Sasuke had spent the weekend pondering what he was now referring to as his awakening. Never had he set work aside, but he felt it necessary, and it definitely wasn't so he could continue to avoid his brother who had continued to blow up his phone, or that's what he was telling himself at least. Sasuke needed to sort his feelings out, it was an act he wasn't used to facing.

The house had been exceptionally quiet seeing as Sakura had yet to come home, it was as equally relieving as it was irritating. Sasuke had been calling her and texting her but she had continued ignoring him. From his weekend's soul searching, he was sure of one thing, he needed to end things with her. When she was busy being furious with him —rightly so— all he could think of were those twinkling, electric blue orbs and angelic disposition. If that didn't say his relationship was over, he didn't know what did.

Sasuke was an upstanding man so for obvious reasons, he refused to break up with her over the phone. If he was going to end their six year long relationship, he was going to do it face to face. Of course, that would require her to quit avoiding him and pick up her fucking phone; something she didn't plan on doing quite yet apparently. The sooner he had this all sorted, the sooner he could seek out Naruto.

Now, Sasuke had a brilliant mind, no one would object to that. What wasn't the sharpest was his perception of emotions, or feelings in general. All weekend Sasuke had sat in his study, tossed in his bed, brooded in his luxurious recliner and slumped over his bar top, only to realize that maybe there was more to his feelings for Naruto than simple attraction. His dreams were no longer just perverse, now they were transforming into mundane things like them cooking together and cuddling up on the sofa watching movies. And Sasuke didn't even like movies, or cuddling for that matter. But dream Sasuke enjoyed soaking up the quiet intimacy he shared with the omega, it reminded him of how he embraced Naruto that marvelous night. Waking up had never been so depressing.

If he had known then what he knew now, he never would have gone back to Sakura, and he sure as hell wouldn't have made those idiotic rules. Sasuke was done with that now though, when he saw Naruto, he was going to make sure he knew that he was casting aside his asinine stipulations. Sasuke only hoped Naruto would take up Tsunade's job offer so that he could tell him. He really didn't want Naruto to disappear on him, the thought had his alpha anxiously pacing, non-stop.

It was exhausting.

Sasuke had spent a good chunk of his weekend not only dissecting his own thoughts and feelings but going over Naruto's every word, every look —or avoided look— all in hopes of decoding his behaviour as well. The only thing keeping Sasuke clinging to hope that Naruto might feel this same pull he did, was coming to the conclusion that he was simply trying to keep up his end of their deal. That had to be it right? Sasuke just needed a chance to clear things up.

Naruto said that he had a previous agreement that would interfere with joining Tsunade's team. Sasuke didn't want to sound too cocky, but could their agreement be the reason Naruto was reluctant to work for Uchiha Corp? It had to be right? What other reason could Naruto have for keeping distance between them, when Sasuke himself was trying desperately to engage him?

Judging by the pretty blush he evoked and the shock that his possessive growl caused, it was clear Naruto was affected by him but was trying to deny it by avoiding him. Sasuke quite liked thinking that Naruto was affected by him. An omega of his quality reacting to him made his alpha preen. Of course, Naruto also blushed for his brother. Sasuke had to try his hardest to prevent himself from thinking about that though because it would lead him down the jealous, territorial route for the umpteenth time since the event. No matter how many times he played it back, Itachi making Naruto flustered and flirting with him infuriated Sasuke. His alpha loathed anyone else being graced with such a delectable sight. Sasuke almost found himself wanting to hide the omega away so only he'd ever get to see his gorgeous reactions.

Sasuke let out a heavy sigh as he shut off the ignition after pulling into his reserved parking spot. He really had to stop; this level of possessiveness would surely frighten Naruto. Hell, it frightened him. If Naruto hadn't been scared away by Sakura's atrocious behaviour, Sasuke's increase in alpha-ness would surely do the trick.

Sasuke resisted the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel, instead choosing to finally exit his car. Today was Monday and there was no more avoiding work, or his brother for that matter. Making his way inside, he nodded curtly at the receptionist while continuing on his way towards the elevator, he could already imagine Itachi waiting in ambush with that disapproving gaze of his fixed to his face. Sasuke couldn't even be bothered to listen to Itachi's messages, or read his texts so he was literally walking in blind. The only person Sasuke had picked up for was Shikamaru and it turned out that he only called because Itachi had pestered him in hopes of getting to Sasuke.

The fact that Itachi's vague worries had disturbed Shikamaru had Sasuke feeling guilty because his friend was already dealing with enough. Their brief conversation had revealed that Temari and him were at the hospital with Gaara because the temperamental alpha had suffered a meltdown. Gaara had gone psychotic and attacked Shikamaru because he was the only other alpha in the house. Sasuke wanted to know more but his friend didn't want to go into details over the phone. It was too troublesome, he claimed.

As Sasuke pressed the button for his floor, he let out another insufferable sigh, he supposed it was time to face the music. Deep inside, Sasuke secretly hoped the elevator would get stuck and he'd have to wait hours for maintenance to get him out. Luck was not on his side, the elevator ran with effortless speed, it was the sort of thing that one would normally appreciate. However, today wasn't that day. Sasuke grumbled as the elevator chimed before opening smoothly.

Admittedly, Sasuke was a little surprised that Itachi wasn't there waiting to pounce on him as soon as he stepped off the elevator, but he'd take the small mercies. Tenten was busy, typing away behind her desk. She looked up just in time for Sasuke to give her a quick "Morning."

"Good morning, Mr. Uchiha," Tenten looked at him kindly and professionally. She really wanted to know what happened over the weekend that had Itachi in a tizzy and Sasuke refusing calls, but she knew better than to overstep. "Can I get your coffee? Or would you like me to jump right into your schedule for the day?"

"Coffee would be great, thanks" Sasuke gratefully accepted, he'd need the caffeine to deal with his brother. "Just bring it to my office then we can run through the day," he informed her as he already began walking away.

Tenten scurried to her feet. The sooner Sasuke was informed about his busier than usual day the better.

Sasuke steeled himself for the interaction that was about to take place. Itachi wasn't waiting for him at the elevator, so knowing his brother, he'd have already made himself comfy in Sasuke's lavish office chair as he waited to bombard him. When Sasuke reached for his office door, he was stumped to find that it was still locked. If he was being honest, it was a little eerie. Itachi would normally leave it unlocked; he liked to make his presence known.

Pulling out his badge that acted as a keycard to his office, Sasuke unlocked the door; opening it once hearing the pressurized clicking sound of the bolt unlatching. Inside his office was…still no Itachi. Sasuke was honestly puzzled, his perplexment didn't last long as it swiftly morphed into suspicion. As Sasuke made his way over to his desk he narrowed his eyes, just what was Itachi playing at?

Sasuke wanted to scoff, was this the 'make'em sweat' method? Because if it was, it wasn't going to work. Itachi really should know better than to use such an unrefined tactic on him. Afterall, he too is an Uchiha.

Pulling out his precious chair —it was one of the things he willingly splurged on for his office— he took a seat and began starting up his computer. Just as he entered his password, Tenten was knocking on the door, with coffee in hand.

"Come in," Sasuke granted her entry without looking up.

"Here you go," Tenten handed Sasuke his scorching cup carefully.

"Thanks," Sasuke takes it with practiced ease. Right away he's taking a tentative sip, being cautious not to burn himself. He was buying time to figure out if he was going to ask her about Itachi or not. In the end his curiosity won. "Have you seen Itachi?"

Tenten looked a bit flustered which piqued Sasuke's interest. The beta was renowned for her calm and collected nature. "Well, you see—he sort of—umm."

Already being under enough stress, Sasuke was beginning to get irritated at her fumbling. "Spit it out Tenten," he barked.

"Mr. Uchiha's not in today and you're to take all of his meetings," she quickly blurted out gracelessly.

Sasuke clenched his jaw, surely, he heard her wrong. No way would Itachi be absent, let alone willingly miss out on his meetings. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Tenten's bit the inside of her cheeks anxiously. "Mr. Uchiha isn't in today and requested you take all his meetings."

Sasuke actually had to take a moment to process. Itachi actually took the day? Suddenly every message he ignored enveloped him in a maelstrom of guilt. What if something was actually wrong and Sasuke was too occupied with his own emotional turmoil to care?

Sasuke swallowed thickly as he tried to remain stoic. "Did he say why?"

Tenten looked away hesitantly. "I believe his exact words were 'I'll be out doing field research'."

"Field research? What the hell does that even mean?" Sasuke's muscles contracted as his jaw formed a taut line. Here he was feeling guilty that something might have happened and Itachi was out there doing who the fuck knows? This definitely felt like he was being reprimanded.

"I don't know," Tenten was good at her job, in fact, she knew she was superb. She never feared for her job, but having to relay Itachi's message to Sasuke had her fearing the possibility of impending unemployment. "But he did say that you would have known if you'd pick up your phone."

Sasuke mentally rebuked Itachi with an impenetrable scowl plastered to his face. That fucker was definitely punishing him for brushing him off all weekend.

Even if this was Itachi's roundabout way of penalizing him, it was still out of character for his brother to resort to relinquishing control over his meetings in order to make a point. Itachi was even more anal about how things were handled than Sasuke was. For Itachi to do whatever the fuck 'field research' was, it was far deeper than simply disciplining Sasuke for avoiding him.

Sasuke really wished he had the time to go through his messages now to find out exactly where and what Itachi was researching, but judging by how full his schedule was sure to be, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Sasuke sighed as he finally put down his coffee. He hadn't realized he'd been white knuckling it on top of his palm becoming concerningly numb from the prolonged exposure to the heat. As he clenched and unclenched his hand over and over in an attempt to regain feeling, he noticed Tenten seemed to have an aura of dread about her as she focused on the ground with nearly neurotic interest.

Sasuke was about to ask her what she was doing but quickly realized she was probably waiting to be reprimanded for relaying Itachi's message. It was ludicrous, she may have said the words, but it wasn't like they actually came from her. Setting his annoyance aside he decided to take pity on her.

"So, what's first on the agenda?"

Sasuke didn't have a moment to himself. He wouldn't have even had a chance to eat if Tenten hadn't run out midafternoon and picked him up a Sandwich from the nearby deli for him to quickly choke down between conference calls. Catching up on his own work, while filling in for Itachi had kept him so busy, he'd only managed to read Itachi's memos and had completely forgotten to check his personal messages. It wasn't until he pulled into his driveway and waited for the garage door to open that he'd realized his memory lapse.

After pulling into the garage, Sasuke waited for the door to close behind him as he debated whether or not to remain in his car as he went through the slew of texts and messages but decided against it. If he were going to listen to not only his brother explain to him exactly what he was doing today as well as listen to all the other annoyingly intrusive messages that were sure to be there, he'd rather do it in comfortable clothes and preferably with a stiff drink in hand.

As Sasuke exited his car and made his way to the door, he ignored Sakura's cherry red Mercedes, with her refusing his calls, she hadn't even returned home to pick up her car. When Sasuke unlocked the door from the garage and entered, you can imagine his surprise when his sinuses were assaulted with an array of delicious aromas.

"Sasuke, is that you?" Came Sakura's muffled voice. Sasuke was immediately on his guard, she sounded far too cheery given their last interaction.

Sasuke was more than a little vexed at her for going AWOL all weekend —preventing him from going forth with his plan to find Naruto— then showing up like nothing happened. This was what she did after every fight, she'd disappear then show up making delicious food like nothing happened. It was a behaviour he'd normally not bat an eye at, but this time it evoked his ire. So, when she asked if it was him, all he really wanted to say was, 'who the fuck else would it be?' But instead, he bit his tongue and grunted. "Hn."

Getting into a fight from the get go wouldn't do him any good. He had to remember it was his behaviour this time that drove her to avoid him, he'd need every ounce of his patience to keep himself in line. She had every right to be angry at him, but that didn't change the fact that he was done. No amount of cooking or talking would sway him this time.

Sasuke wanted to experience what everyone else did. He always thought the stories he heard of how people felt about their mates were embellished to make others envious of their bonds. After all, how could anyone feel so strongly for someone that they felt like their existence was their sole purpose for living? How could someone's absence shroud you in darkness, tilting your world off its axis, only being righted once they return? Or how was it possible that the simple act of breathing was nearly impossible without them by your side?

Sasuke scoffed at all the stories he'd heard; they were all nothing more than ridiculous fairy tales in his mind. But he got it, boy did he fucking get it now. Those were the exact things he was feeling about Naruto and they weren't even mates. Hell, they barely even knew each other. Sasuke didn't even know if he'd be able to handle Naruto's pheromones but he found himself unconcerned about his aversion to scents if it meant having the alluring omega by his side.

The thought of Naruto rejecting him wasn't a possibility he'd allow his brain to contemplate. He'd like to say he was brimming with Uchiha confidence but truthfully, if he dwelled on the thought his alpha would wail in agony at the possibility of losing the omega before ever getting a chance to prove his worth. If this had been last year, Sasuke would have scoffed at himself. He had never been so alpha as to feel the primal need to prove himself, but everything about Naruto had his animal instincts cast to the forefront of his consciousness. Sasuke thought he'd be more irritated at his alpha taking the reins, but it was surprisingly freeing. Like it was getting something it never knew it was missing out on. Something Sakura could never evoke in him.

After removing his shoes and jacket and loosening his tie, Sasuke followed the scent trail to the dining room where Sakura was busying herself setting out dishes of freshly baked, stuffed tomatoes, roasted potatoes, grilled sirloin and a rather pretentious looking salad. She had the lights dimmer and candles lit; soft jazz was playing over the speakers as she filled their glasses with an expensive red wine.

Sasuke had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. At one time the sight might have moved him, but that time has long since passed. "Sakura," he called out flatly, aiming to get the delusional omega's attention.

Sakura looked up immediately, her large doe eyes twinkled once she spotted her alpha. It had taken her all weekend and an emergency appointment with Dr. Yuhi, but she was ready to come home and get past this. She was sure she just had to show Sasuke she was still the best fit for him. Sasuke always loved her apology meals. She even went as far as to buy new lingerie to wear under the tight black dress Sasuke could never resist peeling her out of. Sakura pulled out all the stops for tonight.

Ignoring Sasuke's aloofness, Sakura walked over to him with all the confidence in the world. Her confidence only wavered when she leaned up to kiss him but he turned his head making her paint red lips land on his cheek instead. Sakura swallowed thickly, trying to disguise her mixture of disappointment and fury. Why was he being so cold? He was the one who emotionally betrayed her right before her eyes, she's the one who should be upset.

"How was your day?" she asked tightly, doing everything she could to keep herself from exploding at his blatant rejection.

"Did you forget how to pick up a phone?" Sasuke rebuked, ignoring her question as he gave into the urge to immediately wipe his cheek. Even that tight black dress of hers was doing nothing for him.

"No, but given what you did right in front of me, I think I was entitled to some time to cool down," Sakura snarked back, trying and failing to keep her bitterness at bay.

Sasuke was unaffected by her tone. He knew she had a right to be angry, but that wouldn't change his mind, not this time. "Sakura, we really need to talk."

Sakura felt like something phantom was gnawing at her from the inside out, something about Sasuke tone sent a frisson of panic coursing through her. "How about we sit and eat?"

Sasuke sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Food isn't going to fi-"

"I don't want to do this now!" Sakura snapped frantically. "Can't we just have a nice meal first?"

Sasuke watched as Sakura turned around and walked over to take her seat. Why could nothing ever be easy with her? She was always heavy with the theatrics. Wasn't he making her miserable? What was making her cling so desperately?

Nevertheless, Sasuke conceited for the moment. If he was going to upheave her world, he figured he could at least give her this.

Supper was filled with nothing but awkward silence. Sakura's once delicious food now seemed tasteless from all the tension saturating the atmosphere. Sasuke took a sip of his wine and decided it was time to rip off the band aid. "We aren't working anymore."

Sakura froze, her emerald eyes growing large and watery. "You don't mean that!"

Sasuke tried to soften his face in hopes of somewhat mitigating the blow. "I can't be with you anymore Sakura. We aren't good for each other."

"And I'm sure this has nothing to do with that whore?!" Sakura snapped with a menacing hiss.

"Watch it," Sasuke's voice dipping dangerously low in warning. He wouldn't stand for her bad-mouthing Naruto; he was the last person who deserved that treatment. Sakura had spent their whole interaction trying to belittle him and Naruto was nothing but gracious and kind in return.

"God, that's what this is about isn't it? You really want to throw away our relationship for some himbo?" Sakura's lip pulled up into the beginnings of a snarl.

"You know nothing about him!" Sasuke snapped. Sakura was lucky he took suppressants because if he didn't, she'd be crumbled on the floor right now, choking in agony from the enraged pheromone he was releasing.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him mockingly. "And you do?"

Sasuke wasn't about to tell her about their night together during their break. It wasn't going to change anything.

Being as egotistical as she was, Sakura took his silence as an admission she was right. "Looks like I do know him better," she smirked roguishly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sasuke sibilated as he clenched his fist on his lap.

"Oh, just that I asked around about him at the hospital," her smirk was getting nastier by the second as she arrogantly sipped her wine.

"So?" Sasuke hated games, he wished she'd just spit out whatever she thought she knew.

"Word around the hospital is that the little hussy is just a lowly pheromone therapist. I don't know who Dr. Senju's talked to, but I doubt they were honest with her. What use could a scamming piece of shit be of to her or your company?" Sakura asked as she leaned back in her chair imperiously.

Pheromone therapists were considered the con artists of the medical field. They claim that their pheromones hold special healing properties that are beneficial to all secondary genders, but there was no scientific proof to back that up. It was true that pheromones could help alleviate a plethora of issues, but those are the pheromones usually released by one's mate. Most pheromone therapists preyed on ignorant, knot headed alphas who ended up drunk on the scent of a fertile omega. Once an alpha gets a hit of those coercing pheromones they crave it like a drug, always seeking out another hit.

Sasuke's glare was fierce. "Do you really think someone like Tsunade would be so easily fooled?

Thinking back to their first meeting, Sasuke remembers Naruto saying that he offered a type of therapy, but there had to be more to it. Tsunade would never stick her neck out for someone she wasn't completely sure of. Not to mention, Sasuke knew deep down that Naruto wouldn't be someone who preyed upon people like that. Still, he couldn't keep his alpha from rattling the wall of his mind viciously at the potential of any other alpha touching Naruto.

Sakura looked away with a haughty shrug. "Obviously not her, but definitely her source."

"You idolize that woman; you mean to tell me you honestly think she'd let herself be deceived? Do you really think she wouldn't double, if not triple check every aspect before making a decision?" Sasuke fumed, not only was she talking down on Naruto, but now she was talking down on Tsunade as well. Sasuke was questioning why he ever thought this woman was it for him.

"Of course not, but whoever's been feeding her information is obviously not being honest with her," Sakura crossed her arm and turned her nose up at him in defiance. "Look, all I'm saying is no one turns down the opportunity to work with her. Obviously, he's hiding something."

"This is going nowhere," Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He felt like his brain might actually implode from this conversation. "I only wanted to see you so I could end this face to face."

That admission has Sakura panic rising. She clenched her fists so hard her manicured nails bit into her soft palms. "I'm not letting you walk away from us."

"Why are you still fighting this? We're toxic together, we're both better off," Sasuke was completely exasperated. What would it take to get it through her thick skull that they were done? If he was being honest, they'd been done for a while now.

"I won't let you; I'll fight hard enough for the both of us," Sakura's voice trembled as her lower lip began to wobble.

"We're done Sakura, there's nothing left to fight for," Sasuke's words were harsh but Sakura needed to stop deluding herself.

"How can you sit there and tell me that?" Sakura's quivering voice began to rise. "After everything I've done for this relationship!"

"God Sakura, I was interested in another omega right in front of you, what more proof do you need?" Sasuke felt like his brain was on the verge of short circuiting. He really didn't understand her obsession with clinging so hard to him. Even with her stunted pheromones, he could smell the distress coming off of her and his alpha didn't feel the slighted inclination to comfort her. It was like the final nail in the coffin.

There was only one person his alpha yearned for.

The next second Sakura was out of her chair and on her feet, words tumbling out at an astonishing speed. "I—I forgive you for that."

"What?" Sasuke asked, sounding stupefied.

"I forgive you," she repeated but she wasn't making eye contact.

"No, I—I heard you but that's not going to-"

Sakura cut him off. "Dr. Yuhi was explaining to me that everyone feels attraction to other people, but it's actions that speak louder. I believe you when you say you're not interested in other omegas so I forgive you for how you acted with that—that guy."

Sasuke sighed tiredly. "Sakura-"

"No, Sasuke," Sakura held her hand up to halt him. "Let's just move on, okay?" her voice trilled.

"I can't," Sasuke began speaking but Sakura ran away with watery eyes, pretending like she didn't hear him.

As if the world wasn't already chaotic enough, the doorbell rang.

"Just fucking great," Sasuke grumbled as he looked at the table, he'd now be responsible for tidying. Sasuke blew out the candles, swigged back the rest of his wine then quickly stood while giving the command to cease the now, very awkward music, before stocking off towards the door. Over the weekend he learned that there was only one person who would continue to ring the doorbell incessantly to annoy him and he currently didn't have the patience to continue ignoring him.

"Itachi, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Sasuke greeted sarcastically upon opening the door.

Itachi had a witty response at the ready but the squealing of Sakura's tires as she ripped out of the driveway distracted him. When he turned back to Sasuke, he cocked a curious brow. "Implant emergency?"

Sasuke must be exhausted because he actually laughed. "Just get the fuck inside."

Itachi smirked victoriously at making his little brother laugh. When Itachi entered, he followed Sasuke to the dimly lit dining room where he began to collect dishes. Itachi didn't have to use his imagination to guess what had just transpired.

"So, why are you here Itachi?" Sasuke got right to the point once he was loaded up on dishes. Itachi decided to help by carry the leftover food into the kitchen for cleanup.

"What, a brother can't want to come and personally thank his sibling?" Itachi feigned innocence.

Sasuke walked over to the garbage and began scraping the reminisce of food from the plates into the trash. "Sure, for a normal brother, maybe. But this is you we're talking about. So why don't you cut the shit and tell me what this visit's really about."

"You ignored me all weekend," Itachi stated dryly as he rummaged through the cupboards in search of appropriate storage containers. They may have grown up wealthy, but their mother had instilled in them the importance of not wasting food.

"You don't say?" Sasuke responded with a sarcastic bite as he began putting the dishes into the sleek dishwasher. "Why don't you just come out and say whatever it is you're going to say?"

"Naruto," was all Itachi said as he began placing food into containers so they could be refrigerated.

"What about him?" Sasuke tried his best to sound disinterested, but Itachi easily saw through him.

A small frown pulled at Itachi's lips when he finally finished his self-imposed task. "You really didn't listen to any of my messages?"

After closing the dishwasher, Sasuke perched himself against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. "That would be difficult with the crazy thing that happened to me today. You see, I have this brother who just so happened to pawn off all his work on me."

"That doesn't explain you avoiding me all weekend," Itachi dismissed nonchalantly. "If you would have answered me, you would have already known about the field research."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Speaking of, mind telling me what the fuck you meant by field research?"

"Naruto agreed to let Tsunade tag along for the day. So naturally, I accompanied her," Itachi smirked wickedly. "If you'd answered your phone, you could have gone instead."

"You saw Naruto?" Sasuke blurted out. Of all the things he thought Itachi might be doing today, being with Naruto wasn't even on his radar. Sasuke didn't realize it but he had begun to quietly growl. His alpha saw Itachi as a rival and was livid that he'd been close to the omega.

"Calm down, Tsunade and I saw only observed him working," Itachi put emphasis on the doctor's name in hopes of snapping Sasuke out of his possessive spiral.

Tsunade was already mated, but Sasuke still saw her for what she was, an alpha, a threat. His jaw clenched as he fought back his urges. Instead, he tried to focus on the possible information he could gain. "So, you saw Naruto work?"

Mirth twinkled in the depths of Itachi's eyes. "For someone who only spoke to him for a few minutes, you sure seem invested in him."

"Just answer the question," Sasuke grumbled, he was not in the mood to play Itachi's mind games.

Itachi sighed, but it was coloured with amusement. "Maybe we should take this conversation somewhere more comfortable?"

Itachi managed to get a very temperamental Sasuke to sit down at his bar so that he could pour him a drink in hopes of cooling him down a bit. Usually, he was all for tormenting his brother, but his possessiveness over Naruto was on another level. Itachi didn't have to be a genius to know that this somehow ran deeper than that one interaction.

"Do you think you're ready to talk without chewing my head off?" Itachi's voice cut through Sasuke's brooding.

"Hn," Sasuke begrudgingly nodded. The fine scotch had just barely taken the edge off.

Itachi shifted in his stool so his sharp eyes could study Sasuke more directly. "You want to tell me what that was between you and him?"

Sasuke's fingers toyed with the lip of his beveled glass as he weighed his options. His normal go-to would be avoidance, but to do so felt borderline insulting to Naruto. Plus, if he spoke up, he could make sure Itachi didn't get any funny ideas regarding Naruto. "I met him when Sakura and I were on a break."

From there, Sasuke told Itachi everything. He explained the start of his foolish rules to them backfired on him when they met again at the event. Sasuke even confided how deeply Naruto had rooted himself in his mind but he couldn't find it in himself to care. By the time Sasuke got around to telling him how he didn't know it was possible to feel this strongly for anyone, Itachi was almost concerned Sasuke wasn't an imposter, because his little brother would never admit to his feelings. Some might even go as far as to say he was incapable of such an act.

Itachi was certain getting Sasuke to speak would be akin to pulling teeth, he was obviously wrong because Sasuke was still sharing. "I feel like I'm losing my mind. My alpha won't shut up and as soon as I think of anyone getting close to him it's like I'm on the verge of losing control. I've never wanted another person as much as I want him." This conversation was going completely different to what Sasuke had predicted. When he finally took a pause, he looked at Itachi expectantly.

Itachi was astounded. He didn't want to get ahead of himself, but everything he'd just heard pointed towards… "And you were fine with his scent?"

Sasuke effortlessly swigged back the rest of his scotch. When his strong, elegant hand placed the glass down he mumbled something Itachi couldn't quite make out.

Itachi raised an inquisitive brow. "What was that?"

Sasuke turned and glared at him with his piercing eyes. "I said I don't know," he grumbled. Even though he himself didn't know Naruto's scent, something about his brother inquiring about such a thing set him off.

"What?" Itachi couldn't hide his shock. Sasuke felt this strongly about an omega he'd never even scented? Normally Itachi would wonder how such a thing was possible, but after spending some time with Naruto it wasn't hard to imagine Sasuke falling for the omega's humble charm. After all, Itachi himself was a bit smitten as well. What was strange was that even though they'd slept together, Sasuke hadn't even gotten a waft of the omega in the throes of passion. "Not even during… you know?" Itachi trailed off explicitly.

Sasuke clenched his empty tumbler, barely able to keep his building irritation at bay. He didn't want Itachi thinking about Naruto in that way. "What the fuck did I just say?"

"Alright, alright, calm down," Itachi raised his hands in a placating manner before making the executive decision to reach over and refill Sasuke's glass. "I'm sorry, It's just surprising, that's all."

Sasuke promptly takes a burning sip, but the edge is still there. "I feel like I'm going crazy."

"Being separated from one's destined mate will do that," Itachi looks down and examines his fingernails with feigned interest as he awaited Sasuke's impending reaction. After everything Sasuke had relayed to him, how has Sasuke not pieced it together?

"Yeah, I guess-" Sasuke's eyes grew wide, his head instantly whipping around to look directly at Itachi. "What do you mean destined mate?!"

Itachi fought between rolling his eyes and mentally patted himself on the back for gaining such an amusing reaction. "Everything you're experiencing, they are all textbook symptoms of when one finds their destined mate, their true bond, their soulmate, their other ha-"

"Okay, okay, I get it. But we can't be," Sasuke immediately denied. "Destined mates only truly find each other through scent."

Itachi wanted to shake his head in disbelief at his brother obliviousness. "Most people don't sleep with their other half until they've had a chance to scent each other either," he quickly quipped.

Sasuke's breath catches and his brain becomes pleasantly hazy when he finally lets the revelation fully sink in. Normally he'd bristle at Itachi's absurd suggestion, but the thought of Naruto truly being his? His alpha was howling with glee. A smile suddenly pulled at Sasuke's lips. Yes, he quite liked the sound of Naruto being made for him by the great mother herself. It meant no one else stood a chance.

There was something that suddenly clicked in Itachi's mind. "You know, even after allowing Tsunade and I to shadow him for the day, Naruto still refused our offers." Itachi watched Sasuke snap out of his musings. "Those little rules of yours are responsible for our roadblock, aren't they?"

Sasuke grimaced, because he came to the same conclusion. "Yeah, probably."

"You're an idiot," Itachi was just pleased that he wasn't losing his touch. Not that he'd ever voice that worry. Did Sasuke have any idea how lucky he was? Turning down a once in a lifetime opportunity to honor some ridiculous verbal agreement, was something that just didn't happen. The fact that Naruto honored it even while having Sakura shoved down his throat was beyond extraordinary.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Sasuke tried to defend himself but he knew deep down that yeah, he was an idiot. The biggest fucking idiot.

"I trust you to fix this then," Itachi suddenly stood up as if getting ready to leave.

"Hey!" Sasuke protested gracelessly. "You can't just come here, flip my world upside down then leave without even telling me about his work. I don't even know what he does. Sakura was spouting some bullshit about him being a pheromone therapist."

Itachi looked unimpressed by his outburst. "Speaking of, what are you going to do about her?"

Sasuke immediately cringed. "I ended it with Sakura but—well, I don't think she took me seriously. I mean, you saw how well she took it," his eyes inadvertently trailing towards the door.

Itachi eyed him warily. "So, you're actually done with her?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered fervently. "The moment I realized I felt more than basic attraction for Naruto, I knew I could never be with her."

Itachi pondered as he gauged Sasuke's conviction. Upon seeing nothing but honesty, Itachi's lips pulled up to form a wicked grin. "He's not a pheromone therapist, but he does offer a rather remarkable pheromone therapy." And with that he began walking away.

Sasuke shot up out of his seat, hot on his brother's heels. "Itachi! Itachi, wait dammit!" Sasuke called after him repeatedly but to Sasuke's irritation, Itachi continued to ignore him. "You can't just say that then leave! What the hell does that even mean?"

Once they got to the front door, Itachi finally paused. "I'm not going to do all the work for you. You'll find out the rest yourself when you fix the mess you started."

"What, I'm just supposed to show up at the hospital?" Sasuke asked incredulously. He wanted to scoff at the absurdity.

Itachi gracefully opened the door. "No, you'll go with Tsunade to shadow him again next week."

With that, Itachi was gone, leaving Sasuke behind to simmer. Sasuke may not have seen the smug look on Itachi's face, but he sure heard it in his voice.

Sasuke muttered a few very creative expletives before closing the door. His irritation with Itachi began to wane as he finally comprehended what his brother had just said. He'd be seeing Naruto in a week? Suddenly that turbulent feeling in his gut was back. He couldn't fucking wait.

As Itachi got in his car, he only hoped that Sasuke wouldn't lose his shit when faced with Naruto's profession. Today had been a tame day of checking in with patients which was the only reason why Naruto agreed to let Tsunade shadow him a second time. Next Monday was treatment day, and judging by Naruto's tone it was sure to be interesting. If Sasuke has a hard time controlling himself when another alpha talks about Naruto, what's he going to do when faced with Naruto treating them?

Hey guys!

I finally finished the update. While I'm not completely happy with it, I feel the update is overdue. Sasuke's finally getting his head out of his ass and we're finally getting a glimpse into the enigma that is Naruto!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

-GrimTopography