CHAPTER TEN
Suigetsu's apartment was in a big complex, with a police station nearby. Even if the Akatsuki figured out their location, they wouldn't try anything here, Sasuke thought. It would get too messy, even for them. And besides, their own headquarters were in this city. It wouldn't be wise to get their faces seen by the cops, or recorded on cameras.
The flat was clearly meant for just one person, small bedroom, living room and kitchen sharing one open space, where they all sat now, exhausted and thirsty—blood was not listed on the airplane's snacks menu—with the sound of rain rattling against windows.
"So how many vamps will Madara send there?" Ino turned to ask Suigetsu.
She shared the couch with him, while all the others sat or sprawled on the floor, the fluffy rug carpeting the living room making for a little comfort. If not extensive in space or seating furniture, at least Suigetsu's apartment was tidy and spotless. He'd told Sasuke earlier that a cleaning lady came everyday—Sasuke could only hope Suigetsu actually paid her for her work and hadn't just compelled her.
"About a dozen, to Konan's knowledge," Suigetsu answered, his eyes briefly trailing over to where Sasuke and Naruto sat in a corner, close but not quite touching.
"We can work with that," Kiba said.
Their plan was to rent cars and head for Shikamaru's country house the next night, where they would enjoy the luxury of bedrooms for everyone, and a basement that featured an impressive collection of weapons, mostly swords. Some of them sourly needed training, Sasuke thought, making sure to keep his thoughts hidden from Naruto.
Apparently, Suigetsu's ally, Konan, really needed to give Madara some truthful information, otherwise her betrayal would become dangerously clear.
"Especially since," Suigetsu added, exchanging a glance with Sasuke, "Itachi offered to be the group's leader, and Madara granted his request."
Sasuke stiffened, but it was Naruto who replied. "So he'll have his guys suffer a failure on purpose? Won't his betrayal be revealed to Madara if he does that?"
"Not necessarily," Suigetsu said slowly, "actually can I speak with the two of you alone?"
Without waiting for an answer he moved from the couch and toward his bedroom. Sasuke rose and followed him, Naruto close behind, leaving the others to speak in hushed voices, Shikamaru stealing Suigetsu's spot on the couch. They shut the door, Suigetsu flicking on the ceiling light, revealing a double bed donning violet covers and a long desk with a wide computer screen flanked by huge speakers.
Sasuke dropped on the bed, hands behind himself, legs crossed.
"What's up?" he asked Suigetsu, who went to sit in his computer chair, wheeling it around.
"Itachi can't exactly go back to Madara to report a complete failure," Suigetsu explained. "He's willing to let all his guys die at our hands tomorrow—they aren't particularly good people, or so Konan tells me—but we have to give him something in return. He can't return to Madara empty-handed. That just isn't Itachi's style. The old fucker will know something's up."
"What?" Sasuke asked, eyes narrowing. "What do we give him in return?" Naruto crossed his arms, leaning against the wall, eyes cast downward.
Suigetsu's lips twitched into an apologetic smile. "We need to give him Naruto."
"No," Sasuke said instantly.
Suigetsu raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "Nothing's gonna happen to him, obviously. Itachi will make sure of that…"
"I don't trust my fucking brother," Sasuke replied. "Why don't you tell this Konan to take her brilliant plan and shove it up her—"
"They won't hurt him," Suigetsu went on hurriedly, "because they'll need him to draw you out. They'll ask you to come alone, of course. But you won't be alone. Itachi, Konan and Deidara will turn on them. And me and the others will hide somewhere, ready to come to your aid when the timing's right. We'll figure out the full details later. But don't you see that this is our best shot?"
"Forgive me," Sasuke snarled, "if I don't see it that way, no."
"Do I get a say in this?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke turned his eyes to him, wariness and unease building up in his chest.
"I think," Naruto continued, meeting Sasuke's eyes, "if these people think it's our best shot, then we should do it; they know Akatsuki better than we do. They're fucking in it, aren't they?"
"And we want to end it as much as you do, trust me," Suigetsu added.
"Shut up," Sasuke snapped without sparing him a glance. "Naruto, I won't let you do this."
A shadow crossed his dark blue eyes. "It's not your choice to make. If I'm given the chance to be useful and save everyone…"
"Suigetsu, can you give us a moment?" Sasuke asked.
With a nod Suigetsu trailed out of the room, closing the door again behind himself. Sasuke rose from the bed and moved closer to Naruto, taking his hands, entwining their fingers, coming closer still.
Naruto swallowed, and parted his lips. "What are you doing?" he whispered.
"If Itachi touches you, I'll kill him."
A slight frown troubled Naruto's brow. "You shouldn't say that. He's your brother."
"I don't care."
Anger seeped into Naruto's tone as he replied: "And what if he kills you, huh? He's more powerful than you are, isn't he? A lot of them are. You don't get to be the only one who's worried, Sasuke." His grip tightened on Sasuke's hands. "Half the time I'm scared out of my fucking mind that something will happen to you."
Sasuke let out a soft, helpless sigh and he kissed him. He played with lips and tongue as he freed his hands from Naruto's, and instead explored his body, the curve of his back, the lean muscles of his shoulders, pulling him closer while he deepened the kiss, heartbeats picking up.
But Naruto interrupted the kiss. "We shouldn't," he breathed. "They'll hear us."
The way he held Sasuke, the way he looked at him with lust in his eyes betrayed that he didn't actually care that much—or that his desire was strong enough to overcome any concerns.
Sasuke kissed him again, then, playfully: "Do you really want me to stop?"
Naruto gave the slightest shake of his head, his hands teasing at the hem of Sasuke's shirt, before venturing underneath to touch his skin as they kissed again.
When they paused Sasuke took off his shirt, tossing it to the floor, and Naruto's shirt soon joined. They held each other close, desperate for skin to touch skin, kissing with fangs grazing lips, drawing moans and gasps from the both of them.
A jolt of need burning through him, Sasuke suddenly grabbed Naruto and threw him on the bed effortlessly, before climbing on top of him with feline-like movements, taking hold of his hands and pinning them on either side of his head.
"Holy shit," Naruto breathed, "that was…"
Sasuke didn't let him finish, claiming his lips once more with a fervor that chased away all thoughts, pressing himself closer. He slid his own tongue against Naruto's fang, cutting it on purpose, letting Naruto enjoy the taste of the blood as they kissed. He could feel Naruto's heart beating fast against his chest, hear his breathing growing louder, and revel in the touch of his warm skin.
He paused to search Naruto's eyes as he let a hand stroke down his abs, reaching the button of his jeans. Do you want this? He let his walls down, letting Naruto read his thoughts.
Out loud, Naruto answered: "I don't think… I've ever wanted something more."
"If you're not ready…"
Naruto tangled a hand in Sasuke's hair, pulling him into a kiss, while his other hand went down his back and to his ass, giving it a squeeze that made Sasuke break the kiss in delighted surprise, finding a smile playing on Naruto's lips.
Sasuke leapt back so he could take off the rest of his clothes, aware of Naruto's staring. Then he yanked Naruto's jeans and underwear off, Naruto raising his hips to help him, and the clothes were added to the growing pile on the floor.
"You don't waste any time do you?" Naruto said, tone half-playful, half-self-conscious as he shuffled back on the bed.
"Nothing we haven't seen before," Sasuke replied with a smile as he climbed back on top of him. Though I'd never seen you this hard before.
Sasuke kissed his neck as his hand started to stroke him, Naruto throwing his head back with a content groan. Between two kisses Sasuke whispered in his ear, breath tickling the skin there, making Naruto shiver. "Can I… bite you?"
"…Yes."
Making sure his hand continued to move up and down at an increasingly fast pace, Sasuke parted his lips then let his fangs sink into his neck softly, eliciting a shudder now more than a shiver.
"I'm okay," Naruto reassured him when he hesitated.
Closing his eyes, Sasuke started to drink, just a little bit, enjoying the taste, the way it sent a rush of heat and tingles across his body. "Hmm…" he moaned as he forced himself to pull away, licking one last time, watching as it healed.
Sasuke shifted away, Naruto regarding him through lidded eyes, half-sitting, reaching for him. But Sasuke pushed him back down before leaving a trail of kisses down his chest, stomach, hips… Finally he came to replace his hand with his tongue, giving one long, slow lick from the base to the tip, lingering a bit there as Naruto arched his back with a satisfying rasped moan that made Sasuke smirk.
"I want to give you a blowjob," Sasuke told him.
Naruto laughed. "I… won't stop you."
"With the fangs it's… tricky," Sasuke said, running his tongue over the sharp teeth as Naruto watched. "I personally like it, the mix of pleasure and pain that is. Do you want me to try?"
Naruto sat up and captured Sasuke in his arms, kissing him fiercely, then pulling away.
"Try anything you want," he said.
Naruto fell back and Sasuke lowered himself to do as Naruto asked, teasing with his tongue for a time then taking it all in his mouth despite its considerable length, Naruto inhaling sharply when a fang inevitably gave a tiny cut to the skin. But it healed right away, with tingles that Sasuke knew added to the pleasure, and he kept moving up and down, Naruto's breath picking up, one hand desperately reaching for Sasuke's hand, gripping it tight, while his other hand fisted the bed covers, and from the corner of his eye Sasuke saw that he was biting his lip to contain a moan.
Sasuke kept at it until, maybe a minute or two later, Naruto called, "Stop, stop…"
But he kept going until he knew Naruto was just seconds away from coming. Then he stopped, licking his lips, smiling at the expression in Naruto's eyes, taking in the blond hair that fell in them, the parted lips. Sasuke turned him around and took his hips in his hands, lifting them, a renewed wave of lust raking him as he cast an eye over his well-sculpted round ass. Still want me to try anything I want?
Naruto's reply came in the form of a slight shiver that ran through him, goose bumps appearing across his skin as he looked over his shoulder, the look in his eyes like he wanted, needed Sasuke to touch him.
So he held him, touching his chest to Naruto's back, leaning closer to kiss his neck, Naruto's hand coming up to hold the back of Sasuke's neck, teasing his hair.
"Open that drawer," Sasuke whispered, eyeing the nightstand.
"Why?" Naruto asked.
"Just do it."
So he reached over to do just that, and Sasuke studied the contents, finding what he was looking for and snatching it in an instant. "Ever resourceful, Suigetsu, I'll give him that," he said with a chuckle.
Opening the cap, he gathered some lube on his fingers. Then his hand returned around Naruto's hips to resume what he was doing earlier, Naruto giving a satisfied moan and closing his eyes. Balancing himself on his knees behind Naruto, Sasuke applied the lube on himself with his other hand. When Naruto opened his eyes and realized what he was doing, he said: "I should… Let me do that… for you."
Sasuke smiled, leaning over to place a soft kiss on Naruto's back. "Next time…"
His hand stroked Naruto faster, and his breathing picked up again, his arms shaking slightly. He lowered his head to bury it in his folded arms, saying, "I can't… I can't hold it anymore…"
While he tensed and came in Sasuke's hand with a hardly repressed moan of pleasure, Sasuke thrust deep inside him, no doubt intensifying the orgasm in ways Naruto's mind couldn't make much sense of.
Sasuke couldn't hold back a smile when Naruto screamed out, "Oh my fucking god…"
And Sasuke felt it, in a way, through their bond. It was amazing, the way his own pleasure was reflected by Naruto's, and he assumed that worked the other way around as well, from the way Naruto begged: "Do that again."
Taking hold of Naruto's hips, he started to move back and forth, slowly at first, until Naruto asked him to go faster.
After dropping a few more kisses on his neck, then down his spine, he pulled back and gave speed to his thrusts, breathing hard, half-closing his eyes at the increasing rush of pleasure, thinking wildly that he'd never had it this good.
Naruto met his movements like he'd done this before, or maybe it was because Sasuke grabbed his hips tight, guiding him, showing him what to do. "Faster…" Naruto breathed again and a delighted chuckle escaped Sasuke as he complied, until they both couldn't be bothered to put any effort into staying silent.
They voiced their thrill in the form of loud, rasping breathing and moans, as well as curses, sweet curses thrown at one another because curses were easier than giving words to the true emotions hiding behind.
"H-How long can you keep going?" Naruto asked him.
"Pretty long, if you want me to," Sasuke said. He slowed a little, draping himself over Naruto, kissing his neck then his jaw, Naruto eventually turning his head slightly so they could share a long kiss.
"I… Maybe another time…" Naruto panted, limbs trembling slightly. "But right now I don't think I can…"
Sasuke gave a faint nod and kissed him once more before pulling back. He fucked him hard because he could tell Naruto liked it best this way, until he knew that he was really close to coming again. Sasuke's thrusts grew faster, to bring himself close too, and moments later, when they came together, Sasuke's slight moan was drowned by Naruto crying out. Sasuke breathed a soft laugh as the rush of pure pleasure raced through him. He held Naruto in his arms and they fell to the side, panting.
"I… think they might have heard us," Naruto said after a time, drawing a laugh from Sasuke.
"There's a good chance of that."
"I like it when you laugh," Naruto added.
"Why?"
Naruto gave a faint shrug. "I just like it."
"Okay. I… suppose I like it when you say silly things," Sasuke offered, closing his eyes, relaxing.
"I don't say silly things."
"Hmm. Sure."
After a moment of silence, Naruto said: "I had no idea sex was this amazing."
"Trust me, it isn't always," Sasuke replied, amused. "Depends on the person you have sex with, I would say."
"And once again," Naruto said, his tone matching Sasuke's, "I find myself impressed by your modesty."
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
They stayed like this for a bit longer, but then a series of knocks came at the door, with the sound of Suigetsu clearing his throat.
"Um, guys, can I have my room back now?"
"Just a second," Naruto called.
They pulled apart with a wince at the loss of warmth, Naruto reaching for the box of tissues on the nightstand. They used those as a temporary solution to clean themselves and also the mess on the bed, which Naruto was rather embarrassed about.
"Maybe not do this on someone else's bed next time," Naruto suggested.
"I heard that," came Suigetsu's voice through the door.
"Your compelled cleaning lady will sort it out," Sasuke replied as he put his clothes on. Naruto did likewise.
"I do pay her, you asshole," Suigetsu countered.
Sasuke opened the door, finding the apartment empty save for Suigetsu and Ino, who was still on the couch, remote in hand now, browsing Netflix.
"The others?" Sasuke asked.
"Sakura left, said she needed some air," Ino said in a bored voice, sparing him and Naruto a brief glance. "I guess you hurt her feelings or whatever. The others went after her, maybe to comfort her or something."
"Or to not hear you two," Suigetsu added, grimacing as his eyes caught the stain on his bed.
"I'm really sorry," Naruto said. "I'll buy you a new bed cover, I promise."
Suigetsu arched an eyebrow. "With what money?"
"I'll… compel a store to give me one?" Naruto said with a shrug.
Sasuke looked at Suigetsu. "What can I say? He's a fast learner. So where's your shower?"
With a sigh Suigetsu pointed toward the entrance, next to which was another door. Sasuke made his way there, hiding a smile when Naruto followed him. But Suigetsu didn't share his enthusiasm.
"Hey, no. Not together. One after the other okay?" Suigetsu said.
Dropping a hand on the doorknob, Sasuke turned. "It's better for the environment, isn't it? Think of all the water we could save. You should be ashamed of yourself, Suigetsu."
"You're so full of shit," Suigetsu said, returning to sit on the couch with Ino.
"Did he hurt your feelings too, sweetie?" Ino asked him, teasing.
"Please," Suigetsu replied, "I can do better."
The rest of their conversation was lost to Sasuke and Naruto as they disappeared inside the bathroom and got the water running.
"No sex, okay?" Naruto said, taking off his clothes. "I don't want to piss him off even more."
"We'll see," Sasuke said with a smirk as he stepped under the water, picking up the shampoo bottle.
"I'm serious," Naruto insisted. "No sex. Promise." Though the way his eyes traveled up and down Sasuke's body told a different version of what he wanted.
"Fine," Sasuke said. "I'll just shampoo your hair, it'll be romantic."
"You are full of shit, aren't you?" Naruto said, but he was smiling.
He got under the stream of hot water with Sasuke, met his eyes and… they kissed.
...
Holding on to that promise proved difficult, but they really didn't have sex in the shower, or at least that was the version Sasuke gave Suigetsu, and he seemed to believe him.
Everyone was back now and they agreed they should all get some rest.
Sakura was the last to come back, having told the others she needed some time alone to think. Everyone else seemed fast asleep, whether that or they were good at faking it—well, the snores coming out of Kiba were impossible to fake, Sasuke decided.
Naruto's breathing was even and from the relaxed set of his traits Sasuke knew he was sleeping.
It was very faint but Sasuke could hear Sakura crying from where she lay across the room. Why is she so troubled, he wondered. If she really did love me, wouldn't she be happy that I've found someone I actually want to be with?
He debated whether to go and speak with her, but in the end he figured it was probably best to just leave her alone. With his arm around Naruto, he closed his eyes, but sleep proved slow to come—he knew the night would fall soon, and with it promises of a battle, during which he would see Itachi again.