This chapter is more romantic for those of you waiting for something to happen. It gets the story along anyway. It's originally supposed to be longer, but I cut off some parts. I'm gonna post up a deleted scenes chapter after I finish the story. Sorry again for the long delay! But now that summer's here, I'll be able to post more often.

Thanks to my wonderful reviewers for being so patient with me. And just for the record, I love long reviews. And thanks for all the story ideas some of you contributed. Especially to Milk and her sex tape idea.

By the way, I'm still having my fic challenge. Check my profile.

Exploding Stars

Chapter 4 Bathtub Kisses and Ramen

The warm, soapy hands on his back were surprisingly gentle as they glided across his skin with the lathering sponge. Sasuke unconsciously leaned back, his eyes involuntarily fluttering closed as he relaxed into the comforting touch. The hands massaged his shoulders and stroked his spine, pressing and kneading his muscles in just the right places. More than once, Sasuke had to bite his lip to prevent a moan from escaping.

Who knew Naruto could be this gentle with his hands?

It was wonderfully soothing, but Sasuke wasn't about to give Naruto the satisfaction of knowing that. The dolt already thought he was something when he saw the impressive work done on Sasuke's body. Naruto certainly pulled no stops when it came to upping his rival and rubbing it in.

The blonde, however, was oblivious to the effect his caressing invoked. He was busy chattering, unaware that Sasuke wasn't paying him any attention.

"…So, Sasuke, I was thinking since you don't want to divorce me and all, we could just talk to the old hag, you know? We'll tell her it's just an accident, and she'll understand. And since she's the Hokage, she can pronounce us unmarried," Naruto chatted lightly as if impulsive marriages were ordinary occurrences.

"…So after we eat breakfast—er, lunch—we're going to see Tsunade. Got it?"

Sasuke ignored him. He was too preoccupied with wondering what had prompted him to have a tumble in bed with Naruto. In his opinion, Naruto was rough and clumsy, though Sasuke knew some girls found that rugged quality attractive. Even now with his ninja stealth and grace, Naruto was anything but smooth and suave.

In short, Naruto was stupid, obnoxious, and unrefined. He once held the title of Konoha's Number One Loudest Ninja after all. Sasuke would've added 'useless' and 'pathetic' to the list, but even he had to admit Naruto pulled his weight at times. But, all in all, what was so attractive about the moron?

…Which was why Sasuke could not understand how he could have engaged in such activities with the blonde hours ago. Sure, he had been too drunk to maintain good judgement, but to sleep with Naruto!

Sasuke didn't even like alcohol in the first place. He disliked the strong, vile taste and even more how it transformed respectable men into blubbering idiots. He never quite understood the appeal of drinking until losing consciousness or the monstrous hangover the next morning. He'd never even drunk so much before, so he was certain his alcoholic limits weren't to be admired. The most alcohol he'd ever had were only a few sips of sake that his father had allowed him to sample back when he was eight. But his distaste for liquor still didn't explain why he had done what he did.

It was driving him nuts. He had to know! He had to know what made him do something as foolish as to give away his virginity to a dense, oafish, and certainly undeserving Uzumaki Naruto. He had been perfectly happy being a virgin. And now Naruto had to ruin it for him just like when they were children!

So what if Naruto was good in bed! Sasuke certainly didn't know that before he—did he dare say it?—eagerly hopped into bed and indulged in a nice romp in the blankets.

And now Naruto was officially his hus… husb… significant other.

…Did he dare?

Summoning up his courage, Sasuke turned around in the bathtub and grasped Naruto's face with two hands. In one swift movement, he forced a surprised Naruto ("Sasuke? Wha—?") closer and they met in an awkward kiss. Their noses banged and Sasuke missed his target, landing instead at the corner of Naruto's lips. Pressed up against him, Sasuke could feel the blonde stiffen as the two registered what had just happened.

Both of them could feel the heat rising on their cheeks, but Sasuke stubbornly refused to pull away. His hands still clasped either side of Naruto's head and he was vaguely aware he was all but sitting on the blonde's lap, nestled in those tense arms. The round, bright blue eyes stared back at him in shock only a couple of dizzying inches away. He squeezed his eyes shut in reply and shifted, pressing his mouth harder against the blonde's.

He hadn't expected Naruto's lips to be this soft. He could feel the surprise radiating off the blonde—he himself was beyond astounded at what he had just done. Kissing Naruto was nowhere near what he'd imagined. It wasn't at all a good kiss, Sasuke knew, but it was almost… nice. He could easily get used to kissing Naruto. Was this what he felt last night? Was this feeling what led him to proceed further with Naruto?

NO! The instinct at the back of Sasuke's mind screamed. This is Naruto! You can't enjoy kissing Naruto!

Finally, the need for air grew too much and Sasuke pulled away slightly. His lips were a delectable shade of rouge now and his eyelids were suddenly thick and heavy.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Here was Sasuke looking so pretty, his dark eyes gazing behind his thick, long eyelashes and his lips slightly parted. His cheeks were tinged with pink, and Naruto was suddenly reminded of a pretty porcelain doll—white, fragile, and lovely. The next thing either of them knew was Naruto closing in, closing the small distance between, and their mouths were again connected. The blonde, angling his head, wrapped his arms around and shifted Sasuke into a more comfortable position.

This time the kiss was gentler and less clumsy. The blonde gradually became bolder once he felt Sasuke respond. The Uchiha, eyes closed, almost jumped when he felt something warm and wet line his lips. It didn't take long before suddenly—Sasuke realized with alarm—he and Naruto were truly kissing, lip against lip and tongue against tongue. Even worse, Sasuke found himself actually liking Naruto's kisses.

Where did Naruto learn to kiss like that? A fuzzy section of his mind wondered a little jealously. Or do that with his tongue?

"Having fun?" A drawl interrupted them out of the blue.

-----

Well, wasn't this interesting? Kakashi's visible eye crinkled happily. He crossed his arms across his chest and smiled through his mask at his two students. They haven't noticed him yet though he had poofed into the spacious bathroom an entire two minutes ago.

The scene, he decided, was rather cute and romantic (and so sugary sweet Kakashi could feel his teeth ache). Who would've imagined that Naruto and Sasuke, acclaimed rivals extraordinaire, would be making out in a bubble bath the morning after they got married? It reminded Kakashi too much of a horribly cheesy episode from a mushy, plotless paperback romance. (The kind that he knew Gai read religiously and was too proud and overzealous to deny it. Heck, even Kurenai wasn't that girly. Though Kakashi shouldn't be one to talk about booklovers; after all, he himself was a faithful and devoted fan of the Icha Icha Paradise series.)

At first he had, out of consideration, done nothing but stand, hands in pockets and slouching. He had appeared with a particularly loud pop, which obviously hadn't been loud enough. Then he had waited patiently—and Kakashi could certainly exercise patience very well—mutely wondering how long it would take for his shinobi students to sense a third presence in the vicinity. After the first minute, however, the steam and heat of the bathroom started to affect him and he cleared his throat acutely. When he still failed to capture the attention of the smooching pair, he briefly wondered if their incapability of detecting a third party as a shinobi reflected on his teaching. But Kakashi knew he had been a good teacher—even when punctuality was foreign to him and he sometimes neglected his students in favour of the next chapter of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Having fun?" he teased, finally fed up. It wasn't as if he was making an effort to remain concealed. He could've been a criminal for all they knew. Heck, by now he could've slit their throats and left them for dead in the luxurious bubble bath.

Sasuke broke away first and turned to face the source of the voice. The sudden movement caused him to slip on Naruto's lap and rub sensuously against the blonde, issuing a low, throaty moan from Naruto. When his glazed eyes finally focused in on the intruder, Sasuke froze in his position. Naruto, dazed, followed Sasuke's gaze to the Jounin.

"Kakashi!" It took a moment for both their expressions to turn embarrassed and slightly guilty, which only made Kakashi chortle. How many times in the past had he seen these faces?

"I can see you two are getting along fine."

Sasuke scowled, but the effect was ruined by his flushing cheeks. Naruto blushed too though his expression was almost sheepish.

"What do you want?" Sasuke demanded rudely, frank and to the point as always.

"Can't a teacher see his students for no reason at all?"

"No. Now can you please leave?" Sasuke was unusually annoyed. Knowing Kakashi, he never just wanted to see his students, and Sasuke had learned quickly the Jounin usually had one or several ulterior motives up his sleeve when he used that excuse.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. So impolite. I taught you manners, didn't I, Sasuke? Anyway, I came here because I heard something very interesting this morning. Would you two happen to know what I'm talking about?"

"…Maybe…"

"Is that so? I'd love to stay and chat, but I don't think this is quite the right place or time." The Jounin raised his eyebrows meaningfully at Naruto and Sasuke's current state of nudity. The Uchiha shifted uncomfortably and sank lower into the white bubbles. "I suppose you're both hungry, no?"

The blonde's stomach promptly answered with a painfully loud growl. Nodding with satisfaction, Kakashi continued, "I will be waiting for you two at Ichiraku's." As further incentive, he added, "You wouldn't turn down a chance for free ramen, would you, Naruto? And I suggest you two go see the Hokage as well."

Kakashi made ready to disappear, but paused as if remembering something. He winked suggestively at the tub's occupants. "Play safe, you two." Then he swiftly vanished with a poof, but not before catching sight of Sasuke's cute reaction to the innuendo.

"Mm… free ramen. I'm starving," Naruto declared, climbing out of the bathtub. Sasuke could already see the thoughts of ramen filling Naruto's mind as his lips broke into an unconscious grin. His gaze absently lowered, past the tanned ridged stomach and black swirl seal. The Uchiha quickly looked away as he realized with a start Naruto's impressive manhood was almost right in his face.

Don't look. Don't look.

From his peripheral vision, he could make out Naruto searching for a small towel to dry his shaggy hair. He wanted to yell at Naruto for not getting a large towel to cover up first, but it wouldn't do much difference. He had caught a quick glimpse before he had averted his eyes, and the sight only sharply reminded him of the ache between his legs.

No wonder his butt hurt so much this morning. Naruto is definitely… well-endowed. And knowing Naruto's impossibly endless stamina…

Noticing Sasuke's discomfort, Naruto said sarcastically, "Sasuke, I don't have anything you don't. No need to be shy now." Then, in a voice and smirk befitting a fox's sly nature, "You can look all you want."

Sasuke glowered. "Just get dressed!"

-----

The trip to Ichiraku's Ramen was relatively short from the Uchiha residence, only a few blocks away. The liveliness of morning activities had died down, and the main avenues of Konoha weren't as crowded as hours prior. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, Sasuke estimated the time to be slightly past noon, maybe around one in the afternoon. His stomach was tight with hunger and the aching in his butt only made him grouchier than usual. Every step he took was painful, and Sasuke had to concentrate on walking casually and not wincing.

Uchihas don't limp. Uchihas don't limp. Sasuke chanted the mantra inside his head, taking small steps and struggling not to stagger. Stupid Naruto! Why did he have to be so rough? Sasuke cursed under his breath.

Sensing Sasuke's difficulty, Naruto felt slightly guilty and gently took hold of Sasuke's arm in a gesture of support. The Uchiha madly wrenched his arm away and levelled a patented glower at the blonde.

Naruto scowled back. He was just trying to help, and what does he get in return? Definitely not gratitude. This is proof that bastards like Sasuke will always remain bastards.

"I'm fine. I don't need your pity," Sasuke spat out, stressing the "your" distinctively.

Naruto's scowl deepened. "Well, sor-ry. You don't have to bite my head off for offering to help, you know."

"I didn't ask for your help. I didn't need it last night, and I certainly don't need it now!"

Now Naruto was truly ticked off. "What do you mean my 'help'? You seduced me!" He was immediately reminded of the long, gleaming white legs that seemed to go on forever. Then the way those legs crossed demurely over one another… Dear Hokage, he was going to start salivating soon—and over that bastard's mighty fine legs to boot. And he has definitely seen a lot of fine legs during his period of studying under Jiraiya.

"I did not! You were the one who took advantage of me!"

"What! Let's get this straight, Sasuke, you bastard. I would never in a million years 'take advantage of you' in that way," Naruto growled out.

"What else do you call getting me drunk and married and into bed with you?"

"What? You think I actually wanted to do it with you? Don't flatter yourself, you bastard. I wouldn't do it with you even if you were the last living, breathing person in the world. You were the one who came onto me yesterday!"

"What do you mean 'came onto you'? I'd sooner seduce that… that Kabuto than you!" Sasuke spat. That was low and Sasuke knew it.

Naruto bristled. "Oh yeah? What do you call that stunt you pulled in the bathtub?" Ha, take that! The blonde silently congratulated himself on his sharp comeback.

Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously though his cheeks tinged pink. "What of it? As I recall, you enjoyed it." Thoughts of how pleasant the kisses were resurfaced, and Sasuke forcefully pushed them back.

"Yeah, well… well, you started it! Admit it, Sasuke. You like me." Naruto folded his arms and broke into a smug grin.

"W-What are you talking about? You insisted on joining me in my bath!" Sasuke prayed that Naruto didn't notice his stutter. Along with limping, Uchihas simply did not stutter.

"That's because you were taking too long. I need a bath too, you know. And haven't you ever heard of water conservation? It's not easy or cheap getting water to Konoha all the way from the Water Country." Naruto finished his speech by childishly sticking out his tongue.

Sasuke only scowled darkly. He knew Naruto was right, which only made his mood worsen. "You're not exactly a prize catch, okay? I'd rather marry Shikamaru instead. At least he's no idiot." On second thought, he's way too lazy.

"…That's it! Shikamaru's smart! He's bound to know what happened last night. That's it, we're going to find Shikamaru after we go visit the old hag. And that is after we eat some ramen first, of course." Naruto absently rubbed his stomach.

Then just like that Naruto's mounting annoyance dissipated as his eyes landed on his childhood sanctuary, Ichiraku's Ramen. The chef behind the counter, Ichiraku, was busy wiping the tabletop. Business had been great so far and it was just slightly past noon. Business had in fact been so good that he'd run out of his regular supplies twice and had to send his daughter to purchase more. It was all thanks to the Uchiha's unexpected elopement. There had been more than twice the amount of his regular clientele, all wide-eyed and eager for juicy gossip. The Uchiha's marriage had quickly become a favourite controversial topic among everyone from young to old in only a matter of hours. The chef couldn't wait to express his sincerest gratitude once the Uchiha arrives.

And there they were—a cheerful, exuberant Naruto dragging a reluctant Sasuke by the arm. Ichiraku waved at them with his towel.

"Congratulations, Sasuke!" He greeted with a smile once they plopped down on the stools. "And how's my favourite customer doing?"

"Thank you, sir," Sasuke politely nodded.

"Fine, fine, old man. Never been better. Though I am really hungry. Better give me nine of your best ramen!" Naruto toothily grinned. Ichiraku resisted the urge to reach out his hand and ruffle the wild, unkempt blonde locks. The little, mischievous boy he knew years ago was now a proud young man, and such a fatherly gesture would not be appropriate. Time went by too fast—it seemed only yesterday that Naruto had earned his headband, the badge of Konoha ninja, and was busy polishing off seven continuous bowls of miso ramen at Iruka's expense. Now Sasuke is married and he suspects Naruto will soon be too. They were growing up too fast, in his opinion. Or maybe he was just getting old.

"Coming right up. And you, son?"

"Just a pork ramen with miso please."

"All right. Don't worry about paying either, you two. It's the least I can do for all you've given me," the chef winked. Turning to Sasuke, he continued, "Really, you have no idea how happy you've made this old man. I didn't think it would happen so soon." Or at all. "But you've certainly put this old man's worries to rest. Not just me too! From now on, the Uchiha legacy will be secure."

The chef turned his back as he boiled water and prepared the vegetables. "I must say, we've had our doubts. We were so worried you'd be the last of them."

Sasuke visibly tensed. He knew what the chef meant by 'we'. They had been waiting all this time for him to resurrect his clan. What would this kind ramen chef say if he found out the whole truth behind his supposed 'marriage'?

"Allow an old man to indulge his curiosity. If I may ask, who is the girl?" Ichiraku craned his neck over his shoulder to smile warmly at Sasuke.

"He is," Naruto answered lazily, his chin resting on his palm.

Under the counter, Sasuke reflexively landed a smooth, hard kick with all the power and strength of a high class shinobi on Naruto's shin. The blonde yelped in surprise, lost his balance on the round stool, and landed in a disgraceful heap on the ground, clutching his throbbing leg in agony. Cursing colourfully, he scowled up at Sasuke.

"What was that for?" Naruto yelled indignantly. Sasuke, leaning on his elbow, was deliberately turned away from him. Pointedly ignoring his screaming companion, Sasuke tried to fight off the angry and embarrassed blush that was threatening to conquer his face.

"Naruto?" Ichiraku peered over the polished tabletop in surprise.

Naruto only groaned and dragged himself back onto his seat, making a childish face at Sasuke's back.

Ten minutes later, Ichiraku positioned two large, steaming bowls of ramen in front of the couple—pork with miso for Sasuke and beef with egg for Naruto. Both swiftly dug in—Naruto ravenously slurped up half the contents of the bowl in one go while Sasuke ate in what seemed to be a painfully restrained manner.

Poor boys. They probably haven't eaten since yesterday, Ichiraku eyed them with worry. The two had moved their faces close to their bowls so that their chopsticks wouldn't have to travel as much distance. It was almost amusing how Sasuke forced himself out of dignity to bite, chew, and swallow instead of slurping up the noodles in rapid succession. Minutes later, Naruto polished off the first of his nine bowls and started on his second.

By the time Naruto was on his fourth, Sasuke had finished his noodles and was calmly sipping his soup. It wasn't until Naruto's sixth bowl that the blonde started slowing down, his primal hunger half-satisfied. Now just the two of them—the ramen chef had gone to serve his other customers—Naruto suddenly broke the silence.

"Look, Sasuke, I'm sorry," he ground out between clutched teeth, taking Sasuke by surprise.

"What?" Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. Was the loudmouthed, bird-brained Naruto actually apologizing?

"I'm sorry, okay?" Naruto repeated.

"For what?"

Naruto trained his eyes on a spot on the countertop as he replied, "For hurting you. F-For being so rough."

Sasuke was dumbstruck. Was Naruto actually apologizing for being such an animal? That would certainly be the first time.

Then Naruto abruptly jolted in his seat as something struck his memory.

"Hey, old man!" he called out.

Ichiraku looked up from where he was chopping vegetables. "Yes?"

"Where's Kakashi?"

"Your teacher? Oh, that reminds me, he left this for you." The chef fished in his pocket and produced a small folded piece of paper. Naruto unfolded it.

Sure enough, it was Kakashi's familiar messy scrawl. It was written in ninja shorthand that both Sasuke and Naruto recognized. The message was short, frank, and unsigned—evidence of Kakashi's laziness.

Something came up. I'll see you tonight. Enjoy your meal and don't forget to go see the Hokage. I'm giving you two newlyweds the week off to enjoy your honeymoon.

P.S. Better run quickly!

A smiley face was crudely drawn after the first part. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

"Honeymoon? What does he mean by 'honeymoon'?" Sasuke snarled. "And what the hell does he mean by 'better run quickly'!"

Beside him, Sasuke could hear Naruto gulp audibly.

"Uh… I think he means that."

The Uchiha looked up and followed Naruto's gaze down the street. He too swallowed a lump that suddenly formed in his throat.