Hi there! Sorry this chapter is late, but I had to rewrite a couple parts that I wasn't super happy with. I hope you all enjoy though!

Warnings: Incest, brother's kissing and having sex, feelings, also plot appears.

A Family Affair

Chapter Five

"So, that's what happened earlier?" Itachi asked when Sasuke mentioned that he'd gotten a few texts from their mother on their way to Suna, insisting that he wasn't a disappointment to them. They were still laying on the bed, Itachi propped up on a pillow and Sasuke cuddled close to him with his head on his brother's chest, enjoying Itachi's fingers carding through his hair.

"Yeah," he muttered, staring into the darkening room. "She started going on about college and when I told her I didn't want to go, she turned the conversation to you and how much you loved college and-"

"I hated college," Itachi scoffed quietly.

"You…" Sasuke rolled onto his back so his head was on Itachi's stomach and he was looking up at him curiously. "You did?"

Itachi nodded, laying his hand on Sasuke's chest. "Yeah. I only went because mom and dad were pushing me and I just thought it was what I needed to do at the time. I was too young to know any better, but I was miserable. Why do you think I graduated so early?"

"Because you're smart?" Sasuke said it like it was obvious.

"More like, because I wanted to get it over with," Itachi answered. "I overloaded myself with extra classes and work just so I could finish. It...wasn't a really good time in my life."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, trying to think back to when he was twelve and the times he would see Itachi. "You were always working on school work, but you...you seemed happy."

Itachi shrugged, smiling almost sadly down at him. "I didn't want you to see me any other way," he admitted.

Sasuke stared at Itachi, almost studying him, feeling the way he breathed and the soft touch of his fingers tapping gently and distractedly against Sasuke's chest and he wondered why his brother had allowed himself to be so miserable. "Why didn't you just quit then?"

"I'd thought about it," Itachi said, his voice was softer, far away. "But...where my mind was then…" Itachi sighed. "It wouldn't have ended well."

"Do you… What do you mean?"

Sasuke brought his hand up to cover Itachi's on his chest and hold it, nervous that he already knew the answer to his question. Which was confirmed when Itachi gave him a knowing look, the corners of his mouth downturned in a frown.

His hand gripped Itachi's harder than he probably should have at the confirmation, an empty feeling opening up in his chest that left him hollow even though he told himself over and over that Itachi was here. He was fine and he was alive.

But he hadn't even known his brother was struggling, so how close had he been to losing Itachi?

"Why didn't you ever...say something?" Sasuke asked slowly, his gaze intent on Itachi's hand now as he moved to thread their fingers together.

"The same reason you gave mom. I thought I'd be disappointing all of you."

Sasuke sat up at that, pulling his legs in close to him as he looked at Itachi seriously. "You could never disappoint me."

Itachi sat up as well, a small smile on his face. "You could never disappoint me either, Sasuke, and I'm sure, if you sit down and talk with them, mom and dad will understand. Even if it takes some time."

Sasuke sighed. He saw Itachi's point, but he just didn't know how he was supposed to talk with them. Their mother had never been the best listener and their father...well, he wasn't really around enough to talk to unless Itachi was scheduled to come over for dinner and then he didn't seem too interested in whatever Sasuke was doing.

"I guess," Sasuke said with a shrug.

"Just, whatever you do, don't be like me," Itachi said, giving Sasuke's arm a gentle squeeze. "Don't let this eat away at you until you feel like you've only got one way out. At the end of the day, the life you're living is yours, which is something I didn't really realize until a couple of years ago. So spend your time doing things that make you happy; not our parents."

"What happened?"

"Hmm?"

"To make you realize it, what happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, ironically enough," Itachi said, tilting his head to the side and half shrugging. "It was Kakashi."

"Shut up," Sasuke said, shaking his head. He couldn't imagine much good coming out of what had happened between Itachi and Kakashi.

"No, it's true. What happened made me come face to face with the fact that I'd felt a little more protective over you than I should have as your brother-"

"A little more?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Itachi, you said you were going to kill a man for creeping on me."

Itachi rolled his eyes, but he was grinning. "Okay, maybe a lot more protective, but it was creepy and I at least loved you," he brought his hand up to Sasuke's cheek and stroked it gently as he continued, "I love you, and once I just accepted that and stopped trying to change myself, my quality of life improved pretty drastically."

"I'm sure the murder fantasies also probably helped," Sasuke teased.

"I'm not saying that they didn't," Itachi said, laughing and the sound made Sasuke smile. It had been strange to see Itachi so despondent before, but after talking about it and Sasuke's reassurance that Itachi had ended up with him anyway, his mood had lifted and it made Sasuke happy.

"But seriously, Sasuke," Itachi said, patting Sasuke's knee, "Just do what makes you happy."

"And if kissing you makes me happy?"

Itachi opened his arms up and said, "Then I'd suggest you come here."

Sasuke pushed himself onto his knees and closed the distance between them, pushing Itachi down onto his back when he kissed back so Sasuke could get on top of him, straddling his waist. Itachi laughed into the kiss before licking his way into Sasuke's mouth, exploring him as he held him close, hands roaming lower and lower until he was holding Sasuke by his hips. He smirked against Sasuke's lips before canting his hips up, grinding slowly against Sasuke, making him pull away with a gasp.

Sasuke pressed his forehead to his brother's as he caught his breath from the sudden jolt of pleasure, glaring at him playfully. "Okay, that's just playing dirty," Sasuke breathed between them, but he smiled.

"Are you complaining?" Itachi asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all," Sasuke said before kissing the corner of Itachi's mouth. He pressed his hips down against Itachi's this time, and both of them groaned when Itachi thrust back against him. Sasuke pressed a line of quick kisses along Itachi's jaw to his ear, nipping at it before whispering hotly, "It's just making me want you more."

Itachi let out a shuddering breath at that and Sasuke's skin felt electric as his own breathing came quicker and more shallow as their hips met again and again. He kissed Itachi, trying to press closer and feeling more desperate with every second, his pants growing more uncomfortable as Itachi set them at a steady pace rutting against each other.

A bright, hot feeling started building in him, but it was too fast, too soon and Sasuke had to break away from Itachi, pressing his cheek to his brother's. Heat radiated between them and Sasuke felt like he was close to suffocating in the best possible way.

"If you don't stop," he warned, "you're gonna make me come."

"That was my goal," Itachi chuckled, his voice was gravely and his breath was just as hot as the rest of him and it tickled Sasuke's ear, making him shiver.

"No, that's not fair," Sasuke nearly whined, squeezing Itachi's arm as he moved down just slightly so he could kiss and lick at Itachi's neck. He smiled at the hitch in Itachi's breath at his ministrations and bit down maybe a little less gently than he should have against his pounding pulse point, licking at the new mark on Itachi's pristine skin when Itachi groaned and dug his fingers into Sasuke's hip.

"What do you want then?" Itachi asked breathlessly.

Sasuke sat up and eyed Itachi intently as he reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt before pulling it off over his head. He tossed his shirt behind him and ran one of his hands over his chest, watching Itachi's eyes follow it down as he ghosted his fingers across his stomach. His own breath caught when he stopped at the sensitive skin at the hem of his pants.

"I want you, Itachi," he said quietly, letting his fingers work to undo the button of his pants as his heart beat loudly in his chest, making his ears ring. Itachi took in a deep breath when Sasuke started to unzip his pants, his eyes trained on Sasuke's fingers like he was trying to urge them to continue down with his mind. Instead, Sasuke stopped mid-way, smirking when he saw Itachi bite his lip and look up at him expectantly.

"All of you," Sasuke continued, slipping his hands under Itachi's shirt and pushing it up slowly, exposing inch after inch of his mesmerizingly perfect skin until he could feel Itachi's heart thundering underneath his fingers. He leaned down, making Itachi hiss softly when he swept a thumb across one of his nipples as Sasuke hovered over him, their lips brushing together as Sasuke looked at Itachi through half-lidded eyes and whispered, "I want you inside me, Itachi. Please."

"Fuck," Itachi groaned, closing his eyes.

Sasuke smiled deviously and pecked him on the lips. "That's the idea."

Before any more snarky comments came out, Itachi grabbed the back of Sasuke's neck and pulled him into a bruising kiss that was all teeth and tongues and dominance that Sasuke almost immediately gave over to, melting against Itachi and letting him take what he wanted.

He was rewarded when Itachi flipped their positions, leaving Sasuke on his back in the middle of the bed with Itachi's hands working his pants and boxers down off his hips, freeing his trapped erection and leaving him completely exposed to his brother's roaming and appreciative gaze as Itachi stood up and peeled his shirt off.

Itachi reached down to undo his pants, saying as he did, "Get on your hands and knees, Sasuke."

Sasuke did as he was told, turning over slowly and fighting back a blush of embarrassment from suddenly being in such an exposed position for the first time. He trusted that Itachi knew what was best though and waited, listening to Itachi's bare feet padding across the room and then back after digging through his bag for something.

Another moment later, Sasuke felt the bed shift under Itachi's weight and he waited apprehensively for Itachi to do or say something. When he finally thought nothing was going to happen, Sasuke started to look back and see what Itachi was waiting for, but before he could he gasped, dropping his head when Itachi took his ass cheeks in hand and squeezed them firmly.

"Is this your first time?"

"Mhm," Sasuke hummed quietly, nodding even though Itachi probably couldn't see it.

"It'll hurt," Itachi warned him, his voice sounding almost distracted. "But I promise it'll get better."

"I just want you, Itachi," he whispered, "Please."

Without another word or warning, Itachi pulled Sasuke's cheeks apart, exposing his hole for a moment before something warm and wet and good was covering it, licking slow, teasing circles around his entrance, making it twitch. Sasuke gasped loudly, his brain rushing to try and piece together what was suddenly happening as his body moved back against the foreign appendage, searching and trying to get more of it.

There was a quick flick and then a firmer press against his opening that made his breath stutter and dropped Sasuke onto his elbows as Itachi's tongue pushed past the first ring of muscles, licking around him slowly before removing his tongue long enough to make Sasuke whine before delving back inside. The pace was erratic and maddeningly, turning Sasuke into a panting, moaning mess, his blood feeling like fire in his veins until he finally felt desperate enough to reach for his weeping cock.

"Be patient," Itachi's pulled away from him to say, leaving his hole feeling cold and empty, waiting and wanting and needing to be filled.

"Then...stop...teasing me," he finally managed to get out, moving his hand back onto the pillow he was bracing himself on, his heart slowly calming its thunderous beating in his ears.

The hands left him completely and then a cap clicked open in response, followed by a squirting of some liquid before he felt something else, something new prodding questioningly against him. Sasuke pressed back against the digit greedily, wanting it inside him before he lost his mind, but Itachi pulled his finger away.

"If you need me to stop-"

"I'll tell you, I promise," Sasuke all but cried from frustration. "Just please, do it already."

The finger returned with more pressure behind it and Sasuke's body accepted it easily, a thrum of pleasure buzzing through him as it pushed slowly farther into him than Itachi's tongue had gone. And aside from feeling slightly strange, it didn't hurt at all, so after Itachi thrust the single digit in and out of him a few times, Sasuke was ready for more and pushed back against him, urging him to add another finger.

He only had to wait a moment before he heard the squirting of the lube and then hissed as Itachi had dribbling it directly down his crack so it slipped down, dripping down onto Itachi's fingers and his balls as Itachi pulled the first finger out before working it back inside him with a second. He immediately felt more full, even before Itachi's fingers were completely inside of him, and his body hummed in satisfaction at the feeling.

When the third finger came, it hurt. More than Sasuke had thought it would and he grunted in pain when his haze of pleasure was immediately forgotten, but to Itachi's credit (and Sasuke's sanity) he didn't stop preparing him, trusting that Sasuke would tell him to stop if he needed to.

"Can you hold yourself apart for me?" Itachi asked him, his free hand squeezing his cheek so there was no confusion as to what he meant. The idea of being so completely vulnerable made Sasuke flush and despite the pain, a tight, hot coil of desire shot to his flagging erection and Sasuke bit his lower lip hard as he did as his brother asked.

He lowered himself to rest completely on the pillow, his head turned to the side so he could see Itachi behind him out of the corner of his eye. He reached back, taking both of his cheeks in hand and spread himself open, crying out as the adjustment allowed Itachi's fingers to slip deeper into him, in turn putting a hot, sweet pressure against something inside him that made him see white.

"Do that again," he panted as Itachi pulled his fingers out and thrust them back in a few times and Sasuke rocked back to meet him in hopes of getting his brother's fingers even remotely near that spot again.

"Be patient," Itachi chided him again as he removed his fingers, much to Sasuke's very vocal displeasure, but then he heard Itachi squirt out more lube and quieted himself.

A tingle of excitement spread through Sasuke as he heard Itachi slick his cock before the fingers were back at his swollen entrance, rubbing more lube against him just for good measure. It only lasted a moment before Itachi shifted behind him, laying a hand gently on his hip before he felt the head of Itachi's cock start pressing into him.

Gasping and groaning, Sasuke wanted to pull away and rock back against his brother all at once. The fingers had been good, an introduction, but Itachi's cock felt huge as he pushed deeper inside him, making his hole and insides burn from the stretch.

Eventually, mercifully, Itachi filled him completely, which meant that he stopped moving and Sasuke could catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" Itachi's voice was a strained, hoarse whisper. He could hear the soft pants his brother made as he probably fought the urge to just fuck him wildly.

Sasuke managed to nod jerkily. "Just...give me...a second."

Itachi made an affirmative noise and they both stayed still for a long moment as Sasuke got used to the feeling of Itachi inside of him. After a minute he was able to will himself to relax and took a deep breath before nodding again to tell Itachi it was okay to move. Instead of pulling out of him though, Itachi moved his hand around to grip Sasuke's cock and stroke him slowly back to hardness.

It didn't take long for the pleasure to overtake a majority of the pain, and when it did, Sasuke pressed back against Itachi and grunted, "Move."

There was no hesitation this time. Itachi gripped both of Sasuke's hips to steady himself and slowly pulled out, leaving just the tip of his cock inside Sasuke before pushing back in. His next thrust wasn't as slow, and by the next one Sasuke was rocking back to meet him, small gasps and mewls falling from his lips as Itachi filled him again and again.

Then one of them shifted enough that Itachi's cock rubbed against that spot, making Sasuke cry out from the unexpected, welcome pleasure, his brother's name a breathless whisper on his lips as his limbs started to shake.

Itachi quickened his pace, his hips hammering faster and harder into Sasuke, encouraged by his continued moans. His fingers dug into Sasuke's hips almost painfully as he took him and Sasuke knew - hoped - that he would bruise. He wanted Itachi to mark his whole body, to paint his skin with his fingerprints as proof that Sasuke belonged to him and only him.

"Harder," Sasuke groaned at the thought. His cock twitched and bobbed obscenely between his legs, dripping pre-come onto the blanket beneath him as Itachi drove into him harder, driving against his prostate again. He gasped out a curse as his vision whited out again and he felt Itachi start to lose control of his rhythm, quickly becoming more desperate and frantic as they both drew close to their climax.

Sasuke fisted the pillow underneath him as he finally reached for his aching cock, stroking himself quickly and sloppily, just searching for his release.

"I-Itachi…" he panted, begging, "Fuck me harder."

Itachi groaned behind him and moved one of his hands to grab Sasuke's shoulder, getting a new angle and pressing himself almost flush against Sasuke's back as he fucked deeper into him. His thrusts became erratic, barely pulling out before slamming back into the willing body beneath him, searching to go deeper and deeper.

"Come for me, Sasuke," Itachi finally growled against his shoulder blade, biting down on the tender flesh and making Sasuke cry out as he came hard all over himself and the bed. His muscles spasmed over and over as he rode his orgasm, Itachi's name spilling from his mouth like a prayer.

With one last thrust, Itachi buried himself deep inside Sasuke and came with a groan, his seed burning Sasuke's insides and making his cock jump with a final wave of lust. Itachi thrust lazily into him a couple more times, milking the rest of his orgasm before he pulled out of Sasuke and flopped on the bed next to him with a satisfied sigh.

After a moment, Sasuke turned back over, feeling Itachi's come leak out of him to mix with his own on the bed. He scooted closer to Itachi and groaned, both in complete satisfaction and because he could already feel his body starting to ache. He tried not to pay the pain too much mind though; it had been more than worth it.

"Well," Sasuke finally said, once he was sure his voice would work. "That was fantastic."

"Agreed," Itachi said, looking over at Sasuke with a grin.

Sasuke turned onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow and laid his other hand on Itachi's chest, feeling the sweat on his skin, cold and sticky.

"Worth the wait, I hope?" Sasuke asked, part of him playful but the other part curious. Itachi had been pining after him for a while, after all.

"I would have waited my entire life for you, Sasuke," Itachi said, reaching up to run his fingers through Sasuke's hair. "And not just for the sex."

"Though it is a fun perk," Sasuke added with a laugh.

Itachi laughed too, "I won't argue with you there."

Sasuke smiled and laid his head on Itachi's chest, drawing little shapes across his skin as a deep feeling of contentment settled in his bones. He felt happy and complete in a way he'd never thought imaginable, and he hoped Itachi felt it too.

"I love you," he whispered into the quiet between them, laying his hand flat against Itachi's heartbeat. He felt it quicken just slightly and looked up to see a large smile spread across Itachi's lips.

"What was that?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pinched at Itachi's side playfully, but said it again, "I love you, Itachi."

When Sasuke woke up in the morning, he rolled onto his back and immediately groaned from the deep, dull ache that ran through his body.

"You've been making that same noise for the last thirty minutes," Itachi's amused voice came from beside him. Sasuke looked over and saw him reading on his e-reader, but Itachi turned and smiled at him when he saw Sasuke watching him. "Good morning, by the way."

"Ugh," Sasuke groaned again, scrubbing his hands over his face. "How long have you been up?"

"About an hour," Itachi answered, putting his e-reader down on the bedside table to give Sasuke his full attention.

"Gross," Sasuke scoffed. "It's too early."

"It's almost ten," Itachi replied.

"Still too early!" Sasuke chimed, taking a deep breath before he turned over, his back facing Itachi. He was proud of the fact that he held back the groan of pain this time.

"C'mon," Itachi said, shifting on the bed behind him. "I thought we could go out today." He wrapped his arm around Sasuke's waist and pulled him to his chest, and despite how tired he was Sasuke let out a soft moan at the hot pulse of desire that raced through him when he felt his brother's naked body against him.

"But the bed's comfy, Itachi," Sasuke argued, adding, "and you're warm," as he pressed himself closer to Itachi and sighed in content.

"I wanted to take you on a date though," Itachi tried to reason with him, kissing the tip of Sasuke's ear as he smiled and whispered, "Our first date."

"That does sound nice…" Sasuke admitted, his sleepy haze lifting as he traced little patterns on Itachi's arm.

"If you still need an extra incentive to get out of bed," Itachi said as he kissed behind Sasuke's ear, then trailed another few kisses down his neck when Sasuke tilted his head to give him access. "I'm more than happy to make it worth your while."

"Hmm," Sasuke hummed happily, "And how do you plan to do that?"

Sasuke felt Itachi smile against his neck before a sudden wave of pleasure ripped a moan from Sasuke's throat when Itachi reached down to take his cock in hand, stroking him slowly as he sunk his teeth into the sensitive juncture where his neck met his shoulder.

"I...ta-chi…" Sasuke gasped out, reaching back to dig his nails into Itachi's hip as he jerked his hips forward.

As quickly as Itachi's teasing started, it stopped and he pulled away from Sasuke completely, leaving him a panting and slightly angry mess in the middle of the bed. He turned around to glare at Itachi, hissing quietly in pain but Itachi captured his lips in a quick kiss and grinned at him when he pulled away.

"I'll be in the shower, if you'd like to join me," Itachi said playfully before getting up and heading into the bathroom, looking back at Sasuke before he disappeared to make sure he was watching him go.

It took him a minute longer than it should have to get up, but Sasuke followed him as quickly as he could.

An hour later, after their foray in the shower and breakfast, they pulled up to a place called the Singing Gardens. Which, even though Sasuke had made fun of the name on the way over, he had to admit as they walked through the gate, seemed pretty cool.

There were colorful rock formations everywhere, some of them easily ten feet tall while others only came up to his knee, but they all had one thing in common: there were holes right through them. Some were small, but others were as large as a fist, which Sasuke found out when he decided to put his hand through one when they stopped at a plaque.

"It says these were here when Suna was founded. They used to be a part of the manor that stood here one, nicknamed The Moaning Manor-"

"Creative name," Sasuke commented when he came to stand next to Itachi after he finished examining the rock, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together as he leaned against him.

"Right?" Itachi looked over at him and kissed his head before turning back to the plaque. "Anyway, nicknamed that because of the eerie sounds coming from the rock garden, which sounded like people crying. The owner died and after fifty years, they tore the manor down, but the daughter of the Kazekage at that time loved the sound of the garden so much that he kept it for her. Supposedly, there is a bench around here where she used to spend a lot of her time."

"Why don't we have anything like this in Konoha?" Sasuke asked.

"Do you mean singing rock gardens or potentially haunted places?" Itachi replied as he started walking down the path.

"Either? Both? We don't have anything interesting in the village."

"Remind me to take you to the Forest of Death sometime," Itachi said. Sasuke opened his mouth to ask what the heck that even was when they turned a corner and Itachi's eyes lit up. "Oh! Look, Sasuke, what do you think they're doing over there?"

There were covered booths set up about fifty feet away in a clearing off the path, but it wasn't really clear what was going on until they got closer and saw a sign that read, Craft and Farmers Market. Today Only!

They walked through the rows of booths hand in hand, marveling here and there at some of the things they saw. There were huge metal sculptures, handcrafted toys and clothes, custom made jewelry and booth after booth filled with paintings from different artists. Finally they came to one that Itachi took a particular interest in when he saw a puppet of a weasel hanging by its strings, the detailing so intricate that Sasuke jumped when he saw it because he thought it was real.

"I've never seen something like this before," Itachi whispered as he reached out to touch it.

"My granny makes them," a gruff voice said, drawing their attention deeper inside the booth where a red-head who was probably about Sasuke's age was walking over to them. "She's been making puppets for forty years or so. It's something of a family trade."

"Have you made any?" Itachi asked curiously as he looked at some of the other puppets nearby them.

The red-head chuckled and shook his head. "Not a chance; that's more of my brother's thing, I'm just here helping out for the day."

"Well please tell her that I'm very impressed with her work." The red-head nodded and Itachi pointed out another puppet to Sasuke as they turned to leave, saying, "Isn't that one cool, Sasuke?"

"Wait."

They turned back around and waited for what the red-head had to say, but he closed his mouth as he eyed Sasuke for a moment, his previously friendly gaze now vacant and searching as he studied him.

"Did you need something?" Sasuke asked.

The red-head tilted his head and Sasuke watched his eyes dart down to where his hand was linked with Itachi's. It was the briefest of glances, but Itachi seemed to have caught it as well since he let go of his hand to wrap his arm around Sasuke's waist instead, pulling him close to his side.

"Uh… No, sorry. Have a nice day," the red-head said, shaking his head.

"That was weird," Sasuke noted when they went to the next booth which was selling some local fruit.

"Just a little," Itachi agreed, glancing back over his shoulder before picking up an avocado.

Sasuke looked back as well, narrowing his eyes when he saw the red-head looking at him with his phone in his hand. He saw Sasuke watching him, but didn't turn his eyes away or even look remotely guilty; he held Sasuke's gaze for another moment before looking down at his phone and quickly typing something.

"Do you think we could go back to the garden?" Sasuke asked distractedly when the red-head looked up at him again. He suddenly felt uncomfortable, but he didn't want to ruin their date altogether by just asking if they could leave.

"Oh, sure," Itachi said. He looked over at Sasuke and saw him glancing back at the other booth repeatedly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah… I just," he paused and shook his head. "It's nothing."

Itachi pulled him close and caressed his cheek, saying, "Don't worry about it, Sasuke. He's the one with the problem if he can't stand seeing two guys holding hands."

Sasuke wasn't sure if that was what was nagging at him or not, but he quickly forgot about it when Itachi kissed him before leading him back onto the path and deeper into the garden.

They stayed for a few hours and then left to have a late lunch at a little cafe on the other side of town (the original village before it was expanded, according to Itachi) where the buildings changed to more squat, spherical structures that were a brownish-orange in appearance. After they finished lunch, Itachi's eye caught a bookstore across the street and he all but pulled Sasuke over to it.

"I just want to check and see if they have it," Itachi mumbled to himself excitedly as he went inside, leaving Sasuke standing outside for a moment when something caught his eye at the end of the row of buildings where a car was parked.

A shock of red.

His mind immediately went back to the guy at the booth and he started to take a step in the direction of the red, but Itachi popped back out from the bookstore and tugged on Sasuke's hand, drawing his attention back.

"Are you coming, Sasuke?"

Sasuke glanced back down the row, but the red was gone. He shook his head and followed Itachi into the bookstore.

Twenty minutes and an armful of books later, they left the bookstore and headed down the rest of the row of shops. They passed a little ice cream parlor, a candle shop and a jeweler along with a couple of other specialty stores that they checked out for a few moments before they reached the last shop on the row.

"Let me know if you need anything!" the blond shop girl called from behind the counter when they walked in, not looking up from her phone.

The shop was brightly lit and cheerful, with clothes and posters all over the walls and little gimmicky items crammed onto every available surface. It was so much to look at that Sasuke's eyes had a hard time focusing.

"Hey! I found you a new shirt," Itachi said, pointing at a dark red shirt pinned to the wall with Suna University emblazoned on the front. "Mom would be thrilled if you brought this home."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You must think you're the pinnacle of hilarity."

"I mean, if the shirt fits," Itachi grinned and shrugged.

"Yeah, well," Sasuke looked around at a couple of the racks next to him. Smiling sweetly when he grabbed a shirt and handed it to Itachi. "Here's one for you, too."

Itachi looked down at it and laughed. It was a white shirt with a bright pink unicorn standing on its hind legs under a rainbow. He put it up to his chest like he was modeling it.

"You know, the joke's on you, actually," he said. "As I happen to love unicorns, specifically pink ones, and also rainbows."

"Well I'll just have to get this for you then!" Sasuke exclaimed, challenging him with a smirk. "Then you can wear it aaall around the village."

Almost immediately, Itachi handed back the shirt with a look of mock hurt on his face. "Unfortunately, white just isn't my color, so I'll have to say no."

"Hold on now," Sasuke said, hanging the shirt back up before rifling through the rack. "I'm sure they have another col-"

Sasuke was cut off as Itachi pulled him close and kissed him, pressing him up against a shelf filled with more shirts. Sasuke gasped at the sudden contact, allowing Itachi's tongue into his mouth. Their tongues slid together and Sasuke could taste the tea that Itachi had accepted from the bookstore clerk. He moaned and wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck just before his brother pulled away.

"Why don't we head back?" Itachi suggested.

"Yes, please," Sasuke whispered breathlessly. He let Itachi lead him through the door, saying, "But don't think I'm gonna forget about that shirt!"

"Did you get everything brought in? It's almost my break time," the girl at the counter said once Itachi and Sasuke left. When she got no response, she put her phone down and stared at the door to her left.

"Gaara, I know you hear me," she said louder.

"Alright, Temari," the door opened and a red-head came through the door, running a hand through his hair. "Chill out."

"You got everything brought in, right? You know Granny doesn't like it when we leave her puppets out in the heat."

"Do you see a mass of boxes out front anymore? Yes, they're in. Go on break already so I can get back to hanging everything up. Just because Kankura isn't here doesn't mean you can put all your work on me today. I already spent my whole afternoon at the booth."

"Shut it, little brother," Temari said. She ruffled Gaara's hair as she passed him. "I'll be back in twenty.

Gaara rolled his eyes, but took Temari's spot behind the counter and pulled his phone out, checking his texts again. His anxiety was high enough right now without waiting for a response. He clicked on his conversation thread with Naruto and scrolled up to read through all the messages that he'd sent in the last few hours.

"Your boyfriend, his name's Sasuke, right?"

"Ex, as of a few days ago, but yeah."

"Wow, that was… Man, I'm sorry."

"Yeah... What's going on?"

"I just thought I ran into him here in town. I know I've only seen a couple of pictures, but… Maybe I'm just imagining things."

"No, Sakura told me he was going to Suna for the weekend with his brother."

"Yeeeah… I hate to tell you, but I don't think it's his brother he's here with."

"...What?"

"I mean, I saw them kissing and holding hands and stuff where we had Granny's booth this weekend… Not super brotherly, unless Kankuro just doesn't like me that much."

"I know it's weird, but...is there any way you could get a pic of the two of them? Sasuke said there wasn't anyone else when he broke up with me…"

"It's definitely weird, but...sure… They're still here anyway."

He'd sent the photo he'd snapped when the two had been leaving from the booth across from his. The picture could have been better, but he'd been snapping kind of quickly since he couldn't leave to follow them and get a better picture. He could make out both people in the picture though, and hoped that'd be good enough when he sent it.

It had been a few hours and Naruto hadn't said anything though. Gaara was starting to worry. He wasn't sure why, because no news was supposedly the best news, but Naruto had never purposefully been quiet for this long before.

Suddenly, something appeared on his screen and Gaara sighed in relief as he saw three dots at the bottom of their conversation, indicating that Naruto was typing.