After pulling into Naruto's parking lot, the four of them hung out for another five minutes. Every time Ino tried to get Kiba to shut up so that they could go home, Sasuke had to restrain himself from smirking, especially when she would catch his eye in the rearview mirror. He hadn't expected to find an ally in Ino, but having her approval gave him some relief (and confidence). Sasuke understood how much Naruto cared about his friends, and if they were at all like Naruto, they wouldn't let just anyone get close to him. Kiba, Ino, and Naruto were all genuine, good-hearted people and that's not the company Sasuke usually kept. But, he remembered what it was like when he was in high school. Back then, he did have one or two decent friends. His parents had been well-mannered and kind, and Itachi was also remarkably polite, though he was certainly in a position to be a dick if he wanted. Living in New York, he'd learned quickly how money, fame, and notoriety could change someone for the worse.

Sasuke found he liked that part of Naruto. He was personable. He was loyal. He cared and felt things deeply. While Sasuke had never met another person like him exactly, it's not as if he hadn't met those who were similar. He'd seen people come up through the industry who were just like that and, at the time, Sasuke thought them to be weak because they weren't cut out for the music business. Musicians really needed a tough skin so being too nice could, at times, be a detriment to their success. He remembered instances when he'd told artists or bands as much.

However, after that weekend in New York, he'd started to see a lot of things differently. He'd become more patient with some of his clients, even some of the colleagues in his office that used to annoy the shit out of him. He was surprised to find that taking this "nicer" approach was earning him much better results overall, and it was no coincidence that some of the managers had been throwing around "team player" a lot more than he'd ever heard during his time at the agency. It's probably what had put him in the running for this management position in Chicago.

"Are you guys sure you don't want me to come hang out with you tonight?" Kiba asked. "We can make some popcorn and watch some manly movies like Die Hard or Fast and the Furious."

"Kiba Inuzuka," Ino snapped for the third time. "This is the last time I'm going to tell you to shut up and let's go home. How is it that you have such a hot girlfriend but all you can think about is spending the night with Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Yeah, but I see you all the time," Kiba whined.

"Whoah, dude. She is gonna beat the shit out of you pretty soon. I'll talk to you tomorrow night probably. Go home before she castrates you, man." Naruto spared a look at Sasuke. "You ready?"

"If you are," he said, unable to help smiling. Naruto, in a way Sasuke found very attractive, immediately graced him with a wide smile in return and then moved to open the door.

"Fine, fine, just leave me," said Kiba. "Way to help a brother out."

"Shut up and stay still while I hug Sasuke goodbye." Ino unclicked her belt, got out of the car, and while Sasuke was standing nearby, wrapped her arms around his waist.

With heels on, she was only a couple of inches shorter than him. He caught another whiff of her charming, floral perfume. He wasn't usually a person who liked hugs, but she could have that effect on someone. Sasuke'd never known what it was like to have a younger sister, but even though he'd just met Ino, he had that instinct to protect her.

Ino squeezed him tightly. "I hope you're able to talk to him."

"I'll do my best," he replied in a whisper as she drew away. Before shutting the door, he made sure to lean in and say goodbye to Kiba.

"It was good to meet ya, Sasuke," Kiba told him. "Don't be a stranger. And don't let Naruto try anything funny while you're asleep. You can't trust him!"

"Oh God, Kiba," Ino moaned. "We're leaving."

Sasuke closed the door and went to the other side to stand by Naruto, who waved to his friends as they reversed out of the parking space. When they were out of sight, Sasuke turned to him.

"Is there a reason he keeps insinuating you're going to try to do something to me while I'm asleep?"

"What? Of course not. If I do anything, it's some kinda prank. Like drawin' shit on his face or - Well. That's not important."

"Mm." They shared one of those wordless looks.

"So," said Naruto.

"As I recall," Sasuke rubbed his lips together, "You did do something to me while I was sleeping at the hotel."

Naruto went red in the face. "I dunno what you're talkin' about."

Sasuke laughed at him and placed a hand to his back. "Right. Let's go up to your place."

"You're always puttin' a hand on my back," Naruto grumbled after they began walking toward the entrance.

"Do you have a problem with it?"

"...No. But. I like to take charge, too, y'know?"

Sasuke wanted to tease him for pouting, but he thought it better to keep a straight face. "Of course you do."

Naruto gave him a shove. "Are you makin' fun of me now?"

"Always. Would it make you feel better to put your hand on my back?"

"Yeah, maybe it would."

He watched in amusement as Naruto tried to figure out where to put his hand. He couldn't decide if he should put it on Sasuke's lower back or the middle and he even tried to put an arm around Sasuke's waist but he ultimately gave up with a huff.

"Now it's just weird. You can't plan that kinda thing. Plus if you told me to do it, it's not the same." Naruto grabbed for his hand. "Here, we'll do this instead."

As they entered the lobby, Naruto continued to hold his hand, and while waiting for the elevator, he thought Naruto appeared a little nervous.

"Naruto," he said.

"Hm?" Naruto glanced at him.

Changing his mind, he shook his head. "Nothing."

"You always do that," Naruto complained as the elevator arrived, and they stepped inside.

"You seem nervous," he said.

"Me?"

"Yes. You."

"Well, think about it. I've never held a guy's hand before and now we're goin' up to my apartment."

Sasuke blinked at him. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten just how honest Naruto could be. He certainly didn't try to go out of his way to hide what he was thinking.

"What?" Naruto asked when Sasuke kept staring at him. "And don't say 'nothing'."

"I'm not going to try anything you don't want if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh, right. Like I'm worried about you takin' advantage of me? I could definitely take you in a fight."

Sasuke swung their hands together. "You think so?"

"It'd be a good fight, though."

Sasuke didn't know why he was even considering it, but they really were both competitive. He'd slacked off tonight in darts and pool, but there were a lot of new things he was trying lately, and not being a condescending jerk was one of them. Competitive sports and games could quickly bring that side out of him. Just ask his brother.

Once the elevator opened, they walked out into the hallway where they did, finally, pass a neighbor of Naruto's. Naruto continued to hold his hand, though, while dragging him toward the apartment. He only let go to fish his keys out of his back pocket. In the meantime, Sasuke leaned against the wall by the door and, for a brief time, closed his eyes.

"Tired?" Naruto asked.

"A little," he answered.

"Well at least you know you have a clean bed waitin' for you." Naruto pushed open the door and when Sasuke leaned away from the wall, Naruto placed a hand to his back and ushered him inside.

"Very smooth," Sasuke remarked.

"Yeah, I figured you'd like that." He shut the door and turned on the lights in the living room.

They were both standing in the center of the room, the tension between them almost palpable. Naruto had a hand in one of his jean pockets, his expression a mixture of anxiousness and determination. Usually Sasuke was cool in all situations, but he found himself hesitating. He didn't know how to proceed. Naruto had given enough signals to make him feel he could make a move, but he also suddenly felt afraid of fucking things up by moving too fast.

"Somethin' wrong?" Naruto asked. "You look conflicted."

"Because I am."

"Oh."

"What..." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "What are we doing, Naruto?"

"I dunno."

"Should we talk about it?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You want to?"

He wasn't sure, but. "Yes. I think we need to, don't you? I don't want to...overstep my bounds. I don't know what you want."

"Okay." Naruto's voice was calm. "We'll talk about it. It's not like you're goin' anywhere. Not yet at least."

Sasuke was grateful for Naruto's ability to remain calm in this situation. The entire night, he'd sensed that Naruto was unsure, anxious, and hesitant, but now he seemed much more sure of himself.

"Do you... want a beer or water?" Naruto asked. "Or, you can have a shower if you want first. Ah, you like tea. I might have some."

Faintly, he smiled. "I can get it myself if you tell me where it is."

"But you're my guest." Naruto's eyes twinkled with humor as he smiled at Sasuke.

"Dammit." Sasuke, unable to take it anymore, walked a whole two steps until he was in front of Naruto. He put a hand on the back of his neck. "I'm going to kiss you."

Naruto's eyes flicked back and forth, and after a delayed response, he nodded. "Okay."

As Naruto placed a hand on the left side of his waist, Sasuke leaned in, waited until Naruto's eyes were closed, and kissed him like he'd been wanting to for so, so long. When Naruto started to return the kiss, all he could think about was how right this felt - that he'd never wanted anything more and that he absolutely did not want to let go.

xxx

A smile curved Naruto's lips when he and Sasuke broke contact after a, uh, fewminutes of making out, give or take. On some level, he knew he'd been waiting for that to happen all night. It was like being in New York all over again. The chemistry was there and the draw he felt to Sasuke was still borderline addicting.

Sasuke, on the other hand, looked apprehensive.

"What's that look?" Naruto asked. "I'm not gonna run out the door like last time if that's what you're thinkin'."

"Even if you did, I would've chased you."

"I feel like we do a lot of that," Naruto replied. "Chasin' each other." He let out a chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "Now that we got that out of the way. Do you want tea? You liked green, right? I don't think I have that, but I'm sure I have somethin' else."

"Whatever you have is fine."

Sasuke started biting his lip, so Naruto had to laugh at him for being so uncool.

"Why are you laughing?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I just find it funny that kissin' me can make you so..."

Sasuke raised a brow in anticipation.

"Nothin'," said Naruto. "Nevermind."

"Oh, so you can do that, but I can't?" Slipping a hand from one of his pockets, Sasuke grabbed a piece of hair framing Naruto's face and tucked it behind his ear. "How are you even more good looking than the last time I saw you?"

Naruto started to blush and stutter. "Shut up."

Sasuke let his arm drop to his side again.

"Sasuke," he said without knowing what exactly he wanted to say.

"Hm?"

"I'm..." Naruto took in a deep breath as he sorted through his own feelings and placed a hand to Sasuke's chest. "I'm not gonna hurt or reject you. So relax. You're makin' me nervous."

Sasuke's expression hardened, so for a second, he thought he'd said the wrong thing. But then he grabbed Naruto's wrist, keeping his hand in place on his chest.

"It's very hard for me to relax when I want to make up for all the time we weren't able to talk."

"You don't have to make up anything to me. You already apologized for, y'know, abandoning me and all that." He smiled to show that he was only joking.

Sasuke didn't seem to find it nearly as funny. "I want you to know why I ignored you. I always knew that you were going to get back with her. I even wanted you to. Because I wanted to believe you were the type of person who wouldn't give up easily - "

"That's kind of annoying," he said, fighting the urge he had to pull his hand out of Sasuke's grasp, "That you were testin' me."

"I wasn't testing you," Sasuke argued. "I wasn't in any place to do anything either. You know I was fucked up. I wanted you to have a chance at being happy."

Naruto frowned at him. "When I called you a week after I got home, I thought to myself, if you gave me any kind of a sign, I might know what to do. But you didn't. You were a dick."

Sasuke's grip on his wrist tightened. "What did you want me to say? You didn't bring anything up either."

"What the hell? I couldn't get anything out of you, and I felt like I was botherin' you just by callin'. All you did was give me a one-word response to everything I asked. So I was like 'Okay, I'll send you your pants'."

"Probably because I was," he said bitterly. "I didn't want to hear that you were going to get back with Shion. So what? You said it yourself when you left New York. That neither of us expected anything to happen. I didn't hope for it. I didn't try to make it happen, and you certainly can't lecture me because you were obviously willing to get back with her even though you knew it wasn't working."

"Asshole," Naruto muttered, ripping his hand away. "How can you say you wanted me to work it out with her and then get mad at me for doin' exactly that? What do you want to hear? We were together for years, Sasuke. It was somethin' solid I'd always relied on, and it's not like I didn't hate myself for it at times. It's not like I didn't think about you after that weekend and wonder if you were okay, but you didn't seem interested in continuing as friends as much as I wanted that. I waited for months to hear from you, and you were the first one I wanted to talk to when she and I broke up - "

"It's fine," said Sasuke, but it clearly wasn't. "It's okay."

"No, it's not okay." Naruto grabbed the front of his shirt. "How is it okay?"

"Because none of it matters now, does it?" Sasuke asked, raising his voice. "You're not with her anymore. You know how I feel, and if that's a burden on you, then all you have to do is say so."

Naruto's entire expression softened at Sasuke's words, and he let go of his shirt. "That's not it. When you came here, did you even know she and I weren't together?"

"I knew," Sasuke admitted while looking slightly guilty. "I never would've come like this so long as you were with her. I wouldn't have interfered, but I knew that Ineeded to do this in order to make up for the fact that I ignored you."

"I get it, I do. Y'know, I've thought a lot about that weekend, and I don't regret anything. Well except maybe when I didn't follow you out of the hotel room after you said all of those goddam awful things - "

Naruto stopped himself and let out a shaky breath, remembering how much that hurt at the time and how he'd blamed himself, just like he did when Sasuke seemed to want nothing to do with him after he came home.

"No," he said. "I understood exactly why you said those things, even at the time."

"You felt sorry for me," Sasuke accused.

"Tch. That wasn't it at all, asshole." He gave another heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "How did we go from makin' out to arguin' like this?"

"Because I wanted to be honest with you," said Sasuke. "You're always honest. I know I need to do at least that much to be on your level."

"On my level?" Naruto repeated uncertainly.

Sasuke turned away from him and mumbled. "To... be worthy of you. Or whatever."

"What?"

"Do you think I would've let someone like you be burdened by someone like me?" asked Sasuke. "I would've dragged you down, too. Being with you, I knew what I needed to become in order to have you acknowledge me, but I also had to do it on my own."

"I..." He didn't know what to say. This whole time, he'd thought he was the only one who'd given all of this any thought. He was never unfaithful while dating Shion, but after meeting Sasuke, there were always these feelings of longing. To tell Sasuke something stupid that had happened at work, something Sasuke also would laugh at, or just wanting to check up on him and know that he was doing okay.

But when months went by and he hadn't heard anything, he just figured that it all had meant more to him than it ever had to Sasuke. Not to mention that he knew Sasuke was perfectly capable of handling things on his own. He was strong and far from helpless. He didn't need Naruto there to coddle him. Even when he'd seen Sasuke at his worst (covered in bruises in that tub), Naruto had never once thought of him as weak, but that didn't stop him from feeling like shit when Sasuke had no apparent interest in being friends.

"This isn't exactly how I expected this conversation to go," Sasuke commented while scrubbing his hands through his hair.

"No, it's good, right?" Naruto eyed him while starting to regain his earlier sense of calm. "We both needed to get all that out of our systems. So, what is it you want?"

"I don't know."

"You came all this way without havin' any idea what you wanted?"

"I told you. I didn't come with any expectations. I didn't even know if you'd be here or if you'd tell me to fuck off. I only know that I had to try or I would've regretted it."

"If you didn't have that job interview, would you have ever contacted me again?"

Sasuke didn't answer immediately, which answered the question for him.

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "Oh, awesome. That makes me feel great."

"It's not like you picked up the phone and told me that you'd broken up with her."

"Oh, so you're blamin' me now?"

"No, dammit." Sasuke took a step closer, pinning him with a glare but then all of a sudden decided to resting his head on Naruto's shoulder. "I don't know what to say here, Naruto. I'm not used to talking about feelings. I know we only had that one weekend together, but I don't think you understand the impact it had on me. I never forgot that."

Naruto felt something inside his chest clench. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist. "Me either, but let's be realistic here. You have this reputation for disappearing on me, and you don't even know if you're gonna get that job. Plus you're goin' to Europe for a few months."

"You're straight," Sasuke added helpfully to their list of reasons why this could be difficult.

"Well, yeah. Then there's that, although clearly I don't have any issues about makin' out with you."

Sasuke raised his head off of Naruto's shoulder. "What about sex?"

"Uh, yeah. That's, er. Yeah. I'm not ready for that. I don't think. Mentally."

"Like you said, there's no guarantee I'll be moving here. But if there's any hope - "

Naruto pushed him back enough to be able to see his face. "We'll take it one step at a time maybe? After you find out about the job. Plus, there's all those hot European men. I can't deny you that, can I?"

Sasuke gave him a sharp look. "Yes. You can. You could."

Naruto dabbed his tongue across his bottom lip, both eyebrows raised.

"Unless that's your way of rejecting me?"

He frowned. "Who am I to tell you not to fuck around with other guys?"

"Are you fishing for compliments right now, Naruto?"

"I'm not. I just don't get why you'd give that up," he said. "You don't owe me anything."

"You want to shag that yoga instructor, don't you?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you can joke about all this still. And so what if I do. Is that any of your business?"

"At some point..." Sasuke leaned in as if he meant to kiss him, "I'd like it to be."

"Stop tryin to seduce me, dammit, Sasuke." Naruto, however much he wanted to kiss him right then, was determined to stand his ground. "If you end up movin' here, if you still wanna see what's between us after Europe, then… I dunno. We'll go on a date? Although, I don't even know what the fuck I'm gonna tell my dad or Kiba or Ino."

"I don't think Ino will be all that shocked." Sasuke brushed his lips across Naruto's left cheek.

"Huh?"

"She gave me her blessing," said Sasuke. "I think."

"What?" Naruto grabbed his shoulder. "When did this happen?"

Sasuke shrugged. "She asked me how I felt about you when we were at the bar. I suppose you can blame woman's intuition."

"Shit. And Kiba?"

"Oblivious, I believe, although I'm sure he can relate as I get the impression he's also infatuated with you."

"Shut up." Naruto made a face as he shoved him in the chest. "That's my best friend you're talkin' about."

"You have to admit he is especially territorial when it comes to you."

"Yeah, 'cause he's a good guy, and he's super loyal."

"Okay," Sasuke said simply.

"Tch. I'm gonna go make you're fuckin' tea then." He knocked into Sasuke on his way out of the bedroom.

While Naruto searched around the cabinets for the two tea bags he knew were hidden behind some cereal box or canned food somewhere, Sasuke walked into the kitchen and leaned against the wall nearest the hallway. Naruto filled the tea kettle, set it on the burner, and when he turned on the gas, he glanced at Sasuke, who seemed to be watching his every move. He couldn't figure out why even after knowing Sasuke for such a short amount of time, or, rather, having only been able to be in the same place with him for a few days, there was this odd sense of intimacy that Naruto knew existed only after spending a lot of time with someone. Like, years. When he looked at Sasuke, he always got this impression that they'd known each other since they were kids.

It felt comfortable to have him here in his apartment, even after a small fight. In fact, he'd be lying if he said that fighting with Sasuke didn't give him a thrill. He left the stove, approached Sasuke, and placed one hand near the side of his head.

"Yes?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto moved his other hand up next to Sasuke's head, trapping him against the wall. "You drive me crazy, y'know that?"

"Feeling's mutual. I'm beating myself up that I've sunk so low as to chase another man halfway across the country." Sasuke's tone dripped with sarcasm.

He smirked. "I suppose beatin' yourself up is better than havin' someone else do it for you."

"How very clever. I'm sure that at the time I offered you the chance."

"To fuck you... or to beat you?"

"As much as I like your Midwestern wholesomeness, this dark side of yours also turns me on."

Naruto's laughter was instant and gruff. "I'm more twisted than you think, Sasuke. You shouldn't put me on any kind of pedestal."

He put a hand on Naruto's hip, attempting to draw his body closer by tugging at a belt loop. "I should be saying the same to you."

"Ah, I could never look down on you. Never. Even when you open your mouth and the meanest shit comes out."

Sasuke's hand left his hip to clutch at the front of his shirt. "Have you figured out what you want to ask me for since you came out on top in our game of pool?"

"Wow, way to be subtle." Naruto leaned in even closer and, taking hold of Sasuke's wandering hands, pinned them up against the wall.

"You are very simple," said Sasuke, his voice low and teasing. "I figured I should speak in a way that even you'd understand my meaning."

"Mm. Insultin' my intelligence has always been the quickest way to my heart."

"Heart?" Sasuke smirked. "Yes, that's definitely the part of you I'm interested in right now."

"If I move a little closer, it's more likely to be on your thigh."

"Hn."

Of course, the tea kettle's shrill whistle interrupted them, and after giving him a very cocky look, Naruto let go of Sasuke's hands and went to turn off the burner. While he was pouring the water into an old Batman mug, Sasuke came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Ask me for something," Sasuke said.

"Why? Didn't you tell me you lost on purpose?" Naruto played with the string of the tea bag, bobbing it up and down while Sasuke watched over his shoulder. "Hey, why did you want me to take the bed if you would've won?"

"Because."

"That's not much of an answer."

Sasuke shrugged. "You can still have it. I'm happy to take the couch."

"Yeah, right. Duh. You're clearly sleepin' in my bed with me, so stop worryin' about tryin' to be a gentleman or whatever it is you've been doin' all night."

"Pardon me?" Sasuke spun him around so that they could face each other.

"I know you've been walkin' on eggshells, and you were really good with Ino and Kiba, and... yeah, it totally worked on me. Knowin' that even Ino is encouragin' you... But that doesn't mean it's all gonna work out like some fairytale. What if our first date's terrible?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Sasuke murmured.

"I just wanna be realistic here. I got out of a long-term relationship, like, not that long ago, and I haven't even thought about dating. You're gay. I've always been into chicks. I'm drawn to you like I've never been to a guy before, but... I dunno what it means. And you have a history of runnin' out on me, Sasuke."

Sasuke took a step back as if Naruto's words had offended him, which wasn't necessarily his intention.

"I'm only bein' honest," Naruto said and then picked up his tea to hand to him.

Sasuke took it with a sigh. "I want to argue, but you have every right to see it that way."

"Well, while you drink your tea, I think m'gonna change."

"Do you need any help with that?" Sasuke asked teasingly as Naruto was heading out of the kitchen.

"Still nothin' you haven't seen before," Naruto replied.

"Well, I haven't seen everything yet."

Naruto peeked his head around the corner. "Must everything be sexual with you?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Hilarious coming from you. As you mentioned, I've been nothing but a perfect gentleman."

"Yeah, I know," said Naruto, "And it was really fuckin' annoying for a while." He gave Sasuke a quick grin before retreating into his bedroom to change.

This felt oddly familiar. To go from arguing to joking within the span of only a few minutes. And then Naruto had offered to share the bed with him, too. Just how far could this possibly go?

While he was changing into a shirt and pair of boxers, he glanced over at the backpack sitting on his bed. He wondered what the nameless orange cat was up to and who was watching him while Sasuke was here.

After he finished getting dressed, Naruto found Sasuke sitting on the couch, drinking his tea, and flipping through an old copy of Rolling Stone that had been lying on the coffee table.

"For some reason," said Sasuke, "I don't see any mention of your band in this."

"Didn't you know? We're all taking a break to explore some solo projects."

"That's too bad. You guys had so much potential. We were all looking forward to your sophomore album."

"Yeah, but we were gonna give up the kazoo on the second album, which woulda really bummed out our more hardcore fans."

"Mm. Yes, that was definitely my favorite part of your sound."

Naruto took a seat beside him, and while at first there was some space between them, he started shuffling closer until they were side by side. Sasuke played it cool, pretending he didn't even notice.

"You gonna shower?" Naruto asked.

"Why, are you implying that I smell?"

He shrugged. "You do smell. Emotionally."

Sasuke gave him a droll look. "What does that even mean?"

"Somethin' deep."

"I bet. You're about as deep as an inflatable kiddy pool."

"Harsh." Naruto knocked into his shoulder. "Maybe I just want an opportunity to imagine you naked while you're in my apartment."

"No need to imagine it," Sasuke replied while flipping another page. "All you have to do is ask."

"Meh. Where's the mystery? I've already seen you naked anyway."

"Indeed, I remember." Sasuke set the magazine aside to look at him. "And you got in with your shorts."

"A guy's gotta have a little bit of modesty, doesn't he? Besides, if I'd gotten in all naked, it would've been kinda creepy given the circumstances."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, that you'd just let a dude fuck and beat you. Hardly the time for me to take advantage of your naked body."

Sasuke made a face.

"What?" Naruto asked. "Too soon?"

"No, I suppose not." He gave Naruto a brief look before leaning in and planting a chaste kiss to his lips.

Naruto broke into a goofy grin. "What was that for?"

"Because I knew I could without you punching me in the face."

He smiled even wider. "I thought you liked that."

"Oh, shut up." Sasuke pulled him down into a headlock.

"Ah, Sasuke! But we haven't even talked about our safewords yet!"

"Fuck you. I'm going to go take a shower."

"Are y'gonna think about me and wank while you're in there?"

"No, I'm going to weep." Sasuke stood up and cuffed Naruto on the side of the head.

"Asshole." Naruto gave him a friendly push with his foot. "Startin' before I gave my safeword. That's bad etiquette."

"How would you know?" asked Sasuke.

"I did some research when I came home."

"Did you?"

Naruto nodded and reached around Sasuke's knee to try and make it buckle. It did, but barely.

"Child," Sasuke scolded affectionately.

"I'm 22 now, you know. I'll be 23 in October."

"That should be around the time that I would be moving here if I get that job."

"Really?" He asked. "Good, then you can take me to a Bears' game or somethin'."

"Sounds kinky."

"It's football, bastard. Not anything else you might be thinkin'."

"Hn. I know." He pat Naruto on the head. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Fine. I know when I'm not wanted."

"You're welcome to join me."

"Yeah, well... even if I did, we'd probably end up killin' ourselves. It's not the biggest shower you've ever seen, I bet."

"Size doesn't matter to me," replied Sasuke. "It's how good you are at fucking."

Naruto snorted out a laugh as Sasuke disappeared to get some clothes from out of the bedroom.

xxx

Sasuke kept his shower quick as obviously his time with Naruto was limited. Usually he wasn't prone to using other people's shampoo or soap, but he kind of liked the idea of using Naruto's. He was in and out within five minutes, toweled off, and pulled on a black t-shirt and a pair of gray, loose-fitting pants. When he left the bathroom to get his toothbrush, he found Naruto sprawled out across the covers of his bed. He looked as though he was either sleeping or resting his eyes, but he perked up when Sasuke came in, even raising himself onto his elbows.

"That didn't take long."

"Sorry," said Sasuke. "Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?"

"Mm. No." He sat up. "Was only thinkin'."

"Hm. Should I be worried?" Sasuke approached the foot of the bed.

"Nope." Like a kid would do, Naruto grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt and played with the hem. "What're we gonna do now?"

"Well, I was thinking about brushing my teeth."

"Ah, I should do that, too." Naruto bounced off of the bed. "What? Don't give me that look. You should be thankful I even remembered."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Do you often forget about your own personal hygiene? Wait, don't answer that."

"Heh."

"This could be a drawback I'd never quite considered with a straight man." He took Naruto's hand in his and laced their fingers.

"You've never hit on a straight dude? Isn't that a thing that gay guys do sometimes? Y'know, like your one friend Suigetsu did that night?"

"You mean like how when straight men come to gay bars to pick up on the chicks?"

"That's a thing?"

"Yes. You could ask Karin all about that."

"Ah, now that you came all this way for me, are you still tryin' to set me up with her?"

"I'm surprised you even remember that much after letting yourself be roofied."

Naruto started to laugh.

"What?" Sasuke asked while looking at him fondly.

"I like arguin' with you," Naruto replied. "Is it weird that it kinda turns me on?"

"How do you feel about politics? Because we can definitely have fun with that."

"Pervert." Naruto swung their hands. "Don't you remember when we were in New York and you said that politics is one of those things that you don't discuss among polite company?"

"That was before I knew you had a fetish for verbal spars. It would definitely explain the dirty talk, too."

"Wait, what? When did I - "

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Naruto cleared his throat.

"Anyway. I'm gonna go brush my teeth," he said to Sasuke. "Are you comin' or what?"

"Let me get my toothbrush first. Unless you have one to spare."

"I probably do somewhere under the sink."

"I'll pass. I wouldn't want to deplete your stock of toiletries you keep for all of your overnight guests."

"Yeah, right," said Naruto as Sasuke unzipped his bag to search for the plastic container he used for his toothbrush. "If my friends didn't already make it clear, I've not been havin' any of that lately."

Sasuke, after finding his toothbrush, returned to Naruto's side. They were about equal in height. He wanted to pretend he was slightly taller, even if by only a few centimeters.

"Even if that's true," he said, "You could if you wanted. That woman you sat next to at the bar, for example. The other one checking you out when we were playing pool. They weren't the only ones either, and then there's that friend of Ino's she was willing to set you up with."

"Look at you," Naruto said, sounding surprised. "Keeping a list? That woman at the bar? We were just talking. I was feeling frustrated. I'm not like you, Sasuke. I can't - " But he stopped without finishing what he was going to say.

"Go ahead. Finish."

"I just don't like to go from one bed to another. It's not like I've never had one, but one-night stands are empty for me. I figured that out pretty quickly after high school."

"Okay." Although, now he was caught up in thoughts of Naruto with faceless women, which led to thoughts of having sex with Naruto in general.

"I didn't mean to offend you," Naruto said when Sasuke had gone quiet. "I mean, I've never held that against you. Hell, I'm a guy. I get it. I wish I was wired that way."

"No, you don't," he replied softly. "Now, go brush your teeth."

"Bossy." Naruto faked a pout and led them to the bathroom, where he produced some very pathetic-looking Crest tube with crusty paste all over the cap.

"I'm not sure my OCD can handle this," he said, cringing.

"You sound like Ino." Naruto took his toothbrush from him and squeezed the toothpaste until a glob of minty paste squirted out. "There you go."

Sasuke grimaced in the mirror, watching as Naruto began brushing with relish. When they finished in the bathroom, Naruto made sure the main door was locked and the lights were off in the living room.

"We can watch TV in my room. Unless you're still interested in sleepin' on the couch?"

"No," he replied hastily. "The bed is fine."

Naruto chuckled. "That's what I thought."

Sasuke waited by the bed, watching as Naruto grabbed the remote and turned the TV on to some late night talk show. He was starting to feel nervous, which was so unlike him. He couldn't figure out why he kept worrying about what might turn Naruto off. They'd made more progress than he ever could've expected, and he didn't want to ruin that. He'd always known what to do when he wanted another man. He never doubted himself, yet being with Naruto - all he ever did was second guess the things he did or said. So the instances when Naruto would throw him a bone made him feel ecstatic, but when Naruto seemed disappointed in him, it made him feel like a failure. He'd never known anyone to have that sort of effect on him, especially not romantically. Itachi could draw a lot of interesting emotions out of him, but that was because of their strong family bond.

Naruto, despite only having known him for 18 months and having only spent a mere few days with him, somehow managed to - figuratively, unfortunately - have him by the balls. It was no wonder he'd avoided relationships for this long, and out of all of the people he could've become interested in, he decided to choose a straight man who lived in a different state.

"Sasuke? Hey, Sasuke? What's up with you? You totally spaced out." Naruto came up to him and poked him in the stomach with the remote control.

He gave no answer, and apparently something about the way he was looking at him caused Naruto's humorous expression to change into one of concern.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked.

"I don't know."

Naruto frowned. "Okay. Well, what can I do?"

"Give me... something."

"Give you something?" Naruto repeated. "...Alright." He tossed the remote onto the bed and faced him again. "Do you wanna make out some more?"

Sasuke smiled just a little and shook his head.

"No? Hm. But I should give you somethin'...?"

"A hug will do, Naruto."

"Ah, that's easy." Naruto slid his arms through Sasuke's, slowly enveloped him in a hug, and twisted back and forth. "Should I sing to you? I'll serenade you with my dulcet tones."

"No."

"When all of your flaws, and all of my flaws are laid out one by one."

Sasuke cracked a smile and started to push him off, but Naruto kept holding onto him. "Please stop."

"A wonderful part of the mess that we made we pick ourselves undone."

"I'm going to punch you," he warned even as he started laughing. Naruto sounded terrible, not that he was even trying.

"There's a hole in my soul, can you fill it, can you - "

Sasuke had no choice but to clamp his hand over Naruto's mouth. "How do you even know that song? I thought all you listened to was 90's alternative and classic rock."

Naruto pushed his hand out of the way. "Nuh. You told me about some bands you like while I was there, so I looked 'em up when I got home."

"That's... slightly stalkerish of you."

"Says the guy who shows up at my doorstep when he lives a bajillion miles away."

"Not quite a bajillion," Sasuke replied softly and kissed the side of Naruto's head. "But it did feel pretty far at times."

"Why do you have to say things like that?" Naruto held him loosely about the waist. "Since when did you learn to say such nice things to somebody else?"

"Like what?" He used his thumb to dab at the corner of the other man's mouth. "You had some toothpaste right there."

"You just did it again! Argh! If you keep doin' stuff like that m'totally gonna end up fallin' for you."

"What?" He asked, tilting his head and gracing him with a small smile. "Have you never had someone who wanted to take care of you?"

"But I don't need to be taken care of," Naruto scowled. "I'm a man."

"Everyone needs to be taken care of sometimes." He put his arms around Naruto's shoulders. "Even you."

Letting out a heavy, shaky sigh, Naruto nuzzled up against the side of his neck, so Sasuke squeezed him tighter. He liked how this felt different from in New York, when they could both be defensive, angry, or distracted. This felt tender and intimate, and as Naruto had pointed out, not something he engaged in ever.

"I tried not to think about you," Sasuke said, speaking close to Naruto's ear. "I was content to think that so long as you could be happy, then maybe something similar could happen for me in the future."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"I decided I needed to change the way I'd been living up to that point. That I needed to deal with my parents' deaths instead of running away from it all. I wanted to become the person you imagined me to be, I think. That was your influence over me."

"But how?" Naruto sounded pained, his voice muffled against Sasuke's neck.

"What do you mean 'how'?" Sasuke placed a hand on his back and rubbed it for him.

"I don't get how you can say I caused you to change," Naruto told him while looking Sasuke in the eye. "I did the same. I went to New York to clear my head, but really I was just avoidin' ending my relationship with Shion." He sighed, and Sasuke felt something wet hit his neck.

"I don't know what's going to happen after tonight," said Sasuke, "But it won't be like before. I won't just disappear from your life again."

Naruto finally raised his head, his blue eyes red and his cheeks all blotchy. "You jerk. Makin' me cry." He wiped at one of his cheeks.

"Idiot. I've seen you cry before. You even cried at my feet."

"I'm embarrased now." He put a hand to Sasuke's chest and pushed him away.

"I've told you plenty of things tonight that would normally embarrass me."

"You get embarrassed?" Naruto asked, giving another sniffle. "It doesn't ever seem like it."

"I'm not a robot."

"Jesus, that's just what I need. It's already crazy that I have gay feelings for a guy and then I find out he's a robot, too?"

"Wait." Sasuke smirked as he grabbed hold of Naruto's wrist. "Say that again?"

"That it would suck to find out you're a robot?"

"No, moron. The part before that. You have gay feelings for me?"

"Uh, did I specify? You're not the only gay guy in the world, Sasuke. Why must you be so narcissistic?"

"Do you even know what such a big word means?" Sasuke let go of Naruto's wrist and, instead, cupped his cheek. He ran his thumb across it, noticing the slightest trace of what might've been a couple of scars. "How did you get these?"

"Huh?"

"The scars... how did you get them?"

The question sobered Naruto up, so he nearly regretted having asked.

"A couple of kids in my old neighborhood didn't like me so much when I was little. I'm sure it's hard to imagine now, but I used to be pretty scrawny when I was, like, 6 or 7."

"If you tell me where they are now, I'll gladly break all of their limbs."

Naruto let out a hard laugh and folded his arms behind his head, which caused his white t-shirt to ride up.

"Mah, Sasuke. Violence doesn't solve everything."

"Perhaps."

"Showin' a little bit of kindness is good, too. Bein' gentle is nice, as well."

"Are these hints?" He asked. "By the way, you brushed over the fact you basically admitted having a thing for me."

"Don't flatter yourself. I was clearly talkin' about Zach Quinto from Star Trek."

"He wouldn't make you laugh nearly as much as I would," Sasuke replied.

"Maybe I'll hang out with Chris Pine instead. Or is he even gay?"

"He might be after I get through with him," said Sasuke.

"Asshole." Naruto smacked him in the arm. "You didn't turn me gay. I'm just... Wait, who said I even think of you that way?"

"How do you think of me then," Sasuke took a step closer to him, "Naruto?"

He put a hand to Naruto's chest and gave him a push that sent him backward on the bed. Sasuke crawled over him on hands and knees. With Naruto biting his lip like that, how could he resist? He moved in for a kiss, elbows collapsing as Naruto pulled him to lay on top of his body. Sasuke kissed him while burying his fingers in Naruto's hair, feeling an excruciating high from being able to kiss his lips and feel Naruto's body beneath his own. One of Naruto's hands snuck under the back of his shirt, pushing it up and letting the cool air from the A/C unit hit his skin. They kissed for a long time, and when their mouths drew apart, Sasuke placed several kisses to Naruto's cheek, jaw, and neck.

"Fuck," Naruto whined. "I really am gay for you."

With a smirk, Sasuke looked up from what he was doing. "Were there ever any doubts?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I suppose you did choose your ex over me." Sasuke shifted so that they were face to face again, the length of his body settled between Naruto's legs.

"Right, like you've remained celibate for the past 17 or 18 months?"

"I thought you didn't want to hear about that."

"I don't, really, but it won't kill me."

"Well, if we are going to go there, I think we both know that emotions and sex are mostly mutually exclusive for me."

"Mostly?" Naruto asked, his interest obviously piqued. "That guy with the tattoos you like so much?"

Sasuke's gaze darting to the side gave him away because then Naruto shouted:

"I KNEW IT!"

"If you ever repeat this to anyone, I will kick your ass," he warned.

Naruto started biting his lip. "I can't tell if you sayin' you'd kick my ass just turned me on or made me wanna fight you."

"Probably both," he replied distractedly. "If you want the truth, he was my first time, but you're going to hate when I tell you he was older than me and also one of my brother's best friends."

"Uh, how old were you when this happened?"

"I'd just turned 16."

"And how old was he?"

"Older."

Naruto pulled a face. "Whore."

"We've already established I have a history, yes. One that you may be grateful for in future."

"So, how exactly do you plan on makin' it up to me that you shagged your brother's best friend and apparently had no problem gettin' with other guys since I saw you last?" Naruto asked, his tone more teasing than he would've expected.

"I'm up for anything," he said. "And when I say that, you know I mean it."

"Well, I'm not gonna gag you and lock you in a closet or anything, so don't go gettin' your hopes up."

"I suppose everything you've ever done sexually has been completely boring and typical?"

"I think I'm more conservative than you, yeah. I don't think I've ever crossed thatline. At least not as far as you've crossed it."

"Are you judging me?"

"No, sorry." He shook his head. "I just get all weird when you talk about it. It makes me feel jealous, but also like I need to protect you from the world or somethin'."

"How can you protect me when you're underneath me?"

Within an instant, Naruto rolled them over and had him pinned to the bed.

"You were saying?" Naruto asked.

"I'm versatile."

"No, you're not. You said you top at least 99% of the time except that jackass who beat the crap out of you."

"Fine, then with you, I want to be versatile. I want a lot of things with you, and fantasizing about what you'd do to me comes just as easy as thinking about what I could do to you."

"Yeah?" Naruto took hold of his wrists and pressed them against the covers. "What's something you want me to do to you?"

"Is this a hypothetical situation...?"

"Shut up, Sasuke." Naruto's gruff tone might've caught the attention of the lower half of his body. "Something you've thought of. That you've wanted me to do to you. Somethin' you've fantasized about."

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I want you to say it. Make it up to me that you might've fucked a whole train-load of guys since last we saw each other."

"A train-load of guys?" He asked, eyebrow arching. "And you, you fucked your hot little blonde girlfriend, didn't you? The sex was obviously so good you couldn't give her the shaft. Oh wait, you did."

Naruto grinned sadistically at him and sat up so that he was straddling Sasuke's waist. "Jealous?"

He wet his lips. "You have no idea."

"If I'd known I'd get turned on just by arguin' with someone, I think I would've joined the debate team in high school."

Sasuke snorted. "Someone thinks highly of himself."

"Yeah," said Naruto. "I'm lookin' at him."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but all the blond did was smirk in this way that made it extremely difficult for him to restrain this urge he had to rock his hips up just to get better contact. Luckily, Naruto beat him to it. He sank down on top of him, applying his weight so that Sasuke felt some pressure in the grip on his wrists. At first, Naruto nipped at his lips, just playing with him. Then he nibbled at Sasuke's chin and along the side of his neck before returning to his mouth. When they kissed again, Sasuke lifted his hips off of the bed, wanting to touch and so much more, but was restrained by Naruto's hold on his arms. He'd never wanted or desiredsomeone as much as he did now. He would've begged if that's what Naruto wanted, and even if he didn't, Sasuke felt inclined to tell him to just fuck his brains out right here and now. The sexual chemistry between them was incredible, and all they were doing was kissing. Jesus. It felt like it was his first time all over again.

"Naruto," he said breathlessly when there was just the slightest break between Naruto's ravishing kisses.

"Yeah?" Naruto wasn't breathing nearly as hard as he would've liked.

"I think..." He took in a deep breath and when it came out, it was as shaky as his pulse. "I'm reaching my limit."

"Already?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Already."

"Man, do other guys ever say anything about your stamina?"

"Yes. That it's amazing."

"So what's the problem?" He smirked at Sasuke. "I've barely touched you."

"The problem is that I find you to be very sexy."

Naruto's eyes twinkled. "You do?"

He glared at him instead of answering. Naruto let up on his wrists, but Sasuke didn't move them out of the position he'd left them in on the bed.

"Do you want me?"

"Yes," he answered so seriously that it caused some of that previous humor to disappear from Naruto's face.

"Say it," Naruto demanded.

"Just how much research did you do when you came home?"

"Just because I don't flaunt what I'm into in the bedroom doesn't mean I don't have my own style, Sasuke."

Okay, that didn't do anything to curb his libido.

"Tell me," said Naruto, sounding surprisingly authoritative. "What you want."

Sasuke gazed into his eyes and even as obvious as it was that he would've bent over for him right that second, it was still difficult for him to say those words out loud. He'd never needed anyone in his life, and he certainly had never told another human being that he wanted them. They always wanted him. Sasuke gripped the tops of Naruto's thighs and dug his nails in, but the other man didn't so much as flinch.

"I want you," he said. "I want you, Naruto."

Naruto got on his hands and knees above him again, his face inches apart from Sasuke's, their lips so close he could've stuck out his tongue and tasted them. What torture was this?

"When you come back from Europe, we'll see where this can go, but if you run off with some British dick, I will find the two of you, and I will kick your ass."

"I told you I was willing to give up seeing anyone else."

"Seeing?" Naruto asked. "Seeing or fucking?"

"I'm not interested in dating anyone but you."

Naruto retained that dominant look and demeanor that he found so arousing. "But you're cool with fuckin' other guys, right? You did in New York while I was there and after I left, too. Would you be cool with me fuckin' chicks until you get back?"

Wait, what was Naruto offering him here? And why did it feel like he couldn't form a proper thought? Had Naruto always possessed these powers to manipulate him? Why did he feel like he was back in a session with some professional dom, and did Naruto seem...jealous?

"I... don't know what you want me to say," he admitted.

"I don't know either. I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do, and how can I promise you anything either if we don't know what's gonna happen over the next few months?"

"We're not dating," he said cautiously, "So I have no reason to keep you from doing whatever it is you want."

Naruto gave a huff of frustration. "Yeah, but I like to fuck people I have feelings for, and you're indifferent about who you have sex with, Sasuke. I'm at a disadvantage. I don't wanna act like a jealous dick, but I also can't see myself chainin' you down while you're in Europe."

"Are you kidding?" He asked. "You have me underneath you and willing to do anything you want, and you think you're at a disadvantage?"

Naruto got up on his knees and then sat back on Sasuke's thighs, folding his arms to his chest. "Let's be honest. We're guys. We like sex. If you can get some, you should go for it, right? I can't promise anything until, y'know, things are more clear with us."

"Fine." He nodded slowly, settling his hand atop his chest while staring up at the ceiling and waiting for all of the blood to return to his brain. "You'll need to give me a minute."

Naruto grinned. "I told you that you shoulda had a wank in the shower."

Sasuke glanced at him. "I'm not even sure if that would've helped."

"Heh. Guess you didn't realize that you're not the only one awesome in bed."

"Have you always been this cocky? Were you like this in New York?"

"You just caught me on a bad day or two." Naruto waggled his eyebrows. "I'm pretty hot when I wanna be, huh?"

"Understatement of the century," he mumbled while covering his eyes. "Jesus, Naruto."

Naruto played with the bottom of his shirt. "It'll give ya somethin' to look forward to when you come back."

"I won't even need sex while I'm gone. I'm pretty sure this will make for some excellent masturbation fodder."

"Really, just from kissin' and havin' me pin your hands to the bed?"

Sasuke took in a deep breath and then let it out. "You're too smug for your own good."

"Mm. I know. I couldn't help it, though. Once we started arguin', I got really into it. I don't know how to express it 'cause I've never been physically attracted to a guy, but I definitely felt..."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in anticipation.

"Maybe you're the exception," Naruto continued. "I think it's... not impossible?"

"Again," he said. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"There's other things about you I'm drawn to, Sasuke. Like I said, it's hard to explain."

He rubbed at one of his temples. "I think I need to go get a glass of water. Move around a little."

"Do you want me to get it?" Naruto got off of him and moved to the other side of the bed.

He put a hand up. "No, I'll get it. I think getting away from you for a few minutes might be best."

Although he still felt light-headed and incredibly horny, Sasuke got up from the bed and stretched.

"If it's that bad, I could be talked into a handjob?" Naruto offered jokingly (he assumed).

Sasuke shot him a glare. "I don't need your pity. I can handle it myself."

"Mah, don't be that way. But while you're in there, would you mind gettin' me a Coke from the fridge?"

"Are you sure we aren't already dating?" Sasuke asked as he stopped near the doorway. "Anything else I can get you, dear?"

"Sure, when you come back, I'll let you rub my head if you want."

Sasuke sighed. "Luckily I'm too tired to touch that with a ten-foot pole."

"That's what she said." Naruto laughed at his own joke and flopped down across the pillows. "Hurry up and come back already. I'll have your spot all warmed up by then."

Sasuke watched Naruto as he shimmied his way beneath the covers and sprawled out across the entire bed. He wished he would've thought this through a bit further because the idea of having to fly back to New York tomorrow seemed like a mistake.

What if after being out of the country for a few months Naruto ended up changing his mind? What if he didn't get that job, after all? What would've been the point of coming all this way? And… what would Naruto expect to happen from this point after Sasuke had admitted all of these things?

He liked the feel of being in Naruto's apartment. He'd liked spending time with Naruto's friends. He was willing to do what was necessary if Naruto had even the slightest interest in pursuing something, so what was it that he needed to do next?