Author's Note: I never thought I'd make it to the 100,000 word count club and yet here I am and there are more chapters to come! There is only one more month left before final exams in this story so I don't know how many more chapters are to come but this certainly isn't the last of them! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews that help me find the inspiration to write! I'm truly grateful.

This chapter, which is a continuation of the last chapter, takes place on Monday, March 28th, 2017 to give you some perspective.

Enjoy!

KISAME WAS RIGHT WHEN he said that the nearest hospital was less than five minutes away from where they were at. Although Itachi wasn't paying close attention to the illuminated time on Kisame's dashboard it was likely that they made it there in five. Finding a place to park was another story, however.

"Where's the emergency room?" Kisame asked in a quiet voice, more so to himself than to any of the other passengers in the car.

"You drove past it when we came in, yeah."

Itachi turned in his seat. "You shouldn't be talking, Deidara."

"I think you're overreacting, yeah." He muttered and slunk further into his seat.

Itachi watched him for a few seconds more, scrutinizing his roommate's appearance for physical symptoms but at this hour it was nearly impossible to tell unless they were passing under an overhead light. When it was evident that Deidara was going to take his advice, he turned to face forward again. "I think the emergency room is down that way, Kisame." He said, pointing to his right.

"I know but how do I get there? That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"If you drop us off right here we can walk there while you find a spot." Itachi suggested and unbuckled his seatbelt.

Kisame nodded and pulled up to the nearest sidewalk. "I'll meet you guys in a few, 'kay?"

As soon as the words left his mouth Itachi had hopped onto the pavement and shut the door behind him with Deidara following close behind. Once Deidara was by his side, the roar of Kisame's engine sounded as he drove away in search of a place to park.

"Do you still feel lightheaded?" Itachi asked.

"Kinda, yeah." Deidara whispered. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and brought his shoulders up to his ears. "But then again I'm not used to sitting in the back seat of people's cars you know?"

"Yeah." Itachi agreed. Kisame wasn't a bad driver but his turns and habit of weaving in and out of traffic left a lot to be desired. "Are you still able to breathe okay?"

"Yeah, Itachi. I'm fine. I'm breathing. My throat kinda hurts but I can breathe just fine." He said and focused his gaze to the sidewalk before them.

"Let me know if you can't and I'll let someone know, okay?"

"'Kay."

The entrance to the emergency room turned out to be a short walk from where Kisame dropped them off and faced the street they'd turned into just as Deidara had said. Once inside, Itachi directed Deidara to take a seat while he spoke with the receptionists about his roommate's condition. Every now and again he would point to where the blond slouched in his chair with the lower half of his face buried in the collar of his university sweater and eyes gazing into the distant space before him. By the time Itachi returned to his side to take a seat Kisame strode through the double doors with a smile and a wave and sat on Deidara's other side.

Within a few minutes a woman dressed in white scrub pants and a navy top approached the trio and asked Deidara to follow her to an examination room.

"Good luck, kid!" Kisame called after him.

Deidara looked back over his shoulder, perhaps to say something or make a face, but became distracted by the woman in the scrubs asking him questions.

All the while Itachi sat and watched until the two disappeared down a hallway. Only when they were out of sight did he lean back in his chair and rest his head against the wall with a long inhale and exhale.

"He'll be fine." Kisame assured him with a gentle tap on the back of the hand. "You did the right thing and he's in good hands now."

"Yeah." Itachi breathed and sat forward once more.

"You're concerned about him I see." Kisame noted.

What was that supposed to mean? "Of course I'm concerned about him, Kisame—"

"It shows you care."

"Of course I care! What would have happened if I hadn't noticed and he'd gone into anaphylactic shock when we returned back? Then what?"

"I understand." He said calmly. "But what I'm trying to say is your concern shows Deidara that you still care about him."

Itachi stared into the Kisame's light brown eyes trying to search for a deeper meaning in his words. Surely he was missing something but what? "Things aren't so bad that I wouldn't show my concern for his wellbeing in a situation like this."

"I know that. And now Deidara knows that too." He said ever so calmly. "Seeing you so worried about him might make it easier for him to talk to you or hear you out whenever you decide to talk about things." He said with a shrug. "You never know."

Itachi understood what he was saying now. And Kisame seemed to sense that when he didn't press the matter further.

"By the way," Kisame started, the tone of his voice higher and more cheerful, "how did you know he was allergic to alcohol?"

He released the breath he was holding. "When you've consumed something you're allergic to you tend to feel unwell." Itachi explained. "You may feel sick to your stomach, your throat may burn, the inside of your mouth may become irritated or itchy. In some cases, people develop hives or skin irritation though it's usually more severe by then."

Kisame's eyes were wider than Itachi had ever seen them. He opened and closed his mouth as if to formulate a sentence but the words he wanted to say wouldn't come out. "I mean…how did you…how did you know that though? He was in the back seat and you didn't even know what he did at that party did you? Or did I miss something?"

Itachi considered it for a moment and shrugged. "He didn't look well and was scratching his throat. I didn't know he could be allergic to anything and for all I know maybe he's not. Better safe than sorry."

This didn't appease Kisame's quest for answers as he still sat staring at Itachi in disbelief. "But even I wouldn't have thought he was allergic to something if I had seen him scratching his throat! How did you—"

Itachi averted his gaze to the tile floor beneath his feet. "My younger brother is allergic to cherries." He said. Out of the corner of his eye Kisame seemed to relax his posture. "So I know what an allergic reaction to food looks like."

"I see." Kisame whispered. "But how did you know you could be allergic to alcohol? I mean I know people can be allergic to food like peanuts and shellfish and all that but alcohol? How did you know that?"

A shy smile played at the corner of Itachi's lips. The answer was a simple one but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell him or not. After a moment of thought, he answered "I like to research odd things in my spare time."

Kisame's look of inquiry slowly morphed into one of amusement. The corners of his mouth upturned and spread to reveal that characteristic grin he always wore and he chuckled lightly. "Somehow…I'm not surprised, Itachi."

Still smiling, Itachi turned away. "I know. It's strange."

"It's very strange but it's very you." He said and patted Itachi on the shoulder. "But it's good to know, you know? I'm just glad that I'm not allergic to alcohol!" He laughed.

Half an hour had passed when the woman from before returned without Deidara. Itachi was the first to speak. "How is he?"

"Are you his roommate?" She asked.

He promptly rose to his feet. "Yes."

"Well it's a good thing that you brought him here. He was definitely suffering from a reaction to something." She said. "We gave him an epi-pen to reduce the swelling but we can't conclude what he's allergic to yet."

"Okay."

"You did the right thing bringing him here and there is a definite possibility that he could be allergic to alcohol in general but we'd like to recommend that he visit an allergist for a more conclusive result. You see, sometimes people who appear to be allergic to alcohol are really allergic to one of the many ingredients contained in alcohol such as grapes, wheat or barley to name a few. There's many more out there."

"I understand."

"He should be fine but should he report any symptoms of any sort don't hesitate to bring him back, okay?"

Itachi nodded. "Of course."

"An allergist would be able to better determine if he's allergic to one of the ingredients in the beverage he consumed or if he suffers from an intolerance to alcohol which is less fatal than an allergy to alcohol altogether you see."

"Where's he at?" Kisame interjected. "Can we see him? Can he go home?"

The nurse nodded. "Yes, you can take him home. Just keep an eye on him tonight, okay?"

"Of course. Thank you." Itachi said to her.

The woman smiled and turned, gesturing for the two to follow behind. She lead them into a large room sectioned off by blue curtains and walked them over to where Deidara was sitting on a bed draped with white linens, his legs hanging over the edge and his hands folded in his lap. When he saw Itachi and Kisame he smiled and quickly glanced back down at the floor again.

"Deidara, you're free to go home now." The nurse told him. "Take it easy and let your roommate know if you're feeling unwell, alright?"

"Thanks, yeah." He said but did not meet Itachi's eyes. "Will do."

"Ready to hit the road, blondie?"

Deidara nodded.

"If you two wanna wait here I'll go get the car. I parked on the other side of the building." Kisame offered.

"My legs aren't broken." Deidara told him. "I can walk."

"You should take it easy." Itachi cautioned him.

"He couldn't figure out how to find the entrance to the E.R. what makes you think he can do it now? We'll be here all night, yeah."

"Kid's got a point." Kisame chuckled.

Itachi didn't agree but he was outnumbered two against one. Kisame wasn't sure how to find the entrance to the E.R and Deidara claimed that he was well enough to walk so Itachi followed behind while Kisame led the march across the parking lot.

"Will you two be okay tonight?" Kisame asked from within his car parked just outside Itachi and Deidara's building. "Because you can crash at my place. Deidara can have the bed, you can sleep on the couch if you want and I can sleep on the floor or something it's no big deal."

"I think we'll be fine." Itachi glanced at Deidara.

"Thanks for the offer though yeah. And thanks for the ride, Kisame."

"Anytime." The upperclassman smiled when his eyes suddenly became unfocused and his cheery grin quickly faded. "Itachi your stuff is still in my room do you want me to bring it over for you?"

Itachi felt the weight of Deidara's eyes on him just then. "It's fine. I have my wallet and my keys. I don't think I brought anything else with me."

"What about your calculator?"

"It can wait until I see you again, Kisame." He said. "It's not important right now. I won't need it tonight."

Kisame nodded, his grin restored. "Maybe we can meet up again tomorrow night? Do you have anything going on?"

Itachi shook his head. "I don't think so."

"I'll text you."

"Sounds good Kisame. Thank you again for driving us to the hospital."

"Anytime, Itachi." He smiled and rolled up the window.

Without a word the pair turned in the direction of their dormitory while Kisame drove in the opposite direction to his apartment. The walk back to the room was spent in collective silence, much to Itachi's surprise. He knew that Deidara was watching his interactions with Kisame a few moments ago and wondered what he thought they were doing before they picked him up at that house party. Surely nothing inappropriate if a calculator was involved but he could feel the weight of the blond's eyes on him as if he were being studied and wondered if Kisame had felt it too. Probably not.

"How are you feeling?" Itachi asked once they were behind closed doors.

Deidara dragged his feet over to his bed, turned and let himself fall onto the mattress. "I feel fine, yeah." He said. "I promise I would tell you if I didn't."

Itachi bit the inside of his cheek and nodded. There was a hint of annoyance in Deidara's voice that he couldn't quite place. Was he annoyed by Itachi's constant questioning or was something else bothering him he wondered. Would it worsen their relationship if he simply asked or should he just explain what he and Kisame were doing prior to picking him up? Or should he remain silent?

He wasn't sure so he decided to stall for time and turned to his dresser. "I'll be back. I'm going to get ready for bed."

"Itachi?"

Itachi turned to meet Deidara's gaze. The blond was sitting up now and staring directly into his eyes for the first time in what felt like ages. Itachi had nearly forgotten just how blue Deidara's eyes actually were it had been so long. "Yes?"

"Thanks for picking me up tonight, yeah."

He felt himself relax slightly. "You're welcome, Deidara." He said and turned back to his dresser. A thank you was a start. It'd likely take some time for them to have a normal conversation again but at least they were talking to one another. It was a start.

"I'm sorry, yeah."

Itachi turned to face Deidara again, perplexed and eager to hear what more Deidara had to say this time. "For what?"

He fixated his gaze at the checkered carpet, his fingers fiddling in his lap. "For calling you tonight." He told him. "I know how you feel about parties and alcohol but I-I honestly didn't know who else to call, yeah. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Itachi said in a voice just above a whisper. "I'm glad you called me. I'm glad I could help."

And he would leave it at that. There was no need to say anything further. He had several questions of course. Who threw the party, how did Deidara know them, why did he feel the need to take a drink in the first place, how long had he waited to call Itachi and many more. As much as he wanted to know these answers, to hear them from Deidara himself, he knew it would only cause more conflict between them and it stood to reason that they had argued far too much this year already. It would do neither of them any good to have yet another with only a month before final exams.

What Deidara chose to do in his free time was none of Itachi's business and thus the questions playing at the back of his mind would remain unanswered.

Some things, Itachi learned, were simply better left unsaid if it meant maintaining what little peace existed between them.

He was about to leave it at that and get ready for bed like he said he was going to. Yet his arms refused to open the drawer to his dresser and there he felt a sense of unease. A sort of tension swirling between him and Deidara, who had not made a sound within the past minute and a half.

It was then that Kisame's words of advice floated to the surface of his memory. "…if it's bothering you that much I'd suggest talking to him at night when he can't escape or go somewhere else you know?"

Now was the perfect moment to voice what he had been on his mind for the past month now. The things he felt he needed to say to Deidara and the things he most wanted for Deidara to hear that he had refused to listen to until now.

"I'm sorry too."

"Why are you sorry yeah?"

Itachi turned to face his roommate, inhaled and glanced upwards to meet Deidara's eyes. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you over the past month and a half."

Deidara regarded him with steady eyes devoid of emotion.

When he said nothing, Itachi continued. "After Shisui died," he paused, "after Shisui died I was a mess. You did your best to comfort me and I snapped at you. A simple misunderstanding quickly escalated and created a strain in our relationship and I know I should have handled it better." He said. "I realize that none of this serves as a proper excuse and I know this apology is long overdue but I needed time to realize what I did was wrong. Once I realized my mistake I could never find the time to talk to you. You were either running late to class or hanging out with friends and you probably didn't want to hear me out and I understand. I understand completely."

Deidara's eyes softened slightly. His chin, which was pointed towards when Itachi started his apology had lifted slightly. Maybe Itachi's words were having a positive effect on the blond. Or maybe Deidara was waiting for his chance to give it back to him. To say what was truly in his mind and heart over the past month.

But before he could hear Deidara out there was one last thing Itachi needed to say. "I know this probably won't change things between us, Deidara." He said softly and looked to meet Deidara's eyes. "But I wanted you to know that I'm truly sorry for what I did. I'm truly sorry."

The room was silent. Deidara was staring at the window. The blinds were closed and there was nothing to see but he looked as though he wanted to leave. To be anywhere but here. "I forgive you, yeah." He finally said.

Itachi blinked in surprise.

"And I'm sorry for what I did too. The things I said, yeah."

"You don't have to apologize, Deidara, really. I—"

Deidara held up a hand to silence him. "Itachi. You had your chance to say what you needed to say. Now it's my turn, yeah."

Itachi nodded in compliance. Deidara was right. He had his turn. Now it was Deidara's time to speak.

Clearing his throat, Deidara reiterated his earlier statement. "I'm sorry for what I did too. You were in a vulnerable place and I took advantage of that – of you – because I was tired of waiting, yeah. I thought I knew what I was doing. I thought I knew you but it turns out I didn't. At least, not in that moment, yeah. I was only trying to help but I made things so much worse for you and you didn't deserve that, yeah."

"Deidara…"

"Let me finish, yeah." He commanded with determined eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. "You were right. You had a lot on your plate with Shisui and everything and kissing you probably only made things ten times worse. I understand why you said the things you said and I can understand why you needed time, yeah."

Deidara flicked his bangs to briefly reveal his other eye but the fringe quickly fell back into place. Itachi, who had been staring intently at Deidara throughout the duration of the blond's apology, was still staring at him and Deidara could tell he wanted to say something.

"I'm sorry." The two said in unison.

Itachi's eyes widened as did Deidara's. The latter relaxed slightly and smiled. "We cool now?"

"Yes."

"Cool." Deidara grinned and looked around the room for something. "Shit! I left my sketchbook at Sasori's apartment! Shit!"

Having said what needed to be said, Itachi pulled open the drawers of the small dresser in search of something to wear to bed while Deidara swore and shifted around the room in search for another sketchbook most likely. "After what happened tonight," Itachi voiced, "are you going to continue hanging out with him?

The shifting stopped. "With Sasori yeah?"

Itachi nodded.

"Probably yeah."

A month ago Itachi probably would have argued with him. He would have listed the reasons why he thought Sasori was a bad influence and why it would be in Deidara's best interest to cut ties with him. In fact, he already had. But it wasn't his place to tell Deidara how to live his life. Especially when they had just reconciled less than a minute ago.

Behind him Deidara exhaled. "I went to a party with Sasori and a bunch of other art majors. Yeah, there was alcohol and yeah, I know there's a million reasons why you don't approve but everybody was drinking. Not just Sasori."

"I know." Itachi admitted softly but that wasn't what he was concerned about.

"You can't blame him for not driving me home, yeah. His judgement was clouded. That's all."

You wouldn't be in this situation if you didn't hang out with him, Itachi wanted to say. "Do you still like him?"

A curt laugh resonated throughout the room. "You don't beat around the bush, do you Itachi?" He laughed. "I still find Sasori attractive if that's what you're asking, yeah. But if you're asking me if I still want to hook up with him the answer is no, yeah."

"Really?" All this time Itachi believed Deidara was spending time with Sasori because he wanted to pursue a relationship with him.

A wistful look clouded Deidara's features as he glanced off into the distance. "Don't get me wrong, yeah. I wanted to. For a while. But he's honestly he's a fuckboy. One minute he's over Sakura and never wants to speak to her again. The next he's talking about getting back together with her again and it's not for me. I'm happy being just friends for now, yeah."

Itachi glanced in Deidara's direction. The blond's eyes held a sense of yearning for a relationship with the upperclassman but the somberness air around him confirmed that it probably wouldn't happen anytime soon. "I just don't want to see him hurt you again, Deidara." He offered.

"Is that your blessing, yeah?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Sure."

Deidara pulled his fingers into a fist and smiled victoriously as though Itachi's approval was all that mattered to him. Whether it really did or not Itachi did not know, nor did he think to ask. "I know you don't approve of him, yeah." Deidara said. "But you and I are two different people, yeah. It would be weird if we hung out with the same type of people, you know?"

This was true. Artists were unpredictable, wild, and chaotic in Itachi's opinion. They had a sense of organization that made sense only to themselves and others just like them. Deidara claimed to know exactly where everything on his side of the room was located – that he had an organized system, but all Itachi could see was clutter and trash. It's not trash yeah – it's scrap paper! Deidara had once told him. I could use that in the future and save a tree or something, yeah! It still looked like trash and it took every bit of Itachi's willpower not to throw it in the garbage each week.

But if Deidara's "type" were artists, what did that make Itachi's type? Bookworms? Kisame, arguably Itachi's closest friend, was by no means a bookworm. In fact, the upperclassman didn't share any trait that Itachi would use to describe himself.

"Let's make a deal, yeah." Deidara proposed.

"I'm listening."

"I won't nag you about the people you choose to hang out with if you don't nag me about the people that I choose to hang out with. Does that sound fair, yeah?"

Itachi considered this for a moment. If he agreed to this, he would have to keep his opinions about Sasori to himself from now on. On the flipside, Deidara couldn't comment on his relationship with Kisame anymore which would be a weight off his shoulders. "Alright." He agreed. "But if he hurts you like he did on homecoming I won't keep quiet."

"Okay, yeah!" Deidara laughed. "You're so overprotective!"

Itachi ignored the comment.

"One more thing, yeah!"

Itachi rubbed at his eyes and turned to face him. At this rate he'd never get to bed at a decent time. It was already going on half past eleven but luckily his first class wasn't until 10am tomorrow morning. "Yes?"

"You asked me if I liked Sasori. I think it's only fair that I should be able to ask you the same." He said. "After today I promise I won't bother you about it again, yeah."

"Okay." He hadn't considered the possibility that Deidara would ask him this but he should have. And he had a feeling he knew what he was going to ask.

"Do you like Kisame?"

The answer was a simple one. "I like him only as a friend." He answered "Nothing more, nothing less."

The answered seemed satisfactory enough for Deidara who gave him a friendly "okay" in return and resumed searching for whatever it was he had been looking for earlier. "It's getting late, yeah. You should probably get ready for bed."

"Yeah." Itachi conceded, grabbed a shirt and a pair of flannel pants and quietly exited the room. As he walked down the hallway he replayed his answer to Deidara's question over in his head. I like him only as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. And that was the truth. If it weren't for Kisame's insistence to help him pass his classes, the two wouldn't be as close as they were.

Kisame was a junior and Itachi was a freshman. Next year Kisame would be in his last year and Itachi would be in his second. If Kisame had no need for his tutelage, would the two still hang out with one another? Or would they drift apart?

The thought tugged at the corner of Itachi's mind. He questioned the validity of their friendship if all they ever did was work through math equations and recite the Just War Theory. Even if they drifted apart, Itachi was confident that they would still share lunch or dinner every now and again and the occasional French fry/frosty combination that Kisame was so fond of.

We'll still be friends. Itachi told himself. Nothing more, nothing less.

But no matter how often he told himself this he felt guilty. As if he were telling some sort of lie. But it was the truth. Itachi spent his time with Kisame tutoring him and from this they had developed a friendship.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

What do you think? Is he lying to himself?

I'm currently drafting plans for the next chapter but I want to think through where I want to go next with this story and how I want to do it. The last two chapters were riveting I thought and I don't want to let you down with a chapter where nothing interesting happens. That's no fun.

Until next time!

~Itachi's Husband

P.S. Did anyone catch the story's title within this chapter? It's not word for word but you'd know it if you saw it!