It's the morning, or Naruto thinks it is, and the bed shifts as Sasuke wakes, pulling out of Naruto's grasp even though the blond doesn't want to let him go, doesn't want to untangle limbs and hearts.

"I'll be right back," Sasuke whispers, and his voice is low and reassuring, "I need to go get a sip of water," he says, and Naruto's arms tighten, his eyelashes brushing against his cheeks as he blinks and yawns silently.

The binds are down, but there's a soft explosion of light outside and it hits straight at the ring on Naruto's right hand, making it glow and catching his eyes. He smiles, soft and lazy and his grasp on his lover eases. He buries his face into Sasuke's skin, cuddling into the other man, loving the way Sasuke's skin is smooth and silky to the touch, perfect, and it brings back memories of their honeymoon, of long nights and whispering touches and unfading smiles.

Naruto's voice is gentle when he speaks, "how about you don't?" He asks, and lets his eyes fall shut again. Everything is just as he likes it - the day is young, and the haze of sleep still surrounds them, fills their essence with a lingering breeze of life, and a naïve sense of security. It lasts for a while - the peace, and Naruto thinks Sasuke's already gone back to sleep when he shifts again.
"I'm just going to go for a walk." Sasuke nudges slightly, and his voice is static and full of tension.
"Now?" Naruto asks, and though he can feel the way Sasuke squares his shoulders defensively, he doesn't think too much of it. "No," he says, holding Sasuke harder again and murmuring into his skin.
This time Sasuke pushes, shrugging Naruto off, "I just need to get a breathe of fresh air."

"I'm lucky to have you," Naruto whispers, and though he can't see Sasuke properly in the dark, he can feel his presence, lingering before he moves, without answer.

Naruto attempts to go back to sleep then, knowing the raven well, and knowing that once he's made up his mind nothing could change it. Sleep doesn't come, however, and Naruto spends the time twisting and turning in bed, restless all of a sudden.

"Hey," Sasuke whispers, and Naruto snaps, "what?"
"I love you."

Sasuke's lips are as soft as always, and gentle, and loving, and Naruto's the one who's desperate - fast, emotional, and as giving as he always is. "Hey," Sasuke says again, and he breaks their kiss, stroking Naruto's whiskered cheeks, reassuring, trusting, and Naruto has no choice but to melt into his touch. Naruto gasps before he can speak, before he knows he's going to, "please, please stay."

Sasuke just kisses him again, and it's softer yet, and Naruto makes no effort to kiss back, but clutches at Sasuke's sleeve, at his hair, hands travelling wherever they might reach, trying to feel everything he can.
"Go back to sleep," Sasuke whispers, and his voice is confident, "I'll be there when you wake."
They separate, and Sasuke looks at his husband, really looks, and Naruto could tell his eyes are sad, and he thinks - we're too young for this yet. Sasuke smiles, a sad little tilt of his lips, and it's as if he can read his lover's thoughts - too attached too fast.

Naruto's hands catch Sasuke's and their fingers intertwine, and Naruto's palm is sweaty and he gulps, not willing to let go, scared for no apparent reason and not trusting himself to be okay the night without his soul mate in his arms, and it makes him kind of crazy to think this way - he's never been exactly crazy before. Sasuke tugs, and his words burn in the back of Naruto's mind, I'll be there in the morning. In the dark, Naruto can't see Sasuke too well, but he can hear and feel him as clearly as ever, and he lets himself trust in that alone.

"Sasuke," Naruto calls a while later, and his voice is less hoarse and doesn't quiver quite as much. He falls back into their bed and pulls the covers tightly around himself, looking for the warmth Sasuke stole away with him. There's a faint movement again, and then the sound of a door opening, and then Sasuke stops and seems to stare back at Naruto. "I love you, too." Naruto says, and his heart hurts him when he does, but he just squeezes his eyes shut and does nothing else as the door clicks shut.

Naruto doesn't dream that night. When he wakes, it's to the sound of birds outside, and not to the normal press of lips against his skin, not to the smell of mint, not to the sight of pale, pale skin and dark, dark eyes.

Naruto waits. Naruto waits a long long time, and when Sakura comes days later and finds him sobbing and folding into himself, she doesn't ask, but merely wraps her arms around his shoulders and pulls him into a hug, knowing she wouldn't be able to fill the space in Naruto's heart - that she isn't cold and distant or loving and tender, that her hair isn't black and her skin not white enough.

Naruto finds the ring a week later, it's in his dresser drawer, and Naruto remembers holding on to Sasuke's hand a week back, but then his heart hurts more and Naruto doesn't want to remember, doesn't want to face the knowledge that he'd known.
He picks it up and turns it around in his hand, and remembers again. It's late morning and the sun is still out and brilliant, and it's beams hit straight on and make it shine, make it glow, but somehow it's not as beautiful as Naruto thought it was before. He looks down at his own hand, and his own ring feels heavy and gross around his finger, and Naruto wants to hate it but he can't.
His tears fall then too, but he'd gotten used to them.
He doesn't take his ring off. He thinks about it for a while, and plays with it in his hand, and he doesn't call for the memories but they come anyway: Sasuke on his knee, and the way he smiled so brilliantly when Naruto said yes, yes I'll marry you.
He thinks of Sasuke in his suit, and the way he kissed on their wedding night, years ago, and eventually he'd realize that they'd truly been in love, perfectly in love, too in love at points.
Soon, Naruto begins to see colours in the night. They aren't dreams, but flashes of navy, of black, and sometimes red, growing and mixing, orange and blue, and whatever shade it is that turned to purple. It doesn't fix him entirely, or fix him at all, but it's more comforting than the silence.
Naruto puts his ring back on then, and thinks that one day maybe it wouldn't hurt so much to see it - to think of him.