Hi all! I meant to have this chapter up a few days ago, but boy did life really get to me this week. So I'm sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy the chapter! In the next one we'll have something I've been looking forward to since I got the idea to reimagine this story, so I hope you guys look forward to it next week!
Warnings: Incest, infidelity, boys smooching and stuff.
A Family Affair
Chapter Three
"Will I see you tomorrow?"
When they arrived at their parent's house, Sasuke sat in the car, still unwilling to get out. He wasn't exactly pouting at Itachi anymore, but he still wasn't happy, although when Itachi asked his question, Sasuke did perk up just a bit. At least for a moment, until he remembered what he needed to do tomorrow. What he should have done today.
"Hopefully," Sasuke said. "I have to, you know, talk with Naruto first…"
"Ah," Itachi intoned. There was a beat of silence and then, quietly, almost distractedly, "Are you okay with this, Sasuke? Truly?"
Sasuke looked over at Itachi, but his brother wasn't looking back at him. Instead, he had his eyes trained on the kitchen window.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sasuke said and took Itachi's hand in his. For a second, he stroked his fingers along his brother's before lacing them together for the first time. When he did it, Sasuke couldn't help but smile to himself.
"Don't you feel that, Itachi?" Sasuke murmured, squeezing his hand. Their fingers slotted perfectly together, like they had been meant to be together since the beginning of time, like they had been made solely for one another. And Sasuke had no reason to believe otherwise. "Don't you feel how right this feels, just sitting here and holding your hand?"
"Feeling right doesn't mean that it is right, Sasuke," Itachi answered.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That's exactly what it means, Itachi."
"I just-"
"Sasuke! Say goodbye to your brother already and come inside! You'll see him tomorrow!" Their mother yelled out at them from the doorway before ducking back inside.
Sasuke sighed and then turned his body toward Itachi as best he could in such a small, awkward space. "Why is this bothering you?" he asked. "Do you think you're taking advantage of me or something? That I can't actually make decisions for myself?"
"No," Itachi replied, setting his eyes on Sasuke now. "Not at all. I just… I just - I don't even know exactly. I want the best for you, Sasuke; I always have and I just-"
"Don't think you're the best for me?" Sasuke finished.
"I want to be," Itachi said. He squeezed Sasuke's hand tightly, like he was afraid to let him go, or that he was afraid Sasuke would let him let go. "I wish I was, but how can I be when I can't even give you a real relationship? When we can't go out in public together?"
"We can go out in public together, Itachi," Sasuke said.
Itachi leveled a look at him and shook his head. "It's not the same, Sasuke, and you know that."
"Sasuke!" Their mother had poked her head out of the front door again and was shouting. "You have a phone! Say good night and just text your brother later! Come inside!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming, jeez," Sasuke muttered, blowing out a long breath when Mikoto went back inside. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Itachi again.
"Look at me," he demanded, wiggling in his seat some so he could scooch as close as possible to Itachi even with the center console between them. He put both his hands on Itachi's cheeks and looked his brother right in the eyes. "I don't care about any of that. I don't care that you're my brother, that we definitely shouldn't be doing any of the things we have been, that the world would look down on us if it knew. The only thing I care about is you, Itachi. I care about you, and how you make me feel."
Itachi started to open his mouth, but Sasuke hushed him and continued, "Everything feels just...right when I'm with you, and that isn't something I'm willing to give up. Even if that means we can never be together in public. The world doesn't need to know that I care about you more than I should. Only you need to know it, because I do… I lo-"
Itachi surged forward and kissed Sasuke briefly, cutting off his admission.
"Don't say it now," Itachi said when they parted, but he was smiling. "Not when this is so new. Not while you're still with him."
Sasuke nodded; he understood where Itachi was coming from, understood the strange place his brother's mind was in, and even though he wanted to tell Itachi the extent of his feelings, he would keep it to himself for now.
They whispered goodbyes to each other in between a few quick kisses before Sasuke got out of the car and went inside, turning to wave one last goodbye at Itachi as he drove off.
"There he is!" Mikoto chimed when he walked in, her back was to him while she was rinsing dishes in the sink. "I can't imagine what you and your brother were talking about for so long out there."
Sasuke shrugged and started to his room after he took off his shoes, trying not to smile as he thought of the evening they'd spent together.
"Honey," Mikoto called as he walked down the hallway, "is that a new shirt? I don't think I've seen it before."
XxX
Three hours later, Sasuke lay wide awake in bed. Every now and then he'd pick up his phone and open up his messages, going between Itachi and Naruto's conversation threads. He'd thought about messaging his brother, but at this time of night, Itachi was probably fast asleep and he didn't know what he'd say anyway. That he was nervous about tomorrow? That he needed advice on what to say to Naruto? That he wished he could have an out and not have to deal with this?
The last one had come back to him often since he'd laid down, and what caused him to go back to Naruto's name on his phone for the umpteenth time, squinting at the light again after his eyes had adjusted back to the darkness five minutes ago. He flirted with the dangerous idea again, going so far as to type out half a message to Naruto:
"Naruto, this just isn't working out between us. I made a mistake when I agr"
Then he stopped.
He couldn't. He couldn't.
And even if he did, he would still have to see Naruto in the morning at school. Sit next to him throughout all their classes. Deal with his questions and stares and screams and accusations.
No, he couldn't do that. Didn't want to deal with it.
Sasuke erased the message, like the four other times he'd typed out something similar to it before now.
He clicked the button on the side of his phone and his eyes thanked him when the darkness came again, but then cursed him when he wouldn't just close them and go to sleep.
How could he?
The light from his phone brightened his room again, searing into his eyes and brain like a brand. This time, he didn't go to his messages, but his contacts, clicking on his brother's name and smiling just slightly-just exhaustedly when he saw the picture of Itachi he'd put as his contact a couple of years ago. He looked bored, his gaze distant but still focused with one hand brushing his bangs out of his face.
Sasuke remembered the day he took the photo, it had been one of the last regular visits that Itachi had made and he'd been talking with their father about a trip that he and their mother had recently taken. Sasuke didn't know why he'd taken the picture, but looking at it now, he could only marvel at how pretty his brother was. A thought he realized he'd had many times before now, before this, before them.
His heart ached at the thought and encouraged Sasuke to hit the call button. He put the phone to his ear and listened to it ring. Itachi wasn't going to pick up, he told himself, but if he could even listen to his voicemail, then maybe that would soothe him enough so he could try and get a little sleep tonight.
"Sasuke?" Itachi's voice, groggy and concerned, answered on the third ring and Sasuke's eyes went wide. "Are you okay?"
"I…" Sasuke stopped himself.
I shouldn't have called. I shouldn't have called. I shouldn't have called.
His mind raced with guilt for waking Itachi up.
"Are you there, Sasuke? Are you okay?" Itachi asked again, his voice a little clearer. So was the concern.
"I… I'm sorry," Sasuke managed out. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Itachi laughed to himself and Sasuke could hear him shifting in bed. He closed his eyes and pretended he was laying next to him.
"Then you wouldn't have called at two in the morning. What's going on?"
"Nothing," Sasuke shook his head to himself. He felt more ridiculous now for calling, for needing comfort over something so trivial, for feeling less and less guilty about calling with every breath he heard on the other end of the line. "I just, I can't sleep."
"Mm," Itachi hummed.
"I'm sorry," he apologized again, "I can let you go so you can get back to sleep."
"No, it's fine," Itachi said quickly. "I'm here. Talk to me; what's bothering you?"
"Nothing."
Too much.
"Alright, then what would make you feel better about this 'nothing' that's definitely not bothering you?"
Sasuke was quiet for a second, thinking, feeling silly for the answer pushing to get out of him, but he said it anyway, "Can you just stay on the phone with me for a while? Until I go to sleep?"
Another laugh, breathy and light and Sasuke's heart clenched, ready for Itachi to say no. Instead, "I'll do you one better; I'll stay on the phone the rest of the night with you. That way we can sleep together."
Sasuke's stomach flip-flopped, but it was a better feeling than when he'd been talking with Naruto at school. He smiled, felt warm, felt cared for. "That's cheesy."
"Says the one who called me."
"Fair enough," Sasuke said, tilting his head slightly. He turned onto his side and tucked his phone between his ear and his pillow before pulling his blanket up to his chin.
The line was quiet apart from Itachi's breathing for a long while as Sasuke's mind wandered, but now it wasn't toward what he would need to do in a few hours and how much he wanted to chicken out of it again. Now it was about Itachi and how nice it would feel to actually sleep by his brother's side.
"Itachi?" Sasuke asked, quiet, whispering, not wanting to wake Itachi up again.
"Yes?"
Sasuke took a deep breath, Itachi's voice sending another wave of comfort crashing over him because his brother was still there.
"Could I stay the night with you tonight? Or this weekend? Or next week? Or-"
"Yes, Sasuke," Itachi said quietly, stopping him mid-ramble. "To any of those. Ask mom first, but yes."
"I'm eighteen, Itachi, I shouldn't have to ask her for permission to stay with my brother."
"I'll let you be the one to tell her that, then," Itachi said, a smile clear in his voice. Sasuke matched it with his own, his heart, his mind, his soul filling up with something Sasuke hadn't really felt until the other day. Until Itachi kissed him under the stars.
Happiness.
"Itachi?" Sasuke said again.
"Yes, Sasuke?"
"I…" Sasuke bit his lip and hummed. He knew he shouldn't say it, but he wanted to. He wanted to, so bad. "Really want to say it. What you asked me not to say yet, you know, earlier."
Now Itachi was quiet. One heartbeat went by. Then another.
Sasuke stared out into the darkness of his room, three words running through his mind over and over and over as he waited for Itachi to speak. To say something.
"And I want you to say it. I want to hear it. More than anything, but-"
"But what?"
"But I want you to be mine when you say it. Just mine, and no one else's."
Sasuke breathed out, his chest aching with a steady rhythm pounding against his ribcage. "I understand," he said.
They lapsed into silence again, and this time Sasuke actually closed his eyes and tried to sleep, listening to his brother breathing. His thoughts started to quiet and he could feel himself slipping off when he heard:
"Hey, Sasuke?"
"Mhm," he hummed, holding onto the little shreds of consciousness he had left.
"I love you, too."
Sasuke smiled against his phone as he finally fell asleep, the worries of the day ahead of him forgotten for the moment.
XxX
When lunch came, Sasuke was thankful.
He finally had a break from Naruto's constant presence at his side. He'd gotten called to the principal's office over another one of the pranks he'd pulled, and while Sasuke's wasn't sure how long he'd be gone, even just a minute or two was enough. He needed a break from pretending.
"Hey, Sasuke." It was Sakura. It was strange for her to even be in the cafeteria during lunch, since she normally went straight to her next class and ate there while she worked on some of her classwork. "Where's Naruto?"
Sasuke gave her a knowing look and she groaned, "Again? I keep telling him he's too old to keep pulling these stunts."
"And when has he ever listened?"
She rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. Her lunch was simple, just a sandwich and an apple, but Sakura ignored both as she looked over at him.
"You doing okay?"
Sasuke gave her a look that he hoped said why wouldn't I be? It wasn't true, but he hoped that she wouldn't really be able to tell. Naruto hadn't picked up on anything yet today, and the blond had been pretty inseparable from him until now.
"Yikes," Sakura said with a grimace. "What's wrong?"
"What makes you think something's wrong?" he asked.
Sakura narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously as she said, "Aside from the near octave your voice just jumped at that question? You look terrible, Sasuke, like you've got something on your mind."
"My voice-ahem," Sasuke cleared his throat when his voice cracked and just decided to stop that argument there. "Fine, but I don't have anything on my mind."
"Sure, okay, and I don't have pink hair."
"Ha ha," Sasuke mumbled as he ate a section of an orange he'd brought with him. "Your roots are showing."
Sakura caught herself as her hand was halfway to her hair and she nudged Sasuke with her elbow. "No they're not. I just did my hair two days ago."
"So you admit," Sasuke said, pointing at her, "That you don't have pink hair. Naturally."
Sakura rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Fine, if you don't want to tell me what's going on, then keep it to yourself. I just didn't realize we were getting to that point in our friendship where you don't want to talk to me when something's bothering you anymore, but it's fine. Tooootally fine."
"Ugh, fine, stop with the guilt. You're worse than my mother!" Sasuke exclaimed. He ran his hand over his face and tried not to smile when he saw how excited Sakura looked now from the corner of his eye. "Maybe you could help me, anyway."
"Of course I can," she said assuredly. "Just tell me what's going on."
"I have to tell someone something-"
"Very vague."
"-and I don't know how."
Sakura nodded like she was waiting for him to say more. When he didn't, she gestured for him to keep going as she said, "Aaaand, what do you need to tell this mystery person?"
"I...can't tell you that."
"Ooh, vaguer still."
"So what do you suggest?"
Sakura raised both of her eyebrows and looked at him for a long, quiet moment before she said, "So just to recap: you would like advice on what to say to some mystery person about some issue that you won't mention, is that about right?"
"Yeah," Sasuke was looking at her expectantly.
"Uh huh, okay, so tell me then," Sakura tapped her chin a couple of times with her index finger. "Like...what kind of advice are you wanting? Because with this incredible amount of information you've given me, all I can possibly tell you is just...like, talk to the person and be honest?"
Sasuke groaned, "Yeah, I already knew that. I need to know-"
"Hey, Sasuke; hey, Sakura! You haven't been out here for lunch in months or somethin'!"
Sasuke's eyes widened when he heard Naruto's voice. He turned to his right and saw Naruto stop at the end of the table, but he didn't sit down yet. He looked cheery, which probably meant he'd gotten detention.
"Yeah, I know, but I figured I'd come and slum it out here with you guys today. You've obviously missed me a lot."
"Of course we have!" Naruto laughed. "Did I miss anything good?"
Sakura rolled her eyes, "I wish. Sasuke was just telling me that he needs-"
"That I need to figure out what to get my mom for her birthday!" Sasuke interjected quickly. Sakura looked at him strangely for a second, but he didn't pay her any mind.
Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Wasn't her birthday back in June though?"
"Ah, yeah," Sasuke laughed nervously, "It was! But it's always good to prepare, right?"
Naruto shrugged. "Well let me go and grab some food before they shut the doors and I'll be right back." He leaned down to kiss Sasuke, but Sasuke tilted his head downward slightly, so Naruto's lips ended up on his forehead. Naruto laughed about it before he walked off.
When Sasuke turned back to Sakura, he felt a sense of dread as he saw her eyes widen and face paler than if she'd just seen a ghost. Or figured out exactly what he hadn't wanted to tell her.
"Oh. My. God." she whispered through her fingers as she covered her mouth. Potentially to keep from screaming. "That's what you need advice on?"
"I don't know what you mean, I didn't say anything," Sasuke said quickly. His heart was in his throat and beating faster with his rising panic.
"You want to know how to break up with Naruto," she all but mouthed the last words so that no one else around them would hear.
"I didn't say that!" Sasuke hissed at her.
"You didn't have to! After that, you're lucky if the whole school doesn't already know!"
Sasuke frowned at that and moved closer to her on the little bench seat so that their shoulders were pressed together. "Okay, then, yes, I want to break up with him. Tell me what I should say to him!"
"Uh-uh," Sakura shook her head. "The last thing I'm going to do is get in the middle of this, you just need to be honest with him, Sasuke."
He wished that was something that he didn't already know, but he couldn't force Sakura into the middle of his relationship problem. He nodded and scooted back away from her. He put his lunch back into the bag he had packed it in, no longer hungry enough to try and eat.
Sakura looked at him a little pitifully. "What's going on? I thought you were happy with him?"
Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto chatting with another one of their classmates at the front of the cafeteria; he'd gotten sidetracked before he could get his food and Sasuke could see that the doors to the kitchen were closed now, so he'd be out of luck for a hot lunch today.
"It was fine, but I guess that's all that it was," Sasuke said with a shrug. "I just realized that I'm not...happy, you know?"
"Is it because of the people talking about you two? Cause if it is, you just can't pay it any mind, Sasuke. You know that you have been one of the most sought after guys in our whole school, so people are just trying to get over the idea that you're off the market."
"And gay," Sasuke added.
"Yeah, well, that too," Sakura confirmed. "But in another week, that will blow over and someone else will be the talk of the school. Plus graduation is right around the corner, so it's not like it's something that you have to deal with for another year or so. It's just a few weeks."
"I know, but it just isn't working, Sakura. Things have...changed," he said with a shrug. "And I think Naruto and I are better off as friends."
Sakura sighed. "I mean, if that's what you feel."
"It is," Sasuke said. "Could you do me a favor though?"
Sakura eyed him suspiciously, but nodded.
"Can you not say anything to him until tomorrow maybe? I'm planning to do it after school."
Sakura laughed, "You couldn't pay me to talk to him before you do today."
As if to drive her point home, she nodded over to where Naruto was coming back toward them and then got up and left, taking her lunch with her.
"Where did Sakura go?" Naruto asked when he got back to the table, taking a seat across the table from Sasuke, much to his relief.
Sasuke just shrugged and said, "You know her."
He passed Naruto the rest of his lunch and listened to the other boy go on about how his meeting with the principal had gone and what his plan was for his next prank. If Naruto thought there was anything off about Sasuke's behavior, he didn't mention it and for that Sasuke was grateful.
XxX
Okay, Sasuke could admit to himself that this break up wasn't going the best.
Everything had started out fine. He'd successfully diverted them into just going to Naruto's house after learning from that mistake yesterday, since, yeah, break ups probably were better when you had privacy.
He'd also successfully gotten into the house without running away or making an excuse. So he definitely thought he deserved a pat on the back for that, because his mind was blaring alarms the entire way from school until they were walking through the door, and honestly, even after that.
Actually, especially after that. Because Sasuke hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was off. He had sat down on the couch as he'd wondered what could possibly be wrong; he'd come to Naruto's house a thousand times before and nothing bad had happened any of those times.
He'd neglected, however, to take into account a few new circumstances.
Number one, was that he and Naruto were "dating" now, at least for the next couple of minutes until he could gather the courage to end it as swiftly as it had started.
Number two, was that he had seemed awfully eager to get Naruto home after school.
And number three, probably the most unfortunate for him right now, was that Naruto had no idea that anything was wrong.
Which is probably what led him to ending up with a lap full of the blond, that quickly also became a mouthful when Naruto surged forward and kissed him desperately.
Sasuke pressed against Naruto's chest, trying to push him away, but Naruto just latched his lips to Sasuke's neck instead and ground his hips down against Sasuke's, causing him to groan against his will.
"Naruto," he muttered, which seemed to be a bad idea, as it only encouraged the other boy more. Naruto pressed a hand up Sasuke's shirt.
"Naruto," Sasuke said again, collecting himself. "Naruto, stop."
He was able to push Naruto away this time, trying to be as gentle as he could as he shoved him onto the cushion next to him.
Naruto looked confused, but he straightened himself on the cushion, saying, "What's wrong, Sasuke? Isn't this why you wanted to come over?"
"I-no. Why would you-" Sasuke stopped himself, realizing how his actions could have been taken that way. "Nevermind. No, that-that isn't why…"
Naruto sat up a little straighter and tugged unselfconsciously at his clothes. Sasuke was impressed by Naruto's lack of embarrassment in the situation. He wasn't the one being actively rejected by his boyfriend, but even Sasuke was embarrassed by how this was going.
"Okay," Naruto said. "Then what's going on?"
Suddenly, Sasuke was face to face with the conversation he'd been dreading.
He wished he could say it was easier to deal with it now that he was in the moment - or, hell, even that he didn't actively keep thinking that sending a break up text last night was probably the better way he could've gone with this.
Because it wasn't, and he definitely did keep thinking about it.
"I… Well, we-" Sasuke stuttered out. The longer he looked at Naruto and his open, questioning gaze, the worse Sasuke felt. "We need to talk."
There!
He'd said it!
He'd done it!
Well not it it, but close enough. He'd heard enough girls at school talk about those few words, and how they only ever meant one thing.
"Okay," Naruto said, his expression unchanged. "What did you want to talk about, Sasuke?"
No.
No, no, no!
Sasuke sighed, but he wished he could scream.
Of course, Naruto would be the one person in the world unaffected by those words. He was unaffected by Sasuke's, extremely self realized, strange behavior, so why would he expect anything else?
"I wanted to talk about...us," he said slowly.
A blond brow rose and with it, so did Sasuke, pushing himself off the couch to put some distance between them. Alarms were going off in his head still, screaming go now, leave and this will end badly!
Well, here went nothing…
"I don't think this is working between us."
Naruto kept his composure, and Sasuke couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. It wasn't that he wanted Naruto to fly into a rage or shout or cry, but Sasuke thought that he might feel a little less on edge if Naruto did something.
After a long moment of silence just staring at one another, Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Are you saying you don't like me?"
"No!" Sasuke said, but then quickly course corrected. "I mean, I like you, but as a friend. I...made a mistake when I agreed to dating you."
"Made a mistake?"
"Not that you're a mistake! You're great! I just-oh boy, this could be going better," Sasuke muttered the last part to himself.
Naruto stood up and it took everything in Sasuke not to back away when Naruto came over to stand in front of him.
"I don't really understand where this is coming from, Sasuke."
"It's not really… I mean, it's just how I feel, Naruto."
"There's not someone else, is there?"
Sasuke's mind flashed to Itachi, but he shook his head, not allowing his thoughts to linger on the chance it made him seem guilty. "No, of course not."
Naruto smiled. It wasn't bright, but it also wasn't sad. Again, Sasuke was impressed.
"Okay, Sasuke. I understand."
The alarms blared again, louder and louder still, but Sasuke couldn't figure out a reason why. Sure, it had started off a little rough, but things were going fine now. Weren't they?
"That's great, thank you. Can we still be friends? If that's not too weird?"
"Of course, Sasuke," Naruto said.
Oh.
Then Naruto hugged him.
Oh boy.
It shouldn't have been as awkward as it was, but it definitely was. Sasuke wasn't sure what he should do, but he hugged back reluctantly. And only briefly. That was important to note. Briefly.
When he pulled away, Sasuke gave Naruto a pat on the arm, leaning whole-heartedly back into their friend/bro territory, and said, "I should...probably go."
Naruto nodded, but didn't say anything in reply.
If Sasuke thought about it more, he'd probably think that was weird, but as it was, he was doing all he could to try not to run from Naruto's house. Maybe he couldn't help it that he was walking as fast as possible though…
XxX
Leaning against Itachi later, Sasuke felt comforted, the same way he had when they'd been on the phone last night.
"So," Itachi said, "You never told me how it went with Naruto."
"Mm," Sasuke hummed. "I really don't think we need to talk about it."
"That bad?"
"No. Actually," Sasuke turned in Itachi's arms and looked up at him. "It went a lot better than I thought it would."
"Well that's good."
"Yeah, it was weird…"
Itachi brought a hand up and cupped Sasuke's cheek gently. Sasuke smiled contentedly and laid his head back down on Itachi's chest. His brother's heartbeat was strong and Sasuke couldn't help but close his eyes as he listened to it.
"Did mom say if you could stay tonight?" Itachi's voice reverberated pleasantly in Sasuke's head.
"No. She said I can this weekend, but "Until I graduate, I need to be home on school nights."" If he could say so himself, Sasuke thought he did a decent impression of their mother.
"I can't say I'm surprised. If I'd ever wanted to go out, I'm sure she would have said the same to me."
Sasuke scoffed, "As if. You and I both know that there is no wrong that you can ever do in their eyes."
"I wouldn't say that," Itachi whispered. He lifted Sasuke's head up from his chest and leaned down to meet Sasuke's lips in a sweet kiss. When Itachi pulled away, he murmured against Sasuke's lips, "I don't think they'd approve of this."
Sasuke couldn't stop the grin that spread over his lips as he said, "Maybe you're right. Maybe you aren't as perfect as you've led me to believe all these years."
Itachi smiled and leaned back, "Maybe."
Sasuke shook his head and laughed, sitting up but still staying close. Now that their parents were on his mind, Sasuke couldn't help but ask, "Do you think they'll be upset when I finally tell them I'm gay?"
"I couldn't say," Itachi said. "I would hope not."
"No? What did they say when you told them?"
"I haven't told them anything," Itachi said.
Sasuke's eyes widened. Sure, he hadn't heard their parents ever talk about Itachi and anyone that he was dating, but he had just figured - right now in this moment - that they had just been ashamed of him and wanted to forget about that flaw that Itachi had.
"So...you never…?" he left the rest of the question unsaid.
Itachi shook his head, "I don't really think it's any business of theirs who I decide to date."
Sasuke nodded. Okay, sure, he got that. And yeah, it wasn't really important, but now Sasuke had to know. "So then, are you, you know, gay?"
Itachi just shrugged nonchalantly.
At that, Sasuke waved both hands in front of his face and leaned forward in anticipation. "Woah, woah, you can't just shrug at me like that! Now I need to know!"
To Sasuke's chagrin, Itachi shrugged again, although he was smirking as he did it. "It doesn't really matter to me, Sasuke. I've only dated two people and they both happened to be men, but it wasn't anything I paid too much attention to."
"Who did you date?" Sasuke asked, even more interested now.
"Now that's definitely a story for another day," Itachi said, and before Sasuke's pout could turn into a full blown argument Itachi moved forward and pushed Sasuke backward until he was laid out on the couch with Itachi looming over him with a smile. "And anyway, I have something I'd like to ask you."
Any protests that Sasuke had about Itachi evading his question died on his lips as he enjoyed the view from underneath his brother. "Okay," he said.
"I've been thinking since we talked about it last night when I dropped you off. I know I said that we could never really be out together-"
"Itachi," Sasuke interrupted, "I told you, that doesn't-"
"-but I finally wondered, what if we could?" There was a glint in Itachi's dark eyes that Sasuke couldn't resist.
"Okay," Sasuke said slowly, tilting his head to the side. "I'm intrigued, what do you mean?"
"I mean," Itachi said, slipping his hand under Sasuke's shirt. "If you're up for it," Sasuke closed his eyes when his fingers brushed against his stomach. "I thought we might leave the village for a few days. Possibly this weekend?"
Sasuke hummed happily and stretched his body out, giving Itachi more access to touch him. "And where were you thinking we'd go?"
"Off the top of my head," Itachi whispered against Sasuke's neck, close enough to tease and tickle the skin, but not enough for any real contact. "Maybe Suna, but does it matter? Just think about it," he pushed Sasuke's shirt up and exposed his chest before moving down to kiss his stomach. Sasuke gasped and felt Itachi smile against his skin at the sound, "I'd be able to touch you and everyone would know that you are mine."
A shiver ran through him and Sasuke whispered, "Yes."
The thought excited Sasuke more than he knew it should, but being somewhere where no one knew them, where no one knew what they were thrilled him, and that Itachi was willing to hold him in public, to kiss him, to claim him in front of everyone... The pleasant tingle that had started building in him throbbed at the thought and Sasuke put both of his hands on his brother's head, pulling down the bun he had up so he could thread his fingers through the silky raven hair as it fell down and stained his pale skin.
He shifted, pulling Itachi's hair gently to try and pull the man up to him, pull him closer, press their bodies together so that there could be some type of friction. Something more than just the teasing kisses up and down his abdomen, steering clear of any spots that might make him cry out for more.
"Itachi," Sasuke moaned when Itachi gave in and took one of his nipples into his mouth, sucking on it gently while he rolled the other between his thumb and forefinger. "Ahh, yes, please."
Buzzzz Buzzzz
The sudden intrusive noise startled them both and they turned in unison to look at where the noise was coming from.
"Ugh," Sasuke sighed unhappily when he recognized his phone on the coffee table. The screen was lit up with the time and an alarm that read "Go home!"
"Just ignore it," Itachi whispered in his ear, nipping at it. He started to melt into compliance when Itachi's hand ran up his thigh, coming dangerously close to his growing erection.
"I want to," Sasuke said breathlessly. Fuck, did he want to.
Buzzzz Buzzzz
But even as much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't...
He wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck and pulled him forward desperately, happy that Itachi came willingly and their lips met in a hard, crushing, wanting kiss that they lost themselves in for a moment, grabbing and thrusting against each other until they were left gasping when they pulled apart.
"Then why don't you?"
He could hear the encouragement in Itachi's voice and he almost gave in, he wanted so much to give in.
Buzzzz Buzzzz
Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes, pressing his head back against the cushion like he hoped he could drown out the noise so he could ignore it and stay.
It would be so much better if he stayed.
"Because I should really get home on time," Sasuke finally said, reminding himself of why he needed to leave.
Itachi made an approving noise in his throat, but didn't move to let Sasuke go. Instead, his hand continued it's journey until Itachi was palming him through his pants, pressing gently with the heel of his hand just enough to make Sasuke feel like he was starting to lose his mind.
"Itachi!" Sasuke was almost whining now. His hips bucked against his brother's hand and Sasuke's mind swam with arousal.
"Stay with me a little longer; I'll drive you home."
The offer was enticing and exciting and Sasuke was far past tempted to accept it, especially when Itachi started undoing his pants.
Buzzzz Buzzzz
"Mm," Sasuke groaned, partly from arousal and partly from irritation. He grabbed Itachi's hand before his brother could go any further and completely convince him to say. "No, Itachi, I really should go." He banged his head against the cushion a few times, silently punishing himself for the fact that he was about to walk away from this, but there was a point. He had to remind himself of that. He had to remind both of them.
"I don't want to give mom a reason to change her mind about me staying with you this weekend."
This time Itachi sighed. He leaned forward until his forehead was resting on Sasuke's chest gently. His breath was so warm on his skin that Sasuke thought he might burn up and he couldn't help but wonder - hope - if Itachi would try anything else, and if he did, would Sasuke be able to resist him again?
But after a long heartbeat of anticipation, Itachi moved and let him up.
"You've only got to wait two more days until the weekend," Sasuke said after they shared one last kiss at the door. He stepped outside, but didn't leave yet. "And then you can do whatever you want with me."
"When you put it like that, we might never leave the house this weekend," Itachi replied, leaning toward Sasuke.
He stepped outside of Itachi's reach with a teasing smile
"That wouldn't be so bad either."