A/N: Well hello there. So, I finally finished this one, and I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of the speed I got this one out, factors and other things considered. (it would've been out faster if I'd had internet at home...this update is brought to you by your local library/McDonald's-_-) I finally have crawled out from my slight bout of writers block after a non-too-pretty breakdown about God knows what. Probably stress finally getting to me. Anywho, after that, I just sat and typed for like ten hours and voila, I finally finished this chapter! Thanks so much for everyone who has been patient with my inconsistent update times and all, and thanks so much for all the feedback, I truly appreciate it all. So, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, please leave me criticism and tell me how you feel! :3
Ps. No promises on the next update, with there currently being no internet at mi casa, so all I can say is, I'll do my best. .-.
I don't own Naruto.
Reprisal: Retaliation for an injury with the intent of inflicting at least as much injury in return
"Come on, skinny love, just last the year,"
Light filtered into the room through the window, illuminating the pale, naked body that rested in the bed. Sasuke's face scrunched softly before his eyes fluttered open. He sat up; wincing at the pain he felt in his backside. He looked over, noticing that the bed was empty. The slide door was open, blowing in fresh, cool air.
"Pour a little salt, we were never here..."
The light shone in brighter, lighting up the room. He saw scattered clothes across the room and a bottle of lube lying on the floor. Face heating up in embarrassment, Sasuke turned away sharply. He pulled his knees to his chest and laid his head in his arms with a long sigh.
"My my my, my my my, my my. Staring at this sink of blood and crushed veneer."
He sighed softly, listening to the soft singing coming from the other room. The voice soothed him. It was so soft and soulful and beautiful. He would've never guessed that Naruto was such a good singer. He turned his head slightly, peeking out from his arms. Light footsteps padded through the hall and into the room, stopping at the door.
"I tell my love to wreck it all, cut out all the ropes and let me fall,"
Naruto walked over to the bed and sat down, looking at Sasuke."Morning."
"What song was that?" Sasuke murmured from his arms. Naruto ran a hand through his hair.
"Skinny Love." He answered quietly. Sasuke lifted his head, giving him a look."What?" Sasuke looked at him for a while longer and turned his head.
"...Nothing." He felt Naruto's hand grab his chin, lifting his head up. Naruto gave him a soft kiss and pulled back, smiling lightly.
"Well wake up sleepy head, I'm sure you're starving. I could eat a freakin' horse right now." Sasuke laughed softly, looking at Naruto. With a small smile and a chaste kiss to Sasuke's lips, Naruto stood and left as quickly as he came. Sasuke watched after him blankly, letting his still sleep dazed mind drift. Thoughts of how nice it looked outside or how he actually had a slight appetite passed through his mind. More and more trivial thoughts flowed through as the daze caused by sleep slowly began to lift. And with it, thoughts of the night before came rushing back. Sounds of desire began to ring in his ears, and even worse was the memory of his own voice, breathless as he moaned wantonly and commanded for Naruto to go faster or harder. A lump formed in his throat as he clenched his eyes shut and slapped his hands over his ears in hopes of blocking out the sounds.
"Ahhh...Naruto..." He groaned out lustfully. Naruto lifted his hips, placing both knees on either side of Sasuke as he unbuttoned his—
He shook his head quickly, trying his best to push the memories out of his mind. His throat with the feeling of distress as sick realization began to flood his system. Bile slowly rose in his throat and he tried his best to subdue it. With deep breaths, he willed himself to calm down, trying to keep himself from hyperventilating as his breathing became erratic.
Tanned hands caressed his body, a hot tongue trailed down his chest. Shocking blue eyes, darkened with lust, looked into his eyes, asking for affirmation as he placed a chaste kiss on the front of Sasuke's pants. The tender gesture made him almost let out a desperate moan as his eyes gleamed with a silent 'yes'.
Sasuke felt tears coming to his eyes. His stomach began to turn and his head was starting to hurt. He was going to be sick. Jumping out the bed, he ran to the nearest door, hoping it was the bathroom. He was relieved as he crouched down in front of the toilet, vomiting out all the contents of his stomach. He heard footsteps coming his way and stopping. Naruto stood in the doorway for a moment, confused. He went over to Sasuke, crouching down next to him. Sasuke gagged and began to throw up more. Naruto reached over, pulling Sasuke's long bangs out of his face. Sasuke felt the tears coming harder, starting to shake his body.
"Holy shit." He breathed, in shock. "Holy shit, holy fucking shit..." he repeated. It all crashed down He couldn't believed that he actually slept with Naruto!
"Feels like you're my pregnant wife with morning sickness," Naruto commented, lightly teasing to break the tension in the air. Sasuke groaned at the hurt laced in that raspy voice. He stopped, dry heaving for a bit until the vomiting came to a standstill. Leaning back, he rested his head on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto wrapped his arm around him, cradling him to his chest. He kissed the top of his head softly. They sat cuddled on the floor, Naruto humming softly. Sasuke closed his eyes, listening to Naruto's soft voice. He could feel it vibrating through him. He could feel Naruto's fingers tracing the kanji along his back. He'd completely forgotten about the tattoos, and he really didn't want Naruto to see them. Too late now.
"I'm sorry." He murmured in the crook of Naruto's neck.
"Don't be. Do you wanna talk about it?" Sasuke shook his head, not really in favor of explaining his random vomiting session."You don't have to then." Naruto kissed him softly on the head."I love you..." He murmured, muffled by Sasuke's hair. Sasuke felt himself tense up. Slowly, he pushed himself up, looking at Naruto.
"How is this so easy for you?" Naruto blinked, the question catching him off guard.
"What do you me-"
"How is it so easy for you to just...open up like this? You wake up today all smiles like everything is perfect with the world while I'm sitting here having a panic attack." Naruto smiled, grabbing Sasuke's wrist. He pulled his hand to his lips, kissing it lovingly.
"So that's what this is all about?" Naruto asked curiously, his voice heavy with another hidden emotion. "I know how hard it is for you to open yourself up to anyone, so I wanna make it easy by opening up to you. I don't expect that after last night, everything would be perfect between us, but that's why I wanna try. It's okay if you feel uneasy or embarrassed." Sasuke turned away, looking at the wall. He couldn't believe half the stuff he said last night. All that screaming and moaning, he wanted to die from embarrassment. Knowing that someone had witnessed his damaged body littered in bruises and scars...signs of all his problems...he didn't know what to say. Naruto had been aware of him self-harming, but seeing it only made the problem that much more real. Right now, he just wanted to hide in a dark corner of his mind and just not think. He couldn't believe he'd made himself so...vulnerable He'd practically given himself to Naruto, along with all his damage and baggage and craziness. The thought itself made him sick.
Without warning, Sasuke broke down, tears rushing out like waterfalls. Naruto flinched, his eyes widening in surprise, but he quickly recovered and pulled Sasuke's naked frame to his chest. Sasuke brought his hands to his face, wiping away the tears. Naruto smiled and stood up. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke, pulling him into his chest. Sasuke's body began to shake with his sobs. Naruto rubbed his hair, cooing and telling him that everything would be alright.
"Do you regret it?" Naruto asked softly, a hint of nervousness in his tone. Sasuke took a few shuddering breaths, trying his best to speak through the tears.
"N-no...it's...no. I don't but I…I just...I'm sitting h-here. Naked. On the bathroom floor, vomiting. I f-f-feel," he stopped, annoyed by the pathetic sound of his own emotion clouded voice. Wiping his face, he continued. "I feel so many things right now, b-but regret isn't one of them. It's a lot for me to take in right now, so please..." he trailed off. Naruto nodded, understanding his unspoken words. Silently, he let go of Sasuke and stepped back. He threw one last look and a small, sad smile at Sasuke before walking out, closing the door behind him.
At the sound of the door clicking, Sasuke collapsed back to the floor, his renewed sobs shaking his body even harder. The look of hurt that laced those blue eyes made him feel terrible. He didn't want to hurt Naruto, of all people. He trusted him more than anyone, and he owed him his life, at least. The feeling of regret washed through him. Not regret for what they did, but for how he reacted. An urge to go out to Naruto and to reassure him, to take away the hurt rose in him but he couldn't bring his legs to support him. He was such and asshole. One thing he remembered more distinctly than anything from the night before was Naruto telling him that he didn't want Sasuke to regret anything, yet he agreed on his own volition. So why was he feeling like such a wreck?
"Naruto..." he called out hoarsely, in vain. He let his head fall back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling blankly. "I'm crying like a bitch," he murmured sourly. Tears poured down at a steady pace as he tried his best stop them.
The sounds of music flowed into the room, along with the scent of bacon; Sasuke felt his stomach growl angrily as he lifted his head. With a shaky and determined sigh, he willed himself to stand up on wobbly legs and slowly made his way to the door. He opened it and continued his slow path to his room, bypassing the annoying beads that hung in the doorway. A pair of black pants lay on the floor and he grabbed them and slipped them on. Not in the mood to look for the clothes that littered the floor, he grabbed a thin jacket from a hook on the wall, slipping it on and zipping it up. He furiously wiped his face, trying to cover up the signs of crying. He knew it wouldn't work and gave up. With a sigh, he stepped out of the room, not bothering to look in the mirror.
The loud music greeted Sasuke as he stepped into the living room, noting that it was coming from Naruto's phone. He stalked over to a chair at the table and sat down, crossing his legs. Naruto continued to cook, oblivious to his presence in the room. His hips swayed lightly to the sound of the Indie music as he added another strip of bacon to the pan. From the looks of it, he had already cooked somewhere around twelve slices.
"You weren't kidding when you said you were starving, huh? Though I'm pretty sure bacon is made from pigs, not horses."
Naruto scoffed lightly in acknowledgement."Same difference." He added a fourth slice of bacon to the pan and turned toward Sasuke, his expression unreadable. He looked at the pale face that greeted him; his dark eyes were red and puffy from crying along with his nose, and tear marks stained his face. With a sigh, he walked over to Sasuke, stopping once he was a foot away. Sasuke looked up at him, expectedly. Naruto crouched down so that he was that he was eye level with Sasuke.
"What do you want from me?" Naruto asked wearily.
Sasuke pondered that for a moment. It was way too complicated to put into words what he wanted. Love, affection, a friend, someone to be there for him, to reassure him and walk with him; someone who could just love him for everything he was and everything he wasn't. And Naruto was all of that wrapped into a neat little package. With a smile Sasuke closed his eyes.
"I want you. Just you. Only you. I want you to kiss me..." he trailed off. After a few silent moments, he felt soft lips press against his own. His arms instinctively wrapped around Naruto's neck as he leaned in closer to him. Tan hands held onto his hips and steadied him in the chair as he teetered forward. Sasuke's hand tangled themselves in blonde locks, pushing Naruto closer to him and deepening the kiss. Naruto pulled away slowly, just as Sasuke had begun to get more into it. With a weary sigh, he closed his eyes and hung his head. Sasuke rested his forehead on Naruto's, his arms wrapped thrown lazily around Naruto's neck.
"I'm trying, Naruto. God, you just don't understand how hard I'm trying. But I regret nothing, and I wouldn't change anything that happened. It was perfect. Everything is perfect. I'm sorry for hurting you, that's all I ever seem to do."
Naruto opened his eyes, frowning slightly. "No, it's not-"
"Don't." Sasuke interrupted."No matter what you say, I know that I've hurt you, whether it was today or things that I've said or done in the past. I know I can be a moody bastard and an asshole, and I know I don't deserve you, but please...have a little patience with me. Please don't give up on me," he finished in an almost plea, his grip on Naruto tightening. He opened his eyes and stared deeply into Naruto's.
"Sasuke..." Naruto pulled him forward into an embrace. "I don't give up that easily," he murmured into Sasuke's hair.
"A true masochist, in every right," Sasuke commented softly. He sat and returned the smile Naruto gave him with a small one of his own.
"Some things are worth it."
That sat there, embraced tightly together, neither saying a word. Naruto could feel Sasuke's body shake from a sharp hiccup, caused by the after effects of crying. He ran a hand through the dark hair, letting it slide through his fingers. The soft music and the steady beating of Naruto's heart was all Sasuke heard as he closed his eyes and pushed all the conflicting emotions out of his mind.
"Sasuke..." Naruto started softly. Sasuke lifted his head and offered him a small smile.
"I know," he said, bringing his lips to Naruto's ear, causing him to shiver. Naruto looked at him, his eyes darkening with the beginnings of lust. He let a hand travel down to the small of Sasuke's back, pressing their chest flush against each other. With soft moan, he brought his mouth down to Sasuke's neck, his teeth grazing the smooth skin. Sasuke's head instinctively went back, giving Naruto more access. His eyes closed as he gave in to the sensations, enjoying the feeling of the talented mouth on his neck. Two hands moving lower and lower down his back, breaking him from his haze. He opened his eyes and brought his hands to Naruto's shoulders, pushing him back. Naruto looked at him in confusion, his eyes clouded with desire.
"What's wrong?" He asked softy. Sasuke shook his head.
"It's...too soon. I mean, do you seriously want to go through this morning again?" Naruto's grimace was enough of an answer."Exactly. Give me time to get used to all this. It's all new to me and just because of last night doesn't mean that we can just fuck whenever you feel the urge."
Naruto flinched at his words."Jesus, Sasuke, can you be any more blunt? But yea, no rush, Sasuke, I know it's definitely a new thing to you, so don't try to push yourself for me."
"I never planned to, and I've never been one to sugarcoat things, you know that," Sasuke replied, scoffing. Naruto leaned down and kissed a puffy red eye, smiling as Sasuke frowned.
"C'mon Sasuke, I have to go and check on the bacon. I think it's burning." Naruto pressed kisses to Sasuke's forehead, his puffy eyes, his tear stained cheeks, and finally his lips, ignoring the half-hearted 'Stop it' he muttered. He stood up and pulled Sasuke with him, a hand on his waist to steady him.
"Ugh, that smell is giving me a headache," Sasuke complained. Naruto turned around, giving him a scandalized look.
"The smell of bacon is fucking perfection! It like God himself has come down from heaven and wafted the scent of amazingness into your house to gently wake you up from sleep! It's the best smell, especially in the morning!"
Sasuke laughed softly at the childish simile. "Yea, well, it's not all that appealing to me, and besides, bacon itself isn't good at all."
Naruto shrieked "What? Who doesn't like bacon?"
"Idiot, even before I got like...this, I've never been a fan. It's fattening and disgusting."
"But Sasukeee!" Naruto whined, crossing his arms and pouting."Bacons like the best thing next to, fucking, everything! And besides, you need a little meat on those bones, you know? Gives me a little more grab on to." Sasuke shoved him, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.
"Fucking idiot, go cook the bacon before you burn down this place."
Naruto sighed." Fine. I'll make you something different to eat, 'kay?"
The look in Naruto's eyes gave Sasuke no room to refuse. With a sigh, he shook his head. Besides, he felt like he could eat right about now. The way Naruto's face lit up at the confirmation made Sasuke smile. Naruto was practically glowing as he rummaged through the fridge, quickly listing off possibilities of the things he could make. At this rate, he'd cook everything in the kitchen. Letting out a soft laugh, Sasuke shuffled over to a chair and sat down, crossing his legs and resting his hands in his arms, watching Naruto fly around frantically.
Standing in the full length mirror on the bathroom door, Sasuke examined his naked form. The usual bruises covered his skin. Love bites and hickeys littered his neck, chest and collarbone, and hand shaped bruises covered his hips. Noticing the marks on his inner thighs, Sasuke declared he'd done enough examination. He turned away, his face heating up in embarrassment. It was not that he was mortified or anything; although he was a virgin, he was no prude, proof being back in his rebellious days as he experimented with many different...things. But he had no experience in sex, or more accurately, interacting the morning after. His past experiences had been nothing but rage fueled passion or him being under the influence of one thing or another, that ended with said person leaving right after whatever they did was over or Sasuke leaving out of the nearest exit. Once, he'd even jumped out of a three story window. So no, he had no experience with this. He tried his best to act normal, fighting the awkwardness of his words and his furious blushing. Naruto seemed amused by the situation, if the mirth in his eyes and soft smirk as he watched Sasuke make an awkward mess of himself was anything to go by. Deciding that he had enough of the teasing looks, he stomped off, saying he was going to take a shower. This only caused Naruto to call after him, trying but failing to hold back his laughter.
"Baby come back! I CAN CHANGE!"
Rolling his eyes at the memory, Sasuke slipped on a t-shirt and some shorts before making his way back to the front room. Naruto rested on the couch, his cell phone in his hand as the soft music played through it. He looked up from it and smiled playfully at Sasuke, who automatically turned around and began to walk away. Naruto jumped up and chased after him muttering 'SasukeSasukeSasuke,wait', grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, plopping down on the couch. Sasuke landed partly in his lap with a loud 'oomph', making Naruto laugh.
"Don't be like that Sasuke. C'mon," he pouted. Sasuke scoffed, muttering 'big baby' under his breath before he slid out of Naruto's lap and got comfortable on the couch. With a soft chuckle, Naruto wrapped an around his waist and pulled him closer, planting a wet kiss on his cheek. Sasuke grumpily swat him away, his face burning
Naruto, after deeming that Sasuke was no prude and was overall accepting of the situation, decided to have a little fun with him and milk this for a long as he could. It was fun to see Sasuke flustered and embarrassed, his usually pale face burning red all the way to the tips of his ears. He would even dare to say it was adorable, though not out loud, in fear of Sasuke stomping off again. He knew that it may seem insensitive, but Sasuke seemed fine, and besides, a little teasing and laughing at one self always made things better. So he tried to get Sasuke to laugh as much as possible and not allow him to wallow too much in his own jumbled emotions. If nothing else, over thinking would be the death of Sasuke, he knew it. A light brush of a hand broke him from his musings. He turned and kissed the hand with a soft 'Hmm?'
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're so mushy. What's up with the music, anyway?"
"Whaaaa-don't say it like that, it's Marianas Trench, and they're amazing. And I'm not the mush ball; you're way more lovey-dovey than me, if anything." He teased. Sasuke scoffed.
"Don't be gay."
"Heeheee~~ too late for that~~"
"Dork. I never said they were bad, just different than what you listen to. It's nice actually, sounds kind of familiar, actually. Maybe something Itachi listens to." Naruto jumped up suddenly, causing Sasuke to flinch."What the hell?"
"That's what I've been meaning to ask you! Your brother's car is amazing, how the hell did he manage to afford something like that?"
Sasuke gave him an odd look, thrown off by the random question. Sighing, he shrugged nonchalantly. "He's a neurosurgeon, and a damn good one at that."
"Damn, they must be getting paid like crazy. Sounds nice."
"Yea, it's one of the highest paying jobs. But his jaguar isn't even that expensive." Naruto looked at him, incredulously."What...?" Sasuke asked, confused.
"Do you know how much ass I'd have to sell to even afford a down payment? By the time I even get halfway there, I'd be dilated enough to push out a baby!"
Sasuke frowned in distaste."That's disgusting, Naruto. I could've lived my whole life without knowing that."
Naruto laughed softly. "Hey, I'm just being honest here, babe—"
"Don't call me th—"
"—if I had that money, I'd blow that shit on an epic car, like seriously, why don't you have a car."
"Well for one, that's Itachi's money, not mine, and two, I had a car, but it's gone now." Naruto looked at him curiously, waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn't, Naruto rose an eyebrow.
"Sasuke? Come on, tell me, please...?"
"That's a story for another day," he said dismissively.
"Mehhh, you always say that," Naruto complained.
"That's because I don't want to talk about it. Don't you think you've peer pressured me enough already?" he smiled, mischievously. Naruto pouted.
"Oh, ha ha," Naruto retorted, dryly, "don't try and make me look like a freakin' rapist. Jerk." Neither said anything for awhile, sitting in silence and enjoying the companionship. Naruto felt himself itching to talk, the topic of Sasuke's older brother bringing other things to his mind. He didn't know if he should bring it up, in fear of ruining the nice atmosphere.
Sasuke could see Naruto practically fighting with himself, and he could take a guess at what it was about. Somehow he knew that bringing up Itachi would lead to this conversation. It was inevitable. Sighing, he rested his head on Naruto's shoulder.
"So. Syndey, huh?" Naruto finally asked, quietly. He could feel the other nodding on his shoulder.
"Yea...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited. Though I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss you."
Naruto grabbed a pale hand and brought it to his lips, letting them graze it softly. Sasuke made no move to stop him, enjoying the feel of the soft lips.
"I'm gonna miss you too. More than I can even explain. I don't even know what to do without you at this point."
"Trust me, you'll live," Sasuke commented, wearily."You have before you met me, and you'll be fine without me. And besides," he stopped, looking up at Naruto," it's not like I'm going away forever, just for a while."
Naruto let out a frustrated groan. "I know but, God Sasuke. Do you remember the first fight we had a while back?" Sasuke shook his head for Naruto to continue."Once I got over my initial pissed-as-fuck mood, I thought I was gonna go crazy. Like, even though I'd only known you for maybe three weeks or so at the time, not being around you was weird, and I definitely didn't like it. And that was only for a few days, so yeah..."Naruto trailed off.
"Doesn't sound you're trying to reassure me at all. More like convince me to stay," he muttered.
Naruto shook his head. "Nah, I'm not trying to change your mind or anything—you're going whether you like or not, I'm smart enough to know that even though it sucks it's what's best for you—I just figured I'd be honest. Besides, you've always been able to see through my lies, so no point in pretending like I'll be perfectly fine with you leaving. You already know this."
Sasuke shook his head. "That I do, seeing as you tend to be a pretty redundant and open-book type of person. Honesty, however much I appreciate it, may not be the best thing at this time." When Naruto gave him an odd look, Sasuke sighed."I'm saying that maybe we should just pretend like I'm not leaving in a few days. Ignore it and spend the little time we have left enjoying it. Let's just pretend like nothing outside of these four walls exists: no school, no Sydney, no people, no problems, nothing. Just us."
"I guess you have a point. I mean, we can't ignore it forever, but a few days won't hurt, right?" Sasuke hummed in agreement.
They sat quietly, moods dampened by the conversation. Naruto interlaced their fingers tightly, urging Sasuke to move closer. Lifting his head from Naruto's shoulder, Sasuke shifted himself closer, practically melding himself into Naruto's side. He brought his lips to the crook of Naruto's neck, kissing it softly. Naruto turned and looked at him softly, his eyes reassuring. They sat like that, melded together, hands intertwined as the music played, the solemn air settled over them like a blanket for what felt like forever...
'It's Britney bitch...'
...until the beginnings of 'Gimme More' began to play through Naruto's phone. The spell was immediately broken and the melancholy atmosphere lifted as Sasuke turned to Naruto, the corners of his mouth twitching. Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and laughed, his cheeks turning red, a soft 'tension breaker' muttered under his breath.
Sasuke's lips quirked up."This begs many questions Naruto, though the first being: the hell?"
Naruto smiled sheepishly, shaking his head."Hey, hey, hey! I downloaded that for a game of truth or dare! Don't judge me!"
Sasuke gave him a look that clearly showed he didn't believe him."Sure. We'll go with that instead of the truth."
"The truth?" Naruto asked, a grin playing at his lips. Sasuke nodded.
"Yes, that you're a closet Britney fan. But don't worry I won't tell anybody," he teased.
"Britney? Are you sure it's not you who's the fan? I can only imagine all the pictures of her you have stashed away for your 'Sasuke time'" he laughed. Sasuke rolled his eyes, trying to fight back a smile.
"Hmm, let's not defile Ms. Spear's honor, shall we? And spare me you're dirty fantasies, for once, I'd rather not. In any case, you still haven't explained why you have this song on your phone—and please, make the next lie semi-believable, otherwise, I'm just gonna stick by the assumption of you being a crazed Britney fan."
Naruto clicked his tongue. "Whatever, it was a drunken dare to dance to this song which ended in me being caught in a compromising position once the guy's parents came home to stop the party." He shuddered at the memory of the guy's parent's expression. Though he couldn't blame them. How would anyone react to a half naked guy in their sons lap?
If that guy hadn't came out of the closet to his parents before, well they sure as hell knew then.
"Well that's not fair, I don't even get my own personal dance?" Sasuke asked in mock disbelief. He couldn't help the look of relief that flashed through his eyes, happy to have bypassed the heavy conversation and even heavier atmosphere. He took notice of the visible relief in Naruto's body, his shoulder's no longer tensed.
Naruto wagged his finger."Nuh-uh, I don't dance for free, hot stuff. Besides, you're gonna have to ask nicer than that."
"I wasn't asking," Sasuke replied, a glint in his eyes. Naruto felt his smile drop a little at the sultry look in the other's eyes.
"Command me, then," he said, his voice near a whisper.
"Dance for me." Naruto felt shivers run down his spine at the sinful voice. With a shaky nod, he tried his best to imitate what he'd seen at some strip club he'd visited back near the beginning of his college days—when Sakura and Ino learned that he swung both ways, they spent weeks dragging him to different strip clubs and gay bars, and experience he'd rather forget—and he was failing miserably. Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto tried to hold in his laughter. He watched Naruto's hips moving sensually to the beat. If nothing else, he had good rhythm, and those hips, as they swayed back and forth, mesmerized Sasuke. Deeming that he'd had enough of the annoying whine of Britney's voice through the speakers and awkwardly trying to impersonate a stripper, Naruto reached over and hit next on his phone. Random noises filtered through as what he identified as the beginnings of an MGMT song. Putting his phone down, he looked over to Sasuke and flashed him a smile.
"Hmm, my own personal male stripper. Feels like I'm watching Magic Mike all over again."
Naruto let out a loud laugh in surprise."Seriously, Sasuke, you really went to see that movie? My God, you're a lot gayer than you think." He continued laughing as Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Karin and Suigetsu dragged me there after weeks of begging. I gotta say, it wasn't that bad. Maybe you need to watch and learn a few moves, since you seem to be lacking." Naruto smiled and moved to straddle Sasuke. He wrapped his arms around his neck and brought their lips together.
"Well I can't promise professional moves like Channing Tatum, but your personal stripper shall try his best," he murmured against the other's lips, slowly lifting his head away.
Sasuke lifted his head, his lips grazing Naruto's jaw line softly, eliciting a soft groan from him. He stopped and finally brought his lips to Naruto's ear, causing him to shiver. "I never told you to stop dancing..." he whispered in a sultry tone. As quickly as he sat down, Naruto stood up, not wanting Sasuke to feel the effects of his words. God, Naruto thought to himself. With a smile, he crossed his arms and look pointedly at Sasuke.
"Mhhmm, I'm sorry Master. I won't disobey you again."
"Damn straight," Sasuke commented, making Naruto giggle childishly.
"We should role play one day, it'll be fun."
Sasuke gave him an exasperated look. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I just had sex last night, you can't expect to be whipping out the whips and chains and masks already."
"Oooohhh, never would've guessed you'd be into BDSM. You did say I was a masochist earlier, so does that make you a sadist?" With an over exaggerated flutter of his eyelashes, he brought his finger to his mouth in an innocent gesture."Would you spank me, Master?"
Sasuke smirked. "I'd fucking own your ass."
Naruto paused, blinking. Sheepishly, he smiled and brought a hand to his head.
"Well. I just got oddly excited there."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Freak." With a grunt, he pushed himself up and sauntered over to Naruto. His hand reached up and yanked Naruto down by his hair, ignoring the yelp of pain and swallowing the sound in their kiss.
"In due time," he murmured against Naruto's lips, "we have forever to figure it out."
Naruto smiled into the kiss, his eyes lighting up at Sasuke's inspiring words. Yes, they had forever. To banter, to talk, to fight, to cry, to make love...no matter the distance, they still had forever to figure it all out. Even with the clock ticking, even with the time hanging above their heads, Naruto knew that Sasuke was who he wanted to spend his forever with. This cold, broken, harsh, twisted, yet loving, soft, passionate, lost, driven, caring person was who he wanted to share his life with, to give all his love. Who he wanted to be his. All his. Only his.
"Yea...forever..."
Trapped in purgatory,
A lifeless object, alive
Awaiting reprisal
Death will be their acquisition
The heavy chords blasted through the room, causing the walls to vibrate softly. Eerie, somber lyrics continued to pour out of the speakers as the music played. Looking toward the speakers apathetically, Gaara turned away and sauntered over to the couch. He plopped down on his back, resting his arms across his chest, over the barred fangs of the dragon that covered it. His phone rested silently at his head, still no signs of contact from his blonde friend. He had been trying to find Naruto for the past few days, determined to finally have a very important, overdue conversation with him. After a few days of cold trails, he finally decided to go ask for help, he went to meet with Sakura. She had told him everything that had happened the past week including Naruto's whereabouts.
In a beach house. On Jade Lake. Alone. With Sasuke fucking Uchiha.
Gaara was no fool. He understood the implications of it all. He knew that what was going on between those two was more than simple friendship. The mere thought of the Uchiha being close to Naruto, filling that spot by the blonde's side that he'd been trying for so long to fill made him sick beyond belief. He couldn't help but feel like he was dying all over again; it was a different kind of death than the last time. As he faded away before, he felt no pain, only peace as he began to drift off. But this kind of death was slow and torturous, as if his heart was burning and bursting in his chest; as if blood filled his lungs and he was slowly but surely suffocating under his own anger and sorrow. In that moment, Gaara couldn't help but question why his life had been spared before.
Pierced from below, souls of my treacherous past
Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above
When Naruto had saved his life so many years ago, he thought that he should at least be grateful; grateful for getting a second chance at life, for not being allowed to make a permanent, rash, and emotionally driven decision.
He'd been spiraling slowly toward self-destruction after the death of his mom. Well more accurately, suicide. She'd been unhappy in life, frustrated with a husband who was never there, always buried in work. She could hardly focus on her children, she had her own problems, and her sorrow was slowing killing her. So she decided to speed up the process herself. It was an ordinary day for him, a non-eventful school day and it would most likely be the same at home. But when he walked into his house, he automatically knew something was wrong-off. The feeling of death hung and the air, causing him to drop his bag. He ran to the family room and found nothing. He continued his search room from room, finding nothing. Finally, he opened the last door, his parents' room, stopping at the sight that greeted him. His mother's body swayed back and forth, hanging freely from a rope connected to the ceiling fan. With a loud, blood curdling scream, he dropped to his knees. His mother was gone. She'd left him here all alone.
The sky is turning red
Return to power draws near
Fall into me, the sky's crimson tears
Abolish the rules made of stone
His siblings blamed him; called him a curse saying it was his fault. The doctors had figured she'd suffered from a severe, long lasting case of post-partum depression, which meant that in his family's mind, it was his fault. His dad simply didn't give a fuck. It's not like he didn't love him, Gaara knew for a fact that he did. His father was a busy politician and was never around, always focused on work. Once his wife took her own life, the guilt consumed him, and he buried himself deeper in his work. They lived a lavish lifestyle, but it wasn't enough. His only beacon of light in a bleak world was his best friend, the one who was always there for him, no matter what; Naruto. Naruto was there at his mother's funeral, he even stayed the night and let him pour his heart out and cry his eyes out on his shoulder. As Gaara sat, a crying sobbing mess, blubbering about his mom and how he just didn't know what to do, Naruto sat quietly and patiently, listening. He was always there when he needed someone to talk to or simply to spend time with. Dark nights where he couldn't sleep and his nightmares haunted him, he'd call Naruto and instantly be calmed by the soft, sleep laced voice and the reassuring words. Even though his life was getting unbearable, he still pushed on, motivated by those bright blue eyes and that contagious smile. He knew that no matter how bad things got, he'd still fight just for Naruto, the one he knew he had come to love.
But there came a time when someone else came into the picture, shattering Gaara's heart.
"Her name is Yukina, and she's a beauty, Gaara. You should meet her; I know you'd love her."
Yukina truly was a beauty. Long, strawberry blond curls that cascaded down her back, big hazel doe eyes, a round cute face, and an overall perky disposition. The exact opposite of what Gaara was. It had hurt, having to pretend like he was happy for the blond, smiling and agreeing that yes, she was gorgeous. Yes, she was the most perfect girl in the world. He stepped back and allowed them to spend time together, never complaining when Naruto broke a promised hangout time or cancelled plans.
"I'm sorry, I totally forgot, and I promised Yukina I'd take her to the movies. You don't mind, do you?"
And Gaara would always smile and reply no, he didn't mind, only to see the beautiful smile that would grace Naruto's lips and the joy in his eyes.
"God Gaara, you're fucking amazing, you know? I promise I'll make it up to you!"
Slowly but surely, Naruto spent less time with him, and it began to take its toll on him. He felt that without his light, there was no reason to live in a world consumed by darkness and the bitter reality that was his life. His time alone had begun to get unbearable. One particular night, after a terrible nightmare, he quickly dialed the number memorized by heart, sweat pouring down his shaking body as he waited for the other to pick up, hoping to be lulled back to a dreamless sleep by sweet, kind words.
"Hi! Sorry, I'm not able to come to the phone right now, I must be busy but, uhh, just leave you're numb-"
And things only got worse from there. After a long week of battling himself, he finally made his decision. He tried his best to give himself time, saying that maybe he'd snap out of it after a week, but by the end of those seven days, he still felt so empty, hollow and alone. So the day that he decided to do it was the first time he and the blonde spent time together in a long time. They'd walked home from school together and relaxed in Gaara's room. They made light, carefree conversation until the sun began to set. Naruto bid farewell and Gaara hugged him, wanting to feel his warmth for one last time. He even told him he loved him. Though he was sure Naruto took it as a friendly thing, he didn't mind. As long as he got that off his chest, he could go peacefully. He watched as Naruto left. The sound of the door clicking shut was the beginning of the end for him. The bottle of pills he swiped earlier sat temptingly on his nightstand. Without hesitation, he grabbed the bottle and opened the lid. Tears flowed down his face as he said a silent prayer.
God, if you do exist, if you're there, I know you understand. One of your children has lost his way, and can no longer find it. Not here. My home is in the clouds.
With a tired sigh, he quickly swallowed the pills and let himself fall onto his back. He stared idly at the ceiling, waiting for the medicine to take effect. It felt like an eternity as he watched the ceiling, idle thoughts passing through the mind. How would his family react? Would they even care? Would Naruto be at his funeral, or would he decide not to go in place of a movie date with Yukina? Out of the corner of his eye, an orange object caught his attention. His eyes widened; it was Naruto's cell phone. What if Naruto came back for it?
The panicked thought was interrupted as he began to shake, letting out a groan of pain. He felt himself grow cold, felt himself slowly fading away. He didn't know how long he lay there, convulsing on the floor. His mind began to dull as his convulsions grew even more violent. A panicked shriek of his name hardly registered in his mind, nor did the sight of Naruto who had pulled him to his chest, crying and blubbering nonsense. Slowly, as he lost consciousness, he heard the words that made him laugh sardonically in his mind.
"P-please! Please Ga-aara! Hang on! Don't leave me! Please!"
He didn't have the heart to tell Naruto the reason why he decided to do what he did. He would never be able to bear the guilt Naruto would feel. But now, it felt like déjà vu; history repeating itself. But this time, things would be different. He couldn't go and try to off himself with every problem that arose. It was childish and pathetic. No, this time, things would definitely be different, because this time, he was different.
Awaiting the hour of reprisal
Your time slips away
He'd step back many times for the sake of the others, always selflessly suffering for other's happiness. He'd step back once for Naruto. Never again. Life had pounded on him for too long. He could no longer let himself sit back and take it. Something inside him wouldn't let him. For once in his life, he would no longer be passive and continue to let happiness evade him. With a sigh, Gaara closed his eyes and sang along with the song.
It was his turn to be selfish, to fight for what he wanted.
Raining blood
From a lacerated sky
Bleeding its horror
Creating my structure
Now I shall reign in blood
A/N: 'Dem feels, Gaara. Lots of us have been in his position, and it sucks. Yes, Sasuke was a virgin, but he had done other sexual-type things with other people out of anger (during his angry-junior-Sasuke days, after the argument he had with his father, mentioned in chapter 17) and rebellion. Yeeeeuuuuppp. This will most likely be important to future chapters. Oh and yea...sorry I completely forgot to explain the tattoos this chapter, so definitely next chapter! The scene just wouldn't fit right with this chapter anyway, the vibe wouldn't work well with it, so...yea. Plus it'd shoot the word count from like, 7k to maybe 15k. Meh. I'm working on it though! And it will introduce a new side of Sasuke :3
Side note: Songs used in this chapter:
Skinny Love- Originally by Bon Iver, though I was thinking of Ed Sheeran's version (not a fan of the Birdie version, ehh.)
Marianas Trench- Fallout
Gimme More- Britney Spears
MGMT-Time to pretend
Raining Blood- Slayer
Other sidenote: I'm finally getting my internet back in my house tomorrow so yeah! I'll hopefully get another chapter up SOON! I'm actually pretty excited about next chapter, namely because you get to see Sasuke in another light. It will be kinda like chp. 11, whereit's not exactly important to the plot per se, more of character development. Hopefully you'll love it. Til then...
Please review and tell me what you guys think of this chapter :3
Last side note(I promise): If you noticed, reprisal isn't a psychological term, but eh, it fit. :O