Past and Future
The young man entered the house, hand clutching a bag of groceries he’d brought while his partner was apparently busy. Normally, he was the one to do the shopping …
Looking around, the black haired man saw that the house was empty, devoid of anyone but himself still in the doorway. He sighed, and took off his shoes before walking to the kitchen.
It had been nine years since the Akatsuki had disbanded, and three since Itachi had found his partner again. Now in his late twenties, Uchiha Itachi was 29, and was living on the far outskirts of a small village near the sea. After being with his partner for almost sixteen years, the missing nin had long ago decided that he may as well spend the rest of his life with his long time partner.
Putting his groceries in their respective places (milk in the fridge, biscuits in the cupboard …) Itachi looked around the house he shared … and almost felt the memories it invoked. Closing his eyes, he could smell the aroma of pancakes that Kisame made in the mornings, and the scent of the ocean. He could also smell Kisame’s scent in the air, the tangy smell of spices and salt.
Opening his eyes again, Itachi went to the lounge room where there were four photos in frames around the TV. The first was of Kisame and himself which the shark nin had taken, much to Itachi’s shock. The Uchiha smirked slightly when he remembered he had beaten up his partner for it later, and almost laughed at the thought.
The second was Kisame alone, looking like an average farmer with a shovel in one hand and grinning like an idiot. That was from the 6 years they had been apart, when Kisame had fixed up the garden where he grew some vegetables.
The third was from Christmas the year Kisame had found him again. Itachi had taken it, holding the camera at an odd angle from sake influence, and showed him smiling with a laughing Kisame holding onto him for dear life. The Uchiha smiled softly when he remembered what else happened on that evening.
***
“Ki~~~same ….” Itachi murmured, putting the camera down and clinging to Kisame’s shirt. He was sprawled in his partner’s lap, listening to the crackling fire behind him and his partner’s chuckle. “I think I’m drunk …”
The other man grinned and held him to keep the younger of the two from falling over, “I think so too, you idiot,” He grinned stupidly. Itachi could be a cute drunk when he wanted to be.
“Mm …” Itachi didn’t want to move, he was comfortable and warm in his partner’s embrace … he leaned up to look at Kisame properly, a flush on his cheeks and a grin on his face, “you’re warm, Kisame …”
Kisame chuckled again, softly, “I’d be awful worried if I wasn’t.”
Itachi wrapped his arms around Kisame’s neck then, burring his head in his partner’s neck, sighing contently. They stayed like that for a little while, before Itachi spoke, voice muffled, “Ne, Kisame?”
“Mm?”
“You know …I’m really glad …” Itachi’s eyes opened, the emotion strong in his eyes, “and happy … that you found me …” He closed his eyes then. “I would still be out there, in the cold … searching for you, if you hadn’t found me …”
Kisame thought Itachi might’ve had a few too many, but then Itachi raised his head, and the emotion in the smaller man’s eyes showed that he was serious, despite the alcohol (although, that was the cause for Itachi saying anything at all) so the shark nin said, “You’re welcome, Itachi.”
“I missed you …” Itachi leaned up a bit, face closer to his partner’s now. “I didn’t think I would, but I really missed you …”
“Itachi …” Kisame had stopped using ‘-san’ a long time ago. He didn’t know where his partner was going with this. “I missed you too.”
Itachi smiled a little, before leaning forward and pressing his lips against the shark nin. Kisame should have expected it, and either way, it only took the shark nin a couple of seconds before closing his eyes and kissing back.
***
Itachi put the photo back in its spot on the top of the mantle. He turned to the last photo, and had to smile fully at that one. It showed them this year, curled on the couch together, him fast asleep right on top of his partner. Kisame had one eye open and a wicked smirk on his face as if to say, ‘check out what I caught!’ on his face, and one arm obviously holding the camera.
Itachi had to admit, it was a very cute picture, even at first he had felt like burning Kisame alive for it.
It was spring right now, and the cherry blossoms were out and spreading petals everywhere. They seemed attracted to his hair, for some reason, and every time he went outside he’d come back in with a hair full of the pink annoyances. Still, he went to their bedroom and opened the curtains to let the light in more. There was only one bed.
The reason for this was simple. Itachi had been sleeping out in caves, on the ground, and up in trees for six years straight. The first night Kisame had nearly carried him back to his house, Itachi had climbed into the futon Kisame had set out for him, but lay in it for an hour without sleep claiming him. He had climbed into his partner’s bed then (much to his surprise) and curled up by his partner. He had fallen asleep in his partner’s arms for the rest of the night, and ended up having the best sleep he’d ever had in nearly his entire life. He had decided then that staying near his partner was comforting to someone who had been with him for so long, and then suddenly alone, but after six years together again, was the best healing method he knew of.
Kisame also made a good heater for winter, too.
If the Uchiha were to look back on himself 10 years previous, he would probably be appalled at himself for how domestic he had become. But he also decided that it didn’t matter now. Despite the change in lifestyle, and in who he was, Itachi still trained everyday to keep his skills up (as did Kisame) and enjoyed coming home to hot meals and someone to curl up to every night.
In every way, Kisame had become his life. It was funny how little he minded this.
“I’m home!”
The familiar voice was muffled from the walls, but Itachi perked up immediately, walking out of their room to see his partner taking off his shoes, sweaty from a work out. Even at 40, Kisame didn’t show his age, and still looked as good as he did ten years ago.
The shark nin looked up and grinned happily, “hey, Itachi.”
The Uchiha had walked over to the shark nin now, taking in his scent, not minding the sweat so much. Itachi took his partner’s face in one hand and kissed him, feeling the other stiffen in surprise. Despite the obvious attraction between the two, neither was willing to go ahead with any relationship, perhaps as a left over from their time in the Akatsuki. But they had shared kisses, as rare as they were.
Arms wrapped around his partner’s neck, Itachi broke off the kiss and said, “Welcome back.”
Kisame wrapped his arms around his smaller partner. No matter what, the shark nin would always be taller than his petite partner. “Thankyou, now, what was that for?”
Itachi pouted; only the shark nin could notice such a thing. “Don’t you know?”
“Hmm …” Kisame thought about that for a moment before, feeling cheeky, he said, “I don’t know, I’m afraid. You’re going to have to tell me.”
It was another left over trait from their partnership; Kisame left the thinking up to Itachi.
The Uchiha sniffed in pretend anger, “stupid shark-“ Kisame chuckled, “-today was the day you found me, three years ago.”
“Ooh, NOW I remember,” The shark grinned stupidly, much to his partner’s annoyance. “What do you wanna do today to celebrate?”
Itachi would have slapped him if he knew the shark nin was being particularly stupid on account of actually forgetting. He knew damn well what Itachi wanted. He had told Kisame last week …
***
Despite all of the urges, sexual attractions, and possible times it could’ve happened, Itachi had never had sex. Not with anyone. And even though he had wanted to once, telling his partner was far too hard. So, he had always kept it to himself. He suspected Kisame already knew, but the older man kept his distance out of respect and because of Itachi’s age. The shark nin knew Itachi hated him for it, as well.
But now, the Uchiha was well and truly the right age, and there was no need to hold back. Or so he thought.
They had showered after watching some TV together, and they were getting ready for bed before Itachi had turned to his partner and said, “Hey … Kisame?”
“Mm?”
“If I said that when I was 17 I wanted to have sex with you, what would you say?”
Needless to say, Kisame had frozen.
After turning to his partner (who had a completely serious look on his face, despite the slight blush on his cheeks)Wondering where the hell that question had come from, before remembering that it was Itachi. Kisame coughed and said, “um … I would’ve wondered if you were actually Itachi and probably tried to stab you with a kunai so you’d use your sharingan and I’d know you were Itachi …” He scratched the back of his head, “and after that …”
“Yeah?”
“I really don’t know!” Itachi could see he was rather embarrassed. “I … don’t think I would’ve done anything because you were still 17 and yeah …”
“…I see.” Itachi stared at the doona that covered their bed. “So my age has an affect on you after all …”
Kisame could see the dark clouds in his partner’s eyes, and then said in a more normal tone, “In battles, and in your intelligence, your age never mattered to me Itachi, you know that.” He took a breath, “but when it comes to things like that, for me at least, it does matter.”
Itachi looked up at him then, and the shark nin said roughly, “I’m not the kind of person who would fuck a 17 year old boy because he gave me the green signal. I have more honour than that.”
And the Uchiha realised it was that considerate part of his partner that he had unwillingly fallen in love with.
Itachi stared at Kisame for a moment, before sliding across the bed to Kisame’s side, and said, “What if I asked you now?”
The shark nin felt his breath catch in his throat. “Itachi …”
“Would you?”
Kisame looked away, his cheeks purple from a blush. After a long moment, he said quietly, “If you really wanted to …”
Itachi’s answer to that was pressing his lips against the shark nin’s. After Kisame got over his shock, he closed his eyes and returned the kiss, licking the smaller man’s lips in response. The Uchiha opened his mouth in response, and they both fell back on the bed, Itachi on top of Kisame’s chest, stroking down the skin as Kisame was shirtless right now. His own skin twitched when Kisame brought his hands up to touch his back; he was still not used to physical contact from anyone, but he sighed into the kiss. The shark man’s touch was gentle; and it was something he trusted. It was the only touch he trusted, which was why he was so willing to let his long time partner go this far with him.
“Itachi …” Kisame murmured when they broke apart, looking up at Itachi’s coal black eyes, “Am I your first, by any chance?”
Itachi’s cheeks flushed red, “Uh…”
“Am I?”
Itachi looked away; his cheeks still marred red, “Yeah …”
The shark man smiled then, reaching up to stroke the red cheek, “Do you mind saving it a little longer?”
Itachi would’ve whined had he been a more expressive person, but instead he gripped his partner tighter, I’ve waited this long and I’m not moving. “I’ve waited this long.” He was grumpy now. Kisame was playing with him!
But Kisame merely chuckled, still stroking his cheek, “Next week … is a rather special day, remember?”
“Mm…” Things weren’t going to go any further, and Itachi almost sulked, flopping on Kisame’s chest. He clawed it slightly to let his partner know his opinion on making him wait. When it came to certain things, he was by no means patient.
***
When Kisame remembered, Itachi simply grabbed his hand and made Kisame follow him. It was within that hour Itachi lost whatever innocence he had left, and he had never been happier to let someone touch him so much as Kisame had done. Lying on his partner’s chest, naked and fulfilled, he knew that he would be foolish to pretend that he could live without Kisame now. The man had become such a factor in his life over the past 16 years that he knew …
Maybe his search was finally over.