-Preface-

I'm back again to share another tale from this universe (pun not intended) because I absolutely love writing for it! It was my intention to do this as a one-shot but I found that it wouldn't have been an appropriate format for this story. So here we go!

If you haven't already, check out the origin story of this series: Beyond. It's a great place to start to get you situated with this world and the characters' relationships.

Enjoy!

Log 1

Foundation

"In interstellar news, the Confederation's Press Secretary has reaffirmed the Confederation's commitment to its integration initiative of alien migrants. This comes on the heels of another recent announcement of the planned expansion of known gate routes. Some political pundits say that the Confederation doubling-down on its initiative is a blatant attempt to build capital with other alien governments—as many of the planned route expansions pass outside of Confederation space and into alien territories…"

Only half listening to the newscast streaming on the TV, Naruto mulled over the star charts in front of him. He'd arranged them haphazardly into groups by their views: clusters in one pile and lone solar systems in another. In his lap, displayed on his tablet's screen, were the raw captures of a new cluster that he had yet to map to a chart.

A few days prior, Shikamaru Nara—a longtime friend from his days with the Frontiersmen—had forwarded him the captures of a star cluster the man's team had recently surveyed. It was a favor Shikamaru often did for him by way of a vague policy the fleet had regarding retired members and their access to non-critical information. The de facto rule among the Frontiersmen was that if you had a retired associate you wanted to consult with, you were to use your discretion when sharing data. Classified information was strictly off limits.

Since Shikamaru and Naruto shared a common interest in compiling star charts, there had been no problem in convincing Naruto's former navigator to send him captures from the missions he went on. While they'd worked together, the two had compared chart notes all the time. Shikamaru's data tended to be more detailed than Naruto's, but Naruto's maps kept track of useful routes to travel by. Some of those routes had been dubbed "creative" by Shikamaru, but that hadn't stopped him from overlaying them onto his maps.

Nowadays, they still managed to exchange chart data, but Naruto felt his routes were much less "creative" than they used to be. On the bright side, the blond took consolation in the fact that Sasuke liked to use his charts for research as they were more expansive than the ones in the Corps database. For that reason, Naruto kept a larger galaxy map in his and Sasuke's home office which he updated regularly.

"Naruto," the light, masculine voice of Sasuke's Ii chimed over the house's system. "Sasuke would like to know where his black jacket is."

Roused from his thoughts, Naruto sat up from his hunched position on the floor in front of the couch. He brought his arms over his head to stretch his upper body as taut as he could.

"Tell Sasuke he needs to be more specific," Naruto said, finally melting into a relaxed heap once a few satisfying pops clicked throughout his lower back, shoulders, and neck.

"A lot of his jackets are black," he finished.

A few moments went by where Naruto assumed Sasuke's Ii was relaying his message. Their silence ended with the sound of light footsteps steadily making their way down the hall.

"The black jacket you borrowed last night, idiot," Sasuke stated once he'd entered the open space of the living room.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed at his husband's clarification, then he cringed as he remembered what happened to the garment in question.

"Ah … it's in the steam cleaner. Some drunk chick spilt her drink on me last night at that bar Kiba and I went out to."

Heavy silence.

A shadow appeared over Naruto when Sasuke's dark-haired figure came towering into view from behind the couch. Naruto leaned his head back against the seat cushion so he could see his husband's unamused glare, rather than feel it burning into the back of his skull.

He grinned sheepishly.

"C'mon, baby, don't be mad," Naruto cajoled. "The machine's probably done and your jacket is back in pristine, non-beer-smelling condition. I promise."

Sasuke continued to frown, but released it with a sigh of waning irritation. He turned away to head toward the laundry room; though, not before reaching down over the couch and flicking Naruto on the forehead.

"Ow," Naruto yelped, rubbing the abused spot.

"I better not find any random numbers in the pockets," Sasuke said as he walked back down the hallway.

Naruto untangled his crossed legs and got up to kneel.

"I'll have you know that I checked those pockets before I came home, and the numbers that I did find, I gave to Kiba," he shouted after his husband.

No response came, which made Naruto chuckle.

In the three months since he'd joined Sasuke on Laravel Naruto had come to the conclusion that he liked their new home.

The best part about it was that Sasuke's assignment would last at least a year. That meant they'd be living in one place without the worry of having to move in a few months. The last time they'd had an opportunity like that was when Sasuke worked on Angel Suite, but Naruto's husband had proven himself to be anything but a fan of the French while they were out there.

Another plus to Laravel was that it was very much a cosmopolitan colony. Various people and things were constantly passing through its ports, and it was the first place in a long time that Naruto saw more than a handful of non-human individuals walking around.

The trade industry was booming, and Laravel was experiencing plenty of growth in its population as well as its commercial sectors. This made the location where Sasuke had picked their townhome prime real estate. Though it was considered the suburbs, downtown was a mere thirty-minute tram ride away. This had been the main selling point for Naruto when they'd decided to buy the house. He'd wanted a place that was close enough to other places that could keep him and Kurama entertained while Sasuke was off at work; at least, until Naruto got his own vehicle again.

Speaking of which, the matter of Naruto's new transport was a subject of tense debate between the two of them. Naruto wanted something fun while Sasuke suggested being more pragmatic. They'd been going back and forth about it for a week, but Naruto was certain that Sasuke would come around to his side of the argument soon enough.

Sasuke strode into the living room donning his freshly cleaned racer jacket. As he looked up from adjusting its front, he found Naruto smiling at him with a waggish glint in his eyes. The blond had moved from kneeling on the floor to kneeling on the couch and was resting his chin in the hand of the arm he'd propped up on the top edge of the couch.

"What are you smiling at?" Sasuke asked, leery.

Naruto trailed an appreciative gaze up and down his husband's body, taking in the way the jacket offset the faded blue-gray of Sasuke's high-collared shirt along with his dark jeans and black shoes. The slim fit of the ensemble did well to show off the lines of Sasuke's broad shoulders and lean build. Also, with the way Sasuke's long bangs had fallen over one of his eyes, his overall persona came off as cool and aloof. It was classic Sasuke.

"Just assessing my property," Naruto said.

Both Sasuke's eyebrows shot up at that statement. "Oh, really?" he huffed out sarcastically.

"Yup," was Naruto's emphatic reply.

Sasuke held his gaze for a solid minute before rolling his eyes and walking over to the console table by the entranceway. There, he picked up the fob that would activate the car and proceeded to ignore Naruto while he continued to prepare to leave.

Unfazed, Naruto bided his time. Patience was the key to his and Sasuke's relationship, and he'd gained a healthy amount of it in the three-plus years they'd been married.

When Sasuke drifted back into Naruto's vicinity, the blond caught his attention with the beckoning gesture of a single finger. Sasuke paused and narrowed his eyes at him. For several weighted moments, it seemed as though Sasuke would continue his bout of stubbornness, but Naruto knew better. Sasuke was far more indulgent than he liked people to believe.

The dark-haired man released a heavy breath through his nose before slowly making his way over to the couch.

"Are you trying to make a point?" he remarked.

Naruto reached for him as soon as he was within range. He pulled Sasuke close, pressing the upper halves of their bodies together so he could wrap his arms more securely around the other man's waist. Nuzzling the spot right below his husband's left ear, Naruto placed a kiss there.

"Maybe," he whispered, enjoying the way a small tremor sifted through Sasuke's body as a result of his kiss.

Sasuke let out a soft hum.

Naruto allowed his hands to slip under the hem of Sasuke's jacket so he could run his fingertips across the rippling texture of the man's shirt. The longer he rested his head on Sasuke's shoulder, breathing in his cologne, the faster a tingling warmth spread from his chest through his veins.

An overwhelming desire to be consumed by everything that was Sasuke washed over him. All Naruto wanted to do was touch him, breathe in his scent, hear his voice, and experience the solidness of his body as intimately as he could. Whenever this feeling hit him Naruto wasn't quite sure what to do. Sex wasn't always the appropriate avenue to venture down, so he chose affection. That was one thing he was never in short supply of.

Naruto sighed.

"You're brooding," Sasuke spoke up.

He'd given in and had placed a hand on Naruto's head. For the last minute and half, the blond had been enjoying a wonderful scalp massage because of it.

"Am I?"

"Yes."

Naruto pulled back so he could look Sasuke in the eyes.

"I'm only thinking about how cool we'd look on that bike I want," he offered.

The fingers stroking his hair stopped as Sasuke blinked at him. Within another beat, Naruto's husband tsked in disdain.

"Get off me," Sasuke demanded, removing his arm from around Naruto and shoving at the blond's face.

"Sasukeeee," Naruto whined, holding fast. "C'mon, you know it'd be awesome. You could even design a kick-ass sidecar mod for Kurama. We'd be that stellar family in the neighborhood that everybody'd be totally jealous of. The badass power couple with their badass bike and their badass dog!"

Sasuke paused in his struggle to be free of Naruto's grasp so he could give his husband an icy glare.

"I'm not preventing you from buying the damn thing, Naruto," he groused. "I'm only asking that you be practical. How the hell are you supposed to get anything done with something like that? It has no real cargo space. All you'd be getting is a glorified crotch rocket."

"Like I said, sidecar mod," Naruto rebutted. "It can double perfectly as extra carriage space if needed. Plus, if I really need to lug around huge cargo, I can always borrow the car and you take the bike."

"I'm not driving that thing to work," Sasuke spat.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why do you try so hard to make yourself uncool, Sasuke?"

Sasuke glared at him harder.

"Sasuke," the dark-haired man's Intelligent Interfacer interrupted. "This is a reminder that your mother's and Itachi's flight will be arriving in three hours. The traffic forecast indicates heavy traffic. You also have a pending text from Itachi. Shall I read it to you?"

Sasuke pressed his lips together into a thin line before taking a deep breath and raking a hand through his long hair.

"Ii, that won't be necessary and thank you."

"Very well," the virtual assistant logged off.

Sasuke placed his hands on the top edge of the couch, at either side of Naruto.

"You know it's an incredibly shitty move to ambush me like this, right?" he said, voice level.

At his serious tone, Naruto had enough grace to look contrite.

"Ambush is such a strong word. Maybe … persuade?"

Naruto was certain Sasuke would get premature wrinkles from the way he frowned.

"Listen," Naruto kissed the bunched skin between Sasuke's eyebrows, "I know you're not keeping me from it. I just want us to be on the same page about it, yeah?"

"That's a little hard when we both know you're being impulsive about this," Sasuke said pointedly.

Naruto made a face when he couldn't fully deny that accusation.

"Okay … then tell me what will get you a least part of the way there."

Sasuke's dark eyes considered the space between them. After a minute of thinking, his gaze flicked back up to Naruto from beneath his lashes.

"If you purchase the bike out of your own funds, I'll be less annoyed," he stated.

Naruto beamed, "Done!"

He was more than okay with that stipulation. Although Sasuke was the only one that worked regularly, Naruto had a pension; so, their household still had two incomes.

Sasuke stopped frowning, but his expression was bland. Naruto kissed him on the lips, then on the neck. His jaw. His nose. His cheek.

"Stop it, idiot," Sasuke said as he grabbed the blond's face to prevent him from kissing anywhere else. Despite his words, he was smiling.

"You're the love of my life, you know that?" Naruto said, admiring Sasuke's smile.

"Because I agreed to you getting a motorcycle?"

"No, because you make me ridiculously happy," Naruto shook his face free of Sasuke's hold and buried it into his husband's chest. "And 'cause you put up with me; and you're super smart; and you're amazing in bed."

He felt Sasuke chuckle. The other man leaned over as much as Naruto's arms would allow him and kissed the blond's crown.

"Fine, flattery accepted. Now, seriously, let go. I still need to run those errands before I pick mother and Itachi up."

With a pitiful groan, Naruto released Sasuke. He folded his arms on the top of the couch and rested his chin there, watching the dark-haired man.

"Don't forget to get groceries. I want to make japadogs* for your mom and brother."

"Wouldn't want to deny them that feast."

Naruto thought the sarcasm in Sasuke's voice made him sound like a real jerk.

"Shut up, bastard! You never complain when my mom makes them," he retorted.

Sasuke stepped back, then flicked Naruto's forehead again.

"That's because she's your mom, and I may or may not like her cooking better."

Naruto covered his battered forehead in the hopes of defending against any other attacks. "Get the hell out of here," he growled, "and don't come back until you have your family and groceries!"

Sasuke smirked as he headed for the front door. On his way through it, he blew Naruto a kiss but the blond answered it by sticking his tongue out childishly.

Sasuke could keep his kisses for when he was less of a jackass.

—.&.&.—

*A little background: So far, you may have inferred that in this world not all humans are born on Earth (i.e. Sasuke is a space colony-born human). That said, Naruto was raised in Vancouver in what is still known as Canada. In real world Vancouver, there is a well-known food cart/restaurant called JapaDog—which serves Japanese-inspired hot-dogs. Since food is one of those things that transcends time, why wouldn't some form of that cuisine exist millennia later?