Disclaimers: Naruto is not mine, sadly. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, sexual assault, & angst. This later becomes a BL SasuNaru story, so don't read if you're not a fan of that pairing.


It's All In Your Head

Chapter 9

--

Sasuke and Naruto had the same dream that night, and it was an alarming combination of both of their thoughts. Neither were exactly sure which part they were responsible for, but they had some ideas.

After lying awake wondering over what living together would be like and what challenges they would face with the vengeful villagers, they fell into an equally fitful sleep. Apparently, being down the hall from one another behind closed doors was still not enough distance to hide their thoughts.

Including the subconscious ones.

The dream started as a cruel nightmare- with Naruto being thrown down, hands running down his body as his wrists and ankles were firmly tied down to a bed. He screamed, but harsh laughter drowned it out. He turned away from the excitement in the mens' eyes, swallowing back the bile rising in his throat as they continued to explore his body. His screams grew more frantic as his clothes were torn away, and he started shouting for Sasuke, pleading for him.

The hands froze suddenly, and then he couldn't feel them at all. A voice softly whispered his name.

"Naruto."

The blonde slowly turned his head and found dark eyes staring down at him, long raven strands falling towards his face as Sasuke leaned over him. "Sa-Sasuke?"

He had saved him, but he didn't untie him.

Instead, he lowered his body onto his and intertwined their hands together. He pressed firmly against him and instead of flinching away from his touch, Naruto rose to meet it. Sasuke moved his hand to bury it in soft blonde locks as he lowered his face.

"Naruto.." he murmured, his breath caressing his parted lips.

Naruto lifted his head to meet him halfway. When their lips brushed against each other, Naruto whispered a single word, his voice low and heavy with want.

"Please.."

Both of them shot up in bed, eyes wide with horror.

What the fuck was that?! Naruto screamed, his voice penetrating the Uchiha's thoughts.

Naruto? Were you.. umm- dreaming something just now?

An image of Naruto arching his back, pressing his hips close to Sasuke's slammed into his mind. He could hear his screams for the men to stop.. and then he could hear him plead for Sasuke to do more.

Oh my god- stop fucking thinking about it!! Naruto shouted, alarmed by the Uchiha's thoughts and the dream that had felt incredibly real.

Why were dreaming about that? the blonde asked, already afraid of Sasuke's answer.

Me?! That was your fucking dream!

Yeah- the first part was! And then your weird fucking fantasy took over!

Sasuke's eyes flared. Watch what you say.

Why? Embarrassed that I know about your fetish? Wait- is this what you think about when you block your thoughts from me?

Sasuke tried to reign in his anger, but he could feel the adrenaline coursing through him. I swear to god, Naruto. Say another word, and I'll make sure you regret it.

Just don't try anything, Teme. I'm not in the mood to make your dreams come true.

Sasuke shot to his feet and stormed out of his room and down the hall. Unfortunately for the blonde, none of the doors had locks on them. Sasuke threw open his door and marched inside.

"What the hell?!" Naruto shouted. He jolted up in bed, pulling his covers close to his body. "Get out of my room, perv!"

Sasuke ripped the covers away and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Don't test my patience, Naruto. It is very thin right now."

"Sasuke-"

The two froze as an image of Naruto moaning his name shot into their minds.

"Stop thinking about it!" Sasuke shouted.

"That wasn't me!" Naruto yelled back. "You're the one who wants to-"

Sasuke grabbed the back of his head and slammed his hand against the blonde's mouth, ignoring the rush of fear that filled his wide blue eyes. "Stop. Just.. just stop. I don't want to hear anything else about this."

Sasuke's voice lowered, his anger slipping away, replaced by something else. Something Naruto couldn't quite place. "You hide your thoughts about everything else. Just add this to the list."

Then he released him, walked out of the room, and slammed the door behind him.

What the hell was that..?

Music filled his mind as Sasuke put in headphones, drowning out the dream, the blonde, and the unwanted thoughts about both.

--

Neither knew how to act around each other the next morning, and both felt that it was way worse that it was the weekend. It didn't help that there was no scheduled training. They had nothing but time.

Together.

In the same house.

With the same thoughts.

Sasuke was tense around the blonde, constantly shutting him out of his mind, and Naruto was jumpy around him- jolting back every time he got near him.

After a very long and awkward morning together, Sasuke finally had enough. He slipped on his shoes and headed for the door. Naruto's eyes followed him. Where's he going..? Should I leave too? Is it ok for me to be in his house when he isn't?

Sasuke froze with his hand on the doorknob. "Stay here" he said quietly. "I'll.. be back soon."

When Naruto didn't respond, he turned to look back at him. "I mean it, Naruto. Stay here."

"I heard you."

Sasuke studied him, trying to figure out if he was going to be stubborn and take off the minute he left, or actually heed his advice for once.

"It's not safe for you to be on your own right now."

"Jesus, Sasuke. I heard you! Just go already!"

Sasuke glared at the blonde, then turned and left. Naruto stared after him, waiting until he was completely out of reach before letting his guard down and his thoughts wander.

Seriously.. what the hell was that dream last night?, he thought.

His initial reaction was to be horrified. The nightmare started with him being tied down by strangers, with people touching him.. everywhere. It was repulsive and terrifying. And those feelings still echoed through his head when it switched to Sasuke.

At first.

But there was part of him that wasn't disgusted. When the men faded from his mind, when it was just Sasuke holding him gently and whispering his name like that..

He couldn't believe he was even thinking it, but part of him wanted to see more.

He had lashed out at Sasuke last night to compensate for the strange feelings that rushed through him, to hide them. But there was something there. Something that made him feel embarrassed, confused, and entirely overwhelmed. He was still afraid when he got close to him, still flinched when a touch reminded him of being beneath his assailant. So why was he also interested in being held like that? And by Sasuke of all people!

Maybe I'm just.. confused, he thought.

I mean, Sasuke saved me when all of that was happening. Maybe my mind just wants to bury the trauma- change the script to it being someone safe, someone who doesn't want to hurt me.

The blonde nodded to himself. That has to be it.

.. it has to be.

--

"Fuck."

What the hell was I thinking linking us together like this.

Sasuke roughly dragged his fingers through his hair, mentally chastising himself as walked through the busy streets.

He saw it.

Naruto saw your fucking dream about him!

So, now what?

How the fuck are you going to pretend like you don't.. he sighed, like you don't want him.

Because as much as he hated to admit it, he did.

He does.

Naruto had been attacked. He was terrified when Sasuke got too close, even when he touched him in the most innocent ways. It was wrong of him to think of touching him in less than innocent ways.

And yet..

It was hard enough admitting it to himself, and he absolutely couldn't admit it to Naruto, but he was attracted to him. He thought it was concern for a friend, but it was far more than that. He felt so protective of the blonde, so pissed at those monsters for touching him, because he wanted Naruto to be his. And his alone. He didn't want him to be afraid when he held his hand. He fucking hated every time he jumped back when he stepped towards him, how he flinched every time he leaned in.

And you wouldn't feel that way if he was just your friend.

More than that, he hated himself for being excited by him. Now wasn't the time for that. Naruto needed him. Men sexually assaulted him. The last thing he needed was another man doing the same fucking thing.

But it didn't stop him from dreaming about touching him.. and from craving the chance to do more.

What the hell happened to you, Sasuke?

When did Naruto- the fucking dobe that constantly pisses you off- become your goddamn obsession?

How did I go from being his rival to wanting to be his lover?

He grimaced. Ugh, don't even think like that. What the hell are you- Sakura?

Speaking of...

"Sasuke-kun!! Hey, Sasuke!"

He tried to ignore the fangirl, but her piercing voice made it difficult. He could see her rushing towards him out of the corner of his eye- her pepto bismol hair flailing in the wind, whipping across her large forehead and overly excited grin. He tried to ignore all of the Sasuke-fangirls, but they never got the hint.

This one especially.

God, I hope I'm never like that with Naruto.

He grimaced at the thought. He may be a pervert, according to the blonde at least, but he was still a Uchiha. He would never sink so low.

"Sasuke-kunnnnn!"

Onyx eyes shot daggers at the girl, slowing her approach. But, unfortunately, not stopping it.

"What?" he grounded out.

Sakura blushed, pleased to be on the other end of his gaze. Not in the least bit concerned that it was anger reflecting in those dark pools, and not interest or lust or anything else she had been hoping for. Just as long as he noticed her.

"Oh.. umm", she twisted her hair between her fingers, attempting to look sweet and feminine, not realizing that neither worked on him. "I was just wondering if you wanted to-"

"I'm busy" he snapped, cutting her off.

She clasped her hands in front of her, eyes glimmering as she gazed upon the face of her long-time, one-sided crush. "Well, I don't mind. Maybe I could join you."

"Not interested."

He continued walking, and she continued to follow. "What are you up to today?" she asked, hoping to strike up a conversation with the stoic raven. "You know-"

He stopped abruptly and turned to face her. "Sakura. I just told you- I. Am Not. Interested."

Her grin slipped. "But.."

"Seriously, just leave me alone."

"Oh.. yeah, ok.. Then I'll just see you next time!" Her grin snapped back into place, and she gave a little wave, before bounding off to undoubtably pester some other poor fool.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued to move forward- finally, thankfully, alone. Christ, why doesn't she ever take a fucking hint.

He froze mid-step.

Wait.

Is that how Naruto feels..?

His eyes widened. Is that how I come off to him?

He glanced over at the retreating pink-haired nuisance. God, I fucking hope not..

--

Plagued by his thoughts, Sasuke didn't notice another familiar face until it was directly in front of him. "Sasuke, I'm surprised. You do know there are people here, right? I thought you weren't a fan."

Sasuke looked up and found himself in front of Kakashi-sensei, the newest teacher at the Academy. He didn't know much about the man, but the silver-haired jonin seemed to know quite a bit about him. And he was also oddly good at reading him. Sasuke didn't love how familiar he acted with him, but at least it wasn't like how Sakura was, or how all of the other teachers were. He wasn't trying to impress him, he didn't fawn over him- rather Kakashi acted like they were family.

Like he knew something Sasuke didn't.

It was.. somewhat unnerving, but tolerable.

The man tilted his head, his one revealed eye studying him. "Something on your mind, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha stiffened.

Does he know? Was that a comment about Naruto's mind being connected to mine, or is it just a coincidence that he would ask?

Likely he was being paranoid, but he couldn't help but wonder. Kakashi had a persona that made him seem far too relaxed and often unprofessional, like when he read smut when he should be teaching a class, but Sasuke was sure that was all just an act. He was fairly certain that Kakashi was someone who shouldn't be underestimated.

Sasuke shifted his gaze away from that far too observant eye. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. Though I did hear an interesting rumor about you."

Dark eyes shifted back. "Such as?"

"Sounds like you put on quite the display yesterday. For the villagers.. and for a certain blonde." He noticed the flash in the Uchiha's eyes, but seemed unperturbed by it. "You and Naruto seem to have grown much closer lately."

"Is that a problem?" he ground out.

Kakashi's eye crinkled into its signature u-shape, hinting at a grin hidden beneath the mask. "Oh, not at all. In fact, I think it's great when people are finally honest about their feelings."

Sasuke was having a difficult time containing his anger this morning, and the little comments weren't helping. "What are you trying to say?" he snapped.

"You seem especially.. temperamental this morning" Kakashi replied calmly. "Is there any particular reason why?"

Sasuke thought about ignoring him and brushing past the guy, but the thought of Naruto seeing even more of his mind- his dreams, his desires, his.. fantasies, made him pause. "Could I ask you about a certain.. forbidden jutsu? Strictly for academic purposes."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Hypotheticals, hmm? Well you've certainly peaked my curiosity." He glanced at the busy street before them. "Why don't we find a quiet place to talk."

As Sasuke followed him he carefully considered how much he should disclose to his sensei.. and whether or not hiding his interest in Naruto was worth losing his connection to him.


Author Note:

Quite the dilemma we have here. Perhaps we just need more drama to help him make a decision ;)