Happy Valentines's Day! Well I'm two days late but whatever, my v-day fic will be even later since I finished up this chapter instead of that one.
Thank you for all your lovely comments last chapter! I hope you'll find this chapter to your liking as well:3
Chapter 29: Sparks
xxx
When Sasuke walked down the stairs it certainly wasn't because he'd collected himself. No, he was still a tingling, trembling mess, but when he looked at his hands they were steady, and when he stood up from the bed he hadn't swayed. Therefore, he had decided that if it was only on the inside he was burning up, then he might as well go downstairs before Naruto had the stupid idea of skipping dinner.
That didn't mean he was walking fast, oh no. He moved gingerly, as if in pain, holding on to the stair railing as he descended. Somehow he felt like he was a different person going downstairs than he'd been when going up.
The frightening thing was that it all made sense, by a twisted sort of logic. How much had Naruto seen? More than Sasuke had ever intended for him to see, that was for sure. Things he didn't want to see himself. And because Naruto had seen it, and because Sasuke had said all those things in regards to Menma and Charasuke, there was only one logical result.
He paused, almost by the base of the stairs now. He tried to breathe slowly, in through his nose, out through his mouth, staring unseeingly at the wall opposite of him. There were voices in the kitchen, laughter, Naruto twice as loud as the rest of them.
Sasuke's knees felt weak.
He gripped the railing tighter, his other hand coming up to rub at his chest. What was he supposed to do? If he walked in there, did it mean he accepted everything Naruto had said? Just because it was logical didn't mean it was a good idea. In fact, Sasuke could come up with hundreds of reasons for why this was, really, a terrible idea.
Brushing a finger over his lips instead he could easily recall the warmth of Naruto's mouth, the softness of it as it connected so easily with his. Like it was meant to.
He pressed his lips together, tightened them into a thin line. With a deep breath he shook the thought off, deciding he could deal with it later. He'd taken long enough to appear as it was. Decision made he walked towards the kitchen, keeping a firm check on his emotions and bracing himself before entering.
"Oh, there you are, sweetie," Mikoto smiled, reaching a hand out and urging him to sit.
Sasuke kept his eyes trained to the floor, obediently sitting down in the empty chair next to her. Naruto and Shisui were talking animatedly about last night's dessert, trying to come up with ways to improve it while Itachi listened with a pained expression on his face. He had only made a quick glance towards him, thinking it was safe since Itachi was opposite of Naruto, but his eyes involuntarily found silky blond hair and smooth tan skin and hands that only minutes ago were touching him and-
Jolted out of his thoughts Sasuke tore his eyes back down, forgetting to breathe again. He was very happy that Mikoto was sitting between him and Naruto, shielding him a little at least. Strange things were going on inside him and Naruto would only make it worse. He was the cause of it, after all.
Feeling eyes on him, he glanced across the table at Charasuke who was munching slowly on his rice while staring at him. When their eyes met, Charasuke narrowed his in contemplation.
"Shisui, when are you getting your apartment back again?" he asked, still staring at Sasuke.
"Oh, well, in a couple of days!" was Shisui's cheerful reply, his chopsticks waving to emphasize his words. "Why, are you sad you're not the only one at home so you can be spoiled?"
Charasuke huffed, cheeks heating up in anger.
"Be nice, Shisui," Mikoto scolded him, and Sasuke picked up his chopsticks to eat so no one thought of involving him in conversation.
The topic changed to mundane things and Sasuke tuned them all out, doing a good job of focusing on his food. Not that he had much of an appetite, which was strange considering he'd been so hungry before. Sure he was used to eating without an appetite but attempting to eat when there were tingles trying to burst out of his throat was slightly more difficult. When everyone else had finished, Sasuke had barely eaten half his food, something Mikoto expressed her concern over.
"Was there something wrong with the food? I don't mind making something else for you if you didn't like it," she said, placing her hand on his arm and squeezing reassuringly.
"No, no, it was good," he stammered out, flustered from everyone looking at him when he still hadn't gathered all the stray pieces of his body together from his earlier figurative explosion.
It had felt like a real explosion, anyway.
"Are you sure? Well you could always get something later, okay? Oh goodness, we haven't given you any money yet, have we? Fugaku, how could we forget!"
She looked mortified at the mistake, shooting up from her chair and heading over to one of the cupboards.
"Oh, that's right," Fugaku blinked, turning towards him with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I was only thinking about keeping track of your salary, but we usually give those out every other week so that wouldn't be until the next."
"It's fine, really," Sasuke tried to assure them, more concerned with the fact that there was now only open space between him and Naruto than with his lack of money.
"Nonsense," Mikoto waved him off with, opening a small tin box and counting out coins and bills. "Besides, both of you need new clothes. I guess so much has been happening that it slipped my mind."
"Yeah, or you could use Itachi's clothes."
"Sasuke, dear, Itachi's clothes would be too large," Mikoto replied distractedly, a small frown on her face before looking up at them. "What are your plans for the weekend, by the way?"
"Ugh, we've got work," Shisui complained, leaning his head in his hand and looking very sorry for himself.
"She wasn't asking you," Itachi mumbled, rolling his eyes when Shisui faked hurt.
Mikoto was ignoring the two of them, instead waiting patiently for Sasuke or Naruto to answer.
"Ah, well, we haven't really made any plans, I guess?" Naruto said hesitantly, and Sasuke thought he did a good job of not looking at him.
It was bad enough he could feel Naruto watching him, feel his presence as bright as ever in the small room.
"Iruka said it's fine if I leave clones around to do the work so I won't be busy."
Mikoto nodded at Naruto, pursing her lips in thought.
"Then we will definitely go shopping tomorrow." She turned her eyes to Sasuke instead, narrowing them threateningly. "And you, you need plenty of rest. No shopping, no training, no nothing."
Sasuke blinked at his plate, wondering what he was supposed to do then. Actually, never mind that. Mikoto was only taking Naruto shopping?!
"Why don't we send him off to the clan spa?" Fugaku suggested, relaxing back in his chair. "Sasuke could go with him."
"What! Why me?" Charasuke whined, but Sasuke wasn't listening to him.
All he could think was that there was no way Naruto would agree to that. Besides, he needed to train Charasuke, not relax with him. And if he didn't have work then he should at least make himself useful somehow, maybe-
"Wow, you have a clan spa?" Naruto exclaimed, apparently awed by the information. "That's awesome, Sasuke! I mean, you've been pretty tense the past days, so, uh…"
Naruto trailed off, but no one seemed to notice the strange tone to his voice by the end. When Sasuke snuck a glare at him, Naruto was busy poking into his empty rice bowl with his chopsticks.
"Well, that's settled then!" Mikoto happily decided. "I'll just go get an envelope for the money."
She left the kitchen, and Shisui immediately let his head connect with the table.
"So unfair," he whined, groaning childishly. "We've got work while the kids get spoiled. Isn't it awful?"
The last part was directed at Itachi, who merely shrugged and stood up to clear the table.
"Unlike me," Itachi said with a slight edge to his voice, "you actually chose to become the Hokage's assistant. I'm only forced into this by popular demand."
Shisui let out a low, monotone noise, staring at Itachi as he bustled about while Fugaku cleared his throat. Then, as Itachi moved past him, he reached a hand out and slapped his butt soundly. Almost before it was over Itachi turned around, slamming Shisui's face back into the tabletop and glaring murder at him.
"You think this is funny?" he hissed, but Shisui grinned at him as best he could.
"Oh please, deny it all you like, but I know you sat up last night preparing some of the paperwork already. And you set up a draft plan for the Kazekage's stay. And double checked with the hotel staff. You know, you're making my job a lot easier."
"Well," Itachi sniffed, "I couldn't leave planning to the likes of you. Who knows what diplomatic horrors that would result in?"
"You could work together," Fugaku suggested nicely, Charasuke snickering behind a hand.
"Nah, Itachi feels like he needs to live up to the people's expectations of him. Isn't it so cute?"
"You should get an assistant," Charasuke said, weighing on his chair. "Make them do all the dirty work like Obito does with Shisui."
"I don't need someone to do my dirty work for me." Itachi sounded offended, walking over to the sink with his arms full of dirty dishes. "Besides, I'm only a candidate. I'll only get an assistant if I have no other choice."
"Itachi, you should feel more pride. Being chosen as a candidate is a huge honor, not just for yourself but for the clan as well." Fugaku sounded as if he'd said the same thing before, ending his sentence with a half sigh.
"I'm aware."
Itachi's shoulders were stiff as he turned on the tap, the atmosphere in the room changed from relaxed to tense in moments. Sasuke remembered the conversation he'd overheard between him and Shisui, when he'd also discovered their relationship. It seemed as if Itachi still wasn't over Shisui adding his name to the election.
"You're gonna have to explain this whole election business to me later," Naruto broke the tension with, Shisui sending him a weak smile.
"Sure. It's a pain in the ass though," he replied, hoisting himself up to sit straight again. "But for now, there are only three candidates left. And next week the Kazekage is visiting with his family, so they have to join in on everything."
"Well, Itachi has already met the Kazekage, right?" Fugaku said, looking far more pleased about the whole thing than Itachi did.
"I prefer Gaara, his son. He's a lot more approachable," Itachi muttered, flinging his ponytail over his shoulder and starting with the dishes.
"You mean Gaara's not the Kazekage?!"
Everyone turned to Naruto with surprised looks, waiting for him to explain himself.
"Why would an eighteen-year-old be Kazekage in this world?" Sasuke sighed, giving up on his food. "You and Gaara are just strange exceptions."
Naruto's cheeks reddened, but his retort was cut off by Mikoto's return.
"Naruto is the Hokage?" she asked, bewildered, looking between them for an answer.
"I thought he was the second assistant?" Charasuke frowned, everyone directing their gazes towards Sasuke now.
"I am," Naruto said. "An assistant, I mean."
"Really? Because the way he said it…"
Oh, great. Now even Naruto was staring at him with accusation in his eyes.
"I'm not the Hokage," Naruto huffed, crossing his arms defiantly.
"Still," Fugaku noted, "being an assistant at your age is remarkable. There are some who say that job is more difficult than being the Hokage."
He sent a sly look Shisui's direction that was promptly ignored.
"Who's the third candidate?" Sasuke asked, directing the conversation away from Naruto.
"Mitarashi Anko," Mikoto answered offhandedly, standing next to Fugaku's chair and watching the both of them with a contemplative look on her face. "You know, I didn't want to pry or anything, but you two really don't want to talk about your world, do you? Not when it comes to the important things."
Sasuke stilled, sensing Naruto tensing up as well. It was true they avoided certain topics, though he'd been hoping no one would notice. Of course, these were ninjas, not civilians. The silence sent a prickling feeling up his neck, but at least he was getting distracted from all the tingling and whatever.
"It's not that we're trying to keep you in the dark, or anything," Naruto started slowly, using his serious voice. "We'd just prefer not talking about it."
A few more rounds of silence, and then Itachi cleared his throat.
"Should I prepare some tea?"
"Oh, yes, please," Mikoto said, smiling affectionately at him, and just like that the tension was gone. "Here, Sasuke," she added, handing him the envelope. "Please let me know if you need anything else."
"Thank you," he murmured, deciding to stay quiet from now on, like he should have.
"Ah, why don't we move to the living room?" Shisui suggested, clapping his hands together. "You two can stay a little longer, right?"
"What time is it?" Naruto asked, then checked the clock on the wall. "We should maybe get going, we're meeting Orochimaru in half an hour."
"Oh, right. Better not be late, he hates that."
Naruto chuckled half-heartedly, then stood up and walked the few steps to Sasuke's side.
"Ready to go?" he asked, hesitating just a little before placing his hand lightly on Sasuke's shoulder.
The contact felt warm and reassuring, and Sasuke suppressed a sigh before nodding once. When Naruto didn't move immediately, he raised his face towards him, breath catching as their eyes met. Naruto looked worried at first, searching his eyes for something. Apparently he found whatever it was because the corners of his mouth pulled upwards quickly, his expression softening.
"I just gotta pee first," he said happily, squeezing Sasuke's shoulder before skipping off.
It really was impressive how quickly Naruto could go from immature to mature and then back again. Mikoto and Fugaku left for the living room, Charasuke heading off somewhere as well. It was only after several minutes of silence that he realized there was still tension between Itachi and Shisui, even though they helped each other with the dishes.
He turned slightly, glancing at their backs as they worked much slower than necessary. While they might not be talking, they seemed to be communicating perfectly well in looks and gestures and little inclinations of their heads. When quite a few of these had been directed at him, Sasuke figured he might as well ask.
"What?"
Both of them froze, then continued working as if Sasuke hadn't spoken at all.
"I said, what."
"Ah, it's nothing, really," Shisui replied, still not looking at him.
"You were clearly talking about me," he insisted, a nervous lurch in his stomach at the almost imperceptible look the two shared at his words.
"I guess you caught us," Itachi shrugged.
"And?"
Itachi turned at that, blinking innocently at him.
"And it means we'll stop until you leave with Naruto. Shouldn't you go check on him? He's been in the bathroom for quite some time now. I'm almost worried."
Sasuke gaped at him, speechless. Then he snapped his mouth shut, and feeling extremely done with everything he got up and left at a stiff walk. He'd only just passed the doorway when Shisui called out to him, amusement in his voice.
"Oh, and don't think we can't tell you didn't talk to him about the mission!"
When Sasuke turned back to him, Shisui made a gesture from his own eyes towards Sasuke, mock seriousness in his expression.
"I'm watching you, okay? But if he kicks you out you're always welcome to share with Charasuke."
It dawned on him then, that they were making fun of him. He paused, debating his options. On the one hand, it made him feel like when he was a child, a constant target for his brother and cousin. On the other hand, his nerves were already frayed enough that anything at this point could tip him over, and he honestly had no idea what was waiting on the other side.
He just knew he wasn't going to like it.
…also, shit. He'd forgotten about the mission. Maybe it showed on his face because Shisui dropped the act and sighed, shaking his head in pity.
"Oh, how I miss being young and easily distracted by love. Remember those times, Itachi? Those were good times."
"Yes, and now you've become a bitter old man. Must be fun."
"Itachi! How could you!"
Even though Itachi had seemed so upset earlier, he now smiled and pecked Shisui's pouting lips before patting his cheek.
"It's okay. You hardly notice the grey hairs, anyway."
All color drained from Shisui's face, his hands coming up to hover over his curly hair.
"That's not true, is it? I don't have grey hairs! Sasuke, tell me I don't have grey hairs!"
Ah, Sasuke thought. Payback time.
"You can't really see them at this distance," he told him with his most serious expression, Itachi hiding a snort with a cough.
Shisui sent a look of utter betrayal towards Itachi, then groaned dramatically and threw his hands out to his sides.
"I am trying to help," he complained, slumping against the counter in defeat. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"
Sasuke could name a few things, several of those within the past few hours. He didn't have time to reply though, seeing as Naruto returned from the bathroom, slinging an arm across his shoulders and peering curiously at Shisui.
"What did I miss?"
Normally, Naruto would stand beside him, his arm covering the back of his shoulders. This time, however, Naruto was standing directly behind him with his arm resting against Sasuke's chest, the contact so unexpected that he sucked in a breath.
"Oh, just the topic of Shisui's grey hairs," was Itachi's airy reply, his mouth twitching at the corners.
"Huh," Naruto said, leaning his cheek against Sasuke's and there was no way he wasn't doing that deliberately!
Sasuke was trying hard not to move, his heart working its way towards a staccato in his chest. He could understand, logically, that things were going to change, but still! This was outrageous!
"I didn't notice he had any," Naruto continued, his breath hot against Sasuke's skin, little shivers finding their way down his neck.
"Thank you!" Shisui exclaimed, looking at Itachi like he was expecting an apology. "See? I knew you were lying!"
Shoving his hands down his pockets, Sasuke tapped his fingers against his thighs, silently urging the others to finish the conversation so they could leave.
"Eeh, hold on, now that you mention it-"
"Naruto! Don't betray me like they did!"
Naruto snickered in his ear, and Sasuke didn't know what to think. Sometimes it was so hard to wrap his mind around the fact that this was reality, even more so now, with Naruto holding him like this and joking around with his family. His chest was starting to feel tight again, and he bit his lip so he wouldn't react. He wondered how Naruto was able to act so naturally, as if things hadn't changed fundamentally just an hour ago.
As if things hadn't changed impossibly much since they arrived in this place.
"You should probably get going though, I have a feeling mother will wake you up early tomorrow morning," Itachi told them, waving carelessly with a large spoon that was still dripping with water. "She takes these things rather seriously."
"Ah crap, I wanted to sleep in for once," Naruto complained, squeezing Sasuke a tad tighter before letting go of him. "But yeah, I guess you're right. See ya!"
Sasuke followed Naruto silently, unable to find the energy to wave back, or do much more than nod at Mikoto and Fugaku when they told them goodnight. Naruto had apparently collected his jumpsuit, carrying it in a bag as they left.
"Oh man, I feel completely drained," Naruto sighed as they walked onto the road, bag slung across his shoulder. "I mean, I like your family, but it can get a little intense, you know."
Sasuke didn't trust his voice, surprised that Naruto wasn't as energetic as he seemed. Then again, Naruto really was good at acting when it came to that sort of thing. He didn't elaborate however, and they kept walking in silence for a few minutes. As they entered a more populated area he couldn't help but notice Naruto glancing at him every so often, always quick to avert his eyes whenever he was caught.
While he was thankful for the small break from everything going on, Sasuke couldn't help but find Naruto's hesitation to speak very annoying. They were walking close together, almost close enough that their hands would brush, and every now and then Naruto would glance at him a little longer, his hand twitching slightly as if wanting to reach out for him.
More than annoying it was a bit unnerving, like Sasuke was simply waiting for something to happen.
"What?" he sighed, exasperated that Naruto startled as if burned.
"Nothing!" Naruto had stopped, holding his bag in both hands and staring off to the side, squirming just a little like he usually did when he wanted to say something but thought he shouldn't.
"It's clearly something."
"No it isn't."
Sasuke clicked his tongue, definitely annoyed at this point. Why did Naruto have to be so damn off and on sometimes?! One second he's spouting emotional crap, the other he's acting like a kid who was caught thinking of doing what he'd just been told not to do.
While he might not like hearing whatever was on Naruto's mind, Sasuke was too tired to deal with the whole tension thing emanating from the other.
"Fine. I'll just wait here until you spit it out."
Naruto gaped at him, then slowly recovered to instead look at him like he couldn't decide which was worse, tell him or stand there staring at each other awkwardly.
"...it's embarrassing," Naruto mumbled, "and you wouldn't agree anyway."
Sasuke pinched his nose in frustration, feeling a groan form somewhere down his throat as he saw Naruto's tan cheeks darken slightly. This had something to do with earlier, didn't it? He was starting to regret stopping in the middle of the street now, but on the other hand, Naruto had already kissed him so how much worse could it get?!
...oh kami, Naruto wasn't going to kiss him in public was he? But Naruto hadn't really seemed like that's what he was thinking of, call it a gut feeling but this was most likely about something else. Which was a relief because he didn't think he could handle that yet. Actually, why was he even considering this at all?!
He took a deep breath, removing his hand from his nose and levelling Naruto with narrowed eyes.
"You know, it's enough that you've been acting weird for days. Not knowing what's going on in your head is so exhausting."
Naruto blinked at him, and Sasuke cursed himself for letting his tongue loose. Then again, it was true. He was tired of people suddenly dropping things on him, at least he was prepared now that Naruto was going to say something that would probably make him feel emotions and crap.
He could handle this. Nothing Naruto did or said could top what had happened in Charasuke's bedroom and therefore he wouldn't be caught by surprise and swept away by the mood.
"Oh," Naruto said, gnawing on his lips. "I'm still not sure it's a-"
"Spit. It. Out."
First, Naruto simply stared at him again, unimpressed by his irritation. Then he stepped closer, slowly, as if afraid Sasuke would run off like a startled animal. It only served to make the tick in his eye more pronounced, but he remained passive so they could get it over with and keep going before they were late.
"Don't freak out, okay?" Naruto asked, his expression guarded.
Sasuke levelled him with a flat glare.
"Okay..." Naruto inhaled, sidling up to Sasuke before shifting the bag over to his right hand, hesitating another moment before moving his left.
He could feel Naruto's fingertips nudge the back of his hand, frowning as they dragged lightly downwards before wedging their way between his fingers, curling around them until they were-
Until they were holding hands.
"Is this okay?" Naruto asked before he had time to gather his thoughts, looking so nervous and wide-eyed that whatever protests Sasuke had been trying to gather into sentences simply vanished from his head in a little poof.
He didn't like that look on Naruto's face. Naruto was never supposed to look vulnerable or worried, and if Sasuke was the cause of it, well that just wouldn't do. He could deal with some measly handholding, if it meant Naruto would go back to his cheerful self. Having Naruto looking at him like that just wasn't good for his soul.
Turning back in the direction they were headed, certain he could hear his neck crack from how stiff it was, he started walking fast while pulling Naruto along with him
"We're going to be late, dobe," he muttered, keeping his gaze straight ahead.
At first Naruto followed him in silence, one step behind. He must have regained his confidence pretty quickly though, because soon he was by Sasuke's side, grinning wide.
"Hey, Sasuke, we should try running like this!" he said excitedly, skipping a little in his step.
"No."
"But Saaasukeeee."
"I said no."
Naruto huffed and pouted and whined, but he was gripping Sasuke's hand hard the whole way to the hospital despite it all. It was strange how winded Sasuke felt when they arrived, despite only walking for less than ten minutes. As they neared the entrance he expected Naruto to let go, but of course he didn't. When Sasuke sent him a look he only smiled cheekily in return, as if their handholding was a bet Sasuke had lost and Naruto took great pleasure in rubbing it into his face.
Letting out a sigh he led the way towards Orochimaru's office, relieved that no one was really paying any attention to them. He felt like they should be, but maybe they were all busy, or had received orders not to.
Once they reached the door Naruto knocked on it impatiently, still not letting go. Sasuke wasn't very happy about the fact that his hand felt a bit sweaty now, and that the touch wasn't helping him fight down his emotions at all.
"Ah, there you are," Orochimaru greeted them softly, his hair tied so that it fell over one shoulder of his white uniform. "I just finished my rounds, but come on in."
"Great," Naruto smiled, though it was a sinister one that had Sasuke raise an eyebrow.
He wasn't still mad over the whole drug-thing, was he? On the other hand, knowing how stubborn he was...
"I'll be right back," Naruto said to him, squeezing his hand one last time –and no it didn't cause a brand new eruption of tingles up his arm– before heading inside.
Sasuke took a minute to stare at the door after it was shut in his face, wondering if he needed to worry about Naruto's abrupt change in mood. Deciding he was much too tired for that he sat down in one of the waiting chairs placed along the wall, leaning his head back and rubbing at his eyes.
He really wasn't in the mood for Orochimaru's prying questions right now. Maybe going to a spa wasn't such a bad idea, after all. It might give him some time to gather up his thoughts, and decide on how to deal with today's events.
Catching himself staring at his hand he quickly let it drop to his side again, furrowing his brows in thought. Naruto had seen whatever it was he had seen, enough to figure out that he was Sasuke's most important person. Well, that much he could admit. Where he'd gotten the idea that this meant Sasuke also wanted to do things like kissing and holding hands he had no idea, unless it was inspired by Charasuke somehow.
Unless he had been thinking about it already...
But no, he waved that thought off as ridiculous. Why would Naruto go around thinking about kissing him? That was definitely not the case. Even if he had said he didn't imagine things to go like that but, that didn't necessarily mean he was talking about the kissing, did it? Naruto hadn't been acting like all those girls who'd had a crush on him, but he had been acting strange though...
Sasuke groaned, despite himself, and buried his face in his hands. Why did it have to be so complicated. No matter what Naruto had been thinking before, he was clearly thinking about it now, even going so far as to touch him differently. He just didn't like that things changed into this before he had time to even prepare.
Naruto would be Hokage, and Sasuke had been an S-rank criminal. It didn't look good, and that was the cold harsh truth. He wasn't blind to what people thought of Naruto being friends with him, or what the real reason was that they had offered him an apartment of his own instead of sharing.
Gah, he just wanted to know exactly what Naruto had seen that made him think Sasuke's body suddenly belonged to him! Who cares that he asked before holding hands, he looked like he would cry if Sasuke didn't accept it. It just wasn't fair that the only thing Sasuke had seen in Naruto's past was all that stupid regret about not talking to him when they were kids. It was old news. Kind of, at least. Naruto had been shouting about being his best friend often enough that Sasuke figured he counted the time as kids too.
'You're the one who said that what they have is better than anything we went through. Why can't we-'
Sasuke gritted his teeth, elbows digging into his thighs as he rubbed his face harshly. Why? Because it was a terrible idea! Because it made him feel like he was going to explode! It was pure idiocy! They'd just managed to find some kind of normalcy in their lives, bringing this stupid kissing business into the whole thing was going to cause a mess!
The door slammed open, but Sasuke kept his face in his hands as he felt Naruto stare at him. Had he heard his thoughts, all the way from there?! No, of course not. That would be impossible. Still, his heart beat a staccato as Naruto walked over to him, fluttering pathetically when he felt him crouch down in front of him.
Seriously, this was getting really annoying!
"Sasuke?"
Naruto was peeking up at him, one hand over his knee, the other pushing some of his bangs away from his face.
"What," he huffed, waiting another couple of seconds before raising his head.
"Ah, no, I shouldn't be too hard on you," Naruto mumbled, downcast eyes as he retracted his hand. "You probably have lots to think about."
Sasuke blinked at him, then scowled nastily at him.
"I'm not-"
"Weak, yes yes I know." Naruto waved his hand around, weighing back on his heels.
"I wasn't going to say that."
Naruto's eyes found his, amusement and something sort of like fondness twinkling in them.
"Of course not," he drawled, but then his expression hardened. "What you should have said is that apparently, you've got a mission."
Biting the inside of his cheek, Sasuke kept his face neutral.
"I guess I do."
Naruto stared at him a little longer before heaving a sigh, sitting down unceremoniously on his ass. He mirrored Sasuke's earlier position, elbows placed on his bent knees but hands clasped behind his neck instead.
"Maybe I should just start reading your thoughts when you sleep," he hummed in thought, a grin flickering across his face when Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Maybe you even dream of me, huh?"
Sasuke clicked his tongue, but didn't bother protesting when Naruto tugged at the sleeve of his left arm. Tan fingers travelled across his now bandaged hand, since he'd managed to do at least that much before leaving Charasuke's room. They followed the folds of white fabric, moved up along his fingers to tap at his fingertips before circling his palm.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Naruto asked quietly, and Sasuke didn't know what to say.
He shrugged, observing how Naruto gently turned his hand over to touch across the back as well. He wondered if there was a reason for it or if he just needed something to occupy his hands with.
"I could just check, you know."
Despite the fact that Naruto could, in fact, very easily slip his fingers underneath fabric and touch his mark, Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"You wouldn't."
"No," Naruto sighed, dropping their hands so that he only held Sasuke's in a loose grip. "You're right. But you know what?"
Sasuke waited for him to continue, firmly squashing any stray thoughts that wanted to suggest to Naruto that he should keep playing with his hand.
"Last time I was here, I went on a mission with my parents. Actually I, uh, demanded that they took me with them." Naruto grimaced, as if the memory embarrassed him. "It was pretty weird. Since they treated me as if I was Menma, you know."
Since Naruto was looking at him expectantly he nodded, wondering if it would feel weird for him, too. He'd probably be too preoccupied with trying not to mess things up.
"I mean, I'm not happy that you're gonna go on a mission outside of Konoha that'll take days, but I get that you said yes."
When Sasuke frowned, Naruto placed a finger over his lips and grinned.
"If you don't want to go, that's great. But if you do want to go, I might let you if you give me a kiss."
Immediately Sasuke pulled his head back, glaring at Naruto's amusement. This was serious business!
"I doubt a kiss is going to change your mind one way or the other," he said coldly, crossing his arms. "And I already said I'm going so I'm going."
"Alright, I'll let you go on two conditions."
"You can't just change your mind."
"Three conditions."
"For fuck's sake," Sasuke muttered, tensing up when Naruto stood up and placed his knee between Sasuke's on the seat of his chair.
"First, you give me a kiss. Second, you let me put one of my teleportation marks on your body."
"On my what."
"Heh, well," Naruto cleared his throat, his knee sliding further down the plastic of the chair but Sasuke stopped it between his thighs. "If I put it on a kunai or something you could just throw it away."
"Damn right I will," Sasuke retorted hotly, leaning further back when Naruto's hand connected with the wall behind his head.
"We can discuss the details later," Naruto dismissed him with, gaze dropping to Sasuke's lips and why wasn't he pushing him away?!
"And the third one?" Sasuke asked, his back pressed against the chair now.
"Ah, the third." Naruto let out a little laughter that told Sasuke he would like the third condition even less than the second. "No need to go into details, right?"
Sasuke grabbed the front of Naruto's sweater, pausing his attempts at inching closer.
"Tell me or I'm throwing you back through the door to Orochimaru's office."
Naruto huffed impatiently, trying to pry his hand off.
"You really know how to ruin the mood, bastard."
"There's no mood, moron."
"Is too," Naruto whined, stubbornly continuing to work at Sasuke's fingers.
"Just tell me."
"Why should I? When was the last time you told me anything important, huh?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, figuring they weren't getting anywhere. Maybe he should change tactics. Maybe if he allowed Naruto one of his conditions he'd ignore the other ones?
Bracing himself he took a deep breath and pulled Naruto closer, locking their lips together. He'd expected it to be short, like three seconds maybe, but Naruto apparently didn't have the same idea. Tan hands buried themselves in Sasuke's hair, tilting his head slightly to the side so that their mouths slanted together, and oh, this wasn't what he'd planned at all.
Instead he felt heat blossom inside his chest, gripping the sweater even harder as little shivers made their way down his sides. And Naruto's lips were moving, slowly dragging over his only to part and repeat the action over again. He was forced to breathe through his nose, mouth much too occupied even though he tried desperately to draw in air in the short moments that they weren't glued to each other.
Naruto's hands were combing enthusiastically through his hair, thumbs stroking along his cheekbones and underneath his ears. It was clear to Sasuke that he must have learnt this while travelling with Jiraiya, some kind of seduction technique to use on targets, because he sure as hell wouldn't be able to defend himself against an enemy attack right now.
Hell, he had enough trouble remembering which way was up and which was down.
After what felt like an eternity Naruto finally slowed down, pressing short kisses to his tingling lips, some of them lingering, until Sasuke made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. Naruto pulled back with a breathless laugh, as if Sasuke's complete state of disarray was funny to him. He shouldn't be surprised.
"See, that wasn't so bad, right?" Naruto told him, starting to pat down his hair. "And you even started it so you can't deny it!"
Sasuke quietly seethed, though he hadn't even opened his eyes yet. He was sure that, if he did, he'd find out that he was actually upside down after all.
"Okay, I'll go back inside and finish up," Naruto added, giving him a few final pats and a kiss on the nose.
If Sasuke hadn't felt frozen in time he would have hit him for that. Definitely. As it was, he focused on stopping the trembling of his limbs, letting his hand fall limp to his lap when Naruto stood up.
"Or we could, like, skip it and go conti-"
"Just go!" Sasuke hissed at him, his eyes opening into slits only to see Naruto's face split in two from how wide he was grinning. "Idiot."
Naruto snickered, but quickly shut up when Sasuke glared death at him.
"Okay okay, I'm going!"
Still, he hesitated, weighing on his heels and scratching his neck. Teeth dug into his bottom lip, but when Sasuke reached for the chair next to him he jumped back, sticking his tongue out.
"You totally liked it," he teased, then hurriedly opened the door and slunk inside.
Once he was gone Sasuke slumped into the chair, sighing deeply. He had a feeling things would only get worse from here on.
xxx
"Ah, Naruto?"
Orochimaru's question fell on deaf ears as Naruto sank down to the floor, holding his palms to the sides of his face and trying his best not to squeal in happiness. Sasuke kissed him! Sasuke kissed him!
He probably just did it to shut you up, Kurama suggested, but Naruto didn't listen to him either.
Now that they had finally confessed to each other, Kurama just wanted a new way to tease him.
Aaah Naruto was going to combust from pure happiness! It had taken every ounce of self control to play it cool in front of Sasuke, because he knew for sure that if he let Sasuke think for an instance that he could wriggle his way out then he would take that chance. He really didn't know what was best for him.
Naruto's grin widened as he snickered to himself. Oh, the things he had seen! During dinner he'd had time to properly sort through everything, and now that Sasuke agreed to holding hands and even kissed him, well.
You just need to get over the whole nervous twelve-year-old thing first. Not to mention your third condition, kid.
Naruto frowned. So what if he was a little nervous! And as for sending one of his clones after Sasuke's team, well, what Sasuke didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?
Besides, right now he had more important things to think about. Like sneaking another kiss out of Sasuke! It was his new top priority mission!
"Naruto?" Orochimaru tried again, and reluctantly Naruto returned to the outside world.
"He can go on the mission," he said dismissively, getting up to sit on the chair again.
After all, it's not like Sasuke couldn't take care of himself, anyway. The only problem was that they couldn't kiss during the days he was gone.
Oh, he was going to suffer.
I'm starting to think that Sasuke has conveniently forgotten all positive words in existence lol. Anyway, the mission draws nearer! But first we must have some fun at the spa:D Also, we'll get to find out just exactly what it was Naruto saw soon enough, don't worry~
