Drabble Number Eight, I think.
Author notes: I went through and read all the reviews for this set of drabbles and Emotional Instability, and I just had to write you guys something else. Mostly to show I wasn't dead. Not beta'd, written at midnight, might fix typos later.
Chapter Title: Fall
Chapter Rating: K-plus? Maybe just K?
Genre: General, I guess it's kind of… Light and Fluffy? Like a marshmallow.
Chapter Summary: Out on an errand, a bit of a side-trip. "Little brothers' smiles and fall days fit together oddly well."
Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.
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Crisp brown leaves crunched under two sets of feet. One took steady, even steps, walking slow enough that the feet at the bottom of the shorter legs could keep up, but faster enough so that those other feet wouldn't dawdle. The other feet crunched through leaves, running, jumping, scattering the dry brown material on the sidewalks, getting then tuck between skin and sandal.
The air smelled clean, a chill bite having forced both figures to don slightly heavier clothes, the taller in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, the shorter in pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a light jacket. The material of the jacket crinkled merrily as the smaller figure moved, hinting that there was still fun to be had before the cold weather kept everyone inside.
Sunlight shafted through the mostly bare branches of the trees, covering the two in alternating patterns of light and shadow, sometimes glinting off of pale skin, or turning black hair to a brown tint, or reflecting off of black eyes that took in it's mid-afternoon glory.
The taller figure paused at the corner, eyes never leaving his book as his hand reached down to stop the smaller from entering the street. Pale fingers rested upon unruly black locks of hair, before the traffic ceased and they stepped across. The errand was a simple one; pick up some groceries from the local shop, given to them by their mother. Well, given to him, but Sasuke had insisted on tagging along.
"Niisan." The young voice spoke up now, as if merely the thought of him had pulled him far enough away from the fun of crushing dead leaves that he was required to speak to his older brother.
"Yes, Sasuke." Itachi replied calmly, not looking away from his book, which he held open and turned the pages of with one hand, the other hand hanging at his side, occasionally an uncontrolled swing coming to it.
A small, somewhat sweaty hand fit into the larger, free-hanging one then, grubby little fingers curling around elegantly thin ones. His movement stopped, and Sasuke stopped next to him, as they exchanged a look.
"Will kaasan mind if we stop by the lake?" The young voice asked timidly, and he felt himself trying to smile. Sometimes he hated his own muscular control.
"I don't think she will. It is a nice day after all." He replied, changing their direction, moving away from the market in the town center, instead walking towards the lake. It was much to late for a swim, of course, and neither of them had the proper clothing, but it was somehow… peaceful, just to look at the shoreline in late fall, see leaves float across it's surface, and the occasional child's boat.
That small, sweaty hand held tightly to his as they walked the short distance to the lake, which was really more of a large pond, only perhaps three meters deep at it's deepest point, and around seven or eight meters across at it's thickest, but calling it a lake made it seem so much more vast. He knew the feeling, when he had been young as his brother was now, he had also enjoyed playing along the shores and just watching it, and he remembered how the lake had seemed infinitely deep and looked to stretch beyond the horizon.
Once they reached the rocky shore, Sasuke let go of his hand, something which he was not entirely upset about. The dirty fingernails had unconsciously dug into his palm, leaving shallow marks and some filth or other from his little brother's time at the local playground that day.
Finding a comfortable bench from which to watch his brother and still read his book, Itachi sat down, set a mental timer of ten minutes, and resumed his reading. It wasn't that the book was particularly interesting or important, but it had been lying around his room, a birthday gift from over the summer, and he had decided to start reading it. They had warned him that it might be beyond the level of any eleven-year-old, but he was already proving them wrong.
His dark eyes moved upwards when he heard a splash, catching the resulting ripples, and the form of his six-year-old brother on the shore. Sasuke bent down, lifted another rock, and threw it into the water. Sharp ears heard a frustrated groan, and he concluded that his brother was trying to skip the stones, as their cousin had shown them over the summer--at this very lake, in fact. Shisui was an expert at rock-skipping, and Itachi had immediately picked up the skill, though it seemed Sasuke still needed practice.
His mental timer went off about then, and he rose, calling to his brother that they had to get to the market. There were general protests, though Sasuke obligingly left the lakeshore, hand now damper from the water, and dirtier from the grime on the rocks, but again finding it's place with his own.
He made a quick mental note to wash his hands and Sasuke's when they returned home, before leading his brother back towards the busy marketplace. They were to pick up a few simple things for the night's dinner, and then return home.
"Niisan…" Sasuke started again, and Itachi closed his book, turning his full attention to his brother.
The small figure beamed, the sunlight that glanced off those small white teeth making the expression more charming. "Thank you for taking me to the lake." Sasuke proclaimed, before releasing his brother's hand, darting off ahead of him--but not too far, Itachi made sure--to crunch through the leaves.
Itachi tried to make his facial muscles twitch into a smile, but only managed a smirk, which felt wrong, so he instead resumed his blank visage, walking next to Sasuke and thinking of how little brothers' smiles and fall days fit together oddly well.