Disclaimers: Naruto isn't mine. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, angst, references to suicide/ suicide attempts, sexual content (yaoi of course), & referenced/ depicted child abuse.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Chapter 23: Beating Hearts

"If sweetness can win, and it can, then I'll be here tomorrow to high-five you yesterday, my friend."

-Royal Tart Toter

- - -

Naruto jolted awake to the sound of someone frantically banging their fist against the front door. Terror seized him and his first instinct was to lock himself in his room, but then he remembered that none of their stupid fucking locks worked, so that wasn't an option. He decided he would need to see who it was so he could determine whether or not he needed to call someone for help. Iruka maybe? Hell- if Sai had somehow found him, he would call the cops.

The thought of Sai breaking into his house, finding him alone here and trying to pick up where he left off, sent chills down his spine. He decided that if this was Sai at his door, the last place he'd want to be found would be in his bedroom. So, he freed himself from his comforter amd slowly made his way down the stairs and over the the front door.

Whoever was on the other side was pretty fucking insistent, and it rattled him. He tip-toed up to the door but paused before peering through the peephole. He crossed his fingers and pressed it to his lips. "Please.. please don't let it be him." He couldn't get himself to say Sai's name. Even just thinking it made his stomach roll.

With the echo of his wish in his head and fear in his heart, Naruto peered out to see who was at the door.

Sasuke.

Naruto's jaw clenched. He didn't want to see him- didn't want to confront his disappointment, his anger for something he didn't bother to try to understand. He just couldn't do it. And yet, despite the thought, out of curiosity Naruto looked one more time.

Sasuke didn't look the same as he did in the bathroom. He looked.. scared. Terrified even. His eyes were red-rimmed and heavy, and he kept gnawing at his lip with worry as he continually knocked on the door.

Naruto cursed himself for being so weak, but the look on his face..

Goddamnit.

Hoping he wouldn't come to regret it, Naruto unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open.

"Naruto.." Sasuke breathed, his voice thick with unshed tears.

Before he could respond, Sasuke pulled him into his arms and held him close- an arm wrapped around his waist while a hand buried in his hair, pulling his face against his chest. "I'm sorry, Naruto" he croaked, "I'm so fucking sorry."

Sasuke placed his chin on top of his head, and Naruto felt something fall in his hair, sliding down. It took him a moment to realize that it was tears. He leaned back to get a look at the raven's face and saw that he really was crying, the tip of his nose and just under his eyes tinged pink.

Of course he would still look good when he's crying.

The blonde furrowed his brows, feeling confused. The last time he saw Sasuke he had shoved him into a bathroom, beyond livid with him, and now he's suddenly crying and apologizing? How did everything change so fast? Why was he so different? He wanted comfort, he truly did, but he needed to understand what this was first.

He pushed out of the raven's grasp and took a step back. "Why are you here, Sasuke?"

"I.. I wanted to apologize. And I want to help you."

"Help me" Naruto repeated, anger rising. "And what makes you think that you can help me?"

"Naruto-" he took a towards him, and the blonde took another step back. Sasuke paused. "Please, just let me try."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "And why do you all of a sudden want to? You were so sure earlier that I was fucking my way through high school."

Sasuke flinched.

"So what changed, Sasuke? Why do you suddenly believe me?"

Sasuke wasn't sure he should tell him. He didn't want to embarrass him any further, didn't want to cause more pain, but he didn't want to lie to him either. "I.. I realized that I fucked up, but you were already gone. I wanted to go after you right away, but I couldn't just leave things like they were."

Naruto eyed the cryptic raven. "What does that mean?"

"I got ahold of Ino's phone when she wasn't looking. I.. I saw the video." He figured it would be better to leave Kiba out of it- he didn't want Naruto thinking that he had seen everything too, and he wasn't sure he would believe him if he said he gave him space to watch it alone.

Naruto's face dropped, and pain flashed in those dark obsidian eyes at the sight of it. "Naruto, what you went through.." he swallowed, "it was fucking awful."

Naruto stared at the raven as he slowly raised a trembling hand to his mouth, stifling the horrified sound that threatening to slip free from his lips. "You.. you saw it?" Tears filled his eyes, tearing at Sasuke's heart. He tried to step close again, but again Naruto shuffled out of reach. "All of it..?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

Sasuke nodded and the tears slipped free. "Why.. why would you watch that!?" Naruto screamed, fighting to force down his despair, his shame. "Why did you have to.." his voice broke, "I didn't want you to see me like that!"

Sasuke moved towards him again, but this time he didn't let him pull away. He grabbed his forearm, halting his retreat. "Naruto, you have nothing to be embarrassed about." He gently wiped the tears away, his fingers lingering along his jawline. "I was wrong to doubt you- to react like that because of some stupid-"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm so fucking ashamed of myself." He looked up. "You deserve so much better and I.. I failed you." He tucked a stray blonde lock behind Naruto's ear, catching his watery gaze. "I wouldn't blame you for hating me.. after the way I treated you.."

Naruto swallowed back a new rush of emotions, shivering under Sasuke's tender touch. "I don't hate you" he whispered, "I.. need you" he admitted.

Sasuke pulled him into his arms again and this time Naruto hugged him back, unable to resist the comfort. He wanted to sink into his warmth and never resurface. He wanted to lose himself and his fear and his pain in Sasuke's strong embrace, and for a while it felt like he could. But reality seeped back in, and Naruto realized that there were things he still needed to know.

"What.. what happened with the video..?" he asked anxiously, slipping free from Sasuke's arms again. The raven looked disappointed but decided not to comment on it. He did keep a firm hold on the blonde's uninjured arm though, unable to completely relinquish his connection to him.

"I deleted it from her phone" he said. "I didn't want her to use it against you."

Naruto dropped his gaze. "Thanks" he murmured.

"Let's go sit down" Sasuke said. "I have a few other things to tell you."

He didn't wait for Naruto to respond. His hand slid down his arm and to his palm, where he interwined their fingers. He gave the blonde a light squeeze, then pulled him over to the kitchen. He sat him down at the counter and got to work making tea. Naruto watched him confidently move through the kitchen, as if he lived there. It was strange seeing him like that here, but also kind of nice. It felt like they had been together for far longer- like he had spent his whole life getting to know Sasuke, rather than a mere month and a half.

The raven placed a steaming hot mug in front of the blonde along with a bottle of honey and small spoon. "I know you like things a little sweeter" he said.

Naruto gave a small smile. "You noticed."

"I noticed."

Naruto poured in a generous helping and stirred in the contents before taking a careful sip. The sweetness coated his tongue and throat and the warmth settled in his chest. He took a deep breath- pulling the steam into his lungs, letting the tension in his body slowly unravel.

Sasuke dropped down on a stool and scooted close, his eyes locked on the blonde at his side. The blonde who didn't hate him.

The blonde he hadn't lost.

"I.. found the guy who attacked you" Sasuke said.

Naruto flinched.

"We don't have to talk about this right now if you don't want to."

Naruto shook his head. "Just tell me."

Sasuke studied his face, unsure of whether or not he should continue, but when he saw his resolve he decided it would probably be best to just get it over with. Afterwards he would do everything he could to try to help Naruto forget, but first he needed to know that Ino and Sai would no longer be at his school, in his life- that this would not be happening again.

"I found him in the nurse's office."

"Makes sense" Naruto murmured. "Did you.. did you say anything..?"

"I did. And I beat the shit out of him."

Blue eyes widened. "You did? What about the nurse?"

"I lied about an emergency and she left."

Naruto stared at him incredulously. "What do you mean you beat the shit out of him?"

Sasuke studied the blonde. Maybe it will help him to know that the person who hurt him got what he deserved. Maybe it'll give him some sort of.. closure?

"I punched him in the face a few times-"

"A few?" Naruto interrupted.

"I don't know like five.. maybe six times? Then I shattered what was left of his nose" Naruto's mouth dropped, "made a few threats and knocked him out."

"You.. you're going to be in trouble for that" Naruto said, though it wasn't what he really wanted to say. What he wanted to say was thank you- thank you for hurting the person that hurt me, for standing up for me, for making sure I'd be safe.

Sasuke must have seen it in his eyes because he offered a soft smile and a tender touch, running his fingers through honey-colored locks. "I will destroy anyone who hurts you, Naruto. In fact, I will make sure that never happens to you again."

Naruto choked back tears and took another deep drink from his tea. "You can't guarantee that, Sasuke."

"Yes, I can" he argued. "Ino and.. and that guy-" he said, once again avoiding his name, "I got them expelled."

Naruto jerked his head over to look at him. "Are you serious?"

"I talked to the principal before I came here. He said they're done. He also gave you an excused absence for the rest of the week- so you can.. take care of yourself."

"How'd you manage to do all of this in an hour?"

"When I set my mind to something, I don't stop until it's done. When I realized how bad I fucked up, I knew that I had to do something. Something that would actually help you." He slipped his hand across the counter and grasped Naruto's.

"Naruto, you mean the world to me. I was a prick and I don't know how to make that up to you, but I'll do anything to fix it."

Naruto bit his lip, not sure how much he wanted to say, but he had already been so vulnerable around Sasuke.. what harm would it do to be a little more? "I.. I just feel so.." his cheeks flushed with shame, "scared. And weak.. I hate feeling like I did with my mom, and it's like it's happening all over again."

Sasuke's heart clenched. "I'm so sorry, Naruto. This should never have happened to you."

Naruto took another gulp of his temperate tea, calming his nerve. "Can I ask a favor?" he murmured, already questioning his choice.

"Always."

"I want to lie down but.. I don't want to be alone." He glanced up at the surprised raven. "Could you just.. just hold me while I fall asleep?"

"Yeah" Sasuke breathed. "Yeah, I can do that."

The two finished their drinks and padded out of the kitchen. Sasuke moved towards the stairs, but Naruto headed to the living room. Both paused and looked at eachother.

"I thought you wanted to lay down" Sasuke said.

"Oh.. well, I was thinking maybe on the couch."

Sasuke changed course and followed the blonde. They awkwardly adjusted themselves on the couch. It was clear that Naruto was nervous and Sasuke just wanted things to feel natural. He grabbed the blonde's waist and pulled him flush to his front, spooning him. Naruto tensed at first but warmed up to the contact as Sasuke settled in next to him, drapping an arm across his waist. "Is this ok?" he asked.

"Mmhhn" Naruto said, sleep already consuming him.

Sasuke pushed up on his elbow to grab the throw blanket, tossing it over them. Then he leaned down and kissed the blonde's cheek before sinking into his own comforting darkness.

- - -

Iruka rushed inside and Kakashi joined him soon after. He watched as his panicky brunette rushed around the house, calling for the blonde. When he rounded the corner, he saw Sasuke looking over the couch, signaling for them to be silent. Iruka closed his mouth and raised an eyebrow as approached the couch.

When he looked over it, he saw an adorable sight.

Naruto was snuggled up close to Sasuke's chest, his breathing steady, his face smooth- free of the worry lines that often showed up at night as nightmares and memories plagued him. He assumed Naruto would be a mess after what he had gone through today, but he looked so.. relaxed with Sasuke. Iruka gave the raven a soft smile, leaned down, and pulled his cheek against his. "Thank you, Sasuke" he said quietly.

He straightened and saw the raven blink back tears as he settled back down onto the couch, wrapping his arm around the blonde before once more closing his eyes.

Kakashi came up behind Iruka and pulled him back into his arms. "I knew my Sasuke would help him" he murmured, smiling down at the two. "They're good for each other."

Iruka leaned back into his boyfriend's warmth with a smile. "Yeah, they really are."

"Let's let them sleep, love. I'm sure Naruto needs some rest after what happened."

The brunette agreed and followed Kakashi back down the hall and up the stairs to his bedroom. Where they could take a nap of their own.

"I don't want them to hear us" Iruka said with a look of concern.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were just going to sleep. Did you have something sordid in mind, dolphin?" His eyes gleamed with mischief, ruining his innocent façade.

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Just help me be quieter this time, ok?"

Kakashi closed in on his brunette, a devilish smile in place. "It'll be my pleasure."

- - -

Kakashi was the next one to receive a phone call from the school that night. He was not too surprised when the principal explained to him that Sasuke basically beat the living hell out of another student. When Kakashi inquired further about his reason for doing so, he did admit that the student he beat up was the one who attacked Naruto.

Kakashi was not in the least bit disappointed in his adoptive son. If anything, he was proud of him for standing up for his person. Besides, he would have done the same thing if it had been Iruka. Just the thought of someone touching his sweet dolphin, hurting him, forcing themselves on him, sent a deep rage through his body. No, he had no intention of reprimanding Sasuke for this.

The principal decided he was going to give him out-of-school suspension as a consequence. He understood why he did it and sympathized but couldn't just look the other way. Or so he said. Kakashi couldn't help but notice that the days Sasuke was suspended from school were the same days Naruto had been given as mental health days.

Quite the coincidence.

"I knew I liked that man." Kakashi mumbled to himself. He walked back down the hall and rejoined the dinner table, a smile on his face.

"Good news?" Iruka asked.

"Sasuke got suspended. For the rest of the week."

Iruka and Naruto both turned to look at Sasuke, then back at his guardian with curious expressions. "And why are you smiling?" Iruka asked.

"Because my little 'Ske did the right thing."

Sasuke looked up at him, surprised. "You're seriously not pissed about this?"

Kakashi took a bite of rice and continued to grin around his chopsticks. "Not in the slightest." He glanced over at the blonde and the smiled slipped. "I hope you beat him bloody" he said, his voice low and sharp- surprising all three of them. They were not used to this side of Kakashi.

Sasuke suddenly saw his guardian in a whole new light and found that he had an incredible amount of respect for the man. Their eyes met, a shared intensity between them. "His face is pulp."

"Sasuke!" Iruka shouted, shocked.

"He's lucky I didn't kill him."

Iruka stared at the raven, then at his boyfriend who still seemed completely unperturbed by this. Kakashi raised his glass. "Agreed." Sasuke clinked his cup with the silver fox's before returning to his dinner. Iruka was still speechless, and Naruto was holding his breath, hoping that they wouldn't say anything more. He didn't want to keep thinking about it. Didn't want to see the looks on their faces as they thought about it.

Sasuke noticed and subtly kicked Kakashi under the table to get his attention. "So" he said, "what made you take the day off today?"

"I just couldn't resist spending one more day with my sweet dolphin" he answered truthfully.

Iruka blushed.

"So.." Naruto nudged his food around his plate, anxiety swirling through him, "are we all.. ummm.. going back to our own houses now..?" He avoided meeting Sasuke's eyes, but he could feel them. He was well aware that Sasuke was not happy with the idea of being separated from Naruto, and it constantly pissed him off when the blonde suggested it.

"Well" Kakashi and Iruka looked over at each other and Naruto suddenly had a bad feeling. "We were actually thinking it might be nice if we all just lived together."

Naruto stared at them, eyes wide. "But.. we have this house. And.." He looked to Sasuke for help but the raven had no intention of stepping in. He would have preferred to keep staying with Naruto alone, but he understood that their guardians weren't ready to completely kick them out, so this was the next best thing.

Naruto turned to Iruka instead. "Iruka-san.. are you sure about this? We haven't even been in this house for that long. And me and Sasuke are-"

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Are..?"

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek. He glanced at the raven who was eyeing him with an indecipherable look. "We're what, Naruto?"

"Is everyone seriously going to pretend they don't know?! Don't you think it's weird for us to live together?"

"I think you'll be surprised by how much you like it, Naruto" Kakashi said with a wink.

"Couldn't agree more" Sasuke said, sounding far too happy. The two clinked their glasses again, matching mishevious grins on their faces.

Naruto paled. "We're really moving in..?" he asked his guardian.

"We're really moving in."

Naruto caught Sasuke's eye but had to look away from the intensity of his gaze, the sheer joy and excitement. He seemed to be the only one opposed to this, and he was outvoted three to one.

I'm really going to live with Sasuke.

Every day.

Every night.

With Sasuke.

He gave a long exhale as the implications settled into his mind. It was hard not to think about what that would be like. Four days had felt like a very long time, but this- this might be for years. Years.

His eyes widened at the thought.

Fuck.

Author Note:

In case you don't know, the quote at the beginning is from Adventure Time. I am obsessed with the show and seriously love the Tart Toter.

He is a beautifully unbalanced poet and I can't help but relate. I seriously need that quote on a t-shirt. Nothing feels better than just wearing your madness for all to witness. And a great big confusing warning sign with a crazy cookie next to it seems like a perfect place to start.