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The first thing Naruto realised when he woke up was the pounding in his head and the sick feeling settling in his stomach.

He wasn’t able to open his eyes, not yet, not when he could feel the sunlight coming through the window and warming his skin – he just knew the light would be making his headache ten times worse. So he just stayed in bed, eyes closed.

He tried to think of the last thing he remembered from last night, just he would understand when he had lost control of himself.

He remembered Kiba and Shikamaru saying it was Naruto’s first free weekend in ages and that they should properly celebrate. He remembered Chōji dragging them for dinner, he remembered Ino ordering a bottle of sake and he remembered Sai getting drunk after only a few sips. He remembered Sakura dragging them to a bar then, he remembered Neji encouraging Naruto to drink different alcoholic beverages. He remembered Sasuke, who was always keeping an eye on him, always making sure Naruto was alright. And then he remembered–

Nothing.

It was so confusing, not remembering. He felt like he was trying to read a mission report in which all the letters had been blacked out or trying and trying to get a new jutsu right with no results whatsoever, or simply forgetting the reason why he had gone into the kitchen for. It was frustrating, but Naruto guessed it didn’t really matter if he had managed to end up laying down comfortably in his own bed with just a hell of a hungover to remind him that he should never, ever drink again.

He took a deep breath, suddenly finding the strength to open his eyes as he yawned rather loudly. But his yawn was cut off when the first thing he saw was Sasuke looking back at him with an illegible face.

“Shit,” Naruto said, moving his hand to his heart, feeling how hard it was beating against his ribs. He was way too used to waking up alone, after all –which, if he came to think of it, was starting to get pretty upsetting. Not that he was going to dwell on it right now.

He then realised he didn’t have a t-shirt on when he came into contact with the skin in chest, and that was even weirder than having Sasuke over, because he hated sleeping naked. He was always getting cold in the middle of the night, since he had a terrible habit of sleeping with his window open even during the winter. So nice, warm pyjamas were always welcomed, specially with how cold the days had been getting lately.

Naruto eyed Sasuke, still feeling too confused, as if Sasuke would give him the answers he needed. But then he saw he wasn’t wearing a t-shirt either. And Sasuke was in his bed.

Why the hell was Sasuke in his bed with no t-shirt on?

“Good morning,” Sasuke said slowly, way too carefully, as if he were too scared Naruto would get scared.

“Why are you here?” Naruto asked, trying to keep his voice even.

Because the answer was already forming in his mind, but he didn’t want to admit it. He couldn’t admit it.

“You don’t remember,” Sasuke muttered, sounding way too serious. Which was to be expected because, well, it was Sasuke who was talking. But Naruto immediately noticed there was something off about it –it wasn’t his usual seriousness, the one that came from his constant thinking of I know I’m better than the rest of you all. No, it was... as if he were actually unable to show any kind of emotion because he wasn’t feeling anything.

“Did we-” Naruto started but stopped himself, because saying it out loud would make it real. “Please tell me we didn’t.”

Sasuke’s face completely changed, if only for a split second. If Naruto had learned anything from all of the years they had spent as friends, getting to know each other, was that Sasuke was usually a very stoic person that could keep on a serious face even when he was in the most agonizing pain. But now, Naruto was so sure that what had messed up with Sasuke’s serious expression was hurt.

He had hurt Sasuke with his words, hadn’t he?

But why?

Fuck, Naruto would give both his arms and legs to be able to get rid of the pounding in his head and think clearly.

“We did,” Sasuke mumbled, sitting up. He looked extremely embarrassed, something Naruto had doubted he’d ever see happening, not when Sasuke was always so sure of himself and nothing seemed to ever mess up with that confidence.

“I’m so sorry,” Naruto said quickly, because how could he not be sorry? He had never wanted to do this, not… not just this. Sasuke didn’t deserve just this. “It… we were drunk. Weren’t we?”

“We were.”

“It doesn’t have to change anything. We were drunk, it didn’t mean anything,” Naruto said quickly.

Sasuke let out a laugh, and it sounded way too bitter and way too sad, and Naruto was just so freaking confused about this whole thing. He didn’t want to hurt Sasuke, and he definitely didn’t want to ruin the friendship they had taken so long to build. It had been just sex, right? Why was Sasuke so bothered about it?

“Is that what you want? Make it seem like a drunken incident and that’s it?”

“Huh… yeah?” Naruto replied, sounding so unsure of himself. It was what it had been, a drunken incident, hadn’t it?

Sasuke laughed again, rubbing his eyes and standing up from the bed. He was completely naked, and Naruto couldn’t help his eyes, focusing on the muscles on of his back, his lean legs, and the perfectly rounded shape of his ass as he walked to pick up the clothes they had apparently discarded onto the floor last night.

Naruto quickly shook his head, trying to focus somewhere else, like his own hands.

“Sasuke?” Naruto called out.

“What?” Sasuke replied way too brusquely, and it didn’t sound like him. He sounded completely defeated –all traces of the confidence and arrogancy that he always carried around were gone, and it caused Naruto’s heart to clench.

“Are you alright?” Naruto asked in a whisper.

“Fuck off, Naruto,” Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto raised his head to look at Sasuke with a frown, but he was already gone.

“You look like crap, little brother,” Itachi said as he put a freshly brewed cup of green tea in front of him.

“Thank you,” Sasuke grumbled, taking the cup with both hands and drinking a long sip, welcoming the burning sensation down his throat. It was nice, to feel something apart from utter humiliation.

Itachi was watching him closely, one eyebrow raised. Knowing his brother, he had already figured something was very wrong with him, but at least he had the decency to not pry. If he had learned anything from Sasuke, was that he wouldn’t talk unless he truly wanted to.

“I hope Mother doesn’t find out you were drinking last night. She would be very disappointed,” Itachi said as he sat down in front of him by the kotatsu. “I told her you spent the night at Naruto’s so she wouldn’t worry.”

Sasuke made a face and just shook his head, focusing on the way the steam of his hot tea was dancing around before completely fading into the air. He was unable to look at Itachi, because he knew he would crumble like pieces in front of him the moment he figured out what was wrong. And Itachi always managed to figure it out.

“Who are you blaming this time for getting you drunk? Ino, Kiba, Neji…?”

“No one,” Sasuke muttered. “I take full responsibility of my actions.”

“That’s a first,” Itachi deadpanned. “Look at you, all grown up.”

“Shut up, will you? My head is killing me,” Sasuke tried.

Itachi let out a soft laugh and just let it go, grabbing the book he had put aside when Sasuke had come in looking absolutely devasted. He laid on the floor, his legs under the warm blanket of the kotatsu, and focused on the letters printed on the pages.

They stayed quiet for a while, Itachi reading his book and Sasuke just staring into a blank point in the wall ahead of him as he tried to put his thoughts in order.

“I slept with Naruto last night,” he eventually mumbled, taking another long gulp of his tea so he couldn’t see the pleased face on Itachi’s face.

“Why are so bummed out about it?” Itachi asked.

Sasuke laid his eyes on him, and his brother looked nothing like he had expected him to. Instead of looking smug and making smart remarks, he looked concerned.

“Because he doesn’t remember anything about it,” Sasuke explained.

“Well, it’s a miracle you remember, since you were under the influence of alcohol,” Itachi said softly. “I feel like it’s not something you should hold against him.”

“It’s… not that,” Sasuke mumbled. It hurt that he didn’t remember, but he knew it wouldn’t be fair to be upset about it. It’s not like Naruto had chosen to forget. However– “He doesn’t remember, but he also didn’t want to believe it happened.”

“Oh,” Itachi merely said, staring at his brother’s face.

It was like Sasuke could read his brother’s mind. He was probably planning the best way to make Naruto pay for hurting him, and Sasuke didn’t feel with enough strength to tell him to stop.

“I finally told him. And he doesn’t remember it,” Sasuke whispered then, rubbing his eyes.

“You really had to pick the worst moment possible to tell him, didn’t you?” Itachi said, and for a split moment he looked like he was trying to not laugh.

Sasuke threw him a look that would’ve killed him, if that were possible. Who was he, to judge his actions like that?

“Shut up,” Sasuke mumbled.

“What did he say?” Itachi asked then, all of his previous amusement being replaced by concern again.

“That he felt the same,” Sasuke replied. He remembered how happy Naruto had looked once Sasuke had told him about his feelings, how much it had worried him Naruto’s smile would widen just one inch more and cut his head in half. “But it had to be the alcohol talking.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You should’ve seen his face when he realised what had happened between us,” Sasuke muttered. “It was like… like he couldn’t think of anything worse happening to him.”

Itachi didn’t say anything for a few seconds, looking at Sasuke. He had his mouth turned into a slight frown, as he always did when he was trying to think too hard about something. Sasuke eventually glanced down to his tea, just feeling like absolute crap.

“You need to talk to him,” Itachi said eventually, and when Sasuke glared at him he let out a soft laugh. “Properly, I mean. When you’re both sober, without a hangover and you stop being so upset, so you will both be saying things you mean.”

Sasuke wasn’t convinced at all. He had suffered enough all those years, and that morning had been the final hit. He didn’t want to go through it again, he didn’t want to face rejection for a second time.

“He’s been your best friend since before the Academy, Sasuke. You are not to let this ruin it,” Itachi said, and underlying his soft tone Sasuke could see he was actually scolding him.

“But what if he rejects me?” Sasuke asked, actually sounding so scared it was disgusting.

“And what if he doesn’t?” Itachi replied with a shrug.

Sasuke didn’t reply, knowing that no matter what he said, Itachi wouldn’t give in, wouldn’t let him retrieve into his comfort zone and not leave ever again.

“Good morning, Fugaku-san!” Naruto said with a smile that was too big to actually be polite, but he didn’t care. It wasn’t like Fugaku wasn’t used to his son’s best friend’s eagerness anyway.

Fugaku remained impassive, as he always did.

“Sasuke’s feeling sick. He won’t be accepting any visits today,” Fugaku said.

“Not even from me?” Naruto frowned slightly.

“Not even from you,” Fugaku said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he added and moved to close the door.

Naruto sighed as he rubbed his face frustratedly. He had seriously fucked up, and now he had no clue how he was supposed to fix it. He stood there, trying to decide what to do next, if actually pestering Sasuke (and the rest of the Uchiha family) until he talked to him would be the best way to go, or if he should just leave him alone until he came to him.

“Naruto,” he heard a voice from behind him, and he turned to see Itachi.

He knows, Naruto thought as soon as he saw the serious face Itachi had. Not that he wasn’t serious and just freaking terrifying all the time, but this time there was something off about it, something Naruto had never seen directed towards him.

“Hey, Itachi!” Naruto said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was just leaving. Apparently Sasuke’s sick, so… can you tell him that I hope he gets better?”

“I will,” Itachi said simply, slowly moving to open the door to the house, holding a bag with groceries in his other hand.

“Also… can you tell him to come see me when he feels better? There’s someth- I just want to see him,” Naruto said nervously.

“I will, Naruto,” Itachi said again.

“Good, thank you! See you soon ‘Tachi!” Naruto quickly said before he actually ran away.

Itachi couldn’t help but laugh as soon as he was far from him.

“Naruto came to see you this morning,” Fugaku said nonchalantly as Mikoto served dinner.

Sasuke was trying to help his mum, as he always did, but she wouldn’t have it, not when he had spent all day in bed sick. Not that she hadn’t realised his son wasn’t actually feeling ill, and that he was just not in the best of moods, but she knew better than to ask.

“Poor Naruto. Always worries too much about you,” Mikoto said as he placed a bowl full of rice in front of Sasuke.

“Yeah,” Sasuke grumbled, but he didn’t say anything else.

“Did you two argue again?” Mikoto asked, concerned.

She was used to his son arguing with his best friend – they were both hot headed and strongly opinionated, after all. They couldn’t stay mad at each other for more than a few hours, though, and the following day it would be like nothing had happened. However, Mikoto was always worried when it happened. Sasuke was a completely different person before he had met Naruto, and he didn’t want his son to become the lonely boy he had once been.

“No, mum,” Sasuke mumbled.

“But did something happen?” Mikoto insisted.

Fugaku was eyeing Sasuke, but he didn’t seem to care at all. Mikoto knew his husband’s heart better than anyone, though, and she knew he was just as worried as she was.

“Just leave him alone, Mikoto,” Fugaku grumbled in his most impassive voice.

Sasuke looked at his mum and offered her an apologetical smile. He knew she worried about him, but Sasuke couldn’t talk to her about what had happened. How could he even put it in words? Yeah, mum, I got extremely drunk last night, I told my best friend that I was in love with him because of it and then we ended up having sex? Oh, and he doesn’t remember anything and actually seemed pretty horrified about it happening. But hey, I’ll be fine. No, there was no way he could say that.

It was bad enough that Itachi had found out about the way he felt, a couple years ago, when Sasuke had just found out Naruto was dating a girl that didn’t even matter currently. Itachi had just been there and he had seemed willing to listen, and Sasuke hadn’t been able to help himself.

No one else knew about it. Itachi was annoying enough by himself, always trying to get Sasuke to talk to Naruto about it, always trying to make sure Sasuke was okay. He didn’t need any of it, no matter how hard Itachi tried. But at the same time, he was glad Itachi knew, and that he was able to talk to him about it.

Sasuke had expected his feelings to go away overtime. He had been in love with Naruto a total of three years, that he knew of. But three years later, he was even more in love with him than he had been the previous day. It hurt so badly, to the point he had asked the Hokage to stop sending them on missions together –it hadn’t worked, because the two of them always worked together amazingly well and were two of the best jōnin Konoha had at the moment. And Naruto wouldn’t let Sasuke avoid him, always being too persistent.

So basically, Sasuke was fucked. Because at the moment he didn’t want to see Naruto, he didn’t want to face him and talk to him, but he knew Naruto wouldn’t let it go so easily, not when he probably knew Sasuke was upset.

“Sasuke!” Naruto called out.

He hadn’t seen Sasuke since the incident. He knew Sasuke was avoiding him, and Naruto was extremely mad at him. Why couldn’t he just grow a pair and face him?

He had gone to the Uchiha compound every day for the past week, and he had knocked on Sasuke’s door, wanting to talk to him, needing to talk to him. However, he was always met with Fugaku’s impassive looks and poor excuses and Itachi’s sympathetic smiles and give him time’s that only annoyed the shit out of him. That day he had been lucky, though, because it had been Mikoto who had opened the door and had received him with a big smile. She had told him about Sasuke’s whereabouts, and Naruto allowed himself to think she was upset about Sasuke avoiding him just as much as he was.

“Hi, Naruto,” Sasuke said simply, but he didn’t even look at him, still looking through the different vegetables the vendor had set up on the stand.

“How have you been?” Naruto asked slowly. He was hoping to get Sasuke’s attention then, but he didn’t. No matter how badly he was craving his friend’s attention, how badly he was craving for their relationship to be back to normal, Sasuke seemed to find the greens in front of him way more interesting than the man next to him.

“Good,” Sasuke replied simply, picking up a few red peppers and putting them in a paper bag.

Naruto just watched him closely, because he felt at a loss of words. Sasuke was completely ignoring him, still picking up different vegetables, and then he moved to pay without even offering Naruto a second glance.

It hurt, really.

Because he was there, and he was trying. It had only been sex, wasn’t it? Why was Sasuke so bothered about it? Why was he willing to ruin their friendship over it, without even giving Naruto a chance to explain himself, to fix things between them?

“Could we talk?”

“I’m actually in a hurry,” Sasuke replied dryly. “Goodbye, Naruto,” he added and then he just started walking away.

Naruto groaned in frustration at that, shaking his head.

“You’re being a fucking coward!” he yelled after him.

Everyone turned to look at Naruto, everyone except Sasuke.

“You need to talk to him,” Itachi said, sounding as calm as he always did, but there was a bit of an annoyed edge there, only recognizable for the people that truly knew him. “This is the third time this week that he’s approached me, and I was undercover for ANBU.”

“Just tell him to leave you alone,” Sasuke muttered.

Itachi seemed to find that extremely amusing, letting out a laugh.

“I have tried, believe me,” he said. “Seems like you don’t know him at all.”

Sasuke sighed and just stopped himself from scribbling down some notes in a book, looking up at Itachi.

“He only wants to talk to me to reject me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes I do! So I’ll just save us both the trouble,” Sasuke said.

“You’re just assuming things and taking decisions based on that,” Itachi replied. “Plus, you know him. He’s not going to stop until you sit down and talk to him. Make both his and my life easier and just get it over with, Sasuke.”

“Mind your own fucking business, okay?” Sasuke grumbled.

“I don’t know what else to do,” Naruto groaned as Sakura just patted his back playfully.

“You know how he is. He’s going to avoid talking to you until he can’t anymore,” she told him.

Naruto didn’t know if that was supposed to be comforting or not. He pressed his head against the table and let out a sigh.

“I was an asshole to him. He hates me now.”

“He doesn’t hate you, Naruto,” she promised. “But you were an asshole. Why didn’t you tell him right then?”

“I don’t know! I panicked, okay?” Naruto groaned. “I didn’t- I hadn’t expected us to do anything. I didn’t know he’d ever even want to, and I don’t know. I know how annoying I get when I’m drunk, so I was thinking maybe he’d just gave in because of it?”

“Sasuke would’ve cut your balls off and made himself tea with them if that were the case though,” she laughed. “He wouldn’t have had sex with you unless he truly had wanted to.”

Naruto sighed again, just rubbing his face very frustratedly.

“I just want to talk to him. I can’t tell him it was all a mistake and that I’m sorry and that I want to remain friends and-”

“You’re such a fucking idiot,” Sakura groaned.

“Please, Sasuke,” Naruto said.

Sasuke let out a soft sigh and just rubbed his face. He had had a long day, having just come back from a three-day mission away from Konoha. He was exhausted, he felt disgusting because of all the dust from the road stuck to his skin, the thin layer of sweat still lingering on his skin, the dried blood from a superficial cut in his back.

But most of all, he felt upset. Because all he could think about on his way back was how much he had missed Naruto, how badly he wanted to go back to what they had.

“I need a shower,” Sasuke replied drily.

Naruto seemed defeated. It wasn’t a look that Sasuke had seen on him often, even though they had known each other for at least sixteen years now. He hated it so much.

“Okay, then. I guess I’ll see-”

“You have two minutes.”

Suddenly, Naruto’s whole face lit up with hope, and it hurt Sasuke so much he had been the cause of his suffering.

“Okay! I promise I’ll be very quick with what I have to say and then you can just go and maybe you can get back to me whenever you want, yeah? Because I feel like we need to have a very long conversation and-”

“One minute and a half,” Sasuke cut him off.

“Shit, okay. Well, I just wanted to say that what had happened… I don’t remember any of it,” Naruto said and Sasuke rolled his eyes, because of course he would be oblivious as to how much it hurt him. “Don’t do that! It’s not my fault I don’t remember! I just didn’t want to… I just…”

Sasuke couldn’t help but let out a long, bitter laugh. He blamed the exhaustion for the lack of self-control.

“I get it. You don’t remember. You don’t want it to mess up our friendship, you blame it on the alcohol, blah blah,” Sasuke replied, and Naruto opened his mouth to complain, but Sasuke wouldn’t have it. “This was a waste of both of our times.”

Then he did was he was getting best at –running away from him.    

“He’s not here,” Itachi said.

“The fuck he’s not! I know he’s here and I’m not going anywhere until he stops being a coward and he faces me!”

“Naruto-”

“No, Itachi. You know I respect you and I might even be a little scared of you-” Naruto started, being interrupted by Itachi’s laugh. “But I’m not afraid to try and pass through you and get to him!”                                                                                                                                  

Itachi seemed to consider his options, as if he knew just how persistent Naruto would be unless he just let him go through the door.

“He’s in his room,” he eventually gave in, just walking to the side to let Naruto walk in.

“You’re actually really cool, did you know that? Why don’t we-”

“Don’t make me regret this, Naruto,” Itachi warned him, raising his eyebrows.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Naruto replied.

He just ran to where he knew Sasuke’s room was, not even waiting until he had permission to come in. Sasuke was sitting on his bed with a scroll in his hands, and he was looking at the door Naruto had used to come in.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sasuke said, quickly standing up.

“Well, you didn’t let me talk yesterday. So I’m here, and you’re going to stop being an asshole and you’re going to listen to every single thing I have to say instead of twisting my own words!”

Sasuke stared at him, a frown on his face. He still looked as tired as he had the previous day, as if he had barely gotten any sleep. Naruto knew immediately that Sasuke was still mad at him, still upset.

“First of all, it’s pretty shitty of you that you get mad because I don’t remember. As if I chose to erase the memories from my brain or something. Trust me, I wish I didn’t forget about it,” Naruto mumbled.

Sasuke seemed rather shocked when he heard those words, his eyes widening slightly and his lips parting. It was almost unnoticeable, but Naruto knew him better than anyone.

“However, I am sorry about the way me not remembering makes you feel,” Naruto added, and Sasuke’s shocked expression got more obvious. “I wish you would talk to me and make me understand better what that way is, but I know you won’t. I just know I’ve made you upset, and I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m not upset because you don’t remember we had sex, Naruto,” Sasuke said while he shook his head, his hair getting slightly messy with that single motion.

“Then why?”

“It’s none of your business, okay? Just… leave,” Sasuke said and just moved to sit back down on the bed.

Naruto wouldn’t have it, though. He moved to sit on the bed next to him, staying quiet for a few seconds. The fact that Sasuke wasn’t trying to put on a fight and kick him out spoke volumes, so it only made him feel reassured.

“It is my business, Sasuke. You’re my best friend. I’m not going to let this ruin it,” he said, trying to keep his voice soft and calm.

Sasuke looked up at him, and Naruto could see the doubts written all over his face. It was scary, not knowing what he was doubting about. Naruto just wanted to reassure him everything was going to be fine, that they just needed to talk it through, but he knew that would only make Sasuke hold back even more.

“I’m upset because–” Sasuke started but then sighed. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal,” Naruto frowned. “We’ve been through this. If it makes you upset, it is a big deal, at least to me.”

“You just… seemed disgusted at the idea,” Sasuke mumbled, turning his head to look at the wall, as if it were way less scary than whatever Naruto’s face looked like at the moment. “Was it that awful that we had sex?”

Naruto couldn’t help himself. He tried, really, but he just couldn’t hold himself back. He let out quite a loud cackle, covering his mouth with both his hands when he saw Sasuke’s expression changing to one that reflected the hurt that he was feeling.

“So you’re upset that I might have hated the idea of us having sex?” Naruto asked, but Sasuke didn’t even look at him, let alone speak. “Shit, Sasuke. Everyone keeps telling just how smart you are, how bright, but I know better! You’re so freaking dumb!”

That caused a reaction from the other man, turning his head to look at him – glare at him, actually. It only caused Naruto to smile again.

“No, I did not hate the idea of us having sex with you, asshole,” Naruto said and shook his head. “You really didn’t have to give me the cold shoulder for weeks just because you thought something so stupid, when you could’ve just asked me about it!”

“Then why-” Sasuke started but stopped himself if only for a moment, as if he needed to think of the appropriate words to say. Naruto just gave him time, even if it was hard for him to just sit down and wait. “Then why did you behave like that?”

“I was… scared,” he admitted. “It’s complicated.”

“Try,” Sasuke encouraged him.

His face was back to normal, just the same, serious expression he always had. However, he was playing with his fingers, and Naruto immediately knew what it was –he was shielding himself behind that serious façade, protecting himself of the hit that he assumed was about to come.

Naruto wondered if he should… actually be honest. He wondered of all the possible outcomes, of what would happen once Sasuke knew the truth.

“I was scared because I didn’t want to lose you,” Naruto said, his eyes focusing on the dark ones in front of him. “I feel like this is something you’d freak out about, because… you know.”

Sasuke just raised an eyebrow.

“No, I don’t know.”

“Ugh, okay,” Naruto sighed, rubbing his face. “Just, remember that time at Sakura’s birthday last year?”

Sasuke nodded slowly, his face changing again, looking even more wary that before.

“You stopped talking to me for two days,” Naruto reminded him.

It had been stupid. Ino had just joked about Sasuke having a crush on him, and Naruto had… been an asshole.

“You said you would never, in a million years, want anything to do with me that way.”

Everyone had laughed –it had been such a stupid comment, really. Because it was basically common knowledge for everyone with two eyes what his true feelings towards Sasuke were. Well, everyone but Sasuke himself, apparently.

“Well, that’s obviously not true, is it?” Naruto laughed nervously.

“It was because of the alcohol. You made it very clear,” Sasuke replied and just sighed. “It’s fine, Naruto. It doesn’t matter,” he mumbled.

“Why do you even care so much? It was just sex. What are you, a prude?” Naruto replied, suddenly feeling very angry because he did not understand Sasuke at all.

“Naruto-”

“We were both drunk, we had sex, and that was it. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it?”

“Because it doesn’t mean the same to me that it does to you!” Sasuke finally snapped, his whole face turning red. “We only had sex because you just fucking lied to me. That’s what I’m hurt about, Naruto.”

Naruto frowned, watching as Sasuke stood up and went to the opposite side of the room, running his fingers through his hair. He seemed upset, he seemed desperate, and Naruto wanted nothing else than just comfort him.

“I lied?” Naruto asked, confused.

“You always get so touchy when you’re drunk, did you know that?” Sasuke replied instead.

“I do, I’m so-”

“I took you home because you asked me to,” he interrupted him. “And I took you to bed, because you asked me to. And you wouldn’t stop touching me and you wouldn’t stop telling me how- how badly you wanted me that night. And I told you no,” Sasuke said.

Naruto tried to remember anything that had happened that night, just as he had been trying for the past two weeks. Again, nothing came to his mind, just blankness.

“I told you no and you still insisted, asked me why I didn’t want you back. And I told you it would mean way more to me than you, because I’m in love with you,” Sasuke said, and he still sounded so angry, so upset, but it made Naruto’s heart clench anyway. “And then you… you said you felt the same. I should’ve known it wasn’t true, I should’ve known-”

“It is true, though,” Naruto interrupted him, standing up as well but staying where he was.

It was slowly starting to make sense, why Sasuke had been upset. Why Naruto’s reaction that night had affected him that much, why he was so upset now. And Naruto had never felt as much happiness as he was feeling now.

“What?” Sasuke asked, and he looked like all of his anger had suddenly vanished.

Naruto couldn’t help his laugh, again.

“I was drunk, but that does not mean I lied just to get in your pants,” Naruto shook his head.

“You are…?”

“In love with you?” Naruto finished for him, smiling. “Congrats, you’re like the last person to know about it. So much for the bright Uchiha,” Naruto joked.

Sasuke just stared at him, and Naruto was proud to see he had left him speechless. Sasuke always had a lot to say, even if he usually chose to stay quiet about what was going in his mind. However, he was now watching Naruto, gaping like a fish, as if suddenly he couldn’t even think.

But then he was moving, and before Naruto could even put some thought to it, he felt Sasuke’s lips pressing against his. It was rough and it was desperate, and Naruto could only return it, moving his hands to Sasuke’s cheeks just to make sure he would never pull apart.

That Sasuke had never expected this was an understatement.  

It seemed like nothing had changed, but at the same time nothing was the same. Naruto and him still spent all of their free time together, just like they had before. But now, Sasuke was not constantly thinking of how much it hurt to not have Naruto return his feelings, how badly he craved to reach out and touch him. Instead, he could lean over and kiss him whenever he wanted to, and Naruto did it too – and between the both of them, they never seemed to stop. Sasuke would’ve thought it was gross, but in reality he couldn’t help but simply love it.

Surprisingly, it had taken no one by surprise. Only two weeks later he was introducing Naruto to his family, officially. Fugaku had just grunted, which was everything Sasuke needed to know he approved. Mikoto had almost cried, reprimanding Sasuke for taking so damn long to stop being an idiot. Her words, not his own.

Itachi had smiled and ruffled his hair, muttering a I’m happy for you, little brother. Then he had asked Naruto to talk in private. Naruto had thrown Sasuke a look, as if he were begging him to help him, but Itachi had dragged him to another room before Sasuke had been able to complain.

“He’s going to kill him,” Sasuke groaned.

“Probably,” Fugaku agreed, taking a sip of the tea Mikoto had gotten ready for him.

“He just worries about you, Sasuke. He won’t do anything to him,” Mikoto laughed, sitting down next to him.

Sasuke just sighed and looked at the door Itachi had used to drag Naruto away.

“Kushina would be so happy,” Mikoto said then with a sad smile. “You better take care of him, huh? You’re my son, but I promised her I would protect him, and that means I’ll hurt you if you dare to cause him any kind of pain.”

Fugaku snorted at that, probably knowing as well as Sasuke that she actually meant it. She had taken her promise to Kushina very seriously – it had been the main reason Sasuke and Naruto had become friends in the first place, with him spending so much time over at the Uchiha’s place.

Naruto and Itachi returned then, and Sasuke couldn’t help a loud groan when he saw just how pale Naruto looked.

“What did you do to him?!” Sasuke said, quickly standing up to put his arm around Naruto in a protective manner.

“Nothing,” Itachi said, and the way he grinned scared even Sasuke.

“Did you use genjutsu on him?” Fugaku asked nonchalantly.

“What?!” Sasuke shouted.

“Relax, little brother,” Itachi replied.

“Ugh, I can’t fucking believe you!” Sasuke groaned, taking Naruto’s hand and just dragging him away from the kitchen, ignoring his mum when she reprimanded him for his language.

Once they were safely inside of Sasuke’s room, he moved to cup his cheeks, concern written all over his face.

“I’m so sorry,” Sasuke whispered.

Naruto was still pale, but he was looking at Sasuke amusedly.

“Calm down, Sasuke. I’m good,” he promised.

“What did he do?”

“He just… showed me al the creative ways he had to make me pay if I ever dare to hurt you,” Naruto laughed. “I didn’t feel any kind of pain, but it was… graphic.”

Sasuke’s anger towards Itachi only grew, and Naruto seemed to realise that. And he moved to peck his lips, and then nis chin, and the tip of his nose.

“I’m fine,” he promised again, moving his lips to his cheek, and under his eye. “Before that he told me he couldn’t think of anyone better to be with you,” Naruto whispered.

Sasuke slowly started to relax, pulling back to look at him properly.

“Your brother likes me,” Naruto grinned, and it caused Sasuke to laugh. He knew Naruto had been scared of Itachi not approving of their relationship, because it was the only person -apart from Naruto- whose opinion mattered to Sasuke.

“Of course he does,” Sasuke smiled. “He knows that if he didn’t you’d just become a pain in his ass until he changed his mind.”

Naruto laughed and just nodded, leaning over to kiss Sasuke again, this time more deeply.  Sasuke felt like they had been doing this for all of their lives, when in reality they had just been together for two weeks. They had definitely been the best two weeks of Sasuke’s entire life, though.

Naruto still acted the same around him, still was his goofy, loud self. And Sasuke still complained when he was being annoying, or when he was getting on his nerves. But now, Naruto would just kiss him as a way to apologise, instead of starting a fight. Sasuke was still quiet, and still had a hard time talking about anything related to his own feelings and fears, but Naruto now encouraged him to at least try. To make this work better, he had said. So Sasuke did, and Naruto quieted down every single one of his doubts with patience that was unusual on him.

Sasuke dragged Naruto to the bed, making him lay down just so he could be on top, and then he just kept kissing him. Soon enough he could feel Naruto’s hands traveling down his back, growing more impatient and more desperate by the second.

“My family’s home,” Sasuke whispered against his lips, but he still moved to press soft kisses over Naruto’s jaw.

“We can be very quiet,” Naruto tried, moving his hips slightly against Sasuke’s, causing him to hiss.

“Will you forget this time, too?” Sasuke teased, kissing him right where his jaw met his earlobe.

“Are you going to make that joke every time, Sasuke?” Naruto groaned. “This is like the seventh time. And I did not forget about them!”

Sasuke chuckled and moved to kiss down his neck, just taking his time and appreciating how Naruto was starting to squirm under his touches.

“I could never forget about this,” Naruto whispered again.

Good, Sasuke thought to himself, leaning over to kiss his lips again. Because I won’t be able to forget about it, either.