Hello all! I know I've been away for a while and for that you have my apologies. I wrote this chapter last year but I just wasn't exactly happy with it. So I finished it all today and I am presenting it to you. I hope it is to your liking. Many things have been going on this year, I got a second job and I got married so I've been plenty busy. Thank you all for you're patience.

Naruto hesitates at Kirie's dorm room, his hand hovering an inch away from the door in preparation to knock, but he can't move his hand.

His heart beating loudly in his ears, his hand trembling with nervousness.

Is this really what's gonna happen? Is he really gonna break the heart of the girl he's been with for close to three years? The girl he genuinely has affection for?

How can he cause this pain to another person.

How can he, or better yet, should he tell her his reason? That he is actually in love with Sasuke and has been since before he met her but he used her as a cover to seem straight but that he actually still loves her, but that he just can't be with her like this anymore?

But he couldn't possibly lie and continue to cover for his feelings anymore.

He has to settle all this truthfully, cause he deserves what reaction he gets, because he was the one running and hurting people.

She probably would feel humiliated and betrayed even more, but he's tired of not being honest with people, and after everything, she really does deserve the truth.

He just can't be with her anymore when the person he truly desires is in the same vicinity.

After not being strong enough to be honest with Sasuke before, after hurting him and scarring him deeply and abandoning him, he can't afford to let fear hold him back any longer, he needs to knock and break this off, and be strong enough to go tell Sasuke the truth, even if it don't go as expected.

Even if he is rejected by him too, it's still a step in the right direction of being who he truly is and a step at not letting fear hold him back no longer.

So as those thoughts race through his mind, before he truly realizes what he is doing, his hand knocks on the door, his legs shaking, itchingto run, but he stays firmly in his spot in front of her room.

He'd love to say he was free from his fear, that he was no longer locked away from the fear of life, but to his dismay, his hand still trembles and his heart still rapidly beats, causing his stomach to make flips and turns.

Before he has time to knock on the door to Kirie's room again, her face appears as she opens it, her straight face turning into a bright smile when she sees her boyfriend standing there for a visit.

But instantly she can tell something is off, the fear and sadness on his face all to evident, the trembling no longer in just his hands and legs but throughout his whole body as well.

Kirie knows something is off, yet, being dumped was not even a thought that crossed her mind.

"Naruto, come in, what's wrong honey?" Kirie comforts with a gentle caress to his face.

Naruto gives a fearful smile as he slightly pulls away from her hand, a move which she, of course, notices causing her frown.

"I just need to talk to you about something, Kirie. It's important." Naruto avoids looking into the eyes of the person he is about to betray, and as bad as he wants to just run out of the room, he is not only doing this for Sasuke, but for himself.

Kirie doesn't reply, she spins around and heads directly for her bed, after sitting she looks up at Naruto and motions for him to sit with her.

Naruto obliges and sits next to his long time girlfriend.

He takes a deep breath as she patiently awaits for the words he continues to hold back, words she doesn't know he has been holding back for years.

Naruto thinks of Sasuke, of his smiling face when they were friends, of the stream of tears Sasuke let loose at his rejection, and how he hasn't seen him smile even in the present because of the hurt that still lingers in his heart at the sight of Naruto.

Naruto's heart feels so burdened, but it feels so incomplete, even over the years after Sasuke, he has never felt a truer happiness than when he was with Sasuke, now he feels as if he wears merely a mask, a reflection of who he is supposed to be.

A happy straight male with a beautiful girlfriend, a man without a care in the world.

But his heart is someone else, and the pain of living a lie has already been taking its toll, but once he saw the man, the soul that would truly make him complete, the man that brings out the best in him, he could no longer hold on to the mask that he shows to the world, his heart started leaking out, and he can't go back to playing that role any longer.

Now, it's time for freedom.

It's time to cast away his fear and not care about any judgement that comes with it, because life is too short and yet, at the same time, too long to not allow yourself the pleasure of being happy and being who you're supposed to be.

The world is too cruel to hold back your passion.

"Kirie, we need to break up."

Naruto stares at her face, watching for any movement from the blank face she currently possesses.

"Why?"

This was her only response.

"I'm sorry, I know I've wronged you. I'm actually in love with Sasuke, I have been for many years. I was scared to come out and say I was gay, I tried so desperately to hide it, so I asked every girl out I could, and eventually asked you out. I only asked you out because I was trying to hide, but I really do love you. But, I just don't have strong enough romantic feelings for you. Sasuke is the only person I truly wanna be with. I'm so sorry, Kirie, truly, but I can't hide any longer. I can't take wearing this mask anymore."

Naruto spills out his deep, hidden emotions, knowing fully well he won't be accepted by her, but right now, that fear is far away, because his desire for Sasuke just runs too deep through him, he can't back down anymore.

"So everything between us was a lie?" was Kirie's only response.

Naruto looks up, not expecting that response.

He stumbles over his words trying to answer her question.

"No, Kirie! I mean, partly things were just a lie, but I really did develop feelings for you. The things we shared were not a lie."

"But, it's not enough? These feelings you say you truly developed for me, why aren't they enough then?"

Naruto looks up at Kirie's troubled face, she looks so hurt.

"I don't know really. I do care for you, I do love you, but I guess my love for Sasuke just happens to be too strong and I didn't fully realize it until I saw him again recently. When I saw him, I felt like my heart jumped from my chest, chasing after him. I just couldn't deny it anymore."

"Really Naruto? Are you that willing to drop me? Why even put me through this and make me fall in love with you if it was all based on a lie?" A few tears begin to escape from Kirie's brown eyes.

Naruto can barely look at what he has caused.

"I'm sorry Kirie, I'm so very sorry."

"So if Sasuke didn't come back, you would've just continue this little charade?"

Naruto is stunned by the question, he looks up to see an angry face now.

He looks down in shame and nods his head.

"Then why can't you just continue then? You've went this far already, why can't you just continue to be with me? You say you love me and that your feelings are true, so why not just stay with me? We can get through this."

Naruto is just speechless, this didn't go at all like he originally believed and now, he has no idea what he could possibly say to a response like this.

A few moments of silence drift by, Naruto thinking honestly about what to say and Kirie waiting, not so patiently for his response, a response that would either break them or, in her hopes, keep them together.

"Kirie."

She jumps, the noise and anticipation startling her.

He looks into her tear stained and yet hopeful eyes, the pain in his own chest ever so real.

"I can't. I do love you, but I don't love you as much romantically or physically as I love you as a person. My whole heart belongs to one person only, and while I do have some unexplainable feelings for you, whatever they actually are, they just aren't enough anymore. Maybe they could've been, but once Sasuke appeared before me, I knew I couldn't play along to this charade anymore. I discovered that I had to be true to myself first."

Kirie looks down in disappointment, her whole world crashing down. The man she is in love with, is gay, in love with someone else and is leaving her.

"Okay, whatever, just leave. I wanna be alone."

Naruto nods and stands up, heading for the door, "Kirie, truly, I'm sorry."

With that said, Naruto walks out the door, leaving behind not only the sad girl he dated for a couple years, but he is also leaving behind a life of not being authentic and being himself, he is leaving behind the fairy tale he wrote himself, and he is finally deciding to be happy and be confident in himself and despite the sadness and anger he feels towards himself for hurting Kirie, he finally feels a happiness that he doesn't know that he ever felt and right now, he feels free and ecstatic.

However, now he has to go talk to Sasuke, in hopes he can salvage the relationship between them, he doesn't have his hopes up that Sasuke still loves him and will just fall into his arms, but he at least wants to be friends again, with the only person who has ever accepted him and stood by his side.

xxx

Sasuke manages to make it back to his dorm room, his whole being tattered, his emotional stability decreasing.

So, not only did his only friend and his only love abandon him, but now his best friend is in love with him, and so he has to choose between logic and his heart?

Naruto or Shikamaru?

He can't even be friends with both?

He can't love Naruto and be friends with Shikamaru?

How can anything ever go back to the easy going normal he once knew?

Sasuke rubs his face and lays down on his bed, his body and mind both tired and drained from everything that spirals out of his control around him.

What is the answer? And, if there is an answer, what's the easiest one?

He lays back onto his bed and stares at the ceiling, his mind racing with all the chaos that is happening, he desperately wants to fall asleep, hoping that he can forget anything ever happened, wanting to drift away into a dream that takes him far away from reality.

As he slowly gets closer to sleep, and his dreams begin to fade into view, a knock on the door startles him awake.

He listens again to make sure that wasn't his dream and after hearing the blatant knock again, he raises up and stares at the door, hoping it's not someone who will make today worse.

Sasuke opens the door to reveal the blonde headed boy that controls his thoughts.

His eyes widen in response to his surprise, but because of his hesitation, Naruto is able to slip inside the dorm room before it was slammed in his face.

"Look Sasuke, I need to talk to you right quick. It's important and I just need to confess some things to you that I've been holding in a long time and I think you deserve to know." Nauto says as he clutches his hands together.

Sasuke looks at him, his mind partially made up about what to do, he just needs that extra little push to send him flying back to Naruto, or, sending him even farther away.

He contemplates for just one moment before nodding and sitting down on his bed, in return, Nauto sits down beside him, facing him.

Naruto's heart has been beating quickly since he left Kirie's dorm room, but when Sasuke opened that door, he couldn't even describe the emotion he felt when he saw him.

Naruto watches his hands, trying to now gain the courage to tell Sasuke that he's in love with him.

"Sasuke, well, I'll just spit it all out and try to make it understandable but first and formost, I'm gay."

Sasuke's eyes widen, "Wait, what? Since when?"

"For many many years."

"So even when I confessed to you all those years ago?"

"Yeah."

"Then why did you say all that mean stuff and call me disgusting?"

"Well, I was trying to hide who I was, I felt ashamed that I felt that way. And Sasuke, I'm really sorry about everything I said, I know I hurt you really bad but it really hurt me to when I said it all."

"So, what about Kirie? If you're gay, what about her?"

"Well, I used her as a cover to give the appearance that I was straight."

"Oh, wow, okay then."

"But, there is more."

"More?"

"Yeah, not only am I gay, but I've been in love with you for several years too." Naruto glances at Sasuke and then glances away, his nerves making his hands shake.

Sasuke's head fills like it's spinning, Naruto is in love with him? Since when? How could he not tell if that were true? Was Sasuke also oblivious to Naruto's feelings?

"You..you're in love with me?" Sasuke points to himself.

"Yeah, I'm in love with you Sasuke and when I saw you again after everything that happened, I just couldn't play along to my charade anymore. I couldn't wear the mask that I have forced myself to wear for all those years anymore. When I saw you, I could no longer ignore my feelings."

Sasuke just stares at Naruto, dumbfounded.

"I know, it's a messed up situation where I lied and hurt people just to keep this secret that's not even so bad to hide. I hurt you tremendously and I can never undo what I've done, but I truly wanted to apologize and tell you everything. I understand if you don't wanna believe me or be friends or more with me, but I still at least, wanted to share the truth with you and be honest for once."

" I can't take it anymore to not just be me and be happy. So this is my step to freedom from myself. I broke it off with Kirie and I wanted to come see if I could salvage our friendship at least, I don't wanna allow myself to hope that you'll actually be mine but I've gone this far and I wanna take that chance, so Sasuke, will go out with me?"

Sasuke pinches himself to see if he is indeed dreaming, but no, this is truly not a dream.

He just can't believe this is true, that Naruto is in love with him, that he broke up with Kirie, that he is here asking him on a date.

Frustrated tears escape Sasuke's eyes, his heart beating so rapidly it feels as if he'll have a heart-attack.

"You idiot! You just keep making things more and more difficult! You don't know how desperately I wanted you, how desperately I wanted to forget you when you rejected and abandoned me! But no matter what I did, nothing worked, my heart always belonged to you. But you just keep making my mind and heart a mess." Sasuke yells as tears flow freely down his red cheeks.

Naruto feels tears fall from his own eyes from watching the one person that has his heart suffer.

Naruto hesitantly grabs Sasuke for a hug.

Sasuke's cries into Naruto's shoulder, holding on as if he'll disappear.

"I'm so sorry Sasuke, I never wanted to hurt you. I love you so much. I'm so sorry." He says as he strokes Sasuke's back.

"Naruto, I love you. I never stopped but you scare me, I feel so much pain. How are we suppose to move past that?" Sasuke replies as he holds his hand against his heart.

Naruto looks into his eyes, "I know, Teme. I know I'm the worst person there is, but I love you, will you at least allow me to show you and make it up to you?"

Fresh tears fall from Sasuke's red eyes, Naruto wipes them away.

"It's not like I can really say 'no' now. My heart won't let you leave now."

Naruto gives a small smile before giving Sasuke another hug.

Sasuke wraps his arms around him and buries his head into his neck, taking a deep breath, breathing in Naruto's scent, not wanting this to end.

Sasuke leans back and wipes his eyes, "But first, there is something I have to do. I need to go see Shikamaru."

Naruto squints, "Why?"

His eyes, widen, "Are y'all dating?!"

Sasuke laughs, "No, but, he says he is in love with me, but he's still my friend and has stood by my side throughout this whole horrible process I've been through with you. He don't like you very much, Naruto. But I don't wanna lose my friendship with him, so I owe it to him to listen to what he has to say, and he also deserves to know about what's going on with us."

Sasuke blushes and looks down, "I do have a favor to ask though."

"Anything. What is it?"

"Will you go with me to see him?"

Naruto smiles, "Of course, Sasuke. But, we will have to go in the morning, we can't catch a bus now, and it's pretty late, so let's get some sleep for now."

"Yeah, you're right. You have my number, call me when you wake up, okay?"

Naruto sees fear in Sasuke's eyes, and he grabs his face, "Sasuke, I'm not leaving this time, don't be afraid, my love. My heart can no longer bear to be away from you."

Naruto leans over and kisses Sasuke on the cheek, and then he leaves his room.

Sasuke is frozen, his eyes wide, his heart beating wildly in his chest, he can barely catch his breath.

Naruto leans against the door in the hallway, his heart beating rapidly also, not believing what he just did.

Naruto makes his way back to his dorm on shaky legs.

Sasuke grabs his phone, pulling up his text messages with Shikamaru.

"I'm sorry for freaking out, I'll come by to see you tomorrow."

Sasuke lays down, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting back to Naruto's kiss.

He touches his face, still able to feel the imprint of Naruto's lips against his cheek.

His phone rings and Sasuke looks to see Shikamaru texted him back.

"You don't need to apologize Sasuke, I pushed that info on you so quickly and in a vulnerable state. I'm glad I didn't scare you away from me entirely, thank you for texting me. Sleep well."

Sasuke sighs, what on earth is he gonna do with this situation he has now?

He turns on the radio, needing a distraction to fall asleep too.

The radio announces J. Cole Apparently will be playing.

"Oh right, oh

Oh why na-da-da-da

I keep my head high

I got my wings to carry me

I don't know freedom

I want my dreams to rescue me

I keep my faith strong

I ask the Lord to follow me

I've been unfaithful

I don't know why you call on me"

Sasuke's eyes start to close, his mind and body tired from all the stress he has be going through.

"This is my canvas

I'ma paint it how I want it baby, oh I

This is my canvas

I'ma paint it, paint it, paint it, how I want it nigga

Fuck you cause there

There is no right or wrong

Only a song

I like to write alone

Be in my zone

Think back to Forest Hills, no perfect home

But the only thing like home I've ever known

Until they snatched it from my mama

And foreclosed her on the loan

I'm so sorry that I left you there to deal with that alone

I was up in New York City chasin' panties gettin' dome

Had no clue what you was goin' through

How could you be so strong?

And how could I be so selfish, I know I can be so selfish

I could tell by how I treat you with my girl

Damn she so selfless, but she put up with my way

Because she loves me like you do

And though it do not always show I love her just like I love you

And I need to treat you better

Wish you could live forever, so we could spend more time together"

And as the songs plays through the night, Sasuke gently falls into a deep sleep.

So, as you can see, I'm not quite finished with the story yet. I have many ideas for what I want to come so I hope that you all will continue to read and enjoy. Thank you so much for not only your patience but for you love as well. You all keep me going with my stories. Thank you so much.