Work Text:
Naruto walked past the shop the first time he saw it. It wasn't that he didn't know where the shop was, or didn't have the time – he was too scared to enter and so just kept walking. His phone rang halfway down the road and he stopped, pulling it from his pocket and wincing, already knowing who the caller was.
"Hello?" he answered, preparing for the backlash that was to come.
"You just walked straight past didn't you? Just go in there already and do it!" Naruto wondered why he'd ever asked his friend to help him with this. All she understood from his plea was that he was a lonely guy, pitiful and so needed this. Naruto disagreed, he didn't need it at all, but Sakura was adamant.
"Fine," Naruto clicked his phone off and turned around, apologising embarrassedly as he bumped shoulders with someone. The stranger grunted before carrying on, darting away in the crowd.
Naruto shrugged before walking on, back to the large shop and hesitated at the door. He didn't want Sakura ringing and didn't risk a glance in her direction – she was waiting in the car, refusing to influence his choice as she'd put it.
Bracing himself, Naruto opened the door and looked around, wondering where to start. A few people were milling around in the isles that sold general items. Children were clustered around another section and Naruto made a note to avoid that area, checking the sign above and reading the words.
"Rats, mice and hamsters." He couldn't picture living with a little animal and turned away slightly, making a mental note not to come over to this section again.
Ever since Naruto had broken up with his last boyfriend, he'd been feeling… well, his friends had all stated that he'd been down in the dumps. Even Naruto had admitted he'd been glum, hardly himself, and gone to Sakura asking for help or any ideas to what would cheer him up.
"Get a pet," she had replied instantly, giving no other option but to go and get one.
He didn't even want some smelly animal clogging up his flat. All they would do is poo, moan, eat his food, moan more, poo more and smell. Whatever it was, it would be dependent on Naruto and he didn't want anything dependent on him.
He passed isles of fishes, marvelling at all the colours and underwater displays they put on. A fish would be good maybe? They didn't need to much work…
"Can I help you?" a voice called out and Naruto jumped, turning from the tank he'd been inspecting and looking at a man standing a little way from him.
"Um, I'm looking for a pet," Naruto said.
"I guessed that much," the man said, smiling a little. He had long, dark hair, tied at the nape of his neck and Naruto watched as he brushed a few strands from his eyes. "Do you need help? Sometimes it takes a while to find the right animal for you… it took me ages to find mine."
Naruto nodded slowly. This guy sounded like one of those people who had spirit and guide animals. Nothing wrong with that, but Naruto didn't understand it and didn't want his choice in pet to reflect his character to this guy. Who knows what a rat reflected and it would be just his luck that he'd get one.
For some bizarre reason, Naruto wanted the guy to like him. For the first time in a long while, Naruto was actually interested in someone.
"I'll take you around. Saves me from dealing with children," the guy muttered and Naruto chuckled, moving after him as they wandered off.
"I'm Naruto by the way," Naruto said with a smile.
"Itachi, it's nice to meet you. And hopefully you'll get to meet someone you want to take home." Itachi stopped and Naruto wondered why, too busy thinking that he'd already found someone he wanted to take home.
"This is where we keep the birds. Out on show are the smaller birds, but we also have a few parrots and cockatiels in the larger rooms out the back." Itachi looked at the bright yellow birds, glancing back at Naruto's expression.
Naruto liked the birds. They were small and brightly coloured. They looked like they'd make good pets, but he didn't fancy keeping them in a cage. Itachi seemed to pick up on this and they moved on, passing through rows of bird feed until they came to the next section.
"Here we have rabbits and guinea pigs."
Naruto looked down at the relaxed rabbits. He'd always liked bunnies. They were cute with their round eyes and long ears, but they didn't do too much. They always seemed a little too nervous for his liking and just… not suited for him. Maybe Itachi did have something going when he'd talked about matching animals to personality after all.
He turned his attention next to the guinea pigs. They seemed so… odd looking. Definitely sweet, but again, a little too nervous. Plus, for some odd reason, Naruto hated the idea of them biting him. They were so small and would get in his way and he was scared of treading on them.
"Not really for me," he muttered, not noticing Itachi's smile.
"I had the feeling… I assume since you walked past them when you came in, that rats, mice and hamsters aren't your animals either?" Naruto shook his head and wondered what fish he'd be getting. It seemed like no other animals fit the belt and he couldn't leave empty handed.
"I don't usually do this, but you're desperate for a pet and the animals out back will need to be adopted at some point," Itachi said, looking around as he led Naruto to the back of the shop, unlocking a door with a code and ushering Naruto through.
"A local animal shelter has had recent problems and been unable to cater for all of their guests," Itachi began, "So we said that we could house them here for free. We used to sell cats and dogs, but we don't anymore, so we had the room anyway."
Naruto was led to the back storage area and through another corridor, leading to another locked room. Itachi opened it with a code, again, and Naruto was faced with animal noises.
"We have dogs over here and cats opposite. Take time to look at them, I find cats and dogs more personal to pick out. They have more distinguishable characters than some other animals." Itachi stepped back, allowing Naruto to look at the handful of dogs and cats in the room.
He passed the dogs, looking in but not seeing any that he really felt he could like. The dogs barely looked up, one simply licking its lips and yawning in his direction.
Feeling hopeless, Naruto turned to look at the cats and his eyes snapped to the cat on the end. It was a large white cat, lying on its back with paws raised slightly. On further inspection, Naruto noticed she had a few kittens in with her and he instantly noticed a cat with a white splodge over its eye, the rest of its body black. Its eyes were mismatched, one a bright blue and the other a yellowish green.
"Look at this kitten!" he said, waving Itachi over and forgetting that he was already aware of this kitten's existence, having most likely placed the kitten there.
"I get the feeling you like him," Itachi said, joining Naruto and peering through the bars of the cage. The mother meowed and Itachi smiled. "He's old enough to go home now if you'd like?"
Naruto looked at Itachi in surprise. "I don't have anything for him yet though." Disappointment settled over Naruto and he steeled himself to lose the kitten. They couldn't hold it back until he got everything in order, and even then Naruto wasn't sure how long it would take to gather everything.
"I'll help you sort out everything upstairs if you'd like. Then you'll have everything you need and get to take your kitten home straight away."
Naruto nodded his head, the words sinking in. "You can really do that?" he asked a moment later and Itachi smiled.
"Of course. I'll have to hand in some paperwork to the shelter letting them know one of their kittens has been adopted, but we were told we had authorisation to do so. All I'll need you to do is sign a few things and you'll be all done."
They returned back to the shop floor, Naruto buzzing as they selected the necessities for a new kitten. It was bundled over to the till, Naruto waiting as Itachi went to collect the kitten and put him in a travel carrier.
"Here he is," Itachi said as he came back up, the kitten peering from the gaps at the front. A little paw stretched out of one of the gaps and Naruto tickled the hairs on his kitten's leg, a wet tongue darting downwards merrily.
"The shelter will be sending you confirmation once I've given them the forms in the post. It may take a few days," Itachi said as he rung up the bill, taking the forms Naruto had just signed.
Paying was quick and simple and Naruto felt a touch of sadness. Itachi had done so much for him in helping him find the kitten and it was over so suddenly.
"Here's my number," Itachi handed him a piece of torn paper, a number scrawled onto it. "If you need any more help or advice, just call it. Or if I'm not there, call the shop and just ask for me. It's been a pleasure helping you and I'd like to help if you need it."
Naruto nodded, wanting to ask Itachi if they could go out for a drink some time. If not for the fact he had his kitten and Sakura in the car, then he'd jump the gun and just straight out ask… but unfortunately he had to go.
"Thank you," he said, picking up his purchases and smiling as he left. Someone held the door open for him and Naruto thanked them, setting off for his car and beaming at Sakura.
"Look Sakura!" Sakura stepped out of the car, shock on her face.
"What is this?" she asked slowly, looking between the mewing kitten and Naruto. "I thought you would just go look and maybe get a fish or something! This kitten actually needs you to look after it and you haven't been in a good 'looking after' mood recently!" She snatched the bags off of Naruto, careful to stay away from the black kitten. "God you're going to end up killing it or something," she muttered, slamming the car boot down and frowning.
"I suppose this means I'm driving back then?" she asked and Naruto nodded, sliding into the passenger seat and holding the carrier on his lap.
Who cares what Sakura thought? He wouldn't kill his kitten. Never. They'd get along like a duck took to water; perfectly.
Despite what Naruto had said before, their relationship had been rocky. Rasengan had decided that everything Naruto owned was perfect for eating or clawing, and everything that belonged to the kitten was worthless and ignored.
"Rasengan please! I just need to give you a brush and then you can go back to doing annoying things." Naruto's plea was met with silence and he gave up. His cat hated him.
Until this moment, he'd been putting off calling Itachi. He didn't want to cave in on the first week, but things had grown desperate and he needed someone who knew what he was talking about to reassure he wasn't a bad owner.
"Hello, Leafy Dragon Pet Centre, how can I help you?" A nasally voice answered and Naruto nodded his head, even though it wouldn't be seen through the phone line.
"I need to speak to Itachi; I have a query about a recent purchase of mine." Naruto hoped they would just hand him over to Itachi; he hated talking to people who didn't know why he was calling.
"Sorry, Itachi left early today, but you can call tomorrow. Is there anything else?"
Naruto shook his head, despite knowing that they wouldn't be able to see him. "No thank you," he said, ending the call and biting his lip. He had wanted to avoid using Itachi's personal number as it was that step further, somehow becoming scarier than talking to him on another number.
He dialled the numbers, waiting anxiously as the dialling tone started. It rang for a long time and Naruto was about to hang up when someone answered hurriedly.
"Hello?" he sounded out of breath and Naruto froze for a second. He'd interrupted him at a bad time hadn't he?
"Hello?" was repeated again, snapping Naruto out of his trance.
"Sorry, sorry! Hi, it's me. I mean, hi it's Naruto… from the shop the other day? I, um… I bought the kitten?" Naruto cursed his inability to speak well on phones and just hoped Itachi got who he was from that.
"Ah Naruto! Of course, how are you?" Itachi's voice shifted to warmer tones and Naruto felt himself settling back into the sofa cushions, preparing for a long conversation.
"I'm good thanks, how about you?" he replied, playing with the fabric of the sofa.
"I've been better, but it's not so bad. Is there a problem at all?"
Naruto began to say no when he realised that he did have one in fact. A rather large one.
"Yes… I just… Rasengan – the kitten – he hates me. Anything I do he runs away. And he bites everything, ignoring the things I got him… it's just… someone said I'd end up killing him because I'm a terrible owner, but I don't want to kill him. All I want is him to cuddle, but he doesn't want to."
Naruto flushed as the words escaped his mouth. Maybe that was a little too revealing; hinting to his personal life more than the relationship with his cat, but it had to be said.
"Okay then, is there anything specific?" Itachi's voice was calm and Naruto relaxed a little. Here was someone who wouldn't demean him, wouldn't put him down for asking silly questions and, most importantly, would be able to help.
"Well I tried brushing him today and he just… you know." Naruto felt hopeless. Sakura was right all along; he was going to kill the kitten.
"I have an idea. I can pick something up from the shop and bring it round for you and we'll give it a go together if you like."
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, that would be great." He paused, wiggling his toes. "My address is…"
After Itachi had confirmed the details, Naruto clicked his phone off and sat back on the sofa, heart pounding in his ears. He'd invited Itachi over, Itachi, the one who he secretly fancied. Naruto's eyes darted around for a moment before he realised his home was a mess, things having been knocked over during his chase after Rasengan.
Instantly, Naruto set into motion, gathering up mugs and glasses, dumping them in the sink, and collecting any odd clothes. A hand ran through his hair as he noticed the amount of stuff that was just lying around and wondered how on earth it had got there in the first place.
"Where the hell did I get this?" Naruto asked to the room, picking up a heavy door weight, shaped like a pig. He couldn't remember buying it; maybe someone had given it to him?
Rasengan tilted his head as he came out from under the sofa, curious as to what his human was doing. Naruto didn't notice the kitten, rushing past the little ball of fluff, and the kitten was happy to sit watching.
The doorbell rang suddenly and Naruto looked at the clock. It had been an hour since he'd spoken to Itachi and there was a high probability that he was at the door right now.
"Crap," Naruto said, dumping the armful of books he had collected up on the sofa and running a hand through his hair, trying to make it look at least a little more acceptable.
He opened the door slowly, heart beating a mile a minute. Itachi stood there, in jeans and a casual top, yet he looked so good in them Naruto felt even more awkward in his slobby trousers and baggy top.
"Hey," he greeted, closing the door after they were both in. He offered Itachi a drink and set off for two glasses of water, directing Itachi to the lounge and the sofas.
"I'll be back in a sec," Naruto said, rushing off to collect the water.
He returned to find Itachi on his knees, looking under the sofa. Naruto almost choked at the scene; Itachi was turned away from him and he got a delectable view of trousers stretched across hips and bum.
"He's under the sofa," Itachi said, rising. Naruto frowned in disappointment before he realised what he was doing and nodded.
"Oh, yeah. He likes it there… um… here's your water." He handed Itachi a glass, sipping his own for something to do.
"I brought something over I think he'll like." Itachi fished around in his pocket for a moment, pulling a long object out and handing it to Naruto. Their hands brushed and Naruto fought the happiness that wanted him to smile.
"It's a mouse," he said, flipping the cat toy over and looking up to Itachi.
"Not just any mouse." Itachi smiled, gesturing to the fabric toy. "Hold it out for him."
Naruto nodded slowly, crouching down and shifting so that he held the toy at the very end. He wiggled it, tapping it against the floor once, and waited as Rasengan snuck closer.
A moment later, the kitten darted out, locking legs around the toy and biting into it like a wildcat. Naruto let go of the toy instantly and watched in amazement as his pet darted across the floor, dragging the mouse happily along.
"What on earth is that thing?" Naruto said. He'd tried hundreds (well, realistically not really) of toys and Rasengan had turned his nose up at all of them. He was amazed that the kitten had latched onto this mouse and stared at Itachi in amazement.
Itachi smirked. "There's a little pocket inside that you can fill with catnip treats. A brilliant way to bond with your cat." Itachi leant back on the sofa, stretching his legs out as he sat down.
"Catnip," Naruto repeated. He'd heard of it of course, everyone had, but he'd never expected it to work like this. It was quite amazing really.
Rasengan rolled onto his back, paws in the air as the fabric of the mouse stuck to his paws.
"I'd only use it on special occasions though," Itachi said, taking a sip from his glass of water. Naruto nodded, settling down to look at Itachi.
"Thank you. He's never shown an interest in anything before and I was getting a bit worried…" Naruto sighed, "Owning a pet is so stressful. I never realised it before," he said, running a hand through his hair.
Itachi smiled slightly, "It is hard work, but very rewarding. You'll always have someone to come home to, even if they're a rat, cat, dog, fish… someone to talk to about your day and whatnot. It's nice."
Naruto found himself nodding. Even though he hadn't had Rasengan for very long, the kitten had become part of his home, someone, as Itachi had said, to come home to. He would already talk to him, chatting about plans for later, his friends… even his last boyfriend.
Naruto also remembered that Itachi had a pet too and so spoke from experience. He wondered what kind of animal he had.
"So what kind of animal's your pet? You said that everyone has their match, what's yours?"
Itachi set his glass back on the table and turned to Naruto. "You'll probably never have heard of it, but it's an axolotl. They're a kind of newt-salamander thing, but they live permanently in the water."
Naruto nodded, not quite sure what to say. He couldn't imagine the creature really and didn't know what else he could say.
"You should come over to mine one day to have a look. He's a sociable little fellow, likes to meet new people," Itachi said.
"Really?" Naruto was surprised. How could Itachi tell he liked people? Did he try to get out of his water tank perhaps?
"I have no idea, but I like to think he likes company. Axolotls don't tend to get on too well with others at his age, he's a little young, but when he's older I might breed from him."
Naruto nodded. "Are you sure you want me round though?" He was worried suddenly that Itachi would retract his comment, dashing his hopes in an instant.
"Of course. Tell you what, I'll even cook dinner, make an evening of it. Sound good?"
Naruto could hardly believe his luck. Here was the man of his dreams, asking him round for dinner, making an evening of it all!
"I'd love to!" Naruto gushed, not caring if he sounded desperate. He'd seize the chance with all he had!
"Say tomorrow night? Does that work for you? Probably a chicken dish as well." Itachi broke off thoughtfully, nodding to himself.
Tomorrow was very good. Naruto had been planning on going to work and then just coming home, mooching around with Rasengan and trying to get the kitten to play with him. It would have been a wasted effort and then he'd have had to go to bed annoyed that his kitten hated him.
"Sounds wonderful, thank you," Naruto said and Itachi nodded. He glanced to his wrist, where a leather strap and watch sat, and looked up with slightly narrowed eyes.
"I'm very sorry, but I have to go. I shall see you tomorrow though and thank you for the water."
Naruto showed Itachi to the door, smiling brightly as he stepped outside.
"And remember, no matter what anyone says, you're a fantastic pet owner. He'll come around eventually, cats tend to be a little harder to share love with." Itachi turned and walked off, getting into a car a little way down the road and driving off.
Naruto closed the door and sank down onto the floor, knees at his chest. For all intents and purposes, he had a date tomorrow night with a man he had been lusting over since he'd set eyes on him. And if you find someone attractive in an ugly uniform then you know they're good looking.
Four little paws crept around the corner and Naruto smiled as Rasengan darted over cautiously, mouse in his jaws, dragging on the floor slightly. For the first proper time, Naruto ran a hand over the dark fur on his kitten's back, eyes crinkling in happiness as a head butted against his leg and Rasengan climbed up onto his leg, mewing lightly and licking Naruto's nose.
Maybe he wouldn't be too bad at this pet business after all.
"What should I wear?" It was ridiculous, but Itachi hadn't stated what he should wear. Should he dress casually? Smartly? Should he put effort into it? Or rather, how much effort?
Rasengan stared from his position on Naruto's bed. He'd already investigated the pillows, taking to diving under them, and was now resting, watching his human with a lazy look and a twitching tail.
"Casually but with a shirt I think," Naruto muttered, looking in his wardrobe. He located a smart-ish pair of jeans and a button-up shirt.
"These will do nicely, right?" Turning to Rasengan, Naruto found the kitten gone and he frowned. This happened a lot; one moment the cat would be there and the next he'd be gone. It would be only a few moments before he reappeared somewhere though and Naruto began the countdown.
A black and white head popped up from between the pillows as Naruto reached the number 5, counting down from 30. Rasengan mewed proudly as he pulled his body up of the comfy cavern of duvet and pillows.
"Good boy," Naruto praised, running a finger between two little ears. Rasengan mewed again before setting off on another adventure, tail high as he jumped from the bed and left the room.
"Right," Naruto said to himself, slipping out of the clothes he had been wearing and heading to the shower.
Half an hour later, Naruto was in his car, trying to programme the GPS. After ten minutes of fiddling, he gave up and grunted in annoyance, looking around the car and locating the map. He had a fairly good idea of where Itachi lived, but he was unsure of how exactly to get there.
After faffing with the map for a little, Naruto found his address and then Itachi's, glad that Itachi had left a message earlier on his phone stating the address and a few basic directions.
The engine roared merrily to life as Naruto set off, pulling away and setting out to find Itachi's house. A bottle of wine was sitting on the seat next to him, his offering to Itachi.
It didn't take long at all to get to the address and Naruto cut the engine, exiting his car slowly and looking curiously around. It was located in a little borough with quaint little bungalows spread low in little clutches. Naruto checked the number he had written down and walked up the little pathway, knocking on the door to – what he hoped – was Itachi's house.
The door opened and for a moment Naruto thought he had the wrong house. His heart gave a dance of relief as familiar features came into view and Itachi smiled, stepping aside as he invited the blond in.
Itachi's bungalow was nice, not too cluttered or too bare. It looked lived in and well loved, something Naruto was still trying to achieve with his own home.
There were pictures of various artworks on the walls and pictures of what looked like friends dotted here and there, but Naruto couldn't see any photographs of family. He wondered if Itachi didn't like having photos of his family up or if he'd had a falling out with them.
Naruto had pictures of his family up everywhere. His parents had died when he was younger, but he had images of them dotted around, as well as those of his other relatives and thousands of him with friends.
"I'll introduce you to Amaterasu first and then we'll eat. Dinner won't be too long," Itachi said, leading them through a lounge area and to the kitchen. A medium sized tank sat on a wooden table, a dark creature lying on a few rocks dotted at the bottom of the water tank.
"Is this the… axy… axel…" Naruto struggled to remember what Itachi had said he owned.
"Amaterasu the axolotl," Itachi confirmed looking down so he was eye level with the creature. "And this is Naruto the human."
A leg moved slightly and Naruto tilted his head, eyes wandering up and down dark, mottled skin. It really was a bizarre creature here, with little prongs on its head and frills, right down to the tail that reminded him of a metamorphic tadpole.
"He's so strange," Naruto said, running a hand gently over the glass. The axolotl turned, revealing a small, slightly upturned mouth. "He's smiling!" Naruto said, looking to Itachi.
Itachi smiled, but Naruto noticed that it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was a tiredness that seemed to radiate from Itachi and Naruto wondered what the cause of it was.
"Dinner should be ready soon," Itachi said and Naruto suddenly remembered the dinner gift he had.
"I bought some wine. If it doesn't suit the meal then I'm happy for you to use it another day." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm not too good at choosing wines to match meals, but the man said this one goes nicely with chicken."
Itachi thanked him and led him to the table. It was already set up and it took a few minutes for Itachi to bring everything out. They settled into dinner discussing their days, Itachi being vague about what he'd done, other than working, and Naruto launching into detail about his temporary library job.
"It's just to get some money up before I can apply for what I really want to do." Naruto took a bite, "Though I'm still not too sure what I want to do. I like working at the library and it's not bad pay."
Itachi hummed, sipping his wine delicately. Some of his friends had judged Naruto because he was content to stay as a librarian for a portion of his life. He didn't have any fancy degrees, having hated school with a passion, and he loved working with books. Everyone was so nice in the library and he sometimes just needed the peace and quiet the building maintained.
"So what made Amaterasu such a good match for you?" Naruto asked, curiosity refusing to die down.
Itachi finished the mouthful he was eating and set his knife down, reaching for his wine glass. "Well it's quite a long story, but I'll explain the best I can. They're animals that like their solitude and will resort to cannibalism if they are exposed to others at a young age."
Itachi snorted, "That's not to say that I'm a cannibal, I'm just not your average partying, outgoing guy. I like a bit of solitude every now and again." Naruto nodded, amazed at how much Itachi felt comfortable to tell him. "They don't require too much looking after, which is good because I have… things I need to do."
Itachi took another bite of his chicken, chewing thoughtfully. "And they always put on a brave, seemingly happy face. You look at them and just think 'everything will be okay', because they're smiling through it. I admire that."
Naruto nodded, a slight smile on his lips. They finished dinner up, winding down the evening and moving to the lounge. Drawing closer and closer to midnight, Naruto hated looking at the clock. He had to go soon or else he wouldn't wake up in the morning and knew Itachi would be in the same predicament.
"I should probably go," he said, stretching out his arms and smiling to the host. "Thank you very much for having me, maybe we can do this again? I'll cook next time if you'd like."
Itachi looked surprised before he nodded slowly. "I'd love to," he replied.
They both walked to the door, Naruto taking his keys out of his pocket and jangling them happily. Itachi opened the door, blocking the entrance slightly with a shoulder.
"I just wanted to say thank you," he said, half-facing Naruto. Moonlight poured in from outside and glinted off of the door knocker, staining the golden lion's head pale silver.
Somehow, they drew together, lips gently touching before a hand moved to hair and they both gripped each other a little tighter, kissing properly. It was a show for any neighbours watching, but Naruto was unable to stop himself. Itachi was kissing him and his only thought left was that of kissing back.
They broke apart and Naruto gave a soft smile, pressing a kiss to Itachi's cheek in a slightly girlish way.
"See you soon," he said, stepping past Itachi and to his car.
It was only when he was at home with Rasengan sitting upright washing his paw that Naruto had the time to think. His first thought was that he had kissed Itachi (actually kissed him, tongue and all!) and his second was that he'd ended it too soon.
"What if it was a one off thing and I've blown it!" Naruto moaned, looking to Rasengan for help.
Rasengan blinked. Humans were so odd.
There was only one problem; Naruto was sure Itachi was hiding something. He was a wonderful partner – boyfriend? – and attentive to Naruto, but there was something that wasn't being said. It was always there, under everything they did, and sometimes Naruto was sure he could feel the weight of it on Itachi's shoulders through their kisses.
The one time he had said something to Itachi, though, he had closed up and refused to speak about anything more than trivial things, like the weather and local news. Naruto had apologised later, in huffing breaths and touches of skin, but he'd still felt resistance, a blockade that would forever separate him and Itachi.
Naruto wasn't sure he could deal with it for much longer.
"Hey Naruto!" a voice called and Naruto smiled to Sakura. She waved him over from the bar, showing him where their group had moved to while he'd ordered some drinks.
At the moment, Naruto was out with friends, enjoying a rare weekend where he was free and everyone else was too. They gathered like this every now and again, but more often it was in smaller groups.
They were sitting on one of the picnic benches out at the front of the pub while it was still relatively warm outside. Naruto made his way towards the group, climbing onto the end of the bench and taking a sip of his beer.
"So I hear someone has a new amour," Ino leaned forward onto the bench, staring at Naruto pointedly. "Come on, dish the dirt!"
A few others in the group looked around and Naruto took a gulp of his beer, licking the froth from his upper lip instead of answering.
"Come on then!" Sakura said, smiling.
"Well… it's just… you know." Naruto trailed off, unsure how exactly to explain it all. "We eat dinner and… yeah."
A few of the guys at table nodded, turning away from the conversation and forging their own. It was only Sakura and Ino who remained interested, eyes glinting as they had Naruto all to their selves.
"What does he look like?"
"What does he do?"
"How is he in bed?"
"Does he have a brother?"
Naruto frowned, waving the questions away with a hand. "Stop it! We're in early days and I don't want you harpies ruining it. All you need to know is that I like him a lot."
Thankfully the girls gave the subject up and turned into the main conversation. Occasionally they would suddenly be set off, heads snapping round and eyes darting to someone they deemed attractive, watching them walk away in slight disappointment.
"How about him? Now that is one gorgeous man." Ino sniggered, grabbing for Sakura's hand and instead clutching Naruto's. Naruto, who had swapped placed with Sakura earlier, jumped a little and looked up.
"What?" he asked, looking from Ino to the person she had been talking about. A smile broke across his face as he took in well-known features and he half rose up, waving his hand a little.
Itachi blinked in surprise as he saw Naruto's wave and made his way over to the bench cautiously, looking at all the people gathered. Ino and Sakura were staring, heads tilted and eyes darting between each other, Itachi and Naruto.
"Hey," Naruto greeted, hopping out of the bench and coming to stand by Itachi. "These are my friends, Ino and Sakura here… um, this is Itachi everyone."
While Naruto hadn't used his name before, everyone twigged who he was and looked up in interest.
"You're welcome to sit with us a while if you want," Naruto said, whispering into Itachi's ear and taking his hand.
"I'd love to, but I have to be somewhere soon. Though I just left a message at your house wondering if you'd like to come over at all tonight." Itachi shifted slightly, running a hand over his arm and scratching the skin lightly. It left red scratch marks on his skin and Naruto ran his hand up to cover them gently.
"That would be good, very good. I'll be over at about 7? Does that work?" Naruto smiled at Itachi's nod and leant in for a kiss, being met halfway.
Itachi was about to leave when Sakura threw a question to him.
"So where do you work?" she smiled at him pleasantly, leaving Naruto to scowl as he caught onto her game.
"I work part-time at the pet shop Naruto got his kitten. I helped him to find Rasengan, which was how we met really." Itachi glanced to Naruto raising his eyebrow a little.
"Ah," Ino said, her gaze flickering to Sakura. Naruto's stomach dropped as he dreaded the next question. Were they going to ask how good he was in bed?
"So do you have any brothers?" Naruto almost sighed in relief, until he realised that Itachi had stiffened, his jaw tightening and eyes narrowing. While they were distinct changes, Itachi didn't reflect them well and only Naruto noticed the odd behaviour.
"No, sorry," he said to Sakura, smiling and turning to Naruto. "I have to go," he muttered, kissing Naruto's cheek and darting off. Naruto watched him go for a few moments, a slight wrinkle between his brows. What had that been about?
Re-joining his friends, Naruto decided he'd question Itachi later that night, and wouldn't take no for an answer.
"What happened earlier? Just before you left, you went all… odd." There was no other way to describe it. Naruto shifted on the sofa, looking at Itachi who sat next to him. The arm that had been resting on his own moved off as Itachi closed himself off, hands clutched together and elbows resting on his knees.
"Nothing happened," he said, smiling blandly at Naruto. Before, Naruto would have ignored it. He would have pushed it out of his mind and kissed Itachi instead, but what he did now was different.
"That wasn't 'nothing'." He tried to take Itachi's hands, but they were pulled back, out of reach. "I just want to know what's going on with you. You never open up, I don't know anything about your family or your life, other than you work in a pet shop." Naruto took a deep breath, "I really like you, but I can't just continue like this, not knowing anything but your name and your job."
Itachi was silent and Naruto closed his eyes slowly. He had two options; continue to struggle and take down the brick wall Itachi had put up, or give up and walk away. Naruto wasn't sure he was in a position where he'd be able to break through, not after having his hopes dashed by yet again someone else who wouldn't place trust in him.
"Fine. Okay then." Naruto stood up, "Thank you for everything you've done, but I can't carry on with us," Naruto threw his arms out to the side, causing dark eyes to follow his motions, unblinking and uncaring from Naruto's point of view. "You obviously can't trust me and…"
He broke off and walked away, gathering his coat from the coat hanger by the door. Itachi had walked up behind him and, for one brilliant moment, Naruto thought he was going to smash his own barrier down, grab him and kiss him silly.
It never came, instead the turning of the door key sounded before Itachi walked away, padding silently through the bungalow and away from Naruto.
Naruto left. He ignored the big regrets and instead focused on one smaller one; he hadn't said goodbye to Amaterasu the axolotl.
He was a far cry from the scruffy kitten he'd once been. At a little over a year and a half, Rasengan was fully grown and had sprouted a full body of dark, fluffy hair. A paw battered Naruto's arm as Rasengan reminded him of dinner and the blonde reached for his cat's bowl, filling it with food.
He set it down on the floor before moving off, like a zombie to the sofa. The answering machine was flashing, as it always did, and Naruto moved his hand over to press the button, turning on the recorded message.
It moved through one from Sakura, reporting her worries about him not eating properly since he'd faced his promotion to librarian at one of the oldest archive libraries in the city, and then about his personal life. Naruto deleted her mid-rant, rolling his eyes. So what if he wasn't as sociable as he'd once been? He had Rasengan as that was all he needed.
There was one from his aunt once again asking whether he'd met anyone recently and he deleted it promptly. What was it with everyone and wanting to know if he was okay or not, or seeing someone? Didn't anyone respect privacy anymore?
Rasengan jumped up onto Naruto's back and padded along his spine until he reached his arm. With a purr, the cat scooted under Naruto's arm and pressed his nose to Naruto's cheek. Naruto smiled softly and rolled onto his side, scooping Rasengan up as the next message played.
"There's no easy way to say this… I'm… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you walk out like that and I should have explained but there's so much that I can't say… I can't… fuck. I need to see you, but I can understand if you don't want to see me. If you ever do, though, you know where I'll be… I'll explain and… why is this so hard?"
The message cut off and Naruto closed his eyes tightly. He had made his choice a year ago. He'd ignored the message, saving it, vowing never to call Itachi back. If he wanted them to be together so much, why had he let Naruto walk away?
Rasengan looked up at Naruto, his odd coloured eyes blinking slowly. His human was sad, but there was nothing he could do about it. It was like this almost every night, his human would come home and listen to the same message, cuddling Rasengan to him.
Naruto missed Itachi. He could be honest to himself and admit that he missed him a lot. If anyone else asked, though, he'd state he was fine and that he didn't need anyone. He'd been on casual dates, had a couple of relationships even, but none had ever stuck the way that Itachi had. There had been something about their dinners that had been exclusively them. Naruto had never felt the connection he had with Itachi again and missed it.
All he had to do was go see him and he could, potentially, have all of that back. A countless number of times Naruto had so nearly done that, only to stop himself at the last minute. Why should he listen to what Itachi had to say? Naruto was better off not knowing the story behind it. If Itachi couldn't trust him to tell him there and then, why should Naruto trust him back and give him the benefit of the doubt?
Still, he kept the message just to listen to Itachi's voice. One day he'd meet someone else and delete Itachi from his life fully, but for now… for now he wasn't quite ready to let go.
"Cat still alive?" she asked. Her answer arrived in the form of Rasengan rubbing his back against her leg and purring. She bent down to tickle him before looking to the cat's owner.
"Why are you still in your pyjamas?" she demanded.
Naruto looked down. He was wearing comfortable sweatpants and an old shirt. Only Sakura would know that he slept in these and he shrugged.
"It's the weekend, I'm resting. What else?" he asked, moving into the kitchen and opening the fridge.
"Um, maybe you to be dressed as you promised to come with me to the hospital today?" Naruto slammed the door fridge as he turned around, mouth open slightly and a look of disbelief on his face.
"That was this week?" Naruto groaned, pushing past Sakura as she nodded and running to find something to change into.
He'd promised Sakura a week or so ago that he'd go with her to visit a relative in one of the hospital care homes. Sakura had been going to visit her aunt since she was younger, but this was the first time her mother hadn't been able to go at the same time. Instead of missing out, Sakura had pleaded with Naruto and he'd agreed to go.
Naruto returned in smarter clothes. He had a toothbrush in his mouth and gestured for Sakura to make him a piece of toast to eat on the go. She set off on her requested mission and Naruto vanished for a few moments.
"Thanks," he said upon returning, shovelling down the buttered toast and making his way to the door. Sakura followed after one last stroke to Rasengan and they climbed into her car, heading for one of the homes.
"She's not like…" Naruto worded awkwardly. Sakura's aunt had developed a brain disorder when Sakura was younger and she'd been placed in a hospital care home, specialised to deal with mental health patients. Almost every day her aunt spent with a relative, but Sakura's visits had always been less frequent as she had been younger or too busy to spend much time with her aunt.
"She's not crazy if that's what you mean. She just doesn't do much. Most of the time we'll just have to sit there talking to her or each other. Occasionally she'll get a bit angry or confused, but someone is either with us or near us all the time." Sakura said calmly and Naruto commended her bravery. He'd never experienced anything like this and was a tad apprehensive. He'd seen generalised, stereotypical 'mental homes' on the television and, needless to say, they didn't have the best reputation.
Sakura pulled up to a large house, shielded away with large gardens and gravelled roads. It was a beautiful looking building, with ivy trellises creeping up the walls and white painted window frames.
"Here we are then," Sakura said, getting out of the car and leading Naruto to the main reception.
The house didn't scream anything about it being a hospital-funded place. It looked like a care home, you couldn't escape that, but it looked homely, comfortable and far from hospitalised. Sakura took care of business at the reception before taking Naruto along a corridor and to a set of stairs.
"She's in one of the recreational rooms, up on the first floor. If we sit with her a while and maybe later walk around the gardens for a bit, I think that she'd enjoy it." Sakura paused, reaching for the door handle to the recreational room. "And if she thinks that you're my boyfriend, don't be alarmed. She's not all there… just indulge her."
Naruto nodded, butterflies creeping in his stomach. Sakura opened the door and looked around, heading towards a woman sitting by the window.
They spent the next few hours with her, drinking juice and talking about simple things. Sakura's aunt didn't say much and Naruto felt a little awkward. Sakura, who had obviously been in his position a few times, continued mulling conversations over, making sure that nothing was too awkward.
"Shall we go for a walk?" Sakura asked suddenly, rising from her seat and taking her aunt by the hand. Naruto followed behind, unsure how exactly he could help.
Sakura asked him to take her aunt's other arm as they moved out to the gardens and Naruto obliged.
"You're a very nice man," Sakura's aunt mumbled. Naruto smiled and thanked her, noticing the bright grin on Sakura's face as well.
They moved to sit by an apple tree, under which was a bench. While partially covered in shade, sunlight dotted through the leafy covering and Naruto sat with speckled sunlight covering his body. He tilted his head back and looked to the side, ignoring what Sakura was saying to her aunt.
Across the gardens, a carer was wheeling a man around in a wheelchair. The man was very pale and looked ill compared to all the other patients here. The carer was gentle with the man, bending down to take his hand when he said something.
The carer rose and Naruto's eyes widened. Instantly he shifted downwards in his seat, even though it was unlikely that he could be seen. Of all the places he had to meet him, Naruto had just stumbled across Itachi.
Sakura hadn't noticed Itachi's presence yet and Naruto watched him out of the corner of his eye. He had no idea Itachi was a carer and narrowed his eyes. IF this was what Itachi had been hiding from him, what was the big deal? So what if he had two jobs, or this was his main job and the pet shop one was to keep up with bills or something? There was nothing wrong with that.
The man in the wheelchair threw his arms out suddenly, lashing out. He struck Itachi across the shoulder, into his neck, and Naruto knew there was a flash of pain there. Maybe Itachi thought Naruto would have seen him as weaker for helping people? Some people thought in odd ways.
"It's okay," Naruto could hear Itachi say, the wind blowing in their direction. "All you need to do is calm down Sasuke, okay?"
Naruto continued to watch as Itachi took the man inside, carefully reassuring him and disappearing inside. Sakura was still talking, but Naruto didn't have the heart to chip in. He remained quiet until they were in the car on their way back to his house and Sakura assumed it was just because of the new experience.
Naruto, once again, didn't know what to do regarding Itachi. He figured he'd go home and consult his cat.
"Should I go see him?"
He licked a paw before running it over his whiskers and Naruto gave up, moving to sit on the sofa with his head in his hands. Seeing Itachi again today had reawaked everything he'd tried to bury deep inside and forget. How caring and attentive Itachi had been, how well they had got on and how much Naruto… wanted Itachi, how much he needed him and – daresay – loved him.
"What should I do?" Naruto asked to the empty room.
A beep sounded as the answering machine turned on. Naruto's head snapped to the table as Itachi's voice floated out from it to see Rasengan standing on the little table, looking straight at Naruto. He could brush it off as a coincidence, but Naruto knew Rasengan. He was lazy, hardly getting up unless food or tickles were involved… his cat was telling him, offering him an answer.
Naruto stood, grabbing a coat, his wallet, keys and a phone. He was going to take Itachi up on his offer and let him explain, then he could decide.
Rasengan received a kiss on the head as Naruto passed him and he purred, eyes following his human lazily. People were strange.
Naruto wasn't sure how long he just stood there, until someone came up behind him.
"Excuse me," Itachi said, unlocking the door casually as if Naruto was standing there every day. The blond was taken aback, wondering if he should just leave when Itachi turned to look at him. "Would you like a drink? I'll explain everything once we're inside."
Naruto sat down awkwardly at the kitchen table and asked for some water. Itachi ended up opposite him with his own glass of water and everything was silent for a few moments.
"I saw you earlier. I was visiting someone with a friend at the care home on Smith street and I saw you." Itachi's face was blank as he watched Naruto. "You were wearing the carer's uniform and were looking after someone."
Itachi nodded slowly, "I work at the care home four days a week. I'm generally limited to one patient though and most of my wages goes to keeping him in that home."
Naruto frowned. Wasn't it illegal to pay for a patient?
"Sasuke… he's my brother. An older relative first put him in the home, but he died. Since then I've been providing for him with my paycheck from my job there. I work the other three days of the week at the pet shop to make up my pay."
Naruto wondered where this was headed and why Itachi hadn't told him about Sasuke, his brother before.
"I'm the reason Sasuke's in there. When I was younger I refused to go on holiday with them. They decided to go anyway, leaving me with my great uncle… if they had been a few minutes earlier they would have been clear of the lorry overturning on the motorway."
Itachi's voice broke and he gripped the glass tightly. "I killed my parents and hurt my brother. He suffered… severe injuries to the brain and…" Itachi sniffed, rubbing his nose with his hand. "I have to look after him. He hates me, doesn't call me his brother, doesn't know it probably, but he hates me. If I'd gone… if I'd gone then they'd be okay."
Naruto didn't know what to do. Itachi had been living with the belief he'd killed his parents for so long it was deeply ingrained in him. Who knows how much Itachi had cut himself off from the world?
"It's not your fault," Naruto said softly, shifting his chair over until he was in front of Itachi. He was supposed to be angry with Itachi, supposed to shout at him before reaching a decision whether to try again or not.
But Naruto knew now. He was strong. He wanted to be strong for Itachi. He wanted to help him.
"If you had been in that car, you all would have died. Sasuke wouldn't have anyone to care for him and who knows how much worse he'd be. You can't say it was your fault. You can't blame yourself."
Itachi met his eyes, tortured expression revealed to Naruto.
"But I didn't go. It doesn't matter what you say, I didn't go." His voice was defeated.
Naruto took Itachi's hands in his own. "Why don't I come with you to see Sasuke the next time you go? I'll sit with him a while, tell him about Rasengan. Maybe one day he can see Rasengan, they say pets help with therapy and all." Naruto smiled, running a hand over Itachi's hand. He wanted him to know that he didn't have to be alone any longer.
"But I kill-"
"No you didn't," Naruto cut Itachi off firmly. "But it's okay if you still think that." He pressed his forehead to Itachi's tenderly, the Uchiha not flinching back this time. "I'll help you, I promise."
Over in his tank, Amaterasu the axolotl watched as his human clutched at Naruto and he wiggled his fingers happily, turning his head up look at the ceiling through the water.
Sometimes, humans were so complicated.