I feel the same. In the last dimension I occupied, shared housing was an expectation. I prefer the privacy offered in single units.
[Any memory of Stiles asking to live with him, and the week or so he spent under the same roof as Sasuke in Aefenglom, is pushed aside. It's better this way.]
How are you finding Sumarlok? Have you recovered, physically, since we last met?
[In the past, Itachi felt that meddling in his brother's relationships — particularly those with Jonas and Stiles, two people so unfamiliar to him — was not his business. But things have changed. The desire to know what was discussed between Stiles and his brother is... unsettling, a novel intersection between discomfort and hope.]
He seems like an earnest young man. I could tell from our meeting that he was close with you and my other self. That you trust him is enough for me to do the same.
[He frowns at the message, having wanted to relay the same idea. If he were one prone to comedy, it might be funny — they're levying Stiles' affection back and forth to one another like a ball across a net, unwilling to cross it themselves.
He's also not going to say to Sasuke that he already has taken advantage of Stiles' willingness to Sync. That is a conversation to avoid at all costs.]
Yes. Initially, he and I didn't get along. I found his personality abrasive and lacking boundaries. I believe you tolerated him better.
But he means well. His world is a very different place from our own, so it is hard for him to understand our... circumstances.
Edited (i can't use the same icons) 2021-02-09 18:47 (UTC)
[ It isn't lost on him, given the conversation he and Stiles had, but he doesn't know their circumstances; he can only assume Itachi is perhaps as averse to close contact as he is. But then, who knows what he was like with Akatsuki? In retrospect it's unlikely to Sasuke his brother had the same single minded focus he did over a goal. Maybe he had taken lovers. Sasuke hasn't a clue, but the idea chafes for reasons he can't quite put his finger on. ]
I've had more practice with that kind of person.
We didn't get a chance to discuss his world, but he seems to know a lot about ours.
[Joke’s on you, Sasuke, he was mutually obsessive.]
You shared a lot with him, I believe, in Aefenglom.
He’s also learned some from viewing memories. Is that something you’ve experienced? It seems a common phenomenon; I’d be prepared for it to possibly happen here as well.
[Once in one dimension is a coincidence. Twice in two? A trend.]
He is stubborn when he wants to know or understand something.
Does it bother you that he has knowledge about our world? About you?
[ And its extremely alarming. The last thing he would want is someone in his head like that. A shiver goes down his spine. Apparently someone already was, even though he has no memory of it. He can't even fathom how he would respond. ]
It's
[ hm. ]
Unsettling. If circumstances were different I might have considered him a threat.
I understand that. Physically, however, he would not be a match for you. Except for our gems, he is an ordinary civilian.
[This causes Itachi’s mind to dwell on just how powerful his brother has become from what he’d felt within that overwhelming tide of chakra on the station. An uneasy reminder. If he tried, he’s certain he could sense Sasuke even across the city.
Itachi frowns. He hesitates for several long moments before he manages to communicate his next message.]
[ He knows, if not from the sheer normalcy of him, and of their conversation. Killing him would've been simple, but Stiles is obviously harmless, and Itachi has vouched for him.
Very obviously, by the words that come belatedly across his screen.
He looks at them for a while, feeling that ugly little thing in his gut turn over. It's good that his brother has found someone to trust, someone he wants to protect. He knows this jealousy is born from the fact he was robbed of this affection. He allows it to sit for a moment, then sets it aside. Itachi is more important than this kind of petty emotion.
Besides, he learned a long time ago how to put himself second to his important people's happiness. This? It's much easier than that. ]
Then he will.
Edited (mobile tags messin up my format) 2021-02-10 16:36 (UTC)
[There's more he wants to say. Yet the difficulty of communication with his brother is magnified, somehow, but Sasuke's simple acceptance of his desire. There is no question - no real demand - for an explanation. Perhaps he shouldn't have expected it, and yet it makes Itachi keenly aware of what he has requested of his younger brother.
And what Sasuke has agreed to, blindly.
What was it Stiles said? "You're his big brother. You need to put in the extra effort to bridge that divide." It's a sharp, painful flag in his mind now.]
Sasuke. When we met previously, were you trying to Sync when you touched me?
Edited (changed for clarity) 2021-02-10 22:37 (UTC)
[ This is unexpected. More than the backhanded request for Stiles to be protected from harm.
He sits for what feels like a small eternity, just looking at the question. While the fact of their lack of Synchrony has sat like a knife in his ribs, he suspected that was simply how it would remain. His brother had spent the majority of their childhood holding him at arm's length — something Sasuke understands better these days — so he assumed this was just how things would be. Maybe Itachi wasn't even bothered by it from sheer habit.
Sasuke weighs the value of giving him a lie to relieve him of the burden, but decides against it. His brother may not remember what happened in that cave but it didn't change that Sasuke knew it. It makes him feel like he owes Itachi the truth. ]
I hadn't been thinking of it at the time.
I wanted
[ Just to touch him and know he was real. He changes tactics. No use rubbing salt in the wound. ]
You surprised me. Given previous dimensions… I've learned to block and control projected channels of communication, similar to the way Synchrony is done.
I was not prepared for it. My reaction to you was automatic and unintentional.
[Part habit, part uncertainty… is he really explaining himself well? It's so difficult; he feels like he's standing at the base of a sheer cliff, unready to climb.]
It wasn't your fault. And it does not mean that we are not compatible, but… it's possible there are still risks to us attempting to Sync. An emotional toll.
[Is Sasuke even aware of the all-encompassing, debilitating, paralzying effect he has on his older brother? No. Likely not. He's buried that piece of himself beneath a lifetime of guilt. He'd severed their relationship so long ago, expecting to never get it back.]
I would try it with you again, under more deliberate circumstances. If that is something you'd want.
[ The impact of what Itachi tells him is so large that Sasuke sets his phone, face down, on the island in the middle of his apartment and walks away from it.
It isn't lost on him that it had taken death, resurrection, and Sasuke's unbridled determination to get any kind of truth from his brother. Yet here, all it had taken was a text message. But more than the offer of Synchrony and all that comes with it are the words It wasn't your fault.
It takes him a good thirty minutes to reel himself back and return to the conversation. ]
I remember. You said the Bond was similar. Mastering that technique must have been easy for a shinobi of your caliber.
[The delay doesn't bother him. It allows Itachi a moment to gather his own thoughts, and reminds him too well of their attempts at stilted conversation in Aefenglom.
He doesn't want to acknowledge the compliment. It feels so wrong, and so misplaced, a matured pantomime of Sasuke as a child crowing over his brother's skill as a shinobi. And how does it compare now, suspecting Sasuke has likely surpassed his ability altogether? No, almost certainly he has. His own physical condition here would see to that difference now.]
It wasn't so simple as that.
In any case… I am grateful for your willingness to attempt it again.
[That's all he can think to say, an appreciation for Sasuke's confidence like a bright, blazing beacon in the dark.
[ Simplicity doesn't matter; to Sasuke it only drives home the fact Itachi was able to master something difficult. That isn't the point, he knows, and besides — being faced with both his brother's honesty and gratitude is overwhelming. Leaving the conversation as it is feels wrong somehow, but Sasuke finds he can't continue for the time being. So: ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Any memory of Stiles asking to live with him, and the week or so he spent under the same roof as Sasuke in Aefenglom, is pushed aside. It's better this way.]
How are you finding Sumarlok? Have you recovered, physically, since we last met?
no subject
[ Or maybe he just misses the people from Sansvoir. He carefully sets that thought aside. ]
I'm alright.
I met with Stiles. I was able to achieve Synchrony with him, and one other person.
no subject
[In the past, Itachi felt that meddling in his brother's relationships — particularly those with Jonas and Stiles, two people so unfamiliar to him — was not his business. But things have changed. The desire to know what was discussed between Stiles and his brother is... unsettling, a novel intersection between discomfort and hope.]
What is your opinion of Stiles?
[Nailed it. It's like he's asking for a dossier.]
no subject
He seems like an earnest young man. I could tell from our meeting that he was close with you and my other self. That you trust him is enough for me to do the same.
no subject
[Apparently Itachi can tell Sasuke when other people care about him, but when it comes to himself... woof.]
I know he wouldn't be averse to Syncing regularly.
no subject
[ It's worded poorly, but the sentiment remains. Itachi's wellfare has been at the front of his mind since they met on the station. ]
Is he always so forthcoming?
no subject
He's also not going to say to Sasuke that he already has taken advantage of Stiles' willingness to Sync. That is a conversation to avoid at all costs.]
Yes. Initially, he and I didn't get along. I found his personality abrasive and lacking boundaries. I believe you tolerated him better.
But he means well. His world is a very different place from our own, so it is hard for him to understand our... circumstances.
no subject
I've had more practice with that kind of person.
We didn't get a chance to discuss his world, but he seems to know a lot about ours.
no subject
You shared a lot with him, I believe, in Aefenglom.
He’s also learned some from viewing memories. Is that something you’ve experienced? It seems a common phenomenon; I’d be prepared for it to possibly happen here as well.
[Once in one dimension is a coincidence. Twice in two? A trend.]
He is stubborn when he wants to know or understand something.
Does it bother you that he has knowledge about our world? About you?
no subject
[ And its extremely alarming. The last thing he would want is someone in his head like that. A shiver goes down his spine. Apparently someone already was, even though he has no memory of it. He can't even fathom how he would respond. ]
It's
[ hm. ]
Unsettling. If circumstances were different I might have considered him a threat.
no subject
[This causes Itachi’s mind to dwell on just how powerful his brother has become from what he’d felt within that overwhelming tide of chakra on the station. An uneasy reminder. If he tried, he’s certain he could sense Sasuke even across the city.
Itachi frowns. He hesitates for several long moments before he manages to communicate his next message.]
... I would prefer if Stiles remained safe here.
no subject
Very obviously, by the words that come belatedly across his screen.
He looks at them for a while, feeling that ugly little thing in his gut turn over. It's good that his brother has found someone to trust, someone he wants to protect. He knows this jealousy is born from the fact he was robbed of this affection. He allows it to sit for a moment, then sets it aside. Itachi is more important than this kind of petty emotion.
Besides, he learned a long time ago how to put himself second to his important people's happiness. This? It's much easier than that. ]
Then he will.
no subject
And what Sasuke has agreed to, blindly.
What was it Stiles said? "You're his big brother. You need to put in the extra effort to bridge that divide." It's a sharp, painful flag in his mind now.]
Sasuke. When we met previously, were you trying to Sync when you touched me?
no subject
He sits for what feels like a small eternity, just looking at the question. While the fact of their lack of Synchrony has sat like a knife in his ribs, he suspected that was simply how it would remain. His brother had spent the majority of their childhood holding him at arm's length — something Sasuke understands better these days — so he assumed this was just how things would be. Maybe Itachi wasn't even bothered by it from sheer habit.
Sasuke weighs the value of giving him a lie to relieve him of the burden, but decides against it. His brother may not remember what happened in that cave but it didn't change that Sasuke knew it. It makes him feel like he owes Itachi the truth. ]
I hadn't been thinking of it at the time.
I wanted
[ Just to touch him and know he was real. He changes tactics. No use rubbing salt in the wound. ]
It didn't cross my mind that it would not work.
no subject
I was not prepared for it. My reaction to you was automatic and unintentional.
[Part habit, part uncertainty… is he really explaining himself well? It's so difficult; he feels like he's standing at the base of a sheer cliff, unready to climb.]
It wasn't your fault. And it does not mean that we are not compatible, but… it's possible there are still risks to us attempting to Sync. An emotional toll.
[Is Sasuke even aware of the all-encompassing, debilitating, paralzying effect he has on his older brother? No. Likely not. He's buried that piece of himself beneath a lifetime of guilt. He'd severed their relationship so long ago, expecting to never get it back.]
I would try it with you again, under more deliberate circumstances. If that is something you'd want.
no subject
It isn't lost on him that it had taken death, resurrection, and Sasuke's unbridled determination to get any kind of truth from his brother. Yet here, all it had taken was a text message. But more than the offer of Synchrony and all that comes with it are the words It wasn't your fault.
It takes him a good thirty minutes to reel himself back and return to the conversation. ]
I remember. You said the Bond was similar. Mastering that technique must have been easy for a shinobi of your caliber.
I would try again.
I believe it should work.
no subject
He doesn't want to acknowledge the compliment. It feels so wrong, and so misplaced, a matured pantomime of Sasuke as a child crowing over his brother's skill as a shinobi. And how does it compare now, suspecting Sasuke has likely surpassed his ability altogether? No, almost certainly he has. His own physical condition here would see to that difference now.]
It wasn't so simple as that.
In any case… I am grateful for your willingness to attempt it again.
[That's all he can think to say, an appreciation for Sasuke's confidence like a bright, blazing beacon in the dark.
He can only hope he is right.]
no subject
I'll keep in touch.