During dinner as well as after - while they were all hanging out in the basement watching the Doctor Who Christmas special - Naruto felt on edge, although he did his best not to show it. He didn't want to trouble the others on Christmas, especially when they'd all decided to stay another night at Dad's since he seemed to like everyone's company. He was pretty sure Sasuke hadn't mentioned anything about the text to Itachi (yet), and Sasuke hadn't brought it up to him either. Not even to ask if he'd replied. They could talk about it later, when it was just the two of them. Sasuke wasn't acting a whole lot different other than... he wasn't being very affectionate toward him, and when Naruto touched him, even casually, Sasuke seemed to brush it off. In fact, Sasuke was on the sofa with Itachi, and Dad was on the loveseat next to the sofa. Naruto was sitting in the recliner, and Ollie was curled up in his lap.

It's not as if he didn't understand Sasuke's feelings. He remembered quite clearly how it had felt to run into Yahiko in Seattle. He'd been jealous, yeah, but the guy was also pretty nice and - he started to squint at the TV - Sasuke losing his virginity to him had happened a long time ago... Um. He had to stop thinking about it.

The lights were off in the room, so Naruto snuck a glance at Sasuke, but he was (as was typical) engrossed in the show despite the fact it didn't include the fictional love of his boyfriend's life, David Tennant. He had to admit that this episode was making him really like the eleventh Doctor more than he had before, but he probably wouldn't be mentioning that to Sasuke because then he'd really be on his shitlist.

After the show, they got out a folding table to play a few card games (some Spades, some Texas Hold'em, and even some Bullshit, which Itachi ended up dominating everyone in.) Sasuke and Itachi had paired up for Spades, crushing Naruto and his Dad easily. Naruto won the Poker game, but much to his annoyance, Sasuke hadn't laughed at his hilarious Lady Gaga reference.

Pssht. Snob. Sasuke wasn't even that much of a fan of hers.

Right, okay, so he was becoming more nervous. He used humor to deflect the bad stuff he didn't want to deal with, but when Sasuke didn't let him do that, it just made him feel weird and anxious. At some point later on, Sasuke wandered upstairs, and, Naruto'd noticed, he'd had his phone in hand. He and Itachi were sitting next to each other on the couch, and Dad had already turned in for the night.

"Sasuke seems odd tonight," Itachi remarked. "Did something happen?"

"Sort of," Naruto replied, "But I'm hopin' to work it out."

"I won't pry, but if you want someone to talk to, let me just say that, I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to my brother's... emotional hangups."

Naruto tried to smile but found he really couldn't. "Thanks, but I'd rather discuss it with Sasuke first. I think he just needs some time to think or be on his own."

"He'll come around. I've always thought that on the occasions when something upsets him, he can tend to act like a kicked puppy. He'll run away from you at first, but really all he wants is for you to come and find him and then reassure him he's not a bad dog."

For just a moment, Naruto leaned into Itachi's side and released a heavy breath as he rested his head on the older man's shoulder.

"Is it that bad?" Itachi asked quietly.

"I dunno. I didn't think so, but I don't have a good feelin' about it."

"There, there," Itachi consoled him, "It'll be alright. I trust you to be able to fix it. Your enthusiasm and perseverance are two of your better qualities."

Naruto lifted his head from Itachi's shoulder. "What are some of my bad qualities?"

"I'm only here a few days. I'm not sure I'd have the time to list them all."

Naruto barked out a laugh and elbowed him in the ribs. But then, sobering again, he slumped against the back of the couch.

"It's not like I want to ever hurt him," he told Itachi. "I guess there are some things that are outta my control."

"True. But it's not as if you have to bear all these things alone."

"Sometimes that's hard to wrap my head around."

"Have you ever read the Art of War, Naruto?"

He sat up on the edge of the sofa. "Maybe in college?"

"In it, Sun Tzu writes that 'The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting'."

"Wait," Naruto made a confused face, "Sasuke's the enemy in this situation?"

"Not necessarily," Itachi replied patiently. "Just that you should do whatever you have to in order to achieve an efficient reconciliation."

He hummed thoughtfully, mulling it over. "All's fair in love and war?"

Itachi smiled faintly. "You should go find him. Knowing my brother, he's off brooding somewhere. He used to do that a lot as a teenager. He'd hole himself up in his room, listening to music."

"Yeah, but I don't wanna patronize him by downplaying his feelings, y'know? Like, I get why he's upset. He has the right to be, and I don't wanna just go in and think that a few kisses is gonna make everything better. Or, pat him on the back and go: 'It'll all be okay, Sasuke'."

"Maybe that's all he wants to hear?"

"I guess I'll go find out. If not, maybe I'll be sleepin' on the couch once we get back to the apartment."

"I don't think that's what Sasuke wants. I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto. Good night. Good luck."

"Night, Itachi."

Naruto got up from the couch and caught a glimpse of Ollie, whose golden eyes flashed in the dark. He remained curled up in a ball on the recliner. Later on, he'd probably sneak into his Dad's room and sleep there. He made his way up to the living room, but Sasuke was nowhere to be found, so he went around the room, turning off all the lights except for a holiday-themed one plugged into the outlet near the kitchen sink. After he'd made sure the doors were locked - and he was confident Sasuke hadn't left or wasn't outside - he climbed his way up to the bedroom.

It was exactly as Itachi predicted. Sasuke was on the bed with his work headphones on, listening to music. His eyes were closed, and he hadn't even heard Naruto come in (supposedly). Without wanting to disturb him, Naruto went into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. When he came back out, he stripped to his boxers since the room felt so warm with the heat on. He got onto the bed, sat cross-legged beside his boyfriend, and simply watched him for a couple of minutes, wondering if he was really asleep or just ignoring him. Sasuke's arms lay at his sides, and Naruto kept glancing at his left hand, so he, finally, took it in his and held it. Sasuke's eyes fluttered open.

He looked at Naruto a while, very seriously... and for some reason, decided to pull him down. Naruto went very willingly, very gratefully. He curled up against Sasuke's side and even considered burrowing his head under Sasuke's shirt. And as he considered it, he kept inching the shirt up more and more until his ear was pressed above Sasuke's heart. He tugged the shirt back down so that it covered half of his head.

He thought he heard Sasuke laugh, which was weird to him because laughing was the last thing Naruto wanted to do right now. He shut his eyes, very tightly, and wrapped one arm around Sasuke's waist, squeezing him closer.

He didn't hear Sasuke laugh again after that.

His heartbeat, which had sped up when Naruto lay his head down, became slower, evening out.

Naruto fell asleep like that, but in the morning, he awoke to Sasuke curled up behind him, an arm wound around his middle, and shallow breaths that puffed a comforting warmth across the nape of his neck.

When Sasuke finally awoke the next morning, Naruto hadn't moved out of Sasuke's arms. He'd been up a while but hadn't wanted to get out of bed yet. Sasuke's morning greeting was a sigh as he brushed his nose against Naruto's neck, tickling the hairs with his breath.

"Morning," said Naruto.

"Morning," Sasuke answered back, pressing his forehead to Naruto's bare shoulder. "How are you?"

"...Good. I guess."

"Did you sleep well?"

"I've slept better, I think."

Naruto rolled over to face him, losing the physical contact between them. Then Sasuke decided to ask what Naruto's reply had been, so he told him.

"I'm glad in a way," said Sasuke. "Because I would've been disappointed for different reasons had you turned her down."

Naruto bit at his lip before suggesting, "You could come if you wanted to."

"You think she knows about me?"

"I don't know why she wouldn't, but maybe she doesn't? I wish I could say she wouldn't have texted on Christmas had she known I was with someone... but I'm not sure I can."

Sasuke's smirk was faint. "This is why I prefer men."

Naruto gave a crooked smile. "Somehow, Sasuke, I don't think that's the onlyreason. Maybe she just wants to catch up. At least she didn't call?"

Sasuke moved his hand to Naruto's hip, absently playing with the waistband where it had folded over. "I don't know."

"But you always know," he said softly, gazing at Sasuke affectionately. "You're perfect."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Not even close. You're the one of us for whom I have high expectations."

"I hate when you talk about yourself like that."

"Why?"

"Because...," and as he thought the words that came to mind, he became somewhat embarrassed. "You're everything to me. When we talked about it before, about how lucky I feel to be with you, it's because you're so... perfect. For me. I don't..." He fidgeted under Sasuke's intense gaze, "I don't want you to be mad or hurt because of me when I..." He closed his eyes, "Love you so fucking much."

When Sasuke's hand touched his cheek, Naruto opened his eyes, but they were a little blurry.

"I just don't like the thought of losing you," said Sasuke.

"But I'm not gonna go anywhere. It's stupid, and it doesn't mean anything, and I didn't even wanna go, but I know you want me to want to go 'cause if I say no that makes me seem like some kind of jerk - "

"It wouldn't make you a jerk," Sasuke interrupted, letting his fingers curl around the back of Naruto's neck. "I'm the jerk. I'm being selfish. I don't want you to see her or talk to her at all. I want to lock you up in a closet until she goes far, far away, but you don't deserve to be with someone so controlling and insecure. So, I want you to go, and a part of me wants to think that even if I ever show you the worst sides of myself, sides to me you haven't seen before but might eventually turn you away... I want to know that you'd always be as strong and forgiving as I've known you to be. I need you to be that person, Naruto. So much. For my sake."

Naruto sniffled. "That's a lot of pressure."

"I know."

"Makes me feel like my life isn't my own."

"It's not. Not anymore. Not from the day you decided to walk into Starbuck's."

"And that all happened 'cause I'm such a nice guy. Offering you my table and plugging in your laptop. Who does that?"

Sasuke's hand shifted around to his lower back, pushing their bodies closer together. "Not many people would have. Face it. You're a good guy."

"I'm alright."

"You're not allowed to be self-deprecating. That's my thing."

"I'm surprised you're not cockier," Naruto replied frankly. "Honestly. You could be."

"I am, though. I'm just not as self-assured when I'm around you."

"...Thanks?"

Sasuke leaned into him, nuzzling the hollow above his collarbone. "You leave a lot to live up to. When I'm around you, my flaws seem to magnify in my head."

"That doesn't sound like a very good way to make someone feel."

"I don't think it's your responsibility."

"Wrong," argued Naruto. "I know what you're thinkin', but it's also wrong. I want to lift you up, not drag you down. See, this is why when we fight it's so frustrating. I know we both want the same thing in the end. You wanna do things your way. I wanna do things my way, and my way is that I take all of your burdens, and I lift you up. You make me sound like I'm more of an anchor, and only 'cause that's my way of doin' stuff."

"You're thinking about it too much."

"Of course I am, Sasuke, you bastard," and Sasuke chuckled at the term ofendearment. "You occupy about 1000% of my thoughts - "

"Logically impossible, by the way," interjected Sasuke.

"Fuck your logic! Your logic is too weak! I don't give two shits about logic!"

Sasuke laughed again before placing a gentle kiss to his throat. "Is that so?"

"I think, y'know, you have this idea that... you have to, like, walk through the dark parts of life to achieve enlightenment. And some people do that, but those are the people who think they're alone, who don't think they can rely on anyone. But, goddammit, I will fuckin' explode things for you, you..."

"...Yes?"

"It's rude to call someone names, jerk."

"Uh huh. So I walk the line, do I?"

"You are not Johnny Cash. I won't let you be Johnny Cash."

"You'd have to be June Carter then."

"Shut up." Naruto grabbed a chunk of Sasuke's hair and (not so delicately) yanked his head up. "We're not anyone else but you and me. You're Sasuke. My Sasuke, and I will dropkick anything or anyone that comes between us. Even if it's when you get all insecure and crap. I will dropkick you and then pickpocket your limp body until I've stolen your coins and your mead and your wheels of Goat cheese."

Sasuke smirked. "My pockets wouldn't be big enough to hold all that, I don't think. It's funny to hear you talk so tough like this when you're the one who buried your head under my shirt last night. Like a hermit crab."

Naruto let go of Sasuke's hair and looked away, sniffing self-consciously. "I was feelin' vulnerable. What of it?"

"I know. I found it adorable. It was hard to stay mad."

"Hmph."

Sasuke cupped his cheek, forcing Naruto to look at him. "Kiss me."

Naruto pouted. "Kiss yourself."

"Don't be a brat."

Naruto stuck out his tongue, which was a mistake because Sasuke leaned in quick and, gently, bit down on the tip of it. He moved his hand to Naruto's butt, giving it a squeeze, and, as Naruto started to protest, Sasuke went from biting his tongue to sucking on it. Just as he was beginning to feel that lovely warm fluttering in his gut, another hand snuck in between and pinched his nipple hard enough that he shouted out a curse.

Sasuke sat up in bed, laughing at him.

Naruto glared with one eye closed as he held his hand to his assaulted nipple. "I may need that to breastfeed our children some day!"

"You're sick." Sasuke threw a pillow at him. "Go make me some breakfast."

"I'm not your wench!" Naruto sat up, too, having to adjust his boxers since half of his ass was hanging out due to Sasuke's groping.

"You are so. Now, wench. Go make me some breakfast and let's think about packing up and getting back to the apartment."

They pretty much crashed after they left Dad's in the afternoon and returned to the apartment. Somehow, sitting around and not doing much of anything over the last two days had left everyone extremely tired, so they decided to have a pizza delivered instead of going out to eat. Even Sasuke, who Naruto figured would've kept himself busy putting presents away so that the place wouldn't be cluttered, had opted to simply sit on the floor and watch as Naruto played Skyrim. He and Itachi switched off every once in a while when a quest became too tedious for Naruto's attention span. Then Naruto let Sasuke take over when he decided to crawl onto the couch, which is where he ended up falling asleep for 45 minutes until the pizza arrived.

Itachi offered to make a few mixed drinks to accompany their dinner, which was... probably not a good idea because the first Long Island Iced Tea had Naruto more than a little buzzed. The second made watching the TV screen very difficult since things on it kept... moving. He and Sasuke were sitting next to each other on the couch, and Itachi sat cross-legged on the carpet, still deep into Skyrim.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Itachi asked. "Can't hold your liquor?"

Sasuke's tone was mocking as he commented, "Did you know my brother bartended briefly in college?"

Naruto set his drink on the coffee table. "Really? I bet you made a shitload in tips."

That earned a glare from Sasuke, which Naruto didn't understand right away, just as he hadn't initially caught Sasuke's sarcasm.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Itachi told him.

"Could you not hit on my brother when I'm sitting right next to you?" Sasuke, casually, placed his hand on top of Naruto's thigh.

"I wasn't hittin' on your brother," Naruto argued. "I'm just sayin' that he's really attractive, so he probably made a lot of money."

"And that's not hitting on him?" Sasuke leaned into him, asking coyly, "Do you think he's more attractive than me?"

Itachi shook his head. "Oh, Sasuke," he said. "You never cease to amuse me."

"Shut up, you," said Sasuke, who got up from the couch so that he could make an attempt at tackling his brother flat to the floor. "Stop trying to steal my boyfriend with your good looks."

"You're drunk," Itachi told him as he pinned Sasuke by sitting on his stomach. He held Sasuke's hands above his head.

"Would it be wrong if I said this was almost turnin' me on?" Naruto eyed them with bright eyes, and they both looked up at him with such twin expressions of incredulity and horror that he couldn't help but laugh.

"You didn't answer my question," Sasuke accused. "Is he more attractive than me?"

"Umm..." He opted to start drinking again.

"You don't have to answer that," said Itachi. "I think we all know the answer already."

And that, amusingly enough, led to another short wrestling match, which caused Ollie to come running into the living room at the noise. Greatly confused, the cat circled around Sasuke and Itachi, occasionally getting smacked in the head by an arm or leg. While the two Uchiha brothers were otherwise preoccupied, Naruto wandered into the kitchen to make himself another drink that included a lot of his nemesis: Tequila. When he returned to the living room, Sasuke and Itachi were sitting placidly beside one another, beginning a new live game on Black Ops II.

"That was fast," said Naruto, standing behind them. "Who won?"

Sasuke answered with a: "Go get me another drink, wench."

Naruto slapped the back of his head. "Stop callin' me that. I'm not your wench!"

"Naruto, would you very much mind getting me another drink?"

"Why sure, Itachi," Naruto replied sweetly. "Anything for you. Since you're so hot and all, and Sasuke's just - "

Naruto didn't get to finish the hilarious thing he was going to say because Sasuke turned quickly, grabbed him around the knee and brought him down like a lion would a gazelle (if lions went for the knee and not the throat, anyway). Naruto barely had time to get the glass onto the table so that it wouldn't spill. Sasuke kept him in place by digging his knees into Naruto's thighs and pinning his wrists loosely so as not to hurt the one injured in the car accident.

"That's not playing fair, bastard," he said, even though he was grinning.

"He's just sexually frustrated," remarked Itachi.

"Well, that wouldn't be the case if you weren't here," said Sasuke, but Itachi simply shrugged.

"Don't talk that way to your brother." Naruto squirmed. "My drink's gonna get warm."

"Then you can make yourself another one." Sasuke let go of his wrists to sit up. He snagged Naruto's drink for himself, took a sip, and then made a face. "What the hell did you put in here?"

"Everything?" Naruto answered with a grin. "And lots of tequila."

"Fair enough." Sasuke drank a good half of it and then got off of him, wobbling a bit and nearly tripping when Naruto grabbed him by the pant leg.

"That's what you get," he said, stealing his drink back. "Your bounty goes up every time you steal and get caught, y'know."

"I'll pay the fine later." Sasuke stood above him, his feet on either side of Naruto's waist.

Naruto wrapped his fingers around Sasuke's ankle. "...Yeah?"

"Don't flirt with me, you traitor." Sasuke smirked.

"I'll flirt with you if I feel like it."

"Why don't you two go into the bedroom and screw already?" asked Itachi. "You're distracting me from the game."

"You heard him," said Sasuke. "He doesn't care."

Naruto stuck out his bottom lip. "No."

Sasuke leaned a little to the side, lifting the foot Naruto had a hold of an inch or two off the carpet. Naruto pulled it back down.

"Nothing I can do to change your mind?" Sasuke asked as he lowered himself to his knees, now straddling Naruto's waist. He put his hands on either side of Naruto's head, his dark hair swaying in front of his eyes.

"No..."

"Nothing?" Sasuke asked, more gruffly this time.

Naruto gave him a mischievous look. "Maybe I can think of somethin'."

Sasuke leaned in even more, so that their faces were very close. "Tell me."

"No means no, Sasuke. That's what they teach in the schools."

Sasuke moved in again, to where their mouths were nearly touching. "Tell me."

Naruto scrunched his mouth to the side to keep from breaking out into laughter. "We can have sex if you do your British accent."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, laughing a little, too. "What?"

"Do the accent, and I'll consider it."

"I'm not doing a British accent," said Sasuke.

Itachi sighed. "Just do it already. It's rude to deny your boyfriend. Plus I could use a laugh after playing three hours of this game."

"What do you want me to say?" Sasuke asked Naruto. "And if I do, you better not go back on your word."

"I would never go back on my word, y'know that." Naruto, somewhere in his muddled brain still felt confident Sasuke wouldn't do it at all because Sasuke really did not like to embarrass himself at most times.

But Sasuke could always be unpredictable like that.

"Fine," Sasuke sat up, crossing his arms and trying to look not bothered. He paused before unenthusiastically half-singing, "I found a fox caught by dogs. He let me take him in my hands. His little heart, it beat so fast. And I am ashamed to be running away."

By the time he'd finished singing the lyrics, Naruto was laughing so hard that it hurt.

"There," said Sasuke, smothering Naruto's face with his hand. "Satisfied?

Naruto couldn't catch his breath. "God, I love when you do that. Ah." He wiped a tear from his eye.

"Now can we have sex?" Sasuke was back to leaning over him on hands and knees.

"Sure. You don't mind if we have sex right here, right now, do you, Itachi?"

"I'd prefer you didn't, but who am I to say otherwise?" Itachi replied.

"I'll go get you the car keys, and you can drive around for... give me about 20 minutes," Sasuke said, grinning at Naruto.

"That's probably an overestimation." Naruto smirked.

Sasuke gave him a peck on the lips. "I accounted for about ten minutes of showering afterward."

"Ha." Naruto placed his hand on the side of Sasuke's leg and squeezed it. "I wonder who can outlast the other?"

Sasuke lay on top of him as he whispered seductively in Naruto's ear. "Does it count if I make you come more than once?"

Naruto made a noticeable sound of anticipation in his throat, feeling warm all over suddenly. "More than once in 20 minutes? I know I can get you to, but my love is a lot more stubborn."

Sasuke snickered. "You're an idiot." He took Naruto's ear between his teeth.

Naruto whimpered a bit. "Fine. Not now, but later. If you're good."

Sasuke's teeth scraped across his neck next. "You know I'm good."

"You are," Naruto said breathily. "Very good."

"Just so you two know, throughout that lovely little exchange I was thinking," Itachi finally turned around to stare at them in a semi-compromising position, "Where can I get a gun so I can shoot myself?"

"Sorry," Naruto mumbled. He tried to get up, but Sasuke refused to move and was still staring at him with those smoldering, sexy eyes that always put him in the mood because he knew Sasuke wanted it... which made him want it. Not that he didn't want it all the time, but yeah. "Maybe we should open our presents to each other instead? That seems more family friendly."

"Bah." Sasuke sat back, and Naruto drew his knees up so that his boyfriend had something to lean against. "You already know what I got you. I'm pretty sure you picked out most of what you wanted. Although," he slipped a couple of fingers under Naruto's shirt to touch them to his stomach, "There may be a surprise or two."

"You didn't just wrap your cock up in a bow, did you?" Naruto blurted.

"Yes, well. On that note, I may have some work I can do on my laptop, so I'll leave you lovebirds alone to take care of your baser needs." Itachi shut off the console, put the controller away, turned off the TV, and gave a pat to both Naruto and Sasuke's heads as he retreated into the guest room, shutting the door behind him.

"If I would've known that's all it took to get some alone time with you, I would've said something earlier."

Naruto covered his forehead with his arm. "Now I feel bad."

"Don't feel bad." Sasuke pushed his shirt up even further. "I want you to feel...," he licked his lips tantalizingly, "good."

"Get off me, you drunk, and let's open presents!"

"Very well. Shall I begin by setting the mood?" Sasuke got off of him to turn on the stereo, and Naruto crawled to where the plastic tree was in the corner of the room. He sorted the presents into two different piles and waited as patiently as possible for Sasuke to come back from the kitchen since he was putting away the pizza and the empty glasses.

Sitting side by side in front of the couch, they took turns opening presents. Naruto was especially pleased with receiving the first three seasons of Top Gear on DVD and Sasuke was happy with his semi-expensive gaming headphones that he'd "secretly" been pining for over the past few months. Then, of course, they got each other video games (ones they both wanted to play). There were also a few practical gifts like clothes and iTune gift cards because Sasuke was one of the few people left in the world who did actually pay for a lot of his music.

"I have something else for you," said Sasuke, "but I thought we might wait until New Year's to open it."

"We? As in it's for the both of us?"

"I hope you'll allow me to use it, yes."

"Is it a sex toy?" Naruto asked, smiling at him as he stole a pair of Sasuke's socks he'd got him for his stocking and put them on his own feet. Sasuke watched him do it.

"I didn't think I needed to wrap those..."

"Ha! It's, like, how many things can the sex toy industry come up with to stick up a guy's butt? Who has that job?"

"Someone has that job," said Sasuke, reaching over to tug at the toes of the sock on Naruto's right foot. Then he let go of his toes and took Naruto's hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He rested his head on the couch cushion. Naruto turned to look at him, watching his face. He looked especially handsome tonight. Hm. Handsome was weird to think about Sasuke. Good looking? But no. Sasuke was also very... handsome. Not just good looking. He had such dark, piercing eyes that always betrayed his intelligence and even... a certain hidden passionate side that only he got to see. Naruto felt drawn to it. Like a bonfire on a cold night. Closeness. Physical proximity always set it off, too. Tiny sparks that started in his stomach and grew more intense the closer Sasuke was to him.

"Why are you staring at me?" He asked Naruto. "Are you waiting to try and steal more of my socks?"

"No," Naruto said, sounding mock-offended. "I was just thinkin' about how hot you are." He smiled.

"But not as hot as my brother." Sasuke pushed his hair back from his forehead.

"I shouldn't have to say I have no sexual interest in your brother. Your mom, on the other hand. She was hot."

Naruto let his head fall to rest against Sasuke's shoulder.

"I'm sure she'd appreciate you saying so. Did you like all your presents?"

"Yeah, but we still spent more than we should've."

"I didn't mind."

"I didn't either. I wish we had a fireplace."

Sasuke pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "I was just thinking that. Should we move to a new place that has one?"

"Or we could just buy a house," Naruto (half-jokingly) suggested.

Sasuke didn't reply immediately, but after a minute or so and after another kiss to the side of his head, he said, "That would be nice, too."

"You'd be tied down here, though." Naruto squeezed Sasuke's hand. "I know you don't wanna stay here forever. You'd prefer we at least live in the city, right?"

"You don't want to live in the city. Your friends and family are here. Your job is here. You're here."

As they held hands, Naruto started an unofficial war between their thumbs, and the song in the background ended, changing to one frequently played on the radio.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "I like this song. It makes me think of you. And not just 'cause he won American Idol like your precious girlfriend."

"It is rather timely this is playing while we're talking about... a home."

"Isn't it?" Naruto hummed along. "Just know you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna make this place your home."

Suddenly, Sasuke turned around to sit cross-legged, facing him and still holding onto his hand. "Do you remember what you told me in Seattle?"

Naruto blinked at him. "I told you a lot of things in Seattle from what I remember."

"I meant about if things had gone the other way with my brother's trial."

"You mean when I said I'd move to Seattle with you if you wanted to be nearby him?"

"Yes."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Are you sayin' you want to move to Seattle...?"

"No." Sasuke shook his head. "I was just curious if you'd still be interested in... relocating."

Naruto sat up straighter. "Is there somethin' you're not tellin' me?"

"No, but there may be more options for me in the future."

Naruto frowned. "The near future?"

Sasuke must've absorbed the look and his uncertain tone. "We don't have to talk about it right now. I've just been... thinking about it."

"Hmm. I'm not opposed. It's just... a lot to think about, but, yeah, you're my priority. Where you go, I go."

"There'd be no point, though, if it would make you miserable."

"I wouldn't be miserable so long as you're there, and, hey, don't underestimate me. I'm adaptable. Hello. I adapted to dating and havin' sex with a guy, I think I can handle movin' out of this place. It'd be sad and stuff, but eventually Kiba and Ino are gonna get married and have babies, and maybe Dad will... find a girlfriend. As weird as that'd be. I've thought about this stuff, Sasuke. We've talked about it before."

Sasuke took his other hand and clasped Naruto's hand in both of his. The way he looked at Naruto was so earnest it was almost unnerving. As if he was going to propose.

"...And what about you?" Sasuke asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you feel about getting married and having kids?"

It felt like his heart about dropped into his stomach. "In general or...?"

"You sound dismissive of it when you speak of Ino and Kiba doing it, so does that mean you don't anticipate such things happening in our future?" Sasuke was looking down at their joined hands, but, slowly, his gaze rose to meet Naruto's.

"Sasuke...," he cleared his throat, surprisingly nervous. "Sorry. The conversation is a bit... heavy."

Sasuke nodded. "Okay."

"Er, not heavy, but... it makes me think and feel a lotta things, and I'd rather have this conversation after not having just downed a bottle of tequila."

"I think that's fair," said Sasuke, and he went to put a hand to Naruto's face, cupping his cheek.

They both leaned in at the same time.

They kissed for a while, pausing every once in a while to press their foreheads together. Then they kissed some more until Sasuke eventually pulled him to his feet and led them to the bedroom. Once they were inside the room, Naruto closed the door, just in time to have Sasuke shove him against it. He kissed Naruto's neck, hands finding their way under his shirt and helping Naruto to get it off as he lifted his arms. Naruto placed his hands flat to Sasuke's chest, shoving him backward toward the bed until he was forced to sit on the edge. He forced him to lie down as he slipped a hand under Sasuke's sweater to slide it across his stomach. He felt Sasuke's legs wind around the backs of his thighs, and as he put his arms around Naruto's neck, they kissed some more while Naruto slipped a hand between their bodies to undo Sasuke's belt.

When they stopped kissing, Sasuke was breathing heavily already.

"You're being serious," he said to Naruto, touching the wrinkled spot between his brows.

"Making love to you is serious business," Naruto replied - without a smirk, without a smile. Almost studiously, he watched his own fingers at work on the belt. Then came the zipper, and as he pulled it down, he considered how very arousing this simple act was for him.

"Making love..." Sasuke murmured, running the tips of his fingers across Naruto's chest.

Naruto got to his knees, on top of the sheets, and, hooking his arms under Sasuke's knees, lifted him and moved them both further up the bed. He worked his way down Sasuke's body, kissing his stomach. He went lower still, letting his tongue pass across Sasuke's navel until he reached the waistband of his snug blue briefs. Naruto grabbed a hold of Sasuke's jeans and yanked them to his knees, swiping his tongue languidly over Sasuke's penis. When his mouth came to the head of his cock, he started to suck on it over the thin, stretchy cotton. Sasuke began to thread his fingers through Naruto's hair.

Giving Sasuke's jeans another tug, Naruto shifted between his boyfriend's legs so that he could pull his underwear down, take hold of Sasuke, and get him into his mouth. Naruto watched his face for the familiar reactions - a flush to Sasuke's cheeks when he sucked on him with a certain amount of force and those sexy dark eyes filled with lust, watching him back. Watching everything he did.

Even though they were supposed to be quiet, Naruto knew Sasuke was turned on by everything vocal, so he groaned around his hardening cock. Sasuke was right about how much he loved to give head, but it had so much more to do with giving Sasuke pleasure than being partial to the act itself. He liked the way Sasuke looked at him while he did it. It turned him on. He was starting to get hard just from giving a simple blowjob. He removed his hand from Sasuke's thigh, only long enough to undo his own pants, rubbing himself once or twice with his palm before he lifted himself off of Sasuke.

Hovering over him on hands and knees, Naruto continued to stroke him. Sasuke's hair looked kind of wild the way it lay on the pillow. Both arms lay on either side of his head and sweat was starting to break out on his skin. He felt himself start to pump Sasuke faster. They began to kiss - slowly, passionately - as his hand jerked him off, harder - incited by all those soft noises spilling from Sasuke's throat and passing into his lips. Shit.

When they parted - only because they were both running out of breath - Naruto stopped long enough to remove his jeans and boxers and rip Sasuke's off the rest of the way, too, before returning to him, lying on top of him, feeling their cocks rub and touch as they began to kiss again.

"Naruto," Sasuke breathed his name out shakily.

Naruto pushed Sasuke's legs up, and, taking him by the ankles, had him wrap them around his waist. He nuzzled Sasuke's neck, kissing, sucking, and licking at it until he took his ear between his teeth. Sasuke grabbed his ass and squeezed it, murmuring his pleasure close to Naruto's ear.

In a husky voice, Naruto whispered to him, "Let me watch you." He lifted up enough so that Sasuke could get his hand between their bodies, "Just a little."

Sasuke nipped at his lips before snaking his hand between them. He stroked himself, looking at Naruto as he did it. In a way that showed he knew exactly what he was doing to him. Naruto watched his hand, felt Sasuke's body so hot and slick underneath his, smelt his scent, their scents -

He pulled Sasuke up, his boyfriend looking momentarily surprised as he was manhandled and positioned to straddle his lap. Naruto leaned his back against the headboard. Sasuke positioned himself over his thighs, and Naruto's cock kept partially rubbing against the crack of his ass. He bit at Sasuke's collarbone playfully. Then he licked his way up Sasuke's throat, tasting his sweat.

"Why are you so sexy, Sasuke?" he asked in a hushed, throaty voice, which was nearly cut off when Sasuke attacked his mouth. He started to move against Naruto, teasingly rubbing himself against his cock.

Naruto grabbed and squeezed his asscheeks, spreading them apart and sliding more firmly between them, allowing the tip of his cock to tease Sasuke's hole. He reached over to the sidetable, opened the drawer, and searched around for a condom and the tube of lube hidden under a couple of notepads.

"Ride me," Naruto said, making it sound more of a suggestion, more of a plea than a command. Like he needed it. Right now. Sasuke on him and Naruto able to fuck him slowly, deeply - in that way that made the pleasure so excruciating it could almost hurt because Sasuke was his and his alone. Only he got to do this, and no one knew Sasuke like he did.

"Why did you make us wait to do this?" Sasuke asked gruffly as he skimmed his lips along the side of Naruto's throat. He grabbed the condom and tore open the wrapper, rolled it on Naruto, and, after pouring some lube into his hand, stroked and pumped his cock until the latex gleamed slick with it.

"I don't know," he replied and meant it.

"Jesus, you feel so fucking good," Naruto said, sounding out of breath.

Sasuke grabbed for his wrist and forced it roughly against the bed, whispering in Naruto's ear. "Tell me something good, Naruto. Tell me you love this. You don't want this with anyone else but me."

Naruto grabbed him by the hair and forced his head up. "The fuck I'd do this with anyone other than you," he said, nearly growling his words. "You're amazing, Sasuke. This," he grabbed hold of Sasuke's hip and forced him down hard, "is fuckin' amazing."

Sasuke's eyes shut as he moaned. Naruto wrapped his fingers around him, pumping him.

"Tell me more." Sasuke's voice was like a demanding whine, asking to be pushed over the edge, "I want to hear, ah, Naruto - "

Covering his mouth with one hand, Naruto used the other to snatch his wrist, pull him against his body, and roll them over. Quickly, he got his arms underneath Sasuke's knees and his legs around his waist. His mouth was partially open, breaths coming fast and heavy from his lips. He put his hands on Naruto's sides, moving them up and down with his thrusts.

"What do you wanna hear, Sasuke?" he asked, dipping low enough to skim his lips against the side of Sasuke's neck. Suddenly, Sasuke wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him tight, and Naruto just knew what he needed. He spoke in Sasuke's ear as he stroked inside him - once, twice - so slow, so deep that he didn't think he could get any further inside Sasuke unless he crawled in through his chest. "I love you," he whispered, and Sasuke's arms tightened even more. He whispered again, "I love you, Sasuke. Only you. I want you. Only you. Only you make me feel this good." He nipped Sasuke's ear with his teeth. "Loving you," he said, "Fucking you..." Naruto took Sasuke's face in both hands, feeling his climax creep up closer and closer, "I don't wanna stop doin' this with you... You make me feel whole, complete. I need you."

"Fuck," Sasuke warned, throwing his head back as he came between their bodies, Naruto watching his face closely as the instant of ecstasy ripped through him. He jerked his hips in fast, short snaps in reaction to it. With Sasuke's arms around him, he buried his face in Sasuke's neck. Nothing in this world should feel as good as this did. What the hell had he ever done to deserve this?

It seemed as if it was a while before he opened his eyes and felt Sasuke's hands skimming along his back. He pressed loving kisses to Naruto's neck and shoulders.

Naruto raised his head from Sasuke's shoulder. He smirked tiredly at Naruto and touched his cheek.

"You okay?" he asked.

Naruto blinked once or twice, assessing the damage, and then nodded. "...Yeah. I think so." Grunting, he pulled out of Sasuke but didn't manage to move very far. Their legs and arms remained tangled together. Sasuke continued to lavish kisses on him, stroking his back comfortingly.

After a few minutes, Sasuke said in a surprisingly even voice, "That was good."

With some amount of effort, Naruto got onto his knees and gazed down at him. "That was amazing." He leaned over Sasuke and kissed him. Then he pressed his cheek to Sasuke's. "You're amazing, Sasuke."

Sasuke let out a sharp exhale, one that Naruto could feel more than he could hear.

"I shouldn't have to tell you you mean the world to me," he whispered. "But I'll tell you every minute of every day if that's what you want."

Sasuke's body seemed to tremble beneath his. "...You don't need to do that. I know how you feel, Naruto. It's addicting. The way you make me feel..."

Naruto kissed at his throat, caressing the rest of Sasuke's body with his hands. He spent a good while after that going over every inch of Sasuke's body with his hands and mouth, not wanting to stop until he overwhelmed Sasuke with love, attention, and affection because, for Naruto... this person didn't deserve anything less. He loved him so much. Sometimes it hurt, like being burnt alive. It was so much for one person to feel. Too much, but still not enough. Not close enough. Not consuming enough, and the only one on this planet who could possibly understand was this beautiful man underneath him, this person who let him love him, who loved him.

Jesus, Sasuke.

It was hard not to do it all over again.

Naruto watched him come a second time just using his mouth and hands - body arching up as Naruto touched him, sucked him, loved him.

This.

This was amazing.

"So good, Sasuke," he said, his hand moving up his boyfriend's body to cup his cheek and kiss him tenderly. "So good," he repeated against his lips.

Sasuke looked at him tiredly, mouth quirked at the corner to form a smug smirk.

Naruto smiled down at him, observing the red spots on Sasuke's neck, collar, shoulders, and chest. "You look good."

"I look ravaged, I bet."

"You do," he smiled more widely. "I left a few marks. That way everyone can know you're mine."

"Of course," Sasuke replied, touching Naruto's thigh. "And you're mine. No one else's."

"Nope. All yours."

Sasuke sighed, smiling at him. "C'mere."

Naruto leaned down and kissed him. "Shower and then bed?"

"Yes. Shower and then bed."

"We'll sleep in tomorrow, yeah?"

Sasuke yawned. "Sounds good to me."

"I don't think we were very quiet this time..."

"No, we really weren't."

Naruto shrugged. "Oh well. It was worth it."

"Fuck yes it was," said Sasuke, and Naruto laughed.

"Alright, let's go." Naruto, shakily, got out of bed and stood up, holding out his hand for Sasuke to take while also holding onto the condom he still had on so it wouldn't fall off.

"So classy," Sasuke said as he joined him on the way to the bathroom.

"Did you wanna keep it as a memento?" Naruto asked as they went into the bathroom and he pulled it off, tossing it into the trash.

"I'm sure there will be other opportunities," said Sasuke as he turned the shower on and waited for Naruto to get in with him before closing the door. The steam was already beginning to fog up the glass.

Naruto chuckled as he gave Sasuke's ass a playful slap. "I'm sure there will be."