Forever

Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: SasuNaru
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Rating: K+
Warnings: none

Forever

He came to the surface snorting and splashing, then he laughed happily. He liked water, it was a refreshing feeling as it filled his pores, washing off the dirt that he had gathered all around. He didn't like it when dirt stuck to his body, although it wasn't a bad sort of dirt, just the kind that you gather up when you don't pay attention to where you put your feet. Now he was clean again, the soft water caressed his skin, and he laughed.

"Was it good, Sweetheart?" he heard the voice that he loved hearing above all others. It was mellow and full of love, always talking to him nicely, never reprimanding, not even if he did something that wasn't nice; just silently explained why not to do this or that, and he was happy to comply, because that made her happy as well.

He nodded, and he did it so vehemently that his chin bumped into his chest; for a moment he felt a small, prickling pain, but he didn't care, just laughed. He was gathered up and covered with a huge towel. He dived in the frills of the huge cotton material, holding only his hand out to grab his mother's hand, he reached her, he was safe. The laughing became stronger, the woman chuckled too, her full, sweet laugh tickling his ears. He adored her laugh, when she smiled at him, the world became a better place.

"I love you," the woman said, and the simple sentence rooted into his head.

"I love you too," he answered clearly, his tongue nearly getting twisted of all the laughing, but he said it nevertheless. He felt being lifted up again, along with the towel, he hopped into the hug, throwing his thin arms around the loved woman's neck, giving her a smacking kiss on her cheek. All was well.

oOo

He woke to laying under the blankets curled up into a ball and having a shivering fit. It was pitch black, he couldn't even see his own hands. Nothing could be heard in the silence except for the calm, even breathing of the one laying beside him. He just laid without moving, except for the shivers, the pictures from the dream he just had running around in his head. He'd had dreams like this before, but none of them were this real. Waking was even more woeful like this, regardless of not being alone in the huge bed this time. He'd never been this insecure about anything before. How could anything be real? From the happiness that was never really his? Who knows...?

He didn't realise when he started crying. His tears were flowing silently, and he barely took breaths. The bed gave a rasp as the other one turned around. At least his sleep is undisturbed, he thought, then the next thing he knew was the strong arms that hugged his waist.

"What's wrong?" the other one asked, but he just shook his head.

"Nothing... I just... had a bad dream..." he admitted, and he was unable to hide his tears.

"Turn around."

He did as he was told, but he didn't understand. The thought of getting comforted didn't even cross his mind. There had been too many dawns when he woke alone, shaking, when he had drifted off to sleep by his side the night before... Maybe it was earlier than usual. Maybe... he didn't even dare think about why he stayed this time. The other one hugged him strongly, and he just swallowed his tears disbelievingly.

"Tell me," the other asked in a whisper, but he just shook his head. "Why not?"

"Why are you still here?" the question just popped out of him all of a sudden, and the other went rigid.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No," he was suddenly frightened. It was the second nice dream in the same night, being able to wake up with him still by his side, and now he would go because of his stupidity? "I don't want you to go. I just..." he started sobbing again, hiding his face in the other's chest, grabbing his shirt that he didn't take off for the night.

"Hey," he heard the soft whisper from above his head, "what's wrong with you, Naruto? Did I say something?"

He didn't answer, just shook his head and grabbed the shirt even more tightly.

"Do you love me?" he asked swooningly, not even expecting an answer.

"What?" the other asked stunnedly from above.

"Do you love me?" he looked up, his face soaked with tears. The other one shook his head unbelievingly, nearly laughing.

"Of course I love you. What did you think?"

"Well... you always disappear by morning, and... and you never told me..."

"You don't want the whole village to gossip about us either, do you?" The other caressed his hair. He closed his eyes and hugged him to himself. "Won't you tell me what you dreamt about?" the other leaned down to him.

He started telling, a bit stalled, his voice a bit broken, watching with tear-veiled vision as the other's eyes went wider and wider. When he was finished, for a while they both stayed silent, then he felt the hug tighten.

"Of course I never told you," he heard the soft murmuring from above, "I thought you knew."

"Knew what?" he asked hopefully.

"That I love you," the other said matter-of-factly, as if he didn't even understand what was there to ask.

He felt him reach under his chin and lift his head, and he stared into those incredibly dark eyes for a long time. Then the distance suddenly grew to zero, and he found himself in a kiss that swept away every uncertainty. When they finally parted, he gasped for air.

"I'll always be with you, dobe," Sasuke smiled faintly. "Forever."