Chapter Text
September. A wonderful month for some, when after a hot summer the temperatures dropped down to a pleasant twenty degrees, for others a cursed month with the start of school. Either way, every month of the year has its charms and treacheries. Slowly the school filled up with children and upperclassmen. It tried to hammer into their heads the necessary knowledge for further studies and life in general. Some absorbed it easily, others had to have it drilled into them by force.
Over the holidays there were also changes in the teaching staff. Some of the teachers changed places and others retired. A newly graduated, very handsome young man took over as biology and math teacher. Itachi Uchiha. The coal-black of long hair perpetually tied back with a rubber band framed a handsome face dominated by equally black eyes. They could look both happy and sad, for the last few years a careful observer could see the hidden pain in them. Itachi hadn't chosen this high school at random. Yes, he had responded to several teacher vacancies, but he wanted to come here for one simple reason. His younger brother, who was very similar to him, went to school here. They rarely saw each other. He had gone to the capital for college and only came home sporadically. Now he suddenly felt he needed to be closer to his sibling. He returned to his hometown. He didn't want to return home, he was living in a sublet with other roommates.
"Hey, Sasuke, we have our first class with your brother today, right?" Naruto pitched as a math exercise book and a couple of new smelling paper notebooks that were sure to turn into salads within weeks landed on their painted school desk. Naruto was a young blond boy with cute blue eyes and a never-fading smile on his face. Although he barely made it through high school, he didn't seem to worry too much about his grades, and the teachers generally liked him despite his poor grades.
"Yeah," the young man next to him yawned in response, contrasting remarkably with his best friend. Where Naruto was light, Sasuke was dark, what Uzumaki lacked in brains, the Uchiha made up for in superior intellect. He was a handsome young man, of medium height for his eighteen years, solid and hardened by sport. Hair the color of raven feathers flowed down the sides of his head in longer strands, but at the back of his head it bristled as unruly and messy as its owner. If there was one thing that particularly stood out in his handsome, symmetrical face, however, it was his large, dark eyes, mesmerizing and sensitive, sparkling and fiery as well as poignant and tender, depending on Sasuke's mood, but beautiful no matter what. "Kill me," Sasuke demanded of his friend, "I'll probably fall asleep every morning and wake up at like the third lesson." He didn't seem particularly excited by the fact that his older brother would be teaching him this year, he was much more concerned with his sleepiness now. He'd never been an early riser and hadn't gotten used to getting up over the holidays.
Naruto chuckled on command, seeing that his friend would rather be sprawled out on his desk. "Screw it, you're going to get a favor with your brother anyway. You won't even have to study," he lamented. If only he had someone in his family to tlach in school and he could profit from it. But his grandfather was renting out the bathhouse and writing some weird books to go with it. Mum was a clerk in the finance department and Dad was a courier. So he couldn't expect any profit anywhere.
"You don't know Itachi at all," Sasuke snorted, "My brother always did everything by the rules, he wouldn't even dare to help me with my homework." Perhaps their father's temper had a lot to do with that. Fugaku Uchiha raised his sons to be strictly respectful, disciplined, and pushed hard for their results. As a police commander, he was prone to that, or maybe he was simply repeating what he had absorbed from his own father. Either way, Itachi was not only the firstborn, but also perfect in everything, never talking back, never bringing in a grade worse than a B... How much more difficult a position did that make for Sasuke, whose nature was far more temperamental, so from a young age he grew up in his brother's shadow and tried for a long time to live up to him before he figured out that Itachi was Itachi and he was him. "I hope we don't do anything for the first hour," he groaned afterwards, "my brother might still be soft, he's barely out of school."
Itachi had already been preparing for two weeks for classes in the office he shared with Hashirama Senju. Nice guy. He was always smiling, and perhaps he had never seen him frown in all that time. He had long brown hair, even longer than his own. Hazel eyes that blazed with mischievous sparkles, and oddly enough, he taught economics, which he didn't understand. Why had someone of his temperament chosen this particular subject? The kids liked him, he said, which was no wonder. Talking to him made one want to confide in him everything that was weighing on his mind. Uchiha felt he could have gone into psychology and been good at it. A professional listener. Still, rumor had it that he would have liked to be a director instead of Raikage. One learned everything among the female staff.
The bell rang, the time had come. He'd had a few classes already, but he was particularly nervous for the one with Sasuke today. His papers and textbooks were strewn about before he even left the office, so he was delayed a bit and burst into class much later than he had planned. The class went quiet in anticipation of the new professor, and Itachi hoped it wasn't just today. Apparently this class could get pretty heated. He cleared his throat slightly: "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Itachi Uchiha and we'll be meeting in math and biology class this year. To start off, I'd like everyone to stand up and introduce themselves," he invited the students, taking a moment to entertain them so he could look them over.
Sasuke flicked a meaningful glance towards Naruto. What I told you, his expression suggested. He leaned boredly against the wooden back of his chair and rubbed his eyes. He was sitting up in the fifth pew by the window, so it would be a while before his turn came. He had given his older brother only a cursory glance since Itachi had walked in the door, even though they hadn't seen each other in quite some time. Since Itachi had left the house, their relationship had been rather neutral, though he remembered adoring his brother when he was a child. Although Itachi was constantly praised and favored at home, he had always treated Sasuke like the most caring and devoted brother, Sasuke could play with him and confide all his secrets, dreams, and wishes to him. At least until he started to come into puberty. Then not only did he have friends of his own, but Itachi also started to get weird, shunned him and stopped spending as much time with him. He went from being a loving brother to... just a brother.
When it was Sasuke's turn to be introduced, he didn't even bother to stand up. "You know me, why should I introduce myself?" He argued logically, though with a certain amount of cheek.
"Even though I know you, it would be polite to introduce yourself like the others," Itachi chastised him, watching his brother perhaps more than necessary. He was still so attractive that all of his classmates had to gasp whenever he looked at any of them. All the girls had the hots for him... He was so... Itachi quickly stopped his rampant imagination. He mustn't think about it at school! He vowed to act like a regular teacher in class. The first class faced reality and it was already breaking.
Sasuke snorted, Itachi was taking his role too seriously somehow. He reluctantly scrambled to his feet, deciding to sweeten his brother's enthusiasm a little. "My name's Sasuke Uchiha, I'm kind of your brother, and mom says you to call if you need any laundry done in your new apartment, for example," he spoke out loud and the class laughed. Sasuke had no intention of knocking down Itachi's authority, but his brother was asking for it with that nurturing jab. He sat down again and this time returned Itachi's gaze, long and firm, while his classmates giggled some more.
Itachi felt like punching his brother. He was doing this to him on purpose. The very first class and such an embarrassment in front of the others. He forced himself to keep a straight face and not give the students the upper hand. "Thanks for the information. I don't think it's necessary." He decided to return the favor, though. "And you can tell Mom I'll be there for Sunday lunch. I hope you can make it, I hear it's more common now for you to sleep in until three in the afternoon." That was an exaggeration, but Mikoto had complained to him that Sasuke was getting up awfully late.
Sasuke didn't let himself get distracted as easily as Itachi. He didn't care about anything anyway, he had authority with his classmates and didn't have to earn it like his brother. "I hope so," he admitted blithely, grinning, "I might even brush my teeth in your honor." There was another wave of laughter before Naruto felt sorry for Sasuke's brother and stood up.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto and my math is... well, not great, but nothing against you, dattebayo!"
Itachi already had it on his tongue that if he didn't clean his teeth on a regular basis, he was a pig. It's a good thing the blond guy kept going. "Don't worry, Naruto, we're all gifted at something different. I'm sure you'll be good at some other subject." The class laughed at that, which made him deduce that the boy would be on target with his grades in all subjects. Nevertheless, the students continued and he tried to remember them. He sat down at his desk and pulled out his classroom book. He looked at the record and surprisingly no one was missing today. He just made sure of it with the student with the deer on his shirt sitting in front of him. "And we won't be discussing new material today since it's that first class, but I'd like to know where you stand. So we're going to take a little test to see what you remember from last year."
"Noooo!" boomed mightily through the classroom, and immediately a wave of protest rose up.
"But teacher, it's first class!"
"And will it be for grades?"
"We're supposed to relax over the holidays!"
"Last year, we discussed a lot of crap..."
"Teacher!"
Sasuke was honestly quite amused. Not that he was gloating, but he was still a little curious to see how Itachi would handle this situation. It was a tight enough one - if he relented, his authority would go down, only if he insisted, he'd earn a reputation as a bully and his classmates wouldn't like him, which didn't make for a pleasant atmosphere either. He was relaxed himself, because he mostly got through math without any problems, though the truth was that he did more interesting things over the summer than just solving math examples. Naruto, on the other hand, was saying a silent prayer beside him, poor thing.
"Like I said, it's for me to see what you remember. I didn't say I was going to grade it," he assured the students that they didn't need to freak out, and he could see how mightily relieved they were. "Just because I'm not going to grade it doesn't mean you're going to flunk it. I would ask you to give it your best shot after the holidays." Itachi reminded himself of the reasons he decided to be a teacher. It didn't seem quite as beautiful and noble as he had imagined in his freshman year of college.
Some still grumbled a bit, but not so much when they weren't in danger of messing up their average in the first class. Sasuke had noticed that Itachi had taken the trouble the first time around, and had even photocopied the example papers for them to hand out. Most of the teachers had already dealt with this by simply dictating everything they needed and letting them get the papers wherever they could think of. His older brother seemed to have focused on the classics - equations. One to three unknowns, usually not that hard. Sasuke pulled a calculator out of his backpack and got to work.
The older Uchiha let the class do the math in peace, watching the students' faces as they took the test. It wasn't going to be so hard, and even those who weren't good at math should be able to do it. "The first three to get the math right get a grade. It's voluntary, so it's up to you," he urged the kids to compete. He was curious to see who would participate.
Itachi's words fell on deaf ears this time. Although the fourth graders weren't nearly as competitive as they once had been in elementary school, the prospect of easy grades still enticed them, and the students fired up their calculators until all that echoed through the classroom was the frantic tapping and scratching of pens on papers. Ten minutes later, the first seven volunteers at the department were nearly shitting themselves.
The long-haired Uchiha couldn't believe his eyes that so many students had shown such activity. He thought it would be two or three at most, and then it was a small avalanche. Oddly enough, the first test he turned in had a bored-looking young man sitting in front of the department, and he didn't even bother to get up, just handed him the test. That was the first mark. He found one mistake on the second student, so the others still had a chance. The enthusiastic blonde was already slipping his test under his arm. She was so agile she outran even his brother. Another A. It was Sasuke's turn. He looked like he was carrying an indulgent reward, not the test results. He took the test from him and was a little nervous as his brother stood close to him.
Sasuke had no idea of Itachi's feelings, peeking under his arms and leaning into him. He didn't find it strange, though he wouldn't dare do that to another teacher, it was just that since it was Itachi's first class, he couldn't separate the line between his teacher and his brother yet. While the older Uchiha corrected his test and went over each line, he had the opportunity to let his scent affect him. It was so familiar to him, not only the one that was his natural, but his sibling had also been using the same brand of aftershave since he was a teenager. Maybe it would be nice to see him more often again after all, at least twice a week in class and at Sunday lunches.
Itachi was starting to sweat profusely. Granted, it was only a few examples, but it seemed to be taking an awfully long time. Plus, his nose soon realized that what smelled nice here was Sasuke. God, it was like smelling a tempting cake and not having a spoon to eat it with. Beads of sweat popped up on his forehead as he wrote an A at the end. "Last mark, you can sit down," he urged the rest of the speedsters, handing his brother the test. "You got everything right, didn't you repeat the examples over the holidays?" The last time he had seen his brother was sometime in the middle of the holidays when he moved back to Konoha. He was so handsome, he was crying in his head that they were of the same blood. Fate is cruel.
The younger Uchiha chuckled. "I had better things to do this summer, Itachi," he assured him, though for once he made sure the other classmates couldn't hear him, except perhaps Shikamaru in the front pew. After all, he didn't want to ruin Itachi enough that he might be said it's a nepotism or something when he could be teasing him in class. He took his corrected test and went to sit back down. His brother wasn't taking papers from the first ones turned in anymore, but Naruto and the rest of the class had to trot over after a few more minutes to bring Itachi their experiments. A good chunk of the class had already been cut, the last fifteen minutes were left, and Sasuke assumed that Itachi would probably be telling them about the amazing nooks and crannies of math they were going to learn this year.
But the black-haired teacher unexpectedly turned to the students. "I often hear, and I used to do it too, that math is not as important as people say it is. That's why I'd like each of you to tell me what you used math for over the holidays. At least on a daily basis, you use it to pay for something, but I believe you have used it in other ways and may not even know it yourself. Shikamaru, where did you use math?" He asked the student, who he guessed to be smart, but also quite lazy by the look on his face.
"What a pain in the ass," the young man with the deerstalker on his shirt grumbled and slumped in his chair. He seemed to think for a moment. "Do you want to list everything or just one thing?" He asked, as if a long list had popped into his head.
"One thing is enough," the sympathetic teacher assured him, wondering what would come out of the young man.
"Last time I counted a number grid while playing a game of pexes. I'm tired of remembering the pictures." He simply memorized the coordinates of the picture, and when he found the other one, he could take it right away. It was easy and no one really wanted to play with him because of it.
"There you go!" Echoed an indignantly fleshy boy next to him with healthy pink cheeks. Chouji was one of the few who hadn't given up on playing with his best friend yet, though he always lost, unless Shikamaru let him win on purpose. The class laughed and then everyone started to contribute their bit to the mill. Someone used percentages, someone used a trinomial, now and then students simply referred to a calculator, one boy calculated the contents of a rectangle when he and his father needed to lay carpet in the house.
When it was Sasuke's turn, the young man scratched at his disheveled hair. "Hmm, my keys got stuck under the grid, so I had to fashion an integral out of wire to fish them out, does that count?" he pitched innocently, and the class giggled. Sasuke had of course used math over the summer, but only for the common things that had been said a dozen times here, and he didn't want to keep repeating himself. "I'd be interested to know, teacher," he hastened his own question afterwards, "what you used math for during the summer. Besides preparing for our classes."
"Like your classmates, plus I was calculating the volume of water shot from the hose, for a bet with a friend." What is he talking about?! If only the students knew what he was really talking about, the principal would have thrown him out with his mighty paws. It just came out of his mouth. He and Kisame were arguing about the amount of semen they can produce after sex and two weeks of abstinence. Strangely enough, there was no statistical difference.
Sasuke raised his eyebrows in puzzlement. Why would anyone bet on such a bullshit? Like yeah, he'd had his share of crazy bets over the past few years too, but apparently the teachers had some weird sense of humor or something. No one had time to react to it much, though, because at that moment the sharp bell rang, announcing the end of the first lesson. Sasuke excitedly packed his math book back into his bag when he heard Itachi call out to him over the din of his classmates.
Itachi waited for his brother to join him and walked out into the hallway with him, where it was a little quieter than the din that had started in the classroom. His brother didn't seem thrilled that he was obviously asking for something. What did he want from him, anyway? Offer to tutor him, but when, as he knew, everything was going well? Or to say hello to his parents? Nonsense. He had to come up with something logical. He must have been scratching his head for too long, because Sasuke raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I'd like to discuss our, shall we say professional, relationship. You should treat me like a teacher so others don't feel I'm patronizing you."
The younger Uchiha snorted. This was something he would have figured out on his own without Itachi reminding him. It was just that if there was anything he really disliked, it was being told you should and must. He'd had enough of that from his father as a child, and it had bred a certain defiance in him, unlike the obedient Itachi. "What if?" He said with a certain cheeky provocation, "it wouldn't be my problem." He knew that wasn't quite true himself, but that wasn't important right now. He didn't let Itachi speak, however; he preceded him: "I know how to treat you, Itachi. See you at Sunday, teacher." With those words, he returned to class.
The long-haired Uchiha sighed. His brother had grown up too much and he had somehow missed it. When had he become a young man who resented all authority? Too bad, he remembered Sasuke a little differently. Maybe it was just his first impression in a strange environment and it would calm down in time. With a slightly droopy smile, he parted for his office to exchange his math books for biology.
The brown-haired teacher was just opening a cup of fruit yogurt with pleasure when the door to the office opened and his new young colleague entered. At first glance, he knew something was wrong, and his eyes flew to the lesson plan that hung on their shared bulletin board. "Gee," he chuckled then, dropping the top cap into the trash can, "so tell me. What have my devils done to you?" Hashirama Senju was Sasuke's class teacher.
"Basically nothing, but I don't think Sasuke likes me teaching him very much," Itachi replied casually, setting his textbooks down on his desk so he could grab another stack. "He tried to see what I could stand, and the class cheered him on, but that's to be expected. Still, I was a little taken aback." He wishes he and his sibling had a healthy family relationship. He would have been much better at learning.
A smile appeared on Hashirama's face. Though that was there most of the time, this one was wider. "Don't worry about it, Itachi. He'll get over it, it's been a long time since you've seen each other. And Sasuke isn't... hmm, if I do say so myself, he's not a jerk like some. In fact, he's very sensible and... mature. You have an exceptional brother, Itachi. I remember a case. My class can be a bit exuberant, you'll find that out in time. But once in front of the school, it could have gotten really bad. I saw from the window that such a strong group was bullying Chouji. You know, the boy who's a bit of fat. They were pushing and shouting and taking his stuff... And before I could intervene, your brother spoke up. He told them that was enough and to leave him alone. He was able to say STOP at the moment it became a social norm. Do you know how much courage that takes? And they obeyed him. From then on, no one bullied Chouji."
The long-haired Uchiha was surprised. He was sure their father had instilled the same social principles in them, but Sasuke had always been a provocateur in body and soul. He was always trying to see how far he could go. He wouldn't be surprised if he was caught with weed somewhere behind the school. Still, he was impressed that his little brother stood up for someone. In adolescence, most young people want to fit in with their peers and not stand out from the crowd. The desire of some was so strong that they were willing to do things to please others, and bullying easily ensued. He had the attitude of a peacemaker and was not afraid to go against the bullies who wanted to hurt others. "He always knew what was right, but he didn't always want to follow it," Itachi remarked, "Father would have been pleased."
"Yes. He makes me happy too," Hashirama beamed, "I'm sure your father is proud of you both. Sasuke is learning well and he's a handsome boy." The brown haired man licked his lips and for a moment looked like he was thinking about something. Finally, he patted Itachi on the shoulder. "Give him time, I'm sure he won't be a problem all the time, you're his brother after all," he assured him kindly, sitting down at his desk, "and if he does, I'll talk to him in person." He dug into his yogurt with chunks of strawberries.
"Just so he doesn't do shenanigans over this very thing. I'll trust in his saner self," Itachi finally uttered. He'd always done that and then covered his brother's back or saved his ass... Now he'd do other things to his ass. He blushed a little. God, first few days of school and he's still thinking about sex, and with his brother to boot. He's gonna have to get used to it, he's gonna see him more often, and it wouldn't be good if something happened that shouldn't.