CHAPTER 43: A Home

A/N: Hello everyone!! Happy Valentine's Day!! 🤎💙 (Not that I have anyone to celebrate with, but ok -)Anyway, It's the very day of love! So I hope you're ready for a lovey-dovey chapter ahead! (*≧∀≦)Try not to feel too single! (*σ'ｪ｀)σ

A FEW DAYS LATER~

Yet another morning was birthed as Naruto stood under the freshly falling rays of the sun in the garden of the hospital, lost in thought. He had expected things to finally start smoothening out, but he had never been so wrong.

The last few days had been anything but smooth. Naruto had momentarily forgotten the aftermath of a traumatic experience.

News about Fugaku's arrest had made headlines in Konoha and beyond, causing the business world to shake. Itachi had been busy dealing with their business partners and the investors who were growing increasingly anxious over the uncertainty of the future of the Sharingan Villas. Mikoto, on the other hand, was dealing with the police and completing the legal obligations to get Fugaku to go to trial, which would have been a piece of cake if not for his status and money.

But Naruto wasn't concerned about any of that.

What plagued his mind was Sasuke. Sure, the raven was healing pretty well, or so the doctors said yesterday.

However, it was only his body that was recovering, not his mind. He had been mentally scarred by the years of torment Fugaku had put him under. And now, when Sasuke finally got a true break from that brutal cycle of pain, it wasn't proving helpful at all.

Instead of relaxing, the raven's mind chose to finally process what had been happening to him all this while. He had been too busy fighting the torture to fully indulge in the horrors of it, which were now coming back to haunt his very soul.

Every time a person moved too fast around him, the raven flinched. Whenever a hand was raised anywhere in the vicinity, he went stiff. But nothing could beat the time when he tried to sleep, for the nightmares harassed him every second of it, making him relive those cruel events over and over again.

Of course, Naruto had been there for him every time. He'd calm him down, kiss his forehead, and reassure him that he was there for him, that it was just a nightmare. There had also been times when the blonde had to shake him awake because the raven would tremble uncontrollably in fear, his mind blurring the line between reality and the hellish illusion.

One such episode had awoken Naruto from his sleep just a while ago. He had been sleeping on the couch as usual when ragged sobs from the raven woke him up.

He had sprung to his feet that instant, and within a jiffy, he was beside his man. He calmed him down with the usual tactic: kisses to the forehead and soothing words in his calm, raspy voice until Sasuke fell back into a deep slumber.

The fact that that was all he could do for the raven was shattering him inside. He was suffocating from this feeling of helplessness, which is why he had decided to come out to the garden for some fresh air, where he currently stood.

Naruto never wanted to see Sasuke like this again, yet he was greeted with that sight every morning. His heart ached at the sight of Sasuke's tears, especially when he was shedding them in his sleep.

Why?

Because he knew exactly how it felt: the desperation to fall asleep to escape to the peace of dreams, only for them to turn against you and besiege you in your most vulnerable state...

He hated watching his strong, brave man fall apart every night, but he forced himself to see and remember it, even if it was immensely painful for him. It was like retraumatizing oneself, but he wanted to remember the extent of Sasuke's agony.

He knew he couldn't take away the pain, so he wanted the pain to torment him, too.

Because no matter what, he didn't want Sasuke to go through it alone.

"*sigh* I should go back inside."

The blonde stalked away from the warm sunlight and back into the gloom of the placid hospital. His gait was lethargic because he was also exhausted, not that he complained about it.

He peeked inside Sasuke's ward through the little glass on the door. The raven was still sleeping peacefully, to the blonde's relief.

'I wish he could sleep like this every night, dattebayo.'

A small smile made its way onto the blonde's face, handsomely enhancing his whiskered cheeks.

Please don't hurt so much, teme... I won't be able to keep up with this for long, you know. It hurts...'

He took a deep breath as he was about to enter the room again, but a thought made him stop. His smile was soon replaced by a contemplative frown.

'There should still be time before he wakes up, shouldn't there?'

He backed away from the door, and a few moments later, he was sprinting out of the hospital to the parking lot with his signature grin returning to his face. He hopped on his bike and rode out of there. He had to return before Sasuke woke up or had another episode, and he didn't want the raven to have to deal with it alone.

'It's been a while since I've seen you smile, teme. I fucking miss it. And I'm gonna get it back on you real soon.'

HALF AN HOUR LATER~

Never in his 20 years had the blonde driven his bike so fast as he did today. He was back at the hospital, sitting in the usual chair beside Sasuke, waiting for the raven to wake up more than ever. But it wasn't until an hour later that the Uchiha's eyes finally fluttered open.

"Sasuke... How do you feel?"

"Like a microwaved leftover."

The raven grunted, earning a snort from the blonde.

"You mean shit-like?"

"In a fancy way."

Without sass, there was no Sasuke, or so Naruto thought. He helped Sasuke sit up slowly, despite knowing that the raven was fully capable of doing so. He just couldn't help himself. He wanted to be there for the raven... and a part of him was simply craving the touch of his lover.

Sasuke grunted as he finally sat up straight and looked at Naruto, grimacing as he observed his exhausted features.

"Are you even getting any sleep? You look worse than I do."

Naruto's sheepish chuckle in response was a clear 'no' to Sasuke, and he wasn't happy. At all.

"You're going back home after helping me pee."

"And risk someone else helping you out when you have to go later? No way."

Naruto's smile widened when Sasuke blushed despite the annoyed frown he was trying to maintain.

"Shut up, dobe. Get out. Go home before I use my currently non-existent muscles to shove you out the door personally."

Sasuke was annoyed, and Naruto's goal today wasn't that at all.

"OK, OK, I'll go home, teme. But before that, I've got something to give you."

That made Sasuke curious enough to stop shooing the blonde away.

"You got me something?"

"Yep! Close your eyes."

He raised an eyebrow at the Uzumaki, wondering what his knucklehead man was thinking of doing, but he closed his eyes anyway.

"There."

"Ok... keep them closed. No peeping."

"I'm not a kid, dobe."

"Heh. I know, teme."

Sasuke heard some rustling sounds before Naruto asked him to open his eyes.

"Tada!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise as Naruto presented two scarves: one was white with motifs of tomatoes on it, and the other was a very light pink with narutomakis spread on it like polka dots.

"You like them?"

Naruto smiled expectantly as he watched Sasuke observe the two and then reach out towards the scarf with tomatoes. He ran a soft, trembling hand over the fabric, which was pleasantly soft and warm. His ebony eyes lifted from the scarf and locked onto his favorite cyan ones.

"It's beautiful."

A satisfied breath left Naruto as a small blush rose to his whiskered cheeks.

"I knew you'd like the tomato one, dattebayo."

His tone was victorious as he handed the tomato scarf to Sasuke, who held it in his hands for a while before beckoning Naruto closer.

"What?"

"Just come closer."

The blonde smirked as he leaned forward with a smug smirk.

"Are you going to reward me with a kiss for being such a good boyfriend?"

"Shut up."

Was all Sasuke said before he wrapped the tomato scarf around Naruto's neck, to the latter's surprise.

"W-What are you doing? I thought you liked tomatoes?"

Sasuke nodded before smiling slightly, which was enough to make Naruto's breath hitch.

"I do, that's why... I'm giving this to you. It'll remind you of me... and I'll take that so it reminds me of you."

He reached out and took the one with narutomakis from Naruto's hand and wrapped it around himself, covering the lower half of his face with it.

"See? Looks good on me."

Naruto's pupils dilated at the sight of his man, his boyfriend, practically wearing his name around his neck.

"Y- Yeah... it suits you, dattebayo."

Naruto cleared his throat as he sat back and looked away. He had to, or he was sure he would end up kissing Sasuke right then.

'Shit... the things you do to me, Sasuke.'

Meanwhile, Sasuke, who was unaware of Naruto's growing urges, was busy admiring the pink scarf clinging to his neck.

"Thank you."

Sasuke suddenly spoke, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Don't thank me. It's not much anyway..."

Naruto looked away, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Sasuke deserved more than just a measly scarf. Of course, it wasn't enough... in his eyes.

However, the raven had different thoughts on this.

"Dobe, look at me."

When the blonde did so, his eyes locked onto Sasuke's again, which held a gaze so determined that it made his stomach do a backflip.

"This scarf... it's beautiful and meaningful. It's good at keeping me warm and protecting me from the cold... like you. Trust me, it's enough."

Naruto's self-control melted like ice with every word that left Sasuke. He stood up and leaned forward, capturing Sasuke's lips in a passionate kiss, the raven soon matching his pace. The two immersed themselves in a kiss that was more confident than last time, more demanding from both sides.

By the time the two separated, they were panting and smiling at the sight of each other's slightly swollen lips. Both were lost in the abyss of each other when Sasuke managed to come out of it as he broke off their eye contact.

"So... why did you suddenly bring me a gift? I've been wanting to ask for a while now."

He diverted the topic, trying to calm his crazily beating heart. Naruto, too, was thankful for that.

"No special reason... it's because I can. Love doesn't need a reason to be expressed, you know."

Sasuke nodded thoughtfully, a smile subconsciously forming on his face.

'Kami... Just what did I do to get a man like him? Tell me so I'll do it over and over again in every life.'

Sasuke thought as they engaged in other topics of conversation that concerned nothing but the two of them.

The nurse occasionally came to check on Sasuke's condition, but other than that, they weren't disturbed by anyone else in person today. Just a phone call from Itachi, who rested assured because Naruto was there with his otouto.

It wasn't before the sun finally sank below the horizon that Sasuke realized that it was too late and that he had kept Naruto from leaving for home longer than he had intended.

The two had just finished talking about the latest ramen recipe Naruto wanted to try with Sasuke when the raven spoke.

"Dobe, you... should go home now. It's almost night. Get some rest."

He didn't want Naruto to leave but was also concerned about the blonde's health. The dark circles on his handsome face were enough of a giveaway of how poorly rested the Uzumaki was.

"But I don't want to..."

Naruto almost pouted, knowing that it worked most of the time. But Sasuke wasn't having it this time. Sasuke was aware of his condition. He knew that if the blonde stayed, he wouldn't be able to get the rest he needed.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The raven's voice was stern as he used Naruto's full name deliberately, causing the blonde to stiffen momentarily.

"Go home. Please. Don't make me worry about you."

There was no room for argument, and sensing the same, Naruto sighed and eventually got up to leave.

"Fine, I'll go home."

"Good."

Naruto kissed Sasuke's forehead softly, causing the latter's sternness to evaporate. He slowly brought up his hand to Sasuke's cheek so as not to startle him. His large palm caressed the pale skin of his man, who leaned into the touch instinctively, causing Naruto to smile.

"Goodnight, teme."

"Goodnight, dobe."

Naruto reluctantly moved his hand away from Sasuke. His palm felt cold at the loss of touch, and so did the other's cheek. He strode towards the door and out of it, but not before looking back at Sasuke one last time.

The raven's heart clenched as he watched his lover leave.

'I already miss him.'

A sigh escaped his lips, and he slid under the covers, his hand holding the loose ends of the scarf tightly. He was on his way to regretting sending Naruto away when the sound of the door to his room opening caught his attention.

He removed the cover from his face only to see Naruto walk in. A confusing and somewhat annoyed frown formed on his face as he sat up, observing how the blonde was nonchalantly moving around the room as if he hadn't just defied Sasuke.

Naruto took off his shoes and walked up to the side of Sasuke's bed.

"Shift a little."

Naruto's voice was soft despite the commanding undertone.

"What are you-"

"Just shift a little."

Naruto interrupted Sasuke's question, and he gave in to the blonde's apparently silly request. To his surprise, Naruto slipped under the covers beside him on the bed.

"Tsk, dobe. What are you doing? I asked you to go home," Sasuke said, almost frustrated.

"That's what I'm doing, Sasuke. I've come home now... You're my home, dattebayo."

Naruto kissed the side of the raven's head and carefully wrapped his arms around him, settling his head in the crook of his neck. He could feel Sasuke's heart thumping powerfully against his arm.

'I'm... his home...?'

The raven's heart leapt at the implication of Naruto's words. He never knew what it felt like to be someone's happiness before today. But now, he knew it made him happy, happy to be someone's comfort place.

'Yes, I am.'

Nothing more needed to be said between the two as they slept peacefully in each other's embrace, finding the long-lost safety in it. Their bodies were each other's sanctuary, now woven together to make a home. Their home.

A/N: And now I definitely feel way too single... anyone with me? (^_^)/??Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and tell me if you think it fit Valentine's theme well! 🤎💙See you all in the next chapter!!Author sound out~ ✌🏻