Falling Apart and Growing Together – The Morning After

By Meo.

B-T-F'ing-W:This is a story about guys heart-ing each other.

Just thought I'd let you know.

Yaoi, SasuNaru, mayhaps a bit 'o NaruSasu :0, just a spritz of lime, Sakura bashing ('cuz she's an asshat xD (I love that insult)), and words that would not be deemed appropriate for cable television.

Since I forgot a Disclaimer in the first Chapter: This ain't mine. The…'plot' is. But not the characters or stuff. That's all. I'm not writing this again. Bitch. This is pure ctrl + c.

AN – WOOT 24+ REVIEWS. I freaking love you guys. You all make my heart go doki-doki. –is shot- Anyhoo, being at band camp (yes, stfu) has totally worn me out. I hate having a jock as a drum major. I'm a twig! I can't run 2 laps around the field in under 5 minutes. 7:30 or something is my fastest time so farrrr ;-; Hatehatehate. …Um, yeah. Band camp's over now, so I'll get to writing faster again. Plz read k thx bai.

CHAPTER THREE

Although it had never happened to him before, Naruto wasn't entirely taken aback to wake up with his head nestled in the shoulder of another person. It had been the only thing on his mind until he fell asleep and waking up to see it wasn't a mere dream filled him with delight. His whisker-marked cheeks rose as he grinned at the feeling of Sasuke's bare skin on his own, the warmth their bodies shared; even the faint smell his sensitive nose picked up as that of the Uchiha made him tingle. The occasion was rare when he could be so close to his 'rival'.

Naruto was so absorbed in the other teen that he didn't even notice that Sasuke was awake and, thus, was startled at the feeling of hands sliding up his exposed back. His body instantly went rigid and his arms tightened unconsciously around Sasuke's frame in defense. The low laugh he heard made him relax right away, though, as did the voice that followed.

"'Morning to you too, Naruto."

"Gods, Sasuke. You scared the crap out of me," the fox-container replied softly after heaving a sigh. Sasuke rolled his dark eyes and smirked at the blond. Before he could make any comments on how easily startled Naruto had been, the latter had cuddled closer to him and suddenly their bodies were flush together, skin-on-skin, Naruto's breath misting across his neck. The avenger was suddenly aware of the flood of...feeling that washed over him at that moment. It wasn't the first time, though. Ever since he'd known the blond, he'd made the Uchiha feel in ways nobody else had.

As his mind had wandered, Sasuke failed to notice the focus of his thoughts trying to gain his attention. When he did notice, however, he found the brilliantly blue eyes scowling at him.

"Saaasuke, you weren't listening to me, were you?" Naruto asked, pouting and tugging lightly on the other teen's arm like a child would tug on their mother's skirt. "You were spacing out. You're not gonna fall back asleep, are you? 'Cuz--"

Naruto's expression suddenly darkened and he fell silent, his previous cheer forgotten. Sasuke was startled by the sudden change of emotion the blond expressed. His brow furrowed and he quickly asked what the matter was. Naruto replied despondently,

"…We have training today."

It took a moment for Sasuke to process why that would upset his friend - Naruto usually looked foreword to training - but then he remembered.

Sakura would be there too.

Damn it.

"Naruto…" The Uchiha hesitated, trying to think of what to say, before deciding on, "If she says anything like that again, even looks like she's going to, I swear I'll kill her." This surprised Naruto, who turned his eyes from the window to Sasuke. Even if the pink haired girl pissed Sasuke off, he never threatened to kill her. It never went farther than maiming before.

Sasuke took notice of Naruto's surprise and found himself explaining his reasoning in a low mutter. "Bitch shouldn't have said that. It was more than uncalled for. And I don't want to see you sad again, Naruto. It doesn't suit you," he said, saying the last part more audibly and tightening his arms around Naruto's waist.

The fox demon's container looked deeply into Sasuke's eyes, searching. As far as he could tell, he was sincere. Very sincere. However, Naruto couldn't help but feel like there was some sort of…catch to Sasuke's affection. Why wouldn't he? All his life he'd been alone, and all of a sudden he gets saved from suicide, kissed (on purpose this time) and wakes up with his head on his rival's shoulder. Far from the ordinary, he couldn't help but be suspicious of these events.

"Why?" he asked.

Sasuke blinked. "What?"

"Why are you doing this? A joke?" Naruto asked coldly.

Their stares clashed, dark eyes narrowed in confusion while blue eyes were narrowed in an almost fierce way. Sasuke spoke first, slowly.

"Why?" he began. "Why what? Why did I stop you from killing yourself?" he asked. Naruto's expression wavered vaguely. "Why did I follow you home in the first place? Why did I wake you up when I heard you were having a nightmare, or hold you or kiss you or sleep with you?" By now Naruto wasn't glaring anymore; he looked slightly embarrassed and a little bit hurt. Sasuke softened his tone and finished with, "Maybe it's because I have feelings for you." He ran his fingers through the blond's hair and leaned closer. Naruto could feel Sasuke's breath drifting over his own lips teasingly, making his heart race and his breaths quicken. "Ever consider that?"

Naruto swallowed hard and closed his eyes. "I-I just thought-"

Sasuke kissed him. When he pulled his lips away, leaving his victim breathless, he murmured, "I would never joke that way," and brushed their lips together one more time.

The fox was rendered breathless, his eyes tightly shut, and his heart pounded at his chest so hard that Sasuke could feel it. He gave a sigh that sounded like he was saying the Uchiha's name and fought to get his heart rate down before hugging the other occupant of the bed as tightly as he possibly could and murmuring, "I love you," into Sasuke's chest.

Surely he had said those three words before, but never in the same context. Being told he would be treated to ramen or have a week of from missions would often make him spout the phrase. However, when he had a crush on Sakura, he'd never spoken those words to her, and even the rare occasions when Sasuke had treated him to his favorite lunch, he wouldn't have said much more than 'thanks'.

Likewise, Sasuke had yet to be heard saying the phrase since he was seven, understandably. He had sworn never to say such a thing until he could say it and mean it for what he thought it meant; that the person he would finally end up saying it to would be the person he would want to be with for the rest of his life, someone he could trust with that life and someone who would trust him and love him back. Sasuke would occasionally glance at Naruto and think to confess his feelings, but couldn't. He didn't even know why; he just couldn't. But now, as Naruto half whimpered his confession of feelings to the last Uchiha, terrified he would be rejected despite everything that had happened the previous day, Sasuke knew.

"I love you, too, Naruto," he said firmly, embracing the blond ninja as tightly as he could while still letting him breathe.

Happy enough to cry, the not-so-shunned-anymore holder of the nine-tailed fox flung his arms around Sasuke's neck and kissed him. Hard. He was already addicted to the feeling of his lips on the others and couldn't quite get enough of the sensation. Neither could Sasuke, but he was vaguely startled by the force of the kiss and found it difficult to match; not because he didn't want to, but because Naruto was kissing him so passionately it was hard for his brain to function at all.

When the two parted, it wasn't for long, because as soon as Sasuke caught his breath he had Naruto pinned beneath him and was peppering kisses across one whiskered cheek, his palm pressed against the other. Naruto was blushing deeply, but despite his embarrassment at their rather compromising positions and actions, he tightened his arms around Sasuke's shoulders and willed him to continue. Both teens were flooded with feeling, pleasurable tingles racing up and down their spines the likes of which they'd never felt.

A shuddering gasp left Naruto's lips as Sasuke's own trailed down his neck, some animalistic urge driving him on. His tongue brushed tentatively across the blonde's pulse and for his efforts Naruto hissed and bit his lip; the sensation was too much, so he grabbed a fistful of Sasuke's hair and roughly brought their lips together to divert his rival's attention. When the kiss ended, Naruto managed to pant out two words:

"…Too…fast."

Sasuke growled at the statement but had to agree; being 16 and the elder of the two, even he wasn't a legal adult. He decided that had little to do with why he stopped at Naruto's order, though; it was because he didn't want to force him into anything he didn't want. Naruto suffered enough, and Sasuke didn't want to add another pain to the demon carrier's list.

They were both in a rather awkward position, however, both sporting noticeable erections that needed to be taken care of. The Uchiha pressed his lips gently against Naruto's, sealing the unspoken deal saying they weren't going any farther, and was about to sit up when he was thrown off the bed. Naruto swore loudly and began bustling about, his face blood red, ignoring Sasuke's cries of outrage.

"What the hell?!" Sasuke yelled, clutching at his now aching skull.

Naruto glared at him, though he looked more scared than angry. "Quiet, idiot! There's someone at the door, in case you haven't heard! Damnit, I think it's Kakashi, too," he muttered, fidgeting and trying to find out how to not look awkward in front of his teacher.

As Naruto bustled about, trying to calm himself down, Sasuke climbed to his feet, rubbed his head, walked over to Naruto calmly, and kissed him. Just as he had thought it might, his rival fell quiet and relaxed instantly. "I'll greet Kakashi," he murmured against Naruto's slightly abused lips before kissing them again. "Just calm down, please. You're giving me even more of a headache."

"Sorry," the blond replied softly.

Since their little argument had ended the knocking on the door had started up again, and Sasuke coolly walked to and opened the door. Surely enough, a silver-haired masked man with one visible eye stood on the other side, looking quite surprised to see who he saw inside the apartment.

"Sasuke?" he said, confused.

"Kakashi," Sasuke replied, looking bored.

"…This isn't where you…live."

"I'm aware."

Kakashi stared.

"Was there something you needed, Kakashi?" the Uchiha drawled. He seemed oblivious to his teacher's confusion.

"…Um, I was hoping to see Naruto, but it's a good thing you're here, too," he replied, seeming to collect himself. "He is here, isn't he?" Sasuke nodded and allowed the Jounin to enter.

Being a Jounin, Kakashi was trained to observe anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Sasuke looking disheveled and being found at Naruto's house at about eight in the morning was surely one of those 'out of the ordinary' things, but what worried him the most was the sight of a large knife discarded on the floor near the kitchen; it looked like it had been thrown there, and Kakashi was instantly on his toes, concerned for his students.

Just as he decided that there didn't seem to be any signs of a fight between his two pupils, Naruto entered from his bedroom looking as disheveled as Sasuke, if not worse. Blue eyes widened as if he was surprised to see his teacher in the living room. "Kakashi? What are you doing here?"

Kakashi looked like he regretted having to bring up the topic he did. He sighed before he spoke. "I wanted to talk to both of you about…what happened yesterday."

Both of the teen's expressions darkened visibly. Just as I expected, Kakashi thought, frowning. "First of all…I would like to say that I am not particularly happy with Sakura…"

Deep black and crystalline blue eyes flicked up towards the Jounin, surprised.

"…But I am not particularly happy with you, either, Sasuke," he finished. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed in response while Naruto just looked somewhat taken aback.

Kakashi continued. "While what Sakura said was completely uncalled for and cruel, loosing your temper when she asked you out – a ritual I would think you would be used to by now – was cruel to her, as well, and while I am not siding with either one of you or saying one of you was right, I am saying that your response, Sasuke, was not exactly appropriate," he said. Sasuke muttered something along the lines of 'she had it coming', and that didn't please their sensei in the least.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you are part of a TEAM," he snapped. The aforementioned teen flinched in response. "I know that Sakura isn't exactly your favorite person, but that doesn't make her any less of a member of Team Seven. You need to learn to cooperate with others." Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And after all this time I thought that the team would work…and we're back to the beginning," he muttered.

Both Sasuke and Naruto could sense his frustration and thought it better to not say anything at the moment. They sat quietly for once, never seeing their teacher so irritated with…well, Sasuke. After a brief pause, Kakashi regained his composure and turned his gaze back on the two teens. "After thinking about it last night, I have decided that there will be training today. A quarrel like this is no reason to put you all in a time out and make you think about what you did. You have to settle this yourselves." Sasuke and Naruto scowled faintly, and that made Kakashi scowl. "Don't give me that look. Be at the bridge in an hour."

Assuming the irritated grunt from Sasuke was an affirmative, Kakashi brightened and said, "Toodles!" before disappearing in a puff of smoke, the last thing the two remaining ninja noticed being the orange cover of their sensei's favorite book.

The downcast look on Naruto's face triggered Sasuke's defensiveness again, and he firmly stated, "I don't care what Kakashi says; if she talks like that to you again…well, let's just say that last threat on her life wasn't an empty one."

Unfortunately, what Sasuke said didn't seem to help the blond any. "Don't kill her, Sasuke," he murmured. "I don't want that. Sakura's our friend, remember?" he asked, glancing up to meet the Uchiha's gaze. "Even though…I hate what she said…I don't hate her. So you shouldn't hate her either, OK, Sasuke?"

As always, Sasuke was stunned by Naruto's resiliency and compassion. After blinking a few times at the soft smile the fox boy sported, he heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I'll never understand you, Uzumaki Naruto," he admitted before agreeing that he wouldn't kill Sakura. Today. When it turned out that wasn't good enough, he caved and promised he wouldn't kill her ever. This cheered up the other boy enough that he decided to make breakfast before they went to the training ground, and while ramen wasn't Sasuke's first choice of breakfast food, he ate it anyway, vowing that he wouldn't eat ramen again for a week.

---

The muddy ground was soft beneath their feet, and it wasn't the first time Naruto disliked wearing the footwear he did. Mud snuck into the gaps between his toes, and he wondered why he showered before training, ever. He just got sweatier. Pondering this, he and Sasuke made their way to the bridge where Team Seven met every day for training.

As expected, upon arrival to the bridge, the air was taught with tension between the three ninja. Kakashi, late as usual, was nowhere to be seen, but Sakura sat quietly on the railing, hands folded in her lap, her gaze directed to the peeling paint to her left. She had glanced up at the boy's arrival, but quickly turned her eyes away, feeling both guilty and hurt at the same time. Neither of the boys gave any sign that they even noticed her besides their silence, but what could the kunoichi expect? Sakura wrung her hands until her knuckles were white. She was embarrassed, upset, guilt-wracked…she didn't know what emotion to focus on. She hoped that their sensei would arrive soon and kill the torturous silence that hung around them like a thick fog.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto were tense, both for similar and different reasons as their teammate. They had wordlessly decided to not reveal their newfound mutual affection, and both were beginning to regret it. Sakura certainly didn't need to know after how she had practically begged Sasuke to love her the previous day, and Kakashi would probably freak out about it in one way or another. Even more confusing, however, was their status. Neither one knew what they were. Were they boyfriends? How did people in relationships announce their connection to each other, anyway? They'd heard their peers calling others boyfriends and girlfriends, but the titles were of unknown origin.

Neither boy wanted to be in one of those kinds of relationships, anyway; the constantly changing, morphing, meaningless teenage relationships so many of their peers indulged in. Few of these lasted longer than a few weeks and then after a few days of passionate mourning it was on to the next in line as if nothing had happened. Sasuke and Naruto were both disgusted by such actions. They wanted to end their loneliness once and for all; neither one needed more heartbreak. Yet neither one knew exactly how to end it, so they thought in silence, eyes downcast, brows furrowed, minds focused on the same subject.

Sakura grew ever more distraught at the stern expressions her teammates wore and the pregnant silence that even the birds dare not break. She fidgeted, tugged at her dress, attempted to straighten out a wayward lock of hair, picked at her fingernail, yet nothing seemed to conjure up any sounds greater than the ruffling of fabric. Just as she had gathered up the courage to speak up for the first time, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Sorry I'm late, but you see, I had to help an old woman across the street, and…" He trailed off, vaguely surprised to see that none of his students interrupted him and accused him of lying. The jounin decided it would be for the better if he didn't try to brighten the moods of the teens with his own, false mood, because it wouldn't work. He decided to cut to the chase. Setting his jaw, he spoke. "Alright, I'm only going to remind you all once. We're a team, and we train as a team. So, with that said, we have a mission."

The group looked surprised. "You didn't say anything about that earlier," Sakura said in surprise. Kakashi nodded.

"I know. It slipped my mind, that's all," he explained, earning scowls of irritation from his students. "I thought it would be best to tell you here, all at once, so I don't have to say it more than one time. That would just be a pain." He shrugged. "Anyway, we're heading to Suna, so pack light clothes. We'll be leaving from the west gate at one o'clock. Got it?"

Either Kakashi was loosing his marbles, or he was more concerned about the team than any of the younger ninja thought. He always gave them at least a day's notice before they left on a mission; they unanimously decided he had made the decision in a hurry as a team building exercise. Despite their lack of longing to go on a mission at the moment, there was no arguing with their sensei, so they caved.

"What is the mission, though, sensei?" Naruto asked, his voice startling both his teammates. Kakashi shrugged again.

"Just a pick up, drop off of scrolls is all," he drawled. "Something simple to get us back on the right track." Though his gaze flitted between all three ninja before him, he made sure Sasuke met his eye and furrowed his brow ever so slightly, just enough to make his point clear.

Of course, the teens thought, wearing various looks of mild displeasure. None of them was particularly eager to break the ice again after yesterday.

"Have I made myself clear?" The team's leader asked. Mixed replies, all positive, were made, and Kakashi nodded. "All right. Be packed and at the west gate at one." They acknowledged him again, and he was off.

Again, when their teacher's presence was absent, the thick silence flooded back in around them. Usually, at this time, brief farewells would be given, but the awkward relationships they now bore made it rather difficult to exchange any words.

Sakura slipped from the railing of the bridge to her feet looking downcast. Without lifting her eyes any higher than the boy's mud-caked toes, she softly said, "See you later," and took her leave. Both boys watched her receding back for a moment until she was out of sight, and thus, out of mind.

Almost instantly as the red dot disappeared over the horizon, Naruto caught Sasuke's wrist deftly and met the other's dark gaze. They stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment before Sasuke pulled the other boy into his arms and kissed him deeply. While the blond wasn't exactly expecting the brunette to do so, per se, he did hope for it, and responded eagerly.

When their lips parted and they caught their breaths, Naruto found his voice and spoke, albeit quietly. "I don't know if I can go for the whole length of a mission without that." Sasuke found this phrase impossibly sexy and caught the fox boy's lips in his own to cover up a groan before attempting a response.

"You won't have to worry about that," he murmured. Already Naruto felt himself blushing, so he scowled to cover it up and turned his head just enough so he could match the Uchiha's gaze and be safe from his teasing lips. Sasuke smirked and Naruto scowled, but after a moment their expressions leveled and they smiled.

"You're such a bastard," the blond muttered before stealing a kiss from the other boy. He quickly turned and dashed a few feet across the bridge, Sasuke in tow. When the fox turned around to make sure the other was there, he was wearing a brilliant smile. As if it infected the Uchiha, Sasuke was soon smiling too, and, satisfied, Naruto spun on his heel and dashed off.

When he was sure his students wouldn't see him, Kakashi dropped the genjutsu he had conjured. A smile, hidden beneath his mask, lit his face while his eyes followed the two boys as they ran to their homes. They never even thought I could still be here, Kakashi thought happily. Likewise, I never thought staying would let me learn anything, but, hey, what do I know? Those boys deserve to be happy. I'll let them be, and only use this as blackmail if it's absolutely necessary. Smiling proudly, Kakashi truly disappeared, looking forward to the mission ahead.

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I'd like to point out the fact that band camp was sometime in September, and this chapter is full and done in January, 2007. –cough-. Yeahhhh… And besides that, I was half asleep when I was writing most of this, so it kinda sucks. Well, anyway, please R + R, tell me how my writing is and if you like the story and want me to continue. –thumbs up- Toodles 'til next time!