Flowers, tattoos and I love you's

26.foxglove*

The plane glided gracefully through the air as it descended toward the runway, offering Sasuke and the rest of the passengers a breathtaking view of Manhattan's labyrinth of buildings and skyscrapers. The city sprawled out beneath him, bathed in the golden light of the afternoon sun, its skyline stretching as far as the eye could see.

Sasuke couldn't help but be captivated by the sight— it was as if the city had come to life straight out of a movie scene. In fact, it looked even better.

Quickly grabbing his phone, he held it close to the window, trying to capture the stunning panorama before him. He hoped to send the photo to Naruto as soon as he landed and got a signal on his phone.

And there he was, basically on the other side of the world yet still thinking about his boyfriend. It had only been a few hours since they parted ways, yet Sasuke already felt a pang of something weird and painful in his chest at the mere thought of being apart from him.

It made him realize just how deeply attached he was to the other one.

As he contemplated their separation, Sasuke couldn't help but ponder the future as a bitter taste raided his tastebuds. If he was struggling with just two weeks apart, how would he ever survive being apart from Naruto for longer periods, like during their college years?

He hadn't asked Naruto which college he planned to attend, but he hoped it would be one close to his. They had discussed sorting out the paperwork for applying upon his return so he figured he'd find out soon enough. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease at the prospect of being separated from Naruto by distance. It felt selfish to even consider asking Naruto to change his plans for him, but the thought lingered in the back of his mind nonetheless.

On the last day of school, his teachers had mentioned briefly that they could start applying for colleges soon, information that left Sasuke extremely anxious and nervous, one of the main reasons being the fact that he didn't want to study law or anything of the sort. He wanted to muster the courage to tell his dad and go against the decision that had been made for him, but he was too scared to do so. He felt like a complete coward.

His thoughts were interrupted when the plane finally touched down. He sighed and let himself be pushed through the long corridors toward the baggage claim. At least he would get to see his brother.

It couldn't be that bad right?

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"He'll be here any minute, don't worry." Deidara said, trying to soothe a very anxious Itachi.

"Sasuke should already be here! The plane landed 15 minutes ago!" Itachi snapped, pacing nervously. News about human trafficking and research on airport kidnapping rates only heightened his anxiety.

"The hallways are long and he must be retrieving his luggage."

"What if he fell? Or got kidnapped? Or worse?!" He fidgeted, surveying the arrivals impatiently.

"There he is." Deidara said, placing his hand on Itachi's shoulder and pointing toward the arrivals, feeling his boyfriend relax almost instantly. They both smiled as they saw Sasuke's small figure approaching, a black backpack slung over his shoulder and a suitcase dragging behind him. Sasuke scanned the room and smiled when he spotted Deidara waving and his brother standing beside him.

Itachi, usually reserved with a stoic expression, was smiling widely. It was clear he had missed his younger brother just as much as Sasuke had missed him.

As soon as he was close enough, Sasuke dropped his belongings and rushed into his brother's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Get off 'Tachi, it's my turn." Deidara nudged Itachi who flinched at the unforeseen movement, releasing his brother only for his boyfriend to wrap him in a big bear hug. "You've grown so much!" He squeezed him in fondness.