Butter Pecan (SasuNaru)

Cinnamon Snickerdoodle

(SASUKE'S POV) - EARLIER

Naruto pushes me away from our shared morning kiss, panting like a dog. I suck on my lips and taste the lingering kiss, furrowing my eyebrows at his actions.

"...Don't get... too carried away..." He pants, "You have to... go to school... teme..."

"I don't have to... I rather stay here with you."

"You said it yourself... someone has to be able to... provide for us..." Naruto explains through erotic huffs and puffs.

"I know. I know." I sigh, "But one day of school missed isn't a big deal..."

"Baka. Go to school." He says firmly.

"Damnit, fine. I'll see you later." I grumble.

"Bye~"

I slowly rise to my feet and back away to leave Naruto's side, hesitant to take another step away from my beautiful blond. I turn away and pause, whipping my head back around to peck Naruto one last time. Finally, I leave the room with the sound of a cute giggle behind me, my pale cheeks heating up gradually. Passing the fruit stain on the carpet, I run into my mother on the way out of my room and stop in my tracks immediately.

"Ma!" I voice out in shock, "...Was there anyone at the door?"

She leans on the wall with an unreadable smile on her face, blocking the stairwell from me, "No. You must've been hearing things. Nobody was there."

Obviously not. I just said that to get you out of the room.

"Oh. My bad." I tell her awkwardly, glancing behind her to peer at the stairs, "...I have to go to school now."

She cocks an eyebrow, "Why did you lie to me about the door, Sasuke?"

My eyes widen, "Huh?"

"Were you driving me out of the room so you could be alone with Naruto?" My mother guesses with a smirk.

"No." I refute.

She stares into my eyes for a while, trying to see any sign of falsehood. I fold my hands behind my back and squeeze them tightly. We probably only stood here for a few seconds but it felt like hours to me. My mother was practically probing my mind for answers.

"Haha!" She breaks out laughing, "Don't take me so seriously! I'm joking!"

I always fall for her stupid antics. Damnit.

I sigh, "Stop doing that. You always insinuate something malicious."

"Really?" She smiles brightly with her shiny white teeth, "It's all in good fun, Sasuke! You can't take a joke?"

"No."

My mother nudges me in the side with her elbow, "Wipe that grumpy look off your face. It's your first day of school, loosen up a little!"

"I'm going to be late for my first day of school if you keep on with this idle conversation."

She huffs, defeated, "Fine. Go on your way. Don't forget to fix your hair before you leave. Have fun at school, okay?"

"Hn."

I walk past her to the stairs and descend quickly. I stop by a mirror near the entrance and fix my hair that Naruto messed up in our kiss earlier and pat down my school uniform. Tightening the straps on my backpack, I reach for the front door and open it. A waft of fall air breezes through the door and the musty scent of fog coats the atmosphere. I take a deep breath and step through the door, shutting and locking it behind me.

I usually drive to school and pick up Naruto on the way. But since he's not attending, I rather just take the school bus. I don't like driving alone.

I stare at the damp concrete below as I walk to my designated bus stop. Waiting here like this is so nostalgic. I remember when Naruto used to sleepover on a school night we would wait at my bus stop in the morning.

I grind my teeth at my own thoughts. I shouldn't be thinking about Naruto. I'll miss him more that way.

I look up and my eyes wander around the area aimlessly. There isn't much to see because of the thick film of fog that obstructs my vision. Among the mist, I see a bubblegum pink blob across the block. I squint to see in better detail, regretting my actions the minute I identify who it is.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yells from her bus stop, waving happily at me. I groan loudly as she begins to approach me with a cheery skip, her school skirt bobbing up and down. Putting on a poker face, I decide to ignore her existence by the time she makes it to my side.

"Good morning!" She greets, "I didn't know you would come to the bus stop today! It's been too long!"

Not long enough.

"Don't you usually drive to school?" Sakura lowers her happy tone, "...with Naruto?"

I zone out into the fog ahead of me, counting down the minutes till the bus arrives. Sakura rambles on to me about her fruit garden and her job at the local flower shop. I try to tune out that annoying voice of hers but she never seems to stop the relentless banter. She doesn't seem to take the hint that I don't want to talk to her; especially after she took half of our money a few weeks ago. Naruto and I could've been settling in a new home by now if it weren't for her.

"I... actually want to apologize for the other day." She tells me without her usual sing-songy chirp, "What I did to you and Naruto wasn't right."

Oh? Is she taking responsibility for her actions?

"It was cruel of me to call you all of those hurtful slurs. I realize now that my actions have caused you both great pain." Sakura states, "I've already spent most of the money I took from you. I'm sorry."

I take in her words and knit my eyebrows in deep thought. This is unexpected. Very unexpected.

"But... I'd really like to help you both. With the remaining money I have left from your savings, I think I can pay for something that could be really helpful." Sakura smiles, "Conversion therapy."

I gasp loudly, turning to her with an expression of shock, "Excuse me?"

Her smile widens, "I know, I'm too kind. You two really need this so you can go back to normal. It's hard to see your childhood friends go down the wrong path. You are both sick and confused, but don't worry; I won't tell anyone about it. It'll be a secret between us friends."

I gawk at her, at a loss for words. She continues.

"And maybe..." Sakura blushes a little, gripping her skirt with her fingers, "I could convert you back personally... and we could be a couple..."

I shake my head at her, dumbfounded by the sheer ignorance she spouts out, "...No. No. No. No, Sakura. I'm gay."

"Pardon?" She nods her head to the side, looking up at me with confusion.

"I'm gay." I repeat, "Naruto is gay. We want to continue to be gay. There is nothing wrong with that."

Sakura purses her lips and places her hand on my chest, "That's the problem. The fact that you can't see that what your doing is wrong. It's not your fault, Sasuke-kun, you are sick. Therapy can fix you. I can fix you."

I push her hand away from me, "I don't need fixing. I'm perfectly fine the way I am, and so is Naruto. Thank you for the concern but our sexuality isn't an illness."

Sakura begins tearing up, "It's obvious, Sasuke-kun. Y-You're brainwashed by this sickness. You think it's okay to be in love with another man. It's not! I'm trying to help you! Because... I love you, Sasuke-kun."

I cringe at her confession, "You're ridiculous."

"N-No, you are! All you gay people act the same! You are blind to h-how wrong you are! Y-You aren't supposed to act this w-way!" Tears slip from her green eyes, "I'm h-helping you because I care! Just... just like I'm helping Ino."

Ino? Naruto told me about her. Ino and Sakura were kissing when Naruto tried to steal our money back. Does that mean that Sakura is shunning Ino for liking her?

"I'm not humoring this conversation anymore," I tell her emotionlessly, turning my gaze back to the dizzying fog.

Part of me feels bad for Ino. But then again, who falls in love with someone like Sakura?

Sakura swipes her hands on her face to brush the tears away, composing herself before speaking again, "I'm sorry. I got a little emotional there. I'm just worried..."

I don't reply to her pity admissions, groaning internally at the school bus' tardiness.

"H-How about you come over to my place this afternoon? I want to explain my point to you more... intimately." She offers with obvious ulterior motives.

Again, I simply ignore her.

"Or..." She brings up after a long moment of silence from me, "...I could come to your place. Your mother said that I'm always welcome, after all."

No, she can't do that. Naruto is at my home. I do not trust Sakura enough for her to keep that a secret.

"Do not come to my house," I say sternly.

"Aww~ But I wanna come!" She pouts, "Is there a reason why I can't go?"

"You don't need a reason."

"It's because of Naruto, isn't it? You're gonna hang out with him later!" Sakura whines.

As far as she's concerned, Naruto is missing. I don't know if Mrs. Namikaze intends to tell everyone that her son has run away but I don't want to take any chances.

"Naruto is missing." I lie.

"Missing!?"

I clear my throat, "Yes. My mother received a call about it last night. Naruto's whereabouts are unknown."

Sakura analyzes my face with squinted eyes, "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Do I look like the joking type?" I make eye contact with her again.

"N-No, not at all." Sakura flushes at my gaze, stuttering in her speech, "So... are you worried?"

"Worried about what?"

"Naruto being missing, of course. Certainly, you'd be worried for your lover. Unless..." Her pink lips curl up at the ends, "...you don't care about Naruto's well-being."

I see what she's alluding to and I don't like it.

"That isn't any of your business."

If Naruto was actually missing, I wouldn't be spending this time speaking with Sakura, that's for sure. A situation like that would be a nightmare.

The loud screeching of the bus roars in the distance, the front lights brightening the fog as it approaches. I fix my posture and divert my attention from Sakura, adjusting my backpack and peering down the road for the bus.

"Maybe..." Sakura tries to say one last thing to me before the bus stops in front of us, "I can help you look for him! We c-could do it together... j-just the two of us..."

The bus comes to a shrilling halt in front of us, the rickety yellow door sliding open. I step forward and climb up a step, briefly answering Sakura's proclamation without looking at her.

"Stop trying to make up excuses to be alone with me. I'm not interested."

With that clear-cut statement, I enter the bus and walk to the seat I've always sat in since I was small; the left seat in the last row. I pass all the students on the bus making my way back there, sitting down in the lonesome two-seater all by myself.

Naruto would usually sit— No, I have to stop thinking about him.

I take the backpack straps off my shoulder and place them next to me in the seat. Seated across from me in the three-seater are two boys in our friend group, Shikamaru and Choji. They are both my neighbors from a few blocks away. I'm not too close with either of them but we've known each other since the fourth grade so it's only natural that we remain friends in high school.

Choji is always seen eating some sort of snack while Shikamaru loafs around lazily. The two of them are inseparable. Out of the pair, though, I tend to stay on my toes when Shikamaru is around. Nothing seems to get past him so I wouldn't doubt that he's figured out our secret by now. He hasn't spoken upon it at all, nor has he ever confronted us about it. It's peculiar, really, but I'm not complaining.

Chomping on his chips loudly, Choji greets me with a wave of his greasy fingers, "I didn't know you were coming on the bus today, Sasuke. It's been a while."

"It has."

Shikamaru pops up from the side of Choji, "Yo, Sasuke. How's it going?"

"It's been alright so far. I've had worse days."

"What happened?" Choji asks, licking his fingers.

"I had an encounter with Sakura while waiting for this damn bus to come. Plus, Naruto is—"

"Missing, right?" Shikamaru guesses, cutting me off.

"How'd you know?"

"You haven't seen them? There are missing person flyers posted all over town. At this point, who doesn't know?" Shikamaru murmurs on, "I thought that with how close you and Naruto are that you'd be troubled right now. At the very least, taking the school day off to look for him."

He's absolutely right.

I cross my arms, "I don't think Naruto is in any harm right now."

Shikamaru leans forward, "What makes you so sure?"

My mother is probably feeding him breakfast by now. He's safe.

"Intuition." I assert with confidence.

Choji adds on, "I get that. Sometimes I can tell when Shikamaru is hungry. It's like... a gut feeling."

I nod in understanding. Shikamaru shrugs off my answer and leans back in his seat, slouching down with terrible posture.

"Word on the street is that you got a girlfriend, Sasuke." Choji randomly brings up after a few moments of silence, "Is it true?"

Where did he get that idea?

I open my mouth to correct him but Shikamaru chimes in first, "There's no way that Sasuke has a girlfriend. That seems unlikely."

Choji digs into the bottom of his bag of chips, "It's gotta be true. Sai is the one who spread the rumor. He never lies."

Oh shit. Sai must've snitched us. I knew it was bad news when we met him in the store the other day. I guess he fell for Naruto's cross-dressing ruse.

I put my hand on my chin, "What did he say, specifically?"

"He said that you were dating Naruto's cousin." Choji shares, "Apparently, she has small tits and is 'sickeningly adorable'. Sai used those exact words."

'Sickeningly adorable'? I don't care what gender he thought Naruto was, nobody gets away with calling my lover adorable but me.

I scowl, "Sai needs to mind his own business."

"So, it's true?" Choji raises his eyebrows.

Lying would make the situation worse. You can't override the things Sai say that easily.

"To some extent, yes."

"That's a shocker." Shikamaru states, yawning in between his sentences, "I would've thought that you would never get a girlfriend, Sasuke."

"No way. Sasuke's a stud. Every girl practically drools over him at school." Choji argues, "It's about time that he pick one already. It makes sense that the girl he picks is similar to Naruto too."

"How so?" I ask.

"Duh. If Naruto was a girl, you guys would make the best couple ever." Choji fills his mouth with the remaining crumbs in the chip bag.

'If Naruto was a girl' my ass. If only you knew...

"Still," Shikamaru ponders to himself aloud, "This entire rumor is based on the assumption that Sai talked with Sasuke while he was out with his 'girlfriend'. But what if Naruto's female cousin is actually just Na—"

"Here. Your chips, Shika." Choji cuts him off in the nick of time, handing him a bag of spicy chips.

I knew Shikamaru would catch on pretty quickly. It's not concerning, but, I do wonder why he doesn't tell anyone about it. I'll have to confront him later about it.

"What classes do you have, Sasuke?" Choji changes the subject for me, whipping a napkin out of his backpack to wipe his greasy fingers.

"Uh... let me check." I grab my backpack and hurl it on my lap, digging through it to pull out my schedule. My hand sifts through the binders and books and I catch a small glimpse of the secret pouch in the bottom of my bag. I quickly unzip it to check on the item I put in there and smile subtly.

'It symbolizes unity before marriage and an unbreakable bond.'

The promise ring my father gifted me lays in the pouch carefully. My small smile from the memory morphs into a frown as I think about the situation we're in now.

I know Naruto told me not to sell it but I can only imagine how much money this could provide us. We'd be able to leave immediately.

That's why I took it with me today. After school, I'm going to visit a pawn shop and see how much it's worth. That doesn't necessarily mean that I intend to sell it but... we'll see when I get there.

I shake my head to rid those tempting thoughts out of my mind and zip up the pouch. I continue to look for my senior schedule, pulling out the paper from my folder and placing my bag aside.

"Here." I hand it over to Choji, who reaches out with his chubby fingers. Shikamaru snatches it up first from behind him to prevent Choji's greasy fingers from tainting the paper. They both lean in and inspect my schedule.

"Oh. You have most of the classes that Shikamaru has but at different periods. Only two align." Choji examines the paper, "Most of our friend group has PE and Lunch together. That's convenient."

"You have 3rd period with Kiba." Shikamaru tells me, "AP Literature."

"Really?" I didn't think that buffoon was smart enough to get in that class. I rather not look at his ugly mug after what he did to Naruto, but there shouldn't be much interaction between us in class. I know Naruto wants me to forgive him but that'll never happen.

"Boo, Sasuke. You're so smart. Just like Shika." Choji sulks, "Why am I surrounded by geniuses?"

I shrug, "It's all superficial."

Shikamaru returns my schedule and Choji says,  "You are both in AP and Honors classes. That has to mean something. The only class that I have that is even remotely impressive as yours is Advanced Culinary arts..."

I scoff, "At least you get to choose what you want to do. I have to take business classes as per my father's instructions. He wants me to run that stupid company of his when I'm older."

"Right. Doesn't your father run that global retail chain?" Choji inquires.

"Yeah. That's why he's never home. He's too busy working. I could never have a lifestyle like that. I want to have free time to spend with my family instead of being a workaholic."

"Your family?" Shikamaru questions.

I clear my throat, "The family I'll eventually have as an adult."

"You're a family man, Sasuke?" Choji gawks, "Are you planning to have a wife and kids?"

Not a wife. A husband. As for children...

My pale face lights up with a fiery blush and I cover my goofy smile with my hand.

Me and Naruto... having children together...

I quickly turn away from them both and try to compose myself. My blush only gets stronger with gushy thoughts of having a family life with Naruto racing through my mind.

The thought itself makes me giddy and nervous. I have to calm down.

But I just can't stop thinking about it! We could have a genuine place to call home all to ourselves and... eventually... raise a child together! We would teach them the rights from wrongs and share happy memories. Naruto and I would be parents and we would be...

...married!

"I wanna marry him..." I mumble to myself.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Choji asks, unbeknownst to my mushy daydreams.

I snap out of my trance and whip my head back to them, an awkward smile on my pinkish face, "Y-Yeah. Sorry, I zoned out."

"Haha!" Choji laughs in my face, "You've gone all flushed from my question!"

I cringe, "No, I didn't."

"Oh, yes you did!" He beams in a friendly manner, nudging Shikamaru in the side with his elbow, "You saw, Shika, he totally blushed! The reserved Uchiha just turned pink!"

Shikamaru grins, "Yah. I saw."

"You didn't see anything." I furrow my eyebrows, glaring at both of them.

"You shoulda taken a picture!" Choji cracks up with laughter, "It would go viral! Haha!"

Shikamaru chuckles along with him, both of them laughing at my slip-up. I cross my arms and sit up straight, pursing my lips at the ridicule.

Hooligans.

~•~

After twenty more minutes of constant laughter on my behalf, the bus finally pulls into the schoolyard driveway. I swiftly rise to my feet and grip my backpack, swinging it onto
my shoulders and walking down the bus aisle. I pass Sakura, who sits in her lonesome in a three-seater. Stepping down the bus stairs and entering the fog, I exit between the yellow doors and begin my walk to the school entrance.

I don't pay much mind to my surroundings despite the number of girls staring at me. It's normal for them to carelessly look my way. Part of me wishes that Naruto would be jealous of these flirtatious glances I receive daily but he's too trusting to care. The sentiment is adorable but I would kill to see his possessive side if only for a moment.

I walk into the great big doors, arriving inside the high school I've attended for nearly four years now. To think that only three years ago I was a mere freshman, starting the romantic relationship of my dreams with Naruto. What a carefree time that was.

Homeroom doesn't start until ten minutes but I'll head there early anyway.

As I trot down the semi crowded hallway, I come across the large bulletin board that is placed on an empty concrete wall. I stop to look at all the posters and advertisements, freezing when I see one specific sheet of paper.

A missing person flyer for Naruto.

I reach up and take it off the board to inspect it closely. The flyer spells Naruto's full name in big bold letters along with the word 'MISSING' that screams in your face with red ink. I swallow the lump in my throat and stare at the picture they have for Naruto.

He looks adorable.

My fingers trace the sides of the paper.

He is very feminine in this picture, almost like an underdressed girl. His head is tilted cutely and his smile is beaming with happiness.

Whoever chose this picture for him obviously values his femininity. It couldn't possibly be his mother who hung these up. Nor his father, since the Mayor would want a more masculine picture on display for his missing son. Sad, but true.

If it's neither of them, then, who put up the flyers?

"Sasuke-kun!" My name is hollered throughout the hallway, causing many heads to fly toward the direction of the noise. A clobbering click of heels echos on the floors, getting louder and louder as they seem to approach me.

I peek among the crowd and see the head of silky black hair. Hinata emerges from the cluster of teenagers, panting heavily with a distraught look on her face. She holds a stapler gun in her right hand and stacks of flyers in her left arm.

"Sasuke-kun!" She addresses me again, "I f-finally found y-you!"

I lift one eyebrow up.

"C-Come with me!" Hinata shoves her stapler gun in her elbow along with the stacks of papers and snatches my hand in hers, "L-Let's go!"

She drags me by her hand and runs down the hallway, her loud heels now clacking aggressively against the floors. We both take a sharp left, almost hurling myself into a group of girls. Hinata doesn't stop for anything and continues to dash through the hallway until we meet her destination, the classroom at the end of the hall that's under construction.

Everyone comes to this classroom to have privacy. Whether it's a secret conversation or a quickie on the desktops, this room is taken advantage of often by the students of this school. There are no cameras in here because of the constant construction after school and the room locks from the inside. It's a little too convenient.

Heh. Naruto and I have done it in here a couple of times. During our lunch period, we would sneak in here without being spotted and go at it till the bell rang.

Hinata yanks me inside the room and locks the door behind her, huffing and puffing from the long sprint.

I cross my arms and speak aloud, "Why did you drag me all the way here?"

Hinata slams the flyers and stapler gun on one of the desks and combs a hand through her long hair, "I-I'm sorry for all the commotion, Sasuke-kun, but I n-needed to be alone to talk to y-you for a m-moment."

"I'm listening."

Her eyes glisten, "It's a-about Naruto-kun! H-He's missing!"

"Yeah. I know."

"M-Mrs. Namikaze informed y-you, I presume..." She darts her eyes to the floor, "Sh-She tasked me with h-hanging up missing p-person flyers all around t-town. I-I've been up s-since 4am, r-riding my bike up and down every street."

"That's noble of you."

She inhales loudly, upcoming tears arising in her light purple eyes, "N-No... It's n-not... I haven't seen any s-sign of him... I'm no h-help at all..."

Hinata lifts her head, tears streaming down her delicate face, "P-Please tell me you know w-where he is, S-Sasuke-kun."

"Why would I know?"

"I kn-know for a fact that whenever N-Naruto-kun is in trouble, y-you're always there to s-save him. Y-You... You... wouldn't be acting this c-calm otherwise!"

I sigh. She read me like a book. I might as well just tell the poor girl before she bursts a blood vessel looking for him.

"I do know where he is," I state.

"Where?!" She whimpers out desperately.

"He's at my home, hiding it out until further notice."

"F-Further notice? What happened?"

I explain, "His parents found out about us and they had an argument that drove Naruto to tears. I originally wanted him to stay at his home but I learned that Mr. Namikaze had abusive tendencies, so I wasn't going to risk it. Now, he's just at home with my mother, who doesn't seem to know much about our secret but is agreeing to take care of him anyway."

Hinata lets out a sigh of relief, sniffling lightly, "Oh thank g-goodness... I w-was very worried up until now... Thank you, S-Sasuke-kun!"

"No, thank you for caring so much about Naruto. I didn't know how close you two were."

"Oh y-yes, we're very close!" Her eyes widen and she turns pink, "N-Not in that way! I m-meant that we're really close f-friends!"

"Would you like to visit Naruto, then?"

She shakes her head, "It's okay. That w-would be far too risky. E-Even I know that. I'll just t-take your word for it."

"Understandable. Do you want me to say anything to him on your behalf?" I bombard her with many offers so she won't attempt to bother me with them later.

"Um..." She taps her finger on her chin, "May you p-please tell him that I'm r-rooting for you both to succeed in r-running away and... and that m-my father accepted Kiba as m-my 'boyfriend'. Th-That's all."

"Hn." I silently judge her words, "I can pass that on. Is that all?"

She nods timidly, biting her pink glossed lips.

"Very well. I'll be on my way now." I announce, walking past her and towards the locked door.

"Um- w-wait!" She halts me before I leave, "I r-realize now that I n-never apologized to you f-for Kiba's actions towards Naruto. I know how t-terrifying it must've been to s-see what he did and I f-feel wretched knowing that I d-didn't stay with you both after he r-ran away."

Hinata bows slightly with her hands on her chest, a sincere and loving look on her face.

Sakura needs to take apologizing lessons from Hinata.

"Thank you. I forgive you, even though my anger was never targeted at you in the first place. My rage resides with Kiba and no apologies will ever make that subside." I elaborate, turning the doorknob on the classroom door, "For whatever it's worth, that cretin better help you find Neji and Lee. Don't forget your only reason for marrying him."

Hinata nods again. This time, more empowered and happy. I smirk and turn away from her, leaving the classroom, "See you around."

The late bell for homeroom rings the minute I shut the door behind me. I take that as my cue to head to class and begin a short walk to the classroom. Luckily, it's right around the corner and I enter class with time to spare. Taking my seat in the back right window seat, I set my backpack down and scan the familiar room.

I spot Naruto's empty chair in the second row on the left and lean my chin on my hand, sighing to myself. If he won't be here the whole year, I don't think I'll be able to function correctly.

My forever homeroom teacher, Iruka Sensei, prepares to speak in front of the classroom. All of my fellow peers chat amongst themselves till they're quieted by one of Iruka's claps. Everyone's attention is drawn toward him as puts on his reading glasses, glancing at the paper on his clipboard.

"Good morning, Seniors." He begins, "We've gone through this 'first day of school' business for nearly three years now. You get the gist. I'm going to jump straight to attendance to avoid all that mushy stuff."

Someone raises their hand from the back of the classroom and Iruka calls on them briefly, "Is it true that the Mayor's son is missing?"

I scoff to myself. What kind of stupid question is that? Obvious comments like these are just said to arise conflict and drama within class. It happens all the time and it's quite tiring.

Iruka replies, "Yes. Naruto's whereabouts are unknown at this point in time. But I can assure you that—"

The classroom erupts into conversation again, many students conversing about Naruto's disappearance. Many stupid rumors about Mayoral campaigns and shady corporate schemes get tossed around. I sit idly by, yawning to myself.

"Settle down! Settle down!" Iruka shouts above the chaos, but to no avail.

He slams his hands on his desk and everyone goes silent again. Clearing his throat once more, Iruka pipes up, "As I was saying... I can assure you that Naruto couldn't have gotten far. Wherever he may be, the Mayor is sending police officers to look for him tomorrow afternoon. It'll all blow over soon and your beloved classmate will return in his seat in due time."

Police officers? No biggie. Without a warrant, they can't search houses, not that they would suspect anyone to be harboring Naruto anyway.

That same student raises their hand again, but blurts out their peace before getting called on, "What if he was captured? I heard that political figures get their loved ones captured as leverage in the government."

Iruka lets out an exasperated sigh, "I doubt it's that serious. Naruto probably just ran away. He was always a troublemaker, that one."

I can see where he's coming from. Naruto is as innocent and kind as he can be but still maintains the 'troublemaker' title in class because of his naïveté. He never pays attention and is always daydreaming when we're doing something important, responding to questions in a dazed, comedic manner. I think it's adorable, but to Iruka Sensei, not so much.

"We are getting off task. It's time to take attendance, listen up!" Iruka quickly changes the subject after weird eye contact with me.

He starts calling out names in alphabetical order, reading down the list of students, and marking his clipboard with his red pen. My name is near the end of the list, so I stare out the window and watch the school baseball team on the field. It's a group of boys with varying grade levels engaging in a practice baseball match. I zone out with an absent mind, my sight wandering around the field with no clear focus.

My eyes glaze over a familiar face and I backtrack to target them. Unkept brown hair, tanned skin, and obnoxious red triangles painted on his cheeks... Kiba. I glare pensively at him from my seat and grind my hand into a fist under my desk. Kiba sits in the stands and wears an audacious grin, happy and carefree among his team members.

So he's finally stopped brooding in his lonesome. Pathetic. He smiles happily as if nothing happened. As if he'd never beaten up Naruto or snitched on him to Mrs. Namikaze.

Kiba is a coward. As far as I know, he's made no attempt to talk to Naruto after that day. Nothing. That's what truly makes me loath him. The fact that he can't own up to his mistakes and face Naruto for what he's done. Naruto doesn't even bear any ill will towards him. He has no excuse.

It's too late to apologize now. He's dug his own grave. I'm certainly not going to urge him to reach out. Maybe Naruto will finally learn and accept that some people are irredeemable.

One thing's for sure, I will never let him get hurt again. Not by Kiba and not by his father. Anyone who tries to harm Naruto will answer to me. I will not let another opportunity slip through my fingers like it did with Kiba.

"Sasuke!" Iruka shouts over my thoughts.

"Hm? Yes?" I turn my head to him from the window, dropping my hostile glare.

"Attendance, Sasuke."

"Oh. Here." I mumble lowly.

Iruka marks my name down on his clipboard, sparing me a shifty glance and continuing to call out the remaining names.

I'm not one to get lost in their thoughts. Yet, this is the second time I've done it today. I need to get my head out of the clouds and focus. Right now, my education is very important because I need to be able to get a good job in the future.

Iruka finishes the attendance and sets his clipboard on the table. Everyone is free to converse until the bell rings for first period. I drop my head and stare at my clenched hand under my desk. My fingers unravel from my palm and mini pink crescent marks from my fingernails remain. I click my tongue and rub the marks with my fingers, feeling the slight indent it made on my skin.

I have to break this habit of mine. It's self destructive.

The bell rings and people begin leaving their seats. I take one more look out the window and stand up from the desk, making my way to the classroom door.

"Sasuke. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Iruka calls out before I can leave.

I internally groan and circle around on my heel to face him. More and more people vacate the classroom, leaving me and Iruka alone.

"What?"

"How are you, Sasuke?" He asks politely.

I roll my eyes, "Fine."

Iruka knits his eyebrows and crosses his arms worriedly, "Are you sure? You don't have to hold back your feelings."

"I'm not holding back anything."

He stays silent and his brown eyes inspect my face. The room is filled with stuffy air and the faint noise of the clock ticking is all that remains. Huffing loudly, Iruka says, "I understand if you might not want to talk about it, but I know you're struggling over Naruto's missing status. You two were very close."

I shift in place.

"Do you want to visit the guidance counselor? You can even talk to me if you'd like. Don't bottle up your feelings, Sasuke. There's a difference between staying strong and ignoring the problem altogether."

"I appreciate your concern, Iruka Sensei. But I'm fine."

Iruka clearly doesn't believe me and tries to sympathize again, "Look, Sasuke, you and Naruto are best friends. Naturally, if one of you goes missing, the other is going to worry. I find it hard to believe that you aren't worried."

Everyone has been saying that. Should I be acting worried so the situation is more authentic? Would everyone stop questioning me then?

"People express themselves in different ways." I tell him, "I could feel the most passionate emotion imaginable but still keep a poker face. It doesn't mean I'm holding back. That's just how I deal with things. Are you telling me how I should and shouldn't react?"

"Uh, no." Iruka stammers, "I'm trying to help."

"I don't need help, thank you." I dismiss him, "Now, may I have a late pass for first period? This conversation has hindered my time."

"You're still as cold as you were last year. Figures." Iruka takes one of his spare slips from his clipboard and fills in the information with his red pen, handing it over to me with a sigh, "If you have a change of heart, don't hesitate to reach out to me. You're not the only one who is worried for Naruto's well-being."

Naruto would appreciate all the attention he's getting. It's too bad that he'll never be able to experience it firsthand.

•///•

Gah, please don't tell me I have this teacher again...

I walk into the foreign classroom, nearly bumping into a wall of students that crowd the classroom inside. I look over all of their heads and peer at my 3rd period teacher for the entire year, Kakashi Sensei.

Damnit. I'm stuck with him again.

"For everyone who just came in, line up against the wall for me, please." He instructs.

I follow his directions and squeeze my way to the end of the classroom, standing beside a random short girl. I search the line of students with my eyes, looking for a specific someone.

Kiba isn't here. Maybe Shikamaru was mistaken. I knew it was kind of far fetched to say that Kiba, out of all people, would make it into a class like this.

I feel a whisk of wind next to me as some final stragglers make it into the line.

Let me guess. Kiba is standing right next to me, isn't he?

I glance to my left and, lo and behold, Kiba stands next to me awkwardly. He tries not to make eye contact with me, squirming in his slouched stance. I scoff and divert my attention to the teacher. No need to start unnecessary conflict. I'm just going to ignore him.

"Is that everyone?" Kakashi wonders, "Ehh, let's hope it is. Anyway, welcome to AP Literature. I'm Kakashi Sensei. Nice to meet you all."

"Instead of getting to know you like other teachers, I'm going to judge you by your looks. I'm also assigning seats." He states blatantly, targeting people with his pointer finger, "Hmm. You, shortie, go sit over there."

The girl standing next to me walks over to her new seat in the front. Kakashi points to more students in the line and sends them to their new desks.

Some people don't like Kakashi as a teacher because of his teaching style. I disagree. I think he's a good teacher. Naruto is fond of him since he lets him sleep in class. But I'm very wary of him. That's why I rather maintain a distance.

Kakashi Sensei is similar to Shikamaru in a way. He's intelligent and calculated. With ease, he'd be able to find out about me and Naruto. In fact, I think he has.

But unlike Shikamaru, he's charming and personable. That's what makes him so menacing to me. His unpredictability makes me think that if he knew I was hiding Naruto, action would be taken. Whether or not he's in our favor is the big question... I don't know if Kakashi is homophobic or gay.

Only time will tell, I guess.

"You." Kakashi points at me and smiles through his mask, "I know you. Good ol' Sasuke, from freshman year."

Ah yes, Naruto and I had Kakashi Sensei as our freshman English teacher.

"That's me," I reply with no enthusiasm.

"You've grown quite a lot from when I last saw you..." He trails off, "Go sit with dog boy in the back."

Haha. You've got to be kidding me.

I grit my teeth from inside my mouth and advance to my new seat next to Kiba. The desks are set up in twos, where each row has a set of two desks next to each other. Kiba sat in the aisle seat so I take the one next to the window.

Kiba fidgets with his sweaty hands on the table, his leg bobbing up and down under the desk. I really don't look forward to this school year at all.

Once everyone is seated, Kakashi stands in the front of class and introduces the first thing we'll be working on.

"Projects are easier to grade than essays. Thus, the first assignment is a group project based on the themes of the book I individually assign you and your partner." Kakashi stops talking to let everyone groan in annoyance, before continuing, "Get used to where your sitting. It's your permanent seats for the entire year. The person next to you is your partner."

I rub my nose bridge because of an upcoming headache, scowling to myself. This cannot be real. It's like Kakashi is trying to torture me. I can already hear Naruto saying, "Now's your chance to make amends with him!" in that stupidly adorable voice of his. Ridiculous. I can't even bring myself to talk to Kiba, nonetheless, work on a project with him.

Kakashi goes in depth when explaining the project, my headache increasing with every tedious detail he reveals. Kiba lays his head down on the desk and wraps his arms around it. Kakashi walks down every row and hands out different books to people. Ironically, Kiba and I end up with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

I read this book in my second year here. Why do I have to read it again?!

Kiba keeps his head down as I skim through the pages of the short novel with a scowl. I hated reading this story back then. Not only was the language insufferable, the plot always pissed me off. Naruto adored the story though, even forcing me to watch the many movie adaptions of them. He finds the tragic ending to be romantic.

"Get your head out of your ass and read the damn book," I tell Kiba through gritted teeth, keeping my gaze locked on the words on the pages.

He flinches, lifting his head off the desk to look at me, "Uh... b-but I already read this b-book..."

My expression tightens, "Does it look like I care? We have a project to do so I suggest that you refresh that goldfish brain of yours and read it again."

Kiba reluctantly picks up the book opens it up, "So... Sasuke... um, a-about Naruto..."

"Read the fucking book." I cut him off.

Kiba takes the hint and shuts up, skimming the book with trembling fingers. I take out a notebook and jot down every little detail as I read along. Writing with my pencil in my right hand and flipping the pages with my left, I stay focused on the task at hand. Kiba struggles to finish the first few pages of the book, taking five full minutes to read a page.

What a damn idiot.

Tapping me on the shoulder, Kiba asks, "D-Do you know what this word means?"

I get really frustrated by his question, gripping my pencil tightly and pressing the graphite against my notebook, "Which one?"

Kiba notices my unrest and quickly points to the word, pronouncing it incorrectly, "Pernicious?"

I take a swift glance at the book, "Harmful."

"...And, this one?" He points to the word 'portentous'.

"Ominous."

Kiba bites his lip, "What about... this one?"

I glare at him, "Figure it out yourself. I'm not going to define the entire book for you."

"C'mon, bro. Please?" He asks desperately.

"I'm not your 'bro'." I grip the pencil harder, snapping it in half with my fingers, "If you managed to get in this class, this should be easy for you."

"Sasuke... I-"

"Spare your lackluster apologies for someone who gives a shit. I'm trying to work right now." With that, I block him out and go back to the book, ignoring any other attempts of his to reach out. I retrieve a new pencil from my backpack and take more notes as I read the book, finishing half of it in twenty minutes.

Usually, when I focus like this, my mind isn't comprehending any of the information I absorb. It's just copying and pasting crucial details onto the paper with little to no pondering on the subject at all. My mind wanders off into the endless abyss, reflecting upon everything relevant to me. Like Naruto.

I think about the promise ring my father gifted me, and how that is similar to an engagement ring. I imagine marrying my cute blond in an intimate ceremony and the adorable outfit he may wear during it. I visualize the after party, and how cute Naruto would look when we have sex for the first time as newlyweds. All of it brings a blush to my cheeks and only makes me want to see Naruto even more once I get home.

I flip the last page in the book and realize that I finished all my note taking. I look at my paper and see my cursive handwriting that lists all the major details of the book. At the side of the notebook, I see a small sideways group of letters that draws an even darker blush on my face.

Naruto Uchiha? When did I write that?

I inspect the rest of my notebook pages and spot that name throughout the notes in separate places.

Did I subconsciously write this name over and over?!

As I'm dumbfounded by my own actions, Kiba taps me on the shoulder again, "Did you f-finish, Sasuke?"

I close my notebook and my blush subsides, "Yes. And you didn't, I'm guessing."

He rubs the back of his head, "...No. But... now that you're done... can we talk?"

"Why would I want to talk to you?" I snarl.

"C-Cuz... I want to a-ask you a few things..."

"I don't care," I grumble, starting to put my things away.

"I'm not going to apologize!" He bursts out, "I know the last thing you want to hear is a pity apology from me..."

"Then what is it that you want?"

"Hinata told me that Naruto is hiding at your place... but, she never told me why."

"It's none of your business." I dismiss him.

"I know that! But..." He puts his book down and turns his body toward me, "...I wanna know if I somehow made this happen."

"Ha." I scoff at him, "Your loud mouth certainly helped our situation."

Kiba snitched on Naruto to Mrs. Namikaze, which led to their argument in the first place. Along with Sakura's mother, of course, but Kiba's addition made the situation a whole lot worse. The Namikaze's would have never found out about Naruto getting beaten up or the situation with Ino if Kiba hadn't told them.

"It's about what I told Mrs. Namikaze, isn't it?" Kiba guesses.

I stay silent, trying not to grind my fists.

Kiba's voice cracks, "So... so it's my fault that Naruto had to flee from his home?"

My glare hardens and I begin putting away my things again.

He puts his hands on his mouth in shock and tears up, "That can't be... It couldn't have been me... I didn't think that was going to happen when I told Mrs. Namikaze!"

The bell for the next period rings and stand up, my desk already cleared of all the things I have.

"Let me explain, S-Sasuke!" He pleads, frantically shoving his books and papers in his bag.

I push my chair in my desk and walk into the aisle between the desks.

"Wait! Wait!" Kiba fiddles with his things and drops loose pencils on the floor, scrambling to get his things in order, "Don't go yet! Let me explain, please!"

I completely ignore his blubbering, leaving the classroom without looking back. The next period is Gym; a period I do not share with Kiba, thankfully. The gym is across the school from where I am, so I take a swift stroll to the locker room. In the crowded hallways of uniformed teens, I manage to recognize someone and make my way to their side.

"Oh, Sasuke. Good morning." Sai greets me.

"Good morning, Sai." I greet back, "You have Gym this period too, right?"

"Yes, I do." Sai states, looking at me briefly before perking up, "I've been hearing idle chat of Naruto's disappearance. Is it true?"

I nod, "It is."

He raises his eyebrows, "The rumors are true, then. Do you suppose he got kidnapped for political reasons?"

"No. I don't think he did."

"Where do you think he is, then?" Sai asks.

"No clue." I lie through my teeth, "Do you have any ideas?"

"I thought I saw him at my job the other day, but it was just your girlfriend. Remember?"

I chuckle awkwardly, "Yes, I remember. You sure do like to spread everything you know, Sai."

Sai questions, "Was I not supposed to? Was your relationship meant to be a secret?"

"Kind of. I didn't want anybody to know."

"Oh." Sai acknowledges, "Why didn't you want anyone to know?"

"It's private."

"Private..." Sai repeats me, "Why is it private?"

Is he going to continue asking those obvious follow-up questions?

"It's private because I don't want people intruding on my businesses," I explain.

"Why wouldn't you want that?"

I rub my temple, "Never mind."

We both make it to the boy's locker room and swing the metal door open. The lovely and pleasant smell of body odor and cheap body spray waft towards me once I take a step inside. I cough at the smells and settle myself in the corner of the locker room; the usual spot for our little friend group.

Choji and Shikamaru are already changing there, fooling around with their clothes. Spiraling his shirt in a roll, Choji whips it across Shikamaru's shirtless abdomen with an obnoxious laugh. Shikamaru stumbles backward but keeps his footing, using his own rolled up shirt to whisk it onto Choji's shirtless gut. The impact isn't that strong and Choji's stomach jiggles with the slap, a small red slashed scar left on it. Compared to Choji's body, Shikamaru is much more slender and thin. You can even see his ribs among the slight muscle.

While their laughs are loud and boisterous, the entire locker room evens it out with the other boys being equally as disorderly. Sai and I join them in the corner, putting our things in one of the many blue lockers lined up along the wall.

"What is the point of you two smacking each other with shirts?" Sai asks.

"It's fun!" Choji admits, "Join us!"

Sai smiles, "I'm not sure. I don't know how to do it."

"Just take off your shirt and coil it together into a whip." Choji instructs him and Sai follows along, "Then you just whip one of us with it. Nothing below the abdomen, of course."

Sai trails his gaze down Choji's abdomen, "Why can't I strike you below the abdomen?"

Choji erupts into laughter, "Cuz you'll hit someone's balls, haha!"

Sai nods in understanding, "Ohh. I see."

As they discuss their... plans... I begin to change into my gym clothing. Taking off my shoes and placing them inside the locker, I slide my uniform pants down and put on the flimsy gym shorts after.

Shikamaru rolls his shirt up again and slaps Sai in the shoulder with it, chuckling at Sai's gasp. Sai retaliates and whips Shikamaru back with his own shirt, swatting him in the chest with a swift whip noise. Choji laughs once more along with the other two, going back and forth slapping each other with their shirts.

And I'm the gay one...

"Where do they get the energy to do that?" Gaara suddenly appears by my side, peering at the three boys with a sheepish smile.

"I don't know." I shake my head, "It's a bit odd, isn't it?"

He ruffles his red hair in the locker mirror, "Very odd. I don't get the appeal."

Gaara and I talk amongst ourselves, chuckling at the stupidity of the three shirt whippers. Gaara has to be the closest person to me in our friend group, besides Naruto. We seem to always agree on most things and that makes him unproblematic.

Out of everyone here, if I were to tell them anything about me and Naruto, it would be Gaara. Unfortunately, I don't get to hang out with him as much because he lives in a different town.

I take off my shirt as we converse, revealing my built figure and toned abs as I lift it off my head. I bend down to search for my gym shirt in my bag only to stop once a shirt whips across my lower back. Slowly bending back up, I look behind me to catch the culprit. Sai backs up and drops his shirt on the floor as do Shikamaru and Choji.

Gaara speaks up before I have a chance to ask, "It was Sai."

Sai shrugs, "Sorry...?"

I heave out a sigh, "It's fine. But don't do it again. I'm not into whipping people with shirts."

Choji slaps me on the back in a friendly manner, "Loosen up, Sasuke! Have a little fun with us!"

That sounds wrong without context...

"Thank you, but I'm going to have to decline that offer." I concur, turning back to my locker with my back facing them.

"Woah." Choji voices, "Dude, your back."

"What?" I cast him a questioning look.

Shikamaru eyes my back too, "You've got a bunch of scratches there."

Heh. If Naruto were here, he'd be really embarrassed right now.

Sai theorizes, "Did a cat scratch you on the back, Sasuke?"

Gaara slaps a hand to his mouth and tries not to laugh while Shikamaru also snickers behind his arm.

"No. I haven't been around any cats." I tell him, smirking under my breath.

Sai tries again, "Did you fall on some spikes?"

Choji chokes back a giggle, holding back his laughter by scrunching his face.

"Nope. I didn't do that either." I play dumb with Sai, finding amusement in his ignorance.

"Perhaps... you were scratching your back too hard?"

That marks the end of everyone's limit and we all start laughing hysterically. Gaara pounds on the lockers with his fists and Choji snorts between every gasp of air. Shikamaru has one of those silent laughs as he claps his hands. I simply chuckle at Sai's expression of confusion.

The one thing Sai isn't educated in: Sex.

"What? What did I say?" He moves his head around to look at our laughing faces, "What's so funny? I wasn't making a joke... was I?"

<•>

After Gym, we had Lunch. To avoid confrontation with Kiba, I left the school campus by myself and walked to a local fast food chain for a quick meal. If I had brought my car, I would've been able to drive home to dine with Naruto.

The rest of the day was same-old-same-old. I had my remaining five periods of business related classes and then it was finally the end of the school day. I took the bus home but got off early so I could visit a pawn shop.

I can check the price of that promise ring now.

I look down at my phone to find the location of the pawnshop, scanning the area with my eyes in search of the iconic golden plaque. I see the rustic old shop down the street next to a dainty looking flower shop. I saunter down the concrete sidewalk with my hands in my pockets, keeping my eyes set on the pawnshop ahead of me. Once I make it to the old wooden building, I push the door open and a little bell chimes on my way in. The first thing that catches my eye in this little store is the assortment of guitars and guns lined up on the walls. There's a large cabinet to my right that shelters unwanted movies and knock-off gaming systems. The cabinet to my left houses more valuable items, like golden rimmed mirrors and silver laced watches.

The entire shop is a very overwhelming sight of antiques and shiny trinkets. I walk forward upon the carpeted floor and stop in front of the cashier's desk. There are even more little figurines and expensive looking rings stashed in the glass compartment underneath the desk. Since there seems to be no employee at the moment, I tap the shiny counter bell, and the ringing noise echoes throughout this cluttered shop. From a small door behind the wall of artwork, I hear the pitter-patter of footsteps before it swings open. An old man with long white hair steps out in sandals and a china plate in hand, waddling behind the desk to greet me.

"Good afternoon, young man. How may I help you?" He requests politely, putting down his fleshly polished china plate.

I sling my backpack off my shoulder and place it on the ground, squatting on the floor to retrieve the ring in my bag. Once I have it, I zip my backpack up and put it on my back again. I hold my palm out and present him the ring. It shimmers with its elegant gold band and small diamond detailing.

"Oh my. What a gorgeous piece of jewelry." The old man marvels, "May I inspect it?"

"Go ahead." I allow him and he takes the ring from my palm with a careful grip. Reaching to the side and pulling his magnification equipment over to check it closely through the glass, the old man gawks at the sheer beauty of the glimmering ring.

"So, it's a promise ring, correct?" He guesses.

"Uh... Yes. How did you know?"

The old man explains to me, "There are engraved words in the inner gold band of the ring that read 'promise'. I just assumed."

"Does that affect its price range?" I swallow.

"No. No. Not at all. Gold can be melted down and reshaped into anything. The engraved text doesn't matter."

A small smile creeps up on my face. I hope I can get a good price on this. Maybe Naruto and I would be able to leave sooner if that were the case. Or at the very least, Naruto can go ahead without me until I finish high school.

"Oh." The old man voices out, glancing up at me, "Uchiha? Are you from the Uchiha clan?"

"Yes. Is that also engraved there?"

"Yup. It has the Uchiha clan symbol in the rim of the gold band, surrounded by the diamond detailing." He shares.

Of course, my father would add such a narcissist touch. Anyone who wears this would seem like they belonged to the Uchiha.

If Naruto wore that... would that mean I could officially call him mine?

"I gather that you are Sasuke Uchiha then?" The old man assumes.

"Is that also engraved there?!"

He chortles, "No. I'm assuming based on word of mouth. You are quite known in this town because of your father's influence."

"Is that so?" I purse my lips.

"Yes. I don't know a single person who hasn't heard of you in this little town of ours." The old man rambles on, "Would it be safe to assume that this is your promise ring?"

"...Yes. It's mine. My father had gifted it to me."

"I see. So, you are not giving it to your significant other?" He speaks slowly and deliberately, staring at me with a certain look.

I hesitate before speaking, "I'm not sure. I just wanted to see how much it's worth and if I could bag some cash instead."

"Excuse my promiscuousness, but is money more important to you than a promise to stay with your lover?" He hits my problem right on the nose.

"Uh... w-well..." I struggle to answer his simple question, "...I do think that money is more beneficial than a symbolic ring."

"Very well, then." He pushes his equipment away from his desk and hands me the ring, "I can't buy it off you."

"Why not?"

"Because you are an Uchiha." The old man recites.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"Fugaku Uchiha, your father, is in cahoots with the Mayor. Thus, he can easily check the records of every shop. If he knew you sold a precious family ring to me, we'd both be in deep trouble. I'm sorry, lad."

I sigh and mutter, "Of course, he always interferes somehow."

So much for that. I got my hopes up for nothing, it seems.

"Can you at least tell me how much it was worth?" I wonder.

"I'd pay 2k for it." The old man estimates.

"That's awfully low for a gold ring with diamond pieces." I cross my arms.

The old man smiles, "That's because I'm a pawnbroker, boy. The prices are never accurate here."

I chuckle lightly, "That's fair. Thank you for forbearing me, anyway."

"It was my pleasure. I hope that you can put that ring to good use, even if you may not be able to sell it."

I nod and turn around, exiting the small shop. My ring placed back inside my bag, the door shuts behind me with the bells chiming loudly. I take a deep breath and begin my walk home, slightly dejected after my failure to sell the ring. The fog has lifted a bit but the horizon is still muddy with dampness.

I step on something and look down at my feet. It appears to be a purple flower that I just crushed to death with my school shoes. I pick up the mutilated flower and bring my gaze up, staring at the shop I stand in front of.

The flower shop? That sounds familiar as if someone mentioned it today.

I take the crippled flower and leave it next to a bouquet that was left out on display. Moving onward, I pass the flower shop and continue on my merry way. The walk to my home shouldn't take very long. On the way there, there is an obsessive amount of missing person flyers for Naruto. Hinata didn't lie when she said she placed them everywhere. There's even one on the fire hydrant. I decide to keep one of the papers for myself, ripping one off from an electrical post and folding it in my hands.

I see my house in distance and quickly shuffle my way to the front door. Walking up the porch steps, I dig in my pocket and unlock the front door with my keys. I shut the door behind me and immediately heave a sigh of relief, dropping my backpack on the floor. I'm finally home. Today was so exhausting.

"Sasuke!" Naruto chants from the living room couch, "You're back! Finally!"

Naruto and my mother both sit on the living room couch, sipping tea and knitting. My mother waves at me and takes a sip of her tea, placing the delicate cup down on the small tea plate. Naruto shoots up from his spot on the couch and runs towards me, his arm extended outward for a hug. He lunges straight for my abdomen and squeezes me tight, nuzzling his head on my chest. I contemplate whether to hug him back, watching my mother on the couch who casually sits by.

Would it look incriminating if I hugged him back just as tight?

Naruto slides his hands up my body, caressing my muscles on his way up and stopping at my neck. His dainty fingers envelop my chin and he cups my face in his hands. I blush lightly, flicking my sight between my smiling blond and my mother.

Regular friends aren't this intimate with each other!

Before I know it, Naruto leans in close to my face and flutters his golden lashes shut, kissing me on the lips. It takes a moment for me to comprehend the situation, my eyes widening and my heart beating rapidly. I place my hands on Naruto's shoulders and push him away from my lips.

What is he thinking?! My mother is right there! She's going to get the wrong idea!

I try to formulate an excuse in my head quickly, my pale face flushed with pink. Naruto giggles at my panic and rises on his toes, kissing me on the cheek.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" I exclaim.

My mother laughs inside her cup, "My goodness, Sasuke, I've never seen you so red before."

"Ma, this isn't— um, I- we...?" I scramble to explain the situation.

Naruto laughs again, "Don't worry, Sasuke. Miko-chan already knows about us."

"What?!"

Holding one of my hands, Naruto smiles shamelessly, "She found out about us. We don't have to lie to her anymore."

I always thought my mother was too dense to notice our relationship, but I may have misjudged her. I'm glad she's accepting of it.

"How?"

"Any parent would notice when their child is in love. It was clear from the start." My mother takes a sip of tea, "Plus, I heard you two in the bathroom yesterday."

Figures. Naruto was loud.

Naruto flusters, "You d-didn't tell me about that!"

"You didn't ask." She smirks to herself.

"Ahh! How embarrassing! I'm so sorry!" He blubbers, bowing down a couple of times in apology.

"Wait, Ma, do you know everything about our situation?" I ask her.

"Yes. Naruto told me everything." She admits.

"So... you know that we are planning to run away?"

"Yup." My mother nods.

I lift my eyebrow, "Is it possible for you to help us, then? Moneywise."

Finishing her tea, my mother sets it down on the table and folds her hands, "I wish I could, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"You and Itachi aren't the only ones who are cut off from your father's riches. I don't get any money from him either. Just enough to support a lifestyle with no occupation." My mother answers, "Trust me, I would if I could. I want you two to run away and be safe from this village. But I don't have the funds to help, unfortunately."

Again. This is another instance of my father preventing me and Naruto from leaving. It's like he's doing it on purpose, without even knowing it himself. There are so many obstacles to overcome right now and I'm not sure if it's possible to succeed anymore...

"Don't be discouraged, Sasuke. I will help in any way I can." My mother stands up and approaches me, "You both will get through this. I'm sure of it."

She gives me a motherly hug and pats my back in soothing circles. Naruto stands by and smiles at us both.

"Get in here, Naruto! You're part of this too." My mother invites him into the hug. Naruto gladly accepts and joins us, squeezing us both in this massive bear hug.

She's much more caring than I anticipated, as well. Up until now, I've completely re-written the image of my mother in my mind. She came off as loud and obnoxious, oftentimes cunning when she needed to be. To think, that if I paid more attention, I could have noticed how much she genuinely cares underneath all that personality. I could have told her about my relationship with Naruto earlier on, and just like Itachi, finally have a person for support 24/7.

While Naruto and I may not be able to escape right now, having someone in our corner is very refreshing. My own mother, at that.

My mother retracts from the group hug and steps back, "I'm going to go fetch some more tea now. Tea relaxes the mind and body. You look like you need it, Sasuke."

She pats me on the head and scurries along to the kitchen, taking her tea set with her.

Naruto follows after her, "Let me help you with that, Miko-chan!"

I grab his arm, "Wait, Naruto. Stay with me."

He ceases his pursuit and stays by my side, batting his eyelashes, "Yeeees?"

I slide my hands down to his hips and pull him close to me, "Dobe, don't pull stunts like that on me."

"What stunts?" He plays dumb.

"You know." I tilt my head, "Kissing me in front of my mother without telling me that she knows about us."

"Sorry~" He apologies in a sing-songy way, "It must have slipped my mind."

"You did it on purpose."

A cheeky little smile graces his precious face, "I thought your reaction would be cute."

"Well, it scared me shitless." I admit, blushing faintly, "Did my mother know you were going to do that?"

"Yup! She thought your reaction would be cute too." Naruto tells me smugly, "We were talking about it right up until you showed up. You arrived later than we thought."

"Oh. I was... doing something after school."

"What did you do?"

Naruto didn't want me to sell the ring in the first place, so I shouldn't tell him about that endeavor. I guess the ring is going to be used for a different purpose now...

"Something." I assure, striving to change the topic, "How was your day?"

Naruto pouts, "Miko-chan tried to teach me how to knit but I failed miserably."

"Really? You're into her old lady hobbies?"

"Why do you both keep saying that? Anyone can knit!" He claims, "Well... except me, apparently. I can barely do the simplest things."

"Oh! That reminds me! I made you something!" He squirms out of my hold and takes something from the couch, "It's the only thing I could manage to create with my horrid knitting skills."

He lifts up a knitted item; a simple knitted tomato with green yarn at the top as leaf tufts.

That's... so cute.

"Do you like it?" Naruto questions giddily.

I hold the small tomato in my palm and nod, putting it in my shirt pocket, "It's adorable. I love it. Thank you, Naru... I wish I got something to repay you."

Since I have the promise ring, I might as well give it to Naruto. But I think something like that is better gifted in a more intimate location. Ya know, not in the middle of my mother's living room.

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make you a little something." His cheeks become hazed with pink, "But... if you really want to make it up to me... I wouldn't mind a kiss."

"You don't have to ask for that." I dip my head so that our faces are mere centimeters apart, "I give those out regardless."

Naruto bites his lower lip and glances down at my mouth, "Then hurry up and do it, idiot..."

I dive into his lips just as requested, kissing his plump surface tenderly and slowly. Both of our eyes close as we immerse ourselves in the kiss. With the intimate pace, my hands make their way to his petite abdomen and pull him into a loving embrace. I steal a satisfied sigh from Naruto and the corner of my mouth curves up. My head slants to the side and my tongue slips between my lips, drawing against the kiss. Naruto acknowledges my efforts and allows me to capture his taste, parting his lips for my hot tongue.

I groan when our tongues make contact and begin swirling it around inside his mouth. Relishing that addictive fruitful flavor of his, I get lost in the heat of it all. The kiss remains warm and affectionate despite my burning urge to take him aggressively. Naruto pants throughout it and coils his arms around my neck, sinking further into my grasp. Our tongues weave around in a saliva coated mess, the wetness spreading to our lips and slicking up the kiss.

I keep one latched onto his abdomen while the other glides a delicate touch to one of his thighs. I lift that leg slightly and tilt Naruto back. Kissing him more vigorously now, my body curved downward to draw even closer to Naruto. I suck his lips and knit my eyebrows, a minor wave of heat coursing through my body. My pants become tight around my crotch; a feeling I know all too well. I get ready to retract before the situation becomes too heated but Naruto prevents me from doing so. He cups my face and moans erotically, kissing me back deeply and with an unrivaled hunger.

I mentally curse at his tease and more heat rushes to my crotch, a noticeable bulge appearing among my school pants. The boner presses against Naruto's and I grunt at the flimsy friction it creates. My chest heaves with my suffocation evident in the soon-to-be frenzied kiss. Naruto is in a similar state as me, getting in the last few tongue swipes along my lips before pulling away.

I flutter my eyes open and gaze at Naruto's hot disheveled state in front of me. His mouth is open wide with pants and his cheeks are flushed with pink, the blues in his lidded eyes dazed and cloudy. I bask in the attractive view and my member grows even harder.

Fuck, he's so hot. I'm too horny for this.

"Just because I know about your relationship doesn't mean you can make-out in front of me like that."

My mother appears from the kitchen with her tray of freshly made tea. Her sudden speech startles me so much that I lose my grip on Naruto and he stumbles to the floor, falling on his ass.

"Ack!" He voices out.

"Sorry, Naruto!" I cave onto my knees and check if he's okay, "Ma, please stay in the kitchen for a little longer."

She blows a raspberry and turns back into the kitchen, mumbling to herself,  "This is what I get for catering to two horny teenagers."

Naruto rubs his butt with his hand to soothe it, "Gah... Sasuke, you didn't have to drop me!"

"Shut up and get rid of your boner," I tell him directly.

If my mother were to see us both like this, I wouldn't be able to go on.

"H-How am I supposed to do that?!" Naruto stammers.

"Distract yourself with something. Anything."

I always have to do this. Not just when I'm with Naruto, but randomly when I start thinking about him.

I watch Naruto as his eyes wander around the living room in search of something to distract himself. He chews his lower lip again, "Don't s-stare at me! It's m-making me more t-turned on!"

I divert my attention and stare at the carpet below us, snickering under my breath at Naruto's struggle. My erection has already subsided because of my experience, but Naruto may have more trouble with it. I glance at him and snort at his puffed up face.

"It's not f-funny!" Naruto hisses, "I'm tr-trying my best! It doesn't w-wanna go down!"

"You're just gonna have to cover it up with something then."

"What?! Wait, but-"

I jump the gun and call my mother back in the room, "Ma! You can come back now!"

Naruto panics and crawls behind the couch, peeking his head above it to see my mother enter the living room once again. I stand up and dust my knees off, sitting down on the couch with my mother. She puts the tea set on the mini table and casts Naruto a confused look.

"What are you doing behind the couch?" She asks ironically, an amused smile on her face.

Naruto stutters, "N-Nothing... Don't mind me..."

"Pfft, okay. I suppose that means that you don't want any more tea?" She offers Naruto, but he just shakes his head.

"Do you want tea, Sasuke? It calms ya down from a long day." My mother holds out a teacup in one hand and a saucer in the other.

"Sure." I take the cup after she fills it to the brim, putting it to my lips and taking a sip.

"Soooo.... how was your first day of school?"

"Tiring but easy."

My mother circles the rim of her teacup with her finger, "Anything interesting to share?"

"Actually," I take the missing person flyer out of my pocket, "...there was this flyer posted all around town and in school."

Naruto and my mother both lean in to get a closer look at the wanted poster. After a short period of silence, I speak up, "Hinata Hyuga was hanging these up. She was worried sick."

My mother takes the flyer in her free hand and examines it closely, "Does that mean that they are taking legal action for his disappearance?"

"Yes. I heard from my homeroom teacher that they will be dispatching police officers tomorrow to look for Naruto."

Naruto chimes in from behind the couch, "So it's that serious..."

"Yeah." I agree, "But, don't worry. They'll never suspect us. Everyone believes that this was a political ploy that targets the Mayor."

"Ha!" My mother laughs, "Politics? That's rich."

"Wait, Sasuke." Naruto beckons, "You said something about Hinata. Did you speak with her?"

"Oh, right. I told her the truth about your disappearance she told me to pass on a message to you."

"What did she say?" Naruto inquires.

"She says that she wishes us the best for our escape and that..." I hesitate on the second message, "...her boyfriend was accepted by her father for marriage."

"Kiba?!"

I scrunch my lips up, "Yes..."

"That's amazing news!" Naruto jumps up from behind the couch and walks around to join us on the seat, "They can save Neji and Lee now!"

My mother ponders, "I'm lost. What are you two talking about?"

"It's kind of complicated to explain." Naruto briefs her, "Just know that it's great news!"

I'm hoping that Kiba will be able to deliver for Hinata's sake. He's the only person who can find Neji and Lee. By becoming head of the clan when he's married to Hinata, they'll be able to find Neji and Lee easily.

We all continue to converse about our day. Naruto shows me all of his failed knitting projects while my mother abuses our tea supply. Apparently, Naruto is planning to learn all of my mother's ghastly hobbies with his time at home with her. By the end of this, he's going to end up like a housewife! Eventually, I have to retreat to my bedroom to start working on my excessive amount of homework. I'm usually very efficient with schoolwork but anything outside of that always leaves me distracted. Night falls by the time I finish, so I take a brisk shower and change into my pajamas. It's late enough for my mother to have gotten in bed, and my blond too.

I walk out of the bathroom cleaned and dressed, accompanying Naruto in bed. He's already fast asleep, taking up all of the blankets in his little corner of the bed. I lay down next to him and hug him from behind, nestling my head in his shoulder. The exhaustion catches up with me and my eyelids droop onto themselves. I fall asleep in the warmth of my sleeping boyfriend, humming in content.

I probably only slept for an hour or two when I'm awoken by a peculiar noise.

Damn, I can't even get a consistent sleep?

I rise from my bed covers, appearing to be in the same position as I was in before. Naruto remains on his side of the bed, his back facing me. I scan my pitch black room for the source of the noise but to no avail.

Clearly, I can't see shit in the dark.

I move to get off the bed so I can turn on the light but the peculiar sound turns up again. I freeze and take a quick look at Naruto, using the moon's light through the window to inspect his features.

My eyes soften at his defenseless state. His eyebrows are naturally scrunched up in his sleep and his soft snores are as calming as ocean waves. I bring my hand to his face and trace his features with my finger like he always does with me. Fluttering his golden eyelashes and feeling his skin against my thumb, I smile softly.

The noise sounds again but this time I'm able to locate the source immediately. Naruto sniffles in his slumber and mumbles out incomprehensible words. The gesture is cute until tears start slipping from his shimmering lashes. I bend my head down and peer at him closer, wiping the tears with my thumb.

He's crying in his sleep... again. I dismissed it in the shower before but...

"...sasuke..." Naruto mutters, "...no... please... sasu..."

Now he's mumbling my name. This is troubling, to say the least. What could he be dreaming about to be crying like that?

"...no... no... no..." He repeats over and over again in a dreary tone, "...come... back..."

To get a better look at him, I carefully pull his body towards me so he lays on his back. I get up on my hands and hover over his sleeping body, clenching my jaw worriedly as I watch the endless tears streams down his face.

Will he be alright?

"...sasuke... sasuke..." Naruto sniffles, "... you... can't... sasuke..."

Should I wake him up? I don't want him to live out a nightmare that makes him cry so heavily.

I shake his shoulder a bit to get him to wake up, but Naruto remains in a deep sleep. He just mumbles out my name along with more vague phrases, his face wet with tears.

"... sasuke... no... no... no...!" He shakes his head in his sleep, "...No!"

Naruto's eyes snap open and more loose tears fall from his glossy blue eyes. He looks up at me and his breath hitches. His hands tremble as he gradually raises them up to my face, cupping it delicately. The sight of him crying defenselessly, while utterly heartbreaking, is one of the most gorgeous appearances on my blonde.

"Naruto?"

His lip quivers, "Sasuke... Are you okay?"

Me?

"I'm okay. But..." My hands leaning on the bed scrunch the sheets up, "Are you okay?"

He doesn't answer my question, but instead, pulls my face towards his and mashes his lips onto mine. My eyes widen at the unexpected action and I stay in a frozen state as Naruto aggressively sucks at my soft lips, the taste of his salty tears evident. He runs his shivering fingers through my black hair and moans lightly, biting my lip harshly and drawing blood. I gasp at the pain and Naruto forces his tongue inside my mouth, tasting my hot cavern in a mix of metallic blood.

I give into the kiss slowly, closing my eyes and kissing back with the same hunger. Naruto moans at my cooperation and whirls his tongue around with mine. One of his hands leaves my chin and trails down my body, smoothing over my abs and moving down to my crotch. He graces the bulge through my pajama pants faintly with his fingers, laying his entire hand on it and palming my erection. I grunt in the kiss and pull away from his lips, panting with heavy huffs and puffs. I grab his wrists and pin them down on the bed to immobilize him.

Naruto pants, "Let's d-do it... Sasuke."

He can't just avoid my questions with sex.

"Naruto..." I huff, "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing!" He blurts out, "I j-just wanna have sex with y-you... that's all."

"But you were crying in your sleep."

"S-So what? It was just a n-nightmare..." He alleges.

"You kept mumbling to yourself too."

"What?" He whimpers, "Did y-you hear what I was saying?"

"Somewhat. You kept repeating my name and saying 'no' along with some other phrases."

Naruto pulls against my hands that pin him down, "It's...It's n-nothing! It's not a big d-deal!"

"It is to me. Tell me what you were dreaming about, Naruto." I demand.

"N-No! I don't w-want to!" He flounders in my grip some more.

Why doesn't he want to tell me? Is it really that bad?

"Naruto." I threaten him with my tone, "Don't you trust me?"

"S-Sasuke..." He whispers, "I-I do trust you..."

"Then why won't you tell me? I want to know what's bothering you, Naruto. Please."

"I d-don't want to talk about it." Naruto sniffles, "But n-not because I don't trust you! B-Because... I... don't want r-relive my dream again."

"How am I supposed to comfort you if I don't know what happened?"

"Y-You don't have to comfort m-me... cuz I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You're crying." I badger.

Naruto pouts at my observation and deters his eyes, staring at my chest instead of me.

"Oh? So you're just gonna ignore me now?"

"Hmph." He puffs out stubbornly.

"Fine. We'll stay like this until you decide to tell me." I announce.

Naruto furrows his eyebrows and sticks out his lower lip adorably, keeping his gaze locked on my chest. I maintain my intense demeanor over Naruto and keep my grip on his wrists, watching him struggle under me. We hold this position for a few minutes and Naruto grows embarrassed overtime, his cheeks burning with a darling blush.

"Sasuke..." He peeps, "How long are y-you planning to d-do this for?"

"I told you." I lean toward his face, "Until you tell me about your nightmare."

"I-I'm not going to..." He breathes out.

"Then I'm not going to let go either."

Naruto's dreamy blush spreads to his ears and his chest rises and falls with every hurried breath he takes. I smirk at his precious state, holding back my agonizing urge to ravish him once again.

I may not be able to hold out myself...

Rubbing his two knees together, Naruto creates friction between his crotch. He compresses his pinned hands into fists and arches his back slightly, his mouth parting with quiet moans. He closes his watery eyes and pleasures himself discreetly.

Damnit. Why are we both turned on by this position?

Regrettably, I release his wrists from my grip with a sigh. Naruto opens his eyes and scans my face, pulling his hands from the bed and snatching my collar. Our lips meet in a passionate, messy connection and our tongues already begin swimming together. Saliva drips down my chin at the vigorous kiss and Naruto's sweet moans fill my mouth. Naruto hooks his arms around my neck and his legs hug my abdomen. This brings our bodies closer and our erected members in contact.

"Mhm!" Naruto moans, the sound muffled by our sporadic kiss.

Quick nimble fingers begin unbuttoning my pajama shirt, sliding the baby blue fabric off my shoulders. It's left loosely draped on my abdomen after I remove the sleeves from my arms.

I dig my knees into the bed and dip my hips down, grinding against Naruto. With an erotic moan, Naruto throws his head back and breaks away from the kiss. The friction it creates between our two sensitive members drives me crazy. My body grows hot and touchy, the amazing feeling concentrated in my crotch. Every rub and touch to it makes me hornier.

More glorious moans escape Naruto, "Hah!~ Ahh!! Ahn! Mmh!"

"Y-You can't be so l-loud, Naruto..." I groan out.

Naruto can't hear me over his own pleasure, his back arched off the bed and his plump lips parted. His body rocks back and forth with mine as my grinding hips push us around. The bed squeaks loudly and the sheets surrounding us rustle with the traction. I use one of my hands to steady Naruto's shoulders and scurry that touch to his face, holding his cheek in my hand. Naruto flutters his eyes open weakly and melts in my hold, the sexy blues arousing me even more.

I claw the sheets with one hand and cradle Naruto's cheek in my other. Softly, I speak to him, "Naru, you h-have to... s-stay quiet."

He tries to speak amongst his moans, "T-Tell that to y-your hips... Ah! Baka!"

I crack a wide smirk, "Do you w-want me to stop?"

"No! No! D-Don't stop!" He pleads, tightening his arms' hold around my neck, "Mhm! N-Never stop!"

"Then you have to quiet d-down..." I peck him on the cheek, "M-My mother will hear us."

Overwhelmed tears slip from Naruto's eyes, "...S-Sorry! Mmph!"

"D-Don't apologize for being cute," I instruct.

"Sorry!" He apologies again, snuggling his head in my shoulder. I use this opportunity to quicken my pace, humping Naruto's bulge with my own. Breathing unevenly, Naruto presses his mouth against the crook of my neck and lays soft kisses all over the area. He sucks a patch of skin between his suctioned lips and sends fuzzy feelings of pleasure throughout my body. Releasing that patch of skin with a pop, a red mark is left for everyone to see.

My hips move in a circular motion and pushing our two erections together. One of my hands stray from their position on the bed and lower down to my hips. I hook my fingers on my pants and underpants and yank them down to my knees, exposing my bare member. I do the same to Naruto and allow his wet member to breathe, both our erections bare and sensitive to the cold air.

Naruto lets out a thrilling holler and sinks his teeth onto my shoulder when I begin grinding our naked members against one another. He muffles his moans with my shoulder, the pleasure affecting him greatly. Naruto's toes curl up and his nails scratch against my back, grating against the old wounds from a few days ago.

"Agh! Shit!" I curse, energy dashing inside of me, "Ugh!... Mmh!... Ngh!"

Clenching his jaw on my shoulder, the painful combination of Naruto's nails and bite makes me groan aloud between gritted teeth. The feeling only amplifies with the amazing pleasure high I get from the mere rock of my hips. The way Naruto holds onto me for dear life and allows himself to be completely dominated just makes me go feral with lust. I have my lover in my arms, making him scream in pleasure because of my actions and mine alone.

Naruto releases my shoulder from his teeth to take a breath, "Haah! Ahh!... M-More! Sasuke! Ahhn~!"

Buzzed with endless energy, I scoff at his request through my thick pants, "You're g-gonna regret asking th-that, dobe."

"Fuck! J-Just do it, teme! H-Hurry!"

My ever-increasing smirk broadens even more as I sit up on the bed. Naruto uncoils his arms and watches me through lidded eyes, his body weak and vulnerable without mine to latch onto. I grope his thighs and bring them close to me, slipping my hot, twitching erection between his butt-cheeks. The throbbing organ grazes Naruto's sensitive hole before teasing it like crazy with the swing of my hips.

Naruto arches his back and scrunches his eyes closed, wailing out, "Sasuke~!!"

I sway my hips back and forth, pinching the luscious tan skin on his thighs for support. My member is pumped along his ass, rubbing Naruto's entrance at a torturous pace. Naruto can't handle my petty teasing and pre-cum dribbles down his pink tip. My movements shake us back and forth even faster now, Naruto's cute member bobbing with the friction.

I wince at the gnawing pleasure, contorting my facial expression in a harsh way. Naruto suddenly notices his volume and tears shed from his eyes, the desperate moans difficult to conceal. He slaps his hand onto his mouth and muffles moans again, knitting his eyebrows in frustration.

I chuckle at his delectable expression, "Y-You're so d-damn cute... N-Naru..."

Naruto can only moan back through his hand, helpless to the pleasure that torments him ceaselessly. With every touch to his entrance, I provoke the sensitive area with harsh and vexing jabs. Naruto knows that I have no intention of entering that tight pink hole of his, and that's what truly makes this hell for him. I know this evil fact and I do this to him intentionally, making for a tediously lengthy orgasm for him once it arrives.

Because I have school tomorrow, we can't go all the way. I might as well tease him like I will though.

I eye Naruto's standing member and chuckle to myself, reaching towards it with one of my hands. I curl my fingers around its shaft and stroke it in pace with my movements.

Naruto almost growls behind his hand, his eyes rolling in the back of his head, "Mmm!! Mhmm! Mhm~!!"

He shakes his head at me and whimpers out in distress, too overwhelmed to take any more pleasure. I ignore the adorable attempts of resistance and continue to pump his member in my hand. His member fits nicely in the security of my hand, the slickness from his own pre-cum adding extra mobility.

My hips never cease their movements all the while I pleasure his member. I practically have Naruto in the palm of my hand. He sweats profusely and pants loudly, his pajama shirt still buttoned up neatly on his dainty chest.

His expression, voice, appearance; everything turns me on greatly. I didn't notice I was reaching my limit until a sudden wave of heat began swirling up in my core and racing to my erection. The heat is felt from the tips of my toes to the top of my head, making me dizzy and lightheaded. My vision of Naruto becomes crowded with sparkles and stars; a sign that my orgasm is approaching. Pre-cum spurts out of my member right on cue, urging me to accelerate my pace.

I pull my hips back and slide them back on Naruto's ass, humping him to the fastest of my ability. My mouth is agape with heavy gasps of air inhaling and exhaling, a dusty pink blush painting my cheeks. This look mirrors my lovable blond, who lays across the bed in an erotic display of messiness from all the pleasure. He, too, struggles to hold back anymore, moaning fully without the hand to restrict him.

"Ahh! S-Sasuke! I'm close!!" He wails.

I grit my teeth and pump his member faster. My fingers fiddle with the tip of his member and massage the sensitive pink skin that surrounds it. Naruto visibly trembles from this, his member twitching crazily in my hand.

Pins and needles spread to my feet and I grunt from the back of my throat, my member one touch away from erupting.

"I-I can't! It's coming! I'm— Ahhh!! Sasuke~!" Naruto screams out, ribbons of thick seed gushing out of his tip and spilling onto my hand.

Naruto extends his legs outward and curls his toes, clenching the sheets in his clammy fingers. His orgasm leaves him weak and tired afterward, his sweaty body slumping back onto the bed once the massive high subsides. The sight of this sexy display fuels me to my finish and I groan weakly, dollops of my hot liquid spurting out of my tip.

"Ugh... Naruto..." I mumble his name, my knees losing all of that built up energy and caving under the pressure of my heavy upper body. I collapse on top of Naruto, suddenly very drowsy and drained. Naruto uses his delicate touch to hug me close to him, kissing the side of my neck softly.

"Goodnight, Sasuke..." He whispers in my ear.

Oh my.

I want to start by thanking all of you for your amazing patience. I will admit that I have been a little slow on updating. Is that an understatement? That's because every chapter I write is a little longer than the last. I'm sorry!

Anyway, thank you for all the kind and funny comments of your appreciation. It really makes my day.

Don't forget to drink water today,

~ Author - Chan ~