The sky was a rusty red and the air was thick with dust and smoke. It was like this everywhere he went, even places unaffected by the war. The ground he walked on was hard and the paved asphalt was cracked and crumbling beneath his feet.

After the nuclear war of 2037 between Russia and North Korea, the world began to fall apart. Entire civilizations were destroyed and others began to dissolve. Entire continents broke out in disease and famine, decreasing the human population by the thousands. Ash and dust became a permanent characteristic of the air, and soon, anyone smart left their homes with goggles, and a scarf, or even an entire mask.

Riots broke out everywhere, people looting in desperation, struggling to feed and preserve their families. Hospitals became useless, filling to the brim with the dead or those who might as well be. Soon, all of America, and the rest of the world, was a extended wasteland.

Sasuke didn't know where he was going, or why it mattered, but he knew he couldn't stay in Connecticut, or at least what was left of it. With this sentiment in mind, he left the ruins of the rundown town behind him, and proceeded into the unknown.

Very rarely did he come across any type of society. At the most, it were usually a few neighbors in a makeshift community, struggling to have a "normal" life. Usually, he would be able to stop for a drink, food, and a place to sleep for the night before moving onward. Nowhere seemed livable anyway, but he didn't expect it to.

It was in the middle of summer, a few years after he first left Connecticut, in what Sasuke presumed to be Nebraska, he came across a small makeshift town, slightly bigger than any other "civilization" he's come across. At the entrance of the small town a dusty sign stood at attention, reading "Welcome to Red Cloud".

Red Cloud, while not grossly populated, seemed to inhabit over thirty individuals, permanent and nomadic. Tired and thirsty, Sasuke spotted a small building labeled "Nagato's". When he got inside it was a pub/diner of sorts.

Sasuke made his way to the bar where a petite woman with dark hair pulled into a bun with a paper flower approached him.

"What can I get you?" she asked casually, voice light and without emotion.

He thought about it before answering. "What do you have?"

"Beer, whiskey, scotch, water," was her simple reply.

"Water is fine."

She walked away and fetched him a glass of water and, thankfully, there was ice. You'd think it wouldn't surprise him, but you'd be surprised.

She brought him his glass and left to tend to other occupants. Sasuke quietly sipped at his water and looked around the small restaurant. It was midday, so it wasn't crowded. There was a group of older women in the corner playing Spades, a young man, around 20 or so, with bright blonde hair and an apron sweeping the floor, a couple of big guys at the other end of the bar, and a middle aged man sitting by himself, reading a book.

They all looked normal enough.

It wasn't until Sasuke finally finished his glass and was about to order a glass of scotch did one of the big men at the end of the bar call out a name.

"Naruto!" he nearly yelled across the establishment.

The young blonde, who was now wiping down unused tabled, yelled over his shoulder without looking at the man, "Not today, Hidan."

The man only chuckled. "C'mon, Naruto. You know you love talking to me."

At this point the blonde finally turned and gave the big man an annoyed look. "Gee, I wonder what gave you that idea."

From the way they continued to bicker, Sasuke assumed that this was a regular occurrence, and decided to ignore it. However, a few minutes later, the sound of a table loudly screeching across the floor caught everyone's attention. Sasuke shifted his attention to the sound and saw the Hidan guy had pushed the smaller blonde against a table, preventing him from moving.

"I swear, by all that is holy, you better get the fuck off of me," the blonde, Naruto, practically growled.

Hidan only grinned arrogantly, "Why don't you just stop playing hard to get and we can go somewhere more private?"

Naruto shook his head rapidly and began pushing past Hidan, but without success.

"Let go of me!" the blonde was yelling. "Someone get this guy away from me!"

The ladies in the corner seemed frozen in shock, while the middle aged man continued reading. Hidan's friend, the other bigger guy, only shook his head at his friend's behavior, but didn't to help.

Sasuke, without really thinking about it, moved towards the pair with the intent to put an end to the nonsense.

When Hidan noticed Sasuke approaching, he pushed Naruto onto the ground, resulting the blonde to land on his butt. He crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at the dark haired man with a raised eyebrow.

"And what are you gonna do? You Mr. Nice Guy?" Hidan asked, amusement in his voice. "Just mind your own business, okay?"

"I think everyone here would appreciate it if you left that young man alone." was Sasuke's reserved reply.

"Oh yeah?"

Sasuke simply nodded.

"You gonna do something if I don't?"

"If I have to," Sasuke said.

By now Naruto was back up onto his feet, and rushed over to Sasuke's side.

"Hey guys! Chill okay?"

Hearing this, Hidan smirked, before yanking the collar of Sasuke's shirt, bring their faces close. He opened his mouth to speak, but before a word could be said, a fist swung towards him, hitting him square in the jaw.

He backed away slowly, holding his face, eyes wide at the dark haired man in front of him. Anger flashed in his eyes and he charged towards the raven, only to receive another punch, which he was sure broke his nose.

"Fuck!" he yelled, clutching his nose. He removed his hand to reveal his blood splattered face. "Fuck you, man!" He yelled.

Naruto sighed. "Just go home, Hidan."

The man's friend, who was sitting at the bar, silently watching, calmly got up and dragged the humiliated man out of the establishment. Once he was gone the older women in the corner resumed their game, and the reading man continued to read as if nothing ever happened.

The short blonde, Naruto, turned to the raven haired man with a grin on his face.

"You're pretty bad ass, aren't you?" he asked, chuckling to himself.

Sasuke just shrugged and went back to his seat at the bar. Naruto sat right next to him.

"I'm Naruto," he introduced, holding out his hand for Sasuke to shake.

"I know," he said, but shook his hand anyway. "Sasuke."

The blonde nodded. "You didn't have to hit him, you know. He goes away eventually." Naruto had a huge grin on his face when he said this, obviously not opposed to the man getting what was coming to him.

Sasuke shook his head. "He shouldn't have grabbed me."

"True. True." the blonde agreed. "Hey, Konan!" he yelled.

The petite woman from earlier returned. "What do you want, Naruto?"

"Two whiskeys," he ordered, the grin never leaving his face.

When they got their drinks, Naruto noticed the golden band on Sasuke's ring finger.

"Where you from, Sasuke?"

Dark eyes looked at him. "Connecticut. You?"

"Here," Naruto replied. "Well, not Red Cloud. I'm from further north, Madison, Nebraska." Naruto glanced at the golden band again. "What made you leave Connecticut?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Nothing there."

"Oh."

The two drunk in silence until Naruto stood up.

"Hey are you looking for a place to stay for a while? A night or two?"

Sasuke thought about it. It was afternoon, and he didn't quite like the idea of sleeping in uninhabited nowhere. "Yeah, I am."

If possible, the blonde's already bright smile got even brighter. "Great! You can stay with me at my place. It's not huge or anything but I've got room."

"Sure."

Naruto then proceeded to lead Sasuke out of "Nagato's" and to a run down building across the street. The building itself was two stories and nearly falling apart. When they entered the blonde led him down a stairway into the basement.

"Granny Tsunade lives upstairs and Ero-sannin lives on the first floor, so they let me have the basement. It's not much, but it's good enough, especially in this economy." At this, the blonde laughed, appreciating the clever joke he made.

Sasuke felt the sides of his mouth lift, appreciating the lighthearted nature of the blonde. Positivity was very rare these days.

The part of the basement the blonde lived in was one large room, with a door leading to what Sasuke assumed to be a bathroom. There was a small stove, sink and fridge in one corner, a small wooden table, an old couch in another, and a full sized wire bed in another. In the center of the floor was an old orange decorative rug, which Naruto said "added color" to the otherwise greyish atmosphere.

Various candles and lanterns littered the floor, and a tall lamp stood by the couch.

"You can have the couch, or floor," the blonde chuckled. "The bathroom is through that door. And uh...no smoking in here, 'cause there's no vent and only that tiny window. The window Naruto was referring to was above the kitchen sink close to the ceiling, and was secured with a latch. "So...Yeah, I have to go help Nagato and Konan close shop, so make yourself at home, and I'll be back."

Once the blonde was gone, Sasuke dropped his bag and made his way to the couch and sat down. Thinking that he probably needed a bath he went to the bathroom and undressed. The bathroom was small, and there was only cold water, but in Sasuke's opinion, that was better than no water.

After an hour or so, Naruto returned with several cups of instant noodles

"I bet you're starving, Sasuke," he said, heading towards the wooden table and putting a kettle of water on the stove.

"I am, actually," Sasuke replied, sitting at the table.

"It's so lucky that there's still ramen leftover. I mean, it's kinda old, but it's still good." Naruto made a grimace. "The only downside are the maggots, but they're completely harmless after you add the hot water."

The thought of maggots made Sasuke cringe, but the thought of hot food made his stomach growl with desire. Deciding to just put the thought of maggots out of his head, he allowed himself to enjoy the manufactured flavor of his instant ramen, all the while not once actually looking into the cup at what he was eating.

He didn't want to ruin the moment.

"MMmmmm," Naruto minded. "That hit the spot!"

He stretched and stood up. "I think I'm gonna bathe."

The blonde disappeared into the bathroom and Sasuke put the cups away into the trash, and the forks into the sink, and returned to the couch. About a half hour later, Naruto emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, his body still damp, and water droplets cascading down his toned torso.

Sasuke noticed himself staring and looked away, a frown on his pale face.

He had never found a man attractive before, but there was something about Naruto's positive personality, and bright appearance, his golden hair, tan skin, and bright smile, that had Sasuke transfixed. He could feel it.

He could feel himself slowly starting to crave the blonde's presence. S

He focused on not staring at Naruto as he got dressed, absentmindedly twirling his golden band around his finger.

"Sasuke?" he heard the blonde say, somewhat timidly.

He looked up and Naruto was dressed in a pair a sweat pants and a t-shirt. Indeed he looked timidly at Sasuke, and the raven caught azure eyes darting down to his left hand, where he was still twirling his ring finger. He stopped immediately.

"What?" he asked.

Naruto opened his mouth, hesitating. "You...were married, weren't you?"

Sasuke felt like he should've expected that, seeing as he still wore the ring, but he still felt the familiar lump in his throat whenever he thought of his wife and daughter. "Yeah, I was."

Naruto nodded. "Are they d-"

"Yes, they're dead." Sasuke heard himself say quickly, cutting off the blonde.

Naruto simply nodded again, and came over to sit next to Sasuke on the couch.

"I'm so sorry," he said, resting a hand on Sasuke's.

It was only then that Sasuke noticed the blonde's other hand toying with something around his neck. Upon further inspection he saw that it was a silver engagement ring with a sapphire in the middle and two small diamonds next to it.

"You-"

"Yeah, me too." was all Naruto said, looking down at his hand resting on top of Sasuke's.

The raven felt something ache within him. Although he never actually stopped to speak to anyone he met, he also never thought that everyone else was suffering loss just like him. Naruto, such a bright creature. Sasuke didn't even imagine that Naruto had suffered like him.

"His name was Kiba," Naruto whispered. "He wanted to marry me since we were fifteen." He chuckled at this.

Sasuke, stunned, only watched as Naruto spoke, blue eyes downcast and water. "Were you able to?"

Naruto shook his head slowly. "He died, protecting me from some looters. We had an altercation at a grocery store. I don't even remember what they wanted, but they had a gun and it was aimed right at me." Tears started to leak from Naruto's eyes. "Kiba protected me."

Without thinking Sasuke reached up and wiped the tears off of the blonde's face. Naruto smiled at him. "It's okay. I'm fine."

Sasuke nodded. "My wife.." he stopped, unsure of what to say.

"You don't have to, Sasuke," Naruto whispered gently. I just want you to know that you're not alone.

The raven nodded, but continued. "My wife...and daughter...they got really sick. It was all the smoke and ash in the air. It filled up their lungs."

"What were their names?" Naruto asked, his hand moving small circles on Sasuke's upper back.

"My wife was Sakura. Sarada was my daughter."

Naruto leaned his head on Sasuke's shoulder. "You're not alone, Sasuke."

Instead saying anything, Sasuke simply took Naruto's hand that was on top of his own, and gave it a gentle squeeze. The two stayed like that until Sasuke yawned.

"We should probably get to sleep," the blonde muttered, yawning afterwards as well.

He gave Sasuke a light pat on the shoulder and climbed into his bed.

"Goodnight, Sasuke," he muttered.

"Night, Naruto," Sasuke mumbled right back.

The two drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

xXx

It was the usual weekend in which Sasuke was off work and Sakura had just come home from her night shift at the hospital. Sarada was curled up with her father in the living room, rapidly explaining something or other about her favorite cartoon.

Seeing them together, Sakura quickly approached them with a smile on her face. She sat down on Sasuke's other side and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"How are my two favorite people?" she asked gently.

Sasuke could feel a smile forming on his face. "We're fine," he assured her. "What about you? You've been working since 10:30 last night. You wanna lie down?"

The pinkette yawned, but smiled lovingly at her husband. "I'll stay right here."

As she moved closer to plant a kiss on his lips, suddenly a loud "boom" sounded off in the distance. Sakura got up and walked over to the living room window. She looked outside and turned back to Sasuke and Sarada.

"I don't see anything."

As soon as she said this she burst into flames, an ear splitting scream echoing throughout the house. Sasuke sat wide eyed, frozen as he looked at the agonizing site before him. He tried to will his arms and legs to move, but couldn't.

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed. "Save our baby!"

Sasuke's heart seemed to leap from his chest as he turned his head downward towards Sarada, who was now nothing but a small skeleton in his arms. He could feel tears streaming down his face, and his lungs closing up.

"Sasuke!" Sakura continued to scream. "Sasukeee!"

Sasuke shot up in a cold sweat, his breathing labored. He looked over at the bed and saw that Naruto was still fast asleep.

He allowed his breathing to even out before getting up and heading to the bathroom. After peeing he walked into the kitchen area and poured himself a glass of water. He was so absorbed his thoughts, he didn't notice Naruto had awakened.

"Sasuke," he said softly in the darkness. "Why are you awake?"

Sasuke looked at the blonde, who was still lying down, his golden hair a wild halo around his head, and his eyes half closed. He walked over to the bed, and sat down, not quite sure why he felt comfortable doing so.

"Nothing," he said. "Another nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Naruto bolted upward, nearly hitting Sasuke in the chin. "Are you okay?"

The raven gave him a gentle smile, trying to reassure him that he was fine.

"It's okay. It was nothing serious."

Suddenly Sasuke was engulfed by the blonde, two slim arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Although he was surprised, he felt himself slowly relaxing and welcoming the embrace. He placed his own hand on Naruto's back, rubbing small circles.

"I'll be fine, Naruto."

"Are you sure?" the blonde asked, clearly still worried. "You don't need anything?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm just gonna try to go back to sleep. Don't worry about me."

Naruto nodded before lying back down, and Sasuke stood and headed back over to the couch. He lied down and closed his eyes, trying to will the disturbing image out of his head. It was only until Naruto's bright smile flashed through his mind was he able to relax and drift back into deep sleep.

xXx

The next morning Sasuke awoke to the sound of light humming. He opened his eyes and from the couch he could see Naruto carrying a small basket of apples towards the table. Slowly, he got up from the couch and walked over towards the blonde and took an apple from the basket.

Naruto graced him with a sincere smile.

"Good morning, Sasuke," he said. "Did you sleep well?"

Sasuke nodded as he took a bite of the apple. "Yeah, I did."

The blonde seemed to be satisfied with that answer and nodded to himself.

"Well, I'm helping Zetsu in the orchard today if you want to tag along."

Sasuke thought about it. Originally, he wanted to stay here for one night and keep moving, regardless of the fact that he didn't have a destination. Spending the day in an orchard was not a part of the plan. But something about the blonde made him want to follow him wherever he went.

"Sure, I'll come."

Naruto seemed to be excited about this and led Sasuke outside and out of the "town square", as locals called it. According to the blonde, there were actually over a hundred residence living in Red Cloud and the orchard helped to provide food for everyone, since so many things became unavailable.

After leaving town square they walked another block, past a large man-made well, and came upon rows of apple trees. The closer they got Sasuke spotted a pale skinny man with white hair picking apples on a ladder.

"Hey, Zetsu!" Naruto yelled, waving excitedly. The man simply nodded his head. "Is Sasori here yet?"

"Not yet," the pale man replied. He pointed somewhere behind him. "You can use that ladder to pick."

Soon enough, Sasuke was helping the blonde load baskets of apples into a cart, in which Zetsu would make sure got distributed throughout the town.

"We're so lucky," Naruto said as they took a break. "The crops could fail us at any minute and leave all of us to starve. Granny keeps praying that they won't."

They continued to eat their apples and bask in the summer heat. Naruto lied back on the grass and closed his eyes, a gentle smile spreading across his face. Sasuke could feel something within him begin to stir. It was the tranquility of the blonde that mesmerized him. Just last night he was on the verge of crying, heartbroken at the thought of his dead fiancé. But now, in this moment, he seemed to have forgiven the world and put the past behind him.

It was refreshing, yet frightening. If this young man could do it, grow from the past, then what did it say about Sasuke? Did him holding onto the death of his daughter and wife make him weaker somehow, because in this moment, Naruto appeared stronger than he could ever be.

"Naruto," the raven called hesitantly.

The blonde opened one eye and peered at his companion. "Hm?"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three," he answered with a light shrug, as if it were supposed to mean something, but it didn't. "What about you?"

Sasuke looked down at his wedding band, and watched as the sun reflected off of the metal. "I'm Twenty-eight."

Naruto hummed in reply, not really having anything to say. The two continued to sit in silence, just enjoying the others company.

xXx

The days began to go by in a blur, and before Sasuke new it, he had been in Red Cloud for almost two weeks.

Currently he was eating dinner with the blonde. They were having chicken, courtesy of an old woman who Naruto helped fix her leaky roof. Naruto was rambling on about the day which he had spent without Sasuke, which was a rarity since the raven showed up.

"I can't believe how big that hole was! I mean, how did that go unnoticed for so long?"

"I don't know, dobe," Sasuke answered, feeling a small smile on his face.

Upon hearing the nickname, Naruto looked up at him and their eyes met in an intense gaze. This had also become a regular occurrence. Sasuke didn't know what to make of the attraction they had for each other, but the tension only got fiercer by the day.

Naruto's face became flush before he finally looked away.

"Uh…I'll take care of the dishes," he said quickly, picking up both of their plates and moving them towards the sink.

Sasuke stood up as well and moved to the sink with the blonde.

"I can help," he said quietly, borderline a whisper.

Naruto doesn't answer, but lightly nods without looking at Sasuke. He washed the plates and forks before handing them to Sasuke to dry. It was only when he handed Sasuke a plate without looking did the plate crash to the ground, breaking.

He looked up at the raven in shock before darting to the ground to pick up the pieces.

"Shit!" he said to himself, noticing that in his haste he made a shallow cut on his hand.

"Give me your hand," Sasuke said, but grabbed the blonde's hand before he could respond.

Despite the cut being shallow, it slowly started to bleed. Sasuke used a napkin to press down on the cut. As he held the smaller hand in his own everything began to slow down. He looked up into azure eyes and was not surprised to see lust swimming in the blue depths.

Without thinking, he brought his face closer to the blonde's, drinking in his flushed face and plump lips. Naruto seemed to want to say something, because his brows were slightly furrowed and his mouth kept opening and closing.

When they were only nose to nose, he finally opened his mouth, his hand still in Sasuke's grip.

"I want to kiss you," was his breathy whisper.

Sasuke's only answer was to dive in and capture the blonde's lips in his own. Naruto let loose a brief shiver before allowing his body to relax as their lips melded together. For them, it seemed as if time had stopped when their lips collided.

They eventually pulled apart, with labored breath and, not knowing what to say, looked down at Naruto's hand still clutched in Sasuke's hold.

Sasuke removed the napkin. "Looks like the bleeding stopped."

Naruto nodded quietly and Sasuke threw away the napkin.

"I'm gonna take a bath," the blonde said nervously before darting off.

Sasuke cleaned up the pieces of the broken plate.

The few minutes Naruto was in the bath, Sasuke found himself in a mental debate, trying to understand what he was feeling. Yes, there was lust, but there was also something else. It was something definitely familiar but also not quite like anything he's ever felt in his life.

He could feel himself practically craving the blonde, and after kissing him, he wanted so much more than to just be around him.

The bathroom door opened, and he could feel his heart speed up. He didn't turn, knowing that Naruto would only be in a towel, probably wet, and he didn't want to do anything without thinking.

After some time, he felt a small hand touch his shoulder. He turned and there Naruto was, in loose shorts and a t-shirt.

"Yeah, dobe?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Um…," Naruto cleared his throat. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Sasuke was actually surprised. Just sleeping? He didn't think he could do that. The desire for the blonde within him was getting stronger by the moment. He didn't want to do anything he'd regret.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. "I just would feel better if you were closer."

Sasuke didn't respond verbally but took the shorter man's hand in his own and led them both to the full sized bed. The raven got in first, then pulled Naruto to his chest, embracing him. Naruto snuggled into Sasuke's warmth, finally feeling complete after Kiba's death.

"I'm so happy I've found you," he said barely above a whisper.

Sasuke only pulled Naruto closer, still conflicted about his emotions.

xXx

After their kiss the days seemed to become longer for Sasuke, as he spent hours upon hours thinking of what he should do.

This was supposed to be temporary, he thought. I'm not supposed to still be here.

And the more he thought of Naruto, and the way he made him feel, the more he became afraid. He couldn't do it again. He couldn't allow himself to lose someone he loves, once more.

Loves? He thought.

He shook his head. He had to leave. He had to leave before it was too late, before he was in too deep to leave Naruto behind.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called in the distance. "What are you doing sitting down?"

Currently Naruto was climbing the trees in the orchard, finding it more fun than using a ladder. He had given up actually picking about an hour ago, and was now just playing in the branches.

Sasuke approached the tree the blonde was currently lounging in. "Nothing, dobe," he said, grabbing the blonde's hand as Naruto reached down to him.

"You should come up in the tree with me," Naruto said, smiling down at him.

Sasuke shook his head solemnly. "Naruto, we should talk."

"About what? Are you okay?" the blonde replied, seeming worried at Sasuke's mood.

"I-," as soon as Sasuke opened his mouth thunder boomed loudly, causing both men to look up.

"We better get back," Naruto declared, climbing down from the tree.

As they walked out of the orchard lightning lit up the sky. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand as he started to jog back to town. Water began to drizzle from the sky and it wasn't long before it came pouring down in waves. When they got back to town square they were completely soaked from head to toe.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, a huge smile on his face as he started to laugh. The raven, guessing it was contagious, felt a smile begin to spread on his face as well.

The blonde spun around in the rain, arms wide, as if it hadn't rained in months. He seemed so excited and free, despite the lightning and thunder.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke called over the rain.

Naruto just looked at him, soaked and smiling, and grabbed both of his hands. He started laughing loudly and Sasuke once again felt the familiar ache in his chest.

Could I leave him?

The shorter man brought himself closer to Sasuke, his face becoming more relaxed and an emotion Sasuke hadn't seen until now flashed in crystal blue orbs.

"What are you feeling, Sasuke?" he asked softly, his voice carrying even through the storm. "Something's changing, right?"

Sasuke couldn't speak. He couldn't answer. Something was changing, but he didn't want it to. He didn't want to lose someone else.

Seeing the serious expression take over the brunette's face, Naruto lifted his hands and touched the sides of Sasuke's face. He leaned closer to him slowly.

"Don't worry," he whispered before their lips finally touched.

Something finally exploded within Sasuke as he fiercely gripped the blonde's narrow hips, bringing their bodies closer. Tan hands wound in dark raven locks. Tongues clashed and the two men struggled to bring their bodies even closer.

When Sasuke pulled up the blonde's shirt Naruto finally pulled their lips apart. His eyes were clouded with lust as he pulled Sasuke into their building and downstairs.

When they finally reached their room/apartment, Sasuke quickly pulled Naruto's soaking t-shirt over his head, then his own. He grabbed the blonde's waist and once again pulled their bodies flush together.

He trailed kisses from Naruto's lips to his jaw and began lightly sucking and biting. Naruto's breath began to become shallow and he moaned softly. He started walking backwards, not once separating from the taller man, and led them both to the bed.

They both collapsed onto the bed, and Sasuke began to slide the blonde's shorts down his thighs. When they were finally removed, along with Naruto's underwear, Sasuke slowly began to remove his own pants.

The two were silent, except for their labored breathing. Naruto's eyes, clouded with lust and desire, watched as Sasuke removed his pants, his eyes trailing downward in anticipation. When the pants were finally gone, the blonde licked his lips and stared Sasuke's manhood.

He reached up and pulled the raven on top of him, their lips coming together once more, tongues moving in sync as they indulged in each other's unique taste.

They pulled away and looked once again in each other's eyes. Sasuke took in Naruto's appearance. His face was flush. His hair was wet and pressed against his forehead. His lips were pink and his eyes showed a fierceness that went straight to Sasuke's erection. Seeing the raven's staring, Naruto smiled up at him.

He never wanted to let this man go.

xXx

After they had sex, Naruto noticed something about Sasuke had changed drastically. The morning after, Sasuke wasn't lying down. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees and he seemed to be deep in thought. He sat up and leaned into the raven, kissing his shoulder lightly.

"Good morning," he had told him.

"Morning," Sasuke answered, not turning to look at the man he just made love to.

Later, Sasuke didn't want to come with him to Nagato's, saying he needed some time to think.

Naruto hesitated leaving Sasuke by himself. Something about how the raven said this, distant and without meeting his eyes, scared him.

As Naruto busily moved around Nagato's, sweeping and wiping tables, he couldn't stop thinking about Sasuke's change. It almost seemed as if he regretted having sex with him. This thought alone frightened him more than anything.

Finally someone came into his life and made him feel safe, secure and overall loved. What would he do if someone else he loved disappeared from his life?

"Konan!" he yelled, hastily untying his apron. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it had been almost five hours since he left the raven.

"What, Naruto?" she called back, sounding slightly annoyed.

"I'm gonna take off for a while. I'll be back later!"

"Whatever," Konan mumbled, waving her hand dismissively.

He quickly left the small establishment and made his way across the street into his building. He went downstairs and opened the door. At first, everything seemed normal, until he noticed Sasuke's bag, fully packed, resting on the small couch.

Feeling his heart breaking he slowly sat down and stared at the far wall.

A few moments later the bathroom door opened and Sasuke stepped out. Seeing the blonde, he stood frozen in place, shocked that Naruto was back so soon. Slowly, he began to walk towards the blonde who was now staring at him with watery eyes.

"So," Naruto started, stopping to clear his throat. "You're actually going to leave?"

Sasuke didn't know what to say. He wanted to be gone before the blonde got back, with the intent to avoid this dreaded conversation. He didn't reply.

"And after last night, I thought…" Naruto closed his eyes, his fist clenching. "I thought that maybe-"

"Naruto," Sasuke said, cutting him off. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"What do you think you're doing now?" Naruto nearly yelled, standing up and looking Sasuke straight in the eyes. "You were just going to walk away from me? Without saying a word?"

Tears began to flow freely from his eyes now, and his face was red with frustration. Sasuke felt a lump in his throat, and the familiar sting of tears forming in his own eyes.

"I don't want to hurt you, Naruto…I just can't stay," he said, voice low and wavering. "I didn't mean to stay."

"You can stay, Sasuke!" Naruto pleaded. "You can stay right here, with me!"

"I can't…I…Naruto, I just…," Sasuke struggled to get the words out.

Naruto shook his head, his palms wiping at the endless stream of tears. "I'm so stupid," he said to himself. "I thought that you actually wanted me, that…"

Without thinking Sasuke stepped forward and brought the shorter into his arms, not noticing that tears were now falling from his own eyes. He squeezed the crying blonde tightly, not wanting to hurt him any further, but conflicted due to his own desire to leave this love behind.

"Naruto, I…I can't. I'm so sorry," he mumbled into the blonde's ear, lightly kissing his temple. "Please don't cry over me. I just…"

"You're leaving. Sasuke, you're leaving," Naruto mumbled, a mantra formed from his own heartbreak. "What did I do?" he finally asked, looking up into dark grey eyes.

Sasuke wiped the tears from the blonde's cheeks, heartbroken at what he say. "Nothing," he said. "You did nothing wrong, okay? You're wonderful." He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on wet, tear stained lips. "It's me. It's all me. Don't cry."

Sasuke was surprised at how desperate his own voice sounded, and knew had to get out of there quickly, before it was too late, and he became trapped. He had to leave before everything came tumbling down.

He pulled away and grabbed his bag, which was still sitting on the couch. He walked towards the door and as he grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open, he felt a sudden grip on his wrist. He turned his head, and Naruto stood there looking down brokenly.

Tears were still falling freely and his bottom lip trembled.

"Naruto, -,"

"Please," he interrupted in a quiet voice.

He slowly walked closer to Sasuke and kissed his gently on the lips, then on each cheek, on the tip of his nose, and on his lips again. He looked into the raven's eyes, a sad defeated smile on his face, and said the words that finally ripped Sasuke's heart in half.

"I love you," he said and finally let Sasuke go.

Sasuke turned and walked out of the door, then upstairs and out of the building. He continued walking out of Red Cloud, tears silently running down his cheeks, and his face hardened into a deep frown.

Miles away, he finally stopped and looked behind him, and thought of Naruto's last words to him. He looked down at his wedding band that he had forgotten about in the short time he was there and pulled it from his finger. Staring down at the gold, the sun light reflecting off of it, he realized something inside of him had died.

He dropped the ring, letting it fall down to the ground, and continued walking down the road stretched out in front of him.

END

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