Not beta'd. Long note at the bottom. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Fourteen
A Night of Scheming

"What is important is to spread confusion, not eliminate it."
Salvador Dalí

It was an easy thing, waking up in a man's arms, much easier than Itachi had imagined.

The ascent into awareness was slow, brought about by a deep sleep, but the first thing that Itachi became aware of was Crow's arms cocooning him in a warm embrace. Crow's arm was sturdy around Itachi's bare stomach, his sculpted chest pressed intimately against Itachi's back and the even breathing in his hair a soothing sensation. Itachi felt himself smile at the comfort of it, secure in the warmth of Crow's arms and the sheets wrapped around them.

It was surprising to say the least, that the captain had stayed through the night and to the first light of dawn. He could see the weak light of early morning invading through the cracks of the blinds, illuminating the entire room in a grey abstract. For the first time he could see the entirety of the room – the queen-sized bed in the centre against the wall, a writing desk in the corner, a television mounted on the wall, a dresser with a vase of flowers on top, generic paintings and other knick-knacks decorating the space, all in whites and browns – but he wasn't curious in the elegant but altogether uninteresting area he had slept and ultimately lost his virginity in.

He knew that Crow was still bare behind him, could feel every line and angle of him without the barrier of cloth between them. He knew that if he turned around in Crow's embrace he would be able to drink in the sight of his face without a mask, handsome with the experienced touch of Itachi's fingers but visually unknown.

Despite the urge, he didn't do it. He quelled the impulse and pressed back into Crow's chest more snugly, content in the moment. Maybe Crow would make their current arrangement a habit, but Itachi was going to operate under the possibly-correct assumption that it was a one-time thing and take advantage of the time he had. There was nothing else he really could do otherwise, and for now he was okay with that.

"Hmm, are you awake?" he heard Crow hum quietly from behind him, his voice slightly rough with either sleep or exhaustion. Itachi wasn't sure if the captain had slept or not, opting to stay awake just in case Itachi himself had woken up or if he was simply on a night schedule with his late patrols, but the ex-heir still felt himself frown. If Crow had stayed awake, then Itachi had missed out on an opportunity to just talk and relish in Crow's presence only because of something as mundane as sleep.

"Yes," Itachi murmured back.

Crow's hold on him tightened and Itachi entwined their fingers together on his own stomach, loving the feel of those coarse fingertips on his hand and the light dusting of hair that felt silky to the touch. As they pressed closer to one another, Crow said, "You could sleep longer. I'm not going anywhere."

Warmth bloomed in Itachi's chest at the simple but honest words, and his smile returned, thankfully hidden from Crow's eyes. In reply, Itachi said softly, "I've slept enough. Did you?"

There was a beat of comfortable silence and then Crow said, "A few winks, I'll admit. Most of the night was spent doing more important things though, and I'm accustomed to the nocturnal schedule that I've been on for the past few months."

"Important things?" Itachi questioned cautiously, wondering if Crow would elaborate.

There was a low exhale of laughter in his hair, the ebony strands moving slightly with Crow's breath, and then Crow answered, "Indeed. I've been scheming."

"Scheming?" Itachi asked with amusement.

"Oh yes," Crow said with a teasing lilt to his tone. His rough fingertips began stroking the skin of Itachi's stomach, causing gooseflesh to pop up on Itachi's body, and Itachi had to consciously make an effort to keep his breathing normal. "I've been thinking about the future," Crow went on, his voice suddenly even as if he was lost in his own head. "I think it's selfish, but I don't want this to end."

Itachi was quiet for a long moment, and then he admitted, "I don't either."

"Well it will, when you decline the invitation," Crow stated matter-of-factly, and Itachi twitched at the calmly spoken words. It was true that he was still planning on declining, even after their intimate encounter just hours previously, but he hadn't been too outwardly expressive of his decision. It made it feel like there was a deadline on their interactions, and Itachi didn't even want to think about that until he absolutely had to.

Crow went on, "So I've been scheming to find a way around that. A few good possibilities come to mind, and one foolproof one, but it's not causing an international incident that is the more pressing concern. And, of course, it's the future itself that is a problem too."

Itachi processed that and then asked, "What do you mean?"

Crow sighed, pressed a kiss against Itachi's hair, and then explained in a sombre whisper, "I'm never going to have a civilian life, and you're never going to be an ANBU. We're never going to have what other people have. Even if we are allowed to continue, I'm never going to be able to take you out to dinner, or let you meet my friends, or hold your hand at a public gathering, or pick out a cosy flat on a beach somewhere that we both fall in love with. It's not fair to you, because you deserve that and I can't give it to you."

Once again, Itachi was glad that Crow couldn't see his face because he knew that his expression was just as tortured as his emotions. Itachi had never thought about those things before, not really, and while he hadn't actively wanted them before...he suddenly wished that he could have them, or at least the option to have it, and with the man behind him a presence throughout it all. It was such a devastating thing, abruptly having someone like Crow in his life but not being able to actually have him. There was no way to know for certain if they were compatible in the long-term, or if they would've actually been able to have a real relationship had the circumstances been in any way different, but the fact that he couldn't even attempt to have those things with Crow was almost heartbreaking in a way. They didn't even have a chance to try.

But at the same time, Itachi had never been normal. He didn't need a boyfriend or a husband, didn't even want that in fact – he wanted a partner, in life and in heart. He didn't need to live with a man or be taken out on dates or have social gatherings with all of their friends to have that, not at all. Itachi liked being alone anyway, and if the two of them did attempt to make a future with their extreme conditions, they wouldn't be in each other's personal spaces all the time. It would be hard, and incredibly bizarre, but it was possible.

And if they did have a compatibility for a long-term relationship, then wasn't that worth it? If they had the opportunity to fall in love with each other, instead of dancing around the long-term commitment like they were doing now, wasn't it worth the sacrifice?

"What if I didn't care about stereotypical expressions of domesticity?" Itachi asked.

Crow sighed again and said, "Then it would just be the whole international incident thing."

"Why would it be an international incident?" Itachi pressed.

Crow answered quietly, "That's better shown than explained." Itachi frowned, but before he had the thought to vocalise his confusion, Crow stated, "If you turn around and looked at me, there would be a lot of pissed off people not only in the organisation but also in the upper branches of the political ladder. The Emperor, may he live forever, would know about it, and the Elders as well as the ANBU superiors would quickly follow. Even Minato-sama would be briefed on it. There would be utter pandemonium while they tried to figure out how to deal with the situation."

Crow paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and then said lowly, "The Elders would demand that you be permanently silenced." Itachi's heart clenched painfully at the confession. "Minato-sama would call for a confidentiality agreement with strict guidelines but ultimately a plan for us to live a somewhat normal life together." That sounded much better, and Itachi felt his appreciation and respect for Naruto's father increase exponentially.

"As for the Emperor, may he live forever, considering how he allowed this to continue, even after I told him that you would never accept the invitation, I would like to hope that he wouldn't make an example of us and would side with Minato-sama. I have...an unfair advantage with him, being as high-up in the ranks as I am among other things, but he still has to keep the ANBU in check and within strict guidelines to assure efficiency and compliance. Then again, everyone in the ranks know of my affection towards you and would most likely back it themselves. I can't definitively know how he would react, but I have faith that it would be in wholeheartedly in our favour. That's why it's my foolproof plan."

Itachi licked his dry lips. "So all I would have to do is look at your face?" It seemed like such an unremarkable thing, but it was so far beyond the opposite of that that Itachi couldn't even process it properly.

"Yes," Crow agreed, his voice deep and thrilling again. "But it's not something to take lightly either. If you do decide to look, I won't stop you, but you have to make sure it's what you really want. You won't be able to take it back and you will be held accountable for your actions, whatever those consequences might be."

Itachi blinked in the dim light of the room, blurry eyes staring in the direction of the desk in the corner, and then he asked softly, "What do you want?"

Crow huffed out a sardonic laugh. "I'm not answering that question. I don't want to influence your decision."

Itachi frowned once again. "You're just as much a part of this as I am," Itachi argued, unamused and even the slightest bit irritated. "It's not just my life on the line here – it's your job and the respect that you receive from your subordinates and superiors, and it could be your life too. I told you once before that I'm not one for taking away someone's free will, and I'm not about to start taking advantage now. Your opinion is important when it comes to this, and I'm weighing it equally with my own."

Crow was quiet for a long time after that. His fingers stopped stroking Itachi's stomach as the captain pondered silently behind him, and Itachi let his own fingers move instead. He traced the veins in Crow's arms, feeling the silky hair and the muscles underneath, relishing the warmth of Crow's skin.

As Crow was quiet behind him, Itachi let his mind wander, vaguely wondering what time it was. His brother was a late sleeper, but he wasn't sure about any of his other friends staying at the Kantei. There was no way to know for sure when and if Sasuke would be woken up without his permission (and probably Sakura with him, and while he didn't approve of his brother spending the night with a girl because of incredibly important reasons, it was also a bit hypocritical if he threw a tantrum about it considering how Itachi himself had spent his own night). Itachi doubted there would be anyone banging on his door until Sasuke dragged himself out of bed, but the ex-heir didn't want his time with Crow to be cut short. The second Sasuke came and knocked, he would be forced to part with the captain until at the least the evening, and he hoped in the back of his mind that Sasuke would leave him alone for a few more hours at the least.

They were in the middle of a terribly important conversation anyway, and Itachi desperately wanted to finish it – or at least come to some sort of agreement in the meantime so they could finish it later.

Crow suddenly spoke up, tearing Itachi from his thoughts: "It's selfish of me to want it, but I do. I've never had this opportunity before and I'll probably never have it again. I've never wanted anything like this before, never wanted to be tied down or really involved with someone, but I want to try. I want everything I can with you." Itachi felt Crow take a deep breath against his hair, and then he continued softly, "But I also want you to make an educated decision based off of your long-term aspirations and expectations. I don't want you to...settle for me just because I'm the first person you've felt a connection to, regardless of what connection that may be. There are millions, billions of people out there in the world, and they will be better for you in the long run. There won't be any secrets with them, no hiding in dark corners or complete isolation in those types of relationships, and there are men out there that are better than me. Men that can give you everything I can but more, so much more, and in a more fulfilling way and in ways that you deserve."

Crow hesitated behind him, tensing briefly, and then he continued calmly, "If we do this, it might not last. You might get bored of me, disillusioned by my personality which has been largely kept from you for security's sake, or tired of the life we can manage to make work. You might meet someone out there that you care for more so than me. So anything that we try from here on out is not a binding contract in any way – that's what confidentiality agreements are for. If you decide in the future that I'm not what you want or that the sacrifice is too great, we aren't going to silence you for it. You're human and young, so you are always allowed to change your mind in the future. You don't have to fear that, at least."

He went quiet, giving Itachi a moment to think silently about his own feelings on the subject as well as Crow's heartfelt words.

To be honest, Itachi felt like his mind was already made up, and the latter part of Crow's speech had only cemented that fact. It also made Itachi one hundred percent confident in Crow's sincerity to their...relationship of sorts as well, when before he had always wondered if perhaps Crow was playing him for a fool just to get Itachi into ANBU. Every word spoken by Crow had rang with truth, and the consequences of both their actions – if the Emperor didn't approve, though Crow was assured that he would – would affect them both.

There was no way of knowing if they would be able to really be what Itachi (or possibly even Crow) wanted in the long run, no way of predicting whether or not they really could withstand the insanity that such a relationship would bring, but it was worth a shot. Perhaps Crow was right in saying that Itachi was jumping the gun because it was his first real connection with another person, but that didn't mean that it wasn't a justified jump. Itachi was young but he wasn't naïve, and he knew what he could be getting himself into if he just turned his head and looked at Crow's open face without a mask in the way.

Besides, as long as the Emperor, the Elders, and Minato didn't threaten the life of his brother, Itachi figured that he was grudgingly okay with whatever they threw at him. Sure, he didn't particularly want to die, but he also trusted Crow and if push came to shove, he could always join ANBU if that was price. His stomach curdled at the thought, but at least he would be protecting both Sasuke and his country in the shadows...and possibly Crow, to be honest, if they decided to go that route. He would always choose to sacrifice his own comfort and mental stability if it meant protecting the people he loved and cared about.

Still, Crow had sounded incredibly confident when he had claimed that the Emperor would be on their side. Itachi had faith in that at least, because somehow he got the impression that Crow was a bit more influential than he had let on. Perhaps he was a senior leader instead of just a captain or something, or had some juicy blackmail that the government couldn't allow to see the light of day. Considering Crow's profession, Itachi wouldn't have been surprised.

If they didn't work out in the long term, there were options. Confidentiality agreements aside, he could always join ANBU if they deemed him untrustworthy of holding onto the secret. Hell, he could always kill himself too if it meant protecting his family, though he wasn't fond of that either since it would likely crush Sasuke. Perhaps in the end he really was signing his own death warrant, having already made up his mind that he really was going to look.

Itachi sighed. He wished that he could just swear Crow to secrecy, but he doubted that the captain would be open to that. Itachi barely knew the man honestly, even though he really did at the same time, but he definitely knew that Crow was the most blindingly loyal human being in regards to the Emperor and Fire Country that Itachi had ever met in his life. Maybe Itachi just didn't understand the workings of the country (and quite possibly the world) like Crow did, but it still seemed a bit unsighted to him. There was no way that one could see that atrocities that Crow likely witnessed and took part in without feeling a bit bittersweet about the governing powers at large. No country was perfect.

Then again, Itachi had unwavering loyalty to Sasuke, who was just as human as politicians and therefore was just as likely to make dumb mistakes.

To each his own in the end, he supposed.

Itachi shut his eyes tightly and held his breath before he began turning in Crow's warm hold. The captain allowed him, no evidence of any tenseness in his limbs, and Itachi felt more than heard the deep rumble of laughter in his chest. "Is this your answer?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his even tone after they had gotten into a mutually comfortable position.

Itachi inhaled the scent of Crow's bare skin, nuzzling his nose into the hollow of the captain's throat, and then said against Crow's skin, "No, I'm going to look. I'm just memorising this moment before everything in our lives goes mad."

"It will be rather chaotic I suspect," Crow replied with almost an imperceptible waver to his voice. Itachi wondered if it was nerves, which would've been understandable since Itachi felt like his stomach and chest was very nearly vibrating with nerves himself.

"Who will you inform first?" Itachi asked, genuinely curious.

"Hmm, naturally it will be the Emperor, may he live forever," Crow answered in a quiet mumble against Itachi's hair. "He's the least likely to jump to conclusions, and he's the most open-minded out of all my superiors. As soon as I leave here, I will report to him."

Itachi was quiet for a long moment, quelling his nerves as much as he could as he processed, before he questioned softly, "When do you have to leave?"

Crow sighed. "Ideally, I should've left about an hour ago, since that's when my shift ended." Itachi's heart skipped a beat, now wondering if ANBU would be barging into his room instead of Sasuke, but then his fears were squashed effectively when Crow continued, "However, my unit has already been informed that we are to be left alone until further notice, so I figure I have at most two hours before they start getting antsy. It's more likely that your brother will interrupt us before my comrades do."

Itachi hummed in both agreement and relief. "I am usually awake by this time anyway," he admitted, taking a deep breath against Crow's skin.

Crow buried his nose further into Itachi's hair and said, "Nevertheless, I will see you later tonight if I'm not held up by political necessity. It is a genuine possibility, so don't worry if I don't approach you until the day after, or perhaps even later in the week. There's a chance that you'll be summoned as well, so keep that in mind, but I promise I will be there with you every step of the way no matter who tells me otherwise."

Itachi pulled away, touched by Crow's confident words, and opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that Crow was smiling, his teeth clean and glistening in the dusky room, and it was beautiful to see for the first time. The second thing he noticed was that he was handsome, not exactly overly so but definitely enough to turn more than a few heads. His features were incredibly even, well put together and decidedly aristocratic in its appearance, and the silver hair falling into his dark grey eyes made him look almost devilishly alluring.

The first thing he realised, however, after a few moments of just staring at him, was perfectly summarised by the words that flatly droned out of his mouth without accord: "I definitely see what you mean by 'unfair advantage' when it comes to the Emperor."

Crow's smile widened – was it even appropriate to call him Kakashi, considering that by all intents and purposes, Hatake Kakashi had died when Itachi had been only ten – and he said teasingly, "Yes, I suppose it's cheating, considering he's my father and all, but I'm all about taking advantage of my lineage to get what I want."

Itachi choked out a laugh against his will before quickly getting a hold of himself. When he felt like he wasn't going to break out into a more hysterical laughter, he said with a ring of disbelief, "I just slept with the Crown Prince of Konoha. This has effectively been the strangest twenty-four hours of my life."

Crow – Kakashi, his name was Kakashi – rolled his charcoal grey eyes, so very similar to the Emperor's, eyes that had been photographed beyond all comprehension by the tabloids when he had been 'alive'. "Technically that's not true since I'm legally dead, but I understand your point. Still, I'm always going to be Crow, and I'd prefer if you didn't call me Kakashi. That man died a long time ago and he's not coming back."

Itachi nodded once and then pressed a small kiss to the bare skin of Crow's jaw. Then he paused and smiled, pulling away and glancing at those dark eyes. "I was young when you died, but I distinctly remember your reputation. The press brings it up occasionally even now, when one of the clan darlings gets a bit too rowdy."

Crow rolled his eyes again, drooping a bit in mock embarrassment before a roguish grin popped up on his lips. Itachi's breath caught, heart skipping a beat (because dear God he was attractive) before Crow said in a bit of a drawl, "Yeah, yeah, I was a bit of a problem child. I was a teenager, so I'm allowed liberties."

Itachi felt his lips curve into an amused smirk. "You made your way through every clan heir and heiress as well as branch members within a three-year period. I think that's a bit more excessive than 'liberties', Crow."

Crow laughed. "If it's any consolation, I don't have any little mini-mes running around. I was incredibly careful and Father would've killed me with a blunt spoon if I had gotten anyone pregnant." He paused, then added on nonchalantly, "Oh, and I'm clean."

Itachi felt his cheeks go a bit hot at the absent addition, feeling a bit foolish for not asking beforehand and also slightly embarrassed at the casual admission. They hadn't...really exchanged bodily fluids, but it was still something that was important to ask. Itachi himself was free of all diseases of course, naturally excluding the inevitability of his cancer coming back, but it was definitely a conversation he should've had with Crow before they had ever gotten intimate.

In an abstract way, Itachi finally understood why people got pregnant or acquired STIs – it was incredibly easy to lose one's self in the heat of the moment.

Instead of following up on that train of thought, preferring to ponder it in the comfort of his own head-space when he was alone, Itachi murmured, "I trust you."

Crow laughed quietly, burying his nose in Itachi's shoulder, and said, "Well that's a comforting thought."

They were silent for a while after that, Crow simply breathing in Itachi's hair while the ex-heir tried to wrap his head around the whole situation. Even the idea of Crow being the Emperor's son was enough to completely wind him into disbelief, but he didn't want to spend his precious last minutes trying to make sense of it all. He had plenty of time later to freak out about it – even though in the end it didn't even matter, because Hatake Kakashi was dead so why did he need to over-analyse it? He would have plenty of time to ponder it later though, because he doubted he would be summoned before dinner and he wanted to focus on Crow more than anything else.

Absently, his lips lightly against the smooth skin in the hollow of Crow's throat, he asked, "What's your favourite colour?"

Crow hummed in the back of his throat, a pleasant vibration that Itachi could feel on his lips, and answered, "Green. Like the trees in Fire kind of green." There was a slight pause, and then he said, "D'you want to play twenty questions or do you want to take advantage of this fine morning in other ways?"

Itachi breathed out a laugh and then tilted his head up, accepting the captain's easy, carefree kiss with a small smile.

Yawning widely, Sasuke gingerly unwrapped himself from Sakura's sleeping body.

After untangling himself, he simply laid beside her, taking in her lithe, naked body in with his dark eyes. She was beautiful like this, her elegant limbs curled into a loose foetal position, her bare skin made pale by dawn's light. A tendril of pink hair curled around her cheek, fluttering with every breath she took, and he softly brushed it behind her ear so he could freely take in the peaceful expression on her sleeping face.

They hadn't gone all the way yet, but they had done practically everything else. He wasn't sure why they were waiting, or if there even was a reasoning behind it – all he knew was that what they had now was unbelievable.

Their relationship, both as friends and later as more, was still relatively new, but at the end of the day he had never felt this type of connection with someone before. He had felt lust for girls, had enjoyed the company of others, and had even felt friendship, but Sakura was different. They were friends, closer than Sasuke had ever allowed a girl before, and they were undeniably good together. They fit, simple as that, from the contrast of their bodies to the puzzle pieces of their minds. She fit him in a way that no other had before, because her strengths were his weaknesses and vice versa.

There was still a lot between them that was unsaid. He didn't know everything about her, and probably never would no matter how long they were together. He didn't know what her favourite film was, or why she felt closer to her father than her mother, or why she wanted to be a intensivist rather than some other specialist in the medical field. There were so many things that he didn't know but despite the secrets that she clearly had (as everyone did) and the unknowns that hid the entirety of her from him, he still felt no qualms about their relationship.

He was falling in love with this girl, no doubt, and he was hopeful that he would have the rest of his life to discover all of her.

He sighed to himself, unconcerned with the fact that he was likely open like a book with his expressions. She was sleeping anyway and wouldn't be able to see his face and the feelings that were freely showing on his features. He would bring up the walls if she started to stir, because he wasn't quite ready to show all his cards either. There was time for that, and he had to keep himself somewhat guarded just in case everything fell to pieces. He might've had a good feeling about her, about a future that they could share, but their relationship was still new and he genuinely couldn't wear his heart on his sleeve this early. He couldn't open himself that completely to another person unless he was absolutely sure of the conclusion, and he wouldn't allow himself to get hurt by one girl who had managed to weasel her way under his skin.

He smiled slightly to himself despite the sudden melancholy of his thoughts and leant over her body, kissing her temple lightly before straightening himself up again. He watched her for a couple more moments – deep breathing that emphasised her bare breasts, a soft sigh out of full pink lips, the gooseflesh on her arms and bare legs betraying the chill of the room now that he wasn't entangled with her – before he gently moved the sheet and blanket over her body.

Sasuke forced himself out of bed with a yawn, making his way into the attached bathroom so he could have a wash. He positively smelled of sex and he wasn't going to go crashing into Itachi's room smelling like that. He didn't regret it, and the sight of Sakura groaning in pleasure as he tore her to pieces with his mouth and tongue was burnt into his brain like a brand, but sex was private. It wasn't something to wear as a badge of pride, and he wasn't going to throw it into people's faces.

He quickly took care of himself, having a quick wank before washing himself up and hopping out of the shower. He brushed his teeth methodically and popped in his contacts with a carelessness that spoke of how long he had been wearing them, and tugged on a pair of trousers and a button-up shirt that he didn't bother doing up.

With a last look at his sleeping girlfriend, he stepped quietly out of the room and padded through the hallways that usually housed dignitaries but instead was currently hosting various teenagers. He made a brief detour to one of the kitchens in the Kantei, grabbing a muffin for himself and an apple for his brother. Then, with hardly any fanfare, he began making his way to his brother's room, absently wondering at the time as he bit off the top of his muffin.

When he got to Itachi's room, his muffin gone and the trash balled in his hand, he reached out to open the door and found it locked. He raised an eyebrow, shrugged to himself, and then knocked.

There was a beat of silence, and then Itachi said from the other side, "Hold on, I'll be right there." Sasuke tapped his foot absently as he heard Itachi move around, doing gods knew what, and eventually the door opened a smidge, Itachi's big, bespectacled eyes the only thing Sasuke could see through the crack.

"Oh, hello," he said, and opened the door fully, allowing Sasuke to meander inside. Sasuke took in Itachi's appearance – freshly showered, a tad bit flushed in the face (probably from the heat of his shower), hair hanging messily down his thin shoulders, clad in only a fluffy white bathrobe from the attached bathroom – and then tossed the apple at him. Itachi instinctively caught it, causing his robe to open up a tiny bit...just enough for Sasuke to see a bruise. A very obvious bruise on the side of his neck.

Gods. Sakura had been right.

"Hey," Sasuke replied evenly, not acknowledging said obvious bruise even as he watched Itachi quickly tighten his robe at the neck again. Maybe Itachi was hoping that Sasuke hadn't seen it? "I was up so I figured I'd see if you were too." He tossed the ball of trash at the bin, making it cleanly, and then added, "D'you want me to come back later so you can change? I wanna get back home by ten, and as you're my ride I don't want to keep you. Gotta go see if Naruto's up anyway."

Itachi opened his mouth to speak, then cleared his throat. After a slight pause, which was weird in Sasuke's opinion, Itachi said, "That would be good. I'll be ready to go when you are, just let me finish getting ready first."

Sasuke rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Sounds good," he replied, and turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, opened it, and slipped outside, he took a chance with wry amusement clear in his tone: "Nice hickey, by the way."

He heard Itachi choke on his intake of air, and Sasuke tried to smother his grin (though he failed abysmally) as he closed the door behind him.

Itachi was so getting interrogated the second they got home.

Itachi sat down heavily on the end of his bed and buried his face in his palms with mortification.

He heard Crow leave the safety of the attached bathroom, dressed in his day-old regulation clothing, and sit down beside him, a shuffling that let Itachi know that the mask was coming off again. When Itachi finally sniffed and rubbed his face with his hands, he glanced over at the captain and said, "Well, what in the hell am I going to tell him now?"

Crow shrugged, biting his bottom lip to mask a smile. Itachi couldn't believe that Crow thought this was funny, but perhaps in a way it kind of was. Itachi had never thought in his wildest dreams that his brother would find out about Itachi's relationship-of-sorts in such a lewd manner, though it was a lot better than Sasuke walking in on them doing something. Still though, it was incredibly embarrassing because Itachi was of the firm belief that sex was private and didn't need to be so obviously thrown out there for the world to see.

"Tell him that I'm helping to sneak a boy that you're seeing into your home," Crow eventually said, the small smile still plain to see on his bare face. "If anything, it'll keep him off my case when I'm in the same room as you. He's not exactly subtle about not liking me."

Itachi sighed. "He's going to want to meet you if I tell him that I'm seeing someone."

Crow was quiet for a moment and then he replied, "Keep making excuses until we figure out what's going to happen about this—" Crow's gloved hands made a vague gesture around the room, which Itachi interpreted as 'this international incident clusterfuck we've stumbled into'. "—because until we know how Father and the rest of his Council react, it's pointless to set anything into stone."

Itachi nodded, not exactly liking the idea that he would have to practically lie to Sasuke but knowing that it was necessary, and then asked, "Even if we're allowed to continue this without interference, it's not like I can bring you to dinner to meet my family. The government wouldn't allow you to compromise your identity in ANBU like that, and I'm pretty sure that my family would have a mutual coronary."

Crow was the one to sigh at that, though the small smile on his face never wavered. "I know. We'll figure something out."

Itachi stood up so he could step between Crow's spread knees, pressing himself against the captain's body and making them both shudder at the proximity. Crow's fingers slithered in between their bodies to gently untie Itachi's robe and he quickly succeeded, opening the front of the robe to expose Itachi's naked body.

Itachi could feel himself responding to the sensations, cock twitching as Crow sat Itachi down on his knees, the captain tracing Itachi's scars and ribs and musculature with deft fingers. It was almost funny, Itachi thought absently, that he himself was always the one who was completely naked while Crow had all (or at least most) of his on, but he wasn't really going to complain in his current position. With any luck, Itachi would have time in the future to trace every angle and line of the captain, returning the favour in kind.

Crow sighed, which made Itachi smile. "You know we don't have time for this," he said, though his fingers didn't cease their movements along Itachi's chest.

"No, but there's always later," Itachi replied, burying his face in the juncture between Crow's neck and shoulder so he could press a dry, chaste kiss into the lycra.

Crow pressed an equally soft kiss against Itachi's damp hair and murmured, "Absolutely."

It was Itachi who sighed that time, from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head, and he reluctantly pulled away. He gave himself a second or two to take in the sight of Crow, sitting on the bed with his legs slightly spread and his pale lips tilted into a smile, and then he turned away. With a slight hint of self-consciousness, he shrugged off his robe and began pulling on his change of clothes, feeling Crow's eyes on him but not quite brave enough to return the gaze. This wasn't a dark room that they were out of their minds with arousal any more; it was a brightly lit, sunny day and Crow could see every single line of Itachi, faults and all, and it was a little nerve-racking. Itachi knew that he had nothing to be ashamed of – that while he was a bit too thin and had some nasty scars he was still in pretty good shape and there was no way an ANBU captain like Crow would judge Itachi for scars – but Itachi had a sliver of doubt that he wouldn't appear as 'beautiful' as Crow had described him in the bright light of the morning.

When he was fully dressed, he turned back towards Crow and returned to his place in between Crow's legs. "Come to me when you can," he whispered, and Crow simply kissed him in response, slow and languid, as if they weren't on a time limit.

"Always," Crow eventually whispered, and Itachi believed.

Greetings, and sorry about this abhorrently LONG NOTE but this really needs to be said.

So I'm still in remission, so my long absence from all my accounts has nothing to do with that. There's been a lot of personal things going on in my life for the past year, both okay and bad, that have kept me occupied, not to mention that I have been utterly uninspired to write at all, let alone in this fandom. That being said...

Orlando.

As a gay man, this hit me incredibly hard because every day I understand that either myself, my LGBT+ loved ones, and the rest of the LGBT+ community have to live with the fear that we are at risk. Every day we have to be cognisant of who we talk to and what we say in public, how we interact with people, if we should openly show affection with our partners or spouses, regardless of whether we are surrounded by like-minded people in a liberal area or not. We always have to calculate every single movement and word and action we make, in order to keep ourselves, loved ones, and community safe. Now, after decades of living like this, it comes second-nature to the LGBT+ community, myself included, and even though things are changing for the better around the world I will probably die of old age (or leukaemia...or by getting hit by a bus, who knows) before culture changes enough for the LGBT+ community to be safe enough to truly be open enough to be who we are without being targeted.

What happened in Orlando showed our community that not only could a homophobic arsehole murder forty-nine people with weapons of death that are legal in your country (which is fucking barbaric, in my opinion, but I'm English and we're anti-gun like true democracy-seeking Westerners, no offence to my readers who are gun sympathisers), but that same homophobic arsehole could also see two gay people kissing and justify that as his reasoning for murdering forty-nine people.

I just signed my divorce papers. But the day that I signed them (Wednesday, 15 June, three days after the mass shooting), I was too terrified to even shake my at-that-very-moment-ex-husband's hand because we were in Idaho and it's such a Republican state that I was convinced we were going to either get shot or cause someone else to get shot.

This is not okay. It is not okay. I'm twenty-six-years-old, for fuck's sake, almost twenty-seven. We just gained the right to marry in your country (the United States of America) last year. And now we're being butchered in the streets?!

Anyway.

This made me think of this story. Of Itachi, and the hate crime that was committed on him in this story. The crap that will continue to happen to him in this story. Now I'm a very politically minded guy. I'm a blatant, opinionated democratic socialist that is borderline anarchist when it comes to policy. I am the biggest fuckin' liberal you will ever meet in your goddamn life. I make Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren look like John McCain and Bill O'Reilly on a bad day. So, in a way, I am using this fiction to spin my own political beliefs. It's a common tool that is used in media and writing, and I am no different – people will continue to utilise their own agendas and/or instil their own beliefs in their works of art because that's what they're comfortable with/like/want to convey. Gun control, LGBT+ rights, and funding for leukaemia (something I have suffered from off-and-on for years) are very important to me, and writing an AU story about it in the Naruto 'verse is not only cathartic for me but also helps me relay my point of view to people who will either sympathise or will not (and if you disagree, please debate with me! I would love to speak to you in a respectful, intelligent manner...I'm not a condescending douchebag like Bill Maher after all!).

I still don't know if this is going to end on a happy or unhappy note. I want it to be happy, because Itachi deserves it and this AU world I've created deserves it and the Orlando victims deserved it most of all. But realistically, it shouldn't be happy and it should reflect the shit that people like me receive on a day-to-day basis in this world (even if it is getting better). Either way, it's gonna be a long, tough road, both for these characters and the LGBTQ+ community in the real world, but it'll be worth it, and love is love is love. We will fight for it, and we will win.