Naruto Shippuden Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Preferable Path to Perfection is You ❯ Ice Cream Interlude ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Naruto are property of Masashi Kishimoto. These objects are used without permission for entertainment only, not for making money. No infringement is intended.

Chapter 6: Ice Cream Interlude

"Who's hurt?"

"No-one," Itachi explained to his sleepy yet concerned brother. He'd answered the door in record time too, despite clearly having been roused from sleep by Itachi utilising one of Deidara's tactics and keeping his hand on the bell. "We just came to see you."

Sasuke blinked a few times, trying to process that information. "Came to see me?"

"That's right."

Sasuke blinked a few more times, leaning back against the doorframe. "At nearly seven in the goddamn morning?"

Itachi gave him a far-too-bright forced smile. "I thought you'd be awake...?"

Sasuke slammed the door in his face.

Itachi chuckled and knelt down, opening the letterbox and calling through it. "Come on Sasuke!"

"Go away."

"That went about as well as I expected," Itachi declared, standing back up and reaching into his pocket.

"Unfortunately for my dear little brother, I have a spare key."

"What the hell do you want?" Sasuke snapped at them when they entered the house, standing at the end of the hall against the wall and glaring at them as they closed the front door.

"It's a long story," Itachi sighed, pushing Deidara forward. "Go on, explain what you did to my house you idiot."

Deidara looked sheepish, looking up to meet Sasuke's stern gaze with a nervous smile. "I... broke it?"

"I don't care," Sasuke sighed, waving a hand at them and heading off down the hall. "I'm going back to bed. Don't make too much noise and I won't care that you're here."

Itachi led him through to Sasuke's living room- Deidara had never visited the place before for obvious reasons and seemed suitably enthralled by it for some reason.

"What?" Itachi asked, noticing the look in his eyes.

"It's so different to your place," Deidara remarked, admiring the living room from the doorway.

To Itachi it was nothing special- similar layout to his own, different colour scheme, more mess and still drawn curtains. He moved to open them, bathing the room in light and glancing round as Deidara elaborated from his post in the living room doorway.

"Your place looks like an IKEA showroom- Sasuke's actually looks like he uses his things."

"I'm not entirely sure if you're insulting me or Sasuke," Itachi replied shortly. He was naturally tidy and Sasuke wasn't- though he was mildly impressed that the room did actually look reasonably orderly that day. "You can come in get comfortable- he won't bite if you do."

"He has a temper, yeah."

"Yes- a temper you frequently deliberately flare. Why is today any different?"

"How do you guys have such nice places anyway?" Deidara changed the subject as Itachi made his way to the kitchen.

He faltered in the doorway for a moment, clutching at the frame gently and not giving a response. Deidara noticed his change in demeanour, joining his side as he continued his walk into the kitchen.

"I'll tell you another time," Itachi finally replied, leaning against the worktop while waiting for the kettle to boil. "Coffee?"

"I'm fine. You're not though, are you?"

Itachi knew Deidara wasn't talking about his lack of caffeine, tightening his fingers around the lip of the worktop. "You're being annoying," he remarked brusquely, hoping Deidara would take it as a warning to back off.

"Persistent, yeah. You're in a strange mood."

"You broke my house."

"No," Deidara disagreed with a shake of his head. "That isn't it."

"Deidara," Itachi growled warningly, turning his attention to the kettle as it boiled. Deidara took it from his hands, giving him an uncompromising glare and shooing him away.

"Go and sit down, yeah. Then we'll talk."

"You're not getting it, are you?" Itachi sighed. "It's nothing important."

"So there's something?"

"Be quiet. I'm capable of making a cup of coffee too- you don't have to baby me."

"You're depressed not stupid, I get it yeah."

"I'm not depressed you idiot!"

Deidara handed him the coffee and shooed him again, walking back out into the living room. Itachi followed with a soft sigh, setting the hot drink down on the coffee table and sitting back on the sofa.

"Stop looking at me like that," he snapped irritably at Deidara, who was still glaring meaningfully at him.

"It's the lack of coffee, right?"

"Yes," Itachi sighed, closing his eyes in frustration and deciding that sounded like a reasonable excuse. "It's the lack of coffee."

"Then you are addicted, yeah," Deidara laughed, giving him a good natured smile and seemingly satisfied.

Itachi could take the appearance of a coffee addiction over the truth- he was more upset that they hadn't been able to finish their conversation earlier than he wanted to be. Attempting to voice that wasn't a bridge he was willing to cross, however. In time, he told himself. He'd talk in time. He couldn't admire Deidara from a distance forever, after all.

When the coffee was cool he drank it, glancing across to Deidara as he did so. He looked rather tired- an observation that was proved correct when Deidara yawned and leaned against his shoulder as soon as he put his cup down, closing his eyes with a satisfied sigh. "His sofa is more comfortable than yours, yeah," he commented.

Itachi froze slightly, keeping his gaze on the coffee table in front of them. "You're lying on me, not the sofa."

Deidara shrugged and stayed where he was. "I'm tired," he complained. "It took nearly all night to break your house, yeah."

"Am I supposed to have sympathy?"

"I'm tired," Deidara complained again, attempting to get more comfortable on Itachi's shoulder.

"Sleep then. I'll move so you can lie down."

Deidara shook his head drowsily. "Your brother scares me, yeah. He might throw me out."

"He won't."

Deidara nuzzled against him slightly regardless, curling his knees up next to him. Itachi gave up fighting with him, letting him stay there and eventually resting his own head on Deidara's when he was asleep and wouldn't notice. He could smell the sweet scent of orange in his hair and could feel his soft, steady breathing against him. Why was he so sad still, then?

He sighed gently, pulling his arm out and gently circling the blond's shoulder with it. Deidara murmured something sleepily before curling up to Itachi's chest, seemingly not too worried about the closeness they were sharing.

It only served to make Itachi feel worse. If he didn't care how far could he take it, then? At least if Deidara shrugged him off he'd know where he stood.

"Not quite what I expected to see first thing in the morning."

He glanced up to see Sasuke in the doorway, looking a little more awake now. He had a towel around his neck, catching drips of water from his freshly washed hair.

"Couldn't sleep?" Itachi asked.

"No," Sasuke sulked, throwing himself down in the chair opposite the sofa. "I can't believe you woke me up to cuddle on my sofa with your boyfriend. What's up with that?"

"He's tired," Itachi commented, smarting from his brother's choice of words. "And he isn't my boyfriend."

"I forgot- you don't have a sense of humour do you?" Sasuke sighed at him. "So why are you here, then?"

"He broke my house for an art assignment," Itachi replied easily. "So my kettle doesn't work. Yours does."

"I see," Sasuke responded, even though he didn't really see at all.

Itachi glanced down at Deidara again, closing his eyes. He needed to talk to someone about everything going on in his head and since that person wasn't going to be the man in question, his brother would be a reasonable choice.

"Can I talk to you about something?" He said quietly.

Sasuke gave him a concerned glance, sitting back in his chair. "Of course."

"Not here," Itachi murmured, gently nudging Deidara off of his shoulder until he was lying on the sofa. "Can we go for a walk?"

The walk became a trip to the local ice cream parlour a few streets away. Sasuke had expressed his distaste at such an establishment, but Itachi had ignored him- his brother didn't share his sweet tooth, so he would never understand the lure of such a store.

Itachi had bought vanilla ice cream and taken them to a table in the corner, pushing the sweet aside after one bite to lay his arms on the table and rest his head in them with an irritated sigh. Sasuke watched him carefully for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"I've got a part time job now," he said conversationally when it became clear Itachi wasn't going to speak. "They called yesterday to confirm I'd got it."

"You didn't mention you were going for a job," Itachi replied, pulling himself up again to look at his brother.

"It was a quick thing," Sasuke shrugged.

"What about studying for your exams? You're taking your GCSEs, Sasuke, you-"

Sasuke held a hand up to halt him. "I only have a few exams left before I'm done and I'm not going to be able to study very well if I can't pay my rent."

Itachi narrowed his eyes sharply. "Why would Dad withhold your money?"

"He happened to call on a night I'd just got home from the bar and was a little... Inebriated," Sasuke sighed, putting his elbow in the table and resting his chin on his palm. "Cue the lecture about being underage and throwing away my studies for social tendencies and all that, despite it being the first night I've been out in months thanks to studying."

"He has a point about being underage, though."

"You couldn't let it go could you?"

Itachi gave him a small, weak smile. "What kind of big brother would be if I did? Does he realise all he's doing is directing more of your time into other ventures by having to get a job? That's ridiculous."

"It's ridiculous that he expects you to be the shining example of perfection, but he still does."

Itachi winced slightly at that- no matter how many times it might come up, the root of his complex was always a sore issue.

"I still think you should tell him to fuck himself and just get a job or something to cover what you need."

"It's not that simple," Itachi replied. He'd come out to get one problem off his mind and ended up with another- just typical. "And watch your language, you."

"Oh please, I'm sixteen not six. So tell me, why isn't it that simple?"

"It's the admittance of a flaw."

"A flaw?" Sasuke repeated, looking unimpressed. "I think you're being paranoid again."

"If I take your suggestion, Dad will stop my money as well. I'll have to work full time to cover the rent, my car and all the bills," Itachi explained. "If I work full time, I can't study anymore. If I can't go to college anymore, that's the worst imperfection anyone could see of me when I've been trying so hard."

"I see that," Sasuke sighed. "So ditch the car and move to a smaller place?"

"If I ditch the car I'll be limiting my job capability in the first place, making it harder to get the job I'd need."

"Not necessarily. I worked all my finances out and I'm going to manage, just about."

"You don't have a car and your place is cheaper than mine."

"So get a smaller place?"

"It isn't a risk worth taking when I'm happy to continue my studies to the best of my ability," Itachi concluded, not willing to admit he wasn't going to consider a smaller place because two people lived in his the vast majority of the time anyway.

He pulled his ice cream back over, noting it was slightly melted. Shrugging, he dipped his spoon in anyway- melted ice cream still tasted good, so he wasn't going to fuss about it.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Sasuke prompted softly.

"If I tell you this, you have to keep it to yourself, alright?" Itachi warned, glancing up from his ice cream.

"Of course I will."

"Don't even tell Naruto."

"I know the meaning of keeping something to myself, Itachi."

"I..." Itachi paused, not quite sure how to say it or if he even wanted to. Admitting it would mean it was true and while he knew that, it made it more real and more of a problem. "I think I like Deidara," he eventually spoke, hoping he wouldn't need to elaborate.

"Well he's your friend, I should hope so."

"No, I mean..." Itachi eventually threw his hands up, not finishing the sentence and taking a bite of ice cream instead. Sasuke wasn't stupid- he could work out the blank.

"You're attracted to him?"

Itachi gave him a short nod, feeling a slight burn on his cheeks as he did so. There, the secret was out- that was the hardest part of the impending conversation out of the way.

"Of all the people you could fall for, did it have to be that moron?" Sasuke sighed heavily, looking unimpressed and continuing before Itachi could comment. "Does he know?"

"I wouldn't be here talking to you about it if he did."

Sasuke seemed to mull it over, eventually giving him an apologetic shrug. "Sorry," he replied. "I think it's something you're going to have to work out for yourself. I don't know him well enough to say how he'd react."

"I know, I'm not really asking for advice," Itachi admitted. "I just needed to say it."

"Do you think he likes you as well?"

Itachi shrugged. "Unlikely, but Deidara's difficult to read- he kissed me the first time we met just to make his art better."

"You were curled up on the sofa when I came in- he's obviously comfortable with you so that's probably a good start."

"Not falling for him in the first place would have been a good start," Itachi muttered bitterly.

Sasuke gave him a sympathetic smile, snatching his spoon from him and stealing a bite of ice cream.

"Not bad," he commented, nodding and handing the spoon back. "For ice cream anyway."

"Want some more?"

"No thanks. I don't like it that much."

This was one of the things Itachi genuinely loved about his brother, he realised- he was so easy to talk to, and he knew the ideal time to change the pace of a conversation.

"I guess we both have blond idiots to follow us around now, huh?" Sasuke sighed, resting his chin in his palm again.

"At least yours doesn't vandalize your entire house."

"No but he takes the entire place over," Sasuke sighed. "I swear it's like a hurricane hitting my living room when Naruto turns up."

"Sasuke?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks."

Sasuke shrugged dismissively. "Don't thank me. Just let me know if you ever tell him, alright? I'll make you a cinnamon wedding cake."

"You're so tactful," Itachi sighed, taking the last bite of his ice cream. "We shouldn't stay out much longer- he'll probably wake up soon. I don't think he'll appreciate being left in your house by himself."

"We did leave a note."

"Yes, but he's terrified of you. You're so harsh with him."

Sasuke looked amused, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not that bad, surely? He's not exactly very pleasant to me either."

"You're both as bad as each other," Itachi concluded, stealing the last sip of Sasuke's drink and standing up. "I can't believe he broke my house."

"Why don't you just get him to fix it all?"

Itachi laughed at that, shaking his head and indicating for Sasuke to follow him to the door. "This is Deidara- he's passionate about his art."

"Breaking your house is art?"

"Long story."

Sasuke opened the door for them to pass through, thinking that over for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

"If that's art then heaven help modern education."

Itachi smiled, throwing an arm around his brother's shoulder and giving him a quick squeeze. "Don't say that in front of Deidara," he warned. "He's very defensive."

"That sounds like an invitation," Sasuke replied with a wicked gleam in his eye. "What will happen if I do?"

"Fireworks," Itachi replied simply. "Sasuke? If you need any help or money, you just need to ask alright?"

"Thank you," Sasuke replied softly, giving his brother a rare smile. "And if you need someone to kill Deidara if he hurts you, just call."

That was Sasuke all over, Itachi sighed to himself. Volatile, headstrong and blunt but with a caring streak so strong it had to potential to overwhelm Itachi sometimes.

"I will," he agreed, squeezing Sasuke's shoulder one last time and finally letting his hand drop. He didn't suspect Deidara would ever intentionally hurt him, but he was happy to let Sasuke swear to protect him in case he did. That was just how their sibling bond worked and he wouldn't have had it any other way.

Chapter End