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Chapter Text

A year traveling with Jiraiya Sennin outside a major village in Earth country…

There are advantages to being scrawny. You could squeeze through tight spaces. People find it very difficult to catch you, and slipping out of their grip is a breeze if they do. Sure, people pick on you for being small, but who cares? But it sure does suck when you’re scrawny and trying to keep warm.

Jiraiya and Naruto don’t camp outside often. They stay at small inns or fancy hotels when the old man can spare the coin. Jiraiya claims they did this because of his back; Naruto soon figured out it’s so he could satisfy his lust for women and booze. Whatever. He has a warm futon and plenty of freedom to explore.

But there are times when camping is unavoidable, especially when traveling deep into Earth Country.  The place has even larger forests and river lands than Fire Country.  Jiraiya keeps the first watch, coaxing the fire long after their meals are cooked and urging Naruto to put socks on his feet. It’s a few weeks after Naruto’s 13th birthday, and the nights turned frigid. Naruto protests but gives in after a breeze passes through their camp.

The nights camping through the remote parts of Earth country aren’t easy, but Naruto is an early riser. He preps breakfast for them, and the campsite is pretty much packed by the time he can coax the old man out of his sleep. Until one morning, an hour or two before dawn, Naruto is shaken awake.

“Wake up, kid,” Jiraiya says, anxiety clear in his voice. “You’re shaking. I gotta get you to the hospital.”

“No, I’m just cold,” Naruto replies. 

He tries to smack Jiraiya’s hands away, but his hands end up falling limply over the man’s large fingers. His mouth and nose feel dry, too. And it’s so damn cold. Naruto tries to burrow deeper into the blankets. Jiraiya stops him, pulling Naruto up by his shoulders and forcing him to sit up.

“Shit, you’re burning up,” Jiraiya says, peeved. “Tell me: has your stomach been hurting? You didn’t finish your dinner last night.”

“Everything tasted off…but now that you mention it, my thighs hurt pretty bad,” Naruto says, slowly waking up. He becomes keenly aware that his pajamas are sticking to his skin and his teeth are chattering. 

“Okay…okay…,” Jiraiya takes a deep breath before speaking again. He speaks slowly and even, the same way he talks to Naruto while training with the Nine-Tails’ chakra. “Kid, I need you to pack your things. I’m going to seal all our things in a scroll because we have to move fast. You’re starting your first heat, and you cannot be out here. We are exposed. Do you understand me?”

Naruto wakes up fully at the word “heat.” This cannot be happening right now. His eyes dart around the dark edges of their camp, and he grips onto any part of Jiraiya he can find. The old man surprises him by pulling him into a tight hug.

“It’s okay…I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” Jiraiya says, voice low and soothing. Naruto didn’t know he was capable of being so gentle. “I was with Tsunade the first time, too. It’s going to suck; I’m not going to lie to you. But we need to move while you’ve still got your wits about you. Can you do what I asked you to do?”

Naruto nods and blinks his tears away. This wasn’t the time to panic. When he’d felt the aches a few days ago, he thought it had been from the cold, the hiking, or the constant training. He’d forgotten all about presenting as an omega. Hell, Naruto hoped “presenting” would forget about him. But he knew it was a foolish thought then and an even dumber thought now.

Naruto moves slowly, wincing every time he bends over at the hips or has to bend his knees. This sort of pain and discomfort was glacial, creeping down his stomach muscles and into his toes. It was nothing like fighting or training. This felt exhausting. He was winded by the time he was done packing and changing into fresh clothes. And why did it feel so freaking cold?

“Jiraiya-sensei…I don’t feel right,” Naruto says, heavily leaning against a tree. 

Jiraiya rushes over and gently guides Naruto to sit. He makes a gesture with his hands to ask Naruto to wait. Then, the old man moves fast to seal and pack all everything into one pack, except a thick blanket, before putting everything onto his back. Satisfied with his work, Jiraiya bites his thumb, makes a few hand signals, and then summons a small toad.

“Naruto is in a bind,” Jiraiya tells the toad. “Go to the village due north of here, find the hospital, and tell them to prep a room for a new omega. Give them as much information as they need about him: age, height, estimated weight. We are right behind you.”
 
The toad nods and rushes off to follow its instructions. Jiraiya wastes no time. He wraps Naruto in the thick blanket and picks him up like a sack of rice. Naruto felt jealous of the Sennin’s strength most days. He's grateful for it now as the confusion sets in as they run north.

Naruto can’t focus on where Jiraiya is running. His teeth start chattering a few minutes into their journey. He tries to bite down on his bottom lip, but that does nothing except make him feel worse. 

At some point, he starts whining like a small child. Naruto has half a mind to be embarrassed but he's too uncomfortable to stop the sound. He feels entirely too exposed, and it is so damn cold. Naruto curls into the warmth that’s carrying him, careful not to jostle the man, or he’ll fall.

“We’re almost there…just focus on breathing, okay?” Jiraiya says. 

Naruto nods. Breathing. Right. That’s easy enough. He closes his eyes and breathes the way Jiraiya-sensei taught him to. 

The meditative state he slips into is restless. He feels something akin to hunger, but he doesn’t know what he wants. Naruto tries to remember the lessons at the academy he’d been forced to take about secondary genders. All he can recall is that he’d been the only boy in his class’s group of omegas. 

Naruto wished he’d paid more attention to what was supposed to be happening right now. Was it supposed to feel so painful? Naruto feels a sharp pain travel up between his legs and up his back. He yelps and digs his nails into Jiraiya’s forearm.  

“Hey, hey, look, we are at the hospital, okay?” Jiraiya says, a tinge of panic creeping into his voice. 

Naruto glances around the hospital lobby. It was a much smaller hospital than the one in Konoha. There were very few people around. The morning sun lit up the space and made it feel less sterile. 

A pair of medical-nin approach them with easy smiles. One was a tall, brown-haired woman with tan skin. The other was short with blue dyed short hair and glasses. Naruto sniffs the air. They smell sweet. Good gods, I can smell them, Naruto realizes dreadfully. He could smell Jiraiya, too.

As soon as the smell registers for what it is, Naruto wiggles out of the old man’s hold. So, that’s what alpha smells like! Naruto hits the ground, his legs tangled in the blanket, but he recovers fast and makes his way towards the two medical-nin. 

The blue-haired woman rushes toward him. Naruto is unsteady and takes her outstretched hands gratefully. The other medical-nin approaches Jiraiya.

“Are you his guardian?” the woman asks.

“Yes, we are on an extended mission from Konoha,” Jiraiya says politely. 

“Come now,” the blue-haired woman says, gently guiding Naruto away from the two adults. She walks backward, both hands holding onto Naruto’s forearms and her attention firmly on him. “We need to get you to your room. You’re to be exposed out here.”

“Right,” Naruto replies, taking his attention away from Jiraiya. Naruto feels lightheaded when he turns his head. He couldn't butt into the conversation like he wants to. He’ll just have to trust Jiraiya to communicate his needs to the nurses.

“My name is Bolin,” the woman says. Her hands feel sturdy around Naruto’s forearm. It occurs to him that she’s trying to distract him from the pain, keeping him focused on walking. “What’s yours?”

“Uzumaki Naruto,” he replies, playing along. He can see an open door at the far end of the hallway. 

“I saw your birthday just passed,” Bolin says casually. “Happy Birthday!” 

“Thanks…one hell of a gift I got this year,” Naruto says, morose. 

“It’s a gift we all get, sweetheart,” Bolin says empathetically. “We’ll get you comfortable so you can ride this out, okay?”

Naruto nods as they enter the hospital room. He’d expected a sterile, communal room like the one he’d been in after his fight with Sasuke. Instead, this one was small and homey. The windows have pretty curtains that were drawn to block the worst of the sunlight, dimly lit by two-floor lamps. A large, thick futon lay on the floor. It's big enough to hold Naruto and the dozens of pillows littering the room. 

“There’re extra blankets in this closet,” Bolin explains, gesturing towards a closet on the far side of the room. “We will bring you food three times a day, and if there’s something particular that you like, let me or Chi-Chi—the other medical-nin with me—and we’ll arrange for you to get it, okay?”

Naruto feels something inside him unwind, tears falling earnestly. He's scared. So freaking scared. Bolin takes a cautious step towards him.

“Can I hug you?” she asks. 

Naruto nods, tears breaking free from the brave facade he usually wears. When she pulls him in for a hug, Naruto stops caring about how his cries sound or bearing the pain. He feels out of control, and he needs something, but he doesn’t know what. After he calms down a bit, Bolin guides him towards the futon.

“Lay down, Naruto; I need to give you a check-up, okay?” Bolin says this like a question, but Naruto understands it as a command.

He dozes off a few minutes into her exam, exhaustion creeping over him as the pain ratchets from an ache to throbs. However, the warm, green glow from Bolin’s chakra-infused hands combined with the insulated futon feels so peaceful and warm. It’s the sound of the door opening that wakes him. Chi-Chi enters the room with a bag of fluid and a syringe. 

“Hello, Naruto, I’m Chi-Chi,” she says, wheeling a tall metal hanger towards him and hanging the fluid off it. “Jiraiya tells me you’re a world-class ninja!”

“That’s right,” Naruto says flatly, ignoring the compliment. He knows she’s trying to distract him from the needles. “And my ninja skills tell me you’re about to poke me!”

“I am,” Chi-Chi says with a smile. “This is your first rodeo kid. I bet you feel like shit, huh?”

“Oh…um…yeah,” Naruto says, blinking as her frankness settles over him. “Is it supposed to feel like this?”

“Yup, and it’ll get worse,” Chi-Chi says. This woman must be the type that throws a kunai and asks questions later. “You’re lucky your sensei was on the lookout for your cycle after your birthday. Most 13-year-olds would be locked up in their parents’ homes, where they’re watched like hawks. You aren’t the first omega case we’ve had, but you’re one of the youngest. So, listen carefully, okay?”

Chi-Chi takes his hand closest to her and squeezes it. Naruto swallows and nods; Jiraiya must've explained more than he'd anticipated. These women know he's an orphan, understanding written all over Chi-Chi's face. He doesn't look away when she turns over his arm to expose his veins. He has to be brave again. Chi-Chi cleans the area with some alcohol and explains as she works.

“The next few hours, your hormones are going to ratchet higher to get your body ready for mating," she explains, her tone lacking the usual mix of mocking and pity that adults use with him. "You’re much too young for that sort of thing--sex with an alpha. The goal is to keep you comfortable. The hormones will make your temperature fluctuate wildly. You will be thirsty, so we are going to give you an IV to help. I’m going to put it in now, okay?”

Naruto nods. He winces when the needle pierces his skin, but Chi-Chi is good. He barely feels it when the IV slips into place. She tapes the IV tube to his skin so it won’t move. Bolin starts placing some extra pillows around Naruto’s body like he’s being cocooned. Chi-Chi starts injecting whatever is in the syringe into the IV bag.

“When you get a little older,” Bolin says kindly. “If you choose to stop taking the medicine we’ll give you when you’re discharged, you won’t need as much pain medication. We are giving you a high dose to make things easier for today and the next few months. We hope you sleep through the worst of it while you're here.”

“But…why does it hurt?” Naruto asks. It was the part he never understood during his lessons. “The alphas don’t get the pain, right?”

“They get some discomfort,” Chi-Chi says, disposing of the syringe. “Some of the younger ones are sedated because they can’t restrain themselves. Omegas hurt because our bodies shift, making room for…bearing children.”

Naruto’s eyes widen, panic plain on his face at her continued frankness. He knew he could give birth. He rolled his eyes about it when he was designated as an omega during his medical exam before enrolling at the academy. But he hadn’t given the idea any real thought. 

“Making room…how?” Naruto asks, breathless. 

“Does the Leaf not teach you these things?” Bolin asks, frustration clear in her voice.

“As if I needed to listen to those creeps!” Naruto snapped.

“I’ll be right back,” Chi-Chi says, sighing before leaving the room. 

Bolin continues shuffling around the room, writing down things on a clipboard and filling a pitcher full of water for Naruto. Chi-Chi returns with a bundle in one hand and a large display board on wheels in the next. Naruto sits up. He’s glad for the pain medication because sitting up didn’t feel nearly as agonizing as earlier.

“I’m leaving you this gown to sleep in,” Chi-Chi says, laying the bundle on the edge of Naruto’s futon. “You’ll be grateful not to have pants on later.”

Naruto felt a wave of embarrassment fall over him at her crass comment. Was she insinuating what he thinks she’s insinuating?! Chi-Chi wheels the display close enough for Naruto to see in the dim light. It was a diagram of male omega anatomy.

“I’m going to skip the science crap that I know academy teachers love to bore you with,” Chi-Chi says, staring into Naruto’s eyes passionately. “None of that matters unless you plan on becoming a medical-nin like us. What I’m about to explain will keep you from being saddled with some deadbeat’s kid, got it?”

Naruto sat up straighter and glanced at the two women. Bolin and Chi-Chi’s jaws are set, making them look entirely calm--a direct contrast to how Naruto feels. Although, these two are probably the only two omegas who would talk to him straight. They didn’t give a damn about him being a jinchuriki or pissing off the elders of the village. They were two omegas looking out for some orphaned kid. 

“I got it…what do I need to know?” Naruto asks, clasping his hands together and meeting Chi-Chi’s eyes.

“You can only get pregnant during 3 to 4 days out of the month,” Chi-Chi says. She points at a walnut-shaped organ labeled “ovaries.” “That’s when your ovaries release an egg. Some people’s bodies release two, but that doesn’t usually happen until you’re in your 30s or 40s. Before then, you’ll feel some symptoms; that’s what's happening now. Pay attention to how your body is feeling; I’ll give you a notebook before you leave. Track the days and plan ahead. And, for the love of God, don’t skip your suppressants or your birth control!”

“What happens if I do?” Naruto asks, afraid of the answer. This sounded serious as hell!

“For one thing, you’re putting yourself at risk as a ninja,” Bolin cuts in. “You’ll be issued the highest grade of suppressants and birth control once you return to the Leaf. These medications aren’t optional for you or your alpha teammates. An unmedicated ninja could ruin a mission or get themselves killed…or worse.”

“Worse…than killed?” Naruto asks, feeling his stomach turn. He really needed to eat.

“Raped, child,” Chi-Chi says sadly. “There are deplorable alphas who take advantage of younger ninjas and civilians traveling. That’s what I was…discussing passionately with your sensei. We treat these victims often. So please don’t take any unnecessary risks like not taking your medicine.”

“Got it,” Naruto replied, cringing at her reprimand. 

“Anyway…” Bolin says. She pushes her colleague to the side and continues explaining the diagram. “You’re very young. Your uterus and genitals are still developing. That pain you feel is your body growing and changing. Be warned: you’re going to feel desire during this first heat, the kind of desire that will be all-encompassing. You may forget where you are or who we are.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Naruto says. “You’re sounding like those pervy books sensei writes all the time!”

“This is a very real thing, young man,” Bolin says sternly. “In the future, the medicine will cut these sensations in half. Some patients don’t experience heats at all, but that’s rare. Now…it’s important for the next few days that you’re as comfortable as possible. My first heat cycle was very intense. I tried to run out of my parent’s compound to see an alpha I had a crush on. Luckily, my mother caught me and locked me back in my room. I would’ve ended up having to make very tough choices otherwise.”

Naruto feels like crying again. He didn’t need her to explain what “tough choices” meant. He couldn’t imagine himself being pregnant right now. Hell, he knew he wanted a family, but not immediately. He didn’t even know what sex even meant. Not really. Right now, sex is just something pervy men concern themselves with and make women giggle. Ridiculous, abstract, and foreign as a concept. But...

“Okay…so what do I do? I obviously can’t…find someone to be with,” Naruto says, a blush rising on his cheeks and ears. 

“We are about to give you a crash course on masturbation and sex toys,” Chi-Chi says, a teasing grin on her face. Chi-Chi points at the closet that has the extra blankets. “We have an assortment in there for you to choose from plus a mirror!”

Naruto balks at her words and splutters, unable to form a coherent sentence. Bolin points at the diagram again. Naruto wishes he could fall into a hole instead of continuing this conversation.

“Since you’re a male, you have both sets of genitalia,” Bolin says. Her voice is way too academic for how embarrassed Naruto feels. “Female alphas are the same way. However, both are uncommon, so sometimes, academy teachers skip over these specifics. We gave you a mirror to help when you’re…in the middle of things.”

Naruto groans then, burying his hands into his hands. He cannot deal with these adults telling him about jacking off! He’d done it before, out of curiosity, but he never looked on purpose!

Besides, Naruto knew he was different than the other omegas or boys in his class. He was lucky enough to have a private bathroom at his apartment. However, the last few months on the road meant he had to use public omega bath houses. He hadn’t paid other people’s bodies that much attention until recently. 

He’d run across enough male omegas to count on both hands. And the women didn’t have a defined penis like he did. Not that anyone made a big deal about it. Maybe it was because he was an omega, or hadn’t presented, or that he was technically a child. Whatever it was, that lack of attention may change soon. 

A warm hand squeezed his shoulders. He looked up to see Chi-Chi’s reassuring hand on his shoulder and Bolin's gentle smile at the foot of the bed. 

“You don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with,” Bolin says. She squeezed his blanket-covered foot. “Just keep an open mind. It’s your body. And, hopefully, you won’t be having sex with anyone for a long time. You will have needs, though. There’s no reason to deny yourself or suffer every month because of shame.”

“We are going to bring you breakfast, then you can sleep for a while,” Chi-Chi says.

The two gather their things, including the large diagram, and leave the room. Naruto settles under the blankets, careful not to jostle the needle in his arm. Chi-Chi comes back with a tray of food: a warm bowl of miso, rice, an omelet, and cherry tomatoes. He sits up, thanks her for the food, and digs in. 

“You press that button on the wall if you need me or Bolin,” Chi-Chi says, pointing at a red button behind Naruto’s head. “Your room is marked with seals, and the staff knows not to bother you. We’ll knock before bringing your meals. If you don’t answer, we’ll leave the tray by the door. That’s just so you have privacy, okay?”

“Hey…thank you,” Naruto says, trying to maintain eye contact without blushing too much. “No one…no one bothered to tell me all of this…and I don’t have parents like the other kids, so…I owe you two.”

“You don’t owe us anything,” Chi-Chi says, smiling. “Just listen to us and rely on your sensei. You’ve got a long life ahead of you.”

She turns and leaves Naruto to eat. When he’s done, Naruto pushes the tray to the side, rolls over, and closes his eyes.

The pain medicine Chi-Chi and Bolin gave Naruto makes him sleep up until dinnertime. Bolin brings him his food this time. Surprisingly, Jiraiya walks in behind her with a face mask on. Naruto sniffs the air, but he can’t catch the musty, earthy smell from earlier. Jiraiya must’ve sprayed something onto his clothes or changed. Naruto made a note to thank him later.

“You look better!” Jiraiya says, standing a healthy distance away.

“Why are you standing so far away?” Naruto asks, irritated. “I’m an omega, not the plague.”

Bolin snickers as she sets the tray of food on Naruto’s lap. She leaves the room but keeps the door slightly ajar. 

“It isn’t polite to be close to an omega in heat,” Jiraiya replies harshly. “And if you’d bothered paying attention at the academy, you’d know that.”

Naruto huffs. All these damn rules! Who comes up with this shit anyway? 

“Look, the nurses said it’s better if I check on you now,” Jiraiya continues. Naruto’s shoulders slump at his sensei’s soft tone. He’s used to Jiraiya calling him a brat or arguing with him. His lack of reaction to Naruto's petulance made him more nervous than his impromptu sex education earlier. “But I’m not going far. There’s an inn across the street. I’m going to come back in the morning to speak with Chi-Chi or Bolin. I won’t be able to see you until it’s over, so…listen to them. We’ll talk when it’s time to go, okay?”

“Why…why can’t you stay?” Naruto asks, realizing how small he sounded.

“You don’t want an old man like me around for this,” Jiraiya says, laughing nervously. “You should have someone your own age…and when you’re older. Like 17 or 18. If I let you do anything before that, I think your mother would come back from the dead and kill me!”  

Naruto blushes furiously, realizing what his words must’ve sounded like to his sensei. Of course, an adult alpha can’t stay with a teenager in heat! What was he? An idiot!?

“Okay, I get it, jeez,” Naruto says, embarrassed and irritated. “I’ll see you later. Get out!”

Naruto grabs the nearest pillow and chucks it at Jiraiya’s head. His sensei ducks, laughing as he exits the room. The door closes behind him, leaving Naruto to eat in the quiet room. Bolin comes back in a few minutes later. She has another syringe and gives him another dose of pain medications before gathering the food tray.

“Good night, Naruto,” Bolin says before closing the door. 

***

Naruto sleeps for an unknowable amount of time. When he wakes up, Naruto struggles to remember where he is. He runs his hands over something soft and snuggles his too-warm cheeks into the pillows beneath him. That’s right. Two nice women made this bed for him. They were so kind. 

He rolls over and winces. There’s something in his arm. Right, the needles. Jeez…he’s thirsty. Naruto sits up, grateful that the lamps in the room aren’t super bright because his eyes are sore. He spots a side table with bottles of juice, a pitcher of water, and snacks. But when he stands up, a warm, sticky fluid rushes out of his body. Naruto reaches between his legs, and his fingers feel dampness.

Naruto groans at the uncomfortable sensation of wet underwear. He unbuckles his pants and pulls everything off in one motion, tossing the pants across the room with one hand and keeping his underwear in the other.

He inspects the underwear. The crotch is stained with a thick, sweet fluid that reminds him of over-ripe oranges. In the back of his mind, Naruto knows he should be disgusted at the sight but he decides that his lack of repulsion is due to his hormone-heavy mind mixing with the pain medication. 

He tosses the underwear to the side and returns his attention to the bottles of juice. He opens one, chugs it, and throws it god knows where. He feels frustrated and sticky all over. Naruto runs a hand across his forehead and pushes his bangs clinging to his skin. God, it’s hot now! 

Naruto glanced at his arm. Someone had removed the tube attaching him to the IV bag while he’d been sleeping, leaving only the needle apparatus in his arm. Thank God, that makes life easy. He pulled his shirt off, sighing in relief as the cool air conditioning touched his exposed chest. 

He could climb back into bed, but he feels…restless. Naruto scans the room. He knows better than to open the window. He'd paid enough attention in class to know pheromones travel several meters from its source. Leaving to roam the hospital sounds stupid, especially butt naked. Someone told him that leaving was a dumb idea. Then, his eyes land on the closet door. 

Naruto opens it and searches. There are blankets at the top with all sorts of textures. On one shelf were rows of water canteens. On the last shelf were sex toys and a mirror. Naruto flinches at the phallic and oddly shaped sex toys. He can’t imagine using those…yet. Instead, he grabs the mirror. It’s a reasonable size, 5x5 inches square.

He settles himself onto the futon with the mirror in hand. Naruto takes a good look at his face and gasps. He looks…pretty. There isn’t another way to describe it. His skin’s flushed like the color of roses, and when he runs his fingers across his cheeks, it feels soft and subtle. His eyes seemed to shine, even in the dim light. When did these changes happen?

Naruto hadn’t bothered to pay this much attention to himself beyond making sure he was clean and his hair somewhat combed. But his body must’ve changed in the past year while he'd been busy training. Curious, he lifts the mirror to inspect the rest of his body. His nipples are a shade darker than he remembered, and he has hair in places he didn’t have before. 

Naruto pauses when his exploration reaches between his legs. The mysterious fluid is making his thighs sticky. He feels stuck between curiosity and fear, wondering if it is okay to look. But this wasn’t the time to be chicken-shit, Naruto decides. He props a few pillows behind his back, leans back, spreads his legs, and holds the mirror up to look at the source of all this drama.

What he sees makes Naruto’s breath catch in his throat. It…no…he is kind of mesmerizing. Like the diagram, Naruto has a defined penis. It hasn’t been this erect before, though. It wasn’t huge; Naruto saw enough porn magazines to know it could get bigger, but that must be an alpha thing. He wraps his free hand around it, and it’s just large enough to peak over his knuckles. 

However, his newfound erection wasn’t what kept Naruto’s attention. Naruto moves it up and away to reveal his moist, engorged entrance. Why hasn’t he ever paid her any attention? 

Naruto ran a finger between her lips experimentally. He shivers at the mild pleasure that goes up his spine. Oh. That’s why they sealed the door. That’s what the toys were for. He felt an unfamiliar, but pleasant sense of excitement.

Naruto props the mirror up with a free pillow so he doesn’t have to hold it. He smeared some of the fluid up his erection and felt immediate relief. He pumps experimentally, and a new sound comes out of his mouth: a very high-pitched moan. He pauses, blushing despite knowing he’s alone, but the embarrassment leaves as quickly as it comes. This feels…amazing.

But after a few moments of jacking off, it still isn’t enough. Naruto feels an ache near the base of his entrance. He can feel it clench against nothing, but what to do about it? Naruto, frustrated, takes his other hand and fishes around for the entrance with a finger. It takes a while, but the mirror helps him tremendously. And once he slides his finger inside, the instant relief makes him sag into the pillows and moan contentedly. 

This was so much better. Naruto realizes that the fluid is there to make everything easier. In the past, he worried that touching this part of his body would hurt. It’s the exact opposite of pain. It feels euphoric. He adds another finger and strokes his soft insides slowly. Soon, an overwhelming feeling of pleasure pools in his gut. 

Naruto loses himself in the feeling of ecstasy. He’s unsure how many times he orgasms alone in this room. He’s vaguely aware that the windows are fogging up. All he knows is that his fingers are sore and wrinkly. But he doesn’t stop. He can’t. He knows he should take a break, but every stroke coaxes the crazy feeling in the back of his mind that desires something.

What is it? Why does this need hurt so bad? Naruto knows he has desires. He knows he wants to be Hokage. He wants respect. He wants to be strong, strong enough to defend himself, strong enough to bring Sasuke back to the village. That’s right…Sasuke…

Naruto flips over onto his belly, slides his hands between his thighs, and coaxes three fingers inside himself. It doesn’t take much effort when he’s lying like this. All he has to do is rock his hips onto his hands. He lays his cheek onto the soft pillows, letting his mind wander and the pleasure take him away. 

Later, Naruto will feel ashamed of this fantasy. But for now, Naruto revels in his first dance with lust. He imagines Sasuke under him instead of this futon. He wishes it were his skin between his teeth instead of the sheets. And, above it all, he wants Sasuke inside him instead of his fingers. His mind provided him with every possibility before the heat broke three days later. 

As the years pass, Naruto remains grateful that the medications made his heats a bimonthly occurrence because, without fail, it was Sasuke’s face that brought him to his peak. All he had to do was close his eyes, and there he was: Sasuke there to hold him, whisper in his ear, and make love to only him. 

This was Naruto’s shame and his hypocrisy. How could he indulge such thoughts? Sasuke ran away. Sasuke betrayed them all. Worse, Sasuke forgot about Naruto, who they were supposed to be to each other. 

Naruto thinks to himself, each time he cleans up after his cycles, I want this desire to forget about me.

Chapter Text

Eighteen months after the war…

“Thank you, but I cannot accept this.”

Naruto practices saying this phrase in the foggy bathroom mirror. He repeats the words, watching the way his tongue forms each syllable, hoping that he can train the muscles like he’d done with the rest of his body. He thoroughly ignores the reflected shadow of the growing pile of gifts from uncountable kunoichi lying in his living room. He tries again.

“Thank you, but I cannot accept this.”

His friends don’t understand his desire to reject these women. Kiba revels in his newfound notoriety as a leader in the Fourth Ninja War, taking insane pleasure in the amount of affection his ninja dogs were getting and raising funds to breed new ones. Choji feasts with a gaggle of giggling omegas around him weekly; if it weren’t for the consistent income, Naruto is sure the restaurants of Konoha would ban the insatiable man. Even Shikamaru scoffs at Naruto’s aversion to the attention.

Must be easy for him to say. Shikamaru already has someone to love. Someone to call his own. Someone he’d be mated with sooner rather than later.

“Thank you, but I cannot accept this.” 

He doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Naruto is intimate with the sting of rejection, but these women regard him with awe and thinly veiled ambition that erodes after the third or fourth date. Their waning interest in him hurts more to watch the trinkets and clothing grow in number. Even worse is the faded scent of perfume on the cold side of his bed, its wearer disappearing in the early midnight hours by an admirer who only wants the privilege of fucking a hero.

It didn’t matter that he was an omega; Naruto’s mere existence trumped his secondary designation, and his status was what they wanted. Maybe it’s better to reunite with the quiet of his solitary life than deal with the illusion of affection. 

“Thank you, but I cannot accept this.”

Naruto hears himself say it, and he has to trust that he can follow through. He is almost twenty years old. He’s been alone for more than half his life. He reminds himself to count his blessings: his friends, his fellow shinobi across the world, and Kurama. There would be a time for love, but it shouldn’t feel like this. 

“I’m sorry, but I cannot live like this.”

Naruto feels his presence before he hears Sasuke speak. His awareness of the other man was like the smell of rain before a thunderstorm: distant but heavy. When Sasuke lands on his balcony and turns the key to its door, Naruto can almost feel the sensation of rain against his skin. It’s been like this for a little over a year, ever since their battle at the Valley of the End. If Sasuke is aware of the connection, Naruto remains ignorant. He doesn’t want to gain clarity, either.

“Who are you talking to?” Sasuke asks.

“Myself,” Naruto replies, not bothering to exit the bathroom but glaring at his teammate's reflection in the mirror. “I needed expert advice.”

Sasuke offers a small grin at Naruto’s jest before leaning against the bathroom door. 

“Advice about what?” Sasuke asks. “I think you’ll need a second opinion.”

“I doubt that,” Naruto retorts, turning his glare directly at Sasuke, but his annoyance deflates as quickly as it comes. The pile of gifts loomed behind them. Sasuke followed his gaze.

“So the fans keep coming,” Sasuke says contentiously.

Naruto frowns and waves Sasuke's chastisement off before exiting the bathroom. Sasuke made it abundantly clear how he felt about Naruto’s “fans”. He found the entire situation ironic and fitting, given how jealous Naruto used to be of the way their classmates fawned over Sasuke.

Sasuke had no sympathy for Naruto’s perdicament. Naruto didn’t tell him that he’d taken a few of these fans into his bed. It wasn’t Sasuke’s business. If he cared, he wouldn’t leave as often as he did. 
 
He walks over to his closet to find his favorite orange hoodie. It’s a cool fall evening and the two men were expected at Sakura’s for dinner. 

“I will tell them to buzz off…eventually,” Naruto says after pulling the hoodie on. “It isn’t worth the hassle anymore.”

“Oh, woe is you,” Sasuke says in a high dramatic voice. “The Hero of Konaha getting one too many boxes of candy. Whatever will you do?”

“Shut up!” Naruto yells, walking past Sasuke towards the front door. “We are going to be late.”

Sasuke follows Naruto out the door, laughing at his friend’s flustered face. 

The streets outside are busy. Konaha is still rebuilding after the war. There are cranes, piles of concrete and wood, and debris scattered across the village. Everyone they pass is wearing working yukatas and covered in the day’s work. Some wave at Naruto as he passes by; others eye Sasuke wearily and sneer, wondering how a traitor could walk free; but neither man comments on the juxtaposition of reactions from these passersby.

Sasuke's return to the village is a slow process. Right now, Naruto and Kakashi were the ones Sasuke communicated with. He sent word about a week ago that he was coming to pick up his prescriptions and leave after a few days. 

“Do you think the new medication will work?” Naruto asks as casually as he can muster. They were a few minutes away from Sakura’s apartment and the crowd had thinned out considerably.

“I can only hope so,” Sasuke replies with a shrug. “I don’t know how you and Sakura have lived like civilians.”

“It’s not…okay, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t bad but we figured it out,” Naruto says, flustered.

Sasuke makes a dismissive noise but drops the topic, thankfully. They walk the rest of the way to Sakura’s in relative quiet, Naruto asking questions about Sasuke’s travels and Sasuke giving short answers. Sakura is hanging out her window on the third floor as they approach. 

“Hurry up, losers,” Sakura calls. “Your food’s getting cold!”

“Maybe it’ll taste better that way,” Naruto says to Sasuke. Sasuke laughs, covering his mouth with his hands.

“Hey! What did you say, jerk!” Sakura yells, waving a fist in the air. 

The two men rush up the stairs, taking them two or three at a time. Sakura holds the door open for them and gives them each a tight hug once inside. The apartment is decorated with bright shades of pink, white, and other pastels. Sakura’s white, wooden round dinner table is set with a spread of tempura, fried fish, and vegetables. Naruto inspects the spread, scratching his chin skeptically.

“I don’t know, Sasuke…I think it’s poison,” Naruto surmises. He ducks out of the way, Saskura's fist barely missing the top of his head.  

“I’m sure the food is perfectly edible,” Sasuke says sarcastically, taking a seat. 

“I’m never cooking for you two ungrateful ingrates again!” Sakura says.

She goes to the kitchen, muttering expletives under her breath. Naruto takes a seat, snickering to himself. It was the first time Sakura hosted both of them. Naruto knows fully well that Sakura is a decent cook. Hell, they learned how to make better meals together! They had so much free time during their leave that they had to do something to keep the stir-crazy away. Besides, Sakura got tired of Naruto eating ramen every day.

Naruto is poking fun because of how nervous she was to share a meal with Sasuke. If he’s being honest with himself, he was nervous too. Their relationship is tenuous, still battle-worn from the years apart and the aftermath of the war.  

Sakura returns with a bottle of beer and three glasses. She pours a healthy serving into each glass before sitting. Naruto is glad for the liquid courage. 

“Let’s eat!” Sakura says cheerfully.

“Thank you for the meal,” they say in unison before digging in.

“It’s good,” Sasuke says after a few bites, pleasant surprise written all over his face. 

“See! I wouldn’t poison you, Sasuke-kun!” Sakura says, beaming. 

“Sure…you’d just force-feed me your mistakes and save the good stuff for him,” Naruto grumbles, munching on a piece of fish.

“You have no room to talk!” Sakura says, waving her chopsticks in his face. “You’re the one who almost burnt down your apartment boiling rice!”

Sasuke snorted. The uncharacteristic sound made Naruto and Sakura stop to stare. Sasuke glanced away from them, picked up his beer, and took a healthy sip.

“What?” he asks.

Naruto and Sakura exchange a mischievous look. Naruto picks up the bottle of beer and pours another round. Sakura darts to the kitchen to rummage through a cabinet before returning with a huge bottle of sake. It is the size of her head! 

“Shikamaru’s dad gave this to me after I stitched up his nephew,” Sakura says, placing the hefty bottle on the table. 

“Where the heck did he get it?” Naruto asks. He pops the cork and gives it a healthy sniff. He pinches his nose immediately. “Woah! This could knock a grown man on his ass!” 

“It’s homemade at the Nara compound,” Sakura says. Her eyes shined with mischief. “Like I said…he owed me.”
 
“Sakura…you’ve got to tell me what you stitched up,” Naruto says, eyeing the bottle suspiciously. “But I ain’t drinking that.”

“What are you? Chicken?” Sasuke asks cheekily. He tilts his cup of beer against his lips, tilts his head back, and chugs the rest without flinching. 

Naruto grits his teeth at the challenge. He copies Sasuke, trying hard to breathe through his nose, but he fails. Naruto covers his mouth as he ends up coughing some of it back up. Sakura and Sasuke almost fall over themselves while laughing at him.  

The booze banished any anxiety they all had. They eat their fill, helping themselves to seconds and cuts of fruit Sakura prepared for dessert. Once the beer is done, they open the sake but give up trying to chug it. It burns like hell going down. Instead, they sip it as they talk well into the night. 

Sasuke tells them about team Taka, his time on the road, and things he remembers from their academy days. He admits that Karin is the one who convinced him to drink for the first time. That would explain why he’s so lucid, Naruto thinks to himself, buzzed. The tips of his fingers and lips feel a bit numb.

Sakura, significantly drunker than the two men, migrates from the table to the living room floor. She’s sprawled out, her limbs loose, and staring at the ceiling. Naruto thinks she may have fallen into some sort of trance. Suddenly, she sits up. 

“Hey, Naruto,” Sakura says, interrupting a story Naruto is telling about Jiraiya peaking into a bathhouse. “I forgot to confirm with you: I can’t be with you this week! Ino invited me over before you did.”

“Oh…let’s talk about that in the morning,” Naruto says, blushing and waving at Sakura dismissively. 

He hates how oblivious Sakura is when she’s drunk.

“I’m sorry,” Sakura says, whining and crawling across the floor. When she reaches Naruto’s chair, she wraps her arms around his waist. “Are you still my best friend?”

“Yes, yes, you’re still my best friend,” Naruto says, genuinely. He pats her head. “How about you drink some water, hmm?”

“Why wouldn’t you be her best friend?” Sasuke asks. He’s looking at Naruto suspiciously. 

“Oh…it’s nothing you need to worry about,” Naruto says, grinning. “Anyway, so Jiraiya-sensei—”

“Naruto,” Sasuke says. “What is she talking about?”

Sakura turns her head and mumbles something that sounds like "your good at sex, too.". Naruto catches the end of the sentence. He smacks the top of her head. She yelps and rubs her sore scalp.

“That’s enough out of you,” Naruto says with false cheer. “Let’s get you to bed, huh?”

Naruto doesn’t wait for her to respond. He lifts her to her feet and starts to escort her to her room. Sasuke raises an eyebrow but doesn’t follow. Naruto hears the dishes stacking on top of each other. 

Naruto closes the door. He sits Sakura on her bed before turning to her dresser. Luckily, she’s not completely shit-faced and can sit up on her own. He pulls out a set of pajamas he knows she likes. He gets her changed as smoothly as he can manage. Sakura groans when he lays her under the covers.

“I’m sorry…” Sakura mumbles. “My big mouth…”

“It’s okay,” Naruto says. “I’ll smooth it over.”

Sakura looks him in the eyes sadly. She reaches out, takes his bandaged hand, and squeezes. Naruto sighs.

“I’m serious…it’s fine,” Naruto says. “He is going to find out eventually. Either we tell him or someone else does.” 

“Will he understand?” Sakura asks nervously. “Maybe I should go back out there and explain.”

“No. I’ll talk to him,” he replies. “With another drink. I know how you get when he’s angry.”

“Do you think…he’ll be mad?” Sakura asks, on the verge of tears.

“Well…even if he is, that’s on him,” Naruto says, surprising himself with how bitter he sounds. He leans down and kisses the top of Sakura’s head, right over the seal on her forehead. “We’ve all been through worse together. I’ll bring you some more water before I leave, ‘kay?”

“‘Kay,” Sakura says, sniffing weakly. She rolls over, hugging a pillow to her chest. 

Naruto leaves her to sleep. When he turns from closing the door, Naruto finds the table clear except for the bottle of sake and a pair of glasses. Sasuke is elbow deep in wash water in the kitchen. He’s halfway done with the dishes already.

“Is she okay?” Sasuke asks. “I figured she’d be the type to hold her liquor.”

“What gave you that idea?” Naruto asked, amused. He sits at the table and pours a small amount of sake into his glass.

“She has excellent chakra control,” Sasuke replies. He places the last of the dishes into the water and continues scrubbing. “I thought that meant she’d be a better drunk.”

 “That’s just an old wives tale,” Naruto scoffs. “She’s a blabber mouth of a drunk. Cantankerous too. She and Ten-Ten fought the first night we went out after the war. Sakura lost the kunai throwing contest five times in a row so she demanded a taijutsu match.”

Sasuke laughs, the sound light and free. It's a sound Naruto heard throughout the evening but it still feels novel. The smile on Sasuke’s face is making Naruto’s head spin. He realizes he’s staring when Sasuke widens the smile in his direction.

“What nonsense have you two gotten into while I’ve been gone?” Sasuke asks. 

“Are you asking for more embarrassing stories or…?” Naruto asks, raising an eyebrow at Sasuke. 

Naruto swallows a bit more of his drink. Sasuke’s smile falls slightly. His expression looks a bit put out. He dries his hand, abandoning the dishes, and comes to sit with Naruto. He pours himself another glass.

“Something is going on between you two,” Sasuke says plainly. It’s not a question but it feels like he’s giving Naruto a chance to avoid answering. That doesn’t seem like a good idea.

“There is,” Naruto admits.
 
“Are you…nevermind…” Sasuke says, pushing his bangs off his face. Sasuke takes a sip and smacks his lips. He slams the glass back down. “That isn’t fair to ask you. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

“Ask,” Naruto replies flatly. He watches Sasuke’s uncharacteristic nervousness with fascination.

“Are you…serious? I mean…you used to like Sakura when we were younger.”

“We aren’t serious. We just…keep each other company.”

“'Company'?”

“Yeah. You don’t know what it’s like, Sasuke, for omegas.”

Dawning realization spread across Sasuke’s face. It’s comical, actually. Naruto giggles despite the tension in the air as Sasuke realizes what Naruto means. 

“So…wait…you’re an omega?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto almost drops the glass in his hand. That was not what Sasuke was supposed to latch onto. 

“Sasuke…you’re kidding me, right?” Naruto asks, confounded. “Did you not notice that I wasn’t with all the other alphas during those lessons at the academy?”

“Yeah, but you skipped class all the time!” Sasuke says, voice rising an octave towards panic.

Naruto closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose with his thumb. After all these years, Naruto hadn’t banked on Sasuke not knowing. He’s not drunk enough for this. Naruto downs the rest of the sake in his glass.

“How did you not know?” Naruto asks, pointing a finger at Sasuke. “You are supposed to be the smart one! You can’t be this dense!”

“Naruto, I didn’t care about stuff like that,” Sasuke says, flustered. “Besides…I left before we presented. And it’s not like I could smell you. We were on the battlefield. All we could smell was…you know.”

Naruto nods somberly at that reminder. There wasn't an opportunity to discover anything about Naruto’s secondary gender. That sort of information isn’t typically disclosed about ninjas; it’s too risky. They’d both been on medications that would mask any sort of pheromones. And even if they hadn’t been, the battles during the war were so bloody the only thing anyone could smell was the corpses rotting away.

“Sorry if this is news to you,” Naruto says. He resists pouring another glass. Instead, he rolls the glass between his palms. “But…Sakura and I have been intimate for a long time. It’s better to ride out heats with someone you trust, you know?”

"Wait…but how does that work? Wait! Don’t answer that,” Sasuke said, waving his hand erratically. “That’s none of my business. This is none of my business!”

“But you asked!”

“That’s cause I thought you were serious about each other!”

“And? Why does that matter to you?! You haven’t given Sakura a second glance, and it’s been almost two years, Sasuke!”

“That’s not fair! You know I couldn’t—”

“Couldn’t what?! She adores you, you know that, hell, she saved our lives!”

“Yes, and I’m grateful to her, but that doesn’t mean we can be together and you fucking know it!”

“That’s horse shit.”

“It’s not.”

"It totally is! And you still ain’t answered the question! Why did it matter if we were serious or not, huh? You just said you don’t want anything serious with her!”

Sasuke pulls his lips into a thin line at that accusation. His face is flushed red, either from the alcohol or embarrassment. He scoffs and averts his eyes.

“Because…you deserve to be happy after everything I put you through,” Sasuke says in a low voice. “And so does she. It sounds selfish, but I wondered if she was stringing you along because I wasn’t around.”

“Wow…that is selfish,” Naruto says, more impressed at the admission than angry. “That’s pretty manly of you to say out loud, Sasuke.”

“Shut up,” Sasuke says childishly. 

Sasuke picks up the bottle of sake and tilts it toward Naruto in the offering. Naruto shrugs, sliding his glass across the table. It wouldn’t hurt since they were having this conversation. 

“So…why can’t she be with you this week?” Sasuke asks after a few moments of silence. 

“Ino is our other heat partner,” Naruto replies. He doesn’t have it in him to feel embarrassed anymore. “All of us had a bad time after we went on leave. The suppressants delayed our heats; hell, Ino didn’t get them for about two years. We were a mess, emotionally and physically. Hinata’s dad hired a personal nurse to tend to her. After the first few cycles, Sakura asked me to join her and Ino. Hinata was too embarressed to join us...among other issues.”

Sasuke made a sound of understanding. Naruto swirled his sake, gazing at the liquid so he didn’t have to see the judgment in Sasuke’s face. He may sound like he gets it, but this wasn’t common knowledge. Only their classmates knew about this arrangement. Some of them had partnered off and were officially dating. They all “got it.” 

“We rotate our weeks around so at least one of us is coherent during the process,” Naruto continues. “But sometimes, it doesn’t work out. It looks like Ino and I are synced up.”

“This happened before?” Sasuke asks. He sounds genuinely curious.

“Yeah,” Naruto says, unable to keep the misery out of his voice. “Three months in a row. It looks like we’ve all regulated after being off suppressants.”   
   
“What are you going to do?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto gives Sasuke a look somewhere between disgust and confusion. Sasuke raises his hand defensively. 

“I’m just curious,” Sasuke says. “I don’t know how your arrangements work.”

“What about you?” Naruto asks pointedly.

“Hn?”

“Don’t dodge the question. Who’ve you been with?”

“No one that matters.”
 
“So someone.”

“Everybody is someone, dumbass.”

“Stop dodging the question. Who was it?”

"I don’t actually remember their names…or their faces.”

Sasuke tone is somber and grievous. Sasuke slumps forward, placing his forehead in his hand. Naruto almost regrets asking now.

“When I presented, I was…angry,” Sasuke says quietly as if the walls had ears. “Angrier than normal. The curse mark made the entire experience worse, or so Orochimaru claims. It took months to design a suppressant that worked. Being alone wasn’t an option; I hurt myself on more than one occasion. The pain…the pain helped. So Orochimaru gifted me omegas. I don’t know who they were. In the middle of my rut, I didn’t care. I haven’t touched a single soul since.”

Naruto feels angry all over again. Maybe letting Orochimaru live was a mistake. He gulps a bit of sake. Sasuke follows suit. 

“I’m sorry,” Naruto says. “Is that why you don’t want to stop taking the suppressants?”

Sasuke nods. Naruto doesn’t comment on the stray tears that fall. He knows Sasuke hates it when people see him cry. 

“Have you been off them for a while?” Naruto says. 

“About four months,” Sasuke says, irritated. “I had a decent supply, but Orochimaru can’t make any more or he’ll be violating his agreement with Konoha. Tsunade is trying to replicate the formula without the side effects.” 
  
“Side effects?” Naruto asks eyebrows knitted together in concern.

“Mood swings, absent libido, not to mention it made my depression worse,” Sasuke says in a rush. He laughs coldly and smirks at Naruto. “Imagine. A shinobi with depression and a limp dick.”

"That’s not funny,” Naruto says flatly. “We are shinobi, but we are still people. Orochimaru probably over-medicated you in an attempt to control you better.”

“Probably, it doesn’t matter,” Sasuke replies dismissively. “I just need Tsunade to finish her prescription. Then, I can put these hormonal problems behind me.”

“Sasuke…I know I said it’s rough, but maybe taking a leave isn’t a bad idea,” Naruto offers. He places a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. The man looks at him, exhaustion written all over his face. 

“Now you sound like Kakashi,” Sasuke says dryly.

“You don’t have to stay in the village,” Naruto says, even though it hurts deeply to utter those words. “You can go stay in Suna. I’m sure Gaara would be willing to host you if I twisted his arm.”

“Are you suggesting that an unmedicated, former terrorist spend months with the Kazegage until his ruts regulate?” Sasuke asks, laughing harder as he utters each syllable. 

“Yeah, well…yeah, that does sound stupid,” Naruto admits with a groan. “Look, all I’m saying is that maybe it’s better to stop taking the suppressants altogether for a while.”

“Naruto…I don’t like how my ruts feel,” Sasuke says, averting his gaze again. A deep blush colors his ears.  

“You know…it isn’t that bad when you’re with someone you trust,” Naruto says, sounding braver than he felt. 

Sasuke turns his head slowly, straightening up in his chair to stare at Naruto like he’d grown an extra head. Naruto leans back in his chair. He hopes the extra centimeters would decrease the severity of the scrutiny Sasuke is giving him.

“What?” Sasuke asks flatly.

“All I’m saying is,” Naruto says. He gestures with his hands as if he’s weighing two bags of flour, leaning side to side while squinting at Sasuke. “Either you could go hide out somewhere, ride out the rut on your own, entirely exposed to any enemy OR you could find someone you trust to be intimate with in the village.”

“There isn’t anyone I trust more than you,” Sasuke blurts out. 

Sasuke’s eyes blow wild and he smacks his hand over his mouth. Naruto’s hands are frozen in the air and his mouth is hanging wide open. Holy shit. 

Naruto stands up, turns on his heel, and heads for the door. Shit, he wishes he hadn’t drunk so much. His feet feel unsteady. He tries to put on his shoes with one hand but ends up falling into the wall and then flat on his ass. Sasuke rushes over to help him. Naruto smacks his hands away.

“You idiot,” Sasuke says. 

Naruto stops in his tracks. There’s so much affection in Sasuke’s voice. Had he always said that so sweetly?

Sasuke bends down to help him put his sandals on. They move quietly. Sasuke’s fingers linger over each of Naruto’s ankles, each digit feeling warm and altogether too intimate for such a simple touch. 

“Does…Sakura know?” Sasuke asks, eyes still on Naruto’s feet.
 
"Know what?” Naruto replies, genuinely confused.

Sasuke looks directly into Naruto’s eyes then, expression soft and loving. The expression makes Naruto feel raw and panicky.

“How you feel about me,” Sasuke says plainly. “Because I’m certain now that you’re in love with me.”

“Sasuke…I don’t…you’ve got the—”

“Does she know?” Sasuke repeats, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Yes…I told her last year…” Naruto admits shamefully. “I couldn’t keep it from her…not with everything we were doing together.”

"I always wondered why you ran after me all those years,” Sasuke says, a hint of derision in his voice. Sasuke grip on his ankle tightened with every word he spoke. “And you dared to tell me you did everything because I was your friend. I accepted that explanation, not realizing you're an omega this entire time. Gosh…I’m so stupid.”

Naruto blinks back tears. His anger is justified, but only just. Naruto tugs his ankle out of Sasuke’s grip and stands up as gracefully as he can manage.

“So what if you’re right!” Naruto says, glowering at Sasuke from above. “So what if that’s how I feel? Or felt? Or whatever! It’s not like I was waiting around for you to come fuck me.”

“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit,” Sasuke says, not bothering to stand. He looks too smug, sitting on the floor, cross-legged, relaxed with his palm on a knee. “All these fans throwing themselves at you, and you expect me to believe you weren’t serious with any of them?”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do, actually.”

“How!?”

“Because you’re not the cheating type. You’d break off your arrangement with Sakura the moment you settled on someone. But you haven’t, have you?”

Naruto groans in frustration and throws his hands in the air. This guy is so fucking pretentious! Why does he have to be right all the time?!

“So, what?” Naruto says, trying to backpedal mentally, but he’s struggling to make a coherent argument. “You know now. So fucking what, Sasuke?!” 

Sasuke sighs. He scoots out of the doorway, leaning against the wall that separates the genkan and the kitchen. He folds his knees up, making himself small enough for Naruto to pass.

“So…maybe I wasn’t crazy,” Sasuke says softly, eyes downcast. He sounds relieved and tired. “I thought…every time I imagined your face when I was with others, that I was crazy. I worried when I vowed to kill you, sever our bond, that my mind had concocted some sick fantasy to break you. It was one thing to kill each other on the battlefield. It was another to… pursue you and then kill you...but that wasn’t it. I’m not crazy." Sasuke let out a bitter scoff before continuing. "And even if you didn’t tell the whole truth when we died together at the Valley at the End about why you saved me from myself… know that I didn’t know it for a long time, but I’ve known since the moment the sun rose over the valley, that I loved you, too.”

Naruto laughed, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. The sound came across as detached, wet, and manic. Sasuke didn’t flinch or react, though. He licked his lips and looked away from Naruto's tears.

“Holy shit, we are so messed up,” Naruto says, wiping the tears away. 

"Yeah, I guess we are,” Sasuke says, smirking.

Naruto walks toward the door but pauses as he reaches for the handle. He turns to Sasuke. 

“Make sure to put a glass of water on Sakura’s nightstand,” he says, pointing towards her bedroom door. “And lock the windows before you leave.”

“Got it. Anything else?” Sasuke replies.

“Yeah…you have the key to my place…my heat starts tomorrow…” Naruto swallows, pushing down his pride, before continuing. “I cannot accept another heartbreak, Sasuke. I’ve accepted a lot of pain from you because I…I love you more than I love myself. But I cannot accept less, not anymore. Not from anyone and especially not from you so if you come tomorrow, you’d be the first alpha I give myself to. And you’d be my only. Think about that. Goodnight.”

Naruto opens the door and sprints to his apartment. He ignores the heavy scent of rain that follows him until the entrance of Sakura’s apartment building. He can’t look back. He can’t accept anything less. 
 

Chapter Text

“Are you sure about this?” Sakura asks, leaning against Naruto’s kitchen counter the next day. 

“No, but what’s said has been said,” Naruto says, drinking his second cup of coffee. 

Sakura entered his apartment mid-morning, holding a bag of prepared meals and breakfast. The ruckus she made is what woke him up. The two put the food away and readied the apartment for Naruto’s heat cycle. Seals to conceal pheromones and cancel noise are on the windows, doors, and balcony. Sakura insists on placing traps by the door that would be triggered by anyone except herself, Sasuke, Ino, or Kakashi. 

He’s grateful for her presence despite her noise making his head hurt. His back, legs, and feet ache, signaling the beginning of his heat. He didn’t have the energy to prepare breakfast or make coffee. Sakura may be hungover, but she is holding up better than he is. They got the preparation done in less than two hours. Now, he could rest. 

“He better show up,” Sakura says, arms folded against her chest. “I can’t believe he let you leave like that!”

“I can,” Naruto says miserably. He didn’t have the energy to summon his usual cheer. 

Sakura took the coffee cup out of his hand. She dumped it in the sink, turned it on, filled it with water, and placed it back in his hands. Naruto sighed at her mothering. 

“You shouldn’t drink any more caffeine,” Sakura chastises. “You’re moody because you’re dehydrated.”

“Whatever,” Naruto says, rolling his eyes. 

He leaves the kitchen to sit on the couch, but, despite his attitude, he sips the water. Naruto’s feet are cold and sore. He tucks himself into the couch, wrapping a thick blanket around his legs, and glares at the balcony doors as if daring them to open and reveal the man he’d invited here. 

Naruto didn’t know why he’d opened his big mouth. It isn’t a trivial thing to share a heat with an alpha. And this was Sasuke. Sasuke, who knew how he felt and had known for longer than Naruto had anticipated. 

Sakura sits on the couch with him. She squeezes his knee gently. Naruto places a free hand over hers, smiling apologetically. She’s used to his moodiness, especially when he’s hormonal, but she is trying to care for him and Ino today.

“I’ll be okay, even if he doesn’t show,” Naruto assures her. “It wouldn’t be the first one I’ve spent alone, y’know?”

“Yeah, but…you were so sick last year,” Sakura replies anxiously. “I know Lady Tsunade says it’s better to be off suppressants while we all recover it’s just…seeing you so down wasn’t easy.”

Naruto squeezes her hand again in reassurance. The first heat after coming off his suppressants hadn’t been easy. He’d been way too confident about it. After his first heat at 13, Naruto thought it would be simple: get a few toys, hunker down, and ride it out. But he learned fast why Chi-Chi and Bolin had insisted on around-the-clock pain medication. 

His body felt like it was on fire. He’d cried so much that he threw up the little food he’d been able to eat. The worst part was the neediness. The desire he felt kept him in a haze for hours. He’d bruised his private parts to satiate the deep, aching need for anyone to be inside him. When he came out of it four days later, Naruto’s apartment was trashed and he was filthy.

The entire thing sent him spiraling into a two-month-long depression. That’s when Sakura and Ino pulled him aside to propose their current arrangement. None of them wanted to see each other hurting. Not like this. They’d been through enough. 

“It won’t be like that,” Naruto says, only half-believing himself. “We prepped better this time. Plus, I got some pain medication in the bathroom. It’s not as fast acting as I’d like, but it will keep me comfortable.”

A soft thump on the balcony interrupts them. Sakura grips Naruto’s hands firmly as Sasuke turns the key and opens the balcony door. Sasuke slips off his shoes before entering, glancing at the two omegas’ entangled hands. He’s wearing a pair of loose-fitting training pants and a tee shirt with a sweater. He lays a satchel on the floor.

“Am I interrupting something?” Sasuke asks evenly.  

“I was here to make sure my friend is okay,” Sakura replies with a toothy grin. “Would that be why you’re here?”

“Sakura-chan…stop,” Naruto says. 

Sakura huffs. Sasuke turns his head away from them. Naruto groans as a cramp hits him right under his belly button. 

“Are the pain pills on the counter or the cabinet in the bathroom? I’ll see how much you need to take,” Sakura asks, letting go of his hand and walking toward the bathroom in a hurry.

“The counter,” Naruto says, closing his eyes and holding the cool mug to his forehead. He’d address his teammate’s petty behavior another day. 

“Are you okay?” Sasuke asks, taking the seat Sakura just vacated. To Naruto’s surprise, Sasuke took his hand and laced their fingers. “You’re sweating.”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. I ate breakfast, at least,” Naruto says. He feels the tension unwind deep in his chest as the smell of morning rain cascades over him. 

Sakura enters with the pill bottle in her hand. She opens her palm for Sasuke to see. She shakes three into her hand.

“Make sure he takes this much every 4 hours,” she says softly. “Preferably with food. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with vomit. He tends to ignore food in the middle of everything, opting for juice. Don’t let him convince you he isn’t hungry, got it?”

“Every four hours, make sure the idiot chews and swallows, got it,” Sasuke says with a smirk. 

Sakura giggles while handing the pills to Naruto. Naruto rolls his eyes at their teasing, accepts the medicine, and chases the pills with the water left in his mug. Sakura gives Naruto a small hug and starts to leave. 

“There are pre-packed meals inside the fridge, Sasuke. Naruto actually shopped this time, so you should be able to cook more if you have to,” Sakura explains as she pulls on her boots in the genkan. “Do me a solid, Sasuke: wear a blasted condom.”

Naruto chucks a pillow toward her, but she ducks out of the way and exits the apartment in a fit of giggles. The pillow hits the door with a soft thud.

“I’m going to strangle her,” Naruto says, sinking further into the couch cushions. 

“No, you’re not,” Sasuke says kindly. “She’s looking out for you.”

“I know,” Naruto says, groaning in annoyance. “But—”

“I did bring them.”

“Huh?”

“Condoms. I brought them.”

“Oh…thanks…I am on birth control…so…we have backup.”

Naruto pulls the blanket over his face. He wishes he could drink right now. Last night, the conversation seemed to flow so naturally. Now, he feels like he didn’t know what to say. Sasuke tugs the blanket away slowly, revealing Sasuke’s coy expression. 

“You…aren’t the only one nervous,” Sasuke says. He opens his one arm wide for Naruto to crawl into. “Let’s just…say nothing for now.”

Naruto nods and repositions himself on the couch to lie on top of Sasuke, his head nestled on his shoulder. Sasuke adjusts the blanket to cover them. They lie there for a moment, breathing in each other’s presence. 

Sasuke places his hand on the nape of Naruto’s neck, stroking the hair there with his fingers. Naruto says nothing at this contact. It feels nice, affirming the realness of this moment. He drags his nose against Sasuke’s Adam’s apple, inhaling the scent that this man carries like a second skin. It did smell like rain, but this close, it was richer, thicker, and heavier. Naruto can pull it apart as the smell settles on the back of his tongue: driftwood on the water’s edge, mud on the forest floor, maple trees at the height of fall, and fresh honeyed wine. Naruto sighs and pulls himself closer, his groin firmly on top of Sasuke’s thighs and his face in his neck.

Sasuke doesn’t protest. He buries his nose into Naruto’s hair. Naruto can feel each breath he takes, a shudder traveling down his arms every time Sasuke exhales. He lets Sasuke reach under his shirt, drag his blunt nails along his skin, and kiss the exposed skin on his face. Each caress grounds Naruto to the present. This wasn’t a dream, after all.

“I am a fool,” Sasuke says into Naruto’s ear. The low timber of his voice does something to Naruto’s stomach that he doesn’t want to name yet. “Smelling you now…I’ve loved you for so long…I should’ve known you were an omega.”

“What do you mean?” Naruto asks. “Everyone tells me I smell like citrus.”

“Not exactly,” Sasuke says. He adjusts himself so he can look Naruto in the eyes. “It’s like wildflowers, spun sugar, and linen dried in the sun. Warm, like whiskey and orange peels. I smelled it when you saw me off, but I thought it was just the forest’s wind. The whole time…it was you. You and your sunshine.”

“Hey…kiss me?” Naruto asks, breathless as he pushes himself to his knees so he’s nose to nose with Sasuke.

Sasuke glances down at Naruto’s lips and then back up to his eyes. The hesitation only lasts for a moment, though. Their eyes half-shut, their lips touch, and any semblance of common sense leaves Naruto’s body. Their tongues meet, dancing slowly to a chorus only they can hear. Naruto straddles Sasuke’s lap, grinds his hips into him, and holds onto the man like a lifeline. This was better than breathing. 

“Wait, Naru, wait,” Sasuke says. He pries Naruto’s hands off him firmly, but gently. “Not here.”

“But why?” Naruto whines. 

“You’ll feel better in your bed,” Sasuke says but doesn’t wait for Naruto to comply.

He wraps his arm around Naruto’s waist and stands up. With a yelp, Naruto wraps his legs around the man’s waist and lets himself be carried. He feels so light in Sasuke’s arm. Naruto can feel the slick gathering in his underwear. Oh, he hopes Sasuke manhandles him more.

Sasuke carries him effortlessly into his room. The queen-sized bed is covered in dozens of pillows and blankets Naruto’s accumulated over the years. Sasuke plops Naruto into a divot in the middle of the makeshift den. Then, he reaches for the hem of Naruto’s shirt but pauses.

“Naruto…you know, once we do this, we can’t—” 

“Shut up and get naked right now or I swear I’ll kill you,” Naruto says fiercely. 

Naruto grabs Sasuke’s wrist and tugs him hard enough that Sasuke falls forward. Eager and slightly manic, Naruto pulls Sasuke’s clothes off. Sasuke, clearly amused and satisfied with the response, helps Naruto peel off his pants. 

In his haste, Naruto grows sweaty and achy between his thighs. He drags Sasuke down into a tight embrace, finding his lips again and kissing him so fiercely that he shakes. He feels tears stinging his eyes, but he can’t cry right now. That’s not what he needs. Shit, what does he need, right now? It’s so damn hot!

“Shh, shh, it’s okay,” Sasuke says, pulling back from their kiss enough to speak. “Let me get you out of these clothes. Can I do that?”

Naruto nods, trying hard to breathe evenly. Clothes…that’s right, he’s still in his pants. Sasuke sits Naruto up, pulls his damp shirt over his head, and lays him back down to deal with his pants. Naruto bends his knees, bringing them to his chest as Sasuke removes them along with his underwear and tosses them to the side. 

He feels Sasuke’s hand grow rigid, the man pausing at his ankles. Then, Sasuke pushes Naruto’s legs to spread eagle. The look Sasuke is giving him is akin to a drowning man spotting dry land.

“Oh…you're so wet,” Sasuke says. He drags his fingers through Naruto’s folds, pausing at his entrance to rub it in shallow circles. The sensation makes Naruto squirm. “All this…and you didn’t share this with any other alpha? Just me?”

“Just you, I swear,” Naruto says. “Sasuke…please…I…”

Naruto’s words dissolve into full-blown tears. His mind feels fuzzy, a haze of red blurring the periphery of his vision. He can’t think. He could barely catch his breath. All he knew was that he needed something, anything from the man in his bed.

Sasuke makes a soothing, shushing sound, like a parent soothing their child. He sits Naruto up again, maneuvers himself behind Naruto’s back, and lays them back against the pillows. In this position, Naruto was skin-to-skin with Sasuke. He sighs at the blissful contact. His skin feels cooler compared to his. Like this, Naruto could feel Sasuke’s breath and the muscles under his strong thighs.

Sasuke tilts Naruto’s chin up. Naruto follows Sasuke’s eyes to find a full-body mirror. He’d forgotten all about the thing being there, but he was grateful for it now because there they were: black and blond hair sticking to their foreheads, skin flushed, bodies entangled, and Naruto’s arousal on full display. His slick glistened in the sunlight falling through his window.

“Just focus on what you see,” Sasuke whispers in his ear. Naruto lets out a breath, a sound of surrender. “Do you like it?”

Naruto nods. He watches their reflection, gripping Sasuke’s thighs as the man’s fingers wrap around his dick. It’s leaking with precum and covered in slick. Each stroke from Sasuke feels like a blessing from on high.

“Use your words and I’ll take good care of you,” Sasuke says. He bites Naruto’s ear and sucks. “Tell me: Do you like it?”

“Yes, oh shit, yes,” Naruto moans, chest heaving in an effort not to cry. “Please, touch me more, please.”

Sasuke strokes him faster with each “please.” It doesn’t take long for Naruto to tip over the edge into orgasm, chest heaving and his knees shaking. When he tilts his head back in ecstasy, Sasuke drags his teeth against the exposed flesh of Naruto’s neck. Naruto should feel fear when he feels sharp canines. Instead, he feels joy.

“Again,” Naruto says, guiding Sasuke’s fingers lower, pressing two of his thick fingers against his entrance. “Here…I need to feel you.”

“Naru,” Sasuke says, sinking his fingers inside Naruto with a soft squish. The combination of his fingers and the nickname makes Naruto whine desperately. “Need is such a powerful word.”

“I do. I need you, please, faster,” Naruto begs. 

He’s not above begging. Not when he can see himself, pussy creaming onto Sasuke’s hand, and hear each stroke, wet and loud, echoing off the bedroom’s walls. Not after so many years, wishing his own hands were the ones finally pumping into his wetness with abandon. He needed this so badly. And from the possessive look in Sasuke’s eyes being reflected at him, he wasn’t alone in his desire. Naruto wants to dive into the dark expanse of those eyes if it means bathing in Sasuke’s unrestrained lust.

Sasuke presses three fingers up and strokes Naruto’s sweet spot fast and hard. The sensation is intense, causing Naruto to fold over at the waist, the only thing keeping him upright is Sasuke’s embrace. He tries to close his legs, but Sasuke bites down on his shoulder in protest. 

“Don’t. Open them. Now,” Sasuke says. 

Naruto obeys, his entire body sagging. He can’t do anything but wail as Sasuke assaults the spot over and over again. He cums at least three times, squirting onto the sheets so hard his thighs shake from the effort to keep up. Naruto didn’t think anyone could pull the sounds out of his body that he was making: high-pitched grunts and cries from the pits of his soul. 

Finally, Sasuke stops. Naruto feels slightly coherent, enough of the heat-induced haze drifting away to sit up. Naruto leans back against Sasuke’s chest, trying to catch his breath. Sasuke kisses his cheek gently.

“Feel better?” Sasuke asks, tone amused and sickly sweet.

“Actually, yeah,” Naruto says. “Kind of thirsty though.”

“Lay down. I’ll be right back,” Sasuke says.

Naruto leaves Sasuke’s embrace reluctantly. The moment he leaves the warm room, Naruto feels anxious. It’s a creepy feeling, just under the skin, like someone is watching him. Entirely silly. He knows Sasuke is coming back, especially because of the heavy erection the man is carrying between his legs. 

Instead of the anxiety, Naruto focuses on the anticipation, the moment Sasuke brings that lovely piece of flesh back into his bed. He hums pleasantly, almost like a purr, when Sasuke returns with a glass and his bag on his shoulder. He reaches out to touch his dick, but Sasuke puts the glass in front of his crotch to stop Naruto’s advance. Naruto sucks his teeth.

“Drink first,” Sasuke says sternly. “I don’t want to make you.”

Naruto snatches the glass and chugs it. He won’t admit that it feels good. He shoves the glass into Sasuke’s waiting hand. 

“Happy now?” Naruto asks, rolling over onto his back. 

Sasuke chuckles at Naruto, way too amused for the state they are both in. He places the glass on the floor. Then, Sasuke puts on a condom before climbing back into the bed, crawling over Naruto, and pressing his erection against Naruto. 

Groin to groin, Naruto can feel the heat pulsing off Sasuke. He glances down, and his eyes blow wide. Compared to him, Sasuke’s length is impressive, the tip touching his belly button and it’s thick like a beer bottle. Oh, this must be heaven. 

Naruto grinds up, a piss-poor attempt to quench the lust pooling in his gut. His wet thighs make a soft, squishy sound when he spreads them, pushing Sasuke down with both hands so they can be chest to chest. The man doesn’t budge, though. Sasuke rolls his hips in the opposite direction. Both their dicks rub against each other. Naruto inhales sharply at the delicious feeling.

“Answer a question, will you?” Sasuke asks. 

He sounds way too calm for the situation they're in. Naruto tears his eyes away from the obscene display between their bodies to meet Sasuke’s tender expression. Even in his hazy brain, Naruto could tell this was important.

“Sure…anything. Ask me anything.”

“How many?”

“What?”

“You said you weren’t waiting around for me to fuck you last night. So…if you love me—and I’m sure you do with the way you’re leaking for me—why didn’t you wait for me? Why not just tell me? We could’ve skipped all this pain.”

Sasuke grinds as he speaks, a slow and tempestuous movement of the hips that makes it difficult to focus. Naruto feels like his layers are being peeled back, piece by painful piece. He’s so hot that the back of his knees are sweating, sticking to the sheets. How could Sasuke ask him this, right now?  Naruto turns his head away and screws his eyes shut before responding.

“Sas…I was alone. Every night. Every day. It was easy, to put my blinders on, take people to my bed, pretend they were you.”

Sasuke paused his movements. Naruto whines and presses his hips upward, chasing the pleasure. Sasuke shifts his weight down to stop him from moving.

“Look at me, sunshine,” Sasuke says softly, like a caress of a flower against the skin. Naruto looks at him. The understanding in his eyes pins Naruto in place. “What do you mean ‘pretend’?”

“It’s always been you,” Naruto says, years of pain unraveling inside his chest, inch by inch, with each tear falling from his eyes. “The night I presented, I closed my eyes and I saw you. Every single time, every month, no matter who I shared myself with, my mind brought you to me. Please don’t feel jealous of those people. They aren’t you. I need you…so please…don’t make me beg anymore: make love to me, Sasuke.”

Sasuke kisses Naruto under each eye, tasting the tears with the tip of his tongue. He moves to capture Naruto’s lips with a mournful sigh, a desperate sound calling for a safe haven. Sasuke keeps kissing him as he nestles his length between Naruto’s legs. When he finally pushes forward, sliding inside in one smooth, wet motion, Sasuke comes up for air and whimpers against Naruto’s cheek.

“Shit…” Sasuke whispers. He slides his arm under Naruto and holds onto his waist like a vice. “Hold onto me.”

Naruto wraps himself around Sasuke, his legs around his hips and his arms around his back. When Sasuke rocks forward, it’s with so much force that he slides back into the pillows. Each snap of Sasuke’s hips is deliberate, reaching a part of Naruto that he didn’t realize he had. This is what he needed. 

“Fuck yes,” Naruto cries, digging his nails into Sasuke’s shoulders. He’s vaguely aware that he’s still crying, but it feels cathartic. “Sasuke, baby, please, I—”

“I know, I know, shit,” Sasuke says, face buried in the crease of Naruto’s neck. “I feel crazy. You’re making me crazy.”

“I don’t—”

The words are cut off by Sasuke kissing him again. His tongue feels so damn good. Why had he bothered kissing anyone else? Sasuke rolls his hips in time with the way his tongue moves in Naruto’s mouth. Naruto can’t breathe, but that’s okay. That’s fine. He doesn’t need air right now.

He cums so hard around Sasuke’s dick that Naruto’s eyes cross. The slick travels up their stomach and down their thighs. His cunt clamps down on Sasuke, and the wicked bastard starts fucking him in earnest. The tight slide sounds like someone playing in a puddle of water.

“Damn it, Sasuke, damn it, baby,” Naruto whines. “Why?”

“Cause you asked for it,” Sasuke says cheekily. 

Naruto can’t help but laugh. He lets go of Sasuke, wraps his hands around his knees, and pulls his thighs closer to his chest. The change in angle hits his sweet spot dead on. Sasuke moans, pumping faster.

“That’s it, that’s what I needed, fuck yes,” Naruto babbles, letting his head fall back into the pillows. He feels so damn euphoric.

Then, a strong smell fills the room. It reminds Naruto of the ash from a campfire. Sasuke, face still nuzzled in Naruto’s shoulder, reaches up to grip the back of Naruto’s neck tightly. The pressure of Sasuke’s thumb over his pulse sends a shiver down his spine and he swallows when he hears a distinct growl. 

“Sasuke…?” 

“Damn you, Naruto,” Sasuke says, voice deep and husky. 

“Oh…your rut just kicked in,” Naruto replies, a hint of fear in his voice. 

Sasuke stops. He sits up to meet Naruto’s concerned eyes. Sasuke’s pupils are blown wide, the purple Rinnegan swirling; Naruto wonders if Sasuke is doing that consciously. His hair is so damp that his bangs are slicked back on their own. He looks a bit deranged and afraid, like a cat backed into a corner. Naruto places a palm on Sasuke’s cheek.

“I’m right here, baby,” Naruto says. He takes Sasuke’s hand and places it over his throat. “I’m strong enough to bear it. Give me everything you have to give. I want you.”

“Okay…okay,” Sasuke says, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to steady himself.

This time, when Sasuke starts to write his desire on Naruto’s pussy walls, it’s slow and deep. He doesn’t quite choke Naruto. He holds Naruto firmly, his thumb under his chin, stroking it gently. Naruto can’t look away from Sasuke, not when he’s pinned down like this. All he can do is breathe in the fiery passion rolling off Sasuke, take each stroke after sweet stroke, and fall apart, each moan sounding needy and altogether unhinged. He knew he said he could take it. He knows he wants this, but the look of adoration on Sasuke’s face may be enough to break him. 

“Focus on me,” Sasuke says. He leans forward until they are nose to nose. Naruto wails under his powerful gaze, and he squirms. “I know, you want me to fuck you silly. I’ll do that, but…right now, I want you to cum like this.”

“Sasuke…oh god, stop!”

“No, cum for me, Naruto.”

Naruto cums, his toes curling and back arching off the bed. His scream hurts his throat but Sasuke doesn’t take his eyes off him. He rides Naruto through the orgasm, pussy squirting loudly, until Sasuke’s hips stutter and he sighs when he cums at last.

Sasuke kisses Naruto’s cheeks until they both come back down from the high. Naruto feels so wrung out. And hungry. 

“Hey…can we eat?”

“Sure.”

“Then…can we do that again?”

“Anything you want, sunshine.”

Chapter Text

In the middle of his dining room, wearing only an oversized tee shirt, Naruto watches Sasuke in his kitchen, heating their dinner. Sasuke, still naked, brings several servings of rice, meat, vegetables, and candy to the table. Each step he takes, bouncing back and forth to the kitchen, seems jovial and light. Naruto swears he hears the man humming. 

The behavior is odd, but Naruto isn’t about to comment on it or risk ruining the moment. He appreciates this absence of "heat haze" as an uncommon moment of clarity. At this point, even when he’s with Ino and Sakura, the heat-induced delirium alters his perception of time and space. Both women told him that he’d said or done things that he doesn’t remember at all. They’d done the same. Maybe that’s why the three were inseparable now. Too many secrets were shared, skin-to-skin, in the midnight hours.

Over a bottle of wine from Suna, Temari told him once that sharing a heat with an alpha was an entirely different experience. She spoke affectionately, her peaceful eyes never leaving Shikamaru, who stood across the room. “When you love that person, the heat doesn’t feel like you’re fighting a storm,” she’d said. “It’s more like sitting and talking in the pouring rain.” 

Naruto pondered her words often, rolling them around in his mind like dice, wondering if and when the day came to gamble with an alpha her experience would prove true. He reasoned that, eventually, he’d bury his love for Sasuke alongside the dream of reviving his parents and Jiraiya from the dead. But now, sitting here, eating a meal after being intimate with Sasuke, Naruto understands why Temari crossed the continent to spend the rest of her life at Shikamaru’s side. 

“I know I don’t have to tell you this,” Naruto says as they clear the table. “But thank you. For coming, I mean.” 

“Don’t,” Sasuke replies, frosty. 

“I mean it,” Naruto says, annoyed at Sasuke's tone. 

“I know, but…don’t thank me. I want to be here,” Sasuke says, warmer this time. “Rather, I think I need to be here.”

Sasuke takes Naruto by the hand and guides them to the living room, abandoning their dishes in the sink. He sits on the couch, leaving enough space for Naruto to sit at his side, but Naruto chooses to straddle his hips instead. The creepy, nagging feeling is settling over his skin again—like, if he isn’t directly under Sasuke, something awful would happen. Sasuke wraps his arm around Naruto’s waist, pulling him and resting his cheek against Naruto’s chest. 

“Need is such a powerful word, Sasuke,” Naruto says, echoing Sasuke’s words from earlier. Sasuke snorts.

“It’s true,” Sasuke replies, hand trailing down to cup Naruto’s ass cheek. “You’re the person I trust the most, to be myself with, to share this part of my life with…I thought I would never be with anyone again.”

Naruto cups Sasuke’s head with both hands and tilts it back. He hasn’t seen Sasuke this open since their last battle. It makes his heart hurt.

“Forgive yourself,” Naruto says, “That’s the past. This is now.”

“What if I hurt you?” Sasuke asks, searching Naruto’s face desperately. 

“You can’t break me,” Naruto says, chuckling. “We tried that already, y’know?”

“Right…I almost forgot,” Sasuke says dryly. 

Naruto nestles his face into Sasuke’s soft, black hair. It smells distinctly of sweat, sex, and burning cedar. A quiet whine escapes his lips as the scent settles on the back of Naruto’s tongue. He spreads his legs further until he’s fully seated on Sasuke’s thighs. The delirium is coming on. Fast.

“Sasuke…I have to ask you something,” Naruto says. He’s running his fingers through Sasuke’s hair, nails dragging against his scalp like a cat scratching a post. 

“Yes?” Sasuke replies, leaning into the abuse.

“My second and third days can be intense,” Naruto explains. “I won’t remember much, if anything at all.”

“I may not be any better,” Sasuke admits.

“That’s why I’m telling you this now,” Naruto says firmly. He tilts Sasuke’s head back, pulling him back by his hair and meeting those intense eyes. “Knot me and claim me. Don’t hesitate. Spare us both the drama.”

Sasuke’s impassive expression morphs into one of disbelief. He tries to get up. Naruto clamps his thighs firmly around the man, pinning him to the sofa. They can feel the slick dripping down Naruto’s thighs. 

“You can’t mean it,” Sasuke says. 

“But I do.”

“Think about what you’re asking: you’re going to be Hokage! Our friendship is already misunderstood if we—”

“If we what Sasuke?” Naruto asks. He can’t keep the hurt out of his voice. “Fuck? Spend every month together like this? Love each other? ‘Cause I can tell you how that will go: we’ll resent each other. Do you want to make more of a mess than it already is?”

“You can’t mean it,” Sasuke repeats. “Why me? You could have anyone. There’re dozens of—”

Naruto kisses him to be quiet. It’s nothing more than a gentle peck. Innocent, but warm in its intensity. 

“I’m asking you,” Naruto says. They are so close that Naruto can see his reflection in Sasuke’s eyes. “I’m pleading with you to make me yours, your one and only.”

Sasuke takes a shuddering breath. When he exhales, Naruto can almost see the shame leaving Sasuke’s body.

“I…want to so badly,” Sasuke says, pressing his hip upward and pulling Naruto impossibly closer. The motion rubs against Naruto’s pussy, a sweet kiss of skin. “I feel dizzy, out of control, sick with how badly I need you. If I do this, Naruto…I can’t share. I won’t share. Not even with Sakura or Ino.”

“I think they’ll understand,” Naruto replies breathlessly. 

Naruto reaches down and lines Sasuke up with his entrance. Sasuke goes rigid. 

“Wait…the condoms are—”

Naruto lets go. He sighs in frustration, takes a deep breath, and wills the crazy away. Sasuke better be lucky he loves him so fucking much.

“Those won’t matter for what we are about to do,” Naruto says plainly. “And if I somehow end up pregnant, Konoha’s hospital pharmacy has some explaining to do.”

He takes Sasuke’s hand and presses it against the skin near his groin, where his right thigh meets his hips. Sasuke looks intrigued when he feels the firm medical device underneath. 

“It’s standard issue for every omega ninja in Konoha,” Naruto explains. “I get this replaced every 2-3 years. It’s designed exactly for my chakra pathways and my blood type. It can’t fail unless we take it out. Rather…when we take it out.”

“Karin didn’t have this,” Sasuke says, relieved. “I turned her down because she was a forgetful nimrod who always lost her pills.”

“Tsunade insisted on this once I got back to the village,” Naruto says, rolling his eyes. The entire procedure is painless but annoying. “So trust me when I say I won’t be pushing your big head baby out in 40 weeks.”

“Do you…want to?” Sasuke asks shyly. 

“Eventually,” Naruto says, blushing. “Do you…want me to?”

Sasuke smiles. A genuine, wide smile that transforms his handsome face into something breathtaking. Naruto is so glad no one else got to see Sasuke like this. He’d have to beat their ass for daring to look. 

“Yes, you’d make me the happiest man alive,” Sasuke says, lovingly. He lifts Naruto. “Go ahead. Put it in so I can see.”

Fever travels down Naruto’s spine, hearing those words. He reaches down, lines Sasuke up with his entrance, and slides down. He’s so gone that the whining and heavy breathing coming out of his mouth seem like they are coming from far away. He feels so full and happy grinding his hips with reckless abandon.

The last thing he remembers is wrapping his arms around Sasuke’s neck and saying, “Thank you.”

***

Sasuke can do nothing except take. Despite Naruto’s warning, he's shocked at the ferocity of Naruto’s fucking. He’s pinned to the couch and Naruto’s legs, the wooden frame creaking and protesting their weight. They may have to throw the damn cheap piece of furniture away anyway. Between the sweat coming off their body and the slick squirting across their stomachs and legs, the couch would be ruined.

Sasuke tries to breathe, but all he can do is moan. He’s holding onto Naruto’s waist for dear life, feeling his torso's muscles flex every time his lover rolls his hips. Sasuke is completely out of control, and embarrassingly, he doesn’t give a shit. Every stroke feels tortuously sweet, something forbidden and taboo, a secret that he’s desperate to keep to himself. 

Then, it occurs to him: he does Naruto to himself. He doesn’t have to cling so hard. Sasuke drags his tongue over his teeth and leans back onto the couch to watch the show. Unrestrained, Naruto leans his head back, blond hair hanging free, and mouth spilling filth that Sasuke didn’t dare imagine the man was capable of. 

“Mmm, your dick feels so good, baby. Why’d you keep this away, hm?”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Yes, yes, you did. Fuck. You’re so mean, so mean and cruel, Sasuke-baby. Please, please, make me cum some more.”

“Do it, cum on it.”

Sasuke bites his lip hard in the effort it takes to keep from closing his eyes in pleasure. Naruto’s orgasm clamps down around him so tight, so sweet that it almost tips him over the edge. It’s messy, cum coming out of his cunt and penis at once. Some of it lands on Sasuke’s lips. He tastes it. It tastes how his lover smells: sweet with a hint of wilderness. 

Naruto teeters backward towards the floor. Sasuke catches him before he falls. His skin is hot to the touch, Naruto’s breath coming in short huffs, and his trembling from the force of his orgasm. Sasuke hugs him, littering kisses everywhere he can reach. His chest feels tight seeing Naruto so vulnerable. He’s used to the strong, unmoving force that never falters. Now, he’s putty in his hands. 

“You did so good,” Sasuke whispers. “Let’s go back to bed.”

Naruto nods, sighing into Sasuke’s shoulders. He’s purring, clinging to Sasuke like a security blanket. It takes some maneuvering, but he gets them off the couch and into the bed.

“Sasuke, I need…”

“On your hands and knees.”

Naruto obeys. He’s making a sound like he won some sort of prize. It’s kind of adorable how excited he is, bent over and braced against the pillows. Naruto uses one hand to spread his moist lips open.

“Take me properly. I know you want to.”

Something inside Sasuke snaps and falls into the depths of hell. It feels as if he’d been walking along a rickety bridge over a roaring river. He’s shocked at how hard he still is, but only for a split second because when he slides into Naruto again, he has one thing on his mind: fucking this cheeky bastard until he can’t move.

He grabs Naruto by the back of the neck so hard that it arches his back perfectly. Naruto lets out a squeal, half-shock and half-pleasure. Each back shot sounds like the ocean hitting the coastline. Sasuke’s not sure where he got the strength in his hips, but it’ll have to do. Naruto asked for this, and he’ll be happy about it.

“Fucking yes, I love that shit,” Naruto screams. 

Sasuke registers the tears falling down Naruto’s cheeks, but it makes his heart sing. Naruto’s giddy smile borders on insane. He pushes that smug face into the pillows. Sasuke pulls out and slams himself home, then repeats. Naruto mumbles something.

“What’s that? I can’t hear you over the sound of your filthy pussy,” Sasuke says.

“Harder,” Naruto replies, throwing his hips back to meet Sasuke’s thrust. “I love that shit, every fucking inch, c’mon.”

Something about that whiney, sweet voice is hypnotizing. Sasuke obeys, egged by each moan and scream. He feels a tingle traveling from his toes and into his hips. He breathes heavily out his mouth, distantly aware that he’s drooling and an ache in his jaws. He has to take. Right now. Sasuke feels his knot form, pushing against the seams of Naruto’s entrance.
 
He lets go of Naruto’s neck and grabs one of his arms, dragging Naruto up onto his knees in one motion without pulling out of his sweet cunt. Naruto whines at the rough treatment, but his body is pliant.

“Show me your neck,” Sasuke says into Naruto’s ear, licking it for good measure.

Naruto lets his head fall back onto Sasuke’s shoulders. His neck is exposed, his body sagging, and his legs widen to let Sasuke thrust upwards. It’s a slow, forceful stroke that hits a spot inside that has Naruto trembling. 

Sasuke keeps this up for a few breaths. He pushes his knot in, then back out, coaxing it in one centimeter at a time. Naruto whines at the slow treatment. Sasuke ignores him. He knows he likes it by the way he’s creaming all over his knot. Sasuke licks Naruto’s neck, kisses the spot, then sinks his teeth in and pushes his knot home.

“Oh god, yes,” Naruto cries, words drawn out and wet, cumming instantly.  

Stars flash across Sasuke’s vision. The pleasure is almost too much but not enough. Locked inside, Sasuke stirs inside Naruto’s pussy as he releases his neck. He sucks on the open wound, the taste of copper tipping him over into a violent orgasm. His toes curl and he loses his balance.

They collapse like marionettes onto the soft mass of pillows and blankets. Sasuke blinks a few times before he realizes he’s crushing Naruto with his weight. He readjusts them so he can hold Naruto against his chest. 

Then, he hears snoring. Sasuke laughs out loud. The fool fell asleep with his dick still inside!

“I love this idiot,” Sasuke says, pulling a blanket over them and closing his eyes.  

Chapter Text

Day 3

Orochimaru abandoned Sasuke in a remote location without food and a week’s worth of water. His former sensei insisted that a shinobi’s true worth shines through in moments of crisis. Sasuke was about fourteen at the time. He’d overestimated himself, a nasty trait he’d only abandoned on the battlefield when admitting defeat to the man he now found himself tangled between the sheets with. 

That time in the wilderness taught Sasuke how to survive. He learned how to find clean water, track animals, and make shelter to keep out the pouring rain. Now, Sasuke knows how to ignore his baser instincts, especially for the sake of a mission. He didn’t anticipate having to use these skills to care for Naruto, who is deep in throughs of heat. Sasuke refractory period was much longer than Naruto’s, which he expected and appreciated. In these moments of clarity, Sasuke could force the omega to eat, take pain medications, and drink something. It’s more a test of patience than a test of will. Naruto is more petulant and stubborn than normal plus a heavy dose of neediness. 

It didn’t help that Naruto sleeps in three to four hour bursts instead of eight consecutive hours. Even if he weren’t in his rut, this sort of sleep pattern would make any shinobi difficult to deal with. Sasuke couldn’t deny Naruto another touch, another kiss, another dip inside his wet walls, even if he wanted to. But Sasuke had to deny Naruto sometimes. Ignore his sweet whispers against his cheeks. Tell him no when he tried to slide Sasuke’s length into his mouth again. They couldn’t live and breathe on sex alone.

They did, however, compromise. 

They could fuck before and after their bath, one of Naruto’s knees on the sink’s countertop, his hands knocking over the toothbrush holder during a desperate attempt to hold on to something while taking each backshot without falling over.

There wasn’t a rule saying Naruto couldn’t be rewarded for taking his medicine with semen, load after load sliding down his throat. Naruto agreed to these terms. He didn’t seem too upset when Sasuke grabbed his hair, using it as leverage to fuck his mouth. 

This compromising is how Sasuke finds himself, half-erect, buried inside Naruto’s pussy at the table, eating lunch. To his credit, Naruto did sit down in a chair to start, but after a few minutes, he crawled under the table and coaxed Sasuke back to full hardness with his tongue. Sasuke didn’t attempt to argue. He simply lifted the man, shoved himself inside, and started feeding them both. 

“This tastes so good,” Naruto hums while he chews. The happy fool is even kicking his feet.

“I’m glad you like it,” Sasuke says. He pushes a small platter closer to Naruto’s chopsticks. “Can you eat a little more, please?”

He’d made a simple meal: stir-fried vegetables with grilled chicken and rice. It’s something quick and low energy. Sasuke made them a side of black tea and fruit, hoping it would keep Naruto healthy. 

Naruto is painfully feverish. All his skin is flushed, especially across his torso. Now Sasuke understands Sakura’s concern; Naruto could easily come out of this sick and there’d be only so much the Nine-Tails chakra could do to help. 

“Fine,” Naruto whined, squirming in Sasuke’s lap but complying.

Sasuke chuckles at the behavior. He hadn’t imagined Naruto would be this cute. Hell, he hadn’t imagined the reality of being with Naruto at all. This moment is for the realm of dreams. 

Sasuke sips his tea and watches Naruto eat. He doesn’t remember feeling this content in a long time. He counts the dozen or so love bites along his lover’s body: on the neck, shoulders, back, and love handles. Sasuke can feel the ache of similar bruises between his thighs and neck. This man was his. This moment was theirs. 

Naruto puts his chopsticks down and stretches his arms above his head. A small yawn escapes him as Naruto leans back onto Sasuke’s chest. Sasuke moves his teacup out of the way, places it on the table, and wraps his arm around Naruto’s stomach. 

“You should try to nap,” Sasuke suggests, rubbing Naruto’s lower stomach. He can feel the tip of Naruto’s dick graze his fingers, wet and rock hard. 

“Nope. I don’t wanna,” Naruto says. 

He almost sighs the words, like the effort of talking is too much. Sasuke inhales sharply when he feels Naruto’s walls clench around his dick. Naruto spreads his legs wider and rubs his warm palms over Sasuke’s thighs, so softly it tickles and excites all at once.

“I think I want you to take me right here,” Naruto whispers. 

Sasuke groans at those words. It’s slow, but he can feel the strong sensation in his toes rise. He’s getting used to it: the rise and fall of the rut, a push and pull on his psyche that knocks down his inhibitions like a raging boar in a forest. It’s not exactly a loss of control. It’s a shift in focus. And, with the way Naruto is squeezing and releasing him, breathing so heavily, and talking, the focus is on fucking this sexy asshole into the floorboards. 

“C’mon, c’mon, it’s alright, I know you want to. Just one more. I told you: it’s nothing to worry about. No consequences. Just fill me up. It’s practice.”

“Practice for what?” Sasuke says, surprised by how gone he sounded: lost somewhere between heaven and hell. 

“Baby making,” Naruto says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He starts to roll his hips, grinding down on Sasuke’s growing erection. “You want to knot me, fill me, take me, fuck me, over and over again. Don’t lie to me!”

Damn it, and damn him to hell! What did he even ask Naruto to do anyway? Naruto guides Sasuke's trembling fingers to where their bodies meet. Sasuke could feel Naruto’s wet, dripping lips wrapped around him. He groaned at the sensation. He couldn’t resist slowly pumping into that wonderful heat, feeling each stroke between his fingers. 

“That’s it, baby. Take your time, fuck,” Naruto moaned, words drawn out and hoarse. 

Sasuke knows he’s overstimulated. He knows Naruto is sore as hell. At some point yesterday, Sasuke found an ice pack and placed it between Naruto’s legs while he was sleeping. But he knew he couldn’t deny Naruto either. Not when he’s been so good. Not when he feels so fucking tight still.

“Hands on your ankles.”

Naruto obeys by getting up briefly to bend over and grab his knees. Sasuke pushes the table away so they don’t break it. 

“You want me to take my time?”

“Yes, I d—shit, right there!”

Sasuke dives right back into Naruto’s dripping pussy, sliding each inch in and out: slow, hard, and deep. When he fucked Naruto like this, every part of Naruto quivered and squealed. He sounded so pathetic and cute, every moan and wet smack urging Sasuke on. Both their thighs are bruised, red, and sore, but they don’t care. At least Sasuke knows he doesn’t give a shit. He needs to bury his aching knot inside. 

Naruto loses his grip when Sasuke switches his pace from slow and deliberate to fast and deep. Sasuke holds onto Naruto, guiding them both down and pinning Naruto to the floor. The omega tries to crawl away but gives up when Sasuke starts fucking him in earnest, knot snatching in and out of his entrance.

“Stay and take it, damn it. You want it more than I do. So fucking nasty. Listen to that pussy.”

Naruto wails, digging his nails into Sasuke’s arm but spreading his legs wider to take Sasuke easily. The sound of slick gushing out and onto their thighs might as well be a chorus. 

“I love it, baby, I love it! Hurry up, cum, please, I want it.”

Shit. Sasuke pushes himself home, locking Naruto inside and dumping his seed deep inside the love of his life. Scarily, Sasuke wished it would take. He wished it wasn’t just practice.

Shit…what the fuck is he thinking?

***

A ray of light woke Naruto up. From the angle and color, it’s sometime before noon but well after dawn. Naruto is slow to move. He lifts his head, scanning the room, and trying to gather his wits. He wasn’t on the bed. Naruto runs his hand under him: someone moves him to the floor onto a futon. The bed was stripped and pillows were stacked in the corner. A window is propped open, the low hum of village life floating inside.

His heat must’ve ended while he’d been sleeping. Naruto sits up and stretches. He can hear his washer and dryer running in his bathroom. He gets up and walks as quickly as his legs allow. He needed to pee so badly.

After he relieves himself, Naruto assesses himself in the mirror. He looks…well… thoroughly fucked out, but his hair is slightly damp and his clothes are clean. Sasuke must’ve cleaned him up because he’s not covered in sweat and other fluids. Naruto runs his fingers over the hickeys and bruises on the exposed skin on his arms and neck, pausing the assess the healing mating mark on his neck. 

Oh god. 

Naruto rushes out of the bathroom and into the living area. The place is tidy with a heavy scent of coffee hanging in the air. However, Sasuke isn’t here. Naruto, panicking, opens the balcony and scans the streets below. There’s no sign of Sasuke.

Oh my fucking god.

Naruto has one foot on the balcony ledge, about to launch himself across the village to find the man when he hears the front door open. Hands still firmly on the metal ledge, Naruto turns around to meet Sasuke’s confused eyes. He’s holding a large paper take-out bag and a pack is on his back. Right…food. Sasuke went for lunch. 

“What the hell are you doing, fool?” Sasuke asks, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “Sit down. You slept for over 10 hours! You need to eat.”

Sasuke, frowning, places the take-out bag on the table and then points at the empty chair. Naruto blushes and sits without argument. He can smell the ramen. His stomach growls. Sasuke rolls his eyes and sits so they can dig in.

After they are full, Naruto feels significantly calmer and content, but he’d be lying if he wasn’t sore as fuck. His lower back is on fire and he’s sitting with his legs spread eagle to relieve the pressure on his swollen labia. He needs to go to a hot spring.

“You okay?” Sasuke says. Naruto sees the worry and embarrassment on his face.

“I’m okay,” Naruto says with a small smile. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…actually, I am,” Sasuke replies, but it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself. 

Naruto nods. He can’t place the emotion that Sasuke’s tone invokes in him. Maybe he needs to eat some more. Naruto goes to the kitchen to get a snack.

While browsing the cabinets, Naruto runs his fingers against his mating mark and grins. He can feel the eyes that follow him. He doesn’t want to read into this. Not right now. 

***

A few months later…

If you step into Naruto’s apartment, you wouldn’t know anything had changed during that first heat cycle. The pile of gifts in the corner is smaller, sure. There are a few new houseplants on the windowsill. A handful of scrolls and photos have been rearranged. There’s even a new, bigger sturdier couch, but the walls are still the same color and the fridge still groans when it tries to cool down. You can count on at least four ramen containers on the table at any given point of the day. So, Naruto hasn’t really changed.

However, a new pair of shoes is in the genkan every other night. A second dresser sits next to Naruto’s, full of blue and black clothes. There are two toothbrushes, two combs, two towels, and two sets of soap in the bathroom. Co-habitation is Naruto’s new reality.

This new arrangement between Sasuke and Naruto is a gradual process. Sasuke didn’t immediately bolt as Naruto feared. Although, he didn’t meld himself into Naruto’s life either. Sasuke chooses some sort of weird middle ground—living in a small studio apartment near the old Uchiha compound and spending time in Naruto’s apartment part-time. It is a bit ridiculous, a point Naruto reiterated at every opportunity he got. 

“Is it because you don’t want people to know?” Naruto asks, vexed and fuming. 

They stood near the forested area above the Hokage’s monument. It’s a snowy afternoon, a steady stream of flurries falling as the sun sets over Konoha. The two lovers spent many afternoons here because they were guaranteed privacy. Sasuke hated the prying eyes of the villagers. Sasuke seemed to hate everyone lately.

“I don’t care if and what people know,” Sasuke says, repeating this lie that he wants Naruto to swallow like a hot coal. 

“Then what is the issue with moving into my place?” Naruto asks, for the hundredth time. 

“Because… never mind,” Sasuke sighs. 

This time, Naruto sees red. It’s a few days before his heat cycle, and he’s not in the mood for Sasuke’s aloofness. Not this time. Naruto shakes Sasuke, fist clenching the front of his black winter coat.  

“If you don’t open your goddamn mouth,” Naruto says through gritted teeth. “Speak, damn it, Sasuke, I swear I’ll—”

“Fine!” Sasuke yells, shoving Naruto off him. He straightens out his coat and takes a few steps back from Naruto. 

“I…I think we should get married first,” Sasuke says, eyes on the floor. 

Naruto’s anger dissipates so fast he feels lightheaded. What did he just fucking say?!

“I wanted…I want us to marry and buy something else,” Sasuke says, still not meeting Naruto’s intense stare. Sasuke is blushing. This is not happening. 

“Why?” Naruto asks. 

Sasuke flinches. Naruto curses. Even he can hear how callous that question sounds. 

“I mean…why does it matter if we marry or not?” Naruto clarifies. “I don’t…no one cares about that sort of thing anymore. I just want you with me, Sasuke.”

“It matters to me,” Sasuke says, looking up to glare at Naruto. “I wasn’t raised to just mate someone and not marry them! I may be the last Uchiha, but that may not be the case soon. Or in the future. Or whenever.”

Understanding floods Naruto’s brain and relaxes all his muscles. Mating and not marrying isn’t uncommon, even though many older people frown upon it. Marriage mattered more to clan members, who tracked marriages and births meticulously to track keeki genkais. Marriage isn’t just a matter of compatibility or ensuring someone’s title—it is a matter of status and control. 

Anyone could change their mind about being mated. It’s difficult, heartbreaking, and sometimes debilitating, but it can be done. Two people spend enough time apart, and the mating bites fade. Marriage, however, couldn’t be undone the same way. Elders have to be consulted. There’s a whole trail. It can be a nasty business, but it did create a certain level of security. A security Sasuke hasn’t felt since he was a child. A knowledge that, no matter what happened, his parents were a unit.

“Were you…going to talk to me about this?” Naruto asks, stepping towards Sasuke. Sasuke didn’t flinch a way which is a good sign. “Or were you just going to spring the question on me later?”

“I was working on it, damn it!” Sasuke says, his blush turning a lovely shade of rose. “I thought, maybe, it was too early and I’d freak you out.”

“Why would talking about our future freak me out?” Naruto asks, laughing lightly. Seeing Sasuke so flustered is satisfying. He pulls Sasuke closer until they are chest-to-chest.

“Because…you don’t remember things you say every month, but I do,” Sasuke says. 

Now, Naruto is the one blushing. What the heck has he been saying this whole time?! Sasuke smirks at the distressed expression on Naruto’s face. Sasuke leans over to whisper in his ear.

“You’re desperate for me to breed you,” Sasuke whispers. “Begging, actually.”

Naruto squawks and jerks away from Sasuke, crouching down in a poor attempt to hide his face. Oh no. This is worse than he thought. Sasuke laughs, a deep cackle from his belly, at Naruto’s embarrassed squealing.

“See why I didn’t say anything?!” Sasuke asks, still laughing. “It’s not something you just repeat!!”

“Oh, someone just kill me already,” Naruto groans.

Sasuke taps on his shoulder. Naruto looks up into soft, understanding eyes. There’s so much love there that it soothes the sting of shame. Sasuke squats down beside Naruto, grinning in a way that always makes Naruto’s heart skip.

“When you’re in heat, you’re honest with me,” Sasuke says assuredly. “Were you lying when you said you wanted a family of your own?”

“I want that more than anything,” Naruto says, shaking his head. Tears were stinging the corner of his eyes. 

“I want to give that to you, build a solid family together, but it will be hard,” Sasuke says kindly. “And we can’t do it inside that tiny apartment.”

Naruto presses his lips together. Damn it. Sasuke is right. 

“Fine,” Naruto says, defeated. “I don’t want a speech, and you better talk to Iruka and Kakashi first or they’ll try to skin you alive.”

Sasuke chuckles and nods. 

***

Two years later…

Naruto and Sasuke place their leave of absence letters on Kakashi’s desk next to their framed wedding photo and then bow deeply at the waist. Kakashi sighs, and opens the letter, but doesn’t read it. He doesn’t seem shocked by the married couple’s behavior. The two straighten up to observe Kakashi’s dejected expression. 

“First Ino and Sai, now you two?” Kakashi asks rhetorically. “Where am I going to find ninja for S-Class and A-Class missions, huh?”

“We live in an era of peace, sensai,” Naruto says, smiling. “You should be happy! You’re going to be an uncle soon!”

“I don’t want to be an uncle,” Kakashi says, sinking onto the desk dramatically. “I raised you brats already!!”

“But this will be a new brat!” Naruto says, poking Kakashi’s arm repeatedly. “Imagine it, Kaka-sensei. A mini-me! A mini-Sasuke! Oh! Wait. A combo of the two!!!”

Kakashi groans and buries his head in his folded arms. Sasuke chuckles darkly. 

“Get out of my office,” Kakashi mumbles, not looking up. “Your leave of absence is approved. Now, go be happy somewhere else.” 

Naruto and Sasuke laugh at Kakashi's misery the entire way home. The two live in a traditional two-story house on a hill north of the village in a quiet neighborhood. An elderly widow renovated it after Pein’s attack and sold it to them for a fair price. Walking inside, they step over a few dozen boxes and bags, filled to the brim with things for the nursery. 

“Baby,” Sasuke says gravely. Naruto smiles. He loves it when Sasuke calls him that in private. “The kid isn’t going to be here for at least five more months. Are you serious? What is all this?”

“First, I didn’t buy this,” Naruto says, picking up a few containers. “Sakura left these for us. She and Lee are gifting us a few hand-me-downs.”

Sasuke makes a sound of understanding. Together, they carry everything upstairs to the nursery. There are paint samples on the wall—a patch of pink, yellow, blue, and green. They haven’t settled on a color yet. There’s a half-assembled dresser and stacks of purchases Naruto did, in fact, make. 

Not that Sasuke is any less guilty. There’s a baby kunai toy, a stuffed elephant, and a pair of tiny ninja slippers sitting on top of a stack of boxes. Naruto’s favorite item is one Sasuke hadn’t bought, though. It’s a wooden rocking chair that Sasuke rescued from the Uchiha compound. He hired Ten-Ten to refinish the wood and add some cushions. It was extremely comfortable.  

Naruto settles into the rocking chair and undoes his pants, sighing once the tension is released. He still wasn’t showing much, but Naruto already feels huge. His underwear is tighter, some of his shirts are too short in the front, and he can feel the pressure on his damn bladder. 

Sasuke sits on the floor and takes Naruto’s feet in his hands, rubbing them with his thumb. Naruto closes his eyes. It’s nice to have Sasuke so attentive. Ever since they decided to try for a baby and removed Naruto’s implant, something shifted in Sasuke’s personality. Yes, he’d always been possessive and a bit serious, but he’s softer now. Gentler in their lovemaking and warmer in the little things he does for Naruto. 

Naruto yawns and closes his eyes. He’s been so sleepy the entire trimester. It was Naruto falling asleep standing up during a mission that made Sasuke push for them to go on leave early. Naruto pushed his luck, anyway. Sasuke wanted him off duty the moment their pregnancy test came back positive. 

Not that he’s complaining anymore. Naruto can sleep all he wants now. Just as Naruto is about to drift off, though, a tiny movement in his stomach makes his eyes snap open. He places a hand on his stomach. 

“What’s wrong?” Sasuke asks, tinged with worry.

“Shh, shh, wait,” Naruto says. 

He takes Sasuke’s hand and places it over his stomach, too. Naruto resists giggling when Sasuke activates his Sharigan. He’s being so silly! Soon, Sasuke’s silliness is rewarded when Naruto feels a fluttering in his stomach. A sure sign of the life they’d created together.

“Hey, little one,” Sasuke whispers, almost reverent. He wraps his arm around Naruto and leans closer. “Your tiny chakra is so pretty. Can you hear me?”

A huge grin spreads across Sasuke’s face. Naruto can’t control the giggle this time. 

“What?”

“I think they can hear me! I swear! The little chakra ball spun when I asked if it could hear!”

Naruto rolls his eyes but doesn’t correct his husband. Let him be excited. Let Sasuke believe what he wants to believe. It makes him happy to see Sasuke smile. He’s sure there will be hard times. There will come moments of drought, but right now, Naruto feels like they are standing on fertile ground.