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

Summary: COMPLETE (new chapter up everyday - total of 35 chapters!). Sasuke's a writer whose been writing the same words for years. He's tired, he's annoyed, and his money situation is...pretty messed up, even by student standards. Enter Naruto. Modern AU (College/University), Sasunaru/Narusasu. Posted for Sasuke's birthday!

A/N: Whew! What a crazy day. I hope you guys like this chapter!


Enter Naruto

Chapter 30: Trying This Again

Naruto softly shut the door behind him. The top of Sasuke's face peeked out over the tub's ledge—Sasuke's eyes gave a lazy, slow blink as Naruto knelt down beside the tub.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto reached out to brush some of Sasuke's hair back, smiling a little. Sasuke's hair got kinda wavy when it was wet—Naruto loved that look on him…

Sasuke raised a hand out of the water, stretching his fingers out.

"Weird. Weak. Emotional." He sighed, dropping his hand back down into the water. "I love you. I'm really—feeling that right now."

Naruto nearly dove straight into the tub with how quickly he pulled Sasuke into his arms.

"I'm really feeling that too." He exhaled—a shuddering breath—as he clutched Sasuke close to him—

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke muttered, "you're crushing me."

"S-sorry—!" Naruto immediately flung himself away, cheeks burning red—

Sasuke only smiled at him.

"You should get in before I fall asleep. This was…too many emotions for one day." He shook his head a little, moving to sit up—

"No—don't move," Naruto pushed him back down, "you stay like that, and I'll go on top—"

Sasuke snorted.

"Again already? So eager…"

Naruto laughed, nearly slipping on his way into the tub.

"Shut up," his face was a bright red, even as he smiled, "you know that's not what I meant."

"Is it not?" Sasuke's eyes were half-lidded—his smirk was looking sleepier by the second. "Shame…"

Naruto snorted, laying down to press his face against Sasuke's chest. He could hear his heartbeat, this way…

"You say that," he muttered, letting his body slowly melt against Sasuke's, "but you're gonna be asleep in like a minute."

"Mm," Sasuke didn't protest, "so?"

Naruto tilted his head to look up at him. Sasuke seemed to sense the gaze—at least, from the way his eyes opened to look at him—

"It wouldn't be a bad way to wake up." Sasuke's smirk was soft and casual and knowing and—

Naruto fucking loved this man.

"Careful, Sasuke," he warned. "You're gonna make me into a monster."

Sasuke chuckled, and Naruto automatically gravitated towards that smile. He just couldn't keep himself away from those lips—they were so soft—so smooth, and it was only amplified by the water…Sasuke's body felt so good against his and—oh—that tongue

Naruto made a noise of protest as Sasuke's head fell back, breaking the kiss. He tossed Naruto a lazy smirk as his eyes closed.

"You'll get more later…moron…"

Naruto smiled, settling back down to lay against Sasuke's chest. His fingers found Sasuke's—the Uchiha's grip was loose, barely there, but Naruto felt his hand tighten around his all the same.

Naruto closed his eyes.

He couldn't imagine anything in the world better than this.


"I'm back!" Naruto announced, brandishing the sheets like some sort of flag as he weaved around the partition, "and your sheets are…slightly discoloured."

He gave Sasuke a sheepish grin. Sasuke only rolled his eyes, unmoving from the couch.

"We can bleach them. I don't really care."

Naruto tossed the sheets on the bed and strode forward, crawling onto the couch—overtop of Sasuke.

"'Kay." He threw Sasuke a cheeky grin.

"You're too cheerful." He poked Naruto in the cheek. It only made the blonde's smile widen.

"I am exactly the right amount of cheerful—" he kissed the tip of Sasuke's nose, "today has been the best day."

"Mm," Sasuke felt himself smile, "today isn't over yet."

Naruto laughed, staring at him in disbelief.

"Sasuke," his voice was serious, in spite of his smile, "I really don't think you can make this day any better."

Sasuke's smile widened.

"Is that so?"

Naruto pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Mhmm."

"Hm," Sasuke eyed him, "even if I said that my father invited us back for New Year's Eve?"

Naruto's eyes went wide.

"Us…?"

"Us. As in you, too."

Naruto's mouth sagged open.

There was a pause. Sasuke fought a losing battle against a chuckle—Naruto just looked so—shell shocked

It took Naruto a long moment to come back to reality—the smile slowly spread across his face—

"Damn it, Sasuke!" He grabbed his shoulders, shaking him a little. "I'm gonna fucking explode if you keep this up—"

Sasuke reached over and snapped Naruto's waistband against his skin.

"That can be arranged."

Naruto laughed again, something in his eyes softening.

"Oh, man," he sighed, leaning closer to Sasuke, "I like you."

Sasuke didn't get a chance to reply before Naruto kissed him—but his smile did keep breaking the kiss. Naruto's happiness was just so contagious…

Naruto let out a happy sigh as they pulled apart, shifting down Sasuke's body so he could lay against him properly. Sasuke automatically brought a hand up to run through his hair.

Naruto giggled.

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

Naruto shifted so that he could look at Sasuke better.

"I was thinking," he grinned, "this reminds me of before we were dating."

Sasuke blinked a few times. When he had—

"When you cuddled me in your sleep?"

Naruto's grin grew wider.

"Mhm," he hummed, "can I tell you a secret?"

Sasuke moved his hand back to Naruto's hair. It always felt so soft…

"Well, if you can't," he muttered, "it's too late now."

Naruto gave another giggle—quiet and slurred, as if he was falling asleep. They had already slept so much today, but Sasuke could feel himself doing the same…

"I woke up," Naruto's smile softened a little, "before you did—that day."

Sasuke blinked.

"I really didn't want to move away," Naruto's head shifted against his chest—almost as if he was nuzzling it, "so I just kind of…went back to sleep."

Sasuke let out a breath. He knew—now, obviously—that Naruto had returned his feelings, but...looking back, they had been so…

"You should have just kissed me."

Naruto laughed a little.

"Well, you did ask me if I was planning on groping you."

"Ugh." Sasuke threw a hand over his eyes at the reminder. He had really thought—when Naruto had told him—he had thought—

"What?"

"I thought you were going to make a move," he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "when you—when you said you were bisexual. I thought you were going to say you were attracted to me, too."

The next morning had felt like a punch in the gut—after he really, truly, royally misinterpreted things—

He felt the gentle touch of Naruto pulling his hand from his face.

"Are you serious?"

Sasuke kept his eyes closed.

"You know I sleep with a shirt on."

"Oh my god—you knew. You fucking knew," he opened his eyes just as Naruto collapsed onto his chest, grabbing fistfuls of his own hair, "you knew you were torturing me—damn it, Sasuke, you couldn't've said something a little better than grope? Damn it—"

He banged his forehead against Sasuke's chest again.

"You have no idea how bad I—between your writing and the—when I woke up and we were—" Naruto's voice broke off into a whisper, and his grip changed from clutching at himself to clutching at Sasuke, "damn it, why didn't you—"

Sasuke ran a hand through Naruto's hair.

"We got there in the end."

He felt Naruto's soft laugh against his chest.

"Yeah, but I could've done without that shitty week where I thought you hated me."

He frowned at him.

"You thought I hated you?"

Naruto threw him a soft smile, cheek squashed against Sasuke's chest.

"I figured I creeped you out or something."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"It was the opposite," he flicked the tip of Naruto's nose, "moron."

Naruto laughed, grabbing Sasuke's hand out of the air—

"You're the moron." He shook his head. "I can't believe you couldn't tell. That entire night—the party, I mean—was just people trying to get me to tell you how I felt. Half of them hadn't even met you yet."

Sasuke blinked for a moment.

"You—is that why you didn't want to say what Kiba said?"

Naruto barked out a laugh.

"You remember that, huh?" He ducked his head, biting his lip a little. "Yeah—his goodbye to me was like 'have fun getting your ass pounded' or something."

Sasuke snorted.

"What an image." He smirked as Naruto's grin grew wider—

"Shush you," he leaned down, "you're supposed to be asleep."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Are we trying this again?"

"We are trying this again. Take your shirt off."

He snorted—and shook his head, a little, but didn't resist as Naruto helped him sit up, hands slipping under his shirt—

Sasuke closed his eyes and laid back down—doing what little he could to keep his face neutral.

"I'm asleep," he said innocently.

He heard Naruto snort—but it was only a moment before he felt the soft pressure of his head against his chest.

There was a pause. It really would be incredibly easy to just doze off…

Naruto shifted against him.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

Sasuke cracked an eye open.

"Good morning. I see you're cuddling me."

Naruto laughed.

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Hm," Sasuke fought a losing battle against his smirk, "any particular reason for it?"

"Mm," he felt Naruto shrug, "you're warm. I'm sleepy. I'm in love with you. You know, the usual."

Sasuke laughed.

"What was that last one?" He nudged Naruto up.

"What, the usual?" Naruto grinned at him.

Sasuke poked his cheek.

Naruto only grinned, leaning in until that smile spread across Sasuke's lips, too.

It was one of those gentle, messy kisses that neither of them could keep hold of properly. Naruto's nose bumped against his and their cheeks rubbed together and the kiss broke each time Naruto laughed, as if he just couldn't keep the happiness inside of himself—

Sasuke reached up, brushing his fingers against Naruto's chin.

"You weren't in love with me then, were you?"

Naruto's smile faltered and he shifted a little.

"Sasuke, I..." He gave him a sheepish look. "I think I've been falling for you since the first time Kakashi made me read your writing."

Sasuke's throat closed up.

"…Is that weird?" Naruto grimaced a little, pulling back. "I'm sorry. I—"

Naruto's voice cut off as Sasuke sat up, wrapping his arms around him.

"I love you," he whispered—feeling as if he was about to burst with the strength of it. "Naruto—you're—"

He pulled back, scanning Naruto's face. God, those eyes—

"You're really something else."

Naruto's face broke out into a brilliant smile—a smile that told him Naruto remembered saying those words to him, too—

"Is that a compliment?"

Sasuke smiled.

"It is."


Fugaku hung his coat, moving to the kitchen. No matter how tired, he knew the way to the liquor cabinet.

"A bit early for that, don't you think?"

But his wife knew him well, and she knew where he had been today. He didn't look up at her, not even as he felt the gentle hand on his arm. He only watched the ice cubes as they melted, watched the water as it twisted and mixed with the liquor—

"I have failed," he told his drink.

"Fugaku…"

"As a father," he heard the note of warning in her voice—heard the note of sadness, too; the weariness that was so familiar to him, now, "I have failed."

"You—"

"I have one son who hates me, and to the other I am barely tolerable." He raised his glass, swirling the cubes so the liquid could match the twisting in his gut. "I may as well be my own father, for the good I have done."

He heard his wife suck in a breath. It had been a great deal of time since he had willingly spoken of the man—a great deal of time before he had let himself think of him. He wondered, now, if he should have made the connection sooner—if, perhaps, his father had been so quick to blame him for fleeing his home, like he had been so quick to blame Sasuke—

"Your sadness proves you are not," Mikoto's voice cut through his thoughts, and he let her take the drink from his hand, "and your sons are not gone."

"They may as well be."

"No," her eyes flashed—her hand grabbed his face, twisting it to face her, "are you giving up so easily when they have not? Sasuke met with you—he spoke with you. That is proof he hasn't given up on you."

She paused, searching his eyes. "...Did it go so badly?"

Sasuke's expression flashed in the back of his mind and he recoiled, clutching at the countertop as his wife's grip left him.

"He believed...we abandoned him. Completely. That we didn't know that Itachi—he thought that we—" The lump in his throat swelled, holding his voice in as if it was a plug—

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikoto's body sag.

"I was worried as much."

He met her eyes for a brief moment, another wave of fatigue making him sway on his feet.

"We've made mistakes." Her touch leant closer (an easy comfort that Fugaku could not convince himself he deserved). "Fugaku. I am as much to blame as you are."

He shook his head.

"No. You—"

"I have been passive." Her voice was quiet—sad, but firm. "A passive wife; a passive mother. I let my son slip through my fingers. I should have fought—I should have fought it so much harder."

The corner of her mouth twitched—dangerously close to a quiver—as she turned away from him. It was a familiar look, his wife on the verge of tears—he barely flinched at it anymore. He wished he still did.

He sighed.

"He was such an intelligent child. He had so many talents—so many areas he excelled in. This...why…"

"You've said this before," she turned back to him, "and so have I. A waste of his talents or use of a new one. What use is debating it anymore?"

He paused. His wife didn't know, yet, about the other detail Sasuke had told him. Had told him—had trusted him with—which was something, but Fugaku had jerked back from the thought and still felt the need to flinch back from it, even with Sasuke's voice echoing in his head—

How else may I disappoint you?

"The man who was with him," he told the counter, hearing his wife's sigh—

"Fugaku—"

"Sasuke loves him."

Her hand froze, just as it had begun to touch him.

"And I…" he looked down, away from the woman who could read him far too well, "do not understand...it."

His wife sighed again.

"Is it so surprising?"

He paused.

No—it wasn't the surprise. There had been little shock when Sasuke had said the words—there had been a nagging thought, in the back of his mind, that this man (Naruto, his mind supplied) was suspiciously close to his son that night—

"No."

"Tell me what you are feeling, Fugaku." She moved closer to him. "Put your thoughts into words."

"It's—" the feeling swirled in his gut, building as if it was bile, "it's not right, Mikoto. It's wrong—unnatural—

"Wrong!" Mikoto let out a soft, unhappy laugh—

"What is wrong, my dear, is not speaking to your child for two years. Not knowing where he was—what he was doing—having him think that his parents didn't even care for him at all—" she spun to him, eyes hard and hurting, "that is wrong. That is unnatural."

There was little he could do to refute her words.

He looked away.

"Fugaku," her voice softened, as it always did, "I don't understand it either. But I don't have to." She paused for a moment, waiting for him to meet her eyes—

He did so.

"If it makes him happy—if, right now, Sasuke believes that you and I care nothing for his happiness," she looked away, as if she, too, felt the pain in her chest at those words, "I intend on proving him wrong."

She looked back at him.

"Do you?"

He took his wife's hand. What he had done to deserve a woman so steadfast, he would never know.

"Of course." His voice was thick, no matter how he tried to quiet it. "He agreed—they will come for New Year's Eve. Both of them."

There was a beat.

"Come—come here?"

"Yes."

She blinked.

And then she blinked again.

"Fugaku!" She slapped at his arm, rushing past him. "That is how you should have started this conversation—you had me thinking—" she let out a breath, almost like a laugh—her face swelling with something like hope—something like happiness—something that he had dearly missed the look of—

"I—"

"Fugaku!" she yelled again, shoving past him—the other way, now. "New year's—barely a day away—"

The closet doors opened, and he heard the distinct sound of the hangers clacking together as a coat was ripped from them— "I need to—I need to—we don't have any—oh, that, I'll—I'll be back—!"

"It's the evening—!" He called after her—

"I'll be back!"

The front door slammed shut.


A/N: So much fluff! And a little more of the Uchihas. Remember when I said I was trying to challenge myself with this story? Yeah, writing Fugaku's POV was definitely out of my comfort zone. I hope you liked this chapter!

See you tomorrow,

- Kinomi