After his Pysch final was over, Naruto ran from the room. He didn't stop running. He just kept going. He ran as fast and as hard as he could manage on five cups of coffee, no sleep and an adrenal rush brought on from the fact that he was pretty sure he had just failed a test worth forty percent. That's okay, he could still bring it up by the end of next semester, but right now, he was screwed. There was nothing he could do about it; nothing at all that would change the fact that he had just cocked up balls deep in there. He hadn't prepared enough; hadn't woken up until seven and hadn't had time to do anything but throw a shirt on, which he discovered as he was entering the room, was on inside out, and fling it to the lecture theatre.

He was shattered again, he was incoherent and uncoordinated, and reality felt like it would jump up and swallow him whole. He allowed himself exactly ten seconds to panic about failing, before he rushed back to the dorm room, desperate to sleep. He couldn't think of anything but sleep. So, the shirt he had found on the floor that morning was promptly tossed back to its rightful place and Naruto flopped on the bed, out almost instantly.

It was night when he woke up suddenly from a weird dream. He couldn't remember the dream exactly, he couldn't recall any of the images, but he remembered the feelings. He was alone, but there were others, but they didn't stay. He always ended up alone in the dream and it tore his heart to shreds, filling the fissures with such pain and hopelessness that he didn't see a way out of the darkness, leaving him with only one choice. But he always woke up just as he stepped off the cliff. He never made it to the bottom. The feeling of falling, or outside physical forces like his phone, or someone calling him, always made him bolt awake, covered in sweat and panting from the quick pounding in his chest. He always grabbed at his heart, his reassurance that he was, actually, still in the land of the living.

Naruto scrubbed at his eyes and shook his head and yawned. He hated those dreams, he always felt them afterward and even though he knew they were dreams and knew they couldn't actually ever come true, they always hung around long after he had woken up and couldn't shake the very real feelings that latched on and wouldn't let go. He sat in bed for a while assessing if he'd had enough sleep and was able to get up and make a coffee. His head was heavy, and his eyes were bleary, and his arms felt like they weighed a ton, but he was in a much better state than before. So, he threw off the covers, taking a quick detour to the bathroom before heading into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

He wasn't alone. He had his friends and his guardian and his extended family. He was surrounded by awesome caring people. Yeah, he'd seriously cut an arm off for any one of them. He wasn't alone. He had been, once, but that was a long time ago, and he was over it. It didn't shape who he was now; he couldn't blame his shitty studying skills and bad time management on an incident that happened ages ago. He laughed; the sound was a harsh bark and he rubbed the back of his head until his scalp warmed under his fingers. It didn't make him who he was; it wasn't his fault his parents were gone. He had faced that adversity and had survived. That's all that mattered, case closed.

He poured hot water into his mug and the kitchen was instantly filled with that aroma; he would propose and marry that fucking smell if he could. He would, but … he gulped the coffee and it was gone, so he made another one. He went to pour more of the wonderful elixir down his throat but jumped out of his skin as a hand and a piece of paper came into his view from behind him. The coffee, intended for his mouth ended up dripping down his chin and chest as he stood there, trying to catch his breath.

'Fuck's sake,' he said, trying to get a grip on his heart which was now thumping, still holding the emptied mug. 'Don't fucking do that.'

Sasuke smirked at Naruto, taking in the entire thing. The grey cotton t-shirt was wrecked; soaked through, the stripy pyjama bottoms had fared no better. Naruto wiped his face with his wet, sticky hand.

'Can you pass a cloth, thanks,' he gritted, holding out a hand. Sasuke handed one over and Naruto wiped his face and neck. He couldn't take the cold wetness of the top so ripped it off, tossing it on the counter. He wiped the coffee off his skin the best he could, the memory of the sensation tricking his brain into thinking he was still cold and wet. He tossed the cloth on the floor and wiped up the coffee off the tiles, tossing it at Sasuke before making his way out of the kitchen to find drier more coffee free clothes. He came back a minute later, changed and dry, but still slightly sticky. 'What. The. Hell?' He shot an overly questioning glare at Sasuke.

'You're a fucking idiot, Naruto,' he said and slapped the piece of paper into Naruto's chest. Naruto caught it as it fluttered toward the floor. He squinted at the piece of paper, barely registering … remembering … last night. He cringed as he read it.

I know that kind of thing makes you squirm. I'll behave from now on. Promise. Make it up to you? Any way you want? Don't hate me only herm.

'Herm?' Naruto mused, squinting at the piece of paper. Yeah, that's what it said. 'Only herm.' He laughed so hard he couldn't breathe for a minute.

'Don't choke, you moron,' Sasuke said, handing Naruto his mug. 'Breathe.'

Naruto smacked his chest for a second, kick starting his lungs again. 'Herm … wow …'

Sasuke watched him coolly from over the top of his own mug. He put it down on the counter and huffed. He started doing that thing with his bottom lip that he does when something's on his mind. He twirled and swiped at his bottom lip, squishing it in his fingers. 'You know, Naruto …'

Naruto shook his head. 'Nah, I'm sorry, man. I know you don't like it when … er … you know. And, yeah, won't happen again.'

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he frowned slightly. 'Of course, it's going to happen again,' he flicked a glance at Naruto before studying the very interesting wisps of the marble. 'I'm not four, you know. I can handle … I was just surprised, okay.'

'What? That I was getting some?' Naruto grinned and flicked his fingers through his hair. He gulped his fresh coffee. 'Thanks for the vote of confidence.'

Sasuke smirked, circling a finger slowly on the marble. 'It's cool, okay. I was just …' he shook his head. 'Do whatever you want. Obviously.'

'Do whoever I want?' Naruto grinned.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. 'Why are we friends?' he muttered.

Naruto didn't miss the weird look in his eye as he turned away and headed out the door. Yeah, he wasn't fooling anyone, he could say he didn't care, but he was still a fucking prude. Naruto followed Sasuke into the lounge and was devastated that he was taking up the couch.

'Scooch up,' he said and shoved Sasuke to the left-hand side of the couch. He then stretched out as much as he could; his right leg hung over the edge while his left leg was wedged behind Sasuke's back. Sasuke glared at him; making Naruto grin. 'I'm tired. I need to be horizontal.' This only made Sasuke glare more as Naruto proceeded to flick through the channels.

'Your bedroom is in there,' Sasuke growled pointing a slender finger over his opposite shoulder.

'Yeah, the couch is more comfortable,' Naruto said, stretching his arms up over his head. He realised he was grinning. 'You know, we haven't done this in a while. Just hung out like this.'

'Well, don't get used to it, I have to go in a bit.'

Naruto was kind of surprised by the involuntary reaction his brain had to this. He was kind of … down? About it. Didn't know why.

'Oh. Cool. Sure,' Naruto said and scratched the back of his neck. 'Can you order a pizza before you go? I have no cash.'

Sasuke just stared at him, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. 'Again. Why are we friends?'

Naruto shrugged and flicked through a few more channels, landing on some travel show. He dropped the remote on his chest. Sasuke huffed. He leaned over the top of Naruto's bent knee and reached for the remote. Naruto grabbed it first, Sasuke reached for it, Naruto pulled it out of his reach.

'Give it to me.'

Naruto shook his head. Every time Sasuke reached for the remote, Naruto pulled it out of reach. Sasuke leaned over further until Naruto held the remote straight up over his head and Sasuke was stuck over the top of him. Naruto grinned and suddenly dropped his knee. Sasuke fell smack dab on top of Naruto. Naruto laughed, but then gasped as Sasuke's jaw tightened and he roughly punched Naruto, knocking the wind out of him.

'Argh, shit, Sasuke,' Naruto groaned, rubbing his gut as Sasuke straightened back into sitting. Naruto realised he was still grinning from the prank.

'Moron,' Sasuke grumbled. Naruto's grin widened as he tossed the remote in Sasuke's lap. Sasuke turned on the news. 'I just want - '

'To fill your head with everything's that's wrong with the world? Sasuke, come on.'

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the TV, turning it up slightly. Naruto poked him in the shoulder with his big toe.

'How about that pizza?'

Sasuke ignored him, concentrating on the news. Naruto sat up and crossed his legs, grinning at the side of Sasuke's head. The TV's blue glow flashed and pulsed, reflecting in Sasuke's eyes. Naruto leaned forward.

'How about I cook?'

Sasuke's eyes snapped to Naruto's. His eyes narrowed, and his lips pouted thoughtfully.

'Come on, I haven't cooked in ages.'

'I thought you were tired.' Sasuke turned back to the TV. Naruto shrugged.

'I'm also starving and that trumps tiredness.' He grinned remembering the first time he cooked. Do you like it? Come on. Tell me. Come on. 'But I won't, unless you want me to.' His grin widened as he could see Sasuke thinking about it. It's really … 'Come on, say the words. Say "please Naruto wow me with your amazingly talented culinary skills so that I can have another one of those weird taste orgasms where I screw up my face and can't stop eating".' Naruto laughed. Oh my god, where the hell did you learn to do this? Naruto grinned, remembering Sasuke's face.

'Okay,' Sasuke conceded. 'Can I watch the news now?'

'Risotto!' Naruto declared and jumped up off the couch.

Thirty minutes later, Sasuke wandered into the kitchen enticed by the rich aroma's floating through the dorm. Naruto slowly stirred a large pot of bubbling rice as his eyes scanned the page of the textbook open near the stovetop. Sasuke took in the scents of the food as he leaned against the counter opposite Naruto.

'Almost ready,' Naruto mumbled as he concentrated on the textbook.

'I have to go soon.'

Naruto nodded, his attention now torn in three between the pot, the book and Sasuke. 'I know, but good things can't be rushed.' He flashed a grin at Sasuke. After a moment a can of peach tea slid into Naruto's field of vision. He shook his head absently as he continued to read and stir.

'You bought it,' Sasuke said.

'For you,' Naruto said, his eyes lifting from his textbook to his best friend and back.

'What do you want then?'

Naruto shrugged and continued stirring and reading. Without turning his attention away from the textbook, he turned the stove down and continued stirring. Sasuke busied himself by grabbing some plates from the cupboard. Unfortunately, the cutlery was stuck in the drawer Naruto was standing in front of. Naruto stepped aside as Sasuke's hand brushed against his side in apology as he opened the drawer and grabbed some forks and spoons. Naruto pulled an oversized spoon from the drawer, closing it with his hip.

He pulled a blob from the pot and licked it off the spoon. It was basically perfect. He grabbed another blob and thrust it at Sasuke's mouth.

'Taste it,' Naruto said. Sasuke frowned, but grabbed the spoon, licking the blob off. 'Need anything?' Sasuke licked his lips, he then pulled that face. The one that said, 'my tastebuds are on fire and this shit is good.' Naruto grinned as he watched Sasuke savour the taste.

Sasuke shook his head and Naruto turned off the stove. He plopped two decent portions into the bowls and slid one across the counter to Sasuke. It was his favourite, and Naruto kind of made it to apologise for giving him the squirms yesterday and kind of made it just because he could. Sasuke dipped his fork into it again and took another mouthful, pulling the same face.

Naruto devoured his own bowl, barely tasting it, he was starving so much. Sasuke swirled his fork around in the risotto before taking another mouthful. He checked the time on his phone, a pained expression crossing his face as he closed his eyes and shook his head once.

'Take it with you,' Naruto suggested. He pulled a container from under the stove and plopped a portion into it. 'You gotta eat. So …' he shrugged and held out the container. Sasuke looked from the bowl in front of him to the container. Naruto dipped his used fork into the pot and took another giant mouthful. He grinned, knowing Sasuke was trying so hard to ignore what he had just done. Sasuke lowered his head and continued eating.

'It's okay, they can wait.'

Naruto slid the container across to Sasuke. 'Take it anyway.'

Sasuke shook his head. 'I can't eat all that.'

'Sure you can,' Naruto said and slid the container into the rim of the bowl. He started cleaning up the mess he'd made, rewrapping food and putting it in the freezer. He swiped a cloth over counters and stoves and shoved used utensils and equipment in the sink. Naruto nodded, satisfied. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, my head's going for it and if I don't lie down, I'll fall down, so I'll be in here,' Naruto and gestured toward the lounge. Sasuke looked up at him as he passed by.

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah.'

Sasuke frowned. 'You sure?'

'Yeah,' Naruto said. 'I'm good. I'm going to pass out on the couch and hopefully by the time I wake up the jackhammer in my head has pissed off. That's all.' He smiled and flopped on the couch. In fact, he had this weird feeling he was asleep before he even hit the couch.

Naruto pulled the blanket up over his head and stretched and yawned. Blanket? He grinned, must have got it in his sleep or something, didn't remember falling asleep with one. The reason he was awake vibrated again in his pocket. The insistent vibration had broken his dreams and dragged him back to consciousness. Naruto squinted at the message, a wide grin stretching over his lips. Sakura. 'Ichiraku for lunch at 1?'

Naruto checked the time. 11.49. Doable. He threw the blanket off and tossed his legs over the side of the couch, scrubbing at his face vigorously. He yawned and stretched again, taking stock of his physical condition. He could see. Good. He didn't feel like he was made of lead. Good. Headache. Annoying, but okay; coffee would fix that. He inhaled and breathed out slowly, heading to the bathroom. He hadn't seen Sakura all semester; her schedule was crazy, and they'd hung out like twice in four months. Not because they didn't want to, they stayed in contact through calls and whatever, but they hadn't actually seen each other for that long, and yeah, Naruto missed her.

He took a shower and wrapped a towel around his waist before making a coffee. He opened the sliding door to the balcony and stood out there, stretching luxuriously taking in the late morning air which refreshed his stuffy lungs. He realised, other than going to his exams and heading out for an odd bite at an odd café, he'd spent a fair portion of the month inside. Low cloud hung over the mountains across the sports fields below. Naruto was the outdoorsy type and appreciated just how fucking beautiful the scenery before him was.

He looked down over the sports fields. A team of some sort, baseball maybe, filed out to the centre of one of the fields. There red and white uniforms contrasted brilliantly against the bright green of the field. Naruto was so engrossed with watching the tiny players that he didn't notice as someone approached him. The guy leaned on the railing next to Naruto. He was holding a full mug; a very familiar, orange mug.

'Hi.' His eyes crinkled as he smiled. Sai did that; it was just one of those things that got Naruto going. Naruto smiled back and sipped at his coffee; half a mug left, and it was going cold.

Naruto had seen this one before; Sasuke's favourite. He had silver hair and an amused glint in his eye. He was tall, wore edgy clothes like skin tight skivvies under leather jackets and tight jeans that showed off his reasons for being male. Naruto blinked, mentally snapping out of it. Naruto hadn't seen anyone else around for a bit, and this guy seemed to have become a permanent fixture around the place. Naruto smiled; good for Sasuke, maybe now he'd pull that stick out of his ass and relax some.

'Nice out here today,' the guy said. Naruto nodded and smiled.

'Yeah.'

'Aren't you cold?' The guy cocked his head at Naruto. Naruto realised he was still wearing only a towel. He shook his head.

'Nope.'

The guy nodded; bringing the mug to his lips.

'You and Sasuke seem to be getting on alright?'

The guy nodded again, eyebrows raising. 'He's …' his eyes crinkled again as he scratched his scalp. Naruto didn't know what it was, couldn't quite place what the weird feeling was that suddenlypulsed through him and took over his brain, especially the parts of the brain responsible for speech.

'Yeah, well. Hurt him, and you die.' He instantly regretted it. Okay, so yeah, Sasuke was like his brother, but …

'Excuse me?' The crinkle around the guy's eye was replaced by a dark challenging glint. 'What was that?'

Naruto challenged right back. It would be easier to get along with the guy, it would make life so much easier. But, Naruto had already fired the first shot, and he wasn't a quitter. 'You heard me. I'm just looking out for the idiot. He gets,' Naruto searched for the right word, 'sensitive,' he decided on and took a gulp of his coffee.'Just saying,' Naruto said and smiled, slapping the guy on the back. The guy laughed uncertainly but decided to let it go.

'I guess that's what friends are for,' he said off-handed, causing something to jolt in Naruto's chest. What was wrong with him? Why was he all of a sudden so protective over the bastard? Sasuke was more than capable of looking after himself. More than capable of handling his own life. He didn't need Naruto to fight his battles for him.

'Forget I said anything,' Naruto said, gulping the dregs of his coffee and leaving the guy on the balcony. He threw his mug in the sink, noting the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, and headed to his room to put some clothes on, glancing at the clock on the way through. 12.37.

He'd overestimated how long it would take to get across campus and stroll three blocks. Naruto arrived at Ichiraku ten minutes late. He scanned the busy noodle place for the distinctive pink hair, spotting it at a small table close to the central bar. A grin broke over Naruto's face as he rushed over to the table, scooping Sakura up in a huge hug. He even spun her around slightly.

'Naruto,' she gasped. 'I can't breathe.' Naruto sniggered as he let her go. She'd gone a bit shiny in the cheeks and her hair was a bit haywire. She tried to tame the pink strands, smoothing them with her hands as she cleared her throat. Her clear green eyes played over Naruto's face as she smiled. She held out her arms and walked forward. Naruto hugged her tightly again, grunting in appreciation.

'Yeah, yeah, you can let go now, you big knucklehead,' Sakura laughed. 'People are staring,' she added in a hiss. Naruto let go and rubbed the back of his head as he noticed the eyes looking in their direction. Sakura pulled him down to the table by tugging on his arm. 'I know. I've missed your crazy self too, you know.'

'I've been dying all semester,' Naruto whined. 'Sasuke's killing me.'

Sakura cocked an eyebrow and sipped at her large cup of something. Red liquid crawled up the almost opaque straw. 'Really? How so?'

Naruto shook his head. 'Just being his cheery self. All semester.' Naruto sighed. 'The guy's really getting on my nerves.'

Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion as she took another sip of the red liquid. Naruto read through the menu, but he already knew what he wanted. He always got the pork ramen. Always. No question. 'I already ordered,' Sakura said. 'But I didn't order you a drink, but I guess you want – '

'Can I have a large coffee?' Naruto asked the guy with the pad when he approached the table. 'Milk on the side. Thanks,' Naruto said with a grin. The guy wrote it down and waited.

'Oh, I've already ordered for us,' Sakura repeated to the guy. He nodded and headed off to the coffee machine. 'What's up with Sasuke?' Sakura really looked confused. 'I mean, I saw him the other day. He seemed actually a lot more animated than I've seen him in a long time. He almost looked happy,' she grinned. 'I know right?' she added at Naruto's expression. 'I nearly died of shock.'

'He's just being a dick, is all,' Naruto said. He lifted his shirt and presented his torso to Sakura. 'Look what he did to me.' The giant black bruise where Sasuke had punched him looked more painful than it was; Naruto was just fishing for sympathy. He grinned and pulled his shirt down.

'Naruto …' Sakura began, staring where Naruto's naked abs had been a second before. She shook her head, her eyes refocussing. 'Why'd he do that?'

'I don't know! Ask him!' Naruto complained loudly. 'He's just being a dick. He's all moody, and stiff, and angry. And hostile,' Naruto added, counting them off on his fingers. 'Did I say moody? The only time he seems to act like a human being is when he's with … uh …' Naruto tried desperately to remember the guy's name. If he was going to be a permanent fixture, Naruto should at least remember the guy's name.

'Kakashi?' Sakura offered and took another sip of her drink. The guy came back and placed Naruto's coffee in front of him. There was also a small packet of sugar. Naruto grinned; they remembered even when he didn't.

'Right. Kakashi.' Naruto stirred the sugar into his coffee and dashed milk into the mug, stirring it with his finger. He sucked the liquid off his finger and gulped the coffee, ignoring the disgusted look from Sakura. 'It's like when he's with that guy, he melts into mush, but becomes all stiff and frozen when I'm there. I don't get it.' Naruto took another gulp. 'I mean sure … that guy's hot and all – '

'Naruto!'

'What?' Naruto protested against Sakura's disapproving glare. 'He is. Really is,' Naruto grinned. 'So, what's the bastard's problem? I didn't do anything.'

'Really?' Sakura asked. Her tone was slightly accusing, slightly knowing. 'Maybe threatening Kakashi would put Sasuke in a bad mood? Just maybe,' she added with a glint in her eye.

'Hey, I haven't seen Sasuke since then. This was from … hey,' Naruto added as it dawned on him. 'How'd you even know about that?'

'Kakashi told me,' Sakura said off-handed, taking yet another sip of her drink. The food arrived, and Naruto drank in the deep aroma of his favourite ramen. He snapped his chopsticks and bowed to Sakura, diving in without hesitation. They were as good as ever. They were always good, and before Naruto knew it, his bowl was half empty. Sakura shook her head slightly in amazement, picking up a clump of tiny mushrooms and biting into them.

'Anyway, I was just looking out for Sasuke, you know,' Naruto said. 'It's what …' friends do. He remembered what the guy had said to him. He finished with a shrug.

'It is,' Sakura agreed. 'You're just worried about him, I guess. But, that's no excuse, Naruto. You can't go around threatening to kill people. Kakashi hasn't told Sasuke, because he doesn't want to cause a rift between you guys.'

Naruto snorted. 'Pfft, sure.'

'Naruto, Kakashi's a good guy. It really hurt him that you would think he would rip Sasuke's heart out, you know. You should apologise to him.'

'He was using my mug!' Naruto blurted. He hadn't even thought about it since, but yeah, there it was. The guy had his dirty punk mouth all over Naruto's special mug. Sakura actually gaped a little bit.

'Really?'

Naruto scrubbed his face and scratched the back of his head. 'I kinda lost it. I didn't mean to say all that stuff. It just kind of came out.'

Sakura's face softened in an amused smile and she tapped Naruto on the back of the hand. 'You're shocking. All this over a mug?'

'It's my mug,' Naruto growled. 'Off limits. Mine. Just because I don't use it all the time, doesn't mean other people can touch it. It's mine.'

'Like Sasuke?'

Naruto spluttered into the bottom of his ramen bowl, choking on a small chunk of pork hiding in the last of the broth. He kept the bowl up, hiding the rising color from Sakura.

'What?' he asked, bemused and confused all at the same time. 'You're crazy,' he choked out. 'What the hell are you talking about?'

'Naruto,' Sakura said, hooking a slender finger over the rim of the bowl. She lowered it to the table. Sakura's lips were curled in a small smile. It was an annoying expression. She looked smug, like she knew everything. 'It's okay. I won't tell anyone.'

Naruto's heartbeat quickened, and he was suddenly having trouble breathing. He knew he was bright red, he knew he was kind of sweating a bit. He knew his hands were clammy and his jaw was tight, and he knew he was blinking a lot and he knew Sakura could see all of this as she sat there opposite with that weird smile on her face.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' he gasped. 'You're crazy.' He said and slumped his head on his forearms, trying to steady his breathing. She was crazy. She had flown way off the handle this time. The smile melted away, and she looked at Naruto with those clear green eyes. She rested cool fingertips on the back of his hand and he had to fight with every fibre of his being not to pull away.

'Am I crazy?'

Sasuke was his best friend. Had always been his best friend; more like a brother. They were close, knew everything about each other. Shared baths as kids, shared friends and food and time. They'd grown up together, grown apart, grown back together, fought, bickered, cried, supported, laughed. He was like his brother. They looked out for each other, what was wrong with that? Brothers. Nothing more. She was crazy. A harsh snort of laughter came out. No way. Not even close. Sakura was nuts.

'Naruto, are you alright?'

Naruto couldn't form words, couldn't get his voice to work. His heart was hammering in his throat. He registered the vibration of his phone. Once. Twice. He slapped his hand to his back pocket. Three times the phone vibrated. Good timing. The fucking best. Whoever was his saviour from Sakura was getting free takeout for a month.

'Naruto – '

'I'm good. Yeah. Good.' He stood, taking his phone from his pocket. He read the message four times before it sunk in. Sai. The Library. Cool.

'Naruto,' Sakura growled firmly. 'What's wrong with you?'

Naruto grinned at her, scratching at the back of his head. 'Nothing. Promise.' He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek, rendering her shocked for a moment, before she squeezed his wrist, giving him a stern look. 'Thanks for lunch! You're still crazy!' He put his phone back in his pocket and headed out of Ichiraku in the direction of the library. He was up to the second floor without realising he'd covered the campus in less than fifteen minutes. He grinned when he saw Sai, sitting in a chair at a small coffee table with his back to Naruto. Naruto texted him, told him to look behind him.

Sai took out his phone. He turned in his seat, and smiled at Naruto, his eyes crinkling up as he waved. Naruto couldn't help it. He had the sudden urge to pull Sai up by the collar and kiss him. He wanted to feel Sai melt in his arms, he wanted to feel his lips and tongue mirror his. He wanted Sai to squeeze and pull his hair and lean against him and feel the warmth from his body.

After a minute of this, Sai gently pressed his palm into Naruto's chest. Naruto didn't want to stop, but Sai was insistent. 'Is everything alright?' A half frown replaced Sai's usual smile. 'You're not normally so - '

'I fucking need you,' he whispered and savoured in the shiver he got from the guy. Sai's fingers tightened on Naruto's arm. Naruto pulled back, and there it was. That look. He should really call it "his" look, because he'd never seen a guy look at another guy like that. Sasuke didn't even look at Kakashi like that.