“Uchiha, you have a visitor.”

Sasuke felt his stomach tighten in anticipation as he followed Guard Yamato through the dusty prison hallways and to the visitation area. Naruto never failed to bring Itachi once a week to visit him and it was the main thing that had gotten him through the past four and a half years. The letters and the phone calls helped tremendously but seeing Itachi is what kept him strong and sane.  

He sat in the assigned metal chair and smiled as Itachi pressed his hand against the glass with a tender smile. Naruto stood behind Itachi, adjusting his wheelchair and the blonde cheerfully smiled when they made eye contact. Sasuke pressed his tattooed hand where Itachi held his and picked up the phone.

“Sasuke.” Itachi’s voice crackled through the phone and relief spread through Sasuke’s heart. It never failed to calm his nerves to see that his brother is okay. His long hair was pulled back and brushed. His cheeks were full, and his skin looked healthy.

“Hey Nii. How are you feeling today?”

Itachi chuckled as he nudged over so Naruto could take a seat next to him, “My health is well and I’m well. Naruto does a good job.”

The blonde gave a sheepish smile as Sasuke regarded the live-in nurse. He’d never know how to show Naruto how eternally grateful he’s been all this time. His brother was taken care of. He looked as healthy as he could be under his circumstances.

“I’m really happy to hear that.”

Itachi twirled the string of his red sweater, “You get out in a few months. How do you feel?”

He scowled, “Ready to get the fuck out of here.” He was okay. They would be okay.

“Naruto has been cleaning the house non-stop and fixing up your room.” The nurse squawked and blushed at being called out by Itachi. Sasuke failed to hold in his smirk and mouthed a thank you through the glass. Naruto beamed and something fluttered in Sasuke’s stomach.

He cleared his throat and turned to Itachi, “Are you excited to put me on ranch duty?”

His brother grinned, “Definitely. Too bad we don’t have pigs or horses. I’d love to see you covered in manure.” He could hear Naruto’s melodious laugh in the background.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose, “That’s disgusting.”

“You know I’m joking.” Itachi rolled his eyes, “We don’t even have many animals.”

“I know.” He returned the eye roll with his own. “How are the restaurants?”

“Really good. Naruto takes me to visit them, we have good employees.” Sasuke’s eyes traveled back to Naruto, who was wearing a hideous long-sleeve orange polo. The blonde was distracted, making funny faces at a fussy toddler two seats away from them.

That’s all Sasuke could really ask for. For his brother to live a peaceful and good life.

Sasuke caught them up on the latest happenings around the prison (not much) and discussed what book they should pick next. It was Naruto’s idea for them to have a weekly book club and it kept Sasuke’s mind occupied. He loved being able to argue with Itachi and seeing the way Naruto’s pink lips pouted when he was in deep concentration.

The hour was up before Sasuke knew it and he felt his blood run cold. Each visitation felt shorter and shorter each time, but he just kept thinking, it’s almost over.

The Uchiha sat in his cell, mind wandering towards the blonde nurse. He’d been assigned to take care of Itachi after he’d been locked up. The blonde was sweet and kind and helped Itachi in everything he could. He cooked him nutritious meals and made sure to scold Itachi if he was eating too many sweets. He took Itachi to his physical therapy and kept the home spotless. He went beyond what any other live-in nurse could have ever done. He’d never overstepped his boundaries and would send him letters telling him random things. Like the secret stash of junk food behind some books in Itachi’s library and when Itachi had nightmares. He loved being able to see the world through Naruto’s eyes.

Being locked up left Sasuke alone with his thoughts. He’d had time, a lot of time. It’d made him self-aware of his own emotions and even if he wasn’t the best at expressing them, he could be honest with himself. Mediation, books, letters, visits, phone calls, and his occasional therapy kept him stable.

He’d been here for four and a half years out of a five-year sentence. All because of assault to a pathetic scum of a man. A stranger who decided to beat Itachi to an inch of his life just to rob him of his belongings. His brother suffered some brain damage from the brutal beating and Sasuke lost it. He’d found the man responsible and beat him to an inch of his death, putting him in a coma.

The law wasn’t kind to him at first, they saw his tattoos and judged him to be a dangerous criminal. During the trial the motive behind it became clear. His lawyer explained what happened, step by step. He’d still been found guilty, there was no way to argue against that, but the judge had sentenced him to five years due to the circumstances.

He didn’t regret it. As long as Itachi was safe and alive, he’d do it all over again. He was the only family he had left.

Naruto was special. He was the embodiment of everything that was good in this world. He was compassionate, cheerful, so fucking bright, and full of love. And Sasuke loved him.

He loved him so fucking much.

But he’d accepted that in this life, Naruto would never be his.

He was a felon. He was tainted, and Naruto was so pure. He’d love him from afar, for however long Naruto stayed in their life. He knew that one day Naruto would leave. He’d move along to the next step of his life. He’d probably find someone to settle down with. And Sasuke would let him go. He had to. He had nothing to offer Naruto. He’d accepted that a long time ago.

The only thing he could do is live within his mind. Pretend that in another life, Naruto really was his.

Naruto stirred the stew on the stove with a hum. Itachi was currently in his office, speaking with the restaurant managers and it was almost dinner time. He loved his job. He loved taking care of people and he really liked working for Itachi. He was intelligent and always taught Naruto new things. It felt like he lived in a university with how much knowledge Itachi possessed.

Naruto took care of Itachi like his own family. Like a big brother and Itachi treated him like family too.

He’d made the transition to becoming a nurse after seeing the change in his godmother when she’d acquired her own nurse. Her health had drastically declined when he was a teenager and their live-in nurse, Shizune, brought his godmother a certain kind of help that he’d never be able to fully provide. He didn’t know the first thing about being a nurse, but Shizune taught him so fucking much. When he graduated high school, he’d made up his mind and enrolled in a nursing program.

Itachi was the fourth patient he’d taken care of and the longest he’d ever worked for. He’d been offered to be moved to another patient, but he loved being here.

The large ranch-style home had a perfect view of the mountains and so much fucking land. He had his own garden, took long strolls, and sat by the lake, feeling the breeze against his face and hearing the sheep that kept him company. And he had a cool golf cart that helped him get around quickly in case Itachi ever needed him when he was outside.

He was at peace here. Surrounded by nature and a vast library. Itachi always kept him occupied by teaching him different languages or boring things like math and history.

And he loved speaking to Sasuke.

He could feel Sasuke’s loneliness and his darkness. He knew about the reasons why he was in prison. He’d taken Itachi to the trial, he’d been there since the very beginning. Sasuke was incredibly handsome, all wit, tattoos, and muscles. But he could see his pain. That soul-wrenching pain. And Naruto’s favorite thing was his smile. He fucking loved making Sasuke smile. But he was also so annoying sometimes.

He was secretly counting down the days until Sasuke was also free.

Naruto took a seat with Ino at one of the empty tables in the back of the restaurant. He’d brought Itachi in to speak with the general manager, Kakashi, and Ino was on break so she took it as her friend-duty to keep him company.

“How’s it like taking care of such a hot guy?” Ino sighed as she dreamily gazed at Itachi’s handsome profile from where they sat. The chiseled jawline, the arch of his eyebrows, his dark eyes –

“Oh my god don’t say that.” Naruto groaned and rubbed his face. “He’s like family to me.”

Ino glanced away from Itachi and snickered, “You’re so lucky.”

He sternly replied, “I am but only because he’s easy to take care of.”

She pouted and fluttered her lashes, “So lucky. My grandma’s nurse has to wipe her ass and everything.”

A laugh bubbled from Naruto’s chest, “That’s tough.”

Ino nodded and started playing with Naruto’s fingers, “So, I have a friend who’s single – “

Naruto stopped her before she could even finish that damn sentence, “No.”

She gasped, “You don’t even know what I was going to say!”

“You’re trying to set me up on a date.” The blonde gave her a pointed look.

“No – okay yes – but you need to get out there! You’re – “, she glanced around and whispered, “– a virgin.”

Naruto laughed, “I’m not ashamed of it. I’m okay with waiting.”

Ino cocked her head, “But… how will you meet someone?”

He shrugged, he wasn’t worried at all. “It’ll happen when it happens.”

Ino pouted, “I guess.”

A couple of guests entered the restaurant and Ino took it as her cue to get back to work.

Itachi let him know they were going to be there a while longer so Naruto decided to take the opportunity to go explore the shops. Konoha was a pleasant small town, and the restaurant was centered along many local shops. He pulled out his camera as he stepped out into the street, blooming with flowers, and took pictures of the view. He made it a habit to send Sasuke pictures along with his letters. It started off simple, just a couple of snaps of Itachi and the ranch, then it turned into anything he deemed beautiful. Then just silly. Sasuke had told him multiple times how much he liked Naruto’s photography and it motivated him to send him more and more.

He looked at the window displays, waving to some of the shop owners when he paused at a linen shop. On display, they had a beautiful high-quality cotton sheet set, deep black and lined with deep red accents. He went inside and felt the supple texture of the sheets. His immediate thought was how much Sasuke would love them.

The shopkeeper interrupted his thoughts with her gentle voice, “Can I help you?”

Naruto smiled, “This is amazing.”

The elderly woman moved to the sheet set, “It just came in! I absolutely love it.”

He ran his fingers over the fabric again, decision made, “Do you have it in a king size?”

“Definitely!” She strutted to the back as he went to the cash register, excited.

After his purchase, he thanked the shopkeeper and continued on with his stroll. In the next shop, he saw some gorgeous picture frames and he had to get those. He needed to put more pictures up. Itachi had given him free rein to decorate a long time ago just so he could make fun of Naruto’s horrible decisions. His words exactly.

He returned to the restaurant hands filled with bags and an amused Itachi snickering at him.

He was right. It looked amazing.

He stood back and admired his handiwork after finishing placing the sheets on the bed with a smile. Itachi wheeled in with an amused smirk, “They look good.”

Naruto narrowed his eyes, but it didn’t help cover his blush, “I thought it’d be a nice welcome present.”

Itachi patted the bed and urged Naruto to sit down so they could speak.  

“My brother will be getting out soon Naruto.” The blonde furrowed his brows and leaned forward so Itachi continued, “If you would like to leave, you may. I don’t want to hold you back.”

Naruto’s sapphire eyes widened, and he crossed his arms, “Do you want me to?”

The brunette held his palms up, trying to diffuse Naruto’s train of thought, “Not at all. You’ve become like family to me just don’t feel obligated to stay.”

Naruto shook his head, “I love being here.”

“You…don’t feel nervous being around my brother?”

The blonde frowned, “Why would I?”

“He went to prison for putting someone in a coma.”

Naruto scoffed, “Yeah, because the fucker almost killed you. I don’t blame him at all, and I don’t find him dangerous at all Itachi.”

Itachi’s eyes crinkled in happiness, “Thank you for believing in him, Naruto.”

“Duh! Now scoot, we still have to get things ready.” The blonde moved to the closet to put the old sheets up when he paused, horrified. He stared at the closet full of Sasuke’s old clothes.

“Itachi, what about clothes?!”

The brunette raised an eyebrow at Naruto’s panicked face, “Clothes? He has clothes.”

The bewildered blonde answered back, “Yeah but what if they don’t fit him?!”

“We can’t buy him clothes, we don’t know his size.”

Naruto pursed in thought, “You’re right…”

A couple of moments later Naruto snapped his fingers, “I know! I can get him underwear and socks and pajamas and sweats! Those don’t have to be an exact size like with jeans.” He walked around making a mental note of things he could buy. Itachi shook his head in amusement as he headed back to the living room.