Third installment. I kind of messed up the pacing, so I'm fixing it now. This was meant to end the previous chapter, but whatever.I hope you enjoy it albeit it being very short.
Warnings: emo Sasuke strike again!
Fulcrum
Sasuke settles into his new life slowly. He doesn't sleep for the first couple of days, but he begins to unwind. School won't start for another week and Itachi is more than happy to leave him a long list of chores. Even if he hates scrubbing the floor, hair pinned back, he is grateful to not have too much idle time. If he did he'd probably pick himself apart—how he's worthless, how he can't amount to anything—or he'd break everything that reminds him of Itachi. This bitterness is acute, but only when his brother leaves. When his brother is present, Sasuke is possessed by unadulterated admiration that he is ashamed of.
In distraction, he busies himself, nearly scoring the tile floor with the force of his strokes. Sure, Sasuke has always been highly emotional, but how can one man make him go on a feeling rollercoaster every day? How can all his barriers threaten to break by just one person's presence? Sasuke presses so hard on the brush that it stops and he nearly falls forward. He wishes he still lived with his mom, back in Japan. He wishes he didn't have to hide in his own skin with someone as perfect as Itachi.
Sasuke feels the tears, hot and abrasive on his cheeks. He swipes at them, but they keep coming. As if to mock him, the front door opens and Itachi steps within. A horrible sob breaks past Sasuke's quivering lips and he can vaguely make out himself saying how he hates it here. Itachi is there in seconds, picking his limp brother up, and maneuvering him to the nearby stairs. He sits beside the shaking form of his younger brother, rubbing his back and pressing him to his chest.
"It's okay," Itachi reassures, mumbling into the midnight tresses. Sasuke tries half-heartedly to push his older brother away, but the warmth doesn't give. Itachi only holds him tighter, fingers digging a little deeper into the knotted muscles. Sasuke feels the tears subside, but the sadness doesn't. He nuzzles closer into the forgiving, familiar heat. "I'm always here for you, Sasuke. And I know it's tough, but you're tough, too."
The baritone notes of Itachi's voice sooth the final frays in Sasuke's nerves. His brother tenderly removes the pins from Sasuke's hair, running a hand caringly through the loosened locks. The slight tug on his scalp makes Sasuke nearly hum with satisfaction. Once again, Sasuke is merely putty in his brother's hands as they sit on the stairs, Itachi whispering soft reassurances and Sasuke basking in the glow of the intermittent praise.
"I'll always love you." Itachi murmurs, placing a chaste kiss on the crown of Sasuke's head. The normal adolescent response of disgust doesn't kick in and, instead, Sasuke feels a warmness blossom in his chest.
"Love you, too" he whispers back.
I hope you like this chapter or, really, part of a chapter. It's a little angsty, but Sasuke's angsty and he needs some emotion beyond following his dick or his ego.
Review please 3
Also, if you want to know, the homesickness is pretty real. I just got to college like three weeks ago, and I still miss home. Not like horrible missing, but just it's weird having everything change and knowing it's never going to go back to normal. Unlike Sasuke, though, i haven't cried but my one friend did. It's tough, living on your own, and I give kudos to everyone who ever moves.