Three times when Sasuke pulled away from someone, and one time he reached out
A/N: Many, many thanks to all reviewers for your support. I only hope i don't disappoint.
Sleep clung to Sasuke as he tried to wake up, trapping him in indistinct dreams that made his heart beat too fast and made his stomach twist painfully. Blindly, he reached toward the night table to turn on the lamp, but his fingers found nothing. Forcing his eyes open, he was surprised to find that everything was bright. Had he overslept? Itachi must have forgotten to wake him. He was going to be late at the Academy! Still blinking owlishly, he hurriedly sat up. The movement awakened pain in his arm, and it all came back in a flash.
Sasuke closed his eyes, but it was too late. Images were already running through his mind. Blood. So much blood. So many deaths. And all that from his own brother.
His hands clenched on the sheet covering him. His body was shaking with silent sobs. He froze when a hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. Instinctively, Sasuke pulled away from the gentle touch. He opened his eyes to see an old man sitting in a chair next to the bed. Not just any old man, he realized as he noticed his hat and robes. The Hokage. He was smiling, but at the same time he looked sad and tired as he looked at Sasuke. Uncomfortable, Sasuke looked around, understanding that he was in a hospital room.
"How do you feel, Sasuke-chan? Do you remember what happened?"
Sasuke's fingers curled a little more tightly in the sheets. "Itachi," he started, but couldn't continue.
The Hokage sighed. "Yes. Itachi."
For the second time, he tried resting his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, but seemed to think better of it when Sasuke flinched.
"You should sleep some more," he said as he stood. "Rest. Heal."
Nodding numbly, Sasuke lay back down. His head felt heavy, and he didn't want to think anymore. The old man's hand returned, this time resting briefly on his own, still clenched on the bedsheet.
"And Sasuke? It's OK to cry. No one would think any less of you if you did."
Sasuke turned onto his side, away from the Hokage, his knees pulling up toward his chest. As tightly as he shut his eyes, tears still seeped through.
…
"Sasuke-kun! Over here!"
Sasuke let out a small, annoyed huff. He could see quite well; he didn't need Sakura to shout his name, or wave at him like a mad woman.
For the past week, Sasuke had arrived at the bridge first. This morning, he had been running late and had started hurrying before realizing that it was useless. Kakashi undoubtedly would arrive hours late as usual.
"I wonder what excuse Kakashi-sensei will give us this time," Sakura said, echoing his thoughts.
Sasuke shrugged. Kakashi's excuses seemed to get lamer with each passing day, and he didn't care to try and figure out what absurdity would come out of Kakashi's mouth next. He leaned against the bridge's railing, hands in his shorts' pockets, resigned to wait as long as he needed to.
After a few seconds of looking at him nervously from beneath her eyelashes, Sakura came to stand by him, close enough that her elbow just brushed against his.
"It's…it's a nice day, today, isn't it?" she said, stammering a little. "It'll be just perfect to train."
Scooting to the side to put some distance between them, Sasuke didn't reply. If he had, he might have pointed out that few of their future missions would take place in perfect weather conditions. They had to be able to fight, rain or shine.
"Good morning Sakura-chan!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's noisy arrival. What was it with his teammates and shouting?
"Move over, bastard."
With that mutter, Naruto slid between Sasuke and Sakura, leaning in close to her. Annoyed, Sasuke moved further out, and paid little attention to Sakura's protests—first vocal, then physical. He still couldn't understand why he had been teamed up with these two idiots.
…
Orochimaru's laugh echoed through the domed training room. Sasuke didn't really hear it, though. His ears were still buzzing from the force of the impact. He tried to push himself up to a sitting position. Only on the second try did he manage to move. His fingers grabbed at the broken stones beneath him, though they gave him little help. He felt too lightheaded to stand right away, and closed his eyes for a moment to try and clear his mind.
"He's hurt."
Kabuto's voice came through despite the buzzing, Sasuke's only warning that the man was close. He opened his eyes and glared at the hand that was reaching for his head.
"You're bleeding, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto said. "Let me see."
Sasuke batted his hand away. "I'm fine."
Warm, thick blood sliding down his cheek belied his words. He wiped at the blood with the back of his hand before struggling to his feet. He wavered for a few seconds then managed to steady himself. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the world was a little clearer, the same way it always was when Sasuke used the sharingan. He picked up the sword at his feet and raised it again, wordlessly signaling Orochimaru that he was ready.
"Don't be ridiculous," Kabuto scoffed. "You're in no state to keep fighting."
Sasuke didn't reply or spare him a glance. He kept his eyes on Orochimaru, and waited. Orochimaru's lips stretched into a thin smile.
"Get out of the way, Kabuto," he said, and didn't wait for his subordinate to obey before he launched his next attack.
…
"There's no need for first or second, is there? The shower's big enough for two."
Naruto tried to protest. He wasn't too sure why, but he really did. However, as he had repeated countless times, Sasuke was a bastard. Not only that, but he didn't play fair.
In seconds, Sasuke had maneuvered Naruto into the bathroom, divested him of his clothes and pushed him under the already steaming spray of water. Seconds later, he had joined him and closed the glass door on them.
It was too late, then, for Naruto to feel embarrassed about being naked in front of an equally naked Sasuke. Too late not to kiss Sasuke back when he pressed his lips to Naruto's. Too late to do anything but enjoy the feel of Sasuke's skin against his, and try to return the pleasure he was being offered.
He grasped at Sasuke's shoulder and hip, pulling him closer, and thrust his hips forward, seeking contact. Sasuke broke the kiss and pulled back to look at him for a second. He brushed away his wet bangs; his eyes were pure fire. When he covered Naruto's mouth again, his kiss was fiercer, bruising. He pushed Naruto until his back was pressed to the cool tiles of the shower stall. Naruto moaned into Sasuke's mouth at the feel of cold behind him, then again when burning flesh pressed tightly against his. Sasuke's right hand slipped between their bodies and closed over both their cocks, pressing them together.
Naruto's hand joined Sasuke's, and their fingers easily intertwined. They started rubbing their cocks together, falling into a fast tempo that soon had both of them moaning and gasping for air. Sasuke pressed his forehead to Naruto's, and their eyes locked. At once, their hands started working faster, using the water that still cascaded over them as lubricant.
Fire was running through Naruto's veins. The thought briefly crossed his mind that, if he had known this would happen when Sasuke came home, he would have found a way to bring him back much faster. His rising pleasure was blinding him. He lowered his head to Sasuke's shoulder, breathing against his neck and making him shudder.
Naruto couldn't have said which of the two of them came first. He would have liked to think that Sasuke yielded first, and that he followed at the feel of the warm fluid covering his hand and cock, but in truth, it might just have been the opposite.
"What… what are you thinking?" Sasuke breathed a little while later, when they stood under the spray of water and washed come and dust from each other.
Naruto laughed feebly. "Thinking? You're overestimating me. I don't have that many brain cells left."
Sasuke chuckled. It was a very nice sound. Naruto wished he could hear it more often.
"What are you thinking?" he asked back.
Sasuke shut off the water and drew Naruto out of the stall. "Just that another round would be nice."
Lust shot through Naruto again, and his cock twitched. He kissed Sasuke, drawing another chuckle from him.
"I guess that's a yes?"
They hurriedly toweled each other dry and, mouths locked and arms wrapped around each other, stumbled to the closest bedroom—Sasuke's. They were about to reach the bed when a knock on the door echoed through the apartment. They both froze. Naruto reluctantly pulled back and gave Sasuke a goofy grin.
"You're as popular as ever, I see."
Sasuke huffed. "Nobody knows we're here. Except for ANBU. If it's Sai, I'm going to kill him."
He grabbed pants from the dresser and slid them on before heading to the front door. Holding the towel tightly at his waist, Naruto hurried out of Sasuke's bedroom and into his. He dressed quickly while listening for who was at the door. Not Sai, he soon realized, but Sakura.
"You should have told me!"
There was a sound that decidedly sounded like a slap. His eyes wide, Naruto dashed out of the room and into the hallway.
"No. But I shouldn't have asked you to do this for me."
She crossed her arms and glared at him. "You're a bastard."
Naruto snorted, drawing her eyes to him. "I tell him that all the time."
Sasuke turned to roll his eyes at him before looking at Sakura again.
"I just didn't want you to get in trouble."
Naruto linked his hands behind his head and grinned. "That means he's sorry."
Her eyes widened, and her eyebrows shot up. She looked at Naruto's hair, then back at Sasuke. Naruto followed her gaze and felt his cheeks burn when he realized what she was looking at: the hickey on Sasuke's neck, purplish and glaring on his so pale skin. She was smart. She understood what the hickey, Sasuke being only half dressed and the two of them having wet hair meant, Naruto was sure of it.
A tight smile appeared on her lips as she looked back at Naruto. "I see you're getting well-versed in translating Sasuke-speech."
He shrugged and tried to pretend he wasn't blushing brightly. "I'm still learning."
She nodded. "I know you'll get it right. You never gave up when it came to Sasuke."
He realized suddenly that she wasn't talking about deciphering their teammate's rare words anymore. His blushing only increased at the thought that she was encouraging him.
Next to Naruto, Sasuke cleared his throat. "You two realize I'm right here, don't you?"
"Maybe we still need time to get used to that," Sakura shot back.
After a second, Sasuke inclined his head as though conceding her point.
"I need to go back to the Tower," she said. "Tsunade-sama was still searching through the archives when I left last night. She might have found something. And if she hasn't, I can help."
Sasuke slowly nodded. "Thank you."
"I'll see you two later. Don't do anything stupid now. Either of you. You're still my teammates, and I'll kick your asses if you act dumb."
She flashed them both a smile and left. Naruto watched her go, caught between being amused and dumbfounded. He hadn't had time to wonder how she would take the news of Sasuke and him being…together, but this was not how he would have imagined it. Sasuke closed the door and turned to him, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I think that's as good a blessing as we're going to get from Sakura. I can't say I expected that."
Naruto took a step toward him, words spilling from his mouth that he hadn't dared ask until now. "What did you expect, Sasuke?" He reached out and touched the purple bruise on Sasuke's neck, idly thinking that it looked rather nice. "What did you think would happen when you'd come back?"
Sasuke shivered at the touch but he didn't pull back. "Honestly? I didn't know. I wasn't sure I'd be allowed to return. I wasn't sure you'd forgive me, or even whether you… liked me."
His right eyebrow rose, making his last words a question. Naruto snorted.
"Yeah, I've spent five years trying to drag you back here because I hate your guts. That makes sense."
A barely-there smile stretched Sasuke's lips. "I didn't say I wasn't hoping."
Naruto smiled as well, but a thought wiped away his grin. "And the Elders thing?"
"That…" Sasuke grimaced. He walked past Naruto and returned to his bedroom, Naruto in tow. "I hadn't planned for it. It'd have been a lot simpler without it."
Arms crossed, Naruto watched him find a shirt and put it on. He'd heard that tone in Sasuke's voice before. He had seen that look in his eyes. He sighed. "You're going to kill them, aren't you?"
Sasuke's eyes remained locked with his. He did not reply. He didn't need to.
"But you'll let Granny figure out if it's true before you do anything dumb, right? Give her time?"
Sasuke started shaking his head, but stopped mid-movement. "I'll give her as much time as I can."
His smile, this time, looked forced, even fake. Something twisted inside Naruto, and it wasn't pleasant.
It was only mid-morning when they got to the Tower. They didn't see Tsunade, but they received their assignment for the day. It was another D-ranked mission. Sasuke didn't bat an eyelash when he heard about it, but Naruto gritted his teeth for the entire half hour it took them to accomplish the mission. They spared again, afterwards, and Naruto had a feeling this would become part of their routine—if this all lasted long enough for them to establish a routine.
They bought food on their way home. They had dinner. They watched TV. And despite everything, despite that fear that still gnawed at Naruto's insides that things wouldn't last, it all felt strange and domestic. Naruto's life had never been like this before, and he couldn't help wondering if this was what having a family was like.
He was thinking about it when they went to bed in separate rooms after a nice kissing session.
He was still thinking about it when he created a clone, and sent it to stand guard outside Sasuke's window.
Never before had he hoped so much that he'd be proved wrong.
Naruto's clone yawned for what had to be the hundredth time that night. The sky was slowly lightening over the horizon. He wondered if the ANBU guard on top of the building was as tired as he was. The ANBU had been there since a little past midnight, when he had come to take over for Sai. Neither of them had noticed Naruto's clone, hiding in the shadows at the foot of the building across from where his original and Sasuke slept. He wished he could have rested, too.
The barest noise caught his attention, and he looked up to the third floor. Nothing. He must have imagined it. Unless… His eyes narrowed as he dropped his gaze to the second floor and caught just a glimpse of movement. Damn it. He had been right.
Moments later, Sasuke was slipping out of the building on the opposite side of where ANBU was keeping watch. He was very careful, and it was obvious that he knew where his guard stood. He didn't seem to suspect Naruto was there, however, and when he stealthily left the district, the clone followed him just as quietly.
The clone's stomach tightened when they left the village and entered the forest. Sasuke stopped, and for a moment the clone thought he had been discovered. He flattened himself against the side of a tree trunk and remained as still as he could. Fifty feet ahead of him, Sasuke was waiting. A handful of minutes trickled by before three figures emerged from the forest, a woman and two men. The clone's fists clenched. All three of them wore Akatsuki cloaks.
"Where is Madara?" Sasuke asked them, foregoing greetings.
The white-haired man answered him. "At a hideout just beyond the border."
"They're planning to attack in three days," the woman added quickly. "We've tried to reinforce the idea that you were undercover, but I'm not sure Madara bought it. He wasn't happy when he came back from watching you fight the Jinchuuriki. What happened?"
Sasuke didn't immediately reply, and when he did, he ignored her question.
"Can you convince him to wait longer?"
This time, it was the other man who answered. "I doubt it. The only reason we wear these cloaks is because of you, and they know it. If you're not there, we don't have much credit with Akatsuki."
Sasuke nodded. "Three days, then. I'll work with that. Is his plan the same?"
The first man and the woman answered together, and threw each other glares. "Yes."
"There won't be much left of Konoha," the man added. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
The woman huffed. "Have you been paying attention, Suigetsu? We're supposed to…" Her voice trailed off, and she pushed her glasses higher on her nose. "Or we could get the Kyuubi now and show Akatsuki what we're made of."
Her head turned in the clone's direction. Knowing he had been noticed, the clone came out of his hiding spot. He didn't say a word, but he made a point of meeting Sasuke's eyes before he dispelled, daring him to come back home and explain himself.
Naruto woke up when the clone's memories suddenly burst into his mind. He opened his eyes and, his fingers locked behind his head, he stared up into the darkness. He was going to kick Sasuke's ass. And then, he'd drag him to Konoha's jail and lock him up himself. The bastard deserved as much.
And so did he, Naruto thought bitterly. He kept hoping beyond hope, kept trusting Sasuke to do the right thing, but deep down, he'd known something was going on. Now he knew for sure.
After a while, he got out of bed and dressed. If Sasuke was coming back, he wanted to be ready. If he wasn't, he'd need to warn Tsunade that an attack was coming. Or maybe he ought to simply leave, he thought as he paced through Sasuke's room. If he wasn't in the village anymore, Akatsuki would pursue him and leave Konoha in peace. His gaze fell on the picture frame on the dresser, and he glared at it. Akatsuki might move on, but what about Sasuke?
A few more minutes passed before Sasuke returned. Naruto stared at him when he entered the room, keeping quiet.
Sasuke waited for a few seconds, then asked, frowning, "You're not going to ask—"
"I'm sure you've got an explanation ready," Naruto cut in. "I'm just not sure I want to hear it."
Sasuke stepped closer, rolling his eyes at him. "Idiot."
Without thinking, Naruto lashed out. His fist caught Sasuke by surprise, and he took a step back, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Naruto looked away.
"Let's go," Sasuke said after a moment of icy silence.
"Go where?"
"See your Hokage," Sasuke said, his tone as bland as though he had been talking about the weather.
Naruto frowned. He must have heard wrong. "What—"
"The village needs to get ready for the attack."
This was making less and less sense. "But—"
Sasuke smirked and interrupted him again. "Didn't I promise you? Didn't I tell you I'd protect you? I can't do it alone."
As earlier, Naruto merely stared at him, this time in incomprehension rather than anger.
"Come on, dead last. Don't tell me you've never heard of double agents."
Naruto gaped at him, torn between relief and the fear of trusting him—yet again—and being proved wrong later. "You planned all this? Why didn't you tell me!"
Sasuke shrugged, a thin smile settling on his lips. Did the bastard find all this funny?
"I figured you'd want to follow me if I told you I was going out, and I couldn't risk Madara being there and seeing you. Come on, let's go."
Naruto crossed his arms. Sasuke kept asking for his trust, but he didn't seem to know the meaning of the word himself. "It's too early," he muttered, annoyed. "She won't be there."
"Then we'll wait for her."
Sasuke held out his hand toward Naruto, palm up. Naruto hesitated for a moment, then took it, glaring at him the entire while.
"If we're truly partners," he said gruffly, "you're going to tell me what's going on from now on. I'm not stupid. I wouldn't have thrown myself at Akatsuki if I had known they were coming."
Sasuke had the gall to look at him in disbelief. He didn't reply in words, but he did nod before tugging on Naruto's hand and leading him out. He didn't let go until they had reached the Hokage Tower.