Part 15
Sasuke had a problem. Actually, problems. Plural.
First and foremost, he had been incredibly aroused by his Aniki without the man even touching his body. Second, he was certain he came in his pants and didn't even know he did until it was too late. And third, as if that wasn't enough, he was still hard.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Should he relieve himself? Take a cold shower? Sit down and wait for his body to calm down? He was so confused that he felt like a prepubescent boy experiencing his first nocturnal emission.
Why did Itachi have to go and do that? He knew that Sasuke was going out with Neji. He knew, but he did it anyway.
"Argh!" His fingers somehow found their way to his head, gripping endlessly at his dark spikes, as his brain cells fizzed out and nothing but a clusterfuck of his current cyclical thoughts drew him closer and closer to insanity. When he was sick and tired of the confusion, Sasuke dragged himself to bed and took comfort underneath his blankets as if that would rid him of the actions that had transpired. He refused to leave his room for the rest of the night.
When morning came, the boy's eyes were burning from unrest. Small bags formed under them, evidence of the night he spent unable to sleep a wink. He had even gone as far as getting ready for school before the usual time Itachi had woken up and tiptoed downstairs with the intention of making coffee and gathering his belongings for school.
Five AM. That was the time he had gone downstairs to brew his coffee. That gave him time to do what he needed to before his Aniki woke up at six. However, the moment he reached the end of the stairs in the dark, he noticed a silhouette on the couch, and the glaring reality that Itachi had not gone to his room last night sent alarm bells ringing in Sasuke's head.
"Shit," he whispered to himself. He had every intention of avoiding the man for at least a day, but Itachi made things difficult by falling asleep on the couch.
For some reason, Sasuke found himself tiptoeing closer to the couch, where his brother laid, and, when his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed that, not only was Itachi naked from the waist up, but his pants were gone and the only thing that hugged his body was a snug pair of black briefs.
Instant heat rose to the boy's cheeks, and he backed away in a panic, heart pounding hysterically in his chest. And that was the state he left his house that morning. He ran back into his room, put on the first thing he could find in his closet, grabbed his backpack and cellphone, and rushed out as if the house was on fire. Only when the morning mist hit his nostrils did he feel like he had the opportunity to breathe correctly.
His feet carried him down the block before he stopped, frozen solid in place like a statue.
What was wrong with him?
Just one glimpse at his Aniki was enough to send him into a tailspin. He knew he was affected by what occurred last night, but to such a frazzled extent was unbecoming of him.
When he arrived at Gaara's house, the sun barely began to peek over the horizon. Sasuke hung out on their porch swing instead, fiddling with his phone half-heartedly, while thoughts continued to bombard him.
It was then that he realized that Itachi had told him that he'd be the one to drop him off and pick him up from school starting yesterday. Sasuke had completely forgotten about their previous conversation about the matter, because he was too busy running away from his Aniki to remember.
Sasuke smacked his palm to his forehead, releasing a string of curses. Good God. Once his brother realized Sasuke had disappeared without a word, he would turn the house upside down to find him.
So, against his desire to place a wall between them and limit interactions, he spent minutes figuring out the best way to word his text before cursing at his ridiculous behavior and ended up hammering out a text to Itachi.
I left for school.
Simple and straight to the point.
With a sigh, the boy leaned his head back against the chair only to lift it up seconds later when his phone buzzed in his hand.
I'll pick you up at 3. Have a good day, Otouto.
Ahhh, how dare his Aniki send him such an ordinary text as if he didn't force Sasuke to feel him up yesterday?
Wait a second… had he been awake when Sasuke ran out this morning? How could he have answered his text so early if he wasn't? Fuck. How embarrassing.
He never thought there'd be a day he'd hope school would drag on longer.
H.J.
Itachi knew this would happen. Why wouldn't he? He knew his Otouto best.
He knew that, when Sasuke was sad, hugs made him feel better. He knew that, when he was angry, his cheeks would fill with color and shoulders would hitch up. He knew that, when the boy slept, he preferred his right side, and, when he woke up, he would stretch out in bed like a cat before getting up. He knew Sasuke hated green bell peppers and loved ripe tomatoes. He knew that, when his Otouto cried, his eyes would widen considerably as he held back the tears, which threatened to overflow. He knew every single detail about his Otouto, big or small.
The only thing Itachi failed to know (for now) was how many times he could make his precious Otouto cum around his cock in one night.
But he digressed. The point was that his skittish behavior this morning was expected. But the man had not one guilty bone in his body. Sasuke was now unbelievably conscious of his presence, a direct contrast to the last seventeen years of his life, when he only saw their relationship as platonic.
As soon as the front door was shut, the man opened his eyes lazily and stared unblinkingly at the ceiling.
He had wasted so many years of his life following his own moral high ground. Years upon years of agonizing over the, now that he thought about it clearly, minute details. In the grand scheme of things, his precious Otouto was taken away from him because he had dawdled around so thoughtlessly.
Itachi had feared that severing their connection as Aniki and Otouto in favor of a more intimate relationship would drive a rift through them one day, and, rather than preserve what they had which would last a lifetime, Sasuke would leave him. Foolishly, he had thought that, as long as he could maintain their platonic relationship, his Otouto would always be beside him. How idiotic he was.
He might as well have pushed Sasuke into the arms of another man, a man who had no right to touch a single strand of hair on his precious baby, much less have the power to protect the boy. It was condemnable of him to be so fucking ignorant and idealistic.
Instead of pushing Sasuke away, Itachi should have been looking for ways to gain the boy's affection. Many moons ago, he should have used their kisses as the foundation to build up the boy's love for him. Screw his morals. Screw what everyone else thought. Screw Neji fucking Hyuga.
Sasuke had reacted to him last night. That's what Itachi focused his current attention on. He showed great astonishment, clearly bothered by Itachi's outlandish declarations and actions, so much so he felt the need to avoid him this morning. He was now fully aware of Itachi's presence in his life. The man no longer had to live hiding in the shadows of other men who sought his Otouto's affection.
He would make it so that Sasuke could think of only Itachi. For the rest of his life. For the rest of their lives.
Itachi's attention was diverted momentarily to his phone vibrating due to an incoming text. A glance at the screen and a small smile, so slight that it could barely be considered such, curved its way onto his lips.
'I left for school,' the text read.
For a four-word message, his precious Otouto must have agonized over what to write. It was so simple that there was no way he did not overthink it before typing it out. Sasuke usually sent texts that were much longer than those measly words, but in his Itachi-induced frazzled state, he must have been going nuts. So adorable.
No need to play hide and seek, my sweet Otouto. I won't bite.
Ah… Itachi's fingers paused over the keyboard. Then, his thumb moved over to the backspace button and deleted it. Now probably wasn't a good time to tease the boy. Besides, that was an absolute lie he just told. Not only would Itachi bite, he'd do it viciously so his marks wouldn't fade so easily.
I'll pick you up at 3. Have a good day, Otouto.
The message was marked as read, and his phone was quiet after that.
There was no semblance of activity within the house and the bare silence was nearly crippling like the hole in his chest. Itachi pushed himself off the couch, the remnants of the previous night's activities lingering on his palm, and made his way upstairs slowly. In his bathroom, he turned on the shower and stood underneath the shower head for much longer than he intended, the pitter patter of water hitting his skin serving as his self-soothing white noise, while his head hung low and his body remained immobile.
"Otouto."
That single word was drowned out by running water and, somehow, when he came to, Itachi's hand was wrapped around his cock again. A muffled groan escaped his lips. He plastered one large palm against the tiled wall in front of him and allowed his head to dip backward instead, causing his hair to fan behind his shoulders and across his sinewy back.
Itachi had held back so much, forcing himself to bathe in his guilt, that he had refused himself the pleasure of thinking about Sasuke in that way while touching himself in a way that brought that tingling sensation. Before last night, the times that he succumbed to his desires were only met with brutal and painful self-torture. If he had touched himself, it was a form of punishment, and the guilt he'd swim in afterward was unbearable, lasting for hours if not days.
But last night and at this very moment, the usual bruising grip with an intention to self-inflict harm had vanished, replaced with a kind of self-torture that was sweet and erotic in nature.
Itachi's palm moved up and down the length of his engorged cock at an unrelenting pace. With every couple of strokes, he would smear his thumb over the slit and a hiss would echo throughout the bathroom.
Nothing swimming through his mind in this moment was pure. In fact, they were obscene and messy. A lovely little fantasy filled with a cum-soaked gaping hole and vulgar words that would dirty anyone listening to them. They were simply the musings of a man out of control, one who had denied himself for far too long.
But the undeniable pleasure that shot through Itachi's body as he thought about Sasuke pinned underneath his body and generously taking in his dick into his tight little hole made him delirious.
"Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke," he chanted verbatim, his hand on the wall balling into a fist. "Otouto."
"Be mine."
"Love me."
"Let me feel you."
His fist smashed into the wall and he bit his lower lip hard as his imagination went berserk.
"Fuck, your insides feel so good."
"You like Aniki's big dick inside you, right? You're squeezing me so tight."
His palm sped up, jerking his cock off faster and harder as a blaze of tingling sensations zinged through his lower half. The past Itachi would never have let those thoughts trickle out, but now he didn't care. He wanted Sasuke. He needed him.
"I'm going to fill your ass up with my cum. It's mine. It only belongs to Aniki. Fuck."
With a final shove of his hips into his fisted palm, Itachi spurted all over the shower knobs and wall. His hand jerked himself off as a high filled his brain and body until all he could see was the Sasuke in his dreams.
When it was over, no semblance of guilt settled in. Instead, Itachi washed himself, toweled off, and pulled on a pair of sweats before he let himself into Sasuke's room. He laid down underneath the covers in the boy's bed and inhaled deeply the scent that remained on the pillows and blankets, and closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes, Itachi was eleven again and standing in the middle of an empty classroom. It was after school and most students had already filtered through the gates, but he had been called to the room by a classmate.
"Um… even if it's just once, it's okay."
He stared down at the girl who had knelt between his legs, his uninterested mind blanking out her face completely, while his eyes remained vacant and his expression unchanged.
With clumsy hands, she had unbuckled his belt and pulled him out of his briefs, and he had let her because she wouldn't shut up and he felt nothing anyway, so why not permanently rid her of her fantasies?
She had touched him with warm, delicate hands and put her unskilled mouth on him, but no matter how sloppy and hard she worked, there was no reaction.
His blank stare bore into her skull, causing her movements to become more frantic and unsteady. Ultimately disgusted, he brushed her off and zipped himself up.
"Don't look for me again," he said, not bothering to cast a glance behind at the embarrassed girl, before he left, closing the door behind him.
At eleven years old that year, Itachi confirmed that he did not like girls. In fact, they disgusted him.
When he got home that night, his cherub ran up to him and excitedly asked him if he wanted to bathe with him. With a smile and a small nod, he patted the boy's head and padded down the hallway, listening to his Otouto talk about how he was the one who had prepared the bath.
"How is it, 'niki?" Sasuke chirped, hopeful eyes waiting for Itachi's response.
Itachi rested his arms along the rim of the tub and a tiny smile etched itself across his lips. "It's perfect, Otouto."
The boy's eyes lit up and a big grin spread across his face. "I knew it! Kaa-san says you like super hot baths, but I said you like it between lukewarm and hot."
"So thoughtful, my sweet Otouto," Itachi praised, reaching a hand out to flick the boy's nose.
Sasuke's nose scrunched up and he giggled, swirling his hands around the water.
"How was your day, 'niki?" he asked, his attention on Itachi. There were a bunch of toys floating around the water, but his Otouto only had eyes for him.
"Dirty," he replied.
Sasuke's brows scrunched up in bewilderment. "Dirty? Where are you dirty?" he said, looking Itachi up and down with x-ray vision.
With very little forethought, Itachi dipped his fingers underwater and pressed his palm against his groin. "Here," he said.
The little wrinkle on his Otouto's forehead deepened and he rummaged around the water. Itachi watched with mild amusement as Sasuke finally found what he was looking for and held it up.
"I'll help you wash it then, 'niki."
"Hmm… this is why I adore you, Otouto. You're always so sweet to me."
The boy preened underneath those words, a red blush forming on his cheeks. He came forward and took the fluffy, soft washcloth and dipped it underwater, rubbing it along Itachi's member. Under his ministrations, Itachi's cock twitched and grew. He remained silent though, watching silently as he allowed Sasuke to finish what he was doing.
Hence, when he was eleven, Itachi noticed that his affection for Sasuke was abnormal. His body grew obscene in his presence and his mind was in a far worse state.
When he turned twelve, Itachi confirmed that boys also did not give him erections. Only Sasuke did.
When Itachi woke up, it was a quarter after noon. His body felt better after having some help falling asleep from Sasuke's scent. He remade the boy's bed and stepped out of his room, heading downstairs to make lunch. That was when he realized that the fridge was nearly bare and his Otouto wouldn't have anything to eat when he got home.
So he found himself fully clothed and driving to the supermarket in the plaza a few blocks away. When he pulled up, a good majority of the parking spots were already filled, and he frowned when he realized the place would be crowded.
Inside, he pushed a cart, loading it with essentials: chicken breast and thighs, egg whites, lean ground beef, broccoli and tomatoes, bananas, strawberries, romaine lettuce, and spinach. Then, he piled on the goodies for his Otouto. He added a tub of cookies and cream ice cream, plain rice cakes, and sweet kernel popcorn. Finally, he picked up some chocolate rice cakes, a bag of semisweet chocolate chips (for Sasuke to bake him more cookies, of course), a few boxes of strawberry Pocky, a box of strawberry mochi ice cream, and two Twix chocolate bars for himself.
Itachi undoubtedly had a bad sweet tooth, which was often quenched by Sasuke's baked goodies, but it wasn't something he'd openly admit. Only his Otouto knew how bad it was. In fact, it was so bad that he would get yelled at by the boy when he only ate sweets. It didn't make him gain any weight nor affect the muscle he had packed on over the years, but it was unhealthy nevertheless.
Maybe he'd hide the chocolate and Pocky somewhere in his room when he got home….
He was just about done when he rounded the aisle and bumped into an empty cart that popped out of nowhere. The sound of metal grating against metal echoed before Itachi pulled his cart back and his eyes zeroed in on the owner.
Golden, eerie eyes gazed back into his, and the newcomer's lips twisted into an unhealthy smile at Itachi.
An odd feeling grew in the pit of Itachi's stomach, and his gaze narrowed. Alarm bells went off in his head and his grip tightened on the shopping cart. Without a word, he maneuvered around the other man and headed toward the register.
There was something hauntingly familiar about those eyes and the sickly color of his skin, and he couldn't help but recall the incident years ago on that October night. He logged away the image of the man in his mind while he loaded his groceries in his car, doing a quick 360 of the parking lot before he drove off.
It was only after he got back home that the unsettling feeling in his chest began to calm down.
He stashed away his goodies and set the bag of chocolate chips on the kitchen counter, hoping Sasuke would see and get the hint. Then, he returned to his car and drove to school to pick up the boy.
Itachi found parking on the side street next to the back entrance, which was irritating because his Otouto always came out the front gate, so he wouldn't be able to find him. The bell rang as he was locking his car door and a string of profanity was uttered underneath his breath. He walked as quickly as he could, but, between the hoard of people and the size of the school, it took him three minutes to reach the front gate. By then, it was incredibly chaotic and he had trouble finding Sasuke.
Itachi's eyes scanned the students filtering out the gate, a silent panic growing in his chest when the number of students trickled down and Sasuke was still nowhere to be found. He had been in a hurry earlier and left his phone in the car, but he weighed his options, opting to enter the school instead to search for the boy.
There were small groups of students loitering around here and there, but Itachi did not spot his little Otouto anywhere. His footsteps grew heavy as he walked faster along the halls of his old school, eyes scanning quickly for a head of raven hair.
Finally, as if the gods were on his side for once, he heard someone yelling from between the bungalows next to the library, and he found himself staring at nothing short of a debacle.
Naruto was trading fists with another kid with blue hair, and, judging by the cut lip and bruises, both of them looked like they sustained equal damage. Gaara was grappling on the floor with a dark-skinned student, yelling a bunch of expletives.
And Sasuke… his sweet, sweet Otouto was being pressed against the bungalow wall by a kid slightly taller than him who had platinum blonde hair. That kid's face was a hair's breadth away from Sasuke's own, and he had invited himself to grab the ravenette's collar while his other hand was touching… other places.
Two things happened at once. One: Itachi nearly had a heart attack on the spot. Two: anger welled up in his chest, and he found himself running toward his Otouto.
As he got closer, he saw Sasuke's eyes bug out when he caught sight of him approaching. Simultaneously, he heard the platinum-haired kid utter words that made his blood run cold.
"Why don't you spread those pretty legs open and show me what's so special down there?"
Itachi nearly lost it. He wanted to break open that fucking kid's skull open with his bare hands, but he couldn't risk going to jail. Instead, he wrapped his hand around the kid's wrist in a death grip, jerking his hand away from his Otouto before he inserted himself between the two, effectively hiding Sasuke behind his broad frame.
"Get your dirty hands off of him before I rip them off."
Anger bled through his words as his grip grew bone-crushingly tight and his size towered over the sputtering kid.
"Fuck! Fuck! Let go!" the kid screeched, attempting to pry off his hand. His screams caused all fighting to stop as the two other boys took one look at Itachi and hightailed out of there without even casting a glance back.
His screams fell on deaf ears. Itachi caught sight of Gaara and Naruto now, who looked down at the ground guiltily and were unable to meet his furious gaze.
"Go home," he commanded, his deep voice penetrating the thick tension that hung in the air, and the two boys nodded their heads fervently.
"We're sorry, Itachi!" they uttered and began to walk briskly toward the front gate without waiting for a reply.
Itachi could feel his Otouto, his precious, sweet cherub, gripping tightly at the hem of his shirt from behind, his delicate fingers trembling as they brushed against his lower back.
"You," Itachi hissed, murderous eyes on the piece of shit squirming in front of him. The boy flinched and shrank back underneath his imposing form. "You're going to stay far, far away from my Otouto," Itachi began, then lowered his voice in warning. "You don't look at him, you don't talk to him, and you don't touch him. If you look at him, I will gouge out your eyes. If you talk to you, I will cut off your tongue. And If I ever hear or see you touch him again, I will fucking chop off your dick and shove it down your throat. Fucking look at me, and tell me if you think I'm joking," he hissed.
He threw the kid's arm back to his side, ignoring the wince on his ashen face and trembling legs. The boy fell onto his bum, but hastily pushed himself off the ground and ran away.
When his presence was officially gone, Itachi slowly turned around. Sasuke's grip had transferred onto the front hem of his shirt now, and his head was bowed low.
Itachi pressed his palms on his Otouto's cheeks and lifted his face up to look at him. Sasuke's face was hot and his eyes were pinched shut.
"Open your eyes, Otouto. It's okay. Aniki's here," Itachi cooed, brushing his bangs away from his face. He bent down and pressed a kiss to the boy's temple and, when he pulled away, Sasuke's blurry eyes were in full view.
"A-Aniki," Sasuke whimpered, his grip alarmingly tight.
"You're okay," Itachi murmured, pulling the boy into his embrace. Sasuke's arms latched around his neck like a leech and a choked sob echoed in Itachi's ears before Sasuke buried his face in his neck. "You're okay, Otouto," he soothed, stroking the boy's hair. "I won't let anyone hurt you, Otouto. I'll always protect you."
"I'm s-sorry," the boy uttered between sniffles.
"You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault."
"T-They were bullying Naruto, a-and we only wanted to t-talk to them, but they j-jumped us."
Itachi stayed silent. He figured it had to be something like that. His Otouto was not a violent person like Itachi, and he had never gotten into any fights before. In fact, he was not a fan of violence and steered clear of aggressive situations when possible.
"You did nothing wrong," he said, pressing the boy back and brushing away his tears. "Where did he touch you, Otouto?"
Sasuke's red face seemed to grow even redder, and he had difficulty maintaining eye contact with Itachi.
"My shirt and neck," he whispered finally.
"Where else?" Itachi nearly demanded.
"My thighs."
"Anywhere else?"
"Between my legs," Sasuke admitted quietly.
Anger boiled in his chest, sending blood pumping throughout his entire body at an alarming rate. Itachi gritted his teeth and pushed it down as best as he could. He couldn't show this to his Otouto. It wasn't his fault, and he didn't want the boy to mistake his anger for blame.
Instead, he extended his hand. "Hold my hand, Otouto. Let's go home and get you in the shower."
Without hesitation, the boy latched onto his palm, and Itachi entwined their fingers together and stuffed them into one of his jacket pockets. He led Sasuke out through the back gate and, when they arrived at his car, he buckled him into his seat before taking off.
When they got home, Itachi ushered the boy into the shower and even offered him a hand.
"No, thank you," his precious Otouto had whispered with embarrassment, looking anywhere but at Itachi when he had offered to scrub him down.
Itachi had almost forgotten about the events that transpired the night before, and, if it weren't for how uncomfortable Sasuke acted when he proposed helping him in the shower, Itachi would have teased the boy more.
"So adorable," Itachi had murmured to Sasuke's face, delighting in the massive blush that blossomed on his face. "I'll be in my room if you need me, okay?" He bent down and kissed the boy on the cheek before he left him be and exited the bathroom.
Itachi left his bedroom door unlocked and found himself sitting quietly at his desk. The gentle air around him dissolved immediately as the silence echoed in his ears. Aside from the dull sound coming from the shower in Sasuke's room, the only thing Itachi could hear was his rapidly pounding heart and the grueling rage that could not be extinguished.
"FUCK."
In one massive swoop with his arms, everything on his desk fell to the floor with a heavy thud. His textbooks, his laptop, his cellphone, and the desk lamp became a mess at his feet.
He found himself slamming his palms onto the wooden surface of his desk, the sting from the collision breaking through his cloud of anger enough for him to bend down and pick up his phone.
He found himself leaning back into his chair and calling Kyuubi seconds later.
"Hey. I heard what happened."
The man picked up on the first ring as if he expected Itachi's call. In place of his usual good humor, his tone was serious.
"Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't been there?" Itachi hissed.
"What do you want from me?" Kyuubi sighed, defeated. "It's not like I knew about this either. Apparently, they're homophobic asshats who have been targeting Naruto, and Gaara and Sasuke were dragged in by association."
Itachi froze. "Homophobic?"
"Sasuke didn't tell you? Apparently, word got around that Naruto batted for the same team, and, since Sasuke and Gaara are his friends, they got dragged into it and labeled the same."
Itachi's grip tightened around his phone. He had heard what that kid whispered to his Otouto when he had him pressed against the wall. If anything, that kid had been gunning for Sasuke since day one to appease his sexual curiosity. At the very worst, he'd already fallen for his Otouto, and his homophobic tendencies were simply his denial of his sexual preferences. Anyway, it didn't matter because he dared not even breathe the same air as his precious Otouto again.
"Their names are Kidomaru, Sakon, and Suigetsu by the way. Figured you'd want to know."
Itachi's gaze hardened and he logged those names into his memory. "Let me know if you hear anything else."
"Sure thing."
Itachi hung up and, with a sigh, he began to pick up all the items off the floor. It'd be bad if Sasuke saw such a disasterly display.
H.J.
Sasuke knew he regressed when he was in Itachi's presence. Scratch that. He meant to say that he turned into a baby and grew more spoiled when he knew Itachi was around.
He had clearly been glaring at Suigetsu when the teen had pinned him against the wall, anger brimming to the surface in his defiant stare, as he shoved against the other boy's chest. But for some reason, when he saw his Aniki approaching, his fight or flight response disappeared altogether and he let his Aniki fight his battle for him.
It was as if Itachi's mere presence was enough for Sasuke to give up control of the situation, no matter how hectic or bad, because he knew his Aniki would protect him. Because ever since he could remember, his Aniki would show up like his guardian angel whenever an incident occurred that threatened Sasuke's well-being.
And again today, when Sasuke felt cornered and disgusted by that teenager, Itachi appeared again without fail. At this rate, Sasuke expected his Aniki to show up each time he fell into trouble, and, again, he was not disappointed.
He had the best big brother in the world. A grin overtook his features as he washed his hair under the spray of water. He had scrubbed his body raw and turned the water temperature down to cool his irritated body before stepping out and drying off.
Once he was dressed, he threw his dirty clothes into the hamper and went downstairs for a glass of water. He paused briefly when something caught his eye next to the toaster and nearly laughed. A bag of chocolate chips sat innocently on the counter, unopened and obviously new, inviting him to turn it into something tasty. He made a mental note to make an extra big batch for his Aniki.
He decided to go see Itachi after he was done, the little voice of unrest in his mind making him slightly anxious. Suigetsu's words suddenly filtered into his brain again when he reached the top of the stairs and he froze, shaking his head to attempt to make them disappear.
A gross shudder bombarded his body, and he found himself hating that slimy, unrelenting feeling that his thoughts invoked. It made him feel like he was dirty. That feeling was alarmingly familiar, but Sasuke didn't know why. A wave of nausea hit him, and it felt like the ground beneath his feet disappeared for a second. As fast as it came, it was gone.
"Otouto?"
Sasuke looked up from staring at his feet and saw his Aniki standing before him with a concerned expression.
"I'm okay," he said, the words delivered in a croak instead. The boy cleared his throat and offered Itachi a small smile. "I was coming to see you."
Before he knew it, Sasuke was gathered into Itachi's arms and surrounded by his Aniki's sweet, calming scent. He laid his cheek on Itachi's chest with a sigh. When his Aniki touched him, he didn't feel grossed out. Not like earlier this afternoon. Standing in Itachi's embrace, he felt warm, safe, and loved.