A/N: It's been over six years since I last updated this! Unbelievable. It's been very difficult getting back into this story and I've rewritten some things. Changed the direction a bit. Thank you for reading and sticking with me if you were there from the beginning. So much of life happened and hopefully, I can begin writing again.

Dangerously In Love (Part V)

Sasuke Fucking Uchiha. He's standing outside my door when I arrive home. I'm exhausted from my flight and wanting nothing more than a long hot soak and sleep. My steps falter in surprise at the sight of him but I don't stop walking until I'm standing directly in front him. He says nothing as I approach, remains motionless except for the twitch of his fingers at his side, sharp eyes scanning me. I've had these types of confrontations before; a cuckolded lover seeking to assert themselves. What could he possibly want after all this time? It's been months and he's never struck me as the type. Uchihas are too proud.

He brushes a strand of his ink black hair out of his face and to the side as he stares down at me. I've always hated that he was taller; practically the same height as Naruto. Before Naruto, I'd never cared what the partners of my lovers looked like. When did it begin to matter? Why does it matter even now?

A question I already know the answer to.

The silence continues and once again he brushes aside the hair in his face. God, I'm too tired for this. My patience is quickly evaporating.

"Just get a fucking haircut." I grumble as the strands trickle back into his face, surely obscuring his vision.

I've always hated that ridiculous haircut, covering almost half his face. Then again, I've come to hate everything about him. From his pale skin, almost as pale as mine, to his smooth, black hair and obsidian eyes. And that classically handsome face that leaves people swooning in his path. People fight to be in his presence.

Was it his face that first caught Naruto's attention, like it does with everyone else, or was it that piercing gaze? Was it the air of mystery that clings to him? …Or was it, if the rumors are true, that he was once damaged goods, like me? Naruto and his weakness for strays…

The handle of my luggage is cutting into the palm of my hand. The vice like grip is becoming painful but it's the only thing keeping me from planting it in his face. Naruto would hate me if I hurt him.

He glares yet says nothing and I meet his gaze head on, my body tense, my face impassive as the annoyance slowly build to anger inside me. Naruto has chosen him. He's left me behind to return to him. This man possesses my heart, my existence. What more could this bastard possibly want? There is nothing of value left to take.

His eyes briefly glance up to the scar on my forehead.

"…What is it?...I've been asking myself that question ever since I found out, you know…" His voice is soft, steady with a hint of weariness, laced with malice. It takes me by surprise, leaves me disarmed. There is condescension cloaked in resignation. I say nothing in response. He is the one that approached me; he will need to explain himself. He takes in a deep breath slowly; I watch his chest expand gently with the inhale before he releases it.

"You have a reputation. You love going after what's taken. It's practically a game for you." There's venom in his words.

"I don't do the chasing." I say.

"No. You just spin your little web and wait for prey to walk into it." He spits.

I simply blink at his words. This is tedious.

"Look…I'm not here to start anything... I just want to talk."

"If this is how you start a conversation, I have no interest in what you have to say." My voice sounds much calmer than I feel. What could we possibly have to talk about?

A muscle in his face twitches in irritation and I inwardly smirk in satisfaction. His fists clench at his side and I wonder if he's rethinking not starting anything.

"This isn't about you want!" He snaps.

"In that case, you can get the fuck out of my way. Shouldn't be difficult for a genius like you to manage."

"Do you think I want to be here?"

"Then, why are you?"

"Because there's no other option!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I ask. He's making no sense.

He runs a hand through his hair in frustration, making a mess of the sleek style. Little things are becoming obvious, like the dark circles under his eyes, his rumpled shirt.

"Can we just talk inside?" The resignation is back in his voice. He's practically pleading.

I stare at him for a long moment before finally nodding. I don't trust myself to speak. I pull out my keys and he steps to the side allowing me access to my door.

He follows me inside and looks around while toeing off his shoes. I don't invite him to sit or to make himself comfortable. I can't believe I'm doing this. Instead, I immediately head to my kitchen to retrieve a half-opened bottle of sake I'd stashed in a cupboard before my trip. Finding a cup, I pour myself a drink. My hand is shaking as I pour. From anger? From hurt? From sadness? What do I even feel right now?

"Really?"

I look up at the voice. He's followed me into the kitchen and is staring blatantly at the single sake cup before meeting my gaze with a raised eyebrow. I keep my eyes locked with his as I bring the cup to my lips and down it with one swallow. I continue to stare back as I pour myself another drink. The message is clear. He's not a welcomed guest and I'm not an obliging host.

"We're inside, so say what you need to and get the fuck out." I say to him. He doesn't respond quite yet as he takes a few steps closer to me.

"He-he misses you." The words are barely whispered, eyes on the cup in my hands, shoulders hunched as though he's trying to protect himself from what he uttered. It's a painful admission that makes me momentarily forget how to breathe. My hand tightens around the cup and my body is numb.

Which one of us are those words doing more damage to?

"He thinks I can't see it." He continues, voice shaky and wet. "I've known him for almost my entire life!"

He looks up to meet my gaze once more. "Does he really think I can't tell when he's not burning as brightly?!"

He lets out a mirthless laugh and I look away. I look away because I know what he means when he says he's not burning as brightly. Naruto's a nova, a beacon in our darkness, our north star. It's hard not to notice when the sun gets hidden behind a cloud.

Don't do this to me. His words are like claws, ripping off the newly formed scabs over my wounds. The tearing makes my eyes sting.

"He chose you." I manage to choke out. And god, that admission hurts! I set the cup down and turn to fully face him. "He made his decision and he's been living it. With you. If there's trouble in paradise, it's none of my business."

"Except it is, isn't it. This is YOUR fault! He might have chosen me but I'm not fucking enough, anymore!" He spits the words at me and it's killing him to say it. He's wincing as he realizes he just exposed his soft underbelly to me.

I'm not sure what to feel because we're both hurting in this mess. It was easier to hate him when he was nothing but a shadow, a peripheral presence in the snatched moments with Naruto. Easier to make him the target of my anger as I was overwhelmed by anguish when Naruto ended it. Oh, that anguish. I latch on to it, use it as a familiar cloak. I go for the throat.

"Don't fool yourself, Uchiha. Were you ever enough?" I say, slowly walking towards him. The words make him reel back and he hisses in agony. I smirk widely. That hit was critical.

"Oh, fuck you! More than you'll ever be, that's for fucking sure! He left you to come back to me, remember?"

The smirk drops from my face like a brick. Rage. Blinding rage. The struggle to keep from launching at him is immense. Because that's it, isn't it. That's the truth. The truth - that I was second best, was never good enough to make him stay, wasn't the one he chose. Even when I had him briefly all to myself, Naruto never stopped thinking about the one standing in front me.

"Leave!" It's all I can say before turning my back to him. That backfired.

"Dammit!" He says. "I'm not here for a fight, okay? I just-I…"

I'm getting so sick of this.

"Then what? What is it? He's yours! He ended it. He left me. For you! So, what could you possibly want from me? To torture me? Remind me that I was never his first choice? You're not fucking enough?! It doesn't matter because he CHOSE YOU! HE. LOVES. YOU! He was never mine to begin with and he made that perfectly clear! the last time we saw each other."

The last words come out as a roar in the quiet of my apartment. Without realizing it, I'd moved and now our faces are inches apart. Uchiha stares back at me, eyes wide and I'm finding it difficult to decipher the look he's giving me.

"You love him." He says. It's suddenly dawned on him. He finally understands. Did it never occur to him that I did? That I love Naruto? Did he think Naruto was like all the others?

I scoff and back away. If he continues to tug at that thread, I won't be held responsible for my actions.

"You'd do anything for him." He continues. My body tenses and he throws his hands up in surrender.

"Look, I came here because I wanted to make a proposal." He says. The words come out pained. I'm surprised he'd didn't choke on them.

"A proposal." I say skeptically.

He's taking deep breaths, preparing himself. I can hear the sharp inhales and exhales. There's determination in his eyes, now.

"I love Naruto. He's everything to me. Everything!"

I fold my arms and stare back.

"Part of me keeps thinking, that I deserve what he did…it's my fault for leaving an opening for you to worm your way in."

His face contorts momentarily, rage and malice written all over his chiseled features. I grin back at him, an ugly thing that's all teeth. I fully expect him to lunge at me with the look crossing his face but instead he does that breathing thing again. Inhale. Exhale.

"And...I think, he's everything to you too...i'd like to propose an arrangement."

I blink at the words. He's repeating himself.

"An arrangement."

"Regarding Naruto. I've had a long time to think about this...and I think we can make it work." He grits out. He looks like he's in physical pain at the words and it would be satisfying if my heart wasn't suddenly racing.

"Come again?" This time, it's my turn to choke on my words as disbelief begins to unfurl inside me. This couldn't possibly be…

"There'd need to be rules and we'll both need to agree to stick to them and it might be hard at first - "

"Are you proposing what I think you're proposing?" I struggle out. I can barely breath.

Please don't give me hope. I won't survive it.

"Fuck - I can't believe - Yes. Okay? Yes!"

He stares at me, long and hard. My nails are digging into my palms, the pain, the only thing grounding me in this moment, reminding me that this is real.

"He loves you." He finally says, the words something soft and broken that makes guilt stir inside me."I wish he didn't and every day I wake up hoping he loves you a little bit less."

"He loves me and yet…he loves you. Because he's fucking Naruto and he never does anything half-way. He doesn't know how to give anything but all of himself and still have enough left over to give so much to someone else. And this time-this time it's tearing him apart and he thinks he can live with it but he's not like us. He feels too fucking much and he can never let go! He's always sacrificing himself for others. The one time he took something for himself, we ended up in this mess! And it's not getting better!"

His words leave me stunned. His chest is heaving again at the force of the emotions that came flooding out with those words.

There it is. Beneath the anger, the malice, the hurt, there is desperation. The depth of his love for this man that we once shared is on full display. He's willing to endure the shame and agony of this proposal because he loves him. He'll sacrifice his pride, his desires, he'll bury his suffering, for the sake of seeing Naruto happy.

"He loves you." He whispers. Stop saying that.

I understand it. I understand the depth of devotion because even now, I'd gladly bleed myself dry at Naruto's feet if I knew it would make him smile.

"He loves me too." He continues.

Because loving Naruto becomes the beginning and end of all that you are.

"We can give him both."