Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!

Summary: COMPLETE (new chapter up everyday - total of 29 chapters!). Some people are assholes. Some people are kind. It's when those are the same person that things get real confusing. Minor character death. A fic about grief, healing, and hope. Modern AU (office AU), Sasunaru/Narusasu.

A/N: Whew! You guys told me to get some rest and man...did I ever. I'm so groggy. What year is it? Are people still into Naruto? Let's see... (hope you enjoy, friends! This is a fun one!)

Something Good

Chapter 21: Careful

Naruto was losing it.

He was absolutely losing his mind here. He'd told Sakura he'd be careful. He'd been getting more—more miserable or terrified or anxious or whatever the hell was building up in him by the second, but now—but now—

But now, the tips of Sasuke's fingers brushed against the back of Naruto's hand, and it was all Naruto could to do stop himself from reaching out and grabbing it. It felt warm and soft and stiflingly intimate—a lump was in Naruto's throat and a weight was in his chest, and yet—

"Come in," Sasuke said quietly, loosening his tie as he held the door open for Naruto. And Naruto tried to stop his hand from brushing along his waist as he slipped by—he really did, but Sasuke was right there and he was so warm and he just—

Sasuke caught it.

Naruto froze.

For a long time—or what felt like a long time, Naruto didn't know, Naruto barely knew anything at all—they just stared at each other. Sasuke gently held Naruto's stopped hand where it pressed against him, right along his shirt, right above his belt—

Sasuke let go.

"Sorry," he muttered, pulling his hands to his chest—

"No," Naruto said quickly, backing up, "no, that was—that was me. Sorry."

He ran his hand through his hair and let out a breath, staring down at the floor.

"Uzumaki," Sasuke said, "of all the days to give me space, this one isn't it."

This was what he meant. Losing it.

"Naru—"

"It's not even—it's not even sexual—not right now, you know that right?" Naruto jerked his head up, meeting Sasuke's wide eyes— "I just—I just want to feel—close. To you. Fuck—"

He twisted away, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm going crazy over here."

He heard Sasuke let out a soft scoff.

"You're the one going crazy," he said, and Naruto looked up just as Sasuke pulled the door shut. "Well. I'm glad the feeling's mutual."

Naruto paused.

"Wait," he said, as Sasuke started to walk away, "which feeling?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

Naruto's heart jumped into his throat and he stumbled after him.

"Sas—"

"Please tell me you're happy with frozen macaroni."

Naruto paused—and then he laughed.

"Oh my god, you're pathetic," he said. "Only if you slather it with even more cheese."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and his head rolled with them, back, as if he was stretching his neck, tie still loose, shirt still unbuttoned just a little—

"That was the plan, yes," his eyes flickered open, "moron."

And Naruto was immediately nervous again. Immediately nervous and flustered and—and Sasuke's eyes lingered and Naruto had always kinda noticed that but it'd never been like this—they were still piercing and intense and had Naruto's blood sizzling with some sort of alertness, but he hadn't been able to pick out—he'd never been able to pick out—

"Stop that," Sasuke said, watching him.

"You stop," Naruto groaned, turning away to run a hand through his hair. As if Sasuke was making this any easier. As if Sasuke wasn't making this so much easier…

He let out a breath.

"Hey, um," he said, looking down at the tile, "so—the whole—the whole needing space thing...that's off the table?"

Something flickered in Sasuke's eyes.

"I dragged you into my apartment," he said, sighing, "again. Moron."

Naruto let out a breath in place of a laugh.

"You asshole. I was just trying to—Sakura told me to be careful with all this."

"At lunch?"

"Yeah."

"Hm," Sasuke said, looking over at him, "good advice, terrible execution."

Naruto slapped at his arm.

"You fucking dickhead."

"That's better," Sasuke said. "I'm surprised she's taking it as well as she is, considering…"

Naruto laughed.

"Oh," he said, leaning on the counter, "oh, no, Sasuke—she told me I could tell you—sorry. She was never into you."

Sasuke blinked.

"You were—kinda her cover. She's a lesbian."

Sasuke stared at him.

"Wh—why me?"

"'Cause she said you'd never be into her," Naruto laughed, "huh—maybe she knew more than she let on…"

Sasuke shoved Naruto's laughing face away.

"I hate both of you. I'm going to get changed."

Naruto spun after him.

"Wh—hey, what happened to macaroni? I'm hungry!"

"You have the patience of a cat in front of a plate of food," Sasuke said, glancing behind him as he pulled his tie off (Naruto stared at the motion—). "What clothes do you want?"

"Uh," Naruto said, still looking at the fabric threaded through Sasuke's fingers, "I get to pick?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed his door open.

"I—wait, oh my god, can I pick what you wear? Where's the porn star shirt—"

"I can and will kill you."

"Aw, come on," Naruto turned back—and Sasuke's fingers were on his buttons now— "you've wor—are you stripping?"

Sasuke stared at him.

"I'm getting changed. I said that. It's how I started this."

Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, okay, fair enough, fair enough," he said, unmoving. "Get to it, then."

He distinctly saw Sasuke fight a smile.

"Moron," he said, the laugh clear in his breath. "Get out of my room."

"Ugh," Naruto gave an exaggerated groan, "fine."

He sauntered over to the doorway and paused.

Sasuke undid two more buttons.

"This isn't a show, Uzumaki."

But Sasuke wasn't moving to close the door—no, his fingers just moved to the next button, instead—

Naruto's tongue darted out against his lips.

"Is this what you're gonna be like all night? Is this how you're distracting me?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, finally looking over at him with smug, half-lidded eyes.

"Is it not working?"

The shirt slipped off his shoulders.

"You cocky motherf—" Naruto twisted on his heel, throwing the door shut behind him.

He distinctly heard Sasuke's soft laugh from behind the wood.

Sasuke's smile lasted only another moment longer.

He...hadn't actually meant to do that.

He let his head lean forward, massaging the back of his neck again as it rolled.

He very much hadn't meant to do that. In fact, some might say he had meant to do the opposite. Even Naruto's friends had reservations.

As they should.

But Naruto, it seemed, had none. Or very little—or some he wasn't listening to at all. Any of the above—and that had Sasuke...well.

He knew Naruto was physically attracted to him. He couldn't deny that anymore. If nothing else—god, the way Naruto had looked at him had Sasuke—

Sasuke fell back onto the bed.

This was insane. He was insane. The funeral was tomorrow. Naruto needed a distraction for a reason and Sasuke—and Sasuke kept trying to remind himself but all he seemed to come up with was—

Naruto needed a distraction.

Sasuke was a very good distraction.

Sasuke threw a hand over his eyes.

And maybe that's all he was. Maybe it was. But then—if it was all he was—if it was what Naruto needed—

If Sasuke was going to be a distraction tonight, then he might as well be a damn good one.

Sasuke sat up and let out a breath.

This might have been the worst plan he'd ever had.

Naruto took his time skimming through Sasuke's fridge. He definitely needed something to cool him down, something to stop him from bursting back into Sasuke's room and just fucking tackling him back onto the bed—

Naruto let out a breath.

Okay. Being careful. Letting Sasuke set the pace. Sasuke was obviously into him but the timing was shit and it was fucking with both of them—

So they had to be careful.

Naruto used the fridge door to pull himself up.

But careful didn't mean nothing. Careful, maybe, meant...clear. Obvious. Slow, maybe, but honest. And Naruto might not be able to do slow, but he could do honest.

He shut the fridge door and opened the freezer—which was pretty packed. Sasuke really hadn't been kidding about the microwave…

"Moron."

"Wh—" Naruto nearly leapt into the air, "Jesus, Sasuke, every time—"

He spun around, pressing his back to his fridge. Sasuke watched him, one eyebrow raised, as casual as could be—

"Nice PJs, asshole."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I figured they were more your style," he said, moving past Naruto. "Did you want tea?"

"Sure," Naruto tilted his head a little, unabashedly continuing to check Sasuke out, "is that a cat tail on your ass?"

"It was Itachi's idea of a joke," Sasuke answered, opening a cupboard.

Naruto's smile widened.

"Me and him agree on something then."

Sasuke shut the cupboard to give Naruto a weak glare. It reddened into something else entirely after only a moment.

"Shut it, Uzumaki."

"Make me."

And yeah, okay, maybe that wasn't the most careful response, but there was no way that Sasuke hadn't picked pajamas that made Naruto look at his ass on purpose—

Sasuke paused, a hand loosely gripping the counter as his eyes flicked down to Naruto's lips—and then he rolled his eyes.

Damn it.

"Go get changed, moron. I'll warm up some food."

"Aw," Naruto said, "I don't get to see your microwave skills in action?"

"Fuck you." And then, just as Naruto opened his mouth— "Don't say it."

Naruto grinned.

"Me? Never said a word in my life."

Sasuke swatted at him. Naruto laughed and stumbled back, catching Sasuke's hands as he did—

Naruto's back pressed against the wall.

"Moron," Sasuke said quietly, eyes boring into him.

Sasuke wasn't gonna kiss him. Naruto knew that—they were both being weird and hesitant and holding back, but—

"Anybody ever told you you have beautiful eyes?"

Sasuke flinched back, surprise and embarrassment mixing in equal parts across his face—

"You—what?"

"You have really nice eyes," Naruto said—carefully. Honestly. It was about time Sasuke knew. "I've always liked them."

Sasuke stared at him.

"You said my eyes were creepy."

Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, 'cause your ego's bigger than my apartment. I had to shrink you down so you'd fit, y'know—"

Sasuke shoved his face into the wall and Naruto dissolved into soft laughter.

"Moron," Sasuke's voice was soft and warm, and his hand traced down Naruto's face to his neck as he pulled it away—

"Bastard," Naruto told him. Sasuke squinted at him, as if waiting for Naruto to laugh in his face and call every bit of this a joke.

Well, the dickhead was gonna be disappointed.

"S'true, though," Naruto said. "I like it when you look at me."

Sasuke crossed his arms, his face rapidly reddening.

"That's because you thrive off attention. Go get changed."

Naruto snorted.

"Wow, okay, dickwad," he rolled his eyes and turned, but not before he called back— "I'll just go take off all my clothes in your room. Excuse me while I go get naked—"

"Please refrain from going commando in my clothing," came Sasuke's voice, echoing down the hall.

"You'd love it and you know it!" He shouted back, not turning around. He was half-joking, but only half…

Naruto glanced back at Sasuke's doorway for another moment before he closed it.

Okay.

What was the best thing he could put on in here?

Sasuke turned the microwave on and sighed. Naruto had said pathetic and he was right—but Sasuke had never been able to make cooking feel worth the effort. Not for himself. For Naruto, maybe…

He let out a breath.

Was there anything he could do to make it any better? Real cheese, maybe, once it was warm...he didn't think he had any bacon, but some vegetables, maybe, to make it a bit more reasonable...he had chilli powder? Hm…maybe he should have just ordered food in again. Naruto's cooking had been…

(Okay, okay—from now on, I'll cook for you while you paint. How's that sound?)

That was right.

This wasn't supposed to be his job at all.

Well, Naruto couldn't blame him, then.

"It's done, Uzumaki!" He called, slipping his own container into the microwave. He'd pulled out a few things, and the man could pick out whatever he wanted from them to make this less of a disaster.

Laughter.

Muffled (but growing less so) laughter, from down the hall—damn it. Sasuke leaned over the counter, fighting the exasperation down—it was really his own fault. He'd let Naruto have unlimited access to his closet, after all.

"I'm done too!" said Naruto's voice, growing louder, and then—

Oh, god damn it all.

"What do you think?" Naruto said, spinning around. Black and white sweatbands on his wrists, leather fingerless gloves on his hands, Sasuke's old tripp pants (baggy, ripped, belts and zippers falling off it in every mismatched direction, fucking hell) and his even older, too-small t-shirt (a simple NO. blazing across it in bold, angry font)—

Sasuke put his head in his hands.

"C'mon," Naruto said, utterly glittering with laughter, "don't I pull it off?"

"Fuck you," Sasuke mumbled.

"I think I pull it off," Naruto continued, as if Sasuke had never spoken. "I was looking for a hat, but I couldn't find one. You weren't into beanies?"

Sasuke sighed and forced himself to look up.

"They," he said, despondent, "messed up my hair."

Naruto's smile grew about another thousand sizes.

"You," he said, voice strained to keep back the laughter, "are my favourite fucking person."

And Sasuke's face burned at that, but the microwave beeped and it might've saved the last of the loose threads of Sasuke's shredded ego—

"Hey," Naruto said, "how do you paint nails? I gotta complete the look."

Sasuke turned around, one hand still on the microwave door.

"You're a moron," Sasuke started, "and there's no way I'm trusting you not to ruin every bit of furniture in this apartment."

"Blah, blah, blah, I'm Sasuke and everything has to be spotless all the time or I'll get my brother to murder you—"

Sasuke threw the roll of paper towels in his general direction.

They missed spectacularly.

"Okay, okay—Mr. Perfect Artist—you paint my nails. While we eat."

Sasuke glanced back at him.

"Show me how it's done," Naruto challenged.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow for only a moment longer.

"Fine."

"Quit moving," Sasuke muttered, pulling Naruto's finger down for the millionth time.

"Wh—I'm trying to eat!"

"That's a one-handed job. You are so—" He was so—so involved, so exaggerated, in everything he did. Every feeling was written all over his face—every bit of what he said was emphasized in the way he moved—Naruto lived with such intensity that Sasuke couldn't even begin to fathom it—

"I'm so what?"

Sasuke yanked Naruto's hand closer again.

"You're a moron." And he'd screwed up, again, so he pressed his nail along Naruto's skin to get rid of the nail polish before it dried—

"Mhm," Naruto said, through a mouthful of macaroni. Sasuke didn't even begin to stop his eye from twitching. "That's not what you were gonna say, but I'll play along and pretend I'm dumb."

"Excellent," Sasuke said, gently trailing the brush along the next nail, "thank you."

"Your wish is my command, boss."

Sasuke snorted and finally met Naruto's brilliant eyes with his narrowed own.

"Don't pretend like you've ever listened to me."

Naruto's face flushed, but his smile didn't waver.

"I listen," he protested. "I just don't, uh—"

"Do anything I say."

Naruto laughed. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Moron," he said again, "give me your other hand."

"'Kay," Naruto said easily, dropping the fork from his free hand, and—

"Careful," Sasuke hissed, grabbing Naruto's wrist. "It's not dry yet, moron, you can't use that hand yet—"

"What!" Naruto protested, freezing in place all the same. "But I'm not done eating!"

"That's not my problem," Sasuke said, turning his attention onto Naruto's free hand.

Naruto huffed out a breath but didn't pull away. He didn't even twitch—it's how Sasuke knew he didn't mind—he just stayed loose and relaxed and every minute he grew happier, Sasuke's chest filled with something like relief—

"I'm still hungry, though."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Of course you are," he said, moving onto the next nail. This nail polish was so thick, he might be able to get away with a single coat...he didn't think Naruto would sit still long enough for another one—

"Sasuke," Naruto whined.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, dipped the brush back into the bottle, and scratched out some macaroni with Naruto's fork.

"Eat, then," he said, holding it out to Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered in between the fork and Sasuke's eyes, and then he leaned forwards. Sasuke didn't know why it felt more—more intimate? Close? Something—than he'd expected, but his cheeks flushed as he picked the bottle back up all the same—

"Useless," he muttered, just to say something.

Naruto laughed (and, to his credit, kept his full mouth closed).

"I'll pay you back," Naruto told him, "the next time you're painting your nails."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You're the one that makes me paint them in the first place."

"Oh, come on," Naruto said, shifting closer (Sasuke paused, brush in hand, until the man stopped moving)— "you do that for you. I'm just your excuse to be unprofessional."

Sasuke felt the smile stretch his lips, but he bit it down.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Uh huh," Naruto said, "sure. Admit it—you love it when I annoy you."

Sasuke switched to the next finger, remaining stubbornly silent. He couldn't lie—no, Naruto was rapidly getting better and better at seeing through him—and he certainly couldn't tell the truth—

Naruto laughed, again, and this time it was filled with delight.

"Okay, asshole," he said, "gimmie more food?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and quietly obeyed. Naruto used the hand that Sasuke had been painting (still on Sasuke's lap, on his thigh) to take his weight as he leaned forwards—

"Is it even any good?" Sasuke muttered, looking away as he put the fork down.

"Are you kidding?" Naruto said, covering his half-full mouth with his freshly painted hand. "I lived off of instant shit for years. This stuff is comfort food now. Can I have more?"

"I—yes, sure," Sasuke said quietly, scratching out a bit more. He'd gone through quite a bit now; maybe Sasuke would need to make more—

"Mm," Naruto said, as Sasuke pulled the fork away, "you got—hang on."

He swallowed as he pulled Sasuke's hand back and promptly wrapped his mouth around his fingers—

Sasuke stayed, frozen, as Naruto pulled back.

"There was some cheese," Naruto said, as if it was a perfectly reasonable explanation—and maybe it was, Sasuke didn't know, Sasuke was too busy trying not to crumble onto the floor—

"Right," he breathed, looking down at the floor—at Naruto's hands, which really didn't do anything to save Sasuke's nerves, but his bangs helped to hide how red he knew his face was—

"Sasuke," said Naruto's voice, "you know you're allowed to kiss me, right?"

Sasuke's head jerked up.

Naruto tilted his stupid, beautiful face.

"You know that's something I want, right?"

And yes, he did, to some extent, but in much more real, honest, actual terms he absolutely did not—

"I—"

"Personal space's off the table?" Naruto interrupted him.

Sasuke's throat locked up, but he nodded all the same.

Naruto moved forward—he felt it in the weight of Naruto's hands on his thighs, he felt it as his eyes fluttered closed—and pressed warm, soft lips against his.

It was a gentle, short, closed-mouth kiss. A brief touch of intimacy—of tenderness—something that told Sasuke, acutely and intensely, that his feelings were still stubbornly there and they could lash up and command him at any given moment—

"Sorry," Naruto whispered, "hope that was okay."

Okay. Okay, Naruto said, as if Sasuke wasn't—

"It's fine."

He kept his eyes stubbornly closed—until a weight (warm, soft, unmistakable) fell onto his shoulder.

"Naru—"

"It's so weird," Naruto said, head heavy and growing heavier on Sasuke's shoulder. "I'm so happy. I'm so sad, but I'm so happy."

Sasuke's arms moved, on their own, to pull him closer.

"I know," he offered finally. Sasuke knew the feelings like the back of his hands—conflicting and confusing, and feeling happy felt something like betrayal. It still did, some days, like the anniversary of their death, but even that didn't make sense because how else were you supposed to live—

"You make me feel like everything gonna be okay."

Sasuke swallowed.

"It is."

He wouldn't let it be any other way.

Naruto's arms tightened around him.

"I know."

A/N: Lottttts of Sasuke and Naruto goodness coming up. I hope you guys liked this one! Let me know!

I've got another travelling day tomorrow (we're visiting a friend 5+ hours away) so the upload might end up being around this time. I hope that's okay! Thank you so much for your patience and support (L)

See you tomorrow,

- Kinomi