Author's note: Many, many apologies for the long delay :/ You would think given that I already have an outline in the form of the previous story that writing this one would be easier, but no, no, for some reason it's not. That's the only excuse I can give for the long delay. I also want to apologise for the short length of this one *winces* I wanted to give you guys something already, though, after such a long time, and unfortunately I can't really pull all-nighters anymore so I hope to make it up with a longer chapter next time! In the meantime I hope you can forgive me for both the delay and the short length of this one.

Thanks to the following reviewers: KitsuneJen; 666snoopy; sasunaru1214; Iraheta 127; richon

Warnings: Some messing around; some minor timeskips

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.

I hope you'll like it!


Chapter 11: Calmness

The shrill bark of a dog followed by the sharp shushing noise of its owner woke up Sasuke early the next morning. He blinked; his eyes taking a bit to adjust to the darkness. Once he could make out the vague shapes of the desk and the wardrobe, he turned his head.

Naruto was still fast asleep, which wasn't that surprising. Sasuke had noticed early on that the other one was a heavy sleeper. A whole ruckus could be occurring right underneath his bedroom window and all Naruto would do was flop around onto his stomach and keep sleeping. Sasuke was more likely to wake up from unexpected noises, but he didn't begrudge Naruto's easy sleep. In the semi-darkness of the room, it was hard to make out Naruto's features, but after all their sleepovers Sasuke didn't need light to know how Naruto looked like when he slept.

As was usually the case Naruto slept on his side, one arm thrown over Sasuke's stomach. He slept quietly most nights, either keeping his head on his side of the pillow or resting his face against Sasuke's shoulder. He had his face pressed against Sasuke's upper arm now and his breathing was deep and slow, peaceful. Naruto didn't tend to have nightmares, Sasuke had taken note of a while ago. Whenever he did have some, he would curl up into a small ball, hiding his face. During the times Sasuke happened to be awake, he had figured out that simply running his hand across Naruto's back or over his arm was enough to coax him out of his nightmare after a little while. He didn't know whether it was his touch that did the trick or perhaps his scent that Naruto unconsciously picked up on even in his sleep, but it felt good to know that he could help Naruto in this way.

Dawn broke with its bleak grey light, filtered through the gap in the curtains. Some birds braved the cold and started chittering near the window, sounding as if they were having an argument. A couple of cars passed through the street and some neighbours called out a greeting to one another as they walked past the house. There was no real point in trying to catch some more sleep, so Sasuke just laid there, watching the occasional beam of a car's headlights dance across the ceiling while he waited for Naruto to wake up.

A sleepy grunt and a forehead rubbing back and forth across his arm alerted Sasuke to the fact that Naruto was waking up and he turned his head again. He smiled when Naruto sighed and tightened his grip around Sasuke's waist for a moment before he loosened it and pulled away slightly. It had become light enough in the room by now that Sasuke could see Naruto waking up fully, blinking sleepily at him.

After he realised that Sasuke was watching him, Naruto removed his hand from Sasuke's side and used it to rub over his eyes. "Hm, 'morning," he slurred. "You awake for long?"

"Not that long," Sasuke said dismissively. It couldn't have been that long considering dawn had approached shortly after he had woken up.

"You're always awake before me," Naruto sighed. "How do you do that?"

"I'm a light sleeper, I suppose," Sasuke said and shrugged with one shoulder.

Naruto staring at him had him raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Did you like celebrating Christmas with us?" Naruto asked, worrying his lip between his teeth.

"Of course I did," Sasuke said, a tad surprised. "Why wouldn't I have?"

"I don't know." Naruto glanced away and awkwardly went on, "I just figured, with your family, you might not really have - "

"I haven't celebrated Christmas since my family died, but I enjoyed celebrating it with you and your parents," Sasuke cut him off. "I mean it, Naruto, this was the first time in years that I got to enjoy it again."

"Good," Naruto sighed relieved. "That's good to hear."

"The things you worry about," Sasuke tsk'd and lifted the blanket so that he could easily roll on top of Naruto without the sheet getting twisted around them.

Naruto uttered a surprised noise, but opened his legs, making it easier for the Alpha to slot himself between them. Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's shoulders; his fingers drawing idle circles across Sasuke's shoulder blades.

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't feel obligated to spend it with us, what's so wrong with that?" Naruto huffed.

"As if you or your parents would ever force me to do something," Sasuke scoffed and Naruto smiled. "If I hadn't wanted to celebrate it with you, I wouldn't have. I'm glad I did; it's been years since I had fun on Christmas."

He and Kakashi had always spent that day ordering takeout and either watching some movies or retreating to their own rooms in order to read or do something else. Kakashi had offered to celebrate Christmas with him, having known about the Uchiha's habit to celebrate it through Itachi, but Sasuke hadn't been in the mood for it after having lost his family so brutally. He was glad he had accepted Kushina's invitation, though. It had felt good to celebrate it in a family setting again, especially when it meant celebrating it with his boyfriend.

That thought had him dipping his head, aiming for Naruto's mouth.

"I've got morning breath, dude!" Naruto protested, twisting his head away.

"So? So do I," Sasuke retorted and was quick enough to peck Naruto's mouth.

That, however, earnt him another protest. "If you're going to kiss me, you might as well do it properly," Naruto complained and he grabbed Sasuke's neck, pulling him down for a longer kiss.

"You were the one complaining about morning breath," Sasuke reminded him with a smirk.

"Eugh, too early for this bullshit," Naruto muttered and kissed him again.

He shifted his leg, bringing it up and cradling Sasuke's lower body more firmly. That did interesting things to Sasuke, heat pooling in the pit of his belly, and their next kiss was more insistent; their mouth slotting together perfectly. Naruto's hands dipped lower, landing on Sasuke's lower back and started caressing him over his shirt. It sent a shiver down Sasuke's spine and the bed creaked slightly when they shifted together; their mouths parting for only a couple of seconds before they found each other again.

Right as Sasuke's hand slipped down, toying with the edge of Naruto's pyjama shirt, Kushina's voice rang out in the hallway, breaking the spell abruptly.

"Hey, you two, I'm in the mood for waffles, you want some too?" she called out; her voice still somewhat rough with sleep.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a wide-eyed look before Naruto started to snicker, muffling the noise by pressing his face into Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke couldn't help but smile as well and as soon as Naruto's snickers died down, he rolled off of him just in case Kushina decided to pop up in the doorway.

"Yeah, that's fine for me," Naruto called back and looked questioningly at Sasuke. When the Alpha nodded his agreement, Naruto added, "It's okay for Sasuke too."

"All right, I'm going to make some then," she said and audibly yawned before making her way downstairs.

"That was close," Naruto chuckled and leant forwards to peck Sasuke's mouth. "You want the bathroom first?"

Considering Sasuke was closest to the door, that made sense, so he nodded. "I'll be back soon."

He calmly ignored Naruto's knowing grin and gleaming eyes when he adjusted himself before leaving the bedroom.


"Had fun celebrating?" Kakashi asked curiously, when Sasuke closed the front door behind him. The older man had a dark brown cooking apron wrapped around his torso and vague dusty imprints of flour indicated he was baking something.

"Yeah, it was nice," Sasuke answered, eyeing the dusty handprints. "You making something?"

"Was in the mood for some chocolate cake," Kakashi answered and walked back into the kitchen with Sasuke following him after he had taken off his shoes and coat. "We actually have all the ingredients for it, for some reason. Saves me a trip to the stores at least."

A bowl had already been filled with the chocolate cake batter and was waiting next to the rectangular baking mould on the kitchen counter. Some chocolate had dripped on the counter, but the kitchen was still rather tidy, save for the pile of dishes waiting to be put into the sink.

"You want some coffee?" Kakashi offered, nodding at the coffee machine. "Made some fresh an hour ago."

"Thanks," Sasuke muttered and filled a cup for himself before refilling Kakashi's mug, which had been nearly drained before the last dreg of coffee had become cold.

Kakashi hummed his thanks when Sasuke put the mug on the counter and started coating the baking mould with a thin layer of butter to make sure the cake wouldn't stick to it.

"So, indulge my curiosity," he started, which was never a good sign.

Sasuke eyed him suspiciously and sipped from his coffee.

Taking his silence as his cue to continue, Kakashi asked lightly, "Do Naruto-kun's parents know you two are dating now?"

"I don't think his dad knows already, but Kushina knows about it," Sasuke answered, toying with the ear of his mug. "She confronted Naruto about us last night. She apparently didn't doesn't have any problems with it."

"That's nice," Kakashi said before the corners of his mouth pulled up in a mischievous grin. "Does this mean you got kicked to the couch instead then?"

Sasuke knew he shouldn't indulge the other man in answering further, because nothing good ever came from indulging Kakashi's curiosity and teasing. Still, he was in a rather good mood today, so he replied, "No, we're still allowed to share the bed. She doesn't have an issue with that."

That took Kakashi by surprise enough that his grip on the butter almost loosened. "She doesn't have any problems with it?" he repeated surprised. "Huh, you got lucky then."

"I know," Sasuke said, because yes, he had got extremely lucky that Kushina was so relaxed about an Alpha sharing the same bed as her Omega son.

He would have understood it if she had wanted to kick him out and make him sleep on the couch instead, but he was grateful she hadn't. While he would have gone to the couch without protesting, he didn't think he would have been able to sleep well without Naruto's calming presence near him.

"You know," Kakashi mused and yes, that tone of his didn't promise anything good, Sasuke just knew it. He was proven right. "It's my turn to do the groceries this week; you want me to add a new item to the list?"

"And what item would that be?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"A box of condoms, of course," Kakashi smiled and winked. "Wouldn't want you two to be up to unsafe things now!"

"I don't even know why I keep talking to you," Sasuke said annoyed and turned around to leave, clutching his mug tightly.

"So is that a no or a yes for the condoms?"

Kakashi's laughter was not muffled in the slightest by the closed kitchen door.


"Mum took me to the doctor on Tuesday to update my suppressants," Naruto informed Sasuke out of the blue later that week.

Having finished all his own homework, Sasuke was helping Naruto get done with his own assignments before school would start again next Monday. They were both seated at Naruto's desk this time; Naruto claiming he didn't want the distraction of the bed when he still had several assignments to finish. Sasuke had pointed out he shouldn't have waited until the last couple of days of their break to finish everything, but that had only led to Naruto whining.

How they had gone from solving a difficult mathematics question to Naruto's visit at the doctor's office mystified Sasuke somewhat, but he had grown used to Naruto's habit of commenting on something out of the blue. It made for very interesting conversation at times, like now.

"To update your suppressants?" he repeated bemused.

"Yep, the ones I took before were just to make my heats more bearable, though honestly, they still didn't work that great," Naruto said before he blushed slightly and cleared his throat. "But the ones I'm taking now are meant for, you know, when we decide to have … sex, so that I'm better protected." His cheeks resembled a tomato by now.

"Your mum is really okay with this, huh?" Sasuke said surprised.

He understood why Naruto's suppressants had needed an increase in strength, but Kushina's readiness to provide Naruto with the stronger medication really drove the fact home that she was completely fine with them together. If she wasn't, Sasuke doubted she would have taken her son to the doctor's to change his suppressants.

"Yeah, she's definitely okay with this," Naruto answered wryly.

They returned to the assignments; Naruto to his mathematics question, Sasuke to his own history assignment that he had yet to look through completely. It was a good thing he was giving it another look, because he already spotted a stupid mistake in the second paragraph. Shaking his head, he grabbed his eraser, removed the last line and rewrote it.

Even with most of his focus on his essay, he became aware of the eyes drilling into the side of his head. He glanced at Naruto, watching the man practically gnaw on his lips as he seemed to be contemplating something.

"What are you thinking about?" Sasuke asked, turning the page so that he could read the rest of the essay.

"I was just wondering …" Naruto trailed off and started fiddling with his sleeves, tugging at a loose thread. He released a soft sigh. "I was wondering whether you want to keep this a secret at school? That we're together, I mean?"

Sasuke paused, not having expected this particular question. Truth be told, he hadn't even considered what they would do when school started again. He wasn't close with anyone in their class, except for Naruto, so he didn't care what the others might think of the two of them forming a couple now. They could know about them, it didn't matter as long as they didn't bother them about it. What he and Naruto did in their private time was nobody's business. Did Naruto care that they knew?

He leant back into the chair and gazed at the blond contemplatively. "I'm not planning on keeping us a secret," he reassured and grimaced then. "That said, I don't think it's anyone's business either what we do with each other."

"No, I agree," Naruto said immediately, wrinkling his nose. "So just act like we always do?"

"If you want to make a big announcement, you can," Sasuke remarked amused. "Don't let me stop you."

"Nah, don't need an announcement," Naruto grinned, his blue eyes sparkling, and he pressed their shoulders together; his warmth seeping through the layers of their sweaters. "They'll find out on their own."

That seemed like a good enough plan to Sasuke.


Their break ended with a visit to the temple in order to celebrate the new year. Having grown up with parents who visited the temple early every year, Sasuke wasn't a stranger to waking up early on New Year's day to do exactly that; one of the few traditions he had kept following even after his family's death.

Naruto, on the contrary, was obviously not an early riser at all and had made it quite clear to Sasuke that the Alpha would regret it severely if he even thought about waking him up too early – or in Naruto's words, "at a fuck-all ungodly hour in the morning, bastard, I like my sleep!"

They eventually reached the compromise that Sasuke could wake him up at nine so that they could visit the temple an hour later. It was a compromise Naruto had begrudgingly agreed to and only after Sasuke had promised he would take him out to eat ramen for lunch. That had done the trick as Sasuke had expected, and so here they were now, surrounded on all sides by families, couples and groups of friends, all there to greet the new year at the local temple.

It was icy cold, the chilly wind cutting into their vulnerable bare skin, and light snowflakes drifted down, melting into equally ice cold droplets in their hair and necks. In spite of the freezing cold, however, Sasuke felt warm all over and once both he and Naruto had straightened out from their customary bows, he reached out and slipped his gloved hand around Naruto's.

Naruto glanced at him and smiled sweetly, squeezing Sasuke's hand softly in return, spreading the warmth even further, as he laced their fingers together. They turned around, carefully worming their way through the mass, and slowly made their way down the hill back to Sasuke's car.

The new year was finally here. For the first time in a long while Sasuke felt hopeful about it.


AN2: So the real drama starts next chapter again, prepare yourselves for that! I will do my best to have the next one out a lot sooner than this one was!

Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.

I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!

Cuddles

Melissa

P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.