"Are your eyes closed", Shisui asked excitedly for the third time.

Itachi, Sasuke and Shisui were gathered in the mostly unused living room. The morning sunlight lit up the room, casting a gentle glow that made things seem more...magical – Itachi couldn't figure out why.

"Yes, Shisui, they are closed."

Itachi felt a piece of paper being placed in his hands.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Itachi asked nervously and excitedly. He wondered what it could be. Perhaps a photograph? Maybe a drawing?

"You can open your eyes", Shisui answered in a hushed whisper.

Itachi looked down at his hands and in them was a brown envelope, it had already been opened – and it seemed to have been opened in a fury. The edges of the flap were all but torn off.

"What is i-"

"Ugh, Itachi just look inside", Shisui was basically hopping in excitement. Sasuke too seemed to be curious.

Itachi slipped the envelop open and retrieved a piece of white paper, and on it, in an elegant font was an enlarged "CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR TRANSFER HAS BEEN ACCEPTED!"

Itachi's eyes widened, he read the whole letter, then read it again.

"Well? What does it say?" Sasuke asked anxiously.

Itachi looked at Shisui with a shocked expression – eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "You're transferring to Konoha University? What about Amegakure? Your friends there? It's the middle of the semester, are you sure this is a wise move?"

Shisui shrugged, but his smile continued to grow, "It's already done."

"Why would you do this?" Itachi asked, still shocked at the spontaneity.

Shisui looked down and Itachi could tell there was a faint pink dusted across his tan face, "This way I can be closer to you guys..."

Itachi's heart burst, and he was certain this man would give him a sweetness induced heart attack. He switched universities just to be nearer to Itachi.

"Yeah", Shisui scratched the back of his head shyly, "I'm still looking for a pla-"

"You'll stay here!" The Uchiha brothers exclaimed in unison.

Itachi looked at Sasuke with a fond smile and Sasuke returned it.

"We have a spare room that isn't being used at all", Itachi clarified.

"I don't know...I don't want to impo-"

Itachi slid the paper back into the envelope, "Shisui, don't be an idiot. You're staying here."

"Exactly", Sasuke chimed in.

"I'll pay ren-"

"No you will not", Itachi spoke up again.

An angry look swiftly brushed onto Shisui's face, "I can't just stay here for free!"

An angry look then mirrored onto Itachi's face, "That is exactly what you're going to do!"

Sasuke watched in amusement as the two battled it out, his brother was extremely stubborn so Sasuke was intrigued to see who would cave first.

"I'm paying rent whether you like it or not, and that's fina-"

"No. What is final, is that you're moving in here, you are going to stay here and you will not hand me any money at all", Itachi crossed his arms in defiance.

"Itachi", Shisui growled.

"Shisui", Itachi growled back.

The battle shifted to the plane of heated stares. But neither male was backing down.

"We will discuss this later", Shisui snapped.

"Nothing will change my mind", Itachi snapped back.

"Wow you two are practically married", Sasuke snickered, "I- Uhm, need to get to school", Sasuke blushed slightly.

Itachi looked at the clock on the living room wall, "Isn't it a little ear-"

Shisui placed a gentle hand on Itachi's shoulder and something – Itachi didn't know what it was – told him to be quiet.

"Just say what we practised – you can do this", Shisui grinned.

Itachi's head buzzed with questions and a slight sliver of resentment at the idea of Shisui paying rent. But mostly questions.

Sasuke blushed as he picked up his school bag, "Right...don't kill each other while I'm gone." Sasuke then closed the front door.

"What was that about?" Itachi asked in confusion. Shisui grinned.

"Well one night, in the dead hours, I got up to go get some water after our...sleepover", Shisui wiggled his eyebrows and Itachi smacked his arm, "I was walking back to your room when Sasuke opened his door.

Shisui stumbled through the dark hallway, half asleep, exhausted and getting slightly cold. He was about to reach Itachi's room door when light flooded the hallway – it was so sudden he had to cover his eyes.

"Shisui?" He heard Sasuke ask.

In a panic Shisui's hands went down to cover his private area, "Oh! Hi! What's up?" Shisui said hurriedly.

"You know you are wearing pants", Sasuke mumbled.

Shisui looked down and he was, indeed, wearing a pair of loose joggers.

"Whew", Shisui sighed in relief, "I thought I was going to scar you for life..."

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Sasuke mumbled, opening his door wider.

"Sure", Shisui entered the young Uchiha's room. He always felt very protective of Sasuke – so he was immediately worried that something had happened.

Sasuke sat on his bed while Shisui subtly glanced around the room. Sasuke's bedroom was very much different than his brother's. There were clothes scattered on the floor. A few posters of heavy metal bands, his desk that housed his computer was cluttered with papers. Shisui noticed the picture from the old Uchiha residence sitting on Sasuke's bedside table. The picture contained Sasuke and Itachi playing in the foreground as their parents smiled in the background.

The glass frame had been cracked.

"Don't tell Itachi I have that", Sasuke motioned to the photograph Shisui was staring at.

"Why not?" He asked curiously – keeping a gentle tone.

Sasuke sighed and pulled on his pyjama sleeves, "He'd say it's a 'trigger' and that it's making things worse..."

Shisui sat down slowly on the edge of Sasuke's bed, "I know it's expected of me to say this – but he is really trying his best..."

"I know", Sasuke nodded his head – clearly lost in thought, "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about..."

"Okay, what's wrong?"

A faint blush spread on Sasuke's pale cheeks, "There's this girl...she's really pretty and I- I like her..."

Shisui beamed, "Well that's great!"

"Sasuke scratched his messy hair, "Yeah...but she's always sitting alone in class...it makes me mad because she should have tons of friends. She's really kind and caring – I met her in group therapy...And I felt like a jackass when I only noticed she was in my class after that..."

"If I can ask...why is she in group therapy?" Shisui pried softly.

"She has severe Social Anxiety...I try to talk to her but I can't get a word out because...well I don't want to put her through what my p-parents put Itachi and I through."Sasuke was clearly still reliving his parents' deaths. It was still haunting him – and Shisui could see the emotion on the young one's face.

"Sasuke", Shisui placed his hand on the Uchiha's knee, "You are not your parents. What they did – it was selfish, it was horrible and unfair. But, you have all the chances in the world to not do that – and you have the choice and power to not be like them. To be honest, I don't think you have it in you to do what they did. You're too caring..." Shisui smiled softly.

Sasuke wiped a stray tear.

"My advice, just talk to her. It can be as simple as that. She needs someone and you can be that person. She's probably already comfortable around you because you go to group therapy together. You and your brother need to stop over thinking things", Shisui smiled fondly.

"But what do I say?" Sasuke fretted.

"Here's the plan", Shisui started, "You go to school a little earlier than normal, you sit in the seat next to hers – just to test the water. And if it's warm, you say 'Hi, my name's Sasuke'".

Sasuke laughed slightly, "You make it sound so easy."

"The battle of the heart is the bloodiest but most bountiful one", Shisui advised, "What's her name?"

"Sakura."

Itachi pulled Shisui to him and buried his head in the older male's chest, "You really did that for him?" Itachi asked thickly – emotions now added to his buzzing head.

Shisui wrapped his arms around Itachi, he didn't know what to say so he just held the Uchiha.

"Please let me pay rent? It's a pride thing", Shisui said slyly.

Itachi stepped away and slightly swatted Shisui's hard chest, "You conniving thing, you get me emotional and then use it to get your way", Itachi smiled fondly.

"Well?" Shisui asked. He didn't want to be a freeloader. He didn't want Itachi to pay for everything – he didn't want Itachi to ever pay for anything at all.

Itachi sighed, "A compromise", he suggested, "You buy the groceries; I cover the utilities."

Shisui curled his nose, "That's the best I'm getting isn't it?"

Itachi smiled and blinked up innocently at Shisui, "It is", he then stepped on his tip toes and pecked Shisui's lips.

*****

The moving van arrived soon after and Shisui hurriedly paid for it before Itachi could get his nosy hands on it. He didn't have much to move in any case.

Moving appeared to be more manual labour than Shisui had expected, He huffed out as he picked up another box full of, what has to be, the worlds thickest engineering textbooks.

"I told you I could help", Itachi commented from the kitchen, softly blowing on his cup of tea.

Shisui grunted, "And break your back too? I don't think so", he put the box down in the living room. He stretched his back and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm.

"That shirt looks soaked, you should probably take it off", Itachi commented flirtatiously from behind his teacup.

Shisui turned and smirked at the raven Uchiha, "Do you think so? I wouldn't want to get sick", he spoke slowly as he approach Itachi.

He was swift in taking his shirt off and towered over the sitting Itachi. Shisui's hands automatically found themselves tangling in Itachi's long hair.

Itachi teasingly ran his pale hand over Shisui's tanned abdominal muscles, "That seems better", he whispered lowly.

Itachi had no idea how badly it turned Shisui on when he acted like this. It drove Shisui mad, images flashed through his mind, sinful, lustful and devious thoughts.

He bent down slightly, his lips inches from Itachi, "Do you want to-"

A man cleared his throat from the open front door and both the boys jumped in fright, "Sorry sir, but uh – we need to get to our next client and you still have one box in the van..."

"Oh, yes, right! So sorry", Shisui spoke while running out of the apartment to the van.

His shirt forgotten on the kitchen counter.

Itachi smiled fondly and took another sip of his tea.

*****

Itachi and Shisui sat at the kitchen table, talking about nothing in particular. Fond small talk.

The front door burst open and Sasuke ran in, heaving and huffing in breath. His eyes were wide in shock.

Itachi stood up in a speed that impressed even himself, "Oh my God! What's wrong? What happened?"

"S-She gave me her number!" Sasuke yelled, his lips stretching into a massive smile Itachi hadn't seen in years.

"As easy as that", Shisui congratulated Sasuke and slapped Itachi's ass subtly. But Itachi noticed and quickly glared at a grinning Shisui. He sat back down and calmed his racing heart.

Before he could get another word in with his brother, the younger Uchiha had already sped to his room practically skipping.

"He scared the shit out of me", Itachi confessed, holding a hand over his heart.

Shisui softly took Itachi's hand in his, "You've always had the smoothest hands – they're so soft" Shisui remarked.

Itachi retrieved his hand and poked Shisui's nose, "And you've always had the most beautiful smile."

You are the reason I smile, Shisui thought.

You are the reason.