Looking back, his parents had not raised him to be the kind of guy who would ever let an awkward silence reign for very long.
Naruto took in a deep breath and decided to put his own stupid insecurities aside. "So, um. What brings you into town? You're not livin' in the country anymore, you said?"
"Generally, I wanted to see Itachi because," Yahiko leaned forward, looking pensive now as he clasped his hands together between his knees, "Y'never know what will happen, but to answer your second question. Konan and I decided to move to Belize. Went there a few summers ago and never got it out of our heads. We started a furniture shop in a small town an hour north of the capital."
"Konan is your fiancee?" He asked for clarification, offering a genuine smile. "And, that's... actually pretty damn awesome. I dunno what's more cool, you decidin' to move to another country like that, or you startin' your own business."
"Konan is my fiancee, yeah. Sorry." Yahiko scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed smile. "Not used to sayin' that yet, I guess. We've been friends since we were kids and, later on, kinda realized we couldn't live without each other. She handles the business side of things, which is funny since I'm the one with the degree in it, and I design and construct the furniture. It's not like we're becomin' rich off of it or anything, but... it's a much slower pace of life than when we were living here or in California. Konan would've come with me today, but wasn't feelin' very well. They call it mornin' sickness, but it doesn't seem to only happen in the morning."
"Oh, man," he said, unable to hide his surprise at this news. "Congratulations. How does that feel?"
"It's..." Yahiko tilted his head, grinning so proudly at Naruto that he felt any remaining awkwardness between them disappear. "It's really amazing. Life-changing, I should say. I wasn't always sure I wanted kids, and it was kind of a surprise to the both of us, but yeah. I can't wait to have a son or daughter to chase around the yard. We've got this cozy cottage by the water, that we basically built ourselves... and - "
Naruto's eyebrows drew up in anticipation as he leaned forward, too, mirroring Yahiko's position on the couch.
"Sorry again," he ended up saying to Naruto, running his hand through his hair, looking sheepish. "I get kind of carried away. I used to hate when friends would go on about their kids, but now I think I get it. Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about you and Sasuke. How long has it been?"
"About four months," he answered, rather touched by Yahiko's excitement and willingness to tell him all this.
Yahiko nodded. "As long as I've known that kid, he never seemed the type to want to settle down. We were closer before Mikoto and Fugaku passed away, but after that, he wanted to be left alone to do his own thing. I think we all worried about him, Itachi especially. We all were happy to hear he had the opportunity to go to New York, and I dunno if you know much about our friend Deidara, but he was pretty damn insistent that Sasuke come live with him, which was good. That way we could sorta keep an eye on him."
"I dunno what that time was like for Sasuke, but it does make me oddly happy that there were people lookin' out for him."
Yahiko grinned. "You're really alright with that guy? He's not too - "
"What? Broody? Sarcastic and sometimes cynical?" Naruto smirked. "He's all that, but I kinda love it. He's also extremely generous and selfless, funny, smart, and thoughtful. He's got a lot of shit goin' on obviously, so when it passes, and I'm with you, that I think it'll all turn out okay, but... yeah, I'll be happy when this week is over."
"I wonder what it says about me and my group of friends that none of us were all that surprised with what Itachi did. I know it puts Sasuke in a bad position, but Itachi's always been that sorta guy, with his principles and rigid moral compass."
"Yeah." Naruto glanced down at his lap. "Sasuke can also be like that sometimes. Just as intense. He doesn't care a whole lot what other people think, and when he wants something, he goes for it. I admire that in him." He started to smile. "Actually, I admire him a lot when I think about it. Always have."
Yahiko whistled. "Boy, Naruto. You've got it bad."
Tugging at his ear, Naruto blushed. "Sorry. Guess we both can't not brag about the things we're proud of, eh?"
"It's hard to stay cool sometimes, isn't it?" Yahiko asked. "Even though we're men."
"No shit. I think the day I have a kid, I'll bawl my eyes out."
"Ah, is that somethin' you and Sasuke have talked about?"
"What? No. Not really. Like, once. We have a cat. Or, well. Sasuke does. Ollie. You probably knew that already, though."
"Ollie? That ginger cat?" Yahiko scratched under his chin. "I thought it had a name Mikoto used to call it... funny, can't seem to remember."
Naruto shrugged. He kind of had other questions he wanted to ask, about Yahiko, about Itachi, about Sasuke, and even about their parents, but Itachi ended up walking in with two steaming mugs of coffee.
"Sorry it took so long," Itachi said. "Sasuke's on the phone, but I wanted to bring these to you." He sounded agitated. For him anyway. Yahiko might've noticed, too, because he shared a look with him, though brief.
Itachi left the room again, and the both of them continued to stare at each other questioningly until Yahiko reached for something out of his back pocket - a pack of cigarettes.
"You smoke?" He asked Naruto.
"No," he replied.
"Good." Yahiko grinned as he stuck the cigarette behind his ear. "Bad habit. I doubt Sasuke would let you anyway. Wanna step out on the deck with me?"
"Yeah. I could use some air," he said, taking his coffee with him.
Naruto opened one of the French doors since Yahiko had his hands full. He shut it behind them as they walked up to the railing and gazed out onto the yard. Yahiko set his mug down and pulled out a lighter.
"Would you mind?" he asked Naruto.
"No problem." He took the lighter from Yahiko and lit the end of the cigarette for him before returning it.
Yahiko pocketed it into his jeans and stood next to him. There existed a comfortable silence between them for a few minutes until Yahiko cleared his throat, "Usually I wouldn't ask this kind of personal question of someone I just met, but I'm kinda curious. Maybe I'm bein' presumptuous here, but... you haven't dated a lot of guys, have you, Naruto?"
"What makes you think that?" He asked, pretty nonplussed. There was something very calming about looking out at the backyard, especially the small garden and koi pond.
"Call it intuition," Yahiko replied. "I guess that's why I'm even more intrigued that you're with Sasuke."
"Intrigued?" He asked, glancing over.
"I almost feel... relieved," said Yahiko, looking back at him, the smallest of smiles playing at his lips. "I know Itachi well enough to understand he may feel the same, too."
Naruto didn't entirely know what that meant, but he didn't take offense to it either, and he got the distinct impression Yahiko wasn't all that interested in elaborating.
It didn't much matter.
The more Naruto considered any past the other man may have shared with Sasuke, it...wasn't any of his business. It seemed especially petty on his part to hold it against Yahiko since the guy had all these great things happening for him - soon to be wife, baby, living in a whole other country, building a house, starting a business. Even more so, he began to feel like a dick for being jealous, because it dawned on him that although this guy has his own life now, he's clearly still concerned about Sasuke and Itachi. He couldn't really fault a guy for being loyal. In fact, he thought they were similar in a few ways.
"I think I'm relieved, too," Naruto suddenly murmured. "And thankful."
"Hm?" Yahiko blew smoke in the other direction; Naruto simply shook his head.
"I wonder what Sasuke called for," he mumbled. "Maybe he'll be home soon."
"Hard to say."
"I feel like I'm not sure what he needs right now," Naruto confessed. "I must be doin' somethin' wrong." When he felt the hand on his shoulder, he glanced up.
"Nah, kid. Give it some time, let him do his thing, even if he acts like a bitch. Your feelings will get through to him."
"Hey," he said, smirking. "Did you just call my boyfriend a bitch?"
Smirking himself, Yahiko took his hand off of Naruto's shoulder. "Don't act like you haven't ever thought it from time to time."
"I usually phrase it differently," he replied with a chuckle. "We're both stubborn. He can be blunt and without tact, but so can I. He's pretty patient, and when he loses his cool, I typically think he's justified. Even if I'm the cause. Maybe this week is a bit different, but I understand why he acts the way he does. It's just a matter of not takin' it personally. I feel like I keep sayin' that." He frowned. "Not taking it personally."
"Maybe it's what you tell yourself because you'd feel like the bad guy if you got pissed at him for bein' a punk. Naruto, I've known Sasuke since he was 14 or 15. He's always been incredibly mature for his age, but he's still a kid with a lot to learn about life and relationships. Even now. If he acts up, let him know it. There's no excuse for takin' the ones you love for granted. I know you said you admire Sasuke, but he's not perfect. No one's perfect. We can accept our partner's flaws, we can even love those flaws... but don't lose track of yourself. Don't lose who you are." He turned and prodded Naruto in the chest with two fingers. "Fuck, listen to me. I already sound like an old man."
Naruto smiled lop-sidedly. "It's kinda funny you say that," he said softly, almost wistfully. "You sounded a lot like my Dad just then."
"Yeah?" Yahiko's smile was warm.
Naruto nodded. "You'll make a good Dad. No worries." He shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.
"I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but if I was your age and didn't have a wife and kid on the way, I might have to give Sasuke a run for his money."
Naruto laughed, thinking he was joking until he actually looked at Yahiko and saw that cocky smirk on his face. He stopped laughing, cleared his throat, and glanced away out of embarrassment.
"Uh. I'm not sure how happy Sasuke would be about that."
"God, you are a cute kid, Naruto. Makes me wanna beat Sasuke up if he's givin' you a hard time. Believe me. I've had to do it before."
"It's fine," he said, reaching for his neglected coffee. "I can handle it."
"What exactly is it you think you can handle?"
Naruto and Yahiko both jumped when they heard Sasuke's voice (okay, well, Naruto did at least). Apparently neither heard the door open while they were talking. He wondered just how much of that conversation Sasuke heard. Naruto and Yahiko were standing fairly close together, elbows touching. They turned around at the same time, with him feeling guilty for some unknown reason.
Sasuke eyed the both of them warily. He looked tired and stressed out, which was becoming the norm for him, unfortunately.
"You," he said to Yahiko. "What are you doing here?"
Naruto balked at his tone, but Yahiko simply smiled and took another puff of his cigarette before handing it to him to hold.
"Is that a way to speak to your elders?" Yahiko asked placidly and, taking a few steps toward him, put his arms around Sasuke.
It took maybe half a minute, but eventually Sasuke reciprocated the hug, and it wasn't necessarily brief. It was odd to see it, and... it did make him jealous (but only the smallest bit). Still, since the cigarette was there, he turned around and leaned on the rail, inhaling on it briefly. Naruto wasn't a smoker and had maybe only tried it a handful of times in high school - but he just felt like he needed it. He listened to them exchange a short conversation of pleasantries before Sasuke began rudely interrogating him again about why he was in town. Then they argued for a few minutes until he heard Sasuke calling to him.
"What?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Are you smoking? What are you, a child?"
Naruto's eyes swept to Yahiko first.
"Don't be an ass," scolded Yahiko.
"Fuck off," Sasuke replied. "You're not my brother. You don't get to tell me what to do, and now your bad habits are rubbing off on my boyfriend."
"Jesus, Sasuke," said Naruto. "What's your problem?"
Sasuke walked over to him, pinning him with a glare. He snatched the cigarette from Naruto's fingers and threw it over the deck railing.
"Now there's no problem," said Sasuke.
"Oh. I think we might have a problem," replied Naruto.
"Sasuke," Yahiko interrupted and made the decision to step in between them. "What's gotten into you?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business just because you randomly decided to show up two days before my brother's trial," Sasuke responded coldly, though he continued to stare at Naruto as if he'd been the one to ask.
Naruto didn't mind so much if Sasuke copped an attitude with him, but being a dick to Yahiko didn't sit well with him at all.
"It's fine," he said to Yahiko, not breaking eye contact with Sasuke. "He and I can have a talk, but you're here to spend time with Itachi, so let's do that."
Taking the hint, Yahiko grabbed his mug as well as Naruto's and went back inside the house without another word. It left the two of them alone on the deck, as if in a stand off, and on top of that, it was starting to rain.
"Talk to me," Naruto said, expression softening even though Sasuke's remained tense and angry.
"Why would you talk to him about me?"
Naruto was a bit thrown off by the question. "What?"
"You have no right - "
"Listen," he snapped. "First of all, don't tell me what I do or don't have the right to do or say, and second of all, you are what Yahiko and I have in common, but you weren't the only thing we were talkin' about, so check your ego, Sasuke."
Sasuke reached for and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Naruto," he said warningly.
"What."
Sasuke yanked him forward until they were nose to nose. Naruto offered no resistance; he still had his hands in his pockets. It was like they were locked in some kind of wordless battle, and, even though neither of them was saying anything, it felt as though he was finally getting the entirety of Sasuke's feelings.
In that instant when it hit him full force, he removed his hands from his pockets so that he could wrap his arms around Sasuke, crushing his body to him as he felt an overwhelming desire to protect him, to make his pain go away, to let him know that he wasn't alone. He rested his chin on Sasuke's shoulder. He held him, twisting their bodies together slightly as if comforting a crying child who'd fallen down and scraped his knee. Eventually, Sasuke let go of his shirt and simply drooped in his arms. He rested his head on Naruto's shoulder.
"Sorry," Sasuke murmured.
Naruto began to thread his fingers through Sasuke's dark hair. The rain was starting to turn it damp.
"Don't apologize to me," he said softly.
Sasuke's nose brushed the side of his neck. "This sucks."
"I know." He kept his hand on top of Sasuke's head, providing cover from the rain. "It'll be over soon."
"I'm fucking afraid of it being over. Don't... don't force it to go faster. If - "
Naruto shushed him. "Okay. I'm not. We'll deal with it as it happens."
"You smell like smoke now," Sasuke complained.
God, he sounded like such a kid. Naruto didn't know if he wanted to smile or cry.
"I don't know what I was thinking," he said.
"Were you jealous?" asked Sasuke.
Naruto kissed the side of his head. "A little, but not as much as you think. He's a... good guy."
"I heard him say if he was younger, he'd give me a run for my money." He clung onto the sides of Naruto's sweatshirt.
"Well, if you were bein' the nosy bastard I think you were, you know what I said after."
"Only that I wouldn't like it, but you didn't say you'd refuse."
"Sasuke. I hate to have to tell you this," he smiled, "But you're retarded."
"I'm not." He said stubbornly.
"You are." Naruto kissed him again.
"I'm smarter than you are." Sasuke's hands moved to his back, clinging there, too.
"Uh, yeah. I can't really argue with that." He looked up at the sky, his tone of voice light, "Let's go inside."
"This morning," Sasuke interjected, catching his attention.
"Hm?"
"I hope this doesn't mean an end to you rimming me." He picked his head up and smirked at Naruto.
"Not if it's gonna make you all emotional like a little girl," Naruto replied, pushing a piece of wayward hair behind his ear.
"Please, it was just that I was so overjoyed you were finally giving it a shot."
Naruto snorted in his face. "Fuck you, Sasuke. I've licked your ass before. Don't act like I haven't."
"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"
Sasuke and Naruto both jumped at hearing Itachi's voice (okay, Naruto jumped and all Sasuke did was raise an eyebrow).
"Jesus, does anybody knock around here?" Naruto nearly shouted.
"Why would anyone knock on a door that leads out to the deck?" Sasuke asked him.
"Hey, whose side are you on?" Naruto glared. "And why do you keep makin' me shout inappropriate things in front of your brother?!"
"Sasuke, I'll have to tell you about how he ran into the living room naked earlier. When he thought Yahiko was you."
Naruto started to stutter. "W-what, I didn't - "
Sasuke pushed him away. "Why are running around naked in front of my brother?"
"I can explain - "
"Naruto, you can explain to him later about your weird fetishes. For now, both of you come in out of the rain. Yahiko needs to return to the hotel soon, so come say your goodbyes." Itachi disappeared back into the house.
"It's not what you think," Naruto said as Sasuke walked away from him.
"No wonder Yahiko was flirting with you since you were practically throwing yourself at him. Really, Naruto. I thought I was the only man for you, and you keep tellingeveryone how straight you are, but now I'm not so sure."
"Sasuke," he whined, chasing after him into the house. "Why do you keep makin' me repeat myself?! You're the only guy I want to fuck for the rest of my life! I swear!"
For a while, the four of them hung out in the living room, and all the tension from earlier had completely vanished. Sasuke hadn't apologized yet, but he was pretty sure it would happen by the time he got back from picking up their dinner. Naruto was standing around in the kitchen, having just placed the order for the three of them (Yahiko for sure wasn't staying), when Sasuke strolled into the kitchen. Maybe not everyone could tell, but Naruto knew he was acting like he usually did when he was aware he'd done something wrong. Sasuke gave him a hesitant smile, and because Naruto so often let Sasuke get off easy (no pun intended), he felt like giving him a hard time.
Naruto held back a smile even though he desperately wanted to. "Dinner's ordered. Should be ready in about 20 minutes."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" asked Sasuke. "Do you even know where you're going?"
"It's fine." He shrugged. "And there's this cool thing called GPS now, so I'll be fine. It'd be good to go for a drive anyway."
Sasuke cocked his head, probably trying to win him over by looking a bit like a sad, abandoned puppy. "Are you... trying to get away from me, Naruto?"
Naruto really had to hold back his laughter. Manipulative little punk. "Of course not," he replied with a straight face. "You stay here. Relax. I'm sure you've had a long day." He put his hand on top of Sasuke's head and smirked. "Make sure you apologize for bein' a dick before he leaves."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and he dropped the act. "You want me to apologize to him? That's ironic, don't you think?"
"No, Alanis," he said. "It's not ironic. It's good manners."
"Maybe I'll use one of those 10,000 spoons to carve out your eyes tonight."
"Those are hostile words," Naruto replied in a low voice, taking a step closer to him. "I might have to punish you later."
"Oh. Is that so?"
"Sure," he said, breaking into a grin. "I'll just stick my tongue in your ass and make you cry again." He smacked Sasuke on the butt.
"Tch." Sasuke shoved at him in the chest. "Fuck you, Uzumaki. I did not cry. And if I did, it was only out of pity for you. That you're so out of practice."
"Ha." Naruto snorted. "I'm sorry, who came all over my hand and made my fingers sticky?"
Sasuke's frown deepened. "Oh, I don't know. The usual suspects maybe? My brother? Yahiko. You were the one that let them see you naked, after all."
He rolled his eyes. "I was wearing a towel, and like I said before, it was only 'cause I thought you were in the living room. Bastard. And now you know why I'm drivin' to the Chinese place by myself. By the way, what exactly did y'think you were gonna do after you grabbed my shirt collar, huh? Were you pickin' a fight with me,Uchiha?"
It was Sasuke's turn to smirk. "Maybe I just wanted to slap you around a bit."
"Hm." He smiled. "Fightin' with you could be fun." He glanced off to the side. "Actually, it's kind of a turn on to think about. No wonder I practically got a stiffy when I saw the pictures of you at your cute little martial arts competitions."
"...Excuse me?"
"Well, look at the time," he said, checking his wrist when he wasn't even wearing a watch. "I should probably grab your brother's car keys, eh?"
"Naruto," Sasuke growled. "And what do you mean you're taking Itachi's car? He doesn't even let me drive it."
Naruto hovered in the doorway. "Guess we know which of us is his favorite now, don't we?" He gave Sasuke a wave with a patronizing, flamboyant wiggle of his fingers and made a sprint for Itachi in case Sasuke tried to catch up and tackle him from behind. Also, despite having been surprised at first by Yahiko's appearance, he really wanted to make sure he said goodbye to him and wish him luck with Konan and the baby. In the end, he supposed there could've been worse guys Sasuke might've picked to be his first gay experience.
Speaking of, on the way to the restaurant, he should really give Kiba another call.
So, as expected, driving Itachi's tricked out Range Rover was amazing. He'd set the GPS and was currently in the process of using Bluetooth to make a call to Kiba, who picked up on the fourth ring.
"Where the hell have you been?" Naruto asked, checking the screen on the dashboard to make sure he was headed in the right direction.
"What? I told you we were goin' out of town to see one of Ino's friends. Don't you ever listen to me?"
"Uh. Sometimes. Hm. I think I vaguely remember a conversation about this now that you mention it."
"Asshole. So, how's Seattle? How's Sasuke? Is his brother goin' to jail yet?"
"Seattle's wet. Sasuke's... Sasuke, and no, Itachi's not in jail, jerk."
"Woulda been weird if you'd mixed up the first two and said Sasuke was wet." Kiba laughed at his own joke.
"You're retarded," he said. "I'm gonna punch you for that when I get home."
"Uh huh. What are you doin' now?"
"Driving to pick everyone up some food."
"By yourself?"
"Yeah. Kinda wanted to be alone."
"Oh. Are you and Sasuke, uh. Y'know. Fightin' and stuff?"
Naruto hummed while flipping on the windshield wipers. "I dunno if it qualifies as a fight, but it's been... tense. Here and there. His ex showed up today. Or, well, I dunno that they ever dated, but, er. Anyway. So that was awkward."
"Right, and you didn't start with this information because...?"
He had to stop for a light. The rain began to fall harder. "Because," he said, having to think on it, "I guess because he didn't seem like a bad guy? I dunno. He came since he was worried about Itachi, and the guy's not even livin' in the country anymore, so to come all that way to visit a friend in trouble. Why would I be a dick about it? Not that I had a right to anyway."
"True. It's all in the past, bro. Nothin' to worry about. How did Sasuke feel about seein' him?"
"Er, that's to be determined. He was kind of a jerk at first, but I think there was other stuff goin' on. We haven't talked about it yet. I left the three of them there."
"I see." Kiba made a thoughtful noise into the phone. "Well, you know how Sasuke feels about you... that guy's smitten, Naruto. He's just goin' through a rough time, but if he takes advantage of you bein' a pushover, make sure to tell him to shut up every once in a while. If he gives you a hard time, I'm gonna come after him."
Naruto chuckled. "You're a good friend, Kiba."
"I know." Kiba laughed.
"Alright, well it's startin' to rain pretty hard, so I think I'm gonna let you go. I'll call you after everything's over."
"Alright," said Kiba. "Good luck. Does it rain as often as they say in Seattle?"
"Shit, yeah. I don't think it's stopped since we've been here. Tell Ino hey for me."
"Okay, take it easy. Later, Naruto."
The call ended, and he was only another mile or two away from the Chinese place according to the GPS lady speaking to him with a British accent (he'd changed it because he liked the way the British voices said 'motorway'). As he continued to drive, he was left to think about how cool it seemed that the people close to him knew who Sasuke really was - and that the people close to Sasuke also knew the same. He and Naruto were so close and he cared for Sasuke so much that he'd gotten used to his moods or the sometimes biting way he phrased things. Still, that kept stuff fun and interesting. It's not like Naruto was one to shy away from fights, after all. He'd been in several growing up and maybe joined in one or two brawls during college. Not that he wanted to have a brawl with Sasuke. That'd be odd, and he kind of had a feeling that would just turn into something completely sexual. Picking fights was sometimes Sasuke's way of flirting, but, hey, Naruto did it sometimes, too. He was just more obvious about it.
God, he loved that bastard! Fucking hell. Right, focus on driving. Just another block and Naruto pulled into the parking lot, and for a moment, he pawed at the leather on the passenger seat. This car was great. He wanted one, and how awesome was Itachi for letting him borrow it without hesitation? He wondered if Yahiko had left yet and if Sasuke had apologized. He knew Sasuke well enough to say that he had. In his own Sasuke way, which he hoped didn't include any kind of nakedness on either party's part. In fact, he didn't want either party's parts anywhere near each other.
Naruto got out of the car, pulling his hood up over his head as he made a dash for the restaurant. It was a little strange how getting a whiff of the place didn't sit well with his stomach. He'd been hungry earlier, but it only got worse as he went inside and picked up the order. On the return trip home, he felt really sick to his stomach, and as he parked the car in the garage and went inside the house - two large paper bags in hand - he had to stop a moment to lean against the wall while on the stairs. He was a little light-headed, but regaining himself, he continued up the stairs and into the kitchen. He could hear music playing in the living room - it almost had a muffled quality to it, as if it was coming from a record player. "Strawberry Fields Forever". If he walked in and found Sasuke smoking pot...
It was rare for Sasuke to listen to the Beatles and not smoke pot, but his guess that was something that would be frowned upon by whomever was monitoring Itachi.
While he was opening up the bags, Naruto started to feel nauseous again and had to pause what he was doing, which was the ill-timed moment Sasuke decided to come into the kitchen.
"Hey," Naruto said to him, trying to cover up just how shit he felt. "Did Yahiko leave?"
"Yeah, a little after you did. You okay?" He put his hand to Naruto's forehead, frowning. "You look pale."
Naruto pushed his hand away gently. "M'fine. Just a little tired. Here's your stuff. I think I'm gonna go lay down."
"Naruto," he said, biting his lip at the corner.
"I'm fine." Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Do you mind bringin' this to your brother before his fried rice gets cold?"
"He can get it himself," Sasuke argued. "Let me get something for a fever."
Naruto grabbed for the front of his t-shirt, stopping him before he turned to walk away. "Really, Sasuke. Just... let me lie down for a bit, and I'll be good. Don't make a thing about it and go spend time with your brother." He added after a pause, "Please."
Sasuke didn't look too happy with the request, but he glanced away and nodded. "Fine. I'll come check on you in a little while."
Naruto smiled at him. "Thanks. And tell Itachi I said thank you for lettin' me drive his car. I'll leave the keys with you." He fished them out of his pocket and handed them to Sasuke.
He left the kitchen after that and, as he passed the living room, he waved to Itachi without saying anything. "Norwegian Wood" was playing. He'd spied record albums spread across the floor. The music followed him down the hallway, and he couldn't help but sing "... isn't it good? Norwegian Wood."
Once in the bedroom, he left the door open so he could continue to listen to the music. He crawled underneath the covers, resting his head on one pillow as he lay on his side facing the wall with the bookshelf. He grabbed another one of the pillows and held it against his stomach, hugging it to his chest.
He let out a sigh. Why the hell did he feel so tired all of a sudden? Annoying. Still, he closed his eyes, hearing the haunting violins of one of Sasuke's favorites begin to play.
"All the lonely people," he breathed, pulling the pillow tighter against his body. "Where do they all come from..."
When he woke up, there was no longer any music, and he felt the cool press of a hand to his forehead.
"What time is it?" He asked hoarsely.
Sasuke took a seat on the edge of the bed, gazing at him in the darkness, fingers running through his hair.
"A little after 7. You've been asleep for a couple of hours," he said softly. "Do you need anything?"
"I do."
"What?"
"You. C'mere." He scooted to the other side of the mattress, grabbed Sasuke by the wrist, and pulled him onto the bed. "Lay with me."
Sasuke got under the covers with him. They faced each other, a fair amount of space between them. Sasuke folded his hands underneath his head as he looked at Naruto.
"Tell me a story," he said to Sasuke and, reaching across, gave him a gentle poke below his shoulder before letting his hand drop between them on the sheets.
Sasuke grabbed for his hand and laced their fingers together. "What kind of story?"
Naruto shrugged. "Tell me something nerdy about music."
"Hm. Did I ever tell you about the time I went to John Lennon's house in Liverpool?"
"What, really?" He asked. "Nuh uh."
"Mmhmm. I did. I even signed the guestbook."
"Okay, tell me." He squeezed Sasuke's hand. "Tell me, tell me."
"Well, I went by myself on a train from London and decided to stay there for a few days and just walk around. There's a tour you can take, and they let you go inside John and Paul's childhood homes. They put you on this bus and play Beatle's music. I sat next to a man who said he'd gone to school with John. He said John was a lousy student and a real smartass."
"Just like you," Naruto teased.
"Very funny," Sasuke remarked. "We went to John's house first, where he used to live with his aunt. His mom was killed in a car accident when he was young - right in front of the house, really. His aunt used to have boarders in the house from time to time. I got to see his kitchen and his dining room and his living room, and then I went upstairs into his bedroom."
"How cool was that?" He asked.
"Pretty cool," Sasuke said, mocking his excited tone somewhat. "I stayed there for quite a while, just looking at some of his things, wondering about things he would've thought. It was... as close to a spiritual experience as I've ever had maybe. When I went back downstairs I went out on the porch, where the guide said John had practiced songs with Paul."
"I'm jealous," said Naruto. "Why didn't you take me with you?"
"If I'd known you, I would've definitely considered it. I saw Penny Lane on the way there, and Strawberry Field wasn't very far from his home."
"Not Strawberry Fields?"
"Nope. It was originally Field, no 's'. The actual field is called Strawberry Field."
"Hm. And what about Paul's house?"
Sasuke sighed and, letting go of Naruto's hand, he placed his own at Naruto's hip - thumb skimming underneath his shirt to drag across his skin.
"You're distractin' me from the story," Naruto said, gaze dropping to Sasuke's mouth.
"You're easily distracted, pet." He smirked when Naruto scrunched his nose at being called 'pet'. "Paul's house was much smaller. He'd also lost his mother. He was raised by his father and had a younger brother. They didn't have as much money as John. Or, well. I guess you'd consider them working-class and John middle-class. It felt cozy inside. Paul had a small room upstairs, and he used to sneak out the window sometimes. There's a pipe that runs up the back of the house, and I guess he used to climb down it. Paul had never been my favorite Beatle, but after that, I had more respect for him. As a person, I mean."
"I like Ringo," Naruto said with a snigger.
"You would."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He grabbed onto Sasuke's shirt. "Psht. You know I like John. I like Paul, too. And George. And Ringo."
"Fair enough," said Sasuke. "I went to other places, too. I got to see where they performed, saw the museum. There's another one of those God-awful gigantic Ferris wheels - just like the one at Navy Pier."
Naruto chuckled. "You're such a wuss."
"Says the guy who hates flying."
Naruto stuck out his bottom lip as he tugged at Sasuke's shirt. "Did you apologize to Yahiko?"
"What do you think?" asked Sasuke.
"I think I'd be disappointed if you didn't."
Sasuke pushed his bangs back for him. "You know how I feel about disappointing you."
"Do I look good with my bangs pushed back?" Naruto asked, smiling widely at him.
Sasuke winked. "You look good with your bangs pushed back."
Naruto gave a little wiggle of pleasure.
"What was that?" Sasuke asked him.
"Just that... I like you sometimes."
"You like me?" Sasuke's knuckles grazed his cheek. "What do you like about me, Naruto?"
"Everything," he said. "Absolutely everything."
Sasuke's own smile grew significantly. "You're too honest."
"So are you," he replied immediately.
"Not always in a good way?"
Naruto shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not sure there's anything bad about being honest, but I suppose presentation counts for somethin', huh?"
"Indeed." Sasuke traced Naruto's bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. "How do you feel?"
"Warm," he answered and laughed. "Getting hotter."
"That's probably the fever, I'm sure."
"Probably..."
"Naruto," Sasuke said, leaning in closer.
"Mm?" He tilted his head as he looked at him.
Sasuke gave him a quick kiss on the mouth, leaned back again, and just stared for a while.
Naruto searched his face. "What was that for?"
"Because I like you, too."
"You like me?" He asked, humor in his voice. "What do you like about me, Sasuke?"
"Everything," Sasuke replied. "Absolutely everything."
A/N: In a chapter or two, I will need to start uploading the Dream fic, which is an alternate universe/interlude I started writing in the middle of Seattle. It's Coffee!Naruto and Sasuke in an alternate reality where they meet when Naruto transfers to Sasuke's high school. It's meant as a "dream" that Sasuke has at one point in Seattle, but it then gets heavily referenced in the second half of Seattle. But, I didn't know if I wanted to upload it inside THIS fic, or publish it as its own story. I'll decide on that pretty soon. Probably. Thanks for the comments.