"Alright then." The elder nodded and after saying his see you laters, made his way to his own class.

Kurenai-sensei had given a quiz and he had just made it halfway through it. Wonderful. Settling himself on his seat, he got a piece of paper and took the parts of the quiz that he had managed to catch and hoped that she would be nice enough to repeat the earlier numbers.

Which...she didn't. Oh well.

The afternoon pressed on as boring as it could be.

By the end of the day, his calculator died on him. Thankfully right after he was done using it. Perhaps Sasuke wouldn't mind if they didn't go home right away and went out to buy some batteries?

Hopefully.

If you asked Sasuke what he had learned that day and he was feeling particularly talkative, he would have told you that it's very hard to run without looking like you're running. That's what he tried to do, so he could make it to the front gate before his brother with little to no embarrassment.

He managed to make it there mere seconds before his aniki, taking those few seconds to catch his breath.

He'd have to borrow Itachi's calculator for his homework again, unfortunetly. Hopefully the older Uchiha would still let him, after he almost lost it to a fangirl earlier that day.

"Sasuke, you don't mind going to the mall with me for a while do you?"

Frankly, he knew Sasuke wouldn't have much the gall to say no. He rarely spent time with the boy and he knew how eager he was to be with the older Uchiha. To actually hear such an offer was a rare opportunity in itself.

Itachi then took out the calculator and sort of waved it, "It needs new batteries."

Sasuke shook his head, relief settling through him. Itachi wasn't mad at him for losing his things.

"No, I don't mind. It's fine."

Now Sasuke had to start Operation: Make this shopping trip last as long as possible. He got to be alone with his brother for an extended amount of time! The thought made him want to grin. Screw it, Naruto could tutor himself for all he cared.

He opened the driver's seat and slipped inside, "So let's get going then. You did say you had an assignment to do. I wouldn't want to be the cause of your decline gradeswise just because I asked you to come with me."

Itachi took out his car keys from the front pocket of his dark faded out jeans and started the engine. Once he saw Sasuke was settled in the passenger seat, he reminded him to wear a seatbelt.

"You may play your CDs or listen to the radio so as long as they're not too loud. I want to pay attention to the traffic and outside."

Sasuke nodded, but made no move to put in any music. He seemed to be staring out the windshield at the cars ahead, but out of the corner of his eye, he was looking at his brother.

It was no surprise, really. His brother was obscenely attractive. He had as many fangirls as Sasuke did, if not more. His raven hair, sharp black eyes, and lily-white skin were enough to draw anyone in, even his own brother.

Itachi as he had earlier said had his eyes on the road, careful to prove his worth for being given a license already. The car was a hand me down but basically new and he had to take care of it. Since his father had given him the vehicle, it began to reflect the personality of the owner.

It was less colorful and more black more than anything with minimal decors but a lovely scent. It was a spicy sort of smell that tickled your nose and made you think of something along the lines of cinammon, apple and sth else.

The raven usually hanged this liquid based something with no brand really and allowed it to spread through the air.

If one was keen, the scent was a little identical to Itachi's own scent when he passed by: musk and spice.

Sasuke breathed in the scent like a drug, and it calmed him, yet somehow riled him up. Like the man it smelled of, really.

Sasuke was expected to get the car after Itachi was done with it, so he was taking just as good care of it as Itachi was.

He continued watching his brother out of the corner of his eye, wondering when he'd lost control over his feelings and fallen for his aniki. It was never going to happen, and was most certainly forbidden. Besides, Itachi would never look at him that way. He would always be Itachi's kid brother.

His hands tightened to fists at his sides.

Itachi was perceptive enough to catch how his younger brother kept stealing glances at him. It bothered him a little but then he trusted the boy enough. If he didn't he wouldn't have invited him to this short trip of theirs. In mid traffic, they had to stop by the red light and wait as some pedestrians made their way across.

He reached for the his bag which he had hung behind the driver's seat to take out his bottle of water, quietly taking a sip then offering to Sasuke if he was thirsty.

Sasuke grabbed the water bottle, taking a sip as well. His cheeks flushed slightly as he thought about how Naruto would make fun of him for the "indirect kiss" he shared with his brother, had the blonde been there to witness it. He handed the water bottle back quickly, not turning to look at his brother for several minutes.

"The water should calm you down a little. You seem to be tense lately. Though I enjoy seeing you gain a healthy palor on occasion, I'm worried you might be low on iron or something equivalent."

Unknown to Sasuke the older brother too was also admiring the boy from the corner of his eye. The boy was quite to behold and he was still young. When time came, he would definitely be a looker. He felt some kind of responsibility to look out for Sasuke that he reached that point.

"You should watch out for your health too. It's not just enough to be good looking and smart to get pass life, Sasuke."

Sasuke felt himself blush a little more under the babying his brother was giving him, and he shifted in his seat.

"I'm very healthy, Aniki. How can I be anything but with the food Mom feeds us?" He smiled, though it looked more like a smirk.

"Besides, you're just as pale as I am." He commented softly, looking out his window.

Itachi chuckled. "I thought I got darker by far this year already. My bad." He lifted his sleeve and compared it to his younger brother's. "Hmm... Just a little then. Not much change."

After the short skin to skin contact, the go signal lit up and his attention was back on the road.

"Alright then. I'll take you up for that then."

Sasuke chuckled as well. Honestly, he couldn't see any difference in their skin tones, so he was pretty sure Itachi was just making it up.

"You know as well as I do that we don't tan, we just get sunburn." He shrugged, smirking at his brother.

Traffic seemed to be moving at the slowest speed ever, for they were now stuck in a traffic jam at another light. Sasuke frowned, crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh.

The said brother smirked back and turned to the traffic only to frown and growl in annoyance.

Was the traffic just being purposively slow at the moment?

He checked the watch and noticed they were stuck for more than fifteen minutes. Itachi immediately called for home to inform them they were out and perhaps would not be able to make it for dinner. But they would try.
The housekeep had picked up the phone and said she would inform the Mr and Mrs once they got home.

"So it seems we're going to be together a little longer than I expected. I do hope your homework's load is manageable Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded, still staring out the side window. "It is, I should be fine. I just have some math and a little bit of english... everything else I did in class." He shrugged. School was just too easy for him sometimes... and Itachi was even smarter than him... He wondered what it was like for his brother, if it was so easy for him.

"Glad to hear that then," he nodded to himself, honking when someone almost ran into their car. Itachi blinked, clearing his face out of hair to look a little closely at what just happened. Rush hour mess. Someone tried to overtake them and it nearly resulted to major damage. From where he was, he heard something go wrong.

"Sasuke jot down the plate number. I think we got grazed," said the Uchiha seriously. "...Irresponsible drivers."

After that incident, the drive to the mall had been quite peaceful and they arrived there. Itachi was right. There was a thin line that grazed the driver's side. Since the car was painted black, it stood out and for those with keen observation, like the aniki in question, it was a sore thumb and disturbed him.

He pursed his lips in a thin line and shrugged. Taking out his bag and slipping the calculator in his back pocket, Itachi beckoned Sasuke to the mall already.

Sasuke jot down the number like his brother asked, a firm frown on his face.

Sasuke sighed, looking at the scratch. He knew it was going to drive Itachi crazy until it was fixed... The owner of the car who did it was most certainly getting a lawsuit after the situation was explained to their father. He followed after his aniki, his hands in his pockets again as he walked.

The trip in the mall was relatively peaceful. Nobody from school had interrupted them nor anyone they knew in particular. The brothers made their way to the watch and jewelry shop for the battery purchase. Itachi was greeted by the watch maker who usually attended to him since.

The man greeted him warmly, taking the calculator and replacing the tiny silver and round batteries. "It's been exactly a year since you've had this changed, Uchiha-san..."

"Itachi," he corrected, feeling rather uncomfortable, "Uchiha-san is my father."

The watch maker chuckled and nodded, squinting as he unscrewed the gadget open, "Ah yes... Of course, I'm sorry, Itachi-san."

The raven shook his head slightly and sighed, The man was incorrigibly polite.

"You've met my brother Sasuke?"

He paused and took a good look at the boy.

"Oh hello Sasuke!"

"Hello." Sasuke nodded slightly, aknowledging the greeting.

He walked over to look at some of the watches blankly, for lack of anything better to do. He already had a digital watch for everyday use and a silver watch to wear to formal events.

The glass reflected back behind him, and he discovered he could watch Itachi while appearing to be looking at the watches. He stared at his aniki's long raven hair, those sharp dark eyes... He sighed almost silently to himself. He was lusting after his own brother! Father would most definetly kill him if he found out.

"I see it runs in the blood," the watch maker chuckled as he set the batteries in and did some minor check ups.

Itachi's eyebrow rose as he regarded the older man inquisitively. When he didn't seem to notice, the student shrugged it off and continued to wait upon him.

"Here we go. I'll be seeing you again same time, same day this year again for a new something eh, Itachi?"

The teenager had a ghost of a smile on his mouth as he replied, "Maybe. Though perhaps this year I pray my parents have finally realized that I have enough watches or trinkets to last me a life time already. I don't need any more than what I already have though I'm thankful."

The older man fixed his glasses and chuckled heartily, "Ah yes... But then a watch on your birthday or perhaps some pendant isn't really that bad right?"

"..." Frankly, Itachi didn't know how to respond to that.

"Well, if you already have a good watch and you never wear pendants... then what's the point? You could spend that money on something you need." Sasuke pointed out, turning around slowly as it seemed Itachi was almost finished.

He looked to his brother, smirking. "At least I know what not to get you for your birthday now..."

"Why thank you, Sasuke. It's very considerate of you."

Itachi turned to the watch maker and received the calculator, paying. "To quote Mother -You look cool in them anyway. Besides you'll be a man soon and you'll have to look impressive.-" Then he paused to glare at the smiling lady behind the cash register. The cashier found it a little funny to watch one of her favorite patrons being mimicked.

The watchmaker chuckle a little as well. Oh Mikoto could be quite direct sometimes... But then whenever they could, they often bought their eldest son all sorts of accessories. Pendants, cuff links, necktie pins, watches, rings and what not. Seeing Itachi once a year was already tradition...somewhat. But he wondered why he never got to see Sasuke so much.

After paying, the elder Uchiha walked up to Sasuke. "You pick where we eat. Somewhere not too crowded and noisy. Where we can actually talk and enjoy what we're eating."

Sasuke nodded, glaring at the empty space ahead of him. Just being reminded of his father's obvious favoring of Itachi made him mad, but he quelled the feeling. It wouldn't do him any good here.

He lead his brother to an isolated area of the mall, hidden behind a large support beam, which was surrounded by a bench big enough for them to sit on and not be seen from the other side.

"Nobody ever comes back here, so this should be good." He shrugged, sitting down. "Where do you want to buy food from?"

Itachi smiled as he shook his head, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Little brother... Dear sweet little brother. I was hoping you would pick a place for us to eat that actually serve us food though having take out and eating here wouldn't be so bad either." He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips as he regarded Sasuke. Goodness, the boy could be so adorable sometimes.

"Don't be nervous. You know I really don't give a damn about the prices so as long as the food is good." The raven didn't realize that he was already patting Sasuke's cheek. What soft skin he had. Almost as if he never grew up and past puberty...

More so, he found himself fondling it.[/list]