Disclaimers: Naruto isn't mine. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.
Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, sexual assault, suicide, angst, & sexual content (yaoi)
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Chapter 33: Lyrics to Live By
"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out."
-J.R.R. Tolkien
- - -
Kiba shot up from his desk, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He dropped his hands down and stared up at a pale face framed by a thick crimson mane. Jade eyes flickered with mischief, and he could see the hint of a smirk lift his cheeks.
The brunette narrowed his eyes. "Did you just pet my hair?" he asked.
Gaara leaned down, bringing their faces level. Kiba's dark brown eyes widened as the redhead reached out and sank a hand into his hair once more. Cupping the back of his head, he pulled him closer, his grin growing at the sound of his gasp. "Why? Does it bother you?"
Kiba put his hand out, keeping him from getting any closer. "You don't even know me" he said, his mind spinning as those light green eyes scanned every inch of his face before slowly dipping lower.
"I'd like to" Gaara murmured.
Dark eyes flitted between his, trying to read him. To see what he was up to; to see if this is real.
"I mean it, my little koinu. I want to-"
"Did you just call me a puppy?!" Kiba asked incredulously.
"I did."
"A puppy."
"Because I like petting you" Gaara said, his smile still locked in place. And because I want to take you home and train you to be mine, he thought.
Kiba could see something wicked flash in his eyes, and instantly knew that he had given his koinu pet-name a whole new meaning. One he was probably better off not knowing, to be honest.
"Stop randomly touching me" Kiba said, pushing his hand out of hair. "Especially when I'm sleeping."
"But that's when I want to touch you the most."
The brunette blanched.
"Will you just- just sit down already?!" he sputtered.
Gaara laughed, straightening before him. But one last look made him change his mind. He reached down, grasped Kiba's chin, and brought his head up. Cinnamon eyes found his, his gaze wary but there was something else there too. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part, but Gaara could have sworn for a moment there that anticipation had flickered to life. It was brief, but it was real. He was sure of it.
His chest tightened and he leaned close.
"Gaara.." his brunette breathed.
The sound of his name on Kiba's tongue made his knees weak, and he could resist no longer. Gaara brought his face inches from Kiba's, his eyes locked on his alluring lips.
"You should stop me if you don't want this" he breathed.
Then he kissed him- gently, slowly, showing him just how real his feelings were. He pulled back and gave a soft smile as he released the brunette's chin. The feel of freedom seemed to snap Kiba out of whatever trance the redhead had him under. He jerked back and looked around the room, but they were the only ones in there. Though, he had his doubts if Gaara knew that before kissing him.
Kiba brought his fingers to his lips. "Why did you.. why did you do that?" he asked.
Gaara stared down at him, eyes shining with interest.
"Why didn't you stop me?"
- - -
"Iruka, darling. Are you trying to seduce me?"
The brunette rolled his eyes. "Everything I do seduces you."
"My, aren't you confident."
Iruka gave him a pointed look. "Name one thing that I do that doesn't turn you on."
The silver fox crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe, drinking in the sight of his little temptress. "I refuse."
Iruka laughed as he finished making the bed. He reached over to smooth the comforter of one last crease and went to straighten when he felt a pair of hands on his hips and a very large, very insistent erection pressed firmly against his ass, pushing him back down. He caught himself on his forearms and looked back over his shoulder. "Whatcha doing back there, 'Kashi?"
His boyfriend grinned. "Enjoying the view."
Another light laugh slipped from his brunette's lips, like wind chimes in a cool breeze. He loved the sound of his laugh.
He hoped to have a lifetime of them.
"You are beautiful, my sweet dolphin. Do you know that?"
Iruka blushed, a soft pink streaked across dark freckles and the scar that his boyfriend kissed every morning- the scar that he stopped hating because of it. "You're just trying to butter me up so that I don't mind messing up the bed I just made" he mumbled.
"I do want to cover you in something, my little toaster strudel, but butter is not what I had in mind."
His musical laugh filled Kakashi's chest once more. "Toaster strudel?"
"Sweet, hot, and covered in white cream- you don't think it's fitting?"
"God, you really should try reading something besides smut."
"I refuse."
Iruka shook his head at his ridiculous boyfriend and his silly antics, and pressed his hips back, rubbing his ass against his crotch. "You know I just like playing hard to get, right?" he said, his voice heavy with desire.
"Of course, darling" Kakashi said, pushing his dolphin down on the bed. He spun him around, wanting to see those wide chestnut eyes, his full tantalizing lips. The silver fox gazed down at his fiance, eyes filled with mischief and a love deeper than he could have ever imagined possible.
"It's one of the many things I love about you."
- - -
"I told you not to get me anything crazy for my birthday" Naruto said.
"You did."
"And you said you understood" he added.
Sasuke nodded. "I did."
"And then you bought me a trip to Tokyo."
"Mmm hmm."
"Do you see how that's the opposite?"
"Which part?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head- his innocent act not in the least bit convincing.
"Sasuke!"
"Naruto!" he mocked.
The blonde rolled his eyes. "You know you shouldn't have done this, right?"
"It's pronounced, 'thank you'."
Naruto couldn't help but smile at his stubborn raven. "You're ridiculous."
"And yet you can't get enough of me."
Naruto pulled his boyfriend close, a fox-like grin already adorning his face. "Mmm.. true."
Sasuke wrapped his arms around him, matching his sweet smile with one of his own. "If you didn't want to be spoiled like this you shouldn't have been so cute."
Naruto laughed. "I'll work on that next time."
Sasuke lifted his chin and gave him a rough, passionate kiss, leaving him breathless. Naruto gasped as he pulled away, his face flush with desire and embarrassment. "Sasuke! We're in public!"
The raven shrugged, his arms still circling his blonde's small waist. "I wanted them to know that you're mine."
"Well, they definitely know now!"
"We will now be boarding first class passengers" a stewardess announced. Sasuke reluctantly released his blonde then took hold of his hand and pulled him towards the short line that had somehow already managed to form.
"First class?!" Naruto shouted. "Sasuke, that's-"
"Naruto."
His blonde stopped and looked up at him. Sasuke smoothed back his bangs and kissed his forehead. "Happy birthday."
".. thanks" he muttered, still feeling uncomfortable with the lavish gifts.
"Now will you stop panicking? I want you to enjoy yourself."
"Fine. But I don't need anymore gifts, ok? You've done more than enough already."
Sasuke leaned in with a devilish smirk and brought his lips close to Naruto's ear. "So you don't want me to fuck you the way you like" he purred.
Naruto's face, hell- his entire body, turned beet-red. He opened his mouth, but the words just would not come out, so he snapped it shut.
"Tickets?"
Naruto mindlessly handed the slip of paper over to the woman. She gave him a curious look. "Sir? Are you ok? You're pretty red."
"So good.." Naruto moaned. Sasuke barked out an uncontrollable laugh, snapping the blonde out of his daze. He scratched the back of his head, beyond embarrassed. "Heh- I mean. I'm great!" He snatched back his ticket, grabbed his boyfriend's arm, and yanked him towards the plane. "Come on, 'Ske. Let's go."
Sasuke eyed his flustered boyfriend- his disheveled honey locks, his pink cheeks, his soft mouth. He bit down on his lip, forcing back a growl as heat swirled in his chest and rushed to his groin. "Hey, Naru" he whispered.
"Have you ever heard of the 'mile-high club'?"
- - -
The world is an ugly, cruel place.
A place where children can be tortured by the person meant to protect them.
A place where a beautiful person can be repeatedly degraded, ridiculed, and tormented until death becomes their only solution.
A place where innocence can be threatened and torn away- piece by piece.
A place where you can lose everything and still be forced to live on- without meaning, without purpose, without hope.
But there is beauty here too.
In this brutal hellish place, you can find a smile that resonates with you in a way that nothing else ever has.
You can hear a lover's soft sigh in a warm, forgiving embrace. And words of wisdom from someone who refused to give up on you.
A laugh- a simple laugh that can ring in your heart for many, many years to come.
Each and every moment, both devastating and divine, is a solitary note on the sheet music of our complicated existence. A compilation where the same sound simply can't continue.
Your song will serenade one moment, and shatter in the next. A ballad of promises can twist and decay, leaving a scattered mess of notes- lost and disconnected. One loss, one tragic moment, can alter a song and carry a tune to countless others. A sound that can define them.
And then the song changes. Those chaotic broken sounds become a soothing melody, with lyrics that help us start anew. You just need someone with light, careful fingers, someone you can trust, pressing the keys.
The world will always be cruel, death's toll forever painful, but somewhere in those low notes, in the darkness it invokes, there is a soft orange night-light.
You just need to plug it in.
Author Note:
So the whole "it's pronounced 'thank you'" thing that Sasuke does in here- my boyfriend does that to me all the time. I just get uncomfortable when people buy me things, especially if it's expensive. I am a simple person, easy to please. So I go full Naru on special occasions and Kyle gets all 'cocky-Sasuke' about it, and I kind of love it. So I had to include it.
I want to thank all of you so much for reading 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. I really hope you enjoyed this one- I worked very hard on it, and I put a lot of my own personal angst & feels into it. This one actually means a lot to me because I resonate with a lot of pieces. If you do as well, I hope that you have a Naru or a 'Ske or a sweet dolphin or a beautiful silver fox to help get you through it.
Thank you for the sweet comments Bearlikespie, buzzk97, Naruhinakiralacus, and bibblebib. I love feeling connected to people on here, and you are such a big part of that. So thank you.
And to all future commenters & readers- you are just as appreciated. Truly.