Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Naruto are property of Masashi Kishimoto. These objects are used without permission for entertainment only, not for making money. No infringement is intended.

Warning! AU NaruIta, aka the homosexual relationship of Naruto and Itachi set in the real world, not Konoha. Very light sexual overtones and I really do mean light.

Mocha Sanctuary

By Nanaki Lioness

Of all the things Uzumaki Naruto had thought he would be doing on a Friday night, creeping around the Uchiha household at one in the morning was not high on the list. The lights were off and he had no intention of switching them on, guiding his way using the wall noting the rough feel of wallpaper beneath his fingertips as he walked ineptly.

He reached the end of the hall and rounded the corner, smiling slightly as he noticed a thin beam of light flitting through the partially closed door on his right. Pushing it gently, his smile widened as he made his presence known from the doorway.

"Itachi?"

The man in question glanced up at him, surprise evident on his features. He had been sitting at a small table by the window while glancing over what appeared to be paperwork of some kind- it now seemed to be forgotten, hastily shoved aside with Naruto's entrance.

"I'm surprised you're still awake," Naruto continued, entering the room and pulling the door closed behind him with a soft click. "Aren't you working tomorrow?"

"Yes," Itachi nodded. "It's alright."

"You waited up for me?"

A non committal shrug was the only answer given, but Naruto could read Itachi's body language loud and clear. His smile turned to a coy grin as he stepped lightly across the room, seating himself at the table opposite Itachi and reaching out across it. He clasped the other's hand gently, running rough fingers across Itachi's soft knuckles slowly in a rhythm known only to himself.

"Sasuke is asleep?" Itachi asked after a moment, his eyes firmly on their entwined hands. He sat still, motionless, like a perfect mannequin in a store window dressed only for show and not for touch.

"Of course."

"And if he wakes?"

"Then I tell him I had a nightmare and I needed his big brother to comfort me," Naruto replied, a wicked gleam in his eye. Itachi's own flashed with an unreadable emotion for a second, and he finally pulled his hand away. Naruto realised his error, resting his elbow on the table, laying his face across his palm instead.

"If Sasuke finds out-"

"He won't," Naruto interrupted quickly. "He has no idea. Why would he? There's no reason his brother and his best friend should be shacking up together- he doesn't care about my sex life and he doesn't want to care about yours I'm sure."

A tiny smile tugged on the edge of Itachi's lips and he exhaled, fixing Naruto with a kind gaze. "I suppose not. Shall we move?"

"I'd love to."

They rose in unison, heading from the room and back out into the shadowy hallway. This time they both crept along the wall with barely entangled fingers, almost as if to keep each other safe from the darkness around them. They carried on their secret journey until they reached the bottom of the stairs, slowly inching up them and carefully avoiding the creaky floorboard on stair number five.

Once in the nondescript doorway immediately on the left at the top, Itachi hesitated for half a second before Naruto tightened his grip on his long fingers and gently led him inside. He edged the door closed and locked it so slowly they could barely tell the bolt was being moved.

Itachi's bedroom- neat, organised, coffee and cream in hue and the only place they ever truly connected. Itachi swiftly drew the curtains and leant back against the windowsill, loosening his tie and glancing across at Naruto with cautious guarded eyes.

"It's okay," Naruto told him, sensing his uneasiness. "He's asleep and the door is locked anyway."

"How do we explain being locked in the same room together?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him, stepping across the room and grabbing hold of his red, silk tie. "Itachi," he sighed. "We go over something like this every time. I'm sure we can wing it if it happens, but your brother sleeps like the dead. He won't wake unless you're exceptionally loud."

Itachi flushed just slightly pink at those words, averting his shy eyes as Naruto slowly undid his tie. Rather, he tried, eventually hissing in frustration when it knotted even tighter beneath his clumsy touch. Itachi laid a gentle hand on his, shaking his head lightly.

"Leave it," he requested. "It isn't important."

"True," Naruto agreed, shrugging and grabbing Itachi by it and pulling him forward roughly so their lips met. Itachi melted into it, his hands snaking slowly up Naruto's back and up into his blond tresses. He knotted his fingers in the shiny locks, pushing them forward to the bed behind Naruto. They walked the few paces inelegantly, falling backwards onto the coffee sheets in a tangled, passionate heap.

"Naruto?" Itachi spoke softly, halting Naruto's attempt to scramble out from underneath the elder man. They stayed in silence for a moment before Itachi eventually closed his eyes with a quiet sigh, locking their lips together more tenderly than Naruto had ever thought he was capable of.

"What is it?" He breathed when they parted, both panting slightly to catch the breath they had deprived themselves of. Itachi was unreadable at the best of times but he seemed much more vulnerable right then, unbuttoning his white shirt meticulously and seemingly staring right into Naruto's soul.

"Forgive my anxiety," Itachi eventually spoke gently. "It's very important to me that Sasuke doesn't find out about our trysts."

"I know that," Naruto remarked, a slight frown crossing his face. "That's why I waited for him to be asleep rather than jumping you at the dinner table. Up on to the dinner table, perhaps..."

He licked his lips seductively as Itachi leant down and kissed him softly once more, his long bangs tickling Naruto's eyes as he did so. Naruto brushed them up and behind the other's ears, giving Itachi a bright smile when they parted once more.

"Thank you," Itachi breathed into his ear as his hands deftly unbuttoned Naruto's shirt. Naruto wanted to ask what for but Itachi licked his neck lightly, causing him to lose all ability to speak beyond a soft moan that he muffled into Itachi's pillow.

Naruto didn't need a verbal answer anyway- Itachi's body language said it all. Thank you for choosing me, thank you for keeping it a secret from my brother, thank you for simply being there and most of all thank you for loving me.

-.-.-

Author's Note: I think my brain broke. I don't usually write this pairing but I don't mind it, and this begged me to be written so here we are. I hope you enjoyed :)