Chapter Text
Your partner was absent again.
It had been 3 weeks since the last time you’d talked to him. He’d been completely ignoring your texts and phone calls, and according to your biology professor, he’d been ignoring his emails too. Even if his absence wasn’t intentional, it was still beyond frustrating. This was exactly the reason you hated group or partner projects. You always ended up doing all of the work - it had been that way since you entered primary school. College was apparently no different, and you’d never been good at socializing. You didn’t care to, really. The only people you really hung out with were Yahiko and Konan, and by extension, their friends, but beyond that, you didn’t bother to entertain others. That was why you thought, at least for the first half of the term, that Professor Hatake had blessed you with Itachi as a partner. He was just as socially inept as you, intelligent, attractive, and seemed to be reliable. This was to be considered your final and the end of the year was coming up fast. You and Itachi had started early so you had a substantial amount of work done, but you preferred to reach a consensus on certain details during projects and you hadn’t been able to get a hold of him for weeks.
To be fair, he had seemed ill the last time you saw him, so while not knowing exactly how to proceed sucked and despite how reluctantly you were to admit it, you were a bit worried about him. He’d been incredibly pale and looked absolutely exhausted the last time you’d seen him. He’d started coughing blood up into his hand in the middle of your library session and had to leave. That was, unnervingly, the last time you’d seen him. Somehow - and miraculously, he was still passing the class. He was sending some tall, dark haired man to pick up the assignments at the beginning of each week. He sent messages to your teacher through him too, so that was the only reason he hadn’t dropped him yet. Every time you tried to catch him, he pretended as if he didn’t hear you. Kakashi had tried to mention the project to him multiple times, but he only ever repeated that Itachi had never mentioned it to him. He also avoided questions on Itachi’s condition and whereabouts. Naturally, your anxiety was getting worse. You started hanging back to catch him more often. When that tall, intimidating man from before walked in (…at 7:35 PM, 3 hours after Kakashi’s last class) with a stack full of paper, you jumped on the opportunity to talk to him. “Excuse me,” you said, rising from your desk as he entered. “Can you please ask Itachi to contact me? Is he okay?”
He was dressed in a plain hoodie and some joggers today, which honestly suited him more than the stuffy dress clothes he usually wore. He didn’t even look at you. “Where’s Kakashi?”
“I need to contact Itachi.” He glanced at you briefly, smirked, and then neutralized his expression just as quickly. You furrowed your brows and went to approach. He took a step back from you, still avoiding any semblance of contact. You scowled. What the hell is wrong with this guy? You thought, scowling. I ask him a question and he completely ignores me? “He stepped out to go print Itachi’s work, if you have to know. Can I have his—?”
“Okay,” he said, moving his attention back to the door. Itachi’s pile of work thumped onto the desk. “I’ll wait outside then.”
“Stop!” He went to leave, but you caught his wrist. “I’m sorry, but I really need…” Your eyes widened — it was like a switch was flicked. Suddenly he was making confident, searing eye contact with you and his neutral expression lifted. It almost looked like he was mocking you - his smirk was slight, but it was as if his entire aura had changed. The chocolate brown eyes you’d seen on him were a deep, crimson red, decorated with flecks of black so intricate it was nearly hypnotic. “What’s with the contacts?”
“It’s almost Halloween,” he explained, a quick, teasing smirk playing on his lips, “Figured I’d try ‘em before going out. Like ‘em?” The crimson color almost seemed to accentuate his pale, masculine features. Your breath started to lump up in your throat after looking at him for too long, so you forced yourself to look away. You dropped his wrist.
“Is Itachi alright?”
“...he is now,” he said, relenting after a moment’s hesitation, “Relatively speaking. I’m assuming you’re still trying to contact him about that project?”
“Yeah. He hasn’t responded and you keep ignoring me every time I try to talk to you.” He let out an amused laugh and you crossed your arms over your chest, feeling a bit affronted at his laughter. “Look, I’d really rather not fail this project, okay? My GPA… I just don’t want to risk it. Please ask him to text me back, at least.”
“He changed his phone number,” he said with that same, fast smirk that now seemed too sadistic for your tastes. It took every ounce of your self-restraint not to roll your eyes at the man in front of you.
The door swung open. Kakashi stepped in, eyes on his book until he looked at the two of you. “Looks like she finally managed to catch you.”
“With no help from you, sensei,” you shot back. “Anyway, I need Itachi’s new number. I don’t want to have to retake Bakashi - sensei’s class.” You took out your phone to type it in. “Please.”
“Look lady, I—”
“Shisui, give it to her. She sits in here for hours just to see if you’ll show up. I want my weekends back.”
“Shut up, Bakashi-sensei! I’m not here that much,” you hissed, “besides, if you’d stop grading my essays so harshly, I wouldn’t have to worry so much about this project!”
Shisui looked agitated for a second, but it was gone so quickly you could’ve sworn it was your imagination. “I’m only here to get Itachi’s work and talk to his teacher. I can’t just give out his phone number. Sorry, kid.”
“Kid?” You scoffed in offense. “You can’t be much older than me.”
“You’d be surprised. Got a young face.” His attention switched to Kakashi. “Is that everything for this week?”
“Well, technically, no. There is a progress check on the project. It’s due this Friday.”
“The project or the check?”
“Only the check,” you cut in, “but—“
“Then it’s fine. His grade won’t take much of a hit.” He took the stack of paperwork from Kakashi’s arm. He went to walk away again. “See you next week.”
“Are you serious?! ”
“I’ve run out of patience for this,” Kakashi warned seriously, “He can skip the check, but Itachi either passes this project with flying colors, or he fails the class completely.”
Shisui stopped walking. “But he can fail the check, right?” The room went still, silent besides his small sigh. “Alright, then. I’ll try and talk to him, but don’t expect much, (Name).” He turned around and glared at Kakashi briefly. “I’ll catch you next week.”
Kakashi gave him a closed eye smile. “Great. Thanks for your understanding.”
Shisui smiled toothily. It looked foreboding, almost. “You’re welcome.”
~~~~~
“Hey.”
Itachi looked up from the pool of sink water that he'd been staring into. “When did you get back?” He asked.
“Just now,” Shisui said, tossing his paperwork on the bathroom counter. He hopped up and sat on the edge. “We have a problem.”
Itachi stared into the mirror now. His bags had gotten worse, and his skin paler. Still, there was a healthy vitality to his look, one that hadn’t been there in a long while. Itachi’s skin had a certain unnatural glow to it — a familiar glow, but one that was new to him. “Already?”
“Yep. Your teacher’s gonna fail you if you don’t ace this project.”
Itachi looked to his cousin. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything. Your project partner confronted me and he took her side.” He shrugged. “Weird for Kakashi, especially considering he’s aware of your circumstances.”
Itachi sighed. “What did you tell them?”
His cousin shrugged and flicked his forehead. “It doesn’t matter because you’re not ready yet. You’ll have to retake the class.”
Itachi frowned and rubbed his forehead. “I’d rather not retake Kakashi’s class.”
“Going back in person isn't an option. You’re worse than a newborn mosquito right now. You won’t be able to hold yourself back.”
Itachi closed his eyes. Shisui’s insistence was discouraging. Itachi had practiced self control for most of his life and it wasn’t as if it were something he’d unlearn in death. Itachi had several reasons to return to school. He’d spent most of his life dedicated to his studies in order to get where he was, and he was so close. Ever since Sasuke had gotten sick all those years ago, he’d decided he’d have to sacrifice whatever it took to learn how to save him. “We’ve been practicing.”
Shisui deadpanned. “Have you forgotten about your massive crush on this woman? Are you a goddamn masochist? Self-control at this stage is—“
Itachi scoffed. “I have self-control.”
“I thought the same thing, and look at Aki now.” Shisui clicked his teeth, “A vampire. A hot vampire, but a vampire nonetheless.” Itachi shook his head. Shisui’s relationship with his girlfriend was odd and she’d willingly been his drudge for several years before he snapped and turned her. Because of her frequent exposure to his venom, she was able to acclimate quickly and easily. She was a rare case. It wasn’t often that a vampire would have a live, consistent source of human blood, and becoming accustomed to the venom was the only way of making the process easier. Itachi hadn’t taken to it easily at all, but Sasuke had been worse. Sasuke still had to go into isolation periodically in order to manage his thirst. Again, Shisui and his girlfriend were a special case, and the venom that ran through her veins was enough to sate Shisui’s thirst. Other than that, it had taken his ancestors decades to control their bloodlust. Even Shisui had taken quite some time, but Itachi was determined to be different. He’d always been far more level-headed than anyone else in his family. He’d been born with a natural sense of stoicism that no one, not even the other broody men of his family, could match.
“Dude. You’ll kill her and everyone else. Seriously, Itachi, no vampire has ever been able to resist their cravings until they’re over at least the first three stages.”
“Shisui, It’s taken me years to get to where I am academically. I’m classes away from my doctorate.”
“You have lifetimes to finish your degree.”
“I’ve put a lot of effort into this class,” he argued.
“Itachi, I’ve been around for 125 years. I promise that school isn’t as important as you were led to believe. Besides, you don’t have to be a doctor anymore. Sasuke’s just as dead as you.” Itachi grimaced. “Look, I know this sucks, but you’re definitely not going to be able to control yourself around that girl. It’s just not gonna happen, man. I’m sorry. You have the rest of eternity to retake that class. Maybe you can take it from his grandson in 70 years. Who knows.”
“You’re not helping.”
“I’m not trying to. I’ve been doing this shit for a long time, cousin. You have to be realistic. It’s to protect yourself and the people around you. You have to take your condition more seriously than that. You’re part of the living dead now.”
“I—“
“Enough. It’s out of the question. I’m not just gonna sit back and watch as you drench your hands and fangs in blood.”
Itachi relented for now, but it was far from over.