Disclaimer:...Not yet...but one day...ahahaha...ha...

AN: Yeah...I wrote another chapter...::has nothing to say right now:: XD;;;

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The Meal

He felt as though he was being devoured, those eyes swallowing him whole whenever they slid along his body. His breath hitched in his throat, snagging on the hot, burning feeling that had begun to spread through his veins, seeping along his body like paper on the water. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes of the shocked surprise he knew hung there like humming birds, hovering noticeably. Heart flip-flopped as he staggered closer to the bed, suddenly feeling as though he had been drinking all night, been sampling the most intense drugs life had to offer.

His head spun like a top, mind moving sluggishly as he tried to form thoughts, tongue trying to form words. The walls were too close, he was suffocating, being compacted into tiny pieces, lungs unable to draw a tentative breath. And yet he was alone in the world, like one tiny speck standing before a monolithic god who gazed upon his eyes with steely black depths, burning into his mind and soul.

Delicate, elongated fingers glided along the soft, stubbly fur of his pet wolf, the small movement driving the breath and sense from his body. Captivated, he stared at the beautiful creature lying atop his bed who watched him in like turn, peering through his flesh, through tendons, through bone and into his soul. He was falling, drowning, dying, he registered dimly and was enjoying every second of this adrenaline-pumping death.

Then he heard teeth clamp upon the man's pale, milky skin, the noise alerting him, making his heart beat once more. He smiled lazily, vision clearing as though he had stepped from a blizzard into a warm room, aware of which way was up and down. "Ookami," he said breathily, hoping the being would mistake his sudden lack of vocal strength for laughter. "Leave him alone."

Those warm, large, almost too inviting eyes were briefly hidden behind eyelids and he longed for them, longed for them deeply. The ragged breathing still being laboriously pumped through those lusciously full lips gave him reason to believe the larynx producing such melodiously rough sounds could produce a beautiful voice. His mind searched, scrabbled, clawed frantically for something, anything, that would be witty, would strike up a conversation.

It shocked himself to find he was at the man's bedside, fingers thrusting themselves rather close to an almost equine nose. "Naruto," he choked out through a clenched throat, wondering how it was humanly possible to be so terrified of a man who could barely move.

The delicately crafted creature beneath downy coverlets peered at the hand openly, confusion etched on his face. Fear fluttered in his chest, muscles sliding over each other as his hand began to drop to his side. And then something warm encircled his wrist, the long fingers tighter than he had anticipated. Black eyes burned into his as a pale pink tongue formed the syllables. "Sasuke."

It was as though he had swallowed a rock, a brick, a boulder, a mountain, so difficult had it become to breathe. Blue eyes scanned the captivating stillness in Sasuke's face, searching for something to say to still the beating in his heart, the pace that would surely kill him. ""Sasuke, you know you almost died out there," he murmured gently, wonderin why such a fair creature would resign himself to death. Sasuke's hand still held his, burning his palms with an impossibly hot grasp. "It was lucky I found you when I did," he grinned feebly, trying to eradicate the uncomfortable silence, laughing nervously. "Or else you would be a Sasu-cicle."

The flesh fell from Naruto's hand lazily, recoiling beneath the soft blanket, disappearing beneath folds of cloth. He had been undressed to preserve warmth, his naked body concealed except for a shapely back, corded muscles rippling beneath pale skin. "I was walking outside and was tired," Sasuke muttered. "I just wanted to take a little nap, you understand."

"That was very bad." The wavering, regretful quiver in the man's voice was indication enough of a farce, but Naruto did not wish to press such things. All in due time. Tucking a corner of the puffy blanket under the boy's body, he sat on the mattress, tentatively reaching to stroke that silken hair, gleaming in the firelight. "Taking a nap in the snow is suicide, Sasuke," he whispered gently, fingers entwining themselves in painfully soft locks.

"Yes." His tone was bland, quiet, absent of any regret or remorse, as though he had not a care in the world and no reason to feel the frivolous emotions of humans. "I know."

He couldn't have been much older than Naruto, his face was a soft, rosy shade of peach, his muscles lean and taught, his body un-marred by disfigurements. And yet, his voice was heavy with pain, with sorrow, with some type of unknown torment no one should ever undergo. His heart was being torn into small, miniscule shards, drowning him in the shattered pieces of hurt and anguish. Naruto could tell, from the dark, heady cloud in his voice, the slow, lifeless movements of his body, the bland, pointless tone in which he spoke. Naruto could tell.

Warm breath rolled from parted lips as he rose to his feet slowly, the large silver beast padding over to him adoringly. Absently his fingertips stroked the animal's almost metallic brow, caressing slowly while his mind whirred and clicked, sorting out pieces of information. "I think," Naruto said softly after a few minutes of silence. "I shall go find us something to eat—"

Those warm fingers clasped his hand once more, making his muscles jolt from the contact, only small bits due to surprise. His eyes wafted to Sasuke's upturned face, drifting lower to take in the man's nude body. He had managed to adjust himself, sliding along the mattress till his unclad legs dangled from the sheets. Blush burning his cheeks, reddening his ears, twinging his nose, he turned away quickly.

"Why don't my legs move?" Sasuke asked quietly, voice thick with concern and something borderline fear. "Why can't my fingers move like they should? Why do my toes not wiggle and curl against the blanket? Why is my body so stiff? Why am I naked?" The last question had more than a hint of accusation to it, the sharp intake of breath through Naruto's lips proving to both it was not unfounded.

"I'm going to get us something to eat," he repeated sullenly, wanting to ease this stranger's pain. He knew not—nor wanted to know—why he could not keep himself from craving this man's safety, desiring his happiness more than his own. "When I return, I'll explain to you in depth the repercussions of 'napping in the snow.'" His voice lilted in good humor, not wanting Sasuke to find him abrasive and threatening.

His response was merely a faint moan in consent and the sound of sheets crinkling as flesh moved over them. He turned to see Sasuke's satin-like leg disappear beneath blue sheets, and began to wander to the kitchen. Ookami stayed behind, receiving the gentle stroking ministrations of the bed-ridden man.

He padded into the kitchen, oaken floors creaking under his slight weight, thankful the heater worked in all rooms, keeping the chilling frost from battering the three males. He glanced around the hallway he drifted through, taking in the decorations and adornments for the first time in detail. He had inherited the cabin from some relative and had traveled from his hometown to the isolated wooded mountainous region each winter for solitude with Ookami.

Upon entering the tiled kitchen, hopping briefly as the cold assailed his warm feet, he opened the refrigerator slowly, eyes scanning labels grimly. He craned his neck around the sheet-metal covered door, calling, "I only have turkey, if you want a sandwich..."

Sasuke laughed from the other room weakly, his action melding into a fit of coughing from which he quickly recovered. "No, thank you. I don't eat meat."

Naruto sighed in mild contentment at the man's words, feeling somewhat relieved that they shared their preferences of sustenance in common. It was a small start, however, no matter how humane it was. "That's just as well," he shouted back, deciding upon a few chilled slices of cheese pizza lying in the back of the cold box.

Holding two plates of cheese-laden bread in hand, he returned to Sasuke, handing him one plate slowly, looking away to hide his blush as their fingertips brushed against each other. "I'm a vegetarian, too," he muttered awkwardly. As Sasuke's lips opened to engulf the food, tongue curling backwards to allot the sustenance more space, Naruto gulped, suddenly losing his appetite. Though he knew not how long Sasuke would share his home, of one thing he was certain—it would be a very long stay.

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really not pleased with how this one turned out...But oh well...should I keep going on this? Or should I stop writing it...? X3;; tell me what you think