A/N: I apologize for the delay. Hopefully, it won't happen again. I also apologize to anyone who felt slighted when I got rid of my profile on Facebook. It wasn't personal or anything to do with the few people on there who know me from here. The fan page still stands, and I'm happy to communicate with you there.

Shoutout to xallfalldownx for calling Naruto's virginity in last chap. Poor guy was learning as he went. Also, major shoutout to Pluma Desatada. I swear there is no one, anywhere, who analyzes and summarizes my writing like she does. Her mind...my God, I think she's some kind of savant or genius. If I had her brains I'd be fanfiction queen. She tells me things about my writing that I would never have known in a thousand years. I've learned so much from her, and hope to keep her both as a reader, and as a friend. Amazing woman.

Last, this chap, despite it's appearances, does perform the important job of maintaining this fic's forward momentum, which was at first what had me stumped. I don't want this to come off like Save Me, because this isn't like Save Me. The relationships and storyline are completely different, or so I'm trying to portray.

Okay, I'm done. Posting it early for you guys, as an added apology.

12. First Words

A day passed that was characterized by some of the laziest naps and the most profound human connection either of them had ever experienced. What was between them, having been acknowledged so emphatically and irrevocably with their lovemaking, was now entrenched in their beings, rooted deeply in their self awareness and identities, so that to be apart, even for a moment, was painful. The thought alone was intolerable.

They slept together, ate together, and, after some initial shyness, showered together. They did more touching than was normal for any two people, simply because they had gone so long without touching, and had longed for it so terribly. Not just during the time they'd known each other either, but essentially their entire lives. Normal as this had been for them, it was nonetheless abnormal. People need to touch. Naruto and Sasuke touched constantly. The only separation they experienced now involved answering the calls of nature. These were dreaded, and treated with as much procrastination as their bodies could withstand.

Anyone who'd led a social life would have been adequately fed on the nourishment human contact provides. They would not have been starving for affection, for understanding, or for companionship, the way Sasuke and Naruto were. They had been starving when they'd met each other, and it was this extreme hunger for one like themselves –not just anyone, but one as deprived, and therefore as needy- that had driven their odd relationship from the first. Now fed and satiated in every way possible by each other (physically, spiritually, emotionally), there was simply no turning back. There was no Sasuke and Naruto anymore. The union was too complete, too perfect, too strong for them to be accurately defined as separate entities. It would be an incomplete definition. Separation was not only unthinkable, but beyond their capabilities. Whatever happened now, they would move forward in life as the single unit they were.

In bed, if they weren't occupied, they would lay facing each other. Sasuke's feet would rub against Naruto's, his toes pinching at the meaty soles. Their legs would be tangled, Sasuke's predominantly hairless calves abraded by Naruto's hairy ones. Their arms were often around each other's sides.

Sometimes they smiled at each other. Frowned. Wrinkled their noses. Pouted. Stuck out their tongues. Crossed their eyes. Laughed quietly. Cried quietly, when the emotions between them became too strong. No words had been spoken since that first night.

They slept. When one turned over, the other followed. If one shifted, the other adjusted their hold. Their slumber was deep, yet the smallest change in breathing did not go unnoticed by either of them.

They loved. Sometimes it was as drowsy as they were. Sometimes it was fast and pounding, driven by their excitement. Sometimes it was tender, and there were tears because their love filled them so painfully. Sometimes it was quick, no more than a few thrusts while they drifted between waking and dreaming. And sometimes it lasted hours, their hands clasped as they shared sweat, and breath, and lust-filled cries of release.

-oOo-

It was raining again. It came down in a straight, heavy deluge that was absent of thunder or lightning, and left the day gray and washed out. It was the perfect backdrop to the vibrancy taking place in Naruto's bedroom.

They were gazing at each other. So focused were they, and so ingrained was their awareness of each other, that a few thoughts surfaced in Naruto's mind and were picked up by Sasuke. They were leery of breaking their enthrallment with each other by speaking, but it was all right; nothing could break what they were now. Still, the selection was made carefully, turned over, passed back and forth along their tenuous mental link, and then agreed upon.

Naruto whispered, "Hi."

"Hi," Sasuke giggled.

It was a start. They remained quiet for some time after this, perhaps steeling themselves for more conversation, or maybe just content and happy, as they seemed to be whenever they were near each other. At length, though, Naruto said, "Found something."

"Oh?"

"In the living room."

"What?" Sasuke was already smiling again, imagining some fantastical object. This seemed like the perfect way to re-acquaint themselves with speaking; with some strange new mysterious thing.

Naruto casually dropped his arm over the side of his bed and came back up with the thing in question. Sasuke's bag. He set it on the bed between them.

Sasuke looked at it blankly, seeing only the shape and black color at first. Then he remembered that this was his bag, and then he recalled what was in the bag. He sat up quickly.

Naruto allowed Sasuke to snatch the bag protectively to his chest. He waited calmly for him to remember what they were to each other, to feel comfortable enough with that knowledge to release the bag. Sasuke did so slowly, eyes downcast, as if suddenly ashamed of his behavior. He let the bag sit in his lap. Naruto made no move to reach for it, but continued to wait until he was trusted again. Only when Sasuke sheepishly quirked up a corner of his mouth and unzipped the bag did Naruto sit up himself.

The laptop was set on the floor by the bed. As for the rest of the contents, Sasuke scooted backward and sat beside Naruto while he took them out one by one.

The box of condoms earned a groan from him. He'd had so much unprotected sex now that having Naruto wear one would be pointless. He stared at them though, mentally berating himself for not remembering. True, when the act had taken place his bag had been nowhere around, and things had been sort of…stressed…but honestly.

Naruto took the box from him and studied it, read the back, turned it over in his hand. Sasuke watched as he opened it, took out a single pack, opened that, and examined the condom. Naruto soon put the ripped package and the condom back in the box, and this back in the bag. He turned back to Sasuke and waited expectantly.

Next, Sasuke withdrew the bottle of lube and handed it over, but Naruto displayed limited interest in it. The only thing left in the bag was the book and his phone. He extracted the book and held it a moment, trying to identify the cause of his embarrassment. Considering all that he and Naruto had done together, he shouldn't be feeling uncomfortable. After all, he was comfortable parading around in his skin for days. He was comfortable showering with Naruto, and having sex with him. What was it about the book that warmed his cheeks?

He finally decided that it was just one of those unexplainable things. He passed the book to Naruto.

Naruto surprised him by setting the book between them so that it opened on both their laps; he meant to look at it with him. Together.

It helped that Naruto only displayed active interest. There was no smirk, no smug expression, no condemnation in the form of head-shaking, eye-rolling, or a disdainful sniff. When he saw Sasuke staring straight ahead instead of at the pages, he merely looked at him with a small, quizzical smile. As if to say, What's wrong, don't you want to read this with me? There was something so hangdog, and helpless, and pleading to that look that Sasuke felt himself melt in a rush of love and remorse. His stiff posture of embarrassment dissolved into an impulsive, exuberant hug and kiss for Naruto, the latter delivered to the man's nose. He moved to scrunch himself closer to Naruto's large, warm body. They peered down at the book with a renewed sense of interest for Naruto, and an absence of shame for Sasuke.

Naruto turned the pages. Titles and illustrations were perused idly, but thoroughly by both of them. Sometimes Naruto would pause to read a few paragraphs or study a position or two, but generally the pages were turned steadily. When they reached the end of the book, Naruto began again from the beginning.

This time the pauses were more pronounced. After a few of these, it dawned on Sasuke that Naruto was only stopping at the illustrations, and that each pause was his way of asking a question.

It wasn't easy setting aside his reservations. Sasuke had to remind himself that he wanted to be everything that Naruto desired. Somewhere during their many hours in bed he'd come to the blinding realization that he was Naruto's first. Something about the older man's hesitation while doing some things. A touch of uncertainty here, a look of tense concentration there. Awkwardness at times, carefree wonder at others. The knowledge had reduced Sasuke to wide-eyed wonder himself. He tried to put himself in Naruto's place now and came to the conclusion that if he'd spent forty years as a virgin, he'd want to explore all aspects of sex the first chance he got, too.

Naruto had paused at another illustration. It was one of the first ones in the book, and one Sasuke had privately had serious issues with. Still, in an effort to be accommodating, he put his hand on the page before Naruto could turn to another and gave a small nod.

There was some confusion as to who would go first, but it had been established from their first union by the truck, that Naruto was the unquestioned leader. Sasuke might assert himself sometimes, but Naruto was the adventurous one. He whisked the quilt away in excitement now and pulled Sasuke's ankles when the latter drew his knees to his chest with a hiss. He continued to pull until he himself was standing on the floor, and Sasuke was sitting on the edge of the mattress.

As this was not an activity they'd come to by unconscious agreement, there wasn't the sense of harmony and unity that had suffused their lovemaking. This had a distinctly forced feel to it, and they both picked up on it. Sasuke was tense, his weight supported rigidly on the hands he braced behind himself. Naruto, unable to bear the sight of the chewed lip, or knit brows, hesitated.

"If you don't want to…" Naruto ventured.

"It's not that."

"I'll understand if you don't…"

"If you want to it's okay…"

"You don't have to force yourself to do anything with me."

"I know. I'm not. I mean, I want to do whatever you want, so if you want this…"

They hated feeling awkward with each other. It was like an unsightly stain on the perfection of their interactions to date. After some minutes of studying each other's faces, it was decided that there was no rush. Naruto leaned forward and dropped an apologetic kiss in Sasuke's hair, whereupon Sasuke sought Naruto's arms. He, too, kissed Naruto in apology for his shortcomings, but Naruto combed the black hair back with his hands in understanding and forgiveness. He nipped the pink lips softly, then a bit harder, and then they were kissing seriously, the action deepening quickly and heatedly, the way it always seemed to do whenever they touched.

Several hours were lost in sighs and moans, and smooth, undulating movement. After, Sasuke slept the sleep of the very young and exhausted, head buried beneath a pillow, and with Naruto attached to his side.

That night, Sasuke woke from a dream. The content of the dream was lost, but a sense of unease remained with him. He couldn't even remember if it was a nightmare or not. There was only a feeling that it had been. That and the unexplainable, detached image of flames. He'd gotten a sense of fear and desperation from those wildly burning flames, but could see no cause for this. After a few moments of breathing heavily, he realized he was sweating.

He sat up. Puzzled, he tried a little harder to recall the dream; his body was reacting to something his mind couldn't visualize. Things like that seldom, if ever, happened to him. Try as he might, though, whatever he'd dreamed about was lost. Only the image of flames remained, and he had no idea why such a sense of desperate fear was attached to it. He'd never had a fear of fire. Had never been caught in a fire. Had never been burned by fire. In fact, as an Uchiha, he had a distinct affinity for fire. He frowned at the far wall, trying to analyze what felt like a blank slate in his mind.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto's whispered question made him jump. "Nothing," he said quickly.

"You've been tense since you woke up," Naruto sat up as well. He leaned over and kissed Sasuke's bare shoulder. He left his lips there, and spoke against the smooth skin. "A nightmare?"

Sasuke enjoyed the contact. It brought him down from the inexplicable uncertainty he felt, and made him feel anchored to the present, to reality. "I don't know, I can't remember the dream."

"Are you scared?"

"No…"

"I can hear your heart. It's beating faster than normal."

Sasuke snorted out a disbelieving little laugh. "You can actually hear it?"

"I have heightened senses…when I choose to use them."

That was the first time Naruto had ever mentioned anything personal about himself. Sasuke turned to him completely. The dream, and his response to it, completely forgotten. "Is it because of…I mean…" He hesitated. The Hokage had been the one to tell about Naruto's origins, not Naruto himself. Sasuke wasn't sure how Naruto would feel about the fact that he knew.

Besides, the lips were still on his skin. They moved in moist, warm circles on the point of his shoulder, and did a marvelous job of making him forget what he was saying. Such a deliberate caress, given to such an unsexy part of his body, for no other reason than that Naruto loved him. Sasuke stared at the blond hair an inch from his face, and swallowed hard. His love for Naruto in turned surged powerfully just then, and he grabbed the man's head and forced it up.

-oOo-

Naruto never quite seemed to accustom himself to Sasuke's capacity for aggression. It was expressed too rarely. Now was apparently one of those times. He never knew when it was going to happen, and that made the times it did happen very exciting.

He let himself be used. Sasuke gripped his hair hard in both hands and nearly drew blood with his hungry kisses. His lips were so soft, yet so commanding when he was in his aggressive states. He made ravenous little sounds of need as his tongue plundered Naruto's mouth. He straddled Naruto's lap as well, and Naruto did nothing to check the rolling humping motion the boy did with his hips. He settled his hands on the contracting muscles of Sasuke's ass, letting the firm roundness fill his palms, and assisted the motion.

Sasuke smacked his hands away with a grunt; he wanted complete control.

The idea of being dominated by a boy who was less than half his body mass was sinfully arousing to Naruto. He wondered if Sasuke could manage it, how he would manage it, and gave himself up to this new twist in their relationship. He'd never given Sasuke complete control before.

Sasuke rose up on his knees, still straddling Naruto, so that he was taller, and thus in a position of power. He released the blond hair, only to thread his hands through it again and yank Naruto's head backward hard. Naruto hissed. Sasuke lowered his own head and bit the side of Naruto's throat, bit hard. Naruto rewarded him by grabbing his ass in one hand. He let his short nails dig into his the tender skin a moment. They dug in deeper, as Sasuke bit harder, but then the bite switched to sucking, and Naruto's hand relaxed into an open-palmed caress. Sasuke moved the hand from his ass and placed it firmly on the bed.

Naruto took the hint, and placed both hands on the mattress. He supported his weight this way and gave himself up mentally, as well as physically, to Sasuke's ministrations.

-oOo-

Sasuke was driven, but in a controlled way: his kisses were hungry and needy, and imperious, yes, but there seemed to be a newly awakened desire to consume Naruto present in his touch as well. His usually gentle hands were rough and insistent. His kisses landed everywhere on Naruto's face and upper body, until eventually, Sasuke shoved him back with more strength than he'd given the boy credit for, and bent to bite his stomach.

The biting wasn't unwelcome now. It spoke to Naruto of possession, of being claimed, and it had a sizzling erection straining up from his groin. He arched slightly off the bed as Sasuke sucked hard on his navel a moment. A small moan of pleasure left Naruto.

His abs were explored at length, before Sasuke moved back up his chest. Sasuke hovered over one tanned pectoral muscle, weight braced on his hands, and his hair hiding his face. Naruto wondered if Sasuke was looking at him. He moved to brush the black hair aside, and had his wrist snatched and slammed to the mattress in reprimand. No moving, the tight grip said. Right. He'd forgotten.

Sasuke lowered his head slowly, taking his time. Naruto felt warm breath wash over one nipple and bared his teeth at this sweet torture. The stimulation was faint, but so erotic…and then the pointed tip of a darting tongue joined the breath. This moist point flicked his nipple once, only that, before a hot, supple mouth closed over the stiffened peak.

Naruto did groan audibly this time, just as his cock jumped powerfully. The tip brushed Sasuke's stomach in doing so, and they were both aware of the wet smear of precum it left on his fair skin.

The other nipple was given a more leisurely exploration. The tongue passed over it several times, first with only the tip, then with the broad flat of it, as if Sasuke was trying to discern which method provoked the most twisting, and the loudest groans. To make a thorough analysis, he visited the first nipple again, and spent some time traveling back and forth between the two, before finally settling down to suck on the second one. Naruto's hands fisted and pulled at the sheets, but he was otherwise still, as instructed.

Sasuke left nothing unattended. He kissed Naruto's shoulders, sucked on them, and kissed and sucked his way down the muscled arms. His tongue followed every vein on the biceps, sampled the hollow inside each elbow, and tasted the sensitive morsel of skin between each of the strong fingers. He sucked each finger slowly, until Naruto snapped his head up and shifted his legs fitfully. He left the hands behind to give attention to the legs and feet.

Naruto's feet were broad and veiny, like his hands were, and surprisingly ticklish. A sobbing laugh that was quickly muffled left Naruto when Sasuke grazed his teeth along one high arch. He bit the soles (and was nearly kicked in the face because of this) and tasted each toe. He went so far as to suck on the toes as well, and Naruto nearly rolled onto his stomach, so tortuous did he find this. Sasuke moved upward.

He spent some time following the grooves of the powerful thigh muscles as they flexed beneath his lips. He tasted, nibbled, bit, kissed, until he reached the fragrant triangle of flesh between the thighs. He nudged his way into a comfortable position, pushing against Naruto's legs until he spread them wide. He propped his chin in his hands. For a few minutes, he studied the heavy sac of flesh and the rising pillar of arousal.

Adjusted as his eyes were to the darkness now, he saw clearly the way the sudden absence of touching left Naruto wanting. Sasuke was particularly interested to see that the precum dribbling from the tip of the broad cockhead was more now than when he'd been teasing Naruto with his mouth. It pleased him to leave Naruto hanging for the moment. He spent the time visually mapping out the veins on that solid cock, eyes narrowed in contemplation.

He liked having power over Naruto. The guy was such an immovable rock all the time. Unless they were in bed. Then the rock melted into great boiling oceans of lava-like lust. He could almost feel the need in the man now, the need to be on him, in him, pounding away at his body. Knowing how much Naruto wanted him, and how much he himself could intensify that want, had Sasuke's own erection digging into the mattress.

The cock brought to mind the book, and their failed attempt at one of the illustrations. Just now, Sasuke felt so horny with the power he had over Naruto that he was abruptly salivating. Without thinking about it, or wondering how this time was different than earlier, he reached out and grabbed the cock in his fist. Naruto bucked in response, then settled his hips again with a ragged groan. His hands were still twisted in the sheets.

Sasuke didn't attempt any of the preliminary techniques he'd read about; he was suddenly too eager. He only opened his mouth as wide as he could and guided Naruto's cock into it. Naruto sat up immediately, as if catapulted from a cannon. "Sasuke!"

He could only get the head past his lips. It filled his mouth completely, and stretched his jaws until they creaked. His saliva ran down the length of the shaft and over the fist he had around it, as Naruto dropped a heavy hand on the back of his neck. This would have done the job of pushing his head down farther on that massive cock, if the thing could fit. As it was, he pulled back immediately with a gasp, breathing hard. He pointedly took Naruto's hand and placed it back on the bed.

Naruto protested, still reaching for him. "Pl-"

Sasuke put a finger to Naruto's lips. Put the hands back on the bed a final time, and pressed them in place. Naruto closed his mouth and became still. Sasuke pushed at his chest until the man lay down once more.

This time he was more careful about it. He wet his lips first, and eased Naruto's cockhead into his mouth slowly. He still only got little more than the head in, but it was enough to have Naruto's entire body tightening up. Sasuke breathed shallowly through his nose.

The taste was musky and salty. Not pleasant or unpleasant, really…but the thought of what was in his mouth was exciting in the extreme. The slick feel of it, the slippery slide of it over his tongue, the way it mixed with his saliva to ooze down his throat. It was the texture. An image of this stuff coating his mouth and dripping off his chin filled his mind and he felt himself begin to leak as well, almost as much as Naruto was doing.

Naruto was stiff, he saw. Trying to wait patiently for whatever else Sasuke might do without moving. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his teeth clenched tight. Sasuke tried to imagine what it felt like to have your cock in someone's mouth and knew he'd be allowing Naruto to show him in the near future.

For now, he let his mouth experiment. Still working slowly, and the sheer size of Naruto's cockhead still making him drool heavily, he let his mouth conform to the rounded shape. His lips sealed around the base of the head, and his tongue did a casual lick along the dripping slit. By chance, the tip of his tongue actually entered the slit, and he was able to get a stronger taste of the precum he now found delicious. He dug at the slit industriously with his tongue, which caused Naruto's long legs to snake around his torso and squeeze.

He was a strong kid; he withstood the steely legs, spurred by the howling cries Naruto gave as the man arched, and twisted. Sasuke would never have thought the man capable of such noise, ever, if he wasn't witnessing the corded throat muscles and thrown-back head with his own eyes. He left the slit alone a moment, letting Naruto sag weakly back to the mattress, then struck up all over again. He accompanied this little tongue-fucking with a rhythmic suction on the rest of Naruto's cockhead. He held the shaft firmly in his both hands and squeezed as hard as he possibly could.

Somewhere between the time he'd woken up from his dream, and now, the familiar, instinctual feel of their lovemaking had re-asserted itself. They were comfortable with each other once more, and with what was happening, even if Naruto was currently making enough noise to wake the dead. As hard as he shivered and writhed, he did nothing to stop Sasuke, and Sasuke took shameless advantage of the control he had. He left off the sucking at one point to explore the rest of Naruto's cock and balls with his lips and tongue for nearly an hour, before slipping the head back into his mouth. He continued to suck and worry the tiny lips of the slit until Naruto ripped the sheets in his hands and came with an agonized curse of release.

Sasuke let the rich, hot semen shoot thickly all over his face and mouth. The smell and taste, both infinitely richer than the precum, sent his senses reeling in sudden greed. He squeezed the pulsing shaft in his hands, milking it upward to get every drop there was, wanting more. He leaned down to rub his face on the slit again.

-oOo-

Naruto was still, spent and relaxed, as Sasuke straddled his hips and positioned the new erection at his entrance. He lowered himself slowly, watching Naruto's face tighten in pleasure, as he let his moist hole be stretched by that hard cock. He never got used to the feeling, never understood how something so hard and unyielding felt so good going into him. His walls sucked the long thickness in deeper. When he was finally seated on Naruto's pelvis, he groaned in contentment. He circled his hips so that Naruto's cock dug deliciously at the deepest reaches of his canal and had to catch himself with his hands on Naruto's chest at how wonderful that felt.

The blue eyes were on him, watching. The chest muscles where bunched tightly beneath his hands. Sasuke glanced down at where his cock was stiff and quivering against Naruto's lower belly, before rocking forward slowly. He could feel the skin of his rectum stretching and sliding over those veins as a partial extraction was achieved, then passing over them again as he rocked backward. Naruto leaked enough to have this motion become fluid and sensual in short order, and Sasuke gradually increased his pace.

He was in no hurry, though. Naruto made soundless noises of pleading pleasure, hands still by his sides and he used him and abused him, tortured and teased him for over an hour. Whenever he felt that cock swell in preparation to coming, he would stop. Sometimes he would sit for long minutes and only squeeze his ass muscles on Naruto's cock, squeezing and releasing, until Naruto trembled hard enough to rustle the leaves overhead. Sometimes he rose up and only fucked the very tip of the shaft, leaving the rest cold and wanting, before sinking down fast and hard once more.

He rose and fell, rocked and bounced, in a variety of creative ways, until at last he was tired and had had enough of being in control. He finally stopped when he was sweaty and out of breath, and Naruto was almost crying in frustration. He looked at the slit blue eyes and gave a small nod.

Naruto sprang to life and grabbed Sasuke violently. He threw him down on the mattress and loomed over him in the dark, grunting and wild.

-oOo-

Sasuke's hands were restrained beneath the pillow as Naruto's pumping hips forced his pelvis up, and his legs around the man's waist. Naruto's face hovered an inch over his own, and his eyes were shadowed. Your play time's over, Naruto's intimidating position said. This is the way it is now, I'm in charge. Sasuke didn't mind, even welcomed it. It was a relief to give up control.

He liked when Naruto dominated him. He liked the way Naruto slammed into him again and again, sometimes hurting him, until he came with a helpless whimper of fulfillment. He liked when he was roughly turned to his stomach, made to kneel in the utmost position of subservience, and fucked to screaming release that way. He liked when Naruto did him fast, and slow, and hard, and gently. He loved the way Naruto touched him, plain and simple, and he never grew tired of it. He spread his knees a little wider now, and arched his back for deeper penetration. Naruto's nails raked down his spine, making his skin tingle with pain and pleasure, as the thrusts made his teeth chatter.

Naruto collapsed on his back when the brunt of his desire was sated. Sasuke rolled to his stomach and was snoring soon after. When his breath had calmed, Naruto turned over and leaned his head on his hand to watch the boy's deep slumber thoughtfully.

For a few minutes, he was reminded of the fitful quality of Sasuke's sleep before he'd woken up. He was sure the boy had been dreaming. He'd murmured something unintelligible, before the word fire had been whispered. Whatever the dream had been, Naruto felt that it was in some way responsible for how Sasuke'd behaved afterward.

His eyes traveled over the back end of Sasuke's body. The boy always slept face down, if they weren't entwined about each other. He suddenly smiled and moved to wrap himself around Sasuke's back. There was nothing like a good, long sleep after sex, he'd found.

-oOo-

But a few hours later, Sasuke was tossing and turning again, and muttering in his sleep. Naruto watched him, alert, until Sasuke woke up on his own. The black eyes blinked up at the canopy until the ragged breathing had calmed down.

Naruto was reminded of the dream from last night, but did not ask if Sasuke had had another nightmare. For one, Sasuke didn't seem as if he were thinking of a nightmare; he'd turned and found Naruto watching him and broken into a sunny smile. For another, Naruto felt that dreams were very private things. Instead, he decided to talk about something else that had been on his mind. They were comfortable enough with speaking now that he thought it would be all right. And who knew, the knowledge might give him insight into what Sasuke dreamed about.

Adjusting his head on his pillow, Naruto said quietly, "I want to know everything about you. If you don't mind."

Sasuke felt himself going red. Coupled with the intense blue stare, he thought he'd never heard anything more romantic in his life. "I don't mind," he said with a self-conscious smile. "I thought you'd never ask."