Н‘¾Ð‘¯Ð‘¬Ð‘Μ Ð‘»Ð‘¯Ð‘¬ Н‘¾Ð‘°Ð‘Μ𝑫 Н‘©Ð‘³Ð‘¶Ð‘¾Ð‘º €¢Ð’Ƒ𝒙Н’Ƒ• The First “I Love You’s”

AN: Guess who forgot to publish this chapter. It me. I don’t know what happened. Maybe Wattpad randomly decided to delete this chapter, because I’m sure I did post it at one point. I was surprised to find it missing. Well, here it is! This is set right after ‘Better With You (Good Ending pt3, End)’
I’m sorry!

“Hurry up!” The redhead forced out as he marched on ahead of him. Typical, impatient Akashi. Still, Sasuke couldn’t even get mad. How could he? Akashi had willingly joined him on this journey, how could he get mad at him?

Just remembering that moment made his insides constrict.

Glinting eyes and hands in his own…

The ,’I want to be with you’, had sealed the deal and he really couldn’t deny him anything, not anymore… Not that he ever could.

The moment those words left his lips, Sasuke was done for. He was completely and utterly smitten by him.

Really… Who was he lying? He was smitten by him a long time ago and the flame was lit anew after they saw each other on that day… The day he wasn’t alone…

The day he was with him.

“Sasuke? Why did you stop?” The said boy blinked, not realising he did just that.

The wind blew, caressing his cheeks along the way and Sasuke watched as that red hair of his was tousled. He watched as that one stubborn strand fell across the pale boy’s forehead.

Instead of answering, Sasuke resumed his walk and as he walked past Akashi, he swiped at the single strand, “It still doesn’t listen to you.” He said it as if it was a statement.

Of course, he got a grin as a reply.

Somehow, seeing his lips curl up made Sasuke’s heart throb. His smile was one of happiness growing, much as when a spring flower opens. A warm hand took his own and the sight of vibrant green trees and dusty roads was replaced by violet.

If anyone asked him what his favourite colour was, he would answer in a heartbeat.

Violet.

A colour between the heat of fire and the coldness of ice.

An unusual and mysterious colour, one not often seen in the eyes of a person.

And yet, he was allowed to look at it for as long as he wished.

His trail of thought was interrupted once warm lips pressed onto his own and a hand slithered around his waist. One, rough finger slid over his cheekbone and his bangs were moved out of the way, “You’ve got that lost look in your eyes,” Akashi mumbled against his skin, before he leaned back, “A penny for your thoughts?” He tilted his head, strands of crimson sliding over skin paler than his own.

What was he supposed to say? That he was lost in his eyes?

Not a chance.

“Oh? Is there something you can’t tell me?” From the way his lips twitched, Sasuke concluded that he was fighting a smile.

Scoffing, Sasuke pushed at his chin and the barely restrained smile broke free of its shackles, “Let’s go.” He stepped away and their fingers slid apart, falling loosely to their sides.

“Stingy.” Akashi whined out and followed after him.

Sasuke managed to hide the small smile he wore as Akashi walked besides him.

_

It hadn’t taken them long to arrive to a small town.

It also hadn’t taken Akashi long to get into trouble.

They were casually walking through the town, only a couple of people were in the streets, when Sasuke heard a thud and a wince. He really hadn’t expected something like that to happen.

In front of him, on the ground, was a short, older man. Approximately in his late thirties, from what he could see.

“You brat! Watch where you’re going!” The man angrily spat out and started shuffling to his feet.

“I apologise, I wasn’t looking,” Akashi lightly bowed his head, before he offered his hand to the man, “Here, let me help you up-!” A slap resounded through the almost empty streets, causing the few people who were there to look in their direction.

“What are you going to do about my clothes?! They’re expensive and now they’re ruined!” The man barked at him, lips twisted up into a frown.

“He apologised,” Sasuke stepped closer, glowering at him from above, “You were also at fault.” Before things could escalate, a hand was placed on his shoulder, lightly pushing him back.

“It’s fine,” Even though Akashi said that, Sasuke could see that it wasn’t fine. His jaw was flexed and from the looks of it, his teeth were also grit. Akashi hadn’t looked away from the man as he said that, “Sir, would you kindly follow after me?” He threw the man a fake smile and tilted his head to the side. “I know just the way to repay you.”

The man was probably stupid, since his eyes lit up at the sound of the redhead’s voice, “You do have a pretty face,” he grinned, yellow teeth on display, “I can probably ignore everything else.” Sasuke watched as one dirty hand reached towards Akashi and settled around the boy’s waist.

“Akashi.” Sasuke forced out, not liking where things were going.

He watched as Akashi’s arm slid around the man’s shoulders, before the redhead turned to face him. He could see the anger swimming in those light irises and as a wink was sent his way, the breath got knocked out of him.

Seems like he had a plan… Judging by the angry look, the man wasn’t going to have a fun time.

As soon as he thought that, Akashi steered the man away and into one of the smaller, dimly lit alleyways. Sasuke stood in the middle of the road, contemplating whether he should go after them.

He didn’t have to do that for long.

A yell came from the alleyway and a distinctive crash resounded after that. Then, came the crack. One, single crack and a thud followed after. A few seconds after, Sasuke was met with a not-so-angry Akashi.

“He’s alive?” Sasuke found himself asking, even though he didn’t really care about that… What he did care about, though… “He didn’t… do anything, right?”

He received a snort in reply and Akashi’s red hair swirled side-to-side as the boy shook his head, a small grin curling his lips, “He’s alive, all right… Let’s just say his current teeth situation isn’t that much better from before,” Akashi walked past him, “As for the second question, he tried to shove a hand down my pants and now his hand is unusable.”

… He tried to shove a hand down his pants?

“Oh, what a nice expression,” a finger pressed into his brow, “You look positively murderous,”

Of course he looked murderous! The man touched what was h-!

“You possessive bastard,” there was humour in the way he said it, “You were so concerned about me killing him and now…” The rest was left unsaid, but Sasuke knew what he meant.

“Shut up,” he bit out through clenched teeth and averted his eyes, “Let’s go.” Without another word, he walked past the grinning redhead.

_

“This room is nice,” Akashi commented as he threw his bag onto the floor, “Don’t you think so?”

“Don’t throw your stuff.” Sasuke said and gently lowered his own bag.

“Yes, yes!” Was the reply he got.

Sighing, Sasuke sat down and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes in the process. They had been travelling for a few days now and they had finally reached a town which had a hotel of some sorts. For a while now, they had been forced to sleep out in the woods, which wasn’t that great.

He heard shuffling and not even a second later, a weight settled across his lap. He peeked one eye open and was met with Akashi’s relaxed features. He had laid his head on his lap and closed his eyes, “I’ve got an idea,” Huh… Coming from Akashi, there was no way that was a good idea, “Have you ever drank before?” Akashi looked at him, excitement swimming in his light irises.

Of course… Nothing good ever came from his lips, except…

“No.” Akashi shifted so that he was facing him.

“Neither did I, wanna do it?” The proposition came as expected.

“No.” Sasuke closed his eyes, thinking that was it, but Akashi wasn’t done. The boy shifted once more and nuzzled into his stomach.

“Come on,” the redhead urged, glancing at him from below, “No harm will be done, it’s just us two.” To be honest, Sasuke was almost swayed by the look in his eyes.

But, there was one problem.

“We’re not old enough to buy alcohol,” he watched as Akashi rolled his eyes and raised his brows, “You do know that I’m eighteen, which you even aren’t, not twenty, right?” Akashi didn’t look convinced.

It was then, that Sasuke noticed something.

The boy on his lap had another plan, and by the looks of it, it was even worse than the first one.

“I have a solution for that,” Akashi sat up and look at him with a blank expression, “I will steal it,” He will what…? “It’s not like it’s hard to do, people don’t pay as much attention as you think they do,” he said it as if he had done it before, “Besides, I’m a former ANBU, I know how to be stealthy.”

Sasuke didn’t really have an answer to any of that, so he just shook his head, exasperated to the bone.

“Come on, it’s not that hard to do!” Akashi took his hand in his own.

“And how would you know that?” The other boy’s immediate response was to look away. Anyone would immediately realise that the redhead was hiding something and so did Sasuke, “Akashi?” He gripped the pale boy’s hand and leaned forward, trying to look at him. Akashi still evaded his eyes.

“I’ll tell you one day, but first, I want to get the bottle,” he still wasn’t looking at him, “Can you wait?”

Knowing there was no point in trying to get the words out of him now, Sasuke easily agreed, “I can.” He said it so softly, the words came out as a whisper.

He will always wait for him.

Those words were left unsaid.

“Okay. Would you like for me to go with you or to wait for you here?” Sasuke asked, even though the last thing he wanted to do was leave Akashi’s side.

Akashi moved and their fingers slid apart, “Let’s go together,” somehow, his words brought Sasuke relief, “You look worried about something and I guess it’s better if we don’t separate,” he stood up a moment later and extended his hand for Sasuke to take, “Besides, I don’t really want to leave your side.” Before Sasuke could even think of an answer, he was pulled forward and warm arms wrapped around his shoulders.

Slowly, he returned the unexpected hug, “Is something the matter?” The boy’s arms tightened up in reply.

The words were at the tip of his tongue.

The only thing he needed to do was open his mouth and they would be said.

“As long as you’re here, everything is fine.” Akashi’s words stopped him from saying his own.

This wasn’t the right moment. There was no need to hurry. They had all the time in the world.

He slid his hand up the boy’s back and threaded his fingers through the crimson locks. Never had he imagined things were going to end up this way… Never.

At the beginning, way back when they were still a team, their ‘relationship’ was not something he would describe as ‘puppy love’, that’s the kind of love Sakura held for him. She loved him for his looks and for his popularity, she never saw him for who he was.

She only saw his achievements.

Then, somehow, he and Akashi grew to be something akin to friends. The boy understood him for who he was. They shared that one feeling and that feeling connected them.

Their bond was so much different than his and Naruto’s.

Then, it was severed before it could even fully form. Severed by his own hand.

As if by luck, their paths crossed once more. They met again, but not under the circumstances Sasuke would have liked. Their relationship grew strained. It was so strained he wonder how it hadn’t snapped already.

Akashi suffered torture because of him and yet, he still came back for him. At that time, Sasuke was too blinded by his own want, that he didn’t notice that Akashi wasn’t there because he wished to be with him.

He was there because he had no one left. He was there because he had grown tired of being used and thrown away as if he was a tool which grew blunt.

He didn’t notice Akashi was using him to satisfy his own loneliness.

He wondered, how would have things ended up if he stayed? Would their bond grow? Or would they remain as just… teammates?

“I can practically hear your thoughts, you think too loud,” Akashi whispered, leaning into the side of his neck, “What is bothering you?”

Shaking his head, Sasuke breathed out a sigh, “Nothing important.” It was no longer important, it no longer mattered. Why should it? He had him in his arms and there was nothing else he wished for. There’s no use thinking about what could have been. He’s content with what he has now and that’s all that matters.

“Hmm,” Akashi hummed, slowly pulling away, “Let’s go, we have a bottle to steal!” His previous state was replaced by a grin which brightened up his features.

“You’re unbelievable,” Akashi laughed and Sasuke felt like a weight was taken off his shoulders, “Truly.”

Stepping back from the embrace, Akashi turned around and walked up to the door, “Oh, come on! We all need a little adventure in our life, don’t we?” he glanced back at Sasuke and beckoned him to come, “Besides, it’s not like the bottle will be missed too much.” Sasuke watched as he reached into his pouch and took out a kunai.

“Seriously,” exasperated, the only thing left to do was sigh, “You plan on cheating your way out of there? What happened to ‘I’m a former ANBU, I know how to be stealthy’?” Sasuke imitated the way Akashi said those words, causing the said boy’s lips to curl into a pout.

“It’s easier this way. We can just go back here in a moment,” saying that, he placed the kunai next to the wall and straightened up, “Do you really want to run back here?”

He made a fair point. Sasuke didn’t really want to run back.

“Judging by your silence, I’ll go ahead and guess I’m right,” the only way Sasuke could describe the grin Akashi had would be ‘shit-eating’. Damn, he really liked it when things go his way, eh? “Let’s go while the night is still young~” His sing-song tone grew quieter as he exited the room.

Damn it, Sasuke really couldn’t say no to him.

_

Contrary to Akashi words, the night wasn’t young. From what Sasuke could see, it was probably past midnight at this point.

Time really does fly.

They walked through the empty streets and Akashi trailed his eyes over the small buildings on the side. He was obviously trying to find a store which looked like it sold alcohol.

Sasuke calmly walked next to him, still not quite sure with what they’re doing.

“Bingo,” Akashi suddenly exclaimed and picked up his speed towards a quite small store, “We didn’t have to search for long, lucky~” He nonchalantly said and Sasuke quickly went after him.

“What’s your plan for getting inside?” He stopped behind Akashi and watched him look over the front door, “You must have thought of something.” There was no way he didn’t even think about how to get inside.

He was sorely mistaken.

“I figured I could think about it when I arrive there.” Of course, why was he surprised? If there was one thing Naruto and Akashi shared, it was them not thinking ahead of things and jumping straight into trouble.

“Jackpot!” A click resounded in front of Sasuke.

“What…?” There was no way he just… managed to unlock the door, was there? “How did you…?” Sasuke trailed off and it clicked in his mind when he saw a glowing chain recede back into Akashi’s hand, “Those come in handy.” He commented and Akashi glanced at him with a grin.

“For a lot of things, yeah.” He sent him a sly wink and Sasuke raised his brows at his words.

“Shameless.” Really… The boy had no restraint.

“As if you mind.” Before Sasuke could answer, Akashi opened the door and nonchalantly walked in. Glancing side-to-side in case of any eyewitnesses, Sasuke followed after him and closed the door behind.

The redhead had been right. Even thought on the exterior nothing indicated that it was a liquor store, the inside gave it away since it was stacked with all kinds of bottles.

“Choose something.” Well, since Sasuke had no experience in that department, he grabbed the bottle closest to him and turned to look at Akashi.

“Let’s go.”

As Akashi walked towards him, he spoke up, “Somehow, this seemed to be too-“

“Don’t say it.” Sasuke interrupted.

“Easy.” Akashi finished.

The moment that word left his lips, the store light blared at them, “What the hell are you two doing inside?!” An angry voice resounded from behind them and Sasuke almost groaned out loud as the sound of it.

“You really had to choose this one, didn’t you?” He narrowed his eyes at Akashi, who didn’t even look all that surprised.

“Oh, old man! How are your teeth treating you?” Akashi asked, looking at the man they had ran into earlier that day, “Oh wait, you don’t have them, do you?” He grinned and Sasuke couldn’t believe how unlucky they were.

Akashi was just adding to the flame which burned in anger inside the man.

The man’s face lit up in fury and his bushy brows scrunched up as the corners of his eyes crinkled. What an expression.

“You fucking brat! You’re going to pay!” He stepped towards Akashi, but found his way blocked by none other than Sasuke, “Move! I have business with him!” The man pointed one, fat finger at the redhead behind Sasuke.

“And I have business with you,” Sasuke tilted his head, letting his bangs uncover the Rinnegan hidden beneath, “You touched something of mine,” he watched as the man’s eyes widened at the sight of the purple eye.

“You… You’re that Uchiha…” his legs trembled and he took a step back, before his eyes shifted to Akashi, “And you… That red hair…” He seemed to recognise them, but it was too late now.

The man didn’t even see the fist, before it slammed into his jaw and knocked him down. Sasuke stepped closer and looked at him, before the man’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he slumped unconscious.

“That’s going to leave a bruise,” Akashi commented from behind Sasuke, casually leaning onto the alcohol shelf, “Maybe a concussion or so. You should have lessened the punch a bit.”

“I used as little as I could,” a snort resounded from behind him, “What are you laughing for? Didn’t you break his hand?” He gestured at the bandage which was wrapped around the man’s wrist.

“Yeah, I went overboard… I think I shattered his bone,” Akashi pushed off the shelf, “It’s his fault it roamed where it wasn’t supposed to roam,” he walked up to the man and crouched next to him, “Well… He’s out cold for a few hours at least. We can spend the night in the hotel and leave early at dawn.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Sasuke reached his hand forward and placed it on Akashi’s shoulder.

_

A moment later, they found themselves back in their hotel room. Akashi bent down and took the kunai in his hand, before he placed it back into his pouch.

“The man recognised us,” Akashi’s chilling voice resounded throughout the room, “That will cause problems for us and for Konoha.”

There it was. The side of Akashi which rarely showed itself. There were only certain moments it showed up, from what Sasuke could understand.

Under heavy stress and when someone or something he cares about is threatened.

This was that time.

It was clear what Akashi was indicating. The man was a threat. Threats needed to be eliminated.

“I’ve taken care of it, he won’t remember us.” Luckily, Sasuke had already done what needed to be done. The Sharingan had its uses.

Akashi’s expression instantly shifted and the mood of the room brightened up considerably. Somehow, it was easier to breathe after that happened.

“That’s good… Come here for a second,” Sasuke blinked, but listened to what he said, “Your Rinnegan… The seal wore off,” a pale hand reached towards Sasuke, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned into the hand, “It takes a while for you to do it and a lot of your chakra… I don’t wish to bother you.” He felt cool fingers slide down his temple and stop at his cheeks.

“Nothing about you bothers me, you know that,” blinking his eyes open, Sasuke was met with the overwhelming colour of violet, “I’d do anything for you, so why should a little thing like this bother me?” Akashi’s thumb swiped across Sasuke’s lips and he leaned forward in a single motion. Sasuke’s eyes slid shut as his heart drummed inside his chest.

Their lips met in a soft press of skin and Akashi gently slid his fingers down Sasuke’s jaw, letting them rest on the boy’s chest.

“You need not worry about things like that,” the words were whispered against his skin, warm breath ghosting over his flushed cheek, “If I didn’t wish to do so, then I wouldn’t do it.” Pressing one last kiss against Sasuke’s chin, Akashi leaned back.

“I know.” Sasuke breathed out, almost left breathless by a simple kiss.

“Since there is no need for us to leave early now, let me start the sealing process,” Akashi’s fingers trailed down Sasuke’s arm, until they reached the bottle he was holding, “We can get back to this later.” He took in in his hand and pulled Sasuke to sit down, settling the bottle on the side.

“You really don’t need to do this tonight.” He tried arguing, but it was no use against Akashi. The redhead always won their arguments.

“I’m doing this with or without you, I will knock you out if needed and you know I will,” Akashi threatened and Sasuke was positive he would do just that, “Besides, even though its partially hidden by your bangs, it still drains your chakra,” Well… He was right… It’s also a nice feeling to look through both eyes, “Now, sit still and keep quiet while I work.”

Sasuke did the only thing he could.

He did as he was asked.

_

Sunlight had already peeked through the blinds when Akashi finished.

From what Sasuke could see, he was clearly tired.

The more and more he did the seal, the easier it got and the less chakra it needed, but it was still a lot.

Almost a quarter of it.

The first time he did it, it took more time and it lasted less. Almost half of his chakra had been used.

It was an extremely delicate process, Akashi had told him once. There was a possibility of him going blind if the redhead made a mistake. That’s why the first sealing process took about ten hours to complete.

“Are you okay?” Sasuke asked, staring at the paler-than-usual Akashi.

“Yep!” He cheerily replied, even though Sasuke could see the tiredness in the way his brows were furrowed and in the way his eyes were unfocused.

“You should lie down for a bit. I’ll get the bath ready,” he made move to stand up, but a hand wrapped around his wrist, “What is it?” He was met with Akashi’s barely opened eyes.

“Will you take the bath with me? I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep if I go alone.” His voice was quieter than usual and his words sounded heavier. He was really tired.

“I will,” Sasuke leaned down and brushed his lips across Akashi’s forehead, “Lie down.” Akashi nodded and shifted back, releasing Sasuke’s wrist in the process. He slowly leaned back and closed his eyes as soon as his back met the floor.

Sasuke stood up and glanced at the unmoving boy, before he made his way to the bathroom.

_

It didn’t take long to get the water to the right temperature and weirdly, the bathtub was bigger than he expected. The two of them will fit with no problems.

He closed the tap and made his way back to the room.

The sight which greeted him almost knocked the breath out of him.

Akashi had curled into himself and Sasuke could hear soft breaths leaving his lips from the spot he was standing on.

Really, he couldn’t wake him up now… Not when he looked so peaceful.

Keeping his footsteps as soundless as possible, as to not wake up the sleeping boy, he slowly walked over to him and lowered himself next to him. He laid on his side and faced the redhead.

He looked so relaxed. Nothing was on his mind. Absolutely nothing.

Sasuke reached his hand forward and stopped himself before it touched him. There was no need to break the clarity of that moment.

He trailed his eyes over the sleeping boy’s features. From his soft, crimson hair, to his thin eyebrows which were a tang darker than his hair, to the short lashes which framed his, now closed, violet eyes, to his nose, to his lips.

Then, unable to control them, his eyes slid back up to the scar that marred the flawless skin.

To say it wasn’t a surprise when he first saw it would be a lie.

“Do you enjoy staring at sleeping people?” Akashi suddenly spoke, almost getting a sharp inhale from Sasuke, “How… shameless.” He threw the word back at him and his eyes fluttered open.

To say his heart didn’t stutter in his chest from the sight of those eyes he loved would be a lie.

“Only you,” the words escaped him and he looked away a moment later, embarrassment creeping at the back of his mind, “That wasn’t what I meant to say.” He quickly added, but the expected laugh didn’t come. He drew his eyes back at Akashi and found the boy staring at him with unparalleled fondness.

“Those words bring me comfort.” Came the unexpected response and Sasuke’s heart drummed against his ribs.

“The bath is ready,” he changed the subject and hurriedly stood up, not meeting Akashi’s eyes, “We should hurry before it gets cold.” He heard Akashi stand up and a moment later, he felt something soft press against his temple.

“Thank you,” Sasuke still didn’t look at him, “Thank you for everything.” Akashi added and took his hand in his own, slightly pulling him along.

Sasuke let himself be led to the bathroom.

Without a word said between them, they started disrobing, facing away from one another.

Even though this wasn’t the first time they would be nude in each other’s presence, Sasuke found it not right to stare at the other boy, “Is something wrong?” Came the question from behind him.

“No,” his response came out too fast, he knew that, “Get in before it gets cold.” He basically said the same thing as he did a few moments ago.

A few seconds passed and he heard the water splash as Akashi got in. Gingerly, he turned around and found himself being stared at. Akashi was looking straight into his eyes, “The water is already cool, get in here!” The redhead urged him, a pout already starting to form.

Walking up to the bath, Sasuke got in and indeed, the water had already cooled down. Not even a moment passed and Akashi shuffled closer, hands making grabby motions towards him, “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” Hands, cold to the touch, slid around his shoulders and Akashi leaned against him, slight shivers racking his body.

“You looked too peaceful to wake up,” Sasuke’s arms wound up around the boy’s middle and he pulled him forward, resting his chin on his shoulder, “I wanted to let you sleep for as long as I could.”

Akashi grew silent and his shivers subsided, body warmed up by Sasuke’s own.

_

They didn’t stay in the water for long, after they did the necessary things, like wash their hair and bodies, they got out and went back into their room. Since the weather was pretty warm, it didn’t take long for them to get warmed up.

“Now! It’s time for this!” Akashi excitedly exclaimed and presented the bottle, along with two glass cups, in front of Sasuke.

“Where did you even get the cups from?” Sasuke asked, surprised at their sudden appearance.

“Magic.” Was the reply he got. Really, why did he even bother asking? Akashi always schemed something. And that something wasn’t always a good thing.

Just like what they’re about to do.

“You wanna go first or do I go first?” The redhead asked, already pouring himself a glass, “Never mind, I’ll go first.” Sasuke could only blankly stare as Akashi leaned back and drank the whole thing in two gulps.

Sasuke watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, a few drops sliding down his neck from his still-wet hair.

“You do realise alcohol isn’t meant to be drank like that, right?” He commented and watched as a sour expression took place on Akashi’s features, “Exactly why.”

“Oh, shut up! As if you know how drinks are supposed to be drunk!” Akashi slammed the glass onto the small table in front of him and his robe shifted, revealing his bare shoulder, “But, you might be right… It tastes like shit.”

Raising his brows, Sasuke blinked at him. Really… He has his hands full with him.

Out of nowhere, a filled glass appeared in front of him, “Your turn!” Akashi grinned and tilted his head to the side, “It isn’t so bad after a few moments, though… Nasty aftertaste is all it has.”

Staring at the glass, Sasuke slowly reached for it, that definitely wasn’t a good idea, and drank it in the same way Akashi did. He was right. It wasn’t a good idea. He almost blanched just from the nasty taste of it, “Why do people drink this, I don’t understand,” he commented, looking away to hide his discomfort, “It tastes bad and there is no use from it,” when he looked back at Akashi, he saw him finishing another glass, “Please tell me that’s your second glass.”

He received a grin in return which told him everything. That definitely wasn’t his second glass.

“Come on! Live a little!” Akashi reached for the bottle and Sasuke gave up.

_

Sasuke didn’t really know what was happening anymore. The room was spinning and Akashi was humming something on the sidelines. He felt very hot, as if the temperature of the room had suddenly skyrocketed.

There was a quiet clank and he glanced to the side. The bottle rolled across the floor.

Empty, of course.

They had emptied the whole bottle.

It was mostly Akashi, but from the looks of it, it wasn’t affecting him that much. He was sitting up straight, unlike Sasuke, who was lying on his back, trying not to empty his stomach at the mere thought of how much he drank.

“Hey, Sasuke?” The humming had stopped and was replaced by a question. It’s been a while since Akashi had said his name out loud.

“Yeah?” His words were almost slurred out. He was definitely never drinking again. Ever.

“What is love?” The world around Sasuke stopped spinning and he was left to stare at an unmoving ceiling, “I really wanna know what it is,” Akashi continued, not at all discouraged at his silence, “I thought I felt it before… When you left, I met him and I really thought I was in love.”

Just hearing him mention the fact that he loved someone else brought great discomfort to the lying boy.

“You thought?” Even though it pained him to ask it, he still did it. He wanted to know what changed his mind. He wanted to know how and what Akashi felt.

“Before, I thought I knew what it was. I thought it was his hands in mine, his grins flashed at me, his eyes sparkling at the sight of me, the jokes he made to make me laugh,” Sasuke watched as Akashi stared out of the window, at the near setting sun, “Then, as much as I thought I loved him, it pained me to do it… After he died, the pain started and it just kept growing and growing and growing, until it was the only thing I could feel.”

Sasuke slowly sat up, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wish to,” he told the other boy, “We have time, there’s no need to hurry.”

Akashi shook his head in reply and a small smile was sent his way, “I need to get this out.”

“Okay.” Sasuke kept his distance, not wanting to seem like he was crowding the clearly bothered boy.

“What I felt towards him was some kind of love… I didn’t know if that love was platonic love or romantic love… Maybe I depended on him, since he was the only one who reached out to me after everyone threw me away,” hearing that, Sasuke couldn’t help but flinch in reply, “He was the only one who was there for me when no one else was… The only one who bothered to fully get to know me,” Akashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “Then, the truth was revealed and it fucking hurt,” The Danzo incident… “He had told me he loved me a few days before that mission and I didn’t have an answer,” he turned to look at Sasuke, violet eyes glistening with unshed tears, “The day I killed him was the day I told him I loved him and I really did… But not in the way he would have wanted.”

It took all of Sasuke’s restraint to not get up and go to him.

“After he died, it pained me to keep loving him, so I stopped, since that was the only way to make the pain go away,” he shook his head, a humourless laugh leaving his, bitten red, lips, “Really, if I loved him, I wouldn’t have so easily stopped loving him, right? So that revealed the truth to me; I didn’t love him in a way that mattered.”

Mustering strength to stand up, Sasuke somehow managed to get to Akashi and knelt before him, “It mattered, don’t say that.” That was the truth. Since Shinya loved him, Sasuke was sure it mattered to him.

“You say that now, but you don’t know what I was thinking at that time. It may have mattered to him, but it didn’t matter to me,” the words were spoken without a second thought, “It somehow brought me a twisted sense of relief, me not loving him… That meant that I could discard the pain, I would no longer have to feel it,” he shook his head, “I’m horrible, aren’t I?”

“You’re just human.” There weren’t any other words which could answer that question better than the ones Sasuke used.

The reaction he got wasn’t the one he was going for.

“Tell me I’m a horrible person,” Akashi almost pleaded with his teeth grit together, “Please.”

Slowly reaching his hands towards him, Sasuke placed them on his knees, “You’re not, you’re really not.” He was telling the truth.

“Then explain this!” The sudden outburst surprised him, but he didn’t move away.

“Explain what?” He questioned because he really didn’t know what he meant.

“It pained me to love him so I got rid of my love for him, but now…” One, single, translucent tear slipped down his cheek and Sasuke was too surprised at his next words to even try and wipe it away, “How is it that no matter the pain you caused me, I can’t stop loving you?” The question was almost sobbed out and Sasuke was left speechless.

“You… love me?” His heart raved inside his chest and slammed against his rib cage, as its beats drummed through his ears.

“Yes,” Akashi looked away, the tear already drying on his cheek, “I love you.”

To say Sasuke was overjoyed would be an understatement.

Without a word, he stood up and wrapped his arms around the boy in front of him. His body trembled, but he tried to restrain it as much as possible. This was the moment. The perfect moment to say those words.

“…I’d stopped myself from blurting the thing on the edge of my tongue, the thing I’d never said, even though it was something we both knew well enough without me saying it out loud… I love you,” he had finally said them as his body released its first tremble, “I love you,” his arms tightened and he released a sharp exhale, “I love you.”

“You idiot,” arms wound up around him, “You absolute idiot,” Akashi leaned into him, body trembling along with his own, “The biggest idiot.” As Sasuke’s eyes grew moist, he couldn’t suppress his smile from growing.

“But you love me.” Akashi laughed and Sasuke’s heart soared with joy.

“Yeah, I do.” The redhead answered and leaned back to look at him.

“I love you.” He said it again, not able to contain the words within himself anymore.

Akashi’s lips curled into a smile and Sasuke leaned in, closing his eyes in the process.

The kiss they shared would forever be etched into his memory.

There is never a time or place for true love.

It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.