{open} It was a beautiful morning.

[youngesthokage]

He was in a wonderful mood. He'd gotten in later than intended due to the rather long talk with his mother, which had been oddly easier with this one than the one from home ever was anymore, and by the time he'd made it home is good mood had returned and he'd settled right to bed.

Morning, on the other hand, had brought the flowers and he found himself looking out the window in curious fascination at them, mussed from sleep and somewhat bewildered.

Since when did snow bring flowers?

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[itachi_san]

In truth, when he saw Itachi's face, that was pretty much how he imagined he still looked. Apparently, that wasn't quite the case.

"What do I look like, then?"

It was kind of a rhetorical question that was best answered by a mirror. But children, being children, don't seem to know the meaning of the word rhetorical.

"Older than Papa. Definitely!" Minoru pointed with his spoon. "Um... Your hair is flatter and not as black. Your face is thinner. Actually, all of you is thinner and you kinda hunch over more. Papa's eyes used to be brighter too, but now yours are bright too."

And he was still thinking of more he could say.

[youngesthokage]

"Uh huh! And you do this thing, where you try to sit super still a lot, and have this line, right here." He touched his mother's forehead. "That happens when you're irritated that daddy doesn't have. His are here."

And the little hands poked the corners of his eyes on the outside instead.

Itachi couldn't help it, he started to chuckle.

[itachi_san]

"Oh yeah! And you're whiter too!." Minoru added. "And sometimes you get these dark spots under your eyes like you got punched twice. But I don't think anybody punched you."

[youngesthokage]

Isamu beamed at him. "And you're taller than Daddy, but only a little. I think he's almost caught up to you. It's hard to tell though cause you're always slumpy."

[itachi_san]

"Anything else?" Itachi was almost afraid to ask.

"And... um... actually, that's all I can think of..." Minoru resumed eating his ice cream.

[youngesthokage]

Isamu thought about it. "You cry more!"

[itachi_san]

Minoru nodded eagerly, the spoon still in his mouth.

"Oh! And when you smile, it's not as big! Sometimes it's kinda sad. And your teeth aren't as white either."

[youngesthokage]

"Yeah! But it's okay mommy, I love you!"

Itachi was, of course, crumpled to the side by now, continuing to laugh.

[itachi_san]

"Yeah! I love you too, Mama!" Minoru grinned, dropping his spoon in the now-empty bowl of ice cream before lunging at his mother for another hug.

Itachi made a note to himself to actually look in a mirror at some point. But for now...

"Maybe you should tell Papa what he looks like."

[youngesthokage]

"Papa looks like a tomato!" Isamu beamed at his father. "Right now anyway..."

[itachi_san]

At that, Minoru started laughing too. His father really was bright red!

"He's bigger than Mama. And a lot more fun to poke in the middle!" he exclaimed, and went about to prove that point in the most ticklish way possible. "Mama, you're too hard and not squishy enough."

[youngesthokage]

Itachi promptly snagged little fingers and pulled the boy into a hug. "Only because I -eat- when I'm hungry."

"You eat -everything- daddy! Mommy can't ever get any."

[itachi_san]

Itachi snickered a little. He was actually surprised Isamu wasn't saying that about his brother too. Minoru, of course, was too busy trying to tickle his father to even notice the afterthought, should it even come up.

"And your face is all like... Grr..." he made his best 'stern Hokage' face, but couldn't hold it for very long. "Especially when you do that thing where you walk back and forth across the floor over and over and over again!"

[youngesthokage]

Isamu jabbed his brother. "It's called pacing! And daddy doesn't do that, Uncle Sasuke does that. Daddy does that thing where he sits and pretends he can float."

[itachi_san]

"He does so do it. Usually when Mama's sick and then Mama says he's gonna make a hole in the floor." Minoru jabbed Isamu back. "I know. I've heard it."

[youngesthokage]

"OH! That. I thought he only did that cause he couldn't sit still, like youuuu."

[itachi_san]

"I can too sit still..." Minoru pouted, sitting as still as possible on top of his father. It lasted about half a second before he tried tickling him again. He could hardly stop laughing. "Okay, so maybe I can't."

Itachi had to laugh when Minoru actually agreed with Isamu.

"Okay, okay, so we're both pretty different." he smiled. "I get the picture."

[youngesthokage]

"Good." It was laughed as he twisted to hug Minoru to his chest. "I just know you were trying to get them to insult me too."

"I wasn't insulting mommy!"

[itachi_san]

Minoru hugged his father, snuggling up against him.

"Yeah. We're just answering his question!"

"And really, would I do that to you?" Itachi smirked, crossing his arms.

[youngesthokage]

"Yes of course, because I would do it to you and we have the same sense of humor." He smirked right back as he cuddled his son.

[itachi_san]

Itachi slid down to the floor as well, scooping up Isamu into a hug on the way. Seeing everybody together like that really was a sight.

"Well, you've got me there." he laughed, and he turned to Isamu. "I don't really look that much older than he does, do I?"

[youngesthokage]

"It's cause you're sick all the time mommy. If you ate more you'd look younger maybe! You're old anyway so..." Isamu nestled into the hug readily though.

Itachi just shook his head. "He has a point. If your health was a little better you wouldn't look so aged."

[itachi_san]

"I think I'm just going to stop asking questions..." Itachi mumbled to himself before Isamu could think of another brilliant response. Those kids were geniuses, after all.

He put his head on his partner's chest, coming nose to nose with his youngest son.

"My health is..." he started to counter, but it fell flat. The fact that his eyes took so long to heal was proof that it wasn't exactly improving. "Well, it isn't getting worse."

[youngesthokage]

"We all love you you know." Itachi smiled and shifted a bit, petting his partner's hair.

[itachi_san]

"And I love each and every one of you." he smiled, rubbing noses with Minoru. The boy proceeded to giggle.