Warnings: Language, violence, dark subject matter (which will never be too graphic for that's not my intent in writing this fic),

Chapter 4

Naruto sat in the passenger seat of Sasuke's car with his knees pressed to his chest much to Sasuke's disbelief that he could fit his entire self on it. He of course had been forced to take his shoes off, with how clean the interior had always been he wasn't really surprised. "So, uh…Sasuke?"

"Hm?" Sasuke's eyes were on the road, his hands at 3 and 9 despite everything Naruto had ever heard about hands on wheel placement.

"You think it's too late to turn around?" He asked. He had this overwhelming dread seeping throughout his entire chest cavity. This was a whole new kind of fear Naruto hadn't ever felt before. He was suddenly hyper aware of how flawed he was, he was inappropriate, loud, he never knew the right thing to say and despite everything that Sasuke probably thought he knew about Naruto, Naruto was very aware that he was a bit of a pathological flirt.

"Naruto, we're going to be there in 20 minutes and we've been driving for two hours," Sasuke said, the snow had slowed them down considerably.

"I knew I should have said something when we stopped at that gas station," Naruto said as he looked out the window at the passing scenery.

"You didn't have to come if you didn't want to Naruto," Sasuke said, not taking his eyes off the road.

"It's…it'd probably be fine, but I'm staying overnight. Isn't it early?" Naruto asked. "Most people just go for dinner," He ran a hand through his hair and gripped it tightly and thoughts of proper etiquette started flashing through his head as well as the punishments for disobeying them. "I mean, I guess I didn't think about it."

"Honestly, if my mother had her way, you'd probably be there all week…My family is pretty big, and they're pretty intrusive," Sasuke said.

"Wouldn't most people say tight knit?" Naruto asked.

"Intrusive is a far better word for it," Sasuke said with a shrug. "I try not to bother with them too much."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and he tipped his head and started to feel a little more calm as he leaned his head on the window. "I dunno, sounds kind of nice," Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke was quiet for a long while as he drove, taking an exit into the city where he lived. "I guess…"

Naruto frowned as he recognized the tone of voice that said he made Sasuke feel guilty again. His lip twitched and he didn't know how to say anything about it to fix it. "I bet Itachi's there," He said, pulling a grin on his face. Evasion and misdirection were what he was best at after all.

"Shh," Sasuke hissed at him, and reached his hand over to cover Naruto's mouth. "Don't speak of such things," he grumped.

Naruto let out a laugh as he pushed lightly at Sasuke's hand. "There anything I shouldn't do?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Uh…stay away from being crude and eating with your mouth open, I think we'll be fine. That's pretty standard though, right?" Sasuke said.

"I guess," Naruto said, they hadn't really prepped for this. "How much longer?"

"20 minutes," Sasuke said.

"Right," Naruto said and he closed his eyes, just trying to prepare for whatever nightmare he was going to step into.

-::0::-

When they pulled up to the house, Naruto wasn't all that surprised to find a two story house with pristine white siding. The garden was absolutely beautiful and covered with remnants of snow. He could imagine what it looked like in the spring, like the kind of garden he had always wanted for himself. "Looks better than my house," Naruto said but he didn't mean much by it.

"My mother enjoys taking care of it, they can be a little old fashioned," Sasuke said.

"It looks nice," Naruto said as he grabbed the bag he had placed his change of clothes in before going to the trunk to help Sasuke out.

"No, it's fine," Sasuke said holding up his hand as he pulled a single bag out.

"If you say so," Naruto said with a frown as he waited for Sasuke before following him down the walk way and up the front steps.

"You think it would be weird if we just waited here for a sec?" Naruto asked. He wasn't used to feeling this panicked, not anymore at least. He just knew of how much of a fuck up he was, and from the sound of things when they were growing up, Sasuke was very aware of his father's expectations of him.

Sasuke let the bag slip to the ground with a light thud, "Hey," He said and he reached forward placing his hands on the sides of Naruto's face. "It's going to be fine," He said.

Naruto felt the heat creeping up his neck and he managed a dumb smile, "Fine," he parroted before moving to slap at Sasuke's hands. "Get off," He said with a grin.

"Dumbass," Sasuke said patting Naruto's cheek enough to make a slight slapping noise.

Naruto's mouth fell open and he snorted, "You're lucky that your parents are on the other side of that door or you'd have a giant pile of snow down the front of your pants," Naruto muttered.

"I doubt it, you'd probably end up with your face in the snow," Sasuke smirked.

"Hey, I'm perfectly capable of kicking your ass Uchiha!" Naruto said, probably a little louder than he should have.

"I'll believe that when I see it," Sasuke said as he ducked down and caught Naruto's lips and Naruto felt warmth spread through him again and he shook his head before pulling away.

"You're home!" a female voice sounded and Naruto's eyes widened.

"Mom…" Sasuke said as he stood up a little straighter and Naruto felt like burying himself in the snow now. He wondered how much she had seen.

"I thought I heard something," She said with a smile and she reached forward and gathered Sasuke in her arms. Naruto instantly forgot the embarrassment that he had felt, because even though Sasuke was stiff and gently removing her arms from his person, it was a very sweet scene when Sasuke leaned over and rested an arm in the middle of her back just a moment prior.

"This is Naruto," he said.

"Naruto…" She tested his name out before her eyes widened and Naruto felt the weight of her gaze on him.

"It's good to finally meet you, Mrs. Uchiha, I've heard a lot about you," He said reaching his hand out for a handshake before she pushed it away.

"Nonsense, you should call me—"Sasuke cleared his throat and made a weird gesture. "—Call me Mikoto," She said with a smile before she stepped forward and enveloped Naruto in a hug.

Naruto's eyes widened this time and his arms hung at his side as he looked at Sasuke, his brain ceasing to function for a long moment. "M-Mikoto," he murmured quietly to himself before he finally managed to jumpstart his brain enough to rest his arms on her back. This embrace, it felt so familiar and safe that only a deep and shaky breath kept the emotion from pouring over the brim. Emotion he would have been able to explain if he tried.

"Sasuke, get inside, what's the matter with you? You're letting all the heat out," a man said from inside the house.

"Right," Sasuke said as he placed a hand on his mother's shoulder. "Mom, go inside," he said quietly.

Mikoto pulled back and smiled up at Naruto and he somehow managed to mirror it. "Come inside, love, let's get you warmed up," She said grasping Naruto's arm and tugged him inside.

Sasuke grabbed his bag and hauled it over his shoulder as he stepped in and closed the door. His father seemed to have disappeared back inside the house. Sasuke had mentioned not to be bothered, but Naruto still didn't know what to make of it. "Come, let's put your things down, dinner is almost ready," She said not letting go as she led him down the hall, he wondered how she could do and say things so gently and still manage to manipulate him into doing what she wanted him to. Naruto looked over his shoulder at Sasuke who just smirked at him.

"Right," he said as he followed her, all too surprised when she brought him to what didn't look like a guest room to him.

"Come now, you can leave your things here," She looked around quietly before noticing something. "You have a very small amount of luggage Naruto," she said calmly.

"Uh…yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't want to impose," he said trying to find words that played the part well.

"Nonsense, Sasuke you didn't invite Naruto to stay longer?" She sounded disappointed.

Sasuke frowned and he walked passed her and he set his bag down on the bed…that's why it didn't look like a guest room. "Naruto has family to stay with as well, mom," he said. Naruto had no idea how unguarded Sasuke was around him until he saw all his walls snap back into place as he spoke with his mother.

"I see," She said and she turned to look at Naruto and placed her hand on his face, he didn't have the heart to ask her not to, but maybe she wouldn't see the scars, but he wasn't that naive. "Your mother must be so proud she doesn't have to beg her baby to come home," She said quietly and Naruto straightened up.

"Mom, stop it," Sasuke said with a frown.

"No, I think you could learn something here Sasuke," She said as she pulled her hand back and Naruto was able to find his voice again.

"Its fine Sasuke," Naruto said and he felt a smile tug on his lips. "My parents passed away when I was a child, I live with my guardians though," He said.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," She said as she looked him over quietly and Naruto felt another heavy weight on his chest at the words she used and he put on a smile.

"It was a long time ago," He said and he had to convince himself not to look to Sasuke for support. He wasn't that kind of person. "You have a beautiful home," He said.

She smiled and nodded, "I'll go finish dinner before your father ruins it," She said and she turned and showed herself out.

"Sorry, I didn't tell them," Sasuke said quietly.

"It's fine," Naruto said. He recognized something in Mikoto that reminded him of his mother. Their personalities weren't the same from what he remembered, but there was something.

"If you're sure," Sasuke said as he started unpacking some of his things.

"Your room is boring," Naruto said as he walked around it. Not a single poster anywhere, books filling the shelves and a few pictures. It actually wasn't too different from his room. "Where are all the wall scrolls of your favourite emo bands Sasuke?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with an answer," Sasuke said as he tossed his things into his dresser.

Naruto sat down on the bed and leaned back on his arms and watched Sasuke as he moved around, trying to shuck off the nerves he was still feeling. "I guess your brother isn't here," Naruto said with a smile.

"Thank fuck," Sasuke said as he yanked off his shirt and cruelly tossed on another from inside his dresser.

"Do you think your mom needs help in the kitchen?"

"Naruto, I think we both know you shouldn't be allowed in there," Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Shut up," Naruto said standing with some mock frustration. The playful attitude died quickly though, "I just mean, I could set the table or something," He shrugged.

"You can try," Sasuke said, smirk not leaving his face and Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I think I will, enjoy unpacking," Naruto said as he stood hearing Sasuke snort as he stepped out of the room. He felt a little awkward in the house, he lost his direction for a moment before he decided to follow the sounds toward the kitchen. When he finally found it he ducked his head around the corner to see Sasuke's mom tending to the stove. "Hey, I was wondering if you might need some help?"

Mikoto stood up straight and looked at him over her shoulder and smiled in a regal fashion. "You don't have to worry yourself, Naruto," She said.

"It's fine," Naruto said waving his hand and she nodded and suggested he set the table. When Naruto was out in the dining room he looked at the six chairs and he tipped his head, wondering where he would be better off putting the plates and settled for taking the middle chairs instead of the end ones.

"I sit here," came a deep voice and Sasuke's father stepped into the room while clearing his throat.

"Oh, I can fix that," Naruto said, fighting the urge to flinch and instead put on a smile as he placed a plate on the end where the man had gestured.

"Sasuke never mentioned he was seeing anyone," he said as he moved his hand to adjust a fork before he observed it and left it where Naruto had placed it.

"It hasn't been very long," Naruto admitted, even though the length of their relationship didn't seem applicable to conventional dating stereotypes.

"No, but you and Sasuke have ben acquainted for a long time, have you not?" Fugaku didn't move, he simply clasped his hands in front of him. It was rather intimidating.

"Ah, I guess so. I never thought of it that way before," Naruto said with brief faltering smile. "Not to say that I think that time was insignificant, just that, I know that people usually wait to make sur—"

"—And are you sure?" Fugaku stared at him and Naruto stared at the plate in his hands and tipped his head.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," Naruto said quietly as he tipped his chin up to look the man in the face. Sasuke was both the only thing that made sense in his life, and the one thing that made the least.

The man looked at him and he nodded before he walked forward and he tapped the table, "It goes here, he said gesturing to another spot at the table pointlessly since it was obvious Naruto would have set it down there eventually.

"Thank you…" Naruto could feel his heart race a little faster at the pressure as he lowered the plate down.

"We haven't been properly introduced, that's rude of me. My name is Fugaku, please feel free to call me as such," He said holding out his hand.

"Naruto," he introduced himself and took the hand and received a powerful shake.

"Fugaku, go fetch Sasuke," Mikoto's voice came from the hallway where she was bringing plates out.

"I can go," Naruto said dipping his head before he headed down the hall while Fugaku nodded and moved to help relocate everything to the dining room. Naruto walked swiftly down the hall and when he got to Sasuke's room he closed the door behind him and leaned on it.

"Everything alright?" Sasuke said as he looked up from what he was doing.

"Your dad is scary," Naruto whispered loudly.

"He's not going to do anything," Sasuke said with a frown.

"No, I know. I just need a sec," Naruto said with a hum. "Dinner's ready though."

"Better get down there then, he hates being kept waiting," Sasuke said.

"You told him about us knowing each other?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke paused for a long moment and looked tense. Naruto couldn't figure out why he might be acting that way, "Kind of, it was really vague," Sasuke admitted.

"I think that maybe we need to talk about how we tell people…I mean, just so we're not all messed up and being all contradictory and whatever. It'd be really confusing if you're all like, okay so we met in kindergarten once upon a time and then I was like, well I went hand gliding this one year and there was this ner—"

"—Are you done?" Sasuke cut him off, not looking impressed.

"I…uh, yeah…" He said and he ran his fingers through his hair.

"We met at the park when we were six or seven. Your parents had a vacation spot near here so I'd see you during the summer time in following years…and then eventually kept contact through cell phones. My dad knows we lost contact…so that's a thing," Sasuke said.

"How would he know we lost contact?" Naruto asked, Sasuke sounded like he had thought about this, Naruto admittedly hadn't had anything other than passing thoughts.

"I may have mentioned you when we were in high school at some point. That's why my dad was talking to you about us meeting before. I haven't said anything to my mother more than what she forced out of me, so he has to remember from back then," Sasuke said.

"When…we were in high school?" Naruto said with a frown.

"Yes," Sasuke said, doing the thing he did when he was trying to end a conversation. The tone of his voice suggested he wasn't going to say any more on the matter.

"You're not telling me something, but I'm going to drop it until after dinner," Naruto said quietly hoping he wouldn't forget.

"Let's go then," Sasuke said, acting like he didn't care.

"So, Naruto, tell me what is it you're in school for, Sasuke hasn't told me much," Sasuke's mother said as she ate.

Naruto looked down at his plate and he tipped his head, "I'm taking a two year foundations art course right now. I'm still somewhat undecided on whether I want to continue on with my BFA and double major in Drawing and Painting. I also would like to be a sign language interpreter," Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke looked up at Naruto and he frowned to himself. He didn't know why, but they had never really talked about it. He knew that Naruto wanted to be an artist, but being an interpreter wasn't something he had been privy to. "Really?" his mom said. "Do you have any pictures of your work?"

"Do you mind cell phones at the table?" He asked. Sasuke wasn't used to Naruto acting so timid, but he imagined that he was trying very hard not to embarrass either of them in front of his parents.

"Not usually, but please," his mom said.

Naruto dug his phone out and he turned it on. It took only a few moments before he pulled a picture up, "Just swipe for other paintings," Naruto said with a smile as his mom took the phone from him.

"Art, that doesn't seem very stable," His father said as he continued to eat, not looking up from his plate and Sasuke's lip twitched.

"Ah, it's the best shot I have I'm afraid," Naruto said quietly and Sasuke could already here Naruto's self-worth plummet. "You can support yourself on art, but there's normally only one student per class that might do something. It's not just about talent, but ambition too," Naruto said.

"You have no ambition?" his father shot Naruto a look from beneath his hair and Naruto shifted in his seat.

"I'm trying to think practically. I feel passionate about interpreting, if I could practice art on the side regardless of making any income off of it, that's always good. Besides, art's not always about money," Naruto said.

"I don't get what else it would be for," He said, Naruto simply decided to stay quiet.

"Oh, honey, you must look at this one," his mother said and leaned over to show him.

His father looked for a moment before he turned back to his plate and continued eating. There was silence for a long moment as his mother continued to gaze down at the phone. "Naruto works really hard at what he does," Sasuke said quietly.

"It looks like it," said his father. Naruto probably didn't know, but Sasuke knew his father was at least a little impressed.

"I would love to see these in person someday," his mother said and gave Naruto's phone back.

"I wish I could have brought some all the way here, but I'm pretty sure they're too big for Sasuke's car," Naruto said sheepishly.

"What is it your guardian's do?"

"Uh, Iruka, he's a primary school teacher, and Kakashi used to work for law enforcement, but he's trying this new thing where he thinks he's a writer," Naruto said with a shrug. Sasuke's eyes stayed on Naruto, he hadn't heard of any of that either. He didn't know why they didn't talk about this sort of thing, but he found himself kind of angry that his mother was getting answers so easily out of the blonde when Sasuke likely had no chance.

"Law enforcement as well, how interesting," his Father said, and he noticed the odd gaze that he pinned on Sasuke.

"You're being so quiet Sasuke," He heard his mom say.

"Sasuke's pretty quiet all the time though," Naruto said thoughtfully.

"So true, he's never been much for chatter, even when he was a child. He spent most of his time day dreaming to himself," she said and Sasuke's lip twitched as he shared a glance with Naruto.

"Naruto, pass me the salt will you?" His father spoke.

"T-the salt, right," Naruto took a moment to respond and Sasuke was about to reach for it even though it was farther away from him, but Naruto beat him to it. He could see Naruto shaking and he felt something deep in his stomach clench as Naruto nearly knocked it over. "Here you are," Naruto said shaking his head before the bottle clattered to the table and the top popped off leaving the salt to pour into a neat little pile. "Shit, I mean…I'm so sorry," Naruto said as he stood. "I'm really…I-I don't know what happened, I just…" his breathing was growing faster as he tried to scoop the pile up. His father and mother were staring at him wide eyed and Sasuke needed to intervene.

"Naruto, please don't worry about it, it was an accident," His mother said, sounding soothing, but Naruto didn't seem to hear.

"No, it was clumsy of me, I'm always clumsy I just need to," Sasuke could hear the tremor in the blonde's voice and Sasuke reached his hand forward and very nearly clasped Naruto's hands with his. At that moment he saw the image of Orochimaru's hand firmly around Naruto's fingers and he stopped himself.

"Naruto," He said, firmer than he normally did. Naruto looked up at him, he was doe eyed, as if he were staring oblivion in the eye. "Leave it," He urged quietly, his and on Naruto's forearm.

"Excuse me," He said quickly when he stood then he headed for the front door.

"What on earth was that about?" His father said in an odd mixture of surprise and irritation.

"We need to talk about some things when I get back," Sasuke said as he stood. His father could wait, Naruto couldn't. He looked at his father for a moment and recognized an expression that said he was in trouble, but he didn't care. "Don't say anything to him about it," Sasuke said before he took off toward the front door. It wasn't hard to find Naruto half way up the block. His foot prints were in the snow and Sasuke huffed and turned back inside for a brief moment to grab Naruto's coat before he took off down the sidewalk running regardless of the snow and possible ice. "Naruto!"

"Go away Sasuke," Naruto said, his voice breathy.

"No," Sasuke said firmly, trying to play this correctly.

"This was a terrible, stupid fucking idea," he said angrily.

"Maybe it was a little soon, damn it Naruto can you stop?" Sasuke reached out and grasped Naruto's arm and he pushed him off, but he did stop to turn around.

"Sasuke, leave me alone!" He said, all the fear seemed to be gone and all that was left was Naruto's hot headed anger.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Nothing, I was all embarrassed because I'm sitting there telling myself that 'Okay Naruto don't be a fucking idiot, just fucking pass the salt no big deal,' but no I drop the fucking salt. I'm such a fucking dumbass!" His speech was beginning to speed up and Sasuke grasped at Naruto's wrists to stop his wildly gesturing hands.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked again, even though he already knew.

"I just told you," Naruto said trying to tug away, but Sasuke pulled him closer.

"Naruto…this is about more than the fact that we were having dinner with my parents," Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto looked at him, he looked cornered but instead of doing anything too aggressive, Sasuke laced their fingers together. "I…" Naruto started and Sasuke could feel him shaking as Naruto finally decided to close his fingers around Sasuke's too.

"You can tell me anything," He urged quietly.

Naruto looked at him before he looked back to the house, "It's stupid…" Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke's jaw tensed, it was hard not to blow his cover because panicking over such a severe memory was not stupid. "You also don't have to tell me anything," Sasuke made sure to say. Naruto looked off to the side and didn't say anything. Sasuke sighed and he nodded, "Whatever happened Naruto, a little salt isn't going to bother my parents," he tried before he stepped back. "If you're not going to come inside, put this on," Sasuke said holding up Naruto's coat.

Naruto looked at him before he reached an arm forward and as he turned his body he slid his arm through one of the sleeves before turning and repeating with the other. "Sasuke…"

"Naruto, I know a lot of fucked up shit happened before you ended up with Iruka and Kakashi…you don't have to tell me anything, but when things bother you, you don't have to run off. I'm right here," he said.

"I don't want to think about it. Talking about it means thinking about it." Naruto said.

Sasuke knew that wasn't good, he had some behavioural studies under his belt. Not much, but a little from school and a little from his father even though his father was absolutely shit at human interaction. "I'm still right here," Sasuke said, just letting him know the option was there.

Naruto looked at him for just a moment before he leaned forward and rested his forehead on Sasuke's shoulder. The raven breathed in deeply and felt a flutter beneath his ribs and he rested his hand on Naruto's shoulder blade. It was one very light touch before Naruto's arms were clinging around him tightly. "Shh…" Sasuke said.

"It was bad Sasuke…" Naruto whispered quietly.

A part of him wished he didn't know already, if only so Naruto could tell him first. "I know…" Sasuke said quietly.

"I don't think you do," Naruto muttered.

"I don't have to know if you don't want me to," Sasuke's speech was redundant, but he felt it was needed. He felt a familiar heart break at Naruto's silence. He was talking, but he wasn't saying anything.

"Okay…" Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke breathed out, his warm breath clouding in the cold air. "Let's go for a walk," He said quietly.

Naruto nodded against his shoulder and he rubbed the back of his head. Sasuke knew Naruto would follow him as soon as he started walking, but he opted to simply hold Naruto's hand instead. He remembered shortly after they reunited, Naruto made fun of him being a hand holder, but the reality was he still had a hard time believing Naruto was really beside him. "Your parents probably think I'm a freak," Naruto said after a while.

"My mother doesn't think that, she's probably just concerned," Sasuke said, if he had to lie about the dreams he had, he'd rather not lie about anything else.

"So your dad thinks I'm a freak," Naruto said and rubbed at his face with his free hand and groaned.

"My dad thinks I'm a freak, it's not a big deal," Sasuke.

"How in the world do I go back in there?" Naruto said.

Sasuke didn't know, so he stayed quiet for a moment as they walked at a beyond casual pace. "Well…we could just say you were nervous, and got a little too worked up…or you could tell them the truth," Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto groaned again, "Why do I have a feeling you're going to tell them either way?" Naruto said.

Sasuke froze and looked at Naruto before he cleared his throat. "Why would you say that?"

Naruto huffed, "I'm not even going to start with how flawed your thinking is," he said and he pulled his hand away.

"Naruto, it's not like that," He said quietly. He wasn't actually going to say anything, he just needed to straighten things out with his father more than give him Naruto's life story.

"What's it like then?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke grasped Naruto's hand again and this time the blonde didn't pull away he just kept walking. "They're just concerned, I'm not telling them anything I promise. Anything they know is going to be because you told them," Sasuke said.

"It's just hard to talk about," Naruto said as he kicked a little snow with his shoe.

"Don't even worry about me Naruto," Sasuke said, and he might have said something else if he didn't feel his footing slide against a sheet of ice on the ground. Next thing he knew his shoulder was smarting and he was staring up at the sky. Naruto let out a loud squawk and he tripped over Sasuke. When Sasuke gathered all his thoughts again, he was on his back on the sidewalk and Naruto's was as well with his legs strewn across Sasuke's middle suggesting that he tripped over Sasuke.

"Ughhhh, call 911, I think I broke my ass," Naruto muttered but he didn't move.

"Sorry, I uh…I guess I didn't let go of your hand," that was embarrassing.

Naruto shifted himself up onto his elbows and looked down at Sasuke, "Y'think? I'm going to have a bruise on my butt."

"Che, trust you to complain, you okay?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, how about you, you hit your head?" Naruto said and he reached forward and gently wedged his fingers beneath Sasuke's head and began to massage at it.

Sasuke's brows lifted and he shook his head, "No, hit my shoulder," Sasuke said quietly. Naruto's eyes were half lidded as he looked at Sasuke.

"That's a little better…" Naruto said before sucking a breath in through his nose and he laid back and stared up at the sky. It was cold outside, and it made sense since the stars were out in the middle of a snowy winter.

"Want to get up? Kind of a weird place for stargazing," Sasuke said.

"No…" Naruto said and he rested one of his hands on his stomach, his scarred cheeks were growing pink in the cold. Sasuke could only imagine what his face looked like.

"Okay, we'll stay here then," Sasuke said with a frown.

Naruto was quiet for a long while, spending time looking up at the stars. There were eventually a few streaks of light before Naruto finally decided to speak again. "Orochimaru had a lot of rules…I mean a lot of them were really generic, but if you disobeyed them the punishment was really harsh."

Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto instead of the sky for a moment and Naruto quieted down. He reached forward and he pushed Sasuke's face so he could only see the stars again. "Don't look at me…" Naruto's voice rasped hard to get the words out, and Sasuke was left feeling helpless until Naruto finally decided to speak again, "I fucked up one day and we were eating dinner and he asked me to pass the salt. Instead of taking it from me, the fucker broke my fingers. It took me hours to convince him to help me set them, because I didn't know how," Naruto said quietly as he flexed his hand against his stomach, the same hand that had been injured.

Sasuke had to close his eyes to hear the words. He had seen it before, and he could see it so vividly again behind his lids. It was so much harder to hear Naruto saying it, harder than he thought it might be. "Naruto…" He murmured quietly. He didn't look at Naruto, but he reached out and grasped his hand gently before he brought his hand up to his mouth and kissed his knuckle. "The doctors never noticed anything?"

"What doctors?" Naruto said.

"Your fingers healed well," Sasuke said as he unwound Naruto's hand and grazed along his knuckle with his fingertips.

"I freak out about things sometimes…" Naruto said.

"I get it. Have you ever seen anyone about it?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto snorted and he sighed. "Fuck, yeah…a lot. It kind of just stops helping after a while, besides what the fuck do they know anyway? I'm fine…" Naruto said, but he didn't sound very convincing.

"Oh my god, bring me the phone there's two boys out here I think they're dead!" an older woman's voice sounded. "Why? Because they're not moving, why can't you just listen to me for once!"

Sasuke blinked as he heard it and he turned to Naruto who was staring over wide eyed before he burst out laughing. "We're fine! I promise!" He called out and he shifted up onto his elbow.

"Hold it, they're moving!" she called back inside. "You're not dead are you?"

There was the slightest mumble as Naruto awkwardly twisted his legs off of Sasuke before he lifted himself to his feet and held his hand out for him to grab. "We're alive!" Naruto called out again.

When Sasuke was standing as well he heard her voice again, "Who just lays there in the street! Don't tell me it's my imagination!" she yelled into the house before she slammed the door.

Naruto was having a hard time trying to keep a straight face. "Well, at least we know if we were in real trouble we'd likely get some help," he snickered to himself.

"You know, I've lived in that house my entire life, and I still don't know what her name is," Sasuke said.

"It's friggen cold out here," Naruto said all of a sudden as he looked back toward Sasuke's house.

"It doesn't help that you have snow melting all over your back," Sasuke said as he reached over and brushed it off before he felt Naruto doing the same.

"Not my fault, I'm supposed to be the one who trips, y'know?" He said.

Sasuke snorted and he pushed at Naruto's hands, "It was the ice, not me," Sasuke said.

"You can't even apologize, you like grabbed onto me with this giant hulk man grip and dragged me down with you!"

"I guess I can't live without you," Sasuke said before he froze for a moment before he cleared his throat.

Naruto looked at him, his eyes wide again before he chuckled breathily and adjusted his coat. "Yeah, it'd be awfully lonely," Naruto said quietly as he kept walking. Great, he'd made it awkward.

"Oh no…" Sasuke said quietly as the moment just got even more awkward.

"What?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"That's my brother's car," He said quietly.

"He can't be that bad," Naruto said with a frown.

"Have you met him?"

"Well, no," Naruto said.

"Okay, maybe he's not that bad," Sasuke said quietly. "But he's probably going to make you feel uncomfortable…"

"Sasuke, how much more uncomfortable do you think I can feel? Your parents seem really wonderful, but I kind of can't wait to catch the train home tomorrow," Naruto cleared his throat.

"You sure you don't want me to drive you?" Sasuke asked.

"It took us forever to get here in the snow, I'm a big boy Sasuke, I know how to buy a train ticket," He said with a smirk.

"Think we could stay out here for a bit longer?" Sasuke said.

Naruto stopped and looked at him before he laughed and he grabbed Sasuke's hand briefly. "I think if we stay out any longer we run the real risk of hypothermia," Naruto said before he grabbed Sasuke's lips in a kiss that lasted a few moments too long perhaps.

"Shit, don't do that. We have to stay two doors away from my parents," Sasuke muttered.

"I can be quiet," Naruto hummed.

"Quit joking," Sasuke said trying to think of anything else.

Naruto almost cackled when he threw his head back. "C'mon, nerd, better get inside and get this over with," he said.

"Fine," Sasuke rolled his eyes and followed Naruto into the house.

Naruto felt a massive amount of tension vanish from his body when they had returned from their walk, if you could even call it that. There was only a little lingering when they stepped inside the house. It was mostly quiet, save for a few mumbled voices.

"We're back!" Sasuke called out only to be answered by his mom answering them from the dining room. "Just give us a sec!"

"A sec?" Naruto asked.

"My dad will have a heart attack if we show up all damp," Sasuke said and ushered Naruto back toward his room.

"You just want to get me out of my clothes," Naruto huffed as the door closed.

"Shut up, Itachi could be anywhere," Sasuke muttered and revealed that he had grabbed a towel somewhere on the way to the room.

"Why would that matter?" Naruto said as he tugged at his shirt and pants with a heavy sigh. He had planned to wear these things the next day.

"Just trust me on this," Sasuke said as he walked over to Naruto and he dumped a towel on his head heavily.

"Ugh, Sasuke, I'm not afraid to hit you in your parent's house, remember how I told you I could totally kick your ass?" Naruto growled when his head dipped with the weight of the towel. They ended up in weird wrestling matches from time to time which more than once ended up turning into something completely different.

"I would pay you $500 if you could land a single hit," Sasuke snarked at him.

"You'd be a poor man Sasuke," Naruto said, but he could see the amusement in Sasuke's eyes when the other man finally adjusted the towel so Naruto could see again.

"I bet," he said as he began to towel off Naruto's hair. Naruto looked at him a moment and he breathed in deeply. He wasn't used to this overwhelming peace he felt with Sasuke. It was sometimes fleeting, but when they were on their own like this he felt indomitable. "Get dressed moron," Sasuke said.

"You're a butt," Naruto said annoyed and proceeded to do as told as Sasuke turned away with a chuckle.

-::0::-

They walked back in and Sasuke's parents were still sitting there finished with their plates, but they were lingering. It didn't take much to figure out why. Maybe they would have waited for Sasuke and he to return, but another man was sitting at the table in one of the vacant seats thwarted that theory. Naruto would bet all his money on it being Itachi. "I'm sorry about that," Naruto said quietly as he moved to sit down where his plate was waiting for him.

"Think nothing of it, I just hope it didn't get too cold," Mikoto said with a smile. "This is Sasuke's older brother, Itachi," She said gesturing to the other man.

Naruto turned to look at him finally and hi brows lifted. It was almost ridiculous how attractive one family could be, but more than that, Itachi commanded attention and it had absolutely nothing to do with his looks. "Itachi," He said his chin dipping as if he were trying to say the name right. "I'm Naruto," He said holding his hand out.

The man smiled, but it didn't seem to reach his eyes as he returned the handshake with an odd sense of gentle power. "Ah, so the imaginary fishcake is, in fact, real," he said.

"I'm sorry?" Naruto frowned as he looked over to Sasuke as he walked in the room.

"He's insane, that's what," Sasuke said as he sat down.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto said.

Sasuke looked at her and he sighed, "Sorry, mother."

"I'm not the one that needs apologizing to," She said.

"It's fine, mother. My baby brother just doesn't know how to express how much he missed me," Itachi said and Naruto didn't know if he was amused or not.

Sasuke snorted and he looked down at his plate and he began to eat without acknowledging him, at least not right away. "I think silence expresses it just fine."

"But you're speaking, aren't you?" Itachi said and Naruto could hear Sasuke's grip on his utensils tighten with a squeak.

Naruto had to fight not to smile at the words. It was weird, but seeing how easily Itachi pushed Sasuke's buttons was almost hilarious. "Well, I don't think I'm imaginary," Naruto said trying to divert the attention from Sasuke.

"No, I suppose not. I sincerely lamented for my little brother's well-being when he used to talk about fishcakes when he was younger. I suppose some would find it cute that he was so in love with them at such a young age," Itachi said, and Sasuke's hands were squeaking again. "You used to cause a lot of trouble, of course I hear you're still causing trouble, Naruto," He said.

"I hope you choke," Sasuke said just as Itachi made to take a bite and the man just smiled and Naruto felt a little uncomfortable.

"Sasuke, cut it out," Fugaku said this time, but Sasuke didn't even flinch.

"Used to?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"He means I punched him because he made fun of something I said about you when I was younger," Sasuke said.

"Punch is a strong word for it, Sasuke, you flailed," Itachi said.

"Must you two act like this all the time? It's been months since we've all been home together like this, you can be civil for two minutes, like you used to when Sasuke was still in high school," Mikoto said and Naruto found himself wondering what had changed.

"If memory serves me correct, Sasuke spent a lot of time suspended in high school," Itachi said and Sasuke breathed in deeply. "I joke of course, Sasuke, calm down," Itachi said.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow," Sasuke said.

"I couldn't wait to get back to you baby brother, I told myself I simply had to buy the next available flight home when I finished up my final exam," Itachi said. "Besides, I heard mother say something about you bringing someone home with you, I couldn't miss the chance to meet someone able to tame your clumsy heart."

If Naruto had to respond, he probably would have stammered at the comment. "You have two very interesting sons," Naruto said quietly.

"They're both a pain," Fugaku said quietly. "If only because of their smart mouths."

"I apologize, father," Itachi said, dipping his head before he began to fill the night with discussion on his schooling. The only thing that Naruto learned afterward was how intelligent Itachi was.

When everyone was finally finished Naruto stepped inside the kitchen while Sasuke headed down toward his room to finish unpacking the rest of his things. "Hey, let me help you with the dishes," Naruto said with a smile when he found Mikoto placing the leftovers away.

Mikoto looked as if she were about to protest when Itachi placed his hand on her back, much like Sasuke had when they arrived. "Go ahead, mother, go relax," He said with a small smile on his face. All the harsh words gone from his lips as he urged her out.

"Alright, Itachi will show you where things go," She said with a nod as she disappeared.

"I hear you're an artist," Itachi said calmly.

"I hear you're an asshole," Naruto said and he blinked, "Uh…Sasuke said you were in law school?" He mumbled in apology and Itachi simply laughed.

"My little brother is so touchy," He said as he started washing the dishes after handing Naruto a towel to dry.

"If all siblings act like you two, I'm surprised there aren't more people like Sasuke out there," Naruto mused.

"Oh, come now, I'm not that bad," Itachi hummed.

"Sure, sure," Naruto said. When he had first heard Itachi, it left him incredibly confused. Naruto often knew who was trustworthy and who wasn't, but Itachi had been a bit of a question mark. It took only a short amount of time with the man for another weird sense of comfort to wash over him.

"You of course know that we need to have a customary, hurt my baby brother and I'll hurt you talk, right?" Itachi said.

Naruto blinked and he looked down to the plate before he placed it up in the cupboard where Itachi had indicated when they had first started. "I have no intentions of hurting your baby brother," Naruto said, maybe a little too amused at Sasuke being referred to as a baby.

"Then we should have no troubles," Itachi said as he dried a utensil himself and he leaned over, trapping Naruto in the corner of the L shaped counter. His hair fell over his shoulder and fresh scented cologne wafted through the air.

"Do you mind?" Naruto said as he pressed back against the counter.

Itachi simply smirked as he placed the utensil in the drawer, "Sasuke just walked by," He said low in his throat. He lingered there, boxing Naruto in for a moment before slowly standing up. Naruto had almost forgotten Itachi was there as his head snapped to look toward the door to see nothing but Sasuke's foot before it disappeared.

"What are you playing at?" Naruto said with a growl.

Itachi chuckled, "I knew you weren't that quiet little thing that sat at the dinner table. I don't think Sasuke could put up with someone so docile," he said.

"You know Sasuke's going to be pissed with me now, right? You're an ass," Naruto huffed.

Itachi just smirked as he continued to wash the dishes. "I apologize, I find it too fun messing with Sasuke's things," he said.

"Thing?" Naruto deadpanned.

"Don't misunderstand, I just enjoy messing with Sasuke. It's usually just been his stuff, you're the first…significant other I've met," He said.

"Still doesn't make me a thing," Naruto muttered.

"Of course," Itachi said before he rested his hand on the counter and he looked down at Naruto. "Let me speak seriously for a moment."

"Real talk?"

"What?"

"Nothing," Naruto said and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Seriously now…My father is going to have a talk with you before you leave, and you're not going to enjoy it. You need to remember whatever it is you and Sasuke have more than anything he's going to say, understand?" Itachi said.

"I don't," Naruto said.

"He sees thing practically. Marrying my mother was practical, having children was practical and expected of him, love came after, he doesn't get that sometimes it comes first," He said.

"We've been together two months Itachi," Naruto said. Love was…it was too soon, wasn't it?

"Not the point," Itachi said, but his lip twitched before he answered.

"I think it was," Naruto frowned sensing Itachi's deception.

"Sasuke's been talking about you and thinking of you since he was a child. He's never had trouble making friends, but it seems you're the only one to make any real impact on him. I might not have known you were an actual person, but knowing that now means that anything you say or do is going to move mountains in his world, Naruto. Now let me say this again, hurt my baby brother, and you will be sorry…"

Naruto looked at him and he felt an odd weight that hadn't been there before, "You know, Sasuke doesn't think you care about him, I guess he was wrong," Naruto hadn't really been fooled. He remembered growing up how Sasuke always spoke about how Itachi never had time for him, how his father never had time. All Sasuke wanted was a little attention. All Sasuke's anger stemmed from the fact that the attention he was receiving now, was all wrapped up in some playful ruse he couldn't comprehend. "Maybe you should think about not hurting your baby brother," Naruto said before he dried his hands off and hung the towel in its designated spot before he stepped out of the kitchen.

When he found Sasuke he was back in his room. Naruto stepped side and he closed the door behind him and leaned on it. "Sasuke," he started.

"What the hell was going on in there?" Sasuke said with a frown.

Naruto felt a little angry that he couldn't at least be given the benefit of the doubt. "Your brother's a jerk, that's what," Naruto said quietly.

"What did he do?" Sasuke's attitude turned around immediately and Naruto's brow rose. It was that easy, if Naruto was a bad person he could probably exploit Sasuke's willingness to believe Itachi was evil.

"You know he's messing with you right?" Naruto said.

"Fucker…" Sasuke muttered.

Naruto was about to defend the man, but decided after how uncomfortably close Itachi had gotten to him, it might not have been the best idea. Instead he walked over to the bed and flopped down beside Sasuke. "Your dad doesn't like me," Naruto said.

"How do you figure that?" Sasuke asked.

"I've got a feeling," he shrugged before he tipped his head, "Oh, and Itachi might have said something."

"Okay, one, I can't tell if my father likes me, and two, you can't trust anything that comes out of Itachi's mouth," Sasuke said.

"I dunno…Either way, I'm exhausted. Too bad, I totally would have loved to ruin this bed," Naruto joked as he turned over.

"Don't sleep in your clothes, did you even brush your teeth?" Sasuke muttered.

"I'll get to it, lemme alone I've had enough Uchiha lectures today," he waved his hand right in Sasuke's face.

"I guess we can be hard to handle," Sasuke said as he laid back on the bed and placed the book he was reading off onto the stand.

Naruto turned his head to look at Sasuke and he reached out and pushed Sasuke's hair back. "You need a haircut," he said.

"My mom said the same thing…" Sasuke frowned.

Naruto chuckled to himself before he decided to get back up, "Bathroom, where is this place of teeth bushing and pissing, yeah?"

Sasuke's face scrunched in distaste and with a foot on Naruto's back he shoved him off the bed, "Gross, it's just across the hall, moron."

"Ow, you're a jerk," Naruto muttered as he rubbed his backside.

There was a knock on the door hardly a second after, "Is everything alright in there?" it was Sasuke's mother.

"Yeah, Naruto is just being a dumbass," Sasuke called out.

"I am not jerk face! You know that's the second time I've fallen on my ass today, both times were your fault!" Naruto growled out and Sasuke just smirked.

"I see…" there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "I'll see you in the morning," she said.

"You just yelled at me sort of in front of my mother," Sasuke said, smirk still spread wide across his face.

"You deserved it! Look at this" Naruto said flicking Sasuke's foot before he stood up and yanked his pants down enough to reveal his backside. Really, he had no idea if there was a bruise there or not, but he wasn't letting Sasuke off that easily, "See this precious thing? It's all bruised up because of you, and I will get you back for it!" He said and went to his bag to grab some of his things before stepping out of the room well aware that Sasuke was chuckling under his breath.

When he stepped out of the room he glanced both ways before dashed across the hall into the bathroom. When he finished he exited and was about to head back into Sasuke's room when he saw Fugaku standing at the end of the hall. When their eyes met the older man beckoned him over and Naruto's stomach dropped. He was done, he couldn't handle any more stress. He was seriously beginning to regret not staying home. He usually didn't have issues doing what Sasuke wanted, but this was proving to be too much. "Yes?" He said when he reached the end of the hall.

"Walk with me," He said in his deep voice and headed toward the bedroom. He had sincerely hoped that Itachi would have been wrong.

"Sure," He said quietly.

"Take a seat," He said once they reached the living room, so Naruto did. He sat at the edge of one of the chairs and he kept his hands on his knees. "I'm going to be frank with you, Naruto. I'm sure you're a nice boy, but I don't think I'm comfortable with your involvement with my son."

"Sir?" Naruto said quietly as much as he hated the word. He knew this had something to do with the incident at dinner.

"Don't misunderstand," that seemed to be a very popular phrase in the house, "but I'm sensing a pattern between yourself and Sasuke. He's spoken with me a few times about you while growing up, and quite honestly you hold a fair amount of influence on my son, too much if you ask me. I'm not sure what your living situation was growing up, but your behaviour tonight shows that whatever it was affected you greatly."

Naruto was taken aback by all the things Fugaku was saying. His fingers balled on his knees and he let out a breath, "That's a rather large speculation on your part, isn't it?"

"I've been in law enforcement for a long time Naruto, I've seen similar behaviours countless times in my younger years. If I'm mistaken I apologize, but I think we both know that I'm not," he said. "It's clear on your face," he said.

Naruto's lip twitched and he felt himself getting angry. "What does my childhood have to do with Sasuke and me?" the scars, he'd seen the scars…it wasn't like they weren't obvious, but people always made wild accusations about them. He wished that he could rub them away.

"I don't know what he has in his head about you, but I don't need my son running around after you, trying to save you like he did tonight. It's not healthy for him, and you need to find help for yourself and not rely on my son," Fugaku said.

"I've never relied on anyone in my entire life," Naruto said defensively, he never really had the option.

"There is also the matter of fact that when you two were in high school, something you did prompted Sasuke to run away. I had to network my way through other police departments to arrest and detain my son before something happened to him," he said.

Naruto blinked and he looked over his shoulder toward the hall. He recalled a vague dream from when he was younger, much younger, of a teenage Sasuke walking along the road with a bag slung over his shoulder, thumb extended out toward the highway. "I didn't do anything…" Naruto said quietly, wondering what the hell Sasuke would run away for. "Don't you think you should be talking to Sasuke about this?"

"I think you know my son well enough that he wouldn't listen to a word I say. As his father, I am asking you to do what's best for Sasuke's life, since he won't do it for himself," Fugaku said adjusting his shirt as he made to stand up.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Naruto said, his throat dry as he moved to stand.

"It's nothing personal, you seem like a nice young man," Fugaku said quietly before left the room. "Have a good sleep."

Naruto sat in the chair for a moment longer. He looked around the living area, everything seemed to be in place. Even the family photos seemed staged, but Naruto could sense the real concern the entire family had for Sasuke. He was glad that Sasuke had people that loved him so much. He felt an emotional pinch at the back of his senses and ran his hands over his face before he leaned back on the couch. He didn't get how both Sasuke's father and brother could both tell him to do what was best for Sasuke, but seemingly not mean the same things. Itachi didn't really define what he meant, but he made it clear he didn't agree with what his father was going to say. He finally stood and headed back to the room, making sure to turn the lights off on his way there since everyone had already gone to their respective rooms. He pushed the door to Sasuke's room only to find him reading his books again.

"You took rather long," Sasuke said.

"Did I?" Naruto said as he crawled over Sasuke to flop against the bed next to the wall.

"What did you get up to?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing," Naruto said and Sasuke turned to look at him.

"You look tired," He said.

"Long day," Naruto shrugged as he wiggled to get under the covers and closed his eyes.

"I guess it has been, you sure you want to head back so early? We could go out and do some things tomorrow," Sasuke offered.

"I dunno if that'd be a good idea," Naruto said. "Did you run away from home when you were a kid?" Naruto asked suddenly.

"What?" Sasuke said and he put the book down, probably for good this time.

"Did you run away…I mean, I dreamt it once, but your dad said something just now," Naruto said.

"What did he say?" Sasuke said.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and he bit the inside of his cheek as he thought. He didn't know what the best thing for Sasuke was…it could be either sides of the argument and Naruto didn't know which one Sasuke would be better off with. "I don't know, he blames me for it though," Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke cursed under his breath, "Of course he'd pick now to get involved in my life," Sasuke muttered as he sat up and leaned over Naruto. "Yeah, I did…I had some sense of where you might have been, and I wanted to find you," Sasuke said.

Naruto's eyes widened and he thought back and thanked whoever the fuck was out there that Sasuke didn't find him. He wasn't ready for Sasuke back then. "That's dumb," Naruto said.

"I'd do it again, what else did he say?" Sasuke sounded angry.

"Dunno…" Naruto shrugged.

"Quit fucking around Naruto," Sasuke said and Naruto reached up and slapped Sasuke lightly on the forehead.

"Calm down, jerk," He muttered as he turned toward the wall.

"Sorry," he said as he laid back down judging from how the mattress moved.

"He thinks I'm trouble," Naruto shrugged.

"That's what he said?"

"More or less," Naruto shrugged.

"Don't listen to him," Sasuke said as if it were that easy.

Naruto was quiet and he tried to adjust the covers just a little more to get comfortable when he felt Sasuke's presence over him. "Naruto…I mean it, don't listen to him," he said firmly.

Naruto looked up at him and his lip twitched, "Sasuke, we're fine," He said calmly.

"Good," Sasuke said as he rested back down on the bed.

Naruto watched Sasuke as he settled down onto his pillow and got comfortable. He didn't know how to go about this, he really wished he had prepared for this trip. He was way too impulsive sometimes. "Sasuke?"

"Hm?" Sasuke turned to face away from him and Naruto reached out and began to draw small patterns on his back.

"Your brother told me he'd gut me if I ever hurt you," Naruto said.

Sasuke snorted, "My brother would never use those words, try again," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto smiled quietly and remembered brief dreams of Sasuke as a child. He idolized Itachi so much, to see the complete opposite was still weird to him after a life time full of expectations on what Sasuke would be like if he were real. "Fine, he just said he'd hurt me if I hurt is poor bitty baby brother," Naruto grinned.

"I feel like you're making fun of me, but I believe it," Sasuke said.

Naruto laughed and he decided to get more comfortable as well with a long stretch. "Kick me in your sleep Sasuke, and I'm going to kick you back," He muttered.

"Who pushed who off of whose bed the other week?" Sasuke muttered.

"Details, who needs them? Do it and you're done," he said poking at Sasuke's side and Sasuke simply slapped at his hand.

"Moron," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto smiled and decided to close his eyes. "Night," He said quietly before letting himself fall asleep.

"I'm sorry child," Orochimaru's hands were on his face again…it was always the face, he hated it so fucking much. Naruto decided to try and be indifferent because it didn't matter what he said, he'd still get in trouble. At least this way he wouldn't give Orochimaru the satisfaction of forgiveness.

"You've said," Naruto whispered quietly.

"Don't be that way…" Orochimaru sounded upset, but he was a snake and couldn't be trusted. Naruto wanted nothing to do with any part of him, not by this point.

"I'm not being anything," it was one of those rare times when he didn't have to address him as sir, or even address him at all.

"It won't happen again, how could I mar something so perfect," he murmured and pressed a kiss into his mouth. Naruto had to fight to remain still. This awkward, sickening behaviour was so damn hard to accept. There was a second kiss, "Hmm?" it was like he expected an answer…like he expected Naruto to believe him when one moment he was telling Naruto he was worthless, that nobody wanted him and that he was being done a favour by being taken in by the pervert then the next he was whispering lies of some distorted sort of love.

"I don't know…" he whispered softly, breaking just a little as the man's mouth trailed down his neck. He hadn't done much more than this, but every time Orochimaru did something painful, he always seemed to do even more, and when Naruto excelled at anything he did even worse.

The man's fingers brushed over the ugly splint on his hand and the man shook his head and pet his hair back with a clammy hand. "I'm sorry," He murmured into the spot before his ear.

Naruto's eyes closed and he thought about why he was here, why he chose to stay, why he didn't know how to walk out the door and tell someone, tell anyone. Every damned time he tried, every single time he worked out the right words to freedom he would open his mouth and nothing would fall from his lips there was nothing he could do that would convince them to fall. His eyes closed tight as the man's hands caressed his thighs, and the bite of terror pinched behind his sinuses, and a cold tear squeezed from beneath his lashes, "I don't know…" he whispered.

-::0::-

Sasuke's eyes snapped open on the strangled sound of his breath. He lurched forward and grasped the edge of the bed and stared into the darkness of his room. His fingers were shaking as he gripped at the covers tightly, he couldn't seem to still them. It was only a short moment of confusion before he reached behind him and he felt Naruto's arm on his side. He grasped it gently and he turned to look at the other man. His hand moved to the side of his face and he tried his best not to wake him…if it was just him dreaming, maybe it was okay…but it didn't make him want to lay down and close his eyes. There were fewer and fewer things that could convince him to sleep it seemed.

It was hard watching Naruto sometimes, knowing what happened. There was some fucked up logic in his head that didn't let him separate the Naruto he had known from the one he finally had. Knowing that he had a strong desire for the blonde was almost torture in knowing that at one point, the territory that was supposed to be his had been taken by another. It wasn't even some fucked up tarnished image that stilled Sasuke's hand, that tried to still this desire, this feeling, whatever this was…it was the fact that he didn't want to stir the past up. He didn't want to be the reason that Naruto's eyes flared in panic. He knew if he avoided it, it would do the same. He didn't know how to function anymore.

Naruto's snore pulled him from his thoughts and gently combing his hair back Sasuke slid out of bed as gently as he could. He couldn't be in here anymore than he felt he could leave. The only thing that sent Sasuke to the kitchen was that he was convinced it might clear his head. He walked to the fridge quietly and grabbing a glass he filled it with water from the door. He stared at the leftovers on the shelves and gripped the glass until his fingers squeaked against it. The noise was what reminded him to drink, and the cool sensation sliding down his throat only eased him a little.

"You're up late," he heard a deep voice. Turning revealed that it was his father and he grew even angrier.

"You're up in my business so early," Sasuke grumbled as he took another long drink.

"He's spoken to you, hasn't he?" his father said with a grim look on his face as he flicked the light on.

"Not in so many words. Would it fucking kill you to try?" Sasuke said.

"We don't use that language in this house, Sasuke," he said sharply.

"I didn't think we accepted sabotage and betrayal in this house either," Sasuke said.

"Fair enough now close the door," he ordered and Sasuke let the fridge door shut with the hiss of the seal.

"What I don't understand is that he's been killing himself for behaving the way that he does, and it's not his fault, not a damn bit of it is his fault. You have to see that, you've seen it before; I know you have, yet you can't come to me instead?" Sasuke said before he pushed his hair back, Naruto was right, he did need a trim.

"I understand you're angry with me, Sasuke," his father was being amazingly lenient with him.

"I don't think that even begins to scrape the surface of what I'm feeling towards you right now," Sasuke said.

"But you have to realize what my options are," he said.

"You mean like the option to be a civil person meeting another?" Sasuke said.

"I have made every decision in my life for you Sasuke. You don't have children, so you don't understand what it's like to be put in positions to look out for their wellbeing. I know the path you're going to go down with that boy, and it's going to ruin everything I tried to build for you. I gave you everything, I tried to give you the best and most normal childhood I could so you could become successful and so that you could be safe," he said.

Sasuke shook his head and his jaw tensed, "I don't want to be normal," He said, his voice losing a little of its edge from lack of sleep. "I'm not normal," he shook his head. This was probably the closest he'd ever be to telling anyone how fucked up he really was.

"You're not going to be if you continue to see him," he said and he reached forward to grasp Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke's shoulder slackened and allowed his father's hand to slide off and he shook his head. "You should apologize, he's stronger than you could ever hope to be," Sasuke said icily.

"He is," his father said, taking Sasuke by surprise. "Are you capable of being that strong Sasuke? What happens when you're ten years down the line putting up with dysfunctional behaviour and you decide you can't do it anymore? You'll leave, you'll be alone, and you're going to rip out the only support he has."

"I hate to be so cliché, but you don't know me," Sasuke said quietly.

"I know you well enough to know that if I forced you to choose a side, that you wouldn't choose us," his father said, and if Sasuke tried he might have heard emotion there.

Sasuke stared at his father and he looked around the kitchen, the same kitchen that had been there when he was a child. He remembered when he and Itachi used to help their mother bake, and he remembered watching as his father stared at the plate of treats Sasuke brought him and simply look away. "So you want him to choose for me…" Sasuke said. His father didn't say anything, the only thing that could be heard was the ratting of the fridge and Sasuke shook his head. "You're vile," he said quietly.

"You don't deserve the heartbreak you're going to feel, Sasuke," he tried.

Sasuke had already felt heartbreak, probably one of the worst kinds of heartbreak, "He deserves more than I could ever give him," Sasuke said and he headed for the door.

"That pedestal you have him on is only going to hurt you both," he tried to grab Sasuke's arm and Sasuke evaded it.

"I thought you might want to know that I've found an apartment. I'll be fully moved out by the end of the month," Sasuke said firmly before heading back to his bedroom, his father didn't follow. He stood inside the door after he shut it and he just breathed. It was difficult…there was some part of his life and his dreams that had endured heartbreak before. Sometimes he woke and he could feel this maddening anger inside of him, this insane emptiness like someone had robbed him of everything. Sometimes he felt that resentment toward his brother for things that made absolutely no sense. The weight of knowing what had happened to Naruto in this life time, the weight of observing these things in fragments was just as heavy as the potential of walking home to genocide. He walked over to the bed and he sat down and watched Naruto's sleeping face. He also knew the look of heartbreak on Naruto's face as he continuously tried to dig this other Sasuke out from beneath the weight of the world and he knew the heartbreak on Naruto's face when he failed. Sasuke wasn't the same as whatever world he dreamt of, they dreamt of, he needed to make it through this darkness and he needed to pull Naruto through alongside him. Maybe it was his turn to save Naruto in the way that Naruto had saved Sasuke. Maybe the dreams weren't as nonsensical as Naruto thought they were.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's sleep stricken voice sounded as he rolled over to look at Sasuke while rubbing his eyes.

"Shh…" Sasuke murmured quietly and he moved to lay down, throwing his arm over Naruto's side. "I didn't mean to wake you," he said quietly.

"s'okay," He whispered and he relaxed into the embrace. A few weeks ago, Sasuke pressed against Naruto's back would have been met with nothing but tension. This was nice.

"I've got you," Sasuke said quietly.

"What a funny thing to say," Naruto murmured before his breathing slipped back into the disruptive snore Sasuke had been growing accustomed to.

"I've got you…" He murmured before closing his eyes.

TBC…

A little late, but I have been working on it every night between projects to get it to you.
Thank you to those who reviewed, favourited, and followed. It's nice to know that I might be doing something right with such difficult subject matter. It's taxing, but you make it worth it~

Please leave me a line letting me know what you thought of the chapter, and hopefully I'll see you again in a week or two.

KoriC