The first thing Sasuke registered was a low murmur of voices around him. He stilled, confusion clouding his mind before he recognized a familiar calming voice, too far away to hear . He struggled to place the voice; his pounding head making it difficult to concentrate on the words long enough. He sighed and gave up, letting his slowly returning senses do their job at their own pace.

He soon noticed that he was lying on a bed too soft to be his own.For a moment, panic seized him, but he soon recognized the deep baritone of his brother's voice. Sasuke relaxed automatically. Itachi. That must explain the slightly spicy scent in the room too. Itachi always did spray too much of that cologne. So, Sasuke summed up he wasn't in some strange person's house but in Itachi's home; which wasn't too bad, he supposed, considering he didn't remember what he had been doing moments before.)

Hm, he thought, his eyes too heavy to open just yet. He was safe. So then just why was he feeling so uneasy? His brother's voice floated by him again and he paused. Wait a minute…Itachi. The unease increased. He repeated the name in his head, knowing it held some clue to why he felt so disturbed. And then as he caught another snippet of garbled conversation, it hit him, like a powerful wave at the beach catching you unawares from behind. Itachi's house wasn't supposed to make him feel safe. The words sounded ridiculous, even to his semiconscious self. Safe was his mother, his own home, his…Naruto.

Now disoriented and furious that he had let the remnants of his 6 yr old self fool himself into thinking that the devils lair itself was some sort of haven; Sasuke tried remembering what had happened, ignoring the headache that was making difficult to open his eyes. Ok, let's see, he had gone to pick up Naruto from the airport…only to see him with Itachi…then; he and Naruto had had a fight... Itachi had broken it up and then… Sasuke felt his heart beat faster. Shit. Not only had Sasuke mouthed off to his older brother but he'd probably given Itachi the only bruise he had ever had on his face. Shit. He couldn't remember what happened after, which probably meant that his bastard brother was the reason he was currently incapacitated in bed with this god awful headache.

Now thinking that his initial instinct of panic had been pretty justified, he opened his eyes, wincing at the assault of yellow light. He struggled to get up, clutching the sheets for support. And that was when he registered something else. Pain. Tiny little sharp splinters of pain that ran up his chest and spine making him immediately crumble back into the bed.

He wasn't even able to stop a horribly vulnerable, 'Argh!' from his leaving his lips.

The sound broke the lull of the room and Sasuke winced, missing the quiet from before.

There was a scurry of movement and then Sasuke heard a worried, 'Sasuke!' from his right and a familiar weight on his shoulder, the friction from the hand making him realise he was without a shirt.

It should have been calming but it just made him feel even more vulnerable and thus, more angry. He opened his eyes, ready to snap at the blonde for being too loud but then the hand squeezed his shoulder gently

"Are you all right?" asked Naruto, his eyes wide in his concern. Sasuke felt his face heat up slightly,

"'m fine," he muttered, trying to get up again. He was glad when the blonde's firm grip helped him up. Prepared for the pain, Sasuke prided himself on the fact that he didn't make a sound as he propped himself up with some pillows. He blinked his blurry vision away and tried to smirk at the blonde who was still looking wide eyed and worried.

He looked to the right, beyond Naruto, to the window, but found it was covered with those heavy long curtains that blocked even the smallest hint of sun light. Typical, Sasuke thought. Itachi always was a freak.

"What time is it?" he asked, now enjoying the warmth Naruto's close proximity gave off.

" Four in the morning." Naruto said, staring at Sasuke like he was going to crumble back into the bed again. Usually such a look would have annoyed the Uchiha, but now it just made him grin a little. He was never going to take anything the dobe did for granted…ever. He grazed his hand over the bandages on his ribs and one behind his ear. How come he had ended up with bandages and unconscious but Naruto looked relatively unscathed except for an angry black eye?

Naruto seemed to read his mind,

"When Itachi hit you," he said, getting up and moving to the chair next to the bed, much to Sasuke disappointment, 'he let go and you hit your head on the pavement.'

Bastard, Sasuke thought. He was sure Itachi did it on purpose.

"He didn't do it on purpose though." Naruto said and Sasuke frowned at how quickly the blonde had come to his brother's defense. His mood began to sour. Of course…Itachi. Naruto was going out with him. Why wouldn't he come to his boyfriend's defense? Not that it fooled Sasuke. He was pretty sure that Itachi had dropped him on purpose. He must have thought it was amusing, Sasuke thought, his anger making his ribs throb in a dull ache.

But what about Naruto…? Had he decided on Itachi after all? With these questions running around his head, there was a silence where Sasuke just stared at the blonde and Naruto looked away, obviously uncomfortable. Sasuke felt the beginnings of panic bubble inside him. Naruto knew how he felt didn't he? He had to know after what had happened. Did he really not love Sasuke any more? Is that why he couldn't look him in the eye? Sasuke felt the ache in chest increase; he couldn't let the blonde go. Not when he was so close. He had to say something…anything to make it better, to make Naruto understand. But Sasuke found his throat closing in on itself; doubt and fear making the words fumble and confuse themselves in his head. Shit, shit, shit! He had to fix this!

"Naruto-" he started, hoping that his voice didn't seem as terrified as he was.

"You're awake, otouto"

Both Sasuke and Naruto's eyes snapped towards the door on the left. Itachi walked in, holding a tray of steaming cups of tea, his long hair not tied back, but open and curled perfectly around his neck onto his right shoulder. Their reactions were like reflex; Sasuke tensed and Naruto jumped to his feet, his hand reaching for the back his head a little too quickly.

"Itachi, you're back," he said while smiling a bit too wide. He took the tray from the older Uchiha's hand and set it on the side table.

"Obviously," Itachi stated, raising an eyebrow at the nervous blonde. Sasuke rolled his eyes. The dobe was such a fool sometimes. He had nothing to feel guilty about. It's not like he and Sasuke had been doing anything wrong. Hell, they hadn't even said anything to each other!

"Right," Naruto said, a little put out, "So what did the doctor say?"

"That he just needs some painkillers and he'll be fine. His ribs are just bruised, that's all," Itachi said, glancing at Sasuke.

"That's good," Naruto said.

Itachi hn'd in response, picking up a cup of tea and sitting in the chair closest to the bed, the one where Naruto had been sitting in earlier.

The one where he should still be sitting in.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel annoyed and he saw Naruto frown a little as he was forced to sit on a couch the furthest from the bed directly opposite Sasuke.

'Have some tea' Itachi said, thrusting the drink in front of his face. It was a ceremonial tea cup, Sasuke noticed, the type with no handles to hold them. Sasuke recognized the intricate red and gold pattern as part of a very expensive set that their parent's had left to Itachi (along with most of their property), that had been passed down several Uchiha generations. Did Itachi even understand the significance of them? Sasuke scowled at his older brother,

'I don't want any.'

It was amazing how much like a child he acted whenever he was with Itachi, especially in a situation like this where he couldn't run away.

'It wasn't a request.'

Sasuke's eyes widened as he took in his older brother's serene expression, no sign of his less than subtle threat on his face, other than a small smile. Sasuke spotted a light purple mark on Itachi's face and he remembered with a jolt of guilt that he had put it there.

He found he couldn't look into his brother's eyes for too long and he let out a little sigh of defeat. He took the tea and sipped it, knowing that just holding the drink wouldn't be enough for his brother if he had taken the trouble of making it.

'Good,' said Itachi in an approving voice that reminded Sasuke of his father. His scowl deepened. He hated being talked down to.

'Erm…' Naruto, had coloured slightly. 'Should I go or something?'

'No!' Sasuke said quickly, not wanting to be left alone with his brother, who frankly was a bit too calm for it to be a good sign. After all Sasuke had hit him, hit his boyfriend and was going to try very hard and steal him away. He didn't think Itachi was not smart enough to realise that fact.

Naruto seemed to read into Sasuke's plea because he half sat back down, before he looked at Itachi. They must have had some silent communication because the blonde suddenly looked a little nervous and then headed for the door, much to Sasuke horror. He wanted to shout, 'Where are you going?! You can't leave me here with this psychopath!' but he kept silent, cringing inwardly when the blonde shut the door behind him.

Great, he thought, the effort of keeping himself still making his headache worse. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been completely alone with his brother.

They'd always met in a public place or at one of Itachi's business parties, or when Itachi wanted to introduce to Sasuke one of his new boy/girlfriends, or rather, whores.

Not knowing how to react and not wanting to fall back on his 6 year old self to tell him what to say, Sasuke took another small sip of tea.

He wondered whether Itachi was going to beat him to pulp now or wait till he got better to do it. So when Itachi reached out to touch his face, Sasuke understandably flinched, spilling a little tea on his bare chest and cursing.

Itachi chuckled and Sasuke glared at him, turning his face away from the hand that was still reaching for him. Itachi persisted, and the grip on his jaw was enough to force the younger Uchiha to look at him.

'I'm always amazed at how much you look like me, otouto,' Itachi said, twisting Sasuke's face a little to the side as if examining an expensive vase. Now sure that the tea was a conspiracy to make sure Sasuke couldn't use any of his hands to push him away, Sasuke glared at his older brother.

'You mean how much we look like Mother.'

Itachi's hand left his face, leaving a light throb where the almost too tight hold had been.

'I suppose you're right,' he admitted, flicking his hair back, 'But now that she's no more,' he paused to study his manicured nails, 'it's most suitable to say you look like me.'

Sasuke stared, unable to understand his brother's weird logic.

'Whatever,' he muttered, wondering what Itachi really wanted to say to him. There had to be a reason why he sent Naruto away.

'I met with Madara,' Itachi finally said.

Sasuke didn't respond, not interested in what Itachi and his Uncle had discussed.

'He wants to start operations in Europe in March../'

Sasuke widened his eyes, not liking the tone of his brother. Itachi couldn't possibly be... no! They had discussed this, damn it. Or rather, they had fought and shouted about this.

Itachi continued,

'As you know it's impossible for me to leave Japan. Asia is still our largest market and Madara is too busy dealing with the American market collapse to start operations in-'

Sasuke tuned out his brothers explanation. He could still vividly remember that day he and Itachi had officially fallen out. Sasuke had come back from his high school graduation and bluntly told his father that he wasn't interested in joining the family business. He was going to study chemical engineering and planned to complete his doctorate in another few years. He had already been accepted into Tokyo University, and was he was packed and ready to leave the next day.

He knew his father was going to be furious. He also knew that his father wouldn't even acknowledge the fact that he had been accepted into the most prestigious school in Japan. What his father would be most concerned about was that his youngest son was not going to be falling in line with a legacy that had been decided for him before he was born.

He had been prepared for his fathers rage, his mother's tears and his uncle's disapproval… but what he hadn't been prepared for was his brother's betrayal. The memory made him bitter.

"What are you trying to say?" Sasuke said coldly.

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "It is obvious, otouto. I need you to-"

"No." Sasuke interrupted, his hands gripping the cup tightly.

"You will not even hear me out?" Itachi's voice rose in irritation.

"I have my final exams in March." Sasuke said, knowing that Itachi wouldn't care.

"It's only six months. Take a sabbatical."

It was funny how only demands and orders fell from Itachi's lips. How could Naruto even stand this?

"No." Sasuke didn't care how stubborn he was being. He was not going to be dragged into doing something he didn't want. He knew very well that once he was in, he was never going to be let out.

"Sasuke," Itachi warned, using his name to let Sasuke know he was being serious. But

Sasuke turned away, refusing to look at his brother.

"Fine," Itachi snapped, "I will inform your uncle about your decision."

"Do that." Sasuke muttered. He never liked Uncle Madara anyway. He had always had some strange hold over Itachi, even when they were kids. Sometimes he got the feeling that even his father had resented it.

"And I suppose we should also talk about Naruto?" Itachi said, obviously seething. Sasuke blinked, his heart beating faster at the mention of Naruto"s name. Itachi rolled his eyes,

"You are stupid child Sasuke."

"What?"

"I met Naruto at the airport."

"What?"

"Are you so incompetent that you cannot understand me?"

Sasuke was too busy processing his previous words to take insult. Airport...he met Naruto at the airport… that meant that...

"New York airport to be precise," Itachi continued with narrowed eyes, "He came up to me, asking whether I was 'the teme's brother'."

Sasuke stared at Itachi, a feeling of relief engulfing him as he understood the significance of those words.

"Naturally I was curious, so I got him upgraded to first class. I wanted to know more…" Itachi paused, his voice softer, "…about you."

Sasuke looked away again, uncomfortable with his brother's rare display of feeling. He knew his brother well enough to know that saying something like that wasn't easy for Itachi. His older brother seemed to ignore his reaction and continued.

"After all, it's not like my younger brother bothers to keep me updated on his life."

Sasuke tensed, not liking where this conversation was going. He wasn't going to let Itachi to get him to talk about that day. It wasn't like he wanted to stop talking to Itachi. His brother had chosen it for himself the moment he had supported his father. He had done exactly the opposite of what Sasuke expected him to do, what he needed him to do, as an older brother.

"So you aren't with Naruto?" Sasuke said, refusing to acknowledge his brother"s attempt to broach the topic.

Itachi narrowed his eyes,

"No," he said.

Sasuke turned to him, the feeling of relief long gone. Only anger and bitterness burned his insides.

"Whose idea was it?"

Itachi didn't hesitate, his eyes face devoid of feeling, "Mine."

Sasuke would have tried to hit him again, if it had not been for the fact that he was so badly hurt. If it had been Naruto, then he would have still forgiven him...but Itachi? Who the fuck did his brother think he was getting involved in Sasuke's business?

"I just thought that maybe if you saw Naruto with me, you would realise your true-" Itachi broke off, aware that he was saying more than he should. "…I was trying to help, otouto"

"You didn't," Sasuke snapped, barely keeping his temper in check.

Itachi was silent, "I see. I have to tell you one more thing."

Sasuke glared at his brother, not liking the sudden small smile on his face. He could see right through it.

"I offered your friend a job."

Sasuke stopped breathing. "What?"

Itachi was expressionless, "As director of operations in Europe."

Sasuke suddenly felt very light headed. He could heart his heart thudding in ears as Itachi just raised an elegant eyebrow at him. Shit, shit, shit! Naruto couldn"t have accepted the job! That would mean going away from –

"He accepted it," was all Itachi said, before starting to get up.

"But – but" Sasuke was spluttering for the first time in his life, "He has no experience! You - you wouldn"t take such a big risk..."

"He was to be reporting under you, otouto," Itachi explained, looking at Sasuke like was a creature to be pitied.

"Itachi…!" Sasuke said, panicked, "Wait!"

His brother didn"t.

"Ani-san! Wait, please," Sasuke scrambled out of the bed, ignoring the stab of pain. His voice was strangely high pitched and he realised he was begging, but he didn"t care.

Itachi paused at the door, his eyes cold, "What is it?"

"Naruto's really taking the job?" he asked, the pain making him double up slightly.

His brother considered him, "Hn," he said.

"Then – then, let me have the job."

Itachi was silent. And Sasuke felt his heart sink. He knew what his brother wanted. It was something that he had fought against his whole life… and now... a flash of blonde hair and a blinking smile made his resolve waver. Maybe his father had been right. Maybe he always had been weak. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the next few seconds.

Then he forced himself to bow formally, as low as he could go his eyes on the floor.

"Ani-san please let me have the job, I beg you."

His older brother made him wait for an agonizing five seconds, and Sasuke knew he was probably taking revenge for the bruise on his face.

"Fine."

And then there was a bang of the door as Itachi left and it was only a long moment later that Sasuke straightened up, collapsing back on to the bed. He had finally given in. What he had fought against his whole life… he could almost hear his father telling him "I told you so," and Sasuke laughed hollowly. Why wouldn"t he give in? After all, Itachi always got what he wanted...

"Sasuke…?" questioned the tentative voice from the door.

Sasuke propped himself on his elbows, relief flooding over him as he saw the blonde.

"Itachi told me that you know…" the blonde shifted on his feet, looking very much like a scolded ten-year-old, "and…and I"m sorry. I was angry...I don't know what I was thinking. I…I was stupid and selfish" the words rushing out were clumsy and guilt ridden but Sasuke didn"t stop him.

"I understand if you don't forgive me right now…but before I left you were so sure that you didn't want me…" Sasuke heart ached at the pain in the blond's expression, "I just wanted to know if you cared." Naruto"s voice trembled and Sasuke averted his eyes for a moment, not wanting to see the blonde so undone.

Yes, he was mad at the blonde for doing something so bloody stupid, but then again, he was also much more relieved that Naruto stilled loved him. To care about anything else right now just made his head ache worse. Thinking he'd better stop usuratonkachi before tears made their appearance, he sighed, interrupting the mumbling blonde.

"Apology accepted, dobe."

There was a pause.

"Really?"

The surprise and hope in that voice made Sasuke smirk.

"Hn," he said, feeling the bitterness that the meeting with Itachi had left fading with each step Naruto took towards him.

"You"re not going to hit me or anything, right?" Naruto was at the step of the bed. His legs grazing against Sasuke's which dangled over the side.

Sasuke watched, mesmerized, as the blond hovered over him, "I already have, remember?"

Blue eyes crinkled, "Yeah..."

Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes, seeing the guilt and insecurity that he knew too well clouding over. Naruto was really a blond sometimes.

"Idiot," he said, and reached out a hand to grab Naruto's collar. He pulled the blonde down towards him, unmindful that Naruto barely shot out his hands to stop himself from falling on him. Their lips were now centimeters apart, and Sasuke smirked at the now surprised and lust glazed eyes.

"You haven't apologised properly," Sasuke whispered into his ear. Naruto grinned at him.

"Teme" he muttered back.

And then they were kissing. Deep and passionate.

It wasn't hurried or violent, like they usually were together, but slow and almost tentative. As if both of them were apologizing in their own way for the turmoil they had caused each other the past few months.

Their breath was stale and far from pleasant, but Sasuke found he couldn"t care less. He probed further into that mouth he so badly craved for and Naruto moaned, granting him access. Sasuke knew what he had given up to Itachi was nothing compared to what he had gained. Naruto was worth it. He always would be.

The bed sunk as Naruto climbed onto it and Sasuke groaned as felt a tongue dip into the hollow of his neck. He felt the blonde grin against his skin,

"Hey, teme..."

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered, not wanting to talk any more. He just wanted to feel Naruto, inside and out and around him. So he tightened his grip on the blonde hair and ran his hand underneath the hideous orange shirt, earning a gasp from the man above him.

"Sasuk – nngh." The Uchiha"s fingers found their target and he twisted a nipple a little harshly, not liking that Naruto was still trying to say something. He found the soft, slightly chapped lips again and thrust his tongue in, determined to shut the dobe up.

Naruto melted into the kiss and Sasuke tried to not smirk, thinking if kissing him could make the dobe so compliant, he would have done it a long time ago.

He was about to switch their positions when he felt Naruto"s hand slide up his stomach. It wasn"t so much the action itself, but the sharp pain which followed that bothered Sasuke.

"Gnngh" he grunted, pulling away from the blonde. Naruto drew back in surprise.

"Shit! Are you okay teme?"

Sasuke winced, fingering the bandages on his ribs. He had totally forgotten that he was hurt. Crap.

"This was what I was trying to tell you before" Naruto said, sounding guilty and flustered at the same time, "But you, being the stubborn bastard that you are, wouldn't listen."

"It"s just a few bruises" Sasuke snapped, not liking that Naruto was now almost completely off him. "We can do it anyway."

"We should wait." Naruto said, sounding depressed.

"What? Don"t be stupid…" Sasuke said, trying to think of a position that wouldn"t be too much strain on him. The drugs in his system must have had some effect on his system because he came up with nothing. But then the blonde grinned at him and Sasuke raised an eyebrow, knowing that he had thought of something.

"Dobe what-" Sasuke let out a hiss of pleasure as Naruto suddenly bent over him again, kissing his bandaged ribs gently.

"Shh" Naruto said, nipping and sucking his way downward until he reached Sasuke"s navel.

The raven looked down at the blonde, the kiss swollen lips hovering over his now bulging pants. The promise that mouth held made his head swim. If Naruto was going to do something, then he"d better do it now, before he forced that blonde head down. The blonde owed him, damn it.

Naruto seemed to read his mind because he moved in slow motion as he unbuckled the belt, pulling down Sasuke"s pants. The Uchiha stared into those eyes that were sparkling with mischief and frowned,

"Dobe…"

Naruto didn"t answer and Sasuke groaned as his cock met the warm air, made hotter by the blond's heavy breathing.

He gasped as he felt a tongue reach out and swirl around his head. Never in a thousand wet dreams did he imagine it feeling so good. The torturous tongue lapped at his dick teasingly and Sasuke couldn't help but try and reach for the blonde head. He found his hands being forced onto the bed and the hot mouth nipped him gently in warning. Too lost to be annoyed, Sasuke moaned loudly as the wet heat engulfed him without warning.

The blonde started bobbing up and down, his eyes rolling up to meet Sasuke"s. The raven clutched at the sheets, the image of his cock disappearing into that mouth was too much for him. Ribbons of pleasure swirled around his lower stomach and spine, warning him that he was close. Distantly he realised that he should be lasting much longer than he was, but then he felt Naruto moan, the tremors wiping all sanity from his mind.

A white hot pleasure ripped through him and he managed a strangled, "…'ruto!" as he came, the feeling heightened by the slick muscle that continued to suckle and lick.

It was only a strong hand stopped his hips from rising too far from the bed, the slight sting from his ribs blurring the lines between pleasure and pain. It turned him on to think that Naruto could inflict as much pleasure as he could pain at that moment.

When the blond finally moved up, Sasuke was panting and spent. His muscles felt soft and heavy at the same and the blonde could have flipped him around and fucked him and the raven wouldn't have stopped him. Hell, he didn't think he could have, but then Naruto just grinned at him, saying nothing and everything at the same time.

Sasuke groaned as he saw a little bit of his come on Naruto's luscious lower lip. He forced himself off the tangled silk sheets, and his lips were met half way there, bruised by a need even more urgent than his own.

Sasuke didn't care that he could taste his own come in the blond's mouth. All he knew was the he finally had Naruto with him, the way it should be. His hands gripped Naruto"s ass, relishing the little sounds the blonde made as he found himself pushed onto the bed again.

It was an almost whine that escaped younger Uchiha when Naruto pulled away, looking down at him in an expression too serious to suit him.

"What?" panted Sasuke, slightly concerned.

"You didn't have to take the job." Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke was silent for a whole moment. Then he smirked, hooking an arm around the blond's neck, pulling him back down.

"I did," was all he said before he fused their back lips back together.

**

Beta'd by the lovely Chalic of Blood and WordslaveWriter. I know, I'm spoiled, I had two beta's on this one..*grin*