So here is part two... It's pretty short, and more of an explanatory/epilogue chapter, so no smut sadly for those of you who were looking forward to it. But yeah, I hope you still like it!

Chapter 2

xxx

"Gaara, I've got a problem."

Gaara followed Naruto with his eyes as he paced back and forth inside his bedroom, wondering if one day he'd get invited simply to hang out.

"Yes, you told me, but I'm sure you'll tell me again," he calmly said, a small frown showing concern for his friend.

"I can't believe it! The plan was to bump into a girl, and then she moves and I bumped into Sasuke!"

"I thought you really like Sasuke."

Naruto paused mid-step, face turning to stare at Gaara.

"That's beside the point! I was so embarrassed!" Hiding his face behind his arms, Naruto groaned loudly. "How the hell did that even happen? I keep thinking it's just a dream."

"But it wasn't."

"And now," Naruto's face returned from hiding, "I'm going to have dinner with his family! We haven't even been on a second date! What am I supposed to do?!"

Gaara sighed, elbows leaning on his knees and hands clasped in front of him as he tilted his head in thought.

"Either you go or you don't. Considering you have," he checked his watch, "about one hour before you need to leave, I suggest you go with the first option."

Naruto's legs folded and he slumped to the floor, another dramatic groan leaving his mouth.

"And I don't even have anything to wear," he added, ignoring Gaara's comment.

"What about your dark blue cardigan?"

"Uh, yeah, that's what I wore to the speed dating. That's what I wear to anything that isn't outside in summer."

Gaara got up, walking over to the messy pile Naruto called a wardrobe and tried to find something that wasn't too casual. It was difficult.

"What did you wear underneath?"

"Just a white t-shirt," Naruto said, waving his hand towards the half-full hamper, as if Gaara would actually dig it up from there.

"Take this black one and you're good," Gaara decided, hoping Naruto's new boyfriend might be able to convince him to at least buy a decent dress shirt.

Naruto reluctantly accepted it, a pained look on his face as he started changing. He rarely worried about his clothes, thinking that he wouldn't want to date anyone who thought his way of dressing was an issue anyway. Meeting parents was the exception to this rule, and while he had been in this situation before, it certainly hadn't been three days after a one night stand with the sexiest guy he'd ever seen. Honestly he was still a little in shock. Sure, he'd thought they had some nice chemistry going, but nothing could have prepared him for waking up to Sasuke sucking on his neck and in the next breath asking if he wanted to come for dinner.

It had taken him a while to decide whether he should scream yes or simply scream.

The worst part was that after that morning, though he had to admit it was definitely a morning well spent, the only contact they'd had was through a couple of texts as to where and when Naruto should arrive.

"Look, the worst thing that can happen is that you don't get along with his parents, and that has already happened to you and you're still alive."

"And single," Naruto pointed out, giving Gaara a look. "But fine, it's not like I've got anything to lose. He's hot and great in bed and yeah…"

Gaara sighed when Naruto grimaced, then walked over to pat his shoulder.

"Well, I have to go, so good luck."

Naruto's pout followed him as he left the room, but he wasn't too worried. If anything, Naruto was good at cheering himself up after a failed date.

xxx

Somehow, Naruto was stuck in the kitchen with Sasuke's older brother. He wasn't entirely sure how he ended up there, but Itachi must have grabbed him and dragged him off in his nervous daze as he tried to act nice and mature and charming at the same time in front of Sasuke's parents. At least they both seemed like sweet people, even if Fugaku appeared a little intimidating. Itachi, however, was a different story. He was humming softly as he moved about, seemingly ignoring Naruto who'd sat down by the table.

At least Sasuke had kissed him when he met him at the bus stop, awkward at first but nice all in all. He was honestly a little confused as to what their status was. Were they dating? Did Sasuke ask him to dinner because he didn't want to bother with people who couldn't get along with his family? Or was it some other obscure reason that Naruto had absolutely no way of guessing?

"So, Naruto," Itachi said, and Naruto swore his heart tried to escape out of his mouth. "I'm very happy you agreed to join us for dinner."

"Umm, sure," Naruto answered, blinking slowly when Itachi gave him a friendly smile over his shoulder before returning back to cutting up a salad.

"Sasuke would probably kill me if he knew what I'm about to tell you, so don't tell him okay? I'm surprised he left us alone at all."

Swallowing, Naruto produced a noise he hoped was affirmative.

"You see, the reason I forced him to attend the speed dating is because of something he confessed to me when we got drunk a couple of months ago. I'm fairly sure he can't even remember telling me."

Naruto figured that listening quietly was his best option here.

"I know he acts like he doesn't care, and he probably told you something like how he's not interested in dating. The thing is just that he's lonely, and he's convinced that being in a relationship is impossible for him."

Itachi turned around, leaning against the counter and observing Naruto with a contemplative look.

"You must have really made an impression on him. Well, maybe he just needed to be with a guy instead. You see, he can be a little awkward and rude sometimes, but he's not a bad guy. So, I don't want to scare you, but I really need to know what your intentions are. Maybe I'm overprotective, but I've been working hard to make him admit his feelings to himself, and I'd rather not have you ruin it."

Naruto was stunned. Of all the things he expected Itachi to tell him it sure wasn't this. Well okay, maybe asking about his intentions wasn't too farfetched, but still.

"I… I mean, I've only met him once but I really enjoyed that. Umm, I went there because I've only been with guys before and I wanted to try it out with a girl, but it's not like that really matters to me. He seems great so…"

Oh god, he was blushing wasn't he? He tried not to squirm, but he really didn't know what to do or say. Sure, Sasuke seemed like a person he'd love to date, but even if he was a good judge of character it's not like he knew enough to confidently say he could be in a relationship with him.

"I see. I don't want to put too much pressure on you, I just want to make sure you're not messing with him. There was a point when he got almost anti-social, and I don't want to see that happen again. That's one of the reasons I asked him to stay with me for a while. He needs a little push sometimes or he'll get too tense."

"Oh. Umm, that's fine. I mean I don't mess with people, I know what it feels like."

Itachi nodded, smiling again, and Naruto was finally able to relax a bit. He'd gotten the feeling once or twice that Sasuke was feeling a little lost. Not insecure, but… More like he encountered something unfamiliar and wasn't sure how to act. Like when they'd entered his apartment and Naruto was the one who had to take the initiative for something intimate to happen.

"Thanks for telling me."

"Hn, well, I just didn't want your first thought to be that there's something wrong with you if he acts difficult. It's difficult to become his friend and it will most likely be difficult to become his boyfriend. But if he likes you he'll stay, and if he doesn't, he'll let you know."

How reassuring. On the other hand, Naruto had always liked a challenge, and it's not like many other exciting things had been happening in his life lately.

xxx

"Thanks for driving me," Naruto said, turning in his seat to look at Sasuke.

"It's fine," Sasuke replied, and Naruto took a second to appreciate his neat appearance.

Sasuke was probably the neatest guy he'd ever tried dating, from the carefully styled hair to the ironed dress shirt. It made the memory of him sporting bed-head in sweats that much sweeter. Though, Sasuke's whole family seemed the same, classy outwards and casual at home. He had to admit it was the nicest dinner with parents he'd ever been to.

"Do you want to, umm, stay a bit?"

Dark lashes blinked at him in slight surprise, then realization must have struck because Naruto could have sworn there was an almost blush on pale cheeks.

"Oh, sure."

Laughing a little, Naruto pointed out where he could park, feeling a bit flustered as he guided him into his apartment complex and up the two flights of stairs, elevator broken as always. He still hadn't come to grips with what they were supposed to be, even if Fugaku and Mikoto had seemed as if they were accepting him into their little family with open arms. Maybe Sasuke really was that bad at dating.

He showed Sasuke around his small home, finishing with the bedroom, unable in his nervous state to keep from joking about this being where the magic happened. Instead of taking it as the awful joke it was, Sasuke calmly assessed him before stepping in close, fingers brushing Naruto's.

"I doubt you brought me here only to brag," Sasuke teased, Naruto's heart skipping a beat as heat bloomed inside him.

"No," he admitted, wetting his lips and blushing when dark eyes followed the action. "I was thinking…"

"Yeah?" Sasuke was now so close that his breath washed over Naruto's mouth, and he felt like he could drown in his heated gaze.

"Well," he started, clearing his throat a little awkwardly, trying not to give in yet and kiss the other man. "I was kinda hoping we could just clear up where we're going with this."

"With the sex?" Sasuke was frowning, and Naruto felt nervous laughter bubble up his throat at the blunt question.

"No, well that too, but it's just that…" Oh god, why must this be so hard? But he'd promised himself he wouldn't make the same mistake of assuming too much, of investing himself when the other person was only fooling around. "I mean, I know this is just the second time we meet, but I want you to understand that I'm not looking for a fling. I want to find something real."

Staring into Sasuke's eyes, he tried to sound more confident than he felt. He didn't want to think that Sasuke brought him to meet his parents if he was just after sex, but if Itachi was as concerned as he claimed to be, it wasn't impossible that he was behind the whole thing.

"I see," Sasuke murmured, but didn't increase the distance between them like Naruto had feared. There was a flicker of emotion crossing his features, settling for what looked to be reluctant determination. "I don't want to admit that I'm probably not the best person for that, considering my track record, but…"

Naruto bit his lip, feeling his pulse speed up. It was probably too soon to talk about this, of course it was, they barely knew each other. But it's not like they had to agree to get married or anything, he just wanted their intentions to match.

"We don't need to make any final decisions or be in a relationship right now, I just want to know that you're not just, well, using me for the sex. Or because you just found out you might like guys, too."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously at the last part, but Naruto had felt he needed to bring it all out in the open. He was tired of miscommunication, tired of wondering if he was being lied to, and if he was going to do this with a guy after all then he wanted them to be on the same wave length.

"Naruto." Sasuke's voice sounded serious, his hands reaching up to cradle Naruto's face. "I'll have you know I've never asked anyone to come over for dinner before. Maybe I just figured out I'm into guys, but it's not like I need to experiment for that."

His thumbs brushed his cheeks now, and it was difficult to push down the hope that wanted to surge through Naruto's body. He might have thought at first that Sasuke was a jerk, but annoyance had slowly morphed into pleasant surprise, to finally settle for the thought that wow, this guy could be it.

"I've never been in a relationship and I'm most likely lousy at it, so I'll count on you to correct my mistakes."

Sasuke looked a little annoyed, and if Naruto guessed correctly, the other man wasn't used to admitting weaknesses, especially not to someone he'd just met. But when Naruto released an explosive breath before pressing his lips to Sasuke's thin, soft ones, he relaxed and kissed him back. It was a slow one, and Naruto pressed himself closer to Sasuke's warm chest, arms sneaking around his waist. Breathless, he allowed Sasuke to guide him towards the bed, making a small, pleased noise when talented hands combed through his hair. It almost felt too good to be true. A small voice in the back of his head told him it probably was, too, and no matter what Sasuke said he shouldn't read too much into it, but he quickly crushed it before it grew too loud.

You won't know until you try, after all, and Naruto felt like he wanted to try again, consequences be damned.

xxx

A year later, Naruto could safely say that they'd tried, alright. Or rather, tried each other's patience until they were both on the verge of going insane. Even so, they were still together, still loving as passionately as they fought. But the fights had grown fewer, with longer intervals between them, and Naruto was arrogant enough to think it was because Sasuke had finally gotten it into his thick head that they were a couple, and while Naruto was all for being individuals together, Sasuke had had some trouble with the whole "together" thing. Naruto had almost been ready to give up a few times, because their view on reality was just so different.

Whenever people asked what he meant, he would bring up the incident when he'd been on vacation for a week, and Sasuke re-painted his living room. His living room, in his apartment. He'd been ready to rip his hair out when he came back and found it colored a cozy beige. Beige. He hadn't been mad so much over the fact that Sasuke had done it, as he was over the choice of color. Sasuke, of course, had only thought he did Naruto a favor, plus he'd apparently missed him a lot and being frustrated, he had taken it out on Naruto's poor walls. Not that he admitted that until four months later, though, by which point Naruto was starting to wonder how Sasuke had grown up so emotionally stunted when his mother was so lovely.

But things were getting better, and if Naruto hadn't had Itachi as his confidante and general receiver of complaints they might have never reached the point of considering moving in together. As Itachi jokingly put it, Sasuke was learning to open up, and Naruto was learning to listen before yelling. They were probably good for each other, then.

At the moment, they were strolling through the city centre, hand in hand, not looking for anything in particular but rather enjoying the brightly shining sun. One good point Sasuke had was that while he often blatantly ignored Naruto's opinion without even realizing it, he also ignored people in general. Naruto was pretty sure that if anyone ever tried to give them weird looks for being together, Sasuke wouldn't even notice.

"Isn't that store Itachi mentioned around here?" he asked, looking around them.

Sasuke hummed in agreement, squeezing his hand a little and nodding towards an intersection. It was a regular weekend, nothing special planned, and after this they'd probably go home, throw together a quick dinner, and maybe fall asleep in front of the TV. He really appreciated these calm days, because they gave him hope that when they both matured a little more, this was what the future would be filled with. Happy, domestic life. It felt to him as if their struggles had brought them closer, and he knew now that even if he got angry over something, and ran out slamming the door, he was always welcome back.

When Sasuke suddenly stopped after they'd crossed the road he was brought out of his musings. They stood in front of a travel agency, posters filled with paradise islands and exciting cities covering the large window.

"I've always wanted to go to Japan," Sasuke said, eyes tracing the posted in the upper left corner depicting Tokyo.

"Mm, it would be cool. But it's expensive, isn't it?"

"I'm sure we can save up for it," he replied confidently, and Naruto couldn't help himself.

Whenever Sasuke said things about the future, including Naruto as a constant, unchanging part of it, it felt like falling in love all over again. It made him think that choosing Sasuke had always been the right thing to do, no matter how infuriating he could be. When Sasuke glanced at him, a questioning eyebrow raised, his face split in a huge grin. Throwing his arms around his boyfriend's neck, he kissed him noisily on the mouth.

"I love you, you know that, right?"

"Hn," was all Sasuke said, looking rather pleased with himself as he pulled Naruto close.

And if Naruto had been able to read Sasuke's mind, he would have heard his reply.

I love you too, more than anything.

Yep, happily ever after, of course! I'd like to thank everyone who's commented and favorited etc., it makes me really happy! So I'm sorry this won't be longer, but I have so many other interesting things to write so... can't do it all I suppose. :3