You can tell it's winter break can't you? I've got another week to crank out as many chapters as I can and I've got the outline for the next chapter ready to go!

Also, I realized that the "class schedule" document I had for the current semester of this story is outdated so I just came up with a new one day (despite there being a few weeks left of the school year. I hope that adds more structure to the story. That being said I had to change when Itachi and Kisame cook together because Itachi has a late class on Thursday nights. They still have time to study for statistics between classes but will cook on Tuesdays and Fridays instead.

BLURRED SPLOTCHES OF YELLOWS, PINKS AND BLUES bled into the night as they drove down the highway. Each day stretched longer and longer since daylight savings time resumed except when it rained. At four in the afternoon heavy rain clouds loomed close to the horizon stretching as far as the eye could see, obscuring the last shred of daylight. Not that there had been much sunlight to begin with but the sky had been a lot brighter than it was now.

Itachi reclined in the passenger seat, cradling a warm cup of coffee in his hands, watching the urban skyline phase into a long stretch of forest racing along the highway. Shark skin, Kisame told Itachi today, is characterized by its rough and slippery texture. It was an apt name for the man's gray mustang which cruised along the highway like a knife slicing butter yet ripping through the tiny puddles it came across.

"Did you have fun today?" Kisame asked, breaking the comfortable silence save for the soft sounds of the radio playing in the background.

"Hm-hm." Itachi nodded, still staring into the distance. After emerging from the shark chamber they made their way to the amphitheater to watch the dolphin show. Luckily for them they had plenty of time to spare before the next show started. That also meant, however, that there were a plethora of seats to choose from, including the splash row seats which Kisame was adamantly in favor of.

"A dash of cold water will do you some good." He said and Itachi was pretty sure that was a fact he'd made up in order to persuade him, not something he'd read from one of his texts.

"I've seen shows like this before." Itachi said. "Most people bring ponchos because they end up drenched when the show is over—" And when he spared a glance behind him he found Kisame stringing two brightly colored ponchos out of his bag like a magician pulls handkerchiefs from his sleeve. He slumped his shoulders in defeat. "You planned for this didn't you."

"Of course! I love dolphin shows!" He beamed and began putting the bright yellow poncho on over his head.

And there it was. That irresistible childish grin that made Itachi feel guilty if he gave any inclination of doubt or a negative answer.

So they compromised and sat in the splash row furthest from the tank. Of course they still got drenched. Those rows weren't labeled "splash row" if you felt a light drizzle at any point during the performance. Those rows were labeled for man children like Kisame who wanted to get a face full of water despite the rows of people sitting in front of them. By the end of the show Kisame's normally styled hair fell over his forehead in wavy tussles while Itachi's bangs stuck to his cheeks and dried in knotted waves that smelled like fish.

"I'm sorry about your shoes." Kisame apologized over and over again. Oh yeah. And their shoes and socks were soaked through too. How could Itachi ever forget? On a warm August day it wouldn't have been so bad but on a cold rainy day in April he might as well walked around the harbor barefoot for all it mattered. But Kisame genuinely felt bad for him and offered to pay for his lunch as a peace treaty. And just as Itachi couldn't say no to that crooked, innocent smile, Kisame's slumped shoulders and pouty lips crumbled his resolve as well.

They must have been quite the scene in the café earlier. Two men sharing a meal together, reeking of the aquarium looking like drowned rats. Not to mention the way Kisame insisted on taking Itachi's raincoat off for him before he sat down and draping it over the back of his chair with his own. "You're a sneaky one and I'm not taking any chances." He winked.

Itachi smiled at the memory and turned to look at his companion. "Kisame, I told you; it's fine. You've done more than enough to make up for it. It's no big deal."

He glanced at Itachi and clicked his teeth in the way a 50's idol winks at crowds of women fawning from the mosh pit below. "Would you do it again?"

"The splash zone?" He asked. "No, I'm quite content to watch from a distance thank you."

A contented sigh escaped from Kisame's lips. "As long as you had fun today. That's all that matters to me."

Thirty minutes later they pulled into campus where Kisame dropped Itachi off in front of his dorm. Before he could even unclasp his seatbelt Kisame was reaching into the backseat to return his raincoat.

"I could've gotten it myself, you know."

His response was the coat being tossed into his waiting arms and a slanted, dimpled smile. "I know." Kisame said. "Tell Deidara I said 'hi' okay?"

"I will." He smiled and turned to leave. "See you later, Kisame. Thanks for lunch!"

"Anytime, Itachi!" He called out. The red brake lights dimmed and Kisame sped off faster than the campus speed limit but if he got a ticket that was on him. Right now Itachi needed to get back to their room and track down Deidara so they could have dinner together.

As he walked down the glossy sidewalk muddied from footprints crossing the grass he thought of Kisame's question. "Have you ever asked yourself 'Do I like spending time with this person or do I feel like I owe them something?'"

And at the end of the day, if he was being perfectly honest with himself, Kisame was right. Deidara did make Itachi feel uncomfortable. Every interaction was terse and bordering on hostile and they never hung out like they used to. In fact, he wasn't so sure their relationship would ever be the same as it was last semester but he wasn't ready to hand in the towel yet. They didn't have to be best friends, or friends even. They just needed to be civil. Just like Deidara wanted. And sharing a meal every now and again seemed like a civil thing to do in Itachi's mind.

But Deidara wasn't in their room when he returned. The lights were off and there was no sign of the blonde. Itachi checked his phone to see if Deidara had responded to the text he sent him on the way back only to the greeted by the same sent unread message. "Want to grab dinner at the dining hall around 4:30 or 5?"

That was fifteen minutes ago.

He removed his raincoat, hung it in the closet, opened the blinds and sat on the bed with his back leaning against the wall. Deidara wasn't the best communicator he knew. It wouldn't surprise him if he came back and immediately busied himself with a new art project only for Itachi to ask if he read his text or not. And Deidara would say "What text, yeah?" pull out his phone and realize that he had not one, but several mixed texts from multiple people that he didn't know about. Or he would mentally respond back and text Itachi "Where are you?" from the dining hall shortly after five o'clock. That would be in character for him.

So Itachi waited.

Around 5:20 his phone lit up the darkened room with a new text from Deidara. "Went home for the weekend. Allergist appt."

That's right. The doctor recommended he see a specialist about what could be an alcohol allergy. He didn't know he'd scheduled that for this weekend. Then again, they never hung out over the weekend so why would Deidara tell him if he was going to be out?

He considered texting Kisame who had asked if he wanted to have dinner when they got back to campus but Itachi had already made up his mind to eat with Deidara. Although he didn't have any formal plans with his roommate he wanted to extend the offer while it was on his mind. Afterall, him and Kisame were spending an increasing amount of time together as of late, most of which was time spent sharing meals together anyways. If Kisame was hurt by his rejection, he didn't show it and Itachi was grateful that he understood.

"Should I text him?" He voiced aloud. No. Kisame probably made plans with one of his roommates when he got back. There was no sense in asking if he wanted to have dinner with him now.

And so he resolved to buy a tuna sandwich from the campus café so he could take it back to his room and eat. It wasn't often he got a weekend to himself and he fully intended to utilize his newfound solitude.

On Monday Kisame greeted Itachi in their usual lunch spot with a chicken tender and fry boat and a cup of ketchup and mayonnaise. "Your shoes look good."

"Thanks. I just got them laundered." He said dryly.

Kisame smiled and began to tear his chicken tenders apart in fashion in which he always began his meals. "That's good. They were starting to smell a little fishy if you ask me."

Itachi gave a soft snort and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I wonder why."

A devious chuckle was his response when Kisame switched the topic. "So how was dinner with Deidara? Was it everything you dreamed of and more?"

Itachi stirred his beef stroganoff absentmindedly. "We didn't have dinner. I didn't realize he went home for the weekend."

"Huh. So what'd you do for dinner then?"

"Grabbed a sandwich from the café and ate in my room." He answered.

"You could have told me. I would've joined you for dinner."

Itachi looked up to study Kisame's facial features but he was busy swirling a handful of fries in his ketchup mixture. Were his feelings hurt that Itachi hadn't accepted his dinner invitation Saturday?

"It was an hour after you left." He explained. "I assumed you had gotten dinner with your roommates or already ate."

Kisame still hadn't looked up to meet his gaze, fixated instead with shoveling French fries into his mouth. "Well you said you hadn't asked Deidara ahead of time so I waited in case he bailed on you." Came his quiet reply.

Itachi gave a short, uncomfortable laugh. "You didn't have to do that, Kisame. I fainted once in the six – ten months I've known you." He said, his voice growing smaller. "You don't have to coddle me and, besides, I don't mind eating alone you know. It's good to rest and recharge my social battery after a day of extroverting." It wasn't entirely true but it wasn't untrue either. While Itachi liked his solitude time spent with Kisame didn't feel like he was drawing on any social reserves either. When he hung out with Kisame he felt relaxed and free to be himself, even when he didn't possess the same social aptitude that most of his peers did in conversation. Kisame never seemed to mind. If he had something to say he'd no doubt say it and Itachi would listen and occasionally deposit his two cents to the conversation at hand. And when neither of them had anything to say they just enjoyed each other's company.

He only lied to spare his pride. Afterall, he didn't know that Kisame was waiting for his plans to fall through. In Itachi's mind, he saw himself as the lonely freshman clinging to the upperclassman who had a handful of friends and roommates he actually got along with. He didn't need the humiliation of Kisame or Zabuza mocking him for reaching out.

But when Kisame said nothing, instead looking up to meet his gaze with lifeless, tired eyes, Itachi realized how wrong he was. Kisame knew he was Itachi's only friend on campus and would likely drop whatever he was doing if it meant a chance to hang out some more before finals. He'd even suggested eating dinner together before they parted ways. What made him think so shallowly of the person he trusted the most?

"So how did you spend your weekend alone? After the aquarium." Kisame asked slowly and Itachi was grateful that he was changing the subject.

"If you're expecting me to say I threw a wild drinking party you would be incorrect." Itachi joked lightly, hoping to turn the conversation for the better.

Kisame cracked a smile and brought his drink to his lips. "Really? Cuz I could have sworn I heard the bass all the way from University Hall. You sure that wasn't your party?" He joked back.

"That was probably one of your neighbors." He said and felt better about the interaction. This was good. Maybe he was just reading into things too much. "Saturday night I read a book. Sunday I went to a café to put the finishing touches on a paper due this Thursday."

"I didn't know you studied at cafés."

"Hm-hm. I like the ambience."

"Nice! Which one do you usually go to?"

"I don't go to any particular one each time. This time I went to a music themed café downtown. Some people go bar hopping. I go café hopping so to speak." And when that didn't feel precise enough he added "I don't visit strings of cafés in one day. I like to try a new one as often as I can."

Kisame nodded in understanding. "Interesting. Huh. I didn't know that about you." He said and Itachi could see the gears turning behind those golden-brown eyes of his. "How often do you do that?"

"Every so often or when I'm craving something sweet." He answered.

Kisame held his drink to his mouth, the straw still pressed against his lips which upturned in a mischievous smile. "Am I hearing that someone's got a sweet tooth?"

There was a hunger behind his eyes that made Itachi's face heat under the intensity of his stare.

When Itachi remained silent he continued. "You don't eat French fries or other fried foods but you like sweets, eh? Interesting." He said, stroking his chin. "Very interesting."

Itachi opened his mouth and closed it, searching for the right comeback to Kisame's observations. "Contrary to what you believe I don't dislike the taste of fried foods. I just really like the taste of salad."

"And sugar apparently."

He was trapped. His cheeks were no doubt turning redder with every sentence that left Kisame's mouth and there was no getting around it. "Yes." He sighed in defeat. "I've had more cavities than I care to admit to and the last thing I need is high cholesterol from a diet of French fries and other fatty foods."

Kisame's breathing escaped his lips in short, ragged, victory ridden chuckles, causing his shoulders to shake and his grip to tighten on the cheap plastic cup in his hands. "You're funny Itachi." He said between wheezes. "And for the record, exercise can help combat high cholesterol."

"Of all the days to not order salad." Itachi thought bitterly, wishing he could stab something with his fork to force the blood in his cheeks to dispel. His stomach fluttered with embarrassment and more than anything he wished he could run away to the library and hide behind a book where no one would pay him any mind.

Out of the corner of his peripheral vision a student with bright dyed red hair appeared, turning his head to meet Itachi's gaze. Seeing Sasori at this hour was a rarity, especially when Itachi hadn't seen him in months. What was he doing here?

Sasori's dark brown eyes, lined with a heavy black eyeliner, looked from him to Kisame and back to him again. His lips curled in amusement and uttered a quiet "cute" before continuing on his way and turning the corner to the hallway that led to the restrooms.

He must have been in class since he wasn't wearing a bookbag or carrying an art tote like most art majors did when they were out and about. Still, his appearance did the trick nicely as Itachi wasn't blushing any longer.

Across from him Kisame was leaning across the table with a hand to his mouth and whispered "How much you wanna bet he practices K-POP dances in front of his mirror at night?"

The statement was so sudden and absurd that Itachi found himself laughing, actually laughing so hard that he threw his head back and had to take a deep breath to collect himself. "What makes you say that?" He asked. "The hair or the eyeliner?"

"Both." Kisame said and just like that both of them were doubled over in laughter. Itachi didn't notice when Sasori exited the bathroom and quite frankly he didn't give a damn if he saw them or not. He was just happy to be in the moment, laughing with Kisame without a care in the world.

That afternoon saw Deidara sitting cross legged on his bed, facing the wall with his head propped up on his elbow while the other hand sat poised with an orange highlighter over a thick textbook. He was so engrossed in his studies that he didn't so much as turn his head or even flinch when Itachi entered the room.

"It's just me." Itachi said by way of introduction.

Again, Deidara didn't move. "Who else would it be."

"H. H. Holmes."

"Am I supposed to know who that is, yeah?"

Itachi crossed the room in two short strides and set his messenger bag on his chair. "He was a man who lived during the late 1800s and is considered to one of the country's first serial killers."

"Great." Deidara mumbled against his palm. "Go ahead. Take me out. I won't fight back, yeah."

This was it. If Itachi wanted to make his pitch now was the time to do it before Deidara got annoyed with him for disrupting him any longer. "It's funny you should say that. I was actually wondering if you wanted to get dinner today since you were gone all weekend."

"Did you rehearse that or something?"

There was no hostility in his voice which was a good sign. "I ad-libbed it actually." He replied. "Anyways I just wanted to have dinner together like old times before the semester ends. And besides, it's good to take an occasional break from studying."

This caused Deidara to regard him with a curious eye. "Damn the world must be ending if you're saying shit like that, yeah."

Eye contact was good but he still wasn't getting a clear read on him yet. Logic never failed him before so it would have do now now. "How long have you been sitting like that?" He asked.

Deidara lifted his head and peeled his fist from his cheek, revealing a bright red imprint of four fingers. He looked down at his hand as if expecting the skin to be hanging off in torn swaths and swung his feet off the bed. "Okay. Point made. Let's go, yeah. Dining hall I take it?"

Itachi nodded. "If the dining hall is what you're in the mood for then so be it."

The blonde glanced at him skeptically and muttered an unintelligible grunt in response. Did Itachi act like that when he was interrupted from his studies? He made a mental note to look out for such behavior the next time was interrupted.

"The dining hall's fine, yeah." He eventually said and pulled his shoes on.

"So," Itachi started when they were both seated behind steaming plates of pasta, "how was your allergist appointment?"

Deidara shrugged and stirred at the spinach in his alfredo pasta. "It was fine, I guess. Apparently, alcohol has gluten in it which is what caused the reaction in the first place, yeah."

"Do you have a gluten intolerance?" Itachi asked.

Deidara nodded. "Yeah."

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Well that would do it, Deidara."

"I know that now thank you Itachi." He said in a tone much higher than his normal speaking tone. If he wasn't aggravated with Itachi for interrupting them in their room he certainly was now for stating the obvious.

"Sorry." Itachi mumbled and pulled apart his pita wrap. "How did your cousin take it?" He asked knowing that part of the reason it took Deidara so long to schedule an appointment was because he was worried about his cousin's reaction. To find out about an allergy to an ingredient in alcohol in a controlled setting once Deidara was of age was one thing. To find out about it as a result of underage drinking at a college party was another thing altogether.

Deidara's eyes widened slightly as if he were surprised that Itachi even remembered that conversation. Nevertheless he answered "She was cool with it. Actually her reaction was a lot like yours. 'Dumbass. Of course alcohol has gluten in it which I would have told you about when you hit twenty-one!' But she figured I'd learn the hard way sooner than later cuz I've never been much of a rule follower, yeah." He said.

Itachi gave Deidara a warm smile. This is how things used to be between them. Casual conversation about their respective lives with the occasional lighthearted jab at the other's ego. Maybe they could make this a regular occurrence? Eating dinner together once a week or so before the school year ended?

"What?" Deidara asked.

Itachi shook himself from his thoughts and took a minute to replay Deidara's question. "Oh nothing. I was just thinking that this is nice."

"What's nice?"

"This." He said, gesturing to their plates. "Talking like we used to. Sometimes you feel like a stranger and I know I'm at fault for causing you to drift away."

Deidara frowned and held up his hand. "Stop right there." He said. "Sorry Itachi but I need to set some boundaries here."

Okay? This was new. Him and Kisame were just talking about boundaries the other day and here Deidara was taking the initiative to put some in place. "Okay. I'm listening."

"Good. I know you feel bad about what happened in February. I do too but I got over it and you should too. Things aren't going to be exactly the same as they were last semester and you need to stop going out of your way to try to make it that way, yeah." He sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Talking in our room is fine because we're roommates and there's literally nowhere else go to yeah. And I wanted to say this earlier but me out for dinner is too much, yeah."

Itachi blinked in confusion, trying to process all of the information that was just presented to him. "Hold on. I thought you wanted a civil relationship before the semester ended."

"I do but like 'how is Kisame doing?' or 'Do I need to kick his ass for you?' That sort of thing. You can't deny that you can slice through the tension in our room with a butter knife, yeah. It's awkward and I wanna make it less awkward but…" He growled in annoyance and pushed back his chair. Before Itachi knew it he was walking around the side of the table to whisper something in his ear. "If you're gonna invite me out to dinner you gotta fuck me first." He said and promptly sat back down. "Are we clear?"

Itachi had to cover his mouth with a napkin to avoid spitting the out the noodles he was starting to chew. "I'm pretty sure that's now how that works." He mumbled whilst dabbing at the red sauce staining his lips. He was fairly certain that the first step in any relationship was "dinner and a movie" and any sexual acts came afterwards.

Deidara rolled his eyes and exhaled. "Look. What I'm trying to say is I don't want things to be awkward between us but let me go at my own pace, okay? If I wanna invite you out to dinner let me do it on my time because this" he gestured to Itachi and then back to himself, "feels like more than 'being civil' yeah."

Okay. Itachi was starting to understand what he was trying to say now that he worded it normally. Yes, a part of him was concerned that Deidara actually wanted him to "fuck him" but he had to trust the blonde if they were to rebuild any sort of friendly foundation so he bit his tongue. He'd been quick to try to repair their relationship in what little time that they had left together that he didn't consider Deidara's feelings first. Even when Deidara and Kisame had made it clear that he needed time and space to process what had happened and sort out his feelings Itachi still trudged on.

Social awareness. That was something he needed to work on going forward. "Thanks for telling me that Deidara. I'm sorry I didn't ask you first and I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable." Say you're sorry and explain why. Check and check.

"Don't shweat it." Deidara said through a mouthful of pasta. As he finished chewing he extended a hand across the table. "Let's make a deal to respect each other's boundaries, yeah. You know where I stand and if there's anything I'm doing that you don't like just give it to me straight. I might get mad but what can I say? I'm a Taurus, yeah."

Itachi quickly wiped his hands on a napkin and extended his own to shake Deidara's. "It's a deal. And you said Taurus? When's your birthday?"

"May fifth and no I don't want you to do anything for me, yeah." He said and rose from his chair. "Was I not clear the first time, yeah? If you want to take me to dinner—"

Itachi hurriedly waved his hands in front of him. "I heard you loud and clear the first time, trust me."

Deidara smirked and sat back down and it was then that Itachi noticed his empty plate. When he managed to scarf down all that food when Itachi himself had half a plate left was beyond his understanding. Now that Deidara was finished eating and had made his point very clear he expected the blonde to take his leave. Instead, he looked up to meet his gaze and said "You know, Itachi? After almost a year of being at college you have the social capacity of a cactus."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He asked. "Are you saying I'm prickly?"

Deidara nodded. "Yes and no. It's a compliment because when you got here you had the social capacity of a brick."

He supposed a cactus had a higher social capacity than a brick simply for the fact that it was a living organism and bricks were made of clay which were a mix of particles from the earth and water to create a solid. Nevertheless, he failed to understand where Deidara was going with this.

"I used to cringe every time you called something gay "homosexual" because you know that's actually more offensive than saying something's gay right?"

Itachi nodded sullenly. "My younger brother enlightened me on that one. Sorry about that."

"It's fine. You live and you learn and I'm proud of you, yeah."

This was different and definitely not what Itachi was expecting him to say.

"Whether you realize it or not you've grown a lot this year. You're starting to understand and accept LGBT+ culture, you're setting boundaries, and you're learning from others, yeah." He said as he gathered he gathered his crumpled napkin and silverware and stacked them on his plate. "Keep up the good work, yeah." He said and gave Itachi a light pat to the shoulder.

And without another word or a formal goodbye he made a bee-line to the trash and disappeared into the crowd of students coming in and going out.

"And you, Deidara, are as dramatic as always." He smiled to himself before collecting his own trash. Talk about making things awkward. How was he supposed to return to their room after hearing a sentiment like that? Was Deidara going to regard him with smug glances for the rest of the night? Would he be waiting for Itachi to have some grand revelation upon his return?

But Deidara was not there when we returned to their room much to Itachi's relief. "He's probably hanging out with Sasori." He mused.

Kisame had a late class on Monday evenings so he'd have to wait until tomorrow at lunch to talk to him about his peculiar dinner date with Deidara if you could even call it that. "If you want to take me to dinner you're gonna have to fuck me first." He thought, replaying Deidara's words back in his mind. His throat tightened and his cheeks burned with embarrassment. He could only imagine Kisame's guttural laugh once he told him that.

"Well that's one way to put it! I might have to start saying that!" Itachi could hear him saying.

His stomach coiled uncomfortably, causing him to exhale through his mouth in frustration? Perhaps not. He couldn't pinpoint exactly how he was feeling; only that he knew he needed to distract himself with something. So he pulled his bookbag into his lap and sifted through its contents for his academic planner. Crossing off assignments on his to-do list always cleared his head when something was nagging at the back of his mind. With finals coming up and being a double major he had more than enough on his plate to keep himself occupied for the rest of the night.

Still, Deidara had said one thing that he wanted to remember: "You've grown a lot this year."

Despite the drama, the tension, the fights and the arguments it seemed he'd done something right. And that made him smile.