Archive of Our Own ^beta

Ten minutes before midnight, Shikamaru finally let him clock out of the Tower.

He’d normally take pity on Naruto the moment Naruto started banging his head against his desk, but tomorrow they were leaving for their first Kage Summit. They had to finalize strategy beforehand.

At midnight, Naruto paced on top of his dad’s monument, venting into the void about all the woes of a Hokage’s life—and a new Hokage at that.

Maybe Naruto had pushed it off for too long. Maybe going with the momentum and getting inaugurated right after the war would’ve made it easier, but the older, more mature side of him immediately protested that notion.

What would have happened to all the people around the world that Naruto had helped while he had traveled after the fall of the Infinite Tsukuyomi? That damned God Tree had destroyed houses, bridges, entire towns and Hidden Villages. It had poisoned the land and killed people whose bodies and minds hadn’t been strong enough to survive it.

There hadn’t been enough manpower to help everyone. But Naruto had sure as hell tried and he had a whole army of clones to help with that.

Years later, he had crossed paths with Sasuke, who had also left after the war and hadn’t contacted him till that day.

Neither had found the will to let each other go again after that day. It was as if destiny itself had brought them together once more—their hopes, their pain, their dreams—to clash with each other till they unite or break one last time.

The end of Akatsuki and the old Konoha Council hadn't solved their problems. The Tsukuyomi had given all sorts of people a lot of bad ideas, visions of what life would be like if their wildest dreams came true. The brief union of Shinobi Nations had begun to waver as they eliminated the common threats binding them together. Then it was all back to fighting for resources and influence.

And a thirty-year-old Naruto was no closer to bringing about world peace than that zealous teenager who had made promises left and right.

He sat down between the spikes of his dad's hair and sighed. No dad-inspired wisdom came his way and no wonder—considering his dad had pawned this impossible quest off onto Naruto, just like Jiraiya. They certainly weren’t gonna chime in now.

Still. Naruto had never felt closer to his dad than like this, burdened by responsibility and expectations few people would ever face.

“Baachan was right, y’know. It’s totally a fool’s job.” Naruto fiddled with his sandal till a tiny pebble fell out. It had been stuck under his foot all the way up here. “Maybe I should go fight some bad guy and die a hero like you, let someone else deal with this bullshit."

But there’s no backing out now. Naruto never gave up.

He and Sasuke had made their choice coming back here, to the village still standing only because Naruto had saved it and Sasuke had spared it. Maybe they couldn't attain world peace yet; but they still had some power to stop this village from harming its own people.

Ten minutes after midnight, Naruto stumbled into his house, ready to crash. He had to get up again in six hours.

“I’m home,” he slurred, too exhausted to yell.

He only managed to unstrap one sandal and take it off halfway by the time Sasuke had materialized by his side with Naruto’s favorite mug in hand.

“Drink it,” he said without so much as a hello.

And he said it with his 'quietly pissed' voice. Was he still mad that Naruto forbid him from going to the summit with him? He needed Sasuke to stay here and watch over the village, to keep in line those who’d stir trouble in their absence. Who else could possibly do it if not Sasuke?

Naruto took the mug from him and blew through the steam, but before he could have a sip, Sasuke wrapped his arm around his waist and kissed him.

His mouth was hot from the tea.

“Mmm…” Naruto leaned into him, or more like slumped against Sasuke’s chest, the tension of the day leaving him in a whoosh. He wanted to stay like this and just fall asleep, preferably in a horizontal position, with Sasuke on top of him like a weighted blanket.

Sasuke didn’t move away. His arm tightened around Naruto, his tongue pushing unsubtly inside his mouth. Naruto was familiar with every kind of Sasuke’s kisses, and this one was sending a clear message—Sasuke was angling for sex.

The 'I'm pissed at you and I need to get it out of my system' type of sex. The 'you're leaving tomorrow and I need to have you' type of sex.

And Naruto wanted it. God, how he wanted it—except he was so fucking tired he barely had the strength to open his eyes again. He wanted to just lie down and do nothing while Sasuke—

“Oh, shi—ouch!” Naruto exclaimed when he forgot to hold the mug upright and hot liquid spilled over his knuckles.

Sasuke tsked, taking the mug back.

Naruto protested. “Hey, I didn’t even get to try it yet—“

But Sasuke was already walking away, rounding the corner to their bedroom and disappearing from view.

“Sasukeee—" Naruto whined, following after him. He stumbled over his loose sandal so he shook it off haphazardly.

Inside, Sasuke had already set the mug on the nightstand and was waiting for Naruto with a scathing glare. “Look at yourself.”

Naruto looked down—and saw rumpled clothes with loose threads sticking out of his sleeve that he'd been fiddling with all day, a coffee stain on his pants, one sandal halfway undone and the other gone.

“You’re Hokage and you still run yourself down like a brat,” Sasuke scolded him. “You can’t be trusted to hold a mug right now, let alone a kunai, and you expect to impress the Kage?"

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, jerk.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and closed in on him again. “Should I undress you myself or can you manage that much?”

Naruto hooked his arms loosely over Sasuke’s shoulders, pressing his face into his neck. The scratch of Sasuke’s evening stubble was comforting against Naruto’s temple; so was the scent of katana oil lingering on his shirt. He must’ve been tending to it right before Naruto had wrapped up at the Tower.

“Didya notice you’re meaner when you’re horny?” he mumbled.

Sasuke sighed but he put his nose in Naruto’s hair, clearly enjoying his affection. “Come to bed.”

As beaten as Naruto felt, he still couldn’t resist teasing him. “Okay. If you make me. I'll put up a good fight."

There was no hesitation. Sasuke’s palm made its way down Naruto’s back—only to smack his ass. Then, he pushed Naruto hard towards the bed.

Naruto lost his balance, going with the momentum without resistance. There’s nowhere else he’d rather be right now. “Oh fuck, that’s good…” He closed his eyes as he sank into the sheets.

When he showed no signs of moving anytime soon, Sasuke snapped. “Idiot, move or you’ll fall asleep like this.”

“You said you’d undress me.”

“Tch—I’m your husband, not your butler.”

Naruto forced himself to open his eyes, still giddy hearing him say it. “I know you like manhandling me, c’mon.”

“…I will undress you,” Sasuke said with a calculated glint in his eye, “on the condition that we fuck before you leave.”

“Obviously. You gotta do all the work though 'cause I'm beat."

Sasuke grumbled under his breath while he kneeled on the floor to remove the remaining sandal. Once he unbuttoned Naruto’s pants he pulled them off unceremoniously, together with the underwear. He eyed Naruto's bare body with lust that never faded through the years they'd been together. Not that Naruto felt any different about him, but he'd heard from his friends how the spark of a new romance left eventually, how spouses struggled to keep it alive. During such conversations, he'd just nod dumbly and act like he understood. He had no advice to offer with something that required no effort on his part.

Sasuke unzipped his jacket next, pushing the flaps open and—

“…What is this?”

Shit—Naruto had totally forgotten. It was supposed to be a consolation prize for Sasuke before Naruto’s departure tomorrow, but he hadn't realized he'd come home so late. Caught unawares like this, Naruto felt a little self-conscious about it now.

“It’s fishnet, duh.”

“I can see that, smartass—you haven’t worn one since you were a teenager, why now?”

“‘Cause you like it.”

Sasuke stared at him incredulously. “…When have I ever said such a thing?”

"You didn't have to say it, y'know. I've seen the way you look at other guys who wear fishnet," Naruto huffed, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. It'd been hard to watch Sasuke take interest in other men, but maybe it couldn't be helped. There were a lotta hot dudes in Konoha after all.

Sasuke scoffed. "I don't look at other men."

"You do, actually."

"You're delusional."

"And you're a liar—I know what I saw, can't fool me."

"What you saw," Sasuke bit out, "was me looking at fishnet and being reminded of a younger you chasing me around, fighting me—bleeding out next to me…" Sasuke trailed off.

Naruto gaped. His heart clenched with emotion, trying to process the weight of what Sasuke had just said to him.

Sasuke seemed like he wanted to take it all back immediately, so Naruto grabbed him by the collar and urged him closer.

"You bastard…" Naruto swallowed his tears, "that's seriously one of the sweetest things you've said to me, y'know; up there with our marriage vows, almost."

"Shut it… usuratonkachi."

"I guess you're allowed to look at other guys if they remind you of me," Naruto smiled, playing with the strands of Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke sighed, looking away. "I don't understand how you could've picked up on it. I make it a point not to stare… If I don't, most shinobi react like I'm about to kill them."

"I mean, I'm your husband, y'know. I have eyes and half a brain."

“Only half, clearly,” Sasuke quipped.

“Hey—didya know people with half a brain actually don't act much different than a normal person? Tsunade-baachan schooled me about it after I—"

“Stop talking. You’re killing the mood.”

"Oh yeah?" Naruto squinted at Sasuke's obvious boner. "Doesn't look like your mood got killed."

"I'll kill your mood if you don't shut up." Sasuke tugged at Naruto's jacket. "Roll over."

Slowly, Naruto complied, making all sorts of unsexy sounds of an overworked grumpy Hokage flopping onto his belly.

Now prone on the bed, Sasuke managed to yank the jacket off him. His hot palm dragged up Naruto's side next, forcing the fishnet to reveal unblemished skin—which was already starting to get a bit plump from working in the office all day rather than in the field. He gripped the subtle roll of fat and Naruto smiled into the comforter. It seemed like a compulsion for Sasuke at this point; Every time his hand got near Naruto's waist, he'd grope him there.

Apparently satisfied, Sasuke moved on to caress him through the fishnet, the heat of his touch seeping through the metal fiber. He pushed his fingers between Naruto and the bed to fondle his nipple.

“Mmm… I knew you’d like it."

“Hn.” Sasuke let go and stepped away. Naruto could hear him undressing.

“Why didn’t you say so? I could've dressed up for you earlier.”

“Don't be ridiculous.” Sasuke hung his pants over the back of their chair, his belt clinking against the wood.

“What's so ridiculous? Don’t act like you’ve never thought about it.”

"I don't need to see you in fishnet to get off."

"But you still think it's hot."

“It’s stupid.”

Naruto snorted. “Who cares? You say I’m stupid too but it didn’t stop you from marrying me.”

Sasuke loomed over him again, his breath raising goosebumps on Naruto’s nape. “An error in judgment,” Sasuke drawled right in his ear.

“Your dick sure doesn’t think so."

The dick in question was pressed into his buttocks, hard and wet at the tip already. Sasuke shifted, and Naruto felt him take himself in hand so he could slap it against Naruto's ass a few times. Naruto hummed, grinding into the comforter at the obscenity.

"Turn around," Sasuke rasped.

"Wha--again?" Naruto whined. This position worked for him just fine. Any position that required no more moving on his part worked for him.

"You're barely breathing," Sasuke snapped. "You'll suffocate like this."

""m not suffocating, I'm just smelling the comforter!"

"What?"

"Smells like you," Naruto mumbled, sticking his nose in it and breathing in again. They were on Sasuke's side of bed.

Sasuke stilled for a heartbeat. When he moved again, it was to move away, and Naruto whined at the loss of heat across his back.

But then Sasuke took a hold of him like he was a sack of rice and manhandled him onto his back.

"Oof!"

Before Naruto could launch his complaints, Sasuke lowered himself onto him and shut him up with a kiss. "Mmhh--"

Their tongues met, Sasuke nipping at Naruto's lips constantly like he always did whenever his frustration got the better of him and he was trying to speed things along. Naruto loved it, loved how badly Sasuke wanted him, loved that he wasn't alone in this consuming feeling.

Naruto shuddered with delight when their hips slotted together, their dicks rolling between them with no rhyme or reason. He moaned when Sasuke's tip dragged over his sensitive glans.

Sasuke ended the kiss as abruptly as he had started it, backing off till his face was right over Naruto's groin. He licked Naruto's length without preamble, then took him deep into his mouth and sucked.

"Ohh, fuck—“

Nowadays, Sasuke gave the best head Naruto had ever gotten (not that he'd gotten much, to be fair). Sasuke hadn't been that good at it the first time around and it had really hurt his ego; he had insisted on practicing until his throat would get sore aiming to surpass Naruto's mysterious lack of a gag reflex.

It also helped that Sasuke had developed a wickedly skilled mouth because living with only one arm forced him to use it in all sorts of creative ways no mouth was probably meant to be used.

Sometimes, when Naruto sat in his office leaning over the endless paperwork or listening to another long-winded report, he'd space out without meaning to and remember Sasuke's mouth. His teeth, biting on his glove to pull it off. His tongue, licking his fingers before separating two pieces of paper. His lips, holding his ninja wire in position. His throat, gagging on Naruto, his saliva dripping down Naruto's balls. Such daydreams always culminated with a shameful boner under the table and an awkward attempt to excuse himself to the bathroom.

Sometimes when Sasuke would notice (and he'd notice every time he was there), he'd follow Naruto inconspicuously and bully his way into that bathroom with him. Some days, Sasuke would humor him and get on his knees right there to suck him off. Other times, he'd crowd Naruto against the wall and stick his hand down Naruto's pants to play with him, to torment him.

He'd make Naruto lick his own cum off his fingers, mocking him softly for coming so quick.

Sometimes, especially on those days when Naruto felt like he was failing as Hokage, he would kneel for Sasuke in that bathroom before the guy finished closing the door all the way. He'd suck his dick with utter devotion, fishing for praise from the only person whose words would sink through the thick walls of Naruto's insecurity.

Naruto groaned again when he felt Sasuke's nose dig into his pubic bone, swallowing and sucking on him. It felt so good, and their bed felt so comfy under him, and Naruto closed his eyes, his mind drifting further away from him.

Reality mixed with memories and fantasies of all the things Sasuke had done to him, of all the things he had yet to do. Naruto’s body was loose and his eyelids grew heavy, and before he could stop what was happening, he was already asleep.

☾☼

His body jerked awake to the thud of a door slamming shut. His heart raced, he was sweaty and half-hard still, in the same position he remembered lying on the bed. Saliva had dribbled down his cheek and he wiped it off, confused.

The room was empty.

He sat up in a daze, migraine building inside his skull like vengeance for pulling his brain so suddenly out of much needed sleep. His eyes prickled from exhaustion, almost closing again. He stumbled to his feet, pantless, his fishnet halfway up his torso--and then he heard the shower running.

Realization pierced through his awareness like shuriken: he had fallen asleep while Sasuke was going down on him…

…And the bastard had just left him here like this?

He barged into the bathroom without a second thought, squinting at the obnoxiously bright light inside.

“Hey!”

Sasuke twitched under the spray, clearly startled. In any other circumstance, Naruto would pause right here to crow about this rare achievement; sneaking up on Sasuke never worked and Naruto hadn’t even tried this time.

“Why did you stop?!” Naruto cried out, pointing at Sasuke’s boner which Sasuke had let go of the moment he heard Naruto enter. “You didn’t even come and you just left me there!”

Sasuke turned his way slowly. His face was set into a scowl, his hand a frustrated fist. “Why…? You fell asleep, idiot!”

“So what?”

“What do you mean what? What was I supposed to do, keep going?!”

“How about just wake me up, genius!”

“Tch—why would I?” Sasuke reached for the soap. “My touch clearly put you to sleep.”

“Oh, c’mon—is that what this is about? It obviously wasn’t your fault, bastard, you know I’m tired as fuck from working all day—“

“Then you should’ve told me no,” Sasuke clipped, lathering his body with the soap. He turned away from Naruto and steered clear of his dick, like ignoring both would prove that he was indifferent to what had happened. Like he wasn't still aching to fuck as badly as Naruto knew he was.

Sasuke’s stupid pride had clearly had taken a blow.

“Why would I tell you no?” Naruto challenged, desperate to turn things around. “I wanted it just as bad as you, c’mon!”

“Just go to sleep, Naruto.”

“But I still want you to—“

“No. You look like you’re about to start sleepwalking.”

“Then come to bed with me,” Naruto pouted, rubbing his eyes—bloodshot in the mirror. He had to concede that he wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer, but he still wanted to help Sasuke get off somehow. When he caught another glimpse of Sasuke's boner, an idea struck him. “Hey—you could jerk off on me when I sleep!”

For just a moment, Sasuke went speechless. He put away the soap with more force than necessary. “I won’t jerk off on your unconscious body, moron.”

“Oi—do I look ugly when I sleep or something?”

“…Not what I meant."

“You can always do it from behind, y’know. You like my ass, right?"

Sasuke stopped mid-rinse to glare at him. “Just drop it, Naruto. I'm not in the mood anymore."

"Not in the mood…? Oh, okay," Naruto growled, suddenly furious. He was too sleep-deprived to tone it down, too horny to let this go. "So you're hard as a rock but not in the mood 'cause I couldn't stay awake for you after working my ass off all day? I'm sorry, and I promise it'll happen again because, guess what, I've got a whole damn village to run—so maybe stop being an ass, come out here, and fuck me like you meant to!"

"I meant to fuck you awake," Sasuke barked. "What exactly do you expect me to do—fuck you to sleep?!"

Lust speared through Naruto's belly, sending a wave of heat to his dick that made it bob slightly upright. Sasuke's eyes dropped to watch.

"Yeah, what if I do?" Naruto croaked out. "Sounds good to me."

Sasuke's body subtly unwound from outright hostility to something tense. Something… possibly interested. "…And then what?"

"Whaddaya mean what?"

"When you're asleep, then what?"

"…You keep fucking, I guess? Not like it's gonna bother me, y'know. You can finish inside and all," Naruto added, feeling his blush spread with every word.

Sasuke stood still for a moment, the water beating down his side as he scrutinized Naruto with utter focus. Naruto was covered in goosebumps all over by the time his husband finally spoke.

"I could do anything to you.”

Another wave of heat traveled down Naruto's dick, coalescing as a drop of precum at the tip. "Am I supposed to be scared? 'Cause I'm not."

Sasuke stared at him a moment longer, his eyes dark, too dark for Naruto to read.

"...Go back to bed."

"Oh, c’mon, don’t be like that—“

"Just do as I tell you," Sasuke interjected, turning away again to rinse off his other side. "I'll join you when I'm done."

Naruto chewed on his lip, horny beyond belief. Were they really doing this then?

He forced himself to walk out of there and climb back into the bed under the quilt, his groggy mind processing his own nerve. It'd never occurred to him to ask for something like that before but, really—where was the harm in Sasuke having some fun with a passed-out Naruto? Two birds with one kunai, right?

The shower turned off.

Naruto squeezed his cock to relieve some pressure. This mixture of extreme fatigue, nervousness, and arousal was making him dizzy.

Finally, Sasuke entered their bedroom seemingly unfazed, his face unnaturally blank the way it always got when Sasuke was experiencing emotions he didn’t feel comfortable showing.

He went straight for the light switch, saying, “Take off your shirt.”

And then everything went dark.

Naruto gulped, doing as he was told. He threw the fishnet in the general direction of the floor. He couldn’t hear Sasuke approach, but the moment their quilt shifted, he was hyperfocused on the sound of Sasuke sliding under it.

“Lie down,” Sasuke said quietly.

“So… are we doing this or…?”

Sasuke found his mouth and kissed him softly.

Naruto licked his lips. Before he could ask more questions, Sasuke gripped his waist and dragged him close, guiding him to turn around so Sasuke could embrace him from behind. It was the reason Sasuke had claimed that side of bed—that way he could freely sling his only arm over Naruto’s torso if he chose to be the big spoon.

Sasuke petted his bare belly with slow, languid strokes at first, as if Naruto was a cat taking a nap next to his human companion. His gentleness slowly unwound Naruto’s nerves and he slumped in Sasuke’s hold the longer it went on.

He’d never admitted it out loud, but his belly felt like the most estranged part on his body—the residence of Kurama’s seal, the hidden mark of Naruto’s otherness. Any attention Sasuke bestowed on it took Naruto’s breath away.

He was already dozing off again when Sasuke’s touch ventured subtly lower… but still not there.

"…'Suke…"

"Shh. Sleep," Sasuke whispered.

And then he wrapped his fingers around Naruto’s cock. Sasuke’s breath hitched when he felt how hard Naruto still was for him. He kissed Naruto's nape, pulling his foreskin back and forth at a lazy pace.

Like honey would blend with hot tea, so did the pleasure permeate the sleepy fog inside Naruto’s head without disrupting it. Sasuke’s naked skin was pressed against him all over, their legs tangled loosely together. The only evidence of his urgency was his cock, hot and stiff where it was wedged between Naruto’s thighs like a nice little heater.

Neither of them said anything; Naruto sank deeper into the dark comfort of their bed and the simmering pleasure spreading through his body. Sasuke’s fondling was so sedate now that Naruto might as well be imagining it, lulled into something he couldn’t remember ever experiencing. Decades-old stress he didn’t even realize had been there unwound inside him till there was no tension in his body left.

This was a different kind of pleasure; not the rush of lust pumping Naruto’s blood faster; not the insatiable need to touch Sasuke, nor the building urgency of an orgasm. Instead, it was like dozing in a bubbling onsen after a harrowing day.

His eyelids were too heavy to open. His mind sunk into the syrupy pull of sleep before he could realize it had happened.

That night, his dreams were a tumble of profane sensations—friction, dilation, heat—somewhere inside him that nobody had ever traversed. They washed him ashore a timeless void where all Naruto could see was Sasuke’s eyes, watching him from above.

Never looking away.

☾☼

When Naruto came back to full awareness, he was lying on his back with an overpowering need to come.

He felt Sasuke's fingers squeeze his cock.

“Uugh—“ Naruto thrust into the tight grip, delirious from pleasure, head empty of all thought. He felt his own wetness leak out of him, pooling under his foreskin. It squelched when Sasuke scooped it up and pumped his swollen glans faster, and faster, and faster.

“Mmmh—!” Naruto shot his load, blinking in ecstasy. It felt like he’d floated off the bed and came back down.

Slowly, reality filtered in through the euphoric haze. First, he felt the rivulets of sweat rolling off him. Second was the unmistakable sound of Sasuke jerking off.

Naruto turned his head, opening his eyes in full. The sight Sasuke made… naked on his back, his arm flexing as he stroked himself, his skin flushed from arousal… Naruto’s cock didn't soften a bit.

Sasuke met his stare, and whatever he saw in Naruto’s face made him pump faster.

“Didya do it?” Naruto breathed.

Sasuke squeezed his shaft for a moment, only to grit out, “Do what?”

“Fuck me? While I slept?”

Sasuke closed his eyes and thrust into his hand, like the memory alone made it impossible to resist. “Touch yourself and find out,” Sasuke gasped as he resumed stroking himself.

Naruto stared at him while he reached between his own legs. He pulled his sac aside and prodded at his opening, feeling the sticky evidence of Sasuke’s cum.

A lot of evidence.

Some of it fresh.

He swore, glancing at the bedside clock—it was roughly ten minutes before he had to get up.

…Just how many times had Sasuke fucked him?

Clearly, the last time had been right before he’d given Naruto that wake-up handjob, which had evidently made Sasuke horny again.

The reality of all this set Naruto ablaze with such lustful, perverse desire that he couldn’t control it—he rolled over and straddled Sasuke, slapping his hand away. He took a hold of Sasuke’s shaft, so hot, so swollen, and guided it to his hole.

Naruto was ready, he was wet already, and he wanted it now.

Sasuke seized his hip when Naruto sat on him, groaning when Naruto took him deeper. His voice, dark and raw, fueled Naruto’s lust while he caught himself on Sasuke’s corded shoulders.

He didn’t wait a moment longer, imposing a punishing pace and grunting at the things Sasuke’s cock was doing to his prostate. He rode him so fast Sasuke could barely keep up, and it was messing up Naruto’s rhythm—

“Stay still,” Naruto growled.

They glared at each other, but Sasuke relented almost immediately, which was unlike him. Maybe he felt like he owed Naruto after last night.

Naruto took full advantage of that, riding him so hard his dick kept slapping Sasuke’s abs, his hands leaving red indents in his skin. Sasuke was panting deeply, mouth agape, overcome by bliss. A single vein bulged over his temple, and Naruto needed to kiss him.

He slowed right away to bend over and stick his tongue inside Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke nipped at it, so Naruto bit his lip in retaliation. He groped Sasuke's muscular chest as he leaned away, their lips parting with a wet smack.

Naruto sat back, intent to draw this out after all. He spread his legs, giving Sasuke the full view of his hole stretched around his dick. He rolled his hips, once, twice, establishing a new rhythm, this one slow and vulgar.

"...N-Naruto… faster—“

"Shut up, it's my turn now."

"You've five minutes till—"

"I know! Don't distract me."

He swayed his hips the best way he knew how, clenching on him and making a show of it, and Sasuke couldn't feign composure with any of it. He stared at Naruto's hole, his leaking cock, his lustful face, and Naruto could tell from the trembling beneath him that Sasuke was close.

"Touch me," Naruto gasped.

Sasuke let go of his ankle (which he had held onto like a lifeline) and curled his fingers around Naruto's slick glans, petting him there the way he knew drove Naruto crazy every time.

Naruto threw his head back, moaning like a slut.

Another stroke, another roll of hips, and they came together.

Naruto didn't stop bouncing until Sasuke was spent because he knew it prolonged his orgasms. Sasuke moved his grip to Naruto's base because he knew Naruto's tip got very sensitive during orgasms.

Neither liked to separate right after, so they stayed like that for a moment, catching their breaths.

When their eyes met again, Sasuke's gaze gave Naruto butterflies.

After their first time, Sasuke would watch him like this too, full of unspeakable intimacy that had at times overwhelmed Naruto. He had never struggled with holding Sasuke's stare before that day, but since then Naruto had felt like an imposter sometimes. Like Sasuke would find deeper faults with him now that he watched him so closely.

Like he would leave Naruto again eventually, but this time not because of his brother, not because of Konoha—but because of Naruto's own inadequacy.

That day had been five years ago, and Sasuke was still here. Naruto allowed himself to believe it.

The clock went off.

Sasuke tapped it without looking away from him, and Naruto leaned in to share a soft kiss. He tried to channel all of his feelings into it, the gratitude, the awe. Sasuke caressed the back of his head, receiving it.

"Come with me," Naruto mumbled into his mouth.

Sasuke opened his eyes with a frown. "...Come with you where?"

"The Kage Summit."

Sasuke stared at him in disbelief. "...You said you wanted me to stay—"

"I know. And I'm right 'cause you're the best person to keep the village safe when I'm gone, but... I really want you by my side. Shikamaru will stay behind, y'know, I’ll talk to him."

Sasuke lay still for a moment, something warring behind his expression. He set his jaw before he finally replied. "No. Shikamaru should go with you. He..." Sasuke looked away, his face souring. "He's a better diplomat than me. I'm likely to antagonize the Kage."

Naruto’s mouth hung open.

"So I'll stay in the village," Sasuke added harshly, like Naruto's gaping annoyed him more. This was the 'spare me your stupid comments' tone. "And I may or may not burn it down in your absence."

Naruto snorted. He pressed his forehead to Sasuke's shoulder, murmuring, "I'll miss you though. I don't wanna leave you."

"You're not leaving me," Sasuke snapped. "I told you I'd never let you."

"Geez, that's not what I meant, y'know—“

"I know. But you need a reminder that you'll be traipsing among the Kage's cohort now. There are those who'd attempt to offer you marriage alliances."

"Traipsing—?!" Naruto propped himself up on Sasuke's chest, scandalized. "First of all, no I won't, and also, no they won't—'cause I'm already married to you, bastard!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Not in the eyes of the law, moron.”

"Fuck the law—we’re the law in this village now, remember?!"

"Yes, and the people here won’t dare say anything about it, but it won’t go over well with the Kage.” When Naruto started talking over him in protest, Sasuke interjected. “Don't be stupid, Naruto. They won't take you seriously, and knowing you, you'll promise somebody something you shouldn't."

"Hmph...!" Naruto sat up and got off the bed unceremoniously. "That's bullshit, you’re just insecure!" He marched to the bathroom and shut the door, then opened it again and walked out to point at Sasuke, who was sitting at the edge of the bed now, scowling. "And doncha dare act like I need a damn reminder or whatever the hell you called it—as if I've ever had eyes for anyone else even back when you hated my guts!"

With that, Naruto stormed off again.

A couple minutes later, while he was scrubbing his cum off his torso under the spray and regretting his outburst, Sasuke came up behind him and embraced him, dragging Naruto close to him. Naruto huffed, too weak-willed to push him away.

"I've never hated you and you know it," Sasuke murmured in his ear.

"Yeah—see how it feels when you say shit to me you don't mean?"

“I meant it.”

“Sasuke, don’t piss me off again…”

"And you had eyes for Sakura before I left."

"Pfft, oh please—I was just trying to steal your girl!"

"She was never my girl."

"Whatever, you know what I mean, jerk," Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke kissed his nape. Then again. Then he kissed right under his ear, where he knew Naruto was most sensitive, and then he licked—

"H-hey—you—you just got off!" When Sasuke ignored him in favor of sucking the softest part of his earlobe, Naruto whined, "Didn't you have enough last night?!"

"I'll never have enough," Sasuke growled, then pushed him roughly against the shower wall.

"B-but—Shikamaru will—ahh—bite my head off, dammit..."

Sasuke said nothing more, only lifted Naruto's leg and penetrated him. They fucked quick and dirty in the shower stall, exchanging bruising kisses throughout.

Later, when Naruto was strapping on his sandals ready to leave, Sasuke approached him with a familiar black little box in hand, telling him to take it. Naruto thought he was seeing things, that it must be a different box, because surely it couldn't be—

Except it was. When he opened it, his wedding ring was right there, the same one Sasuke had given him the day they'd celebrated.

Naruto looked up slowly. "What... but, but you said we shouldn't—"

"Put it on," Sasuke demanded. "And don't take it off until you return. It won't ward off all of them, but—"

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto cried out, jumping to his feet and tackling Sasuke, wrapping every limb around his body so Sasuke couldn't shake him off. "Now I'm never taking it off, you big stupid bastard! And if I wear mine, you gotta wear yours, too!"

"I can't wear mine,” Sasuke grumbled, tolerating Naruto’s theatrics. “I told you it messes with the grip on my katana."

"You don't gotta wear it on your fingers, y'know, just wear it as a necklace or something."

"I won't wear a necklace either, it gets in the way."

"Not if it's under your shirt!”

"Then no one will see it, there's no point in wearing it."

"I'll see it," Naruto huffed, getting off him. "If you don't wear it, I'll throw a fit and I won't let you fuck me to sleep again."

Sasuke's mouth curled, like he was amused by Naruto’s naïveté. He drew near, kissed Naruto‘s neck, then said looking right into his eyes, "And how will you know if I do, hm?”

Naruto's breath stuttered. Heat bloomed in his cheeks.

Somehow, the fact that Sasuke could just use him at night at his leisure without ever telling him about it made the concept even hotter. Naruto hadn't felt of use to anyone for a very long time in his youth, and the idea that he was able to please Sasuke not only while he was awake and striving for it, but also while completely unconscious and oblivious to it, sent a rush of endorphins to his brain.

To be so wanted by him... so badly...

Naruto petted Sasuke's stubbly cheek, looking into his eyes. "'Cause I know you. I'll take one look at you and I’ll know—but fine… how about we make it a bet?”

“You’ll lose.”

“What’s my prize when I win?”

“When you lose, I get to keep doing it.”

“When I win, asshole—“

“If you win, you get to tell me when to do it.”

“Pfft—yeah, right, what a great sacrifice!” Naruto tried to push him away but Sasuke was immovable. “Nuh uh—how about I do it you?”

“It wouldn’t work.” Sasuke held his waist, subtly groping his side again. “I’d wake up the moment you touched me.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Sasuke gave him a warning glance. “If you keep waking me up at night for your stupid challenge, I won’t help you get off at work anymore.”

“Then I’ll land in a mental asylum and the village will be all on your head.”

“How terrible,” Sasuke mocked.

They kissed slow and heated one last time before Naruto took a hold of the door handle. He opened the door, lingered in the threshold, and Sasuke wasn’t making it any easier for him just standing there and watching him with those eyes.

“When I come back,” Naruto said, “I want you to tell me how it felt.”