Out Of It
IV
Sasuke woke with a sense of happiness, the seclusion ward's white ceiling coming into focus slowly. The previous night had been the last of his four-day sojourn in the ward and tonight he would move back into his and Naruto's room. His good behaviour meant he didn't have to spend the day alone and so, while pulling on his usual outfit, he decided to have breakfast in the canteen.
Sasuke had always gotten up before most of the other patients in the ward, especially Naruto, who had always been a heavy sleeper. As a result, the only others in the canteen that morning were the orderlies on duty and Chouji, who was hidden behind a tray stocked with a tower of plates with different breakfast foods on them.
Sasuke settled on toast and as he sat down at an empty table, several others entered. Kin wandered in with her nose in the air. Kakashi entered after her, prodding Gaara in the back to get him to move. As Sasuke munched, he noted the massive gourd the red-head had strapped to his back and assumed it was filled with sand.
Seeing Sasuke, Kakashi directed Gaara over to his table. After four days of relative isolation, a small wisp of dread unfurled in Sasuke's gut as they approached. He wasn't sure he really wanted to be around many people quite yet. He did his best to push away the discomfort, telling himself Gaara was just as irritable around people as he was, so there was no reason to try and be sociable.
"Sit," Kakashi ordered, pulling out a chair.
Gaara scowled but obeyed.
"How about toast?" Kakashi suggested in his usual carefree disposition.
Gaara sulked silently.
"Toast it is!" Kakashi chirped before moving towards the buffet area.
Sasuke continued to eat. He and Gaara occasionally blinked at each other.
"Morning," a sleepy voice said. Its owner flung himself into the seat next to Sasuke. Sasuke again fought the uneasiness at being so close to someone and forced himself to swallow.
Naruto yawned loudly and Kakashi chose that moment to return with a plate stacked with about ten pieces of toast.
After Naruto had eaten his fill and Gaara had blatantly refused (though had tucked several slices into his pocket to eat later), the three headed back over to C-class. Gaara made a beeline for his room and closed the door solidly behind him. Naruto looked after him sleepily and wandered in the direction of the rec room. Sasuke followed nonchalantly, hands in his pockets.
"Too early..." Naruto muttered.
"It's already 10:30, idiot," Sasuke replied.
"Going back to bed," the blonde mumbled and turned in the direction of their room.
As he moved, he noticed Sasuke looking over at the green couch, appearing puzzled. Naruto looked over and saw TenTen sitting with her hands limp at her sides. She was wearing one of the hospital gowns and staring blankly into space.
"They must have taken her to the Shock Shop. They only do that if you get really violent and TenTen usually likes throwing things. After Lee and Gaara's big fight, Lee was shocked once a week for ages."
"Have you been shocked?" Sasuke asked.
"Once or twice. I blame Kyuubi for that," Naruto said with a shudder. He pushed open their door and started pulling off his orange and black jacket. "You missed some stuff while you were in Seclusion."
He tossed his jacket somewhere over his shoulder and flopped onto his bed, snuggling into his pillow.
"What do I care?" Sasuke said in a bored voice as he sat on the floor, his back against his own bed, which was parallel to Naruto's.
"Neji came for another visit. He told me Hinata was re-diagnosed with a mild case of Asberger's rather than plain old autism. Oh and you also had a visitor too, but he said he'd come back."
"Who?"
"Some really pale guy with weird eye make-up and long hair."
Sasuke froze. Naruto looked over from his relaxed position when he didn't make any sort of comment and noted his tense posture. Rather than get up, Naruto just sort of rolled off his bed and landed ungracefully on the floor. He slid over to sit in front of Sasuke and put on a large grin.
"Wanna trade?"
Sasuke seemed to shake himself out of it and rather than face Naruto, who was now a foot away from him, he turned his head to look out the window. "Trade what?"
"I'll tell you about my scars," Naruto said pointing to his face. "And you tell me about..." He moved to touch the mark on Sasuke's neck but when Sasuke tensed further, he pointed at it instead. Sasuke didn't respond but now Naruto had his full attention.
"Kyuubi decided he didn't like how I looked and wanted to mark a part that he could call his own."
"So it's your body?" Sasuke asked.
"Yup. Kyuubi just lives there, but he sees most everything I do, I think."
"Kick him out."
"Eh..." Naruto scratched the back of his head absently. "Harder than it looks."
Naruto shifted slightly and Sasuke felt some of his tension fade as he re-acclimated himself to his roommate's presence.
"But...Iruka's been talking to me a lot. I think, maybe, I can fight Kyuubi and judging from my file, I think Iruka thinks I can too. My file was really optimistic sounding," Naruto scratched the back of his neck abashedly again.
"Iruka's good to you, huh?" Sasuke asked in a voice that was friendlier than his usual uninterested tone.
"It's kind of like having a dad," Naruto confessed happily. Then he said in a more serious manner, "You should talk to him too, Sasuke. He's one of the good guys. Now, tell me what's with your tattoo."
To Naruto's disappointment, Sasuke lowered his eyes. "It's...it's just another reminder that I have to kill my brother," he said quietly
An awkward silence suddenly fell like a wall between the two boys. Naruto didn't like it one bit and decided to break it.
"Wh--"
"Checks," Asuma called in, giving them a cursory glance before again closing the door.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at where the orderly had been a second before. Sasuke marvelled at how immature Naruto could be, even at sixteen. Then the blonde turned back to Sasuke to ask his question.
"Why does it have to be you that kills him?"
At this, Sasuke met his roommate's gaze head on, an unreadable look on his face. Naruto appeared confused and Sasuke wondered why nobody, not one person, had directly asked him that before. Either no one had been fool enough to ask him so outright or the question was phrased in such a way that answering it would mean something completely different. But suddenly, here it was, the opportunity to let it all out. And Sasuke had no idea what to do with it.
"He...killed my entire family," Sasuke said slowly, as though he were forcing out every word.
Naruto didn't interrupt, for which Sasuke was very grateful. He wasn't sure he would've been able to start again.
"And I...I don't understand why I'm not...allowed to kill him. Why no one will let me..."
Naruto saw the sad, far off look in Sasuke's eyes and realised that his roommate was quickly spiralling inside himself. Naruto growled slightly and reached forward to grip his friend's shoulders. He shook hard, trying to pull Sasuke back to reality. Automatically, Sasuke took a swipe at Naruto, who fell backwards in time to avoid the sloppy shot at his chest.
The sudden violence caused Kyuubi to stir, and Naruto could feel his other half try to push to the foreground. It was like a pressure behind his eyeballs, and in his fingers, and in his stomach. But unleashing Kyuubi's nastiness on Sasuke while he was in such a distressed, vulnerable state was not just a bad idea. It could be disastrous, irreparable even.
Trying not to panic, Naruto started to take several deep breaths, doing his best to force Kyuubi away. He would not lose Sasuke because of his other half. He felt Kyuubi push back and his hands flew to his head.
"Stop it, stop it, stop it..." He said through gritted teeth.
Sasuke just stared, Naruto's own struggle dragging his attention away from the dark pit inside himself. He reached a hand out hesitantly. He didn't want Kyuubi around either.
But, Sasuke thought helplessly as he watched his roommate squeeze his eyes shut and clutch his head. But what do I do?
Suddenly, Naruto's breathing calmed and he rested his head on the floor tiredly. There was a pause and Sasuke was unsure of what to do; he didn't know who had won the mental battle.
"I told you it was too early..." Naruto mumbled, his blue eyes peering up at Sasuke from his dishevelled place on the floor.
Sasuke blinked for a minute, his hand still extended awkwardly. But then a genuine, if small, smile grew on his face. Naruto let out an exhausted laugh and sat up with his own broad smile. He leaned forward and Sasuke's hand finally came to rest on Naruto's shoulder. But before they could get any closer, their door flew open.
Naruto nearly choked as he suddenly crashed to the floor and Sasuke's face became his patent you've-got-to-be-kidding-me scowl.
They both looked balefully at Kakashi, who stood nonplussed in their doorway.
"Sasuke, you have a visitor."
Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other. Then Sasuke stood up to follow the masked orderly. Naruto hurried after them, leaving his orange and black jacket on the floor.
Kakashi led them to the rec room, where the tall visitor stood in front of the nurse's station. He turned to face them as they approached.
"Orochimaru," Sasuke said, refusing to allow any trepidation in his actions or words. Though the dread he'd briefly felt at breakfast roared back tenfold.
"Hey, guess what?" Sakura said as she bounced over towards the two boys.
Orochimaru gave Sasuke a pointed smile as Kakashi moved into the nurse station's office. Naruto stared defiantly into the man's snake-like eyes. He wasn't sure why but something about this guy's pasty face was making him want to squirm.
"Excuse Sasuke and me for a moment," he said in a confident drawl. He put a hand on Sasuke's stiff shoulder and pulled him away from the other two patients.
"Who's that?" Sakura asked Naruto curiously.
"Not sure. But I don't like him," Naruto replied, crossing his arms over his black t-shirt clad chest.
Sakura stood, looking after Sasuke and his visitor for a second. "Yeah, me neither. He's creeping me out. But guess what?"
"What?" Naruto responded automatically, keeping one eye on Sasuke, who was standing rigidly in the corner as Orochimaru spoke to him.
"I've been switched to Dr. Tsunade, which means I'm getting better, right?"
"That's great, Sakura-chan! Yeah, every patient who's had Old Lady Tsunade has gotten better real soon..." He said, his enthusiasm and words trailing off as he became more distracted by Sasuke's actions.
Sasuke was shaking his head at Orochimaru words and crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively. Naruto had never seen Sasuke so uncomfortable. He almost appeared frightened. Sakura looked around at her crush and noticed Kakashi's distrusting stare from behind the nurse station window.
"Why doesn't Kakashi make that man leave?" She whispered.
"He can't really. Not unless he breaks the rules, and all he's doing is talking," Naruto muttered back, his eyes never leaving Sasuke.
Orochimaru reached out and quickly tugged Sasuke's t-shirt collar to the side, baring the vivid black mark on his neck. Sasuke visibly jumped and tried to twist away. Naruto clenched his fists angrily and he scoured the room for a way to help.
Ino, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, were all in vicinity and Gaara was sticking his head out of his room. All were also watching closely and Naruto got an idea. He spun around in circles to grab their attention and when he was sure he had it, he flashed them a toothy, humourless grin.
"I'M DYING! I'M DYING! THERE'S A BOMB ON MY HEAD! THE FISHES ARE GONNA BLOW ME TO SMITHEREENS!!" He hollered at the top of his lungs, becoming the undeniable focus of the entire room. He started jumping up and down, flailing wildly for a minute before grabbing a wide-eyed Sakura's arms and spinning her around. "THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU TOOOOO!!"
"For the sake of youth, we must do our best!" Lee declared, nodding at Naruto.
He then hopped onto the back of the couch and flipped off it, landing in a handstand. He began walking around the room on his hands, and Ino started to absolutely scream. Her shrieks joined Naruto's and Lee became a green blur as he began doing mad cartwheels around the room.
Kyuubi donated a very loud, maniacal laugh, which started Chouji's own hysterical laughter. Chouji picked up a chair and began making a pile of furniture on top of the red couch. Shikamaru sighed but then moved to grab the tissue box on the table near him. He then proceeded to run around the rec room throwing tissues over his shoulders as he went.
Kiba sat on the floor, threw his head back, and started howling at the ceiling as though he were baying to the moon herself.
"BOMB! FISHES! BOMB! GEMINI!" Naruto continued hollering as he danced wildly, swatting at the space around his head the entire time.
Orochimaru eyed the patients around him apprehensively. Sasuke hurriedly pulled away as the entire ward seemed to go nuts all at once.
Sand came flying out of nowhere; Kiba was barking and growling at Chouji's castle of furniture, which now featured the still-out-of-it TenTen at the top; Shikamaru found another box of tissues and continued hurling them around the room; Ino had tears streaming down her cheeks as she bawled; and Lee was trying to pick a fight with the wall. It wasn't long until Kakashi and all the other orderlies were running around frantically trying to calm everyone.
Sasuke allowed himself to be enveloped in the chaos, choosing a whirlwind of mental patients over Orochimaru's company.
In the midst of holding the screaming and crying Ino to his chest and calling to Kurenai to get TenTen down, Kakashi approached Orochimaru and nonchalantly informed him that the ward seemed to be a bit hyper today and would he mind leaving now?
Kakashi smirked underneath his mask as Orochimaru reluctantly exited and the patients gradually settled down.
Kakashi had Chouji, Ino, Shikamaru, Gaara, Lee, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke lined up in front of him in the rec room. Every one of them was covered in sand and their throats were raw from shouting but each wore a satisfied smile, even Gaara.
Kakashi paced back and forth in front of them, his hands behind his back.
"So...who wants to tell me what happened?" He asked, already guessing the answer. He looked at Naruto, who shrugged, unable to stop smiling.
"Weirdo snake guy was freaking Sasuke out. So we freaked him out."
There was a small chorus of agreement except for Sasuke, who mumbled an embarrassed, "No, he wasn't."
But Kakashi noticed Sasuke's hand still hadn't retreated from its safe position over the tattoo on his neck.
The silver-haired orderly sighed. "Some of you still have chores to finish as punishment for sneaking out the other night but for this, you're all confined to your rooms for the rest of the day. Ah...first, help get all the sand back into Gaara's room. Go on," he said, waving them away.
Kakashi walked over to join the other orderlies in returning the furniture to their original positions while the line of patients scattered. Ino and Sakura walked off giggling together. Gaara casually brushed some of his sand off of Lee's shoulders. Chouji clapped Shikamaru on the back and started talking about barbeque. All headed for different parts of the room, except for Naruto, who stood with his hands behind his head next to the still immobile Sasuke.
"You're an idiot," the dark-haired boy said quietly.
Naruto frowned, his arms coming down as he turned to retort angrily. But then he saw that his friend was still looking at ground abashedly, and figured that this was just Sasuke's weird, sociopath way of saying thank you.
So Naruto responded with a you're welcome: "Yeah, well, you're a bastard."
A small smile flitted across Sasuke's face and gently, his hand drifted off and away from the mark, leaving it clear for all to see.
Naruto put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, leant in quickly before Sasuke could figure out what he was doing, and placed the lightest kiss on the vibrant black mark. Sasuke froze in surprise but didn't move to pull away. A memory of the same kiss gracing his lips two nights ago dominated his mind and he knew then without a doubt that it hadn't been Kyuubi who'd kissed him in the dark of Iruka's office.
A warmth spiralled out from the fleeting touch of his roommate's lips, an unfamiliar heat spreading from his sensitive neck to curl into fire in his gut. Sasuke could feel his skin prickling hot from the sensation and suddenly...suddenly he wanted more.
All this lasted about four seconds and Naruto seemed to step back in slow motion. Sasuke's hand moved with its own purpose and grasped Naruto's wrist. He calmly moved down the boys' hall, tugging Naruto behind him before the blond registered that Sasuke had moved.
Sasuke's eyes scanned the area quickly. His calculating mind quickly nixed their bedroom (too many interruptions) and the janitor's closet (they were using mops and brooms to clean up), and then his eyes landed on the art supply closet.
Bingo.
It was unlocked, and so Sasuke nonchalantly opened it, glanced around, noted that everyone was busy cleaning, and coolly pushed Naruto in. Looking around once more, Sasuke then followed him.
There was some haphazard shuffling in the dark as Naruto locked the door and Sasuke searched for the light switch. A roll of paper towels fell to the floor with a soft thud as half of the fluorescent ceiling light flickered to life, showering the boys in its dim half-wattage.
There was a pause. Naruto was leaning against the door, quiet for once. Sasuke stood about a foot away from him, suddenly awkward. Then the impact of their close proximity hit him and the odd heat returned full force, dousing his body in it like lit kerosene.
Sasuke advanced quickly, sliding his hands into Naruto's unruly blond hair and pressing their mouths together. As Sasuke watched Naruto's eyes fall to half-mast, he was still battling a small barrage of doubts and worries. This battle soon dropped to the background when he felt Naruto's mouth open against his own. One of Sasuke's hands fell behind Naruto's head so he could brace himself against the door.
A low moan escaped Sasuke when Naruto's tongue suddenly curled around his own. Their bodies pressed together and the kiss became deeper, more desperate. The hand still in Naruto's hair roughly tilted his head sideways. Naruto's arms snaked around his roommate's hips, his hands clutching Sasuke's shirt as he pulled Sasuke's lean body hard against his own.
Out of breath, Sasuke pulled back to suck in some air, his eyes drooping from the feel of Naruto's very warm body adding to the heat he was feeling. His head dropped to Naruto's neck, his hot mouth hungrily sucking on the sensitive skin there. Naruto threw his head back, his mouth falling open from the sensation. Sasuke's eyes sank closed as he took in the salty taste of Naruto's neckline, his entire being focused on memorizing it.
"Knew you liked it too," a familiar voice snarled.
Sasuke allowed himself a small sigh before pulling back, holding Kyuubi in place with the hand still clenched in his blond hair. Sasuke's eyes hardened instantly as he met Kyuubi's self-satisfied smile.
"Yeah, but not with you," he said evenly.
Kyuubi's angry blue eyes narrowed in understanding before they suddenly softened into Naruto's lust-rimmed ones.
Sasuke's hand loosened from its grip in Naruto's hair and slid down to rest at the nape of his neck.
Feeling the possessive hand cupping back of his neck, Naruto breathed, "Thanks."
Sasuke leaned in suddenly, pressing their foreheads together in an intimate gesture completely juxtaposed by his next action. Sasuke ground his body hard into Naruto's. He smirked as he felt a rigid bulge press against his own and heard Naruto gasp in some air.
Sasuke resumed his feast on Naruto's neck, his hands sliding under the hem of the blonde's black t-shirt. Naruto groaned when he felt hot hands snaking up over the muscles of his chest, and reached to pull his shirt over his head.
Sasuke paused only long enough to help Naruto drop the shirt to the side before attacking the blonde's mouth with a force that surprised even himself. Any second thoughts about wanting what was happening faded out of reach again as Naruto's mouth slanted against his own with equal fervour.
One hand grabbed a fistful of dark hair while the other dragged lazily around the top of Sasuke's white shorts. Sasuke's breath grew shallow and ragged against Naruto's lips as he felt a hand dip under the waistband of his boxers. Naruto's palm dragged lightly along Sasuke's erection and Sasuke ducked his head, pressing his face into the crook of Naruto's neck.
The blonde's hand grasped Sasuke's straining cock and started pumping. Dark hair brushed scarred cheeks and Naruto felt Sasuke's erratic breathing against his ear. Sasuke's fingers scrabbled aimlessly against Naruto's sides as a light blush scalded his face and neck. Sasuke felt the coil of heat in his stomach tighten as the blonde's hand sped up.
The guy who could easily be called his best friend had his hand inside his shorts and was touching him like no one else ever had...this fleeting thought finally pushed Sasuke over the edge, and a low groan escaped him. His eyes squeezed shut as he shot his load over Naruto's warm hand.
Head still buzzing, Sasuke tipped his head sideways and met Naruto's mouth in a sloppy kiss. He felt Naruto's hand pull out of his messy boxers and instinctively stray to the bulge in his own. Sasuke quickly grabbed both of Naruto's wrists and as he pinned them to the door, he slid a leg in between Naruto's thighs.
Sasuke began a slow grind against the hardness he found until Naruto was panting, his head falling backwards to knock against the door once or twice.
"Shut up," Sasuke grunted out.
Naruto glared at him through half-lidded eyes even as his hips tilted, trying to create more friction between their rocking bodies.
Looking at what the simple contact was doing to his roommate, Sasuke considered tugging down the blonde's vibrant orange pants, dropping to his knees and sucking him off properly. That thought brought back Sasuke's rampant blush. He was new at this; who knew how any of this worked? His actions faltered for a few seconds as he hesitated.
At the pause, Naruto strained against the hands pinning his, and Sasuke decided to just return the favour. For now.
He released one of Naruto's hands and cupped the solid bulge through the fabric of his pants for a moment before moving to pull down the fly and delve inside. Cool fingers skimmed Naruto's length before grasping it fully. Sasuke dragged his hand in the same manner Naruto had done to him: slow and loose at first before speeding up and getting tighter.
Sasuke liked the sound of Naruto breathing heavily, liked the thrill on Naruto's face, and liked knowing he caused them. He leaned forward slightly to tug at the blonde's earlobe with his teeth.
"Sa-Sasuke..."
Naruto moaned loudly, his fingers digging into Sasuke's shoulders and his back arching as he came. Sasuke covered Naruto's open mouth with his own to stifle the sound. His hand, now very wet and sticky, slowed its ministrations.
Naruto stumbled, his knees finally giving way. Still wrapped around him, Sasuke sank to the floor with his roommate. They lay flopped on each other and on the closet floor, both tired and waiting hesitantly for some repercussion. Like Kyuubi or Sasuke's paranoid introversion to unexpectedly appear and slap them in the face.
Sasuke's arms were resting on Naruto's shoulders while the blonde was haphazardly draped across Sasuke's legs, his face pressed into his blue shirt. He let out a muffled laugh and raised his head to grin at Sasuke.
"Promiscuous."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he responded with an almost affectionate, "Idiot."
End Part Four
Author's Note:
Special thanks to crowkeeper990, who pointed out that Hinata's condition more closely resembled Asberger's rather than autism and so influenced the rest of this story.