When Love Fades

Chapter 23 - Life Goes On II

Sasuke wasn't drunk, but he was slightly buzzed when he finally made his way home from dinner with Neji. They hadn't talked about their personal lives, but even just sharing a meal and a few drinks had been... tolerable. He paused as he put the key in the lock to the door. He could hear the TV on from inside the apartment, and he felt his breath still.

Naruto? Was he... home?

His heart picked up speed at the thought. His hand fumbled slightly as he unlocked the door, pushing it open, only to be confronted by the sight of Itachi cooking something on the stove while listening to the news.

Sasuke told himself that the sudden, twisting hollowness in his stomach was not disappointment. His brain quickly found the flaw in his earlier assumption. Of course it couldn't have been Naruto. Naruto had returned the key and taken his name off the lease more than two months ago. The only person other than himself who had a key to this apartment was Itachi.

It could never have been Naruto.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked tersely, removing his shoes and setting his bag down.

Itachi looked at him. Instead of the sardonic retort that Sasuke was expecting, Itachi's eyes showed... sympathy.

Sasuke stiffened. Of course Itachi would have noticed the absence of Naruto's things. And of course, he would make the correct assumptions.

Itachi watched as Sasuke set his shoes in the rack and hung his jacket on the hook.

"You've been drinking?" Itachi's voice carried no judgement.

Sasuke shot him a glare, wondering how Itachi could even tell. Sasuke might be slightly buzzed, but nothing that would show. Of course, Itachi had always been able to see beneath his surface, no matter how hard Sasuke tried to prevent it.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke repeated.

Itachi set the ladle down, leaning back against the counter.

"You were avoiding my calls. No one is that busy, not for over a month. You only avoid me when something isn't going right." Itachi glanced over to the wall behind the couch. Naruto's photos used to hang there. It was bare now. "I've been following the news about your latest project. You've been getting quite a reputation for yourself. Congratulations."

So Itachi had known it hadn't been trouble with Sasuke's career that had kept him from returning any of his calls. That would have left either their parents or Naruto. Nothing else in Sasuke's life mattered enough for him to get upset about.

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "So you came all this way to tell me I told you so? Thanks. Mission accomplished. Feel free to leave any time."

He had to turn away from the pity he saw in Itachi's eyes. Why couldn't Itachi just be a huge ass for once so Sasuke could properly hate him? Why did Itachi always have to be so fucking perfect? So much better than everyone else? It was Sasuke's eternal problem with his older brother. There was no one that Sasuke loved more than Itachi. Itachi had done more for Sasuke than Sasuke could ever think of repaying. But he was also the yardstick by which Sasuke had always been measured and found to be lacking against.

"Six years is a long time," Itachi said finally. "Longer by an order of magnitude than anything I've ever managed."

Sasuke's eyes snapped over to Itachi, who gave him a slight smile.

"I'm not going to tell you what you did wrong. Like you said, it's easy for me to call the plays from the sideline when I don't have anything at stake. You tried to bal balance your career and your relationship. I've never even let myself try."