Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto.

And we're officially done :) Hope everyone enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! Make sure to check out my new Naruto fic Worlds Away!

After quite an eventful year, Sasuke spent the first month of summer in a hospital. In ways, it helped, but in others, it didn't. Years later, he's still not a hundred percent okay, but he's doing better. That isn't to say he doesn't still have episodes. He does… but when he's shaking and crying, I'll just hold him really tight. He says it helps. He can't hurt himself.

Kakashi is still an ever-present part of Sasuke's life. He's a huge fucking help and I know he eases a lot of Sasuke's negative thoughts and feelings – the thoughts and feelings he doesn't allow me near.

Kisame looks after Itachi now. I used to think he was a pretty shitty guy, but he seems to care a lot about Itachi and not for the reasons I once thought.

Sasuke never went to university. Neither did I. He works in a bank now, along with doing volunteer work with at risk kids. He gets up in front of rooms of troubled teenagers and talks about his experiences with drugs, sex and alcohol – making sure the kids know that no matter how hard things get, they get better and there's always a way out.

I work in a book store. It's nothing fancy or life altering, but we make do with what we've got. I don't even like to read. Most of my employee discount goes towards buying books for Sasuke. Unlike me, he loves reading. He says it's like living other lives. As magical as it sounds, I lack the focus to read more than a few pages.

I just turned twenty-six. Sasuke threw me a surprise party. I got home from work and the house was packed when I opened the door. It was the last thing I expected, especially from him, but it was really fun.

Time sure flies, but at least we've got our lives straightened out now.

This morning, me and Sasuke meet Sakura before work. Unlike us, she went to university. She is now a kindergarten teacher. "It's on me," I declare as we enter the café. They don't complain. They take their seats and I order our drinks. As I wait, I watch the two of them talk back and forth. Sometimes I still don't think Sasuke is particularly fond of Sakura, but he's softened greatly since his teen years. I take it as a good thing. He's not as cold and he's not as stifled. He's more open to the people around him. He doesn't shy away as much… but in the end he's still himself and he can be just as standoffish and bluntly rude as he was when we were younger.

"Naruto?"

I turn around and see Shizune in line behind me. Sasuke still sees her, but now it's only once every month. I smile at her and say, "Hey."

"How are you?" she asks.

"Great, you?"

"Great," she repeats me, smiling in return. "How is Sasuke?"

"He's also great," I say.

"Really?"

"Really, really."

"Sometimes I wonder if I help him at all," she whispers.

"You have," I tell her. I'm not just saying it to be nice, I really mean it. Like Kakashi, she's been a constant presence in Sasuke's life as well. She cares and it shows and I think that's why Sasuke can talk to her so easily. He's good at reading people like that. He knows what people think when they think about him. I smile at Shizune again, parting when the barista says my name. I grab the tray of drinks and head towards the table.

"Black coffee for my man," I say, setting the cup down in front of Sasuke. "Chai latte for my lady," I add, setting the second cup down in front of Sakura. "And a café mocha for me," I finish, sitting next to my husband. Husband! I love the way that sounds.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, sharing a little smile with Sakura.

"Nerd," Sakura says half-heartedly.

"You guys love me," I insist.

I asked Sasuke to marry me the summer after he left the institution. He got emotional. I got emotional, too… but he said yes. He said yes and I swear I was the happiest man in the world. That holds true to this day. I'm so fucking happy. The wedding was small, with only our family and closest friends. Sasuke didn't want a big wedding and frankly, neither did I. We were young, yeah, but we knew what we wanted.

We honeymooned in Tsuki no Kuni, a small island shaped like a moon. We wanted to go somewhere far away to enjoy some quiet time. It was nice.

Throughout the years, many of our friends have also joined the marriage bandwagon. Kiba and Hinata tied the knot along with Sai and Ino. Gaara and Neji also got married. Lee just proposed to Sakura a few months ago. She said yes. They haven't decided on a date, but they both say they want a long engagement. Being engaged is exciting. It's like you always have something to look forward to and that something is marriage, but when the wedding finally comes and goes you realize that there's still more good to come. Every day I wake up I feel excited. I look forward to tomorrow and after that and after that.

After coffee, we part ways with Sakura and I drop Sasuke off at the bank before making my way to the book store. I work with Shikamaru – Mr. Lazy. He holds a hand up when he sees me stroll through the door.

When I get home, it's late. I find Sasuke sitting on the floor in the kitchen, clutching his chest and panting.

"Sasuke…" I say his name cautiously.

"Naruto," he whispers mine in return, staring up at me.

"Yeah?" I ask, tilting my head to the side and staring at him. "What can I do?" I already know, but I need to wait for him to say it.

Sasuke places a palm over his mouth, like he's trying to suppress his emotions – once again trying to swallow them.

"Don't," I say knowingly. "You know that never works."

He lowers his hand, letting out a deep, slow breath. "Hold me," he says. "I feel like I'm going to fucking explode."

I sit behind him – the way I did the first time I held him – and I wrap my arms around him, keeping him close against my chest. He starts letting out these heaving breath and they sound like pained sobs. He's shaking. He's probably crying, too. I'm used to it by now, but it doesn't make it any easier to watch.

"Tighter," he whispers.

I tighten my grip and he starts panting again, almost as if he's having a fight with the thoughts going through his head. They're all probably awful thoughts. Still, in the end Sasuke always wins. He's strong.

He's mine and I'm his. I never used to be one for that possessive crap, but Sasuke prefers it like this so I don't mind. I think I've mellowed out a lot as the years went by. Now I'm just your average, boring taxpayer. I don't get angry much. I don't throw fits. I also don't throw punches. Sasuke says I make him feel calm. I like knowing that. It's not something I thought I'd ever hear him say, but it felt really nice.

I begin to loosen my grip when he quiets and when he stops shaking. He pulls away and turns around to face me. "Sorry," he apologizes.

"Don't be sorry," I insist. "You know I don't mind. I never mind." I want to ease him in whatever way I can.

He rolls his eyes at me, but smiles nonetheless. "My fuckin' hero," he teases while I just wink at him, standing up and offering him a hand. I pull him to his feet and he brushes off. "I always feel stupid after," he adds in a murmur.

"Don't," I say. "Did something happen?"

"No," he admits.

I'm not surprised. Sometimes he just… stops. I don't know how else to put it, but it's like his thought process goes awry and he's blasted with a million feelings he can't understand. He drives himself crazy trying to figure it out. I guess it's like a panic attack… or maybe it's just mania.

He leans against the counter, taking deep slow breaths. Like me, he's learned how to control his breathing.

"Kiba and Hinata are coming over for a visit tomorrow night, remember?" I mention. "But we can reschedule if you don't feel up to it."

He wrinkles his nose, waving a dismissive hand. "I'm fine, don't worry. I'm not going to freak out again."

I stand in front of him and rub his shoulders. He presses his forehead into my neck briefly. When he draws back he pecks me on the lips. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" I ask playfully.

He smiles. "Only every day… but I don't mind hearing it again."

"You're the most beautiful man in the world," I coo.

He winks. "I know."

"Come," I nod towards the doorway, "Let's go upstairs." I take his hand and together we leave the kitchen, moving upstairs into our room.

The house is modest, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. The kitchen has just enough room for a two person table and it suits us just fine. It's small, but it's all we need. For us, it's perfect. We moved out of our parents houses when we were twenty. It was the year after I asked him to marry me and the year before the wedding.

Our bedroom is our sanctuary. It's where we spend our off days and lazy afternoons. We're still as much in love as we were when we were teenagers. Sometimes I think about what I was like when I was young – what Sasuke was like, what life was like… and then I think about what it's like now. I think about that and I think about how quiet it is. I don't think I'd take any of it back, even the bad parts. Sasuke says he wouldn't either because even the bad parts made him feel alive.

When we reach the bedroom, we pour ourselves into our night clothes and go to brush our teeth. We alternate spits in the sink and when we're done, I wipe my mouth on my hand unceremoniously.

"My classy man," Sasuke compliments with a smile.

I smile back at him through the mirror. "You love it."

"You're right," he admits. "I love you and all your grossness."

"And when I fart on you in bed, you know I'm just trying to keep you warm," I add.

He snorts back a laugh. "Yeah, right. Of course."

We dim the lights on our way back into the bedroom, crawling into bed. This is often my favorite part of every night – when we're about to fall asleep and we have time to simply talk. We talk about our day, what we did at work and our plans for tomorrow. Sometimes we'll forego light topics and we'll talk about the past instead. When we do, I know the conversation is usually going to be heavy. There might be tears, but never arguments. We made a rule a long time ago to never go to bed angry. It's not good for our health or our relationship.

"Naruto," he says my name.

"Mm?" I answer. I stare at the vast darkness of the room. I feel him inch closer, putting a hand on my abdomen.

"Do you ever want children?" he asks.

"I want what you want," I say.

He huffs. "That's what you always say and that doesn't ever answer the question." A pause. "I'm just… Sometimes I worry that I'm keeping you from things you want in life."

Sasuke doesn't want children. He says it's because he thinks he'd be a terrible father and he's afraid he would hurt a child. I know he wouldn't and I feel like he would be a good father, but I would never push him.

"You're not," I promise.

"Our friends are all planning the next steps in their lives," he continues with a sigh. "Hinata is pregnant… Ino and Sai already have two kids. Sakura and Lee are even talking about having children. Same with fuckin' Neji and Gaara. It seems like everyone has baby fever except us. I know you like children. Does it bother you that I don't want any?"

"No," I tell him truthfully.

"I like children, too," he adds, "but I don't think I could ever be a parent. It's not something I'll ever be ready for."

"That's fine," I insist. "Really, it's fine. When I was young, I never expected that I'd get this far with another person. Children weren't something that crossed my mind."

"When you were young where did you see yourself at this age?" he pries.

"Miserable and alone," I admit.

"Me, too," he laughs sadly. "Funny, we found each other instead."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I chime.

"Me, too," he says again. "The first time we slept together I swear my thighs went up in flames," he adds with a laugh. "Drunk as I was, I know it wasn't the alcohol making me hot."

I let out a groggy laugh.

"Does it ever bother you that I am never going to be a hundred percent okay?" he asks. He tends to ask a lot of questions around this time of night. I think these are his insecurities.

"Not at all," I promise. "Nothing about you bothers me. To be in love… is to accept someone for all that they are."

"Flaws and all?" he asks.

"Yes," I say, "but being sick isn't a flaw."

He inches closer, curling himself against me. "I suppose not," he agrees. I hear him yawn and I can tell the conversation is dying down.

"Goodnight," I say.

"Goodnight," he echoes.

The following morning, Sasuke is up before me. He lets me sleep in and kisses me before leaving because he never minds my morning breath. Romance at it's finest, I tell yah.

I lie in bed until ten before finally getting up. Since today is my off day, I decide to put on some music and clean the house while Sasuke is at work. I want it to look nice. Even though it's only Kiba and Hinata coming over I want to pride myself on being tidy.

After everything is spick and span I finally shower and get dressed. I pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and then decide to do some shopping. I buy two bottles of red wine. Kiba is a bit of a wine hound. Hinata can't drink, but he'll drink enough for the both of them. Sasuke goes easy on the alcohol these days. He doesn't do the hard stuff much now and sticks to wines and coolers. He warned me that if I see him drinking heavily, there's definitely something wrong. It was quite a helpful hint.

There have been rare nights in the past few years when I've caught him alone with a bottle of rum. I'd take it and empty it in the sink. He would yell at me for it, but I'd let the venom in his voice go over my head. Still, all the good times definitely outweigh the parts that worry me.

Back home, I set the wine on the counter and laze around until five. Sasuke gets home in an hour, so I cook a quick supper. He walks through the door just in time and I hear him say, "Smells good," before walking into the kitchen.

"Hopefully it tastes good, too," I joke around.

"Don't worry, you're an okay cook," he jokes back.

"Just okay?" I pout.

He smiles. "You know you're a good cook."

"Yeah," I sober, laughing.

We eat and Sasuke talks about work and says he got yelled at quite a few times. Sometimes I think banks are the worst jobs – especially for people who don't handle stress well… but Sasuke handles himself gracefully on most occasions.

"Why did you get yelled at?" I pry.

He lets out a long sigh. "Too many angry and frustrated customers who don't like hearing that they fucked up."

"Are you okay?" I ask.

He only nods before changing the subject. "When are Hinata and Kiba coming?"

"Around 7:30," I say.

He squints as he eyes the time on the stove across the room. "An hour," he says, standing up. He puts his plate in the sink and adds, "I'm going to change."

I nod, taking my plate to the sink as well. I do the few dishes and when Sasuke returns he's wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.

He started wearing t-shirts again when he was twenty-one. It took a long time for him to grow comfortable when he realized the scars weren't going to go away. Sometimes he'll catch me staring and he'll call me out, asking if it bugs me as much as it bugs him. I'm always honest. Honesty is key, right? I've stopped lying a long time ago. So, I'll tell him it bothers me but not for the reasons he may think. I just don't want him to be back where he was when we were teenagers – sad and unable to escape the dangerous cycle he was stuck in for so long.

When he hurts, I hurt, too. When I look at him I just want to cradle him and protect him and keep him safe but that's just idealistic and stupid of me. You can't protect people. People don't need to be protected and sheltered from the world. I've said it once and I'll say it again. Nonetheless, I still find myself trying. I think he sees it at times and he'll allow me to play the carer. He says sometimes it's nice to be taken care of.

Soon enough, the doorbell rings. Sasuke answers it and returns with Kiba and his very pregnant wife.

"How goes it?" I ask them.

"Everything is perfect," Hinata smiles.

"Very," Kiba agrees, sharing a lovey-dovey look with Hinata.

They're excited about the baby. For fuck's sake, even I'm excited about the baby. I get out three wine glasses and ask, "Hinata, what can I get you to drink?"

"Oh, water is fine," she says easily.

When everyone has something to sip on, we relocate to the living room. Sasuke and Hinata sit on the two seater, leaving me and Kiba alone on the three seater.

Kiba begins talking about work and the like. He's a construction worker. Hinata doesn't have a job, but she does volunteer work like Sasuke. They've become closer as the years went by. I think he found comfort in her. Sometimes I can't help but think that if I was more socially aware like Hinata I could have saved Sasuke a lot of pain in the past. I was insensitive. I was ignorant. I was a lot of bad things. I never stopped to try until I got a reality check, but every damn day I'm thankful it happened. I can't help but wonder if I didn't call Sasuke out that night at my parents' house all those years ago… Where would we be now? Maybe I would've been alone and miserable and maybe Sasuke wouldn't be here at all.

Every so often, I catch Kiba eying Sasuke's forearms. He often does this, as if the horror of it all is just too much of a distraction for him. Fortunately, Sasuke doesn't notice. He's busy smiling and talking to Hinata.

"Oh!" she suddenly exclaims, placing her palms on her womb. "The baby is kicking." Sasuke raises an eyebrow and Hinata looks so content as she feels the life growing inside of her. "Give me your hand," she says to Sasuke, holding out her palm. Hesitantly, he does so and she places his hand on her stomach. "Feel it?" she asks somewhat dreamily.

"Yeah," he whispers. "Wow…" He looks somewhat stunned, like he's experiencing something he's never experienced before.

"She gets really excited when the baby starts kicking," Kiba says, nudging me.

She smiles serenely. "I really wish you boys could understand what it felt like. Then maybe you wouldn't poke fun."

"It's all in good humor, babe," Kiba promises her.

"Do you know the sex yet?" I inquire.

Hinata shakes her head and Kiba adds, "We want to be surprised."

"We've been picking names, though," Hinata adds with a laugh. "Though… we can't seem to agree on any."

"Well, you can always name your baby after me," I suggest with humor.

Kiba grimaces. "Imagine it… my daughter – Naruto."

"Or son," Hinata adds with a laugh.

"Has a ring to it, don't you think?" I wink.

Sasuke just rolls his eyes at me. Ah, it's good to be with friends.

After a night of laughing, drinking and socializing, Kiba and Hinata leave. She takes Kiba's keys, not wanting him to drive after one too many glasses of wine. Me and Sasuke wave them off, closing the door when their car is gone.

"That was nice," Sasuke says, sounding like he wasn't sure how the night would go.

"Why the tone of surprise?" I ask as we go upstairs.

He shrugs. "I honestly wasn't sure if I felt like socializing when I came home today, but I'm glad they came."

"Because of work?" I pry. He gets sensitive about this stuff. You kind of have to understand why. No one likes being yelled at.

"Yeah," he admits with a bitter laugh. "Pathetic, right?"

"Not at all," I assure him. "People… can be really cruel and the only thing they can do to make themselves feel better is hurt others."

"I used to be like that," he says softly.

"Me, too," I say, flopping onto our bed. I pin him down and stare at him before adding, "But I've changed and so have you."

"Hm, so, what now?" he asks playfully. "Take what you want."

"Hmm," I muse slowly, letting my hands wander. I lower my head and press my lips to his, nudging his mouth open. He's vocal as ever. As much as he always tried to stifle himself when we were young, he was always so expressive and so loud when we slept together. Now is no different.

Sasuke's breath hitches as we grind against each other. "Hurry, asshole," he whines, tugging on my shirt. I just smirk down at him and he gives me a look of impatience, so I finally relent. Without further hesitance, we start grabbing at one another's clothes.

I think the sounds he makes when we sleep together are my favorite sounds. I love his voice, but I love it best when he's moaning my name.

It's a slow and lazy fuck – probably because we're both tired. Nonetheless, I think we need the stress relief.

"Oh… fuck, fuck…" Sasuke moans, locking his legs around me. "Harder, Naruto… more…"

Yeah.

Yeah, that's definitely my favorite sound.

"Do you work on Saturday?" Sasuke asks the following evening.

"Nope," I say.

"Good," he sounds relieved. "Family dinner at my parents house."

"Oh, that'll be fun," I offer, though the tone is somewhat questioning.

Sasuke only sees his brother a few times a month at the most and when he does, it's always in a controlled environment. Still, Itachi seems better, but much like Sasuke he has good days and bad days.

When Saturday comes, we make our way across town to Mikoto and Fugaku's house. It's a familiar place. Sometimes it's all too strange not just calling it Sasuke's house anymore. Similarly, when I first moved out of my parents' house it was strange not calling it home anymore. I had a new home. I have a new home. My home is with Sasuke.

"Nervous to see your brother?" I ask Sasuke.

"Nah," he says. "We've been getting along."

"That's good." I'm glad to hear it. They've been through a lot and of course you can't blame it all on Itachi. He fucked up a lot, yes, but he's sick. Mikoto fucked up, too. So has Sasuke and so have I. I guess most of us have a pretty shitty track record, but we're all doing okay now. We don't mention the name Orochimaru anymore. We don't need to. It's now something of the past – something Sasuke has moved on from… Thankfully.

When we get there, we don't bother knocking. After letting ourselves in, we announce our arrival.

"Hey!" Sasuke shouts.

"In the back!" we hear.

We follow the voice into the kitchen and out through the back door. On the balcony, Kisame is barbequing while everyone else is sitting at the patio table drinking coolers. Itachi sits between his parents while my parents are seated on the opposite side. His family and mine – now one big family.

"Smells awesome," I say, taking a long whiff. We join everybody at the table and Fugaku digs into the cooler to get us drinks.

"What'll it be, boys?" he asks.

"Beer for me," I decide.

"Something fruity," Sasuke says.

Fugaku nods, tossing me a beer can before setting a cooler in front of his son. As soon as I crack open my beer, the conversation starts switching to "that one time" and "remember when" and the nostalgia is really setting in. I guess I haven't been the only one feeling it lately. I think I am just revelling in the fact that I can think about the past and feel content. I acknowledge the mistakes I've made but I don't dwell on this. I think I've humbled.

"Oh, oh!" Mikoto starts, laughing pleasantly as she nudges her husband. "Do you remember when Sasuke used to draw on the walls?"

He nods. "He never listened."

I snort back a laugh. "I remember that, too."

"I was like six," he protests lightly.

"Oh, some of the little pictures you would draw were so adorable," Mikoto sighs. "Unfortunately you seemed to reject paper. You loved the walls, though."

Sasuke smiles lazily. "You always took pictures instead of yelling at me."

"You were a sensitive child," she says, causing him to roll his eyes. "You never responded well to yelling."

"He's still pretty sensitive," I add, patting Sasuke's shoulder.

Itachi simply stares at us. He hasn't said a word since we arrived, but out of the blue he says, "I still think it's strange you two got married."

I just give him what probably looks like a pretty stupid smile. I no longer find it strange – just a bit unreal when I put it into perspective. I ended up with the guy so many girls wanted. Me.

From in front of the barbeque, Kisame adds, "I don't think it's all that strange. Naruto was a love sick puppy as a teenager."

"All right, all right," I snort. "Let's not talk about how sappy and lame I was."

"Don't worry, it was sweet," Sasuke reassures me, pinching my cheek.

Soon, Kisame is done cooking. Everything looks great – like something you might see in a recipe book or a cooking show.

"Mm!" I exclaim. "This looks awesome."

Everyone digs in – well, apart from the Uchihas. They all take dainty, little bites. That is, after all, the Uchiha way.

The time goes by fast – just like it always does. Soon it dims and then it's dark. The moon is up and we're all still sitting out here. When 11PM nears, we announce our departure. After hugs and goodbyes, we leave. Sasuke drives, since I had a few beers and all he sipped on was a cooler.

"Did you have fun?" I ask.

"It was nice," he says, not quite answering the question.

"Just say you had fun," I chuckle.

He smiles faintly. "All right, I had fun."

Soon, we return home and we retire to our room. We brush our teeth, wash our faces and put on our night clothes.

"I love you," I tell him as we get ready for bed.

"Will you still love me when I'm old and no longer attractive?" Sasuke asks.

"Of course," I say firmly, but I know why he asks. For most of his life, all people saw was a pretty face when they looked at him. For most of his life, he took advantage of that. I'd like to tell him he'll always be beautiful for me, but I know it's not the answer he's looking for.

He nods. "I know you're different than other men… but is it bad that there are times I still need the reassurance?"

"Not at all," I promise him.

As we crawl into bed, I say it again. "I love you." I know I say it a lot, but he deserves to hear it as often as I can say it.

"Mm," he murmurs groggily. "I love you, too."

Tomorrow we'll wake up and we'll get ready for yet another day. We'll do it all over again and try to make each new day even better than the last.

With all our ups and all our downs, I really wouldn't change a damn thing.