Being able to finally post this is such a relief. It's been haunting me for months, damn. But now I'm at last pleased with how it turned out. Some of you found the preview on tumblr, to the rest I'm sorry it took so long.

I'm afraid there won't be any smut, because I decided I had more important things I wanted to express in this final chapter.

The song for chapter four and the title is "Looking for us" by Kite. They're a Swedish little duo and I think they broke up, which is very sad. Their songs are perfect for writing though.

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter four: Looking for us

xxx

"But we were lost
Looking for us
Oh we were there
And yet we were runaways"

xxx

In the kitchen, Naruto stood with his elbows on the counter, hands gripping his hair as he tried to calm his breathing. The look in Sasuke's eyes as he'd pushed him away and scrambled off the bed... He didn't know what to make of it.

Staring out the window, faint light already on the horizon to announce early morning, he tried his best not to feel upset. All it did was make him feel worse, however, and with a groan he rubbed his face. Sasuke had been about to kiss him, and Naruto had panicked. He didn't know why he'd even initiated something like that, because the question had clearly not been a dare. It was bad enough he'd almost gotten hard just from Sasuke opening his shirt. He knew that, had he allowed Sasuke to kiss him, there was no way he could hold back.

He'd rather Sasuke found out in a less shocking, impulsive way. Obviously Sasuke had to be drunk, not that it explained anything, not really. But Naruto was scared that he would wake up the next morning and dismiss it all like some drunken experiment. Just thinking about it hurt.

It just felt like his mind was spinning out of control. He must have already gone overboard on the way home, because Sasuke was so damn cute, and because for some reason Sasuke had kept his distance at the bar and Naruto had to make sure it wasn't because of touching. To put it shortly, Sasuke had been acting kind of strange the past days, and when he had suggested doing the truth and dare again, he'd been unable to keep himself from hoping, wondering if maybe Sasuke had started to feel something for him.

The worst part had to have been earlier at the party, when Sasuke's aunt had asked him if he wasn't planning on proposing soon. He thanked whatever deity was out there for the fact that Sasuke had showed up several minutes later. It was bad enough that most of Sasuke's family already thought or assumed they were a couple, he didn't need to hear Sasuke deny it to his face.

God, he was way too tired and drunk for this crap. Angry with himself he blinked back the threat of tears, because there was no way, no way, he'd stand here in the kitchen crying because Sasuke had tried to kiss him and it scared him.

The sound of bare feet approaching had him freeze, and when Sasuke turned on the light he could see him reflected in the window pane. He looked serious, staring at him in silence, and Naruto didn't know what to do if that silence wasn't broken.

"What," he forced out, ignoring how hoarse he sounded.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke replied, voice subdued but dark eyes earnestly meeting his through the reflection. "I crossed the line. I didn't mean to."

Naruto raised his eyebrows at this, turning around to give Sasuke an incredulous look. Of all things he might have expected Sasuke to say, it wasn't that. Lowering his gaze to the floor, Sasuke shifted his weight between his feet, one hand coming up to hold his other arm.

"I won't do it again."

There was something in Sasuke's voice that made Naruto's breath hitch, some hint of disappointment that sent his heart into overdrive again, though pain filled his chest. Sasuke glanced up at him again, expression hesitant.

"I'll forget about it, so..."

And there it was, those nightmare words, even if the setting was entirely different, and maybe Sasuke didn't even regret anything, but even so Naruto couldn't help it. There was a painful lump lodged in his throat and he couldn't breathe properly, fingers gripping the edge of the counter until he thought he might break it.

"Don't," he pleaded before he could stop himself, biting his lips as Sasuke held his gaze in his.

Maybe it was obvious from his expression, maybe Sasuke finally put two and two together, but slim eyebrows rose slightly as dark eyes widened in understanding. Naruto turned his head to the side. He refused to run away, but he couldn't face Sasuke like this. Instead, he angrily swiped at the corners of his eyes, gritting his teeth. When Sasuke came closer, he hid his face with both arms.

"I'm okay," he sniffled, but insisting on it only caused all his bottled up emotions to spill over even more.

He didn't think he'd cried for real in front of Sasuke since he was sixteen and broke a leg while skiing. But right now his feelings were a mess, and so was he, probably.

When Sasuke's hand awkwardly stroked his neck, he was almost shocked enough to stop crying. Hands pressing against his face, he leaned against Sasuke's shoulder and let it all out. Sasuke kept caressing his neck, and Naruto didn't know if it made things better or worse, but Sasuke half hugging him was reassuring. At least Sasuke didn't think any different of him.

After a couple of minutes, the tears finally subsided enough for him to breathe properly again, and he raised his head to wipe them off with the sleeves of the shirt.

"Shit, I'm a mess," he mumbled, giving a half-hearted little laugh as Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Stupid. You could have talked to me, you know. If there's someone you like, I'll either punch them for making you cry or make sure you forget about them."

It felt like time stopped, Naruto pausing his wrist even as it pressed against his eye. What. The. Hell?

"Wait, what?" he asked, staring in surprise with one eye at a scowling Sasuke.

"That's why you didn't want to kiss, right? And why you're not dating. There's someone you wish was reciprocating your feelings, so-"

"Oh my god!"

Sasuke looked slightly put off at being interrupted, but Naruto felt his shoulders start to shake with laughter instead of from crying. Or maybe he'd cry too.

"Sasuke, that's you! You're the one I, shit."

Realizing he had, actually, confessed, Naruto pressed his hands against the sides of his head, staring at Sasuke in slight horror. His best friend stood frozen, eyes widening. It would have been comical if the situation hadn't been so crazy. He could feel a white-hot burn of nervousness rushing through his limbs, but then Sasuke sighed.

"What the fuck, what's with that sigh?" he accused, but Sasuke only pursed his lips and eyed him for a couple of seconds, as if Naruto's feelings were just another annoying thing.

Like when he ate ramen for breakfast, he got the exact same look every time.

Just as he was about to open his mouth and complain, Sasuke's expression turned embarrassed instead. Which was strange, in itself. But the strangest part was...

Sasuke was kissing him.

Pale hands clasped his head, and Sasuke's eyes were closed as his lips softly touched Naruto's. It was so sudden that Naruto didn't know how to react. Should he kiss back? What did the kiss even mean?

Before he could get his thoughts in order, Sasuke leaned back to look at him, searching his eyes. Then he bumped their foreheads together, and Naruto swore his heart exploded, his struggling lungs sucking in a desperate breath.

"I think we're a bit too tired for this," Sasuke mumbled, hands still in place, warm and secure against Naruto's tingling skin.

"I..." Honestly, Naruto had to agree. It had to be almost four-thirty by now, and his brain felt sluggish. He still couldn't believe Sasuke had kissed him, even if it was a small, barely-there thing. "Yeah."

Even after he'd agreed, Sasuke kept him in place. His breath felt hot against his mouth, and slowly, in case quick movements startled his friend, he raised his arms that he'd lowered in shock earlier, and wrapped his fingers loosely around Sasuke's wrists. It was surreal to stand like that, right there in the kitchen where he had so many domestic memories of Sasuke. He felt too raw, too confused after crying and confessing and that kiss.

Naruto wanted another one. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, dreading going to bed because he'd wake up in the morning without being sure if it was real or just a dream.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked, probably frowning.

Feeling a weary smile tug at his lips, he squeezed Sasuke's wrists.

"I have no idea. Honestly? I feel like I might pass out any second."

Sasuke was silent for a few seconds, but Naruto didn't dare open his eyes yet. Sasuke's left thumb slowly caressed his cheek, and Naruto couldn't breathe.

"Shh, relax. It's okay."

Swallowing with some difficulty, he forced his eyes open, just enough to peek at his best friend. The look in dark eyes was concerned, causing Naruto's stomach to coil with a mixture of relief and pure, raw affection.

Sasuke kissed him again.

This time was just as surreal as the previous one. Naruto stood still, the thought running through his mind that the light press of lips against his felt rather awkward, to be honest, both of them just standing there trying to breathe through their noses.

Regardless of that, Naruto felt like his body had vaporized and now floated up towards the ceiling, and someone was blowing through the smoke that was his body so that his feelings tossed and turned and were swept away because Sasuke was kissing him.

Oh, if only he would continue forever. It was just a touch, no movement, Naruto's hands shaking slightly as they held on to Sasuke. Just a touch but it was everything.

When Sasuke leaned back, far enough for their eyes to meet again, Naruto panted heavily. His lungs were straining for air and his heart beat a staccato in his chest. He'd never felt so awful yet blissfully relieved at the same time.

"Sleep," Sasuke ordered, but his voice wavered slightly and Naruto's skin burned.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nodded when realizing he seemed to have misplaced his voice for the time being. Sasuke took a step back and Naruto couldn't help a small move as if to follow, pale hands sliding off his face and ceasing contact. He wanted to explain himself, wanted to ask what Sasuke meant by kissing him, wanted to hold him close and never let go.

Sasuke took a step backwards, eyeing him as if worried he'd collapse any second. Maybe he would. His knees were definitely wobbly enough as he took a hesitant step forwards, but the other man turned around and led the way.

"I'll just-" Naruto choked out, desperate to head into the bathroom to at least wash his face, and, well, maybe bang his head against the wall until he passed out due to overload of emotions.

"Don't be stupid," Sasuke disagreed, pausing so that Naruto came close enough for him to reach a hand out to grab his arm.

Pulling him along, Sasuke quickly guided him to the bed and all but threw him onto it, sending him a glare as if to dare him to try anything besides falling asleep. Half sitting, Naruto stared wide-eyed as Sasuke closed the door like always, then walked over to the window and made sure it was only slightly open to let some of the fresh morning air inside before pulling down the blinds.

In the darkness, he could hear the quiet sounds of Sasuke's feet, then feel the dip of the mattress as he climbed onto the bed. Sasuke had, out of habit, turned off the lights as he'd left the bedroom, and Naruto felt a surge of affection at the thought of something so ordinary. He rubbed his face, moving when Sasuke pushed down the covers and lying down after removing the few extra pillows they'd used to prop themselves up against the headboard.

It could have been like any other time they went to bed, except this time Sasuke had kissed him, and Naruto had confessed his feelings.

The thought struck him, like he'd forgotten about it but now it came back full force, the insanity of it all running through his mind. He'd told Sasuke. Well, implied, but Sasuke must have understood. It felt awkward, lying there and trying to stay in control, wanting to reach out to Sasuke so badly yet frightened to move at all. Thoughts of why and how and what if plagued him, until he heard the sheets rustle and soon after felt a tentative touch against the back of his hand.

Sucking in a breath he turned towards Sasuke, almost violently, grasping his hand and curling up close to his side. He buried his nose in the fabric covering Sasuke's shoulder, feeling the strain of the shirt he still wore for some reason. Shifting his legs, they brushed up against Sasuke's sweatpants, and he would have laughed at how ridiculous it all was if he wasn't struggling enough just to force air down his lungs. Amazingly enough, Sasuke tilted his head so that his jawline rested against the top of Naruto's head, fingers slowly returning the grip Naruto held them with.

Sasuke was silent, but Naruto didn't need him to say anything. He only needed this, for now, the warmth of his body and the reassuring hold on his hand. His scent, and the safety of covers and darkness.

Yes, he could sleep like this.

Eventually.

xxx

When Naruto woke up, he was alone in bed. This wasn't unusual, considering Sasuke usually got up early for either lectures or work, and insisted on rarely ever sleeping in. Sasuke sure had some incredible discipline, in Naruto's opinion.

Curled up on his side, he brought the covers even closer around himself. He didn't particularly want to think about last night, his brain feeling a bit sluggish from the lack of sleep. Still, the memories were forcing themselves upon him, and though they felt a bit surreal and everything was still a mess, Naruto couldn't help but bring a hand up to touch his lips. He knew that Sasuke wouldn't do something like that out of pity, or simply to comfort him. It wasn't a love confession in return, but it was something, and it was enough to give Naruto the strength to get out of bed.

He found Sasuke in the kitchen, the smell of pancakes hitting him once he entered. Pausing in the doorway, he leaned on the doorpost and watched him for a minute. A helpless smile formed on his face, because no matter what happened, Sasuke was still Sasuke, and something as seemingly simple as pancakes wasn't simple at all.

"I can't believe you're making pancakes," he said, and Sasuke sent him a glance before flipping one over.

"I see you finally got rid of the shirt," was all he answered, looking as calm as ever.

Naruto wanted to go over to him and hug him from behind. He could feel the familiar urge in his chest, the itch in his fingers, and it struck him that maybe, there wasn't anything stopping him from doing so.

Sasuke's back was warm against his bare chest, and he buried his nose in Sasuke's neck as he squeezed his waist. Amazingly enough, after a brief hesitation, Sasuke tilted his head so that it connected with Naruto's in an affectionate gesture. It only lasted a few seconds, but Naruto's stomach had plenty of time to explode in tingles.

"Go sit down, I need my body," Sasuke told him, struggling a little to move one pancake from the frying pan to the plate on the counter.

Making a whining noise of complaint, Naruto rubbed his nose against Sasuke's neck and squeezed him harder. With a sigh, Sasuke reached up to run his fingers through his hair, causing warmth to fill him up all the way from his toes. Then Sasuke tugged at it and he reluctantly leaned back.

"Fine," he muttered, letting go and walking over to the small kitchen table.

He took a seat so that he could watch Sasuke, leaning his chin on his crossed arms. There was something so endearing about Sasuke in the morning, still dressed in what he slept in and hair a mess, a look of tired concentration on his face as he poured more batter into the pan. When Sasuke glanced at him, he received a thoughtful frown.

"You always look at me like that," he said, causing Naruto to straighten up in his seat, "You look like a dork."

"Like how?" he asked nervously, rubbing his palms against his thighs.

"Like you're..." Sasuke trailed off, his expression changing from thoughtful to deadpan. "Right," he mumbled, turning back to the stove and hiding his face behind his hair.

"What the hell?" Naruto's heart felt heavy against his ribs all of a sudden. "You can't just stop mid-sentence like that!"

He glared at his best friend, arms crossed. Then he sucked in a breath when Sasuke turned towards him again and there was a light pink spreading across his cheeks. Sasuke looked annoyed, however, lips pursing as he turned off the stove and then stalked over to where Naruto sat.

"Umm, Sasuke?"

Sasuke had placed himself on the table right in front of him, one foot on Naruto's chair next to his thigh, elbow on his own thigh as he leaned into Naruto's personal space.

"Are you really in love with me?" he asked, face scrunched up in annoyance the way it always did whenever Sasuke tried to hide his embarrassment.

Naruto opened his mouth but no sound came out. Sasuke was just too close, his breath fanning over Naruto's face, and if he said it wasn't distracting to have Sasuke's eyes boring into his then he'd be lying his teeth off.

"Well?" Sasuke insisted, but his gaze flickered down to Naruto's mouth, and Naruto was already pressed against the back of his chair so he really had no choice but to push Sasuke away.

Catching himself with his hands on the table, Sasuke's eyes narrowed for a second. Considering Naruto's face was burning up, it wasn't surprising that Sasuke soon relaxed into awkwardness instead.

"Sorry, I just..."

"No, I'm sorry," Sasuke interrupted him, averting his eyes. "It's just, I don't understand how I never noticed. I feel so stupid."

"It's okay." Naruto offered him a small smile, placing his hand on Sasuke's ankle and gently caressing the skin showing between sock and pants. "I kind of made it a point not to let you know."

"But why?" Sasuke asked, a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows as he straightened up, but kept his distance compared to earlier.

"I don't know, I just didn't know how to tell you, and if you didn't feel the same I'd rather just stay best friends than have my heart broken. I chickened out every time I tried."

Sasuke was staring at him, and Naruto stared back. There was also the fact that since Sasuke's family all thought they were together, he hadn't been looking forward to make Sasuke catch on and have to explain everything to them. Still, it felt so relieving to have it all out in the open now, even if he wasn't sure what Sasuke thought of it.

"I was more wondering why the hell you'd be in love with me, but fine, I get it. You're an idiot but Itachi was right this time, I'm even more of an idiot."

Eyes blinking rapidly in surprise, Naruto bit his lip as Sasuke's hand reached out to run light fingers along the side of his face. The touch caused his heart to hammer against his ribs, and he held Sasuke's ankle tightly. He hadn't noticed Sasuke coming closer, but this time he didn't try to push him away. When Sasuke's mouth connected with his, he closed his eyes and let out a sigh through his nose. It was sweet but short, Sasuke's lips dragging along his once before applying a bit of pressure. It was probably for the better that it was so short, since Naruto felt dizzy after separating.

"So, umm..." he started, not sure what to do, nervously wiggling his feet and feeling hot all over.

"Look," Sasuke told him, holding out his hand and patiently waiting for Naruto to take it, fingers intertwining in a slow, curios motion. "I'm not too sure on this romance thing, but I know that you're my most important person outside my family, hell you're probably part of the family, and-"

He took a deep breath before continuing, seemingly oblivious to the painful knots in Naruto's stomach forming during the delay.

"Well, kissing you doesn't feel bad, and it's not like I've ever felt like I needed someone else in my life."

Sasuke took another pause, but he didn't continue when Naruto's eyes watered, and instead he pursed his lips to try and fight down the blush threatening to spread across his entire face.

"You don't have to declare your love for me or anything," Naruto said, trying to sound joking but voice breaking slightly. "I'm happy just with this."

He sent a brilliant smile Sasuke's way, pleased when he received an embarrassed but happy one in return. His chest felt like it was doing some heavy reconstruction work, trying to tear down all the worries and what ifs and hidden feelings. There was something strong inside him, something that had always been there and went way beyond simple romance, slowly blooming into its full size with Sasuke holding both his hand and gaze with all the affection that Naruto had spent most of his life cherishing.

Sasuke meant so much to him, and always had. He'd always known that if he confessed, Sasuke wouldn't shun him. He'd been more worried for his own sake, dealing with the aftermath of a confession that didn't have the result he dreamt of. Knowing now that Sasuke was trying his best to return those feelings in his own way was simply...

"I'm so happy you took my orange crayon that time in kindergarten and told me it was an ugly color so we could become rivals and then friends," he choked out, knowing he was tearing up but doing nothing to stop it.

"Ah, that," Sasuke responded in an awkward tone of voice, and now his ears were red despite his obvious efforts. "I was just jealous because the teacher told you that orange was such a creative color for the ocean."

Naruto burst out laughing, and once he calmed down, he leaned his temple against Sasuke's knee.

"I'm pretty sure she said that because it looked ugly as fuck," he snorted, Sasuke giving him an agreeing shrug.

"Well it did, why do you think I got mad?"

Letting out another part snort, part sob, Naruto brought Sasuke's hand closer to himself so he could hold it properly.

"There's no way you can remember how it looked," he disagreed, grabbing a part of Sasuke's sweatpants to dry the few tears that had escaped.

"Gross. And what do you know. I even remember the look of rage on your stupid face."

Naruto smiled again, his cheeks beginning to ache at this point.

"You like my stupid face," he said, like he usually did whenever Sasuke said something like that.

"It's still stupid," Sasuke assured him, as usual.

"Dammit, you're a jerk," Naruto muttered, hitting his leg and sending him a fake glare.

"Hey, no hitting if you want pancakes," Sasuke complained, but pulled his leg up to push on Naruto's shoulder with his foot.

So he did the only sensible thing in this situation: he attempted to tickle Sasuke.

"Oh no you don't!" Sasuke warned him, flailing his feet as Naruto tried to get them both at the same time, falling back to lean on his forearms under the assault.

"Admit you like my face!"

"I already did!" Sasuke tried, but Naruto was having none of that.

"Repeat after me," he ordered as he tried to catch at least one of Sasuke's evasive feet. "Naruto's face is so pretty, the prettiest I've ever seen!"

"Like hell I will," Sasuke shot back, now crawling backwards across the table with Naruto following him.

"It's so pretty in fact," he continued, struggling to hold down Sasuke's left leg while the other man tried to wriggle out of his grip, "I can't seem to think straight every time I see it."

"So funny," Sasuke gritted out, grabbing Naruto's shoulders in a last attempt to shake him off.

After a brief wrestling match, Sasuke ended up on top. He hadn't entirely won however, since Naruto still held his leg in a secure grip, forcing him to sit at an awkward angle on his stomach.

"Come on, admit my face is pretty enough to sing serenades over it," Naruto teased, trying not to think of other uses for this particular position.

"I thought you were in love with me, not yourself," Sasuke taunted, causing Naruto to roll his eyes.

When Sasuke shifted a little to sit more comfortably, Naruto couldn't help but cough a bit at the unintentionally erotic image. There had been many instances where Naruto had imagined Sasuke on top of him, grinding down against his-

He really needed to stop there.

"You're not thinking indecent things, are you?" Sasuke asked with an eyebrow cocked superiorly, a smirk spreading across his face when Naruto's face exploded with heat.

"Bastard! I wasn't!" he growled, slapping Sasuke's chest which really wasn't helping him at all.

"You're such a bad liar," Sasuke drawled, and Naruto was about to retort when a slightly evil glint flashed through Sasuke's dark eyes. "Anyway," he continued, sliding slightly further back down Naruto's body, and closer to dangerous places. "We should get to work on eating those pancakes if we want to eat them warm."

What a perfectly innocent sentence, if it weren't for the fact that Sasuke had slowly dragged his free hand down Naruto's naked chest, leaving it spread across his stomach where it felt much too warm and exciting. Sadly, Sasuke used it as leverage to skip Naruto's crotch and instead sat on his upper thighs.

Or well, sadly was entirely the wrong word Naruto realized, as Sasuke's new placement gave him ample room to see the hard-on he was sporting. Horrifyingly embarrassing was much better.

"Well, look at that," Sasuke commented calmly, and Naruto brought his arms up to cover his face.

"I can't believe this," he groaned, trying to lie as still as possible, which wasn't easy with Sasuke's warmth against him, not to mention Sasuke still hadn't moved his hand.

"Hn," was all Sasuke said as warning before he dragged his nails along Naruto's waistband.

With a violent lurch Naruto sat up to grab Sasuke's hand, wild-eyed as his mouth tried to form words.

"Not good?" Sasuke asked, biting on his lips.

"Not goo-, not-, not good?! Holy fuck, Sasuke I thought I was gonna cum!"

It was only now that he realized their close proximity, Sasuke still on his lap and looking down at him as he tried to calm his breathing.

"That's funny, I seem to recall a few times you've insisted on being able to last for hours."

If Naruto had felt embarrassed before, that was nothing compared to the pure mortification he felt now. How did Sasuke manage to always find the worst things to say?

"That was-" he started to defend himself with, cutting himself short when he realized he couldn't really think of something to say.

"A lie?" Sasuke helpfully provided with, and Naruto jutted out his lower lip in displeasure.

"It was back when we were teenagers! How do you even remember these things? Do you have like, a diary for stupid shit I say?"

"Not really, you just repeat yourself often enough for it to stick."

"Oh shut up!" Naruto snapped at him, feeling a bit sorry for himself now.

All Sasuke did was shrug and slide off Naruto's lap, landing gracefully on the floor, venturing back to the stove once he was down.

"What are you doing?" Naruto demanded, still hard and now cold as well.

"I told you we need to work on the pancakes."

"Well, what am I supposed to do then?"

Sasuke shrugged again, but Naruto could see the amused smirk dancing across his lips.

"I'm sure you can find a way to entertain yourself."

"What, like jerk off?" Naruto asked before he could stop himself.

Throwing an innocent look over his shoulder, Sasuke started stirring the pancake batter.

"I don't know, is that what people do in relationships? One person jerks off while the other makes pancakes? Doesn't sound as difficult as I thought, but a little unequal maybe."

"Oh yeah, I forgot, totally happens every day in relationships. Well I'll just go ahead then."

Sasuke poured some batter into the pan, making sure it spread evenly. How he could possibly be so calm and uncaring when Naruto was close to exploding was a mystery. And unfair, too. Naruto didn't even know what to make of the whole 'in a relationship' thing either. Were they dating now? Did Sasuke actually want to be boyfriends? Naruto wanted to ask but he didn't know how. When Sasuke turned slightly to watch him, he felt himself flush all the way down his neck and to his ears.

"Stop giving me that look!" he spluttered, pointing at Sasuke.

"What look? This one?"

Sasuke leaned against the counter, an expectant look on his face, as if he was waiting for Naruto to shove his hand down his pants and start beating off. Actually, the thought was very much... arousing.

"Yeah," he replied awkwardly, swallowing with some difficulty. "I'm not gonna start jerking off."

"No? And here I was looking forward to it."

Sasuke was joking. He had to be! But Sasuke was still watching him, as if daring him to leave and take care of it on his own. And, quite frankly, it was doing nothing to help Naruto's little problem. Nervously wetting his lips he entertained the idea in his mind, imagining Sasuke's eyes on him as he pleasured himself... A shiver ran up his spine, and his fingers tensed against the tabletop. He still sat on top of it, having turned so he could face Sasuke.

Caught in Sasuke's gaze, he slowly slid forwards so he sat with his legs hanging off the edge on the side closest to the stove.

"Don't give me ideas," he said in an attempt to joke, but all Sasuke did was lower his eyes to his crotch, and then take his time on his way back up to Naruto's face.

"Maybe another time," Sasuke said to contradict his gaze, which caused Naruto to let out a quiet sigh.

"Yeah, okay." Then he blinked, processing what Sasuke just said. "Wait, you mean...?"

Sasuke shrugged, but it was a shrug that let Naruto know that yes, Sasuke might want to do that some other time.

"Huh," he said dumbly, not sure if he should feel a little sexually frustrated, or if he should feel awed because Sasuke had kissed him, had turned him on, and now admitted in his own Sasuke-way that the chances were high that another time, one thing would lead to another.

"Come here," Sasuke told him, patting the counter next to him while at the same time flipping a pancake.

How did he even do things simultaneously like that.

Still blushing, still hard, Naruto went over to stand next to Sasuke. He wished he'd had pockets so he could put his hands in them. To his surprise, Sasuke pecked his lips and tapped two fingers against his hipbone.

"Why don't you hold that thought and we can work something out later."

"Later," Naruto echoed, and hoped Sasuke would kiss him again.

"Mm. I'm starving, aren't you?"

Whether or not Naruto was starved for food was debatable, but now that he was cooling down a bit he realized that Sasuke was right. There were more important things to get used to first, and considering how sudden and unexpected his confession had been, it was only fair that Sasuke got some time to think about it. After all, Naruto had spent ten years getting used to the idea of them together.

"Hey, Sasuke," he started hesitantly, after having watched the brunet finish with another pancake. "If I'm pushy, tell me, okay? I'm probably gonna be a little out of it for a couple of days."

"Out of it?"

Sasuke was frowning, but Naruto smiled at him. He wondered if he'd ever reach a point where he'd look at Sasuke and not stop and think how amazingly happy he was to have him in his life.

"Yeah. I mean, on an average day, I wanna kiss you like, a million times, so now that I know you won't hate it, I might go overboard."

Sasuke tilted his head in thought, his weight on the elbow he'd placed on the counter, looking that casual level of cool that Naruto had always admired.

"You like kissing that much?"

He could feel his face heat up again, and defiantly crossed his arms.

"Well excuse me for wanting to kiss you," he muttered, eyeing Sasuke warily when he snorted and walked closer.

"Hmm. I guess I'll get used to it sooner or later," Sasuke mused, running a hand through Naruto's hair, which was all kinds of pleasant. "Just give me a warning if we're in public."

"Sure!" Naruto happily agreed, snaking his arms around Sasuke's waist to hug him.

"And nothing indecent in front of my family," Sasuke added, not objecting when he buried his face in the crook of his neck.

"I'll try," he said in mock innocence, grinning when Sasuke tugged at his hair.

He pressed a kiss to Sasuke's neck, and another one, making loud kissing noises as he moved up to his ear.

"That tickles," Sasuke complained, but didn't sound like he disliked it.

"That was the point," Naruto lied, smiling wide and leaning in to bump their noses.

"Still a bad liar," Sasuke grumbled, but seemed content to stare into Naruto's eyes, noses still pressing against each other.

"Hey, Sasuke?"

"What," Sasuke sighed.

"Come pick me up after work?"

Sasuke's stare turned hard, eyebrows disappearing underneath his fringe.

"Awesome, thanks!" Naruto grinned and gave him a quick kiss, satisfied to see his best friend slightly embarrassed as he wiped his mouth discreetly. "Now, how about those pancakes?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

xxx

It was rare for Sasuke to feel nervous. He had, admittedly, felt slightly nervous when he'd heard Naruto walk into the kitchen, wondering what he was going to say. He didn't mind being in a relationship though, because he figured he and Naruto would work something out. The whole morning before Naruto had woken up he'd been thinking. Mostly, he'd been thinking that he was kind of stupid for not realizing Naruto's feelings earlier, and the rest was spent contemplating what the difference really would be if they got together.

Remembering Naruto's evident arousal he guessed that the physical department would be what changed the most. The idea didn't bother him, and while he'd never really felt attracted to anyone, he trusted Naruto and knew he would only do things that Sasuke agreed with. So, in some ways, he was curios and looking forward to trying things out at some point.

But, there were more pressing matters at hand before any of that. Hence the reason he could feel a nervous coil in his stomach as he selected the correct number on his phone.

Three signals, then his mother's voice greeted him.

"Hey," he said, trying to come up with the best way to tell her. Itachi, the devil, deserved to find out through gossip. "No, everything's fine, we got home safely."

"Well it's always nice to hear from you," his mother happily chirped. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Yeah," he stalled, wetting his lips. "It's about Naruto."

"Oh? Did he do something?"

"No. Well. You see, we're, well, he and I are in a relationship."

"Yes?"

Sasuke did a little double-take. His mother didn't sound surprised at all. It was one thing for Itachi to tease him like he had, but for his mother to expect something more besides that revelation?

"That's it. What I wanted to tell you, I mean," he mumbled, picking tiny feathers out of a decorative pillow on the couch.

"Oh," Mikoto said, sounding confused. "Well, honey, I thought you knew that we already knew?"

It dawned on Sasuke then. His brother's laughter. His mother's confusion. Why all his friends talked about Naruto in reference to their own relationships. They all knew... except there hadn't been any relationship to know of.

"Oh, um, yeah, of course. I just wanted to... make sure."

Mikoto let out a pearly laughter, and he knew that had she been there, she would have caressed his cheek with a fond smile.

"Sasuke, you know you don't need to hide anything from me. I've been knocking before entering since you two were fifteen."

There was a terrible lump of guilt lodged in Sasuke's throat, but he forced it down and made some small talk before hanging up. Then, with faintly trembling fingers, he speed dialled Itachi.

"'M tryin' t' sleep," Shisui groaned into the phone, but Sasuke didn't really care.

"Let me talk to Itachi," he demanded, impatiently tapping his foot and adjusting his seat on the couch as he waited, listening to quite a lot of shuffling noises.

Instead of a hello, there was a grunt at the other end of the line, letting Sasuke know his brother was conscious enough to listen at least.

"How long have people been thinking that Naruto and I are in a relationship?" he asked, skipping any explanations.

"Did you seriously wake me up for that?" Itachi complained, sounding like he was one more unnecessary word from going back to sleep.

"Because we weren't. We weren't. Why would you think that?"

"Well, considering everything about you two screamed 'lovers', I think it wasn't strange for people to assume-" Itachi paused. "You weren't," he repeated calmly, sounding like he was becoming less newly awake and more amused every second.

"We weren't," Sasuke confirmed.

"And now you are?"

"Yes. I guess. It's none of your business!"

Itachi snorted, and he could hear Shisui demand to know what was going on in the background.

"Congratulations then, I suppose. You're only, what, ten years later than the rest of us in finding out."

"Ten years?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. It really couldn't be that long, could it?

"Give or take," Itachi added, and now Shisui was snickering in the background.

"Ugh. Forget I asked."

"Unlikely," his brother smugly told him, and Sasuke angrily pressed the end call button.

He'd thought that Naruto had walked around for maybe a year or two agonizing over Sasuke's inability to notice. But ten? Ten was bad. How was it even possible that no one had outright asked him? Had everyone who had ever met them just assumed they were together, from the start? Not that Sasuke socialized a lot without Naruto next to him...

Lying back on the couch he ran a hand through his hair, tired all of a sudden. Funny how he'd been wondering about the lack of lovers Naruto brought over... He sighed, placing his hand over his eyes instead. Turns out Naruto's dream lover already shared his bed, unknowingly. No wonder people never asked him if he had any dating plans or people he liked, when they seemed so interested in asking everyone else. And Naruto had been dealing with a one sided love for that long...

Because Sasuke wasn't sure he would have said yes a few years ago. He stared up at the ceiling through his fingers, contemplating things. Naruto was his most important person. More than anything, he wanted Naruto to be happy. That was love, wasn't it? It had to be, because Sasuke didn't like the thought of living his life without Naruto, much less with anyone else.

He'd always seen himself as terrible boyfriend material, but maybe that was because he'd always tried to imagine himself with someone other than Naruto.

Maybe he'd reciprocated Naruto's feelings longer than he thought.

Still, there wasn't much he could do about the past. There was, however, something he could do about the present. Lifting his phone again, he made one more phone call before resigning himself to wait for Naruto's shift to end. It really should be illegal to work on weekends.

xxx

Naruto was busy carrying a few heavy potted plants when Ino called his name.

"What?" he shouted back, scowling at the plants.

Sure, the weather was nice, but why did these plants in particular need to be moved? And of course, the small trolley he usually used had a broken wheel. Still, he couldn't bring himself to be annoyed for real. What was a little bad luck compared to Sasuke's kisses?!

Wondering why Ino wasn't answering, he turned to shout again, but was stopped by the pleasant sight of Sasuke walking towards him. Instantly there were happy little creatures tap-dancing in his stomach.

"Hey," he grinned, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

Good thing Sasuke was used to seeing him looking uncool. If asked, he'd probably say that uncool was Naruto's natural state. Bastard.

Sasuke stopped closer than he usually would, causing Naruto's grin to widen. His hands were shoved down the pockets of his chinos, and he looked surprisingly well-dressed for just coming to pick him up.

"I took the bike," Sasuke informed him, squinting a little in the bright evening sun. "We've got a reservation to be on time for."

"Really?" Naruto didn't know if he should be surprised or horrified that Sasuke had booked them a table somewhere. "I'm not dressed for dinner!"

"You look fine to me," Sasuke shrugged, causing Naruto to groan.

"I'm in my work clothes," he stressed, biting his lips when the corner of Sasuke's mouth quirked upwards.

"I've seen worse," his supposed boyfriend said, but when Naruto gave him a pained look he stepped closer and hooked his fingers through the belt loops on Naruto's dirt-covered pants. "I brought you some clothes, you can change in the office or something."

"Dammit, tell me that first," he complained, but it was probably ruined by the happy flush on his face. "And since when did you get so good at this, I thought you'd just act like normal and I'd have to beg to get some romance out of you."

"It's a onetime thing," Sasuke promised, though his dark eyes held Naruto's for a few, long seconds.

"Yeah, okay, I'll go change," Naruto muttered eventually, but then he narrowed his eyes contemplatively at Sasuke. "But you know, I had a rough day at work, I think I need a kiss to make it all better again."

It was Sasuke's turn to look pained, but he did give Naruto a kiss. He didn't even object when Naruto wound his dirty fingers through his hair to deepen it, allowing Naruto to lick his tongue to his heart's content until a gasp interrupted them. Annoyed, he turned his head to find Ino frantically waving at them.

"Oh no, please continue, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt!" she told them, the words tumbling over each other as she hurried to leave, her face mirroring Naruto's own embarrassment.

Naruto stared after her as she hauled her phone out of her bra, starting to furiously type on it. Great. Now all his friends would know that he and Sasuke... Actually, it was a good thing she'd caught them. This meant he didn't need to explain things to them, they could all just happily believe that he and Sasuke were only intimate in private and no accidental late night confessions after years of pining had happened the day before, of course not, who even thought of such things?

"Feel better?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto whipped his head back around.

"No," he said, ignoring that Sasuke was now trying to tell him they'd be late in favor of kissing him some more.

Eventually Sasuke managed to pry him off, but only because he insisted that Naruto would enjoy dinner. While Naruto really wouldn't have minded going home to cuddle in front of a movie or, better yet, just cuddle with no movie needed, he was also feeling giddy because Sasuke was totally taking him on a date and this was like a wild dream coming true.

After quickly washing off and changing in the staff room he waved goodbye to Ino, and followed Sasuke out to the front of the store.

"Want me to pedal?" he asked, huffing when Sasuke gave him a look asking if he was stupid.

He falls once, and Sasuke never lets him give him a ride. It's not so bad to sit behind him, though, and he spent a minute or so just watching Sasuke's back muscles move as they go in the general direction of their apartment.

"So, where are we going?" he eventually demanded to know, because he couldn't pretend he wasn't curios anymore.

"Ichiraku's," Sasuke admitted as they stopped at a red light, both of them placing a foot each on the ground.

"Really?" While it always makes him happy to eat ramen, he'd sort of expected something a little bit more special.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, preparing to start moving again. "They've got that couple's night tonight, remember? Ayame got us a table even though it's full, so we really can't be late."

Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at what he could see of Sasuke's face. Of course he remembered, even though he'd tried to forget. When Sasuke started pedalling Naruto was still stuck on the ground, resulting in a near accident.

"What the hell?" Sasuke turned to look at him, but Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke's waist and hid his face in the middle of his back.

"I love you," he mumbled into Sasuke's warmth, and he could feel him take a deep breath and exhale, slowly.

He pushed his face harder against Sasuke's back, but gentle fingers brushed through his hair, and Naruto felt a wave of affection try to swallow him whole because Sasuke hates being touchy-feely in public.

"I know," Sasuke whispered, softly rubbing his neck, and Naruto had to take a moment because his feelings were all over the place.

Sasuke knows, and he's still here, and maybe he loves Naruto, too.

When he managed to glance up at Sasuke with one eye, he could see the apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry it took me so long," Sasuke continued, and Naruto wondered if he knew just how long that was.

"It's okay," he said anyway, because it was, and it really wasn't Sasuke's fault. "I'll have three bowls of miso ramen, extra everything."

Sasuke's lips twitched in a half-annoyed, half-affectionate way, like they have so many times before, and Naruto didn't really feel like he suffered so much before. Sure, he wouldn't have minded kissing earlier, but Sasuke had always been there for him.

When Sasuke ruffled his hair he made an annoyed noise, trying in vain to pat the mess back down. Not that it mattered, Sasuke had seen worse after all, and in the past ten years since they became best friends, Sasuke has never said or done anything that made Naruto feel like he wasn't good enough.

"Come on," Sasuke told him, getting in position again. "We're already late."

"It's fine," Naruto replied, but helped to keep their balance when Sasuke took off again. "I'm their favorite customer."

Sasuke didn't answer, but he didn't need to. As they made their way through the city, Naruto hummed a tune to himself, smiling brightly at the people they passed. He hoped that they could see how happy he was. He wished he could let them all know that he was sitting behind the love of his life, being taken to a couple's night at his favorite restaurant, and that nothing else could make him happier in this instant.

"Sasuke, remember a couple weeks back when you asked me how I'd find the love of my life if I wasn't even looking?"

"If you tell me some sappy shit like how you were looking for us the whole time, I'll make you walk the rest of the way," Sasuke threatened him, apparently having used up his weekly quota for romance.

Naruto laughed, not deterred in the least.

"But Sasuke," he argued, "You can't say I'd be wrong if I told you that!"

Reaching behind him, Sasuke lightly slapped his arm.

"You're only getting two bowls," he said, ignoring Naruto's loud protests.

Though, of course, in the end he gave in and let Naruto eat as much as he wanted. He sadly wouldn't make googly eyes over their finished bowls, but Naruto figured he could live with that.

Sasuke was his best friend, his lover, his most important person. Sasuke meant everything to him, and to Sasuke, he meant the same.

There really wasn't much else he could ask for.

Thank you for reading, please let me know what you thought of it!