Work Text:
For a good two minutes, Itachi pretended not to notice the erratic tugging on his pant leg. He was studying. He didn't have time for brats. Not even if they were adorable.
The tugging grew more persistent, as did the impulse to smile. "Sasuke, I'm busy."
"Mom and Dad are talking about something important," Sasuke whined. "They won't listen."
"And?" Itachi replied indifferently.
Sasuke finally let go of his pant leg and looked at the floor to hide his forlorn expression. "I'm sleepy."
"...And?"
The little dark-haired boy sucked in a deep breath and expelled the next words all in a rush, one on top of the next. "Mom always tucks me in to bed but she's too busy could you please I never sleep good if I'm not tucked in."
Itachi took a couple of deep breaths, pondering. Then he quietly rolled up the scroll and stood up. His ankles hurt from sitting cross-legged for hours on end, but he refused to let it show on his face.
The dawning joy on Sasuke's face made it really, really hard not to smile.
"I refuse to sing you a lullaby."
Sasuke's only response was to fasten onto his hand like a limpet, grinning ear to ear. He didn't let go until he fell asleep.
Itachi finally let himself smile.
X