A/N: My apologies for being behind on replying to reviews. I'm pretty busy these days.

* Not affiliated with Chumbawumba in any way.

Chapter 9

"He's where?"

"Here. At the home," Iruka said. He switched the phone to his other ear so that he could lean sideways. This left him able to see that Sasuke and Naruto were parked at the kitchen table, same as they had been for the past week. "Studying with Naruto. I wasn't sure if you were aware or not, since he seems to be living here. I've heard nothing from you, nor did I receive any form for the service he's doing."

A moment of silence, before Itachi said, "Service? What service?"

"He resumed his one-on-one. Twelve hour bracket, though he's here 18 hours a day. Decided to do nurturing this time as well, and asked that his program be altered so that he only socialized with Naruto, instead of the standard three residents. Seeing as how contact with your brother has transformed Naruto, I felt inclined to oblige him. Especially considering the change I also see taking place in your brother. Is-"

"I'm coming down there."

"Well, there's no need really. I only called to-"

"Said I'd be down there. Gimme ten minutes."

The phone went dead. Iruka shrugged and hung it up.

"This stuff is fascinating," Naruto muttered. He turned another page in the Geometry textbook.

Sasuke didn't look up from his laptop. "Don't know why you're still looking at it. Didn't you learn it all already?"

"Learn it all? Hell no. I'm not you, with a photo-whatsit memory. I have a general idea of what the books contain now, but I could read these forever, even if I did know it all. You ready?"

"One sec…" Sasuke's fingers hammered rapidly on the keys a moment more, before he hit Save, and closed the computer. "Done."

Naruto reached for the math exam Sasuke had managed to hack from his school, and studied it. "You sure this isn't cheating?"

"Hells yeah it's cheating," Sasuke griped. "But I can't have you trying to teach me every frigging thing in those books. I'll be lucky to pass that test as it is, even knowing what's on it. Just…help me the best you can."

"I am. I have been, but you have issues, man. There's a ton of stuff you need to know before you can tackle some of these problems, and you just don't know it."

Sasuke glared at the test. "Wish you could take it for me."

"Me too."

"Right. Well. Damn thing's tomorrow, so let's just get through this."

"Still don't see how come you can't memorize this stuff." Naruto opened the notebook Sasuke used to a fresh page and took up a pencil.

"Because it's not words, man! It's all sorts of meaningless squiggle lines and shapes and shit I don't understand."

"All right, all right. Chill. Look here…"

Itachi stood in the living room and watched his brother in silence. He could see the blond kid explaining something, illustrating with his pencil, or his hands, or pieces of cereal, while Sasuke frowned in concentration and nodded. Sometimes his brother asked a question, or scribbled in a notebook, or manipulated the cereal himself, but he didn't lose that look of concentration. Seeing it, Itachi was forcibly reminded of the fact that he hadn't seen that expression since before the night their parents died. Nowadays, if he saw Sasuke at all, his brother looked shut down and distant, or else pissed at the world.

He watched for a long time.

When the blond kid made a comment about something, and Sasuke suddenly threw his head back and laughed, he had to turn away and cover his streaming eyes with a thumb and forefinger.

Iruka offered a box of tissue.

"Ah…" Itachi took one and mopped his face. "God. Fuck." He blew his nose. "Just fuck."

"I have an office," Iruka said quietly. "It's not much, but if you'd care to talk…?"

Itachi nodded.

-oOo-

In the cramped office, Iruka pretended to rearrange the piles of paper on his desk, giving Itachi time to collect himself.

"Thought he was dead," Itachi said hoarsely some time later. "Hadn't seen him. Last I had seen him, he and Naruto had been shot at. Thought that was it when he didn't come home the next day. That he'd gotten himself mixed up in some shit and someone had blown his brains out. Been combing the obits, looking for a 17-year-old John Doe. Jesus." He tried to stem the tide of fresh tears with his soggy tissue.

Iruka had frozen at learning the boys had been shot at. Now he pushed another box of tissue at his guest and sat back. "I don't know that I can allow your brother to remain here or in contact with Naruto, if he's going to be exposing him to that kind of danger." Naruto had a lot of explaining to do, he thought grimly.

Itachi sat forward at once. "No, you have to let him stay. Look at him, he's out there studying. My brother hasn't studied in years. Years. He's doing something positive, finally, trying to come back. I can't let you stop him."

Studying the wet black eyes, Iruka gave a small nod. "All right. But if he reverts to his previous ways-"

Itachi held up a hand and sat back again. "I will put him in Juvie myself. Or…the Academy. Better that than him dead in some gutter. But I don't think he will revert. I think that blond kid keeps him here. I think he's changing him. He's a strong kid, if he is. Has to be, to hang with Sasuke and have the effect I'm seeing. Who is he?"

Iruka was busy mentally listing all the questions he suddenly had about Sasuke's past and his home life. The query brought him out of his thoughts. "Who, Naruto? A lifelong resident. A troubled young man himself, but Sasuke seems to have an positive affect on him."

"Huh. Two negatives becoming positive, what are the odds?" Itachi crossed one ankle over his knee and fixed his unblinking eyes on Iruka. "Tell me everything."

"I'm sorry?"

"That kid. Naruto. I want to know everything there is to know about him. Leave nothing out."

As they did every night now, they saved whatever take-out Sasuke brought after school for after the studying was done. It was something to look forward to. They closed the books now and carried the bags out to the tree house, where Naruto spread them on the floor.

The tree house had undergone a major transformation in the scant week Sasuke had been living there. A dresser stood in one corner of the main room now, along with several huge cushions, an area rug that had lately graced Sasuke's room at his apartment, and most of Sasuke's schoolbooks. Naruto had shown Sasuke a smaller room that sat partially atop the main one. It was accessible by a rope ladder outside the west window. This was where they now slept. The dimensions were close, making it a snug fit for the two of them, but neither complained. Sasuke had obtained a feather mattress that all but filled the little room, and a host of fluffy down pillows. Neither boy had ever slept more comfortably in their lives.

-oOo-

They ate in silence.

During the past week, studying non-stop as they were, it had been hard to miss the stolen glances and hastily averted stares that cropped up between them. They ignored this development for the most part, but sometimes it caught them unawares.

Like tonight. Near the end there in the kitchen, Sasuke had been doggedly trying to solve one last problem. Naruto had watched, head propped on his hand. He'd arrived at the solution long minutes before Sasuke had, and switched to watching him instead.

He liked looking at Sasuke. Especially when he was busy, and not staring back. He liked the way he couldn't breathe when he looked at him.

But then Sasuke had looked up suddenly and caught him staring. He hadn't looked away. Neither had Sasuke. It was one of those moments they sometimes had, when their eyes would meet and a bunch of information would be relayed between them. Stuff they couldn't say, but that each of them nonetheless knew.

I like you.

I like you too.

A lot.

Me too.

Sasuke had looked away first this time, but he'd immediately looked back. His notebook had been closed slowly, his pencil set on top of it. Without breaking eye contact, he'd turned his body in his chair so that he was facing Naruto. His right hand and Naruto's were both on the table, fingers nearly touching. Sasuke's fingers inched forward-

And Naruto stood up, saying they were done for the night.

Sasuke scared him. Whenever they had those moments, he scared him a lot.

Eating now, Naruto risked a peek at Sasuke under the guise of reaching for the fries. Sasuke's eyes were waiting for him. Meeting them unexpectedly was like a hard gut punch. His hand faltered, collided with his soda can, and knocked it over. He and Sasuke reached for it at the same time. Naruto jerked his hand back.

Sasuke mopped up the mess. A brand new trashcan shaped like a frog stood in the corner. He tossed the wad of napkins into its open mouth and continued eating.

The knowledge that Naruto was ducking him almost made him smile. He knew he had the guy on edge, just as he knew Naruto was probably nervous. He didn't know what to do about it; every time he tried to make a move, Naruto ran. Addressing the sitch directly would probably meet with similar results.

If his interest wasn't returned, he'd have thrown in the towel and moved on. But it was returned. Naruto clocked him just as hard, and he hadn't made a peep of protest at the mattress and sleeping arrangements. A few times he'd even rolled against Sasuke while pretending to be sleep. He hadn't minded. Had thrown an arm over Naruto in turn while also pretending, but that was as far as it went.

It was driving him nuts.

If he weren't distracted with summer school, assignments, and the torture of math, he'd have done something decisive by now. Tomorrow he had his Math and Science finals. Once those were out of the way, summer school would be a breeze.

Tomorrow. He'd do something then.

-oOo-

"Are you really leaving?" Naruto said suddenly. He was looking at him again, but it was a normal look.

"Huh?"

"Konoha. Are you leaving?"

"Oh." Sasuke swirled a fry in ketchup, thinking. "I guess."

Naruto stared at his burger as he chewed. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know."

"Why can't you stay here?"

"Don't want to."

"I think it's because you can't face your brother."

Sasuke paused mid-chew. "…What?"

"Been thinking about it a lot. How you live, why you live like that. Saw how you are around your brother. And you said he gave up on you and wants you gone. So you're going. But I think it hurts you. Him, I mean. How he just loves you, and doesn't blame you. You said his forgiveness was the reason you began ditching school and shit, but I think you just can't face him. He took care of you, and loved you. Supported you. Pursued your dream when you couldn't. All of that makes you feel bad because he wouldn't have to do any of those things if you hadn't…if your parents hadn't died, which you think is your fault. He's this constant reminder of what you think you did. You wish he hated you, but he doesn't. So you hate him instead to make yourself feel better. And you're running. All your staying out and ditching school is you running from him. I think you do the shit you do to piss him off. You don't talk about it with him, but I'm sure he knows. Maybe you're hoping he'll finally hate you."

Sasuke sat in frozen, outraged shock.

"But since him giving up on you obviously hurt you so much, I think it's all an act. So….yeah, I don't get why you're leaving. I mean, he doesn't act like he wants you gone. I think that's just your excuse."

Utterly and completely beyond speech, Sasuke slowly set his own burger down and considered punching Naruto. Just whaling on his ass until his hands bled. Instead, he got up, went down the ladder, and left.

Naruto stubbornly finished his food alone. You're no better, you fucking coward, he scolded himself. You totally told him all that just now to avoid all that other crap between the two of you that you can't face. Deliberately pissed him off because you're scared he'll kiss you.

Damn right, he was scared. If Sasuke kissed him, his feelings would be worse. Sasuke was leaving. And I'll soon be homeless.

Running into his brother while leaving the home did absolutely nothing to improve Sasuke's mood. At least Itachi could be depended upon to leave unmentionable crap alone, though. That was something. He said nothing at seeing Sasuke. Only opened the car and got in, and then waited until Sasuke had slammed himself into the passenger seat before pulling off.

The quiet between them on the ride home was thick enough to cut. Sasuke wondered if his brother had come looking for him, while Itachi wondered if Sasuke's fury had anything to do with Naruto. A few times, he felt Sasuke sneaking sidelong glances at him, but he kept his eyes on the road.

-oOo-

Once in the apartment, Itachi went directly to his books.

Sasuke stood just inside the living room, apparently indecisive about something. Itachi ignored him for as long as he could, before looking up with a sigh. He found his brother staring at him with an arrested expression on his face. As if years worth of the words Itachi had only dreamed of hearing were right there, ready to be spoken at long last. He could almost hear the words, so palpable were they in the distance separating them.

But Sasuke let out a harsh exhalation, and ran to his room.

It left Itachi feeling as if the damage between them would never be repaired.

Naruto didn't see Sasuke the next day. The kids found him irritable and unapproachable up in his tree house, and kept their distance. Iruka left him alone.

He spent a good part of the day in the tree house's bedroom, staring out the small window and thinking of Sasuke.

If Sasuke would be willing to wait four months, he'd ask to come with him when he left. But Sasuke hadn't offered. Hadn't even brought it up. If he was interested in Naruto, it was as a passing thing, much as Neji had only been interested in sex. The thought of not spending the rest of the foreseeable future with Sasuke hurt him too much to think about. His insides burned at the thought. At the realization that his fantasies would never be anything more than dreams.

He wanted Sasuke.

As in…

Naruto dropped his chin on his stacked hands and let his feet thump rhythmically on the mattress.

I suppose I want him to be my boyfriend. My everything. Friend, boyfriend, lover…just everything. It frightened him how Sasuke was a fever in his skin. A need. All he thought about whenever Sasuke wasn't around. It seemed like he'd woken up one day and just realized he wasn't himself anymore. That he was sharing his skin with Sasuke, that the guy was inside him to that extent.

And Sasuke wanted him too. That was the worst part. The best part. Sasuke actually wanted little ole him.

Just not enough to take me with him. Guess he's mad at me right now. Better if he stays mad at me. I can deal if things don't get too heavy between us. But if he does…something, I'll fall. Barely hanging on as it is. I don't want to fall in love with him. I don't even know what love is.

And yet sometimes, when he was side by side with Sasuke right here on this mattress, and they were both pretending to sleep, he knew that for the lie it was. Maybe he'd never felt love, but he knew it now that he was breathing it in with the smell of Sasuke every day.

He stared morosely out the window.

The following day, Naruto slept in late, and didn't stir till the afternoon. This was his habit, the way he and Sasuke slept while studying long into the night. Sasuke usually got up only minutes before he was due at summer school, but Naruto slept until shortly before he came back.

He tried not to jump out of his skin in surprise at finding Sasuke parked in the main room of the tree house now, tapping away at his computer. Instead, he went to the dresser, and selected one of the T-shirts and pairs of shorts, things Sasuke had stocked the dresser with.

"Scraped a C," Sasuke said to the room.

Naruto remained at the dresser, his back to him. "What?"

"Math final. Scraped a C. It was actually a D, but she gave me points for effort."

"Oh. Good."

"I want to show you something. Later."

Braced as much as possible now, Naruto turned around. Sasuke was staring at his screen. "What?"

"I'm taking you to my place later. Cleared it with Iruka."

Staring at Sasuke's bent head, Naruto tried to decide if this had anything to do with what he'd said the other night. It couldn't have been more clear that the nonchalant attitude all but forbade any further discussion on the topic, but he'd seen Sasuke like this before. The expressionless face, the clipped, sharp speech, and jerky movements. This was how Sasuke was when he was pissed or agitated.

And Sasuke, it must be said, did some unpleasant things when agitated.

Naruto felt the side of his neck. Sasuke had removed the stitches himself a few nights ago, and pronounced the wound healing nicely. That didn't mean Naruto had forgotten the deliberate way it had been given, or that Sasuke was capable of violence in cold blood. So the question remained. Was this Sasuke's way of ignoring it, or planning revenge for what he'd said? What was supposed to happen at his place?

He'd take his chances. "Whatever."

Itachi wasn't home, Naruto saw once Sasuke had unlocked his door. That worried him. There'd be no witnesses to whatever was going to happen here, and no buffer between him and Sasuke. It was late afternoon. Maybe Itachi was only home at night.

He followed Sasuke to his room.

-oOo-

It was a pigsty. Clothes everywhere, papers. He did notice that a brand new CD player sat near the CD rack. And since Sasuke was only watching him, not speaking or anything, he went over to it.

He stood with a hand on it for some time, suddenly aware of the fact that music wasn't that big a part of his life. He rarely, if ever, heard any. Had no idea who was currently at the top of the charts or what the popular songs were. In fact, he didn't even know any songs. Just baby crap. Nursery rhymes.

Sasuke startled him by coming over to stand beside him. Still silence between them, but Sasuke reached into his CD rack, dislodging the stack until he'd found one that sat at the very back, behind all the rest. It was old. Cover was cracked. There was a word on it that Naruto couldn't read, a long one, and an odd, red baby face with a horrible grin on it. Sasuke just held the CD in his hands and looked at it, a frown knitting his brows together.

Naruto looked at it too, and waited.

After a minute, Sasuke backed up to his bed and slowly sat. Still staring at the case in his hands, he said, "This is the anthem of my youth. Soundtrack to my life before my parents died. Used to listen to it all the time. Funny…I hadn't remembered it till just now, watching you touch the CD player."

Naruto crept over, moving hesitantly. He didn't want to disrupt the mood Sasuke was in; it seemed delicate. As if it had been surprised into place. For the time being, it covered Sasuke's earlier agitation, though, and for that Naruto was grateful. Sasuke seemed more approachable now. "What's it about?" he whispered once he'd sat beside him on the bed. He kept his eyes on the CD case in Sasuke's hands.

A small hiss of laughter left Sasuke. Just a grunt of sound low down in his chest. "I don't really know. Nothing to do with the title, that's for sure. Least, I can't see how it does. Tubthumping is something to do with politics I think, but for me the song was –is- about being happy. Living life. I used to play this thing every fucking night. After dinner. I'd just play it over and over and over, loud enough to hurt the ears. We lived in a house on the other side of town back then, so there was no one to complain. Me, my brother, and our parents would dance like crazy the whole time, though. Just…dance. Sometimes my dad would pick me up and swing me around by my arms. Then, when we were all exhausted, my mom would stop the song, and get me ready for bed." Sasuke swallowed hard a few times. "Used to love this song. Hearing it, even the first note, was all about security. Being safe and loved and happy."

"Can I hear it?" Naruto asked quietly. "Or is that too painful?"

Sasuke stared at the case a while longer. "Yeah, okay." He got up, put it in the player, and hit the repeat button once the first track was selected.

-oOo-

Admittedly, hearing the opening verses and bars did tear at him, but he kept his eyes on Naruto. Looking at him sort of kept the pieces of his pain from spreading inside him and becoming too painful.

He'd brought him here to set him straight. An argument at the home might have forced Iruka to get involved, especially if it got as ugly as Sasuke had expected it to. He'd planned to curse Naruto out royally. Just let loose and tell him he'd had no right to say what he'd said. And that if he said any of that shit again, he'd finish him for sure.

But when he'd gotten here, Naruto had had that wide-eyed look of curiosity he seemed to always have whenever he was here. Running his hands over the CD player as if he'd never seen one. Coupled with the things he'd planned to say to him, he supposed it was no wonder a memory of that song had come up.

Now here Naruto sat, nodding his head to the beat and beginning to smile.

The song was hard to listen to; he hadn't gotten up when life knocked him down ten years ago. He'd stayed down. Let himself stay down. His self-loathing twisted sharply inside him just then, and he reached to shut the player off, unable to stand another second of it. Images of his family whole and laughing flashed painfully across his mind.

Naruto came over and gently grabbed his wrist. "I like it. Let's listen again."

"No."

"Just one more time? Please?"

The blue eyes were plaintive. Sasuke dropped his hand.

The second time hearing it was just as hard, but by the time the third repeat rolled around it was easier. Watching Naruto really did help. He had some crazy dance efforts of his own…which actually weren't that crazy. Guy had moves. Sasuke watched the fancy footwork, the weird air-punches, and felt a smile tug the corner of his mouth.

Naruto suddenly spun and dramatically leveled a finger at him, still dancing. "I dare you to dance," he grinned.

"I don't do dares."

"Punk."

"Fuck you." But his smile was growing.

"Punk ass biatch!" Naruto howled cheerfully as the song began again. He shimmied up to the player and held his finger against the volume button until Sasuke's window rattled. He grabbed Sasuke next, and shoved him hard into the middle of the room, where he nearly fell.

"Asshole!" Sasuke yelled, but he was grinning now. The lyrics blasted out, and they had him. Overrode his hurt and anger, until he was jumping and dancing just as hard as Naruto was.

Naruto was a violent dancer, Sasuke saw. Getting into the song, hollering the lyrics now, and sometimes pushing Sasuke. Naruto laughed whenever Sasuke pushed him back, or leaned into his face, his own red as a beet, as they screamed the song at each other. Neighbors pounded on the wall, but their cursing complaints were barely heard over the sound of the song playing again and again. Whenever the verse about next-door neighbors came on, it only cracked them up harder.

Sasuke had a moment during the bridge when they'd been listening for an hour. A moment wherein everything in him went still and quiet, despite the song's volume. Panting and sweaty, he stopped dancing and just looked at Naruto. Naruto had his back to him, grooving away. He took in every detail of Naruto from head to heel. Right then, winded and full of wholesome happiness, Sasuke saw all the insecure, self-confident, needy, independent, steadfast contrasts of him. Every part. The whole picture.

When the chorus boomed out again, he walked up to Naruto, who sensed him and turned around. Grabbing him firmly by the back of the neck, Sasuke pulled him in and kissed him. Hard.

The music pounded around them, but they were motionless now. Naruto's mouth was slack for only a second. Then his hands were pushing against Sasuke's chest. He pushed in earnest, but Sasuke resisted, bringing his other hand up now to shove one of Naruto's off him. Naruto shoved back, and Sasuke pulled away at last.

But only so he could grab Naruto's head in both hands, tug him in, and kiss him into submission.

Naruto, strong as he was, weakened beneath the force of the kiss. He was powerless beneath the gentle yet somehow implacable demand of Sasuke's mouth. And then he was pressing back with his lips, his heart hammering inside him almost hard enough to rival the music, and nearly breaking at the intensity of his feelings and Sasuke's sudden command of him.

When the kiss changed, turning wet and soft and greedy, that was it. He gave up fighting and shakily put his hands around Sasuke, who fit their bodies together in such a way that Naruto couldn't even breathe, let alone think.