AN: Unbeta'd. This was a quickly written short based on this picture alpha2nd2006(dot)deviantart(dot)com (slash)art (slash)Unhappy-Valentine-s-Day-160176132 here. For those who enjoy SasuNeji, I've made a DA and Y!Gallery club (SasukexNejiFC) and (SasuNeji) respectively. For those who don't know, they're my friggin OTP concerning Yaoi.

I haven't been silent on the fiction front, but a lot of stuff I write isn't really FF uploadable. My LJ (see my profile) has everything, including WIP's and some original stuffs. Past that my stuff is spread out.

Warnings: Yaoi. Angst. Smutty. I don't really think it's too graphic for FF but there's worse stuff out there by far so…

xxxxx

Trapped

xxxxx

Crimson eyes were wide, swimming with deep and almost disturbing emotions. Anger, grief, sadness, despair, and even a little insanity. It was raining but they both knew the drops falling upon pale cheeks wasn't from the weather. He was shaking, literally shaking, as he kept the other pinned. His face was flushed and he felt so unbearably hot.

"What do you know, anyway?" he screams at the one below him but they both know the truth; he knows all, he sees all and, most importantly, he understands all. "You don't know what I've been through, how I feel!"

But he does. How, he doesn't know, but as he looks down into pale eyes, white eyes that looked almost like twin pearls in the dark, he knows the other can see it. Can feel it. A gaze so calm, nothing at all like his own which teetered between insanity and reality. He was lost, devastated. There was no purpose, no life, nothing. He had nothing.

Even though he could easily kill the man below him, he was strong enough, he couldn't. Didn't dare. There was something exotic and unique about this person, something alluring. He wasn't laughing, in fact he was sure the man rarely smiled. He didn't look at him with any sort of real emotion and yet he could sense the other knew and felt more than he let on.

With just a few words he had broken him down. Just a few words to the already lost and damaged Uchiha Sasuke had completely undone him. Even though he was feverish and there was pretty much a hole in his chest the two knew all he had to do was make the effort and he could extinguish the light in those pearl-colored eyes. Eyes that were special like his, eyes that saw more than he wanted anyone to see, white eyes that reflected all of the things he regretted and hated about himself. He hated those eyes and yet in his state he loved them as well. It was a hard but delicious pain and he wanted to drown in it.

With smug satisfaction; he noticed that out of everything the Hyuuga had seen, the Uchiha's lips sliding over his in a heated kiss hadn't been one of them.

xxxxx

Fingers dug into hips as he watched the man above him tilt his head back, a moan escaping his lips as he rocked. Face flushed, eyes hooded, mouth slightly agape. His own breaths are coming out heady and his chest hurts as it is still healing but it actually adds to the pleasure and he arches his back.

"S-Sasuke…" it is whispered in the darkness of the abandoned cabin, the only noises coming from them and the fire keeping the two men warm. He dips his head and long brown hair brushes over the two, he gasps as he reaches that spot while riding the other and a soft cry fills the room.

"Harder." Comes the soft command from the Uchiha and the Hyuuga complies, his gasps and moans becoming louder. Then he's sitting up, wrapping his arms around the older male, hands sliding up a smooth back, a loud moan escaping "Neji…" it's a low moan and when nails rake down perfect skin hips jerk and his name fills the room as a sharp cry. His breaths are coming in hard and he buries his face in the other's neck "More…" it was almost a plea and it is complied, muscles wrapping around him with warmth, coaxing him, dragging him to his peak. How they ended up like this was anyone's guess and yet it continued. For days, weeks they were like this. Touching each other, tasting each other. He loved watching the Hyuuga as he rode him, the look on his face when he would shiver as he came; lashes fluttering with a hard moan escaping his lips.

They didn't need words to express themselves; their bond and understanding of each other went much deeper than trivial things like words. Looks, touches, glances, that was all they needed. Hyuuga helped him forget. Through their trysts the visions of his dead family didn't haunt him; the voices faded. When brown hair touched his skin and lips pressed against his he didn't think about how his life no longer held any meaning, that there was nothing else for him to live for now that it was all over. It wasn't necessary when he was there, because he filled in the void that had almost consumed him whole. He depended on him and while a while ago that would have disgusted and appalled him now he didn't care. It didn't matter. He needed the Hyuuga and the other knew it. He knew that if he merely spoke a word he could have the Uchiha on his knees, begging. Just one word.

The sensations were like a drug and he was highly addicted; insatiable. Just the other leaving the room had him clambering around trying to find him, to know he was near. He knew it was obsession, he knew he hung on because he had nothing else to hang on to. The Hyuuga had become his entire life, his purpose, no longer could he exist without the other.

If he minded, he never said it. Neji never complained, never scorned him…but he never emotionally responded either. They had sex and he took care of his wounds, but that was it. There was no obsession on his end. There was definitely lust and the understanding that the Uchiha wasn't a threat to anyone…not anymore. Not after Naruto had ripped such things out of him. He was tired, always so tired, but this long haired jounin made him feel alive.

Another hard moan escapes and his arms tighten as his body begins to tense. "Faster…" he pants and he feels fingers dig into his back and teeth bite down on his shoulder. He moves his hips up to meet the rocking of hips and his head tips back as it begins to become too much. He drowns himself in the feeling, his entire body craving release "Neji…" it's a moan and the other responds by moving harder, faster, and it's too much. His grip becomes almost painful as the tension is suddenly released, a loud, long moan filling the empty room as he fills his lover. He shivers, his hips thrust up and it is then that he feels warmth along his chest and abdomen as the one riding him lets out his own soft moans, his name on his lips.

Then they are falling from their euphoria, black against white as they panted, breathed and something passes between them, something that wasn't there before. He realizes that he's no longer the same person, and will never be that person again, when he opens his mouth and speaks.

"I love you."

White eyes widen almost comically at the words before he is able to school his expression into a blank mask. He wants to tell the other he's mistaken, he can see it in the Hyuuga's eyes, but they both know better. They both know what's been happening to them over these past few months; they understand nothing will ever be the same.

They know that he's broken, damaged, and more than likely he would never be fixed. The Hyuuga knows this is where he should walk away because it was only a matter of time before they would come and then their little moment would be gone. The Uchiha is stable enough to move on his own; he should get up and leave.

It was only supposed to be about sex. Sasuke had needed those moments of passion where nothing else mattered and Neji, while he'd never admit it, had needed that as well. He also had things he wanted to forget, he also craved the other's touch and the sensations it brought. They had reached an understanding, an impasse, but now it was much more than that.

He should walk away.

"I love you too."

xxxxx

"You can't do this to them!" hands slammed on the table as Uzumaki Naruto glared at the Konoha council "Sasuke and me…he might have disappeared after that battle but I saved him and you know it!"

"It doesn't excuse his crimes," Tsunade sighed, leaning back in her chair "It doesn't change the fact that he's a criminal. It doesn't change the fact that he tried to attack the village and –"

"You don't understand him at all!" he stood up, shaking with barely concealed rage "I spent years, years looking for him, finding him and losing him. I believed in him when no one else did. I saved him and now you want to kill him?" he was shouting now "What the hell were all my efforts for then?" he shook his head "You know what? Never mind." He leaned forward, eyes glittering with emotion "You told me I could have anything I wanted for what I've done, one request. I'm cashing in, right here, right now."

xxxxx

"They want to kill you."

He looked blankly at the wall of his cell, his back facing the voice although it brought him more happiness than he'd ever openly convey.

"I know. Did they interrogate you?"

There was the rustle of clothing and then he could see white as he tilted his head to the side. Neji was also not facing him. There was silence.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" there was a small sigh and Neji leaned back, looking up "I'm not."

"You could have abandoned me." For some reason he was beginning to feel frustrated "That day…when you confronted me. Said all those things. You could have destroyed me, I wouldn't have even fought it." He still wouldn't; couldn't even if he wanted to. That last battle, Naruto 'saving' him, had undone him forever. He had wandered aimlessly, haunted by his past and feeling so very tired. Then Neji had found him, tried to get him to go back, to finally stop running away. He had screamed. Neji had merely looked at him impassively but his eyes had said so much more than words ever could have. He had crumbled and for some reason unknown to both of them Neji had picked up the pieces.

"I could have. I didn't."

"You're going to be miserable."

Something warm touched his hand and he blinked down at Neji's fingers. With a mental sigh he took the other's hand and they sat like that in silence. After a very long moment he felt the Hyuuga's hand squeeze his.

"I was miserable." He said low "I'm not now." Another squeeze "And I don't hold as much power over you as you seem to think. In order to have power, I must have the advantage." His hand slipped from his lover's and he stood "From the beginning, Sasuke, we were trapped together. You saw the shackles that bound you to me…" he raised his arm slightly "But to shackle you to me…I must be shackled as well." He met wide onyx eyes with a sad smile and turned to leave. He did not look back.

xxxxx

He had his freedom…somewhat. Classified as certifiably insane and released of all charges he was not to be killed, not locked up, but heavily surveyed and his actions heavily monitored. His groceries were brought to him, he had a very limited range of where he could go; he could not wander the village alone. He lived in a little safe house and it had been months since he had last seen Neji.

Like an addict he was suffering withdrawal symptoms; not having his reason for existing around him had made him lethargic, apathetic, and numb. He did not acknowledge anyone's presence unless they mentioned his drug, which Naruto did often.

"I heard about you two…Neji didn't even try to hide it, he told everyone the full story." He smiled and it was a sad, shaky smile "You…love him, Sasuke?"

"…What do you think?"

"I uh…" he sighed "Just hope it's genuine on your end because…" but he wouldn't say anymore, no matter how much he had been probed. What had that meant?

A knock on the door only mildly caught his attention. Well, if they wanted to come in they could walk in, it wasn't locked. The knock continued and he sat up in his bed, scowling. Who the hell was it? He was obviously home, it wasn't like he could go anywhere.

"Sasuke?" the voice sounded tentative and very unsure. There was a bit of shuffling, as if the person was walking around blind. It didn't make any sense because it was the middle of the day and he knew that voice.

Neji.

Jumping up, he rushed to the door and the sight that met him had him almost drop down to his knees.

The Hyuuga's forehead, which he knew had been graced with the cursed seal, was bare. His hands were reaching out uncertainly, looking for purchase and he frowned, as if trying to concentrate. It was his eyes that caught Sasuke's attention the most. Where before his white eyes had looked almost like twin pearls there was nothing. No color, no shine, they were completely dead. Naruto's words come back to him suddenly, as does Neji's.

"Why?" the question makes the Hyuuga pause and he tilts his head in the direction of the voice. A small smile emerges.

"You're free." He said "Free with limitations…" he straightened "So am I."

"Why did you do this?" closing the distance he grabbed the other's shoulders, shaking him "Damn it Neji, you…" he had all but thrown his life away and for what? For who?

"I had a choice." A hand raises and moves over Sasuke's face "You or my clan. It was not a difficult decision." He sighed and looked off towards a distance he could not see "You will never be a shinobi again, neither will I. You will never have true freedom…I never had true freedom. With me you were happy…with you I was happy." He closed sightless eyes "I lost the only person that ever mattered to me a very long time ago, Sasuke. I swore to myself if I ever found someone like that again I would do anything in my power not to ever let that happen again. Anything."

And then he had the Hyuuga in his arms. Lips and hands were everywhere, frantic and desperate for touch and sensation that had been denied to them for so long. His lips trailed down pale skin, kissed the lids of sightless eyes. He pulled the other to his bedroom, their bedroom, and ignored the burning behind his eyes as he looked down at his lover, at the warm smile on his lips. He'd never blame him, he'd never regret it, Sasuke knew. Neji truly was shackled to him now, just as he was shackled to him.

"Neji…"

He was silenced by lips and arms tightened around his neck. They were both gentle as they removed each other's clothes, worshipping each other's bodies with their hands and mouths. When he looked up at his lover as the other man slid him into his body he couldn't help the gasp that left him, couldn't help the way his arms moved around the other. Wanting him, needing him.

Hands slid up his chest as hips rocked and his lover tipped his head back, moaning "I love you."

He shifted and then there were cries and shouts as he surged into his lover as hard and as fast as he could, shifting his hips as legs wrapped around him. There were too many things he wanted to say and not enough words to say them in. Saying 'I love you' wouldn't be enough to convey his feelings at knowing the sacrifice Neji had made just to be with him.

Him. He owed Neji more than his life at this point.

Nails raked up his back as the two reached their peak and then reality was crashing down on them as the release fled, leaving them both limp, shaky, and breathless.

"Neji…" he kissed the other before he could protest "You won't regret it." Another person…one more person had made a sacrifice too great just for him. For him they had given up everything. "I –"

"Sasuke." There was a small pause "Stop talking so much."

There was a low chuckle. Of course Neji knew, of course he understood…he wouldn't have done what he had otherwise. Words had been unnecessary, their gazes, touches, and actions told all. Words had always been unnecessary between them. Words were hollow between them, they need not be wasted.

So he told him all of what he wanted to say by worshipping and supporting him. He told him through action, through feeling, and indeed until the end Neji did not regret it and Sasuke finally found peace.