THE FARM || ITASASU

Part 7 2/2

A/N: I don't remember the last time I had the whole day to write. Wow.

The world seemed to disappear for a moment as Itachi pressed his lips against Sasuke's once more. Everything faded into the background: the night, the cold, the farm. The only thing that existed was the warmth of their shared breath and the electricity crackling between them. It was a kiss laden with years of unresolved tension, pain, and longing—so much longing. But just as quickly as it had begun, Itachi pulled away, his breath ragged, his expression unreadable.

He stayed close, his forehead resting against Sasuke's, both staring into the dark abyss of each other's eyes. The silence stretched on, heavy with the weight of what had just transpired.

"We shouldn't..." Itachi finally whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "This... this isn't right."

Sasuke's heart pounded, confusion and defiance swirling within him. "Why isn't it right? Who gets to decide what's right or wrong for us?"

Itachi didn't answer immediately. His hand trembled as he brushed a lock of Sasuke's hair away from his face. "We've both been through too much already. This... could complicate things in ways we can't even begin to understand."

"But I don't care!" Sasuke's voice was desperate, pleading. "I don't care what anyone thinks. Not Dad, not anyone else. I just want—" He paused, struggling to find the right words. "I just want you to be happy. I want us to be happy."

Itachi closed his eyes, pained by the sincerity in Sasuke's voice. "Sasuke, happiness... It's not something I've ever allowed myself to think about. I told you. My life, everything I've done—it's all been about survival, about protecting you, even when you didn't know it. But this... What we just did—it changes things."

"Then let it change things," Sasuke insisted, reaching out to take Itachi's hand. "Let it change us, for once. You don't have to live in the shadows anymore."

Itachi looked down at their intertwined hands, the contrast of Sasuke's firm grip against his own tentative hold. "You don't understand, Sasuke. The world won't accept this. They won't accept us. And if they find out, they'll destroy us."

"Then let them try," Sasuke replied fiercely. "I'm tired of hiding, of pretending. I'm not going to lose you again, not because of something as stupid as what people think. We deserve to be who we are, without fear, without shame."

For a moment, Itachi's resolve wavered. The intensity in Sasuke's eyes and the conviction in his voice were almost enough to make him believe that they could carve out a place for themselves in this unforgiving world. Almost.

But reality was a cruel master, and Itachi knew all too well the consequences of defying it. He knew that for Sasuke, this was just one summer. For himself, it was his entire life. He leaned in, pressing a two of hisfingers to Sasuke's forehead, a gesture that was more of a goodbye than a promise.

"We can't, Sasuke," Itachi said softly, barely above a whisper. "As much as I want to, we can't. You deserve a life free of this burden, free of me."

Sasuke shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "Don't you dare say that. You're not a burden. You're my brother. You're everything to me."

Itachi's heart ached at those words, but he forced himself to pull away, to create distance between them. He knew too wellit wasn't true. Sasuke lived just fine all up to this point without him.  "I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke. But this... it has to end here. Before it goes too far."

He stood up, stepping back, his eyes filled with a sorrow that ran deeper than any wound. "You need to forget about tonight. Go back to the house, get some rest. Tomorrow will be a new day. We'll pretend this never happened."