Naruto didn't mind the silence as he drove through Konoha with Sasuke in the passenger seat. He hoped he'd like the next spot he had in mind. After seeing Sasuke's training room, he felt as if he owed him a glimpse of something intimate and important to him.

Naruto did not intrude on Sasuke's thoughts; nothing about his silence seemed threatening or distant. He would trust Sasuke to share his thoughts when he was ready.

As they neared Konoha's northern limits, Sasuke spoke.

"What did that woman mean when she said you saved her son's life?"

"Oh, you mean Amma? She kinda exaggerated," Naruto replied with a nervous laugh. "Ranvir was in college with me, and these three guys attacked him because they thought he was Arab or Muslim."

"He's neither," Sasuke said dryly.

"Yeah, I know, but even if he were, it would have been wrong."

"So you just ran into the middle of three guys?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I tried to be smart about it, but it was hard. Anyway, they stopped beating up Ranvir and went after me. When they realized that I could fight back, they kind of quit and ran off. Ranvir was black and blue. Two black eyes, a broken rib. We've been friends since. I used to work at his family's restaurant in college."

Sasuke looked at him wordlessly. Naruto had passed the point in his life when it felt good to brag about such antics. Now, it simply felt as if he were playing the hero and using Ranvir as a prop in his story.

"It doesn't sound like his mother was exaggerating," Sasuke said quietly.

"I dunno. It wasn't that big of a deal. I taught him some self-defense tactics after that. I think it never occurred to him that he could fight back. There wasn't anything special about what I did."

"His mother obviously would disagree with you."

Naruto felt a surge of annoyance. "I just fucking hate prejudice. I can't stand back when a person is being ganged up on. It happened to Japanese Americans during World War II. I don't have any patience for it. That doesn't make me special. It makes me human."

"Those three guys beating up your friend were humans, too," Sasuke countered.

"Yeah, they were. And they were probably mixed up, and who the fuck knows what went wrong in their brains to make them forget that they're human, and so is a brown guy with a different religion," Naruto said heatedly.

Sasuke said nothing to this, but Naruto could feel him watching his face. He felt embarrassed by his outburst and having relived his intervention in Ranvir's attack.

"I don't think I know anyone like you," Sasuke murmured.

Unsure of how Sasuke had meant his words or how to take them, he smiled tightly.

"I don't know if I told you how nice you look today," he told Sasuke.

"Hn" was all Sasuke replied, but Naruto could see him look down.

"I like the tie," Naruto pressed.

"Do you?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I dunno, why does anybody like anything?" he said.

"People usually have reasons for liking what they like," Sasuke countered

"And sometimes those reasons are subconscious and they don't really understand them," Naruto shot back.

Sasuke smirked as if he'd won the argument. Naruto did not quite appreciate that.

"Maybe, asshole, I like it because it's black like your hair and your eyes," he said playfully. "Maybe I like that you're not wearing all black but you're still color-coordinated."

Sasuke looked down, but Naruto could see the color rising in his cheeks.

He was fishing for that compliment, kid.

Naruto grinned.

They passed out of the town limits, and the landscape began to look slightly more rural. Naruto turned down a narrow dirt road and drove a short distance to where it dead-ended at a thicket. Sasuke glanced at Naruto briefly, and Naruto realized how bizarre a destination it must seem for a date.

"Don't worry. I'm not a serial killer or anything," he told Sasuke.

"I'm glad you told me," Sasuke retorted. "You saved me the trouble of killing you preemptively."

Naruto laughed, but the look in Sasuke's eyes gave him pause. He had the feeling that Sasuke's ethereal beauty belied lethal strength and cunning.

"This is one of my favorite places anywhere," Naruto told him. "I don't know if you've ever come here before, but I used to come here all the time when I was a kid." He leaned into the back seat to retrieve a bag before he got out of the car.

"It's a little bit of a walk; not far at all, just a few hundred feet, but the terrain is uneven. Will your feet be ok in those shoes?" he asked Sasuke.

"If they're not, I'll take my shoes off. Problem solved," Sasuke answered shortly. Naruto wasn't sure whether his jokes had offended Sasuke or not. The jitters rose up in his stomach again.

He led Sasuke through the thicket and carefully began to descend an incline. He watched Sasuke carefully, but he seemed to be dealing with the terrain just fine. To Naruto, it seemed that he barely skimmed over the dirt and the rocks. He himself was working to stay upright. It had been many years since he'd taken this hike.

The sound of running water became louder as they made their way down the steep hill. Naruto's entire body reacted reflexively. Peace and joy flooded his mind as he drew nearer to the closest thing to a sacred space that he'd ever known.

When they finally stood on level ground, Naruto looked back at Sasuke. The hike had barely affected him; he breathed evenly and there was no sign of exertion in his face. He realized that Sasuke must be accustomed to exertion, and to changing terrains. This pleased him and made him feel closer to his laconic date.

"We just need to walk a little farther," he told Sasuke. Without a second thought, he took Sasuke's hand and led him through a small stand of trees until they were standing on a sandy, creek-side bank. A twenty-foot waterfall plunged down over smoothed stones and splashed into the creek. Looking up, the sky was almost obscured by trees. It was slightly cooler down here, in the bottom of this small gorge.

Naruto let go of Sasuke's hand and opened his bag. He removed a small quilt and spread it carefully over the ground. "You want to sit?" he asked.

Sasuke sat down on the quilt in reply. "I didn't know this place was here," he said to Naruto.

Naruto dropped down to sit beside him. "I've been coming here since I was, like, seven or eight."

Sasuke looked around, the late-afternoon sun dappling his features through the trees. Naruto loved the way the light seemed to play with Sasuke's hair and face; he was beautiful this way, as if even the sun didn't dare touch him too familiarly.

"How did you find it?" Sasuke asked.

"I can't remember," Naruto said honestly. "I was roaming off by myself. It was in one of my more… hmm… interesting foster homes. My foster parents weren't too good at keeping up with me, and that suited me fine."

Sasuke eyed him strangely. Naruto couldn't tell exactly why—maybe it was just the movement of the light—but it seemed as if Sasuke's eyes had become deeper and darker.

"I sometimes spent the night out here." A barrage of images passed through his mind. This had always been the "happy place" he schooled his thoughts to go when they were otherwise too dark.

"How did you eat?" Sasuke asked quietly. Naruto felt rather than heard a growl rolling off the other man's thoughts.

"Heh. Well, I sometimes ran out of the house with cans of soup or a cup of instant ramen. And I'd just eat it out of the containers. But sometimes I caught fish."

"All by yourself?"

"Well, yeah. But "all by myself" usually was a good thing. It meant I wasn't being chased or beaten up or anything." Naruto smiled a little. No one ever thought to come looking for him here, and although he'd been lonely, he had never felt unsafe in this little hiding spot.

"Who taught you how to catch fish, or cook them?" Sasuke inquired, his eyes roving over Naruto's face.

"I did. Trial and error was a better teacher at that time in my life than books or lectures," Naruto answered. He felt a bit uncomfortable under Sasuke's scrutiny.

"How did you not become a juvenile delinquent?"

"Heh. Who says I didn't?" Naruto asked, winking.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't guess I ever was too bad. I did like to vandalize the statues in Founders' Park." The memory made Naruto smile. He still didn't feel too badly about it.

Sasuke snorted. "I always wondered who did that."

"And one time… you know those calligraphy scrolls in Konoha Museum? The really, really old ones from Japan?" Sasuke nodded. Naruto continued, "I stole those, once."

Sasuke looked at him in astonishment. "How old were you?"

Naruto flushed, partly from anger, partly from embarrassment. "I was about 11 or 12. One of my teachers was a real piece of shit. A lot of them were, but this guy was a real asshole. He had arranged for a buyer to lift the scrolls from me in the woods, so he egged me on. It would've worked out just right for him, because he didn't have to risk getting caught stealing the scrolls. Plus, he was really cruising to get me expelled. I just aggravated him, I guess. Not many of the kids or teachers liked me."

A familiar pain passed through Naruto as he recalled. He laughed lightly and looked at Sasuke, who looked as if he were angry.

"Any attention was good attention back then," he mumbled.

"Konoha has always treated those scrolls like the Arc of the Covenant," Sasuke said, somewhat bitterly. "Did you go to juvenile hall?"

"No. I can't really even be mad at Mizuki for the whole scheme. The teacher I told you about, Iruka was his name, he had sort of figured out that I was up to something and followed me. When the town council wanted me to be charged in juvenile court, he really got riled up and told them that I was a child, and Mizuki was my teacher, and that the school had drilled obedience into our heads so thoroughly that it would be unfair to punish me." Naruto laughed at this memory. "The one time I decided to obey a teacher, wouldn't you know."

Naruto grinned and looked down, remembering what a shock it had been to discover that Iruka would stand up for him. "If that hadn't happened, Iruka might not have realized how far down I could possibly spiral. He might not have stepped in. That changed everything for me, in the best ways."

Sasuke looked away. "You are an interesting person," he said quietly.

"I'm a lucky person," Naruto corrected. "I think a lot about what would have happened to my life if that had never happened, if Iruka had never gone out on a limb for me."

"They didn't let you go with no punishment, though," Sasuke said. "I know Konoha's old councilors would never have agreed to that."

"Yeah, I got a punishment. I had to spend two hours after school every day for the next year researching the scrolls and why they were important to Konoha. I had to report on how they were lost after the Japanese Internment years, like so many things were, and how the town elders had paid about three times more than what they were worth to recover them along with other works of art that had belonged to Japanese Americans for our town. That changed me, too, I guess. It changed how I looked at the world."

Sasuke chuckled dryly. "I can't believe they agreed to that as a punishment for you."

Naruto grinned. "Me, neither. But I'm glad they did. Juvie would have been a real bitch for a cocky little fucker like I was then."

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke said, with a real smile-teeth and all. Naruto's grin widened. Sasuke's voice made even insults sound sensual.

Is this a degradation kink? Who would've thought.

The intruding thought made Naruto's face color, and he looked down.

"You wanna go swimming?" he asked Sasuke after clearing his throat. "I brought us both towels and shorts," he said.

Sasuke looked surprised, a look that Naruto knew he would chase down every chance he got if they ended up spending more time together.

"The water is probably still cold," Sasuke said.

"What, are you scared of some cold water?" Naruto asked. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the challenge, and he felt the thrill of triumph.

Sasuke said nothing, but began loosening his tie. It was Naruto's turn to be surprised, now. Before he could react, Sasuke was tossing the black silk loop at Naruto's head.

Naruto laughed. "Whoo-hoo! Do you have a side job as a stripper?" he sniped.

"Shut up, idiot," Sasuke snorted. He made quick work of his shirt and vest. Naruto dug their swim shorts and towels out of his bag and began disrobing.

He turned his head as he and Sasuke continued to undress, tossing the shorts he'd brought for Sasuke over his shoulder. When he turned back around, he caught his breath with a sharp hiss.

Sasuke was slightly deconstructed. The back of his hair stood out a little. The shorts Naruto had brought hung low on his hips, allowing the contours of his hip bones to stand out a little. His chest was broad and muscular, his waist narrow, his abdominal muscles ridged and taut. His legs were incredibly well toned, as were his arms. It brought to Naruto's mind a photo of a male ballet dancer he'd once seen. Every part of Sasuke was toned, but his form was graceful and lean.

His fair skin was flawless, interrupted only by the dark mauve of his nipples and a few fading scars over his torso.

Bet this is what he looks like after a good fuck.

Naruto swallowed and trembled slightly at the thought.

"Race you to the water," he said, hoping his voice wouldn't betray his train of thought.

Sasuke shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Idiot. Fine. Let's go."

The two men raced down the bank. Naruto took a running leap and landed in the middle of the creek, biting back a squeal as the cold water engulfed his body. He lay back and allowed himself to float on the gentle current. Sasuke glided sinuously through the water near him. Naruto closed his eyes, feeling as if the warp and weft of space-time had woven him a perfect day in the perfect place.

He felt a shadow ghost over his face, then felt fingers gently graze the skin above his left breast. He opened his eyes lazily, surprised to see Sasuke standing over him.

"You have tattoos," Sasuke murmured.

"Yeah," Naruto acknowledged. "Are you surprised?"

"Maybe." Sasuke continued to trace the outline of the tattoo as Naruto gazed up at him. "This looks like an angry kitsune," he said.

"It is. I call him Kurama."

"You named your tattoo?" this seemed to amuse Sasuke.

"Yeah, so what?" Naruto answered somewhat defensively. He tried to hide his growing fascination with Sasuke's proximity and the movement of his fingertips over flesh that was unaccustomed to touch.

"Why would you do that?"

Naruto closed his eyes. "He was Kurama before he was a tattoo," he said. "He's my inner critic. My high school therapist wanted me to visualize my internal criticisms and give them a face. So that's Kurama. He can be cute and mischievous, or he can be destructive and cruel. The tattoo's to remind me of that."

Sasuke's fingertips continued to swirl over Naruto's flesh, growing more rhythmic. "Hm," he said, as if he were considering Naruto's words. "And this one?" He brought his other hand to the black ink that swirled around Naruto's navel.

Naruto nearly gasped at the sensation. Sasuke ran his fingers ever so lightly around the spiraling line.

"It's… it's… the symbol of my mom's clan," he stammered, aware that his voice had changed. "And the outer symbols are a seal. Like a seal for a demon."

"Are you a demon, Naruto?" Sasuke's voice was like velvet, and every nerve ending in Naruto's body seemed to respond to it. He could feel his skin, already taut from the cold, pebble from the stimulus.

"Do you have a demon inside, Naruto?" Sasuke asked again.

"Don't we all?" Naruto answered. He stood, aware that he and Sasuke were standing less than arm's length apart, and that Sasuke had not removed his hand from his belly.

Sasuke's eyes suddenly reflected sadness again, and Naruto felt a strong urge to embrace the man and shield him bodily from every threat for the rest of their lives. He reached out and brushed the bangs away from Sasuke's eyes.

"Sasuke..." he murmured hoarsely.

"Are you going to tell me how pretty I am again?" Sasuke asked with a wry smile.

"I'm going to tell you that you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen," Naruto said. "And… I..."

"And, you, what?" Sasuke prodded.

"And I want to kiss you."

"Idiot. Shut up and do it, then," Sasuke said. The quiver in his voice nearly brought Naruto to his knees.

He did not close his eyes as he leaned it, so he could see Sasuke's black eyes gleaming, his pupils nearly indistinguishable from his irides, and his eyes widening. He seemed... innocent—lost.

Naruto brought his lips over Sasuke's, taking a moment to simply revel in the closeness and the feeling of Sasuke's breath on his face.

He first kissed Sasuke's cheek, then the corner of his lips. He finally brought their lips together with a gentle pressure. Sasuke's lips were soft and pliant. He could taste the warm spice from their meal on them, as well as something pure and clean that he imagined must be Sasuke himself.

Sasuke's palm flattened over his belly, then moved to his hip. Naruto wrapped his arms around the other man, drawing him closer with a slight pressure on the small of his back. He tentatively explored Sasuke's lips with his tongue. Sasuke opened his mouth, allowing his tongue to slide over Naruto's.

Naruto groaned into the kiss involuntarily. He gently sucked Sasuke's lower lip and nipped at it gently. Sasuke responded by pressing his body closer to Naruto's.

From that moment, Naruto's rational mind receded, leaving only the primal awareness of the physical; of the cold water flowing around him and Sasuke, the two of whom had become almost a single island disrupting the stream… of the warmth and velvety wetness of Sasuke's mouth, of the contours of his teeth and palate… of Sasuke's hands grasping him tightly, Sasuke's chest against his…

He explored the curve of Sasuke's spine with one hand. The softness of Sasuke's skin contrasting with the ripple of firm muscle made Naruto moan again. Sasuke gripped his ass and pulled him close, and Naruto felt Sasuke's erection pressing tauntingly against his.

A need to possess Sasuke, to have more, more, more, goddammit, of the man in his arms flooded his mind and body. His hands hungrily roved over Sasuke's body, one gripping his firm, round ass, one fisting in his wet, silky hair. Sasuke's mouth opened wider against Naruto's, his high, keening moan reverberating into their kiss. His hips ground against Naruto's, making his knees weak with pleasure and anticipation.

Naruto had never wanted anything as badly as he wanted Sasuke. It was pure, primal need that drove him to push Sasuke towards the bank. They separated from their kiss only briefly; Naruto gripped Sasuke's hand in his and led him back to the quilt, lying down with Sasuke lying alongside him. Naruto initiated the next kiss as he pulled Sasuke's leg over his hip.

"Mmmm," Sasuke moaned as Naruto rocked against him. Naruto ended their kiss with a peck and rolled Sasuke onto his back. His eyes were dilated, his hair spread out wildly beneath him. His lips were full and red from their kiss.

"Dammit, Sasuke, you're so fucking hot," he growled. Sasuke pulled him down against him, and Naruto bit and licked at his neck and throat. He held Sasuke's hips down firmly as he explored his torso with his lips and tongue.

Naruto swiped his tongue across one dark nipple and then the other, fascinated with the way that the flesh pebbled and hardened under his mouth. He did this a few more times before sucking one lovingly into his mouth, causing Sasuke to cry out beneath him and buck his hips.

After a generous teasing of Sasuke's nipples, Naruto trailed kisses down his sternum, then to his side. Sasuke writhed and gasped as he gently bit and sucked the flesh there. He kissed his hipbone, then traced its contour with his tongue.

Devour him.

He moved his lips over Sasuke's body as if he would do exactly that. He loosened his grip on Sasuke's hips, allowing him to move more freely, and brought a hand up to palm the planes of his chest and his abs.

Sasuke hissed and rocked when his hand passed over his nipple; Naruto responded by circling it with his fingertips then pinching it firmly.

"Fuck, Naruto," Sasuke breathed.

He's all yours.

Naruto chuckled lustily. He kissed around his navel and explored it with his tongue, earning another moan, as well as the exquisite view of Sasuke arching his back in desire. He kissed the barely-existent swell of Sasuke's lower abdomen. When he felt the elastic waist of Sasuke's swim trunks, sense flooded back into his head.

He looked up at Sasuke questioningly. His eyes were hooded, his face flushed. "Sasuke, I… do…" he fumbled.

"Dammit, Naruto. Just… fuck..."

Naruto pulled Sasuke's trunks down slightly and kissed the patch of dark hair. He touched Sasuke's cock lightly through the fabric, amazed at the length and the girth and wanting to feel it skin-on-skin. Sasuke twisted in anticipation, and Naruto's mouth watered.

A shrill ring-tone shattered the moment. Sasuke froze. Naruto heaved a frustrated sigh as he rolled over onto the blanket and began to fumble with his discarded clothes.

"It's mine," Sasuke said, slightly out of breath. He crawled over to his own pile of clothing and found the phone in his pants pocket.

"What?" he answered irritably. Naruto noticed that his chest heaved. "Sarada? Is that you? I see. Your mother is at the hospital? I'll be there. Just… be safe. Don't go anywhere alone."

The word "hospital" fell like a gust of cold air over Naruto, and he began to get dressed hurriedly.

"Is everything ok?" he asked nervously when Sasuke ended the call.

"Yes, everything's fine. My daughter was at the mall with friends, but her friends left and my ex-wife is at the hospital." Noticing Naruto's alarm, he added, "She's a doctor and had to go in for an emergency."

Despite his frustration, Naruto was relieved that Sasuke's daughter and ex-wife were all right. "You need to pick her up."

"Yes." Sasuke answered curtly. Naruto could tell he was irritated at the interruption, but he could also tell that he had already begun to shift gears after their intense make-out session. He understood; having children meant putting what you want or what you need on hold when necessary.

They dressed and walked back to the car in silence.

"Where is she?" Naruto asked when they got in the car. "Oh. Yeah. The mall. I'll take you, ok? That way you don't have to ride all the way out to the opposite side of town to drive to her."

"Thanks." Sasuke turned to look out the window as they drove.

You're not going to get a lot of pillow talk outta this one, kid.

Self-doubt began to hammer at Naruto's mind. Had he moved too fast? Had he only imagined that Sasuke was just as caught up as he was? And somewhere, in the recesses of his mind, he realized that he had only officially been divorced for six days. That he had only known Sasuke for that long.

So fucking what. This is what people do all the time. Why should you be different?

The questions made his head hurt and his stomach turn. He didn't know how attraction worked for most people. He'd never felt it so acutely before meeting Sasuke, and his impulsive drive to act on his feelings conflicted with what he knew about good sense.

And marrying a woman you weren't attracted to and spawning with her made "good sense," I suppose.

The questions tumbled about in his mind uncomfortably. He was relieved when the mall came into view.

"I texted her to tell her to stand just inside the entrance. So just pull up to the curb for a minute," Sasuke instructed.

Naruto put the car in park and waited, curiosity about Sasuke's child drowning out his moral turmoil. A small, dark-haired figure walked out the huge mall entrance and looked around alertly.

"Shit. She won't recognize your car," Sasuke muttered before getting out. The little figure walked towards them, and recognition dawned in Naruto's mind.

"Sorry, Papa," the little dark-haired girl said. Naruto wondered how he hadn't seen it before; the child had Sasuke's hair and the same large, dark eyes. She looked over at the car and her eyes grew wide.

"Mr. Uzumaki? Is that you?"

"Hey, Sarada," Naruto answered back.

"I see you know each other," Sasuke said icily, as he got in the car. He didn't seem pleased with the information.

"Mr. Uzumaki is the principal of my school," Sarada said, somewhat primly. "Are we riding with you, Mr. Uzumaki?"

"Yeah, Sarada, you're riding with me. Is that ok? And call me Naruto. We're not at school, now."

Sarada looked somewhat startled at being given permission to call an authority figure by their given name, but she got into the back seat and buckled her seat belt.

"Why are you guys wet?" Sarada inquired.

"That has nothing to do with you," Sasuke said shortly. His curt reply shocked Naruto, and he could tell that it displeased Sarada, as well.

"We were swimming, Sarada," Naruto said amiably. "It seemed like a good day for it."

"You were swimming, Papa?" she asked. "With Mr. Uzumaki?"

"You're a smart girl. Balance your observations against what you've been told and come to a conclusion," Sasuke snapped.

This shocked Naruto even more, and irritated him as well. Sasuke just stared straight ahead, either oblivious or indifferent to Sarada's displeasure.

"Sarada, are you having a good summer?" Naruto asked.

"I haven't experienced enough of the summer to give you a good answer, Mr. Uzumaki," Sarada answered.

"Hey, it's Naruto when we're not in school, yeah?"

"Ok. Naruto, I haven't had enough time to gauge whether it's a good summer or not."

"Well," Naruto answered, amused as always at Sarada's drolly grown-up manner of speaking, "I hope it's a great one for you. Sarada's one of Konoha Bi-Lingual's best students, and she's a heck of an office aide, too!" He addressed this information not only to Sasuke, but also to Sarada, in the hopes that it would soften the edges of Sasuke's brusque manner.

"Hn." Sasuke answered.

"Can you take me home, Mr… I mean, Naruto? I don't live far from here," Sarada asked. Naruto looked at Sasuke, who nodded in assent.

Naruto followed Sarada's directions until they were parked in front of a two-story house on a shady drive.

"Thanks, Naruto," Sarada said as she got out.

"I'm going to walk her to the door. I'll be right back," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto watched as the pair walked up the walk to the front porch. Sasuke stood stiffly as Sarada fished her house key out of her pocket and unlocked the door; he then watched her stoically as she disarmed the alarm system only to rearm it moments later as she shut and locked the door. Naruto rubbed his eyes, unable to reconcile this Sasuke, so distant with his own daughter, with the man who'd been so responsive in his arms less than an hour earlier.

Sasuke remained quiet when he got back in the car. They had almost arrived at Tomoe before he asked, softly, "You're her principal?"

"Yes," Naruto answered.

"What is she like?"

Sasuke's voice sounded unusual. It sounded as if he were asking a purely academic question, not a personal one, and it moreover sounded as if it pained him to ask at all.

"Well," Naruto said, "She's a good kid, for sure. The top grades in her class. She was an office aide last year, so I saw her daily. She's meticulous. I'd hire her to fill our secretary's position if I could. Hell, I'd bring her home and pay her to babysit my son, if I thought her manners and discipline could influence him."

Sasuke looked at him curiously. "What does she like?"

This stunned Naruto. "What do you mean? Like her interests?"

"Yes."

"Uh, she loves literature, but she is also gifted in mathematics. She likes judo a lot and talks about it. She reads a lot. Her best friend is Chocho Akimichi. Sarada is really like a grown-up in child's form, though. She seems to manage her lessons with little to no effort, but she's not arrogant."

Unlike that brat of yours.

Sasuke seemed to take this under consideration. They were parked alongside his car, now.

"She's a really good kid, Sasuke," Naruto said gently. "You're lucky."

Sasuke fixed his gaze on Naruto in the rapidly fading daylight. He looked so uncertain that Naruto's heart ached for him. "I don't know if she is."

"Just give it time, Sasuke. Spend some time with her. All any kid wants is for you to be there. Trust me, my son reminds me all the time."

Sasuke gave his little spectre-smile, but he didn't look convinced. Naruto caught his hand as he made to open his car door.

"I had a really good time today. Thanks for coming out with me."

Sasuke looked down and smiled. "Thank you, Naruto. It was a nice day."

Naruto pulled him closer and pecked him lightly on the lips, surprised when Sasuke's tongue invaded his mouth.

The kiss was intense, but brief. Sasuke pulled back, a little breathless. "Goodnight, Naruto," he whispered.

"Hey, don't forget your flowers!" Naruto called as he opened his door.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You don't have to give me flowers every time, Naruto," he huffed.

"I'll just give them to you on special occasions, then," Naruto teased.

Sasuke glared at him. "Let me make it very clear for you, idiot. Never give me flowers again."

Naruto threw his hands up. "Fine, fine," he conceded with a pout. "I promise I will never give you flowers anymore if you promise to go out with me again."

"All right, then," Sasuke said. "Give me your number."

He punched the digits into his phone as Naruto rattled them off. It wasn't lost on Naruto that he took the roses with him when he got into his own car.

When he arrived at his apartment, he realized that Sasuke had left is tie lying on the console. Naruto thumbed the black silk, smiling at the memory of their kiss in the creek.