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Life Unexpected
3: New Heights

"I just came to check on you," Naruto rehearsed quietly in the hall. He shook his head. "Too serious. I just came to check on you teme...?" He shook his head again. "I just wanna make sure you're okay...?" He groaned. "Fuck no." That'd just piss Sasuke off. "I hope Sakura didn't offend you...? Nooo, he'll think I'm calling him weak." Naruto hung his head low in defeat.

'Oh my god. I'm gonna puke,' he thought suddenly. 'What the fuck was I thinking? How did I even get here?'

A loud noise came from the other side of the door he currently stood before and he paused like a deer in headlights.

'Shit! He might hear me out here!' The idea had, apparently, not crossed his mind. He took to repeating, "Oh shit!" in his head as he panicked until he eventually just held his breath in an attempt to be silent and listen intently. It took a few very long moments of utter silence before he was able to let that breath back out and relax his shoulders slightly. Sasuke obviously hadn't heard him yet at least.

'Deep breath,' he told himself. 'Fucking relax, Naruto. It's not like you haven't been here a million times.'

Sasuke was his best friend, after all. And as far as he knew, Naruto didn't have any idea what he and Sakura were even talking about at the bar. So what was Naruto so nervous for? Sasuke wasn't going to come at him guns blazing or anything. All Naruto had to do was calm down and breach the subject tenderly, carefully. He promptly face-palmed though. How exactly does one calmly breach the subject of having feelings for their best friend? Not only that, but Naruto was planning on asking about feelings in return. As if freaking Sasuke out with his own emotions wasn't enough, he was then going to also ask Sasuke to reveal his own feelings too.

But what was Naruto expecting? He had to wonder if there was even cause to ask in the first place. Because if there was no hope for reciprocation, then there would be no reason to even reveal his own feelings either. And he had always felt like he'd known the answer that Sasuke would give. Sasuke was his best friend and only his best friend. Surely, if the raven had ever felt anything further, then he would have already brought that to Naruto's attention. That was his personality. When he wanted things, he went out and got them. And if he couldn't have them, he moved on to things that he could have without batting an eyelash.

So what was Naruto even here for, if he felt confident about what the outcome would be? Why was he putting their friendship on the line, just to get the same answer he'd been assuming he'd get for... well, shit... years now? What, just because Sakura got a rise out of Sasuke Naruto suddenly had to go and assume things? That could have been anything back at the bar really. It could have had nothing to do with Naruto at all. He was literally putting his ass on the line for... well... what seemed like nothing at all, wasn't he? So... did that mean that, somewhere inside, there was a bright hope that Sasukek could and would return his feelings?

Yes, there had to be. Nothing else would put him at this door right now. And, truly, Naruto had always known this would happen. Ever since he'd been able to admit to himself that the things he felt for Sasuke were feelings of attraction that even eventually morphed into love, he'd known that he would need to hear the words from Sasuke's mouth. Whatever they may be—the ever-likely rejection or the minimal change of acceptance—Naruto needed to hear them come from Sasuke's lips. He had always needed to hear them. They were what held him back in life now, what drove him to use Sakura in such a base and selfish way. It was the silence between him and Sasuke, the silence that Naruto had forced all this time out of fear and uncertainty, that shaped him into who he had become today. Because, yes, Sasuke was such an integral part of Naruto's life that he affected the blond's very being.

Naruto knew now that he wouldn't be walking away. He couldn't walk away, not now, not when he was so close. Even if it was a stinging and humiliating rejection, he needed this moment to happen. And that was exactly why, despite claiming to have known Sasuke's response would be rejection all this time, Naruto had never been able to move on. He'd always been thinking and fantasizing about Sasuke. All this time, it had been Sasuke that Naruto wanted. If he had gotten a definitive answer, if his blind faith had been crushed properly, then Naruto could have moved on by now. He could have saved Sakura and himself a whole shit load of trouble.

Yes, this was necessary. It was just cowardice that made him want to make excuses for why he should turn and walk away now. And, really, confessing to your best friend and holding your breath for a confession back was scary business. It was terrifying.

A loud bang traveled into the hall from the apartment.

'He won't think it's weird that I want to come over.' Naruto told himself. 'I come over all the fucking time.'

There was a loud "fuck" growled from inside Sasuke's apartment. And that was when cogs began turning in Naruto's head.

"Wait," he whispered to himself in a moment of revelation. Sasuke didn't... have someone over... right?

Or did he?

Naruto's eyes widened with the realization that such was entirely possible. And it sounded like it was rather probable at the moment too, what with all that commotion inside and Sasuke's abnormally vocal state. Sasuke might actually have company, and not the kind to sit around and talk with either.

"Oh my god," Naruto said loudly to himself and turned his back on the door to slump heavily into it. It was an automatic response that he didn't really register until after it had happened.

He began to panic as the realization that Sasuke was probably fucking someone on the other side of that door sank it. His chest grew heavy and his eyes stung momentarily. He had always known Sasuke had partners. He might be Sasuke Uchiha, but he still liked to fuck as much as any other guy. Whether those partners were men or women, not even Naruto really knew; but that didn't matter. None of it mattered. Naruto had always been able to just ignore that little fact. Sasuke had sex with other people. So what? Naruto didn't care as long as he didn't have to see or hear it. But now he was sort of hearing it, and he found that he really cared.

Maybe his hopes had skyrocketed during his little time in the hall, because he felt like he was crashing down to rock bottom now. He hadn't even asked any questions yet but he felt like that was Sasuke's answer to them all. That was Naruto's rejection. But that was silly. How could Naruto expect Sasuke to remain celibate? What, was Sasuke supposed to just assume that Naruto was in love with him and become the virgin mary just to make Naruto happy? Of course not! Sasuke was allowed to fuck, just like Naruto was.

That didn't get rid of the ache in his chest, but it did keep Naruto from wallowing in self-pity. He composed himself slowly and decided that he would simply return tomorrow. He would just treat this like all the other sexual encounters that Sasuke had. He'd pretend he'd heard nothing. Then, he'd just forget. He'd let it slip out of his mind. After all, anything Sasuke did before committing to Naruto, not that he'd ever commit to Naruto, didn't count at all, right? So there was nothing to be upset about. Sasuke was just satisfying a basic need. Naruto did it all the time, and with Sakura to boot.

"S'fair," Naruto mumbled softly to himself. Then, "Tomorrow."

He nodded his head surely and then the door suddenly flew open with a vengeance. He fell backwards onto Sasuke's floor with a loud thump and a groan of discomfort. He looked up and smiled sheepishly at Sasuke as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Tomorrow what, dobe?" Sasuke asked, a bit colder than he had intended.

Naruto scrambled to his feet quickly. Sasuke had heard that?

"Nothing," he replied anxiously. He tried to lean an arm against the door frame as nonchalantly as possible but missed and nearly fell back to the floor again. He forced the nervous lump in his throat down and smiled unconvincingly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the failure. "The fuck do you want?"

Naruto took the stinging comment straight to heart and couldn't stop the pained expression from taking over his features. He felt like he must have looked like a pathetic child right then, but he didn't really mind because he saw a twitch of Sasuke's brows and he knew that Sasuke felt bad for what he'd just said. Naruto cleared his throat and looked past Sasuke into his apartment. Sasuke gripped the door, his knuckles turning white, and quickly closed it so that only his face was sticking out anymore. He was very clear with his look of frustration.

Naruto looked at Sasuke's knuckles next, and then Sasuke quickly moved those out of view too. Naruto took advantage of the moment. With Sasuke's hand now hiding instead of steadily holding the door, Naruto simply pushed the door open. When the apartment beyond was revealed, Naruto's could do nothing but stare in shock. Sasuke closed his eyes in dread but did nothing to stop Naruto's actions.

What was normally in picture perfect shape was destroyed. Sasuke's family was wealthy, so his apartment was a modern marvel that people only ever dreamed of living in. From the hall's point of view, the door opened up into a large space. The corner directly to the left was the kitchen. The rest of the space was the living/dining room. The far wall was completely covered in giant, floor to ceiling windows with adjustable tint, which Naruto was relieved to see unmarred. Sasuke currently had the tint turned up fairly high, making the entire space dark. The only light was what could be seen streaming down the hall from Sasuke's bedroom, which was at the very end of the hall that protruded from just beyond the kitchen. The light barely reached into the living room floor though, leaving the big space to be lit only by the little bit of city lights that actually survived the dark tint.

Sasuke's couch appeared to have taken the brunt of the abuse. There was a giant dent in the back of it and the cushions were ripped in various places. The chairs to the dining room table were thrown about, one having flown right into Sasuke's glass coffee table and shattering it.

"The hell did the couch do to you?" Naruto asked, an automatic attempt at making light of the situation. There was nothing light about it though, and not even he believed that half-hearted attempt at a joke.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed Naruto back away from the door. "Nothing," he spat and slammed the door forcefully in Naruto's face.

Naruto had seen Sasuke mad before, but he had never seen him like this. He had never known Sasuke to throw a tantrum and trash his apartment. Sasuke had shared everything with Naruto, but there had only been a few select times where Naruto could say he'd seen Sasuke showed real, unbridled emotion. He was always painfully in control of himself and Naruto had always hated it. Part of him was glad to see Sasuke so overtaken by his emotions for once though, even if it was painful to watch happen. As a result of being the friend of an angry, easily irritated, and generally disapproving bastard like Sasuke, Naruto had the door slammed in his face many times. He always just opened it back up and walked in. He never thought twice about it, knowing that it was what Sasuke really wanted… even if he would never, ever admit it. But, for once, Naruto was conflicted. He wasn't sure if he should open the door or if he should just turn away.

Sasuke stared down his door from inside his apartment while the blond considered what to do on the other side. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted Naruto to turn the knob this time, but he also wasn't sure that he could handle Naruto not turning it and just walking away either. The fact was that Sakura nailed Sasuke at the bar and he was damn pissed about it. He had been hoping that Naruto would just fuck her to his heart's content and then he'd finally realize just how underwhelming she was. Then, Naruto was supposed to accept the fact that he just didn't like screwing her, not the way he would like screwing Sasuke. Sasuke had a master plan in the works, but Sakura had to stick her nose in and fuck it all up. He'd known that she'd catch on eventually though. She was just too vigilant to miss the signs that not even Sasuke could hide, adept as he was at hiding things. But beyond that, no matter how much Sasuke hated it, Sakura had always been able to see things, even if Sasuke didn't show her.

He wanted Naruto the same way that Naruto wanted him. He didn't want to pressure Naruto though. He had just been hoping that Naruto would figure it all out for himself and come to Sasuke whenever he was truly ready. Oh, the idea of Naruto coming to Sasuke... the idea of Naruto cumming. Sasuke closed his eyes and shuddered.

"Please," he whispered in quiet desperation. "Open the door."

And at that moment, Naruto decided that he would go all or nothing. He was either going to get answers or he was going to get punched. Either way, he turned the knob and unknowingly incited the most intense wave of relief that Sasuke had ever felt in his life. He took in the state of Sasuke's apartment again, more thoroughly this time, as he closed the door gently and started walking into the living room.

'Such a temperamental bastard,'he thought to himself before sighing lightly.

"Sit down," he ordered as he picked up the chair from inside the broken coffee table and placed it at the dining room table where it belonged. Noticing that his voice and expression were stern, he softened them both and added, "Please."

Sasuke complied without complaint, so Naruto continued down the hall and into the bathroom on the right, across from the guest bedroom. After rummaging around for a minute, he returned with rubbing alcohol and cotton balls. He set the items down on the table and went to retrieve another chair from the middle of the living room, Sasuke's eyes following him silently. When he sat down across from Sasuke, he decidedly let their knees touch. He removed his coat, then, and threw it to the ground carelessly. If the place was a mess, then what difference would his coat make? He glanced up at Sasuke's face for a moment before beginning to work on cleaning his bloodied knuckles from his fight, which he won, with the couch. Naruto dampened a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and grabbed Sasuke's hand gently before gingerly dabbing at his knuckles to clean off the partially dried blood. Sasuke didn't flinch at all, despite the sting. He was used to pain though, so it had become easy to ignore.

If it had been anyone else touching Sasuke so tenderly, he would have punched them square in the face with no regrets… but it was Naruto, and that made it perfectly okay. He watched Naruto clean his wounds and, slowly, his heart picked up pace. It wasn't from the normal buildup of ravenous lust that he usually felt for the boy before him, but something else. His heart felt as if it were actually splitting in two from a painful emotion that it took a minute for Sasuke to place. And then he realized that he, Sasuke Uchiha, was actually feeling heartache. Despite all the seemingly unrequited feelings between them—although Sasuke had always been sure it was just a matter of time—Sasuke had never before felt this kind of heartache for Naruto. It was precisely because he'd always been confident that time would bring them together though. There was no reason to ache, because Naruto would eventually be his.

So why was he feeling it now? Was it because Sakura had brought the situation into the light and now there was a real chance of Naruto actually rejecting him? Naruto could be scared. He could be uncomfortable. He could want to end their friendship, or just take a little break from each other. There were so many possibilities, and all of them running through Sasuke's head were negative. Was he just preparing for what he knew would come?

Naruto finally broke the silence, and Sasuke's reverie, when he stopped cleaning one hand to tend to the other. "You really are something else, teme. I don't understand why you got so upset at the bar. It was just Sakura being Sakura."

If Naruto wasn't so intent on Sasuke's hand, he would have seen the wince that Sasuke gave at that statement. His chest was tightening with every word Naruto spoke. His heart was aching more and more to the point where he thought that he might actually cry. It was all building up so quickly. This voice, this touch, this company—Sasuke might be on the verge of losing it all. Even if it was just a short time that Naruto wanted to part, Sasuke would go mad without the blond in his life. He needed Naruto, but it was that need that was getting him into this position int he first place.

The idea of an Uchiha crying wasn't as surprising as the fact that Sasuke actually thought it might be okay though. It would be okay, he rationalized, to allow his friend to wrap him up in his arms. It would be alright to feel Naruto's warmth engulfing him, comforting him, loving him, loving him for this last time before they had to go their separate ways. Because even if Naruto was uncomfortable with Sasuke's feelings, Sasuke knew that he was too good a friend to turn a blind eye to Sasuke's pain. He would react in an instant and probably hug Sasuke just to stop the tears, and that might be the last time they hug in... fuck... did it matter? Whether it was a day or a year, it would be too long. Tears were tempting him until…

Fuck, he thought. Look what you've turned me into dobe.

Naruto placed Sasuke's hand gently back on his knee, letting his own hand linger for only a moment. Sasuke kept his bleary eyes focused intently on Naruto's actions, reveling in every aspect of their proximity.

"Sasuke," Naruto began nervously. This moment was embarrassing enough without having to watch Sasuke react, so he kept his head down.

Sasuke swallowed thickly. Here it was, the end.

"How many guys have you been with?" Naruto finished, blushing wildly.

It was really unlike him to blush, at least when it came to talking with Sasuke, because the pair shared nearly everything without ever feeling embarrassed. But this was the beginning of a different kind of conversation. This was the kind of conversation in which Naruto let his feelings show and Sasuke, unknown to Naruto, would match them. The realization that this conversation was so terrifyingly far from platonic and that Sasuke, according to Naruto, had no clue made Naruto blush like a child. Sasuke would have felt the same, but he was just so relieved that Naruto hadn't said what Sasuke had been expecting that Sasuke forgot to blush when he replied.

"Three."

Naruto kept his eyes firmly glued to the ground, unable to help feeling a pinch of pain in his heart. He had hoped he could be the first, but he wasn't surprised to find that he wasn't. And Sasuke continued to be happy that Naruto had yet to toss him aside, nervous for the moment when Naruto would, and slightly confused about why Naruto had even asked such a question in the first place.

"Do you think that… well… I only mean," Naruto stammered. "I only mean to ask because… well… Suke… I think…"—Naruto gulped hard—"I think that I… I want…" Naruto finally looked shyly up at Sasuke, and what he saw on the face of his best friend was frightening to him. "S-Sasuke…?"

Sasuke reached up to Naruto's face and softly cupped his cheek. He forgot his dread and anticipation of rejection because, somehow, this didn't feel like rejection. Knowing that he couldn't contain his emotions any longer, he looked deeply into Naruto's eyes and let both the hope and eagerness shine through. And he wasn't even ashamed. His father would disown him for acting this way, but he didn't give a fuck. This was a moment he was going to savor for the rest of his life. The tears were clearing, though there were still streaks stained on his cheeks.

"What?" Sasuke whispered, urging Naruto to continue.

Naruto's heart was a thumping mess. He didn't know what to do, so just he mirrored Sasuke's actions and cupped his own trembling hand against Sasuke's cheek too, letting his other hand quickly follow. He gently wiped the tears from Sasuke's face and pulled the man ever so slightly closer. Sasuke leaned in even further with no hesitation, but Naruto stopped him when their noses were just barely touching. In that moment, he felt closer to Sasuke than he'd ever been, even though it felt like that small space between their lips was never-ending.

"I want to be with you, Suke," Naruto finally murmured. Saying the words made his head spin. He felt sick and dizzy from the gravity of it all.

What was happening? Sasuke was crying. Sasuke was touching him so tenderly. Sasuke was smiling? Sasuke was… S-Sasuke was kissing him? But how could Sasuke not kiss him? Those had been the only words he'd ever needed to hear.

Letting his confusion disappear, Naruto lost himself in the kiss. Feeling Naruto relax into it urged Sasuke to go for what he had been wanting for so long. He broke the soft kiss to allow Naruto a shaky breath before returning with determination. He pressed his lips firmly to Naruto's and began to move them with purpose. Naruto felt something building up in his throat which escaped as small whimper when Sasuke slipped his tongue out to trace Naruto's bottom lip. Sparks flew all throughout Naruto's body and settled in his groin. Sasuke was kissing him, hard. Who was he not to oblige?

Naruto lost himself to temptation, then, and broke the kiss to move quickly into Sasuke's lap, straddling him in the chair. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and dove back in, dragging one hand slowly through Sasuke's midnight black hair. Sasuke, in return, wrapped his arms firmly around Naruto's waist to pull the blond as close to his body as he could. Naruto Uzumaki was on his lap kissing him like a fiend. What a fucking gift from the gods.

It was Naruto's turn to dazzle Sasuke then. He parted his lips and just as Sasuke was about to take advantage of this new territory, Naruto pushed his tongue onward to battle Sasuke's. Sasuke didn't mind though. Fuck it if Naruto wanted to take charge, as long as they kept kissing. Their tongues grew bolder and bolder as they traded chances at dominating the other. The kiss was growing a bit sloppy, but neither of them cared. It was hot, passionate, and full of desire. And before he knew it, Naruto was grinding himself into Sasuke's lap. He broke the embrace to toss his head back at the much appreciated sensation of his groin against Sasuke's own growing bulge. Sasuke leaned his forehead into Naruto's chest and panted. His head was spinning and he wasn't sure he'd have another moment of clarity before Naruto recaptured his lips, so he took it while he had it.

"Naruto…" He panted hard as Naruto ground harder into him. "N-Naruto… S-S-Stop," he demanded weakly, sounding more like he was pleading than anything else. Though he had asked for it, he groaned when Naruto did stop moving and loosened his arms to look Sasuke in the eyes.

"Are you sure this is what you want," Sasuke asked.

Fear was thick in his voice. He was afraid Naruto would say no, but Naruto's expression switched from concerned to amused. He chuckled before roughly grabbing Sasuke's hair and pulling his head back to expose his pale neck. He leaned down and trailed his lips up the length of Sasuke's neck to his ear lobe, where he lightly nibbled down. He let his hot breath flow over Sasuke's ear for a moment before answering.

"I have wanted nothing else for quite some time, teme." He gripped Sasuke's hair tighter, commanding a loud whimper to escape from Sasuke's mouth. "Is this what you want?"

Sasuke wasted no time with replying and moved his hands to grip Naruto's thighs tightly instead. Naruto released his grip on the man's hair and Sasuke came at him, growling like an animal. He kissed Naruto so fiercely that he thought they might end up sprawled out on the kitchen floor. But, honestly, he didn't mind if they laid on a bed of nails or a bed of feathers. Being with Sasuke like this was enough pleasure to overshadow anything. He sighed contentedly into the kiss. Then, Sasuke clasped his lips hard onto Naruto's throat and his sigh turned into a deep moan.

"I am going… to love you… so… fucking… hard…" Sasuke groaned into Naruto's neck, successfully causing the blond to grind his hips down hard.

Indeed, it was going to be a looooong night.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author Note: I created a floor plan of Sasuke's apartment which is probably going to end up being the default layout of his home in multiple fics. You can see a layout of it by selecting the appropriate link in the links section on my main profile page.

Also note that Sasuke lives in a bit of a modern marvel type of apartment. It's expensive so Sasuke would have had it custom made for him. He probably would have started the project before going off to college. He has certain things specialized like the fact that he has a guest bedroom and a jacuzzi tub in his bathroom. Also, his balcony does extend all the way from his bedroom, past the guest room, and to the living room. It's all connected. His place probably seems really unrealistic but he has the money to live in that kind of unrealistic reality.