A/N: I can't reply to reviews, since the site is going through some glitch, but I am still able to receive them. Depending on how long it takes FF to fix this issue, it will be awhile before I can reply. I'm sorry about that.

Beta: None.

3. Beginnings

Sasuke found himself in an airy kitchen that led onto a wide veranda. He could clearly see the lake rumored to be at the top of the Hokage monument through the large window. There were trees bordering the lake, and the back of the monument itself rose up on the far side. He stood transfixed by this rare beauty, taking it all in.

A discreet noise brought him back to an awareness of his surroundings. He turned and found the man sitting tensely at the table, hands carefully folded around each other to keep them from shaking. Staring at him.

Sasuke went over and set the shopping bag in front of the guy's clasped hands, then took the seat opposite him.

It was funny, really. He didn't laugh. People were posers, jerks, or some combination of the two, but this guy was just so…interesting. Crazy, definitely. But interesting because of that. He watched as the shopping bag was opened and the brown paper bag lifted out. The top of this was unfolded and the contents sniffed. Sasuke clearly saw how the man wilted in pleasure at getting a whiff of the take-out containers. The bag was neatly ripped down the center, and the containers gently extracted. The provided chopsticks were held deftly in the crook of middle and forefinger as one container was at last opened.

The man leaned his face over the steam wafting up, and said "Oh God," so softly that it really did sound like a prayer. He proceeded to snap the chopsticks apart and quickly dip them into the ramen, coming back up with a mixture of noodles, pork, and dripping broth. This was conveyed to his mouth.

Nirvana. Fresh ramen. Fresh ramen. How he'd missed this! Naruto savored each bite, each slurp, each juicy morsel of meat he found in the single crab's claw. For those first few moments, faced with ramen after so many days without, he was oblivious to the novel occurrence of having someone other than Moegi in his home. When the container was empty, he tipped his head back and drained it of the broth. Only then did he set his chopsticks down, and deliberately ignore the second container in favor of pinning the boy with a stare.

He'd recently spent several weeks thinking favorably of Sasuke for bringing him so much pleasure in such an unobtrusive way, or he'd be in the process of throwing him over the side of the mountain. This, and the fact that Sasuke was only sitting in his kitchen by way of an invitation, caused him to exercise some restraint; the boy hadn't tried to intrude. Naruto had welcomed him inside in the hopes of having ramen. The ramen was had. He was grateful.

However. It was past time he found out a few things. Truth be told, he should have made a point to discover them a long time ago. Sasuke didn't seem uncomfortable with his stare. He obviously wasn't a talker, either. Naruto would have to initiate the conversation; Sasuke seemed content to sit there until told to leave.

"It's twenty miles from my doorstep to the city proper." Naruto assumed the kid was staring at him; that hair hid all but the nose and mouth, like before. "That's a long way to be walking."

Sasuke shrugged. "I have time on my hands."

"Not an easy trek."

"Not impossible."

"There's no way past the barricade."

"Found a way."

"There are motion sensors hidden around between the barricade and this place. Alarms would have gone off in my equipment if any unauthorized person were on this mountain. You're not authorized."

Another shrug.

Naruto had been staring in the general vicinity of Sasuke's eyes. He thought he could make out a faint sheen of the eyes themselves behind all that hair. "Why? Why'd you come that first time?"

"To say thanks."

"Thanks." Naruto's voice was flat.

"Yeah."

"For what?"

"Saving me?" There was a tone, one that suggested some eye-rolling was going on beneath that hair.

"And all the following times? Why the gifts of food?"

An uncomfortable shrug. "More thanks, I guess."

Naruto lost his private fight and gave in to the pull of the second container of ramen. He opened it and dug out noodles and beef with his chopsticks. Slurped with a faint hum of bliss. "All right," he said, chewing. "Maybe you came all this way with ramen just to thank me. You've done it. Consider me thanked, which you could have done when I took you home. How did you find me?" He continued to eat.

"Did a search on your license plate."

That was it. No details. No gloating or smugness. Naruto had to admit that he was out of practice when it came to people, but the kid was hard to get a read on. "I doubt my plates would be registered."

"You're right. They aren't."

"So?" He got up to get a bottle of Barbican to go with his ramen. Sat back down and twisted off the cap. "Again, how did you find me?"

Sasuke was surprised the guy was capable of talking this much, and nicely at that. Seemed ramen neatly diffused the guy's perpetual anger. "Kept getting re-directed to the DC site whenever I put in information on the make, model, and license plate of your truck. The ANBU chic in the store seemed to know you, so I added that into the search, along with approximate age, height, and weight. Got bumped around to the KPR site, and then the DC site again, both of which I happen to know are maintained by the military."

Naruto was now enthralled despite himself. He sat forward as he ate, leaning on his elbows. He held the container in one hand, chopsticks in the other, alternately looking at his food and at Sasuke's face. The KPR, or Konoha Population Registry, was indeed managed by the military, as was the Deceased Citizen's site. But if the kid was here, that would mean…"You hacked the military?" Another long slurp of noodles.

"Wasn't hard. Entered your data in the search engine once I did, and voila. Programmed my face and an undetectable override into the system so that I could get past the barricade at the foot of this mountain and disable the motion sensors."

What the fuck? Naruto stopped chewing. This was beyond stealth and intelligence, this was something more. He put his ramen down. "Who are you? Really?" If there was anyone in Konoha with those kinds of computer skills, the military would have snatched them up.

"Sasuke."

"Family name?"

Silence.

"What do you want from me?"

"Told you. Wanted to thank you."

The kid had to know who Naruto was if he'd hacked military records, but had said nothing about it. Sasuke had secrets himself, obviously. Naruto spent a few moments wherein his face was blank, but his mind worked feverishly.

One: Any kid who could hack military files, was no ordinary kid. Even with motion sensors disabled, no one would be able to get so close to him without him sensing it unless they'd had years of intense Academy training. Whether or not the kid had indeed attended the Academy he wouldn't ask, but Naruto felt it safe to assume that Sasuke had definite training from somewhere.

Two: Sasuke felt strongly about thanking Naruto. Very strongly. Enough to risk life imprisonment by decoding the military database, and Naruto's wrath by continuing to leave food outside his door. Personally, Naruto did not feel giving a few stupid kids some hard knocks warranted this level of gratitude. There had to be something more involved here. Sasuke, though, was clearly not the kind of person who divulged things easily. Not personal things. The kid sat with his arms folded across his chest, perfectly still. Controlled. Stoic, even, though his actions did not bespeak stoicism. They showcased a crafty, incredibly observant, and perhaps sensitive individual. Just what it was Sasuke wanted from him remained to be seen. Naruto would not believe it was merely a chance to show gratitude.

Three: This was a serious breach of city security. He didn't want people up here, but no one was allowed up here either. Naruto had an obligation to report the breach in his perimeter, the access and compromise of sensitive military information.

But he wasn't going to do that.

He detested people, their treachery, their lies, and their constant sense of entitlement to interfere in your life. They assumed things about you, assumed they knew what was best for you, tried to control you, or else passed judgments on you when all you wanted was to be left alone.

Sasuke was none of those things, it seemed. His personality, if he had one, was so thoroughly tucked away that it didn't intrude on Naruto at all. He spoke when spoken to, and only answered what was asked of him. No retaliating questions of his own, no unnecessary comments about anything. The more he studied him, the more Naruto was forced to conclude that Sasuke wasn't, in fact, stoic. There was interest there, of some sort. He could tell that Sasuke was staring hard at him, from behind the cover of his hair, he just didn't know what the kid was interested in. He supposed, if Sasuke knew who he was, that the interest lie there.

"Do you know who I am?" he decided to ask.

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Once I'd accessed the correct files, all they had attached to your license plate was a name and these coordinates."

"You didn't think to dig deeper and find out who I was?"

"Didn't really care."

"Why not?"

"Knew your name and where to find you. That was all I wanted."

"And now? Now that you have what you want, and have thanked me excessively, what do you intend to do?"

Sasuke fidgeted at last, Naruto was pleased to see. He shifted on the seat, before looking down and to one side. "I don't know."

"Do you plan to keep bringing me food?"

Sasuke looked up again. "I'm sort of…tapped. But I don't mind coming up here. I mean…I don't know." More shifting. Then he stopped.

Naruto had been leaning back in his chair, one hand on the table. He leaned forward on his elbows again now. "Sasuke, let me put it more plainly. You can't keep coming here. Aside from it being punishable by the Hokage herself, I'm not a social creature-"

"Neither am I."

"-And as much as I enjoy the ramen, I don't enjoy deviations from my established routines."

"I tried not to screw with your routine," Sasuke said quickly. "I waited until you left to leave the ramen."

"I know. That kind of consideration suggests more than a need to thank me. And unless you tell me just what it is you want from me, I'll be forced to report you."

At which point Itachi would have ten fits and die in the first, Sasuke thought. He had no doubt that his brother would break him out of prison for the sole purpose of having the pleasure of driving a blade between his eyes. Or worse.

Ugh. He did not speak about personal shit, ever. Not feelings. He got through his days by expressing his feelings through any medium other than vocally. But if he wanted to stay out of trouble, he supposed he'd have to try and 'share his thoughts.' How repulsive. He sighed. "I think you're interesting."

Naruto waited.

Sasuke grit his teeth. "And I don't have a lot of friends. None, actually."

Naruto continued to wait.

"Just thought…" That you could rescue me from my stupid life, like you rescued me in the store. Be my hero. Fuck Jesus, I can't say that. "Just thought how you broke those jerks was cool," he finished in a mumble.

Which still did not say what he wanted now. Skillful evasion. Naruto sat for a long while, trying to quell his answering feeling of interest and compassion. He was used to feeling nothing, and wanted to keep things that way. His protective shell of hatred for people had been cracked by a few weeks of simple kindness from a boy he didn't know from a hole in the ground. He wanted to tell the kid to get lost and stay gone, but at the same time, he thought that this was perhaps the most honest person he'd met in…well, ever. The kid probably wanted companionship, a friend, but was too proud or too embarrassed to say so. Naruto had unwittingly made a connection with Sasuke when he'd gone to his rescue, just as Sasuke had made a connection with him. He could force the kid to stay away, and no doubt Sasuke would comply; he'd shown himself willing to honor Naruto's wishes. But Naruto felt somehow that such an act would be damaging, that something would be lost...and now that he had someone up here, was actually talking to someone, he found that it wasn't quite so bad. So he sat in silence, and watched Sasuke watching him.

His original impression of the kid still stood. Emo. However, since Sasuke didn't go on and on about angst and how much this or that sucked, Naruto didn't feel the aversion he'd felt before. His one statement of having no friends had been dragged out of him. He didn't force his negativity, if he had any, onto Naruto. Nor was he disrespectful in anyway. He was just…quiet. Naruto had the peculiar realization that Sasuke's presence was unobtrusive while at the same time being impossible to ignore. He did not feel the anxiety around him that he felt around everyone else. This was another reason he didn't tell Sasuke to leave. Yet another was that he was interested in learning what would happen. He wanted to know if Sasuke would prove to be like everyone else with time, or if he truly was different. "Have you eaten?" he asked.

A shake of the head.

Naruto got up and fetched a pack of ramen and prepared it. He set the steaming bowl in front of Sasuke, along with a Barbican. He then deliberately left him to go and read in his living room.

Some time later he heard Sasuke quietly get up and wash his dishes. He heard discreet rummaging around in the kitchen, before he heard the Barbican bottle dropped in the proper recycling container. Naruto found himself smiling; Sasuke had made sure to keep things as he found them. Neat and in their place.

He relaxed and settled into his book. Sasuke found his way to the living room, saw him reading, and pulled out a book of his own from his knapsack.

Another routine was established.

Sasuke had read quietly for several hours that first day with Naruto, whereupon he'd gotten up around 9 pm and said an equally quiet goodbye. He did not ask for a ride home and Naruto had not offered one. He'd merely looked up at the farewell, then gone back to his book. He'd slept peacefully that night.

The following morning, he opened his door to go for his hike, and was unsurprised to see Sasuke sitting on the porch steps, bag on his back. Naruto acknowledged him with a brief glance, then proceeded to his truck. Sasuke had followed and gotten into the passenger seat. The ride down the back of the mountain was steep in places, bumpy in others, but the path was well-worn thanks to Naruto. He left his truck at the edge of the forest and proceeded on foot.

Sasuke had no trouble keeping up, Naruto noted. He stayed a prudent ten feet behind, and did not wander off on his own. Naruto walked for a few hours, visiting favorite haunts, enjoying the sounds and smells of the forest. He picked berries, and checked for signs of wild animals getting too close to where he lived. Other than that, he did the same thing he did every day, which was just enjoy nature and the scent of green, growing things. After, when they were back in the truck, Sasuke did not complain about the hike being boring or that his legs were sore.

Naruto fixed lunch, more ramen, before retiring to his veranda. Sasuke went to the dock and walked along it until he was out on the water. He eyed the rowboat, but did not ask about it. He sat down there at the edge of the dock, and pulled a small, flat device out of his bag. Naruto saw him insert earphones in his ears, and assumed the device placed music.

The days went on in that fashion. Sasuke managed to arrive by nine on most mornings. He would insert himself into whatever Naruto was doing during the day, eat, and then leave around nine at night. He helped Naruto tend his garden, once he'd been shown what to do, or helped him clean if he'd arrived early enough to do that. He did not handle anything in Naruto's home that he was not given permission to touch, nor did he try to make conversation. He seemed content just to be near Naruto.

Naruto, for his part, felt many things. What struck him the most…or rather, what affected him the most, and was thus a portal to all the things he subsequently felt, was Sasuke's complete and intrinsic respect for his way of life. He honored Naruto's silences, his many little rules, such as wiping down surfaces and keeping everything spotlessly clean. He respected Naruto's home by not slamming things or moving anything around. And he did not explore any room Naruto was not physically in himself. If he saw anything of interest in Naruto's home, he did not ask prying questions about it. He never asked why Naruto stayed away from the city, or said he was bored. Naruto had never been so comfortable around anyone in his life.

The kid was never far from him, when he was on the mountain. He went where Naruto went, ate what Naruto ate, and usually did what Naruto did. They cleaned, hiked, gardened, or read. Naruto had asked once if Sasuke wanted something to eat besides ramen, at which point Sasuke had said he wouldn't mind. Naruto had taken him fishing on the lake and they'd had a fine meal of grilled fish and corn.

It was indescribable, having someone to spend time with after so many years alone. They did not have conversations, but Naruto was so unused to people, and so attuned to Sasuke now, that he learned more about the kid just by watching him. Sasuke's every action, every gesture, was, by virtue of the unprecedented fact of his presence, a revelation. How he moved was a story in itself. There wasn't a lot of self-awareness, but no self-consciousness either. He was graceful in a way that spoke volumes. Naruto wondered, with this evidence of physical training, why Sasuke had not taken on the boys in the store himself. He felt sure that they wouldn't have stood a chance, not against anyone who could trek forty miles back and forth to and from his mountain home everyday.

Naruto watched him. He was helpless not to. Quiet though Sasuke was, as sensitive and introverted as he seemed to be, his presence was a bright and colorful shout on the mountaintop. Naruto felt almost lightheaded whenever he opened his door to find Sasuke sitting on the steps. Even now, the boy would not be so presumptuous as to knock, or worse, walk right in. A fine, gossamer thin web of Do's and Don'ts was woven around Naruto and his home, and Sasuke seemed to navigate these easily and unconsciously. This in itself made Naruto's chest ache, this obvious regard for his preferences. Even Moegi, a lifelong friend, could not equal Sasuke's deference. He would look at Sasuke, and feel the symptoms of anxiety that he felt whenever he was around other people, but for different reasons. It distressed him, feeling his old panic when he'd gone panic free for so long around Sasuke. And then it distressed him because he knew he was beginning to develop feelings for him.

Sasuke was in love. Plain and simple hero worship. He'd thought the guy…no. His name was Naruto. He never said the name out loud, having never been given permission to do so, but he said it often in his mind. He'd thought Naruto would be just as wild and crazy as he'd been in the store. For sure, when he'd come up here the first time, Naruto had yelled at him to leave. That had scared him a bit. But then when he'd come after that week he'd been broke, Naruto had seemed much calmer. Crazy about the ramen, but not clinically crazy. Maybe a bit OCD about some things, but that was cool. Interesting. Actually, he thought the way Naruto wiped and cleaned everything really funny, but he never laughed out loud. You never knew, maybe it was a serious thing to Naruto.

He'd thought Naruto average once. That was before. Before he got to see him smiling absently at scampering squirrels in the forest, or tenderly pruning his little trees and flowers. He liked watching him repair the roof, shirtless and swinging his hammer with ease and competence. He liked watching him eat, how he nearly swooned every time Sasuke brought fresh ramen. He didn't bring it every day anymore, but he made sure to bring some on Tuesdays and Thursdays, setting up another little miniature routine the big guy could look forward to. He seemed to really like the pork ramen best.

He liked the way Naruto always knew when he arrived and opened the door soon after he sat on the steps. He hadn't seen a clock anywhere on the premises, and hadn't seen the watch Naruto had worn when he'd been at the convenience store. Naruto just knew when he was outside his door. He liked how he never said hello or goodbye, but just accepted his presence. He liked how Naruto knew he favored the Raspberry Barbican, and so always let him have those. And he really liked how Naruto made an effort to feed him something other than ramen…even though he would gladly eat whatever Naruto ate.

Best of all, he liked how Naruto didn't ask him prying questions, not beyond that first day in his kitchen. He didn't ask if his brother knew where he was, or what was in his bag, or what he was reading. Sasuke wouldn't have minded some conversation, but he didn't push. He was very aware of what bothered Naruto and what didn't. A subtle wince, the slightest frown…these things were clear signs. He noted them and adhered to them. He would do anything to be near Naruto.

The realization that he was in love had hit him about his third time on the hike. He stared at Naruto constantly. That particular morning, he'd been staring at the bright blond head and stupidly caught his toe on a tree root. He'd saved himself from a nasty fall, but Naruto had stopped walking.

There had been a few moments where he was sure Naruto would ask if he was all right, at which point he would have been pretty embarrassed. But Naruto didn't ask. He did, however, display his concern by walking slower. Sometimes he looked back at Sasuke, maybe to check that he wasn't limping. Right then, Sasuke had felt physically ill, and Naruto had seemed beautiful to him.

Sometimes he caught Naruto looking at him when they were both in the living room reading. He knew his own eyes were hidden by his hair, and so was free to stare back. There would be such a look of intense concentration on Naruto's face, that Sasuke's breath would freeze and hitch in his throat. That sick feeling would be in his stomach and he would find himself trembling slightly. But then Naruto would look back at his book, and he would be left feeling hot and more in love than ever.

It was weird for him, being in love. He'd never loved anyone besides his brother. Naruto was considerably older. He didn't know how old exactly, still pegged him between 35-40, but there were small crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, and faint lines bracketing his mouth. He found that Naruto's age held a dark allure. It was synonymous in Sasuke's mind with experience, strength, and knowledge. Naruto's strong and silent personality was very assured and commanding, despite the comfort he took in his routines, a fact Sasuke found very attractive. He felt safe here. More, Naruto's silent awareness of him made him feel cherished. He was wanted here, even if that was never actually mentioned.

Then there was the whole man thing. Whenever he had deigned to think of sex, it had always involved a girl. The thought of sex, at all, with anyone, had never been high on Sasuke's list of interesting things, though. Now, he couldn't stop thinking about it. About what it would be like, what Naruto would be like, how Naruto would touch him. That was getting ahead of himself, of course. He had no reason to think Naruto would ever see him as anything but someone who came to his house and did things with him. But he dreamed. He dreamed and thought, and felt pleasantly sick with the thoughts. Really sick sometimes. He would feel the most abominable sort of longing whenever he was back home and in his room. A mild grief, a mute melancholy; his need to be around Naruto, to be where he could see him and hear his quiet breathing. Yes, sometimes they were both so silent that he could hear the man breathe, even from across the room. He would feel breathless and on edge until he ran up the mountain in the morning and sat on the porch steps. Then Naruto would open his door, and he would be all right. Sick still, sometimes worse than when he was home, but all right.

Things got tense. Though each obsession went unvoiced, it was nevertheless a scream in the house on the mountain. It shivered along their nerve-endings, drew the nerves themselves tight. It pulled, and twisted, and dragged clawed nails against the silent yet highly evolved perception they had of each other, until an evening inevitably came when Naruto sat in his recliner at one end of the living room, and Sasuke lounged on the floor at the other end. There were no books between them. There were no distractions whatsoever from the long, steady stare they shared.

The sun was down. There was candlelight, as Naruto preferred. He knew Sasuke was looking at him even if his eyes were hidden, and he felt his chest tighten with something that felt like an impending panic attack. He'd felt so much calmer since Sasuke had begun visiting him. Normal. Happy. No panic attacks at all, and no sleepless nights. But he sat here now and felt his throat closing, and his chest tightening. His heart beat out a slow, heavy rhythm. "Can I see your face?" he asked quietly.

Sasuke hesitated, as if the request embarrassed him. Well, it probably did. Then Sasuke sat up from his reclining position. He reached one hand up to slowly brush his bangs aside.

Naruto felt the air leave his lungs. It did not return. Sasuke's face, his large, dark eyes, took everything Naruto was feeling and condensed it into a concentrated ball of pure desire. His hands gripped the armrests of his lounge chair tightly. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

Older than Naruto had thought. He would have guessed fifteen or younger. "Legal, then."

"Legal for what?"

Naruto thought that was perhaps the first question Sasuke had ever asked. Instead of answering, he got up and walked to him. Sasuke stood up before Naruto reached him.

They were going against the unspoken rule to respect each other's space, and they were both dizzyingly aware of this. Naruto walked right up to Sasuke, pulled by that face and the raw strength of feelings he'd never felt with anyone. Sasuke did not pull away or duck his head. He continued to meet Naruto's gaze unblinkingly. Such handsome features, Naruto thought. Such damnably handsome features.

"You should leave," Naruto said thickly. He had to swallow. "Now."

Sasuke felt an immediate stab of pain, one that had his entire body heating up with fear. Naruto had never indicated that he was unwelcome, not after that first time. "Did I do something?"

"No."

"If I did something-"

"You didn't.

"Or messed up in some way-"

"You haven't."

"Or forgot-"

"Sasuke, you can't…be around me."

He would do anything to be around him. Anything. "Why?" he whispered. "I thought…it was okay. Me being here was okay."

"It is…" Sasuke's frown fairly tore his heart from his chest. The boy was hurt. "It's me that's not okay. I…Sasuke, I think it's just best if you leave."

Sasuke did put his head down now, and the sight was more than Naruto could bear. "I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered. "For offending you. I didn't mean-"

"I have feelings for you, Sasuke." He hadn't wanted to admit it, but maybe now the boy would see why his presence was no longer tolerable. "Inappropriate feelings. Feelings I'm sure grown men shouldn't have for boys."

Sasuke thought he would die; the sick feeling, compounded by his harsh pain at being sent away, came then with such intensity that he couldn't think. He raised wide eyes to Naruto's face, and saw it there, the naked need on his face. "I…want you too. More than anything."

"No, you don't. You don't know what you're saying."

"Yes, I do," Sasuke managed quietly. He was frozen into a state of shivering expectancy, sure that he would throw up at any second now. Was this how adults navigated the world of attraction and sex? He hoped he was saying the right things. He had no idea what he was supposed to do, but he knew how he felt. "I'm not a kid."

Naruto shook his head. There was just so much he couldn't explain. He was old and flawed. He could not take the innocent, blank slate that Sasuke was and imprint his own faults and imperfections on him. Inexperienced as he himself was with love, he had a feeling he would end up doing just that, because even though Sasuke was of legal age, he was still young and impressionable. Naruto didn't think he could bear it if Sasuke took on his failures and insecurities as his own. Already the boy followed him, did what he did, ate what he ate...no. Sasuke deserved someone as young and fresh, and as untainted, as he was. Not someone full of rage and regret, who was too broken to even conduct a simple shopping expedition without incident. It would be wrong to approach him in any way that could damage him. They weren't on equal footing, would never be, and Naruto had an idea that partners should approach relationships from a place of equality. He felt dirty and criminal just thinking of Sasuke, but he couldn't deny that the boy's youth was a large part of the attraction. He could see the way Sasuke felt, the bald adoration on his face now. The way Sasuke behaved around him in itself was almost his undoing, knowing that Sasuke didn't see a crazed old man when he looked at him, but someone worth loving.

The boy should go…but Naruto didn't want him to go. Just the thought of it shortened his breath. He shook his head again and backed away to sit on his recliner once more. He dropped his face into his hands and sighed wearily.

Sasuke stood where he was, afraid to move lest Naruto explode with the temper he'd witnessed in the store. He hadn't specifically said for Sasuke to leave. He'd said Sasuke should leave. There was a difference, one Sasuke clung to as the minutes ticked by.

But he would never do something Naruto didn't want. And he didn't want to make himself seem selfish and childish by petulantly staying where he wasn't welcome. He gave a small nod, clenching his stomach muscles to hold in the sick pain that twisted there. He walked slowly to where his bag sat on the couch. He grabbed one strap, waited to see if he'd be stopped. He wasn't.