A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it took longer than expected. Here's the new chapter. The last chapter was the official end of the family-centered arc and now we're onto the last half! There shouldn't be too many more chapters, maybe 5-6 but I'm hoping to start updating a lot faster now that I can focus on Sasuke and Naruto's relationship.

Warning: There's some sexual content in this chapter along with some trauma/dissociation that may be triggering

Let me know what you think. I've never really written anything sexual soooo it may not be too good. It's not supposed to be especially 'sexy' this time considering everything.

Enjoy and please leave a review with your thoughts!

Kicking Boxes

Chapter 15

Shame

"Sasuke, go tell your brother that your cousin will be here any second please!" His mother's voice called from the kitchen.

Obediently, the eight year old Sasuke rolled up from his position on the floor in the main living room to go find his brother. It was Christmas Eve and his mother was preparing for their annual Uchiha Christmas Eve Party. Sasuke looked forward to it every year, it was the only time where he got to see all his relatives. Itachi, however, seemed to dread the holiday and tried to spend as little time in the festivities as possible. Their father always used the party to conduct business and would force Itachi to follow him around. He always said it would be good practice for Itachi as he'd have to do the same sort of thing in a few years when he was older.

As expected, Itachi was in the office building with their father having what looked to be a serious conversation. Hesitant to break up the conversation, Sasuke simply stared nervously from the doorway. Itachi was in a stiff black suit that he had gotten from their father for his birthday. Usually, their parents allowed them to dress casually for the Christmas party but recently their father had grown stricter about how Itachi appears, even to family. It was clear he was sculpting Itachi to take over his leadership roles in the future, even at such a young age. The teen's face remained impassive as the father was addressing a chart on the desk in front of the two.

Fugaku was the first of the two to notice the eight year old's presence. "What, Sasuke?" His father's voice snapped, he always hated being interrupted. Itachi finally noticed him and turned to face his younger brother, the focused face lost most of its tension when he caught Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke felt his face heating up, a blush rising. "Uhm, mom told me to tell 'tachi that Shisui is almost here."

Itachi moved as if he was going to leave but their father caught him by the shoulder. "We have business to take care of for a little while longer."

Sasuke couldn't hold back the pout, "But it's Christmas Eve…"

"Sasuke, leave us to work." Fugaku's voice was stern and his eyes glared a warning. Sasuke knew not to push the subject any further and shot Itachi a sad look before running back to the kitchen to their mom.

When the child got back to the kitchen, Mikoto sensed the air of gloom radiating from him. "What's wrong, Sasuke?" His mother leaned down to be eye level with her youngest son.

"Dad won't let 'tachi come play," Sasuke grumbled, his lips loosened into a pout again.

Mikoto playfully ruffled her child's hair, "Now that Itachi is getting older, he's going to have a lot more responsibilities. He's not going to have as much time to play anymore."

This did not make Sasuke feel any better. "But it's Christmas…and Shisui 's gonna be here. We always play at the party."

"I know," Mikoto sighed, a warm smile still dancing on her face. "You'll have all day tomorrow to play though I promise." She pulled her son into a hug, Sasuke only sighed and slumped in her arms. "Want to help me bake cookies?"

"Yeah!" Sasuke shouted and ran to wash his hands in the sink messily. Mikoto settled him down at a space by the table where he rolled the dough into little balls and placed them on the cookie sheet. Christmas music played in the background. The mixture of this and the smell of cookies seemed to have made Sasuke forgotten about why he was upset.

The festivities were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. "That must be your cousin," Mikoto took Sasuke by the hand and led him to the door to welcome the guests.

Sure enough, it was his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Mikoto greeted them each with a kiss to the cheek and the two adults took their turns doting on Sasuke and telling him how big he's gotten. "Fugaku is in the office with Itachi. I'm sure Fugaku would love to talk with you," Sasuke's mom addressed the uncle with a warm smile.

As the adults started to chatter, Sasuke was left with Shisui. Shisui was 16 and tall for his age, just like Itachi who was 14. His hair was cut short and always looked as if he had tried to spike it yet failed because it was always disheveled in that way. The teen was always grinning and having a laugh. Shisui and Itachi were closer but Sasuke still saw Shisui as more of a brother than cousin.

"Shisui, let's go play army!" Sasuke pulled on his cousin's arm, trying to lead him outside.

"Where's Itachi?" The teen asked looking around.

"'tachi is with dad," Sasuke groaned and stopped tugging on his arm. "I thought you would play with me."

Shisui smiled down at his little cousin, "Fine. Lead the way, kid."

Usually, the youngest Uchiha hated being called 'kid' but this time he was too excited just to have someone to play with to respond to it. "Mom can we play in the snow?"

Mikoto looked as if she would say no at first but she appeared to change her mind. "Okay, just don't get in to trouble and make sure you come back in when I call." Her eyes shot to Shisui at the 'trouble' part with a loose smile. The teen just feigned innocence and gave her a look that said 'Who me?' before helping Sasuke shrug into a heavy winter coat.

With a big grin on his face, Sasuke shot through the back door into the snowy backyard. Shisui followed after him, though a bit slower. At first it seemed like the little cousin disappeared but he was quickly greeted with a snowball to the face and a wide victorious grin. "Brat!" Shisui yelled playfully and tackled the boy to the ground. Sasuke thrashed and squealed between giggles. When he managed to squirm away he ran off again in the direction of the woods.

Shisui gave into the chase until they were stopped in the middle of the forest. Sasuke was barely out of breath but Shisui was pretty winded. "We shouldn't go too far in, Aunt Mikoto will get angry."

The young black eyes peered up with a large smile, unwilling to hear the warning. "Let's build a fort! 'tachi never has time."

As usual, Shisui caved and the two began to carry sticks of all sizes to the spot Sasuke chose. The two worked in comfortable silence, the youngest was too busy to chat it seemed and his face was set in determination. It didn't take too long, probably half an hour, by the time the fort was complete. It was a small lean-to that wouldn't fit too many people but was big enough.

Sasuke was proud, standing in front of the shelter with hands on his hips and his face flushed from the effort it took his small body. "We did it!" The grin was back on his face, "I can't wait to show 'tachi!."

The two were interrupted by Mikoto's voice yelling Sasuke's name. "We should go back and see what she wants," Shisui suggested, pinching Sasuke's cheek once he saw him pouting.

Despite Sasuke's complaints, they trudged through the snow back to the yard. Mikoto saw them from the window and rushed to the back door. "Boys, your Aunt Naori and Uncle Naka will be here shortly. Go out front to greet them, please."

Shisui grumbled under his breath and led Sasuke around front. While they waited in the front yard, Shisui's impatient expression was replaced by a more mischievous one. "I have an idea, Sasuke, let's hide in those bushes beside the porch. Make some snowballs."

Sasuke obeyed and followed his older cousin into the bushes where they set forth creating about 10 snowballls. They stopped when they saw a familiar car pull up to the lot and kept hiding. As soon as the couple got out of the car and shut their doors, Fugaku came out of the house followed by a solemn-looking Itachi. Sasuke held his breath once he realized his dad was there, his stomach pulling knots. Their aunt and uncle were now on the porch politely greeting Fugaku and Itachi.

Out of the blue, even unexpected to Sasuke, Shisui popped up from his squatting position and pelted the snowballs at the three adults. Itachi's face was one of utter shock and Fugaku's went to pure anger. Shisui on the other hand, was grinning and laughing. "C'mon, Itachi!" Shisui yelled as he grabbed Sasuke's hand and lead him running back into the forest.

Surprisingly, Itachi had followed them back to the fort. Sasuke was too terrified to look back to see if he was there so he was shocked at his brother's presence. "'tachi!" He yelled and wrapped his arms around his older brother's waist.

"Dad's going to be pissed," Itachi breathed out, a hand patting his brother's head.

Shisui shrugged with a grin, "Operation 'Rescue Itachi' was a success though, right Sasuke?"

Sasuke eagerly nodded in agreement. "'Tachi look what we made!" The youngest of the group lead the way to the fort.

Itachi was visibly impressed at the structure, his mouth agape. "Wow, cool," Itachi patted his brother once more on the head before following Shisui into the shelter. All three of them were sitting side-by-side under the roof of the lean-to. Sasuke squeezed himself in between the two, looking extremely proud of himself.

"If only we had a fire," Shisui sighed, his breath exhaling out in puffs of white which made Sasuke giggle.

Itachi quietly agreed, he had the least amount of layers on after all as he wasn't prepared for this snowy adventure. Sasuke had no complaints however.

The three sat under the lean-to in silence for a long while. It started to snow and the quiet tranquility seemed that much more pronounced. Even Sasuke, who would usually be restless by now, was not talking and was in awe by the scenery. None of the boys wanted to leave or disrupt the moment, despite the frigid temperature, knowing that this peace they obtained would disappear once they headed back home.

Christmas Eve was by far Sasuke's least favorite time of the year for many reasons. He hated how happy everyone was for no reason. There were also so many unpleasant memories associated with the day. Of course, as a child it had been one of his favorite day of the year but that was probably the biggest reason it now filled Sasuke with such hatred. So it became tradition that his daughters would stay with Kakashi where they would bake cookies and get a gift for their father even though each year he told them not to buy him anything.

Usually Sasuke spent this day wrapping gifts and doing much needed work around the house. Today was turning out to be quite different. It had been weeks since he last saw Naruto. However, Naruto convinced him to go out on a date for Christmas Eve even though Sasuke would refuse to call it a 'date'. The plans were to just go out for dinner at a nice restaurant since it was the only thing Sasuke would agree to at the time and even then it was begrudgingly. The main concern was that Naruto would do something overly romantic which was why Sasuke limited their options to dinner. Despite all their progress, Sasuke was still weary of having any sort of intimate relationship.

As he was pulling on his dress pants the house phone sounded, making him jump a little. The house became unnaturally quiet after his girls left the home. The past few weeks always had at least one of the young girls in it so there was never a moment of silence as there was now.

"Hello?" Sasuke grunted into the phone, trying to button his pants with one hand.

"Sasuke!" Ino's voice shrilled back. Sasuke cringed. The two hadn't talked much in the past couple weeks as his neighbors were preparing for their wedding coming up in just a few days. "How's everything going?"

"Fine."

"Oh, c'mon give me the details! How's Aya and Kikue?" Ino's voice bounced in excitement. "I feel like I haven't seen you guys in ages," Sasuke rolled his eyes at this exaggeration. "Sakura told me they dyed Aya's hair and they got it cut into a pixie cut!"

"Yes…" Sasuke grumbled, unsure of what to say but Ino cut him off and continued.

"I also heard that you're going on a date with Naruto tonight." He could practically hear the childish grin on her face and was tempted to hang up on her. "Don't hang up!" Ino yelled into the phone aggressively as if she read his mind. "I think it's great. Anyhow, I just wanted to say Merry Christmas, Sasuke! I'm so happy we got to have another year as neighbors," She sang into the receiver.

Sasuke returned a "Merry Christmas." Shikamaru always joked that the reason he got along with Ino was that their conversations were usually pretty one-sided as Ino did the majority of the talking. Now, he saw that her fiancé was right.

"I can't wait for this wedding to be over, Sasuke," Ino groaned. "I'm going to get wasted at the reception," she joked. "Will Aya be okay there do you think?"

Sasuke thought about it. The preteen was doing well all things considered but she did have days where the anxiety got the best of her. "She's been looking forward to your wedding for a long time. I guess we'll see when the day comes but I think her excitement will outweigh her anxiety." He replied thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that girl is one tough cookie!" Ino's voice was filled with affection. "Well, I'll let you get back to getting ready for your date. I'm gonna give the girls a call."

The two hung up after saying goodbye and Sasuke was once again left to his silent house. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what it would be like if he had never had his daughters. How different would his life be without Aya and Kikue? He'd probably be alone and there were many times where he thought it would be better. These thoughts made his skin crawl with both guilt and anxiety but they were persistent.

Shaking himself from these thoughts, he slipped a belt through his pants and pulled on a dark navy button up shirt. He spent his last moments alone in Aya's room, cleaning. Kikue had begun sleeping in Aya's room and they had left the room a complete mess before leaving for Kakashi's place. When he picked up one of Kikue's pants, a piece of paper fell out of the pocket and fluttered to the floor. Curious, Sasuke picked up the paper. It was a drawing, the interesting interpretation of the Uchiha's hair made it clear it was Kikue's.

It was a picture of what he assumed to be their house with the family on the front lawn. The individuals in the picture could only be identified by the color of their hair. Kikue and Amaya were the center of the picture but Sasuke was a bit disconcerted by a stick figure with gray hair next to Aya's figure. He couldn't blame Kikue, she did not know Kimimaro's involvement with Aya's disappearance, but it was still unsettling. Beside Kikue was what Sasuke could tell was himself, though it looked like a stick figure with a duck on its head. Sasuke was holding hands in the picture with a blonde figure, assumed to be Naruto who had hearts for eyes. Another pink hair figure stood but a bit farther away from the group.

His analysis of the drawing was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Before he could even get to the door, Naruto had already rung the bell two more times. "Merry Christmas!" Naruto's excited voice rang out into the quiet house, his arms flying around Sasuke's neck and pulling him into a tight hug that made Sasuke wince and pull away.

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered but couldn't help the small uncharacteristic smile tugged at his lips.

Naruto's grin got more mischievous as he pulled at his scarf wrapped around his neck, "So what'd you get me?" This only got him a chastising glare. "Kidding, kidding," Naruto threw his hands up defensively.

Sasuke shrugged on his winter coat and followed the blond out the door and into Naruto's expensive car. "Where are we going?" Sasuke asked, feeling somewhat nervous.

"It's a secret," The other man sang with a laugh. "I think you'll like it."

They reached the restaurant fairly quickly, Sasuke made a semi-serious joke about his led foot which started a mini fight about Naruto's driving skills. The restaurant was at the edge of town, situated on the lake so it looked out onto the frozen waters. The two men were seated toward the back of the building which the wall was just glass windows that gave a scenic view of the pale pink color of the sun setting over the docks and icy lake. As they took their seats Naruto had a much more serious look on his face. Sasuke felt the nerves in his stomach pile up again, afraid that the blond would say something cheesy.

"What?" Sasuke asked though the words accidentally came out more snappily than he intended.

Immediately, Naruto's face grew red and he habitually scratched the back of his head. "Er…" He began awkwardly, "I just…I'm sorry I hit you that time."

Sasuke was surprised at the sudden apology and felt his own blush crawling toward his face. "It's no big deal," he shrugged.

Eyes widening, Naruto leaned forward quickly and nearly shouted, "It is a big deal. I should never have said those things or hurt you. It was crazy."

It seemed like Sasuke was contemplating the words in his head carefully before speaking, "Relax, Naruto. I deserved it. I even hit you first."

Instead of reassuring his date, it made him even more upset. "You didn't deserve being punched and you definitely did not deserve the terrible things I said to you. I don't want me hitting you to become normal or even okay."

Sasuke's lips fell to a deep frown. It was clear to him now that he was worried about becoming similar to his foster father he once mentioned…and probably Neji. "Naruto, it's fine. I forgave you a long time ago."

"But why?" Naruto asked, though he seemed less depressed than a few moments ago.

Sasuke clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth at the question, most people would just leave the subject alone by now but not Naruto apparently. "We were just upset and…we're not good at using words, I guess." Naruto laughed at that.

"Well, I promise I won't hit you again," Naruto said earnestly and suddenly the air cleared back up and everything seemed to go back to normal. "So what are you going to get?"

"Chicken tenders," Sasuke joked flatly.

Naruto guffawed, "I should have taken you to McDonalds," he laughed.

A waitress interrupted their joking to serve them a bottle of red wine. Naruto's face lit up at the sight of the bottle. "Here is a complimentary bottle of wine," The woman blushed under Naruto's gaze. Sasuke wondered if she realized they were on a date or not.

"Woah, really? It's free?" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, not seeming to notice how flustered the waitress got. She merely nodded and poured the two glasses of wine and walked away briskly. "Wow, I can't believe she gave us such nice wine for free."

The blond being so surprised was a bit confusing. Surely, as someone famous, he must get this quite often. "This never happens to you?" Sasuke took a small sip of the wine.

The question seemed to make Naruto a bit uncharacteristically shy. His smile turned into a sheepish grin, "Well, I mean…sometimes. I'm still not used to it though."

This made Sasuke's eyebrow raise, curious as to how Naruto ended up so modest despite his circumstances. Naruto seemed to sense his feeling of disbelief which became apparent by the rosy color that rose to his cheeks. "I'm still not adjusted to the attention I receive from MMA. It's confusing," the sentence ended in his usual sheepish chuckle.

"That's…strange," Sasuke said awkwardly. "I would have thought it would be expected when you went into such a career in the spotlight."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully, "I guess you're right but I never started MMA to become famous. It was just the only thing I thought I was good at and something my father pushed me to pursue."

"That's also a strange thing for a parent to wish on their child," Sasuke tried picturing what his reaction would be like if one of his daughters tried to enter such a violent career.

This seemed to make Naruto fall into even deeper thought. "Well, I was a 'problem child' in high school and Jiraiya ran a dojo so it was really the only way I ended up staying out of trouble. Plus I was highly unmotivated to do anything, no aspirations and all that." Naruto laughed dismissively.

"I see," Sasuke found himself able to relate to the sentiment.

"What about you? What were you like when you were a teen?" Naruto's sheepish expression changed to sheer curiosity now.

"Pretty much the same as now," Sasuke lied, fidgeting with his silverware idly.

"I highly doubt that…" Naruto whined.

A smirk lit Sasuke's face, "I definitely was not a high-strung idiotic teenager like you."

"That's not what I heard from Kakashi," Naruto sang which made Sasuke visibly uncomfortable, much to the blond's pleasure.

"What did he say?" Sasuke scowled.

A huge mischievous grin grew on Naruto's face. "Oh, just that you were also a 'problem child'. We have more in common than you'd have me believe."

"I refuse to accept that," Sasuke glared.

Naruto shrugged, "Then tell me something about your teenaged years that proves me wrong."

It took a moment for Sasuke to contemplate an answer. "I had straight A's and I was on the soccer team," the smirk was back on his face now.

The blond pouted, "Of course you were Mr. Perfect."

The Uchiha decided to have pity on the younger man. "I was mixed up in some bad things though early in high school."

"No way! Really?"

"Yeah, I was addicted to drugs for a while until Kakashi sent me to rehab." Sasuke found himself unusually honest all of a sudden. It must have been the wine.

Naruto gaped at the confession, "How'd you stay sober?"

"Some people helped me out a lot and then Amaya was born," Sasuke replied vaguely.

"You mean Sakura and Kakashi, right?"

"Hn," Sasuke nodded shortly. Their conversation was interrupted by a young girl who looked to be in her late high school years or a recent grad. She was standing awkwardly by the side of their table, face flushed. Her eyes focused on Naruto as she fidgeted nervously.

Seemingly incapable of being dismissive or rude, Naruto smiled widely at the girl. "Can I help you?"

The girl looked as if she was about to run off but somehow managed to stand her ground. "C-can I have your autograph?" As the words flew out of her mouth a bright red flush crept over her facial features.

For a second, Naruto looked as if he was going to say no as he cast an apologetic look toward Sasuke. However, he ended up giving in and scribbling an autograph quickly on a napkin and handing it to the fan who managed to squeak out a 'thank you' before hurrying back to her friends who were all giggling.

The blond looked disgruntled after the girl's disappearance and he sighed softly. "Sorry, I thought getting a table in a more private section would stop that from happening."

At first Sasuke was a little perturbed by the interruption but as he looked at the apologetic expression on Naruto's face he smiled a little. "Don't worry about it."

Shortly after the waitress returned to take their order for their main course, Naruto ordered something that sounded fancy that Sasuke did not recognize which made him a little hesitant as it was his turn to order. He decided on a simple authentic Italian pasta with seafood and red sauce. The waitress, more composed than earlier which made Sasuke think one of the other employees must have scolded her, smiled warmly at them and walked off.

The attention Naruto brought to himself from the women in the restaurant stirred a question inside Sasuke. Apparently, Naruto gave off a very hetero vibe which drew Sasuke's curiosity. "When did you realize you weren't straight?" Sasuke asked against his better judgment and immediately inwardly cringed after the words came out.

If the question bothered Naruto he didn't show it. "Hm." Naruto looked a bit stumped. "I've always known I guess. Ever since I can remember I was attracted to both men and women. What about you?"

It was difficult for Sasuke to say. As a child, his father showed a deep-seated disgust with homosexual people, especially men. It was one of the things he remembered about his father. There was many times where he'd disapprovingly ranted at the dinner table about Shisui's sexuality and this always made Sasuke feel some sort of shame but as a child he could not place the feeling. There was a good friend in high school that he'd end up being sexually active with but it never ran very deep. Sex was never something that overly worried him during his adolescent years; his thoughts were always addled either by drugs or obsessions over Itachi.

"The same probably."

"Probably?" Naruto chuckled at the vague answer.

"I don't remember much about my childhood," Sasuke said truthfully.

"Ah, I see." Naruto's lips fell softly into a small frown.

A few moments later their food arrived, the quality met Sasuke's expectations and the high price. He wasn't sure if he had ever been to such a fancy restaurant before. The two fell into quiet conversation over the food. Naruto spent a lot of time talking about the pranks he and Kiba played in high school and all the times he got detention. Naruto's light-hearted conversation led them all the way through dessert.

Once the waitress came back and took the dirty dishes away, Naruto looked nervous again. "So I have a gift for you," Naruto said cautiously, a hand digging behind him in his coat pocket. He revealed a sealed envelope and offered it to the older man.

Sasuke eyed the envelope with an expressionless face before accepting it. The whole time, Naruto kept babbling, almost incoherently. "I know you said you didn't want anything expensive and you told me you'd only think about it but…" By the time he got those words out Sasuke was peering into the envelope and saw three flight tickets. "I talked with Kakashi and the tickets won't be in the way of the girls' school or your work because we'd go the day after Ino's wedding and come back the weekend before school starts up again."

The gesture was nice, Sasuke would admit, but he was a little uncomfortable accepting such an expensive gift. He was left not knowing how to graciously decline such a gift knowing that it wouldn't be so easy to refund. "Naruto…There's no way I could pay you back," Sasuke's voice came out a bit annoyed.

"What? I don't want you to pay me back. It's a gift," Naruto urged.

"Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean? I want to do something nice for you and your daughters." Naruto stared in wonder at Sasuke.

This didn't seem to make Sasuke feel better. "But why?" He just couldn't come to terms with why somebody who he had only met a few months ago insisted on doing something like this for him and his family. There had to be a catch.

"I don't know!" Naruto groaned, exasperated by Sasuke's suspicion. "This whole time tonight you've been acting so suspicious, as if I'm up to something. I don't want anything from you, Sasuke."

Sasuke snorted, "Then why else would you be taking me to an expensive restaurant and buying me plane tickets that must have cost a fortune? Why would you be going so far to help me?"

Naruto's eyes seemed to grow a deeper blue at the words and a look of pity took over his features. "I do all this because I really…like you," a small blush rose to his cheeks again and he averted his gaze. "I don't care if you don't reciprocate. You don't have to give me anything in return. I don't want anything in return."

These were words Sasuke had a hard time believing. Everyone had an ulterior motive in his mind. Nothing was free, not even relationships. Even now, Sasuke's brain was telling him Naruto would expect sex in exchange for this act of 'kindness' though somehow a bigger part of him was saying that wasn't the case. Maybe Naruto really was genuinely kind.

As Naruto sensed Sasuke was about to retort with another bullshit response, he leaned over and interrupted the Uchiha with a kiss on the mouth. Sasuke's eyes flew wide open and felt his heart squeeze. The kiss only lasted a few moments but it felt like forever for the older man. When the two parted, it was Sasuke's turn to blush and be left speechless.

"I don't know how to make you believe that I don't expect anything," Naruto sighed but he still had a warm smile on his face. "Someday you will though, I promise!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the optimism bursting from the younger man but nevertheless a smirk rose to his lips again. "Let's get out of here, I have your present at home." Sasuke said, his voice softer than it was before. The blond nodded in agreement and called the waitress over for the check.

It was dark by the time they exited the restaurant and it started to snow again. "Damn, it never stops snowing here," Naruto complained, shivering slightly.

Sasuke chuckled, "You'll get used to it."

"Wow, I think that's one of the first times I've heard you laugh," Naruto grinned and opened the passenger door for his date. Sasuke only glared and slid into the seat.

The atmosphere between the two was back to normal by the time they arrived back home. Despite this, Sasuke felt strange. There was fluttering in his stomach and he couldn't deny the attraction he had for the blond every time he looked at him. He clutched the envelope in his hand, his heart felt like it was coming out of his chest.

"I can't wait to see my gift," Naruto said in a sing-song voice as he followed behind Sasuke into the house. Once they were inside, the blond made himself right at home as he took a seat on the couch in the living room after kicking off his shoes.

Sasuke followed the blond in after grabbing the wrapped packages from the kitchen. He took a seat next to the blond and handed the first, small package in Christmas tree paper over. Naruto's face lit up in excitement which made the fluttering even worse. "Don't get too excited, it's nothing fancy," Sasuke grumbled.

"Wow! This is great, I needed a new one!" Naruto exclaimed as he unwrapped the sports watch. The blond slipped his feet up onto the couch so he could face the Uchiha, his knee slightly pressing into Sasuke's thigh though Sasuke seemed to be the only one fazed by this.

Sasuke handed the next gift over and gulped when their hands touched lightly. Was the rest of Naruto's skin this soft? Naruto eagerly unwrapped the present as if he were a child. He held up the book and read the label '25 Amazing Ramen Recipes'. Sasuke nearly laughed at the tearful look on the blond's face.

"Our next date we're definitely trying one of these," Naruto stated, a look of pure joy on his face as he flipped through the pages.

"Next date? Who said you're getting another one," Sasuke joked half-heartedly, the fluttering would not go away and he felt both hot and cold at the same time.

Naruto pouted at the joke, "C'mon, Sasuke, you know you had a good time tonight."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Sasuke warned. "I'm going to use the restroom," he murmured, unable to handle the strange feelings in his stomach. Naruto only nodded with a smile and went back to looking at his present.

Sasuke splashed his face with water and when he looked in the mirror he felt like a child again. His cheeks were lightly colored with pink and his eyes wide and had more color in them than normal. The feeling filled him with shame and embarrassment, so childish. A part of himself told him to hide in the bathroom until the blond left but the bigger portion actually wanted to go out there again. He decided on the latter.

When he went back into the living room, Naruto was still curled up on the couch with the book. He noticed the Uchiha's presence immediately and uncurled from his position and gave him one of his bright smiles. The smile made Sasuke's heart clench and the shame came back momentarily.

Naruto began chatting away again but it was like Sasuke couldn't understand the words. His eyes were focused on the pale pink lips and without realizing it Sasuke walked forward and sealed the blond's mouth in a kiss. Naruto seemed surprised at first, just like Sasuke had during dinner, but then he melted into it.

The kiss was a lot different than that time after Naruto's birthday celebration. While that kiss was heated and fast, this one was slow and gentle. Sasuke felt the blond's hand cup his cheek, the other brushed through his hair before deepening the kiss with a small pull. Naruto's tongue was slowly exploring his mouth sensually. The sensation made Sasuke's head spin, as if this was his first time experiencing such a thing.

Naruto seemed to notice Sasuke's discomfort as he was half straddling the blond. The younger man pulled Sasuke by the hips to in order to situate the other man more comfortably. Their groins brushed against each other's and Sasuke swore he heard a small groan escape the other. Sasuke was faintly aware of the fingers rubbing circles around his hip bones. Sasuke's hands were clutching Naruto's shirt tensely. Eventually, Naruto pried the hands off and gently flipped their position so he was leaning over the older man. The kiss only stopped for a brief moment.

A gasp escaped Sasuke's lips as a tanned hand massaged the front of his pants, where his erection was prominent. His mind grew fuzzy and he could barely hear any other noises over the static playing in his ears. One of Naruto's forearms was propping himself up beside Sasuke's head, but it still felt like there were hands all over him. Sasuke's heart thumped and he could swear Naruto was probably able to hear it. It barely registered in his mind when Naruto's hand that was on his erection was now pulling off their shirts, the lips restored back to Sasuke's in another gentle kiss.

A moan permeated the air as Naruto's hips involuntarily thrust against Sasuke's and the older man was scared it might have come from himself though he couldn't be sure. The creeping feeling of shame rose throughout his whole body as did the heat pooling in his lower stomach. His mouth opened to say something but no words came out. His eyes clenched close, willing his body to calm down, to enjoy the moment.

Soft, wet lips attached to Sasuke's neck and gave an affectionate suck while his hips rolled against those below him. The noise made Sasuke internally wince, a mixture of disgust laced with pleasure. Not sure whether he wanted the feeling to stop or continue, Sasuke wrapped his hand through Naruto's blond hair trying to maintain any sense of control. A sigh escaped him as Naruto's lips separated from his skin only to blow warm air on the now reddened mark as he exhaled.

The lips detoured down his neck and across the plane of his chest, only taking a moment to lightly flick the pale pink nipple which caused Sasuke's eyes to shoot open. Before he had time to process the feeling, Naruto trailed lower to give attention to his navel slowly, while his hands worked on the clasps of Sasuke's dress pants. Cold air met Sasuke's nether regions as his pants and underwear were pulled down to his knees. For a moment he almost covered himself until he realized how moronic it was.

There was a soft suction where his groin met his hip causing another shameful moan to escape from Sasuke. "Are you okay, Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was velvety and gentle, making Sasuke's heart constrict again. He could only bring himself to nod half-heartedly. Was he okay? He felt like he was going to explode. Sasuke had sex before; clearly as he was an adult man, but this was a whole different experience it seemed and felt horrifying. It just felt so stupid. Seeming to notice this discomfort, Naruto massaged Sasuke's thigh, rubbing his hand up past his hip to his stomach.

Without warning, a soft tanned hand wrapped around Sasuke's erection and gave a few gentle pumps. Sasuke's throat let out a whine and his back slightly arched. His mind was fuzzy again and his throat felt tight. His eyes were suddenly open, staring at the white ceiling. Everything was bright but it all felt so dark. Suddenly, his erection was enveloped by something hot and wet. A tongue licked around the head of his cock and he felt as if he couldn't breathe. Suddenly, it felt as if he was a child again. Too young for these feelings.

The static noise in his head turned to ringing and suddenly he wasn't feeling anything at all. It was as if he was an outsider looking in. The sensations were no longer his own but all belonged to that strange oversized child laying on the couch. The sounds did not seem to be processed and despite the blond's mouth being occupied he still heard whispers of "Sh, it's our secret" and other incoherent mutterings. He couldn't tell if the pitiful cries were his own or if they were even really there. Nothing seemed real.

"Sasuke," a familiar voice called in the distance. Suddenly, Sasuke noticed everything had stopped. The ringing went back to a soft buzzing again and he heard the sound of himself breathing. He looked down and saw his underwear was pulled back up, his erection half-gone. Something soft and almost wet touched his forehead and he looked up and was so shocked by the familiar authoritative black eyes that met his that he jumped only to realize the eyes were really a deep blue. Warm arms wrapped around his shoulders and he stifled something building in his throat. "Sasuke, it's just me." The words were no longer a whisper and it was the familiar voice of Naruto.

Afraid that if he spoke, whatever was building inside of him would be let loose, Sasuke just stared past the blond, his chin resting on a strong shoulder. "I'm sorry," Naruto confessed. "I shouldn't have gone so far…" The words were filled with guilt and remorse which made the shame in Sasuke build up even more, ashamed for being a child in an adult body. He felt like crying, the cry of a child played in his head, release.

"I'll be right back," Naruto murmured and walked quietly into the kitchen.

Sasuke didn't bother slipping his clothes back on despite the cold. He sat on the couch in only his black briefs. The tv screen reflected his image back to him, it was still the image of himself as a child. The choking feeling remained, it was as if someone was sitting on his chest. His whole body felt heavier than it ever had. Idly, he folded Naruto's shirt that was discarded on the ground and placed it on the coffee table neatly. He wondered if he should go find Naruto. Maybe the blond had been scared off and left already.

Just as the Uchiha was about to conclude that Naruto left, he reentered the room. "I ran a hot bath upstairs and made you some tea." The blond's voice was softer and gentler than he had ever heard it. He stood in front of Sasuke with the steaming cup of tea and offered him his other hand. Sasuke ignored the hand but let Naruto lead him to the bath.

The blond looked sheepish as he stood outside the bathroom. Sasuke could smell the bath soap that was poured into the water from the doorway. "Sasuke, look I'm really sorry."

"For what?" Sasuke asked. "You didn't do anything." The older man was thoroughly embarrassed and just felt like drowning in that bath water. The shame was now split between the sexual act and the fact that he couldn't even have sex. Conflicting feelings overcame Sasuke.

"I pushed you too far and I should have asked you if I could-"

Sasuke interrupted, "Idiot." The babbling seemed to ground the older man a bit and the panicked feeling started to dissipate a little. The scared look on Naruto's face and the smell of the bathwater made Sasuke's heart clench though this time in a good way. He couldn't help placing a soft chaste kiss on Naruto's lips before going into the bathroom and slipping out of his briefs.

Naruto couldn't help but stare uneasily at the Uchiha's naked back; unsure of what was expected of him as the door was left open. Much to his surprise, Sasuke waved him over. Naruto didn't get in but instead he sat on the edge of the tub with a small smile on his face, glad that everything seemed to be okay between them.

They spent what felt to be an hour in the bathroom, Sasuke sipping his tea and Naruto talking about their upcoming trip. The older man was still really quiet but his dark eyes were more attentive. Naruto gossiped about Iruka, his friend, and everyone else that he'd get to meet while there. There was so much he wanted to show the other man and so much that he thought the two young girls would love to do. For a moment or two, Sasuke felt…normal.