Chapter Two: Fate


Sakura stumbled out into the living room/kitchen of Naruto's apartment to the sound of soft snoring coming from the sofa.

Which was lucky, because she'd almost flicked on the light. Which would have been less than ideal for whichever man had lost out and had to sleep on the couch.

Naruto wouldn't have Sakura sleep on the couch, wouldn't even stand for the idea, so she knew either he or Shika would be out of luck.

Scrubbing her palm at her forehead, the hangover she knew would kick her in the teeth in the morning, already starting to form, Sakura did her best to tiptoe over to see which man had wound up on the sofa.

Though she was pretty sure from the snoring that she knew who she'd find. And indeed, as she leant over the back of the sofa, she saw Naruto's peaceful sleeping face, eyes covered by his forearm as he lay there in a t-shirt and a pair of boxers.

She smiled fondly down at him and shook her head.

Of course he wouldn't have made Shikamaru sleep on the sofa. He was too kind for that.

Sakura turned away from him, padding her way over to the kitchenette as quietly as possible.

She hadn't meant to stay so late, she was going to let Naruto and Shika have some guy time and just swing by long enough to have some food, play some video games and enjoy the company before she headed back to her and Ino's apartment.

But the beer had come out some time during the food, and then the wine and the spirits.

And before she knew it, Sakura had had far too much to drink to drive and the spare room that had used to be Shikamaru's, and had sort of unofficially become hers, was where she'd be sleeping for the night.

Naruto's strict approach to drinking and driving making it almost certain that she wasn't going anywhere the second she'd opened her second beer.

Some people thought that was to do with him being a cop but Naruto had always been like that when it came to other people's safety. It wasn't a law thing, he just didn't want anything to happen to the people he loved.

The blond snored again, a really loud obnoxious snore that nearly made Sakura giggle. The miniscule amount of a laugh that trickled past her fingers covered by the blond shifting in his sleep and grumbling something incomprehensible.

Then the familiar snoring started again and Sakura started to fill up a glass of water for her already aching head.

The fact that she could identify Naruto by his snoring was probably one of those thing best not told to their friends. One of many. That was probably only something you learned from sharing a bed with someone and well …

They'd never shared a bed, shared a bed, but there had been a couple of necessary bed sharing occasions throughout their friendship.

Occasions she would reluctantly admit she would revisit in her dreams and find herself fantasising about how they could have gone differently if one of them had …

No, she shook her head. They were friends, they had decided that was best somewhere along the line she was sure. Unspoken probably, but the possibility of losing Naruto was still far too frightening than the hope of what a relationship could be like.

That didn't stop her thinking about it though. Especially in the wee small hours of the night. Like now. It didn't stop her longing for it at this time either.

And, despite never, ever telling anyone … the decision to be just his friend certainly didn't stop him from being in the starring role in her head when she was -

'Ah shit!' Sakura gasped as the water from the tap spilled over the edge of her glass and rapidly flowed over the kitchen surface.

She quickly put down the glass, not gently either she noted with a wince and set to wiping at the counter with a nearby tea towel.

'Whozat?!' Naruto said loudly, the couch creaking under him as he shot awake and stared directly at where Sakura was. 'I'm a cop jackass, you broke into the wrong home!'

The blond went to stand but he was still mostly asleep and instead of standing he sort of flopped on the seat like a beached whale.

Sakura giggled despite herself, padding over to where Naruto was still trying to right himself until he fell off the sofa and landed with a not gentle sounding thud.

'Ow,' Naruto grunted. 'Cheap shot.'

Sakura was already kneeling down to him when his eyes blinked open blearily. 'Easy hero, it's just me, no robbers.'

'Oh,' Naruto said, he eased himself up into a seated position and leant against the sofa, facing her with squinty eyes. 'You okay Sakura?'

She couldn't even with the man. He'd just fallen off his sofa hard and his first question was about her. She could mount him right now. Especially with his hair all mussed up from sleep and his shirt exposing just a bit of the toned mus-

Sakura mentally shook herself. No, bad Sakura, don't ogle the half-asleep prime rib best friend.

The pinkette smiled at his continued concern. 'I'm fine idiot, I was just getting some water. Keep your voice down, it's late and we don't want to wake Shikamaru.'

'Pfft,' Naruto said, but he did more whisper it, and rubbed at his eyes. 'Lazy asshole sleeps like the dead Sakura, we could run a brass band through my bedroom and he wouldn't so much as roll over.'

She had to give him that, Shikamaru was infamous for his deep sleeping to the extent that no number of teenage pranks played on him at sleepovers had ever dissuaded him from sleeping whenever and wherever he damn pleased.

'How's your head?' Sakura asked, he was rubbing at it now and she didn't like that wince. 'Does it hurt?'

'Nah, it's fine.' Naruto waved her off and went to stand up, only to start to wobble and nearly fall forwards.

'Naruto!' Sakura hissed, rising on instinct and catching him before he fell. She guided him back to the sofa. 'Careful dummy, you might have a concussion.'

The blond shrugged. Letting his head flop back against the sofa cushion and smiled at her in what had to be an unintentional way. Because he never knowingly looked at her in ways that made her squirm wonderfully.

'You're really pretty you know that Sakura?' He said, leaning closer to her so she could hear him whisper. His blue eyes radiated all manner of things that she didn't want to examine right now. Especially because he could just be concussed. 'Just your eyes right now … damn.'

'And you,' Sakura said, swallowing slightly as his gaze didn't lessen. 'Need to be under some light so I can check you out.'

She caught what she'd said as his grin became just a little bit more vulpine and she blushed down to her toes.

'You know what I mean,' Sakura said quickly, still keeping her tone down. 'Now budge over under the light.'

Naruto wordlessly moved across the couch, his boxers, which she'd only just realised was all he was wearing underneath his t-shirt, pulling themselves into interesting shapes that revealed more of her best friend than she probably should have been seeing.

Sakura just hoped Naruto didn't notice how she'd zeroed in on that part of him. Or that her mouth had gone dry. Thank God she'd been able to swallow the needy noise that had trembled in her throat upon seeing it.

That she could see it in the dark … Goddddddd

He was too out of it to notice though it seemed and Sakura had never been more thankful for the possible head injury. Just friends damn it, just friends.

'Okay Naruto,' she said softly, squirming in the dark as subtly as she could manage. 'I'm going to turn on the light now okay?'

Not the only thing that's gonna be turned on in here, her traitorous brain snickered at her.

The blond nodded gently, wincing slightly at the movement. 'Damn, guess I hit my head harder than I thought huh?'

Sakura made a slightly admonishing noise and flicked the light on. She went straight into doctor mode to save herself any more teenage girl foolishness. Like ogling her best friend in his nightwear.

'Okay look into my eyes please Naruto,' she said soothingly, her hands cradling his chin warmly, lifting his head slightly to get a better angle and inspected those breathtaking blues carefully.

He did as he was told perfectly as she conducted the quick test, following her finger when she moved it across his vision back and forth and smiling gently at her the whole time.

And with how close she was leaning in, just to get a proper look you understand, she couldn't miss a single thing going through his mind. Or where his eyes were going when she told him to look down.

Well, she'd had a little perv on him, she supposed it was only fair he got to return the favour …

And he wasn't concussed if he could focus on, well, ahem, her girls.

It was getting hot in his apartment all of a sudden, and she had to swallow several curse words as her girls stood to attention the longer his gaze lingered down her shirt. She really needed to get off if just him looking at her breasts was making her nipples hard.

Could always ask for his help with that, her brain offered ever so helpfully.

'Naruto,' she said gently, ignoring the temptation that shot through her.

'Hm?' Naruto replied, his eyes going back to hers, full intensity hitting her right in the back of her throat and all the way down to somewhere below her navel. 'We all done Sakura-chan?'

Another full intensity smack to her nervous system that ended up in tingly places. He hadn't called her that in years. She'd always loved when he'd done that. It made her toes curl and her stomach flip-flop. Especially when he was looking at her like he was now and calling her that.

She cleared her throat and stepped back to her full height. His brilliant eyes following her up as he sat there complacently.

'Yeah, no concussion Naruto,' she said reassuringly. 'I think you should probably get some sleep, you've probably got paperwork to do tomorrow before the wedding.'

Naruto shook his head slowly, still not breaking his gaze. It was beginning to make her feel breathless to be honest.

'Nope, I don't have to be up at all tomorrow. I don't need to be anywhere until the weekend now.' His words were simple, mundane almost, but there was something about the tone that just morphed them into something slinking with sultry promise as each honey soaked word left his delectable tongue. 'Do you have anywhere to be?'

He needed to stop looking at her like that, like right now. Seriously, right now.

'No,' Sakura whispered hoarsely. 'Tsunade said I was free until after the wedding.'

'Good,' he whispered as he pushed himself up the couch so he was perched on the edge, the warmth of his skin caressing hers with how close they were to each other. 'Hey Sakura-chan?'

She wanted to reach out and cup his fac - oh who was she kidding? She wanted to throw herself into his lap.

'Yeah Naruto?' she whispered. She bit her lip slightly as his hands lifted from the sofa and brushed her thighs before they rested between his legs, forearms settling on his partly spread thighs.

'We're going to a wedding this weekend,' he said. 'Another one in fact, and we're going together.' He ran the back of his finger against her knee absentmindedly. 'Again.'

'Yeah?' Sakura's breath caught in her throat as his finger kept stroking up to her thigh a little. 'And?'

God, when had he gotten so sensuous that a touch of his finger would send shocks right up to her gut? When had that happened?! She wanted to talk to someone in management about this!

'You think we'll hook up this time?'

Sakura blushed darkly, his finger stroking just a little further up her thigh and she wanted to beg him to never stop. It felt so good for him to touch her there, the mere idea of how much nicer it could feel if he just went a little higher.

'Why would we do that?' Sakura said, the words she'd told herself repeatedly whenever her own brain decided to join in on giving her a hard time for not jumping her best friend yet. 'We're friends, friends don't do that.'

Though she was wishing more and more that she wasn't his friend right now. She'd give anything to not be his friend in this moment. To be some girl he'd brought home to use however he damn well pleased and leave her feeling more satisfied than anyone ever had.

Cus she knew he would, Hinata was a blabbermouth when she was drunk.

But Naruto just smirked at her sexily. Knowingly.

'Friends don't wear friends t-shirts to bed,' Naruto whispered as more of his fingers stroked up her thigh.

'It's comfy,' she murmured.

And it smells like him.

'Uh huh,' Naruto's other hand ghosted up the back of her other thigh, it was gloriously warm and she almost moaned just at the touch that close to her ass. 'Friends don't keep changes of underwear at friends' places.'

'I'm here so often it just seemed sensible,' Sakura protested, biting her lip as the fingers on her inner thigh skated over her heated skin to rest on the back of her thigh, his hands cupping her legs as she stepped a little closer to him instinctively.

'You want the big guns Sakura-chan?' he said, his hands caressing the back of her thighs in all the ways she'd always hoped he knew how to do. 'Fine with me.'

She nearly crumpled over his head when he pressed a firm, poignant kiss against her stomach. Even through the t-shirt she could feel his lips and it was the hottest thing she'd ever experienced in her entire damn life.

'Friends' don't know how to make friends' nipples hard,' he nodded up at her chest and fresh fire bloomed in her cheeks.

She knew he'd been looking at her breasts! The confirmation seeming to make them stiffen even more, like they were crying out for more of his attention. Like despite the rationale of her brain, her body didn't care and just wanted his glorious hands all over it.

They were just friends though, he wasn't meant to look at her like that or touch her like that! No matter how much she might have tried to entice him before when they'd been drinking or those times she'd 'forgotten' her bra when they were hanging out at a place that allowed her to change.

She wasn't meant to be begging the universe to let him take her.

His hands moved up her thighs and she groaned as the big palms cupped and cradled her ass, pulling her down by it and onto his lap where she could feel how pleased he was to have her there.

'And friends don't stare at their friend's dicks like you do,' he whispered against her lips, the millimetres burning her with need in ways she desperately wanted to last forever. 'Did you think I didn't see Sakura-chan?'

'Shut up,' Sakura growled into his mouth. 'Friends don't say things like that.'

'I'm not your friend right now,' Naruto countered, slipping his tongue past her lips as fresh electricity danced down to her throbbing heat, which she could feel the press of his dick already rubbing against.

'Good,' she groaned hungrily, returning the kiss fiercely as her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers meshing into his feathery hair while she grinded onto his lap. She didn't stop until he groaned as loudly as she did when his magical hands disappeared from her ass and snaked around her waist and dipped down to between her thighs …


'Morning Konohans!' The chirpy sound of a DJ screamed into the morning quiet. 'This is Konoha's No.1 Breakfast Show and I'm your host –'

'Noooooooooooo,' Sakura whined, stabbing at the button that would silence the horrible voice that had ruined her glorious dream.

It wasn't fair! She was so damn close! She huffed in frustration and lifted the covers and barely resisted the urge to grind her teeth.

Cockblocked by her own phone. That was cold and she eyed the innocent black slab of betrayal murderously.

Instead, because she couldn't afford to replace a shattered phone right now, she lifted up the covers and huffed again. Slamming the covers back over herself and crossed her arms in a grumble.

'Traitorous body,' she grouched, glaring down at each part of her body as she admonished it. 'Traitorous nipples. Traitorous vagina. You're all lucky I keep clothes here or we would have words.'

She covered her face with her hands and growled audibly as she dragged her fingers over her face.

It was such a good dream too. The way Naruto had touched her, the way he'd talked to her. Damn, she knew he had to be capable of being sexy like that but actually experiencing it first-hand like that … it was a trip that left her giddy even though she hadn't actually experienced it. Not really.

But you could …

No she couldn't … they were just friends and besides, she always dreamed of Naruto like that when she got drunk. That was the kind of drunk she was. She drank, she got to a certain point and she was about ready to knock down Naruto's door and mount him like the prized stallion he was. Happened every time.

This was no different than the times before she'd dreamt of her objectively gorgeous best friend and it would be no different than the next time it happened. She was just fated to have sex dreams of him was all.

She sobered slightly, reason and sexual frustration battling for dominance until flat out exhaustion snuck in and stole the win. She sighed heavily into the air.

Looked like she was finishing herself off in Naruto's shower again, at least the idea of him coming in behind her had a little more possibility behind it here. Probably wouldn't take her long.

Sakura slowly rose up in the bed, kicking her legs out so she could sit on the edge of the mattress and huffed once more, a little less put out this time.

There was no point being mad at her brain for the dream, it was a nice one after all and at least she got to explore the idea of being with Naruto that way without repercussions, which was definitely fun if not completely fulfilling. But hey, no risk of screwing up their friendship. That was a win.

Besides, this was Tsunade and Ino's fault really. Tsunade for what she said yesterday and Ino for almost bullying her into asking Naruto to be her date for the wedding, even if she hid it behind ease and to get their friends and loved ones to back off a bit.

Which to be honest, she was almost tempted to do this time. Naruto would do it, it'd get them a reprieve and maybe they could enjoy their friends' wedding without being peer pressured into stuff they'd happily do anyway.

As if Ino and Tenten had to browbeat Sakura into dancing with Naruto, the man could move like nobody's business. She'd lost hours dancing with Naruto at parties, she didn't need people adding more romantic connotations to something so fun. And hanging out with Naruto was always the most fun she could possibly have at any given moment.

And it would be even more fun to be Naruto's date. Hell, it'd be the most fun date she'd ever had, even if it remained entirely platonic.

Which she'd be fine with. Honestly.

Not to mention, Naruto would probably jump at the chance to cut loose and not be bothered about them for a bit too. Especially once she explained the exact plan to him. The hyperactive blond would jump right on board.

She smiled to herself and nodded. Sakura would go ask him right now.

Which was when she was reminded of her current predicament. Right, she'd shower, change and then ask him.

Yeah, that's what she'd do. Then they could have breakfast and laugh about how stupid all their friends were going to look when the 'date' ended like it was obviously going to end and they could get on with their lives happily afterwards.

What the hell? It'd be a blast.