Stained

by desolate butterfly

[KakaSasu] Sasuke still comes to Kakashi for comfort, even when Kakashi isn't really comforting.

Title: Stained
Author: desolate butterfly
Genre: angst
Pairing: KakaSasu
Rating: PG - 13
Summary: Sasuke still comes to Kakashi for comfort, even when Kakashi isn't really comforting.

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When Sasuke showed up at his front door with a bloody ANBU uniform and a closed expression on his face, Kakashi had gestured him into the house without a word. He walked into the bathroom and Sasuke followed silently, his red-stained hands clenched tightly into fists at his side.

His legs wobbled alarmingly as he stepped onto the cold tile of the bathroom floor, and Kakashi sat him down on the rim of the bathtub and calmly started removing his clothes. The armor, stiff and dark with blood, was peeled off Sasuke's arms and torso and then tossed into the tub, followed by his shirt. Kakashi did a quick check over his student's upper body to make sure none of the blood was Sasuke's, and when all he saw was smooth, unbroken skin, he stripped Sasuke of his pants as well.

The dark-haired boy co-operated listlessly, offering his arms and legs when Kakashi pulled at them, lifting his head so Kakashi could slide his shirt up and off with relative ease. But his eyes were glassy and unfocused, and when Kakashi bent to rid Sasuke of his shorts, he saw that the boy's hands and legs were trembling.

Sighing, Kakashi drew Sasuke up by the wrist and walked him over to the shower. He turned the spray on as hot as it would go and pushed Sasuke underneath it, leaning the boy up against the wall.

Steam filled the room, and soon he could only see Sasuke through a white haze—a slide of wet dark hair under the shower head, and a bare shoulder hunched against the tiles. Sasuke's hands were moving restlessly over his own body, washing away the blood in the stinging spray of the shower.

Kakashi watched for a while, and when he was satisfied that Sasuke wasn't going to do anything stupid, he turned back to the discarded items of clothing in the bathtub. The blood that spattered the white armor and dark uniform was bright and slick. A fresh kill. Arterial blood.

Kakashi rummaged under the sink for a familiar bottle and a clean washcloth. Carefully he poured a small amount of solution over the fabric, watching the stains bubble and fizz. A white foam gathered on the fabric as the shower was turned off and Sasuke stepped out of the cubicle, dripping water all over the floor.

Kakashi pointed to the towel rack and Sasuke selected one of the larger towels, wrapping it around his shoulders. He leaned over Kakashi's shoulder and stared at the bubbling fabric in the tub.

"It's hydrogen peroxide," Kakashi explained, voice as steady as it was when he was teaching Sasuke how to focus the chakra in his feet enough to water-walk. "Works very well on blood stains, especially fresh ones. But it doesn't really matter if the stain comes out completely. That's why the ANBU uniforms are black, after all."

Sasuke nodded, his eyes still glued to the bloody clothing. Kakashi handed him another rag, soaked in cold water.

"Wipe the blood from the armor. It should come off easily now."

Sasuke's trembling fingers closed on the rag and he did what he was told. A few minutes later, Kakashi pushed the boy back and switched on the cold water, rinsing the clothes and letting the last clinging flakes of blood circle the drain like rust. He squeezed the water out and hung the limp pants and sweater up to dry. The armor, he decided, could be left on the floor.

"Always wash blood out right away," Kakashi lectured, standing up from the tub with an audible creak of the knees. "Otherwise it gets harder and harder to clean. I assume you've already cleaned your weapons…"

Sasuke nodded. That lesson had been drilled into him too deeply to ever be forgotten. Even in the nervous rush of a first ANBU assassination.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed a hand over his eye, feeling the beginnings of a headache start. He started towards the door.

"You can wear some of my clothes for now," he said. "Did you eat today—"

"Kakashi…" Sasuke's voice was soft and low and Kakashi had to strain to hear it. A hand reached up and dug childishly into the back of his shirt. Kakashi bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"It gets easier," he said, and Sasuke's fingers dug harshly into his spine.

"…Really?"

Kakashi turned then, pressing a gloved palm against Sasuke's bare chest. Water dripped from the strands of the Uchiha's hair, puddling on the floor between them. Kakashi took the ends of the towel and slowly wiped the water from Sasuke's damp cheeks, taking in the fever bright eyes, the focused burn of the sharingan.

"Yes," he whispered ruefully, "unfortunately."

Then he was pushing Sasuke out into the hallway.

"Go to the bedroom," he called out, knowing that Sasuke could figure out by now which room that was. "I'll make some tea."

When he came back, Sasuke had put on one of his old pairs of pajama bottoms and was sitting on the bed, leafing idly through a copy of Icha Icha. Kakashi made him drink an entire mug of tea before he would consent to touch him, and Sasuke swallowed the contents of the cup without a murmur, knowing whatever laced it would give him a dreamless sleep.

His eyes were forced shut by the drug before he could even place his arms around Kakashi's neck.

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fin.

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