Bet You Can't

3 Months Later

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” 

Sasuke kept his arms crossed against his chest and an intense scowl on his face as he stared out the passenger window of Naruto’s car.

“You’ve said that like three times already.”

“I’ll keep saying it. I don’t want to be here.”

For a minute they sat in silence, staring at the looming estate just beyond them. A massive iron gate stood in between them and the sprawling stone driveway, but they only had to wait a few seconds before the gates shuddered and parted ways to allow them inside.

“Normally, I wouldn’t force anyone to do something on their birthday,” Naruto tightened his grip on the steering wheel and accelerated up the road, “but it sounds like your parents are really trying to celebrate and I thought maybe it’s a good idea?”

“You aren’t even sure about this.” Sasuke groaned. “I’m not getting out of the car.”

“You know I will pick you up and carry you in there if I have to.”

“And I will hit you.”

Naruto parked behind a familiar blue SUV before he cut the engine and smiled at Sasuke.

“You don’t hit that hard anyway.”

Sasuke pouted, but Naruto could see that he was trying to cover up his deep-set fear he held towards his childhood home. To be fair, the Uchiha residence did look like a haunted mansion, and Naruto would much rather be celebrating Sasuke’s birthday at his apartment. They made an agreement to spend most of the day together doing what Sasuke wanted, but once evening came, they had to give Sasuke’s parents a chance. Now it seemed like Sasuke was regretting this decision.

Not like Naruto blamed him.

“Hey.” Naruto reached over and gave Sasuke’s arm an affectionate squeeze. “I’m right here, okay? You say you want to go and we will. I’m just asking that you give it a chance.”

Sasuke frowned, but he thought about it. He finally met Naruto’s stare, clear reluctance in his eyes.

“I just want you to know that the last time I saw my parents I said some things…”

Naruto cocked his head to the side. “What did you say?”

Sasuke sighed. “I told my dad to go fuck himself and told my mom to never call me again.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, how bad of a fight was it?!”

“Pretty bad.”

Naruto unfastened his seatbelt to lean closer. 

“If you need me to square up with your dad, I will in a heartbeat.”

That made Sasuke laugh.

“Unnecessary, but thanks.” Sasuke undid his seatbelt and rested his hand on the door handle. When he spoke again, it was under his breath. “I wonder if he’s homophobic?”

Naruto watched Sasuke get out of the car, a new concern starting to weigh on his shoulders. Was bringing Sasuke here really a good idea?

Before he could call Sasuke back into the car, Itachi emerged from the front doors, arms outstretched in welcoming.

“The birthday boy has arrived!” Itachi gestured for them to hurry over, and Naruto could hear Sasuke’s groan of annoyance. As soon as Sasuke got close, Itachi pulled him into a hug. “Happy Birthday Sasuke!”

“Thanks.” Sasuke replied. “Now be honest, how soon do you think I’ll be able to leave?”

“Don’t worry, this is going to be fun.” Itachi smiled, and it was one of the most wicked things Naruto had ever seen.

“I’ve never had an actual birthday party in my life, Itachi. What’s the catch?”

Naruto joined Sasuke’s side and gave him a light pat on the back, hoping he got the message to chill out. Itachi had mentioned to Naruto that he had a big plan for Sasuke’s birthday, and Naruto would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in what he had in mind.

Itachi pushed open the front doors and led them inside. As they walked down the marble hallway towards the kitchen, two young men skidded across the floors in socks howling with laughter. As soon as they saw Sasuke, they stopped and raised their beer cans in a toast.

“Happy birthday cuz!” they shouted in unison.

Sasuke stared at them in confusion. The boys skidded away again, leaving the three of them to step into the kitchen to see an even more disturbing sight.

Naruto immediately heard the obnoxious cackling of his mother. He turned to find her with Sasuke’s mother, hunched over the counter and pounding it as they both laughed about something. Sasuke’s mother was in tears, but once she saw Sasuke walk through the archway her face lit up in excitement.

“Happy Birthday!”

Naruto winced as the off-beat shouting began, the undeniable catalyst lined the kitchen counters in front of them, and Naruto wondered if this is what Itachi meant.

Alcohol. Copious amounts of alcohol lined the counters, and Naruto could immediately tell that everyone in the room was wasted. Including his parents.

“Oh God, where’s my dad…” Naruto trailed off as he caught sight of his father joking around with Sasuke’s dad by the breakfast nook, both red-faced with laughter.

Sasuke didn’t have time to register what was happening. His mother pulled both of them into a tight hug, and Naruto could smell the wine on her. Kushina charged them too, nearly knocking them all to the floor.

“I’m so glad you’re here!!” Kushina slurred, and she planted a sloppy kiss on Sasuke’s cheek. She then went for Naruto, who ducked out of her grip and hid behind Sasuke.

When Sasuke’s mother Mikoto stepped up to cup her son’s cheek, Naruto backed up and reluctantly joined Kushina, lightly nudging her out of the way so they could have their moment.

“Why is everyone drunk?” Naruto hissed to her as they walked over to his dad.

“Listen, Itachi told us to get the Uchihas drunk and that’s what we did. Don’t ask questions and don’t expect anything.” Kushina threw her arm over Naruto’s shoulder. “Now it’s your turn. Want a drink?”

“Mom, I drove here.”

“So did we, you can spend the night!” Kushina jutted out her bottom lip in a pout. “Don’t be lame~”

“I don’t think Sasuke would like that.” Naruto sighed. He hadn’t planned on drinking until later anyway, nor did he expect to be in a drinking mood here. It was surprisingly chaotic for Sasuke’s family, and he wondered if that was setting Sasuke off. 

When Naruto looked over his shoulder, it seemed like Sasuke was having a civil conversation with his mother, and he let her put a birthday hat on his head. His demeanor changed slightly when his father walked over, joining the conversation.

Naruto immediately prepared himself, ready to dash across the room and clothesline Fugaku if he tried to pull any shit. Sasuke caught Naruto’s glare out the corner of his eye and Naruto relaxed slightly knowing Sasuke was aware that he was watching. His father spoke calmly and gave him a pat on the back. Then, he turned to look at Naruto and gestured for him to come over.

“Uh oh, you’re being summoned.” Kushina whispered and gave Naruto a firm shove in their direction. After throwing his mom a sour look, Naruto approached Sasuke and his parents, a civil smile on his face.

“Naruto! Good to see you.” Fugaku gave Naruto a firm pat on the arm once he got close. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you. You’ve grown.”

Naruto now stood a few inches taller than him, and Naruto made sure he was aware in case he wanted to try something. He no longer held any fear towards the man, in fact, Naruto was waiting for the opportunity to deck him out of pure spite. 

“He has grown, hasn’t he? He’s just a little taller than you, honey.” Mikoto giggled, and Naruto caught the glare Sasuke gave her. That was something Sasuke didn’t like to address, considering he used his height against Naruto often when they were growing up.

“Nice to see you all too.” Naruto replied pleasantly, even though it was a bit far from the truth. Sasuke’s parents didn’t look much different than Naruto remembered, aside from looking a little kinder than before. The Uchihas always had that hard and uptight personality, but it looked like the booze really took that away from them. All of them.

Naruto gave Sasuke a curious look, several flashbacks of Sasuke getting wasted with him came to mind and it almost made him laugh. 

“We’re grateful for you dragging our boy home for the weekend.” Fugaku sighed. “We know how much he hates coming home.”

Naruto opened his mouth to protest that this was only a one-night thing, but he didn’t even get to speak before Itachi strolled up to them.

“Naruto is a miracle worker, as we all know.” Itachi threw an arm over Naruto’s shoulder and Naruto saw Sasuke roll his eyes. “He’s special to Sasuke, so naturally we’re excited to welcome him back into the family, aren’t we?”

Naruto fought to keep the smile on his face. He wanted to throw Itachi a “shut the fuck up” look before he said too much. He and Sasuke had been loose with their labels since the end of their bet, mostly because of Sasuke’s deep rooted fear of commitment and his family’s opinion of it. Naruto didn’t feel too pressed about calling Sasuke his boyfriend, considering their relationship was backwards enough.

It wasn’t like they saw other people either; Naruto would call it an intense friends with benefits situation, but he did in fact want it to be something more. He loved Sasuke more than anything, so he was willing to wait for him to be comfortable with it. They didn’t need Itachi flaunting it in their face.

Sasuke had his eyes on Naruto. Onyx eyes locked and focused, his expression didn’t give away anything in response to Itachi’s teasing. Naruto stared back, momentarily trapped, and he suddenly realized what Sasuke was about to do. 

“Actually.” Sasuke took off his birthday hat and stared down at it. “There’s something you should know.”

Naruto bit his lip and gave a slight tilt of his head, desperate for Sasuke to see that it wasn’t necessary for him to push himself to say anything. His eyes stayed down, oblivious to Naruto’s expression.

“What is it honey?” Mikoto leaned closer, creases of worry now forming on her forehead.

Sasuke took a deep breath before looking up again.

“We’re...kind of a thing now.” Sasuke said. “We’re dating, just so you know.”

Naruto shifted his weight, his eyes sliding between Sasuke’s parents.

Mikoto looked at Fugaku, who closed his eyes and crossed his arms. A few beats of silence went by.

“Mm.” Fugaku said finally.

“Honey we know that already.” Mikoto smiled and waved her hand. “No need to look so nervous!”

“I thought we were going to get something new.” Itachi groaned, releasing Naruto only to drop a hand on his father’s shoulder instead. “An engagement party is what we’re really waiting for.”

“What’s taking you so long, huh?” Fugaku turned his gaze to his eldest son. “Some grandkids would be nice.”

“Father, I’m only 27.”

“We had you when we were 23.”

“You’re the older generation.” Itachi flicked his hair over his shoulder and shook his head. “Go back to Sasuke’s love life, stay out of mine.”

Naruto and Sasuke listened to them bicker in shock.

“How do you even know that?!” Sasuke demanded, his nice facade coming to an abrupt end.

“News travels.” Itachi shrugged. “Especially in the family.”

“We haven’t told anyone.” 

“Well there’s this video…” Itachi reached for his phone and both Naruto and Sasuke stepped forward to stop him. “What? Everyone’s seen it already. Kushina’s in our group chat so it’s been pretty lively for us.”

Naruto slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned. Now more than ever, he wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. He never thought he’d be the one to beg Sasuke to go home first.

“Well that saves time, I guess.” Sasuke sighed, leaving his parents’ side to walk up to Naruto. “Thanks for the embarrassment, it’s been refreshing.” 

With that, Sasuke dragged Naruto out of the kitchen. They ignored the calls for them to come back and ascended the grand staircase. Sasuke’s grip on his forearm was strong, pulling him up the stairs faster than Naruto could keep up.

Naruto couldn’t tell if he was mad or not. He kept his mouth shut and let himself be dragged down the familiar halls until Sasuke pushed open his bedroom door. He let Naruto go as they walked in and Sasuke leaned against the door to shut it with a heavy sigh.

“That...was weird.” Naruto broke the silence with a nervous laugh. “Normally people get in trouble for leaking nudes or something, I kind of feel like this is worse.”

Sasuke bumped his head against the door and stared back at him.

“Nudes would be a lot easier.” Sasuke shook his head before approaching Naruto. “But now I know I’ve told them, so it doesn’t even matter anymore.”

“You acknowledged that we’re dating.” Naruto mused.

“We are.”

“Are we in a relationship?”

“We have one. That’s a stupid question.” Sasuke wrinkled his nose at him, but quickly broke into a smirk. “Are you asking if you’re my boyfriend?”

“Can I be?” Naruto stepped closer, pulling Sasuke into his orbit. “If you aren’t ready, I can wait.”

“We’ve waited long enough, haven’t we?” Sasuke played with the collar of Naruto’s shirt. When he looked up again, they held each other's gazes before meeting halfway for a kiss.

It was painfully soft, a light brush against their lips before Naruto pulled back knowing full well what would happen if they got too into it.

“Naruto.” Sasuke immediately noticed, and Naruto could see the frustration in his eyes. “It’s my birthday.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to use that excuse.” Naruto chuckled. “I guess I can’t say no to that.”

Naruto cupped Sasuke’s jaw with his hand and kissed him harder, letting the warmth he felt in his chest bloom up and out until Sasuke gripped him tight, moaning into his mouth. When they broke away, they were both slightly out of breath, lips swollen and pink.

“How long do you think we have before they start looking for us?” Sasuke asked, wicked intentions written all over his face.

“Sasuke, please tell me you aren’t trying to have sex right now.” Naruto grabbed him by the arms and lightly shook him. “I know the adrenaline rush is great, but it’s not worth it if they catch us!”

“I’ve fantasized about having sex with you in this room too often to let the opportunity slide, Naruto. Our walls are thick, they’ll never know.”

“It’s your party, they’ll wonder where we went!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “They’re all drunk off their ass, they wouldn’t notice.”

Naruto let go of him, letting his arms drop to his sides like dead weight.

“You’re killing me Sauce. Can’t you wait until we get home?” Naruto blinked when another thought ambushed his mind. “What do you mean by the walls are thick?”

“What do you think I meant?” Sasuke looped a finger in Naruto’s waistband, playfully pulling him closer. “I mean, you can be as loud as you want and they won’t even hear you outside the door.”

Naruto frowned.

“How often have you been having sex in your room?!” Naruto gasped. “With your parents home?! Sasuke!”

“Idiot I haven’t had sex with anyone in this room.” Sasuke seemed to be getting a kick out of Naruto’s reaction. “Just myself.”

Naruto felt his face start to burn. “O-ohh…”

“And maybe you?” Sasuke added sweetly, his hands already resting on Naruto’s zipper, waiting for the command.

Naruto swallowed, his eyes darting to Sasuke’s door. They shouldn’t. It wasn’t ethical and it wasn’t what his parents raised him to do. Yet the idea of fucking Sasuke senseless in his childhood room was triggering fantasies that Naruto had all but forgotten about. He was almost positive he had a wet dream about this exact situation; maybe the spontaneity would do him some good.

“You’re so bad.” Naruto whispered, pulling Sasuke into another kiss. He felt Sasuke unzip his pants, hands immediately dipping into his underwear.

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when someone pounded on the door. Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance and zipped Naruto’s pants back up before opening the door slightly to look outside.

“Put your clothes back on and come downstairs, the cake is ready.” Itachi’s voice floated through the crack and Naruto turned away to gather himself. He smacked his face, fanned the heat away and willed his dick to obey him for at least a few more hours. Sasuke was going to kill him at this rate.

“Our clothes are on, thank you.” Sasuke opened the door farther to prove his point. “We’ll be right down.”

“Suuure.” Itachi replied, and Naruto heard his footsteps fade back down the hall.

Naruto threw Sasuke a dirty look once he was sure Itachi was gone.

“I fucking told you!” Naruto hissed. “What am I supposed to do with this?” He gestured to his half-hard erection, which stubbornly didn’t want to go away as quickly as Naruto wanted it to.

“I’m sorry!” Sasuke hissed back, his eyes on Naruto’s crotch. “Think you can come in two minutes?”

“No! You’re giving me performance anxiety now!” Naruto groaned. “Dammit they’re gonna know!”

“They won’t.” Sasuke scratched his head. “What’s a turn off for you?”

“Fedoras.” Naruto answered immediately. “And fishnet stockings.”

“Fucking weirdo.” Sasuke muttered. “Okay, fine. Imagine me in that, doing your taxes.”

“Sasuke what the fuck?” Naruto took a step back to look at him. “Why would I—“

“Just do it.”

Naruto closed his eyes with a huff and tried to visualize it. Surprisingly, it wasn’t working.

“You’re still hot, not working Sauce.”

“I don’t know what to do then. I guess I can stand in front of you until it goes away.”

Naruto shook his head. The stress of the situation was doing the job for him. He just made sure his mind was perfectly clear, far from any lingering thoughts of Sasuke until they could go home.

“Your parents assumed that we were spending the night, what do you want to do?”

“If it means getting the chance to straddle you in my bed, then I guess we’re staying.” Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hand and pulled him to the door again. “Let’s get drunk.”

Naruto laughed at that, following Sasuke back out the door and down towards the kitchen. The lights had all been shut off, leaving the house eerily dark aside from a warm glow at the counter.

Everything was silent, aside from a few whispers, and Sasuke slowed to a stop in the hallway.

“Oh no.” Sasuke whispered, and he turned on his heels to head for the door. Naruto pulled him back, nearly dragging him into the kitchen with him. “Naruto, no. Don’t make me go in there. I can’t, they’re going to sing—“

“Happy birthday to you!”

Sure enough, the chorus began as soon as they stepped into the kitchen. Their parents and a few other family members formed a little half-circle around an impressive cake set on the kitchen counter. 

Sasuke stared at it like it was a bomb, only inching forward when Naruto nudged him gently with his hands, guiding him to the cake so he wouldn’t try to bolt away. He knew Sasuke hated it; all the attention on him was a sensory overload, but Naruto thought of it as a rite of passage for everyone on their birthday.

The chorus finally came to an end and they all started applauding and cheering behind them.

“Make a wish!” Naruto whispered in his ear, hands steady on his shoulders.

Sasuke hesitated, eyes on the 22 candles with a conflicted expression. He didn't seem to know what he wanted to wish for.

He slowly leaned down and blew them out with one perfect try, and the applause surrounded them again.

Naruto leaned closer, his lip brushing against Sasuke’s ear.

“I love you.” Naruto murmured.

Sasuke straightened up, his ears now bright red. He turned to look at Naruto in surprise.

“You—“ he stammered, face flushing. 

Itachi stepped forward with a ridiculously large knife in his hand, eyes locked on the cake like it was the grand prize he’d been waiting for; that was fine and all, but Naruto and Sasuke were his only roadblocks, and Naruto did not enjoy the idea of Itachi pointing that knife at him.

The two quickly stepped aside, allowing Itachi to make the first cut.

“What did you wish for, baby brother?”

“Like I’d tell you.” Sasuke huffed back.

“Well I wished to eat this cake, so that’s what we’re going to do.” Itachi handed Sasuke the first plate and a fork. Sasuke immediately put it in Naruto’s hands. Sasuke didn’t eat cake. Or sweet things, really, but Naruto had an idea.

He took a forkful of cake and held it up to him.

“Say ah!”

Sasuke glared back. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Birthday traditions.” Naruto brought the fork closer. “You have to eat cake on your birthday.”

“He’s right.” Itachi sang before walking away with the largest chunk Naruto had ever seen someone take.

“I am not eating it, put the fork down you look stupid.”

“You’re going to look stupid when I shove this cake in your face.” Naruto raised an eyebrow, challengingly. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes before looking at the fork. He knew full well that Naruto wasn’t bluffing, and he seemed to be weighing his options. Either he’d get cake and frosting smeared in his hair, or he could take a bite in front of everyone in the kitchen. A small embarrassing moment for some, monumental for Sasuke.

Naruto slowly brought the fork closer to Sasuke’s mouth. He waited until Sasuke begrudgingly opened it, taking the piece with a grimace.

“Make sure you chew!” Naruto sang and wiped away a smudge of frosting on Sasuke’s lip. Seeing his reaction was infinitely more entertaining than most of the shit he’d made Sasuke do over the years. He knew the backlash would be worth it.

Naruto smiled and dug into the rest of the cake, knowing Sasuke would be unlikely to ask for another bite. Sasuke watched him in mild amusement as he chewed, a smile of his own spreading across his face.

“Do you want to know what I wished for?”

Naruto leaned closer, his attention back on Sasuke rather than the cake. Which was pretty fucking hard to do considering how delicious it was.

“Of course I do.”

To Naruto’s surprise, Sasuke swiped his index finger through the cake frosting and sucked the residue off with a contemplative expression.

“I wished that I could feel like this forever with you.” Sasuke dragged his eyes back to Naruto’s as if he feared his expression. “And that I could erase all of the shit I’ve done to you.”

Naruto slowly turned to face Sasuke in surprise. He set his plate of cake down on the counter to clear his hands and pulled Sasuke into a hug. He didn’t even care who was watching them, his heart was too full and he couldn’t stand to see the pained expression on Sasuke’s face.

“What are you feeling?” Naruto asked, his voice just a whisper in his ear.

“Happy.” Sasuke murmured back. “I love you too. I think I have for a while now.”

Those were the words Naruto thought he’d never hear Sasuke say. They rocked him to the core and lodged in the pit of his stomach, but they also made him feel like he could finally breathe again. He didn’t want to cause a scene bigger than they already had; Sasuke was lucky he happened to say it now and not when they were alone.

Naruto pulled back in time to see a single tear escape Sasuke’s eye.

“No crying on your birthday.” Naruto frowned, immediately brushing it away.

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not.”

Naruto rolled his eyes. “Why do you want to argue about this?”

Sasuke pulled away from him and shook his head stubbornly. “If you don’t want to argue then let’s get drunk. I’m not trying to mingle and pretend like this is a happy family.”

Naruto frowned. It seemed like his intuition had been right. As nice as the gesture was of throwing Sasuke his 22nd birthday party, it felt like the Uchihas had donned their masks for a day and were masquerading as a healthy and happy family. Sasuke had grown up rarely seeing his parents laugh and joke with other people; simply getting them drunk to let loose wasn’t going to fix anything.

Naruto followed Sasuke to the counters in search of drinks, ultimately settling on a bottle of expensive whiskey. Sasuke’s eyes had landed on it immediately as if he’d recognized it and poured them each a glass.

“I broke into my dad’s study once to try this.” Sasuke handed Naruto the glass with a rueful expression. “Normally kids sip their parent’s beer or something.”

“How old were you?” Naruto smiled, bringing the glass close to smell it. He immediately recoiled from the scent with a grimace.

“Fifteen. I took a shot and got drunk off my ass.” Sasuke shook his head at the memory. 

Naruto pouted. He didn’t remember Sasuke ever telling him that before. He thought he had been the first one to drink when he’d gone to his first party at sixteen. He had rubbed it in Sasuke’s face and everything about how Sasuke was too stuck up to drink like a real teenager when he’d been doing it the entire time?

Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but Itachi slid behind Sasuke with an expectant look in his eyes.

“Can I borrow him, Naruto?” Itachi smiled. “Father wants to talk to you. I think we’re doing birthday shots.”

Sasuke frowned, clearly uninterested in the idea. 

Naruto hesitated, unsure if he should say something. It really wasn’t any of his business getting between Sasuke and his family, but…

Someone latched onto Naruto's arm, startling him with a jump. He almost spilled his whiskey on the floor, which would have most likely been frowned upon, and Naruto gave the offender an accusatory glare.

“Have fun.” Naruto’s mother Kushina leaned forward to give the brothers a bright smile. She held Naruto in place as they watched them walk into the dining room.

“Mom.” Naruto groaned.

“Listen baby, okay? I know what it feels like to want to protect something.” Kushina looked up into her son’s eyes as she sadly lost the height advantage years ago. “I think it’s best if you let Sasuke have a little space here.”

Naruto knew his mother was right. That explained the feeling he had today in this house; he was being overprotective, like Sasuke ever had help dealing with his family before. He wanted to protect him despite knowing he really couldn’t do anything. 

He let his mother drag him over to where his father sat. They all shared a couple drinks before Naruto left the kitchen, wandering down the spacious hallways of the mansion with a new glass of whiskey in his hand. He suddenly felt very old, but at least not as old as some of the portraits the Uchihas had hanging on their walls. He finally came up to a family portrait where Sasuke had only been an infant, his perfect face bright and innocent in his mother’s arms. 

Naruto had nearly made it to the end of the photo exhibit when he heard footsteps approaching towards him. He looked over to see Sasuke’s mother Mikoto walk up, a tender smile on her face.

“I wanted to thank you for being here for Sasuke.” Mikoto joined Naruto’s side as they looked at the last photo, a picture of Itachi’s college graduation. Itachi held Sasuke close, his cap balanced on Sasuke’s head as he smiled into the camera. Sasuke gave a half smile that looked more annoyed than anything else, but it did seem very Sasuke-like of him.

“I wish I could have always been here for him.” Naruto muttered before taking another sip.

“I do regret a lot of things as a parent.” Mikoto sighed. “There are so many things I would have done differently. Sasuke is such a special boy, I’ve always believed we push him too hard.”

Naruto remained silent, his eyes glued to the photo in front of him. 

“Things got difficult and now I feel like I’ve failed him as his mother. He’s shut himself off from everyone, but you’re the only one Sasuke has ever considered dear to him. I think he needs you now more than ever.”

Naruto glanced at her, his face contorting in confusion. Now more than ever?

“Did something in particular happen?”

Mikoto shook her head. “No...well…” 

Naruto watched her as she thought to herself, most likely deliberating whether she should say more.

“I don’t know if Sasuke has told you already...but he’s been seeing a therapist. He hasn’t mentioned to us if things are getting any better….he’s very private you know? We just worry...a lot.” Mikoto ended her sentence with a tired sigh. 

Naruto blinked back at her in surprise. “I...didn’t know.”

“I see.” Mikoto smiled. “He’s been having a bit of a hard time and we want him to feel loved. It’s a bit late for that now, huh?”

Mikoto murmured the last part to herself with a sad smile. “Enjoy yourself Naruto! Thank you again.” With that, Sasuke’s mother retreated back down the hall and around the corner. Naruto watched her go as he tried to figure out what she just said.

While therapy itself wasn’t as much as a shock to him, he wanted to know why Sasuke hadn’t told him. His mother’s concern made Naruto wonder if this was a more recent issue. Was Sasuke hiding something from him again?

Naruto started back towards the kitchen, now feeling a bit unsure of himself. He quickly covered it up and finished his glass as he walked back into the room, his eyes locking on Sasuke. He didn’t hesitate leaving Itachi’s side, rejoining Naruto with a shine in his eyes that told Naruto he’d managed to get hammered while he was gone.

“They got you drunk, huh.” Naruto mused, pinching at the red in Sasuke’s cheeks. He was so adorable when he got drunk, but he wasn’t looking forward to keeping him under control.

“Upstairs, now.” Sasuke commanded and took Naruto’s hand in his. The adults seemed to be starting a game of Monopoly at the kitchen table, and Naruto was honestly glad to not be roped up into it. None of them even glanced in their direction as they left the kitchen; Sasuke led Naruto upstairs and back to his room, making sure to lock the door behind them. Naruto backed towards the bed, knowing what Sasuke’s intentions were, but his thoughts kept falling back to what Mikoto had said. When he looked at Sasuke, he couldn’t tell if something was wrong, and he kept going back to try and remember if he had ever noticed anything. Had he just been blissfully ignorant? 

Naruto took off his shirt, forcing his attention back to Sasuke. He didn’t want to bring it up now and ruin Sasuke’s mood on his birthday. He made sure to wipe everything from his mind as Sasuke unzipped his pants and tugged them to the floor. Sasuke pushed him back until he lay flat on the bed, naked and exposed while Sasuke kicked off his pants in front of him.

“How do you feel now that your dream is about to come true?” Naruto chuckled as Sasuke slid onto his lap. He left his t-shirt on, and something about the pantsless look made it even hotter.

“Horny.” Sasuke kissed him before he leaned over to reach into his bedside table. His weight shifted onto Naruto’s groin and he hissed at the slight discomfort. Sasuke retrieved a bottle of lube and squirted a nice amount into his palm. Naruto could only watch in heated arousal as Sasuke spread his legs on him, pitching forward slightly to slide his fingers into himself. “Ah–something about you being naked in my bed is–ngh–really turning me on.”

Sasuke moaned as he started rocking against him, their erections brushing together as Sasuke leaned closer. Naruto’s hands went to Sasuke’s thighs, squeezing them tight as he pulled Sasuke a little closer. When he reached to bring their erections together, Sasuke smacked his hand away.

“No touching.” he huffed. He braced both hands on Naruto’s chest and crawled forward, only to lean back against Naruto’s dick, slowly lowering himself onto it with a heated moan. Naruto’s fingers bit into Sasuke’s skin as he felt Sasuke slowly swallow him to the hilt, the sweet pressure of Sasuke’s body weight distributed on his hips. He could only grit his teeth as Sasuke rose up and lazily slid back down, thighs slapping against his skin.

“Fuck, Sasuke.” Naruto moaned as he felt every little movement Sasuke made with his waist, forming clockwise movements on top of him that drove him crazy. He wanted to thrust up into him and take control, but Sasuke kept him pinned down beneath him. Sasuke lifted his shirt to expose his lower body, leaving it on full display from Naruto’s position. He could see where his dick would disappear inside of him, skin slapping down with every thrust of Sasuke’s hips.

“You have no idea...how perfect this moment is right now.” Sasuke panted with a smile as he looked down at Naruto. 

“Oh, I think I have an idea.” Naruto moaned back, desperately trying not to come early.

“I’m actually...nnngh...kind of glad we came.” Sasuke dropped his hands to Naruto’s chest and braced his weight there, rocking down and back against Naruto’s hips in heat. Naruto pulled him down with every thrust, his mind hazy with lust. Things certainly felt perfect right now; Sasuke moaning his name as he slammed back against his hips was definitely on his top list of favorite things. Honestly, it was the only thing he could think about until Sasuke flexed, forcing the orgasm out of him with a hard rock of his hips. As soon as Naruto arched up, crying out as he spilled into him, Sasuke dropped his head and moaned, his cum spurting across Naruto’s stomach. 

After a few seconds of trying to catch their breath, Sasuke slid off Naruto and settled at his side. They simply existed for a few minutes in silence, their bodies cooling off thanks to the central air conditioning, and Naruto took Sasuke’s hand in his.

He stared off into distance and listened to Sasuke breathe beside him. He heard a hiccup and felt Sasuke burrow himself against his side. 

“How did things go with your family?” he wondered what Fugaku possibly had to say to Sasuke and how they managed to get him drunk so quickly. Knowing Sasuke, he probably tried to drink away the discomfort and ended up plastered on his own. 

“Eh.” Was all Sasuke said.

Naruto tapped his fingers against his chest, wondering if now was the time to air out his concerns. He figured it may as well, whether it made him uncomfortable or not.

“I talked with your mom earlier.”

Sasuke stirred at his side. “Oh?”

“She told me you were talking to a therapist...was that something you didn’t want me to know?”

For a few moments Sasuke was dead silent. Naruto turned onto his side to see Sasuke’s expression when the silence started to worry him. As he expected, Sasuke’s face remained as unreadable as always, his gaze fixed somewhere on Naruto’s chest.

For the past couple of months, they had been pretty honest with each other about things and ideally Naruto wished there weren’t any secrets left between them. Did Sasuke still not trust him?

Sasuke sighed, finally breaking the silence.

“Last semester I kind of had an outburst in front of my parents and I said some things in the moment that I shouldn’t have, so they had me start seeing a therapist.”

Naruto narrowed his eyes. “Some things?” He vaguely remembered Sasuke mentioning that when they had first arrived; he wondered if this was the same occasion.

Sasuke hesitated. He seemed to shrink under Naruto’s gaze and Naruto could see the guilt in his eyes.

“I told them I was going to kill myself.”

“Sasuke.”

“I know. It was a horrible thing to say and I immediately regretted it...but after a few sessions with that therapist I realized it might not have been that much of a lie.” Sasuke rolled onto his back, his eyes wandering to the ceiling. “That terrified me. I knew I was depressed, but I didn’t...I wasn’t thinking about…”

Sasuke trailed off with a scowl.

“You’re right. I didn’t want you to know about this.”

Naruto scooted closer to stare into his eyes. “Why not?”

“Because...it’s a lot. It was just really bad back then and I didn’t want to bring it up. I don’t want to be the one with emotional baggage.”

Naruto desperately tried to get Sasuke to meet his gaze, but he purposefully kept them locked elsewhere. 

“How are things right now?”

“It’s better.”

“Honestly Sasuke.” Naruto pleaded. He tried, to the best of his ability, to hide the heavy worry in his voice. “Do you still think about it?”

Sasuke’s eyes landed back on Naruto’s, shockingly soft and open.

“No. I still feel like shit, but I feel a lot better. Like good shit, if that makes sense.”

“Good shit, huh.”

They both fell into quiet laughter at that. It was short lived, as Naruto caressed Sasuke’s face with a sad smile.

“I want to make you feel so good you can’t feel anything else.” Naruto whispered, his fingers lingering on Sasuke’s jaw.

“Mmm.” Sasuke hummed, his eyes falling shut. “You already do. You have no idea.”

Naruto blushed at that, his hand falling to rest on Sasuke’s chest. The gray fabric was cool to the touch, yet Naruto felt a strong desire to rip it off.

“You can always talk to me, you know. I also get it if you’re not comfortable with that.” Naruto said. “If talking to someone else helps, I’ll always support you no matter what.”

Sasuke opened his eyes and they looked wet in the dark.

“I had a rough patch too when we stopped talking.” Naruto flipped onto his back beside Sasuke, allowing himself to ramble as Sasuke gathered himself. “I almost got in a fight with my dad, of all people. I got suspended punching some kid in the face. I got in trouble for no reason and I messed around with stuff I shouldn’t have. In the end, I learned some things about myself...some good and some...well, not so good. I’d like to say it’s made me a better person.”

Sasuke listened to him in silence, his tears wet on his cheeks.

“I thought about calling you a lot. If I had...would you have answered the phone?”

“...no.” Sasuke replied after giving it some thought. “I wouldn’t have known what to say, but I would have regretted it every day after.”

Naruto nodded in understanding. Honestly, he’d probably call Sasuke and hang up after the first ring. If only it could have been easier back then; how much time could they have saved?

As Naruto let his mind wander, he idly played with Sasuke’s shirt. Something about the design felt familiar…

“Hey...is this my shirt?” Naruto asked, rolling back on his side to get a better look. There was no doubt; he had the same shirt in high school and never knew what had happened to it.

“Maybe.” Sasuke shrugged. “I have everything you’ve ever left over here.”

“Oh, for real? Can I see?”

“No. You can’t have them back.” Sasuke replied without a hint of humor. He was dead serious. Naruto only laughed at his expression.

“Yeah, well I have a couple of your hoodies too and I may or may not have jacked off wearing them in the past.”

Sasuke snorted. “Don’t lie, you still do it.”

Naruto chuckled, unable to claim otherwise. Holding on to Sasuke’s clothing made him feel a little weird, but when he’d bury his face in the scent he immediately felt better. 

It was like a weird crutch that soon became an unhealthy obsession. At least he knew he wasn’t the only one.

“Thanks for today, Naruto.” Sasuke gave Naruto a smile that made his heart feel a few sizes too large for his chest. It was tender and soft, and it made Naruto want to squeeze him. “I didn’t think I’d have a good time today.”

“No?”

“I hate my birthday.” Sasuke sighed. “Being alive never felt so special to me, but today was different.”

Naruto pressed a kiss to Sasuke’s cheek lovingly.

“Happy birthday. You’re the most important person to me, you know that? I can’t imagine living in a world where you’re not in it.” Naruto buried his face in the crook of Sasuke’s neck as he felt himself getting emotional. 

Sasuke’s fingers trailed through Naruto’s hair, gently moving to the back of his neck.

“I can’t imagine a world without you either.” Sasuke whispered, and it sounded like he was far away.

They laid together like that for a while, holding each other under the blankets as night crept through the window and exhaustion finally caught up to them.

Naruto rolled onto his back, holding Sasuke against his side as he drifted off to sleep staring at Sasuke’s ceiling. 

The ceiling was bare and white, but there had been a time when it was filled with infinite possibilities. Naruto remembered when he had spent the night at Sasuke’s house and laid in the same bed, staring at the ceiling as constellations danced across it throughout the night. They had been nine or ten at the time, and Sasuke had just gotten a pretty sick galaxy lamp for his birthday. 

As Sasuke slept, Naruto would take his hand and watch the lights twinkle overhead with wide eyes. He had been so mesmerized by the lights, shocked that there were so many stars in the sky that he couldn’t see.

Things were a lot easier then. 

Back when Naruto’s favorite things were only ramen and Sasuke. When the only things that mattered in that moment was Sasuke’s hand in his and the universe projected up on the ceiling.

“Sauce.” Naruto squeezed Sasuke’s hand to rouse him from his sleep. “If you were a constellation, what would you be?”

“....spaghetti....” Sasuke mumbled.

“No, constellation. Like the Little Dipper or something.”

“Naruto go to sleep…” Sasuke whined, burying deeper in the blankets. He gave Naruto’s hand a light squeeze before falling asleep again.

Naruto gave up and looked back to his fake sky, wondering what constellation he’d be. He wanted to be something big and flashy, but he didn’t know how assigning those things worked. Could he be orange? Were there any orangish stars up there?

The world suddenly became so big to him, and instead of going to sleep like he should, Naruto started thinking about the future. Nine years felt so long since it had been his entire life, but what would it be like ten years from now? Twenty years? Naruto couldn’t imagine getting that old. It was kind of scary, but every time his mind would drift to that dark place, Sasuke’s fingers would twitch against his. It was like he knew, despite being deep under, and still wanted to help him.

As long as he could keep holding Sasuke’s hand in his, he wouldn’t be afraid. Naruto lifted up his other arm, his hand splayed out as if he could reach out and touch the stars themselves. 

If I become a constellation I want to be one with Sasuke.

Fused together forever, bright and everlasting and left alone amongst the other stars around them. They’d blend into a galaxy so beautiful someone else could put them on their ceiling and stare in awe, amazed such a thing could exist.

Forever.

Naruto blinked awake, his eyes slowly focusing on that same ceiling. The sun shone through Sasuke’s windows, bathing them in light. Just like in Naruto’s dream, Sasuke’s hand rested in his, their fingers intertwined under the sheets. With a slight pinch in his brows, Naruto kept his gaze on the ceiling as he held on to a memory he thought he’d forgotten.

“Sauce, what happened to that galaxy lamp you had when we were kids?”

 A small bout of silence followed before he felt shuffling at his side.

“You remember that thing?” Sasuke yawned and rolled over with a groan. “It broke a long time ago.”

Naruto frowned. “We should buy a new one.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke make a puzzled face before scooting closer. He pressed a gentle kiss to Naruto’s cheek.

“Sure, why not?”

Naruto turned onto his side and pulled Sasuke into a deep kiss, his eyes falling shut in bliss. They rolled over in the warm blankets, bodies slotting together as they made out. Naruto slid his hand down Sasuke’s bare thigh to the knee before travelling back up to his inner leg, his thumb pressing against the sensitive skin inside. Sasuke moaned into Naruto’s mouth, gladly spreading his legs for Naruto to slide between them.

Naruto lifted Sasuke’s shirt and kissed his way down Sasuke’s chest, refusing to pass by the chance to take a perfect, pink nipple in his mouth. He gave Sasuke’s ass a squeeze and lightly pinched Sasuke with his teeth. Sasuke flinched under him with a gasp, his hands flying to Naruto’s head. At first, Naruto thought Sasuke was going to pull him away, but as he sucked on Sasuke’s chest, his fingers only tightened in his hair for a grip as he melted into the feeling.

Naruto abandoned Sasuke’s now slightly swollen chest and moved lower, slowly taking his achingly hard dick into his hand. Naruto pressed a light kiss to it, fully enjoying the experience of driving Sasuke crazy. The boy whimpered as Naruto teased him, his hand lazily sliding from tip to base until Naruto couldn’t wait any longer. He settled at Sasuke’s stomach and took him deep, pausing when he felt the head push against the back of his throat. Sasuke’s grip grew dangerously tight and he involuntarily bucked his hips, sliding deeper down Naruto’s throat.

Naruto pulled back only slightly before he started bobbing his head, his hand firmly jerking off Sasuke where his mouth wasn’t, and he could feel Sasuke turning into a mess. He kept an arm over his mouth, muffling his voice, his other hand desperately buried in Naruto’s hair, moving with every bob. Naruto swallowed the precum as it coated his mouth, now a lot more than before, and Naruto could feel the twitching in Sasuke’s legs as he edged towards his climax.

As Sasuke’s pants got faster, Naruto brought two fingers to his mouth before sliding them inside of Sasuke. He wiggled around before he found the right spot, noting the way Sasuke arched against him.

“No–not there!” Sasuke gasped, squirming as Naruto started putting direct pressure on his prostate. “Naruto!”

Sasuke came with a cry and Naruto kept his fingers moving as he swallowed against his shaft, taking as much of Sasuke’s release as he could without it dripping down his chin. Sasuke slowly stopped grinding down on Naruto’s fingers as he calmed down, and when he looked at Naruto, it felt like his world had gotten bigger again. Sasuke could burn brighter than any star, and that breathless smile he gave Naruto made him feel like he was the only person in the world. Sasuke pushed Naruto onto his back and rolled on top, his hands immediately reaching for Naruto’s lower half.

“Your turn.” Sasuke murmured, still out of breath, and then winked at him playfully.

Naruto couldn’t help but laugh, giving up control so Sasuke could go to work.

The two wasted most of their morning together in bed, sharing warmth and smiles until they remembered what they still had to deal with downstairs.

Naruto rolled out of bed first, leaving the comfort of Sasuke’s bed only to hop into a hot shower to make himself feel human again. He spaced out under the spray of water until he found the will to leave it, wrapping only a towel around his waist as he walked back into Sasuke’s room.

Sasuke sat on his bed, scrolling away on his phone, but the second he saw Naruto walk in, the phone slipped from his hands and fell to the sheets.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and smirked at Sasuke’s reaction. He sat beside him and shook out his hair, splattering Sasuke with cold water.

“Seriously?!” Sasuke jumped out of the way and shot Naruto a dirty look before smiling. He disappeared into his bathroom and Naruto heard the shower start up again.

It was oddly familiar for them now, despite the fact that they didn’t live together, they still seemed to do everything together. It was like when they were younger, but also a bit different, and it was so much more comfortable. He wondered if things could have always been like this if they had done things differently.

Naruto got dressed as he waited for Sasuke to emerge from the bathroom, eventually falling back against the pillows with a yawn.

Sasuke was taking too long.

As soon as he thought it, Sasuke came back into the room in a clean change of clothes.

Naruto planned on joking if he was taking a shit for that long, but the joking mood immediately vanished when he saw the red in Sasuke’s eyes. He immediately sat up to give Sasuke his full attention.

“Sauce?”

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me. What happened?”

Sasuke scowled as if he were annoyed he’d been caught. He climbed back into his bed and joined Naruto’s side with a sigh.

“All I do is cry in front of you...it’s embarrassing.” Sasuke shook his head before he warily met Naruto’s stare.

“You can cry as much as you want.” Naruto replied, his hand immediately resting on Sasuke’s thigh. “Don’t be embarrassed, really it’s okay.”

Sasuke nodded at his words and chewed on his lower lip. A million things seemed to run through his head and Naruto fidgeted as he waited for a reply. He could understand why it was difficult for him to open up right away, considering Sasuke had always been one to keep to himself. It was a little refreshing watching him test himself like this, trying to change at least a little to let Naruto in.

“My...meds were just upped a few days ago.” Sasuke said quietly. “I just don’t understand why I’m not getting better.”

“It doesn’t mean you aren’t getting better.” Naruto shifted so he could sit face to face with him, his hands taking Sasuke’s. “Listen, you’re the strongest person I know and you will get through this. I’m sure you know this already, but some days are going to be a lot harder than the others.”

Sasuke nodded again, his eyes locked on Naruto’s hands with his own. Naruto squeezed them hard until Sasuke winced.

“Are you listening to me?”

“I’m listening.” He grumbled back.

“Did you think just being a genius would make everything easy?”

“I’m not a genius.”

“Yeah you are. Didn’t you take an IQ test or something?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “No one cares about those.”

Naruto squeezed harder.

“Fuck!! That hurts!” Sasuke hissed at him and tried to pull his hands away, but Naruto kept him close.

“If your meds help you feel better, there’s no point in being mad that you need them.” Naruto slowly let go, letting his hands drop to his lap. “They’ll go up, and they’ll go down. How the hell do you think I got through school? Like I always tell you, everyone needs help sometimes.”

Sasuke massaged his hands with a frown.

“You’re right.” He sighed. “I think they’re making me emotional though.”

“You could use it. Sometimes I think your face is so blank you’re not even on this planet.”

“Shut up, that's my resting face and you know it.”

Naruto snickered at that and Sasuke smirked, playfully shoving Naruto over onto the bed.

“Now we have to go downstairs and face our parents like we weren’t just fucking all morning.”

“No point in even lying, I bet they’ve been talking shit the entire time.” Naruto sighed, picking himself up out of bed to join Sasuke at the door. Sasuke gave him a pointed look before opening it, his mood successfully uplifted and Naruto didn’t hesitate following him out. 

He would have followed Sasuke through the depths of hell if he asked him to; there weren’t any limits to what he’d do for his boyfriend.

He had to admit, boyfriend had a nice ring to it.

“I shit you not, the video has over a hundred thousand views.”

“Bullshit.”

“No bullshit!” Kiba hopped out of his seat, nearly knocking a bowl of potato chips onto the floor. 

Shikamaru shook his head as he reached for his phone to confirm his suspicions. While he scrolled away, Sakura and Ino started giggling about something in the corner that immediately made Naruto shoot them a dirty look.

“Oh shit.” Shikamaru finally said, his eyes glued to the screen. “I did hear it was trending for a little bit, but damn...there’s a shit ton of thirst comments on here for you two, by the way.”

Naruto groaned before falling back against the couch cushions. 

“Naturally everyone would have something to say about Sasuke.”

“Well, there’s some comments for you too.” Shikamaru cleared his throat and began to read, “I’d let that blondie rail me for free, fuck a thousand dollars. Another one says, the threesome of a lifetime and here I am at a different school.”

Sasuke couldn’t hide his laugh for that; Naruto heard him choke on his drink listening to Shikamaru’s words. 

At least Sasuke was getting a kick out of it.

“Everyone wants to know who won the bet.” Shikamaru sighed as he set his phone down, his eyes landing on Naruto with a humored expression. “So who won?”

“I did.” Sasuke replied.

“No, you forfeited with three days left.” Naruto corrected him with a shit-eating smirk.

“That was a fake-out, you know I fulfilled my part of the bet.”

“Nope, doesn’t work like that.”

Sasuke leaned closer on the couch and poked a finger to Naruto’s chest.

“That’s bullshit and you know it! I won the bet, asshole.”

The others broke into laughter at that. Sasuke frowned, failing to see what was so humorous about what he’d said.

“You two never changed, huh.” Sakura wiped away the tears in her eyes as she laughed, and her girlfriend Ino didn’t even bother holding back; her cackling filled the room, most likely fueled by the nearly-empty wine glass in her hand.

It was nice when all of their friends could come together for a relaxed night of drinking. To be fair, these meetings usually consisted of someone getting ganged up on and teased to death, but it was a lot better than wasting money in a shitty campus bar on summer vacation. 

Although the others were pregaming for a night at one of the downtown clubs, Naruto and Sasuke were simply here to enjoy the moment with their friends and to Naruto’s surprise, Sasuke actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

To be fair, he was drunk.

Naruto was too, but he could see the difference in Sasuke’s demeanor now that they’d shared a few drunken nights together. Sasuke was a lot friendlier once he got drunk, but he also lost his filter and he had nearly gotten them into a fight the last few times they’d gone drinking. That was something Naruto didn’t need on a night out.

“Always bickering like old women.” Kiba snickered. He stuck his tongue out when Naruto rolled his eyes at him.

“I’m getting another drink.” Sasuke muttered, pushing out of his seat. He took Naruto’s empty cup without having to be asked.

“Thanks Sauce.” Naruto called after him.

Sakura and Ino trailed after him in search of new drinks of their own, and Naruto watched them rope Sasuke into a conversation. It was amusing, seeing how they joined him on both sides, locking him into what was probably an interrogation.

Poor guy.

“It’s nice we can all be together like this.” Naruto smiled. Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

“It’s a good way to go into our senior year.”

“You were skeptical!” Kiba shot forward, his eyes narrowed. “I told you I’m a prophet, which is why I won the bet.”

Naruto looked between the two of them in confusion.

The bet?

“What are you talking about?” 

Shikamaru sighed. “Kiba, Choji, and I made a little bet over whether you or Sasuke would win. Or...rather what the outcome would end up being.”

“And I said you two would end up together.” Kiba smiled, his face smug. “It wasn’t rocket science, don’t you have a high IQ or something Shikamaru?”

“Shut the fuck up.” Shikamaru muttered. “I feel stupid enough believing Choji, okay?”

Naruto frowned, unsure if he was annoyed or not. While he didn’t enjoy his life being a source of entertainment to everyone, he figured it wasn’t too bad in the end if he was happy. Kiba betting on the positive outcome was a little surprising to him, but he supposed his roommate would know him better than most.

“Thanks for having faith, Kiba.” Naruto said jokingly and tossed a kernel of popcorn at him. He caught it in his mouth with a confident grin.

“Come on, you two have always been a package deal.” Kiba picked up his beer and downed half of it with a burp. Shikamaru grimaced at that. “If Sasuke wasn’t going somewhere, you didn’t want to go.”

“True. Sasuke was like your shadow.” 

Naruto felt the embarrassment finally creeping up to him, his friends’ all-knowing expressions made him feel like it had been so obvious his entire life. It wasn’t. Naruto was almost positive that his crush hadn’t been that out in the open.

“Leave me alone.” Naruto grumbled. “I need my drink.”

He got up and walked back into the kitchen to rescue Sasuke. Sakura and Ino still held him hostage, both giggling about something Sasuke didn’t seem to find too funny. He knew he had a few minutes before Sasuke either said something to offend them both or drank himself into a mood that Naruto would have to deal with later.

Naruto approached him from behind, pulling Sasuke into a hug. Sasuke stiffened at first, but once he recognized it was Naruto he immediately relaxed in the embrace.

“Stop harassing my boyfriend.” Naruto shooed the two girls away and he heard Sasuke breathe a sigh of relief.

“We were just chatting, right Sasuke?” Sakura tapped her cup to Sasuke’s playfully before leaving the counter. “Come on, Ino! We’re gonna chug this and then head out.”

“Bye Sasuke!” Ino blew him a kiss before turning on her heels to rejoin the others in the living room.

“Did you play nice?” Naruto moved to Sasuke’s side and retrieved his cup Sasuke had so graciously refilled for him. When he took a sip he immediately grimaced at the taste. It seemed like Sasuke was trying to get them trashed tonight. “Is this straight booze?!”

“They’re so nosy.” Sasuke grumbled, reaching for his drink that was now half-empty. “Thank God they’re leaving.”

Naruto could only agree with that one. Once everyone started getting rowdy, Shikamaru herded the group and led them out of the apartment to a new club somewhere downtown. Naruto waved goodbye and slammed the apartment door shut behind them.

By the time they had left, Naruto had managed to get himself plastered thanks to Sasuke’s “mystery drink”, or so he called it, and now when he walked, he had to use something as an anchor to stop from falling over.

Sasuke had moved into the sloppy drunk phase, knocking over anything that happened to be in his path. If it had been anyone else, Naruto would have been extremely annoyed, but something about the honest puzzlement on Sasuke’s face when he spilled something was absolutely adorable. 

As Naruto re-entered the living room, he watched Sasuke attempt to navigate around the coffee table, only to trip on one of the legs and face plant onto the couch cushions.

“Sasuke.” Naruto couldn’t hold back his laughter. The oh so graceful Sasuke had taken a tumble his sober self would never forgive. He wouldn’t remember it in the morning.

Naruto helped him up before settling at his side on the couch; they both leaned into each other as gravity pulled them together.

Sasuke picked up the popcorn bowl and munched away as they watched TV, his head heavy against Naruto’s shoulder. After a few minutes, Naruto could feel Sasuke staring at him, but he purposefully ignored it.

He eventually took the bowl back from Sasuke to steal a few bites before it was all gone, and sure enough, Sasuke’s eyes were still on him.

“What are you scowling at? Does my presence set you off that much?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “Everything about you is just so fucking perfect, fuck you.”

Naruto set the bowl down and gave Sasuke a tired look. “Why does a compliment have to come off as an insult with you?”

Sasuke shrugged. “Take it or leave it.”

Naruto smirked, deciding to roll with it since it was rare for Sasuke to toss out a compliment like that. It was solid proof he was wasted, probably just saying whatever popped into his head.

“Everything, huh? Name one.”

“Your eyes.” Sasuke replied immediately, his gaze intense. He looked so serious, but a hiccup cut right through the facade. “So blue and...pretty.”

“Okay, no more drinks for you tonight.” With a laugh, Naruto moved Sasuke’s drink to the far end of the table where he couldn’t reach it. 

Sasuke didn’t seem to care. He wiggled a bit in his seat before throwing his leg over Naruto’s hips to straddle him on the couch.

Naruto fell back as Sasuke wrapped his arms around the back of his head and pulled him into a hug. He could feel Sasuke’s body weight grow heavier against him, his face buried in Naruto’s neck. He wondered if it was comfortable, considering Sasuke would often take his naps like this as if he wanted to ensure Naruto wouldn’t move.

Inconvenient would be an understatement.

“...you…” Sasuke mumbled something but Naruto only caught what he believed was the end of it. He thought the guy was dead asleep. Was he sleep talking?

“What is it, Sauce?” Naruto tilted his head to hear him better and gave his back a light rub. “I can’t hear you when you mumble like that.”

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Naruto’s eyes widened in surprise. He stared at the wall above the TV as he tried to process what Sasuke said. His words made him feel so warm and light, his heart suddenly a few times bigger than it had been before. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Sasuke too. He loved him more than he could put into words.

He knew better than to take it too seriously, but a wide smile nonetheless took over his expression as he adjusted to Sasuke’s weight in his arms.

“Even with an idiot like me?” Naruto asked jokingly.

“I wouldn’t spend it with anyone else, idiot.” Sasuke murmured back.

“Me too.” Naruto waited a few minutes until he could feel Sasuke’s soft and even breathing as he fell asleep before he stood up and carried Sasuke back to his bedroom. He laid Sasuke down gently and tucked him in with a loving kiss to his forehead.

Sasuke was dead to the world at this point, but Naruto couldn’t take his eyes off him and simply sat there at the edge of his bed, watching him sleep.

Naruto thought back to that night when they had finally spoken to each other again. All of the anger and aggression he had directed towards Sasuke in an attempt to cover up his honest feelings. It was almost impossible to believe that he had felt so negatively about Sasuke when all he felt now in his heart was love and adoration. 

His feelings now reminded him of his childhood. They were pure, unrestrained feelings of love. They were innocent and honest, easy and endless. Although loving Sasuke had never been something easy, it was something he had done anyway without complaint. Sure, he had hesitated out of fear, but he would never do it again. Now that he understood his feelings, he felt like he could finally act on them properly and love Sasuke the way he wanted to.

The way he needed to.

“I’m betting that Sasuke couldn’t last a month through a serious relationship without breaking up!”

Naruto shook his head with a defeated sigh. When he was drunk, his intentions were as transparent as water. Who had he been fooling?

He would have been better off saying the obvious. Something like, “I bet you can’t tell I’m desperately in love with you!”

Not like it would have mattered. 

Little had Naruto known that they had already been in love for quite some time and thankfully, their love wasn’t something they needed to bet on. 

And they certainly didn’t need a thousand dollars to prove it.