~ ღ ~

Once more, Naruto found himself having to make an awkward phone call and an excuse to his cousin for being out late and not coming back to the apartment. "Sorry, Ino! I went out for drinks again!"

"Seriously? Well at least you're being responsible. I won't bail you out if you get caught driving drunk!"

"Haha, I know!" He scratched his cheek.

"Hey… about yesterday. I'm sorry. Just forget everything I said."

"What? No, Ino! It's fine! I perfectly understood where you were coming from." He smiled softly on the other end of the phone. "I've already started looking for a place. So don't feel bad, ok? It's about time I set off on my own anyway, yeah?"

"...are you sure? Because I feel really shitty about it. I sprung it up on you out of nowhere."

"If anyone was shitty, it was me!" Naruto stated. "You were trying to tell me in the nicest way you could and I wasn't listening. So yeah, it's alright. Now stop bringing it up."

"Alright. Love you, dork."

"I love you too, Ino! Talk to you later."

"Ok. Bye!"

Naruto hung up the phone and sighed. Now that that conversation was out of the way, he could focus on Sasuke again. The male hadn't gotten out of bed this morning. He was awake, but just lying there and watching tv. He hadn't made any attempts to get up and leave nor talk. 'I guess this is what you call avoiding something.' Naruto sighed as he turned off the stove in the kitchen. He made grilled cheese and a cup of hot chocolate for Sasuke. He walked into the bedroom with the items in hand and placed them on the nightstand. "You need to eat."

"Not that hungry."

"Eat or I'll force you."

Remembering how the blonde fed him the mochi, those words were all the motivation Sasuke needed to sit up and reach for the plate. "Should have covered it in your jizz again." He muttered, taking a bite of the grilled cheese.

"My cum isn't what you need right now." Naruto protested, though was happy to see Sasuke eat.

Sasuke munched on more of the sandwich before speaking again. "I won't be going into work today. I'll just check on things with Shizune later."

"Alright. But..." He looked at Sasuke. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." He glanced at Naruto and then back at the television.

Naruto sighed. "Sasuke. Talk to me."

"...I said I'm fine."

At that, Naruto wanted to say something along the lines of, 'Do I need to make you talk?', but he stopped himself. Now wasn't the proper time to be trying to force his Dom on Sasuke. He needed the male to trust and confide in him, and making him do it wasn't right. So, he decided to be just as stubborn as the CEO. "Well, then I'm not leaving this room until you talk to me." Naruto said, folding his arms across his chest with a huff.

Sasuke made an annoyed face. He crunched into another bite of the grilled cheese before setting it down. "I can always get Kiba to escort you out."

"Is that what you want?" Naruto asked, looking at the CEO. "Do you want me to leave, Sasuke? Because if that's the case, I'll do it and won't come back." It was a bluff, but Naruto gave nothing away to make it seem like he wasn't serious.

"..." Sasuke stared down at the bedsheets. "What's it matter? It's not your business."

Naruto shook his head. "Sasuke, just because it isn't my business doesn't mean that I don't care about you. Do you really think I'm doing everything I'm doing: making you breakfast, giving you massages, drawing you a bath, and working my damn hardest because I don't care? If I acted like nothing about you weren't my business, I'd just fuck you and go about my day as normal. I wouldn't make sure you were completely comfortable with anything that we do, and I wouldn't be here right now trying to talk to you."

Hearing his words, Sasuke brought his knees to his chest. It was clear that he already felt insecure about bringing up anything that happened yesterday, let alone the blonde's show of concern for him. Yet, it was also comforting in a way. And he couldn't deny that everything Naruto said was true.

"Unless... is it something that I did? Did I make you feel uncomfortable? Are you mad with me?"

"No." Sasuke shook his head. "You haven't done anything wrong." He exhaled. "Honestly, everything you've done to me has been fucking amazing. I'm just not... I just don't like to talk about my personal life. That's all."

"Sasuke, that's not healthy. I need to know what's on your mind or how you're feeling. I can't be a good Dom if I can't understand you during your weakest or most vulnerable times. If you're worried about me blabbing or anything, I promise I'm not like that. Everything you say stays between us. Ok?"

Finally giving in to the blonde's words, Sasuke leaned his head on Naruto's body. "Ok." He said quietly. It took a minute or two before he began to speak, albeit in a soft tone. "My brother…" He muttered. "I went to go see him and… I insulted him. I berated him for being sick and told him-" Sasuke bit his lip. "I told him that everyone adores him and nothing that I do matters. That he doesn't care about me and he just needs to stay at the hospital." He stated, grumbling and hiding his face. "None of it's true. Itachi works hard, too. And I gave him so much shit." He vented. "I'm horrible... He probably doesn't want to see me again."

"Sasuke..." Naruto looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sure your brother still appreciates you and wants you to keep coming around."

"No he doesn't." He said, frustrated. "Why would he want to keep seeing someone as awful as me? Especially when he's sick. I shouldn't be-"

"Sasuke." Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's back. "You're not an awful person; not even a terrible one. You just said some things that you really didn't mean. You were upset. You were stressed and looked for an outlet. On top of that, you went to go see your lawyer beforehand, right?" He brought up as a reminder. "Yeah that guy would have me questioning my life and morals, too. I'd be feeling bitter if I even had to look at the guy." He scoffed.

Sasuke chuckled a bit. "Yeah. But I still said those words to Itachi. Orochimaru didn't make me say them, even if he did put me in a bad mood."

"Did your lawyer do something to you?" Naruto asked, frowning. "Did he hurt you? Harass you?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Sasuke. Answer me. Did he hurt you?"

"...yes."

Upon hearing that response, Naruto had to fight to keep control of his emotions. "What did he do?"

"...nothing."

"You can't tell me he did something to you and then turn back around and say it was nothing, Sasuke." The blonde snapped. "Now tell me."

Sasuke moved a bang from his face. "It was nothing serious. He just clawed his fingers into my neck a bit. He didn't leave a mark or anything."

"That fucking piece of shit." Naruto grimaced. "I don't care if he so much as pokes you without your consent, I can't fucking stand the thought of him touching you." He growled. "If I ever catch him in the streets-"

"Pfft." Sasuke snorted. "Don't do that, idiot." Though the CEO was a bit touched by his show of possessiveness.

"Ugh." Naruto calmed himself down and wrapped an arm around Sasuke then pulled him close. "Well, I'm glad you told me all of this. From now on, I want you to be open with me about stuff like this. "

"Why?" Sasuke asked. "It's not like it will change anything. So why are you so concerned with-"

"Because if I'm not the one punishing you, you're still punishing yourself, Sasuke. And that isn't healthy." He stated firmly. "I don't want you to feel pain just to feel hurt. I want you to feel good. I want you to be mentally ok at the end of the day. And last night, you were far from that. So I'm going to take care of you and listen to you whether you like it or not."

Naruto's words made something go aflutter within Sasuke. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of the unfamiliar feeling, but it made him feel... good. And warm. Damn it, was he blushing? He was blushing. He hid face under his bangs. "I wish you would stop having the right words for everything. Pisses me off."

"Alright, grumpy." He mocked. "I'll shut up and let you think whatever you want about yourself. But just take it easy. And let me know if your back starts to hurt again." He said, hugging Sasuke closer to him.

"Mm…" Was the CEO's only response before he closed his eyes to enjoy the blonde's presence. As much as he hated to admit, he did feel better getting everything off his chest. Maybe Naruto was right; he should start trying to trust him a little more.

Naruto let himself relax as he stared at the television. Since Sasuke had his own problems, he didn't bring up anything that was happening on his end. He just wanted Sasuke to rest and be comfortable. He probably never had anyone who would just sit down and listen to him talk, or cry, or console him. Emotions like these may have been new for Naruto to witness, but all of it simply meant that Sasuke was human. He was human and was hurting, suffering under all of the weight of expectations and bullshit he had to endure. And it made Naruto not only have a newfound respect for the male, but motivated him to want to support him even more.

The two men remained quiet for a while. Sasuke finished eating the breakfast Naruto made for him and then got up to brush his teeth and neaten his hair afterward. While the CEO was preoccupied doing that, Naruto decided to check his phone. He remembered the conversation turned argument he had with Ino yesterday; he should really start looking for apartment listings. Maybe he could even find a place near Sasuke's condo. But then again, the blonde doubted he could afford something in an area of town so ritzy. He sighed and opened up his web browser to start typing. But just before he could hit enter, he received a message from Sakura. He rose a brow in curiosity as he eyed the text.

『 "Hey can you come to my studio? I need to talk to you." 』
Cherry Sweet - Received Yesterday 9:45 am

『 "Um, sure? I'm free but is everything ok?" 』
Naruto - Sent Yesterday 9:46 am

『 "Yeah, I'm fine! But it's about something else. I need to see you in person.
It's kind of urgent." 』
Cherry Sweet - Received Yesterday 9:46 am

『 "Alright. I'll be there in about thirty minutes. I'm at Sasuke's place right now." 』
Naruto - Sent Yesterday 9:47 am

『 "No problem! I'll be waiting for you!" 』
Cherry Sweet - Received Yesterday 9:48 am

Naruto got out of the bed. "Hey, Sasuke! I'm going to head out for a little while!"

"Ok." Sasuke answered from the bathroom.

"Call me if you need anything. I'll be back!" He hollered. He grabbed his set of car keys and got dressed. He really didn't want to leave Sasuke alone if he were honest, but he couldn't ignore Sakura either. 'Hope it's nothing bad...' He thought quietly. A feeling of anxiousness welled up within him. He tried to tell himself to just stay calm as he headed out the door and made his way to the parking garage downstairs. Once in his car, Naruto remembered the membership card the actress had given him and searched through the glove compartment. 'Ah, here it is!' He typed the address on the card into his phone and searched it on the GPS. 'Alright. Let's go!' He revved the engine and then sped off.

~:: ღ ::~

When Naruto arrived at the studio, he was a bit surprised at how simple it looked on the outside. He almost drove right past it. He expected something like a dance and acting studio to be a little bit more flashy, but if it was owned by someone like Sakura, then maybe it was better not to have too much attention. He debated calling the actress, but figured she might be busy so left her a text message that he had arrived instead. In the meantime, Naruto headed inside and tried to find a way to kill time. He of course flashed his membership card to the guards. But when he walked into the main lobby, he was immediately lost. He could hear music coming from various rooms and could see an aerobics lesson taking place through a window. The place seemed like a maze you could easily get lost in. And Naruto couldn't just ask to see Sakura; he'd most likely be escorted out or told that she wasn't available. He was a stranger to everyone here after all. He'd just have to suck it up and find something to do without looking conspicuous until she returned his text message.

'Hm…' Naruto looked around and saw a sign with arrows dictating where certain rooms and areas of the studio were. One of them stood out to Naruto: Choreography. Didn't Sasuke say he enjoyed doing choreography? Naruto headed that way, curious to see what it was like. As he wandered down the corridor and opened a pair of glass doors, music quickly greeted his ears. There was a crowd of people gathered around a glass window. When Naruto wandered over and peeked through the glass, he could see a group of people dancing in sync to a song. The person leading the group was a tall, muscular man dressed in green attire with orange boots and a bowl cut. He certainly stood out. Just as Naruto was starting to like it, the dance ended and the music faded out. Everyone in the room cheered and the lights turned bright. The man in green and his group walked into the viewing room where everyone started complimenting them.

"Oh my god, Lee! That was so amazing!" One girl chimed. "You always come up with new dance routines so quickly!"

"You guys are definitely going to win the next competition! There's no contest!" Another guy added.

The man smiled and bowed. "Thank you, everyone! I appreciate your praise! We will continue to work harder and harder until our feet feel like rock!"

"Er, could we take a break first, sir?"

"Of course! We'll continue again in another hour!" The man, Lee, nodded.

'Wow. He's a bit too optimistic for my tastes.' Naruto thought. It was a shame though, he really did want to see them dance some more. It looked like another group was going to go in, so he decided to stay and idle a bit. He took out his cellphone and checked his messages; still no reply from Sakura. He was starting to get antsy. He flinched when a heavy hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir." Lee greeted. "I must ask: are you known as Naruto?"

"Uhh… yeah?"

Lee looked the blonde over, putting a finger on his chin and inspecting his form. "Mhm, mhm." He took a step back to get a better look and then smiled. "Yes, I do believe you are him! You have the spitting image of youth!"

"Um... thanks?" Naruto said, a bit weirded out.

"I am very sorry if that was rude. But I was informed about you by Sakura."

"Y-you know Sakura?!" Naruto asked, eyes widening a bit.

"Huh? Did someone say Sakura?" The crowd looked in their general direction and began to mutter. "Is Sakura here?"

Lee glanced at Naruto and then turned on his heel, gesturing for him to follow. "Let us speak elsewhere so that we do not draw attention."

"Right." Naruto followed the man out of the choreo room and into a different room where there was no one else. Then he looked at the man once more. "So, where is Sakura?" He asked.

"She is busy practicing rehearsals for an upcoming stage play." Lee replied. "But rest assured, sir! She knows you are here and will be able to meet with you momentarily. She has told me quite a few details about you and perhaps was worried that you might not find your way throughout the studio."

"Oh, I just followed the signs."

"Ah, I see. It was good luck that you ran into me then!" He said, giving the blonde a nod. "I was supposed to be waiting for Sasuke as well, but he did not return my phone calls today. I hope all is well with him."

"Oh, um… Sasuke isn't feeling well." Naruto replied. "So that might be why."

"Oh?" Lee said, momentarily pausing. "Well, I hope he gets better soon. We won't be able to work out if he doesn't."

"So you know Sasuke, too?" Naruto asked, growing more curious about the man.

"Yes of course! I am his personal trainer!"

Naruto's jaw slacked. "Wait, seriously?"

Lee nodded. "Mhm! You can just call me Lee! No formalities! A friend of Sasuke and Sakura is a friend of mine!" He smiled.

"Oh…" Naruto blushed a bit. Seriously, he shouldn't feel this giddy to be regarded as someone's friend when he was a grown man. But it couldn't be helped. That aside, Lee was definitely not what Naruto imagined when he learned that Sasuke had a personal trainer.

"Ah, but if Sasuke is not coming today, that kind of puts a gap in my routine." Lee huffed, and tapped his foot on the floor. Then he looked back at Naruto and once again ogled his appearance. "My friend, you have an amazing physique! Do you think you could join me for a couple of practice sessions?"

"Huh, what? Me?" Naruto pointed to himself. "I don't know. I mean, I can't dance or anything." He said, scratching his head. "I probably wouldn't do a very good job, at least not compared to you."

"Hahaha!" Lee let out a hearty laugh. "Choreography is all about not having a routine! You simply follow the beat of the music and let it flow through your body!" He stated. "Then you end up making your own dance! So what do you say? Indulge me?"

Naruto listened to him and gave the offer some thought. At the least, he would just look like a goddamn, stumbling fool. But at the most, he might have fun. And if he learned something, he could even show off to Sasuke. That motivation seemed to do it. He looked at Lee and smiled. "Ok, let's do it!"

"Great! Then tell me friend: what kind of music do you like?"

"...promise you won't laugh."

"I would never laugh at people's tastes in music!"

"Alternative, rock and boybands…" He muttered.

"Ok! Then that is what we shall use!" Lee said, having not even a spec of judgment in his voice.

Naruto felt embarrassed about it, but if Lee was fine with it, then he could swallow his pride and allow himself to try and have fun. Lee selected a playlist based on Naruto's musical preferences and then stood beside him. He smiled at the blonde.

"It's ok if you can't follow my steps exactly. Just try and let the music guide you! If you know a song by heart already, you will have an easier time."

Naruto nodded. "Got it."

The two stood by each other as a song began to fade in from the studio's speakers. The windows in the room were tinted black, so Naruto couldn't see who was on the other side of them, yet he still got a small tinge of stage fright. He tried to reassure himself. It'll be fine. He'll be fine. This was Sasuke's personal trainer after all. There's no way he'd look like an idiot dancing to 90's boy band songs.

It took some doing, but Naruto was finally able to get the hang of it and work out some dance moves with Lee to a certain song. When the man felt satisfied with the blonde's foot work, he went on to play another song and Lee told him that they wouldn't stop this time. Naruto sucked in a breath and exhaled. He still felt like he wasn't going to do that good, but wanted to keep trying. When the music started up, Naruto waited for the audio cue before dancing along to the song with Lee.

Lee was certainly an expert when it came to this; Naruto had trouble even matching the beat. But he kept going, determined to show his skills, or lack thereof. At the end of the dance, Naruto put his hands on his knees as he hunched over and panted. That really was a workout. He could see why Sasuke was so tired now. After catching his breath, he looked over at Lee. "So uh, how did I do?"

"My friend..." Lee put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You may have the spirit of youth, but the spirit of dance you do not."

Naruto almost wanted to fall over at that. "That bad, huh?" He stood up, grinning awkwardly.

"You should definitely join our dance group!" Lee suggested. "We love having newcomers and we're hosting a competition soon as well!"

"A competition? I don't know about that." Naruto said, scratching his neck.

But Lee just smiled and insisted. "Even if you were a little off beat, you still did a reasonable job! All it takes is practice!"

"Thanks, Lee~" The blonde smiled. "I'll think about it. By the way... you uh, weren't recording that, were you?"

"Of course! Don't you want to look back on it as a great memory? You could show it to your friends!"

"Ugh. I'd rather not..." He muttered. Ino would never let him live it down if she saw his failed dance moves. He's not even great at making TikToks with her, let alone this.

The pair grabbed a bottle of water and then chatted a bit more before someone else entered the room. They were holding a clipboard and adjusted the glasses on their face. "Mr. Uzumaki?" The person asked.

"Yeah?" Naruto turned to face them. "Can I help you?"

"Ms. Haruno would like to speak to you now. Please come with me." They then turned on their heel and left the room.

'Sheesh, can't even wait a moment?' The blonde quickly caught up to them with Lee in tow. About an hour or so had passed since he was in the studio. He'd nearly forgotten the reason he came here and was grateful someone came to get him, otherwise he might have spent all day hanging out with Lee. And with Lee's motivational and eccentric personality, that wouldn't have been very hard to do. Eventually they came to a blank door with no signs or anything on it.

The person holding the clipboard cleared their throat and knocked. "Ms. Haruno, I have the one you asked to meet with."

"Oh, thank you! Please tell him to come in!"

The person then stepped aside and gestured for Naruto to go in. Lee looked at the blonde and winked. "Go on! I'll wait for you out here until you are finished."

Naruto nodded. "Ok. Thanks, Lee!" He opened the door and closed it behind him. He found himself in a miniature dressing room with racks of clothing and fancy coats and dresses. It was neat and organized but smelled pungently of perfume. Sitting at a vanity mirror was the familiar pink haired woman, Sakura, curling her eyelashes. "Please have a seat, Naruto."

The blonde looked around and spotted a fuzzy pink stool to sit down on. He waited for Sakura to finish touching herself up in the mirror before turning to face him.

"Hey!" She smiled. "Is everything ok? How is Sasuke?"

"He's... not well, at least not mentally." Naruto said, scratching his wrist. "He came home yesterday really upset."

"What happened?" She asked, concern quickly showing on her face.

"He said he went to see Orochimaru and then his brother. I already know his lawyer's a piece of shit, but apparently he had a fight with Itachi." Naruto explained. He didn't know if this was something he should be telling Sakura or not, but her concerns were just as valid as his. He didn't want to see Sasuke like that again, especially if he was seeking out sex afterwards. It wasn't healthy.

"Sounds about right. Orochimaru would put anyone in a foul mood." Sakura grumbled. "Him fighting with Itachi doesn't surprise me either. They used to get along so well as kids and were very close. But when Itachi fell ill, this invisible wall between them suddenly appeared. And now they rarely speak to each other unless it concerns work or the family."

"Really?" Naruto said. He wanted to ask more but waited for Sakura to finish.

"And speaking of Itachi, that's exactly why I've called you here." She looked at Naruto. "He found out about you and knows that Sasuke lied."

"Oh, fuck..." Naruto groaned. He already had a feeling that the brother might have been on to them but now his fears were confirmed.

"Which leads me to my next question: have you decided what you're going to do, Naruto?"

"..." Naruto looked off to the side. "I still haven't confronted Sasuke about the lie, but I plan to. I spoke with him a little this morning to help him get things off his chest. Once I get home, I plan to have a civil talk with him about the whole thing." He shifted his position on the stool. "I think... I think I want to do it. I want to put up the front he told told his parents about and I want to help him get the company's reputation back up as well."

Sakura shook her head. "Naruto, no offense, but you really don't have what it takes to handle the kind of lifestyle we have, let alone pretend like you do. I know by this point you want to care about Sasuke and help him but this was his mess and his choices. He's going to have to fix them on his own." She huffed.

At that, Naruto frowned. "So you want me to just abandon him? I can't do that! I can't just ignore everything up to this point and shrug my shoulders." He argued. "I don't give a fuck about people like Madara and Orochimaru, or my own image for that matter. Things like media recognition and all that stuff doesn't matter to me. I just want to make Sasuke not feel like shit; not feel like he has to go it alone. And if you were really his best friend like you claim to be, you'd want that, too." He glared at the woman. Yeah fine, he was just some newbie in a company of hundreds. He was just some one-off guy that Sasuke just so happened to know during college. But that didn't mean that he lacked empathy. And Naruto felt he had as much a say in this as anyone else. After all, the blonde knew exactly what it felt like to be alone and cut people off without any support. And it was awful.

Sakura was silent yet again. She let Naruto's words sink in before allowing herself to come up with an appropriate response. "You're right." She sighed. "I'm not being a good friend or person if I just try to push away people that want to help him. And I should be trying to do the same." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

"Ah-!" Naruto put his hands up and shook them in a panic. "No, I should be the one who's sorry! I just- ah fuck, I'm not good at getting my words across! I didn't mean you were a bad friend, I meant that-" He kept going, fumbling over his words and making himself look like a fool.

Sakura leaned back up and giggled as she watched the male try to take blame. But he was right. By saying what she said, it showed that she wasn't supporting Sasuke in the way that she probably should be. She'd always gone by the words and wisdom of her mother: 'Don't let the fault of others become the fault of yours.' That was a selfish notion to have. People would always have weight to bear and it didn't hurt to help shovel some of it off. She regretted her words and found herself siding with Naruto. She looked at the blonde and giggled. 'Yep. He's definitely a himbo.'

"So uh, yeah. I uh... sorry." Naruto looked down at the floor as he finally stopped talking.

"Seriously, Naruto. It's fine! You just called me out on something and made me realize that it was problematic. That means you're a good friend, too." She grinned. "If you really think you can do it, then I support you."

"Really?" He asked, snapping his head back up in surprise. Did he seriously just gain approval from Sakura Haruno? A famous actress and childhood friend of the infamous Sasuke Uchiha? If he didn't wake up earlier, he would have been sure he was dreaming.

"Just know that if you do anything that hurts Sasuke or further puts him in a worse position than he's already in, you will have to deal with me personally. Ok?" She said, smiling sweetly.

"I-I understand. I'm willing to take that chance." He replied, bowing his head nervously.

"You have to mentally prepare yourself for this, too. You're going to be in the public eye a lot if you go through with this. If you're going to start trying to represent Sasuke or the company, it's going to come with a lot of risks and tasks. Make sure you're ready for that. I've seen people attempt and not make it very far."

"I know. I can handle it." He assured.

"...ok." Sakura sighed. "Then you'd better go see Itachi. If you really care as much as you say you do, then meeting at least one of his family members will prove that. Itachi is way more protective of Sasuke than I am. Besides, if you gain his approval, then you and Sasuke both might have better luck with pulling this whole thing off and fooling Fugaku. He already doesn't like where things are headed. So... good luck."

'Ah, so basically this is a test.' Naruto internally grumbled. It made sense if he thought about it. No one in Sasuke's family had actually met Naruto yet, so of course they'd be skeptical if some out of nowhere guy showed up and started being an important asset for the company all of a sudden. Things can never just be that easy. Naruto then straightened his back as he sat upright on the stool. "But are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you just told me not to cause more trouble for Sasuke and everything. He might get upset if I just go see Itachi so casually." He asked, cocking his head.

"If Sasuke gives you a hard time, just tell him that I told you it was fine. He'll have to go through me and I doubt he wants to do that." She stated, unconcerned.

Naruto nodded. "Alright, I get it. Thanks, Sakura!" It seemed that the woman really was a nice person despite the rumors he'd heard of her being snooty, rude, and uptight. In reality, all she was doing was trying her best to support her friend and protect him from getting hurt. She really wasn't that bad. Naruto now felt as if he could rely on her for future troubles. Although he was still hesitant about going to see Sasuke's brother so nonchalantly. He vaguely wondered if Itachi was the one in the yakuza and not Sasuke.

Naruto remained silent in the background as Sakura got on her phone and called the hospital to provide them with details. Once finished, she hung up and looked at the blonde. "You will be going with Lee."

"Lee? I mean, I don't have an issue with that or anything. But wouldn't it make more sense if you came with me?"

"No." She shook her head. "If I go, that'll just draw attention. If you go, it'll look less suspicious and with Lee, you will have proper verification. Just be careful and if anyone approaches you with questions, don't talk to them. Even the nurses and doctors there like to pry into things."

"Got it." He nodded.

"Lee knows where the hospital is. So when you're ready, just go ahead and meet with him."

"I'll do that now. Thank you, Sakura." The blonde expressed his gratitude by standing up and bowing. Then he exited the room and met back up with Lee. He explained the situation and the man understood. They left the studio together and departed for the hospital.

~:: ღ ::~

It took a little while for the duo to arrive at the hospital where Itachi was located as it was private and more out of the way. It bordered on a different district so they had to wait through traffic and endure the lunch rush. But once there, Naruto felt even more nervous. Was he seriously going to do this? He followed Lee inside after they found a place to park.

Lee approached a nurse sitting at the counter. "Excuse me! We are here to see Itachi!" He proclaimed.

Naruto came up behind him a bit awkwardly. "Lee, not so loud man." People in the lobby were already staring at them; Naruto didn't like it. Especially considering the circumstance surrounding their visitation in the first place. He couldn't understand why Lee seemed so unbothered. Maybe this wasn't the first time he'd done this.

"Oh, I believe he is outside in the garden." The nurse said. "You can just go out that way~" She smiled, pointing towards a hallway.

"Thank you very much!" Lee gave the woman a curt bow before walking off.

Naruto followed behind the man. Lee seemed to already know where he was going so he didn't ask questions and just kept on his heel the best he could. He was walking as if he were doing a marathon though. Despite that, Naruto still managed to keep up with his pace. After turning a few more corners, they came to a dark tinted glass door leading outside into a heavily planted area. And standing in front of said door, was a giant, muscular man with dark sunglasses, spiked hair, and pale skin with an almost blue hue in the light. The man looked at the duo and smiled; he had sharp molars that gave off a dangerous vibe.

"Hello, Kisame!" Lee greeted.

"Hey." The man nodded, bumping Lee's fist. Then he looked at Naruto. "And you are?"

"He is here to meet with Itachi!" Lee expressed.

"Ah. Okay." The man stood aside and gestured to the door, allowing them to pass.

'Is this Itachi's bodyguard?!' Naruto questioned, walking carefully past the man. He smelled heavily of a strong cologne and his biceps almost seemed to strain against the fabric of the suit he was wearing. Kiba had nothing on this guy. Naruto swallowed nervously as he and Lee were now out in the garden space. There was a skylight from which the sun's rays beamed through and the sounds of birds chirping among the trees twittered through the air. Lee led them to a different part of the garden where there was a large wisteria tree covered in moss. Beneath it, was a man sitting in a wheelchair. When Naruto squinted, he could see that there were blackbirds perched on his shoulders, too. He appeared to be reading a book as well. When they got nearer, there was no doubt. The man ahead of them was-

"Itachi!" Lee exclaimed. "I have come from Thunder Ground to see you!"

The man lifted his head and the birds perched on his shoulders flew away. "Lee." The brother spoke quietly as he returned the call of his name. Then Itachi's gaze shifted over to the curious blonde with blue eyes tailing behind him. He took off his reading glasses and watched as the two stopped in front of him.

"This handsome gentleman is Naruto!" Lee introduced, wasting no time. "He is a very close friend of Sakura and Sasuke! Practically family!"

"W-well, I wouldn't go that far!" Naruto smiled nervously. Then he cleared his throat and looked at Itachi. There was an intimidating yet mysterious air about the man. It rivaled Madara's but not quite to that extent. "Hello, sir. I'm a process server at Mr. Sasuke Uchiha's company. It's a real honor to be able to meet you in person." He bowed.

"Likewise." Itachi replied, then his voice took on a different tone. "Now why are you really here?"

Naruto could already tell that it was going to be pointless trying to play it safe or be vague, so he answered earnestly but professionally. "I just wanted to talk to you and get to know you, sir. Mr. Uchiha was really upset after visiting you and I'm worried. That is all."

"Ahhh, I see. So it was a fight." Lee said, placing a hand on his chin. "That is why he has not returned any of my calls today."

"Yeah. As you can see, it was a sensitive topic and Mr. Uchiha was really tired." Naruto explained.

Lee smiled. "It is fine! You were merely looking out for him!"

"Well, yes. Mr. Uchiha is a very busy man and I worry about his health." Naruto nodded.

"...So how long have you been dating my brother?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "What? I-I mean we aren't dating, sir! We're old colleagues that went to the same university together and now I work for him."

"Oh. Ok." Itachi folded his arms. "So how long you been fucking my brother?"

Naruto nearly toppled over from the boldness of the question. Itachi completely disregarded the awkward air and just fucking went for it. Naruto tried to recompose himself; he didn't want Lee to hear any explicit details. "It's not like that, sir! I promise, I'm just a friend!"

"I don't know. A coworker and self-proclaimed friend who I've never met waltzes in to meet me and also happens to be with my brother's personal trainer, and you're also coming from Sakura's studio? Kind of weird if you ask me." He said, eyes slightly narrowing as he waited for Naruto to try and double down again.

"I must admit. It is a bit weird that you share a rather unusual closeness with Sasuke." Lee observed. "But in that case," The male looked at Naruto and flashed him a smile. "I am happy that he has a new companion!"

"Lee, could you leave us alone for a while?" Itachi said.

"Certainly! I'll go run a few laps around the hospital!" The man gave Naruto a pat on the shoulder and left the garden.

Now things were quiet. It was just Naruto and Itachi. The blonde rubbed his arm, unsure of what to say or do. So he painfully stood there, waiting for Itachi to break the silence.

"So how long have you been-"

"Please stop that, sir." Naruto said, gritting his teeth.

"Of course." Itachi went quiet again as he stared outward into the garden.

Naruto didn't like this. Somehow, they were already off to a very rocky start. He decided to try and be more formal. "First of all, I would like to apologize on Sasuke's behalf for lying to you, sir." The blonde gave a bow to the man. "Had I known that this would have complicated things, I wouldn't have allowed any deceit to go on. I had only found out about what he told his parents recently."

But Itachi seemed to be either unphased by the apology or uncaring. "There is no need to apologize for something that no longer matters or changes the grand scheme of things." He stated, and said nothing afterward.

Naruto leaned back up. For whatever reason, his joints felt stiff and the air felt cold around him. Something about the way the brother spoke and dismissed things were very matter of fact. This might be harder than he thought. 'Let's take the focus away from Sasuke.' He cleared his throat. "Then, is there anything you would like to know about me, sir? I will answer honestly."

"Do you know what you are doing." Not a question, but a statement demanding an answer.

Naruto stiffened up. "Yes, sir. I ask him what he likes, and I make sure he sure that he has enough coffee."

"..."

"S-sorry…" Naruto cleared his throat again. Seems the brother wasn't fond of jokes either. 'Come on, Naruto. Get it together!' He scolded himself. "I understand the implications that I will be facing by helping Sasuke put up the front of making me into a sincere, perfect individual worthy of representing him and the company."

"Are you just after money?"

"What? No, sir!" Naruto frowned. Well to be fair, a part of Naruto did like that he might be getting paid more for this charade, but it wasn't the sole reason why he wanted to help Sasuke. "This isn't about material things for me, sir!"

At that, Itachi held up his hand and snapped his fingers. The absolute giant of a bodyguard that was standing by the entrance to the garden suddenly came walking over with a wide, sharp-toothed grin. Naruto felt his heart race, thinking that the guy was about to fold him into a pretzel. But to his surprise, the man took out a red checkbook and black fountain pen.

"Name it." Itachi said.

"What?"

"Your price. Name it."

"..." Naruto blinked. "What?!" Itachi really did think this was about money! And he was so certain of it that he had his bodyguard at the ready, too? The blonde desperately needed to get himself out of this situation. "Listen, I don't take bribes! And it's pretty damn telling of you to try paying someone off like this just to get them out of your hair!" Naruto said sternly, breaking his character and opting to attack Itachi rather than just saying he wasn't interested. The back of his mind told him to pray while he was at it because he had no clue what was going to happen after those words. And because he didn't know what else to make of the situation, Naruto then asked, "Are you yakuza?"

Itachi stared at him. "Pardon?"

"You know, if people don't comply, do you make them disappear?" He hesitantly inquired, reluctant and honestly terrified of an answer. "Because I'm still going to want to help Sasuke even if you threaten me." He said quietly.

At that, Kisame and Itachi looked at each other. The giant bodyguard just shrugged and put away the pen and checkbook. Then the brother looked back at the blonde. "Your name was Naruto, correct? Tell me..." A gentle breeze blew through Itachi's hair as he asked the next question. "Are you some kind of idiot?"

Naruto stumbled. "What? No, I was just-"

"Well, he certainly is nowhere near the level of intelligence Sasuke said he was, boss." Kisame grinned. "I don't think this one's going to be too much trouble. Should I just tell him to go home?"

"No." Itachi shook his head. "I'm actually still interested in what else he has to say."

"R-really?" Naruto then corrected himself. "I-I mean, I'm glad to hear that, sir!" Seriously, Naruto was going to have to go home and thank the higher powers above for this. He went back to using his formal talk. "To be honest sir, I came here because I wanted to know more about what was going on as well as the relationship between you two. I think that in order for me to continue helping Sasuke and ensuring that he can move forward with a favorable future, I should get to know him on a more personal level. He was not feeling well this morning." He stated. "I was able to get him to talk to me, but not much. I want Sasuke to trust me more, and I was hoping that you could help me establish that foundation."

"And just why are you so dead set on this? What makes my brother so special to you?" Itachi asked.

"With my current title in the company, I can probably help him with some legal issues he's facing. I am hoping to further broaden my career by doing so." He responded. "And I know there are some things Sasuke's dealing with that he can't fix by himself. So why not let me help?" He said, trying to sway the brother's opinion. Naruto could perfectly understand why Itachi was being defensive and stubborn; there were probably more than a few people that had tried to take advantage of his family in the past.

Itachi wheeled his chair away from the tree and toward the fountain. "You probably already know this, but the company owed a lot of money to people who took out insurance claims due to an incident."

"Yes, sir. I am aware." Naruto said, following his movements.

"It was a huge scandal. It brought down the company's reputation. Then Madara brought in Orochimaru to try and fix the mess they were in by filing for mistrials and prolonging the lawsuits further. It didn't take long before it became a class action lawsuit and they had no choice but to pay up. They settled for an undisclosed amount of money - not even I know how much - and swept it all under the rug."

Naruto shifted on his feet. It wasn't the first time he had heard about the lawsuit. He'd already done his own research on it and it was the shadiest thing he'd ever witnessed. But why was Itachi bringing it up now? He waited for the brother to continue.

"Sasuke felt bad for those who were affected by the lawsuit. So shortly after taking over the company, he wanted to try to help people and restore the image Konoha once had. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people who took advantage of him and his kindness. People who weren't even part of the lawsuit at all or even a client. They just wanted money or press." Itachi explained, folding his arms. "So you can see why I'm choosing to be overly cautious about who Sasuke spends his time with and what all a person gets exposed to regarding the company. I don't have any issues with you as a person. You aren't completely incompetent, though that's not a compliment either."

'Gee, thanks.' Naruto's brow twitched.

"If you're really going to help Sasuke, you need to understand that this goes further than his feelings; and your feelings, too. A lot of reputation is on the line and you will both be in the spotlight. It only takes one bad thing for there to be negative press again and then we're back at square one."

"I get it, sir. I really do. And I promise I'm not going to do anything to ruin your family's business. You can trust me on that." Naruto looked at him pleadingly. "Please, Itachi- sir. If you won't give Sasuke a chance, then at least give me one! I promise, I'll do right by your brother, the company, and everything else! I just don't want Sasuke to keep going it alone. Worse things may happen to the company if there aren't those around who can easily help stop them."

Itachi turned around to fully face Naruto. His tone shifted. "I will support whatever choice has the best advantage of bettering Konoha. That means if I have to so much as even lift a finger, everything stops. I can step in at any time. I don't need to wait for other people to do it." He affirmed. "So make no mistake, Mr. Uzumaki. I may be ill, but that does not mean I lack the amount of strength necessary to protect my family and our assets. I can easily make you disappear. And I don't even have to kill you or find someone who's actually a yakuza to do it. If I think you aren't capable, I'll ruin you." He warned.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. He was completely speechless. His mind was blank and his blood pressure was rising as he felt a cold chill go down his neck. Was Itachi serious? No. He was definitely serious. There was no doubt that he had just unabashedly threatened him. If the blonde didn't say something quick, he had a bad feeling that he may not be leaving this hospital the same way he came in. He stared at Itachi's irate black eyes. The male had him pinned with his gaze. Naruto's feet felt cold; it was as if he were just forced into a dark space that he couldn't escape and now he was left wondering what to say; what to do. There was mild panic. 'No. It's okay.' He tried to tell himself. 'Stay calm. He's just testing you.' The blonde closed his eyes and inhaled. 'Come on, Naruto. You made it this far. Don't let him get to you.' He exhaled. Naruto then looked at the brother and finally spoke. This time he completely disregarded the formal act.

"You can do whatever you want to me. I've been through a lot already. I've been hurt; I've had things happen to me that I still haven't fully recovered from." Naruto stated. "And… there's even more things that I'm still trying to fight and figure out for the sake of my own future and family." He finally approached Itachi for the first time since he had stepped foot in the garden. His blue eyes formed their own hardened expression as he stopped just short of the wheelchair.

"Truthfully, if you had asked me what I thought of Sasuke when I first started working for him I probably wouldn't have an answer for you. But after seeing what kind of person he actually is, and what he's trying to do to help the company and his family, I've decided that I want to help him. I want to do as much as I can for him. Sure, some of it may be for my own gain, but I'm not a selfish person. And neither is Sasuke." Naruto said sternly. "You don't get to see him or work with him on a day to day basis. He's amazing. He's charming. He's smart and considerate. He works so fucking hard." He huffed. Then Naruto turned his head in aggravation as he watched a crow peck away at the ground. "You can threaten me all you want. But how will that help the company? What is that going to do to help Sasuke? Your relationship is already sour and I don't want to become the source of another problem for him. I think if you actually gave him a chance, you would understand why I'm here and not him." He fell silent then, opting to not say anything further for fear of speaking something unpleasant. Naruto could see now how Sasuke ended up being so irritated with the brother.

Itachi just sat there, not saying a word; he just merely let Naruto talk as he listened and took it all in. The doubt that the blonde had shown moments earlier seemed to have dissipated as he stood up to him. Any other person would be surprised or even slightly phased at this turn in nature. But Itachi remained expressionless. After hearing what Naruto had to say, the brother finally answered. "Ok."

As if he had just gotten a slap to the face, Naruto looked back at Itachi. "What?" All of that and the only thing he could say was okay? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe he misheard.

"I said ok." Itachi repeated, neatening the blanket in his lap. "I've heard what you had to say. So long as you remember your words and the things at stake, there won't be an issue." The brother then took the bird book he placed down previously and reopened it to the last page he was reading. "And just so you know, I am also aware of the kink relationship you have going on."

Naruto's face turned bright red. "What?! But we kept that a secret!"

"You must really think I am some kind of fool, Mr. Uzumaki, to not have people who report to me on everything concerning Sasuke."

"Ah, I-I see..." Naruto rubbed his arm awkwardly.

Itachi closed his eyes. "I have nothing else to say. Kisame, please see him out of the garden."

"Yes, boss." Kisame escorted Naruto back to the entrance. "Congrats. You didn't fuck up. Well not yet at least." The guard chuckled. "Don't let it get to you. Just take care of the kid." Kisame gave Naruto a rough pat on the head.

Naruto flinched at the gesture, not expecting the praise. He was shocked at how gentle the giant bodyguard was, too. He felt sorry for whoever did get on Itachi's bad side. "Thank you. I should go find Lee now. Please take care, sir." He bowed to the man and turned on his heel.

Once Naruto was down a different hallway, he slowed his footing and stared at the tiled floor. He slowly felt himself coming back to his senses. What was that just now? What the hell happened? It was as if he was being forced to say everything on his mind all at once. Why? Was it just the kind of influence that Itachi held, or did he really feel as though he had no choice? He stopped in the middle of the hallway and exhaled. "Man…" He ran a hand through his hair. Thinking back on everything Itachi and Sakura said and the things leading up to this point, how was he even going to make this work? What was he going to do or say from this point? How was he going to explain everything to his family? No doubt his uncle definitely wouldn't be on board with this.

'Stop. Don't let it get to you.' Naruto shook his head. It was too late to go back on his word now or start having doubts again. He decided that as soon as he left the hospital, he was going to confront Sasuke once and for all and discuss everything with him. That was the only way to move forward.

"Excuse me." A person suddenly walked up to Naruto while he was pondering away in his thoughts.

"Huh? Wh-what?" Naruto snapped his head up to look at them. He had involuntarily flinched, not noticing their presence until just now. 'Jesus, what are they wearing?' It was the most gaudy outfit the blonde had ever seen.

"Sorry to bother you. But I couldn't help noticing that you were visiting with Itachi just now. May I ask what for?"

"What? That's none of your business, is it?" The blonde remarked.

"Ahh, sorry, sorry! This is a private hospital so I thought maybe you were a friend of his. Could I ask your name?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "What for?"

"Simply curious!"

Naruto suddenly took a closer step towards the person, towering over them. "Hey. Why do you look kind of familiar?"

"Huh? Why I uh, h-have no clue what you're talking about!" They said, adjusting their sunglasses and looking off to the side. "We've never met after all and-"

"Naruto!" Lee's voice shouted from down the hallway. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you in the middle of a conversation?"

Naruto eyed the individual before shaking his head. "...no. Come on, let's go." He walked off ahead of the man.

"Is everything ok?" Lee asked, raising a brow.

Naruto waited until they were on the elevator and the doors closed before talking. "Yeah. Sorry." He looked at Lee. "That person you saw… I think they were a journalist or paparazzi scouting out the hospital. They were trying to ask me questions about Itachi."

"What? We should tell security right away then!"

"Yeah, let's do that before we leave."

The two nodded in agreement and once they were back on the first floor, they informed the hospital staff of the person. Once they gave them the details, Naruto and Lee exited the hospital and let security handle the rest. Naruto felt sorry for that guy. If the bodyguard got a hold him, it wasn't going to be pretty.

Meanwhile, Itachi was brought back to his room. He stared at the meal he was given by a nurse before looking outside of the window at his bedside. Two hummingbirds were fluttering around the feeder. He sighed and picked up his cellphone, dialed a number, and waited for someone to answer.

"...Itachi?"

"Hey. How are you?"

"...ok." The person answered slowly. "What're you calling for?"

"Are you still mad?"

"No." They groaned. "I'm jus'... Sorry. Ok? Didn't mean it…"

"I know." Itachi replied calmly. Then his brows furrowed. "Sasuke, are you drinking?"

There was a pause and then a loud sigh from the other end of the phone. "Yeah."

Itachi shook his head. "Listen. There's someone who cares a lot about you right now. So quit sulking and stay on top of your work."

"Huh? What do you mean? 'Course I know you care…"

"Never said it was me."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it. Just quit being a bitch."

"Fuck you, Itachi." Sasuke hung up.

"Heh." Itachi couldn't stop the amused chuckle that left his mouth as he stared at the phone screen. He laid back in the bed and uncovered the bowl of food. 'I'll leave it to you, Naruto. Next time we meet, you'd better have meant your words.'

~:: ღ ::~

『 "Hey, I'm coming back to your place." 』
Naruto - Message Sent 2:19 pm

That was the message Naruto had sent about forty minutes ago without a response. After leaving the hospital with Lee, they returned to ThunderGround Studio and reported back to Sakura. Then Naruto excused himself stating that he wanted to go talk to Sasuke. But as he drove across town, he was getting increasingly worried. Why hadn't the CEO texted him back yet? He bit his lip and pressed his foot harder on the gas pedal. He picked up the phone and called the male. After a few seconds, he answered.

"...hello?" Sasuke's voice sounded quite tired and out of it.

'Was he sleeping?' Naruto wondered. "Sasuke, did you get my text?"

"Huh? Hold on…"

Naruto could hear him shifting in the background a bit.

"Oh. You're coming back? Ok. I'll let Kiba know."

"Alright. Wait, are you ok?"

"Mhh. Yeah. Jus' lemme know when you get here."

"Ok."

Those were the last words they exchanged over the phone before hanging up. 'That's weird. He doesn't sound like himself.' Naruto's grip tightened on the steering wheel. Naruto felt a little guilty for leaving Sasuke alone, but knew that he still made the right choices today. After speeding through town, Naruto finally arrived at Sasuke's condo several minutes later. He parked in the underpass and walked inside the lobby where he was greeted by Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba took the car keys from him to have it parked in the guest garage.

"Thanks, Kiba!" The blonde said before hopping on the elevator. He tapped his foot anxiously. He was seriously starting to hate elevators more and more for how much time they took. Finally arriving at the floor, Naruto unlocked the door to the CEO's place and flung it open. "Sasuke! I'm here!" Naruto closed the door behind him and looked around.

"Don't shout!" An irate voice sounded before Sasuke's head popped up from the other side of the couch in the living room. His hair was disheveled and there was a scowl on his face as he glared at the blonde for a good few seconds before laying back down.

"Sasuke?" Naruto walked over to the couch only to be met with the most pitiful yet, somehow, sexy sight of Sasuke lying down. White-silk pajamas conformed to the creases of his body; his fingers hovered above the neck of an almost-empty champagne bottle on the floor. "Fuck. How much did you drink?"

"Nhh…" Sasuke did not answer. He just scratched the back of his hair.

Well he didn't need to say anything. Naruto could smell the alcohol on his breath just from the exhale he let out. The blonde shook his head. He sat down on the sofa and rested Sasuke's head in his lap. "Have you been like this all morning?"

"Nah. Not all mornin'…"

"So how long then?"

"Dunno." He grumbled. "Just… needed a drink."

"Sasuke, you had more than a drink." He picked up the bottle of champagne to read the label. He didn't recognize the brand but didn't have to in order to see that Sasuke was completely fucking hammered at the moment. He set the bottle back down. No use trying to tell him about everything he did today and have a discussion like he had previously hoped. He stroked Sasuke's hair. "Is this about everything that we talked about earlier?"

"Mhh..." Sasuke didn't answer. He slid his hand between Naruto's legs instead. "Hey, now that you're here again-"

"Ugh. Sasuke, come on. We're not doing this. Not while you're drunk out of your mind." The blonde grabbed his hand.

"Shut up!" He spat, annoyed. "Don't need you tellin' me what to do right now. So tired of being pushed around by my lawyer and my uncle." He quickly went on a tangent. "They don't have to deal with the shit I constantly have to. They just sit there and point fingers. And Orochimaru always askin' for money. I hate it." He bemoaned, turning over and hanging off Naruto's lap like a limp noodle.

"He asks you for money? Sasuke, why don't you just fire him."

"Can't. He does stuff." He muttered, staring at the floor.

"Stuff like what? Stuff like cause you pain and trouble? Stuff like making you stay home all day and drink?"

"Ugh whatever. Don't wanna deal with it!" Sasuke grumbled. He turned back over and started unzipping Naruto's pants. "I just want this right now."

Naruto stopped Sasuke again. He really wanted to talk to him, but that seemed impossible now. "No. We aren't having sex." He moved off of the couch and then picked Sasuke up. "You're too drunk right now and stressed out. I don't want to do things to you while you're like this."

Sasuke huffed. "Come onnn. Punish me!" He whined. "Or… reward me. I apologized to 'tachi."

Naruto paused in his steps. "You talked to Itachi?"

The CEO nodded. "Mhm. Earlier I did. Says that people care about me and stuff."

Naruto smiled. "I see." He laid Sasuke down on the bed then joined him. "Well it's true. A lot of people care about you. And," Naruto put a finger under his chin so that he could see him. "I do, too."

"...really?"

"Yeah. I really do. And… I'm sorry for not being there for you more often. I always see how hard you work and how much work you do. You always put in 200% and no less. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have a job, or passing grades if you weren't always partnered with me in college."

Sasuke blushed lightly. "Damn it. Don't bring school up." He muttered. "Was your fault for always doing things at the last minute. You were always hanging out with people and looking good. And you were athletic. And sexy."

Naruto blinked. "You thought I was sexy back then?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you're way sexier now. But like… I used to see you playing outside and stuff with other guys. I saw you lift up a guy like it was nothin. It was so hot…" He muttered.

"So what you're saying is… you've always found me attractive~"

"No! I didn't say that, idiot!"

"But you did though."

"Ugh, shut up already! For one, you didn't have all these muscles. And you didn't smell as good."

"Yeah? So you like my muscles?" He smirked.

"Yeah. They look good on you. I saw the pictures on your Facebook of when you started working out more." Sasuke then began to pout a bit as his expression changed. "Why didn't you tell me anything when you left? Did you just forget about me? Did you find something else to do? Was it... my fault?"

"What? No, Sasuke!" Naruto replied. Then he sighed. "I already told you. My mom was in the hospital. So I had to drop out to take care of her. She wasn't doing so well and she struggled with her physical therapy. I wanted to motivate her, so I started working out and hitting the gym more. That's why I became like this. I wanted her to see what she could eventually become if she saw me: strong and capable." He smiled.

"Oh. That's nice~" Sasuke replied. "I bet your mom really loves you."

"Yeah. She does." He started stroking Sasuke's hair. "And I bet your mom loves you, too. And so does your brother."

"..." Sasuke was quiet, letting the already pink blush on his face get even pinker. Then he let out a heavy exhale. "So no sex?"

"No."

Sasuke's eyes then drifted down to Naruto's chest. He pouted as he brought his face forward to bite the blonde. "Come on." He groaned. "Give it to me."

"Ouch!" Naruto winced. "Goddamn it, Sasuke! Do I need to get a newspaper and swat you like a dog?"

Sasuke climbed on top of Naruto and then rubbed against him. "Maybe you do." He said, voice low and sultry as the alcohol rolled off his breath. He lifted Naruto's shirt and began to lick and kiss his chest. "If you aren't going to do anythin', then I will." He said, words slurring.

Naruto frowned as he looked down at the CEO. "You're really testing me these days, Sasuke. I'm going to do worse to you if you continue." He warned. But Sasuke probably wouldn't even remember half of what he's saying or doing right now by morning. He expected the male to have a hangover from hell. But Naruto meant what he said about not touching Sasuke, so he decided to play his game. "Fine. Get yourself off." He ordered.

"Yes, sirrr..." Sasuke started to plant kisses across the blonde's collarbone. They were feather light before he brought his tongue out to drag across his sun-kissed skin. Then he slowly began to move his hips as he ground himself into Naruto's thigh. It didn't take long for him to find just the right angle and position to keep his cock pressing and rubbing against him through the silk of his pajamas. He began to moan lowly and bit into one of Naruto's pecs as sort of an anchor while he focused on getting off.

Naruto watched quietly, feeling himself starting to get a little turned on by what Sasuke was doing but he stayed put. "Little horny slut." He muttered. "Would you have done this to me while I was asleep?"

"I... don't know, sir." Sasuke said, panting as he kept going; the alcohol made his body heat up faster than usual. Then he looked up at Naruto. He moved upward a bit and then narrowed his eyes at him.

"...what?"

"How come you never kiss me when we do stuff?"

"What?!" Naruto blushed. Where the hell did that come from all of a sudden? Fuck, the CEO had to be good and drunk. Naruto tried to give an appropriate answer. "Sasuke first of all, you never asked or consented to it. A-and, to be honest, it's not really something I did with my clients. I-I mean, back when I was more in the scene, I just didn't really do stuff like kissing or whatever. I was more focused on getting off at the time." He guiltily admitted. "Why? Is that... something you want?"

Sasuke frowned and gave the blonde a huff. "Naruto, I'd let you fucking spit in my mouth."

"...fucking hell, Sasuke." Naruto felt himself get hard at that. "How are you even more of a brat when you're drunk?" He sighed. But when Sasuke didn't respond and continued looking at him, he caught the hint. "Ok, fine. If it's what you want to do-"

Sasuke pressed his lips against Naruto's before he even finished the sentence. He wasted no time trying to slide his tongue into Naruto's mouth. At first he thought that Naruto wouldn't do anything per his stance, but he was relieved when Naruto began to french him in return. Sasuke moaned lowly, and began to grind his hips again. He dug his nails into Naruto's chest as he mixed his saliva with the blonde's. Naruto's mouth tasted almost as divine as his dick and he sought more of him.

Naruto moved his head forward a bit to indulge Sasuke in the kiss. If he were honest, he'd actually thought about kissing the male before, but it was in a passing moment not something he seriously thought about all the time or wanted to do on the daily. But now that it was actually happening, he didn't know how to feel. It was an odd mix of emotions: sexy, scandalous, hot, foreign. But he tried not to let those reactions sour the mood. It was something that Sasuke wanted per their play. And he looked at it as that. It was just business. That's what all of this was. Sasuke then got a little more aggressive and sucked on Naruto's tongue. The blonde opened his eyes to see a completely flush faced Sasuke breathing heavily through his nose with half-lidded eyes. Naruto shifted his leg and arched it, pushing his thigh harder between Sasuke's legs.

Sasuke then pulled away from the kiss, gasping at the sudden action. "Yes~" He started to grind into Naruto quicker. He was on the verge of cumming. Just a little more. "Hah, fuck... Naruto..." His nails clawed into the blonde's chest. "I'm cumming..." He said, voice just above a quiet whisper.

"Go ahead." Naruto said, his own breathing starting to become excited. He ignored the half-hard bulge that was in his pants and just tried to keep focusing on Sasuke. He didn't want the male to notice it; he'd definitely try to suck him off if he did.

"Hah... hah, yes!" Sasuke's hips ground hard into Naruto and the hem of his silk pajama pants slid off his waist. He came on the blonde's leg as the head of his cock twitched. He kept riding Naruto's thigh through his orgasm until he was spent. "Fuck... so good..." He murmured. A thin filter of sweat began to cool his body as he held onto Naruto and caught his breath.

Naruto ran a hand through Sasuke's hair and praised him. "Good. Now you need to go to sleep." He quickly sat up and moved to slide the male off of him. He laid Sasuke down and the first thing his eyes saw were the CEO's pink nipples poking through the white silk shirt he was wearing. They stood out even more thanks to the fabric sticking to his body because of the sweat. He had to tear his vision away from Sasuke quickly after that or risk this going further than it needed to. He went into the bathroom to clean the cum off his pants and get a wet towel to wipe Sasuke down with.

Once he finished cleaning up and tending to Sasuke, he then returned to the living room to pick up and discard the champagne bottle. He neatened the sofa and cleaned up the surrounding area before sighing and finally returning to the bedroom. Sasuke was lightly snoring; he'd already fallen asleep. As it was still a bit early in the day, Naruto decided to stay up. He turned on the tv, watching a local news report. He covered Sasuke with the blanket and patted his head. The blonde then began to think about everything he'd just gone through for the day, and everything that Sasuke had been dealing with, too. Sasuke put up a tough face and a cold disposition, but in reality, he was just as fragile as the ice he surrounded himself with.

Naruto moved a strand of hair from the CEO's forehead. He stared at him for a while, wondering if his thoughts were in a better place now as he slept. He then took out his cell phone and started sending a text:

『 "Hey, Ino? Sorry, but I'm staying out late again tonight." 』
Naruto - Message Sent 4:12 pm

『 "I promise I'll try to explain but right now I really need to be there for someone." 』
Naruto - Message Sent 4:12 pm

『 "I'm sure you understand. Love you!" 』
Naruto - Message Sent 4:13 pm

Bzzt, bzzt!

『 "If you're meeting someone for sex just say that lol" 』
Ino - Message Sent 4:15 pm

『 "Just stay out of trouble, got it? Love you too!" 』
Ino - Message Sent 4:15 pm

Smiling at the message his cousin replied with, Naruto stayed with Sasuke for the remainder of the evening. Tomorrow was going to be an even rougher day than today. After all, Naruto was going to have to not only confront Sasuke, but also get him to completely believe in him, too. How did everything become so complicated?

A/N: I am extremely sorry for the delay of this chapter! I was busy with work over the weekend and was very tired. Also this chapter came out way longer than I thought it would so editing took longer than I thought! I hope you understand and enjoyed it! 💔