A/N: Thank you so much for reading my fic... or even for opening it. I haven't written one of these in a while so thank you for taking the time to read it. Enjoy!

Summary: Naruto always puts two sugars in Sasuke's coffee.

Naruto always puts two sugars in Sasuke's coffee.

One is not enough and three is one too many.

The creamer is always just a hint of vanilla. For someone who never really liked sweet things, Naruto was both amused and surprised to find that black coffee was a little too bitter for Sasuke.

Imagine that, something too bitter for his teme.

His.

It was an interesting notion, Sasuke being his. Not that Naruto ever had his doubts that the damn bastard belonged to him but the idea that Sasuke would realize it is what made it interesting.

Hell, the asshole barely recognized his own feelings half the time, so to recognize Naruto's was an amazement in itself.

Their story of epic love and devotion coming to a hilt was explosive (pun intended). Sitting in the hospital bed after Sakura helped patch them up was when it happened. Yes, all the years of fighting and chasing made it known how important they were to each other as friends. Soulmates? That was another battle in itself.

One Sasuke apparently wanted to end.

"Two," Sasuke muttered. Eyes drawn up at the ceiling, taking in the intricate designs placed above them. Does anyone ever realize how perfect the grey compliments the white? "It only took me two seconds to realize you belong to me."

Naruto felt his heart stop beating in his chest for a long minute. In that minute, he waited for Sasuke to elaborate more. His what? His friend? His lover? His soulmate?

When the explanation never came Naruto turned his head to look at Sasuke only to find his eyes already on him.

The explanation came with the quiet mutter of one word:

"Usuratonkachi."

Then Naruto just knew. He knew he would always be Sasuke's and Sasuke his. With a content smile, he whispered his reply. "Teme."

Even to this day, Naruto still smiles to himself as he hears the stupid nickname. Who would have thought that something as stupid as an insult would hold such meaning to the both of them.

But those were their quirks.

There were a lot of weird quirks about their relationship.

Sasuke enjoyed a lot of the traditional "housewife work". While he never would mention it outloud, there was something almost therapeutic about having someone to take care of. Back in his avenger days, all he had time to worry about was himself and the only care provided to him was from Karen and the other meaningless flings he would indulge in. None would ever give him the same satisfaction of feeling needed. Wanted, yes, but never needed in the way he needed to be needed, no.

With Naruto though, there was almost this unnatural way in which they balanced each other. Naruto gave just as much as he took and Sasuke, God, did Sasuke need a lot. So when it came down to the feeling of being needed, Sasuke always felt it with him.

It was in the small things too.

Just having someone to clean up after. Someone to eat at the table with. Someone to cook for. It was during the times that, Sasuke would come back from a long day at the academy (where he works off his "probation years" as a genin instructor) and Naruto would be sitting on the floor over a pile of scrolls and Sasuke would just breath.

Those simple things for some reason just grounded Sasuke. He was always present in those moments and he would thank any deity above him that he was gifted with those moments.

Naruto enjoys washing Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke had been growing it out for a while now. It cascaded down his back in silk strands reaching just below his back. It always smelled distinctly of wind and wood, on days when Sasuke would spend in the training ground behind Sasuke's house. On days spent indoors, it smelled more like Naruto than Sasuke would care to admit.

Naruto always fusses at him for using his shampoo (because honestly they don't even have the same hair textures) but Sasuke only ignores him.

Only really good days, Sasuke will come into the bathroom when Naruto is in the tub and hand him the comb before climbing in next to him. Naruto would smile wild and shift the comb through long strands of raven hair. He takes his time too. He knows how intimate and important these moments are to Sasuke. Naruto knows how hard it is for Sasuke to allow someone into his space even if it is Naruto. So during these moments, while he rubs his hair wash into Sauke's scalp, he tells him how much he loves him. Usually, Sasuke would roll his eyes at every comment and give his traditional "hn" but his shoulders would relax and he'd take a soapy hand, press it to his lips, and whisper his own "I love you".

"Usuratonkachi."

On particularly bad days, Naruto has to wrestle scissors, kunai, knives and even Sasuke's own hands away from him. These are the days Sasuke spends a little too long in the bathroom. The days Sasuke smiles a little too forced at Naruto in the morning before slipping off to the bathroom. Naruto will hear the water run and then nothing.

It really shouldn't tip him off but Sasuke, for some unknown reason hums in the shower.

Kakashi once told him it's some old Uchiha song. Obito once sang it to Kakashi.

But these days, there's no singing only silence before a muffled sob echos the room.

Naruto is in the bathroom before Sasuke has time to take a breath.

Naruto takes the weapon of choice from Sasuke and hold him, even as everything in Sasuke fights against him. Water from the shower, now cold rains over them but Naruto refuses to let go. He holds tighter if possible. Even as Sasuke screams and thrashes against him. Even as Sasuke digs his nails and face further into his chest. Naruto hold him and runs his fingers through the main trigger and blessing in Sauke's world.

Sasuke only wears his hair up.

It's a rather simple ponytail, high on his head. His front bangs have grown out enough to be pulled back and securely held down with bobby-pins.

Never does it leave this style in public and only when Sasuke is comfortable and feels safe.

Naruto once asked him why and Sasuke left for three days.

When he returned, Sasuke had jaggedly cut his hair and cried for a week.

Naruto never asked again and Sasuke began to grow his hair out again.

Contrary to popular belief, Naruto has nightmares (Sasuke seems to have enough with the voices that plague his mind).

Sometimes they're so vivid he wakes up screeching and sobbing. Hands grasp at his clothing and body, trying to remind himself that he's here and the dream wasn't real.

He dreams of Sasuke's death.

It's different every time.

Sometimes it's by his hands and sometimes it's by the village's. Those are not the ones that have him gasping for air and begging Sasuke to take him, make him feel him, mark him.

Anything to remind Naruto that Sasuke is here, alive and with him.

It's the ones where Sasuke takes his own life.

Those nights Sasuke does take him. Sasuke does mark him. Sasuke puts all he has into showing Naruto that he is here and alive and that he's never going anywhere. Then, as Naruto lays asleep (peacefully now) Sasuke goes into the bathroom and throws up.

He knows, that look of fear on Naruto's face, he's felt it. It disgusts him, it angers him, it destroys him to know that he's the reason he put that look there. He promised himself he would make it right to Naruto one day. He would be the one to put only joy and happiness on that face. The same way Naruto does for him.

He picks himself up from the floor, cleans his mess and washes his face.

Sasuke doesn't return to the bedroom the whole night.

The morning after those nights, Naruto will find Sasuke hunched over a game of Shogi. It's the only thing that will stop the screaming and the voices that surface during those times. He deals better when he can focus on something, anything but the voices.

Naruto would come over, drape a blanket over Sasuke's shoulders and kiss his forehead before taking a seat on the other side of the table and pick up a game piece.

It was during a few of these many moments that Naruto gradually learned about his coffee tastes.

The window outside was kissed with the slightest amount of frost.

So it had snowed last night.

With a quick glance, Naruto realized that Sasuke was only in his pajama pants. His skin was pricked with goosebumps and Naruto realized the heat wasn't on.

It took many trials and errors before perfecting the stupid cup of ground beans. Many "dobes" and "temes" later, Naruto was able to make it "acceptable".

One sugar, Sasuke would crinkle his nose in this cute but comical way and refuse to touch it. When Naruto would ask if he'd want something different, Sasuke would just mutter dobe and down the rest with no regard.

Three sugars and Sasuke would hand the cup back to Naruto. He claimed it was too sweet and would bring nothing to him but cavities and high blood pressure.

Naruto just thought he was dramatic, seeing as they already lost a limb what could really go wrong this time?

With a long sigh, Naruto brought him tea instead. It was a simple green tea really. Just plain green tea with no sugar, no honey, no lemon, just tea.

Sasuke didn't even touch.

If anything he recoiled from it as if it personally offended him.

Annoyed, Naruto sat down in front of his brooding boyfriend. "Well?"

There was a long pause as Sasuke reset the board. Once the first piece was moved, Sasuke met Naruto's eyes. "Green tea was his favorite."

Naruto never made tea again.

The problem wasn't that Sasuke was difficult (well it was but not in this case), it was that he just didn't KNOW what he liked. He felt things in extremes, either something was too much or not enough. This lead to him eliminating a lot of things from his life that caused him to feel too much of one thing. The only exception being that of Naruto.

Plus, there wasn't much time to decide one's likes and dislikes when they're hiding from ninjas sent to kill them or avoiding psychotic snake bastards.

"Two."

Naruto looked up from the piece he was about to play and only looked confused for a second before making the coffee.

Naruto wasn't stupid enough to not know that Sasuke leaves the room the nights he has nightmares. He hears him throwing up and sobbing into the toilet. As much as his heart tries to tear itself out of his chest, Naruto knows he can't help him. Any type of consolation or even compassionate touches during moments of weakness will have Sasuke shutting down completely. No matter how badly Naruto wants to solve all of his demons, some can't be exorcised through companionship. So, in the mornings after, Naruto will make Sasuke coffee, now with the newly added two sugars because he will be here.

Even if Sasuke doesn't know it.

Naruto is the only right thing Sasuke has ever done in his life. Sasuke has fucked up a lot in his life and the fact that he was able to capture this one moment of light in his life, he will fight tooth and nail to keep him.

He sees how hard Naruto works to keep him from leaving… But if only Naruto would realize Sasuke would never leave him.

Not again.

Sasuke can breath around Naruto, he can smile, and laugh and simply exist. These are things they wouldn't naturally be able to do. If anything, he would shut down and not feel but with Naruto, he feels everything.

Everything is something he usually doesn't get but he gets that and more with Naruto.

So as he watches the love of his life in the kitchen make coffee that he doesn't even really want nor does he even really care for.

Sasuke doesn't even like coffee to be honest but one glance in those hopeful blue eyes and he would have just about done anything. In that moment, he just uttered the first thing that came to mind and it happened to be "two".

But the light that came into Naruto's eyes as he watched Sasuke try the cup made it his favorite.

The creamer was more or less an accident. Naruto ran out of the usual creamer and just decided that if he used a little bit then Sasuke wouldn't notice.

Sasuke of course noticed, but he shrugged and drank the rest.

Naruto just beamed at him and continues to make it like that always.

Because Sasuke would do anything to bring a smile to Naruto's face.

Even if that means drinking the damn cup of coffee.

Care comes in the form of two hands clasped around a warm cup of ground beans and a smiling dobe. All things that Sasuke wouldn't trade for anything

For Naruto, his heart beats for the two pairs of eyes that shine a little bit warmer every time they glance his way.

The two of them have been through hell and high water and in these small moments, they are finally one.