After Kushina and Minato left the room, the silence hung heavy in the air.
"I'm sorry for them and for the-" Naruto began but was cut off when the raven wrapped his body around the smaller framed man.
"I'm so sorry. I can never apologize enough- I should have stopped him." The raven whispered into the hug and held on tightly to the blonde.
"You don't have to- Sasuke, let go- Sasuke. For real." Naruto said as he pushed at the other prince and felt himself becoming overcome with emotions from the simple hug.
"Please, just let me... I was worried too." Sasuke said softly and Naruto stilled but felt the emotions still bubble up.
"Why? Since you came I just cry so much. I hate it. I hate feeling so-" Naruto hicced and rubbed his face into the shoulder in front of him, trying to hide.
"I'm sorry. I wish… things could be different. That maybe even we never met. That my family never came. I also just… want you safe. And happy." The raven responded, sounding a little hoarse himself.
"I- Like you being here. I just… I also wish it was different. But- I like…" you. As soon as the sentiment flew through his head Naruto closed his eyes tightly. "I like you being here too. I want you to be free as well."
The raven haired prince chuckled softly and pulled back to look into the azure eyes, currently red and turning puffy from crying.
"Thank you, for standing up for me." The dark prince whispered and leaned in slowly, keeping his gaze with the man in front of him. "Do... you like... men?" The words whispered out as their faces came closer, ever slowly.
Naruto nodded softly and looked down between lips, and then up to jet black eyes.
Naruto heard a soft 'good' before his entire being lit up, when their lips met it was like a shock of electricity went through the blonde. He reached up and grabbed onto the chest and shoulders in front of him, unintentionally drawing them closer. The blonde was unaware of his chest pushing forward and his back arching into the man in front of him until a hand reached behind him and touched his lower back, pulling him in, impossibly closer.
After what was probably a moment but felt like a lifetime, they broke apart, panting lightly and looking at each others' blushing faces.
"I... Uh... Guess you do too?" Naruto asked while his face was red, pulsing with his heart.
The raven snorted and nodded slowly while keeping a sly smirk on his face. "Yeah, although I'm surprised you do. I figured you would want to be with a woman."
Naruto thought of this for a moment but realized, even though he had loved Sakura previously, he had never had any preference for someone based on their gender alone. For him, sexuality and attraction wasn't determined by gender. After all, the only thing Naruto wanted for himself was acceptance. It would be wrong if he couldn't accept others in the same regard.
"I don't care about… that. If I changed who I am, who am I to judge others? I could have married someone and they realized they were in the wrong body too. Who am I to-" Naruto was cut off when lips met his again.
They pushed against each other and the blonde sighed softly into the kiss, it felt… good. Really good. Being that the only people he kissed were Sasuke and Itachi, he had no real scale to based their kisses on, but the younger brother was much better.
Naruto pulled away and looked up at the raven, feeling bad that he thought of Itachi. "What about you? What would you have done if…?" Naruto left the question unfinished, knowing they both were referring to arranged marriages and the need for royal children from those marriages.
"I would have done what I needed to. I didn't expect much from my life, if I am being honest. But…" the raven looked at the blonde, his eyes almost filled with wonder, it made the blonde feel like he needed to move away. Instead he looked away and shivered at the intensity of the electricity between them currently. "Being here gives me hope."
Naruto immediately reconnected his eyes to onyx ones and looked for anything showing a lie, but as he expected, he found no dishonesty in those eyes.
"Hope?" Naruto asked and heard his voice was much quieter than he expected.
"Yeah. Hope." Sasuke said simply and took a deep breath in before releasing it and pulling away from the blonde. Naruto's body reacted to this by shivering, missing the warmth provided by the other body. "We… have to talk. In a couple of days we have to head out to my kingdom." Sasuke started and Naruto immediately felt his body go cold. Being surrounded by the Uchihas and their rule.
Naruto wished that the raven hadn't changed the subject so abruptly but understood as he was also feeling emotionally drained and couldn't manage to talk much more about feelings now anyways.
"I know things, hell almost everything is different there." Sasuke continued. "But while we are there, follow my lead, I will stand up for you as you have done for me. You will have to stay in my room most of the time unless I'm with you." Sasuke began looking around the room, looking like he was taking in everything before him slowly and meticulously.
"The castle and kingdom are colder. We are close to the ocean, so it is always cold and it is approaching winter season so it will be even colder. Please pack your heaviest clothing and have someone here make you warmer clothes. It's a three day travel so bring some books too." Sasuke said and let out a large sigh before meeting Naruto's eyes again, "We'll make it through this."
Naruto nodded and tried to push down the insecurities he felt, needing to show a strong face and take this head on.
"Together"