Chapter 23: The Ties That Bind
Sasuke wrapped the towel around his waist. He had scrubbed himself raw to please his brother as he gave himself a last once over in the mirror. Fingertips scrubbed at his scalp to get his spikes in the familiar messy quality, feeling a heat deep in his belly at just the anticipation of facing Itachi again. He knew his brother was still angry, just like he knew how badly he had screwed up with what happened with Naruto.
It wasn't fair to Itachi. He asked so little of him, while giving so much, and Sasuke had broken every rule laid down to him. No matter—he could make it up to Itachi. If he truly hadn't slept with Shisui, Sasuke was more than aware how he must be aching. Itachi had a voracious sexual appetite, and they hadn't seen each other in a week. It might as well have been ages for what was truly between them.
"Tach?" Sasuke called, heading down the hallway as his fingers dragged along the walls. "Do you want to see if I'm up to your standards now?" He was being cheeky, he knew, but he was also very aware of how long it had been since they touched each other. His entire body was sparked with electricity, sending shivers down his spine with just remembering Itachi pressed up against him in the kitchen.
He paused in the doorway to the bedroom, eyes roaming up Itachi's body as his brother stared down at the bed he shared with Shisui. Apprehension filled him when the other didn't turn around. Was he regretting choosing Sasuke? Did he not want to take him in their bed? He held his breath as he moved closer, risking Itachi's wrath as he pressed up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist as he pulled Itachi close to lay his chin on his shoulder. "Tach?" Sasuke asked against his neck, dragging his lips along his pulse. "Can I kiss you like I love you now?"
"Do you?" Itachi asked softly, still staring down at the bed as he was stiff in his arms. "Do you actually love me?"
"What?" Sasuke asked, arms tightening around Itachi as he kissed his neck. "Of course I do. Itachi—it was just a mistake. You have to forgive me."
"I should let him have you," his brother spoke in a near whisper, but he had yet to pull away from his arms even as Sasuke had stiffened against him. "If I was selfless, I'd let him have you. I would disappear and let you have your life."
"My life?" Sasuke asked, trying to fight the urge to panic as he refused to loosen his hold. "My life with my entire family slaughtered, you mean? My life without you, you mean?"
"He's good for you," Itachi countered. "He's helped you more in a week than I have in a month. You want happiness. You want romance. You want all the things I can't give you."
Sasuke's nose curled in anger, shoving away from Itachi as his hands curled down at his sides. "You don't know me at all, Itachi. Not even a little bit." He moved towards the dresser, digging for clothes as he tried to fight the absolute anger he felt towards the other. He just wanted out of here. He wanted away from his brother who was still just staring down at the damn bed. "I don't give a shit about romance, and you make me fucking happy—you asshole." He held up the clothes. "I'm borrowing these."
Itachi sighed, head tilting back in frustration. "Don't get dressed. Just give me a moment."
"Why?" Sasuke asked. "Trying to stomach me enough to get hard?" He used the words Itachi had when describing Shisui. "If you don't want me anymore, then fucking say it. But don't act like a martyr who is going to leave me here for my own good, because it's bullshit."
"You're right," Itachi agreed. "I said it's what I should do—and it is. But I would never leave you here to get fucked by Naruto Uzumaki." Itachi finally turned around, and Sasuke was taken aback by the stricken look on his face. "You're mine…even if I make you miserable…even if you fucking hate me…you don't get a choice in this. You're coming with me."
Sasuke's heart clenched at the admission, not hesitating as he dropped the clothes in his arms and rushed forward. He launched himself at Itachi, the other barely getting his arms up to catch him before he was tackled back on the bed. Itachi's arms slid up his back, staring up at him with almost a sense of vulnerability that he wasn't used to seeing on his brother's face.
"You're mine too, you know?" Sasuke questioned, spreading his hips wider to fully straddle the other as he trailed his hands up the other's chest. "Let's start clean. We don't touch other people anymore. It's just us." He swallowed hard, body stiff even as he dragged himself across Itachi, trying to prepare himself for the inevitable emotional devastation when Itachi said no.
"Sasuke," Itachi started, forehead wrinkling as his fingers pushed down below the towel to grip at his flesh. "I never want to touch anyone besides you again in my life."
His breath left, shock radiating through him as he never thought he'd actually hear Itachi say those words. He never thought they'd get to this point from where they started—from how they started. Sasuke surged forward, attacking Itachi's mouth with his own as absolute desperation consumed him. Their lips slid together as Itachi kissed him back, and Sasuke poured every ounce of love and affection he felt through the kiss.
He moaned against Itachi's mouth, gasping as the other pushed up to sitting and he felt the clothed erection pressing underneath the towel. "Will you fuck me like you love me now?" Sasuke asked between kisses, arms wrapping sensually around the other's neck as he let Itachi's tongue slide against his own and into his mouth. Itachi ripped off his towel, throwing it across the room as he moaned deeper at the feel of being pressed fully against him. "Itachi?" Sasuke asked, twisting his head to break the kiss as he trailed kisses along his jaw. "Show me you love me?"
Their eyes locked as Itachi's hands trailed purposely down his waist, pressing his knees wider as his hands traveled between Sasuke's legs. "If you want something…ask for it." Itachi's lips fell to his neck, sucking on his pulse as hand wrapped around his cock, pumping him to full hardness as Sasuke's hips stuttered along with the movements.
Sasuke kissed him again, not able to help himself as his hands dragged the shirt up Itachi's back, breaking just long enough to slip it over his head as he writhed on top of the other. "I want you to lick me open," he managed, saliva still connecting their mouths as he looked into Itachi's lust filled eyes. "I want to cum first from your mouth—and then your cock."
"Greedy," Itachi all but purred against his lips, hand coming back to his cock as his thumb swirled against the precum leaking from the tip. "Why should I give you anything when you were cheating?"
Sasuke glared at him, feeling like they were going backwards as they had just decided to move on. "Because I want you to, that's why," he bit out, pushing off Itachi's lap to lay back instead, spreading his legs wide as he stared up expectantly at his lover. "Now."
Even with the force of the demand, Sasuke was practically squirming inside with nervousness as he didn't know how far to push his niisan—especially with all the events of today. Itachi could just as well kick him out as touch him, but he thought he had chosen the right way to get under his skin.
Itachi arched a brow at the command, reaching out to trail his fingertips along his ankle, sliding up the inside of his calf as Sasuke bent his legs just in time for a kiss to be pressed to the side of his knee. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Sas," Itachi managed, laying kisses along the inside of his thigh as he yanked Sasuke closer into position before sinking down fully onto his cock.
Sasuke's heels pressed into the bed, arching in surprise as Itachi slurped him down and took him deep in his throat. Nonsensical noises left him as Itachi gave him head, bobbing up and down on top of him as Sasuke's thighs tightened against his ears. "Aniki…" he begged, fingers fisting in that long dark hair as he ripped at it along with his pleasure. "Itachi…" He cried out as a tongue traced along the vein running up his cock, precum pouring against Itachi's tongue as he was overwhelmed with the sensation.
His eyes were half lidded as Itachi pulled off him with a wet plop, kissing the tip of his penis as he grinned ferally at him. "Now, my darling Otouto…I'm going to eat you out, but if you cum before I fuck you, then I'm going to punish you, is that clear?"
Gulping at just the thought, Sasuke nodded shakily as he was aching to get Itachi's mouth back on him. "I'll try, but I'm close." He fell back onto the sheets, spreading his legs wider as he forcibly pushed Itachi's head back between his thighs.
Sasuke nearly bit through his lip at the first brush of that tongue, stretching his arms above his head to grip at the footboard, crying out at every swipe of that perfect tongue. Itachi was being extremely giving, but that could change at any time if he displeased him. He actually cried out when that tongue pressed inside him at the same time that Itachi's hand wrapped back around his wet cock.
Itachi's tongue pushed deep, flexing inside of him as pleasure shot up his spine. He tossed his legs over Itachi's shoulders, pulling him in deeper as two fingers pressed in along with that tongue and he actually had to reach down to grip his cock to stop it from spurting. Thankfully, Itachi didn't seem to notice as he continued to open him up, scraping deep as he pressed up against his prostate. Sasuke actually sobbed at that, gripping himself hard enough to hurt as his entire body shuddered in ecstasy.
"Enough…Tach…enough…." With his one free hand, he patted desperately at Itachi's nape, begging him to pull up as those fingers massaged his prostate. "Itachi stop….Tach…" His cock was throbbing with how hard he was holding the base, it was a dark red almost purple color as tears of pleasured pain poured down his cheek. "Itachi," he sobbed, all but bawling by this point as he didn't want to disappoint him.
He let out a gaspy exhale in pure relief when his niisan relented, pulling his mouth and fingers away as Sasuke released the vice like grip he had on himself to catch his breath. "You cheated," Itachi chastised, but he didn't look angry about it as his thumb swept across his lower lip. "But I suppose I can't punish you."
"Itachi, I don't give a fuck if you punish me, but if your cock isn't inside me in the next minute I'm going to finish myself." Sasuke trailed his hands over his body, stopping at his sensitized nipples as he watched with half lidded eyes for Itachi to take off his pants.
Itachi's body blanketed his own, and Sasuke smiled at the soft way lips were pressed to his check. "I adore every last thing about you." His face heated at the words, not expecting them as his eyes came into more of a focus, and he yanked Itachi's mouth down to his own.
A whine of pain escaped him as Itachi pressed between his legs, fully impaling him even as he kissed him almost delicately, working to swallow all his discomfort. They moved together then, Itachi fitting perfectly between his legs as they continued to kiss, neither seeming to be able to bear being parted. He didn't want this to end. He didn't want to have to pretend to be anything besides Itachi's ever again. He wanted this to be their life. He wanted this to be their room. He wanted so many things that he knew would never be in the cards for them.
His hands surrounded Itachi's back, nails digging into flesh as they moved faster—Itachi sinking deeper with each thrust. "Sas, look at me." Sasuke did his best to obey, eyes flickering to meet Itachi's own as the other's hand cupped his face. "Tell me you belong to me."
Paranoid weirdo…
Sasuke actually smiled at the ask, face screwing up in pleasure as Itachi scraped deep inside of him. "I belong to you." He keened as Itachi continued to hit his prostate, taking his time as he slid against the bundle of nerves. "Tach…tell me you love me."
"You know I do," Itachi actually complied, rocking faster inside of him as they poured their affection through kisses. "I love you more than anything." Itachi's hips stuttered, and Sasuke let out a low moan of satisfaction at the warmth flooding his insides as he let himself go, clenching around Itachi's sputtering cock as he released between their bellies.
Itachi collapsed onto his shoulder, panting into his neck as they both rode out their orgasms. Sasuke's fingers traced up Itachi's spine as he held the other and let him catch his breath. He tapped on Itachi's shoulder. "Let me up…I want to flip around to a pillow." His niisan didn't stir, just continuing to hold him as he rested on his chest. Sasuke laughed at the non-compliance, shoving at his chest. "Aniki…you're heavy."
"And you're bratty," Itachi countered, but when he pushed up onto his elbows, his brother was smiling. "What do you want for dinner?"
"You're going to cook for me?" Sasuke asked, not able to stop his smile as his arms wrapped around Itachi's neck to pull him closer. "Something other than rabbit stew?"
"Well, you certainly can't cook, and so one of us needs to be able to do basic human tasks," Itachi teased him, leaning down for a few lazy kisses. "I like seeing you smile."
Sasuke blushed, trying to bite his lip as he was unable to hide his happiness. Something had changed between them. Itachi had given in to him. He had been vulnerable with him. "You're being very sweet."
"I'm just relieved." Itachi sighed, leaning in to kiss him one last time before pulling out of him and rolling off his body.
"Relieved?" Sasuke asked, not wanting to get up yet as he stretched his hands over his head and cracked his back. He was oblivious to the mess between his legs, liking the feeling of Itachi's seed inside him.
The bed shifted as Itachi got off, and Sasuke practically purred as fingers ran through his still wet rolled over onto his stomach, pushing up to his knees as he looked reverently up towards his brother. Itachi's thumb reached out, tracing his bottom lip as he watched him. "I'm relieved that you're feeling better," he spoke almost hesitantly. "I didn't know if you were ever going to come back this time."
Sasuke's eyes softened at that, knowing just how much he had worried his brother. Guilt ate at him as his arms wrapped around the other's neck, stretching up on his knees to kiss him. "Can I spend the night?" Itachi looked exhausted, and he knew how badly he slept sometimes.
Itachi kissed his cheek, nodding. "Just tonight though. Now what do you want to eat?"
Naruto was going to make onigiri. He was probably prepping it right now and starting to wonder just where he was. He pushed down the absolute guilt he felt for what he was doing to his friend, as well as the guilt he felt for having such a good time with Itachi when they were about to set fire to their entire lives.
"Noodles," Sasuke requested, eyes half lidded as they lazily kissed. "Spicy."
"Spicy noodles?" Itachi repeated, and Sasuke never wanted him to pull away as he smoothed away the bangs from his face. "I'll see what I can do."
Itachi went to pull away, but Sasuke grabbed at his wrist, pouting at him. "Wait…" He pulled him back to his mouth, not ready to part yet as he had never felt quite so content in his entire life. He sat back, reaching for Itachi's discarded t-shirt as he pulled it quickly over his head so that it fell just barely down to his thighs. He smiled brilliantly at Itachi, wrapping around him again as he let his body hang as he met his eyes. "Take me with you." Itachi nodded, causing Sasuke's heart to pound even harder, laughing as a hand scooped under both of his thighs to lift him up and carry him towards the kitchen.
They kissed the entire way down the hall, not able to keep their hands off each other the entire way to the kitchen. He was finally set down onto the counter, Itachi pulling away as he grabbed to adjust himself in his pants. "Calm yourself," Itachi chided. "I need to cook for you before I fuck you again."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, swinging his feet against the cabinets as he grinned at him. "Says the person with the hard on," he teased, biting his lip at the smile Itachi shot him. His brother opened the fridge, pulling out a stack of meat and veggies as he set it on the stove. "Do you want me to help chop?"
"No," Itachi replied, grabbing for the package of cherry tomatoes as he carried it over to where Sasuke was sitting, pulling one out as he held it to his lips in offering. "I like you where you are." Sasuke leaned forward to bite the tomato, tongue sliding along Itachi's fingers as he did. "One change though." He reached down between Sasuke's legs, ripping his thighs open on the counter and pushing the t-shirt up enough to reveal the half hard cock underneath it. "Keep them open." He kissed his cheek, and Sasuke's entire body thrummed with lust and obsession. "I like seeing what a fucked out mess you are."
Sasuke's head fell back against the cupboard, moaning as his cock fully hardened again at the words. "That's not fair." He fisted the bottom of the shirt, twisting it as he tried to get back control over his lust as he knew Itachi wasn't going to touch him right now. "Tach, when we're at the Akatsuki, will it be like this?" He wanted it to. He wanted to always feel this in love with the one person in this world who accepted him beyond reason. "I mean…I know not exactly like this, but we'll be together, right?"
Itachi had started a pot with a soup base that he had pulled from the fridge, turning on the stove as he wasn't facing him. "Right, Sas. We'll be together." The playfulness had faded from his voice, however, and it caused Sasuke to frown.
"But we won't be the same, will we?" He tugged the t-shirt to cover himself, feeling vulnerable as melancholy began to creep back in. "Who could be after what we have to do?"
"Not we," Itachi corrected, spinning to face him as he gripped the knife he was using to slice up the pork belly. "There won't be any blood on your hands. I promise."
Sasuke nodded, not knowing if that thought made him feel better or worse. How could he let Itachi go through this alone? But at the same time, how could he help with it? "Let's not talk about it. I don't want to spoil tonight." He reached towards him. "Give me another tomato." Itachi didn't react right away, just staring at the island where all the food was laid out. "Itachi?"
When his brother finally looked over at him, his face had turned completely cold and guarded. "I need to run out and get something for dinner. Can you watch the stove?"
"Itachi," Sasuke chided worriedly. He jumped down from the counter, padding quickly over to him. "Don't…don't do this."
"I'm not doing anything," Itachi denied. "You're the one that wanted it to be spicy."
"I don't give a shit about the noodles, Itachi!" Sasuke snapped at him, staring up with a frown. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"
"Talk to you?" Itachi questioned. "I just got you back, and you want me to talk to you?" His voice was filled with disgust, pulling away. "I just have to go get something. I'll be back soon." Sasuke glowered at his brother, crossing his arms as his nose crinkled in anger. "Don't give me that look." Itachi grabbed for him, gripping both of his biceps as he leaned down to give him a kiss. "This is important."
Sasuke didn't kiss back, his frown only increasing. "Spices are important?" he asked with skepticism.
"Just trust me," Itachi gave him another kiss. "And watch the soup?"
He huffed, not relenting to this absurdness, but knowing that Itachi was going to do what he wanted. "Whatever, Itachi." He deflated from his elation, reality sinking in as he realized what their relationship really was when his niisan wasn't walking on eggshells around him. "Just come back, okay?" He stared at the floor as Itachi went to get dressed, flinching slightly at hearing the door slam signaling that his brother had left. "...They better be really fucking good spices." Sasuke grumbled under his breath, turning around to the stove to mind their food.
…Turns out—he needn't have bothered.
Itachi didn't come back for hours. Sasuke had eaten dinner by himself and packaged everything else away in the fridge for Itachi and Shisui to have for later. …He hoped they choked on it. He sat up to wait for his brother until close to 1:00 AM, before giving up that he was ever coming back. Sasuke freshened up in the bathroom, cleaning the stickiness between his legs, and brushing his teeth before heading towards the bedroom.
It wasn't until after he had crawled up into the sheets that he realized he should be hurting from all of this. Pain and rejection ignited in his belly, blinking hard to clear the beginnings of tears as he pulled the blanket over his shoulder. The part that made him the most frustrated wasn't that Itachi had disappeared, because he was used to that, it was that the bastard hadn't trusted him enough to tell him why he was so upset. It was the fact that he made him hurt Naruto who had only ever tried to help him. It was the fact that the absolute asshole never had changed the sheets from where he and Shisui slept.
Maybe they never really could be happy.
He laid in the empty bed for around an hour before he heard the front door open. Sasuke turned his body away from the door, curling into the pillow as he glared at the far wall while pretending to sleep. Sasuke heard clothes hit the floor, frowning at the presumption as the bed dipped beside him.
"I can feel you seething," Itachi informed him, and Sasuke flinched as a hand trailed up the blanket to grip his hip. "Can I fuck you before we talk?" Sasuke turned onto his back for the sheer purpose of being able to glare at his brother. Itachi just laughed at him—he laughed. "I know you're mad, Sas, but I had to find something."
"I don't care," Sasuke assured him. "You want to get off, Itachi? Feel free to go fuck yourself." He shoved at him. "Go sleep on the couch. I'll go back home tomorrow."
Itachi rolled his eyes at his dramatics, and it pissed Sasuke off even more. "I'm sorry this took longer than I thought. I promise it'll be worth it."
"You always break your promises," Sasuke bit back, but he had to admit he was slightly intrigued. "What is it?"
"After?" Itachi asked, leaning down to kiss along Sasuke's neck as he pulled the blanket up. "I need you." Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but Itachi shut him up with his tongue, pushing both of his arms above his head as he pushed between his legs.
Sasuke laid on Itachi's shoulder after, snuggling close despite his mostly depleted anger as Itachi played with his sweaty spikes. "Are you going to tell me now?" He wouldn't admit how comfortable he was as he looked up towards the other, frowning when he saw the sharingan in his eyes. "Wha…" He didn't even think of having to defend himself as he knew he was already under Itachi's Genjutsu.
"Sshhh Shhhh," Itachi calmed him, and by the time his brother had flipped him onto his back, the world around him was surrounded by stars. Itachi's mouth pressed to his ear, hand stroking comfortingly through his hair as Sasuke stared at the millions and millions of stars surrounding them. "I want to tell you a story."
"A space story?" Sasuke asked, glancing over and knitting his eyes at the intense way Itachi was watching him. "What is this?"
"Watch," Itachi chided, kissing his forehead as he turned Sasuke's face once more towards the sky. Sasuke watched, transfixed, as some of the stars began to glow, forming constellations in the form of two bodies as the story began to unfold across the sky. "Once upon a time there were two brothers." Two boys ran across the sky, and Sasuke recognized them as him and Itachi when they were younger. "The older brother loved the younger very much and would do anything in his life to protect him." The constellation version of him tripped and fell, and Itachi helped him up and fixed his knee. "As they grew they realized it was something different between them…and that it was wrong…and dirty…and that they shouldn't."
"But they couldn't stay away from each other?" Sasuke supplied, tears sliding down his temples as he watched the star figures kiss.
"No," Itachi agreed. "They couldn't stay away." He swallowed hard next to his ear, kissing away Sasuke's tears. "But it wasn't just about them. It was about peace. It was about a higher purpose that repulsed them both, and it made the younger sick."
"Did he get better?" Sasuke asked, watching scene after scene between them happen in the stars.
"I think he's close to it," Itachi answered, curled up against Sasuke's side. "But the elder can never find the right words to say. He can never get over the fear that the younger is going to leave him when it happens."
"Itachi, I'm not going to—" he tried to interrupt, but Itachi put a finger against his lip to quiet him.
"Yes, you will. You will leave." Sasuke felt sick with worry at just hearing the insecurities behind Itachi's voice. "You did before, and you will again."
"What?" Sasuke asked, eyebrows knitted in confusion as they stared at each other. "Itachi, I never left you."
"Sasuke," Itachi started, kissing his forehead. "I love you so much. I need you to be mine forever." Warning bells were exploding in Sasuke's head, feeling beyond uncomfortable as it felt like his entire body was tingling, as if there was something digging inside of him.
"I love you too, Itachi," he answered, panting as it felt like it was too tight in his own skin. "But I don't understand what this is." He didn't understand what Itachi meant when he said he had left him.
"Just watch the stars, Sas," Itachi nuzzled his neck, gripping his chin to turn it back up to the night sky as Itachi walked towards him, grabbing for both of his hands. Sasuke's teeth gritted at that uncomfortable scraping feeling once more took over, actually becoming painful as he squirmed in the bed. "I wish we didn't have to do what we have to do. I wish this could be our life in Konoha, and I could make you dinner every single night." Sasuke blinked rapidly, chest heaving as that hollowing feeling became worse, his own sharingan flickering to his eyes for only a moment in his quiet panic while trying not to interrupt Itachi. The moment it came to his eyes, he thought he saw a flash of Itachi standing at the edge of the bed, hands moving rapidly through signals as his lips silently spoke a jutsu.
"Itachi, I feel funny," Sasuke managed, the image of Itachi being replaced by the one pressed beside him, stroking through his hair to calm him.
"I know you do, baby," Itachi spoke softly, using that same calming tone. "It's almost over." He kissed along his chin. What was almost over? "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Sas." Sasuke's eyes were fixed in the stars, watching Itachi get down on one knee in front of him, holding up a ring. "Be with me?" Itachi asked, voice actually trembling. He sounded so scared. "Be with me always?"
"Itachi…" Sasuke was speechless as he stared at the scene in the sky, finally managing to turn his face over to see the abject terror reflected on Itachi's own. "Are you asking me to…to…m-marry you?"
"I know we can't really—that we'll never be able to, but here…in the stars…what if we did?" Itachi pushed on Sasuke's jaw, officially closing his gaping mouth as he tried to remember the process of forming thoughts.
"Umm," was all he managed to get out. "Yeah." He ignored the fact that his body had turned freezing cold, and that hollowing out was just getting worse as this was Itachi giving him everything he never knew they could have together. "Of course. Yeah." Sasuke ripped at the back of Itachi's head, yanking him down to his lips as he watched fascinated at the way Itachi slipped a ring on his finger and pulled him in for a kiss in the stars.
Sasuke's head was spinning as they kissed, beyond dizzy from it as all he could feel was Itachi, almost as if he was embedded into his soul. When he opened his eyes again the stars had all faded, and he knew he was out of the genjutsu as he blinked instead up at Itachi's face. His right arm was burning, and as he drew it in front of him, Sasuke's eyebrows knitted at the sigils etched in black all around his wrist—almost like a cuff.
He stared incredulously at the jutsu that had clearly been embedded into his skin, twisting his wrist from side to side as he didn't recognize it. "Itachi?"
"Don't worry," his brother assured him, holding up the opposite wrist. "I have one too. They're binding marks. Just so we know that we belong together."
He knew it was a lie, but he didn't know how much of one or why. "It's a jutsu. What kind of jutsu?"
"I told you," Itachi spoke, sounding frustrated and panicked. "It just binds us." Sasuke blinked at that, not able to comprehend those words as he turned confused eyes to Itachi. "It's nothing bad. I just wanted something official."
"So that I don't leave you?" Sasuke asked hollowly, wracking his mind as he tried to remember what Itachi had said about that while in the stars, but it felt fuzzy. "I wouldn't ever leave you."
"Just like you wouldn't ever cheat," Itachi murmured under his breath, and Sasuke exhaled in realization as he knew what this was.
"Oh, Tach…" Sasuke pushed down the weirdness of the day…the fact that his brother had some serious issues…and knew this all boiled down to what happened with Naruto. He supposed some weird tattoo was just what he was going to have to live with for breaking Itachi's trust. "I'm sorry." He pushed the other down to the bed, snuggling close as he laid on his chest to try to reassure him he would never leave. "It won't happen again." He felt drugged. He wasn't even able to try to piece together what had just happened with Itachi offering him a ring, and it turning into a brand. His eyes felt weighted, and he wasn't able to keep them open as his whole body felt like it had been beaten.
"I know, Sasuke," Itachi answered, kissing the top of his head, and for the first time since Sasuke had tried to assure him regarding Naruto, Itachi actually sounded like he believed him.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
A/N- Wellllllllllllll…Itachi's got some issues, clearly, but besides that absolute insanity, I hope you enjoyed the fluff that was this chapter. Semi-fluff…fluff for them for sure. Thanks for reading!