ㅤNot his most graceful entrance. Silent as usual, a shadow in the dark of night and nearly untraceable if it wasn't for the eerie red glow of his eyes - yet, the moment Itachi finally found himself past the open window of the very cramped living room, it took every ounce of self-restraint [and dignity] to not just allow himself to flop on his face like a loaf of stale bread. Home, finally, after almost an entire week.
ㅤThe mission hadn't even been that dangerous, truth be told. But it had been long, and it had been laborious, and it had been hectic, and, by the gods, with only two ANBU operatives dispatched, it had stretched favorable odds very thin; even when one of them, himself, was a one-man army. A one-boy army, to be accurate. Whatever. The only thing that mattered, now, was the familiar scent of worn-out wood floorboards and his favorite fabric softener and piled up books from the library still awaiting free time to be read. A myriad recipes with vegetables, taxonomy charts and dichotomous keys to identify reptiles because why not, general geography of the Land of Earth.
ㅤThere was also the obsessive meticulous part of him that was insisting he ought to still write the mission report before officially blacking out/sleeping like the dead for a few hours, so that it could easily and promptly be delivered to the Hokage in the morning... but, for once, Itachi truly was considering ignoring it. Not for lack of will, rather because he was so thoroughly exhausted. Sore muscles and aching limbs and a dull, annoying headache throbbing behind his eyes as reward for overusing them. That and, of course, the acidic taste of death staining his hands and never to be purged again, but that was nothing new anymore. None of it was, truly. Frightening, how atrocious acts so easily became routine.
ㅤForcing his legs-as-heavy-as-lead to move, sparing only a moment to push the weasel-shaped mask slightly askew to hang by the side of his head instead, the young clan heir headed over to the corridor and, from there, to the bedroom. No lights and no sound, as far as his senses could tell [which... really, wasn't all that much, at the moment; an elephant might be able to sneak past him], and that meant that Shisui was likely asleep. Good. Excellent. Let at least one of them be a functional human being. Just to be sure, though, and to not risk accidentally waking up his friend, he peeked inside first and called very softly.
