Chapter Text
When the weekend came around, Itachi felt a strange sense of disappointment. Until now, like any other kid, he enjoyed weekends. It wasn’t to escape studies like most other kids in his class, but because he could focus without dealing with his classmates. This time, though, he wanted nothing more than to meet his friends by the tree in the morning, play with them at recess, and even hear their whispered comments during class. He didn’t want to study alone in his room all day.
When he went downstairs for breakfast, his father was absent, likely already on his way to work, but his mom stood at the stove making eggs. Little Sauske sat strapped into his high chair, mumbling something incoherent since words were still beyond him. If only he were old enough to play. Maybe then they could play games like he did with his friends.
“Itachi, are you alright?” his mother asked as she set a plate down in front of him. She always seemed to know what he was thinking. While his father saw exactly what he wanted to see, his mom sometimes even noticed feelings he had not caught on to yet. She somehow knew he wanted friends before he even did. The conversation he overheard could attest to that.
“Yes, mother,” he replied, picking up his fork and beginning to eat. “Thank you for the food.”
“Are you sure? You seemed so happy all week, but today you look sad.”
“I was just enjoying classes.”
It was not a complete lie. He did like his classes more than normal that year, but it wasn’t just the classes. He wanted to tell his mother about his new friends, how much he loved playing games with them. How he wished he knew them sooner, because even after only a week, things were so much more fun with them around. He knew she would love to hear about it all, but then his father could find out.
“I’m glad to hear it,” she replied, her words said she believed him, but her smile once again made him think she figured out more than she let on.
*****
When Monday came around again, he ran for the tree the second his father’s car drove out of sight. As usual, his friends were waiting, and he couldn’t hide his smile. This week would be even better than the last, he was sure of it. They could play games at recess, and after school, they would meet up in the library. He would make the best of his time with them every week since he would never see them on weekends.
“Itachi, guess what? I actually finished the reading!!” Hidan yelled, running over to him with a huge grin. “I did most of it myself, but Kisame helped a bit.”
“That’s great, Hidan,” he replied, finding himself smiling too. It seemed, despite his original protests, Hidan was glad he was learning to read better. “We can keep working on it after school this week!’
“If you really want, but I think I’ve got it.”
He had not known Hidan very long, but he could already tell that was just his way of trying to seem cool. He was clearly excited about learning to read, but didn’t want to ask for more help. If he needed to claim it was for Itachi’s benefit, that was fine.
“I think I’d like that.”
He really did mean that, too. He enjoyed their first meetup in the library; besides, this gave him a reason to hang out with his friends after school instead of going right home.
They made their way to the classroom, and Itachi found he had never been so glad to have his tablemates whispering during class. He managed to get them mostly on track, but occasionally, he found that even he got a bit distracted whispering with his friends. He always thought the kids who sometimes talked in class were idiots, and didn’t understand why their comments couldn’t wait until later. Now he got it. He knew why, because when they spoke to him, he felt the need to respond right away.
When recess finally came, and they ran outside, he couldn’t wait to go back to their game, but as they reached the playground, Deidara suddenly stopped. Sitting on a bench by the play structure where they played their beast-capturing game was Sasori. He was fiddling with some kind of doll, paying no mind to the world around him. It almost reminded Itachi of how he used to spend his recess reading.
“What are you doing here, hm?” Deidara snapped, storming over to the red-haired boy, putting on his meanest glare.
“Oh, sorry, is this your bench?” Sasori asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I didn’t see a sign.”
“Well, I just didn’t think I would have to see your stupid face here,” Deidara shot back, clearly trying to still sound cool after Sasori’s comeback.
“Deidara, what did Sasori ever do to–” Kisame started to say, but the blond cut him off.
“He’s annoying, and I don’t want to see him here.”
“It’s my recess too. I can be wherever I want. I’d rather not see you either, though, so I would like it if you left me alone. I don’t need to hear your dumb opinions on art. Kisame, I’m sorry you hang out with such an idiot.”
“I was already planning on it because I want to see you even less! Not because you told me to, yeah!”
He turned to storm off, Hidan starting to follow, Kisame as well, though he gave a sympathetic look back at Sasori. Itachi didn’t move. Something about just leaving Sasori there didn’t seem right. Seeing him sitting alone at recess reminded him of himself last year. He spent every recess that way without knowing how much better it could be with friends. What if Sasori were the same way? What if he didn’t have any friends to play with, and that was why he was all alone? He and Kisame seemed to know each other, so maybe they got along. Why didn’t they hang out then?
“Do you need something?” Sasori asked, fixing him with the same annoyed look he used on Deidara when he noticed Itachi still staring at him. “I don’t really need any of blondie’s friends arou–”
“Do you want to play with us?” he blurted out without really thinking.
“What?” Sasori and Deidara both asked, Deidara at a yell, and Sasori looking very confused.
He knew Deidara wouldn’t be happy with him, but he couldn’t just leave Sasori there without finding out if he wanted a friend to play with. Making friends had made everything so much better for Itachi, and maybe things could be the same way for him, too.
“You were sitting here all alone, and I thought you might want a friend,” he explained, trying to give Sasori a friendly smile. Hopefully, he didn’t seem weird. He wanted Sasori to know he was being genuine.
“Why would you think I want that?”
“You heard him, Itachi, let’s go, yeah,” Deirdara insisted, grabbing his arm to try to pull him away, but he stood his ground.
“Because I used to be alone at recess until they showed me how much more fun it is with friends. I did not even know playing with friends could be so much fun until I tried, so please play with us.”
When he finished speaking, Deidara didn’t even try to protest, just stared at Sasori waiting for a response. Either Itachi’s words had convinced him to let Sasori join them, or he thought the boy would say no. Whatever the reason, he was glad his usual loud friends chose to stay quiet for once and not try to influence their potential new friend’s decision. Antagonising him again would likely shut down any chance of him saying yes.
“Fine, but only because you and Kisame seem alright. The other two seem like idiots.”
“Hey, I’m not an idiot!” Hidan protested, yelling over whatever comeback Deidara muttered about Sasori. Hopefully, in time, they would be able to get along. Hidan and Deidara bickered all the time, and they were still friends, so maybe they could do that with Sasori as well.
As Sasori stood up from the bench to join them, it was then that Itachi got a good look at the ‘doll’ clutched in his hands. What he originally assumed to be a doll was actually a puppet. The wooden body had clearly been intricately carved and carefully assembled. Little strings were attached to each of its limbs that likely required careful skill to maneuver.
“Why do you have a puppet?” he asked, hoping the question didn’t sound rude. He really did want to know. It looked super cool, and it would be even cooler if his new friend knew how to use the little puppet correctly.
“My grandmother made it for me,” he explained, clutching it against his chest. “She’s teaching me how to use it.”
“That’s really cool,” Itachi said, and then he had an idea. “Maybe in our game, your power can be something with puppets. You could control really cool fighting puppets or something.”
“My power?”
And suddenly, Deidara was excitedly explaining their game, all his previous issues temporarily forgotten. That wasn’t to say they didn’t fight more throughout recess, but they stayed a bit more civil than he expected. Itachi also discovered Kisame and Sasori were in the same class, and they ended up inviting him to join them for lunch the next day, despite Deidara’s protests.
By the time they made it to the library after school, it already felt like the best day ever. He saw his friends and even made a new one. He didn’t think the day could get much better until they were almost done in the library for the day, and he finally convinced himself to just ask Kisame about his book. He didn’t know why he was so nervous when his friends never judged him for anything. It wasn’t like his dad, who might ask him why he was wasting his time on silly childish books.
“My book?” Kisame asked, stopping as he went to put it away, instead placing it back down on the table. “You mean you’ve never heard of Percy Jackson?”
He shook his head, wondering if he’d somehow missed something important. Did everyone know about Percy Jackson? Had he missed something important by not knowing Kisame’s book? Maybe he shouldn’t have asked about it.
“It’s an awesome book series,” Kisame explained, sounding super excited. He decided that asking had been the right move if it made his friend so happy to explain it. “It’s about these kids who are demi-gods because one of their parents is a Greek god, and they go on all kinds of cool quests! The main character, Percy Jackson, has these really cool powers related to the ocean because he-”
“We get it, Kisame,” Hidan cut in, rolling his eyes. “I think you’ve explained it to me and Deidara like a million times now.”
Kisame looked a little embarrassed at Hidan’s call-out and, once again, moved to put his book away, but Itachi wanted to hear more. His book sounded super cool.
“Wait! I want to hear!” he yelled out, trying to stop the other boy before the subject could be changed. Maybe he could even convince his parents to let him get the book if he could find the right way to explain what book he wanted. “It sounds like a really cool book.”
“Do you want to read it?” Kisame asked, all his disappointment when Hidan stopped him, quickly disappearing. “I can bring the first book for you tomorrow if you want.”
“You have all the books?”
“I only have the first two,” he explained, looking a little sad. “I’ve read them both so many times, but I have no idea how I could get the others.”
“That’s ok. I would love to read the two you have if you’re ok with it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, absolutely, and then we can work together to figure out how to get the rest!”
Kisame’s big smile at that idea and the fact that tomorrow he would get to borrow an awesome book from his friend just made the day even better. He had so many things he didn’t even know he wanted before now, and every day seemed to have something cool and new. It felt like nothing could get in his way.