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, explicit sexual content (yaoi), & angst.

Crazy About You

Chapter 1: Do My Eyes Deceive Me?

"Of course it's happening in your head. Why should that mean it's not real?"

-Albus Dumbledore

--

When Naruto first met Sasuke, he thought that he had imagined him.

To be fair, it wasn't the only time that's happened to him and most certainly wouldn't be the last. Though he did have his doubts about this particular illusion. For one, he wasn't sure his mind was even capable of creating someone like that. Sasuke was out of his league by a long shot and there was nothing odd about him- nothing that warranted any fear of drawing too close.

Naruto's hallucinations didn't work that way.

He has watched men with devilish eyes control the crows flocked outside his window. He's known beings that held a closer resemblance to serpents than humans, with forked tongues and a piercing reptilian stare. He's seen masks embedded in gnarled trees, one glowing red eye peering out at him from between the cracks. And while it was often jarring, none of it was really all that surprising anymore. He came to expect the unexpected, to anticipate the sudden appearance of a fearsome stranger.

Before he wound up in this place it happened so frequently that he found it far more startling not to see some nightmarish form.

No. That wasn't entirely fair. Yes, their features could often be quite monstrous, but there was just as much about them that could be perceived as rather striking. And Naruto had been fooled by it before. He had seen a friend where there hadn't even been a person- all with the belief that their uniqueness wasn't all that different from anyone else's.

Yeah.. he's definitely been wrong before.

Which is why it was safer to just assume that everything he saw was a fabrication, a fantasy. An unrealistic illusion in an unbalanced mind.

Things that Naruto knew better than to believe in- people he couldn't count on, that he couldn't..

love.

And that same thought occurred to him then too, when he spotted a new face on the far side of the room.

The person Naruto couldn't help but notice that day was tall, lean, mysterious as hell, and undeniably beautiful. His long inky black hair feathered out like raven's wings perched around a perfect porcelain face. His jaw was chiseled, masculine, but there was femininity in his full bottom lip.. a hint of softness that he was easily distracted by.

No, striking didn't even come close.

And yet none of those attributes quite compared to the man's eyes.

Naruto has always been captivated by people's eyes- the real and the imagined. It just so happened that most of his experiences were with the ones that weren't actually there.

The people Naruto's broken mind conjured up were unique, to say the least, and their eyes were no exception. Their sudden unwarranted appearance would intrigue him, torment him, and yet everytime he couldn't help but stare. And while Naruto did enjoy doing so, the novelty could only go so far.

When those unyielding gazes darkened, or their eyes flashed the color of blood and forced their way deep into his mind, Naruto's stomach would tangle like vines and crawl up the back of his throat. He wouldn't be able to move when it happened, couldn't stop himself from spewing terrified nonsense as his meager hold on reality completely fell. All fascination and curiosity would instantly deteriorate with it- like dead leaves against a cruel Autumn wind.

But when the debris cleared, his fears finally settled, it would start all over again. And once more, Naruto would lose himself to another spellbinding stare. And inevitably regret it.

Sasuke's dark eyes drew him in instantly, just like all the others', but this time Naruto couldn't exactly explain why. It wasn't like there was anything inherently exceptional about them. The set seemed to be nothing more than two deep pools of impenetrable darkness- a void that was probably better left avoided. And yet Naruto couldn't seem to look away. He was convinced that there was life somewhere inside that hollow stare, and he had the sudden inexplicable urge to find it.

He was so sure that it wasn't real…

Naruto wouldn't typically question his sanity like this. Well, not since he had been admitted into the psychiatric facility. His hallucinations had been torn away from him the moment he was admitted- drowned in the chemicals of every little capsule they forced down his throat. His world hadn't been the same since. It was now shaded in predictability, shrouded in what others have so easily deemed normalcy, leaving him with little to stare at.

Life was excruciatingly stagnant when he was mentally sound, and he had soon come to resent it.

'Normal' had never been this way for Naruto. For him, it was only natural to question your reality- to find yourself startled by the things it threw at you and wonder over it as it dug its claws into your life. And, truth be told, he missed it.

Naruto's schizophrenia shaped his reality a long time ago. For as long as he could remember his world had been colorful and sporadic- a place of abrupt chaos, blurs of beauty and horror meshed into one. Everyone else's temperate reality had only been a part of his life for a little over a year. It shouldn't shock anyone that he would crave it-

his normal.

That he would struggle to adapt to something that didn't feel like it truly belonged in his mind. But that wasn't what people wanted to hear, so Naruto had quickly learned to keep those feelings to himself. He knew he'd be stuck here a lot longer if he didn't.

Naruto's foster parents had signed him over to the institution without a second thought, eager to be rid of him, and the state was all too happy to side with them on it. And why wouldn't they? Naruto's rights as an adult didn't seem to matter. Not when he was causing problems all over town, "disturbing the peace" and its citizens' rigid lifestyles.

It was blatant to everyone that Naruto didn't have a place in it, that he didn't belong. So, they decided to find one for him. And none of his ranting about it being against his will, about his rights and how he had never done any actual harm, made a bit of difference.

So, he foolishly gave up.

Naruto had naively assumed that he could just reject their treatments. That he could still carve out his own path from behind their concrete walls. He was twenty years old, for fucks sake! Why wouldn't he be the one in control of his own life? Unfortunately, no one else saw it that way. He was quickly deemed "not mentally stable enough to make that decision on his own". A load of bullshit, but he was powerless to overturn it.

So now he was stuck in Konoha's mental institution- a prison for people with the audacity to see the world differently from the masses. And it didn't look like he would be released from it any time soon.

To make his forced stay a little more bearable, Naruto decided to hold tight to the only thing he had left, a glimmer of his truth, his reality, and he refused to relent his grasp on it. He knew his morphed reality wasn't healthy but it was familiar, and he couldn't just fully abandon it. So from time to time, when he found the opportunity, Naruto would sneak off to flush his meds down the toilet and welcome back his erratic hallucinations with open arms.

He wasn't able to get away with it often but there were a few occasions when everything lined up just right. When the orderlies were just a little too overworked, when they became a bit careless when they otherwise wouldn't have been. Naruto noticed these rare opportunities immediately, and he was always quick to take advantage of them.

And it just so happened that the day Sasuke was admitted was one of those days.

--

Sasuke was unaware of Naruto's interest in him at first.

He read his blank stare as one of judgement and hostility, though his own paranoia could be partially to blame for that. Later he would come to find out that it was just another unique characteristic found in people with schizophrenia, but at the time he didn't understand that. And he didn't bother to hide his displeasure when he saw it.

It was his first day in the asylum, and his nerves were already pretty frazzled as it is. His privacy was nonexistent, his freedom revoked, and his anger was escalating fast. The orderlies were unbothered by his outrage, which only pissed him off more. Sasuke was eager to find someone else to direct it at- someone who would react to it.

And that is when he met Naruto.

Sasuke had just been rather forcefully led into the community room, where he was expected to interact with the other unwanteds and "find a creative outlet". He had no interest in doing anything of the sort, but of course his protests fell on deaf ears. Usually that would be enough to make him fucking implode, but the bastards had managed to take even that away from him. The meds they had practically shoved down his throat took the edge off his ever-persistent rage, though he could already tell the dosage wasn't strong enough.

A little factoid he was more than happy to keep to himself.

Sasuke snarled at the two men as they dragged him further into the shared community space, anger flaring through him at their every move, but the orderlies' apathy was rock solid. The Uchiha made a vow to himself then and there that he would be sure to find a way to elicit fear in those two during his forced stay in this hellhole, even if just for a moment. Their penance for brushing him off like he was no threat at all to them.

They would pay for their blatant disregard.

The two men finally came to a stop and loosened their hold, and Sasuke was quick to shake them off the rest of the way. He jerked back and turned to glare daggers at the duo. They gave him an unimpressed look then moved over to the far side of the room to take their post.

"Fucking pricks."

Sasuke brushed off his dark t-shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles made by those assholes' meaty paws, then wiped his palms on his black sweats. Because, of course, no one of sane mind could wear anything else, right?! It definitely didn't have anything to do with them seeing him as a goddamn threat when he wasn't wearing fucking pajamas all day!

Sasuke gritted his teeth together, salvaging some semblance of control before turning to survey the rest of the room.

It was far too bright for his liking- a wall of windows relentlessly luminous in the open space. Unfortunately, there were no blinds or curtains to block out the incessant day, otherwise that would have been Sasuke's preferred 'community room activity'.

The rest of the patients seemed to have found something more productive to do than simply glare at everything in sight, more or less. There were a few self-proclaimed artists curled up with sketchbooks, a brunette making an acrylic monstrosity on a large canvas closer to the windows. Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued his silent judgement as he observed people knitting and crocheting away their worries, a pair arguing over a game of chess, a few writers and poets mumbling synonyms to themselves as they gnawed on their pencils.

Sasuke's gaze flitted past all of them, disinterested, wondering if there was anyone here that he could entertain himself with. He was starting to think that he was wrong to assume there could be in the first place when he saw him.

Sasuke was drawn to Naruto instantly. Hell, how could he not be? He was practically a beacon- a lone bulb in a dark suffocating room. Despite the wall of windows, the aggravatingly bright light flooding the place, everything still felt so bleak here- perpetually grey.

But not him.

His hair was long, disarrayed, and the color of a soft summer glow. His features were almost feminine, his body obviously lean under the baggie sweats. And his eyes- they were huge, innocent almost, and a shade of blue reminiscent of the lake Sasuke often waded into as a kid. There was life in those eyes- life that he had not seen in any of the other patients when they turned to look his way.

He wanted to be near him.

He wanted to destroy him.

And the longer those cerulean pools stared at him, the stronger that feeling became.

A feeling he had no interest in ignoring.

Sasuke clenched his jaw tight and made his way over to the blonde, never taking his eyes off of his face. They shifted momentarily to the scars on his cheeks, but didn't stay there for long. It was his eyes that had Sasuke's full attention, and his own shot back fast to find them.

Naruto rose to his feet at his approach, and Sasuke stepped close, towering over him. "What the fuck are you staring at?" he growled, choosing to ignore the fact that he was doing the exact same thing.

Naruto tilted his head, considering him. "I'm staring at you."

Sasuke's eyes visibly widened. What the hell is with this guy, he thought. What do I even say to that?

"Yeah, well, don't" he spat, his eyes flashing with annoyance.

The blonde continued to stare despite his command and, just like before, felt no need to hide it. "Does it bother you?" he said quietly.

"That should be obvious."

Naruto's gaze seemed to soften, confusing the hostile raven even more.

"I'm just surprised.." Naruto murmured.

His hand reached up slowly and, in his curiosity, Sasuke just stood there and watched as it drew closer. He wondered what the blonde would do, and whether or not it would give him the perfect excuse to publicly tear him apart.

The cruel impulse faded and Sasuke's shock grew as Naruto brought his hand to his face. His fingers gently slid down his cheek before falling back into his hair, teasing the silky strands by his neck- a sensation he wouldn't soon forget.

Sasuke was temporarily at a loss for words. His heart seized in his chest and all he could do was hold his breath and stare back as the blonde studied him. As those lithe fingers made his whole body shudder.

"None of you have ever looked like this before.." Naruto said wistfully, his hand moving back to cradle the smooth porcelain face.

Sasuke's brows furrowed, his confusion palpable. "What are you talking about?"

"Your eyes" Naruto murmured, his thumb lightly brushing beneath one as he spoke. "They're.. they're not like the others."

Neither are yours.

The thought was abrupt and almost as shocking as the person caressing his face. Sasuke didn't appreciate either one. He didn't like that the person he was, the person he has always been, had inexplicably fallen to the wayside the moment this random stranger interacted with him. Sasuke wasn't one to change- for anyone.

He wasn't about to start now.

Sasuke roughly grabbed the blonde's wrist and tore it away from his face, his grip firm and unyielding. "What makes you think you can touch me?" he snarled.

"Feels so real.." Naruto muttered to himself, his gaze shifting to the hand bruising his wrist. He looked up. "I wish it was."

Sasuke blinked. "Are you fucking insane?!"

"Yes."

He said it without hesitation, without embarrassment, as if he truly meant it and had wholly accepted it a long time ago. Sasuke nearly laughed at his candid response, another unfamiliar reaction- one that surprised and angered him further.

"Hey! What are you doing over there?!"

Sasuke turned his head to find two orderlies rushing towards them. His grip on the blonde tightened and he could see him wince from the corner of his eye.

He smirked.

Finally, a reaction he was used to.

"Fuck off" Sasuke shot back, knowing they wouldn't but refusing to make it easier for them.

Someone grabbed him by the shoulder, and Sasuke released the blonde to spin around and throw his fist in their face. The man managed to dodge his attack and someone else grabbed the offending arm and wrenched it back.

Sasuke screamed in his fury, his eyes wild. "Get off me you bastard! Don't touch me!!"

He kicked back and was immensely satisfied when his foot connected with the man's shin. The guy groaned in pain, and a third orderly stepped up to assist the others.

Sasuke futilely lashed out, furious as they overpowered him and forced him to the ground. A man knelt beside him, a syringe in hand, and Sasuke's rage burned through him.

"I'll fucking kill you!" he screamed. "I will fucking kill all of you!!"

But of course, they ignored his threats.

Without a word the orderlies shoved his head to the side and sank the needle deep into his neck. They pushed down on the plunger, filling his veins with some concoction meant to sedate and tame him. He was revolted by the thought, and furious that it had come to this.

Sasuke jerked his head back to glare up at the blonde quietly observing all of it. "You'll pay for this" he growled. "If you think this is over you are dead wrong."

"I know it isn't over" Naruto said, his voice faded and getting further and further away.

Sasuke wasn't sure if it was the drug coursing through him that made the blonde sound that way, or if that truly was how he spoke. He opened his mouth, prepared to throw another threat his way, but the room was spinning and he quickly closed it to keep his breakfast in place. Sasuke breathed through the sudden nausea as the blonde's voice floated over him once more. Just as soft, just as puzzling.

"They always come back."

They..?

Sasuke's thoughts stilled, his eyes rolled, and before he could process any of it, he fell back into a dark yawning abyss.

Naruto stared down at the man at his feet. He was disappointed to see heavy lids shut away those eyes he had been so enthralled by. He was tempted to drop down beside him and force them back to find them again, but he couldn't seem to move. He was locked in place, silently watching as a team of orderlies lifted the raven off the floor and carried him out of the room.

Naruto just stood there- stock still, wishing he could break free of his paralysis and feeling powerless to even try. At least at first. But his trance melted away fast as a hand dropped onto his shoulder and reality shifted back into place. Naruto's gaze slid from the orderlies' retreating form to the fellow patient by his side.

Naruto never really got too close to anyone here before, but he recognized this one. He had seen him many times, and they had exchanged enough pleasantries and quiet nods to consider each other approachable. It was the closest thing to a friend that Naruto ever had.

Well.. if you only included the ones everyone else saw.

Naruto eyed the guy casually leaning against him, curious about his sudden appearance. He was about his same age, maybe a little younger. They were nearly the same height, though the other guy's frame was noticeably more muscular than his own. His hair was just as wild and unruly as Naruto's, the color a deep walnut brown- nearly the same shade as his eyes. He had red paint on his face and was either unaware of it or happy to become one with his latest art project. Knowing Kiba, both were entirely possible.

The brunette stared after the retreating orderlies, just as curious. "The new guy seems fun, huh."

A split second later his words clicked.

Naruto spun around fast, unintentionally knocking away his hand in the process. He stared up at the brunette, a combination of shock and hope flashing in his huge blue eyes. "Wait, you can see him too?"

Kiba raised his brow, a grin tugging at his stained cheeks. "Wow. You really do belong in here."

Naruto shrugged. Maybe, he thought.

But suddenly that didn't seem like such a bad thing.

Author Note:

Well, well, well.. what do we have here?

Another story with an aggressive & thoroughly interested Sasu with a darling & mentally fucked-up Naru?

Who could have predicted such a thing?

That's right, my lovelies. I have another tale to tell. You ready for more? ;)