Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Artist	By : emochickenbutt Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Itachi/Sasuke Views: 2684 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I do not make any money from writing this.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
warning! Sometimes the things you write for your characters come true… to you! like I knew already that teaching and then having a second job would be killer, but then that actually happened to me. so be careful what you write, or you’ll end up working 12+ hour days, sometimes in a row. also eats up the weekend, so don’t even think about catching up on sleep…
anyway, enough complaining. Thank you to those of you who have stuck with me so far for your patience, and thank you if you have recently come on board. every review, favorite, or follow warms my heart and pushes me to write my best. If you celebrate thanksgiving, I hope it’s a good one! (if not, happy Wednesday)

CHAPTER 8
Pleased with himself and cheerful despite the biting cold air, Itachi inhaled with a grateful look at the sun that warmed his face. Finals were done for the day, and there was the whole weekend to look forward to. Hopefully this would feature some alone time with Sasuke, because it wasn’t the same when other people were there. The younger man seemed more relaxed in his own home, and Itachi wanted Sasuke to be comfortable and not feel pressured in any way to do anything, but the clinging awkwardness between himself and Naruto, not to mention the presence of Haku, didn’t really build towards a romantic atmosphere. And if Sasuke had no objections, he definitely wanted more of Sasuke; the kiss last night wasn’t enough. He hadn’t even seen him naked yet, though his imagination helped him take care of the issues that arose each morning after dreaming of what he’d like to do with Sasuke.
Such were his thoughts as he walked to his car. A voice called his name unexpectedly; Orochimaru, cheeks flaming red from the cold, walking as quickly as the icy sidewalk allowed, caught up to him. By caught up to him, Itachi really meant ‘stood ten feet away,’ and given that Itachi had been rather rude and punched the guy in the face not really that long ago, even ten feet was rather daring. Completely unsure of what to expect and still settling feelings of his own, he nodded a greeting.
“How is Sasuke?” Itachi's eyes narrowed sharply. “He left without telling me,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “Honest, I thought he was just hiding in the back room until I could get Sai out of there. I called Naruto as soon as I realized.” His breaths puffed out of his mouth like smoke, a dragon all out of fire. “All Naruto texted was that he was found. Is he sick or injured—”
“He’s fine.” Itachi said curtly, forgetting his resolve to give Orochimaru a chance mere seconds after deciding to do it.
“Oh.” Orochimaru looked relieved, and it occurred to Itachi that this man might genuinely care about Sasuke's well being. “I’m glad, then. I kept wishing I’d gotten Sai out sooner, or just ignored the door till he went away—”
“Look,” he said, cutting off the other man again, “You two cannot drag Sasuke into whatever problem Sai has with me. He deserves so much better—”
“Yes, he does.” Orochimaru frowned. “I warned him not to get mixed up with you, but he said he knew the risks, so I tried to back off. I know you don’t believe me, but I helped him. I stopped Sai from getting to him more than once. If you weren’t being such an arrogant prick, maybe you’d notice, but I never intentionally aided your half-brother against you. Back in high school, when you betrayed me, yeah, I went to Sai, looking for revenge. I’m not denying I was a petty teenager. But I’ve grown up since then, and when he comes to me now, ranting about how it must be fate that I keep seeing you and telling me I owe him so I must help him, I’ve told him I don’t care about petty revenge.”
Well, there was no way now to prove his statements one way or the other. But betrayal? As in, he thinks that Itachi was the one putting the knife in Orochimaru’s back? “Back in high school—“
“It doesn’t even matter anymore. Whatever happened, happened. If you can’t get over it, then fuck you very much.” He gave Itachi an opportunity to contradict him, but Itachi's mouth remained in a tight line. Orochimaru turned and started walking away.
“Wait!” Itachi called after him, regretting his childish behavior once again.
Orochimaru turned, a reproachful look on his face. “Finally thought of a comeback?”
He certainly wasn’t making this easy. “I’m… that is, I’ve been judging you based on how you used to be. I didn’t give you a chance even though it’s been about ten years, and that was wrong of me. I apologize.”
“You’re sorry?” incredulously, Orochimaru shook his head. “You punched me in the face. Do you know how long that took to heal? How much trouble I had trying to explain it to my stepdad? Only God knows why I didn’t press charges, what with Sai urging me to all the while.”
The apology wasn’t going the way he had expected. “Hitting you might have been a bit much. Though, you couldn’t have honestly been expecting me to believe that it was coincidence that you showed up everywhere I went and then my partner was harassed shortly after.”
“I’ll take responsibility for some of that, sure, I’m not blameless. When I saw how you were with Sasuke that first day, I texted Sai, just like he asked me to. In my defense, I thought he just liked keeping tabs on you cause he’s a control freak, and the times that he did act it was all pretty harmless.” He slipped off a glove and scratched his arm. “After I got to know Sasuke, I tried to call it off but apparently that didn’t work out like I thought… Anyway, point is, you’re nowhere near blameless, either.”
“I never said I was.”
“You apologized for judging me. How about for punching me in the face? Or how horribly you treated your brother? What about how you went behind my back in high school?”
“What are you on? In high school, who was the one left standing alone? I never—” Itachi cut himself off. “Let’s just leave whatever happened back then to the past. Call it a mutual fault. I am concerned with what happens now. You followed us home and sent Sai after him, but considering that you’ve… saved Sasuke,” the words carefully monotone, “I feel that for his sake, I should try to make peace.”
“Really?” An eyebrow lifted incredulously, he stopped scratching his arm and put his hand back in his glove. “You think a mere apology is going to be enough?”
“No. But it’s a start. I just don’t want it to be awkward for Sasuke when you guys spend time together. We don’t have to be best friends or hang out even, but for his sake, I’ll try to get along.”
“We used to though,” Orochimaru said evenly. “We used to be pretty close. Maybe it was one-sided, but I had a lot of fun, until… never mind. I’m sure with some effort we can make this work. Just… let’s operate on tabula rasa, alright?”
“Yeah. I can work with that.” Itachi agreed easily, the solution much better than he’d been hoping for. Optimistically, he tried a step further. “Do you want to go for some coffee?”
“Right now?” Orochimaru paused a moment, checked his watch. “My next final starts soon, but I’ll get one to go, if you’re paying.”
The campus coffee was notoriously awful, so they took the short trip over to Moonstags. It was with complete surprise that Itachi found that he had no problem holding a conversation with Orochimaru, easily going from one topic to the next and by the time he dropped Orochimaru back on campus, he remembered all over again how quickly they had become friends in the first place back in high school. Orochimaru was very different than he remembered, but somehow still very much the same.
It was just past noon by this time, and Itachi made plans to eat lunch, submit a final project online, then head over to Sasuke for some alone time before Naruto got back.
888
“Make sure you study hard and enjoy your weekend!” Naruto dismissed his fifth period class, ignoring the complaining grumbles of the apparent contradiction between enjoying the weekend while also studying. Once the classroom was completely clear, Naruto went to his bag and pulled out another energy drink. He grabbed the edge of the desk shakily, breathing deeply, then popped the can open. It was emptied by the time the bell rang to signal the start of the next period, and Naruto tossed the can in the trash as he booted up the ancient school computer.
His original plan had been to nap during his prep period—Gaara agreed to wake him up when the time came—but his students during the first couple periods had pointed out too many issues with the study guide. The mistakes were simple and easy to fix, but they were things he never would have looked past and he been more alert. As soon as he got home, he was going to sleep. Maybe even straight into tomorrow. Right now, however, there was still the rest of the day to get through, and as the caffeine hit him, he powered through the fuzziness in his head and reworked the document.
Upon his return from printing out sufficient copies of the new guide, his heart jumped unpleasantly to see someone sitting at his desk. A dark-haired, pale someone who just yesterday had been an ass to himself and to Sasuke. “What are you doing here?”
True to the little Naruto knew about him—that he was the type to be difficult whenever possible—Sai remained silent and still, staring at Naruto as the blond carefully closed the door. “I asked you a question. If you don’t have business here, you need to leave. I don’t know how you got permission to enter the school, but I don’t have time for you. I have another class coming in soon.”
“I don’t understand you.”
“In ten minutes I have students coming in—”
“Not that.” Sai waved his hand dismissively and stood from the desk. “I don’t understand *you*. Your words from last time are confusing and don’t make sense.”
“Tell me what, specifically, you have a problem with, and we can clear this up quickly before my next class starts.”
“That is not what I’m here for.”
The non-sequitur threw the blond off a bit, but he didn’t let it show. He all too casually moved closer to Sai and sat on a student’s desk, putting his feet on the chair, leaning his elbows on his knees. “What are you here for then? If you have any intentions toward Sasuke, you should reconsider.”
“I couldn’t care less about him now. Something else has my attention.” Sai’s eyes ran the full length of his body, as if undressing him down to his bones. It made him a little uncomfortable, but it couldn’t be much clearer what had stolen Sai’s attention from plaguing his half-brother and Sasuke. “A proposition.” Sai stepped a little closer, heavy winter coat sliding open with his movements and showing his fitted black suit and tight grey button-down. For the first time Naruto noticed the man actually looked quite fit, and his hair was styled today, somehow making his skin look less sickly, a more ordinary sort of pale. He eyes met Sai’s again and the man smirked, watching Naruto notice him. “Yes, I think this could work very well. You have much passion, Naruto, and I believe that in certain situations we could be very compatible, given various—”
“You want me to fuck you?” The blond hoped he hadn’t said that as loudly as it sounded to his own ears. If anyone in the hallway or the classrooms next door had heard him…
“I dislike playing catcher, but that is more or less my meaning.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Sai frowned. “I often hear that question. I assure you, I seldom joke.”
“I don’t even know where to begin.” Naruto laughed humorlessly. “That you think I’m that easy, or that I would want you, or that it’s appropriate to come to my workplace—an environment filled with children—to have this discussion. I don’t even know what bothers me most.”
“I don’t think you’re easy. I’m willing to pay you.”
“Pay? You’ve got to be fu—”
“You apparently need funds. I’m sure I have enough.” Not exactly guilt, but regret of a sort flashed across Naruto’s mind. He should have known stealing money from a rich kid would come back around to bite him in the ass. Well, if Sai got his way, something else would be in his ass.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“In the past you—”
“The past? First of all, you weren’t there. You don’t actually know the situation, so regardless of whatever you researched about me, you don’t really know. It’s all conjecture. Second, that’s degrading. To think that I’m that desperate.”
“How is it degrading to do something you like doing, and then be rewarded for it? If you do work, you deserve fitting compensation.”
“That’s…” that’s actually a fairly decent argument, Naruto refused to say. Fuckin’ lawyers. What kind of law did Sai practice, anyway? “I’ll make sure not to take any money from you again.”
“Fine.” The pale man nodded with satisfaction, adjusting his suit. “If there’s another sort of compensation you’re more comfortable with, I can accommodate, though I assure you that my participation in the act itself will suffice. We can meet as soon as you get tested. I’ll drop my all-clear report in your mailbox this afternoon.”
“What? No! I didn’t agree to this!” He stood too quickly from the chair, and had to grab hold of the desk as his vision swayed. “I don’t know you very well, and the parts of you I do know, I don’t like! I don’t want a relationship with you. If there’s no relationship, then that just makes me a slut, and I’m not that kind of person.” Not anymore.
Rather than looking hurt, Sai appeared genuinely amused. “I don’t want romance or sentimentality. I want a physical release from stress, and I’m sure you could use the same. Besides, your objections have been defeated; whether you like me or not is irrelevant if we are physically compatible; the only inappropriateness in this conversation have been in your words, not mine; and last, as long as you are clean I could care less if you are a slut or not. In the interactions I intend, the more experience, the better.”
Sai waited and watched; Naruto’s jaw clenched, his fist tightened to stop his arm muscle from twitching, and he breathed deeply, slowly, eyes closed. Most of the blond’s reaction didn’t have anything to do with what Sai was saying, rather the fuzziness growing in his brain and the increasing of the muffled sound. He clenched his fists tighter, anchoring himself to the sting of pain as his nails dug into his palms.
“Well,” Sai continued, not content to wait for the blond to think it over, “if you still plan to refuse, I should remind you that I know what you have done in the past, and that I can expose you. This would result in punishment, I imagine, though hopefully not in the annulment of your teaching license.”
The blond laughed, folding his arms. “You have no evidence. There’s nothing to back up what you say, and I’m certain I can prove that you only said such things because you were bitter about being rejected by me.”
“There *is* evidence, though, isn’t there?” Sai shrugged then, eye contact unwavering. “With a job like yours, proof isn’t always necessary. Sometimes, a scandal is enough.”
Naruto was enraged… or, rather, he was far too tired to feel really enraged, but he knew how he should be reacting. Mostly he just felt defeated. And dizzy. Sai, on purpose or no, had gone about stirring up things he’d rather not remember, and why now, while he still felt raw from the events of last night… but looking at Sai, maybe it was the fatigue or the copious amounts of caffeine, or the resemblance to Itachi, but Naruto realized he had never intended to say no. “Yeah. Let’s do it. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”
“Good,” Sai answered, almost smiling. “Your students will be here soon, I believe. I’ll be in touch.”
“Sure.” It was harder than ever to remain upright, and the fuzziness was almost overtaking his brain now. The very moment Sai shut the door, Naruto moved as if through water to his bag, pulling out his last energy drink. “Oh, shit,” he muttered. Had he really gone through them all already? However many that was. With shaking hands he popped the tab and tipped it back, hoping the caffeine would lessen his headache some. A couple sips down, and his chest started to hurt. ‘Idiot,’ he thought to himself. He should have just let it out last night once he was alone and his boys were sleeping. Now was not the time to break down and cry, he had—looking at the clock—three minutes before the bell rang. Three minutes to pull himself together. Three minutes to…
Oh. Ouch.
With exaggerated care he set the can down on his desk (almost tipping it somehow anyway), took a step away so he wouldn’t knock it over, then allowed himself to clutch his stomach and fall to his knees. Cramping and twisting and shifting, his hands moved over his abdomen trying to soothe his stomach and keep it from exploding. Imploding. Combusting. Whatever the fuck it was doing, it needed to stop.
He blinked and the bell was ringing and the door was opening, letting in the sounds of the hallway, but his leg muscles wouldn’t straighten enough to stand up. The blood thudding in his ears was growing louder, louder than the students noisily entering the classroom.
He blinked again and the dirty tile floor was against his cheek, coldly refreshing.
He blinked once more and Konohamaru was shaking his shoulder and shouting at him and then his eyelids no longer obeyed him, shutting heavy as concrete slabs.
888
Itachi sighed and dialed the number for Naruto’s house. How he had forgotten to get Sasuke's number? Somewhere between all that making out he couldn’t find half a moment to get his boyfriend’s contact info? Unprecedented, getting so caught up in someone that he forgot such basic things, he berated himself as the phone rang. Sasuke picked up mid-ring, not even allowing Itachi to give a greeting.
“Itachi, come quick. I need you now.” Sasuke's tone was urgent, words interrupted by panting breaths.
Raising an eyebrow, Itachi asked seductively, “Did you get started without me?”
“What?” There was a muffled cough from his end of the phone. “Oh! Um, no. Naruto collapsed at school and they took him to the hospital and I don’t have the car and the buses will take too long. Can you take me there? Please.”
“Shit! I’m so sorry. I’m on my way!” He hung up, having no time to feel a fool, and ran for the door.
The ride to the Uzumaki residence felt three times as long as usual, though really he got there in about half the time. Sasuke was in the driveway waiting, his breaths puffing out in an almost constant stream; he got in the car quickly and directed Itachi to the correct hospital, clutching a bag to his chest as he coughed. His breathing was quick, but Itachi gave him some time to calm down as either it wasn’t leading to an anxiety attack or Sasuke really was deflating the panic on his own.
Either way, within moments Sasuke seemed much calmer, though concern was understandably forefront on his mind. Concern shifting to the other half of the Uzumaki pair, he inquired, “Is he alright?”
“Gaara said it was a combination of exhaustion, not sleeping and too many energy drinks. Still…” Sasuke chewed his lip viciously and his hands fiddled with the straps of the bag. “I thought he was at least sleeping. And what if it’s worse than that? I mean, they brought him to the hospital.”
Carefully keeping his voice even, he placed a steadying hand on Sasuke’s arm. “If he collapsed at school, then they probably had to take him in, even if he protested. Knowing him, he probably did. It’s probably just procedure.”
Sasuke nodded, but it was difficult to tell if it was in agreement or acknowledgement that he heard the words. “What’s in the bag?” Asking fact-based questions should help distract Sasuke’s mind from worry.
“Change of clothes. If he has to stay overnight, he’s going to want his sweatpants.” He leaned away from Itachi and coughed into his elbow. Clearing his throat, he shook his as he continued. “After all that yesterday… to think he was this bad off. How’d I miss it?”
“There was quite a bit going on yesterday for everyone, and besides, he was hiding it really well probably because he didn’t want you to worry. Except that goes against pretty much everything he said to you about withholding… or maybe he thought he could last until the break. There’s only a couple days left, so…” he shrugged, frustrated as well. “We’re almost there.”
“Yeah. I’m going to try calling Neji again.” He pulled his phone out and started calling. I called him first to come pick me up, but he didn’t answer. Lucky you called then—hey Neji, it’s alright, I got a ride with Itachi,” he said into the phone. “Yeah. Yeah, probably. Can you pick up Haku on your way over? Yup, the high school. Thanks. We’re not there just yet, but I’ll text you the number. Alright. Bye.”
Itachi pulled into the parking lot, letting Sasuke off at the door. By the time he got inside, he had to nearly run to catch up to Sasuke, spotting his faded orange coat at the elevator. “What’d the nurse say?”
“He’s in room 394.” He jabbed his thumb at the elevator button, then pressed it again twice before the doors finally opened. He coughed into his elbow, using his other hand to press the appropriate floor button. Unsure how to comfort Sasuke, Itachi silently stood at his side.
Even before they got to the room, through the open door they could hear laughter. “Only if it’s chocolate, I got it,” said an unfamiliar male voice. Sasuke almost bumped into the nurse walking out the door, a tall, dark, smiling man. “Oh, sorry. You’re his son, aren’t you?” the man asked. “He told me to look out for you.”
Sasuke frowned. “Is he—”
“Oh come on, Sasuke, smile. I’m fine.” The blond called Sasuke into the room, looking not so fine, but he was sitting up and smiling brightly. “Do you want a pudding, too?”
Sasuke shook his head, annoyance usurping his initial relief. “No, thank you.” The nurse smirked and left, infected by Naruto’s cheerfulness.
“They’re bringing me pudding, Sasuke. This place is wonderful.” He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back, giving the TV a look. “The channel options suck, sure, but the eye candy is worth it. Did you see my nurse? Wonder if he’s a back door bandit. What’s in the bag?” He finally noticed that Sasuke was carrying something. He gave a small wave to Itachi, encouraging him to come in further than the doorway.
The brunet tossed the bag on Naruto’s lap, sitting on the side of the bed. “Your sweatpants, change of clothes in case they make you stay overnight, the essentials.”
“Essentials indeed,” Naruto remarked, pulling out a few DVD cases. “Is the DVD player hooked up?” Itachi confirmed that it was, and Naruto spent the next couple minutes deciding between the Browncoats or the Rebellion. His running commentary on the pros and cons of each didn’t look like it was going to deter Sasuke for very long.
Wondering if perhaps the two wanted to talk these issues out by themselves, Itachi decided to give them some privacy. “I’m going to check out the cafeteria. Anybody want anything?”
“I’ll take a red bull.” Two pairs of eyes glared at Naruto. “Damn, you guys have no sense of humor.”
“Well it would probably be funnier if you weren’t in a hospital, dumbass.”
“Don’t call me dumbass, pipsqueak.”
“Then don’t act like one!” Sasuke's voice cracked with frustration. Itachi quickly made his exit, shutting the door out of courtesy for the other patients.
He wandered around a bit, but mostly he was in the way. He nearly got knocked over several times, the last by a young woman—no, woops, man—with very long hair, and a moment later, by a person he thought was Haku but was moving too quickly to call back to find out. Itachi touched his own hair, remembering that he needed a haircut. His split ends were getting out of hand, especially with this weather. Then again, Sasuke really seemed to like his longer hair, so he didn’t want it any shorter than it was... Well, the middle of the hallway wasn’t really the place to angst over his hair care decisions. To the cafeteria he went.
Not much of a cafeteria, really, just some vending machines and tables with chairs. There were only two other people here, both sitting by themselves in opposite corners and reading intently. So as not to disturb them by talking on the phone, he texted Kisame the change in plans. They’d have to go to the gym tomorrow evening, as he had no guarantee how long he’d be here.
One of the room’s other occupants, sweatshirt man from the right corner, moved clumsily to one of the machines, tripping over a chair and bumping into a table over the short distance. Concerned, Itachi watched the man walk as if drunk. The coins clinked into the machine one by one, and a bony finger jabbed the water button several times. “Dammit.” His fist hit the machine with no effect.
“I’ve got some change, if you need it,” Itachi offered.
“Yeah, thanks,” he turned, saw Itachi, and immediately turned around again. “Actually, no thanks, I’m good.” His voice suddenly sounded different, but he was much too late.
“Nagato?” Itachi stood. He moved to the man before he could try to escape. “Nagato? I know it’s you. How have you been? I haven’t seen you since high school.”
Reluctantly, the man faced Itachi again, slumping against the machine. “Fine. It’s me. What do you want?”
Itachi took in the sight of his oldest friend; bones prominent, eyes tired, body hunched over. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m in a hospital. You figure it out.” The response was unexpectedly bitter, surprising Itachi. “I’m sick,” he said less testily. “Really sick. Why else would I be in a hospital?”
“Sit down with me.” Nagato raised a thin eyebrow. “Please,” Itachi amended.
“Buy my drink first.” He walked back to his table, and Itachi followed. Putting the drink on the table, he watched Nagato struggle with the cap and slowly sip at it. “You’ve stared enough. It’s game time. What’s your best guess, nurse?”
The flippancy was new, too. The difference from the vibrant, idealistic young boy he’d known last and this man, practically old, sitting bitter and uncaring in front of him… “What happened? Last I saw you, you were going to school abroad.”
“Oh yes.” Something like a smile came onto his face then. “Grandmother finally paid attention to me, and I thought it was worth it. Second year of college—let’s see, I took an extra year to get used to the language, but I still graduated early, so… I think four years after I saw you last, both my grandmother and uncle died within weeks of each other.” What had been a grin was a grimace now. “She couldn’t handle seeing the last of her children die. I think it broke her.” He shrugged, taking a few more slow sips of water. “No reason to stay there, but as I was getting ready to move back here—cause I figured at least here I have friends—I found out I was sick. I stayed there for a while, tried out their doctors… well, they say the same thing here. Turns out that the doctor can’t be blamed for why I’m not getting better.”
He stared at Itachi carefully, gauging his reaction. More like non-reaction. “You were my friend the longest, and you’re not reacting at all. I’m telling you I’m dying. I’ve got weeks. Maybe.” He shrugged.
“But... this…” Nothing else would come out of his mouth.
“Actually, I like this. I finally found a way to get you speechless.” He smirked. “Anyhow, I’ve been on Bookface. I know you’ve left the firm or whatever, and knowing you, you’ve probably spent too much and are running low on funds. I’d love to leave you something, but the thing is, I’ve already promised all my money to someone. Anyway, if there’s any memento of our childhood you want I’ll make sure it gets to you.” His hand shot to his side as his eyes screwed shut. The moment passed and he relaxed only to cough hard enough to shake his whole body. “Better decide quickly, though,” he said bitterly, clearing his throat with another sip of water.
Itachi still couldn’t gather himself to speak. Nagato certainly didn’t seem to mind. “You know, I really thought I was getting better. You wouldn’t believe it, but two weeks ago, I was. Turns out I’m not the last. Here I was thinking that I’m the last Namikaze, and out of nowhere, some guy starts chatting me up, claiming that I’ve got a relative. Cousin or some shit, but it’d be nice to have somebody. It seemed too good to be true.” His trembling hands dropped the bottle. It rolled under Itachi's chair, and unconsciously he picked it up and handed it to back to its owner. “Well, it is too good to be true. Next day, doctor says to settle my affairs. It’s just a countdown now.”
Distantly, a connection fired in Itachi's mind, but he was far too overwhelmed by Nagato’s mortality to acknowledge it. And with the man himself so uncaring... the situation couldn’t be that hopeless, surely… there must be something that could be done. Why would they find each other again, after all this time and across the distance, for such a brief reunion?
“Itachi?” Nagato’s face closed off again, both men turning to the doorway. Sasuke was there, with two heads peeking around the doorway behind him.
Trying to come back after Nagato’s revelation, he shook his head. “Did you guys get kicked out?”
Sasuke walked further into the room, standing by the table and giving Itachi's seatmate a nod of greeting. “Yeah. Naruto’s principal showed up, so… We didn’t really want to be there for that conversation. Anyway, we’re getting ready to leave pretty soon. You can stay if you need to.” He put his hands up apologetically.
“No, I wasn’t really supposed to leave my room in the first place. Or have visitors.” Nagato was standing, glancing at the doorway. “My nurse just walked by again. I keep escaping, so they’re not very happy with me.” He clumsily dodged around Sasuke and his two tag-alongs, looking up and down the hallway before choosing the left.
“Wait!” Itachi said. Nagato turned and waited in the doorway, but Itachi couldn’t think of anything to say.
“It’s okay. I’ll have somebody email you when the time comes. I’d really rather be alone now, though. So don’t try to find me.” Somehow moving rather quickly, he disappeared.
“Who was that?” Haku asked, staring at the empty space where Nagato had been. His eyebrows pulled together and the boy shivered. “He doesn’t look so good. He’s… not going to be okay, is he?” Itachi's head jerked toward Haku, pupils widening slightly. Hearing those words aloud again so soon was bringing on a migraine.
“He’s in the hospital to get treatment, so I’m sure he’ll be alright. And don’t be rude.” Neji admonished the boy. Haku rolled his eyes.
Itachi shook his head again, still trying to grasp the idea. Nagato would soon… Sasuke held his elbow. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. He was one of my childhood friends, though I haven’t seen him in years. He’s… very different now,” he managed. Later on there’d be time for research and phone calls and testing connections but here and now Sasuke was standing next to him with those dark eyes focused on the crease between Itachi's eyebrows. Sasuke has to worry about without adding me to the list, too, he thought, and put all thoughts of Nagato aside for now.
Something still felt off, but it seemed like Itachi wanted some time to think it over. “Oh, right, so this is my friend Neji. Neji, this is my boyfriend, Itachi.”
They shook hands, and Neji smiled. Relaxing a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, Itachi smiled as well. “You’ve been a very good influence on him. Please continue to take care of him.”
“Sasuke has been just as much a help to me.” Sasuke's ears went red. He absently continued poking all the buttons on the vending machine to see if something would come out. “I really care about him.” He looked over at Sasuke, smiling, and Sasuke looked at him over his shoulder, smiling shyly back.
“If you guys are going to get all lovey-dovey, I’m leaving.” Haku walked out.
“Hey!” Neji and Sasuke immediately started following. “We can’t just let you run loose, you know.”
Itachi fell into step behind them as they went back to Naruto’s room. It was silent inside, which was strange, but the blond was probably just watching a movie or something. The opened the door, entering all at once, thus clogging the doorway and making it impossible to turn around when they realized Principal B was still in the room, having a stare down with Naruto.
“Well?” B asked, arms crossed and frowning.
“I said no.” Naruto replied stubbornly.
“Did I begin this conversation with ‘if it please your highness?” Naruto opened his mouth, then wisely closed it, pouting. “There’s not that many days left before the break. Sabaku said he’ll have no problem taking over your classes, so you have no reason not to take a break. This isn’t a request, it’s an order.” He moved for the door, and the four men parted to let him through. He gave Sasuke a curt nod on his way out.
They stood there, not saying anything, shuffling feet and inspecting the walls, and Naruto sat there, glaring at the ceiling, not willing to say anything either. A few moments passed.
“Well, um, so how are you feeling?” Neji asked.
“I’m fine.” The blond answered. He didn’t uncross his arms, but he leaned back into the pillows. “Thanks for coming. How are classes going?”
“Alright. Are you feeling any better yet?”
“If you’re saying ‘alright’ what you mean is straight A’s, yeah?” He rubbed at his eyes dramatically. “How’d I manage to surround myself with overachievers? Everyone here has skipped at least one grade, and Haku, the only things you fail at are the ones that you don’t even bother with. Or we can sign you up with a tutor if you need it. Speaking of tutors, Neji, how’d it go with that girl?”
“What about you?” Neji deflected. “How’d you get so bad you ended up here?”
Gaze hardening, Naruto shrugged. “This and that. Nothing to worry about.”
The other four men in the room looked around, taking in their location. Naruto cleared his throat. “B is just overreacting. Everyone is, really. Hospitals are for sick people, and I’m not sick.”
“You’re a bit sick in the head, dumbass.”
“I want to know if I have to stay here or if I can leave,” Naruto pointedly ignored Sasuke's sass, instead directing his question to Itachi. “Can I check myself out?”
“Talk with your physician first,” Itachi advised. “Don’t tell them I said you could or anything—my education in the medical field is largely theoretical. I’ve got zero pull here.”
Pressing the call button, Naruto pulled a face. “Well, whatever. He never came back with my pudding. What’s the plan for you guys?”
“I texted Gaara, and he said he’ll drive your car back as long as he can get dropped off at his house after,” Neji relayed, reading the texts from his phone.
“That’s fine, I can drop him off when we get back. I didn’t know you two were talking again, though.” Neji shrugged, and Sasuke continued. “Anyway, even if they let you loose, you need to rest. And we have finals to study for.”
“Yeah. Even geniuses need to study. When we get back though, Haku, you need to call Asuma and talk with him. You don’t have to go back just yet,” he assured at the uncomfortable look on the boy’s face, “but you should sort things out with him. Text him. Email him, if you have to.”
The nurse returned, chasing everyone out with the exception of Sasuke. Speaking primarily to Sasuke, the nurse gave him directions regarding hydration, nutrition, and warning signs if Naruto needed to be brought back. He finished his lecture by handing Naruto a take-home sheet with the information he’d just given Sasuke, handing it over to the blond (and Sasuke didn’t miss the hushed whisper of “in about forty-eight hours we’ll let you know,” though Sasuke decided to wait till later to confront Naruto about that). Within ten minutes Naruto had completed the necessary paperwork and gathered his belongings, moving slowly but with determination.
Gaara beat them back to the house, his bright red hair almost a holiday decoration amongst all the snow. After Naruto was settled into his bed and sleeping for real this time, with Haku reading quietly and watching over him to make sure, Neji prepared for departure. “It was nice to meet you, Itachi. Hopefully I’ll see you soon, in better circumstances. Are you helping out with any of the Christmas events with the Home?”
“We haven’t really talked about it yet, but I’m definitely interested.”
“Good.” Neji started to say something, checked that Sasuke was still in the other room convincing Naruto to put away his laptop to sleep, and began again in a low voice. “I know this is usually the part where I threaten you if you ever hurt him, but I know he can defend himself if need be. He’s much stronger than he was before. Plus, you’ve really been good for him.” Slowly, he tugged on his gloves, holding Itachi's gaze with his pale, pale eyes. “Sasuke actually hugged me, and that’s not something that happened often even before he came out, but he barely touched anybody after he dated the first asshole. Just… don’t push him too far, alright?”
“Not too worry. I’m perfectly content to go at his pace.” The shook hands and Neji left, Itachi preparing to leave as well. Sasuke came into the living room sighing, Haku just behind holding Naruto’s laptop.
“Well, we have his work hostage, so even he should be sleeping pretty soon. Now’s a good chance to email Asuma, anyhow.” Haku nodded and complied as slowly and reluctantly as he could. “Where’s Gaara? I still need to drive him home.”
“Bathroom.” Itachi tied his scarf, finally deciding to just ask already. “So, would you want to go out tomorrow? I know you have to study, but maybe you’d have time for a movie?”
Sasuke's face lit up. “Yeah! Yes. I definitely want that. There isn’t anything in particular I do or don’t want to see, so I’m fine with whatever you want.”
“Can I come, too?” Haku asked, looking up from the computer. The angle of the light from the laptop made his eyes look bigger and his skin white like a little ghost.
Sasuke shared a look with Itachi. “Um, can we take you next time? You need to study too, right?”
Haku looked to the side as he spoke. “I was just thinking that maybe if you got to know Zabuza better, than you’d like him more.”
“Oh. Like a double date?” On the one hand, Sasuke really, really wanted to spend time with just Itachi, and also for their first proper date together he’d rather it just be the two of them. On the other hand, Haku looked pretty lonely. This close to Christmas, and Sasuke knew he wouldn’t have enough money to buy Haku a present even after his paycheck from the art class, but he could at least give Haku an afternoon. “Itachi, what do you think?”
Correctly reading the way Sasuke teeth sunk into his bottom lip, Itachi agreed. “I don’t mind if you don’t. Besides, it’ll clear the house so Naruto can rest.” Sasuke nodded, and Itachi promised to call tomorrow with the details, prompting them both to take out their phones and exchange contact information. “Speaking of, I can’t believe I didn’t get your number until now.”
“Me, neither,” Sasuke said. “I kept meaning to ask, but we always got sidetracked. I mean, I haven’t had your phone number but you’ve already sucked my—”
“Please do not finish that sentence.” Gaara said. “I am not a fan of over sharing.”
Sasuke coughed, a bit embarrassed. Apparently his brain-mouth filters shut off when he got tired. “So I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” He gave Itachi a quick hug and they exited, Itachi for home and Sasuke to drop off Gaara.
888
So… yeah. I really hope it’s been worth the wait. I’ve (yet again) reworked the plan for chapters, but it should be pretty set by now and since I skipped nanowrimo all my writing energy/time/mojo is going into finishing this story
Anyway, work in a few hours so sleeping now! good night/morning!
- 7
- 8
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