Let Me In

I had a lot of time on my hands, so - two chapters in one night!


And thank you, hina! I really appreciate it.

As Sasuke's breathing began to slow, Naruto's sobbing came to an end. He realized he should probably move from the compromising position he was in, but he wasn't quite ready to. Naruto lifted himself up until only their legs were entwined, holding his body up with his hands resting on the bed on either side of Sasuke's head. His eyes studied the boy. Sasuke's black hair was splayed across the blanket, his face looked uncharacteristically relaxed, and his lips were parted slightly. Why would I do that?

Part of Naruto wanted Sasuke to wake up forgetting about the kiss completely, while the other half wanted Sasuke to know just how much he cared for him. Naruto shifted his weight to his left arm and gently cradled the Uchiha's jaw. His thumb came to a rest on his parted lips before pulling his body away from the other completely. This didn't seem to be what Sasuke had wanted, did it? He hadn't actually kissed back, and this fact alone frightened Naruto deeply. What frightened him even more was that the cursed seal was acting up again. Orochimaru was dead, wasn't he? Sasuke had killed him. He wouldn't try to communicate with him now, would he?

Naruto sniffled a bit before climbing off the bed and scrambling to the bathroom for a quick shower.

--

Sasuke hadn't woken up for another five hours. He looked around feeling rather disoriented as he took in the sight of the [now dark] hospital room again. Naruto had his back to him and had his elbow on the windowsill.

Naruto.

Naruto kissed him.

A ton of bricks seemed to weigh down his chest and he found himself hugging his knees under the blanket. How could Naruto do that to him? The only thing his mind could think about was the way Naruto had laid himself on top of him in such a way that their legs were entwined...like lovers. The word made him shiver. It was so intimate. Sasuke couldn't have intimacy in his life. It scared him. He both craved and despised affection. He didn't like the way it could overpower him and make him so vulnerable at the same time. He hugged his knees even tighter when his mind traveled back to the way Naruto's face looked right before the...incident. He looked devastated. It would be another day until Kakashi returned from his mission, and if the cursed seal started acting up again in that time he may not be able to stand seeing that look again. Sasuke swore softly. He felt the tension in the room increase tenfold as the dobe realized Sasuke was awake. Out of frustration, he threw the covers down to the foot of the bed and looked down to see he wasn't wearing the clothes he had come to the hospital in. They were Naruto's clothes. Just a simple white shirt and black shorts covered his body, but they smelled like honey and salt and ramen. They smell like Naruto. Sasuke just wanted to curl up and disappear at this point. How could he push Naruto away when everything just had to remind him of the dobe? The pain in his chest was almost unbearable as he tried to suppress all the thoughts and feelings he had that revolved around the blonde, and he let out an audible groan of frustration. He could see Naruto visibly flinch at the sound and immediately regretted it.

There was a pause before Naruto decided to speak, "Sasuke, can...can I ask you something?"

"Hn."

Taking that as a yes, he continued, "Why do you think the seal would be acting up now? I mean, Orochimaru's dead, right?"

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke replied quietly.

"How can I not worry about it, teme? I thought you were fucking dying last night and..." Naruto let Sasuke fill in the rest of the sentence.



"Just leave me alone, dobe," - Please stop invading my thoughts - "I'll be fine," he said the last part more to himself than Naruto.

Naruto was standing at the end of the bed now, "Why didn't you stop me, Sasuke-teme? If you really hate me so much, why would you let me do that?"

"Just leave me the fuck alone." Sasuke refused to look him in the eye. The room suddenly felt cool and he wished he could just grab the blanket from the foot of the bed and sleep until he disappeared, but he could feel the intensity of Naruto's gaze penetrating him. The bed sunk a bit as Naruto crawled towards Sasuke on all fours. What happened next was unexpected.

"No." Naruto was only a couple inches from his face. The whiskers were more defined than usual and his eyes were turned to slits. Sasuke had no where to run, his back was up against the headboard and his only escape routes were blocked by Naruto's arms. He pleaded with his body to tell Naruto to get away from him, to - oh Gods no, not this again. His body erupted into tingles, spreading from his mouth down his spine. "Can you deny this, teme?" Naruto asked, his eyes a bit softer as he pulled away from Sasuke's lips. "I won't give up until you let me in." Sasuke could feel blood rushing to his face, but he stubbornly tried to push Naruto away.

"I can't." It surprised him how weak he sounded. And it was exactly that that scared him. The way Naruto's touch could make him break down like nothing else can. The next thing he heard almost made him snap.

"I love you."

Out of surprise he lifted his head up to meet blue eyes that stared back at him confidently. He meant it. Their noses brushed against each other in a way that made Sasuke's arms break out in goosebumps. He had almost lost himself when Naruto pushed himself back to sit on his knees. "Get some sleep, Sasuke. Or Kakashi will have me castrated." He made to get off the bed, but again, Sasuke reached out and grabbed his hand. Sasuke's expression gave away nothing like usual, but the unspoken question on his mind was evident. After a slight nod from the blonde, he let go of his hand momentarily to pull up the blankets to cover his shivering body. Whether it was from the cold or Naruto, he wasn't sure. Naruto laid himself down on top of the blankets as far away from Sasuke as he could without falling off the bed. He had done enough tonight and didn't want to push Sasuke closer to rejecting him. Sasuke must have sensed his uneasiness because he grabbed Naruto's hand securely and pulled him closer until they were almost touching. Naruto could feel Sasuke's breath on his shoulder, and it sent waves of tingles down his entire left arm.



Sasuke's actions surprised even him. He was so close to Naruto right now, but still far enough away for comfort. He was only touching Naruto's hand, but he could feel that delicious warmth again. He'd have to fool Naruto into thinking he'd gone to sleep, for who knows what the seal might do if he actually did fall asleep.

What seemed like hours later, Sasuke's eyelids were drooping heavily. The warmth and calming smell of Naruto permeating his senses wasn't helping in his battle. Sasuke forced his breathing to stay slow, for the dobe was awake. Still feigning sleep, he rolled onto his back to cool down a bit, his hand still slipped inside Naruto's. He could feel the mattress move a bit as Naruto sat up next to him.

Naruto felt Sasuke shift a bit. His paranoia had him keeping himself awake to watch over the Uchiha. He gently took his hand out of his grasp to brace himself as he leaned over the sleeping Sasuke's face. Gentle kisses were placed along his jawline and chin before the lips were moved to each eyelid, and then his nose.

Sasuke felt himself falling into oblivion at the light touches. When the dobe lightly brushed his lips over his before connecting their hands and settling into his chest, Sasuke was dead asleep.