Atami – III
Summary: Atami belongs to us.
A/N: Happy Easter!
I sweep him back into the room and we make love in an all new feeling. I don't regret repeating my feelings for him with every kiss, every thrust. His low moans that he had earlier hidden behind his hand or into his pillow, spill freely in the room.
We doze off once again, waking sometime around nine. I gaze lovingly at him, my fingers slowly trailing across his soft skin. It's the first time I've had this man all to myself for the whole expanse of the night and I want to enjoy this treat of just having him in my arms. A part of me wonders when I'll get my next chance to be one with this man. The mere thought of having to part at the end of the day feels like it's going to crush me. He stirs slowly, his amazingly long eyelashes fluttering once before he turns his head and looks at me. A slow smile works up his face when he glances at me. His hand moves around for his phone, finding it lying next to the futon. One look at the time and Itachi shoots out like a bolt and regrets it instantly when he stumbles. My chuckle is unplanned. The glare he shoots me could destroy the planet but makes me grin some more. I crawl over to his side of the bed in all my naked glory and bend down to help him. I laugh when he glares at me as he rubs his back angrily. "Sorry but I'm not sorry," I shrug when he doesn't say anything. He just fumes and eyes my hand venomously. "Either you take my hand or I lift you up," I shrug again, knowing how much he dislikes the idea of it. He may play his Showa lady to perfection but he's a man through and through. I smirk at him. "Three…two…one!"
He grabs my hand instinctively and I laugh some more. Then he pulls me to him. My left hand supports my weight as I stop myself from crushing him. His eyes move up to mine.
"This is how I imagined you'd wake me up," he says, running a finger down my cheek.
I push back a lock of his hair from his face. "This is how I would have if you hadn't shot up like that," I rub my nose to his.
Itachi's eyes slide away. "I haven't slept till this late in years and so…"
"It's alright. We can always redo the whole thing," I say, lifting him up till his front fits perfectly to mine. I place him gently on the bed and climb over him.
Liquid coals look back at me. "Hi," his soft voice makes my heart beat in a crazy tandem.
"Hi," I say, smiling at him. "Sleep well?" I ask him.
He nods. "You?"
"Very much." I bite my lip as I look at him. "Does it hurt too much? Should we extend our stay for tonight?" I try not to let the eagerness bleed. I don't want us stepping out of this room, ever.
Itachi sees the greed in my eyes. "I wish we could," he palms my cheek almost wistfully. "But I think I'll be fine in some time," he smiles at me. "Next trip, I promise I'll be better prepared," he leaves that suggestion open.
Hearing thoughts of a future plan with this man, takes me to high heavens. "And I promise to help you with the curriculum," he snorts loudly against my neck.
"I'll be in your care, sensei," his cheeky voice makes me bend down and nip his skin.
He giggles in delight.
We plan the whole day over breakfast, seeing as we have to go back before nightfall. I know it is because he'll grow anxious over his son. I can understand his concern. I miss the little tyke too. Maybe one day we three will go to an amusement park or a trip somewhere. Visiting the Universal Studios in Osaka sounds awesome but Kiyoshi is too young for it. Maybe we could hit some kids park. I bet Kiyoshi will love it! My daydreams today have no end in sight.
"And then we can take the bullet train at three," Itachi's voice brings me back from my wayward thoughts. I must have smiled because his brow slightly knits when he looks at me. "What is it?" he asks.
"Does Kiyoshi like water parks?" I ask.
His frown deepens when he looks at me. "Yes," he looks completely confused now. "But where the hell did that come from?" he eyes me funnily.
"Just something that sprang to mind. Don't pay it any attention," I wave it off. "So we'll have to leave here after two, right?" I bring us back, focusing on this. "We could eat lunch late and then catch the train?" I hate the thought of having to part from him.
Itachi nods. "I thought so too," he says. "We'll get there by six," he says, eyeing his watch again.
It's eleven-thirty and I mentally calculate the hours we have together. I'm determined not to waste them at any cost. "Let's leave here quickly and go do some shopping!" I tell him.
"Is that really a gay thing?" Itachi asks me, raising his brows.
I raise my own back at him. "Don't all men shop? Or are we stereotyping our community now?" I ask him.
He chuckles. "Ah, I'm a member too now, aren't I? he laughs and then halts abruptly. "Was that offensive?"
"Maybe…" I eye him coquettishly.
He's on the defensive in an instant. "I didn't mean to offend you!" his raises his arms, clearly looking uncomfortable. "Am I not supposed to make jokes like this?"
I shrug. I'm not particularly sensitive to getting stereotyped. I just want to enjoy making him squirm. "I mean we did come all the way here, not buying souvenirs would be a waste."
"Don't you have enough keepsakes already?" his eyes move down to the band-aid on my neck. Throes of passion led to me getting marked and had he not insisted on sticking something on it, I'd have worn it like my favorite accessory for the world to see.
"I don't think I can ever have enough of Atami," I tell him honestly. "I feel like it belongs to us."
Itachi puts down his tea cup and eyes me for a second. "That sounds nice," he smiles. "Atami belonging to us," he looks at me excitedly. "Let's come here again!" he remarks, caught up in the moment.
"Anything you want," I tell him sincerely. We smile at each other like a bunch of cheesy first-time lovers. I sneak a look around the quaint café we're seated in and take his hand in mine. "So what's famous here?" I ask him conversationally, fighting the urge to kiss him.
"Hmm, let's see…we have the red bean manju, the longevity manju, the bitter orange manju." He counts them off his fingers. "There may be more varieties but these are all I can think about."
I laugh. "If I eat all of them, I'm going to start looking like a manju myself."
He laughs as well. "Wouldn't you look cute as a manju," he muses aloud.
I place my other elbow on the table and rest my head on it. "I'd look cute anyway. Bet I'd be delicious too!" I tell him. He flicks me on my forehead. I clutch it and glare at him. "Why would you do that?" I ask him.
He looks at me for a long moment. "I couldn't deny it. That pissed me off," he finally grumbles.
I just laugh. "I wish you were a manju. I'd just eat you up in one bite."
His eyes darken. "Uh-huh?" he raises a slim eyebrows at me. "Should I add cannibalistic tendencies to your list as well?"
I laugh, not knowing where this train of morbid humor comes from. "Maybe? Are you sure you know what you've signed up for?" I ask him, my tone as morbid as his humor.
"Getting eaten in a bite it seems," he chuckles.
"God, you'd be tasty!" I lick my lips.
"Should I be scared now?" he asks, his tone light, almost conversational. "And here I thought you hung on my every word," he looks at me with disappointment.
"Uh-huh?" a frown flits across my brows. "What'd I miss?"
He smiles that sinister Akatsuki Itachi smile at me. "You forgot where I come from."
Fuck!
"Touché," I smirk at him and he lets out a burst of laughter and then we begin laughing like idiots a second later. Several people around us turn towards us to see.
But we, we just laugh for each other.
After breakfast, we stroll around the town, hand-in-hand. I don't remember whose hand found whose first, but ever since the warmth of his hand enveloped mine, I haven't let go of it. We've left our luggage in the coin lockers at the station so we could roam around hands free, just so I could hold his hand just like this. I've dragged him to every souvenir shop we've crossed and we've tried on every single trinket there is, grinning and taking goofy pictures of each other. He keeps making me buy different flavored manju and I buy each one of them. I know he has a sweet tooth. In a way, I think he knows I'm buying them for him. I want to lay my world at his feet.
I pick up a magnet of Atami. It's a spectacular view of the ocean sprawled out with buildings beside the sandy beach. It reminds me of the view from under our room balcony. The place where he gave me his everything. I hand it over to the cashier, my hand reaching for my wallet. My eyes turn to search for my partner who's eyeing something for kids. I politely request the cashier to hold my purchase and then make my way towards him. "Getting something for Kiyoshi?" I ask him.
He hums as he peruses through some coloring items. "He loves to draw so I thought of getting him these crayons." He picks up a box and then puts it down. "But I guess I'd better not," he muses more to himself. "I don't want to lie to him," he looks at me and smiles.
"What would you lie to him about?" I ask him, frowning slightly.
"Where this came from. He doesn't know I'm here. And if Sasuke was to see them, I'd have to lie." His eyes hold no malice when he says that. I don't know what he thinks of me in regards to Sasuke. That thought makes me uncomfortable.
"You could always say you came here for your fishing trip; I mean the part where you went somewhere is true, right!," I say, my voice almost terse. Atami is becoming sacred to me. It's a place I can only share with him. Thinking about someone else here beside him puts a bitter taste in my mouth.
His hand touches mine briefly where my hand rests idly. "No," he says firmly.
I want to kiss this man, right here in this spot. "Why?" the greed to know if he's thinking what I am, drives me crazy. And this man makes me greedier than I've ever been.
"Because Atami belongs to us," he says softly before turning around and walking away.
I drop the box of crayons and make my way to the girl. She returns my smile, then eyes me funnily when I don't stop smiling when she scans the code of the magnet and I almost leap to grab another one. I'd originally planned to buy one for myself but his words change things in a heartbeat. "This too. Please wrap them up separately," I request and she smiles at me. She's a young girl in her twenties. She eyes me for a full moment, her face giving nothing away while my eyes study the magnet in her hands.
She rings up my purchase and I quickly pay her. "Thank you," I say, beaming at her when she hands me the bag.
"Thank you," she returns, smiling politely at me. She hesitates for a second as I stuff my wallet into my pocket. "I hope you have a good time," she says finally in a small voice.
I grin at her as I thank her again and make my way out. I kind of have a feeling, she understood our relationship. Her final remark feels like a cheer.
Atami belongs to us.
I squeeze Itachi's hand once we reach a photo booth. He rolls his eyes at me. "No," he says sternly.
"Keepsakes," I smile at him but he just snorts when I give my best persuasive Kiyoshi look.
He flicks me on my forehead. "That won't work on you!" he laughs. "And I believe you already have a thousand of them," he remarks.
"Ah Itachi-boy, I could have a million of them and it'd still not be enough," I sigh wistfully. My Showa lady makes him laugh.
"After you then, milady," his resigned tone makes me grin as he follows after me.
I bend down and press a kiss to him. He clears his throat self-consciously and glares at me. "This isn't a makeout spot, you animal!" he hisses at me.
I chuckle. "We are in a little box together Itachi-sama! Can you blame me?"
I turn to the display and insert the required number of coins into the slot. He comes over and we make our selections before standing back to take the pictures.
We take pictures after pictures of us doing the silliest of things and making the whackiest of faces. I enjoy this playful side of him.
After we've finally discarded about ten pictures, we promise each other we'll get serious for this. So we turn and smile at the camera just as the countdown begins.
The first picture of us has us smiling sweetly at the camera. In the second one, I fight a sneeze so the picture comes all shaky. The third photograph has my king grinning at me. The fourth is of me returning his grin. And we kiss in the final one.
Itachi laughs when he looks at the picture of me almost sneezing till he's holding his side, looking so cute, I find my lips tilting up as well. It's like these five pictures tell a story in their own right. I don't want to make a single edit to them. "You want a copy?" I ask him, making the selection and moving towards printing the pictures.
"Must you ask?" he presses two copies. But before I can hit print, he tugs me closer and gives me a kiss. "Let's go before this little box gives me more ideas," he says.
"Uh-huh? Like?" I ask, tilting his head up. His arm moves up my side slowly, curling around it.
"Don't try to be cute all the time Naruto," he bites my lip slowly before licking the hurt away. His hand moves down my butt and squeezes it.
"Don't play with fire, Itachi-sama," I push his hand away.
He grabs mine and brings it to his forefront. "This hot enough for you?"
"You started it," I warn him and then I'm on my knees before he can register where this is going.
I tug his jeans down, becoming obscenely greedy for something else. He moans low in his throat when I take him in my mouth, all at once. My throat welcomes him, relaxing against his length. His hand falls on my head. "Ah yes…" he whispers.
I work him fast and hard. My own cock begs to be freed from its confines but I don't touch myself. I'm just concentrating on this man who moves his hips so wantonly now, liking the pace I've set. He makes another guttural sound and then he spills down my throat, his own head thrown back in pleasure. I drink it all in and then lick him a couple of times to clean him. His hand tightens to pain as he tries to squirm away. "My cock is too sensitive right now," he whispers when I finally let it slip out of my mouth.
I tuck him in and zip him before moving to stand. He surprises me by turning my mouth to his and kissing me. His mouth opens and takes his own flavor in. He breaks the kiss and makes a face. "That's disgusting," he comments.
I snicker at him. "It's an acquired taste," I murmur slowly, taking his mouth in another kiss.
He makes another face but kisses me back this time. "Ah," his eyes lift to mine as he grins at me. "My curriculum didn't cover that either," he laughs.
"More things for me to teach, eh?" I tip his chin up and smile at him. "Your sensei will help you catch up in no time!"
"I'm rather competitive, if you should know sensei. Maybe I'll surpass you one day."
I laugh as I gather him to me. "I'll hold you to that."
"Now let's go, get our pictures and then some ice-cream. Acquired taste or not, I need to get rid of it," he makes a troubled face as he presses print.
I chuckle as I follow behind.
Ah, this man!
We stroll along the coast and settle on a couple of stones, enjoying our ice-creams. Itachi got matcha flavor while I got black sesame. Itachi made a face at my selection while I made a face at his. But when we sit on the stones and I enjoy my ice-cream, he eyes me funnily. "Is it that good?" he asks, still eyeing my ice-cream skeptically. They move to my lips when I lick them.
I smile as I move the cone towards him. "Try it?" I offer.
He looks down the black-grey ice-cream and then reluctantly takes a lick. The tip of his tongue curves upwards before going into his mouth. He runs it across his mouth, tasting the flavor. I very much enjoy the view. "It's not bad," he finally proclaims.
"Compared to matcha?" I ask.
He offers me his cone in return. "You can be your own judge," he laughs.
I bend down and lick it lewdly, my eyes on his. He doesn't miss it when his cheeks pinken. Personally, I'm not a fan of green tea, so I don't like the leafy flavor hitting my tongue. But it tastes sweeter and more delicious than my own black sesame flavor. "It's delicious," I proclaim.
Itachi lets out a laugh behind his hand. "Better than your favorite?"
I look down and smile. I know his eyes are on me when I lick my cone this time from where he licked it. I curve my tongue upwards sucking in the flavor, relishing it on my tongue. "Nah! Nothing beats my favorite after all! Especially now when it's become even more flavorf-" Itachi lets out a laugh before I even finish. He knew what I was going to say. I enjoy this predictability between us. His hand reaches for mine and he twines our fingers together.
"You're turning me into a complete pervert like you!" he rubs his thumb over the back of mine. It's a bizarre contrast to his words. His eyes twinkle when they land on me.
I chuckle at him. "You know it is as they say…birds of a feather flock together," he digs his nail into my finger and I let out a laugh.
We are seated quietly over our lunch table. There's a slowness in every action, almost like we're lethargic. But we both know neither of us is tired. It's like we're prolonging a moment that's right at our doorstep. Itachi twirls his fork idly with his fingers as he avoids meeting my gaze. I, too, for a change don't seek his gaze like I always do. I have no clue how my Vongole pasta tastes. But I'm on autopilot as I shove it down bite-by-bite.
His wrist shifts and I see him looking at his watch. We've already thrown our plans to the wind and as a result, we've pushed back the inevitable by two hours. I don't know what the consequences of this are going to be for him. As it his, he's required to pick up his son tonight.
"Am I boring you already?" I ask him, keeping my tone light.
"What? No!" Itachi gawks at me for a moment and then waves his hand slightly between us. He leans forward. "I just think we should get going," he says softly, like a doctor telling his patient his time is up.
I nod and stand. We move to pay and I like that Itachi doesn't object when I hand over the money to the cashier. I like this mature side to him. My hand touches his briefly when we get to the station. He halts when I turn him to me. I pull out the packet of souvenirs and after removing the wrapped present, pass it to him. "It's a little, boring, something…" He laughs when I trail off, accepting the tiny gift. "Go ahead, open it." I smile at him.
He slowly opens the packet as he looks at me. A mysterious smile plays across his lips when he keeps his eyes on me while he carefully pulls out the magnet. I watch him shyly as he gazes at it for a long time. I know what he's imagining too. He smiles up at me. "It's perfect," he says his voice thick for some reason. And then he surprises me by drawing me into his arms. He hugs me warmly with love. "Atami is ours, Naruto. Thank you for this wonderful gift." It's these loaded words he says that make me fall over and over in love with him.
"Only ours," I murmur softly.
"Yes," his affirmation is spoken softly against my ear. "Atami belongs only to us."
We hold hands the whole train journey and no one bats another eyelash at us or if they do, then I don't pay attention to them. His hand in mine squeezes from time-time, giving me tiny boosts of courage. Throughout the ride back from Atami to Tokyo, we talk about a lot of things. With him the conversation never ceases to end. I don't even care that he's sharing some mundane tip about how to remove ink stains from shirts. I don't even know how we got to this. All I know is that I can listen to him for hours and never get tired of it. I just smile goofily as I watch him demonstrate the exact quantity of detergent in the water. He stops suddenly and looks up at the monitor displaying the information about the next station. It reads Tokyo Station. "We're here," his hand in mine tightens when he regards me as I state the bitter obvious.
I know he's still grappling with how time cheats when we're together. Once we're inside the station, we look around the place and I spot a coffee corner. "Let's get some coffee before we take the train home," I suggest, fighting to keep the desperation out of my voice.
He eyes the corner and then me. "Uh-huh, so I was boring you after all," Itachi quips as he smiles at me.
"As if you could ever! Your mere presence puts all thoughts of sleep to rest," I grin at him when he turns and laughs. "I'm just thinking of ways to keep you with me longer," I tell him honestly.
We walk towards the corner. There's a single file of about five people before us. I only chose it because it would take more time. "Are you always this cheesy and perverted?" he laughs behind his hand when we join the queue.
I join in his laughter as we stand together. "You've also been a lot to come to terms with Itachi-sama," I capture his gaze with mine. He smiles recalling the words he'd once said to me. His eyes positively twinkle when they look up at me. "I'm learning new things too," I say.
"Hn," he schools his smile as he looks up at me. "and here I thought you had a mountain of knowledge to give, sensei," he smirks at me. "But seems like you've also got some curriculum to cover." He nudges me playfully.
"Hn," I steal his look from him. "How about we skip this foreplay and go do the real thing? I feel like you're ready for your next lesson."
He closes his eyes. "God you make it so hard to even think of saying goodbye to you tonight," he groans.
"Hard, yes I do alright," I smirk at him. He scoffs at the pun. "Let's skip the coffee and take the train to Shinjuku," I suggest, finally giving in just when we move up.
He shakes his head and chuckles. "Don't tempt me Naruto," he says, shifting his eyes ahead and looking at the menu. I squeeze his hand briefly between us.
"You know you want to," I say slowly in his ear as I pretend to bend down and study the menu over his shoulder.
"You know I can't. We're running late already!" he bites his lip.
"Then one more hour wouldn't hurt," I coax him.
His eyes turn back to the menu, then to his watch and then to me. "That is the problem Naruto. One hour won't be enough!"
Shit! I can't refute that can I? For me, even an eternity with this man cannot suffice!
I search for a middle ground, my eyes moving frantically to the directions to the bathrooms.
"We'll make do with an hour," my eyes turn back to his just as our turn comes. "Let's go!"
"You'll make me go insane," he laughs as we turn away from the barista. A few people who'd been waiting behind us clear their throat in annoyance.
He walks fast with his head bent for three steps and then he turns and bursts out laughing at me. "Hurry up Naruto! Clock's ticking!"
I follow after my king.
A couple of elderly men who knew Itachi walked up to him at the station and instinctively, I'd backed into a corner to hide myself while Itachi made small talk. All my plans of looking fashionable for this man are backfiring now because I look too conspicuous. When the train arrived and the men got on, I got on after them immediately before Itachi could embark, choosing to go in the opposite direction. I'd eavesdropped enough to know that they'd said their pleasantries and goodbyes as well.
Itachi bows to them once politely and then he turns and sits beside me. "They're from the shopping district. They were friends with my grandfather," he clarifies.
"Were you close to him? Your grandfather?" I ask him. I like that he told me. These little tidbits about him are as precious as the man himself.
He exhales before he answers. "Yes. His name was Uchiha Madara and you won't believe it if I tell you but he was a formidable opponent in mixed martial arts," he laughs at my expression.
"Mixed martial arts?" I look at him, "Did you learn?" I ask him as I nudge him lightly.
"A little. Why?"
"Will you show me some day?" I ask him, my voice almost pleading.
"Eh? I don't know. I'm a little rusty."
"Please! Please! Please!" I beg. I can imagine him as a ninja, kicking some ass. I bet he'd use those beautiful eyes of his also for some power move. "My favorite manga has a character like that and you'd fit the bill just right!"
"Trying to live vicariously through me?" he laughs when I nod enthusiastically.
"So will you?" I ask him. "I'm even willing to be your opponent!" I offer generously.
His eyes stare into mine for a second. "The idea of pinning you under me does seem to have its appeal…" he trails off as his eyes move down my body. "But I'm afraid it'll then turn into a demonstration of another kind," he murmurs softly, slowly in my ear. Goosebumps rise in the wake of his breath on my skin.
I draw in a breath, my cheeks heating. "Stop or I'll get hard," I warn him, closing my eyes to dispel the potency of his words on my skin.
"Does the idea of getting pinned under me give you a boner?" he asks, his voice so sexy it makes me want to do things.
"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to," I shoot back.
"Wow! You fish for compliments with every other breath and when I do it…" he tuts and shakes his head. "You wound me, milady!" his accusatory tone makes me look up at him.
"Would you rather I wrote odes to you boy?" I ask him. My Showa lady doesn't even come near his but I try my best.
"Hn, that sounds like a good idea!" he remarks.
"Something like… Oh Itachi-sama how magnificent you look with your pearly skin, your midnight hair…your eyes sparkling with want in the middle of the night as you push the mighty heat of your loins to mine," he swats my arm as a means to stop me from spewing more as he covers his mouth with his hand and laughs uncontrollably. I push his hand away. "Wait, I've got more: I whisper your name to my pillow as your perfect length stretches me greedily. You moan low and long as your waist arches with mine -" his hand covers my mouth.
"Shut up!" he looks at me self-consciously. The last vestige of another laugh comes out of his mouth and then he just looks down and smiles.
He changes the topic after that, choosing instead to ask me a couple of random questions and I'm knee-deep in the process of explaining something to him when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I turned it to silent last night and only turned it back on vibration when I boarded the train from Tokyo. I didn't want anyone or anything disturbing us. Itachi's phone rang sometime before we went for lunch and it was just Kiyoshi wondering when his father would be back. My screen time in between yesterday and today has been less than five minutes. But then again, when I'm with this man beside me, I don't feel like I need anything else.
Sasuke's name flashes on my phone screen as it rings and we glance at each other once before I pocket it back. "I'll call him once we get to the station," I explain and he nods but something inside his eyes changes when he looks at me. Gone is the twinkle from those mesmerizing eyes. Itachi instead looks down and eyes his watch. We're only five minutes and two stops away now. It's almost ten and I'm still trying to understand where this time went. I don't want to let him go tonight, not when he looks like this.
"Can we do a call tonight after we get home? It'll be late, so sometime around midnight?" his question surprises me. It's funny that he should ask for permission for something like this. It's his right! But did he ask because he saw Sasuke calling me? Is he going to ask me what the call is about?
"Sure," I smile at him. The train stops before our last stop. Most of the passengers get out here and I look around at the almost empty train. My heart picks up speed. My eyes immediately turn to his as his hand snakes into mine. He returns my look and then his eyes scan the area before his mouth takes mine.
We kiss the entire way to the last stop.
Itachi straightens first and stands, his eyes on me the whole time. "Thank you for this weekend Naruto," he murmurs politely as he bows at me when we exit the train. He puts distance between us and I respect it, matching his slow pace. My heart beats like a funeral march as he tap our cards at the ticket barriers and begin ascending the stairs to exit the station. We're twenty stops away from going our separate ways and I'm not ready. Internal panic rises as my mind thinks of a million ways to keep him with me longer.
"So, uh, when do I get to see you next?" I ask quietly. Ten steps.
He stops and gazes at my face for a long moment. I drink him in. "Tonight!" he tries to lighten this poignancy between us.
"You know what I mean," I'm not having any of this. This moment is significant to me. I'm dreaming of an eternity with him now that he himself has offered his love to me.
He sighs. "Uh…next week I think," he says.
"Why not this week?" I mean this week hasn't even begun!
"Because I'll be busy," he says it bluntly as he resumes climbing the steps.
"Understood," I tail after him, feeling infinitely morose.
I hardly have time left in this country as it is! If we were to skip an entire week of not seeing each other, I'll die.
"Tell me about it!" Itachi turns to me at the topmost step. It takes me a moment to realize I'd said that aloud.
He pushes me against the wall and kisses me desperately. He breaks away first and then looks at my face. "I'll call you at midnight," he whispers and takes the last step.
"Midnight, I'll be waiting, milady," I whisper as I stand there watching him go. My heart squeezes in my chest when he just nods and then turns left and walks away without looking back.
I stand there for a long time.
It's past eleven by the time I reach my room and shower. I want to lie on my bed and close my eyes to relive the whole weekend. I feel like I'm floating. I pull out my phone to look at the pictures when I see a couple of messages from Sasuke. I tap on the notifications and our chat on Line opens.
"Hey, you up for some drinks?" the first one reads.
"I was feeling a little low today and could do with some company," the second one reads.
"Guess you don't want to huh? Not your first priority, am I? Or is your research paper really keeping you that busy?" the third one makes me frown. I can read his tone from his wording. He sounds hurt.
"I'm sorry for the last text. I've just had too much to drink. Sorry I disturbed."
My jaw twitches. I feel guilty now because I'd promised he'd come first and now that I know what Itachi feels for me, I've only been wrapped up in him. I immediately pull out my call log and tap on his number.
"Naruto?" Sasuke's voice sounds raspy and scratchy when he picks up after the fourth ring.
"Are you alright Sasuke?" the question bursts out the moment I open my mouth.
Sasuke clears his throat. "Yeah. I'm sorry for the texts," his voice sounds genuinely apologetic. "I was just feeling lonely so I wanted a friend to drink. That's it I promise." My heart clenches. I hate that he had to force himself to draw the line, to put it like that. I guess he understands my discomfort when he accidentally lets his feelings bleed out. I want him to get over me. I want our normalcy back.
"Did something happen?" I ask him quietly.
He exhales loudly and then laughs. "I guess it's just one of those days…I'm sorry for what I wrote."
"It's alright Sasuke. Sorry I missed your texts. I…uh…went out to get dinner and forgot my phone in the dorm…" I trail off, hating myself for making an excuse. This secret I keep from him partially for his brother's sake and partially because I'm scared of the consequences, doesn't give me the courage I need.
"This late? For an hour?" Sasuke's voice doesn't hide his surprise. I hate his inquisitiveness right now.
"Yeah. I went for a walk," I manage a small chuckle, "Needed to clear my head from all the kanji I've read these two days," I mutter feebly.
"So what did you get for dinner?" he asks, bringing us back to what he thinks is a lighter conversation. But it only works to annoy me further.
"Ramen dude! You know it is my favorite," I fake a laugh.
"From?"
"From the first ramen store I saw," I answer confidently. "I didn't know this was an FBI inquisition, Sasuke bastard! You're still drunk" I laugh nervously, forcing my tone to be light.
"Yeah a little," Sasuke's tone turns normal. "So how goes your paper? When is it due?" he asks.
I settle into the comfort of my bed and this normalcy of our friendship, giving him the finer details now, having already hashed them before. Sasuke makes a couple of suggestions and our conversation gets diverted from there to an anime we watch. I pause mid-laugh when my eyes go to the time. It's a half-past now. Our conversation had become so interesting that I'd lost all sense of time. I have a date at midnight and inasmuch as I hate to end this phone call, I need to wrap it up. I fake a yawn and cringe when it really comes out forced.
"Sleepy?" Sasuke's voice sounds low and throaty. It's not one I've heard before.
"Uh-huh," I utter, my mind stuck on that tone. I feel like a part of my brain knows why he sounded like that but is not telling. The answer evades me like a word sitting at the top of my tongue but forgotten when I need it.
"Naruto," I'm on red alert now when he moans my name. "Let's go on trip together, just us," Sasuke murmurs on the phone. I really wish he's drunk and that he's not going to remember any of it tomorrow. I'm about to open my mouth and tell him to go to sleep when he speaks up again. "Let's go somewhere near the sea. Let's go to Atami," he suggests.
Atami belongs to us; my sweetheart's smile floats in my head. Had this been anyone else I'd have laughed and told them to fuck off but this is Sasuke and because this is Sasuke, the impact of his words is hard. He doesn't know the effect this bomb he crashed on me unconsciously has on me. "Shut up and go to bed," it doesn't come out as nicely as it did in my head. My cheek muscle twitches with the Herculean need to ask the questions that swarm in my head. Why would he talk about a trip today? Furthermore, why would he bring up Atami?
"I will if you promise to go," he really chooses the worst time to not be deterred.
"Why Atami?" it slips out before I can hold it back. I curse my lack of self-control.
"'Cuz Atami is awesome!" Sasuke says.
Relief fills my chest. "Okay, but we can only go for a day trip or something since I'm going to get even busier with my studies…" I scrabble for some way to make it less personal but he doesn't give me that space. Nevermind, I'll make some excuse to cancel this one. I won't fuck it up like I did the Hakone one.
"Really? You'll go to Shonan with me?" Sasuke's voice sounds excited and I smile despite myself. "You've made my day!" his happiness is evident.
I don't say anything. Hakone already was a plan that didn't sit well with Itachi in the first place. There's no way I can agree. "We'll see and now I'm really sleepy so I'm gonna go, okay?"
Sasuke exhales like he wants to protest but then he wishes me goodnight.
I hang up immediately.
I only have enough time to grab my AirPods and put in my earphones when my phone rings exactly at twelve. He had to have timed it.
This man, one day. I swear.
After the limited amount of time we could monopolize together, it feels like an extended celebration.
"It's midnight on the dot," he exclaims.
"What a punctual Cinderella!" he makes a face at being called that and I laugh.
"Tardiness is for the weak," he declares.
"And vanity is a sin Itachi-sama," I grin when he examines something on his face in the mirror.
"Ah yes, definitely! But my skin hasn't been this good in years!" his eyes meet mine and he visibly glows.
"It's all thanks to me, you know," I rub my chin smugly and laugh at him.
"Of course it wasn't the water of Atami! I should've known you'd want to hog credit everywhere," he laughs as he shakes his head.
"But I must! For 'tis me! I'm the one responsible for that glow on your cheek, milady!" he laughs as he picks up something else and begins applying it. There's pin drop silence on his side and I wonder if it's because everyone else is asleep.
"Looks like he is asleep," I smile as I watch him rub the moisturizer on his cheeks. I'm just beginning to discover this vain side of him. I know he puts a lot of effort into how he dresses, but skincare makes me all sappy inside like cotton candy. He's just so adorable! He's unfortunately fully covered in his light grey t-shirt. I'm tempted to ask him to remove it but I don't.
"He?" Itachi stops his hand and looks at me. "Who's he?"
"My little man who else? Speaking of, is Kiyoshi really asleep? Is he in your room? Can I see him?" I ask excitedly.
He eyes me with a raised brow, "So that he can have a little tete-a-tete with his sunshine?" he asks drolly.
"Nah," I say good-naturedly, "but I'd just love to see him," I say.
Itachi makes a face at me and tsks. "I hurried through my bath dying to see you again but you want to see Kiyoshi?" he asks.
I smack my lips together when I finally connect the dots. "Stop being this adorable please?" I groan when I request politely, my heart somersaulting at his words. I am needy for this man, greedy for him like I've never been. "You're perfect as you are already. Any more and I won't be able to return Itachi-sama."
Itachi doesn't move. He stares at me and I take him in. His long hair falls softly behind him. I want to run my hand through his hair again. Then he tsks cutely and resumes rubbing the cream to his cheeks and I love how absolutely normal this must seem to him. "What were you up to before I called?" he asks me conversationally. His eyes are trained on his mirror and I don't like it. But nor do I like the question he's put.
"Talking to Sasuke," his eyes don't flicker. I wonder if he was anticipating this answer. I can't bring myself to fathom what Itachi thinks of me as his brother's one sided crush. We've never talked about it. The only Sasuke we talk about is his younger brother and my friend.
"And what did he have to say?" Itachi finally picks up the phone and moves towards the bedroom. He turns off his room lights before he slides into the bed and settles. I smile when I see his glasses on his nose. My face on his screen gets reflected on the lenses and I hate that I can't read his eyes.
I wait patiently before I tell him. Might as well rip the band-aid, I think when I also tell him about the day trip being planned to Shonan. I don't mention Atami. That's a different issue altogether. "So now not only are two going to Hakone together but to Shonan as well." He licks his lips and pushes back his hair as he turns on his night lamp.
"He was drunk Itachi-sama! He probably won't even remember it and even if he does, it doesn't matter."
"Look Naruto, your friendship with Sasuke is your own business and I really don't want to come in between that, ever. But if you expect me to sit back and watch you give in to all his whims just because you feel guilty for choosing me, then think again," he tells it as it is. "I don't doubt your feelings for him but your kindness is only egging him on. And I'd rather you break his heart now than continue giving him false hope."
"Guilty for choosing you? Why the fuck should I feel guilty?" I shake my head in disbelief. "And as far as my feelings for him are concerned, they'll never exceed friendship. But if it makes you feel any better, then, I think I'll tell Sasuke," I say to him.
His eyes move sharply to mine. "About us? Have you gone insane?"
"No! I mean tell him I have a lover," I look at Itachi, feeling resolute. I've always been ready to acknowledge us wherever required. It is my king who withholds permission. "If I were to tell him I have a lover and that I'm serious about them, then he'll probably back off. He isn't the type to linger."
He considers that for a moment. "And what if he wants to meet said lover? What are you going to do? Pretend date someone else while I watch?" he shoots back.
"Then it's up to you. He's not entitled to meet anyone if I don't want him to but if you think I'm going to fake date someone else just to appease his curiosity, then think again." As if I'd ever give his place to someone else even for a second! I narrow my eyes at him in anger. I'm still mad at him. I don't know his reasons for suggesting something he knew I'll never agree to. "And as far as his whims are concerned, I'd already decided to cancel Shonan long before your brain veered off in a different tangent. And when you allow me, I won't bat an eyelash before I tell him who it is even though it's not my place. I'm not guilty for this Itachi-sama. In fact, I'm so fucking proud of loving you that nothing else matters."
He swallows hard. "I'm still coming to terms with things Naruto! I'm not ready! It's too soon," he licks his lips.
Why are we moving in a circle? My Itachi-sama never dances around a subject like this. "Which is why I first said lover. What you're coming to terms with takes time and sweetheart, I'm in no hurry. But I will tell him very explicitly that I'm madly and passionately in love with someone else."
He bristles for a second. "Just don't be too harsh on him. He's already going through a lot as it is and this feels like nailing the coffin." He shifts and I can finally read his eyes. Conflict shines in those black orbs. This man has always put his family before himself. This protective instinct he feels is natural. His brother has always come first. And now in a long while, this man has a reason to live for himself. But he doesn't know how to put his brother on the back burner. His instinct to seek this happiness wars with his instinct to see his brother happy. This selflessness of him makes him noble. Just what sort of a woman was his ex-wife to leave someone like him? But I rejoice in her loss because I'm keeping this man for me.
"Then I'm glad we can just shut this coffin up for good. Don't worry. I'll use Hakone to sort out this mess. I promise," I smile at him. "He won't misunderstand my kindness again."
"I really wish I'd met you when you were a snotty-nosed brat running after me. I'd have embraced you long before this could get so complicated," he says.
"Nevertheless, I'm glad I found you now," I can see my own sincerity reflected in those lenses. He shifts and his eyes come into clear view when they look back at me. "We still have our whole lives ahead of us. I look forward to it."
"Me too Naruto, me too." He looks away for a moment and then looks back at me.
Has anyone else seen this side of him? I think of him showing this side to his ex-wife and jealously burns hot and heavy in my heart. But it doesn't compare to the thought of Shisui getting to see it. That man who always looks so at ease beside Itachi makes me wish he'd never been there. The worst is, I know this is nothing but irrational jealousy but for some reason, I can't write him off. "Can I ask you a question?" I ask him.
His eyes melt when I take permission. I know he likes it immensely. "Sure," he says.
"Does Shisui know that you're dating someone?" I ask him. I wish we weren't here but still in the bath in Atami. His head would have rested on my shoulder while I played with his hair, our eyes on the vast ocean in front of us.
"He has an inkling since I had to do a lot of convincing to coax him to the plan," he chuckles, "maybe that's why!" he muses to himself. Then he looks at me and grins. "You know our adventure in Atami is stirring a lot of questions in Shisui's mind. He wants to meet to get his answers."
"And what are you going to tell him?" I ask, moving my eyes away from the screen because I don't want to look at his face to hear what he's going to say. Whatever it is, I know it's not in my favor. My self-contradictory tendencies are awakening.
"The truth," his words make me suck in a breath as I look at him. Now I really wish we'd had this conversation in Atami and not here.
"You'll tell him about us? Are you sure?" I ask, frowning at him. Somewhere I feel like I pressurized him somehow to confide in Shisui. I feel like he's doing this to return the favor somehow. And what's worse is that it makes me feel like it's forcing him to out himself because I know he's not ready. Hell, he even admitted to it just now!
It feels like he can read my eyes too because the look he gives me makes it clear. "I'm not forcing myself to do anything Naruto. I've been planning on it for a while. Besides, Shisui has been my friend since we were three, surely he'll understand."
Here I am grandly dying to contradict my own self. I want Shisui to know. Hell I want to wrap my Itachi-sama up in my pheromones before he goes to meet Shisui. Caveman wants me branded all over him. And yet, and yet, I'm holding back when sanity protests. "It's not that simple!"
"Nothing about us is simple Naruto," he murmurs slowly. "But I know Shisui is not the kind of man to turn his back to our friendship because of my sexual orientation. I know I can trust him. I know what I'm doing."
"Will you tell him about me too?" I ask, hesitantly.
He clears his throat. "I don't think I can promise that just yet. But I'm going to tell him I'm seeing a man," he says softly.
I don't reply. I want Shisui to know just who it is who has Itachi's heart. Irrational thoughts fill my head. As far as I know, Shisui is neither dating anyone nor married. Itachi has never mentioned Shisui's love life but then again, neither of us likes to gossip. What if he comes out and Shisui sees this as his chance? What if he tries to come on to my Itachi-sama? My inner beast hollers at the thought.
Itachi bursts out laughing. "Shisui is not gay Naruto! This is not some manga where everyone wants a piece of me!" he laughs in mirth.
All misgivings should have vanished with his words but Shisui, no. Shisui feels like a thorn stuck to my side and it hurts. This is the worst! "That transparent?" I ask, pointing at my face.
"You look like you'll murder him if he does so much as looks at me," he laughs.
"Maybe I will," I tell him sincerely.
"Maybe you should accompany me when I go to meet him someday because now I really want to see you two interact," Itachi says still laughing. "It's going to be hilarious!"
"Wow! Aren't I a source of entertainment for you?" I spit at him, losing my spite when his lips turn up.
He laughs again. "Well, you are becoming my favorite book to read. And you know how much I love reading, so…" he chuckles again when I groan.
Every other thought evades me when I absorb his words, drinking them in. I don't think I can ever have enough of him.
This man, one day. I swear.
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