Body Heat

5 | new-found obsession

{itachi}

Sasuke wouldn't sleep. He wouldn't eat. He'd spend an unusually long amount of time locked up in the study or the shower. Often he had bouts of passive-aggression whenever Itachi casually asked him what he was up to. And that morning he even ignored a chance at snarking at him which was, by far, the most disquieting bullet point on the list.

If this was simply a matter of a couple of days Itachi wouldn't question his mercurial brother, but a week had gone by in that manner and it was time he did something. Itachi was starting to worry; and while worry and Sasuke were familiarly adjacent concepts in his mind, he couldn't bring himself to ask the moody man straight-up what the problem was.

So he decided for subterfuge.

First, he would call Naruto about an idea, he would make up some changes they could make on the script. Then he would invite the boy over for lunch to discuss character development – something the boy was very fond of – and possibly steer the conversation to an interrogation on Sasuke's character development.

Naruto was a simple conversationalist; he didn't prepare what he was going to say beforehand. He made everything up on the spot with a convenient air-headed look that confused even Sasuke. His behaviour took a specific amount of tact and dedication. Both things he can definitely place in his qualities-to-admire column.

Itachi found it easy to respect the boy. He had seen the mind behind those eyes. Behind those eyes of blue is a heart of blue. And an art that was so fucking blue that it gave Itachi pause for concern.

Itachi found Naruto through his art. He saw a painting on the wall at Tsunade's house. An event she had hosted then promptly got smashed at leaving the gala to be expertly handled by her secretary and business-wife, Shizune. He spotted the painting of a blue butterfly climbing - with q tearing a struggle - out of a cocoon of stark white and blackened shadows that made the cocoon look more like it was a texture more likely spun and weaved by a spider.

Another thing to worry about. That boy had, on more than one occasion, lied to him. Barefaced. Actually, no. Not barefaced. With a grin.

Not the playfully cheerful one either. That horrific façade of a grin large enough to eclipse the sun – dousing all in an eclipse of mendacities – his honest eyes closed to the world. It was pretty easy to fool others, people were usually too self-absorbed to notice all the subtle shades involved in what was clearly a building conflict of epic proportion brewing behind those eyes of blue.

He never lied about things Itachi could call him out on, never about work or scheduled timing. Naruto was unbearably honest about all the small things and that fact convinced him that taking apart the bigger lies would be monumental effort. Frankly, Naruto's personal life was beyond his control. In fact, it was none of his business what the twenty-year-old did in his free time.

Of all people though, Itachi, growing up sensitive to the wants and desires of other people - whether they wanted things from the world in general or from him - Itachi had gotten good at reading people. Just like Naruto, who grew up sensitive to the strife of others.

But Itachi felt... needed. And being needed was very different from being wanted, it was more important than being wanted.

He'd known after the first meeting at the coffee shop that he was needed. He moved to dig up on Naruto's past, if for nothing then for the safety of his cast and crew, but Kakashi had promptly shut him down. He'd taken responsibly, vouched for the kid. Even told him not to tell the boy he'd spoken in favour of him.

Just when Itachi had picked up his phone to make a call to Naruto there was a knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in." Itachi called out, putting his phone away at the sight of Sasuke standing in his doorway in a pair of navy track pants and a plain white t-shirt with a black 'X' asymmetrically spreading out, the overlapping point of the x was right over Sasuke's heart. "How can I help you, otōto dear?"