When Naruto entered the Hokage's office, the door squeaked slightly as he pushed it open. He had been meaning to get it fixed for months. Every time he walked in and heard the awful noise, he was reminded of just how many things he still had to do. How many things piled up on his desk every day, all the people who needed help, needed attention. The whole village seemingly at his doorstep, searching for his leadership.
Sometimes it felt like just yesterday that those same people shunned him, kicking him out of their stores with their angry curses and glares. Other times Naruto felt like he couldn't even remember those times, like the small, orphaned boy he used to be was just a figment of his imagination.
He felt that way about a lot of things, and those thoughts are the ones that distracted him the most. That had him staring blankly at the wall of his office, lost in the past, until one of his clones returned with new memories and information, yanking him out of his reverie. It all just felt so far away. With the weight of the Hokage cloak sitting on his shoulders, it was like he was a different person. One that would have never crossed countries and mountains in pursuit of a boy who didn't want to be found. One who would never dream of pale, slim fingers wrapping around his wrist, touching him tenderly before sliding up to his throat and choking away his life.
He didn't have those dreams anymore. He barely ever even had time to sleep. So yes, he felt like he was a different person and like the memories of Sasuke's voice in his ear and his sword tipped against Naruto's spine were just figments of a story he had once read.
But as much as he felt that way, it wasn't true. It would never be true. Sasuke was real, those things had happened.
That point was even more firmly cemented in Naruto's mind the very second the Hokage's door swung shut behind him, casting the room into dark shadow. He had been in a meeting for the last three hours, and the sun had gone down while he was hunched over papers and documents. When he had left the room, it had been empty and desolate. This wasn't the case anymore. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed before, didn't know how he could have missed the feeling so ingrained in his very soul that he ached for it day in and day out. But now as he looked up slowly, the feeling of Sasuke's unmistakable chakra washed over him. Accompanied by the scent of wind and a slight crackle of electricity that pulsed up Naruto's spine in warning and anticipation.
He stared at the dark figure outlined against the back windows, back to Naruto. Sasuke wasn't as tall as everyone thought he was. That was commonly a first reaction when people first saw him in person. That, and the irrepressible look of fear that crossed everyone's face when looking at the Uchiha. Naruto agreed with one part of it. He had outgrown Sasuke sometime in their teenage years and the other man had never fully caught up. But Naruto wasn't afraid. He never had been and never would be.
Sasuke was dressed in his usual traveling attire, a dark robe that cascaded around his shoulders and hid his entire form, making him ominous looking. It would be intimidating to others, not knowing what lay under the folds of fabric. But Naruto knew it better than anyone, could picture it with his eyes closed. Firm, cut lines of pale skin, marred with scars from over the years. His katana pinned against his slim hip. One full arm, fleshed out with ropes of sinewy muscle, and the other half torn off, the stump mangled and gleaming with taught tissue. Naruto was one of a few people in the world who had seen what was left of Sasuke's arm, he knew that for a fact.
His hands twitched at his side with an urge to walk over to the man, to push the cloak off his shoulders and run his hands over Sasuke's body, to press against the stumped limb, hold every part of him in his arms, just to make sure he was real. But he didn't move from where he stood in front of the door, resisting the thrumming tension in his body.
He hadn't been expecting Sasuke to come home this month. And he said as much, his voice coming out quietly.
"I didn't know you would be back."
Sasuke didn't turn towards him, still staring out the dark window, his body motionless. His voice was low and deep when he answered, and the sound of it sent a shock through Naruto.
"I'm not."
"You sure?"
Sasuke turned then, slowly and carefully as he always did, the cloak ruffling with his movement. Naruto stared at him, drinking in the details of his face hungrily. Sasuke almost never came home, never wanted to be in the village that ruined his life for longer than a couple days at a time. So when he did return, Naruto got greedy. When he did return, Naruto wanted to hold onto him with every ounce of strength in his body, beg him to stay, tear off Sasuke's skin with bloody fingernails and live next to his heart. But as much as he wanted to do that, he never did beg or hold on too tightly. Sasuke would never stay, the only reason he ever returned was for Naruto. It was the most Naruto could ever ask of him. Nothing more.
But still, the ache rushed up his body and through his chest, flaming in its wake.
"I was nearby and decided to stay for the night, I leave first thing in the morning."
Naruto nodded slowly, fighting against the disappointment. It was the most he could ask of him. Nothing more.
Naruto moved finally, crossing the room slowly. It was habit, the wariness in which he approached Sasuke, the fear that the other man would turn and bolt from the room. Sasuke never ran from him like that anymore, but the memory of when he had would never leave Naruto.
He stopped in front of Sasuke, inches between their bodies. It was closer than most people would ever get to the last Uchiha. But Naruto wasn't most people, and personal space had never been their specialty.
"Have you been home?"
"No, I came straight here."
Naruto hummed his satisfaction. As much as he wanted Sasuke to be able to rest when he got back to the village, he also wanted to wring every second of time from the man. He wanted to see him at every hour, no matter what. Wanted to be the first person to greet him, wanted to know the second Sasuke stepped foot past the gate. So sometime over the years, Sasuke had stopped letting him know about his return through letter or word of mouth, and instead just appeared to wherever Naruto was, tracking him by his chakra.
"How are you?" The question was pointless. Sasuke always answered the same way. Naruto never stopped asking it anyway.
"Fine."
Sasuke raised his singular visible eyebrow at Naruto, tilting his head back slightly to look at him in their proximity.
"You look like shit."
Naruto laughed softly, the breath of it rushing across Sasuke's hair.
"Is that your way of asking how I am?"
Sasuke nodded, his eyes flat and unrevealing.
Naruto smiled softly. He knew he looked like shit. He barely slept, only ever ate when Sakura was shoving food down his throat forcefully. He was drained, exhausted. But Sasuke was here, so it didn't matter.
"I'm fine. Better now that you showed up."
The corner of Sasuke's mouth tightened. It wasn't a smile, but it was close, and it made Naruto inhale deeply as emotion pushed up his throat. He reached out slowly, raising his hand to Sasuke's face and reveling in the way the other man didn't even flinch, didn't even react. He trusted him.
Naruto threaded his fingers through the black silk of Sasuke's bangs, letting the strands slip against his palm before pushing them up the cool skin of his forehead to reveal his other eye. The shadows fell from his face and the Rinnegan stared back. The dark purple rings were mesmerizing, no matter how many times Naruto saw it. They stood out so starkly against the pale of Sasuke's skin, such a clear omen of danger and power. It was no wonder that Sasuke kept it hidden from the world. He blinked slowly as Naruto stared, long dark eyelashes nearly touching his cheekbones. Naruto reached under his eye with his thumb and swiped the skin there gently before letting the bang fall back into place.
He dropped his hand to his side and Sasuke still didn't move, face emotionless and stony as always.
Quick as a flash, Sasuke's eyes dropped to Naruto's mouth, eyes narrowing as they skimmed across his lips, and Naruto felt the gaze as if it was a tangible touch, igniting sparks in his stomach. He couldn't stop himself from reaching out again, the craving to touch the other man was too strong. He grabbed the collar of Sasuke's coat firmly, unbuttoning the top and pushing it from his shoulders. Satisfaction pooled in his gut as the fabric fell to the floor, revealing Sasuke's body. His shirt was worn and faded, but it hugged his chest and bicep snugly. The sleeve of one arm hung loosely, swinging in movement and Naruto grabbed it. He fingered the empty material before moving up inside of it and slipping his hands across the stump of Sasuke's arm.
"Couldn't wait to get me out of my clothes?" Sasuke's voice was without inflection, but Naruto could still sense the tease there, and he scoffed lightly in answer, not stopping.
His movements were quick and sure, the result of doing this so many times, and his fingertips pressed firmly against the smooth, scarred skin. He massaged the torn limb firmly, feeling the sinews of muscle tense and relax under his touch. Sasuke's eyes fluttered shut as Naruto watched him, his lips parting and a small breath escaped them. His arm hurt him, Naruto knew this, as did Sakura. Sasuke tried to hide it from them, the aching and phantom pain, but they both knew the signs of suffering too well on Sasuke, knew the darkness of his eyes and tight lips. So Naruto always did this, took advantage of Sasuke's trust and massaged his arm every chance he got, relieving some of the pain. He would admit it was self-indulgent too. Knowing that Sasuke never let anyone touch him but would let Naruto do this, knowing that Sasuke felt comfortable enough with him to close his eyes and let actual relief show on his features. Naruto studied the man in front of him as his fingers worked his flesh, stowing away all the details, relishing in the closeness.
"It hurts?"
Sasuke nodded, lips still parted and eyes closed.
Naruto's voice was quiet as he spoke slowly, breaching the subject even when he knew he would get shut down.
"You should go see Sakura, you know. Tsunade could-"
"No."
Sasuke's interruption was firm, leaving no room for further conversation. Naruto sighed. It was always the same, the pushing and blatant refusal. Sasuke seemed to delve deeper into the pain of his missing arm as some form of repentance for the things he had done. Naruto felt nothing but guilt at the knowledge that he had been the one to tear it off, even as his own fake arm hung at his side.
As if reading his mind, Sasuke's eyes shot open and he reached out with his one hand to grasp Naruto's free arm. Naruto's fingers stilled where they were pushed up his sleeve, his palm resting on the smooth stump.
Sasuke studied the bandaged prosthetic in front of him, made from Hashirama's cells. It had taken years, but Naruto finally had some feeling in it, so he shivered as Sasuke's fingers traced across the knuckles and up the back of his wrist. His touch was gentle for someone who was usually so volatile. Naruto knew this about him, the way Sasuke touched was so private, so special to him. No one else saw this side of Sasuke. That fact bloomed in his chest forcefully.
His hand, still wrapped around Sasuke's amputated limb, tightened pulling the slightly shorter man closer to him so that their chests were almost brushing.
Sasuke looked up at the movement, his hand traveling further up Naruto's limb before coming to a rest on his shoulder. The touch was heavy and hot, and it took all of Naruto's focus to not lean into it.
"I missed you, Sasuke."
Sasuke just hummed, his eyes focusing somewhere over Naruto's shoulder.
Up close, Naruto could see all of the details on Sasuke's face. All of the small things he craved when Sasuke was gone. The curve of his nose, the deep set eyes ringed with black, the small scar on the left side of his chin under his lower lip, the shadows under his cheekbones. Sasuke was like a porcelain doll, carved by an artists. Except he would never be so fragile, never easily broken.
"Did you miss me?" Naruto's lips quirked up at the sides as he asked, teasing.
Sasuke's eyes refocused on his face, narrowing at him before dropping to blatantly stare at his smile. The look was bold, obvious. Sasuke didn't hide when it came to this.
"Don't ask stupid questions."
Naruto smiled wider, face stretching as the meaning behind Sasuke's words settled in his stomach. Even if he didn't say it outright, there was no other reason for Sasuke to stop in the village for one night, the village he hated so much. They were opposite sides of the same coin, the sun and the moon, destined to circle around each other for all of eternity, destined to always find their way back to each other. Missing was an understatement. They both knew this.
Sasuke's hand tightened on his shoulder, fingers pressing into the fabric of his shirt as Naruto dragged him in closer, dipping his head towards Sasuke.
The world fell away as their lips met, warm and rough with a barely concealed need. It was always like this, hungry and hot, a thin thread of violence running between them. Naruto pressed firmly against the other man, falling to the heat of his lips and the feel of Sasuke's hips jutting into him. The room was dark around them, but Naruto felt like he was on fire. The craving crested as he withdrew his hand from Sasuke's sleeve and wrapped both arms around him, pressing his fingers into either side of his spine as they kissed.
Sasuke would be gone tomorrow, and the work on his desk would keep piling up.
But for now, the tiredness in his limbs dissipated, replaced by burning need.
For now, he wasn't a man with responsibilities and a village to care for with a heavy cloak on his shoulders.
For now, he was Naruto, the man that Sasuke wanted, that Sasuke trusted and returned to and touched willingly. And that would never stop being more than enough.