Hold On Tightly, Let Go Lightly

Reviews from AFF.net

 

Moodysage: Thanks again for your review! So happy you’re sticking with the story XD

 

Smint45: Sasuke’s past will come up later in the story XD And yeah, I totally thought ‘Pretty Woman’ when we were writing but it wasn’t intentional haha XD. So glad you are enjoying the story.

 

Jen: Thanks so much again for such a wonderfully detailed review! I really love long reviews like this, it really tells me that people understand the points we are trying to get across and you are spot on! Hope you enjoy what we have coming up!

 

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Naruto spent the next few days living grandly. With the money he had left over from Orochimaru, he was able to rent a room and score some more blow. He had a roof over his head, a warm, comfortable bed and a shower. His money ran out rather quickly, and he was left on his own. The next week and a half was horrible. Luck seemed to be against him; he couldn’t find any clients, nobody seemed interested in giving him change, and Orochimaru was out of town on ‘businesses. The blond was screwed. By the time two weeks had passed, Naruto was starving – more so than he had been in a long, long time. He had never actually gone so long without eating. His stomach was constantly aching with emptiness and he felt so weak. It was at the point that he couldn’t sleep anymore because of it. His eyes were constantly glazed and dark bags lay beneath them. He was desperate. He hadn’t even seen Sasuke at all. He didn’t know if the Uchiha was busy or just avoiding him. Or maybe they just really hadn’t run into each other.



Sighing, Naruto dragged himself down the street, pausing when he recognized the area. It was where he’d first met Sasuke.



XX



Sasuke groaned as he rubbed his eyes. It had been hell the last two weeks. The case was starting to heat up and the trial had begun two days after he had last seen Naruto.  Speaking of the blonde, he wondered if the kid was alright, he hadn't seen him around recently.



Shaking his head, Sasuke stood up and packed up his things before leaving his office. They had just won the case and Sasuke had retreated to his office to escape the news and reporters, not really wanting to deal with them or their stupid questions.  



The city was still active even in the late hour of 11pm as he got into his car and began his routine drive home, wanting nothing more than to just relax for the next couple days.



Sasuke drove a bit faster than he should have been but he really didn't care, all he wanted to do was get home. It wasn't that long ago that he wouldn't really care if he worked until 3am but now... now he didn't know what was wrong with him.



His eyes scanned the road in front of him, People and buildings passed by when a blur suddenly passed his vision and he slammed on the breaks, his car swerving a bit and his tire hit the sidewalk.  



"God damnit..." he muttered, praying to whatever kind of being was up there that he didn't kill anyone. He stepped out of the car and went around the front. A person was on the ground and panic filled Sasuke's mind as the realization dawned on him. He had hit someone...



Rushing over to the person, a crowed was gathering and Sasuke glared at them in annoyance. Kneeling down, Sasuke placed a hand gently on the person's back immediately recognizing that blonde hair. "Naruto...? Shit... Please tell me you're not dead."

Naruto groaned and pushed himself up a bit, hissing as his bloodied palms touched the ground. He’d somehow cut his forehead and blood ran down his temple, but the cut was small. Cuts there just always bled a lot. Wiping some of it from his eyes, he turned his head and saw the last person he’d expected to see.



“Sasuke?” he asked incredulously. Of all the people…  “I’m okay, just scraped up a bit.” With a grunt, he hoisted himself up but stumbled as a wave of dizziness assaulted him. He grabbed onto the only thing nearby to keep from falling, which just happened to be Sasuke.



With quick reflexes, Sasuke kept the boy upright and helped him into the passenger's seat of his car, ignoring the people that were now starting to disburse.



"What the hell were you thinking? I could have killed you." Sasuke took a deep breath, his hands still shaking from the adrenaline.



Naruto held on tightly to Sasuke, until he was settled in the car. He still didn’t let go right away. His fingers gripped tightly at the raven’s arm as his head fell back against the rest and he heaved a sigh.



“I… I didn’t mean for it to go down like that… I just… I just wanted you… well, whoever was in the car to stop…” His face fell and he looked everywhere besides Sasuke, entirely ashamed of himself now. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, but now he could see how stupid it was. “I haven’t eaten or slept in like a week, Sasuke and I… I guess I just got kind of desperate.”



Sasuke couldn't help but look surprised. A week? How could he have lasted that long? Knowing what he had to do, Sasuke closed his door and started the car and began to drive. "Put your seatbelt on, I don't want to take any chances." he said as he rounded a corner, seeing that Naruto could barely hold himself up.



“Okay,” Naruto whispered, reaching for his seatbelt. He clicked it on and slouched down in his seat He closed his eyes, listening to the soft sound of the engine as he was driven… somewhere. “Where are we going?” he asked quietly, cracking open an eye and glancing over at Sasuke.



The raven haired man thought for a moment. He could always take Naruto to a hotel and pay for the blonde to stay there for a while but... Eventually that money would run out and Naruto would be right back to where he was tonight; starving, and from the looks of it, possibly sick.



"My house..." he said abruptly and shut his mouth quickly but it was too late, he had already said it.



That had been the last thing Naruto had expected. His eyes widened in surprise but he didn’t say anything about it, not wanting to make Sasuke change his mind. He was content to just sit there during the ride, trying not to focus on how run down and sick he felt. He didn’t even know if he *could* eat after this long…. Would he just get sick? Would his stomach be able to handle it?



His eyes opened when they stopped and he unbuckled his seatbelt before climbing out. He glanced around, not surprised in the least to see the expensive looking building.



Getting out of the car, Sasuke went around to the other side and opened the door, helping Naruto out and shutting and locking the doors.



"Do you need help walking?" he asked; his voice just a bit gentler as his arm went around Naruto's shoulders.



“Yeah,” the blond answered immediately. A soft smile lit his face as he felt the firm pressure of Sasuke’s arm around him, and he leaned against the raven. His own arm slid around the slim waist and his fingers clutched at Sasuke’s shirt. He found it much easier to walk like that, but was a little disappointed once they’d reached the doors and stepped inside. He automatically tried to step away, assuming that the other wouldn’t want to be seen with him like that. He didn’t want to embarrass him in any way; not after all of the kind things Sasuke had done for him.



Sasuke huffed in annoyance as Naruto stepped away and just pulled the blonde right back against him, not caring who saw. He was a very influential man in the city; no one would dare to think anything below respect.



Heading to the elevators, Sasuke pushed the button and the doors immediately opened and they both stepped inside. He pressed the button labeled '52' and they started to crawl upward.



Naruto’s smile brightened as he was pulled back against that strong, warm body. It felt so good to be close to someone. At least, someone who didn’t want to just fuck and use him. Sighing, as they stepped into the elevator, he pressed closer as another wave of dizziness hit him.



“I feel horrible,” he whimpered, somehow finding himself right against Sasuke, his cheek pressed against the raven’s chest. His hand clutched at the front of the Uchiha’s shirt as his breathing worsened, coming in shallow pants.



"We're almost there..." Sasuke said, his hand idly rubbing Naruto's arm, trying to do something to help calm the kid down. He had no idea what was wrong with Naruto other than he hadn't eaten in a week but it was obvious that something else was going on as well.



Once the elevator stopped, Sasuke led the blonde into the hall and down to the end where he unlocked the door and led Naruto inside, immediately taking him to the bathroom in case the kid got sick or something. He really did not feel like cleaning puke out of his carpet.



Naruto followed along silently, thankful that he hadn’t been pushed away. He’d thought for sure that Sasuke would have done so.



“I’m not gonna puke, I just gotta… I need to sit down…” Groping for the huge, jetted tub, he sat down heavily on the edge of it. “You got a first aid kit or something?” he asked, holding out his scraped, bloodied hands. Reaching for the toilet paper, he pressed some to the little cut on his head, trying to wipe the blood off.



Sasuke nodded and went to the medicine cabinet to pull out the small box. Sitting on the closed toilet, the raven opened the box and pulled out peroxide, cotton balls and bandages, laying them out on the edge of the tub next to Naruto.



"Let me do it..." he said, as he gently took the toilet paper from Naruto's hand, throwing the bloody paper in the trash. “Hold your hands out over the tub." he instructed, opening up the peroxide.



“I’ve never been good with this kinda stuff anyway,” Naruto laughed, shifting so he could hold his hands out for Sasuke to doctor up.  “Wait a sec; I gotta get out of these…” Grunting, he tugged the sweatshirt over his head, since it was now stained with blood. The t-shirt he wore beneath it came off, too, but he didn’t mind. He felt so hot, all over… “Much better,” he sighed, not minding at all that he was showing off his body. He was a little self-conscious about all of the marks – the wide ones on his back that had come from healed-over welts, and even the scratches left over from his visit with Orochimaru. Holding his hands out again, he motioned for Sasuke to start.



Seeing the scars that marred Naruto's skin on his back as well, Sasuke glared a bit, instantly hating whoever had done that to the kid. No one his age deserved to be hurt like that.  



"Try and remember to breath, this will sting a little..." he said in warning before he poured peroxide over the bloody hands, effectively filling the cuts with the liquid so it could work its magic.



Naruto’s eyes clenched shut and his muscles tensed as he tried to brace himself for it. When the peroxide actually came in contact with it, he hissed through his teeth but it wasn’t unbearable. He slowly relaxed, staring down as his cuts bubbled. He couldn’t help wondering what was to happen after… Would Sasuke want him to leave? Would he be on his own again? He didn’t want to bring it up because if that’s what Sasuke wanted, he didn’t want to change his mind and guilt him into letting him stay.



“So, um… Do you live alone?” he asked quietly. “Or do you live with a girlfriend or something?”



Pulling out the bandages, Sasuke unrolled them in preparation, he poured a bit of peroxide on a cotton ball and gently touched Naruto's cheek, turning the boy's head so he could press the soaked cotton against the cut on the blonde's forehead.





"I've lived alone since I was eighteen and I was able to move out of my parent's house... I've never had a girlfriend." he figured that should suffice the kid for now. It was true that he had never had a girlfriend, but that didn't mean he had never had relationships.



Naruto couldn’t help but smile softly as Sasuke gently cleaned up the cut on his forehead. His bright, oceanic eyes bore into the older man’s dark ones, searching over that handsome, pale face. The care with which Sasuke touched him was… heart-warming, almost.



“Never had a girlfriend?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “That… makes no sense. A guy like you has never had a girlfriend? I call bullshit.” He reached out and placed his hand on Sasuke’s knee, shaking it playfully. “Come on. You wouldn’t let me lie to you at the diner, so you can’t lie to me now.”



Throwing the cotton ball in the trash, Sasuke picked up one of the bandages he had set out and took Naruto's wrist in his hand, beginning to wrap up the scraped up appendage.  



"I'm not lying... I've never had a girlfriend. I wouldn't want one either." He vaguely wondered when Naruto would get the hint. He wasn't about to just blurt out that he was gay. That would probably initiate some kind of awkwardness between them. In all honesty, Sasuke liked spending time with Naruto. Even though he was usually taking care of the kid, it was nice to have some kind of company. Since he'd gone so long in life just being alone, he had almost forgotten how good it felt to have someone else to spend time with.



Naruto watched as Sasuke’s deft fingers began to wrap up the wounds he’d sustained. He was quiet for a few moments, trying to piece everything together. How could Sasuke have never had a girlfriend? That made no sense whatsoever, unless… The blonde’s eyes widened owlishly and he sat up straight, seeing Sasuke in an entirely new light.



“You’re gay!” he blurted out, slapping the raven’s knee. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier, I-!” His cheeks flushed as he realized he’d been almost yelling. “Sorry, just… I don’t have a problem with it, ‘cus you know… I am, too. It just surprised me. God, you must have girls throwing themselves all over you! That sucks…”



A bit surprised by Naruto's reaction, Sasuke looked up sharply as the blonde's voice increased in volume. He didn't think the kid would react that way but then again... He felt a tug at the corner of his mouth at Naruto's enthusiasm but the smile that wanted to escape didn't get passed that beginning stage.



"I suppose so. But I don't let it bother me, I guess I just put work before anything else so I usually don't notice when someone is flirting with me." The raven looked away awkwardly; not very comfortable talking about relationships and couples, considering the fact that he was still a virgin and never really thought about that aspect of his life.



“You work too much,” Naruto smiled. “You need more free time to relax, and I need less of it and to work more.” He snickered, but did his best to stay still as Sasuke bandaged him. He couldn’t help stealing little glances at the raven, though. Now that he knew where the Uchiha’s preference laid, he could pick up on other things. Like the fact that he didn’t like being touched, which meant he probably hadn’t done much with anyone, if he’d done anything at all. “I don’t believe that,” he smirked, rubbing the tips of his fingers over Sasuke’s knee teasingly. “Actually, that makes me feel more comfortable around you. At least our love of dick gives us something in common,” he laughed.



Not really knowing what to say to that, Sasuke just stayed quiet. How was he supposed to respond? If anything, Naruto's words made him a bit uncomfortable. Quickly finishing up, the lawyer stood abruptly and separated himself from Naruto's touch before cleaning everything up.



"I can make you some soup if you're hungry, hopefully you'll be able to keep it down." he said gruffly as he put the first aid kit back in the medicine cabinet. He was absolutely correct in his assumptions; it just got so much more awkward.



“Sorry if I said something wrong,” Naruto frowned. “I… I’m not around people much, so I forget to think before I start talking.” He offered the raven an apologetic smile but didn’t touch him, not wanting to make it worse. But it seemed to already be getting worse; he could practically feel the tension rolling off of Sasuke in thick waves.



“Look, maybe I should go… I really don’t want to invade your home and then make you feel like… this…” He waved his hand at Sasuke and turned to walk from the bathroom, heading towards the front door. His heart sank lower with each step closer. He didn’t want to leave at all. “Sorry I fucked things up…”

Sasuke turned and looked toward the living room, seeing Naruto head for the front door, looking defeated. It was funny, Sasuke had never felt like a jerk, like many people have said he was... until that second.  



"So what; you're just going to go out there again? You haven't eaten in a week and you're most likely sick... I was right, you are an idiot." Making his way toward Naruto who had stopped walking, he placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry; I wasn't implying that I didn't want you to stay. I'm just a really awkward person sometimes. I'm just... so used to being alone." He offered a small, rare smile, hoping the kid would stay, he'd feel like shit if Naruto left and something happened to him.



Naruto’s body tensed as that hand came to rest on him, but he didn’t shrug it off. He did take a few moments to respond, though.



“Hey, it’s alright,” he finally murmured, turning around to face Sasuke. “I’m awkward, too, you know. It comes with being homeless and on your own… but you know what? I haven’t really felt as alone since I met you.” He shrugged like it meant nothing, but his cheeks flushed and his eyes absolutely gleamed. “I’ll take that soup, if you don’t mind. I think I might die if I don’t get something in me soon… And…” He looked away, feeling entirely guilty that he was asking so much of Sasuke. He hated it. “Um, well… do you think I could shower or something? I don’t want to stink up your house…”



Sasuke nodded as he dropped his hand from the blonde's shoulder. "Go ahead. The soup should be done when you're finished." he said before heading into the kitchen. He vaguely wondered why he wasn't more cautious with Naruto. The kid was homeless and prone to stealing, the blonde demonstrating the latter when they had first met. Somehow though, it didn’t really seem likely, Sasuke almost trusted the kid... almost.



Naruto gratefully made his way to the bathroom and stripped from his dirty clothes before stuffing them back in his backpack. Finding a towel, he set it out on the sink and then started the water and stepped beneath the hot stream. It felt so, so, so, so good.  He scrubbed his body with soap and washed his hair twice before he deemed himself to be clean. He lingered ten minutes longer before turning it off and stepping out. Drying himself off with the towel, he secured it tightly around his too-thin hips and realized he had nothing clean to change into. He stood there awkwardly for a few moments, wondering what he was supposed to do. Sighing, he cleaned up the bathroom and left it in exactly the same condition it had been in before and then stepped out, padding awkwardly to the kitchen.



“Um, Sasuke… Do you have something I can wear…? I- I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything clean,” he rambled, ”and that kind of defeats the purpose of a shower if I just put my gross clothes back on, and then I really would get your house dirty when you were nice enough to let me come over, and-”



"Jesus, do you always talk this much?" Sasuke was facing the stove a large pot on one of the front burners. Placing a lid on the pot and turning down the heat, the raven haired man turned to face the kid and almost gasped out loud. There were even more scars on the tan chest and stomach than he had thought there were when had caught a glimpse at his office. He guessed it was the boy's father, seeing how many there were. He also couldn't help but notice the track marks on the insides of Naruto's arms. It was a lot to take in but he tried not to let it show outwardly.



Naruto stood awkwardly in the kitchen, scratching at the inside of his arm as Sasuke looked over him with what he perceived to be disgust. He knew his body was gross, but seeing the Uchiha looking at him like that made him feel horrible. Others had seen his body before, sure. He did prostitute himself for money from time to time, but they didn’t really care what he looked like - they just wanted to fuck him.



"I can find you something... just give me a minute." Walking passed Naruto, Sasuke headed for his bedroom. "The bowls are in the cupboard above the stove and the spoons are in the drawer under the microwave, it's done so you can have as much as you want. I'll... I'll be right back."



“Sure,” Naruto’s voice was a mere whisper as he walked backwards to the stove until Sasuke had left the room. If the raven hadn’t liked his front, then he definitely wouldn’t like his back, where he had thick, long scars from welts that hadn’t healed properly without medical care. The scars were raised slightly and coarser than the rest of his skin, running from the base of his neck all the way to the edge of the towel in random patterns.



Sighing, Naruto reached up and grabbed a bowl and then a spoon, ladling the steamy soup into it. He sat at the table and started eating slowly, not wanting to upset his stomach.



In his bedroom, Sasuke sat down heavily and let out a sigh. He was really messing everything up; Naruto probably thought his reaction meant disgust. But the raven was just surprised... and disgusted, but not at Naruto. No, it was whoever had done that to Naruto that fueled his disgust. Why would anyone ever think of hurting a child...? Knowing he'd have to fix what he'd done, Sasuke stood and went through his dresser, picking out a black tee shirt and some grey sleep pants. They would probably be a bit big on the blonde but at least they were clean.



Heading back out into the living room, Sasuke set the clothes on the couch before making his way into the kitchen and watched as Naruto ate, almost dejected as he sat there hunched over his bowl. He had to say something, this was his doing after all.  



"So... how is it? I bet it's horrible, I don't usually cook." he asked, indicating the soup as he sat down in the chair opposite the blonde.



“No, no,” Naruto answered immediately, straightening himself up. He didn’t want Sasuke to know how much it had bothered him. He’d never been one to really display any feelings other than happiness, but for some reason, where the Uchiha was concerned, everything seemed to come out. He didn’t like that at all. “It’s really good. Really.” He took another bite, but his stomach was beginning to protest, twisting and churning. He was starting to feel really nauseous and he was afraid he was going to be sick, but now he didn’t want Sasuke to think it was because of his cooking... So he kept eating despite his stomach’s protest. “The last soup I had was at the shelter and honestly, it’s like gruel or something. This is amazing.”



Perceptive as he was, Sasuke noticed the slight uncomfortable twinge cross Naruto's face every now and then and couldn't help but smirk a bit.



"Come on, don't worry about offending me. If you don't want to eat any more than don't. I'd rather you listen to your body than puke all over my kitchen." Standing, he went and picked up the pot of soup from the stove after opening the fridge and placed the food inside its confines. It should last him about a week and if things went right, Naruto would be able to enjoy it that long.



“Sorry,” Naruto muttered sheepishly, pushing his bowl away from him. “It really is good... So good that I don’t want to throw it up.” His lips twitched into a smirk as he picked up his bowl and brought it to the sink. Not wanting to inconvenience Sasuke anymore than he already had. He quickly washed them up before padding to the couch to grab the pile of clothes.



Heading to the washroom, he quickly pulled them on. They were too big; he had to pull the drawstring on the pants tight, and the collar of the t-shirt kept sliding down off one of his slender shoulders. But they were clean, and he was happy. Now all he wanted to do was sleep. However, he found himself wandering into the living room to look around. The dark furnishings seemed to scream ‘Sasuke’ and everything was perfectly neat and in its own place. It made him smile softly as he sat on the couch and leaned back against the plush cushions. Within seconds, his eyes were beginning to droop as his exhaustion caught up to him.



"I was thinking you could..." Sasuke began, but stopped once he reached the living room and saw that Naruto was slumped over, asleep. Looking around for a moment, he tried to think of what to do. He didn't just want to pick up the kid, what if he woke up and freaked out? But then he couldn't just leave him on the couch like that; he'd just feel worse in the morning from sleeping in such an awkward position. Thinking for a few more seconds, Sasuke finally just thought 'to hell with it' and gently picked up the blonde, who wasn't heavy by any means. It was actually a bit frightening how light he was.



Making his way to the guest room, the pale man set the kid down on the bed quickly and pulled down the blankets on the other side of the bed before picking up Naruto once more and settling him down in the middle, making sure his head was resting on the comfortable pillows. After pulling the blankets up over the boy, Sasuke just stood there for a moment, just watching. It was odd but this just seemed so right... He couldn't explain it but he knew that letting Naruto stay was the right thing to do.



Heaving a sigh, he made his way to his own bedroom, leaving his door open slightly, in case Naruto woke up and needed something, before stripping down and getting into some clean pajama pants and slid under his covers, sleep immediately taking over his body.

TBC