Author's note: I finally managed to update this story in a timely manner! I had wanted to update both this one and the last part of Signed, Sealed, Secure, but unfortunately I got some bad news at the vet's yesterday and well, I had a bit of a hard time concentrating on writing. I'm sorry if this slips through in this chapter. Signed, Sealed, Secure should finally have an update this upcoming week, however.

Thanks to the following reviewers: ankwhat; Vampiremaker8; KitsuneJen; 666snoopy; sasunaru1214; SehunsBae37; Kalos; Richon

Warnings: Implied mature content; minor timeskips

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

I hope you'll like this chapter!

Chapter 13: Adjusting Part 2

The other Alpha was talking. Sasuke saw his mouth moving, but he couldn't concentrate on what he was saying, the rush of his blood too loud in his ears. His fingers curled even tighter around the railing and his breathing sped up; his field of vision entirely narrowing down until nothing but the Alpha in front of him remained.

'…kun … Okay? Sasuke-kun?"

It was as if a needle popped a balloon. The rushing noise in his ears died out, leaving him able to focus on what was being said. A part of him recognised the Alpha in front of him: it was Naruto's dad. Probably here as a replacement for his mum. That should set Sasuke at ease, because it wasn't a strange Alpha at all, but …

"Sasuke-kun? Is Naruto all right?" Minato asked concerned; his gaze flicking between Sasuke and the stairs behind him.

"He's fine," Sasuke managed to bring out through clenched teeth. "He's asleep."

"That's good to hear," Minato smiled and nodded. "Kushina sent me. She's almost finished at the precinct, so she'll be home soon. You can go home as well. I'll go take a look and see if Naruto has everything he needs."

"No, you can't check on him!" Sasuke snapped before he could think twice and he stood firmly in the middle of the staircase, blocking it.

There was a voice in the back of his mind cautioning him that he should be careful, that he was talking to Naruto's dad and not a stranger. Minato could be trusted, there was no need to keep him away from his own son, but Sasuke was loathe to move away. Something in him had him rooted on the step; his feet refusing to even do so much as twitch.

Minato looked taken aback and opened his mouth to say something before he closed it again. A contemplative look passed across his face as he and Sasuke stared at each other. He appeared to come to some sort of conclusion soon, however, because he inclined his head and stepped away from the staircase.

"I think I get it," he said cryptically. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. Kushina should be here soon."

With that he did go into the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

Stupidly Sasuke did relax when Minato was gone. It was idiotic, he knew, because there was no way Naruto would ever have been in trouble with Minato nearby, but he still couldn't convince him to move. He should leave now, because Minato was here and Kushina would be almost home as well; Naruto wouldn't be left vulnerable if he went home now. Still he couldn't convince his feet to walk to the door and he remained standing midway on the staircase until the front door opened a little while later.

Kushina offered him a bright smile; a faint blush colouring her cheeks. She kicked off her shoes and placed her handbag on the floor next to them. "Sorry for the delay! Signing all that paperwork took longer than I expected, so I sent Minato ahead. Is everything – Sasuke-kun?"

Her smile turned bemused when she took in his stance on the staircase. He forced himself to release the railing, letting her Omega scent soothe his frayed nerves. Her scent didn't have the same calming effect on him that Naruto's had, but it helped clear his head somewhat.

"Naruto's asleep upstairs," he told her and finally continued his descent down the stairs. "I also put some snacks and some bottles of water on his nightstand."

"Some soda cans as well, I assume?" she asked amused, snorting when he nodded. "Well, as long as he stays hydrated. Thanks for staying, Sasuke-kun. Again sorry it took me longer to get here."

"It's fine," he reassured her and pulled on his shoes, grabbing his jacket. "I'll take my leave then. I'll collect Naruto's homework for him."

"Thanks, Sasuke-kun," she smiled. "Be careful on the way back."

The second Sasuke stepped outside he inhaled deeply, hoping the cold air would help clear his mind completely. It didn't do much. By the time he slid behind the wheel, he still felt incredibly worked up; a state that wasn't really helped by the lingering scent of Naruto in his car. He cranked open the window, but it didn't seem to do much. The intensity of his desire to go back and return to Naruto's side was almost frightening, making him tighten his grip around the steering wheel. He had to leave now before he would do something stupid.

He started the car, figuring he could go to Gaara's dojo and get rid of his frustration there, but quickly realised that wouldn't do. Even disregarding the scent in his car, his clothes were positively drenched in Naruto's heat scent. He couldn't enter the dojo like this; he didn't want Gaara – or god forbid Temari – to start asking uncomfortable questions and he definitely didn't want anyone in the dojo to know how Naruto smelt like during his heat. He would go home, take a shower there, and then grab his bag to go to the dojo. A couple of hours should be enough to get rid of his agitation.

Decision made, he reversed his car out of his parking spot and started his way home, ignoring the irritating sense of emptiness that settled in the pit of his stomach.

Kakashi wasn't home when Sasuke arrived. The Alpha considered that to be a blessing, because he could already imagine the kind of commentary Kakashi would make if he caught even the faintest sniff of Naruto's scent on Sasuke's clothes.

He barely remembered to take his backpack upstairs after removing his shoes and jacket. The backpack was dumped in his bedroom before he hurried to the bathroom where he couldn't get rid of his clothes fast enough. The second he was naked, he practically jumped into the shower, uncaring that the water still had to heat up. The initial stream of cold water was like a shock to his system, before his body rapidly became accustomed to it. He leant his hands against the tiled wall, letting the water slide down his back, but the heat in his lower stomach – heat that had only grown more intense since leaving Naruto behind – was starting to spread out throughout his entire body.

His mind started to grow hazy, as if Naruto was still close by. He closed his eyes and could easily recall Naruto's flushed cheeks, the way that reddish hue spread all the way down to his neck. It might have even spread down to his chest, he mused distantly. Naruto's scent, already enticing on any given day, had driven him nearly made the entire time they had been together and Sasuke could only imagine just how much more intense the Omega's scent might have become if Sasuke had stayed.

If Sasuke had stayed, he could have been lying right next to Naruto in the bed that had become as familiar to him as his own. Their mouths would have found each other; their kisses would have started out slow, soft, almost like they were kissing each other for the first time again. It wouldn't have taken long before their kiss would have deepened, though, their tongues coming out to play with each other. Right as their tongues would touch, Sasuke would slip his hands underneath Naruto's sweater – his sweater, the sweater he'd gifted to his Omega and which he was wearing now – and feel his warm skin. Naruto's stomach muscles would contract, maybe, and he might even let out that soft moan Sasuke had heard him utter before when their make-out sessions would grow a bit too intense.

Just remembering that soft breathy sound had Sasuke groaning and before he realised it, his hand had dipped down and his fingers were curled around his member. The second he touched himself, something akin to electricity jolted his body and he bit down on his lip hard. Pleasure instantly rushed through his veins and he clenched his eyes shut, resting his forehead against the arm he kept braced against the wall. As the water poured down on him, turning from cold to warm, he could only envision Naruto's hooded eyes, the seductive lilt his voice had taken on whenever he'd made those filthy, but oh so amazing suggestions … The way he had pressed his body against Sasuke's every chance he had got; his hands roaming across Sasuke's body, groping him as he told the Alpha what he wanted him to do to him.

He started moving his hand harder, feeling almost feverish as he imagined what might have happened if he had stayed. He might have rolled on top of Naruto or Naruto might have rolled on top of him. Their legs would slot together, their sweaters would ruck up, letting their bare stomachs touch. Naruto's skin would feel hot, like he'd been set ablaze, and his scent would drown Sasuke until he knew nothing else. They might decide to pull off their clothes; Sasuke would have to help Naruto with his, because his boyfriend would be too lost in his heat to have enough coordination to do it. The second they would be completely naked …

Sasuke moaned, nearly biting on his tongue when he imagined how Naruto would look like, completely naked, his skin flushed, spreading his legs eagerly for Sasuke. The thought of how wet he would be, the slick glistening between his cheeks … He would grab Sasuke's hand, would push it between his legs, encourage him to touch him there, right there, please, Sasuke …

Sasuke would push one finger inside of him, would feel those muscles clench down around him tightly while Naruto would moan, perhaps his breathing would hitch and he would blush even more, pulling Sasuke on top of him. Their mouths would find each other, Naruto would start rolling his hips urgently, would whisper for Sasuke to start moving, to give him more, he could handle more, of course he could, but only for Sasuke …

"Fuck!" His hoarse shout rebounded through the bathroom when he came, spilling over his fingers. Blankly he watched it get mixed with the water before it disappeared down the drain.

A sudden wave of exhaustion had him slapping both hands against the wall and he stood there for a moment longer underneath the water. He forced his sluggish arms to cooperate as he quickly washed himself, regretting that the soap would remove Naruto's scent, but knowing it was better this way. If only to make sure that he could actually function the following days without becoming too distracted.

His hair was still dripping when he pulled a hoodie over his head, but he couldn't be bothered to towel dry it any longer. He snatched the bag with his workout clothes on his way out again and stuffed his feet back into his shoes. His head was feeling less muddled now, though he doubted he would feel completely all right until he could see Naruto again. He decided he would text the other boy this weekend, see how he was holding up.

By the time he arrived at the dojo, he was feeling a bit calmer. Gaara looked up when he walked through the door and actually did a double take upon seeing him. Sasuke would feel amused by that if he wasn't still feeling slightly on edge.

"Aren't you supposed to be still in class?" Gaara asked, checking the clock.

"I had to take Naruto home, because he wasn't feeling well," Sasuke said curtly, making his way past him and to the changing area.

Temari was apparently a very bad influence on her little brother, because instead of leaving things be, Gaara decided to follow him.

"And because your boyfriend doesn't feel well, you're here at the dojo," Gaara commented. He crossed his arms and leant against the wall while Sasuke dumped his bag on the bench.

"Great observation skills," Sasuke said sarcastically and replaced his hoodie with his T-shirt. The collar of the hoodie was damp, but he figured it should be dry by the time he pulled it back on.

"I get your tendency to worry," Gaara continued, because he clearly suffered the curse of all Sabaku siblings where they didn't know how to keep their noses in their own business, "but don't you think it's perhaps a bit overkill to get rid of your tension at the dojo?"

"I thought you told me years before that the dojo would always be open for me?" Sasuke reminded him poisonously sweet; the warning clear in his voice and face that Gaara had to back off.

Gaara decided not to heed the warning, because why should he? "It is," he confirmed; his green eyes way too sharp. "But you also have never been the type to skip class. Yes, Naruto-san was feeling unwell," he said and raised his hand in the air, cutting off Sasuke's retort. "But he could have easily called his dad or mum to pick him up instead."

Sasuke remained quiet, stuffing his clothes in his bag.

"Would I be correct in guessing that Naruto-san was feeling unwell in a particular manner that required him to be home as soon as possible?" Gaara asked neutrally.

"Careful, Gaara, you're starting to become as meddling as your sister," Sasuke smiled thinly.

Gaara rolled his eyes and straightened up from the wall. "Fine, just go easy on the others, all right? The ones here aren't exactly on your level already."

Sasuke snorted and stretched his arms. Gaara of all people was the last one to tell him to go easy on others.

By evening Sasuke was physically exhausted, having spent hours at the dojo. He had even managed to cajole Gaara into a sparring session, which had allowed him to get really rid of all the pent-up frustration.

Kakashi for once had been a wise man and hadn't remarked on the faint scent of Naruto clinging to Sasuke's jacket when he had arrived home just in time for dinner. He had merely asked whether Sasuke would be spending the rest of the weekend at home and had left it at that. Sasuke wasn't naïve enough to believe that Kakashi would really leave it at that, but he would enjoy the reprieve as long as it would last.

His body might be exhausted on a level he hadn't experienced in years, but his mind was whirring as he recalled how Naruto had acted the second he had left the bathroom at school. This hadn't been the first time Naruto had got his heat at school, but the previous time he had been … less chatty to put it mildly. Had that been because he and Sasuke hadn't known each other that well yet? He had leant against Sasuke that time, but that could have also been because he had been in a fight just before that.

He had seen Naruto in the onset of his heat a couple of times before and neither of those times had had Naruto in such a chatty mood. Was it because they were boyfriends now and he had changed his suppressants for stronger ones? Sasuke frowned, staring at the ceiling from his reclined position on the bed. He would assume that stronger suppressants would mean that Naruto's heat should be more doable, no?

Pursing his lips, he sat up and swung his legs off the bed, walking to his desk where his laptop was still open in an abandoned attempt to make a start on his homework. He sat down and stared at the screen, feeling ridiculous for feeling so bothered about it, but Naruto had never acted like this before. If this would become a regular thing in the future, then perhaps it would be smarter if they waited for one of his parents to come pick him up instead. Sasuke's restraint had already been tested enough today; he wasn't sure whether he could hold himself back next time.

What should he even type in as search term? Something that preferably wouldn't lead him straight to a porn site. He rapped his fingers against his laptop, listening absently to the rain trickling down against the window.

After a pause, he brought his screen back to life, opened a new page and typed in 'Omega heat suppressants'.

A few seconds later the screen was filled with several links leading to forums and official health websites detailing the use of strong suppressants, but none of them mentioned anything akin to influencing how an Omega acted during their heat. They all just mentioned what Sasuke already knew thanks to Naruto's explanation: that this type of suppressants was used by Omega who had a partner and who wanted to prevent a pregnancy if they shared their heat with their partner. None of them mentioned increasing the strength of the heat and Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. If these suppressants didn't change the way Naruto acted during his heat, why had he been so different today then?

Thinking it over, he deleted his original search term and instead typed, 'Omega acting different during heat'.

It was the safest term he could come up with that hopefully wouldn't direct him to a bunch of porn sites. He looked through the list of available links and clicked on one that looked the most promising, another forum aimed at Omega.

Annie256: Just finished my first heat with my boyfriend and look, it's not like we haven't done this before, but somehow the sex felt even more, I don't know, intense? Is that normal? I mean, I'm not complaining! But you know, kind of different and I want to know if this is something I can expect to happen every time (if so, sign me the fuck up!)

StarrySam: Yeah, that's completely normal, no worries. It's been scientifically proven that your heat will feel more intense if you share it with your partner. Think it had something to do with your pheromones mixing together or shit like that, I don't know, not a scientist here :P But hey, if you enjoyed it, no harm in it, right?

ColourMe: So what you're saying is, if we want to have a great time, just fuck during our heat? I got ya :P

The discussion continued beyond that, but Sasuke didn't pay the rest of the messages any attention and instead backed out of the forum. He clicked on the next forum; those messages were almost a carbon copy of the first one, just with different nicknames. He leant back in his chair and released an explosive sigh. He should have realised this. It made sense that Naruto's heat would be more intense and he would act off with Sasuke nearby. He hadn't acted weirdly the first time because they hadn't been boyfriends yet back then, but now they had been dating for two months already. Of course that would influence how he experienced his heat; Sasuke should have realised this earlier.

Well, at least he now knew. Best not to remain around Naruto during his heat unless he wanted to test both their restraint – which in Naruto's case would basically be next to nothing. Not that Sasuke had been any better, but at least he had managed to hold back today. Now that he knew his presence had a great influence on Naruto's heat, he would just have to be more careful next time.

Monday afternoon had Sasuke knocking on the door of the Namikaze-Uzumaki household; his backpack holding both his homework and Naruto's. Naruto had texted him earlier today to inform him that his heat was over and in his words 'it's safe to sleep over again!'

"You okay again?" Sasuke questioned concerned when the door opened, revealing Naruto.

He looked far more alert than he had on Friday and was dressed in a loose shirt and baggy trousers.

"Hey, yeah, I'm fine," Naruto smiled, oddly bashful, before reaching up to kiss him.

Sasuke returned the kiss before walking inside, taking off his scarf, coat and shoes, storing them in the appropriate places. He picked up the slippers next, sliding his feet in them.

"Look, I'm sorry for the way I behaved last Friday," Naruto blurted out suddenly; his cheeks pinking. "I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have - "

Sasuke cut him off by drawing him in for another kiss, slipping his fingers through that golden blond hair. "Hey, it's okay. Honestly, it's kind of my fault, anyway," he admitted chagrined and pulled away slightly. "I didn't think about it at first, but I did some research when I got back at Kakashi's place and several forums mentioned that heats affect Omega more if their partner is close to them. So you know, it's partly my fault that you reacted like that. Should have looked that one up sooner, but it slipped my mind before."

He hadn't exactly expected Naruto to have his heat at school again, so he hadn't even considered doing research to check whether his presence would have any influence on his boyfriend's heat.

"Oh." Naruto pressed his lips together as he mulled it over. He fidgeted slightly then. "So, er, we're cool?"

Did Naruto seriously just ask what Sasuke thought he had asked? "You think I was mad because you tried to seduce me?" he asked and lifted an eyebrow, feeling equally incredulous as amused that Naruto really would think he would be angry just because he had tried his best to seduce Sasuke – and nearly succeed in it.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and puffed up his cheeks, slapping Sasuke's arm in disapproval. "Don't say it like that. That sounds weird," he huffed and crossed his arms.

"What, you seducing me? What's so weird about that?" Sasuke murmured and he stepped closer, crowding Naruto against the door. Unable to resist the siren call, his hands landed on the blond's hips; his thumbs dipping underneath his shirt.

Naruto turned a bright red and pouted. "I wasn't trying to seduce you," he riposted weakly.

"No?" Sasuke slipped his hands underneath Naruto's shirt completely, smirking when his touch sent a shiver through Naruto. He felt his muscles tense up a bit and pressed his hands even firmer against his skin, cupping his waist. "I'd say you were doing a pretty good job of it. You made it really difficult for me to resist you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto denied, but he grew even redder, betraying that he definitely knew to what Sasuke was referring.

"You don't know?" Sasuke teased. "Well, I can always help you joy your - "

"Naruto, is that Sasuke-kun?"

Kushina's voice hit him like a bucket of ice cold water being dumped on him. He backed away immediately, removing his hands before Kushina could walk in on them and decide that Sasuke could do with one or two hands less. Naruto had the balls to snicker; his blue eyes alight with mischief.

"Yeah, mum, it's Sasuke!" he called out in confirmation.

"You couldn't tell me sooner your mum's home?" Sasuke hissed affronted. To think she could have just walked in on them!

Naruto smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ehehehe, I kind of forgot mum's here."

He forgot his mum was …

"You forgot your mum's home?" Sasuke questioned in disbelief before he quickly turned around at the sound of approaching footsteps. He greeted Kushina with a smile. "Good afternoon, Uzumaki-san."

"How many times do I have to tell you that just 'Kushina' is fine, Sasuke-kun?" Kushina chided amused and placed her hands on her hips. She tilted her head towards the kitchen. "You want some hot chocolate before you and Naruto start on your homework?"

"Sure, sounds good," Sasuke agreed, because even though he didn't really have a sweet tooth, Kushina made really great hot chocolate.

She clapped her hands and grinned. "All right, follow me then!"

"Seriously, how could you forget your mum's here?" Sasuke demanded in a whisper, narrowing his eyes, while Kushina walked back to the kitchen, humming softly.

"Ever considered that maybe you're just distracting?" Naruto quipped unexpectedly and grinned when Sasuke reared back in surprise.

Before Sasuke could think of something to say, Naruto added almost casually, "By the way, mum and dad are inviting you over for dinner tonight."

Right as Sasuke wanted to pointed out that the invitation wasn't that out of the ordinary considering he had joined them for dinner many times before already, Naruto went on, even more painfully casual, "You know, the whole 'meet the boyfriend official' dinner, that kind."

Ah. Well, this invitation was certainly out of the ordinary. It should be fine, though. Even with Minato apparently being in the know now.

AN2: I'll do my best to have the next chapters be longer than this. At least I finally managed to update on time! It's the small things in life, clearly.

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.