Mew~ You can haz Naru-prawnz? Check out what happens when you give me a plot bunny and lock me in the garage!
CHAPTER ONE
It was amazing, given everything Naruto went through, that he could still walk these halls like it was nothing. Always, always alone. Always dogged by whispers and stares that drilled holes in his body and heart. Good. Let him squirm.
He was a fool...an absolute fool. Twin pools of black followed his every move while Naruto skirted the empty halls to try and get to his locker like he was in the thick of some covert mission. Sasuke's smirk sharpened. Be damned if his father was aiming for Prime Minister again this year. Be damned if the Uchiha clan was blessed with the birthright of getting anything they wanted because of reputation alone. When people crawled for Sasuke, they did it because of his sway, not his family. And right now, he wanted Naruto to burn. Naruto, the cut on the roof of his mouth that had been there for eighteen years, that could heal if only he'd stop tonguing it.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o _
Shit. Shit. Shit!
He'd awoken too late, there was no one around. He glanced over his shoulder, cursing the way his body was fine-tuned to every echo in the hall. The scrape of a footstep, the hiss of an abandoned flyer fluttering away. Sasuke was getting more vicious. Sometimes Naruto really believed the pompous brat really wanted him dead. He was tired. They were both tired, but some wounds ran too deep to ever heal right.
How long could they keep clashing, how long until Naruto crumbled for good?
The blond shook his head and set his jaw. Not for a good long while.
But even as he assured himself, he remembered their last encounter and how he'd vomited blood for weeks after. The bruises were just now fading. His stomach throbbed with particular intent and he wrapped an arm around himself, knowing Sasuke wasn't around to kick him again yet unable to stop his body from tensing for it. Naruto took a shaky breath, then another, and another until he was gulping for air. Nervous sweat bloomed under his collar, making it chaff. His temples throbbed, the phantoms from his own screams and pleas chasing themselves around inside his head.
He managed to jerk himself out of the mild panic attack and spun the catch on his locker. Naruto's hand shook as he shuffled around inside, cramming loose papers in his bag. Just as he was about to close up, a pale hand whooshed forward, missing his head by a centimeter and slamming the door shut for him. A second hand closed in on his right, pinning the blond's chest to the wall of cold metal. He dropped everything and shrank against it in a feckless attempt to escape the heat pressing in at his back.
"Hey", Sasuke said. "Shouldn't you be getting to class?" His arms stiffened when Naruto tried to brush them away.
"Let me go", Naruto mumbled. "I'm not in the mood."
"Oh you're not in the mood? God forbid", Sasuke snorted. "Well guess what", Sasuke dipped his head to breath into the blond's ear, "I don't give a fuck what you want. You're a parasite."
"Shit", Naruto sobbed, the fight sliding right out of him as he sagged back into Sasuke, chest heaving. His entire body began to tremble. He closed his eyes and let more silky, toxic whispers wash over him while he waited for Sasuke's blows to numb the pain that really mattered. Yes, he deserved this.
When Naruto tried to turn again, Sasuke let him. Black eyes sparked as Sasuke's sneer took a wicked turn. That was the expression he craved, the one he wanted to keep on Naruto's face forever; wounded, silent and vulnerable, teetering on the reaches of death.
"I will never forgive you", Sasuke said, his tone startling in it's pleasantry.
Naruto nodded, his color fading. "I know", he whispered.
"You stole from me."
"I know...and I'm sor—gak!"
Sasuke flexed his fingers from where they were balled into a tight fist, buried deep in Naruto's gut. His other hand came around to cup the blond's nape, then gripped harshly to hold him in place as he connected again. "You're not sorry yet but we're getting there."
"Arrogant prick", Naruto snapped back, his fight reignited. He struggled, slamming himself back and shoving at Sasuke's chest. "I was trying to help you!"
Sasuke regarded him like a snake would a mouse. Without warning his arm shot out, gripping Naruto's arm in a harsh vice. They began to walk.
"Woah", Naruto hissed. "Let me go! Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere we can be alone."
Because he was losing control. Today, instead of beating the shit out of him, Sasuke would try something different. He was his father's son after all. And Naruto just would not break, no matter what he did. It was time for another approach.
Naruto clawed at his hand and spat like a wildcat the whole way as Sasuke dragged him down the hall and around the corner into the boys bathroom. He tossed the blond into one of the stalls without preamble and swung the door closed behind them. The three walls extended to the floor so no one would know they were in here, not until he made Naruto beg and scream and cry.
Naruto used the toilet to scramble to his feet, gaze flicking around for an escape. "What the fuck?! Let me out of here! You don't have to bring me here to kick the crap out of me." Cobalt eyes flashed with sudden defiance. "Or are you having performance anxiety?"
Sasuke backhanded him then shoved the blond against the wall, crushed the lean body with his own as he trapped tan wrists above Naruto's head. "What's the matter funny guy? No more clever quips?"
"Get...off!", Naruto gasped.
When Sasuke's hand snuck between them to grip the blond through his pants, they both froze. Sasuke laughed quietly after a moment. "Looks like you're a little ahead of the game."
"Wha...what are you..." Naruto's eyes met his and for the first time in a long time, there wasn't the usual deadness. There wasn't defiance, or anger, or frustration. It was fear, and it tasted saccharine sweet.
"I think you have a pretty good idea of where I want this to go. It's time you paid me back for what you took."
Naruto's lip trembled. "You can't", he whispered. "Sas...please. I didn't mean to hur—"
Sasuke's free hand slithered back up to wrap around his throat until Naruto choked and blinked hard to stave off the black spots crowding the corners of his vision. "Don't you dare", he warned. "Now we're going to do this one way or another. And you'll cooperate because you owe me."
Naruto surged forward with enough strength to force his hand up and pry Sasuke's away. "Get off me!"
Sasuke grunted then slugged Naruto again, harder than ever. The blond sagged into him while he straightened. He propped Naruto against the wall. "Don't...", the blond moaned.
"Let's try this again." Sasuke moved in, towering over his prey, so close he could feel waves of heat radiating from Naruto without touching him. Finally, a reaction he wanted. He took a breath in Naruto's hair, from the slope of his neck between his collar. "I don't know why you're having such a problem with it anyways. It's not like you're a blushing maiden. I know you've sold your ass for less than this. To feel loved",Sasuke sneered out the last word like a foul curse.
Naruto jerked like Sasuke had hit him again. He slumped forward where Sasuke directed him, resting his forehead on the crook of Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke released his hands. They sank to Naruto's sides and remained there.
The blond's clothes were sticky with sweat, clinging to his skin, suffocating, yet he couldn't stop shivering. It was too hot in here, he couldn't breathe. Harsh fingers squeezed around his sex, and suddenly his knees gave out. He threw his head back, a guttural sound ripping from his throat. "No...fuck! Don't t-touch me. I'll do anything..."
"I love it when you talk dirty Uzumaki", Sasuke chuckled. He continued his exploration around the damp, hot bulge that pulsed under his palm. He twisted the blond's body around and shoved his hips against the curve of Naruto's ass, clapping a hand over his mouth to muffle the teen's cries while he panted in the blond's ear. "Remember, you brought this on yourself."
This was going too far. He'd only meant to rattle Naruto in the beginning, but it was spiraling out of control. He wanted him. He wanted the one he hated the most. His hips slammed forward of their own accord.
Naruto was the bane of his existence. Naruto was below him. Naruto, Naruto, Naruto...
Only Naruto really knew just how fragile the ice around Sasuke was, how it cracked, how easy it was for him to fall apart. But he didn't care.
He was going to torture Naruto in a new way. He wouldn't allow him to retreat to the numb recesses in his mind anymore, as he'd done lately. He'd keep the blond here, a prisoner under the crushing weight of the world. He wouldn't face it alone anymore. During these moments he would bind them together, make Naruto feel the same helpless agony that clawed at Sasuke's insides. And that would make these precious moments worth all the broken secrets in the world.
Naruto's entire body spasmed in a single shudder, tan arms locked to support himself against the stall. He turned his head to the side so he wouldn't have to look at their faint reflections on the polished wall, at Sasuke mouthing his shoulder with such a hungry look. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hips and slammed their bodies together again, harder. Naruto choked.
The outer doors of the bathroom creaked open and voices flooded inside. Both teens froze. They were in the first stall, closest to the sinks. "Struggle", Sasuke breathed into his ear, "And they'll catch us. I might just let them have a piece of you too." Naruto's eyes snapped open, suddenly electric with terror when Sasuke's hand yanked his shirt up and snuck under the hemline of his boxers. Cold. Sasuke's hand was cold, pale palm pressed flat against his stomach. Naruto swallowed a groan and thrashed weakly in protest.
Sasuke paid him no mind. He resumed the piston of their bodies while the boys on the other side carried on about the upcoming pep rally. The gush of water sounded at the exact moment Naruto whimpered. Sasuke was yanking his belt off, tugging his pants down, intruding with pale fingers and whispered threats...
"Did you guys hear that?"
For a terrible, hushed moment, Naruto thought they'd be discovered as the shuffle of footsteps moved closer to them.
"Hello?" A different voice called.
So close Naruto could see their shadows moving under the door. He smothered a gasp with shaking hands.
"I think it's here, you guys. Hey, is somebody in there? Are you alright?"
Sasuke's tongue curled like a serpent, drawing the lobe of Naruto's ear between his teeth. Someone knocked on the stall door, making the entire thing rattle.
The tardy bell rang.
Naruto's relief was so immediate and intense that his legs almost buckled. Sasuke caught him with a husky, quiet chuckle.
Curses echoed in the room, a single shadow dawdling behind but in the end the boys all herded from the room.
"If you want comfort", Sasuke said once the door had closed, "you should've moaned louder." Jerking his knee up, Sasuke forced it between Naruto's legs.
The blond groaned and bent over, just like he was meant to. He gagged himself with a mouthful of sleeve. Somewhere deep down Naruto knew it would come to this someday. He'd dreaded it, but Sasuke was right. He did owe him a pound of flesh. Let the bastard have his fun, but Naruto wouldn't give him the satisfaction of enjoying it too.
Sasuke laughed, an ugly jarring sound that cut off too quickly while he pushed and squeezed at Naruto's exposed body.
Panting, Naruto mentally scrambled to focus on anything, everything but his thoughts refused to marshal themselves.
"C'mon Uzumaki, I want to hear your voice."
"Stop... this..."
Sasuke turned him around and crowded between his legs. He snatched Naruto's chin, squeezing hard enough to bruise until cobalt met black. "Shut up." Sasuke tilted his head and dragged a thoughtful tongue over his thin lips. "Just suffer quietly." Before Naruto realized what he was doing, Sasuke swept down and sank sharp, perfect teething into his neck.
He screamed and fisted a hand into Sasuke's hair to try and pull him off but got his hands pinned again. Naruto leaned forward to muffle himself against Sasuke's chest. It buzzed his skin in the most pleasant way, he reveled in Naruto's wrists flexing and his body tensing as he tried to escape the pain. He sucked and licked and worked his teeth, feeling moisture pool on his shirt as Naruto sobbed against him quietly.
The thrill of torture pulsed in his veins.
When the mark was big enough he drew back and inspected his work. It was in the perfect spot, half hidden by Naruto's collar and a suggestion clear enough to anyone that Naruto was damned. "I feel better."
"Screw... you ...", Naruto spat through gritted teeth.
Sasuke allowed him to slump all the way down. "Gladly," he muttered.
Naruto rolled his eyes then shut them, as if the sudden movement was causing his neck to hurt. "Shit..." He dabbed at the hickey then glanced at his hand to see if there was blood. "I can't believe you actually bit me."
Sasuke opened the door and cast a contemptuous glare down at Naruto. "Pull yourself together." Naruto blinked, the sudden flood of light from beyond the stall blinding him and shattering the purgatory Sasuke had managed to plunge them both into.
"Just so you know, this isn't over." Sasuke smoothed fingers through his hair and plucked at his collar until it was straight. He appraised himself in the wall length mirror right across from the stall then met Naruto's eyes without turning. "Wait a few minutes before you come to class. I don't want you following me right after."
Just like that Sasuke strode off, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Naruto gulped in air that stung his lungs like broken glass. He followed Sasuke's fluid movements, looking after him bitterly. Sasuke was the epitome of all that Naruto had ever wanted to be. Cool, strong, smart…admired.
Worshipped.
No. Naruto didn't want to be fawned over. He just wanted someone to look at him without the sickening hatred he'd been suckled on from birth.
Naruto rose and pulled his pants with him, carefully tucking in his shirt and straightening his tie. After splashing water on his face he shuffled into the hall and gathered his things with a sigh. He sat down with a grunt against his locker. Hugging his knees, Naruto shoved the disgrace and the dirty feeling on his skin into the darkest corner of his mind. He hated Sasuke, sure...but he hated himself more. Maybe it was this he dreaded most of all, when he was left marooned and alone with these moments of intense clarity; about himself, about others, about the world he lived in. Each time they clashed was unrepeatable and singular, and it left him raw, shaking, pathetic.
Would he be able to handle this new Sasuke that demanded more than he could give?
The boundaries of friendship between them blurred from this constant battle of wills, resembling hatred more now than anything because Sasuke wanted to break him and Naruto denied him that pleasure. 'How did we get this way?' It hadn't always been like this. Sasuke wasn't mean, once upon a time. Sasuke used to be his first, dearest, and only companion.
"I'll beat you! Someday I will be the strongest! You just wait."
"You have a lot of work to do before you can reach my level, you dope."
The light laughter and gentle teasing of brighter days tore at Naruto's insides. Eyes haunted, Naruto curled tighter into a ball and waited out the tempest of his shame with gritted teeth.
When he figured it was finally safe, Naruto resigned himself to go to class. He trudged into homeroom, ignoring the tut of disapproval from his professor. Naruto kept his eyes on the floor as he walked down the aisle to his seat, careful to keep out of the students' range.
His skin prickled with cold when he dodged the first few pencils that jabbed out to stab him as he passed. He miscalculated on one though. Gasping, he glanced up and locked eyes with Sasuke, who's face was cloudy with arrogant rage. He was surrounded by his usual pack of squealing cronies, he didn't have a want, a care in the world.
Naruto's wounded hand tightened into a fist. He curled his lip and threw himself into his seat.
"Look at him."
"He's so pathetic."
"Why is that disgusting thing still alive?"
The lazily masked jeers from his peers were hissed in such a way that only he could hear them while the professor resumed his lecture. With the patience of an obelisk, Naruto focused his attention forward. A hand descended lightly on his shoulder. Startled, he whipped around, ready to tell off whoever it was but stopped.
Hinata blushed a deep crimson, her white-violet eyes hastening to focus on the floor. The paper in her hand quivered as Naruto's grip loosened around her wrist. "C-could you l-let me g-go please?" His eyes flicked to the pile of papers tucked into her arm. "S-sorry Naruto. I've got to f-finish."
Naruto cleared his throat, ears burning. He snatched his hand back then scratched his head, looking away. "Sorry", he mumbled.
A soft smile lifted her lips. "It's ok." Her blush tamed a few shades to an endearing pink.
He hazarded another look at her then returned the gesture with a blush of his own and a weak grin. People were assholes, but Hinata was kinder than most. Even as soft as her blows were though, she too gave him a wide berth. Naruto scowled at the assignment as she moved to the next desk, remembering the last time someone tried to get close to him.
A girl transferred to their academy a while ago and, since she was new, was unaware of his past. They became fast friends. One morning about a week after that she was found bruised and beaten, tied to her chair in the class. Without being told, Naruto knew Sasuke had done it. He could still hear the words whispered in toxic undercurrents while he stood back in the crowd, watching as the poor girl was cut, peeled from her chair and taken to the hospital.
"You will suffer like no one before you. You will not have a moment's peace. Or a single friend. I'll make sure of it, personally."
She hadn't come back after that. And no one approached him since, unless they wanted to spit on him.
Naruto shook his head and glared at the board, which he almost never did. The piercing gaze was still there as Iruka strode up. Naruto eyed him.
"Is there something wrong? You seem off this morning."
The genuine concern in his professor's voice almost helped Naruto spill his guts. Almost. As he was getting ready to open his mouth, a chunk of eraser hit him hard in the back of the head. This and Sasuke's pointed stare made him clamp his mouth shut.
"Just a little tired."
It was either the expertly feigned smile or the tone of his voice, but Iruka felt sated for the moment. He moved to the front of the classroom to begin the next lesson. The nagging sense that something was wrong persisted though, and Iruka knew there was more going on than his Godson wanted to admit. Iruka ached. The boy tried so hard to pretend that he didn't care when people hurt him. He tried so hard not to show it. But Iruka knew. He watched and helped where he could, but one couldn't help those that didn't really want it.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
At passing period Naruto was still pouting in his chair when Sasuke came up behind the blond and loomed there with an ugly expression. A moment's hesitation, then Sasuke pulled up a chair beside him. Naruto winced at Sasuke's touch when the other boy touched his arm; he hated himself for not hating it whenever Sasuke surrounded him like this. Piqued by his lack of protest, Sasuke dragged the quivering blond across his lap. Iruka perked up and flexed his fingers in irritation at the prodigy's audacity.
Naruto allowed his body to go lax despite their rather sizable and irate audience. He focused on breathing slowly and quelling the goosebumps Sasuke conjured on the back of his neck.
"Excuse me", Iruka barked above them. "Kindly resume your own seats please." Sasuke ignored him and rolled a strand of blond between his fingers. He snaked an arm around Naruto's waist when the smaller male tried to comply. "Stay where you are", Sasuke snarled.
"Let him go Uchiha, or I'll see you sent to the Dean's office for this blatant misconduct." Though his voice was cool, Iruka clamped a harsh hand on Sasuke's shoulder and squeezed in warning.
Sasuke snorted and batted him away then traced the scars on Naruto's cheeks, ones he'd put there himself, with a pale finger. "Professor, we're not supposed to have passionate attachments to our students... are we? We're not supposed to let our emotions get in the way. Maybe I should be the one reporting you to my father for your nauseating favoritism. It's not very fair, is it?"
Iruka wanted to flatten him. Though he might've been a match for the boy physically, Sasuke would be like a Hydra of problems once he gave in. Legal affairs, he'd lose his job, his home, Fugaku would have him arrested. Iruka loved Naruto dearly...but he couldn't be asked to give up that much.
Head rolling back lazily, Sasuke tossed his professor a smile, acknowledging the silent defeat. Even when the whelp was looking up at someone, he gave an impression of looking down his nose at insects.
Shaking with helpless fury, Iruka backed off.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
It was time for the weekly visit to the library. The class shuffled in an almost orderly line down the hall and made their way toward the ancient cavern of books with hushed whispers of gossip and chatter.
The students and even some teachers affectionately referred to the Konoha Academy library as "The Cavern of Knowledge". Books and scrolls of every sort were stacked thick and high in the shelves that reigned from floor to ceiling. The entire library was equivalent to the size of half a football field and it was the pride of the Institution.
Naruto watched Sasuke and a few others break away from the group and wander off. He made sure they were completely out of sight before he meandered off in the other direction. The blond walked for a good ten minutes before he found himself in aisles of the older books, whose shelves were at the very back and were rarely visited because of their boring, technical content. He was content here though since it was quiet; there was no one to condemn or pity him, there were only the mature tomes that whispered to him. His pleasures, discreet and simple as they were, kept him happy. He huffed out a laugh and combed a hand through his hair, feeling weary down to his very bones as he squinted, skimming titles through the dusty spines.
A book suddenly caught his interest. He went to reach for it when he realized it was just out of his reach. Cursing under his breath, Naruto cast around for a foothold of some kind.
A pale hand whooshed past his head. Naruto swallowed, feeling his body tense and try to rebel when he made his muscles relax. The book lowered slowly and deliberately into his hand. He turned, confronted by the sight of his nemesis who, for not the first or last time, surrounded the blond with his menacing arms.
Yerp. So, AU as you might've already guessed. Also a work in progress but it'll be fun picking this baby apart. :3 Gonna review about it?
