This chapter is rather boring seeing as this leads up to chapter 8 and then 9 which will be the climax/more dramatic/angsty part of our story. Really I was just tip-toeing around characters. Well, dont' worry. This story will end soon (: WAIT. WHY IS THERE A HAPPY SMILEY AT THE END OF THAT SENTENCE. NO. NO. NOOOOO.

Warning: ... Silly stuff.

Disclaimer: I banned this word from my dictionary. NOSHAME.

Enjoy(:


Chapter Seven: Blank Tellings

Naruto wasn't aware how long he'd been standing on the sidewalk with Sasuke's arms wrapped around him. A few hours maybe? Didn't feel that long, but their embracing could have went on the whole night for all Naruto cared. They had kissed numerous times after their first. Each kiss sent an electric tingle that coursed through the air and left them wanting more. It was like invisible strings that could only stretch back so far before they were snapped back together connected their mouths.

'He's hot,' Naruto thought when they finally pulled back. Everything about Sasuke was... hot. Not in terms of looks, but his face were covered in a blush and he could feel the man's body heat radiating and wrapping around him. Naruto was pretty sure he was blushing too. He buried his leaned forward and brushed another kiss on Sasuke's lips.

He could get used to the taste.

"This is the first time I've seen you blush," Sasuke traced the expanse of Naruto's face with his eyes. Examined every dip and curve, the whisker-scars that adorned his face and made him feral in times of anger, those startling blue eyes that attracted him from beginning-oh how he loved those eyes.

The blond looked up and scowled, "I've blushed plenty of times! You were just never worthy enough to see them."

Sasuke smirked and squeezed Naruto a little tighter, "Am I worthy enough now?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "No. That kiss just meant nothing and now I want you gone before I bring out my shotgun and shoot out your brains."

"You sure have a funny way of showing affections towards someone," how their relationship went from passing strangers tugged along by professions to... well... Sasuke didn't know what label to slap onto what they had now. He supposed he wanted to call themselves a couple-no, scratch that, he really wanted to become a couple, but Naruto was a person who didn't stay tied down without a reason. Sasuke hoped he was reason enough for Naruto to stay... really stay...

"Get close to him. Figure out everything you can. Then, when you've gained his trust-break it."

A terrible chill ran up Sasuke's spine.

Naruto noticed the man shiver and frowned, rubbing smooth circles on Sasuke's back. It was still the middle of winter, remember? Sure, they could stay outside all night cuddling but sooner or later Hypothermia or Pneumonia would strike and they'd be done for. 'Maybe I should let him inside...'

Such a thought had never crossed Naruto's mind before until tonight. The only people to ever enter his dump of an apartment (okay, it wasn't that bad, but Naruto thought very lowly of it) were Kiba, Kakashi and Iruka. Kakashi spent most of his time in the hospital. Iruka was... well, you know that by now. And Kiba was too busy with whatever day job he managed to snag to come over. Naruto was barely in his house as it was. There were too many memories jammed pack into the walls, it left him suffocating and clinging for escape.

"Are… you sure?" Sasuke highly doubted Naruto wanted him to come in to do the nasty. Even thinking about sex with the blond had the man's legs turning into jelly and his stomach twisting and turning into knots. 'Calm down, Uchiha! It's not like he asked you to marry him. It was just a kiss. Just. A. Kiss. Don't make it a big deal. Don't make it…'

Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the hand—jarring the raven out of his turbulent thoughts—and started to drag him through the hell he called the alleyway leading to the back door of his apartment. "Yes, I'm positive." Naruto shot a shaky smile over his shoulder and Sasuke had to resist the urge to pounce him right on the floor.

The walk through the alley was short but Sasuke was able to catch on to a few, key things. For starters, Naruto was shaking like a leaf. He doubted the blond was aware of how much he was trembling, but Sasuke could literally see the shiver lines hanging around the blond's shoulders. Secondly, Naruto was talking—only he was talking to himself. Muttering things that sounded like reassurance and promises to the raven. This went on all the way to the back door.

"Naruto—"

"Take off your shoes before you even look at my apartment!" Naruto scolded and wagged his finger in Sasuke's face. Yes, he did purposefully block out Sasuke's sentence, how did you know?

Sasuke rolled his eyes but complied anyways. Whatever he wanted to ask could be voiced later. Placing his shoes against a nearby wall, Sasuke started to look around. The apartment really wasn't that bad. Sure, there were clothes randomly strung on the stair railing like paper lanterns and Sasuke was pretty sure he could smell the putrid stink of trash attacking his nostrils, but other than that the apartment seemed to be rather large.

Way too large for someone to live by himself.

'I guess he doesn't have time to stay home a lot. After all he has two jobs going on at once and one of them is really taxing…' Standing in the hallway, Sasuke finally noticed just how little he knew about Naruto. The thought had hit him before, sure, but not with so much force as it was now. They could be seen as total strangers from a distance if it wasn't for some connection that made Sasuke feel drawn to Naruto every time their eyes met.

He walked over to the living room where Naruto was clearing up some space on the couch. The TV was turned on to some random movie neither man knew the name of. All the while Sasuke's eyes were searching for something, anythingthat would lead him towards a link of Naruto's past.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing but paintings and random knick-knacks tacked to the wall.

Naruto, in the mean while, was trying to stop his heart from exploding with nerves. Sasuke was the first person he formally invited over to his house… And it had all be on a whim! A stupid, silly, random whim that came about all because he didn't want to let the man go tonight. Now Sasuke was here… standing in his living room… probably trying to dig up information about him and all the secrets he could never tell.

Well tonight wasn't going to be the night of sharing secrets; Naruto would make sure of that.

He crossed the distance between him and Sasuke and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's torso. "Do you know how long I've wanted to hold you like this?"

Sasuke twisted himself in Naruto's arms and rested his chin on top of his head, "I can take a guess. I'll go with… too long?"

"Forever," Naruto sighed and pressed himself closer. Okay, that was one little secret out of the bag. 'I think I've wanted to hold him like this from the start. Always…' he leaned up on his tip-toes and pressed a feather's kiss on Sasuke's cheek. "You know what else I've wanted to do to you for a long time?"

"If it has anything to do with handcuffs…"

The blond laughed, "No! This one is normal, I promise!"

"So you have abnormal things you've wanted to do with me for a long time?"

"Trust me. I have a whole bookshelf labeled: "THINGS I WANT TO DO TO UCHIHA THAT IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL IN JAPAN". It's on the works of being published."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You're ridiculous."

"Oh, I know!" Naruto beamed. "But in all seriousness, I've wanted to kiss you for a really long time, too."

"Well… you have…"

"And I never want to stop kissing you." Naruto added in with a whisper.

Sasuke sighed slightly and leaned forward, his forehead touching Naruto's. "Then what's stopping you?"

Their lips touched in a silent answer:

Nothing. Nothing at all.

+Stolen+

Naruto had convinced Sasuke to stay the night and brought the raven to his room. 'How long has it been since I've slept in here…?'

Months. Many, many months.

Sasuke passed by a door two doors down from Naruto's and raised an eyebrow. There was a long, blue mark trailing down the door. "What's up with this door? Is it an extra guest room or what?"

Naruto gulped silently. "Uh… it's nothing. Just useless junk is stuffed inside. Come on. I just put up this new pack of glow in the dark stars I got yesterday!"

Sasuke snorted, "You're such a child sometimes." Naruto was the only man his age the raven could see running up and down aisles looking for a pack of glow in the dark stars.

"Please, glow in the dark stickers are meant for any age! Just look," he pushed open the door leading to his room and lead Sasuke inside, pointing up at the ceiling. "See? They're pretty legit, huh?"

The stars were pasted haphazardly on the ceiling as if you were really looking up into the night sky. Dark blue splattered the walls and ceiling, becoming the endless sky for Naruto's stars. 'They suit him.'

Naruto smiled softly as he sat down on the bed, tilted his head back, and just gazed. When was the last time he actually came upstairs to sit in his room? 'Months, probably—maybe even a year. Okay, probably not a year but long enough to be called a while.' He never found much use for his room anymore. The couch downstairs was comfy enough for him, and far away from the bedroom door two doors down. He didn't need that constant reminder every time he tried going to sleep.

Sasuke joined him on the bed shortly after at the two sort of sat there in their own thoughts covered in silence. The silence was highly welcomed since neither man knew what to do from here. As mentioned before Naruto had acted everything out on whim. No plans, no words thought up beforehand—nothing. 'I should probably tell him about my new job… That I'll be gone for a while and see what his reaction is.'

"Oi," Naruto casually linked his fingers with Sasuke's, "I have something to tell you."

The raven raised an eyebrow, "Deep dark secret you've been ready to throw at me?" 'Even though I have my own secrets that need to be shared too.'

"Nope! Not tonight, sorry!" Naruto leaned forward and pressed a kiss on Sasuke's cheek as compensation. "Actually, Kiba called me earlier today."

"Kiba?"

"Best friend, you could say."

"Uh huh… What about him?"

"Well, like I said, he called me today… with a job."

Things seemed to click into place after that. "Kiba's the guy you get all your jobs from?" when Naruto simply shrugged, Sasuke realized that he had just gotten a tip on who supplied Naruto with his information and heists. And with that thought in his mind, another stab of guilt itched at his heart and made his stomach clench.

"I'll be gone in a few days," Naruto continued, oblivious to the inner war Sasuke was currently battling inside. "Nothing too long. Three, four days, so you better not cheat on me while I'm away!" the blond jabbed his finger in Sasuke's face and grinned goofily. Honestly, he couldn't say he'd be surprised if Sasuke left him after this or not. Everything that was going on between them could all be on the spur of the moment. Once he came back from his little trip, Sasuke would have long forgotten him.

And then he'd be alone.

He'd have expected it, of course, but the loneliness would still weigh heavily on his shoulders.

The guilt that was crashing and warring inside of Sasuke subsided slightly as he watched Naruto's eyes. They were defying every ounce of emotion Naruto tried to come off through his face. He saw the vulnerability, the uncertainty and it spurred him to wrap his arms around Naruto's waist and pull the blond on his lap.

'This is so wrong,' he shouldn't be feeling the chilling trail of guilt clawing up and down his back holding Naruto in his arms. But Orochimaru's words were the constant reminder of why he pursued this relationship in the first place: To get the job done. He had blindly followed his feelings and now he was stuck in this… this… well, it wasn't really a mess but if the wrong words were said at the wrong time, things could very well end up sticky. If there was anything Sasuke learned tonight was that he never wanted to hurt Naruto, or see any signs of pain glow in those beautiful, blue orbs he loved so much. He couldn't handle that, knowing he was the trigger to the shot—the pain, the hurt…

"Naruto," he whispered, burying his face into the crook of Naruto's neck. The three or four days Naruto would be gone were going to be long ones. Horrendous and probably filled with the aching gape of distance between you and the one you… adore. Yes, right, adore. That's what he felt. It wasn't love, yet. It was adoration, overwhelming affection. Want. He wanted Naruto in every aspect of the word. "You shouldn't worry over pointless things that could never happen in the first place."

The blond snorted softly and adjusted himself in Sasuke's lap so he was more comfortable. "I have to worry myself, though! You're so… you're so… freaking gorgeous anyone could come in and snatch you up underneath my nose and I'd be powerless!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and gently squeezed Naruto's sides, smirking at the loud yelp he got in return. "Honestly, you act as if we were dating or something. Last time I checked, you never marked a claim on me. And why should you if you think I'd leave you that easily."

Naruto blinked… processing the words Sasuke just threw at him over and over again until a hopeful smile suddenly worked its way onto his face. "Uchiha, are you implying something?"

"Perhaps."

"Well, if I'm thinking what you're thinking," Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and pressed their bodies together, "you want me to ask you out… right?"

Strong arms came to wrap themselves around Naruto's lithe waist. Sasuke's fingers dipped underneath the blond's shirt and started to touch and tease the skin underneath. "It would be nice, yes." He breathed out with a smirk still hanging off his face.

"But I don't wanna ask first!"

"Then you can't mark a claim. Sorry, I think I'll go find someone—" he was cut off by Naruto's lips placed on top of his in a quick and urgent kiss. A little tongue slipped in and the two duked it out for a few seconds before Naruto pulled out with a flush on his cheeks and a pout painted on his lips.

"No way, Sasuke! Fine! I'll ask! Will you go out with me? And don't you dare say no!"

Seconds spanned for the longest while until finally…

Sasuke smiled, it was a tiny one though, and brought Naruto in for another kiss. "How could I say no to a confession like that?" he whispered against Naruto's lips before pulling him back in again.

+Borrowed+

Orochimaru sat in his reclining leather chair, twirling his pencil idly in his hands. He had a stack of files haphazardly strewn across his chest and an empty bottle of whisky threatening to tip over. The man felt rather giddy at the moment, rather than a total wreck from what his environment implied. He had one folder opened in particular that planned out bullet-point by bullet point how the blond kleptomaniac would finally be captured—for good.

"Oh, Uzumaki," Orochimaru hummed and picked up the paper that spoke of a brilliant future for the man, "you've danced around me for far too long. I'll finally have you locked up and thrown away for the rest of your life…"

It was time for another shot of whisky.