On Saturday, Sasuke woke up at four in the morning for no apparent reason. He sat up in bed, feeling well rested, and squinted at his alarm clock to make sure he'd read it right. It felt chilly in his room, so as he stood to walk over to his desk, he draped extra blankets around his shoulders.
Sasuke raised an incredulous brow when he saw that Naruto had been awake as of a couple of hours ago. Allegedly, he'd been too anxious to fall asleep normally—leading him to run his eyes over the missed video call at two forty-eight in the morning.
In fact, he almost felt a pang of empathy, but it was useless because it was Naruto.
Sasuke gave another glance to his clock over his shoulder and wondered what he would do for three hours before his father would awake to drop him off at the school. Using a careful force, Sasuke turned his doorknob before he closed the door so that it wouldn't make a loud click. It shut silently.
He flicked his lamp on, wincing because he knew his mother would probably be disturbed by the light. Sasuke tossed a pillow over to his door so that it fell down on the ground in front of it, (hopefully) blocking any light that leaked under.
Because Sasuke wasn't a helplessly useless person, he dragged out a few of his study books so that he'd be prepared until the very last minute. He racked his mind for anything that he'd possibly forget during the test—to use a logical process of elimination, underline key words in a question he didn't understand, skip a question if he didn't know it at all.
It wasn't as if he were insecure about acing the test. Sasuke knew he would. He knew he would because the stupid thing kept getting easier and easier every year. He knew he would because he had to, or else Fukagu would regard him with a look of disdain again.
It also wasn't as if Sasuke's only reason to succeed was to impress his father; it was to get accepted into the college he wanted to go to, not sufficing for one. If Sasuke ever wanted to be as close to the lawyer that he hoped to be, he'd at least have to try (and blast his classmates far away from it as he did).
After tapping his pencil in an erratic beat against the leg of his desk for a few moments, Sasuke concluded that he was as prepared as he could be. He tossed a calculator onto his bed and stood up to stretch, knocking the blankets off of his shoulders. Sasuke shivered and wrapped them around himself again, wondering if it was worth it to scuttle down the hall and make sure the heater was on.
He wondered if he should attempt to sleep again, but after sitting idle on his bed for a few boring minutes, he decided to set out his clothes for the day.
Sasuke checked the weather online and frowned when he saw that it would be freezing that day. He stepped into his closet and, wondering what to wear in his first truly cold winter, picked at a long-sleeved shirt.
California's winters had never gone under sixty degrees. While he'd gone on vacation in much colder areas of the countries, he'd simply tolerated it, even though he liked to say that he enjoyed winters.
Sasuke eventually chose a dark sweater that he could pull over an oxford shirt, setting out another jacket he could wear if the temperature dropped any lower. He studied the jeans that had fallen onto his closet floor, deeming them wearable. The wrinkles in them couldn't bother anyone too much.
Sasuke glanced at his clock again. Two hours had passed. Not having much else to do, Sasuke cleaned up his work area and picked up the pillow he'd tossed on the floor, fluffing it up a few times before tossing it back onto his bed.
He made sure that his room was clean for when Naruto came over later that day. Sasuke fished around under his bed to find the other missing half of a few pairs of socks and a jumping spider. He made his bed and made sure the shutters of his window were closed tight.
Bored, he checked his phone to see if Naruto was up, but was disappointed to find out that he wasn't. Sasuke pressed his ear to his door and listened for the sounds that said either of his parents were awake. He heard the faint boiling of coffee in its maker and grabbed his clothes off of his bed, padding across the hall to take a hot shower.
He tiptoed over the cold floor tiles and immediately leaned into his shower to turn the water temperature to scalding. Sasuke made his shower short but relaxing, dreading the moment he'd have to step out into the frigid air.
Sasuke glanced into the kitchen, finding his mother sitting at the dining table with a mug of coffee in her hand.
"Good morning," she said quietly, watching him over the rim of her cup. "Did you sleep well?"
"I've been up," he mumbled.
Mikoto gave him a small smile. "I heard you."
Sasuke turned and searched the counters for something to eat, eventually settling with toast. He set the toaster on the lowest setting and placed two pieces of bread into the slot.
"Nervous for today?" Mikoto asked, nodding her head when Sasuke turned back around to look at her.
Sasuke hovered his hand over the toaster. "Not at all."
She hummed. "Nobody in this family is like that. Not you, not Itachi, not your cousins or your father.." Mikoto rested her cheek on her hand. "He'll be out in a few minutes, actually."
"Don't forget we'll have a guest," Sasuke said.
Her face notably lit up. "That's right. Don't forget I'll be out for a couple of hours tonight, so if you two want me to bring anything back. let me know."
"Okay," he agreed. "I'll tell Naruto not to destroy the whole house."
"Didn't he say the same thing about you?" Mikoto countered. "But on a more realistic note, if you two get cold, turn on the heater instead of trying to use the fireplace. I still haven't forgotten what you did when you were little."
"I was little," Sasuke grumbled, still finding nothing wrong with sticking a few extra things into the burning fire.
"You're up already?" Fugaku's voice came from behind him.
Sasuke turned and watched his father straighten out his tie. "Yes."
"Make sure you're ready," he said, checking his watch. "We'll go ahead and leave."
Sasuke bowed his head slightly and turned to his mother, who gave him a small but encouraging smile.
"You'll do perfectly fine," she whispered. "Good luck." Mikoto's hand brushed against his shoulder when he left. It reminded him of the times when he was younger and sick, when she'd give him a neck massage.
Sasuke shivered the moment he stepped outside, under his three layers and a scarf. There was condensation on the windows of the Volvo. His father grunted as he unlocked the car and started it, hurrying to get the heater on.
"Ready," Fugaku grumbled, waiting for him to get his seatbelt on. He backed up out of the driveway and waited for a truck to pass through the street before exiting the neighborhood.
Sasuke stared out the window the entire short drive. The silences between he and his father were never awkward, being men of two words. Fugaku never said anything unless it was absolutely necessary that he had to. Even with that, sometimes Sasuke overheard his conversations with Mikoto, and they were pleasant enough. His father was polite to Mikoto, and she to him, a remnant of the love they had when they first married.
As small streets passed by, Sasuke eyed the ever-growing stock of Christmas decorations dominate the ones left over from Thanksgiving. Sales for those were starting. Coupons were displayed for layaway on children's toys and clothes, as well as electronics and opening times for midnight sales.
All too soon, Fugaku pulled into the busy driveway of his school, filling with students from there and other schools of the city. He saw a few of his classmates pass by in groups.
"Thank you…" he said quietly, moving to unlock the door.
"Sasuke," Fugaku barked and set a hand on his shoulder.
Startled, Sasuke regarded him warily, blinking once. "Yes?"
He paused for a beat, shoulders tensing and then relaxing slightly. "Watch your hand. Look over your answer sheet and erase any smudges that you leave behind," he advised, releasing his shoulder and resting his arm on the middle console. "That goes for your essay as well. No son of mine will conform to the average score in any test, and neither of them ever have."
"…Okay," he said stiffly, unbuckling his seatbelt and quickly opening the car door. "Bye."
After a solid and pointed look at him, Fugaku raised his hand in a wave and drove away. Sasuke stared at the empty spot the car had been in for a few moments and blinked himself out of his daze.
As he walked up the steps to the school and waited for someone to come open the door for him, Sasuke rolled his father's words around in his mind—analyzing, dissecting, translating. He didn't fully understand whether what Fugaku had said was yet another bar in his ladder of high expectations or a few (poorly) worded phrases of comfort.
Sasuke figured that dwelling on it wasn't going to solve anything and quietly thanked the person who'd unlocked the door for him, stepping inside and immediately flushing with warmth.
He glanced to the side and spotted Neji leaning against the wall, his eyes glued to the ground. Sasuke tilted his head and approached him slowly, waiting for the other to notice him.
"Sasuke," Neji acknowledged, lifting his head. His long, deep brown hair spilled over his shoulder.
Sasuke leant against the wall next to him, a modest amount of distance between their shoulders. "Neji," he said. "You're taking this pretty late."
Although he raised an eyebrow, Neji didn't appear very agitated by his comment. "I was sick the day of when I tried to take it in the spring," he said haughtily, straightening out his posture. "It's a good thing that you got through algebra two already."
Sasuke shrugged at the semi-compliment. "It's easier and easier every year," he replied, speaking the words he'd thought of earlier that morning.
"Ah," Neji scratched his chin. "So I hear that the corporation your father manages is making some monumental investments."
Sasuke's lips tightened at the news. When his father came home, he kept his work and family life carefully parted. Maybe his mother and brother would know of such, but… the fact that he was the baby of the family bit him in the ass again. Fugaku thought, and had always thought, that he was too young and naïve to understand the matters of the business world. Sasuke thought that he'd laid a few hints out in a few of their conversations, small mentions of his knowledge of law and technical terms. But, as it seemed, it still wasn't enough for Fugaku.
Neji made a small sound of content next to him and slid his hand into the breast pocket of his coat, pulling out a business card. "If you ever come into any troubles about that… my family would love to help."
Sasuke carefully took the card and glanced down at the fine, glossy print. The Hyuuga family crest stood out out him the most, a small fist of fire centered at the top of the card. It reminded him that the Hyuuga and their branch families were renowned for their successful groups of lawyers, that he was the only member in their family to step out of the expectations to become an entrepreneur.
"Save the paper," he mumbled, holding the card out for Neji to take back. "I don't think we'll be needing this."
Neji leant away from the wall and shrugged. "It's no problem. Keep it," he insisted. "My family specializes in all cases."
Sasuke watched him stroll away and join a group of seniors. He turned his back to the people watching him, holding his hands close to his face so that any by passers would think he was on his phone. Sasuke bent the business card in half, flipped it over, and repeated until the center of the card was worn thin. He tore it in half and tossed it in the small trash can nearby.
He was startled by an arm going around his waist, glancing over to see that it was only Naruto. Sasuke let Naruto tap their heads together in a hug, his hand lingering on a hip.
"I keep hearing the girls talkin' about you," he said into his ear. "Sasuke looks hot, he looks like he's in college, he can grab my-"
Sasuke punched him lightly in the chest, pushing him away. "What on earth makes you think I want to know what they think?"
"Uh…" Naruto tapped his chin in thought. "That you're straight as an arrow, duh."
Sasuke snorted. "I'm as straight as they are smart."
The other made a low sound in his throat and pinched the inside of his elbow. "You're brutal. I love it when you make jokes about yourself like that."
He gave Naruto a blank look. "I wasn't trying to make a joke."
"It was a joke," Naruto said, laughing as Sasuke cracked a small smile and shook his head.
He looked outside the window to watch students as they chatted outside. Naruto sighed beside him and leant against it, leaving a smudge from where he'd breathed against it.
"I feel like I'm gonna throw up," Naruto said quietly, staring out the window to see what Sasuke was looking at.
Sasuke gently pushed him away. "Not on me," he murmured. "Throw up on Kiba."
Naruto snorted. "Lazyass is taking it senior year."
He glanced over at his friend, looking forward to seeing a playful grin on his face. Sasuke blanched as he noted that Naruto looked much paler than he usually did.
"You… don't look that well," he said. "Why didn't you take NyQuil?"
Naruto scratched at the back of his neck. "I didn't really think of that… but then I would've had trouble wakin' up, you know?"
Sasuke pursed his lips. "Maybe you should sit down."
"M'fine," he grumbled. "The only way I'd feel better is if I could have some macaroni for breakfast."
Sasuke tugged on his arm, pulling him further down the hallway where he knew there were some waiting chairs. "We'll get some after this," he promised.
After dragging Naruto over halfway down the hall to find that the chairs were already occupied, he led them into a more secluded and quiet one. He crossed his arms and leant his back against the wall, watching Naruto as he fidgeted and tugged at the loose string of cotton at the hem of his red shirt.
Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. "It won't be that hard."
"Says you," Naruto grumbled, eyeing him for a few moments. He dropped the piece of string that he'd torn off his shirt.
"You have very high expectations of me."
"'Course you're gonna get a perfect score."
Sasuke glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "You won't do too horribly."
The corners of Naruto's lips quirked. "Asshole."
"Come here," he said quietly, grabbing Naruto's elbow. "Let's go to the bathroom."
"Eh?" Naruto protested, following him regardlessly. "Hey, by any chance, do you have a snack or something? I'm still really hungry."
"I told you that we'll eat afterwards," Sasuke mumbled, turning a corner. He pushed the door to the men's bathroom open, Naruto in tow.
Sasuke released him and glanced around to make sure that nobody was with them. He made to look like he was innocently heading for the sink, but after listening for any telltale signs that they could have a witness, he turned back to Naruto and pushed him against the wall.
Naruto spluttered for a split second but then went silent, registering the proximity of their faces. His eyes narrowed. "Oh."
Sasuke waited for him to look back into his eyes. His hands were pressed against the cool wall tile and Naruto pulled him closer to press their upper bodies together.
"Hi," said Naruto, a smirk pulling at his lips.
Sasuke said nothing, lifting his eyes from Naruto's lips to gaze into his eyes again. This was it—they hadn't kissed in a week, and Sasuke was burning with the desire to be close.
Naruto leant forward and kissed him, chaste and leisurely. He cupped the back of his neck while his other hand stayed on Sasuke's hip, his thumb running over his side and back again. Sasuke gave him a nip to let Naruto how he needed it.
Naruto let out a quiet moan when their mouths opened, his fingers tightening in Sasuke's hair. Sasuke tugged at his shirt and took all of what Naruto had to offer—a flood of his lips in a demanding and heated movements, his pulse picking up with every passing second. Sasuke held in a small sound as Naruto's hands snaked behind him and grabbed his ass, feeling a flush of content settle into his cheeks.
Here, Sasuke thought he wouldn't get enough of it even though he'd only had a couple of tastes of kissing Naruto. Naruto kissed like a hurricane—like soft, rolling waves when he wanted to, and then strongly like raging winds. It all still felt purely amazing to him, how warm Naruto's lips and skin were, how pleasing it was to touch whatever he wanted to.
They parted when the intercom interrupted them, calling down all testers to their respective rooms. Naruto rested his forehead against his shoulder and sighed while Sasuke tried to even out his breathing. He was pleased to see that a healthy flush had spread over his face
"You always have to drag the attention back to you," Naruto said under his breath. He lifted his head so that their lips were nearly brushing with every word. "Jerk."
Sasuke's eyes were half-lidded. "I don't even try. You do that yourself."
Naruto placed his hand against his chest and pushed lightly, looking full well like it took most of his willpower to. Sasuke immediately noticed that the warmth from where their bodies had been pressed together left him.
He wiped at his lips with a thumb. "Ready?"
Naruto glared at him. "Don't look at me like that while you say it like that," he warned.
Sasuke smirked and opened the bathroom door. "Of course."
He walked alongside Naruto as they headed upstairs, knowing that they were in the same room because of their last names. Sasuke kept a close eye on him as he stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep their twiddling out of sight.
"You don't have any time left to freak out," he said. "It'll be over soon enough."
"Yeah…" Naruto said, his voice small. "I guess what you know, I know. And I know that you know a lot, so… we'll both do good."
Sasuke nodded and stood outside of their designated testing room. "We have almost four hours in there. Are you ready?"
Naruto sent him a glance and pressed his lips together. "Yeah."
Naruto bounded down the steps of the school and towards Sasuke, leaping towards him and enveloping him in a half-hug. "That was really easy!"
Sasuke growled and shoved him off. "I told you. But do you ever listen to me? N-"
The other set a hand over his mouth and shushed him. "Don't speak. You're just cranky 'cause it took so long."
"Shut up," Sasuke told him. "Let's go eat. Do you want to go any place other than Panera?"
Naruto bumped their shoulders together and evaded a large group of seniors that passed by them. "If you feel like it. Do you wanna go to that little Italian place down the street?"
"Sure," he mumbled, fixing his scarf around his neck.
It had warmed up by about ten degrees, but the sky still remained a pale grey. Sasuke hadn't seen the sun since he'd left California, and he wondered if it was not only because of the weather but also pollution.
"Who needs to learn how to drive when you live in a city where there's more taxis than people," Naruto wondered aloud, digging his toe into the sidewalk. A car honked at them as it passed by.
Sasuke's nose scrunched as they passed the scent of the Panera restaurant they ate at so often. "Taxis can't take you everywhere."
"I guess," said Naruto. He inched a bit closer to Sasuke again, hunching his shoulders for warmth. They were close enough to cause anybody driving by to take a second look at them. Sasuke took a moment to be grateful that they didn't have their uniforms on, and that they looked to be a couple of years older.
"Is this it?" Sasuke asked, studying the quaint, hole-in-the-wall restaurant coming into his view. There were only a few cars parked in its lot.
"I promise you that it's good," Naruto smiled.
"It doesn't look like it's open," he noted, craning his head to see.
"It is!" Naruto tugged him further along the road and into its parking lot. "Hurry up so we can get a table!"
Sasuke grumbled and let the other yank him into the restaurant, a bell on the door jingling behind them. He yanked his arm away from Naruto's grip and rubbed at it, slowly taking in the restaurant.
It was barely lit inside, the only lighting being bulbs creatively strung above their heads and a couple of candles at each table. It was small, almost to a claustrophobic level, and Sasuke could hear pots and pans banging against each other behind the open door of the kitchen.
Naruto led him to a table in the corner of the restaurant, passing by only a couple of other single diners and a small family. Sasuke shrugged his coat and pulled his scarf off, draping them both over the back of his chair while Naruto did the same.
Naruto thanked the waitress as she came by to give them menus. "What is it with you and those sweaters?"
"Me and my sweaters?" Sasuke echoed. "It's cold."
"You always wear 'em like that," he said quietly.
Sasuke stared at him for a few seconds before looking down at his menu. The restaurant had a surprisingly large one, considering its size. He immediately set his mind on a simple order of ravioli.
He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of a child laughing behind him. Sasuke watched the small family of four stand from their table and prepare to leave. The two arguing toddlers—brother and sister—reminded him of he and Itachi when they were younger.
"Cute," Naruto mused, mixing his soda with his straw.
The waitress came again to take their orders, picking their menus off the table. Sasuke stretched his arms behind his head and leant over the table. "Cover your ears. I'm going to pop my fingers."
"Dammit," Naruto mumbled and covered his ears with his palms, glaring at him all the while as he did so. "You're gonna have really bad arthritis when you get older."
"I won't," he said matter-of-factly. "You know you're eventually going to have to get over the sound, right?"
"I can cover my ears for as long as you're in my life," the other protested.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Will I need a restraining order to get you away from me?"
"Asshole," Naruto said affectionately, setting both of his hands on the table. "Hey, that reminds me. I saw you talking to Neji. You looked like you were gonna kill him."
"You were watching," Sasuke deadpanned, unimpressed.
"No," Naruto dragged out, raising both of his eyebrows. "I was coming in and you were giving him this look of death. Then I went somewhere else and when I came back, you were brooding in the corner."
He narrowed his eyes. "It's not important," Sasuke said nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair. "He was just being obnoxious."
Naruto pursed his lips, getting the message. "If you say so," he sighed.
Sasuke's lip twitched. "Look what you fucking did," he said, pointing at the blown out candle between them.
"Ah!" Naruto coughed. "I didn't mean to!"
Sasuke opened his mouth to throw an insult at Naruto, but was interrupted by their waitress greeting them and setting their plates in front of them. His nose filled with the scent of tomato sauce and pasta.
"Thank God," the other groaned, nearly dropping his utensils on the floor in his hassle to take them out from their napkin. "I was gonna die."
"I heard your stomach from all away across the room," Sasuke retorted, casting him an irritated look over his bowl.
Naruto snickered. "At least it won't be grumblin' for a little while now. I gotta stock up for winter hibernation."
"You're going to send my mom off the wall."
"If your mom can handle you, she can handle me."
They ate in silence for most of the time, because Sasuke didn't like speaking when he was eating and Naruto was too busy stuffing his face to spare any time for conversation. He picked at Sasuke's breadstick, and eventually, he had to surrender it to Naruto.
A lunch rush consisting of two or three more people flooded in. It was enough to keep the waiters and cooks busy. Sasuke liked the fact that the restaurant was so small; it gave the cooks a wider slot of time to prepare their food in, which was phenomenal.
After a few minutes of resting, Naruto checked their bill. "You ready?"
Sasuke stuffed a complimentary mint into his pocket and nodded. "I'll pay the tip this time."
Naruto whined when they left the restaurant, stepping back into the cruel winter air. "I feel like my eyeballs are gonna get completely dry."
He frowned in disgust. "Naruto. Stop talking."
"But it's so c-c-cold," he gasped, wrapping his arms around himself.
Sasuke scowled and dipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He had a new text from his mother asking if they were hungry or not.
"Where did you even put your stuff?" Sasuke asked.
"Locker room," Naruto started at a car that had driven a bit too close to the curb.
Sasuke shoved him lightly and picked up his pace, longing to get back into the heated air. Naruto closed in behind him and slung his arms around his head, pressing him to his chest and squeezing. "Your hair looks like a duck's butt. He's beauty, he's grace, he's mister United-"
Sasuke yanked his head out from Naruto's grip, grabbing some of his hair and yanking so that he would shut up. "I'm going to end up strangling you by this evening."
"Nah, you won't," Naruto waved him off.
Sasuke waited for a car to enter their school's parking lot before walking in, surprised at the amount of testers who had stayed after. He knew there were free refreshments and food being offered, but an hour had already passed.
He spotted Neji and a few of his classmates through the windows of the school, chatting and joking. Sasuke's brow furrowed as he remembered their earlier encounter and the thoughts it had triggered. Maybe when Naruto left tomorrow, he could hint to his father that his work was a subject of gossip. Maybe he could also reconsider his career choice.
But… it didn't feel right. Before Sasuke had moved into this state, the Hyuugas had never been a problem—they were only a current problem. He'd debated countless times with his father as to why he should be a lawyer and walk straight out of the Uchiha family expectations. Sasuke knew that Itachi wasn't truly happy learning how deal with the financial and beneficial matters in businesses. He knew that Shisui was more overworked than not, his personal life taken over by the communications that came along with his job.
In another sense, Sasuke couldn't simply surrender his years of arguing and hard work and conform. As a lone worker, he may not be as successful as the Hyuuga law groups, but that was a given. What he could do was go beyond the expectations set for him and quickly part himself from that family.
Naruto tapped on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Gimme a sec," he said, pointing to the side of the school. "'M gonna go grab my stuff. I'll be right back."
"I'm going by the council garden," Sasuke told him.
"All right, all right!" Naruto turned away from him and walked in the direction of their sports fields, digging out a key from his pocket.
Sasuke headed to the corner of the parking lot, where a pathetic excuse of a student garden was growing. It was sectioned off by a few blocks of wood from the actual flower garden that the custodians had planted. The student council had started growing it illogically late, and now the petite stalks that had managed to grow were withered and stiff from the season. Sasuke squatted down and dug his finger into the soil. It was dry as powder.
He turned to the actual garden, eyeing the bright and healthy hydrangeas that had managed to stick through the winter. He rubbed a blue, silky petal between his fingers. Sasuke recalled Sakura griping about their horrible garden and asking if someone had purposely killed it.
He stood up and brushed off his hands, giving the garden a last glance. Sasuke turned in time to catch Naruto attempting to sneak up on him, giving him a disapproving glare.
"No fun," Naruto whined. He lifted his hand and showed it to Sasuke. "Look. I can barely move my fingers 'cause it's so cold."
"That's nice," Sasuke said. "You should buy mittens."
Naruto narrowed his eyes and let his hand fall back down to his side. "I'm gonna be the one who ends up strangling you by this evening."
Sasuke smirked and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It depends on how annoying you are."
The other scratched at his nose. "I kinda feel like taking a nap. You wanna call a cab or try to hail one?"
He thought for a moment. "Maybe we'll get lucky."
"We'll try," Naruto grumbled, trudging towards the entrance of their school. "Did you have a lot of taxis in California?"
"Around the busier parts of town," he mumbled. "In downtown San Francisco, there were a lot. Other areas, there were none."
"Hm," Naruto thought aloud, leading them to a curb. "Everyone kinda knows that everything happens here," he said. "Like, everyone wants to go to New York. Most of the time it's for no reason besides all of the lights and stuff."
"Like you?"
"Ass. I already had this conversation with you."
"I'm surprised that you remember."
"Okay," Naruto interrupted. "Once we get to your house, you're takin' a nap. Think of it as your time out 'cause you're being especially cranky."
"Will you draw on my face while I sleep?" Sasuke taunted. "I'm not very tired."
Naruto opened his mouth to yell at him but shut it when a cab came into their view. He easily hailed it and, as he opened the back door, sent Sasuke an arrogant grin.
"I don't want to hear it," he said, sliding onto the heated seats. Sasuke called out his address to the driver.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the door behind him. "I can't feel my ears."
Sasuke reached over and tugged at one. "They're red."
He batted Sasuke's hand away and rubbed at his ear, glowering because Sasuke had accidentally pinched him. "'S what the cold does."
Sasuke mentally agreed and leant back into his seat, glancing out the window as the streets passed by quickly due to the driver's less-than-careful driving. As the blurred blobs of tourists met his eyes, Sasuke hoped that Naruto could help take his mind off of a few things that day.
Sasuke pulled his key out from his pocket, shoving Naruto's prying hands away from him.
"Knock it off," he growled. "I almost have it."
"Your hands are too cold to do it," Naruto declared, taking the key from his hand. He jammed it into the lock of Sasuke's front door, quickly turning it and sending the door flying open.
Not even five minutes and Naruto was already giving him a migraine, Sasuke noted. At least he had the decency to let Sasuke lead him into his own house first, toeing his shoes off by the front door. Sasuke hung his keys on the loop in the hall and his scarf on the coat rack next to it, hoping that Naruto would follow his example.
While Naruto shrugged out of his jacket, he glanced around the main hall. "Your house is nice."
"Thank you, dear," Mikoto called from the foyer, startling him slightly. She gave them both a small smile as she approached them. "I'm glad you made it back this early. It's supposed to start raining soon."
Naruto enveloped her in a large hug, a wide grin on his face as he rocked her from side to side. "Hi!"
"Naruto," she greeted, laughing quietly and giving him a few strong rubs on his back. "I take it that you two already ate?"
Naruto pulled back from her and crossed his arms behind his back. "How could you tell?"
"Both of you smell like tomato sauce," she replied, tucking a piece of her hair behind her air. "Well. How was your test?"
"Easy!" Naruto chirped. "A lot more than I expected."
Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes, leaning against the corner of the wall. "It was barely challenging."
"Sasuke mentioned that you were stressed out over it," she commented, casting a warning glance in his direction. Sasuke fixed his eyes on the floor and took his tongue in between his teeth.
"I'll admit that I freaked out a little," he shrugged. "But now… I feel like a free man."
Mikoto smiled again and stood on the tips of her toes to ruffle Naruto's hair. "That's good. Free men are allowed to have a snack, if you want to. Everything's in the pantry."
"Thanks," said Naruto, giving her another bright smile.
Mikoto leaned over and patted Sasuke on the cheek a couple of times. "If you need anything, I'll be in my office. Just let me know."
"Okay," he agreed, leaning into her touch slightly, but not enough to be noticed. "You're leaving in a couple of hours, right?"
"Around six," she said. "I'll let you know when I do."
Mikoto gave them one last offer for hot beverages before retreating back into her office, leaving Sasuke with an overly excitable Naruto. After shushing him multiple times, Sasuke led him to his room, flicking the light on and sparing Naruto a glance to measure his reaction.
He buried his face into his pillow and sighed deeply, relaxing into the softness of the extra blankets on his bed. Surprisingly, he could barely hear Naruto as he moved around his room.
A soft thud filled the room when Naruto set one of his sports trophies down. "You've got a lot of medals."
"I've been in a lot of relays," Sasuke said, turning over and resting his arm on his forehead. From under it, he watched Naruto tilt his head and read over some of his certificates and awards.
Naruto paused when he came to a particular music poster of his. "They just came a couple of weeks ago."
Sasuke sniffed dryly. "I wasn't here for it."
"Oh yeah," Naruto murmured, sending him an unreadable glance. "They didn't go to California?"
"Just L.A," he replied. "Too far."
Naruto came over to his bed, sitting down on the edge of it. He looked down at Sasuke. Neither of them said anything.
Sasuke sighed again and lowered his arm from his face, reveling in the silence he was grateful for. He let Naruto lean back and use his stomach as a pillow.
"You love it when I make jokes about myself," he muttered. "And I love it when you finally shut up."
Naruto stilled and then broke out into a grin. "Jinx."
He sighed through his nose and stared at his ceiling. "Shush."
The other looked up at him, his lips curling mischievously. "You're really pretty."
Sasuke ignored the itching desire to strangle Naruto. Flicking his temple, he rolled slightly and made Naruto's head fall onto the bed. "Shut up."
Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto sat up again and bounced on the bed slightly. "What do you want to do?" he muttered.
"I'll play Warfare with you as long as you promise not to cheat."
"Since when have I ever cheated?" Sasuke scowled, shoving at his shoulder to get him to stop bouncing.
"Not around me," replied Naruto. "But you're sneaky like that."
Sasuke sat up and pushed him off of the bed. Naruto rolled lazily to the ground, a triumphant grin on his face. "I've always won without cheating."
"Doubt it," he taunted. "I can't see you not sabotaging someone else in a relay or somethin'."
Sasuke growled and stood, placing his foot on Naruto's chest. "I'm going to kill you one day."
"What'll do you without me?" Naruto asked. "You'll have no best friend and a lifetime in jail on your hands."
He frowned and narrowed his eyes, grabbing a pillow from his bed. Sasuke knelt and pressed the pillow over Naruto's face, smothering him. "Just for that."
Naruto whined underneath the pillow, smacking at Sasuke's arms. He struggled and wiggled for a few more moments before he finally shoved Sasuke away and sat up, breathing through his mouth. "You'll also have nobody else to tell you when you're being an ass."
Sasuke sat on his knees and studied Naruto, appreciating the tone of his skin. Oddly enough, it almost seemed that Naruto had tanned, even though it was the middle of the winter. "I'm sure someone else would love to tell me when I am."
"No," Naruto grumbled. "Only I can."
Sasuke blinked. When had Naruto come that close to him? Albeit they were heavy, he could feel Naruto's breaths on his cheeks.
A few peaceful moments passed, and Sasuke had no other option but to look at what was right in front of him. "Do you know what personal space is?"
Naruto glanced quickly at his lips as they moved. "No. I thought you would have gotten used to it by now."
Sasuke closed his eyes. He didn't mind it at all when Naruto came too close to him or became too affectionate. No matter how much he protested it or shoved him away, everything that Naruto did was purely Naruto. There was no helping that, or any changing his adamant ways.
"Can we kiss?" Naruto asked, surprising Sasuke with his diffidence.
Sasuke leaned forward and pressed a small, chaste kiss on Naruto's lips. He felt Naruto's hand grip his shoulder. Their kiss didn't heat up to anything more than slow—it wasn't like the one born of desperation that had happened in the bathroom earlier. It was lazy and comforting, a reassurance that Naruto wanted to be with him in the same way that Sasuke did.
Naruto broke away after a series of pecks and leant against the foot of his bed next to him, a hand on his knee. Naruto squeezed and let go, raising that same hand to fiddle with a lock of his hair. "Screw that nap."
Sasuke smirked. "Right. Are you ready to lose?"
Naruto scoffed. "I don't lose. Let's get this on."
He considered Naruto for a moment before shrugging and shuffling over to his television, making sure that his PS3 was plugged in. "Do you know how to use this?"
"Yeah, I have one," he said, crawling next to Sasuke and hugging his knee to his chest. "I just keep my Xbox in 'cause it has a lot of free movies."
Sasuke handed him a controller and made sure that the right game was in the slot, turning it on once he was assured that it was. He listened to the sharp intro sound before turning to Naruto. "I have a lot of movies."
Naruto messed around with his controller and watched as Sasuke sent up a new game for them. "Can you turn the volume down? I don't really like all of the gun sounds."
Sasuke raised his hand and popped a single knuckle in Naruto's face, making him cringe. "Do they scare you?" he asked.
"It gets annoying after a while," he replied, playing with the hem of his jeans. "Plus, I feel bad for playing these kinds of games sometimes."
"War games?"
"Yeah. 'Cause it's like we're making fun out of actual fighting…" Naruto rested his cheek on his kneecap. "I would hate to grow up around that. To be born into war."
Sasuke couldn't help but agree. He stayed silent for a few moments before beginning their match. "I'll mute it."
Naruto's stare burned his cheek even though he tried the best to ignore it. Irritated, he spared a glance to the other, who was giving him the affectionate smile that he seemed to earn a lot. "What?" he grumbled.
"Nothin'," Naruto said cheekily, turning his grin towards the TV screen.
Sasuke furrowed his brow and paid more attention to their game.
He and Naruto were in the middle of their tie breaking match—a short mission to grab a suitcase from an opponent. Sasuke could see them right around the corner of the forest that the game centered around; just a few more steps, and Sasuke would be able to…
Naruto gasped as the entire screen went black and they were left in complete darkness, nothing but a diminishing light from his phone screen left to aid them. Sasuke's fingers remained pressing on their rightful buttons on his controller.
Silence accompanied their lack of light, but if he listened closely, he could make out the sound of rain heavily hitting the roof. Sasuke pursed his lips and pulled his phone from his pocket, waking it so that he could see what was around him.
"No!" Naruto cried, dropping his controller on the ground and nearly rolling onto Sasuke. "I was so close to getting it!"
Sasuke swallowed calmly and, after a second of contemplation, set his controller on the ground. "I think it was about time that we stopped."
"Yeah, but not in the middle of a fuckin' tiebreaker!" he whined. "Damn it. Now we'll never know who won."
Shutting his eyes, Sasuke rolled onto his back. "We'll find out later. A tiebreaker to our tiebreaker."
Naruto chuckled. "Yeah. I feel like things like this always happen to us."
He shrugged. "We've finally stopped killing our brain cells. Maybe this was a message from a higher power."
Naruto settled on his left, comfortably close to him. They were pressed together from shoulder to elbow, hip to knee, and knee to foot.
"Maybe I should get the candles out if it's going to be like this for a while," Sasuke murmured, though he wasn't very willing to get up and leave the warmth that Naruto was providing.
"Why do I have the feeling that you shouldn't be trusted with fire?"
"…That's mutual," he said. "Stay here. I'll go get some candles."
Without waiting for him to protest, Sasuke stood up and trusted himself to be able to maneuver around his room. His hand hit his furniture a couple of times but, other than that, he managed to get to his door.
Sasuke ran his hand across the wall once he stepped into the hallway, his sight adjusting. His eyes were already beginning to hurt from their couple of hours of video games, but it wasn't hindering yet.
Sasuke stepped into the kitchen to find his mother already there, using a flashlight to read a booklet.
"Sasuke," she said, glancing up from the pages. "Are you and Naruto okay?"
"Yeah," he replied, leaning against the counter. He glanced over her shoulder. "I'm just getting candles."
"Under the sink," Mikoto mumbled, leaning away from the island so that she could open one of the drawers there. "Here's a lighter."
Sasuke grabbed it from her hand and pulled a couple of candles out from the cabinet, setting them on top of the counter. He unwrapped a new one and held the trigger of the lighter to both of their wicks, waiting until they caught the flame.
"I hate to leave you two when the power's out," Mikoto sighed. "Your father's not going to be home until eleven today. I'll be gone for a couple of hours, but… be careful. Don't answer the door, especially if it's not our knock."
Sasuke took a second to remember the rhythm of his family's code knock that they had made when he was younger. It was to keep Itachi and him safe, when they were home alone at younger ages. "Of course."
"Let Naruto in on the knock," she added. "He's not scared of thunder, is he? Itachi's earplugs are in the-"
"He's not," Sasuke assured, handing the lighter to her. The faint scent of vanilla reached his nose. "I'll take care of everything."
Mikoto paused and then gave him a warm smile, leaning up and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Put one of those on the table in the hall. Your nightlight burnt out."
Sasuke pursed his lips. "I put it there because I stub my toes."
She gave him a knowing smile. "All right. I would tell you that you and Naruto are free to order food, but it would be rude to make the delivery man come here in the rain. Be careful."
"We will," he replied, watching her as she grabbed her keys from the island and pulled her purse on her arm. "Do you have an umbrella?"
Mikoto ran her fingers through his bangs. "I do. I'll see you in a couple of hours."
Sasuke listened to her leave as she shut the door behind her and waited until the car engine could no longer be heard before he turned and grabbed a candle. He left one in the living room, figuring that he'd drag Naruto out of his room so that they could get away from his gaming system.
He found Naruto sprawled out on his floor, eyes closed. Naruto opened an eye once he felt Sasuke's presence in the room. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," he mumbled, setting the candle on the floor and grabbing his phone. He checked the time. "I think it's going to be out for a while. It's practically hailing."
Naruto winced. "I feel bad for everyone's cars."
Sasuke leant back on his arms. "Enough video games."
"Yeah," he agreed. "You know, when I was little and the power went out, my parents always broke out the board games. Do you have any?"
"Yes," said Sasuke. "The classics." He pushed the candle towards Naruto. "Go ahead to the living room. I'll get them."
"Cool," he drawled, getting up with a groan. The candle nearly blew out. Naruto scrunched his nose. "This smells like you."
Sasuke grabbed a couple of blankets off of his bed, handing those to Naruto, too. "No, it doesn't."
"Kind of," he mumbled, walking out of the door. "I'm gonna change first. Meet you in the living room."
Sasuke ignored him and followed him, heading down the opposite end of the hall towards the storage closet. After sorting through it, he managed to pull out the games that he and Itachi had played when they were kids. Frankly, Itachi had completely destroyed him in any game that they'd played, but it never stopped his younger self from coming back for more.
Picking out a few games, he remembered cleaning them up with Itachi. There was rarely a time in which they lost the pieces to those games. He knew there would probably be a few mixed pieces or old papers from their past games of charades or Pictionary, but it would be a welcomed memory.
He found Naruto setting the candle down by the fireplace, wringing his hand from where he'd accidentally touched the hot wax. The light flickered wildly and gave Naruto an almost evil expression. He'd changed into flannel pajama pants and a plain T-shirt.
"Battleship first?" Sasuke asked, setting them on the floor. Naruto gave him a small smile and lowered himself onto the carpet, tossing Sasuke a blanket.
"This is so comfortable," he noted, tying his blanket around his shoulders like a cape. Naruto flopped down onto his stomach and waited for Sasuke to hand him all of his pieces. "I haven't done this in a long time."
Sasuke glanced up from his side of the game. "Neither have I."
Naruto rested his hand on his cheek. "I can imagine a little you tryin' to cheat."
He snorted. "Even if I cheated, Itachi would still beat me."
Naruto's hand paused in pressing his ships onto his side of the board. "That good?"
Sasuke hesitated for a moment before he figured that no harm could be done in telling Naruto. "Yeah."
"My parents would let me win," he shook his head. "It made me really angry. I remember yelling at my dad and shaking my little fists at him." Naruto held his hand in front of his face, turning it back and forth. "I must've been six."
Sasuke placed his cheek in his hand. "A6?"
Naruto smirked at him over the game. "Nope. Same thing for you."
"I'm not dumb," he replied, the corner of his lip curling. "I'm insulted that you'd think I'd use that method."
"You're sneaky," Naruto said. "C2?"
Sasuke frowned. "Hit."
He snickered to himself and glanced down at his game.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "C2."
"Hit," Naruto mumbled, flushing.
"Dumbass," Sasuke hissed. "Right after we talked about it?"
"Sometimes it works!" he cried.
After a moment, Sasuke laughed at him. "Whatever. Get on with the game."
A few minute later, Sasuke ended up beating him. He'd sunk all of Naruto's ships, noting which slots that had been empty and the ones surrounding the slots which weren't. Battleship was a game that was too simple for him now.
"Let's play Monopoly," Naruto proposed. "Even though you'll probably piss me off, let's play it."
Sasuke paused in reaching for the box. "Are you sure? You know this deals with loans and leases."
Naruto scowled. "I don't need you draggin' lawyer stuff into a board game. Let's just play Life."
He smirked and grabbed that game instead, letting Naruto set it up for them. "I hate settin' up these buildings," Naruto grumbled, fiddling with a game piece on the board.
He grabbed a car and placed he and Naruto's pieces at the starting point of the game. Sasuke made sure not to spill any of the smaller pieces on the ground.
Naruto reached over and flicked the spinner. "I wonder if any of the stuff on this board will actually happen to me."
"You would probably hurt yourself dancing," he murmured, watching Naruto move his car along the spaces. "Idiot."
Naruto smiled widely at him, his eyes crinkling. "That doesn't even sound mean, 'Sas."
Sasuke felt the back of his neck heat up with the way Naruto looked at him. "Shut up."
He laughed, messing with his game pieces. "Just saying."
Sasuke did his best not to shove a game piece down Naruto's throat for the rest of their rounds, making sure that the other saw he was an honest player. As always, Naruto had some ridiculously interesting things to say, even if they were stupid as hell.
"How the fuck did I end up with six kids?" Naruto asked, squinting down at his car.
"You rolled over the kid square six too many times," Sasuke grumbled.
Naruto pursed his lips. "You're right. We better put a stop to this before I start a whole new city or somethin'."
Sasuke cleared their board and dumped their pieces back in the box. "Do you want to play something else now?"
"I kinda wanna play Uno," Naruto pondered. "But I don't remember how."
He jumped slightly as the lights flickered on, burning his eyes. Sasuke heard the heater and his TV turn back on, along with the beep of the house phone and security system.
Naruto groaned and removed his hand from his eyes. "I wasn't ready for that."
"Neither was I," Sasuke grumbled, standing up and flicking most of the lights off. He sat back down next to Naruto and crossed his legs.
"We only got to play a little," Naruto said softly. He scooted a bit closer to Sasuke and laid his head on his thigh, bunching his blanket up around his chin.
Sasuke sighed. "I know." He cautiously placed a hand on top of Naruto's head, watching the different shades it turned as the candle cast shadows on it. He ran his fingers through the thick blond hair, pulling at the ends slightly.
Naruto shut his eyes and sighed against his leg, relaxing into his touch. "I feel dumb for stressin' out over that test."
He leant back against the couch. "Hn. You've always done that."
"I've only known you a couple of weeks, how can you know?" Naruto asked. "But you're right. I have."
"If you study hard, it pays off," he murmured, letting his hair sift through his fingers.
"You don't get nervous 'cause you've always done that, though," he said.
Sasuke shrugged. "It's what I was taught."
Naruto sat up, making his hand fall from the top of his head onto his shoulder. He leant heavily against Sasuke and threw an arm around the couch cushion behind them.
Naruto kissed him. At first it was slow, but not tender. It grew into Sasuke's tongue flicking across the seam of his lips and being met halfway, eager mouths pressing and pulling against each other.
Sasuke gasped into his mouth as Naruto ran a hand over a sensitive spot on his neck, keeping it there and rubbing his thumb into it. His mouth opened further and his kisses cooled considerably until Naruto took the advantage and controlled their kiss, pulling Sasuke down onto the floor.
Sasuke nipped at his lips and kissed his chin, trailing down to his neck. After a few moments of sucking there, he pressed his weight down into the thigh he had between Naruto's.
He received a harsh suck on his tongue and a sharp bite to it, making him sigh. Sasuke kept up with their quick kisses and heated touches, slowly grinding his thigh into Naruto's crotch. He could feel hardness growing against it with each passing moment until Naruto grabbed him by his hair and yanked his lips away from his neck, bringing his flushed face into view.
After sluggish and aroused eye contact, Naruto spoke. "Bed."
Sasuke pulled him up by the shirt and lead him through the hallway, pushing his door open only to have Naruto slam it shut behind them. He pressed Sasuke into his mattress, sinking his teeth into the junction where Sasuke's shoulder met his neck, pulling a quiet groan from his throat.
As their lips collided in messy and rushed kisses, he snaked a hand between them and placed it on top of the bulge in Naruto's pants.
Naruto's breath hitched slightly and he pulled away from their kiss, his fingers tugging lightly on Sasuke's hair. "You're…"
"Let me," he murmured, dipping his index finger under the waistband of Naruto's boxers. Sasuke pressed his thumb against the button, eyeing the light flush on his cheeks and the glint of excitement in Naruto's eyes. An undeniable wave of desire washed over him - to give whatever he could and to take graciously.
Naruto's eyes dove back down to his lips. After a moment of contemplative silence, is hand shifted from the back of his head to cup his cheek. "Okay."
Sasuke didn't move immediately. He let Naruto gaze at his lips and, in turn, stared at the light swell of his bottom lip from where Sasuke had nipped on it harshly.
He leant forward and kissed Naruto slowly, a considerable downgrade from their frantic ones before. Sasuke didn't know if it would be too much to call it a kiss that held a mess of emotions, but what he felt…
Naruto placed a hand on the back of his neck and ran his thumb over the small hairs he found there. Sasuke grunted as their tongues met again, warm and slippery and slightly rushed. He pulled on Naruto's shoulders to get him to scoot to the edge of the bed, placing a foot on the floor while he still partially straddled Naruto. Sasuke quickly undid the button on his pants and pulled them down, the shifting sound making another fresh wave of want come over him.
After a couple of more pecks, Sasuke dipped his fingers into Naruto's boxers and let them rest there. Naruto flinched when his thumb came dangerously close to the base of his cock and gave Sasuke's shoulder a squeeze.
He pulled back slightly and shifted his hand, brushing across coarse curls. Sasuke nearly groaned when he felt the heat emanating from Naruto's body and adjusted his position so that his own hardness wouldn't become unbearable.
After a tentative glance, Sasuke wrapped his hand around Naruto's shaft and gave him a firm squeeze. He was nearly fully hard already, his girth heavy in Sasuke's hand. He gave him a single, slow pump; Naruto released a shaky breath and helped Sasuke pull his pants and underwear around his knees.
Sasuke gained confidence with his strokes, twisting his wrist when he got to the head and tightening his grip on Naruto's cock as he went down. He got quiet grunts for his efforts and a sloppy nip on his earlobe.
Sasuke watched his hand and, at the first bead of pre-cum that leaked out of Naruto's slip, sunk onto his knees between Naruto's legs and pushed them apart. Naruto's cock stood fully hard and thickened before his face, smelling heavily of musk and a deeper scent that sent Sasuke's mind reeling. He didn't dare glance up at the look on Naruto's face; Sasuke was already hard enough in his own sweats, and he didn't need a heated gaze to add to it.
Sasuke held him by the shaft and took him in his mouth for the first time, careful to keep his teeth away from Naruto's cock. The small gasp Naruto released incited him to get on with it. He was hot and thick in his mouth, almost too much, in fact; Sasuke sighed through his nose and licked the underside of his cock. Naruto tasted bitter and salty in his mouth.
Sasuke pulled back and licked at the head of his cock, lapping up another bead of pre-cum that had leaked from it. He dug his tongue into the slit and stroked Naruto with a firm grip while he was at it, glancing at the flush forming on his tan stomach. Sasuke tried to get as much of Naruto as he could into his mouth, which included a ridiculous amount of drool; but Naruto didn't seem to mind, tangling his fingers into Sasuke's hair to hold it out of his face. Once it got too slick, he pulled off and mouthed at his sac, sucking gently on one ball at a time. He felt Naruto's chest heaving with his pants.
Sasuke gave him a small suck, reveling in the quiet moan that Naruto released. He risked resting a palm over himself in his pants - Sasuke couldn't help it. The small noises Naruto was making, the way his musky smell and salty taste invaded and dominated his senses… it left him unbelievably horny but unwilling to take care of his own needs, putting Naruto's first.
Sasuke bobbed his head and sucked hard, taking Naruto in halfway and pumping where his mouth couldn't reach his cock. He listened to the sounds Naruto made and the way his hips twitched when he sucked directly on the head or bobbed quickly. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hip with a bruising force and held him down, ignoring the frustrated groan that was sent his way. He thought it was hot, and maybe that he would do this much more often, just for Naruto.
"Fuck…" Naruto breathed, pulling on his hair. "Sasuke."
Sasuke glanced up at him, groaning quietly around Naruto's cock. Naruto's eyes were half-lidded and his lips parted, a deep flush on his cheeks as loud grunts spilled from his lips. Every now and then, Naruto would tilt his head back. Sasuke used what he'd noticed that Naruto liked - bobbing his head quickly, sucking harshly at his head, licking him all the way from that thick vein from the base of his cock to the tip…
"Close," he hissed, thrusting shallowly into his mouth. Sasuke let him, pulling back when he thought Naruto might go to deep and meeting him when he wanted Naruto to let out a deep groan again. The steady stream of pre-cum Naruto was leaking made his lips obscenely slick, and whenever he pulled back from his cock, it sounded nothing less than lewd.
With a strangled groan of his name, Naruto came in his mouth, gasping and tugging roughly on his hair. Sasuke pulled back and swallowed as much of his cum as he could, not being able to help the few drops that slipped from his mouth.
As Naruto panted above him, Sasuke gave him a few licks to clean him up and a couple of strokes for the sake of it before letting him slip out of his mouth. He lowered his head and laid loud, sloppy kisses on the inside of his thigh, giving it a few licks. Sasuke nipped wherever he wanted to and hoped it left a small mark, running his hands over the tan, muscular thighs.
Naruto leant back on his elbows and Sasuke crawled above him on all fours, eyeing the satisfied expression on his face. Lazily, Naruto grabbed him by the hair and pulled him in for a round of open-mouthed kisses, which tasted bitter and salty.
"Your turn," he murmured, pushing at Sasuke's hip. "Get under me."
"No," Sasuke said, rolling off of him and resting on one elbow. He almost laughed at the stupid look on his face. "I'm fine."
"You're hard."
"Fine," he corrected, pushing Naruto back onto the bed. "Just go to sleep. I'm going to change."
Naruto raised his eyebrows but conceded. "…If that's what you really want."
Sasuke ignored him and stood, shutting off the light in his room. Only the hall light leaked in, casting an eerie shadow in the corner of his room. He listened to the sound of Naruto slowly tucking himself back into his underwear and kicking his pants off.
Sasuke grabbed the pajamas he'd worn the night before and slipped out of the room, across the hall to his bathroom. He shut the door behind him without bothering to glance in the mirror, knowing that his cheeks were flushed and his hair was disheveled and his lips were swollen beyond recognition.
He carefully stepped out of his pants without provoking his arousal too much and slipped into his much more comfortable sweatpants. Sasuke brushed his teeth quickly and paused when he spit, eyeing the white toothpaste as it went down the drain.
He quickly washed it down.
Sasuke averted his eyes from the mirror and shut the light off behind him. He stepped back into his room and closed the door, glancing around the complete darkness.
He heard Naruto's breathing before he could make out anything else. Sasuke followed the shallow sound and peeled back the covers, tucking himself under them and rolling onto his side not facing Naruto.
"How can you see?" he asked, surprising Sasuke. He'd thought that Naruto was asleep.
"I don't need to see if it's my own room," he muttered.
After a beat of silence, Naruto sniffed. "Snippy Sasuke, twenty four seven."
He chuckled and rolled over, breathing in Naruto's calming scent. It was just his air freshener at home, but the smell of pine would probably be all over Sasuke's sheets by tomorrow. "Glad you know that math."
"Asshole," Naruto mumbled, nudging him slightly with his elbow. He shifted his hand so that their fingers were almost intertwined. "I don't need to."