Trying to Stay Positive

G0P0

Naruto loves his life.

He wakes up in time with the rising of the sun, enjoying the warmth of Sasuke's naked body pressed up against him. He keeps his eyes closed so that he can listen to his husband's soft breathing. Good, he's still asleep. 'That means I can hold him like this a little longer' Naruto thinks as he presses his lips against a pale shoulder. His intentions were originally pure but he wasn't a student of the Pervy Sage for nothing. As if it had a mind of its own, his hand starts wandering down south. "You're going to be late for work," Sasuke says without opening his eyes. The Seventh Hokage groans loudly as he gets out of bed.

After a quick shower and a change into his work clothes, Naruto makes his way downstairs. Sasuke has a pot boiling on the stove. Naruto smiles at the routine they have fallen into. Sasuke uses the water first to make his coffee and Naruto uses what's leftover to cook some instant ramen. Breakfast is the only time of day that Sasuke isn't on Naruto's ass to eat healthy. Mostly because Sasuke prefers not to eat breakfast himself.

The couple talk about their plans for the day in the kitchen before they're interrupted by Shikamaru who has come to pick up Naruto. Sasuke waves goodbye to the blond but that's not enough for his husband. Naruto grabs Sasuke and gives him a proper goodbye kiss. "What a drag!" the dark haired man rolls his eyes. Naruto snickers as he waves Sasuke goodbye and he and Shikamaru make their way to the Hokage's Office.

Naruto's not sure how much he loves the paperwork that comes with being Hokage but what he is sure about is that he loves being Hokage because of all the wonderful people he gets to meet. Whether it's the excitement he gets from giving a new genin team their first mission or congratulating returning jounin after a difficult one, Naruto loves meeting everyone. Sometimes Sakura joins him for lunch during her break between cases at the hospital. He loves her company. He loves Kiba's company too when he brings Akamaru over for a welcomed dog break. And then there's Sai, Ino, Hinata - oh and even Rock Lee. Heck, he doesn't even mind Konohamaru hounding him to get his paperwork done (okay maybe he does). Naruto loves being around people and people love being around him too.

Naruto tries to come home before sunset. He acknowledges he's not always successful. As happy as everyone else makes him, he is at his happiest when he's home with Sasuke. Sasuke greets him with a 'Welcome home' and the smell of curry coming from the kitchen. Now as much as he loves Sasuke (and most assuredly he loves him more than everything else in the whole wide world), his cooking simply cannot top the taste of instant ramen. Probably because it was "healthy". Still Naruto eats it happily because he loves Sasuke. Loves the amount of effort and care Sasuke puts into making a meal for him. Loves that he can chat about anything and everything over dinner with the one that he loves most.

Naruto's favourite time of day is bedtime because that's when he and Sasuke make love. Sasuke, who is normally so proud, is unashamed in how he displays himself before his lover's naked gaze. Sasuke, who's so silent in almost every other situation, suddenly becomes very vocal under his touch. Naruto loves how Sasuke calls out to him in the throes of passion. Tells him how much he wants him - no needs him as he nears his climax. Naruto isn't far behind.

Naruto pulls his husband, lover and best friend into him. He can't fall asleep anymore unless Sasuke is in his arms. As Naruto slowly drifts off to sleep to the sound of Sasuke's soft breathing, he can confidently say that: yes, he is happy.

Sasuke is content with his life.

He wakes up to the sensation of Naruto's very unsubtle attempts at a continuation of last night's activities. Despite the fact that the blond has never been successful, he never stops trying. Maybe that's what Sasuke loves about him. The idiot never gives up. One of these days maybe Sasuke will let him have his way. But today is not that day. "You're going to be late for work," Sasuke says without opening his eyes. The dark haired man can't help but smirk when he hears his husband groan loudly as he gets out of bed.

While Naruto is in the shower, Sasuke heads downstairs to the kitchen. As he fills the pot with water, he looks at the gold wedding band on his left hand. Uzumaki Sasuke huh. Konoha got their way in the end and Itachi really was the last Uchiha. Sasuke is at peace with his decision, having come to terms with everything that happened to him and more importantly with everything that he did in the past. When Sasuke married Naruto, he felt that he could finally forget his past because Naruto is his future.

By the time that Naruto comes down, Sasuke is sipping his coffee in peace. He can't say he's impressed when the blond idiot grabs his morning instant ramen. Normally Sasuke would mock anyone who was that daft but Naruto has always been his weakness. Even before Sasuke ever acknowledged that strange word known as 'love' between them, the dark haired boy and later man always made concessions for Naruto because he was Naruto. Dumb, block headed, stubborn, passionate, caring Naruto. When they were children, Sasuke would permit Naruto to touch him when they shook hands (more fingers really). When they were genin, Sasuke would allow Naruto to wrap his arm around him. When they were teenagers, Sasuke let Naruto bring him back to the Leaf Village.

Over breakfast (not that Sasuke eats anything), Naruto tells Sasuke about a new genin team, how an A ranked mission given to a group chunin might be enough to push them into jounin status or how the ANBU black-ops discovered this or that in some village or other. Sasuke listens quietly as he sips his coffee. The dark haired man will add a sentence here or there about his duties at work but mostly he prefers to let Naruto do all the talking. The couple are interrupted as someone comes to pick up Naruto. Naruto gives him a goodbye kiss before he goes and even though Sasuke tells himself to stop the idiot from such open displays of affection, so far he hasn't been able to tell his husband off.

Sasuke showers after Naruto leaves. He changes into his uniform and heads towards the Konoha Police Headquarters. He surveys the village for any signs of suspicious activity. He does this because only the best ninja can bring other ninjas to justice. Sasuke prefers to eat lunch on a rooftop so that he has a full view of the village below. He's always preferred being on his own. The dark haired man finishes the rest of his rounds without much fuss.

Sasuke usually comes home a few hours before Naruto does. He cooks for them because heaven knows Naruto can't cook to save his life. Sasuke doesn't mind so long as it's Naruto's life we're talking about. Tonight he's making mapo tofu. Sasuke does a quick taste test. Hmm Naruto might like it a little sweeter. The raven adds a bit of sugar to the dish. He doesn't understand why he does this when Naruto has never once complained about his cooking and has only ever happily eaten his food. He hears the door open. "Welcome home," Sasuke says.

Everyone knows that after dinner comes dessert. Now Uzumaki Sasuke is not to indulge in sweets. He is, however, one to indulge in Naruto. Naruto, who can never shut up in almost every other context, is speechless when Sasuke's naked under him. Naruto, who has never been known for his subtly, leaves light touches all over his body that drive Sasuke wild. Sasuke loves how caring Naruto is. The idiot has always cared too much. He is certainly a generous lover. Sasuke always finishes first.

Sasuke gets pulled into his husband's arms. The dark haired man finds he can't fall asleep any other way. As he slowly drifts off to sleep with Naruto pressed up against him, he can confidently say that he is perfectly content.

Important events in Naruto and Sasuke's relationship tended to involve alcohol of some sort. Take their first kiss for example.

Naruto and Sasuke were out with the Konoha 12 celebrating the handful of them who had been promoted to the rank of jounin. Two of which included the blond idiot and the black haired tsundere. The bar was filled to the brim with excited chatter as the teenagers discussed how far they had come and where they wanted to go. Uncharacteristically, even Sasuke was smiling. He mingled in his own reserved way with his former classmates. He had a couple of beers (nothing he couldn't handle he thought) and his face was somewhat flushed. Despite the fact that he was slowly getting accustomed to the idea of being around others, he was really only comfortable with one person. He made his way through the crowd to find that person.

Strangely enough, Naruto was nowhere to be found. Weird. Now that Sasuke thought about it, when was the last time he wasn't with Naruto? They had been growing progressively closer lately since Sasuke's started reintegrating back into the Leaf Village and the two were practically inseparable these days. Well that was until Naruto started acting weird whenever Sasuke was around. The Uchiha couldn't put his finger on what the cause of it was but whatever it was, that blond idiot better not be trying to distance himself from him.

Sasuke eventually found Naruto sitting on the steps of a door on the side of the bar, a handful of empty beer cans by his feet. Naruto was uncharacteristically silent, a can in his hand. Sasuke sighed as he took a seat next to his best friend, "What's wrong?".

"Nothing…" Naruto replied.

"Doesn't sound like nothing."

"..."

"I know you've been avoiding me lately."

"No, I haven't…"

"..." Sasuke was growing annoyed with how evasive Naruto was acting.

"..." Naruto averted his eyes.

Sasuke grabbed the blond and spun him around to look him in the eyes. Blue eyes met black ones. "Look if you've got a problem with me then why don't you just come out and say it!" Sasuke growled.

"I can't!"

"Why not?!"

"I'm afraid! Afraid of what will happen if I do..."

Afraid?! The world's greatest loudmouth was afraid to speak his mind?! What was going on?! Sasuke sighed as he let the blond go. He counted three beer cans on the ground. "Everyone knows you're a lightweight, Naruto. I think you've consumed enough liquid courage to say or do whatever it is you need to do," Sasuke said. Now it's his turn to look away from Naruto. He stuffed his hands in his pocket like he did when he was twelve, like he still does all the time even now.

"Sasuke?" Naruto says softly.

"WHAT - " Sasuke snaps as he turns around. He immediately forgets what he was going to say next when Naruto kisses him. Sasuke immediately thinks about his first kiss. The feeling of faces smashing into each other as a result of Naruto being pushed into Sasuke when they were twelve in the Academy. This was nothing like that. Naruto's lips feel soft. His hands gripping Sasuke's shoulders are gentle. Sasuke has never felt anything wrong when it comes to Naruto. Naruto has always been good. Naruto has always been right. Sasuke closes his eyes and kisses him back.

Naruto kisses him again but this time it's different. Before Sasuke knows it, he is pushed up against a wall in the back alley, Naruto's lips never leaving his own. The blond's kisses are hungry in nature as if he's been starving his entire life. Sasuke can hardly keep up, becoming increasingly intoxicated with the taste of the man in front of him. The Uchiha feels his skin burning when Naruto slips a hand under his shirt to feel the skin underneath.

"Wait," Sasuke interrupts them, pushing the blond away.

"What is it?" Naruto asks, his words slurred due to the alcohol.

"I'm saving myself for marriage."

"WHAT?!"

Alcohol may or may not have been involved the first time Naruto and Sasuke slept together.

Naruto is all smiles as he is named the Seventh Hokage. People are congratulating him! Him! People are toasting him! Him! He helps himself to the celebratory wine. His eyes scan the crowd for the one person he really wants to hear from. He catches sight of the black hair that he loves running his fingers through. Naruto wants to run to him. Wants to take him in his arms and swing him around in celebration, screaming at the top of his lungs that he did it.

Easier said than done when everyone is coming up to him, telling him they're so proud of him. Naruto stumbles out of the crowd and there Sasuke is. Sasuke is all smiles as he raises a glass to the new Seventh Hokage. "Congratulations, Naruto," his precious person offers him a toast. "I always knew you could do it." Damnit. Naruto, who has uncharacteristically maintained his composure all day, starts to cry. He wants to kiss Sasuke senseless. But they're in public and Sasuke might actually run him through with the chidori if he tried.

What they do when they're in private is another matter. "Where are we going?" Sasuke pesters as the blond leads him by the hand down an empty hall in the Academy. "Ssssh!" Naruto hushes him so they don't get caught. They stop in front of a door that Sasuke is all too familiar with: The Hokage's Office. "This is my office," Naruto says proudly.

The moment they are in the room, Naruto is all over him. His kisses are feverish and his hands are everywhere. Sasuke wraps his arms around the blond and relents to fervent caresses. He threads his fingers through golden blond hair, soft moans escape his lips as feels himself growing aroused. And then tanned hands start tugging on the waistband of his pants. A hard tug puts an end to that.

"OW!" Naruto yelps, rubbing the top of his head. "What did you do that for?!"

"No sex until marriage."

Naruto groans loudly. Stupid Sasuke and his traditionalist values! "Today's special! Don't I deserve something special? By the order of the Seventh Hokage, I demand a treat!"

"I really hope you're not abusing your power less than twenty four hours after becoming Hokage by pressuring your subordinate to sleep with you."

Damn it, Sasuke's got him there. "...Can I sleep over at your place tonight?"

"Not a chance."

Naruto's crestfallen. "Will you at least consider sleeping over at mine?"

Sasuke thinks about it for a second. "...I'll consider it"

Success! That night, Naruto and Sasuke sleep together for the first time. Just not in the way the blond was hoping for.

Alcohol was definitely involved the first time Naruto and Sasuke had sex.

Naruto dressed in his Hokage's robes stares blankly at his fifth cup of sake. Everything around him is a blur. What was even real anymore? He didn't trust his senses. He didn't trust himself. Ever since he heard the news, how could he not doubt himself? Did he make the right decision? The blond was spiralling, his mind swirling like the sake in his hand.

"I thought I'd find you here," a voice brings him back to reality. Naruto looks up from his cup to see Sasuke standing in front of him. "Sakura is worried about you."

"Why?" Naruto snaps. "I'm fine!"

"We both know you're a lightweight and I strongly suspect that's not your first drink."

"It's fine! I can handle it!"

"Naruto…"

"She wouldn't understand anyways! No one understands!"

Sasuke takes a seat across from the Seventh Hokage and orders himself a bottle of sake. "Then tell me, Naruto… I understand."

Sasuke has always understood. "I always wanted to be Hokage so that the whole village would respect me. So that I would matter. So that my words would matter. But I - I -" Naruto starts choking up near the end of his sentence. "I didn't know that my words would be a death sentence. You don't understand, Sasuke, they were genins. It was supposed to be a straightforward D ranked mission and now they're all gone!". The Seventh Hokage was a wreck now.

Sasuke downs his cup in one go. "You know we were the same age when we went to the Land of Waves."

"That was different! We were different - "

"You were different. You still are. You see the good in everything despite what has happened to you. Your ninja way is peace and you must trust that the decisions you make are the best ones you can make in that very moment."

The two men raise a glass and drink.

Sasuke grunts as he supports a very drunk Naruto home. The Uchiha compound is closer so the raven thought it best to bring him there. Sasuke lugs the idiot up the stairs to his own personal bedroom. Naruto can stay here for the night so he can sober up -

Naruto grabs Sasuke and kisses him passionately. He needs Sasuke. Needs all of Sasuke. Sasuke closes his eyes and gives him just that.

Naruto wakes up the next morning with a raging headache. Damn it, why did he have to wake up? He had the most amazing dream where he and Sasuke consummated their relationship. It was as if Sasuke's touch was able to heal all of Naruto's scars, old ones and new. He bites his lip thinking about Sasuke's pale skin in the moonlight, dark eyes hooded with passion and soft moans whispering how much he loves him. It was so realistic - he's growing hard just thinking about it. No, now was not the time for dirty thoughts like that. He needed to do something about his hangover. He rolled over…

And there was Sasuke sleeping peacefully next to him. His naked skin, the same white as it was in Naruto's "dream". Sasuke blinks slowly as he starts waking up, dark eyes hooded. Naruto's face goes bright red as he realizes that last night was no dream. "What are you staring at, idiot?" Sasuke murmurs, still half asleep.

Naruto leaps out of the covers and gets on his knees, not caring that he is stark naked as he does so. "What are you doing, dead last?" Sasuke asks again, his hangover affecting the tone of his voice.

Naruto bows deeply. "I'm so sorry! I know how much you cared about your virginity -"

"It's fine," the dark haired man interrupts him nonchalantly, looking away lest his lover see a faint blush on his face.

Naruto stares at him.

"It's fine if it's you," Sasuke reiterates.

Naruto offers him no response. The silence is killing him. Sasuke turns back to glare at the idiot giving him a headache only slightly worse than his hangover. He's confused when he sees the blond grinning. "What?" Sasuke snaps.

"...Guess that means I'll have to marry you now!"

Because that's just how they are. Naruto pushes. Sasuke pulls.