Author's Notes:

Hello there! A few moons have passed since I last updated, sorry about that. As part of a challenge I have bestowed unto myself, I will be writing a fic every month of this year (2022). This fic will be ongoing alongside the other 12 fics as it is my longest running story, and abruptly ending it seems unfair. Although my writing style has changed, I will continue this fic in the same style to the best of my abilities. Lastly, I will also be attempting to illustrate a scene from every fic as an added bonus! You can find them on my Twitter, vernie_moon. Who knows, I just might give this fic more than one illustration ;)

Thank you for reading my brainrot :3

Warning:

This chapter has so. Much. Aaaangst! And surrounds topics of drug abuse and sobriety.

Chapter Four – Promise Me

Naruto woke up to the sound of frantic shuffling beside him.

"Sas?" Naruto grumbled, perching himself on an elbow. He looked up and caught the eyes of a panicked Sasuke hunched over the bedside table at his end of the bed. They held their gaze, Sasuke blinking rapidly several times before breaking away and standing up straight.

"Sorry to wake you, I didn't–" Sasuke went to apologize, Naruto didn't let him.

"No, it's okay," he sat up. "What time is it?" Naruto asked, rubbing his eyes and stretching. Sasuke cleared his throat as he read his digital clock.

"2:30," he replied quietly.

"Fuck, Sasuke. Couldn't you have waited until the sun came up, at least?" Naruto's tone wasn't harsh, but it wasn't lively either. Sasuke simply stood there, eyeing the still open drawer. He wanted to say something, he felt the need to admit something, but he couldn't quite voice it. It stayed trapped in the back of his throat.

"Get back in bed," Naruto said softly. "You can sleep it off."

"No, I can't!" Sasuke felt a sudden wave of anger rush through him. "No, I can't sleep it off, it's why I woke up in the first place!" He wildly gestured in the general direction of the drawer. He looked very agitated. Very…disturbed. Naruto sighed. He stretched himself across the bed, reaching for the open drawer and slowly closed it for Sasuke. The raven let out a breath, watching the tan hand seemingly seal away the one thing that felt like could bring him the relief he craved.

"I can help you get your mind off it," Naruto offered.

"You can't." Sasuke bit out morosely.

"Well, I can try," Naruto shrugged, as if it was the easiest thing to do. Sasuke eyed the blond's movement for a moment, and then shook his head. More at himself than at Naruto. There was a shifting noise, and before he could fall further into the growing feeling of shame, he felt Naruto's hand pulling on his wrist. Sasuke didn't have the energy to fight it. He keeled over into the touch, allowing himself to be pulled into the bed that felt increasingly less than solely his own, and more like theirs. A feeling he'd never disclose to the blond.

Naruto scooted over, giving Sasuke back the place he occupied a minute ago. He pulled the covers over the both of them. Naruto laid on his side, facing Sasuke. Sasuke faced the ceiling, avoiding the bright blue worried eyes but to no avail. From the corner of his eyes, those big blue ones still managed to fill his vision, and he shut his own eyes tightly, letting out a heavy breath, and rubbed at them harshly. Naruto flipped over to lay on his back.

"Remember that summer, after high school before anyone went off to university, we all snuck into the school's pool at like, midnight?" Naruto said, smiling at the memory. Sasuke's hands went up into his hair as he nodded.

"It was one of the best nights of my life," Naruto chuckled. "The entire gang, together like that." Sasuke brought his arms down to rest over his chest, and the corners of his mouth curled slightly. It was a fun night. Misbehaving teenagers, rebelling for the sake of giving themselves one more night to remember. One last night of a senior prank.

"It was so stupid," Naruto chuckled again, "like, some of us had pools at our houses but we still chose to terrorize the school. I still remember Kakashi's face!" The chuckle broke into a full blown laugh and Sasuke couldn't resist laughing, too. "Well, what we could see of it, anyway. I still don't get why the hell he was at the school at midnight, though. And with Guy?" Sasuke smiled. Not at the memory, but at how things so easily managed to get over the blond idiot's head.

"Who knows?" Sasuke shrugged lazily. "The image of Kiba slobbering all over Neji will forever be ingrained in my mind." That, and the way Sasuke's voice sounded so monotonous made Naruto clutch at his stomach.

"Poor dude thought Neji was Hinata!" He wiped at his eye, "Damn, Kiba always got drunk too fast."

The laughter died down, and a comfortable silence followed. However, it didn't last long. Naruto heard the way Sasuke let go of an irritated breath, no matter how quiet the Uchiha thought he'd kept it. He turned his head to look at him, Sasuke still had his eyes closed, and his folded arms clung to himself over the blanket.

As though time had stopped, Naruto kept his eyes on Sasuke's motionless form. Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but just then, the raven yawned.

"Feeling sleepy?" Naruto turned back on his side. Sasuke shook his head slowly.

"I don't know," he mumbled. He refused to look at anything else besides the darkness behind his eyelids. Mainly because of the way the blond kept staring directly at him. He felt Naruto's hand on his forehead and his eyes sprang open.

"You're sweating," Naruto said casually.

"Dobe," Sasuke swatted his hand away.

"Take off your hoodie, teme." Naruto retrieved his hand and pushed it under his pillow. "Or you'll sweat yourself into a puddle."

"I'm fine." Sasuke lied. He was anything but fine. He didn't want Naruto seeing his arms. Especially not after not having seen each other in a while. It was his fault, after all. He could've chosen anywhere else on his body, but the accessibility of shooting up his arms was convenient. And quick. One down side were the bruises the needles left, which meant he had to live by long sleeved shirts and hoodies, even around his home. Regardless of his family knowing of his habits. His habits. How easy it would be right now to just roll up his sleeves and abuse another needle. How easy it would be to lay back and feel it wash over him. How quick, and easy, it would be to rid himself of the anxiety and oncoming symptoms of withdrawal. If only he was alone. If only he could somehow go somewhere and feel that warm rush again–

"Oi, teme!" Naruto flicked his cheek. "Are ya in there?" He kept flicking Sasuke's cheek.

"What?" Sasuke turned his head to face the blond, eyebrows cinched together and suddenly annoyed.

"I said take it off or you'll end up making the bed look like a Rorschach test," the blond said slightly louder than the first two times, with furrowed eyebrows. Sasuke's face relaxed slightly and bit the urge to smile at the joke. His mind was quickly taken over with thoughts of…

Of Naruto being able to see his arms. But…the room was pretty dark. It might be dark enough for him to not notice. He sighed, and very hesitantly sat up, and took his hoodie off. Dropping it to the floor, he laid back down.

It didn't matter how quick Sasuke pulled the covers over himself, or how dimly the moon lit the room through the curtains, Naruto still managed to catch a glimpse at the track marks all over the inside of Sasuke's arms. They really wouldn't have been visible, if Naruto hadn't been unconsciously looking for them. He sighed, quietly.

But Sasuke still heard it. He cursed himself for taking it off. For not being more careful when he did take it off. He could've been more at an angle where Naruto couldn't have seen them or–

"You should drink some water," came Naruto's gentle voice. Sasuke's eyebrows hastily knitted together again. Suddenly, things were clearing up.

"What are you trying to do, Naruto?" Sasuke's eyes were hard and cold and stared directly at Naruto. Sasuke recognized these tactics. But the blond was unfazed; he was used to Sasuke's mood swings.

"Sasuke," Naruto sat up on his elbow, "I'm trying to help you." His voice remained quiet.

"No." Sasuke sprang up, "Fuck you!" He jabbed the air with a finger pointed at Naruto's face. "And fuck everyone else who's 'trying to help'!" Sasuke could only see red. With a grunt, Sasuke pushed himself out of bed, picked up his hoodie and stomped his way to the bathroom.

"Where are you goin–" In a split second, Naruto thought Sasuke might've had a stash hidden in the bathroom. At the speed of light, he leaped out of bed and grabbed hold of Sasuke's upper arm just as Sasuke was about to walk through the door of his En-suite's bathroom.

"Fucking let go of me!" Sasuke was whacking Naruto with his other hand, the hand still clutching at the hoodie.

"Stop making this harder than it needs to be," Naruto growled out as he evaded the multiple hits of sleeves, drawstrings and hood. Sasuke was in obvious panic. He kept resisting Naruto's hold, until finally, he stopped. But unlike last time, Sasuke curled forwards into himself and clutched at his head. Naruto, shocked, let Sasuke's arm slip out of his hand as his eyes widened. Sasuke bellowed in agony and Naruto's entire being ached at the sight and sound. He slowly placed a hand on Sasuke's back, careful to not anger him any further, as the doubled over man breathed heavily.

"Please, Sasuke," Naruto's voice betrayed him. It cracked and shook despite his efforts. And there was the familiar sob. Sasuke dropped to his knees, the base of his palms digging into his eyes until it hurt. All Naruto could do was kneel in front of Sasuke, and wait.

Sasuke felt Naruto's hands curl around his wrists. He never meant to hurt anyone. He only wanted relief. He just wanted a break from the overwhelming thoughts and emotions that eat at him every day, every night, every waking moment and in every fucking dream he had. The memories of his past, his younger self, still stung at the surface. Demanding attention and energy Sasuke didn't feel he had left to give. He just needed a way to suppress them, make them go away even if for a while. And that's what the heroin did for him. But…

He moved his hands away. Not yet looking at the blond in front of him. He sniffed and wiped at his face. The tan hands held in their place, but they loosened only a bit.

This man. No matter how shitty Sasuke had treated him through all the years, up to this very moment, refused to leave like everyone else simply did. Every single time Sasuke tried to push Naruto away was like it never existed. Naruto…in every little way, never gave up.

He breathed in, slowly. And nodded. He nodded again, more sure of himself this time, as sure as he can be, and peered into Naruto's fearful eyes.

"Okay," his voice broke into a whisper. If Naruto was so determined to help…

"Okay," he whispered again. Maybe, finally, at last, Sasuke could let his guard down around Naruto. Well, further down.

"You'll try to get sober?" Naruto's smile was showing. A happy one. A relieved one. And for that smile alone, Sasuke was glad he agreed to try sobering up. Again. Sasuke figured he might be able to finally open up about what's been eating at him. After so many years of keeping people at ten cargo crates' length away, Naruto was the only one persistent enough to keep plowing through. His concerns went beyond his drug abuse, unlike Itachi, or his parents. Or anyone else, for that matter. He showed genuine care and Sasuke hated himself for all the times he tried to push him away.

"But…you have to promise me," he swallowed, "promise me one thing," Sasuke choked out.

"What?" Naruto's wide eyes stared into Sasuke's and the 'What?' sounded more like an 'Anything'.

"That you won't leave me alone," Sasuke could barely choke it out as tears filled his eyes again. Naruto squeezed his wrists.

"Stupid teme," Naruto pulled him in, "When have I ever left you alone."