Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Duality ❯ Nothing to Hide ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Ten: Nothing to Hide

Lying beside you here in the dark

Feeling your heart beat with mine

Softly you whisper, you're so sincere

How could our love be so blind?

We sailed on together

We drifted apart

And here you are by my side

- Open Arms by Journey

Once they had organized their plans for the two separate sleepovers—and it did seem immature to call it that, which was probably why Sekai and Naruto insisted on using the term—the Uzumaki brothers returned to their small apartment to gather things they would need. It was in the late afternoon when they returned and after spending so long in their company Sasuke was glad when Sekai and Sai left for the ANBU’s apartment.

“Want something to eat?” he asked his remaining guest, since it was close enough to dinner for him and they had skipped lunch.

Naruto was walking around the apartment, looking at things he hadn’t noticed before with the distraction of the television and his brother. “Sure.”

Curiously, he poked his head into the next room and saw it was Sasuke’s bedroom. On one side were the bathroom and a bed. The wall of the other side was made of glass—the entrance to the patio just outside. It had a shade that looked to have kept most of it out of the rain, but Naruto had been outside twice and was not too eager to make it a third. Then he caught sight of the dresser and the familiar picture sitting atop it.

All four members of Team Seven had this picture. Naruto walked closer to it, smiling warmly at the memories it brought back. He and Sasuke were glaring at each other, as was usual back then. Naruto wondered if things hadn’t been simpler back then.

We look so young, he thought, laughing at little. We really need to take a new picture. One with the whole group, including Sai, Sekai, and Yume. That’d be nice…

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a cup of steaming ramen placed in front of his face, complete with a pair of chopsticks sitting inside.

“Here,” Sasuke said unceremoniously. “I didn’t know what else to fix you, so…”

Naruto smiled and took the offered food. “Thanks, Sasuke!”

For himself, Sasuke had gotten an apple. He didn’t like cooking and would get out of it if he could avoid it. Thankfully, Naruto was pretty easy to please.

They ate and stared at the picture for a few quiet minutes interrupted only occasionally by slurping and crunching.

Naruto finished the noodles quickly and drank back the warm flavored juice in a more leisurely pace. “Do you think things were less complicated back then?” he asked at length.

Sasuke tilted his head to the side thoughtfully while gazing intently at his younger self’s disgruntled expression. “In some things I guess. But I think at this moment, this is the least complicated we’ve ever been.”

Naruto smiled at that. “Yeah, I guess so.” He emptied his cup and took the remains of the apple from his friend’s hand helpfully.

Sasuke glanced at him and saw a piece of kamaboko sticking to Naruto’s cheek that the blond hadn’t seemed to notice. Without thinking, he picked the swirled food stuff off and popped it into his mouth.

Naruto blushed and smiled sheepishly, wiping his cheek. “Thanks.”

Grunting in acknowledgement, Sasuke turned away to hide his own slight blush. In his mind a voice jeered, ‘So you like to eat the naruto pieces first?’ It sounded suspiciously like Orochimaru and Sekai combined.

Just then there was a knock at the door and he used the distraction in order to get his face to return to its normal pallor. He was surprised when he opened the door to find their sensei there.

“Yo,” Kakashi greeted with a casual wave. He glanced over Sasuke’s shoulder to see Naruto in the kitchen. “Oh good, Naruto’s here. I went by his apartment and didn’t see anyone there, so…”

Sasuke grunted. “He’s staying here tonight. The deviant’s with Sai.”

The Jounin eyed him during a suspicious pause. “Any reason why?”

Sasuke eyed him right back, immediately going on the defensive. “No.”

Kakashi didn’t look like he believed him.

Naruto came up behind him. “Hi, Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here by yourself? You’re supposed to be with someone!”

“I am,” the older ninja declared, moving to the side so they could see the man standing a few feet down the hallway, waiting for Kakashi to get done.

“Yamato-taichou!” Naruto yelled in greeting. Though he hadn’t seen the man in a while, he was still fond of him since the time he’d briefly replaced Kakashi.

“Hey, Naruto.” Yamato smiled and grabbed Kakashi to steer him away from the door, since the Jounin didn’t look in a hurry to leave. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. “Come on, sempai, let’s leave the kids alone…”

Kakashi followed grudgingly, eyeing the door that Sasuke all too eagerly closed after them. “Yeah.”

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Yamato said, noticing his friend’s hesitance. “Everyone has to grow up sometime.”

“I suppose,” Kakashi murmured. “It just sort of snuck up on me though.”

“Kind of hard to believe you’re pushing thirty, huh?” Yamato chuckled.

“Shut up.”

-

Sai stepped aside to let Sekai enter the apartment after him. They’d had to share Sekai’s umbrella, so they were both a bit wet.

“I’ll get you a towel,” Sai offered as he noticed Sekai’s skirt dripping on the floor. He’d squeezed it out before walking inside but it hadn’t seemed to help.

Sekai murmured vague thanks, his eyes already on Sai’s apartment, matching up what he saw to the memory of Yume’s descriptions. It was all very neat—even the easel that had a tarp placed underneath it had painting tools laid out around it very tidily. Then his eyes were drawn to the pictures on the wall. He walked over to them, carefully studying them until he found the one he was looking for—the first one that had been titled. Unlike many of the others, it actually had people on the canvas—Sai running to join Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato underneath a tree.

Sekai smiled at this warmly, remembering the day Yume had told him about this. They had been having a tremulous time because of what they knew was happening to Naruto and the others, finally meeting Sasuke again only to have him acting so cold and malicious. Sekai had wanted to leave prematurely in order to help. He’d been worrying himself sick over what would become of Naruto and Sasuke. In the end, Yume had managed to talk him out of it, reminding him that he wasn’t ready and there wouldn’t be anything they could do. They would end up bringing a third enemy into Naruto’s life, combined with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Thankfully things had turned out for the best, but at the time Sekai had been terrified for his little brother.

Hearing about Sai’s changes had heartened him slightly, since Sai had sworn to protect Naruto and Sasuke’s bond. It had made the whole thing more bearable.

“Here,” Sai said as he walked out of the bathroom, a white towel in his hand. He’d already rubbed off and changed.

“Thanks.” Sekai began rubbing his hair, stepping back from the painting to avoid splashing it. “You’re really talented, you know.” He hadn’t seen any of Sai’s drawings before today. He’d been meaning to ask if he could.

Sai smiled cheerfully at the compliment. “Thank you.”

“I was really happy when you did this one,” Sekai added, motioning to Friends. “I heard how much you were changing because of Naruto-nii and I was really happy for you.”

“It… seems surreal sometimes,” Sai admitted slowly, as he thought about how much he had changed this year. “For longer than I can remember I was being trained for a specific purpose—to be Root. ‘In Root, you have no name, no emotions, no past, and no future. There is only the mission.’ That was what I believed, until I met Naruto. Now I live my own way, but I still feel very awkward sometimes.”

Sekai smiled kindly. “I think you’re doing great. Humans are meant to feel emotions. What Danzou did to all of you—it was wrong.”

“It was to protect Konoha.”

“The ends do not always justify the means.” His blue eyes suddenly turned cold and distant. “I hope I never meet him. I’ll do something I’d regret.” Just as quickly his expression brightened again. “Ack! Oh no! I’m dripping all over your floor! I’d better go change.” That said Sekai raced to the bathroom with his change of clothes in hand.

Sai stared after him, not sure how to dissemble Sekai’s actions this time. The swift change back to cheerfulness was to cover up anger. Sekai was obviously upset over something he perceived Danzou to have done—to him. So Sekai was feeling protective of him perhaps? That seemed likely.

He didn’t think Sekai would do good on his threat though. Sekai was a kind person and he didn’t give often into anger. Maybe, like Sasuke seemed to be these days, Sekai saw his anger as something that mustn’t be given into without caution.

-

Night settled over Konoha and the rain finally slowed to a light drizzle before it stopped completely. It left the night air cool and damp. Sasuke opened the patio door in order to let it in, only to eventually close it when he noticed Naruto shivering.

Naruto flushed in embarrassment, that old feeling returning from when they were young, of not wanting to look weak in front of his rival. “I wasn’t cold!” he yelled, despite the fact that he had the blanket tucked up to his chin.

Sasuke smirked, evident even in the dark by his voice. “Sure,” he teased as he climbed back into bed.

“I wasn’t!”

“So why are you trying to cocoon yourself? Butterflies are out of season.”

Naruto quickly pushed the blanket down and arranged it more normally. “There. Happy now?”

“Ecstatic.”

Naruto stared up at the ceiling, studying the dark shadows and cracks in the plaster. “Hey, hey. Are you sure you don’t mind me being here?”

“Sai took his sleeping bag with him and you neglected to bring yours,” Sasuke pointed out, unable to avoid mentioning that he had one stowed in a closet somewhere. He hadn’t used it since he was thirteen though, so he probably needed to buy a replacement. Still, he wouldn’t deny his ulterior motive, in his private thoughts. “If you want to sleep on the floor I’ll get you a blanket, but you know we’re not supposed to be in separate rooms. Otherwise you could have the couch.”

“No, I don’t want to sleep on the floor,” Naruto said quickly. Far from it. He felt quite comfortable sleeping with Sasuke so nearby. “Just wondering if you minded,” he added, his voice giving away how much he’d rather not be kicked out of Sasuke’s bed.

“I don’t,” Sasuke responded shortly, voice not giving away how much he wanted Naruto to stay.

“You sure?”

“Yes, now go to sleep before I suffocate you with a pillow.”

“Okay, okay. Sheesh.” Naruto shifted again, turning to face toward his friend and closing his eyes. He didn’t think he would fall asleep as quickly as he did.

Sasuke had no such luck. Naruto’s light snores weren’t irritating, but they did serve to constantly remind him that the blond was right there, as did his warmth that spread across the mattress.

Twisting around slowly he turned to face his slumbering teammate. It wasn’t as though they’d never slept together. But, like with seeing Naruto naked, that had been when they were twelve, and it had meant sometime else back then. (And sleeping in the same room with separate sleeping bags was different than sharing a bed.) Sasuke couldn’t get his mind or body to relax. This wouldn’t lead to anything, he knew that, but his body didn’t seem to. He pondered momentarily going outside on the porch and performing some exercises, maybe practice with his katana, since he hadn’t actually done anything that day. Perhaps if he worked his body to exhaustion he could surpass this restlessness.

He gave it up after realizing this would mean leaving the bed, which was comfortably warm now. He knew it wasn’t just the bed, since it had never seemed that way before.

Studying Naruto’s face in the dimness, he noted all the changes to his features. His cheeks weren’t so round anymore, having lost most of his baby fat, and he was becoming attractive in a plain sort of way. Naruto’s attributes weren’t just his looks but rather in his personality, which was as strong and vibrant as it had been the first day they’d met.

His hair looked a little longer, though it was hard to tell with his forehead protector on. Currently both of their headbands were lying side by side, as their owners were, on the dresser—one unmarred, the other with a scratch over the leaf.

Naruto had given his back when he’d returned to Konoha.

-

His solitary confinement was spent for the most part in the apartment he had occupied before leaving. It was much the same as it had been. Kakashi had had to bring him some extra clothes—the ones he’d worn while with Orochimaru were torn and stained with his own blood. He’d asked Kakashi to burn them.

Mostly it was Kakashi who came to see him. They would talk about things that had happened or techniques they’d learned. It was almost as if their silent understanding was still there, except now it carried undercurrents of curiosity and doubt. Sasuke tried to pretend this did not bother him.

“Did you plan to come back?” Kakashi eventually asked, his tone not changing and his eyes not looking up from his little pornographic novel.

“No,” Sasuke said honestly.

“Then why did you?”

Sasuke had looked away from him, out the window. “You’ve tried arguing with Naruto before, haven’t you?” was all he said.

Sakura came often at first, talking excitedly about things she had done in his absence. The visits became infrequent when she started to run out of things to tell him, ways to get through his cold exterior. Sasuke apologized for knocking her unconscious the night he’d left, but other than that, he felt awkward around her. He knew what she wanted and did not know, at that time, how to tell her it was something he couldn’t give her. Mostly he had pressed her to tell him things about Naruto.

“Naruto promised me he’d bring you home,” Sakura said one time, after telling Sasuke the story of how they’d met Sai. Most likely she had thought it would amuse him. It hadn’t really.

“I know.”

“I waited for you.” That was her way of letting him know there was no one else in her life she held dear. “I’m really glad you’re back, Sasuke-kun. All of us are.”

Sasuke sighed quietly. “Is Naruto?”

This made her confused. “You keep asking about him.”

“I’m curious.”

“It’s more than that though, isn’t it?”

Sasuke hadn’t answered that, because she was right.

He had seen Naruto last at the hospital. The blond had taken longer to recover than he had. After then it was like he was avoiding him. One day, though, he saw Naruto on his doorstep, standing behind Kakashi as though trying to hide.

“Come on, Naruto,” Kakashi urged, “don’t be shy.”

“I’m not shy!” Naruto argued self-righteously. To prove this wasn’t the case, he rushed forward and thrust an object into Sasuke’s face. “Here.”

Sasuke took it and carefully unwrapped the cloth covering his forehead protector. He gazed at the scratch across the front, the scratch that Naruto himself had put there, blankly. “You kept it.”

“Of course I did!” Naruto said, finally smiling a little. “I told you, I’d bring you back no matter what.”

Sasuke kept gazing at the headband he’d abandoned years ago. He remembered the day at the Valley of the End sharply even now years after the fact. He wouldn’t apologize for it, but he wished it had ended differently. If only Naruto could have understood, if only they had both been less foolish… If only Orochimaru had never wanted his body…

“Naruto.”

“Huh?”

“Next time, don’t lose to prove your point.” He tapped against the scratched forehead protector explanatorily.

Naruto blinked, confused, before slowly smirking. “Next time I’ll kick your ass for sure,” he promised.

Sasuke smirked back before putting the forehead protector on. Naruto’s smile brightened in response.

-

He hadn’t replaced it for a newer, unmarked one. It was a lesson. So he would never forget what he had sacrificed and what mistakes he had made—and how foolish he had been. Staying with the Sound had left him with a lot of time to his thoughts, a lot more than he would have liked at first. Orochimaru liked to go long stretches without training him, and when he wasn’t training, Sasuke couldn’t help but go off alone somewhere dark and quiet to let his mind wander in the past. He had tried not to remember Naruto so much. Instead he tried to focus on the memories of his family, harnessing his hatred for Itachi.

He had tried to forget Naruto. He had tried. But memories came to him unbidden regardless: the day they had met Kakashi and learned about teamwork, the first time he’d told Naruto he looked forward to fighting him, training with Naruto in the Wave Country, jumping between Naruto and Haku after finally activating his Sharingan for the first time—to save Naruto, Naruto jumping between him and Orochimaru’s snake, and most of all he remembered the Valley of the End.

Almost a year later exactly was when Kabuto had let it slip to Orochimaru that it was his birthday. It had been to get back at him, though now Sasuke had no idea what for. Probably something Kabuto saw as an offense on his part. It had led to Orochimaru actually getting him a cake, saying morbidly that it was one of the last birthdays Sasuke would have so he should celebrate it. It had amused the bastard endlessly. Sasuke had known it was all a part of Orochimaru’s “get inside of Sasuke before getting inside of Sasuke” plan. Sasuke had wanted nothing to do with it.

Eventually the old pervert had commented teasingly on how “tight and virginal” he was, betting he hadn’t even been kissed yet.

Kabuto, wanting to embarrass him, had said, “Naruto beat you to that,” all too cheerfully.

Orochimaru had naturally found this incredibly amusing and had prodded for details, thinking it had been some sordid interlude between two little boys, when really it had been an infantile accident.

Sasuke had called them both idiots but hadn’t tried to correct Kabuto’s statement.

That was the day Sasuke had started thinking about Naruto in the context of kissing, and why he couldn’t get the blond out of his mind. That little reminder of the kiss became a loud exclamation in his mind soon after, and Sasuke was forced for the first time to admit things that he’d been trying so hard to deny to himself.

Once he did that, it had come easily, so naturally, and for once with something concerning Naruto he knew why.

And he’d known it was something he could never tell anyone. Especially the blond in question.

The kiss itself he barely remembered now. He couldn’t remember what Naruto’s lips felt like against his or how warm his breath had been against his face.

He wanted to remember.

He was creeping closer to Naruto before he even fully realized it. When he did he paused, his face hovering over Naruto’s.

You can’t do this! What if he wakes up?! What will you do then?!

Sasuke studied the other boy, but Naruto appeared to be in deep slumber, his breathing patterns having not changed, still slow and shallow.

He won’t wake up. He still sleeps like the dead…

Just one kiss, he warned himself. Just one little touch to tide his curiosity over…

But as soon as his lips touched Naruto’s, he couldn’t bring himself to draw away from them immediately. His heart crawled up his throat and he wanted so much to kiss Naruto hard enough to wake him, to press their bodies closer, to let his hands roam over the blond’s muscular frame…

Slowly he forced himself to pull away, his willpower and pride unable to let him do what he desired. He knew he’d already pushed his luck too far.

He opened his eyes and it took Sasuke a second too long to realize Naruto’s were open as well.

Naruto smiled. “Who’s the deviant now… kissing people in their sleep?”

The Uchiha reacted to the first instinct that came to mind. With no thought whatsoever to his pride, he tried to run.

Naruto’s reaction was quicker. Even with his body tangled in sheets he managed to grab hold of Sasuke, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist so he couldn’t even set foot off the bed. “Wait!” he cried.

Sasuke froze. I went too far, I went too far, now he’s going to hate me forever…I’ve lost it all…

Naruto could tell he was afraid. Running was a big tip off. He kept his grip on him tight. “Don’t tell me we’re gonna wait another four years before trying that again, you jerk.”

Sasuke didn’t even puzzle over his words. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not!” Naruto cried against his back. “Just… Just don’t run away from me again, okay? Especially not because of this.” He wasn’t sure what he was doing, or what he was going to do, and he could admit to himself he was a little afraid too.

Sasuke noticed he didn’t seem surprised. He assumed it was for the wrong reason. “That bastard deviant told you.”

“Aniki? He didn’t tell me anything! Not about this anyway. The only thing he told me was that we needed to talk.”

“Then… How did you know?” Sasuke asked slowly, confused now.

“I didn’t. Not until you kissed me.”

“Then…”

Naruto laughed softly. “You total idiot,” he said, kissing the back of Sasuke’s neck. “I… feel the same. I guess. Not that you’ve actually told me how you feel yet. Which you should because I’m not putting out until you do,” he added hurriedly, blushing.

His body immediately relaxed at the kiss, though it was mostly from shock. “Naruto…” Slowly he turned around to face the blond, the grip on his waist loosening to make this possible. He stared at him in the pale light in wonder. “You…”

Naruto smiled in amusement. “Usually I’m the one that can’t form coherent sentences.”

“Well,” Sasuke began in anger, which quickly extinguished itself when he couldn’t finish the thought. “Well… I’m surprised,” he said lamely.

“Well so was I,” Naruto pointed out with a grin. “Here I was, thinking that what I was starting to feel for you was weird and perverted—and definitely not reciprocated—then you go and blow that out of the water. You really like to spring shit on me, don’t you? From now on, I want some warning.”

“What you… feel for me?”

Naruto blushed. “Well… I guess I love you.” He had made his decision. He was no longer confused. Today had given him the certainty he needed—if the thought of Sasuke being with someone else made him angry, possessive even, then it could only mean he wanted to be with him. Suddenly, it was all so simple.

This time, Sasuke took that statement seriously. He leaned forward and kissed Naruto again in response, breath quickening when he was kissed back. Reaching up, he cupped the sides of Naruto’s face, thumbs stroking lightly over the whisker-like marks he knew were there. Inside, he felt like he was soaring.

Naruto made a soft noise and gripped Sasuke again by the waist, allowing himself to be pushed back onto the mattress. When Sasuke moved on top of him though he pushed him back a little. “Wait, wait,” he said breathlessly. “You still have to tell me how you feel…”

Sasuke smirked, still feeling exhilarated from the kissing and the knowledge of how Naruto felt. “You can’t tell?”

Naruto ducked his head guiltily. “No… You’re the most confusing asshole on the planet, Sasuke!”

Taking pity on him, Sasuke leaned down to whisper in his ear, as if afraid to be overheard, before sucking on his earlobe experimentally.

Naruto giggled in reaction and tried to squirm away from the tongue tasting his ear. It was nice just to hear Sasuke say it and his tightened his arms around him. “That tickles…”

“Humph. It was supposed to feel nice…”

Naruto grinned. If it was anyone other than Sasuke, he would have said he was pouting. “Well, I can think of a few other things for you to suck if you want,” he pointed out brightly around a blush.

Sasuke smirked and chuckled. “So can I.” He kissed a path softly back to Naruto’s lips, still only using gentle pressure.

Naruto’s breath caught in his throat whenever he got a good look at Sasuke’s face. His expression was alit with feeling—mainly excitement and lust—but his eyes had softened, instead of being cold and deadened. Occasionally around his smirks he caught him smiling for real.

“One second,” Sasuke said, pulling away briefly. “Let me turn on a lamp…”

“Why?” Naruto blinked up at him as Sasuke leaned over to the small bedside table and switched the lamp on. It cast the room in an orange glow.

Sasuke moved back to his former position, leaning over the blond. “I want to see you.”

Naruto blushed, and the crimson deepened due to Sasuke eyes fixed on his cheeks. He expected the Uchiha to make some snide remark, but instead he just smirked and resumed his passionate kiss against Naruto’s soft, eager lips. Naruto mewed happily and kissed back, opening his mouth in blatant invitation. Sasuke took the hint and slipped his tongue between the blond’s lips. Naruto tried not to laugh.

Sasuke pulled back again. “What?”

“It feels weird,” Naruto said.

Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched a little. Naruto smiled and lifted himself up to press their lips back together. Awkwardly their tongues tangled again, both growing more bold and sure of themselves as they continued.

Sasuke seamlessly switched from kissing the other boy’s mouth to traveling down his neck, licking the tanned skin liberally. He continued as Naruto gasped fervently, fists clenching into the sleeves of his shirt.

Sasuke's tongue was ecstasy as it traveled and teased the skin along Naruto's throat. Naruto craned his head back, as if inviting his new lover to continue his oral exploration. The noises emitting from his mouth grew louder but he didn't care at all. At that moment he wanted Sasuke's clothes off, and to feel his gentle, naked form against his own.

The dark haired boy sat up to remove his shirt, tossing it uncaringly to the side. He found himself glad when Naruto smiled at the sight of him, obviously pleased with what he saw.

“Yeah, turning the light on was definitely a good idea,” Naruto noted, sitting up to kiss the spot over Sasuke’s heart.

Sasuke gasped softly, the sound turning into a moan as the blond began licking the nipple there. He couldn’t actually feel a lot of sensation there, except when the skin was bitten, but there was something so incredibly intimate about Naruto sucking on that part of his body that left him breathless.

He reached down and unbuttoned the opening to Naruto’s boxers, pulling his erection between the folds. He brushed his thumb against the head causing Naruto to emit a keening, desperate sound, and precum collected on his finger. Curious, he brought it up to his lips to taste.

“You know, you don’t taste so bad,” Sasuke admitted thoughtfully, finding the flavor kind of salty and not as vile as he’d imagined previously. At his touch, Naruto had lifted up his head to watch him, his mouth hanging slightly open. Feeling mischievous, he stuck the thumb into Naruto’s mouth. “See?”

“Ew!” Naruto choked, biting the digit as he dislodged it. “You—You bastard!”

Sasuke grinned widely, chuckling at little. “Heh…”

Naruto pounced as much as he could with Sasuke perched on his legs. His mouth latched onto the side of Sasuke’s neck opposite the curse mark’s remains and proceeded to leave his own impression on the skin, biting and licking the skin ravenously.

Sasuke gasped loudly and wrapped his arms around Naruto’s neck as if to hold him in place. The biting was sharp, yet not painful. His lover's teeth didn't break the skin and it teased the masochistic streak within the Uchiha. Sasuke returned the favor by teasing his length with his fingertips, swirling his index finger along the head, feeling the precum well up in response.

“Harder,” he demanded gutturally. “Bite harder.”

Naruto complied readily, a little surprised by Sasuke’s enthusiastic response. The other hand slid underneath his shirt to stroke his back and he pulled away in order to remove the garment. Sasuke made a displeased sound at the pause in his ministrations, which made Naruto grin happily.

Sasuke’s gaze traveled over the blond’s flawless skin, no sign of the many fights he had been in, letting his hands wander up his abs to his chest, where he pinched the nipples teasingly. Naruto whimpered softly and bit his lip.

Beautiful, he thought, feeling as sudden rushing pride at being the one Naruto chose to do this with, and that the blond thought he was worthy of such.

Naruto flushed again at the inspection, his own eyes turning once again to Sasuke’s gorgeous frame. They shared about the same build, the only differences being the Uchiha’s inherited paleness. Though dotted on his skin was the occasional mole or scar, he was still soft to the touch and Naruto pulled him closer. He cried out as Sasuke began stroking him in earnest.

Wanting to touch him as well, Naruto pushed Sasuke back onto the mattress gently, groaning disarmingly as this dislodged his lover’s fist. He gazed down at Sasuke’s flushed form, his skin pale against the dark sheets and hair in disarray, when inspiration struck. Grinning, Naruto bent forward to reach the waistband of his boxers, putting the fabric into his mouth and pulling down.

Sasuke grinned at the sight—with his whisker markings Naruto did look animalistic and feral.

Naruto continued pulling with his mouth all the way down his legs, his hands roaming over his hips and down his legs until he slid the boxers off completely. Then he sat back and looked, breath catching as Sasuke spread his legs wider in invitation.

Smirking at the blond's overt lust, Sasuke let his hand trail down along his chest to his crotch. He stroked himself teasingly, enjoying how Naruto's eyes stayed locked onto him as if hypnotized by his body.

Naruto licked his lips. Sasuke looked so hot and though his entire body itched to be pressed as close as he could get to his lover, he waited, enjoying the show offered to him.

“Naruto,” Sasuke called, feeling his climax approaching. He let go of his erection to reach for the blond.

Grinning, Naruto grabbed the offered hand and moved on stop of Sasuke, straddling his hips and taking hold of his length. Sasuke groaned plaintively, sitting up to kiss his lover passionately and stroke him urgently.

Naruto blindly found the spot he had been biting before and latched onto it, causing the Uchiha to cry out, throwing his head back and thrusting up into his hand with wild abandon. He put his arm around Naruto, pulling their bodies even closer, feeling himself draw nearer to the edge. Dimly, he remembered from Jiraiya’s books that the people usually didn’t want the experience to end. He didn’t feel that way. He just didn’t want Sasuke to last longer than him, so he bit down harder. Reaching down, he gripped Sasuke’s buttocks tightly to control his thrusts.

Sasuke climaxed, the pleasure finally knocking him off the precipice of resistance. Overwhelmed by Naruto's actions, Sasuke moaned and closed his eyes as the orgasm sent currents through his body.

Hearing the wonderful, zealous moans Sasuke made as he came, Naruto lost the last vestiges of control. He gasped brokenly against Sasuke’s shoulder and climaxed, holding onto his lover’s frame like a lifeline.

Sasuke continued stroking until the blond was spent. The two of them clutched onto each other, breathing heavily as if they had just been fighting.

Slowly, Naruto lifted up his head and smiled shyly at the dark haired boy. “That… That was great.” Though it was new and slightly frightening, Naruto now had a sense of certainty—it was as if all this time, this was what they had been really moving toward. This was how things were supposed to be.

“Yeah,” agreed Sasuke, smiling back a little. He still felt a little shell-shocked, as if this wasn’t really happening. Maybe it would seem more real in the morning.

Naruto leaned forward and they shared a gentle kiss before the blond began nuzzling his face. Sasuke chuckled and rubbed back with just as much affection.

“We should clean up,” he noted.

“Mmph,” was Naruto’s unenthusiastic reply. He sat up to pull off his boxers and used them to wipe himself and Sasuke off before throwing them to the floor. He leaned back against the pillows with a self-satisfied sigh.

Sasuke made a face. “You’ll regret it in fifteen minutes when you’re all stiff instead of just sticky.” He rose on surprisingly shaky legs and headed for the bathroom. He’d never admit it, but he felt as though he could barely stand. “Naruto?” he called as he wiped himself off with a wet cloth. As he walked back into the bedroom he found out why Naruto had not responded to him.

He was fast asleep, snoring and drooling against a pillow.

Sasuke smiled a little at the sight of Naruto lying in his bed then turned out the light before climbing in beside the blond. He shifted close to him so that they were lying right beside each other, sharing their warmth. “Good night, Naruto.”

TBC.