Parasomnia

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; nor do I make any money from writing this

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Naruto swung his feet back and forth, as he sat in a chair outside Tsunade’s office. He focused on trying to make his feet circle in opposite directions without thinking too much on the subject. Yesterday he had read an article about individuals who could concentrate on simple tasks while performing another, more demanding task.

His eyes darted down to his feet as they spun in circles while he tried to count backwards from a hundred in intervals of seven. Apparently, the body also performed better in stressful situations, and he was trying to think of stressful conditions to help him succeed at the task at hand. He chewed on his lower lip as he stared at the wall across from him and missed the strange look that Shizune shot him as she darted into the office.

The slamming of the door distracted him and he jerked his head in the direction of the noise. The blond didn’t remember Tsunade calling him into her office and he wondered if he had been too focused. He knocked on the door and the brunette aide poked her head out of the room.

“Yes Naruto?”

“Did Tsunade call me earlier; I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

Shizune giggled slightly as she remembered the way he was sitting in the chair earlier. “No, she hasn’t called you yet. We have something to discuss quickly before you can see Tsunade.”

“Okay.”

The blond sat back down in the chair and let out a sigh. He would try again later when he was in the privacy of his own room. Gaara already considered him slightly off at times and wouldn’t think anything extra about the new behavior.

The voices inside the room escaladed slightly and Naruto turned to face the door, trying to catch snippets of the conversation.

“…several bottles missing from inventory…sleep aides in the past few weeks…cut back on desserts…for the budget…”

Naruto groaned at the mention of loosing dessert at dinner. That was the one thing that he enjoyed about going to dinner; if they cut back on the ice cream cups, he would die. Maybe he could get one of his friends to pick up something sweet for him.

Although, there was that small stash of candy his parents had sent him last week for Valentine’s Day. He had been trying to ration the food off, but at times, it was a little too tempting to just sit and suck on a lollypop while reading. Now that he thought about it, he still had another bag of chocolate kisses tucked in the back of his dresser.

Maybe he would dig that out later today.

“Naruto, Tsunade will see you now.”

Shizune’s voice drew him out of his chocolate induced dreams and he quickly ran a hand across his mouth in case he was drooling. The door shut behind him and he took a seat across from the blond haired doctor. She looked down at the papers in front of her and let out a sigh.

“I have to admit, I was worried that your relationship with Itachi was going to cause you to relapse, but so far, your record is clean.” A small grin slipped across her face, “Maybe you were just sexually frustrated and now that you have an outlet for that-”

Naruto’s face turned red, “We haven’t done anything like that! Jeez, I’m starting to think that the perverted old man is corrupting you too.”

Tsunade chuckled before her tone turned serious, “How are things going for you, all other things aside.”

“It’s been quiet. Orochimaru has been coming by to drop off edited chapters and helping me keep on track.”

“You seem busy.” She said and stared at him, “You know that I’ll allow Orochimaru to keep pestering you so long as it doesn’t affect your sleeping and meetings with Kakashi. If any of those things start to slip away from you, I will keep him away until you’re back on track.”

The blond nodded, “I understand. I’ve been sleeping well though; all the work lets me sleep soundly through the night. Although, I think Kakashi should spend some time away from work and with Iruka.”

She snorted, “Mind your own business brat, I already have my hands full with you and the Uchiha. Still, it is good to hear you’re sleeping well. Because I’m sure I’d have to use force to keep Orochimaru away.” The doctor cracked her knuckles, “I haven’t had a chance to beat on him in a while, I’m sure he’s forgotten what it’s like.”

“You two knew each other before all this?”

“We went to the same college back in the day with Jiraiya.” She paused, “Why am I telling you this? Get out of my office before I try and punish you for punching Itachi’s brother.”

Naruto gave a weak laugh and quickly vanished from the office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A tan hand ran through blond locks, trying to make the rebellious strands stay in place. Naruto scowled when they spiked out again and let his hand drop to his side. He muttered under his breath as he tugged a jacket on and Gaara snorted at him from the bed.

“What?”

“You’re acting like you’re about to go see someone important. He said it was an informal dinner; nothing too fancy.”

Naruto scoffed at him, “You’re just saying this cause you backed out at the last moment.”

A small smirk slipped across the redhead’s face, “Maybe; but I feel as though the night would be spent better if the two of you were alone.”

“But what if I say something stupid or something? I don’t want him to think he made a mistake.”

Green eyes flickered to the clock on the wall, “If you don’t leave now, you’ll be late.”

The blond released a sigh of defeat before heading towards the door. He paused in the doorway and poked his head back into the room, “If anything happens; I’m holding you responsible.”

Gaara rolled his eyes and went back to playing with the cards. There was no way he was being dragged along this time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“So if you move the distribution center here, it’ll drop transportation rates and increase profits for the smaller firms. If the smaller firms generate enough profit, we can sell them off once they pay us back their loans. Either way, you’ll gain something in the end.”

Itachi nodded as he flipped through the thick stack of papers in front of him. Kisame slid another binder across the table and he frowned at the large amount of red markings on the paper. It seemed that someone was unhappy about the newest proposals that were being worked on. He picked up the binder and looked to see who the editing chief for the proposal was. His lips twitched when his eyes found the name he was looking for.

Uchiha Sasuke

The raven turned towards his brother who was focusing on a paper in his hands, “Do you find something wrong with the new proposal, Sasuke?”

Sasuke’s eyes glanced up from the paper and a smirk formed on his lips, “There were a few areas that you left open, namely ones that deal with price negotiation and profit sharing. I merely fixed your mistakes; you can thank me later.”

“Actually, little brother, there was a reason those areas needed to stay open.” Itachi answered and pulled a paper out from a folder, tapping it gently with his finger. “It was stated in the original outline to leave them open until actual representatives could meet with us in person. If you had submitted this, the meeting would have fallen through and we would have lost a valuable asset.”

A small flush tipped Sasuke’s ears as he grabbed the folder from Itachi. He was certain that he had his brother that time, but as always, Itachi had been one-step ahead of him. His eyes scanned the page, but they didn’t take in any of the information printed. All he needed was a single step out of place in order to convince the board that his brother wasn’t fit to run the company. The council of course voted in Itachi’s favor since he was the selected heir to run the company, but even Itachi wasn’t perfect.

Itachi watched Sasuke from the corner of his eye as his brother read over the paper. He could see the hidden anger there, lurking underneath the calm façade, and all of it was directed at him. The raven knew what Sasuke was up to, quietly lurking in his shadow and waiting for him to mess up. His brother’s attempts at trying to lure him into a trap had increased recently and Itachi was taking careful steps when dealing with the problem.

All Sasuke needed was the slightest bit of information to use to his advantage.

“Looking nice, Blondie.”

Dark eyes glanced up at Kisame’s remark and Itachi allowed a small smile to slip across his face as Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. The blond crossed the lobby area and leaned his body against the back of the couch so his head was close to Itachi’s shoulder.

A frown crossed his face, as he looked at all the papers spread across the table, “Business stuff? Yuck.”

“Only because you’re too dimwitted to understand any of it.” Sasuke drawled as he set the folder aside.

Naruto chose to ignore him and instead glanced at Itachi, “Gaara backed out of dinner, now I’m all alone.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah. Orochimaru called and said that the owner wanted to meet with me.”

Itachi nodded, “Business plans I presume.”

The blond shrugged, “Not sure, but that’s why you should come with me. Besides, you’re already dressed and you look like you could use a break.” Naruto paused, “Please.”

“I agree with him, I think we need a break.” Kisame spoke up and Naruto flashed him a grin.

“Naruto, I don’t think your boss would enjoy you bringing extra company with you.” Itachi stated, “I’m sorry.”

He watched the blonds’ face fall and he felt his resolve start to break. But as much as he wanted to go and make sure the creepy agent didn’t try anything, he knew he couldn’t. Being a manager himself, he knew the hassle that came with extra people at dinner meetings. They always proved to be a distraction and the act was often frowned upon; he didn’t want Naruto’s new employer to think badly of him.

“I understand.” Naruto said softly and rested his chin on Itachi’s shoulder.

Itachi turned his head slightly to place a soft kiss on the blonds’ temple and muttered, “You’ll be fine.”

Silence filled the lobby again as Kisame let out a sigh of disappointment and picked up another piece of paper. Naruto’s eyes ran over the black text that filled the page and he tried to make sense of the words, but nothing of interest stood out. It was nothing but pointless words to him and the only thing that stood out to him was the elegant way the words were written. He heard his name being called and he lifted his head from the raven’s shoulder.

“Hey Kakashi.” He cocked his head and Itachi turned around in the chair to look at the doctor. “What’s up?”

The silver haired doctor smiled and spoke in a slightly strained voice, “You have some people who are very anxious to see you.”

Behind him, Orochimaru and another male were talking to each other in hushed tones. It wasn’t until Kakashi cleared his throat that they stopped and looked up from their conversation. Itachi arched an eyebrow at the guilty looks on their face and the brunette stepped forward.

“Good evening Naruto, I’m Genma Shiranui; I guess I’m your boss.”

The tension eased from Naruto’s shoulders at the relaxed tone in the mans voice and he shook the offered hand, “Thanks for meeting with me Mr. Shiranui.”

He shook his head, “Please don’t call me sir, it makes me feel old; Genma will be fine.”

A chuckle came from behind Naruto, “I see you haven’t changed much Genma.”

Genma blinked and took a step closer to the blond before cautiously peeking around Naruto’s body. His eyes widened and Itachi smirked. “Itachi? Damn, it really is you.”

“You know each other?” Naruto asked as he sat on the back of the chair.

Itachi nodded, “Genma came to us a few years back in hopes of starting a joint venture. He borrowed money from us to expand his company and paid us back in a few years time. It was more of my fathers’ project so I never monitored it once the loan was paid in full. I’m pleased to see that the investment worked out.”

A look of confusion flickered across the mans face, “Ah, I, um; what are you doing here?”

“He’s a murderer.” Sasuke’s voiced from the other side of the table.

The comment rolled over Genma like a quick gust of wind; there one moment and gone the next. “Itachi, I need to thank you somehow. We should go to lunch sometime and catch up on old times.”

Itachi smirked as he stood up, “Actually, if you don’t mind the extra company, I could join you tonight. This way, you don’t have to try and find a clear day in your schedule.” He wrapped an arm around Naruto’s waist and drew him closer, “I’m sure Naruto won’t mind.”

Naruto felt a sense of dread wash over him as Genma’s eyes widened briefly, before they narrowed and a sly smirk slid across his mouth. “I see. So, if I do this...” He paused to lean in closer to the blond and a low growl escaped Itachi’s throat, “You’ll do that.”

He backed away with a smirk on his face still, “I don’t have any problems with you and your friends coming, the more the merrier! This way we can all catch up on lost time.”

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a business meeting for you and the blond?” Sasuke asked.

Genma shook his head, “I wouldn’t have told him anything that he didn’t already know. I just set up this meeting so I could meet him in person; he looked so cute in the picture.”

A blush spread across Naruto’s face at the comment and he squirmed in Itachi’s grip. Why was he always surrounded by perverts? He felt the raven shift behind him as he rounded the sofa and came to stand next to him, and for a moment, he feared that Genma had gone too far. But Itachi didn’t do anything and he let out a sigh of relief.

“So, should we get going?” He asked cautiously.

“Yes; you two can ride in our car, and your partner and Uchiha Jr. can follow us.”

Naruto snickered at the name and caressed Itachi’s hand lightly before he stepped forward to talk to his agent. He knew that the Uchiha would want to stack all the papers and store them before they left and he didn’t want to get in the way. Especially if Sasuke was going to be in a bad mood from the name-calling. His footsteps paused as he passed by the silver haired doctor who was watching everyone in the lobby move around. The blond found it odd that he wasn’t reading instead but brushed the thought aside.

“We’ll be leaving soon Kakashi. Sorry to keep you away from your job.”

“Seems like you’ve invited everyone to your dinner.” Kakashi said lightly and feigned a hurt tone, “What about your loving doctor?”

Azure eyes brightened, “Ah, you should take this time to spend with Iruka. Since we’ll be gone, you have some free time; you should enjoy it.”

Behind them, Orochimaru cleared his throat, “What if I wanted tonight to be a type of date; just the two of us? And yet, you go and bring everyone else; I’m hurt.”

Naruto laughed at the comment and put a hand behind his head as a comeback escaped his mind.

Kakashi frowned slightly, “I thought you already had a lover Orochimaru.”

“I do, but you can’t help but tease Naruto; he’s like a little brother or something.” He reached forward to ruffle his hair, drawing a noise of annoyance from the blond before he swatted the hand away, “See what I mean?”

Ebony eyes narrowed at the gesture and Kisame chuckled slightly, “Maybe we should leave now, before it gets too late.”

They nodded to the doctor as they left the center and separated into the separate cars. Kisame was happy to leave the confines of work for a while and Itachi could have sworn he was whistling to himself as they climbed into the vehicles. He pushed the thought aside as Naruto slid in next to him and he realized that he was glad to leave the mountains of paperwork behind as well. They had been pouring over the work for the entire day with only a small break for lunch.

As they drove away, he realized how hungry he actually was and even though he would have preferred to spend time alone with Naruto, he would take this time as well. Over the past few weeks, they had been able to spend vast quantities of time together, in which, Itachi found himself relaxing more and more as the blonds’ presence surrounded him. His nights had become less restless and even work seemed to come easier to him.

Although, he wasn’t sure if it had to do with the fact that every time he worked on something, Naruto was always close by; providing a constant soothing aura that made it easier to work. They would often curl up on the sofa in the library and work quietly on their respected jobs. And if it hadn’t been for the annoying habit that Orochimaru had to pop up randomly and steal his blond away, Itachi might have actually liked the man.

The agent had a good grasp of business, especially in marketing and they had had several lengthy discussions on the subject. However, he was also the reason that for the past week, they hadn’t been able to see much of each other. Naruto was close to finishing the editing on his manuscript thanks to the constant hounding of Orochimaru, but it was keeping him extremely busy. His editor was, as Naruto called him; a grammar police, and the chapters often came back filled with red markings on the subject.

But while Naruto complained about his editor’s obsession with perfect grammar; (which he assured Itachi, no one was going to notice the difference between as and like), he still took the comments to heart and went about fixing the sentences. Itachi found some humor in this and loved to watch the facial expressions that flickered across Naruto as he read the comments and grumbled to himself. Those nights often ended with soft kisses and touches before the black haired agent interrupted them.

He wondered if one of the reasons the agent often acted the way he did was because he didn’t know they were together. And it often made him wonder how Naruto felt about the whole thing, especially sense he didn’t make a big deal about it like females often did. It wasn’t public knowledge that they were together, but at the same time, he made no moves to hide most of his feelings. Seeing, as he was somewhat new to the whole thing, he felt as though he needed to test the waters with each step he took. He didn’t want to confuse these feelings with lust and tried to savor the way his body felt at the small touches Naruto gave him.

A soft touch on his hand drew his thoughts away from the confusing vortex in his mind and he looked down into blue eyes. The blond nudged his head a little closer so their bodies were still far enough apart without causing any worry and his breath was warm as he asked, “Are you okay? You’ve been frowning for the entire ride.”

Itachi nodded and gently ran his thumb over the top of Naruto’s hand. “I’m fine, just thinking.”

Naruto smiled a little and leaned back to his side of the car. He knew the raven wasn’t comfortable with openly flaunting the knowledge that they were together and he tried to keep the actions under the radar. But he knew that Itachi cared and showed his feelings through small touches of affection when they were in large public places; making them seem more special. His eyes glanced out the window where the trees were fading back and signs of the more populated city were coming into view.

He wasn’t sure where they were going to eat, but Genma had assured him that it wasn’t anything too fancy. The blond certainly hoped so, seeing as he was only dressed in nice jeans and a deep blue collared shirt. His gaze flickered to Itachi who was dressed a little more formal than he was and he still couldn’t figure out why he would want to dress up for an informal business meeting. It must be a manager thing. He gazed up at the tall buildings in awe as they came closer and he thought he heard Itachi chuckle softly at his antics.

The car stopped outside one of the smaller buildings on the edge of the city and his eyes read the sign outside the restaurant. They climbed out of the car and entered the building, requesting a table for six. It didn’t take long for a table to become available and they were showed to a table in the back of the room.

Itachi was quick to push Naruto into the booth seat first before sitting next to him; there was no way he was letting the agent sit next to the blond. Kisame slid next to him and he could see his eyes dancing with amusement at his actions. He scowled at his partner before realizing that Orochimaru was sitting across from Naruto and he found himself staring at Genma, who still had a sly smirk on his face.

Yes, tonight was going to be interesting.

After ordering drinks and skimming the menu, Genma leaned forward and rested his chin on folded hands, “So Itachi; Orochimaru and I were having this discussion earlier and we were hoping you could help us come to an agreement.”

Itachi eyed them cautiously and set his menu aside while everyone else continued to look through the choices. Genma’s voice was low and he had to strain his ears slightly to make out any words in the slightly loud restaurant. “Yes?”

“Well, you see, it started when we first came to the center and saw Naruto leaning over the chair.” Something squirmed in Itachi’s stomach; this wasn’t going to turn out well, “And we we’re trying to find the best word to describe his ass. I said it was cute, Orochimaru said it was fuckable.”

His body stiffened and he felt Naruto turn to look at him. He ignored the blond for the moment and met Genma’s eyes, “Off-limits.”

An eyebrow rose, “Off limits?” He echoed, “So, have you…”

“Drop it.” He said coldly. “It is none of your concern.”

Orochimaru’s eyes flickered over the top of the menu to gauge the raven’s reaction before they lowered again. Beside him, Genma was shaking with laughter behind his menu that he had picked up again and he elbowed him. He had a feeling that his perverted boss was going to get a kick out of messing with the usually stoic Uchiha, but he wasn’t sure if the restaurant was the best place to do so. Not like he hadn’t done so himself at the center several times. It was always amusing to watch Itachi grow frustrated when he dragged Naruto away for something.

Still, despite all his own dirty thoughts, which he blamed on Jiraiya, he would never touch the blond in a sexual way. Not only for the fact that Itachi would probably kill him, but he had someone else that he was rather faithful to. Besides, he had too much fun watching the Uchiha’s hackles rise.

Their waiter came and they ordered before a quiet conversation settled over the table about the finer points of the publishing side of business. Naruto grimaced at the talk and sipped at his drink; he knew that he should understand the basics of the publishing company, but he found it boring. He head rested on his hand as he read over the dessert menu and he felt Itachi’s hand sneak down and grab his other hand.

A small smile crossed his face as he continued to read the menu and he laced his fingers through the Uchiha’s pale one. He felt Itachi squeeze his fingers lightly and suddenly the talking didn’t seem so boring, but it still didn’t stop his mind from wondering. His mind went back to the conversation earlier with Tsunade and how she mentioned her connection with Orochimaru. It seemed that somehow, everyone was connected in a tight fit web.

“Six degrees of separation.” He muttered.

He noticed that everyone was looking at him and he flushed when he realized that he had spoken louder than he thought. He quickly muttered a sorry and tried to get the conversation starting again, but it seemed that they weren’t going to let him drop the subject. Finally, he repeated what he said and Itachi nodded in understanding.

“The theory that every one person is at least six steps away from any other person.” He paused, “What brought that up?”

Naruto shook his head, “Just something Tsunade said this morning and how it seems to tie in with everyone here knowing each other through someone. It’s an interesting theory.”

Orochimaru chuckled and leaned over the table to grab his chin, “I know that look in a writers eyes; it means that their thinking of a new idea.”

“There’s no such thing, Orochimaru; you’re just making that up.” Genma stated and tried to move closer. “I think his eyes look the same.”

“No, they were gazed over just a moment ago; you made him lose his train of thought.”

“Perhaps you both made it go away with you constant touching.” Itachi growled, “Let him go.”

The agent’s hand dropped quickly at the harsh tone and next to Itachi, Kisame’s shoulders shook with concealed laughter. Across from him, Sasuke simply stared at them with calculating eyes. Kisame tried to keep the laughter from escaping and wondered how far they could push the raven until he completely snapped. Normally he handled public affairs quietly, but he seemed to be struggling with himself this time. His eyes glanced down the table to the blond head and he knew that Naruto was the cause of it.

And he probably didn’t even realize it.

With a softer chuckle, he leaned back into the seat as the waiter came by with their food. If this little change in attitude had happened due to the blond, he wondered what else had changed that he was unaware of. He wondered if it meant that Itachi would be easier to deal with at work; if so, he was going to make sure that they stayed together. His eyes watched as Genma and the agent exchanged a glance that went unseen by Itachi, and he prepared himself for another attack.

Even though he found the whole thing amusing as well, he only hoped that the two men knew when to stop. Otherwise, they would be leaving with four people instead of six tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time they arrived back at the center, Itachi’s body was tense and Naruto worried that he was going to snap any second. But despite that threat, he still couldn’t hold in the small bubble of laughter that escaped from his throat. He wasn’t sure what had prompted the promiscuous actions at dinner, but it had gotten under the Uchiha’s skin. Dark eyes glanced his way and he clamped his mouth shut, focusing on the car as it drove away. Once it vanished onto the road, they made their way back inside the center and the blond cast a sly look at Itachi.

“You’re tense.”

“Hm.”

Silence settled over them as they walked down the hallway to the blonds’ room. Behind them, Kisame and Sasuke were finishing packing the boxes of papers before stacking them in the car. They turned the corner and Naruto cast a devious look at the raven, “What did Genma and Orochimaru do that has you so riled up?”

“Nothing.”

He poked him in the arm and they paused in the middle of the hallway. Itachi turned to look at the blond and an eyebrow rose at Naruto’s narrowed eyes and cunning smirk, “Itachi, I think you were jealous.”

“No.” He answered and Naruto mimicked him by raising an eyebrow. A soft huff escaped his mouth before he pulled him closer to his body and his mouth curled into a smirk, “Maybe I was.”

“I thought Uchiha’s weren’t supposed to get jealous.” Naruto teased.

The raven shook his head before he pressed his lips against Naruto’s forehead, “Uchiha’s are still human and subject to emotion; just like everyone else.”

A hum vibrated from the blonds’ throat and he started in surprise when Itachi’s hand grabbed at his bottom. “If anyone asks you to describe your butt, tell them it’s off limits.”

“Okay.” Naruto said hesitantly but didn’t question the statement any further. He figured it had something to do with the earlier conversation at dinner.

Itachi leaned down and tilted the blonds head up before placing his lips over Naruto’s. His hands slid down to bring the younger male closer to his body and drank in the warmth that spread through him. He could feel Naruto’s body shifting as he stood on his toes so he could wrap his arms around his neck. A soft keening noise escaped the blonds’ throat as Itachi broke the kiss and sucked on his earlobe. The raven smirked and trailed light kisses on the skin before he nipped at the skin underneath his jaw.

Naruto’s body trembled in his arms and he felt small puffs of breath tickling his ear. He had to admit that he rather liked having the blond pressed flush against his body and his eyes widened briefly at the thought before they lowered slightly. Itachi glanced at the younger male in his arms and his eyes raked over his expression, trying to decide what was going through his mind. For the umpteenth time, he wondered if Naruto wanted something more than just small kisses and touches.

Carefully, his hand slipped under Naruto’s shirt that had somehow become un-tucked during dinner and his fingers lightly played on the tan skin. He felt a fine shiver race through the blonds’ body as his fingers slowly traveled up the firm chest and brushed against perk nipples, making Naruto hiss and arch into the touch. Blue eyes were hooded but they looked at him in curiosity and for a moment, Itachi feared he had gone too far.

“I thought you didn’t like public places.”

Itachi pressed his lips against the tan neck to hide the small smile that graced his lips. He was glad that Naruto wasn’t upset with him, and was more concerned about his own comfort then pleasure. It seemed that the blond was content to let him set the pace and he was fine with that.

“So did your ankle pop?”

Naruto’s head whipped around quickly and Itachi lifted his head at the voice, scowling softly.

“Ankle pop, what are you talking about Gaara?”

The redhead shrugged, “You know in the Princess Diaries, she says that her ankle pops when she kisses the man she loved.”

A snort sounded from Naruto’s throat before he was clutching his stomach with laughter and the only thing keeping him standing were Itachi’s arms. When his laughter finally reached a controllable stage he focused on his roommate, “You watched the Princess Diaries? Isn’t that a movie for girls?”

“Temari was watching it one night; I just happened to hear that part.”

Naruto snickered again, “Uh huh, sure.”

Green eyes narrowed, “You tell anyone and I’ll let it slip that you like to cuddle with Itachi when you edit your chapters. Come on, it’s late; if you don’t get some sleep you’ll fall asleep during your editing again.” The blond let out a sigh of defeat and Gaara vanished into the room.

“Your roommate has a habit of interrupting us.” Itachi muttered against his skin.

The younger male chuckled softly, “Fine, next time we’ll just stay in your room and lock the door.”

Itachi shook his head at the suggestion and placed another kiss on the blonds’ lips before releasing his grip. “I’m sure he would find a way to get in, either that or your agent would bound in, demanding the newest chapter.”

“Be nice.” He said, “It’s his job.”

“He does an excellent job at it.”

Naruto pushed him in the direction of his room and Itachi chuckled softly at his antics, but continued down the hallway. He paused when he heard the door shut and let a small smile slip across his face before he continued; never noticing the figure that glowered at them from the shadows…

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The ankle pop thing comes from the Princess Diaries, where Mia says that she wants her ankle to pop when she kisses someone.

A/N: I truthfully find the whole six degrees of separation theory interesting, although it wasn’t in the original outline of this chapter. It kind of hit me last minute and I realized it would work into the story.