Family
A/N: Early update 'cuz I had free time. You might want to keep some tissues ready for this one. TT_TT
The next update will take longer since it's going under restructuring. But I hope, this holds out till then.
"Can I ask you a question I've always been meaning to ask you," Itachi says, turning his head to look at me. His eyes are half-mast, I'm sure from the alcohol. He lazily runs his hand through my hair again. I look up, all vestige of sleep gone. When conversations start with him asking this question, it is bound to be interesting. He tilts his head up and looks at me. His body is taut, straight and had it not been for the slight narrowing of his eyes, no soul could've thought he was drunk. A sight like this should only be a feast for my eyes. I want no person to be a witness to this version of Itachi.
"Go ahead," I say, smiling at him.
"If…if things hadn't worked out between us," I sit up now. A wave of panic draws me away from my usual thoughts of how much I love this man. "If I hadn't said yes to you, would you have ever considered going out with Sasuke?" he asks me, his eyes sliding away from mine.
Trust him to drop a bomb when I'm completely unguarded. He holds my hand and kisses my panic away. "I mean now I know you'll never even think of it, but if we weren't here, is there a possibility you have been in Sasuke's bed right now?" he swallows as he asks me.
I can't even be mad at him. He's drunkenly honest. But the question pricks like a thorn. I wonder how much it would have hurt him before he spoke the words. But the way he's placed his words hurts a lot. "Before I answer your question, what brought this on?"
Itachi sits up and huffs loudly. "Sasuke likes you. He'd have done everything he could to get you to say yes." He licks his lips. "So I thought, would you…could have maybe agreed to it?"
My heart thuds hard in my chest when I look into his eyes. I tell it to him as calmly, as sincerely and as honestly as I can. He wanted to know and now I feel he has to know. Regardless of how sad and defeated I feel, I keep every emotion out of my voice. "I hope you remember this tomorrow when you wake up and never forget it for all eternity, but the answer was, is and will forever be no. I've never entertained the idea of it."
He smiles, melting against me. "I knew it."
The anger inside me melts like hot wax.
I take his hand and quietly push my fingers in between his to clasp his hand. "Now no dwelling on the what-ifs, okay?" I kiss his forehead.
He gives me a small nod.
"Good."
I'm in a maze. That much I've gathered when I take another left and it opens to another corridor in front of me. I run towards it but it leads to a dead end just like every corridor I've taken so far. Frustrated, I move back and start hunting for another one. But no matter what path I choose, they all lead to similar outcomes. I turn right and then I spot it. Though it looks exactly like all the corridors that I've passed and seen but I know instinctively that this is the right one. There's a door to the end of this one. I know this is the door that's going to lead me out of here. I know who stands on the other side. As my feet near the door, I can almost hear Itachi's laugh. The door opens slowly. My lips turn up in a smile when I see the person, I love beyond anything standing there, waiting for me on the other side. All I have to do is walk through the door.
But right when I take a step forward the ground beneath my feet starts to shake and crumble. The distance between us which should have been nothing suddenly gapes and opens like a chasm. I can hear Itachi urging me to walk, his hands outstretched towards me, beckoning me.
I lift my foot and then I'm being pushed into the gaping void, Sasuke's cruel laugh echoing everywhere…
I wake with a start. There's a hand on my arm. I immediately move to remove it. "Shh, it's me," Itachi's quiet voice breaks through the panic inside me. His hand tightens in mine, holding me down. It registers on me then, that he's pinned me under him. I was probably thrashing around on the bed. Now that I look at him better, I can see that he looks like he's just woken. But his eyes look awake and alert as he looks into my eyes. I sit up.
"Let me get you some -" I grab him to me and hold him like my life depends on it.
"I'm with you! You're here! You're really here!" I gush out like a fool. He puts his arms around me and pats me gently.
"It's okay. It was just a bad dream." I nod, relieved.
"I'm sorry," I say, looking up at him. "Did I hurt you?" I ask.
He smiles and shakes his head. "I tried waking you up but you wouldn't listen."
He sits up and hands me a glass of water from his nightstand. "Drink some. You'll feel better," he says.
I hurriedly put it on my nightstand and reach forward to hold him tightly to me once again. My nose goes to its favorite crevice of his neck. His smell calms me. "I feel better already," I say, smiling at him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks quietly. His hand moves on my right shoulder to hold it.
I shake my head. I've let it go already. "I was falling but now I'm home."
He points to the water and I drink half the glass. He smiles when I place it back.
He pushes me back on the bed to lie beside him. His warm body curls to my side as his hair fan over my shoulder when he looks up at me. I turn and bury my nose in his neck. I wish I could pack and take this scent with me home. It comforts me.
Itachi's fingers skim along my arm and as if to defy the humid heat of early August, goosebumps rise in their wake. I swallow thickly as I look at him. Desire is beginning to pool in my body which is readily reacting to the closeness of him, to his every touch. He bends down and tucks a thick lock of his hair behind his ear. I lean up before his head can fully bend to reach mine. I kiss him languidly, softly. He responds by sliding his fingers into my hair and bringing his face closer to mine.
"Hi," I say, smiling at him, resetting time.
"Hey," he says as he meets my gaze. His soft eyes look back into mine.
I want to wake like this forever. "Will you come for my graduation ceremony?" I ask him a little nervously.
His eyes light up immediately, lifting my spirits. "Of course, Naruto! I'd love to!" he says smiling at me.
I nod shyly. I don't know why I'm like this right now, so nervous, so skeptical. My mind is all over the place. At the ceremony, all exchange students are required to give a two-minute speech. And I know there's no way I can't talk about my one year in Japan without him, without them. "I'd like it if you brought Kiyoshi with you," I mutter softly, still nervous. "It would…it would complete my day," I say.
Itachi's smile lights up all over again. "I was going to bring him from the start Naruto! I knew you'd want him there." His eyes dip shyly as well. "That you'd want us there." He looks back at me again. "I was actually waiting for you to ask."
I press my forehead to his. "I should've known," I mutter regretfully. I was too lost in the high of being in Itachi's presence that I'd totally ignored everything else. The thought of my graduation was a sudden one. I'm ashamed of how much I keep trying to escape my reality. But with this man lying contentedly beside me, can I really complaint?
Itachi looks up at me. "Are you going to stay away for the duration till you graduation ceremony?" he asks me, seriously.
I raise a brow at him. "Can't bear to be apart now?"
"Don't ask if you know," he flairs his nostrils and pouts cutely.
"No, Itachi-sama. Never!" I hold him tight to me.
How I wish I didn't have to say goodbye.
I spend the next one week glued to my lover's side like I belong there. Right from waking beside each other, right down to sleeping in each other's arms, there's nothing I want to do without him. He jokes about bathroom breaks being his only reprieve and I jokingly ask him if I should join him there. Ever since the nightmare, I think I'm beginning to have separation anxiety. I don't think it stems from the dream per se, but it has instilled in me a need to permanently stay by his side.
Sasuke has taken to pointedly ignore us like we're not there in the room. There were only so many nights I could pretend I wasn't there. I think the same goes for him. When we're in front of Kiyoshi, he talks to us at a civil level at least. But his presence makes me very nervous and on edge. He usually just stays for the meals and vanishes into his room as soon as he can. After his actions, I cannot say what this cold war is going to explode into, but for now, I am glad that he's working towards this silent truce that has been born between us. I hope he's just trying to understand us. At the very least, it will do him good to make his peace with the fact that I'm romantically involved with his brother. And that I will be. But somewhere, I feel this is progress in its own right. Even Itachi has commented on it.
But on the upside, being beside Itachi has now also given me a chance to know Shisui. And it turns out Shisui is not half the monster I used to peg him to be. In fact, sometimes, Kiba also comes over to the shop and the four of us go out for meals along with Kiyoshi. Shisui has the funniest things to say after Kiba and together, they often gang up on me and my lover. Kiyoshi who is also extremely fond of both Kiba and Shisui, often gets caught up in their shenanigans but it always ends with him siding up with us. The two have, on more than one occasion, complained about how blood is thicker than water, but I know it's only because Kiyoshi loves me the most. And I don't hesitate to rub it in their faces when crawls up my lap and puts his arms around me.
On that note, it should go without saying that Kiba and Kiyoshi are inseparable. I am amazed by the friendship that has sprung up between them. When the time comes to go home, their parting is more dramatic than anything else. My lover is clearly supremely amused by the combination but he's warming up to the idea of seeing our beloved child surrounded by people who make him happy. As for me, nothing makes me happier than seeing them happy.
We've talked about my final vacations and I've suggested going somewhere for the umpteenth time. Summer festivals are in full swing and almost every day, someone or the other who's acquainted with Itachi, whisks Kiyoshi away to one of them. The little kid looks cuter than anyone else I've seen in a yukata. My phone gallery is full of pictures of him giggling up at me or striking cute poses.
It doesn't take a lot of coaxing to get my lover to agree to accompany me to one of these festivals in a yukata. He wears an off-white yukata with random vertical lines and pairs it with a maroon obi while my yukata is a deep grey with orange spirals at the bottom. He neatly ties the rust-colored obi around my waist and smiles at me once he's done. Kiyoshi wears a kimono with multiple circles in different colors and has a yellow obi tied around his waist.
We slip on our getas and make our way to where the summer festival is being held. Looking around the various attractions, I look at Kiyoshi who's in my arms. "What do you want to do first?" I ask him.
He looks around, confused for a second. "I want to have candy apple!" he exclaims, pointing towards the stall where candied apples are lined up.
"Alright," I grab my lover's hand who's looking around distractedly as we make our way and purchase an apple for Kiyoshi. I ask Itachi if he wants one but he declines.
Kiyoshi enjoys his candy as we walk around. Traditional music plays in the background accompanied by the thrum of the taiko beats. If there is one thing I've enjoyed a lot, it is learning how to play the taiko. Although I suck at it big time, the joy never decreases. And now I enjoy the rhythmic beat of the drums as we make our way towards the various attractions that are there. Shisui, too, has put up a yatai stall, selling yakisoba which we decide to get later when we get hungry. Several people who probably know him, nod at Itachi who either nods back in acknowledgement or bows. Some even stop to chat. They politely inquire about me but no one pays it a lot of mind since there are many foreigners walking around with their Japanese friends.
"Let's go goldfish scooping!" I exclaim when I see it. Kiyoshi's grin matches mine.
Itachi, much to my surprise, begins rolling up his sleeves as he takes the bowl from the stall worker. "How about we have a match?" he asks.
I gape at him. "But I've never done this before!"
Itachi smirks. "And then you get angry when I underestimate you," he says, doing exactly what I did when I made him get on top of me during sex.
My competitive spirit that he has fueled and fed at every turn rises. "Bring it on!" I say to him. Kiyoshi claps and cheers.
My lover laughs delightedly, knowing I've splendidly taken the bait. I shake my head. "But you'll go first," I say to him. "I've never done this before and therefore I should get a handicap. You need to show me how it's done." I smirk at him. "Set an example, if you will."
His laugh resonates all the way down my chest and fills me with happiness. "Example, huh?" He looks at Kiyoshi. "Should we show Naruto here how this game is played?" he asks him.
Kiyoshi nods excitedly as I put him down to take my own bowl.
Itachi bends down and expertly manages to scoop a goldfish which he immediately transfers to his bowl. He turns to me smirking. "Your turn," he says, nodding towards the fishes.
I bend down nervously and copy what he did. I manage to scoop a fish but it flaps once and tears the rice paper only to slink back in the water. Dejected, I look at Itachi who laughs. "Watch and learn," he says, winking at me before he expertly chooses another goldfish. But this time, he's not so lucky when the fish plops back into the water. I laugh.
"Some expert," I tease.
He smirks as he shows me his bowl. "Well, I'm still ahead," he murmurs, nonchalantly but his eyes twinkle mischievously.
I get another of those makeshift scooping nets and scoop another fish, transferring it quickly to the bowl. Several people around me cheer, including Kiyoshi who claps excitedly. I grin like a Cheshire cat at my lover who just shakes his head. "Beginner's luck," he mutters under his breath, making me burst out in laughter.
He takes a new scoop as well and this time manages to catch another fish. He waggles his eyebrows playfully at me as he shows me his bowl.
I try my luck again and again to no avail till I finally forfeit, gracefully.
He pats my back even as he flaunts his catch.
And there, right there, crouching beside him, watching him laugh when his son calls him awesome, I fall in love with this man all over again.
It's official. I am adding goldfish scooping to the list of traditions we are going to have in our lives.
Because seeing him win makes me feel victorious.
And if that isn't love then what is?
"Naruto, you're getting a call," Itachi calls from where he's sitting in the drawing room folding laundry and watching some program, he likes on TV. I'm in the middle of coating churros I've made in cinnamon sugar. Kiyoshi watches me from his perch on the counter, hungry and impatient.
"Just a second," I call back, before I finish the task, wash my hands, and lift Kiyoshi in one hand and the plate of churros in the other.
I enter the room to see the floor covered in neat piles of each of our clean clothes. Itachi points towards the coffee table where I left my phone without taking his eyes off the television. I bend down and kiss the top of his head before I move towards the coffee table and check out the missed call. It's Kiba. I take a seat on the arm of the sofa and call him back. I don't want to disturb Itachi who's laughing at every joke that's being cracked on the screen. Kiyoshi sits beside his father and watches the show as well. I know, very soon, he's going to get impatient and ask him to change to a cartoon channel. Itachi picks a churro and hands it to his son. He takes another one for himself and bites into it. His head turns around, undoubtedly searching for me and I smile when our eyes meet.
"Hi Kiba," I say when Kiba picks up the phone that very moment.
My lover mouths "delicious" to me before he turns to Kiyoshi.
"Is Itachi around?" he asks.
I sit up straighter, my expression turning serious at his tone. "No. Is something wrong? Tell me."
Kiba laughs. "Nothing's wrong. Your tone implied he was nearby, so I assumed."
"Back to making fun of me, aren't you?" I laugh, settling down on the sofa. "What's up?" I ask him.
"It's just that we need to pay our airport tax and I was planning to go tomorrow. Wanna come along?" he asks.
"Fuck! I'd completely forgotten!" I say in disbelief.
Kiba laughs. "So had I. It was Hinata who reminded me."
"Speaking of, how is she?" I ask, my eyes turning to watch the two engrossed in the comedy show the two are watching and laughing along.
"She's good, she's very good." I think I hear a faint feminine giggle from Kiba's side.
"You've got company," I muse out loud, causing more giggles to emerge from the other end. "Hi, Hina-chan!" I greet.
There's a heartbeat of silence before Hinata speaks. "H-Hi Naruto-kun. How are you?"
"I'm good! I'm good." I nod along pleasantly and turn my eyes away from my lover's back. "How are you?" I ask her.
"I'm very well, th-thank you," her politeness is cute.
"How is my friend treating you? All good I hope?" I ask her.
There's a storm of frantic whispering and a giggle with a pained 'ow' before Hinata clears her throat. "Ye-Yes, very well." I fight the urge to laugh.
Kiba comes back on the line. "Dude, I was thinking, since we're anyway meeting tomorrow and it's a Saturday, let's go to Nakano as well. There is stuff I want to buy."
"You were thinking. Color me impressed," I tease him. Hinata lets out a snort as she bursts into laughter.
"F- beep you!" Kiba grumbles under his breath. I know he's probably fighting the range of expletives that are burning on his tongue. "And where are you these days? You haven't come back for days!"
"Aww, am I being missed?" I ask him coyly, earning another soft chuckle from Hinata who's still shamelessly eavesdropping. "I miss you too Kiba! A lot!" I laugh when Kiba begins to grumble once again while Hinata softly placates him.
I laugh and then look up when my lover stands in front of me with a raised brow. He pushes my legs apart to stand in between them. He hands me a churro and I take a bite from it when Kiba gets back to the point at hand and suggests a meeting place. My lover doesn't say anything. He just stands there quietly, watching me eat my confectionary.
"Let's meet at the station. The bank isn't very far," Kiba says.
I think about it for a second as I plop the last of the sweet in my mouth. "No. Let's meet at the bank. That way, we can park our bikes at the free lot near the station." I lift my fingers to lick the last of the sugar but Itachi intercepts as he swiftly takes my hand and lowers his mouth to my thumb. He licks it with his eyes on mine. His tongue moves out and swipes right down to the side of the whole digit, very similar to something else. My body begins getting hot.
I move to pull my hand out of his grasp but he just smirks at closes his mouth around it, sucking noisily. The sound that comes out of my throat is guttural. He only chooses to repeat the ministration on my sugar coated forefinger.
"Naruto? Are you okay?" Kiba asks.
I don't get time to reply because this sexy devil of a man pushes himself closer to me and sweeps down to kiss me. He makes sounds on purpose. There's a collective dramatic gasp before Kiba yells 'argh!" and hangs up.
The phone is returned quickly to the table before I stand and seat him on the sofa, lowering my face to his. I push him down on the seat and push my tongue in his mouth.
"How was it?" I ask, once we break for air.
Itachi smiles. "Sweet. Very sweet."
After spending the whole day in Nakano, I decide to come back to my room. I need to ship some books home and I've decided to take advantage of this night for that purpose. I knew I had to come back here and pack my stuff but I've been procrastinating for far too long now. Once I close the door to my room and take it in, my chest begins to hurt. The urge to hurl rises as I force myself to take deep breaths. I know what's coming. It rises in my chest like lava as I run to the washbasin and throw up. Once it's all out and I've calmed a little, I brush my teeth and wash my face. That helps. I take a seat on my desk chair and breathe deeply. My feet sink into a piece of cloth and I mindlessly bend down to pick it up. It's a t-shirt Itachi wore when he was last here. I don't know how it's found itself there but I bring it to my nose. His cologne wafts through, a smell that's only his. Calmness floods in as I breathe it in deeply. I trade the t-shirt I was wearing as I throw it on and look around at my room once again. I think I'm ready now.
I move towards my stack of things and start segregating them.
I force all thoughts away from my head as I clinically go about doing my work. I'm parsing through a stack of manga when I come across a parcel I don't recall seeing before. It's wrapped in yellow tissue and pushed behind the mountain of manga I own. I pull it out carefully. There's a card stuck to it. Itachi's beautiful handwriting stares back at me. "For my darling." The English alphabet carries the same perfection that his Japanese handwriting has. I open the paper as carefully as I can. My beloved's presence fills this room this moment. This pleasant surprise takes my breath away. The folds open to reveal five of his favorite manga. He's told me about them before. Each one different of specific volumes. Tears prick my eyes. I close them tightly for a moment. A manga falls from my lap and something slips out. It is a photograph of me sitting on a bench laughing goofily as he takes my picture. I grab the photo and turn it around. "One of my favorite moments of you. I want you to laugh like this, always."
Tears defy his decree as I weep like a baby.
My hand moves to another manga and tucked in the pages is a photograph of Kiyoshi and me. Kiyoshi laughs as I tickle him, my own face full of laughter. The sun falls directly on us from the tall windows of the living room. I recall this moment. Itachi had snapped his phone shut and joined us on this tickling fest soon after. The memory of that day frozen in a single moment captured so perfectly makes me smile and weep harder. I turn it around to see what he's written. "Sunshine!"
My Itachi-sama doesn't know that my light comes from him? That this happiness is all because of him? My hands work frantically on finding treasures I've never seen before. The third manga reveals a photograph of us on the beach in Atami. We're both making silly faces at the screen. Itachi's tongue is out as he looks at the screen. I remember us laughing silly after we took the picture. "Atami belongs to us." I kiss his face in the photograph.
The fourth picture is one he took late one night post-sex. Itachi's eyes are warm and mellow as he lies beside me, staring up at the phone. His eyes shine with the intensity of his feelings. His left hand is wrapped around my chin and his lips are pressed against mine. He made sure the angle didn't hide his face. A duvet covers our naked bodies, hiding his right arm which is securely wrapped around my waist when he kisses me. "Mine" is all this one says.
The last manga is my favorite. The last photograph is tucked in the pages of my favorite chapter. It's when the protagonist reunites with his family. Tucked in the pages where two of my favorite characters stand forehead to forehead, is a photograph I've never seen before. It is at the bench in the park. We came here with Kiyoshi one afternoon and I'd asked a guy nearby to take it for us from the camera Itachi brought that day. Although he'd sent me all of them, I hadn't seen this one before. Because if I had, these fat tears would not have been falling down my face. I'm seated to the left in a white button-down and my favorite blue shorts. Kiyoshi sits in the center. He wears a yellow t-shirt and dark cotton shorts. Itachi sits to the right. He's wearing a white shirt and blue linen shorts. A sheer coincidence I'd teased him endlessly about. He'd tsked at me and walked away every time.
But it's the sheer perfection of the moment that has my heart clogged in my throat with the multitude of the emotions that fill it. Kiyoshi holds one of our hands in his. My eyes are on my beloved who regards me like a reflection of my own emotions. A happy and content smile graces all our faces. My hand trembles when I turn it around. "My family," it says.
I lower my head and gaze at us for a long, long time.
How do you walk away from family?
Itachi surprises me on Sunday morning by showing up at my door with Kiyoshi. I immediately envelope them both in a huge hug. Kiyoshi jumps down and climbs up my desk chair to spin it around, giggling excitedly. I've been nothing but miserable since last night and their presence here hits me like the ray of sunshine slipping in through the curtains on an early summer morning.
"Get dressed, we're going shopping," Itachi tells me as I hurriedly put on a t-shirt. He walks past me like its everyday business. I grin. Lately that's how things have become. He hands me a white button-down shirt. "Put this on and your jeans or shorts. We're going to Tokyo. I know a store there that'll have just the right suit for you and…" he trails off when he sees my flabbergasted expression. "What?" he asks, tsking in irritation no doubt.
"Suit? Tokyo? What are you talking about?" I ask him.
"Your graduation ceremony, what else, Naruto?" he asks back confusedly.
"But I have a suit already!" I protest.
He pauses. "You do?" I nod. He looks up at me. "Well? What're you waiting for? Show it to me!" he demands. He's making me nervous.
I hand him the suit I brought with me. It's a black suit with a white button-down and a black tie. I look like a waiter in a posh restaurant when I wear it. What's worse is, the entire ensemble has shiny dress shoes my mother forcibly shoved into my suitcase. I hate them. He looks at it for a moment and then hands it to me and takes his seat on the bed. "So?" I ask, clearing my throat.
"So what? I don't know why you're so slow today. Hurry up and put it on!" he says.
"You mean here, right now?" My eyes dart to Kiyoshi who's now found an anime figurine to play with. He looks completely engrossed in it, but I'm not taking any chances.
Itachi looks at Kiyoshi as if seeing his own son for the first time. Color floods his cheeks as he clears his throat. "Of course not," he says, looking down at his hands clasped in front of him. We stand awkwardly in silence for a moment and then I take my stuff and head downstairs towards the shower room which also doubles as a changing room. Luck is on my side when I find it empty. I hurriedly put on my suit and step out. I take a deep breath before I turn the knob of my room and enter.
Identical pairs of eyes widen slightly when they take me in. My eyes immediately move to Itachi's to take in his reaction. His mouth is slightly parted as he looks at me. His eyes rove up and down my body like they can't get enough. I twirl around shamelessly, enjoying their attention. "So, how do I look?" I ask.
"Awesome!" Kiyoshi says sweetly to me.
I bow in thanks, making him giggle.
My eyes find those molten onyx-colored ones of his father. "What do you think?" I ask him.
"Your collar is crooked. Come here," he beckons me over. He straightens it in slow deliberate strokes against my neck, his finger brushing my Adam's apple. "I'm wondering how many years of jailtime I'd get for trying to rip your clothes in front of Kiyoshi. It should be a crime to look this good," he says.
I chuckle as I reach forward and grab his left hand in my right one. "You flatter me," I say shyly.
He shakes his head. "The suit seriously looks good on you, Naruto-kun. But I have just the place that's going to make you look even better." His eyes tilt up at me full of so much excitement I can't bring myself to say no to him.
It's not like I'm not excited at the prospect of wanting to wear something he'll choose for me. Call it instinct but I know he's going to insist on gifting it to me. Suits are ridiculously expensive. Although money has never sprung-up in our conversations before, I know I'm going to have to bring it up. "Fine! I'll buy a new suit!" I relent, choosing my words carefully.
Itachi frowns momentarily. "What do you mean buy? No Naruto. This is my want, I'll pay."
Uh-huh.
"But I'll be the one keeping it!" I snap.
"Then take it as a gift! Why's that so hard? Spouses gift each other things all the time!" he snaps right back.
"Spouses?" I raise a teasing brow.
Itachi's cheeks are pink but he looks at me and smiles. "Spouses," he affirms.
My breath hitches when I look at him. I'm dying to kiss him. "You've ruined me, you know. I don't think I could ever want anyone else."
Itachi pulls my face closer to his. "Why would you ever want anyone else?" he yanks at my collar. "I'm the only one you should want, understood?" he pats my cheek twice.
"I got your present," I whisper softly.
His brow quirks. "What present?" he asks.
"You know which." I bend down and quickly press my lips to his. "It is the second best thing I've ever received."
His brow rises. "Second? What's the first?" he asks.
"You," I kiss him again.
"Oh! Daddy and Naruto are kissing!" his tone is full of happy surprise.
I jerk away from Itachi as if I've been burnt. My lover lets out a quiet snort as he fights his laughter.
He clears his throat when he looks at me. "Naruto-kun, please quickly change your clothes."
"But I've not even started on my daily quota of you!" I protest.
Itachi chances a look at Kiyoshi and then turns to me. "What? You couldn't find it?" he speaks loudly.
His eyes turn to Kiyoshi's while my bewildered eyes stare at him. "Find what?" I ask.
"The button of your coat, Naruto! You said you think you dropped it downstairs. I think we should go search for it. I know how to sew it back. I'll do it for you!" his eyes look into mine. Recognition registers with every word and that shenanigan Itachi employs comes back into full play.
"Oh yes the button!" I exclaim as my lips threaten to erupt in a laugh.
"Kiyoshi will you be alright here? Daddy is going to go help Naruto…er…look for his button," Itachi asks as he takes a seat in front of his child and gets to explaining to him. "Naruto and I will come back as soon as we find it," Itachi assures him. He lifts him up and places him in the center of the bed for safety.
I'm hiding my silly grin behind my hand. I put on my dress shoes in the meantime and patiently wait. Kiyoshi nods as he smiles at us.
Itachi turns to me. "No sharp objects in plain sight," he whispers to me quietly. I nod and quickly get to shoving everything I can deem dangerous. Luckily, the figurine Kiyoshi is playing with is safe. I know it has nothing that could harm him. Once everything is hidden and sorted, I nod at him as we make our way to the showering room. Maybe because it's early on a Sunday morning but the people up are only a handful. And most of them are just out to use the toilets.
Nobody bats another eyelash at me as I sneakily close the shower room door and lock it. Itachi kisses me against the door. I pull him away from there to the adjacent wall. His hands move inside my jacket, running everywhere at once. His fingers brush my pert nipples while his tongue drives me insane. I push him on top of one of the low shelves. I bend him down to me and kiss him. His hands work on removing the jacket. It drops to the ground just as his hands move to clasp the sides of my face when he kisses me hungrily.
My hands dance over his skin as they sneak into his t-shirt. My nose buries in his enigmatic fragrance. "There's something I want to try," Itachi says.
I look into his eyes again and grind my hips. "Anything you want," I say.
He stands up from the shelf and moves towards me. He grips my black tie and continues kissing me passionately. He removes the tie and I smirk, raising a brow at him. Itachi breaks the kiss to undo my shirt buttons. He rips it when they don't acquiesce. He grabs my hands and ties them behind my back. His hands move to my trousers next, undoing them to free parts of me already ready. He kneels and I forget to breathe. I shake my head at him. "This is not a good idea," I warn. I'm already on edge.
"Shush," Itachi says as he takes me in. He's been getting better and better at this and he was already good to begin with. He drives me insane with desire. His mouth works me slowly as he gives himself time to adjust. I let him, even when the wet heat of his mouth is hardening me to the point of pain. Restricting my hands' movement is pure torture. I've never done this before but I love the helplessness this brings. He begins to work up his rhythm as he takes me. His clever tongue works on my underside, heightening my pleasure. Against my will, my hands bunch into a tight fist as I move my waist, willing him to go deeper. My eyes open to see his on me. He continues his pace, his eyes still on mine. He lets go of my wet heat to trail kisses down the underside of my thighs. He's been doing that a lot recently and I've got to say, it feels amazing. My legs shake with the amount of holding back I have to do. His hands tighten on my waist when he returns to my cock and swallows me in one go. I moan, throwing my head back as the slick heat of his mouth grabs mine. He uses his tongue to rub against the lower side, driving me crazy. I hiss in warning but he continues his ministrations. Pleasure is beginning to spark inside me, fraying my already sensitive nerves. I'm close. His tight throat takes me in perfectly. I'm moaning and panting, my waist tightening with the strain of holding back from moving.
"Uh, Itachi-sama," I whisper hoarsely. "I'm close."
His lips close around me. Liquid heat shoots inside me like a lightning bolt as pleasure wracks me whole. The familiar end comes close and I try to pull away but his hands on my waist tighten as he sucks me to sheer oblivion. I come with a guttural cry, spilling hotly inside his mouth. My legs shake with the intensity of the moment. He slips me out of his mouth and smiles up at me. A thick thread of my release connects us together but he only lets it slide down his tongue with the rest of my cum. It splatters on my dress shoes. Itachi looks at the soiled shoes and smiles at me. He stands up and pushes me against the wall, claiming my mouth. The evidence of my desire mingles between us. I push him back as the horrible taste fills my mouth. "It's disgusting!" I say, making a face.
He laughs, nipping my bottom lip. "It's yours Naruto. Also. we're getting you new shoes."
"I'm sure I can clean these and use them again." I point out.
He smirks and shakes his head. "Say yes to the shoes or I'll leave you here," he looks at my completely disheveled clothing, "with your hands tied behind your back, of course." He smiles sweetly after the threat. I chuckle.
"Alright. Will you untie my hands now?" I ask him.
He laughs and removes my tie from around my wrists.
I link my arms behind him as I rest my chin on his shoulder and sigh contentedly. Itachi hums peacefully as he circles his arms around my shoulders. "Shall we go back then?" he asks.
I shake my head, my hand going behind him to slowly slide up inside his soft polo t-shirt to his back. His nipples harden when my blunt fingernails rub against his skin. "We can't," I mumble. I pull away from him as my hand snakes around to his front. I know he likes this. He's only affirmed this a time too many now. "We have to look for a button after all!" My thumb brushes a stiff peak. Itachi groans as his face buries in my neck.
"Stop turning me on!" he admonishes as he tries to move away. I hold him tighter to me instead of letting him get away.
My fingers press tightly against the tiny nipple causing his breath to hitch. His body loosens when he sags against me, my knee brushing his erection. My own cock fills as a response. My tongue traces the shell of his ear as my nose buries itself in his neck. He turns towards me again and kisses me. My hands abandon their ministrations on his chest as I pull him closer to me. He pushes me towards the low shelf and bends down to kiss my neck. I'm drowning in pure sensation when a sudden knock sounds against the door. We both look up at each other and then at the door wearing guilty faces. I'd completely forgotten where we are. I take in the state we're in. There's no way we can go out like this! We pause for a second but then the footsteps refuse to fade away. Another knock sounds.
Itachi has the same thought as he starts to right his t-shirt and flick back his hair. I stop him with a hand on his arm. "Lend me three hundred yen," I whisper to him.
He frowns at me in confusion but then grabs his wallet and hands me the three coins. We have paid showers here. Three hundred yen for seven minutes. Thankfully there's a start and stop facility which lets me stretch my showers for twenty minutes. I smile at him as I slip in the coins and the timer blinks on the small display. I kick off my shoes quickly and strip. Itachi watches me for a curious second and then he shakes his head as he begins removing his clothes too. By the time we step into the shower and close the door, we're grinning like idiots.
In a shower small enough already for me, two adults cram themselves. Itachi's mouth claims mine and that's it. I'm done as the magic takes over.
Kiyoshi looks at us when we return to the room, freshly showered amongst other things. Kiyoshi doesn't remark on it. I doubt he's noticed it. "Naruto your shoes got dirty," he says suddenly.
The post orgasmic bliss vanishes in an instant as I stare down at my shoes and then my eyes turn to Itachi's immediately. He's chosen to cover his face but I can see the shaking shoulders. "Uh…yeah. Someone dropped their…uh…their shampoo on them." I manage and Itachi's laugh intensifies.
"But that doesn't look like shampoo," Kiyoshi says as he hops off the bed to inspect further.
I give Itachi a 'help me' look but he continues to laugh silently. I can't believe he's leaving me alone to deal with it. I quickly lift Kiyoshi up and settle him to my right side. "What do you want to do in Tokyo today, young man?" I ask him, swiftly changing the subject.
He giggles, distracted at once. My gaze moves to my lover's as Kiyoshi begins chanting off the names of stores he wants to go to and where he wants to eat. Itachi's eyebrows raise in silent admiration. I guess I am getting better at dealing with spontaneous situations. Kiyoshi's hand moves to my hair. "Why is your hair wet Naruto?" he asks.
Simultaneous challenges are being thrown in. I eye Itachi again. His own wet hair dangles limply to his back. Kiyoshi turns to his father then. "Both your hair is wet!" he states the painful obvious.
"Yeah. Something that Daddy can't explain to you right now happened and that shampoo fell all over us," his lips twitch at the humorous concoction he's created out of the situation. I grin at him.
"Yeah. That's what happened, yup." I put him down as I cross the room to where my clothes sit. Itachi perches on the edge of my bed and eyes me sweetly. He then turns away from Kiyoshi who's returned to revolving the chair.
"So…uh…Itachi-sama," I say, my lips straining under the weight of the smirk they're confined in. Itachi's eyes come back from where my hand is removing my blazer. I let it fall on the floor. The dangers of being under this man's eyes are starting again. I need to change directions. "This…uh…this shampoo," I start and lust fills his eyes when they land on me again. His cheeks color slightly. "Does this shampoo come off with water without ruining the shoes or what?" Itachi's eyes have already lowered to the white streaks painting my shoes. He lifts them up again to mine and I wink cheekily at him.
He lifts up the pillow to throw it at me but changes his mind and hugs it instead. "Hmm, I don't really think so. We'll have to get you another pair of shoes." He hums as he places his chin on the pillow and hugs it to him. He pretends to think but I know he's just sniffing my pillow. I smile at him as I begin buttoning up my white shirt. "I think I know what type of shoes you're getting," he says, turning sideways to smile at me.
I stop what I'm doing just to look at him with a smile on my face too.
"Now hurry up and get ready, we're already late! Our day today is packed as it is!" he says, smacking me on the ass when I turn. Luckily Kiyoshi's gone back to fidgeting with something new on my desk because he doesn't see this.
I turn big eyes towards him and then look back at his son pointedly. But he just swats me away and busies himself in ogling me when I change into my jeans hurriedly. I brush my teeth and run a comb through my helpless hair before picking up everything I need. He borrows my comb to run it through his own tresses. Thankfully the late July sun has dried his hair. I regret that I don't have a hair dryer. Itachi walks up to me and stands beside me. I move slightly to the right till we can both see our reflections in the mirror. His eyes are on mine in the mirror as he opens the cabinet and pulls out the bottle of Listerine. He uncaps it slowly, his eyes never leaving mine in the mirror. "Only yours," he says as he rinses his mouth.
"It'd better be." I cast a glance at Kiyoshi and then blow my lover a kiss in the mirror. My lover turns and kisses my cheek before turning towards his son. He bends down and tickles the little being.
"Let's go!" Kiyoshi cheers excitedly at Itachi's words. We make our way out of the room and though it lacks a lot of the things I once loved in here, their presence alone fills up the voids. Perhaps coming back to this room for the rest of my days won't be as morbid as I thought. And as if to confirm it, a single ray of sunlight lights up the whole room as I close it behind me.
I turn to happily follow my family downstairs.
So far, the day has been absolutely perfect. Itachi brought his car and so the drive to Tokyo has become a picnic of sorts. We've stopped for breakfast, then to get gas and then finally once we got to Tokyo, Itachi parked his car at a paid parking lot and we took the train to Shibuya. Itachi adamantly leads us to what looks like an expensive bespoke tailoring shop. The store is called "Rin" with the character for elegance and seems fancy as hell.
I stop him with a hand on his arm as we stand a few feet away from the store. I don't know how to ask the multitude of questions and suggest a million other things including not getting me a suit. "Are you sure about this?" I ask, finally.
Itachi looks at me funny for a second and then he understands. He smiles at me and grabs my hand in his free one. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," he says and just like that, every dark cloud vanishes from my mind as we make our way to the inside.
A posh-looking man in a suit walks up to Itachi and hugs him. "Itachi! What a pleasure!" he says as he pats Itachi on the back. The man is in his late thirties from the looks of it. He's dressed in a casual gray summer suit and looks stylish and suave. I'm on edge immediately. Mostly because he's just had his hands all over my man. Caveman erupts immediately as I lunge forward and put my hand on the small of Itachi's back, drawing him back to my side. The man straightens and eyes me with a raised brow. He knows. He turns and dismisses his attending staff away with a wave of his hand.
"Hello," I greet, managing to keep the menace out of both my voice and smile. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto," the formal Japanese greeting rolls off smoothly as butter now.
The man bows at me. "Hello. I'm Uchiha Obito, Itachi's cousin." He pulls out a business card and hands it to me. I take it politely with both hands and read it over just to not have to look at his face again. My face is on fire with humiliation.
Obito laughs a little forcefully as he leans down and lifts up Kiyoshi from where he was standing beside me. "Hello my Kiyo-chin! How've you been?" his baby tone grates my nerves. And that's not even the worst of it. Kiyoshi who's always been all about me this whole fucking time giggles as well. Jealousy flairs red-hot in my veins when I eye him in shock. They continue giggling and talking in baby tones and it just keeps adding to the irritation.
Obito kisses Kiyoshi's cheek and my hand curls to stop the urge to wipe it off his face. I want him nowhere around either of them. Itachi's hand on my back jars me out of the wicked intentions brewing in my chest. "Are you alright?" he questions me quietly.
I turn to him and frown. "Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" As if I'll ever tell him what I wanted to do not a minute ago.
Itachi gives me a look I ignore just as Obito walks up to us with Kiyoshi in his arms. My arms reach for the boy immediately. I might be behaving like a child wanting their favorite thing back but Kiyoshi is mine and this man better understand it! The irritation mounts when Kiyoshi refuses to come choosing instead to stay glued to Obito's body.
Obito ignores me as he turns towards Itachi. "So how may I help you today?" he asks, his grin widens when Itachi smiles at him.
"We came here to…um…select a suit for his graduation ceremony. I was thinking something in dark blue. You're the only one who will have the perfect one. So…" they talk with so much casualness, it puts me at ease and raises my hackles simultaneously. Another paradox to this mountain of feelings I have for him.
I face Obito when he turns his eyes to me again. He gives me a quick onceover and then turns back to Itachi. "I think I have just the thing for you." He taps my lover on the shoulder and my fingers curl in my hands. The glint of a wedding ring on it does not go unnoticed. But it does nothing to ease the tension I feel. Obito grins at Itachi. "You've always had quite the eye," his eyes turn towards me but then he winks at Itachi. My eyes cut to Itachi's when he laughs. I swear to god, if this man, this cousin, this Obito does not stop flirting with Itachi, I'm going to do something drastic. Thankfully, he can take the hint because he turns around to walk to the inside of the store, Kiyoshi still clinging to him as if they're stuck together.
"You come here often?" I start.
Itachi blinks at me. It's a question I know he hasn't anticipated. Frankly, it's my motor mouth running off again. "Only when I need new suits or when I bring Kiyoshi with me to Tokyo," he grins up at me.
But I frown. "And how many days a year do you do that?" I ask, my arm snaking around his waist to pull him closer.
He laughs. "Hmm, let's see. I usually do end up buying more than six suits and every second week Kiyoshi and I drive up here, so…quite a lot?" his smile gives away his lie.
I bury my face in his neck and groan. Obito makes a noise inside and I let go immediately. My eyes cut to Itachi. "I don't get what his deal is," I say.
Itachi laughs when he looks at me. "Are you jealous of my cousin, Naruto?" his tone is full of humor but I'm not in the mood for jest. This Obito has soured the buoyancy of the high spirits we'd started this day with.
"Jealous?" I laugh. Nah, this isn't jealousy. Jealousy is petty compared to this thundercloud hovering over me. "I'm one second away from dragging you and Kiyoshi out of this store and never letting him even look at the two of you!" I throw out my hands in exasperation. "Look, I get he's your cousin. I get it. But I don't like the way he looks at you. I'm sorry but there's something wrong about this."
Itachi throws back his head laughing. "He's not gay, Naruto! He's just teasing you," he says lightly.
I huff in anger. "But why would he tease me?" I ask.
"Because he knows we're together. It's a game he likes to play."
"You mean he's done this before?" I force my voice to be as quiet as it can be.
Itachi looks away for a moment and then he turns towards me again. "Yeah, I mean we were neighbors growing up and since he was not much older to me, he was more like a cool elder brother you could talk to and hang out with. I used to go to him a lot with my relationship stuff and somehow it became like a test. A wink at the end means he approves, by the way."
I nod. Though I don't really get what this is all about, I guess someone who's like an elder brother to Itachi can't be all that bad now, can he? "Understood." I inhale his scent before lifting my head from his shoulder. "But you can't giggle at him again." I lay it out there.
"And what if I do?" Itachi challenges back, giggling at me.
I bend down and bite him, making him cry out. I move away immediately, crossing my arms across my chest as I stare at the mirror in front of us. My eyes are on his again. He doesn't blink when he smiles and repeats, "What if I giggle, Naruto?" he asks.
My eyes move down to the red splotchy mark gracing his neck. I smirk when I look back up at him. "Well, you just saw what happened," I say.
He swallows his laugh. "What if he was to touch me?" he asks, his thin dark brow up as he regards me in the mirror.
I raise my own brow back. "This game you're playing…" I chuckle quietly as I regard his reflection in the mirror once again. "If you want to get fucked in the changing room, Itachi-sama, all you have to do is just say it!"
Itachi licks his lips. "The idea does have its temptation." Then he looks back at me and smiles. "But were you to fuck me here, wouldn't my cousin get to hear it too?" he asks.
Caveman and my rationality war inside me. They are both stubborn opponents. Itachi is right. Every sound of pleasure or pain from him is mine. I smile down at him. "Well, I'm not opposed to finding some middle ground…" I say, teasingly.
Itachi smacks me hard on the arm, his cheeks glowing visibly red. "You honestly turn me into a horny rabbit, Naruto-kun!" he says, pressing the back of his hands to his cheeks.
I press my thumb against the corner of his lip. "Interspecies porn is not my thing but let's hope this monkey in heat can keep up, Itachi-sama" I point at myself and wink at him.
He throws his head back and laughs.
I tie the thousandth tie for the day around my neck. In between endless hand-holding and flirting, we've settled on a navy-blue suit. Obito brought out a couple of suits and left us alone thankfully. When I stepped out of the changing room, Itachi's eyes, round like the moon, just confirmed the suit was it. And even I have to say I look good in it. It became impossible to stop myself from pulling him into my arms when he ran a hand through the fabric and looked up at me. "It's just as I thought. It brings out the blue of your eyes perfectly." His hand slowly smoothens the lapels of my blazer which are black in contrast. It really is a beautiful suit.
Seeing as this took all of less than half an hour, I was convinced we'd get done here faster but it's the necktie that's getting on my nerves. Even Kiyoshi grew tired. He's taking a nap in his beloved uncle's room with the said uncle keeping an eye on him. Itachi's original tie selection didn't meet the standards it seems, so we've gone to-and-fro between every shade of red, blue, or black under the sun. I'm arguing why the tie I already own won't be good enough but he's turned a deaf ear to me. He's standing next to rows and rows of neckties, concentrating on finding the perfect one. I suddenly feel like an ass for bitching about it.
He pulls out a white, silk tie and presses it against me. "Try this! Quick!" he says excitedly, pushing me towards the changing room. This is a moment like the movies. His face is highlighted by a lamp above him as he pointedly looks towards the empty room. I nod and take the few steps in slow motion. Though we've frisked around while trying the suit, my heart starts beating erratically, audible to my ears. I make my way in and sure enough Itachi toes off his shoes and enters as well. He glances at me sliding the tie around my neck, looping it together. He pushes my hands away and takes over. With deft fingers, he ties a Windsor knot and fusses over me, tucking in every stray inch of my shirt and straightening the collars. The blue suit has pins all around it from where Obito has fitted it for me. But he runs his hands over my shoulders. Hell he even seats me down and finger combs my hair. He steps back once he's done with his grooming. We smile at each other over the full-length mirror when I see the final product.
I stand up, ready for what's to come. He doesn't even hesitate when he laughs and kisses me. "Perfect," he whispers against my mouth.
And I forget how to breathe.
Itachi painstakingly sets every strand of my hair to perfection. Kiyoshi sits on the revolving chair and watches his father at work. Itachi bends his neck sideways and bites me. "Mine," he whispers. I make a deep sound in my throat as warning, my eyes on Kiyoshi. Itachi chuckles and I am loving every second of it. He makes sure the loops of the laces of my brand-new brown oxford shoes match to the 'T.' Then he and Kiyoshi share a look, nodding before turning to me.
"Beautiful," they say in unison and my heart breaks.
I smile shyly, a little embarrassed by how sentimental I'm feeling. This is goodbye to a lot of things. This melancholy that's set inside me worsens when I think about my goodbyes to them. We'll have to part, even if it is for a while. But I manage a smile when I see their bright ones.
"I'll go and come back," I say, turning the knob to leave. It takes a lot of effort for my hand to turn it. It's hard to part from them for even a while, how will I part later? I exit with feet that refuse to walk.
The door almost closes behind me when I hear their return greeting again in unison.
And my heart breaks some more.
Kiba does a double take when his eyes land on me. I chuckle and spin around to flaunt my look. He's wearing a black suit with a red tie. He's tamed his brown hair too. "You look good too!" I say grinning at him.
"Bastard," he hits me on my back. "Who comes to their graduation ceremony with a hickey, you pervert!"
I just shake my head and grin at him. "Speaking of, I've invited Itachi and Kiyoshi," I tell him. I want him to be the only one to know.
He beams at me. "That's great man! I'm very happy for you," he says.
We move towards the smoking area but I shake my head. Can't have that smell on this suit. Not when I'm wearing his fragrance on me today. I'll protect this suit with my life. I know Itachi will kill me if he smells smoke on me again. Kiba rolls his eyes but agrees as we move towards the steel railing. We begin a light conversation about an anime fight that turns agitated.
Kiba shakes his head vehemently. "You say that now but you see, in the next episode, Luffy is going to-" he stops as he looks forward for a moment and then he looks at me and smiles.
"Hi Kiyoshi!" he chirps just as Itachi comes to stand beside me.
Kiba takes Kiyoshi from Itachi's arms and my lover takes a step back and smoothens his necktie. Itachi knows he has my attention when he smiles. I know what that means. My eyes run over my lover who wears a black suit with his tie the same color as my suit. Happiness fills me insanely. Kiyoshi's matched his father but he wears a yellow tie instead. I know the significance of that color. I don't care. I hug them to my chest. "You take my breath away," I say quietly, only for them. I want to kiss them both.
Kiba laughs behind me. "I hate to break this family moment but Naruto, we gotta go." I don't turn back but continue hugging the two people in my arms. Kiba's hand on my shoulder pulls me out of my thoughts. "Come on let's go!" he forcefully grabs my shoulder to turn me around.
"No!" I mourn, making a face at them.
Kiba rolls his eyes. "Sorry Itachi but I'm going to borrow this guy," he smacks me upside the head, laughing.
I turn but look back at my Itachi-sama who looks hotter than sin.
My Itachi-sama just sighs and tsks, shaking his head slightly.
If he only knew the things, he did to me in a heartbeat!
The ceremony goes off without a hitch and I'm enjoying some anecdote a girl is sharing in the after-party. She's the same girl who lit my cigarette in the smoking room. She's spontaneous and funny. Itachi chuckles beside me when she makes another good joke.
"She's funny," he comments, chuckling when she says something again.
"I know right! She randomly walked up to me and lit my cigarette the day we went drinking," I tell him in jest and then go back to listening to her as she concludes her speech.
"Lit your cigarette, eh?" he raises his brow and looks at me.
I turn from the stage and look at him. My hand goes to the back of my neck but he just chuckles and looks ahead. I watch him, lovesick beyond thought.
"Are you ready for your speech?" he asks, nudging me slightly with his shoulder. It takes a valiant attempt to not look as smitten as I feel.
I look at him and smirk, my hand goes to touch the pocket where I've placed my speech. I've written it and practiced it for a million times but all in secret. I've stayed up nights in their living room thinking of word after every word. It is my confession to the two people who complete me. I know it by heart! I nod. We turn back to where this girl makes another joke. I was supposed to go up next but my advisor wanted to be present for my speech and she is running late.
Tenten-san walks up to me and congratulates me. I smile and bow in gratitude. She eyes me sideways and grins. "You look good, Naruto-kun," she says.
I laugh good-naturedly at her. "Thank you," I say, smiling genuinely at her. She's wearing a simple lilac formal dress and her hair is done up in those two buns she wears them in. "You look good too," I say.
She bows and then her eyes move to Itachi and Kiyoshi in his arms who're looking back at us with polite curiosity. I turn to Itachi. "This is my tutor for my research paper, Tenten-san. And Tenten-san, this is my family, Uchiha Itachi and his son Kiyoshi."
I don't hesitate or fumble. It's a loaded answer. I expect Tenten-san to be a little confused and Itachi to freeze a little and maybe call me out or make light of the explanation but he just bows at her politely and she smiles at Kiyoshi. "Pleasure to meet you," he says in polite, formal Japanese.
Tenten-san bows back and returns the greeting. We stand quietly for a moment. Tenten-san fidgets with her hands for a moment. "This isn't the person who switched to formal Japanese, right?" she asks me. She bristles for a second, feeling that step between appropriate and too close. But I chose to reveal it to her. It's only fair that I tell her.
"No. I am never becoming their friend again." Tenten-san turns away.
"I'm sorry," she says simply.
"It's okay. This is also a lesson learnt. Thank you for being my guide, Tenten-san. It was a pleasure to study under your tutelage." I bow at her respectfully. She bows back.
Itachi's finger brushes mine and my head immediately turns in his direction. There is an ocean of emotion there. I'm about to ask him what he's thinking when Kurenai sensei calls me to the make-do stage and I make my way up.
Once I face the audience nervousness hits me. Standing around the small hall are not just our lessons instructors but outsiders as well. I run a cursory glance across the people and some of my friends smile at me. My eyes run back to the father and son and I smile at them. They smile back. My grin widens.
"Ah! Parting is such sweet sorrow! It feels like only yesterday when I stood in this very hall to receive our official welcome speech and now, we're here saying goodbyes." I shrug and a couple of girls from Vietnam from our program smile. "When I started studying Japanese, I had no other plan in mind except that I wanted to someday read manga without a dictionary and watch anime without subtitles." I grin goofily at the audience which leads to some quiet chuckles. "But the more I began to sincerely take my classes, the deeper and more profound my passion about learning about a culture vastly different from mine, turned. This one year has given me a microscopic outlook to a beautiful new world. And it wouldn't have been possible without the guidance of excellent teachers and kind tutors. Their patience and persistence have helped improve my Japanese a lot. I thank you from the bottom of my heart." I bow deeply. Several people hum. I smile at Itachi first and then at my advisor and Tenten-san who are now standing together to the side. "I feel very fortunate to have been a part of this program which not just gave me the best teachers but also friends I'll cherish forever." Kiba cheers and I watch Itachi look at him and grin.
"But what really has set this one year apart from every other in my life is the presence of two very special people." Like a magnet, my gaze turns to Itachi's who is just staring back at me. Several people turn back to look at him but he doesn't care. His unchanging eyes have given me the power I need. "My year has been nothing but an endless of discovery of the good a person can hold in them. I now know how generous and honest and sincere they can be. Their infinite kindness and acceptance tells me that there are truly good people in the world. And I was the one chosen to receive all these gifts." Itachi's smile widens. Even Kiyoshi is paying attention. I smile back in response. "I want to thank them today. It's because of them that I have a family here in Japan I love. That I have a home. And even if we were to part for a while, I know we'll reunite soon." I pause, my eyes lingering on Itachi's whose shine with emotion. He nods slowly and I'm fighting the urge to sniffle when my nose gets unusually wet. I clear my throat and then glance at the audience. "Thank you." I come down from the make-shift podium to significantly loud applause. Somebody whistles, making me shake my head as I laugh.
I make my way back to our table where Itachi takes my hand in his. We were pushed to a back table because 'I'm a giant who's not transparent.' The girl from Romania was pure snark when she talked to me. I'd just shrugged and switched tables. It wasn't a big deal at all. In fact, as his warm hand squeezes mine, I'm actually very glad she did. "How was it?" I ask him in a whisper.
Itachi swallows before he looks up at me. Pride, happiness, and love so much love along with every other quality I just spoke of shines in those midnight orbs. He opens his mouth to say something but changes his mind and nods instead. It's a bittersweet and heavy moment. I want to press my forehead to his and center myself. But I just settle for squeezing his hand instead. "Thank you," I say and he manages a small smile.
Kiyoshi looks up at me and raises his arms. I pull him to my arms immediately. "You were beautiful up there Naruto," he says.
"Thank you," I straighten his tie. "You look wonderful tonight, young man," I say, setting his hair straight after tousling it. "Is that tie because of my hair?" He nods, grinning at me toothily and then hugs me. I drop a kiss to the top of his head and he giggles. I squeeze Itachi's hand and smile at him.
There was only one more student left after me and after they finish their speech, Kurenai-sensei walks up to the stage and extends her vote of thanks. She motions to the back where the food sits and tells us to enjoy ourselves. Itachi stands, his hand in mine pulls me up as well. Kiba walks up to our table then. He takes one look at our faces and he motions for us to go as he sits down next to Kiyoshi and starts talking to him. Kiyoshi smiles at him and I consider this grand scheme he and I have in mind. But Itachi squeezes my hand then, bringing me back to him instantly. "We…um…need to use the toilet," he explains to his son who smiles at us and nods before Kiba grabs his attention. I'm going to treat Kiba to the best fucking restaurant in town! I bow down to him.
Itachi leads us past the washrooms to a heavy door at the end of the corridor. He opens it quickly grabs my hand again to push me against the wall and kisses me. It's soft and slow. You'd think with all that desperation we would be all over each other. My eyes close in sheer bliss when he kisses me again. I take in him, from every possible point of contact right down to the resplendent shadow of his lashes against his cheeks when he blinks and then opens his own eyes to regard me. He smiles and my lips lift automatically in response. The single yellow light has us under it. It's dim but it doesn't hide our faces. I cup his face and bend down to kiss his lips again.
"So, are you taking me home tonight?" I ask. I smooth a strand of his soft hair and tuck it behind his ear.
"Well…that depends…" Itachi says as he tilts his head up and regards me. I am going to let him have his eyeful of me.
"After what I just said?" we share a quiet laugh together. I nod, entertaining him. "Okay, depends on what?" I ask smiling unabashedly as Itachi runs a hand down the lapel. I wrap my arms around him.
He straightens my tie and runs a hand across it. He catches it by the end and yanks me closer. I kiss him. "Hmm, depends on what you're giving me in return."
I kiss him again. "Whatever you want, it's yours," I promise.
He hums again and then his eyes slide downward before rising up to mine. "There was a video I saw," a curious Itachi just drives me crazy with want to new heights. "The…uh…men did it in suits." He touches my tie again and then looks back at me. He runs a hand down my chest, stopping only when he reaches right above my waistband. His hand splays out to touch me. I close my eyes and will my body to not respond. "They did it in a stairwell like this," he adds quietly.
My eyes open sharply at I stare at him. "You don't mean…" I stop. After all the times we've done it, I shouldn't need clarity at moments like these. But right now, this is all I can think about.
Itachi averts his eyes away from mine but nods. "I…prepared myself before I came here," he says.
He what?
My cock knows what he's talking about. It hardens immediately.
I look up at the light and then at him. Even though the light is dim, we could still be seen. And Kiyoshi? Logistics are waging a war in my brain and yet I'm as hard as a rock! "This is unfair! You can't just say that to me!"
He rubs his crotch with mine. "I can't?" he asks, his voice silky. He pulls me by the back of my neck. "Alright then. Sorry Naruto-kun, I won't take you home tonight," he says letting go with a look of sheer disappointment.
"But this is wrong! I mean there's light above us, a party in full swing next to us, not to mention, Kiba and Kiyoshi are waiting for us and you are telling me you came prepared all curious about a fucking fantasy! I mean, I can't even!" I throw up my hands.
Desire wars with rationality when his splayed fingers move up and brush a nipple. "I said stairwell, Naruto." He scratches it lightly. "Pay attention!" he smirks.
I shift and his crotch rubs mine again. My hands grab his ass instinctively. "Hard to do that when you're in my arms," I manage.
"Yes, hard you are, alright." I narrow my eyes at the pun. He grins. "I don't know what you are waiting for Naruto! I've wanted this from the moment I saw you in these clothes in Obito's shop!" Itachi's left hand runs down my back. His eyes look into mine. "I need this."
I kiss him then hot and desperate. "Ten minutes," I breathe. "We're going back in ten minutes," I say.
Itachi raises his brow when he looks at me. "You're going to be done in ten minutes?" he asks.
I laugh when I grab him in my arms to pull him away and get my own eyeful of my man. "With the way you look tonight, an eternity is not going to be enough! But right now I think I'll have to settle for ten minutes."
Itachi shrugs as he moves towards the stone stairwell. It's covered by high cemented railings that make us invisible. He beckons to me when I watch him hurrying towards the stairs in all his elegant beauty. He turns to me when he reaches the landing. "Clock's ticking Naruto! Hurry up!" his admonishing tone makes me laugh as I cross over the distance to him.
"At your service," I say making him chuckle.
Remember that perfect evening I'd imagined?
This man, one day. I swear.
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