Chapter Text
Itachi wasn’t one who enjoyed killing. He could take lives, but only when absolutely necessary and if more lives could be saved as a result.
But, as everything, there were sometimes exceptions.
Itachi felt a shudder twinge of joy in his stomach as the Sword of Totsuka went through the serpent’s final head and Orochimaru’s piercing scream permeated the air. He couldn't help the corner of his lips tilting up as Orochimaru’s form melted into the sword and the curse got sucked out of Sasuke as easily as water going through a straw.
Good, Itachi thought. Even with the painkillers he had downed before getting here, he could still feel pain rising in his ribcage, which meant he couldn’t have long left now. All he needed now was Sasuke to…
But he didn’t expect Sasuke to flop to the ground motionlessly like a puppet with broken strings and didn't get up again. Itachi narrowed his eyes, overworked and tired. The whole world was out of focus in front of him, and Sasuke a small blurry bundle among everything. A trick? He thought and moved toward the boy cautiously, Susano’o at the ready. Then he suddenly smelled it.
A shy, sweet smell. An omega scent without a doubt. Itachi instantly knew it was Sasuke’s. He left before Sasuke came into his status, but it was like every fiber of his being was encoded to recognise the boy’s scent. Then, he heard the boy make a small pained whimper.
Susano’o disappeared into thin air.
Itachi stumbled to where Sasuke was, barely felt his body protesting the forceful movements. Once he had gotten closer, he could see the boy curling in on himself. Sasuke hugged his legs close to his chest. There were deep creases between his brows. His eyes were squeezed shut. The scent rose and rose. He was completely defenseless.
The seal must have also acted as some kind of suppression, Itachi pondered, and now with it gone, Sasuke’s biology must have gone into overdrive. He quickly considered his options. No doubt Zetsu was somewhere watching, need to lose him. But where...
Itachi tripped and fell (surprisingly easy to fake, since his legs were wanting to give out already) to his knees over Sasuke. As he reached his hands out to break the fall, a murder of crows came flying out from the canopy, squawking noisily.
He only needed that millisecond of distraction, and then they were gone.
There was a cavity deep underground, right below this. Not an Uchiha secret, but Shisui’s. Under normal circumstances Itachi wouldn’t have brought Sasuke here. Shisui of course built it to be Sharingan proof, but so many years had passed since those days. The wards could have worn off, and even if not, shinobis were sure to come soon, tracking Sasuke and the aftermath of their battle. More people, higher chance of being discovered.
But as Itachi hadn’t the strength left to do anything else, this would have to do. He only managed to turn on the phosphorus lamps before his knees gave out again, this time for real. Even so, the pain in his side has ebbed a bit. As he didn’t have to channel all of his chakra into the Susano’o, it had returned to circulating around his body and holding back the disease. Itachi sighed. What a predicament he had gotten both of them into. He looked to his side, to where he had managed to teleport Sasuke. His brother remained in the same fetal position on the stone floor. Even though the air inside the room was warm, Sasuke was shaking all over. He wasn’t cold, Itachi knew, rather it was his omega senses going haywire. Itachi thought about the Akatsuki cloak with a bit of regret, but he knew Shisui had probably stacked some stuff down here, since it was meant to be a safe hideout. He looked around and, there it was, a small wardrobe in the corner.
The older Uchiha gritted his teeth and mustered all his might to stand up. The floor shifted under his feet immediately, forcing him to lean against the wall. Itachi took a deep breath to steel himself, and accidentally got a noseful of Sasuke’s sweet scent.
In the small, closed space, absent of wind and the stink of battle, Sasuke’s scent was clean and pure. It wasn’t sexual, just a very obvious distress signal. It made Itachi’s teeth itch and the gland behind his neck ache, but he knew he shouldn’t. Instead, he forced his tired legs to carry him forward.
The wardrobe held… a lot of weapons, more weapons, tools to maintain those weapons, first-aids, some clothes, and, Itachi breathed a sigh of relief, blankets.
Thanks, Shisui.
He took one from the bottom of the pile, and returned to where Sasuke was to cover the boy with it. The boy flinched away at first, but then couldn’t help relaxing when the soft protective blanket wrapped around him. His eyes stayed closed the entire time. It wasn’t until Itachi put his hands under Sasuke and lifted him up that the boy opened his eyes. He stared straight at Itachi, first with confusion, like he didn’t even realise his brother was there, then it quickly morphed into a mix of hatred and apprehension. And, to Itachi’s surprise, Sasuke started struggling. Itachi hadn’t asserted his alpha status yet, but it should be clear enough. In his current state of mind and body, Sasuke should be begging for protection.
But of course the boy would be able to retain some clarity even with the insane amount of hormone being pumped into his bloodstream right now. He is Uchiha Sasuke after all. Itachi tightened his hold to prevent Sasuke from falling and brought his brother to the cot on the other side of the room. As soon as his body touched the cot, Sasuke immediately pulled the blanket up over his head and scooched away from Itachi until his back was touching the wall, defensive eyes not leaving Itachi. Like a cornered little bunny. Itachi should go to the other side of the room, but carrying Sasuke had taken the last of his strength. He sat heavily down on the floor instead, leaning against the cot.
Well, this has certainly fucked everything up.
He brought his hand to his eyes and carefully examined it. The edge was slightly fuzzy even at this distance. The next time he activates the Sharingan would probably be the last time, then he would lose his sight permanently. He needs to make it worth it.
Behind him, Sasuke made another pitiful whimper. Tight and small, leaked out through gritted teeth. Itachi slowly turned around. The boy’s small face was contorted in pain, his skin pale and clammy. He was clutching the blanket in his fist and shaking non-stop. His omega body and mind were desperate for comfort, reassurance, protection. Things that Itachi couldn’t give. Could give. Shouldn’t give.
I need a new plan, Itachi thought, because the pheromone rolling out from the omega in waves was affecting him as well. Omegas don’t always have sweet-smelling pheromones. Some are more floral, some can be quite spicy. But of course Sasuke would smell sweet, like the rice flour mixture used to make dango. He was a sweet child. And his sunshine sweetness had always lightened up Itachi’s world and chase away the darkness in his heart. He was the balm to Itachi’s soul and the reason for his existence. Itachi had only ever wanted to protect him.
That’s right.
With a sigh, Itachi released his alpha pheromone. The effect was immediate. Sasuke stiffened up at the strange scent, but it was exactly what his body needed, reassurance, a promise of protection. The pheromone soothed his frayed nerves, and Sasuke sagged into a heap.
The relief came so sudden it forced a sob out of the boy. Sasuke whimpered, then came another sob. He sounded miserable and pitiful, like he used to sound when he was six, upset about something that aniki alone could fix. Only this time he didn’t want it. The way Sasuke’s body went limp and boneless because of Itachi’s pheromone was obvious. Still, the boy refused to yield to his instinct. Even though only his eyes and a little bit of his forehead were visible from inside the blanket, those eyes had not stopped glaring at the alpha. Itachi was honestly impressed.
“Stop it.” Sasuke said, voice thick and watery betraying how he felt.
Itachi was sure his brother didn't need his help. Orochimaru must have put Sasuke through much, much worse, and the boy had persevered all those years by himself. The thought of the snake sannin made his stomach churn in disgust and anger. Combined with an alpha’s need to please omegas, and the absolute older sibling’s instinct to protect (annoy) his younger sibling, it made Itachi want to do something crazy.
Itachi hoisted himself up on the cot, his alpha pheromone thickened. Sasuke’s eyes widened and he retreated into the wall again, only there was nowhere to go. Itachi felt a sadistic glee at his brother’s trembling gaze as he reached a hand towards him. Sasuke was probably expecting Itachi to continue where they left off, but instead…
Instead Itachi took Sasuke in his arms, twice in the last fifteen minutes now, more than the past eight years combined, and put the omega in his lap. He wrapped the blanket tighter around the boy and maneuvered him like he was holding a baby, so that Sasuke could comfortably curl up, his head on Itachi’s chest. Sasuke’s painful wheezing stopped almost immediately, replaced by... a fearful gasp. His body wanted to yield, Itachi could feel it. His limbs must feel like liquid, but he still tried to struggle, albeit weakly.
“Sasuke, I’m not going to hurt you.” Itachi stated calmly, like this was a normal sibling quarrel and his little brother was just being silly.
“Yeah, right.” Sasuke replied. If it wasn’t for the blanket restricting his movement, Sasuke might have already tried to stab him. “Weren’t you just arrrgghhh I’m gonna take your eyes arrghh not even ten minutes ago? Don’t think that just because we’re both out of chakra you could win with pheromones, coward.”
Sasuke’s small face was really pale; so he only needed to cry a little, and his eyes got all pink around the edges. Like a small bunny rabbit. It had been that way ever since he was a kid. Right now, all puffed up and defensive, lower lip jutting out a little, he was really… not much different from that five-year-old child.
Itachi’s older sibling instinct that had been kicked awake excitedly fluttered again, even at a time like this. He smirked. “And what are you going to to about it then, otouto? No chakra. No Sharingan. Wrapped up tight like a little norimaki. I could just easily eat you.”
His eyes glinted dangerously. “Now, I’m tired and your pathetic distress pheromone is stopping me from taking your eyes. So unless you want it to happen, lie still and let me get us through this.”
Sasuke’s eyes went round and huge and he stopped struggling. It seemed he was shocked into calming down. He opened his mouth, clearly wanting to fight, but then thought better of it and stopped himself. In the end, he went back to sinking into the blanket and glaring at Itachi, defensive and on-guard. Smart boy. Itachi’s expression didn’t change even as he was smiling inside.
After a while, Sasuke fell asleep. He tried hard not to, but was lured into a sense of security by the pheromone Itachi had been double-dousing him with. The older Uchiha dared to flick a lock of hair away from his brother’s forehead. In the end, no mater how hard he tried to look otherwise, Sasuke was still just a fifteen-year-old. The boy’s skin was warm and smooth to the touch. The heat Itachi could feel on his fingertip was... He couldn’t help reaching for it again. The older Uchiha gently wiped away a smudge of dry blood and soot on his brother’s cheekbone, then smoothed down the bit of hair at his temple (an useless action, given Sasuke’s hair was and had always been a lost cause, but fixing it was not the point anyway), and then pulled the blanket up to cover half of Sasuke’s face. Should be warm like this, he thought, looking at his brother sleeping in his cocoon with pure, unadulterated love and fondness, now that he had no need to hide it. Shinobi or no shinobi, he hoped Sasuke could have more peaceful moments like this in the future, once Itachi... Suddenly, it seemed that the world had disappeared into a cloud of darkness, with Sasuke being the only bright spot. Itachi blinked. The outer edges of his vision had darkened. And the pain in his ribcage had returned.
Ah, it had caught up to him finally. Itachi smiled. From the corner of his lips, a thin trickle of blood ran down his chin. His hands were too busy with holding Sasuke to wipe it away. He didn't want to dirty the boy with his blood. And it wouldn't matter, clean or not, he would be dead soon. Itachi exhaled shakily. There was a rattle in his chest that made breathing in difficult, a feeling he knew all too well. In his lap, Sasuke took in deep slow breath, one after another. From the little part of his face that was peeking out, Itachi could see that his skin was no longer clammy and pale. A healthy rosy colour had risen on those cheekbones. Good. Itachi briefly considered putting Sasuke down on the cot, but his limbs had become stiff, like someone had poured lead into his joints. So he did the opposite and dug his fingers into the softness just a little bit, trying to hold on to the fragile tranquility a bit longer. It was a shame the plan deviated much more than he expected, but he hoped it was enough. When Sasuke woke up, he would see what he needed to see to awake his Mangekyou Sharingan. And then he could take Itachi’s…
Are the lights blinking? Itachi mused. They shouldn’t be, the phosphorous powder was unused.
Bit by bit, his vision disappeared. Sasuke's legs, then his shoulders, then the top of his head. Sasuke's dark lashes and the long tail of his eye were the last things that Itachi saw, then the shadow swallowed everything.
“Liar.” A child Sasuke said. His voice was sulky and so, so cute. A voice in the darkness. “You keep saying next time but it never happens.”
“I’m sorry.” Itachi wanted to say. “I want to spend so much more time with you, otouto. I’m so sorry.” But he couldn’t. His body was so heavy, like he was a statue carved out of a block of marble. In his ears, the voice became smaller, and smaller, until it was just him and the darkness again. This must be it. This must be the end.
And then...
“Nii-san.”
“Nii-san.”
Sasuke? But his voice... it was no longer the high-pitched, childish voice of a five-year-old. There was warmth on Itachi’s face. He could actually feel it, and the sweet scent of dango surrounding him.
“Nii-san. The operation... it went great. We made it.”
“Open your eyes.”