Disclaimer: ...Yeah. Right.

Don't know where this came from. Wrote it a while back; never posted it even though I like it fairly well. Also wanted to let people know that I'm alive.

Soft

Naruto raised his fist and Sasuke could just feel it; connecting with his cheek, hitting hard enough to break blood vessels and bruise, perhaps even fracturing his cheekbone, oh, and it would hurt. Perhaps not enough for Sasuke to cry out—he never did—but it would sting and Sasuke would pass a hand over the aching area briefly, keeping his eyes on Naruto...

But then Naruto dropped his hand to his side, and Sasuke could tell he was still angry and confused. (Sasuke was disappointed. He wanted to feel that blunt pain, wanted to bite the inside of his cheek and bleed like he should, wanted...) For reasons Sasuke couldn't comprehend, he flinched when Naruto lifted his hand (gently this time...) and touched his pale cheek—much more pale than it should be. Too cold, as if there truly were no veins under his skin; no heart to pump the blood—and those tan, warm fingers slipped up to his hair, caressing it.

He just wanted Naruto to hit him; hurt him. Whatever it took, just make this go away. And then his thumb, calloused, ran down his jawbone, to his chin, and and the tip of Naruto's thumb ventured up, brushing the edge of Sasuke's lower lip.

And he jerked away, half-heartedly knocking away the hand and ignoring the tingling left on his lip. And—

There was a strange look in Naruto's eyes, unreadable—since when? Since when were his emotions not on his face?—and Sasuke just wished—wished!—that Naruto would hit him (why not?) so this could be...

normal.

Normal like the two of them weren't, like the two of them wanted to be.

"You're such a fucking bleeding heart." Sasuke's voice sounded odd to his own ears. Just a pitch too high, like he was trying to hide something, throat tight and constricted. "Open your eyes, this isn't some fantasy where things end happily ever after. This is real—nothing ever happens the way it should—" He cut himself off there, knowing better than to trust his voice...

"You're right." And Naruto's voice was calm—too calm!—and for once... why did he have to be right? Why couldn't Naruto argue!?? Why, for once, did things seem so wrong? "This is real. This isn't a lie we're living."

Sasuke stared at him, dark eyes searching the blond's face. Anymore. 'This isn't a lie we're living anymore.' But Sasuke was so sure he'd gotten so wrapped up in his lie that he couldn't even remember what the truth was, no, his lie had become his truth—or had his truth become his lie...? He couldn't remember, not anymore...

How foolish of him.

To get lost in not only his own lie, but everyone else's. You naïve, naïve fool.

"Hurt me." The words spilled out of his mouth and they just kept flowing. "Hit me, just do something! Don't—"

And those hands, warm, rough, gentle, somehow soft, were on his face again, his voice dying in his throat.

And everything stopped.

Again.

"I won't leave you."

End Soft