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 3

--

Naruto was not thrilled when he heard quick footsteps approaching him. He glanced over his shoulder, and lo and behold- it was Sasuke. Of course it is. He sighed.

Why wouldn't it be Sasuke..

Gritting his teeth together, Naruto stopped and turned to face his unwanted shadow. "Why are you following me?"

"I want to talk to you" Sasuke replied smoothly, his face impassive.

Naruto crossed his arms, heat rising to his eyes. "Yeah, well- I don't want to talk to you."

Sasuke took a step towards him, and Naruto hated himself for taking a hurried step back.

Sasuke studied him closely. "Why do you keep doing that?" He took another step towards the blonde and Naruto continued to move away from him, trying and failing to make it look nonchalant.

"Doing what?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Don't play stupid. You know what I'm talking about." He took another step forward.

"No, I don't." Another step back.

Sasuke's irritation got the best of him. He stormed up to the blonde and roughly grabbed his arm, yanking him towards him. "That- Naruto. That. Why do you keep running from me?"

Naruto tried to pull his arm away, but Sasuke refused to loosen his grip. "Answer my question."

"How about you answer one of my questions", Naruto growled, wrenching his arm free from the Uchiha's grasp. "Like why do you keep freaking grabbing me!?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Maybe we should start with why you are suddenly so afraid of being touched."

Naruto stiffened. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words snagged in his throat. His face paled as the memories crept back into his mind. He could feel it. Their hands pinning him down to the ground, the man on top of him, his hand moving lower and lower..

Tears filled his eyes and he quickly turned away to hide them under his thick unruly hair, but Sasuke could see one slip free, skating down his scarred cheek.

He had never seen the blonde like this, and had absolutely no idea how to react. "Naruto.." he said softly, "hey- umm.. are you- are you ok..?"

Naruto but his lip, ignoring the pain in favor of holding back the whimpers that crawled up his throat and spilled into his mouth.

I don't want him to see me like this, Naruto thought desperately.

I don't want anyone to see me like this..

.. but especially not Sasuke.

He turned, fully intending on running away, but Sasuke stopped him once more. "Naruto.."

"What do you want from me?!" he choked out.

Sasuke paused. He wanted to use the jutsu, but this wasn't the place. He looked over at the distraught blonde. And it doesn't seem like the right time either.

"Come over to my place."

Naruto whipped around to stare at him, momentarily forgetting about the drying tears on his cheeks. "Wh-what?"

"I want you to come over. We.." he paused. He knew Naruto was alarmed by his prying. He knew he needed to placate him for now if he wanted to get him to follow him. "We don't have to talk about anything you don't want to."

Naruto eyed him suspiciously, not yet convinced.

"I can make you ramen.."

A bit of life flickered in those deep blues. "..really?"

Sasuke nodded.

"But.. why? I mean, why would you do that.. for me?" Naruto asked softly, shifting his eyes to his feet.

Sasuke quickly thought on the spot. "After everything that happened with Iruka.. I guess I.. feel like I owe you.."

He could see Naruto weighing his options, but he knew he had already won. The promise of food would be tempting for any small abandoned orphan. Make it ramen- and you have yourself a house guest.

"Ok.." Naruto said cautiously. "But I'm not staying long."

"That's fine."

"And I.. I don't want to be touched."

Sasuke sighed. "I get it, Naruto."

"And if I want to leave, you can't stop me."

"Christ.. any other fucking rules you want to lay out before we leave?"

"We haven't even gotten there yet and you're already a terrible host," Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke's eye twitched.

He was tempted to just ditch the aggravating baka and go home on his own, but his newfound interest in Naruto's life and his burning curiosity, stopped him. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just go already."

Sasuke moved forward, giving Naruto a wide berth so as not to alarm him and ruin all that he's accomplished so far. His plan was working- he didn't want anything to fuck it up.

Naruto hesitated at first, and Sasuke wondered if he had changed his mind. But after a while, the blonde caught up to him and followed him through the Academy doors and down the street to the Uchiha manor.

--

The walk was.. uncomfortable.

Sasuke wasn't used to filling silence of any kind, having found solace in it for quite some time now. It was weird to stop a lifetime habit on the spot- especially for someone he usually avoided talking to. So he just.. didn't.

Naruto was quiet for a completely different reason. He really, really didn't want to divulge into any of the things Sasuke wanted to know about. He was concerned that if he started talking, the conversation would end up steering that way despite his best efforts, and that Sasuke would figure something out.

The bastard has been rather.. observant lately.

So, the two chose silence- letting the crunch of dry leaves beneath their feet, and the rustling of the few remaining survivors in the trees, speak for them.

The blonde was beginning to get antsy when Sasuke finally stopped in front of a long gravel driveway. Naruto looked over at him with furrowed brows. "Why did you stop?"

Sasuke glanced back, his expression blank. "Because we're here, Naruto."

Naruto stared at him incredulously. "You're kidding."

When Sasuke's expression remained unchanged, Naruto turned back to face the daunting mansion in front of them. "This is your freaking house?!"

"Come on." Sasuke stepped forward, leading the way down the long drive to the double doors at the top of the landing. He unlocked one of them, and pushed it open, leaning back as he ushered the blonde inside. Or rather, tried to.

"Are you coming or what?"

Naruto shuffled his feet nervously. "I.. I don't know."

Sasuke sighed. "What's the problem?"

"Your family.. might not like having someone like me inside.."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Someone like you.."

Naruto quickly cleared his throat. "It's.. ummm- you know what, it's fine. I should- I should probably just go."

"Naruto" Sasuke said, his voice a little sharper than he meant for it to be. "There's no one inside. I live alone."

Cerulean eyes widened. "You.. don't live with family?"

".. I don't have one."

Just like me, Naruto thought.

"Oh.."

Sasuke looked away. "Will you just come in? I don't want to stand here all day."

Naruto pulled nervously at his hair as he climbed the rest of the steps and followed Sasuke through the door.

If he thought the outside was stunning, the inside of the manor was another level entirely. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live in a place like this instead of the run-down apartment he slummed in every day.

I don't belong in a place like this.

Someone like Sasuke shouldn't just let someone like me in here. He thought about the villagers- their hostility towards him, especially if they felt he had overstepped in any way, or overstayed his welcome.

They would be pissed if they knew I was here.

At me.. he glanced over at the raven, and at Sasuke..

"Sasuke.. I- I really shouldn't be here.."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Just shut up, dobe."

He went to grab his wrist but, remembering the deep bruises encircling them, changed his mind and grabbed his hand instead. It seemed like a natural alternative, but as soon as he started pulling the blonde towards his kitchen he realized how it might be misconstrued.

You're holding his hand..

You idiot! You are holding Naruto's freaking hand!

What the hell are you doing?!

He froze and looked down at their clasped hands, then up into Naruto's huge eyes. Panic started to stir in those deep blues the longer Sasuke held onto him. As it grew, the raven was shocked to find that something dark and cruel in him was tempted to see just how far he could take this.

Where the hell did that come from..?

"I- I said I didn't want to be touched.." Naruto said weakly.

He was starting to get the feeling that he had walked into a trap. His Fight or Flight was screaming at him to get away from the Uchiha, to turn and fucking hightail it to his piece of shit apartment, and never come back.

Sasuke gave him a look that was hard to read, but Naruto was sure his wasn't.

"I was just avoiding your hurt wrists" Sasuke said gently, "that's all." He released his hand and walked into the kitchen.

"Come sit down."

I should leave.

Naruto looked back towards the front door.

I shouldn't be here.

He looked back to see Sasuke preparing a tea kettle.

.. right?

The Uchiha looked over his shoulder to peer back at the blonde hesitating in his hallway. It's like convincing a freaking stray to come indoors for the first time. He grabbed two tea cups and placed them on the table.

"Just come sit down, Dobe. If you keep overthinking things you're going to hurt yourself."

Naruto rolled his eyes and flipped him off, but the comment seemed to loosen him up at the same time.

Enough to get him moving forward at least.

"You're such a jerk, Teme."

"Maybe so," Sasuke pulled out several ingredients and made a pile on his cutting board. "But I'm a jerk who knows how to make ramen."

Naruto dropped down into a chair, assuming a look of comfort and confidence- an obvious mask, but one he wore often. "Fine. I'll stay."

The blonde gave a small fox-like grin.

".. For the ramen."

--

Author Note:

Don't you worry. The drama is right around the corner ;)