Chapter 6: The Date – Part Two

Naruto was beginning to panic.

There wasn't much time left. Dusk had begun to fall and Sasuke was still as far away as the stars above them. Plan C had already fallen through since Naruto had considered taking Sasuke for a romantic ride in his helicopter, but Sasuke had shot down that suggestion faster than Naruto could even manage to get all the words out. Plan D had been similar to Plan B but instead of attempted theft, Naruto would take Sasuke to a gay bar, disappear and let him be groped against his will before returning to beat the living daylights out of the guy who had tried to molest his date. Unfortunately, it was obvious that Plan D would be as ineffective as Plan B, so he was wisely skipping it. Which thus led him to his last and final hope, Plan E.

"How do you feel about ice-skating?" Naruto asked, inwardly begging Sasuke to, for once, not be a complete sourpuss about it.

He almost sighed in relief when Sasuke paused, considering.

"… I've never been."

"Then that's settled! I'll teach you," Naruto announced happily.

Since Sasuke didn't seem to have any disagreements, thank Kami-sama, Naruto led the way to his favourite ice-rink, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with each step. The arena was the perfect setting. It had no ceiling and was located in the middle of a forest of magnolia and Sakura trees, each decorated with an assortment of hanging fairy lights.

Naruto hadn't actually taken a date ice-skating before, because he had never needed to until this point, but he knew that it would provide the ideal bonding opportunity. Even though it seemed like innocent fun, Sasuke would have to hold onto Naruto if he didn't want to fall over since it was his first time.

Theoretically.

Of course, Sasuke had a tendency to ruin all of Naruto's master plans like a looming raincloud during one of his popular bonfire parties.

By the time they had arrived at the ice-rink the soft red glow of the setting sun was already fading as it gave way to the oncoming canopy of starry darkness. Thankfully it was a clear night.

The attendant was just locking up when Naruto and Sasuke walked up the wooden steps to the entrance. She fumbled with the large ring of keys in her hand as soon as she caught sight of them.

"Naruto-sama!" she sputtered, giving a bow so deep she almost folded in half.

"I'd like to use the rink. I'll be sure to lock up after," Naruto said, smiling at her.

"O-Of course, Naruto-sama," she gushed, handing him the keys with the two of hers as though she were giving him a love letter.

"Thanks! Er… Moegi-chan," Naruto said, squinting to read her name badge.

The girl turned a furious shade of magenta.

"E-Enjoy yourselves!" she squeaked and ran off.

"We sure will!" Naruto called jovially after her as he unlocked the double glass doors and gestured for Sasuke to go inside.

"Do you like it that much?" Sasuke asked quietly, once indoors.

"Huh?"

"Everyone making a fool of themselves just to please you."

Naruto couldn't tell if Sasuke was looking for a fight again, but he was not pleased that the only topic that Sasuke ever seemed interested in discussing was the one with the most potential to ruin their date.

"And do you hate it that much?" he countered evenly.

Taken aback, Sasuke paused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when people pay attention to you. Adore you. Do you hate it?"

Sasuke shook his head. "That's not the same."

"How so?"

Sasuke appeared to deliberate for a moment before he answered carefully, "Everyone only wants one thing from me."

"And do you think I'm any different? People love me because of my money and my name. I've never been naïve enough to think that it's for any other reason."

"…And you don't hate it?"

Shrugging, Naruto flicked on the lights of the storage room that held all of the skates. "I can either hate it. Or embrace it. Hating it will make me very miserable. And embracing it at least makes everyone else happy. So the choice is pretty obvious."

He ambled into the room, picking up his own personal pair from it's compartment before he turned to the suddenly silent raven, who seemed to be observing him in quiet contemplation.

"What size are you?" Naruto asked.

When he caught the double meaning of his question, he burst into a fit of laughter like a thirteen-year-old who had just discovered the difference between males and females.

"Tch. Childish." Sasuke said, but he didn't sound annoyed for once. "Twenty-three."

Naruto laughed again. "That's tiny."

Sasuke glared at him. It would have been threatening if not for the tinge of colour that painted itself across his cheeks.

Naruto was immediately reminded of the moment he had touched those smooth lines and his laughter immediately died in his throat and he choked violently.

The small smirk on Sasuke's face clearly showed that he thought that righteous retribution had been paid.

"Let's just put these on," Naruto grumbled, pushing Sasuke onto the bench next to him none too gently. He knelt in front of the startled raven and yanked off his black sneakers.

"Wait. What are you doing?" Sasuke said quickly, withdrawing his now shoeless foot.

"What does it look like?"

Naruto snatched back the foot and jammed on the bright orange skates that he had chosen for Sasuke.

"I'm not wearing that," Sasuke objected, trying to kick his leg free while Naruto fiddled with the neon blue laces.

"Stay still jeez."

"I said I'm not wearing that!"

"And I said to stay still!"

"Fine! I'll wear the damned thing. Just let me do it!"

"I'm already doing it!"

There was a slight scuffle in which Naruto won by slapping away Sasuke's hands until the raven's protests grew quiet.

The silence that soon settled over them was extremely awkward and somehow, uncomfortably intimate. Naruto didn't know what possessed him to fight Sasuke in putting on the skates for him like some silly version of Cinderella, but he found himself regretting his boldness and cursing his competitive streak. His blundering fingers were taking twice as long as usual and he was almost sweating when he finally managed to tie a firm knot around the tongue of the first skate.

Neither spoke as Naruto moved to Sasuke's other foot and removed his shoe.

He wished he hadn't.

There were two large holes in Sasuke's sock, one at his heel and one around his big toe. Naruto could tell Sasuke was ashamed by the way he twisted his head to the side and his fists clenched on the edge of the bench he was seated on.

Without comment, Naruto pulled on the other skate and did up the laces. He didn't know what to say. For some reason, he felt just as embarrassed as Sasuke evidently was.

Once done, Naruto secured the cords on his own matching orange skates and jumped up, forcing a merry grin onto his face. "Let's go!" he half-shouted with strained enthusiasm.

Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance but made to get up too. However, he failed miserably and landed heavily back onto the wooden bench.

Chuckling at the cursing raven, Naruto held out his hand. "Since you're a first-timer, it's going to feel a little weird and hard to keep your balance," he said patiently.

"I don't need help," Sasuke snapped as he rose unsteadily to his feet.

"Oh really?" Naruto raised his eyebrows in amusement and folded his arms. "Fine, let's see how far you get without me."

Sasuke managed to travel all of ten meters before he lost his balance.

Already having predicted his fall, Naruto positioned himself behind Sasuke, wrapping an arm firmly around the slim waist and pulling him against his body to steady the raven. He was a lot warmer than Naruto had expected.

The Uchiha seemed to freeze against his hold.

"At least let me get you to the rink," Naruto murmured. "Come on."

He held each of Sasuke's arms securely, skating backwards as he guided the tense raven towards the circle of ice. While he did so, Naruto briefly explained the mechanics of ice-skating.

Sasuke said nothing as he listened, but gradually the stiffness between his shoulders seemed to lessen slightly.

"It'll feel a bit unnatural at first," Naruto warned again, "But you'll get used to it... Just like gay sex." He couldn't resist adding.

As usual, the Uchiha's reaction didn't disappoint.

"You're an idiot," he swore at Naruto, pushing the chortling blond away and nearly falling over in the process.

"Thank you," Naruto said sweetly as he returned to being Sasuke's much needed walking frame, to the raven's deep displeasure.

For the next while, Sasuke waddled around the ice-rink with Naruto hovering nearby, ready to catch him should he fall. The whole time, Naruto told inappropriate jokes, made random comments concerning anything from the three minutes he hated having to wait whenever he had instant ramen to the strange dream he had of Konoha being a ninja village, and occasionally he gave Sasuke a helpful tip if he felt like being generous.

When Naruto was feeling particularly mischievous, he caused the raven to go off-balance, before catching him just as he was about to hit the ground.

Sasuke always cursed him colourfully whenever he did that.

The night seemed to drift timelessly by much like it tended to when one was having a pleasant sleep. Naruto was having so much fun tormenting Sasuke that he hadn't realised until over an hour had passed when he noticed that the full moon was already out. He was about to recommend they take a break, but Sasuke appeared deep in concentration if the crease between his brows was anything to go by. Naruto hadn't expected Sasuke to take ice-skating so seriously, but admittedly, he was improving much quicker than most.

Preoccupied as Sasuke was, Naruto took the time to 'peruse the goods' as it were.

The moonlight masked the typical surly expression Sasuke wore and Naruto was, once again, struck by the degree of his beauty. He had come across many good-looking people in his day, but none of them had held quite the allure that captivated him the way Sasuke had all day. The fact that it was done unintentionally, with perhaps even an effort to produce the opposite effect, made him all the more fascinating.

Profoundly fascinating.

Naruto let his gaze roam the midnight-blue spikes that spilled over the pale face like ribbons of silk. The translucent skin gleamed like fresh snow in the moonlight's gentle caress, creating the effect of an almost angelic glow. The defined features of Sasuke's face were the epitome of classic beauty. And those eyes... the piercing dark pools of obsidian that seemed to change colour depending on the way the light hit them.

It was strange, but he seemed almost… too pure. There was no other way to describe it.

Before Naruto knew what was happening, he had lost his footing and lumbered forward, crashing straight into the railing.

Grunting through the stinging of his ribs and inner elbow, Naruto gingerly climbed to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke inquired as he stopped flawlessly right in front of Naruto.

"Yeah, I just got dis- er… I just slipped."

Sasuke peered at him. "… Do you need to sit down?"

"No, no. I'm good."

The day Naruto admitted to making such an amateurish move as being distracted by someone was the day he swore to be celibate. In other words, never.

They skated around each other endlessly, good-naturedly racing and competing. The small look of… not exactly happiness, but more like serenity, on Sasuke's face as he swept unreservedly around the large expanse of ice in a hypnotizing display of utter freedom made Naruto feel as though he were witnessing something phenomenal. It was like stumbling across the northern lights just as all the planets in the solar system happened to align perfectly in front of him.

This feeling was… not normal…

A moment later, Sasuke twisted and landed in an unnatural way, consequently causing him to fall.

Naruto dashed over.

There was a pained expression on Sasuke's face as he clutched his shin.

"Hold still," Naruto told him firmly.

"I'm fine," Sasuke said dismissively as he pushed Naruto to the side and made to stand.

Not having any of that, Naruto grabbed the injured limb and pulled it into his lap. He ignored the protests as he gently lifted the pant leg of Sasuke's trousers and inspected the wound. There was quite a bit of blood, but Naruto couldn't see anything serious.

"It's not too deep. Just a graze." He moved to pick up Sasuke, but the raven, once again, brushed him away.

"I can get up."

"Don't be stupid," Naruto snapped, growing tired of the Uchiha's aversion to accepting help. He deftly lifted Sasuke in his arms and stood up before the raven could resist.

He was slightly surprised by how light he was.

He had to be underweight.

"Put me down, or I will hit you," Sasuke warned.

Looking down at the raven, Naruto noticed that there was a light pink dusted across his cheeks.

Naruto grinned. "You're blushing."

"That's absurd. Put me down. Now."

"Look, you're hurt. Just let me take care of you, alright? Why do you always have to argue with me about everything?"

Sasuke resolutely looked away. "Whatever," he muttered, obviously tiring of Naruto's persistence. "But don't you dare drop me," he added when Naruto's face broke out into a triumphant smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

He carried the injured raven to the centre of the rink where there was a gazebo sculpted purely out of ice. Lowering Sasuke onto one of the benches shaped like two swans beak-to-beak, Naruto said, "I'm just gonna get the first aid kit. Stay here."

"Where else would I go, usuratonkachi?"

"Shut up. Just stay here."

Hurrying away, Naruto dug into his pockets and fished for the keys the attendant had given to him. He headed straight for the office and wedged every single key on the ring impatiently into the stalwart lock until he managed to find the right one. He nearly ransacked the entire place looking for the elusive kit. Once tucked safely under his arm, Naruto skated back to Sasuke, who hadn't moved from his spot. Though he was trying to hide it, Naruto could tell that Sasuke was cold from the ice seeping into his clothes.

Instinctively, Naruto shrugged out of his jacket, leaving him only in his t-shirt and draped it around the shivering raven. The freezing temperature bit viciously into Naruto's exposed skin, but he ignored it.

Sasuke looked at his orange jacket as though it were completely alien.

Slowly, his fingers curled hesitantly around the edges.

"… Thank you."

Naruto nodded briefly as he knelt by Sasuke and began to work on cleaning the gash on the raven's leg. The bleeding had stopped, leaving only a stain of dried blood. For the first time in his life, Naruto was thankful towards his old sensei, Irkua, for always making him treat his own cuts when he was younger since he had a tendency to always get up to mischief and hurt himself so frequently that the school nurse grew to hate the sight of him.

Naruto's knees were starting to ache from the hard surface of the ice, but he doggedly disregarded the discomfort. He could sense Sasuke's studious gaze on him and he felt an oddly overwhelming need to impress that had nothing to do with the bet. It made him both nervous and excited somehow.

"You know, I've never met anyone like you," Naruto commented lightly, bandaging a piece of gauze to Sasuke's leg.

He could tell Sasuke was listening from the way he stiffened slightly.

"You look so sad all the time," he went on, "But I've never seen someone look so liberated while ice-skating."

When he was done, Naruto tucked away the ends of the bandage and grinned up at Sasuke.

He was surprised to find those onyx eyes directed straight at him, gazing searchingly into his own as though looking for something.

The grin slipped off Naruto's face like soap.

All light-heartedness seemed to vanish in an instant, the air around them taking on a uneasy edge.

Naruto felt a distinct sensation similar to that of drowning. His heartbeat doubled, tripled, quadrupled and quintupled. Unable to stop himself, he touched Sasuke's face, just as he had before, but this time, he allowed his hand to linger, the pad of his thumb brushing against the sensuous bottom lip. It was warm and softer than the skin of a newborn baby.

He felt more than heard Sasuke's sharp intake of breath and saw the way those cheeks immediately flushed.

Naruto couldn't hold back any longer.

He gripped the back of Sasuke's head firmly in one hand as he leaned over and gave him a bruising kiss.

For Naruto, the effect was instantaneous. Colours burst in front of his closed eyelids as his body was abruptly flooded with unrestrained desire. The raw need of it nearly floored him. It took him several seconds to realise what he'd done and he quickly withdrew with a shaky breath.

To his credit, Sasuke looked just as dazed as Naruto felt.

They stared at one another, faces scant inches apart, breathing heavily, the heat of each other's exhales warming the air between them.

And then it was Sasuke who closed the distance between them, drawing their faces together, hesitant at first, slowly moving his lips over Naruto's in a gentle, tantalizing dance. His hands came to rest lightly on Naruto's shoulders. Their mouths melded together and Sasuke tilted his head, his slender nose brushing the side of Naruto's.

God, he was so sweet.

Too sweet.

Molten honey trickled through Naruto's veins, and he had to muster together all the self-control he had to not push Sasuke down and have his way with him.

Barely remembering what he had to do, Naruto groped for his phone, trying to maintain enough power in his mental faculties to complete the simple task of holding out his arm and pressing a single button.

It took a lot longer than it should have.

Once done, Naruto wasted no time in wrapping both arms tightly around Sasuke's waist, drawing the raven against him until there was not a hair's width separating them. The heat that radiated from the raven was enough to rival the icy temperature of the gazebo and Naruto sought more warmth from the sweet embrace. Graceful hands found purchase in his hair, fisting and tugging, and Naruto couldn't stop the moan that came from deep within his chest.

Coaxing open those full lips with his own, Naruto deepened the kiss, tongue darting out for a taste.

That was when he noticed.

Sasuke tasted like innocence.

Pure, untouched, unadulterated innocence.

It wasn't the innocence that one grew out of with emotional maturity, experience and age, but something else entirely. Naruto didn't know why, but suddenly he felt like he shouldn't be doing what he was, like he was clipping the wings of an angel. But this revelation only served to fuel his lust. He wanted this. He wanted Sasuke. He wanted to take away that innocence, to taint it and corrupt it and ruin it and possess it and keep it for himself.

With all the self-restraint in the world, Naruto managed to pull himself away, completely breathless.

Clearing his throat, Naruto said awkwardly without looking at Sasuke, "We should get you home. It's late."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke nod absently and the two of them made their way back inside. They put on their shoes in complete silence. Naruto wasn't sure what Sasuke was thinking about, but he found himself still hoping that the raven wasn't regretting what had just happened between them.

Securing the premises, Naruto left the ring of keys in the mail box before they trudged back towards the way they had come.

Midnight had already passed by and the streets were deserted. Once they had reached a large intersection, Sasuke turned to Naruto. "I'm this way."

"Alrighty then," Naruto said distractedly. He started in the direction that Sasuke had indicated but was stopped by a pale hand on his arm.

"I can get home myself."

"I know, but I want to walk you home anyway," Naruto shrugged, feeling the tingling warmth of Sasuke's touch sink into his very bones. It was enough to make him want to close his eyes. Instead Naruto removed the hand with his own, about to let the raven go before he changed his mind and laced their fingers together.

"Come on," he said.

If Sasuke had any qualms about their contact, he didn't show it as he allowed Naruto to hold his hand as they made their way through the quiet night.

Naruto wasn't usually a hand holder, but he seemed to be breaking a lot of his usual habits tonight. He'd worry about it tomorrow.

Fifteen minutes later, they were standing outside a double storey shack. Naruto hadn't seen anything quite like it. He hadn't been around these parts before because he had never had a reason to, but he decided not to comment.

"Thanks for… the date," Sasuke muttered.

It was apparent that he was uncomfortable by the slight scuffing of his shoe against the gravel.

Naruto grinned at him. "No problem."

Sasuke turned to leave, but then hesitated as though remembering something. He began to unzip his jacket and Naruto's inner pervert was starting to go haywire with the possibilities until he recalled that the jacket was his.

Shaking his head, Naruto pushed the proffered garment back towards Sasuke.

"Keep it, you need some colour on you," he winked playfully. He didn't really understand why he was giving away one of his favourite jackets because he doubted that Sasuke would ever put it to good use, but all he knew was that he wanted Sasuke to have something of his.

The raven looked down at the orange fabric in his hand with an unreadable expression.

Giving into the urge that was rapidly bubbling up inside of him, Naruto stepped closer to Sasuke and gave him a lingering kiss.

The Uchiha tensed but accepted the kiss nonetheless and Naruto retreated.

"Good night, Sasuke," he whispered, and allowed his thumb to brush that high cheekbone before he walked away. He was sure Sauke was staring after him, but Naruto didn't look back.

Mission accomplished.