#snstext

Under his fingers, Naruto was hot, alive, chest heaving as Sasuke reached for his throat. He grunted as Naruto drove the butt of his sword into Sasuke's chin and the man saw stars. Twisting out of his grip, the Hylian snarled, fist swinging and catching Sasuke on his cursed mark. He screamed as a blinding rage scorched through him and Sasuke dodged another swing of the glowing blue sword.

He breathed hard as he rolled through the sludge to put distance between them, pressing a hand to the part of his arm that throbbed angrily. His muscles sang. They had been fighting for what felt like days. Above them, the sky swirled with heavy purple clouds and the wind was whipping Sasuke’s hair into his eyes.

He kept wondering how much the tattoo on his hand exerted control of their emotions, how much would overwrite his decisions. He couldn’t forget the look that darkened on Naruto's face, angry and possessive, completely unlike his usual good-natured persona. Did it manifest due to his own complex character…? Or was this because of this soulmate system? 

On that night, there were also two consistent emotions battling inside him, one that coaxed to accept whatever was thrown in his direction, to be more amenable. Another side was his rational mind that managed to control these impulses and succeeded in calming Naruto down. However, after a few days it still didn’t erase the bitter aftermath, old flashbacks of his childhood resurfacing whenever his mother was compliant to his father.

How much does this god awful scheme control their emotions? How much it’d skew their perceptions to show a seemingly harmonious relationship? Does that mean he'd need constant vigilance if necessary?

Sasuke admitted to himself that once he got into this round of questions roaming his head, it'd be hard getting out of this loop. He needed some assurance, a reminder that he's overthinking, anything to calm down the storm that was brewing in his head.

He needed…Naruto.

As much he didn't want to admit, his dumbass always managed to simmer down whatever anxiety he'd feel at the moment. Or at the very least, he'd distract him well enough. 

Sasuke swore that he listened to his family’s guidance, to his friends, he wished he could get any less paranoid. However, whenever his tattoo manifested he simply couldn't tap down those fears. He also hoped that his strongest qualms wouldn't hinder his relationship with his boyfriend.

He sighed, rubbing his eyelids with his fingers. He just needed Naruto by his side, then everything will be alright.

⏤.⏤

Unfortunately, it appears that fate wasn't going to make his life any easier.

Sorry Sasuke, my aunt is driving me the fucking crazy. One of her competitors launched a campaign about something she’d done years ago and I need to build a strategy to debunk his claims.

Closing his eyes with an annoyed huff, Sasuke curbed the urge to curse outloud. He typed back.

I guess it can’t be helped. I can cancel the dinner reservation, I’ll just go to your apartment then.

Naruto answered. Hah. I forgot the last time I went to my apartment. She’s a slave driver Sasuke, I swear to God. I even bought a pillow and a blanket so I can sleep reasonably well on her couch.

Was it that bad whenever she ran for elections?

Probably. But back that time I could pull the ‘I’m just a kid’ card. Now I’m taking care of her social media team, can’t use this excuse anymore lol.

Sasuke shook his head, placing his smartphone on the table. He hadn’t seen his boyfriend for a week but it almost felt like eons. He saw a new notification on the screen and smiled bitterly.

7 days Sasukeeeeeeeee I need to see you. Fuck I think I’m going insane.

40 days usuratonkachi. Just endure for 40 more days and all of this will be over. 

Or I could just run away!

Sasuke snorted. Right. As if you could survive from your aunt’s wrath.

You’re not helping, bastard.

We’ll manage to find any free time for ourselves in the meantime. 40 more days dumbass. 

He could imagine the blond man groaning and grumbling. I hate this. 

The dumbass then launched rolls and rolls of stickers with cartoon characters throwing tantrums and crying on the ground. 

I hate this. 

The palm of his tattooed hand throbbed, Sasuke clenched in reflex, thinning his lips. I hate this too. We’ll think of something, Naruto.

…kay. 

Sensing that the conversation was over, Sauske almost turned off the smartphone, but noticed that Naruto was typing some long text.

This sucks. It’s been months since we restarted dating Sasuke, it’s the first time I haven’t seen you for so long. Work is getting so out of my control and I hate the fact that I can’t give you enough attention, when you’re so important to me. You’re very important to me Sasuke. I miss you every day, every hour, every second.

His fingers clutched on the edges very tightly, letting out a very heavy sigh, anxiety and anger melting away. These earnest straightforward words never failed to seize his heart in a mixture of bashfulness and gratitude, because even if he couldn’t express his feelings to Naruto, he was secretly glad that Naruto connected the gaps of communication between them. 

His emotions rose, crashed and flowed; before he could notice his tattoo glowed, warmth expanding and invading on his chest. Great. He was already missing Naruto after reading his message, he didn’t want his tattoo hindering even further.

He stared on the screen for an indefinite time, his usual eloquence slipping out of his fingers. He cursed himself for being so emotionally stunted, so he managed to write:

You’re such a dumbass.

He could picture Naruto shaking his head, grin in place. Am I your dumbass?

Obviously. Every day, every hour and every second. 

Good to know. 

Out of nowhere, Naruto typed. Ah shit. My aunt is calling. 

That was the last message he typed for three whole days. Sasuke later on saw on the news the exasperated look on Tsunade’s face when one of her main competitors accused her of embezzling money to use for her campaign, social media littered with videos and posts debating about it. Several bot accounts that were attacking her managed to be deactivated, though it was enough to sway some voters.

Sasuke’s wariness and admiration towards Naruto grew watching this whole new way of warfare. All he could see was this rapid fire of attacks and counterattacks, anything to grab the viewer’s attention while the information receiving on their hands ran faster and faster. How the fuck his boyfriend could control all this craziness is a sight to behold. 

Opening and administrating a startup was not an easy feat, he could even say that it’s akin to trying to keep a boat afloat despite being covered with holes. He was thankful that Itachi had a keen sense of controlling the finances though and most of the problems they encountered were well within the parameters they predicted. 

Naruto however felt like he was a boat being cornered from all sides, being forced to rapidly respond to whatever canon blast aimed his way, while trying to navigate through the chaos. No wonder Neji said that he was his best social media strategist. 

While Sasuke was distracted watching a well-crafted video showing Tsunade’s competitor being tied to some shady companies, he didn’t notice a tall foreigner waiting for him in Itachi’s office.

“Sasuke!” This foreigner opened his arms, ready to give him a bear hug. Seeing the shadow looming over startled him, as he stepped aside, glaring towards his older brother.

Itachi looked mildly apologetic, patting the stranger’s shoulder. “You should know that we’re not comfortable with hugs Shisui-san.”

“Shisui?” Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

“Ah yes. Otouto-kun, meet my soulmate, Meyer Shisui-san.” 

Sasuke grunted, offering his hand.

Shisui shook his hand, patting his arm. “Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t mind a hug, since we’re practically family.”

Itachi intervened, already sensing his younger brother's sharp barb before it’d roll out. “Nevertheless it’s uncomfortable for us.”

“Well…nice to finally meet you.” Sasuke mumbled. “I suppose you’re here to visit nii-san?”

“Yeah, part of the reason. But I want to take this opportunity to travel Japan! I already booked Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima and Hokkaido.”

Both japanese men stared blankly. “How long is your vacation?”

“One whole month! All paid!” 

Sasuke blanched. “How does your country not go bankrupt?!”

“Oh c’mon, it’s nothing. One month is the minimum for you to properly rest your mind and body right.”

Itachi looked horrified. “It must be very boring resting for over a week.”

“No way. You guys are way too workaholic, I guess all the rumors about exhausted Japanese workers are true. You need to relax.”

The Uchihas exchanged glances, before Itachi shook his head. “Anyways…Shisui-san is here to have lunch with us.”

“I guess I should help you pack your luggage for a one month trip huh.” Sasuke muttered.

Itachi rubbed his temples with an overdramatic sigh. “You have so little faith in me. As if I’d just throw all my responsibilities to the air the moment my soulmate stepped inside Japan.”

His younger brother gave him a disparaging look.

“Don’t worry Sasuke! I’m just spending some days here in Tokyo to explore, and I’m also planning to visit your parents. But I want to travel alone afterwards.” Shisui reassured. 

…That's unusual. Sasuke felt that Shisui would want his older brother's close the entire trip, considering that the whole reason he traveled to Japan was for his soulmate's sake.

Shisui appeared being able to read him pretty well, as he answered the silent question. “I'm going to spend the rest of my life with Itachi, Sasuke. I'm in no hurry having to tie him next to me as much as possible.”

“Appreciate it then. I thought that you were here trying to convince him to move out with you.”

Shisui admitted with a guilty smile, shaking his head. “Yes, that was my mistake back then, I got too hasty so I’m actually here to make amends. I want to meet your whole family, because I can see how important you all are to Itachi.” Shisui slugged an arm around the youngest Uchiha. “Hey, maybe you could travel with me, we’re going to have so much fun!”

Sasuke glanced towards Itachi. The latter gingerly extracted his boyfriend’s arm around the tensed shoulders and muttered.

“Shisui-san, don’t bully my younger brother please.” And at the same breath, Itachi added. “Only I can bully him after all.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

⏤.⏤

Although initially reluctant, Sasuke was enjoying spending some of his time exploring Tokyo with Shisui and Itachi, coming to the realization of his even-tempered personality. He easily charmed their mother too, and though his father had some qualms, he welcomed Shisui to the fold. 

It was…an interesting experience witnessing this all. His parents’ marriage wasn’t a good parameter regarding the soulmate system from the start, and no one close to him were in a long-term relationship so he could draw more comparisons.

There were, obviously, cultural differences. Shisui wad overall much more used to have a direct approach, he was more honest with his feelings and objectives, which was a perfect match with Itachi who is used to dance around to respect protocol.

Maybe it was the fact that they were both much older men than him and Naruto, but they approached their relationship in a focused maturity. They already had their careers and goals established, what might be their biggest hurdle was how to balance it out.

Another significant difference was the timeline. Shisui had only known Itachi for several months, so they were still in the courting phase. Sasuke had Naruto for more than half of his life, even before they realized they were soulmates, so they were significantly more entangled in comparison. He honestly couldn't remember a time when Naruto didn't appear every day, save from college of course.

This fact further unsettled him, as his parents also used to share a similar level of closeness, before all hell broke loose and his mother made the sensible decision of divorcing her spouse. 

But was he going through the same path like his parents? Was this tattoo going to influence their relationship to cloak whatever incongruence they have in between? 

He couldn't help but feel a tinge of admiration as Shisui just very easily left Itachi for his leisurely trip, his older brother returning to focus on his work. He could see Itachi pausing every once in a while lost in his thoughts, or noticed the small smile that brightened his eyes, no doubt seeing something related to his boyfriend.

Ah…so this is how a healthy relationship should work.

Would he ever reach this level of understanding? It was hard to admit the emotional dependency he had for Naruto, it was insanely frustrating not seeing his boyfriend for over some days. Whatever plan they would have for the day would be shot down because Naruto had to fix an emergency.

He also saw on the news, Naruto sometimes followed his aunt in her campaigns, appearing slightly uncomfortable throughout the time. Standing tall, his handsome profile was strengthened by the sharp edges of his expensive suit, the difference in height made him look protective towards his only mother figure, which, Sasuke considered, probably made her more charming to grab more votes. His suspicions were proven correct from the fact that some doe-eyed women approached the blond man, wanting to shake his hand and snap a selfie with him, some even tried to strike a conversation. 

He turned off the TV, cursing for spending one more night in the lonesome darkness. It was getting harder and harder falling asleep, plagued with dreams of golden streaks of hair brushing his face, hot breaths tingling on his neck and sturdy fingers holding his body.

⏤.⏤

After 20 excruciating days, Sasuke supposed it was time to let go some of his pride. Neji gave him Tsunade's office address at once, arriving at the appointed place after work hours. He stared at the mahogany door apprehensive, opening and hearing the loud chattering, with only one woman sitting on the reception desk. She noticed him at once, asking the usual procedures:

“Welcome to Uzumaki Tsunade’s headquarters, how may I help you?”

Sasuke cleared his throat. “I'm here to see Uzumaki Naruto.”

“Sure, do you have an appointment with him?”

“No, but can you tell him I'm Uchiha Sasuke? If it won't trouble you.”

She blinked recognizing his name. Humming, she picked her telephone, but they heard loud noises approaching and Naruto arrived breathless, eyes wide.

“Sasuke??! You're here!”

His first knee-jerk reaction would be to come up with any kind of excuse to minimize how much he was missing his boyfriend. He was past these mind games, thankfully, his voice a timid murmur. “It's been a while.”

He was gifted with an enraptured and amorous smile on Naruto's lips, filled with unbridled affection. His blue eyes acquired a warm hue, gazing as if Sasuke was the only one in his world, his own heartbeats racing while his cheeks were getting hotter in response.

Standing up from her seat and moving to another room, the receptionist appeared wanting to give them some privacy, but one young man showed up to disrupt their moment.

“Oh, Uzumaki-sama! Good thing I found you. Can you give us the last check about the posts we're launching tonight?”

Naruto broke out of his stupor, reluctant to stray his eyes out of Sasuke's vision. “Ah…”

“Uzumaki-sama?” The intern insisted.

He maintained gazing at his boyfriend, almost as if he was scared that the brunet would disappear out of thin air. “Sorry, can you give us a minute?”

“Oh, but it won't take long⏤”

“Please give us a minute.” Naruto's eyes zeroed on the young man, the sudden seriousness made the latter swallow dryly.

Naruto didn't wait for an answer as he clasped Sasuke's hand, broad footsteps directing to the emergency stairs.

When the heavy door rumbled behind them, Naruto gave in the urge to groan loudly, tanned arms enveloping around Sasuke's.

“Ah God!! When is this going to end??” He tightened the hug, whispering. “I missed you so much.”

Sasuke heaved a long breath. His arms raised unbeknownst to himself, fingers wrinkling the orange shirt as he inhaled close to Naruto's neck, taking in his lover's unique scent and the warm texture of his skin. He shut his eyes in rushed expectancy, heart pulsating high, their lips connecting with his lover pushing so eagerly that even made him wobble a few steps backwards. With a heady moan, Naruto licked his mouth and tilted his head to match better, tongue already probing in. 

Sasuke’s hands clutched desperately on his lover’s waist, trying to bring him impossibly closer as he opened his mouth, groaning low on his throat when he tasted the familiar flavor. He lost count how many times they had kissed in their entire lives, how much he knew each bump and seam; the softness of Naruto’s lips, inside of his mouth. And yet it never felt it was enough. They haven’t seen each other for a few days but just this simplest contact was enough to tilt his normal axis, teetering his gravity and making him light-headed.  

His soul called for Naruto, arms were now wrapping on his lover's back, goosebumps rising when every inch of his skin lit on fire from the closest contact. They let their mouths move in frenzy with each glide and bump, a low moan escaping through when some teeth lightly scraped on his lower lip.

Naruto was breathing heavily with his hands cupping the pale face, dazed blue eyes slowly opened half-lidded. His thumb stroked the alabaster skin, moving to brush his dark hair and taking in his boyfriend’s presence. Sasuke let his mouth glaze over the trembled breath, tongue tracing on the lower lip and seeking another melting kiss, letting their passion guide them and take them out of control. His head was delirious and buoyant, dizzy from all these addicting caresses. It was almost like Naruto’s sole presence could burst in a myriad of colors on his previous sepia day. How did Naruto manage to have so much power over him?

A buzzing on Naruto’s backpocket startled them. Blond eyebrows knitted in fury, grabbing his smartphone, ready to smash it to the ground though Sasuke was quicker and picked it up before the impending disaster. For few more minutes they managed to ignore the insistent noise, moans and gasps interlocking with smack of lips until Sasuke’s smartphone intruded in.

He closed his eyes, unlocking his gadget and listened. He soon offered it to Naruto. “It’s your aunt.”

Naruto picked with a snarl. “What.” He probably heard some snarky answer and grumbled. “Yeah yeah yeah, I’m gonna answer how ever I want and there’s nothing you can do about that old hag.” He then said, mildly alarmed. “What.”

He stepped backwards, increasing the gap between his boyfriend. Sasuke shivered, already missing the warm body.

“Why do I have to go with you tonight too?? I thought we agreed that I’d only go to extremely necessary events.” Naruto paused and then grunted. “Obviously I don’t wanna go.” He snorted. “Wow, you’re sounding just like some pimp selling their best call girls. Yes, you do! Just ‘cuz I’m popular with young women doesn’t mean you need to parade me aro⏤” Naruto rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, you really do! Stop denying it man! Next thing you’re going to do is let them grope me for a vote. Noooo! I’m not telling you where I am, you’re going to kill me now I’m sure! Nope! Hah! Too bad for you and good luck finding me old haaaaaaaaaaaaaag⏤” And just like that, he ended the call with a very childish sound of his tongue blowing a raspberry.

He rested his head on the wall nearby, groaning loudly. Sasuke sighed in commiseration, sitting on the stairs.

“Tough days huh.”

Naruto huffed back. Blinking wide, he sat on his boyfriend’s lap and declared. “We could elope.”

Sasuke shook his head, smirking.

“I’m serious! We could…like, just go.” Naruto envisioned, the tone of his voice airy. “Any place, far far away from anyone. Just you and me, in some remote village. We’d adopt a few cats and dogs…I always wanted to adopt a fox by the way. We could do some remote work…I’d plant a whole farm for us…it’d be perfect.”

“It does sound quite an attractive idea.” Sasuke admitted with a small quirk on his lips.

“Right???” The blond man exclaimed with his fingers interlaced behind his pale nape, dropping some quick wet pecks on his lips, a pleasured grunt vibrated low on his throat when they exchanged another long kiss. He breathed out forlorn. “Only you and me…I don't need anyone else.”

His heart clenched painfully at the full knowledge that Naruto was definitely lying to himself, even if the anguish coming from his boyfriend invaded his body through the tattoo. He realized that as he kept getting emotionally closer to his soulmate, these occurrences kept happening with increased frequency and intensity. Probably seen as a useful tool to tune in his soulmate's mood and adapt accordingly.

…What a terrifying ability.

“I like this idea Naruto…” Sasuke murmured, combing lovingly the golden fringes. “But I doubt you'd be really happy leaving your aunt by herself at such an important moment in her career.”

The blond man wrinkled his nose, displeased that his boyfriend pointed out the obvious. “Next year we're moving out then.” He insisted.

Sasuke smiled, dropping another short kiss. “Next year then.”

Naruto continued to sulk, picking his smartphone back from his fingers as they walked back to the office. “I'm kidnapping you in any case that I get crazy from not seeing you for so long.”

“Usuratonkachi. 20 more days okay.” Sasuke comforted him, hand squeezing in reassurance.

He had to admit to himself though, whether he won't also lose his own sanity in these long ominous days.

⏤.⏤

As the election race was getting closer, communicating with Naruto was getting harder.

The blond man used to answer his messages immediately, a long engaging conversation ensued till it was properly over. After few days, he still replied as fast as he could, but the texts were getting shorter. Then, it devolved into only sending him some outlandish stickers in response, and now there were long gaps of silence where he didn't even see his messages, no doubt busy, swarmed with his responsibilities.

It was hard suppressing his anxiety creeping in, staring, checking and re-checking if Naruto would send any kind of message. He’d attempt focusing on his work, with his smartphone nearby, the moment it’d chime he would unlock to check the notification, frustrated that it was nothing related to his boyfriend. Sometimes Naruto would answer with an apology and even attempted to hold a conversation, and then radio silence. 

Without Naruto to balance his emotions, everyone could notice his bad mood escalating every day. His work colleagues avoided him like a plague, even passerbies couldn’t dare step closer to him. The only ones that were immune to his piercing glares were his older brother and his mother, in which Itachi only rolled his eyes and left him alone, while Mikoto tried to distract him by cooking his favorite food.

Time had continued moved on mercilessly, another day without his dumbass close, only receiving short answers and stupid nonsensical stickers. Sasuke understood, logically, that since there were only 7 days left for the elections, the stakes were high. That it was a temporary annoyance due to Naruto’s job and once Tsunade got elected, everything would be over. He knew he needed one ounce of patience.

But all he could feel was his resolve crumbling, whatever rationality leaving his head and only a dark pit of despair weighing heavily. It’s strange…the first time he left Naruto in college even though he was still wistful, he could manage somewhat, leaving his schedule full with objectives and studies. In the present situation though, nothing could catch enough of his attention anymore, when his thoughts focused only on Naruto. This was definitely not a normal behavior.

How is it possible to miss someone this much? Feeling almost like he had ripped his heart in half? He missed everything about Naruto; his energetic and easygoing personality, his fierce determination, the stupid bluest eyes that he couldn’t get tired of gazing at him. He missed the physical closeness, the caresses and touches that translated how much Naruto held affection towards him. He yearned for his soulmate so much that he couldn’t sleep a wink, restlessness and anguish amounting every second, till it was overwhelming. His tattoo throbbed painfully as he groaned covering his eyes with his hands, the screen glowing in the middle of the night.

I miss you too.

Sasuke exhaled a long sigh, fixing his eyes on the calendar. 4 days were left.

⏤.⏤

It was almost time for lunch and Suigetsu wisely went by himself instead of inviting his brooding friend to tag along. Sasuke was insufferable right now glaring everywhere, that only Karin with her weird fetishes would think it was hot. While he was considering which restaurant he should go for the day, he noticed bright blond hair from afar, so naturally, he approached in greeting.

“Hey Uzumaki. Good afternoon. Fancy seeing you.”

Naruto brightened up. “Oh hey! Hoozuki-san right? ‘Sup?”

Suigetsu shrugged. “Didn’t expect you here. Are you waiting for Sasuke?”

“Yeah, I fled from my aunt, like literally. Finally managed to squeeze some free time, so I thought we could have some lunch together.” Naruto missed that bastard like crazy, it was almost as if he was stranded on the Saara desert, thirsty without any drop of fucking water. Fuck, they should have escaped from his aunt back when there was some chance. Tsunade was hounding him like a hawk.

Suigetsu grunted, at long last the streak of Sasuke’s bad mood would be over. Though honestly, of all the people he had met, he’d never had guessed that his friend would be the one who is most attached to his soulmate. Not that it was anywhere difficult to understand why; seeing how Naruto’s personality fit Sasuke’s like a glove. Now considering…maybe he should address some things too. “Oh, by the way…I heard about Sasuke’s past flings bothering you and your aunt’s campaign. Did everything turn alright?”

The blond man sighed. “Yeah, only one asshole tried to manipulate us but that’s all. Don’t worry about it.”

“That’s great then.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that, if I knew that Sasuke already knew his soulmate before, I wouldn’t introduce him to some guys.”

Naruto pushed down the ugly emotion that wanted to spread through his veins like acid, inhaling sharply. He shrugged one shoulder. “Eh, don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault, it’s definitely Sasuke’s.”

“Yeah, and I didn’t do much exactly. Whenever we were at parties, I just pointed to any guy that was interested in him and he’d wobble in the general direction, wafting whatever Uchiha pheromone he had to seduce the poor lad.”

Naruto snorted. “That sounds about right. If there’s something that bastard is absolutely good at is being irresistible to anyone without even trying. Especially when he’s not trying.”

“Wait…” Suigetsu furrowed his eyebrows bewildered. “How long have you known Sasuke?”

“Oh, he didn’t tell you? We’re childhood friends. I’ve known him since we’re…five, or six? Something like that.”

“Huh.” That explained how Naruto knew his friend so well. Suigetsu’s fascination over the blond man increased; maybe he’d know some dirty secrets Sasuke would have so Suigetsu could gossip to Karin and Juugo.

⏤.⏤

Itachi had practically shoved him outside the building, claiming that his younger brother needed to take his mind off for a minute, also, his negative vibes were ruining the place. Scowling, he took the elevator, determined to go to the closest restaurant available and be done with it.

The moment the elevator opened, he quickly spotted Naruto’s signature golden hair. Heartbeats racing, all his bad mood fizzled out instantly as he quickened his steps. His boyfriend was busy chatting with someone that had his back facing him, half hidden behind the building’s column. Naruto laughed in response to something the other man had said, whatever giddiness that Sasuke was feeling washed away to jealousy. They haven’t seen each other for over a month, who is this man? The palm of his left hand pulsated in synch with angry stabs on his lungs, now identifying Suigetsu as he approached. How dare he…his body shifted in a flash, his hand wretched his friend away from Naruto.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” 

The second his snarl came so uncharacteristic out of his mouth, he witnessed the confusion and surprise coming from Suigetsu, coupled with Naruto’s own bewilderment. Their honest reactions was a splash of cold water on his face, the sudden realization of his own dark emotions resurfacing and spanning out of control.

Sasuke managed to mumble an apology, eyes frantically searching for a way out. He sprinted to the bathroom. “Whoa, hey! Sasuke? Uh⏤Hoozuki-san, I’ll see you later then! Sasuke!” Naruto followed behind. “What the hell, what gives?”

“... I shouldn't have overreacted.” He muttered, his boyfriend picked up the guilt lacing on his tone.

“Yeah…well, I mean. We're pretty crazy with the whole possessiveness thing huh.” When the shadows lingered from the graphite eyes, Naruto approached him, squeezing his hand. “I’m yours, remember?”

Sasuke looked unresponsive, his shoulders tense and fists curled. He glared to the ground, inhaling and exhaling in long breaths. Once he managed to refocus on his boyfriend, he muttered. “Anyways…it's almost time for lunch right. I know a good restaurant close by.”

“Sure, but…” 

Sasuke felt the tanned hand moving upwards to hold his arm. He wretched away snarling. “For once in my life this goddamn tattoo could stop sending whatever I'm feeling onto you!”

Naruto looked flabbergasted before sputtering. “Whoa no, calm down! I didn't use it to feel you, I swear to God. It doesn't take a genius not to see you're still in distress bastard.”

They took several minutes to assess one to another, Sasuke clenching his jaw so tight it’d hurt, attempting in ignoring the worried blue eyes staring straight at him. 

Naruto sighed. 

Though sudden, Sasuke was expecting the warm arms enveloping him into a comforting hug. A newer feeling of guilt rose ashore, how his silence prompted Naruto to calm him down. 

His soulmate patted his back in soothing movements, waiting till Sasuke would relax his body and return his embrace. “Don’t worry too much ok. Everything will be alright.”

⏤.⏤

Nothing will be alright.

Sasuke got this conclusion after what happened this afternoon. He got the worst traits of his parents’ relationship: all the possessiveness, manipulation, emotional blackmail. 

His longing, the pain of being apart from him made them too codependent, to the point they wouldn't see all the glaring red flags that they should work it through instead of ignoring it. He could see Naruto slowly conceding whatever thrown his way, exactly like his mother used to do, just because he could feel Sasuke's distress through the glowing tattoos. He could even isolate Naruto from his family and friends on a whim, just to maintain this frightening craving.

This mere idea scared the fuck out of him. That they'd roll down to the darkest pit slowly, that he'd chip away Naruto's personality, their relationship degrading day by day till the inevitable break up.

Because in no normal circumstances Naruto would ever choose him. He's too broken and had way too many emotional scars to properly have a romantic relationship with him. He'd repeat his parents bad habits and mistakes with the soulmate system covering it all. He have to stop this negative cycle, before it was too late.

Sasuke considered if this was a regular situation, he'd be able to work his issues with his boyfriend. However, as long as there's interference coming from it, he doubted he’d really improve himself, and his brain would constantly raise seeds of doubt whenever he'd interact with Naruto. 

He might need…a more radical approach.

⏤.⏤

While his head was occupied mulling the words he should use to lower all the possible negative repercussions, or which day was best to approach his boyfriend, Sasuke heard a knock on his door.

An ominous intuition twisted inside his stomach, as he opened his door already expecting Naruto waiting for him in the corridor. 

“I thought…you're busy.”

The blond man quirked an awkward smile, scratching the back of his head. 

Sasuke huffed. Great. Now he also had to bank in the fact that he was making Naruto run from his responsibilities. “So should I expect your aunt storming in soon, with bodyguards and ninjas ready?”

“Oh c'mon, she can survive without me for a few minutes.” Naruto snorted. “Shizune-neechan can help her out in any case.”

Licking his lips, his mind ran miles per minute, considering the present circumstances. “So…why are you here?”

“Um…” 

He didn't need to second guess the reason, not when his left palm throbbed in the close proximity of his soulmate. 

“I'm sorry, I know you're upset how invasive this ability can be, but this time I couldn't ignore it Sasuke.” His boyfriend looked plenty regretful that it was hard to hold any kind of anger towards his dumbass. 

Sasuke settled with a heavy sigh, his hand tightening on the door knob. “It's nothing. We can talk about it after the elections.”

“You don't have to lie to me. Seriously, what's going on?”

“Nothing.” Sasuke insisted, planting his feet to the ground. “It's not something worth talking about right now.”

“Sasuke, I'm already here for a very good reason, I don't need you beating around the bush.” Naruto grumbled, making an impatient noise with his teeth.

With only one step inched forward, his soulmate's body radiated so close to him that it destabilized all the walls he built up at once. He conceded letting the blond man go to the living room, before his resolve would crumble completely.

He swallowed dryly, his brain running miles per second as a heavy foreboding lodged on his stomach. He kept considering and reconsidering words and phrases, whatever that might ease the sentence he'd bring to his boyfriend. He opened his parched mouth, mumbling. “Naruto. I…I'm considering that m-maybe.” His heartbeats drummed on his knotted throat, so he forced his breathing to slow down. “Maybe we⏤I need to take some break.”

Cerulean eyes were understandably confused and shocked. “Sasuke, what the fuck.” 

He grumbled. “Let's talk afterwards in a more appropriate time, it's better.”

“No the fuck, it's not better. You're answering me right fucking now you asshole.” Naruto growled. “What the hell, why are you doing this? Is it ‘cuz I was busy this month? You know it's temporary right?”

Naruto's smartphone decided to buzz for attention, so with a groan, the blond man turned it off, throwing it on the sofa. He crossed his arms, narrowed eyes zeroed on Sasuke.

“It's not directly caused by this, it just helped to show the glaring flaws we have to each other.”

Naruto absorbed his speech, responding. “Alright, name it for me. We can work it out together, can't we?”

“We can't, not while we're soulmates Naruto.”

“...wh⏤”

“Will it make you slightly happier if I tell you the problem is me, not you?” Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth.

His soulmate actually stared in mild incredulity before snorting. “Isn't that the worst cliche excuse anyone would use when they want to break up with someone?”

“But it's the truth.” He replied in earnest. “And I’m not saying that we should break up, I just⏤I just needed some time. Alone. To reorganize myself, that’s all⏤”

Naruto snapped. “You don’t get to do this again, Sasuke. You're not disappearing out of my life without any proper explanation to me.” 

A heavy silence fell in the living room, only a ticking clock signalizing the passage of time as they were at a standstill, Sasuke glaring back with steadfast eyes, even if he was getting increasingly nervous inside. It really wouldn’t hurt if this dumbass could be a tiny bit less stubborn, he swore to God. “The things that I have to fix is out of your depth Naruto. I’m sparing you the pain, that’s all.”

“This is bullshit!” Naruto snarled, throwing his arms to the air. “You’re just giving me an excuse to shut me out again!”

“No, I swear that I’m not!”

“Surely it looks like that to me! It looks exactly like that last time back in college!” 

Sasuke groaned, crossing his arms. Naruto had to make the obvious parallel, there’s no winning in this whole debate. He pressed on. “It may look similar, I have good reasons for this decision, just like I had last time.”

“Sasuke, I just⏤” He messed his blond hair. “I'm just tired of you shutting me out. Why can't you just trust me a little, share about your pain and problems? I have to fill all the gaps you left behind.”

The issue was that he did trust Naruto with his life. But he couldn’t trust himself and he definitely didn’t trust the soulmate system and how much it’d skew their feelings. These reasons did nothing to diminish the remorse eating him inside though. “I know it sounds bad Naruto, but I think⏤”

Naruto rolled his eyes, tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh! You think? Surely it’s not something you always decide whenever you blow things out of proportion.”

Sasuke glowered, despising how his soulmate poked right on his weakest points. “You know that I had good reasons to do what I’ve done back in college.”

“Yeah, I did get it. I understood that we needed to grow up as individuals before getting together and starting an everlasting relationship. That’s why I left you alone for seven fucking years! But now we’re fucking adults Sasuke, we grew up, there’s no fucking excuse! How many hoops do I have to jump through, what the fuck do I have to do for you finally see that this relationship work??”

“THIS RELATIONSHIP WORK! I DON’T!”

His sudden outburst of emotion thundered in his house, shocking Naruto enough to halt his previous agitation. Breathing heavily, Sasuke continued his confession now the dam had ruptured.

“Why did you choose me if not for this goddamn system? I’m unstable, I’m a ticking time bomb. There’s no way anyone with a sane conscience would choose me to have a relationship.”

Cerulean eyes blinked out of his stupor, Naruto attempted to hold his ground. “Where did you get this idea, Sasuke? We were going so fine! We just had a few hiccups here and there but we can work this out!”

“No, I⏤I’m getting uncontrollable. I just saw you talking with Suigetsu, I already made some stupid hissy fit! I was getting ready to punch him just because I saw him flirting with you! My friend! Someone I should trust, and I wanted to punch his guts out.” He revealed his fears, staring at his trembled hands. 

“It only happened once! And didn’t I do something similar before Sasuke?”

“It’s different, yours is more substantial. I overreacted. And it’s not only this instance Naruto. This whole month I could barely function, just thinking of you. The tattoos kept feeding this emotion, till I couldn’t make any rational decision. This might just be the beginning too, if we continue through this path, what else will I do whenever I see you doing something I dislike?”

His boyfriend listened intently, shaking his head and holding his arms in a tight grip. “I understand your concerns, but isn’t the reason why we should face it together then?” 

“No, not while we’re soulmates. I don’t know how much it’ll manipulate us, how it’ll force us for shallow solutions instead of working things out. I don’t know if you’ll really forgive me for whatever wrong thing I’ll do, it’ll be solely because you’ll feel my regret instead of us searching for a common solution.”

“It’s because you keep seeing this system as something only negative, but⏤”

Sasuke interrupted. “This feeling is not natural and it’s also not healthy Naruto. That’s why I need to do this alone, before I hurt you even further. If I’m able to fortify myself against it⏤” (if I can avoid doing the same mistakes my parents did) “⏤it’s for the best. It is for the best. This system overwhelm us Naruto, control our lives.”

He paced around the room, his body out of Naruto’s reach. His thoughts kept spiralling out of control, dusty memories resurfacing and stinging his forgotten scars. All the screaming, his mother’s lowered head, his older brother’s protective arms⏤nothing but a product from a flawed structure that broke his family. Too busy with his own musings, Sasuke recollected another lost shard of their past. “Your mother suffered something similar right. How much this system can be destructive. Her feelings that she had for your father were so strong that she lost her will to live once she knew that her soulmate die⏤”

“SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW!”

Sasuke snapped his mouth shut, eyes widened in horror when he understood that he fell on a landmine, Naruto’s face changed from apprehension to boiling rage in a matter of seconds.

“My mom died from cancer ok! You don’t disrespect her like that! I never disrespected your parents okay, so I can’t believe you’ll manipulate the reason of her death just to justify your point of view!”

Gulping, Sasuke pleaded, his voice weak and subdued. “I’m sorry, but⏤!”

“I’m not hearing anything coming from you anymore you fucking asshole.” Naruto growled, his eyebrows still knitted in fury. “So that’s how you do this huh. You use how much you know me, how much you know my life to just stab on my weak points, just to get what you wanted. Fine! We’re done, we’re through.” He turned around with large steps, grabbing his smartphone, running towards the door but was halted with Sasuke’s hand tightened around his arm.

“Naruto, I really don’t want us going that far, I just need some time⏤”

He wretched his arm away from his grasp, shouting. “You don’t get to decide how you want Sasuke. I’m really tired of your bullshit excuses, we’re really done!” 

“But once I fix this problem with the soulmate system we can⏤”

Naruto exploded. “No. No! You don't get to blame this over the system. It's all on you, Sasuke, you're the one who knows me inside out, you're the one who said those fucking words. So I hope you’re happy with the results.”

He slammed the door shut, the heavy echo rumbling Sasuke’s heart as many emotions scrambled till only one emerged in a sharp pain: despair.

⏤.⏤

Placing a hand in front of his face while Sasuke attempted to block an incoming of jaw-popping yawn, he sighed happily when he received a peck on his lips.

“Morning!” Naruto sat in front of him, placing the bowl of rice and misso shiro on the table. “Hey, since I have a day off, I can cook some lunch for you if you want.”

“Cup ramen is not a suitable food for sustenance usuratonkachi.”

“I know that!” The blond protested, pouting. “I can cook regular food okay. I’ll even put some tomato salad since I know it’s your favorite.”

“I have to go now though, there are still some details we have to go through, some strategies we have to check.”

“So you’ll still be on the mission tower all morning right? It’s ok, once I’m done I’ll go there to personally give you the lunch. I’ll even make cute decorations, put it in a very pretty bento box just for you.” He fluttered his golden eyelashes mockingly, lacing his fingers.

“Dumbass.” Sasuke stood up, washed the dishes and put them on the rack. Slender fingers reached out to touch the whiskered cheek, mindlessly caressing with his thumb. He took his time to study every speckle brightening the cerulean eyes, blond eyelashes lowering as Naruto reached out for a long kiss. He moaned low on his throat, savoring the soft lips, gliding through each push and pull. Sasuke whispered, brushing their mouths together. “I'm off.”

Naruto hummed, giving him one last kiss. “Have a nice day then.”

It was a very odd day for Sasuke's teammates, as the Uchiha nin appeared to be in very high spirits, barely paying attention to the map of their mission, scribbling some nonsense while he just grunted in agreement whatever they would throw to him.

“So is Naruto arriving here soon? I hope.” Kakashi said, being the only one that connected the dots.

Sasuke made a non-committal noise, trying in vain to focus on the various appointed places and long instructions given. 

He kept recalling their pleasant night, filled with mouths and hands touching everywhere, grunts and groans, cock thrusting as they reached the peak.

What really made an impact for him was the morning after, waking up with the sight of Naruto sleeping next to him, giving him lazy kisses as they prepared for the day. The way they prepared the breakfast table, cooked together while they chatted about whatever subject made him crave for more. Sure, the circumstances that lead to this might had happened due to Naruto's usual idiosyncrasies, but that didn't mean that he couldn't wheel this to his favor. 

He should suggest that Naruto pack some clothes and the usual amenities, for his comfort, of course. The building's manager is an old man, too slow in fixing even the most insignificant issues. Plus, he doubted Naruto would be fast enough to find a painter and carpenter right off the bat. Till there he'd be able to convince him to stay with him, probably it'd be better getting ready to see when the lease was going to end.

“Well…” Kakashi muttered, seeing the calculating glint on Sasuke's eyes. “Time sure flies by, and seeing you two all grown-up gives me tears to my eyes. It's about time you two would live together after dating for over an year. I wonder when you are finally going to tie the knots.”

“We're…not dating.” Sasuke grumbled, his mood now souring.

The older nin stared back flabbergasted. He waited till they were the only ones left in the room and said. “There's no way you're not dating, not after the fact you two burned my retinas when I stumbled upon you kissing the daylights of each other in the ninja quarters.”

“It's not my decision, Naruto is the one who is the biggest dumbass ever graced on Earth.”

“What do you mean by⏤”

“Just ask him, he's close.” Sasuke mumbled noticing the dumbass’ chakra approaching, grin in place and bento box in hands. 

“Good afternoon! Hey Kakashi-sensei, ‘sup?” He placed the box on the table, yawning. “Man, I gotta go. I'm dying to take a nap.”

“So!” The older nin raised his voice, picking his attention. "I heard that you're living with Sasuke.”

“For now.” Naruto corrected.

Kakashi shrugged. “Sure. You two sure went through a lot over the years. I remember back when you used to be rivals, always competing over anything. But who'd have that you'd go so far for Sasuke right…”

“Of course I'd do that for him. Sasuke is my best friend after all!” Naruto declared happily.

There was a shocked silence with Kakashi’s eyes bulging wide, noticing the small huff next to him. He managed to utter out. “Um. Best friend?”

“Mmhm. It's great to have Sasuke close, his friendship means so much to me.”

Kakashi glanced incredulously towards Sasuke, and the Uchiha nin just gave him a look back.

“But…I have seen you two k-kissing, right? That's something you'd do to Sasuke?”

Cerulean eyes blinked confused before squinting close. “Yeah, why not. It's part of our bonds right.”

“Okay…but I suppose…you two have done um. Much more than that. That's also because he's your best friend?”

Naruto sombered up and declared, hand on his chest. “I once promised myself that I'd show him how my friendship would run deep that I'd be able to take him out his personal darkness. All of this is part of my promise that I won't ever back down.”

Kakashi made such a pitiful face towards him, like he was a kicked puppy abandoned in the coldest winter, that Sasuke considered incinerating him on the spot. 

“So that's what happens when we have young soldiers before they reach emotional maturity huh…”

“Spare me the dramatics Kakashi.” Sasuke growled.

No doubt wanting to aid his former students in this plight, Kakashi pressed on.

“Well…but things like kissing and other…things you'd do with someone…you probably wouldn't do with your best friend right? Let's think for a while, do you have any other close friend aside Sasuke?”

Naruto nodded. “Yeah, Gaara.”

“Alright…so, can you picture yourself doing these kinds of things with Gaara?”

With a small flicker of hope, Sasuke imagined that Naruto would scoff and deny, maybe few synapses would connect at last but the blue eyes kept contemplative. Naruto hummed, nodding slowly. 

“Wait. What. I can't believe you're actually considering it.” The Uchiha growled.

“Well, now that Kakashi-sensei mentioned I can't not consider it!” Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke just gripped Naruto's hand very tightly, throwing a dirty glare to his former teacher and said. “That was some enlightening conversation. We should get going now.”

Fuck. So now not only he had to get worried of all potential rivals but also the possibility that Naruto might return their affection. Gaara was definitely on the top the list, who else. Sai, Neji and Hinata too. Maybe Shikamaru? He's currently dating Temari but who knows how much they are willing to open their relationship. 

“Hey Sasuke, I think your teammates are calling for you.” Naruto pointed out, their hands still linked.

Fuck fuck. That's right, he's going away on a mission that's going to consume one whole week. “You better not destroy my house while I'm out.” He warned. 

Blue eyes rolled impatiently. “I have stayed so many nights over there, I don't get why you're so paranoid.”

Quick in his mind, Sasuke seized the opportunity. “Okay. Then you better not have anyone in my home, who knows what they might do in there.”

“Sure, whatever, place is yours.” Naruto looked around, waiting till his teammates were busy chatting and gave him a chaste kiss, murmuring. “I'm going to miss you. Don't take too long ok.”

It was always those small, special moments that weighed in the relationship he had with the blond nin. Despite Naruto's obvious shortcomings, his transparency and honesty about his feelings towards him was a breath of fresh air when they lived in a world full of deceit and disappointment.

The possible threat that any of Naruto's suitors might make a move while he was miles away from Konoha was enough incentive for him to have laser focus in finishing the mission. Kakashi must have sensed his bad mood because with his aid they managed to end it in a neck-breaking speed of only 3 days.

Unfortunately for him, his gossipy teammates already spread the news like wild fire.

He was walking to deliver his mission, when he saw with increasing suspicion, Sakura smiling a little too widely.

“So! I heard the rumors about how Naruto is part of the free market right.” He attempted to ignore the teasing tone. She hummed. “I wonder if he still has a crush on me.”

“Aren’t you dating Ino?” Sasuke snapped.

“Ino is perfectly ok. She said she always wanted to have a threesome with a hot dude.”

Sharingan activated, promising silent murder.

“Alright calm down. Before you go all caveman, ‘Naruto is mine’ while you drag him by the hair, have you considered, you know, telling him your feelings so you can make all the possible suitors back the hell off?” Sakura tactfully pointed out the obvious.

“It's not that simple.”

“It is that simple. Just repeat after me: Naruto, what I feel about you goes beyond normal friendship. I want you to be my boyfriend and be exclusive to each other. Wow, would you look at that. My speech was so short that I wasn't short of breath.” She made a fake gasp, unable to contain her sarcasm.

This confident; that took no shit from him version of Sakura was such a pain.

Almost as if he was summoned by them, Naruto appeared behind them, enveloping her with a bear hug. “Sakura-chaaaaaaan!” He noticed Sasuke and exclaimed. “Hey Sasuke! You're already back!”

The taciturn man acknowledged with a short nod.

Naruto tightened his hold around Sakura grinning. “It's always nice to see you! You look cute every day.”

“Awww, thanks! It’s always nice hearing this from you.”

“Sure! Wanna go on a date with me?” Naruto recited in automatic; an old habit they maintained since they were teenagers.

But this time Sakura took her time to study her seething friend, a sly beam shown on her face. “Maybe I should.”

Mildly shocked, Naruto released his arms around her and paused. He muttered. “I'm not paying for that expensive restaurant you and Ino were planning to go next weekend.”

“Well, I'm not asking for that stupid Naruto!” She pinched his cheek none too gently, ignoring his feeble protests as his face was stretched wide. “Anyways, I should get going. See you!” 

She threw one final significant glance towards Sasuke, mouthing silently ‘talk to him’ before going away.

He glared back, mind preoccupied that he didn't notice Naruto approaching, dry lips covering his own. 

Reeling, Sasuke was quick to recover and dragged him to a secluded spot, surrendering his desires to taste his lover, drink the low moans getting intoxicated by his citrusy scent. 

Naruto released with a happy sigh, fingers brushing lovingly the pale cheeks, eyes crinkling warmly. 

“I thought I was going insane seeing you so soon. I missed you so much that I almost considered going to Suna to kidnap you.” He chuckled.

At the admission of that place, Sasuke could feel his mood darkening as he grumbled. “You're sure you're going to retrieve me instead of making out with your new best friend Gaara?”

Befuddled, Naruto slackened his jaw before he remembered the last conversation. “Oh, that! I was joking Sasuke. I wouldn't do something like that with Gaara.”

“But you did consider.”

Naruto threw his arms carelessly, untroubled. “I mean, he is hot anyways…”

An infinite number of murderous plans ran in his mind, one more gruesome than the other. While he was clouded with dark thoughts, he almost missed by a second a knowing smirk on the blond’s lips.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

⏤.⏤

Naruto definitely knew his feelings for Sasuke for a very long time. The moment he hit puberty, he figured, he probably shouldn't jerk off picturing his best friend, even when said best friend kept tempting him with that slutty outfit back when they were 16, his torso all wide open for his viewing pleasure. It couldn't be helped, and the faster Naruto accepted his crush, the better.

Thing is, Naruto could be very oblivious about most things, but he certainly understood Sasuke the most. And the bastard was always the most stubborn guy Naruto ever met. He could launch hours and hours of diatribe, he could get as many people trying to convince Sasuke otherwise but the asshole maintained resolute. Words are meaningless, he managed to make him change his mind through fists. 

So either Naruto had to beat the shit out of him, or he could fuck the shit out of him. Different actions, similar results.

What Naruto had to do was plant suggestions so the genius would think it was his idea. Thus, reducing the chance of backlash.

For example: It wasn't his fault that he let his best friend ogle his nude upper body, today was just too hot and all the exercises just made him very sweaty.

Or, he couldn't help being kissed by Sasuke, it was just a coincidence he would be pinned on the ground in one of their spars, breath fanning close to his friend's face, moaning while he accidentally rubbed Sasuke's inner thigh.

He's helping Sasuke release some stress when he massaged his back while they were showering. Who'd have thought that massaging his cock would give such extraordinary results?

The first time they had sex was a series of fortunate accidents, of course. Hey, it's not his fault he was so irresistible that Sasuke pounced on him while they were taking a bath. They shared a night together because he didn't book two rooms at the inn. I mean, saving costs and everything, it's always good paying attention to that, right.

Things have evolved ever since, to the point that they practically spent every waking moment together. By day they would train or chat as usual, but almost every night they would be screwing their brains out. Which is great and all, and gave an interesting dimension to their already very complex relationship but Naruto did want to take the next step in the right direction.

How, though? The logical way would be finally confessing his feelings but somehow…Naruto was very resistant to this idea. 

He wished to feel…wanted, after all.

That asshole forced him to spend 4 whole years chasing after him, ruined his 17th birthday and almost made him bleed to death to take him back to Konoha! The least he could do is confess his feelings first, not forcing Naruto to do instead one more goddamn time. 

He didn't want to admit it but there was a nagging fear that Sasuke might backtrack and tell him what they had was purely physical, therefore Naruto couldn't take the first step yet. What if his romantic feelings weren't reciprocated?

So he used the oblivious bimbo mask so well that, save Shikamaru, no one noticed that he was feigning the whole friggin’ time. The fact that he was infamous for being dense also worked in his favor.

Plus, it's always so entertaining pressing Sasuke's buttons. The blond man sniggered to himself, remembering the time he mentioned Gaara, he could practically see a vein popping on the bastard's forehead. Who'd have thought that he would have such a possessive side? It was thrilling and kind of hot actually. Now Naruto just had to continue playing his cards right to get the results he wanted.

If only he wasn’t such an overcomplicated bastard, Naruto would have done the regular, SANE course of courting a person and asking on a date. But nope, he guessed that’s how it is, that’s how life was going to happen. 

A mischievous grin emerged on his face, morphing to a chuckle that escaped through while he was walking to the Uchiha compound. He didn't notice that he was being tailed by one suspicious dark-haired nin.

⏤.⏤

Sasuke sometimes kept forgetting that Naruto is, indeed, the most unpredictable ninja.

The moment he figured that moron was smiling with a calculated edge, everything fell into place. The entire time when he thought he was making a move, Naruto was actually seducing him back!

He recalled all the ‘accidental’ movements that came from the blond nin, every brush on his hand, every touch that lingered was a premeditated plan.

Sasuke was already aware of his crush he had back when they were genin, so it was fairly easy to fall into this trap. Naruto kept tempting him all the time, slowly stripping his t-shirt right in front of him, gawking at the sturdy sweaty muscles. Or when the blond man tripped over him, almost triggering a 3rd accidental kiss. Or whenever he'd moan just right, relaxing on the spring water while Sasuke attempted to will down his erection.

And the popsicle, of course, the popsicle. Sasuke was way too busy wishing it was his dick thrusting in that mouth instead, that he didn't see the blatant signs. How the fuck he kept falling for that farce for so long?? He had Sharingan for heaven’s sake (that he used to record how that soft lips was wrapping tightly around the sweet treat).

Why did that idiot kept doing that for so long though? The first logical conclusion was trolling. Naruto loved teasing him and just because they were in a romantic relationship that didn't stop Konoha’s biggest prankster.

The next, and probably the main explanation, is that Naruto wanted him to make the first move, considering all the complicated past they had together. It was a fairly logical strategy because admittedly, he had a hard time trusting people and opening himself.

That dumbass really thought that he’d struggle this much to put his ego aside and recognize his feelings huh.

…Well, he’s absolutely right. Sasuke once had to bust his whole arm to admit that Naruto was much more important than his plans for revolution, does he really think that a flimsy plan such as this would be enough to sway him?

He might have lost the battle so far, though he wasn't going to lose the war. He arrived later in his house, enjoying the cosy noises as Naruto was cutting carrots to put in their curry gravy.

“I’m home.” He muttered, placing his shoes on the rack as he kissed the whiskered cheek.

“Welcome home, help me out and cook the rice for me ok.”

Sasuke obeyed him, as they finished the day with the usual teasing quips while they ate dinner and watched a movie before going to bed. He allowed himself to relax listening to noises of kunais clashing through the TV, his chin tucked on the top of Naruto’s golden hair, hands linked.

See. They could spend the rest of their days in this blissful life but no, that usuratonkachi just had to make this whole elaborate ploy. He will confess his feelings towards Naruto eventually, of course. Naruto just had to do it first.

That’s all.

Really.

To make matters more complicated, he heard that the Suna confederation was arriving for diplomatic affairs, which obviously included their beloved leader, Sabaku no Gaara. 

Of all the friendships Naruto had collected throughout his life, Sasuke felt threatened by Gaara the most. He knew, logically speaking, Naruto deserved being surrounded by people who cherished him and there’s no discernible threat from a platonic love. Gaara represented something else entirely. He might be the closest Naruto felt as a kinship, as fellow jinchuurikis. Sure, Naruto was also friends with Killer Bee but since they both suffered similar childhood trauma and had the same age, Sasuke was forced to admit to himself that there were some facets of Naruto’s life that only Gaara would understand, no one else.

Not to mention that he always had a nagging sensation that Gaara would gladly take his place if only Sasuke didn’t hold Naruto’s heart first and foremost. 

Nevertheless, whenever Naruto would visit Gaara or vice-versa, he was forced to hear the dumbass’ incessant and excited blabber, trying to keep his jealousy at bay. Thank the Gods that Gaara lived in another country, he had to tolerate this event only for a few weeks occasionally.

They were getting back from the Hokage Tower after an exhausting day, Naruto could feel Sasuke’s bad mood practically oozing in every pore. An impish idea reeled in his mind, so he said. 

“Oh yeah! You don’t have to cook dinner for me for the next few days, I already talked with Gaara and he had a spare room for me to stay in the hotel they booked.”

The Sharingan almost manifested but Sasuke closed his eyes, willing his temper down. “Okay.”

“...okay?”

He managed to shrug his shoulders as unconcerned as possible. “Sure, it’s been a while since you saw him right? You probably have a lot to talk about.”

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, confusion escalating. He craned his face closer to inspect Sasuke's blank expression. “Really? You won’t mind me and Gaara spending all day together?”

The Uchiha nin summoned every inch of his patience, not following the blatant provocation. “Hn. I can't control who you will or might want to see.” He then laid his own trap, smirking. “Unless you have good reasons for me to stake the claim, of course.”

Blue eyes stared mystified. Sasuke’s smirk broadened.

They took long seconds silently perusing each other, walking through the empty streets. Something about Sasuke’s haughty air made Naruto groan in dawned comprehension, the Uchiha just snorted back.

He supposed that he could drop the fake naiveté and go straight to Sasuke’s weakest points.

“Maybe before I meet Gaara, I should buy some lube and condoms, who knows what might happen in the future…”

Red iris flashed.

-SNIP-

In the span of only one second, Naruto could feel his t-shirt shattering into small pieces, fluttering to the ground. He glanced incredulous, cool graphite eyes staring back at him.

“Ah. Whoops. My hand slipped.” Sasuke muttered in the most nonchalant tone he could muster.

Naruto grumbled some curses, then shrugged. “Whatever, I can still go with my pants o⏤” 

-SNIP-SNIP-SNIP-

And just like that, he felt a breeze passing through his legs, orange fabric all tattered.

“Whoops again. How embarrassing of me.” The Uchiha said monotone once again, even though a quirk on the corner of his lips said otherwise.

Asshole. Bastard. Son of a bitch. Prick. Shithead. His murderous thoughts halted once he noticed Sasuke’s close proximity, fingers brushing on his buttock.

“I can give you some of my spare clothes in my home if you want.”

“You better give me your entire wardrobe after that.” He growled through gritted teeth.

⏤.⏤

Naruto barely registered his back pressed to the wall, mouth open ready to swallow Sasuke's lustful grunt, his own hands grabbing the expensive fabric.

He breathed out in between kisses. “You’re a bastard.”

“And yet you still can’t get enough of me.” Sasuke murmured, groping his lover’s ass in retaliation when canines sank on his lower lip.

Naruto frowned from the clear disparity as he was only in his boxers while the asshole was clothed from head to toe. He ripped the turtleneck apart, uncaring to the glare he received as he attacked the pale neck. Before he could completely focus in pleasuring his lover, he still had to ask. “When did you realize everything?”

Sasuke snorted, grunting when Naruto sucked a sensitive area. “You laid too thick talking about Gaara, I could see it in your smile idiot.”

Dammit. Naruto cursed to himself. He was getting so close. He inhaled sharply when slender fingers caressed his body, mouth latching on his nipple. His hands held Sasuke’s face to catch his attention, raising for another drugging kiss.

Sasuke could feel the warm hand unzipping his pants, palming his half-erect dick. When he noticed the tanned fingers were trying to slither inside his boxers, he halted holding the wrist. That dumbass had no concept of foreplay.

Naruto grunted in protest, mouths still thoroughly attached together. He thrust his hips forward, grinding their clothed cocks but Sasuke halted with a hand in between, teasing with fluttering movements, one leg up languidly brushing his balls.

“Fuck! Bastard, c’mon…” He walked backwards on the general direction of their bedroom, hands holding the back of the dark hair. Sasuke was always so goddamn slow. He growled. “If you keep fucking around maybe I should take matters with my own hands.”

He felt the soft texture of their bed as they teleported instantly with Rinnegan (what a waste of chakra), also detecting a certain constraint around his wrists. Looking upward, he saw that he was handcuffed to the headboard. 

Sasuke covered Naruto’s hands, stopping him from calling his clones. “Don’t you even dare.”

“Why do I have to tag along with your fetich⏤Aaaaaah!” He was rewarded with a hard grind, Sasuke freeing his erection from the confines of his boxers.

However, he took his sweet time in removing his pants, gliding it down with the navy blue underwear. Naruto drank at the sight of Sasuke’s taut muscles, nimble limbs, scars that varied in dimension and history, that showed the harsh burdens from being a shinobi. He loved Sasuke’s every flaw and weakness that made him so special. Even if he drove the blond man insane sometimes.

Sasuke squirted some lube on his hand, using it to glide smoothly through the length. They had done this so many times, he knew Naruto’s body with sharp expertise, every lustful gasp, how his nostrils flared when he tapped the ridge. He slowly increased the rhythm, Naruto’s moans growing in cadence.

He then coated his fingers with more lube, not wasting any second by spearing it inside. Naruto widened his legs in response, waist rolling together as if he wanted to take in more. The handcuffs clattered and rattled, wrists showed some angry lines marring his sun-kissed skin. 

He curled his fingers inside the tight channel, stimulating his lover’s prostate with growing motion, as another hand pressed the perineum. Naruto tossed his head to the side, pleasured mewls punctuating with each gasp. He screamed when Sasuke returned his attention to the swollen cock, pre-cum flowing from the slit. 

“Sasuke⏤Sas⏤Aaaah! Oh fuck yes⏤! C’mon!”

His lover just widened a wicked smirk, as he continued to stroke the prostate, his face nuzzled on the tanned chest and planted a playful kiss on it. 

“Oh God! C’mon you bastard!”

“Impatient aren’t you?” 

Naruto swore to himself, he’s going to kill this asshole after all this. “C’mon…I need it⏤” He breathed out.

“Mmm? Need what?” Sasuke drank on the sight of his lover’s lustful eyes, black iris practically eclipsing the cerulean hue.

Naruto clenched his jaw, his pride still unable to concede defeat. “I need you⏤”

“I’m already here usuratonkachi.” Sasuke pointed out, his eyes twinkling in mischief.

“FUCK. YOU. AAARGH. I need your cock bastard! I need your cock in me!”

He didn’t need to tell him twice, shouting in delight when he felt the hot rod penetrating him and robbing his air. They settled a ruthless pace, because Sasuke knew that’s how his lover enjoyed, being thoroughly fucked with piercing thrusts.

Naruto loathed the fact that he had his arms constrained, unable to pull him impossibly closer till their bodies would merge completely. His legs tightened around Sasuke’s waist, crying out when teeth sank on his hard nipple, tongue licking over the bite mark. He attempted to free his wrists once again, pleading.

“Kiss⏤kiss me⏤” They moaned in unison when their swollen lips glided over each other smoothly, another sharp impale had them reeling. Their kisses echoed altogether with wet noises of their bodies smacking, balls slapping on his ass. 

Sasuke could feel his orgasm crawling through his skin, though he willed it down, not until Naruto would cum first. He loved seeing the enraptured expression on his face, the small shudders in delight, how the mouth slowly slackened in a silent scream, eyes rolled upwards. They rode the pleasurable waves together as it kept rising in intensity, higher and higher till they reached rapture, creamy viscous liquid splashed on the tanned stomach, filled inside his ass. 

Panting as they were recovering from the high, Naruto gently kicked Sasuke’s chest, as he understood the silent command and dislodged his cock from his lover. He shook the handcuffs, blue eyes glancing towards the gadget so Sasuke obeyed him, freeing his wrists.

Naruto rubbed his wrists, sitting up as he positioned face to face towards him. Warm fingers touched his cheek, a languid kiss reached his mouth. For now, there were only quiet smacking of lips overlapping and matching, contrasting to the fervent lust they had moments ago.

Naruto released him and asked. “Alright. So, aren’t you supposed to say something to me?” 

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. “What are you talking about?” 

“I mean, the fact that you won’t let me have anything remotely romantic with other people means something to us right?”

“I have no clue.” The Uchiha recited almost airily.

Naruto huffed and glowered.

“What about you? Isn’t it time for you to confess something? The fact that you kept this ruse for so long? Why would you go so far for me?” Sasuke questioned instead.

“Didn’t we have this conversation years ago? I’m your friend, I’m so glad I met you and I want to shoulder your darkness bla bla bla etc?” He said rapidly.

“Don’t give me that bullshit usuratonkachi. That part we already covered, but why do you want to spend your time with only me? Care to share?”

“Um. It’s always nice being with my best friend right.” Naruto singsonged, avoiding his gaze.

Sasuke closed his eyes and mumbled. “Did you know that I have an almost photogenic memory?”

That sudden information caught him off guard. “Huh? So what?”

“Did you really think I'd forget that back when we met at the Orochimaru’s lab, the whole reason you took so long to counterattack, was because you couldn't stop staring at my open chest?” Sasuke quirked a victorious smirk.

Naruto sputtered. “That was⏤! I mean, I was⏤! Bastard! Just admit your feelings for me!” He exploded.

“Shouldn’t you do this too?” Sasuke growled, his patience also snapping.

“You have to first!”

Naruto glared. Sasuke glared back.

The fight was on. The first man that would confess the undying love he had for the other would lose.

(they still had enough energy to have angry sex)

⏤.⏤

And thus, all Konoha citizens could mark that line in history when their strongest ninjas of their country were exhibiting aggressive PDA right in front of their poor eyes.

It all started quite tame, when Sasuke was just talking with one of his teammates when he felt a pinch on his ass.

“Sorry about that, it was just begging for me to grope it.” Naruto shrugged, ignoring the venomous glare in return.

Sasuke later retaliated by cornering him, grabbing his jacket and kissing him. Fingers fluttered over the covered nipple and injected the smallest amount of electricity.

“Ahnn⏤aaaaaaaaaaaaaah! You kinky bastard, what did you do???” The blond nin managed to cover the incoming moan, crossing his arms.

“It was just a small accident, don’t take it to heart usuratonkachi.” The brunet smirked, puffing away.

On the next day, Naruto used his jinchuuriki abilities and injected a good amount of chakra on Sasuke’s spine, he shivered in response.

“It was just an accident, asshole!” Naruto blew a raspberry, hopping away from the incoming Chidori aimed his way.

Their small war unfortunately continued to escalate. From Sasuke sweeping his feet just so he could catch him mid-fall and stealing a kiss, to Naruto using his clones to drag him to a secluded alley.

One would think that with their daily skirmishes meant that they wouldn’t do anything by night. Sadly for all their neighbors, this fact was absolutely untrue. If anything, their moans and screams have grown louder much to their aggravation.

After a whole week in this battle, Naruto stopped Sasuke while the latter was in the Hokage tower ready to take another mission.

“Hey, by the way…I fixed my apartment.”

He saw how Sasuke tensed his shoulders, feet glued to the ground. “I see.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “So…?”

His lover just stared, his usual apathetic demeanor now looking conflicted. 

Naruto tried to push a little bit more. “And my contract is almost expiring, I might need to renew my lease.”

Sasuke grunted again. “I see.”

While all the other ninjas kept passing by, they were clueless why both men were completely petrified, wordless communication happening between them. For long minutes, they just observed the blond nin hunched shoulders, with Sasuke crossing his arms.

Out of nowhere, Naruto groaned loudly and aimed a kick towards the Uchiha nin’s face. “ARGH! You're the most stubborn bastard I ever met in my whole life!”

Sasuke dodged, hand already reaching for his katana and unsheathing it. “Me?! You’re the one who is the most hard-headed moron in this whole world!”

Naruto blocked the incoming slashes with his kunai, calling for two clones. The other ninjas in vicinity either fled away or mumbled requests for them to stop.

Sasuke managed to kick away the clones as they disappeared in clouds of smoke, ducking from a punch aimed to his shoulder. He made a few hand signs, puffed his chest ready to deliver a fireball. Naruto also got ready for his water jutsu.

“YOU TWO. STOP FIGHTING IN THE HOKAGE TOWER YOU BRATS!” A thunderous scream shook the building as Tsunade punched them both, throwing them off the place and making a huge hole on the ceiling.

Sasuke and Naruto fell a mile away, nursing their swollen cheeks. 

The brunet sighed. “This is pointless. Anyways, it’s about time for our dinner. Let’s go.”

The blond nin considered and broadened a playful grin. “Only if it’s a date then.”

Dark eyes gazed back and he muttered in deadpan. “You know, I used to like you better when you used to play the clueless dumbass.”

Naruto harrumphed back.

The restaurant Sasuke chose was more of a high-end cuisine, as the hostess hurried to find an empty seat for them. They sat facing each other, silently regarding the present situation.

“Alright.” Naruto conceded. “I think it’s obvious what we have each other and why we’re struggling to confess it. So…I have an idea.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes on me you asshole!” Naruto banged on the table. “Listen. I’m going to count to three. On three, we’ll confess together. How does that sound?”

A black eyebrow was raised.

Naruto made short jumps on his seat, psyching himself. “Alright, here we go! On three. One, two, three!”

There was only silence.

“You didn’t go through with my plan!” Naruto yowled.

“Because your plan is idiotic and unnecessary. You also didn’t obey your own plan.”

“Because I thought you’d do the honorable thing and tell me first.” 

“You first dumbass.” Sasuke smirked.

“No, you first!”

“You fir⏤”

“OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOD, YOU TWO COULD JUST STOP.” A feminine shrill boomed in the whole restaurant.

Ino appeared behind their booth, gnashing her teeth, despite her girlfriend attempting to stop her from clobbering them.

“I’m serious! How the fuck do you manage around these two dumbasses?! I thought my team was dysfunctional but yours take the cake Sakura!” She complained, trying to pry away Sakura’s hand tying around her waist.

“Why are you here?” Sasuke muttered, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh, you have no place to be suspicious of me, Uchiha Sasuke! I booked this place months ago okay. I wanted to visit this restaurant waaaaaay before you two dunces decided to bother us! I just wanted a quiet and nice date with my girlfriend, but now I have to suffer hearing you two! Well, I’m over it!” Ino slapped on the table and said. “Sasuke, stop being so fucking paranoid and admit that you love Naruto. Naruto, stop being so insecure, Sasuke is not running away if you tell him the truth, he’s just being a fucking bitch.”

“Wait, I’m not being insecure⏤” “I’m not that paranoid⏤” The men tried to defend themselves but Ino had no time for bullshit.

“I don’t care! GET OUT.” She used her mind control jutsu and booted them out.

Twice in a row they had gotten a thorough beating from women. This time, they were rubbing their backs, standing up outside. The street lamps flickered with a constant buzz, the moon illuminated their night.

“Did Ino tell the truth?” Sasuke inquired, sobering up.

Naruto gazed back at his long-time rival, best friend and lover. He strayed his eyes to the ground, taking his time in reflection and admitted. “Yeah. I mean, sometimes I admit that I’m too intense with anything about you, you know? Maybe I kept pushing you around, it might tire you. So I wanted…to be a little reciprocal.” He finished the last sentence with a whisper.

“Hn.” Sasuke paused with his own contemplation. “There’s nothing for you to be afraid of, and you know that usuratonkachi. The whole reason I’m here, alive and well is solely because of you. I want to be next to you, today, tomorrow, from any day forward.” 

Whatever shadow that was marring Naruto’s face melted away to a blossoming grin. “Really? I’m glad. There’s no one else I want to spend my life with Sasuke. Only you.”

Sasuke nodded, covering his mouth to hide his own smile.

Their stomachs growled. Oh right, they were still hungry.

“I’ll cook you Ramen tonight. Let’s go to our home, Naruto.” He raised his hand, expecting. Naruto didn't miss the small blush dusting the pale cheeks.

He laughed, linking their fingers. “I’ll make you some onigiris. I’m putting some natto inside!”

“Don’t you dare.”

⏤.⏤

There were still several boxes left, as they walked back from the third floor back to the first floor, a cumbersome and repetitive task that was tiring as well as necessary. Once they placed it all inside, Karin bought some refreshments for them to drink.

“Really hoping that that fucking asshole won’t find me anymore.” She grumbled, shuffling to hide her tattoo. “I’d love to get rid of this bullcrap on my arm, it just keeps helping him out. Does that happen with you and your soulmate too?”

“Sometimes, really occasionally. I suspect he’s using some kind of technology to help him pinpoint you better.” Sasuke answered. “Doesn’t matter Karin, we’ll protect you. I won’t let him hurt you.”

She smiled, nudging him with her shoulders. “Don’t say stuff like that, makes me want to fall in love with you again.”

“Mm. Too bad you’re not exactly my gender type for me to reciprocate your feelings.” Sasuke smirked.

“Yeah, well, makes me a teeny little bit regretful that I had the surgery to change my gender. I bet if I had your preferred equipment, I might stand a chance.”

“I really doubt that. You look very happy with how you look now.”

Karin shrugged. “Yeah. But who am I kidding, I knew since college that you weren’t interested in anyone. And now that you’re back to dating him, I’m pretty sure I stand no chance against your soulmate.”

The young man opened his mouth and then closed with a frown, grunting. He opened one box and began sorting the contents inside, placing neatly on the ground.

“Ah yes. I can see you shifted to ‘brooding mood’ because you can’t give me a smartass answer. Just don’t break my glasses okay, they are expensive.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Karin repeated his same sentence with a mocking expression. “I don’t KnOW wHaT you’re tAlking aBouT. Oh you stupid tool.” She rolled her eyes. “Suigetsu told me how you’re utterly smitten with your soulmate, Naruto-kun is his name right? He also gave me a loooot of details about how your soulmate is a total smoke show.”

“First, you all need to mind your own business. Second, Suigetsu really need to stop salivating over any hot guy that passes through his eyes.”

“Oh! So you admit that he’s hot huh. Now I’m really curious about him. When am I going to meet him?”

Sasuke just gave a deadpan look back.

“You can’t just hog him all to yourself! I want to see with my own two eyes the poor sap that managed to bag you. He must be a fucking saint.” Karin paused for a moment and added. “Either that or he's really good in bed. Or wait. Or both, and if it's this case you're one lucky bastard.”

Her friend merely sighed, still occupied in unwrapping her things and placing on the floor. For a moment, there were only quiet noises of porcelain clattering, while Karin giggled to herself. He contemplated while they opened another box, and decided to  ask her. “So you don't mind?”

She blinked and gazed him back in bewilderment.

Sasuke gulped and pressed forward. “You don't mind that, despite you're trying to escape from your soulmate, I'm in a relationship with mine?”

Karin shook her head with ease. “No, not at all. Of course, unless I felt I had a chance to date you I'd probably mind hah. But that's not the case, unfortunately for me.” 

“It still feels wrong though.” Sasuke thought to himself but settle with a grunt in response. 

She kept studying his low cast gaze, thought lost in his own world. Karin sighed inwardly. Sasuke did have a habit of having a manicheist world view; black and white, struggling to see shades of gray. That usually would help him have a laser focus straight to his goal, but that also meant that he always suffered whenever he received conflicting information on his hands, unable to move forward, not until he could neatly place them in each corresponding safe box. She settled to squeeze his hand, declaring nonplussed.

“I don't need your pity Sasuke-kun.”

That broke him out of his stupor, as one black eyebrow was raised.

“I'm serious. I'm not someone that narrow-minded that hate on anyone with a fulfilling relationship just because of my unfortunate circumstances.”

Sasuke frowned. “But…”

“Oh you're such a big dumb softie.” She huffed, ignoring her friend's glower that showed her statement was very much not appreciated. She gave him some very pointy pokes with her manicured finger. “Listen to me, listen very hard to me.” 

When she caught Sasuke's full attention, Karin said. 

“You're a stubborn, bull headed, insufferable⏤”

Graphite eyes rolled in exasperation.

“Arrogant, holier-than-thou, narrow-minded⏤”

“Is there a point to this?” Sasuke grumbled.

“Buuuut deep down, very very deep down, you’re a gentle soul. You saw the unfortunate situation I fell into and sympathized strongly that you refused to get involved with your soulmate for years, even though your relationship is way better than mine. You've already done plenty as an ally, listening to our stories, dedicating to our cause. It’s enough.”

“...it feels like I'm being a hypocrite.”

“You’re thinking too much. Every relationship is different Sasuke-kun, and I’m glad that yours is working. He makes you happy, doesn’t he?”

Happy. Such a simple word and yet weighted so much in his mind. These simple 5 letters word were repeated and questioned over and over in a short span of one day, his mother and his older brother's voices echoing in his memories. Yet he couldn't stop his tilt of lips, whenever he recalled Naruto's face, his warm grins and kisses, his sharp quips and smart interjections, his empathetic and kind nature.

Karin certainly noticed his subtle smile and started fanning to herself. “Awwwww seeing Sasuke-kun all lovey-dovey…it’s really hot! You know?” He rolled his eyes once more, too used with his friend's usual shenanigans. 

“I better go. Suigetsu is arriving soon and I don't want you both nagging and bullying me about Naruto.”

“Nooooo you have to stay!” Karin groaned, holding the hem his shirt on a vice grip. “We gotta know all the hot details about you and your soulmate!”

“Definitely n⏤” He paused, his tattoo throbbing on his hand.

Karin noticed the glow, previous teasing now gone. “What happened?”

“I think…I have to go.”

⏤.⏤

Flashes. Flashes and more flashes till his eyes could barely see what was ahead. Reporters surrounded him with microphones close to his mouth, a chorus of voices insisting in extracting whatever came out of him.

“Uzumaki-san, is it true that your aunt's late husband used to be her soulmate? Why is she dating once again?”

“Uzumaki-san, do you supposedly approve of your aunt's current choice? Have you met him?”

For once, Naruto was thankful for years of media training that Shizune taught him. He immediately muttered. “Excuse me, make way.”

“Uzumaki-san!”

“I have no comments regarding what you are all asking, make way.” Despite being taller and burlier than all the reporters, he couldn't really pry them all away as most were blocking his building’s entrance. 

“Uzumaki-san, we just want a word. Do you know anything about Jiraiya?”

“Who?” Naruto mumbled, further confused.

“Jiraiya is a famous erotic novel writer. He’s seen with your aunt talking in a restaurant, holding hands even. Your aunt Tsunade didn’t mention anything about this with you?”

Cerulean eyes blinked before successfully masking with a nonchalant face. “Again, I have no further comments regarding this.”

“You think that this is alright? You musn’t be right? Or else your aunt would introduce him to you.”

“No further comments, please make way.” Naruto grouched, his patience thinning out.

“So you have an issue with your aunt dating again?”

One older male reporter questioned, practically shoving his microphone on his face. “Don’t you think your uncle would be appalled the way your aunt is not honoring his wishes?”

Something inside Naruto snapped, furious that these people dared to insult Tsunade. He turned to face the reporter, hand moving the microphone further away from him. 

“Honoring?” He scoffed. “My aunt honors her late husband every single day, by taking his mantle and engaging in politics. She honors my late mother; her sister, by raising me since I was a child. She honors our society for doing exemplary public work for decades. Did you know that if she gets elected this time, she not only will be one of the youngest mayors in history, but she'll also be the first female Tokyo mayor? Think about the opportunities she'll gives us, the positive repercussions.”

Some reporters flinched from his caustic tone, the more seasoned ones mocked. “Uzumaki-san, we're not here for you to do her campaign.”

Naruto didn’t waste one second in response. “And you all weren't supposed to be here to hunt for the latest gossip when we're talking about serious issues such as an election. In the election we were supposed to be debating about which candidate has the best proposal, which is the most prepared, which is the most qualified. Not who she or he is dating.”

“It is important because whoever she's with, might influence her opinion.” One interjected.

“I can personally assure you that my aunt keeps her professional and personal facets pretty damn separated.” Naruto snarled.

“Isn't she supposed to be ashamed for cheating on her late husband?”

“Cheating?!” Naruto raised his voice, now towering menacingly over them. “My uncle has departed from this world more than 20 years ago, how is this cheating?! Let's go back to how my aunt is the first female candidate for Tokyo mayor with a good chance of winning. How our misogynistic society always creates these double standards. We've already seen other candidates moving on from their deceased partners, re-marrying even. But you're all badgering me, her nephew, from an assumption that frankly, it's her personal life, she should live as she'd like as long as it's within the law.”

“Uzumaki-san, are you telling that you go against the soulmate system⏤”

“Uzumaki-san what's your point of view⏤”

Naruto shouted, silencing them at once. “Let’s talk about important stuff! Let’s talk about Uzumaki Tsunade’s accomplishments! She pushed forward egalitarian laws, equal pay, more protection against abusive homes, more job opportunities! Let’s talk about that! If we’re not talking about that, let me through.” Using both of his arms, Naruto pried the reporters apart with considerable effort, grunting while they were still badgering him all the way through.

“Uzumaki-san!”

“Are you accusing the other candidates for framing your aunt then?”

“Okay, let me through!” Naruto heaved a sigh of relief when he spotted the oh-so-familiar duckbutt head coming from his building as he opened the automatic doors.

Sasuke easily parted the ocean of reporters, clasping the tanned hand in a secure grip as he declared. “That’s enough of interviewing for today. Naruto wants to rest.”

“Excuse me, who are you⏤?”

“Wait, we still have some questions to Uzumaki-san!”

Sasuke ignored them all, not subtly shoving them with the back of his left hand. Some reporters noticed the intricate moon tattoo and were quick to connect the dots.

“Are you Uzumaki Naruto’s soulmate? So what’s your opinion about his aunt dating someone who is not her soulmate?”

Sasuke could also feel his temper rising. “Get out. Now.” 

With an aristocratic face, baritone voice and sharp glare, the Uchiha was much more intimidating than Naruto, so most of the reporters shuffled away. Both young men entered the building away from flashes of camera.

⏤.⏤

The moment they managed to get inside Naruto’s apartment, they went directly to the comfortable sofa with a tired groan, safe at last. 

“How did you know I needed your help?” The blond man wondered, once he had enough energy to slide to his kitchen and grabbing some beer.

Sasuke only grunted, showing his tattoo with a subtle glow.

“Oh. Thanks. You probably didn’t like this intervention right, these new abilities.”

“Hn. I’m not really surprised and usually I’d be annoyed but at least this time I used for a good cause.”

Naruto’s smartphone pinged several times. “Oh, it’s baa-chan.” He said, reading the messages. “She said she’s coming over and asked if you could stay for now, the reporters are still hounding my building.”

Sasuke wasn’t expecting that he’d waste a whole day away from his office, but Naruto managed to find his iPad for him to work that day. Itachi fortunately comprehended their plight and aided him out, slurping his boyfriend’s favorite ramen (that the blond man gave him as an apology of sorts) and some tomatoes from his garden as dessert.

Tsunade only managed to arrive in their apartment at night, with a smile that stretched wide. She held her nephew’s face, pinching fondly his cheeks. “Naruto! I’m so happy that I feel like my heart is exploding from pride.”

“If you have a heart attack now, you better give me your mansion as an inheritance, old hag.”

“Don’t ruin the moment you brat.” This time she pinched with little more force, leaving Naruto nursing his face. “Uchiha-kun, long time no see. Thanks for helping Naruto out, he always manages to get into trouble right.”

“Heyyyyy⏤” 

Sasuke ignored the indignant protest as he shook Tsunade’s hand. “Doesn’t bother me too much, I have gotten used to the dumbass usual misgivings.”

“Don't mention it. But this time he made me so proud. Naruto, you managed to increase 5% intention of votes thanks to that interview!”

Naruto widened and narrowed his eyes by surprise. “What, really?” 

“Yes, a big increase between ages of 18 to 25, you know how hard it is to convince them to go out and vote. Also, that speech you gave about combating misogyny? I think we managed to get all women to vote for us! When we polled this afternoon they all said how impressed they were about you and how much you give an honest aura.”

“Well…if there's something that this dumbass is good at, is making people trust them. ”

“They even said that if Naruto launched any electoral campaign right now, they'd vote for him.”

“But I don't want it. Baa-chan, I was only defending you, that's all.” He groaned, throwing his arms tiredly.

“You only defended me and yet you put plenty of rehearsed speeches to shame. We can't deny your natural talent right.”

“But⏤”

“Now everyone in my party said that I have to convince you no matter what to be my protegée! After today, I'm sure that you'll have a brilliant future in politics!” Tsunade insisted, ignoring the increasing look of alarm stamped on her nephew's face.

“Aunt Uzumaki, respectfully…” Sasuke coughed, trying very hard not to cower when he witnessed her glower. “If Naruto is not interested, there's nothing you can do about it. Also, the only reason he has gone so far is because of how much he cares about you.”

The older woman sighed, studying them both as she sat on the chair. “It's such a shame though. Remember when you said you wanted to be a Hokage, that stupid title from that anime you used to watch? I was sure you were going to follow my footsteps.”

Naruto grimaced a little sitting next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Yeah…not interested anymore, sorry to disappoint you.” He mumbled, quirking a mollifying grin.

“Don't worry about it. I'm glad you defended me despite not wanting to get entangled in this mess.” Tsunade squeezed his hand, beaming softly.

“Talking about that…” He bit his lower lip, clearing his throat. “So, are the rumors true?”

Tsunade sagged a little, unable to return his steady gaze. Instead, she turned to Sasuke, saying. “Uchiha-kun, if you won't mind, two of my bodyguards are stationed outside. They will safely accompany you to one of our company's car and drop you in your home.”

Sasuke nodded, bowing in respect, as Naruto stood and followed him to the door wordlessly. Fingers wrinkled his expensive shirt, full lips giving a quick peck on him. “Thanks Sasuke.” His boyfriend murmured close, warm air still tingling on his mouth.

He gave another short kiss back. “Call me if you need anything.”

Feeling his shoulders finally relaxing after an exhausting day, Naruto leaned on the doorframe, eyes hooded and playful. “Maybe I want some booty tonight.”

Sasuke shook his head, smirking. “That's even better. Good luck then, usuratonkachi.”

Naruto closed the door, steeling himself for a very long conversation. Tsunade was waiting with cups of green tea ready.

“So…is it true? You're seeing someone?” He inquired, beverage in hand.

His aunt merely stared back, before nodding.

“Oh. Well…Where did you meet him?”

“He's a childhood friend. I think you met him sometimes back when you were young. He's your father's friend too.”

He squinted his eyes. “I don't really remember.”

“Long white hair tied in a ponytail, sometimes he drew some makeup inspired from traditional japanese masks, he always wore kimonos.”

Naruto widened in recognition. “Waaaaait, now I remember him! Ero-sennin, I used to call him that right? What the⏤you’re dating him, of all people??”

“He mellowed out a lot over the years okay. Still writes erotic novels but won few awards for it, as incredulous this might sound. He decided to visit me after a long world tour…” She placed her chin on her hand and whispered. “And I missed him.”

Naruto sipped his tea, quietly observing his aunt as she was reminiscing. He wondered though. “But you know…after all this time?” He never saw his aunt attempting to date anyone, always focused on her career.

Tsunade drew another long sigh. “Oh Naruto. Ever since Dan died…it was almost like I lost half of my heart, you know? And when your mother died, sometimes every day was just unbearable. I missed them both, so so much. I'd do anything to have them back, and taking his mantle almost made me feel like I could have a piece of his soul back.”

She got lost in her own ocean of memories, flashbacks that she kept rewinding over and over, wanting to feel the throb of her tattoo once again to assure her that he was alive, even if she knew the cruel truth otherwise. She busied herself in an attempt to ignore her broken heart, even neglecting to raise Naruto sometimes, hiring assistants and nannies to fill in, when she knew deep inside that he needed her the most. When she realized the errors of her actions, he was already a grown young man. Seeing his broad back, no longer scrawny or tiny, was the first spark of realization that she needed change.

“But there was a saying…The present should be given just for the living, as the dead should stay in the past. I knew that, I stupidly knew that but I still insisted till I was completely lost. I just couldn't see myself anymore, carrying this weight on my shoulders, every day dedicated to someone else. When Jiraiya showed up and I decided to go on a date with him, after decades it felt like it was my decision. What I wanted.”

Naruto took some quiet minutes to absorb her speech, before retorting. “I see. I just wish that I didn't find this out through nagging reporters instead of you.”

Tsunade flinched, hands curling on her lap as she admitted. “I know. I actually wanted to introduce him to you after two or three dates but these pesky reporters were way faster. I think you're going to like him, Naruto! He's as energetic as you are, really fun and⏤”

“Yeah, I don't care about that for now.” Naruto waved his hand in dismissal. Whatever traces of mirth were gone from his face as he asked. “Tsunade-baasan. Does he make you happy?”

His aunt gazed back flabbergasted, before melting to a soft smile, in calm contentment, smoothing out the hard lines from her forehead and giving her a youthful expression.

“He does. Probably made me happier after so many years.”

He gave a sharp nod. “That's good enough then.”

“Um…that's all? You're not asking me if it's okay I'm dating someone who is not my soulmate, or if I'm going to regret later on?”

Naruto shrugged. “Nah. Don't care about that. As long as he treats you well, I don't mind.”

Tsunade hummed mildly impressed, not expecting her closest family member to end up the least judgemental of all. “I'm really surprised by this turn of events. People are not very forgiving about circumstances similar to mine.”

“Yeah…” He scratched the back of his golden hair. “Let's just say that dating Sasuke has been a very eye-opening experience. Made me see some flaws about the soulmate system. So we don't have to depend on it this whole time.”

“Hmmm. I’m glad that Uchiha-kun is giving you such positive changes then. Now that we got the most complicated issue resolved, I have to talk about something else. I’m sending you a video and you need to sign some documents as consent for using your image for our campaign.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, he pressed the play button on his smartphone. “Wut. Why is my interview already edited for Reels?”

“Well, your interview already blew up all over the internet, Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, Line…some TV hosts already requested me to talk about you. And considering you were defending me, I already asked the editors to make several short videos and boost them within our preferred age bracket and gender.”

“Baa-chaaaaaaaaaaannnnn⏤” Naruto didn't care that he was whining exactly like a kid, pulling out the most pitiful kicked-dog puppy eyes he could muster.

His aunt smiled, apologetic. “I'm so sorry, but the moment you decided to answer the reporters you became a public figure. Answer me though: if it was anyone else, one of my electorates defending me with the same determination, what would you do?”

The young man sighed. “I'd milk the hell of that moment for as long as I can. Whatever.” He signed the documents and sent it back to Tsunade.

“Thank you. Don't worry about it, you know about viral videos more than I do. Pretty sure it'll die after a couple of days.”

⏤.⏤

5 days later…

Naruto wasn’t bewildered when his aunt asked him to go to one of her offices, used for secret meetings. He was even less surprised when she told him that her makeup artist will go to his apartment as he opened the door with a groan.

“Do we have to, Kasumi-san?”

She bowed, placing her heavy luggage to the ground. “I’m so sorry Uzumaki-sama, your aunt’s orders.”

On the other side of the town, Sasuke and Itachi were bewildered about Tsunade’s request, pausing to see the appointed place she wanted to meet them. It was…a guinea pig café. They entered, a polite receptionist receiving their name cards as she took them to a farther place, far away from onlookers. There were two doors as they were deciding which one to knock, Itachi bumped on a stranger by accident, muttering.

“Oh, sorr⏤” They both widened their eyes in recognition.

Skin being a few shades paler than usual, dark brown hair with long fringes, the thick rimmed glasses still didn’t manage to cover the brilliant sapphire eyes. Naruto was barely recognizable, even wearing unflattering clothes; a white buttoned shirt and dark gray slacks.

“What the⏤” Sasuke mumbled.

“Yeah, there were still some reporters stationed around my building, so I had to do this.” He explained, rubbing the back of his head.

“Did you color your hair too?” 

“Of course not, heaven will fall to the ground before I let anyone touch my nephew’s beautiful hair. It’s a wig.” A feminine voice suddenly echoed behind them, Tsunade appearing while she opened the door.

“And it itches you old hag. Can I take it off now?”

“NO! Kasumi took hours to put it on, you’re only removing it once you’re back home!” She roared, her word final. “Sorry Uchiha-kun, for calling you both on such short notice.”

“It’s not a problem Uzumaki-san.” Itachi responded as they all entered the room. “Is there any reason for such secrecy though?”

“Well…I called you all, because you have to see this.” Tsunade picked up the remote control, turning the TV.

A TV segment showed a female anchor exclaiming enthusiastically with Naruto’s face occupying the gigantic screen behind her. “We all want to know the newest sensation in Tokyo, Uzumaki Tsunade’s nephew Uzumaki Naruto-kun⏤”

With another sigh, Tsunade changed channels, displaying a talk show. “Her aunt certainly raised him well and my, what a handsom⏤”

She pressed the button again, now a visibly angered man appeared, complaining with his fellow politicians. “I think it's ridiculous that the news is focusing so much on an inexperienced, impulsive young man! Clearly, my opponent plotted all this as a diversion to hide⏤”

At last, she went to the youtube app, selecting a podcast while a young group debated. “After that I think he's going to be the voice of our generation. Or at least that's what I think his aunt is planning to do. Conniving, usually I'm not into nepotism but…”

“*giggles* He's hot.” 

“But I’ve heard some rumors that he’s already dating his soulmate, so sorry to burst your bubble Mizuki-san.”

Naruto turned off the TV, mumbling. “I thought you said that this was going to die down after few days.”

“Clearly, I miscalculated. Since it feels like it’s going to take a while, we need some contingency plans.” Tsunade said, crossing her arms. “As you can see, the internet is already doing a full investigation over you and already found about Uchiha-kun, so I have to get him involved too. Called Itachi-kun too, in any case Sasuke-kun needed his help.”

“Sorry about that Itachi-nii, Sasuke.” Naruto tilted his head forward in apology. 

“I’m not going to beat around the bush. Do you two have anything, anything at all that the media could exploit it? Like…writing something controversial, participating on protests, robbery, vandalism…just tell me and don’t spare me any detail.”

“Well…I stole some statues back in college for a prank, but we put back few days later.” Naruto recounted.

Tsunade rubbed her eyebrows. “I guess we’re gonna scrub this history clean then. Anything else?”

Naruto hummed as he rewinded his recollections in his mind, before shaking his head.

“Alright, what about you Uchiha-kun? Aside what I’ve mentioned, did you do anything that might compromise the fact you’re Naruto’s soulmate?”

Sasuke’s pale skin turned sheet white, graphite eyes glowered to the ground.

“Otouto-kun, there’s no point in hiding for now. You have to tell her.”

The younger Uchiha still struggled to share that information.

“If it is too private, you don’t have to be too descriptive, but give me enough tips so I can manage it Sasuke-kun.” Tsunade said.

With a loud sigh, he grumbled. “Back in college, I went to bed with some men.”

Tsunade’s golden eyes widened, she turned her head to glance at her nephew, relieved that Naruto didn’t appear to be surprised instead. Another round of migraine washed in her brain. “Okay…I guess that is quite a landmine. People already dug that you two knew each other since you were tiny brats, so if they get ahold of this piece of information, it might cause a scandal that will favor my opponent.” She massaged her temples and grouched. “So? How many and their names? I need it right now.”

“They were about four or five, but I don’t remember their names. My friend Suigetsu introduced me to some of them in college parties, but his memory is also not that good.”

“Do you have any recollection that might help us out? Their appearances, what classes they attended?”

“No.”

Tsunade gritted her teeth. “You brat…”

This time Naruto intervened, stepping in between his aunt and his boyfriend. “C’mon Sasuke, don’t worry about me, I got over this a long time ago. There’s no way a genius like you wouldn’t remember something like that.”

Sasuke pursed his lips, still miffed that he had to share private knowledge to them, even if by logic, he knew that he had to do this before the internet could catch up to him. “I really don’t remember. You know how my alcohol tolerance is really low and I drank a lot before meeting them.”

Tsunade plopped down to a nearby chair, groaning loudly. “Unbelievable. Now how are we going to start searching for them if we have no clue to begin with?”

Itachi however, who mostly observed the situation unfolding in front of him, decided to give his own assessment.

“That wouldn’t be such a hard task. We just have to look for some blond, blue-eyed men.” 

Sasuke glared but didn’t deny the accusation.

However, it appeared that both Uzumakis weren’t in the mood for jokes, as Naruto inquired, his face serious and professional.

“Well, is it? Sorry Sasuke, considering the circumstances, I have to narrow down the pool as fast as I can.”

His boyfriend thinned his lips, unable to gaze back the cerulean eyes, as he nodded. 

Naruto sat opening his laptop as Tsunade called in some favors, both combing through social media posts as well as Sasuke’s university website. 

“From your university’s database, and cross-referencing with its instagram, there were 7 guys matching your description that it’s around our age. 4 are foreigners and they already went back to their home land, so it’s safe. 1 is stationed in Okinawa military base and our story is still more limited to local news so it might not reach him. So it leaves to two guys.”

“We’re going to keep an eye on those two, the one from Okinawa too in any case.” Tsunade said, massaging her neck from exhaustion. “I hope that's the only bomb you brats threw on my lap.”

“It was baa-chan. Any case, I’m going to monitor the trending topics and post more about the usual content in your account, hopefully this will make people move on to other conversations.”

“Yes, I hope so too. Anyways, Uchiha-kun, Naruto. Keep me informed if anything happens ok.”

⏤.⏤

Unfortunately, as soon as Naruto’s name was beginning to disappear on Twitter’s trending page, Sasuke received an annoying DM. His hair was dirty blond, his eyes were pale blue, but after four cans of beer or so, it was enough to trick his brain for some minutes. Now, after so many years staring at an instagram post, the Uchiha couldn’t see the appeal. It was obvious this man’s second intentions though, reading the message suggesting “some catch up”.

He used Naruto’s spare key to open his boyfriend’s apartment. When he heard the soft click, he broadened a huge grin, walking towards Sasuke.

“Hey Sasuke, welcome back.” He dropped a quick kiss, moving back to his seat. “Sorry, I’m focused here writing a posting timeline, but as soon as I’m done we’re going to eat some dinner ok.”

“Hn.” He grunted, considering his next steps. It might be a good opportunity now that his dumbass was distracted with something else to drop the news. He waited some minutes, mindlessly scrolling his smartphone before he muttered. “So.”

“Yeah?”

“One of the guys we were monitoring…he’s an ex-classmate and he contacted me. I’m afraid that he’s probably going to threaten that he’ll be telling the world that I had sex with him, I’m going to talk with him.”

Naruto stopped typing. Raising his face to Sasuke’s eye level, he wondered. “So did you have sex with him?”

“No.” Sasuke growled, but when he saw the raised blond eyebrow he rectified. “Maybe. It’s been years, I honestly don’t remember him.”

He managed to maintain a cool expression through Naruto’s scrutinizing eyes, before the latter shrugged, picking up his wallet. “Alright, I’m going with you.”

That sounded like a terrible idea, in all kinds of senses. “You don’t have to, really.”

“Don’t worry about it. I had to deal with blackmail of all kinds. I once managed an account from an idol, so when some guys claimed that she had a threesome with them, I had to help with her manager as well as PR with dealing with that. Blackmailers all work in the same way, I know how to negotiate with them.”

“Fixing professional problems is very different from fixing personal issues, Naruto. And the day of the election is getting close, we don’t want to hurt your aunt’s race after coming this far.”

“Oh, c’mon, it’s going to be fine! People are already talking about some new tv show instead of me and I haven’t seen any reporter for a while. Plus, I have to give you some tips here and there to avoid any disaster.”

“You can give me those tips without going with me.” Sasuke suggested, hoping that he’d be able to go through his boyfriend’s hard-headed stubbornness.

“It’ll be fiiineeeeeee…you’re such a paranoid bastard. I’ll monitor from afar while you talk, is that ok for you?” 

“Honestly? No. Just don’t go.” Sasuke had a nagging suspicion that this wouldn't turn out well.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. “You’re an asshole. I’m coming with you, no matter what.”

Since his dumbass wouldn’t budge, Sasuke asked Tsunade for help concealing his blond hair once again. He also chose a secluded place, a small room usually reserved for co-working. His ex-classmate didn’t look too surprised when he arrived at the appointed time, also noticing Naruto while he opened his arms towards Sasuke.

“Sasuke, long time no see!” 

The brunet took few steps back, crossing his arms. “What do you want?”

“It’s been years since we graduated, I’ve seen that you’ve been doing well with your new company.”

“Again, what do you want?” Naruto repeated the question.

That man had the grace to look a little awkward, insisting on the small talk. “You didn’t introduce me to your friend? I’m David, you are…?”

“Naruto.” He didn’t waste his time to shake David’s hand.

“I thought you were blond⏤” David widened his eyes, Sasuke already cut him short.

“Since it’s pretty obvious your intentions right now, what are you expecting coming out of this meeting?”

David frowned, whatever pleasantries were gone. He gave a lazy shrug. “I’m actually curious, nothing else. Your soulmate has been pretty famous lately, and we have some interesting history.” He turned to face Naruto. “Did Sasuke-kun tell you? We used to have sex all night long, whenever he saw me he just couldn’t wait to tear off my pants.”

Sasuke threw a quick glance sideways, but Naruto kept an unreadable expression, until he snorted. “Right. Try another one.”

The lack of response made him speechless for few seconds, before he insisted. “I’m serious, your soulmate cheated on you back when we studied together. I guess he wanted a taste from a real m⏤”

“Get to the point.” Sasuke snapped, noticing Naruto clenching his fists.

“I’m hurt Sasuke, after all the great time we had together. I’m sure many other men you fucked could say the same. You were very busy, everyone knew you probably had sex with half the campus. I hope I was in the top ten though.”

“I’m getting tired from all the lies.” Naruto snarled. “I’m asking again, what do you want?”

“Well…10 million yen is probably a small price to maintain your soulmate’s reputation intact, isn’t it? I promise I’ll be very quiet once you pay me.” 

Naruto rolled his eyes, his voice caustic and disdainful. “I’m not going to pay shit. You’re not here trying to negotiate. You’re trying to frame me. It’s a quiet room but I’m sure you put several cameras around. Also, the fact that so far you’ve been trying to taunt me since the very beginning tells me enough. You don’t have any concrete proof about your previous entanglement with Sasuke, which means that you want me to get aggressive so you can sell this to some tabloid. So, whatever, we’re out, I’m not going to give you any precious five-minutes of fame. Good luck trying to get a sponsorship for some shitty yogurt commercial.”

He clasped Sasuke’s hand, walking towards the entrance even though David was stationed close. When they were close to him, he placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder, whispering. 

“I don’t know how many men your soulmate actually have slept with, but I can tell you first hand that I know that your soulmate is very talented in sucking my cock.”

In a flash, Sasuke could see stormy blue eyes glaring in fury, body twisting with a fist already aiming towards that nasty smirk. His own reflexes kicked in, his arm enveloping Naruto's torso and pushing backwards, tanned knuckles almost close to few inches from reaching that face.

“Alright, that's enough. Naruto, calm the fuck down.” 

He was quick to grab David’s smartphone, throwing to the ground as he also stomped on it. The other man shouted in protest, but Sasuke was not done.

“I’m warning you, just give up. I have all the resources and money to bury you to the ground if necessary. You’ll talk to my lawyers tomorrow.” They exited the place, not taking one glance backwards as David shuddered in fear.

⏤.⏤

Sasuke attempted not to fan the flames even further while Naruto was fuming all the way back to his apartment, even though he was close to giving some smartass remarks, rolling at the tip of his tongue.

He yanked the brown wig off, growling. “You have some fucking terrible tastes, you know that?”

“And I told you coming with me was a bad idea.” Sasuke said.

Naruto scoffed and grumbled, slamming the door close. His eyes zeroed to dark gray ones and in a heartbeat he grabbed Sasuke by the waist, lips interlocking into a furious kiss.

Sasuke grunted when he was shoved to the wall, relishing the close contact of their bodies, tasting Naruto’s tongue. He could barely breathe between their kisses, feeling a little dazed by the rough lips capturing his, Naruto’s hands holding his legs very tightly, bucking forward and grinding their clothed cocks. He moaned before his lover covered his mouth once again, his fingers clutching desperately the broad back as their thrusts increased in cadence.

“Naruto…” He gasped, shivering from the possessive gaze, teeth biting his neck. His shirt was ripped apart in seconds, Naruto peppered kisses on every inch of his alabaster skin with the noises of buttons falling to the ground. 

He released Sasuke’s legs, grabbing the pale wrists holding them tightly as he sucked one nipple, spurred by Sasuke moans. His tongue traced a long line back to his thin lips, tracing over and drinking another erotic groan as they kissed again.

Sasuke twisted his arms, freeing them to cup Naruto’s cheeks. He whispered breathlessly, staring at the darkened cerulean eyes. “You idiot…he was no one.” 

“Fucking hated that he touched you. No one is going to touch you besides me.” Naruto spun him around, hands groping his ass and drawing another moan. 

Sasuke could feel his lover’s cock grinding in between his ass cheeks, mouth sucking between the juncture of his neck and shoulder till it throbbed together with their rapid heartbeats. 

He almost wanted to say words of assurance and dark promises, reaffirming that his heart, body and soul was always Naruto’s. Always. That his lover could claim him whenever and wherever, he’d never be apart. He could fuck him in every way, frontal, sideways, backwards, doesn’t matter, all the way. That he’ll be his till the end of time.

But…

With one sharper thrust, Naruto inhaled, nostrils taking in the blend of Sasuke’s scent and arousal as he muttered. “You're mine.”

“I'm her soulmate Sasuke, who else is she going to choose?” His father’s sentence echoed in his mind for a second, disrupting his line of thought.

Sasuke was getting increasingly annoyed how his tattoo throbbed, clouding his judgement. Naruto wasn’t supposed to be like this. He wasn’t made to be consumed by flames of fury, he shouldn’t let those negative emotions overwhelm him. His core was compassion and even if he wore his emotions on his sleeve, Naruto always spun to be productive instead of destructive. Naruto was supposed to be the one to ignite their passion, while Sasuke was the one who calmed him down.

He turned to face the blond man, hands patting his tanned face and breaking Naruto’s stupor. “Stop.”

Dark blue eyes shifted to the usual color, as he complained. “That hurt, you had to slap me like that?”

“Obviously yes, I had to smack some sense on you dumbass.” Sasuke muttered nonchalantly. He cleared his throat. “Naruto, I don’t mind having sex with you right now, I love having sex with you.”

Naruto gazed back, bemused.

“But…we’re not doing this, not when you’re clearly thinking of someone else instead of focusing on us two.”

Naruto shifted his indignant expression to a guilty one, glancing to the ground. He exhaled a loud sigh, enveloping his boyfriend to a tight hug, bodies swaying a little. “I really thought I have gotten over this.”

“Hn.”

“But that guy was an ass. And just thinking about you with him…”

“Then don’t think about it. I’m yours after all, right.”

Naruto stared him back, dazed. He took his time to admire Sasuke’s handsome face reflecting his confidence, the steady personality that always anchored him when he needed the most. And for the first time that evening, Naruto’s insecurities melted away to a warm smile.

Sasuke brushed their lips ever so tenderly, just enjoying their feelings now synchronized. Naruto released with one last lick, combing the dark strands of hair. 

The blond man yawned out of nowhere, releasing whatever stress out of his body. Sasuke chuckled. “Tired?”

Naruto nodded, yawning again. “It’s been some crazy days non-stop.” He interlaced their fingers, pulling Sasuke as both young men fell to bed.

“I better go, so you can have a good night of sleep.” His boyfriend ignored him as he wrapped his body around Sasuke’s. “Naruto, you’re not a koala.”

Naruto’s voice was muffled, with his face glued on his chest. “I don’t want you to go.”

“You dumbass, I’m just going so you can sleep well.” 

“Don’t care. Last time I let you go you disappeared for years.”

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. “Naruto, don’t worry. I'm not going anywhere.”

“Then stay here.”

Sasuke drew a long exhale, glancing below as clear blue eyes blinked back. He shook his head, enveloping his own arms around Naruto.

After some nice, quiet time, he grouched. “I want to take a bath.”

“Just give me some more minutes okay, you clean freak. I put your clothes on the third shelf on that cabinet.”

“Hn.” Sasuke considered. “How many minutes? You’re sweaty.”

“You’re ruining the moment bastard, you’re ruining the moment.”

⏤.⏤