A/N- (I'm alive guys. I'm sorry it always takes me so long to update but I'm going through shit. Thank you all so much for 32K!! Y'all truly don't get how happy the support makes me. Enjoy!)
(LONG CHAPTER)
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~Naruto's POV~
"Im sorry.." I hear a voice below me whisper, the tone being so soft I almost wonder if I imagined it. "I'm sorry." It repeats, gripping onto my shirt as I try to see his expression.
'He's shaking.' My mind echoes, feeling his arms lightly vibrate under my grasp.
My heart clenches as I try to pull him off, my fingers softly grabbing his small shoulders in the action. However, he only buries his head further in my chest, letting me know he's not comfortable being seen yet.
'Why?' I ask myself, but am immediately answered as I feel something wet on my chest.
'He's crying..' My mind whispers once more, removing my hands to wrap around him again. My chest tightens as I look at the top of his head, knowing full well what expression was held underneath.
Sadness.
He shouldn't be sad. I never wanted him to be sad, and yet he seemed to only cry because of me. 'Because of Suna.' I want to say, but refrain knowing full well he's not the only one to blame.
He wasn't the one who tried to kiss him after all..
But what would Suna have done to Sasuke if I let him take the small Uchiha home? Would he have only scolded him, or could he have dealt with him in other ways, more effective ways..
'Would he punish him?' I ask myself, not exactly knowing what possibilities lied in the idea. 'Would he break up with him?' I continue, somehow finding the idea unlikely.
'What ways could Suna truly punish him?' I ask myself once again.
"Naruto." A voice beside me calls, seeming to belong to the lavender eyed girl I call my friend. She looks down at Sasuke and then looks back at me, her eyes softening immensely.
'I need to talk to you.' She mouths, looking at Sasuke as if she's implying something. I immediately get the hint and slightly frown.
"Hey Sasuke?" I call his name, hugging him tighter as I lean down next to his ear. "I need to speak with Hinata for a moment. Do you think you can wait in the car?" I ask, feeling him hesitantly nod against my chest in response.
My lips slowly brush against his forehead in a whisper of affection, making him immediately stiffen in surprise. I slightly smile at the reaction and completely let go of his shoulders, feeling empty at the loss of him in my arms.
I feel him softly grip my shirt once more before completely turning away, keeping his head down so his expression stays masked. I feel as if I want to say more- to comfort him, but know that such things can wait to later.
Right now I need to speak with Hinata..
"What is it?" I ask, running my hands through my hair in obvious distress. I look up at her to see her lavender eyes cast down, looking as if she's almost nervous to say something.
She continues to stand still, fiddling with her fingers in distress.
"What is it Hinata?" I repeat, starting to get anxious from the deafening silence. She looks up at me once more before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking back down.
She opens her mouth slowly and looks at Sakura. "I.. I'm gonna tell you something, but you're not going to believe me.." She says and I furrow my eyebrows at her.
Why would I not believe her?
I bite my lip and take a step towards them. "Why would I not believe you, what are you talking about?" I question, continuing to bite the rosy flesh as I await an answer.
She takes a deep breath before speaking. "I met Sasuke before, a.. a long time ago." She says, slowly looking up to see my expression.
I furrow my eyebrows and give her a look to continue- still confused as to what this has to do with the situation, and still processing it at the same time.
"I was at the store, buying some groceries for me and Sakura-" She says, gesturing towards the pale girl beside her. "-When I saw a beautiful raven haired man in front of me.." She pauses for a second, taking another deep breath.
"At first I was just going to compliment his hair- Black and blue, a beautiful combination that anyone would be envious of." A small smile settles on her face at the thought, before it drops completely.
"I was going to grab his sleeve.. but then I saw something on his wrist." She looks into my eyes, a gloss coating the unusual lavender as she does.
"Dark purple blotches- decorating what I'm sure was a perfectly pale wrist, and taking the shape of handprints." She whispers. A tear trickles down her face, the raw emotion being so unusual for her that I catch my stomach clenching.
I don't think I've ever seen her cry before..
"I- I tried to help him, but he wouldn't talk to me.. h- he wouldn't let me help. He looked so scared I swear I could feel him shaking, and he was trying so hard.. he was trying so hard to cover them Naruto.." She sobs, stuttering as she continues to try and get the words out.
"And then he showed up." She grits, looking towards the direction Suna left. "He showed up and threw Sasuke in the car, taking him away before I could even confront him about it." She says, anger completely taking over her features now.
Hinata looks at me. "Don't you see Naruto, It's him.. it's all him. The secrets, the bruises, the obvious fear. It's all Suna." She says, the tears from before long gone.
My eyes are wide as I realize what she's implying.. what she's trying to tell me. But I just can't except it, I can't think of Suna like that even for a second.
'My best friend..' I remind myself, the title not even seeming remotely true at this point.
"What are you saying Hinata?" I question, almost sure of what the answer is but not quite being able to think it.
I need to hear it..
She clenches her jaw and takes a step towards me, her eyes setting on my car for a split second before shifting back.
She takes a deep breath and looks into my blue orbs once more, getting ready to say the words I'm sure would change everything.. The words that I had never even questioned.
'She can't seriously be implying such a thing.' I mentally say, but know I'm wrong by the look she holds in her eyes.
She inhales softly.
"I think Sunas abusing Sasuke." She says, looking at me confidently as she awaits my reaction.
~Sasukes POV~
Warmth.
It was so warm being in his arms, even if only for a second. I never thought something could be so comforting- that something could feel so write.
'He saved me..' My mind echoes, another tear dropping on my lap at the thought.
'He really saved me..' It repeats, knowing full well that the salvation would only be temporary. It was a sad thought, but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that I could have more time with him, even for just a short while.
'Naruto.' I silently repeat the name of the man standing only a couple yards away, separated by only a thin sheet of glass. It seems that even the anger his face holds is unable to eclipse his beauty.
'He was so so angry..' I think to myself, recalling the events from before.
Naruto had always been calm and collected, constantly holding a smile despite anything that was going wrong in his life.
He's always been so happy.
Suna would beat me until I couldn't move. He made me feel so frightened I didn't even want to get up in the mornings, but it seemed that there was always something I longed for- something I waited for every time I would open my eyes.
That smile..
"Naruto.." I whisper, his name leaving my lips with so much adoration it almost surprises me.
When had I fallen so deep?
I tried to keep my distance from him- to somehow prevent the inevitable reality of me falling in love with him. I had always wished that I would never be condemned to a loveless life, that someone would care for me as I do him. But how could I have known..
How could I have known that it would be for someone so forbidden..
Suna would never allow it- he would never let me see Naruto again after this incident. And I had promised him that this wouldn't happen, that I wouldn't get close to Naruto.
How could I have been so foolish.
Of course someone like me would fall for someone like him- the opposite of everyone I was. How could I think I was capable of of not thinking of him in that way.
Of not wanting to be with him.
'You can't have him.' A familiar voice says. 'He would never want to be with you.' It continues, making me close my eyes at the words.
'But what if he could?' I hesitantly ask myself, letting the fantasy of it seep into my head for just a moment. 'What if he could want me as I do him.' I carry on, thinking of the one question that I could only dream of.
I wish it was true. I wish it were true so bad that I almost felt as if I couldn't breath if it wasn't. But it couldn't be true, it just couldn't be.
Him being my mate..
Someone like Naruto would never love someone like me, and if by some miracle he did.. he would be disgusted when he saw the truth.
When he saw the bruises..
If he knew of the way Suna had touched me and made me touch him.. he would be absolutely revolted by me. Naruto calls me pure and yet he doesn't even know the half of it.
He doesn't know just how damaged I am..
"Your so beautiful Sasuke.." Naruto had said one day, tenderly stroking my cheek as I look at him in confusion
"So pure." He whispers, separating our proximity so he can rest his forehead against mine.
The moment had turned from intimate to innocent in a second, looking as if he was almost scared for the action to become more.
He had done it so suddenly that I hadn't even processed it, kissing my forehead and then sitting back down in his desk as if it had never happened. I almost wondered if I had imagined it.
He had said the words randomly as we were talking about something irrelevant. He had said them as if they were the only thing on his mind.. as if he truly believed them.
Maybe he truly did..
But back then he was still blind from the truth. He was still oblivious to just how wrong he was, and just how false those words were.
And I prayed to god that he always would be.
Maybe I was selfish for wishing for that, and maybe he deserved better. But I just couldn't bare it. I couldn't bare the thought of him hating me, even for a second.
'He's all I have..' I remind myself.
'He's all I have and yet he might never want me..' I continue, oblivious to the tears filling my eyes with the thought. I quietly wipe my eyes as another thought fills my head. A more contradicting one..
Why did he try to kiss me?
Was it in the moment because he wasn't thinking, or was it intentional? Did he truly want to do it..
I really hope he did.
But Suna had stopped the moment before it could even finish, successfully taking the only moment of happiness I had experienced that day.
'Your fucking dead, do you hear me?'
His familiar words suddenly play in my head, eclipsing the pleasant thought that was just in its place.
They were the words he had said just after he had taken me from Narutos grasp.
They were the perfect words to describe just what my future would entail..
'What will he do to me?' I ask myself, the question bringing more dread than I wished.
I'm torn out of my thoughts by the sound of a door being slammed, successfully letting me know of a certain blonde entering the car.
I still have fresh tears on my face, but he doesn't seem to notice. He only stares ahead with a clenched jaw and starts the car.
Have I made him angry somehow?
"N-Naruto?" I whisper, the sound not seeming to have any effect on him as he turns the wheel to drive off. His speed is fast the minute we leave the parking lot, making me clench the armrest for comfort.
'He must be really mad..' I think, a familiar memory enveloping me as we start speeding past cars.
(Flashback)
"Please stop." I plead, tears streaming down my face as Suna speeds down towards the dark bridge.
I had tried to leave nicely.. I had tried so hard, telling him I didn't think we could work out.. That I didn't think I could ever love him.
And he went absolutely ballistic..
"You're such an ungrateful bitch you know that? Trying to leave me after everything I've done for you." He screams, suddenly looking up as if an idea just popped in his head.
"You know what? Maybe I could just kill you.. Yea, you can't leave me then right?" He laughs, the sound making my eyes widen in horror.
He looks at me with a sinister look in his eyes. "Better yet, why don't I just kill both of us!" He cheers with a smile, immediately pressing on the pedal to make us go faster towards the bridge.
I start sobbing as the world turns blurry through the window.
He had never acted this way before..
"Suna, what are you doing?! Please stop the car, I'm begging you!" I cry, grabbing his arm in desperation. He seems unfazed as he looks at me, making no attempt to slow down the vehicle.
A dark chuckle fills my ears.
"But it would be so easy Sasuke. I could just drive off this bridge and we could be together forever." He purrs, looking as if he thought it was the best idea in the world.
"You could never leave me again.." He whispers, a small smile taking over his face with the words.
My heart drops as I watch the expression, shaking as I see a completely different person from the one I had just hours ago.
'He's gonna kill me.' My mind echoes, the thought making me say the first thing I could think of.
I didn't want to.. but I needed to.
I shut my eyes like a child and open my mouth. "I'll stay!" I scream, the words making him glance at me with the same expression as before.
He smirks. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you." He deeply says, dark amusement in his eyes as he makes me repeat it.
My lip wobbles as I realize what I'm about to do. The future I'll be giving myself.
I look down, refusing to meet his gaze for even a second longer.
"I said I'll stay." I whisper, my voice shaky as he grabs my chin to meet his gaze. I look at the ring lying to his finger as I pause. Another reminder of my choice in the matter.
"I won't try to leave you again." I promise, the words making a satisfied look settle on his face.
"Good" He says, slowing down the car as if nothing happened.
(Flashback Over)
I start trembling as Naruto speeds up, the scene making the traumatic memory slowly resurface.
I look at him with glossy eyes. "N-Naruto, please slow down." I say, the plead going to deaf ears as he looks to be too lost in thought to hear it.
A small sob leaves my lips as he grips the steering wheel, the sudden sound making him snap out of his thoughts and look at me with worried eyes.
Within minutes he's parked in front of his house and grabbing my face in his hands. "Sasuke?" He whispers, frantically examining my face to see what's wrong.
I stay silent.
My sobs start to lesson the longer he touches me, his hands feeling as if they're relaxing me instantly. I start to calm down but he still holds worry in his eyes, looking at me as if I could break any second.
He moves the hair from my face to get a better look. "Tell me what's wrong baby, what can I do?" He ask, saying the name so effortlessly I almost wonder if he meant to. I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out.
'I mean how I can I truly answer that?' I ask myself, thinking back to why I was crying back in the first place.
Why I always cried..
'Suna.' My mind whispers, wanting to say the name out loud so badly.
I wanted to tell him so many things out loud..
I wanted to tell him how I was crying because I remembered the first time Suna almost killed me. I wanted to tell him how I was scared, not only because of what Sunas done in the past, but because of what he'll do in the future when I return to him.
I wanted to tell him that I was crying because I didn't want to leave, and that I wanted to stay with him forever..
More tears spill down my face without me knowing, the unbearable thoughts making them fall at an inhuman rate.
My vision blurs to the point that I can't see anything, including the large hands enveloping my waist and lifting me up.
I slightly wince from the sudden pressure on my bruises, but immediately forget about the pain when I feel my body settle atop of a warm surface.
Naruto puts his thumbs over my cheeks, silently wiping the tears as if they were nothing, and giving me a small smile as he takes in my wide orbs.
I stay frozen as he leans in, pressing his forehead against mine with so much adoration I feel as if I want to cry all over again.
How can someone be so kind?
"It pains me to see such a beautiful face be stained by such sadness." He whispers, leaning up slightly to place his lips atop my eyelid. The touch sends sparks throughout my whole body but I say nothing, letting him do as he wants in this moment.
But that one word always nags at me..
"Im not beautiful.." I whisper, the insecurity leaving my lips before I can even think. Anytime I felt pretty Suna would always tell me otherwise, so why would I let myself feel such luxuries now?
'I don't deserve to.' I tell myself, but Naruto just gives me a sad smile in response. "He's wrong." He says, making me look down as I realize what he's talking about.
I let out a shaky breath, readying myself to deny what ever he's going to say. "Naruto-
"He's wrong Sasuke." He cuts me off, lifting my chin so I can look at him. "If he ever- even for a second, calls you anything less than beautiful.. he's a liar, and a bad one at that." He blankly says, staring into my wide eyes with so much confidence in his statement that I find myself unable to speak.
"I want you to say it." He says, looking at me with the same look as before. "W-What?" I ask, still oblivious as to what exactly he means.
He smiles in response. "I want you to say it. I want you to look in my eyes and say that you're beautiful Sasuke." He orders and I immediately start to shake my head.
I can't..
He grabs my hand and looks at my face only inches from his. "We're not leaving this car until you do, and trust me I don't mind our positions in the slightest." He teases, gesturing to my current placement on his lap.
I blush and immediately avoid his gaze, thinking about it for a minute. He starts to close his eyes as if he's going to sleep, and I smirk at the playfulness.
"Fine.." I whisper, my heartbeat picking up as I realize what I'm about to do. He opens with eyes with a big smile and looks at me expectantly.
I don't even remember the last time I said it..
I look into his deep blue eyes, the color hitting me as if it was the first time I had seen them. They look at me with so much emotion I feel as if I could look at them forever.
It's only been months but I feel like I've known them for an eternity.
'Just won't word.' I tell myself, taking a deep breath and gripping his hand.
"I.. I'm beautiful." I whisper, the sound being barely hearable but somehow making a sense of warmth envelope me.
He gives me a soft smile and softly grabs my cheeks in pride. "Your beautiful." He repeats, the words coming out so effortlessly it feels as if he really does mean it.
Maybe he really does.
I mirror his smile with one of my own, his touch sending sparks throughout my entire body. "I'm beautiful." I repeat, the sound slightly louder than before, and much more confident.
We stare into each other's eyes for a couple more seconds, nothing but love in our gaze as we take in each other. I don't resist as he pulls me into his chest, choosing to rest my head on the crook of his neck in silence.
We stay like for what feels like hours, enjoying each other embrace for as long as we possibly can, feeling as if we could truly escapes reality for even a second.
Maybe we could..
I eventually fall asleep in his warmth, shielded from all the trouble yet to come. It's faint, but I swear I can hear it.. His voice speaking through the darkness.
"I love you.." It whispers, the tone sounding like pure silk as it seeps into my conscience. "So much.." It continues faintly.
"Just as you are.."
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(A/N)- HEY GUYSSS
It's been a minute but this chapter literally took forever. I've been so busy and so close to ending it all, but I made it ok!
I hope y'all didn't give up on me yet and are excited to see Naruto and Sasuke living together;)
Sexual tension will be in the next chapters.
I hope y'all enjoyed and let me know what y'all thought okay. I've missed y'all.
COMMENT AND VOTE.
And always remember I love you!❤️