AN: Reminder that this fic is Rated M. Turn back or forever hold your peace. Reviews are always welcome!

"You can always die. It's living that takes courage."
–Himura Kenshin


Naruto heard the doorbell ringing before anybody noticed. He jumped and quickly tried to pass it off with a cough and went back to scrubbing at a nonexistent smudge on the dish. A few moments later, the kitchen door opened and Baba Saya rushed in, cupping a hand against Cook's ear and whispering furiously. Naruto snuck glances, trying not to look too obvious, scrubbing earnestly when both turned to stare at him.

"Boy, you're needed upstairs." Said Baba Saya.

"But what about the dishes?" Naruto replied innocently.

"To hell with the dishes." Baba Saya said impatiently. "You get yourself presentable and go up immediately, or… or…"

Naruto tried to hold back his delight at seeing her purpling face.

"Or I won't have any supper." Naruto supplied, adopting his most morose tone.

"Yes," Baba Saya sniffed. "You won't have supper. Or breakfast, for that matter. Now, go!"

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He dropped the dishes and threw down his apron, scampering up the stairs to freedom. He stopped by the entrance to the main hallway, taking a deep breath and slowing his steps, in case he ran into someone. He passed by a hanging mirror on the way and stopped for a moment to rub at his nose and fix his hair.

And then he opened the door and peeked outside.

Sasuke was there, standing a few feet from the porch, hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers, looking bored out of his mind. Naruto had never seen a more beautiful sight.

Naruto closed the door shut behind him, leaning against it, waiting to be noticed. Sasuke looked up then, and when their eyes met, the Uchiha gave a small smirk.

And that was all it took for an earsplitting grin to break out Naruto's face, and he was sprinting towards the Uchiha, grabbing his hand and dragging him away from the house as fast their legs could carry them. They didn't stop until they reached the playground. There, Naruto finally allowed himself to laugh out loud, clutching his belly.

"You should have seen Baba Saya's face!" Naruto crowed, climbing up the bars and standing at the peak, taking a deep swig of air. "She looked so mad! Hah!"

Sasuke stayed on the ground, arms crossed and brows raised.

"Go upstairs and have some fun… or no supper or breakfast for you!" Naruto growled, trying to imitate Baba Saya's scratchy voice. "Stuuuuuu~pid!"

Sasuke felt a muscle in his face twitch in irritation. They starved him? Of course they did.

"Have you even eaten yet?" Sasuke eyed him skeptically. The blond was way too skinny.

"Not since breakfast," Naruto replied cheerfully, hanging upside down on the bars. "Hey, this is fun. No wonder kids like playing outside."

"How old are you?" Sasuke sighed, gesturing for him to come down. "Let's go grab something. I'm starving."

He just ate.

"Yeah?" Naruto immediately dropped down, eyes shining. "What are we eating?"

"Something that's not out of a can." Sasuke decided, already trying to think of places. Sushi? Meat? Pasta?

"Ramen!" Naruto clapped his hands in delight. "Let's go! Ra-men! Ra-men! Ra-men!"

"Ramen?" Sasuke looked at where Naruto was pointing. It was a Ramen stall, tucked in a street corner, red lanterns and everything. Before he knew it, Naruto was slipping into the rickety bench, calling for an order of Miso.

"You're paying." Naruto informed him, already snapping into a pair of chopsticks.

Sasuke eyed the well-used table and the greasy signs tacked on the wooden panels. He wasn't sure this was all very sanitary, but—

Naruto dug into his bowl, slurping loudly and with relish. He ate like he was five, mouth bulging and stained with sauce.

"An'choo eat'ng?"

And he talked with his mouth full.

"I lost my appetite." Sasuke threw a napkin at the blonde's face.

"S'yerself." Naruto picked up the other bowl, digging in. "M're fer me…."

"What a beautiful princess you'd make." Sasuke commented dryly, resting his chin on one hand. "I should snap a picture, for your posters."

"Shut up." Naruto scowled, putting his bowl down with a loud 'thunk.' "This is all your fault, you know. What the hell were you even thinking?"

"I thought you'd thank me."

Naruto scoffed, causing Sasuke to glare as a piece of noodle flew from his mouth.

"Thank you? For what? Honestly. Konoha's a fucking weird school, you know? What sane institution would even allow this to happen?" Naruto banged his fist on the table. "A boy can't be a princess, that's freakin' obvious. I swear this is all just a ploy to humiliate me."

"A boy can be a princess if he wanted to." Sasuke quipped, grinning slyly. "You just have to wish very hard and tap your heels thrice—"

Naruto threw his spoon at Sasuke's face.

ARGH—Naruto chewed on his chopsticks, fuming. He still got annoyed remembering it and it's been weeks. He couldn't get a hold of Kakashi-sensei and Naruto had even tried reasoning with Tsunade—which was a fruitless endeavor as she had basically laughed at his face. Iruka-sensei seemed sympathetic enough but said that there was nothing he could do about it. So what the heck was Naruto supposed to do with all this frustration? Who was he supposed to vent it out on?

"Stop grinding your teeth."

"Shut up," Naruto said rudely, still stewing in his thoughts.

Preparations were well underway for the Festival, and posters of the Dance had begun appearing around the hallway. It set Naruto's teeth on edge because his name, his fucking name, was printed on the poster and there was nothing he could do about it.

He was snapped out of his thoughts with a flick on the forehead.

"Don't think too much, dobe, you'll hurt yourself." Sasuke stood up, placing a note down for their (Naruto's) meal.

"Where are you going?" Naruto quickly downed the rest of his ramen, scrambling after him. "Hey, wait up!"

"I got you out. This is your free time. Go, be free." Sasuke looked at him expectantly.

Suddenly, Naruto felt awkward, standing before him in a street corner, stained sleeves and tousled hair.

"Er, I've never… really had free time before." He mumbled, eyes flitting here and there.

"Now you do."

Naruto made a frustrated sound, but he couldn't help it. He stared up at Sasuke uncertainly.

"Where… am I supposed to go?"

And god damn it, Sasuke was not supposed to weaken here. He had dragged out the blond today with pure intentions—after all, weekends were about free time, and he wanted to give him that. But hearing those words out of the blonde's mouth… there was no way in hell he was going to let him escape now.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and dragged him towards the direction of his house.

"Where are we going?" Naruto said, a little worried.

"My place."

Naruto couldn't help the thump in his chest.

"Wh-what are we doing there?"

"Homework."

Naruto made a face but didn't protest, matching his steps to Sasuke's until they were walking side by side, shoulders bumping. He did not say anything though, when Sasuke didn't let go of his hand.

The fact is, they had kissed.

Naruto still felt his stomach drop and embarrassment heat up his face whenever he remembered it. Somehow, both times had been something that just… happened, and Naruto still wasn't sure how exactly they happened. And, well, it's not like he wanted it to happen.

Probably.

Maybe.

The direction of his thoughts somehow made Naruto conscious of the weight of Sasuke's palm against his, so he faked a sneeze and made a show of wiping his hands on his pants. Sasuke did not react much, perhaps caught up in his own thoughts and Naruto took the chance to observe the way back to Sasuke's house.

So, Sasuke lived in an apartment. Somehow, Naruto had the impression that they lived in the same neighborhood. That would make sense, right? But Naruto knew too little of Konoha to recognize where he was, except that the houses were nice. White picket fence and everything. And there, in the distance, was the now-familiar rise of Sasuke's apartment.

It figured that Sasuke lived in the penthouse. Though Naruto privately wondered why Sasuke would need that much space when… well, when he lived alone.

Naruto chatted about something mundane all the way to his house, taking off his shoes and taking over what he had dubbed 'his spot.' The couch was now officially his.

Sasuke was not kidding about the homework, though, and Naruto scowled even as Sasuke propped open their books on the table.

"Since when were you my keeper?"

"Since I realized how far behind you are in class ranking." Sasuke snipped, flipping open their Math book. "Tell me honestly, you're a natural idiot, aren't you?"

"Excuse me," Naruto replied, offended. "Just because I don't have the time to concern myself with class ranking, doesn't mean I can't wipe your ass with my freakin' pinky."

Sasuke somewhat understood that. Naruto was usually quiet about the details on how he was treated in the Haruno household, and he brushed everything off like it was no big deal—but Sasuke can't imagine he'd have much time for leisure or for studying.

Yes, he spent his free time thinking of Naruto. And no, he would never admit it, not if they pulled out his fingernails one by one.

So they started with Math.

Sasuke had never been a good teacher (he lacked the patience) and though his claim as a "Genius" were not for naught, he wasn't very good at explaining things. Honestly, he suspected their study session wouldn't last very long at all—so it was a bit of a surprise when Naruto, after finally accepting that they were going to do schoolwork, settled down and was actually trying. So Sasuke held his temper in check and dutifully corrected mistakes, and showed him the equation one more time—yes, it's the same equation as the last one, are you fucking serious?

It was only at one point, after a particularly lengthy stretch of silence, did Sasuke look up and realize just how close they were.

Naruto was chewing on his pen, working at a problem on his workbook. He was slumped against the table, one hand resting against his knitted brows. Sasuke hadn't even noticed that they were practically leaning against each other's side, shoulders brushing, and if Sasuke turned his head, he'd be able to touch the blond hair.

The itch to touch came roaring back in full force, and with that proximity, Sasuke didn't even think. He moved just a bit closer, touching his lips, barely a whisper against the blonde's temple. Naruto glanced up at him briefly and gave a shy smile, and then returned to working on his problem.

Somehow, that was all the encouragement he needed.

It was like a dam had burst and all he could think about was pinning the blond down and trying to elicit all kinds of sounds from him. For all the blond was loud as a foghorn, in moments like these, he was surprisingly quiet. And Sasuke wanted to touch. He wanted to hear what Naruto would sound like, crying in pleasure. He wanted.

So greedy.

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured, tapping a pen against the table. "I still don't get this part of the equation."

Sasuke took a measured breath, sliding their elbows together to look at the said problem. They were trying to study. He was actually making an effort to be a good friend—ugh, Sasuke cringed at the word—and helping him study. He was, dammit… but…

"Sasuke, you're too close." Naruto murmured, eyes shyly downcast, and Sasuke felt the last of his self-control snap.

He pressed closer and breathed in sharply, resting his lips against the blonde's cheek and savoring their closeness. Naruto stiffened a bit in his arms, but before Sasuke could feel the sting of rejection, the blond gave a sigh and bumped his head gently against Sasuke's.

"What's with you?"

"I want to kiss you."

Naruto jerked back at his frank words, wide eyes snapping up to him in surprise. Sasuke immediately grabbed at him, half afraid he'd run away.

"…can't I?"

Naruto was turning red, face aghast.

"You can't just say that! Oh my god."

"Why not?" Sasuke was starting to feel embarrassed as well. Ugh.

The blond made a strangled sound and buried his face against his arms, still held captive by Sasuke. Despite himself, Sasuke found it endearing. Moved by the strong emotions inside him, Sasuke shuffled closer, touching his lips to the blonde's ear.

Naruto tensed, but did not move away as Sasuke slowly began to explore the tips with his lips. This close, he could smell Naruto's hair, the clean scent of baby shampoo and sweat. The scent only made him hungry for more and he opened his mouth to taste the flesh.

The body underneath him made a small groaning noise and emboldened, Sasuke bit into the fleshy part of his ear and ghosted his tongue over it. Ignoring the muffled sound of protest from the blond, he ventured lower, kissing along the nape of his neck and breathing in the scent, stronger and more distinct there.

"Sasuke," Naruto said weakly, eyes fluttering close against his will. "Wh-what are you doing…"

Despite everything, Naruto's body moved on its own, mind consumed with the heady sensations, and he tipped his head back to grant Sasuke more access. The Uchiha was now nipping lightly against his skin, leaving red marks and soothing it with his tongue. He gently kissed a path along his throat, moving up towards Naruto's face.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Isn't it a little too late to ask for that?" Naruto groaned, touching their lips together, a little desperately.

It was nothing like how they kissed before. Naruto felt like his whole body was plunged into a pool of warm molasses, and he was helpless to do anything but open his mouth to Sasuke. Sasuke's tongue was hot and seductive and there was no way it should feel this good—

"Wait, wait…" Naruto whispered, head spinning. This was too fast and too strong; he was already in so deep, he could feel himself drowning.

"Do you want to stop?" Sasuke murmured, breathing heavily, staring at Naruto's swollen mouth.

Naruto swallowed, catching his breath. He didn't want to stop. He really didn't. But at the same time, he did. The passion that Sasuke evoked in him was so strong, it frightened him. He couldn't trust himself to stop.

"Just… just a little bit, okay?"

What was a little bit? Naruto wondered to himself as he pushed aside the remaining distance between their lips. Ah, whatever, all he knew was that Sasuke's mouth was amazing, and he never wanted to stop kissing him.

Somehow, they ended up sprawled on the floor, with Sasuke fitted above him, and Naruto felt his body grow hot and cold when he felt something hard brush against his thigh.

"Oh," He breathed.

"Ignore that," Sasuke whispered against his collar bone, hands deftly slipping into his shirt.

"H-how can I ignore something like that?" Naruto replied in a high voice as warm fingers ghosted over his rib-cage, tracing patterns there.

"Sasuke—"

Sasuke's fingers brushed over a nipple, causing Naruto to jerk violently in response. Sasuke toppled over with a muffled yell as Naruto's hand came flying towards his face, nearly piercing his eye.

"What the heck—"

"Are you okay—?!"

They stared at each other in disbelief for a few moments until it was Naruto who laughed first, sinking into his elbows as the hilarity of the situation weakened him into a helpless flap of limbs on the floor. Sasuke grumbled as he sat up, rubbing the area where Naruto's hand had connected.

"I can't believe this." Naruto took in a gasp of air, flinging one arm over Sasuke's crossed legs in abandon. "What the hell are we doing?"

"We were making out." Sasuke grumbled, pushing off the arm. Naruto flung his arm against Sasuke's face in retribution.

"Ow! Fuck you!"

Naruto burst into a fresh fit of giggles, rolling around on the floor as Sasuke made a grab for him. Sasuke finally lost patience and attacked him with a dive worthy of WWE. Naruto cursed as an elbow made painful contact with the small of his back, and with a headlock, their wrestling began in earnest.

"Oh my god." Naruto grunted as he was pinned down to the floor. "I made out with a guy."

"I'm not gay." Sasuke grumbled into Naruto's back.

"Yeah, right. Say that to my face."

"I don't go around kissing just about anyone, you idiot."

"I've never kissed anyone. Ever." Naruto softly replied.

They fell silent, simply lying there and waiting for their heartbeats to slow.

"Would you do it, though?" Sasuke suddenly spoke up from his comfortable perch on Naruto's back. "Now that you have. Would you do it with anyone else?"

Naruto gave a bark of laughter.

"Who the hell are you suggesting?"

"I'm not suggesting." Sasuke scowled. "I just meant would you do it. With another guy."

"I can't really imagine it." Naruto confessed; face scrunching up in a disgruntlement. "I mean, ew."

Sasuke agreed.

"Maybe, if I closed my eyes and tried really hard… Gaara."

Instantly, Sasuke sat up, the flare of jealousy sparking his temper.

"Don't you dare—"

"Don't even start." Naruto snapped, smacking him on the head. "You asked me that stupid question."

"See if I let you near that red devil ever again."

"Excuse me," Naruto replied snidely, resting on his elbows. "You'll let me near him? Just for that, I'm giving Gaara a big, fat, wet kiss on the mouth, and I'm going to like it."

"You'll have to find the body first."

Naruto grabbed a nearby fallen cushion and threw it at Sasuke's face. Sasuke's expression in that split second was so funny, Naruto fell over laughing again.

His stomach and face hurt from laughing, and it felt so good, tears were beginning to form in his eyes. Sasuke pretended not to notice him wiping his eyes, and stood up with a stretch, claiming that he was going to get a drink. He swooped down to kiss Naruto in the forehead on his way to the kitchen.

The grin that split Naruto's face stayed on, well into the night.