Final Step: Epilogue

One month later

Sasuke pushed open the door to his home, closing the door loudly. He grinned as he heard the front room door fly open, admitting Naruto to the hallway.

"How was it?" Naruto asked.

"Not too bad," Sasuke replied, leaning against the front door once it was closed. "I'm tired. The doctor warned me the first therapy session could be 'emotionally exhausting', but I didn't expect it to be this bad. I don't think I've ever cried so freaking hard in my life."

"It'll get better," Naruto reassured him, opening his arms out slightly. Sasuke took the hint, walking over and letting himself fall into the hug. "Trust me. It's upsetting to begin with, but it really does work."

"I feel a lot better since I started taking those tablets the doctor gave me, anyway," Sasuke admitted, pulling free of the hug. "With this, I'm sure I'll be feeling on top of the world in no time."

"Well, maybe not no time," Naruto replied with a small laugh. "But you will, eventually. Here, here, come in the living room. I have a surprise."

"Oh?" Sasuke asked suspiciously as Naruto opened the door.

"Close your eyes! I got the pet you said we could have!"

"Oh wonderful," Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes and letting Naruto lead him into the room by the hand. "Does it have all its limbs? Or does it have two heads?"

"Oh shush, he's in one piece. Open your eyes- he's asleep on the sofa."

"It's got to be a cat or a dog, then," Sasuke replied, opening his eyes and training them to the cream leather sofa. A slightly overweight and fluffy black and white cat lay there, apparently awake now, looking up at him in disdain…

"You're kidding me," Sasuke deadpanned.

The cat stood up, stretching himself out and hissing at Sasuke.

"It's Barney!" Naruto said- it was unneeded. Sasuke could see that.

"I can see that," Sasuke replied. "Why do we have the Hellcat? Where's the real pet?"

"This is him!" Naruto answered, beaming and practically bouncing up and down in excitement. "I was thinking about what pet we could get, then I thought 'why not bring Barney home?' He didn't have a real home, so now he does!"

Sasuke continued to look at Barney, resisting the urge to push him off the chair. "He's getting black fur on my cream sofa."

"Its leather, it'll wipe clean. Stop fussing."

"Yes, and as we've learnt, I'm the one who does the cleaning around here. And the cooking. What do you do, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned, grabbing Sasuke and pulling him towards the sofa. He shoved Barney off of it gently, pushing Sasuke down onto it and pouncing on top of him.

"I'm the living room ornament," he purred, kissing Sasuke deeply. Sasuke returned it, twisting his hands in Naruto's hair as he did so. His hands wandered down, fiddling with the buttons on Naruto's shirt.

"And what are you doing?" Naruto inquired, breaking the kiss.

"I've spent most of the morning crying and talking about stuff I'd rather forget," Sasuke reasoned. "Forgive me for wanting some… Recreation when I get home."

"Is that what you call it now?" Naruto asked. "Recreation?"

"Do you have any other words for it?" Sasuke asked, licking his lips slightly as he finished unbuttoning Naruto's shirt, throwing it to the floor.

"I think 'mind blowing' was what you called it last time," Naruto answered, hands reaching out for Sasuke's shirt. He had less tact- simply grabbing it and pulling at it, intending to send the buttons flying to save time. However, he tugged and tugged, unable to open it.

"Idiot," Sasuke sighed, batting Naruto's hands off and starting on the buttons. "This is a good shirt, it's designed so the buttons don't fall off easily."

Once the shirt was on the floor, Naruto dived back in for more kisses- Sasuke happily allowing him.

"In here?" He breathed as Naruto leant forward and began to unbuckle his belt.

"Why not?" Naruto answered. "I think the bed's getting rather worn in."

"And the kitchen table."

"Yes, that too."

"And the shower."

"Mm."

"So this sofa is one of the only places we haven't broken in yet."

"Is that so?"

"Don't you think we should remedy that, Sasuke?"

Sasuke grinned in response, locking their lips together again in a non-verbal response.

He stopped as he heard a noise from his side, looking down at the floor. Barney was sitting there, eyes focused on the semi-naked couple with his head cocked to one side in what seemed like confusion. He was hissing at Sasuke, who scowled and jumped off the sofa.

"Get out," he snapped at the cat, standing over him with his hands on his hips.

Barney ignored him.

"I said get out," Sasuke said again, louder.

"Oh, leave him, he's alright," Naruto argued, grabbing Sasuke's hand and trying to tug him back onto the sofa.

"I'm not doing anything with this fucking hell-spawn watching," Sasuke answered firmly. "I don't trust him to keep his claws to himself."

He reached down and scooped the cat off the floor. Barney's demeanor changed instantly- he began to purr, leaning into Sasuke as he carried him out of the room.

Sasuke dropped him unceremoniously on the floor, slamming the living room door shut in his face as he tried to follow.

"He's whining," Naruto said as Sasuke flung himself back down onto the sofa. "Listen."

"I don't want to," Sasuke replied. "Where were we?"

"But, Barney-"

"I don't care, Naruto."

"But he's-"

"Do you want me to fuck you or not?"

Naruto shut up instantly, grinning and letting Sasuke capture his lips once again. With an offer like that, how could he refuse? He could make it up to Barney later…

As Sasuke began to nibble his ear, he shuddered, rearranging his thoughts.

He could make it up to Barney much later.

-.-.-

Author's Note: I'm still not comfortable writing lemon yet. Sorry :) The power of imagination is more powerful than my writing anyway, I'm sure!

It's done, it's done, it's done! Thank you everyone for your support and reviews- especially all the people who have been with me from the start of this, or even from Andante! I tried to list you all, but there's too many of you, which makes me feel all happy I have to say. It's nice to know that people want to keep reading my stuff!

I'll post the new thing I'm working on soon. It's in early stages right now, so don't expect it tomorrow or anything XD I've been writing all day, and I need to eat. I seem to have forgotten to do so. Hmm. Whoops!