[Warning: some sexual content.]

Chapter Seven

An Invitation

Naruto had knocked on the bathroom door, but when he'd tried to open it, it was locked. Naruto took this as a sign that Sasuke wanted space. He'd pushed the limits enough today, and Sai was waiting for him to get home. Not that he was a planner, but he could have done better, for he'd really hoped he could stay the night. Walking home in the dark, again, the night air chilled his cheeks, and his wrinkled, dirtied school clothes felt rough against his skin. He hopped over sidewalk cracks, trying his best to stay upright. Sai wouldn't be happy that he'd been drinking, but he didn't want to make a spectacle and rouse his foster parents from sleep. Now that he and Sai were closer, he felt that he had someone in his corner to help him through this thing with Sasuke, even if he didn't share all the details. Sai was genuinely concerned about him, and that felt nice.

"I wonder if I could be that person for Sasuke," Naruto said, skipping over the next sidewalk crack. "Does he want me to be?"

Naruto stopped, looked up at the sky, and wondered, I still don't understand him at all, do I?

When he got home, all the lights were out already, so he tiptoed upstairs, where Sai's door was left cracked. Naruto opened the door slowly and closed it behind him, and Sai remained at his desk with a sketchbook, ink, and a paintbrush in front of him, with a lamp lighting the work before him.

"I didn't mean to worry you, Sai," Naruto said.

Sai didn't look up, but said, "I know. In general, Sasuke keeps to himself, so his interest in you worries me."

"Is him liking me as a friend that surprising?"

"It's not that." Sai leaned back in his chair, testing the cracked plastic and Yamanaka Flowers logo on the back. "I just don't want you to get hurt—more than you already have."

Naruto sat on Sai's still-made bed; he could smell the soap and remembered he should probably do some laundry himself. He already missed the clean scent and feel of Sasuke's tidy apartment.

"I get it. I'll be careful. It's more complicated than you think." Naruto sighed. "I don't really get it either. All I know is he needs me, and if I can help him, I will. In fact, I think I already have."

"You smell like booze," Sai said suddenly. "So that's what she meant…"

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura. She asked if you liked to drink."

"What the hell? I've never drank before today."

"Why were you drinking at all?" Sai pressed.

"Just for fun, you know?" Naruto was flustered, and Sai was taking advantage.

"For school stuff, right?"

"To, um, loosen up."

"What does that mean? Does Sasuke drink a lot, or something?"

"I think this was his first time too." It was probably for the best that Sai didn't know the double meaning of that sentence.

"Fighting? Drinking? Am I helping my foster brother with a friend or supporting a bad-boy boyfriend?"

"You don't need to use the term boyfriend."

"That's what triggered you?" Sai got up from his desk and sat next to Naruto, which was when Naruto could see the concern on his face. "You said you owe me one, so here's my deal. If something goes wrong, tell me. That way I won't freak out if you disappear for hours and accidently out you to an overly curious pink-haired classmate."

Naruto chuckled. "Sure thing—I mean, deal. You should give sake a try, though, man. It really eases the nerves."

Finally, Sai laughed. "Yeah, apparently, I've been missing out."

[break]

Sasuke heard Naruto leave after he'd tried to open the door to the bathroom, and the hot water from the shower was slowly bringing him back to the present. At least Naruto was intuitive enough to know that he wanted to be left alone. Sasuke scrubbed his skin harder than he had after he and Sakura had been together, now wanting to start fresh. The sake still clouded his mind, but as the haze cleared, he washed away whatever trace he could. For the first time in years, he felt like crying. He'd become too vulnerable, too easily influenced by these two people in his life. He began to fear that he was losing sight of his goal, which was unacceptable. The only advantage he had was that Naruto was now connected with him, wanting to give him whatever he wanted. That much he could tell. But Sakura was growing too curious, and though it was probably smarter to push her away, he wasn't sure he was capable at this point. While Naruto riled him up and brought out urges and desires he didn't know he'd had, Sakura brought a calm and peace that kept him from falling deeper into the darkness that called to him each night Itachi's return grew closer.

Sasuke turned off the shower, wrapped himself in a towel, and then turned on the bath spout. He didn't feel clean yet, so maybe soaking in the bath would do the job. While he waited for the tub to fill, he looked in the mirror. His hair clung to his face, his dark eyes looked hollow and lost, and his skin was marked up from Naruto's violence and passion.

"I hardly recognize myself," Sasuke said, pressing his forehead against the glass.

It sounded like the bath behind him was almost full, but he kept staring deeper, losing himself further.

Sasuke fell asleep in the bathtub, woken up by his phone vibrating on the counter. His fingers were beyond pruned, and he wondered if he'd slipped and become completely submerged if he'd have even noticed. The exhaustion had hit him hard. He got out of the tub but just missed answering the call, which had been from his caseworker, the one who occasionally checked in when she suspected Itachi was gone for too long or not performing his guardian duties. He'd call her back tomorrow, but that's when he remembered Jiraiya, whom Naruto had a connection with—the one who might know something about that night.

Then he noticed a group text Sakura had started.

SAKURA: Let's meet at the coffee shop tomorrow at eleven. I know it's the weekend, but we have a few chapters due next week.

So casual…like life hadn't been turned upside down.

NARUTO: Sure.

Being with the two of them together so soon made Sasuke anxious.

SASUKE: I'm busy.

Sakura responded immediately.

SAKURA: No you're not.

Did she really just call him out like that?

SASUKE: Fine.

NARUTO: ?

SASUKE: I'll be there.

The next day, after a rough night's sleep, Sasuke threw on a blue T-shirt and jeans and headed for the coffee shop. He wasn't sure what he'd have to contribute for the novella, but he doubted that's what this was really about. Sasuke suspected that Sakura knew Naruto had been in his apartment yesterday, but he'd be able to dodge her questions and get her to back off. She was sitting at the table by the window when he arrived, and he took the seat next to her. The short pink skirt and white strappy top flattered her, and her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, with loose strands cascading over her shoulders. He was tempted to tell her she looked beautiful, but he was on guard, waiting for her barrage of questions.

"Naruto's late," she said, keeping her eyes on the notebook in front of her.

Sasuke leaned over to see what she was writing—just bullets of possible plot points. He was about to asked what other ideas she had when she asked, "You're okay, right?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said quickly.

Without looking at him, she grabbed his hand beneath the table and squeezed it. He was surprised, but he soon relaxed and lightly squeezed back.

"I promise I won't ask too many questions," she said. "From the looks of it, you and Naruto haven't fought lately."

That much was true. "He hurt his knuckle," Sasuke explained, hoping that'd be the end of it.

Sakura leaned into his shoulder and let out a breath. She winced, like she was holding something back.

"I'm all right, Sakura," Sasuke said.

She leaned away to look up at him, and being so close, Sasuke was tempted to kiss her. She was so caring, and the anxieties of whatever came next started to waver as the easiness of being with her settled in.

Sakura smiled, then kissed him delicately on the cheek. "I knew he'd be late."

The coffee shop door swung open, and Naruto came barraging in.

"Only by a few minutes," Naruto said before Sakura could scold him.

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura said, letting go of Sasuke's hand beneath the table. "Just means the coffee's on you."

"Hope you like drip," he said.

"Two sugars," she said.

"Black for me," Sasuke said, enjoying Naruto's predicament.

Naruto seemed surprised they were ganging up on him, but he shrugged and headed for the counter, meeting Sasuke's eye before passing. At least with the two of them together, they wouldn't be able to interrogate him too much.

"Free coffee," Sakura said with a laugh, then started jotting more notes in her notebook.

Sasuke placed his hand on her thigh for just a moment and she jumped but kept writing. He pulled her closer, keeping a firm grip on her inner thigh. Sakura looked at him, and he felt the urge to kiss her again, but this tight proximity was enough for now. She smiled again, then placed her hand on top of his, letting him know she wanted to be close to him too.

The moment was short lived, for three basic coffees were ready quickly. Naruto carefully carried them to their table.

"No pastries?" Sakura said as he set the drinks on the table. Sasuke heard her sigh slightly when he released her leg, for he didn't want Naruto to see. He had to play this right. Right now, he wanted—no, needed—them both.

"Ha, ha," Naruto said, taking the seat across from them.

They worked on the novella, with Naruto throwing ideas into the wind, Sakura taking down everyone's contributions, and Sasuke putting each point together, so it made some sort of sense. Naruto managed to make Sasuke laugh for a second when he suggested adding a peeping scene. He'd only laughed because Sakura hit him in the arm right after he'd said it.

"Ow," Naruto said, rubbing his arm. "It was just a joke. Jiraiya always says stuff like that and never gets hit." Sasuke perked up. "Well, actually, this one time this blond lady…"

"Do you see him often?" Sasuke asked, keeping his voice level.

"Not really, but he makes time for me when he can," Naruto said, not seeming to put much weight on Sasuke's question. "I think he's around, actually. He promised me lunch, and after blowing cash on coffee for being fashionably late, I could use some."

Naruto pulled out his phone and started typing. Sasuke's next question was on the tip of his tongue when Tenten walked through the door with Neji and Lee trailing behind her.

"It smells so good in here," she said, then spotted their table. "Oh, hey!"

Tenten waved politely, but her eyes lingered on Sasuke. Sakura must have noticed, because she moved her foot next to his, barely touching it.

"Sakura!" Lee shouted when he came in, catching the attention of others in the shop. "It's good to see you!"

"Hi, Lee," Sakura said, and she may have even blushed.

Sasuke clenched his fist on his leg, and then, when he was sure no one was looking, his palm found Sakura's knee. She looked straight at Lee.

"Tonight?" Naruto said, pulling Sasuke back to the conversation.

"It'll be fun," Tenten said.

Neji crossed his arms. "It's at my place, and don't go telling everyone," he said.

"Neji's parties tend to get a little," Tenten paused, "rowdy."

"You're such a rowdy guy, aren't you, Neji?" Naruto teased.

"Just don't wreck my house," Neji said, looking stiffly at Lee.

"It was an accident!" Lee exclaimed.

"It could be fun," Sakura said.

Sasuke didn't say anything, merely picking up his coffee and sipping it with one hand and moving his other hand farther up Sakura's leg. He felt this overwhelming urge to protect her, and for some reason, a party didn't exactly sound safe.

"We're in," Naruto said.

"Do you speak for all of us now?" Sasuke jabbed.

"Hinata will be there," Tenten added, but Sasuke wasn't sure why that mattered.

"Don't be lame, Sasuke," Naruto said, kicking his leg under the table.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and drank more coffee.

"I want to go," Sakura said. "I think Ino might have said something about it."

Neji smiled. "Yeah, she's bringing that new kid Sai. I heard you had something to do with that, Naruto," Neji said.

Naruto rested his chin in his palm and waved them off with his other hand. "Sai's basically my brother, so I—"

Sakura knocked Naruto's arm out from under him, so he awkwardly fell against the tabletop. "Stop acting cool. It doesn't suit you. Besides, I'm sure Ino got a date on her own."

"Just because you don't have a date, Sakura, doesn't mean you have to take it out on me," Naruto said, rubbing his now-sore chin.

Sakura bit her lip, but Sasuke didn't say anything. He didn't like the way everyone was looking at her, like she had done something wrong. They didn't understand how stupid superficial things like this were, and the last thing he wanted to do was go to a party. Sasuke absentmindedly moved his hand so far up Sakura's leg that he felt her soft underwear against his fingers. If he had to go to this thing just to make sure nothing bad happened, he would. Plus, alcohol made Naruto chatty—among other things—so if he could score more insight on Jiraiya and what he knew about that night, the better.

Naruto was engaged in some sort of heated conversation with Lee while Sasuke thought about the best way to use this night to his advantage, knowing it would be tricky. He didn't like the way Lee had greeted Sakura either, like he had some sort of relationship with her. Did they? Was he missing something? He thought about all the times he'd seen Lee and Sakura together, which wasn't often, and as he went through his memory, his thumb moved Sakura's underwear to the side, and he stuck his pointer finger inside of her. Why, he didn't know, just thought maybe she needed some sort of reminder that yes, he did care, but so far, he'd fumbled with his words and had sent her all the wrong messages, only causing her to worry more. Maybe it was time to give up on words at all.

Tenten and Neji's attention were on Naruto and Lee's sudden determination to arm wrestle, so they didn't notice when Sakura made the same move Naruto had, placing her chin on her palm to hold her balance. Her cheeks were red, and beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, but it was clear she was doing her best to keep her composure.

Lee pulled up a chair and sat on the same side of the table as Naruto, ready to arm wrestle.

Tenten stood behind Lee and said, "My money is on Lee."

Neji took his place behind Naruto. "I've arm wrestled Lee before. His technique could use improvement."

"I'll take that as you being on my side, Neji," Naruto said, placing his elbow on the table.

"Don't count on it," Neji said coolly.

"Thanks a lot. What about you, Sasuke?" Naruto said, but he didn't even look at Sasuke, his eyes fixed on Lee.

"Sure," Sasuke said, which Naruto must have taken as encouragement, because he looked as ready as ever.

"Sakura, are you rooting for me?" Lee asked earnestly.

Sakura didn't say anything at first, but when Lee started to turn toward her, she said, "Yeah," quickly. Why would she say that? Did she want Lee to win?

"Sakura! I will win this battle of wits and strength for you!" Lee proclaimed.

What did Lee know, anyway? Sasuke moved his fingers in and out of Sakura, and he felt her get wetter and wetter, some even getting on the café chair. He wasn't thrilled seeing Naruto compete with someone else. With this display, he decided that if Naruto and Sakura went to the party, he had to go too.

When Naruto and Lee finally started, Tenten's cheering and Naruto's growl drowned out the sound of Sakura's gentle moan that she couldn't hold in anymore. Sakura grabbed Sasuke's thigh and held it tightly, trying to contain herself. Lee and Naruto struggled, but it looked like Lee had the advantage with his wrist position. Sakura took deep breaths, finding her rhythm again, and that was when Sasuke slipped in his middle finger alongside his pointer. Sakura covered her face with her hand, but if everyone weren't distracted, they'd know she was about to lose it.

"Naruto, your wrist is too straight. Curve it toward you," Sasuke said, remaining calm.

Naruto perked up and did as Sasuke said.

"Hey, no helping!" Tenten said.

"No one made that rule," Neji said.

Naruto curved his hand toward his body and kept his shoulder and arm perpendicular, while all Lee did was push harder, leaving himself open.

Sasuke pulled his fingers out of Sakura right as Naruto used enough leverage to pin Lee's arm to the table. Sasuke wiped his hand on a napkin and finished his coffee. Sakura leaned back in her chair and loosened her grip on his pants. He reached back under the table and caressed her hand.

"I win!" Naruto shouted.

"Damn it!" Lee said. "I need way more practice."

"You sure do," Neji said.

"Rematch tonight at the party?" Lee asked, desperate for another shot.

"Deal," Naruto said, and then he looked at Sasuke for assurance that he'd done well.

Sasuke shrugged. "I won't help you next time."
"Won't need it," Naruto said proudly.

Before they disrupted the other coffee shop patrons even more, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura left, but Sakura asked if Sasuke would stay behind for a moment.

"See you guys there?" Naruto asked, as if he could tell something was up and looked between the two of them a few times.

"It's not until later tonight," Sakura said, straightening out her skirt as she walked. "But yes, sounds good."

Naruto looked at Sasuke expectantly.

"Yeah, whatever," Sasuke said.

Naruto smiled and waved goodbye, taking his victory lap back home.

"Sasuke," Sakura said as soon as Naruto was out of sight, "I want to ask you about—"

Sasuke pulled Sakura into the alleyway between the coffee shop and the boutique next door. All that was between the two buildings was a dumpster and a recycling pile, which he pulled her between. A gray cat meowed at the back door of the café, waiting for scraps. Deciding to keep to his prerogative that words weren't working for now, Sasuke pressed Sakura up against the wall and kissed her. Whatever was on Sakura's mind could wait, especially if it was about yesterday. It didn't matter right now, and his affection toward her was more complicated than Sasuke could express.

Sakura kissed him back, moving her tongue with his as soon as she was able. She laced her fingers through his hair and pulled him as close as she could. But Sakura was smart, and Sasuke doubted he was going to be able to subdue her questions easily. They stayed there a while, and Sasuke kissed her until his lips felt numb. The rest of the world didn't exist when he was kissing her, and finally, between breaths, he said, "I promise, there will be more."

What more entailed was a mystery, but it felt like the right thing to say.

When he pulled away, Sakura smiled and then grabbed his front pockets and brought him back to her. "Okay," she said, and this time took the initiative to kiss him, playfully, like there would be much, much more.

[Let me know what you think will (or want to) happen at Neji's party! Please favorite and review—I always appreciate the motivation.]