Alright…so you aren't happy with me…especially those who are reading Therapy too…haha…-hides- alright alright I'm sorry! But I told you all I ran out of time! So let's hurry with the reviews and then we can get to the story! Thanks to narutoisuke for the first comment! Haha only SasuNaru fans would see the boys being in a dangerous situation as a good thing. Now for you other people! NeitherAngelNorDevil (haha you reviewed a lot! I was like 'wow, I'm happy people actually like the story!' thanks so much) DreamEvil (oh if you thought that was bad, you're going to like this chapter), XSasuxNaruxForeverX (The one time that you don't demand lemon stuff, I give you lemony stuff…-sighs- you are so funny), ISpeakSquirrelSqeak (alright alright, I'll give you some smut! Calm down haha), Searafina (haha being lost is never a good thing! Of course, Naruto can't just get lost in the US, noooo, has to get lost in another country), zerofangirl (haha yea well Naruto was never one for thinking before he spoke. But many many things will happen in Florence! I promise you that), Drachenzahn (thanks, I try to keep it uplifting even if the situation is really bad…or add romance, that always makes things better), Chiaki Megumi (haha it's okay, I feel bad when I don't update on time! But I am trying to keep up with the schedual, it was just a lot easier to do when it was all humor!), Akuri chan (haha I felt the same way! I was like 'hmm….projects…or next chapter….next chapter!'), Roxxihearts (yup, I'm pretty sure we all connected out palms to our foreheads at one point or another in Naruto's idiocy) , -Nightly Halo- (gay it up? Haha well that's a new way to put it!), mockup (haha Sasuke's just drawing tons of little chibi naruto's! don't we wish…sighs), norway22 (haha fine, I'll dedicate the club part to you! And yea, what better place to admit your gay than in front of two gay guys making out), Lydia-chan (haha yea, poor Sasuke always get dragged along into stupid situation with Naruto…best example? The Haku fight), The Desiree Incident (haha I find it funny that you say that…alone time….you'll see why at the end of the chapter) , Itooshii Koneko (haha thanks for the long review! And Sasuchan wanted me to tell you thanks too for the shout-out!) , Mirdori Apple (haha yes, we all want to feel bad for them, but really if we did nobody would read this story! –grins-), miskie27 (haha well I hope I didn't make you wait long! And I promise this chapter will make up for all of the teasing), Deathangelebz (you're so lucky! I get lost way too much in my own town, nevermind in other countries…-sighs-), blue-nuriel (nah Sai aint in this story I don't think, but he will be in two of my one-shots after this!), Aiwin (haha yeah, reviewing can get messed up at times! I'm happy that you liked that line, it was probably one of my favs that I've written for this story!), RasaLynnlynx (I'm glad that your interested in the pieces, because really the art and cities of Italy are amazing!), impaled (thanks for the good luck wish, I hope that I pulled off the chapter!), Black-Sky-Loves-Me (haha thanks! I'm happy that some of the manga references are able to be seen!), Nana-Riiko (there is so much about Italy, it's hard to choose what parts I want to focus on! But I try to do the most interesting, to me at least), XxFirexDance (LMAO! Poor Lee, Sasuke would not be happy when he found out about people spying on him and Naruto!), Mcrind (thank you very much for the sweet review! I actually get very nervous when new people send me reviews because I don't want to disappoint, but I'm happy you enjoyed it!), Mistress-Tsukiko (well duh, who else would save our blonde haired fuzzball?), kat10788 (haha and now you don't have to wait! Of course I didn't expect it to happen, but eh…when in rome..err…florence), Mega Ultra Chicken (well I'm happy that my stuff stands out to you! –grins- I try to make it original, but knowing it's a little different is good enough for me), asdf (-blushes- thanks for the sweet review! I uh…don't know what to say other than thanks and I'm happy that I made you smile!), hollowsmile (eh, maybe he did know and maybe he didn't….-smirks- but you know, no matter what you guess he'd never tell you), Kimi333 (don't worry about originality! I just wanna know how you feel, even if it's 'I hate this!' haha! And I'm happy you enjoyed the flag) ,CoffeeNeurotic (oh wow! Well I'm happy you're looking into it because really, Italians knew how to make masterpieces! Not that I'm biased since I'm part Italian or anything…), jenniebennie (haha you all have such dirty minds! –looks at what I wrote- err…okay, I do too…), a rather slytherin griffindor (keep your pants on! We've already got two boys with em off, we don't need any more on the ground! haha), MasochistandSadist (sorry I can't really help you Sadist, since Sasuchan thinks I'm an idiot too…guess I'm like Naru/Masochist…BUT I am happy that I'm catching both of your interests and I'm hoping you'll…enjoy this chapter –grins-), sakurananachan (gah don't review at work! I don't wanna get you in trouble! –sighs- between people skipping school and writing reviews at work, the president is going to tell me to stop writing to keep America going), Ai Enmaxjigoku shoujo (Yea, both of those things suck…I would know –sighs- but don't worry, they'll get their kiss! Plus interest!), Gold Chocolate Cake (haha thanks for the compliments! I try to do my best in keeping them IC, and I'm glad that you are enjoying the story!), redfoxmoon (blah, people and their drinking. It's really overrated I think, why bother getting drunk when you can't remember everything? I stay away from it all!), kunf'you'z-ed (I hope that this was fast enough for you! =) have fun!), Chiru-lili (FINE! Haha you can have some smut! Just to make sure your family doesn't kill you), Lilbakasaru (it's the only thing that Sasuke cant out-glare, since it doesn't have any eyes…haha!), Disgruntled Minion (omg that must have been scary! I would have like, died. And yeah, now that I re-read it I wanna go on the carousel again!), Rogen-chan (the flag seems to be a favorite to everyone! I was actually scared to put it in at first, but I figured I'd be daring…and it paid off!), waterlogged22 (aw thanks so much! I love when people like my story, otherwise I probably would have stopped with my first one!), Kazanrai (don't worry about it! As long as you're not dead then I'm fine with a review every few chapters! No sweat), and Pebbles of the Sand (I told you that this one was going to be the lighter of the two stories…although there is a bit of dark in this chapter…eh, it's smoothed over with smut)
Again thanks to my beta Sasuchan, who did this even when she was sick…and still it looks a hell of a lot better!
Warning: -Waves white flag- alright alright, you all win….watch out for boyxboy smut in this chapter….-gets glomped by fangirls- ACK!!
Disclaimer: Although some may think I should own them, I don't….but I wanna SOOOO bad!
Forever in Florence
"We're lost."
"I can see that, dobe."
"No, I mean…we're really lost this time." I watched him glared back at me from over his shoulder before he turned back to mumble about my lack of intelligence. I sighed slowly, glancing at the buildings that looked exactly like every other wet building we had passed by. Rain was now starting to come down heavier, and the night was just making it twice as hard to see. I turned my head to a sign and instantly scowled. "Haven't we passed that sign before?"
"You say that about every sign." I ignored his rude comment to run over to the sign, tilting my head slowly. The bright neon plus symbol glowed green, making my eyes squint a bit to adjust. I never realized how dark these alleyways were until I had something to compare them to.
"Really teme, we've been here before. I've seen this cross!" I looked back to watch him slowly stop walking. When he didn't answer, I continued to explain my déjà vu. "I think we've been going in circles."
"We'd know if we had a map." I bristled at the comment before throwing my pointed finger in his direction.
"You didn't have to come find me! You could have just stayed with Hinata and Kiba!" He glared back at me before turning around, starting to walk down the Florence street. I yanked my phone out of my pocket as I hurried after him, checking to see that we were now thirty minutes late for check-in. Unlike Sasuke's phone, I didn't need service to check the time. Not that it really mattered anyway, since my battery was flashing to show it needed recharging. I guessed that I had another ten minutes of energy before the entire phone would shut off on me. "Teme, what kind of battery do you have?"
"Why?"
"Because mine's almost dead and your phone is useless right now." I heard him scoff and watched while he shoved his hands into his jeans. Typical bastard.
"They're different brands."
"So?"
"So that means my battery won't work for your phone, idiot."
"I'm just trying to help the situation you know! It's not my fault that your stupid phone can't even tell time without a damn signal," I snapped back, following the sharp right he took. Were we even looking for a sign to get home now? Because he seemed to be fine with sulking and walking around the huge city. Remembering what the map looked like, I mentally sighed. Florence was mainly made up of square blocks, so it was very possible that we were just walking the same couple of blocks without even realizing it. Then again I had no clue what the green sign was for, or how many of them were in the city. Even with the map it would have been hard to figure out where we were, since some of the places were marked as one square instead of separate streets. And with the temperature starting to drop from the increase of rain, I had to hug myself to keep from freezing, or freaking.
"Stop thinking about it." I looked up slowly to see Sasuke standing at the end of the street, glancing between the three options we had. I stepped next to him, and provided absolutely no help in guessing.
"Do you think we'll get in trouble when we get back?"
"Of course we will, don't be stupid." I paused and glanced down at the road, watching as the mud started to cover the cuffs of my jeans.
"I bet Iruka will be more pissed at me than you. He'll just say you were being responsible in making sure I wasn't alone in the city. Stupid bastard, always having to be perfect," I muttered, not showing how much I'd give to have Iruka yelling at me.
"Hn. We're going straight." I huffed at the dictator in front of me, glaring at his back while trying to shake the rain from my hair. Really, out of all of the days to rain, it had to be the one time that we got lost. Alright, when I got lost. My feet dragged along the street while we moved, reminding me with every step how much walking I had done. Seriously, my work-out was way past complete. If I didn't die from the rain or the lack of food, I was just going to keel over from exhaustion. Okay, so we did just eat a couple hours ago, but hours seem like days when you're lost!
"Do you think Hinata and Kiba are alright?"
"They had a map."
"Oh yeah, you're right." He blinked and glanced over at me, and I returned the gaze with a glare. "What the hell are you looking at teme?"
"You just admitted I was right." We both stopped in our walking to stare at each other. I wasn't sure that the statement would have resonated with anyone else but us. I quickly realized my own mistake and tried to think of something to cover it up with. Man, how did I not catch that? I was losing my mind.
"Shut up teme, even Kakashi isn't a pervert at times. Doesn't mean anything." I could practically feel him smirk and I decided I'd rather walk in front of him than see it anymore. So shoving past the cocky guy, I picked the next street we walked on. Who cares where I was walking. I just needed to get away from him. So the next few minutes were travelled in silence, me silently fuming while Sasuke did something I didn't give a damn about. And honestly, I was planning on staying silent the entire rest of the walk, except something caught my eye. Seeing the bright lights that seemed to be driving our way, I felt my heart beat quicker. Blue lights filled my eyesight while I stopped walking and watched the Italian police come closer until one thought filled my head. Were they looking for us?
That was not good. I didn't want to be brought back by the police! That would be as embarrassing as the night with the stupid fish! Kiba would never let me live it down, and I'd always be known as the kid that needed escorts to walk him around. Oh hell no, I wasn't having that happen. So maybe a tiny part of my insanity started to show when I shoved Sasuke onto another street and against a wet brick wall. I saw his glare of both anger and confusion, but I didn't bother to speak until I heard the wailing of the sirens slowly disappear into the night.
"Thank the gods," I mumbled under my breath.
"What was that, dobe?" I looked up at Sasuke again, throwing my arm behind me to point in the direction the police had gone.
"The police were coming! What if they picked us up?!"
"You are an idiot."
"I am not! Do you want to be the laughing stock of the rest of the trip because we got brought back in a cop car?!"
"It's better than never getting back, idiot." He crossed his arms over his chest, as if the thought of never finding the group was nothing big. "Besides, I doubt the police would have sirens on in order to try and find two lost American teenagers."
"It…it could happen. You know how Iruka gets when he doesn't know where people are!" I only said it because I didn't want to admit that the idea of the Italian police speeding around the town for us sounded stupid. Iruka wouldn't have been able to get the cops this fast anyways. Yeah, we had been gone for almost an hour now, but that didn't mean he was going to call all troops to try and come find us. Or if he did, I'm sure that pervert would make him wait for a few hours.
"Start using your brain, if you even have one." I felt warmth around my wrist, and a scowling Sasuke pulled me away from the hiding spot and back onto the road we had been walking. I lifted my head and realized how wet Sasuke's back was. Not that it really mattered, since we looked like drenched rats from the constant natural shower over our heads. Still, the wet marks on his back reminded me of how stupid I was being. Sasuke was right, I acted more like a kid than a teenager. Here he was, having to practically drag me through the city while trying to make a mental trial-and-error map of the city. And what was I doing? Making a scene and freaking out over things that made absolutely no sense. I glared to the side, watching the droplets of rain crash on the waiting tar. I kind of wished I could melt into the road too.
I was just nervous. Sure I did some stupid things in my life, but never before had I actually put myself in an extremely dangerous situation. Some scrapes or bruises I could handle. But being left in Italy? I wasn't so sure that Uzumaki Naruto was ready for that. It was one thing to be in a foreign city with a travel guide and a translator. It was another to only have your own intelligence and the ability to ask where the bathroom is. After a while, that just wouldn't cut it for me. I started to think of how me and Sasuke would get food or a place to stay if we didn't find the group. I knew Sasuke knew more Italian than I did, but that didn't mean he could have full blown conversations. Plus, did we even have enough money to rent a room? To get food and water for ourselves?
And what about the others? We were supposed to be leaving Florence tomorrow to go to our last hotel. What would they do if they hadn't located us? They couldn't leave…could they? Well, what other option did they have? It wasn't like the hotel could keep the group for another day! They'd have no choice but to go. They'd have to leave us behind.
I gripped onto Sasuke's hand to try and keep the thought from bothering me.
"What is it?" He turned his head back to me, and I shook mine to try and destroy my fears. He shot a quiet glance over my shoulder, but I passed it up as trying to memorize our surroundings.
"Nothing! I'm fine teme."
"Obviously not, dobe. You're shaking like a girl." I growled up at him, but he only kept my gaze for a second before glancing over my shoulder again.
"I'm not a girl!"
"Clean your ears, I said like a girl."
"I don't act like one either. We already talked about who's the more girly one!" And if he was going to insult me, the least he could do was look me in the eye while he did it. I mean really, the only time he continued to switch his gaze was when he was sketching. Otherwise his stare was almost impossible to shake. But when he used our linked hands to pull me closer, I knew the situation had made him finally snap. Still, my cheeks started to burn at the close sensation of having his chest press against mine. If there was anyone around us, they may have thought we were a couple or something. So my voice shook a bit when I spoke again. "Teme what the fuck?!"
"Shut up." His voice had dipped so low I had to strain to hear it. Just what the hell was going on? I swallowed my need to yell at him for brushing his lips against my ear while he spoke. "When we start walking, don't say a word. Don't speak, don't disobey me, and don't look back."
"Huh?" He seemed to deem that an acceptable answer, because he was already pulling me into a brisk walking pace that had me stumbling to keep up. What the hell were with all of these rules anyways? Why couldn't I speak? I bet that one was for his own sick pleasure. And who said he was in charge anyways? Sure my head was a tiny bit fuzzy from the couple seconds of intimacy, but it'd pass! When I could get my heart back under control, I was going to tell Sasuke exactly what I thought about his idea of being dominant. And the last demand was just plain stupid. I could clearly see him angling his head to see behind us when he had just clearly stated I couldn't. Well screw him! So in defiance, I casually tilted my head to glance at the row of shady looking shops in order to take a glimpse behind us.
If Sasuke didn't have such a good grip on my hand, I probably would have stopped moving completely. As it was, my heart skipped a beat when I noticed a man I hadn't seen before quietly walking down the road at the same pace we were. He was dressed in a brown trench coat, with a matching hat and umbrella above him. I couldn't see most of his face by the way his coat overshadowed it, but I could immediately tell his eyes were trained on us. It sent an immediate chill down my spine. That was what Sasuke was looking at? I turned my head forward sharply to try and think of when I had noticed Sasuke's behavior change. It had been a two minute fight, and including our now silent speed walk, I'd say it tacked on another two minutes.
He'd been following us for four minutes? At least that. I leaned a bit closer to Sasuke, who seemed to meet me halfway to mumble near my ear.
"We're going to run on the count of three."
"Run?" I whispered, slightly alarmed at how serious Sasuke was taking this guy. "Maybe he just is heading this way. We don't actually know th—"
"He waited until we started to walk to move. He stopped when we did, and has been behind us since you decided to hide from the police." That had been at least fifteen minutes ago! Not to mention we had changed streets, and probably went down more back alleys than actual main roads. Any resident of Italy wouldn't have to use these pointless streets. Well, unless they were following us. I must have shivered or given some indication that the information was completely unsettling for me, because Sasuke narrowed his gaze and squeezed my hand again to gain my attention. "Don't let him get to you. Just be ready to run, got it?"
"Yeah." But I didn't sound ready. Well, that was because I wasn't.
"One…two…" I wanted to say that my stomach was flipping, and knots were now painfully tying up any courage I needed. But he didn't give me time. "Three."
And we ran. Our squeaky sneakers quickly were joined by a pair of men's shoes chasing our footsteps as if in a race. For that creep, it seemed like a hunt. My heart was pumping with adrenaline as I followed Sasuke and skidded into an alleyway, cursing when the guy took the sharp turn as well. I was already exhausted from the day and getting lost, and now this guy had us running like our lives depended on it. They probably did from the way this guy continued to chase us. My lungs burned while I gulped in the cold and rainy air, my thighs becoming numb from the natural elements and over-usage. The panic was only making it harder to move. This was how it ended. Being lost with Sasuke in a foreign country and getting chased down by some creepy man? This sure was a sucky way to go.
Sasuke managed to find another hidden alleyway, and right when I turned into it his arm grabbed my shirt and pulled me into a porch entrance of a closed shop. I opened my mouth automatically, but the teme slammed his hand over my lips and pulled my back hard into his chest. The arm that wrapped around my waist was to keep me from moving and making the wet wood from the porch creak. I was sure that my heartbeat was going to give away our spot when I heard the man run into the alleyway and straight past our hiding spot. I knew that after he passed it he wouldn't have been able to see us from the angle Sasuke had positioned us, but my fear was deep enough that my entire body was shaking.
I tried to ignore the overwhelming sensations of fear and anxiety as I heard the man's shoes slow in their pacing. Was he looking for us? We had been ahead of him enough to have ducked into another street before he got into the alleyway. I knew Sasuke was banking on the man assuming we had ran onto the next street. He wanted this stranger to continue chasing the path that most panicking teenagers would have taken. And since he didn't realize that Sasuke was the Uchiha Sasuke, he took the bait and started his crazy path down the next street. I slammed my eyes shut as I heard the quieting noises of his shoes, and didn't relax even when the soft pattering of the rain around us was the only noise besides our now released breathing. Even through his hand my panting was choppy and frantic enough to show how long I had held it back.
"He's gone." I opened my eyes to realize that Sasuke had somehow twisted me back to face him. I stared up at him, completely lost in what to say. His features were calm and collected, while I was falling apart. This had been the last straw. I was a strong guy, I knew I was. Under any other circumstances, I knew I would have just turned around and beat the shit out of that creep that had been following us. I would have stuck my tongue out at the police. I'd be laughing at the absurdity of the situation or punching Sasuke and yelling at him for trying to kill me through suffocation. But it wasn't a different situation. This was reality.
"We're lost. Our clothes….are soaked and our phones are useless. Both have no service, and my battery—" My hands were shaking so bad, I barely was able to flip open the blank screen of my phone. "-is now gone. We d-don't have a map, translator, or…fuck, anyone other than each other! We have practically no money on us and no idea where the closest hotel is. And now, after… all of this, some random guy comes out of nowhere and tries to-"
"Dobe-"
"No. No no….I don't wanna hear your bullshit! We're fucking screwed Sasuke! We're lost and we're never going to get out of this messed up city! We'll be…be stuck here with these creepy people and I'll never get home and I'll be alone forever here!" I was yelling and completely allowing my panic to consume my mind. My erratic breathing was causing me to stop in places that pauses weren't meant to be to catch my breath. And in the back of my mind, I was still mentally wondering if somehow the crazy man from before would be able to hear my screaming and would come back to kill us. "I don't wanna be here! I don't…fuck I-…I don't wanna be alone here! I just want..I n—"
Sasuke kissed me. Probably to shut me up or to keep me from completely losing my mind in some dank alleyway in the middle of Florence. His lips were dry but soothing as they pressed themselves to mine in order to try and force some of his calmness into my panicked world. My fear soon turned into desperation. I needed to know someone was here with me. My arms threw themselves around his neck while he continued to cup my face, finally pressing the long-awaited tongue past my lips and into the cavern of my mouth. My fingers curled in the soaked locks of black that were now completely untamed and erotic. I didn't try to suppress the moan that leaked from my mouth. His tongue was driving through any emotional turmoil and slowly starting to suppress the panic. I was still too nervous to close my eyes, but enjoyed how curious his tongue felt swiping along the inside of my mouth.
One hand stayed on my cheek while the other grasped onto my hip and pulled me closer to him. Clothing that was once irritating became completely irrelevant to me when our chests pressed together. The heat of our bodies seemed to melt some of the panic in my stomach. His leg pressed between mine, and I felt myself being pushed backwards slowly. I tensed when I felt something behind me, immediately letting my mind jerk back to the crazed look in the man's eyes. But Sasuke didn't allow me to pull my head back, only skimming my motionless tongue while he let my spine recognize the surface as the wall to the store. I shivered while the leg between mine forced my stance wider, and let out a throaty moan when a jean clad thigh rubbed into my body. I finally allowed my body to creep back into relaxation by joining the mainly one-sided battle of our kiss. Our tongues shied away from each other for a few seconds before coming together in one heated moment of connection.
I'd never admit I was scared. But then again, I guess I didn't have to. By the very hesitant swipe of Sasuke's thumb along my cheek, I could tell he was trying to do something he thought was soothing. He knew I was scared. He knew that, because Sasuke knew me. The constant brushes of his thigh against my arousal reminded me of the sanity I was losing. I hissed into his mouth when one pleasurable rock of his leg made my eyesight turn fuzzy. Seeing that I was no longer losing my mind (in a bad way at least), Sasuke withdrew his assault on my inflamed lips to settle for pressing our foreheads together. He kept his gaze on me while I tried to catch my elusive breath.
I thought we'd fall into a silence. So when Sasuke willingly spoke, I guess I was truly surprised.
"You're not alone, dobe. I'm right here." Our eyes connected, and it was the first time that I'd ever seen Sasuke seem both uncomfortable and determined at the same moment.
"I'm not scared." I'm pretty sure I mirrored his face with my own.
"Hn." It showed he didn't believe a single word. I guess I wouldn't have either with my earlier freak out. "I should have known a social idiot like you would suffer from monophobia."
"What? Speak English teme." He rolled his eyes and pressed his forehead closer to mine as if the movement would punish me.
"The fear of being alone."
"They have an actual name for that?"
"They have a name for everything." He paused and then continued. "It's…common for humans to fear things. I'd expect no less from you. Either way, it's accepted, almost expected."
"How would you know? You're perfect." His lips pressed tighter together, as if trying to keep his lips silent. But his mouth seemed as untamable as mine.
"Atychiphobia." I blinked once to show that once again, I had no idea what his gibberish meant. "You idiot. It's the fear of failing."
"What's the got to do with anythi—"
But for once, I didn't need Sasuke to explain. The dormant light bulb in my head flashed on. I should have made the connection as soon as he looked away and lowered his voice during his explanation. Was Sasuke admitting he was…afraid of something? Well, he didn't exactly say it. But what else would he be talking about? I failed tests all the time, so I definitely didn't have that problem. And with all the pressure that was put on him from being an Uchiha, I guess it made sense. He couldn't be bad because he was a part of a famous family known for their skills and natural excellence in everything they did. I almost winced when I realized how half of the time, I was the one who continued to remind Sasuke of his expectations. I fanned the flames.
"That's why you won't consider making your art your career? Because of your expectations?"
"Any type of art is unable to predict. It's an unstable job, and most do not get respected until they have passed away. Did you know Vincent Van Gogh sold one painting while he was alive? One of the most renowned artists known and he was considered worthless."
"But…but art is different now! Besides I've seen your work, and you're really good! You attach that dumb last name to it, and it'll sell millions." He seemed just as uncomfortable with my praise as I felt giving it, but it had to be said. I didn't care if the blush ate my cheeks away, I wasn't going to let the teme just forget the one thing he seemed to enjoy because of what he thought would happen. "You could make it work teme. You're Uchiha Sasuke, remember?"
"The opinion of an idiot doesn't matter." I narrowed my eyes at the insult but didn't let it distract me.
"Then why do you let so many of them rule your life? Anyone who sits there and tells you that art won't sell is an even bigger dumbass than me! They didn't sell back then because people didn't have the agencies and contracts like we do now. And since when have you cared what other people think? I bet you nobody thought an entire female population could become a bunch of mindless zombies over one guy, and you somehow proved them wrong with that too!"
"What I choose to do with my life shouldn't concern you."
"But it does! I don't know why, but it just does. It's like why you care about me not being alone. You don't understand it, do you?" And when he tried to pull away from the intimacy of our bodies, I tightened my arms around his neck and shook my head. "Don't run away from this."
"Idiot."
"Maybe I am, but that's not going to make me let you go." Physically or metaphorically, I wasn't sure. Maybe both, since I didn't stop hugging him. Eventually I felt a weak hold on my waist, and I wasn't sure how to take that either. Did that mean he understood what I was saying? Or did he just feel too confused to really do anything else? Either way I enjoyed feeling someone hold me. Maybe I did have that 'monophobic' crap Sasuke was saying. I leaned my forehead on his shoulder, no longer caring about how bad the circumstances were. Somehow, I felt okay. Like maybe it wasn't so bad being here with Sasuke, knowing nobody would barge in or watch us.
"Let's get you back, moron." He mumbled the words along my temple, and I couldn't wipe the smile from my face. I liked how it felt when Sasuke grabbed my hand, and I automatically laced our fingers. I tried to convince myself it was for security reasons (because you know, the crowds were extremely busy in the deserted alleyways), until feeling a very subtle squeeze made my cheeks brighten. Why did Sasuke have the effect on me? For all I knew, it was a simple hand spasm. But glancing up to watch Sasuke's features focus on the task at hand, I felt my heart still for a moment in my chest. Quickly, my eyes widened. Was I…possibly…but very unlikely…I was…maybe…not necessarily…
Shit. Did I love Sasuke? Was that even possible? I shook my head quickly while he led me back onto another road. No, it wasn't. We had just kind of started to test this new…feeling a couple of days ago! I mean, people didn't fall in love like that. It took time! You had to learn about the person, talk to them, find out their interests…and other crap that I was sure I hadn't done yet. Even though I had known Sasuke forever, and was quickly learning about his interest and hobbies, falling in love just wasn't possible.
If I kept telling myself that, maybe I could convince my heart as well.
"Well at least I know we've been here before." I hear Sasuke's voice breech my thoughts, and glanced up to see a sign that was certainly a blessing.
"The carousel!" I felt the first shadow on excitement enter my heart when I realized something very significant about the square we now stood in. "This was only like…five minutes from the other place!"
"Exactly."
"And I know how to get back there from here!" He glanced over to me, probably shocked that I was actually knowledgeable about something. I'd hit him later, after we got back with the group. "I was the one with the map at this time, remember? I know we came from the street on the right!"
"Hn." But now the adrenaline was coursing through both of us as we ran down the streets that I pointed at. For once, I was completely sure of the places that we were going by. I remembered laughing at Kiba and poking Hinata's blushing cheek on these streets. And the memories kept the directions fresh in my head. So when I finally caught a glimpse of the copy of whoever that statue was, I cried out loud enough to get several stares.
"I've never been so happy to see a naked guy before!" We were now about 90 minutes past the meeting time. I panted and felt almost completely drained. In fact, I was almost positive that I was going to collapse on the ground right there. The only thing that kept me up was the slight creeping of anxiety as I glanced around for the group. So when nobody was there to throw their arms around us or to ask us how we were, the panic started to come back. "Where…where are they teme?"
"The dinner reservations."
"Dinner…fuck, I don't remember what that place is called! I don't even know where it is." I wanted to go bang my head on one of the sculptures, but my hand was still linked to Sasuke's. I was contemplating dragging him with me, but then something amazing happened. Two figures moved out from under the archway, one walking towards us while the other simply leaned on the column they were hidden behind.
"What are you doing?!" Iruka's voice made my breath catch. I rubbed my eyes once, finally breaking the hand hold I had with Sasuke to make sure I wasn't dreaming. But when Iruka and Kakashi didn't disappear, I felt my feet instantly running toward the brunette. I didn't care that I was a seventeen year old senior of high school. All I knew was that hugging Iruka was enough to finally make my eyes blur with tears. I could barely hear his pointless scolding while he returned the warm gesture, but it was okay. I knew he'd probably yell at me again tomorrow. So I smiled dumbly while I tried to keep my tears from falling. I focused on watching Sasuke casually walk over to our perverted proctor. The older man simply smiled and rubbed Sasuke's head, all while Sasuke watched me. Feeling embarrassed about my uncontrollable emotions, I turned my head into Iruka's shoulder while the brunette continued to question me.
Dinner was quiet. I could tell that the others had wanted us to sit with them, but Iruka had ordered that we stay at his table with Kakashi to make sure we were okay. I didn't protest, mainly because I didn't have the strength to argue. How I was even able to keep walking I wasn't sure. Maybe I was at the point where the exhaustion was too much for me to pass out from. Kind of like when you stay up so long, you can't go to bed.
We probably looked like hell by the way the others' face scrunched in worry. Well, we'd been through something pretty close. I found out from Kakashi that Kiba and Hinata found the group about ten minutes after we left them. At least they made it back fine. I glanced to Sasuke to see him quietly eating the unknown soup we were given. Hell, it could have been filet stew and I wouldn't have noticed. Even though he looked just as shitty as I did, Sasuke kept his refined posture and ate like he had not just been chased through the streets of Italy. I actually watched Sasuke throughout most of the dinner.
"Naruto we were so worried about you two! Don't ever do something stupid like that again!" Sakura's concerned voice was followed by a warm hug. I tried to smile at the others when she finally released me. We followed the proctors on the walk back to the hotel, and I made sure to always keep Iruka in my gaze.
"I'm not planning on it, trust me. One time was enough."
"Make sure to take a good shower when you get back. And get lots of sleep! You look really worn out." Ino said, making me nod quietly. I could tell the lacking answers were less than comforting for the group, but I was really too tired to hold a conversation. I just was happy to move up the stairs of the hotel room and crash into our shower. If Sasuke wanted the first shower he didn't complain, just silently moved past me when I finally felt clean enough to come out. By the time I had crawled into bed, Shikamaru was sleeping. Damn, that bastard could sleep through anything. But, in a way I was grateful. I didn't feel like answering any more questions today. I just wanted to get to sleep.
So an hour later, when my eyes were still staring up at the ceiling, I was completely confused. Wasn't I dying to go to sleep? I mean, I could practically feel my muscles screaming at me for being awake. But for some reason, when I closed my eyes, nothing came to me. No dreams, no nightmares, not even the notion that I was starting to slip into sleep. I was ready to kill someone when a voice caused me to jump under my blankets.
"You're awake." It was a statement, not a question. I slowly turned my head to look over at Sasuke, who was now rolled to face me. Why the hell weren't we asleep?
"Yeah." I mumbled, closing my eyes halfway. He snorted, but it was quiet and lacked any type of sneer he probably wanted.
"Figured."
"Why are you awake?"
"Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?"
"Already did, teme." He stared at me for a few moments before shifting on the bed and sighing.
"You're using your brain too much, it's going into overload."
"Shut up." I buried my face in my pillow, annoyed that he still had enough energy to think of smart insults. I willed for something to make me sleep, but nothing changed. This was starting to get ridiculous. "We should be passed out."
"I know."
"So why aren't we?"
"I'm not a sleep doctor." Well I could see that. I rolled my eyes against the pillow before lifting my head to glare back at him.
"You're such a prick," I muttered, leaning up on my arms to stare at the pillow under me. I could faintly see from the corner of my eye that his lips curl to a smirk. We fell into a silence that I had expected earlier, back when we were lost. When I was losing my mind. I hated knowing that Sasuke was the only thing that kept me from completely falling apart. I had prided myself in being able to keep my cool, and yet there…I was weak. "I was such an idiot."
"I call you dobe for a reason."
"I let my fear take me over."
"I told you to drop it. It's normal."
"Well, maybe it's not normal to me!" I glared back at him, but blinked when he moved back on his bed. The space that now lay in front of him was almost as alluring as the darkness of his eyes. He said nothing at first, simply making me shiver from the intense gaze.
"Come here." It was the first command I didn't feel the need to argue with. I crawled quietly out of my bed and didn't meet his gaze when I shoved under his sheets. I buried into the blankets to keep the cool air out of my cocoon, my feet brushing his gently. At the movement I glared up to him and pulled the blanket high enough to hide my cheeks. For some reason he found amusement in my stare because he continued to smirk. "You look like an idiot."
"You look like an asshole," I bit back, tugging the blankets closer and pressing my forehead into his chest. Not that I wanted to! He was just facing the wrong way and I couldn't sleep on my other side. And the option of leaving my warm barrier was not acceptable.
"Hn." And we laid like that, for maybe a few minutes. If he cared about the contact he didn't say anything, letting me continue the reasoning of why I had to lay like that in my head. And I chanted it until I felt my heart practically roll its eyes and shout out 'shut up you know you're lying!' It made my eyes close tightly.
"I don't understand this." I finally gave up trying to resist the warm feeling I got when Sasuke's arm slid over my waist. If it was meant for comfort purposes, he had the most seductive unconscious movements I'd ever seen. Or felt, rather, from the shiver gliding through my spine.
"What?" I hesitated because I knew that somehow this was going to increase the shifting of our relationship. I had kissed him. I had admitted I was gay. It seemed that every step was becoming much harder to reach. And really, one slip up and like Kiba said, I'd get pretty hurt. But…when had that ever stopped me before?
"If we had been lost…just you and me…forever…" I licked my lips quietly to try and keep the moisture from disappearing. The motion caught his black gaze, and caused my voice to lower. "Would you hate me for…"
"For?" He pressed quietly, and the courage I needed came surging into my stomach.
"Would you hate me for enjoying it, teme?" And I didn't tear my eyes away in fear of missing something in his eyes. After all, the stoic bastard wasn't going to give anything away willingly. I watched his lips thin for a moment, almost giving the look of annoyance. Like somehow, my question bothered him. And maybe in a way, like my feelings bothered my pride, it did. That maybe, a part of him wasn't accepting the idea of something other than rivalry stirring between us.
But a part of him wanted me.
"Dobe." I let my eyes close this time, enjoying the quiet connection of our lips. I later smacked myself for letting him slide over me without so much as a protest, but my head wasn't exactly in the thinking mood. Instead, a silent swipe along my lips asked for something he'd never verbally say, just like I'd never admit to enjoying parting my lips for him. My back rested fully against the bed when he broke through my cover barrier, replacing the warmth with an exquisite heat. I panted into his mouth when I grabbed the back of his head, tilting it so I could fasten my lips onto his before diving my tongue into his mouth. The idea of Shikamaru being only a few feet away passed my mind, but I quickly ignored it when pale fingers grasped onto the bottom of my sleep shirt. That kid slept like a log anyways.
He forced his mouth away from mine for a moment, and I cursed right after the whimper I released. The glare I received made it seem like I wanted to let out embarrassing noises or something. I would have started to argue until I realized the breaking of our kiss was only acceptable to him when clothes were being subtracted. I flushed in the darkness when I felt my stomach and chest become acquainted with the coldness of the room, sending a tingling sensation through the exposed flesh. I would have crossed my arms if I didn't think it'd be practically screaming 'girl'. And my stubbornness paid off when I watched Sasuke's gaze linger a second longer than a passing glance. The teme was checking me out! I grinned in both cockiness and embarrassment. He shot me a look a moment before he lowered back onto my body, making me hiss into his mouth when the warmth of his bare stomach pressed against mine. Deciding that no, I wasn't paralyzed; I skimmed my fingers over his side while encouraging the shirt to lift up under his armpits. He seemed less willing to give up our kiss for his own undressing, but a harsh bite on his lip made him pull away enough to accomplish my goal.
I glanced along his skin quietly, wondering how the hell he could be so pale. After everything we'd done outside, he still resembled a piece of paper. Not that it really mattered, since it somehow worked for him. Thinking of Sasuke tan just didn't seem to fit his cold personality. So instead, I reached up to test if the skin was as icy as its owner. What I found was that Sasuke could make a profession out of being a heated blanket, because every part of his body now seemed ten times warmer than I'd ever realized before. He was silent through my exploration, resting over my hips and sitting completely straight. His eyes watched the hesitating gliding of my fingers along his glowing skin without squirming or making noises. Still, even he couldn't stop the shivers that wracked his body. I grinned at my own work and gently skimmed his nipple with my thumb, and it seemed that passive Sasuke got the hell beaten out of him by assertive Sasuke.
I had to bit my lip when a pain stung the back of my hand, forcing me to pull it back. It gave the bastard time to push back over me and position himself in a way he considered better. I say he, because I was quite comfortable having him in my lap. But I guess I couldn't complain when smooth hands pulled my waist forward to meet the central core of his heat. My eyes widened and I arched at the strange sensation. Not knowing exactly how far this was going, I wanted to ask. But really, who speaks when an Uchiha has their mind set on something? I found my hands grasping onto the sheets when his hips rolled into mine. Was there supposed to be that much heat between us? My teeth instantly met my bottom lip when he repeated the action, forcing a sharp breath through my nose. His fingers curled around the bottoms of my thighs, dragging out a quiet moan from my chest when he switched our angle.
"Don't get loud." I tried to glare at him, but the lust clouding my mind and his breathing against my ear was making it way too hard to even open my eyes. It took me a few moments of trying to get my mouth to cooperate before I could speak.
"Fuck yo—" I couldn't even make it through my second word before a wave of pleasure froze my throat. My hand flew up to grab his shoulder, using it as leverage before striking back with my own pelvic roll. He seemed caught off guard by the action, and I almost laughed at the slight curse he released under his breath. The warmth surrounded my ear, spiking the pleasure throughout my body. Enjoying the rush of adrenaline it gave me, I found myself starting a slow rocking motion along his hips, enjoying the quiet breathing that hitched on occasion. His hands were grasping my hips, encouraging them to follow the grinding motion of his own. I winced before leaning my head against his, my noises ranging in volume and length. He'd squeeze my waist in a silent warning when something felt too good to hold back on. I flushed as I looked over to our sleeping roommate, but closed my eyes when a sucking against my collarbone made my hips thrash in his hands. Silently my mouth parted in a wordless cry while I felt the warmth twist and build in the pit of my stomach. It was all rushing through me so fast. My heartbeat accelerated with my desperate attempts to grind harder into his hips, the pressure of my sleep pants becoming unbearable.
Apparently the teme could read minds, because I felt his grip slide down to drag the elastic of my pants and boxers away. A swelling of panic filled my stomach, and I could feel my muscles instantly tense. This was completely new. Yeah, I had kissed girls before. And really dry humping was a little weirder with a guy, but still fine since I'd done it before. But getting naked with someone was a completely different story! It wasn't like we were just showering after a game or something. I glanced down between our bodies, staring at the skin that stood out against my hips. I could see the line of my happy-trail now, leading to the one part of me that was throbbing in unfulfilled desire. But I gripped his hands with mine and looked up at him to try and give him the best glare I could.
"Teme!" I hissed out quietly, squeezing his hands for emphasis. "What are you…you doing?"
"Don't you ever shut up?" He asked bluntly, keeping his voice low to either keep Shikamaru asleep or to hide the breathiness his voice would probably hold.
"Not when you're trying to get me naked," I replied, sharing a glare between him. I shifted, and we both had to bite back groans when the delicious friction we once had sparked again. Fuck that felt good. I leaned my head back to try and keep my mind clear, but it instantly fogged over when I felt his lips ghosting the skin on my neck. I could practically feel my eyes rolling back while my hips jerked forwards into his grasp.
"Self-conscious, dobe?" His question vibrated along the hollow of my neck, and I closed my eyes tightly to keep focused. Which seemed pointless considering our hips were already starting to rock together again. The teasing sucking just under my ear had me rethinking my reasoning for not being naked. And with the quick, shallow thrusts between our bodies, I was pretty sure we were both heading toward the end. Still, the stubborn side of me shook my head, needing to answer Sasuke's challenging question.
"Ne-never teme." And to prove my confidence, I tugged his hands back to their previous course before trying to one up the bastard. Hearing the soft groan next to my ear, the humiliation of feeling solid velvet pulsing in my grasp was worth it. I'd never touched another guy before, so I figured everything felt the same. But really, I should have known Sasuke's skin wouldn't be as rough as mine. His head had dropped to my shoulder, fists curling into the material of my pants that now cradled my thighs. Hips that he tried so hard to keep under control now quivered when my fingers hesitantly slid down his rosy arousal.
It seemed to finally snap the Uchiha out of his pleasure long enough to slip his hand over my thigh and grasp onto my member. Knowing my mouth would be the cause of problems, I quickly used my free hand to grab his neck, a silent gesture he seemed to understand. His lips took mine into a heated kiss when the first muffled moan escaped me. Talented fingers played across the expanse of my tormented skin, bringing my desire to new heights. His fingertip brushed the vein underneath the head of my cock, sending my hips into frantic thrusts. The back of my eyelids were starting to line with white, signaling the start of my orgasm. Muscles tensed up as I panted weakly into his mouth, seeking his tongue with my own. His unoccupied hand was grasping my cheek, keeping our lips tight against each other when the white pleasure filled my mind. My back arched while I cried his name into our kiss, my body untamable while I rode through my orgasm. It was only after I felt the sticky white substance shoot against my palm that I realized Sasuke had finished a few seconds after me. His mumble was incoherent, but I could almost feel my name through the movement of his lips while his cock pulsed. The thought only made my relaxing hips flinch in pleasure.
It was going to be a complete pain to clean up. I lazily slid my gaze to watch the dripping of white glimmer softly in the natural light streaking through the glass doors of the balcony. My cheeks were flushed but I didn't feel strong enough to even stand now. So how Sasuke mustered the energy to go to the bathroom and return back to the blankets was impossible for my powering down brain to process. By then, my eyes were closed and the darkness that should have come to me before was easily making an appearance. I felt something wet wiping along my fingers before moving to my naked body. I tried to hit the cold cloth from my sensitive thighs, but the weak snort I got forced my gaze to reopen.
"Move your legs up." I mumbled something that sounded like a protest while I did exactly as he told me, feeling the soft fabric of my boxers and sleep pants return to me. Once the two garments were secure, I felt the bed shifting next to me and lolled my head to watch Sasuke redress himself. I frowned at the lost sight of his pale ass when the clothes were dragged up his thighs. I really hadn't pushed them too far before going on to my task.
"Mmm…f'kin cold, bastard." At the time, I didn't think I sounded like a five year old with a potty mouth. Of course later would be another story. Either way, I got my wish when I felt my eternal heat source slip back under the covers with me. I curled into his body, resting on our shared pillow while I languidly allowed my eyes to close. Everything I needed to think about could wait for tomorrow.
Right now, I just wanted to sleep forever in Florence…with Sasuke.
And that's the end of this part! So now with two days left of the trip, what will the boys do? And is Naruto really in love with Sasuke? Well we all know he does, but will he admit it? Guess you'll have to review and find out, huh? Oh! And if you haven't already, go check out the pole in my profile! =) Thanks!
Chapter Eight: Love in Verona? Oh Please…