Even though they were already running behind, Sasuke decided to make one more stop, and it appeared to be a record store. As they were getting out of the car, Naruto had the craziest feeling. Somehow, it was very easy for him to imagine Sasuke coming here after school, flipping through some records, and maybe listening to them while still in his school uniform.

"Damn it," he muttered, stopping short of the store front.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto turned to him and punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow." Sasuke pulled a face. "What the hell was that about?"

"You used to do things without me!" Naruto said. "I don't like that!"

"What?" Sasuke blinked at him several times, but Naruto just continued to glare. "... Would you rather not go inside? I'm confused."

Naruto punched him again (a little less hard than before). "No! Of course I wanna see it, you bastard!" Without waiting for Sasuke, he marched in through the store front and was greeted by a bell that chimed above his head.

There was a strong smell of incense. Posters and flyers were taped all over the walls. Music was playing, but it wasn't a band he recognized. They sounded British and punk, and that's about as far as his knowledge could take him before he ventured over to the closest aisle and began thumbing his way through all of the different record albums.

Not a minute later, Sasuke came up to him and nudged him in the shoulder. "There's someone I want you to meet."

"Huh? Oh..." He put the record he was looking at back in its place. "Who is it?"

"Come on." Grabbing his hand, Sasuke walked him across the room to the counter, where there was an older Asian woman sitting on a stool, smoking from a hookah.

She saw them, and, pulling out her pipe, glanced slowly over at Sasuke.

"Haven't seen you in a while... Sasuke." Though there wasn't much movement from her lips, her eyes appeared to be smiling. Although, the corner of her mouth drooped a bit, indicating she might've had a stroke at some point.

"Neko-baa," said Sasuke, "This is my friend, Naruto."

"Hm..." She glanced at him, eyes squinting almost all the way shut. "Nice to meet you, boy. Sasuke's been coming to my shop since he was very young... and now what a handsome young man you've grown up to be."

This made Naruto smile. He looked at Sasuke, surprised to see that he was blushing. Naruto poked him in the arm.

"Hear that? She says you're handsome."

"Indeed," said the woman. "As I remember, he comes from a very handsome family. I hadn't seen your brother for a long time until I saw his picture on the news. I knew those greedy old corporate bastards had framed him. Itachi was one of the nicest boys I've ever known."

Naruto laughed at the old woman's manner as he rested an arm on the counter.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Yes, we're very happy with the jury's decision. Naruto and I are on our way to meet him for lunch."

"Mmhmm, I see. You should show him the basement, too, if you have time. We still have those booths you used to love. Say, do you... still have that one tabby your mother picked out all of those years ago?"

"Ollie?" Naruto asked. "You got Ollie from here?!"

Sasuke glanced at him coolly before answering the woman, "Yes, he lives with me in Illinois. I work out of Chicago now."

The old woman nodded, grabbing for her pipe again. "Very good. You are still in the music business I take it?"

Sasuke nodded. "I am... it's probably thanks to you. I have a lot of fond memories of coming here."

"Mm. Yes. I always knew music was cathartic for you, Sasuke. Glad to hear you're doing well. You take your time now and show your friend around, alright?"

"I will."

"Nice to meet you," said Naruto when Sasuke grabbed for his hand again and led him to a door in the back.

They passed through some hanging beads before they headed down the carpeted stairway. There were a few guitars mounted on the walls, bookshelves full of records, and then there were several old British telephone booths that looked as though they'd been welded together somehow to form a two-person listening booth.

"Ah, cool," Naruto mumbled as he went to check them out.

Sasuke, meanwhile, was seeking out a record for them to listen to, so Naruto took a seat on the bench inside of one of the booths. It didn't take very long before Sasuke joined him. Naruto watched as he put the record on the small turntable.

"What did you end up picking out?" He asked.

"Nothing you would've heard of," replied Sasuke.

"Hmph. I may know more than you think."

"I didn't mean it as an insult. This is the kind of music I would listen to in high school." He handed Naruto the album cover, and Sasuke was right, it's not a band he'd really heard of before, so he read through the songlist on the back.

"Does that mean this is the kinda music that you played when you were in a band?"

"Hm." Sasuke slid the booth door shut and took a seat next to him. "Technically I wasn't really in a particular band. There were a few I played with when they needed a back-up. There was one band that I did play with more than others, though. The lead singer was charismatic, but a total asshole. They were older guys than me. In college. And because I often played with them, I was able to get into bars easily."

Naruto looked at him inquisitively. "Older men, huh?"

"Don't even think it," said Sasuke. "I got very little action in high school."

"So there was a time in our lives when I may have had more experience?"

Sasuke sighed. "Shut up, Naruto." He reached around and forced Naruto to rest his head on Sasuke's shoulder. "I'm sorry that I didn't save myself for you, but at least we know you're the first man that I've - "

When he stopped, Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

Sasuke kept playing with his hair, preventing him from moving his head, not that he would've as this was incredibly comfortable.

"I've... never been in love with anyone before like this," Sasuke told him. "A crush or two maybe, when I was young... but... dating you... that feels far more intimate and meaningful to me than the first time I ever slept with a man."

Naruto inhaled sharply, closed his eyes, and chewed at his bottom lip. He knew exactly what Sasuke meant, and although he'd been in serious, long-term relationships before, it's true that he'd never felt this way about anyone he'd been with prior to Sasuke. In high school, he'd never even considered anything like a long-term relationship. College was a little different. As he grew older, he was able to appreciate the companionship, and as he'd grown less jaded about losing his mother at a young age... he felt a lot more open to the possibility of romance.

Since Naruto was unable to say anything for a while, they simply listened to the music together while Sasuke continued combing his fingers through Naruto's hair. Feeling content, Naruto moved a hand to Sasuke's thigh, just wanting more of a physical connection. His heart felt strange inside his chest because it kept fluttering every few beats. He wiped his hand over Sasuke's leg since his palm was starting to sweat.

He kind of got lost in his thoughts, about Sasuke as a teenager and what life was like for him, then about his own childhood. He thought of his mother and became a little melancholy. Then he thought about Sasuke's parents for a while. In a way, he did feel a peace, but he also just felt... really emotional. He didn't know why life for them had worked out the way it did - why he lost his mother, why Sasuke lost both parents, but it was certainly a factor in why their bond was so strong. They both had known pain and loneliness in a way that not everyone could relate to, and rather than coming together to fill those voids, it seemed... they'd met at a time in their life when they'd come to terms with their pasts and... could only add more to each other's lives - in a positive way.

It's not as if he'd felt empty or anything before he'd met Sasuke, but he certainly felt complete now. Not that he'd ever realized he'd been looking for something like that. Rather, he hadn't been looking for it at all when they met four months ago at Starbuck's, and yet... here they were.

"You're not crying, are you?" Sasuke murmured, turning to kiss Naruto on the top of his head.

"I don't cry over everything, y'know."

"Yes you do."

He briefly closed his eyes. "I feel like... I want to drag you into bed, pull a blanket over us, and just lay on top of you for at least three days."

"Okay."

Naruto chuckled.

"Anything you want to do, I'm perfectly game," said Sasuke. "No explanation necessary."

"Even if I wanna have a threesome with you and Itachi before we go home?"

"Is that really what you want?" When he shifted, Naruto was able to lift his head and look at him. "Would that make you happy?"

Naruto searched his face. "No, not at all."

"Why not?" Sasuke smiled, and Naruto's heart did another stupid fluttering thing. This time he covered it with his hand, but Sasuke caught the motion. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered, also grinning. "You do things to my heart all the time."

Leaning in, Sasuke placed a gentle kiss to his cheek, his nose pressing against him. "...Do you think she'd notice if we had sex in one of her booths?"

"It does seem like it'd be kinda rude."

He closed his eyes and sighed when Sasuke kissed him on the cheek again.

Naruto turned toward him, and their mouths met in a kiss, slow and heated at first, but when Sasuke cupped his cheek, Naruto let out a needy little whine in the back of his throat. Sasuke took hold of the sides of Naruto's face and deepened the kiss, using his tongue to part Naruto's lips.

By the time they stopped, he had a grip on the front of Sasuke's shirt and their foreheads were touching.

"Okay, even if it is rude, I..."

"Maybe later." Sasuke snickered. "Are you never satisfied, Naruto?"

"What can I say? Every time I think about how much I love you, I just wanna fuck your brains out." He smirked.

"How very romantic."

"Hm. Maybe, though, I'm kinda in the mood..." He lifted his head, staring at Sasuke's lips. "To... bottom. Or, whatever."

"Hn."

He glanced up and already knew his boyfriend would be smirking.

"Feeling submissive, are we?" Sasuke asked with a glint of humor in his eyes.

"Yeah. So?"

"So, nothing, but you saying that has left me with a bit of a problem."

Naruto barked out a laugh. "Not that I'm eager to leave here or have you leave your brother, but I can't wait to get back to your apartment and have a bit of privacy."

"We had plenty of privacy last night," Sasuke whispered as he moved in to kiss along Naruto's neck.

"I know, but... I always feel the most comfortable in your bed."

"Really?" Sasuke started to kiss the line of his jaw and chin. "I like when you're in my bed, too."

"Then you should take me to your bed when we get home."

"Oh, I'll take you to bed alright, don't worry."

"You want to take me?" Naruto asked in a husky voice, shutting his eyes when Sasuke sucked that one spot.

"If by take you, you mean I want to be inside you, then yes."

Naruto let out a groan. "Your damn dirty mouth."

"It's true, though."

"I know, that's why it's so goddam hot."

"Maybe when we get home, you can talk dirty to me, and you can tell me all of the things you want me to do to you."

"Me?" Naruto nearly squeaked. "But you're the one who always talks that way."

"Hm. Then I'll put it this way. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll obey."

"Yeah, I bet you'd like somethin' like that."

"I would."

Naruto met his gaze, and Sasuke's eyes were like black pools of lust that led him to run his tongue across his bottom lip.

"Okay, then maybe next week you can greet me at the door in a jockstrap."

"If that's what you want," said Sasuke.

"We, um. Should go soon because... guh." He tugged at the front of his shirt as if it would help relieve the tension. "It's gettin' really warm in here."

"Okay. I'll take a rain check." Sasuke stood, but he was still clearly sporting a hard-on. He noticed Naruto looking and tilted his head to the side. "I'll think about you and Itachi, and it should go away pretty quickly."

Naruto scowled. "Don't think about me with another guy!"

"Should I think about you with a woman?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Your ex-girlfriend was very pretty."

"Shut up." He stood up, too, watching as Sasuke took the record off and slipped it into the cover.

Naruto pushed open the door so that they could get out and waited by the stairs as Sasuke put the album away. They shared one more kiss before heading up the stairs, where he was accosted by a tiny gray ball of fluff. It mewled at him and rubbed up against the side of his ankle.

"It's so fuckin' cute." He bent over and scooped it up into his arms, holding the tiny kitten against his chest.

"Don't even ask if you can keep it."

"But it's friggin' cute, Sasuke!"

"One of our cats just had a litter of six," the old woman said from behind the counter. "That one must've escaped the box I'd put them in in the back."

He held it up to Sasuke, and then he held it up above his head.

"Everything the light touches is our Kingdom," Naruto said to the kitty.

Sasuke snickered. "You're such a dork."

"That was a good movie. I cry every time I watch it."

"Everything makes you cry." Sasuke took the kitty from him and cradled it in his arms.

Naruto rubbed its tiny head as it purred and tried to grab for his finger. "Makes me miss Ollie. I know you won't admit it, but you miss him, too."

"Hm."

The kitten squirmed and shifted and proceeded to dig its tiny claws into the front of Sasuke's shirt.

"I think he likes you," Naruto said, smiling at him.

"He's still not coming home with us." He picked the tiny creature up by the scruff of its neck and placed it back on the floor, where it scampered and slid across the wood until it disappeared into a back room.

Naruto leaned into him for a moment. "You ready?"

Sasuke's eyes were warm as he looked at him. "I am. I'm sure even Itachi's getting impatient waiting for us."

"We'll buy him lunch then."

"Technically, he's the one who owes me."

"Okay, then I'll buy lunch."

"If you're offering." He took hold of Naruto's hand, and after waving goodbye to the old woman, they headed out the door, the bell chiming musically above their heads.

After meeting up with Itachi at an awesome seafood restaurant close to the pier, they decided to go for a walk along the water. Itachi, not that he ever looked unattractive, appeared as though he'd partied pretty hard last night. It gave him and Sasuke the opportunity to spend most of their lunch teasing him about the dark circles under his eyes.

"This is what you have to look forward to," Itachi had said. "As the both of you get older."

Once they'd left the restaurant, the three of them chit-chatted about nothing in particular.

Naruto took in a deep breath, smelling the salt coming off of the Sound. There was a large cruise ship not too far off in the distance.

"Hey, Sasuke," he said, tugging at the elbow of his jacket. "There's one of those giant ferris wheels. Wanna go for a ride on that?"

"As if. You know how I feel about those," Sasuke replied, the wind whipping his bangs to the side of his face.

"I'll go on it," said Itachi. "If you want to. My brother can watch us having fun together."

Naruto smiled at him, ignoring the glare Sasuke was sending his brother. "Really!?"

"Really." Itachi returned his smile. "After all, soon you'll be leaving me."

"Did y'hear that, Sasuke?" Naruto turned to him, trying to hold in his laughter. "Your brother and I are gonna go on a romantic spin on that thing. What if the view's so magical that I end up fallin' for him instead of you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Hey, if you two want to go on that death trap then by all means."

"It's fine. I don't wanna go without you. But, it's not like it's gonna fall off or anything."

"How do you know?" Sasuke asked. "I'm sure it's happened somewhere."

Itachi cuffed him on the back of the head. "Now, Sasuke. Naruto and I would never let anything happen to you."

"Nope. If we did happen to fall out, I'd grab you and make it so I hit the ground first."

"Another lovely visual, thanks for that," Sasuke sneered as he glanced up at the monster tourist attraction. "My last image of you will be of your skull shattering and your brains spilling across the pavement."

"If it makes you feel better, I probably won't feel a thing." Naruto threw an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder and pulled him close. "But, no big deal. If you don't wanna go."

"I'll go," Sasuke replied stubbornly.

"Yay." Naruto planted a kiss on his cheek. "That makes me happy."

"Hm." Sasuke grabbed his hand. "I don't know if I've ever given into peer pressure before."

Naruto whispered into his ear, "Hey, we're way closer than peers, and I'm likely to reward you for your bravery."

Sasuke raised a brow. "I'm not scared, Naruto."

"Uh huh."

"Good," said Itachi. "Then the matter is settled. I'll purchase three tickets." The older man started heading toward the ferris wheel, and Naruto watched his back.

When it was just the two of them, he asked, "You sure you wanna do this? Don't feel like you have to. I'm fine just goin' with your brother."

"It's fine. You said you wouldn't let anything happen. I can trust in that."

Suddenly, Naruto grinned at him, his eyes crinkling as he gazed at his boyfriend. He let out a little laugh of pleasure and shoved his hands into his coat pockets while rocking back and forth on the soles of his feet.

"Does doing this make you that happy?" Sasuke asked in a quiet voice.

He nodded. "Yep."

"Then it's definitely worth it. After this, do you want to take a ride on the ferry?"

"Oh my God, yes, I do."

"Can I have a kiss then?" Sasuke asked, smirking at him.

Naruto bit at his lip before leaning forward, closing his eyes, and pressing his lips to his boyfriend's. Sasuke cupped the back of his head, fingers absently playing with his hair until they parted.

"One day, I'll take you on a vacation. Maybe we'll go abroad, and I can show you parts of the world you've never seen."

"Mm. You sure like to travel, don't you?"

"I do," Sasuke answered. "But, I'd like to travel with you some time. If you're interested."

Almost shyly, Naruto smiled at him. "I'd like that."

"Well, we better get going, or, knowing Itachi, he'll get on that hideous monstrosity without us."

Naruto chuckled as they started moving in that direction. For a while, the two of them simply walked side by side. He didn't know why, but every time he snuck a glance at Sasuke, he felt embarrassingly giddy.

Eventually Sasuke caught him in the act. "What?"

Naruto scrunched his nose. "Nothin'."

"Naruto."

"Hm?" He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I was just thinking...you look really good today. Not that you don't look attractive every day." Sasuke actually smiled. "The sun always brings out the blue in your eyes."

"Oh man, you are so gettin' laid for the millionth time."

Sasuke chuckled. "I wasn't really worried about that. I always get laid."

"Shuddup!" Naruto nudged him in the side, laughing heartily. "Cocky bastard." Slipping an arm around his boyfriend's waist, he set his head on Sasuke's shoulder, even if it was only very briefly. "Stop bein' so gay with me, huh?"

"I'll try."

"I like you a lot," Naruto told him. "Just so you know."

"I know you do. What's there not to like?"

Naruto lifted his head and laughed again; Sasuke met his gaze and smirked.

"Yeah." He had to look ahead because he was trying to fight off a strong urge he had that involved throwing Sasuke down on the ground and making out with him until they both passed out from lack of oxygen. Itachi could just drag the both of them back to the car or something. "I definitely can't wait to get back home. Maybe I'll take you up on that offer of... you bein' at my service for an evening."

"Definitely," said Sasuke, eagerly enough that Naruto knew he meant it. "You can come home from work, and I'll be waiting on my knees at the door."

Unconsciously, he licked his lips at that particular image. "You'll do whatever I say?"

"Anything," Sasuke promised.

Naruto groaned. "You are, seriously, like the sexiest person I've ever known, you know that, right?"

"Feeling's mutual." Sasuke gave him a light slap on the ass. "Maybe it's why we get along so well in the bedroom."

"Yeah, but we get along outside of the bedroom, too."

"True. But I really like how well we get along in there."

"Whore," said Naruto.

"Brat," replied Sasuke.

"Heh. Reminds me of our second date."

"Did that qualify as our second date?" Sasuke inquired, tilting his head a bit.

Not surprising he knew exactly what Naruto was talking about.

"Maybe not," Naruto replied as he brushed his fingers against Sasuke's. "Suigetsu was there, and so was Kiba. Maybe it was more like a double date?"

Sasuke sighed. "Not sure that counts as a double date."

"That would mean I put out before our second date even."

"Mm, sure does." Sasuke reached for his hand. "Technically you put out during our first date."

"It's not like I was expectin' what happened in the dressing room stall, y'know."

"I couldn't help it. After you defended my honor in the liquor store, what did you expect?"

"True," said Naruto as he squeezed his boyfriend's hand. "I guess that hero-thing really works on people."

"Sure does," Sasuke replied so quickly that Naruto had to laugh.

"I got you back on the living room floor, though. I think it was what you said about dancin' around in your underwear to Kelly Clarkson that really did it for me."

"Hm. I think it was your mouth on my cock that did it for me."

Naruto laughed aloud again. When they were close to the line for the ferris wheel, they spotted Itachi waiting for them toward the end of the queue.

Itachi handed them their tickets. "What's so funny?"

"Ah, you don't wanna know," said Naruto.

"Just so we're clear," Itachi poked him in the forehead just like Sasuke always did to him, "Everyone's going to keep their hands to themselves when we're up there, correct?"

"I make no promises," said Sasuke.

"He'll be too busy tryin' not to piss his pants to try anything." Naruto winked at him.

"I would laugh, but that's probably not so far from the truth," Sasuke admitted.

"So, it'll be just like when you were four years old all over again." Itachi glanced smugly at his brother.

"I hate you," Sasuke growled at him. "That happened once."

"Hey, man, don't worry about it," Naruto gave him a consoling pat on the back. "I did it at least a couple of times in college after a heavy night of drinkin'. There's no shame in wettin' the bed."

"I didn't do it on purpose," explained Sasuke. "I usually slept with a nightlight, but Itachi was being an asshole and had turned it off. I couldn't find my way out of the room because it was so dark."

"Ah, so that's what it's like to have a brother?" Naruto sighed. "Maybe I should be glad I'm an only child, huh?"

"No kidding," said Sasuke.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sasuke." Itachi ruffled his brother's hair. "As I recall, you used to follow me around the house and whenever we had visitors, you'd go out of your way to sit in my lap, kiss me on the cheek, and call me o~nii~sama."

"That never happened," said Sasuke.

Naruto snorted, having said at the exact same time, "I can totally see this happening."

The both of them looked at each other - Sasuke with a glare, and Naruto with a huge grin.

With a huff, Sasuke crossed his arms to his chest and looked toward the water. "Say another word, and I'm not going on this goddam ferris wheel with the two of you jerks."

"Fine," said Naruto, sharing an amused look with Itachi. "We'll behave. I promise." He held up his hand. "Scout's honor."

Judging from the way Sasuke spent most of the ride on the ferris wheel in the corner of the carriage, gripping the seat tight and staring only at the floor, the ferry seemed much more his boyfriend's speed. Naruto had never been on one this size before, not even close. He got to watch as all of the vehicles piled into the lower part, including motorcycles and bikes.

It was around 6 p.m., so the sun had begun to set. All of the lights in the nearby office buildings were on, making the skyline look even cooler. It almost reminded him of being on Lake Michigan. The ferry ride each way was about 30 minutes. Itachi had gone downstairs to get himself a coffee and Sasuke and Naruto a cup of hot chocolate. While waiting for him to return, he and Sasuke people watched as they stood next to the railing on the upper deck.

"Do y'think we'll see any whales or dolphins?" He asked.

"Maybe. I've seen some a few times."

"Do you miss livin' here?" Naruto hunched over the rail, setting his elbows on top of it as he leaned forward to watch the ferry gliding through the water.

"I miss some things," Sasuke answered thoughtfully. "But being here... there's a lot of memories. I don't know if I could ever live here permanently again."

"Really? 'Cause I thought you were about to," Naruto murmured, resting his head on his arms.

"I didn't know what I was thinking, Naruto... especially that night."

"I know. I didn't mean to drag that up again so that we'd fight about it. What I wanna say is... I hope that you'll never feel stuck in Illinois."

"I don't feel stuck," Sasuke told him. "I haven't even been there that long, and, of course... you're there."

Holding his hair to the side to keep it out of his eyes, Naruto squinted up at him, but Sasuke's gaze was directed toward the sunset. He straightened himself up so that their sides touched as they both looked out at the water.

"Y'know, Sasuke," he said, and Sasuke turned to him. "I... find it so hard to believe that out of all the people you've met, that none of them snatched you up for themselves."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What are you going on about?"

"I just... I look at you, and I feel lucky. That you picked me."

"You are lucky," he said dryly. "Obviously there was a waiting list. Lots of men would love to be in your shoes."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'd argue with you, but I know it's probably the truth."

Sasuke chuckled, and the sound made his chest tighten.

"I dunno how it's possible to love someone so much one day and love them even more the next," Naruto murmured.

"Hm?" Sasuke nudged him. "It's too loud. I can't hear anything."

Naruto shrugged. "I just said that I'm dumping you when we get back."

"It was a good run while it lasted." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto let out a laugh as he gripped the top of Sasuke's arm. "Asshole."

Right about then, Itachi appeared. He had a holder of drinks in one hand and looked to be shoving his phone into a pocket with his other.

"Important phone call?" Sasuke asked. "Or was it the press again?"

"None of the above." Itachi smiled. "Just building memories."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked him, but Itachi shook his head.

Naruto grabbed their drinks. "Thanks for the hot chocolate."

"You're welcome. Enjoying the view so far? Though I think it pales in comparison to being at the top of the Great Wheel."

"Yeah. It's pretty amazing. I kinda wish we had a few more days, but I'm sure we'll be back again to visit."

"Preferably under different circumstances." Itachi stood between him and Sasuke.

They were all looking out at the water, and, after a minute, Naruto pointed at something jumping out of the ocean. "Look! Dolphins! Ah, where's my phone, I gotta take a picture!" He fumbled around in his pocket for his phone.

Itachi took his phone out, too, and was already snapping some photos.

"See that, Sasuke," Naruto said as he leaned behind Itachi to poke his boyfriend.

"I do," he said. "Now take your pictures before they disappear, idiot."

"Fine, fine." He took a few pictures and, trying to be inconspicuous, after he was done taking some of the dolphins, he snapped a couple of Itachi and Sasuke, and then took one or two close-ups of his boyfriend.

Now that he thought about it, they hadn't really taken any photos since they'd been here. Itachi happened to notice what he was doing.

"Should we ask someone to take a photo of the three of us?" Itachi offering his own phone, grabbed the first person to walk by (a pretty young woman in a business suit) and asked if she wouldn't mind taking a photo.

Itachi put his arms around Naruto and Sasuke. The woman took the photo and handed the phone back to Itachi with a smile and a blush. Although, maybe Naruto had imagined it.

"I'll text it to you," Itachi said to him. "Which means I'll have to get your number."

"What? Really?" Wait, was he acting just like that woman had? "Awesome. I'd like that."

"How else are we going to stay in touch after this?"

Naruto grinned. "Alright."

"What are you two talking about?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi put his arm around his brother's shoulders. "Nothing you need worry about, little brother."

"You saying that makes me even more suspicious." Sasuke grabbed for Naruto's wrist. "You come over here where I can keep an eye on you."

Naruto snickered. "Possessive bastard."

"If you think the waiting list for me is long, you should see the one for my brother," Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto laughed as he brought his hot chocolate to his lips. "I can definitely believe that."

Having been in Seattle for nearly a week, they decided to fly back to Chicago on Saturday morning. After going around Seattle all Thursday afternoon and evening, the three of them spent a low-key Friday at the house. They did normal things like watch Netflix, play games, and go get groceries together. The lawyer, Dr. Sarutobi, stopped by in the early evening to go over some extra paperwork, which included signing various accounts and documents for the house back into Itachi's name.

Since it didn't involve him, Naruto mostly steered clear as all that happened. For a while, he played a JRPG of Itachi's, but then he ended up in the garage, staring at the ATV and wondering if Yahiko was back in Belize. He smiled, thinking about how excited the other man had been about having a baby. Not that Naruto was too concerned with having kids considering he was all of 23, but he liked the idea of kids in the future.

Once Dr. Sarutobi left the house, the three of them made a quiet dinner together, sat around the dining room table, and just talked a lot about all kinds of things. Even though he knew Sasuke was eager to get back to work, he sensed that his boyfriend was also a bit anxious to leave his brother. He was careful to give the two of them enough time alone.

Later that night, he returned to Sasuke's room to pack their clothes and toiletries. Sasuke wandered in eventually to see if he wanted to watch a movie in the basement, so the three of them piled onto the couch (he tried not to snicker at the thought of what he and Sasuke had done on said couch just a couple of nights ago). He remembered dozing off a couple of times - they were watching Empire Strikes Back - but, at some point, Sasuke nudged him awake so that they could go to bed.

Wiping at his eyes, Naruto walked up to Itachi and wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

Itachi ruffled his hair. "Make sure you take advantage of the fact I gave you my number," he said to Naruto. "I don't give that out to just anybody."

"Yeah, I'm sure I could sell it for a lot on eBay."

Itachi chuckled. "I'll be up to take the two of you to the airport tomorrow, so it doesn't have to be goodbye yet."

"Hm, I know." Naruto backed away, one eye half-way shut as he yawned. "M'gonna go to bed before I pass out."

"Okay. Good night, Naruto."

Sasuke stayed behind, but Naruto trekked his way up the stairs and headed for the bedroom where he texted his father just to say goodnight and then texted Kiba, who would be picking them up at O'Hare at around one in the afternoon (Central time).

After slipping out of his clothes, Naruto pulled on a pair of pajama pants and crawled under the covers. He lay there, nearly asleep, for maybe ten minutes before Sasuke came into the room.

He watched him change, having left the light near Sasuke's side on. "Sasuke? You okay?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke slid in next to him. "I think I'm ready to go back."

"You sure? You could always go back later. You don't have to go back with me."

"I definitely want to go back with you." Sasuke reached over and brushed his bangs out of his eyes for him. "Ollie's probably wondering where we are."

"Hmm. I'm surprised you care."

"I care." He snuggled closer to Naruto, throwing an arm over his lower back. "What should we do when we get home?"

Naruto smiled. "Home? Hm. Nothin', I hope. I wanna just take it easy, don't you?"

"Yeah." He skirted his fingers up Naruto's back.

"You're pretty," Naruto said to him in a sleepy voice, half of his face smashed against the pillow.

Sasuke smirked. "I know."

"M'gonna fall asleep, but I want you to keep talkin' to me, okay?"

"Of course. Anything you want, Naruto."

Being the good boyfriend that he was, Sasuke talked for a while, mostly about bands he had meetings with next week and recent tracks he'd listened to the week before and had apparently liked. Naruto enjoyed hearing Sasuke talk about music, because it was something he knew his boyfriend was really passionate about, but...it didn't stop him from drifting off.

Only to be woken about six hours later when the alarm went off.

The drive to the airport was a pretty quiet one. Naruto sat in the back of the rental car, which Itachi was going to return for them. He only heard Sasuke say a handful of things to his brother. After checking-in, they decided to hang out at Starbuck's for a while, and when it was time for them to head to their gate, Naruto was a lot more sad than he'd expected to be. As soon as he hugged Itachi goodbye, he was the first to walk away as he headed in the direction of the line for security.

From a distance, he watched as Sasuke said his goodbyes. It was almost as heartbreaking as that first day he'd met Itachi and seen how much Sasuke truly cared about his brother. Naruto adjusted the heavy backpack on his shoulder while waiting. When Sasuke walked his way, he appeared surprisingly stoic. Even while standing at Naruto's side, he didn't say anything and simply pressed a hand to his back, ushering him toward the end of the line.

After they passed through security and were waiting for their row, Sasuke reached for his hand. Neither of them said anything or even looked at each other until it was their time to board. They walked onto the plane, both of them morose, and found their seats, Naruto sat next to the window, and Sasuke took the middle. It was a pretty packed flight. A bit of rain hit against his window, and Naruto watched out of it for a while before pulling the shade down. Luckily he felt too tired to be as anxious as he normally would've been before take off.

By the time they reached cruising altitude, he ended up passing out anyway, and didn't wake up again until the plane began its descent into Chicago.

Even though he'd slept on the plane, Naruto suddenly felt as though he hadn't slept for days, so, on the ride home, he ended up curling into a ball in the back seat. He listened to Kiba and Sasuke talking about the trip, smiling every once in a while at their sarcastic banter. Sometimes Kiba would ask him something, but he was so exhausted he only responded with a grunt or one-word answer. He wasn't even in a bad mood, he just, literally, could not keep his eyes open and yet his brain was too wide awake to let him sleep.

With Kiba at the helm, the drive didn't take a whole lot more than 45 minutes, and because they needed to pick up Ollie, Kiba dropped them off at his dad's house. He said he'd give him a call tomorrow.

He and Sasuke went ahead and put their luggage inside Naruto's truck, which he'd left parked there the entire week. Almost as soon as they walked inside the front door, Ollie came running up the basement stairs to greet them. He was followed shortly thereafter by Minato, who immediately pulled them into a hug.

"I'm sure it's been a long trip for the both of you," he said softly.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hi, Naruto." His father ruffled his hair and then took hold of Sasuke by the shoulders. "And you, how are you doing, Sasuke?"

"Good." Sasuke smiled at the older man, albeit tiredly. "I hope Ollie wasn't too much trouble. Thank you for watching him this entire time."

"Of course," said Minato. "He's part of the family, too. And your brother, I hope you left him well?"

"He'll be busy over the next few months as he looks for another job. Not that he'll have a problem with that. He was getting calls from firms just yesterday."

"I'm happy to hear that," said Minato. "So, are you two going to stay for dinner, or are you ready to go back home?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "S'up to you, but I'm gonna crash pretty soon."

"Yeah, you look tired." Sasuke smiled faintly. "Why don't we pack up Ollie and his things, and I'll drive us home?"

Naruto nodded. "Sounds good." He glanced at his Dad. "Unless you wanted company?"

"Don't worry about me. Between Ollie and Kiba, I haven't lacked for somebody to talk to this past week." His dad grinned at him, looking so happy to have the two of them home that he had to smile, too.

"Mmkay. Thanks again' for watchin' him." Naruto scooped the orange cat into his arms and scratched the top of his head. "We'll come by tomorrow for dinner."

"Sounds like a plan," said Minato. "You two get some sleep. It's good to have you home again."

"It's good to be home."

His father had already packed up all of Ollie's toys, food/water dishes, and various kitty accessories, so Sasuke had everything they needed within a few minutes. They put Ollie into his crate, and, after waving goodbye to his Dad, they got into the truck. It always amused him to see Sasuke driving his car (which only happened if Naruto was too drunk or tired to drive).

"What?" Sasuke asked when he caught him staring.

"Nothin'," said Naruto. "You look good drivin' my truck is all."

"I bet," Sasuke replied.

"No, you do."

"Do we need to pick up anything on the way to the apartment?" Sasuke looked behind his shoulder as he reversed out of the driveway and onto the road.

Ollie meowed pathetically from the back seat as he wasn't exactly a fan of being in the crate or of driving.

"We're goin' home, Ollie," he said, resting his head against the window. "Oh! I forgot. Your brother gave me somethin' before we got on the plane."

Naruto had to unbuckle his seat belt in order to reach into the back seat for his bag. He opened the zipper and pulled out a large, square envelope.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked.

"Dunno. Somethin' your brother gave me and told me not to open 'til we got to Chicago."

"It better not be a love letter," said Sasuke as he turned on the wipers.

Eagerly, Naruto ripped it open and pulled out a folded up note, which on one side read: I believe you were interested in this.

As he unfolded it the rest of the way, a single photograph fell out and landed in his lap.

Naruto picked it up and smiled. He glanced over at Sasuke and burst into an even bigger grin. "I really love your brother." He showed Sasuke the picture.

"Why the hell would he give you that?" Sasuke asked.

"Because I might have said somethin' about wanting a copy?"

"Naruto."

He stuck his tongue out at him childishly. "Oh, right, like you really expected me to believe that cabinet was rigged with explosives? C'mon. I was totally gonna snoop!"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know why you would want that picture of me anyway."

Naruto waved it at him. "Because you look cool, Sasuke."

"I always look cool," Sasuke replied in a self-mocking manner, but Naruto also thought he looked appropriately smug.

"You do," Naruto agreed with a nod. "I totally woulda been jealous if we'd known each other...but then again, I did grow up to be pretty damn hot myself."

Sasuke laughed, and Naruto smiled at him.

"It feels good to be home, doesn't it?"

"It does," said Sasuke. "It'll be nice to sleep in our bed tonight."

"'Our'?" Naruto mused. "I suppose I should think about tellin' my landlord that I won't be signin' my lease for next year."

"I suppose so." Sasuke's eyes were on the road, but he looked extremely pleased about something.

"Would it really make you that happy for me to move in with you?"

"Don't you remember? I asked you the very first weekend to consider it."

"You were that sure about me even then?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

"I was sure within the first 20 minutes that we met."

Naruto gazed at him for a long time before, growing flustered, he had to look elsewhere. He breathed against the window, watching as it fogged up the glass. He still held the photo of Sasuke in his one hand while absently rubbing his thumb over its edge. It occurred to him then that, even though he already knew what he and Sasuke had was special, they'd come out of this very tough week a lot stronger as a couple. It was definitely the first hurdle in their relationship, and it certainly hadn't been a small one. Though he'd always considered them close, he felt even closer to Sasuke now. There was something about seeing someone's (dark side? weaknesses?) that made a bond even deeper. He'd seen some of Sasuke's, and Sasuke had seen some of his, and, still, everything between them was so easy and awesome, and all he wanted to do was go home so that they could just... hang out.

"What are you thinking?" Sasuke asked. "You've gone quiet."

"I'm wondering what type of frame I should get for your picture." He fanned Sasuke with it, keeping his thoughts to himself for now.

"Really, though. What are you going to do with it?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I can't trust you if I leave it at your apartment, so I'll either have to put it on my desk at work or my bedroom dresser."

"You realize I wasn't even 17 when that picture was taken, right? I didn't know you were into kids, Naruto."

"Guess you're into guys who are into 16-year-olds," Naruto teased.

"Oh, shut up," Sasuke growled. "I thought you were over that."

"I am. I ended up likin' him. He was a good guy. I suppose he was worthy enough for your first time."

Sasuke snorted. "Well, I'm glad you approve. What about your first time?" He looked over at Naruto.

"My first time with a guy? Yeah, he was definitely worthy," Naruto held his chin as if thinking very hard, "But... I just can't seem to remember his name."

Sasuke cuffed him on the back of his head, and Naruto snickered.

"Idiot," his boyfriend said affectionately.

Naruto hummed at him while watching the windshield wipers moving back and forth. "M'tired, Sasuke."

"Then close your eyes and go to sleep. We'll be home soon."

Naruto did close his eyes. "There's no place like home," he murmured and felt Sasuke grab for his hand. "So long as you're there, it feels like home..."

The end.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the final chapter in the Coffee Universe, however out of order it all became. I wanted to archive these last two parts (Seattle and Dream) on FF for the people who had already followed the universe. I won't be posting anything further on this site. I have lots of other stories published on y-gallery dot net. Only y-gal members can directly access my page, so a link wouldn't even help you. You must be 18 to join.