Bet You Can't

“I am so fucked.”

Naruto spent most of his morning in the library, hidden in the corner and out of sight. He stared down at the wooden table, his hands buried in his messy blonde hair, and contemplated whether he was about to be indebted to Sasuke for the rest of his life, or if he should consider doing a black market job to get the money. He figured he could make some money with his body; he knew he was in pretty good shape and people often considered him hot, but he liked to be humble. 

All things aside, Naruto knew he was in deep shit. He had tried not to think about it too much, but he felt like a helpless lovesick idiot. They were reaching the fourth week, and now it felt like his life was falling apart.

Once this bet ended, where did that leave his relationship with Sasuke? They were only tied together over a stupid bet, and once it ended Sasuke had no reason to stick around anymore. He had his own life, his own friends, and honestly, Naruto couldn’t see them going back to being friends.

Things between them always had to be messy. Or ridiculously complicated. 

Naruto wanted Sasuke around. Hell, they were friends for a reason, and the past three years without Sasuke had been...strange. He had managed to get by, met some really great people, but he always felt like he had been missing something important to him. 

There were times where Naruto would write paragraphs of text to Sasuke, only to delete it all immediately and never send it. The number of times he'd gotten drunk and forced Kiba to hold onto his phone so he didn’t call Sasuke was another matter itself.

Three years.

Naruto tapped his pen as he felt his anxiety creeping in again.

How was he going to break it to Sasuke that he didn’t have the money? How long would it take him to come up with that?

He never expected things to go this far.

It was all supposed to be a joke; a weird way of making Sasuke uncomfortable as revenge for how things ended between them. He wanted Sasuke to cave and give up, as if the victory would have actually done something for his ego.

Things had gone too far too fast, and Naruto didn’t know what to do. What really confused him was Sasuke’s behavior. What did he really want? Naruto knew Sasuke didn’t care about the money, it was possible he had only played his part to prove something in the end. That still didn’t feel right to Naruto, considering the way things had been between them lately.

It was oddly...intimate.

Maybe it was all in Naruto’s imagination, but every touch felt soft and deliberate, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Sasuke gave him genuine reactions, and it seemed like a stretch to say that it was all an act.

Even so, Sasuke never said anything to make him believe that it was real. His expressions left him just as confused as always.

“I hate him.” Naruto mumbled to himself, his head dropping to the cold wooden surface. “Or do I love him?”

That was the real question. It felt like torture, and not the cool kind they showed on television. This one was silent and invisible, the kind where no one would believe it was happening until he finally keeled over and died from it.

Naruto lifted his head at the sound of footsteps just in time to watch three of his friends walk over. He had almost forgotten he’d planned to meet up with them; falling down the doom spiral had really left him losing track of time.

“Yo Naruto.” His friend Shikamaru offered him a salute and a small smile. “I’m assuming you aren’t crying about midterms, are you?”

“Yeah right.” Kiba snickered, dropping into the chair beside Naruto. “You know exactly who he’s crying about.”

“I’m not crying.” Naruto put his head back down, sulking. Someone tapped his arm and he glanced up again.

“Here.” His other friend Choji slid a bag of chips across the table, a warm smile on his face. If Choji was the king of anything, it was the king of snacks. His backpack was like a fucking vending machine, but the only difference was he wouldn’t share unless he was feeling generous. Naruto accepted the offer with a sniff.

“Thanks.” He stared down at the limited edition teriyaki burger flavor in mild interest. Where the hell did he even find these?

“Well, it’s almost the end of the month, what’s going on?” Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, leveling his gaze with Naruto. “Do you have the thousand dollars to fork up?”

“Like hell I do.” Naruto groaned. “I didn’t think things would go this far.”

“You two used to compete over everything, it was such a drag.” Shikamaru sighed. “In reality, Sasuke is just as hard-headed as you. I guess he’s just smarter.”

“He’s always had a soft spot for Naruto too. He’d be a fucking dick to everyone else, but then he’d be all considerate and nice when Naruto was around.” Kiba stuck out his tongue. “I mean, to the point where he let you smash?”

“By soft spot, do you mean his ass?” Choji snickered, and the rest of them started howling in laughter.

Naruto didn’t find it funny. He glared at them, his grip tightening on his pen until it almost snapped in his hand.

“Don’t make me knock you guys out in the library.”

They all stopped laughing, immediately picking up on Naruto’s mood.

“Joking, joking.” Kiba held his hands out in reassurance. “You’re just gonna have to tell him you don’t have the money. Make a payment plan or something.”

“Or, you have five more days.” Shikamaru shrugged. “But I mean, if he was willing to go so far as sex, I don’t know what could possibly be left for you to scare him away.”

Naruto frowned. Kiba and his fucking big mouth; he didn’t need to solve his problems like a stupid group project. He knew his friends meant well, but they certainly weren’t being helpful.

He left the library a bit later and noticed Sasuke across the quad, chatting idly with someone near one of the lecture buildings. Their eyes briefly met, before Sasuke’s eyes went back to his companion like it didn’t happen. 

Naruto didn’t bother going up to him. He continued down the sidewalk towards his next class, his mind suddenly a lot murkier than it had been this morning.

Naruto didn’t see Sasuke until Tuesday evening. He came over after his classes, tossing his backpack on the floor of Naruto’s living room before falling onto the couch beside him. Naruto pretended to watch the TV when in reality all he could do was watch Sasuke out of the corner of his eye while his body started to overreact over every little thing.

Sasuke’s thigh pressed against his. The smell of his shampoo. The way his body moved when he stretched, yawning and sinking into the pillows. It was a lot.

Naruto actively tried not to tap his feet out of fear the jostling would make him more aware of their contact. When the two spoke, it was about the show they were kind of watching and not about anything personal.

Yet, by the end of the show, the two were making out on the couch. Naruto didn’t even know how it started, but Sasuke was on his lap, kissing him hard as Netflix skipped to the next episode.

Naruto slid his hand up and under Sasuke’s shirt, holding him close as he worked his tongue against Sasuke’s. He could feel the slow rocking of Sasuke’s body against his, and Naruto gave Sasuke’s ass a tight squeeze just to hear him groan in response.

He flipped Sasuke onto his back, kneeling to kiss him again, and Naruto felt Sasuke’s hands in his hair, holding him tight as Naruto started to unbuckle his pants. 

“Naruto,” Sasuke murmured between kisses, his grip getting tighter. A small gasp slipped out when Naruto brushed against his erection. “Naruto, wait.”

Naruto paused, his hand gripping Sasuke’s shirt, ready to rip it off. They were both breathing heavy, the air charged between them. Sasuke now made a conflicted expression, his brows furrowed as he stared down, and Naruto immediately pulled away.

“What are we doing?” Sasuke asked, his voice impossibly quiet. It sounded like he was asking himself, a thought that just managed to break the surface.

Naruto looked down. Sasuke’s shirt had been pushed up, his pants undone, and it was painfully obvious what they were about to do.

Naruto couldn’t find his voice. He could only stare dumbly at his hands resting on Sasuke’s hips.

“This…” Sasuke avoided his gaze too, his eyes also on Naruto’s hands. “This doesn’t feel like a bet anymore.”

For a while, neither of them moved. They didn’t know what to do or what else to say. Whatever energy that had existed between them had gone out in smoke.

Sasuke sat up, and Naruto fell back to give him space. He watched Sasuke stand, zip up his pants, and then smooth out his shirt.

“Listen, I came here to tell you that you won.” Sasuke sighed, his back still turned.

“What are you talking about?” 

“I’m forfeiting. You don’t have to give me the money, okay? You won the bet.” 

Naruto stood up fast, startling Sasuke into turning around to look at him.

“What do you mean I won? You have three days left, how are you going to forfeit?!” Naruto’s voice nearly rose to a shout. When he reached for Sasuke, he pulled away.

“I can’t do this anymore.” Sasuke walked across the room and picked up his backpack. “I don’t care about the money. I never did. I just...I don’t fucking know, but I have to go.”

Naruto ran in front of him, blocking his path to the door. This couldn’t be happening. It didn’t make sense. 

“Sasuke, wait. Can we talk? What’s wrong? Why all of a sudden—”

“I don’t have anything to say to you.” Sasuke frowned when Naruto didn’t move. “Get out of the way, Naruto.”

“Sasuke, please!”

Sasuke pushed his way past, storming out the front door before Naruto knew it. The door slammed shut, leaving a hollow feeling in its wake. Naruto could only stare down at his hands as they shook.

It was happening again.

Sasuke had shut himself off and Naruto had been too terrified to stop him from leaving. He just let it happen. 

He turned to stare at the front door. 

Sasuke had three days left before the bet was over. Why, all of a sudden, did he want to give up? If that were the case, why the hell did Sasuke kiss him? Why did he do any of it?

Naruto couldn’t accept it. Something was going on, and this time he wasn’t going to let Sasuke lie his way out of it.

On Wednesday afternoon, Naruto crossed his campus with forced determination. He was not about to let things end like this; he didn’t want to win a bet that didn’t feel like a fair win. Whether he had the money or not, it needed to be fair to mean something.

As determined as he wanted to be, his body told him a different story. His heart raced in his chest, he felt oddly sweaty despite the freezing weather, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if he just passed out on the grass from all of the stress stored up in his body.

Sasuke stood in front of the library again, nodding at his friend to indicate he was listening as he scrolled through his phone. His friend didn’t seem to mind, clearly hyped up about something they needed to share, but the rant abruptly cut off as they watched Naruto approach.

It took Sasuke a few seconds before he noticed the silence, and he glanced up just as Naruto came to a stop in front of him.

“Hey.” Naruto squeezed his hands into fists inside his pockets. It was a vain attempt at hiding his nerves; He couldn’t chicken out now, but boy did he want to. “Can we talk?”

“I’ll see you later Sasuke.” Sasuke’s friend gave Naruto a curious look over before turning away, white hair fluttering in the breeze.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto.

“I told you I have nothing to say to you.”

“We both know you’re a good liar.” Naruto shivered as a cold gust of wind blew by. “I think we have a lot of things to talk about.”

“Well, I’m not interested.” Sasuke kicked off the wall and started walking back towards the quad. “Go to class or something.”

Like lightning, Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. Sasuke slowly turned around to give him a deadly glare.

“Let go.” He demanded.

“No. I let you go three years ago and I’ve regretted it ever since.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened into an even stronger death glare. 

“What are you talking about? You didn’t let go of me, I pushed you away.”

“Well, yeah but I let you do it. I should’ve seen that you were suffering and trying to cover it up, but I wanted to be mad at you and just walked away when I should have stayed.”

Sasuke didn't even blink. It had to be the angriest Naruto had ever seen him. If looks could kill, Naruto was almost sure his corpse would be a mangled mess on the sidewalk, considering Sasuke wouldn’t be in the mood to even make it neat for him. 

Naruto couldn’t understand why this offended him so badly; he had said much worse things to Sasuke and hardly received any kind of reaction. This, it seemed like, was what they really needed to address in order to figure their shit out.

 “Stop it. Whatever you’re doing right now, fucking stop.”

Naruto refused to back down. “You know I’m right.”

“No, you’re not!” Sasuke snapped. “You always take the blame to fix things and it’s not fair. It’s not fucking fair to me or to you, so please, stop.” Sasuke dropped his head when his voice cracked, hiding his expression. Naruto could swear he saw a tear roll down his face. All of that anger that had flashed in his eyes earlier went out like it was never there. Almost like he didn’t have the strength to hold onto it.

Shit.

Naruto hesitated. He didn’t have any intentions of fighting with Sasuke on campus, and they were starting to attract the attention of passing students.

“I really need to talk to you, okay? Can we go to my place? I promise I won’t waste your time.” He slowly let go of Sasuke’s arm, hoping he wouldn’t run away as soon as he was freed.

Sasuke thought about it. He stared at his shoes for a few minutes before he looked up.

“Fine.” He finally said. 

Naruto huffed out a small breath of relief and walked with Sasuke back to his apartment in silence. It felt like a long three blocks, especially when Naruto felt the tension between them as they walked. Sasuke kept a solid distance between them and Naruto kept his stare straight ahead out of fear he’d see something in Sasuke’s expression that would scare him away.

They entered the apartment and climbed the two flights of stairs before walking through Naruto’s front door. The apartment was eerily silent since Kiba was gone for class, and Naruto led them down the hallway and through the kitchen towards the living room.

Sasuke came to a stop in the kitchen, refusing to step any farther inside. He rested a hand on the counter before leaning against it, his eyes now on Naruto. His face was set into its usual scowl, but Naruto could see that his eyes looked wet as though he were on the brink of tears. He didn’t know what to do with that.

“Obviously when I made this bet I was drunk off of my ass.” Naruto started. “I’m truly sorry I put you through that, that was shitty of me.”

Sasuke remained silent, simply listening.

“Afterwards instead of calling it off, I thought I could mess with you and try to get you to give up the bet on your own. It was supposed to be a joke, but…” Naruto ran his hand through his hair and sighed. 

Was he really about to do this?

It didn’t seem like hiding the truth would get him anywhere at this point. Either Sasuke would leave because he didn’t feel the same way, or he’d leave because he never knew.

“But…” Naruto tried again, “I never did anything I didn’t want to do. I mean—I guess what I’m trying to say is...I made things awkward because I took things too far and we were friends for so long I just…” Naruto swore under his breath. This was too fucking hard for him; he could feel himself caving under the pressure. “Even after everything, if you wanted to still be friends, I would rather have that than nothing at all.”

An uncomfortable silence hung between them before Sasuke spoke, his words blunt.

“Naruto, I have no intention of being friends with you.”

Naruto bit his lip. He had a feeling Sasuke would say that, but it still hurt a shit ton more than he thought it would. He would’ve rather been stabbed, or pushed out of his window.

“Right.”

“Do you know why?” Sasuke asked, and when Naruto looked up, Sasuke was staring at him with a surprisingly soft expression.

“...no?”

Sasuke sighed. It sounded like he exhaled most of his life away, and he looked so tired Naruto almost started to worry.

“It’s too hard...being just your friend.” Sasuke seemed to choose his words slowly, making sure he didn’t say the wrong thing or phrase it in a way that would set Naruto off. “Do you seriously think I would have taken this bet with anyone other than you?”

Naruto stared back at him blankly, not understanding where Sasuke was going with this.

“You’re really an idiot.” Sasuke groaned. “I told you I never cared about the money, right?”

Naruto nodded.

“But I still did all of those things with you, didn’t I?”

Naruto hesitated before nodding again.

“Why do you think I did that?” Sasuke frowned as he watched Naruto think. 

“...because you wanted to?” Naruto asked, his brow still furrowed in confusion. “If that’s the case, that’s why I’m confused, Sasuke. Why then, did you wait three years?”

That made Sasuke pause. His expression soured as he contemplated his response.

“It’s not like I was waiting. I didn’t think you’d ever want to speak to me again.” He admitted. “I said some really terrible shit to you and then ghosted you, why would you even want to be around me anymore?”

“Are you serious?” Naruto deadpanned. He could feel the annoyance rising in him, bubbling with intensity so strong it almost felt nostalgic. It was the quick, white-hot rage that he had when Sasuke first cut him off. The type of anger that he didn’t know what to do with when he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Was that really Sasuke’s excuse? 

Sasuke didn’t reply. He seemed to be measuring Naruto’s reaction, clearly sensing the boy’s growing irritation.

“Because we were best friends!” Naruto’s voice rose to a shout and Sasuke flinched away from the outburst. “We always fought, but we forgave each other! I broke your brand new bike and you forgave me! You lost my frog wallet and I forgave you! It wasn’t that complicated, but then you just...you what? Pretended I didn’t exist?”

It felt like everything had finally overflowed. There had just been so much shit he had wanted to say, so many feelings he had left untouched, and now it was falling out of his mouth like word vomit.

“You pushed me away without any good reason, you ignored me, you blocked me, you pretended like you didn’t know me! I had to finish high school without you! We don’t even have any recent pictures together! Every time I saw you, I felt like I did something wrong! I always wanted to believe that you would change your mind one day and talk to me, but you didn’t!” Naruto could feel the tears running down his face, but it was too late to stop them. “Do you even care? You act like everything is fine and like things don’t matter, but they do to me! I care about you! I wanted to be there for you! I fucking loved you!”

Naruto broke off to catch his breath. Sasuke stared back at him in complete shock as he tried to process everything Naruto had thrown at him.

Naruto, in turn, had nothing left to give. He felt empty, his words finally brought into reality, and there wasn’t anything left for him to do.

“I—” Sasuke’s voice broke. He dropped his gaze to the floor for a few seconds before he tried again. “I never told you anything and I never expected you to know what was going on. I selfishly pushed you away because I didn’t want you to see that I’m not...I’m not what you think I am. I just...I thought things would be easier if I didn’t have to keep up an act around you and that maybe things would be better if I was alone.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Nothing is fine, Naruto.” Sasuke said, exasperated. “Things were never fine! I hated my life, I hated this town, I hated my parents, I didn’t care about anything. Except for you. You were the only good thing I had, but I didn’t want to bring you down. My parents told me to focus on school and so that’s what I did. I shut everything out because I thought that if I could finally meet their expectations, I’d feel better about myself.” 

Sasuke stared at his hands.

“But even after doing that, it didn’t make a difference. I bombed my entrance exam. I didn’t even fill in any answers. I knew it was pointless since I had already thrown away everything I actually cared about. I cut you off, and then I was too terrified to apologize to you. I felt like all I’d ever done was be a shit friend anyway.” Sasuke met Naruto’s gaze again and tears gathered behind his lashes, threatening to fall down his cheeks. 

“I didn’t know how to make things better. I just gave up and now here I am. There’s nothing special about me anymore. I’m just...average, and I’m fine with that, but after all the shit I said to you, how was I supposed to make up for that?”

“You tell me the truth. Like you are right now.” Naruto replied. “I would have forgiven you a long time ago. That’s what friends do. Why were you afraid of approaching me?”

Sasuke kept his gaze down, purposefully avoiding Naruto’s intense stare. 

“I think...I was afraid of rejection. If you had turned me away, then whatever hope I was holding onto would just...disappear.”

Naruto scowled at his answer.

For most of their friendship, Naruto had truly believed that they had known everything about each other. He felt inseparable from Sasuke and kept him close to his heart, yet why was it that they had so many misunderstandings? Naruto finally realized that they may not have truly understood each other at all. As confused as Naruto felt about Sasuke’s feelings, Sasuke had been just as clueless, leaving them fumbling around without any idea of what to do.

Reject him? As much as his pride wanted to in the beginning, Naruto could never cast aside his friend like that. If Sasuke had approached him, sure he would have been skeptical, but he wanted nothing more than to be friends again. He wanted to be able to wave to Sasuke on campus and have lunch with him or hang out on the weekends like they used to. He had missed his best friend so much that it hurt.

“I admit that I tried really hard to hold a grudge.” Naruto tried to soften his tone and gave Sasuke a weak smile. “But more than anything, I wanted to see you again. I couldn’t hate you if I tried, Sasuke. I was so hurt and so angry, but I guess I loved you more than anything else.”

Sasuke looked away, but Naruto knew he was hiding his tears. He could tell by the way Sasuke curled in on himself, desperately trying to hold together whatever he didn’t want Naruto to see.

“I’m so sorry.” Sasuke whispered, and when Naruto walked up to him, he broke into a sob like he couldn’t hold it any longer. Although he had dreamed of the day Sasuke would finally apologize to him, it only hurt him to see it in person. He had imagined groveling (knowing full well it would never happen) and begging for Naruto to forgive him. In reality, Sasuke had never expected Naruto to forgive him, and it was a gut-wrenching apology that Sasuke seemed to think he’d never have the chance to give.

Naruto hugged him tight against him as he cried, and for once, things didn’t feel weird. Sasuke held him just as tight, hands pulling at Naruto’s sweater like he wanted to tear it off. 

“I’m such an idiot.” Sasuke mumbled against him. “I should’ve known you’d say something like that.”

“You are an idiot.” Naruto smiled and he lightly brushed Sasuke’s hair with his fingers. “...but so am I, so I guess that makes two of us.”

He heard Sasuke laugh at that, a much better sound than his sobbing, and when he pulled back to look at Naruto his eyes were wide and wet, reflecting the world back at Naruto like two black mirrors. For the first time, Naruto could see that Sasuke had completely opened up, laying his vulnerabilities in the open for him, and he wasn’t afraid. There was no more hesitation. No more walls. Naruto held Sasuke at his rawest and most fragile state, and there was nothing left between them.

It was at that moment when Naruto realized that his love for Sasuke was so real that it hurt him. It felt like every part of him ached for Sasuke’s acceptance, an intense desire to not only love but be loved by him too. He wondered if such a thing could be possible.

“You loved me?” Sasuke asked suddenly, as if he had read Naruto’s mind. The confession must have just registered in his head. “Since when?”

“I don’t know why I used past tense.” Naruto sighed. “You fucking asshole. It feels like my whole life now.”

Sasuke blinked, a curious smile spread across his face.

“When we were thirteen, you kissed me. Was it since then?”

Naruto blanched, his face turning red. “You remember that?”

“Of course I fucking remember that, it was my first kiss.”

Naruto looked away. “Maybe it was since then.”

Sasuke snorted before he started laughing. Naruto looked back at him in surprise; he couldn’t remember the last time he had heard him laugh like that. It was so sudden and yet so real and honest, Naruto could only watch as Sasuke stepped back, body shaking with laughter.

“I thought about it all the time!” Sasuke said between breaths. “I kept wondering if you were going to bring it up, but you didn’t.”

“Well, I was embarrassed.”

“It was out of nowhere, too. I didn’t even know what to say.” Sasuke wiped at his eyes until the tears were gone, and something about Sasuke’s face made Naruto want to hold him tight. The blotchy patches on his cheeks, the glimmer in his eyelashes...something about it was so breathtakingly beautiful, Naruto couldn’t help but smile back at him despite his embarrassment.

“I acted on impulse, okay? You know I just did whatever popped into my head! I never thought things through like you would.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “You did whatever you wanted. So naturally I was a little confused. I thought you did it as a joke, but then you didn’t mention it and...well, in any case, I didn’t hate it.”

Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”

“Remember when we were sixteen, and we had that sophomore swim class? Your class had a water polo tournament and my class came in to watch it.” Sasuke shook his head. “You wore this tight speedo looking thing—”

“I had to wear that! It was the stupid school swimsuit for water polo!”

“Anyway, you were wearing that tight ugly green thing and I had to leave the room. I couldn’t do it. I don’t think I’d ever been that hard in my life.”

Naruto’s eyes widened at that.

“You asked me earlier, what my sexual awakening was. It was that.” Sasuke took another step back and smirked at him. “Which is why I can’t be your friend. Friends don’t want to fuck each other. Unless you were just doing it for the bet?”

“I already told you that wasn’t the case. I’ve wanted to...I mean, I’ve always thought about—wait. This isn’t coming out right.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes before his face turned serious again. “I really wish I could, but I can’t erase the last three years or what I’ve done to you. I’m sorry I did that, Naruto. I really am.” 

Naruto saw the guilt reflected in Sasuke’s eyes. He could see the way it ate at him to the point where Sasuke had truly been afraid of him. Months ago, Naruto believed that this would have made him feel better, knowing Sasuke felt bad for what he’d done. 

 “...If it grants you any solace, it was hands down the worst time of my life and I missed you every single day of it.” Sasuke smiled. It was small, but it was there and it was genuine.

Naruto took his hand and gave it an affirming squeeze. 

“Of course I forgive you. So I’m not crazy thinking that there’s something here.” He glanced up to see Sasuke’s expression. “Like, my feelings obviously haven’t changed, so…”

“Well, it is a shame you don’t have the thousand dollars…”

“Sasuke.”

“You’re not crazy.” Sasuke replied. “And you aren’t stupid. You’re just a good person, Naruto. Better than I could ever be.”

“That’s not true.”

Sasuke shrugged it away, but Naruto tightened his grip and pulled Sasuke closer.

“You are not a bad person, Sasuke. Everyone goes through a tough time and now when things get hard, I will be here.” Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, forcing him to look in his eyes. “No matter what, I’ll be here for you. You don’t have to suffer alone.”

Sasuke’s brow furrowed. Naruto wiped away a few new tears on Sasuke’s cheek with his thumb and smiled warmly.

To Naruto’s surprise, Sasuke took another step forward and crushed his face to Naruto’s chest, holding him so tight it felt like his ribs were straining under the pressure. It had to be the first time that Sasuke took the initiative to hug him, and while it was a little awkward and too tight to be comfortable, it was certainly a step in the right direction.

Naruto held him back happily, his heart swelling with what could only be pure relief and joy.

“I’m kind of glad my family didn’t adopt you.” Naruto thought aloud, absentmindedly. “The more I think about it, it would have been pretty awkward, right? If my mom had caught us messing around...wouldn’t that be like a scandal? You can’t hook up with your adopted sibling, that’s–”

“Naruto?”

“Yeah?”

“Please shut up.” Sasuke said, but Naruto could feel him smiling against his shoulder. That was enough for him.

“Sorry. Am I ruining the moment again?”

“No.” Sasuke murmured back. “I think you’re making it.” Sasuke abruptly pulled back to give Naruto a dangerous smile. “You know what you could do to really make the moment?”

Naruto leaned closer, brushing their noses together. “What?”

“You could...fuck me until I pass out?” Sasuke whispered and ran his thumb across Naruto’s bottom lip. “I don’t want to be able to walk tomorrow.”

Naruto’s jaw fell open in disbelief and Sasuke’s thumb slipped into his mouth. He couldn’t believe this was happening. The next thing he knew, Sasuke’s ass was in his hands, and Naruto crushed their hips together.

Sasuke gasped, squirming against him. His hand gripped the back of Naruto’s neck as he molded to the embrace while Naruto kissed across his collarbone, leaving wet marks across his pale skin.

“Now that’s something I can do.” Naruto purred, his hands running up and under Sasuke’s shirt. “Since when have you been so horny?”

“You have no idea.” Sasuke groaned when Naruto rubbed his thigh between Sasuke’s legs. He leaned into it, letting Naruto’s body grind against his as their lips met for a sloppy kiss.

“I guess you can just show me?” Naruto reached down and started unzipping Sasuke’s pants, a hungry desire now feeding into his usual impatience. He didn’t plan on wasting any more time with Sasuke, especially now that he knew exactly what he wanted. 

“Naruto, wait.” Sasuke slightly pulled away and Naruto stopped to look at him again. Sasuke looked like he was about to start laughing. “Doesn’t someone have class in fifteen minutes?”

“Jesus Sasuke, fuck class!” Naruto hissed. Was he being serious? 

“You have too many absences to miss any more.” Sasuke’s tone turned serious. “I’m not fucking around Naruto, you have to go.”

“Sasuke…” Naruto groaned. “I can't believe you right now!”

“Ass isn’t worth failing a class for.” Sasuke leaned away when Naruto tried to pull him close again. “Not even mine.”

“Speak for yourself.” Naruto sighed once he realized Sasuke wasn’t kidding. With a frustrated huff, he turned away and grabbed his backpack off the floor. Sasuke leaned against the counter and crossed his arms as he watched Naruto put on his jacket.

Naruto gave Sasuke another look before opening the door. “You’ll be here when I get back, right?”

Sasuke smirked. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Do you think you’ll still be horny?”

“Unless I have some fun by myself while you’re gone.” Sasuke shrugged. Naruto’s tortured expression only made him laugh. “Joking!”

“Damn it.” Naruto growled and darted out his door. Never in his life had he cursed a class as much as this one. He knew he was about to have the fucking hour and a half long class from hell. 

The second the clock hit two-thirty, Naruto was out the door and dashing across campus. He wished he could say he retained some of the information he heard in class, but that would have been an absolute fucking lie. He spent the entire hour and a half staring down at his notebook blankly as he tried desperately not to think about Sasuke waiting for him. It had to be one of the most painful moments in his life, and time had not been kind to him.

As he dashed down the street, backpack slapping against his back, Naruto realized he felt incredibly light. All of the ache and turmoil he had held on to for the past three years had been released. It was like he could finally breathe, and holy shit did it feel amazing.

“Heh!” Naruto laughed into the air, his chest heaving as he ran into his apartment building and up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn’t even question whether Sasuke was still there; he felt like he knew Sasuke had told him the truth and would patiently wait for him, no matter how many classes he had left today.

Naruto threw open his front door, slammed it shut behind him, tossed his backpack across the room, and stormed up to Sasuke like his body was on autopilot. 

Sasuke watched him blow through the apartment like a hurricane, barely having time to close his laptop and move it aside before Naruto was bearing down on him. He kissed Sasuke with all he had, pulling him up and out of the kitchen stool to crush him to his chest.

Sasuke didn’t protest; Naruto could feel him smiling against his mouth, and Naruto’s hands reached for the hem of Sasuke’s shirt.

“Clothes off, now.” Naruto commanded.

Sasuke sighed, but Naruto could tell it was jokingly. He stripped out of his clothes, kicking his pants away near the archway to their living room.

“Are we going to do it right here?” Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Naruto shook out his hair after he tugged his shirt over his head, tossing it on top of Sasuke’s clothes.

“Do you wanna?”

“Yeah, or we can do it in front of the window where everyone can see.”

Naruto whistled, the mental image alone was enough to make him excited. 

“I never knew you were so kinky.”

“I’m obviously joking.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.”

Sasuke came closer, and Naruto met him halfway to pull him into another kiss. Naruto brushed Sasuke’s hair to the side as his lips moved against Sasuke’s, eager and hungry. Sasuke’s lips parted, and Naruto took advantage of it. They kissed for a while, bodies pressed together in the kitchen, and Naruto slowly backed them up to the island counters.

“Shit.” Naruto broke away suddenly, to Sasuke’s surprise, and he watched Naruto dart down the hall and into his bedroom. 

Naruto quickly returned, squirting a handful of lube into his hand as he darted back, and Sasuke’s eyes widened.

“That’s...a lot of lube.”

“We’re going to need it.” Naruto said, purely for the sake of seeing Sasuke’s expression. It was that small moment of absolute terror that crossed his features that made him laugh, and once Sasuke realized he was joking, his expression soured.

“The things I thought about when I was sitting in that stupid classroom.” Naruto muttered as he pulled Sasuke close again, his free hand tight on Sasuke’s ass. Sasuke moaned when Naruto squeezed a cheek tight, his other hand trailing to Sasuke’s entrance.

“I bet you didn’t even pay attention.” Sasuke replied, out of breath.

“You’re damn right I didn’t.” Naruto mumbled over Sasuke’s shoulder, brow furrowed in concentration. “How could I?”

“I couldn’t either.” Sasuke slightly moved his hips, grinding up and against Naruto as he waited, occasionally squirming when Naruto’s fingers would explore a bit deeper. “I couldn’t even write a single sentence for my paper.”

“Fuck your paper.” Naruto growled, nibbling at Sasuke’s neck.

“It’s due tomorrow afternoon.” Another moan slipped out as Naruto sucked at the base of his neck. For the rest of the day, he planned on making sure classwork was the farthest thing from Sasuke’s mind.

Naruto gave Sasuke one last kiss before he lightly turned him around, his hand slowly pushing Sasuke’s back down to the counter until Sasuke rested his hands on the surface. His fingers traced over Sasuke’s spine, bumping along the columns until he reached the gentle curve of his ass. Naruto wished he could drag this moment out and make it last forever; something about Sasuke’s perfect body fully exposed in his kitchen was really turning him on.

“Naruto…” Sasuke kept his voice low and it sounded almost threatening, “If you don’t fuck me right now–”

Okay, okay, geez. 

Sasuke was so damn impatient, but Naruto had to admit that the frustration would only make it better. He wanted to tease Sasuke until he was trembling, begging for Naruto to put it in and fuck him into next week.

Naruto took a deep breath and used his thumbs to spread Sasuke’s entrance, which was sopping wet and just as eager as Sasuke seemed to be.

Sasuke whimpered in anticipation, his body shaking under Naruto’s hands, and it only made Naruto harder.

He wasted no time pushing in the tip, and he shuddered as he felt Sasuke’s body swallow him in. Sasuke immediately pushed back, his bare ass slapping against Naruto’s hips with a loud smack. Naruto stared down in shock; he was now buried to the hilt inside of him, and damn did it feel amazing.

“Holy shit Sasuke!” Naruto tightened his grip, fingernails biting into Sasuke’s skin.

Sasuke moaned in response, arching his back, and then he started rocking against Naruto, effectively fucking himself.

“Ah– you like that?” Sasuke smiled over his shoulder with the same cocky attitude Naruto remembered well. He was so fucking hot, Naruto didn’t know what to do.

No, that wasn’t true. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. It was finally his turn to show Sasuke he wasn’t going to be calling the shots today.

He tightened his grip on Sasuke’s hips and pulled out to the tip before slamming back in, and Sasuke jolted against the counter when the sensation shot through him.

“Fuck, Naruto!” Sasuke cried, dropping his elbows onto the counter. He relinquished control but met Naruto’s thrusts impatiently, their thighs slapping together in perfect rhythm.

“How are you feeling?” Naruto asked jokingly, out of breath.

“How the fuck do you–aahn!–think I’m feeling? You fucking...nngh...you’re such a jerk…” Sasuke dropped his head and Naruto continued to move in slow, drawn-out thrusts that left Sasuke’s legs shaking. “There–Harder!”

“Do you think you’re going to pass out?” Naruto reached down and squeezed the base of Sasuke’s dick, noting the way his body twitched against his. Precum steadily dripped to the floor, his dick ridiculously hard despite barely being touched.

“Not...yet…” Sasuke whimpered when Naruto started to jerk him off. “Nngh...maybe…”

Sasuke lowered his cheek to the counter and that was the end of their conversation. Naruto could tell he couldn’t coherently respond anymore and that was fine by him. His thrusts were met with whines and gasps that told him all he needed to know.

As Sasuke panted below him, Naruto could hear an occasional bump when Sasuke’s hip would hit the edge of the counter, but he never uttered a word of complaint. He doubted the guy could even feel it as Naruto pounded every other thought out of his body. Naruto just focused on the whimpers and moans he got in response until Sasuke shifted slightly beneath him.

“Shit Naruto, I can’t–” Sasuke gasped, “fuck, I’m coming.”

Naruto picked up his pace, slamming hard and deep with every thrust until he felt Sasuke’s body tighten around him.

“Ahn! Naru–” Sasuke’s body spasmed against his, his cum spurting down the counter walls. “Nngh!”

Sasuke’s vocal reactions alone were enough to send Naruto over the edge. He gave a final thrust and imagined filling Sasuke to the brim with himself, and he came hard with a loud moan of his own. Jesus, the shit Sasuke did to him.

Naruto didn’t know if it was his orgasm that distracted him, or maybe the very concept that he was buried in Sasuke at that moment, in his kitchen, made him oblivious to the rest of the world around him, but somehow Naruto did not realize that someone had come through the front door.

Naruto rode out his orgasm, gently rutting against Sasuke in heat, when he happened to look over in time to see Kiba walk into the kitchen.

It felt like time had stopped. 

Kiba froze in his tracks and Naruto watched his face change as he realized what he was seeing. His eyes met Sasuke’s first before sliding to Naruto’s.

“Ah.” Was all he said, and before either of them could say anything he turned around, walked back down the hall, and closed the door behind him.

Naruto and Sasuke remained perfectly still as the situation settled in their brains. A few more seconds ticked by in silence.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said, his voice eerily calm, “tell me that did not just happen.”

“Uh.” Naruto stared at the doorway in disbelief. He could still feel his heart thundering in his chest. “I think that actually happened.” Naruto replied, not as horrified as he imagined he’d be. Kiba had definitely walked in on Naruto doing worse things. Being balls deep in Sasuke was something he could at least be proud of. Kiba wasn’t supposed to be back for another hour; not like it made much of a difference now.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Sasuke groaned.

“Hey, you know what’s funny? I’ve walked in on that guy fucking coconut oil jars and this one time he thought he could stick his dick in–”

“You want to know what’s really funny?” Sasuke hissed, his tone acidic. “You’re still inside of me, spewing bullshit I don’t care about! Why are you not pulling out?!”

Naruto frowned. “Because you haven’t passed out yet? I told you I would follow through.”

“I think I’m going to pass out from fucking embarrassment you idiot!!” Sasuke snapped, and the sudden flare of emotion made him clench around Naruto again. Sasuke flinched, and he dropped his head back to the counter with a groan. “Ow, fuck.”

Naruto’s fingers dug back into Sasuke’s hips, and he hoped Sasuke couldn’t feel him getting hard again.

“I feel like this is a great way to tackle your anger management issues, Sauce.”

“Fuck you.”

Naruto wiggled his hips. “Do you want me to?”

Sasuke slowly pushed himself up onto his elbows and threw Naruto an annoyed look.

“Not here! Don’t you have any decency?!”

“You wanted to fuck right here.” Naruto raised his hands in defense. “Careful, you’re tightening up on me.”

“Pull out, idiot!” 

Naruto gave him a teasing thrust for the hell of it and grinned when he heard Sasuke gasp in surprise. He pulled out and grabbed Sasuke by the arm, nearly dragging him into his room so they could continue exactly where they left off.

The two napped into the evening tangled in Naruto’s sheets, blissfully separated from the rest of the world. Naruto ran his finger up and down Sasuke’s hip, focusing on the smooth dip in his skin as he trailed up to his torso. Naruto particularly loved his back dimples, perfect little dents etched into his delicate skin.

When they finally crawled out of bed, Naruto gave Sasuke a hoodie and sweats to wear and he felt oddly triumphant over getting Sasuke to wear orange; the guy adamantly refused to don the color as it clashed with his “image”, but Naruto thought he looked absolutely adorable in it.

“Stop looking so smug about it.” Sasuke grumbled, flipping the hood over his head. He seemed to hibernate inside it, pulling the strings tight so he could hide his face. Naruto kissed him on the top of his head, knowing he felt the gesture rather than saw it.

“I could really get used to you wearing my clothes.”

“I’d gladly wear any other color.” Sasuke sighed before he turned away to head out the door. He paused before leaving. “This smells like you.”

“I hope in a good way, I’m pretty sure it was washed recently.”

“That’s disturbing.” Sasuke shook his head. “Your definition of recently is very different from mine.”

“Yeah, well it was washed sometime this month.” Naruto pulled on his hoodie and followed after him. As Sasuke got comfortable on the couch, Naruto returned to the kitchen to pick up their discarded clothes. He felt like such an awful roommate, despite the fact that Kiba was the one who usually made a mess of things in their apartment. 

Thankfully, it took a lot more than walking in on sex for their relationship to take a hit, but Sasuke seemed to think otherwise. Since Kiba had come home, Sasuke refused to leave Naruto's room; it took a hell of a lot of convincing to get him back into the living room.

Naruto’s eyes zeroed in on a plate of brownies in the center of the counter, another thing Naruto made a mental note to clean later. Clear plastic wrap covered the plate, but they were begging to be touched.

“Hey Kiba!” Naruto shouted, knowing he would be able to hear him from either his room or the bathroom. “Can we have a brownie?”

“Uh...yeah sure. One each though.” Came Kiba’s reply. Naruto rolled his eyes; the brownies were so small, he didn’t need to be stingy with them. He snuck two in each hand, snickering to himself, and returned to the living room.

Naruto dropped the two brownies into Sasuke’s expectant hand, and they ate them in comfortable silence while Sasuke clicked through channels on the TV.

“Don’t these taste weird?” Sasuke broke the silence, holding up half of his last brownie. He stared at it suspiciously; Naruto had long finished both, and he considered snatching that piece out of Sasuke’s hand for himself. “They’re kind of...funky.”

“Really?” Naruto had wolfed them down so fast, he didn’t even notice. Sasuke shrugged before eating the last bit, and he settled into Naruto’s arms as they got comfortable on the couch.

An episode later, Kiba came in and dropped into the armchair. His eyes were suspiciously red and he was mid-way through devouring a bag of Doritos.

“Are they kicking in yet?” Kiba asked between crunches.

Naruto stared back at him blankly. “Are what kicking in?”

“The edibles, dumbass. They’re crazy strong.” Kiba slowly stopped chewing as he watched Naruto’s expression darken. “That’s why I said to only eat one. Naruto, how many did you fucking eat?!”

Naruto slowly turned to look at Sasuke, and geez if looks could kill…

“What did you make me eat?!” Sasuke smacked him on the arm. “I told you they tasted weird!”

“It’s fine. We only ate two, which could be worse!”

Kiba broke into laughter. He hunched in his chair, wheezing while Naruto and Sasuke shared looks of growing panic.

“You’re going to be so toasted!” Kiba howled, rolling out of his chair. “They’ll be kicking in soon, so enjoy the ride!”

With that, Kiba left the living room, his laughter fading behind him until Naruto heard the front door slam shut.

“Shit.” Sasuke defeatedly sunk into the couch. “I’ve never had one before.”

“Never?” Naruto pulled him closer to give him a reassuring squeeze. “Have you ever been high?”

“Yeah but not really high. Not like what’s coming.”

“If you dread it, it’ll suck. It’ll be fun! Let’s pick a good movie.” Naruto picked up the remote and pulled the blanket over their laps. “If anything, you’ll fall asleep.”

Sasuke sighed, his eyes trained on the TV screen.

A  few minutes went by, and a random thought started to float around in his head, begging to be addressed.

“You said you started having a crush on me after you saw me in my speedo.” Naruto said aloud, and he realized it sounded more like a thought than a question.

Sasuke shifted beside him.

“Not exactly what I said, but what of it?”

“I mean...I started thinking I was bi around then, so I’m just curious…”

“Are we back to my sex life again?”

Naruto shrugged. “Not if you don’t want to talk about it. I just know girls are always fainting over you, but I’ve never seen you date anyone.”

Sasuke kept his gaze on the TV, the colors lightly reflecting on his skin as he watched.

“If you’re insinuating what I think you are, then I’ve been with both.” Sasuke glanced at him. “Wipe that stupid expression off your face, it’s not a big deal.”

“I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t get to be your first.” Naruto murmured. “It was like this weird fantasy, that we’d lose our virginity to each other.”

“You’re so embarrassing.” Sasuke muttered. “If it makes you feel better, you’re the farthest I’ve gone with a guy.”

Naruto perked up a little at that.

“Really?! I took your ass-virginity?”

“Shut the fuck up Naruto.”

“But did I though?”

Sasuke groaned. “I guess you did. Not like anything else has been in there that I know of.”

“Really? Nothing else?” 

“I mean, other than my fingers, no–” Sasuke’s face immediately flushed red, mortified at what he had just blurted out.

“Now we’re talking.” Naruto smiled. “This is the dirty talk I want more of, Sasuke.”

Sasuke turned his head away, back to the TV to escape his embarrassment. Naruto didn’t bother pulling him back into the conversation, knowing full well they had all the time in the world to learn more about each other. That was an amazing feeling that he had taken for granted.

Another stretch of comfortable silence settled between them before things started to shift gears again. Naruto blinked as he suddenly became very aware of everything. The TV suddenly got louder, the lights looked brighter, and Naruto could swear he felt his body molding into the couch. The edibles were finally starting to kick in, and they were kicking in hard.

“Sasuke?” Naruto propped himself up on his elbow and shook the boy beside him. “You okay?”

“I don’t know.” Sasuke said. He turned to look at Naruto with a blank expression. “Are you okay?”

“I’m hungry.” Naruto admitted, but for some reason he found it a lot funnier than it should have been. He had settled behind Sasuke on the couch, spooning him throughout most of the movie, and he had to roll over him to get off. Sasuke gave a little grunt of protest when Naruto’s weight briefly crushed him.

Naruto made his way to the kitchen and made sure to open every cabinet he came across in hopes to inspire himself. He snatched a bowl and dumped a jar of salsa into it, hoping it would be enough to satisfy him for now.

Naruto turned when he heard a thump at the counter. Sasuke plopped into his seat, a bit heavily, and dropped his chin into his hand.

With a triumphant grin, Naruto set the bowl of salsa and chips between them. In absolute silence, the two ate their way through half of the corn chips in the bag. Naruto paused mid-crunch to watch Sasuke struggle with one of his chips; with every dip, his chip broke off into the salsa, lost until he used another chip to dig it out. Naruto watched Sasuke’s brow furrow as he realized that he wasn’t making any progress, and Naruto wondered how long he’d been struggling with it.

Naruto started laughing again; this time he dropped his head onto the table as his body shook with it. As soon as he gathered himself, he approached Sasuke and held his shoulders in reassurance.

“Naruto...I'm really high.” Sasuke dropped his chip back into the bowl and ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t seem to be panicking yet, which was a good thing in Naruto’s eyes.

“I am too.” Naruto admitted. He started scanning the kitchen again for something else to eat. Did they still have pizza rolls?

“No, you don’t understand,” Sasuke stared into the salsa bowl as if it had the answers to the universe, “I can’t feel my body.”

“Isn't it great?” Naruto shoved in another mouthful of chips and focused on the feeling as he chewed. 

“No...not at all.” Sasuke blinked back at Naruto as if he were insane. “Is this normal?”

“Very normal.” Naruto nodded.

“And people do this for fun?”

“Yup.”

“Crazy.” Sasuke whispered. 

Naruto abandoned his quest for snacks knowing once he started eating he’d never stop. Instead, he and Sasuke got comfortable on the couch again, desperate to sit down as the edible started to work its way through their systems.

Sasuke rested his head in Naruto’s lap and lifted his arm over his face. Naruto watched him flex his fingers slowly, then faster in a daze. He seemed oddly entertained by his hand and Naruto became oddly entertained simply by watching him.

Their show had been long forgotten, reduced to simply background noise as Naruto and Sasuke drifted through a high that made time cease to exist, and Naruto had never been so blissfully content in his entire life.

Sasuke seemed to exist in his own world as well; he kept an unfocused gaze on the TV, and when he popped back into reality, he’d give a little start before leaning back against Naruto’s chest.

Naruto spent his time watching Sasuke, there was nothing else he’d rather do; he really wanted to know what was going on inside that guy’s head right now. 

If he had a similar reaction to Naruto when he’d first eaten an edible, he’d be in the corner sobbing right now as he waited for his heart to finally stop, hysterical that he was actually dying and not just really fucking high. Sasuke had always been the more composed friend, but it was also possible he was freaking out on the inside.

Naruto had made peace with his high. He continued to ride the wave and he felt determined to make sure Sasuke could control it too. Unfortunately, his intentions were easily forgotten and replaced with random thoughts; a habit that happened often enough when he was sober.

When that random thought came to mind, his mouth would blurt it out immediately.

“I feel like we have a really weird relationship.”

“...Ouch, Naruto.”

“No! No I mean like, I always feel super close to you, you know? Like your pain is my pain. I wonder if we were like lovers in a past life or something.”

“Oh, now we’re talking about past lives.” Sasuke groaned, “Naruto, you do not want to get into my theory about past lives!”

“But it could be possible.”

“Theoretically yes, but–”

“Do you feel close to me?” Naruto asked suddenly and Sasuke scowled.

“Naruto, your hand’s literally resting on my dick right now.” Sasuke deadpanned. “You were inside me less than five hours ago.”

Naruto flushed at that. “You know that’s not what I meant!”

“I don’t know if I ever know what you mean.” Sasuke sighed tiredly. “Naruto. Why are these getting stronger?”

“Oh I forgot to mention that edibles hit you in waves.” Naruto lifted his hand and tilted it at Sasuke. “I think we’re peaking right now.”

“Oh. Great.” Sasuke seemed to be lost to the world at this point. Either Sasuke saw something really interesting in the corner of the ceiling or his brain had officially disconnected from his body.

In an attempt to drag his attention back, Naruto started running his fingers through Sasuke’s hair, making sure to lightly scrape across his scalp with his fingernails.

“Mm.” Sasuke hummed in satisfaction, his eyes falling shut. It was like flipping a switch on him; Naruto couldn’t help but smile.

Sasuke’s hair felt ridiculously silky between his fingers, and he found himself entranced by the texture. For a while they laid there in silence aside from the TV, anchored by their physical touches.

Sasuke’s little hums started to remind him of other things, and they brought him back from wherever his brain had managed to take him.

“Don’t things feel crazy good when you’re high?” Naruto adjusted his weight on his elbow and looked down at Sasuke.

“Crazy good.” Sasuke murmured back and they both started giggling.

“You know what else feels really good when you’re high?” Naruto asked playfully and ran his finger down Sasuke’s stomach to his hip before curving around to lightly trace the drawstrings to his sweatpants.

“Hmm I wonder what that could be.” Sasuke replied sarcastically. 

“But do you know?”

“You’re making it pretty obvious.” Sasuke made a pointed look at Naruto’s hand. Naruto continued to run his finger lightly over Sasuke’s bulge innocently.

Naruto quipped an eyebrow and smiled.

“You still have energy for that?” Sasuke shook his head. “I think I’ll pass. My ass is still sore.”

“We don’t have to go all the way.” 

Sasuke shifted slightly under Naruto’s touch, and as Naruto’s finger moved, he could feel Sasuke’s body start to react to him.

“Looks like you still have some energy.” Naruto chuckled as he ran his finger over Sasuke’s now hard bulge in his pants. “Or maybe I have magic hands?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he shifted closer and tilted his head to look at Naruto. He looked up at him with a teasing expression, his hand creeping towards Naruto’s crotch. His fingers brushed over the fabric and Naruto took a sharp breath as Sasuke spread his palm over Naruto’s groin. His hand moved painfully slow, and for a second he fully distracted Naruto from his intended task.

“Then I suggest you use those ‘magic hands’ of yours.” Sasuke smiled back at him, knowing full well what he’d done. He ground his palm against Naruto’s now-hard bulge through his pants mercilessly, and Naruto wasted no time in cupping Sasuke through his sweats and gave a tight squeeze.

“Ngh.” Sasuke arched back slightly and Naruto felt his hand briefly still. As soon as he recovered he was back in action; they eagerly dipped into each other’s sweatpants and Naruto shuddered when Sasuke’s fingers wrapped around his achingly-hard dick.

Naruto made sure to hold Sasuke firmly in his hand and ran his thumb along the underside. Sasuke gritted his teeth and started moving his hand, sliding from tip to base with one fluid motion. Naruto gave a slight squeeze and smirked when Sasuke’s hips bucked in impatience. 

He knew now exactly how Sasuke liked it, and he didn’t plan on letting Sasuke get his way. Naruto leaned over and kissed him, making sure to work his tongue against Sasuke’s while he rolled his balls in his hand. He swallowed every moan that tried to leak out until Sasuke broke away, gasping for air. 

Sasuke was desperately trying to stay focused, but Naruto could feel his attention slipping. He jokingly bucked his hips into Sasuke’s grip and Sasuke immediately squeezed tighter before going back to jerking Naruto off. Naruto grunted as the feeling started going to his head. They both seemed to fight for control, and for a while Naruto made Sasuke feel like was winning.

He went back to giving Sasuke long, slow strokes and sucked on the side of Sasuke’s neck, occasionally nipping at the sensitive skin there. Sasuke turned, burying his face in Naruto’s sweater to muffle his moans. When Naruto’s hand left Sasuke’s groin and trailed up, Sasuke’s other hand tried to take its place, desperate for release.

“Nuh-uh.” Naruto grabbed his wrist and put it over Sasuke’s head. “You come when I let you.”

Sasuke arched off the couch and let out a frustrated groan. It was almost comical to watch.

Irritated, Sasuke took up a merciless pace. Naruto felt his thighs jerk at the sudden stimulation and he huffed out a strained laugh.

“Hey, hey! You really want it that bad, huh?” 

“I want you to come first for fucking once.” Sasuke grunted, and he twisted his hand in a way that made Naruto jolt with a gasp. Before he realized it, he could feel himself losing the race when he had been so confident that he’d win.

Whatever Sasuke was doing, it felt amazing, and Naruto didn’t often come from handjobs alone. Naruto dropped his head and groaned when his orgasm ripped through him, most of his release landing on Sasuke’s stomach. Naruto huffed out a heavy breath and went back to Sasuke before he could let out any words of victory about it. It didn’t seem like he could anyway.

Naruto gave him a few more pumps, being sure to work his hands to match Sasuke’s movements as he thrust impatiently into his palm. His breathing almost made it sound like he was in pain, and he felt so hard in Naruto’s hand he wondered if Sasuke was about to explode.

Sasuke took a mouthful of Naruto’s hoodie and grunted when Naruto changed pace again; this time he rubbed his thumb near the head of Sasuke’s dick, watching the precome leak down his shaft. He kept his movements slow and drawn out, occasionally swiping across the slit at the head and pressing down.

Sasuke jolted in his grip and released Naruto’s sweater with a moan. “Naruto...stop teasing me.”

“You’re so close though. Doesn’t it feel good?” Naruto cocked his head to the side and tightened his grip. Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath and his head flopped back onto the cushions.

He closed his eyes as Naruto brought him to the edge, hand twisting and tugging until Sasuke couldn’t take it anymore. His hand gripped Naruto’s arm painfully tight just before Sasuke came with a loud moan. A smaller muscle contraction immediately followed with a whimper, and Sasuke threw an arm over his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. Naruto stared down at his hand, somewhat proud he was able to put Sasuke in such a state with just one of them.

He kept Sasuke close, held against his chest, and tried not to think too hard about Sasuke’s appearance. Hair disheveled, cheeks red, pants and underwear at his knees and fully exposed for his eyes only...that was something he could get used to. His skin was soft and smooth to the touch, flinching slightly when Naruto pinched at his stomach. 

“Shit.” Sasuke finally said, and he let his arm flop off the side of the couch. He laughed, and it was such a free, natural sound that Naruto had almost forgotten he was capable of making it. There had only been a handful of times he had heard Sasuke really laugh like that. “That felt good.”

“Yeah?” Naruto grinned. Sasuke met his gaze with a smile.

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad.” Naruto pinched at the hem of Sasuke’s hoodie. “You’re so fucking hot.”

He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, yet there it was. Naruto felt his face start to burn at the blunder, but when he searched Sasuke’s expression he didn’t feel as awkward anymore.

Sasuke stared back, unimpressed. “You’re not just saying that because I’m mostly naked on your couch, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Sasuke shook his head in disdain. “You are such a liar.”

“You’re always so fucking hot Sasuke, shut up.” Naruto pinched his cheek and immediately realized his mistake. “Shit, sorry.”

Sasuke made a disgruntled noise as he wiped the cum off his face.

Naruto frowned when he felt the couch start to shake beneath them. It was a faint, but constant feeling that disturbed the calm they had finally managed to achieve.

“Can you feel that?” 

“The vibrating?” Sasuke looked at Naruto in surprise. “You feel it too?”

“Is it an earthquake?” Naruto remained still for a few seconds, his eyes darting around the room. When he didn’t see anything, he sighed and shook his head. “I think we’re just too high.”

Naruto confirmed his suspicion when he shifted to find his cellphone wedged behind his back. A few missed texts from Sakura had been enough to make him think that they were under attack or something.

“Yeah I think…” Sasuke suddenly kicked off his pants. He then got up and took off his sweater, standing loud and proud in Naruto’s living room completely naked. Naruto could’ve sworn he felt his heart stop. God forbid Kiba came home right now. He had left quite a while ago and said he planned on being ‘right back’. Just their luck Kiba would have to see Sasuke naked twice in a day.

“Sasuke?” Naruto jumped up and followed Sasuke to the bathroom in growing concern. He watched Sasuke retrieve a wash towel and ran it under water in the sink. He kept both hands braced around the bowl, his head hung low as he took a few deep breaths.

“Are you okay?” Naruto immediately rushed to his side and rubbed his bare shoulder. “Do you need to sit down?”

“I’m fine, I’m just sticky.” Sasuke’s reply was quiet and somewhat out of breath. Naruto made him sit on the toilet, and Sasuke flinched when his naked skin touched the porcelain. Naruto took the warm towel and wiped Sasuke’s body down, making sure not to miss any spots. Sasuke breathing still sounded a bit off, but Naruto didn’t draw attention to it in case it was a small panic attack. He made sure to keep his touches gentle and soothing as he worked, hoping it would help calm Sasuke down. 

He kissed Sasuke on the top of his head and helped him to his feet.

“Let’s sleep this off, yeah?”

“Please.” Sasuke nodded, and he let Naruto guide him back to the bedroom. 

Naruto didn’t bother asking Sasuke if he wanted a change of clothes to sleep in since the boy immediately went under the covers without a word. The guy didn’t seem to have any reservations about being naked in his bed.

Once Naruto climbed in, Sasuke turned and immediately latched onto him. His grip was too tight, and Naruto could feel that he was tensing up.

Naruto pulled him close, pressing their bodies together under the sheets.

“It’s only a wave, it’ll pass soon.” Naruto whispered in his ear and pressed another kiss to Sasuke’s head. Sasuke nodded. He buried his face in Naruto’s chest, burrowing into the fabric of his sweater with a heavy sigh. 

As Naruto let his mind wander, he slowly felt Sasuke’s breathing change again, now growing frantic against him as if he couldn’t draw air into his lungs.

“Sasuke?” Naruto sat up, immediately concerned. When he reached for Sasuke, he pulled away, rolling onto his other side to hide his face. Naruto had a vague understanding about what was happening, but he didn’t know what to do. He felt useless, lying there watching Sasuke fight for air as his body panicked. He felt guilty for putting him in this shitty situation, and he wanted nothing more than to make things better, but he didn’t know how.

He slowly slid closer to press his body against Sasuke’s, hand moving to rest on Sasuke’s arm. If he freaked out too, it would only make things worse. He had to stay calm and try to find a way to help him.

“You’re okay.” Naruto hugged Sasuke close, nuzzling against his shoulder. “I’m right here, you’re safe, but you have to breathe, Sasuke.”

Sasuke broke into a choked sob, his body shaking against Naruto’s as he tried to stabilize his breathing. While Sasuke’s breathing slowly returned to normal, Naruto kept a firm pressure against his back, ensuring Sasuke knew he was there and not going anywhere. As the storm passed, Naruto could feel Sasuke relax in his arms and the room settled back into silence.

“Are you okay?” Naruto asked hesitantly, unsure if Sasuke had passed out or not.

Sasuke nodded, but Naruto didn’t believe him. Naruto knew the feeling; edibles were certainly not for everyone, especially people who suffered with anxiety. He had no idea Sasuke was prone to panic attacks, but as he thought about it some things started to make sense. Why Sasuke didn’t like to go to super crowded places. Why Sasuke would sometimes shut himself in his room or leave without warning. Had he been hiding this from him for that long?

And he still continued to hide. He kept his back turned, expression hidden as the panic attack passed.

Naruto figured he’d ask the obvious; the silence only made him more nervous.

“Was that a panic attack?”

Sasuke shifted against him with a tired exhale. “Yeah.”

“Do you get them often?”

“...yeah.”

Naruto frowned, but Sasuke turned over into Naruto’s arms, pushing Naruto onto his back to press his cheek against his ribcage. Sasuke looked into his eyes with an apologetic expression.

“Can you tell me a story?” he asked quietly, nuzzling closer on Naruto’s chest.

“What kind of story?” Naruto ran his fingers through Sasuke’s hair as the other boy stared back at him.

“I don’t care...I just need a distraction. Talking is your specialty, isn’t it?” Sasuke smiled and proceeded to get comfortable, settling at Naruto’s side. His fingers slipped under Naruto’s sweater and stroked along his abdomen, tracing around the design of his tattoo.

“Hmmm…” Naruto closed his eyes as he thought. While talking did seem to be his specialty, he couldn’t think of anything in particular to talk about. If Sasuke wanted a story, there was only one he knew. “Well, there was once this boy I met back in elementary school. He was so cool, everything he tried to do he ended up being super good at it and at first it made me jealous, but then I decided that I wanted to be like him.”

Sasuke snorted, his eyes falling shut as he listened. 

“We became friends and I got to know him a lot better, only to find out that I couldn’t possibly compete with him.” Naruto smiled. “And then I ended up falling helplessly in love with him, despite how mad he made me sometimes…”

Naruto continued to ramble, tossing in whatever details he could remember from their childhood to fill the story. Sasuke’s lack of response made him wonder how long he should continue, but he could feel the wetness of Sasuke’s tears soaking through the fabric of his sweater. Naruto trailed off, staring at Sasuke’s sleeping face with a loving expression.

“Right, Sasuke?” Naruto asked jokingly. 

He was met with silence, aside from a light snore as Sasuke fell into a deep sleep. Naruto let out a yawn and settled back into the pillows, finally allowing himself to drift off to sleep as he held Sasuke in his arms. 

He had, indeed, fallen helplessly in love.