Naruto left the library at a near run, the tips of his sneakers nearly scraping the faded numbers on each stair. Every step shuddered up his spine, radiating out to the jagged bruise Sasuke had left there the night before. He welcomed the pain; it was pure, uncomplicated, something he could focus on as he tore through the stacks and out into the full burn of the afternoon.
The Beta dorms rose up at the edge of the quad, sun glaring off the windows in sheets. He yanked open the glass door, muscles bunching in his forearm. The lobby was empty except for a bored-looking janitor and the faint stink of disinfectant. Naruto took the stairs two at a time, heart climbing along with him.
By the time he reached the third floor, his chest was burning. He didn't slow down. He pushed into 327 so hard the door bounced off the wall and rattled its cheap hinges. The room was exactly as he'd left it—beds made, desks squared, everything in the precise order Sasuke demanded—but the air felt off, stale and close. He paced, once, twice, three times between the beds, then flung his backpack against his mattress. It landed with a dull, accusatory thump.
Naruto grabbed the back of his neck, squeezing until the half-healed bite mark throbbed. He wanted to dig his nails in, strip away every layer Sasuke had left on him, but all he could do was stand there, pulse thudding in his wrists. He pressed the heel of his hand to his brow, as if he could physically rub the memory away: the look in Sasuke's eyes when Temari had spilled the truth, the looks that said he held no guilt in lying.
He was so lost in the boiling tangle of rage and embarrassment and want that he didn't hear the door open behind him.
Sasuke entered on a draft of cooler air, the kind that follows a thunderstorm and lingers in the walls. He shut the door with a careful click, then twisted the lock until it seated with a final, metallic snick. For a moment, neither spoke. Sasuke's presence filled the room, subtle as radon, impossible to ignore even when he made himself invisible. Naruto stared at the faded bulletin board above his desk, as if he might find an escape route somewhere in the pinholes and curled edges of old ramen coupons.
Sasuke's voice, when it came, was knife-sharp but almost gentle. "You want to talk about it?"
Naruto let out a brittle laugh. He turned, bracing his palms on the edge of his desk, and looked at Sasuke as if seeing him for the first time. The Alpha was barely sweating, even after sprinting across campus—just the barest shine at his hairline, the midnight black spiked up where he'd run his fingers through it. His eyes were calm, unblinking, as if he already knew how this conversation would play out.
Naruto's voice came out rougher than he meant. "Why did you lie to me? Why hide it? Why not change rooms?"
Sasuke watched him with that infuriating, inscrutable mask. "I didn't think it was necessary," he said, every word measured. "We are getting along fine, why switch?"
Naruto cut him off, voice rising. "Because I am burning through suppressants! Because it makes no sense for an Alpha and an—" He stopped himself, aware that the walls were thin. "Why?"
Sasuke stood there like a statue, face carved into that familiar blank mask, only his narrowed eyes betraying any emotion. The silence stretched between them, deliberate and suffocating, and Naruto felt his blood pressure climbing with each passing second.
Naruto's hands clenched so hard his knuckles went white. He slammed a fist into the mattress, the impact barely denting the tightness in his chest. "Why are you always like this? You show up everywhere. You're in my space, in my head, in my fucking bed, and you act like it's normal. You act like I'm supposed to just... just accept it."
The corner of Sasuke's mouth lifted, a ghost of amusement that never quite reached his eyes. Naruto's fingers twitched toward his dresser drawer. He could have everything packed in ten minutes, could be knocking on Gaara's door before dinner. But even as the thought formed, he knew he wouldn't. He'd never walked away from anything unfinished in his life—not a fight, not a promise, not a feeling that burned this bright and dangerous in his chest. His jaw clenched. No more dancing around it. He needed answers.
Naruto sank onto his mattress, fingers digging into his scalp. His pulse hammered against his ribs like something trapped. "I don't even know what this is," he said, voice barely audible now. "You're in my bed every night, your shadow follows me across campus, but you've never put a name to it." He forced himself to look up, met those obsidian eyes that gave nothing away. "Just tell me where I stand with you, Sasuke."
Sasuke was silent for so long that Naruto almost gave up. Then, in a voice like gravel underfoot, Sasuke said, "You're the only thing in my life that isn't replaceable."
Naruto's breath caught in his throat. Not replaceable? What the hell did that even mean? Some half-assed confession that wasn't even a confession? He hated that his heart still stuttered in his chest, that his pulse quickened despite himself. His legs moved before his brain could catch up, propelling him across the narrow strip of carpet between their beds until he was standing next to Sasuke, close enough to count his eyelashes.
He reached up, fists trembling, and grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt so hard the fabric twisted between his white-knuckled fingers. "You're such a bastard," Naruto choked out, voice cracking as hot tears pricked behind his eyes. His chest felt like it might split open, ribs cracking under the pressure of everything he couldn't say. "You ruin everything," he whispered, the words raw and jagged. "I was supposed to come here, find my brother, get out clean. But now—" His voice broke completely, the last word dissolving into a strangled sound somewhere between a gasp and a sob.
He broke off, teeth grinding together so hard his jaw ached. Sasuke just looked at him, something raw flickering behind those midnight eyes that made Naruto's chest constrict. The Alpha's arms were crossed but his shoulders had softened, the rigid line of his spine yielding just enough that Naruto could see the vulnerability beneath. A muscle jumped in Sasuke's jaw as he swallowed, and for a heartbeat, Naruto thought he might reach out. Instead, Sasuke stood there, waiting, his presence an anchor in the storm of Naruto's fury.
Sasuke's voice dropped to a rough whisper. "Now what?" The question vibrated between them, and Naruto's fingers uncurled from Sasuke's shirt as if burned. He stepped back, suddenly aware of how close they'd been standing.
Silence filled the dorm room like static electricity, making the hair on Naruto's arms stand on end. Sasuke's question hung between them, daring him to answer. Naruto's chest tightened as the words tumbled out before he could stop them: "Now I'm falling for you, you complete bastard." The confession scraped his throat raw, leaving him more exposed than any fight ever had.
But Naruto wasn't done, "And I fucking hate it. I hate that when my brother could be dying in a basement somewhere, I'm thinking about you. I hate that when I opened that group chat Kiba sent, I saw your name on the read receipts before I even looked at the article. I hate that you hover over me, that you can't leave me alone for ten minutes, but when you're gone I—"
Naruto turned, blinking hard. "I hate that when you're not here, I can't even breathe right." Sasuke didn't react. For a full minute, he simply stood there—hands at his sides, face set in a mask of utter blankness. His eyes were the only thing that moved, flicking up and down Naruto's posture, tracking the way his fists dug into his own ribcage and the way his lips were pressed so tight they'd gone bloodless.
Naruto's breath grew thin and raspy, the space inside his lungs shrinking until it was nothing but a straw's-width of air. He could feel his heart thudding behind his sternum, every beat a drumroll for a punchline he couldn't see coming. The room seemed to grow smaller, the distance between their beds evaporating, the shared space collapsing into a single point of gravity. He expected anger, or maybe laughter, or at least a cutting remark. He waited for the rejection—cold and clean, the way Sasuke delivered all his dismissals—but nothing came.
The only sound was the faint, electronic whine of the old fridge under Sasuke's desk.
When Sasuke finally spoke, the words were slow, as if he'd had to unearth them from somewhere deep beneath his ribs. "I don't know how I feel."
The sentence tore through Naruto's chest like shrapnel, shredding everything in its path. His stomach lurched violently, acid burning the back of his throat as tears sprang hot and immediate to his eyes. He wrapped his arms around himself, fingernails digging so deep into his elbows they left crescent-moon indentations in his skin. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think—could only stare at the floor as his vision blurred and his heart cracked open like an egg. "Yeah. Okay," he managed, each syllable raw and bleeding. "Don't worry about it."
But Sasuke didn't stop. For the first time, the calm shattered: his fingers began to clench and unclench at his sides, the neat rhythm of his breaths uneven now, like a record skipping. "I don't know how I feel," he repeated, slower this time, "because I've never felt anything like this before." The next words came out in a low rush, as if he were trying to force them through a locked door. "I don't do this, Naruto. I've never—" He broke off, teeth snapping together on the confession.
Naruto risked a glance up, just for a second. Sasuke's face was flushed, his eyes a storm of uncertainty and something that looked suspiciously close to fear. The sight jolted something inside Naruto—he'd never seen Sasuke scared, not once, not even after Orochimaru's office. It made him want to cross the space between them and press their foreheads together until neither of them had to talk.
But he didn't. He just stood there, fingers digging deeper, anchoring himself.
Sasuke let out a breath. "When I said you weren't replaceable, I meant it. I meant—" He seemed to lose the thread, shaking his head like he could clear the static. "You make me want things. Things I didn't even know I could want. When you're gone, I can't—" He swallowed, hard, the muscles in his jaw working overtime. "When you're gone, everything feels empty. When you're here, It feels like you aren't close enough."
Sasuke closed the distance, so quietly Naruto didn't realize he'd moved until their knees were almost touching. He hesitated, the movement full of electricity, then reached out and hooked a single finger under the collar of Naruto's sweatshirt, tugging him forward an inch, then two. He didn't pull him into a kiss or a rough embrace—he just held on, eyes fixed on the hollow at the base of Naruto's throat, as if he could read the pulse there like braille.
When he finally spoke, the words were unsteady but clear. "You feel like home," he said, voice so quiet it barely existed. "I don't want to lose that."
Naruto's chest ached like something vital had been torn loose inside him. He watched the flicker of emotions in Sasuke's eyes—vulnerability so raw it hurt to witness—and felt his own resolve crumbling at the edges. His hands trembled as he reached up and gently unwound Sasuke's fingers from his hoodie, each point of contact burning like a brand. He stepped back, throat tight, eyes stinging with unshed tears. "I don't know if that's enough," he whispered, voice cracking on the last word, the admission tasting like ash on his tongue.
Insecurity burned through Naruto like acid, eating away at the fragile hope he'd allowed himself to feel. His chest felt hollow, scraped raw. "Home." The word echoed in his mind, beautiful but incomplete. Not boyfriend. Not partner. Not mine. Just... home. A place to return to, maybe, but not a promise to stay. His throat closed around a sob he refused to release as tears pricked behind his eyes. It was the cruelest kind of answer—just enough to keep him hanging on, not enough to trust in. The space between them suddenly felt vast and uncrossable.
Naruto turned away, his vision blurring as he snatched his bag from the floor. His fingers trembled against the worn fabric, knuckles white with tension. He couldn't breathe here—couldn't think with Sasuke's scent wrapping around him like a chain, with those dark eyes pulling at something raw and desperate inside his chest. Every second in this room felt like drowning. Gaara would let him stay the night, wouldn't ask questions when he showed up with red-rimmed eyes and his heart leaking through the cracks in his ribs.
Naruto felt his bag wrenched from his trembling fingers. His heart lurched painfully in his chest.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke's voice cracked on the final word, the sound so broken it made Naruto's eyes burn with fresh tears. He kept his gaze fixed on the floor, knowing that one look at Sasuke's face would shatter the fragile control he was desperately clinging to.
"I'm leaving," Naruto choked out, the words like glass in his throat. Then, softer, almost pleading: "I just need room to breathe before I drown in everything I feel for you."
"No." The single syllable hung between them, hard as stone.
Naruto's head snapped up, heat flooding his face. "Since when do you control where I go?" He lunged forward, fingers outstretched for the bag clutched in Sasuke's white-knuckled grip. Sasuke pivoted away, keeping the distance between them with a fluid step backward.
Naruto's fist clenched at his side. He squeezed his eyes shut, drawing a ragged breath through his nose. "Keep the damn bag," he muttered, stalking to his dresser where he yanked the top drawer open with enough force to rattle the lamp.
"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Sasuke's voice cut through the room, sharp as broken glass.
Naruto grabbed a faded orange t-shirt, wadding it into a tight ball. "Gaara's. He's got a spare room." He didn't look up as he snatched a pair of jeans from another drawer.
"You're being ridiculous," Sasuke said, his voice dropping to something dangerously soft. The sound of it slid down Naruto's spine like ice water, making his fingers fumble on the drawer handle. He kept his back turned, shoulders rigid, but Sasuke's presence pressed against him like a physical weight, making each movement feel like wading through concrete.
Sasuke's voice sliced through the air. "Stop." The single word vibrated with barely contained rage, his Alpha pheromones suddenly flooding the room like a thunderstorm. Naruto's body betrayed him instantly—a violent shiver raced up his spine.
"Fuck you," Naruto snarled, whipping around with clothes crushed in one white-knuckled fist, suppressants clutched so tightly in the other that the plastic bottle creaked in protest. His eyes burned electric blue with fury and unshed tears.
Naruto's breath caught in his throat when he looked into Sasuke's eyes—pupils blown wide, irises nearly swallowed by darkness, something feral and possessive burning there that made his own blood surge hot beneath his skin. The pheromones hit him like a physical blow, not the familiar scent he'd lived with for two months but something primal and overwhelming that bypassed his brain entirely. His knees threatened to buckle as every cell in his body screamed mine-yours-submit-fight all at once, the intensity of it making his vision blur at the edges.
The next wave of pheromones slammed into Naruto like a physical blow, driving him to his knees with a strangled gasp. His clothes scattered across the floor, the pill bottle skittering under the bed with a mocking rattle. He tried to brace himself with one trembling arm while the other clamped desperately over his nose, but it was too late—Sasuke's scent had already invaded every cell of his body, igniting a fire that burned from the inside out.
A whimper escaped his throat as slick heat pooled between his thighs, soaking through his jeans in an unmistakable confession. His cock strained painfully against his zipper, each heartbeat sending another pulse of desperate need through his veins. Sasuke dropped to one knee before him, eyes blazing with primal hunger as he seized Naruto's jaw in an iron grip. Their gazes locked, and Naruto's hand fell away from his face, surrendering to the intoxicating scent that promised both salvation and destruction.
Sasuke's eyes blazed crimson, pupils narrowed to predatory slits that stripped Naruto bare from the inside out. This wasn't Sasuke anymore—this was pure Alpha, ancient and untamed, looking at him like he was prey to be devoured. A violent tremor ripped through Naruto's body, half terror and half desperate want, as slick heat pooled between his thighs.