Sasuke made sure to swing by the 7-Eleven across from his apartment building on his way home, picking up a cup of coffee to go with the Kung Pao Chicken he had bought at the shitty 24/7 Chinese restaurant on the corner. He hadn't picked up groceries in a while, he had neither food nor coffee at home, so take-out was essential. The food to make sure he didn't pass out, and the coffee to keep him awake, because he didn't want to sleep, wasn't ready for the dreams he knew would come with that.
He nearly walked into a nurse who appeared to be on her way home from a night shift in the door of 7-Eleven, and she gave him a tired smile he wasn't able to reciprocate. Luckily the pimply faced teenager stuck on the graveyard shift tending the register was in a sourly enough mood to not even greet him, and that fit Sasuke just fine, he couldn't even muster up the energy to pretend that he didn't hate people any more.
Back home in his apartment he sank down on the couch, turned on the TV for background noise to drown out his thoughts and dug in. Coffee and Kung Pao Chicken was actually a pretty nasty mix, but he drank all the coffee and forced himself to eat half the stir to make sure the caffeine sludge didn't burn a hole through his stomach lining.
He didn't bother tidying up after his meal, just pushed the half-empty take-out box and the empty coffee cup to the other side of the coffee table and laid down on the couch, head on the armrest, the TV still droning in the background, some news report about a ghoul infestation grown out of control in a small town in North-Dakota, the entire town under lock-down as the military was sent in to take care of it. The military might not be as specially trained as the DPA agents, but when it came to beheading a swarm of ghouls they did the job as good, like pest exterminators, only with bigger guns.
Sasuke turned down the sound and rubbed his eyes. It had been a long night, Kakashi and him walking the streets, looking for this cat shifter who had promised to keep his ears open but had yet to call Sasuke back.
They hadn't found him, and the entire night was a complete bust. Kakashi hadn't said anything, just trudged after him, letting Sasuke guide them through the city. Sasuke wasn't stupid, he knew the chance of finding any helpful information was slim at best, but he had to do this to keep sane, had to do something. If he was to sit around the apartment doing nothing he would end up having to self-medicate himself with liquor to keep from going insane, and he didn't think that was a particularly healthy coping mechanism either.
Sasuke shifted on the couch, turned to his side and looked back at the TV. No more ghouls this time. The anchorman was talking about something concerning the election for governor. Sasuke didn't care much about politics, but then the picture of the councilman Sasuke had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting at a fundraiser some months ago popped up on the screen. He was like any of them, thinking more about his own greed than the good of the people, Sasuke would bet on it.
The text at the bottom of the screen said what he couldn't hear the anchorman say with the sound down low. There had been a happening at a political meeting the previous day, someone with a grudge attacking the councilman, only the quick reaction of his bodyguards keeping the councilman safe.
Sasuke scoffed, about to reach for the remote and turn the TV off completely when the screen switched from the anchorman to a shaky cellphone video.
Sasuke froze, arm mid-air as he processed just exactly what he was seeing on the screen.
The video wasn't great, a little grainy and shot in portrait mode, but Sasuke knew that face so well he could have recognised it anywhere.
He all but fell out of the couch as he leaned closer to the screen, his eyes glued on the one bodyguard that jumped between the councilman and the wolf that was leaping at him, grabbing the shifter around the neck and throwing it bodily to the side as if it was nothing more than an agitated poodle.
They only showed a ten second clip, but they looped it twice, and the second time around Sasuke realised that there was absolutely no doubt.
The bodyguard protecting the councilman was Naruto.
His Naruto.
Alive.
In this very city, only a couple miles away.
Eighteen hours earlier
Naruto walked behind Danzo alongside the other man hired as a bodyguard, feeling incredibly uncomfortable walking through the hallways of the conference centre on their way from the meeting room. There were too many people, and he kept glancing around, wary of anything happening.
He didn't want to be here, the warning about not trusting Danzo still churning in his mind, but he also knew that telling Danzo no would have roused suspicion, and Naruto needed to learn more before he acted. Sure, he could probably have fled, but that would mean he was left without suppressants, and he'd be back where he started. He had no idea if he should trust Danzo or the other man who hadn't even introduced himself, bur for now he decided to play along, hoping he'd find out more about Danzo when he went along with him this week.
Naruto had been more than surprised when Danzo had asked him to join his security entail for a few days, claiming one of his usual bodyguards was out with a broken leg, but he had said yes, knowing this was as good an opportunity as any to figure out just who Danzo was and what his intentions were.
If he had asked more before saying yes he would have realised their little trip also meant going back to the city he had fled from some weeks ago, but he hadn't realised until he saw the signs on the interstate and dread settled in him.
It wasn't New York City, but it was still a big city, the chances of meeting someone he knew was slim to none, particularly since no one he knew had any inclination towards attending political meetings, so it shouldn't be a problem. Tag along after Danzo for a couple of days, then they'd move to the next city. Hopefully nothing happened, he wasn't ready to really test the suppressants yet. Danzo obviously believe they would work, otherwise he wouldn't have brought him along to a city full of people that would be easy targets if the beast were to break free. There would be no explaining that.
It wasn't just the fact that he might hurt people, it was also the fact that if the suppressants failed it was the one last hope he had. He might still have no idea just what he was, but at least the suppressants seemed to take away the part that made him different. He could deal with not knowing if he knew he wouldn't hurt anyone.
Danzo was talking to a political advisor as they walked down the hall, and Naruto had long since tuned out, having zero interest in budgets and campaign work and what else they might be talking about.
It happened so fast he was acting on little other than instinct. They were walking into the main hall, and one moment there were just a group of well-dressed business men and a man in what looked like a janitor's coverall walking towards them, the next the man Naruto had assumed was a janitor was ripping his coverall at the seam as his body morphed from man to wolf.
The wolf pushed off with strong hind legs, leaping towards Danzo, fangs bared, ready to strike. Naruto acted before he even had time to think about what was happening, shoving Danzo behind himself as he planted his feet on the ground. He dodged the snapping jaw and stopped the wolf mid-air, grabbing it and throwing it to the ground before he pinned it there. It trashed and snapped its jaw, but moments later more security was coming in a rush of raised voices and thundering shoes, and at least one of them were armed with a tranquillizer gun, so moments later the wolf stilled, body morphing back into that of a man. He was breathing, but was out cold.
Naruto quickly got off the man, and when no one moved to do anything he wrenched off the suit jacket Danzo had given him when he started work earlier and laid it over the man where his clothes had ripped, leaving him more naked than not. Shifters tended to not be self-conscious when it came to nudity amongst themselves, but that didn't mean the press needed to film him like this either. Naruto had no idea why the wolf had attacked Danzo, but either way he deserved some dignity.
Naruto wanted to stay until the police showed up, but Danzo dragged him along, insisting that they leave now, and Naruto begrudgingly followed him, silently wondering what had driven the wolf to attack Danzo. He'd had to be desperate, why else attack him in a public place where there would be no way for him to get away?
Naruto watched the back of Danzo's head as they walked, wondering just what secrets the councilman had.
Don't trust Danzo. Don't trust Danzo. Don't trust Danzo.
The words spun in Naruto's mind, and even with people milling around him Naruto felt more alone than ever.
The news report moved on, and for a moment Sasuke stared at it blankly, not quite processing what he had just seen. He wasn't aware that he threw away the remote until it slammed into the wall, the back cover coming off and strewing triple A batteries around the apartment. He didn't care.
Naruto was in the city. He was here and he was alive, and he was working for Councilman Shimura, and it made no sense to Sasuke at all. Naruto had left to figure out what he was, hadn't he? Why would a councilman hold those answers? How had he even gotten in contact with him? As far as Sasuke knew Naruto had only met the councilman at the fundraiser, and back then he hadn't even known who he was.
Sasuke thought back, wondering if there was something he had missed, but they had barely talked to the councilman. He had asked for Kakashi, and Sasuke had thought he was mostly there to gather more votes in the upcoming elections.
He had reacted to the way the councilman had looked at Naruto, however, but at the time he thought it was just another person not liking the thought of supernatural beings working at the DPA and thought little of it. Now he was wondering if there was something he had missed in the interaction.
Had Naruto talked to the councilman without Sasuke knowing?
Sasuke wasn't sure if he should be relieved to see Naruto still alive and well, or beyond pissed off. Naruto was walking around in public, clearly not worried about the beast. If he had somehow figured out things, why wasn't he coming home? Why wasn't here by his side, why was he working for a councilman instead? Had Sasuke missed something? Hadn't Naruto left because of guilt? Was there something else that had driven him away? Had Sasuke… Had he left Sasuke? Not just to keep him safe, but to leave him?
Sasuke didn't want to believe it. Couldn't believe it. Naruto loved him, didn't he? He had told him so many times, even if Sasuke had never said it back, a fact he had regretted with every fibre of his being since he lost him. But, if he loved him, why wasn't he coming back? Why hadn't he at least called Sasuke to tell him he was fine?
The Kung Pao Chicken seemed too heavy in his stomach, and Sasuke ran to the bathroom, throwing up.
Five minutes later, his back against the bathroom wall and the burn of bile in his mouth Sasuke was trying to gather his thoughts. He had no idea what was going on, but one thing was clear, he needed to find Naruto.
He rinsed his mouth with mouthwash and went to his office. His first instinct had been to rush to the conference centre the meeting had been held in, but he had no idea if they would still be there today, but if Naruto had worked for councilman Shimura once, he was probably going to do it again, so all he had to do was to track down the councilman.
Naruto cracked his neck as he walked through a hotel hallway, towel around his shoulders to catch the drips of sweat from his hair. The moment Naruto had gotten a break as Danzo prepared for whatever meetings he needed to attend this night Naruto had located the hotel gym, working out his frustrations there. His muscles had been screaming at the end, but he still couldn't stop the thoughts flooding his mind. He'd barely managed to keep focused on his bodyguard duties all day, but luckily nothing had happened.
He had never known being a bodyguard would be this mind-numbingly boring. Apart from the wolf shifter the other day nothing had happened, and all he did was walk on Danzo's heel, ready in case something out of the ordinary happened. All they'd done all day was to attend several meetings with different backers and politicians, and their discussions were so boring Naruto had a hard time not falling asleep. He'd tried paying attention in the beginning, the warning he had been given about Danzo on his mind, but from what he could tell the meetings were all legit, concerning a number of different political affairs, Danzo asking for support, given it in most cases as far as Naruto could tell. There were no talk of any shady business at all, just endless discussions of finances and political hearings and permits for businesses.
It was boring, and he was forced to wear a suit, but he could deal with that, even if his body with tingling with too much energy. His problem was that he felt forced into this, and that he had no one who was willing to answer any of his questions. Danzo had no time for Naruto, treating him as little more than a prop, and Sai just ignored Naruto whenever he tried to ask him anything. They shared a hotel room, not per Naruto's request, but it wasn't helping him learn anything, particularly since Sai just pissed Naruto off with his presence.
Luckily they had twin beds, because if there hadn't been Naruto would have found himself forced to sleep in the tub, because just being in the same room as Sai was putting him on edge, which was why he spent as much time as he possibly could in the gym, because Sai had yet to show any inclination to join him there, apparently preferring sitting on his bed drawing endless sketches in his ever present sketchbook.
Naruto sometimes saw what Sai was drawing, and was always a little bit amazed by the sheer detail of the drawings. Mostly animals, incredibly lifelike, shadows making the fur almost look touchable. He never told Sai that though, because that would mean engaging in conversation, and apart from trying to get information from him or tell him to get out of his way Naruto tried to avoid that at all cost.
If someone were to ask him Naruto had no good answer as to why he disliked Sai so intensely. He was obnoxious and questioned Naruto's penis size on a semi-regular basis, but Naruto had definitely met worse. There was just something about him that rubbed him the wrong way.
Naruto wasn't sure if he was happy he was relieved of duty when Danzo retreated to his own hotel room last night or not, it would have been a good opportunity to maybe ask Danzo some of the questions that was burning in him, but he had been sent off only to be summoned again at the crack of dawn to trail behind Danzo to get breakfast before the endless stream of meetings started up again.
He had been about ready to start crawling the walls by the time he had finally gotten to go downstairs to work off some energy, but he still didn't feel ready to go back up there for a night of watching Danzo smooch up to other men of importance.
The gym was located in the basement of the hotel, so Naruto got into the elevator, pressing the button for his floor and lifting the towel enough to rub over his head, hoping he wasn't stinking up the elevator too much as he leaned against one of the walls, legs still shaky from too many squats. He kind of hoped Sai wouldn't be in the room when he got back, he wasn't looking forward to the comments about how he was trying to compensate for his lack of a dick by building muscles he knew would be coming from the asshole.
The elevator stopped seconds later, and Naruto peeked up as the doors slid open on the first floor, showing him a brief glimpse of the lobby before someone came around the corner and stepped into the elevator with him.
Naruto froze.
Every gear in his head just ground to a halt, his jaw dropped and he couldn't tear his eyes away.
The doors closed, and the elevator lurched into motion, leaving the two of them all alone in the small room, and it was as if the air was sucked out of it.
"Sasuke…" Naruto breathed, not believing it.
The look on Sasuke's face was half shock and half something else entirely, then he shook his head, and it was as if the shock just flowed off him, leaving that something else, which by the way his eyes hardened appeared to be pure fury.
Sasuke squared his shoulders, and looked like he wasn't sure if he was going to punch Naruto or just scream at him, but in the end he did neither, he just stood there, appearing to fight with himself.
Naruto's legs felt like jelly, and he pressed his hands against the wall, trying to keep from just collapsing to the floor.
He had been thinking about this all weekend, ever since they came back to the city. What if he saw Sasuke somewhere, what would happen then?
And now everything was becoming real, and however much he had thought about it he couldn't get his body to react. He wanted nothing more than to grab Sasuke and pull him close, but he was very aware of what had happened between them, that he had almost killed Sasuke, and then fled, like a coward.
He had all kinds of excuses why he had left Sasuke, but all of them boiled down to fear ruling him. Fear of not having control, fear of what he might to do Sasuke, fear of how Sasuke would react to him. Running had been easy, or at least so it had appeared.
"We need to talk," Sasuke said, voice sounding strained. His hands were fisted at his side, and he looked like he was about to explode with barely contained anger any moment.
God knew Naruto would deserve it. He deserved anything Sasuke did to him.
At the same time a warm tendril of pure happiness curled through him. Sasuke was here, he was here, and Naruto could touch him if only he took two steps forward, and Sasuke was here, and they could be together again, and everything would be fine, and he'd have him back.
He was sure Sasuke had said something, but he couldn't focus, couldn't do anything but stare at Sasuke, afraid it was all some cruel joke from his mind, that Sasuke wasn't really here, that it was just a mirage, a lonely man's dream.
Sasuke was just as beautiful as Naruto remembered him, sharp features and pale skin and dark eyes that shone with unshed tears. That last tore at Naruto's conscience. He needed to do something, needed to make it all good again.
He pushed away from the wall, but before he could approach Sasuke the elevator stopped at the tenth floor, his floor, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Danzo was expecting him ready for duty in ten minutes, but Sasuke was here, and he couldn't get his mind to work, couldn't focus on anything but Sasuke's face, the hurt and retained anger there.
Sasuke took a step forward.
"We need to talk," he said, and Naruto had the distinct impression that he was repeating himself. "Do you have a room?"
"I… I," Naruto stuttered, his mind still trying to catch up on the situation.
"Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice softening, and Naruto wanted to throw himself in Sasuke's arms, but he knew he couldn't. Danzo would start asking for him soon, would probably send Sai looking for him, and he didn't think it would be good to have Sai see him with Sasuke, not until he knew where he had him. He couldn't wrap his head around Sai, and he wasn't sure if he would betray him in a heartbeat or not.
Don't trust Danzo. The words still played in his mind, and a part of him was so sure he had to keep Sasuke away from Danzo, had to make sure he didn't get tangled up in the mess Naruto had made of everything.
"I, don't, not alone, and he's… he's expecting me soon, I can't, I..." Naruto said, jumbling his words together. "Sasuke, I, I..." Tears were springing to his eyes, blurring Sasuke's face. "I'm so sorry, and I miss you, but he's expecting me, and I have to go." Tears were thickening his voice and clogging his nose, and he knew he was about to break down completely.
"Later then, can you get away later? I'll get a room, I'll wait for you, just ask in the reception. Please Naruto, I need to talk to you," Sasuke said, his voice wavering as well.
Naruto nodded, and Sasuke pushed the button of the elevator, letting it slide open again. Naruto hesitated. He was afraid that if he let Sasuke out of his sight he would vanish, that this was just a dream, and Naruto was going to wake up and Sasuke wouldn't be there any more.
"Be careful," Sasuke said after Naruto finally walked the two steps out from the elevator, and the doors slid shut, leaving Naruto standing in the hotel hallway, alone, tears streaming down his face.
Sasuke was sure there would be a permanent track in the carpet of the hotel room floor from all the pacing he had done. The hours ticked by slow and torturous as he waited for Naruto to come. He had left a key card in the reception for him, and every time he heard someone walking out in the hallway he braced himself for the telltale sound of the lock opening, but it never came. It had been five hours since he met Naruto in the elevator, and he was still not sure if it had really happened. Maybe it was just his imagination playing tricks on him, making him see what he so desperately wanted to see.
He had used the councilman's itinerary to determine that he'd be at this hotel for a conference, and had hoped that would mean Naruto was still there as a bodyguard. He had expected to have to walk the hallways in a futile hope that he'd meet Naruto, knowing that trying to get any room information out of the receptionist would be virtually impossible, considering who Naruto was here with.
He had not expected Naruto to be standing in the elevator when it opened, as if he had been waiting for Sasuke to come.
Judging by the look of sheer shock on Naruto's face it was very clear he had not expected to see Sasuke either.
Sasuke had made a plan when he had first seen Naruto on the TV two days ago. He would confront Naruto with why he left, calm and composed, and then he was going to kick his ass for leaving him like that, without a word of goodbye, and then he was going to get him back, but the moment he had seen Naruto he had forgotten every planned word, and all he was left with was a mind reeling from the fact that Naruto were there, in front of him, sweaty and red-faced, but there, and that fact alone after weeks of being alone was enough to render him speechless for a moment.
He hated the fact that he couldn't drag Naruto along to talk right that moment, but his gut told him Naruto wouldn't be running this time, that he would come back as soon as he could, and then Sasuke could make him explain himself, could get him to tell him why he left him. If he just thought so little of Sasuke that he wouldn't forgive him, or if he was too scared to think straight, or if he had left because of something else entirely.
Sasuke had felt so betrayed by Naruto leaving, so achingly lonely and hurt, and weeks alone hadn't changed that the slightest, and he needed some explanation.
A beep from the door had him stop mid pace, and then it slid open and Naruto was standing right there. He was wearing dark slacks and a white shirt, and his eyes were wide and wary, as if he wasn't sure if he was even allowed to step into the room, and in that very moment Sasuke didn't need any explanations, didn't need to talk, he just needed Naruto.
He rushed across the room, and just as the door clicked shut behind Naruto he threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Everything fell back into place the moment his lips touched Naruto's. Naruto was warm and soft and tasted just as he remembered, and his shoulders were strong and broad under his arms, and Naruto was here, in his arms, and he had found him again.
For a few blissed moments every hurt and worry just left him, leaving him feeling light and happy in a way that felt both foreign and familiar. They were pressed close together and Sasuke dug his fingers into Naruto's back, grounding himself in the feel of firm muscles.
Naruto even smelled the same and he only finally pulled away from the kiss to trail licks and kisses down Naruto's jaw and neck, drawing in more of that intoxicating smell. More, he needed more.
His fingers were surprisingly steady as they started working on the buttons of Naruto's shirt, popping them open and yanking the sides apart so he had free access to the column of Naruto's neck and his broad shoulders, tracing his mouth across both, a wet drag of tongue and a scrape of teeth that had Naruto shuddering underneath him.
True to form Naruto didn't stay passive for long, his fingers curling in Sasuke's hair and gently forcing him to move his mouth from his shoulders to kiss him again.
Naruto kissed hard and desperately, as if he had been building up to it, and soon Sasuke found himself steered backwards until his back was pressed up against a wall, Naruto crowding in close, tilting his head to the side, deepening the kiss.
Then there were hands on his waist, dipping just underneath his sweater, tracing up his side, just this side of tickling. The sweater was pulled up along them, bunching up around his armpits before Sasuke lifted his arms, letting Naruto pull it off completely.
He shook his head to get hair out of his face, but when he expected Naruto to lean back in and continue what they had been doing he found instead that Naruto's shoulders grew tense underneath his hands.
He opened his eyes, expecting to meet Naruto's gaze, but Naruto wasn't looking at his face, his eyes were focused at Sasuke's chest, glassy with sudden tears.
Sasuke looked down, and realised just why Naruto had stopped.
The weeks since Naruto had left had turned wounds into scars, puckered pink slashes cutting at a diagonal across his chest. The uppermost one started at his collarbone, and the bottom one ended right at the bottom of his ribcage.
They were still sore, but Sasuke was fine. It was just scars. The aesthetic of it mattered little to him, and it didn't make him see Naruto any different than he had before. He knew that it wasn't Naruto's fault, that Naruto had fought it as well as he possibly could, and the scars were nothing more than a blemish to be ignored.
He also knew Naruto wouldn't see the same, that to him it would be a sign of just what he had done to Sasuke, and Sasuke could feel Naruto pulling away from him, fear and self-hatred practically oozing from him.
This was why he had left that first time, and Sasuke sure as hell wasn't going to let that happen ever again.
"Don't you dare leave me, Naruto," Sasuke said, fingers curling in the fabric of Naruto's shirt. "Don't you fucking dare."
"Sasuke, I have to—I can't…"
Naruto twisted out of Sasuke's grip and backed away from him. It hurt to see Naruto like this, scared and worried, his eyes twitching towards the door as if he was fighting with himself.
"I'm so sorry, Sasuke, I'm so sorry," Naruto whispered, his voice sounding raw as he choked on his words. "I'm not safe to be around, I don't know, I'm so sorry." He had his fingers curled into his hair, making it messier than ever, face twisted into a grimace of agony. A sole tear trailed down his cheek.
"We will figure everything out, but we do it together," Sasuke said, taking a step closer. There were only inches between them, and he did not intend for that gap to get any bigger.
He reached out, grasped Naruto's hands and pulled them towards him, gently placing them against the scars cutting across his chest.
"Look at me," he said, voice stern, but Naruto just shook his head, keeping his gaze trained on the floor as if looking up would make it all too real for him.
"Then just feel me. There's scars, sure, but I don't care about those. It wasn't you, you would never hurt me."
"It was me though, the beast, it's, it's a part of me," Naruto said, pulling against his grip, but Sasuke just tightened it, holding Naruto's hands against his chest.
"I'm still here, my heart is still beating beneath the scars, and even if there is nothing to forgive, I do, I do forgive you," Sasuke said, and finally Naruto looked up at him. His eyes were red and watery with tears and his face was still set in a pained look, his nose scrunched and lips tightened, but he moved his hand to splay his palm across Sasuke's skin, as if feeling for the heartbeat beneath.
"I'm here," Sasuke simply said and leaned in, slanting his lips across Naruto's. He felt the salt of tears as he kissed him, and it only took a second before Naruto melted into it, tightness seeping out of his shoulders as he stopped fighting himself.
Sasuke turned them around, and now it was Naruto's turn to be pressed up against the wall. The bed was only a few feet away, but right now it was too far as he moulded his body close to Naruto's. "Stop fighting yourself, Naruto, I'm not going anywhere," Sasuke mumbled against his lips, and Naruto gave a broken sob and finally let himself go.
His arms wrapped around Sasuke, and he deepened the kiss, licking into Sasuke's mouth as if he was savouring every part of him. Sasuke reciprocated eagerly, tracing the familiarity of Naruto's mouth, blunt teeth and warm tongue and the faint taste of broth that no doubt came from instant ramen.
All of Naruto's fight was truly drained from him as his fingers buried in Sasuke's hair and he poured every bit of intensity that was Naruto Uzumaki into that kiss, their tongues playing against each other, teeth nibbling on lips and soft moans whispered into it.
It didn't take long until wandering hands started tugging at the reminding clothes. Sasuke needed more, needed to feel Naruto's skin against his, warm and sweaty, needed to mark him and show him that he was his and he wasn't about to let him go.
He dragged Naruto's shirt down his shoulders, Naruto's arms getting stuck behind his back, and Sasuke left it there, using the opportunity as Naruto fought with the fabric to kiss back along Naruto's jaw, picking up where he had left off earlier, finding the flesh of his neck and sucking hard enough to leaving a bruise. It would fade quickly on Naruto's skin, but right now it was a vibrant mark of ownership.
Sasuke felt drunk with Naruto, the high of having him back lighting a fire of passion in his soul, and soon he claimed Naruto's lips again, while his hands travelled down taut abdominal muscles, finding the fly of Naruto's pants and quickly unzipping it so he could push a hand inside, cupping the hard length trapped underneath soft cotton. The front of Naruto's boxers already had a wet spot of precum staining them, and as Sasuke dragged a fingernail across the head of his cock Naruto moaned into the kiss, a deep sinful sound before he dove in again, sucking Sasuke's bottom lip into his mouth and biting down, just shy of painful.
Sasuke had imagined how it would be to see Naruto again, how they were going to talk things through, and then have slow sex to get reacquainted, but right now he couldn't even think straight. His body screamed for more more more, and Naruto seemed to be thinking the same.
He needed to touch and taste and connect himself to Naruto, desperate for more. Talking could come later.
Unceremoniously Sasuke yanked down Naruto's pants, his boxers following, leaving Naruto gloriously naked except for the fabric pooling around his ankles, which he was quick to step out of and kick to the side. He had managed to wrench himself out of his shirt, and that too was in a heap on the floor.
Sasuke curled his fingers around Naruto's hard length, giving it a soft pull that ripped a moan from Naruto as his head fell back against the wall with a thunk. Sasuke used the opportunity to fix his lips to the tan flesh in front of him, mouthing at Naruto's Adam's apple, scraping his teeth over the skin, earning a whimper from Naruto.
Naruto didn't stay passive for long, his hands moving to Sasuke's pants, pulling open the belt and fly and tugging pants and boxer briefs past his hips, letting Sasuke's cock to spring free in the warm air of the room.
Sasuke stepped close enough that their lengths pressed up against each other and then wrapped his hand around the both of them, gently tugging them together, spreading precum. He frowned a bit at the drag of skin and lifted a hand to his mouth and spit into his palm before clasping their cocks in a firm grip. Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's shoulders as he pulled him into a kiss again, seemingly as unable to stop as Sasuke was.
Their bodies were growing slick with perspiration, their chests sliding together, the faint dusting of hair abrasive against Sasuke's tender scars, but the tinge of pain didn't do anything to diminish his hardness, his cock merely twitching, spilling more precum.
He wanted to fuck Naruto, wanted to claim his body as his again, to fill him up and come deep inside him, making sure Naruto would feel him for hours afterwards, but right now he wouldn't have the patience for preparing him properly, so for now this would have to be enough. The need to feel him was too intense, and he was already feeling himself dragged towards the release his body was starting to ache for.
"Sasukeee," Naruto whined into the kiss before he pulled away enough so they could breathe, their foreheads pressed together, gazes locked. Sasuke felt that he could read Naruto completely in that moment, see the pain Naruto was feeling from having hurt him mingling with the flaring passion between them as well as the love he felt for him. Sasuke needed to wash that pain away in a wave of pure lust, needed to see Naruto come undone, to imprint on him that he forgave him, would always forgive him, would never let him leave him.
Sasuke tightened his grip and twisted his wrist, making sure to drag a thumb across the head of Naruto's cock, before pressing against his frenulum, rubbing small circles that had Naruto whimpering.
"Are you going to come for me, Na-ru-to?" he asked, dragging the name out in a deep voice he knew would penetrate right through the fog of lust in Naruto's head.
Naruto shuddered and Sasuke moved his hand faster, knowing all the right ways to touch him to send Naruto spiralling over the edge and into the sweet abyss of pure bliss. He could feel Naruto's cock twitching, and heard the sharp expelling of air from his lungs a second before warm liquid shot from him, covering Sasuke's hand and streaking up his abdomen in sticky white lines.
Sasuke wrung every last drop from Naruto until he was whimpering from oversensitivity, and only then did he let go of his dick as he closed his fist around himself, quickly sending himself careening into a hard orgasm, painting Naruto with cum to match himself.
The intensity of it all left him completely spent as his cock twitched for a last time, and Sasuke let his hand fall to hang limply by his side as he eased forward enough to rest his forehead on Naruto's shoulder, breathing hard, trying to gather himself enough so he wouldn't fall down if he moved.
His legs shook as he finally lifted his head enough to see Naruto's face, a look of complete bliss greeting him, cheeks spotted with red, and gaze a little unfocused. A soft smile was tugging on his lips, as if he was trying to fight it but failing completely.
When Sasuke caught his breath and thought he'd be able to walk he dragged Naruto after him towards the bed, not caring that they were filthy with sweat and cum, just falling down on the soft mattress, rolling towards Naruto when he too fell down on it, breathing heavily.
"I missed that," Naruto said with a wry grin, giddy from his recent orgasm, any pain washed away by the overload of endorphins, and Sasuke's heart twinged at seeing his old Naruto.
"I missed you," Sasuke said, feeling surprisingly unconscious about admitting as much. It wasn't a long time since even those words would have stuck in his throat. Naruto had changed him, for the better. It wasn't just the mind blowing sex, it was his very presence. Without Naruto Sasuke was miserable and lonely. He'd grown surprisingly dependent on having Naruto in his life, and without him everything had just seemed dull and grey and lifeless. Naruto had shown him that there was more to life than just existing, and when he left the stark contrast from his old life and the one with Naruto had been dizzying. At one point he had managed to convince himself that he was better off alone, that he didn't need people in his life, didn't need love, but Naruto had changed everything, made it impossible to revert back to that old Sasuke that didn't depend on anyone.
"I should have known you would find me," Naruto said as he shifted his head to the side to look at Sasuke, but Sasuke looked away, needing to talk to him, and looking into Naruto's eyes just made it too hard to focus.
"You wouldn't let me leave, did you? Back when I wanted to keep you safe and go to Itachi alone. But you didn't even give me the chance to stop you, you just left," Sasuke said. He knew they needed to talk about this, needed to air out everything that was hanging between them, unspoken. He wanted an explanation, wanted to know where Naruto had been.
He grabbed Naruto's hand and intertwined their fingers. Being with Naruto again, hearing his soft breathing and feeling his warmth against him, it felt so right, he wouldn't let Naruto's fear take that away from him again.
"We are in this together, Naruto, no matter what. I can't let you go again. I… I love you too much." His breath hitched slightly as he finally said the words that had been building in him for so long. He was surprised at how easily they had flowed from his mouth and how right it felt to finally say them. He loved Naruto, had known for a while but hadn't felt strong enough to say it out loud. He hadn't said it to anyone since his family was lost, and the words had become so big in his mind, so meaningful they had scared him. There was a fragility to them, as if they would shatter too easily and with it him.
Until now, until Naruto.
Naruto responded by tightening his fingers around Sasuke's hand and when Sasuke finally dared to turn his face towards him he saw a sheen of tears in Naruto's eyes again, but this time they were accompanied by a smile so wide it showed off all his teeth, a smile so genuine it seemed to warm Sasuke from the core.
"Naruto. I love you," Sasuke repeated. "I'm so sorry I wasn't ready to say it before, but I'm ready now. I'm all in, no matter what happens. We're partners, no matter what."
Naruto leaned in and kissed him softly. "Partners," he confirmed.
A/N: I told you something big was happening. :D
Chapter 15 of Partners was the first time they hooked up, and chapter 15 of Unleashed was their big reunion, I kinda like that mirroring however accidental it was, but that might just be me being a giant dork, so yeah. XD Hope you enjoyed~
