And now...the very much anticipated chapter 2 of Parallel Lines!

...

Not really. Y'all are probably like "whatever." But hear me out - once you read this chapter, it is my hope that you will see the worth in this story and continue to read, cheering me on until the very end!

...*crickets chirping*

Maybe not. But it is my hope that once you'll read this chapter, you'll start to see the direction that this story is heading...at least maybe a little...?

"Alright gentlemen, I have an order of pasta." announced the server when he approached their table, glancing between the two men seated.

Itachi Uchiha raised his hand halfway to indicate that the order was his. The server smiled and lifted the ceramic plate from his tray and onto the black lacquer finish of the table. "And the tilapia?"

"Right here." Sasuke Uchiha gestured.

"I'll be around to check up on you later, until then, enjoy your food!" He smiled, holding the serving tray between his forearm and his side.

The men offered a quiet "thanks" in return and reached out for their glasses.

"A toast," Itachi smiled, holding up his glass, "to my little brother, who, after seven years of hard work, has graduated law school and passed his bar exam."

Sasuke's lips quirked into a half-smile as he brought his glass to Itachi's with a soft "clink." "Cheers." Sasuke said and took a sip, savoring the bubbling liquid that tickled the insides of his throat and the buzz that came over him not long after. He glanced at Itachi sitting across from him, bringing his own glass away from his lips and setting it gently on the table.

"I'm surprised you're actually drinking." Sasuke commented, unraveling his utensils from the black napkin that bound them together.

"It's a special occasion." He said and turned around to fish something from out of his jacket.

He had just pierced a neatly cut square of tilapia with the tines of his fork when Itachi produced a small black box that took up the palm of his hand. He took the box gingerly, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he looked up at Itachi who simply smiled and nodded towards the box.

"It's a black dial stainless steel chronograph watch." Itachi explained when it was clear that Sasuke had nothing to say. "And it's water resistant up to 100 meters, though I doubt you'll go scuba diving anytime soon." He added.

Before he knew it, he was engulfed in a rare, but appreciated hug from Sasuke. "Thanks, Itachi!" He said, taking his seat. He gently pried the treasure from its confines, careful not to damage it. "How much—"

Itachi held up a hand to silence him before he could finish the rest his sentence. "It's expensive, trust me."

Sasuke obviously had no qualms, already freeing his wrist from the worn watch that might have belonged to their father at one point in favor for the new one, and shoved it into his pocket. "Have I told you that you're the best brother ever?"

"Not recently, no," Itachi said, sticking his fork into the mound of pasta on his plate. "but you can thank me later; for now, let's eat before the food gets too cold."

Sasuke nodded in agreement, drooling not over his plate, but over his new watch.

Itachi couldn't help but smile at the spectacle before him. Sasuke looked so much like he did when he was younger, examining their mother's jewelry, mesmerized by its shine, and disappointed when Mikoto gently pried it from his hands, explaining that jewelry was for women.

The same event replayed before his eyes as Sasuke examined something that he could call his own and could wear with pride on his first day in court.

"Sasuke," Itachi said, midway through their dinner. "I'm proud of you."

"You said." Sasuke replied and bowed his head to concentrate on his meal once more.

Itachi watched, having eaten his fair share of food already, until Sasuke had finished chewing to ask him a question that had been on his mind all day. "So," he started, gaining his brother's attention, "where are you going to go from here?"

Sasuke stared at him blankly for a moment and shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we're going to hit up whatever bar we find that looks halfway decent—"

"I wasn't talking about your plans after this," Itachi sighed, "I meant, now that you're done with school, what are you going to do next?"

The younger man nodded in understanding and gazed out into the crowd of people to the right of him, where no doubt other families were celebrating their child's graduation with a fancy dinner. "I'm going to rent an apartment." He answered easily, picking up his glass.

That wasn't quite the answer that Itachi was expecting. He sat still, staring at Sasuke as if he was waiting to realize that he'd heard him incorrectly. When Itachi asked what he meant, Sasuke offered him the same answer he'd heard the first time. "Sasuke,"

"Before you say anything, hear me out first." Sasuke interrupted. Itachi obeyed, pursing his lips together to keep from saying anything more and sat back in his chair. "It's an efficiency apartment, five hundred square ft.; the rent is $945 a month and there's only a $200 deposit fee. And it's half an hour outside the city." He explained.

"You researched this?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes, because I knew you'd disapprove."

He didn't disapprove per se. He knew the day would come when Sasuke moved out and found a place of his own, but he didn't expect that day to be so soon. "Sasuke, I don't think you understand how hard it is to live on your own." Sasuke groaned and Itachi continued. "It's not like campus housing where you pay a fee at the beginning of the school year and you're done with it; you have to pay rent every month, along with your utility bill, your grocery bill, and then there's your car insurance, car maintenance, gas – and what about your job? You don't even have a job lined up, do you?"

"I do have a job lined up." Sasuke answered tersely.

"You do?" It didn't surprise him. If Sasuke had time to look for an apartment, he probably already looked into the job market. When Sasuke didn't elaborate further, Itachi asked "tell me about it."

"My job at the athletic store." He explained, pushing the remnants of the coconut rice that was served with his entrée to the side of the plate. When Itachi started to protest, Sasuke continued. "I already have a lot of money saved up and now that I'm done with school, I can pick up a few more shifts until I can find a job that pays better."

Itachi brought his hand up to his eyes and sighed. "Just because you're done with school doesn't mean that I'm kicking you out, Sasuke, you know that right? You can stay with me until you find a salaried job and have enough money saved up to be able to afford living on your own."

Though his tone was exasperated, his explanation was gentle. And even though he tried his best to keep from sounding confrontational, Sasuke immediately took the defensive. "Okay. Answer this for me, then, Itachi. How is what I'm doing now any different from what you did when you finished college?" He challenged.

During Itachi's senior year of college, he'd applied for an internship that eventually offered him a job – weeks before he even graduated. In that time, he'd researched various apartments for low prices in the area close to his future place of work. As a graduation gift, his father paid the security deposit and first month's rent, insisting that it was the right decision.

"That was different," Itachi sighed, "you know that." When he looked up to meet Sasuke's accusatory gaze, he knew he'd have to give a more detailed explanation. "I had a salaried job lined up three hours away from home. What other choice did I have? Pass up the opportunity and move back home until I found another opportunity?"

"But you had loans to pay. Wouldn't that have been the smarter move?" Sasuke questioned.

Since they were pointing out the flaws in each other's logic, Itachi took his turn and stepped up to bat. "And you, don't have a salaried job lined up."

But Sasuke wasn't listening anymore. He was idly scrolling through his phone, completely disengaged from the conversation they were just having and stood up. "It's getting late; my friends are probably waiting for me. Later."

Itachi watched his brother's retreating back as he shrugged his jacket over his shoulders and took a bite of his long forgotten pasta.

"How're we doing, gentlemen—" Their server asked, stopping himself when he realized that one of the table's occupant's had left. "Are we finished here?" He asked instead, gesturing to Sasuke's abandoned plate. Itachi nodded slowly, his eyes transfixed on empty seat in front of him. "I'll bring your bill in a minute, but in the meantime, did you enjoy your meal?"

"Good." He replied in reference to the food itself.

"Spicy?" The server asked of the pasta which was coated in a spicy cream sauce.

His mouth was dry and his throat tingled, but not from the spices in his dish. "Yeah."

See? Now that the Uchiha siblings have been introduced (along with the tension that seems to ensue every time they get together), the story has picked up a pace a little bit, yeah?

Until next time!

~Sasori33-001