Edited for content (barely, just two sentences). Full version on y-gal.
The alarm went off at 4 a.m. on a Monday, and Naruto swore into the pillow. Sasuke threw back the covers and turned off the alarm. Quietly, he got out of the bed, opened a few drawers, and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Naruto heard the shower start, but a few minutes later, he was out again, snoring.
He woke when he felt a kiss on his cheek. "My ride's here," Sasuke said, his voice hushed and gentle.
Naruto rolled over, half-glaring when Sasuke abruptly laughed. "What?" he asked grumpily. "It's the hair, isn't it? It's always gonna look like this in the morning, you don't have to always laugh at it."
"I'm not going to see you for a whole week, and you're going to be a grouch before I leave?"
Naruto whined and threw his arms around him, bringing Sasuke down on top of him with a surprised 'oof.'
"Don't leave me, Sasuke!" He twisted back and forth, groaning dramatically. "We haven't been apart before! What will I do?"
"Probably the same thing you do with me here? Eat all my food and play my video games."
"Ah, yeah, that does sound good. See ya later!"
"Jerk," murmured Sasuke before he took Naruto's face in his hands and kissed him deeply, his hand gliding over Naruto's chest and stomach. "Will you miss me?" he asked, his voice gruff when he spoke against Naruto's lips.
Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck. "Yeah."
Sasuke gave him another peck. "Good. I'll call you when I get there, okay?"
"Mm. Alright. Bring me somethin' cool from Austin." He pushed his fingers through the messy, spiked up hair at the back. "You're doin' your hair in that cool way today, huh? So stylish. Show off." Naruto pulled at it. "Let me know if anyone comes on to you because if I have to, I will fly down there and kill them."
Sasuke laughed outright. "I think that would be an abuse of frequent flyer miles."
"Yeah, well..."
Sasuke leaned in and kissed him a few more times. "I'm not going to miss your morning breath..."
"Shut up. You'll miss everything about me the instant you're out of this room."
Sasuke kissed him on the forehead and, reluctantly, got out of bed. "Okay, I'm leaving. Go back to bed."
Naruto frowned, watching him as he zipped his suitcase and threw the backpack over his shoulder.
Sasuke opened the bedroom door, giving him one last look. "Goodbye."
"Bye, Sasuke," replied Naruto before the door closed quietly again.
Unconsciously holding his breath, he waited until the front door of the apartment shut. Almost immediately after, he heard Ollie meowing at the bedroom door as obviously he seemed wise that his master was going somewhere without him and not returning for a while. Sighing, Naruto got out from under the warm covers and let Ollie into the room. He got back into bed, and Ollie, mewing questioningly, hopped up beside him, sniffing at Sasuke's pillow before lying on top of it. Seeing the empty space made him feel kind of sad already. Sasuke was only in Texas for a week, but after about six weeks of dating, they hadn't ever really been... separated for more than a day or two. It was... sort of odd. Not that big of a deal, but just... odd. Since he was used to Sasuke's constant company - more than a best friend, but like... a constant companion. He reached over and rubbed Ollie's head. The cat opened its eyes to slits, purring contentedly.
"He'll be back soon," he told Ollie.
It took him a while as he tried to get comfortable again, tossing and turning for what seemed like forever, but eventually by around 5.45 he was able to fall asleep.
Naruto was already at work by the time Sasuke called to let him know the plane had landed, pretty much on schedule and that he and his colleagues were going to head for lunch and then try to check into the hotel they were all staying at together.
"Is it hot there?" he asked, leaning the phone against his shoulder as he searched through a file cabinet for a certain folder.
"It's in the 70s."
Naruto groaned. "Sounds nice. I can't wait for warmer weather around here. I'm dyin' to take you out on the boat."
"What are your plans for tonight?" Sasuke asked.
"Hm. Dunno. Ino's workin' today so she said somethin' about hanging out. There might be some other people besides her, me, and Kiba."
"You have friends otherthan Kiba and Ino?"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, y'know I do. You just haven't met any of them yet."
"I have to go soon, Naruto."
"Alright." Naruto found the file of invoices he was looking for and shut the drawer. "Don't have too much fun without me."
"It's all work, so I probably won't. Want me to call you later or will you be busy with your hordes of invisible friends?"
Naruto ignored the jab. "If you want. Don't feel like you haveto if you're gonna be busy. S'fine."
"Naruto?"
"Hm?"
"Don't forget to feed Ollie."
"Pssht. I won't. He's practically like a son to me," he said.
"I'm not even going to touch that for now," replied Sasuke.
"First time I've heard you say that before."
Sasuke chuckled. "You know," his voice went more quiet, like he might've been around other people, "Me being away would be a good opportunity for phone sex."
"Ha!" Naruto leaned against the desk, hitting the folder against his leg. "You wish, and don't you have someone you're supposed to share a room with? I think that'd be a little uncomfortable for them."
"I'll wait until they leave then."
"Go do some work, Sasuke."
"Fine. I'll call you later, Naruto."
"Okay, bye."
They hung up, and Naruto was shaking his head, aware that he was smiling.
"Naruto, did you find that damn invoice yet? What's taking you so long?"
He turned around, and Ino was standing in the doorway. "Yeah, s'right here." He waved it at her, and she snatched it from him.
"You look happy. Did something good happen?" she asked, tugging at the hoop in her left ear.
"Just Sasuke callin' to tell me his plane landed in Austin."
"Everything okay?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yep. All's good."
"When does he get back?"
"Sunday."
"Oh." She smiled coyly. "That's a long time. Do you think you two will be okay without each other?"
"Please," he said. "We're not that sappy. It's only a week. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that."
Ino raised her eyebrow, humming dubiously at him. "Well, at least that means we can all hang out again. I swear since the two of you have been dating, you've become like those girls who can never do anything without their boyfriend."
Naruto frowned. "Hey. First of all, not a girl," he pointed at his crotch and Ino rolled her eyes. "Second of all, we've done stuff together. We had lunch with Sasuke, what, a month ago? And you and I have hang out at work. Kiba hangs out with us all the time."
"Awfully defensive, aren't we?" she said, tapping her finger against her cheek. "I was only kidding. I thought tonight, though, we could go to my place. We can order pizza. It'll be like old times. We can even have a board game night, wouldn't that be fun?"
"Uh, yeah. I love... board games."
"Fine. Bring your stupid PS3!"
"Alright." He grinned. "Wanna grab lunch together today, too?"
"Really? Yeah, I'd love to! We haven't done that in a while, have we?"
"Nope. I'll even pay."
"Ooh, like a date!" she teased. "Won't Sasuke be jealous?"
"Heh. I imagine he'll be fine considering he'll be hangin' out with famous musicians and all those good looking people he works with."
"Really," she wrinkled her nose. "That sucks. I can imagine that everyone he works with is as attractive as he is. But at least you don't have to worry about the women? And I'm sure not allthe men are gay."
Naruto slid past her through the door. "Thanks, Ino. That made me feel a lot better," he said sarcastically.
Later that night, Ino, Kiba, Naruto, and their other friends Lee, Neji, and TenTen were hanging out in Ino's living room. The group - Lee especially - was a fair amount tipsy, maybe even bordering on obnoxiously drunk, and it was only 9 p.m. There were empty and half-empty pizza boxes on the table alongside bowls of Doritos and cheesy poofs. Neji and TenTen were (very) close together on the couch, apparently in deep conversation with one another. Kiba and Lee were playing an intense game of Jenga on the coffee table, Kiba doing his best to fuck with Lee, and Lee going on about strategies on how to keep the pile from falling over.
Naruto and Ino were in front of the TV, playing Dance Party 3 on the Wii. Naruto was nearly out of breath after three songs.
"Holy shit, this is harder than it looks," he said.
Ino, on the other hand (because she had a dancing and cheerleading background) could do all the moves perfectly and was positively crushinghim with every round.
"You look like such an idiot, Naruto, just so y'know," said Kiba, watching them. "What would Sasuke say?"
Naruto was busy having to spin around in time with the Rock Party Anthem guy. "He'd say that y'need to shut up and make sure Lee doesn't spill that cup of beer all over the carpet."
"Ah, Naruto," said Lee. "When are you going to introduce me to this new friend of yours that I keep hearing about?"
"Uh..." Was all Naruto managed to get out before he had to do another complicated move that had him nearly tripping over his own feet.
"Naruto's probably afraid that you'll embarrass him what with those," Kiba pointed rudely, "Weird eyebrows of yours. They'd scare anybody away."
Naruto glanced over his shoulder. "That's not true, Lee. You can meet Sasuke whenever you want to."
"Good, because any friend of yours is a friend of ours, and we should welcome him with open arms to the family," replied Lee enthusiastically.
"Shut up and pull out your stick," growled Kiba.
"Ha, that's what she said!" shouted Naruto, and Ino swatted him on the back of the head with the hand notholding the Wii remote, thank goodness. There was a crash behind them and apparently Lee lost. The blocks scattered across the glass and onto the carpet.
"Alright, my turn!" Kiba got up to take Ino's place, pulling some ridiculous stretching moves.
"So pushy," she said, smiling at him, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to get a bottle of water? Anyone need anything?"
"Nope," answered Kiba and Naruto. Lee and TenTen said "no thanks." Neji was still busy telling TenTen about some recent investment he'd made, and how it was generating interest at a 10 percent higher rate than most CDs.
"Y'know, Neji," said Kiba, "I don't think I've ever known someone who, when they drink, can become even more boring than they are sober."
Neji answered by throwing a pillow at his head and carrying on with his conversation. TenTen didn't seem to mind anyway and actually looked interested. Even Lee took a seat next to Neji and joined in, asking one question after another. Neji patiently answered all of them.
Naruto chuckled as he picked out their next song. "Doesn't this guy look like Chief Illiniwick?" he asked, choosing the Apache (Jump On It)song by the Sugar Hill Gang.
"Ha, yeah it totally does, that's hilarious! I miss that guy."
"Yeah, well apparently it was too racist for some people," said Naruto.
Ino returned from the kitchen. "You realize I have to record this, don't you?"
Naruto looked over and saw that she had his phone out and was pointing it in their direction.
"I don't mind showin' off my skills," he said, moving his hands in sync with the guy on the screen.
"Is that what y'call skills?" remarked Kiba, though he was probably the drunkest one here, and it showed. He hit Naruto in the arm at least three times with the Wii remote while he was dancing, but Naruto couldn't do much but laugh even when it hurt like hell. When they turned in circles, they were going in opposite directions (Naruto was the one doing it wrong).
Ino laughed behind them. "This is hilarious. I'm sending this to Sasuke, by the way."
"Ah great," he said. "You realize he may get kicked out of the gay club if they find out he has a boyfriend who can't dance."
"Ha ha." Kiba laughed hysterically, like it was the funniest joke he'd ever heard in his life.
"So Naruto," he heard Neji ask, "Just what is it like to go from heterosexual to homosexual?"
"Uuuh," he kept flailing his arms up in the air and then down toward the carpet, "It's... not that bad actually."
"Well, good for you," he said. "You haven't had anyone give you problems yet, have you?"
"Nah, not really. Not anyone in my close circle anyway. I can see why some people are surprised but," he shrugged. "I like Sasuke. Can't help it."
"It's true," said Kiba. "You should see them together, Neji. They're like a goddam newly wed couple. Sasuke's cool, though. In fact, I'd say he's outta Naruto's league."
Naruto "accidentally" whacked Kiba in the back.
"Hey, asshole, that hurt!" cried Kiba.
"Hand slipped," said Naruto.
"We'd love to meet him some time," TenTen said excitedly. "Ino says that he's super hot and really sexy!"
Both Kiba and Naruto looked at Ino.
"What?" she said, not apologetic or ashamed in the slightest. "He ishot and sexy!"
"Should we be worried?" Kiba asked Naruto.
"Definitely not," replied Naruto. "He's very gay. Trust me."
"Oh, he's texted you back, Naruto!" Ino giggled. "What should I say in reply?"
"What did he say?" he asked, smirking. The song was over. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and went to grab the phone from her to read the text.
Very nice. Try not to break a hip, idiot
Naruto chuckled and brought the phone with him to the couch, where he sat beside Lee. Ino took his place in front of the TV and made an attempt at instructing Kiba on how to dance properly, which led to them shouting at each other and arguing over which song to do next.
He texted Sasuke. i think u of all people should know i'm fairly flexible
It was about a minute before he got a reply: Don't tease. I have to introduce a new band we're representing, and I don't think the microphone is wide enough to hide a hard on
Naruto laughed. Lee glanced over. "What's so funny?"
"Ah, just textin' with Sasuke. He says I'm givin' him a boner." He texted back something dirty just to spite his boyfriend.
"That's... wonderful!" cried Lee.
"Too much information," said Neji. "By the way, did I tell you Hinata will be in town on Wednesday?"
"Oh, wow, really?" he said, his phone vibrating again. "I haven't seen your cousin, since, I dunno. High school? What's she up to? Why's she comin' home?"
"One of her best friends from high school is getting married on Friday, so she flew in from San Diego."
"Ah, is that where she's at now? I didn't know that."
"Aren't you two Facebook friends?" asked Kiba, who sounded out of breath already. "Since you two were so closein high school."
"No... we're not," he answered, his brow furrowing. "Or, well, she hasn't sent me a request. I haven't thought about her in years."
"Well, I think she wanted me to let you know she'd be in town. I'm sure she'd like to catch up with you. I didn't mention to her you were dating a man though. She is delicate, after all, as I'm sure you remember."
He heard Kiba snort. Naruto read Sasuke's new message and his face went red.
"Uh... sure," he said distractedly. "Maybe she and I can do lunch."
"I'll let her know," said Neji. "Should we leave you to your sexting?"
Naruto didn't hear him. He was too busy returning Sasuke's series of very...flirtatious texts.
Tuesday passed by without much fanfare other than he, Kiba, and Ino didn't feel so hot at work today. He'd passed out on Ino's couch. Ino and Kiba had slept in the bedroom. Neji and TenTen left together and Lee was buried under a pile of blankets on the floor, curled up in a ball. But in the morning, they'd all had breakfast together. Naruto helped Ino make pancakes, eggs, and bacon for everyone. Kiba had been too busy throwing up into the toilet.
After work, Naruto went to Sasuke's apartment to feed Ollie and pay him some attention. He was doing something on the computer when his phone rang and - thinking it was Sasuke - picked it up without looking at the ID.
"Hey," he said, "Thought you were gonna be busy tonight, douche."
"U-um, is this... is this Naruto? Hi. Th-this is Hinata."
Naruto swallowed a swear. "I am so sorry, Hinata! I thought you were someone else! God, I'm such an idiot. I'm really sorry. I'd never call you a douche!"
Hinata laughed on the other end. "I figured you didn't know it was me. How are you? Neji said he saw you last night, and he gave me your number. I hope that's alright?"
"Sure, that's great. He said you're comin' into town tomorrow? You're going to a wedding?"
"Yes. Do you remember Shino? He's getting married! Isn't that exciting?"
"Wow, Shino's getting married? That's... crazy." Naruto dragged his finger across the space bar and then spun the chair around. He saw Ollie in the doorway, staring at him. He made a come hither gesture to the cat, but he turned around and ran away.
Hinata's laughter was warm and soft in his ear. "I know. He was so shy in high school, wasn't he?"
"He was," said Naruto. "But, so were you!"
"I know. I was so shy back then, but I've gotten better!"
"Is that so? Well, then I'm proud. I always knew you were just a late bloomer."
"Thank you. I'm sure you're busy, but I was wondering if we could get together tomorrow for dinner? Or coffee is fine if that's too much of a bother for you? There's something I'd like to ask you."
Naruto spun around in the chair again, raking a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's cool. I'm pretty free this week, I guess. So we can do dinner orcoffee. Whatever you want. We could probably even do both!"
"Okay, great. I'll give you a call tomorrow. My plane gets in early. Naruto?"
"Hm?"
"I'm r-really excited to see you! It's been too long. I feel so bad for not keeping in contact with you."
Naruto frowned at the computer screen. "It's just as much my fault. It's easy to lose touch with everyone as they start moving around and doing their own thing. I'll probably be here forever though. Y'know me."
"I think I'd be rather happy to find you haven't changed much. I'll talk to you tomorrow then. Goodbye."
"Bye, Hinata." He set the phone on the desk, staring at it, thinking about high school and the Hinata he remembered - her dark hair cut short in a bob, the way she used to stutter and blush so terribly whenever she got nervous, but he also remembered her as being incredibly kind, especially after he'd lost his Mom and had started acting like a punk. She used to get bullied by some of the older girls, and he remembered once or twice he had to step in and tell them to back off. He was pretty sure they were just jealous since Neji and Hinata were somewhat well off, and Hinata had always been pretty. She'd just never stood out, really, which is probably why he hadn't thought about her in years. He wondered what she wanted to ask him.
A few minutes later and his phone went off again. This time it was Sasuke.
"Hey," he answered happily.
"You sound like you're in a good mood."
"I am now." He leaned back in the chair, looking at the ceiling. It was good just to hear Sasuke's voice. "What's up? Havin' a good time? I thought you'd be out doin' work things."
"I am doing work things, but I saw this moron dancing in front of the main stage like an idiot and thought of you."
He snorted. "You're so nice to me, have I ever told you that?"
"I know. You're spoiled. How was your day?"
"Pretty bad at first. We were all hungover, but then Ino and I made breakfast. We went to work, and now I'm home, but I think Ollie is upset. He may have abandonment issues."
"He'll get over it," said Sasuke, not sounding too concerned.
Naruto tapped his fingers on the chair arm. "Ah, I did have an old friend from high school call right before you. She wants to have dinner or coffee tomorrow. Says she has somethin' to ask me."
"Oh? So you're going to take this woman I've never heard you mention before toourStarbuck's?"
Naruto grinned. "No. I thought we could just get coffee wherever we have dinner."
"Hm."
"C'mon, Sasuke. It's not like that. I haven't seen her in five years, and she's flyin' in for a wedding. I know the groom, too. We all went to high school together... he used to be such a weirdo. If that guy can get married, even I- " He paused.
"What?" asked Sasuke, apparently amused. "Not going to finish that statement?"
"Er," he scratched the back of his neck. "So, the weather's still good?"
"Yes. It's still hot. Still dry. Still Republican."
"I enjoyed our texting session last night," he said, lowering his voice, "Although I have to admit I was a bit drunk, so I reread them this morning."
"I might've had a few myself, but, yes, I also reread our conversation this morning, and then in the afternoon, and maybe ten minutes before I called you."
Naruto bit his bottom lip. "Miss me yet?"
"Very much so. I'd gotten used to having you around."
"Same."
"Maybe after your date tomorrow, you and I can have our own phone date?"
The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched into a smile. "Yeah? What sorta phone date?"
"Oh, I don't know. Don't you have any ideas?"
"I can think of a few... yeah."
"Are you at my place now?"
"I am," he said, running his fingers across his stomach.
"Where at?"
"In your room."
"Probably not in bed though, right?" Sasuke asked in that voice he always used when he was trying to turn Naruto on.
"No... in the chair. In front of the computer."
"What are you wearing?"
"Sasuke," he said, feeling his face heat up.
"It's just a question. I want to make sure you're wearing something warm. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."
"Yeah, I bet." Naruto laughed. "Well, I dunno how late I'll be, but yeah. Phone date."
"Mm. I'm looking forward to it and to hearing the details about your... dinner."
"Right, like you're worried," said Naruto.
"Is she pretty?" Sasuke asked cautiously.
"Who? Hinata? I dunno. Like I said, haven't seen her in ages."
"Was she pretty in high school?"
"I guess so, yeah, but she was super shy. She'd practically faint every time I talked to her or touched her, but she was a good girl."
"I see." Sasuke didn't sound convinced. "You two never dated, did you?"
"What! No. Sheesh, Sasuke."
"Alright. I have to go, but I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay. Night."
Sasuke hung up. Naruto drew the phone away from his ear slowly, half flattered that Sasuke was acting jealous. It's not as if it had been easy for Naruto to let Sasuke go out of town for a week either. Didn't people hang out at festivals all half-naked, getting drunk, doing drugs? But, it wasn't like that with them. He trusted Sasuke completely, although he almost sort of wished he'd gone with him, but he didn't want to distract Sasuke from his work.
After a while, he shut down Sasuke's computer and went out to the living room to play some BioShock. Ollie was on the window sill and barely acknowledged him when he entered the room.
"Sunday," he told Ollie. "He'll be back Sunday."
It was Wednesday, and Naruto was running about 10 minutes late in meeting Hinata at a nicer restaurant downtown. When he got there, he apologized for making her wait, though she said she'd only just arrived. She looked... very different than what he remembered. She had on a very pale lavender dress with thin straps, that left her shoulders obscenely bare. He was always used to her covering up more. Her hair was no longer short in a bob, but long, nearly to her waist, and she seemed much more confident and personable, though still rather soft spoken. Makeup, too. He didn't remember her as wearing much makeup in high school, but she had on eye shadow, blush, and some pink gloss on her lips.
He said exactly what he was thinking.
"You look really great, Hinata."
She blushed and thanked him. He put a hand to the small of her back as the host showed them to their table. They ordered a couple of drinks and started talking about people and events that had happened in high school. Hinata caught him up on what had been going on in her life, and he told her that he was working for his Dad, of course, and alongside Kiba and Ino. They spoke about college up until their meals arrived, and then she started talking about Shino and the wedding.
"That reminds me," he said. "You had something to ask me?"
"Well," she started, dabbing her lips with the cloth napkin, "I know this is short notice, but I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to the wedding?"
"What, like, as a date?" he blurted, perhaps a little too loudly because Hinata glanced around the room as if embarrassed.
"N-no. I thought just as f-friends. But I'm sort of nervous to go alone, and you knew Shino, too, so I thought - "
Naruto watched her turn into a stuttering, blushing mess and felt guilty he hadn't been more tactful. "Um. I mean, yeah... what's Neji doing?"
She fidgeted with her napkin. "He said he didn't want to go. He wasn't very fond of Shino, but I don't know why. If you don't want to go, it's okay," her eyes looked everywhere but at him, "I won't be offended."
Naruto blew out a resigned breath. "No. I'll go. I mean, yeah. It shouldn't be a problem, and it is sorta awkward to go to weddings alone, isn't it?"
"Really? Thank you very much, Naruto. I'll try not to be much of a burden."
"Please, it's no burden for a guy to escort a beautiful woman to a wedding." He smiled. She smiled back at him, and because she looked so genuinely happy, he felt confident he'd made the right decision. "Guess that means I'll need to find a suit, eh?"
Two hours later, and Naruto was back at Sasuke's apartment. He hadn't heard from Sasuke yet, so he went about cleaning out the litter box and giving Ollie some more water. He walked into the living room and, after taking a seat on the couch, flipped through the channels, but there wasn't much on. Finally, his phone rang.
"Hey, Sasuke!"
"How was your date?"
He muted the TV. "It wasn't a date! Would you cut that out?"
"Fine. How was dinner?"
"It was good. We caught up on stuff," he paused to bite his lip, "But…"
"But…?" Sasuke questioned when he didn't finish.
"It's not a big deal," he said, suddenly anxious, "But she asked if I'd go to the wedding with her this Friday."
"Wait. You said yes?"
"Of course, I said yes! She said she didn't have anyone else to go with and since I know the guy, it seemed alright. I wasn't gonna let her go alone. It woulda made me seem like an asshole."
"Right," said Sasuke dryly, "Because it wouldn't make you look like an assholeto your boyfriend by agreeing to go with her. You realize that most people bring significant others as dates to weddings, right?"
"Sasuke," he said, annoyed. "I made it clear to her we were just goin' as friends."
"Did you? How?"
"I asked if it was a date, and she said no, that we were just goin' as friends."
"Did you tell her you were seeing someone?"
Naruto didn't answer right away.
"I'll take your lack of answer as proof that you didn't. Jesus, Naruto."
"It didn't come up, okay? We haven't talked in years, and I didn't know how to tactfully bring up the whole Hey, by the way, I'm dating a guy now. The girl already practically has a heart attack whenever we talk, I didn't wanna freak her out."
"Right." Sasuke's tone was clipped.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't be like that."
"Don't be like what? Annoyed that you're going out with some woman who obviously has feelings for you, or that you didn't bother to mention you were seeing anyone?"
"Sasuke, c'mon, you're overreacting - "
"How would you feel if I went out with an ex-boyfriend, Naruto?"
"I'd rip yours and his heads off," he replied immediately. "But this is different- "
"How, how is it different?"
"It's not like I dated her, hell we didn't even sleeptogether."
There was an awkward silence between them for about a minute. Naruto felt frustrated and angry. Mostly because he knew himself and that nothing would ever happen between he and Hinata. Why didn't Sasuke understand that? And he couldn't go around blurting to everyonethat he was dating a guy. Some people just wouldn't understand. How was he in the wrong here? And this was supposed to be a nice conversation. He'd been looking forward to it all day. Obviously, he missed Sasuke like crazy, but apparently that wasn't enough.
"So much for phone sex, huh," he said, but it came out sounding more bitter than he'd intended.
"You've got that right," replied Sasuke. "We can talk about this when I get back, but I'm... really not happy about this, Naruto."
"Do you want me to call and cancel?"
"No. You told her you'd go, so you should go."
"Is this a test? Where I'm supposed to tell you that no, no I'm not gonna go, so it's fine?"
Sasuke sighed tiredly. "Listen. Do what you want. I've got work to do. I don't care if you go."
"Fine," he said stubbornly.
"Great, then I'll talk to you later."
Sasuke hung up on him.
Naruto stared at the phone, half in disbelief that Sasuke would hang up on him.
"Bastard."
Throughout Thursday, Naruto had tried to call and text Sasuke, but he didn't respond until late in the evening with a message that read:
Go to the wedding. We'll talk on Sunday. You can wear one of my suits if you need to.
It was Friday morning, and Naruto hadn't slept well at all. The wedding was at 4 p.m., and he'd be meeting Hinata at the church since she was apparently helping the groomsmen put on their boutonnières. He had tossed and turned, sometimes angry at himself, sometimes angry at Sasuke, and totally conflicted on whether he should follow through with his commitment to Hinata or cancel on her at the last minute. Finally, he got out of bed and took a shower. He shaved, watching his reflection in the mirror. He had dark bags under his eyes and wondered if he should apply some of that stuff Sasuke used to them to get the puffiness down. Afterward, he went into the bedroom and tugged on a pair of jeans.
Walking into the kitchen, he noticed Ollie's food bowl was full. He hadn't been eating very much since Sasuke left, but he would take a treat or two if Naruto offered it to him. Naruto poured himself some cereal and a cup of orange juice. He'd brought his phone with him and kept checking it every five seconds with the hope he'd hear something from Sasuke. He'd never really known Sasuke to be this pissed off at him before. Annoyed, yes. Angry... not so much.
On the one hand, he kind of got where Sasuke was coming from, but he hadn'tintentionally kept his love life from Hinata. It just hadn't come up, he guessed, even if they hadtalked about everything else. But did he really have to cancel on her? Is that what Sasuke wanted? He said Naruto should go, and he kind of felt that if he didn't, Sasuke might get mad about that, too, so, in the end, Naruto decided he'd go to the wedding and then on Sunday, he'd make it up to Sasuke somehow.
The week had gone by so slow, and he just...
He just wanted to talk to Sasuke.
"Fuck," he shouted and a few seconds later, Ollie appeared in the doorway, his tail high in the air and ears perked. Naruto got up from the stool and dumped the rest of his cereal into the disposal.
After another few more calls and texts that went unanswered, Naruto dressed in one of Sasuke's suits. It was probably expensive. It was dark blue, and he wore a light blue dress shirt underneath and tucked a matching handkerchief into the breast pocket. He borrowed one of Sasuke's watches, since the battery had died inhiswatch and he hadn't had time to get it changed out. It was weird seeing himself in the mirror, dressed up in one of Sasuke's suits. It didn't quite smell like him, but it certainly wasn't helping his mood much. He fixed his tie, tightening the knot, and then put some product in his hair to spike it up at the top. Grabbing his wallet and car keys, he went to the kitchen to check if Ollie had eaten, but he hadn't. So, before he left, Naruto gave him a few more treats and told him he'd be back later.
When he met up with Hinata at the back of the church, she, again, looked incredibly pretty. She wore a pale pink silk halter dress that had a band around the waist. The top of it, hugged her chest, almost like a corset. Her hair was straight and swept behind both of her shoulders, her bangs pinned to the side. The color of her dress really brought out the color of her eyes, and it occurred to him for a brief second, how stupid he was in high school not to have realized just how attractive she'd been. But, in his mind, as beautiful as he thought her to be, she could never compare to Sasuke because when he lookedat Sasuke he felt so many things at once - longing, contentment, excitement - and when he looked at Hinata, all he could think was that she seemed a very nice, very pretty young woman. When he tried to look at her the way he used to look at other women, he saw Sasuke's dark, magnetizing eyes and his cocky smirk.
Everything - his heart and body - reacted to that image and that image alone.
Still, though, he put on a happy face and sat with Hinata in the pew, making small talk until the organist started playing the Bridal Chorus and everyone got to their feet.
"Isn't she so pretty?" Hinata remarked, but it's not as if Naruto could see her very well through the veil.
He drifted off into his own thoughts once the priest told everyone to be seated. It suddenly occurred to him that should he ever have a desire to marry Sasuke, and it was just a fleeting thought, but if he wanted to, this church wouldn't have allowed it. It was oddly sad to him then, strange even, because for a time he had considered proposing to his ex-girlfriend before they had broken up. That relationship had left him cynical and a little emotionally insecure, but it was a match that would've been recognized here, but to marry someone who made him feel complete and like he could do anything he ever dreamt of so long as he had Sasuke's support - it wouldn't be accepted. It made him so furious for a second.
"Are you feeling okay?" Hinata whispered, touching his arm.
Naruto snapped out of it, reassuring her with a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. Apparently weddings make me emotional."
She nodded and smiled, her attention returning to the older woman at the podium, who was reading the typical passage from Genesis regarding the creation of Eve for Adam. Naruto had heard it several times before, but this time it bothered him. However, the second speaker who came up chose a passage from Corinthians:
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.
Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.
Once the wedding had ended and everyone had gone outside to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Shino Aburame, he and Hinata drove to the reception site, which wasn't all that far from the church. He was uncharacteristically quiet. He still hadn't heard from Sasuke, and he wanted to talk to him so badly that it was starting to hurt. It had become pretty difficult to hide from Hinata.
When they pulled into the parking lot and he turned off the car, it was obvious she knew something was wrong. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"You don't look very well, Naruto. You didn't look like you felt well through the ceremony either."
"Can I..." he gave a sigh. "Can I tell you something?"
"Yes, of course you can." She looked very worried for him.
"It's not anything bad," he said. "But I want to tell you I'm seeing someone."
"Oh." Hinata appeared surprised at first, but then she smiled. "That's great," she said. "Congratulations. But, is that why you're upset?"
"Not... exactly."
"Should I have not asked you to the wedding? I didn't realize you were seeing someone."
"No, it's not that. Well," he scratched his neck, "Maybe I shouldn't have, but I didn't think it was such a big deal at the time, especially because you're a friend, and I wanted to help out."
"I'm so sorry," she said, sounding really upset. "I didn't mean to cause you problems - "
Naruto grabbed for her hand and squeezed it. "You haven't, trust me. I'm the idiot. But what I want to tell you is that, um... heh. I don't know how to say this, but the person I'm seeing... is a... guy."
Hinata looked like she didn't know what to say, but she didn't try to move her hand, nor did she appear at all disgusted or shocked.
"Really?" she asked. "Neji never mentioned that."
"No. He said he didn't know how to tell you. But. I've never thought you were as delicate as he makes you out to be."
Her eyes widened. "No...," she smiled and tears were forming at the corner of her eyes. "I'm certainly not."
He wiped away one of the tears that fell, careful to avoid smearing her makeup. He caught it on a thumb. "Don't cry," he said.
"I'm not crying because I'm sad," she sniffled, and he handed her his (Sasuke's) handkerchief. "I'm crying because... it really makes me happy to hear you say that."
"About me dating a guy?" he joked.
"No," she laughed, shaking her head. "That you don't think I'm weak or fragile. That means a lot to me." She squeezed his hand again. "But, yes. I'm also very happy for you! Surprised, but happy! Why didn't you tell me! I would've loved to have met him. Both of you could've come!"
"He's out of town until Sunday actually."
"I see, well, that's too bad. I leave Sunday."
"Maybe you two will pass each other at the airport," he said.
"Maybe." She took in a deep breath and let it out, calming herself.
They sat a while in his truck, watching the other guests start to arrive and file into the reception hall. After a few minutes, he asked if she was ready to go inside.
"Yes, I am. If you're sure you still want to go...?"
"I'd love to go, so long as you don't mind bein' with me even though I wasn't very straightforward with you."
"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't expect you to tell me something so personal after five years of not really seeing or talking to each other."
Naruto got out of the car and went to the other side to open her door. He took the gifts from the back seat and carried them under his arm. While they were walking toward the building, Naruto grabbed hold of Hinata's hand. She blushed prettily, and he decided that, no matter what, he'd make sure she had a good time tonight.
By the time Naruto got home, it was close to midnight. Once more, he slept at Sasuke's apartment, and after taking off Sasuke's suit, washing his face, and brushing his teeth, he snatched up his phone and fell into bed. Ollie was already at his usual place on Sasuke's pillow, but Naruto put an arm around him and dragged him to his chest, cuddling him like a teddy bear.
He knew it was late, and that Sasuke was probably asleep, but he called him anyway. On the fourth ring, someone picked up.
"Hello, Naruto." Sasuke's voice was raspy.
"I woke you up," he said.
"You did."
"I called and texted."
"I know."
Naruto bit his lip and squeezed Ollie closer, nuzzling the back of his head. "Are you alone or is someone there?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I'm alone."
"No, that's not what I meant. I just didn't know if I was disturbing the person you're sharing a room with."
Sasuke yawned. "No. Everyone went out to some bar. I wasn't in the mood."
Naruto felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I shouldn't have told Hinata yes, and I should'vetold her about you right away."
Sasuke took in a sharp breath over the phone. "...Thank you."
"Sasuke, I..." He swallowed. "Um..."
"What is it?" Sasuke's tone became softer. He sounded almost worried. "Naruto?"
"I miss you."
"I miss you, too."
Naruto cleared his throat. "Are you sure you don't want me to come and get you from the airport?"
"You don't have to. I'm riding back with the same person since she lives even further south of the city than I do."
"Um. Okay." He couldn't help but be disappointed.
"Naruto?" Sasuke asked sternly. "What's up?"
"It's... nothing. We can talk about it tomorrow, I guess."
"Alright. If that's what you want. So, how was the wedding?"
"The wedding itself made me want to punch people, but the reception was fun. It was an open bar, after all."
"You don't sound very trashed though."
"No, I'm not. We danced. I'll be sore tomorrow." He gave a wary grin.
"That's because you're out of shape," Sasuke replied teasingly. "We never got to keep our date from the other night."
"I know," he said. "You hung up on me."
"I was really mad."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Stop saying you're sorry, moron. I always know your heart's in the right place, so... don't beat yourself up."
"Too late, I think." He put his hand on his chest, where he felt such a terrible ache that he didn't know what he needed in order to make it go away. "Sasuke..."
Sasuke sighed in his ear. Naruto closed his eyes.
"This is almost pathetic, Naruto..."
"I know, right? God, it hasn't been that long! I'm not lettin' you leave ever again. I'm gonna lock you in a cage when you get back."
Sasuke snorted. "We'll have to make sure I have a safeword then."
Naruto barked a laugh. "Is that what happened?"
"Think you can manage one more day without me?"
"I'm... not sure at this point. Plus, Ollie hasn't really been eating still."
"Hm. Nothing at all?"
He scratched behind Ollie's ear. "Not really. I even tried giving him lunch meat tonight. I think he's depressed."
"We'll see what happens when I get back. If he's still not eating, then I'll take him to the vet Monday."
"Okay," he agreed and then a yawn slipped out.
"You sound shattered," said Sasuke. "You should go to bed."
"Mm. I am shattered. On the inside."
"Not being able to see you is... annoying."
"Good," he said, and Sasuke snickered quietly.
"Some people might think otherwise..."
Naruto smiled into the phone. "I can't think of any."
"Oh, I don't know. I doubt Kiba or Ino would miss you too much."
"It's definitely not the same..." Naruto rubbed at his eye. "I'm used to havin' you around at my beck and call."
Sasuke snorted. "Because I respond so well to becking."
Naruto laughed sleepily.
"Shall I come home now?" asked Sasuke. "I don't want to be here anymore."
Naruto thought his heart stopped. "Yeah. Come home."
"Alright. I'll grab the next plane."
"Well, I wouldn't recommend grabbing it. You should probably just get onit."
"You think you're so funny. Just for that, I'll come home Sunday."
"Nooo," he whined.
"Just play video games all day, and before you know it, I'll be back."
"Maybe I'll just sleep through Saturday."
"That's an option, too. Well, I'll let you get back to sleep. You sound like you need it."
"Alright. You, too." He was on the verge of saying it, but Sasuke had already hung up.
Naruto woke up pretty late on Saturday even though he'd probably fallen asleep by 12.30 last night. It was almost noon apparently. Ollie had already wandered off. Naruto stripped and got into the shower. He came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and then, going through Sasuke's drawers, happened to find a pair of his boxers. He slipped them on, contented that they were Sasuke's.
He went into the kitchen, scratching his stomach. He wasn't all that hungry, but he hadn't eaten a whole lot yesterday. He glanced down at Ollie's bowl. It looked like some of it might have been eaten, but it wasn't all that much. Naruto sighed and went to the refrigerator, where he grabbed a strawberry and banana yogurt. After he finished it, he had another, but this time he had blueberry.
Most of the day, he spent on Call of Duty. He even put on the headset and microphone as he played several games with Kiba. They talked about the wedding, and Naruto told him all about Shino and Hinata. He didn't mention the fight he'd had with Sasuke because it had already been depressing enough that they'd even had a fight at all and that their first one had mostly been his fault.
Before he knew it, it was about 6 p.m., so he ordered a pizza and practically force fed Ollie some pepperoni and sausage. He did seem to like the pepperoni, so Naruto gave him a few more. He got one text from Sasuke, but that was to say he was pretty busy today since it was the biggest night of the festival. Sasuke's plane didn't get in until early tomorrow evening, so that sort of sucked because he probably wouldn't be able to talk to him again until he was back in Illinois.
After pizza, a few more games, and a movie he ordered on Pay-Per-View, he ended up passing out on the couch with the TV still on.
A text he received on his cell phone woke him up early on Sunday morning. It was just his Dad, asking him if he was still alive. Naruto rolled his eyes, texted his Dad back, and went into the bedroom. He only got as far as flopping on top of the sheets before he passed out again.
Naruto got out of bed around one in the afternoon. He'd been up before that, but he'd just been lying in bed, thinking about a lot of stuff, but mostly things about him and Sasuke. Or just Sasuke. He thought about things that had changed since they'd met and started dating. Like, with himself, and how he saw stuff differently now. It wasn't a drastic change, but it was there. He'd never known a week to feel so long, and as sappy as it sounded, it had everything to do with Sasuke being gone.
Eventually, he got out of bed and did some cleaning. He vacuumed everywhere and did some laundry. He washed the sheets since he'd pretty much been sleeping on them every night for the last seven nights, so fresh ones might be a good idea for when Sasuke got home.
It occurred to him that they hadn't done much to celebrate their one month anniversary (which was almost 3 weeks ago now), so he went to the store to get some groceries. Naruto was back at the apartment by 4.30. Sasuke should be home in an hour or so unless the plane had been delayed. Pandora was playing a mix of music in the background through the living room TV. He was only making spaghetti and meatballs since it was pretty hard to mess that up. He got out ingredients for a salad and set plates out on the island.
He'd been away from his phone for 35 minutes, but when he went to check it, there was a text from Sasuke saying they were leaving O'Hare now, so he should be home in 25 minutes if traffic wasn't awful, which it probably would be given that it was a Sunday.
Naruto covered the sauce pan and let it simmer for a while. He grew antsy, though, and went out into the living room to do some more tidying. Ollie kept shooting him looks as if to say that he seemed crazy, but what did heknow. He was the one who licked his own butt!
Naruto was back in the kitchen when he heard the door open. He didn't even give Sasuke enough time to come intothe apartment before he pounced on him. Sasuke had to drop his backpack and suitcase in order to embrace him. He seemed a bit surprised and overwhelmed by the greeting. He ran his hands over Naruto's back in circles and then gave him a pat, but Naruto wasn't quite ready to let go.
"Can I at least bring my stuff into the apartment?" he said into Naruto's ear, a smile in his voice. "Plus, the cat might get out."
Naruto pulled away from him, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry or throw a tantrum and tell Sasuke not to leave again. But, he ended up just grabbing Sasuke's suitcase and dragging it inside. Sasuke threw his backpack on one of the chairs. He sniffed the air.
"Something smells good," he said.
"I'm cooking," Naruto announced proudly.
"Hm. You? Cooking?"
"I'm not completely helpless in the kitchen." Naruto started to bite his lip as he looked at Sasuke.
"What's that look?" Sasuke asked, coming toward him again, hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"Did you get a tan?" Naruto looked him up and down. "I didn't even think that was possible."
They stared each other down. Naruto moved first, clutching Sasuke by the front of his shirt and pulling him close, kissing him in the hopes of releasing all the pent up frustration that had built over the last week. Sasuke's hands were in his hair, teeth nipping at Naruto's lips. It wasn't long before their clothes were flying off, and Naruto was thankful he'd set the burner to low as he shoved Sasuke onto the couch once they were naked.
It didn't last long. There wasn't a whole lot of prep work that went into it - no condom or even lube - but Naruto did what he could to make it not hurt too much as he slid inside Sasuke, their mouths locked the entire time, the groan that ripped through Sasuke's throat setting his skin on fire everywhere and making Naruto shiver with excitement and anticipation. Sasuke was tight. Incredibly so. Naruto groaned with every thrust, Sasuke's nails digging into his back.
He crawled up Sasuke's body, kissing him everywhere along the way, happier still when he reached his boyfriend's mouth again. They must've lay on the couch kissing for what felt like forever. Naruto buried his face in the crook of Sasuke's neck while his boyfriend gently stroked a hand up and down along his back. He sighed, content.
"I'd ask if you're glad to see me, but I think I got my answer."
Naruto lifted his head and discovered Sasuke smirking. He looked absolutely ravished with bite marks on his neck and shoulder, his hair going every which way and his lips swollen from their kissing.
He licked his lips, voice coming out rough, "Yeah, I could definitely never get tired of fucking you, Sasuke."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That's good to hear as I have to admit, I also enjoy it."
"Looks like." Naruto grinned at him smugly.
"Maybe I should leave more often? It looks like you cleaned up the place, and now you're even making dinner. What's the occasion?"
"You mean other than that you're finally back home after the fucking longestweek ever?"
Sasuke ran his fingers through Naruto's hair, tugging at a particular piece a couple of times. "It did seem long."
"Anyway, I know we didn't do much for what should've been our month anniversary."
"Did we even do anything at all?" Sasuke asked.
"Er. No, I guess not, but I wasn't sure what we'd count from. When we met at Starbuck's? Our date? The first blowjob? Handjob? Intercourse?"
Sasuke flattened his bangs. "We don't have to celebrate every month. Six months maybe. A year, definitely. That's, of course, if I can stand being around you that long."
"I'm still considering that cage," said Naruto. "Or maybe that's the surprise waitin' for you in the bedroom."
"Sounds kinky. Speaking of, look who's here." Ollie came running to the side of the couch, his ears up and tail swishing excitedly. He looked like he very much wanted to join in on the action, but didn't know where to jump up to.
"Pet him already," Naruto said, nudging Sasuke's jaw with his nose.
Sasuke gave Ollie's head a pat and scratched behind his ear. "You two are so much alike," he commented fondly. "All I have to do is scratch you behind the ear and you're satisfied."
"Yeah, and I'm sure I'll have another itch for you to scratch in about an hour. After you eat my spaghetti and meatballs. It's homemade-ish."
Sasuke chuckled. "Sounds good. Maybe I'll take a shower first." He pushed at Naruto's chest, but Naruto didn't budge.
He stared at Sasuke, his heart hammering against his ribcage like it was about to burst out of his chest at any moment. Even though his hand started to shake, he pressed it to Sasuke's cheek. He took in a deep breath and said it, annoyed at the way his voice trembled.
"I love you, Sasuke."
Sasuke's mouth fell open in surprise. It made Naruto smile. He leaned in, and kissed Sasuke so hard and for so long that he started to go light-headed. When he shifted, parting from him, Sasuke remained visibly stunned, so Naruto kissed him a few more times until he felt arms go around him, and he was yanked into a hug, Sasuke's palms pressing firmly into his upper back.
Naruto closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling growing in his chest - warm and threatening to consume him, drag him down until he became delirious with happiness. Sasuke's breath came in hot, quick puffs against his neck; he brushed his lips reverently over the skin, kissing him there a few times.
"I thought you were going to hold out on me forever," he told Naruto.
"Me, too." Naruto got up off of him and sat on the edge of the middle cushion.
Sasuke sat up, too, still looking dazed. "Why do I have a feeling that I'm going to wake up on the plane and realize it was a dream?"
Naruto gave a hard slap to the inside of Sasuke's thigh. "That felt real, right?"
"Idiot."
"Love you." He grinned widely.
Smiling, Sasuke shook his head, but then he reached for Naruto and, taking hold of his chin, kissed him thoroughly, almost possessively. Naruto - with a submissive whimper - responded to each of his kisses as if he needed them in order to breathe. He got caught up in the slow manner in which their mouths moved together and how Sasuke teased his lips apart with his tongue. When the feeling in his chest continued to swell, he had to fight back another series of whimpers. Sasuke kept kissing him with such a constant, gentle patience that it made his heart flutter in a way that hadto be medically concerning.
"Shower with me, and then we eat?" Sasuke suggested, fingers touching Naruto's lips.
"Does that mean we don't have to have a talk about how stupid I am?"
"We don't have to have a talk about it for me to realize how stupid you are."
Naruto chuckled. "You say the sweetest things."
"You can tell me all about your miserable week without me as we get cleaned up." Sasuke got off of the couch and grabbed for Naruto's hand, pulling him up.
"Sasuke, you got a little something right... there." He pointed at Sasuke's stomach.
Sasuke smacked his hand away. "It's not polite to point."
Once in the shower, Naruto used a rag to wash off what he'd left on Sasuke's stomach only for it to start all over again as they kissed and touched, making up for the last week of not being able to, and when he had Sasuke up against the shower wall with his legs going around his waist, it became pretty fucking difficult to understand why he'd waited so long to say exactly what he'd felt from the very first night they'd spent together.