Hold On Tightly, Let Go Lightly

Review Responses from AFF.net

Moodysavage: Thanks for reading, I’m glad you are enjoying it! And to answer your question, it is Naruto’s biological father that he has run away from.

And thank you to Golden Kitsune and Carousel for your words of encouragement!

 

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Tuesday morning found Sasuke in his office bright and early. To his annoyance, trying to get the blonde out of his head was impossible as he found himself wondering on more than one occasion if he should have gone after Naruto on Sunday when he had offered the kid money for a warm place to sleep. What if he had; then what? It was obvious Naruto liked to do things his own way and didn't like handouts. But the brat shouldn't be so picky, he really had nothing to gain by having any pride...



Sasuke sighed as he leaned back in his office chair and looked out the window at the city below. He knew Naruto was out there somewhere, probably getting high or trying to get himself some money or food. But something in the back of his mind hoped that he was alright.



XX



That same Tuesday morning found Naruto huddled in the back of a dirty alleyway, hidden behind a dumpster. His clothes, which had been clean just two days ago, were filthy and a few new holes had been added. His head rested back against a rough, brick wall and his hair was greasy and streaked with dirt. His skin, normally a wonderful tanned colour, was pallid, covered in a sheen of cold sweat. He hadn’t moved from that spot since he’d left Sasuke on Sunday. Not once. His mind wandered in a drugged-out haze and time seemed to pass so lowly, the seconds dragging by in a blur. But as noon came around, the blond stirred. For the first time since he’d found shelter in that decrepit place, hunger was beginning to creep up on him. His clothes hung so loosely from his thin frame, even more so than they had two days ago.



As Naruto stepped out onto the street, he winced and lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the sun. He turned to the right and walked down the street in a complete daze, not really caring where he was going.



XX



After a few phone calls and a meeting with his current client, Sasuke decided it was time for lunch, even though he wasn't very hungry. Throwing on his coat, he made his way down the elevator and outside to begin his walk toward the large mall just a few blocks away, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it as he walked, needing to calm his nerves a bit.



Naruto had been on his mind all day, no matter how much he tried to push the thoughts out of his head. He hated feeling like he had no control over something as simple as thought and it was starting to piss him off. He had no idea what he could even do for the kid, seeing as how Naruto refused him the other day unless they had exchanged favors... Sasuke inwardly gagged at the thought. Well... It wasn't as if Naruto wasn't attractive. He was sure the kid had potential but... just the thought of something like that just to give the kid money was enough to make him feel sick. Great, now he was thinking about him again...



Sighing, Sasuke put out his cigarette in an ashtray outside of the mall and entered the large building even more pissed off than when he had left his office.



XX



Naruto staggered along the street, blearily navigating his way through throngs of people. He couldn’t even muster the energy to apologize to them when he ran into them. He was running on auto-pilot now; his body felt totally used up. He could barely even balance himself, having to run his hand along the wall beside him to keep himself upright. He managed alright until some woman bumped right into him and sent him sprawling to the ground. He couldn’t even make himself get up. Crawling back to the wall, he leaned back against it and curled himself into a ball, holding his knees tightly to his chest.



Sasuke exited the mall after only fifteen minutes. He had almost made it to the food court but then decided he could be working if he wasn't hungry. So many thoughts were whirling around in his head and some form of what could only be explained as guilt was starting to creep up on him. Why should he feel guilty? He did nothing wrong... He offered Naruto money but the kid refused. Why was that his fault?



Not really looking where he was going, Sasuke suddenly tripped over something and almost fell to the ground but managed to catch himself and shot a death glare behind him but saw nothing. Then he looked down... Of course it was Naruto, who else would it be? God just hated him it seemed.



"Are you following me now or something?" he asked; his anger clear in his voice, not even bothering to notice that the blonde was barely coherent.



Naruto didn’t even move when his foot was struck. He didn’t respond at all until he heard a voice directed at him, and then his head slowly rose. His eyes searched over the man for a few long seconds and he blinked sluggishly as he tried to understand what was happening.



“S-Sasuke?” he finally croaked as he recognized the dark hair and eyes. “’M not following you.” Scowling, he let his head fall back against the wall with a loud ‘thump’. He didn’t even seem to feel it.



"Shit..." Sasuke kneeled down next to Naruto so he could hear the kid better. "Naruto... can you stand up?" He wasn't sure if the blonde was weak from hunger or drugs but either way, he felt something tug at his mind, screaming at him to do something.



“Mmm, I dunno,” Naruto muttered, shrugging his shoulders half-heartedly. “Maybe…” He struggled to unfold himself, but his movements were jerky and unrefined.



Pressing his palms against the ground, he tried to lift himself back up but didn’t have the strength. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and his body trembled. It had been so long since he’d had such a bad trip. Mixed with his malnourishment, his need for food and sleep… It wasn’t surprising that he felt like that. “Guess ‘m stayin’ here.”



Sasuke sighed in exasperation and lifted the boy to his feet, holding on to him to keep him upright. He said nothing as he began to walk back to his office, Naruto held up by his arm. As they walked he could tell that Naruto wasn't really aware of what was happening and figured the blonde had just taken a bad hit. Even after a few days without food, Naruto hadn't been this bad.



Once he entered his office building, he ignored all the stares thrown his way as he made it to the elevator and into his office before depositing the tweaked out kid on a small couch off to the side of the room and just stood there for a moment, not quite sure what to do next.



Naruto had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that one second he’d been curled up on the side walk, and now he was sprawled out on something soft. It was so comfortable. With a sigh, he pulled his legs up onto the couch and squished onto the cushions, sighing contentedly.  He didn’t bother taking off his shoes or sweatshirt; he was still shaking and needed the warmth.



“Thanks… S’uke…” he whispered after a moment, curling a hand beneath his cheek as he dozed right off.



Looking around the office, Sasuke tried to figure out what to do next. He could just get back to work but how could he just ignore a sleeping drugged out kid on his couch?



Making his way to the door, he looked out into the hallway for a moment before exiting the room and locking the door before making his way to the break room to get a cup of water for Naruto when he woke up, knowing the blonde would probably need it. After pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee, he carried both cups back to his office, setting the water on the floor so he could get into his office once more. Setting the water next to the couch on a small end table, Sasuke sat down at his desk and began to occupy himself with work once more.



After an hour or so, Naruto woke up. He didn’t feel much better, but at least he was comfortable. Spotting the water on the table next to him, he took it gratefully and drained it before settling down again. This time he flipped over onto his back and stretched his legs out so they hung over the end of the couch. One hand slid up onto his stomach, pulling his sweatshirt up with it to show off his stomach, complete with a tattoo around his navel. There were also scars marring his skin. His other arm stretched up above his head and he passed out for a second time, this time very deeply.



Sasuke watched as Naruto moved, the blonde hadn't noticed him it seemed. It was almost 3pm and Sasuke had another meeting soon but he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't just cancel the meeting, this was too important but...



Looking at Naruto, who was now asleep once more, he couldn't help but notice the exposed stomach. Standing up, he walked over to get a closer look and found a tattoo among numerous scars that marred the soft looking skin.  'Soft looking skin...?' Sasuke shook his head and focused on the tattoo once more. It consisted of a black swirl that started at his navel and swirled outward about four times and around the larger swirl were little swirls evenly placed with what looked like some kind of... weird lettering in between each small swirl.



Idly wondering what the tattoo meant and how Naruto had gotten it, Sasuke picked up the empty water cup and filled it up again in the break room and set it in the same spot once again before scribbling a quick note and leaving it under the cup of water for Naruto to find if he woke up before Sasuke returned from his meeting. With everything in place, the raven haired lawyer sent one final glace toward the blonde youth before picking up his briefcase and making his way to the elevator, locking the door on the way out.



Another hour passed by, and then two, without Naruto waking. His exhaustion was extreme and kept him pulled under another hour before he stirred. Something nagged at the back of his mind but he couldn’t figure out what it was… It sounded almost like a key in a lock… His eyes blinked open and he glanced around, trying to remember where he was. His head throbbed horribly and it took a second for everything to come back to him. He was in Sasuke’s office. Groaning, he sat up as he heard the door open and glanced over to see the Uchiha standing there.



Naruto smiled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head.  “Oh, hey… Thanks for letting me crash here…”



Sasuke nodded stiffly and headed to his desk, dropping off his briefcase. "What else was I supposed to do? I wasn't just going to leave you out there like that." The raven sat at his desk and faced Naruto on the couch. "So... do you... feel any better?"



Naruto smiled softly as he stretched his arms above his head, revealing more of his slim stomach. He shifted uncomfortably for a moment before tugging his sweatshirt off. Beneath it, he wore a black t-shirt that clung to his small frame.  



Standing, he padded over to Sasuke and perched on the edge of his desk. “I mean it, thanks,” he whispered, reaching out to briefly drag the tips of his fingers over the ravens arm. “Nobody has ever really looked out for me like that before. Everyone else would have left me.” He smiled again, but this time it was almost dazzling, lighting up his entire face. “I feel much better now, except for the headache.”



Startled a bit at the touch to his arm, Sasuke tried not to reflexively jerk away. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the thanks; he just had a bit of a problem with people touching him.



"It really wasn't anything... I have some pain killers if you want... for your headache." Why was he acting like this? It was as if just one genuine smile from the kid changed how he saw him.

Seeing the way Sasuke had tensed, Naruto quickly pulled his hand away. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying not to think about how much it had bothered him. Did the raven think he was gross? So disgusting he didn’t even want to be touched by him? “Uh, yeah… If you don’t mind. It’s pretty bad…”



Seeing the look cross Naruto's face, Sasuke felt instantly guilty again with no reason to feel as such. Taking out his bottle of Motrin(TM) from his desk, he handed two pills to the blonde.  



"I don't really like people touching me... it's not just you." he said stiffly, trying to offer some kind of explanation, even though he really didn't have to.



Naruto frowned softly as he took the pills. “I can understand that. I don’t really like when people touch me either, because…” He shook his head, not wanting to finish that thought. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he stood and went to the small table to grab the glass of water. He popped the pills and swallowed them with a gulp of it. “I’ll try not to touch you if I can help it…”



Somehow the last sentence made Sasuke feel even worse. The truth was he didn't really mind the touch to his arm. It was gentle and made him feel like someone actually cared about him. But of course he was probably just being stupid.  



"Well... I have a dinner meeting with a few people in about an hour... so..." Why was he so awkward all of a sudden? Two days ago, he was his usual arrogant, pretentious self. Now... he was just... weak.



“Oh… right,” Naruto nodded, shifting awkwardly. He didn’t really want to leave, but what choice did he have? He was going to have to go back out there, and… Well, he didn’t know what he was going to do. There wasn’t much open to him. He could go back to Orochimaru, but… No. No way.



“I guess that’s my cue to go.” He smiled softly as he grabbed his sweatshirt and padded back over to Sasuke. “Thanks again,” he whispered, leaning down to quickly brush a kiss over Sasuke’s cheek before high-tailing it out of there.



The pale man sat stunned for a moment. 'He kissed me...' he thought to himself a bit curious as to what that had been all about. Shaking his head, Sasuke packed up his things and made his way out, planning to stop by his condo to change into something a bit more presentable for a dinner meeting.



So far, he had seen Naruto more than three times in the last week. He wasn't sure if that was a coincidence like the blonde said or if the kid was actually following him. Well, he was giving the kid hand-outs, or at least offering. It was only natural for someone like Naruto to want to seek that out again. But somehow Sasuke knew it was a coincidence. Naruto didn't seem like the type to go asking for help in obscure ways. As much as he didn't mind helping Naruto out, he hoped it wouldn't become a habit.



He was starting to have weird thoughts about Naruto, not to mention the dream he had had the night before that had him waking up in a cold sweat... and needing a cold shower.



Entering his house, Sasuke quickly changed and made his way out the door once more to head to dinner. He really wasn't looking forward to this meeting. It wasn't anything important; it was just an excuse to 'look' like they were doing something important. Sasuke really had no clue why this was but he usually just went along because he had nothing better to do... until recently.

TBC