Ah college, a place to start your future into the adult world and a whole nother game then high school. Now college is different to different people, to some it's a party, to others a nightmare of stress and chaos, some an exciting new experience, to others a chance to prove themselves, but to most a chance to prepare themselves for their lives in the working, adult world.
Now to go to college one can take out a loan, get enough scholarships to pay for it, receive grants, or the extremely lucky bastards who have rich families that pay for it.
[name] happened to be one of those who got to go to college by working your ass off to receive enough scholarships to pay for it and work your ass off to keep those scholarships. You weren't necessarily a bitter woman but you worked for you status and managed to work your way into going into a very prestigious and private university meaning you managed to surround yourself with rich snobby people who got here through their parents wealth. You greatly detested those who didn't have to work for anything. You were honored and excited to go to such a well known school and get such a good education but you weren't the least bit happy about being the poor nerd who had to work for everything surrounded by those who got everything they wanted and got it gift wrapped for them too.
So in this society of spoiled riches, social climbers, super geniuses (of which you detested as well, they didn't have to work either), and the random people who worked for it all (such as yourself) what could possibly make your stay more enjoyable then it already was? (note the sarcasm) Perhaps a little factor like coed dorms...
[Name] wandered down the halls of your new dormitory, you were having a great difficulty trying to find your room in this huge place. You went down the halls staring at the numbers on the doors, somehow managing to slowly head in the right direction. You were also keeping yourself amazed and entertained by the amount of guys you'd now be sharing a dorm with. You recalled how big of a fit your mother had thrown when you informed her that the dorms were coed. You shook your head smiling and remembering that you promised your mother you would take care of yourself and be fine. You also purposely neglected to inform your mother that your roommate was in fact a male.
That little fact left your mind spinning with possibilities. After seeing several hot guys in the dorm already (as well as some... not so attractive ones) you were secretly hoping that your roommate would be hot. You also pondered on what it would be like to have a roommate that was a guy, would your room suddenly become a pigsty? You shuddered at the mental image of dirty socks and underwear all over the place. You were half way expecting to be driven completely and utterly insane by whoever you roomed with.
Whatever it was that you were expecting it was not THIS. You finally managed to arrive to your room only to find a young man roughly around your age and frikken Adonis himself. For the first moment all you could do was stand in the door frame and gape at the god-like creature that was to be your roommate. Then in fear of looking like a complete nutcase (or creeper or something) you forced your gaze onto the room and away from the man who stood near the far wall with an eyebrow raised at you. You glanced around the room and were met with another surprise your half of the room was left untouched but his half already had every single thing put away neatly and organized. Gorgeous and neat? You were liking this so far.
Figuring it would probably be best if you spoke now you tried to remember how to speak and walk and after a moment's hesitation walked into the room. "Umm... hi, I'm [name] [last name], your new roommate I guess." You stated walking in and giving a slight wave.
"Itachi Uchiha." Was all he said as he moved away from the wall and went about his business.
You blinked; Uchiha? You recognized that name. They were an extremely rich upper class family full of super geniuses. Of course he was another one of those super rich people that were good at everything they did and excelled in every subject, and of course never had to worry about money or ever work hard. Your mood darkened a bit as you analyzed this and anticipated his attitude wasn't going to be pleasant. However a small inner you brought your spirits back up a bit with a simple line of: "Well at least he's hot." You resisted the urge to smirk as that thought ran through your mind and you went about fixing up your half of the room.
Itachi you quickly learned within a month of living with him was probably the perfect roommate. He was quiet, he kept out of your business (and made it clear for you to stay out of his own), he kept his part of the room clean and organized, he didn't disturb you, he never played loud music or did anything too loud, when friends of his came over and you were already in the dorm doing your own thing he took them somewhere else, he never brought... company over, he was respectful of your space, and he was polite.
In fact he was so perfect that it bothered you. No one could be 100% perfect; everyone had to have a flaw of some sort. Yet here he was, a drop dead gorgeous male, polite gentleman, neat and organized, very athletic and fit, extremely intelligent, artistic. The only flaws you were able to detect from him were two things. The first being the stress lines on his otherwise flawless face (which you thought weren't much of a flaw, they added to his charm), and his obvious preference to be alone. That seemed to be his one and only major flaw. He was an utter and complete loner, he wasn't the creepy kind kids often thought would snap and one day go on a killing rampage, he wasn't the one everyone stayed away from in fear of getting their ass handed to them, he just preferred to be alone and he was such a polite and quiet man that everyone respected his wishes and gave him space.
Everyone but you that is. You picked up on the fact that he kept everyone at arm's length, he never let anyone get close to him and you wanted to know why. After a month of trying to befriend your roommate you learned to understand him only a little. You were able to tell in his eyes certain emotions in his otherwise emotionless face and could read him that way and he would speak with you on occasions (only telling little of himself). You counted yourself some sort of friend of his as he would walk with you to your classes and throughout the day. In fact he was actually quite protective of you when you thought about it. He walked with you where you went, made sure you were ok and that you ate right, slept enough, and when you asked helped with your homework. It was all actually really sweet and he somehow managed to do it all without barely talking or giving any inclination to what he was thinking or feeling. It was like having a silent guardian. That little issue however caused several problems for you as well as you found yourself being the target of several (a large mass) women's' wrath as you weren't the only one who thought him to be Adonis in human form and most of the school noticed his interest in you as well.
"Hey Itachi?" You asked one evening looking up from your homework. He glanced away from his book and to you to signal he was listening. "Would you say we're friends?" You asked wondering if you were right in assuming he cared for you in some way.
"Yes." He answered after a slight pause and you grinned. "Why?" He asked after a moment of silence.
"Just trying to figure out how you feel about me. You're a very hard person to read." You answered simply before turning back to your homework.
You turned away from him and missed the fact that he was still staring at you. A certain emotion stirring in his dark eyes. His eyes scanned over your figure for what was probably the hundredth time today before his gaze locked onto your face and your eyes. Your eyes were probably his favorite part of you; he was fascinated with watching the different emotions that would reflect in them. Right now they were filled with frustration as you focused on your homework. He let out a small sigh as he redirected his attention back to his book and away from you. If you were only now able to figure out that he thought of you as a friend then you'd never notice his true feelings.
~~~A month or so later~~~~
"Come on [name], you have to come to the party." One of your friends pressed as you and Itachi walked to your usual spot to eat lunch together, currently being followed by a few of your friends pressing about a party.
"I have a lot of studying to do." You answered for the hundredth time.
"All you ever do is study. Live a little." Another spoke up.
"I have to study. I have to keep my grades up." You snapped; you'd love to go to the party, you haven't gone to one in ages but you had a major test you needed to study for; you couldn't afford to fail it.
"Girl, you're smart, you can do it." The third retorted.
"Come to the party and get Itachi-kun to help you study." The first suggested. Itachi raised a questioning eyebrow as he got dragged into this.
"Look I'll think about it alright." You stated.
"Come on, come. It'll be fun but also... look the only way we can get Itachi-kun to come to the party is if you go; we all know he'll follow you. You both really need to get out more and hang out with some of your other friends for a change, instead of just each other." One of your friends whispered in your ear.
"I'll think about it." You replied once more and they gave up, walking away.
When they were gone you both began to eat your lunches in silence. You were thinking about what they said. They had valid points. You haven't gone out and had fun in ages and you missed parties and Itachi really could use getting out and socializing with other people for a change. You both could go and Itachi could help you study later on as well.
"Do you want to go to the party?" You asked; breaking the silence.
Itachi paused and shrugged. "Some of my friends are pestering me to go. Parties aren't really my thing." He answered.
It was his friends that were hosting the party in the first place but it was only a couple of them that were pestering him to go. Most of them seemed to already know he wouldn't bother. You thought most of his friends were really pretty strange. They were definitely an odd bunch all together. Hell one of them had moss colored hair, another always wore a mask and acted like a kid, and one even had a blue tinge to his skin. The rest were all strange in their own ways as well.
"Maybe it'll be fun. We can go together. Neither of us has gotten out lately." You suggested.
"If you go, I'll go." He replied before turning back to his food.
[Name]! Itachi!" A voice shouted and you both glanced up to see a few of his friends wandering up to you. The two louder and more... unusual of the bunch. Deidara and Hidan. If Deidara wasn't trying to blow something up and getting in trouble for it then he was usually going on and on about art and if Hidan wasn't screaming about his crazy religion to anyone who listened then he was often out practicing more... masochistic hobbies.
"Hey guys." you greeted when they reached you.
"You're coming to the party right?" Deidara demanded.
"Man, will no one give it a rest until I say I go?" You muttered shaking your head.
"Well this douche won't come unless you do." Hidan stated pointing to Itachi. "It's his own damn friends hosting the party and he still won't go unless it means to follow his girlfriend around like a fucken puppy." Hidan explained.
"I think guard dog is a better analogy." Deidara corrected with a laugh.
Itachi gave them both a very hard and a very cold glare. The kind that often sent normal people running toward the hills. Though as we've already established they're not quite in the normal category.
"I'm not his girlfriend." You stated with a roll of the eyes and a bored tone. 'Though I wish I was.' You added in your mind.A lot of people seemed to think that the two of you were dating and you could see where they could get that idea but they didn't know better. They didn't understand the kind of silent relationship the two of you had.
"Really? You're not?" Deidara asked surprised. "But I thought..." He trailed off glancing at Itachi in confusion.
"We'll go to the party." Itachi hissed; cutting off anything he was going to say.
"Great. See you there." Hidan stated; pleased with the outcome. He glanced back down at you before he left. Well if you weren't his girlfriend then that changed things, looks like you weren't off-limits like the black haired man had said.
When they were gone you turned back to Itachi. "Why'd Deidara think something different?" You asked confused at what Deidara was going to say.
"He's an idiot." Was all Itachi said before turning back to his lunch once more.
Understanding you weren't going to get an answer out of him you turned back to your own food. You hoped the party would be interesting and fun. It should be considering most of the school was going to be there and as odd as Itachi's friends were most of them really knew how to party.
The evening of the party you wondered around your room trying to decide what to wear. Itachi watched you as he lounged on his bed, eyebrow raised curiously. He was already dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black and gray plaid button up shirt left open over it. He also wore a simple silver chain necklace and his hair in its low ponytail like always.
You huffed as you looked over your wardrobe. Finally deciding on what to wear you took your clothes and headed off to go take a shower and change. When you returned Itachi raised an eyebrow once more. You had donned yourself in a sleeveless, dark gray, v-neck dress that went midway down your thighs, a gold chain belt around your waist, dark stockings, black heels, and you threw on a red ribbon around your neck and some jewelry to match and did your hair and makeup before being content with your appearance.
"Ready to go?" You asked when you were finally all set. Itachi gave a small nod and sat up on his bed, he grabbed a few things before standing up and heading off with you.
Itachi sighed moodily as he leaned against a wall at the party. You both had been there for several hours already and you were enjoying yourself at least but he was bored and not liking the large mass of people. He hung out with some of his friends off and on but overall he kept to himself in the back and watched over you, making sure you stayed out of trouble.
"You look bored Itachi-san." Kisame stated as he came up to chat and offered the quiet man another drink.
"I don't like parties." He responded; accepting the drink.
"Then why'd you come? Hidan, Deidara, and Tobi were the only ones that actually expected you to show up."
"[name]." He stated simply; downing most of his drink.
"Ah. She wanted to come?"
"Yeah..."
"Doesn't mean you had to follow her." Kisame stated with a grin.
"She might get into trouble." He answered.
"You're as protective of her as you are your little brother. Or maybe worse."
"Sasuke's the only family I have left."
"So what's your reasoning behind being so protective and attached to [name] then?"
"She grew on me... and... she reminds me of her..." He answered; referring to an old girlfriend he had loved and lost back when he lost his family.
"...Sssooo you've fallen for this girl and you want to make sure you're around and able to protect her unlike the first?" Kisame asked; trying to understand his friend a bit.
"Yes..." He answered staring into the remainder of his drink before downing it in one breath.
"Does she know how you feel?"
"Probably not... she's a little dense."
"Tell her?"
"When I'm ready." Was his only reply; he was still hesitating to try the whole romance thing again.
"Speaking of [name]..." Kisame stated and Itachi snapped out of his musing to pay attention to what he was saying. "Where is she?" Kisame finished; glancing around for sight of you.
Itachi blinked and scanned the crowd; looking to where he had last seen you dancing with your friends but you weren't there. His eyes narrowed and he searched the surrounding area for sight of you. "Damn. I only took my eyes off her for a few minutes." He grumbled; he had seen you before Kisame showed up but got distracted, now where the hell had you ran off to?
"She's here somewhere." Kisame stated calmly.
Itachi pushed off the wall and went about searching for you. As if he wasn't already worried enough about what kind of trouble you could get into under normal circumstances but he knew you had been drinking. A lot. No telling what you could get into.
You stumbled out of the kitchen; another drink clasped tightly in your hands as you tried to make your way back to where Itachi was. You tried to move your way through the crowd with some great difficulty and stumbled. Before you fell an arm curled around your waist and caught you; pulling you up right and holding you against them.
"Itach-" You started to thank happily and stopped upon seeing it wasn't the man you thought it was but actually Hidan. "Hidan." You stated with a slight frown; hoping for your silent guardian.
"I think you've been drinking a little too much." Hidan stated as he released you.
"No I haven't." Your retorted stubbornly and quickly downed your drink in fear of him taking it away from you.
"You're fucken drunk." He stated shaking his head.
"Nooo!" You responded with a slight grin.
"Where's Itachi?" He asked looking around for the 'guard dog'.
"Dunno." You responded with a shrug.
Hidan grinned. "Really?" He asked curiously.
Itachi sighed irritably, he still couldn't find you. He searched most of the rooms in the house (and walked in on several things he wished he hadn't seen) and still wasn't able to spot you. He managed to corner one of your friends as he came back down the stairs and they had said they saw you heading back into the other room to dance so he returned to the crowded room. He scanned the room slowly with his skilled eyes but still couldn't spot you. He growled irritably before spotting Pein standing silently in a corner and went to go see if he had seen anything.
"Have you seen [name]?" He demanded when he reached him.
Pein raised an eyebrow at Itachi's clear concern before answering. "She was in here dancing with Hidan awhile ago but he slipped out somewhere with her, I think he took her upstairs." He answered.
Fury washed over Itachi and he spun on his heel and stormed out of the room searching for the bastard and ready to kill. He stormed up the stairs and once again burst into all the rooms (once again startling the people in it and once again seeing what he didn't want to see). Finally he burst into the last room and found what he was looking for.
You glanced up from your hand of cards when the door to the room you were in burst open. Your drunken gaze zeroed in on Itachi and a grin split across your face. "Itachi! We're playing poker! Wanna play?" You asked excitedly and moved to get up but fell right back down on your butt. Your grin quickly turned to a frown as you noticed the obvious anger coming from the young man. "Neh... Itachi? What's wrong?" You asked confused.
Itachi stood in the door frame breathing heavily out of his nose and heaving in anger. A part of him was happy to find he had not caught you in the act he had feared he would but he wasn't anywhere near close to happy about what he found instead either. You, Hidan, Deidara, and a few other fellow college students were sitting down in a circle and playing strip poker. You were down to nothing but your bra and underwear in a room full of guys (and two other girls), all of you were drunk and still drinking, the obvious smell in the room hinted that it wasn't cigarettes that most of you were smoking, and a very content looking Hidan sat beside you arm wrapped around your waist and fingers stroking your thigh.
"Get your clothes, we're leaving." He ordered; finally managing to speak and not scream in rage at Hidan (him still being the main target of his rage).
You blinked at him slowly. "But why? I was going to win too..." You muttered staring back at your hand.
Hidan glanced at your hand as well. "No you weren't. You pretty much lost again." He stated.
"What? Damn it!" You snapped throwing your cards into the center and Itachi noted you indeed had nothing.
"Right so off with the bra." Hidan stated happily and his hand instantly leaving your waist to head towards your bra hooks. He was too completely crossfaded right now to fathom the danger his life was currently in.
The next thing anyone knew was Hidan had Itachi's fist in his mouth, he was ripped and thrown away from you, Itachi removed his button up shirt and forced you into it (buttoning it up himself as you were to intoxicated to do it yourself it seemed), grabbed your clothes, and he had you by the wrist as he dragged you out of the room and out of the house.
Several people stopped to look as he marched out of the house with you clad in nothing but his shirt. Kisame being one of the people who stopped raised an extremely confused eyebrow and smirked before heading up stairs where he heard Hidan now freaking out.
Itachi dragged you by the wrist all the way back to your dorm and completely ignored any looks you two got along the way. When you two reached your dorm he swung the door open and tossed you inside allowing you to stumble forward while he slammed the door shut.
"What's the matter with you?" You demanded while you rubbed your now hurting wrist.
Itachi glared at you before answering. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten into major trouble." He hissed.
You plopped down onto your bed and stared at him. "I was fine. I was with your friends."
"Just because they're my friends doesn't mean they wouldn't try something. Especially Hidan." He growled.
"But I knew I was safe. You're always there before things get serious." You answered with a drunk grin.
"That doesn't mean you take risks!" He snapped. "I can't lose you!" He hissed.
You blinked in surprise at that. "Itachi?" You asked confused; your already red face becoming more red (and now from a blush and not just the alcohol).
Itachi opened his mouth to respond but paused. He took in your appearance of being in nothing but his shirt and he stared; he lost his restraints on his anger and now he was trying hard not to lose control of his other restraints… He forced himself to look away from you and turned to his bed. "We'll talk in the morning when you're sober. Go to sleep." He ordered and went to go collapse on his bed. You blinked in utter confusion at the whole thing but lied down anyway and found yourself fast asleep within minutes.
You awoke the following morning with a pounding head. You blinked your eyes open and groaned as you clutched your head. Damn you hated hangovers. You sat up in bed and blinked slowly as you cleared your brain of its grogginess. As you did so you noticed you were wearing Itachi's shirt. Just his shirt and your undergarments. You blinked in utter shock and blushed slightly. 'What did I do last night?' You thought concerned before looking around for Itachi.
You spotted him sleeping over on his bed; still in his clothes from last night's party. Well that ruled out what your first concern was. If that wasn't the case then how did you end up in his shirt? "Itachi?" You called and saw him stir. Itachi heard your voice and snapped awake. He sat up on his bed and turned his gaze to you. "What happened last night?" You asked confused you only had a vague memory of last night's events; mostly just the beginning of the party and something later on about Itachi being furious.
"You got shitfaced and I had to get you out of some trouble." He answered.
"What kind of trouble?" You asked worriedly.
"You were playing strip poker with Hidan, Deidara, and a few others. Hidan was attempting to remove your bra before I stepped in." He hissed.
"Oh. Shit." You growled. "I'll kick him in the nuts next time I see him." You muttered darkly. A few memories of the whole thing resurfacing.
"I threw my shirt on you and dragged you back here." He added.
"Man how dumb, I party for the first time in ages and end up doing something stupid like that." You muttered; falling back on your back on the bed. "I don't know what I would do without you Itachi." You added with a smile. As you stared at your ceiling another memory resurfaced. You remembered him yelling at you last night and you couldn't remember the specific details but a certain sentence stood out to you.
"I can't lose you!"
You stared in surprise before fixing your gaze on Itachi. "I… I remember something you said last night…" You started. Itachi locked his gaze with yours waiting for you to continue. "You said you couldn't lose me…" You finished.
Itachi held your gaze for a few minutes before turning to stare at the ground. "I can't…" He responded.
You sat up on your bed again and stared at him. 'Itachi… Do you… like me?" You asked hesitantly.
Itachi looked back up at you quickly before looking back down. "Yes…" He admitted.
You blushed deeply and grinned in happiness but quickly frowned. "Why do you seem so sad?" You asked confused. "If you think I don't like you back then that's totally not true-
You started to explain but he cut in. "I know you do. I've always known." He answered.
'Was it really that obvious!?' You mentally screamed in embarrassment. "Then why…?" You trailed off in confusion. If he would just open up to you it would be so much easier.
"It's hard for me to do this." He stated; staring at the floor. "Years ago… I lost everything. My family died; I only have my little brother… I also lost her back then too…" He started to explain.
Well that explained why he kept everyone at arm's length now. He was probably terrified of getting attached again. It explained why he was so quiet too. You had no idea he was such a grieving man at such a young age. The comment of her brought you back to reality. "Her?" You asked confused though thinking you knew the answer.
"My old girlfriend…. I loved her but she died too…. I wasn't able to protect her…" He explained.
You pieced it all together now. Why he kept everyone at arm's length, why he was so closed off to the world, and now why he always watched out for you. He wasn't able to protect the first girl he loved; he didn't want to mess up again. A small smile touched your lips as you realized this.
You stood up from your bed and went over to him. You knelt down in front of him and took his hands into yours while you looked up into his face. "Itachi, I know I could never be her… or replace her… but if we care about each other and feel for each other like we do then there's no reason for you to not love again…" You stated softly; hoping he understood what you were trying to get at.
"[name], I can't deny my feelings for you… but…"
"Then don't. I'm here for you in any way you need or want me."
He sighed deeply and before you knew it he was kissing you. Nothing intense just a gentle, soft kiss. "[name]…" He muttered before he was kissing you again this time with more passion.
He broke his restraints on his feelings and heart and caved to you. He finally let you in and wasn't going to let go any time soon.
Later on that day pissed off Hidan with a busted lip and bruised face came storming to your dorm with a grinning Kisame and both stopped short upon reaching your door. They paused to hear the certain noises coming from within and after a quick moment decided it was best not to disturb you two today and left.