Out of all the things in Itachi's life, Sasuke was both the most and least predictable.
Every morning, he would awake before his brother. The coffee pot would be set, he would pull four eggs out of the refrigerator; two from himself and two for Sasuke. Sometimes, he would make toast or hash browns depending on the mood of the morning. Sasuke would emerge from his room as soon as the last drop of coffee slid through the filter. He'd walk into the kitchen, sit down at the kitchen island with a hand out, groping. Itachi would just slip the coffee mug into it. Sasuke would take a sip, rest his head on his arm, and slowly wake up in time for his morning protein.
"I wonder," Itachi began, looking out the kitchen window. He lived in a relatively nice neighborhood in North Seattle-it was less industrial, farther away from the hustle of the campus, but busy with families and their lives. He could see the family next door-the mother ushering her young children into the red mini-van.
"What?"
"How did you even live on your own?"
Sasuke peered up from the pale skin on his arm. "I don't ask you to do this."
"Oh?"
"Itachi, when I first moved in, I woke up, like a I normally do, and you were already falling back into your old routine." Sasuke muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It was true, Itachi knew. He had taken care of Sasuke most of his younger life-both of his parents were so busy. When Sasuke came back, he basically picked up where he had left off. "I lived on my own for nearly seven years. I can cook, clean, and navigate the ins and outs of paying bills online."
The older Uchiha shrugged, as if pretending he didn't notice Sasuke's point. "What are you going to do when I move out?" Sasuke mocked, taking another sip of coffee.
Itachi paused only for a fraction of second-just enough for his hand to slip enough that Sasuke noticed how the tip of the spatula nearly broke the yoke of the egg on the stove. "I don't know what you mean." Itachi said in a calm voice.
Itachi could feel the skepticism coming off his brother, but just ignored it. He grabbed a loaf of bread from the corner of the counter and slipped two slices into the toaster. "You missed me. And it'll be hard for you to let me go again." Itachi shrugged. He liked his solitude-the quiet. "You missed Naruto too."
Itachi finally turned to face Sasuke then. "I had plenty of access to Naruto while you were away."
"Yes, but not in an intimate setting, like now. Having coffee with him while your ramble about work and basically living inside the same house are are completely different sides of the spectrum. This is much more like when we lived with mom and dad- Naruto and I were always around. You missed it-you missed us."
Itachi put out both of his hands in an overly dramatic shrug. "Perhaps." The toast 'pop'ed and Itachi pulled the slices from the toaster and set them on a plate. He laid the freshly cooked eggs on top, setting them in front of Sasuke with a large bottle of ketchup.
"It's okay, 'Tach," Sasuke said as he shook the bottle of ketchup with vigor. "We all miss our routines."
Sasuke was taken aback when he felt two fingers press against his forehead-he looked up, a slight flush on his face when he saw Itachi smiling at him. "Sure, you two add so much structure to my life."