Pivot

...

Naruto's internal clock always woke him shortly after dawn, as precise as the rotation of the Earth on its axis and equally heedless of whether he had to go in to work or not, or whether he'd had to stay up late the night before finishing up paperwork for the District Attorney.

He stretched his arms over his head and blinked his eyes open to the soft light of the bedroom. But the sheets felt way too cool beside him; Naruto frowned, finding that Sasuke had shifted to the far edge again and covered his head with a pillow, one more sign that he was definitely spending too much time at the office. Naruto sighed and closed the distance to pull the other man's body into his protective warmth.

"Nnnnn," Sasuke protested, pushing him away.

Naruto defended by shifting the covers lower and prodding Sasuke's bottom to get him to turn over. "You're a real bastard in the morning you know–"

Naruto barely got the words out before getting an elbow jab to the teeth. He hissed and flopped backwards, glaring at the arrogant line of Sasuke's shoulders and lifting a tentative finger to his lips.

"Jerk," Naruto said, seeing his fingers weren't bloody, though the jab had certainly hurt enough to split his lip wide open.

"Serves you right," Sasuke replied from underneath the pillow, his voice raspy from the hours of deep slumber, but no less childish than the night before when he'd insisted that his laundry hadn't been ironed properly, even though it had come back from the cleaners looking exactly the way it always did.

"I was hoping you'd be less pissy this morning since we both have the day off." Naruto rolled back onto his side towards Sasuke, but didn't try to touch him again just yet.

Sasuke snorted, "You mean there's no crime to stop today?"

"No," Naruto rolled his eyes, tucking his hand behind his head and trying not to rise to his lover's taunts. "But police detectives rotate their schedules, unlike a certain workaholic I know…"

Sasuke sat up slowly, letting the pillow fall to the floor so he could turn his messy head and glare while he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He then stood and walked gracefully into the adjacent bathroom. Naruto closed his eyes and fumed, listening to the sounds of the toilet flushing and Sasuke brushing his teeth.

He hoped when Sasuke came back to bed they could talk and decide what they wanted to do that day—Sasuke was so stressed from all the long hours he'd been putting in at the firm that Naruto was getting concerned. He'd been on the force long enough to know burnout wasn't too far off, unless something happened to relieve it first.

But Sasuke obviously had made his own plans.

Naruto watched his lover walk past him to their dresser, pulling off his sleeping sweats and putting on boxers and an undershirt like he did every single weekday, and lately, every single weekend day too. Naruto clenched his teeth, hoping Sasuke's actions didn't mean what he thought they did. When Sasuke pulled a white, button-down shirt from a hanger in the closet Naruto sat up, ready to fight.

"No!" Naruto's mouth curled in anger as Sasuke calmly put one arm, then the other, into the perfectly pressed sleeves. "You are not going into the office—it's your day off!"

"Your point?" Sasuke deigned to raise one black brow.

"Sasuke," Naruto fisted the sheets beside him to keep calm, perched in the center of their bed and fighting not to uncoil like a spring. "You've been in the office every single day for weeks. Why are you going in today?"

"Because I'm not done with the project, moron."

Sasuke finished with his shirt, leaning against the dresser to pull on some dark socks before returning to the closet. Naruto lowered his chin to glower while Sasuke tugged a pair of expensive slacks over his narrow hips and then fastened them.

He tried another angle. "I've seen your drawings and schematics. They're perfect—you can leave them for one day."

"Are you an architect, Naruto?" Sasuke asked before retreating back to the bathroom to finish styling his hair with something as thick as his sarcasm. "Didn't think so."

Naruto got out of bed and tromped over to the doorway, leaning against the frame and crossing his arms. "Since when do you care so much about impressing your boss?" Naruto met the glare Sasuke fired at him from the mirror's surface with cold fury. "If the office is closed, nobody will know you're there working your ass off, so you might as well do something to relax. Refresh."

"Like what?" Sasuke tossed his head and let his black locks hang around his face like magic, the tufts in the back sticking up in that sexy, yet impossible way of his. He turned and folded his arms too.

"Miniature golf? A petting zoo? Please don't tell me you actually want to go bowling," he said the word like it was something vile.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Sas—" But Sasuke cut him off.

"—Exactly which inane thing did you have in mind instead of letting me go finish something that's actually important?"

Sasuke's brow was heavily creased, and Naruto closed his eyes for a moment so that he didn't slug him right where he stood, all prettied up for an empty building. It was beyond irritating when Sasuke got like this, but Naruto was not going to let him win. Somebody had to intervene.

"Well," Naruto said, moving closer and tucking his thumbs into the waist of Sasuke's pants, even though he'd kept his arms crossed in an obvious barrier. Naruto gave his most coy smile, tilting his head suggestively, "We could always stay in…"

Sasuke looked away, sighing. His fingers—the ones that could draw a perfect circle without a compass and parallel lines without a ruler—came up to the bridge of his nose as if it were possible to sculpt it into further perfection.

Naruto knew what that gesture meant. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

He matched his lover's sigh, not wanting to hear whatever excuse Sasuke was preparing this time; he was sick of them. It wasn't like Sasuke would lose any of his genius if he allowed himself to enjoy his humanity, but trying to convince him it was okay to loosen up was a challenge meant for someone far more saintly than Naruto Uzumaki. Their time together was so limited as it was–shouldn't it be treated as something precious?

Naruto leaned his forehead against Sasuke's shoulder and gave a tentative squeeze where his hands had curved around Sasuke's hips. He didn't want to keep having this same argument.

"I just miss you," Naruto said.

"I'll be back," Sasuke said, softly, a small acknowledgement they hadn't spent much time together lately. But it wasn't enough. Not for Naruto, anyway.

Naruto uncrossed Sasuke's arms and held him still so that their lips could meet in a brief kiss, and then he left him in the bathroom, mostly to hide the frustration that was creasing his smile into something more sinister than he thought he should show his most precious person.

"I'll make you breakfast," Naruto called, heading out into the apartment to at least make sure Sasuke was eating–even if he'd probably forget to eat later on once he was involved with his drawings.

Naruto had figured out a while ago that of the two of them he was far better at leaving his work at work instead of bringing it home—architectural blueprints spread out in the study were far less harmful than the mug-shots or crime scene photographs he saw on a regular basis. However, the designs that Sasuke slaved over seemed to possess more potential for mental damage than the grisly evidence Naruto had waiting on his desk each day down at the Precinct.

Sasuke ate his scrambled eggs without comment, and washed both sets of dishes before he left, offering a brief half-smile instead of the usual kiss before ducking through the door with his briefcase. The two black plastic tubes slung over his shoulder held the schematics that some client somewhere was going to be more than impressed with, if Sasuke ever decided they were complete enough.

Naruto sighed, his lips dry from longing.

He went to the spare room for his morning workout and did fifty extra reverse-crunches, and then so many push-ups he could barely see from the sweat running into his eyes, punishing his body in place of not losing his temper that morning. He was frustrated enough to fuck a herd of cows–so an intensive workout seemed to be a much healthier alternative, not to mention being quite a bit more sane. But living with Sasuke often drove him to temporary insanity, and Naruto had just about had it.

When his muscles were aching and his body had a plethora of substitute endorphins coursing through it, he grabbed a towel from the hall closet and let the shower nozzle spray him in the face to take his mind off of how their current schedule was interfering with their relationship. He soaped up his skin and realized that he couldn't even remember the last time they'd showered together.

No, wait–it had to have been the night of Lee's wedding. Jesus, had it really been that long? Neji's wedding was coming up right around the corner.

Naruto grinned, remembering how much fun they'd had playing their game at Lee's reception, so playful and satisfying, kinda like when they'd first met—

Naruto gasped, accidentally gripping the soap in his hand so it popped out and hit the shower wall before bouncing and spinning into his foot. In a daze, he bent to pick it back up.

The idea came out of nowhere, but it was exactly what they needed. A change of pace; a step closer to the edge. He covered his mouth with a foamy hand, as if the tiled walls would somehow betray him if he said anything out loud before taking action, and then he bit his lip despite the mischievous grin spreading to reveal his sharp white teeth.

He'd have to wait most of the day, but it would be the perfect thing to get Sasuke out of his slump, and the timing couldn't be better. He had the day off and could use it any way he wanted, which included setting up a surprise that Sasuke would never forget. After all, Sasuke was the type who needed an occasional reminder to take other people seriously–especially him.

Of course… there was the chance that he could get caught… and it could cost him his badge. But Sasuke would be the only one to know, and Sasuke wouldn't turn him in just for teaching him a lesson, would he?

Naruto turned off the shower, shook the water from his hair and looked hard at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Sasuke was worth it; their relationship was worth it. And in truth, he'd risk anything to make things right once more.

...

...

Nothing had gone right.

Sasuke switched his briefcase to his left hand so he could get out his car keys, sullen and annoyed about a day that had shown so little progress. He opened the door of his black Z4 and tossed his bag into the passenger's seat with less care than usual. He'd left the stupid drawings on his office drafting table, sick to death of the sight of them. They weren't finished, but he couldn't seem to find exactly what was wrong—it was infuriating.

Maybe he was losing his touch. He could hear that asswipe Sai taunting him from across the drawing room.

He scowled and started the engine, putting the luxury car into gear and quelling his irritation with the pleasing screech of tires in the empty underground parking deck. All he wanted was to go home, drink some tea, finish his book, and fall asleep—and that was exactly what he was going to do. His black eyes darkened with the determination that tomorrow he'd finish his project and move on to the next one, keeping well ahead of schedule.

The drive wasn't a long one; once he crossed back over the river there was a brief stretch of secluded highway before coming into the outskirts of the West End. Broad Street stretched through upscale residential neighborhoods before merging into the heart of the city, the building where he lived with Naruto sitting right on the edge of suburbia.

It could have been the bone-deep desire to get home to his tea and his book, or it could have been the thought of Naruto waiting with dinner that made him pick up the pace—he easily lost track of how hard his foot was pressing on the gas pedal until his head whipped up at the ever-dreaded flashing lights in the rear-view mirror.

"Fuck," Sasuke said, with feeling—a ticket was the last thing he needed right now.

He shifted into a lower gear and let the car crawl to a stop on the side of the road, cursing through his teeth and reaching for the glove box. Sasuke shut his eyes while the officer took his time getting out of his car, the beams shining from the standard police spotlight more than bright enough for him to retrieve his registration from beneath the manual. He closed the compartment and shifted in his seat to get to his wallet, waiting impatiently for the cop to come over so that they could be done with it. What the hell was he doing back there?

Finally, after what Sasuke thought was an inordinate amount of time to wait for a ticket, he heard the police car door open and shut. Thanks to Naruto, Sasuke had been around his fair share of cops, but this part of the highway was outside Naruto's jurisdiction, so Sasuke didn't bother to hope that he could use any claims of friendship—or acquaintance, really—to get out of this mess. At that point he just wanted the ticket written quickly so that he could be on his way and off of the empty, two-lane highway.

The officer approached, finally, his boots crunching along the pavement at a leisurely pace. When he came up to the car he aimed his flashlight right in Sasuke's eyes, momentarily blinding him. Sasuke flinched, holding up his hand and biting back a smart remark so that he didn't make his situation worse. What the hell had he done to deserve an incompetent policeman on top of everything else?

"I'll need to see your license and registration," the officer said, and Sasuke started to hand both items over before he realized exactly what he'd heard.

He froze, and the light moved to the side enough for his pupils to focus on lean hips and a trim waist, both clad in the navy and blue of the police department, the uniform fitting like a second skin. Sasuke moved his eyes upward to the strong jaw, sensuous lips, mischievous blue eyes—

"Oh fuck you," Sasuke knocked the flashlight away, "This isn't even your jurisdiction, you moron."

Sasuke turned away from him and would have reached for his keys, but his right hand still held his required paperwork. Naruto was unencumbered and therefore quicker—he'd reached in and taken the keys from the ignition by the time Sasuke could drop the papers and try to start his car.

"I'll be holding onto these," Naruto said, voice even and steady the way Sasuke'd heard it a handful of times when Naruto was on duty, talking to a suspect or a witness on the phone.

Sasuke glared while the keys disappeared into a pouch on Naruto's belt, the clasps shiny and the leather oiled even though Naruto hadn't been on highway patrol in close to five years. Sasuke hid his shiver by reaching for his cell phone.

"Then I'm turning you in," he threatened, flipping the phone open and scrolling for Naruto's work number. Naruto put his hands on his hips, unhooking the clasp to his revolver with a click that made Sasuke's ears shift under his black hair, thumb releasing its pressure on the phone's buttons instantly.

"Step out of the car, please," Naruto stated, adding a "sir" to be polite, even though Sasuke wasn't sure yet if the false calm of the statement meant Naruto would continue to be polite… or not. He folded his phone and tucked it into his briefcase, making a slow and deliberate reach for his door handle.

"Okay, officer," Sasuke didn't bother to hide his indignation, pulling the lever and opening the door slowly. He was so not in the mood for stupid pranks.

Naruto moved out of his way, but was obviously alert. Sasuke stepped onto the asphalt and stood to his full height, the evening breeze blowing strands of his hair across his eyes. He brushed them out of his way, taking in the stunning sight of Naruto in full police uniform from his boots to the shining metal shield of a name badge, even as he loathed his reaction to it.

"Stand facing the car, feet apart, hands where I can see them," Naruto commanded, his voice that sure evenness that it rarely held when he was dressed in any other way. Sasuke glared at him, black eyes flicking over the surroundings and finding nobody around for miles. He turned and pressed his palms against the roof of his black BMW.

"Am I being charged, officer," Sasuke drawled, sensing Naruto's body coming up behind him.

"Did you know you were going 80 in a 45?" Naruto asked him, hands shoving him flat against the side of the car before sliding along his arms, stroking over the lines of his back and shoulders with a roughness that set him on fire.

Sasuke turned his head angrily, "The sign says 60, right there." He jerked his chin towards the sign thirty feet away that confirmed this statement with undeniable clarity. Naruto reached up and moved Sasuke's head back to the front with abrupt force.

"I suspect you've been driving under the influence," he said, as if it were totally rational. "Do what I tell you and we won't have any trouble. Sir."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the thrilling reminder that Naruto's hands knew things other than giving pleasure—he often forgot that Naruto had been trained to kill, had been trained to use any means necessary to subdue and restrain the most dangerous criminals around. Those were the hands moving on his body now, curving under his arms to stroke his chest muscles, then sliding down over his torso and stomach with caresses that would be considered the exact opposite of appropriate in any courtroom.

"Are you going to fuck me?" Sasuke asked, forcing his voice to be snide rather than giving in to the tingling desire that was threatening him with each movement made by Naruto's professional touch. He kept his body rigid in denial.

Naruto chuckled, low like a growl. "Now that depends on you, doesn't it?"

"Tch," Sasuke retorted, trying to appear bored, but he suspected it was a battle he'd lose—this was Naruto. Yes, he could be an idiot, but he was also a cop. A good cop. Naruto's hands slid over his pelvis, his fingers curving into that tender crease where inner thighs met hips—Sasuke's lungs stopped moving from the forceful reaction brought on by such a simple touch.

Oh yes. Naruto was a very, very good cop.

Sasuke felt Naruto's breath on the side of his neck before he moved away to run his hands down the outside and back of his left leg and then his right, hard enough to make every part of him tense in anticipation of those hands moving to his groin. Naruto's groping straddled the line between thorough and careless, confusing him as to whether he wanted more or less—but he didn't have to choose. Naruto grabbed him by the collar and peeled him from the car.

Sasuke grimaced as Naruto shoved him around to the front of his car, where a solid white line bordered the edge of the pavement before merging into grassy weeds on the side of the highway. When Naruto let go, Sasuke stumbled, catching his balance and firing a glare back at him.

None of Naruto's gentleness showed in his expression. He stood there with the full authority of the law coating him from the stripes down his slacks to the gold braid on his police cap, and Sasuke had to admit that the fit was perfect. Naruto was as stunning as the day they'd met seven years ago, but the timidly loud Rookie had given way to a brilliant, confident Detective that commanded respect from everyone on the force.

Sasuke straightened his collar and felt rather like a criminal for passing up a day alone with this man.

"Put your arms out and walk that line. Mess up once, and I'll see to it you spend the night downtown." The words were serious, not an ounce of recognition in the blue eyes glued to him with unconcealed lust.

Sasuke did what he was told, wondering if Naruto had gone off the deep end—they'd never done anything as extreme as this before, even if the handcuffs or uniform were occasionally brought out of the closet. Still… to pull him over on the highway and pretend they were strangers was not something Sasuke had ever expected.

Wanted? Maybe…

Probably.

Damn that idiot. Sasuke walked the line without challenge until Naruto called him back; he returned in the same way, one foot in front of the other without a single deviation. Naruto's eyes were moving over his body however, making his heart race as the distance between them continued to narrow, the uniform amplifying Naruto's power and appeal to the point of distraction, like it had that first time.

Sasuke paused when Naruto shifted his balance, the cuffs gleaming on his belt in a silent reminder of who was in control. He swallowed, caught between wanting to move forward and wanting to move further away. Naruto's brow rose in a mocking question, and Sasuke forced his feet to obey him for just a little longer—it worked until Naruto moved his hand to his belt buckle, tucking his thumb into the waistband of his pants and spreading his fingers against his flat abdomen where Sasuke knew all his freckles by heart.

Sasuke swayed, but didn't step off the line—his body was frozen in place, his arms protesting the strain of being held in the air for so long. To his dismay, Naruto walked the remaining steps over to him instead.

"I thought I told you to walk the line." It wasn't a question.

"I…I did," Sasuke asserted that it was true with a toss of his head, too proud to admit Naruto had distracted him into inaction while still fully clothed.

Naruto came up close—too close. His breath was soft against Sasuke's cheek, his body radiating warmth in an invitation Sasuke didn't know how to accept.

"Not good enough," Naruto growled the words out before yanking Sasuke back towards the car by his hair.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke couldn't help the shock in his voice, his hands grabbing at Naruto's arm to pry him off.

Naruto twisted his grip and toppled him into the grass on his knees; Sasuke spluttered with indignant rage. He struggled but Naruto held him firmly in place, his hand unrelenting until Sasuke quieted down. Sasuke glared up at him, mouth tight in defiance, and fists clenched at his sides. His stomach flipped at the uninterrupted view up his lover's uniformed body, Naruto's groin magically at eye-level since he was on the ground in the dirt.

Dirt. Naruto was going to pay for that.

"I'll give you two choices," Naruto moved so that Sasuke had to tilt his head and expose his throat. "I can book you right now for drunk driving… or you can convince me to let you off."

Sasuke gave a humorless chuckle, eyeing him with calculation. "You want me to bribe you, officer?"

"I want you to show me how much you don't want to be locked in a cell with a bunch of criminals overnight," Naruto flashed his teeth with a wicked gleam and Sasuke flinched at the hand gripping his hair without mercy, even though it tugged on things in his body that were more than pleased.

"And if you don't want to learn exactly what kind of hell that would be, I suggest you begin immediately."

Sasuke licked his lips, understanding exactly what Naruto was saying. And even if he didn't understand, the fact that Naruto was undoing the button under his belt with his free hand would have clued him in. He stayed where he was and let Naruto do the work of lowering the zipper, seething on the inside that he was going to be forced to do this in public—even though his pants were feeling tight and uncomfortable, and his throat had to keep swallowing the excess saliva that collected from some kind of weak, biological eagerness to proceed. It made him more than annoyed.

"What if I refuse?" Sasuke tried not to look while Naruto freed his hardening erection from the front of his navy pants, but Naruto yanked on his hair and brought his face forward to greet it.

"You're not going to refuse."

Sasuke had just enough time to open his mouth on his own before Naruto's cock thrust in far enough to make him gag. His hand moved immediately to the base of the shaft, covering Naruto's fingers and taking over so he didn't choke. His other hand pressed against Naruto's muscular thigh, squeezing with the assurance that no, he wouldn't refuse—especially not after hearing Naruto's breath leave his body in an erotic moan as Sasuke quickly managed to fit his length all the way down his throat without help.

Naruto still had hands in his hair, however, and Sasuke found it difficult to maintain any kind of pace with those hands giving him different instructions than Naruto's thrusting hips. He breathed when he could, struggling for air around Naruto's thickness and trying to ignore the way everything about the situation made his blood sizzle through his veins.

The flashing lights of Naruto's cop car lit up their activities, making Sasuke want someone—anyone—to drive by and see how Naruto's eyes had closed and his lips were mumbling sweet nothings, while Sasuke was on his knees in the gravel being forced to swallow a cock the size of a cucumber. He wanted to be seen, yet he was equally terrified that that's exactly what would happen.

Naruto's hands tightened on his head and held him still, and Sasuke groaned a protest as Naruto took over and thrust into his mouth with abandon. Sasuke gripped his uniform pants to try and hold on, his throat rubbed raw from the abuse, hating Naruto for being so rough even though the sight of his blond brows furrowed in pleasure made Sasuke's guts clench with yearning. Just before Sasuke thought the discomfort might bring on tears without his permission, Naruto hissed through his teeth and pulled out—

Sasuke's face and hair were soon decorated with molten strings of sticky-white, accompanied by incoherent curses of pleasure and the sound of Naruto's fist pumping the last spurts of his orgasm.

Sasuke knelt there in shock for a moment, complete fury close behind, until he saw the look of ecstasy on his lover's face. Naruto sighed with sublime satisfaction, stroking the messed hair back from Sasuke's face with a look of awe marred only by the way his brows still met in the center of his forehead. Sasuke shifted his expression to a scowl of distaste while he tested his jaw muscles with tentative fingers, the distinctive ache fading minutely as time passed.

"Are we done now?" he asked, ignoring the semen that was dripping over the contours of the right side of his face. Sasuke hoped he looked like he thought Naruto's come wasn't worth his acknowledgment, instead of how he relished the initial heat of it cooling the flush on his cheekbones without the help of the night air.

Whatever it was Naruto saw, he obviously liked—the hand in Sasuke's hair that had felt so gentle a moment ago clenched tight, yanking him up to his feet.

"I don't think so."

Sasuke made noises of protest as Naruto pulled him roughly along the side of the highway to his patrol car and shoved him into the side of the rear passenger door. Sasuke tried to slip away as Naruto came up behind him, wincing at the strength of Naruto's grip as he twisted his wrist behind him and up–Sasuke froze when he heard the jangle of handcuffs, right before the cold metal snapped closed.

He fought hard to keep his other arm free, if only for the sake of making it difficult for Naruto to restrain him, while knowing that Naruto would win; after all, this was exactly what Naruto had been trained to do. For a moment Sasuke imagined all the other men Naruto had handcuffed, and clenched his teeth on the absurd jealousy knifing through his breast. Naruto didn't ease up until both Sasuke's hands were cuffed tight behind his back, and even then he manhandled Sasuke to the side with an air of indifference, pressing his cheek down against the top of the cruiser's trunk. Naruto opened the door to the backseat, the place arrested suspects went, and Sasuke felt the first taste of real fear climb the back of his tongue.

"Can't we talk about this?!" he said, dismayed by that growling chuckle that the uniformed Naruto seemed to prefer.

"Oh, we'll talk," he replied.

Sasuke exhaled in relief when Naruto didn't immediately guide him into the backseat of the car, so afraid that Naruto really would take him to some other police department where nobody knew who he was and force him to stay overnight with drug dealers and armed robbers looking for a fight, or looking for someone to make into their bitch.

But the relief was short-lived. With one hand pressing Sasuke down against the trunk, Naruto's other hand reached around to cup his groin.

Sasuke gulped. "I thought you said we were going to talk…"

"I think you've forgotten who you're speaking to," Naruto's fingers tightened, squeezing hard enough to stir Sasuke's pulse.

"No, officer," Sasuke said, clenching his teeth as Naruto's fingers followed the lines of his cock underneath his pants, then adding "sir", to be on the safe side, if there still was such a thing.

"I disagree," Naruto leaned down to speak closer to Sasuke's ear. "There are quite a few things you've forgotten, Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke briefly closed his eyes against the police lights flashing on the tree trunks on either side of the narrow highway, acutely aware of the possibility of a car coming at any moment while Naruto's fingers groped between his legs and made him hard in under a minute. Then Naruto unzipped the front of Sasuke's pants, reaching into his boxers and pulling his erection into the open–nothing at all to hide him from anyone who happened to drive past.

"You can't do this," Sasuke squirmed enough to make Naruto press him harder into the trunk, though Naruto also squeezed his cock harder in warning. Sasuke panted from the surge of pain-tinged pleasure.

"Are you the one with the badge?" Naruto asked, stepping forward so that Sasuke could feel him against his ass.

Sasuke bit his lip, unsure how to answer since he was pretty sure Naruto wouldn't really go so far as to fuck him like this… but there was enough doubt in his mind that all he could do was shudder at the thought of being taken right here, cuffed and all.

"Didn't think so."

Naruto's hand stroked over him more firmly, fingers and thumb smoothing over the tip and circling, rubbing beads of moisture over his taut skin. Sasuke shuddered again, cheeks hot from the aroused tone of Naruto's chuckling growl. And then the hand was gone, leaving him exposed to the night air and rigid with need.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Naruto asked, the hand on Sasuke's back changing to a forearm as he leaned away, probably to get something from inside the car.

Sasuke frowned at the change of topic, ears straining to make sense of what Naruto was doing out of sight. The snap of a latex glove made him jerk in surprise, and then struggle to flee–though Naruto's hand and body kept him prone on the back of the car, his bulkier muscles thoroughly unyielding.

"Don't–!" Sasuke started to shout, but Naruto's hand closed around his erection and began to stroke him once more, so gentle compared to the hand gripping the back of his skull.

"Easy there," Naruto growled against the back of his neck. "Just answer the questions and we won't have any trouble. Got it?"

Sasuke held himself still, pretending none of this was happening. Naruto's hand stopped moving on his cock and squeezed. "I said, got it?"

Sasuke nodded, shuddering at the smoothness of the latex glove and wishing it would speed up so they could be done with this overly dramatic twist in bedroom role-play. Who'd have thought Naruto had the coconuts to set up something like this? It had to be illegal, and in more than one way.

"Tell me how we met," Naruto demanded, covering Sasuke's back with his body in an illusion of privacy. Sasuke swallowed, feeling Naruto's hard cock nestling tighter against his ass. All of this was so dangerous–he'd never, ever been so hot.

"You pulled me over for speeding," he murmured, distracted by the tiny grinding movements of Naruto's hips behind him. He wondered how many laws there were against interrogating someone this way.

"And then what?" Naruto pressed even closer.

"You asked for my number and let me off with a warning."

Naruto's hand slowed down as his small thrusts sped up. "And then what?"

"I…" Sasuke's mouth went dry.

"Say it!" Naruto shoved his head into the car.

Sasuke's pulse beat frantic in his chest. "I lied about my phone number!" he shouted back, eyes shutting from the humiliation.

"And why did you do that?" Naruto's voice seemed to get louder and louder.

"Because you're an idiot!" Sasuke spat, unwilling to say what Naruto already knew.

"Wrong answer," Naruto moved away enough to start working Sasuke's pants down his hips.

"No! Don't–" Sasuke's eyes snapped open in fear, and not just of being caught in flagrante delicto. But Naruto wouldn't let him get away, no matter how hard he struggled.

"Why'd you do that?" Naruto repeated, pulling Sasuke's shirt and undershirt out of the way and baring the skin of his lower back to the night. "Why'd you lie to me?"

Sasuke squirmed to no avail; he quickly thought back seven years to the only other time Naruto has ever pulled him over, trying to remember every detail, how his heart had lurched at the shock of Naruto's young, gorgeous smile, the memory of the instant attraction he felt between them, a deep desire hitting him like a dropped load from a construction crane.

"I–" Sasuke flinched at Naruto's steady progress, that gloved hand working the pants and boxers down low enough to bare both of his butt cheeks.

"I didn't–" Sasuke groaned at the feel of Naruto's hardened cock slipping between his bare thighs and nudging his balls. He remembered Naruto's slight fumbling in suggesting they meet for a drink; how badly he wanted to strip the uniform from this sexy blond officer's body and fall into bed immediately.

"Say it!" Naruto's gloved hand vanished from his lower back and Sasuke blinked through lust-clouded vision as he remembered the insecurity that went with his attraction, the insecurity that if they ever really met for drinks this hot blond policeman would find him boring and unappealing, that he would change his mind and find someone else–

"Say it!" Naruto's gloved fingers returned to slide down the crack of Sasuke's ass, slick and warm from spit. Sasuke jerked away, panicked by the touch, and also panicked by the surge of desire making his legs tremble.

"I can't!" Sasuke pleaded, all too aware that this is how it always was with Naruto, so very afraid of what it meant to want and need another person this badly.

"Say it!" Naruto continued his demands, both verbal and physical, fingertip pressing against Sasuke's asshole and sending him into a state of alarm.

"I'll only ask you one more time, Sasuke," Naruto's voice was husky with arousal underneath the tone of command, and Sasuke curled his cuffed hands into fists, feeling Naruto's finger press harder against him. "Why did you give me a fake number?!"

Sasuke whimpered against the police car, body tense, unable to say how afraid he was that if he gave Naruto his real number, if he gave him a way in, if he let them go to bed together, that this gorgeous stranger would find him lacking and he'd lose interest and then it would be over, and so Sasuke had changed the digits around and decided never to see him again–and how could he possibly admit any of that?

Naruto's finger slid inside and curled downward; Sasuke arched his back, breath suspended in his lungs. And when he could breathe again past the sparks of pleasure, the admission slipped from his tongue with surprising ease: "I was afraid you wouldn't call."

Naruto gently thrust his finger in and out, matching the thrusting of his cock between Sasuke's thighs. "But what happened, Sasuke? What did I do next?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and began to give in to the sensations, remembering how Naruto tracked him down using his driver's license information and the license plate to his Toyota, and then found the firm where he was just starting out as an Architect and waited there until he'd finished for the day and then ambushed him in the lobby.

"You found me," he answered, hissing a sigh through his teeth as Naruto eased a second finger inside him.

"Of course I did," Naruto curved those fingers downward, rubbing him right where it counted. "I'd never let you get away."

Sasuke fought the shudders of pleasure, panting hot breaths into the metal beneath his cheek.

"And then what?" Naruto pressed, voice losing its hints of anger, yet still taut with need.

Sasuke thought back to how he'd blackmailed him for a date so then they went out for drinks anyways, and even though he didn't let Naruto buy him more than three Gin and Tonics, he still ended up telling him exactly what he'd wanted to do from the moment they met on the side of the road, Naruto in uniform and Sasuke in his three hundred dollar suit.

"You tricked me into a bar and got me drunk," Sasuke rocked his hips backwards to meet Naruto's fingers, cheeks flushing from a mutual need for completion, especially when Naruto's voice vibrated in that low, guttural laugh, thick with desire.

"And do you remember what you told me that night?" Naruto changed the angle of their bodies so he could whisper in Sasuke's ear.

They'd ended up taking a taxi to Naruto's place and spending the next day and a half in bed, and for the first time in his life Sasuke had found he couldn't shut up. He'd spilled everything–his desires, his goals, his fears, everything important to him he shared with Naruto who listened and laughed and loved him and accepted him no matter how hard he tried to get rid of him later.

Sasuke whimpered at the scurry of goose-bumps on his neck from Naruto's breath, and then uttered a single word, "Everything."

"And now what?" Naruto murmured in his ear, and there was no further reason to hesitate–

"I need you," he whispered, so softly that the only person who mattered could have heard it.

Naruto moaned and pressed his lips to the back of Sasuke's neck, slipping his fingers out and retrieving lube from his belt. It wasn't long before Sasuke felt the head of Naruto's cock push forward and force its way into him, thick enough to be uncomfortable for the first several thrusts and then the unbearable pleasure turned his knees to mush.

Though his mouth still hurt, Sasuke could appreciate the blowjob from earlier in a new way; in round two Naruto fucked him so hard and so thoroughly that the car under him rocked on its tires, the experience so intense and glorious that Sasuke thought he'd pass out before it ended. Naruto's true feelings could be heard in the way he repeated Sasuke's name, swelling Sasuke's heart so painfully that the tears came after all, quiet streams that dampened his cheeks where long sections of his hair hid them.

Naruto's unleashed intensity made Sasuke come all on his own, in multiple waves of relief and completion. Naruto cried out when he felt it from the inside, and Sasuke memorized all the rest of the sounds he made and the feel of those last few thrusts as his lover slowed and then stopped, keeping them joined.

Sasuke felt Naruto's hands on the cuffs first, unlocking each side and resting both of his weary arms comfortably on the trunk of the police cruiser. Then Naruto lay against his back to cover him and twine their hands together. For a moment there was only the feel of Naruto's mouth placing kisses along his neck to his ear, and then he squeezed their hands tight.

"Do you remember when that bad accident happened a couple of years ago? The one Lee and I were in?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke nodded, though his brows lowered at the memory.

"We were called into that major car chase that had been all over the city and then pushed out onto the highway," Naruto paused and nuzzled the side of his head, like he was trying to pick the right words.

"Did I ever tell you how I'd sprained my ankle that morning? Before anything happened?"

Sasuke stiffened. He shook his head. "No."

"Well I did. Stupid, really. Tripped at a suspects house as we were leaving." Naruto paused to take a breath. "Well because my ankle hurt, Lee insisted on driving back into the city. Usually I'm the driver because Lee keeps the notes while we talk about a case. But before we made it back, we got the call to intercept the chase on the highway."

Naruto tightened his grip. "If that Chrysler hadn't merged onto the highway right in front of us, the accident never would have happened. Lee saw it and tried to correct, but it was too late–nobody could have avoided it. The car hit us and we spun, and Lee was crushed in the driver's seat and almost died. I was banged up, but nothing serious; with Lee in critical condition, my sprained ankle was hardly anyone's concern."

Sasuke felt his body go cold, smart enough to catch the import of Naruto's words. Oh God.

"The driver of the Chrysler was unconscious, but the foreign Diplomat he was driving made it without a scratch and he's now one of Lee's closest friends–Gaara. And because Lee was in the hospital for so long, he saw a lot of a particular nurse and now Sakura's his wife. So it wasn't all bad, if you look at it that way."

Sasuke didn't know how to respond; there were no words for this.

"But what I'm telling you, Sasuke," Naruto's voice caught in his throat. "Is that it should have been me behind the wheel. It should have been me who almost died. It should have been me in that hospital, not knowing if surgery would allow me to continue to live a normal life or not. But it wasn't me, it was Lee in the driver's seat that time–a total coincidence. Those are the dangers all of us on the force have to face to do our jobs. We never know when someone's going to pull a gun, or a knife, or set off a bomb and blow up a building. We never know."

Naruto paused to kiss him on the temple, breaking his heart.

"I love you so much, Sasuke. Don't push me away. Don't make me face it all alone–I need you too."

The continuing flashes of blue and white police lights helped drive Naruto's words home; Sasuke kept his eyes shut tight to try and block the tears threatening to spill a second time, but there was no way to hold them back. Naruto didn't mock him for it, or even say a word. He simply kissed the salt-moistened skin with soft lips, and then guided their bodies apart and wiped them both down. Sasuke just lay there on the trunk while Naruto re-zipped the fly of his slacks for him and tucked in his white shirt. Then he stood, carefully gaining his balance and rubbing his wrists where the cuffs had bound his wrists, watching as Naruto shut the back door to his cruiser.

The highway was still deserted; Sasuke had completely forgotten all about it.

Astounding.

Naruto handed over the keys to the BMW before walking him back towards his car. "If you wait twenty minutes before leaving I'll have dinner when you get home."

Sasuke nodded in response, then stopped at the back of the BMW so he had something to lean on; he folded his arms across his body to keep from shaking. Naruto looked like he wanted to say something more, but he didn't. He straightened his cap before getting into the police car and shutting off the twirling lights.

Sasuke watched as the car pulled away and disappeared into the darkness, but didn't get into the Z4 right away–this experience with Naruto tonight made everything else that had happened that day seem very far away, like part of another world, like a completely different person had spent the day in the office working on blueprints.

It couldn't have been Sasuke. Not the person right here leaning on a BMW on the side of an empty stretch of highway, who'd almost lost his most important person but hadn't really paid enough attention to know it. What an asshole he'd been. He couldn't believe it.

He got into his car, and sat there watching the clock tick in silence until the requisite minutes had passed, lost in thoughts both dark and light yet bearing equal weight. He felt the need to do something. For Naruto, and for him. Because if anything ever happened to him–

A single car passed by, plain white headlights that came and went.

Sasuke fired up the engine and drove home.

...

...

Naruto bustled around the kitchen, pulling out cartons of Chinese food from the delivery bag and trying to decide how to set the table. Chopsticks? Bowls? Plates and forks? Kitchen table, dining room table, or living room table?

He popped a piece of chicken in his mouth, and licked the brown sauce from his fingers, knowing his anxiety wasn't really about dinner–he was worried that he'd gone too far.

But he'd been so angry and frustrated–waiting all afternoon, and then all evening in his cruiser across the street from Sasuke's building, watching the sun sink lower and lower in the sky and then disappear altogether. So many hours completely wasted before he finally saw the BMW pull out of the garage. He'd only done what he thought needed to be done… but had he crossed a line? Had he taken their fun and games past the point of fun and games? He wouldn't blame Sasuke at all if he came home and tried to beat the crap out of him; there's no way Sasuke'd ever agree to that sort of thing out in the open like that. Naruto would never have tried it if things hadn't been so bad between them lately.

He paced the linoleum in circles, using the towel around his neck to quick-dry his hair so it wouldn't keep dripping on his face, until he heard a key turning the lock on their front door.

Sasuke.

Naruto froze in the doorway of the kitchen as Sasuke came inside their apartment, glancing up and then away, shutting the door behind him. He put his keys in the tray atop the end table, and set his briefcase down in its usual spot. But he didn't say anything.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Uh, I ordered Chinese food," Naruto offered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I know," Sasuke replied. "I saw Mr. Ling in the lobby on his way out."

"Ah, I see!" Naruto tried to smile, but couldn't seem to do it properly since Sasuke still hadn't looked him in the eye yet. So he just stood there, watching, as Sasuke put his shoes into one of the cubbies by the door and emptied his pockets into the same tray as his keys, as was his habit. The white shirt was filthy; Naruto gulped–he'd definitely be punished for that.

"Er, do you want to eat in here? Or in the dining room?" Naruto gestured to both places, but Sasuke simply shrugged, finally coming towards the kitchen.

Naruto backed out of the doorway to let him enter. "I got all your favorites. I got chicken and snow peas, and orange beef, and shrimp lo mein," Naruto wiped his hands on his shorts while waiting for Sasuke to say or do something, anything, but Sasuke only peeked inside a couple of the cartons, listening.

"I can make the table real quick, if you give me one second," Naruto moved closer and opened an upper cabinet to get out the plates, when he sensed Sasuke's body come up right behind him. Naruto went completely still.

In the next moment he felt Sasuke's lips touch the side of his neck, breathy and wonderful. "I'm fine just like this," Sasuke said, taking a pair of chopsticks from the counter and offering Naruto a shrimp from the carton of noodles.

Naruto grinned, and then turned his head to accept the shrimp. They ate without talking, leaning against the kitchen counter and holding cartons of food, occasionally eating bites from the carton in the other's hand. Naruto offered to make Sasuke his regular drink, but Sasuke only shook his head, sharing Naruto's ice cold beer and smirking. He still looked a bit uncomfortable, but it was something Naruto thought would go away on its own–he could see that his message had been received, even if he still felt that he'd botched things.

He'd never intended to tell Sasuke that he hadn't been driving the day of the accident; he couldn't fathom why it had come out like that tonight. But Sasuke had come home to him, and Naruto could feel that something had changed for the better, an attentiveness in those dark eyes that spoke volumes between few words.

When Sasuke was full, he smiled and then left the room. Naruto packed up the cartons of food and put them in the refrigerator, and by the time he was finished he could hear that Sasuke was in the shower. Naruto was already in pajamas, so he didn't have to change, but he hesitated to get into bed if Sasuke still wanted to stay up and watch TV or read his book–he didn't know where he should wait for him, so he sort of busied himself in their room fluffing pillows and straightening the comforter from that morning.

Sasuke came out with his hair in damp locks around his face, a white towel around his hips. Naruto smoothed a last, nonexistent wrinkle on the corner of the bed and then watched him intently, unable to anticipate any of his moves and very uncomfortable because of it. Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face; his lean muscles shifted just so, drawing Naruto's eyes.

Then Sasuke made a fist–Naruto swallowed, bracing himself for a punch as Sasuke came closer. Only when Sasuke's other hand curled around his head and held him still for a kiss did Naruto realize that the fist was to steady him, that he was reaching out to Naruto, and showing that he could do what Naruto needed too.

Naruto let Sasuke deepen the kiss, he let Sasuke slip damp hands underneath his shirt and push it off, he let Sasuke nudge a knee between his thighs and make him shiver. He let Sasuke take off the towel and guide him onto the bed, drowning him with slow kisses and caresses that singed like hot coals over every inch of his skin. Naruto let their lovemaking be slow and thorough, making the effort to show Sasuke with his tongue and throat how much he loved him, and how much he loved being with him, until Sasuke indicated he was ready for something else.

Sasuke's fingers moved in careful strokes; not that this was a first, or that it was all that unusual, but it was significant. Special. Naruto urged him forward and whispered the syllables of Sasuke's name over and over until he spread Naruto's legs wide and crawled over him with the grace of a panther. Naruto took a deep breath and held it, listening to the rumbling tenor of Sasuke's groan as he sank to the hilt and then rocked them very, very slowly, a torturous rhythm allowing for languid mouths and tongues to nibble and suck, leaving wet marks over neck, ear and throat.

Time slowed to nothing. Naruto pulled his knees up to his shoulders, inviting a deeper pattern of connection and offering everything to Sasuke–

And Sasuke took it.

...

...

Naruto woke up feeling warm and rested, expecting to open his eyes to the soft light of dawn and finding instead that their bedroom was a great deal lighter.

He frowned, looking down at the black head resting on his chest; Sasuke didn't usually sleep so close to him, but he wasn't about to complain. Still, he was mildly concerned about the time. He tried to reach behind him to the end table on his side of their bed without disturbing Sasuke's slumber, but he woke him up by accident right before he could grab the alarm clock with his fingers.

"Don't move," Sasuke snarled, squeezing him tighter. "I just got comfortable."

"I won't," Naruto assured him, used to his early morning grumpiness. "I just need to check the time–"

"No you don't," Sasuke insisted. "So shut up and sleep."

"But–" How should he explain? "It's Monday–"

"Yes, Naruto, " Sasuke interrupted, holding up Naruto's cell phone in evidence before tossing it away from them onto the floor. "I know what day it is, and I've already spoken to Lee, Tenten, and Neji, so you don't have to worry about anything. Now be quiet, and go to sleep!"

Naruto's jaw hung open for thirty whole seconds. His partner, his boss, and then his boss's boss?!

"You mean you… You called me in sick?!"

"I told them you had acute gastritis from some spoiled milk, and that you'd probably be fine by tomorrow."

Naruto closed his eyes and then opened them again. "You WHAT?"

Sasuke sighed, then pushed himself up on his elbows to deliver the full force of his glare at point blank range. "For your information, Naruto, while you seem to be in perfect condition, I can hardly move."

"Oh my god!" Naruto started to get up but Sasuke firmly pushed him back on the bed.

"I called myself out sick from work today too, so just quit arguing and be quiet and let me lie here until I feel like having you make me some waffles or something, okay?"

Naruto gaped at him, and then almost laughed–but in one of his more intelligent moves he managed to lean over and kiss Sasuke's forehead instead, undoubtedly saving them both from a crime of violent passion.

With Neji's wedding only three weeks away, and all the stress associated with such a mega event in their Precinct, Naruto understood exactly why Neji and the others had felt the need to call and demand why he hadn't shown up. Considering all that, however, Naruto was amazed to realize that whatever conversation took place between Neji and Sasuke–who just never got along, really–he'd apparently slept straight through it. All of it.

Astounding.

But right then he had better things to do than worry about Neji. Naruto stroked Sasuke's back in soothing motions, something he was rarely able to do, until he felt Sasuke's breathing even out into gentle, intermittent snores. They had the whole day together now. It was like an unexpected miracle.

Bowling was probably out, especially if Sasuke's back was bothering him… but Naruto thought he might be able to talk Sasuke into visiting a petting zoo, if only to see the appalled looks on his face while they argued about it over waffles. He grinned down at Sasuke's wild bed-hair and began to prepare his case, though he knew better than to push him too far.

But even if they stayed in and did nothing, he'd be happy. He'd be with Sasuke.

And nothing could be better than that.

—

Ω