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: Awww Dia got so much love! I'm so glad. There's more of her to come...right now! Onto the chapter!

Bite Me

Chapter 10: Mess

Sasuke was a nervous mess.

Sasuke was a nervous mess. He'd barely been thinking past the guilt when he'd come here, and now—now—now that he knew Naruto had been worried and hurt and sad and—and—if he saw that look on Naruto's face one more time he was going to—

"This is the playroom," Naruto said, gently letting Dia hop from his arms. He paused, holding the gate closed as he turned to face Sasuke—

"D'you need a change of clothes or something? We always have extras—tends to be lots of, uh, bodily fluids around here."

"That's alright," he told Naruto's bright, laughing eyes. "I'm okay."

Naruto's eyebrows raised.

"You're soaked."

Sasuke swallowed. He was. He was intensely uncomfortable, and every bit of it felt deserved.

"I…" He looked down.

Naruto let out a small laugh.

"Okay—go keep Houdini-the-cat company, and I'm gonna find you some clothes. Make sure she doesn't get out again, okay? The—oh," Naruto paused, midway through shoving Sasuke into the makeshift room, "mind if I still steal your phone for a bit longer?"

"Go ahead."

Naruto shot him a grateful smile, and then he was off. Dia wasted no time at all in showing her discontent at Sasuke hands being so incredibly far away.

"Okay, okay," he muttered, sitting down so the screaming furball could pace her way all along his legs. It was a good point that Naruto had made, though—he...knew more about cats than he should. Right? Maybe he…

"Found some!"

Sasuke looked up, and Naruto peered down at him.

"Aw," he said, smiling, "you're stuck though, aren't you?"

Sasuke looked back down at the purring, happy cat in his lap.

"Apparently so."

Naruto laughed.

"Damn. I might need to hire you if this keeps up," he said, locking the gate behind him, "or, I mean, she is nearly ready to be up for adoption...just saying. We haven't found anyone willing to foster her yet."

Sasuke gave Naruto a look, which he met with a far-too-innocent smile.

"I'm hardly financially stable."

"Okay, but like, with the new job you're nearly there, right?"

Sasuke looked back down at Dia. She looked right back up at him...and meowed.

Naruto laughed, and Sasuke went right back to scratching behind her white-smudged ear.

Maybe. Maybe. If he could...if he could trust himself around another living being, then…

"You think," he said quietly, not looking up, "I'll never lose control?"

At his side, Naruto stilled.

"I think," Naruto said, and his words were slow and careful, "that you keep such tight control over yourself that even if you did, it would barely be for a second, and you'd spend the next two and a half months beating yourself up over it."

Sasuke looked up.

Naruto plopped himself down at his side.

"You gotta trust yourself. You gotta listen to yourself. Have you been starving yourself this whole week again?"

Sasuke flinched and didn't reply.

"Yeah. Come on, man, we've been over this."

"I—"

"You're not evil. Nothing about you is a monster. Even the part of you that isn't human. You can listen to it. It's not evil."

"I want to hurt people," Sasuke whispered, and Naruto—

"No, you don't, you dumbass."

—laughed at him.

"That's the last thing in the world that you want," Naruto continued, rolling his eyes. "Come on. You're still you. No vampire shit is gonna change that."

Sasuke sagged down, feeling his protests drain from his grasp. He wanted so badly to believe…

Naruto stuck his hand in his face.

Sasuke jerked back.

"You don't get my neck this time," Naruto told him, keeping his arm out. "You're gonna bite my wrist, and I'm going to watch you. And you're going to watch me watch you, and watch my opinion of you not even change a little bit. Okay?"

Sasuke breathed in.

"You've seen it before," he pointed out quietly, watching Dia entertain herself with the nearest toy—a plush ball with a few feathers, darting away from her paws every time she slapped at it—

"Yeah, and you clearly haven't gotten the message. You can bite my elbow or my foot or whatever. Just…" Naruto waved his hand around, "come on."

Sasuke caught him by the wrist, but only pulled it down.

He didn't let go.

"Why do you do all of this?" he asked softly, staring down at their hands. "Why do you do so much for me?"

He heard Naruto breathe in.

"...Because I'm your friend," he answered simply, something breathless in his voice—and Sasuke held his eyes closed for several more moments than they needed to stay.

Naruto shifted, and Sasuke's eyes flickered open just in time for Naruto to be kneeling in front of him, lifting his hand again—

Sasuke slowly opened his mouth, feeling the hunger in him surge up to the front—the taste of Naruto he'd missed so badly—but he didn't push forward. He didn't pull back—he didn't move at all, only staying in place as Naruto lifted his hand—

Naruto gently pressed his wrist into Sasuke's fangs, and Sasuke kept his eyes open.

Naruto pressed harder, and Sasuke kept his eyes open.

He closed his mouth, Naruto's other hand on his chin, prompting it to stay closed—and he kept his eyes open, meeting Naruto's, waiting for the flash of fear or disgust or anything other than—

Trust.

Open, honest, trust.

Sasuke could have cried.

He only pulled back, though, swallowing once, and then again (once for the blood, the other for the lump in his throat).

Naruto's hands stayed on either side of his face.

"Okay?" he asked softly, eyes searching Sasuke's with that earnest kindness that Sasuke couldn't even begin to understand—

"Okay," he whispered, swallowing again. "...Thank you."

Naruto pulled back with a soft smile.

"'Course," he said, sitting back on his feet. "You might wanna take the clothes and run while you still can."

He gestured to Dia, who was still happily rolled on her back, kicking away at her apparently favourite (or perhaps least favourite) toy.

Sasuke ducked his head, but gratefully grabbed the pile of clothes. He was suddenly intenselyaware of every bit the way the fabric stuck to his skin, the dampness seeping into him—

"Can I...change anywhere?"

Naruto laughed.

"Not like I can see," he pointed out, and Sasuke ducked his head to hide his smile. "Just don't leave for too long—I don't trust Dia not to blame me for you going, y'know?"

Sasuke snorted.

"I'll rush, then."

"Yeah," Naruto said, smiling back at him. "Do that."

They ended up leaving somewhere around...five in the morning. Late enough for the sun not to be rising yet, early enough for it to be completely nuts of Naruto to stay up this late. He couldn't help it, though.

He'd missed Sasuke so much.

Naruto yawned. Stupid, sleepy thoughts. His brain was totally getting away from him, and there wasn't much he could do about it. He…

"Are you sure you'll be okay to work?" Sasuke muttered, hovering at his side. He suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu—he guessed it wasn't the first time Sasuke had helped him stay stable…

"I'll get a few hours. I'll be okay." Naruto ducked around another puddle. "I texted everybody about the storm and power and whatever, so they know I was in. They'll probably tell me to take the day, but I—ah," Naruto yawned again, "I don't mind. I'll come in."

Sasuke huffed out a laugh.

"Always helping others, aren't you?"

Naruto grinned.

"Only people I care about," he said, nudging Sasuke a little.

It worked. His face blushed a bright red, and Naruto had to wonder if it only ever did that after he'd just drank blood.

"Stupid," Sasuke muttered, and Naruto smiled wider. He was too happy to sleep right now anyway. Too exhilarated, too relieved—Sasuke had really let him in for a moment there, and it had him feeling…

"Go inside," Sasuke said, holding the door of Naruto's apartment building open. "Get some sleep."

"Mm, yeah. You gonna make it back before the sun starts to come up?"

Sasuke glanced behind him, as if that would give him the answer. Maybe it did, Naruto didn't know.

"I...should."

He didn't move. He didn't look at Naruto either—just stayed in the doorway, hovering the same way Naruto…

"Wanna come up?"

Sasuke's head snapped up.

Naruto smiled.

"Come on, cat-whisperer."

Naruto was crumbling right in front of Sasuke's eyes.

His awareness was faltering by the second—which was saying something, because the moron had the best sense of unawareness Sasuke had ever witnessed. Sasuke had been the one to kick the door shut behind them, and Naruto had only continued his sleepy stumble to the bedroom (past the window that still had the blanket he'd stuffed there)—

Where he'd promptly just...flopped onto the bed.

Sasuke stood awkwardly at its side.

"Where's your phone?"

"Mm—huh…?" Naruto groggily blinked at him.

"You need to plug it in."

"Oh," Naruto sucked the word in with his breath, "oh—yeah, crap…"

He rolled over, fishing his phone out of his pocket, breathing out—

"I've got it," Sasuke said quietly, taking the phone from his hand. Naruto threw him a sleepy smile, his eyes already starting to close again.

"Do you need an alarm?"

"Mnyeah," Naruto sighed, "7:30? Thanks, 'ske."

There it was again. Sasuke let out a puff of air through his nose and shook his head as he waited for the phone to turn on. It seemed he only earned the nickname when Naruto was drunk or exhausted. Or both…

"Alright," he said, setting the alarm and shoving the phone onto the bedside table. He was fairly tired, too, although not anywhere near Naruto's level. Still, he didn't want to….

"Mm—ph…" Naruto said, heaving his body over to...make space for Sasuke. Well, alright then.

If he insisted.

Slowly and quietly (waiting, on some level, for Naruto to change his mind), Sasuke slipped into the bed. Naruto's breathing had already grown slow and deep, and Sasuke watched his chest rise, the soft flicker to his eyelids and the part to his lips…

"I'm sorry," he whispered, knowing Naruto wouldn't hear him. Naruto had already forgiven him anyway—he could tell from the way he'd been smiling, from the way he'd looked at Sasuke, from the way he'd laughed and invited him in and—

Sasuke swallowed.

Was it even deserved? Sasuke didn't know. He'd been so caught up in his fear and fear and fear again that he hadn't even considered Naruto could have been scared, too. Not of him, but for him. For him. Naruto had been…

Sasuke shifted his arm, ever so slightly, to brush his knuckles along the back of Naruto's hand.

He was still so warm. So comforting. Sasuke had never known he could meet someone who made him feel like this. Or, well, maybe he had...he didn't know.

But Naruto was persistent and kind and forgiving, and Sasuke starting to crumble in the face of his resolve. Maybe they would be okay. Maybe Naruto would be careful—and Sasuke would be careful—and he could...learn to live with this. If Naruto was with him, maybe he could…

Maybe he could.

Naruto's palm was at his fingertips, now. Sasuke could barely bear to feel it.

These feelings had scared him. Especially when mixed with a carnal need for blood, desire for someone felt—

Terrifying. Wrong. Evil.

But Naruto had had him drink, and now Sasuke was full, and here he still was. And there he had been, too, with the feeling of Naruto's lips etched into his own...the memory stayed with him, even now.

Sasuke couldn't ignore that, anymore.

He let his eyes flutter closed.

So he would let it exist. Let it fester if it would—Sasuke didn't care. He'd tried and failed at ripping himself away—so, fine. These feelings were here. They could survive in him.

Nothing more, though. Nothing more.

Tired as he was, Naruto still dragged his sorry ass into work the next day. Or, well, the same day. And he'd been doing fine until Kiba shoved him into the back and told him to fall the fuck to sleep and then he'd promptly slept for four hours—

"Relax, Naruto," Shino said, "you were here all night. You shouldn't even be here."

Naruto bit down on another—bit down on another—on another—

Fuck.

He yawned.

"See!" Kiba called, slipping past them both, uncaring of the hand Naruto swung at his head. Beside him, Hinata laughed.

"I was here all night, not at the shop," Naruto said, "and now everybody's done! I was useless!"

"You know as well as I do that these two places count as one," said a new voice, and Naruto turned to see Kakashi holding the door open—

"You're still here! What'd I miss?"

"A nervous pooper. Go home, kid. Anyone foster Biscuit yet?"

"Kid?! I'm your boss!"

"Nope," Kiba said, fully ignoring him—same as Kakashi, the bastard, who immediately moved to poke his fingers through the cage. "Don't you already have like forty dogs?"

"I have four."

Naruto's grin widened.

"Soon to be five...?"

Kakashi heaved a sigh.

"I never should have started working here."

"Did it to impress my dad, didn't you?"

Kakashi swiveled around. Hinata clapped her hand over her mouth.

"That's enough out of all of you," he said, immediately heading back for the door—

"You could have asked him out like six months ago!" Naruto called back and Kakashi fled. The laughter finally broke free from Hinata and Kiba—and even Shino snorted a little.

"You torture him," Shino said.

"He tortures himself! The last time he dropped off those vegetables from his garden I thought my dad was gonna pass out. You sure you don't need me?"

"Go home. We've got thi—ah!"

A blur ran right past his feet and Naruto heaved in a breath—he raced over to the door to slam it shut in time—

"This again!" Kiba yelled, throwing his hands in the air as Hinata immediately tried to crawl under the cages— "You're fucking cursed, I swear—"

"I'm not cursed!" Naruto protested, laughing his way over to the hissy, grumbling Dia. "I don't know why she always goes for it when I'm here—maybe I make her nervous or something…"

"Maybe you two are in cahoots. Get outta here before she finds a way through a window."

"I—okay, okay…" Naruto ducked his head and laughed, letting himself be waved away. He still felt bad for just crashing like that, but—well—if everybody else said it was okay…and, y'know, since he was cursed—

"Naruto!"

Naruto blinked. Sakura? He—

"You are in here, okay—Ino! He's in here!"

"Yea—hi," Naruto said, trotting over to her, "what's wrong?"

"What's—we came to see you. Are you okay?"

Was he okay? Was he not supposed to be okay? What?

"Iruka told us," Ino said, looking Naruto up and down, and he—

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh," Naruto said, breathing in, "I—we—uh, we—actually—might have, um, worked that out."

"You—so you didn't break up?"

"I—uh—" Naruto let out a nervous laugh, running a hand through his hair, "I—no. We didn't."

Fuck. He'd just gotten himself out of this—but, well—

"Thank god," Sakura said, her shoulders falling in relief as she grabbed Naruto's own. "I thought you were going to be a total mess when we got here."

Naruto ducked his head again.

"I—" well he—maybe last week, but— "I'm okay. Thanks, guys."

"Is he okay? I have half a mind to kick his ass," Ino said, popping around Sakura's shoulder—

"No," Naruto said, shaking his head, "don't do that. He's going through enough. I'm serious—don't."

Ino stared at him another long moment before she finally leaned back.

"You are so weird about him. You sure everything's okay?"

"I'm not weird, I'm just—yeah. Everything's fine. I promise." He ducked his head again, unable to keep from laughing at the mess he'd gotten himself into. "We had some stuff to work out—and we worked it out. I think."

"You think?"

Naruto threw his hands in the air.

"It's complicated! I'm not gonna talk about this anymore! But since you guys ran this whole way," he said, pointing at them, "dinner? My treat."

He'd have to keep Sasuke waiting a little longer.

Sasuke sighed, tapping his fingers along the counter. He was stuck somewhere between wanting to make Naruto dinner again and having little to no idea when the man would actually be home—

He sighed. His phone had died about half an hour ago, and try as he might, he couldn't find any chargers that would work here. He'd folded Naruto's clothes and gotten the laundry ready—although not started. He didn't actually know if Naruto paid utilities, but if he did, water was cheaper at night. At least, he thought it was. He didn't know.

Now what? The sun was still up. He could make the walk—he could, but then he'd have to deal with a good few hours of feeling like death warmed over and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to…

Sasuke looked up. He could hear keys at the door—maybe a neighbour, maybe Naruto, maybe—

The door opened.

"Oh," they both said, freezing in place.

"...Mr. Umino," Sasuke said, automatically bowing his head for some goddamn reason—

"Sasuke," he said, blinking in surprise, "I didn't—ah, expect to see you here."

Crap. Right. They had broken up, which meant there was no reason for Sasuke to be here other than—

"We—" Sasuke said, taking a step back, "worked it...out."

Iruka's face brightened considerably.

"Did you? That's wonderful!"

"Y-yes," Sasuke said, thinking crap—crap, crap, crap, crap, it had been Naruto's decision to end this lie and Sasuke absolutely should have consulted him before—

Iruka laughed, finally shutting the door behind him.

"And here I was," he said, heaving his bags up onto the table, "bringing Naruto all his favourite comfort foods, thinking he'd need them."

He shot Sasuke another smile, and Sasuke did what he could to return it—

"I'd say I have too much, now. Would you like to join me for dinner until Naruto comes?"

Fuck.

"Sure."

Fuck.

A/N: And that's it! For now. I think this puts us at about a quarter of the way through? Already? It's going so quick! But I'm happy you've all been liking it so much. See you soon!

Until tomorrow,

- Kinomi