A week afterwards, the snowfall was heavier, similar to guilt which grows as time bleeds on. Naruto hadn't been to the Uchiha house, each brother being unhappy at that fact. Sasuke's feelings, though, were tinted with relief that he wouldn't have to put up with their sickening love.

But he was still tortured in the inescapability of reality. He would have nightmares of the two, doing intimate things right in front of him, Naruto barely in reach but so far. He had another dream where Naruto was pinning him down on the ground and whispered all the things he and Itachi had done, going into gruesome and drippy details. He told Sasuke how much he loved Itachi and that he made him felt so incredibly good. He told him he will never compare to his brother. With very thing he said a cut would appear on Sasuke's skin. Before he woke up, no inch of skin had not been cut.

The Hokage assigned few missions to the Jounin, the class of ninja both Naruto and Sasuke belonged to. The snow, sprinkled all through the world, had buried international evil and conflicts. She only had a few missions here and there, one's for more charming ninjas, like Itachi.

"Hey," Itachi leaned against his little brother's door. Sasuke didn't look up. "Hey!" With a little upward glance he acknowledged Itachi then dropped his eyes back down.

"What?"

"I'm going away on a mission for a while."

"That's great," the uncaring coldness in his voice was apparent.

"Will you be able to take care of yourself?"

"I'm not a child."

You act like it, you little bastard, Itachi thought. "Alright" was what he said instead and that was that.

Itachi invited Naruto over for dinner before he left. Sasuke opened the door to Naruto's knocking.

"What are you doing here?"

Naruto looked slightly bemused. "What do you mea-?" Naruto's eyes light up when his eyes shifted to over to his shoulder.

"Hey" Itachi's smooth voice floated in the air. Sasuke breathed an angry sigh.

"What is he doing here?" he demanded the answer from his brother.

"We're eating together. It's a farewell kind of thing for me."

"You didn't tell me he was coming over!" Sasuke hissed. He wasn't exacting dressed for a dinner, instead it looked as if he had just awoken from sleep by the way that he was wearing his pajamas.

"Come in, Naruto. I got dinner ready." Ignoring Sasuke, Itachi took Naruto to the dining room while Sasuke left to his room to change.

The dinner was beautifully crafted and smelled mouthwatering; Sasuke's resentment for his brother grew.

"So, what kind of mission is it, Itachi?" Naruto asked politely.

"I have to represent the Hokage at this series of international conferences. It's nothing."

"That's it? That's not much of a mission."

"It's very important. I have to be as charming as possible for everyone there." He smiled at his boyfriend. "Do you want to stay the night? This is the last time you'll be seeing me for a while."

Sasuke's fingers gripped his chopsticks tightly, his heart jumped and he desperately hoping Naruto would say no, praying for a no…

"I'll stay over."

His stomach turned cold and threatened to reject the food he was currently eating. Hurriedly, he excused himself to his room. Naruto looked after him, both confused and worried.

"Don't worry about him." Itachi noticed his worry.

"He just ran out of here! That's something to worry about."

"Let's worry about us." Naruto didn't understand. "Will you be sleeping in the same bed as me?"

"Oh…uh I guess."

Itachi smiled. "Good. Next, do you want stay in those clothes or not?" he winked. Naruto blushed while Itachi chuckled.

Kissing his shoulder, his deep dark eyes looked up at blue, smiled the smile, and let a little chuckle escape. T was the chuckle you couldn't help but produce in an intimate moment and when eyes are locked. It wasn't quite funny. Maybe it was to relieve the seriousness of it, or perhaps it was because it was a bit awkward, Itachi couldn't decide. He let his mind disappear more as there was more moment against flesh.

"Wait."

Itachi glanced up at Naruto again a bit bothered. He was in the action of sliding off Naruto's underwear.

"Yes?"

Naruto said, "I wanna wait for that, any of that kind of stuff, until you came back. It'll be a coming home present."

Itachi, after getting past the slight disappointment, warmed up to the idea and agreed to it.

He gathered the blonde into his arms and held him for a long time. Deep down, he was a little worried something might happen to him and this would be the last time he would see him. But he pushed the feeling away.

Itachi left the next day.

There was nothing to do, even with Itachi there. Sasuke didn't want to train, he didn't feel like going out, or eating really. Nothing. He couldn't help think of Naruto. All the time he fantasized sweet things, things he had only thought possible in his dreams. He wouldn't dare allow himself to think about his brother or that thought would lead to the inevitable, them. The feeling that those thoughts tortured him still throughout his days alone, even if he wouldn't allow himself to think about them.

Some days later, there was knocking at the door, which he suspected to be of his brother coming home. But the knocking went on. With a great groan, Sasuke went and opened the door.

"Hey." Naruto, with red cheeks and a visible breath puffing out from between his lips, smiled at him. "Can I come in?"

"What are you doing here?"

"….Do you not want me here ever, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't really know the answer to that. He liked seeing him but then again, it brought back a lot of bad feelings. SO he shrugged.

"I'm coming in anyways and hanging out."

"Why not talk to other people, like Lee or Gaara?"

"They're both busy."

"So, I'm a last resort?" Sasuke did not like that at all.

"Shut up. You know you aren't."

"I don't know that actually. Please leave. Itachi is still not home so you can't fuck around with him."

Naruto looked offended at this. "Why can't I just fucking hang out with my best friend?"

Sasuke shook his head. He opened his mouth to tell him he was a naïve bastard but Naruto did something. He looked at him, with his mouth filled with spiteful hateful words. That's all the blonde had to do to stop him.

"Sit," naruto commanded, "Lets train together like we used to. Try to get into that Sage Mode that Jiraya was talking about." Sasuke hesitated then sat down.

It felt like old times, like there was a chance. The volcano of anger and sadness Sasuke felt was fading away and he smiled for the first time in a long time. But once Naruto had left, it came back. He tossed and turned, and even cried for some time, from all the desperation and hopelessness he felt gnawing holes into him. The sadness grew arms so it could fill its host even more.

Something had to be done.