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

Summary: Sasuke is tired. Sasuke is hungry. Sasuke is...well, hunting, now. Vampire AU, SNS, will be explicit. Two years later...it's done! New chapter will be up every day until the fic is finished!

A/N: It's 2022! Happy first day of the new year! I hope this has been a nice little winter holiday/new year gift, even if it's not totally on theme haha. Thank you all for being here, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Bite Me

Chapter 6: Quality Time

Naruto showed up at Sasuke's door three more times, uninvited. To be fair, they'd all been times where Sasuke had been trapped in his apartment with nothing to do, and every time his grumpy facade hadn't been able to fool Naruto for even a second—

But still. Technically uninvited.

He had been invited, though, two other times. Once after art class and once before—Naruto'd made it a habit of walking a little out of his way to follow the paths that he knew Sasuke would take, and Sasuke obviously knew it. It'd gotten easier and easier to get that stoic face to crack a smile over the past two weeks, and Naruto couldn't get enough.

'Aw, why not? You could model all their clothes and everybody would just think you were acting all the time. Girls would probably line up to let you bite them.'

Still, he'd also held stubbornly strong. Naruto had put the offer on the table and left it there, but the guy had yet to take it. He'd seemed okay, but then Naruto hadn't seen him since last week, so who knew how he was doing now.

'Beyond the fact that I hate literally every word of what you just said, the mall opens when the sun is already up.'

Naruto laughed and rolled his eyes, tapping the tips of his feet along the floor as he typed a reply.

'So? Don't you usually cover yourself with clothes anyway? You've got that big hood all the time.'

He felt like he was laughing every time Sasuke talked to him.

"Have you ever had heat stroke, moron? Did putting on more layers help?"

Naruto's smile widened—

"Sasuke again, hm?"

Naruto jumped.

"Oh—yeah, dad, sorry, I just—sorry—"

"That's alright," Iruka said, smiling. "I know you have good reason to be a bit...distracted."

Well, he, uh—

'Besides, I got the last job.'

Naruto gaped at his phone.

'YOU GOT THE JOB SASUKEEEEE WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME! You ass!'

"You really like him, don't you?"

Naruto jumped again, sucking in a small breath.

"Uh, well," he said, looking away, "was it that...um. Obvious?"

Iruka laughed at him.

"Naruto," he said seriously, "I haven't seen you this distracted since the day I was trying to adopt you. Remind me when you two started dating?"

Naruto ducked his head, using it as an excuse to think—

'You didn't ask.'

"Um, just the night before the class I, uh, passed out," he said, looking up. "That was our first one."

'I assumed you'd say something if you got it! I'm with my dad right now but I'll call after. If he asks, we started dating that night k?'

Iruka's smile widened.

"Falling fast," he commented.

'That night? How romantic.'

"Shut up, dad," Naruto groaned, spinning around back to the kitchen so he could get some privacy about this—

Not that—not that he needed any. It was fake. This was fake. Crap, this was already fucking with his head.

'A knife and a mutual near death experience, and we've been inseparable ever since. Did you share those details with him?'

'NO, ASSHOLE'

"I'm just saying," Iruka said, following him easily, "be careful. Have you already set boundaries?"

Well, uh, Sasuke couldn't drink his blood any time he wanted if that was what Iruka meant—

'Tell him you're just using me for my money.'

"Huh?"

'Not this shit again! You have no money anyway!'

"Are you two exclusive? Casual? People get hurt if you don't talk about these things, you know—"

'He doesn't know that.'

"We—I—dad, please, I'm—"

"And I know it's not always convenient, but in a new relationship like this, it's especially important to use protectio—"

"DAD!"

Iruka laughed.

"Okay, okay," he said, "I know; you're an adult. I'll head down to the school—we've got a few meetings today, but call me if you need me."

'For sex, then.'

'WHY IS THAT WHERE EVERYBODY GOES?!'

"Wait, you—uh, did you need help at all? I've got the day," Naruto said, following his father to the door. "You might need your good luck charm."

'Oh, it was that kind of conversation, was it?'

Iruka laughed and ruffled his hair.

"I always need my good luck charm," he said, his smile soft and warm. "But you already help me every chance you get. Take some time to yourself. Or actually get your paperwork done. Or, ah—take it as some...quality time."

"Dad," Naruto groaned helplessly—but Iruka only laughed, slipping out the door.

"I'll call you if I need you. Have fun!"

"Uh-huh," Naruto said, rolling his eyes a little. He couldn't fight the smile though—moments like these still felt weirdly new to him. Like an awesome, dreamy kind of new—like he couldn't believe he had a dad to embarrass him. It'd been years, but it still felt so...

"Oh, Sasuke!"

Naruto straightened up.

"Good to see you—here, here, come in."

Oh, he did not—

Naruto made it to the railing just in time to see Sasuke step through the door.

"Thank you," he said, looking up to catch Naruto's eye with such a smug look—that absolute bastard—

"I'll, ah, see you two soon!"

"Yup," Naruto called down, "bye dad."

The door closed.

Naruto crossed his arms and waited for Sasuke to come up the stairs.

"You crafty motherfucker," he greeted him.

"I didn't plan that," Sasuke replied, but the smile on his face told Naruto he was far happier about all this than he had any goddamn right to be—

"And a liar, too," Naruto said, stepping up to him.

"I didn't," Sasuke insisted. "I thought you were at the classroom with him. I was going to wait out here until you were done."

Naruto raised his eyebrows. He probably had his answer but—

"How're you holding up?"

Sasuke's smile fell away.

"That bad, huh?" Naruto said, in response to Sasuke's quiet...resignation.

"I…"

"I know," Naruto said. "You held out for ages 'cause you hate doing it. You know, I was gonna save this moment for something special—come in, Sasuke."

Naruto turned around and held the door open for Sasuke's poor vampire self. He got a sad half-smile in response—that fatigue was back to Sasuke's movements now. Not as bad, but he was tired and slow, just like he'd been…

"Sorry about the mess," Naruto said, locking the door behind him. "It's always gonna be like this unless you give me at least three days warning you're gonna visit. I hate cleaning."

"It's fine," came Sasuke's voice, and Naruto turned to see him pulling his hood further down, shuffling away—

"Oh—oh shit, let me get the blinds, hang on—!" Naruto jumped up to the window, shoving them as far together as they would go. A bit of light still streamed through them, so—

"You okay?" he asked, jogging back up to Sasuke. "Let's—hang on, come to the bedroom, there's no windows in there. And I have black sheets! I bought them last—"

"Okay," Sasuke said softly, stumbling with him. He was looking even sicker than he had a moment ago—

"Jesus," Naruto said, shutting the door behind them as Sasuke fell back on the bed. "How did you even make it here? Why are you even out during the day?"

"Uncomfortably," Sasuke answered, shaking his head until his hood fell off, "and I couldn't sleep."

Naruto threw his hands in the air.

"What did I tell you about not letting it get to this point?"

"I didn't want to—it hasn't been that long!" Sasuke protested. "It—hang on. Hang on."

Sasuke leaned over the edge of the bed, and Naruto was immediately at his side, hand on his shoulder to stabilize him a bit—

"I was—I was trying to see if I could—could just stay with the butcher shop or something," Sasuke said, breathing slowly.

"...You couldn't?"

"For a little while, I could," he said. "I got what I could afford. It takes...more."

"Well," Naruto laughed a little, "I'm glad you came here instead of trying to rob the place."

Sasuke huffed out a laugh.

"...I considered it."

"Dumbass."

"Like you're one to talk."

Naruto rolled his eyes and straightened up.

"Okay, here's the deal," he said. "This is how it's gonna go: I'm gonna ask you questions, and every time I do, you have to stop to answer. You'll see how you feel, I'll see how I feel, and we can keep going if you need. If you don't stop, I'll make you. Got it?"

Sasuke blinked.

"Oh. I..."

"Yeah. I mean, we could also like—use a timer or something, but I thought this would kinda have the same effect."

"Yes, that…"

Naruto smiled a little.

"Am I finally convincing you it's gonna be fine?"

Sasuke's tired lips twitched.

"My fears are justified, moron."

"Yeah, well, your ways of dealing with them aren't. How should—uh, where do you—?"

"You should sit down."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Naruto said, awkwardly shuffling closer. "Um, my bed okay?"

"It's an upgrade to an alleyway. I appreciate the lack of windows."

Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, well, my plants don't. You two really aren't gonna get along, huh?"

Sasuke half-heartedly rolled his eyes.

"Go get something to drink, moron. Or eat, if you haven't. I can pay—"

"I already ate, Sasuke, relax. Dad brought food. I'll get myself more water, though. Want, uh," he paused, midway through the door, "oh. I guess I can't really offer you anything, can I?"

"...I could argue that you already are."

Naruto snorted and ducked out the door. He grabbed a cup—and then another, drinking the first as he came back in. Sasuke was eyeing him with the same tired, wary gaze...he maybe looked a bit better, but...

Naruto slid the cups onto his bedside table and sat down so he could prop his hand onto Sasuke's lap, palm up. Sasuke gently lifted it, opening his mouth as his eyes flickered to that glowing, blood-red—

"Are you going to watch?" Sasuke said, eyes fading as he let Naruto's hand fall again.

Naruto laughed.

"Why? You got performance anxiety or something?"

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered. "It's—the—it's normally not so...bright."

Naruto blinked.

"Oh!" He said, standing. "Crap, is it still bothering you? I can turn them off—"

"No," Sasuke said quickly, "no, artificial light is fine. That's not...I'm just…"

"Nervous? You've done it before."

"You weren't staring at me then. It's disgusting."

"Disgusting? I puked all over us both and you still sat with me," Naruto pointed out, laughing.

Sasuke breathed out a sigh in response, but Naruto only met his eyes. There was something serious and a little bit desperate in them, and as much as Naruto thought it was fine, it wasn't him he needed to convince—

"...Fine."

Naruto sat down and put his hand back to where it had been.

Sasuke took the offer. And his touch was gentle—gentler than it had been, as he picked Naruto's hand up again. His eyes caught Naruto's once more before they blazed to that glowing red, and Naruto tilted his head to keep watching as he leaned down, watching his teeth, watching his fangs grow again, that was so cool—Sasuke paused as his breath hit Naruto's skin, catching his gaze again as he hovered in place—

"Still not grossed out," Naruto told him, smiling.

Sasuke tentatively, slowly bit down.

It didn't feel all that different. Not as far as he could tell...there was still no pain—just the pressure, just the warmth and wetness of Sasuke's mouth, but something about Sasuke's eyes on him, as if watching for any hint that he should stop—

Oh—uh. Right. Yeah.

"Uh," Naruto said, trying to shake himself, "what does it taste like?"

Sasuke pulled back.

"It...I don't think it tastes any different to me," he said softly, running his thumb along the skin he'd bitten—still no mark, which was so weird... "Still—metallic, and...you know. Like blood."

Naruto scrunched up his nose.

"But it'sgood?"

"Some of it."

Naruto leaned over to scan Sasuke, feeling the grin on his face—

"S'mine good?"

Sasuke's eyes darted back to his, flashing that dangerous red—

"Why do you think I'm afraid I won't stop?"

Oh.

"That good? Really?" he asked, feeling kind of—kind of—irrationally flattered— "And dad's always on my back about my diet."

Naruto laughed again, and Sasuke let out a soft snort.

"I'm not...sure it's entirely about diet."

"No?" he said. "What is it about me, then? Genetics? Personality?"

Naruto waggled his eyebrows. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but Naruto saw the smile on his face.

"How are you feeling, moron?" he mumbled, and Naruto—oh, yeah, right. Sasuke—Sasuke would definitely want to know—

"Oh—yeah, I'm fine," Naruto laughed. "You can keep going, I'm good."

It took a sec, but Naruto watched Sasuke bite down again—with much less hesitation this time, and much more of something...well, he didn't reallyknow what it was, but Sasuke was pressing closer and breathing deeper and holding him tighter—

"Wait, so you said some blood is good? Is there some that isn't?"

Sasuke let out a soft noise, running his tongue along Naruto's wrist as he pulled back—Naruto swallowed and firmly ignored the—um. That—uh. That spike of—well, it'd been a while since he'd had a hot guy's tongue on his skin but that was no reason to be dumb about it, c'mon—

"There's some that isn't."

Naruto continued to stare at him until Sasuke finally relented.

"Fine. In...general—fresher is better. Veins aren't great." He paused, sucking in a long breath. "I've gotten...sick from a man who—well, I...don't think there was only alcohol in his system. And it, ah—frozen meat bothers me, sometimes, because it's really...it's meant to be warm, so when it's not, it—"

"Is it kinda gross to you?"

Sasuke nodded, eyes staying low before they looked up again.

"How do you feel?"

"Okay so far, I think," Naruto said, breathing in. "You?"

Sasuke looked back down.

"Still...I'm sorry."

"Don't be. S'what I'm offering. Does location matter? Like wrist or, like, foot—or whatever?"

Sasuke breathed in.

"Neck is...better. From what I've...had."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

"Wow, you really do fit the stereotype, huh?"

"Shut up," Sasuke said, throwing his hand back at him. Naruto took the momentum and ran, laughing—

"So, what—is it like the ultimate temptation when I do this?"

Naruto tilted his head back and to the side, exposing his neck for—

Ah. A very red-eyed Sasuke.

"You don't want to be doing that."

"I'm gonna keep doing it," Naruto said, watching him. "I might even let you come closer. Wanna come closer?"

Sasuke didn't even pause. Naruto grinned as he crawled along the bed, leaning further back as Sasuke pressed his face close to his neck—

"No biting, vampire."

Sasuke let out a pained noise.

"What are you doing?" he breathed, the warmth sending shivers through Naruto—

"Proving a point."

Sasuke pressed closer, one hand on Naruto's waist, squeezing tight—

"Okay," he whispered, "you proved it. Can I—?"

"Nope," Naruto told him. "Back up. You can't bite my neck."

Sasuke deflated.

"Right," he said quickly, pulling back, "right. Sorry. I—sorry, I don't know—"

Naruto laughed.

"Hey, Sasuke," he said, grinning. "What was that you were saying about not being able to stop yourself?"

Sasuke's head jerked up.

"You—"

"Told you," Naruto said, leaning back. "You can bite my neck for three seconds. I'm gonna count it down. Okay?"

Sasuke heaved out a breath, still staring—

"Are you going to stop me again?"

"No," Naruto said. "Just wanted to show you you could actually trust yourself. Come on."

Naruto tilted his head back again, letting Sasuke catch him by the waist as he moved forwards. He just—he felt this rush, every time Sasuke was around. Like a high, spiking every time Sasuke smiled or laughed or let him in just a little more—Naruto was excited and interested and probably a little bit too into this—

Sasuke bit down with a soft moan.

"Three," Naruto sighed in response, feeling Sasuke's body pushing into him, pushing forwards, wanting more—he let his eyes flutter closed, focusing on Sasuke's warmth, oh...

"Two," he forced out, letting Sasuke push him onto his back. He'd slipped between Naruto's legs, now—he wasn't sure if Sasuke would have noticed, but—

Sasuke's hips pinned his.

"One—nn—"

Sasuke pulled back, hand in front of his face as if to catch any blood that spilled out. Naruto closed his eyes again and kept breathing as the room spun around him—

"Are you—I—water, Naruto, open your eyes—"

"I'm okay, you—Sasuke, relax," Naruto said, "I'm—"

"You're not okay!"

"No, you—" Naruto laughed, "god, you stupid asshole, I'm bi and you're—that—that sent my body a lot of mixed signals, okay? Give me a goddamn second."

He took the glass from Sasuke anyway, though. Something cold and—distracting—was probably a good idea—

"Oh," Sasuke said, staring at him. Staring—staring much lower down, whoa, whoa, whoa, hey—

"Hey," Naruto said, sitting up quickly, "no, no, no—my eyes are up here, I'm not letting you bite my dick—"

"That's not—"

"Tell that to your eyes," he said, because Sasuke's eyes were still red and unmoving, staring right between his legs, and okay, yeah, there probably was a lot of blood down there, but— "Oh my god, sucking dick would be like the actual ultimate test of restraint for you, wouldn't it?"

It worked.

Sasuke jerked back, finally meeting his eyes with a hissed, "shut up—"

Naruto dissolved into laughter.

"I hate you," Sasuke finally spat out, face flushed—which, oh, hey, Sasuke's face was looking way better now—

"Hey!" Naruto said, standing up. "You've actually got colour in your face now! You look—how're you feeling?"

"I—" Sasuke paused, scanning Naruto's eyes. "Ah—better. I'm better—thank you. I should…"

Sasuke trailed off, eyes drifting to the door.

"Don't wanna go while it's still light outside? You can sleep here if you want."

Sasuke's dark eyes lit up.

Naruto laughed.

"Kay. I'll come back after the sun's down."

He shifted around Sasuke, moving to the door—

"Naruto—"

"Hm?"

Naruto turned around.

"I...thank you."

Naruto threw Sasuke a smile.

"'Course. Glad you're better. Night, Dracula."

"...Stupid."

Naruto pulled the door shut with a laugh—and then let out a long, quiet breath.

He needed the coldest shower.

This bed was going to be the end of him.

Sasuke rolled over for the thousandth time, as if this pillow would be any different than the other. Everywhere he turned he'd been shoving himself into Naruto's scent, breathing it in like some sort of decadent, indulgent comfort—it hadn't faded. It hadn't cooled. Sasuke was warm and relaxed and as at ease at he'd been at Naruto's side, on his bed, on top of him, wanting—wanting—

Sasuke swallowed.

He didn't know what he'd wanted.

There had been something building. Not there, but building—like something in him was twisting until it would violently, inevitably snap. And Sasuke didn't know what it was—what would break in him, whether it would be hunger or bloodlust or whatever else was in him that was causing it all—

He knew it scared him, though.

He was familiar with most of his cravings. Not that he had been this way for long—just past a year, now—but they had all been...clear to him. Obvious. He'd known what they were right away. But this—this wasn't familiar. This wasn't clear. This was some mix of intimacy and instinct, some mix of human and inhumane, some mix of a closeness Sasuke hadn't realized he'd wanted so badly and a closeness he knew he shouldn't ever have with anyone ever again—

Not that he remembered ever having it before.

Sasuke let out a breath and felt himself be engulfed by the scent of the daylight he couldn't remember ever enjoying. It really didn't help that he'd spoken to Naruto more in the past few weeks than he had to anyone else in the past two years. He'd reached a level of aching loneliness he could barely bear to acknowledge until Naruto's constant chatter had eased it. Being with him had almost made him feel...normal.

But he wasn't.

He needed to keep reminding himself of that. He couldn't be complacent—he couldn't afford any mistakes. He drained the lives of those around him to keep himself alive. He was a danger to everyone around him. He couldn't allow himself to forget that, no matter how easy Naruto was making it. No matter how—

The door opened.

Sasuke rolled back around, twisted up in the sheets, to face a hesitant Naruto, peeking through the light.

"Ah, hey," Naruto said, noticing Sasuke's eyes on him. "I thought I heard some noises...you okay?"

Stupid, bright, selfless person.

"Trouble sleeping?" Naruto asked, coming in a little more.

Sasuke didn't mean to whisper his agreement.

Naruto gently shut the door behind him. Sasuke shifted back on the bed, giving him a place to sit if he wanted…

Naruto took the hint.

It was like the bed immediately flooded with warmth. Sasuke knew all people—not him, he didn't count as one—were naturally warm, but with Naruto, it was like—

"Anything I can help with?"

Sasuke didn't know if anyone could help, at this point.

"Who are those people in the picture?"

Naruto glanced to the side.

"That—oh, in the frame? Not the Iruka one, yeah?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Those are my birth parents. Iruka helped me find, um, some info on them a couple years back—my mom's holding me. See?"

Sasuke sat up a little more, letting his night vision flicker to life. There was—oh, yes, a small bundle of blankets in the woman's arms. Sasuke hadn't even noticed it.

"Y'know, I've been wondering," Naruto said, laughing a little, "can you see like—completely perfectly when you do that?"

Sasuke settled back down.

"Better than I can during the day, at least."

"That's so damn cool."

Sasuke shot Naruto's grin an exasperated, amused look.

"What? The novelty hasn't worn off on me yet," Naruto said, nudging him a little. "You're gonna have to deal with this at least a little longer. Can I see your fangs again?"

Sasuke bared his teeth. At least one of them was enjoying this.

"Aw," Naruto laughed, "man...I'm so glad you indulge me. Let me know if I'm bugging you."

"...It's fine."

Naruto was warm at his side—comfortable and...relaxed. Not waiting for Sasuke to hurt him, not watching him warily, just…

"Why do you trust me like this?"

Naruto glanced over at him, as if surprised. He shouldn't have been. Anyone else would have run, screaming—in fact, they had.

"This again?"

Sasuke watched him.

"It's a different question."

Naruto breathed out, tilting his head a little as if acknowledging the point.

"I guess I—well, I mean," Naruto ran a hand through his hair, "I'm gonna phrase this like an asshole, but a big chunk of it is how, uh, obviously you hate your—what you—what you have to do, I mean. Like you don't—sorry, this is coming out—"

"No," Sasuke said, "it makes sense. Better than me obviously enjoying the pain of others."

Naruto laughed.

"Yeah. That—thanks," he said, ducking his head as he glanced over at Sasuke—and Sasuke found himself accidentally seeing too clearly, then, activating his eyes just to catch a better glimpse of the look on Naruto's face—

"But the other part of it," Naruto continued, as if unfazed that Sasuke's eyes were suddenly glowing again, "is—well, I think—I think it kinda reminds me...basically when I was, uh, younger—I was in middle school—somebody spread the rumour around that the reason I was adopted was 'cause I, uh, killed my birth parents."

Sasuke jerked back.

"What the fuck?"

"I know," Naruto laughed softly, "I know, kids are assholes. But it was one of those things that, um, really stuck, so I got—well, uh, I wouldn't call it a nickname, but everybody started calling me 'monster', which...yeah. It stuck. Even after I moved foster homes. Like I dunno if the kids knew each other or what, but," he let out another laugh, "I felt like I was constantly fighting to prove that I wasn't...evil." Naruto shrugged a little. "Guess I—I feel like I—I dunno. I just feel like I get it."

Sasuke sucked in a breath.

"You had no reason to be called that."

Naruto's head snapped to stare at him, as if he'd heard—

"Neither do you."

Sasuke gave him a withering look.

"More so than you did, Naruto."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Okay, yeah, it's not exactly the same, but you're stuck in a shitty situation and still trying to be a good person. I think that's worth something."

Sasuke shook his head and turned away.

"It is, Sasuke—come on, we've been over this. You're not—"

"I'm not a person," Sasuke snapped, and the conversation was cut in two.

Sasuke stared at the windowless wall and let the silence fill the room.

"Jesus," Naruto sighed, "you're hard on yourself. You still feel, don't you?"

"I—that's not—I have no—" Sasuke let out a frustrated breath, rolling back over. "I don't remember. I woke up—here, like this—and I couldn't—I don't remember what it's like to be human. I have no memory of it."

"You...hang on, you don't remember anything?"

"I have," Sasuke rubbed at his face, "dreams, sometimes—blurry memories that I—I don't know. I don't know if they're real. But I—when I do feel, I—I don't know what...part of myself it's coming from. Do I even like you, or are you just—am I just—am I just here for—"

He cut himself off, unable to voice the fear in his throat.

"I dunno, Sasuke," Naruto said softly. "Do I actually like you or do I just think it's cool to hang out with a vampire?"

Sasuke turned to face him.

"You…"

"You won't find out 'till I stick around when it's inconvenient for me, will you?"

"It's already inconvenient with you," Sasuke protested. "I nearly sent you to the hospital."

"Yep. And you nearly passed out on the way here."

"I came here because I needed something."

"Yeah? Then why are you still here? You didn't need anything a week ago."

Sasuke's mouth opened and closed.

"You didn't need anything before that, either," Naruto continued.

"It's inconvenient for me to leave," Sasuke said carefully, "because of the sun. And you—having you around is—"

"Wanna stay the night?"

Sasuke sucked in a breath.

Naruto ducked his head, biting the bottom lip of his growing smile.

"...I saw that, y'know."

Sasuke flinched.

"Saw what?"

"The fact that you want to stay," Naruto said, rolling over to look up at the ceiling. "You looked really happy for a second there."

Sasuke swallowed and didn't reply. Naruto seemed content to lay and smile at the ceiling, as if he knew Sasuke just needed to stare at him for a little while, unable to talk—

"Found yourself a friend, vampire."

Oh.

Oh—Sasuke hadn't—that sentence surely shouldn't have hit him this hard. That shouldn't have—Sasuke turned away, trying to blink the sting from his eyes—

"Hey," Naruto said, leaning over him, "hey, no—crap, is it because I said vampire? I don't have to call you that, I'll stop—"

Sasuke caught Naruto's hands from the air.

"It's not that," he told him.

Naruto's eyes softened.

"S'it 'cause I said friend?"

Sasuke breathed in.

It was the only reply Naruto seemed to need. He moved forward, gently leaning over Sasuke just enough to slip his arms underneath him—Sasuke didn't know what it was that made his arms wrap around him, too, like getting a hug was something familiar, except Sasuke couldn't recall a single time anyone other than Naruto—

"Hey," said Naruto's breath in his ear, "feel like biting me at all?"

Sasuke shoved him away with a long-suffering sigh.

Naruto laughed and let him go, but didn't pull away.

"Before I brought it up, then—did you?"

Sasuke breathed in.

"...No," he said honestly. "I didn't."

Naruto's smile widened.

"And you still liked it?"

Sasuke stared at the way Naruto still sat so close to him and...nodded.

Naruto's head tilted.

"Seems pretty human of you."

Sasuke swallowed.

"I don't think," he whispered thickly, "one hug disproves all other evidence."

Naruto moved back and plopped himself back down beside Sasuke.

"Sure as hell doesn't add to it."

It only took Sasuke a few more minutes to fall asleep, after that.

A/N: More fun stuff, more emotional stuff. This fic is very much about just having a good time, but I don't think I'm capable of writing without attempting to bring in some deep emotional impact haha! Whoops.

I'm totally at the point where I just want to start slamming all the chapters up to see how you react to everything. So much good speculation. I'm so curious to see what you all think! Ahhhhh. It's more fun letting each chapter sit for a bit before moving onto the next one, at least for now - but I'm totally impatient today hahaha. Anyway, I'm rambling - I hope your first day of the new year has been wonderful and calm. I'll see you tomorrow!

Until then,

- Kinomi