For the first time maybe ever in his life Sasuke felt uncertain about something he thought might be within his grasp to take. Only having woken up moments ago, he glanced at Naruto who was turned more on his side, toward him, with his bangs slanted across one of his cheeks. Sasuke's lips parted as he sucked in a breath and reached over to gently brush the hair back behind the blond's ear. He looked young and...very attractive.

Naruto wasn't really like anyone he'd met before. He'd seen different sides of Naruto this weekend, and Naruto had seen some of his more, well, unflattering qualities. But even after seeing the ugliest parts of who he was, Naruto had refused to abandon him. If Naruto was anything but straight, if he was single, if they lived less than a few hours away from one another - would he have the confidence to pursue something? Honestly, he wasn't sure, and being indecisive made him fucking anxious as hell.

As he pressed his lips together, he was staring at their hands, and then his gaze rose to Naruto's sleeping face. Why didn't he want to let go? If he let go now, he felt like he'd be losing something important that he could never get back. But what about Naruto? What would he do after returning to Illinois? Would he fix things with Shion? Could they work things out and be happy?

If Naruto asked him what he wanted, what would he say? Frankly, he just hoped that Naruto wouldn't ask at all. They would only be setting themselves up for disappointment. Naruto was always putting him on some pedestal, and Sasuke already knew that the expectations the other man had for him were unrealistic. He would never subject someone he actually liked into being forced to rely on him emotionally. And, romantically? That wasn't even up for debate. It terrified him as much as it confused him.

Suddenly, Naruto let out a soft murmur and shifted onto his back. The light coming in from the blinds cast thin lines across his right shoulder.

If it was meant to be, their paths would cross again, and if it wasn't -

It's not as if the world would end or anything, which was about as much as he could ever truly expect out of any of this.

xxx

Naruto awoke around mid-morning and was disappointed to find himself alone in bed. In Sasuke's place, however, he discovered the orange cat had curled up on top of his pillow.

"Good mornin'," Naruto said to the nameless pet.

Hearing his voice, the cat cracked open one eye before closing it again and returning to its nap. Despite having slept for so long, Naruto still felt tired and definitely would've preferred to have found Sasuke hanging around somewhere if only to annoy him.

Thinking about everything that happened last night, Naruto released a heavy breath as he raked a hand through his hair. It should've been strange how easy it was for him to accept the events of this weekend, everything from their chance meeting at the bar on Friday to all of the fighting and then the, uh, other stuff.

He wasn't sure he could explain it if he tried, even to those closest to him. So what if sometimes he wanted to kiss Sasuke? That was okay, right? There wasn't necessarily any reason to analyze it because he was leaving today and as far as he could tell, Sasuke had no interest or expectations in anything either. It wouldn't be realistic.

Still.

He glanced at the cat again, and an odd thought occurred to him. That he was a little bit jealous of the damn thing.

"Is there a particular reason you're glaring at the cat?"

He nearly jumped five feet in the air at hearing Sasuke's voice. He was standing in the doorway, a plate in one hand and the fingers of the other hooked around two mugs. Naruto quickly hopped out of bed and took the mugs from him.

"I thought you might want some coffee," said Sasuke, who was dressed and looked like he'd been up for a good while. "I figured you liked it sweet so I added about half a bag of sugar."

Naruto chuckled as he handed Sasuke the mug with tea in it. "You know me so well."

Sasuke took a seat in the chair and folded his legs underneath him. Naruto then went to sit on the edge of the bed, eyeing the plate in Sasuke's lap.

"What's that?" He asked. "Nothin' for me? How rude."

"Don't be a brat," Sasuke scolded. "I'm settling in first. I didn't know if you'd be hungry so I found a bagel and slathered one half with peanut butter and one with plain cream cheese. I'll take what you don't want."

"Duh, I'll have the peanut butter." Naruto got up to snatch it from the plate. As he took his first bite, he noted that the bruise on Sasuke's cheek was a lot worse than yesterday. "You've gotta be sore."

"I'm fine." Sasuke balanced the plate in his lap as he sipped his tea.

"I doubt it, but since you brought me a bagel, I won't lecture you anymore," he said, sitting back down on the bed. "By the way, what time is it?"

"Time for you to get a new watch."

"Ha! I think the 80s called, they want their joke back." He grinned at Sasuke while licking the peanut butter clean from his lips. "So did you sleep okay? I didn't kick or punch you while I was sleepin', did I? I can do that sometimes."

"No, in fact, I don't think you moved an inch from when you fell asleep."

"Well, I wouldn't know, I guess. Since you got up before me."

"Oh?" Sasuke smirked. "You sound disappointed. Did you expect we'd have a cuddle? You should know me better by now."

"Hmph, no." Naruto pulled a face.

Sasuke shot him a sly look. "Plus I only got up to make you some breakfast, and this is how you repay me?"

"Tch. Shut up. I shouldn't have said anything."

Sasuke, losing some of the humor from his face, studied him for a while, and Naruto thought it was pretty obvious he had something on his mind.

"What's up?" He asked. "Are you sad that I'll be leavin' today?"

"More like ecstatic," Sasuke dryly replied.

Naruto watched him as he sucked a tiny bit of cream cheese from his finger.

"What?" Sasuke asked, catching him staring.

"Uh, nothin'." Embarrassed, Naruto abruptly glanced away while scratching the back of his head.

"You seem jumpy," Sasuke commented. "I suppose you're nervous about flying? You must know that they won't let you fly unless the conditions are safe for taking off. It's mostly stopped snowing. I already checked the weather report. It shouldn't snow again until later this evening."

"Yeah." He bit his lip, casting his gaze toward the floor. "Gettin' on a plane. That's... definitely what I'm thinkin' about."

The next thing he knew, Sasuke was standing in front of him. Naruto looked up, having to squint in order to see him clearly since his vision had become blurry.

"You're not gonna flick me in the forehead again, are you?" Naruto asked sullenly.

"No." Sasuke set his hand on top of his head. "No abuse today."

"Heh. I hope that goes both ways."

"Funny," Sasuke replied in a low voice, "I was thinking the same thing."

Immediately Naruto blushed at the innuendo and let out an embarrassed cough.

"You were a lot less shy yesterday," Sasuke murmured and took a seat on the bed, beside him, so that their arms touched.

"I'm sad," Naruto admitted. "Way more than I thought I'd be."

"It'll be a lot quieter with you gone. That's for sure."

"Did you decide whether you wanna talk to me again? You have my number now. I have yours, too."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You're assuming I didn't find your phone and delete all of your recent incoming calls."

"You didn't - "

Sasuke smirked. "Why would I mess with your phone? Unlike someone I know, I'm capable of respecting others' privacy."

"That was an emergency, y'know." Naruto stared at his hands and at his half-eaten bagel. "I was really worried."

"Well, you won't have to worry about me for very much longer. Soon you won't even remember me."

"Why would you say that?" He knocked into Sasuke's shoulder. "You're such a jerk. Now that we've made out and stuff, you're supposed to be nice to me."

"Do you know who you're talking to? Anybody I end up making out with I never speak to again."

"I'll count myself as lucky then." Naruto took a big bite of his bagel, munching loudly.

"I wouldn't go that far," Sasuke murmured. "How's your bagel?"

"Good. Wanna try it? It's gotta be way better than plain cream cheese."

"Should I?" Sasuke smirked as he leaned in and kissed him on the lips, tongue lightly gliding across to taste the peanut butter.

Even as the kiss came to an end, they were in no hurry to draw apart.

"I hope you're able to work things out with her when you go home," Sasuke said.

Naruto almost snapped at him for bringing Shion up after a kiss like that, but he also sounded so incredibly sincere that he found himself feeling extremely grateful.

"You, too," he said. "I mean. I hope you'll be happy. I hope you can find someone who makes you laugh and stuff. Since you're so damn serious sometimes."

"Suigetsu's funny on occasion," said Sasuke. "Karin has her moments, too. Deidara as well when he's not being a nosy pest."

"I like Deidara."

"I know you do."

"I'm kinda jealous of Suigetsu and Karin and Deidara and even the cat right now," he admitted.

Sasuke reclined back on his arms. "Why do you say that?"

He shrugged. "'Cause. Hard to explain."

"Try me."

Naruto sighed, distracted by Sasuke's closeness, which was pretty much becoming the norm whenever they were together.

"It's just, y'know, I..." He shut his eyes for a second. "I wanna spend more time with you."

When he cracked his eyes open, he caught the knowing grin beginning to spread across Sasuke's face.

"Don't look so full of yourself," Naruto grumbled and glanced away with a huff.

Sasuke sought out his hand and spoke in a low voice near his ear, "You sure you don't want to discover what it's like to fool around with a guy before you leave?"

He tried to ignore his body's reaction to the sound of Sasuke's bedroom voice. "Depends on what you mean by 'fool around'. Think we did that partially already."

"Is that what fooling around is for you, Naruto?" Sasuke teased. "Are you sure you're in college and not high school?"

"You know what I mean, asshole." Naruto looked over at him, pinning him with a glare that instantaneously melted once he saw the humor in Sasuke's eyes.

Naruto ended up smiling back at him, albeit crookedly. His cheeks felt really flushed, too.

"It's been eventful to say the least," Sasuke said in a quiet tone.

"Yeah."

"I can take you to the airport if you want."

"Ah, you don't have to do that!" He said. "Then you'd have to come all the way back. I can get on the train. I don't have that much stuff, and, yeah. You should probably stay in bed today."

"Why's that?"

"'Cause. Considerin' that bruise on your face looks like someone hit you with a bat, I can only imagine how the rest of you looks. Plus, you had a fever last night. You should definitely stay in!"

Sasuke squeezed his hand. "What if I want to go with you?"

"Then I'll tie you down and text Deidara to let him know he needs to come back at some point and set you free."

"I thought we agreed no abuse today," Sasuke replied, moving closer.

Naruto leaned against his side in response. "Want me to be honest?"

"Always." Sasuke placed a kiss to Naruto's jaw.

"Heh. Cute." Playfully, Naruto knocked into his shoulder. "Anyway. Uh. I think... if you came, and I want you to, of course. I mean. I'd like you to. But. I think if you were there, and then when I'd have to go through security - "

Before he could finish, Sasuke cut him off.

"Okay. Whatever you want. I won't force it."

"Don't think I'm not grateful," said Naruto. "But, yeah. I just... Ah, fuck it."

He got up, put the small piece of bagel that was left onto the plate and then, turning to Sasuke, pushed him flat on the bed. While crawling across the sheets, he kept an eye on Sasuke, whose expression transformed from amusement to surprise after Naruto came to straddle his waist.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked teasingly and placed his hands on Naruto's thighs. "Did you change your mind about fooling around?"

"I wanna see." He moved forward until he was on hands and knees above Sasuke.

"See?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "See what?"

"You know," he answered. "How it looks today. I wanna see."

Just as he started to pull the bottom of Sasuke's shirt up, he caught hold of Naruto's wrist, stopping him.

"Naruto," he warned, dark eyes searching his.

"You wouldn't have them if it weren't for me, right? You said it wasn't about me, but you can't change my mind. I know for a fact if we hadn't met on Friday, that you wouldn't have these on you today."

He was able to remove Sasuke's hand and, very conscious about not hurting him, tugged the shirt up until it reached his chest. Naruto's inner reaction was a lot less calm than what he displayed on the outside to Sasuke.

It looked like someone - or a group - had jumped Sasuke in an alley and kicked the crap out of him. There were only a few places on his skin that weren't completely black and blue. He started tracing his fingers around the bruises on Sasuke's stomach, his side, and then his chest. He could only imagine what his back looked like. There had been scratches there, too. And on Sasuke's thighs and calves and...

"Naruto." Sasuke clutched the front of his shirt.

"Shut up," was all he said before kissing just above one of the bruises on the upper part of Sasuke's stomach.

Then it seemed to him that the other bruises needed attention, too. He didn't stop until he'd lightly pressed his lips to every single one. When he was finished, though, he glanced up at Sasuke, whose eyes were slightly glazed. While smirking, he brushed his palm across one of Sasuke's nipples, but apparently not expecting that, the other man gasped quietly as his body arched up against Naruto's.

Naruto had to bite his lip to curb any embarrassing sounds from coming out. That spark that existed between them last night instantly reignited. Honestly, if Sasuke wasn't in such a bruised and battered state, he might've gone for it, but, instead, he took in a deep breath. As calmly as he could manage, he tugged Sasuke's shirt down.

"In a perfect world," Naruto said to him, "In a perfect world I think - "

Sasuke shook his head. "Don't."

"Okay."

Even though it kind of hurt, he smiled nonetheless and gently cupped Sasuke's cheek. He held the sides of his face as he moved in for a long, passionate kiss, and, after it was over, could easily admit that it was one of the best kisses he'd experienced in his life.

It felt meaningful and exciting, so it was with regret that he pulled away while reluctantly disentangling his limbs from Sasuke's.

"Don't forget to remind me," he said and rolled off to the side until they were lying next to one another. "To give you back your fuckin' leather pants."

"Or," said Sasuke, "You could keep them as a memento."

"I doubt I'll be hitting the scene once I'm back home."

"God, I hope not," Sasuke blurted. "You're not allowed to go home with any other man except me."

Naruto let out a hard laugh and reached for Sasuke's hand. "You're one to talk. I wouldn't be surprised that if you make it out of the apartment tonight, you'll end up with some totally hot guy who'll let you just lay there so that you can recover while he sucks you off without asking for anything in return."

"Hn. Are you sure you didn't just describe yourself?"

"Heh. Well." He turned his head toward Sasuke. "Y'never know."

"No, I guess you don't."

"I'm glad I met you," he said sincerely. "Give me a call some time, would ya? Y'know, should you ever wake up and realize you miss the sound of my voice."

"I'll consider it," Sasuke answered.

"You listen to demo tapes or whatever bands make, right?"

"Yes. I do."

"Maybe I'll start a band, and I'll write a vague song about you and then I'll record it in my dad's garage. That way, even if you don't call, you can still hear my voice and know that I do think about you. Whenever you're alone and it's quiet and you think about that one stupid blond kid you met during that weird weekend. You'll ask yourself, 'Does he think about me ever? Does he remember? Did I mean anything to him?' and then you'll listen to my song, which will be called somethin' like 'That Gay Boy in New York' and you'll get your answer."

"I think it sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this," Sasuke remarked. "Maybe you should tell me your band name so that when it comes through the mail, I can make sure it doesn't end up with another agent."

"Band name, huh?" Naruto rubbed his chin. "Gas Station Sushi maybe?"

"..."

"What? One name's as good as another, who cares."

Sasuke scowled, apparently offended that he didn't take the naming of his imaginary band seriously. "It means that critics will say things like 'Gas Station Sushi's music is as hard to digest as the band's namesake.'"

"Haha, that's pretty good, actually," said Naruto. "You're pretty clever. I think that'd be cool. If my music could give cheap people everywhere really heinous diarrhea."

"This conversation is nearly having the same effect."

"Maybe our band could be somethin' more like 'Kind of Like an Enema' or 'Enema of the State'."

"No. That was a Blink-182 album, so you can't use that. You'll get sued for copyright infringement."

"Yeah, and I'm a peasant, so I don't have a lotta money. Remember that time you let me touch you with my peasant hands, and you loved it. How's that for a band name? Peasant Hands?"

"Please stop," Sasuke groaned. "What time did you say your flight was?"

"Asshole!" Naruto rolled until he'd flopped onto his stomach. He poked Sasuke in the shoulder.

"Naruto."

"Hm?" He smiled widely at him.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure. Anything."

He felt oddly pleased that Sasuke would ask him for something.

"Kiss me," said Sasuke, "Like you would her."

Naruto's eyebrows lifted in surprise at the request, and it took him a second or two to fully comprehend what Sasuke was asking of him. He was hesitant at first, but then he found he was curious, too. He shifted onto his side - the both of them watching one another. Then he placed his arm over Sasuke's waist and considered what it could be like. To be with him that way. He began tracing his fingers along Sasuke's neck and upward to the strong line of his jaw. Tenderly, he cupped Sasuke's cheek while gazing at his lips, and when their mouths met, he thought of Sasuke as his.

Sasuke's response to the kiss set his heart beating faster. His kisses felt hungry as Naruto pushed fingers through his hair. Clutching at the front of his shirt, Sasuke angled his head differently, opened his mouth wider to him, and let Naruto's tongue inside.

Afterward, he couldn't be sure if it had lasted only a few minutes or a lot longer.

"Okay?" Naruto asked, smiling as he looked down at him and set his hand on Sasuke's chest.

"Not bad," Sasuke answered, his voice was gruff.

Naruto thought he looked conflicted. "I'm a good kisser, right?"

"I'll try not to think about how that means you've had a lot of practice."

"If that's how it works, then I imagine there are other activities you're really good at." He pressed his teeth into his bottom lip, eyes flashing gleefully.

"Fucking flirt," Sasuke said to him, making him laugh.

Collapsing on top of him, Naruto's laughter became muffled as he buried his face in the other man's neck. He thought he'd remember this scent for a long while.

"Go home already, idiot," Sasuke said while rubbing his back. "You're like the thing that came to stay and then never left."

"That wouldn't be so bad, though, would it?" He asked, taking in a deep breath. "If I never left?"

Sasuke gave no reply, which didn't concern or surprise him much.

"But I suppose I've got stuff I gotta get back to, huh? Friends and family and school..."

Sasuke's fingers started combing through his hair. "Yeah."

He knew they were both thinking about Shion, but what happened between them after this had very little to do with Sasuke and the time they'd spent together in New York.

Naruto knew he still loved her - they had a lot of history together, after all - but he also... wouldn't mind it if he could spend more time with Sasuke. That would be a pretty selfish request, he knew, and Sasuke's life was here.

"Maybe I should think about gettin' dressed," Naruto mumbled before placing one last kiss to Sasuke's lips. "And then I'll think about takin' off."

"What? That's all I get? No fooling around before you go and we never see each other again?"

Naruto chuckled. "Pretty sure you fooled around plenty yesterday."

"True. I've been up for two hours, and it took at least the first hour to get out of the bed without waking you."

Naruto snorted. "Serves you right. I'll help you fill some bags with ice or whatever. You've gotta be super sore." Thinking about it, he pulled at Sasuke's shirt collar a bit so that he could bite his shoulder.

"Ow," said Sasuke. "Was that supposed to be my punishment? I thought you weren't into that. Didn't you say you wouldn't hurt me, even if I asked?"

"Shut up," Naruto said to him. "You talk too damn much. I wanna leave a mark, too, so not all of these are that bastard's from yesterday, who I will beat up if I ever see him."

"You don't even know what he looks like," Sasuke murmured. "So, is this where I tell you you've already left the biggest mark of all?" He kissed the top of Naruto's head. "The one you left on my heart?"

"Bwahahaha!" Naruto lifted up to look him in the face. "That's gay."

Sasuke squeezed him. "Mhmm. This does feel pretty gay."

"God I'm gonna miss you and your sarcasm, Sasuke. You better fuckin' call me."

"We'll see," he said. "But I suggest keeping your expectations low."

xxx

An hour after Naruto left the apartment, Sasuke found himself doing the dishes in the kitchen. He forgot how quiet this place could get without Deidara (or Naruto) around. He had to admit he was relieved Naruto didn't want him to go to the airport. It would've made things more complicated. What was best for them now was to begin emotionally detaching themselves from what happened this weekend. It was a unique experience for him and, no doubt, for Naruto, too. It wasn't up to Sasuke how Naruto decided to play things out in his life after this.

While finishing drying one last glass, the cat began circling about his feet, meowing constantly about something. Sasuke'd already fed him, so that wasn't it. He didn't usually coddle the animal, but after setting aside the dish towel, he scooped the tabby up into his arms.

"What did Mom ever see you in you anyway?" Sasuke asked as he scratched the cat behind its ears.

The cat purred loudly in his arms. Apparently all he required was a bit of attention. Well, didn't that sound familiar.

By this time, Naruto should be at the airport. He supposed he could've texted him to at least wish him a good flight, but no. Then Naruto would text back, Sasuke would, too. He didn't want to make things awkward for Naruto.

Genuinely, he wanted the two them to give it a shot again if that's what made Naruto happy. From what Sasuke could tell, Shion seemed slightly on the controlling and spoiled side, but maybe there was something special Naruto saw in her, and, frankly, Sasuke felt none of it was any of his business.

He carried the cat with him upstairs to his room, where he tossed it onto the bed after realizing his phone was vibrating on the desk. Sasuke checked it first before picking it up, and saw that it was Itachi. He'd forgotten that he was supposed to give him a call.

"Hello," he answered, staring at the cat as it cuddled up on what had been Naruto's pillow.

"I see you're still alive," said Itachi. "Did you receive the message that you were to call me today?"

"I did, but it's not even 2 in the afternoon, Itachi. I've had other things to do today."

"Of course. Like escorting your new boyfriend to the airport, I suppose?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the cat; the cat stared back as if mocking him.

"Who even told you that he was going to the airport?" Sasuke asked.

"So you admit he's your boyfriend."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That shouldn't have required a response. I'm more interested in your source. Is Deidara still sticking his nose where it doesn't belong? Tell him to leave Naruto alone. He's gone back to his life in Illinois."

"And so what?" Itachi asked. "You expect him to experience amnesia on the plane?"

"If he gets scared enough, maybe," he mumbled.

Itachi chuckled. "Ah, then I won't tell you that I only spoke with Deidara a few minutes ago, and he mentioned that he and Naruto were texting as apparently he's nervous about flying. Deidara's trying to keep him calm. Can you imagine that? Maybe Naruto will dump you for my friend. Wouldn't that be amusing. He was a very nice person to speak to on the phone, by the way. He seemed very concerned about you. How are you today, Sasuke?"

Sasuke had been distracted by the thought of Naruto sitting at the airport, alone and nervous and apparently desperate enough to turn to Deidara for comfort. However, he could at least admit that Deidara was a far more sympathetic person than he'd ever been. Sasuke might not know what to say other than to scold Naruto for having such irrational fears.

"Sasuke?"

"I'm here. I'm fine." He brushed his fingers across his lips, thinking about the last few kisses he and Naruto shared before he'd left.

"You sound distracted."

"I'm fine."

"You said that already. Do you have anything you want to talk about?"

"Not particularly, no," he answered.

Sasuke, with his eyes on the cat, walked to the bed to sit on the edge and proceeded to stroke his fingers along its spine.

"In fact," he murmured, "I think I'm feeling better than I have in a while."

The other line was quiet for so long that Sasuke had to make sure his brother was still there.

"Itachi?"

"I'm here. I'm just... surprised. And curious."

"About what?" He asked and fell back against the bed, startling the cat.

"I know you have your days, little brother, and I worry about you even though I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but..."

"Spit it out, Itachi. It's unlike you to not speak your mind."

"Very well. You liked him, didn't you? This man that you met."

Sasuke shut his eyes and reached for the cat again. "It doesn't matter. There's no future for us. He's straight and has a girlfriend, and I..."

"Yes?"

"He's out of my league."

"..."

Sasuke opened his eyes when he felt the cat move and stretch. It got up from the pillow so that it could crawl on top of him in order to use his chest as a bed. The cat continued to watch him as if reading his mind.

"What?" asked Sasuke, speaking to the animal as well as his brother's silence.

"Sasuke," said Itachi. "I thought you didn't like sweets and desserts."

"I don't." Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"Because it sounds like you got served a piece of humble pie."

"I'm hanging up now."

Itachi chuckled with that deep voice of his. Even Sasuke smirked, though. It sounded just like the type of joke Naruto would make.

"I'm happy for you," said his brother. "But I hope you don't regret not chasing after this one. It's so rare that you're interested in anyone. I'd like to see you happy."

"Happy?" He asked, scratching the purring cat under its chin. "When have I ever been happy?"

"While it saddens me to hear you say that, I, of course, have seen you happy. You must have had some good moments this weekend with your friend."

"Half and half," he replied.

"Hn. Very well, Sasuke. Since you're still alive, I'm thankful. Should you speak to Naruto again, tell him I give my thanks for staying at your side last night."

"I doubt I'll talk to him ever again, but sure."

"Don't be so stubborn. It's one of your least adorable traits, otouto."

"Omae, uzai yo," he muttered. "I'm hanging up, Itachi."

"Also, make sure to be nice to Deidara. He's been very worried about you lately. Soreja, ato de."

"Ja, ato de." He hung up the phone and tossed it to the side.

Even though the cat looked comfortable, Sasuke picked him up and held him in the air. "It's best we leave him alone, don't you think?"

The cat gave no reply. Probably because it was dumbfounded Sasuke was speaking to it. He let the animal down and, apparently traumatized, the cat scrambled off the bed and out of the room, leaving Sasuke alone to his thoughts.

He stared at the ceiling, wondering if Naruto was doing okay. It was with a small pang of jealousy that he acknowledged Naruto reached out to Deidara to ease his nervousness. Or, perhaps, Deidara had texted him first. Naruto would be fine, he knew. He'd given Sasuke a lot to think about, but he doubted that Naruto would've been able to take anything meaningful away from this experience.

On the other hand, Sasuke learned that there were good people out in the world that deserved good things to happen to them. He wondered, if he tried harder to be more like the person Naruto imagined him to be - would he, too, then deserve to have good things happen to him? Is that what it would take? Was he even capable of becoming that person? It's not as if it would kill him to try, and Naruto would never know the difference. That he'd changed him just the slightest bit for the better or that he'd encouraged him to change at all.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he said aloud into the empty room. "Your flight will be fine. Your plane will land in Chicago with no problems." Sasuke attempted what he thought might be a more affectionate tone, "I'll hold your hand if you get scared."

No way. He could never do a relationship. That didn't sound like him at all. How did people talk like that to each other?

"Fuck it."

Naruto was definitely better off with anyone else but him. After all, at the end of the day, the one thing he did know was that he wanted Naruto to be happy. Sasuke understood that so long as Naruto was at least out there somewhere in the world and happy, that he could be just fine continuing to live like he'd been doing in New York. But with the hope that someday there might be a good match for him out there, too.

Although he doubted he'd ever find a better kisser.

Maybe he should text him that.

Naruto. You're a great kisser. Have a good flight

"Hn." Sasuke smirked up at the ceiling. "Yeah right."