Summary:

Naruto runs an underground newspaper called 'The Daily Ramen', focused on poking fun of the fragile egos of the rich and famous. How does Sasuke respond when he moves to town and gets in Naruto's crosshairs? Not particularly well. But who says arguing can't be foreplay? Sasuke x Naruto (Yaoi boy x boy)

Warning: Boy x Boy - Yaoi: Edited to be compliant with FF's M-rating guidelines. Full version on A o3.

A/N: So, of course you all know that you should never go without a condom if you aren't in a monogamous relationship and you haven't both been checked out… it's not worth the risk, my darlin's.

July 23rd

Sasuke woke up with the warm, solid feel of a naked body pressed against his. He smiled slightly when he remembered that it was Saturday. They'd have the whole day to spend together until evening.

Originally, Naruto had planned to host a low-key birthday for Sasuke with Itachi and the Daily Ramen crew who had gotten to know Sasuke since they started dating. Naruto hadn't been surprised at how well Sasuke and Shikamaru had hit it off. They had developed a habit of finding a quiet corner to play shogi while Naruto and Kiba shot pool, or Hinata killed them all at darts. Since Sasuke hadn't really done much socializing outside of work since moving to Konoha, he didn't have any friends in the area outside of his brother and employees.

When he'd mentioned it to Itachi, the man had insisted that it be held at his house and include the family. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke were happy with it, but Itachi had not relented. Instead, he had brought in Mikoto, at which point Naruto and Sasuke had known to give up.

But that was hours away. Unless they got hungry, they wouldn't even need to get out of bed before noon.

Sleeping in had never been a pleasure Sasuke had enjoyed much in the past. He'd watched his father wake up at six in the morning every weekend before closing himself up in his home office to work for the majority of the day. The Uchiha belief was that it was 'inefficient' to waste time relaxing when there was always work to be done.

Naruto had made it quite clear very early on that weekends were not for working, at least not all the time. Sasuke smirked slightly as he remembered just how the writer had made the point. Sasuke would never be able to look at the desk in his home office the same way again after the first weekend Naruto had spent at his apartment when they'd begun officially dating two months ago.

"Mmmm," Naruto's voice was still rough with sleep, but it immediately set Sasuke's blood warming. "Happy birthday."

Sasuke felt Naruto's tan hand slide over his stomach, strong fingers splaying possessively across the smooth, flat expanse of pale skin. Naruto's hand began moving in slow, light circles, beginning small and gradually increasing in circumference.

The vague stirring of arousal from Sasuke's morning wood intensified with the warm touch, his stomach tightening. The hand on his abs pressed slightly harder, detecting the change in Sasuke's body. A low chuckle came from behind him as the hand began to circle lower and lower, causing Sasuke's toes to curl in anticipation. It was hard to imagine that last year, he hadn't even met Naruto. Now they were practically living together. Sasuke relaxed into Naruto's touch, arching his head back slightly as he soaked in the slowly building heat between them.

Naruto's warm breath ghosted across the back of his neck, causing goosebumps to race across his skin. He felt the tan fingers brush just above where he needed them to touch, and couldn't help the slight flexing of his hips. He was torn between wishing Naruto's hand would move lower more quickly and enjoying the torture of anticipation. He stretched up, bracing his palms against the headboard, the position showcasing the taut muscles in his chest and arms more fully.

He felt smug satisfaction surge through him at Naruto's tortured groan.

"God, Sasuke. You're so fucking sexy," Naruto's lips brushed against the sensitive spot of Sasuke's neck as his hand ghosted over the pale man's body.

Sasuke growled low in frustration, reaching over to the nightstand, grabbing a mint out of the pack that was conveniently kept there and popping it into his mouth. He bit it in half, then captured Naruto's wrist, rolling them over and pinning Naruto beneath him. He gave a heavy-lidded look to his lover before slowly lowering his head to brush his lips against Naruto's before taking half the broken mint and sliding it into his lover's mouth with his tongue. A quick fix for 'morning breath' when they were too horny to wait to brush their teeth...

… a common occurrence most most mornings.

Naruto gave a sloe-eyed smile as Sasuke shifted between his thighs. The writer rolled his tongue over the strong mint, then held it between his teeth, running the tip of this tongue around it suggestively before pulling it back in his mouth.

"How about I suck you off with this mint in my mouth?" Naruto leaned forward and licked Sasuke's lower lip, letting him feel the cool tingle of the mint on the sensitive flesh, imagining what it would feel like on another sensitive part of his body. Sasuke didn't have to imagine too hard, given that it wouldn't be the first time it had happened.

Naruto rolled his hips, bringing their erections together in a slow, hot slide of friction.

"Nnnggg," Sasuke released Naruto's wrists and slid his hands down over Naruto's sides, loving the feel of Naruto's hard body beneath him. He lowered his head, letting his lips and the tip of his tongue glide down the column of Naruto's neck to the dip of his collarbone.

"I don't want you to suck my dick," Sasuke sucked briefly at Naruto's pulse point before his lips returned to his ear. "I want to fuck you."

Naruto's cock hardened painfully at the dark, possessive tone of Sasuke's voice.

Sasuke's lips closed over Naruto's nipple, his teeth scraping slightly before his tongue laved over it, the mint making the nipple bud up tightly. Naruto writhed beneath him as Sasuke blew over it, making it tighten further as Naruto arched up.

"Bastard," Naruto panted out, biting his lip.

Sasuke's thumbs brushed over Naruto's ribs and the contours of his abs before sliding down and gripping firmly over Naruto's hip bones. He brought his lips to Naruto's ear, his hot breath making Naruto shiver.

Every morning, he woke up with the same burning need. He wondered if it would ever dissipate. If anything, it seemed to only get stronger, more out of control. He buried his face in Naruto's neck, breathing deeply, drawing in Naruto's scent.

He would never get enough of this man.

"Shit," Sasuke bit his lip. He was dying to be inside him, but he didn't want it to hurt his lover. "Lube," he panted out.

Naruto leaned over to grab the lube from the nightstand. Sasuke noticed that Naruto didn't grab anything else, and he raised a brow.

Naruto's blue eyes were already darkened with lust as his eyes locked with Sasuke's.

"No condom?" Sasuke asked, feeling a spike of excitement shoot through him at the thought. They'd never gone bareback. Sasuke had never had a serious relationship before, so he'd honestly never even considered it. He knew that for the receiver, the after effects were… somewhat annoying, so he was surprised at the offer. But definitely appreciative. He'd been curious to know how different it really was to go without a condom. And the trust it implied. The intimacy and permanence.

"If you want," Naruto murmured against Sasuke's lips. "Just go slow."

It felt somehow like a huge step in their relationship.

Sasuke didn't trust himself to actually reply since all of his blood had fled from his brain. He looked down at Naruto, the blond hair disheveled from the prior night's activities, the devilish humor in the blue eyes that were currently veiled with lust. The extent of what he felt for this man… the lust, the trust, the friendship… and more. So much more that it was, at times, a little overwhelming.

Sasuke wasn't a religious man, but he was fervently glad he'd walked into that grocery store so many months ago and decided to annoy the hot blond holding up the line at the meat counter. His life was so different now. Warmer. Fuller.

He was… happy.

In a way that he'd never expected to be… didn't even think possible for a person like him. He couldn't wait any longer

. . . . . . .

"I… I want… god… I… Naruto…so much… you..." Sasuke's words tumbling out without conscious thought.

All Naruto could do was hold on. He heard the words that Sasuke was trying to say, even though they didn't manage to fully form. Felt them swirling around his chest. Naruto closed his eyes, emotion swamping him.

"I love you," Naruto breathed out, the words that had been hovering on his lips for over a month finally tumbling out.

"N-Naruto!" Sasuke's voice was raw and almost desperate as his sweat-soaked body seized, the muscles in his arms clenched and shaking.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto with an expression that nearly made Naruto's heart stop.

Sasuke lay over him him, their breathing harsh, their bodies slick with sweat.

Naruto looked down at Sasuke, loving the way his pale skin was flushed across his cheeks, his lips reddened, his hair disheveled. This beautiful and razor-cold man was only his to see this way.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm not going to give you much of a rest," Sasuke groaned out, running his thumb along Naruto's cheekbone before pulling out and rolling to lie beside him. There was a tenderness in the touch that said things that the man himself was not able to say.

Naruto grinned up at him, his body feeling boneless and replete. "I personally wouldn't be too sad if we forgot about the party tonight and just stayed in bed until Monday."

Sasuke brushed a kiss at the crown of Naruto's head and the sweat-dampened blond locks.

"Mother would kill me," Sasuke said.

Naruto sighed. He knew all about the perils of crossing mothers. He just wasn't sure he was ready to meet Sasuke's.

"Fine. Should I give you your present now, then?"

Sasuke smirked. "I thought you just did."

Naruto rolled his eyes, then reached under the bed and brought out shoe box. Sasuke eyed it with no small degree of trepidation. He was… particular about his shoes.

"You bought me shoes?" he asked skeptically, not taking the box until Naruto thrust it into his hands. It was far too light to be shoes.

"I'm not that stupid, asshole. I couldn't afford the shoes you wear. I just used the box."

Sasuke didn't know if he should be relieved or insulted at Naruto's statement, and settled for opening the gift. He looked in the box, then back to Naruto. "You bought me a T-shirt?"

Naruto grinned. "We need to get a warning label on you for when we're out together, now that you're starting to occasionally do social things. Check it out."

Sasuke pulled out the black T-shirt, reading the grey lettering across the front: You've read my shirt. That's enough social interaction for the day.

"Hn," Sasuke said. "Maybe I'll wear it the next time we go out to the clubs."

Naruto snickered, knowing there was really no way Sasuke would ever wear it, but it had been fun looking, anyway.

"So does that mean I get to dress you in clothing of my choice when it's your birthday?" Sasuke asked, running his hand over the flat plane of Naruto's stomach.

The way Sasuke's eyes darkened at the comment made Naruto pretty sure Sasuke wasn't talking about buying him a business suit. He let a slow smile curve his lips as he turned to face his boyfriend. "That could be negotiated."

"Hn," Sasuke rolled over Naruto, bringing their mouths together. Naruto was more than happy to let all thoughts about the coming evening be wiped from his mind.

They had spent the past two months largely easing into their new relationship. Work had been busy for them both, and they had wanted to spend the majority of their very limited free time with just the two of them, though on weekends they would often hang out with Naruto's friends.

But mostly, it had been Sasuke interacting with Naruto's world. Today would be the first time that Naruto would be stepping fully into Sasuke's.

Sasuke slid his hands down Naruto's stomach to his hips, and Naruto decided he'd worry about that much later.

Naruto was still nervous when they arrived at Itachi's house later that evening. He had spent quite a bit of time with Itachi over the past two months, but he hadn't met either of Sasuke's parents and wasn't sure how the first meeting would go. They sat in the car as Naruto fidgeted with his tie, shooting Sasuke a dark look that he'd been forced into wearing it.

Sasuke smirked, reaching over to straighten it for him. "You're lucky they gave us two months to settle in. Suck it up and try to behave."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, then slid his hand up the inside of Sasuke's thigh, heading for a destination slightly north. Sasuke grabbed his wrist and glared.

"You said 'suck it up'. I was just trying to follow instructions. It's your birthday, after all."

"Idiot," Sasuke said, tugging on Naruto's wrist, tugging him forward and kissing him thoroughly.

A tapping on the glass of Sasuke's window had them both jerking apart. Itachi stood outside the car, examining his fingernails. "I don't think fucking your boyfriend in my driveway is exactly the right way to introduce him to the family. Do you, Otouto?"

Naruto turned bright red, but Sasuke just rolled his eyes, opening his door sharply and nearly hitting his brother with it. Luckily (or unluckily, according to Sasuke), Itachi was light on his feet and dodged it by an inch.

"Hello, Naruto," Itachi ignored his little brother's show of annoyance and greeted Naruto.

"Hey, Itachi," Naruto said slightly sheepishly.

"Mother and Father are waiting inside," Itachi said as he turned and began walking up the stone steps that curved in a path that led to the house. "Be grateful they weren't waiting in the driveway for you."

No sooner had the words left his lips when Mikoto appeared on the walkway to meet them, giving Sasuke a hug and kissing his cheek before turning her bright eyes to Naruto.

"So this is the young man who has stolen my baby's heart," she smiled, her eyes flashing in amusement as Sasuke inwardly flinched at the reference to anything having to do with overt emotions.

Naruto laughed, the sunlight catching his hair, highlighting it against the dark hair of the three Uchihas. "Well, I am still not sure the bastard has a heart, but if he does, I'm not letting anyone else near it."

Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise at his blunt wording, then she let out a laugh. "Good. He needs someone to make him do something other than work."

Itachi and Sasuke exchanged a glance. It had been years since they'd heard their mother laugh like that. Sasuke slid his arm around Naruto's waist.

"Let's go inside. The rest of the family won't be here for another hour or two," Mikoto said, gesturing gracefully to the front of the mansion. "I wanted us to have a chance to meet privately first."

Naruto tensed, shooting a somewhat panicked glance at Sasuke. "The rest of the family?"

Mikoto smiled. "Of course. All of Sasuke's relatives wanted to meet you. Not to mention the fact that Sasuke hasn't allowed us to have a birthday party for him since he turned eighteen. Even his Uncle Madara will be here. They'll be arriving about the same time as your parents and the other guests."

Naruto swallowed. The last time he'd seen Madara, he'd almost punched the man in the face. And Naruto's parents had been invited as well. If there was one person in Japan who had less personal restraint than Naruto, it was Kushina. He only prayed that Madara didn't start anything. Because his mother would sure as hell finish it.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at his mother. "You said this was going to be a small birthday party, Mother. With just us."

Mikoto looked serenely at her son. "I meant just the family, dear."

Itachi adjusted the cuff of his shirt. "I had a word with the uncles. They will not be bothering the two of you."

There was a sadistic gleam in Itachi's eyes that made Naruto grateful that he was on their side. He had a feeling that Itachi wouldn't hesitate to raze the entire clan to the ground if it protected his little brother.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a flash of light over Sasuke's shoulder caught Naruto's attention. Before anyone even had a chance to react, Naruto was in motion. The paparazzi didn't even have time to jump down from the wall he was perched on before Naruto had grabbed him by the ankle and jerked him down. The man landed hard, falling back on his ass sprawled out in the dirt.

The photographer's eyes flared wide as he struggled to sit up, clutching the camera tight against his chest as though it was worth more than his own body. Which it very well might be, depending on whether he'd managed to get a picture of Naruto and Sasuke kissing in the car. So far, there had been rumors circulating in the tabloids about the amount of time the two men had been seen spending together, but nothing 'concrete' had been put out about Naruto and Sasuke being anything more than friends. He struggled to get up, and Naruto leaned down and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, keeping him from escaping.

"I suggest you let me look at your camera before I call the police," Itachi said calmly as he walked over to where Naruto was still holding onto the man.

"I-It's not illegal to take photos," the man stammered, looking first at Itachi, then over to where Sasuke was standing.

"You don't have our permission to take our photos. And either way, it is illegal to trespass. You are on Uchiha private property," Sasuke's voice was low and deadly.

"I… but he pulled me off the wall into your yard!" the man pointed at Naruto indignantly.

"The wall is on his property, dumbass," Naruto glared at the man, still not releasing his grip on his shirt.

The man shot a panicked look at Itachi. Getting arrested for trespassing might be worth it if it meant he could keep the photos. But the police might just delete the photos if a family as powerful as the Uchihas asked them to. Then he'd just be screwed and with nothing to show for it.

"Give me the camera," Sasuke said tersely.

The man clutched his camera tighter.

"Give it to him. Or I will call the police and they will give it to him," Itachi looked almost bored.

The man swallowed, then slowly held out his camera to Sasuke. Sasuke took it, turning it on and looking through the photos. "What do you think?" he held the camera down to Naruto, letting him see the image on the LED screen. It showed the two of them in the car. Sasuke's hand was threaded through Naruto's hair, and Naruto was leaning in. It was just before the kiss, but the intent was crystal clear. The look on Naruto's face was definitely not platonic.

"I deleted the ones he had of the actual kiss. I think we need to break the public in slowly," Sasuke said calmly. The reporter groaned in disappointment. Those photos would have made his career.

Naruto blinked, his expression confused. "But I thought… don't we want to delete all of the pictures?"

Sasuke and Itachi exchanged a glance, then Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not dating you in secret. You're my boyfriend. They're bound to find out sooner or later. At least this way we get to pick the first photo."

The reporter's eyes widened at the admission. He was clearly realizing that he could now confirm that the relationship wasn't just some rumor or even a brief tryst. The two really were dating, and he would be the first to confirm it.

Naruto blushed, an odd feeling of warmth spreading through his chest at the calm, factual way that Sasuke openly discussed their relationship in front of an outsider.

Something about the absolute calmness that Itachi and Sasuke had about the situation began to sink in. "You… you planned this?"

Sasuke shot Itachi a slightly annoyed look. "I didn't."

Itachi shrugged elegantly. "You two were dragging your feet. Whenever we have a large gathering at my home, at least a few of the press generally take note. I assumed one or two would show up. This way, we could introduce you to the public as Sasuke's boyfriend without them breaking into your apartment to try to put a hidden camera on the headboard of your bed."

Mikoto smoothed her already perfect hair while shooting her elder son a glare for his language. "Give the man his camera back, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at his mother for a moment. "Shouldn't we have security escort him from the property first?" he asked, looking coolly over to where the man was still sitting on the ground. Naruto slowly released his death grip on the man's shirt, glancing uncertainly between Sasuke and Mikoto.

"I'm sure he knows better than to overstay his welcome," Mikoto said mildly, walking over and looping her hand through Naruto's arm.

"Of course, Mother," Sasuke said, walking over to Naruto's other side, suddenly aware that his mother was doing this to ensure there was visible proof of the family's acceptance of the relationship.

Itachi sent the man a hard look. "Security will have your face on our security cameras," he nodded towards the security camera that was clearly pointed at them. The man may have been hidden in his perch on the wall, but he was clearly visible now. "If there are any… misuses of the photos you have taken today, we will know who to contact."

The man swallowed, stumbling to his feet. It would be a big enough career move to get the scoop on the relationship. He didn't need more than that. If he could escape this with his camera and without getting arrested, he would do whatever the powerful family wanted. He followed the clear invitation and took a few photos of the family entering the house together, proof that there was no issue of acceptance of the younger Uchiha's new love interest and his family.

Itachi turned to look over his shoulder at the man. Taking this as his cue to leave, the man fled back over the wall he had entered by before the magnanimous offer to escape without a police escort could be rescinded.

Mikoto ushered them into the kitchen, where she had already brewed coffee and had some small desserts laid out for them. Sasuke poured himself a cup of coffee, while Naruto stood nervously by the plate of desserts, trying to decide if he should take one to be polite, or keep his hands and mouth free for the conversation (or possible interrogation) that he knew was likely to happen.

"Are we going to be eating in the kitchen, or are we moving this to the dining room like civilized people?" a deep male voice came from the kitchen entryway. Naruto looked up to see an older man, his face showing the lines of stress in his mouth and jowls, but his Uchiha coloring was unmistakable.

"Dear, don't be so formal. We have the rest of the family coming for dinner, but I wanted to just get to know Naruto-kun a bit before everyone arrives. The kitchen is perfectly appropriate," Mikoto said, shooting her husband a stern look.

Given that the kitchen was larger than Naruto's kitchen, living room, and dining room combined, he certainly didn't see a problem.

"Hn," Fugaku grunted, his eyes running over Naruto assessingly.

While it was clear that Sasuke had gotten his good looks from his mother, he had definitely gotten his ability to intimidate from his father. Naruto didn't let that faze him however, as he stepped forward to greet the older man.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto nodded politely in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"Uchiha Fugaku," the man returned. "I've heard quite a bit about you, Naruto."

Naruto gave a slightly nervous grin at the man's unsmiling face. "Ah… all good, I hope."

"No," Fugaku said flatly, pausing to see if he could make Naruto sweat.

Naruto stood his ground, not breaking his gaze from the older man's. Mikoto clearly liked him, as did Itachi. But really, the only person Naruto cared about was Sasuke. He was not going to let Fugaku's antiquated notions of social standing and class lines come between him and Sasuke. Naruto wasn't going to incite the man on purpose, but he also wasn't going to be scared off from something that mattered to him.

"Well, that's good. If it was only the good stuff you'd heard, then I'd be put in the difficult position of correcting any misconceptions," Naruto joked. He wasn't going to pretend to be anything other than what he was. Sasuke's family would have to accept him for who he was, or not at all.

"Hmph," Fugaku eyed Naruto with a look that would have left lesser men trembling. Naruto calmly met his gaze. After a moment, Fugaku's lips twitched. "Madara was right."

Sasuke and Itachi both stiffened beside Naruto, but Naruto asked directly. "Madara was right about what?"

Fugaku's eyebrow raised at the lack of honorific applied to the elder man's name, but then he smirked. "That you might not have the pedigree, but you certainly have the balls to join our family."

Sasuke began to cough at the unexpectedly blunt words from his father, and even Itachi wasn't able to keep his eyes from widening somewhat.

Naruto laughed. "Well, that wasn't the asset I was expecting to win you over with, but I guess I'll take it."

"And just what asset did you hope would win me over?" Fugaku asked, his words sharp, but there was a glint of humor in his eyes that neither of his sons had seen in a long time.

"My natural charm and wit?" Naruto asked grinning in a self-effacing manner.

"Hn," Fugaku gave a short chuckle. Sasuke and Itachi exchanged a slightly stunned look. But his expression firmed as he asked his next question. "I hear you are in the newspaper business. Not a very stable industry these days. What are your projections for how you see your paper doing over the next five years?"

"Father," Sasuke growled out a warning. He had expected his father to grill Naruto, but he wasn't going to simply give the man free reign to do a full anal probe of his boyfriend in their kitchen.

"It's fine, Sasuke," Naruto smirked. "Your dad just wants to make sure I can provide for his little princess."

Fugaku and Itachi both let out a cough of laughter, while Sasuke shot Naruto a glare.

Mikoto giggled. "Oh, Sasuke. He's perfect."

Naruto blushed slightly, shifting his feet. "We just recently expanded circulation into four other countries," Naruto addressed Fugaku's question, deeming it safer than Mikoto's comment. "So far, distribution is up thirty percent, and that will directly affect how much we are able to charge for the advertising, so business is actually going pretty well."

"Hm," Fugaku nodded his head, slightly pleased at the statement. It was more approval than Itachi or Sasuke were used to hearing from the man. "If you need any advice on the financial side of things, we have several people who would be able to help," Fugaku offered.

"Thanks, but Shika's got it covered. He's a genius with that kind of stuff," Naruto said blithely.

Fugaku frowned and looked about to object when Sasuke stepped in.

"He's right. I looked through their finances. Nara had some things in there that even I wouldn't have thought of," Sasuke stated.

"Hm," Fugaku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I look forward to meeting him this evening, then. Well, Naruto. It seems as though you have your business well in hand."

"We read some of the new translations," Mikoto smiled. "The English and Chinese were quite good, but I think you might need to find someone else for the Korean version," Mikoto said, frowning slightly. "They don't quite have the tone right."

Naruto blinked, not sure if he was really hearing it correctly. "You… read the Daily Ramen?"

Naruto was suddenly flooded with memories of just exactly what he had written about the woman's sons… particularly Sasuke. Not to mention the things that his friends had written about him.

Mikoto arched a brow, well aware of what was going through Naruto's head as her eyes lit with a mischievous glint. "Of course. I read everything that is written about my sons. So when they moved to Konoha, we discovered your paper."

Sasuke had to hold back a snicker as Naruto bit his lip, shifting his feet nervously. "You… uh… both read it?" Naruto asked.

Fugaku smirked, not above enjoying watching his son's significant other squirm.

"I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the staff this evening," Mikoto smiled. "I think it will be… interesting… to have them meet the rest of the family."

Naruto shot a slightly panicked glance at Sasuke, who merely shrugged, an amused gleam in his eyes. "It will definitely be entertaining."

The majority of the guests had already arrived. Mikoto and Kushina had immediately hit it off, and were off to one side talking animatedly (especially Kushina) about a recent article in the Daily Ramen.

Fugaku was talking with Shikamaru, and by the impressed look on the older man's face, Shikamaru was proving what both Naruto and Sasuke had said about him.

"Father is probably going to try to hire your partner into the family business," Sasuke murmured, leaning in so his breath brushed against Naruto's ear as he followed the blond's gaze. Naruto resisted the slight shiver he always felt when Sasuke touched him.

"I'm not worried. Shika wouldn't want to work that hard. Plus he loves what he does. More money wouldn't be enough to lure him away," Naruto turned to face Sasuke, once again struck by just how beautiful his boyfriend was. The evening had gone much more smoothly than Naruto had expected. Aside from the initial conversation with Fugaku, most of Sasuke's relatives had been pretty well-behaved.

"That's good. I'd hate to have anything interfere with your ability to provide for me," Sasuke snickered.

Naruto shot a glance to the glass of scotch in his boyfriend's hand. "How many of those have you had tonight?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm fine. You're the one who forced me to have a birthday party in the first place. I might as well enjoy myself."

"Hm. I can think of better ways for you to… enjoy yourself on your birthday," Naruto said, his gaze running along his boyfriend's lean frame.

Sasuke slid his hand along Naruto's lower back, letting his fingertips brush lightly over the top of his ass. "I could be up for that."

Naruto bit his lip, wondering how much longer they'd need to be here, and cursing Itachi for turning this into something they'd need to attend and behave themselves at.

"Not in my closets," Itachi's voice caused Naruto to jump. Sasuke smirked, not moving his hand from Naruto's lower back. "Or any other room in my house when we have a house full of guests."

"You're the one who invited all the guests," Sasuke said, shrugging. "We were just going to go out to a club then come back to my place and -"

"Hey!" Naruto cut Sasuke off, feeling a blush flood through his cheeks as Itachi merely raised an eyebrow.

"How could I resist when I heard that my little brother, who never allows us to throw him a birthday party, had finally relented and was willing to go along with one?" Itachi asked mock innocently.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Clearly a mistake I won't make in future."

Itachi looked out over the room full of people. "It had to be done. Naruto needed to be introduced to the family to show them you are serious."

Sasuke grimaced, taking another drink of his scotch. "We're here, aren't we?"

"Hn," Itachi acknowledged the tacit agreement with his statement. He looked over to where his father and four of his relatives were talking with Minato. "It looks like Father is getting along well with Minato."

Naruto turned, not surprised to see the way his father appeared to have charmed the group of stoic men. He smiled affectionately. "Yeah. Dad has that way about him. People are always drawn to him."

"Has he ever considered politics?" Itachi asked.

"He's too honest, I think. Though, who knows. Tsunade's been trying to get him to follow in her footsteps," Naruto shrugged.

"You need to be a bit ruthless to be in politics," Itachi agreed.

Naruto chuckled. "Oh, Dad's got stones of steel, don't get me wrong. Once he sets his mind to something, he won't back down. But he's just very straightforward about it all."

"Sasuke. Have you seen Madara yet this evening? He wanted to speak with you and Naruto before you left," Mikoto said as she walked past on her way to the kitchen to signal the caterers to bring out the next round of food.

"I'm going to go get another drink. Then we can go find Madara," Sasuke turned and headed over to the kitchen. Naruto was about to follow him when Itachi's voice held him back.

"I am pleased that you were able to draw my little brother out of his shell. I think you are exactly what he needs to avoid ending up like the rest of the men in this family," Itachi nodded his head to a group of extremely serious-looking Uchihas, standing around obviously discussing business.

Naruto smiled, and opened his mouth to make some joke about it, but Itachi stepped closer, cutting off Naruto's path to Sasuke. The older man's body language was still relaxed, but Naruto didn't miss the fact that he had basically penned Naruto it.

"But I don't think I need to say that if you ever betray Sasuke, or in any other way intentionally hurt him, I will do everything in my considerable power to utterly break you," Itachi's voice was not threatening at all, but simply a calm statement of fact. Which made it all the more effective.

Naruto's mouth instantly felt dry as sand.

"Um… ok. I guess… I guess that's fair?"

Sasuke emerged from the kitchen raising an eyebrow at the look on Naruto's face. Itachi nodded, then stepped back, the threatening aura that had surrounded him an instant before vanishing into a calm, friendly air. He patted Naruto's shoulder before heading over to discuss something with one of his uncles as Sasuke arrived.

"Did Itachi say something to you?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing as he took in Naruto's expression.

"Nah, just… typical big-brother kind of stuff." Naruto laid a restraining hand on Sasuke's shoulder as he turned to go after Itachi. "Don't worry about it," Naruto said, giving a lopsided grin. "It just shows he cares. Besides, I'd kill anyone who messed with you, too, so it's not like I don't agree with him."

Sasuke paused for a moment, looking intently at Naruto.

"Let's go before you make me do something in front of my relatives that I shouldn't," Sasuke murmured, turning to scan the crowd for Madara.

Both Naruto and Sasuke found him at the same time, and froze when they recognized the vibrant head of red hair of the woman he was speaking with.

"Oh, shit!" Naruto barely managed to refrain from running as he walked briskly across the room to where his mother was speaking with the Uchiha patriarch. Sasuke followed him at a more leisurely pace, unsure if Naruto was in a hurry to save his mother or to save Madara. He was more than content to take another sip of his scotch and watch the show.

Naruto's eyes darted between his mother's sharp-eyed smile and Madara's amused expression.

"Um… hey, Mom. I didn't know that you… knew… Madara," Naruto surreptitiously checked for any signs of mortal combat that may have recently occurred in the area, but the crystal glasses on the bus tray nearby were all still immaculately assembled and unshattered. He had made the mistake of venting to his mother one evening about his run-in with Madara, back before he thought he would ever get back together with Sasuke. While he had told her that older man had subsequently left him alone, Kushina was generally not one to avoid confrontation. Especially when her son was involved.

Kushina turned to her son, her smile gaining warmth and losing its slightly threatening air.

"Naruto. We were just discussing you," she said, her tone calm and fully in control.

The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood on end, and he fought the urge to look frantically at Sasuke.

"Oh, uh… really? That's… nice?"

Naruto thought for a moment he heard a snort of laughter come from the elder Uchiha, but he was quite sure that was simply an anxiety-induced hallucination.

"Yes. It was… nice. Wasn't it Madara?" Kushina turned with a falsely innocent smile to the older man. Who smirked somewhat.

"Yes. I believe we reached an understanding," he replied, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, wondering if he was as disturbed by this as Naruto was. Sasuke simply arched an eyebrow and shrugged imperceptibly.

"Your mother was filling me in on a few things. If you ever need any assistance with someone giving you trouble, just let me know," Madara smiled, and Naruto thought he might have somehow entered another dimension. "That Sasori character, for example."

"Ok… yeah. I'll… definitely do that. But right now I'm all set."

This time, the snicker that came from the younger Uchiha was unmistakable.

Madara and Kushina then drifted back to their respective areas of the room, leaving Naruto looking after them.

"Can someone tell me what the fuck just happened?" he asked, looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke reached over and brushed a lock of blond hair from Naruto's forehead. "You're very amusing when you're confused. I believe your mother just went toe-to-toe against my uncle and won. Let's go get you a drink."

"I'm driving, remember?"

Sasuke laughed softly. "Not for a few hours. One drink won't hurt. And it might get that stupid expression off your face."

It was almost midnight when they got in the car to head back to Sasuke's apartment. Naruto was driving since he had only had one drink the entire evening. Sasuke pulled out his phone to check his messages.

"Fuck," Sasuke muttered.

"Problem?" Naruto asked. He was hoping Sasuke didn't have to go into the office. The party had felt like it had dragged on forever. Sasuke had had a little too much to drink and had been being increasingly affectionate until Itachi had finally told them the could leave. Likely to avoid scandalizing their relatives too much. Right now, all Naruto wanted to do was to get his boyfriend alone in either of their apartments.

"I got a text from the security desk at my apartment. The place is crawling with paparazzi hoping to get a picture of us coming home. He's clearing them out for us. But we should wait half an hour or so."

"Guess we shouldn't have let that reporter guy go until after the party," Naruto muttered.

Sasuke snickered. "What, lock him in Itachi's wine cellar for four hours?" He slid his hand through the blond locks at the base of Naruto's neck, pulling him in for a lingering kiss. "It will die down when they get used to seeing us together. This will blow over in a week or two."

Naruto smiled slightly, still getting used to the fact that he could claim this man publicly. "I really want you right now," he murmured.

Sasuke smirked. "After this morning, we better get back to my place first in case there are more reporters hanging around my brother's driveway."

Naruto groaned. He didn't want to go back to the party, but he also didn't want to be in the public eye.

"Shit. My place is probably staked out, too. And I don't have a fancy security guard to clear those vultures out."

"Hmm," Sasuke said, his face thoughtful. "You have extra clothes at my place, so once security makes sure they're all out of the lobby, we'll just go there."

"I left my laptop at my place, though. I had some work I needed to do tomorrow. But I guess I could just work from the office instead for an hour or two."

Sasuke was not excited about Naruto having to spend several weekend hours back at the office unless absolutely necessary.

"Can you print out whatever you need from one of your computers in your office? We can't go to my place yet, anyway. We could swing by your office, you can grab what you need, then we'll go home."

Naruto hummed, liking the thought that Sasuke didn't want him to go into work. "Yeah. Hopefully they won't be expecting us to show up there tonight."

Naruto drove them to his office, circling around the block once to make sure there were no signs of reporters before parking in the underground garage.

It only took a few minutes for him to print what he needed, and forward a few files to his personal e-mail so he could access them from Sasuke's computer at home.

"Done. Think it's safe to head back to your place yet?" Naruto asked, looking up from his desk.

Sasuke was oddly quiet, watching him pensively from the doorway.

"You ok? You're pretty quiet," Naruto said, slipping the document into a folio.

"Hm," Sasuke levered himself away from the door frame, crossing over to Naruto and leaning against the desk. "I was just thinking about what you said earlier."

Naruto arched a brow. "We were talking to people all night. Which thing in particular were you thinking of?"

He swiveled his chair, and Sasuke widened his stance so Naruto seated between his legs.

"About your apartment building having no security," Sasuke said, looking down at the papers that Naruto was holding as though they held some special interest for him.

"Yeah, well… I mean it's just a 'normal person' kind of building. I couldn't afford to move into one like you, bastard."

Sasuke looked up from the folio, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "I thought you were supposed to be good at reading between the lines, idiot."

Naruto drew a breath to fire back a return insult, then paused. He looked at Sasuke's serious expression, the way the dark eyes were locked on his, a hint of uncertainty in them.

"Are you… are you asking me to move in with you?" Naruto felt his pulse speed up, and he licked his suddenly dry lips. This would be an enormous step for both of them. One he hadn't really expected Sasuke to want to take for a long time, if ever.

"Like you said, your apartment doesn't have adequate security. We won't be able to spend much time there anyway, now that the press knows. It doesn't make sense for you to move into another place just on your own."

Naruto slowly smiled, leaning forward and sliding his hands up along Sasuke's thighs. "So… you want me to move in with you for purely practical reasons."

Sasuke smirked, threading his fingers through Naruto's hair. "Maybe not purely practical."

Naruto returned the smirk, one of his hands moving up to settle between Sasuke's thighs. "Hm. I think you've had too much to drink. But… my lease expires in three months."

Sasuke frowned slightly at the thought of the delay while Naruto's fingers reached up to grab ahold of Sasuke's tie and tug him down.

"I'm not drunk. And don't expect to spend any time in your place between now and when your lease expires," Sasuke murmured against Naruto's lips.

Naruto smiled darkly at the possessive tone of Sasuke's voice. "I could be convinced of that."

The end.

Daily Ramen Newsflash: Caught in the Act

A global business tycoon and a local media mogul were discovered in flagrante delicto of several office codes of conduct. For the sake of their anonymity, no names will be used, but sources QUITE CLOSE to this journalist were shocked (and mildly aroused) to stumble on a scene in the office 'after hours'. The couple was making very creative use of the office furniture. By the state of the room, it was not the only piece of furniture they had made use of that evening.

Luckily, our political cartoonist was accompanying this person to help her collect her purse after a birthday party she had attended earlier that evening. Unfortunately for our readers, the full sketch of this scene is not able to be posted at this time due to some contractual issues with one of the editors.

But regardless of editorial permission, I give this couple my first ever perfect 10 score. It was public, but not too public, passionate, and extremely creative. I now need to go find my boyfriend and give him a few tips I might have just picked up.

- Newsflash by Hyuuga Hinata

The end.

A/N: There might be one final version of the Daily Ramen that appears, after a multi-year timeskip to celebrate a major milestone in our boys' lives, but this is the end of the story. Thank you all for following! If you want to see what I am working on next, you can check out my website at kizukatana dot wordpress dot com

There have been some AMAZINGLY talented people making beautiful art for this fic. Now that it is over, I am putting links to them all in one place for us all to enjoy!

Fab drawings of Naruto in his T-shirts: on kathearos on tumblr dot com image/124640686441 , and image/125004977326

Daily Ramen story in DJ form: on deviant art dot com /art/Daily-Ramen-Chapter-1-Pg-1-563117285

Daily Ramen Cover Art: on lobstirrchwan dot deviant art dot com art/Give-us-our-Daily-Ramen-556555193