Emptiness all around, and Neji could feel nothing but the presence of Byakuth in his mind, though his brain quickly supplied the freezing sensation that the void of Between caused in so many. He held firm to the visualization of Konoha Weyr's starstones, the first visualization they'd learned. The carved-stone pillars with openings at the top, their shape and colour, weathered smoothnesses and sharp edges of cracks in the old rock. The abyss of sensory deprivation seemed to stretch, though Neji knew it was mere seconds, the lack of sound, of touch, of breath...

We are together, Byakuth reminded him, fearless and eager. Between was natural to dragons and their tiny fire lizard cousins, and Byakuth's calm made the transition through this non-space infinitely less unnerving.

And then Byakuth was over the stones, exactly where he was meant to be, wings beating in even, comfortable strokes. Neji exhaled in a rush, relieved despite himself, even though his visualization had never faltered, and Byakuth had never had a moment of worry.

He pulled himself upright, and Byakuth wheeled away from the starstones, heading back to the row of weyrling pairs perched on the rim. They were met with raised fists and bellowing bugles of congratulations, just as Sakura, Hinata, and the rest who'd gone before had been.

The atmosphere was charged, but not with the same anticipation that had come with their first flights. Between was dangerous. Yes, a flight could wobble, a landing could become a crash, but there was help to be had then. Going between, a rider had to hold their mental image in place, or never come out. And it was the first step of many more, all dangerous, all needed to meet Thread in the sky and protect the territory; going between in formation, joining the weyrling resupply wing and heading up into Threadfall, beginning Threadfall simulation practices, with live flame from their dragons...

And just over a year from now, if all went well, they would be graduated, in fighting wings with the full riders.

But before any of that, they each had to be able to hold the mental image of the Weyr's starstones in their mind. It had to be their reflex, the one thing they must always be able to remember, even if they forgot anything else, so that even in the pain and fear of being struck by Thread they could bring themselves home.

And Neji had managed the first test. So far, so good.

Byakuth settled to land, folding his wings and leaning over to touch muzzles with Shoryuth. On her back, Tenten smiled across at Neji with relief, and he took another long, even breath and nodded back.

On Byakuth's other side, Uzuth's spot was already vacant, the bronze above and hovering, reading to follow Master Kakashi's command to hop the couple of dragonlengths to the starstones.

The distance was ridiculous to look at. Any of them could glide there in seconds, every dragonpair now used to much longer flights after the past weeks of stamina training. But for practical purposes, a trip between was the same whether it was made from a few dragonlengths away or three thousand feet in the air after Threadfall.

Neji looked upward, frowning a little as he watched the bronze pair, sympathetic worry niggling at him. Naruto had been nervous today. Not obviously so, but he'd been louder than usual, a little excessive in his reactions, whether laughter or annoyance or whining, and so Neji worried.

Between wasn't a locked cupboard or a pitch-dark cave-in. But it still must be troubling, Neji didn't doubt that. He certainly hadn't been unconcerned about this stage in their training. He'd been between a few times since that first ride with Master Kakashi that had brought him to the Weyr, and each time had been unnerving all the way to his core. But Byakuth's presence had made the later trips, like his ill-fated trip out to the Konoha Hold Gather, far less terrible. Surely Uzuth did the same for Naruto—but Neji had always seen the tension, every trip. And now he had to do it alone.

Uzuth will carry him safely, Byakuth reassured. He is not worried about his rider showing him the way.

I know, Neji answered, rubbing at Byakuth's neck with sympathetic tension of his own. All of them had needed their visualizations checked for clarity by their dragons before today, and then their dragons had had to pass it along to the weyrlingmaster dragon and rider. Hataketh and Kakashi had approved them all.

Neji pulled his hand into a fist and rested it on his thigh when he noticed his nervous motion. He didn't doubt Naruto's ability. He just was unhappy that Naruto's test today was more of an ordeal than a challenge.

Then Naruto and Uzuth vanished. Neji's gaze snapped to the starstones, and the seconds dragged, as long as they had for him while in between, and then the pair reappeared, Uzuth as calm as Byakuth had been. Naruto lurched forward, hunching down over Uzuth's neck, hands spreading against the bronze hide. He straightened up within moments, though, flinging his arms up and whooping as Uzuth returned to the rim.

"Yeeeeaaah!" Naruto shouted across the space between them, "we can go wherever we want now!" Neji smiled back. He could hear the relief in Naruto's excitement.

What he said, was true, though, or very nearly. Once the weyrlingmasters were sure that each weyrling had mastered the visualization for Konoha's stones, they would be able to go anywhere they pleased, and even take visualizations from the watchdragons of holds or other Weyrs to visit them. Normal, daily events for most riders. Shikamaru and Lee were old hands at this now, but it was an entirely new privilege for Neji and Naruto's class.

It hadn't yet really sunk in, and he still felt the surprise whenever he remembered. The whole world was open to him.

And, as happened every now and then, he had a moment of pure bafflement at how far he'd come, and from where. It felt like that life belonged to a different person. He felt his smile at Naruto widen. Naruto crossed his arms across his chest and hugged himself, grinning back.

Reassured, Neji turned to watch Chouji and Akimith rise to take their turn.

By the end of the afternoon's session of between training, Naruto was worn down from the rush of his combined tension and excitement, his stupid nerves drowned out by the contented elation of yet another step on the way to full riderhood. Everything had gone off without a hitch for all of them, and the evening meal was loud with collective triumph.

"Yeah but mating flights," Kiba said with wide eyes and a huge toothy grin, and made a few panting noises for emphasis. He looked up and down the table. "Come on, that's better than between."

Naruto laughed with the rest, and entered the ensuing argument with gusto. In the debate whether getting to experience dragonlust and its effects was really better than getting the ability to fly wherever you wanted, Naruto was firmly on the mating flight side. "Sex with some random rider or the ability to find a secluded spot wherever you want?" Ino put in, getting about half-and-half in replies of considering agreement or dismissive noises.

"But the increase in intensity of sex is surely something worth considering!" Lee pointed out, and off everyone went again.

Glancing down over at Neji, Naruto was glad to see him sipping unconcernedly at his drink and following the conversation with amusement and interest. He still had yet to offer opinions of his own in these conversations, and he deflected questions sent his way with noncommittal replies most of the time, but didn't flinch at all anymore when this sort of subject came up.

Naruto felt a happy little flare of lust, watching Neji lick his lips after he lowered his drink, and thought of kissing him again.

Single-track mind, Uzuth teased him gently.

I love you just as much as ever, Naruto replied, and Uzuth laughed, certainly unconcerned about that. But I do like to concentrate on some things...

That goldflight and their time together in the baths... the baths had become just what Master Iruka had suspected way back when Neji had just arrived, or, well, almost. He and Neji hadn't repeated that first time, not yet. But even without the influence of a goldflight, Neji would kiss. Oh, would he kiss, and it got better each time.

The limit they kept on themselves was to keep it private, the weyrlingmasters' discouragement of sex still in place, but Naruto made up for that by letting himself touch Neji in plain old regular and (…mostly) non-suggestive ways more often than he had before.

Now, he leaned over Neji to snatch at the water jug, and slung an arm across his shoulders to brace himself.

"Sorry," he said. Neji didn't reply, but leaned into Naruto's arm for a moment. Naruto leaned back and let him go with an alright-maybe-that-wasn't-just-casual caress across the back of his head, dark, smooth hair under his palm for a second, then sat down again, smiling as he refilled his mug.

So happy, Uzuth remarked. His pleasure at his rider's reaction mirrored the spreading contentment inside Naruto.

Yeah... Naruto replied with a long, silent sigh. He shared his smile with Neji before a commotion from the rest of the group's debate drew their attention again.

After supper, and its entertaining discussion, was done, the evening's recreation ended up as a game of football, kicking a ball around between informal teams of weyrlings versus candidates. The game was close the entire time, to the deep and abiding shame of the weyrlings, especially when the candidates had got their final goal past Chouji and between the two piles of shirts and tunics stripped off by most of the players. The game lasted past dark, moving from the grassy lawn around the lake and onto the wide area where two lit paths crossed in the bowl, until the candidates and younger-class weyrlings were forced to retire by the need to bathe the sweat of the game off before their curfew.

It was a great evening, all in all, the running and shouting a good release for any tension left from the stress of the day's training, and even Neji got on the field (shirt securely on, though his old scars were well faded now) to play a little defense. He was lean and fast and very distracting. Naruto had to shoved his thumbs into his waistband to keep his hands to himself when the older-class weyrlings milled around a little while longer after the "littles" had needed to quit.

They continued booting the ball around for a while, letting the little rush for the bathing rooms die down before making their own way there. Neji still felt somewhat ridiculous for having joined in, but the laughing encouragement from all sides, and Lee's uniquely impassioned exhortations, had finally convinced him, and it had been good exercise.

He thought, as he wrung out his hair after the bath, that playing so late was not a good idea with early 'Fall tomorrow, and the associated firestone sack duty, but he didn't really regret it. He watched Naruto, Lee and Kiba reduce themselves to weyrbrat age with a ridiculous water fight and stepped a little farther back from the edge of the pool, amused by the sight. The splashing died down eventually, the three weyrlings certainly thoroughly rinsed, along with much of the surrounding floor, and then Kiba yawned hugely, and Lee hopped out of the pool.

"Truly, your hair is a trial of maintenance," Lee remarked to Neji, pulling a towel from one of the cubbies and scrubbing it over his own head. His bowl cut stuck out in a variety of directions, totally mussed, but already drier than Neji's, even with that short effort. "Maybe I should try that sometime, it would be a great test of personal grooming."

Neji considered that, trying to imagine Lee with long hair. Not bad, with that lean frame of his. "I'm sure you would wear it very well," Neji replied, and Lee beamed at him.

"I like long hair," Naruto said with a smile, as though the remark was offhand, but he winked obviously at Neji. Kiba made a snorting sound that Neji ignored, but when he turned to drop his wet towel in the hamper, Kiba shot him an encouraging grin that made Neji's face heat a little with self-consciousness. Still he gave a slight nod in return. Kiba opened his mouth in a silent laugh, and started drying his own hair, shaking his head in some kind of amused resignation.

Neji felt like shaking his own head at Kiba's unconcealed investment in Neji and Naruto's relationship. Kiba didn't meddle at all, he just seemed to be cheering them on from the sidelines. He seemed to simply... care about them both. Neji found it annoying sometimes, but he appreciated it even then. Perhaps protective was the best description, Neji thought, watching Akamaru resettle on his human's newly clothed shoulder, and remembering the fire lizard's role in that long-ago brawl. Kiba was wild and loud and intrusive, but he cared.

Kiba departed with a wave, and Lee followed him out with a "sleep well, my friends!"

Neji was still working at untangling his hair. Naruto pulled on his shirt and pants slower than strictly necessary, staying barefoot, then sat on a stool and waited, watching Neji pull his fingers through his hair for a cursory untangling, since his comb was back at his weyr.

Naruto looked... very attractive, his shirt hanging open, bare feet swinging idly under slightly frayed trouser hems. Neji appreciated the view. But Naruto's hands were tighter around the stool's seat than his apparent relaxation warranted, and Naruto's jaw was working unconsciously, worrying at the inside of his cheek.

The effects of between lingered, then. Maybe he could help, a little.

"Done, then?" Naruto grinned and raised his eyebrows. Neji realized he'd stopped moving. He straightened up and swung his hair back over his shoulder—he had been about finished anyway.

"Yes."

Naruto hopped down from his perch and scooped up his boots, dragging the stool the few feet back against the wall while Neji finished putting his shirt on, eyes still on Naruto, on the line of his damp back through the slightly clinging shirt.

Kissing in the baths was something Neji couldn't quite believe he was really used to. He had yet to go much further than that, even after that one very particular encounter, and it frustrated him even while the rest of him eventually—inevitably—turned unwilling whenever Naruto pressed past some ever-shifting line. But Neji was pressing too, against himself, maintaining enjoyment over unease a little longer each time, and he looked forward to each of these encounters.

Naruto always stopped whenever Neji started pushing him off, and that was something Neji was thankful for, and even more for Naruto's endlessly forgiving enthusiasm. He apparently couldn't be bothered with aiming any frustration at Neji, rather, he instead was unhesitatingly vocal about enjoying whatever they did, and was perfectly unashamed to share the fact that Neji had become the focus of his self-pleasuring. "You make me come. Think about that," Naruto had said in a low voice, about a week after that goldflight-spurred encounter, and Neji most certainly had, unable not to.

It helped.

Tonight, he caught at Naruto's shoulder and Naruto did his now-familiar eager turn, his hands and then his arms sliding around Neji, boots dangling a moment before thudding to the floor. His grip was tenser than normal and tight, and Neji forestalled the kiss a moment to just pull him close, earning a surprised noise that made Neji realize Naruto was oblivious to the fact his nerves were showing.

Neji loosened his hold, and Naruto did likewise, hands sliding under Neji's shirt to rest on his bare skin, warm and still a bit damp. The kiss was slow, and Neji smiled against Naruto's mouth, elated as he was each time now at how comfortable this was, no more shock or reticence for this much, at least, and Neji closed his eyes to let it carry him as far as it could.

Naruto released his mouth to kiss down his neck, shivers of heat starting at each contact. His hands roved over Neji's chest, sliding down his stomach to rest on his waist, and Neji leaned against him, the gathering heat spurring him to more contact.

He felt Naruto's erection against his thigh, as Naruto must have felt his. The thrill that sent through him was matched and then, maddeningly, dominated by that frustrating reticence that always intruded. He resisted a few seconds, then buckled to the clammy coolness of the discomfort with a silent curse. He put a hand on Naruto's chest, flat and firm, and Naruto backed off with a long sigh and a shrug.

"Bedtime," Naruto said, and Neji nodded, his annoyance with himself strong as ever. Naruto squeezed his shoulder and winked. "Promise me you'll jerk off later," he said, voice rough, "hey?"

Neji met Naruto's half-lidded gaze with a nod that was much more matter of fact than that particular request ever made him feel, the unsteady lust inside him always flaring with those words, and Naruto grinned.

Naruto dismounted from Uzuth with a contented sigh, his erection only slightly abated from the ride. As he headed into his weyr, he felt a pang of resigned, but amused, frustration. By the First Egg, maybe if they could stop doing that in the baths all the time, he might get Neji to try sleeping here once in a while. He wouldn't dare risk that when he was this riled up... he palmed himself and groaned happily. Too many good choices. He wasn't gonna give up kissing Neji for anything, but it would be so nice to share a bed again…

Well, now he could jerk off, and fall asleep, nice and easy—"fuck." Naruto came to an abrupt halt when he shoved past his door curtain and saw the riding straps piled on the table in the main room. He had to repair that mess, and he had to do it today, which meant right now. With 'Fall tomorrow morning there would be no time before chores... and both sets needed to be ready by midday gear inspection. So, he had a serious tear to patch on the secondary chest strap and an entire buckle anchor to replace. His arousal stripped away with a dragging thud of tired frustration.

Naruto scrubbed his hands over his face and stomped over to the table, planting his hands on it and staring down at the lengths of harness leather. Maybe he could just... but no. He was tired. If he finished jerking off, he'd probably fall asleep on the table.

Uzuth offered sleepy sympathy that Naruto accepted with a groan, and went to get his repair kit. So much for bedtime.

It was well past midnight when he stood up from his work, the patch firmly stitched, his repair job a good one, despite the hour—because shirking attention on strap repair could kill a rider—and Uzuth was fast asleep. Naruto stood, his back and shoulders aching from the hunch he'd been in, and staggered off to change.

He covered the glowbasket, fell into bed and sprawled out, expecting to fall asleep within moments.

But he didn't. The silence of the weyr became suddenly deafening. He opened his eyes and frowned, and the dark... He was bothered by the dark. Closing his eyes didn't help, and he kept opening them despite himself, staring upward at his shadow-shrouded ceiling.

He bore it awhile, annoyed at himself and refusing to move because he was better than this now, stronger than this, but he was unable to ignore the ever more oppressive feeling. The freezing memory of between from the day's training seeped in next, and he sat up with a curse at himself. He got up again and half-uncovered the glowbasket. The light helped, which made shame heat his face, and he muttered a few more curses while he worked to shove down his leftover unease so he didn't disturb Uzuth.

Lying back again, he closed his eyes with his face towards the glowbasket, and wrapped himself around Uzuth's steady, sleeping presence in his mind until he finally, mercifully, dropped off.

Neji woke up to a nagging feeling of worry, sitting up before he fully roused.

He blinked, confused. It was dark, no light of morning brightening his room, and Byakuth answered his wordless questioning with a mess of agitated concern and angry unease that felt like Uzuth and Naruto both, then uncertainty that was Byakuth's own.

What..?

Uzuth's rider... slept with dreams of between, and woke, and now he's not happy. Byakuth paused, listening. Uzuth says he has not asked for you, but...

I'm coming down there. He frowned, angry with himself. He should have done… something… before. They'd fallen into eager routine, and Neji would not have been very comfortable following him up to his weyr in the state they'd been in at the end, but he should have anyway, or should have forestalled any kissing at all instead of failing at succesful comfort, or… something! Something.

Moreover, he was unhappy that Naruto's first instinct was still to keep it to himself. He understood it—Naruto's eternal craving for attention did not include exposing his own weaknesses. He had no instinct to ask for help, as much as he had always been glad for support when it appeared.

That being the case, Neji had no hesitation about reminding him he was cared for. He'd do it as many times as it took.

Neji put his feet on the floor, the coolness of the stone jolting a little more awareness into him and hurried out to the ledge, where Byakuth already stood. The blue was right at the edge, peering downward towards Uzuth's ledge.

Neji mounted up, and the ride was a quick glide through chilly night air. Uzuth was up from his couch, standing on his ledge and the tense set of his wings relaxed as Byakuth landed. Byakuth went to him once Neji dismounted, leaning against his bigger friend.

He says he suggested calling us, Byakuth told him, his rider said there was no need, but... didn't say not to. That was a loophole that many dragons would use if they felt the need to go against expressed wishes to help their riders.

Neji walked slowly into the weyr. The glowbasket in the bedroom was open, casting soft light into the main room, and he went on, stopping only when he reached the threshold of the doorway.

Naruto was on his back, arms wrapped around himself, glaring upwards. "Naruto," Neji said softly, and Naruto startled, shoving himself up on his elbows and staring.

"Whoa." He flushed, shame creeping over his face, then it was suppressed, though the reddening stayed. "I didn't even hear you." He sat up, crossing his legs, and grinned, and it was a fine attempt, but Neji could see the strain. "Come to visit, eh?"

"I would have liked an invitation," Neji answered pointedly. Naruto's grin faded and he shrugged.

"I didn't want to bother you. It's no big deal, alright?"

"No." Neji would remind Naruto as many times as was required. "I want you to bother me." Naruto hunched his shoulders and looked away from Neji to fix the wall with a belligerent stare. Neji regarded him for long moments. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly. Naruto always stopped when Neji asked. It would be hypocritical and cruel for Neji to do otherwise. But he knew Naruto, and he suspected he knew the answer to that question.

Naruto's hands tightened into fists. "No."

Neji came a little closer, pausing by the side of the bed. Naruto moved over, then drew his knees up and dropped his forehead on them. Once, twice, again, hitting his forehead against his kneecaps. "Why does this still happen," Naruto muttered, frustration thickening his voice. "I'm trying to be better than this."

Naruto's mattress felt warm as Neji sat down, the heat of Naruto's body lingering. He drew his legs up and crossed them in front of him. "I… don't know," Neji replied, eyes on his hands where they lay in his lap. "Even when you've beaten the worst, and you feel you've escaped it all... things linger." Revelations were all well and good. Perspective and insight into one's own mind were invaluable. But most things didn't change in an instant, no matter how much you wanted them to.

"Oh," Naruto said quietly, and Neji looked over to meet tired, serious eyes. Naruto studied him, and Neji just sat and watched him back. "Guess so, huh." Frustration was ebbing visibly from him with that understanding. Neji hoped that this meant Naruto would also think to call him, next time. And if not, well, he might at least remember that he wasn't failing himself for not being perfect.

"It helps to have... help," Neji told him with a slight shrug, and he reached out to slide his hand over the back of Naruto's neck. "I have been lucky." He gave him a light tug of invitation.

"Not just you," Naruto said, and he leaned forward, pulled by Neji's grip, pressing his forehead into Neji's neck. Neji turned his face, rubbing through Naruto's hair, and relaxed, letting Naruto's weight push him onto his back. It felt easy to do that right now, and Neji hoped that feeling would stay.

Naruto pulled back with raised eyebrows, shifting to sit so his thigh pressed against Neji's side. He propped his arm on the other side of him to lean down. Neji met his surprised expression with raised eyebrows of his own, daring the invitation, his fingers still sliding through the hair over the back of Naruto's neck. The intimacy of the moment was warming up with fond arousal that gained momentum and heat with every passing second.

It occurred to him, lying there, that the baths were not the best place to be pushing his limits. He had no need for the excuse of a public space to curb any pressure from Naruto, but after the first time there, it had become habit. Here, in private, was even less worry—no risk of anyone interrupting, no one with them but their dragons.

Byakuth was silent just now, radiating encouragment and contented excitement. Neji didn't think it was possible to feel safer than this, or freer to do what he wanted.

He firmed his grip and tugged. Naruto leaned down, kissing Neji on the corner of his mouth before moving onward.

Neji slid his other arm around Naruto's body and up, following the line of his back, the strength of a dragonrider's training under his palm, the strong, solid build easy to feel under the soft cloth of his nightshirt

Naruto's lips moved on his neck, and Neji closed his eyes, the tingling warmth that Naruto's mouth caused under his skin spreading out to heat the rest of him, and though he'd gladly followed through on his earlier promise to Naruto and brought himself to completion before falling asleep…. he was entirely ready to enjoy that again.

His hand had stilled on Naruto's back, his fingers spread wide apart below Naruto's shoulder blade. He slid it down again, finding the hem of Naruto's shirt and then a few inches of warm, bare skin before he fetched up against the waist of Naruto's sleeping pants. He settled his hand there, thumb rubbing over the naked skin above the edge of the cloth. Naruto shifted, resettled, and Neji felt a shiver of anticipation at the antsy movement, certain that if he pulled his hand in a little bit, around Naruto's hip and past his thigh, he'd feel the tightened cloth and then the hot, thick erection he remembered very well. The image of Naruto's hand, touching himself, had hardly faded from Neji's mind, even weeks later.

Naruto's hand was sliding over his chest, fingertips tracing over his collarbone, when Neji took a breath and drew his hand around.

Not all the way, not at once, but enough for his palm to find tented cloth, enough for Naruto to notice, and startle. He pulled up, leaving Neji's neck suddenly cool. Neji opened his eyes and met wide-open blue ones full of arousal and eagerness and a very visible effort of restraint.

"So then," Naruto said, and he reached down, palm warm as it dragged over Neji's nightshirt, stopping short at his waist. "Can I..?" His fingers settled to fidget against Neji's stomach, despite what Neji was sure was Naruto's best efforts to keep still.

It would have taken life-threatening circumstances for Neji to reply to that question aloud, even if his mouth hadn't suddenly dried from the enormity—it still felt so incredibly momentous—of what Naruto wanted to do, what they both wanted to do. But speaking wasn't a requirement. He pulled Naruto back down, and Naruto came willingly to kiss him, the hungry edge stronger than Neji had felt until now. It caused a rushing thrill that ran deeply through him, and this time it bolstered his momentum, uncaged by hesitation. And just in case Naruto hadn't caught on, which was know to happen from time to time, Neji dropped his arm from Naruto's neck to find his hand and push at it, nudging it lower.

Naruto made a noise in the back of his throat, taking the hint, the permission, with audible pleasure, and Neji tightened his fist around the hem of his own shirt as the weight of Naruto's hand pressed slowly over his erection, a smooth stroke down and then up, through his pants.

Didn't make sense, he didn't know how it could be, that this felt so different from his own hand. But it did, setting off desire and rawer lust, all from Naruto being the one touching him, and he shifted under his hand moving just slightly into the pressure.

"Hey, hey," Naruto broke the kiss to laugh softly against the angle of his jaw. "Seems alright? That's good. Yeah... yeah, good," his elation was audible in his roughened voice, and encouragement enough that Neji moved his hand the rest of the way, hardly any distance at all, as much as it felt like a great leap, and felt the side of his thumb meet Naruto's erection. Naruto made another inarticulate sound of eagerness, teeth grazing against Neji's skin for a moment, and Neji swallowed at the sensation while he explored a little more.

Strangely unfamiliar, the feel of it. Different from his own, some detached part of his mind noted, as he slid his palm across the warm, hard length, pushing against it. Naruto's legs shifted, the one not pressed warmly against Neji's side bending up and angling out, offering more for him to touch.

Neji opened his hand, then dared to curl his fingers a little, grasping through cloth, and then he was the one to startle at Naruto's fingertips on his lower belly, pressing against but not quite going under the waist of his pants. Right where the laces where tied. Naruto stilled over him, or nearly did, his heavy breathing making his body maintain part of the rhythm they'd already started.

"Stop?" Naruto asked, voice low against his neck.

Neji swallowed. No. No. He shook his head, mouth opening and closing again in favour of the silent signal, and he ignored his frustration with his temporary muteness. There was too much good here to bother with that.

He closed his eyes again, shutting out distractions, the warm dark reducing his field of awareness to Naruto's bed under his back, Naruto's fingers at his waist, hot erection in his hand, panting breaths against his neck. Neji squeezed at the straining heat under his palm.

Then he crept his fingers up, under the drape of Naruto's shirt, finding firm, sweaty belly above the untidy knot that held Naruto's pants up. He wound his fingers through one of the ends and tugged.

Naruto huffed a laugh. He found Neji's mouth again, a gentle kiss, slow and half-distracted, as they both worked one-handed at each others' pants.

Cool air surrounded Neji's erection before he'd completely pulled the knot apart at Naruto's waist. He had to stop trying, completely distracted as fingertips trailed down his length, then slid around him, palm callused from training, but not rough, instead smooth from all the hide oil they used on their dragons.

Neji thrust up into the warm grip without thought, and then he had to open his eyes and grab at Naruto's wrist. Naruto went tense all over, leaning up and away, but Neji stiffened his arm to stop him from letting go, and just waited for the tide to ebb away a little. "Oh," he heard, the realization. "Hah!" Naruto's voice was elated.

There. That was better. He let go of Naruto's wrist and reached for the back of his head instead, and Naruto shifted his hand, stroking up with a loose and gentle grip, and down again. He let Neji pull him back again into that still-distracted kiss, both their concentration directed somewhat lower. The kiss turned sloppy, and they separated, and Neji didn't care, caught up in the warm hand around him. He'd bent his knees at some point, heels dug into folds of Naruto's blanket, so he could move too, up through the grip around him.

Naruto changed his position on the bed, but Neji only peripherally noticed the redistribution of weight, more intent on the slide of Naruto's palm up his length and down. Firm pressure settled over the head of his erection, a cupped hand, and Neji shifted on the mattress, unthinking except to push back, because that was just right, Naruto knew how he wanted to be touched and was doing it for him.

The hand around his length lifted away for a moment and came back, slippery and wet, and Neji threw an arm up over his eyes, fist tightening. Naruto's hands worked faster, answering the quickening demand of Neji's movements.

"Yeah?" Naruto's voice came through the enveloping heat, and his hands tightened just a bit more, the next strokes rougher. It was perfect, then it was overwhelming, and Neji thrust up into that grip, pushed his head back into the pillow, and came.

Naruto's easing grip held him through it, wet warmth dripping from Naruto's cupped hand when he pulled it away. Neji's body relaxed and he settled back onto the mattress, feeling boneless and surprised and shakily happy.

He pulled his arm down and opened his eyes. Naruto was wiping his hands on his shirt, lust still plain on his face as his eyes met Neji's, and Neji realized just how far to distraction he'd been taken, to have completely ignored him in favour of his own desire.

Reaching out, he found Naruto's hip, and Naruto turned into his touch, legs moving easily apart. Neji slid his palm again over the ridge of his erection, still trapped behind the cloth of his pants, and moved up, meaning to finish undoing the laces that had confounded him before.

But Naruto twitched under his palm, hips shoving to increase the pressure. He planted both hands, one on the mattress, one gripping at Neji's thigh, then bowed his head and gasped, and under Neji's fingers spread warmth, rapidly dampening the cloth and Neji blinked slowly, his fingers shifting uncertainly.

Naruto raised his head, blushing bright and eyes wide in surprise and embarrassment and not a little amusement.

"Not," he breathed, "not impressive."

Neji stayed still, too surprised to move. Naruto looked down, reached for Neji's wrist and lifted his hand away, still red-faced, but laughing already. He met Neji's eyes again with the blush still all over his cheeks, but his eyes were bright with humour.

"I beg to differ," Neji managed, still shocked Naruto had really just… well, come in his pants under Neji's hand. He felt a smile at the corners of his mouth. "If anything, that was... flattering."

Naruto's face lit up properly at that, even though the hints of embarrassment lingered, then he sat back with a mostly-contented sigh, pulling his shirt off. He gave Neji a quick, gentle swipe on his lower belly before the shirt was balled up and launched into the wicker basket in the corner.. He rose from the bed to slide out of his pants, and threw them after the shirt, and Neji lay and watched him move around, while he slowly rearranged himself and retied the laced of his pants.

That was fun Byakuth told Neji, now that the blue was assured his rider was done with the business of orgasms. I liked that. It's good when you do it by yourself, but this was especially nice. Uzuth's rider is good for you! Byakuth was very pleased. And, he added, You are good for him. Uzuth says you helped him..

I'm glad, Neji replied, and he was reassured by the insight. Naruto certainly looked contented, his earlier unhappiness nowhere to be seen; none of the day's tension lingered on him now.

For his part, Neji thought he should feel more amazed or stunned or some such reaction, perhaps tomorrow morning it would sink in. Now he was sleepy from the hour and the orgasm, and very comfortable. He closed his eyes.

"So... uh... wanna sleep over at my place tonight?" He heard Naruto ask, and he blinked his eyes open slowly to see a sheepish but hopeful smile.

"I would," Neji murmured, now satisfied in more ways than one.