AN - Okay, so this is long for me. You guys don't get to complain about length for a while. I am actually pretty pleased with this chapter, and am getting excited to write the next couple ones. THINGS ARE HEATING UP! Both sexually (FINALLY) and plot-wise. I CANNOT WAIT. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: F off, you silly little ego-downer.

XXX

The next day was bright, sunny, and utterly glorious. Sasuke walked out of his apartment building and was met with the cheerful sounds of birds chirping, the nice, soft breeze that accompanied fall, and the peaceful swishing of tree leaves as they danced in the wind.

Yet, despite all of the beauty surrounding him, he was annoyed.

He had woken up too late, with a soggy bag of corn pressed to his face, hand stuffed unceremoniously down his pants and uncomfortably stiff with a substance better kept in the dark, and a sore back from sleeping on the couch all night.

His alarm clock had been going off in the other room, completely useless, and he had managed to stumble into the shower, throw on a baggy sweatshirt and jeans, and make it out of his apartment without any coffee.

Growling, Sasuke shoved his hands through his hair and stalked after the bus station, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He knew he was going to be late for work; that fact had already been accepted. However, he had not managed to get a good look at his face before he fled his home, and was unsure of the current state of his face.

He could certainly feel how it must look, but he wasn't sure how to lie his way out of this one. Everyone knew how mild mannered Sasuke was – they would never buy a story involving him and a random ally way fight.

Perhaps he could blow it off as an accident. Like, whoops, I accidentally fell down twelve flights of stairs, don't worry! Or maybe the classic purse robber story; he had fought the offending criminal in order to win the little old lady's purse back.

Growling and stomping his way onto the bus, he made eye contact with the driver to see just how bad the situation was. He man blinked when he saw his face and turned swiftly away, swallowing.

Great. Sasuke looked like a thug. Sighing, he sat down and was grateful, at least, for the fact that his eyes weren't swollen shut. Letting his head rest against the seat, he suddenly remembered the fact that Itachi had not returned to his apartment last night, like he had promised. He hadn't even called him.

Slipping his phone out of his pocket, Sasuke dialed his brother's digits and held the phone to his ear, watching the world outside as the device rang.

"Hello?" Itachi asked, ridiculously chipper for it being seven in the morning.

"Why didn't you come back to my apartment last night?" Sasuke growled, trying to clear his throat. His voice was always about ten tones deeper in the morning, something his previous lovers had found attractive, while he just found it annoying.

"I was busy. Why? Did you need me?" That was Itachi for you; ever caring, ever kind.

"No, I was just curious. What was it that you were doing?"

Itachi chuckled, sounding thoroughly amused. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Sasuke blushed and held the phone away from his ear for a second. If Itachi was implying that he had gone off to have sex, he didn't want to think about it. "You're disgusting," he said with a low groan, completely forgetting his suspicions from earlier.

"Are you on your way? You're already five minutes late."

"Yeah, yeah. I slept in on accident. My face might be a little bit battered up still; I didn't get to see how bad it was."

Itachi's voice became deadly within seconds. "Does it still hurt?"

Sasuke considered telling the truth, but decided against it. Itachi didn't need to worry. "No, I'm fine. It just doesn't look like I am."

Itachi heaved a sigh into the phone line, then grew serious. "What's your excuse?"

Sasuke stood up when the bus rolled to a stop, and shuffled out with the rest of the pedestrians. "Bar fight? Some dude was harassing a young lady and I decided to put it to a stop?"

Itachi hummed over the phone line, then clucked his tongue. "I suppose that'll do. Now get your ass in here before Kakashi fires you." With that, the line went dead and Sasuke trudged into the police station.

Once in, he walked to the lounge, where everyone sat at this hour. Neji was leaning back in his seat, worrying at his lip. He looked a bit leaner, a bit paler, and all together a nervous, twitchy wreck.

Ino was keeping a concerned eye on him, trying to distract the already distracted Hyuuga with her colorful magazines filled with the latest pop culture gossip. Kakashi was sipping an energy drink and leaning casually back in his chair, taking the whole scene in.

When Sasuke walked in, he saluted him with two fingers and watched as he sat down, placing his head quickly in his hands. But Kakashi missed nothing.

"You look like shit," he stated, sitting up. "Like someone decided to use you as a punching bag, shit. What the hell happened?"

Sasuke remained silent, hoping they all thought he had fallen asleep. Appearing lazy on the job would be better than lying to his team again.

"Answer me. That's an order." Kakashi said, speaking lowly. Ino and Sakura glanced over, and when he made eye contact with Sakura, her eyes widened, resembling two, bright blue plates on her face.

"Bar fight," he mumbled, and Kakashi yanked him up by his hood, thoroughly examining his face. He tutted and took another sip of his sports drink, his hands twitching impatiently on the table.

"You are a bad liar, Sasuke."

Despite the fact that his words froze the blood in Sasuke's veins, he rolled his eyes. "Obviously it wasn't a tussle for fun. There was some douche trying to get up a girl's pants. So I stopped him and he wasn't too happy about it. End of story."

Kakashi examined his nails, then turned his intelligent eyes on the terrified raven. "Since when did you start going to bars?"

Sasuke sat back and glared at the ceiling, trying to look like a pouting teenager. "Jesus, can I not go out and have fun like every other twenty three year old in the world?"

Sakura was glaring at him, obviously peeved that he had withheld the information of him getting beaten up at Naruto's, but she remained silent as ever, her hands folded delicately in her lap.

Ino was still staring worriedly at him, and even Neji broke his trance to look over at Sasuke. "Well," Ino said, biting at her lip. "I hope the other guy looks just as bad, if not worse."

Sasuke tried to fight back his grin, knowing that Gaara had come out ten times better than he had. He was just glad that his fingers hadn't left bruises on his throat; that would have been much harder to explain.

Kakashi was still staring skeptically at him when Itachi bounded into the room, carrying two steaming cups of coffee and about a million packets of sugar and cream. He set the hot, black coffee in front of Sasuke and took a seat beside him, already dumping too much cream into the bitter drink.

"Good morning," he said happily, smiling at everyone in the room. When his eyes landed on Sakura, she paled ever so slightly, but Itachi pretended not to notice. Sasuke was slowly picking up on how great of a liar Itachi was. The fact was both comforting and unnerving at the same time.

Kakashi's eyes swiveled towards Itachi, and they suddenly snapped back and forth between the two, and Sasuke winced inwardly. He had figured something out. Sasuke just didn't know what.

Looking slightly put off, Kakashi turned to Neji and snapped his fingers in front of his nose, grinning when he flinched back to life.

"Have you got any more information on Sai?" Kakashi asked, setting his drink down.

Sasuke's lungs stopped working for a second. Then they kicked into gear and it took all his willpower not to gasp and drop the steaming mug on the floor in horror.

Sai.

Sai. As in, the Sai that had broken Naruto's heart? As in, the Sai who had pulled Naruto and his friends into the dark world they lived in today? As in, the Sai he wanted to meet just so he could snap his neck and walk away?

That Sai?

He slowly took another sip of the bitter liquid, thankful, at least, that Itachi and Sakura knew nothing about how much that name meant to him. How much weight it carried.

Neji groaned and shook his head in frustration. "I haven't been able to catch a California license plate with the driver matching his description."

Sakura unfolded her hands from her lap and leaned forward, looking interested. "Do you mean the Sai with an unregistered last name? Black and white Sai?"

Sasuke's hand shook just the slightest. He calmly set his coffee down on the table and tucked his quivering palms into his pockets.

Neji and Kakashi turned towards her. "Yeah,"

Looking triumphant, she turned to her computer and typed in the password before pulling up a file. On it, there was a picture of an attractive looking man wearing a black tank top and cargo pants, with long hair that fell in his eyes and a stack of brownies and custards piled in his hands.

Everyone in the lounge frowned at the picture, and Sakura shrugged. "Someone snapped a picture of him leaving Hy-Vee. His face is a ninety eight percent match to his last mug shot. It beats me why he's carrying all that junk."

Kakashi had leaned back in his seat and was staring furiously at the screen. He was trying to figure it out in his head, Sasuke knew. But he wasn't sure how well that was going to go over. What sinister reason could this Sai have with using baked goods?

Neji had perked up at the name of the store, and was already jotting something down in a notepad. "We're gonna need all the security tapes at all the local Hy-Vee's. He could also be visiting other stores, but for now this seems to be good enough." Neji glanced up, and Ino was looking around in confusion.

"Okay, I get that he was a criminal, but the man's carrying a stack of brownies, for Christ's sake. Is he really a serious threat? Don't you think he's changed?"

Neji shook his head, leaning back in his seat with an almost pained sigh. "Criminals never change."

The words shook Sasuke more than he'd like to admit.

XXX

Naruto woke up and groaned, rolling around uncomfortably on his bed, like a child having a tantrum. He didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to walk out that door and face his team, knowing they would still support him even after all the shit he'd thrown their way. So he stayed in bed for a couple more minutes, counting the cracks on his ceiling.

Finally, when he knew he couldn't put it off any longer, he rolled out of bed and opened his door.

Hinata was collecting her numerous amount of books spread all over the place, placing them in a small cardboard box and sighing. Kiba was packing up the dry food in the kitchen and Naruto knew that everyone else must have been storing their things away upstairs, too.

They were really doing it.

They were leaving.

Swallowing, Naruto walked over to Hinata and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and dropped one of her paper backs, and in that moment she looked so innocent and sweet that he wanted to take a sledgehammer and pound himself into the ground. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to betray her family all because of Naruto and his stupid mistakes. None of them deserved it. But they all dealt with it anyways.

"Where are we going?" He asked, and she shrugged, keeping her eyes on the floor. He knew she didn't want to leave. She hated change, but she hated putting her family at risk even more.

Kiba glanced up from the kitchen and smiled at Naruto, throwing a box of cereal at him. "We're gonna live like homeless people for a while."

Naruto blinked in shock, unable to believe that they would really allow that. Hinata just shook her head with a small smile and picked up the cardboard box. "We're obviously not going to live as homeless people, Naruto, don't worry. But I don't know where we'll live, as of now."

Jiraiya tumbled down the steps in a heap of excitement, grinning from ear to ear. He looked out of place among the somber people in the room.

"Shit, guys, you are going to love me," he exclaimed, smacking his hands together loudly.

Hinata's wide eyes got even bigger and hope filled her expression. "Why will we love you?" she asked, desperate.

Jiraiya paused for a moment, then broke into another grin. "You know how we don't really have a place to live right now?"

"Yeah?" Kiba asked, smiling wide.

"I found us a place!" He yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Jiraiya!" Hinata yelped, throwing her arms around him in a hug. Kiba looked instantly jealous. Jiraiya chuckled and hugged her back, still grinning confidently.

"Where is it?" Naruto asked, a feeling of sweet relief pouring through his system.

Jiraiya's phone buzzed and he pulled it out, checking the message. His face softened and he smiled at the screen, quickly responding. Then he glanced up.

"What?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Where is the place?"

"Oh! Well, you know Kyo?" He asked, glancing distractedly at his phone.

"No." Naruto said, a small feeling of dread curling in his stomach.

"The pizza delivery boy? Yes you do! Well last night I was texting him, I also FaceTimed him – let me tell you that boy's body is heavenly – and I told him about our little predicament."

Hinata dropped her cardboard box of books in surprise and Kiba looked utterly horrified. Naruto didn't dare to breathe.

"He offered to let all of us stay at his apartment, if we help with the rent, which won't be hard at all. He says he's got two extra bedrooms, so we'll have to squeeze, but it's better than nothing, right?"

Kiba still looked horrified, and Hinata was trying hard to make the situation into a positive one. "Did you tell him of our… profession?"

Jiraiya laughed. "I'm not that stupid. No, he doesn't know. And since we all changed our appearances drastically, he won't really be able to tell if he sees a poster or flier for us hanging up somewhere."

Naruto was still processing this. "You met him yesterday," he stated, and Jiraiya nodded, "and he was delivering pizza." Again, another nod from the older man. "And how he's letting you, and all of us," Naruto gestured around, "stay at his apartment?"

Jiraiya laughed heartily. "He's not a cop, Naruto. Unlike you, I can show some restraint to a man in uniform. He's just an adorable boy with a big heart and a big co-"

"I do NOT need to hear that," Kiba interrupted, eyes wide.

Jiraiya laughed again, and his phone buzzed. Naruto watched as he answered the text, still trying to figure out if it was safe or not. The more he thought about it, the more desperate he became. They really had nowhere else to go. And if Jiraiya had found the gang a place to stay, who was Naruto to say no? He had already cost them enough. So he kept his mouth shut and let his team decide.

Hinata looked a bit resigned, but she nodded anyway, a small smile in her eyes. "That was a good job, Jiraiya. Thank you. When can we move?"

"Today, if you want. He's got the day off, so he said he'd help us move our stuff."

Kiba slumped against the counter, closing his eyes. "I can't believe we're moving in with your pizza boy."

Jiraiya seemed to like sound of 'your pizza boy', and grinned evilly down at his phone.

Gaara, Suigetsu and Karin came down, and Jiraiya quickly explained the situation to them. Gaara was rigid at first, untrusting and calculating, but the more he thought about it, the more he warmed up to the idea. When he heard there were only two bedrooms, he glanced over at Naruto.

"Kiba and Hinata can sleep in one," he said almost automatically, and both of them blushed to their toes but made no move to protest. "and Karin and Suigetsu can have the other room. Jiraiya will obviously sleep with Kyo, and we'll just sleep in the living room."

Gaara nodded and his hooded gaze traveled down the blonde's body. "Are you going to tell your police officer where we're relocating?"

Naruto froze, his heart ceasing its constant beating for a second. How was he going to find Sasuke? He couldn't wait in the apartment until the stubborn raven decided to show up again. He would just have to find him on his own time. He knew where the police station was, and if worse came to worse, he would hunt him down there. As of now, he would not think of Sasuke. He would banish him from his mind and help the gang, his only family, get control of their ever erratic lives.

He was done being selfish.

XXX

Up close, Kyo was actually pretty attractive. He had a nicely defined jaw and a five o' clock shadow, with heavy lidded dark brown eyes and an easy smile. Naruto could see why Jiraiya was drawn towards him. He was so easy to like.

He was holding a large box full of Karin's clothing, and she was trailing behind him, glassy-eyed and dreamy. Naruto and the rest of the gang had already settled in their assigned rooms; Kiba and Hinata shared the room on the first floor of the small condo-like apartment. Karin and Suigetsu shared the second floor, alone, and Jiraiya was rooming with his lovely Kyo.

Hinata had endlessly thanked him and Kiba had never taken his eyes off her the whole time, standing directly behind her as if Jiraiya's pizza boy was going to make a move on something he hadn't even claimed yet.

Once Karin's last box was in her room, they all collapsed onto chairs in the living room, Jiraiya flinging his arm over Kyo's shoulder with a grin. The boy flushed and snuggled closer, and Naruto was still mildly caught off guard by how fast Jiraiya had moved his relationship along. He had known him – not even known really – known of him, for less than a day, and already the boy seemed to be enamored with him. They were staying in his apartment, for Christ's sake.

And Naruto thought his relationships moved fast.

"So," Kyo started, playing with a lock of Jiraiya's hair absently. "welcome to my humble abode."

Hinata stammered out a quick thanks, followed lowly by the rest of the team. They didn't know what to do, how to act.

They had been taken out of their comfort zone and thrown head first into uncharted territory. The ice in the room seemed to freeze every effort someone made to speak. Silence ruled.

Then, finally, blessedly, Jiraiya stood up and leaned down to Kyo, running his lips along the younger boy's ear. No one could hear what he was saying, but his words caused Kyo to shiver in delight. He was up immediately and following Jiraiya into his room, leaving the gang to murmur restlessly amongst each other. Hinata quickly disappeared to her room, Kiba not far behind. Taking their lead, Suigetsu made eye contact with Karin, and soon they were gone as well, bickering the whole way.

That left Gaara and Naruto sitting alone in the new, unfamiliar living room with different cracks on the walls, different stains on the floor, and different memories haunting the halls. Gaara made eye contact with Naruto and grinned, pulling back his long sleeved shirt to check the time. His fake eye brows rose, and he whistled.

"We kind of killed today," he said softly, and Naruto peeked up from the jail of his fingers.

"What time is it?"

"Eleven at night. We might want to get some shut eye." Gaara said gently, his eyes never leaving Naruto. The intimacy they had shared at least a year ago was not gone from his gaze, and Naruto couldn't help but bite his lip. Maybe it was for the better. Maybe, he just wouldn't find Sasuke again. Maybe he would let this whole, dangerous, thrilling disaster of a situation die out and remain a fond memory of the past. Maybe he could be happy with Gaara again; he hadn't been bad to him before.

So many maybes.

Swallowing, Naruto nodded and turned over on the stiff couch, wondering if this was how his life was going to be. If he would continue to run from the authorities, to run from his responsibilities, to run, run, run.

Had Kiba been right? Naruto didn't know, and he didn't like thinking about it. He didn't like thinking about how someday, he wouldn't be free. Someday, he would end up behind bars, no matter how far he ran, how many fake names he took on, how many colors he dyed his hair. He couldn't run from that guilt forever.

Kiba had said that their current time wouldn't be that long – a year, at most. A year of his life, gone, wasted, flushed down the toilet. All for a nice hit of drugs and the soft feel of someone's lips against his own.

He was stupid. He was careless and selfish and tired. He was so tired. But he didn't know what to do. How to fix what he had done. So, he remained on the stiff couch in a stranger's home and closed his eyes, eager to let sleep take him away to a place where a stranger's touch didn't mean the end of the world.

XXX

The next day, Sasuke was up at the butt-crack of dawn. He was showered, dried, deodorant-ed, and caffeinated, and he was casually sitting on his couch, watching the early morning news. He was looking for signs of Sai – anything that would at least give him some clue to where the crazy son of a bitch might be. Neji had gotten permission from all the local Hy-Vee's and had spent the night going over each and every tape from the last six months, so he had to have some information.

Taking a bite into his tomato, Sasuke let his eyes fall close. His hand was twitching and his toes were tapping a relentless rhythm on the floor of his apartment. He was almost sure why. He had gotten a nice night's sleep, he had drunk his coffee and was now just waiting for the bus. He should be happy, relaxed. But instead he was nervous and jumpy and his mind could not, would not focus on anything.

He missed Naruto. He couldn't get the man out of his head, but he couldn't skip work to go over to his apartment just to see him. He had to get his life back under control first. He had to get a grip. Catching the time on his phone, Sasuke turned off the TV and casually walked outside, noticing a rolling storm brewing in the distance.

Climbing onto the bus, Sasuke watched as the trees passed, as the people passed, as life passed. He needed to get more information on Sai; he needed to help his team at least a little.

But he couldn't. Not like this.

Growling, he turned away from the window and wasn't surprised to find people staring at him. He had checked his face this morning, and his bruises had faded to a light yellow color, making him look sick and sallow. He didn't care. It wasn't like Naruto was going to see him like this anyways.

Angrily tromping off the bus, Sasuke threw himself into the police station, his agitation clear on his face. Kakashi greeted him calmly, and Sasuke grunted back in return, slipping into Sakura's office.

She glanced up then started, her eyebrows rising quickly. "Sasuke?"

"Get me all the information you have on Sai," he growled, and she raised a worried eyebrow.

"Neji and Kakashi are already on it…"

"Just," Sasuke sighed and leaned against the wall. "please. I want to help."

Sakura glanced quickly out the door, then shut it. She turned to Sasuke and took him by his shoulders. "You have to stop seeing Naruto."

The words hit him like a sledgehammer to his throat. He couldn't breathe. His heart sped up and his fingers clenched, but he remained still. "Why?" he asked, his voice rough.

Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head. "Don't you see? Sasuke, he's changed you. You used to be happy and alert, a steady, constant person. Now you're showing up with bruises all over your face and your mind halfway to Jupiter. He's not good for you, Sasuke."

With every word he flinched, and she looked sad and guilty, but firm. "Sasuke, I'm only saying this because I care. There's only so much I can do for you, but letting you emotionally give yourself hell is not something I'm okay with. So unless Naruto gets better at being a boyfriend, or lover, or whatever, know that I will be watching you."

She ran a delicate hand down his face, and Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. Some part of him knew she was right; he was different, and maybe not for the better. But another part, the part of him that Naruto completed, knew he would always be like this unless Naruto was in his life. So he nodded, pretended that her words had an effect on him, that they had changed his mind.

Sakura smiled happily and pulled back, blushing slightly. "It's not that I want you to be unhappy, I do, but… I just want you to be happy and healthy. And that's not happening with Naruto."

Sasuke nodded, looking away and clearing his throat. "So, Sai?"

Sakura blushed harder and pulled away completely, returning to her computer. "I will get right on that." She looked up one more time, smiling softly. "Thank you, Sasuke."

Nodding curtly, Sasuke left her office without another word. He knew he was not only kidding himself, but her as well. There was no way in hell he wouldn't be dropping be Naruto's apartment tonight. No way.

XXX

Naruto stood, in the pouring rain, waiting for Sasuke to exit the police station. With his luck, it was probably Sasuke's day off, and he had been standing out here in the freezing, pouring rain for five hours for no reason at all. Still, he waited. He had blearily woken up in Kyo's apartment, with about four hours of sleep, considering all the sounds of sex that had been echoing through the house during the night. Jiraiya and Kyo had by far been the loudest, and a couple of times Naruto had caught the words 'That's right, my little pizza boy'. He shivered thinking about it.

Finally, he saw a flicker of movement within the police station, and then a pale, long-haired male exited the building. His long hair was pulled back, and for a second, Naruto thought it was Itachi. He sunk even farther into the bushes he was hiding in, not giving himself enough time to think about how stupid he was. On a closer inspection he found that it was Hinata's cousin, Neji. He didn't look good. He had dark bags under his eyes, like someone had dipped their thumb in blue paint and smeared it under his light orbs. Naruto watched as he got into his black SUV and drove away, biting his lip.

Then the rest of them came pouring out: an attractive, bouncy girl with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, a superior looking man with gray hair and what looked like an energy drink clutched in his hands, a girl with light pink hair and a short skirt, Itachi, and finally, finally, Sasuke.

Naruto's breath caught as he got a look at Sasuke's face. It was yellowed with bruises and he was walking slowly, carefully, as if not to disturb a wound Naruto could not see. He kept low in the bushes, watching as everyone bid each other goodbye, then left in their cars. Sasuke was making his way into the rain, heading for the bus stop. He put his hand up to protect his face from the rain, but once he stepped into the downpour, he was drenched. The thought sent blood pooling delightfully in Naruto's groin.

Slowly standing, Naruto emerged from the bushes and casually fell into step next to the raven, despite how his hands were begging him to touch him, how his lips were begging him to taste Sasuke's own. When the raven looked over, his eyes widened and he stopped walking, his hands falling to his sides. Naruto hadn't been conscious that he was shivering until that moment, and Sasuke's eyes were all over him, offering a much welcomed heat to the blonde's body.

Then their mouths were touching and nothing else mattered; not the way people were pushing past them and staring, not the way the rain was drenching their clothes and making them both shiver, not the fact that Sasuke had left in a rush and that they hadn't seen each other for two days.

All Naruto cared about was that Sasuke was right here. Right now. He groaned and grabbed Sasuke's jacket, tugging him closer. His heat, his glorious, wonderful heat was wrapping around him, making him dizzy and excited and full. God, he felt full. Sasuke made a desperate, almost keening sound in the back of his throat and Naruto growled, biting the raven's lip and evoking a choked gasp from the police officer. His hands were all over, under his shirt, in his hair, just starting to slip down Sasuke's pants when a loud horn broke the two apart.

Panting and staring at each other as the rain drenched their clothes and stained their faces with tears, they were speechless. Then the bus driver leaned out and yelled, "Unless you wanna stay out there, get your sorry asses in here!"

Sasuke glanced quickly back at Naruto, desperate, and grabbed his hand. Naruto started in surprise and followed the raven onto the bus. Both were so wrapped up in the novel that they were there with each other on a bus that they never noticed a gaping, pink haired girl sitting in her car. They also never noticed the look of fury on her face, and the phone clutched in her shaking hand.

XXX

Sasuke was staring at Naruto, whose body was against the window, his vibrant eyes (he had gone off contacts) a stark, luminous contrast against the dark gray of rain clouds and despair outside. He still couldn't believe that Naruto; criminal Naruto, was going to his house. He couldn't believe that he had waited out for him all day in the pouring rain just so he could see him. His body was still wracked with shivers; he wrapped his arms around himself, and Sasuke had to keep himself perfectly still.

He could not show his affection for him on this bus.

Which, honestly, was quite stupid. They had just been caught making out in the pouring rain in front of the bus by the driver; why did it matter that they show affection here?

But something in the air between them had changed as they had stepped onto the bus; it was like their relationship had grown closer, the bond tighter, but at the same time, all the more forbidden.

So Sasuke sat, desperately praying for the slow, jerking bus to pull to a stop in front of his apartment complex sooner, before he lost his control and exploded.

Naruto was still shivering next to him, his gaze firmly locked on the falling droplets of rain in front of him, his nose pressed against the chilly glass. Every time he exhaled, Sasuke could see the fog appear on the window.

It was strangely fascinating. To watch something so simple as Naruto sitting on a bus seat; it enraptured him. The way his muscles strained to keep his body from falling off the chair, the way his eyes never stopped moving from face to face, the way he would gently dip his head forward when the bus screeched to a halt. It was amazing in its simplicity. It was gorgeous in its casualness. It was heart stopping in its intimacy.

It was perfect.

Sasuke couldn't understand how the blonde had made such a normal, everyday moment transform into something more, something magical. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat as the realization that he had fallen in love with Naruto wrapped a meaty fist around his heart and squeezed.

He was in love with Naruto.

He was in love with Naruto, and he didn't even know his last name.

He was in love with Naruto and he didn't know what his favorite food was, how he looked when he was in pain, the way he smelled fresh from the shower, what his face looked like after five days of not shaving, the whole story behind Sai, if he enjoyed daytime TV. He knew none of these small, almost useless things that meant so much in each relationship.

He was in love with Naruto and he didn't care.

He quickly turned away, his heart beating fast, terrified rhythms in his chest. He could feel it every time another swish of blood was pumped through his veins. Every time his fingers brushed against the rough fabric of Naruto's soaked jeans. Every time the bus jolted forward and the engine vibrated.

Love.

The word kept bouncing around in his head, floating in giant circles and screaming at his consciousness.

Love. Love love love love love love love love love. Love?

When he noticed his apartment complex, Sasuke stood quickly, gripping his seat for support. The bus rumbled to a stop and Naruto glanced up, his eyes wide.

"We're here," Sasuke said, and a strange shyness came over him. He avoided Naruto's amused gaze and hopped quickly off the roaring vehicle, landing lightly on the cement. Naruto followed him, and when he was submerged in the freezing rain, he cursed and ran quickly for the apartments, not waiting for Sasuke to catch up.

Once Sasuke got to the stuttering blonde's side, he quickly removed his keys from his pocket and thrust them into the lock, twisting it quickly and ushering Naruto inside. Once there, the warm, welcome gust of heat blew into their faces, almost instantly soothing Sasuke. Naruto, on the other hand, had turned a frightful shade of blue.

"Shit, Naruto," Sasuke said, taking the shivering man by the wrist. "How long did you wait out there?"

As they walked, Naruto stumbled slightly and tried to answer. "A-about-t f-f-five hou-r-rs. G-give o-or t-t-ake."

Sasuke winced and shook his head, but inserted his key into his door and turned the lock, pushing Naruto into his apartment quickly.

"Sit down on the couch, take off all those wet clothes," Sasuke ordered, already going into his bedroom for a blanket. He didn't realize what he had said until it was too late, and a blush attacked his face.

Walking back out into the living room, Sasuke dropped the blanket in surprise on the floor. Naruto had taken his request very seriously. He was draped over Sasuke's comfy, soft brown couch, completely bare. His clothes were tossed in a pile in the corner of the room, and he was shivering like mad.

Sasuke blinked, tried to swallow, then realized his mouth was too dry. Naruto's entire body was perfection; he wasn't chiseled to the point of no body fat, but he was solid and firm, his legs tight and thick, his manhood thick and long and heavy. Sasuke gasped slightly, and Naruto glanced up.

His face broke out in a grin, but it was quickly demolished by his intense shivers. "Y-you like w-w-what you s-s-see?" He asked, wrapping his arms around himself.

Sasuke felt even more heat pulse into his cheeks and he nodded quickly, bending down to grab the nearly forgotten blanket so Naruto couldn't see his face. He had to get him covered up before he thought of different ways to warm him up.

"Here," he said hoarsely, tossing him the thick, fuzzy blanket.

Naruto grabbed it thankfully, wrapping it around himself and sighing in bliss. Sasuke wanted to make him soup; he just didn't have any. He knew that one of the best ways to heat up a shivering, blue-skinned person was to snuggle close to them, but the unbearable lust that had existed in his groin from earlier seemed to have fled at the mention of love.

"D-do you k-know a quicker w-way of warming me up?" Naruto asked from the couch, opening his eyes to grin playfully at the frozen Sasuke.

Finally swallowing down his shyness, Sasuke rolled his eyes and sent him an alluring glance back. He sidled up to the blonde, who had his curious eyes trained on him the whole way over. Sasuke slid up next to the blonde, leaning in close and nipping his ear playfully. Naruto let out a surprised gasp and shivered, this time in delight.

"Oh I do," Sasuke purred into his ear, "and it doesn't involve clothes."

XXX

AN - Hehe. How much did you guys like this cliff hanger? Reviews makes me write faster...

Much love,

-IC