A/N: Just a quick cultural note that New Year's in Japan is not like it is in the US. It's more of a family thing, not a big drunken binge. That will help the chapter make more sense. Thank you to Niomalia beta'ing this never-ending final chapter for me!

Note: Dec 7, 2017, chapter edited to remove sexual content per FF's ToS and a complaint by a reader. Full version is still on Ao3 dot org.

This chapter is over 15k words long. I am so sorry. uggghhhhhh.

Chapter 27 - Out of the grey zone

Sasuke let his head fall back slightly against the back of the cushion, feeling more relaxed and at peace than he had in months. It didn't matter that the futon was hard and lumpy, or that his arm had fallen asleep from where Naruto was leaning against it. It didn't matter that the movie they were watching was not one that he would ever have chosen to watch on his own. It didn't even matter that the dishes from dinner were still piled messily in Naruto's sink rather than washed and put away properly.

He looked down to his side, where Naruto had fallen asleep, his head lolling back an angle that would surely give him a stiff neck in the morning. The tension that had been in Naruto's face and body language earlier that day was finally gone, and Sasuke felt some of the worry he'd been feeling ease. Naruto had definitely had his lows when they were in college together, but there had been nothing like this, nothing that had shaken Naruto to his foundations the way seeing the child on the street had. Naruto had been good at keeping his past buried. Maybe too good.

But this time, Sasuke wasn't going to be so caught up in his own shit that he missed the signs. He might not be exactly adept at giving comfort, but evidently he hadn't completely sucked at it. The thought steadied him, somehow, as though he'd passed a test he hadn't even known he'd set for himself. Naruto had seemed better after they'd called Konan. She had agreed to meet with Naruto on Tuesday evening to talk about what Naruto saw and what the options were.

Sasuke had a suspicion that the woman was requesting to meet in-person equally to get a sense of how Naruto was handling things and to find out more about the child, but he was ok with that and Naruto didn't seem to have figured it out. In any case, they'd done all they could for now. Naruto had no illusions that this would magically fix everything, but his eyes had lost some of their hollow expression as the evening had gone on.

He watched Naruto sleep for another moment, an odd sense of calm flowing through him. Naruto's lips were parted slightly, the slow, soft breaths coming from them making Sasuke feel an answering sense of tiredness. The final credits were playing, and he looked at his watch. It was after eleven and he had to be up early for work the next day. Given that he had no clean clothes here, and his laptop was sitting on his kitchen table in his apartment, staying the night was out of the question, even if he slept on the couch.

Sasuke resisted the urge to run his fingers through Naruto's hair to wake him, and instead gently nudged his arm. "Hey. You're not going to be able to move your neck tomorrow if you sleep like that."

"Mm?" Naruto blearily opened his eyes, looking at Sasuke for an unguarded moment as his brain woke up, then blinking as he sat up straight and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, fuck. Thanks. What… uh, what time is it?" he finished on a yawn.

"Late. I need to head out. And you should go sleep in an actual bed. This futon sucks." Sasuke stood, stretching to try to release the kinks in his back. "Why haven't you bought any grown-up furniture?"

Naruto's eyes skimmed down Sasuke's body before quickly snapping back up to his face, then off to the side of the room.

"What? Right," Naruto said, a trace of pink etching along his cheekbones as he stood. "I don't know. I wanted to see how it went living on my own first before I invested in furniture, I guess. Plus, furniture shopping sucks."

"Hm," Sasuke murmured in agreement. Thank god Itachi had bought most of the furniture in his place.

Naruto picked up his phone to check the time. "Fuck. I didn't mean to keep you so late. You should have kicked me up earlier. You have to work tomorrow."

They stood facing each other, the length of the futon between them. It would be an easy distance to close, and the awareness of that fact shivered between them. The only thing that held Sasuke back was the fact that Naruto had had enough shit thrown at him in the past couple of days. When this happened, he wanted to be absolutely sure it was what they both wanted, not some misplaced need that Naruto had stemming from something else.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Sasuke said as he turned and walked over to the entryway and pulled his shoes on. He could feel Naruto's gaze on him the entire time. He straightened, looking over at Naruto and catching him mid-stare. Sasuke arched an eyebrow, and Naruto immediately flushed and looked away.

Sasuke managed to conceal his smirk until he was out the door. That was definitely a 'more than friends' look Naruto had on his face. Relief flooded him. He wasn't too late. Sasuke was willing to wait until Naruto wasn't being hit by an emotional freight train before he did anything about it, and this time, he wasn't going to fuck it up.

Sasuke was glad the traffic was light on his way home. His mind was focused on trying to figure out where he and Naruto stood. It felt like they'd moved beyond friends, but weren't quite 'dating' either. Sasuke's fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly. He didn't do well with grey areas. Or dating. Or really anything that had to do with relationships. He was going to fuck this up.

Though… Naruto already knew all that about him. But at least he had managed to control himself enough not to take advantage of Naruto's state of mind. He missed the physical side of their relationship, but he wasn't going to play dirty to get Naruto back in his bed. If it happened… when it happened, it was going to be with both of them on firm ground, with eyes wide open. He wasn't going to be some quick fuck to help Naruto take his mind off shit.

His mind went back to the last night they had slept together, before the break-up. He'd been bitter about it for a long time, but now he understood a little bit better what had happened. Naruto hadn't been using him. He'd just been spiraling. Sasuke wasn't ever going to feel good about it, but at least he didn't feel the anger he had in the past. He could get past it. There had been a lot going on that he'd missed back then. He couldn't hold Naruto accountable for all of it.

But that didn't mean Naruto was ready to jump into a relationship with him. At least Naruto didn't seem to be mourning the ending of his relationship with Gaara, which Sasuke was relieved about. He didn't want to be the rebound fuck. But Naruto seemed to have gone into that relationship knowing it would be temporary. The thing that bothered Sasuke was the way Naruto had seemed to lump his relationship with Gaara with his relationship with Sasuke, the bitterness in Naruto's voice when he'd talked about always looking for things that weren't there.

Sasuke felt a surge of anger, mostly directed at himself. He needed to show Naruto that he wasn't like Gaara. There was nothing standing in the way of them making things work out in the long run. They were both finally wanting the same thing. It had just taken Sasuke a little longer to realize it.

And now he had to fix it.

Naruto woke up slightly disoriented and wondered why he wasn't in his own bed. He blinked as the haze of sleep cleared, and realized that he was in his own bed. His new one. Not the one he had shared with Sasuke for three years. Spending so much time with Sasuke over the weekend must have had him dream weird things, and he had woken up thinking he was back in their old apartment, before the split.

He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to wipe the thought away along with the feeling of rightness that he had woken with when he'd mistakenly thought for a moment that they were still together. Sasuke had been there for him this weekend, even though he didn't have to be. He'd gone beyond what most people would do, but Naruto had to remind himself that they were friends now. Not lovers. Naruto felt a surge of embarrassment as he remembered how he had almost fucking kissed Sasuke the day before.

"Ah, fuck," he pulled his pillow over his face. Sasuke had pulled away. Of course, Sasuke had pulled away! Naruto had been bleary-eyed and hungover, only a few hours out of the bed of some random woman. Why the fuck would Sasuke have wanted to kiss that?The real surprise was that Sasuke hadn't been pissed off about it. Sasuke would have been fully justified in taking a swing at Naruto, but instead, he'd just pulled back then hung out with him the rest of the evening, making sure Naruto was ok.

Naruto bit his lip. There had definitely been attraction at least briefly when Sasuke had looked at him, but not enough for him to want to act on. Sasuke might have broken up with Neji, but that didn't mean he was interested in dating Naruto. Or anyone. Sasuke was someone who could probably be perfectly content on his own. He didn't need a boyfriend.

Naruto steeled his resolve. He was not going to screw this up. He'd rather have Sasuke in his life as a friend than not at all, and he wasn't going to let the fact that he hadn't been able to get over Sasuke push the man away. He'd known Sasuke for a long time, and he knew that nothing made the man put up a wall faster than someone trying to get in his pants or push for something Sasuke had no interest in.

Naruto wasn't going to make that mistake. He had almost two full days to get his shit together before he was going to meet Sasuke and Konan for dinner. He could do this. He could be Sasuke's friend.

Sasuke kept a close eye on Naruto as they walked into the restaurant where they had arranged to meet Konan. Naruto had been unusually quiet when they'd met out front, and Sasuke hoped that he was going to be ok with the meeting. He saw Konan already seated at one of the tables, and walked over to where she was sitting.

"Thanks for driving over to meet us," Sasuke greeted Konan and sat down in the chair next to Naruto. It would have been hard for him to get out of work early enough to go with Naruto if they'd had to drive all the way over to her office, but Konan had volunteered to make the drive between towns herself.

"Yeah, um, thanks. I really… you didn't have to come all the way here," Naruto said nervously, his eyes flickering from Konan to Sasuke to pretty much anywhere in the room. It occurred to Sasuke that Naruto's past experiences with people in Konan's position were probably not that great. Looking at the tightly wound posture of Naruto's body, Sasuke was glad when he'd told the blond to shut the fuck up when Naruto had told Sasuke he didn't need to go with him to meet Konan.

Konan gave Naruto a calm, understanding smile. "After what you told me on the phone this weekend, I wanted to meet you in person to discuss it. The better I understand the situation, the more effective I can be at helping to fix it."

Naruto looked down at the menu in front of him, his mouth tightening slightly.

Konan arched a brow. "You don't agree?"

Naruto's head snapped up, his eyes wide and Sasuke's lips curved slightly. Naruto always seemed so surprised that people could read him when he showcased his emotions so completely on his face. He'd never met anyone more expressive than Naruto, and it always surprised him that so few people had taken the time to look beneath the man's surface.

"No. It's not that I don't agree, it's just…" he glanced over to Sasuke. "In my experience, there just doesn't really seem to be much that can get done. But I really do appreciate your coming all the way here to at least listen."

Konan glanced over to Sasuke before looking back at Naruto. "You have experience with the system?"

Naruto's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Yeah. I mean… Sasuke said he talked to you about it."

Konan smiled slightly. "He didn't tell me anything about your identity, not your age or even your gender. I didn't want to assume."

Naruto blushed, scrubbing the back of his head slightly. "Oh, right. Yeah, well. That was a long time ago. Anyway, do you really think we can do something here?"

The uncertain hopefulness in Naruto's voice made Sasuke's chest tighten, and he felt a surge of white-hot anger at the nameless, faceless people in Naruto's past who had left him so disbelieving that anything good could come out of a situation like this. Konan's expression indicated she was having a similar reaction, but it was masked somewhat by a look of complete determination to do something to fix at least this child's situation. Sasuke thought that - in that moment - he understood the respect that Itachi had for this woman.

"I give you my word I will not let him fall through the cracks, Naruto," she said, looking Naruto directly in the eyes. "What happened to you won't happen to him."

Naruto bit his lip, then nodded, and Sasuke could see the tan throat working convulsively as he got ahold of his emotions. "Thanks," he said roughly.

Konan nodded in reply, then took out a pad of paper, taking down the basic information Naruto gave her about where he saw the boy, what he looked like, and where his best guess was about where he lived. She also took the name of the sweets shop and the owner who had seemed to know the boy.

She paused, skimming through her notes, then looked up at Naruto again. "What was your impression of the boy's mental state?"

Naruto blinked, surprised. "Well, I mean… I guess it was pretty much what you'd expect."

"What would you expect?" Konan asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Guarded," Naruto said without hesitation. "He isn't used to having anyone actually want to help him. Especially not an adult. So I was careful to try to not scare him or get too close."

Sasuke noticed as the muscles on Naruto's forearms tensed, and he shot a warning look at Konan, which she ignored.

"Why would he be so guarded?" Konan asked, her voice calm.

One of Naruto's hands fisted in his lap, though Konan couldn't see it. "Because all the adults in his life either want him out of the way or want to get something from him." Sasuke shifted, letting his knee bump slightly against Naruto's. Naruto glanced over at him, shooting a slight smile as he unclenched his hands slightly.

"Get something?" Konan queried.

Naruto looked down the aisle of the restaurant. "Yeah. Get something. Money for child support, or government aid. Or… other stuff."

Sasuke could feel the tension radiating off Naruto in waves. "Konan," he said, warningly. There was no reason for her to be asking Naruto to speculate.

"What other stuff do you think they are wanting him for?" Konan's voice was gentle.

Naruto met her gaze, the muscles in his jaw tensing before he answered. "I spent half an hour with the kid. You think he's gonna tell me that? Isn't finding out supposed to be your job?"

Sasuke didn't take his eyes off Naruto.

"I was just wondering what you thought he might -"

"Enough," Sasuke bit out, and Konan relented with a sigh.

Naruto stood. "I'll be right back. I need to go to the men's room."

Sasuke didn't miss the way Naruto's hands shook as he walked towards the back corner of the restaurant where the restrooms were located.

"What the fuck are you trying to pull, Konan?"

Konan met his gaze levelly. "He needs to be able to talk about it, Sasuke."

"You can't use any of his speculations about this boy in any of your -"

"Not about the boy. About him. Naruto needs to be able to talk about what happened to him, and it is easier to do that when you are able to project it onto someone else first. To recognize what is happening to them and how you think they are affected by it. That little bit of separation can let him access some of his experiences with enough distance to actually process them, something that he clearly has never been able to do."

Sasuke pressed his lips together. "You aren't a psychologist or a psychiatrist. You're just guessing, and I won't have you fucking with Naruto's head just because you think you know how to wind him up and make him go." Sasuke stood, shooting Konan a look. "I'm going to go check on him. But no more head games when he comes back."

Konan looked down. "I might not have the degree, but I've seen it a hundred times, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked back at her. "Maybe. But you can't ambush him with this. He's here to try to help someone else, not get blindsided."

Sasuke pushed the door open to the men's room, finding Naruto bent over the sink, splashing water on his face. Naruto didn't even glance back.

"Sorry. I don't know why I'm freaking out like this." Naruto shut off the water and walked over to the paper towels, ripping one off and drying his face.

Sasuke leaned against the clean, tiled wall. "She was digging. You don't have to talk about it."

Naruto crumpled the brown paper towel and tossed it into the garbage, then looked over at Sasuke, a rueful twist to his lips. "I'm twenty-five fucking years old, Sasuke. I should be over it by now. I'm not weak anymore. I got out of that shit."

Sasuke held his gaze unwaveringly. "You were never weak, Naruto. Even back then. You don't have anything to prove."

Naruto blinked, then looked down. "Maybe. But then I should have been able to talk to her about it, right?"

Sasuke shrugged. "You don't know her. You told her everything you knew about the kid. You don't owe her anything else. You've already done all you could... more than anyone else did. She was just fishing."

"Why?"

Sasuke blew out a short breath. "She's a friend of Itachi. She likes to mind-fuck people." Sasuke smiled slightly as Naruto let out a surprised bark of laughter, but they both quickly sobered. "Like I told you before. She thinks you need help dealing with this. She said it's easier to talk about a situation when it's involving someone else, rather than your own shit directly."

Naruto thought about it briefly, then let out a small, humorless huff. "Maybe. I think it would be easier to talk about, preferably with a bottle of something a hell of a long stronger than beer."

"We could do that, you know."

Naruto looked at him. "What?"

Sasuke shifted, levering himself away from the wall as someone else walked into the men's room.

"I'm just saying. If you ever want to. We could do that."

Naruto walked towards the doorway, and Sasuke thought he wasn't going to answer.

"Maybe. But just with you. Not her."

Sasuke followed him out, not sure why he felt like something huge had just happened between them.

They didn't linger over coffee with Konan when they returned to the table, quickly dividing the tab and heading out. Naruto had a plane to catch early the next morning, so Sasuke dropped him off at his place but Naruto promised he'd text him when he landed the next day.

Sasuke was surprised when his phone buzzed before he'd even pulled away from Naruto's apartment building, thinking the text was from Naruto. A muscle in his jaw spasmed when he saw the text was, in fact, from his brother.

Konan said you were very supportive of your 'boyfriend' this evening. I didn't realize there was news on this front. Bring Naruto with you this Saturday for dinner.

"Fuck," Sasuke swore to no one in particular. He briefly considered texting Itachi back and informing him that there was no news on that front, and Konan was just sticking her nose in things, but he knew that Itachi would just call Naruto directly and invite him himself if Sasuke didn't agree.

Older brothers were such assholes sometimes.

Sasuke was at work the next day when he saw his phone buzz, Naruto's name lighting up the screen.

There was a whole crowd of people down at the park this afternoon. I thought there must be a hooker giving out free head, but it turns out it was just crazy people playing Pokemon Go, and a bulbasaur was spawning in the park. Who knew?

Sasuke gave a soft snort of laughter, earning a surprised look from Juugo. He quickly typed back a response before getting back to work.

Leave it to you to jump to the assumption of free head in a public park. Hopefully you didn't actually proposition anyone before you figured it out.

Naruto snickered when he saw the text from Sasuke. He adjusted the strap on his equipment bag as he walked to the site of his next shoot. He'd be lying if he said he'd slept well the night before. The conversation with Konan had shaken him, but every time his mind started to take him down a path he didn't want to go, he remembered the way Sasuke had looked at him in the men's room. There had been no pity, no derision. Sasuke had told Naruto that he wasn't being weak.

With most people, Naruto would think that they were just saying that to be nice, but that had never been Sasuke's MO. Sasuke would be the first person to call Naruto out if he were being a pussy about something. Sasuke didn't say things he didn't mean just to avoid pissing people off or hurting their feelings. Naruto could trust him to be straight with him. He drew a breath as he neared the address Jiraiya had sent him. He trusted Sasuke's judgement enough to maybe believe he was right.

He looked around the room, taking in the lighting and angles before choosing a place to set up his tripod, telling himself it was totally normal to miss a friend when you haven't even been gone a day. He sent Sasuke a quick text, asking if maybe they could grab lunch when he got back in two days.

"Kiba, look. I really appreciate the offer, but I just… I have plans." Naruto pinned the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he stuffed his notebook back into his bag, scanning the tables to see if Sasuke had arrived before him. "What do you mean, 'what plans'? Plans, plans. Just -," he cut off as he turned to see Sasuke walking up behind him. "Hey, I've gotta go. Sasuke's here. Yes, we're having lunch. What? No, we're not -," Naruto made an apologetic expression to Sasuke. "Fuck you, Inuzuka. You've been spending too much time with your dogs. I'm hanging up now."

Sasuke arched a brow, an amused look in his dark eyes, and Naruto tried not to pay attention on how the expression seemed to set his blood humming.

"Kiba being his usual self?" Sasuke queried as they walked to an empty table and took a seat.

"Yeah. He's just…," Naruto rubbed the back of his head, suddenly feeling awkward about the topic that Kiba had called him about. Things had been going really well between him and Sasuke, and he didn't want to talk about anything that called out their past issues.

"Just?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto hoped Sasuke was going to drop the topic when the waitress appeared with their menus, but he wasn't that lucky.

"Is he trying to set you up with someone?" Sasuke's tone was casual, but Naruto didn't miss the way his long, pale fingers tightened slightly on the menu.

"No! No, he… uh, he just wanted me to come spend New Year's with his family," Naruto said, deciding that he'd rather just talk about it and get it over with than have Sasuke think… whatever it was Sasuke was thinking.

"But you have other plans," Sasuke stated, though Naruto could tell it was really more of a question. It would be the first New Year's they'd spend without the other in six years. They'd missed each other's birthdays this past year as well, so Naruto knew there were no expectations of anything, but still it felt awkward. So much had changed between them in the last few days, and they felt so much closer than they had been even before the breakup in some ways that Naruto had to keep reminding himself that they weren't actually together again.

"Sort of. I mean," Naruto looked at Sasuke, suddenly realizing that Sasuke would understand. "Kiba has this huge, super-tight family. It's awesome and everything, but I went a few times when I was a kid and Kiba invited me and…" Naruto shrugged. It had just been a huge reminder of everything he wanted, and everything he didn't have and wasn't likely to ever get.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, setting the menu down as the waiter approached to take their order.

Naruto didn't need to say anything more. Sasuke had his own family baggage, and he knew exactly what Naruto meant. It struck Naruto in that moment that maybe Sasuke understood him better than he understood himself. Sasuke had known that Naruto needed to be able to do something about the little boy he'd photographed. And he'd helped Naruto figure out what to do, and even come with him when he'd had the conversation with Konan.

Naruto's past experience with people seeing the 'damaged side' of him was that they would either cut and run, or they'd try to 'cheer him up', like watching a movie or going out would 'fix him'. People didn't realize that some things couldn't really be 'fixed'. The wounds might stop bleeding, but there would always be a scar. He'd never expected someone to actually understand him well enough to try to do something that really mattered like this. Or to take the time to even bother.

It turned everything upside down for him. He'd always felt like his connection to Sasuke was more than with anyone else, but after the last week he found himself struggling even more to think of Sasuke as just a friend. In reality, he was so much more than that, but the last thing Naruto wanted was to pay Sasuke back by pushing for more than the man wanted. If he could be best friends with Sasuke, then he would gladly take that over losing him altogether. But he was slowly realizing that - for him - there would never be anyone who came close to what Sasuke was to him. He was still in love with Sasuke, probably more now than ever. The realization was like a kick in the chest, but in some ways, it also steadied him. Even if Sasuke only saw him as a friend, he would at least have someone that he truly loved in his life. It might not be the fairytale that he'd wished for as a child, but it was a hell of a lot better than nothing.

He wasn't alone anymore, and that was enough.

"So you don't have plans, then?" Sasuke asked as the waiter walked away after taking their order.

"Actually, I, uh, booked a room up in Hokkaido. One of the hot spring places. Lots of winter hiking trails. I'd always wanted to go and check it out, but I never had the funds to actually do it before. I figured, it would be something cool to do."

Sasuke nodded, remembering Naruto talking about it back when they were in college, the expense of the trip far beyond their meager means at the time.

"Just you?" Sasuke asked and Naruto could almost feel the way Sasuke was avoiding asking about Gaara directly.

"Yeah. Everyone else has family stuff. It's fine," Naruto said, shrugging.

"Hn." Sasuke took a sip of the tea the waiter had brought for him.

"What about you?" Naruto asked, though he was a little bit afraid of the answer. He dreaded the day Sasuke arrived with news that he'd met someone and had started dating again, but he knew it would happen eventually. Just hopefully not right then.

"Itachi wanted to spend it with me, but I told him he should go back to our parents' house for the family New Year's."

Naruto blamed what happened next on the fact that he was busy watching the way Sasuke's tapered fingers held the cup of tea he was drinking, because he really had no justification for what came out of his mouth. "You could come with me to Hokkaido. I'm sure they'd let me switch the room from a single to a double."

Sasuke's eyes looked at him intently for a moment, and Naruto found himself back-peddling in case he'd overstepped the 'just friends' boundary. "I mean, just as friends. Unless you have plans. Or whatever. I'm just saying that… it sucks to be alone on the holidays, and this place had really good reviews. And food. If you wanted."

"Alright," Sasuke said, looking over at where a noisy group of young businessmen were sitting at a table, all braying loudly into their cell phones at the same time. His eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked, feeling like somehow this was both the best and most horrible idea he'd ever had in his life.

Sasuke turned and looked at him, his face unreadable. "Sure. Why not. Like you said, they have good food, right?"

Naruto stumbled over himself to assure Sasuke about the quality of the food. Their lunch arrived shortly after, and Naruto tried very hard to not to stare too much at the way Sasuke's lips moved while he ate, or the way his throat worked when he swallowed. They talked about the latest news from Konan and Sasuke's new project. And how Sasuke's efforts to avoid his brother in general were going.

By the end of lunch, Naruto realized he was completely screwed. He was in so far over his head with Sasuke he didn't know what to do. But there was no way he was going to back out of the chance to spend three whole days with Sasuke, even if he spent every damn minute feeling like he was going to come out of his skin every time Sasuke licked his lips or pushed his hair back from his face.

He could do this.

"By the way," Sasuke said as they stood up to leave. "Itachi wants you to come to his place with us for dinner this Saturday."

Naruto could only stand there, frozen, as Sasuke grabbed his laptop bag and headed back to work.

Itachi would see through Naruto in about one point two seconds. Yeah. Naruto was definitely screwed.

Naruto insisted on being the one to drive up to Itachi's place. 'If I need to make a run for it, I want the keys already in my pocket.' Sasuke had chuckled, but didn't argue about it. He understood the sentiment fully.

They had just entered town when Sasuke's phone buzzed. He frowned as he looked down at the message.

"Itachi's running late at the hospital. He won't be back for at least another hour."

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke before returning his attention to the road. "Does that mean we can turn around and go home?" He shot Sasuke a crooked grin that made Sasuke force himself to look out the window instead.

"Coward."

"Hey, I'll bet Itachi never threatened your dick. Call me a coward all you want, but I say we make a break for it while we can."

Naruto continued driving, though, and Sasuke felt his lips curve slightly. It was rare for anyone to be able to hold their own against Itachi, but Naruto had had dinner with the man even after their break-up. Naruto could have said no… anyone else would have. But Naruto had agreed to Itachi's terms. Sasuke wasn't sure if it was out of respect for Itachi or Naruto's general refusal to be intimidated by anything life threw at him, but he knew that he didn't have to worry about Naruto with his brother. They honestly liked and respected each other, and Sasuke knew just how rare that was.

He glanced over, taking in Naruto's profile, how the strong, tan fingers held the steering wheel loosely while he drove.

Sasuke didn't generally like people. He interacted with them when he had to, but aside from Itachi, there had never been anyone in his life he even remotely trusted or wanted to spend time with outside of necessity, until Naruto.

When Naruto had left, Sasuke hadn't really known what to do. He'd kept pushing ahead at work, because that was what he was good at. His one attempt at dating after the breakup had only shown him that he hadn't gotten any better at letting people in. It was still just Itachi.

And Naruto.

Naruto must have felt Sasuke looking at him, and he turned to shoot a lopsided grin at Sasuke. "What? Something on my face?"

Sasuke was grateful that Naruto had to immediately look back at the road and missed the slight flush along his pale cheeks.

"That would only be an improvement," Sasuke said easily, relaxing against the seat, smiling slightly as Naruto reacted as expected.

"What?! Asshole. I am totally just as hot as you." Naruto threw him a sidelong glance. "Ok, well… no one is really just as hot as you, but I'm a fucking sexy second place."

"Tch," Sasuke turned his face to look out the window, or he would do something stupid like tell Naruto exactly how often he thought about having sex with him.

The past couple of weeks had been a test to Sasuke's willpower, but he was determined not to rush things. He hadn't been lying when he said he wanted to be Naruto's friend. And right now, that meant dealing with what Naruto needed, not what Sasuke wanted. Sasuke knew that pushing for 'upgrading' their relationship when Naruto had been in the state he was the last weekend would have been a dick move, so he'd held off. He didn't regret waiting, but ever since that night, Naruto had seemed to have pulled back, making no sign of wanting to move beyond the 'friendship' boundaries they had agreed on.

It was making Sasuke frustrated as hell.

He had maybe had a minor moment of panic when he thought Kiba was setting Naruto up with someone else (which Sasuke may or may not have momentarily thought about killing Kiba for), but in the end it had all been fine. Better than fine, actually, since they had ended up making plans to spend New Year's together.

Talking with Konan had been rough, but Naruto seemed to have pulled himself together after that. He'd had to talk to Konan's boss, and Naruto hadn't even flinched. Sasuke hummed, slanting another glance over at Naruto before turning back to look out the window, a slight smile on his lips.

Itachi wasn't there when they arrived at his apartment, but he had left the recipe for dinner on the counter, so Naruto and Sasuke started cooking. When an hour had passed and there was still no sign of Itachi, Sasuke decided they would swing by the hospital and see what was happening. They packed up some of the food they'd cooked in case he was getting pulled into another shift, though the fact that he hadn't responded to Sasuke's texts meant he was likely stuck in the OR.

Sasuke had gone to the nurses' station to find out what was going on. If Itachi was going to be tied up much longer, they'd just do dinner without him. It happened sometimes. Itachi's job wasn't exactly something he could walk out in the middle of the minute his shift was done.

Naruto was checking out the hospital vending machines, amused to note that doctors and nurses didn't seem to eat much healthier snacks than anyone else. A flash of blonde caught his eye, and Naruto looked up to see a woman in a white doctor's coat walking up to the same vending machines. Naruto's eyes widened in recognition, and he sucked in a breath so sharp he started to choke. The woman was wearing significantly more clothing than she had been when she posed for the painting that was hanging over his boss' mantle, but there was no mistaking either her face or remarkable figure.

The woman arched a brow at him, and Naruto could feel his face turn beet red.

"Are you alright?" the woman asked, her voice brisk and professional.

"Um… yes?" Naruto said in a strangled voice.

A pale hand landed on his shoulder and he nearly jumped.

"Naruto. I assume Sasuke got tired of waiting for me," Itachi glanced over to the vending machines. "I hope you didn't decide to come here instead of cooking dinner."

It was possibly the only time in Naruto's life he had felt a surge of relief at seeing Itachi.

"No. I mean, yes. Sasuke's here. We brought you dinner, since we didn't know how late you'd be." Naruto glanced back at the blonde woman who was in the process of purchasing something from the machine.

"I see you've met my boss, Dr. Senju Tsunade. Dr. Senju, this is Sasuke's… friend, Naruto."

Naruto could still feel his face flaming as he turned to shake hands with the woman, making very sure his eyes stayed locked on her face.

"Nice to meet you," Naruto choked out. He could feel Itachi's curious gaze, and only prayed he didn't say anything about it until after the doctor had left.

Tsunade looked at Naruto with mild curiosity, likely more due to his odd behavior than Itachi's introduction. "I see. Are you an engineer as well, then?"

"Um… no, ma'am. I'm a, um, photographer."

Itachi arched a brow, clearly puzzled at Naruto's behavior. "He recently got hired as a staff photographer at Sanin Media. I believe I showed you the travel piece his work was featured in."

Tsunade's face went completely still, her eyes focused on Naruto, who was carefully looking absolutely anywhere except her.

"The old pervert never burned that painting, did he?" she asked, her hands gripping the tablet she was holding with enough force that Naruto half expected it to snap in half.

"Um… no, ma'am."

"I see. Well, Naruto, it was nice meeting you. You'd best call your employer to see if he has any final instructions for you. It's likely he will be out of commission for quite some time in the immediate future." She turned and walked off, her blood red heels clicking dangerously on the tiled floor.

"Holy shit. He's so dead," Naruto breathed out, grateful he was not going to be on the receiving end of that woman's wrath.

Naruto turned to find Sasuke walking up, Itachi's gaze fixed on Naruto. "Are you going to explain to me what just happened between you and my boss?" Itachi asked.

"Do I have to?" Naruto countered.

"Yes."

Itachi had gratefully and efficiently eaten the food they'd brought, then they'd all headed back to Itachi's place. Naruto had grumbled good naturedly that they'd technically met their 'Saturday dinner' obligation, but he still followed Itachi's car back to the apartment.

"So, Naruto," Itachi said casually as he unlocked his door. "Last I heard you were dating a sex club owner. Then Konan calls me up this week to tell me what a good boyfriend my little brother was being to you. Care to explain?"

Naruto froze midway through removing his shoes, but Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"Fuck off, Itach'. If you dragged him here to interrogate him, we're leaving."

Itachi arched a brow at Naruto, unholy amusement shining in his dark eyes. "He's so protective of you, isn't he?"

"Or maybe he just likes to argue with you," Naruto offered, shooting a relieved glance Sasuke's way that Sasuke wasn't exactly sure how to interpret.

"Hm. Probably in the vain hope that he will one day manage to actually win."

Sasuke glared at Itachi as he went into the kitchen. "It's interesting that Konan seems to have you on speed dial. You usually don't give the women you work with your personal number. Care to explain?" he said, the slight mocking tone clear as he repeated Itachi's words back to him.

To Naruto's extreme elation, Itachi's cheeks actually seemed to pinken at the words.

"Holy shit, Sasuke! Your brother might not actually be the devil after all. I think you just made him blush!"

Sasuke's low laughter drifted out from the kitchen.

With the threat of further interrogation about Konan hanging over Itachi's head, the conversation for the rest of the evening was relatively tame. They discussed their work, the latest news on the upcoming elections, and Itachi's amusement at Naruto and Sasuke's new hobby of rock climbing, and the fact that if they really wanted to 'play with ropes', they could have figured that out a long time ago.

Naruto was pulling on his jacket when Itachi walked over to them, sipping his coffee.

"Still going to be difficult about New Year's? It's only a week away, Otouto. You'll finally get the attention you've always craved. Even Uncle Obito was asking about you last week."

Naruto stilled, his eyes snapping up to look at Sasuke. He had been planning on spending New Year's alone before his spontaneous invitation to Sasuke, but since Sasuke had agreed, Naruto would be lying if he said he hadn't been looking forward to having Sasuke all to himself for three entire days, even if it was just platonic.

"What's that about New Year's?" Naruto asked, looking at Itachi, then Sasuke.

"I already told you I wasn't going to go. I've made other plans," Sasuke replied tersely to Itachi.

Itachi looked from Naruto's face to Sasuke's, and a darkly delighted look appeared in his eyes.

"I see. Well, I'm sure your New Year's will prove to be much more entertaining than what Uncle Obito or Madara could provide. Especially if Naruto has acquired some new skills from his most recent… set of experiences."

"We're leaving now, Itachi. I'm sure your next conversation with Konan will be fascinating. Especially when I send her the pictures I took when you came back from your first legal night out at the bar on your twentieth birthday."

"You wouldn't." Itachi's voice showed an uncertainty that Naruto took great pleasure in.

Sasuke only smiled, closing the door behind them as they headed home.

They walked to the car in somewhat awkward silence.

"Your brother is still a total bastard," Naruto said finally. "If you have embarrassing, drunk photos of him, how could you have not let me see them?" Naruto asked as they got into his car.

Sasuke smirked. "Because then Itachi would definitely have had to kill you. I've been saving them for just the right occasion."

"Shit, I would pay money for those," Naruto laughed, and Sasuke gave him an amused look. "Are they just… Itachi passed out or looking dumb kind of photos or like… drunken orgy photos?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're the one who likes to take sex photos, not me."

"I don't take… God, you sound like Kiba."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not happy with the comparison. "You hang out in sex clubs, people are likely to comment."

Naruto groaned, blushing. "Ugh, I wish everyone would just let that drop already. I went into the place like… three times for work, and that's it. Kiba keeps asking me all this crazy stuff, but it turns out Shika is the one he should be talking to. Who knew?"

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto. "I thought you were dating the owner of the club?"

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, sort of. Like I told you, it wasn't really serious."

"Serious enough that you were sleeping with him, though."

"Well, yeah. But not at the club. I mean, it was interesting to… see it… when I did the shoot, but… that's not really my scene."

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, oddly relieved at the statement. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean… a little bondage is fine. You liked it, too, as I recall," Naruto waggled his eyebrows at him, but Sasuke could tell he was just deflecting. He shot Naruto a look saying as much, and Naruto shrugged, turning back to the road. "Whatever. It's not a big deal, but having someone beat my ass with a flogger or a belt or whatever, I had enough of that shit growing up. Not a turn-on for me."

Sasuke watched him for a moment, but didn't say anything more.

"So, uh… what was Itachi saying about New Year's?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Just family bullshit. As usual."

Naruto glanced over at him. "Hm. Usually your family leaves you alone. What's up with them bothering you about New Year's this time?"

Sasuke looked out the window. "One of my uncles saw an article about me. Evidently my parents now think I'm 'worth' actually making an effort to invite to New Year's this year, rather than just a perfunctory message delivered through Itachi."

Naruto pulled off to the side of the road, turning to face him fully. "Holy shit, Sasuke! That's… that's huge. Why aren't you going?"

"Tch. Why would I? They never gave a shit before."

"I know. But…," Naruto looked at Sasuke, confusion taking over his face. "I mean, I'm the first person who's going to say what a bunch of jerks I think your parents are, but this is what you always wanted, isn't it? For them to finally pull their heads of out their asses and see how fucking awesome you are? Even if it is like… twenty years late."

Sasuke's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "What, so they can show me off, take credit for my accomplishments even though they didn't care whether I succeeded or failed as long as I did it on my own dime? No, thanks."

Naruto looked at him curiously. "But don't you just want to go and show them all that you did it?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto. "Itachi has to show up and let my parents show him off because they paid for his schooling. I don't have the same obligation. Besides, I'm already spending it with you. You changed the room, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We're all set for next week, but like… I wouldn't be upset if you wanted to go home, Sasuke. We could get together a different weekend. Holidays should be family time."

"Exactly," Sasuke said, looking at the road.

Naruto blinked. "But…"

"Are we just going to sit here on the side of the road all night, or are you going to actually drive us home."

Naruto just stared at Sasuke, his eyes wide. Then he grinned, and pulled back out into the light, late-night traffic.

New Year's couldn't come soon enough.

Naruto had taken a cab from his place to Sasuke's, since they would be taking Sasuke's car up to the resort in Hokkaido. It still made Naruto feel a heady twist of exhilaration and anxiety that they would be spending three complete days together, sharing a room. They'd booked one with two beds, and it didn't make sense to fork out the cash for an extra room, but it still had his mind buzzing. He wouldn't have thought twice about sharing the room with Kiba or Shika or Shino. In fact, he's shared a bed with those guys and barely noticed except that Shika hogged the blankets and Kiba snored.

But the idea of being in the same room as Sasuke for seventy-two hours… seeing Sasuke come out of the bathroom after he showers, hearing the sound of the blankets rustle as Sasuke got into bed… Naruto groaned slightly, feeling his blood start to heat just at the thought. He wondered if he should just sleep in his jeans, which would at least do something to disguise the hard-on he was likely going to be sporting all night, sleeping just feet from Sasuke.

He paid the cab and was just slinging his bag over his shoulder when a car sped by, hitting a puddle of dirty, freezing water and spraying it all over Naruto's face and chest.

"Motherfucker!" Naruto cursed, feeling the gritty, frigid water slide down his neck under his collar. His hair, jacket, and shirt were soaked. Luckily, his bag had been behind him and been spared.

Shivering, he jogged up the steps of Sasuke's apartment building, wiping his face on his coat sleeve and grimacing at the smear of mud that appeared on it. "Just fucking great," he muttered to himself. Not that he was expecting anything sexual to happen between him and Sasuke, but he would have liked to not show up at the man's door looking like he'd spent the day rolling around in mud rather than just having taken a shower.

He knocked on Sasuke's door. Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally when he opened the door and took in Naruto's appearance, but the surprised was quickly gone and replaced by a coolly arched eyebrow.

"Should I even ask?" Sasuke said drily, stepping back to let Naruto in, his black jeans and dark red sweater immaculate by contrast. Naruto steeled himself against how impossibly attractive Sasuke looked standing casually in the doorway.

"Some asshole decided it would be fun to hit a big puddle of slush at double the speed limit just outside your place," Naruto grumbled, pulling off his jacket and grimacing at the dirty water covering it.

Sasuke took the coat, examining the damage. "It's water resistant so I should be able to just wipe most of this off." He glanced over to Naruto's dirty hair and neck. "The rest of you might need an actual wash, though."

"Ugh," Naruto said, running a hand through his hair. Sasuke's apartment was warm, but the icy water had chilled him through. "Yeah, let me just go wash up, then we can head out."

"Hn," Sasuke murmured in assent as he took Naruto's jacket into the kitchen to clean it off.

Naruto unzipped his bag, quickly digging out a fresh shirt he could change into, and glad he had packed a spare change of clothing 'just in case'. He hadn't expected the 'just in case' to happen before he'd left the fucking street that Sasuke lived on, but he was just happy to be able to change into something clean and dry.

He walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind him as he pulled off his shirt. He was really only dirty down to his collarbone, so he figured he'd just wash up in the sink rather than wasting time on a full shower when he'd just had one less than an hour before. He turned the faucet on, washing off his hands and ducking his head under the tap to get the dirt off. The water was cold, since he had been too impatient to let it warm up properly and his skin pebbled out in goosebumps. When he'd gotten at least the majority of the dirt off him, he turned to grab a towel but discovered belatedly that there wasn't one. He remembered that Sasuke always liked to wash the sheets and towels before he went away, not liking the idea of coming back to a dirty apartment. He probably hadn't had time to put a clean towel back on the towel rack before they left.

"Shit." He grabbed his dirty t-shirt, using the relatively clean bottom half of it to at least get the rivulets of cold water that were running down his chest and back. It was more habit than being invasive when he quickly opened the door, rubbing the shirt through his hair to try to catch more of the water as he stepped into the hallway to the linen closet where he assumed Sasuke still kept the towels. He opened the closet door, his hand automatically going to the shelf where they towels always had been when he froze, his hand slowly moving over to land on a bright orange towel, perfectly folded and set off to the side of the stack of matching black towels.

For a moment, Naruto stood completely still. It was just a towel. It really… didn't mean anything. Except that it did, because Sasuke never kept things that didn't serve a specific purpose. Naruto had had to talk him out of throwing away the diploma he'd received when he'd graduated college because 'No one is going to ask to see it. If they want my academic record they'll call the school or check online.' Naruto had had it framed for him, along with the photo he'd taken of Sasuke accepting his diploma and shaking the Dean of the engineering department's hand.

Why had Sasuke kept his towel? He'd always complained about the color. And the towel was getting old, not nearly as soft and hole-free as Sasuke's. It didn't even look like it had been used recently, sitting off to the side, so it wasn't as though Sasuke had been short of towels and needed an extra.

He looked up to see Sasuke coming from the kitchen holding his jacket. Sasuke slowed down, his eyes moving to lock on the orange towel that Naruto had just pulled from the closet.

Sasuke froze at the sight of Naruto standing shirtless in the hallway, holding his orange towel with a frozen, puzzled look on his face.

There were so many thing going on in Sasuke's head at once that - for a moment - he didn't remember that he needed to continue breathing. The tattoo that he'd caught glimpses of over the past several weeks was now fully bared to his view, the intricate details of it wrapping around Naruto's left shoulder, trailing down to just above his nipple - which was pebbled hard possibly due to the water that was dripping down from his wet hair - and disappearing over onto his back out of Sasuke's sight.

The image of Naruto's lean, contoured body would have been bad enough for him to deal with, but Naruto was also holding the orange towel that Sasuke had been pretending he hadn't been foolishly keeping, hidden in his small linen closet where he would see whenever he did laundry. While most people would not think anything about that fact, the stunned, searching expression on Naruto's face told Sasuke Naruto knew exactly what the implications of that towel were.

They stood there, staring at each other for a moment. A bead of water ran down Naruto's neck, trailing down along the defined arc of Naruto's pectoral. Naruto shivered, and the movement snapped Sasuke out of his trance.

"Idiot," he said, stepping closer and taking the towel from Naruto's hands and wrapping it around his shoulders. "Don't just stand there and freeze."

Even to his own ears, Sasuke's voice sounded low and rough. He stepped back, careful to not let his fingers touch Naruto's skin. He knew his own limits. But he couldn't help his gaze from dropping to the dip of Naruto's collarbone, only partially concealed by the towel.

"Sasuke," Naruto began, and Sasuke forced his eyes to meet Naruto's.

The tip of Naruto's tongue ran quickly over his lower lip, definitely in nerves, not arousal, Sasuke told himself, but it was hard to focus with Naruto standing there, the towel loosely covering his bare shoulders but plenty of Naruto's body still on display, the blue eyes looking so fucking earnestly at Sasuke that he had to turn and get the hell out of there before he did something that would ruin any chance he had at convincing Naruto he could be 'just friends'.

"Wait," Naruto's hand landed on Sasuke's shoulder as he turned away.

"Naruto -," Sasuke said, warningly.

"No. You're not walking away. I let you get away with that 'family' comment the other night because I wasn't sure… but not this time. Sasuke, look at me." Naruto's voice had taken that tone that told Sasuke he was not going to back down. It only added to the dark rush of arousal that Sasuke was battling, but it would only draw more attention to his actions if he continued to try to walk away.

"What?" He snapped out, turning to face Naruto with a dismissive expression on his face. "It's a towel. You're cold and wet. Put those two together and let's get going. We're trying to beat the traffic, remember?"

"Fuck you, Sasuke," Naruto stepped in closer, and Sasuke had to fight the urge to step back and maintain the distance between them, like he should. Or step forward and close it completely, like he wanted to. "Why did you keep my towel?"

Sasuke managed what he hoped as a believable snort of dismissiveness. "You're the one who left it."

Naruto's gaze searched his face, and Sasuke could almost swear he could physically feel when Naruto's eyes moved along his cheekbones to his lips, then back up to meet his gaze. Normally, Sasuke wouldn't be worried that anyone would be able to read something in his expression that he wasn't willing to let them, but Naruto had always known him better.

Naruto seemed to reach some sort of conclusion, because he took another half-step closer. Their bodies weren't quite touching, but if Sasuke moved forward at all, they would be. His muscles locked to keep himself in place.

"Yeah. I did leave it." Naruto spoke the words as though there were a challenge. Or an admission.

Sasuke's brain was having trouble getting any further than that, because quick glance told Sasuke that Naruto's goose bumps had disappeared from his skin, but his nipples were still pebble hard.

The awareness of that singular detail held Sasuke attention with an absolute focus. The temperature in his apartment seemed to jump suddenly.

"I figured you'd just throw it out, but I left it behind." Naruto's voice was rougher now, a huskier edge that the lower portion of Sasuke's anatomy definitely recognized and was starting to respond to. "You're usually pretty ruthless about throwing shit out, Sasuke."

The question in Naruto's statement was obvious, but Sasuke didn't reply. His jaw tightened at the predatory look that flared in Naruto's blue eyes, darkening them and making them look almost electric.

"I think you kept it for a reason," Naruto continued, his gaze dropping briefly to Sasuke's lips before moving back to his face.

Sasuke wasn't sure how Naruto glancing at his lips seemed to be hard-wired directly to the amount of blood that was rapidly filling his dick, but there was no denying the abrupt tightness in Sasuke's jeans.

"And what reason would that be?" Sasuke bit out.

Naruto gave a slow, dark smile that caused the small hairs on the back of Sasuke's wrists to stand on end and his balls to tighten.

"All this time, I've been so fucking confused. You said you wanted to be friends, and I figured…" Naruto drew a breath in through his teeth. "... that you weren't interested in anything else anymore. I mean, you had seemed to have pretty much lost interest in me by the end." Sasuke frowned. There were so many things wrong with what Naruto had just said that he didn't know where to start, but Naruto was already continuing. "But that wasn't it, was it? You're not…," Naruto glanced down, where Sasuke was very sure his erection was quite obvious, despite the best effort of his jeans. "... you're not looking very disinterested, Sasuke."

"You were seeing someone else," Sasuke said, his hands moving up of their own accord to grab the ends of the towel he'd only recently placed on Naruto's shoulders. This time, they removed it, baring Naruto's skin to Sasuke's gaze. Naruto's eyes slid to half closed, and Sasuke would bet a year's salary that the goosebumps that shivered across the tan chest this time were not from cold. The thought briefly flickered through Sasuke's mind that he should be trying to slow things down. Naruto hadn't been broken up with Gaara for much more than a week. But a lot had happened in that week.

"I'm not seeing anyone now," Naruto murmured, the fingers of his right hand slipping into the waistband of Sasuke's jeans, tugging him forward so that their bodies were flush against each other. They both froze, waiting for permission or rejection from the other, their harsh breathing loud in the silence of the narrow hallway. Sasuke could feel the hard ridge of Naruto's erection against his own, could smell the scent of Naruto's shampoo and the faint trace of his own hand soap that Naruto must have used to wash the dirt off his face.

"If you've been worried about being the rebound -," Naruto's breath was hot against Sasuke's ear, and Sasuke's entire body shuddered at the feel of it. " - then you really didn't have to bother. I never got over you to begin with. I left without a fight because I thought I was just holding you back."

Sasuke didn't even realized he'd surged forward and pinned Naruto against the wall until he heard the low sound of approval in Naruto's throat. Naruto's fingers were fisting into his hair, and Sasuke could feel the slick, hot pressure of Naruto's tongue on his lips as Naruto licked his way into Sasuke's mouth, tasting of toothpaste and mouthwash.

Sasuke groaned into Naruto's parted lips, his hands closing reflexively, desperately over the firm, anti-gravity curve of Naruto's ass as he pulled their bodies together with more force. Sasuke forced himself to pull back from the kiss, though he kept his vice-grip on Naruto's body.

"You weren't," Sasuke's voice was low and rough, but he had to say it now or he knew he never would. "You weren't holding me back. I was just… Everything was so fucked up when you left, Naruto. Nothing was… I didn't know-"

Naruto's lips were back on his before he could finish whatever garbled statement that he had been trying to make. Which was probably all for the best given Sasuke's track record of being able to articulate what he was feeling. He thanked god Naruto didn't need flowery words. Sasuke had always been better at showing than telling. They both had. Naruto's hand slid between his legs and began palming Sasuke through his jeans, and Sasuke stopped thinking.

This was what he needed. Just this. His parents and Kabuto and fucking Gaara and everyone else could go fuck themselves, because he wasn't going to lose sight of Naruto again.

"Fuck, yes," he gritted out, his head falling back slightly. Naruto's lips latched onto the pale column of Sasuke's throat and sucked harshly, likely leaving a dark bruise. Sasuke reveled in the show of possessiveness, pressing forward, desperate to feel more contact between them, more friction. Naruto's hand was trapped awkwardly between their bodies, and Sasuke shifted his hips slightly to grab Naruto's wrists before pinning them to the wall next to Naruto's head as their hips thrust against each other.

Naruto made a sound of frustration that echoed Sasuke's own lust-blown feelings. This wasn't going fast enough. Sasuke felt like he had been waiting forever for this, and he had zero patience for the ridiculous amount of clothing that still seemed to be separating them.

"Bed. Now," Naruto grated out, placing a filthy, bruising kiss on Sasuke's mouth.` He twisted his wrists free of Sasuke's grip, fisting his hands painfully back into Sasuke's hair to tilt his head back more, make his mouth open wider for him.

Yes, just like this. The words didn't make it past Sasuke's mouth, because it had better things to do, but they echoed through him like a mantra. No one made him lose control like Naruto did. No one made his mind to white and his body surge with aggressiveness like Naruto. The reality that Naruto was taking him back, that he hadn't lost all of this left him shaking and momentarily dizzy with a combination of panic and bone-crushing relief. He didn't realize he had frozen up until Naruto stopped kissing him.

"Hey. You ok?" Naruto pulled back, looking at him in concern and Sasuke realized his fingers were gripping Naruto's wrists with bruising force, as though afraid he would slip away again.

"Yeah, I…," Sasuke's throat felt tight, and he leaned forward, resting his forehead against Naruto's, taking in the solid presence of the man he'd almost lost for good. "... just… didn't think this would happen." He forced himself to loosen his grip on Naruto's forearms, but couldn't quite make himself let go.

Naruto didn't seem to mind as he combed his fingers through Sasuke's hair before letting them rest loosely on the back of his neck.

"Yeah. Well… let's not fuck it up this time." Naruto's firm, confident voice grounded Sasuke. They both had baggage, but now at least they knew what it was. It wouldn't be perfect, but they were walking into it with their eyes open this time and wouldn't make the same mistakes they had before.

Sasuke ran his hands along the sharp ridge of Naruto's jaw, drawing their mouths together again. He'd missed so many things about Naruto. His directness. His assertiveness. The feel of his body and the scent of his skin. The way he knew what Sasuke felt without having to be told.

"Missed you," Sasuke lifted his lips off Naruto's just enough to murmur against them.

Naruto's grip tightened on the back of Sasuke's neck, and then Naruto's hands were in his hair again, pulling their mouths together harshly, their teeth clicking against each other. He feels the tip of Naruto's tongue sliding along his teeth before moving back along Sasuke's own tongue, as though re-memorizing once familiar territory.

Another thing he'd missed about Naruto… the way he always went all-in, whether it was fighting or fucking or just kissing. Everything they'd been together came rushing back to him in a flood of sensory memories.

From where he stood, looking down at Naruto, Sasuke could see the intricate design of the tattoo trailing down over Naruto's shoulder to snake down his spine, disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. His brain was struggling to process anything beyond the vast expanse of tan skin over sharply contoured muscles, but he vaguely recognized symbols of both Japanese and traditional Samoan cultures. He promised himself he'd look more at it later as he felt Naruto's hand settle on his hips.

He looked down to see Naruto staring at his bared torso, an almost reverent expression on his face. Naruto slowly slid his right hand up from Sasuke's hip bone, splaying it flat over the hard, flat surface of Sasuke's stomach, making a small circle just where the fine trail of black hair disappeared into his jeans.

"I forgot how fucking perfect you are." Naruto's voice was low and hushed, like one would use in a temple or place of worship. Sasuke felt a shudder ripple through him as Naruto let his hand move slowly up over the plane of Sasuke's stomach, turning his wrist so his thumb could flick against the tight bud of his nipple.

"Fuck, Naruto." Sasuke clenched his jaw, his body acutely aware of the hand that moved over his chest, and the other that was frustratingly still on his hip bone. Despite the temptation to grab Naruto's wrist and force the idle hand to move where he desperately wanted it, he slid his hands along Naruto's shoulders, feeling the hard muscles moving beneath the warm skin.

For the moment, Sasuke enjoyed his ability to touch… the fact that he finally had permission to do so again.

Naruto leaned forward, kissing just above Sasuke's navel, both hands shifting to grip Sasuke's hips more firmly as he sucked slow, biting kisses down Sasuke's stomach until he hit the edge of his jeans.

"God, yes," Sasuke said, letting his head fall back.

Naruto made a low sound in his throat as he looked up at him, blue eyes nearly black with lust. "Perfect."

. . .

He started to pick up the pace, feeling the prickle of sweat between his shoulder blades, watching the way Naruto's skin sheened in the light.

"Did you think of me?" Sasuke rasped out, feeling Naruto's body tight around him. He could see the marks on Naruto's neck darkening, but it still wasn't enough. He didn't want to think of anyone else ever getting this but him. He needed Naruto. Needed all of him. "After you left, did you think of me?"

Naruto abruptly locked his legs around Sasuke's torso, holding him in place. His eyes latched onto Sasuke's with equal force. Sasuke's brain caught up with what he'd just said, and he wondered for a moment if Naruto was going to shove him off.

Instead, Naruto gripped his face harshly, pulling him down into a fierce kiss. Naruto's tongue was demanding and filthy, fucking into Sasuke's mouth like it had always belonged there. Naruto ended the kiss just as abruptly, looking at Sasuke with an expression like he was about to jump off a cliff and wasn't fully sure if there was water below him or not. "I want you to fuck me from behind."

Sasuke didn't move for a moment, unsure what was happening and why Naruto seemed so tense about it. They'd fucked in just about every position imaginable in the past, and it had never been an issue. Before he could ask, Naruto was already gripping the base of Sasuke's cock to hold the condom on as he shifted back, pulling Sasuke out. Naruto rolled over, resting on his knees and forearms. Sasuke's hand automatically followed, trailing along the toned arch of Naruto's back to the hard curve of his ass. He could see a shiny string of precum drip from Naruto's cock to Sasuke's sheets, but there was a trembling tension in Naruto that Sasuke wasn't sure he understood.

Sasuke slid his hand up along Naruto's back, feeling the dip along Naruto's spine, trying to ease some of the tension that had inexplicably come over his lover.

"We can slow down," Sasuke murmured, shifting forward to place a kiss on Naruto's rigid shoulder, his brows drawing together in concern. He didn't want Naruto to be nervous, and didn't understand what had happened. Sasuke sat up, letting both hands trail slowly, calmingly over Naruto's skin, noticing the raw beauty of the inkwork on his body as he waited for Naruto to relax.

"Talk to me, Naruto," he said, continuing the soothing movement of his hands, his eyes following the sight of where his hands touched Naruto's body, his fingers absently trailing along some of the markings… the black koi fish, some of the more tribal patterns, the nine-tailed demon fox that Naruto had always been fascinated with. The intricate designs, terminated at the base of Naruto's spine, just at the swell of Naruto's ass, into a final Japanese symbol, one that Sasuke was intimately familiar with.

Sasuke's body froze, his breath stuck somewhere in his chest as the full implications of what he was looking at hit him.

The small fan, the top arc shaded in, the bottom half only outlined. It was small, easily covered by the palm of Sasuke's hand as he placed it over the mark, slowly trailing his fingers down to brush over it, then trace its outline. But the meaning of it was unmistakable. Sasuke watched almost hypnotized as his fingers brushed over his family crest, Naruto's skin tightening beneath his touch into tiny goosebumps that raced over his skin.

The possessiveness he'd felt at seeing his temporary marks on Naruto's neck paled in comparison to the dark surge that flooded him at the sight of the permanent tattoo.

"You wanted to know if I thought about you, Sasuke?" Naruto looked back at Sasuke over his shoulder, his expression uncertain but challenging at the same time.

Sasuke had no such uncertainty. He growled, leaning down, licking the mark on Naruto's skin, then swirling his tongue further down, gripping Naruto's hips harshly as the man pulled forward, away from his mouth. Sasuke shifted forward, laying his chest flat against Naruto's back, feeling the rapid rise and fall of both their breathing.

"I love it." Sasuke almost didn't recognize his own voice, dark and full of everything he was feeling but couldn't express.

Naruto breathed out a choking laugh, full of relief and arousal. "Yeah?"

"Hm," Sasuke nodded, brushing his lips against the damp skin at the base of Naruto's neck. "I'm going to fuck you until the only word you can remember is my name."

"God, yes." Naruto arched his neck back, as his fingers dug harshly into the sheets beneath them, his breathing raspy and shallow.

Sasuke wasn't sure how long they had been lying there when Naruto finally shifted forcing Sasuke to withdraw. Naruto rolled over to face him, a look of complete satiation and happiness radiating from the blue eyes that watched him steadily.

"I don't think we're going to make it to Hokkaido tonight," Naruto said, showing not a spec of regret about that fact.

"I'm not sure we're going to make it to Hokkaido tomorrow, either," Sasuke replied, his eyes drifting to Naruto's slightly parted lips.

Naruto hummed. "The room I booked has a private hot spring. If we make it up there, I can get you naked in it."

Sasuke looked at him consideringly. He supposed it wasn't fair to keep Naruto from the vacation he'd planned.

Naruto slanted him a grin. "And I've heard the hot springs have… recuperative properties."

Sasuke slid his hand up over the curve of Naruto's hip. "It would be a shame not to take advantage of that."

Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Exactly."

Epilogue - 6 months later

Naruto looked up as Sasuke walked into their apartment. Sasuke's tie was loosened, his hair looking like he'd raked his fingers through it somewhat more aggressively than usual as he removed his suit jacket and hung it over the chair. Naruto grinned as Sasuke's eyes slid over the tight, worn jeans that Naruto was wearing with the fitted white henley as he closed his laptop, where he'd been editing the latest batch of his photos.

Sasuke had moved into Naruto's place only two months ago, both of them agreeing they'd rather start over into a new space rather than have Naruto move back to their old one, where so much had gone wrong before.

He was a little later than usual, but not late enough that Naruto had started to worry. He'd texted Naruto earlier, letting him know he'd be late but that Naruto didn't need to start dinner before he got there. They'd figured out a rhythm, balancing Naruto's occasional out-of-town work with Sasuke's increased responsibility, but they'd both been making a conscious effort to have dinner with each other at least four nights a week, and no work on weekends except for a couple of hours Sunday night. They'd already gone on five climbs together, their new hobby providing both an outlet for their rivalry and an excuse to take trips together and get away from work.

Gaara and Shikamaru had started dating (though not exclusively), which was probably the only reason Sasuke tolerated Gaara's occasional presence when they all got together, though it was clear the two men would never be good friends.

"Hey. How was work?"

Sasuke looked over at him as he walked to the kitchen. "I had an interesting phone call today."

Naruto paused at the odd tone in Sasuke's voice. He stood and followed Sasuke into the kitchen. "Everything ok?"

Sasuke shrugged, taking a glass down from the cupboard. "I got a job offer."

"A good one?" It wasn't unusual for head hunters to call Sasuke, but this was the first time Sasuke had brought it up like this.

"I would start at three times my current salary, plus some pretty aggressive stock options."

Naruto blinked. That was… a shitload of money.

"It's at a startup in Tokyo. The woman who called me is the CEO. She promised me a full partnership stake in the company, and an executive role when it goes public."

"Tokyo," Naruto said, trying to process what Sasuke was saying. His job didn't really require him to be in any particular place. They could move to Tokyo. He was nervous about what their life would be if Sasuke was working at a startup, though. He'd heard enough rumors about the engineers sleeping under their desks due to the long hours and high pressure of working there.

But there was no doubt that this would be a fantastic opportunity for Sasuke. If the start-up took off, the money he would make as well as the prestige he would have would be well beyond what he would achieve in working for years in a traditional company.

"Anyone I've heard of?" Naruto asked

"Terumi Mei," Sasuke said, as though he wasn't mentioning one of the most successful serial entrepreneurs in the country. She was smart, ambitious, and… incredibly good-looking. "I'm going to tell her no," Sasuke said casually as he opened the fridge, looking around for a moment before taking out the orange juice and pouring himself a glass.

"Just like that?" Naruto asked, shocked.

Sasuke shrugged. "Unless you want me to take it. Unlike someone, I wanted to talk to you about it first. But it would be long hours and very high stakes. Mei might have had good luck so far, but start-ups can go either way."

Naruto grimaced slightly as he thought back to the way he'd made a similar call right out of college, but hadn't talked to Sasuke at all about it.

"I don't want to hold you back, Sasuke. If this is what you want -"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, temper edging his voice. "If I wanted it, I wouldn't be planning on telling her no. I already have a good job. And I don't have to worry about the company I work for going under overnight."

"Ok, I just… this is a huge opportunity. Are you sure? I want you to be happy, Sasuke."

"I'm sure. We tried it the other way before, remember? It didn't work."

Naruto bit his lip, guilt and uncertainty clear in his expression. Sasuke sighed, walking over to him, settling his hand on Naruto's hips, forcing him to meet his gaze.

"I am absolutely sure. You said you wanted me to be happy right?"

Naruto gave a short nod.

"Then let me say no. Unless you want the money?" Sasuke said, a brow arched.

Naruto laughed, shoving Sasuke back a step. "Asshole. I don't give a fuck about the money."

"Then I'll tell her no," Sasuke said simply. "I don't have anything more to prove."

Naruto smirked, relief and happiness in his expression. "She probably just wanted to get in your pants, anyway," he joked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he hooked his fingers into Naruto's belt loops, tugging him closer. "We should order out. Celebrate my path to non-millionaire status." He leaned in, brushing his lips across the under-side of Naruto's jaw. "Maybe go to bed early."

Naruto arched a brow, sliding his hands along the smooth leather of Sasuke's belt. "I could totally be on board with that. But maybe we could switch the order. Bed now. Food later."

"Done," Sasuke said, not resisting at all as Naruto began walking them backwards to their bedroom.

The end.

A/N: - Oh my god. This chapter NEVER WANTED TO LET ME END IT. Holy shit. For those of you reading me for the first time, this is about as close to fluff as I will ever get. I always cringe when I read big love declarations between these two, because it just feels so OOC for me. I think I've only managed Sasuke to actually say the words twice in all the fics I've written. But I think it's more important to show it, anyway, and I think he's much better at that.

As for Naruto's and Sasuke's bad childhoods, I want to try to be as realistic as possible with how I wrapped those up as well. Naruto is never going to be 'all better' and Sasuke is never going to have a loving relationship with his parents. It just… doesn't work that way. But they can own that aspect of their lives and move on, which is what I had them doing here. So… it's not all wrapped up nicely in a bow. But at least they are better prepared for what's going to come their way, one way or another.