Crown & Anchor
by Nilladriel

And things finally get interesting, heh. And it only took six chapters to get there! This chapter bloated up on me like a... bloaty... thing. :x It's, yes, another 6,000 word chapter.

Updates are going to start slowing down. I have exams coming up. Which is kind of frustrating, actually. I LIKE my current pace--it's pretty fast, considering. And I bet you guys do, too.

Chapter Six: Checkout

Sakura looked perfectly calm as she paid for their room, counting up bills with hands that didn't shake. She wasn't smiling. Naruto leaned against the back of a straight-backed, tufted couch. Their shopping bags were at his feet. He was trying not to watch Sakura.

Sakura said the men were still there. Looking out the window, Naruto couldn't see them, but he trusted Sakura. They'd chosen an out of the way motel. It was cheap. Various plants, most of them slowly starting to die, sat sullenly in the corners of the lobby. An old man was reading a newspaper by the double-doors. The TV hoisted in the corner was showing some football match no one was watching.

Naruto tugged off his gloves, stuffing them into his jacket pocket. Outside's chill still stubbornly clung to his clothes, and he rubbed at his pants like it might warm them up.

"Thank you," Sakura said, and stepped back. Her shoes clicked against the tile. Naruto looked up.

"This way," Sakura said, and Naruto sighed as they stepped outside again. Their room was on the bottom floor, not too far from the lobby. Sakura unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Naruto saw the beds first, complete with tacky brown covers. The curtains were yellow. Naruto wrinkled his nose as Sakura flipped the lights on, closing the door behind them. Shit, even he had more taste than this.

"You really are used to this," Naruto said.

"I'm not," Sakura said shortly. "I've never been trailed for so long."

Naruto grabbed her before she could go to the restroom, turning her around and setting his hands on her shoulders. She froze, shoulders tensing; her mouth was pulled thin. "Are you okay?" he asked seriously.

"It's just weird," she said, shaking her head. "I mean... well." She gave him a weak smile. "Are you okay? I mean, Neji as good as said that your Dad's a, well...."

Naruto shrugged. "Kind of shows how little I knew about him," he said.

"Oh, Naruto," Sakura said, and she stepped forward and hugged him. Naruto's breath hitched. Then he closed his eyes, drawing his arms around her and pulling her close. She was cold, but that didn't stop him from warming, the tension of the day dissipating like steam.

"Thanks, Sakura," he said, and she grinned as she let go.

"I'm taking a shower. No peeping!" She held up a hand fisted like a rock, as if Naruto needed a reminder of how strong her punches were. Then she disappeared.

"Right," Naruto said. He toed his shoes off and kicked them in the vague direction of his chosen bed. He lay down, putting an arm over his closed eyes. Sakura had gotten the shower started; the sound of it filled the room, almost like muffled rain.

Damn, but this had been a weird day, from beginning to end.

He flopped over like a fish. Neji. He needed to call Neji, except he'd left his phone at home. Of course. And Sakura guarded her phone like a bitch guarded her pups. No way was he touching it. And there was no phone in the room, which went to show just how cheap the place was. No helping it--he'd have to go to the lobby and ask to use the phone there. Damn. It was freezing outside, too.

With a sigh, Naruto dragged himself up, knocking loudly on the bathroom door. "I'm going out for a bit!" he yelled over the water. "You want anything from the vending machines?"

"Sprite! And chips!" Sakura yelled back. Naruto heard a tap screech murderously, and then: "I know it's just for a bit, but wear your scarf, okay!"

The screeching stopped. Naruto waited for a bit more. "Okay. Be back soon!"

He zipped his jacket securely shut and slung his scarf around his neck, arranging it half-heartedly in obeisance to Sakura.

"Is it just me, or is it colder?" he grumbled to himself, closing their door behind him. It was completely dark. The only light came from the lobby, where the old man was still reading the newspaper. What a creep. Maybe he was like Iruka, who read every single article. Something about keeping informed.

He crossed the road quickly, pushing through the glass doors and into the lobby. "Could I use the phone?"

The woman behind the counter looked grouchily at him, and then pushed the phone over with a single finger like it was an infectious disease. "Thanks," Naruto said cheerfully.

"Press one first," she said stonily, and dropped back into her seat, set on playing dead.

Naruto dialed quickly, and then waited impatiently for Neji to pick up. He looked out the window.

It was only seven. Why was it so dark? He could see the flat shapes of cars, the outlines of doors and walls beyond. Everything was gray. Naruto couldn't believe he'd been born during such a depressing month. He sighed theatrically, and then perked when he heard a welcome click.

"Good evening. Hyuuga Neji speaking."

"Damn, you're so formal," Naruto said.

"... Naruto? I didn't recognize the number," Neji murmured, after a pause.

"I'm calling from a motel. I wanted to, um, apologize about yesterday." Naruto shifted uncomfortably. He liked to think he was a nice person, but apologies didn't sit well with him. Kiba always said it was because he was stubborn as hell.

"Ah," Neji said. It was hard to judge his tone without a face to look at. "I should apologize, as well."

"It's okay. You didn't know." Naruto stepped to the side, stretching the cord as far as he could, and dropped his voice. "Uh, why were you doing a, you know, on him, anyway?"

"A background check on Uchiha?" Neji said. "I was curious."

What Naruto knew, but sort of wished he didn't, was that Neji had a PI on speed-dial. When Neji was curious, he found shit out. "Right," Naruto said, slowly. "Listen--forget him for now, okay? Could you... could you find out more about my Dad?"

"Of course," Neji said. Naruto thought he heard a smile.

"Okay. I can't talk now, obviously, but maybe sometime later this week?"

There was a long pause. And then Neji, in the familiar tone he used when he wasn't sure he wanted to know, said: "Why are you at a motel?"

"Ehehehe." Naruto grinned. "I'll talk to you later!"

"Naru--"

He hung up. "Thanks," he told the woman behind the counter, and she flapped a hand at him, not even opening her eyes. Naruto made a face at her, which was technically rude, but it wasn't like she saw.

Then it was back outside. The vending machines were by the stairs, and Naruto dug into his pockets for change. Sprite for Sakura, and chips. And for Naruto--

"Pretzels," Naruto muttered.

Goods in one hand, he turned around. The wind rustled. And something, a tingling feeling on the back of his neck, made him raise his head and look.

There was a car at the far end, close to his and Sakura's room. It wasn't empty. The two men inside made Naruto think of Sakura, and the bridge, and the camera.

The car hadn't been there before.

Naruto walked past it, carefully not looking, and knocked on the door to their room.

"What," Sakura said, pulling the door open. She was dressed in only a towel and a t-shirt. Naruto spent a few seconds leering, and then remembered himself. "Here's your stuff. By the way, what happens if the two guys in the car are still here tomorrow?"

Sakura opened her Sprite and took a long, generous drink. "Where's the car?" she said flatly.

"Uh.... Behind us, a few cars to the... left, I think?" Naruto guessed, scrounging up his face as he tried to remember.

Sakura was staring at him.

"What?" Naruto said.

"I hope you're just being an idiot," she said, "like usual. And that you're wrong."

"Hey!" he started, and she grinned and grabbed his wrist, pulling him inside. As soon as she shut the door, the grin dropped off her face like a dead fly.

"I don't get it. I've never seen anyone so persistent." She worried her lip. "And we can't spend another night here, you've got school and I have... stuff. To do."

"We could call Ne--"

"No." Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. Naruto stared.

"Why not? He usually helps us out with stuff like this."

"No, Naruto," Sakura said, in a way that made Naruto step back, hands raised in careful surrender. Sakura sighed. "It's complicated, okay?" She looked at the window, as if she wanted to open the blinds and see if the men were still there.

Naruto squinted. "Why would anyone want to follow you, anyway?"

"It's complicated," Sakura repeated. "And it's not something Neji can help with. It just comes with my job, okay? I'm sorry you got dragged into it. I didn't think they'd stick for so long."

"Um. It's okay," Naruto said, like he was guessing the answer to a question on a pop quiz. "Why don't we just sleep?"

Sakura gave him an incredulous look. "It's way too early for that," she said. "We should order dinner."

Naruto's eyes narrowed into slits, and he made a decision. "Argh, no, let's go out," Naruto said. "This place reeks."

When Sakura looked down, slamming the cap back onto her Sprite bottle like it had stolen a boyfriend, Naruto said, "Okay, how about I go out and get take-away, and you stay in here?"

"No," Sakura said.

"Why not?"

"It's not safe." She was shaking the bottle furiously. Naruto hoped it wouldn't explode.

"For you, yeah. I'm not the one being followed, right?" Naruto pointed out. "It'll only be for a bit. So it should be okay."

She bit her lip again. "Argh. Fine. Okay. But if anything happens, call me!"

"Sure," Naruto said, not telling her he'd forgotten his phone. "You want anything specific?"

"Thai? Chinese? Indian?" Sakura said. "Anything spicy." She smiled weakly, more relaxed now that the decision was made. Naruto grinned again and, for the nth time that night, turned to step outside again.

Well, Naruto thought. Guess I should get some food in my stomach first. Maybe it would choke some of the tingling anticipation bounding in his stomach.

It took him a single glance to memorize what the car looked like. Then he stepped onto the road, and past the tall, creaking sign. M TEL, it announced, and then nothing else.

There was a long stretch of road to walk before Naruto would reach a line of shops they'd passed by before. He cradled his head against the net of his fingers, looked up at the sky. Still dark, and tomorrow it would take a while for the morning to creep in. The few stars unafraid of city luminescence peeked down shyly, winking at him in dubious support.

He made himself think about his lesson-plans. He'd think up something extra-messy--plaster, maybe--and goad Konohamaru into cleaning it. Or do something inane for the hell of it, like blowing bubbles of paint onto the canvas. And then he'd make Konohamaru clean it. The brat had been getting off light lately.

He resisted the urge to look behind him, to check if the men were following. He wasn't clever, like Sakura, who'd used her camera to see behind, so he'd just have to keep walking. He had to trust his instincts.

Which sounded great in his head, like some line out of an action movie, with the hero decked out and silhouetted against the background. Too bad Naruto was just an art teacher.

But, before he'd been a teacher, he'd gone to a private boarding school. Which had been nice, except for the fights, and the fights, and the fights, which was what you got for having Gaara as a best friend, before... well, before he'd had to flee, packed up and left and made Naruto have to look for a new roommate in his junior year. And that was probably about the only thing Naruto would ever get pissed at Gaara for, because he'd ended up with Sai, who Naruto would always remember as that freak pervert obsessed with my dick.

Not in a good way, either.

That was how he'd gotten so close to Sakura, come to think of it. He'd escaped to her room to avoid Sai, never-mind that it was against the rules.

He turned into a side-street and saw gold: a Thai restaurant on the corner. The tables and chairs spilled out onto the streets, obstructing traffic with good food and customers despite the cold. Fans were suspended on metal struts, in case anyone wanted to be even colder, maybe.

The place was packed full inside, which probably explained why some particular idiots still chose to sit outside. Naruto chewed his bottom lip, sighed, and decided to be one of those particular idiots. "Guess I'll have a seat out there, huh?" he told the waitress up front, who smiled prettily, if blankly, at him.

Sakura was wrong. Everyone hits on you my ass, he thought, and resigned himself to a boring, lonely dinner without even a waitress to flirt with.

He got hot soup, with plenty of vegetables in case Sakura grilled him later. For her he got some kind of soup-and-noodles in a box, with oily black sauce, the kind of meal that tasted great but probably packed enough shit to make the weak of heart keel over. He scooted his chair over, looked around and raised his hand. He didn't see the two men. Maybe his instincts were wrong, which didn't explain the static-electricity feeling on the back of his neck or on his arms.

When the waitress came, he flashed her his best smile. "Could I have some hot tea?" he asked. She gave him a disinterested look, a bland nod, and walked off, once again proving Sakura wrong.

He twisted around to watch her go. Maybe she was just cold. He'd be, too, in a uniform like that--

There! They were still in the car. Naruto let himself leer at the waitress' ass as a self-congratulatory present to himself, and then attacked his meal with renewed energy.

The tea lit a fire in him, the hot flames of anticipation warming his toes and fingers. Naruto picked up the plastic bag with Sakura's dinner in it, paid his bill and, with one last leer at the waitress (she glared), walked out of the restaurant.

Behind any commercial area, there was always a back-area, where people lived or employees parked. This one wasn't any different. Keeping himself visible in an open area, he walked around the corner. Empty space greeted him. There were cars here, and a long line of bikes that someone had knocked over. Naruto squeezed himself between a large recycling bin and the wall and waited.

I WUZ HERE, said a red spray of graffiti three inches away. Naruto nodded at it in grim agreement.

As long as he pretended he was back at school, ready to jump whoever had insulted him this time, Naruto wasn't nervous. He shifted his weight, closed his right hand into a proper fist like Sakura had taught him: thumb outside, fingers secure against his palm, wrist straightened. He licked his lips.

It didn't take long. The first of the two men came, looking worried. Naruto counted slowly to himself, mouthing the numbers with his lips. He trembled. Ten--nine--eight--walk faster, damn you--five--four--three--just a bit more--two--and one--

He stood up and threw his weight forward. The punch landed solidly on the man's face. Something snapped.

"Please tell me you're the bastard that's been following us," Naruto said, "or I'll feel like a complete ass--"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. The man flung a leg out. It caught Naruto in the shin, and he tumbled forward, barely remembering to make his body roll with the force. Fuck, fuck, fuck, how had he done this as a high-schooler?

No--this was way different from high-school fights. Naruto scrambled up and watched the other man do the same, except the smooth way he moved made him think of--

Lee. Lee, who had a belt in every martial art under the sun, and Naruto had the time to think oh shit before a full-body blow knocked him solidly backwards. His ass hit jagged asphalt. Wind expelled from his lungs and left him empty and dizzy.

His right hand hit--something smooth, definitely not asphalt. Naruto didn't think. He curled his fingers around the plastic and flung Sakura's dinner in the man's face.

Something burst open. The man yelled. Flecks of soup hit gray asphalt. Naruto pushed himself up and off, letting his weight pull him forward, and then they both hit the ground.

The man was gasping. The food must've been hot, Naruto thought. He didn't bother to feel guilty about it, because the man was putting his hands against Naruto's shoulders in a move he recognized, one that Lee had used on him once--

No way in hell was he letting the man flip him. "Sorry," Naruto said, meaning it, and slammed his knee down.

The man crumpled. Naruto backed up, pressed his shoe onto the man's hand.

"Were you one of the guys following me or not?" Naruto demanded. He was panting. Heat simmered, on his skin and in his chest. Naruto didn't feel the cold anymore.

The man didn't answer, didn't even look up. His free hand was still clutching his crotch and he was shuddering. He probably hadn't heard. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened them and decided to take a page out of Gaara's book.

He pressed down with his foot. It must have hurt, but the man only twitched. "Were you?" Naruto snapped, voice rising.

Then his eyes narrowed. "Wait a--where's your partner?"

The man still wasn't answering.

Naruto didn't want to break the man's hand. He really, really didn't, and anyway serious violence had always been Gaara's thing, back when Naruto hadn't been around to stop him. He worried his lower lip, not really thinking, his thoughts tumbling into each other. High-school fights had never been like this, either. There'd always been a lot of yelling afterwards, and posturing, and promises of revenge.

He was years out of high-school, though. So Naruto put more weight on his foot and said, quiet and almost begging, "Please don't make me do something I don't want to do."

He thought, Please, please, please--

The man gave one last shudder. He tilted his head, looking up with one wild eye. "It was just a one-day job. I don't know who hired me, it came through the mail like everything else--shit, just let me go, I didn't ask for this!"

He had thin lips, a narrow stare. His hair was long for a guy's and fell into his eyes. He looked like any other person Naruto might have met on the street.

Naruto shifted his weight. "Where's your partner?"

The man grit his teeth, but didn't otherwise react. "Saw him running off--he was just a kid, a rookie--let me go--"

Naruto stepped back. Before the man could even move to rise, he snapped his foot forward in a controlled kick. Then he turned and walked off, long strides to cover as much distance as possible, through the little street between a restaurant and a bookhop. He wondered what his students would think if they saw him now. If Iruka saw him now, or Hinata, or even his older friends.

In the alley, he stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. He felt sick. He could feel his fingers trembling in his gloves.

He'd gotten his new scarf dirty. Naruto fingered the ends, looking at them unhappily.

He needed to buy a Sakura a new meal. For some reason, he wanted to delay seeing her as much as possible. Any excuse would do.

Naruto closed his eyes. Well, at least he'd confirmed his suspicions:

The men had been following him, not Sakura.

Naruto knocked. Sakura opened the door and gave him a relieved smile. "There you are! I was beginning to worry, you idiot."

For some weird reason, the word idiot made Naruto think, snatchingly, of Uchiha. Then he shook his head. "Sorry. I kind of, er, fell, and then I had to go back to buy your food again, and--"

"Just get inside," Sakura said. Naruto grinned, and stepped back inside the room.

"I asked for actual food, not pizza," Sakura told him. Naruto looked down at the boxes in his arms.

"Oh, right. No, your food's here." He raised his right hand, and tried not to think about the way his knuckles ached from his punch. He hoped they weren't bruised--if Sakura saw, she'd start asking questions, and Naruto felt vaguely nauseous at the thought, and guilty.

He had half a mind to blame Gaara, for making violence even seem like a good solution, except--

"You know, the car's gone."

"Huh?" Sakura said, in the middle of unfolding the box. The flaps were always tricky. "Really?"

"Yeah, take a look. I noticed just now," Naruto said easily. He put his pizza down onto the bed and watched as Sakura opened the blinds, gasped, and then drew them up completely. She looked left, right, and Naruto wondered at the practiced look of it, the way she examined everything in sight carefully and slowly.

"You're right," Sakura said. "I can't see them anywhere. Hold on, I'm going to go outside and double-check--"

She grabbed her jacket, fitting it over her shirt. Naruto said, "Okay," and opened the bathroom door.

He clicked it shut behind him, pressing the palms of his hand flat against the door. The back of his head hit the door, and Naruto took a deep breath. He swore he could feel his heart thudding inside his chest, drumming out a beat like the back-track of the rap songs his students liked to listen to.

Slowly, he slid down. His ass hurt when he hit the floor, maybe because of--because of earlier.

Naruto curled his arms around his knees. He hadn't taken off his jacket, and his limbs felt awkward and bulky. He rested his forehead on an arm and curled himself in tighter. He was shaking, not crying but muffling frantic breaths in the smooth folds of his jacket. His gloved hands shook, so he clenched them until they stopped. His eyes squeezed shut.

And--quietly, because Sakura might hear, she might come in and hear--Naruto let himself break down.

Naruto wasn't surprised when he found himself unable to sleep.

He felt filthy, for one. Sakura had clothes she'd bought on her earlier spree, but all Naruto had were his own. He'd cleaned himself up as best as he could. The bathroom mirror had showed slight scratches on his back and hinted at a bruise on his chest, so he'd been forced to wear his shirt to bed. He didn't, normally.

He rolled around like a restless three-year-old. His hand ached. He wanted to be home, or at least somewhere familiar--Kiba's house, or Neji's. Even Sakura's, the few times she let him in.

Anywhere but here.

The pizza he'd downed sat thick in his stomach. Naruto frowned and made faces at himself in the dark. He curled his fingers, shook them out surreptitiously. They still complained.

At three in the morning, Naruto said, "Screw this, I can't sleep, I'm gonna go watch a movie."

Sakura rolled over, staring at him sleepily. "Oh, good," she said, not really sounding awake at all. Her hand hit the wall, and she mumbled something else, curling up.

Naruto muffled his laughter. He crawled out of his bed and found a pad of paper in the drawer. No pencil, though, so--with a glance to make sure she didn't see--Naruto found Sakura's eyeliner pencil in the mess of her purse and used it to scribble his message:

Gone out to kill time. Couldn't sleep, might stumble back drunk.

He drew a smiley-face, signed his name, and stuck the note on top of Sakura's contact lens case. Then he bundled himself up and slipped out.

He had to walk all the way back to the earlier restaurant before he could finally flag down a taxi. At this time of night they tended to cloister around the bars. He had to wave his arm like a madman, and the driver who finally stopped in front of him probably thought he was just a typical drunk.

Which Naruto might be, on any other weekend, but--no. He was sober tonight. Which sucked.

He said, "Thanks, man," slowly and clearly. Neji's address sat on the tip of his tongue, the go-to destination whenever he fucked up bad, except what Naruto actually said was, "The Millennium," and then he bit his tongue.

The bewildered expression the taxi driver gave him probably matched Naruto's own, like they were both asking why a guy like Naruto would want to go to the Millennium.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes and decided it didn't matter.

It was a long drive; he and Sakura had walked pretty far out. But, unlike the first time Naruto went to the hotel, there was no traffic. He watched the outside view blur past in a quiet, exhausted slump.

"Hey, we're here," the driver said, and Naruto started, opening his eyes.

"Uh," he said, and rubbed at his eyes, shaking his shoulders like it might make him more awake. "Thanks, here--"

He remembered to take off his gloves before he took out his wallet. Then he stepped out, closed the door behind him, and the urge to turn around, jump back in, and just go back slammed into him. Naruto grit his teeth and made himself stand still. He had no idea why the hell he was here, but damned if he was going to run away.

"I don't run away," he muttered under his breath, and stalked up the stairs and through the glass entrance. Dead silence met him, telling him that obviously no one sane was up at this hour. He stalked to the elevators.

A door opened immediately when he pressed up, and Naruto pressed his lips together, catching his tongue between. Walking into the lift was like walking against the wind.

The elevator doors closed.

Naruto tugged his scarf free, letting it dangle down. He hadn't cleaned it yet, or wiped it off properly. He unzipped his jacket, took off his gloves, and then realized he was fidgeting. The elevator dinged at him like it agreed.

"Shut up. I'm an idiot," he muttered, and stepped out of the elevator. "And I'm probably waking the bastard up."

He was right. When Uchiha finally opened the door after an eternity of knocking, his hair was completely messy--messier than Naruto's was in the morning, even. His features had that dragged-down look of the newly awake, and he was down to a shirt and boxers.

Also, he was gaping.

"What are you doing here, you moron?" Uchiha asked.

Naruto let the insult slide. He shoved his hands into his pockets, tried on a smile, and said, "Hey, would you mind if I call you Sasuke?"

Uchiha had beer, thank fuck.

No, wait, Naruto thought. Sasuke had beer. He tried the name out in the privacy of his head, decided he liked it, and let it stay.

"Guess I couldn't wait 'till next week to see you," Naruto said.

They were in the bedroom--the TV's bigger in there, shit, Naruto had said, except neither of them had moved to turn it on. It sat in its seat, framed by open doors, looking sullenly at them like, well, an abandoned TV. Naruto made faces at his reflection, grinned at the way his face distorted

Uchiha--

(no, it was Sasuke now)

--didn't look enthusiastic to see him, maybe because he was an ungrateful bastard. Naruto finished his can and put it down, empty, on the bedside table. The bed was so big he had to reach and stretch his arm, and he winced as his body reminded him of the earlier fight.

"Something's wrong."

Sasuke's voice was like an arrow in the silence, and Naruto flinched, and then grinned.

"Well, yeah."

He didn't reach for another can of beer. Instead, Naruto scooted next to Sasuke, stole his can, and said, "Hey, if a guy punched you, threw hot soup at you, kicked you, and, oh yeah, stepped on your hand, would you call that guy a bastard?"

Sasuke said, "Give that back."

Naruto tilted his head back and chugged it down. He remembered how long it always took him to get drunk. Suddenly it wasn't something to be proud of.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned to look solemnly at Uchiha--at Sasuke. "No, seriously. Would you?"

Sasuke said, "Yes," and Naruto let expelled a long breath.

"Yeah, I would too," he said, and looked up at the ceiling. "Damn, I'm tired."

"So go to sleep."

"I don't feel like it. Hey, are you really in love with me?"

Sasuke's lips curled. He had a look on his face that suggested he was suffering through a headache. Which, really, wasn't that uncommon a look when people dealt with Naruto. "I told you," he said icily, "I fell in love with you the moment we first met." Like it was--not a burden, but a not-so-fortunate turn in his life.

Naruto looked at him. It was possibly the coldest declaration of love anyone had ever given him. It completely failed to move him at all. In fact, Sasuke's expression--like Naruto had just insulted him, or some such shit--made him want to laugh, and laugh, and never stop.

So he did, muffling the sounds against the other man's shoulder.

Sasuke punched him, but lightly, and said, "What."

"You're funny," Naruto said.

"Are you drunk?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"Do I look like some dog-breath lightweight to you?" Naruto asked, offended. He shook his head. "Nah, I'm just...."

Really disgusted with myself, he thought, and sighed. He shifted, pressed his nose against Sasuke's neck, and smiled when he felt the other man stiffen.

He said, "Naruto--"

"Shut up. We're dating now, right? I'm allowed to do this." Naruto tilted his head, running his tongue along Sasuke's jaw. He felt muscles shift as Sasuke swallowed, and felt proud, so he did it again, tracing the line from ear to chin to collar-bone.

Except Sasuke was gripping his shoulders hard, digging his fingers in, and pulling him away. "Stop," he said. "I'm not letting you use me like this."

Naruto stared hard at him and said, "When did we meet?"

Sasuke's jaw dropped open slightly. "I don't know," he said. "A long time ago. When we were seven."

"How the hell could a seven-year-old fall in love with another seven-year-old?" Naruto asked, disgusted. He tried to move back, only Sasuke was still holding him. Shit, but the guy had a grip like iron.

Sasuke said, "I don't know."

"Exactly," Naruto said. "There's got to be some better bastard out there for you to freak out and confess love to and stalk."

There was a moment, unfolding slowly and stretching. And then Sasuke connected the dots and said, "If I knew the reasons why a guy might punch me, kick me, or step on my hand, I might not call him a bastard."

Naruto blinked at him, and then smiled. "Wow. Oh, okay." He reached up, put his hands around Sasuke's wrists, and said, "He was following me. Trailed after me the whole day."

The reaction wasn't instantaneous, but it was still pretty funny to watch the way Sasuke's face change, the way he said, "What," and then: "--since when--"

"Um. The guy said it was a one-day job. Sakura spotted them when we went out. There were only two of them, but I only jumped one." Naruto looked down and confessed, "The worst thing is, I liked beating him up."

When he glanced up, Sasuke was looking at him with a strange expression--almost scared. And then he said, suddenly, "That doesn't matter."

"I think it does, bastard," Naruto snorted.

So Sasuke pressed him down into the mattress and kissed him. Naruto's back twinged. The rest of him didn't care. He felt giddy, like a teenager in a dorm room, an ear out for a returning roommate.

"Hold on," he breathed, and shifted them both onto their sides. Then he put his lips against Sasuke's neck, mouthing the hollow there with lips slick with saliva. Sasuke shuddered. An arm wove around him, clutching at the back of his shirt. Naruto read it as encouragement. He opened is mouth wider, followed the line of Sasuke's collarbone, the slope up his neck. Their lips met again. The kiss was short, almost chaste, and then Naruto moved back down.

He reached behind absently to catch Sasuke's wandering hands, not wanting to be reminded of his injuries. Not wanting them to be known, either. Sasuke murmured something, a question, maybe. Naruto pressed a gentle kiss against the line that divided skin and cloth, maybe in answer.

He closed his eyes, pressed his cheek against Sasuke's chest. Said, "I'm sorry for waking you. I think."

Sasuke snorted. Then he shifted up, the movement sudden. Naruto opened an eye. "Huh?"

"You stink," Sasuke said. "Take a shower. I'll lend you some clothes."

"... Oh. Huh. Okay. Um. I'll be quick." Naruto shook his head slightly, feeling dazed. The guilt was gone, he realized--or at least, if not entirely gone, it had died down, like just-boiled water starting to still. He slid off the bed.

The shower was as quick as he promised. The water made his back sting slightly, but he ignored it.

Sasuke opened the door just as Naruto finished wrapping the towel around his waist. He was holding a gray shirt in his hands, and a pair of shorts. Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Thanks!" he said, and reached out. Sasuke didn't move.

"Um." Naruto waved his hand, as if willing the shirt to magically float to him. It didn't. "Uchi--Sasuke? What's up?"

At his name, Sasuke's gaze snapped up. Naruto felt like rearing back at that dark gaze. He opened his mouth, but his words caught in his throat, stuck.

"I didn't realize you were hurt."

"What are you--" And then Naruto looked down, saw what Sasuke was looking at.

"Oh. It's okay. I bruise easily. It was kind of my fault, anyway." He rubbed his hair absently. He'd kept it out of the shower, but the ends were damp, anyway, releasing stray drops down his neck and chilling his skin in sure, curling lines. "I might have... well, they were pissing me off, so I kind of ambushed 'em. One of 'em. The other guy ran off. It made 'em stop, anyway." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Oi, are you smiling--?"

"You're an idiot," Sasuke said, and threw his clothes at Naruto. They hit him in the face. "Hurry up and change."

"You're grumpy," Naruto mumbled, but did as asked. Sasuke's clothes were too big for him. He tugged the shirt down and scowled.

"Come here," Sasuke said, and Naruto said, "No," but followed anyway.

Sasuke pulled the bedsheets back down. "Get in," he said, simply.

Naruto stopped. He laughed, nervously. "You know," he said, slowly, "you have a perfectly serviceable co--"

"Just get in."

Naruto did. It was the tone of voice, maybe. Anyway, the bed was soft, and the covers were as well. "Were you always this bossy?" he muttered.

"Yes," Sasuke said. He tugged the covers up around them, pulling Naruto down with a sure grip on his arm.

Naruto blinked. "Uh, Sasuke...?"

"Go to sleep," Sasuke mumbled. "It's nearly four. I have a meeting tomorrow."

"Oh. Sorry about th--"

"Go to sleep."

Naruto bit his tongue to stifle laughter. He shifted closer, nudging Sasuke's shoulder with his own. He closed his eyes. He'd have to call Sakura later, tell her not to worry, he was safe. And he'd maybe talk with Neji, because maybe Sakura could deal with people following her but Naruto sure as hell couldn't. And then he'd...

he would...

Naruto fell asleep.