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Ugh, this is wrong.. Naruto thought to himself as he locked the door to his room, narrowly avoiding the persistent group of spectators crowding around his door. With a furrowed brow the blonde ninja sat at the edge of his bed, having a staring match with the planks that made up the floor of his room. He wasn't proud of what he was about to do, but that shame wasn't nearly enough to stop him.
The shinobi brought his hands together, summoning a shadow clone before him. Naruto's made countless clones over his years, but this clone in particular had a significant difference to it. Rather than cloning himself, a duplicate of Sasuke stood before him, the jutsu being the closest Naruto would ever get to seeing him in the flesh. It had been years since he attempted to clone his lifelong rival, the last time being when he tried to disguise himself as the Uchiha in order to get a kiss out of Sakura.
But those simpler days were long gone now it seemed, nearly a lifetime ago in comparison and time had his infatuation shifting in an entirely different direction. Sasuke's direction to be painfully specific. A lot had happened after Kaguya had been sealed and Naruto wasn't so sure how to cope with his own feelings now that he was forced to be alone with them. It wasn't even about the fact he only had one of his arms he could truly call his own now, or that the world was still learning to heal after the irredeemable destruction Madara had caused on its soil. He could deal with the artificial genes of Hashirama making up his arm and even deal with the extra notoriety his heroic actions had brought him. But what he couldn't deal with was the fact his best friend had left the village yet again, even after everything they've been through.
Their last battle ended with words that Naruto was now realizing he probably should have kept to himself. He was never good with words anyway, but the words he reserved for the Uchiha were something that would ultimately change the dynamic between them forever. At the time he had no idea Sakura had followed them in secret, so as they laid on the ground beside one another, bleeding out and under the presumption that they were both about to die, Naruto did something there was no going back from. He told Sasuke the truth.
That what he was chasing after was a bond that had grown past the point of platonic. A bond he knew would never truly be reciprocated on Sasuke's end. Naruto loved the rogue Shinobi, in every sense of the word there was. Sure he's made close friends throughout the years, but none of them came close to having the hold Sasuke had on him. He didn't even fully understand it himself, since these kinds of feelings were never his strong suit.
All he knew was whenever he and Sasuke were apart, a part of himself left with him every single time. It was a void in himself that no amount of time would ever hope to heal, and the one person who had the capability of healing it was currently nowhere to be found, which sadly was a reality Naruto had been forced to come to terms with. Except this time around, Naruto had a feeling Sasuke wouldn't be returning anytime soon, if he even returned at all.
At the time, Naruto lost consciousness before he could get an answer from the ex-ninja. A side of him was grateful he hadn't been awake for what he deemed to be guaranteed rejection but another side wished he could at least have had some sort of closure on his end. When he finally came to, he was back in Konoha, only to be informed that Sasuke had already left the village the minute he was able. Naruto wasn't sure what to do with himself now that absence within him was coming back full circle. What once had been living, eventually turned into nothing more than existing, the passage of time meaningless in the state he currently found himself in.
Maybe if he hadn't opened his big mouth, Sasuke might have been more open to sticking around, but it was too late now to dwell over what-ifs. Those words had only been said because he was convinced neither of them would be alive long enough to feel the repercussions of them, and now he was paying the price for such a foolish decision. Sasuke probably wouldn't ever be able to be comfortable around him again, and Naruto had nobody to blame but himself. The blue-eyed shinobi stared at the clone of his former friend, the attention to detail making it seem like the Uchiha was truly there with him.
"Let me guess, the same as last time?" the clone asked impatiently, looking like it wished it were anywhere else. Even though it had Sasuke's appearance and voice, his mannerisms were something Naruto didn't really know how to replicate. Personality-wise it was like talking to himself, which was almost enough to shatter the fantasy altogether for him. Insecurity made it impossible for Naruto to look directly at him, keeping his eyes on the floor as he gave the clone a small nod.
The clone of Sasuke sighed to himself at the inconvenience, moving towards the side of the bed. As he pulled the covers out of the way to rest underneath them, Naruto wordlessly followed suit, deciding to be the little spoon this time around. The clone secured his arms around the upset ninja, making a home beside him before both of their heads hit the pillow simultaneously. Feeling as much comfort as he could obtain in this bleak situation, Naruto allowed himself a minor smile before his eyes blinked to a close, sleep finally taking hold of him.
_______
"Hey, mister. I don't know what village you're from but if you're here for Naruto, you're going to have to wait just like everyone else."
Sasuke glanced between the guards patrolling the hidden leaf village and over to the crowd of impatient spectators currently trying to talk over one another. The fact his clutz of a rival had grown popular enough to literally have a posse of fangirls tailing him 24/7 wasn't sitting right with Sasuke, tearing his gaze away when he felt a stubborn wave of jealousy begin to take over.
"Please, I just want to thank him!" one of the women in the crowd shouted, shoving her way to the front of the line. The whining pitch to her voice was like nails on a chalkboard to Sasuke, trying his best to drown it out to no avail.
"If anyone's seeing him, it's me! I was here first!" a younger girl shouted, giving the first protesting girl a murderous glare. The commotion was enough to give the Uchiha a headache, as well as question if he should really be here at all. It had been nearly a year since their final battle with one another, and even after all this time, he was still coming to terms with what exactly had been said. At first, Sasuke was convinced Naruto had been pulling one over on him. One last immature joke before they inevitably parted from this world. But the sad look behind his eyes gradually had Sasuke deduce that the admission Naruto had bestowed him with, was indeed the honest truth.
Ironically Naruto had passed out right after the confession, which maybe in hindsight was a good thing since he honestly wouldn't have known how to respond to such a statement. Sasuke wouldn't know what love was if it were a kunai being chucked at him at full speed, considering the Uchiha didn't have an ounce of it at any point in his life. The only one who could come close to loving him was Itachi, and even then it wasn't love in the traditional sense. Over the years his brother had mentally brutalized him in order for Sasuke to hate enough to become strong enough to take on the hate of the rest of the world, and though his intentions were good at best, it still left trauma in him that Sasuke would prefer to remain unacknowledged.
But to hear those words come out of Naruto of all people was enough to give the Uchiha an existential crisis. Perhaps even larger than the crisis he felt when he learned Itachi had tarnished his own reputation to earn his younger brother's safety within the village. After all the shit Sasuke had put him through to distance himself from the Shinobi, love was the absolute last feeling Sasuke expected the ninja to harbor for him. While Sasuke thought bonds weaken an individual, he couldn't deny the connection he had with his former team member. It was like some unspoken magnetism between them that always led them back to one another, even when Sasuke went out of his way to sever those ties.
How could Naruto muster up any sort of fondness for someone like him? Since when did the hero suddenly catch feelings for the villian? It took an entire year of denial and self-reflection that eventually had Sasuke realizing that those ridiculous feelings Naruto harbored for him were indeed felt on his end as well. So against all odds, here he was. Back at the very same village his former self had vowed to destroy, only to seek out its hero. He wasn't even sure if Naruto wanted anything to do with him by now, but he had to at least try and get some closure before he could truly put this all behind him.
"Are you tone deaf or something? I said back of the line, pal." the guard continued impatiently, pulling the Uchiha from his thoughts. Sasuke shot him a glare, his patience quickly thinning. He was never a people person, and that especially applied in this case.
"Let him through, he's with me." an additional voice sounded from behind the guard, the tone having an odd familiarity to it. Sasuke was puzzled to see Gaara make an appearance, finding it a little odd to see the kazekage so far from his village. It was just another reminder of how no matter the situation, Naruto had a talent for making people from all walks of life come together. How he managed to get all the villages to pledge peace between one another after years of festering isolation and suspicion for each other was something Sasuke couldn't hope to understand.
While he was out there severing any and all bonds, Naruto was out there forging them without even trying. It was an honorable mindset the Uchiha could never hope to live up to in this lifetime. Feeling intimidated by such an influential figure addressing him, the shinobi guard quickly straightened up his posture to look more professional, stepping out of the way to allow the rogue ninja access. A little perplexed himself, Sasuke awkwardly brushed his way past the guards, stopping in front of the sand shinobi.
"Err, thanks." Sasuke answered, hoping it would clear the air between them. Their last encounter at the summit hadn't exactly been a friendly one, so seeing him now was a little discomforting to say the least. Gaara nodded in understanding, half of a smile shaping his face. Sasuke could find no traces of the vengeful individual he fought at the chunin exams so many years ago, which was oddly comforting in a way. If someone like Gaara had a chance at moving past his hatred, then maybe Sasuke could one day achieve the same redemption for himself as well.
"Don't mention it. You're here for Naruto, I take it?" Gaara questioned, the mention of his name making Sasuke tense. He didn't like that the sand ninja could read his motives so easily, but a larger part of him was grateful that Gaara was skipping straight to the point rather than droning on with needless small talk. The sooner Sasuke was out of sight of prying eyes, the better.
"Yeah. You know where I can find him?" Sasuke asked, the commotion of the village around him making him even more uneasy. Even with Kakashi becoming the next hokage, his blessing didn't help much when it came to the villagers who knew exactly who he was and what his intentions for them were before the end of this war. He already sensed multiple glares being thrown his way. Glares he's more than earned considering his notorious reputation but that didn't make them any less taxing to deal with. And now the village's most hated individual was presently seeking out the village's most beloved individual for his own self-serving needs. How times had changed.
"Last I checked he was at his house so I'd start there." Gaara informed him, but it didn't give much clarification for Sasuke. After Pain had basically nuked the region right off the map, the entire structure of the village had changed drastically after its reconstruction, most of the buildings unrecognizable to the Uchiha. Even the one place Sasuke could come close to calling home had become something he couldn't recognize.
"And that would be..?" Sasuke started, staring around him a bit aimlessly. Gaara chuckled softly, nodding to a hut on top of a hill ahead of them.
"It's the house just up the hill. But if I were you I'd try the patio first." Gaara advised. Confused, Sasuke decided to inquire further.
"Why the patio?"
"He's got quite the crowd surrounding his door and I'm sure that's something you wish to avoid." Gaara clarified, an understanding in his eyes. Sasuke shuddered at the possibility of more unwanted social interactions, secretly grateful for the sand ninja's advice.
"Right. Guess I'll head that way then. Thanks, Gaara." Sasuke answered after a moment, about to head towards the hut in question but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Fighting off the urge to shrug away from the unwanted contact, Sasuke turned towards the redhead.
"It's good to see you, Sasuke. I'm sure Naruto will feel the same." Gaara spoke, his voice having a gentle sympathy to it. Sasuke couldn't help but think he was pitying him, and that was enough for the rogue ninja to shift uncomfortably. Unsure of how to respond, Sasuke gave him a curt nod, responding with a quiet "You too." before leaving the interaction altogether.
The hike to Naruto's residence felt like ages with all the people Sasuke had to weave his way through, determined to avoid any and all encounters on the way there. There was only one person he was here to see, and he wouldn't find him out here amongst these cavalcade of morons. Taking Gaara's advice, Sasuke skipped the door, heaving himself over the railing to the blonde shinobi's balcony. The pace of his heart nearly had him abandoning the reunion and heading for the hills but Sasuke shook the fear off, exhaling quietly as he pulled back the sliding door.
What he was met with made Sasuke feel many things flood in at once. Naruto was sound asleep, his nose scrunching adorably as he enjoyed whatever dream he was experiencing. But that wasn't what had Sasuke pausing. It was the pale set of arms secured around the ninja, the sight like a chidori straight to the heart. Sure it had been a year but if Naruto truly loved him, how was it so easy for him to move on and find another? The Uchiha felt anger for allowing pointless emotions to lead him back to a place where he was in no way welcomed, about to disappear from the source of his turmoil when he paused yet again.
Looking closer this time, Sasuke's eyes broadened in disbelief, recognizing the arms around Naruto as his own. When the newly identified doppelganger sensed the new company at the door, the look-alike shrieked in surprise before disappearing into thin air as the jutsu canceled itself. Sasuke let a satisfied smirk slip at the revelation that Naruto had missed him to the point of needing to clone him, deliberately clearing his throat loud enough to have Naruto stir from his slumber. Naruto blinked the sleep out of his eyes, letting out a sluggish yawn. Once his gaze focused onto Sasuke, confusion took over.
"Stop staring at me like that, you creep." Naruto mumbled, still under the impression he was talking with his clone. Sasuke amusedly cocked a brow at him, feeling the need to pester him for old time's sake.
"Says the one sleeping with a shadow clone." Sasuke countered, a minor laugh escaping when Naruto gave him a defensive scowl.
"Either shut up and get back in bed or screw off. You're literally me so I don't know why you're judging me so much." Naruto muttered under his breath, pulling the covers over him when Sasuke's gaze became too much to handle.
"And who put you in charge?" Sasuke asked, feeling a little entertained by the situation. With an animated huff, Naruto's eyes opened once more, glaring daggers at the raven-haired ninja.
" Ugh, not this again. I made you, you idiot. You listen to me, not the other way around, ya got it?" Naruto griped at him, the intensity of his glare increasing when Sasuke appeared unfazed by the statement.
"You sure about that, Naruto?" Sasuke continued, wondering how long it would take for the blonde to put it together. It didn't take long. Once Naruto canceled the shadow clone jutsu and the Sasuke before him didn't demanifest, the confusion it brought him had the ninja sitting upright, now wide awake.
"What the hell? That always worked before..Why aren't you disappearing?" Naruto cluelessly questioned. Sasuke rolled his eyes, remembering just how dense his former squad mate truly was.
"Maybe because I'm not a clone, you moron." Sasuke corrected him, and the look that rose to Naruto's face was the epitome of priceless. Realization clicking, Naruto stammered over his own words.
"S-Sasuke?" he whispered, his tone uncharacteristically fragile. A dry chuckle left Sasuke, not exactly hating the dumbfounded look Naruto was sporting right now.
"Now you're catching on, loser." Sasuke teased, the smile he held leaving him when Naruto had a look of anger taking over, lunging out of bed in an attempt to give him a cold clock to the square of his jaw. Sasuke caught his wrist at the last minute, maneuvering the shinobi's arms around him as he pulled him in for a hug. Naruto went rigid, a deflated look on his face from the unexpected gesture. It was only a few more seconds before Naruto finally lost it, a sob leaving him as he buried his tears against the Uchiha's shoulder. It surprised Sasuke at just how right it felt, his comforting embrace holding the ninja together before he could fall apart on him.
"I don't get it.. Why are you here now after all this time? I thought you were done with the village." Naruto spoke after a while, most of his question getting muffled against his shoulder.
"The village is of no concern of mine. I'm here for you, genius. Is it really that hard to figure out?" Sasuke responded, the answer finally making Naruto's head lift from his shoulders, staring at the Uchiha with bleary eyes.
"But you left.. and I thought-.."
"That I'd head for the hills after you confessed your love for me like some emotional sap?" Sasuke finished for him, a ghost of a smile forming when the blunt response got Naruto's cheeks to flush to a light pink, the blonde shinobi noticeably flustered.
"Well, yeah now that you mention it." Naruto timidly agreed, still unable to look him directly in the eyes.
"And did it ever occur to you that I just might feel the same way about you?" Sasuke informed him, the emotional admission bringing a sense of vulnerability Sasuke was nowhere near used to. Naruto finally glanced at him after that, his expression shifting too frequently to remain readable.
"Then why did you leave?" Naruto finally asked, vaguely aware that they were still embracing one another.
"I needed some time to gather my thoughts and I figured the village would heal a bit easier without me here." Sasuke explained to him, drawing his hand upward to brush away a fresh layer of tears welling against the shinobi's eyes, the instinctive gesture more intimate than anything they were used to.
"Maybe for them, but not for me." Naruto stubbornly muttered. Frozen between the spaces of time itself, they continued to stare at one another, unblinking eyes locking onto their counterpart. Sasuke chose the direct approach, slowly leaning in at a pace that gave Naruto ample opportunity to pull away from the advance had it not been welcomed. But rather than pull away, Naruto eventually closed the remaining distance, two sets of lips grazing each other with the delicacy of a feather.
The sense of contentment it brought the Uchiha couldn't be measured on any scale, all of those emotions he made a life out of repressing finally pouring out into the open. It started out slow and steady, testing the waters with each curious flutter of lips, braving even further territory when a tongue finally joined the equation. Naruto's lips parted in a gasp, allowing Sasuke more access as his tongue slid across the seam of his lips, exploring a mouth that wasn't its own. Sasuke nearly protested when Naruto suddenly broke off the kiss, only to fist the top of the Uchiha's shirt, using it to hoist him closer before pushing him onto the bed.
Without skipping a beat, Naruto was on top of him in an instant, boarding Sasuke's hips. The blonde hovered over him for a moment before feverishly diving downward to seize his lips in yet another kiss, this one much deeper than the last. Sasuke groaned when his lip got caught between a persistent set of teeth, the ninja planted in his lap already causing him to grow hard. Naruto shortly became aware of his predicament as well, humming against his lips as he ground down against the tent in his pants. Before things could escalate further, Sasuke stopped him.
"Naruto, I've never.." Sasuke couldn't bring himself to finish the words, too ashamed to admit he'd never done this with anyone before. Fortunately, Naruto caught on quickly for once, pulling back to give him a respectable amount of space.
"Whoops, guess I got a little carried away there.. Heh, my bad." Naruto started, suddenly looking unsure of himself. "I haven't either, y'know." he sheepishly finished. Feeling at ease that he wasn't the only one in the encounter lacking experience, Sasuke relaxed a tad.
"Not even with my clone?" Sasuke continued his teasing, satisfied with the degree of blush it earned him. Insecurity had Naruto staring elsewhere, mumbling his reply.
"I tried.. But I could never finish. I knew it wasn't really you so it didn't feel right." Naruto admitted, the honesty to that statement just further cementing the Uchiha's feelings for him. After all these years, Naruto was still waiting for him in the hopes he'd be his first.
"And now that I'm here?" Sasuke wondered aloud, retreating from his lounging as he pulled himself up into a seated position, leaning his back against the headboard before his hands settled on his hips.
"Well it's actually you this time, so it'd probably be different. But I thought you wanted to stop?" Naruto answered, the firm hold on his hips causing the blonde to sport an erection of his own, clearly suffering the same dilemma as Sasuke.
"When did I ever say stop, genius? I was just letting you know I've never done anything like this before. In no way did that imply we should stop." Sasuke corrected him, one of his hands slipping between the juncture of his thighs, gripping his length through his jeans. Too distracted to conjure up a retort, a strained noise left Naruto, teeth absently biting into his lip as he rocked against his hand, searching for more traction between them.
Moving to the top of his jeans, Sasuke breached past the orange denim concealing Naruto's cock, fishing it out of its clothed prison. The rigid pillar of flesh stood at full attention, firmly hitting his stomach as a light pool of precum leaked from the tip. Ignoring his own needs, Sasuke took his length in his grasp, lightly groping it before giving it a slow and torturous tug, his pace intentionally unhurried.
" Nnngh. Sasuke, don't stop.." Naruto sputtered out, his hips moving with a mind of their own now. When Sasuke didn't pick up the pace, Naruto desperately tried to fuck his hand, the Uchiha getting entertainment out of his hormonal turmoil.
"It's not a race, Naruto. Relax." Sasuke chided, causing a displeased growl to exit the blonde's lungs.
"The hell it is! You know how long I've been wanting to do this?" he huffed, clumsy and determined hands already working on Sasuke's belt.
"Not really, no. But I'm sure you can enlighten me." Sasuke quipped, his cock beginning to throb when Naruto finally pulled it out in the open. A triumphant grin soon rose to the blonde shinobi's face as Naruto's eyes stayed glued to the sight below them. "Why are you grinning at me like that, dork?" Sasuke questioned him after a minute of wordless staring.
"I'm bigger than you." Naruto boasted in his typical fashion, appearing delighted by the revelation. Sasuke rolled his eyes, increasing the pump of his wrist as he stroked Naruto from base to tip, gliding a thumb across the head of his cock with each return trip upward.
"You won't be saying that when I'm fully hard." Sasuke retorted, his reply ending with a strained intake of breath when Naruto pushed Sasuke's hand out of the way to line up his cock with his own, widening his grasp to stroke them both as a pair.
"Guess I better get to it then." Naruto answered with a smirk, plummeting downward to greet Sasuke with another exchange of lips, the two of them panting against one another as Naruto increased the tempo of his wrist. The friction felt otherworldly to Sasuke, and with Naruto's feverish enthusiasm, it was growing difficult for him to remain quiet.
Naruto on the other hand was vocal enough for the both of them, a plethora of mindless curses being emitted with each insistent pump of his wrist. When Naruto's lips ended at the one sensitive spot that connected Sasuke's neck to his shoulder, the blonde finally earned his first true moan from the rogue ninja, sucking the area in earnest in a quest to pluck even more addicting noises out of the stoic shinobi. The payoff worked towards Naruto's benefit, getting rewarded with a moan from Sasuke that ended in his name.
They were both too worked up to commit to such a slow pace, both of their bodies in not-so-silent preparation for the unavoidable. Each delicious tug of the cock pressed to his own just coaxed that pressure under his navel until it spread downward and out, like a tantalizing flame licking every inch of his skin. Glancing down at the activity taking place between them didn't help Sasuke's case at all, his balls tightening in response. Sensing his nearing state, Naruto's ministrations only grew more urgent.
"Mine." Naruto whispered, the simple claim being the final nail in the coffin for Sasuke. With a guttural groan, he finally submitted to the pressure threatening to consume him, his hips jerking upward with one last desperate buck. Naruto muttered a quiet "Shit." when the first rope of his cum landed directly on his cock, teeth worrying his lip as one spurt of cum turned into several in quick succession. Seeing Sasuke cum was the final catalyst for Naruto, his own release soon following after the rogue ninja's as another spray of cum littered the two of them, a shaky and determined hand set on milking every last drop out of them both.
Now well over exhausted, Naruto eventually collapsed at his side, plummeting face-first into the mattress with a sated sigh. Sasuke grimaced at the aftermath the ninja had left on his stomach, cleaning himself off the best he could manage before moving to refasten his buckle once his cock grew soft enough to tuck back inside.
"Sasuke?" Naruto lifted his head behind his shoulder to glance back at the Uchiha. Sasuke smiled, wearing an expression only the ninja at his side could pull from him.
"Yeah?"
"You'll stay, right? Nowhere you need to be or anything?" Naruto asked, sounding both worried and hopeful at once. Sasuke let out a minor snort, rolling over to loop an arm around the blonde's waist, leaving his lips pressed against the back of Naruto's shoulder.
"Even if I did, I don't think I'm in any position to walk right now." Sasuke jested, feeling a set of fingers twine through his own.
"So you'll stay then?" Naruto questioned, obviously seeking more reassurance than the aloof ninja was granting him. Smirking, he tightened his hold around the shinobi, his eyes soon blinking shut.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, loser."