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: Ahhh long day, sorry, sorry! Here's the chapter!

Bite Me

Chapter 29: Breakfast

Thump, thump...

Naruto breathed out into the warm, summer air, rolling to smile at Sasuke—clad in his bathing suit and little else. Naruto certainly didn't mind the view...or the feeling. So comfortable, gentle...the wind from the ocean blew the slightest breeze over them, thumping the umbrella against their beachside table…

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Sasuke shifted and rolled, and Naruto stuck his foot in between his legs. It was so cozy here…

Thump, thump—

"Dia," Sasuke muttered.

Thump.

"Huh?"

"Dia," Sasuke said again, and Naruto's eyes flickered open—

In his bedroom.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

"Aw, fuck," Naruto laughed, groaning himself off the bed. "That's my closet, hang on—"

He stumbled his way through the door and the cat paused, one paw still in the air.

"Dia," Naruto warned. Dia looked back at him. "Don't do it…"

...

Dia pawed at the door.

"Dia!" Naruto laughed, trotting towards her—Dia flipped over and swatted at him, easily catching his hand and giving it a light, playful bite. Naruto wiggled his hand in answer, looking up as he heard the movement behind him—

"She's being a terror again, isn't she?" Sasuke asked, the sleep still thick in his voice.

"She's breaking and entering," Naruto said, ruffling her belly. "That's a crime! Shoulda named you Bandit!"

Dia gnawed on his hand in answer, and Sasuke gave a soft laugh. Naruto gently leaned against his shin, looking up to meet his eye.

"She's silly," he said softly. "How'd you sleep?"

Sasuke kissed the top of his head.

"Better than expected," he said, not really straightening up. "How about you?"

"Out like a light," Naruto said honestly. "Dreamed we were on vacation and everything."

Sasuke's smile widened.

"Did you? Where'd we go?"

"Somewhere warm," he said, untangling his hand from the vicious monster. "Sunny. You were in the shade, don't worry."

Sasuke snorted.

"Appreciated. Is the winter getting to you already?"

"Only when I need to go outside," Naruto said, hopping up. "Be good, evil one."

He pointed at Dia, and Dia blinked back.

"Impossible," Sasuke said, following him into the bathroom. Naruto passed Sasuke his toothbrush and grabbed his own, peering out into the hall as he stuck it into his mouth—

Dia hopped back, strutting away as if she hadn't immediately gone back to pawing at the door.

"Is she still going? Maybe she's out of food…" Sasuke said, pressing his free hand to Naruto's waist as he slipped by him. Naruto heard the sound of food being poured—and then water running—a few moments later. He spat out his toothpaste just as Sasuke came back to do the same, and they traded places with quick, comfortable ease.

"Want some breakfast or something?"

Sasuke straightened up, and Naruto's grin widened.

"Something," he said. "Let's start with you, and then we'll talk."

Naruto gave him a quick little salute and turned on his heel. He was pretty hungry, actually. He should probably have water, but what he really wanted was some coffee…

He heard Sasuke brush his teeth—the tap running and then stopping. He still used the one Naruto had bought him—from, uh, the kids section. It had been the only black one he could find! But Sasuke hadn't really complained, and Naruto couldn't help but laugh every time he saw it in Sasuke's hand.

He grabbed the grounds, yawning as he poured himself some. And water...where'd he put his cup? He...

"Wait," he said, spinning around with the cup in his hand. "Does it bug you if I have coffee?"

Sasuke peered down the hall.

"It never has before. You haven't been secretly avoiding that too, have you?"

"I wasn't secretly avoiding garlic! I thought you knew!"

"Sure you did," Sasuke said, coming into the kitchen. "Have you?"

"No!" Naruto laughed. "I didn't think—garlic's been the only thing. D'you wanna try coffee?"

"I want you to try coffee. I'll try something else."

Naruto laughed and nudged his hip into Sasuke's. Sasuke's smile widened, too, even though he ducked his head as if to hide it.

"Good. I was worried you might try to stop again or something," Naruto said, pressing the button to start the coffee as he turned to face Sasuke fully. Sasuke huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes, but Naruto got the sense it wasn't towards him at all.

"Who would do that?" he muttered, his lips twitching. "Not me, surely."

Naruto laughed.

"Oh yeah, not you," he said, pressing his chest to Sasuke's and grinning in his big beautiful face. "Never you—"

Sasuke squished his cheeks in his hands.

"That's enough out of you."

Naruto stuck out his tongue and waggled it at him. Sasuke's smile fought across his face—

"You're such an idiot."

Naruto licked the tip of Sasuke's nose.

It worked. Sasuke immediately let go, doubling back to laugh in the hand over his face. Naruto's coffee maker beeped at him, and Naruto threw Sasuke his most victorious grin as he grabbed his usual morning mug—

"See," he said, reaching for it, "this is why you gotta learn not to mess with me. You know I'll always win in the end."

"I've never doubted you," Sasuke said, moving behind him. Naruto smiled and leaned back into the touch, still holding the coffee pot…

"Smells good," Sasuke said, nuzzling his face into the hoodie Naruto still wore.

"What does?" Naruto asked. "Me or the coffee?"

Sasuke snorted, but didn't move.

"Both."

Naruto's smile widened.

"You a coffee drinker, vampire?"

"Mmm…" Sasuke sighed, breathing in. "I might have been. I think I was, actually…"

"Hm," Naruto said, putting down the pot. "Do you miss it? Like the tomatoes?"

"A little. The warmth in the mornings, mainly. It might be something to do with the coffee shop above my apartment. I don't know…"

"That place does smell awesome in the mornings," Naruto said, putting his cup to the side to grab another one. "Here."

Sasuke moved back as Naruto turned around.

"You can drink from me in a little," he said, passing Sasuke the now-full mug—a black one, too, one of the ones Sasuke had tested— "But the smell and the warmth, right?"

Sasuke...pulled the mug to his chest, and breathed it in.

"Yes," he said softly, "thank you."

Naruto smiled.

"Yeah? Is it working?"

Sasuke nodded, staring down into the steam. Naruto watched him for a second longer before he went back to his own cup—and more importantly, found the sugar. And the cream. Ooh, maybe he'd go for a bit of hot chocolate in there today…

"It's strange," Sasuke said softly, and Naruto turned around, "that I still crave the things that will make me sick."

"I mean," Naruto said, "yeah and no. It just means that you've got a memory in there somewhere of liking it. Right?"

Sasuke glanced up, a slow, subtle smile pulling at his lips.

"Relentless optimism," he said, "first thing in the morning. You really never stop, do you?"

"Nope," Naruto said. "Not for a second."

Sasuke's smile widened.

"How long are you willing to wait for your breakfast?"

"I—why? You're not gonna—"

"Those bananas are going bad. Hand them to me."

One hour, one banana bread, and many chocolate chips stuffed at the request of Naruto's puppy-dog eyes later, Naruto was at the table. He had his chin on his hand, and was staring, intent, at the counter—

"...What are you thinking about?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"If I eat more now," he said, "I won't have more for later…"

Sasuke laughed and stood up.

"Moron," he said, grabbing the knife again. "You know you can just ask me to make these things."

"If I start I won't be able to stop," Naruto insisted, but he took the plate from Sasuke's hand anyway. "The—thanks. Oh my god, it's so good…"

"It is ninety-five percent chocolate chips. You could just eat them, you know."

"It's not the same!" Naruto insisted, and Sasuke laughed as soon as he saw him.

"You have chocolate all over your face."

"Fuck. Do I? Shit—" he shoved his face against the back of his hand— "did I get it?"

Sasuke's smile twitched.

Naruto paused.

"I made it worse, didn't I?"

Sasuke...specifically didn't reply. He didn't need to, though—Naruto saw the look on his face and immediately groaned, ducking down as if to hide behind the slice that had put him into this mess. Sasuke took pity on him and stood, grabbing the paper towels from behind him—

"Thanks," Naruto said, taking them. "Sorry. Uh. There?"

"Better," Sasuke told him. "Now I'm going to get all sorts of sugar into my system."

Naruto laughed.

"That's gonna fuck with the data. I guess you'll feel more energized no matter what, huh?"

Sasuke inclined his head, smiling softly. Naruto laughed.

"Okay, okay. What's the deal, then?"

Sasuke sat up straighter, breathing in. Naruto scanned him for another second.

"Want to switch to my wrist for a bit?"

Sasuke deflated right back down.

"...Yes," he said, breathing out the word. "I'd—yes."

Naruto hopped up and moved around the table. Sasuke gently pressed his head to Naruto's chest—low down, just near his stomach. Not near his neck. Sasuke...

"I figured you might," Naruto said, and it was soft. Sasuke felt a rush—much like he'd felt last night—of relief, appreciation, gratitude...something...else…

"You still think that, yeah? That it has to be the neck?"

"Yes," Sasuke said, and the knowledge softly shifted in him. "I should have realized it sooner."

"I mean, I think on some level, you did," Naruto offered. "But it didn't all click until whatever changed last night, so…"

Sasuke raised his head, conceding the point.

"Any new thoughts as to what it was?" Naruto asked, and it was gentle.

The pang came back to his chest as Sasuke shook his head.

"That's okay," Naruto said immediately. "Don't—we'll find it. We'll figure it out. There's still a good chance it was the alcohol anyway. I was also gonna offer, I could—I dunno, find a needle or something and get you blood that way if you didn't wanna bite me at all."

Sasuke looked up.

"Wouldn't that hurt?"

"I mean, a little, sure," Naruto said, shrugging. "I've given blood before, though."

Sasuke pressed his lips together.

"You wouldn't heal," he said softly, and Naruto laughed.

"I would," he told him, gently reaching out a hand that Sasuke automatically caught. "I'd heal eventually, but this is more about your comfort, anyway. What d'you want?"

Naruto gave his hand a soft squeeze.

"Do you feel anything when I bite you?" Sasuke asked, running his thumb along Naruto's skin. "I don't think I've...asked."

"Oh—haven't you? I—not really. It's not painful or anything, if that's what you mean."

"But you can feel it?"

"Mmm," Naruto hummed, leaning as if considering the question. "Kind of. I can feel your mouth, and tongue and stuff, but not like...being bitten. That takes a bit. If you stay too long, I start to feel it, but it's not like...you know when you get bitten by a mosquito? And it doesn't hurt or anything, and you don't feel it until it's already in there, and even then it's just kinda—kinda like something is—weird?"

Sasuke let out a soft snort.

"You associate me with the most lovely of things."

Naruto let out a pleased, teasing laugh. Sasuke felt the weight of his hand in his, turning it over, turning it back...

"What about afterwards?" he asked. "In comparison to days where you don't lose any blood. Do you feel different?"

"Uhhm," Naruto said, "only really like—right after? And more in my arms than anything. Like I feel a bit lopsided. It's no different than when I gave blood, though. They warned me about feeling tired and stuff—I never felt as off as I was apparently supposed to."

"Hm," Sasuke said. "Perhaps you're not listening to yourself properly."

"No! I've been like that all my life! I heal really fast. I mean it—I bruise for like...a day. If that. Usually by the time I wake up, everything's gone."

"You're telling me you're a medical marvel?"

Naruto laughed.

"Yep," he said, "and that makes two of us. Eat your breakfast."

"Hm," Sasuke said, dutifully taking Naruto's hand nonetheless. "Give me your other hand, too."

Naruto's grin widened.

"Is that why you asked? It's not that bad!"

"It's an easy fix," Sasuke muttered, breathing in. "Count down for each hand?"

"Three seconds for each," Naruto agreed. "Go for it. And tell me if the coffee does anything!"

It might've been the first time Sasuke laughed as he bit down.

A few hours later, Sasuke had managed to snap his way out of cloth. And some rope, and some ribbon, and some duct tape that Naruto had really gone to town with. Short of actual handcuffs, Naruto was really running out of ideas and stuff to use—and after he'd tried to tie Sasuke to the leg of the couch and heard that fabric start to rip—

Well, uh. This idea was probably out.

"And white fabric does bother me," Sasuke said, leaning back against the coach's armrest, "but it isn't as if it...burns. Or harms me in any way. If you're looking for something that would actually stop me…"

Naruto groaned.

"Then we're back to garlic again. Which—"

"It could be alright."

"You couldn't even touch me!"

"Well, not—water it down more than that. Barely use any. And—try cooking it. I don't know. I didn't react as much when that ramen was here…"

Naruto immediately perked up.

"Ramen?"

"When your father brought ramen," Sasuke explained, and Naruto deflated again. "One of them—bothered me. More than the other, I mean. Without eating it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I know dad totally brought my favourite and I didn't even get to eat it," Naruto grumbled, kicking his legs over Sasuke's chest. "Wait, are you telling me to just slather ramen all over my body to get in the mood, 'cause I actually wi—"

"Just try cooking garlic!"

Naruto laughed, and Sasuke shoved his legs back at him.

"Okay, okay, seriously, though," Naruto said, sitting up, "it'll get in the air. Won't it? Last time you couldn't even come near me."

"It might," Sasuke said. "You don't have a small fan, do you?"

"Uh...no," Naruto said, pushing himself up. "I don't think so. But I can go out when I go grab garlic. Hang on, let me get my coat—"

"I can go," Sasuke offered, and Naruto paused.

"But it—it's daylight."

"It's snowing," Sasuke said, already standing. "As long as the clouds don't break, I'll be fine. And Dia is a menace today."

He grabbed the leash from its spot on the back of the door, and Dia jumped to her feet, scampering through Sasuke's legs, yowling—

Naruto laughed.

"Okay, okay. Let's tire this little beast out."

They didn't. Dia flung herself through the air, tail whipping fiercely as she attempted to catch every snowflake on the way there—and back. Sasuke kept his hood up and his coat close, but he was happy to lag behind as Dia fought her current prey. And she was still so excited about it all by the time they got home that she immediately went after Naruto's scarf as he went to pull it off—

"Hey!" he laughed, tugging it back as she swatted at it. "Oh my god, hang on, hang on, let's get a—"

A bell jingled.

Dia flung herself across the room.

Naruto laughed, watching Sasuke nimbly dodge Dia's favourite feather wand away, and ducked into the kitchen.

"You gonna be okay over there?" Naruto asked, pulling the garlic out of the bag. He'd tuck the rest in a sealed container or something in a sec, but it didn't seem to be to bothering Sasuke as much now as it had when Naruto—

"It's alright when it's raw," Sasuke answered, teasing Dia all the way over to them both, "as long as I don't touch it. It isn't in the air yet. You could just tie it around your neck or something, as it is."

"I don't want it to burn you," Naruto said, shaking his head. "I don't wanna risk that. And it's about to be in the air…"

Sasuke shrugged.

"I'll survive," he said, and Dia backflipped off the cabinet door. "Use less than that."

"Less than a clove?" Naruto asked, peeling the garlic. Sasuke was eyeing it warily, and Naruto felt just the same—the scar on Sasuke's hand had settled and softened, but the mark was still there. It was still raised and there, Naruto could see it easily as Sasuke switched the feather wand between his hands, and it made Naruto feel like he was holding a—a flame. Or a knife—something dangerous and harmful, and, uh. He needed a knife, actually...

"I'm gonna cut it," he said, grabbing a container. Would he have to wash the outside of this? After he touched garlic—and then he touched this—

"Go ahead," Sasuke said. "And stop worrying."

Naruto ducked his head.

"Well, I—it's like—if I touch the wrong thing and then you touch it, then—"

"Then I'm sure I'll live. I've been working in a kitchen, Naruto."

"But—"

"We don't exclusively make things for your sweet tooth, you know."

Naruto begrudgingly laughed and conceded the point. Sasuke swatted the feather wand in his general direction.

"Will you feel better if I set up the fan?"

"Uh—could you, actually? Yeah, that'd be—"

Sasuke swatted the feathers at his nose again, and turned around. Naruto laughed and went back to the garlic, debating—still—on where to cut...how much...this was probably too much, even. Ugh, he should just grab a pan and start with the water—

The fan switched on.

"It's alright, Dia," Sasuke called, and Naruto peered over the counter. Sasuke sat on the floor, coaxing a cautious, slow-moving Dia back to the big, new, scary thing—her tail flicked as she sniffed it. Sasuke leaned back and met Naruto's eye, his lips twitching into a soft smile.

"She's as nervous as you are."

"You have a scar on your hand!" Naruto protested. "You—"

"Oh," Sasuke said, settling an arm over his raised knee. "So when I'm at risk of hurting you, it's all fine and great and I just need to learn how to trust myself. But when you're at risk of hurting me, everything is suddenly—"

"It's different! You're—"

Naruto's voice cut off.

Sasuke continued to look at him.

"...It's not that different, is it?"

Sasuke shook his head. Naruto huffed out a sigh and filled a pan with water. Or, just a little...this was probably too much, too…

"I—it just, it feels—to me, it feels—"

"More important," Sasuke finished for him. "Cycling back to this tendency of yours to put others before yourself."

"I don't—"

"You do. You let Ino hate you for ages to keep Sakura safe. You stayed with your exes because they loved you more than you loved them. You let me close enough to hurt you not two minutes after I attacked you—"

"Well, I—I—those were all—"

"A pattern," Sasuke told him. "But continue."

Naruto...huffed out a breath.

"Okay," he said finally, "okay, maybe, yeah, it's a bad habit. But you need to drink blood to survive versus this is just—"

"To prevent you from becoming a vampire, possibly wiping your memories, probably irreversibly?"

"...Fuck."

Sasuke laughed.

"Moron," he said, tilting the fan to blow Naruto's way. "Let it be my turn."

Naruto looked up.

"Huh?"

"To make you feel better about it all," Sasuke said, standing. "It's my turn."

Naruto breathed in.

"I—" he let out a soft laugh, and Sasuke walked back over to the other side of the counter. "Okay. Um. Aren't you a little close?"

"I'll let you know," Sasuke said. "Come here."

"Come…?"

"Here. Lean over the counter."

Naruto blinked at the stove he still hadn't switched on, awkwardly standing on his tiptoes to lean over without ever letting his hands go near Sas—

Sasuke's lips pressed to his.

"Moron," he said softly.

Naruto let out a shaky breath.

"You—um," he swallowed, "this is how you felt when you bit me, huh?"

"The first few times? Most definitely," Sasuke told him. "You've gotten rather good at settling me down."

Naruto let out a small laugh.

"Okay. Okay. Um. Kiss me again?"

Sasuke obliged. Once, and then again, and then he lingered, with his hand along Naruto's face, gentle and tender…

He pulled back, and Naruto found his feet again.

Yeah.

"Alright," he said, "okay. You're gonna be fine?"

"I'm going to be fine."

Naruto breathed out, nodded, and switched the stove on.

A/N: Almost chapter 30! What! Another long one is coming your way tomorrow, but I can't believe we're actually this far in. I'm so happy you've all been liking it so much so far!

See you tomorrow!

- Kinomi