Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!

Summary: A second series of ficlet requests - details are on my tumblr. All SNS, only modern AU so far. I'll give a summary and any warnings in the first note above each ficlet!

A/N: Onto the fifth! This one ran away with me a little bit again. Such a fun idea! Although it's a sort of fantasy medieval setting, Naruto and Sasuke speak in plain English - that's the best I can do at the moment, haha. I hope your all like it! If you'd like to place a ficlet request, please read through the details linked on ao3.

This ficlet was requested by TheRedR0bin, who wanted a sort of play on King Arthur Naruto and Merlin Sasuke, with a specific prompt found on tumblr. (It will be linked on ao3.) I played around with the prompt a lot, but I hope the way it all comes together at the end makes sense!

Ficlet summary: Fantasy/royal AU, references to fighting a bloody battle and the fic depicts taking care of a harsh wound. King!Naruto and Advisor/Wizard!Sasuke. In which Naruto and Sasuke discuss how the battle went, and each other's stubborn inability to leave the other alone.

Ficlet Series 2

5 - A King and His Advisor

"Ow," Sasuke hissed, jerking back as Naruto reached out again. "Can you be any more gentle with that?"

Naruto huffed out a small laugh, and ignored him.

"If you can be any less of a prick," he said, dabbing the rag at the wound. It had to get clean and this was Sasuke's own stupid fault anyway, risking his life like that. Naruto was still mad at him for it—he'd told him to go. Naruto should have doubled back and Sasuke had told him so, but he'd known Naruto never would, and so—

And so Sasuke had stayed, too.

Naruto swallowed, and continued to clean the wound.

"You're a terrible king," Sasuke muttered, and Naruto huffed out a breath.

"I'd be a terrible king if I abandoned my people at the first sign of danger," he pointed out, dabbling at the salve Sasuke had made a few months ago. "You're a terrible advisor."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder, his eyes not quite making it back to Naruto. His back was tense—his shoulders tight, his face uneasy. Naruto understood.

He felt the same.

"I nearly fled when you got hurt anyway," Naruto continued, softer than before. "You shouldn't've taken that hit."

"You shouldn't have been in its way," Sasuke replied, and that was that.

That was that.

Naruto sighed and leaned forwards, resting his forehead to the point where Sasuke's back met his neck.

"I don't want you to be hurt for me," he said softly, as Sasuke continued to breathe. He was breathing and warm and alive, and Naruto had to just close his eyes and feel it, if only for a moment... "I don't want anyone to be hurt for me."

"You're the king," Sasuke told him, unmoving. "It comes with the territory."

"Not my territory," he said, sitting up. "Not me. Sasuke—"

Sasuke glanced back at him, his hair falling past his pointed ears.

"You know I can't," Naruto told him. "You know I'll stay as long as I can. I can't promise to run. You know that."

Sasuke watched him for another long, long moment.

"I know," he replied softly. "You should know the same."

Naruto let out a small, hopeless laugh.

Yeah. Yeah. Here they were, mad at each other for the same thing. Both of them refusing to relent. Both of them determined to make the other back down.

Naruto bumped his head into Sasuke's shoulder again.

"You know you win this argument, right?" he said, unmoving. "If you're going to get hurt because I won't leave a losing fight—"

"So don't let me get hurt," Sasuke said, as if it was that easy.

Naruto scoffed and looked up, but Sasuke only raised an eyebrow.

"And don't lose the fight."

Naruto laughed.

"Yeah," he said, leaning back to run a hand through his hair, "yeah, 'course, why didn't I think of that?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes without ever turning around. Naruto saw it all the same. It wasn't that easy—obviously. They both knew it. This one had been a mess, though—Naruto had lost sight of Sasuke early on, and things had tumbled out of his control quickly, after that. He'd been distracted. Panicked, even—scanning the skies for any flash of thunder he could find. It was part of the reason he'd stayed, even as he'd commanded his people back—not that he'd tell Sasuke that, but—

But he'd had to find him.

He couldn't have left without him. If Naruto had to choose between a life without Sasuke and death, with him…

Naruto breathed in and shook himself. No sense in these thoughts. Sasuke was powerful—even more powerful than him, not that he'd ever hear those words out of Naruto's mouth. Sasuke commanded a force Naruto had only ever heard of in stories—standing in the middle of a storm with lightning in his hand. He would have left this battle untouched, too, if not for Naruto…

They had a weakness for each other, didn't they?

"How's your magic holding up?" he asked, folding the rag away. That was the best he could do, and Sasuke's salve would do the rest. They were going through it quickly, though, which settled Naruto down just fine—it would keep Sasuke safe and occupied while he healed, which was all he could really ask f—

Sasuke flicked the tip of Naruto's nose.

"Ow!" he said, jerking back as the spark shot through him. It wasn't—okay, it wasn't actually all that painful, but he hadn't been ready—

"Wimp," Sasuke said. "You need to get stronger."

Naruto looked up, rubbing the tip of his nose.

"You need to get stronger," he said, and the agreement clicked in Sasuke's eyes. It clicked in the raise of his chin, the way his lips twitched into that small smile Naruto loved so much…

"If I can find a way to make my magic reach farther," he said, studying his hand, "it would be a good start. You're too slow to dodge."

Naruto huffed a laugh.

"Shoot your magic at me then."

Sasuke raised his head.

"Not now, assho—no, don't—"

Naruto yelped and tumbled off the bed, and he heard Sasuke laugh. He stood and grabbed Sasuke's glowing hand by the wrist, pointing it away from both of them as he carefully pinned Sasuke back—still sitting up, just with his other hand under Naruto's knee, nothing touching the wound—

"Not now," he repeated, and Sasuke's lips twitched again. "I'm not gonna spar with you until you're healed."

Sasuke huffed.

"How boring," he said, and Naruto shifted so he wasn't pinning Sasuke down anymore. The glow to his hand had faded, but Naruto still kept a grip on his wrist...loose, and, um. Slipping a little bit…

Sasuke's fingers threaded through his.

"And how am I to entertain myself until I'm better?" he asked, and Naruto—swallowed. Swallowed and breathed and looked down at Sasuke's lips for just a—just a second—

Oh. Oh, Sasuke was moving closer…

Naruto breathed out a sigh as their lips met. Sasuke's body curved naturally with his, fitted to his as if they'd been carved together from the same wood...Naruto wanted to hold this feeling to him for the rest of his life. Hold Sasuke to him. He'd fight to stay by Sasuke's side forever—if it meant being the strongest they'd ever been, then they would.

Together, they would.

He pulled back but stayed close, a soft, warm smile etched into his lips—Naruto knew his own face couldn't be much better off. There was nothing in him left to lie about the things Sasuke made him feel.

"Sentimental moron," Sasuke said, studying his face. "You have no reason to smile so often."

Naruto stared at him, and his smile only grew wider.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I do."

A/N: That's it for now! I hope you all liked this one, too. I'll be slowing down in the next few days, but I'll still be doing my best. I hope you're all doing well!

Until next time,

- Kinomi