I'm sorry about the cliffhanger. Also, Sasuke's head is such a mess, sheesh. A big thank you to those who commented etc! The song this time is "Not alone" by Aram. It was Armenia's song in Eurovision last spring, and idk, the chorus kind of stuck with me. That said, I had already decided this song for this chapter when I wrote the first one in May so I didn't change it. Again, a reminder to guest reviewers, that if you review on ao3 instead I can reply in the comment thread.

Chapter three: What if it's all in one kiss

xxx

"What if it's all in one kiss
That turns all seeds into trees
The strongest wind into breeze
Enter all doors without keys"

xxx

It was Wednesday, and Sasuke tried to shake off his irritation. Yes, he might have made it through this semester's final exams, but that didn't mean he had lots of spare time. He'd started working for Kakashi, which wasn't easy, and while he loved his family he wasn't so sure he wanted to see them both now and on Shisui's birthday party just a few days later.

They had a tendency to spoil him… or that's what they called it at least. Ask Sasuke and he might use words like embarrass, bully, baby… the list could go on. Naruto, however, seemed all too eager to go.

"You know, if you like my parents so much, you should just start living with them. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"Nah, don't worry! Then I'd have to leave you alone, and we both know you'd get lonely after ten minutes."

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke ran his elbow into Naruto's arm as they walked up the driveway to his childhood home.

"Like I would," he muttered, knowing his limit was at least two days.

After that he might start to forget just how annoying Naruto's voice could be and think it wouldn't be horrible to listen to it again. Didn't mean he'd miss him. Not officially at least. But his moron of a best friend only grinned wide at him before opening the front door.

"Hello!" he yelled into the house, having long since lost his shyness when entering.

Sighing when Naruto threw off his shoes in a disorderly heap, Sasuke took off his own and placed both his and his messy friend's on the shoe rack. Naruto had already disappeared inside the house, and Sasuke followed his voice into the kitchen.

"Oh Sasuke, it's so good to see you two again," his mother greeted him, cupping his face and standing on her toes to kiss his cheeks. "I know you're busy, but it's so rare that Itachi has a weekday off."

"Yes," he agreed in resignation.

"Ha, don't listen to him. He's just sad he can't slouch on the couch tonight. He's in the middle of another TV series."

Mikoto shared a knowing smile with Naruto, and Sasuke couldn't help but frown a little.

"I'm not some addict," he objected, but Naruto waved him off, literally with a hand almost swiping at his nose.

"Shush, I'm here for Mikoto's glorious cooking. Go sulk with Itachi or something."

"Naruto, you flatter me too much." His mother giggled and took the blond by the arm to steer him towards the stove, and Sasuke was torn between groaning and throwing something heavy at the idiot.

"Fine," he muttered, not that anyone was paying attention to him.

His father was most likely at some important meeting, usually arriving right on time to eat. Itachi, however, was probably hiding in his room. He always pretended to have something he needed to do so he wouldn't have to help out before Naruto arrived. So lazy. Not that Sasuke was much better though.

He didn't bother knocking as he opened the door to Itachi's old room, finding him stretched out on the bed, nose buried in a book. All he did to acknowledge Sasuke's presence was lift a couple of fingers in a small wave, then turn a page. Huffing, Sasuke sat next to him, one hand on the dark blue bedspread and the other pinching Itachi's thigh.

"Ow?" Itachi said, raising an eyebrow but not moving his gaze from the text.

Switching to poking, Sasuke increased the force behind the jabs until Itachi rolled his eyes and scooted closer to the wall, making room for Sasuke to lie down next to him.

"Don't fall asleep," Itachi warned him, and he smacked the back of his hand onto the book so it almost connected with his brother's nose.

"Why, I thought you passed the phase of drawing dicks on my face at twelve."

"Perhaps, but I think you'd appreciate it if I didn't call Naruto up here so he could carry you down bridal style."

"You think you're so funny," Sasuke complained under his breath.

"Alright then," Itachi said instead, suddenly all businesslike. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing. Naruto made clear my presence was not appreciated in the kitchen."

Lowering the book to rest on his chest, Itachi gave him a look from the corner of his eye.

"And to think you call yourself independent," he mocked, not moving when Sasuke kicked his shin.

"That's not what I meant."

"Sure."

Gnawing on his lips, Sasuke contemplated talking to his brother about his recent troubles. Well, trouble was the wrong word, more like a mystery. After all, he still had no idea why Naruto stayed single even though there had clearly been people eyeing him even at the grocery store. Sasuke had been paying attention to it, for once, and was disturbed to find out just how many people checked out his ass, as well as Naruto's. It was safe to conclude that Naruto didn't have his looks against him.

"Why do you think Naruto is single?" he asked, not one to beat around the bush once he'd made up his mind.

It was interesting how many emotions flickered across Itachi's face at the question, ending in pursed lips to contain laughter.

"Why indeed," Itachi mused, amusement in his intelligent eyes. "What do you think, Sasuke?"

"I don't think anything," he retorted, frowning at Itachi's expression. "But you obviously know something."

Itachi simply made a face like maybe-I-do, maybe-I-don't, and Sasuke felt his sour mood worsen.

"Whatever," he muttered, but Itachi, apparently, was having none of that.

"I'm sorry, please go on," his brother said, moving his arm to forcefully put it underneath Sasuke's head, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.

It was uncomfortable, but he let it slip.

"It's nothing. I've just been thinking if I need to prepare for Naruto getting a girlfriend soon or not."

He stared down at his chest, fiddling with a button on his dress shirt. If Itachi was surprised, he didn't express it.

"You sound so sure that Naruto is straight," Itachi mumbled, and Sasuke sent him a deadpan look.

"I didn't say that."

"Really?"

Huffing, Sasuke abandoned the button and crossed his arms instead.

"Considering we're best friends, I doubt he'd pick another guy over me. So, that means I only need to worry about possible girlfriends."

Itachi actually laughed at this, a quiet, bubbling laughter that went on for so long that Sasuke wondered just what it was that he could have possibly said to cause such a reaction.

"And here I thought you just said that Naruto was single?" his brother asked once he'd calmed down a little, making Sasuke frown.

"Yes?" Then he understood the look Itachi gave him, and felt his cheeks heat up a little without his consent. "What, we're not together. That's just… weird. Stop laughing."

Even when he smacked Itachi's hand, his brother refused to take him seriously.

"Fine," Itachi teased him, "So Naruto is not straight, not picking another guy above you, and you're worrying about girlfriends? Makes sense."

Sasuke paused at that. When Itachi put it like that, he could see what caused his brother to laugh. Sort of, at least.

"But we're not together," he insisted, trying to wrap his mind around the alien thought.

He'd never even thought about it before. Naruto was Naruto, and he'd thought he'd always, somehow, be there, but he also thought that Naruto was the kind of person who would find some passionate love like in a movie. He knew the moron was romantic like that. Something Sasuke was not. Besides, they were best friends. If something like them dating could happen, it should have happened already. Probably. But it hadn't even crossed his mind so that was just…

Itachi sighed next to him, then pinched his cheek.

"What," he asked in a flat voice, glaring at the now much more serious man.

"I've got some homework for you, little brother," he said, pinching him again when he opened his mouth to protest. "I need you to think long, and hard, about what Naruto means to you, and the nature of your relationship."

Giving Itachi an incredulous stare, Sasuke wondered just why Itachi would tell him to think about something he already knew the answer to. They were best friends. Sure, people had told them they were much closer than best friends usually were, but that's only because Naruto was Naruto and no one else had someone like Naruto for their best friend so it was stupid to compare. Naruto got under his skin like no one else could, he was always right there, and even if Sasuke might not tell him exactly everything going on inside his head, somehow Naruto still understood.

"I know what you're thinking," Itachi continued with another sigh. "But you need to think about it more. You owe that to Naruto."

Then he sat up, bracing himself on one hand and staring down at Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. Smirking a little, he lightly slapped his book onto Sasuke's chest.

"For all your intelligence, it's quite possible that between the two of you, Naruto is actually the smarter one."

Sasuke's glare was freezing.

xxx

"Itachiiiiii!"

Sasuke heaved an annoyed sigh as Naruto, upon entering Shisui's apartment, immediately ran off towards Itachi. It didn't help that his brother threw his arms wide and hugged Naruto tightly while the moron sniveled and rubbed his fake tears onto his cardigan.

"Sasuke is so mean to me! So mean. Tell him he's being a meanie!"

Flashbacks of an almost fifteen-year-old Naruto clinging to Itachi in much the same way after Sasuke had denied him to try driving his new moped without a license ran through Sasuke's mind. Actually, he had memories of Naruto at about every age running to Itachi whenever he thought Sasuke had been a 'meanie'. He was sure he only did it to annoy him and get pity points, so that Itachi would scold Sasuke even if Naruto was obviously the one at fault, while Naruto made grimaces at him.

"What did he do now?" Itachi asked, giving him a disappointed look that was so obviously fake that Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"Moron, stop behaving like a needy child in front of all our relatives."

But Naruto only jutted out his lower lip at his comment, while Itachi shook his head at their antics.

"Naruto, when will you come to your senses and accept my proposal instead? You'll be so much happier."

Sasuke stared at his brother, marveling at the nonsense coming out of his mouth.

"Oh Itachi!" Naruto gasped, playing along and taking a hold of Itachi's arms. "But what would Shisui say?"

"Don't worry, he's quite fond of you."

Turning around to face Sasuke again, Naruto gave him a triumphant look.

"See? There are people here that appreciate me!" He hooked Itachi's arms around his body, sticking his tongue out. "I'll just stick to your brother tonight, because he's not mean, unlike you!"

"Bite me," Sasuke hissed, leaving them behind and searching for someone sensible instead.

He found Shisui in the kitchen, and handed over their gift. It was weird to think that his cousin was already turning thirty.

"And where's Naruto?" Shisui asked, placing the gift by a small pile already on the kitchen table.

"Bawling his eyes out in front of Itachi because I wouldn't let him wear a t-shirt that says 'life ends at thirty drink faster'."

Shisui laughed, dark eyes sparkling and Sasuke just knew he would have complimented Naruto on wearing it if he'd had. Sasuke, on the other hand, wouldn't be caught dead in public with Naruto wearing something like that.

"Well, maybe I should tell him it's not so bad," his cousin said, still laughing a bit as he shook his head, curly hair waving with the movement.

"I really don't think that's why he wore it," he muttered, but Shisui patted his arm and was then distracted by some other relatives arriving.

Left alone, Sasuke leaned against the counter, figuring he'd let Naruto come to his senses before dealing with him. Crossing his ankles, he swept his gaze around the tiny kitchen. Shisui's apartment really was cramped, but he supposedly liked it like that. Luckily they were on the bottom floor, and there was a small garden outside, otherwise there was no way the whole family would have fit. There were a lot of them, and Shisui was popular. He greeted a distant cousin as she passed, noting with surprise that she was pregnant. Well, not that he kept up to date with family affairs, anyway.

Unbidden, his thoughts strayed to the so called homework that Itachi had given him. Rubbing his cheek, he could feel the lack of sleep starting to get to him. He'd been thinking about it so much that he was certain he'd only managed to confuse himself, but even so the different trains of thoughts wouldn't leave him alone.

"Glaring at innocent things as usual, I see."

Raising his eyes from the floor, he rolled his eyes at Obito. Great, that meant Kakashi was around somewhere, too, as if he hadn't gotten enough of him the past week at work.

"So," Obito said, sounding secretive as he leaned in closer after settling against the counter by his side, "That whole thing with Naruto changing his facebook status, Kakashi and I have a bet but he refuses to tell me if you've said anything at work."

"What the hell?"

Obito grinned at him, bumping their shoulders. Sometimes the older Uchiha was scarily alike Naruto.

"See, Kakashi is convinced that Naruto only changed it to try and get the hint across, but I'm leaning more towards it being an accident. I mean, since it can't be real. Or is it?"

Obito's eyes widened as Sasuke kept his face blank.

"Wait, don't tell me you-"

Sasuke removed Obito's hands that had gripped his upper arms, groaning slightly. He really didn't feel like dealing with this crap.

"Why the hell would I have proposed to Naruto, it was just a dare."

"Oh really," Obito said, sounding relieved. "I was getting worried there for a while."

"About what?" Sasuke knew he didn't want to know, but he was too irritated not to ask.

"Well, that I might lose the bet! Hmm, I wonder if a dare would count as me winning…"

Closing his eyes, Sasuke pinched his nose. Why were his relatives so annoying? Scratch that, why was everyone around him so annoying?

"Sheesh, what did you say to him?"

At the sound of Naruto's voice, Sasuke opened his eyes again. He was about to answer, but was distracted by the plate of appetizers shoved at him.

"What, I just asked about your new marriage status," Obito defended himself with, Naruto spluttering in embarrassment.

"What?!" he choked out, "That was just a dare!"

Obito shrugged, grin still in place, but Sasuke ignored it in favor of eating. Now that he thought of it, he was kind of starving.

"Can't we say it was an accident? Then I'll win my bet against Kakashi."

Pouting angrily, Naruto crossed his arms and mirrored their positions, leaning against Sasuke's side as well as the counter.

"No way, it's not my problem if you…" he trailed off, staring in resignation at something in the doorway. "Oh, great, I should have known."

Sasuke followed his line of vision to find a cat, its fluffy white tail flicking from side to side as it observed the occupants in the room. Shisui appeared behind it, picking it up and walking over to them.

"Say hello to Shiro!"

The cat clearly didn't look amused, but Sasuke still reached out a hand to pet its head, glancing at Naruto's disapproving expression.

"Idiot, it's not gonna hurt you."

The blond huffed, much the amusement of Sasuke's relatives, but remained still.

"I'm not over the accident with your previous cat yet," he grumbled to Shisui, who gave a hearty laugh and let Shiro down on the floor again.

"Play with fire and you'll get burned," Shisui teased, jumping out of the way when Naruto kicked at him. "Really Sasuke, how do you stand such a violent guy?"

"Your cat is violent!" Naruto retorted, eyeing it with horror as it stroke around his legs, leaving white hairs on his dark jeans.

Sasuke shared a look with Shisui, much to Naruto's annoyance.

"Sasukeee, save meee," Naruto whined, placing his chin on his shoulder, his warmth pressing closer to Sasuke's side.

Somehow, it felt rather nice.

"Well, good luck with that," Obito said, leaving them and heading towards the living room.

"It's okay, Naruto, if I had trained my cat to kill I wouldn't pick you as my victim," Shisui said in mock reassurance, Naruto only sniffing at him in response.

Still, Shisui picked the cat up again and carried it out of the kitchen, sending one last, teasing grin in Naruto's direction before he disappeared. Sasuke resumed eating.

"I'll get us something to drink," Naruto said after a minute or so, straightening up. "What do you want?"

Sasuke hummed in thought, chewing on a small pie, and Naruto reached up to swipe off a few crumbs from the corner of his mouth. His thumb lingered, and when their eyes met, Sasuke had the strangest feeling that Naruto would kiss him. But his best friend averted his eyes, leaving him with his heart thumping quicker in his chest as he stared after him. He lifted his hand to absentmindedly rub the spot where Naruto had touched him, wondering why he suddenly felt cold.

It was just another layer of confusion to add to the mess inside his head. Movement caught his eyes, and he saw his pregnant relative, sitting by the kitchen table, husband standing next to her, casually rubbing her neck.

Naruto did that sometimes.

He swallowed, hard, Itachi's words twisting and turning inside his head. So far, he'd been thinking about all the things that made them friends in his eyes. Should he… be thinking of something else?

Running a hand through his hair, he placed the almost empty plate next to him, his chest feeling heavy somehow. It was stupid, to compare himself and Naruto to a pregnant cousin with a husband. Neither of them were girls and certainly not pregnant, but there was still something about the way he looked at her…

Sasuke needed a drink.

Inside the living room, he found his parents and Naruto, chatting comfortably. As he approached them, he noticed both his mother and Naruto glance at his hair.

"What did you do to your hair?" Naruto asked, frowning as he patted it back into place.

"I was just about to ask the same thing," his mother said, an affectionate smile on her face as Naruto stiffened for a second before shaking his head.

Sasuke merely huffed impatiently, relieving Naruto of one of the opened bottles in his hand and taking a swig from it. He could feel a prickling sort of sensation run down his neck from Naruto's fingers carefully combing through his hair, slightly embarrassed in front of his parents. Just another great example of him being babied.

"Do you know where Shisui went?" Fugaku asked, pursing his lips when Sasuke shrugged. "Well, I'll see if I can find him."

"Right, I'll stay here, I bet he's still walking around with that cat," Naruto muttered to himself, scowling at Sasuke when he elbowed him lightly. "Fine then, I'll go to the bathroom."

To distract himself from thoughts of Naruto, he started talking to his mother, Itachi eventually wandering over and joining them. A few minutes later, Shisui walked through the room to announce that dinner was served outside, sneaking an arm around Itachi's waist and pressing a kiss to his cheek when he reached them.

"I made that tomato sauce you like, Sasuke, should work well with the chicken," Shisui said, but Sasuke barely heard him.

This was far from the first time he'd seen Shisui and Itachi like this, but it struck him suddenly why things had felt so odd with Naruto lately. Because Naruto did the exact same thing as all the couples around them did, except no kisses. Could it still really count as platonic? Clenching and unclenching his fists, Sasuke found his brain to be a tumbling mess again. He just wished someone could tell him what everything meant, the touching, the looks, the lack of dates…

He didn't dare think it was the obvious answer, because he was scared of how he might react. It was better to shake it off for now, until he thought he could make some sense of his own feelings. Whatever they were. Even the word itself was sort of frightening.

"Sasuke?"

Itachi was frowning when he snapped out of it, but he shook his head and showed a weak smile.

"I guess I'd better go try it out then," he said, turning on his heels and walking outside.

It felt as if his mind was racing, too fast for him to follow. Things had been fine as they were, so why couldn't they just leave it like that? Why did Naruto have to act strangely, and Itachi say all those things…

Because no matter how he looked at it, Sasuke didn't think he was suited to be someone's boyfriend. He barely thought he was good enough for a best friend, but Naruto had convinced him enough times that he'd come to accept it over the years.

And then there was that small voice in the back of his head that had started the whole thing.

Walking out into the sunlight, he saw Naruto leaning against the wooden fence, joking with one of Sasuke's many aunts. His smile was bright, yet not as bright as he could remember from when they were alone. Running his eyes over Naruto, dressed in form-fitting jeans and a simple, long-sleeved green t-shirt with buttons at the top, he wondered if everyone found him as beautiful as Sasuke did.

Naruto was Naruto. That was a fact that Sasuke had always told himself, to try and explain why Naruto was different from everyone else. Because he was Naruto.

When blue eyes found his, it felt like something shifted inside of him. Something that had always been there, but now he could see it in a new light. He still had no idea what it was, or what it meant, but it was okay. He'd figure it out.

Moving on auto-pilot he helped himself to some food, overworked brain whirring as he struggled to come up with some sort of plan. He'd never enjoyed feeling helpless, unsure of his own self. He needed to know.

Hesitantly, he approached Naruto and his aunt, quietly standing beside him and nodding at his aunt. As if on cue, Naruto shuffled closer to him, so that their sides were touching. If he hadn't been holding a beer in one hand, and a plate in the other, Sasuke was sure that Naruto would have put his arm around him. Which felt like the natural thing for him to do, and Sasuke had to wonder how it was possible that he'd never thought of it before.

As he ate, he glanced at Naruto, his face, the expressions he made… when Naruto sent him a warm smile he felt as if it heated him up from inside, and he quickly stared down at his plate instead. He felt like he'd been acting strange his whole life and only just now realized it. Not that Naruto would smile like that when they were twelve, he supposed, which only made the whole thing worse. He forced down the nervous feeling in his stomach, eating without really tasting the food.

It would probably be bad if he didn't do something about this soon.

xxx

They'd gone out drinking after the dinner party, with Shisui, Itachi, Obito, Kakashi, and a few others. Somehow, Sasuke had managed to keep some distance to Naruto. He was a little worried over what he might do, and what Naruto might do because it felt like something was on the verge of happening. But it could be that it had been like this for a while, and Sasuke only noticed just now. Even so, he didn't want to do anything in front of everyone else, so he had ignored the slightly upset looks Naruto had given him and spent a couple of hours sitting between Kakashi and the wall, Naruto diagonally across the table in the bar. As traumatizing as it had been to sit with Kakashi, he felt that he had needed it.

His thoughts were still all over the place, and it certainly didn't help that Naruto was drunker than him and kept touching him on the way home. Sasuke didn't mind it, but he felt more sensitive to the touches, because they fed his brain funny ideas. Like holding Naruto's hand, just to see how he'd react.

If Sasuke had been sober, he never would have thought these things. At least he wouldn't have contemplated acting on them. He had absolutely no understanding for lovey-dovey couples, but now he was forced to struggle with himself considering the level of physical closeness he'd realized existed between him and Naruto. It had been painfully clear to him, when sitting apart from Naruto, that the usual clinginess Naruto showed with him didn't happen with others, not even with Itachi.

Entering their apartment they'd both sobered up a bit, Naruto singing to himself as he dragged his feet towards the kitchen. Deciding not to follow, Sasuke went to the bathroom instead to splash some cold water on his face. He'd been thinking while at the bar, and running a finger over the pale skin on his neck where a faded bruise could be seen, he nodded at himself in the mirror.

Naruto touching him felt good. Naruto sucking on his neck had felt weird, but also good. So maybe, if something similar happened and Sasuke was more aware of things this time, he might be able to figure something out.

"Oi, Sas, I gotta pee!" Naruto yelled from the other side of the door, and bracing himself he exited, letting Naruto sweep past him.

He could feel his nerves tingling as he switched into a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt, grabbing his phone and starting to search as he sat on the bed. When Naruto entered, still humming to some tune that had stuck ever since they left the bar, he eased out of pants and shirt and climbed onto the bed next to Sasuke, curiously peeking over his shoulder.

"Watcha doin'?" he asked, hooking a leg over Sasuke's and making himself comfortable, their bare arms rubbing several times.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke tilted the screen to show his friend.

"I thought we could try this again," he said, tense as he waited for Naruto's reaction.

"Seriously?! I thought you said it was stupid game."

Gnawing on his lower lip, Sasuke shrugged, hoping Naruto wasn't sober enough to realize how strange it was for Sasuke to suggest something like this.

"Yes but… I refuse to lose to you again," he said, hoping the sort of admittance that he'd 'lost' last time was enough to convince Naruto.

It wasn't the best idea, he knew that, but it was a whole lot better than just straight up asking if Naruto would kiss him just so he could figure out if he liked it or not.

"Ha," Naruto said, placing an arm around his shoulders and sinking a bit lower on the bed, fixing one of the pillows behind their backs before letting his hand casually run through the hairs on Sasuke's neck. "I can't believe you admitted that. Sure, bring it on!"

Feeling himself relax underneath Naruto's touch, Sasuke took a chance and clicked the mature version. If anything, it would speed things up, and he needed to get some sort of hints to go on before he either realized what he was doing or fell asleep.

"Your turn to start," Naruto reminded him, leaning his head against Sasuke's and yawning.

Starting the game, Sasuke blinked a few times at the question.

"Ooh," Naruto said, gripping his arm and shaking him a little. "I've always wanted to know what your guilty pleasure is."

Clearing his throat, Sasuke had no idea what his guilty pleasure was. What kind of pleasure was the question referring to, anyway? It didn't help that Naruto was back to playing with his hair… Oh.

"I guess one thing is…" he paused, wetting his lips and wondering why his heart sped up for something simple like this. "I guess you playing with my hair."

Naruto had stiffened, his fingers oh so slowly curling around a few strands.

"Huh," he breathed out, and there was an awkward silence for a few seconds until Naruto tapped a finger against his neck so that he clicked on the next question.

Reading the question, Sasuke was starting to question his sanity. He closed his eyes, feeling goose bumps forming on his skin as Naruto blew in his ear, warm with Naruto so close to him. It would be nice to just stay like that, wrapped up in Naruto's arm, Naruto's toes rubbing his foot now and then, lips brushing his ear causing a tiny tremble in his body.

"Umm, Sasuke, your turn…"

Peeking at the screen, Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted to know. It turned out to be another difficult question, which he should have been able to guess considering he'd chosen the mature game. It was just that, asking what turned him on the most, when Sasuke wasn't even sure what turned him on in the first place…

"I…" he swallowed, shifting uncomfortably. "I haven't really thought about it," he finished in a quick mumble.

Sure, he masturbated on occasion, but it's not as if there was anything specific he could think of that turned him on. And he mostly did it if he was feeling stressed and Naruto wasn't around to take his mind off things.

"Okay," Naruto said, and Sasuke was glad he didn't question it.

He did wonder what he thought of it, though, but got distracted by Naruto's question.

What's your favorite type of porn?

When Sasuke turned his head he found Naruto sporting a violent blush, looking at anything but him.

"I guess it's, umm, just fantasizing I think. Porn can be so… but some of it is good but it's like, it's better if I think of it myself, but uh… I'll just stop there," he finished lamely, letting out an embarrassed laughter.

"I think it asks for something more specific," Sasuke pointed out, earning a dirty look.

"Well that's what you'll get," Naruto muttered, switching to the next question, a dare.

Both of them stared at the screen for a long minute, then it clicked in Sasuke's brain and he felt like the hair at his neck stood up, a prickling sensation spreading throughout his body. Then he narrowed his eyes, feeling his competitive streak surface.

"If I do this, it'll beat the hickey you gave me, right?" he challenged, turning so there was some distance between them.

Naruto was making strangled noises, but Sasuke, heart in his throat, put his phone to the side and pushed at Naruto's chest so he relaxed and laid back further. He ignored the horrified look Naruto gave him. He was curios. He'd never done anything sexual with someone else, didn't really watch porn either, so to unbutton Naruto's shirt using only his mouth was something incredibly new and somehow exciting.

The problem was just that Naruto wasn't wearing a shirt. They stared at each other for a moment, Sasuke frowning and Naruto wide-eyed, then Naruto burst out laughing as Sasuke got up to find a shirt for him.

"Take this one," he said, annoyed, throwing the first one he'd found in Naruto's face.

It was a regular white one, probably belonging to Sasuke, and Naruto complained a bit that it was tight over the shoulders. Even so he buttoned it up complacently, then leaned back again, sucking on his lips as he waited for Sasuke to move.

Inhaling deeply, Sasuke positioned himself over Naruto's legs, leaning forwards on his hands and trying to figure out the easiest way to do this. It was, he concluded, to lie on top of Naruto and brace himself on his forearms.

Naruto was looking uncomfortable, switching between red-faced and slightly pale, gaze stuck on the wall. Sasuke wondered why, considering he never seemed to have a problem touching Sasuke. But maybe this was a bit embarrassing. Shaking all thoughts out of his head, Sasuke wriggled a little to be comfortable, making Naruto suck in a breath and tense up. Rolling his eyes at him, Sasuke got to work with the first button, just above the hem of Naruto's boxers.

It was more difficult than he'd expected. He fought the urge to use his hands, slowly moving up along Naruto's stomach and then chest. Not daring to look at Naruto's face, he kept his gaze trained on the buttons, because he wasn't sure what expression he would find on his best friend's face. Neither was he sure of what expression he wanted to find.

Naruto's scent invaded his nostrils, and it was safe and home and Sasuke wanted to rub his face against Naruto's chest. How embarrassing. Fighting down the heat threatening to redden his cheeks, he finished with the last button. Along the way he'd been forced to slide up Naruto's body, and the intimate contact made him feel a little dizzy, as if it tried to pull him closer, make him lower himself to lie on top of the other. But he lifted himself up on his forearms, about to move away when blue eyes caught his, effectively trapping him in place.

He'd noticed Naruto's breathing to be rather quick and shallow, but now he seemed to hold his breath, and Sasuke held his as well. There was something coiling in his lower belly, white-hot and urgent, and Naruto's lips were so close.

Only when Naruto's eyes flashed in momentary pain before gently pushing him away, did Sasuke's brain catch up with his body's intentions. He really had been on the verge of kissing Naruto, and the thought brought an ache to his chest and a frown to his face as he sat up and moved next to the blond again. Maybe this was the hint he'd been waiting for? It felt as if something heavy had settled itself within him, throbbing as he reached for his phone again, causing his fingers to fumble when he pressed the button for a new question.

They were silent, tension crackling between them, and Sasuke hoped that Naruto wasn't thinking of ways to get out of this.

Spend the next round sitting on someone's lap.

"Umm, okay, I guess uh…"

There was a definite blush on Naruto's face as he sat on his knees, eyes darting between Sasuke and whatever else around them. Both of them did some awkward shifting, then they decided that it was easiest if Naruto sat between Sasuke's legs, so that Sasuke could lean over Naruto's shoulder to see the phone screen. It felt like Naruto hesitated as long as possible before his back settled against Sasuke's chest, and he hoped that Naruto wouldn't notice how his heartbeat sped up.

It was strange, because there had been a few instances where Sasuke had sat on Naruto's lap, though usually in a more platonic position. Sasuke wondered what to do with his hands. Sure, one still held the phone, but where to place it? He settled for letting it rest against Naruto's thigh, the other he kept next to him, nervously fiddling with a pillowcase. Every time he took a breath it was like sniffing Naruto, and even though he did smell a bit like sweat and beer it gave him the same fuzzy feelings as when he'd unbuttoned his shirt. It made him wonder why he didn't sleep facing Naruto more often. Or did he sleep like that a lot? He couldn't recall.

All thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he read the next question. Naruto started chuckling, and this time, nothing could stop the heat blooming all over his face and neck. Him, having thought of trying out lingerie? It would have been funny if the images hadn't invaded his brain what with Naruto pressing up close to him, shaking slightly with his laughter.

"Obviously not," he choked out, quickly switching to the next one.

"Aww," Naruto teased, and Sasuke hit his arm.

Naruto's laughter got stuck in his throat however, and Sasuke peeked at the screen. Breath hitching, he stiffened as he waited for Naruto's reaction, a sudden lump in his throat that he had to fight in order to swallow.

"Do we even have fruit?" Naruto asked, voice strangled and hands clasping in a nervous gesture.

"I don't think so… do we have anything else?"

Naruto thought for a few seconds, then he leaned over towards the bedside table on his side of the bed, opening a drawer and pulling out a bag of smarties.

"One of these, maybe…?"

He wasn't looking at Sasuke, so he was forced to grunt in acknowledgment after nodding at first. Naruto turned the bag upside down and accidentally spilled several smarties onto Sasuke's leg, swearing quietly and moving away so he could pick them up with Sasuke's help. Then Sasuke took one of them, hesitating because Naruto didn't look very eager to go through with the dare.

"Umm, should we-"

"It's okay," Naruto snapped, raising his head to meet his eyes. Then he awkwardly turned to the side, before positioning himself on Sasuke's lap again, this time facing him. "I totally won't lose."

"Right," he mumbled, feeling silly as he stuck his tongue out before placing the smartie on top of it.

He tried not to flinch when Naruto leaned closer, his breath washing over Sasuke's face and inspiring a funny feeling in his stomach. Keeping his eyes on Naruto's forehead, he clenched his fists as he felt lips and teeth connect briefly with his tongue before the piece of candy was inside Naruto's mouth instead. While the other man furiously chewed on it, Sasuke tried to gain control again. His entire body felt high-strung, changing between hot and burning, with Naruto's weight pushing down on his legs. Even so, he felt a little cheated. It had been over almost before it registered in his brain, and narrowing his eyes he contemplated Naruto's face, in particular his mouth.

From this short distance, it would be easy to reach. There was a flutter within his chest at the thought, but before he could act on it, Naruto slid off his lap and settled next to him again.

"Next question," he muttered, glancing at Sasuke but hurriedly averting his eyes when he found him looking at him.

Letting out a breath, Sasuke forced his thumb to move, and could only stare at the words on the screen. He had to pinch Naruto's butt. For some reason it felt worse than what they'd just done, and he thinned his lips to try and keep his face in a neutral expression. Naruto gave a short, breathless laughter, lifting his ass a little so Sasuke could reach. He didn't pinch very hard, but Naruto bit his lip and made a strangled noise.

And, incredibly enough, Sasuke felt his groin stir. Was he getting turned on doing these things with Naruto? Heartbeat skyrocketing, he bent his knees upwards slightly, hunching a little over the phone. Suddenly, he didn't know if he could take any more of this. Naruto was still strangely quiet, and Sasuke felt anxious to find out why. Did he like it? Or was it just awkward? But he was sure that Naruto would tell him to stop if it felt awful…

At the next question, he could see Naruto soundlessly forming the words as he read it.

If your crush was standing right here in front of you, what would you want him/her to do?

Unable to tear his eyes away from his friend, Sasuke watched Naruto swallow and scratch his neck. There was a flicker of emotions across his tan features, as if he was fighting with himself over something. It struck Sasuke that Naruto might have a crush that he was thinking of right now.

It hurt. His throat hurt, too, and he rubbed a slightly sweaty palm against his thigh.

"Well?" he asked, sounding testy, biting the inside of his cheek when Naruto startled.

"Sorry I just…" Naruto bent his knees against his chest, hugging them as he bore his eyes into Sasuke's as if searching for something. Then he looked down, morose all of a sudden. "If they told me my feelings are returned, that would be…"

Sasuke's eyes widened. So Naruto had a crush? It felt as if his entire body burned, his skin crawling as his mind ran through possible candidates. One of their friends? Someone at Naruto's work places? No one came to mind, but he was afraid to ask. Even so, by the way Naruto stared hard at the mattress, it felt as if he was waiting for Sasuke to voice the question. As in, why had he never mentioned there was someone?

Struggling with a shaky breath, Sasuke, at a loss for what else to do, read the next question directed at him.

"Would I kiss the person next to me?" he whispered, heart slamming against his ribs as he stared at the words.

Would he? Rationally speaking, Naruto was his best friend so if it was a dare, of course he could kiss him. He gripped the phone tightly, his free hand curling around the sheet so that it wrinkled. If Naruto had someone, a crush, would he really want Sasuke to kiss him then? Turning towards Naruto, he found him frozen, staring unseeingly at the wall in front of him. Unsure of what to do, but feeling pained because Naruto sure looked pained, he dropped his phone and raised his hand, brushing aside a few of Naruto's bangs.

All that happened was Naruto tensing up even more, fists clenching and the shirt he still wore straining over his shoulders. Sasuke brushed his thumb along Naruto's temple, lungs aching as his head was pounding.

"Naruto…"

Head jerking towards him, Naruto's eyes were wide and vulnerable, shining in the dim light. Fingers tracing Naruto's jaw, Sasuke subconsciously moved closer, his body feeling heavy, breaths shallow. Naruto's gaze dropped to his lips, and something lurched violently inside Sasuke. Wetting his lips, he brought their noses close enough to bump, lips just about to brush…