Itachi stirred a few hours after midnight tolled on the night, turning into a long morning for him. He opened his eyes, raking a hand through his hair exhaustedly. He attempted to sit up to find that a large black ball of fur was curled upon his chest, warm and welcoming, yet inhibiting to his movements.

"Poe, get off," he groaned.

Poe looked up at him, blinking slowly, then stretching, standing and clawing into his chest. Itachi smiled slightly, petting across the spine of the cat's silky black fur. "Who's a pretty girl?" he muttered, still drunken and dazed with sleep.

Poe let out a slight mewl, choosing instead to lay on the pillow beside Itachi's head. He snuggled into her soft, fragrant fur that smelled of wet morning dew and fabric softener and that indistinct scent that always seems to surround a cat's fur. He scratched her tummy and sat up, pulling his hair back from his face, throwing his legs over the bed. Ichabod looked up from the end of the bed, yawning. "Sorry..." he whispered, stretching his legs before standing, raising his arms above his head, letting out a languid, almost strained yawn. An hour of sleep was kind to him. In fact, it was merciful. He silently thanked God as he slipped out of the door without a sound, walking down the hallway to the bathroom. The moonlight illuminated his passage through the wooded hall, his footsteps resounding softly, a welcoming sound. All he could hear was his slow breathing. For once, the stillness in the house was the right kind of stillness. A calm in the dead of night. His heart beat graciously, a peaceful, steady pace for once. Finally came the intersection where the stairs met the top floor and the bathroom door overlooked the hall, next to the hall closet, filled with towels and blankets neatly stacked on shelves, an old soccer ball, a few puzzles unsolved, a lamp with no bulb. A gun with no bullets. Bullets without a gun. Itachi had made it a factor to memorize the exact fold of the throw blanket each bullet was hidden in, the gun in the largest fold, the third at the bottom, two bullets in every fold of the blanket. He pushed the door open silently, a shiver shooting up his spine when his bare feet hit the cold linoleum. He gave a languid smile at it, his head lilting slightly, falling back dependently against the door with his back, closing the door behind him. The still of the bathroom was almost calming. It gave off a scent of water, clean and pure. He opened his eyes, the smile fading when he locked eyes with the medicine cabinet mirror.

"...well, hello there..." he mumbled, glaring slightly at his reflection, who mimicked his actions rudely.

He approached the mirror cautiously, never knowing why, and undid the child lock on the door of the cabinet, pushing aside Sasuke's stool he used to reach his toothbrush. He opened the cabinet and looked through the shelves, finally coming across an unmarked bottle. He placed one pill on his tongue and turned on the fosset, grabbing a paper cup and filling it, drinking it down and sighing contently, closing his eyes. He smiled comfortably, running his fingers through his long hair that splayed across his shoulders. He grabbed a ponytail holder and pulled his hair back, running his fingers over the sides of his neck, shivering at the feel. He thought of Shisui and sighed, splashing water on his face, drying it with the towel on the rack. He closed the cabinet door and jumped slightly, only to find himself staring, shocked. He took a deep breath, blinking slowly, then looking back at the mirror. He glared slightly, clenching his fists.

"I hate you."

He turned and left the bathroom, flicking the light off as he left. Itachi made his way down the stairs to the second floor, heading for the ground floor when he caught sight of Sasuke's door, marked with the kanji of his young hand that read "Sasuke's room!" Itachi smiled. His little brother was so sweet. He tried the doorknob to see if it was locked. It turned in his hand, the cool knob allowing him entrance as the lock clicked softly. He entered as silently as possible, shutting the door behind him. Itachi walked across the floor littered with Sasuke's toys and books and clothes in childish bliss, leaning over his little brother in his sleep, ghosting his temple with a kiss of endearment as he slept softly on his side. Itachi stood up straight and smiled as Sasuke yawned, stretching his arms, and turned over onto his back, one draped across the pillow, the other over his stomach. He grumbled something incoherent, his mouth left slightly agape. Itachi gasped softly. Dried blood adorned Sasuke's white teeth, and, now that he noticed it, the corner of his mouth, staining the slight bruise on his cheek. He leaned in closer. One of Sasuke's teeth were chipped painfully.

Itachi's eyes softened. He looked on the verge of tears. He wiped the blood away from Sasuke's lip delicatly and went back to the bathroom, returning with a glass of water and two Advil. He crushed them up and let them dissolve in the water, mixing it well. He woke Sasuke gently. "Sasuke? Wake up, little brother."

"Mmn...nnh...ah, I...Itachi?"

"Sasuke?"

"Y-yeah...?" Sasuke rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, sitting up. He winced slightly, his hand moving to his cheek.

Itachi gave a reassuring smile. "It hurts, doesn't it?" he asked quietly, squeezing his hand in assurance.

Sasuke noddedly slowly. Itachi chuckled faintly, giving him the water. Sasuke drank it without question, rubbing his eyes again. Itachi stood to leave, whispering, "It should feel better, soon..." petting his hair lovingly.

"Wait...! Itachi?" he heard as he made to leave. "Yes, Sasuke?"

"Can...I...uh...sleep with you?" he stammered out, a bit embarassed to still want to sleep in the same bed as Itachi.

Itachi turned around and scooped Sasuke up lovingly in his arms bridal style, carrying him out of the room. He closed the door with his foot, smiling as Sasuke wrapped his arms around his neck. Sasuke noticed that Itachi wasn't going towards the stairs to the upper level, but instead towards the first floor.

"Itachi...?"

"I'm just going to get some water, Sasuke, that's all. Do you need anything?"

"No...unless I can have ice cream...?" Sasuke looked up at him innocently, smiling.

"Yeah, try no, Sasuke," he chuckled as Sasuke groaned. "It's too late to satiate your little sweet tooth. Speaking of which, how do you feel?"

"Fine..." he pouted. "Besides you won't let me have ice cream...if I say I'm in pain, can I have ice cream?"

"No. You can have more medicine."

"...you're so mean, Aniki," he snuggled into Itachi's shoulder, his feet swinging childishly over Itachi's arm.

"I know, I know..." he smiled, sighing in false exasperation, unable to hide his teasing grin, earning another pout as he set Sasuke on the counter, grabbing a cup from the cabinet.

"Well, can I at least have something sweet?" he tried, but scowled when Itachi planted a large, dramatic kiss on his cheek. "Itachi!" he groaned under his breath. "Not what I ment." He wiped his cheek off with the sleeve of his pajama shirt, glaring slightly at Itachi, a blush adorning his sweet, rounded cheeks.

"I know, I know..." he breathed a chuckle, turning on the faucet, filling the cup with water.

Sasuke swung his feet over the edge of the counter. He stared at the ceiling boredly, leaning back on his small hands. Suddenly, a small bowl was presented to him. "Nii-san?"

He silently handed him the cold glass bowl. Sasuke's eyes lit up and he muttered a grateful, "Thank you, 'Tachi!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Itachi rolled his eyes, helping Sasuke off of the high counter. He grabbed his water and Sasuke followed at his heels up the stairs. Itachi opened the door to his bedroom and was greeted with two loud, low meows from the cats, only their eyes visible in the dark of the room, a brilliant gold.

Sasuke put his bowl on the bedside table, climbing onto the bed from the hope chest at the foot of it, climbing up to the pillows and taking his ice cream, smiling as he scooped up a large amount, taking it into his mouth happily. Itachi rolled his eyes playfully, his lips turned up at the corners slightly.

"Scoot over," he slipped into the bed next to Sasuke, pulling the covers up over him and Sasuke, setting his pillow to lean back against the headboard. Sasuke did the same, snuggling into his older brother's side.

Poe and Ichabod approached Sasuke cautiously, slinking around him, pawing at his legs and sniffing the bowl of vanilla ice cream, meowing loudly.

"No! It's mine, go get your own ice cream. 'Niki! Your cats are trying to steal my ice cream! It's mine!"

"Ichabod. Poe. Stoppit. You know better," the cats both let him be, Poe laying in Itachi's lap, Ichabod settling comfortably at the foot of the bed, like always, "Just because I spoil you rotten doesn't mean other people will."

"Itachi, you spoil your cats? What do you do for them?" Sasuke tilted his head, spooning more ice cream into his mouth.

"Well, for starters, they hate those generic cat treats because I always buy them crickets instea-"

"Crickets?" Sasuke looked horrified. "Itachi, you don't feed cats crickets!"

"Yes you do," He smiled. "It's a really good source of protein for them," he scratched behind Poe's ear, earning a graciously loud purr, "and they love it."

"...so...cats are...supposed to eat crickets?"

"Mmhmm," he nodded, "and they're pretty much allowed to help themselves to whatever they want on my plate. Ichabod eats edamame, but he doesn't particularly enjoy the shells. I always shell them for him."

"Jeez, Aniki, your cats are like your children. You treat them better than you treat me!"

"I gave you ice cream, didn't I?"

"...yeah..." he muttered, snuggling closer-if possible-to his amused Itachi.

"You realize now you probably won't go to bed?"

"How?"

"I pretty much just fueled you with sugar. You're going to terrorize the cats once I fall asleep, aren't you?"

Sasuke shot a glance at Ichabod, who was staring dead at him. "...no."

"Don't lie, Sasuke," he ruffled his hair.

"And, plus, Aniki," Sasuke giggled slightly, "you don't sleep!"

Itachi looked down at him, blinking quickly. He settled back into the pillows.

"You're right, Sasuke," he praised quietly. "Good observation."