Flowers, tattoos and I love you's

16. violet*

"Sasuke I lo-"

"Sasuke?" They heard a deep voice call for the raven behind him.

Fuck

"Itachi?" Sasuke's heart raced, panic tingling in his voice as he confronted the unexpected presence of his elder brother, Itachi. The planned reunion was not supposed to happen until next week, and the sudden appearance caught them both off guard. Naruto, standing by Sasuke's side, mirrored the surprise for a moment before offering reassurance with a calming whisper, Everything will be okay, I'm here with you. Surprisingly, those words managed to ease some of the tension within Sasuke, allowing him to regain a semblance of composure.

Dressed in his customary black suit, with his tie loosely hanging around his neck, Itachi seemed tired, probably having just arrived after Sasuke's brief hour at the beach. His long black hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and the stress lines under his eyes were evident, indicating the strain of the journey.

"Itachi!" Sasuke turned fully to face Itachi, trying to mask his surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be back next week."

Itachi responded with his signature aloofness, remarking, "Foolish little brother, is that how you greet your older brother that you haven't seen in months?"

"Sorry." A mix of guilt and apology flickered in the black eyes, but before he could embrace Itachi, he was stopped.

"You are all wet, you'll ruin my suit." Itachi affectionately poked Sasuke's forehead before inquiring about what had happened, looking at his brother's wet clothes up and down."What happened?"

"W-we were at the beach and then...well hum."In a nervous fidget, Sasuke began explaining the beach incident, but Itachi waved it off with nonchalance.

"Don't trouble yourself with explanations. You're old enough to make your own choices," he said. His attention then shifted to Naruto, who stood beside Sasuke. Itachi's gaze locked onto Naruto's face, and his eyes widened in astonishment. "Naruto?" he uttered, seemingly disbelieving.

"Yes, I'm Sasuke's bo-" Naruto corrected himself quickly. "Friend. Nice to meet you, Itachi. Sasuke talks a lot about you." He smiled sheepishly, taking a step forward and offering his hand, which Itachi took a few seconds to shake firmly. Sasuke observed the situation with confusion. He hadn't mentioned Naruto's name to Itachi at all. How did his brother know Naruto's name? Could they know each other somehow? Naruto appeared oblivious to the situation, and Sasuke decided it was best not to ask, not wanting to embarrass Naruto if the name had just slipped out in one of their conversations.

"Sasuke, please go upstairs. I need to have a word with your friend," The older Uchiha instructed.

"What? Why? What could you possibly have to say to him that you can't say in front of me?" the younger raven pouted, crossing his arms.

"Just go, Sas. We'll talk tomorrow." The blond smiled sweetly at Sasuke, who squinted his eyes suspiciously at him. "I promise." The blond reassured and the raven hesitated for a moment, then took one last look at his brother, who remained impassive without uttering a single word.

"I'll text you," The Uzumaki instinctively pecked his boyfriend's cheek, causing him to turn a deep crimson shade. When he noticed the slight frown on Sasuke's brother's face, he knew he had probably overstepped.

Before Itachi could comment on the situation, Sasuke darted upstairs as fast as he could.

"Naruto Uzumaki," the raven said, crossing his arms over his chest, eyeing Naruto carefully.

"Yes, that's my name," He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"It's been a while. Five years? Six? You've grown quite a bit," The blond frowned, trying to recall if he knew Itachi. Did he know him from somewhere? Then it hit him, and the air was knocked right out of his lungs.