Chapter 6

Another night thinking of you

Naruto got a lot done on Monday. First thing he brought Sasuke to the clinic so they could take blood samples for the test. He left his phone number and they reassured him, saying they would call him as soon as they had the results. Sasuke was nervous, and Naruto could tell he wished he had the results right away. Naruto rubbed his arm for both warmth and comfort as they stepped outside and went to the car.

With Sasuke's help that morning they had disassembled the baby crib and put it, along with the other things to donate, in the trunk. So they stopped by the organization, which according to their website was open at this hour. It turned out it was correct information, and the women working there thanked them warmly for the donation. Naruto was feeling better after doing this. At least he would help out some family in need out there.

After driving Sasuke back home, and officially giving him the double of the key, Naruto got ready to go to work. He wore nice black slacks with a blue button down shirt and loose black tie; casual but nice. He put on his dress shoes and jacket and he smiled fondly at Sasuke, who was playing with their new pet in the living room.

"I'll come back late," Naruto informed, "I've got an appointment this evening after work."

"With your therapist?" Sasuke got up and stepped closer in the hall.

"Yup."

"You're gonna talk about me?" He teased.

"Well amongst other things," Naruto said defensively, "don't give yourself too much importance." Of course he was gonna talk mostly about Sasuke but he didn't need to tell him that…

"Uh-huh," Sasuke raised a brow.

"Anyway are you gonna be fine?"

The male leaned against the nearest wall, sighing, as he turned his head to look at Naruto. He looked good in his new clothes; black skinny jeans, silver belt and black tank top. Also he had black arm warmers, and with his long, slightly messy jet black hair, and pale white skin which offered a contrast… He was just… yeah Naruto always felt like he was a work of art. He always felt like drawing him.

"It's killing me not being able to play music, you have no idea…"

"That's where you're wrong, I do know how you feel. You have to try to keep busy with something else."

"Like what, any suggestions? I only work tomorrow…"

Naruto shrugged, glancing around the slightly messy house, "You can use my kitchen all you want, if you feel like it you can cook… Um… I don't know you already know you can use my laptop, play video games… You can visit town a little if you want but be careful not to get lost. And make sure you lock the door."

He smiled, "I got it."

"See ya later."

"Yeah."

…

Naruto was in a good mood when he got to work. He said hi to some colleagues with a smile, and they seemed surprised. Of course, due to the circumstances, he could understand their shock. It was a little bit annoying, actually. But it would pass, and things would go back to normal.

First things first, he went to Jiraya's office. The owner was in a meeting but the new secretary told him he should be back shortly, so Naruto decided to wait. The new girl was pretty, but Naruto would expect nothing less of Jiraya. She was thin yet curvy, with long brown hair pulled up neatly in a ponytail, and big brown eyes circled with black.

"I'm Tenten," she introduced herself with a smile as she loomed over her desk to shake his hand.

"Naruto," he smiled back.

"What's that?" She asked glancing at the folder he was carrying.

He told her; the cover for a romance novel. When he showed her, and told her the name of the famous romance author, she squealed and he had to repress the urge to roll his eyes. Of course she was a fan; typical. She was cute though as she looked dreamily at his drawing.

"It's so beautiful…"

Or maybe he just found her cute right now because he was a sucker for flattery.

"Thanks," he scratched his hair lightly and some long bangs fell into his eyes. He flicked them aside and then he took the drawing back to put it safely in the folder.

"You're so talented," she batted her eyelashes before sitting back down in her chair, crossing her ankles under the desk. Her feet were clad in pretty high heel shoes.

"Well it's my job…"

"I can't wait to see the final product."

"I'll probably get a copy for free," he chuckled, "so I'll be sure to lend it to you. To be honest," he lowered his voice, "it's not really my favorite type of book."

She giggled, "I guess it's more for girls huh?"

"Definitely. So do you like it working for Jiraya?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "he's a good boss and the salary's not bad for this position. But…" her smile faded as she looked down at her outfit; short black skirt and white blouse with a few buttons left open, "he requests these particular clothes, which I find weird…"

Naruto clenched his fists; sometimes Jiraya went too far. But he said nothing. He knew Jiraya meant no harm. He hadn't tried anything with any of his secretaries – he just liked eye candy, that old pervert.

Said old man arrived in the room soon after. They were in the section right in front of his office.

"I see you two already met then! That's great!" He smiled widely, "Naruto, glad to see you back at work. You already have something for me huh? The author will be pleased, come in my office…" He placed his hand on Naruto's back briefly as he led him to his office.

They discussed work for a long time, Jiraya giving him so many assignments that even with his enthusiasm and good mood, Naruto wasn't sure he could all do before the deadlines. Still, he promised he would do his best. As promised, his godfather also wrote him a check to help him out financially. Again, Naruto repeated himself, promising he would pay him back as soon as possible.

After this long meeting with his boss, Naruto went to his small office and got to work. Some colleagues came to talk to him and they made light talk, but nothing more. The hours went by quickly enough. Naruto only took a fifteen minutes break later in the afternoon to grab a drink in the vending machines.

At some point his cell buzzed and he flipped it open. It was a text from Sasuke: I got lost lol.

Oh no… Naruto chuckled to himself. Poor guy. He decided to call him; maybe he could give him directions. It didn't work, it went straight to the answering machine. So he shrugged and decided he would try later. Maybe Sasuke had just walked in a subway station or something.

…

The time came for Naruto's therapy session. The sky was already dark outside, and he shivered as he made his way to his car. He started it and put on the heat but before driving away he tried to call Sasuke for the third time – still no answer. He was starting to worry.

But then he felt silly. Maybe Sasuke had just turned off his phone or something. He was an adult after all, even though nineteen was still young… But he was an adult nonetheless, Naruto tried desperately to reassure himself, he would be fine. Sasuke was used to being on his own after all.

So brushing the thoughts away, as much as possible anyway, Naruto drove toward the building where Kakashi's office was. Naruto was always his last appointment of the day on Mondays.

As always, when he got to his office, Kakashi was doing his favorite activity; reading a hentai manga. One of those harem stories, in which some guy was loved by ten different yet all extremely sexy girls and in the end, he decided to date all of them and great, everyone was happy! Naruto gave a little knock on the slightly opened door. The receptionist had just told him to let himself in.

"Oh, Naruto, come in…"

The office was small but comfortable. Naruto sat on the couch. Kakashi was sitting behind his nice oak desk, and behind him was a large bay window with a pretty great view of the city since they were on the seventh floor of a building here.

"So how are you? How was your vacation?"

"Honestly," Naruto leaned back comfortably in the desk right after taking off his leather jacket. He also loosened his tie, "not that great. It was disappointing at first… but then something… unexpected happened."

Kakashi leaned forward on his desk, tilting his head slightly and narrowing his brown eyes, "Unexpected?"

Naruto almost laughed. Kakashi was one of those therapists who almost always used the same strategy; repeating the patient's words to make them talk. But that was okay. At least, sometimes, Kakashi could be incredibly insightful, and say some very helpful things – sometimes.

All in all, he had a strange appearance, and some people might not take him seriously. But the male couldn't care less apparently. In his mid-thirties, Kakashi had a quite youthful appearance. He wasn't ugly. He had strange hair though, almost gravity defying and prematurely gray. But his sometimes handsome, sometimes plain mocking smile and laughing brown eyes made up for that.

"Yeah, unexpected. I met someone."

"Oh, really? How was she?"

"A guy, Kakashi," Naruto informed, "I met a guy. He's a musician. His name's Sasuke… he's nineteen but he's really mature for his age. He's… gorgeous. Like, you know I'm not gay," Naruto licked his lips as he thought of Sasuke, "but you know, I can tell when a guy is… that good looking. So I used him as a model for live drawing."

"Was it naked live drawing?"

"Why the hell are you asking me that?" He raised a fine blonde eyebrow.

"Sorry, sorry," Kakashi brushed it off, "so you're drawing again then?"

"Yeah, before meeting him, no matter what I tried to draw," he frowned, shifting slightly in the couch, "I was never satisfied…"

"You mentioned that in previous sessions," the gray-haired male nodded, "you said you could barely start and already you got frustrated and practically ripped the paper to shreds – your terms."

Kakashi was looking at his notes as he said this. Naruto chuckled.

"You actually wrote that stuff down huh?"

"And you just laughed."

"What?"

"You just laughed. That's an improvement, to say the least. I can tell you're no longer in a severe depressed state, that's for sure. Would you say it's thanks to this guy, and the fact that you're drawing again?"

"Definitely," Naruto nodded, "it helps. And I got rid of… the… y'know the baby stuff," he glanced away and scratched his hair. Maybe he was doing better but it was still difficult to talk about this. "I donated it to an organism. All that's left now is give the rest of… I mean there're still some folders… that I need to bring to… Mister Hyuga so yeah."

"You still have trouble saying her name," Kakashi pointed out.

"I guess…" he said in a low voice.

"But you're doing considerable progress," he made a little smile, "I'm glad."

"Yeah… I even went to work today and I did really nice jobs on some assignments if I do say so myself…"

"That's great. So what else would you like to talk about for today's session. I haven't really prepared anything."

"Kakashi, you never prepare anything."

"I guess you have a point. Should we talk about this… Sasuke person?"

"Yes," he took a deep breath. Here goes nothing… "I actually brought him… here with me. He wanted to come to Tokyo really badly so I'm helping him out. The guy's had it really rough, like you have no idea. He told me pretty much everything…"

"Really? But you haven't known each other very long."

"Exactly! I was surprised too… But you know what started it all?" He laughed lightly as he remembered their first night together, "I told him what you told me once. You know, that sometimes it's good to confide in a stranger, or someone you don't know that well, as long as they're willing to listen… That it can be an even better therapy than to talk to a friend."

"I said that?" Kakashi tilted his head and Naruto face palmed. "Never mind. Okay, so you guys talked to each other a lot then? Not just him, but you too?"

"Yeah I mean… I told him about… Hinata, so…"

Kakashi made a small smile and wrote something down. Naruto rolled his eyes as he leaned back in the couch and crossed his arms.

"Are you actually writing down, like, he can say her name now. Great progress, or some shit like that?"

"Let me do my job Naruto. So what else can you tell me about him? How did you befriend him so quickly?"

Naruto parted his lips but no sound came out. He just remembered something. Sasuke still hadn't called him back, huh? He took out his cell. Indeed, nothing.

"Can I just make a quick phone call?"

Kakashi shrugged, "You're paying for this session."

Jiraya was paying, actually. But Naruto didn't care. One quick phone call, that was all he needed… If only Sasuke could answer.

He didn't.

"Damn it…" Now he was really starting to worry.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing, forget it. Let's just continue…"

"You were gonna tell me more about Sasuke?"

"Yeah, um, well, I think we became friends quickly because… of our art. I know it sounds weird but… we really bonded over that. I could tell I had his respect when I drew him as he played violin… It was just so intense you know?" Naruto would have smiled while remembering those moments but he was too worried and his heart wasn't into it. He wished Sasuke would call him back or even just text him, to tell him he was okay.

"That's great. So he's in town now? You're gonna continue seeing him?"

"Actually he's living with me for a while."

Kakashi's brown eyes widened a bit at hearing this. He shifted in his chair, uncrossed and crossed his legs again.

"Wow that's…" he frowned, looked down at his sheet then at Naruto again, "that's a big step, and fast, I mean… I'm a bit worried about you. Are you sure you can trust him?"

"Yeah I'm pretty sure. He already got a job, he's starting tomorrow. He's gonna pay me back, not that he owes me a lot, just the plane ticket really." He didn't mention the clothes. He didn't want to go into too many details here.

But there was something else he wanted to discuss. And Kakashi's next question encouraged him, actually.

"How exactly do you feel about him?" The therapist rested his elbows on the desk, and placed his chin in his linked hands lightly.

Naruto glanced away, "I… I don't really know. I have this weird obsession to always draw him. Like, he's so beautiful, I don't know how to explain…"

"Have you been questioning your sexual preferences upon meeting him?" Kakashi narrowed his brown eyes a little.

Naruto kept averting his eyes, and a light blush colored his cheeks. Yes, he had… Maybe. He wasn't sure. At the same time, Sasuke's beauty was just… troubling him, right? That didn't mean he was into men all of a sudden.

"It would be nice if you shared your thoughts with me, but I can wait," Kakashi said, slightly amused, after a moment of silence.

"I… don't think so," he said hesitantly, "but there was this one time… last Thursday night actually…"

"What happened last Thursday night?"

"We went out dancing. And we danced together… I was just trying to help out," Naruto hurriedly explained, running his fingers through his hair and rolling up his sleeves at his elbows. He felt hot all of a sudden, just like whenever he remembered that particular moment. "Cause he was kinda drunk and helpless and so many guys were trying to grab him so I just decided to dance with him to help out… Am I making sense?"

"Yeah I understand… but did you enjoy it?"

"Y-Yeah…" he felt his cheeks heating up, "I kinda did."

"I see. You can tell me more details if you want don't be embarrassed."

"Nothing happened," Naruto quickly said, "we just danced that's it."

"And he's living with you? And you're okay with that?"

"Yeah actually it feels nice to have a roommate."

"I can imagine. You never lived alone before, after all."

"No and last month was… hard. Oh… we even got a cat yesterday," Naruto suddenly remembered, chuckling. He still wasn't used to the idea that he had a pet at home.

"Let me ask you something. With… Sasuke… are you touching each other a lot? I don't mean anything perverted by that. It could just be nudging, hugging, touching each other's arms, shoulders…"

"Yeah, I guess we are," he had to admit.

Kakashi seemed concerned. "Listen Naruto, I care about you, you know that. Not just as a patient, but also as Jiraiya's friend… I'm glad to see you smiling and laughing and I can tell you're doing better, but…" He sighed quietly, and locked eyes with deep blue, "I don't want you to… try to replace what you had. I want you to mourn properly, and then move on… If you just replace the things you lost… by finding new affection and comfort…"

"I'm not… replacing anything," Naruto frowned, suddenly feeling angry, "What are you talking about? H-Hinata can never be replaced. Or the family we were gonna have." He leaned forward without realizing, and spoke loudly, "And yeah I hugged him but what was I supposed to do? He was telling me about the shit that happened to him in his past… I mean the guy was raped… and, and, almost murdered, Kakashi! You have no idea… I was just trying to comfort him… Honestly I think he needs therapy more than I do…"

"I'm really sorry, Naruto," Kakashi said very quietly, "I didn't mean to upset you. And about your friend, well if he needs help I'd be more than willing to add him to the list of my patients, of course."

Naruto calmed himself considerably. "I'm sorry about yelling. Yeah I'll… I'll ask him. But he seems really strong. It's impressive, really. Honestly, it's an inspiration to stay strong myself."

"Don't sell yourself short there," the older male said with a soft smile, "you're very strong too, Naruto."

"Thanks, Kakashi, I appreciate, but I don't know…" He sighed and closed his eyes, "I think you were a little bit right… that's why I got angry. Well I'm not… replacing. But… it's nice to have someone around. It's less painful, the memories are less painful when he's around. The house isn't depressingly empty, you know? And also I feel like Sasuke needs me. So all those things… I think… I don't know," he sighed again, rubbing his temple.

"The only thing that worries me is that you're putting a lot of trust in this guy. But he's very young. I just don't want you to be devastated if he randomly decides to go back home, or if he goes partying and finds new roommates…"

Naruto frowned, thinking about the fact that Sasuke still hadn't called back, or even sent a text. What if he was gone? No, he wouldn't… Sasuke was thankful for the opportunity Naruto was giving him. He wouldn't just leave… It didn't make any sense. So what if something bad had happened to him today?

But maybe he had just lost his phone. Or maybe the battery was dead. Yes, there was probably a perfectly rational explanation. Naruto looked up.

"I think I'll be fine," Naruto said calmly, he was pretty much improvising here, "the progress I made these past few days, even if it was thanks to him, I still have it no matter what. So even if he leaves or whatever, which I doubt he will but yeah I'd be fine; I'd still have my motivation to draw, I think."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," Kakashi nodded slowly. "Just one question… so from what I understand, correct me if I'm wrong, Sasuke is gay?" Naruto nodded. "Does he have feelings for you?"

Naruto froze. Did Sasuke have feelings for him? He hadn't even… considered that. Did that make him selfish? Shit… what if Sasuke was falling for him? That wouldn't be good. Then Naruto would hurt him. But no… he was thinking too much into this. They had only known each other for a few days. And Sasuke didn't seem like the type to get involved in any relationships at all. Just last night he had revealed that he hadn't even had sex with anyone, well except for the unfortunate incidents of course.

"I think," Naruto eventually said, "he has a lot of private issues to deal with. I don't think he's ready to think about a boyfriend anyway. And even if he was, I made it clear enough that I'm straight so I don't think there would be a problem."

"I see."

"Can we… I know there's a lot of time left but can we stop here for today?" Naruto pleaded.

"Um, like I said before, you're the one paying for these sessions…"

"You've helped me a lot already," Naruto said sincerely, "I'll definitely think about all the things you told me. Maybe next week we can have an hour and a half session to make up for today. I just really need to go home right now."

"Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah I just…" he checked his phone, still nothing. "I gotta go. Thanks so much…"

The transactions were done automatically; Jiraiya transferred the money to his friend Kakashi and Naruto didn't have to worry about a thing. So he thanked Kakashi again and left in a hurry. He really wanted to go home and see if Sasuke was all right. Maybe he had just fallen asleep or something. Maybe his phone was downstairs and Sasuke was upstairs and he couldn't hear it. Naruto tried to reassure himself like that as he drove back home in the cold night.

But the door was locked, the lights off and Sasuke wasn't there. Naruto looked through the entire house. No Sasuke. The cat mewled indignantly because there was no food left in her bowl, so Naruto fed her. He tried to calm down but it just wasn't working anymore. He had no idea where Sasuke was…

Naruto fell in the sofa as he watched Keiko eat hungrily. He should be hungry too, actually, he hadn't eaten anything since morning. But he was tensed and anxious so he had no appetite. As he glanced out the window through the wooden blinds at the night, he thought, if it turned out Sasuke was just fine, then he would yell at him for fucking texting him that 'he was lost lol' and then nothing. It was freaking late now. Where the hell could he be? And if he was lost couldn't he just ask for directions?

Maybe something bad had happened. It was possible. The beautiful young male seemed like the kind of guy who attracted the wrong people sometimes, as in, dangerous and/or perverted dudes. Naruto's heart sank at the thought. He ran his tan fingers through messy long blonde locks as he dialed Sakura on his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sakura, how are you?"

"Oh hi Naruto! I'm good yourself?"

"I'm worried about Sasuke," he cut straight to the chase, "he went to visit the city today but he's still not back and he won't answer his cell. I'm worried something bad happened… Do you think I should start calling hospitals or something?"

"Um, no, Naruto, I don't think so. He probably just went in a bar? He'll probably come back at 3 am and then you'll regret taking a troublesome teen in your house," she teased on a light tone.

"I don't know Sakura, I don't think he'd do that. But maybe you're right, I guess…" he sighed. He was still worried…

"If something did happen, well the hospital won't have his folder ready yet. It's a bit complicated when it's a new patient. So they won't be able to tell you… Just wait tomorrow, maybe? If he's still not back then you can call. You gave him a spare key?"

"Yeah…"

"Ah, then it's all good! You can even lock the door and go to sleep, don't worry too much. I'm sure tomorrow morning he'll be there!"

"I guess… thanks Sakura." He didn't really feel reassured but he was grateful that she was trying.

"Oh by the way, I wanted to ask, do you know if he's seeing anyone right now?"

He chuckled, "No he's single, but…"

"Oh! Cause I thought he seemed like a really cool guy, definitely the mysterious type but I don't dislike that. He's really hot! I know he's kinda young, I mean he's nineteen right? And I'm twenty three… Do you know when he turns twenty?"

"Sakura… he's gay, so…"

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"That's such a shame! All the cutest ones are gay."

Naruto laughed lightly, "You're funny sometimes Sakura."

"Oh shut up. I'm really disappointed right now. Anyway, I need to study, exams tomorrow and all…"

"Must be hard dealing with an internship and school at the same time."

"Yeah well, what are you gonna do. I wanna be a doctor, so… but I do have the day off Saturday! You're gonna come to my birthday on Friday right?"

"Sure. You still want me to bring Sasuke even though he's not straight?" Naruto teased.

"Maybe if I make him drink a lot?" She asked hopefully.

"Please don't," he chuckled.

"Okay, fine, jeez, buzz kill. Anyway, don't worry too much; I'm sure he's fine."

"Yeah, I'll let you study. I'll see you on Friday."

"Great! Good night Naruto."

"Night," he said before hanging up.

He was hopeful for a moment but no, he had no missed calls or texts. Sighing, he looked at Keiko. The little black cat was intrigued by the television cables apparently.

"No, no, no," Naruto got up and picked up the kitten, "don't do that you. What a little monster."

She mewled and protested so he had to let her go, and then she scrambled away. Ungrateful little thing, really. Naruto chuckled; it seemed this cat just liked Sasuke. He made his way to the bookshelves and looked at the framed picture of Hinata and him, as he often did. He missed her so much. Sometimes he felt like she would enter the room any moment, and come give him a little massage to relax him, or kiss his cheek. She was always smiling, always laughing softly. They had been so happy… sure they'd had fights, but they were rare, and never lasted long. He had been so sure to spend the rest of his life with her.

But somehow, tonight, as he looked at the picture, it wasn't so painful anymore. He was a little bit… resigned, and sad, melancholic maybe. Maybe this feeling was the next step in the mourning process or whatever psychological term it was called. Naruto didn't know, and he didn't really care. Maybe he would ask Kakashi next Monday.

His heart clenched tightly in his chest as he looked at the door, and then the empty sofa bed. He was still worried about Sasuke, of course, despite Sakura's reassuring words. It wouldn't go away until he knew that he was safe. Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Naruto decided to try to keep busy. He wasn't in the mood for a movie or video games or anything like that, so instead he did something that he only rarely did of his own free will usually; he cleaned up the house.

This time the activity included cleaning the litter. It wasn't exactly the most fun thing in the world. Maybe he'd make Sasuke do it, since he liked the stupid little animal so much. Naruto continued cleaning and tidying and he even washed the dishes. He brought the box with the Hyuga company related folders in the hall, telling himself he would bring it to Hinata's father as soon as possible. He wondered if Neji – Hinata's cousin, but he had been more like a brother to her really, because he had been raised by her father as well – still lived there. Probably, unless he had moved out while he was gone just like Sakura. But that was very unlikely. Naruto missed him. They had been just like family, during those five years…

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Naruto almost jumped to his feet. He hadn't realized just how tensed he was. He hurried to open, and his eyes widened as he took in the sight. He shivered violently in the cold night air but he didn't care. There was a car he vaguely recognized in the street, in front of his house, and on the porch Suigetsu was standing with Sasuke, half-conscious, clinging to him. Suigetsu had his arm around his thin waist to hold him up. Sasuke had his jacket on but it was unzipped, Naruto also noticed it was dirty. His hair was all messy, his lips and cheeks slightly flushed and his eyes blurry as they opened slowly.

"This yours?" Suigetsu laughed, grabbing Sasuke's waist and throwing him in Naruto's arms.

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered weakly as he clung to him instead, more tightly so then he had to Suigetsu. Naruto, filled by his worry for him held him so tight that he was most likely almost suffocating him.

"What happened? Where did you find him?"

"In a gay bar!" Suigetsu laughed rubbing his arms for warmth. He was just wearing a black hoodie over a tight purple top and pale gray skinny jeans.

"Come in," Naruto said and he stepped aside in the hall, still holding Sasuke.

"Naruto I feel sick."

"Yeah be careful," Suigetsu warned before closing the door, "he keeps throwing up. I told him he shouldn't mix Smirnoff and rum shooters."

"God fucking damn it…" Naruto was pissed at Sasuke and worried at the same time now.

The blonde kept his arm around the slightly smaller male, and try to lead him to the bathroom on the first floor, but Sasuke stumbled and almost fell.

"Yeah he keeps falling too." Suigetsu pointed out.

Frustrated Naruto decided to just carry him over his shoulder.

"D-Don't I'm gonna fucking throw up…"

"Wait for the bathroom at least," Naruto hissed.

"I know… but…"

Naruto hurriedly put him down on the cold bathroom floor. Sasuke held the toilet seat – he was extremely pale. He looked up at Naruto pleadingly.

"Go away…"

"Fine."

Naruto rolled his eyes and went to the living room. He plopped down onto the wooden chair while Suigetsu took place in the black leather sofa. The two young men faced each other.

"Don't be too hard on him," Suigetsu said.

"Why? He got drunk like an idiot. He didn't even answer my phone calls. And here I was worrying that he'd gotten beaten up in an alley or something…"

"Oh that reminds me, I forgot his bag in my car…"

"His bag?"

"Yeah…" Suigetsu got up and ran to the door, fingering the car keys in his pocket.

Naruto waited for him to come back. If Sasuke was throwing up he was being strangely quiet because he couldn't hear anything. Keiko was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was on the second floor. The little thing seemed skillful enough to climb up and down the stairs already.

Suigetsu came back in, shivering as he closed the door and slipped off his shoes again. He had a plastic bag in his hand, from an electronic store it seemed. He put it on the coffee table.

"He bought this earlier today I guess…" Suigetsu said.

Intrigued, Naruto looked inside…

It was a phone charger.

He felt like laughing; right, it kind of made sense didn't it? Sasuke's phone was most likely dead. He hadn't brought any charger. Either it was burned with the rest of his stuff or still somewhere in the mess that was his old apartment… they would never know.

"I can't believe I was so worried," Naruto sighed.

"Look like I said," Suigetsu crossed his legs casually, "don't be so hard on him. When I bumped into him at the bar he wasn't drunk at all. He'd just bought something so they let him stay inside. I'm the one who encouraged him to keep drinking. Then we got a bunch of shooters on the house. The bartender was really into Sasuke. I only drank one cause I was driving, and Sasuke drank all the others cause the bartender was encouraging him and some older dudes were looking at him and cheering and ugh… They were all over him I swear… you should thank me for keeping an eye on him."

"Thank you," Naruto said sincerely, "but I don't understand why he was in a place like that…"

"He told me he got lost and explored as much of the city as he could… he ended up finding a gay bar and he wanted to check it out. Probably wanted to try to ask someone for directions too. But he was kinda helpless," Suigetsu laughed. "I mean, okay, his phone was dead and he didn't know your number by heart, and he didn't remember your address," Naruto face palmed and Suigetsu laughed some more, "So what was he supposed to tell people? When he saw me he was relieved and he asked me for help. I went out after work to have some fun though so I didn't want to leave just yet. I told him if he drank and hung out with me a bit then I would help him afterwards. So that's what happened tonight. It's my entire fault," Suigetsu pointed at his chest.

"I can't believe he didn't even remember my address. Hey how come they even let him in the bar? He's still under age."

"I asked the same thing; he's got a fake id," Suigetsu chuckled, "it's pretty well done too."

"Wow, just great…"

Suigetsu got up and stretched his arms, before slapping Naruto's shoulder, "So hey like I said don't be hard on him, it's my fault. I could tell he didn't want to stay and keep drinking I practically forced him. It was the condition for me to help him out. I'm just that evil."

Naruto got up too, "What happened though?" He wasn't mad anymore, just worried again, and for different reasons. Was there something going on between Suigetsu and Sasuke now?

"Nothing," Suigetsu shrugged, "what do you mean what happened?"

"I don't know I saw him drunk once and he can get…" Naruto swallowed, "Clingy."

"Yeah he was clinging to me a bit," Suigetsu laughed, "wasn't complaining. He's cute, I like him."

"Right…"

"But nothing happened. I'm not the kind of guy who takes advantage of people like that, don't worry."

Naruto let out a relieved breath. "Thanks for helping him out Suigetsu, really. Thank god you found him right?"

"Yeah… I guess he was lucky I felt like going out tonight. I'm gonna be so fucking tired in class tomorrow… Aw man I'm probably gonna sleep through it." He yawned.

Naruto made a little smile, "You gonna be okay to drive?"

"Yeah sure. Thanks for caring though."

He put on his sneakers and zipped up his hoodie. After smiling at Naruto one last time and waving his hand he was gone.

Suddenly worried Naruto went to the bathroom. He sighed; sure enough Sasuke was passed out on the floor. There was nothing in the toilet. Maybe Sasuke hadn't been throwing up after all; just sleeping on the floor. Because he did that, fucking adorable little drunk idiot that he was.

"Can't believe you're making me carry you again," Naruto muttered to himself as he scooped him up in his arms.

Sasuke's head rolled onto his shoulder. His hair smelled good. Naruto brushed the thought away as he made his way back to the living room. At least he wasn't too heavy. He dropped him on the sofa bed. Sasuke didn't wake up.

Naruto sat next to him and proceeded to take off the dirty black jacket. He had to turn him on his side to take off one sleeve, and then repeat the actions to take it off completely… He was surprised when Sasuke didn't wake up.

"Stupid passed out drunk," Naruto whispered.

After throwing the jacket on the floor he removed the arm warmers and threw them away too. Unaware of his actions, he let his tan fingers trail lightly across Sasuke's slender, pale arm. Curious, Naruto then lifted up the black tank top all the way to his chest. In the back of his mind, he was happy to see that the bruises were healing. This time he trailed his fingers across his side, looking up at Sasuke's face for any sign of reaction. There was none.

"Are you dead or something?" he chuckled. Sasuke was usually so ticklish. Apparently he was sleeping really soundly. But of course he wasn't dead; his breathing was actually a little loud and rasped.

This observation worried Naruto a little so he went to open the window just a bit, to give him some fresh air. He came back to his spot on the bed, close to Sasuke's waist. So next he proceeded to take off the black skinny jeans. He held his breath as he slid then down his legs, although he didn't really know why. He enjoyed the feeling of the smooth, creamy skin. How could this guy's skin be so fucking soft? It was insane.

Naruto removed his jeans, and also shoes and socks in the process, and then he placed his legs under the sheets, which he brought up to his chest. He couldn't resist caressing the slightly messy raven hair, although briefly, before finally turning off the light and exiting the room.

Aw no action... yet. Lol be patient. Soon I promise ;-)

Thanks for the reviews guys^^