Disclaimer: No ownage of Naruto over here!

AN: I really wanted to get this out before I went out of town, so hooray for setting goals and meeting them!

I know I didn't tell you guys I was going to be writing an epilogue to this story, but it had actually been planned from the very beginning. I decided not to include the big family dinner. It will come later, maybe, depending on how you guys respond to the epilogue. Good? No good? Keep going? Stay where 'm at? Don't bother? You tell me.

WARNING: I know I censored the first part, but this epilogue is not censored. I may or may not go back and replace the first chapter.

Hard to Explain

Epilogue

"You should come out to your parents."

Sasuke halted in taking off his sock, his heel already poking out. He tried to revert out of his incredulous expression, but it was hard to muster – he used to be quite good at masking his reactions until this idiot thrust himself into Sasuke's life. He finally turned to look at Naruto, his face cross with several different emotions. Disbelief, exasperation, bemusement.

Naruto's smile faltered slightly, like he was trying to figure out what Sasuke honestly thought of his outlandish statement. He pressed his lips together and glanced around the room, then back at Sasuke.

"...Hn," Sasuke yanked off the sock the rest of the way.

"Is that a no?" Naruto scooted across the bed until he was directly behind Sasuke, his thighs hugging the other's hips. It was blaringly obvious how tense Sasuke was from the subject, his shoulders stiff and his neck thick from the strain. Naruto placed kisses along the pale skin, followed by his fingers massaging the knots beneath. "I was just thinking -"

"Are you sure about that? Because sometimes I wonder if you ever really do before you open your mouth." Sasuke winced when thumbs pressed sharply into his neck. He wasn't sure why the corners of his lips quirked upward; either because he enjoyed insulting the younger man or because he actually liked that he couldn't get away with his usual insults without getting one in return (or light physical abuse). It was something he didn't even know he craved until he was in the presence of others that held their tongue in fear of being rude.

The massage continued, Sasuke groaning in appreciation when a particular spot was given attention. Naruto smirked and continued to speak. "I think you should try telling your brother, first. What's his name again? Hibachi?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You actually think my brother's name is Hibachi?" He looked over his shoulder to pin the snickering man with a moderate glare.

"Senpachi?" Naruto asked with a guilty grin.

"Itachi."

"Right."

"Anyway," He bowed his head when Naruto's working fingers moved up to the base of his skull. "Itachi and I don't really speak to each other unless it's for business-like matters, such as putting our parents in a retirement home." It wasn't far from the truth. The brothers had begun making plans when Sasuke was seventeen years old.

Naruto let out a choked snort. "I should see to that about my folks so I can get them off my back."

"That would be impossible considering your father is set for life due to his excellent mayoral status."

Naruto ignored him. "My mom called again this afternoon to ask if I was using protection! I basically just started college! I'm working all the time with the team. As if I have time to be sleeping around with the student body." He sucked on the top of Sasuke's shoulder angrily, recalling the lecture about where he could and couldn't leave marks after one blaringly obvious hickey managed to mysteriously show up right below Sasuke's jaw.

"No, I can't imagine that you'd ever have time to rape and plunder the campus when you're constantly harassing me." Sasuke said offhandedly. It was a humorous thought, Naruto pestering a girl his own age the way he did Sasuke.

Almost five months had passed since the night Sasuke accused Naruto of being a male prostitute. After the unintentional sex in his office and narrowly getting caught by Naruto's father, well…one could only guess why Sasuke didn't call the younger man despite his previous demand of being treated to dinner (it had been an in-the-moment sort of request), so he thought nothing of it when he threw away Naruto's number with the rest of the trash inside the Wendy's bag after he had eaten.

His regret caught up to him after he changed the sheets on his bed and was settling down for the night. If he was lucky (or unlucky depending on how you looked at it), Naruto would show up at the office the next day and demand to know why Sasuke hadn't called in that obnoxious voice of his. The funny thing about Sasuke and luck was that he never had any, but he'd rather be pierced in the dick than admit his disappointment when the day went by without any sort of confrontation. Yes, he was aware that his pride was his downfall.

Fortunately, or not so much, Naruto attended the fund raiser that weekend and made a beeline for Sasuke who was in the middle of speaking with Tsume Inuzuka, Konoha's best veterinarian. Sasuke couldn't quite put his finger on why, but for some reason having a doctor for animals inspect you for signs of a shattered jaw was exceptionally debasing. Of course, Naruto attempted to make up for punching him so hard later that night in the privacy of Sasuke's bedroom.

Teeth on his neck brought him back to the present briefly and he reached a hand back as a silent warning not to leave any marks. While love bites on Naruto – and yes, Sasuke had left his fair share – were praised by fellow students in college who couldn't care less about who it was as long as their buddy got some action, on Sasuke they led to troubling glances and whispers from coworkers that knew he was not married nor in a (disclosed) relationship.

They weren't doing anything illegal – Naruto having recently turned nineteen was proof enough of that – yet Sasuke knew how people would see them if they went public with their relationship.

He had to explain to Naruto that they should wait until he turned twenty (assuming they stayed together that long), especially considering the fact that they were both men with more than a ten year gap in age and their positions in the city. By positions, of course, he was referring to himself being employed by the mayor and Naruto being the mayor's son. Sasuke instructed they pretend not to be familiar with each other in the presence of others and specifically Minato himself.

Even with all that in mind, it did not keep Naruto from playing ignorant at dinner parties or galas. He would eventually find his way to Sasuke and strike up a conversation or tease him about how he looked in a suit. The idiot's favorite thing to do was ask Sasuke questions he already knew the answers to, or to attach innuendos to innocent sounding remarks. To Sasuke it was blatant flirting but the morons that surrounded them just smiled in appreciation of the fact that the Uchiha was socializing rather than quietly watching the event from the sidelines like they were all used to seeing.

"Naruto just has that effect on people," they would say to each other as they observed the two men, unaware of just what kind of effect their beloved Naruto had on Sasuke.

At the last dinner party, a boisterous grand opening of a newly established Italian restaurant that Sasuke had personally pushed for (Italian dishes were a guilty pleasure of his), Naruto had gone a little too far with the joke. They had somehow managed to be seated next to each other, something the older man had been avoiding for obvious reasons, and a hand that most definitely did not belong to Sasuke seemed to be perfectly satisfied with settling between his legs. To say that that dinner was spent in shameful agony would be an understatement, the worst part being when people asked if the flushed Uchiha was feeling all right.

However, there was one thing Sasuke picked up on about Naruto. The young man always griped and groaned about his parents being on his back, but Sasuke never once witnessed anything like that.

Then again, he only got to observe them as a family in social gatherings, so of course the mayor and his wife wouldn't be babying their son when they had to mingle. And when they did get a chance to interact, Naruto and Minato mostly goofed off with secretive whispering or a playful boxing match while Kushina shook her head with a loving smile gracing her lips. She did sometimes come off as overbearing when her boys acted out, and Sasuke could see why Naruto would want a place of his own for college (even he would feel emasculated with the red head as his mother).

Sasuke was stumped, though. He knew how parents could be, and he knew for a fact that he was no better. He was always telling Naruto to clean up the bathroom or kitchen when he was done in them, and he'd lost count of how many times he had to remind the college student not to leave his clothes lying around. If he found one more pair of boxers sitting right outside the hamper in the bathroom, he was going to scream.

So why was Naruto dating Sasuke if he had moved out of his house to escape this very situation. It seemed like he was moving back a step to Sasuke. Unless…

"Naruto, did you have a bad relationship with your father growing up?" He couldn't believe he was asking that, but he had read about it in books so the idea wasn't completely impossible.

The busy hands and mouth left him immediately. "Huh?"

Sasuke felt even more awkward asking now that he had to clarify the reason behind the question. "They say that fathers have important roles in the sexual development of their sons…"

Naruto's face appeared on his right, and Sasuke met his bemused gaze. "What? Growing up was very average, like any other kid. Only things I got yelled at about were rnot doing my chores, coming home after curfew, and bad grades."

Sasuke glanced down at his feet, not sure where to go from that point. Dig deeper for more, something suppressed, maybe? Or drop the subject completely?

"Why?"

Obviously dropping the subject was no longer an option. "Nothing. I just thought maybe you were with me, an older man, because…nothing, never mind."

"No really, what?" Naruto put a hand on Sasuke's bicep, glaring at him as he waited for further explanation.

"I said it was nothing." Sasuke snapped. He'd rather not know if Naruto was using him for some incestual fantasy. It was honestly not what he wanted his first real relationship to reveal itself to be. Ignorance was bliss, right?

Naruto watched Sasuke pick at his cuticles in silence for several minutes before inhaling sharply, catching Sasuke's attention. "Oh my god…" he mumbled before covering his mouth with a hand, though his smile was still evident in his eyes and voice. "You think I'm having some kind of freaky daddy/son fantasy about us, don't you?"

Admittedly, Naruto caught on to things a lot faster than Sasuke would give him credit for. Just because he didn't have to say it himself didn't mean that Sasuke was any less ashamed of his assumption. "It was a mere thought. I wasn't sure. I'm not accusing you of anything."

Naruto moved back behind Sasuke and wrapped his arms underneath Sasuke's. He yanked the raven-haired man further up the bed and then settled next to the disgruntled man who did not appreciate being manhandled. "Sasuke…you're older than me, but you're not that much older. Besides, you've taken care of yourself so you don't look a day over twenty. At least that's how old I thought you were until you told me otherwise.

"`I see you as Sasuke, a thirty year old bastard whose cherry I got the pleasure of popping, and no one else. I especially don't see you as some weak portrayal as a father figure, because let's be honest, you'd probably be one of those hard ass dads that doesn't let their kid go outside unless their homework is done and room is spotless. I mean yeah, you tell me to pick up after myself but I know that's because you're a neat freak. Frankly, I find it hot that you won't take any bullshit from me. I can't get away with just anything when it comes to you and that kind of turns me on." He leaned in and planted a firm kiss on Sasuke's lips.

Sasuke could feel the triumphant smirk forming on Naruto's mouth as he wrapped his arms around the younger man and pushed him down to the bed. As if his body had a mind of its own, he straddled Naruto's hips so that he could deepen the kiss in his favor even though they were keeping their tongues in their mouths. Fingers slipped through the belt loops of his dress pants and tugged sharply.

Naruto moved his kisses to the corner of Sasuke's mouth until he was able to reach Sasuke's ear. "But you know," he panted hotly. "Since we're talking about fantasies…"

Sasuke sat up immediately and glared down at him; not liking what was coming nor wanting an interruption from what they were doing.

"I kinda want to try role playing with you." Naruto snickered.

"Absolutely not."

There was silence, mostly because Naruto didn't seem to register Sasuke's decline until a full minute later. He frowned. "But-"

"Naruto, that's just not my thing." Honestly. Sasuke was a grown man with a successful career in the mayor's office.

"It's not anything difficult!" he whined. "You can be the good-looking, strict teacher and I'll be the rebellious heart throb of the school. You already have the suits for it! Oh, or you can be the straight-A student who has unintentionally snagged the attention of the less-than-orthodox homeroom teacher. What do you say?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I said no, and no matter who plays what role, I'm not going to do it." Sasuke got off the bed and headed to his closet, ready to get out of his work clothes.

Naruto sat up and pounded his fists on the mattress. "You won't even think about it!"

"I'm thinking about it…" Sasuke put a finger to his temple as though in deep concentration. He turned to Naruto with a look of feign realization. "Ah, nope. My answer is still no."

"…Fine." Naruto scooted off the bed, his bangs hiding his eyes. "I'm going to make some ramen."

Sasuke watched him leave the bedroom before sighing. It was hard trying to keep up with a boy Naruto's age. They had only been dating for over four months, but already Sasuke was painfully aware of their stretch in age. Naruto was lively and wanted to go out while Sasuke would rather stay inside and read or watch cable television (of course, he couldn't quite blame that on age but rather his personality and personal preference). It was bad enough that Sasuke had to drink V8 and jog in the morning just to try to keep in fit with the boy who was eating half a dozen eggs and bench pressing every day. Sasuke could only imagine all the ogling eyes that followed his boyfriend everywhere he went…

Damn it, was he really getting jealous at a time like this?

The idiot was young and wanted to try new things. Maybe the idea of dominating over Naruto as a teacher didn't sound that bad. Actually…it was an exciting thought. While they did take turns topping – mostly due to Sasuke's schedule at work – Naruto undoubtedly held the upper hand in bed. It was clear he received more pleasure when he was inside Sasuke from the amount of time it took him to come. Only once did he completely lose it while bottoming, and that was when Sasuke was drunk, very horny, and relentlessly rough. Only problem was that Sasuke couldn't give it to him like that every time.

He wasn't sure if the thought of Naruto leaving him due to inadequate performance in bed was upsetting because he was Sasuke's first relationship (and first time) or because his pride wouldn't allow that.

He glanced down at his black dress pants, and then over at his grey and black stripped dress shirt he had worn to work that day. It was casual Friday, and he hadn't worn a tie, so he absentmindedly picked out a black silk one before leaving his closet and putting his shirt back on. He kept the tie knot loose and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows before checking himself in the mirror.

He tried to see himself in Naruto's eyes, in his fantasy. He was a teacher now, and Naruto was that irresistible student that all the girls wanted. And Mr. Uchiha wanted him, too…

With that in mind, he headed for the kitchen and leaned against the threshold. Naruto's back was to him as he shoveled noodles from a styrofoam cup into his mouth at the kitchen table.

Sasuke cleared his throat and Naruto turned his head to look at him, swallowing the food in his mouth as he studied Sasuke's attire. They stared at each other for minutes, the silence heavy. It wasn't until the ice maker inside the fridge rattled did Sasuke speak up.

He attempted to smirk seductively and folded his arms over his chest, his stance authoritative. "Looks like you're out of uniform," he said, looking pointedly at Naruto's boxers and t-shit. "I'm going to have to keep you after class." It took everything in his power not to snort at his own words. He felt ridiculous, or at least he would have if he hadn't noticed the tent forming in Naruto's green boxers. Pride swelled inside his chest, nearly choking him. "Don't just sit there. Get up and march yourself to the classroom."

Naruto all but ran to the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and bouncing with excitement.

Sasuke did snort this time, and he quietly removed his necktie as he approached Naruto to stand between his legs. He slipped the material around Naruto's head, knotting it at the back of his head so that it securely covered his eyes.

"Oh my god this is so hot."

"You're being punished, mister Uzumaki. You are not to speak unless instructed to. Can you do that or must I gag you, as well?" Please don't make me, he pleaded in his head. I want to hear you say my name.

Naruto groaned in appreciation but didn't say another word.

"Take your shirt off."

The offending material was gone in an instant. Naruto fixed his blindfold before settling down again.

Sasuke bit his lip, feeling Naruto's arousal and exhilaration become his own. He leaned down to kiss and suck along Naruto's neck, bronzed hands reaching up to grip his shoulders, but he slapped them away. "Don't touch me, I am your teacher. Sit on your hands."

Naruto seemed hesitant, much to Sasuke's amusement. He was used to being able to participate throughout their foreplay and sex, but Sasuke wanted to assert his authority to its fullest extent tonight. Nonetheless, the younger man lifted himself briefly and slipped his hands under his thighs. Sasuke couldn't suppress his smirk. If there was one thing he thrived on, it was power. He loved having it, he loved using it to dictate people and getting what he wanted done.

He shoved Naruto onto his back, skimming his hand down the toned abdomen and landing a sharp slap to his taut stomach, the muscles jumping at the attention. Licking his lips, he pulled Naruto's shorts down to his knees and took in the sight of Naruto's cock standing proudly. He liked that cock. A lot. It had become a good friend of his in the past few months, and his own penis throbbed eagerly in greeting to its companion.

Scoffing at his own ludicrous thoughts, Sasuke bent down to take Naruto in his mouth. He made sure to be sloppy, letting a little drool leak out on the hard piece of flesh, keeping his lips loose and tongue lazy. He allowed himself to be easily distracted by other parts of Naruto's body. He sucked on Naruto's hips and thighs and stomach, and then he licked Naruto's balls. He nipped Naruto's bellybutton and knees, returning to the head only to graze his teeth over it in a perfect arch. He kissed Naruto's neck and collarbone, and then he was taking Naruto all the way down.

Sasuke was still rather new to blowjobs, but Naruto had told him that he was a natural at it, always complimenting him every time he gave head. Sometimes he actually craved it and would force Naruto down so he could put his mouth on him, hard or not. Naruto teased him, saying that because he had been denying his "gayness" for so long a monster that loved cock had grown inside him. It was the stupidest thing he had ever heard, but as he swallowed around Naruto he couldn't suppress his own moan of pleasure, coupled with Naruto's.

Opening his jaw as much as he could, he wiggled his tongue out and managed to lap at Naruto's balls a little, making the other gasp and arch.

"Ffffffffuck, Sasuke!"

Fuck was right. This was a lot more fun than he would have originally thought.

Pulling up, jaw aching and lips swollen, Sasuke wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and then yanked Naruto up by his bangs. "What did I say about talking?"

Naruto whimpered pathetically.

"And do I have to remind you how to address a teacher?"

"No…"

"'No' what?" Sasuke tightened his hold, pulling the fine hairs. He could feel Naruto's eyes staring at him through the blindfold.

"No sir!"

Sasuke smirked and forced him back on the bed by his head. He worked his jaw back and forth, having put it through more than its usual exertion. The good thing about Naruto being blindfolded is that he could take as much time to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do and not have those lively blue eyes watching him every second.

Gathering his courage, he took hold of Naruto's muscular left thigh and flipped him onto his belly. Licking his lips, he raked his eyes over the toned backside greedily. Mine; the word zipped through his mind as he drank in the sight of flexing ass cheeks.

"Wait, Sasuke-"

The sound of skin slapping skin rang through the room, leaving behind a deadened silence. Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek, wondering if that was okay. It was, right? He hadn't hit him too hard…or at least he didn't think he had. He massaged the reddening cheek in a form of apology. He half hoped that Naruto would word his forgiveness, if any was needed, but the young man had his jaw clenched.

Inhaling deeply, Sasuke lowered his gaze and felt his pulse quicken in his anxiety. He'd researched how to…orally stimulate his lover after a couple of months of being with Naruto, but could never find a chance to practice it. He had Naruto face down on the bed and compliant, so now was a better time than any, he supposed.

Slowly, Sasuke spread both cheeks apart, bent forward, and laved his tongue over the wrinkled flesh that smelled so intoxicating – he loved how Naruto smelled (the young man actually took good care to clean himself, everywhere), but he would never admit it to the moron. Drawing a line with his tongue all the way to Naruto's balls and up again to the crack, he circled his tongue around the hole, making a spiral until he was right at the pucker. He flicked his tongue in and out, feeling it contract and relax in time with Naruto's sighs and heavy breathing.

If Naruto was mad about Sasuke spanking him, he clearly forgave the older man as he melted under the tongue. He was completely at Sasuke's mercy, and Sasuke loved that. He used the way Naruto's hands twisted in the sheets to gauge what he liked and wanted more of. That was the only tricky part about disallowing Naruto to speak, because usually the idiot was very helpful when advising where to go and what to do next.

Shortly after, he deemed Naruto ready and left him gasping on the bed while Sasuke stood and began undressing. He folded his clothes quickly, but neatly and left them on top of the dresser (just because he was aroused beyond belief by the situation it didn't mean he had to make a mess). Stepping around the bed, he pulled open the nightstand drawer and retrieved the lube and a condom.

Oh right, they were supposed to be roleplaying and he was only vaguely sticking to his character. What was he supposed to say? More importantly, what would a teacher say? He suddenly recalled his pervert of a teacher from high school and shuddered at the thought. The last thing he wanted to think about was those creepy heterochromia eyes.

Returning his thoughts to Naruto, he decided not to worry too much on how he was supposed to act and rather on bringing his lover to the brink of insanity with pleasure. He rolled the condom on and lubed it up thoroughly. In the past Naruto had said that he actually liked how it felt when Sasuke skipped preparing him, and that's just what Sasuke planned on doing.

Pressing his cock into the crack of Naruto's ass, he rocked back and forth, reveling in the sensations for half a minute before leaning over the tan back to press his lips to the shell of Naruto's ear. "Do you know why you're being punished?"

Naruto opened his mouth, but all that came out was a hesitant breath.

Sasuke admitted inwardly that he was proud of the idiot for remembering the no-talking rule. Amused, he said, "You may speak."

Lips quirked upwards and Naruto licked them before speaking. "I was out of uniform."

"And?" Sasuke began his rocking again.

"I spoke out of turn…" Firm ass cheeks pressed back against the erection.

"And?"

Naruto swallowed thickly. "And…I'm a rebel…?"

"How about guilting your boyfriend into making a fool of himself for some stupid teacher/student fantasy?" Sasuke gave a particularly rough thrust before lifting his hips so that he could take hold and position himself. With a quick push he was halfway inside, sighing at the tight heat that clenched around him.

"No, you-" Naruto gasped and turned his head as though looking for Sasuke through the material of the tie. "You haven't made a fool of yourself. Fuck Sasuke, you are so damn sexy. I just wish I could see you…"

Sasuke heard the unsaid plea, but he chose to ignore it. He pushed the rest of the way inside, slowly, and buried his face between Naruto's shoulder blades. "Shut up, idiot…"

Naruto refrained from speaking; at least…he didn't speak beyond the usual noise he made during sex, which was a lot. Sasuke couldn't bring himself to reprimand him, not that he really cared. He reveled in each moan, gasp, groan, and curse that left those lips. He actually hated taking his boyfriend from behind as it hindered his ability to kiss him, to feel the vibrations of those words against his own lips.

Instead, Sasuke could only pant against Naruto's back, inhaling his scent and feeling him surrounding his cock, his pulse beating in time with Naruto's. He had to take hold of Naruto's right hip in order to keep them at the same pace, nipping his back in silent rebuke. They never stayed in a steady speed for long, either hastening drives or slowing down to really drag things out.

Naruto's sudden clench and sharp cry were the only warnings Sasuke had before the younger man's sudden release caused everything to come to a standstill. He shuddered and humped the bed spastically underneath Sasuke, moaning his name as he came.

"Sas-ke…"

Shit.

Sasuke wasn't far behind, and he pulled out quickly, yanking off the condom just in time to milk himself out on the small of Naruto's back. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he felt right in that moment.

He licked his lips as he gazed down at what he'd done, what he'd somehow been convinced (guilted, he reminded himself weakly) into doing. Was he still him? He was still Sasuke Uchiha, right? Had he tucked away a part of himself to perform as he had tonight? He'd never struck Naruto before, not even in retaliation when the moron would smack him on the arm jokingly, and sure he hadn't seriously injured him, but he still did it on an almost natural reflex. Had he let something in? A part of him hidden away that thrived on this sort of dominance in the bedroom?

Naruto lifted the tie up to his forehead and glanced over his shoulder at Sasuke. Damn it, that look alone made Sasuke's groin stir. He was actually still very hard. And breathing really hard. And Naruto was posed on his bed with Sasuke's cum on his back and legs spread lewdly.

"I…"Sasuke's throat felt dry and scratchy.

Blue eyes that still startled Sasuke every day with their passion fell to the lower half of his body. "You're not done, are you?"

Sasuke groaned at that voice, dark promises in the undertone and pulling him closer, along with his subconscious desires, with a gravity of their own.

He returned to the bed, to his boyfriend, and made love to him until they both collapsed from exhaustion. Two rounds later.

Thank god for weekends.

The following Sunday found Sasuke having a quiet lunch with his brother at a classy restaurant that opened a year ago. It was a block away from the university, and Sasuke found his eyes drawn to the window they were seated next to where he could see the coffee shop across the street that Naruto frequented with his friends. Maybe Sasuke would catch a glimpse of the idiot, but he doubted it. He was most likely at practice, and if not then the moron was skipping and Sasuke was going to have a talk with him when he got home. Heat prickled at the back of his neck as thoughts of disciplining Naruto forced their way to the front of his mind.

Clearing his throat, he distracted himself with the food in front of him and schooled his expression into one of apathy.

"You look different since I last saw you."

Sasuke swallowed his bite of crab cake and lifted an eyebrow at Itachi's remark. "Last time you saw me was at the Christmas party last year. It's been over five months. I would imagine that I've changed a little."

Itachi shook his head and gave Sasuke a pointed look. "You asked me out to lunch. You've never done that before."

Sasuke's fork clinked on the plate, missing the lump of crab meat. He glanced up at Itachi through his bangs. "So?" he said slowly.

"You're defensive."

"What does this have to do with how I look?"

"Your skin looks healthy, eyes brighter, hickey on your neck." Itachi calmly sipped his white wine while Sasuke's shoulders stiffened.

Sasuke placed a hand over the left side of his neck, but Itachi shook his head and Sasuke quickly switched to the right side, doing his best to remain composed. Damn it, when had Naruto…?

"I'm glad you're finally seeing someone. I was afraid you'd end up alone all your life." Hesitance flashed through his eyes for just an instant, and he straightened in his chair. "You are seeing someone, correct? You didn't hire somebody?"

So much for trying to remain composed. At Sasuke's expression of disgust, Itachi chuckled against the rim of his glass.

"I've been dating someone for over four months." Itachi appeared pleased at the announcement, so Sasuke decided to get the worst part over with. "It's a man." He almost considered taking that back and calling Naruto a boy, but that would only make things worse. Besides, Naruto was of legal age, he wasn't doing anything wrong.

"I figured as much."

Sasuke blinked, not sure what to say. Itachi had figured as much?

Seeing that his statement required some enlightenment, he added, "I suspected you might be gay ever since that time I walked in on you singing that No Doubt song at the top of your lungs."

"What the hell? When did I ever do that?" Of course he was bluffing. He recalled doing something like that once, but he had no idea that anyone had seen him…

"Let's see…I think you were sixteen. You thought you had the house to yourself, but I ended up stopping by after classes that day. I went upstairs and you were singing- no, screaming along with 'Just a Girl'."

"You're lying." Sasuke ran a hand through his bangs, a nervous habit he may or may not have picked up from Naruto.

"I swear it on our cat's grave." Itachi raised one hand in the air while placing the other reverently on his chest.

"Don't bring Izanami into this." Sasuke hissed.

He let out a deep sigh, not sure if he should be relieved or worried that it wasn't coming as a shock to his brother that he was gay. Had he really been that bad at hiding it in his youth? Though he'd never done anything with other boys, he took only girls to the dances at school, and he hadn't kept a stash of queer magazines. He'd never even rented out porn. It was rare that he masturbated, and when he did it was in the privacy of the shower, or his own bedroom with the door locked and music playing.

He decided not to press the matter, fearing what he might hear.

"Tell me about him. Who is the lucky man that lies on the receiving end of your affections?" Itachi took another sip of his wine.

Sasuke's cheeks colored, but only because he had forgotten how easy it was to talk to Itachi about things. As a kid, he found solace in his brother's company, especially when he was stressed out from school work or his extracurricular activities. When Itachi moved out of the house, Sasuke took it as his cue to become more independent. He couldn't rely on his brother forever, right? Still, it was nice to know that Itachi still cared enough to hear about the happenings of his life.

After a moment, Sasuke cleared his throat and decided to relay the whole truth to his brother. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki, and before you say anything, yes, it's the mayor's son."

Itachi did nothing more than raise an eyebrow in interest.

Sasuke told Itachi about how Naruto approached him on the street outside of Rite Aid, leaving out the detail that they ended up performing indecent acts in public and then went home to do much more, and then all over again in his office the next day where Naruto's father almost walked in on them. Not that he thought retaining such information would make it any less humiliating.

"It sounds like he makes you happy." Itachi said with a hint of a smile.

"Please...he drives me insane." Sasuke muttered, taking a piece of crab cake and dragging it through the sauce that was laid out decoratively on the plate.

"Yes, I'm sure he does."

Sasuke blanched. "That is not what I meant." Seeing his brother's shrewd expression, he knew that he couldn't convince him otherwise.

They ate their lunch in silence for a few minutes, keeping their thoughts to themselves, though Sasuke was sure only the most devious questions were going through his brother's head, and they were also being answered without him. He knew how his brother worked, sifting through the process of elimination so that no unnecessary questions were asked. Sasuke didn't mind it, per se, but he still wished that Itachi didn't just assume certain things about his relationship with Naruto even though the assumptions were probably correct.

Itachi cleared his throat quietly and wiped at his mouth with a linen napkin. Catching Sasuke's eyes, he asked, "Are you going to tell mom?"

Sasuke was intrigued by this. "Not mom and dad?"

"I figured you'd prefer to keep this under his nose. I don't think either of them suspect you. You were just so quiet as a kid. You still are now." He appeared to contemplate something, twisting the glass of wine around by the neck in his fingers. "Naruto, huh? He plays baseball for the university, doesn't he?"

"That's right." But you already knew that, Sasuke thought to himself.

"And he's not too much trouble for you?"

That was…an odd question. Or perhaps not, but it forced the corners of Sasuke's lips to twitch upwards. Naruto was indeed a handful, and he made a lot of noise when he barged into Sasuke's house. He was obedient though (as weird as that sounded) when it came to house rules. Some were lax, like cleaning up after himself, but the ones that involved things such as not inviting friends back to the house were kept in check.

Whenever messes were made, Naruto was quick to clean them up; like the time he tracked mud in the house (Sasuke only found out because the mop had been left out), or when he spilled a smoothie on the living room rug (Sasuke could smell the spot remover when he got home).

Smiling to himself, Sasuke took a sip of his drink. Itachi gave a small smile back, the answer to the question going unsaid but understood.

The brothers finished their lunch outing shortly after that, agreeing to meet up again soon. Sasuke was in a relatively good mood when he returned home, tossing his keys on the kitchen counter and glancing over the mail that had piled up over the past two days. He looked to see that the dishes in the sink had been placed in the dishwasher and the counter wiped down. Smirking in satisfaction, he went into the den and turned on the sound system, a house warming present from Itachi when he first bought his place. He put on a CD consisting of Peggy Lee's hits, skipping to one of his favorites.

Glancing up from the back of the CD case, he noticed Naruto's baseball bag opened and behind the front door. Shutting off the music immediately, he stepped into the hall and stared at his bedroom door, which was cracked open. "Naruto, are you home?" Sasuke called.

"In the bedroom!"

Sasuke couldn't keep his eyebrow from lifting. He couldn't explain how he knew, but Naruto was excited about something. He made his way to the bedroom slowly, pushing his door open to reveal Naruto kneeling on his bed.

Words crawled halfway up Sasuke's throat and died there.

Naruto…kneeling…his bed…naked? No, not naked…he had gloves on…those baseball gloves that batters wore…and…that was a jockstrap. Okay, mouth was dry now. Damn it…the moron was facing the wrong way. How was Sasuke supposed to admire the effectiveness of the jockstrap if his gorgeous ass was facing the wall? Sasuke swallowed in hopes to soothe his throat. His pants were too tight suddenly. Wait…what was that in Naruto's hands? A bat…? Naruto was using the bat like a cane, hands resting on the knob while the thicker end dug into the mattress under his weight.

For a brainless second, Sasuke almost thought about backing out and apologizing for walking in on Naruto because clearly he had walked in on something private. But reality caught up to him quickly, especially when Naruto flashed Sasuke one of his playful, downright dirty grins.

"Welcome home." Naruto practically purred.

Sasuke blinked owlishly, but hastily recovered and stepped further into the bedroom. "Well this is…scandalous. Another one of your fantasies, I suppose?"

Naruto chuckled, a flush coloring his cheeks as his eyes darted off to the side. "I just thought…since we did the teacher/student role play the other night, we could try a little baseball one."

"Oh?" Sasuke circled around the bed to get an appreciative view of Naruto's ass in the jockstrap. He ran his left hand up one of the tanned mounds, up Naruto's back, and through his hair. With Naruto leaning into his touch, Sasuke quickly snatched the bat with his other hand. "What's this for? Am I supposed to bash your head in with it? You're into that kind of thing? Or am I not thinking dirty enough? Should I stick it up your ass?"

"Actually," Naruto teased. "I was thinking of sticking it up yours."

"So it is for bashing skulls." Sasuke deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at Naruto.

Naruto turned his body to face his boyfriend. "Sasuke, put the bat down…" he said, jokingly cautious. "You know you don't want to ruin this gorgeous face." He tried, and failed, to give the older man a seductive smirk.

"You have a stupid face." Sasuke did a practice swing with the bat towards the open area of the room. He'd never played baseball before, but Naruto had given him a few pointers once - he prided in the fact that he was a cleanup hitter.

Naruto raised himself up on his knees completely, towering over Sasuke with a dark, intimidating air. The bat slipped from Sasuke's hands. "Come here and say that again, this time to my stupid face."

Well fuck. Sasuke loved that face, and Naruto knew it all too well. He was powerless to resist the taunt and ended up in bed for the rest of the evening. The bat was used. Once.

"Would you please stop hovering?" Itachi murmured under his breath as he pulled out a wire from the surround system. He and Sasuke were in the living room with their parents, his brother and mother conversing quietly on the loveseat while Fugaku leaned in closer to see exactly what he was doing, reading glasses perched on his nose.

"But you're unplugging everything. What if I can't put it back?" Fugaku sniffed, glaring at the contraption Itachi was plugging in.

"I'll put everything back," Itachi said, hoping to appease his father but got nowhere close. "I told you that I was going to make fun of you when you became a possessive old man, didn't I?"

"I am not old." Fugaku sputtered indignantly. "Mikoto, our son just called me old."

Mikoto glanced away from her youngest son to smile lovingly at her husband. "You haven't aged a day in my eyes, love."

Music began playing from the speakers and Fugaku glared at Itachi. "Turn it down, we're not going to shout over you music." He grumped and took a seat in his favorite wing backed chair, closest to his wife.

"He's old," Itachi stressed halfheartedly after turning down his iPod so it was mere background noise. "Sasuke, tell him he's become a nagging senior citizen."

"Do not drag me into this." Sasuke said, looking over at his parents with a timid smile.

"Let's change the subject," Mikoto said deliberately and turned her gaze on Sasuke. "You said you had something to tell us?"

Blanching, Sasuke's eyes shifted around the room to look between his expectant parents and vaguely amused brother. He hadn't wanted to make it some formal announcement to his family, but he didn't want to back, saying he felt awkward and put on the spot now. He worked for the mayor, damn it. He had to make speeches all the time. But none of them ever consisted of revealing personal preferences…

Steeling himself – a nod of encouragement from Itachi pissing him off more that helping – he sighed and decided to just get it over with.

"I'm gay."

Exactly as he predicted, his father seemed disheartened, as if Sasuke had just told him his best friend had died. His mother, on the other hand, was an assortment between shock and confusion. That wasn't a complete deterrent.

"I've known for a long time that I liked men." Sasuke clarified. He'd read it was better to give the parents some assurance instead of coming out to them and telling them to deal with it. Naruto had teased him for researching such a thing, but Sasuke knew how his parents worked, and this was definitely the best approach. "It's not something you guys did, or…could have prevented…I just wanted you to know that this is who I am. I've finally come to accept it and it's a huge load off my shoulders. So…that's it."

He resisted looking to Itachi for backing through this, instead carefully watching his mother's visage morph into that of concern.

"Honey, won't you be lonely? I mean, all this time…" Mikoto's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about Sasuke's solitary childhood.

"Actually…" Sasuke stared down at his shoes for a moment. Was it wise to disclose his relationship with Naruto after dropping a bomb like that? He didn't want to keep his mother worrying about something as trivial as his relationship status. Feeling as though his conscience was cleaner now, he bobbed his head up, biting back a smile. "I've been seeing someone for a few months now. I'm happy with him. I can't say for sure how long it's going to last, and it's hard to explain, but I've never been able to carry myself as freely as I do when I'm with him."

Mikoto placed a hand over her chest, inhaling deeply while she took in her youngest son's visibly bright face. "Well, Sasuke, who is this man?"

Sasuke hesitated, but only for a moment. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"His boss's son," Itachi clarified, unnecessarily in Sasuke's opinion.

Fugaku frowned deeply, his skin creasing into what was second nature after all these years. "Sasuke-"

"I know that sounds bad," Sasuke interjected. "And yes, he is a little young for me. But so far everything has worked out."

"Isn't he in high school?" Mikoto asked suddenly.

Oh god no, it was happening. Everything had been going so well, too. I knew I shouldn't have brought up Naruto yet. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

"College, mother." Itachi corrected. "He's nineteen."

You aren't helping, Itachi!

"Sasuke, that's barely legal!" Fugaku said.

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know. Trust me, he acts even younger than that. But I like him. I like him enough that I want to introduce him to you as my boyfriend." He looked pointedly at his father, something he hadn't done since college. "That's why he'll be joining us for dinner tonight."

Fugaku adjusted himself in the chair, obviously uncomfortable with the idea. Sasuke knew he wasn't going to object, though. If it were anyone else, he probably would have immediately refused to meet them. However, this was the mayor's son they were talking about.

His mother wasn't taking the news well either, but in a different way. "Well Sasuke, dear, I wish you would have given me more notice than this. The house is a disaster and I haven't prepared anything-"

"Mom, the house is fine. And he eats ramen all the time. Just toss some of those frozen chicken nuggets in the oven and you'll be set." It was futile; no matter what he said his mother wouldn't have it.

"Both of you," Mikoto turned a stern glare on her two sons. "Itachi, vacuum the rugs and pass the dust mop around the den, foyer, and dining room. Sasuke, clean the guest bathroom, and don't forget to Windex the mirror. You always forget to do that."

Sasuke released a small sigh, nostalgia overwhelming him. Didn't he just tell Naruto the very same thing last week?

His mother stood to leave the living room, muttering to herself about how now would be a good time to try that recipe her mother gave her. He never appreciated his family until he was in college, when there was no longer any time to sit down to dinner together, no one to pop their head in the room to see how he was doing. Just a phone call once or twice a month. It was nice that he could just fall back into the old routine like when he was a teenager. Except…

"Where do we keep the cleaning supplies again?" Itachi asked the question before Sasuke could.

Thanks for reading guys. Hope you enjoyed it.