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Once, two men wandered the world and made the earth itself their everlasting home. No village, nor city, kept them anchored to one spot. Where one went, the other followed. After a lifetime of hardship that reassembled their souls together, they had finally found what it meant to live, and not survive.
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The wind whipped past his body, his loose poncho billowing behind him as he walked against the strong desert gale. A waning gibbous moon hung alone in the night sky, its minimal light illuminating the path before him. Even without it, Naruto knew that Sasuke could see the dirt road ahead of them, his eyes attuned to the world in a way only he was capable of. He trusted him implicitly, wholeheartedly, knowing that he would never be led astray with his friend by his side.
Naruto shot him a side glance, admiring him with a secretive smile behind his scarf. Sasuke looked radiant, a spectre of beauty against the backdrop of a dark desert. He would stop to admire his features if it weren’t so damned cold, the air itself penetrating their very pores with knife-like precision. There would be time for admiration later, he supposed, as soon as they found proper shelter for the night.
“Up ahead,” came a muffled instruction. “There’s a cave system, approximately fifty meters north-northwest.”
Leave it to Sasuke to see the details in what looked like a barren, desolate landscape. Naruto squinted his eyes behind his goggles, unable to determine which mound of rocks Sasuke was talking about. They all looked the same to him. He understood then how easily one could die out here; the low visibility, the unfamiliarity of the terrain, and the harsh climate made the desert a deadly trap to outsiders. It didn’t faze him, they had survived worse before. He nodded, even though Sasuke wouldn’t be able to see the gesture as he walked ahead of him, leading them to an outcropping of jagged-edged sandstone. The natural structures stood at various heights, some towering over the two figures like multi-storey apartments.
Weaving through the rough land, Sasuke led them to the maw of a nearly hidden cave, the entrance somehow blacker and darker than the night sky itself. There was no fear between them. Two of the strongest shinobi in the world could handle whatever laid ahead, be it venomous scorpions, bandits, or Uchiha Madara himself risen from the grave once more.
Nothing of the sort was found within the cave. It was thankfully secure, sand littering the floor from where it blew in with the wind. With the whisper of a jutsu, a small fireball lit the space up, held in the palm of Sasuke’s hand. It was oddly intimate inside, the warm glow casting lengthy, dim shadows along the walls. Still, the wind threatened to freeze them over if it continued to blow in from the outside. Sasuke peeked over at Naruto, wordlessly communicating with him before moving to unpack his bag.
“Yeah, good idea,” Naruto chuckled. He erected a stone barrier against the mouth of the cave, allowing only a small sliver of a gap to remain for air circulation.
The wind howled and whistled, but already they were warming up, sheltered from the sharpness of the desert environment. They packed light for their trek, their scrolls carrying most of their camping equipment and food for when they travelled long distances between villages. They had everything they could possibly need, all the creature comforts of home available at their disposal should they need it.
That meant instant ramen for dinner. Naruto grinned, pulling a scroll from his belt and summoning their supplies. Noodles, chopsticks, water. If Naruto had his way, this would be the standard food ration for all shinobi forces across the world. It was only at Sasuke’s insistence that Naruto also packed non-perishable staples like rice, beans, and dried meats.
“Sasuke,” Naruto whined, dragging his name out for effect. “My canteen’s cold.” He held it up and gave it a subtle shake, water sloshing against its metal interior.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at his little theatrics, stepping forward to blow a gentle breath of fire against the receptacle. Steam rose into Naruto’s face the moment he removed the lid, earning a small yay as he poured hot water into both cups. The comforting scent of broth wafted in the air. Pork for him, miso for Sasuke.
The ramen was set aside as they worked in tandem to prepare their sleeping arrangements for the night, summoning one cot large enough for the both of them, along with two pillows and a blanket. A lantern was lit, allowing Sasuke to dispel his fireball. They dressed down to their short-sleeves and pants; their ponchos, goggles, shoes, and scarves were set aside until the following day. They did not speak, both men content to work in silence, allowing the tempestuous weather outside the cave to fill in the blanks.
Dinner was spent much the same, with quiet companionship and the slurp of noodles. Naruto hummed at the umami flavour, happy and satisfied with the quick meal. He was soon done with his cup, realizing just then how famished he’d been. A sidelong glance confirmed that Sasuke was still working on his own meal with far more grace and dignity than Naruto possessed. Every bite was measured; his hand, so used to handling a kunai or shuriken, held his chopsticks lightly, bringing chewy noodles to his mouth to bite down on.
Even in the limited light provided by their lamp, Naruto could see the glistening moisture of broth coating Sasuke’s lips. He wanted to taste it. He wanted to lick it and suck it from him until all that remained was his and Sasuke’s shared saliva. And that was exactly what he moved to do once Sasuke had finished eating. Naruto captured him in a kiss, at first just a press of his plush lips to Sasuke’s thin mouth. The sensation made him feel punch-drunk, his mind buzzing with the need to deepen their connection.
“Can I fuck you tonight, Sasuke?” Naruto whispered, the words practically spoken into the other’s mouth. “I really want you.”
It was the perfect arrangement. Travelling on the road with his best friend for months on end, meeting new people and trying new cuisines, it was all so exhilarating to him. And best of all, he got to fuck Sasuke hard on a near-routine basis. Naruto couldn’t remember when it all started, it had simply become the norm for them as they explored the world. They would find inns or camp it out in the wild, and when night settled over them, the urge would strike like lightning from a chidori.
With their reality no longer at risk of falling apart, there came a tenuous peace that neither of their bodies had ever known. They had been abandoned and neglected as children, made to rely upon their own strength to survive. Danger had once lurked behind every corner for Naruto and Sasuke, but that was no longer the case. It had taken years for them to reach this point of comfort, to shake away the hyper-vigilance they’d developed as victims of injustice.
For Naruto, this manifested as the bludgeoning ripple of his body finally feeling safe enough to experience true arousal. Desire. The overwhelming need and want to consume and be consumed. Their coming together felt like home, being inside Sasuke felt like home. The squish and hug of his cock buried deep in his hole was a reunion he never knew he needed, and now that he had it, he would never let it go.
Sasuke looked up at him through the veil of his lashes, his eyes speaking volumes in the otherwise quiet cave. That sticky, buzzy desire pooled in Naruto’s belly all over again, his leg bouncing at the promise of fucking his friend.
“Kiss me first,” Sasuke demanded. “A proper kiss, with tongue.”
“Hah…” Naruto breathed out, his eyes nearly crossing in need.
Naruto let the tip of his tongue trace the shape of Sasuke’s lips, licking away the salty miso flavour. He went slowly, taking his time despite the intensity of his appetite. He enjoyed memorizing Sasuke’s shape—as if he hadn’t done so a thousand times already—making sure not to miss a single millimetre of skin in his pursuit. He could see Sasuke’s eyes attempting to follow his tongue’s movements, enraptured by the erotic mapping of his mouth. In a way, the act of being watched was just as alluring as having Sasuke all to himself. No one else could have him the way Naruto did.
Satisfied by his tongue’s inspection, Naruto brought a hand to Sasuke’s chin, directing him to drop his jaw. He obliged, his mouth falling open, his tongue motionless where it sat in the meantime. He knew what Naruto liked, the passivity, that submissive and pliant allowance that welcomed Naruto to plunder him time and again. The swipe of Naruto’s tongue was insistent, sliding and curving and exploring the blunted mamelons of Sasuke’s teeth. He would suck them into his mouth if it were physically possible.
He felt along his gums, his labial frenulum, then the inside of his cheeks, casually forcing more and more of his tongue into Sasuke. Their eyes were hooded, gauging each other in the darkness, communicating in a language that no other being on earth would ever be able to understand or decipher. A high flush grew along Sasuke’s cheeks, and his breaths came raggedly the longer Naruto continued his exploration. Good. He would have him this way forever.
“Stick your tongue out for me,” Naruto instructed.
Sasuke happily indulged him, the shiny, pink muscle gently lolling out of his mouth for Naruto to engage with. Finally, after what felt like hours of sweet torture, their tongues met. They did not twine, nor did they writhe. Naruto pressed his tongue flat against Sasuke’s and remained still. Saliva pooled between their gums, over their teeth, dripping from their shared touch until it weeped down their chins and onto the front of their shirts. This went on for some time, and though Naruto’s jaw began to feel sore from the unmoving, open position of his mouth, he wanted the fleshly connection to continue. He enjoyed the feel of their smooth tongues joined together like this.
Sasuke evoked a primordial lechery in him that couldn’t be satiated, no matter how often they did this. And they did it often, nearly every single day if the conditions were right. Naruto loved him so much, loved how receptive and eager Sasuke had become to their bodies sharing the night. It was a stark contrast to the constant clashes of their youth. No longer was there any rejection or fear of abandonment, there was only Naruto and Sasuke, Sasuke and Naruto.
When Sasuke’s jaw began to tremble with the effort to stay loose, Naruto pulled away to assess him. He looked flushed, perhaps a little out of it, with a hazy mist of tears shining in his eyes. Naruto framed his face with both hands, his thumbs petting over the apples of his cheeks as he admired his friend’s beauty. And then he dove back in for a true kiss, rubbing and sliding against Sasuke’s tongue with a ferocious need for more. Naruto’s head bobbed back and forth as he sucked the pink muscle into his mouth, his cheeks hallowing out while he thought about doing the same to his friend’s cock. Another time, he reminded himself, there would always be tomorrow.
“Sasuke,” Naruto moaned, pulling him closer by his shoulders. “Sasuke.”
Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. My best friend. My everything. Mine.
“Can I put my fingers in your mouth?” He really wanted to. He wanted to see the bandages wrapped around his fingers soaked through with Sasuke’s saliva.
And this Sasuke conceded to as well. Everything about him was willing, open, glad to receive whatever Naruto would give him. He moaned long and low when Naruto’s index and middle fingers entered his mouth, petting over his tongue like one would the top of a cat’s head. He inspected Sasuke’s mouth again, his eyes keen and studious, absorbed in the gaping orifice with an intensity that was usually reserved for missions.
In and out, in and out, he thrusted his fingers until Sasuke choked, releasing a garbled sound of saliva and laboured breathing as he tried to control his gag reflex the further Naruto went in. Naruto had to coo at the struggle, so amazed was he by Sasuke’s attempt to maintain composure.
“It’s okay, Sasuke, you can let go.”
He slowed down nonetheless, his prodding fingers moving lazily to allow his friend to breathe through it. Naruto noted that his bandages were soaked through to his prosthetic, warm and protected in the confines of Sasuke’s mouth.
“Did you ever do anything like this with other people?” Naruto wondered. He knew the answer already—a veritable no—but this was part of the play, the self-inflicted jealousy making his blood sing. He liked verbalizing himself with Sasuke, always had.
Sasuke shook his head, the ends of his sleek, black hair swishing with the motion. Naruto’s fingers withdrew from his mouth to once more pet and touch his face, slowly trailing up into the soft tresses at his temple. “Only with you.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, Naruto,” Sasuke sighed in good nature.
The reassurance always made him feel giddy. That’s right, only he would ever have access to Sasuke like this. “Come sit on my lap, I wanna feel you.”
The cot wasn’t of the best quality, but it could at least support their combined weight. It creaked as Sasuke sat astride Naruto’s lap, holding his shoulder as leverage to steady himself. They fit perfectly, like two puzzle pieces slotting together. Sasuke pushed his hips closer to Naruto’s, adjusting and readjusting his position until their erections ground against one another through the fabric of their pants.
He tried to memorize this feeling, too. Naruto closed his eyes for a few moments, enjoying Sasuke’s weight rocking back and forth against him, rolling his hips repeatedly as he took his fill of Naruto. There was something spectacular about Sasuke riding him like this, his head thrown back as he slowly, slowly set an excruciating pace. His hand splayed over Naruto’s chest, sensing the thunderous beat of blood pumping beneath his skin.
Everything was gradual with them, tension building up in their lower abdomens, a syrupy warmth of pleasure making itself known through perspiration, heavy breaths, and clinging fingers. Naruto’s grip on Sasuke’s hips was bruising, and if it were any other person in his lap, they would no doubt limp away from their encounter with hairline fractures.
They kissed easily, once again sucking tongues and lips with hunger. Sasuke took his time licking Naruto’s cheek with a broad, languid swipe, tasting the salt from his skin. It was so very cat-like, Naruto decided, grinning at his friend’s feline behaviour. He licked him back, snickering at Sasuke’s affronted expression.
“Hey, Sasuke?”
Sasuke paused, pulling back to stare into Naruto’s eyes. His hand had found its way to his hair, fingers digging into his scalp with deep, circular motions. “Hm?”
“I really wanna be inside you.” His arms moved to wrap around Sasuke’s waist, pulling him flush against his chest. “I wanna feel you squeeze me all night. Can you do that?”
God, it felt so good watching Sasuke react to his words. He cursed at the crass language, but even so, Naruto knew he secretly enjoyed it. He was just as dirty as he was. Sasuke nodded, shimmying off of his lap to stand and begin undressing.
They helped each other with this, pulling their gear and clothing away and throwing them to the side where they landed in a pile of sand. Naruto caressed Sasuke’s chest, squeezing and groping it in his wide hands, taking time to admire his perky nipples. And Sasuke did the same, letting his hand roam from Naruto’s shoulder to cup a pectoral, fondling the firm muscle with reverence in his eyes. His thin fingers moved lower still, drawing over the dormant lines of the Eight Trigrams seal again and again. Naruto snorted, ticklish from the feather-light touch that kept swirling around his belly button. The sound choked off as Sasuke dipped down to grab a hold of his heavy cock, stroking from base to tip, squeezing droplets of precome from his slit on the way up.
Naruto could cry, this was heaven. This, with Sasuke, was all he would ever need for the rest of his life. More than oxygen, more than water, Sasuke’s touch was as essential to him as his existence on this planet. He grasped Sasuke in hand, massaging his dick with intermittent squeezes. Squeeze, tug, squeeze, tug, Naruto would alternate his touch until he felt weak in the knees. Watching it was even better; there was an evident contrast, the dichotomy of their beings displayed in the most primal manner. Naruto was thick, long, with a fat head that weeped generously, his precome dripping over Sasuke’s fist to splatter on the cave floor. It was a monster of a cock, but one Sasuke would take regardless.
Sasuke was slimmer, yet no less impressive. Uncut like Naruto, with a redness to him that screamed of blood and arousal pounding through his veins. His pubes were neatly trimmed, and his balls were round with virility. Holding their erections together felt amazing; the visuals and sounds were nearly unbearable. Naruto let his mischievousness take the reins for a moment, pulling his hips back to let their cockheads kiss, precome smearing between them until Naruto retreated. The viscous string that connected them together held for a second before breaking in the middle. He repeated this again, the spongy glandes kissing over and over until their thighs quivered.
“Look, it’s saying hi to you,” he snickered.
“You—” Sasuke choked, flustered by his behaviour. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
“You love it.”
Sasuke didn’t deny this, which meant that he was right, Sasuke did love the lecherous gesture. Naruto moved Sasuke’s hand away from his groin, palming his meat before slapping it against his friend’s. The wet thwack of flesh on flesh repeated itself, reverberating around them and throughout the cave. It was spell-binding in its quality, a hypnosis of the mind that reduced them to beings of consummate pleasure.
Naruto laughed at the sound. “It sounds like we’re fucking, but we’re not. Not yet.”
He still had a hold of Sasuke’s dick, allowing Naruto alone to direct his movements. He swirled their heads together, mesmerized and utterly captivated by the sight of their mixed precome. It proved too much for Sasuke; he leaned his head against Naruto’s shoulder, nuzzling and nibbling at his skin as his hips gave a few aborted thrusts into his fist. The rise and fall of his chest increased in strength, the puffs of hot air in Naruto’s ear tingling at his neck. It was symphonious in nature. Sasuke’s pleasure was his pleasure, as if Naruto could feel Sasuke’s hardness as his own.
This was the epitome of their relationship, Naruto supposed. They shared their pain, their sorrow, their anger, but likewise they shared each other’s happiness and love. They were attached by the conjoined heart beating between them. His younger obsession with Sasuke, that hopeless desperation driven by adolescence, paled in comparison to what he now felt. Their innards would become one together by the end of their time. It made him squeeze Sasuke all the harder, pulling him forward by his cock before releasing him to wrap his burly arms around his body. He held tight, a distressed energy consuming him. Sasuke was here, he was in his embrace, but he missed him regardless. He missed him so much that it hurt to even imagine being apart.
Sasuke understood him in this, perhaps even better than Naruto understood his own soul. His hand soothed up and down Naruto’s back, not hard enough to oppress him, rather a simple flicker of a palm passing over the hard planes of his muscles. He was a breath of fresh air in the humid cavern, allowing his racing heart to calm down.
“You okay?” Sasuke murmured. He did not cease his reassuring touch. “Want some water?”
Naruto shook his head, tucked as it was into Sasuke’s neck, inhaling the scent of his sweat and skin. “Just want you.”
“I do, too.”
What would he do without him? “I love you so much, Sasuke. You’re my best friend.” He couldn’t see the look of agony in Sasuke’s eyes, the sheen of unshed tears. Perhaps Naruto would have realized sooner that his choice in words of affection had just as much bearing on Sasuke as the other’s had on him.
“…Love you too, idiot.”
They separated, Naruto at last lifting his head from the protection of Sasuke’s neck. His hands soothed over Sasuke’s shoulders, one going down his forearm, the other gently cradling the end of where his left arm had once been. It was sensitive to touch, but Sasuke trusted him with his entire heart. He took extra care to keep his fingers light, allowing a minuscule flare of chakra in his palm to warm the area. Naruto knew it felt good on his nerve endings, evident by the full-body shiver that ran through him.
They were joined at the groin, reigniting their earlier passion. Naruto thrusted against Sasuke, his hips pumping repeatedly, energetically. The muscles of his ass flexed and clenched with the strength of his momentum, and he’d gone back to holding Sasuke by the waist, grabbing him for stability. He was fucking him in his mind’s eye, fucking his tight hole, stabbing his cock into that animal abyss.
“Fuh—” Naruto felt like a goddamned beast humping away at Sasuke. His hands had drifted down to his ass, gripping his cheeks in assistance, pushing Sasuke’s hips into his.
Sasuke was faring no better, his bare toes flexing and curling into the sandy cave floor as Naruto took his fill. Those inquisitive eyes, one inky and one lilac ringed with black, rolled back into his head, stuck in a perpetual state of pleasure. They needed to take this to bed, or they would start fucking right then and there in the sand. Heavens knew what damage their bodies would endure in that state.
They shuffled backwards until Naruto’s legs bumped against the edge of the cot. They tumbled over, the frame creaking dangerously under the sudden drop of weight. Sasuke climbed back onto his lap, grinding down against his bare cock. Naruto reached a hand over the cot and blindly scrambled for his pack, letting out a small yay once his fingers closed around a bottle of medical-grade lubricant. They never travelled without it, at first only because Sakura had insisted on them carrying it in case of a medical emergency. She was none the wiser about its other, frequently preferred use.
He uncapped it, squeezing an ample amount in his hand and moving to reach behind Sasuke’s ass, when Sasuke gripped his wrist. A furious glare lit up his face, a warning in and of itself.
“Warm it first,” he seethed. Naruto couldn’t help but laugh, positively in love with obeying Sasuke’s need for comfort first.
Naruto let his chakra pool in the palm of his hand, the heat of it instantly warming the lube to slightly above body temperature. Sasuke enjoyed the contrast in warmth, it prepared him for the fever of Naruto’s come. Slick fingers creeped over his thigh, leaving a trail of lube behind in their wake. Naruto wrapped his lubed hand around them both, jerking their cocks in time with the pulse of blood. The masculine ridges of slippery dickmeat grinding together felt sublime as they thrusted into the tight circle of his grip.
So close, they were so close to the fire, all they had to do was reach out and cross the line. Naruto could bear it no longer, he had to be inside Sasuke. He released his grip, both hands going to Sasuke’s hips, urging him to lift himself up. There would be no preparation, he decided. Naruto would fuck him raw and he would do so immediately. Sasuke saw this in his blue eyes, the raging want that was driving Naruto to near madness. He wanted it too, nodding his head vigorously as the tip of Naruto’s cock pushed against his entrance. There was resistance, the ring of muscle unyielding to his cock. All it took was gravity and the lubricious slide of lube for him to force that fat head past.
He was impossibly tight, the rippled grip of flesh fluttering and squeezing the glans of his dick. Naruto threw his head back against the cot, roaring in the cave loud and unashamedly. His nails dug into the skin of Sasuke’s hips, bringing pricks of blood to the surface in crescent-shaped marks. He canted his hips up, another inch disappearing into Sasuke. Pale thighs shook uncontrollably against him, the adrenaline, pain, and pleasure rocking the slighter man to his core. Sasuke couldn’t support himself if Naruto asked, his strength sapped from his muscles. He sunk down against his will, screaming at the intrusion of Naruto’s entire cock.
Sasuke sobbed long and hard, overwhelmed by the sensations and emotions he felt then. It was the purest, most open expression of love Naruto had ever seen. Fat tears fell from his eyes, his skin blotchy and red all over. Naruto cried with him, the complexity of their union and existence crushing them under a deluge of ecstasy. They cried, and continued to cry, as Naruto started lifting his hips in small, rolling thrusts. They cried as he wrapped a hand around Sasuke’s rock-hard cock, stroking him again and again.
“Naaa—Naruto—” Sasuke gasped, grappling for a brawny shoulder to cling to. His nails scratched along his skin, leaving behind welts that never lasted long enough for Sasuke’s liking.
Naruto could feel the burn of his abdomen straining and working overtime to piston upwards into Sasuke’s fuckhole. Sweat beaded along his upper lip, his temple, down the length of his back and into his asscrack. He sped up, the wet slap of his thighs meeting Sasuke’s asscheeks ringing in their ears. The lube and his precome made it so easy for him to slide home, bottoming out inside Sasuke to rest in his guts. His hand moved to Sasuke’s stomach, feeling the presence of his dick right below his belly button. In and out, in and out, he made it his mission for Sasuke to feel just how deep he was fucking into him.
“See that, baby?” Naruto grunted. Sasuke’s eyes were shut tight, his jaw slack, unknowingly drooling throughout this entire exchange. “Open your eyes, open them! Want you to see this.”
Oh god, the bulge of his dick was there. Sasuke could see it now, stuck in a trance of watching his belly distend the slightest bit. How was this even possible? They couldn’t believe it, after all this time together, that Naruto could be inside Sasuke like this, as if his cock was trying to reach up into his heart. It was exhilarating and new to them despite its occurrence time and again. The novelty simply never wore off.
“Love you, love you, love you,” Naruto panted out, pulling Sasuke down to kiss him. Sasuke responded in kind with punched out little squeaks and moans, breathing them into Naruto’s mouth. He cherished them with the kiss of his lips pressed all over Sasuke’s face.
His orgasm was close, he could tell as soon as Sasuke began bouncing jerkily on his dick, angling his downward movements so that Naruto would hit his prostate dead-on with each pass. He was chasing his pleasure as best as he could, and Naruto was damned proud of him for doing it. It was a stark contrast to the way Sasuke had avoided love and happiness and pleasure so long ago, when he was a lonely boy determined to live in the darkness. He had learned to take what he wanted, and Naruto was more than happy to give it to him. He was ready for the ropes of come that landed against his chest, spurting generously from Sasuke’s slit as he came. His cock bobbed between them, every drop of pearly jizz pumping up from his tightening balls.
The sight was like pornography to Naruto, better than any magazine could ever hope to offer. It pushed him far over the edge, coming deep inside Sasuke. He slammed him down onto his lap, buried to the root, emptying himself as Sasuke’s silky walls milked him for everything. Each pulse of his flesh brought forth another oozing shot of come, until it began to seep past the tight seal of Sasuke’s rim in thick globs. Naruto reached a hand back, feeling the raw, tender skin coated copiously with his seed. He traced the underside of where his dick disappeared into Sasuke, his middle finger rubbing wet circles into the thin stretch of skin there. It made Sasuke hiss, collapsing completely onto Naruto’s body for support.
Still attached, Naruto rearranged them with the last of his strength. He couldn’t be bothered to pull the blanket over them anyway, it would be far too warm to sleep with it now that the cave was dank with their sex. They slept soundly through the night, the howl of a sharp wind blowing outside of their dwelling.
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Sunagakure greeted them with open arms, the kazekage meeting them at the gates of the village, robes waving in the warm breeze. Gaara looked happy to see them, a small, barely there smile gracing his lips as soon as they were visible through the mirage of the desert’s heat. Naruto was grateful to see him, but he hoped the exchange of pleasantries would be quick and they could get to their guest rooms to cool down. Naruto fared better in the heat than Sasuke, his adaptability aided by Kurama’s chakra. It was obvious from the flush of Sasuke’s skin and his laboured breathing that the high sun of the afternoon was taking its toll on him. They had needed to stop several times along their route for him to rest and catch his breath.
It seemed that Gaara recognized the signs of heat exhaustion. He ushered them into the shadows of the inner village, a welcome reprieve that even Naruto was relieved to feel. The Land of Wind’s fluctuating weather was no joking matter, regardless of how many precautions they took to protect themselves against it. Gaara chatted with Naruto along the way, relaying that their suite, reserved solely for the kazekage’s close companions and politicians of great importance, was ready with everything they would need for their holiday.
“Might I suggest the private oasis on the plateau for your visit? It’s completely hidden from view, and it would likely do Sasuke well to cool down,” Gaara offered. “The area is strictly prohibited from public use, so you may enjoy it for yourselves if you wish.”
That sounds amazing, Naruto thought. He looked over at Sasuke, worry creasing his brow at his continued silence. He hadn’t said anything for the last half hour of their trek, and now that they had arrived and were somewhat shielded from the sun, he could see that his friend would definitely require some time to relax.
“Yeah, we could really use that. Would it be okay if we dropped our bags off at our rooms and went now?” Naruto winced, guilt bleeding its way into his tone. He would have liked to sit down and talk after their long travels, and thought it impolite to ditch their host as soon as they got here, but Sasuke’s condition was more important to him.
Gaara nodded. “Not to worry, you can head there now if you’d like. I’ll have your bags taken to your rooms.” At this, two Suna ninja appeared at Gaara’s sides, bowing respectfully to Naruto and Sasuke. Their travel packs carried nothing of great importance, just their camping gear and supplies, so they handed them over with a thankful nod and a grin on Naruto’s part.
“Thank you, my friend,” Naruto beamed. He clasped Gaara’s forearm, holding the gesture in gratitude for inviting them so warmly into his village.
Sasuke twitched at his side, and for a moment he looked to be worse for wear, a stiffness to his shoulders that communicated his obvious discomfort. Naruto figured it was due to the scorching climate and the urge to escape its heat.
The way to the oasis was easy enough to follow with the kazekage’s directions. Hidden in a wide, shallow cavity of the upper plateau was a pellucid body of fresh water, the sun glinting off of it in sparkles of light. Date palms shrouded it away from any onlookers, though Naruto doubted anyone would be able to see them anyway. It was far enough away from the village proper that they could bathe in the nude without the worry of unwanted eyes. Naruto had to support Sasuke along the path, settling a hand at the small of his back as his weight leaned into Naruto’s side. He was silent still, his expression incalculable.
“You okay?” Naruto asked, nudging him gently to grab his attention.
Sasuke didn’t bother responding with words. He grunted, short and to the point. It told Naruto most of what he needed to know. There was something else beneath it, though. Was Sasuke annoyed with him?
He wouldn’t push it, not now; the priority was getting Sasuke cooled down and clean. Hell, Naruto needed it too. He could feel the tackiness of the previous night’s activities on his skin. Fine grains of sand had found their way into the fold of his elbows, behind his knees, between his toes. It was uncomfortable, and he knew Sasuke felt the same, if not worse.
There was a change of clothes already set by the water, laid out on a large, canopied sun bed. Suna robes, loose and airy and made of cotton, were accompanied by leather-strapped sandals and soft linen briefs. Gaara must’ve had good foresight to have the oasis prepared for their arrival. Naruto was determined to thank him for this at a later time, too.
He helped Sasuke undress, peeling away layer upon layer of gear. They were bare as the day they were born, exposed to the dry heat of the sun. Hand in hand, Naruto guided them to the water, watching Sasuke step in first. Water swallowed both of his dainty ankles, climbing up creamy, pale legs and thighs. Naruto followed suit, sighing at the delicious feel of sweat, dirt, and come washing away from his body. It was deep enough to submerge themselves completely, falling into the buoyant support of the natural spring. It was clear to the very bottom, not a speck of debris obscuring their view as they opened their eyes underwater.
They stayed there for several long seconds, wading beneath the surface, watching each other through the blue-green tinge of the oasis. Already Sasuke looked better, the worrisome flush of his cheeks decreasing as they swam. They eventually surfaced to take in large gulps of air, wrapped around one another in a loose embrace. They spent an inordinate amount of time bathing; cleaning behind their ears, rinsing sand from their scalps, scrubbing underneath their nails. They were shedding the dirt and grime that came with travelling the Land of Wind, becoming brand new under each other’s hands.
This was how they filled the afternoon, floating on their backs, then floating on their fronts, allowing their limbs to sink as dead weight while their torsos bobbed at the surface. To anyone else it would appear as if they had both drowned, face down as they were. But they would eventually switch back to drifting on their backs, staring up at the rich, blue sky above them. Naruto could see dates hanging in clumps in his peripheral vision, golden and round, asking to be plucked from the oasis’ palms. Sasuke remained in the water as Naruto swam away, determined to pull the fruit down by his own means.
There was no way in hell he was going to climb the tree in the nude, hugging the bark between his bare thighs just to scratch up his dick and balls. He projected a small amount of chakra to the soles of his feet, climbing the tree vertically and easily reaching the top where dates hung aplenty. Some of them were overripe, oozing sticky-sweet syrup that he licked from his fingers. He pulled a few stems of fruit from the tree, throwing them down into the water, away from Sasuke’s body. The other man was watching him intensely, his eyes following the form of Naruto’s naked body hanging nearly upside down above him. Naruto popped a young date into his mouth and bit down; it instantly sucked away the moisture on his tongue, its bitter, tannic flavour eventually giving way to a tropical sweetness.
Sasuke grabbed one that had floated his way, this teeth crunching into the astringent flesh. Naruto waited for his verdict with bated breath. He smiled when Sasuke finished it off, flicking the pit away from the spring before grabbing another date. They were just sweet enough for Sasuke’s taste; not too little, and not too much. Naruto dropped down from the tree, releasing his chakra to splash back into the water. This triggered an all-out wrestling match between both men, Sasuke attacking him at first for being so disruptive. They dunked each other’s heads under the surface, playfully pushing and pulling, which then devolved into kissing and licking.
It didn’t go further than that, tired as they were from their travels. They laid themselves out on the sun bed, Naruto’s arm cushioning Sasuke’s head. Tiny pecks were pressed into the skin of his armpit, his bicep, his chest.
“I love you so much,” Naruto mumbled, kissing the top of Sasuke’s drying head.
Sasuke shivered, curling himself further into Naruto’s side, his breath shallow. “I love you, too. More than you know.”
𖤓☾
That evening, they dined with Gaara. Dressed in their new robes, their bodies clean and well-rested, they could at last begin to unwind for a proper meal. Ramen could tide Naruto over until the end of time, but it was nice to enjoy actual, home-cooked food. Succulent portions of roasted lamb shanks served over spiced pilau were piled on their plates. Nuts, raisins, and shredded carrots fried in fragrant, clarified butter decorated the rice, blending the sweet and savoury flavours together. It was delicious and filling, exactly what they had needed. Sasuke reminded him of his table manners in front of their host, to which Naruto scoffed, shovelling more food into his mouth. What could he say? He had to eat for two, what with Kurama sitting in the back of his mind, ravenous at the scent of meat.
“Where will you two go after this?” Gaara asked.
Sasuke responded when Naruto readied himself to open his mouth. His whiskered cheeks were comically bulged with the amount of rice he hadn’t yet chewed through. “Most likely back to the Land of Fire. It’s been about two years since we last visited, and it would be nice to settle down in familiar territory for some time.”
He didn’t mention Konoha directly. Likely they would stay around the village and not in it, as they usually did when they passed by. That was okay with him, Naruto decided; he would follow Sasuke’s pace, no matter what the outcome might be. There was too much history to unpack, too much trauma and pain to consider before they could return to their home village permanently, if ever. Gaara caught on to this, his eyes travelling between Naruto and Sasuke, acknowledging the way they both moved with considerate, synchronized intention.
“It is good to see you two together like this,” Gaara smiled softly, his turquoise eyes docile and full of admiration. “It is proof that the world heals itself through love.”
“Huh?” Naruto asks, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of lamb. He made sure to swallow his morsel before continuing, wary of Sasuke kicking him under the table again. “What does that mean?”
It was Gaara’s turn for confusion. “You are… together, are you not?”
“Like as best friends? Duh, you already knew that, Gaara.”
Sasuke remained quiet at his side, nudging the grains of rice apart on his plate with a spoon. The sound of metal on porcelain drew Naruto’s attention. Sasuke’s eyes were lowered, hidden beneath the curtain of his bangs. One could tell he was upset by the line of questioning, even without seeing his expression. The air around him hung heavily. “Excuse me,” he mumbled. He pushed away from the table, standing smoothly to exit the dining room with quick footsteps.
His absence left a vacuum of silence behind, the space between them stretching taut and uncomfortable. Naruto immediately stopped eating, watching Sasuke’s retreating back with unconcealed concern. He moved to go after him, but he was stopped when Gaara asked him to stay seated. It went against his nature not to follow Sasuke. A strange, antsy discomfort settled in his gut like a stone. Had he done something wrong? Did he say anything bad? He tried to remember everything he had said throughout the meal, but nothing stood out to him as a trigger for Sasuke’s sudden mood.
“Naruto, I think there is something that I must clarify with you.”
Naruto stared at Gaara. He didn’t have the faintest of clues as to what was going on. All he knew was that he wanted to see Sasuke. “What?”
Gaara paused, mulling on the right words to use. “When you call Sasuke your best friend, what exactly do you mean by that?”
Huh? “I don’t understand.”
“Do you consider him beyond the restrictions of friendship?” He could see Naruto’s frustration in the wrinkle of his brow, and knew then that it would take some effort to drive his point home. “What I mean is, do you think of him as anything else besides a best friend?”
“Why do you ask?”
There was exasperation in the kazekage’s face, though muted out of respect for his guest. “You are not considering Sasuke’s feelings when you label your relationship as just a friendship. While you are both friends, best of friends, I believe it bothers Sasuke when you label your bond as such.”
“But we are friends, though, right?” Naruto was panicking now. The suggestion that he’d been ignoring Sasuke’s feelings shamed him, scared him even. It was never his intention to hurt anyone, least of all Sasuke.
“Have you had sex with him?” The question was blunt and to the point, and far, far too invasive for his liking.
“Gaara!” Naruto whisper-yelled. A furious blush lit up his bronzed skin. Naruto knew for certain that this was not dinner talk. He answered anyway, ready to move on from the topic and save himself from embarrassment. “Yes, yes I have. What does that have anything to do with this?”
“And do you love him in the context of sharing your entire life with him?”
It was a resolute yes to that, too. The thought of spending his life with Sasuke was a dream that no genjutsu could hold a light to. He wanted to make it a reality, determined to see out the rest of their days together.
“Naruto, when you called me your friend earlier in the day, did you not notice that Sasuke was silent throughout our exchange?”
Yes, he had noticed his silence. He had chalked it up to the unspeakable heat, simple as that. What was Gaara getting at with this?
The next question came seemingly out of left field. “Would you ever have sex with me? I too am your friend, after all,” Gaara explained.
“What? No! I’m sorry, but no, Gaara, that’s taking things too far.” The suggestion did not sit well with Naruto, and it angered him that his friend would even ask such a question when he clearly knew that he was with Sasuke.
With Sasuke.
Gaara nodded in satisfaction, seeing the lightbulb finally flicker on above Naruto’s head. “Sasuke believes that you think the sex is casual and solely between friends. And if you, popular as you are, only consider him as a friend, who’s to say that you won’t have sex with your other friends? Who’s to say that Sasuke won’t one day be set aside for a true romantic and sexual partner?”
That would never happen, not as long as Naruto was alive and breathing. “I love him, Gaara,” he croaked. His love was deeper than what friendship alone could ever encompass. It was love born of their blood, sweat, and tears. “I gotta go.”
He didn’t wait for his friend’s response, already walking out of the room towards his and Sasuke’s suite. His speed picked up bit by bit, until he was all but running through the hallways of the kazekage’s estate. He passed by maids and guards alike without any regard to slow down, urgency climbing up his spine, alarms blaring in his head. The dim light of the moon shone through the open-air windows, illuminating the way to his lover. Yes, Sasuke was his lover. The word felt nice on his tongue, familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, as if he should have been using it for years.
Naruto paused at their door, his hand stopping on the handle. He needed to be tactful and quick about this, with no room left for Sasuke to misunderstand his explanation.
You two are disastrous, Kurama rumbled at the back of his mind, the fox lazily peaking an eye open, head resting on his folded hands. All this drama over something I could’ve told you long ago.
“Why the hell didn’t you then?!” He couldn’t believe his audacity.
The door opened abruptly, subsequently pulling the knob from his grasp. Sasuke and Naruto stood facing each other, both men struck dumb by their sudden appearances.
“Who are you talking to?” Sasuke asked.
Naruto swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling as dry as the desert surrounding them. “Kurama.”
“Oh.”
Rip it off like a bandage, kit.
Right, no beating around the bush. Naruto pushed Sasuke back inside with a wide hand to his chest, throwing the door closed behind them and locking it. His gaze didn’t break, watching Sasuke with an intense resolve to fix whatever was between them. And Sasuke didn’t fight it, there was no sign of inertia as he stepped backwards through the force of Naruto’s direction. They found themselves standing in the middle of their bedroom, the balcony doors opened wide to allow a cool breeze in. It wafted over their skin, a draft brushing through their loose clothes and rustling at their hair.
“I love you, Sasuke. I’ve always loved you. You’re my best friend, but you’re also my lover. I hope that makes it clear that we’re together,” Naruto announced. And then for good measure, “does that make sense? Please tell me that makes sense.”
Sasuke’s lips pressed together, a tremor building in his chin as he tried to mask his emotions. Naruto rushed to hug him, strong arms wrapping around him. The world bled away, nothing existed outside the bubble of their shared space.
“It makes sense.”
Naruto wanted to cry from relief. He grabbed Sasuke’s face, cradling it in the palms of his hands, eyes following every line and curve of his features for reassurance. All he saw was love, unadulterated and unconcealed. It was a love reserved only for Naruto. He surged forward, capturing those lips in a heated kiss. He wanted to force every ounce of his emotions into it, relying on their physical language to speak for him when he could no longer use his words. And Sasuke, his brilliant, strong, beautiful Sasuke, understood completely. His lips moved with Naruto’s, sucking and licking and biting him with the fury of a man starved to the brink of death.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Naruto panted into the kiss. “I should’ve realized sooner. I’ll let you win the next time we spar, you can pummel me as much as you want.”
“Let?” Sasuke smirked, the red tinge of his sharingan appearing for a split second. It was gone before he could even register it. “There is no ‘let,’ I’ll beat you fair and square, just as I did last time.”
With that, Sasuke pushed him hard, Naruto nearly flying across the room with the strength of his violence. He landed with an oof on the silky sheets of their king bed, sliding and losing his footing against the sensuous fabric. His mind was dizzy with desire, the show of Sasuke’s power doing something positively hellish to his loins. Naruto stuttered at the sight of Sasuke crawling forward on the bedding, catlike and dangerous, approaching Naruto’s open body with obvious intent. His legs parted without his bidding, allowing for Sasuke to settle between him. But no, he’d miscalculated.
The cheeky minx ducked his head through the open bottom of Naruto’s robe. He watched with pupils blown wide with arousal as the shape of Sasuke’s head moved beneath the cotton fabric, inching closer and closer to his groin. The barrier of his briefs stood in the way of what his lover wanted, but it wouldn’t stop his advancements. The sound of tearing could be heard between his thighs; Sasuke had ripped his underwear clean-open, allowing his full, thick cock to spring out of its confines. He could tell he was being observed, Sasuke’s head remaining still as he admired Naruto’s intimates. It tented his robe, pushing up against the white fabric until a bead of precome seeped through, leaving behind a growing spot of wetness.
And Naruto could see nothing at all apart from the cloaked shapes, god fucking damn it. The erotic sight of Sasuke lying between his legs, his head propped in hand as he admired his cock, was completely hidden from his view. He imagined it in his mind, that intense, concentrated look as Sasuke’s eyes ran over the length of his erection, following the throbbing veins that led up to his curling pubes. And the aroma, it was likely stronger under the cover of fabric, warm and musky with the scent of virile semen. Naruto felt the puffs of hot air breathe over him, against his churning balls, then right above his cockhead.
Slowly, so very slowly, Sasuke descended upon him, suckling the tip like a lozenge. It stretched his mouth wide, filling Naruto with a sick sense of pride. He was bigger than most, and he shot like a fucking geyser when he came. He settled his bandaged hand over Sasuke’s head, pushing him down insistently to take more. There was the lewd glurking sound of Sasuke struggling to accommodate his girth, the frantic intake of breath through his nose as he tried to find a baseline. Still, Naruto pushed, and pushed, and pushed until he was sheathed entirely in Sasuke’s throat.
Naruto groaned at the flutter of wet muscles working wildly in an attempt to accept the intrusion. He lifted his hips, keeping Sasuke locked in place and unable to move. He held his position, his ass cheeks flexing to keep steady, and then let go, allowing Sasuke to pull up and cough, gulping lungfuls of air. There was the telltale drip of precome and saliva oozing over his shaft, down his testicles, creating a slick mess of his groin. Naruto decided he would fight dirty, if this was the game Sasuke wanted to play with him.
He tucked a hand behind his head, the other one now returning to force Sasuke down again. There came the wet sounds of his thrusts, punching the air out of Sasuke’s lungs the longer he kept him going. The suggestive bobbing movement under the fabric of his robe drove him crazy. Naruto hissed and moaned, swore and screamed, his abdomen tightening up as he fucked Sasuke’s throat with persistence.
“Gonna come, Sasuke, gonna come in your throat and you’re gonna swallow it all,” Naruto moaned loudly, the muscles and tendons in his neck straining at the onslaught of pleasure. “Guh—god, fucking, fuck, fuck!”
Hot come shot from his dick, lubricating the path of Sasuke’s throat, coating him inside with his own personal brand. Naruto grabbed his head with both hands, fucking up into his mouth and once more holding him flush to his pelvis. Sasuke’s nose was tucked firmly into the bush of his unruly pubes, inhaling the tang of potent semen.
Naruto’s feet kicked out erratically, jerking from the force of his orgasm. His teeth hurt from the furious clench of his jaw, desperately trying not to fall apart at the seams but failing spectacularly. Sasuke sucked him through it, pulling his head up despite Naruto’s hold on him. He stopped at the tip before slamming back down, swallowing him whole until Naruto yowled and thrashed against the bed. Not a drop of come or saliva remained as Sasuke cleaned him up with kitten licks, kissing away the mess Naruto had made of them both. Each swipe of the tongue overwhelmed him, his muscles spasming beyond his control.
He could fall asleep right then and there. He was already going under, his eyes half-lidded and struggling to stay open. Naruto was on the precipice of passing out when Sasuke moved out from underneath him, at long last reappearing in his view. Naruto had half a mind to return the favour, ready to pull through and thank his lover for one of the greatest orgasms of his entire life, but Sasuke had already beat him to the punch. Come coated his hand, evidence of his own peak having been fulfilled while he sucked Naruto off.
“Someone couldn’t wait,” Naruto teased sleepily. He made no protest as Sasuke undressed them both, taking care not to shred their actual robes this time. Naruto’s arms found their way around Sasuke’s slim waist, pulling him close for a kiss. It tasted like him, his essence heavy on Sasuke’s tongue. His dick would twitch in reaction if he had any strength left in his bones, but he simply didn’t have it in him to conjure the energy.
Sasuke snuffled into his side, his nose running along Naruto’s neck, rubbing back and forth in comfort. The night breeze felt divine on their heated skin, wicking away the sweat and hot air that clouded their room. Naruto hummed as Sasuke trailed his fingers inquisitively over his chest, his palm coming to settle right above his heart. The organ gave a stumbling beat under Sasuke’s hand, exposing the force of Naruto’s love for him. He didn’t care, Sasuke deserved to know just how deeply he loved him.
They fell asleep on top of the silk covers, unwilling and too exhausted to move from the comfort they’d found in each other’s arms. Naruto’s body was a furnace, keeping him and Sasuke warm even when the night breeze turned nippy. The moon passed through the sky, moving across the wide windows and open balcony of their suite, following the sight of two lovers nestled together, safe and sound in a desert far away from where they had been born. Soon the sun would rise again, and with it another day of their unity would begin.