Disclaimer: O.O DID YOU GUYS SEE HOW HOT KISHIMOTO MADE GAARA:stilldroolingalittlebit:3;; I like that man once more. Even if he owns Naruto and everyone else.

AN: Sorta long chapter this time. Sorry about the horrible delay. Dabbled a bit over at Didn't go too well, actually. I just do not write good oneshots. Anyway…I hope this chapter wasn't too boring or slow. I promise you the next one will have a mild time skip…

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A week.

Enjoy.

:grins:

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He wasn't sure when it had started—maybe when he was still a child, vulnerable and oblivious to the wickedness of the world. He wasn't sure why it had begun—perhaps he had been too willing to believe, too needy, desiring love he would never receive. He wasn't sure who had done it—probably it could be chased back to her, or maybe even to his father—but it didn't matter. Not anymore.

Nothing really mattered. He was alive—against his own will—and was safe, and warm, and felt almost…wanted. He couldn't force himself to believe it, however. Everything he had ever trusted, ever loved, had been yanked away from him like a yo-yo, dangled before his nose and wrenched away, whisked off in the darkness, leaving him alone, chest and shoulders heaving. He could have cried, wept, tried to end his miserable existence just then—surely, he could slit his wrists—but…it didn't matter. Not anymore.

Not while he was here.

Jet-black eyebrows twitched irritably as the tinkling sound of effeminate laughter reached him, wafting towards him, vibrations in the air mocking him as they banged against his eardrums. Relaxing his vice-grip on the sheets, he forced himself to take deep breaths, quelling the roaring emotions and mixed feelings coursing along his pale form.

So what if Naruto was talking to a woman? He wasn't gay, or anything. Sasuke sighed, turning towards the window, staring across the panoramic vista of white, coal eyes darting from each glistening mounds with surprising alertness. It wasn't as though he was particularly fascinated by them—they were just snow, after all—but something to take his mind off who Naruto spoke to was better than nothing.

Flopping back against the bed like a dead fish, he gazed intently at the ceiling, gaze following the intricate swirls of the granular wood. Lazily, his fingers ruffled at the material on the blankets covering him, fondling their delicate softness. He inhaled deeply, the scent of wood and smoke and dog and…Naruto…assailing him, drowning him like a heady wine. He felt nearly giddy, cheeks ruddy with excitement.

Coughing quietly, he stilled his mind. He was an adult! Not a schoolgirl, elated at the fact that she had found an attractive prince! Naruto would not whisk Sasuke away on some mythical adventure! There were no pedophiliac villains! There were no hidden identities, no demonic possessions! Naruto would not save Sasuke from the clutches of a purple-tongued cross-dresser!

But Naruto would save Sasuke from himself.

Sasuke sighed faintly, mouth suddenly feeling to dry, and he sucked in his lower lip, nibbling on it in thought. It was a habit, really. Vaguely, he remembered several people commenting on how much he looked like a small child when he bit his lip. His mind was taking bizarre tangents, he knew, but what else could he do? Think about Naruto's question? He tried to avoid the subject the best he could, wondering when the hell Naruto would hang up.

And, of course, trying to avoid Naruto's question made Sasuke's mind hone in on it like male dogs to a bitch in heat. As though reading his mind, Ookami moaned loudly from the other room. Sasuke blinked once, twice, shaking his head.

Stifling a yawn with the back of his hand, the Uchiha tugged a blanket upwards with his free hand, snuggling into the bed. He wasn't tired, exactly—restless, more like. The swirling patterns of the boards lining the ceiling were a weak distraction, one that would no longer occupy his attention. He could hear Naruto finishing up his discussion in the other room, the customary bullshit before one hangs up spewing from both ends of the line.

Sasuke's gaze drifted from the ceiling to the crackling embers in the fireplace, teeth still gnawing at his lip. Weighing his options, he could feel his mind computing and processing information. To his surprise and chagrin, he realized both options frightened him. Death now sent a fell chill down his spine—something that had never occurred to him. Before meeting the blonde doctor, he couldn't have cared less about his own life or death, so long as the hurting ended. But he didn't hurt so much now, for some reason. And as much as he wanted to give credit to himself, Sasuke knew he was not becoming adjusted due to his own influence. A certain blue-eyed boy was the one who deserved praise, not himself.

Which made him wonder why, exactly, he didn't want to accompany the blonde back home. Excluding the fact that their entire relationship was entirely irrational, and they barely knew one another, had only known each other for two days, it was absurd that Naruto should ask Sasuke to return with him.

But why—Gods why?—did Sasuke feel the only true answer was "yes."

He could hear Naruto hang up the phone in the other room, the plastic connecting with a faint clatter, Sasuke's alert senses detecting the noise instantaneously. He had been straining to hear the voice on the other end, he realized with a faint blush. He refused to wonder why.

Shifting his placid stare from the fireplace to the arched doorway leading towards the hall, Sasuke waited, anticipating Naruto to re-emerge. Yet the man remained in the hallway, feet never moving, dog never leaving his side, simply standing. Sasuke fervently longed to rush to the blonde and make his pain subside. Grinning wryly to himself he looked away, gazing at his hands. Odd that Sasuke—angsting, tortured Sasuke—would want to cease someone's hurt. And yet he did. Oh, how he did.

"N..Naruto?" he called out hesitantly, voice cracking as though he was undergoing a post-pubescent vocal transformation. His embarrassment did little to abate the slight blush to his cheeks.

"Yes?" the blonde called from the other room, floor creaking beneath his feet as he walked closer to Sasuke. "Have you decided?"

"I have," Sasuke said, the words hitching in his throat. No, no he hadn't! He didn't know what he wanted to do anymore, save crawl beneath his covers and have someone tell him what to do. Why had he wanted to grow up so badly when he was younger? It wasn't worth it—he would have given anything, in that moment, to be a little boy once more, simply being told what to do. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he strongly resembled said youthful child, the way he nibbled on his lower lip.

"And?" Naruto asked, voice empty of emotion. Twisting his fingers in the sheet, Sasuke wondered if Naruto really cared which way he decided. But the instant the blonde appeared in the doorway, his dancing blue eyes and slightly ashen face clued Sasuke in instantly. Naruto was just as nervous as he was, anticipating his answer eagerly, wondering what Sasuke would say.

Sasuke wondered, as well. Deep breaths, he reminded himself gently. In and out. It can't be so bad. Whatever happens, happens. Don't spend time worrying about it. Just speak—

"I will go," he murmured, face paling as the words left his mouth. He tilted his head upward, staring at Naruto intently, certain he had said the wrong thing. Why had his tongue been so brash? Surely Naruto wouldn't be—

"Glad to hear that!" Naruto's face was slit in two, toothy grin beaming down at the dark-haired Uchiha. Hands planted at his hips, the smiling boy gazed at Sasuke appraisingly for a moment, before he continued. "I really am glad to hear that, Sasuke…"

Had he been a cat, the paler man would have been purring like a wild thing, so happy did he feel. Absently, he wondered if it was a false hope, but he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore.

Not while he was with Naruto.

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Fluffy little thing, wasn't it? Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review to make me smile:3;