"No one will know," Sasuke whispers, "right?"
"No one will know."
And no one knew.
And five years later, when the car accident happened, no one knew.
••••
"Hey."
"I'm outside," Sasuke says. "I'm at your door-"
And Naruto runs out, into his arms, and Sasuke picks him up, spins him around.
"I missed you," he says, and Naruto kisses like he hasn't in months, like his wife isn't just indoors -
Like his son might not see him from upstairs, like it doesn't even matter if he did.
•
Naruto strokes Sasuke's face, Sasuke's cheeks, Sasuke's lips, and Sasuke kisses his fingertips, his breathing slowing gradually, and his eyes shining.
"Goodnight," Naruto whispers, and it's breathless, and Sasuke barely catches it before his eyes fall shut and he smiles in his sleep.
Naruto touches him again, one final time, feels the strands of his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, and kisses him softly, before leaving.
•
Naruto steals away in the middle of the night and it's raining, pouring-
"I'm on my way," he says, impatient.
"Get here already, Naruto. I'm tired of waiting,"
And Naruto laughs into the phone and says again, "I'm on my way."
••••
"I love you," He cries, and no one's there to hear him.
"I love you," and his throat burns, but no one hears.
"Fuck."
"Naruto, come back. Please."
••••
When they meet, Sasuke pulls him into his arms and hugs, and Naruto's voice fills the air, fills the space in his heart and makes him believe, this is right -
Then Naruto pulls away, looks at him, and Sasuke can tell he's been crying.
•
"Can we do this?" Naruto asks again.
"We'll be fine," Sasuke silences. "We're fine."
Naruto pushes away and turns around in bed, faces the opposite direction and doesn't say anything, even when Sasuke buries his face in his back and whispers, "I love you."
Naruto sighs then, because he knows, and he loves Sasuke too, he really, really does, and having him so close makes his pulse race and his heart melt all at once.
••••
"It's my fault," Sasuke thinks, sometimes.
"My fault he's gone, he's -"
Dead, but he can't get himself to say it.
••••
"They'll find out," Naruto screams, "they'll find out and they'll hate us for it,"
and Sasuke holds him and whispers
no, no, no they won't.
•
"I love you," Naruto says, and it's one of these rare occasions when his smile is the sun itself, and his eyes are the world, the universe. "I love you," he says again at breakfast, and Sasuke wishes he could answer, but Naruto's too young, too beautiful, too naive.
•
"I want to tell," Naruto says.
"It'll be better," he continues, faster this time, as if he's scared. "Better for us.."
"..Sasuke."
The slam of the door is loud, and it leaves nothing behind but emptiness, and Naruto knows he can't win.
•
"I don't want to lose you," Sasuke whispers at night, and though Naruto's right in his arms, he feels possessive. "I don't want to-", and he cuts himself off to kiss whiskered cheeks.
Naruto didn't wake until he felt Sasuke's tears on his skin.
••••
"I..
I was Naruto's friend," Sasuke says at the funeral, and he knows that he's lying.
"I was.."
But Sasuke can't speak of it, not now that-
•
"Wait- Sasuke,"
"No."
"I loved him."
•
And it's later, much after the funeral, years and years after a ginger-blonde with blue, blue eyes has grown, did Sasuke confess.
••••
"Take care of him," Naruto begins, and Sasuke stops him with a kiss, "take care of him, if something happens to me-"
And Sasuke bites, sinks his teeth into Naruto's skin, and the sting is deep but blissful enough that Naruto stops, and Sasuke fights away his tears and holds Naruto tighter.
••••
Sasuke's heart aches then, too, because it's been five years too long and ten years too late.
"I loved him," Sasuke says, "and he loved me back."