a/n: In case you haven't read my profile or don't follow me on y-gal. I will, at some point in the future, be doing a multi-chaptered sequel to It Started Over Coffee, where they go to Seattle to visit Itachi before his final hearing. I was saying on y-gal that I consider this sidefic to be a sort of prologue to that sequel because the tone will be different. It will have more drama and angst, and they're really going to have to work hard at some things. But, don't let that scare you as obviously I love these boys more than any unborn children I may or may not have.

It was near two in the morning when Naruto crept out of bed and, quietly, closed the door before he headed out to the living room. He'd had the worst dream and, unable to shake it, decided to sit on the couch for a while and watch TV. Ollie was up. He hopped onto the couch as soon as Naruto sat down. Ollie let Naruto pet and scratch him for a while as he partially lay in his lap, pawing at his boxers. The cat's tiny claws dug into his skin every so often.

"Easy," he whispered to the cat, but Ollie kept on for as long a Naruto proceeded to shower him with attention.

Flipping through the channels, there wasn't much on except some infomercials, a really awful 80s horror film about a giant troll (which he watched for 15 minutes just because of its sheer cheesiness), and a bunch of other random crap that wasn't interesting. He thought about playing video games but didn't want the noise to wake Sasuke. Eventually, Ollie got bored with him when he was no longer being rubbed or scratched, so he jumped off the couch and wandered toward the hallway. Had Naruto brought his cell phone out with him, he would've texted Kiba. He didn't care whether he woke up that bastard. Ino, on the other hand, if they were together tonight, would probably have his balls if he woke her.

He sighed and decided to lay down. Maybe after a while, he'd feel sleepy again and go back to bed.

Finally, he settled on an episode of International House Hunters, where a couple was searching for an apartment in Tokyo. He couldn't figure out why the hell anyone would voluntarily move there when all the places they looked at were so tiny. The living room of the first apartment they went to was about the size of Sasuke's master bath.

"Thinking about moving to Japan?"

With a jolt, Naruto glanced up to find Sasuke standing right beside the couch, staring at the TV.

"Did I wake you?" he asked

"No."

Sasuke's hair was sticking up everywhere, and he was scowling. He could be pretty grumpy when woken up.

"What are you doing out here?" Sasuke asked him.

"You were snoring," Naruto answered with a smile.

"Hn. Very funny." Sasuke put a hand on top of his face, covering it, making Naruto laugh. "Scoot."

Naruto sat up and moved over to the middle cushion. Sasuke sat next to him: hunched over and squinting at the TV like he couldn't see it. He reminded Naruto of an old man.

"Did you turn completely gay and not let me know or are you just desperate for something to watch?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto snorted. "You don't have to be gay to watch HGTV, Sasuke. Just how narrow-minded are you?"

Sasuke didn't reply; he picked up the remote control, turned up the volume, and leaned against the couch. Together, they watched the couple visit the second and third apartments. They ended up deciding on the second apartment, which had less space than the others but was in some hip area of Tokyo he'd never heard of.

"I would've picked the third one. It had a second bedroom. Where the hell are they gonna put their guests?"

"The floor," Sasuke suggested. "Do you really want to move somewhere like that and worry more about the occasional guest than the location?"

"I dunno. I think I would have some concerns about our guests' comfort, but, yeah. I see your point. We'd just get an air mattress or somethin', right?"

Sasuke turned to him, giving him a look with a single eyebrow arched in surprise.

"What?" Naruto asked, not understanding the look as fluent as he'd become in Sasuke's various nonverbal responses.

"You said 'we'."

"And?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Nevermind. So, you can't sleep or what?"

"Bad dream," he answered.

Sasuke frowned. "Want to tell me about it?"

Naruto gazed at him a moment and then shook his head, returning his eyes to the TV. "Was nothin'. I don't even remember."

"Hm."

"It's nothing," he said again.

He felt Sasuke lean away from him, their arms no longer touching. Ah, well. It's what he deserved for saying he didn't remember it when he just didn't want to talk about it. Sasuke took the remote from off his lap and flipped through the channels on the guide. He ended up settling on the same horror movie Naruto watched a bit of earlier. After 10 minutes, Ollie returned and tried to get onto Sasuke's lap, but he was shooed away by Sasuke's foot.

"He just wants your attention," said Naruto.

"There's none left to give once I've bestowed it all on you."

Naruto turned to him. "Are you bein' a smartass?"

"Always," Sasuke replied, eyes set on the TV. But when Naruto made no retort, Sasuke looked at him. "What's with you?"

"Nothing."

"So you keep saying. Should I leave you alone to brood?"

The guilt hit then. He shook his head. "No, sorry. You don't have to go unless you wanna go back to bed."

"I won't be able to sleep knowing you're out here."

"No?" Naruto smiled a little.

"That's why I woke up. I felt the disturbance in the force. I don't sleep as well when you're not in the bed. I think my body can't achieve homeostasis without you around."

He laughed. "That's about the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I'm glad." Sasuke leaned over, paused to look at him, and then kissed him on the cheek. "Lay down and put your head on my lap."

"Hm?"

"Come on. You owe me for disrupting my precious rest."

Naruto lay down, using Sasuke's leg as a pillow. They watched TV. Sasuke started to run his fingers through his hair, massaging Naruto's scalp. Naruto let his arm hang over the side of the couch so that he could grab Sasuke's ankle. Every once in a while, he sighed. It felt so good, and he was starting to forget about the dream and how much it had worked him up. Even his eyelids were starting to get heavy. Fifteen minutes passed, and Sasuke was still rubbing his head. Ah, heaven! When Sasuke was so attentive like this, it made him feel sort of overwhelmed. Sasuke, who could read him like a damn book, who never asked for much in return.

"You should sing to me," he murmured. "Sing me a lullaby. But no Kelly Clarkson."

"Sure." Sasuke cleared his throat. "Love of mine, someday you will die. But I'll be close behind. I'll follow you into the dark."

"Boo. Too depressing."

"I kissed a girl, and I liked it - "

"No!" Naruto laughed and squeezed Sasuke's ankle.

"You didn't even let me get to the part about the flavor of her chapstick."

"Sing me somethin' old, that'll make me feel nostalgic."

"Do you want me to hum one of the themes for the Megaman II villains?"

"Sasuke!"

"I'm not a singer, Naruto. I just sign them and promote them. You don't want me to sing at this time of night." He put his hand on Naruto's forehead, gazing down at him fondly.

Naruto batted his eyelashes. "Please?"

"What do I get out of it?"

"My thanks and a peace of mind that comes with knowin' you cheered me up?"

Sasuke smirked. "I was thinking more like a blowjob."

"Is that giving or receiving?"

"Either. If it'll make you feel better for me to blow you right now, I'll be happy to provide that sort of service. I'd hope it'd be more pleasurable than listening to me sing. Especially when you banned Kelly from the mix."

"I wonder if I should be jealous that you and Kelly are on a first name basis."

"Hn. I like when you're jealous." Sasuke covered his eyes. Naruto put his hand on top of Sasuke's.

"Is that a confession?" Naruto asked, keeping his voice low.

"It's an admission at best," replied Sasuke. "One that should be quite obvious."

"You think I don't get jealous very often?"

"I'm not sure. No, maybe not so much. There's also no reason for you to be jealous in the first place. I have no interest in anyone else, Naruto."

"I know," he said softly, squeezing Sasuke's hand. "But if I really thought about it, about the guys at your work... Now that I've met a couple of them, I know they're attractive, smart, and they seem pretty fond of you."

"That's because they respect me. The few you've met, work under me. I'm their boss."

"I don't like that," he grumbled. "No one should work under you but me."

Sasuke lifted his hand from off of his eyes. Naruto was frowning; Sasuke was smiling at him, apparently amused.

"Is this you being possessive?" Sasuke asked in a husky voice. "Do you want me that much?"

Naruto wet his lips. "I've never wanted anyone more." He took Sasuke's hand and brought it close to his face. He nipped at Sasuke's middle finger, and when Sasuke's eyes seemed to glaze over, he bit down a little harder, amused at the slight wince it earned. After freeing Sasuke's hand, they simply watched one another. Sasuke's lips were parted, his dark eyes narrowed and full of anticipation, along with something else...

Naruto tilted his head, still resting it on Sasuke's leg. "You are so fucking attractive, Sasuke. Do you have any idea?"

"You're just saying that," Sasuke said smoothly. "You don't even like men."

"I don't need to like men to understand how sexy you are. If you think that when we're havin' sex that I don't consider... how good you look... you'd be a tad off base."

"Oh?" Sasuke traced a line down Naruto's arm, from his shoulder to the inside of his elbow. "This is news to me."

"I figured you wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"That can't be true. I take everything you say very seriously."

Naruto pressed his teeth into his lip and then took in a deep breath. "Stop using that voice."

"What voice?" Sasuke deliberately made his voice go lower, almost a whisper as he leaned over him, bringing their faces closer. "I thought you wanted to hear my voice? Didn't you ask me to sing earlier?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

Sasuke placed his hands on either side of Naruto's face, tilting his head as he brought his mouth down onto Naruto's mouth. The kiss was slow, teasing, and playful, the both of them smiling into it. Sasuke gave him one more chaste kiss to his lips when they finished.

"A Spiderman kiss," said Naruto, still grinning.

"Idiot." Sasuke rested his hand on his head again and ran his fingers through Naruto's hair until he fell to tugging on one of the sideburns. He teased it between his fingers. "I really love your hair. It suits you well."

"Because I'm the sunshine of your life?"

Sasuke snorted. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's just a gift."

"You should consider returning it."

Naruto reached his arm up and tried to cover Sasuke's mouth, but Sasuke was quicker and grabbed his hand, covering it and forcing it into a fist.

"Too slow," he told Naruto.

"I know. I'd make a lousy ninja."

"That you would. You'd be the worst ninja ever to live."

Naruto scoffed. "I doubt I'd be the worst. Better than you anyway."

"I don't know. I used to take martial arts as a kid. I could probably give you a run for your money, although your body has become increasingly more flexible over the months."

"Ha. Pervert."

Sasuke smirked at him and pushed his bangs to the side. "You seem in a better mood."

"I am... thanks."

"Are you ready to go back to bed?"

"Yeah, I think so." Naruto sat upright.

Sasuke turned off the TV and stood, offering his hand. Naruto grabbed it, and before getting to his feet, he simply held on, wondering at their clasped fingers and how much he didn't want to let go. He swung their hands - once, twice - while Sasuke waited patiently, as if used to this. That made him very happy.

"Satisfied?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto nodded and got up, following as he was led into the bedroom. Ollie was lying on the covers, but Sasuke picked him up and set him on the foot of the bed, out of their way. Lazily, his tail swished, his eyes flashing in the dark. Once they got under the sheet, Naruto moved around a few times, readjusting his position until he heard Sasuke's heavy sigh.

"Come here," he said and, reaching for Naruto's wrist, pulled him over so that they were spooning. "Now be still."

Draping his arm over Sasuke's middle, Naruto sniffed his hair. "Okay."

He bowed his head, skimming his lips along the curve of Sasuke's shoulder blade. He let his thumb trace the dip of his boyfriend's belly-button.

"That's not being still," Sasuke grumbled, turning over so that they were face to face.

Naruto smiled apologetically and put his hand on Sasuke's hip. "I guess I'm not really tired. Should I go back to the couch?"

Sasuke stared and, instead of answering, snuggled closer. He pushed his face into the crook of Naruto's neck.

"Tell me," he whispered against Naruto's skin, warming it. "I don't like when you keep things from me."

"About the dream?" Naruto pressed a kiss to Sasuke's shoulder. "Does it matter? It's just a dream."

"Because I'm curious to know what sort of dream bothers you so much that you don't want to talk about it with me."

"Ah." Naruto started chewing his lip.

Sasuke began to move and shift, like he was going to roll away, but Naruto kept him in place. He had his hand flat on the center of Sasuke's back.

"You really want to know?" he asked.

"I asked, didn't I?" Sasuke moved a hand to Naruto's side, near his waist.

"This is gonna end up bein' pretty anticlimactic."

"Good. Then maybe it'll put me to sleep."

Naruto sighed. "It was a dream about you and me. Except... it wasn't you and me at all. It was like we were different people, but I could tell we were really good friends. You were still a smartass, but you were somehow a lot more distant with me, I guess."

"I was distant? That upset you?"

"Not just that. It wasn't like you were mean-distant, just that... I dunno how to describe it. Like, hmm... there was something really big you weren't telling me."

"Were we together in this dream?"

Naruto thought for a second. "No. I really don't think so, but I dunno why. We were at this nice restaurant, but I swear the menu was in a whole other language. There was a lot of tension between us, and if we talked, it was only to snap at each other about stupid crap. You told me I was a moron because I couldn't read the menu. But I'm sure that... we were fighting about something completely different, though neither of us wanted to bring it up."

Sasuke's fingers started to skim his lower back, following the waistband of his boxers. "Then what happened?"

"I remember that... you were short with the waitress, and I told you not to take it out on her. I'm pretty sure my exact words were something like: 'Why don't you take it out on me like you always do.'"

"Harsh," murmured Sasuke. He leaned in again, his head just under Naruto's chin.

Naruto put his hand on top of Sasuke's head and ruffled his hair. "We were leaving, but it was rainin' outside. I don't know if that matters or not - that it was raining. But, then we went to my apartment. Except it wasn't the apartment I have now, and I had a roommate. Not that the roommate was there when we walked in, but I... just knew someone else lived there. A girl, I think."

"Ino?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"It better not have been Hinata."

He wanted to laugh but couldn't, so he simply continued combing his fingers through Sasuke's hair. "No."

"Okay. So we're fighting. I'm hiding something. It's raining. We go to your place, where you live with some unknown woman."

Naruto gave a small smile at Sasuke's tone. "I think that sums it up so far."

"What happens next?" He felt Sasuke's lips at his throat. Naruto moved his hand lower, fingers curling at the base of Sasuke's neck.

"You were on the couch, but I walked right by you and went into my bedroom. There was a suitcase on the bed, and I started to pack. Eventually, you followed me in, but you were helping me, and then all of a sudden... you told me something I didn't wanna hear."

"Like what?"

"I can't... really remember, but it was about where I was going. Like, you really didn't want me to go. Or, well, it wasn't that you didn't want me to go, but maybe that you were afraid I wasn't coming back? So you started yelling at me, and I kept getting pissed off. It's just weird to me how much it was you, but it wasn't you at all."

"Did I still look like me?"

"Yeah. You were... yeah. You. But, I think maybe you had on glasses? I dunno why."

"Maybe it's a subconscious fetish of yours and I should buy a pair."

This time, Naruto was able to chuckle. He stroked the back of Sasuke's neck and brushed his thumb across the short, stiff hair at the base of his skull. "It was bad enough that we were bein' so goddam awful to each other, but you said something so fucking hurtful to me that I punched you in the face. And then we were fighting for real, like rolling around on the ground until I had you under me, and, like a bastard, you spit blood in my face. I remember shouting: 'I'm tired of this shit!' And then as I got up to walk away, you tackled me, kissed me, and left. Just, walked right out the fuckin' door as I was lying on the floor, bleeding from my mouth. Then I woke up."

"Sounds intense," said Sasuke, and lifted his head from under Naruto's chin. There was a soft expression on his face. "So what part upset you the most?"

"At the end, as you walked out on me, I thought for sure I'd never see you again. You'd given up on me. You just... didn't wanna be with me anymore."

Sasuke's hand touched his cheek. "Are you... crying? Naruto, hey." He moved back, surprised, and then cupped both sides of Naruto's face to look at him, obviously worried.

"Sorry," he said. "This is why I didn't wanna talk about it."

Sasuke caught one of the tears with his thumb and wiped it away. He pulled Naruto into a hug. Naruto went willingly, burying his face into Sasuke's neck. A few more tears slipped out as Sasuke rubbed his back.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sasuke said into his ear. "There's no reason I'd walk out on you or abandon you. There's nothing you could do or say that would make me want to hurt you like that. So, if you've been worrying lately, please don't."

He took in a deep breath, trying to sort out what he felt. "Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Say somethin' you mean."

Sasuke's hand wandered up and down his back for a while, and then he said, "For knowing you, I am a better person. More than you may even realize. But without you, I think I'd be worse."

Startled, Naruto looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke brushed his knuckles across Naruto's right cheek. "What do you think it means?"

"I think I'm half-afraid to know."

Faintly, Sasuke smiled. "Then maybe I shouldn't say."

Naruto grabbed his hand and clasped their fingers. "No, I wanna hear."

"Well. I'm sure you've come to your own conclusions about the man I was before I met you. If I had to go back to being that person after knowing what I could have, what I have with you. I... honestly… I don't want to think about it."

"I don't want you to think about it," Naruto said quickly, frowning at him.

"Okay," Sasuke replied simply. "Then I won't."

"Maybe I'm a little worried about some stuff that may come up in the future."

"Stuff? What sort of stuff, Naruto? You mean like with my brother?"

Naruto nodded, but he wasn't entirely certain either. "Maybe."

"Well. I'll just have to trust that... if I wander into any dark places, you'll grab for me and pull me out."

Something about that only made him feel worse, but he plastered on a smile. "I will." He rolled over, onto his other side. "I think I can fall asleep now," he said. "Thank you... for listening."

"No problem." Sasuke put his arm around him. "I hope it helped to talk about."

"Yeah..."

He lay still a while, purposely evening out his breathing so Sasuke would think he was asleep. It hadn't really occurred to him then that what had been unsettling him most for a some time was a vague fear that, maybe, if things didn't go well with Itachi's trial - would everything change for them? What if Sasuke wanted to move back to Seattle? What if he thought a relationship was just too much for him and he decided to end it?

Naruto didn't think, even if the worst happened, that Sasuke would break up with him. Sasuke had told him to pull him out of the darkness, but what if at some point, the right thing for Sasuke seemed to be... just to let him go? If Sasuke needed space, or if Sasuke wanted to be nearer to his brother.

Would Naruto fight for it even if Sasuke didn't seem to want him anymore?

Even though it fucking hurt to think about, that things could ever get so bad between them, the voice in his head kept forcefully declaring that, yes, he would fight for Sasuke. He'd fight for their relationship. He loved Sasuke. He couldn't imagine loving anyone more than him, so maybe what Sasuke said earlier, about being worse after... it was the same for him.

"It's the same," he whispered and, from behind, Sasuke's arm squeezed around him more tightly.