Honesty
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: Lots of swearing and crude descriptions.
Chapter 8
The next morning, Sasuke sighs. He looks at himself in the mirror. He almost could have imagined that it had all been a dream, save for the love bites on his neck.
Anyone would have been able to tell what had caused those marks on his neck. Well anyone that wasn't an idiot anyway. The last Uchiha suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. He dawns a high collared shirt and some pants before going to Jugo's room.
"Jugo?" He calls out as he knocks on the door.
It didn't take long for the gentle giant to open the door. He moves to the side to let Sasuke into his room. The last Uchiha quickly heads inside.
He still wasn't entirely sure what he was going to say. Sasuke just knew that he didn't want to have the conversation n the hallway. Yeah. It'd be much better if this was a private conversation.
Jugo wasn't sure if he was relieved that he would presumably get an answer or terrified. At least last night there was a chance that Sasuke might actually say yes. Now that chance might be taken away completely.
"Good morning." He says gently.
"Morning. I really don't know what to say." Sasuke admits.
Fighting Madara had been easier. Much easier. His body was certainly very interested in continuing where they left off. He might or might not be in love with Jugo, but he liked him. His mind though was in the process of coming up with the millionth reason why pursuing a romantic relationship with the other man was a bad idea though.
"That's alright. Take all the time you need. Though if you take longer than two hours, we'll have to go and see the Tea Lord before you give an answer." He points out gently.
"For a guy that goes into rages, you are pretty patient. The way you kissed me, wasn't a fluke. You don't kiss someone like that if you haven't wanted them for awhile. How long have you…been thinking about this?" He asks.
The other member of Taka pauses. He knew that this was likely a critical moment. Sasuke might be flattered or felt like he had been keeping secrets from him. He had to tread very carefully here.
"I try to be. I know this is all new to you. It's not your fault. You had other things on your mind that were more important. You're right though. Awhile. It's been on my mind for awhile." He answers honestly.
That was vague. Sasuke translated awhile to mean a long time. He didn't what to say to that, but he wanted a more specific answer.
"How long is awhile? What are we talking weeks, months, years?" He asks.
"Since before the war." He answers and Sasuke blinks.
How had he not noticed? Then again, Jugo was a more subtle person than Kairn. He hadn't been trying to jump him in his sleep or trying to steal his toothbrush. It would have been an easy matter to overlook his friend's longing compared to the more direct attempts of the red headed girl on their team.
"I feel like I'm as oblivious as Naruto. I should have noticed before now." He mutters.
"Don't feel that way. You just had other things on your mind and it's not as if I was lavishing you with declarations of undying love. I wasn't even entirely certain if you liked men at all. There wasn't much of a point in making advances, if I wasn't certain there was at least a chance that you might return them." Jugo says.
Sasuke nods. Well that made sense. Jugo didn't want to be obvious because he wasn't sure if Sasuke was gay. He couldn't fault the other man for his logic.
"If we decide to continue where we left off, what exactly would you be expecting?" He manages to ask.
He bites his lower lip in consideration. Jugo was apparently a patient and kind lover, judging by that. He hadn't wanted to scare Sasuke off. He was willing to wait and hadn't forced his attention onto him.
The last Uchiha was used to people panting after him. Hell he would even argue in some cases, he was used to being borderline stalked. So it was a new experience to have someone pursue him that wasn't…pushy.
"Whatever your comfortable with. I won't like, I'd like to continue what we were doing yesterday and I would go into a rage if I saw you like that with anyone else. So exclusivity. As far as whether or not our relationship would be public or private, that would be completely up to you." He tells him.
"Whatever you are comfortable with." Even when the last Uchiha asked Jugo what he wanted, he still framed it in a way that was putting Sasuke first. Most people just told him what they wanted him to do.
First of all there was his brother, the Council, and Third Hokage. Itachi had manipulated him out of love. His brother had made him believe that Itachi was the villain, when he was the victim. The Council and Third Hokage made Sasuke believe that Itachi had massacred their Clan, when it had been ordered.
"You know it's funny. You are the first person to ever say that to me." Sasuke muses.
The Third might not have wanted it to happen, but he hadn't told Sasuke the truth afterwards. That still riled him. It was hard to reconcile such deception with the Third's image as a loving grandfather like figure.
"I'm the first person to say what to you?" Jugo asks in confusion.
Orochimaru came next. Come to the Sound, so you can get strong enough to kill Itachi. Then Madara/Obito/Tobi/whatever fucking name he chose to go by that day, he tried to manipulate him. Even Naruto had never bothered to ask what Sasuke wanted. Jugo was the only one who had asked that.
"Whatever I'm comfortable with. Everyone else either tried to manipulate me or order me around. It's…annoying." He admits.
"That's incredibly sad." His companion says.
Sasuke shrugs. That was really nothing compared to losing his Clan and Itachi in particular. It was just the way of the world, he supposed.
"Not nearly as sad as you willingly locking yourself in prison to avoid hurting anyone. I don't know what I would have done in your position." Sasuke continues.
Jugo wasn't sure what to say to that. He knew that they were getting off topic though. He just wasn't sure how to push them back towards it.
"As I said, whatever you are comfortable with. If you would prefer to pretend it never happened, I would do that. If you want to continue, that would obviously be my preference." He says gently.
Sasuke pauses. Did he really want to do this? Yeah, he liked Jugo. The desire was definitely there. But every time that he loved someone, they died. The only exception was Naruto. (But Naruto was Naruto.)
"Are you sure that you really want to be with me? I'm cursed." He mutters.
"Sasuke, you aren't cursed. Everything that happened was not your fault. It would have happened with or without you, but I'm sure." Jugo tells him.
There was also another issue. Jugo never gave him graphic details, but Sasuke was pretty damn sure that he had experience with more than just shoulder rubs. What if he made an absolute fool of himself?
It was hard to feel too panicked though. Jugo was looking at him in the same way Itachi did. Unconditional affection. If he was ever going to be happy with someone, this might be his best chance.
"Alright. We'll try it and see how it goes. I don't mind monogamy. It's not like there is anyone else that I'm attracted to or the type to cheat anyway." Sasuke says after a few awkward moments of silence.
"You mean it?" Jugo asks and Sasuke nods.
Sasuke is suddenly picked up and spun around rather vigorously. The last Uchiha felt a bit dizzy. Jugo though was clearly very happy with his answer and that made Sasuke smile.
"I'm happy too, but can you stop shaking me like a maraca?" Sasuke asks.
"Oh. Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away there." Jugo admits sheepishly.
"It's okay. We should probably go speak with the Tea Lord. Tsunade said all we had to was take notes. This should be easy." Sasuke says.
Jugo nods. He follows Sasuke to meet with the Tea Lord. Quite honestly, his impulse was just to skip the entire meeting. But he knew that would be horribly unprofessional. So he dutifully followed his new boyfriend.
That was going to take some getting used to. The word boyfriend seemed far too tame to apply to the last Uchiha. They weren't lovers though. They certainly weren't married. Significant lover was a mouthful. Hmm, he'd have to think about what he was going to call Sasuke from now on.
Meanwhile back in the Leaf, Karin was hounding Suigetsu. One way or another she was going to get answers. She was not going to be ignored!
"Tell me what is going on right now! I'm not going to get attacked for something and not even know why!" She snaps at him.
"Alright. Alright. Quit your bitching. Sheesh. Maybe Sasuke has the right idea. Maybe guys really are just easier." The violet eyed man muses.
You could have heard a pin drop. What was Suigetsu saying?! Was he trying to say that Sasuke was gay? No way! That couldn't possibly be true!
"What do you mean by that?!" She demands.
"I think you already know. Sasuke is Sas-GAY. He likes men. I mean I can't really blame him. The women that he's interacted with thus far all are psychotic." Suigetsu informs her.
Karin blinks. Was Suigetsu serious? Maybe he was just messing with her. It was hard to tell. Suigetsu did love to provoke her. Maybe this was just some sort of sick game. There was no way that Sasuke was actually gay, was there?
"Even if that was true, what does that have to do with Jugo?" The red head thunders at him.
Itachi shakes his head. He watches the fight. At the moment he was torn between amusement and horror. This was going to be…explosive.
"Look, I don't want you to do anything crazy. But you and Jugo are both after Sas-GAY's ass. That's why he rages so hard when I tease him. That's why he's calmed down by him. He's in fucking love with him." The white haired man explains.
The red head couldn't process that. Jugo was in love with Sasuke? Since when? How could she have not have noticed that? Was Suigetsu making this up.
She shakes her head. No. He couldn't be making this up. Not even the sword lover was THAT creative. He was creative, but no one could have just made up this bizarre turn of events.
"Are you sure he's gay though? Maybe he's just bisexual." Karin reasons.
"I'm pretty sure he's gay. Jugo apparently got the answer out of him. Don't you dare tell them that I told you. I just guessed with Jugo. He wasn't going to come out of the closet to me. Sasuke is a different case. I don't know if he's embarrassed about it or he might just not give a fuck. Maybe he just doesn't view it as important information to share." The violet eyed man says and shrugs.
Itachi shakes his head and cleans his paws. How was it not obvious that Sasuke was gay? His scent said as much. Humans really had weak noses. It was a good thing that he was here or else they would never figure anything out!
"No wonder he never responded to me. This makes so much sense. If he only likes men, not even the most beautiful woman in the world would catch his eye." She says.
Suigetsu just looks at Karin in disbelief. Oh for fucksake. Well he supposed it was better than he expected. Now her pride was soothed and he had avoided another beating. Damn she was a vicious little thing.
"Yeah. Exactly. So keep your mouth shut. I don't want Jugo to think I was going around and spilling his secrets just for giggles. You know what I mean?" He asks.
"I get it. I won't tell anyone. I just never would have suspected that he was gay." She muses.
"Oh come on. His hair is just a little too perfect, he's such a neat freak, he cooks, and he never looks at women. It was kinda obvious." He protests.
Karin twitches. She smacks Suigetsu for those stereotypical comments. Honestly, he was such a child sometimes!
"Owe! What was that for?!" He demands.
"That was horribly stereotypical. The dog has better manners than you." She scolds him.
"That's true." Itachi agrees and goes to play with his chew toys.
It looked like the worst of the spat was over. Maybe things would quiet down now. He really needed some doggie earplugs. They were so loud.
Meanwhile Tsunade and Kakashi were conspiring again. The Lady Hokage was going over some medical files. Lots of medical files.
"Don't you think it's kinda early to be worried about surrogates?" He asks good naturedly.
"No. Not really. It's the only way that he'll be able to achieve his second goal and be with a man at the same time. Besides, this kind of thing takes time. It's not like I'm planning on presenting him with the file the second they return from their mission." The busty blonde protests.
Kakashi shrugs. He knew Sasuke. He could only hope that Jugo was too embarrassed to tell him about their little conversation. Otherwise, he was in for one Hell of a tongue lashing.
It probably wouldn't stop there either. He could easily picture some fireballs and Chidoris being hurled at him. Oh well. It was worth it. Really, it was for a good cause. If anyone needed to get laid, it was his most solemn student.
"I suppose that's true. Are you only including candidates from the Leaf though?" He inquires.
"No. I have some from other villages. Mostly villages that we would like to strength our ties to or who are already our allies. Why did you have a suggestion?" She inquires.
The silver haired ninja pauses. Hmm it was an interesting question. He wasn't entirely certain that Sasuke would want anything to do with the surrogate after the child(ren) were born. Perhaps he would simply thank her and send her on her way. Then again, there was the possibility that he would want the biological mother involved in his child(ren)'s life.
"It's a tough call, but I would include native Leaf Villagers and foreigners as well. Better to have too many, than too little." The CopyCat Ninja offers.
Tsunade nods in agreement. Sasuke was tough to read when it didn't come to battle. Who knew what went on in his head? Even after his psychological evaluation, he was still something of an enigma.
"Alright. You were his teacher. If you think it's a good idea to add foreign ninja, then it must be. I worry about how Sakura will react when she finds out that Sasuke is gay. I know that she used to carry a torch for him." She murmurs.
"Well it might soothe her pride a bit. After all, if he simply prefers men, there was nothing that she could do to win him over. Women are funny that way." He replies and shrugs.
Tsunade gives him a dirty look. Kakashi gulps nervously. Maybe that hadn't been the brightest thing to say considering that the Fifth Hokage was also a woman.
"In what way?" The busty blonde demands.
"Nevermind, My Lady. Was there anything else you wish to discuss?" He asks, trying to change the subject.
Kakashi knew damn well what her temper was like. The woman was a legendary Sannin. If she got angry, well things could get quite painful for him. He'd like to avoid that, if at all possible. Thank you very much.
"Not presently. Though I would like you to watch them when they get back. Check to see if their behavior is different. Sasuke is highly unlikely to tell us if he's suddenly started to date. But there would be signs. I'm assuming that you know what to look for." Tsunade replies.
The silver haired ninja nods his head in agreement. Of course he knew what to look for. He was a die hard romantic. Why else would he read Jirayia's books so much?
"I'll do my best to watch over them. If I see anything unusual, I'll report it immediately. Don't worry. I'm sure that this will all work out." He assures her.
Tsunade nods and sighs. She wasn't so sure that this would all work out, but they had gone too far to turn back now.
A few days later, Sasuke and Jugo return back to the Leaf. They were heading back to the Uchiha District, when they bumped into Naruto. The blonde greets them excitedly.
"So how did the mission go?" He asks.
"Pretty well. We mostly took notes. I don't think the Tea Lord is going to give the Leaf much difficulty when it comes to negotiating trade ratios." Jugo says with a smile.
Sasuke nods in agreement. Honestly, he couldn't care less about the trade mission. It was so simple that he could have done it when he was a Genin. Hell, he probably could have accomplished it with ease while he was in the Academy.
No. His mind was on something else. He was dating Jugo now. Well maybe dating wasn't the right word, but he couldn't think of another way to describe it at the moment.
"Well that's good. Easy money then. You guys feel up to going to the Ramen Shop with me?" He asks.
"Sure." Sasuke says with a shrug.
He was a little hungry and the Ramen Shop was on the way back to the District. He looks at Jugo to see his reaction. If he didn't want to go, he'd just have the gentle giant return home and see him in a bit.
"I don't mind." The orange haired man replies.
"Great!" Naruto exclaims happily and drags them off.
It was a rather comical picture. Sasuke was scowling and Jugo was easily two, if not three time bigger than Naruto. They were getting a lot of funny looks as they passed by.
Naruto either didn't notice or he didn't care though. The blonde had one thing on his mind. That was the glorious goodness known as ramen and he was going to eat with his two friends! This was a good day.
"So did we miss anything?" Sasuke asks as he orders a tomato salad and Jugo orders a steak.
The blonde blinks. He didn't know they served steaks at the Ramen Shop. Hmm. You learned something new everyday. He orders three bowls of ramen to start off with.
"Well Suigetsu and Karin are fighting a lot. I'm not sure what about, but sometimes I can hear them as I walk by. Poor Itachi. We are going to need to get him earplugs. Do they sell earplugs for dogs?" He asks curiously.
Sasuke considers that question. Honestly, he didn't know, but he should probably look into it. It might be borderline animal abuse, if he didn't. He was many things, but cruel to animals wasn't one of them.
"Not sure. I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask." He says as he bites into his meal.
"Yeah. Probably a good idea. I don't really know where they get that much energy to fight all the time. They are worse than us." Naruto says.
"Karin and Suigetsu have always rubbed each other the wrong way. I'm convinced that it's unresolved sexual tension half the time." Jugo offers and Naruto gapes.
Sasuke shrugs. Jugo could be a rather blunt individual. It was the fact that he delivered these observations in such a gentle, innocent voice that made them have more punch. He wasn't sure if Jugo did that on purpose or not. Maybe he just liked shocking people.
"Jugo's a really open person, once he gets to know you." Sasuke says with a shrug at Naruto's shocked expression.
"Yeah. I see that." Naruto muses.
Jugo knew that it was silly, but he felt a little jealous of Naruto. He knew that he had a really strong bond with Sasuke and they had known each other longer. He places his hand on Sasuke's thigh underneath the table, deciding to test the waters.
So far their relationship had been relatively innocent. If he was only looking at the physical aspects, it was mostly kissing and embracing each other while they slept. Sasuke was definitely getting bolder when it came to kissing.
He just had a naturally competitive personality, Jugo supposed. Kissing and sleeping next to him was a glorious experience. But he was hoping that eventually they would get beyond just doing that.
"Whoa! Easy there, bastard!" Naruto says as Sasuke suddenly starts choking for "no reason."
Alright. Maybe that had been pushing it a little too far. Jugo pats Sasuke on the back to help him get through his choking fest.
"Thanks." He mutters.
Sasuke couldn't believe that Jugo had done that. He had said that he didn't mind a public or private relationship. Sasuke hadn't given him a definitive answer on that subject, but he certainly hadn't expect him to put his hand that close to his dick in public!
"Damn. It's getting late. I better go file my report to Granny Tsunade. I'll see you later." Naruto says as he pays for his part of the meal and heads off.
Sasuke quickly finishes eating. So does Jugo. The former Criminal Ninjas leave their money on the table and head towards the Uchiha District.
"I can't believe you did that." Sasuke says.
"Well you never said that I couldn't make affectionate gestures towards you in public. Besides, it was underneath the table. It's not as if Naruto saw. Are you worried that he would have an issue with seeing two men together?" He asks.
Sasuke blinks. He had no idea how Jugo could place his hand inches away from his cock at a fucking restaurant and still come out as the innocent one in this relationship. It had to be some kind of talent, really.
"No. Naruto knows that I'm gay. He knows absolutely nothing about the mechanics of how such relationship work, but then again he's an idiot. I doubt he knows how kunais and pouches work, much less kunais and kunais. Naruto is fine with the fact that I prefer men though. But that's not the point!" Sasuke exclaims.
"Well if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't do that in public again." He offers.
It was hard to stay flustered or angry when Jugo sounded so reasonable. Sasuke sighs. It was almost like he really didn't know any better.
"It's fine. It just surprised me is all." He mutters.
"That's only natural. You've never been in a real relationship before. That's alright though. I don't mind teaching you. Didn't you tell me that you were at the top of your class at the Academy? I'm sure you'll be a very good student." He muses and pushes Sasuke against the nearest wall in the Uchiha District, kissing him.
Sasuke kisses back. He liked kissing. He really, really liked kissing actually. He wasn't really sure if this counted as a real fight or not. But kissing and making up sounded good at the moment.
"OH MY GOD, IT'S REALLY TRUE. YOU'RE GAY!" Karin exclaims when she saw Jugo and Sasuke in a liplock.
"Could you say that a little louder? I don't think the entire fucking fire country heard you, yet!`" Sasuke snaps at her and his Sharingan activates in agitation.
"Sorry, it's just a shock. I'm gonna go now!" She says.
"That would probably be a good idea." Jugo agrees and Karin squeaks, racing off towards Suigetsu's place.
Sasuke smacks his forehead. Great. Now he would have to put up with Karin and Suigetsu's reactions. Damn it. This was going to be extremely annoying.