It had been two days since the incident; that amazing, mind-blowing, and ultimately tension-filled incident. Since then Naruto couldn't help but re-live it over and over again. Sasuke had really surprised him…in the best way possible. He hadn't seen that first kiss coming, but when it did happen, he hadn't been nervous. It had felt so right- like they'd done it before, and they'd do it again.

And then that second kiss…god. Sasuke had more than surprised him with that; Naruto was still stunned and in disbelief about the whole thing.

"He's blushing again," said Sakura, and when Naruto came back to earth he found his two friends exchanging wry, knowing glances across the couch.

Naruto blushed harder and rubbed his cheeks, trying to get rid of the incriminating red flush. How embarrassing! "I'm not," he whined.

"Right, right," Ino said with a grin. "So you've spoken to him since the kiss, yes?" she went on, reaching over him to grab another piece of pizza.

"Yes," Naruto confirmed, most reluctantly. He really didn't want to be talking about this, but it was probably inevitable- he'd been dodging Ino's questions for days now.

"And you've seen him since the kiss," Ino went on.

He sighed. "Yes, yesterday." It was his own fault for telling her about it in the first place, but he'd been so wound up that night, it just- it had just slipped out! He was so used to just telling Ino everything.

Ino narrowed her eyes and gave him a disappointed look. "But you still haven't spoken about the kiss."

"…right," Naruto replied.

"Naruto!" Ino exclaimed, throwing a pizza crust at him.

"What?" Naruto shot back, dodging the crust. "I can't help it! What am I meant to say? And he's not bringing it up either, so I don't see why you're laying all the blame on me-"

"Do you want to kiss him again?" Ino interrupted.

What kind of stupid question was that? "Of course," Naruto replied at once. Over and over again, every day- several times a day, preferably. When Naruto had told Sasuke that that was the best kiss he'd ever had, he'd meant it. It had been amazing.

"But you won't kiss him, I know you won't," Ino grumbled. "You'll wait for him to kiss you."

Naruto bit his lip. Yes, that was probably true. Even after all these weeks, Naruto still felt bad for initiating just hugs without getting permission from Sasuke first. Sasuke laughed at him for it, but Naruto didn't want to do anything wrong at all, not if he could help it. "Well, but, it's Sasuke, so…"

Ino let out a frustrated breath. "I really, really think you should talk to him about it. Right, Sakura?" she added, turning to her pink-haired girlfriend. Sakura had been sitting there quietly the whole time, eating her pizza and listening intently, but not saying much- other than pointing out Naruto's damn blushing.

She frowned. "Ah, well, I don't know- I don't really know you two well enough to comment…"

"You don't need to know them, we're talking about relationship essentials here!" Ino pointed out.

"It's okay, Sakura, I'm sure you're better at all this stuff than me. I need all the help I can get," Naruto admitted dismally, biting into another piece of pizza in sorrow.

"Well, in that case…" Sakura began. "Then yes, I think Ino is right- communication is the key. I know it's probably hard to talk about, and it might be really, really awkward, but…yes, you have to do it."

"There, you see?" Ino crowed. "So talk to him!"

Easier said than done. They wouldn't have to do it, to struggle to find the right words with those intense, burning eyes on him. "And say what?" Naruto whined. He wouldn't even know where to begin!

Ino rolled her eyes. "That you loved kissing him and you want to do it again," she said, speaking slowly and clearly. "That you want to be proper boyfriends, and that you'd like to have sex with him one day."

"Ino!" Naruto shrieked, beside himself with embarrassment. She couldn't just say something like that!

"You have to put it all on the table, Naruto!" Ino went on, ignoring his indignant shriek. "You have to be responsible. Especially with someone like Sasuke!"

Especially with someone like Sasuke. Naruto knew that- of course he did. And he was doing his best here, but it's not like he had any experience at this sort of thing. He so desperately wanted to do everything right, to make Sasuke happy, to make him feel safe and comfortable. But what did Naruto know about dating?! He could mess this all up in an instant. It wouldn't be the first time he'd screwed up and lost something he wanted- far from it. Far.

He sighed again. "Yeah, alright," he said, agreeing with her words. "But…"

Ino reached over and took his hand. "And maybe you shouldn't have run away the other night," she said, her tone softening slightly.

"I didn't run away!" Naruto retorted at once. Leaving was not the same as running away. Removing himself from that situation had clearly been the right thing to do at the time, couldn't she see that? "I just, they were fighting, and there was so much tension between them and I knew it wouldn't go away until I went away!"

"Naruto," Sakura murmured from her end of the couch, and they both turned to look at her. "Is…is Sasuke alright, after everything that happened? Does he seem…upset, or anxious?"

Naruto thought about it. To be honest, their texts and conversations had been pretty normal since then, and when they'd hung out yesterday- playing the bunnies and kittens video game that Sai had bought- Sasuke had seemed, well…fine. Fine-ish.

Still, it had been awkward as hell. Naruto had been all tense and completely freaked out, and he was sure that Sasuke could tell. He had gone home after only an hour.

"I don't think he's upset," Naruto cautiously guessed. "But…I think he's pretty good at hiding his feelings, so…"

"Unlike you," Ino said to that. Yes, true- very true.

"Yeah. Unlike me," Naruto agreed. He was the worst actor in the world. "Okay, fine, I'll invite him over tonight and I'll- god, I don't even know where to start, but I'll really try, okay?" Naruto promised, taking out his phone and sending Sasuke a text before he lost his nerve.

"Good," Ino said with a satisfied little nod. "You can do it. Believe it."

Naruto turned away. "…yeah, okay," he said, feeling supremely unconfident and wondering how on earth so many people managed to get these 'relationship' things working.

They went back to playing video games and eating pizza. It had all long gone cold- the two girls had already been here for hours- but that didn't stop them. Naruto burrowed himself into the couch cushions and just tried to relax. Really, it was a good thing what had happened between them. Sasuke had kissed him, of his own free will, and he seemed to like it. Naruto had definitely liked it.

And…and Sasuke was really smart. So even if Naruto couldn't figure out how to handle all this stuff, maybe Sasuke could. They had to try, anyway, even if it got majorly awkward like Sakura had said.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished it out. "Oh, he says he's free now," Naruto said, frowning down at his phone. "Um, should I invite him over? But we're not done playing…"

Ino and Sakura grinned at each other, and Naruto winced. That was not a good sign. "Yes, make him come over now!" Ino demanded. "That's a great idea!"

Naruto winced again and glanced around the room. The place was a mess, with pizza boxes and chip packets spread all over the place, and cushions scattered throughout the room. He'd always tried to tidy up before Sasuke came over. And obviously, the food had to go!

"Uh, but the pizza," Naruto said, sending Sasuke a heads-up that the girls were here. "Let's finish eating it before he comes over, okay?"

Ino and Sakura exchanged another glance, much more sombre this time. "Does it really bother him?" Sakura asked. "When people eat in front of him?"

Well, obviously! Of course it did. He had anorexia! "Well, yeah," Naruto said.

"Haven't you ever eaten in front of him before?" Ino asked. "Even after- how long has it been?!"

"Two months," Naruto said at once. "And sometimes I've slipped up, but mostly, no," he answered. Sometimes when he and Sasuke were playing video games he grabbed something from the kitchen and started eating it without thinking, but he always stopped and felt horribly guilty afterwards. He still remembered how uneasy Sasuke had been that time when Sai was making dinner in front of him.

"And you still haven't seen him eat anything?" Sakura asked with a frown.

"Oh, no," Naruto responded. Sasuke drank water a fair bit, and there was the juice the other day, but no food.

"He must eat, though, right? When you're not there?" Ino pushed.

"I guess so," Naruto said. Obviously, Sasuke had to eat something. "We, um. We haven't really talked about all that stuff…"

Ino gave him a wry look. "I'm shocked. Really," she said.

"Hey, we're taking it really slow!" Naruto said, jumping to his own defence. No, they hadn't talked about everything yet. Why would they have?! "And we've both been focusing on school!"

"I think that was sensible, Naruto," Sakura broke in. "But now that things have gone further, it'd probably be a good idea to talk about it. He might even be waiting for you to ask," she suggested.

Naruto frowned. Could he be waiting for Naruto to bring it up first? "Oh…do you think so?"

"He might be," Ino agreed.

"We'll clean up all the pizza and snacks for now though, okay?" Sakura said, standing up and starting to grab all the boxes.

"Thank you, Sakura," Naruto said, feeling relieved. Yeah, he didn't really know how Sasuke felt about that stuff at all. He'd never said anything or even looked bothered when Naruto had slipped up those few times, but still. He stood up and joined the girls in giving the living-room an express clean, taking the pizza boxes all the way to the outside garbage and then opening the windows to let in some fresh air.

AAAA

They finally finished cleaning, and not a moment too soon- the doorbell rang and Naruto jumped to his feet.

"Sasuke!" he said with glee, opening the door and grinning. "Come on in! You don't really mind that the girls are here, do you? Because I'll totally kick them out-"

There was a shriek from the living-room. "I heard that, Naruto!" came Ino's irate voice, and Naruto's grin widened.

Sasuke smiled back. "No, it's fine," he said, following Naruto through the kitchen to the living room. "It's nice. Hi, Ino, Sakura," he added when they reached the couch, waving to the girls.

"Hi, Sasuke," they both sang back, exchanging wicked grins and then turning back to him.

"What're you guys doing?" Sasuke asked, gazing around the room- which probably looked suspiciously clean and tidy for a place that three teenagers had been hanging out in all day.

"Oh, we've just been playing that hilarious new game Naruto got," Ino explained. "Come, sit down, we'll start a new round! I brought extra controllers from my place."

"Uh, we don't have to play that if you don't want, Sas," Naruto quickly said, sitting down next to him.

"It sounds fun," Sasuke said to that, giving him a strange look.

"Good," Ino said. She handed over a controller and started up a four-person game.

It took ages for Naruto to relax. He was so on edge having Sasuke there next to him, especially with the girls here too- and especially, especially given what he'd just been talking about with them. What if they said something?! Needless to say, he was completely unable to concentrate on the game and lost every round- by a lot.

"Hey, Sasuke?" said Ino out of the blue. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Uh, sure," Sasuke said back, gazing at her somewhat suspiciously.

"Ino," Naruto hissed, somehow knowing that no matter what she was about to ask, he himself wasn't going to like it.

"It's a bit personal. You can tell me to get lost if you like," Ino went on, ignoring Naruto completely and leaning forward towards Sasuke.

"Okay," Sasuke said. "Ask me, then."

"I was just wondering, does it really bother you if people eat in front of you?"

"Ino!" Naruto hissed again, his voice almost turning into a shriek. He was mortified. "Leave Sasuke alone!"

"It's just that, we'd feel rude if it did bother you, wouldn't we Sakura?" Ino went on, turning to her girlfriend.

"Well, it'd be just as rude to assume that we shouldn't eat around you," Sakura said, and Naruto got the distinct feeling that the two of them had practiced this attack beforehand. "Sorry, Sasuke, we don't really know much about it all."

"Oh," Sasuke said. "Um, I guess I- no, it does bother me sometimes, but it shouldn't," he said. "Itachi eats around me all the time, of course. And- and, well…"

"You don't have to answer them if you don't want to, Sasuke," Naruto quickly stepped in, sending Ino a vicious glare. How could she make him so uncomfortable, on purpose?!

"No, it's okay, really," Sasuke interjected.

"We can tell that Naruto tries not to eat when he's with you," Ino said, and Naruto almost fainted- what was she saying?!

Sasuke flashed him a quick glance, with an almost amused look on his face before he turned back to Ino, serious once more. "It's something I need to get used to," he said. "Even if I don't like it. So you guys should do what you like, and not worry about me," he added, giving the girls a small smile.

"That's nice of you, Sasuke," Sakura said. "We just wanted to check with you about it. You never know with this sort of thing."

"That's very considerate," Sasuke said back.

"Can we please go back to playing video games?" Naruto pleaded.

Ino grinned. "Yes, Naruto, of course we can! Just for a bit, and then Sakura and I are heading off, okay?"

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. That conversation had taken ten years off of his life.

AAAA

"That was nice, with the two of them here," Sasuke said. Naruto had just said goodbye to the girls at the door and had returned to the couch with some cold water for them both. "They're really not as loud and crazy as I first thought they were," Sasuke went on.

"Ha," Naruto said to that, falling onto the couch and handing Sasuke his water. "Sakura's not, but Ino is. It's just that you're getting used to me, so she doesn't bother you as much, see?"

"…ah. Of course," Sasuke said, sipping his water.

"So, Itachi's at work?" Naruto went on, leaning heavily on the couch cushions. He was exhausted, but he'd promised Ino that he'd at least try to have that difficult conversation with Sasuke. He just needed a moment to gather his strength.

"A morning shift, yes," Sasuke confirmed.

Silence fell between them. Naruto gazed over at him; he had dark circles under his eyes and looked just as tired as Naruto felt. But we have to talk about it, Naruto said to himself. Ino was right, as usual.

He took a deep breath and prepared to speak. "Sasuke, about that kiss-"

"Look, about the other night-" Sasuke said at the exact same time.

They froze and gazed at each other, eyes wide. "Uh, sorry Sas-"

"Oh, after you," Sasuke said. "What- what about the kiss?" And he looked so startled and uneasy that Naruto's stomach clenched up and he started speaking at once.

"Oh no, I just wanted to say, you know, it was great. Really, really great!" Naruto insisted.

Sasuke sighed audibly. "…okay," he said, still looking uncertain.

"But um, I guess I was a little surprised," Naruto went on, determined to push forward before he lost his nerve. "Since we said we'd take things slow. Ah, everything's been great, really, and of course I don't mind kissing! Obviously I'd love it, but I'd never want to do anything to make you feel uncomfortable, and I-"

"Naruto," Sasuke interrupted. "That- okay, maybe I should explain something," he said.

Naruto's heart fell in his chest. Oh god, it's over, said a voice in his mind. He'd pushed too far, or he'd done something wrong, and now it was over. "…okay," he said, his voice going tight and tense.

Sasuke bit his lip and looked down at his hands gripping the water bottle. "Look, see, the thing is…as a general rule, I'm just not- interested in people," Sasuke quickly said. "As in, doing things with people. But…it's different with you, and that's kind-of…it's really weird for me."

…it was weird for him. Being with Naruto was weird? In a…bad way? Naruto's heart fell further. He knew it; he was pushing too far. Sasuke didn't like people touching him, and Naruto had been hugging him and holding his hand and invading his personal space for weeks. "Sasuke-"

"But in that moment, I just really wanted to kiss you," Sasuke went on, interrupting him. Naruto blinked. Oh, he- he'd wanted to? "It was nice. But I…"

…but. Right. Okay. "You don't want to do it again," Naruto said.

"No, that's not it at all," Sasuke quickly retorted. "I just- well, maybe we do need to talk about this all. About…boundaries."

Naruto tensed, and something deep inside of him started to hurt. What if Sasuke really didn't want to kiss him again? What if he didn't want to go any further, ever? Would that…would that really be okay? "I think we should, too," Naruto said, cautiously.

"I don't think it's fair that I should get to control everything and decide what we do and when," Sasuke said, still looking down at his hands, still speaking quickly. "But I…I kind-of need to, Naruto."

Sasuke did control everything, and Naruto let him- of course he did. It was the only way it would work, wasn't it? "Really, Sas, I get it," Naruto said. "Well, I think I get it. And I'm fine with going slow, honestly! I was really surprised the other night, but it was a nice surprise, so…and…and I like you being in control. Um, you know…"

"…right," Sasuke murmured, giving him a quick glance before turning his face again. "Well. Um, then you should know that I'm…I'm not a virgin, but I don't want to just jump into bed with you, either-"

Naruto flushed bright red and froze. Shit! We're talking about sex now?! Oh god, I can't handle this, I really can't handle this! "Oh! No, Sas, I'd never- seriously, we'll do whatever you want!" And Naruto had never assumed that Sasuke was a…well, virgin, but…okay, maybe he had assumed that- he'd just said he wasn't interested in people, after all!

"See, that's not fair, though," Sasuke went on, and this time he looked at Naruto directly. He took a deep breath. "It should be about what you want, as well. And I'm not saying it's not going to happen, I just don't know when it's going to happen."

Naruto was close to passing out. They'd only just kissed, and his head had gone through the roof. It had been better than he'd ever thought just kissing could be. So the idea of sleeping with Sasuke?! He wasn't sure if he could even handle that. "I'll wait," Naruto quickly said. Yes, he'd wait- it would be better to wait! "I just want to be with you, Sas."

Sasuke nodded. "Then…then maybe there's something else I can do?" he asked. "I've just been feeling…guilty. I don't think I'm a very easy person to date. We can't even…you won't even eat in front of me," Sasuke said.

"But Sasuke, I've loved dating you!" Naruto quickly protested. "The eating thing, it's not a big deal, really!"

"You're lying," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes.

…well. Well yes, he was, but he couldn't just- "Look, I'm sure it would be nice if we could, you know, go out and eat together, but it's fine! We've been doing all kinds of other things. It's been great, Sasuke!"

Sasuke sighed. "Okay, just…just hang on a second, I just need to do something…" he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and quickly typing something in.

Naruto blinked. "Mm? What is it, Sas?"

"The- the food thing," Sasuke said, looking up from his phone. "There's this café across the road from my apartment. We know the owner, and some of my friends from uni work there. We could go for coffee, if you like. Cake and stuff."

"Coffee?" Naruto exclaimed. "Cake?! Sas, you-"

"They know me there," Sasuke interrupted. "They'll take care of it. Your friends are right, Naruto. It's a lot to ask of someone to never eat when they're around me. So…this is a first step, okay?"

Oh, Sasuke, you… Naruto fell back onto the couch, stunned. He really hadn't expected this as a result of their awkward conversation. They were really going to a café?! Like normal dating people did? Suddenly he was beyond excited. "Okay!" he said, feeling a rush of energy go through him. "Um, now?!"

"Yeah, now. I don't wanna think about it too much. And Karin's working today. I'll let her know we're coming," he added, sending another text and then standing up. "Let's go."

Sasuke held out his hand and Naruto quickly took it, standing up as well. "Okay, Sas!" he said, giddy with happiness. That had all gone so much better than he'd been expecting!

AAAAA

It was happening- it was really happening! They were sitting at a cosy, private table in the corner of a sweet little café, and Naruto was looking at the menu and deciding what to order. He was at a café with Sasuke, and he was about to eat something!

"Do you come here a lot, then?" Naruto asked, grinning over at Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled back- a little shakily, but he was smiling none-the-less. "Itachi comes here at least once a day before or after work, and he makes me come at least once a week as well. It's good for me, see?"

"It's not hard for you?" Naruto asked. Sasuke clearly knew this place- he'd walked right up to this table and turned down the reserved sign that had been waiting for them.

Sasuke shook his head. "Maybe at first, but now- like I said, the owner knows us, and she makes me things I'll eat, so…"

"Wow, that's really nice, Sas!" Naruto said. But then suddenly he was nervous. He had never, ever consciously eaten in front of Sasuke, and the thought of Sasuke eating in front of him…! At least it wasn't dinner time. Naruto could get away with just a coffee. Maybe that would be better.

"Ah, Sasuke!" called a voice, and a tall red-headed waitress came bounding over to them and gave Naruto a highly critical look. "Who is this?! This isn't Itachi! You said we were coming!"

"I never said it was Itachi who was coming with me," Sasuke responded calmly, not looking bothered. "This is Karin, she's in my class at uni," he added to Naruto.

"Another math geek?" Naruto asked, gazing back at the girl. He'd never met any of Sasuke's friends before- he barely ever talked about them.

"Oh my god," Karin exclaimed. "Is this- it is, isn't it?! It's Naruto!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and gave Naruto an apologetic look. "Yes, this is Naruto," Sasuke confirmed. "My…boyfriend," he added.

Naruto bit back a gasp. Boyfriend?! Sasuke had said boyfriend! In public, in front of someone. Oh my god, oh my god. We're- we're boyfriends?! "Um, hi," Naruto managed to squeak out to Karin, deeply flustered.

Karin turned and rushed away from the table, back towards the kitchen. "Juugo!" she shrieked as she went.

Sasuke winced. "Sorry about that," he said once she was gone. "She…well, my friends at uni know about you, sort-of. They just kept asking and asking…"

Naruto was stunned. Sasuke had just called Naruto his boyfriend, to his friends. That was…that was unbelievable! "She didn't take our order," he squeaked again.

"She'll be back," Sasuke said to that with a shrug. "They know what I want, anyway."

And sure enough before long they were approached again, but by a different waiter this time. "Sorry, Sasuke," said the tall- giant- orange-haired man. "I won't let her out again until she calms down. Here's your cake." He put two plates of cake down on the table and then turned to Naruto. "Would you like something to drink? Some coffee?"

Naruto blinked. "Some coffee would be great. Um, just a- cappuccino?" he managed to say, and the man nodded and left.

"That was Juugo," Sasuke explained once he'd left. "One of Karin's friends. He's much calmer than she is, obviously."

"I can see that," Naruto said, turning his attention to the cake that Juugo had left them. One piece was much bigger than the other, and was clearly for him. He pulled it towards him; it was a plain vanilla cake, though his had icing on it as well. He was surprised. Sasuke was really going to eat cake?!

Sasuke took his own plate and picked up a fork, and then before Naruto knew what was happening, Sasuke was eating. Naruto flushed bright red and turned his face away, shovelling a fork-full of cake into his own mouth as a distraction. Keep it together, loser, you'll embarrass yourself! Naruto shrieked at himself. And you'll embarrass him, too!

Okay, okay, it's fine, everything's fine, Naruto told himself; they were just sitting here eating cake, and everything would be fine! Oh, but he was so nervous and self-conscious. He was so glad that Sasuke had brought them right here after suggesting the idea. He wasn't sure if he'd have been able to do this, given time to think about it beforehand.

Naruto took another bit of cake and sneaked a look over at Sasuke. The dark-haired boy- Naruto's boyfriend- was sitting there calmly, making his way through his small serving. He took a deep breath and calmed down. "This- this is really good, Sasuke," he managed to say, his voice high and tense.

Sasuke smiled back at him, putting his fork down and reaching for his glass of water. "I'm glad you like it. And- I meant it before. I don't want everything to be about me, even though I…well, I have…needs."

Naruto nodded at once. He was so touched that he just didn't know what to say. And so he just settled for eating more of his cake.

Soon enough Juugo brought him his coffee, and after a while Naruto finally, finally managed to relax. He noticed that Sasuke only ate half his cake, but Naruto was still stunned, and he felt that somehow they'd both overcome a huge hurdle today.

Karin came out again and cleared the table, and then they sat there for almost another hour just chatting. Naruto had another coffee- he needed it after the day he'd had- and Sasuke didn't look like he minded at all.

"Thank you, Sasuke," Naruto said as they stood in front of the café saying goodbye. Sasuke had even paid for their food and drinks himself. "That was really nice."

Sasuke smiled, taking his hands. "I'm glad," he said. Then he stepped closer and pressed his mouth to Naruto's, kissing him quickly before moving away. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Ah, okay!" Naruto stammered, his skin tingling and his whole body on whole alert. He'd gotten another kiss from Sasuke! "Tomorrow," he quickly added, waving goodbye as Sasuke crossed the street to his apartment building opposite the café.

And then Naruto walked home in stunned silence, dazed and overwhelmed. Sasuke had kissed him again and called him his boyfriend! It was the best gift he had ever gotten.