his fork into a green bean and chewed it with a similar level of aggression as Tobias finished his tale about how he had landed the role in 'Birds of a Feather'. It was so interesting to everyone else, but if Itachi heard him mention how he found a piece of himself through one more character, he was going to consider murder suicide.

He was removed from his gruesome thoughts by a kick to his ankle. His glanced across the table and Sasuke raised his brows. Itachi rolled his eyes and leveled his chewing and expression. His reaction was juvenile and reminded him of something Sasuke would do. He was better than this.

"So are you enjoying shooting the show?" Itachi tossed in as Tobias finished his expansive tale.

"Oh, of course. It's a dream come true. Especially working with this guy here." Tobias clapped down on Shisui's back just far enough across his shoulders that if you squinted, it very much could be mistaken as his throwing his arm around him.

Sasuke's eyes flickered to his brother. Itachi was truly one of the more docile people he knew, no matter how cryptic, and he'd really only seem him truly angry a handful of times. And he knew the signs well, a tightened jaw, tiny aggressive movements, and a look that could kill. He'd be on the receiving end of that look once, on accident, and that had been enough for him to swear he'd never provoke his brother.

And right now, he was displaying every single sign and was now three glasses of wine in. Sasuke wasn't oblivious, even his great brother could have his inhibitions lowered enough to start a fight.

Shisui gave a breathy laugh as he shrugged off the arm. He pointed his for across the table at Hana and Izumi.

"Anything interesting with you two? It's been a while since we've seen you."

Itachi slipped a hand onto Shisui's thigh as Hana spoke about the vet clinic she'd opened and Izumi mentioned how teaching was absolutely splendid. Shisui glanced over as Itachi squeezed and gave him a small peck on the head.

With his anger settling aside for a moment, Itachi glanced over at Tobias. His eyed his features and hair. Even the way he talked, which proud and extravagant, was very Uchiha.

"So Tobias," Itachi interjected, causing everyone to look at him. Itachi was starting a conversation for the second time this evening, with a stranger no less. It was probably a record.

"Tell us more about your last name."

"Oh Uchiha? It's funny, isn't it? It's really not very common—"

"No, it isn't," Sasuke snipped.

"Yeah, well, the world seems funny like that. It's just what is on my birth certificate. My parents never changed it after adoption, which was apparently okay with the birth parents. They decided to keep part of my history or something like that."

Itachi nodded, turning back to his meal and noted to definitely call Madara tomorrow.

A/N: And that's Chapter Four. I hope ya'll enjoyed the fact there's some actual plot in the house now. Let me know what you think! And thanks to Kinomi Akai for being an amazing beta-reader!

Thanks for reading! :)