Hurt,Cope,Heal

At the sound of the front door closing, Naruto slumped tiredly against the bed. He brought a hand up to warily rub at his eyes, the lingering wetness there making him wince. “Yeah, real attractive, Naruto,” he mumbled. Although Sasuke didn’t seem to mind this look you’ve got goin’ on, a snarky voice in his head reminded him. He snickered to himself, remembering how Sasuke’s eyes had darkened in arousal at the sight of him, at his wet, blotchy face. “Wow, what a weirdo...” he laughed.

Mood lifted slightly, he pulled himself off the ground and stood for a moment, allowing the dizziness to fade before trudging into the kitchen. As he ate, he thought about the earlier conversation he’d had with his lover, trying to figure out why he’d reacted so strongly. If he was honest with himself, while it had certainly hurt to hear Sasuke say so brazenly that he thought Naruto was weak, the stabbing pain had really come from realizing that he had been acting weak, that he’d let the fear take over his life for the past year and he really hadn’t tried to get rid of it. He wasn’t the type to stop trying, to let something get the best of him, and so hearing the truth in those whispered words had made his mind and body go slack with startling realization.

It was time he got over this. No more moping around, no more falling prey to that horrible, rabid paranoia, and, he supposed, no more “clinging” to Sasuke. Like a frightened puppy, his mind taunted.

“Stupid asshole,” Naruto grumbled, clearing away his dishes with and popping a mint into his mouth. As he moved towards the living room, he suddenly caught a flash of color in his peripheral vision, and he whirled around, breath caught in his throat. “Shit, Naruto, calm down.” He laughed shakily. It was the same shit, different day. His mind played tricks with him, made him see memories instead of reality, made him want Sasuke’s presence. He shook his head to clear it, hating these automatic responses to being alone. They only further compounded Sasuke’s point.

He sat on the couch, body still tense, and turned on the TV. The jarring sounds of an action movie replaced the awful silence in the room, and he fell asleep within moments.

-----------HURTCOPEHEAL-------------------

“Dobe?” Sasuke called as he entered the apartment, smirking at the thought of the blonde’s reaction to the nickname. For the hundredth time, he thanked the foreign language lessons given to all the major lawyers at his firm in order to “increase international usefulness.” “Naruto?” he called again when there was no answer. An icy fist clamped around his heart. Not again...

He ran into the bedroom, expecting, hoping, needing to see a blonde tuft of hair peeking out of the covers, a wayward, tanned limb thrown across the sheets. No such luck. He swung open the bathroom door; nothing. Bordering on frantically, he moved to the living room, and let out a gust of air he didn’t know he’d been holding at the sight of his stupid dobe sprawled across the couch, snoring lightly.

“Damnit, Naruto, you and your heavy sleeping,” he muttered, running a completely steady – he tried to convince himself– hand through his hair. He leaned down to shake him, fully prepared for the bucking, terrified reaction; Naruto sat up as if electrically shocked, eyes wide as saucers, breath coming in short gasps.

“Easy, it’s me,” Sasuke murmured, hand still miraculously stable on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Why’d you wake me up like that, teme? I coulda hurt you,” Naruto reminded as his heartbeat began to slow. His hand was unconsciously curled around Sasuke’s, clenched tightly. Sasuke smirked at the nickname, remembering how Naruto had begged for him to teach him a swear word in Japanese after finally realizing what “dobe” meant.

“Like you could,” Sasuke snorted, lightening the mood. He didn’t want to admit that he’d woken the man up because he’d been...well, shaken. He’d needed to see those light blue eyes dancing with mirth, gazing at him, proving that their owner was alive and well.

“I’ve kicked your ass before and I can do it again!” Naruto declared hotly, snatching the forearm of the other man and yanking it so that Sasuke was now in the same position Naruto had been in earlier: back pressed against Naruto’s chest, arm bent awkwardly between them.

“All I’m saying,” Naruto murmured lowly against his ear, lips pressed against the white, milky skin, “Is that I can get you like this anytime, anyplace.”

Sasuke shivered at both the words and the hot breath against his ear. For a moment, he was lost, then just as quickly he was back to himself, throwing all of his weight forward so that Naruto was thrust over Sasuke’s back to land on his own with an audible thump and an “oomph.” The blonde breathed harshly for a few seconds, staring up indignantly into Sasuke’s smug, dancing black eyes.

“You ass,” Naruto grumbled, before capturing the man’s lips in an intense upside-down kiss. Sasuke placed one hand on either side of Naruto’s body and leaned forward, kissing the blonde deeply, feeling gusts of breath and flaxen locks brush against his neck, tasting lingering mint as he licked the roof of the blonde’s mouth. Naruto shuddered and lifted a hand to cup the back of Sasuke’s neck, digging into the midnight hair and pulling him down, closer, closer...

“Mm,” Naruto hummed into the other man’s mouth, bringing his other hand up to run up and down one of Sasuke’s arms. Sasuke smirked and pulled away, gazing down at the blonde below him.

“What did you say again about you being able to kick my ass?”

“Quiet, teme,” Naruto growled, before pulling the other down to his lips once again.

----------------HURTCOPEHEAL-------------------

“So I guess this means you’ve forgiven me for this morning?” Sasuke idly asked the naked, blonde-haired growth on his chest.

Naruto shrugged, his fingers tracing gentle circles on the other’s bare hip. “Everything you said was true. There was nothing to forgive.”

“Hn,” Sasuke said noncommittally, but there was something off in his tone.

“Why, were you going to apologize or something?” Naruto asked suspiciously, glancing up at the man, a small, secretive smile forming on his lips.

“No,” Sasuke quickly huffed, looking away from him. “Like you said, I have nothing to be sorry for. I was right.” A trace of haughtiness had naturally seeped into his voice, easily covering up the hint of panic that had sparked. Naruto wasn’t fooled, but decided to go easy on him, settling for poking him sharply in the stomach. “Ouch, what was that for, dobe?”

“You say it like you’re always right,” Naruto retorted, absently soothing the spot with a gentle press of lips.

“And?”

“Shut up.”

“Gonna shove your tongue down my throat again if I don’t?” Sasuke teased, but his eyes were dark and hooded.

“Mm, maybe later,” the blonde replied, burrowing deeper into the man’s warmth as a cool draft passed over his bare limbs.

“Did I tire you out, dobe?” the dark-haired man asked, snickering.

“Yes, Almighty Sasuke, your loving was just too much for me to handle! I'm now so exhausted that I am at the brink of unconsciousness, maybe even death!” Naruto cooed, batting his eyelashes outlandishly and fanning his face emphatically with his hand.

“Sex-induced death, Naruto? I’m good, but I’m not that good,” Sasuke said derisively, but a small smile crept unbidden onto his face at the blonde’s antics. Naruto grinned, pillowed his arms on the other’s chest and propped his chin upon them, gazing goofily at his lover.

“You lovee me,” he sang happily.

“Hn, you’re in a good mood,” Sasuke commented, vaguely amused, hand reaching out to thread through the blonde locks.

Naruto lifted a shoulder briefly in a half shrug, suddenly serious, saying, “Yeah, I guess so. I think confronting...this... was startling, but in a good way. I feel like I have a goal now, and you know how I am with those...”

Sasuke smirked. “Yeah, a raging bull can’t stop you once you’ve set your mind to something.” Naruto thought he heard a faint note of pride in the other’s voice. He leaned down, kissed the smooth chest again, unable to resist the expanse of skin before him.

“Yup, believe it,” he belatedly agreed, nuzzling further.

“Stop, your hair’s tickling me,” Sasuke whined, slapping at his lover half-heartedly.

“I can’t help it, you’re so irresistible,” Naruto murmured, nosing and kissing at the muscled chest. Sasuke squirmed, the strands of hair wreaking havoc upon his sensitive skin. Naruto smiled evilly, reveling in the knowledge that only he possessed, that Sasuke Uchiha, despite his cold, rough-n-tough exterior, was deeply, intensely, horribly– ticklish.

“Don’t you dare, Uzumaki,” Sasuke warned as he saw the tell-tale twitch in the blonde’s fingers.

“Aw, come on, being tickled is fun!” Naruto complained, itching to attack the man.

“Like you’d know, you’re not even ticklish. It’s horrible!” the dark-haired man cried, beginning to scoot away, the threat of the blonde’s sadistic fingers cracking his composure.

“Psh, I think you’re just a wimp. I’m sure it’d be fun, having you on top of me, fingers digging into my skin, making me writhe underneath you, hmm?” the blonde whispered seductively, kissing his way up the man’s chest to lick at his neck.

“Nn, what happened to being tired?” Sasuke asked distractedly, the blonde’s tongue on his neck doing interesting things to his vocal chords. He raised his hands up to slide across the blonde’s back, kneading the skin, feeling the rippling muscles and...oh, shit. The feeling of Naruto’s network of cris-crossed scars against his fingers made him pause and realize with a start that he had something to tell his lover. “Wait, Naruto, stop for a minute,” he groaned, pushing Naruto back gently, the sight of those swollen lips and deep blue eyes almost making him want to just forget the thought.

“What, Sasuke?” Naruto asked, frustrated as well. Sasuke ran his hands up and down the blonde’s arms soothingly.

“I’ve gotta tell you something,” he said. He felt...almost nervous.

“O-okay,” Naruto responded, sitting up and allowing Sasuke to do the same. “You’re not breaking up with me, are ya?” He said it with a smile, but Sasuke could see the insecurity flaring in those eyes.

“No, dobe, I’m not dumping you.” He paused. “Yet.”

Naruto punched his arm. “Don’t joke about that, jerk.” His voice was a little shaky, nerves setting in. What is it? What could he have to tell me?

Sasuke grunted, rubbed at his arm. “Sorry. Anyway, I got some bad news at work today.”

“Yeah?” Naruto was looking increasingly worried.

“I’m, uh..., I got assigned to, well,--

“Out with it, Uchiha!” Naruto cut in brusquely, fearful now. Sasuke never stuttered.

“They put me on another week-long business trip,” Sasuke spit out quickly, “And I’m leaving in two days.”

Silence. Complete, all-encompassing, deafening silence.

Naruto got up, stalked over to their bedroom, and slammed the door shut as hard as he could. The walls rattled. Sasuke sighed, put his head in his hands.

“Shit, I’m in trouble...”