They walked the short hallway in a hush, each step deliberate. There was no rush now, no danger of the moment collapsing. Just two men, older and more battered, but finally—finally—ready to get it right.
At the bedroom threshold, Sasuke stopped. He turned to face Naruto, thumb rubbing circles over Naruto's knuckles.
"If you want to stop," Sasuke said, "tell me now."
Naruto laughed, and for once, the sound wasn't defensive at all. "If you think you can get rid of me that easily," he said, "you're as dumb as you always said I was."
Sasuke's lips twitched, but he didn't argue. Instead, he reached up, cupped the back of Naruto's neck, and drew him in for a kiss so slow and devastating that Naruto nearly sagged to the floor.
Sasuke's bedroom was all sharp lines and soft surfaces. The city's million pinpricks of light cast shifting patterns on the ceiling, refracted through sheer curtains that softened the view but didn't hide it. The bed—low, wide, clad in slate-gray sheets—dominated the space, but there was no other clutter, no distraction. Just the gentle hush of the HVAC, the irregular staccato of Naruto's breath, and the rhythm of two bodies suspended between anticipation and inevitability.
Naruto followed Sasuke into the room, footsteps hushed on the thick, pale carpet. For a moment they just stood, the door clicked shut behind them, the silence as fragile and weightless as a first snow.
Then Sasuke turned, and Naruto was there to meet him, arms winding around his neck and lips colliding with a force that surprised them both. The kiss was a riot—messy, unpracticed, but so full of want it almost hurt. Sasuke gripped Naruto's hips and pulled him closer, their bodies flush, warmth rising between them like steam.
Naruto's fingers slipped beneath the hem of Sasuke's sweater, lifting it in a clumsy, urgent motion. Sasuke huffed a laugh—equal parts exasperation and delight—and broke the kiss just long enough to yank the garment over his head, dark hair tumbling into his eyes.
Naruto stepped back, just enough to take him in. Sasuke's skin was pale, almost luminescent, but there were shadows under his ribs, a scattering of freckles across his shoulders. A faint, jagged scar marked his left side—new, or at least new to Naruto.
He reached out, ran his thumb along the scar. "What's this from?"
Sasuke shrugged, but his eyes softened. "Biking accident," he said. "Year after college. I got careless."
Naruto traced the line again, slower this time, marveling at the way it rose and dipped under his touch. "You always did go too fast."
"So did you," Sasuke replied, hands finding the hem of Naruto's t-shirt. "But I never saw you crash and burn."
Naruto laughed, then gasped as Sasuke pulled the shirt over his head, ruffling his hair until it stuck out in impossible spikes. The cool air raised goosebumps on his skin, but Sasuke's hands found the warmth, smoothing over his chest, down his sides, anchoring him to the present.
For a while, there was no hurry. They explored each other in pieces: Sasuke's mouth on Naruto's neck, Naruto's hands mapping the planes of Sasuke's back, the soft and secret spots only they had ever known. They moved to the bed as if choreographed—Naruto tumbling backward, Sasuke crawling after, their laughter muffled by the sheets and the heat of their own bodies.
Undressing became its own kind of conversation. Buttons fumbled, zippers stuck, and when Naruto finally managed to get Sasuke's belt undone, he brandished it like a trophy before letting it fall to the floor. Sasuke retaliated by hooking a finger in the waistband of Naruto's jeans, dragging them down inch by inch, watching as the fabric peeled away skin flushed with anticipation.
When they were finally, utterly bare, Naruto paused. He looked at Sasuke—really looked—and let the moment burn into memory: the sharp lines of collarbone, the dark sweep of lashes, the faint tremor in Sasuke's jaw that betrayed nerves he'd never admit to out loud.
Naruto reached up, cupped Sasuke's face in both hands, and whispered, "You're beautiful." He hadn't planned to say it; it just slipped out, irrepressible.
Sasuke closed his eyes, let out a shaky breath, and pressed their foreheads together. "You're an idiot," he said, but the words sounded like gratitude.
They kissed again, slower now. Each touch felt like an apology and a promise. Sasuke's hands roamed everywhere—shoulders, chest, thighs—learning the new contours of a body that had aged and hardened since high school but still shivered at the same places. Naruto gave as good as he got, trailing his tongue down Sasuke's stomach, laughing softly when Sasuke's breath hitched at the contact.
Sasuke wrapped his hand around Naruto's erect penis, the precum slick between his fingers. He moved his hand up and down in a steady rhythm while reaching for the lube with his other hand. As he coated his fingers, Naruto's breathing grew heavier, a look of pure desire in his eyes.
Sasuke continued to stroke Naruto's erection while he slowly inserted one lubed finger inside him, then another, preparing him for what was to come. Naruto moaned and squirmed under Sasuke's touch, the anticipation building within him.
They didn't rush. Sasuke set the pace, his commands silent but unmistakable in the pressure of his fingertips against Naruto's hip, the arch of his eyebrow when Naruto tried to hurry. Naruto yielded to each unspoken instruction, trembling as Sasuke's hands mapped his body with deliberate precision, claiming territory.
"Tell me what you want," Sasuke demanded, voice low and controlled even as his eyes betrayed hunger.
Naruto swallowed hard, his pulse hammering in his throat. Years of wanting crashed through him like a wave breaking against rock, leaving him trembling. He'd spent so long denying this need that now, faced with its fulfillment, he could barely speak. "You," he managed, voice cracking with raw desire. "Just you. Always you."
Sasuke's smile was predatory. He gripped Naruto's wrists, pinning them above his head in one fluid motion. Naruto's back arched involuntarily, a desperate sound escaping his lips. "Then let me have you," Sasuke whispered against Naruto's ear.
After that, Naruto surrendered completely. Sasuke positioned himself between Naruto's thighs, one hand steadying Naruto's hip while the other guided himself to Naruto's entrance. Their eyes locked as Sasuke pushed forward with exquisite slowness, the initial pressure giving way to a burning fullness that made Naruto's toes curl against the sheets. When he was fully sheathed, Naruto's breath caught in his throat, then released in a shuddering gasp that seemed to vibrate through both their bodies. Naruto shifted restlessly beneath him, the slight movement sending electric currents up his spine, hips rising in silent plea. Sasuke smiled, pressing a kiss to Naruto's collarbone, tasting salt and warmth, but remained motionless until Naruto whispered his name like a prayer.
They moved together in perfect harmony—the slick heat between them building with each thrust. Sasuke's hand wrapped around Naruto's erection, thumb circling the sensitive tip where moisture gathered, while his mouth found Naruto's nipples, alternating between gentle suction and the edge of teeth. Lost in the onslaught of sensations—the fullness inside him, the tight grip around him, the hot breath against his skin—Naruto reached his climax first, pleasure crashing through him in waves as his back arched off the bed, Sasuke's name echoing from his lips. Moments later, Sasuke followed, his muscles tensing as heat pulsed deep within Naruto, his jaw tightening as he thrust one last time before collapsing onto him, both their bodies spent and entwined together.
They collapsed together, Naruto boneless and dazed. Sasuke immediately pulled him close, arranging him against his chest.
"You good?" Sasuke asked, the authority in his voice softened by genuine concern.
Naruto grinned, eyes closed, breath slowing. "better then good," he said, nuzzling into Sasuke's chest.
They lay like that for a long time. The only movement was Naruto's hand, tracing lazy circles on Sasuke's stomach, and Sasuke's fingers, drumming out an invisible tune along Naruto's spine.
After a while, Naruto propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Sasuke. "Does this mean we're…?" He gestured between them, suddenly shy.
Sasuke snorted. "If you ask if we're boyfriends, I'm going to throw you out the window."
Naruto laughed, the sound full and free. "I was going to say 'together,' but—yeah. That works."
Sasuke smirked, then pulled Naruto in for another kiss, gentler than all the rest. "Go to sleep, dobe," he murmured, and Naruto, for once, obeyed.
They drifted off, limbs entwined, city lights flickering like distant fireworks beyond the glass. The night pressed in, soft and blue and infinite.
For the first time in years, Naruto slept soundly, anchored by the steady rise and fall of Sasuke's chest. He dreamed of nothing but warmth, and the promise of more tomorrows.
Outside, the city turned and turned, but in the apartment above it all, the world was finally still.