This chapter... Not sure what to say about it. It turned out pretty serious after all.
On a personal note, today was a great day. Just so you know. :p
Chapter sixteen: For you, because of you, and only you
'
A polite knock and a questioning 'Sasuke?' interrupted them, and Sasuke threw an irritated glare at the door before huffing and getting off the bed to open it for his brother.
"What?" He asked flatly once he'd opened the door, narrowing his eyes at his brother for the interruption even as worry flew through his mind.
"Mother wants to see you."
Itachi's face was blank, impossible to read unless you happened to be his little brother. Sasuke could easily detect the irritation and slight worry in his eyes. He couldn't help being rude though, Itachi really had interrupted a very good moment.
"I really don't see why. Tell her I'm busy."
"Sasuke" Itachi chastised, his body language telling Sasuke that it wasn't a request.
"Hn."
Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto, wordlessly telling him to wait there, and then followed his brother back down.
"What does she want anyway, besides spit in my face" Sasuke muttered bitterly, shoving his hands down his pockets, something his father had always forbidden him to do.
"She just needs some time to adjust" Itachi said soothingly.
"Don't make me angry Itachi, we both know this is not a question of adjusting. I don't care what she says, if she hates me then so be it."
Itachi sighed deeply. It pained him that Sasuke had such hurt in his voice despite his tough words, and he wished there was some way he could fix this. Experience told him there wasn't though.
"Whatever happens –" he started, but Sasuke interrupted him.
"Just don't cause any scenes I know I know."
Itachi frowned, the stopped and put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, forcing him to stop as well.
"I'm behind you whatever happens Sasuke, don't forget that."
Sasuke clenched his jaw, but otherwise managed to act like he wasn't bothered by the situation.
"Thanks" he said, almost low enough to be a whisper, and Itachi held his gaze a few more seconds before walking again, Sasuke following close behind.
The rest of the short walk was made in silence, and too soon they reached what was called the tea room, a smaller comfortable room where their parents had used to eat breakfast together during the few weekends Fugaku hadn't been forced to work. Mikoto sat regally in a plush armchair, and seeing her made Sasuke's stomach tie itself into a tight little knot. There didn't seem to be any way out of this other than a direct confrontation.
~Line breaker~
Naruto lay still for a while, letting his body relax after the so abruptly broken make-out session. He looked around Sasuke's room with great interest, but there wasn't much to see. There were no decorations; the only photograph was one of Sasuke and his family standing on the bedside table. Naruto slowly sat up and reached for it. The glass and frame looked as if they'd been recently dusted, and Sasuke in the picture was maybe around six or seven years old. All of them looked serious; Sasuke's look was obviously forced though, as if he tried hard to resemble his brother but didn't quite succeed. Mikoto in the picture was even more beautiful, but she looked much livelier than when Naruto had met her a few hours ago. He hoped Sasuke wasn't in a lot of trouble. He put the frame back, glancing at the imposing father. He could see why anybody would be intimidated by him and he was definitely happy that he didn't have to go against him, it was bad enough Sasuke's mother hated him. He stood up and strolled over to the window again, watching the silhouette of the city and the moving lights, cars and even one or two small boats at this relatively late hour. He put his hands against the glass, probably leaving marks but not really caring, it felt cool and soothing underneath his palms. After a few minutes he heard steps, thinking it was Sasuke coming back he hurriedly went to the door and threw it open, but to his surprise it was Sakura standing a few steps to his right. Her eyes widened in recognition, before she turned towards him fully and gave a small smile as a greeting.
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked, slightly confused. He hadn't seen her before.
"Sorry I didn't say hi, I thought it was probably best if Sasuke and I didn't cross each other in public" she answered in an apologetic tone. "I was heading towards the balcony, join me?"
Naruto nodded, walking behind her as she went towards a pair of doors a bit further down the spacious corridor. She opened them and stepped out into the chilly night air, taking a deep breath and pulling the thin scarf she wore tighter around her.
"This is my favorite place in the house" she said, her voice hushed as she followed the railing around the corner to the right, so that they were facing the same way Sasuke's window did.
"It's nice" Naruto agreed, he too using a more hushed tone without knowing why.
He walked up to the metal railing, taking a hold of it and closing his eyes, just listening to the soft rustling of the wind and the faint sound of vehicles a ways off. It felt refreshing, and he shivered lightly in his rather thin suit.
"Great party huh?" Sakura broke the silence with, and Naruto turned his head to look at her. "Don't take Mikoto too seriously. She's…"
"A bitch?" Naruto filled in, but shouted 'Oww!' when a fist was brought down on his head. He rubbed the sore spot and glared at Sakura, but she wasn't even looking at him.
"Living up to expectations Naruto, that can do strange things to people."
"Well you sound all grown up and shit" Naruto grumbled, still rubbing that spot.
"I've had a lot of time to think. Once I stopped acting like a blind naïve little girl a lot of things made more sense to me."
"Such as?"
Sakura turned around, leaning the small of her back against the railing and flicking a stray lock of hair back behind her shoulder.
"Such as how close I was to become a puppet in this shallow game. The thought of being a trophy wife sickens me now. At the time though, there was nothing I'd rather be." She trailed off, watching Naruto with thoughtful eyes. "Mikoto is the perfect wife you know, at least by those kinds of standards."
Naruto had no idea what standards she referred to, but still nodded hesitantly. Sakura laughed a little, shaking her head and pushing off the railing.
"To think I wanted to be just like her…"
Naruto frowned, meeting Sakura's eyes that were laughing because of some inside joke. He tried to make sense of her thoughts when she suddenly sighed and fiddled with her pink hair looking wistfully at the city over the calm water.
"Well, I should go back inside, there are people to fool and pretend to be impressed by. But who knows" she said with a dramatic swirl on the tips of her feet, "tonight could be the night I meet the man of my dreams."
She grinned at Naruto, but the smile didn't reach her eyes as she turned around and left him alone on the balcony, his only company the view. He stayed, and when he some time later felt a familiar presence approaching he tensed up but didn't turn around. When Sasuke wrapped his arms around him however and pressed their cheeks together he relaxed again, letting the heat from Sasuke's body seep into his own eagerly.
"What happened?" he whispered, afraid of the answer but unable to be kept on edge much longer.
Sasuke was quiet for a long time before he answered. "Nothing that's going to bother you."
"What? Tell me" Naruto demanded, tensing up again at Sasuke's lack of answer.
He turned around, their noses bumping because Sasuke didn't loosen up his grip, and Naruto tried to bore his eyes into Sasuke's. The raven avoided his gaze though, choosing instead to watch the scenery. After a long pause Sasuke spoke again.
"Maybe some other time."
Naruto frowned, but didn't push it. He turned around fully instead, resting his head on Sasuke's shoulder and hugging him back. It felt nice.
~Line breaker~
Mikoto sat slumped in her chair, her eyes hidden beneath her faintly trembling hand. Itachi entered as Sasuke left, his brother brushing past him without any form of acknowledgement, probably in a hurry to get to his boyfriend. Itachi walked into the room, a silence hanging in the air like invisible wisps of smoke. Itachi had, of course, heard everything.
"Oh, what would Fugaku say now" Mikoto moaned and started rocking back and forth as much as the arm chair allowed her to. "Itachi, won't you talk sense to your brother?" She looked pleadingly at her eldest son, but he didn't move an inch.
"I don't really think he's making a bad decision" he said calmly.
"Don't you start too!" Mikoto flared up, rising out of the chair and clenching her fists. She and Sasuke really were a lot alike. "He's not supposed to make decisions! Fugaku already made decisions for him, and he should honor them!"
Itachi regarded her, still calm but also sad. His mother had been unable to move on after Fugaku's death, turning even more conservative after it.
"On the contrary, Sasuke has been a much greater help in business lately, which I think is one way of honoring them."
Mikoto narrowed her eyes, but calmed down, her attention turning to Itachi instead.
"Yes, the business. What good have you been doing for it lately?"
"You know what I've been doing" Itachi said slowly, going on the defense now.
"Oh I know. Ruining everything my dear husband built up, no respect for the opinions of your elders either. You could have very well turned the company bankrupt!"
Itachi straightened up, his eyes like steel when he started talking.
"If by ruin you mean getting rid of all the illegal parts of the company, then you and I definitely do not share the same view, but then again it's true I'm going against the wishes of father and the board members, who are nothing more than a pack of scoundrels."
Mikoto didn't even flinch.
"It's hard to believe what a betrayal you've made, going behind our backs, buying up the shares bit by bit, shamelessly using your brother's too without his knowledge. And for what? Shutting down the most profitable parts of Fugaku's lifetime achievement. If it hadn't been for his hard work we'd have been reduced to commoners!"
"I'm rather a commoner than a criminal" Itachi replied.
Mikoto strode up to him and slapped him, it wasn't very hard but the sting on Itachi's cheek felt heavy like lead.
"Calling your father a criminal, how dare you?" Mikoto hissed, her eyes suddenly more alive than they'd been for a long time. "And Sasuke!" she continued. "What has he been doing all this time? Acting so difficult, then running off to fraternize with gays. He's a disgrace to the family!"
"Well, from what I heard he doesn't really consider himself a part of this family anymore."
Itachi only murmured those words, but they made the wispy clouds of silence return full force, now hanging heavy in the air as if weighted down by them. They could hear the faint sounds of their guests, moving around in the room next to them. Mikoto had frozen, her eyes glassy as she replayed the conversation she'd had with the son that always caused her such grief.
"He didn't mean that" she said, but she didn't sound as convincing as she wanted to. She turned to look at the painting hanging on the wall behind her, as if seeking strength in the subdued colors depicting the view of the city from their house during wintertime. "He didn't" she mumbled again.
Itachi looked at her frail form, as if seeing how small she actually was for the first time. She was only a human, a human that happened to be his mother, but he couldn't help but silently side with Sasuke. Itachi was the kind of person who put family first, but if he had to choose between his parents and Sasuke… then the choice was easy.
"I'm doomed to a life without grandchildren aren't I" Mikoto suddenly whispered. "I put all my hopes in Sasuke, but he failed me as well."
She sighed, shaking her head slowly, then turned to look at Itachi again.
"You never complained about my choice of wife, but it's hardly my fault she doesn't want children." Itachi tried to sound accusing, but his voice betrayed him, hinting at the deep sadness he carried within.
"What she wants is of no importance."
"That's enough!" Itachi finally had enough and raised his voice, letting his calm mask slip for a second to reveal how angry he actually was. "Sasuke is right in leaving us behind, and if I had half the strength he possesses I would too, but I'm too indoctrinated by you and father." Itachi sounded bitter, glaring at his mother who now faced him in shock. "I'm going home, have fun entertaining your guests."
With that he turned on his heel and walked gracefully out of the room, straight into the hallway to go demand his coat from the butler positioned there, but almost bumped into Sakura as he turned a corner.
"Oh, I'm sorry Itachi" she said, and when he nodded she started walking, the same destination in mind as him.
"You're leaving?" Itachi asked, in control of himself once again.
"I can't stand the atmosphere anymore, I'm going to puke if I hear another stupid comment about my father's business or clumsily disguised attempts to find out more about what happened between me and Sasuke."
She grimaced, twinning a strand of her actually quite artfully curled hair between her fingers. They accepted their coats from the butler, and waited for a taxi to take them home, on Itachi's suggestion they shared one. Sitting in it on his way home to an empty apartment, Itachi sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was tired, and he found the faint sound of the driver's choice of radio station grating on his nerves. At least Sakura seemed to be in the same mood he was, and in shared silence they stared out of opposite windows, the familiar and unfamiliar parts of their city going by. He wondered idly if Sasuke would come into work on Monday, but shrugged those thoughts off quickly. Sasuke would come. And if not, Itachi would give him another week's vacation. And that was that.
~Line breaker~
It was two young men deep in thought that returned to their shared apartment later that night, having successfully managed to sneak out of the house without detection. Although, the butler in charge of their coats had probably let Mikoto know. Sasuke hadn't said much after returning from his chat with her, and Naruto would have been more worried if he hadn't felt so completely and utterly drained at the moment. It was as if his nerve system had used up its daily allowance of electricity, and now his body felt sluggish and unresponsive. Unfortunately his brain was on over-drive, going through different thoughts and scenarios too fast for Naruto to consciously understand. All he knew was that he was not going to fall asleep for a long time even if his body needed it. Entering the bedroom he placed his fingers around the first button on his suit jacket, but then paused, a fleeting memory surfacing in his brain. He turned to Sasuke, who stood still just looking at him.
"Didn't you say tonight could only end happy since we were going to have sex in the end?"
Sasuke showed no facial expression at first, then seemed to take in what Naruto had said and raised an eyebrow.
"I did say that didn't I? But it's fine if you're too tired."
Naruto shrugged and raised his gaze to the ceiling, rocking back and forth on his heels, hands behind his head. Then he looked at Sasuke again, flashing him a brief smile.
"Uchiha Sasuke voluntarily skipping out on sex? I never thought I'd live to see the day."
Sasuke snorted and walked over to the blond, taking a hold of the hem of his jacket with both hands, tugging at it and watching Naruto with unreadable eyes.
"No, you thought you'd get barbequed if I remember correctly."
"Well, it was a close call. When they entered with that roast beef I swear I saw a girl a few seats down telling her friend it should have been me instead."
Sasuke shook his head and finally quirked a corner of his lips, letting his tense shoulders relax a bit and leaning his forehead against Naruto's. He'd stepped closer, barely a hand's width between them, and they both closed their eyes and sighed. Naruto put his hands over Sasuke's, simply holding them there and rubbing his thumbs over the smooth skin. They stood like that for a few minutes, just breathing and slowly letting go of the feeling that they needed to watch every step they made.
"Sasuke?" Naruto then whispered, breaking the silence.
"Mm" Sasuke mumbled, showing he was listening.
"Fuck me in front of the mirror, wearing the suits?"
Naruto could feel Sasuke stilling and how his heartbeat sped up, grinning at the reaction he caused.
"Che, only you could turn me on when I'm feeling like this."
Sasuke leaned back and opened his eyes, the opposite blue ones already open and watching him affectionately. He snorted and started walking backwards, pulling Naruto with him with the hold he still had on his jacket. He slowly let his eyes trail over Naruto's form, the suit snug in all the right places, and the appreciative smirk he gave his boyfriend inspired a blush and a hesitant smile in return. Walking through the door Naruto had left open earlier he pulled Naruto closer to him, the blond almost stepping on his feet but refusing to break eye contact while trying to regain his balance. Sasuke stopped when they were maybe two steps away from their reflections and walked around Naruto, coming up behind him and putting his arms around his stomach. He kissed the side of Naruto's throat, meeting his eyes in the mirror, a small smile on his lips as he started dragging his fingers lightly up and down the blond's chest. He felt the stomach muscles clench, Naruto inhaled sharply through his nostrils and shivered when Sasuke snuck both hands underneath the jacket to scratch lightly on his lower belly through the fabric of his shirt.
Naruto's arms hung limp along his body, and Sasuke moved his hands from the warmth underneath the jacket to trace them both, wrists to shoulders, and then down again, squeezing both of his hands in his. Naruto bit his lower lip, squeezing back and leaning his head back onto Sasuke's shoulder at the feel of those hands gliding down his hips and rubbing his thighs through the dress pants. They were both starting to warm up, the chill of the night air they'd felt walking from the taxi to the front door long forgotten. Sasuke could see Naruto enjoying how his hands started to caress every part of his body they could reach, and he couldn't really remember what he'd had against mirrors before. His breathing quickened as he saw the bulge slowly forming inside the dark blue pants, and he unbuttoned Naruto's jacket to see it better. He rubbed Naruto's nipples through the fabric of the white shirt he wore underneath, and kissed his cheek when a low moan could be heard.
"Naruto" he breathed into a tan ear that flushed pink at hearing the sensual whisper, and Sasuke slowly unbuttoned Naruto's shirt as well.
He let the tips of his fingers brush against Naruto's skin as he worked on the small buttons, and Naruto shivered again. He could see hands gripping into the fabric of blue pants, twisting them as Sasuke brushed over nipples as well. Sucking lightly on Naruto's pulse he embraced him again, pulling him close against himself, scratching Naruto's sides with his nails and feeling his body shudder stronger than before. Naruto released low moans that barely slipped past his lips, and Sasuke was even quieter. With every movement, every caress, Sasuke tried to convey the feelings he couldn't put into words to Naruto.
A lick over the mark he'd made on Naruto's throat, saying: I want to treat you with care.
A palm flat against his stomach, resting there and feeling him breathe in and out, saying: I want to feel you close to me.
Hands moving over his chest, counting his ribs and thumbs flicking nipples causing another quiet groan, saying: I want to memorize every part of you.
Fingers unbuttoning his trousers, reaching for his growing erection, tracing it with his fingers before pulling it out into the open air and stroking it, saying: I want you to feel good.
Naruto could feel all that, his breath hitching with every new emotion passed through to him, every breath fanning his skin causing shivers. The only thing he could hear was the dull sound of his heart beating in his chest, speeding up every time Sasuke changed the position of his hands, and starting to pump for real once his length was allowed to join in. He opened his eyes to look in the mirror, barely recognizing the image of himself. Who was that person, so pleasantly flushed, with lustful blue eyes that conveyed such a wide array of emotions? He felt as if his body and mind had separated, physical feelings only sensed through a haze, Sasuke's hand on him sending vague sparks of arousal via his spine into the rest of his body. As if the connection to his brain had somehow been cut off and his nerves now only sent impulses on reflex. He watched Sasuke's other hand moving up along his chest again, two fingers pinching his left nipple and then rolling it between them, causing his chest to arch into Sasuke's touch, his hips already thrusting to gain more friction. Sasuke was peppering the underside of his chin with kisses, and the clouded look in his own eyes watching himself react to all this somehow lessened the confusion in his mind. The silent whispers accompanying the raven's touches rang in his mind like church bells, and his hands were gripping Sasuke's arms tightly, trying to hold on because his knees were close to giving out on him. When Sasuke started grinding on him, his groin pressing into his ass, Naruto couldn't hold back the gasp and whimper that followed it. He clenched his eyes shut, turning his head to press his nose into the neck of the pale man so effortlessly stripping him of all his defenses. Too late he realized what was happening, and he lost his breath once he did as if someone had punched him in the gut.
Naruto was a person usually seen as open, embracing everything and showing his emotions freely. But that was only the first layer of his heart, the part he allowed people to see. Further inside, in the dark and hidden part of his soul, he had locked away the parts even he himself preferred not to think about. Hurt and sadness being the two prominent things, and now he could feel Sasuke cracking the walls of his locked up experiences, slowly and steadily pounding on the walls with every little thing he did, every word he said, and had done and said the past weeks. Naruto was cracking underneath the strength of his emotions, and the knowledge screamed at him inside his head, his body shaking in equal amounts of fear and pleasure. When had Sasuke reached this point? Naruto had never let anyone inside so deeply, showed himself so defenseless, so weak, but Sasuke just kept going awfully unaware of the mess Naruto felt himself to be in at this moment.
Sasuke turned him around, pushing them both up against the mirror, he could feel it hitting the wall behind, and the kissing that followed forced every thought out of his straining brain. Sasuke was moving his lips slowly but surely, so certain of Naruto's place in his life, one hand still pumping him and the other reaching around to rub a dry finger against his entrance. Naruto had thrown his arms around Sasuke's neck without noticing, desperately trying to push him closer, to feel him better, the buttons on Sasuke's jacket chafing at the skin on his chest. All sounds drowned out, his loud moaning not acknowledged by his ears. His whole body felt as if it was trembling, the pressure of Sasuke's body on his creating goose bumps everywhere, his toes were curling and he wasn't even close to coming yet. Sasuke caressed his cheek and then separated their mouths, nudging his fingertips against Naruto's wet and swollen lips, and it took a few seconds for Naruto's dazed mind to understand what Sasuke wanted. Once he did he opened his mouth to coat the fingers with his saliva, his eyes watching Sasuke on half-mast, the raven groaning at the erotic sight of his tongue swirling around them. Sasuke mumbled something, panting, but Naruto couldn't hear him. When the fingers were deemed wet enough Sasuke let go of his dick as well and gripped his ass with his dry hand, pressing heavily into the blond, pushing two fingers inside and disintegrating any resistance still lingering in Naruto's dizzy mind. Sasuke's mouth was all over his neck and shoulder, his jacket and shirt had slid off and now clung to one side. The fingers pushing in and out of him felt great, and Naruto wanted to grind against them but his body was stuck underneath Sasuke's, who was now pressing closer to him, so much closer it was getting hard to breathe almost. He threw his head back into the mirror, shivering at the feel of a wet tongue tracing the shell of his ear, Sasuke was grinding his still clad erection against Naruto's naked one and the friction was heavenly.
The way Naruto squirmed and moaned against him, showing him so eagerly what Sasuke's touches did to him had the raven going crazy with want. He pushed in a third finger as well, making sure to spread the tight ring of muscle and also hit Naruto's prostate, because the moans he received at doing that had his head pounding with the blood rushing through it. He pressed open-mouthed kisses on every part of skin he could reach, alternating between using his tongue and lips, and occasionally his teeth so that the marks would linger. His whole body was pulsing with the feel of Naruto, his senses focusing solely on the task of pleasuring the man between himself and the blank surface he was pressed up against. The blond was tugging at his hair, impatiently, and Sasuke was more than ready to take it to the next level. He took a step back, pushing the blond down, apologizing when Naruto with a surprised gasp pretty much fell onto the floor. He recovered quickly though, eagerly grabbing a hold of Sasuke's pants and forcing them down, almost ripping them in the process. Then he took Sasuke in his mouth, his saliva once again having to work as substitute lube. Sasuke cradled his head with both hands, sucking in a shaky breath and biting the insides of his cheeks to stop himself from shouting out loud. His hands were trembling slightly, his stomach clenching and unclenching at the feel of that wonderful mouth lavishing him with attention. He tenderly made Naruto let go of him, helping him to get on his feet again, kissing him deeply when he met the needy look in his boyfriend's eyes before turning him around.
Naruto braced himself against the mirror with his forearms, gritting his teeth when Sasuke teased his opening with the head of his cock. He could feel his own length twitch in anticipation, and moaned shamelessly. He didn't want to think, only feel, and once Sasuke started thrusting into him he tried to abandon the thoughts swirling around in his head that he thought he'd managed to push away. It was the way Sasuke held one of his hands carefully in his own, their fingers intertwined, and his other arm around his stomach, the hand gripping his hip. It was the way Sasuke breathed on his neck and pressed his cheek against Naruto's skin, the contact feeling white-hot and making his skin glow. He opened his eyes briefly as he gasped due to a particularly hard thrust against his prostate, but he hurriedly closed them again and refused to open them no matter how hard Sasuke pushed inside him. The look in his eyes had been too full of raw emotions, displaying all the feelings he felt right now, not just the ones for Sasuke, but others too. His heart was beating painfully against his ribs, the surges of intensity rolling off of Sasuke being reflected in the mirror and hitting his chest made him want to fall into a heap on the floor. It was a good thing Sasuke held him up, the muscles in his arm tensed and feeling hard against Naruto's shivering stomach. The raven wasn't even trying to follow some sort of rhythm, his thrusting almost animalistic, burning inside Naruto, and he sped up suddenly, tremors of Naruto's impending orgasm already moving throughout his sore body. Naruto was tired, so so tired, and the pleasure he felt loosened up the last knots tied around his inner turmoil. He shut his eyes against the world hard, and gritted his teeth to keep his body under control. But Sasuke was driving into him, his thrusts matching the blows working on that locked box that was now pretty much wide open, and Naruto released with a low cry, fingers digging into the glass and his body shuddering violently. Sasuke followed soon after, and Naruto buried his face in his arms and wept as he let go of everything, his shoulders shaking and his breaths coming in gasps. All the tension that had built up during the day, all his worries and fears and doubts about the future released in one violent outburst of tears. He felt Sasuke's arm holding him tightly, the hand intertwined with his squeezing it almost too hard. He let his body erupt and shake, his tears streaming down his face and arms uninterrupted, the salty taste invading his mouth. He sniveled and felt snot running out of his nose, and he didn't want to think about how horrible he must look right now, and all the time Sasuke just held him so carefully and lovingly. It wasn't until he was calming down, drying his nose on the arm of his jacket and hiccupping a little, that he noticed it.
Sasuke had been crying too.
And the tears leaving Sasuke to fall on Naruto's shoulder, running down past his collar bone and disappearing down his chest, told Naruto something profound.
For you, because of you, and only you.
Wow, so many things happened in this chapter... What do you think? And to think I updated so many times this week, what happened to school? I need to shape upx)
