The following two-shot falls in line with current manga events and the next step on from that. Warnings for sexual acts between two males and language.
I do not own Naruto or it's characters.
Naruto felt like he had been punched. Hard.
Never had he heard Sasuke talk so much in his life and he would have found it amusing had the situation been different. As it turned out, Sasuke had a lot to get off his chest and Naruto briefly wondered if the Uchiha felt any relief at all - ironic considering what the dark-haired male intended to do.
Naruto was at a loss of what to say. A part of him wanted to grab hold of Sasuke by the shoulders and shake some sense into him, but a bigger part wanted to take him in his arms, reassure him, plea with him.
It's not right. None of this right. Sasuke shouldn't have to take the burden all by himself. He shouldn't have to bear that hatred. There had to be other ways.
Naruto was kicking himself also. In his naivety he thought his pledge of friendship alone would solve everything. Sasuke needed more than that. He needed someone to understand him and listen to him. Was it too late to start listening now?
A sad smile graces his lips. "Ah so you've figured it out. You've finally realised that I could never hate you and because of that, you need to get rid of me."
His response is silence, with only the breeze whipping back his hair. He dropped his gaze to the necklace hanging round his neck, cradling it to his chest and let a long breath whistle through his teeth. How can I make you see..?
Naruto raised his gaze and collided with a pair of mis-matched eyes and despite their appearance, they were the same eyes that haunted him every night - sometimes flared with a burning anger, other times misted with love and desire.
Thump.
Gaze unwavering, Naruto moved silently, taking a small step closer to Sasuke. The Uchiha's eyes flickered with something Naruto could only describe as fear and his back straightened, chest puffed out.
"I'm an idiot," Naruto mumbled, looking up to the skies for some kind of contradiction. The skies were dark and ominous and he could taste the rain in the air and yet, peaking between a tiny crack in the clouds is a tiny ray of light and suddenly it all becomes crystal clear.
With a self-depreciating huff, Naruto yanked the necklace from his neck and cradled it in his hands, watching Sasuke and the tension radiating off his body. He tossed the necklace over and Sasuke deftly caught it. Naruto continued to watch as the others eyes narrowed, a crease forming between his brows as he looked at the item in his hand.
"You're my best friend Sasuke…"
A pause.
"..and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for a lot of things but if you think I'm going to let you destroy yourself like this.. It's not going to happen. I won't let it happen…
…you mean too much."
"You're right, you are an idiot. An idiot for chasing me like you did, an idiot for believing in me and an idiot for still trying to talk me out of it."
Naruto shook his head, "I'm not doing this to save myself, or the Kages. I want to save you!"
"You're wasting your time! Nothing you can say can change how I feel!" Angry now, Sasuke takes two steps towards Naruto, nostrils flaring.
"THEN WHY AM I STILL STILL STANDING HERE? WHY ARE WE STILL ARGUING? IF YOU WANT TO KILL ME DO IT!"
Two more strides, the distance closed rapidly.
"What do you want from me, Naruto?"
Naruto's chest rose and fell with quick shallow breaths and his skin glistened, burnished gold like a late morning sun. The gap closed with only inches separating their bodies. Neither made a move even thought the tension sizzling between them was heavy. Naruto took a shuddering breath before speaking. "I want.."
"What?"
Naruto mumbled, his words lost on the growing breeze.
"I just want you." Naruto raised his gaze, locking on Sasuke's. He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, voice low, strong and sure. "I want you Sasuke. All of you. Your past, your flaws, your scars. I want you body and soul. I want you to live so I can breathe you in. I want your happiness so I wake to see you smile." His voice cracked then.
"Y-You're a fucking idiot. A moron. What the fuck-" Sasuke's voice was thick with a foreign emotion and a stinging behind his eyes alerted him to tears he desperately did not want to fall. "Damn you Naruto! I wanted to hate you. I wanted to hate you so much!"
Sasuke didn't know who reached for whom, he only knew that Naruto's strong arms were wrapped tight around his waist and his arms somehow found themselves around Naruto. Their bodies clapped together with enough force to to push the air from their lungs, and just before their lips met, Sasuke froze.
Breaths rapid and harsh mingled in the sliver that separated them from complete contact. The scent of Naruto gusted over his whiskered cheeks and awakened his senses. The heated press of the other's chest against his, seared through his skin and ignited a fire within. Electric tingles raced the length of Sasuke's tall frame and blood began it's instinctive descent south.
Sasuke moved a hand to cradle the back of Naruto's head, tunneled his fingers in the the silky locks damp with sweat and tentatively presses their lips together.
He waited for Naruto to respond and barely a heartbeat later, Naruto leaned into the kiss.
Their first real kiss. Naruto's lips were chapped as they dragged against his own but Sasuke paid no mind and allowed himself to have his first taste. It was a little awkward, he wasn't sure if he was angling his head right or pressing too hard but he wasn't receiving any complaints either. When Naruto's lips parted, he swept his tongue inside and slid it against Naruto's. He revelled in the subtle, rough texture on the surface and the smooth underside as they twined around one another. Sasuke noted the tang of copper he could taste.
A ragged moan rose up between them.
Sasuke wasn't sure which one of them it emanated from, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that Naruto was in his arms - that lean, muscular body pressed to his; every angle, ridge and dip fit into place as though it were only made for him.
Naruto's large hands slipped under his shirt and burned a path up and down the expanse of Sasuke's back, from the base of his neck to the swell of his ass. Scissoring hands in either direction, Sasuke held the back of Naruto's head, slanting their heads to deepen the kiss that had yet to break - breathing be damned - and then dropped one hand to cup a clothed cheek, squeezing hard as he rocked his hips forward.
For now at least, their plight had been forgotten..