Thank you to my beta and muse, Small Fox. This story grew from a plot idea he gave me.
Also thanks to Procrastination_is_key, InuChic, SidonieStarr, sadie237, Aflyingmonkey, Moonmoore, melissen, disembodiedvoiceofthedying, Rhionae and Fluister for reviewing after chapter 48 was posted.
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Leader
Interlude 49: Vignettes: On the Renaissance
Iruka
Iruka made his way to one of the unused suites on the Renaissance, shut all the doors and screamed.
The last two divs had been horrific. Ran, his son, his child, had been lost and then captured. First there had been the dread that he was dead; gone forever. Then that had been replaced by the horror of knowing that he was in the hands of a capricious monster who caused pain for pleasure.
It would have been bad enough if it had just been Ran but there had been the other children: Haru, Kazuki, Kuuya and Yoshimi.
And there had been those awful days when he had thought that he had lost all of them: all the children, Sasuke, Naruto and so many others.
He had thought it would stop once he had held Ran; once every part of him had been assured that his son was safe.
Only it had not. Akemi and Rin were still lost. Shikamaru was a mess; emotionally shredded and in danger of drifting away into that internal universe that no one else could share. Neji; if Iruka did not know better he would think someone had brainwashed him while he was kidnapped. How could he abandon Shikamaru for a woman he barely knew? Sasuke was training for a to-the-death knife fight and, worse, Kakashi and Naruto were going to let him do it.
He looked at the ring on his duty finger. It stared back at him; a threat rather than a promise.
He hated Izuna Uchiha.
He stopped screaming; enough was enough.
He thought about getting a cup of water to soothe his aching throat but the water coming from a faucet in an unused suite would probably be stale and it would be wasteful to run it until fresh. Instead he closed up the suite and made his way back to the decks they were using.
The younger children were playing skittles along the viewing gallery. Shou and Tsuneo were utterly focused on the game. Takara and Mai were angling for the top spot in the newly reunited group. Teruko was solidly behind her sister. Naomi was slightly behind the action, as always.
Sumiko was stargazing, which was strange; maybe Neji’s defection had affected her more than Shikamaru thought.
He thought about sitting next to Kiba on the bench but they would begin talking about the children and his throat was sore. Instead he bowed and smiled; maintaining his pace.
Kiba bowed in return. His dark eyes were watchful; Iruka knew that he, like Naruto, saw far more than he ever admitted.
He was heading to the room he shared with Kakashi but, driven by some instinct or a half-heard sound, he diverted to what Shikamaru called the service area.
It contained all the cleaning facilities and a large galley for food preparation but not consumption. Iruka sighed. Its mere existence illustrated how unsuitable the Renaissance was for a spacer crew, or any family.
Could he hear weeping?
By the time he had entered Haku was folding clothes; perfectly composed. It was a task that Iruka would have expected some of the older children to be doing.
“Would you come and have a cup of tea with me, Haku-san?” Iruka asked. “I would very much appreciate the company.”
Haku finished folding one of Mai’s dresses. “That would be most pleasant, Iruka-san.”
Iruka suggested the guest suite where he and Kakashi were living and Haku concurred. Soon they were sitting in the delightful reception room sipping tea from china cups.
They discussed everyone other than Haku himself.
“And you, Haku-san?” Iruka asked, once the teapot had been emptied.
Haku did hesitate for a moment but then the reply Iruka had been anticipating came. “I am fine, Iruka-san. Thank you for enquiring.”
Iruka doubted that. He would have to create an opportunity to speak with Itachi.
Haku took his leave, saying that he must pick up Mai and Shou. Iruka washed up the teapot and the cups, thinking about the abused boy whose throat Itachi had slashed, the cat who had twisted everyone round his little finger and the remarkable man Haku had become.
“Ir-chan? You there?”
It was Kakashi, sweaty from training Sasuke. He came up behind Iruka and threatened to hug him.
Iruka dodged. “Shower,” he ordered. “You should have used the facilities linked to the gym. That is what they are for.”
“Not organised enough,” Kakashi explained. “It was easier to come back here.” He looked at Iruka. “Is there anything wrong?”
What was right? Right was everyone safe, no one damaged by recent trauma and them all living on the Oak or in Tarrasade. “I am worried about Haku,” he replied, but it could have been one of many names.
“Haku?” Kakashi queried. He frowned. “How bad do you think it was for him?”
“Bad, but he’ll bury it and carry on.” He sighed. “Hopefully Itachi will have enough time with him to help him through.”
“I doubt that,” Kakashi replied. “Itachi and Kisame will be off hunting Orochimaru. Haku will stay with the children.”
Iruka did not reply. He was thinking about Haku’s response when Ranmaru had been murdered.
“Maybe we should rethink that,” Kakashi admitted. “There is an argument for putting people who are personally sworn to Sasuke in the household on Tarrasade. They have more freedom of action.” He considered. “Izuna finds Kisame scary.”
“That is sensible of him.”
“No, it isn’t. Kisame is a softy. Itachi is dangerous. Having Itachi in Tarrasade has its merits.” Kakashi took advantage of him being distracted and hugged him.
“Kashi!” Iruka scolded.
Kakashi nuzzled his neck. “Now you’re all sweaty and you’ll have to shower with me.”
“You are insatiable.”
“As if you mind.”
Itachi
The advantage of being on a luxury yacht like the Renaissance was that there were baths. There was a small one in their apartment but Itachi had booked the huge one the next deck down. He had even asked Naruto to take Mai and Shou for a sleepover.
Only at the last minute, when there was no time for discussion, Haku said he was too tired to accompany them and that he and Kisame should go alone.
“No,” Itachi replied.
Haku paled a little. “Suit yourselves. I shall be going to bed early.”
It was the latest in a succession of manoeuvres that Haku had used to avoid intimacy. “No,” Itachi repeated. “The three of us are going to the bath because that was what we planned. If you are tired, we will only bathe for a short time. It will relax you and you will sleep better.”
Haku looked to Kisame. “I do not want to go.”
This was the moment that Kisame usually gave in and Itachi had to back down.
“Princess, I want you to come with us. It would make me very happy.”
Haku’s eyes widened. Itachi held his breath. It was their contract; they were both in the relationship to make Kisame happy.
“Very well,” Haku conceded. “For a short time.”
They changed in their rooms. Haku’s robe was bound tightly around his body; his hair caught up in a turban. When they reached the bathroom, Itachi caught Kisame’s eye and both of them made sure that they appeared occupied while Haku slid out of his robe and into the water.
Itachi already knew the position of every healing cut and fading bruise; they were seared into his memory.
The tub was deep and round, so although he and Haku were either side of Kisame, as usual, they were also within arms’ reach of each other.
Kisame was relishing being in the water and while Haku was enjoying watching him, it was fine. Then memories intervened and Haku tensed; Itachi knew he was going to say he was tired and leave.
Itachi took his hand and lifted it so that it was above the water. Haku’s wrist was exposed, along with the marks where a thin, cruelly-tight rope had cut through his skin.
He could see that Haku wanted to pull the hand away but that he knew that Itachi would not permit it.
“Do you know what I see?” Itachi asked.
Haku shook his head very slightly.
“I see a mark of honour. I see a mark that isn’t on Yoshimi or Kuuya or Kazuki or Ran or Haru. It is not on one of the toad hybrid boys who were already so terrified. It is on you because you put yourself between them and a monster.”
“I let him,” Haku whispered. “I consented.” His voice shook slightly. “I gave him what he wanted.”
“You protected them,” Itachi insisted. “You saved their innocence. You knew exactly what it would be like for them and you did everything you could to stop it. You behaved with honour. You should be proud of what you did.”
Haku looked away.
“We are proud of what you did,” Kisame added.
Haku looked up at him. “You are?”
“We are,” Kisame confirmed.
“We are,” Itachi echoed. He touched a healing bruise on Haku’s arm. “Marks of honour.” He leaned forward and kissed the ligature mark on his wrist. “Each and every one.”
It worked. Haku sat in Kisame’s lap in the bath and climbed from it into the robe that Itachi held for him. Once they were over the threshold of their apartment, Kisame was able to sweep him up, carry him into their room and lay him in the centre of the bed.
Maybe tonight Haku would manage to sleep there rather than wandering about the apartment and napping in chairs and on couches.
He was drifting away when his eyes opened. “Mai and Shou?”
“With the triplets, sleeping over,” Itachi reminded him.
The expression on Haku’s face was response enough.
“We shall go and get them,” Kisame promised. “You rest and we will bring them to say goodnight.”
It was Sasuke who answered Itachi’s knock. He only opened the door partway and stood in the gap; a sure sign that Naruto was in no condition to receive visitors.
Even so, he understood that Haku needed Mai and Shou close. He escorted them inside, hovering between them and the door to what Itachi assumed was the bedroom he was sharing with Naruto.
All five children were sleeping. Kisame picked up Shou; Itachi gathered up Mai.
“We will get the rest of their things in the morning,” Itachi whispered.
“Don’t forget their plushies,” Sasuke replied, abandoning his post to retrieve them. “Otherwise you’ll only have to come back.”
In truth, Mai and Shou were less attached than Sasuke’s children to their furry toys, but Itachi accepted them with a small bow of gratitude.
Kisame’s gaze went to something and Itachi followed his line of sight. Naruto stood in the doorway that Sasuke had been barring.
It was not a Naruto that Itachi recognised; he was soft, vulnerable and slightly confused to see strangers.
Sasuke hurried over. “It’s fine, sweetie.”
The look of adoration that Naruto gave in return stole Itachi’s breath.
“Itachi and Kisame are just picking up Mai and Shou.”
Naruto turned to Itachi and smiled his approval.
Itachi was stunned; transfixed.
“We must go,” Kisame hinted.
Itachi was still reeling as they each carried a sleeping child to the deck above.
“Another of Naruto-san’s triggered behaviours,” Kisame observed. “The other side to the growling and howling we often hear.”
Itachi had never seen the attraction of triggered behaviours. He had imagined that the growling and howling were a bit of an embarrassment and berserker behaviour was as dangerous to friends as to enemies.
This he understood. He imagined Haku looking at him with such adoration, or giving him a smile that carried so much love and approval.
It would never happen; at least not from Haku.
He looked sideways at Kisame and smiled.
Kisame smiled in return.
Tsuneo
When Tsuneo woke up Shou had gone. The bed To-chan had put up for him was still there, but Shou wasn’t in it. Tsuneo had thought he had been dreaming about Kisame-san and Itachi-san but they must have come to get Shou.
He went to the head and then listened at Papa and To-chan’s door. There weren’t any noises, so he decided to go in.
They were still in bed and the room smelt of special cuddles. Tsuneo didn’t mind. He found his way under the covers and wriggled up between them.
Papa groaned and turned over. It looked like one of those mornings when he would sleep late. Tsuneo snuggled close to To-chan, who opened his eyes, smiled and kissed the top of his head.
They had a shower together, which was fun. They sang and danced under the spray with Tsuneo trying to move like To-chan.
Then To-chan pretended not to notice that he hadn’t dried his hair so that he could wake Ta-chan and Te-chan by shaking it over them.
They didn’t say anything Mai not being there; maybe they were pleased.
Breakfast was fun. They went to the big galley so Papa could sleep. Kazuki and Kuuya were there and they promised to take Tsuneo to the gym later to play Toss.
Then it was off to find Kiba-san.
He decided not to tell Kiba-san about the game of Toss. Instead he tried hard and didn’t complain about doing stuff he didn’t like. That way Kiba-san would say yes when his brothers came to get him.
It should work, specially if Ka-chan asked. Kiba-san had a soft spot for Kazuki.
When it came to it, Kiba-san only asked one question. “Do you promise to do it over a crash mat?”
He always said that since Kei-chan had mistimed a throw and Tsuneo had cracked his head on the floor.
“We promise, Kiba-san,” Kuu-chan assured him.
It was fun; Tsuneo loved soaring through the air and there wasn’t a trampoline on the Renaissance.
Then it was back to Kiba-san for more lessons pretending to be games. Sumiko was in a mood. Sumiko was usually moody but it was worse since she had lost her secret friend that Tsuneo wasn’t meant to know about.
Tsuneo imagined losing Shou. He wouldn’t like that. It had been bad enough leaving Nagato in Tarrasade.
Shi-chan came to their midday meal. He did that when Sumiko was moody or when he needed cheering up. Sometimes it was both.
Tsuneo made it his job to get Shi-chan to smile. Today it was hard. He was very sad and his eyes were a long way away. Tsuneo had to get the others to join in and they all ended up playing a make-believe game on the long viewing deck.
He got to play the baddy and Shou was his sidekick.
It was even more fun than Toss.
Papa and To-chan were there for the last part. Tsuneo put extra bits into the death scene, including coming back to life and then dying again.
Everyone clapped lots, even Papa.
Today they were having their evemeal on their own. Tsuneo didn’t mind eating with the adults but it did mean being extra good for ages so that Papa would be proud of him. It was much quicker when they had early evemeal.
Then they had baths. To-chan had the three of them in the tub together. He pulled Teruko’s hair and Takara pinched him.
To-chan told them both off.
Tsuneo guessed he deserved it.
Papa played for them. He sang Tsuneo’s favourite song and his second favourite. Then To-chan tucked them into their beds while Papa played pretty music without words.
He drifted off into sleep with To-chan stroking his hair.
Neji
Choosing Hinata over Shikamaru was not the type of decision you could go back on. When Neji was with Hinata he did not want to. He felt good when they were in each other’s company. They fitted. It was as if they had always belonged together.
It would have been easier on Hinata If they had been able to go away and start afresh. They could not because he was sworn to Uchiha.
He did not want to because he was part of this crew; a member of this family. He would carve out a new niche for him and Hinata.
He knew that Hinata was trying but it was hard for her. By nature she was shy and the dynamics of the crew were foreign to her. It did not help that in Hyuga society women socialised with other women. The only woman on the Renaissance was Shizune, who was as reserved as Hinata herself.
It would be easier in the household, where life was more ordered. The Renaissance’s accommodation was a poor fit and the flow of personnel between the ships was so great that watches and rosters changed from one day to the next.
Hinata had responded by building them their own little world in the smallest of the guest apartments. It was lovely, but it did not help her integrate with the crew.
So this afternoon Neji had suggested a walk around the ship, including the long viewing gallery.
He had not expected Shikamaru to be there. He was playing with the younger children; leading one of his interactive stories. There was a moment when they could have smiled, turned and walked away. It would have looked as if they did not want to interrupt the game.
Only Hinata stopped him. There was a bench that far enough away for them to watch without imposing. She sat on it and he had no choice but to sit down beside her.
He knew she was studying Shikamaru and was unable to stop himself following her example.
Like the children he was living the story. No, that was not it. He was giving the story life so that they could live it.
“It’s like seeing a completely different person,” Hinata whispered.
Not to Neji; to Neji this Shikamaru was achingly familiar. “His mind is vast,” he reminded her. “He can only display parts of it at a time. Most of it never gets expressed in his interactions with others.”
She shivered.
Neji’s heart sank. He wanted Hinata to see Shikamaru as a person rather than a phenomenon.
Perhaps he would have said more but, at that moment, Sasuke and Naruto arrived. Sasuke acknowledged them both. Naruto bowed to Hinata but gave Neji only the slightest of nods.
They moved on to sit on the bench closest to the action.
“Does Naruto-san not know that Shikamaru-san released you?” Hinata asked.
Neji hoped that Naruto was not listening. He certainly could hear from that distance but he seemed enthralled by the children’s interpretation of the story. “He knows. He worries about Shika. They are very close.”
Hinata took his hand. She probably meant it as a comfort but, at that moment, he wished that he had never met her again.
Only, if he had not, he would be dead or imprisoned on Hyuga; he owed her so much.
His eyes went to Shikamaru, whom he also owed.
Hinata squeezed his hand. He looked to her and gave a small smile of reassurance. It would work out; it had to. Shikamaru continued to be his friend. He had Sasuke’s support. Hopefully Hinata would get over her aversion to socialising with men.
“Shall we go back to the apartment?” he asked.
She smiled back and nodded.
Naruto
Naruto had been surprised to see Neji and Hinata at one end of the long galley, watching the children with Shi-chan.
They didn’t stay to see the end of the story. They missed Tsu-chan’s spectacular death scene.
He kept going back to the memory of them sitting on the bench. It was still bothering him at the end of the day when he and Sasuke had retreated to their room for some time alone.
Sasuke was sorting clothes. He was cleaning the shower. It was weird being in guest quarters; no matter how he and Sasuke organised things, it never felt right.
He still had to decide if he would talk to Neji. Sasuke thought that there was nothing to gain from it and Naruto was on the edge of conceding that he might be right.
The problem was that Neji did owe Hinata. She had given up her whole way of life to save him. If she wanted Neji’s companionship, perhaps it was right that he should give it to her. Even if it meant Shi-chan was alone and lonely.
His whiskers twitched. Something told him it wasn’t that simple. It didn’t fit that Neji had fucked her so quickly. Neji wasn’t like that. He took things slowly. Then there was Hinata herself. It was like there was three of her. There was the ‘I adore you and would be lost without you’ Hinata that only appeared when Neji was there. Then there was the ‘I am a thousand light minutes away and this is just an automated hologram’ Hinata that spoke to other adult members of the crew and did duties.
Finally there was the rather nice but reserved and quiet Hinata that he occasionally saw with the children, particularly Hoshi and Ayame.
Only one of the three Hinatas smelled right; the third.
Which could mean that the ‘I adore you and would be lost without you’ Hinata was an act, which was a very worrying thought.
He sighed. There was nothing he could do. If he said anything both Shi-chan and Sasuke would think it was because he was cross with Neji, which he was.
He would watch and wait. Maybe the real Hinata would fall in love with Neji, which would solve that part of the problem.
But not the Shi-chan part. When Shi-chan was alone he fell for inappropriate people who hurt him; people like Izuna. Before Neji there had been Rin and, before Naruto and Sasuke had joined the crew, he had been in love with Kakashi. Even Neji had started off a bit like that; so damaged that he was incapable of a physical relationship.
Maybe he was being hard on Neji. Neji had looked after Shi-chan for twelve standards.
Trouble was, there wasn’t anyone. Kakashi had Iruka. Sasuke had him. Rin, even if she wasn’t missing and didn’t have Dan, had never been suitable because she was scared of what was inside Shi-chan’s head. Itachi loved Kisame and was utterly committed to the family Haku had built for them. Inari was too cautious and Tayuya would never allow anyone to take him away from her.
Klennethon Darrent was dead, which was probably a good thing because Shi-chan could definitely have loved him and he had certainly loved Shi-chan.
Maybe Garner Parrad was suitable. He had loved Klennethon Darrent, so he shouldn’t find Shi-chan intimidating. Problem was, he was still grieving.
Naruto put Garner Parrad on his mental list; one name was better than none.
Inryoku was worth thinking about but Enerugi was in love with Tatsuji, which would complicate things. He put ‘Inryoku’ under ‘Garner Parrad’.
Then he thought of Konan and the fur on the back of his neck stood up. Konan liked Shi-chan. Shi-chan liked Konan. Nagato-chan liked Shi-chan almost as much as he liked Sasuke. He could imagine Hana accepting Shi-chan into Konan’s life. Konan would be good with Sumiko.
Against it was the fact that Konan was still faithful to Pein, even if she had not seen him for six standards. Naruto smiled. Pein was named in the vendetta. Either they would confirm that he was dead or they would hunt him down and kill him.
He hoped it was the former. Otherwise Konan might resent them.
Even so, ‘Konan’ went above ‘Garner Parrad’ on the list.
“Dobe?”
Naruto immediately focused on Sasuke and smiled.
“What were you thinking about?” Sasuke asked.
“The crew,” Naruto replied, which was true. “Being broken up and all over the place isn’t good. We need to think about it more carefully.”
Sasuke smiled. “Kakashi said the same to me this morning. I think Iruka has been talking to him.”
Naruto finished rinsing the floor and packed away all the cleaning materials. “Why don’t you do the rounds of the big litter while I check the triplets?”
Sasuke hesitated.
“Other way around?” Naruto asked.
“We could do both together,” Sasuke suggested.
Breaking the pattern disconcerted the kits. They stopped what they were doing and were uncharacteristically well-behaved. Naruto could imagine them turning over all their small misdeeds; trying to think of something that merited both their parents checking up on them rather than one.
Haru was already asleep; it was amazing what that boy could sleep through.
Naruto’s eyes went from Haru to Ryuu. No one who did not know them would guess that they were the same age; there could be five standards between them.
His eyes went to Sasuke, wondering if he was thinking the same. Probably not, as Sasuke was pretty determined not to face up to the fact that his hybrids sons were well on their way to being men.
They looked in on Yasushi and Yoshimi and then Hoshi and Yuki.
“Papa?” Yuki asked as they were about to leave.
Sasuke stopped. “Yes Yuki-chan?”
Yuki glanced at Hoshi, who gave him one of her ‘go for it’ looks.
“Can I have a cosmetic treatment?”
Sasuke blinked. He looked to Naruto.
Naruto had no intention of bailing him out.
“It would depend what it was, Yu-chan,” Sasuke replied.
“I would like to have long hair,” Yuki told them.
Naruto was not surprised. Yuki had always loved experimenting with Hoshi’s hair.
Sasuke sat down on Yuki’s bed and patted the mattress beside him. Yuki settled beside him.
“I think your hair is beautiful,” Sasuke told him. “Just like I think your To-chan’s hair is beautiful.”
“Thank you, Papa,” Yuki replied. “I just want to try it long. Shizune-san says that it would be easy. Lots of people have it done. She can programme my nanobots. It wouldn’t be permanent. If the nanobots stopped working on the follicles, they would go back to making shorter hairs.”
“I cannot see the harm in trying, as long as you are doing it for yourself and you understand that you are just as beautiful with shorter hair,” Sasuke decided. “Naruto?”
“I think it would be an interesting experiment,” Naruto confirmed.
Yuki hugged Sasuke. “Thank you, Papa.”
“You are welcome, Yu-chan.”
They made their way back to their apartment. Beside the outer door was a basketful of neatly folded children’s clothes. Naruto wondered who had delivered them; no one should be doing non-urgent duties at this time in the evening.
It did, however, give him an idea. He picked it up, took it through to their shared area and placed it on the low table.
Next they checked the triplets, who were fast asleep. They crept from the room and shut the door.
“Early night?” Naruto suggested with a smile. One of the advantages of the Renaissance was that it was remarkably well soundproofed.
Sasuke smiled back but his eyes went to the basket of clothes, exactly as Naruto had anticipated. “I’ll just put these away.”
It meant he was on the bed, naked, ready and waiting, by the time Sasuke slid the door shut behind him.
“I was thinking,” Naruto told him with a raspy purr. “It is a long time since you stripped for me.”
Sasuke looked at him and Naruto wondered if he would go for it. It had been a long time since they had done anything even remotely kinky.
“Do I get to clean my teeth and use the head first?” Sasuke asked in his normal voice.
For a moment Naruto regretted using the clothes as a delaying tactic; putting laundry away wasn’t very sexy. Then he smelled the change in Sasuke’s scent and smiled.
“I can wait,” he replied. “Don’t be too long.”
After what seemed like forever, the door to the head half-opened and Sasuke slid through the gap, He was humming and moving to the beat. His dark eyes smouldered.
His shirt went first and Naruto found himself focused on the changes to Sasuke’s musculature. It made him think of the purpose behind all the intensive training. The day might come when he would have to watch Sasuke in a fight to the death. Somehow he would have to stand there because Sasuke would be fighting for everything they held dear and by interfering Naruto would destroy it as surely as if Izuna slit Sasuke’s throat.
Even the thought of that made him tremble.
“Dobe?” Sasuke had stopped dancing. Instead he was heading toward the bed.
Naruto waved him back. “Just a bad thought. Chase it away by being super-sexy. I know you can do it if you try.”
So Sasuke stripped for him, his body swaying and turning to the music he hummed. The way he looked and moved and sounded and smelled made Naruto growl with desire. When Sasuke moved toward him, finally naked, his control almost broke.
Instead he held himself, whimpering slightly, as Sasuke’s hands moved over his skin, massaging him, lulling his desire to possess.
He lay back on the bed and Sasuke straddled his thighs. Musician’s fingers, strong and callused but nimble, played with his nipples and caressed his skin. Lips kissed and teeth nipped. Naruto knew what came next. His hips gave the smallest of thrusts. His erection jumped, signalling its desire to be engulfed in Sasuke’s talented mouth.
Instead, Sasuke reached out for lube. The dispenser squirted a generous glob into his palm. With a smile Sasuke stroked it gently over Naruto’s length, using feather light touches so as not to trigger growling-possessive-Naruto too soon.
Then he positioned himself with his hole over Naruto’s erection and slowly sank down; his face fixed in an expression of earnest concentration.
It felt amazing.
Sasuke swayed. He rose and fell. First his eyes were closed with his lashes on his cheeks and then open; clouded with lust. He bit his bottom lip before gasping, head back and lips parted. He leaned forward, his fingertips stroking Naruto’s skin, before leaning back, his palms sliding up his torso.
He was so, so beautiful.
Growling-possessive-Naruto surged just below the surface, demanding control. Naruto pushed him back; made him wait. Sasuke reached for more lube and looked up coyly, through his eyelashes, as he stroked it along his cock.
It was too much, as it always was. Growling-possessive-Naruto burst free.
They flipped over. Sasuke was on his upper back, his knees folded up to his shoulders. Naruto thrust with an exact fraction of his strength at precisely the correct angle. Sasuke gave a small moan of pleasure. Another thrust and Sasuke’s skin flushed; Naruto could feel his mate’s erection rigid against his belly. A third; Sasuke’s eyelashes fluttered, his lips parted and he sighed.
He smelled perfect.
This was right: having a mate; protecting him; possessing him; giving him pleasure. Naruto howled again and again as his knot formed and Sasuke greeted its arrival with a shriek of desire.
The world retreated. There was nothing but the challenge of bringing his mate with him to the edge. They leapt up together and desire exploded into fulfilment.
Naruto’s eyes were riveted to Sasuke face.
There it was; that amazing moment of utter abandonment that only he would ever see.
