[ Could, would, should. The first message does nothing to make him actually believe in it as a real option, not with how it's worded. Sasuke knows his brother to be a man who makes promises he can't keep, bold in his language and his lies, rather than as someone who'd shield a potential outcome in soft language.
It's why the knock following the second text doesn't surprise him, but it does cause his entire body to tense. He'd heard the footsteps early enough to be up off the bed in advance of it, crossing the room with more confidence than he actually feels, hand outstretched to the automatic door's trigger. There's still a second's pause before he pushes it, the last barrier between them hissing away.
There he is, unscathed, frozen at an age he'll never surpass, eye no longer blinded. A healthier version of his brother, one that still makes him want to avert his eyes. The contrast with his own body, a loose sleeve knotted high beneath his left shoulder, is marked. ]
So it is you. [ The active sharingan in his eyes confirms that much; this is no illusion. However, contrary to at least one of Itachi's expectations, Sasuke makes no move to attack him. Even further from that, his eyes purposefully darken as he deactivates that last safeguard after Itachi passes his test. ] ... you can come inside, if you want. [ It's an offer that sounds clumsy to his own ears but what the hell should he say? ]
no subject
It's why the knock following the second text doesn't surprise him, but it does cause his entire body to tense. He'd heard the footsteps early enough to be up off the bed in advance of it, crossing the room with more confidence than he actually feels, hand outstretched to the automatic door's trigger. There's still a second's pause before he pushes it, the last barrier between them hissing away.
There he is, unscathed, frozen at an age he'll never surpass, eye no longer blinded. A healthier version of his brother, one that still makes him want to avert his eyes. The contrast with his own body, a loose sleeve knotted high beneath his left shoulder, is marked. ]
So it is you. [ The active sharingan in his eyes confirms that much; this is no illusion. However, contrary to at least one of Itachi's expectations, Sasuke makes no move to attack him. Even further from that, his eyes purposefully darken as he deactivates that last safeguard after Itachi passes his test. ] ... you can come inside, if you want. [ It's an offer that sounds clumsy to his own ears but what the hell should he say? ]
Better that than talking in the hall.