Yo! Sorry for taking so long... again hehe. Oh well, I'm sure most of you are pretty well used to it by now. And I thank you ever so much for sticking with this story even though I am an ass who can't update on time. You guys are absolutely amazing!! And to thank you I figured I'd write this lovely little chapter . ENJOY!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Concrete Angel

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Chapter Twenty Six:

Sasuke's mouth, which had already been opened to prepare for speech, remained hanging open. Not a sound was even threatening to emerge from the orifice either. Saying he was shocked was putting it mildly. There was no way Sasuke would have ever thought that Naruto would bluntly ask him a question like this.

Sure it had been obvious that Naruto had noticed his strange behaviour, but he figured he'd be safe in thinking that Naruto would leave Sasuke to settle it himself. This was mainly because he viewed the blonde as a more personal person, which he was, so he assumed that he would let other people be personal and not willingly invade into other's personal thoughts.

Closing his mouth the Uchiha tried to think of a way to explain things. He didn't break eye contact with the blonde, however, that could make the situation worse and cause Naruto to think that Sasuke didn't want to be honest with him. He just knew he couldn't be completely honest with him. This was not something that could be brought up idly, it needed time and... Well... it needed something that wasn't present at the moment and it was also something that wasn't able to just appear out of nowhere.

"Naruto..." Words hated him right now. They refused to make sense in his head. "I..."

The blonde fidgeted where he stood. It had clearly been uncomfortable for the boy to bring up the topic, let alone stand there and wait as Sasuke seemed to be stalling.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you... I do. I don't want to have a secret from you but this... this is something that I have to figure out on my own. It's hard to say but..."

"It's okay," Naruto stopped Sasuke from heading down the path of rambling, offering the best smile he could. "You don't have to tell me if you can't, I understand. I just... don't like seeing you so..."

Now the tables have turned and words weren't working for the blonde. Sasuke smiled earnestly. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto returned Sasuke's smile with one of his own timid ones with a faint blush accenting his cheeks.

Both still had worry, amongst other things, visible in their eyes, but now that they were past this, they could actually start communicating.

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Naruto sighed as he lay back in the enormous, extravagant bath tub. The water was so hot it was heavenly, and the aroma of the lavender that he'd found in the cabinet was SO relaxing. Sasuke had told him to make himself comfortable, that he could use whatever he wanted in the house and could do pretty much anything.

A bath at eight pm, never had this happened in his life before. In fact... he didn't think he'd ever had a bath before... maybe once or twice when he was younger but other than that it was short, colder showers at random hours of the late night or early morning.

Naruto could die right now he was so content... other than his arm. It couldn't get submersed in water, nor could his shoulder, which made things very difficult. He had no problem getting into the tub, but to wash himself without getting any bandages in the water was harder than it seemed. He'd managed to get most of himself washed with his left arm, but he couldn't reach too far one way without pulling on his right shoulder or arm, which was something that was better to be avoiding since it hurt like hell.

He most definitely was unable to wash his back or his hair, and it had been trouble washing his lower legs and feet but he'd managed. He gave up after a little while of trying and several pulses of pain. Settling back into the tub to just relax seemed like a much better answer than his futile attempts.

He'd been sitting in the tub like his for what seemed like hours now, sure it was probably only thirty minutes or so past eight, but he wasn't all too surprised when there was a knock on the door.

"Naruto are you okay?" Sasuke's concerned voice rang from the opposite side.

"Yes, don't worry." Naruto called back in one of the most calm voices he'd ever possessed, there was no point in time when he could have ever been more at ease.

"All right, but you've been in there for almost an hour now. Do you need anything?"

Naruto was about to tell him it was alright and he'd be out shortly, even though he didn't really want to leave the sweet aura of this lavender scented bathroom, when it occurred to him again that neither his hair nor back was washed. He couldn't simply ask Sasuke to do that for him. Not only would that be awkward... for several different reasons... Sasuke would also think that Naruto was even more helpless and do even more things for him.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked again when he received no answer.

"Well... I can't..." Naruto blushed profusely at the thought of what he was trying to say. There was no way he could allow this to happen if he was so embarrassed at the idea of asking him.

"Can't what? Do you need help washing your hair or something?"

The blonde's gaze froze on the door, bull's-eye. How did the Uchiha manage to do that every single time? There were far too many mind readers around him. Sasuke, Gaara, and even that stupid doctor.

On the other side of the door he heard Sasuke sigh, "Do you want my help?" As expected, he took the blonde's silence as confirmation that his assumption was true. Arrogant telepath.

"...Okay," Naruto gave in, figuring it was probably better than having his back and hair disgustingly dirty for a week, and it would probably have happened eventually anyway, because it was highly unlikely that Sasuke wouldn't notice if Naruto's hair kept getting greasier and also unlikely that he wouldn't do something about it.

Begrudgingly he stood, which wasn't as easy as sitting down, and turned around in the tub so he was facing with his back to the door. Even though it was very steamy in the room, due to the temperature of the water, the water was still very clear and Sasuke would have been able to see everything, as distorted as it may be underwater, when he walked in. The blonde didn't know if he could handle that type of awkwardness. "Come in..."

The door, naturally unlocked, opened and Sasuke stepped in, but he was very slow about it. So he was uncomfortable as well, at least they were on the same page.

"Sorry if this is awkward," Sasuke muttered as he approached the bathtub, "But you should-"

"I know, Sasuke. It's okay... even if it is a little weird." The less either of the two talked, the more comfortable he would feel in this situation.

All Naruto could do was listen, since he wasn't able nor capable to turn around and make eye contact with the raven. He heard Sasuke roll his sleeves up, pick up the soap and a face cloth. He felt the shift in the water level as Sasuke dipped both into the tub, then heard him rub the soap into the cloth.

His eyes shut tight automatically and he instinctively flinched when Sasuke brought the cloth to his exposed back. Sasuke pulled back for a moment, waiting for Naruto relax before he started again gently scrubbing the other's back, building up the suds on the cloth.

But it was very difficult for Naruto to really relax when Sasuke was in the same room with him while he was naked and touching him. Yes, Naruto was in a tub and Sasuke wasn't really touching him, just with a cloth, but it didn't make Naruto less self-conscious.

Though his strokes seemed sure and evenly, and his hand was steady, Naruto could also sense the other's nervousness. He cleaned the majority of his back, though he didn't go too low. Naruto had no problem with this. It could have definitely made the atmosphere even more discomfited and he had also already cleaned his low-lower back since he could reach there with his left hand.

After rinsing off his back, Sasuke moved to get the shampoo out of the cabinet. This time Naruto turned his head slightly and watched the other's back out of the corner of his eye. It was only a glimpse but it turned his faint blush bright red within seconds as he shot his head forward.

"Can you lean your head back?"

Naruto complied as well as he could, closing his eyes to avoid any possible eye contact, even though it was most likely impossible.

Water was soon lightly poured over his head, wetting his hair, and then he heard the cap of the shampoo click up and Sasuke squirted a sufficient amount into his hands. Naruto bit his tongue as Sasuke hands, filled with shampoo, made contact with his hair, massaging the jelly-like substance into a lather.

If Naruto's eyes hadn't been closed, they certainly would have now. It felt so good to have his scalp massaged. It was both relaxing and stimulating at the same time.

As Sasuke continued to massage the lather into the hair behind his ears, at the back of his neck and near his forehead, Naruto sighed involuntarily at the process.

Sasuke hands paused for a moment, taken by surprise, but soon continued once it appeared that Naruto had no recollection of doing this. And he really didn't realize that he'd sighed, he was far too content at the moment to realize if he'd caused any discomfort to the boy who was washing his hair.

Naruto was so lost in this effect that when Sasuke pulled back his hands to begin rinsing the shampoo from his hair, he whined in a whispery voice, "Don't stop..."

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Sasuke froze where he knelt next to the tub, leaning over the edge, hands in mid-air still slick with lather. Chills had run down his spine at the sound of that whispered, pleading voice. Did Naruto just...? All he had done was shampoo his hair and by Naruto's reaction it seemed as though he had done much more to him.

Why did Naruto have to possess such a sexy voice? And why did he use this voice when he was so vulnerable. Not that Sasuke could or would do anything to him... especially now... but it was so tempting and so possible. Naruto was naked in the tub next to him, and Sasuke had complete access to him.

"...Sasuke...?" A timid, questioning voice brought Sasuke out of his ecstatic state and back to the present reality.

Naruto must have realized what he'd said and how he'd said it, and Sasuke's silence probably wasn't all too comforting after something like that.

"Uh... yeah Naruto?" Sasuke really didn't know what to say. He had been stupefied by such possibilities between the two of them.

Naruto was silent as well for a moment or two before he managed to bring up a topic that would hopefully distract both of them. "The shampoo suds are drying..."

"Oh, right, sorry!" Sasuke shoved the thoughts that infiltrated his mind as far back as he could force them and returned to the task at hand.

He got a new facecloth and dunked it into the water and then poured the water it retained over Naruto's head slowly, careful not to splash his right shoulder or arm.

If there was a quiet more quiet than silence itself, then that's what the two of them were. Neither of them spoke a word and they barely heard each other's breathing. The only contrast was that now Naruto was perfectly still while Sasuke's hands couldn't stop shaking.

They weren't shaking obsessively, but they weren't steady and sure, like they normally were. Naruto's whisper was still entering his mind and he couldn't keep it out no matter how many times he shoved it aside.

Sasuke almost sighed when he was finished rinsing out Naruto's hair, but he stopped himself and stared at the wet, blonde locks. He may as well do something to make the blonde know that he was interested in him, no matter how awkward the atmosphere happened to be. Carefully he reached out and combed his hand through the blonde strands, making sure to run his fingertips along his sensitive scalp and down to the hairline at the back of his neck.

"There, all finished." Sasuke announced to the still boy in the bath as he shook the water off his hands and stood up to dry them on a towel. "I'll be waiting downstairs with popcorn until you're ready. Then we can watch a movie."

No answer.

Sasuke ignored this and exited the room as calmly as possible. Once he was downstairs and out of range he let out a long, heavy sigh. How was he supposed to deal with this for an entire week?

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