Part 6
"I drew you a bath," Itachi said, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had discarded his coat and tie as soon as he had arrived home, abandoning them on his bed before stepping into his master bath to draw a tub of hot water for his Otouto.
Eyeing Sasuke now, Itachi was instantly privy to how perfect the boy looked standing in the middle of his bedroom. God, how long had he plotted to find ways to coax Sasuke into spending more time with him, to visit his home, and merge their lives together, he did not know, but just being graced with his Otouto's presence was a blessing in itself, so Itachi momentarily was gifted with the awe of taking a step in the right direction.
He must have been blatantly staring at Sasuke because the boy huffed. "I know I look like a drowned rat, 'Tachi, so stop staring at me like that."
Itachi blinked once. Snapping out of his daze, he gave the boy an encouraging smile. "My home is your home, Sasuke. I'd like it if you'd treat it as such."
Snort. "Like you'll make a key for me and everything?" he murmured, a combination of sarcasm and humor in his voice.
"Absolutely. The locksmith can come tomorrow, and he will make a new set of keys for you so this can be your home to come back to," Itachi responded. Not a hint of humor or sarcasm etched in his words. He was ready for his love to move in permanently right now, but Sasuke asking for a key was a step in the right direction.
H.J.
Sasuke's eyes flew wide open. When he realized that Itachi was completely serious, Sasuke's hands flared up awkwardly and he tried to persuade the elder ravenette otherwise. "Don't do that!" he screeched frantically. "I was just joking!"
Was he insane?
They barely knew each other. In fact, Sasuke had only been working for Itachi for a month at the most. That was also the length of time they knew each other. Sure, in that time, he felt like he could tell the man anything without being judged for who he was, and Itachi treated him well. Plus, they had a work relationship that worked: Itachi allowing him free reign to do his duties and be more personable with him, and Sasuke becoming a shoulder for the man to rely on. But was that justification for what he had just offered him?
Call him crazy, but living with his boss, who signs his paychecks, wasn't exactly what he had in mind. If he accepted, he would be seeing Itachi first thing in the morning, commuting with him to work, actually working with him for the entire day, and then returning to a home with the man residing in it. Their lives would be revolving around each other all the time without a single break. Didn't the man realize that?
Besides, Sasuke couldn't help, but think for Itachi since he wasn't looking out for himself. What was the man thinking, allowing a complete stranger to have access to his gigantic mansion? Wasn't he terrified of the repercussions of that? Sasuke could rob him blind for all he knew. Not that he would of course.
He rarely had any interest in materialistic things, a perk from having grown up with little to nothing, but he couldn't help but think of all the other times that Itachi offered to give a key to others without truly knowing who they were, and that just made him feel oddly upset… and protective. If Itachi had been a family member, he would have chastised him incessantly for doing such an idiotic thing.
Sasuke exhaled as his hands dropped to his side and he blew a breath. He had an inkling just to do that, but refused to outright call the man such a thing. Not when Itachi's statement seemed to come from a genuine place. He didn't want to cross that boundary. Being too lax with his words around his boss, no matter during or after work hours, felt wrong. Like he was crossing some kind of invisible boundary. He also didn't like calling people names. It wasn't a nice thing to do.
Itachi was frowning at him when Sasuke looked back at him. The boy's gaze trailed to the man's shoulders, which seemed to grow more and more rigid and tense with each passing second. "Are you okay, Itachi?" he asked. Unintentionally, his voice came out in a whisper, adding to the odd atmosphere circulating the room.
His question only caused the man's frown to grow deeper, and Sasuke decided right that second that he absolutely hated that look being on Itachi's face.
"'Tachi, what is it? You're acting weird. Did I say something wrong? Please don't be mad." It was the last thing that Sasuke wanted to see: he didn't need to serve as a catalyst to bring forth the personality that all of those office rumors whispered about.
A growl ignited the room, echoing in Sasuke's ears.
"Why are you rejecting me?" Itachi demanded.
"Huh?" Sasuke tilted his head, blanked by a huge wave of confusion. "Reject- what do you mean? When did I do that?"
The man's jaw twitched as if he was gritting his teeth. It was hard for the boy to tell, but he noticed Itachi's lips were pressed together into a tight, thin line.
"I offer you my utmost hospitality, Sasuke," the man said in a voice so low that Sasuke had to strain his ears to hear it. "I want to give you a key, because I consider you to be an important friend. Do you reject me because you don't consider me as I consider you?"
"Of course not!" Sasuke blurted out, alarm ringing through his body and shocking him to deliver an explanation. "I do consider you a good friend, Itachi. In fact, you have treated me better than almost everyone in my life, and I am truly grateful that you have offered to allow me to stay here while my place gets fixed up. You have no idea what that means to me. But I don't want to intrude upon your home and your personal space, especially every night after we worked together for eight to ten hours. Having a key would be good for convenience, but this is your place and I don't want to overstep boundaries."
"Boundaries? Since when have we had any boundaries?" Itachi said petulantly. His gaze turned searing hot as if it was communicating the heavy bout of irritation burning behind it.
Itachi seemed genuinely upset to Sasuke. However, the boy had a hard time understanding why. It seemed like it had come out of nowhere, and with each progressive second, the conversation seemed to steer toward an argument, something much to Sasuke's disliking.
Was it so bad that he felt guilty about receiving a key from the man? He wouldn't be able to strut around comfortably and treat it like his own home anyway, because it wasn't his. So how could Itachi expect him to just accept it so easily like a gold digger?
"I- Well… I think everything should have boundaries, so we know where the cutoff point is. This is your home, not mine," Sasuke whispered. "I do appreciate you letting me stay here, but maybe I should go to a hotel for a while. I don't want to uproot your life because mine just got messy."
"NO."
Sasuke registered the sharp intake of the man's breath before he even processed Itachi's roar. It was somehow both loud and low, pleading and commanding, angry and desperate. It made the boy freeze in his spot.
A chill ran up his spine, but he couldn't tell whether it was the soaked clothes he was sporting or the discomfort he was feeling. Why was Itachi so insistent on the matter?
"You need to stay here. I can watch over you and take care of you here. Just don't go anywhere," Itachi said like he was trying to talk a man off of a cliff. "I- I won't… fuck… I won't push the key thing on you. But, no matter what you say, I will not let you leave, and I won't consider you a guest. You are special."
Sasuke didn't know what to make of Itachi's statement, but it didn't appear as if the man held any malice. In fact, he seemed to be nervous and antsy standing before him.
Momentarily, Sasuke thought that he had found a lasting friendship. To a great degree, it appeared. His boss seemed to be looking out for him, treasuring their newfound friendship openly and without reserve. He supposed he should be grateful that Itachi was there to help him when he needed it. It must have been nice to have the means to do whatever he desired.
A small smile touched the boy's lips. "Thank you, Itachi ."
"Of course. You never have to thank me for something so trivial."
Only the man would think handing over his entire mansion to another person would be a trivial matter. Sasuke shook his head with a small smile
Thereafter, any annoyance Itachi sported melted off of his face, replaced with an emotion Sasuke could not decipher for the life of him. It was then that another shiver wracked his body. Only this time, his drenched clothes were to blame.
Itachi must have noticed because the distinctive look on his face changed into that of disapproval.
"Strip," he said.
The sudden command tripped Sasuke up, and a furious blush crept up his ice cold cheeks. "W-what?" he squeaked.
Itachi arched his brow. "You're going to catch your death in those clothes. I've laid out some of mine for you on the sink counter, so make sure that you change into those when you're done showering."
"Oh… Ohh, okay," he mumbled underneath his breath, embarrassed. He ducked his head away from the prodding stare.
There was a stretch of silence when neither of them moved and Sasuke thought that Itachi had let his blunder slide, so he wasn't expecting to be greeted with a smirk when he looked up from his fidgeting fingers.
"What did you think I meant?" Itachi murmured, eyelids lowering slightly in jest.
"Nothing!" Sasuke nearly shrieked, scurrying around Itachi's body and making a beeline for the master bathroom. The door slammed behind him quite epically, and he swore he could hear laughter on the other end.
H.J.
When his beloved Otouto stepped out from the bathroom, a fog of mist followed closely behind him. The boy clearly wasn't paying attention to him as he sighed quietly, shoulders shrinking from released tension. He padded toward the bed and sat down on the edge, rubbing his wet hair, which draped along his scalp and appeared slightly longer in its damp state.
Itachi felt his heart warm up and fill with a burst of joy, something he had not felt in his lifetime until that very moment. The pajamas that he lent his Otouto were two sizes too big on him and they draped down his hands and feet, making him appear even smaller than he already was. The button down silk shirt hit him nearly mid thigh and it appeared he had to walk slowly lest he trip over the length of the matching pair of silk pants.
Adorable.
That was Itachi's first thought.
Then: Mine.
Finally: How I've missed you, watashi no ai.
Itachi found himself emerging from the open walk-through closet. He had gone downstairs earlier to look through the fridge and cabinets for food. Thankfully, the housekeeper had kept everything well-stocked, and he had whipped up something light. After, he had gone upstairs to change out of his work clothes and had grabbed a white undershirt from the top shelf during the same moment Sasuke had emerged, looking like an angel gifted to him by a god.
Any brain cells he had died, never to be resurrected, as he approached the boy. His bare feet padded along the floor, loud enough for Sasuke to hear him so he wouldn't startle the boy.
As if on cue, his Otouto looked up through his dark lashes and his hand paused in drying his unruly hair. "'Tachi," he called, acknowledging him.
"Mhm, I'm here, Sasuke," he responded. Itachi's facial muscles were lax and he could tell that his own smile was positively corny as fuck.
The boy returned it shyly. "I'm all done."
Itachi couldn't help himself. He spoke his next words as if compelled to do so.
"Aren't you just an absolute cutie."
Sasuke made a strained noise like he had choked on his own spit, and Itachi nearly broke out into a chuckle when his Otouto's cheeks turned pinker than Sakura blossoms in the spring.
"Stop that," he whined, nearly pouting. "I'm a 23-year-old member of society. I'm supposed to be handsome and cool, not cute."
"You are everything," Itachi replied instantly, words holding more meaning than he knew Sasuke could pick up.
"Whatever," Sasuke muttered, brushing him off as if he didn't understand what flirting was. Either that or Itachi was doing a horrible job at it…. It wasn't like he had experience in the matter. At least not in this lifetime. And although he wasn't a choir boy in his last lifetime, prior to pursuing Sasuke, he wasn't exactly holding onto relationships older than a few hours (and that was at the most) at that time. Thinking back, did he flirt at all when he was in pursuit of his beloved? He simply thought all of his words and gestures were natural.
His Otouto had finally finished drying his hair and was looking at him oddly. "Your speech seems so uninhibited at home. You're like a whole different person."
"How so?"
"I don't know… It just seems like you're dancing on rainbows and sunshine or something."
"Are you complaining about my personality?" Itachi asked, amused. "Should I act like this at work, too?"
"... You're not, like, on drugs or something, are you?"
Pfft, his Otouto was a riot.
"You're the only drug I need," he emphasized, particularly playboyish in nature, illustrating his horrible line.
The look on Sasuke's face was priceless, but then… he started laughing so hard, in fact, that he nearly cried. Itachi took that as a win. When he was finished, the boy muttered, "Wow… that was bad. Like really, really bad. You need to work on your pickup lines."
"So you acknowledge I'm in line for your affections then?" Itachi mused, but by then, Sasuke had brushed past him with a 'Pfft' so that he could drop the towel in the nearby hamper, clearly dismissing his playful, yet serious, words, as another joke.
"Something smells good."
Itachi perked up like lights on a Christmas tree. "I made you chicken alfredo and a green smoothie."
"You can cook?"
His Otouto looked slightly astonished as if he had initially believed Itachi could burn down the kitchen without even trying. But of course, he could cook. How else was he supposed to feed his precious Otouto? Granted, he only knew recipes belonging to Sasuke's favorite foods, but that still counted as knowing how to cook in his book.
Sasuke looked too adorable standing there, round cheeks tinted pink from the steamy shower, boyfriend clothes hugging his frame times one thousand percent, and large doe eyes staring at him curiously.
Itachi swallowed a large grin.
Fucking precious. His baby was fucking precious.
"Only a handful of dishes," he responded.
Literally. He could count the number of things he could make with the fingers on one hand. Four to be exact. And they were all Sasuke's favorites: chicken alfredo, tomato basil soup, tamagoyaki, and steak and mashed potatoes.
And that was it.
If he attempted anything else, he'd burn down the entire mansion without even trying. But Sasuke didn't need to know that.
After they sat down at the dining table, Sasuke murmured his thanks and immediately dug into the pasta, and Itachi had to hide his smile behind his mug of green tea.
"It's yummy," he said between mouthfuls. He reached for the smoothie and took a big gulp before he inhaled the plate. "I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled your food. Chicken Alfredo is actually really nostalgic for me. It brings back a lot of fond memories."
Sasuke slurped a particularly long strand of pasta and grinned triumphantly when it entered his mouth successfully.
"Really?" Itachi murmured, resting his elbow on the counter and propping his cheek on his fist. "It was my precious Otouto's favorite food."
Itachi noted the exact moment his Otouto stopped chewing, his chipmunk cheeks freezing briefly before they worked twice as hard to munch and swallow his food.
"No way. You have a little brother?" Sasuke asked, caught off guard.
A somber expression rose on Itachi's face and he inclined his head slightly.
"Where is he now?" Sasuke asked curiously as he set down his fork.
"He died a long time ago."
Sasuke's face grew alarmed, then concerned, then unbelievably sad as though he was mourning Itachi's loss for him. "I'm sorry," he murmured, but Itachi waved him off. "What was he like?"
Itachi smiled and lifted his head. "He was the sweetest. He had a very kind heart and soul. He made me feel like I could overcome any obstacle as long as he was beside me, smiling at me and encouraging me. My Otouto was… genuine. I-I treasured him from the bottom of my heart. He was my greatest joy and heaviest loss."
Sasuke's gaze burned into Itachi's. "He must have been really important to you. It must have been really hard."
"He was my sunshine."
Sasuke cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "May I ask how he passed?"
Itachi nodded. "Yes. But not right now."
Sasuke nodded in understanding. "… Does it have to do with the anxiety attacks you have?"
The man almost didn't want to answer such a question, especially after the assault of heavy questions, but he nodded briefly, cleared his throat, and picked up his own fork.
Sasuke must have known he was ready to move on because he turned back to his own smoothie before he continued eating.
"Chicken Alfredo is very nostalgic for me, too," Itachi added after a minute or two of pushing his food around on his plate.
His Otouto smiled softly. "We seem to have more things in common than I originally thought."
Itachi glanced over at the boy, an eyebrow curved upward. "And what, pray tell, did you originally think?"
Sasuke grinned, then shrugged. "It's a secret."
The older male growled and his eyes narrowed playfully. "You won't tell me, Sasuke?"
"That's what a secret is," Sasuke responded in a sing-song voice.
"Fine."
His Otouto's laughter rang throughout the kitchen, bouncing off the white walls. Itachi marveled at how easily the warmth spread throughout his belly at the melodious sound. If a single hmph and pout from him could make Sasuke laugh, he'd do it a thousand times over.
Underneath the dimly lit kitchen lights, the boy's eyes twinkled brighter than two gemstones in a dark cave. His lips, which were lifted in a permanent smile, regarded Itachi with the kind of fondness that the man was once familiar with. Such a look made it hard for him to breathe correctly.
I love you. His braindesperately urged him to say it, but Itachi chewed on the soft tissues of his inner cheek until he tasted iron to keep the words at bay.
"Earlier, you assumed I had a lover. Why did you think that?" he murmured instead.
The boy had swallowed his last bite and was finishing his drink. He shrugged, mulling over Itachi's question. "I thought it was a fair assumption," he replied. "You're good-looking, wealthy, and stable."
Itachi cleared his throat inaudibly. 'Stable' was quite a stretch. Granted, that wasn't the definition Sasuke was referring to.
"That puts you at the top of a very short list of eligible bachelors, so it wasn't a big leap to consider you were seeing someone."
"I'm not," Itachi denied like he was stating an absolute fact. "I've never been in a relationship."
Sasuke eyed him for a moment, setting down his empty glass. "Well," he said slowly as if he was taking great care in choosing his next words, "I guess I don't find that surprising either."
Itachi felt an odd sense of dread in his chest. His intention had been to appear more appealing to Sasuke, to prove his unconditional loyalty, but it seemed that his choice of words had the opposite effect, and he ended up shooting himself in the foot.
"I didn't mean it like that," Itachi said hurriedly, words accompanied by his anxious self lurching up in momentary panic.
Sasuke cocked his head slightly, looking mildly confused and startled. His innocent reaction only caused the man to flush uncharacteristically, swallow hard, and lower himself back down into his seat.
"I…" Itachi cleared his throat and averted his gaze, "I don't sleep around, Sasuke. I never have. I wouldn't do that," he explained, words bunching up underneath his Otouto's prodding stare.
I would never do that to you, watashi no ai.
"It's okay, Itachi. Calm down," the boy said, hand gently patting the man's arm. "What you do in your own free time is for you to know. I'm not judging."
Itachi almost ran his hands through his hair and growled in frustration. His Otouto just didn't get it. He didn't want anyone else. He didn't need anyone else.
Itach never so much as allowed another human being to get close enough to touch him, especially not inappropriately. The mere thought was sickening down to his very core. All of his urges were met with his own palm, deep-seated memories, and fantasies.
Sure, in their previous lifetime, he did sleep around before they were together, but Itachi never once went back to his old ways once he had Sasuke. He was loyal to a fault and never looked back.
Additionally, he was strong enough to stay away from alcohol this time around. Not a drop touched his palate ever. He even proved himself stronger by managing to stay alive for twenty-eight fucking years without his beloved Otouto beside him. And he referred to it as such because what he did before Sasuke entered his line of sight a month ago was not considered living.
He'd been hollow inside and out. Quick to anger, unbelievably anxious, horrendously coarse, and had the patience of a three-year-old in line for ice cream. If not for these emotions, he would have already turned into a fucking corpse. Each day dragged on, the pain and sorrow digging burrows inside his chest until they collectively joined into a singular gaping hole.
Every single second of every day, even in his dreams, were filled with thoughts of his Otouto: his kind eyes, his smile, his smell, the soothing sound of his voice, his precious hugs, his kisses that melted Itachi's heart, the love in every fiber of his being when Itachi held him….
That's why Itachi couldn't let this go. He couldn't bear to have his Otouto think ill of him in any way, couldn't leave it up to fate and chance to have the boy fall back into his arms and resume what they'd spent decades building a lifetime ago.
Not when Sasuke had no physical or emotional ties to Itachi. His Otouto didn't know who he was for fuck's sake. Not when they lived apart. Not when they weren't bound by blood. The only connection they had was the job, and that wasn't fucking good enough. Sasuke could just announce that he wanted to leave and, short of tying him up and repeating past mistakes, Itachi was powerless to stop him.
The reality was crippling.
"No," Itachi began, adamant. "You don't understand, Sasuke. I'm saying I've never touched another human being. I don't engage in that kind of… behavior."
"I believe you," Sasuke said.
Whether it was appeasement or acquiescence or both in his Otouto's voice, Itachi did not know, and it only served to frustrate him further. "Do you?" he snapped suddenly, so on edge that he didn't realize the words had slipped out until he saw Sasuke's surprise.
"Yes," the boy replied softly. "I believe you. I'm not judging you, 'Tachi. I didn't mean it in a bad way either. I only assumed you had a partner because you're very sweet and caring. I thought someone would have snagged you up by now is all."
A little bit of tension eased from the man's shoulders at Sasuke's words. Of course he knew how to treat his beloved Otouto. When he had something so precious, Itachi couldn't bear to make mistakes and give Sasuke an excuse to leave him again.
He had worked so hard in his last lifetime on quelling such a fear, but it was all moot in the end because God had ripped his Otouto away from him involuntarily in the end at the tender age of twenty-seven. God never gave Itachi the opportunity to spend the rest of his life with Sasuke. Just the mere thought of it was enough to induce hyperventilation.
"It's clearly very important to you that I believe you, and I have no reason not to," Sasuke continued. "You've never lied to me before. In fact, you're extremely honest with me, and I like that about you, so if you say you've never, then you've never."
His Otouto gave him a small smile and his hand traveled between Itachi's thumb and forefingers and squeezed lightly. Itachi returned his touch with fervor, and his body relaxed into his seat.
I love you. God, I love you so much, Otouto. And you prove to me in every waking moment why.
Albeit a weak one, Itachi returned Sasuke's smile.
H.J.
"So you think I'm very sweet and caring, huh?"
It was the following morning that Itachi had a clear mind to recall and recite his Otouto's words with great giddiness.
"Is this the reason you called me into your office?" Sasuke eyed the man's desktop monitor, which evidently was not switched on. Clearly, he was not impressed. Chastising really. "Didn't I remind you ten minutes ago that the conference call was going to begin-" the boy paused to glance at the clock on the wall, "…now?"
The corners of Itachi's eyes crinkled as he gave a boyish grin. "I think you're an absolute sweetheart, too, Sasuke," he commented, reveling in the small flush he received in return.
"You'll think I'm very mean and bossy in three seconds if you don't do your job," Sasuke nearly growled, looping around Itachi's desk to turn on his computer.
"I just can't function without you," Itachi responded, bathing in the boy's closeness. He could smell the shampoo his Otouto used this morning. Namely, the shampoo that sat in Itachi's bathroom because the boy was now living with him. Temporarily, sure, but Itachi was working on that.
"You're so obnoxious, Boss."
"You just bring that out in me, Sasuke."
"Oh, the joy," his Otouto commented dryly, navigating to his inbox to click on the conference link he had sent the man a few minutes ago. "How did you manage to build a multi-billion dollar company from the ground up like this?"
Itachi shrugged. "Intuitive thinking. Smart investments. Creative ideas. It was only a matter of time."
The twenty-three-year-old snorted. "You make it sound so easy."
"That is the easy part. The hard part is dealing with people."
"…You don't say."
Voices broke out in the background, signaling their admittance into the video conference. After making sure that Itachi was on mute, Sasuke backed out of the frame, fixed Itachi with a stern look that would have caused the man to break out into another grin had they been in private, and exited the office, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Itachi sighed, suddenly overcome with an abyss of boredom. A total of nine faces stared back at him from the screen, one of which was Orochimaru's. He didn't bother to hide his grimace and chose to flip through apps on his phone instead.
"Nice of you to join us, Itachi-san," he heard not a second after he finally zoned out.
When he recognized it as Orochimaru's slimy voice, he leant forward to grasp onto his mouse and clicked on the unmute button. "Eat shit," he deadpanned into the microphone. Immediately after, he muted himself and leaned back against his office chair, ignoring the colossal bout of surprised noises that erupted. Itachi went back to surfing on his phone, but it buzzed in his hand and a text popped up on his screen.
Kyuubi: Holy SHIT. You did NOT just say that on a quarterly conference call. I'm DYING.
Ladies and gents, that was his VP of Operations. Casually, he looked to the screen, and a pair of laughing crimson eyes stared back at him for a split second before the blond's face ducked out of frame. He wasn't fooling anyone though. Itachi could see his shoulder's shaking.
Itachi nearly rolled his eyes. And they were concerned that his potty mouth would ruin their stocks. Investors knew a flourishing company when they saw one. If Kyuubi wasn't worried, then there was no reason for him to watch his words. Especially not with a potential investor like the two-faced snake bastard. In fact, if anything, he wished to deter Orochimaru from stepping foot anywhere near his company. Not all money was equal.
While brooding, Itachi's phone vibrated again. And again. In fact, it rang so many times in his hand that it began dancing, the texts popping up too quickly to glance over, which required him to redirect himself to his text messaging app.
Kakashi: Dear Lord. Would it kill you to be nice for once?
Mikoto (Kaa-san): Sigh. Where did I go wrong?
Kyuubi: I think I'm really dying…. Did you SEE the look on his face? Oh, now he won't stop scowling. I think you've embarrassed the man, Itachi! A thousand points!
Hyuga: I know our financial results and projected numbers are good, but nothing says "crash and burn" like your impulsive comment.
Itachi paused in scrolling through his messages, eyes narrowing in on the last message, which sat at the top of his screen. Leave it to the Hyuga to actually piss him off with one fucking sentence.
Next thing the man knew, he was up out of his seat and his phone had hit the opposite wall by the door with a loud crack and thud. Simultaneously, his video went black, leaving only his full name on the screen, and he was left to assume it had been manually switched off by Kakashi, who was the host.
If that wasn't enough, his Otouto came rushing into his office seconds later, a concerned expression on his face. "'Tachi? Is everything okay? I heard a loud-"
The boy paused when he stepped onto something thick and took a step back. Confusion was etched into Sasuke's expression when he noticed Itachi's phone on the ground, screen cracked, popping out of its protective case. As Sasuke bent down to pick it up, a streak of guilt erupted within Itachi's core and he cursed underneath his breath.
He'd done it on reflex. Before he had even stopped to consider if he could have freaked out his Otouto, the phone had flown out of his grasp. "Everything's fine, my l-" Shit. This time, Itachi stopped himself in time. He must have been frazzled if he was about to utter the wrong thing. The man cleared his throat. "Everything's fine, Sasuke. Sorry for startling you."
Sasuke eyed him, worry still evident. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes."
"... Okay. If you say so." His Otouto began pressing a few buttons on his phone, but Itachi already knew it was a goner. "I think it's broken. It won't turn on anymore. Should I go buy you another one?"
"That's okay," he muttered, unable to meet his Otouto's gaze. "I have extras in my desk."
Ever so slowly, Sasuke looked up from the device in his hands, and it was then that Itachi realized what he had said.
Dammit.
"You… have extras in your desk," Sasuke repeated, and suddenly, he arched his brow and looked at Itachi funny. "Does this sort of thing happen often?"
"No," Itachi muttered, lying through his teeth.
"Uh huh," Sasuke stated, disbelief evident. "Right. I haven't left you alone for more than five minutes and your phone is broken."
"Technical difficulties, Sasuke," Itachi responded, relieved when Sasuke snorted in response.
He placed the new box he had pulled out from his second drawer in Sasuke's outstretched hand, bathing in the cute, scolding look fixed in his direction. "I'll be back in few once I've transferred the SIM card and backed up your new phone."
Itachi smiled innocently. "Thank you," he said sweetly.
"Uh huh," the boy muttered, and he could have rolled his eyes instead and the man wouldn't have known the difference.
The day dragged on for Itachi, one ridiculous time-wasting meeting after another. If that wasn't bad enough, his Otouto had told him an hour before their usual lunchtime that he had made arrangements for lunch already with someone else, and in that moment it had taken Itachi ever little bit of self-control that he did not have in the first place to hide the scowl aching to flourish on his countenance.
Lunch time was their time. Who dared take that away from him?
He asked, of course, but Sasuke insisted he not worry over it and scolded him about his priorities.
So, of course, when his Otouto had returned from lunch and checked in with him, Itachi was grumpy.
"Did you eat lunch, 'Tachi?" Sasuke asked.
How could he even think to eat when his precious baby was out on a date with some random person?
Not trusting his voice, he shook his head once, his full eyes fixated on the boy's appearance. His Otouto hadn't looked any different than he did when he left. His clothes weren't rumpled and his cheeks were perfectly pale and unblemished with color. After assessing Sasuke's state and deeming it normal, Itachi's body seemed to ease up on the sofa.
"I knew it," he heard Sasuke say. "I brought you a grilled chicken sandwich and a fruit salad from the place I went to. I noticed your diet is relatively high in protein, so I got you something with more lean meat."
Any negative emotion Itachi felt was overshadowed by a sudden wave of delight. "You thought of me?"
"Of course," Sasuke responded as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He began unpacking the boxes from the paper bag.
"You're so sweet to me, Sasuke," Itachi uttered, eyelids fluttering shut briefly as a smile took over his face. Arms splayed over the couch and a single ankle crossed over his knee, Itachi bathed in the moment.
His Otouto had been attentive enough to notice what he ate and what he preferred. He'd known Itachi's habit of forgetting to eat and brought him food. His Otouto had been thinking of him. Just the thought sent his stomach into awry with butterflies.
"I wouldn't have to be if you'd taken better care of yourself."
"Well, in that case, I should become a derelict and wander the streets. Would you take care of me then?" His eyes slid over to the boy, who was now staring at him disapprovingly.
Oops.
Guess he went too far with that one.
His Otouto was always better at being an adult than he was. Whereas Itachi was immature, temperamental, and impatient, Sasuke was warm, kind, and sweet.
His angel.
"That's not funny. Do you know how many homeless people there are in the world who would do anything for a warm bed to return home to? For you to joke so casually about it… how is that okay?"
A sudden sense of guilt and dread punctuated Itachi's chest, and he suddenly felt like punching himself in the gut half a dozen times to relieve the unease he experienced from his Otouto's disapproval.
"I was wrong," Itachi croaked, throat seizing up the words before they could be delivered correctly. "I- I won't say that again, so…" stop looking at me like that.
Like his Otouto was disappointed in him. Like when Sasuke screamed at him for abandoning his medication, citing how his choice to do so was an indication of how much Itachi loved the boy… or rather how much he didn't love him.
And now, here he was telling Sasuke that he'd willingly abandon all care of his well-being and become a bum on the streets if just to receive his attention. How fucking idiotic of him to utter that aloud.
"It's…. Just don't say things like that." Sasuke skimmed his fingers through his spikes with a sigh, and that's when Itachi understood how much he fucked up. His Otouto only ever did that when something really bothered him.
"I'm sorry." Itachi swallowed the scream he wanted to release. He wanted to bash his face in for making such a dumb joke, especially when he'd gotten his hands on Sasuke's Social Services file late last night when his Otouto was sleeping in the other room. How insensitive did he have to be to not realize how his words could work against him in his pursuit of eternity with Sasuke?
"I'm going to get back to work," Sasuke stated. His back was already turned as he made his way to the exit.
Itachi's eyes widened in alarm and his windpipe felt uncomfortably crushed under the gravity of the displeasure that he had seen clear as day on Sasuke's face when he stood.
With his back turned and hand grasping onto the doorknob, Sasuke was the epitome of a fleeting daydream in Itachi's eyes: impossible to grasp onto.
It looked like he was leaving. Forever.
Because Itachi was being dumb. Because he wasn't good enough. Because he'd made another mistake.
His brain screamed at him.
He's leaving. He's leaving. He's LEAVING. Leavingleavingleavingleavingleavingyou.
Somewhere amidst his horror, he had closed the distance between their bodies. His hand came forward and forcefully slammed the door shut, causing Sasuke's entire being to jump from suddenly being shrouded by his large, intimidating shadow.
"Don't leave me, Otouto!" Itachi begged, raw pain filtering into his words. "Please don't leave Aniki alone again. I won't survive without you. I won't."
His tone was blindingly desperate, and as Itachi's arms worked their way around Sasuke's body to secure him in place, tears bursted from his eyes like a never-ending river of woes.
