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“God doesn’t hate us.” Itachi whispers into Sasuke’s head nuzzling the soft spikes of hair.
“We aren’t freaks.” Itachi says quietly while kissing Sasuke gently.
“We aren’t disgusting.” Itachi smiles sadly as he cleans off the cuts and bruises on Sasuke’s face.
“We aren’t monsters.” Itachi says while holding Sasuke in a tight embrace, tears silently falling from his eyes.
“I’ll take care of you. Always. That’s what brothers do right? Take care of our pain in the ass little brothers.” Itachi frantically says while trying to awaken his brother.
“This isn’t a phase.” Itachi replies while slowly running his finger through Sasuke’s long hair.
“We aren’t heathens.” Itachi shouts while punching a mirror, shattering it into pieces, while Sasuke looks from the crack in the door, tears sliding down his face silently.
“They just don’t understand us.” Itachi repeats over and over again while stitching up a nasty cut on Sasuke’s shoulder.
Since they began their relationship years ago they have always been ridiculed, beaten, avoided, talked down to, and scrutinized.
No matter how many times they tried to explain there was nothing wrong with them people just scoffed and called them names.
Heathens
Monsters
Freaks
Odd
Unconventional
Disgusting
Illegal
Taboo
Broken
Damned
Unfortunate
Abused
Every single time a name was called, a punch was thrown, or the occasional “your going to Hell” was thrown out there, Itachi always took care of it.
Itachi is the rock, the shield, the wall that protected Sasuke from hate. Protected Sasuke from all the bullshit of the world.
When they lost their mother and were abandoned by their father, Itachi was the one to step in and become both mother and father.
When Sasuke was hungry, Itachi was the one who gave him food, even if it meant going without himself.
When Sasuke needed clothes, Itachi was the one who gave him the clothes he had until they no longer fi.
When Sasuke came home crying because no one wanted to be friends with him at school, Itachi was the one he went to comfort, for reassurance and love.
When Sasuke got jumped by a group of adult men on two separate occasions, Itachi was the one to hunt them down and show them why it was a mistake to do so.
When Sasuke was angry, upset or just emotionally drained, Itachi was the one who got him out of his funk.
Bottom line is that Itachi always took care of Sasuke, no matter the situation.
Itachi always had Sasuke’s back.
That is why their love made so much sense.
It wasn’t something that came one night. It happened over years of depending on one another, years of being all each other had.
In all those years Sasuke has never seen Itachi as broken as he is now.
His best friend, his protector, his brother, his shield, his lover... beaten and broken, lying on the cold hard ground in some abandoned warehouse.
“It’s ok, Otouto. I’m ok. I’ll be fine.” Itachi tries to reassure his panicking brother, grasping tightly onto Sasuke’s jacket.
“What happened Aniki?” Sasuke whispers, trying and failing to hold his brother up off the dirty ground.
“Sasuke, same old story, just a different day. Usual group thinking they can teach the ‘brother fucker’ a lesson.” He tries to grin but the blood ruins the effect.
“Itachi, we can't keep doing this. One of these days they are going to kill us. Hell! You probably would have died if I didn’t come looking for you...” the words trail off and Sasuke’s eyes go distant. “Maybe they’re right? Maybe there is something wrong with us. They’d leave us alone if we weren’t together. What’s wrong with us, Itachi?” He whispers dejectedly.
“Sasuke, I’m fine. Look at me. I’m still kicking and breathing. They couldn’t kill me no matter how hard they try and I sure as Hell won’t let them kill you.” Itachi reassures, “Hey none of that. Look at me. Sasuke look at me.” Itachi lets go of Sasuke’s jacket and places both hands on his face forcing Sasuke to look him in the eye. “If you don’t want to be with me that’s fine but only if it’s because YOU no longer want to be with me. Not because some bastards can’t or won’t try to understand us. It’s always been me and you against the world. This hate that we receive is nothing. We can handle it as long as we are together. There is absolutely nothing wrong with us.”
“But...” Sasuke interrupts.
“But nothing kid, I love you and no one is going to tell me that’s wrong. We feel what we feel. It can’t be helped.” Itachi says fondly, poking the center of Sasuke’s forehead.
“Yeah yeah, love you too.” He mumbles, blushing at his brother's words ignoring the poke.
They share a smile and a brief kiss that causes Itachi to groan in pain.
“They really did a number on you.”
“You should see what they look like. Let it be known that Itachi Uchiha did not go down without a fight.”
Sasuke laughs before standing and as gently as he can pulls Itachi up to his feet. “Whatever you say Itachi. Come on, let's go home.” He says quietly.
“Hey Sasuke?”
“Yeah?”
“Just remember that there is nothing wrong with our love.”