One might think that Itachi was a cold person, aloof and unfeeling. One might look at him and pity the person who had been matched to someone who obviously felt so very little. One would, however, be horribly wrong.

He had never cared very much for what other people thought. What was important to him was what his loved one 's thought, whether or not they happy. What was important to him was the steady rhythm in his ear as he rested his head upon Naruto 's chest, lulled by the gentle rise and fall of the younger man 's breathing.

Naruto was sprawled across the sheets, all four limbs spread out and his head falling to one side, lips parted for soft breaths to whisper in and out. Itachi had managed to catch the blankets and hold them fast only after Naruto had kicked them down to wrap around their hips. Now he lay curled in to his partner 's side, eyes closed and a gentle smile on his face as he listened to the heart that beat a steady tattoo against Naruto 's ribcage.