I woke up the next morning with a headache from all the alcohol I'd drank last night. Usually, I wouldn't regret drinking so much, but when I came back from the bar, I threw up in the parking lot of the hotel. Luckily, no one was around to see it, but I did have to call my brother, who helped me walk back to the room.

"I should've figured you'd do this to yourself"

I slowly open my eyes and realize that it is no longer dark outside.

"You were angry, and I shouldnt've let you run off like that"

My mouth was dry, my head was pounding, and the feeling of dizziness hadn't left either. Great. As if waking up wasn't painful enough.

"Well maybe you shouldn't do things to piss me off"

He probably thought I'd forgotten, but there was no way in the world I would forget something like that. Even now I can vividly see the disgusting white stain on the bottom of Naruto's shirt that tortured me into a state of mental instability.

"Wow. I honestly thought you would have forgotten", he says as he slowly stretches and gets out of bed. "I was hoping that we wouldn't have this conversation, but it's pretty unavoidable since you live here now"

"Is this some type of game to you?"

He gives me a look of confusion. "What?"

"What are your motifs?", I demand. "What are you trying to gain from having relations with a boy who's only sixteen?"

"Now, now, Sasuke", he says to me as if I'm his child. "Don't you think that you're being a bit nosey?"

"No", I snap at him. "But I think you're being an asswipe"

He snorts at me before picking up his laptop. "I don't see why you're so concerned", he says nonchalantly. "This doesn't involve you"

"Yes it does", I spit coldly. "Don't act like I'm not a part of this"

"Well the only reason this would bother you is if you had some type of feelings for him, which you made perfectly clear that you don't"

"It goes beyond that", I say coldly. "Imagine what would happen if someone besides me found out"

"There's no need for me to do that", he says dismissively. "Because I'm never going to get caught"

The laptop turns on making an electronic bell like noise. It makes me angry knowing that he's about to completely ignore me. When the laptop turns on his ears shut off. It's been that way ever since he got his stupid job.

"How can you say something like that?", I ask impatiently. "Do you not realize all the things that could go wrong?"

I watch his finger swiftly move around the track pad of his mac book. Each click was a painful reminder that the stupid computer screen was more concerning to him than anything I had to say.

"Itachi", I say impatiently.

Still, his eyes were glued to his screen as if his life depended on it.

"Itachi", I say louder than the last time.

The man didn't even flinch.

For the most part, I was pretty good with keeping my cool, but it seems like ever since I let that blond brat in my life, everything became even more frustrating. I'd lose patience over small things at work, I'd lose patience if it took too long for the light to turn green, hell, even elevator rides would make me lose my patience. I've been so angry lately that being calm wasn't even in my nature anymore.

"Would you at least listen to me for five minutes?! Or am I not worth listening to whenever I try to tell you you're wrong!?", I yell as I storm over to him.

If it wasn't for my putrid morning breath, I doubt he would have noticed my face was only a few inches away from his.

"Foolish little brother"

Without even looking at me, he jabs his fingers into my forehead like he used to when we were kids.

"I know how easily you get jealous of people that are ahead of you in life. I just happened to one up you again by fucking that hot piece of ass you rejected", he says in a low monotone voice. "You had your chance and you didn't take it. So I'm just picking up where you left off"

I stared at him without saying a word.

"And I can understand why you envy me so much, I mean, you must be dying to know what he sounds like when he's about to cu-"

Impulsively, I snatch the laptop from him and throw it at the wall. The noise was loud and alarming, and would probably cause the people next door to call the police.

"That wasn't necessary", he murmurs stoically.

"I can't believe you!", I snap at him. "I used to look up to you! I used to want to be just like you!"

He glares blankly at me, trying to analyze my anger as if it was something unnatural or surprising to him.

"And yeah, you've got the hot shot job, the giant mansion, and all the gratitude from my father, but who you are disgusts me!"

For a while, everything was silent. I was trembling, and he sat perfectly still and composed, which we were taught to do since we learned how to walk.

"I guess I'll have to replace it", he says as he gets out of the bed.

I watch him as he picks up the broken piece of junk and throws it in the trash can. "There's no point in even trying to get that thing fixed"

My fists clench, and I only become even more enraged. "Fuck you", I hiss.

He nods his head and smirks before picking up his car keys. "I'm going to the front desk to tell them about the hole you put in the wall", he begins. "And then I'm going to buy myself a new laptop"

"Don't walk away from me!", I scream in frustration.

"Try not to break anything else while I'm gone", he says coldly.

"You won't have to worry about that", I say without lowering my voice. "Because by the time you get back my stuff will be packed and I'll be gone!"

He shrugs carelessly before exiting the room, and I'm left alone wondering why I agreed to live with him in the first place.

"Well that was short lived"

After the feud with my brother, I'd decided to go back to my apartment. Trying to find a healthy way to blow of my steam, I told Jugo to come over and we haven't stopped talking about the situation since.

"I know, and I told Itachi I wasn't going to live with him anymore...but I left half of my belongings in his room", I say as I head over to the refrigerator and pull out a fresh carrot.

"Because you don't want to move out and you're probably going to come back to him"

He was right. Living alone had its perks but it is god awful after a year or two. It doesn't matter how many people you invite over or allow to spend the night- they eventually have to leave and you end up by yourself.

"I don't", I say as I aggressively chop up the carrot in front of me. "But I don't want to live in the same room that they fuck in either!"

"Okay, calm down...goodness", Jugo says worriedly. "Chop that thing any harder and you might slice through the counter"

I roll my eyes and put the knife down, knowing that if I'd continued with what I was doing there would be serious damage done.

"It's not fair", I say after letting out a stressed sigh.

His amber eyes showed me nothing but concern. "What's not fair?"

I take a seat next to him no the sofa before replying. "How this one person can come into my life and completely change it"

"Sounds like you have very strong feelings for him...to be honest", he murmurs.

"I do", I dryly confess.

"Care to talk about those...feelings?"

I give him an irritated look before turning on the television. "It's nothing I can explain or would want to explain if I could"

He snorts before giving me a playful shove. "Come on, I'm dying to know what's so special about this guy if he's got you all ruffled up like this"

"There's nothing special about him", I spit coldly. "And that's the annoying thing. He's just your average kid"

"But there has to be something that sets him apart from everyone else", he claims.

I turned down the volume briefly to take the time to think.

His hair.

His eyes.

His smile.

His obnoxious laugh.

The way he didn't let our bad first encounter ruin our date.

His genuineness.

His toned body.

His stupid raspy voice.

"Nothing at all", I say boredly.

"Sasuke, I'm fully aware of how much you don't like people", he begins. "So for you to say there's nothing unique about this guy...it's baffling"

"Yeah. There's really not much to him", I grumble.

"Well, maybe there is something, but you can't point it out yet?"

I yawn, showing him I was growing tired of the discussion. "Maybe"

My phone buzzes and I check the caller ID.

"Itachi", I grumble before putting my phone on silent and placing it on the coffee table.

"It might be important"

I snort at him. "Like what? An apology?"

"Maybe"

For the first time in a while, I chuckled. "Uchiha's never apologize"

Jugo shrugged, and I turned my attention back to the television.

"He's still calling", he warns me.

"Let him call", I say spitefully. "I'm not picking up"

A few hours after Jugo had left, I wasn't surprised when I heard a knock on my door.

Don't answer it.

Even though I was sure the door was locked, the door opened and in stepped my bastard older brother.

"How the fuck did you get in here?!", I snap at him.

"You gave me a key a while ago", he says with a smile. "I was just knocking to be polite"

"Well if you really want to do something polite, leave"

"But I want to talk to you", he says comfortingly.

I snort, keeping my eyes on the television. "Well I don't. And today is my day off. I'd like to spend it as far away from you as possib-"

"It's about mother's birthday"

Those words alone caught my attention.

Oh shit.

"I'm sure it hasn't slipped your mind...has it?"

I shake my head in denial. The last thing I wanted was for him to nag me.

"Of course not", I snap at him.

"Good. I was a little worried", he says with a small amount of concern. "Unlike last year where she barely did anything special, she's decided she wants to throw a party"

A party? Really? She's a little too old for that.

"She...wants to...do that?"

"So I've been told", he murmurs as he walks over to the sofa to sit next to me. "And you and I are going"

I roll my eyes at his demanding tone. "I don't have time for that crap. She knows it", I begin. The best I can do is send her a card and an expensive piece of jewelry like I always d-"

"You're going", he says again in a harsher tone. "I don't care if you have to take some time off to do so"

"I'm in the middle of directing a major film", I saw with obvious impatience in my voice. "I don't have time to take time off"

"So you're telling me that you're not going to see your mother, who you only see about once every three years if you're lucky", he begins.

I hated when he got all realistic with me. Yes, it's true that I rarely see my mother, but that's because I'm a busy man with a demanding job. Nobody can tell me that I don't love her.

"Because of your job"

I cross my arms and turn my face towards the window. "Yes"

"You're going to miss her birthday...because you just don't have the time"

"Pretty much"

As apathetic as I sounded, I was extremely hurt. I didn't want to miss her birthday, but in life we have to make sacrifices. This is just one of many.

"After all she's done for you, this is really the choice you want to make?"

I nod my head slowly. "You can't make me go. You may be my older brother, but you no longer have authority over me the way you did when we were kids", I begin. "There's nothing you can say or do that will make me go, and the fact that you're going shuts me off to the idea completely"

He folds his arms and leans back in the sofa. "There's nothing I can say?", he asks.

I could tell by his thinking face that he was about to strike a deal with me. But whatever it was he was going to offer, I wasn't going to take it.

"I'll stop fooling around with Naruto"

It took my brain a while to process those words. "You'll what?"

He nods his head. "I think it's extremely important for you to see her on her birthday...do you know how happy that would make her? I'm sure she wouldn't care if you didn't even get her a gift. The fact that you took the time to show up would be enough for her"

"Are...you positive?"

"Of course I am. I'm the one that actually takes the time to call her. She tells me everything"

I felt a sharp sting in my chest. Never had I ever been hurt by something Itachi has said to me, but hearing him say that was painful. It was like he was calling me out on being a bad son.

"You better keep hold onto your word", I hiss at him.

"I promise", he says wholeheartedly. "And besides, now that I think about it, if I had to choose between having you as a brother and Naruto as a fuck buddy, I'd choose you"

I smirked at the sweet remark. "Good choice"

"So, I guess that means you'll be moving back in too?"

I hesitate before answering. "It's under consideration", I grumble. "Don't think for a second that I'm still not angry with you"

A/N: Not a long chapter, but I figured it needed to be updated. Thank you all so much for the reviews and follows! I might start putting up a list at the beginning of every chapter of the people who review the most? I don't know, I see that everyone else does it so why not?