Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There are plenty of things betas aren’t privy to in this world, and Sasuke is grateful for it. He’ll never know what it’s like to lose control of his basic functions twice a year. He doesn’t need to spend money on scent patches and suppressants. He gets to skip the otherwise mandatory sexual education training and spend that time doing more productive things, like studying, so he can kick Neji’s ass on their next exam.

He knows the basics. Everyone does. He’s just smart enough not to engage in the additional secret secondary biology discourse. When girls discreetly try to brush their wrists against his as they pass each other in the hallways, or complain that it’s cold and eye his cardigan, or offer to share a bite of their bentos with them—he knows what it means.

It’s obvious.

But he’s a beta, so he doesn’t have to be polite. He doesn’t know what they smell like, nor care what their intentions are. He wears long shirts to cover his wrists, says “bring a jacket next time” in lieu of sharing his own, and packs his own food.

He’s cold. Curt. And it works for him just fine.

It’s easy to be a beta.

...It’s easy: minus one, glaringly large, blond exception.

“And she wasn’t even wearing her patches around me. That has to count for something, right? Like maybe she’s into me? Maybe she wants me to make a move on her? I could, you know. Make a move on her,” Naruto says, sprawling across Sasuke’s desk. He came by to visit from the class next door during their lunch. It’s the first year they’ve been separated.

“Or maybe she just forgot to put her patches on,” Sasuke answers, idly flipping the page of his book.

“You don’t just forget to put your patches on, okay? It’s mandatory. You only take them off in the privacy of your own home. Or if you’re about to do the nasty.”

“Alright, then what do you want me to say?”

“Hype me up!" Naruto whines, "you're supposed to be my best friend, and I might get laid this year!”

That’s another thing about betas that Sasuke is grateful for. Not having the sexual appetite of a rabbit during mating season.

“There are plenty of other people you can chat to about your insatiable instincts,” he says, “go talk to them instead. They can hype you up.”

“Like who? I don’t wanna talk to Neji about it, he scares me. And Lee would tell the whole class.”

“Why is Neji on the list to begin with? He’d rather die than hype you up.”

Naruto rolls around on the desk some more and grumbles something about Sasuke being an asshole, which is par for the course. Sometimes, Sasuke wonders if his best friend forgets he’s a beta. Naruto has no filter—he’ll share anything and everything with him, even if Sasuke doesn’t entirely understand. Personally, Sasuke prefers he keep his mouth shut most of the time. Crushes and romantic interests and sex appeal are juvenile and stupid and not worth his time.

Anyways. He can entertain his whims, to some extent. But after a certain point it's annoying, and his friend’s face grows more and more punchable by the second.

Being a beta would be so much easier if Naruto wasn’t constantly talking about what his dick wanted.

“What about you?” Naruto asks, “what’s it like for you? Not being able to smell anything, I mean.”

They’ve had this conversation a million times.

“It’s fucking easy,” Sasuke says.

“How is it easy? You’re basically losing out on an entire information channel. Like who’s sleeping with who, who’s got a crush on who, who’s pissed off at who…I mean, I wouldn’t have even known that Sakura was angry at me last year if she didn’t stink.”

Sasuke remembers that. Everyone had kept a wide berth around Sakura except for the other betas like him, who went along blissfully unaware. He’d prefer to keep it that way.

“Naruto,” he sighs, “has it ever occurred to you that I simply don’t want to know and I don’t care?”

“Oh, I’ve always known that,” Naruto says, “I just like pissing you off.”

Sasuke calmly puts his book down and gives him a noogie until he screams for mercy.

Things are normal like this for a while. Sasuke is so far removed from the drama surrounding alphas and omegas that he cruises through his high school life without a hiccup. There are rumors of course: breakups, heat and rut partners no one expected, incompatible scents—but it’s all white noise. He’s too busy crushing the competition in soccer and destroying Neji in the class curriculum.

So, he misses the signs. It’s easy to miss the signs as a beta because he’s never looking for them to begin with.

The whispers start. At first, Sasuke ignores them.

“You know…his…it was huge. I mean not that I saw it but he was wearing his track pants, and since he came back from summer break he’s been…you know…”

“...I know. Now he actually looks like an alpha, instead of acting like one all the time. He was kinda annoying then, but now he’s…”

“...Well did you hear what…said? There was a pool party and…and then his scent patch peeled off…he smelled so good, she went home and instantly…you know…”

“If that happened to me, I would have done the same…I couldn’t believe…summer glow up and all, but who would have thought that Naruto, of all people—”

Sasuke freezes. He can hardly believe what he’s hearing.

Naruto? Are the girls talking about Naruto? Does he need to get his ears cleaned? What universe is this?

The girls continue gossiping, and Sasuke realizes he’s stayed longer than a full second listening to their drivel. He lets it go and moves on. It’s none of his business.

Naruto and Sasuke are finally sharing a class again which means Naruto is ten times more annoying than he usually is. Sasuke would have noticed if he were any different. But in fact, he is just as dumb, blond, and loud as he was when he left to spend time with his off-the-grid godfather for the summer.

It’s early autumn which means things are very hot and humid. The school, for all the funding it receives, has no AC. Sasuke is stuck pulling at his very sweaty uniform collar trying to get a bit of air flow on his skin.

Naruto, who’s sitting backwards in his chair so they can talk during break, frowns.

“Hey, don’t do that,” he says.

“It’s hot as balls in here,” Sasuke replies, tugging further at his collar, “and I’m sweaty. Let me do what I want.”

Naruto’s frown grows deeper but he doesn’t say anything else.

Sasuke continues to fan himself. Damn, it’s fucking hot.

The door to the classroom slides open. It’s a couple of guys from the class next door. They’re both wearing scent patches, the flesh colored stickers visible on their necks.

“Hey, Naruto!” one of them says, lighting up when he sees them. He runs over and slings an arm over Naruto’s shoulder. “Was looking for you all over man! Listen—karaoke night tonight? A couple of girls—omega girls—are coming too, it could be loads of fun.”

“Do I know them?” Naruto asks.

“Know them? That’s the point of the karaoke man—to get to know them. One of them is really cute.” He leans in, conspiratorially. “She’s got massive tits.”

They’re getting on Sasuke’s nerves and they’ve only been here for ten seconds.

The guys pull up some chairs and casually sit down. Then, they notice Sasuke.

“Hey, I know you. You’re Sasuke, right?” one asks.

“Oh shit,” says the other one, “this is Sasuke? Can’t believe I’ve never seen you before. Naruto, you guys are friends, yeah?”

“Yes,” says Naruto smugly. Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“Oh, then Sasuke should come to karaoke too. It’s gonna be tons of fun. The more the merrier, won’t hurt to get another good-looking face in the mix.”

Sasuke stays silent. One of the guys peeks around him, trying to look under his shirt collar. If they’re looking for a scent patch, they’re not going to find one.

“You’re an alpha, right?” the guy asks absentmindedly. He reaches over and tugs on Sasuke’s collar to get a better look.

In a flash, Naruto has knocked his hands away. “Oy, don’t get in his space like that. And no, he’s not. Sasuke’s a beta,” he says. He doesn’t look happy.

“Oh shit, for real? Good looks wasted, but maybe we lucked out. If this guy was an alpha, there’d be no omegas left for the rest of us,” the guy says, grinning at Sasuke. It’s meant to be a compliment, but he doesn’t feel anything from it.

“Sasuke’s fine just the way he is,” Naruto says loudly. His voice carries over the classroom. A good half of the student body turns around and looks at them. A beat passes, then they resume their own business.

The two guys begin apologizing. Sasuke sighs. He doesn’t know what kind of weird secondary gender thing just happened, and he doesn’t want to know.

“It’s fine,” he says, “I don’t care.”

The two guys exchange looks as if passing a mental message between their brains. Then, one of them laughs.

“You’re kind of chill, huh? I can see why Naruto hangs out with you. Invitation still stands.” He gets up to leave, tapping his wrist lightly against Naruto’s as a goodbye. His friend does the same.

“We’re heading back to the classroom, break is almost over. Naruto—don’t forget, karaoke tonight. Text me.”

Then, as if on second thought, he gives Sasuke’s shoulder a pat and leaves the classroom.

“I didn’t know you had friends like that,” says Sasuke after a moment.

“Yeah, they’re part of Kiba’s group. I met them a couple years back.” Naruto has that weird expression on his face again. He’s chewing his lip. He suddenly stands up, walks around Sasuke, and pats his back in the same exact spot the guy did.

“What are you doing,” asks Sasuke flatly.

“Nothing,” Naruto says. He pinches Sasuke’s nape. “The back of your neck is sweaty as hell. Gross.”

“That’s what happens when it’s hot, dumbass.”

“Stinky, stupid, smelly Sasuke—”

Sasuke punches him in the arm.

“Ruts fucking suck,” Naruto says. He’s been gone from class for a week and he looks awful. He has bags under his eyes. He’s got patches on his neck and on his wrists. He sullenly puts his shoes in his locker and then bangs his head against the locker door.

“Aren’t you on suppressants?” Sasuke asks, sliding on his school slippers.

“I stopped,” Naruto moans, “I stopped taking them a couple months ago because you're not supposed to be on them for too long. So this rut fucked me over extra hard. It sucks man: it’s like being sick with the flu, but also being horny at the same time. You’re just all icky and tired and angry at everyone. I’m emotionally exhausted. Look at me, Sasuke. Look at your poor friend. I’m just a shell of my former self.”

He does look a bit shriveled. Sasuke feels a little bad for him. “Did you eat anything?”

“I was too busy being horny to eat. I didn’t even want ramen. Can you believe it? I didn’t even want to eat ramen. That’s how you know I was not in my right mind.”

“Can’t relate,” Sasuke says. But, because Naruto looks more pitiful than he usually does, he reaches into his bag and passes him a snack bar. “Here. You can have this. You should eat or you’re going to groan and whine through every single period until lunch.” He pauses. “Unless you’re still feeling nauseous and don’t want to eat anything, in which case, I’d like it back.”

“Nah, I’ll take it.” Naruto says, grabbing the bar out of his hands. He makes a show of ripping the wrapper off and taking a huge bite, making eye contact with Sasuke the entire time. He chews very exaggeratedly. “See? I’m eating it.”

“Yeah, that’s the whole point.”

“I want another one.”

“Go to the vending machine and buy one yourself.”

“I want you to buy it for me.”

“And why would I spend my money on a snack bar for you when I’ve already given you one?”

“Because like I said, I want another one. And I’m a poor, shriveled husk of my previous self. And you need to take care of me or I’m going to complain extra hard and tell everyone what a mean, selfish jerk you are.”

Sasuke’s head is starting to hurt. He rubs his temples. Those girls from a few days ago must have been delusional. This whining, annoying friend of his is the most unalpha-like alpha he’s ever met.

“Fine,” he says, “what flavor?”

Naruto perks up. “Any flavor. I just want you to buy it,” he emphasizes.

Sasuke goes to the vending machine and buys the grossest flavor he can find. When he smirks and tosses it to Naruto, Naruto cusses him out and makes a face, but eats it anyway.

“Seriously? Oatmeal? You know I hate oatmeal,” he says.

They make it to class on time. Naruto slumps over and into his seat. A couple of omega girls look over at him and giggle.

After school, when Sasuke is packing up his things, they strike.

“Hey Naruto,” the shorter girl says cheekily, “where were you last week? Saw you were absent.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling too hot. Stayed at home to rest up.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure. You feeling better?”

“Marginally. Good enough to show up to school again.”

The taller girl laughs, covering her mouth with her manicured hand. “Your parents didn’t say anything when you left the house, did they?”

“They usually leave for work first…”

The girls look around to make sure no one else can hear before going in for the kill.

“Your patches,” the shorter girl whispers, “they’re not working so well anymore. You might need to buy some stronger ones.”

Naruto’s face turns red. “These are sevens,” he croaks, “I thought they’d be enough—fuck. Are you shitting me? You can still smell my…I’m so sorry. You should have said something! Why didn’t you say something earlier!? I went the whole class smelling like—”

“Don’t worry, our noses are just sensitive. I doubt anyone noticed. Plus…well. We don’t mind the smell. I mean, Mimi doesn’t mind the smell,” winks the taller girl, discreetly jabbing her friend with her elbow. Her friend shushes her, hissing “why did you say that? You didn’t need to say that!”

“Oh, I uh,” Naruto has the decency to look sheepish.

“He’ll buy eights next time,” Sasuke interrupts. “Is there anything else?”

“No, that was all. See you later,” the tall girl says, flicking her hair over her shoulder. Mimi stays for a while longer, chatting with Naruto. She’s twirling one of her curls with a finger and smiling way too much.

“What brand are these anyways?” she asks, sitting down next to Naruto. She makes him show her his wrists, and she begins casually playing with the edge of the scent patches, lifting the edges up with her painted fingernails.

“Uh, I don’t know, I just buy the generic brand,” Naruto chuckles weakly, eyes darting between the girl and Sasuke.

Sasuke doesn’t know why Naruto is looking at him so intensely. Does he want to get bailed out? That would be very unlike him. He’s sabotaging his own chances of getting laid. Very stupid.

“You’ve got to buy better patches. I have fives. You want some?” Mimi asks.

“I mean I’m about to go home, so…”

“Well it might help to stack them. They’re really cute. I got pink ones over the weekend. I think you’d like them.”

Naruto’s eyes dart back and forth faster. Sasuke takes pity on him. He hoists his bag onto his shoulder and says, “I’m heading home. Should I tell your mom you’ll be late?”

“No, I’m coming, wait for me.” Naruto scrambles up and starts throwing his things in his bag. Mimi makes a put-out expression, then glares at Sasuke as if he’s ruined her plans. Sasuke has no idea what he’s done wrong. It’s not his fault Naruto is an idiot.

“Sorry Mimi, we’ll hang out later,” says Naruto apologetically. He offers his wrists up to her and she brightens immediately, gently tapping her wrists against his patch-covered ones. Naruto waves goodbye and follows Sasuke out of the classroom. He lets out a huge breath of air.

Sasuke knows before he even opens his mouth that it’s going to be embarrassing and as a proud beta, he does not want to get involved.

“Don’t say anything,” Sasuke says, “I know what she was doing. I don’t need to know what she smelled like or what kind of weird omega hormones she was probably releasing into the air. You keep that to yourself.”

“How did you know—”

“I might not be able to smell things, but I’m not blind and I’m not stupid.”

They walk for a bit together in silence. They change back into their street shoes and tuck their slippers into their lockers.

“If I smelled bad, would you still like me?” Naruto asks.

“You already smell bad,” Sasuke says. At Naruto’s expression, he adds, “it’s a joke. As long as you shower regularly, you’re fine.”

“It’s just really…hard sometimes. You know, when you think you might get along with someone but then they smell all wrong and weird. Or like, what if you end up really liking someone only because they smell good, or they’re an omega and you’re an alpha?”

“Is this about Mimi?”

“No.”

“Alright, then?”

“I just think sometimes it would be easier if I was just a beta.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time.”

“You have it lucky. You don’t even know.”

“No, I think I do.”

“You don’t.”

“I do.”

“There’s just all these stereotypes and expectations and signals you’re just supposed to deal with. People didn’t take me seriously until I presented. And now that I have the alpha label, they treat me differently. And I hate that. I feel like I didn’t earn it myself. Their respect, I mean.”

Maybe it's the residual hormones from his rut. Sasuke has heard that both alphas and omegas get more emotional before and after their cycles. He briefly considers making another joke, but after seeing Naruto’s sullen face, he thinks better of it.

He considers his words carefully. Finally, he says: “I might not act like it but you have my respect, and that counts for more than most.”

They continue walking. Sasuke is so bad at this. He’s bad at consoling people. He’s just not the type. But Naruto is listening, so he keeps going.

“Those secondary gender personality stereotypes are stupid and outdated. It's just biology. There's no bearing on what personality traits or intelligence you're supposed to have. Anyone who uses that as a baseline to judge another person should be forced to take remedial classes, because even a beta like me knows those stereotypes are shit. Naruto, you could be a donkey for all I care, and I would treat you just the same because you’re my friend and I want you to be yourself around me. Your real self. Not whatever personality you're expected to have because you're an alpha. Understood?”

“Sasuke…” Naruto’s bottom lip wobbles.

“Don’t,” Sasuke warns, “don’t pull that shit—”

“—I’m trying to be emotionally vulnerable with you and you’re being such an asshole! You were doing so well! Come on—”

“You fucking know I’m not good at talking about feelings—”

“Well you were doing a pretty good job before you sabotaged yourself—”

“You made it weird, you started making that puppy-dog face at me—”

“Because I was happy, you asshole—big surprise from me considering your emotional constipation. Oh shit—speaking of, you want some prune juice? Does pruny Sasuke need some prune juice to help him with his bowel movements—”

Sasuke lunges at him and Naruto cackles and they chase each other like this all the way back to their neighborhood. When they end up in front of Naruto’s house, Naruto finally manages to grab Sasuke in a headlock and does a thorough job of messing up his hair. Sasuke’s too busy trying to pry him off to notice him quickly swiping his wrist against his neck.

Chapter Text

Sasuke’s family is all betas except for Itachi, who ended up as an alpha by some genetic defect. That had thrown everyone for a loop. When Itachi’s presentation results came out, Sasuke remembered his mother frantically running to the library and borrowing as many books as she could about how to raise an alpha properly, while his father just stared off into the distance as if watching his dynasty crumble into tiny pieces.

So, Sasuke knows a thing or two about alphas.

For one, their teeth grew longer during their ruts. Itachi's room was full of grinding stones and files so he could shave down his canines afterwards.

Alphas also always kept a pheromone-blocking face mask on themselves at all times. This was to protect them and others with secondary genders in case their cycles hit them unsuspectingly. Itachi always had his tucked his into his pocket.

And last, but not least, when alphas turned eighteen, they were required to take a mandatory class on proper social decorum in order to get their ID cards. Itachi had received perfect marks, which caused quite a stir in the neighborhood at the time. Evidence of good alpha upbringing, whatever that meant.

Itachi was an alpha, but he always had everything under control. He never talked about it. There was no territorial scenting or aggression or uncontrollable emotions. Sasuke had to pick up everything via context clues. But in the end, Itachi was just Itachi—his big brother, who just so happened to need more biological upkeep than he did.

He wishes now that Itachi was home instead of in college. He’d know what to do.

Naruto is currently leaning all his body weight against Sasuke as Sasuke helps him up the stairs. He is very drunk. Both of Sasuke’s parents are asleep.

Sasuke wonders if this is a common occurrence for neighbors. If he had known as a child, he probably would have tried to convince his parents to move a little further down the street.

Naruto and Sasuke’s houses are situated very close to each other. They’re a mere five minute walk apart. This means that whenever Naruto is bored and looking for any sort of mental stimulation, he’s climbing up Sasuke’s trellis and knocking on his window until Sasuke lets him in. This happens whether Sasuke wants to let him in or not.

At a certain point Sasuke just gave up on locking his windows. If he gets murdered, Naruto will need to confess his sins during his funeral.

But this is the first time Naruto has come over like this. He’s mumbling and slurring his words and he almost woke up the entire neighborhood when he fell off the trellis. Luckily, Sasuke was able to get him in through the front door without waking his parents.

He gives Naruto a cup of water and orders him to drink all of it. Naruto looks at him with his blue eyes and drinks the whole cup without breaking eye contact, then passes Sasuke the empty glass.

“Your house is literally five minutes away,” says Sasuke.

“I know, I just didn’t wanna go,” says Naruto. “I just wanted to come here.” He crawls into Sasuke’s bed and presses his face against his pillow, inhaling. His body sinks further into the mattress as though he’s finally relaxing.

He’s breathing in and out so deeply Sasuke thinks he might have fallen asleep, but then Naruto speaks.

“I was hanging out with Kiba and the gang, we were doing karaoke again. But there were so many fucking people. And it was getting really hot. And there were just so many smells in that room. Like sweat and deodorant and perfume and the alpha and omega smells that sometimes leak out when you don’t put your patches on right. It was loud too. Max volume on the machine. Someone brought tambourines. And then somehow a bottle appeared and we were all drinking it because you know, free alcohol, and then I just…” he sighs.

“I’ll get you more water,” says Sasuke.

“Wait, wait, wait,” says Naruto. “Let me finish.”

Sasuke waits.

Naruto rolls around in the bed, trying to get comfortable. “My head hurt like a bitch. And I found myself thinking, ‘man, I wish Sasuke was here. Then I could make an excuse to leave.’”

“But you left anyway.”

“Yeah. I said I needed to take a piss and I left and I texted Kiba and told him I was going home. And then I passed by your house on my way back and saw your light was on. And then I tried to climb up your plant thingy but my hands were all uncoordinated and shit and I couldn’t do it.”

“I was studying before you fell off the trellis. Are you hurt?”

“Nah. But my nose feels like shit. All the smells from karaoke are mixing around in my nasal cavity. It’s kind of gross.” He looks up at Sasuke. “Can I smell you?”

“I think that would make it worse.”

“Dunno. Maybe. Maybe not.” He opens his arms and kicks his feet. “Come on. Come here.”

“You’re going to put me in a headlock.”

“No I’m not. Please? Please. Come on Sasuke. I feel like someone’s beating my brains out with a baseball bat.”

Sasuke reluctantly goes over to him and kneels on the floor. He doesn’t really know what to do. It’s common knowledge that betas are best suited for social and medical roles because they don’t have triggering scents, but this feels like something different. Naruto happily loops his arms over him and pulls him so he’s halfway on his bed. He buries his nose at the junction of his neck and shoulder.

“There’s nothing to smell,” says Sasuke.

“No, there is,” Naruto murmurs happily. “It’s good.” Like a cat, he begins rubbing his neck along Sasuke’s. It tickles.

“Cut it out, I don’t have any pheromone wash at home,” says Sasuke, pushing him off.

“That’s okay,” Naruto replies, reaching for him again. Sasuke dodges his hold.

“I’m going to get you more water,” he says.

“Boo,” Naruto says.

Sasuke brings up another glass of water. Naruto drinks it.

“Let me smell you again,” Naruto says.

“I have to study.”

“Okay, I’ll sit behind you then. I can put my face in your neck.”

It’s like taking care of a child.

“You’re gonna vomit on me.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Yeah you are.”

“Maybe if you don’t let me smell you I will...” Naruto scrunches his eyes shut. “Urgh. Shit. The scents are still making me nauseous.”

Sasuke does not like the sound of that. He does not want Naruto to throw up in his room. He relents and grabs his textbook, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, and Naruto scoots closer to rest his head on his shoulder. From this distance, Sasuke can feel the heat of his body pressing against his and his breath ghosting across his skin. He tries to ignore it best he can.

Sasuke opens his book and begins to read. He does not get far.

“Lap,” says Naruto.

“Fuck off.”

“Lap, or I vomit.”

Sasuke considers knocking him out. He instead, shifts further onto his bed and lifts his book up.

Naruto beams. He happily shuffles over, settles his head on Sasuke’s lap and curls up against him. Within minutes, he promptly falls asleep.

After he finishes studying, Sasuke kicks Naruto’s motionless body with a socked foot.

“Get up. Go back to your own house,” he says.

Naruto doesn’t move. He just burrows himself further into Sasuke’s blankets. Sasuke looks up at the ceiling and pinches the space between his eyebrows. Now he’s the one with a headache. With a sigh, he gently moves Naruto off his lap, turns off the lights, and goes to Itachi’s room to sleep there instead.

-

Naruto wakes up completely hung over. Sasuke is forced to give him an aspirin.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” Naruto says as he brushes his teeth with one of Sasuke’s extra toothbrushes.

“You were too heavy to dump out the window,” says Sasuke. There isn’t much heat behind his words.

“Is your mom gonna feed me?”

“Probably.”

“I’m making pancakes!” Sasuke’s mom calls from downstairs.

“Fuck yeah,” says Naruto. He spits out his toothpaste and gives Sasuke a sniff. “I thought you said you didn’t have any pheromone wash. You don’t smell anymore.”

“I took a shower with some vinegar this morning.”

“How responsible, but also, ew.” Naruto scratches his neck absentmindedly and his scent patch falls off. He looks at the sticker on the ground, then at his wrists. Those are peeling too. “Fuck. I really gotta stop buying the generic brand. Do you have any?”

“Maybe. I’ll check Itachi’s room.”

Sasuke comes back with some fours. “You’ll have to stack them. And maybe stop at the nurse’s office for some stronger ones when you get to school,” he says.

“Thanks,” Naruto says. He reapplies the patches and then hops down the stairs to give Sasuke’s mom a hug. She laughs and hugs him back, spatula in hand.

They eat pancakes. Naruto helps with the dishes.

They’re in the middle of putting on their shoes when Sasuke notices the state of Naruto’s uniform shirt.

“You’re just going to go to school in the same uniform you slept in?” he asks.

Naruto pulls at it, frowning. “I mean, I could run home and change but then I might be late for school.”

Sasuke glances at the clock. He’s right. But Naruto’s uniform is…it’s been through something. Whatever happened during karaoke the night before has put it through the ringer.

His mom watches curiously from the kitchen. “Sasuke, just lend him one of your shirts,” she says. “You and Naruto are close enough in size.”

Naruto suddenly coughs loudly. “Uh, no, don’t worry about it, it’s okay—”

“No,” she says, “I can’t let you go to school like that while you’re under my watch. It’d be a disservice to my friendship with Kushina. Sasuke, go get him one of your shirts.”

Sasuke obeys and goes to his room, pulling a shirt off the hanger. He tosses it to Naruto.

“There you go.”

Naruto freezes for a second before muttering something under his breath. He takes off his old shirt and puts Sasuke’s on. It’s a bit too long on him but it works out.

“I’ll give it back when we get to school, I have an extra shirt I can change into after gym,” he says.

“Wear it all day if you want. It’s just a shirt. You can give it back whenever.”

“That’s right,” says Naruto as if to himself, “it’s just a shirt.”

When they get to school they split off. Naruto heads to the nurse’s office to get some stronger patches and Sasuke heads to class. He doesn’t think about the shirt incident until much later.

Someone pulls the fire alarm. There’s no smoke. It doesn't take a genius to realize why they’re all being ushered out of the school as quickly as possible.

Sasuke, along with his classmates, waits patiently on the lawn outside. All the alphas and omegas have their face masks on.

“That bad?” he asks.

“It’s pretty bad,” says Naruto, his voice muffled by the cloth.

“Hm. You feel anything?”

“Nah, I’ve got a pretty high tolerance. I can tell everyone else is a bit agitated though. Hope no one’s cycle gets triggered.”

“That would be unfortunate.”

“Yeah. Good thing they got us all out in time. The open air helps.”

After a bit, they’re allowed to go back to class. Most everyone is fine, but some of the omegas’ faces look feverish and some of the alphas are fidgeting. It’s clear the incident is still affecting them. Naruto however, isn’t acting any differently. He must have been right about his own tolerance.

They’re eating lunch. Sasuke is munching on a sandwich. Naruto has his feet kicked up in a chair, trying to explain his current weight training program.

“So I’m squatting, right? And you’d think it’s easy, but getting the right posture is the key or else you’ll throw out your back. I can do 220 right now which isn’t bad, but I can feel myself getting—” He suddenly whips around and snarls, “Cut that shit out!”

Two of their classmates are baring their teeth at each other, foreheads pressed together. They’re both alphas. Naruto walks over and breaks them apart.

“Back it up,” he says, “there are omegas in here. Don’t do anything irrational.”

“Get the fuck out of my space if you know what’s good for you,” one of them hisses.

A size-up between alphas is never a good sign. The whole room tenses.

Sasuke stands up. “I’m going to get the teacher. Naruto, stay put.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice.”

Sasuke sprints to the teacher’s lounge and explains the situation. By the time he throws back open the classroom door, a fight has broken out. 

Two alphas are fighting each other, growling and slamming each other into the desks.

One is the alpha Naruto confronted.

The other is Naruto.

Sasuke watches in slow motion as Naruto is thrown to the tile ground. His assailant jumps on him and throws a punch at his face. Naruto blocks it. He does not fight back. He keeps blocking and blocking and blocking as he’s being attacked and Sasuke, overcome by an anger he can’t place, jumps into the fray.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing? Get off of him!” he snaps, grabbing the alpha by his shirt collar and forcibly pulling him off.

The alpha growls, a rumbling sound deep in his chest. His canines are long. Without warning, he shifts his attention off Naruto and attacks Sasuke instead. Sasuke, prepared for it, dodges his punch then wraps his arms around him, tackling him in a vice grip so he can’t move. Seconds later the teachers relieve him of his duties and carefully separate them. They’re trained for this kind of thing. Sasuke lets go.

The next few hours are full damage control. The teachers calm everyone down. They’re all separated by gender for a bit while the nurses inspect them to make sure no one else is triggered.

In the end, there's no one to blame. The student who attacked Naruto was unconsciously affected by the omega pheromones from earlier. After being given some medication he’s allowed to return to the classroom. He apologizes profusely to both Naruto and Sasuke, metaphorical tail between his legs.

Sasuke shrugs. It’s water under the bridge.

After school however, as they’re walking back home, Naruto seems uncomfortable for the first time that day. He keeps glancing at Sasuke, then looking away.

“What is it?” Sasuke finally asks.

“Nothing,” Naruto mumbles.

“You’re acting weird. Spit it out.”

Naruto does the same song and dance he always does when he's mustering up the courage to confess something. He worries his lip between his teeth and twists his fingers in his hand.

Finally, he says in a small voice, “You don’t think I’m weak or anything right?”

This is unexpected. Normally, Naruto is quite confident and brash about his physical strength. 

“Why would I think that?” Sasuke says, because he truly can't understand where this is coming from.

“Because I didn’t hit that guy back.”

“You were doing the smart thing by not escalating it further. The fight could have been even worse. We're lucky there wasn't any blood."

“You still jumped in to help though.”

“Of course.”

“Why? You could have gotten hurt.”

“Believe it or not, seeing my friend getting punched repeatedly isn’t very pleasant,” he says. “I know you’re strong and would have been fine, but I wasn’t happy with his behavior.”

“I wouldn't have been happy if you had gotten hurt because of me,” says Naruto.

The thought of it is ridiculous.

“Are you forgetting who beat up those kids for you in kindergarten? I broke two noses, knocked out three baby teeth, and got suspended for your stupid ass. I’m even better at fighting now. I wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I can handle myself," Sasuke says.

"I thought you beat them up because they made a 'your mom' joke."

"Well, that was part of it."

They don’t talk about this often. It’s the more delicate part of their friendship—the beginning, when they were just two lonely kids who didn’t know how to communicate.

"Out for blood at the tender age of six. What a little shit," says Naruto.

“This little shit got a black eye because of you. You could spend your whole life paying it off and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“Dude, I got a black eye too. And I dislocated my shoulder."

"Doesn't count. You still owe me."

“Alright,” Naruto says, stopping in his tracks. He tosses his bag to the ground and takes his shirt off. He’s left in his undershirt.

“You're going to get arrested for public indecency,” says Sasuke.

“I'm not fucking naked, Sasuke. Wear this," Naruto says, holding his uniform shirt out to him.

"Why?"

"Just do it. Put on the damn shirt.”

“My own shirt is perfectly fine.”

“No, it’s not,” Naruto says, “you held that guy back and now you’re covered in his smell. Doesn’t feel right.”

“What part of this is paying me back?”

“Making sure people don’t think you’re hanging out with agitated men, that’s what. I'm looking out for your appearance. What would your mother say?”

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "My mother is a beta," he says, but he pulls his shirt off and puts on Naruto’s. It's slightly warm, having retained some of his friend's body heat.

“There,” he says, “better?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you said you have a high tolerance for scents.”

“I do,” says Naruto, picking up his bag and throwing it over his shoulder.

“Then why are you making me change into your smelly shirt?”

Naruto doesn’t answer him. They continue walking.

Chapter Text

It’s Sports Day. Sasuke has already crushed the 100 meter sprint. Technically, his class obligations are done. He pushes his sweaty bangs out of his face.

Naruto and some of their other classmates are in the midst of a heated tug-of-war battle. Sasuke walks over and takes a seat on the exercise lawn, watching the scene unfold. It’s a bit of a back and forth—the two classes look evenly matched. Naruto, who’s been placed in the front, is holding his own rather well. His face is red, his arm muscles are bulging, and he’s doing a decent job of digging his feet into the dirt.

His exercise regimen may have actually been legitimate.

There’s quite an audience. The girls are in their cheer uniforms, egging them on. The alphas tugging on the rope are also trying to flex their biceps at the same time to impress them. Lots of screaming is involved.

Sasuke watches them struggle for a bit. Naruto’s grip slips once or twice on the rope before he latches on again. He looks sweaty. His hands are probably covered in blisters.

Naruto slips again.

"Really now?" Sasuke says to himself.

As if he’s heard him, Naruto suddenly shifts his feet and takes a wider stance. He grits his teeth. Then, in an impressive show of alpha gorilla strength, he yanks on the rope until veins pop in his temples.

It's more than enough. The opposing class, unable to retaliate against the sudden change in tension, falls over into the dirt.

The cheerleaders start screaming and waving their pom poms. Sasuke applauds politely from the sidelines. The winner is declared and Naruto fist bumps all his team members before looking around the area like a lost puppy. When he finally catches Sasuke's eye, he bounds over, grinning ear to ear.

“Were you watching?” he asks proudly.

“I was.”

“I’m strong, right? I did a good job right?”

“Crushed it. Now drink some water,” says Sasuke, tossing him a water bottle. Naruto twists the cap off and guzzles the whole thing.

The Sports Day competition is fiercer than expected. A number of their schoolmates have gone through their growth spurts recently. It’s a good excuse to let their instincts run a little wild especially since the teachers are more lenient on days like this. They’re closely monitoring everything, but it doesn’t hurt to let the students have some fun.

After tallying the points, Sasuke and Naruto’s class is in the lead.

It doesn’t last long.

After a disastrous three-legged race where their team trips within the first meter, things are no longer looking too hot.

Sasuke watches as their team stumbles in slow motion. It's one right over the other, tumbling in a tangle of limbs and arms. They stop moving and the teachers rush onto the field.

“Nooooooo,” says Naruto.

After some help the team is removed from the race. One of the members, Amai, staggers away using two teachers as crutches. Naruto and Sasuke's classmates relay what happened: the fall was worse than it looked and he is headed straight to the nurse’s office.

“Better luck next year,” says Sasuke.

“You’re giving up on the competition!?” says Naruto.

“There's not that many events left. We’re not winning the obstacle course. And Amai just got sent to the nurse’s.”

“He’s probably fine,” says Naruto. “Just needs a bandaid or something.”

Amai does not need a bandaid. He needs a cast.

Kazuha, their class president, bears the bad news. “Amai feels very bad about what happened, but unfortunately, he fractured his ankle and is forbidden from participating any further,” he says solemnly.

Amai was slated to be on the cavalry fight team with Naruto, which is their class's last chance to earn points towards first place.

They do not have a replacement.

Understandably, the team does not take the news well. The groaning begins. They're acting like they've just lost a national championship rather than a Sports Day.

“We had it in the fucking bag! We were gonna win the whole thing!”

“We had a plan and everything. We had strategy. Dude—”

“What do we do? Do we just back out?”

“I don’t wanna back out,” Naruto whines.

“We might have to. We don’t have enough players any more, and everyone else is already capped out on their events—”

“Well…almost everyone,” says Kazuha. He looks at Sasuke.

“No,” says Sasuke. “I’m not doing it.”

“Alright,” says Kazuha, “I’m not going to force you. If you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”

Kazuha, the bastard, knows exactly what he’s doing. The cavalry fight team sans Naruto turns their attention to Sasuke. They start pleading with him. They’re on their knees, clasping their hands together, making the most hideous looking teary eyes Sasuke has seen in his life.

“Please! Sasuke! Please! You’ve only been in one event! You’re allowed to participate in one more!”

“You’re strong! We need strong guys! We’ll stand a fighting chance!”

“All the other classes are sending alphas only,” says Sasuke. “As a beta—”

“Yeah, as a beta you can kick their fucking asses! Come on, we'll brace you so well."

“100%. Opportunities for you to strike will crop up so often you won't know what to do with yourself.”

“How about this? I’ll buy you a katsu sandwich. No. Two katsu sandwiches—”

“No one’s buying anyone katsu sandwiches,” says Naruto irritably.

Sasuke looks at him. “What, you don’t want me to participate?”

“No. Not really. Since you said you didn’t want to.”

“Since when have you cared about that?”

“Since now,” Naruto says, a little louder. “Sasuke’s not doing it guys, let’s leave him alone. I’m sure we can find someone else—”

“You know what?” says Sasuke, “just because it’ll piss Naruto off, I’ll do it.”

The cavalry fight guys cheer.

-

The team is prepped and in full gear. Sasuke has spent the past hour talking strategy with them. He’s pretty confident. He ties his red headband around his head. The rest of the teams are also preparing, stretching out their arms and legs. They look like they’re itching for a fight.

The cheerleaders are on the sidelines doing their best to out-yell the other teams.

Sasuke flexes his fingers. A teacher blows the whistle.

“Alright, the cavalry fight is about to begin. All the teams, please gather around. For those at the top of the pyramid: no aiming for the eyes. No punching below the waist. Those at the bottom of the pyramid: you are not allowed to use your hands. If we see you breaking any of these rules, you’re immediately disqualified. Understood?”

The contestants nod.

“Perfect. Okay, get into position.”

The cavalry fight teams go to their designated spots. Sasuke glances at Naruto who is still standing up while all the other teams are already climbing onto their human pyramids.

“What are you waiting for? Get down,” he says.

Naruto’s face goes through ten different emotions all at once. Finally, he links his hands up with his team members, and Sasuke steps into the pocket made by their palms. He grabs Naruto’s shoulders tightly.

“If you let me fall, I’ll kill you,” he says.

Naruto, surprisingly, doesn’t respond to his provocation. The tips of his ears are bright red. He lifts Sasuke up like he weighs nothing.

The teacher blows the whistle again and they take off.

Sasuke’s team does a good job of keeping him upright. They move as one unit. He dodges a grab for his headband, twists, and hits his opponent square in the shoulder. The alpha briefly teeters off-center and Sasuke takes the opportunity. He leans forward, locking his legs as he stabilizes himself, and snatches his headband off.

“One down,” he says, holding the headband in his fist. “You doing okay down there, Naruto? I can feel your sweaty arms.”

“Don’t talk to me, don’t talk to me,” says Naruto.

They bully their way through two more teams. The second team takes a little more effort—Sasuke grunts as he’s forced to take a hit to the chest. He wobbles slightly but stands firm, then retaliates by hitting back. He and his opponent are pushing at each other’s hands like in an amateur kung fu movie. Finally, it’s Naruto who braces them so Sasuke can get a stable hold, and Sasuke manages to push his opponent down.

He slides a finger under the alpha's headband and it pops off like a red halo.

“Nice job Naruto,” Sasuke says. He’s breathing heavily.

“Please, please don’t talk to me,” says Naruto.

Now, there’s only one team left. Sasuke is facing Lee who’s wearing three red headbands around his wrist. Lee grins at him.

“Sasuke! It is just us two comrades left in this battle!”

“Soon to be one,” says Sasuke, aiming for his headband.

Lee however, isn't in the final round for nothing. He dodges and strikes before Sasuke can react.

Sasuke is not prepared for it. He teeters off balance. He loses his foothold. For one long second, he wonders if he’s going to fall.

A hand grabs his thigh and stabilizes him.

It’s Naruto.

He’s holding on so tightly that it kind of hurts, but that’s fine. Sasuke can stand a bit of pain if it means winning. He uses his core and Naruto’s shoulder as leverage, springing forward and reaching for Lee’s headband again.

Lee dodges.

“Stop moving,” Sasuke says, trying again.

“I cannot do that, Sasuke!” says Lee, who has also just narrowly missed Sasuke’s headband.

It’s not going to be an easy fight. At this point Sasuke has all but left the footholds made by his teammates in favor of climbing on Naruto’s back to get the higher ground.

Naruto is surprisingly sturdy. He is not moving even as Sasuke crawls over him. Sasuke is able to dodge and move to his heart’s content because of the death grip on his leg. He uses it to his advantage, doing his best to knock Lee off his pyramid while he climbs Naruto like a ladder.

Lee however, isn’t going to go down without a fight. He makes another attempt—a lightning fast strike. But this time, Sasuke is expecting it.

Just as Lee lunges forward, Sasuke plants one knee on Naruto’s shoulder, twists, reaches over, and snatches Lee’s headband right off his head.

It's victory.

Only, Sasuke has moved just a little too quickly. The momentum carries him forward. He's crushing Naruto’s head with his chest.

Then, he teeters.

Damn, he thinks as he gets a solid view of the grass below him, I’m about to drop head first into the ground.

He falls forward. He wonders if he's going to end up like Amai. He does not want to wear a cast. His mom would kill him.

Thankfully, he is spared from his mother's rage as Naruto manages to catch him mid-fall. His other hand wraps around Sasuke’s upper thigh, dangerously close to somewhere else, holding on so tightly that Sasuke can feel each individual finger squeezing his flesh.

Naruto's hands are larger than he remembers.

Sasuke dangles upside-down, only a short distance from the grass lawn. Blood roars in his ears. Something warm is pressing against his crotch. It fits neatly between his thighs.

He suddenly realizes what it is.

It's Naruto's head.

The teacher blows her whistle. The game is over.

Naruto releases him and Sasuke topples onto the grass. The moment is over and he snaps back to reality. He’s breathless but he has five bandannas in his hand.

The other team members give him fist bumps. They’re beaming.

“Hey, good job,” Sasuke says to Naruto, reaching for a high-five.

But instead of high-fiving him back, Naruto says “I have to piss, sorry,” and sprints away faster than Sasuke has ever seen him.

Sasuke is instantly suspicious. Something is up. He gets up and follows him, pushing his way past all of his congratulating class members.

Mimi and her friend, dressed in their cheer uniforms, are whispering to each other again. Mimi is blushing.

“I saw it,” Sasuke hears her hiss, “I saw it when he ran past. He was trying to cover it but I was looking and it was the biggest—”

He doesn’t need to hear the rest. He opens the door to the restroom and knocks on the stall he knows Naruto is hiding in. It's the only one with a closed door.

“You okay?” he asks.

“I’m pissing, leave me alone!”

“You don’t sound like you’re pissing. And you can’t piss when you’re hard.”

“The fuck—”

“I overheard Mimi talking about it. You going into a rut or something?”

Naruto makes a sound like he’s dying.

“I’m not going into a rut,” he says in a strained voice, “it’s not due for a few more months.”

“Okay. Want me to stay here?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

Sasuke makes the decision for him and takes a seat on the bathroom floor.

“I’m usually better at controlling myself,” Naruto says after a while.

“It’s a reaction, same as fight or flight. Don’t think of it as something you can control,” Sasuke says. He's already sustained several strange looks from other students who have seen him sitting on the floor. One student quickly glances at him, then washes his hands and scurries away. 

“You don’t know what it’s like to pop random boners because you smell something nice," says Naruto.

“Yeah, can’t relate. That’s gotta suck.”

“Happens more than you think. Fucking awful. Wish I could tell my nose to stop smelling things."

“Who did you smell? It was just alphas and me out there.”

“No one,” Naruto says quickly, “it was just—”

“If you smell someone you think you might like, you can tell me.”

“I don’t! It’s not—! Can you just drop it?”

“I’ll postpone it till next week,” says Sasuke. He stands up. “Alright, your boner should be down by now. Let’s go. You just helped our class win first place on Sports Day. You should celebrate.”

Naruto sighs. “You’re so clinical, why are you like this,” he says, but the stall door opens anyways.

Sasuke checks his crotch.

“Yeah, it’s down,” he says.

“Stop looking,” Naruto says.

Chapter Text

Sasuke’s cleats clip the grass. He pulls his foot back and feels the weight of the ball on his laces, pressing against the front of his shoe. He follows through, snapping his foot right at the end, and the soccer ball blasts straight into the goalie net.

It always makes him feel like a god.

Cheers erupt from around him. He’s tied the game. The ref blows the whistle for a break. His teammates clamber around him.

“Nice job Sasuke.”

“Good kick.”

“Keep it up. Still got time to win this.”

They clap his back. Sasuke gives them a few pats in return, then goes to the bench and sits down, breathing deeply. He’s sweating and his bangs are sticking to his forehead. He trusts his endurance to take him to the end but it’s going to be tough. The opposing team is giving them a run for their money.

His throat burns. It’s dry. He looks around for his water. He doesn’t find it. In fact, his entire bag is missing.

“Has anyone seen my…?” he starts. He gives up. He’ll deal with it later.

One of his team members, an omega named Taki, seems to notice the issue and passes him his own sports bottle.

“Here,” he says, “you can drink from mine.”

“Thanks,” says Sasuke. He takes a long, grateful sip. The water is cold and soothing against his throat.

“Have as much as you like. You need a towel too?” Taki asks.

“If you have an extra.”

“No worries, I always pack more than I need.” He gives Sasuke a towel and Sasuke is finally able to mop up the disgusting amount of sweat on his face and neck. He feels much better afterwards. The towel however, is now drenched in his sweat.

“I’ll wash it and give it back after the game,” Sasuke promises.

“Oh, no need, I’m planning on throwing everything in the washing machine when I get home. Just give it to me when you’re done.”

“Will do. Appreciate it.” He’s grateful for Taki’s help.

Taki smiles. “No problem. Hope you find your bag after this.”

Their coach pulls them in for one final meeting. They talk and strategize. The referee blows the whistle again. And then, Sasuke takes to the field. The wind whips through his hair. His breath is coming out in white clouds but he feels alive and strong.

Forty-five minutes and one goal later, their team wins the game. Sasuke gets dogpiled by his teammates. He’s laughing. Everyone smells like sweat and adrenaline, and he doesn’t need a secondary gender to understand how they’re feeling.

-

Sasuke finds his bag sitting innocuously in the locker room on a bench. He doesn’t remember leaving it there, but with how quickly the day has gone, it’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility. His team is still chattering and congratulating one another on their victory. Taki points at his bag and mouths, “isn’t that yours?” Sasuke nods in response, stripping off his sweaty uniform. After a quick change of clothes he stuffs his jersey into his bag.

The next day, his mom calls him downstairs while she’s doing laundry.

“Sasuke—what's this?” she asks. She’s holding up the towel Taki lent him for the game. Sasuke had forgotten to return it.

“It’s my teammate’s, I’ll give it back to him at school,” he says.

“Alright, don’t forget. Oh, also, are you running out of undershirts?”

“Undershirts?”

His mother continues to fold the laundry. “After your games you usually have so many to wash, but when I checked your bag you only had two. Are you running out?” she says.

Sasuke knows for sure he had packed four shirts for the game.

“Not running out, but I could have misplaced them,” he says.

“Sasuke. You can’t go around losing your clothes.”

“You’re acting like it's intentional.”

His mother hums. “You know what? Maybe this is a sign. You’re growing after all. Should I pick up some new shirts while I’m at the store?”

He shrugs. “Can’t have too many shirts,” he says.

“Mhm. That’s right.”

Sasuke heads back to his room and wonders where his soccer shirts have gone. While they were getting a bit worn around the edges, he still liked how comfortable they were. Now he’s going to have to break in the new ones.

This happens sometimes. Not often enough where it becomes a problem, but often enough that he notices. Things of his will go missing once in a while. Mostly clothing, but sometimes other things like pens and clips and one time that hideous keychain Naruto bought him when he was 12.

Sasuke takes good care of his belongings. He doesn’t just misplace them. The only other thought is that people are sneakily stealing his belongings, but why would they? They’re not expensive. They’re not nice. Girls will sometimes touch his things and marvel at them and ask where he’s gotten them from, but those are conversation starters and he knows they don’t care one way or another. They are simply attempts at trying to learn more about Sasuke than he wants to share.

Sasuke never sees his belongings floating around. He never sees people wearing his missing shirts or touting his missing pens. He doubts anyone would have the audacity. If they really are in need of them, then so be it. They can take his stuff.

The soccer shirts though…he is a bit annoyed about those. He liked them.

Sasuke is always the one picking Naruto up so they can go to school together. He knocks on the door of his house and rubs his hands together while he waits. It’s colder outside now. He hopes Naruto will hurry up so they can get to school faster.

When the door opens, it’s not Naruto. It’s Naruto’s mom.

“Oh,” says Sasuke, “good morning, Mrs. Uzumaki.”

“Good morning Sasuke,” she says, smiling. Her hair is long and red and tied up in a bun. Sasuke doesn’t often run into her when picking up Naruto since she and Naruto's dad are usually both at work. It’s nice to see her though. She looks the same as ever.

“It’s been a while, hm?” she says. Then, her eyes go wide. “Oh my,” she says.

“Is something wrong?” Sasuke asks.

“Ah, no. I just didn’t…well, your mother didn’t say anything about…” Mrs. Uzumaki’s voice trails off. “Well, you’re still young,” she says, giggling to herself. “And you’ve always been such a handsome boy.”

Before Sasuke can ask what she means, Naruto is wriggling past her. He’s still chewing whatever breakfast she made for him.

“Hey Sasuke, sorry, just let me get my shoes on—” He suddenly freezes. He looks up at Sasuke, face in complete shock. His jaw drops. Sasuke can see some mushy, chewed-up bread in his mouth.

Naruto’s mom giggles again. “Have a good day at school boys,” she sings, closing the door so it’s just Sasuke and Naruto on the front step.

“What the fuck,” says Naruto after a beat.

“Nice to see you too,” says Sasuke, “now are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Why do you smell like that?”

Sasuke has no idea what he means. “Like what?”

“Did you go anywhere? Did someone scent you?”

“I played soccer on Friday and then stayed at home the rest of the weekend. No one scented me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think I’d notice if someone was rubbing their neck or wrists over my body, thanks.”

“Then how the fuck did you end up smelling like that?”

“You’ve said that already,” Sasuke says irritably, “do I smell like rotten fish or something? What’s your deal?”

Naruto wrinkles his nose. “You smell like lilacs. Like you went to a garden center and rubbed your entire face in a bush,” he says.

Well, Sasuke supposes it could be worse.

“It’s fine. I like lilacs,” he says.

For some reason, Naruto is offended by this. “Lilacs? Really? Wouldn’t you prefer something nicer? Maybe something with notes of petrichor or something? Lilacs don’t suit you. Nothing floral suits you. In fact—”

“What, are we discussing perfume preferences now?” Sasuke says. “Move your ass, Naruto. We’re going to be late.”

-

Sasuke decides to return Taki’s towel during their lunch break. What he doesn’t expect however, is how difficult Naruto will be about it. When he sees Sasuke unzipping his bag and taking the towel out, he looks like he’s been struck by an anvil.

“What’s that?” he asks.

“It’s Taki’s towel,” says Sasuke. “I’m going to return it.”

“Taki’s what? And you’re…you’re…going to what? How did you get that in the first place?”

“I left my bag in the locker room during the game so he lent me one of his extras. I accidentally brought it home with me.”

“Give me that,” Naruto says, snatching the towel out of Sasuke’s hands. He looks at it for a second. “God dammit. You used it, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. That’s the whole fucking point of a towel.”

“Fucking hell. All over your face? And your neck?”

“Again, that’s the whole fucking point of a towel.”

“Did you wash it?”

“No Naruto,” Sasuke answers sarcastically, “I decided to rub this towel all over myself, covering it with my sweat, with the full intention of returning it to Taki like that.”

Naruto’s face turns bright red. Sasuke hits him on the head and grabs the towel back.

“Of course I washed it!” he snaps.

“That’s not what I mean! Just that it still smells like—”

“Whatever you smell is probably leftover from Taki, okay? I’m a beta, Naruto. I use regular detergent. Not pheromone detergent. Relax.”

Naruto ends up following him to Taki’s classroom.

“But consider this,” Naruto says, “what if you didn’t give it back? What if—here’s a thought—we threw it in the trash? Or burned it?”

“It’s a towel, Naruto. Not your greatest enemy,” Sasuke says. He turns left and opens the classroom door to Room A-2.

“Hey,” he says, leaning against the door frame, “is Taki around?”

The class of Room A-2 swivels around to look at him. Everyone falls silent. They’re staring with zero shame. A couple guys are in the middle of eating and their rice falls right out of their mouths, plopping onto their desks. In a seat by the window, Taki raises his hand.

His face is pink.

“Hey Sasuke,” he says, “what’s up?”

“I forgot to give you your towel back. Thanks for lending it to me. I washed it over the weekend, but I only have regular detergent at home. Hope that’s okay.”

A girl claps her hand over her mouth. One of Taki's friends starts smacking him in the arm, all while still staring at Sasuke. Taki, if possible, turns pinker.

“Oh, yeah. It’s no problem,” he says.

Sasuke feels like he’s being scrutinized as he passes the towel over. It’s like the entire class’s eyes are on him. One of the girls even takes out her phone and records the entire exchange.

Taki takes the towel back.

Sasuke’s duties are officially over. “Thanks again. I’ll see you at practice,” he says, casually waving goodbye.

“Yeah,” says Taki, sounding dazed, “see you at practice.”

Sasuke closes the door behind him. He immediately hears the A-2 class erupt into chatter. There is a lot of squealing and a lot of “what was that, Taki!? What was that!”

He looks at Naruto. His friend is crouched on the ground with his head in his hands.

“Did I do something wrong?” Sasuke asks.

“You are so dumb,” Naruto says.

“I was just giving his towel back.”

“Yeah. I know. That’s what makes it worse.”

“He’s on my team.”

“Yeah, and he’s an omega.”

“What does that have to do with anything? He was helping me out.”

“His towel was…never mind. It’s not important. Give me your hands.”

Sasuke can tell Naruto is irritated so for once, he doesn’t argue back. He holds his hands out and Naruto takes them in his own and begins aggressively rubbing his wrists on him.

“Get a room,” someone calls out as they pass by.

“Shut the fuck up,” Naruto retorts. Then, as if thinking better of it, he drags Sasuke into the bathroom.

He turns on the tap and pumps a bunch of pheromone soap on Sasuke’s hands. “Wash,” he orders. “And then your face. And your neck—unless you want to keep smelling like you just buried your face in Taki’s crotch.”

Sasuke stares at him, finally putting two and two together. “Is that what you meant by the lilacs? Was it bothering you?” he asks. Perhaps this is what they meant by some scents just being incompatible with each other. Perhaps Naruto and Taki just don’t mix.

Naruto purses his lips. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. Wash.”

“...Alright,” Sasuke says, and washes his hands.

Behind him, Naruto is muttering quickly under his breath.

“He’s trying to be sly with it, he’s not even wearing the right patches…he’s a two, maybe a three tops, and he’s letting a little slip out so no one will notice, but guess what, bastard? I noticed. And you might think you’re going to get close to him because you’re on the same team, but not on my watch…”

Sasuke washes his neck and his face. There’s soap in his ears and his hair is clumping together from the water. Some of it is dripping down his neck. He feels like he’s just been dumped in a pool.

“There. Satisfied?” he asks.

Naruto takes a tentative sniff.

“Yeah, much better,” he says.

“Did I smell like that all day? Was that why everyone was looking at me?” Sasuke asks. It wasn’t only Taki’s class who was staring at him so intensely—Sasuke’s own class had been giving him strange looks as well. No one had the balls to tell him about it though.

“Yeah, you dumbass,” says Naruto, confirming his suspicions. 

“You should have said something.”

“What was I supposed to do? You were acting like it wasn’t a big deal. Like you didn’t care. And you had to keep saying ‘I like lilacs’ and ‘I don’t mind smelling like that.’”

“I could have just gotten a wipe from the nurse’s office.”

“Bathroom was closer. And more efficient.”

“Well if you told me I was accidentally scented, I would have understood. Instead, you chose to manhandle me and made me dripping wet.”

Naruto chokes. “Uh, what? Say again? You’re what?”

“You made me wet,” Sasuke repeats himself.

“I made you what?” Naruto’s voice becomes a quiet screech.

Sasuke gives up on him. If Naruto no longer understands human speech, that’s not his problem. Sasuke uses his shirt to wipe off all the water from the impromptu shower. It doesn’t do too much to help. Now his shirt is wet too.

“Oh, that’s what you meant,” says Naruto. “I have a towel in my bag if you want it.”

Sasuke just gives him a look.

“After what I just went through, I think I’ll use my own towels from now on,” he says.

Chapter Text

It’s February. It’s cold. Sasuke does not do well with the cold. He bundles himself in layers and layers, scarves and hats and sweaters. The days are short too, the soccer season is over. There’s nothing exciting about the blistering chill. He feels like a lizard being forced early out of hibernation and into the deep throes of winter.

Christmas and the New Year celebrations have come and gone. Valentine's day has also (thankfully) passed. Sasuke has received a considerable amount of gifts from people and admirers he doesn’t know and is trying to figure out what to do with them. They’re sitting in a stash at home. Throwing them away seems impersonal but he doesn’t have many other choices.

Why do people spend money on him when they don’t really know him? They only know what he looks like and whatever rumors surround him, and that’s all. It’s like buying gifts for a stranger. Sasuke would never spend his own money on a stranger.

But, there are some people who do know him. He has carefully separated out a much smaller pile of gifts from his family and friends—Itachi, even while studying abroad, managed to ship him a few books he’s been wanting to read. Those gifts from the people Sasuke cares about are being slowly but surely integrated into his room and wardrobe.

Sasuke rubs his hands together, trying to get some warmth into them. It’s like rubbing two marble slabs together.

The school has heat but it’s not enough. He can’t feel his fingers. Every so often, he has to sniff to prevent his snot from dripping onto his desk. The sound he makes is gross. Sasuke thinks about bringing hand warmers with him to line his uniform. Maybe he’ll stop by the store on his way home and pick up a few for him and Naruto. That way at least his torso will be warm and he can slide his hands in his pockets when he needs some heat.

As it stands right now, it fucking sucks.

Naruto sits in front of him. He’s been glancing back at Sasuke every so often. When the teacher isn’t looking, he passes him a note.

Sasuke, with numb fingers, unfolds it.

U cold?

Sasuke’s teeth chatter. He taps Naruto’s back and returns the note.

Fingers are about to freeze off.

He watches as Naruto unfolds it, then folds it back up and tucks it inside his desk. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a pair of gloves. They are bright orange and covered in black stripes. They are also objectively hideous. He passes them to Sasuke without a word.

When Sasuke doesn’t immediately take the gloves, Naruto shakes them for emphasis. Sasuke has no choice. He takes the offered gloves and pulls them on.

They’re covered in tacky tiger print but they are warm. 

During break, Naruto turns around and grins when he sees the gloves on Sasuke’s hands. He looks pleased with himself.

“See,” he says, “I can provide.”

“You already provide a lot of things. Unnecessary commentary and bad opinions, to name a few.” Sasuke holds his glove-covered hands out. He feels ridiculous wearing them, but they work so he can’t complain as much as he’d like. “By the way, these are really ugly, even for you. Did you buy them when you were ten?”

“What, are you implying that my hands are the same size as a kid’s?”

“Yes. And your fashion sense too.”

Naruto scoffs. “Oh yeah? Big words from a guy who only wears two colors. Show me your hand. Let’s compare.”

Sasuke holds his hand up. Naruto holds his up too. They press their palms together.

Naruto’s hands are larger than Sasuke expected. The tips of his fingers rise slightly above his own. They’re a bit bigger, but only just so.

With their hands pressed together like this Sasuke can feel the additional heat from Naruto’s palm seeping through his glove. His lizard brain is wondering if Naruto will just cover both of his hands to warm them up.

Naruto crows. “Aw yeah, called it,” he says.

“Doesn’t mean anything,” Sasuke retorts.

“Fine. You want me to prove it? I’ll arm wrestle you.”

“Sure,” says Sasuke, “personally, I think your muscles are just for show at this point. It's time to put your money where your mouth is—let’s see if your training's paid off.”

“What will I get if I win?”

Sasuke is already getting in position to arm wrestle, but this makes him take a pause. They do this dumb competition shit all the time. There’s never been any reward on the line.

“Dunno,” he says, “what do you want?”

Naruto gulps, but gets into position too.

“Your sheets,” he says.

It isn't the answer Sasuke expects. He's caught a little off guard. He has had the same navy sheets since he started high school and they are most definitely not Naruto’s style.

“Why? They’re just plain sheets.”

“Remember when I slept over last time at your place? Your sheets felt great. I slept like a baby. I want them.”

“Well what am I supposed to do? Sleep without them until you decide to give them back?”

“What, don’t you have extras at home?”

“They don’t fit my bed.”

“Oh. Do you care a lot about them?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then you can have mine. We can trade.”

Sasuke wracks his brains trying to remember what Naruto’s sheets look like. He can’t remember, but at the same time, he meant it when he said he doesn’t care.

“Fine. But if I win, you have to get your ears pierced.”

Naruto splutters.

“What the hell? No! My mom would kill me! That’s not fair!”

“You backing out then? I guess big hands are just for show,” says Sasuke.

"They're not just for show."

"Then prove it. Is it a deal or not?”

Naruto chews his lip but after a second of deliberation, firmly sets his jaw. “It’s a deal,” he says.

“Wow, you must really want my sheets,” says Sasuke.

“Shut up.”

Sasuke gets in position. He sets his elbow down on the desk. Naruto takes a similar stance.

A small crowd has gathered to watch while eating their lunch. It’s like some underground betting circle.

Sasuke takes off one tiger print glove and then goes to grip Naruto’s hand. It’s a solid, familiar feeling.

He’s arm wrestled Naruto loads of times before. They’re usually pretty equal when it comes to feats of strength. This is just an opportunity to remind his best friend that just because his hands have gotten a bit bigger, doesn’t mean he’s gotten any stronger. Based on Sasuke’s memory, the score so far is 104-80. Sasuke has been in the lead for the past few years. Naruto is still playing catch-up.

“You can count down,” says Naruto. He looks unnaturally determined. He already has a vice grip on Sasuke’s hand.

Sasuke smirks and squeezes back. He hears one of Naruto’s fingers crack. The crowd leans in closer.

“Alright. On three then.”

“Sure.”

“One. Two. Three—”

Sasuke instantly tenses up his arm, bracing himself to be met with an equal force. But it’s no contest.

Naruto holds Sasuke’s hand so tightly it feels like his blood circulation is being cut off, and then, in the blink of an eye, Sasuke’s knuckles are slamming against the desk.

For a second, he’s so shocked that he doesn’t know what to say. Naruto pins his hand down and holds it there longer than necessary, as if he’s trying to prove a point.

Someone in the crowd of onlookers whistles. “Damn. Didn’t know it was like that, Naruto.”

Naruto finally releases his hold on Sasuke’s hand and Sasuke wriggles his fingers to get the circulation back in them. There’s a bit of pain and some slight bruising on his knuckles. He rubs them just to make sure there's nothing wrong, then pulls the glove back on.

The crowd disperses. Someone is whispering, “you know what they say about big hands.” It sounds like Mimi.

“I won,” Naruto says. His blue eyes are staring intently at Sasuke. He’s acting oddly serious about it.

“Guess you got out of piercing your ears,” Sasuke replies.

“The stakes were too high,” Naruto says, but for some reason, Sasuke has the feeling he isn’t talking about Mrs. Uzumaki’s temper.

-

“I’m going to Naruto’s, be back soon,” Sasuke calls out, and shuts his front door without waiting for a response. He goes to Naruto’s house so often that the announcement isn’t really necessary, but the one time he didn’t tell his mom where he was going he got a very strict lecture for his troubles.

Naruto was adamant about cashing in on his dumb bet that weekend. He had texted Sasuke frequently to remind him. He acted a bit cagey though when Sasuke prodded further as to the reason behind his intense sheet-focus, and Sasuke's pretty sure he knows why. 

Naruto’s rut is coming up. He's gotten extra clingy and loud and emotional recently. Other people don't seem to notice the change in behavior but to Sasuke, after basically growing up with him, it's as obvious as words in an open book. This is a skill developed out of necessity because Naruto's hormone-related incidents often tend to impact Sasuke directly.

In this case, Naruto is either too proud or too embarrassed to admit that his rut is the real reason why he wants the sheets, but he doesn't need to be. Sasuke is familiar with the process.

It would happen twice a year during Itachi's rut. Sasuke, eager to please his brother and show his support, would spend time carefully combing through his own closet and removing his favorite clothes. His parents would do the same. Once everyone's articles were gathered, Itachi take each one and place them carefully around his room and bed. Apparently, it was helpful to have their scents around him. It made things easier.

Sasuke had asked him why. Betas didn't smell like anything. Why would that help him at all?

As turns out, betas did smell like something. They smelled like pure nothingness, described by the secondary gender community as "the faint scent of life." The lingering smell of laundry detergent, dust, the winter or spring air, pollen, shampoo, soap. During their cycles, alphas' and omegas' heightened senses picked up these muted odors. For Itachi, the scent of his family’s clothing made him feel secure during his ungrounded moments.

Itachi normally didn't request anything, preferring to handle any gender-related issues himself, and therefore this small ask was monumental. It was one of the rare times he would give them a brief glimpse of his world. So when Naruto asked Sasuke for his sheets that weekend, Sasuke didn’t bother washing them. 

His navy sheets are now carefully folded inside the bag on his arm. He's slept on the same set of sheets for so long that the tag has faded away, so they're a good choice for Naruto's upcoming cycle. They're the most worn item Sasuke owns, therefore and whatever minor, negligible scent he has just from his daily life should be on them.

He knocks on Naruto’s door.

Mrs. Uzumaki answers it. “Sasuke! What a pleasant surprise,” she says, ushering him in. “Are you here to see Naruto?”

“Hello Mrs. Uzumaki. Good afternoon. Yes. He’s been bugging me about my sheets,” Sasuke says, politely removing his shoes.

“Your sheets?”

“Yes,” he says. He shows her the bag.

Mrs. Uzumaki makes an expression like she’s trying very hard not to smile. “Oh, I see,” she says. “I’d be happy to deliver them for you if you’d like. Naruto’s not exactly equipped to handle visitors right now. It’s about that time of year for him again. It helps to have some familiar scents around, so I’m sure he appreciates it.”

Naruto’s voice comes from the stairwell. “Is that Sasuke?”

“Naruto,” his mother warns, “you really shouldn’t—”

“I’m fine, it’s not for a couple more days anyway,” Naruto says as he comes bounding down the stairs. He’s grinning ear to ear. He looks a little…different. Maybe his canines are longer. Maybe his hair is more wild. Sasuke can’t put his finger on it.

“Come on, come up,” Naruto says. He grabs Sasuke’s hand and begins pulling him.

Mrs. Uzumaki stops him in his tracks.

“Naruto, your rut is in two days,” she says disapprovingly, “as much as you enjoy spending time with Sasuke, you shouldn’t do anything that would make him uncomfortable.”

“Oh don’t worry, he makes me uncomfortable all the time,” Sasuke reassures her, “I’m used to it. I’m a beta. I won’t trigger anything.”

“He’ll be in and out mom,” Naruto says.

Mrs. Uzumaki taps her foot. “Sasuke, this isn’t against you dear. It's just that Naruto tends to act on emotion rather than on logic, especially when he’s about to go into rut."

"That's not fair! I'm in full control!"

"The doctor said you shouldn't have any visitors within a two-day window of it."

"Please? Please, please," Naruto whines. "He'll only stay for a little bit. Just a little bit."

"I don't mind staying," says Sasuke.

Mrs. Uzumaki sighs. "Alright, fine. Sasuke, I know you’re fully equipped to handle yourself but just in case, I’ll check on you guys in fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks mom, you're the best!” Naruto says, and successfully takes Sasuke up the stairs.

Naruto’s room is a lot messier than Sasuke remembers. It’s in complete disarray as though he’s been spring cleaning. There’s a bunch of clothes shoved to one side of the bed. His personal items, including his old frog plushie, mugs, and house plants, have been stacked into a small pile. His comforter is wrapped in a large “U” shape around the front of the bed, almost like a nest.

Both alphas and omegas try to make their space as comfortable as possible before going into their cycles. For Naruto, it must be nice to see all of his things stacked together into a hoard. His comforter is positioned so that his personal items are in full view.

Naruto walks around, fixing very minor things like moving his plushie slightly to the left and kicking his slippers under his bed. A box, innocuously labeled as “RUT SUPPLIES,” sits in a corner. Sasuke is grateful he can’t see into it.

Come to think of it, he’s never been in anyone’s room while they’re close to starting their cycle. Even Itachi, for all his control, would only let their parents near his room to drop off meals. Sasuke only ever saw the aftermath of Itachi’s rut via the empty bowls set outside his door and the worn out grinding stones.

Alphas and omegas tend to get quite territorial of their spaces. For Naruto to let Sasuke into his…what does that mean, exactly?

“Sit, sit,” Naruto says, pulling a chair over. He positions it in the center of his rug. Then, as if rethinking his decision, he moves it again so that it sits directly in front of his small pile of personal belongings.

Sasuke takes a seat and sets his bag on the floor.

“Your mom seems really worried about your rut,” he says. “You sure you’re okay with me being here?”

“Yeah, yeah, totally fine,” Naruto says. He starts to shove all of the clothes to the opposite side of the bed, occasionally taking shirts and sweatpants and stuffing them into his comforter. Then, he begins stripping off his sheets. Thankfully, they are dark green and not covered in tiger print.

Sasuke stands. “You need help? I can put mine on,” he says.

Naruto stops stripping the bed and looks at him. “Uh…?” he says. Then, he shakes his head. “No, no. It’s fine. I won’t be sleeping on them.”

Sasuke raises his eyebrows. “Changed your mind?”

“Yeah.” Naruto finishes removing his sheets and scrunches them into a wad. He gives them to Sasuke. “Make sure to put these on your bed. You aren’t allowed to take them off. I just washed them,” he says.

Sasuke gives the wad of sheets a tentative sniff. They smell like laundry detergent and dryer sheets.

Naruto twists his hands anxiously. “They smell okay, right?”

“Yeah,” says Sasuke, uncrumpling the wad of sheets and folding them neatly into his bag, “they’re fine.”

“Just fine?”

“Just fine. Passable. Average. Nothing special.”

“You don’t know the extent of the emotional damage you’re causing me right now,” Naruto says. “So. Where are yours?”

Sasuke takes his sheets out and passes them to Naruto. “I’ve heard it helps to have familiar scents around during your cycle,” he says, “so I didn’t wash them. Figured if you needed to, you could always dump them in the laundry before your rut.”

“Nah, they’re fine as is.” Naruto pauses to stare at the sheets in his hands. He doesn’t move for a long time. It’s almost as though he’s caught in a trance. He’s so still Sasuke wonders if he’s okay, but then, like a thawing statue, he takes a slow, deep breath and places the sheets carefully over his old frog plushie.

Naruto pauses and considers the positioning. Then he shakes his head. “No,” he says to himself, “that’s not right.”

Naruto tries the sheets in a few more places around his room before finally unfolding them and draping them right over his comforter. This seems to please him and he spends a little more time making sure the sheets are tucked securely into the blanket. Sasuke doesn’t really know what’s going on but he doesn’t question it. 

“So. How are you feeling? Are you more or less sensitive than last time?” he asks.

“Dunno. It’s different. This one might be the worst one; I’m having hella cramps and my mood is all over the place. I had to go to the doctor last week because the symptoms were starting earlier and they were a lot more intense. I’m super hungry and like this close to losing control over the most minor things. Everything irritates me.”

“You irritated now?”

“Nah. I’m super happy but I’m also…trying to keep myself in check. Because when you leave, I’m going to crash super hard.”

“You’re acting like it’s my fault.”

“It kind of is.”

“You want me to stay and watch you jerk off then?” Sasuke asks sarcastically.

Naruto stares at him in shock. Then, as though realizing he’s joking about the proposition, just sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Bah, you’re such an asshole. Just help me the same way you usually do, taking notes and all that shit. Bring me my homework too if you can, I’ll still have to do it. Hopefully I’ll be back in class in three or four days.” He suddenly clenches his eyes shut and grimaces. “Fuck. Shit. Hurts like a bitch.”

“You alright?”

“Yeah, just give me a second. Fuck.” Naruto curses under his breath. “Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. It’s gonna start soon. It hurts. It hurts so much. Like everything’s on fire. It’s twisting and—” he winces and curls in on himself. Sweat beads on his forehead. He’s pursing his lips together so tightly his lips are turning white. It must be really bad.

Sasuke just sits on his chair at a loss for what to do. He wants to comfort him but doesn’t really know how. Itachi was never the type that needed comforting. He doesn’t know where to start.

He feels useless.

Naruto groans again. He doubles down, clutching his stomach. 

“Do you have painkillers?” Sasuke says, trying to think of anything and everything that can help, “I can go get you some—”

“Don’t bother, I already took them. I can’t take any more. Shit! What the actual fuck is this…god. It’s never hurt like this before. I knew this one was going to be bad but I didn’t think it was going to be like this…”

Sasuke’s mind races. He thinks back to when Naruto visited him, drunk out of his mind. He remembers what helped. He makes his decision.

Sasuke stands up and sits on the bed, right next to Naruto. He leans forward so Naruto’s face is in line with his neck. Sasuke doesn’t have a scent gland but that seems to be the preferred position for those with secondary genders.

“Here,” he says cooly, “you can put your head here.”

“Oh, thank god,” Naruto breathes, and instantly obeys, stuffing his face in Sasuke's neck. His arms come up to pull him into a tight hug. His body sears against him.

They stay like this. Naruto's breaths grow slow and even, and the twitches of pain slowly peter out. He seems content to just breathe at the junction between Sasuke’s neck and shoulder. Sasuke stays still and tries his best not disturb him. For a few minutes, all he can feel is Naruto's breath tickling the skin around his collarbones and his warm hands kneading his back, gripping and releasing the folds of his sweater.

Sasuke is a beta. He smells like nothing, but it seems to be helping.

“Better?” Sasuke asks.

“Yeah,” Naruto says quietly. His breath is hot against his ear.

“Good.”

Naruto tilts his head. He rubs his nose lightly against the column of Sasuke’s neck. Up, down, up, down. Behind the ear, beneath the jawline. Breathing. Always breathing. Inhale, exhale. Up, down.

His lips accidentally brush against Sasuke's neck. There's a faint moisture from his mouth, the lining of the inside of his lips lightly wetting his skin. Sasuke shivers but doesn't move. 

He stays still.

Up, down. Up, down. 

Up, down.

“Hey. Can I…can I do something?” Naruto asks.  

“...Do what?” Sasuke replies. It’s warm. He's sweating beneath his clothes. He doesn’t know how long they’ve been sitting there.

Naruto pulls him closer. His fingers play with the hem of Sasuke’s sweater. They slide under, only a bit. Just enough for Sasuke to feel them on his skin.

“You smell good,” Naruto murmurs. “I want to…can I taste?”

Sasuke’s breathing heavily.

…Taste…?

A knock comes at the door. “Sasuke? You okay in there?”

It’s Mrs. Uzumaki.

Sasuke jolts. He feels as if a bucket of ice water has been dumped on him.

He begins to extricate himself. “Naruto, I have to go,” he says. He pushes against his hold. For a moment, it works. 

Naruto’s hand comes up to hold him in place. He grips his sweater and looks at him. Their faces are very close together. Sasuke swallows.

Then, in a flash, Naruto is grabbing him by the arms and pushing him down, pinning him to the bed.

“Don’t go,” he says. He leans over Sasuke. He looks devastated at the thought of him leaving. “Stay. Stay here. Stay with me. Say you’ll stay with me, Sasuke.”

“Naruto—”

Mrs. Uzumaki barges into the room. There’s a brief silence as she takes in the scene. Then she marches over to Naruto and grabs him by the shoulder. She’s the most determined Sasuke has ever seen her. She is not smiling.

“Naruto, you need to let him go,” she says.

Naruto isn’t even paying her any attention. He’s staring straight at Sasuke.

“You’ll stay, right Sasuke?”

“He has to go,” Mrs. Uzumaki says. Her tone grows dangerous. When Naruto still doesn’t move, she wraps her arm around his neck and puts him in a headlock. She drags him to the ground and he releases Sasuke in the process.

Naruto struggles against his mother but she’s a lot stronger than she looks. And, despite whatever emotional turmoil is happening because of his rut, he seems reluctant to hurt her. That doesn’t mean his eyes have left Sasuke though—even in his prone position on the floor, vainly pushing against his mother's grip, he’s still staring at him as though torn between staying put and letting him leave.

Mrs. Uzumaki smiles serenely at Sasuke while she continues to aggressively pin down her son. “Thank you for visiting, Sasuke! I’ll see you again once this idiot’s rut is over. Tell your mom I say hi!” she says.

Sasuke nods and quickly removes himself from Naruto’s room. He makes it halfway out the door before he remembers he left his bag—he turns around and bolts back up, finding his bag on the ground where he left it. Sasuke snatches it by the handles but Naruto sees him—he lunges forward to grab his wrist. Thankfully, Mrs. Uzumaki still has Naruto in a secure hold and squeezes him tightly so he can't move.

Naruto lunges again. Mrs. Uzumaki grunts as the force yanks her forward.

"Go!" she says.

Sasuke doesn't need a second warning. He sprints down the stairs, blood roaring in his ears. His heart is beating hard and fast. He can hear Naruto and his mother arguing.

Sasuke makes it home on pure autopilot. 

“Oh, Sasuke! You’re back sooner than I thought,” his mom says when he returns. Then she adds, “did something happen? Your face is red.”

He reaches up to touch his face. She's right. 

It’s hot.

Chapter Text

Sleep does not come easy to Sasuke that night. He's already taken a vinegar shower to wash off Naruto's pheromones, but still, when he returns to his room and sees his rumpled bed and uncovered mattress, he can't bring himself to use the borrowed sheets. They remain folded neatly in the bag.

They're so...normal. They're just sheets. Just a large piece of fabric that people sleep on. They shouldn't be causing him this much turmoil, and yet...

Sasuke is caught in a dilemma. He has already spent some time mulling over the issue but hasn't come to a conclusion.

The dilemma, as most dilemmas are in his life, stems from Naruto. 

As Sasuke was being pinned to the bed at Naruto's house, looking up at his friend who was pleading for him not to leave—he felt like it was the first time seeing that side of him. Naruto had never acted like that before. Desperate. Vulnerable without being embarrassed about it. Raw and emotive, and not in the stupid way. So, who was it? Was it him or his rut that was begging so fervently? 

The easy way out would be to blame it all on the hormones, the uncontrollable instinct alphas and omegas are forced to reconcile with every cycle. It didn't have to be Sasuke on that bed. It could have been anyone. But, that same reasoning gives too little credit to the person behind the secondary gender: a person who, based on Sasuke's judgment, is not so weak as to be rendered into a mindless beast.

So. That leaves Sasuke with one option. It's a shot in the dark but he can't think of anything else. Strangely, he minds that option less than he thought he would.

He tosses in bed a bit. The mattress feels weird without sheets.

- 

The next day, after a bad night's rest, he makes a stop at the general store.

He’s there for one thing and one thing only.

Aisle eight has rows and rows of cleaning supplies, detergents, fabric softeners, and laundry sheets, all lined perfectly on the shelves. There are normal supplies for betas he’s familiar with, all in neutral colors: beige, white, brown, black for visual indication. And then, there are the supplies for alphas and omegas.

It’s like staring at a disco ball. Every bottle seems to be in a different color.

He pulls a random blue laundry bottle off the shelf and reads the instructions on the back.

The laundering steps are pretty standard, but after, there’s a chart. It looks rather complex. Different wash types are recommended for both alphas and omegas, and depending on how strong their pheromones are, certain strength levels should be followed. Thankfully there’s a loosely-defined scent patch to detergent conversion.

Last time Sasuke heard about it, Naruto was sitting at a solid eight on his scent patches. Sasuke slides the blue bottle back and picks out a generic brand. He makes sure it's labeled with the appropriate level. He’s not about to make the same mistake as he did with Taki’s towel.

He pays and leaves the store with the bottle in hand.

-

Kazuha is the disciplinary officer checking students for proper uniforms and patches when Sasuke gets to school. He takes one look at Sasuke and then both his eyebrows shoot up so fast they nearly reach his hairline.

Sasuke has no idea what he’s being judged for. He’s dressed as he usually is. His uniform is pressed neatly. He’s wearing a scarf and a jacket and his nice leather shoes. The only thing slightly out of place are Naruto’s hideous tiger print gloves.

“Whatever it is, just say it to my face,” he sighs.

Kazuha replies with something he does not expect.

“Did you get laid?”

For a brief, terrifying moment, Sasuke’s mind flashes back to when he was pinned on Naruto’s mattress. But then, he replies calmly, “No. Do I smell like something?”

“Yeah, you do.”

“Really.”

“Mhm.”

“How bad is it?”

“I mean, it’s kind of like…all over. Like aaaaaaalll over. Like you were rolling around in someone’s bed and doing the hanky-panky with—”

“Thank you. That’s quite enough.” Sasuke schools his expression. Internally, he’s wondering what he did wrong. Did he pick the wrong detergent level? Did he choose a different wash cycle? Whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t enough to get Naruto’s pheromones out of the sheets.

Maybe there is a point to be made about generic brands.

As if to rub salt in the wound, Kazuha says, “Naruto’s out for the week because of his rut, right? Good timing. He has a pretty good nose: if he catches a whiff of you as you are right now, he might get the wrong idea. You know. Given how close you guys are.” He waggles his eyebrows.

Scent patches are mandatory at school. This is for everyone’s benefit: any loose pheromones can trigger sensitive hormonal cycles. Most scent patches also carry their own weak scent to mask people’s personal ones. It’s a bit like deodorant. For this reason, it’s difficult to know what people smell like unless close contact is initiated.

In any case, this works in Sasuke’s favor. Kazuha doesn’t know that the pheromones he’s smelling on Sasuke are Naruto’s pheromones.

But Kazuha is also implying something else, and Sasuke doesn’t like it. The confined school setting certainly won’t do him any favors. Someone else is bound to notice the scent.

Someone like Mimi.

Mimi knows what Naruto smells like. She caught his scent early on in the school year, back when his patches were still leaking and peeling off his wrists from his last rut. She’s been paying close attention to him lately too: while Naruto is still somehow oblivious to this fact, she clearly feels something for him. If Mimi were the one to smell his pheromones on Sasuke, Sasuke would bet his bottom dollar she’d put together a scenario quite quickly. It wouldn’t be the correct scenario, but it would be a scenario, and it would not bode well for his future.

The rumor mill would go haywire, and Sasuke could kiss his peaceful high school life goodbye.

He beelines it to the nurse’s office.

It’s early enough that no one else is there to witness him pulling open the door. The nurse, a weary but kind-faced woman, gives him a smile. “Hello,” she says, “how can I help you?”

“I need a shower,” he replies.

She frowns. “Is it your patches? Are they leaking? The pheromone wash won’t help with that.”

“No. I’m a beta.”

The nurse, who’s smarter than most given her occupation in a school full of hormonally-charged teenagers, quickly catches on and takes Sasuke to the shower. It’s a small ensuite bathroom attached to the office and has everything he needs: every pheromone wash of every level. She reassures him that his problem is more common than he thinks, and as Sasuke closes the door and turns on the shower faucet, he makes a mental note to punch Naruto for his troubles.

In the shower, he makes sure to thoroughly lather himself. Every inch in his skin is covered in suds. He won’t be taking any other chances today.

Afterwards, Sasuke leaves the nurse’s office a little wetter than before, and bumps into Kazuha again on his way to class. Kazuha takes one look at his damp hair and his eyebrows shoot up again.

“You really didn’t want anyone to know about your one night stand, did you?” he asks.

“Once again,” says Sasuke, “I didn’t sleep with anyone so please, if you could, keep your gossip-mongering to yourself.”

No sooner have the words left his mouth than his phone buzzes in his pocket. He checks it. It's a message from Naruto. This is surprising. Sasuke doesn’t usually get messages from him when he’s out for his rut. Something about keeping communication devices out of reach when the mind is compromised.

Sasuke unlocks his phone. The following second seems to stretch out for eternity as he stares at the message.

Please let me come on your face.

“Uh,” says Sasuke. He’s already trying to think of ways that autocorrect could have fucked up what Naruto meant to type. But this single text is just the start. The messages start flooding in.

If not your face, can I kneel by your feet and jerk off there? I won’t be a bother. I just want to be by you. As long as I can smell you I’ll be okay.

Your neck looks so tasty. I want to lick it. I want to bite it. I want to mark you.

Maybe if I’m good you’ll let me spread your cheeks and eat you out. You can sit on my face. I’d like it if you sat on my face. I’d stick my tongue in your ass, lick you all clean inside. You can ride on it. You can hump my face. I’d cover you in my spit and let you smear it all over me.

You smell so good. I love the way you smell.

Can you step on me? Please step on me.

Where are you? Why aren’t you here? It’s hot.

I need you.

Everything hurts when you’re not here.

I miss you.

Let me come. God, please let me come. Please. I’ll be so good. Please please please, fuck.

The messages are coming in so fast there is a high possibility that Naruto is using his phone’s text to speech function. Sauke feels like he’s lagging with the influx of information, mind feebly trying to process it, while he also does his best not to react.

That’s not to say he isn’t affected by the obscene language. His face is heating up. There’s something pooling in the bottom of his stomach. His pants are starting to feel tight.

Are these messages being purposely sent to him or is there another intended recipient?

And if they are meant for him—

Sasuke inhales, then exhales. It’s fine. He’ll worry about it later. Right now, Kazuha is nearby. He doesn’t need him to pick up on anything unnecessary.

Sasuke is about to slide his phone back into his pocket and pretend this whole thing never happened when Naruto sends the final nail in the coffin.

Against Sasuke’s better judgment, his eyes go straight to the message. It’s like being pulled by an industrial strength magnet. He can’t look away even though he should.

Then, because the message he just received is so shocking, he drops his phone. It slips from his hand and falls in slow motion like in some cheesy telenovela. He can hear the screen crack but his mind is already floating in some spiritual afterlife.

Kazuha stops and picks the phone up from the ground. “Everything okay, Sasuke?” he asks. Then, he says “oh” once he sees the message.

Sasuke doesn’t blame him. That was his reaction as well.

Kazuha wordlessly hands him his phone back. Sasuke accepts it and is once more greeted with an image he doesn’t really know what to do with.

It’s a dick pic.

It’s a dick pic of Naruto’s dick, specifically, that he sent to Sasuke during his rut.

“To be fair,” Kazuha says slowly, “it’s a nice looking dick.”

Regardless, it’s still a dick. It’s a dick that looks almost painfully hard and red, curved slightly upwards, with veins running up the sides. Naruto’s hand is in the picture, fisting it tightly so that precum oozes at the slit. His hand is wrapped around the base but there is a clear knot beneath it. The whole image is extremely graphic and would not look out of place on a pornography website.

All this time, there have been rumors flitting around about Naruto’s dick. Its imprint in sweatpants. Its size. Sasuke had dutifully ignored them.

There is nothing he can ignore now.

He makes a strangled sound in his throat. Why? Why did Naruto send him this? It’s a mistake right? It has to be a mistake.

But there’s no “lol jk” after the messages or “woops meant to send all of these grossly sexual messages to that girl with big tits from karaoke last week.” There is no follow up at all. Just the obscene image of Naruto’s dick at full hardness and some very graphic texts about what he plans to do with the recipient of his messages.

Kazuha is looking at him expectantly. Sasuke does not know why.

“So. What do you think?” Kazuha asks lightly.

“Actually,” says Sasuke, surprised he is left with any remaining cognitive function to respond, “I’m trying really hard not to think about this right now.”

Perhaps, he thinks deliriously to himself, Naruto just wants to flex. Penis size is never something they’ve compared before, but it's possible that Naruto’s competitive nature was further influenced by his rut.

Alternatively, Sasuke knows enough about the social ins and outs of secondary genders to understand the obviousness of the message. When in rut, alphas and omegas get very very horny. Painfully so. Their mental faculties, whether affected by medication or not, can hinder their decision-making abilities and release their more uninhibited selves. Essentially, during their cycles, alphas and omegas are in a constant state of inebriation.

It’s effectively a drunk text.

But drunk texts are also a window of honesty.

“You’re an alpha,” Sasuke says to Kazuha with more calm than he feels, “why would an alpha send a dick pic during their rut?”

“To show off,” Kazuha replies, “either to others we think are competing for our resources, or to prospective partners.” Then, he shrugs. “I mean, if we’re being honest here, I’m surprised Naruto kept his phone within reach. Ballsy move. I wouldn’t trust my hindbrain during my cycle.”

“Hm,” says Sasuke. He slides his phone back into his pocket. There are a thousand things he wants to ask but he can be patient. The real question is how much he wants Naruto to suffer for this incident…if he wanted, he could make the process very painful.

“You’re not going to respond?” asks Kazuha.

“It’s not something that needs a response just yet,” says Sasuke. “I’ll think about it. We’ll go from there.”

“You’re playing a long, convoluted game, Mr. Uchiha.”

“It’s my specialty.”

When Sasuke enters the classroom, he takes his usual seat. Naruto’s desk is empty besides his. From the corner of his eye, he can see Mimi looking at him. She’s trying to be discreet. She’s not doing a very good job.

He wonders if even after the shower, he still smells like Naruto’s bedsheets.

A couple days later, the teacher comes by Sasuke’s desk after the lessons end. He’s holding a stack of papers.

“Hello Sasuke,” he says kindly, “you live near Naruto, right? Would you be able to drop these off at his house?”

Sasuke takes the stack. “Sure,” he says. It’s a pretty well known fact that they’re neighbors, so he always gets asked to help deliver homework. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship though: Sasuke isn’t sick often, but when he is, Naruto’s always the one banging on his door when it’s his turn.

The material they’re learning this week isn’t too hard. With Sasuke’s notes and a study session or two, Naruto can catch up easily.

However, once the teacher is well out of earshot, Mimi makes a move as well. She stands up and walks over to Sasuke’s desk. She looks determined.

“Are you heading home?” she asks.

“Yes,” he replies, “no after-school activities today.” He begins packing his bag.

“Let me come with you,” she says.

“No.” Mimi doesn’t live by him at all.

“Come on. We’re classmates. I just want to talk.”

Sasuke slings his bag over his shoulder and leaves the classroom. Mimi follows him, jogging a bit to catch up.

“Sasuke, please, I just want to talk,” she says, “it’s about Naruto. I—I want to talk to you about Naruto.”

Sasuke continues walking through the hallways. They exit the school. He wonders how long Mimi will keep following him.

A long time, apparently. She follows him several blocks past the school grounds.

“Your house is the other way.”

“You think I don’t know that?” she retorts.

“Apparently not. You’re still walking next to me.”

Mimi sighs. “Please, Sasuke. I won’t take up your time. I don’t want to bother you. I just want to ask you about Naruto.”

“Ask him yourself.”

“I can’t.”

“He’ll answer whatever you want to ask him.”

“I know. It’s not that. It’s…” she takes a breath. “You’re his best friend. You hang around him all the time. Surely you know what kind of girls he likes?”

Sasuke is instantly annoyed. She followed him all this way for this?

“He likes all girls,” he replies bluntly. “If that’s all—”

“No, that's not all,” Mimi interrupts. “After he comes back from his rut, I’m going to confess to him. I want to know what my chances are.”

Sasuke’s not the most approachable person. He’s standoffish, he’s curt and short with his words, and he honestly thinks he’s better than most people and it shows. But Mimi is walking next to him and she’s gripping the strap of her bag so tightly that her knuckles are white. She’s looking straight ahead and acting like her pulse isn’t jumping in her neck. Her bag is covered in glittery keychains. Her eyes are big and brown. Her hair is meticulously curled every day. She takes great care in her appearance even during the wintertime, and while she’s not the sharpest pencil in the box, she’s nice enough.

She’s the kind of girl Naruto would like. The kind he would send dick pics to during his rut.

“You’ll be fine,” Sasuke says.

At once, all the stress leaves Mimi’s body. She beams, all silly and gooey like she’s a stuffed animal that’s been chosen by a child. Sasuke suspects her pheromones are in full force.

“You know,” she says, “it’s not just because he smells good to me.” She peers up at him from behind her bangs. “He’s really nice. And he’s really funny. Don’t you agree?”

“I try not to make it a habit to say good things about him.”

“No one gives him credit for it but he’s a really good person. He’s the kind of guy who gets along well with anyone. You saw how he broke up that fight last year. He’s really looking out for all his classmates. He’s strong and he’s super good at protecting people. It’s what I like most about him.”

Sasuke doesn’t need Mimi to tell him this. He’s known all of this for years.

“You should tell him that yourself,” he says. He hopes she’ll leave soon.

“I plan to when he gets back."

"Superb," Sasuke answers dryly. "Anything else then? Or was that all?"

Mimi rolls her eyes. "Well, I was planning on apologizing to you," she says.

"You've haven't done anything that warrants an apology."

"Hm. Maybe. I was a little mean to you earlier in the year, and I'm sorry about that. I felt a little threatened. You both are so close. I thought maybe you liked Naruto the same way I do.”

“I don’t,” says Sasuke, a little too fast.

“I know. I know you guys are just friends. But still, every time I’d talk to him, he’d always be looking at you and trying to get your attention. I thought it was impossible for anyone to come between you guys. But as the months kept going by and nothing was happening—I thought I’d take my chance.”

Up ahead, the road splits. To the right, it’s Sasuke’s house. To the left, it’s Naruto’s.

Mimi holds out her hands. “Can I go deliver his homework?” she asks.

“He’s in his rut right now. You can’t see him,” says Sasuke. It sounds like an excuse.

“I know. I just want to be the one to do it. Please.”

Mimi’s still holding her hands out. She’s waiting. Sasuke has a sneaking suspicion that this is another secondary gender thing he doesn’t understand, but for once, he feels reluctant to let it run its course.

He unzips his bag and takes out the papers.

He gives them to her.

“His house is the one with the giant frog fountain,” he says.

Mimi nods, giving him one last smile. “Alright, I got it. Thank you,” she says.

They split off. Sasuke goes to the right. Mimi goes to the left.

The short walk home seems to stretch on longer than he remembers. He wonders who’ll be the one to greet Mimi at the door—Naruto’s mom or his dad? Naruto doesn’t usually have girls over. Scratch that. He’s never had girls over. Sasuke knows. Naruto’s parents will probably jump to conclusions as to why she’s there. An omega showing up at an alpha’s door typically means something. They won’t let her in because cycles are sensitive, but Mimi will have scented the homework by then. Her intentions will be clear as day. And then it’ll just be up to Naruto to act on it.

Sasuke’s mom is waiting for him when he gets home.

“I know you just got back,” she says, “but I’m wondering if you could go to Naruto’s house quickly? His mother just called and asked if you could deliver his homework.”

Sasuke freezes. He’s in the middle of toeing off his shoes.

“Someone should have already delivered it,” he says.

“Well I'm not sure what the situation is exactly, but she did insist that you come. It’s only five minutes away. Just go check in with her, alright? Oh—and while you're there, could you bring over these muffins? I made extra.”

Sasuke is left with no choice. So, with a bunch of muffins in a plastic container, he retraces his steps.

There’s a lone figure standing on the street corner.

It’s Mimi. She’s crying into her hands.

Part of him wants to ignore her. But Sasuke’s mother would scalp him alive for not doing anything while seeing someone in need, so he asks, “you okay?”

Mimi looks up at him for a brief second. Her face is streaked with tears. “You wouldn’t get it,” she says, hiccupping. “He hates me. Naruto hates me.”

“It’s literally impossible for him to hate—”

“YOU’RE A FUCKING BETA!” she screams, “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE!”

It’s like Sasuke has lit a fuse and the bomb has immediately exploded in his face. Mimi’s skin is patchy and flushed. She lets out a painful scream and her previously silent cries turn into loud sobs. He’s a little afraid she’ll alert the whole neighborhood. She collapses onto the cold street. Her body is shaking with how hard she’s crying.

Sasuke didn’t think it was this serious, but she did go to an alpha’s house during a rut.

Mimi's sobs turn into gasps for air. Her chest heaves, panic in her eyes. She can’t breathe. She's so overwhelmed that she’s hyperventilating. Sasuke quickly tosses the container of muffins to the side and kneels to the ground, tilting her face up so she’s looking at the sky.

“I-I—” she gasps, choking. Her body is burning. Sasuke can feel it even through all her layers. He quickly unzips the upper half of her jacket, then carries her to the space between two houses where it’s dark. Omegas like the safety of smaller, darker spaces.

He sets her down. “Mimi. You have to breathe,” he says.

Mimi continues to gasp, trying to speak.

“He—he doesn’t like me,” she says, “you don’t know what it’s like. You didn’t smell it. When I entered his h-house, it just smelled so awful! Like he was mad at me! You’d n-never understand. You’re a beta, you would never—”

“Breathe, Mimi.”

She takes a heaving gasp. “It’s like all your nerves are telling you to run because you’ve done something w-wrong. His mom was s-so nice about it and told me that maybe after his rut I should come over but I don’t want to anymore, I just…I don’t want to confess. I’m scared. I don’t want him to r-reject me.”

Sasuke hesitates, then takes his hand and rubs her back like Itachi used to do for him when he was younger. It’s about the best he can do given the circumstances but it seems to work, at least somewhat. Mimi’s breaths grow a little more consistent.

He continues rubbing her back.

She finally seems to get the message. She gulps and closes her eyes. She’s still shaking. But slowly, the hyperventilation passes. That’s not to say she’s stopped crying. The hiccups keep going while big fat tears roll down her cheeks.

“It hurts so much. I didn’t even get the chance. I let out a little bit of my scent, just a little…because it's the polite thing t-to do when entering someone’s home. But he must have smelled me and the entire air just curdled and all the hairs on my arms went up and—”

“I’m not making excuses, but he said this cycle would be the worst,” says Sasuke. “I shouldn’t have let you go by yourself. I thought it would be okay.”

“I thought it would be okay too. He tapped his wrists with me,” Mimi says in a small voice, “I thought we were friends.”

“If it's any consolation, he’ll feel awful about what happened once his rut is over,” he says. Naruto will probably end up groveling at her feet, begging for forgiveness. He’s soft like that. Sasuke will take a picture or two for blackmail material.

“It’s not really a consolation. I’d rather he didn’t have anything to f-feel bad about at all.”

Sasuke helps Mimi back on her feet. She’s calmed down a fair bit. Her eyes are still very red and puffy, and she clearly looks like she’s been crying, but all things considered things could have been worse.

“My brother has extra patches in his room if you need them,” Sasuke says.

Mimi shakes her head.

“No, it’s okay. I’ve got some in my bag. I’ll just apply a couple of extras. I’m sure I smell like shit right now.” Then, she adds in a whisper, “This is the worst day ever.”

“He’ll apologize later. I’m sure of it.”

“It’s my fault. I don’t need him to apologize,” she says. “Alright. I’m going to go home now and cry some more.”

“You live far away. I can ask my mom to send you home if you’d like.”

She smiles crookedly at him. “Thank you. But I’m okay. The cold air will clear my head.”

Sasuke picks the muffin container up from the ground, opens it, and gives her one. “Food is supposed to make you feel better.”

Mimi takes it. “Thanks.” She turns on her heel, about to leave, but hesitates and turns back around.

“I’m sorry again. I called you a beta like it was an insult. You’re a good guy, Sasuke. I misjudged you. I’ll…I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” she says.

“See you,” says Sasuke, “don’t forget to put on your patches.”

“I won’t. Thanks.”

This time, Mimi turns around and doesn’t look back. Sasuke makes sure she’s well on her way before sighing and pushing a hand through his hair. What an absolute mess. This is completely counterintuitive to how he wanted to spend his day—the last thing he wanted to do was get himself embroiled in drama between his best friend and his best friend’s potential love interest. Naruto has a lot to answer for when he’s able to go back to school, and no matter how long he whines and pleads, Sasuke will not help him.

He opens his phone, ready to text Naruto something snappy, but is once more blindsided by the photo of Naruto’s rock hard dick in his hands. Sasuke stares at it again for another long moment, then sighs again. He’s going to get gray hairs at the age of 17 if this keeps going on.

Before he can regret it, he texts Naruto back.

-

He knocks on Naruto’s door. Mrs. Uzumaki answers it immediately as if she’s been standing by the entryway waiting for his arrival. Before Sasuke registers what’s going on, she’s pulling him inside. She grabs the homework papers from the hallway table and rubs them all over his face and chest. Then, she sniffs the homework she’s just rubbed all over him, breathes a sigh of relief, and says, “thank you Sasuke, you should go before Naruto busts the deadbolts down,” and pushes Sasuke back outside before promptly slamming the door in his face.

Sasuke is left standing on the porch again in less than thirty seconds. He can hear some banging inside Naruto’s house.

He makes the executive decision to just leave and go home. Hopefully his mom is making something delicious. His head is pounding and he needs some food.

He makes sure to leave the muffin container on the porch.

Chapter Text

Naruto’s rut ends a few days later. Sasuke knows this because his phone begins vibrating nonstop. He watches as texts begin popping up on his screen. It’s message after message after message of Naruto making a fool out of himself.

He’s making a fool of himself because in response to the dick pic and other messages, Sasuke had simply replied, “what do you want me to do about it? I’m delivering your homework, anything extra you’ve gotta pay up first.”

Naruto’s messages back involve a large number of apologies.

OMG
Did i send that
Shit
Fuck
I definitely sent that
Im so sorry
I was not in my right state of mind
Or any state of mind
Can you pls delete it
Pls delete it
Delete everything
EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!
Pls
PLS
PLEASE
Please for the love of god please delete everything
And then never speak of this again
Pretend i never sent you any messages last week
Ill do anything
ANYTHING
Sasuke?
?????????
SASUKE
YOU ASSHOLE
YOU HAVE READ RECEIPTS ON I KNOW YOU ARE SEEING THIS
SAY SOMETHING

Sasuke just texts back so did you do your homework.

For a long time, Naruto doesn’t reply. Then, finally, he says yes.

Good, Sasuke replies. The dick pic is now far enough in their messages that he no longer has to see it when texting Naruto. Nevertheless he finds himself scrolling up to look at it. It’s obscene every time. He considers the size of Naruto’s hand, and then looks at his own for reference. He flexes his fingers. He makes a fist.

Drunk texts have some window of truth, he reminds himself.

He’ll cash in on Naruto’s apologies later. He did say he would do anything.

-

Sasuke is over at his house the same day. Naruto has missed a full week of lessons and without Sasuke’s help, he’s not going to be able to understand the class material. Sasuke has decided not to speak of the text messages or the bedroom "tasting" incident for now. He's still trying to decide what to do about them and doesn’t need Naruto distracted from the task at hand.

That doesn’t mean Naruto has gotten the memo though. He’s wriggling around, clearly nervous.

“Stop that,” says Sasuke. “Focus on the notes. You’re not done reading them yet.”

Naruto returns to reading but it’s not long before he starts jiggling his leg up and down again.

Sasuke sighs. They’re not going to make much progress if this continues.

“What is it? If you have something to say, just say it,” he says.

“Did I…did I do anything else? When I was in my rut? I don’t…I don’t remember much,” Naruto gulps. He looks like he’s dreading Sasuke’s answer.

“You want the truth?”

“Dude, don’t drag it out. I’m having a bad feeling about it and my anxiety has been at an all-time high for the past four hours.”

Sasuke has no choice but to tell him what happened to Mimi. Naruto turns pale. He bolts up from the table and sprints down the stairs. Sasuke dutifully follows behind to watch the carnage unfold.

Naruto skids into the hallway fuming.

“Mom! What the hell!? Why didn’t you tell me!” he yells.

“I’m not about to get involved in your personal relationships!” Mrs. Uzumaki yells back from the kitchen.

“Then why did you let her in!?”

“I thought you guys might be dating or something! What kind of omega voluntarily visits an alpha during their rut if they’re not dating? But then you didn’t react well to her scent…I mean, then again, you didn’t react well to anything by that point.”

"Listen to your mother," Naruto's dad calls out.

Naruto lets out a long, drawn out groan and puts his face in his hands.

The doctors had said this rut would be his worst, and they were right.

Upon maturing into full adulthood, alphas often faced a series of increasingly aggressive ruts as their bodies’ reconciled the hormonal imbalance from puberty. Unfortunately, this also included some painful lessons on controlling their biological needs.

When it happened to Itachi, he had stayed locked in his room for five days. Sasuke had relayed clean towels while his parents took shifts cooking and watching over his brother. But in the end, all had been well. Itachi had opened the door, thinner and taller since closing it, but had still given Sasuke a tired smile. 

That wasn't to say all alphas were so lucky.

In Naruto's case, his control over his secondary nature had backfired on him. The more he tamed it, the worse it retaliated. The aftermath of his battle was clearly evident through the deadbolts unscrewed by the bedroom door, the trash can filled with grinding stones, all worn down to the nub, and the cracked window as though someone had tried to punch through it and failed.

“Anyways, I let her in because I thought you were dating—such a sweet looking girl, you can see how I jumped to conclusions,” says Mrs. Uzumaki.

“We’re not dating!”

“I realized that when you sent out your pheromones.”

“Oh my god,” says Naruto, horrified.

“You’ll probably need to apologize to her,” she continues, “she was scared out of her mind.”

Sasuke decides not to tell him about the panic attack. Naruto already looks beyond remorseful.

“Let’s hope you don’t have a rut like that again for a while. Thankfully your father and I were prepared. I had a feeling you’d take after me…mine were just as bad, but thankfully your father was already my rut partner at that point in time, so—”

“Nope nope nope, you don’t need to say anything else, I’m good,” Naruto says. He and Sasuke trudge back upstairs.

Naruto flops over on his bed. He stares at his ceiling like he’s going through an existential crisis. They’re not going to be getting any more studying done today.

“I bought you some eights from the drug store,” Sasuke says, opening his bag and tossing him the box. He had picked them up when he caught wind of his rut ending. “Non-generic brand for your cheap ass. You’ll need these. After your last rut, Mimi was already…er. Forget I said that.”

“What am I going to doooooo,” Naruto moans, morosely opening the box and slapping a new patch on his neck. “The whole class is going to hate me.”

“She hasn't said anything about it. And you know why she showed up, right?”

“To deliver my homework?” Naruto says. “Now that I think of it…isn’t her house in the opposite direction? Why did the teacher send my homework to her?”

“He didn’t,” says Sasuke.

“Then why…”

“I know this is difficult for your tiny brain, but think about it. Why would an omega come visit an alpha during a rut?”

Naruto turns to look at him. His eyes are wide.

“No way,” he croaks.

“Congratulations,” says Sasuke, “a girl is finally interested in you.”

-

Naruto turns Mimi down. He turns her down in the most Naruto-way possible—he accidentally leads her on, she confesses, and then with Sasuke and a few others observing from afar, he makes her cry again.

The day of, Sasuke stops by his house to pick him up like usual. Naruto opens the door, looking a little tired but otherwise none the worse for wear. Now that his rut is over, he’s settling into his latest growth spurt. His uniform is stretching across his chest and thighs. He’s taller again. At this rate, he’ll surpass Sasuke soon.

“Got you some snacks,” Sasuke says, holding out the bag he picked up from the convenience store.

Naruto takes it and peeks inside. “You got me my favorites,” he says, sounding surprised.

“Don’t expect this regularly. It’s just because you tend to get hungry after your ruts end, and you made such a stink last time I bought you that oatmeal bar.”

Naruto gives him a funny look. “Thanks,” he says.

“Stop that.”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“You don’t need to thank me. And you’ll probably end up binge eating all of these snacks anyways after you apologize to Mimi.”

“Don’t remind me," Naruto says, "I’ve been trying to think about how to do it. I’ve never had to do something like this before.”

“Well, you’ve got four hours to figure it out. Chop chop.”

Sasuke doesn’t tell Naruto that Mimi came to find Sasuke the day after the incident. He doesn't tell him that she said she was aware of the risks when she decided to visit during his rut. He doesn't tell him that she understood what happened wasn’t intentional.

He also doesn’t tell him that she still likes him.

-

By the time they settle into their seats, Naruto has eaten nearly all the snacks Sasuke bought him. Sasuke figures it’s out of nervous tendency; eating to keep his mind off things. The rest of the students filter in. Some of them tap wrists with Naruto, welcoming him back.

“This one was the bad one, right?” Amai asks.

“Yeah,” says Naruto.

“Shit dude. Glad you came out of that okay. Mine’s coming up right after final exams…not looking forward to it. Any tips?”

Naruto winces. “Make sure to stock up on painkillers so you can eat. I’m still hungry as hell.”

Out of sympathy, Amai gives him an oatmeal bar.

Class begins. From his position Sasuke gets a clear view of Naruto, who keeps looking at Mimi. He can’t keep his eyes off her during the entire lesson. He's also fidgeting with his hands. The guilt is clearly eating at him. 

But, he’s also being obvious in a way he doesn’t intend to be. Those glances are a halogen sign to everyone else who’s interpreting them differently. Secondary gender has nothing to do with it—a guy is checking a girl out, and only Sasuke seems to know better.

A small smile creeps its way onto Mimi’s face from the attention. After a while she begins glancing back at Naruto. Her cheeks are flushed.

During their lunch break, Naruto approaches her and asks if she’d be willing to meet with him after school. He’s both looking at her and looking away, breaking eye contact, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. He’s red. He’s sweating. He’s picking at the scent patches on his wrists.

Mimi says yes.

The entire class is acting nonchalant, but Sasuke swears he can see every ear turned towards their corner of the room. He feels like he’s in a shoujo romance novel.

Someone comes up to him and quietly asks if he’s okay.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Sasuke responds.

“Oh. I just thought…aren’t you…?”

“Am I what?”

“Alright. Nevermind.”

The rest of the school day passes with strange anticipation. Sasuke knows how this is going to end. He can predict the outcome from a mile away.

He can predict it because no one else understands Naruto like he does. People can try. Mimi tries. But at the end of the day, they weren’t the one who approached the boy hiding by the swingset. They weren’t the one who was grounded for fighting his bullies. They weren’t the one who sat with him in the sand pit, building shitty castles that crumbled at the slightest touch.

It was Sasuke. No one else.

What follows is not a confession.

The bell rings. The teacher dismisses them. Naruto and Mimi leave the classroom and after a moment, a small crowd of classmates discreetly follows behind them. They carefully sneak behind some bushes away from view. Sasuke doesn’t join them. He finds a seat near the classroom window and watches from above.

The winter air carries their voices upwards.

Naruto gets down on his knees on the icy lawn and puts his hands together.

“I’m really sorry about what happened last week!” he starts, yelling into the grass, “I didn’t mean for that to happen and I wish I could take it back. It was a biological reaction but that is no excuse for what I did and I’m so, so sorry.”

“No, no, don't do that," Mimi says, quickly pulling him up. She’s acting embarrassed but her body language shows she's pleased.

"You have nothing to apologize for,” she says. "I understand what happened and it’s not your fault. It was my own mistake and I’m fine—nothing happened, I was just a little scared, is all. You were just trying to protect yourself.”

“It was a hostile reaction. It’s not a good look for an alpha...I've still got a long way to go.”

“For the record, I actually think you’re already a good alpha. A really, really good one.”

“Er, I—well. Thank you,” says Naruto, “but after what happened, I can’t say I’ve been a good role model.”

Mimi shakes her head.

“You know what a good alpha is to me? Someone who’ll protect their loved ones, and who’s always looking out for others. Someone who’s funny and kind and brings positivity to the world. I think you check all of those boxes.”

“I really appreciate that. Thank you—”

“I like you, Naruto.”

Sasuke chews his fingernail. One of the students hiding in the bushes clasps their hands over their mouth.

Naruto splutters. “Oh. Ah. Really?”

“Really. I really, really like you.”

Mimi tucks a long brown curl out of her face. She’s shyly toeing the grass.

This is the part where Naruto responds to her confession. Sasuke waits for him to say yes. Naruto should say yes. He’s been talking about getting laid for the better part of high school. He’s fallen head over heels for so many girls. He’d pined over Sakura for a full year before gracelessly accepting her last rejection. It was very embarrassing. Sasuke had been there for the entire thing.

Naruto’s type is girls like Mimi, omega girls with long lashes and shiny hair. She sees the good in Naruto, even if people seeing the good in him is a recent phenomenon ever since the rumors started. It’s as good of a result as Sasuke could hope for.

He wouldn’t blame him if they started dating. He’d understand. He and Naruto would still be friends. Probably.

But because he knows Naruto, he knows what's going to happen. And still, he waits for him to prove him wrong.

He doesn't. 

“I’m sorry,” Naruto says quietly, “I can’t return your feelings.”

Sasuke’s fingers clutch the windowsill. Against his better judgment, he leans out and over the window. The air is cold against his face.

Naruto is looking directly at Mimi. She's smiling but it’s like she’s trying not to cry.

“Ah, don’t worry about it!” she says, laughing to cover up the awkwardness, “it was just a silly confession, you don’t…you don’t need to say anything else. I just wanted you to know. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to work out.”

“It’s not silly. It means a lot. And it takes a lot of courage to confess your feelings, I would know.”

Mimi laughs again. She’s rubbing at her eyes but it’s not enough to stop some tears from escaping.

“I’m not your type, am I?”

Naruto takes her hand and gently holds it. “You don’t have to be my type,” he says. “I know a lot of guys who’d love to date someone like you.”

“But I don't want any other guys,” she mumbles, “I just want you. You’re the only one I want.”

Sasuke’s heard enough. He exhales slowly and slides back into his seat, closing the window so that the voices outside are no more than muffled whispers. He puts his hand on his heart. It’s jumping all over the place, thudding in his chest so hard he can hear it in his ears.

He swallows. What is he getting so worked up about? It’s nothing serious. Naruto already rejected her. He’s not going to change his answer.

A beta shouldn’t care about what an alpha does anyways. Sasuke has been perfectly content to be an outsider in their world. He’s never been bothered by things like this. He’s not nosy. He doesn’t care.

Naruto can do what he wants.

But still, as the classroom door slides open and his best friend stands there, bathed in the cold sunlight, panting and out of breath like he’s run up through the entire school just to find him, he can’t help but feel happy about it.

“Oh thank god,” says Naruto, “you’re still here.”

“You didn’t say anything about not going home together. I waited for you.”

“Awfully nice of you.”

“I thought about leaving. You were taking your sweet time.” Sasuke stands up and zips up his coat. “So. You and Mimi dating now?”

He knows the answer. He just wants to hear Naruto say it.

“Ah, no. I uh. I turned her down.”

“You did. Huh. Funny.”

“How’s that?”

Sasuke picks up his bag and slings it over his shoulder. He reaches into his coat pockets and takes out Naruto’s tiger print gloves, absentmindedly sliding them over his hands.

“You were always talking about wanting to date a cute girl. Thought Mimi’s confession would have offered you a great opportunity,” he says.

“Things have changed,” says Naruto.

“Hm,” says Sasuke.

“You’re not going to ask how?”

“No. I know how.”

“No you don’t.”

“I do.” Sasuke looks him right in the eyes. “I promise you, I do.”

Naruto gulps.

Sasuke tilts his head to the side. He looks at Naruto’s face. It’s a familiar face. He’s seen it when it was covered in baby fat. He’s seen it swollen from bee stings and covered in band-aids. He’s seen his smile when it was missing teeth and when it was tied with braces. But Naruto has grown. He’s still got a tinge of that youthfulness in him, but he looks different. Confident. Stronger. That’s what they said about the rut, right? That Naruto was going through a period of maturity.

This is still his best friend. This is still his best friend, but for some reason, Sasuke feels like he’s reaching into the unknown.

He looks away, pushing past him.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

Spring comes slowly. It's an ease into the season. The winds grow warmer, the days grow longer. Sasuke basks in them. The air smells more alive these days.

The school is busy preparing for exams. Everyone is studying, even the students who swear they don’t need to and the ones who’ve been acting like grades don’t matter for the entire semester. Secondary biology has zero impact on intelligence. Alphas, omegas, and betas alike all have their noses buried in books, scribbling notes, whispering in their study circles.

Sasuke on the other hand has never really needed to try for good grades. Studying has never been difficult for him. His name is consistently at the top of the school ranking boards, shifting between first, second, and third place depending on how much Sakura or Neji have studied.

He’s gained a bit of a reputation for his intelligence. Attention tends to follow him no matter what he’s doing but during times like these, it’s…cumbersome. For the past few weeks he’s been receiving non stop requests—and occasionally, desperate pleas—from not only students in his own class, but other classes as well, to join their study sessions.

Sasuke can tell who wants him to join so they can get social credit, versus who wants him to join because they legitimately need help. He’s not generous by any means but it doesn’t hurt to offer a helping hand when he has nothing better to do. In even fewer cases, there are one or two people he doesn’t mind spending time tutoring.

“People keep looking at us,” Tenten says, eyes glued to her textbook. She and Sasuke have been pushed into a corner table at the library, which is busier than ever. There’s barely enough space for their books.

“Ignore them,” Sasuke says simply.

“Oh wow, didn’t think of doing that. You’re so smart.”

Sasuke met Tenten last year, the first year he and Naruto weren’t in the same class. Tenten sat at the desk next to him. She was sociable but minded her own business. She was also a beta and seemed to be in the same boat as Sasuke: a little more level-headed, a bit more skeptical.

They’ve developed what he calls a mutual acquaintanceship. He’ll greet her if he sees her in the halls. She might show up to a soccer game or two. Things like that.

Tenten is also a girl. This apparently, has caused a fair amount of nosy people to peer over their textbooks or walk slowly past their study table for no apparent reason. Sasuke is used to the attention and pays it no mind. Tenten however, keeps glaring back at them like she’s about to pick a fight.

“You seriously live like this?” she asks.

“Yes,” Sasuke replies. In his opinion, the other students should bother Sakura or Neji instead for help. There are plenty of other smart people around. It doesn’t have to be him.

Tenten rolls her eyes. “It’s your face. I’m kind of impressed you haven’t gotten egotistical about it,” she says.

“It’s because I don’t care,” he says. “Also, you got problem number six wrong.”

She glances down at her scratch work. “Oh shit, you’re right. Didn’t integrate properly.” She erases and tries it again. This time, Sasuke gives her a nod.

“You know, studying with you isn’t half bad. Maybe some of your braininess will wash off on me,” Tenten says.

“You sound like Naruto," he says. Naruto’s always clinging to him during exam season. If he wasn’t doing after school shopping for his mom right now, no doubt he would be sprawled on the table alongside them.

“I’m surprised he’s not here,” Tenten says.

“He’s doing some shopping.”

“Do you ever not know where he is?” she asks.

Sasuke takes a pause and thinks about it. “No,” he says. He can’t remember a single moment.

“Doesn’t surprise me. You guys are always glued at the hip. He was always swinging by our class during lunch. You put up with it though.”

“I’ve dealt with him for enough of my life to know when he really needs help or when he’s just being needy.”

“Honestly, I think you were probably the only one who had the patience for it,” Tenten says. “They all thought he was annoying and clingy since...you know. Your face looks like that. But now, girls are talking about him too. He’s popular. He hit his growth spurt and now he’s hot. Funny how people treat you differently once you’re good looking. I heard someone even confessed to him a few weeks ago. How’d you take that?”

“What is that supposed to mean? I had nothing to do with it.”

“He rejected her though.”

“Yes.”

Tenten rests her cheek in her hand. “He’s different from the rest of us, isn’t he? To you.”

Sasuke looks up at her from his study materials. He knows what Tenten is trying to get at. He could play dumb but he has a feeling she’s going to see through it and pester him further.

“What do you want me to say?” he asks. He tries to sound nonchalant. He doesn’t know if it’s working.

“I don’t know. What do you want to say?” she responds. “75% of the population is made up of betas like me and you. The other 25% are alphas and omegas, and they've got a 95% mating chance between them, or so I’ve heard. And then that leaves the rest. You do the math.”

Sasuke doesn’t need to do the math. He stubbornly focuses on his study materials.

“I’m just saying,” says Tenten, “he’s a good looking alpha. He may have rejected one girl, but who knows about the future.”

“I think,” Sasuke interrupts bluntly, “that if given the chance and reason enough, Naruto would chase me to the ends of the earth.”

There’s a pregnant pause as Tenten digests his words. Her eyebrows slowly rise higher and higher.

“Oh,” she finally says, “it’s like that then? Good. Then it’s no problem. So when are you going to do something about it?”

In lieu of answering her question, Sasuke says, “When did you become so nosy?”

“I’m observant. Not nosy. So? Are you going to do something about it?”

“It’s a work in progress,” he replies.

“Yipee. Maybe you’ll be able to send me an update when I’m about to be lowered into my grave,” Tenten says. Just then, her eyes flicker upwards to look past Sasuke at someone behind him, and her face does a funny thing where she’s about to smile but then quickly decides against the idea.

Sasuke resists the urge to turn around. He doesn’t need to wait for long. Neji walks by. His uniform is neat as always. His long hair is tied back, not a strand out of place. He gives them both a curt nod.

“Tenten. Sasuke,” he says.

“Neji,” Sasuke greets, ready to get back to studying.

Tenten just gives Neji a half-hearted wave. “Hello,” she says.

Neji blinks at them, seemingly judging the mess on the table, then passes by to find a seat somewhere deeper in the library. Tenten remains frozen in her seat but Sasuke can tell by her expression that she’s trying very hard not to watch where Neji is going.

Once he’s out of earshot, Sasuke says, “The pot calling the kettle black, I see.”

“Oh be quiet,” Tenten says.

“I’m not sure if you know this, but 75% of the population is made up of betas like me and you, and the other 25% are alphas and omegas—”

Tenten chucks her eraser at him.

-

They’re only able to study unbothered for an hour before another visitor approaches their table.

It’s Kazuha. And he’s smiling, which is quite concerning. Sasuke has started to realize that his class president always tends to know more than he lets on, and when he pays attention to Sasuke, it doesn’t bode well for him.

“Hi Sasuke,” Kazuha says. “And…”

“Tenten,” says Tenten.

“Nice to meet you,” he says. “So. Busy time of year, huh?”

“What gave it away?” says Sasuke, “Was it the tower of textbooks on our table, or the fact that the two of us are crammed here while the rest of the student body is desperately searching for a place to study?”

“Oh, one or the other I suppose. Quite a lot of material you have there. I’m sure a number of people have approached you for help.”

“Cut to the chase,” he replies, “what do you want?”

“It’s about the cordiality, Sasuke. It’s manners,” Kazuha says. “Anyway, if you must know, I’m having a group study session at my place next weekend. The whole class is invited. You’re the top student in a few subjects so you don’t have to come, but I think it would be really great for your high school experience if you did.”

“There’s really no benefit to having me be there. I’m not a teacher.”

“You’re good at explaining things nonetheless.”

“You should go,” says Tenten.

Sasuke shoots her a glare. She’s supposed to be on his side.

“Oh don’t look at me like that,” she says. “I’ll go too. One extra person won’t hurt, right?”

“Come one, come all,” Kazuha says in response. “Some folks from other classes are coming too.”

“I’ll pass,” says Sasuke.

“Well, there is one last thing. Not that this information makes any difference, but Naruto said he was planning on going. Something about needing help with Japanese literature. Speaking of which, I heard that was Mimi’s best subject,” says Kazuha.

…Kazuha is very annoying.

“I’ll think about it,” says Sasuke. His mood has soured. He’s a little pissed that Naruto didn’t say anything about the study session. Or, more importantly, ask him for help with Japanese literature.

“Splendid. Hope to see you there—and Tenten too,” says Kazuha, waltzing away.

“He sure has a way with words,” says Tenten once Kazuha has disappeared.

“That’s a nice way of putting it,” says Sasuke.

“So are you going to go?”

“I said I’ll think about it.”

“Naruto’s going to be there, right? Would be weird if you two didn’t show up together.”

It would not be weird. They have their separate activities. Sasuke and Naruto are two distinct individuals, even if they are best friends.

“It would be a waste of time. There’s nothing in it for me,” says Sasuke. “I’m not a person who deals in altruism.”

“Oh, I don’t think altruism is necessary. You just need to be possessive. Can the great Uchiha Sasuke be possessive?” says Tenten.

“What is there to be possessive of?”

“Come on.” She glances around at the groups gathered at the library. “You really think Mimi is the only one? Springtime is prime mating season. Everyone who has a secondary gender is about to get hit with the full force of their hormonal urges, and they’re going to get bold before the school year comes to a close. I'm talking confessions left and right and people fighting for a single button off a uniform."

"We aren't graduating."

"Doesn't matter. The button is symbolic. The act of giving is symbolic. Not like we can really understand how it feels, given our biology and all, but you’ve heard it, right? What people have been saying about him all year?”

Sasuke taps his pencil against the table. Of course he’s heard it. He’s heard nothing but it, whispers fluttering through the halls, omega girls huddled in their pack groups, watching him and Naruto as they pass by.

He’s filled out, they say. He’s really grown into himself. He’s kind of cute.

Not kind of cute. Really cute.

And did you see the imprint of his—

It’s not just that. He’s thoughtful. And sweet. And he’s always looking out for everyone else.

…He’s a good alpha.

More and more students have come to visit their classroom as the year has passed. Sports captains, trying to recruit him for their teams. Girls, trying to get to know him. Boys, meeting him at an after school activity, trying to become friends. The circle around Naruto has expanded and Sasuke has been sucked right into it, swirling in a vortex of relationships.

Despite this, Sasuke knows where he stands. He’s always known. There is no person who could ever be a threat to him.

No matter which way the wind blows, Naruto will be wading through the sea of people to find Sasuke first. And Sasuke will always be motionless, always watching, waiting as Naruto desperately tries to reach him. It was like that then and it’s like that now, the only change being that everyone is finally able to see the person Sasuke has seen all his life and now they think they understand him.

But the sea is still dark. They are blind. They will never understand him the way Sasuke does.

At his core, Naruto has not changed at all. He’s the same person he’s always been. He’s kind, but he’s also loud and incredibly stubborn. He’s protective, but he’s also been a sniveling, crying boy with skinned knees. He’s handsome, but he also had a bad bout of acne at the age of 13 and Sasuke will never let him forget it.

People think they know him.

They don’t.

Tenten smiles from across the table.

“Huh. Would you look at that,” she says. “Looks like you can be possessive after all.”

Chapter Text

Sasuke doesn’t want to go to Kazuha’s party. Kazuha has been calling it a “study session” but it’s probably just an excuse for him to sit and observe his classmates in a more intimate setting. There is no need for Sasuke to be there, and despite Kazuha’s pestering for the past few days, he has made that crystal clear.

And yet.

There he is, standing in front of a house twice the size of his own, in the expensive subdivision near their school while holding a box of his mom’s cookies because she said it was polite. She had been so excited by the prospect of Sasuke attending a social gathering that she doubled her usual batch. This just means Sasuke has carried double the necessary weight of cookies to Kazuha’s house.

Before he can convince himself to turn around and go home, he rings the doorbell.

“Coming,” says a muffled voice behind the door, and then a few seconds later it swings open.

Kazuha looks surprised to see him, but then a knowing grin crosses his face, and somehow it’s far worse.

“Welcome Sasuke,” he says. “Come on in. Oh—and you brought cookies.”

“Not by choice,” says Sasuke, passing him the box.

“You didn’t come with Naruto?”

“He’s running an errand. He’ll be over in 20.”

“Nice. Well, settle in, make yourself at home. I daresay a number of people will be quite happy to see you.”

When Sasuke toes off his shoes and enters Kazuha’s unsettlingly large house, a majority of his class is already seated in the family room, scattered around various tables. Sasuke lifts his hand in greeting and the whole group gasps.

“We thought you weren’t coming!”

“Oh thank god you’re here, Kazuha’s shit at teaching.”

“Sit next to me, Sasuke, maybe some of your brains will pass onto me through osmosis—”

Amidst the chaos, someone waves from the couch. It’s Taki. He’s lounging with some other members of the soccer team. Sasuke hasn’t seen them in a while, not since the season has ended. He walks over and gives them all a fist bump in greeting.

“I heard from Kazuha that you were caught up in other stuff,” says Taki.

“Figured I’d do all the rest of you a favor,” Sasuke replies. “I didn’t know you knew each other.”

“We met up at one of Kiba’s house parties and the rest is history.”

This news does not phase Sasuke. Somehow, Kiba is always peripherally involved.

Since Naruto isn’t there yet, Sasuke squeezes in and sits next to Taki on the couch. It’s good to catch up with him and the rest of the team. Unsurprisingly, they’re all swamped with studying for the upcoming exams and it’s not long before Sasuke is being serenaded by complaints about how difficult the material is this year.

Also, maybe it's pack dynamics rearing its head, but they’re all a bit touchier than usual. Taki’s given him a fair number of shoulder pats and is smiling. A lot. The couch is a tight fit though, so it’s entirely possible Sasuke is just imagining things.

Kazuha returns with a platter of snacks and sets it on the table.

“Can’t study on an empty stomach,” he says. “And now that our teacher is here, we can finally get some studying done.”

Everyone looks at Sasuke expectantly. It’s like staring into a sea of puppy dog eyes.

He sighs. He wonders if it's too late to make some stupid excuse and leave. But Naruto will be coming soon and he doesn’t want to leave his friend to fend for himself.

So instead he says, “What subject do you guys need help with the most?”

-

It’s an hour before Naruto and Tenten show up. Sasuke can tell the instant they arrive because it’s immediately…loud.

“—And then she told me that she needed a ride home. After what she pulled.”

“God. The audacity.”

“Tell me about it. Some people really do have the nerve.”

“So what happened? Did you give her a ride?”

“I’m not proud but…let me tell you. I tried so hard to be the bigger person that day. So. Fucking. Hard. But in the end, I couldn’t help but tell her to eat shi—”

“Naruto. And…Tenten, is that right?” says Kazuha.

“Oh. Hey,” says Naruto’s voice from the doorway.

“Sup,” says Tenten. “We bumped into each other at the grocery store and bought some takoyaki to share.”

“Sweet. Come on in.”

“Is Sasuke here yet?”

“Yeah. He beat you guys by a solid hour.”

Naruto and Tenten walk into the study area and take in the scene. It’s essentially Sasuke, who’s sitting on the couch with a whiteboard covered in diagrams, and the rest of the class crowded around him.

“Looks like a cult,” says Naruto.

“Shut the fuck up and sit down,” says Sasuke.

Naruto grins and obediently takes a seat in the back. Tenten follows suit and scooches next to him.

Sasuke turns back to his diagrams. A migraine is steadily building in his temples. He’s been teaching the same concept for the past fifteen minutes but no one seems to understand, despite rephrasing and reiterating. He’s right on the brink of telling everyone to go home and grow a brain.

“Oh,” says Naruto, “I know this. Sasuke taught me when I was trying to catch up on schoolwork.”

The whole class turns around to look at him.

"Well this is a surprise," says Kazuha. "Want to enlighten us?"

"Oh uh. Nah, I wouldn't do it justice. I mean, Sasuke's already up there and all."

“Well maybe it’ll sound better coming from someone else since we’ve been struggling to understand. We welcome fresh blood. Go on up,” Kazuha says magnanimously. “The floor is yours.”

Naruto hesitates. “But Sasuke’s the better teacher—”

“Naruto. Come up,” says Sasuke.

Naruto shakes his head. “Nope. I'm good. Don't want to get up there and mess up.”

“This is not a request. I’m telling you that I want a bit of a break, so you should take my spot. And in the meantime, if you end up covering some material correctly, well then that’s fine too.”

Naruto groans and stands up to join him.

“Erm,” he says.

“Good start,” says Sasuke. Then, he sits back to watch the show unfold.

Despite his words, the start is decidedly not good. Naruto keeps stuttering and stopping mid-sentence and twists his fingers absentmindedly in his hands to calm his nerves. But Sasuke watches, and waits, and is patient. And it’s worth it. It’s worth it to see Naruto breach the wall he’s been trying to hammer into everyone’s brains.

Someone raises their hand and asks a question.

Naruto thinks about it, then answers it correctly.

While Naruto's explanations aren’t entirely smooth, they're covering the material well enough. More example based. High level. Focused on the basic building blocks of the concept, rather than the details. Naruto also gesticulates a little too much, but then again, he’s always emotive. He couldn’t be contained even if Sasuke spent his entire life trying. It’s nice, knowing all those nights catching him up on his schoolwork have paid off.

People are paying full attention to him now. He’s the star in the center of a stage. Naruto’s self-esteem has never been too high, hidden by a thin veneer of confidence, and he’s always been concerned about earning respect. But he already has it. He has had it for a while now.

Sasuke on the other hand, has been in the spotlight for far too long today and is enjoying lounging in the shadows for a bit. The sidelines are where he’d rather spend his time anyways. Naruto is in the limelight now, and it works, but somehow it also leaves Sasuke feeling a bit…

Hm, Sasuke thinks to himself. That doesn’t feel quite right.

“Anyways,” Naruto finishes, “that’s the way I think of it. Got a pretty good grade on that exam too, from what I remember.”

“A 93,” Sasuke says, filling in the gaps.

“Oh damn, it was that high?”

“Naruto…” says Kazuha, in awe, “since when were you this smart?”

“It’s not in every subject. I just happened to know this really well because Sasuke would beat me if I got any of the questions wrong,” Naruto says.

“You’re acting like he could take you in a fight,” says Kazuha.

“I mean, er, I haven’t really thought about it but he’s really strong—”

“Focus on the lesson,” says Sasuke, turning back to the whiteboard.

At this point in time, Sasuke is still naively hoping that he’ll be allowed to escape his pseudo teacher role. He’s only at Kazuha’s house because he isn’t kindhearted enough to offer his time and effort unless something was in it for him. And nothing had been in it for him, other than a vague image of Mimi sitting close to Naruto and walking him through proper essay structure while dissecting a piece of Japanese literature.

But now that Naruto is here and Mimi hasn't even shown up to the party, Sasuke is ready to call it a day. He’s done babysitting. The other students can teach themselves. He’s been meaning to try that new soba place down the street, and maybe Naruto and Tenten can come with him. He wouldn’t mind the company.

But then, as he's halfway through adding a note to the whiteboard, Kazuha levels him with one of his most wicked, manipulative smiles. And at that moment, its clear he has no intention of letting him go. Sasuke is a prisoner. He can't leave without his host casually saying something that will make his life miserable for the next few weeks.

Or worse. He’ll bring up Naruto’s dick pic.

It really is a cult.

-

An hour later, lunch time rolls around and Sasuke is so drained that he feels he might finally understand what it’s like to go through a hormonal cycle. It’s like someone has wrung all the vitality out of him and he’s currently dangling on a clothesline to dry.

He is exhausted. He is dehydrated and hungry and emotionally incapacitated. And he wants to go home.

Kazuha calls for a break because the lunch is ready and all the students eagerly stand up, stretching out their legs.

“Don’t forget to thank Sasuke,” says Kazuha.

Sasuke doesn’t want to be thanked. Sasuke wants to be left alone. Instead, he has no choice but to remain seated as the study party guests swarm him. There are plenty of compliments that fly over his head, but there’s also a lot of touching from alphas and omegas—arms slung over his shoulder, wrists tapped against his own. Sasuke’s too tired to fight back, sullenly accepting the affectionate gestures. He’s given up. Death by smothering. He accepts his fate.

Taki comes up, wrists outstretched.

“Alright alright, break it up,” says Naruto pushing through the crowd and waving everyone away, “give him some space. He needs to eat. Y'all drained him, look—he’s paler than usual, he's practically anemic. My poor, sickly victorian child—”

Sasuke makes a grab for him. He's too slow though. Naruto easily dodges and shoves him back onto the couch. Sasuke feels all the strength leave him and he just flops there. God. He doesn’t even have enough energy to fight Naruto. This is a problem.

“Sit there. Don’t do anything else. I’ll grab you a plate,” Naruto says.

“You don’t even know what I want to eat.”

“Ah ah. What did I say? Sit and don’t do anything else. That includes talking.”

“Yeah Sasuke,” Tenten chirps, “shut the fuck up and sit down.”

“I’m going to kill you,” he says.

He waits on the couch and closes his eyes. His throat is dry from teaching for so long. He tries swallowing and can barely do it, then lets himself sink fully into the couch cushions. He can’t remember the last time he took a nap, but the idea is starting to sound really good. The darkness is relaxing. All the voices, which had been so close to him, have faded into the background.

A weight sinks down on the seat next to him. Sasuke blearily opens his eyes.

“Naruto…?”

A gentle hand pats his forearm. It’s not Naruto. Naruto’s hands are larger.

It’s Taki.

“Hey,” Taki says. “I got you a plate and a drink. Get some sustenance in you.”

Sasuke groans and sits up. There’s a plate of food on the table but what Sasuke really wants right now isn’t the meat and vegetables that Taki has picked out for him. He’s craving rice. Lots and lots of rice. Out of politeness, he says thanks, and reaches for the drink.

He takes a sip. It’s some sort of lemonade and it’s far too sweet and tart. While his throat feels slightly better, his stomach churns.

“Sorry you had to go through all of that to teach us,” Taki says quietly. “You know we all really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem,” Sasuke says, his voice scratchy.

“You don’t have to continue teaching after lunch. Take a break. I can help,” says Taki, cracking a smile. “Though I’m not as good as you are. Wish I could be, though.”

“It's not too hard. But I’m not cut out for teaching.”

“You were great, don’t sell yourself short. Though, it doesn’t surprise me. It’s almost unfair how perfect you are. You really got it all—you’re handsome, smart, and athletic all in one.”

Taki still has his hand on Sasuke’s arm. Sasuke looks at him and thinks about what Naruto said at the beginning of the year, about people treating him differently because he presented as an alpha and not because he earned it himself. Sasuke feels like he understands more of that now.

It’s not like this is new. He’s been fawned over most all his life. Even though his good looks and brain are all genetics, they’re what people see first, and those people are bound to draw their own conclusions.

Beneath all of the genetics he’s a bit of an asshole. But that part tends to be ignored. People make excuses for his attitude because of his reputation. If he wasn’t good looking, he doubts he’d be as popular as he is.

“I’m not all that,” he says.

“You’re just being humble,” says Taki. “You’re an amazing soccer player. And a superstar student.”

“I didn’t have to work for it.”

“Who says you have to?” Taki murmurs, leaning closer. “Kind of crazy that you aren’t dating anyone—”

“—Hey Sasuke, wake up you asshole. I got you some stuff to eat,” Naruto announces, barging into the room. He’s holding a plate in each hand. One is clearly his own: a plate piled high with stir fry noodles. The other is clearly Sasuke’s: five large onigiris with edamame on the side. Sasuke’s stomach rumbles.

Tenten peeks her head around the corner. “I got you some hot tea, you like green right?” she says.

“Yes,” says Sasuke. The onigiris look amazing. He wants to shovel them into his mouth.

“I already got him some food,” says Taki, pulling back. He’s frowning.

Naruto blows past Taki and sets the plates down anyways. “When Sasuke feels sick, he likes neutral food,” he says. “No meat. There’s a lot of meat on that plate.”

“He’s just hungry. He’s not sick.”

“He’s not sick but he feels nauseous which is basically the same thing,” Naruto says.

“No, it’s not. You’re no doctor. He just hasn’t eaten.”

“Well he’s going to continue not eating if that’s the food you’re going to bring him.”

“Grilled meat will keep his energy up.”

“No, grilled meat will give him an upset stomach. His favorite food is onigiri, so that’s what I got him, because I know what he likes.”

“I’m just trying to help him. Why are you arguing with me?” says Taki.

“Why are you wearing his shirt?” Naruto snaps.

There is a long silence.

“Oh shit,” says Tenten. “Naruto, we discussed this, you weren’t supposed to say anything.”

Sasuke looks at Taki. Now that Naruto is mentioning it, the shirt he’s wearing is similar to one of Sasuke’s old ones, black and a little worn at the hem, but it’s so plain and nondescript that it could belong to anyone.

“Did he give his shirt to you?” Naruto says to Taki. “Doubt it.”

Taki stands up. “What if he did, huh? What would it matter to you?” he says. “As far as I can see, you’re making zero progress yourself. At least I’m fighting for what I want. You’re hiding your own intentions because you don’t have the balls to go for it.”

Tenten retreats around the corner. “I’m going to…put down this tea before I spill it,” she says.

Sasuke just wants to eat his onigiri and go home.

“Stop fighting,” he says.

“No talking. Eat,” Naruto orders.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Sasuke replies out of reflex.

“Yes, I can. You’re pale and tired and you look like you’re about to pass out. I bet you skipped breakfast again, bastard. Eat. Now.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes. He did skip breakfast, but it’s not a big deal. He picks up an onigiri.

“Told you,” Naruto says to Taki.

Sasuke takes a bite of food. As expected, it’s good. It’s filled with pickled plum and the rice has the perfect texture. He chews slowly as Naruto continues bickering with Taki, their voices low but not lacking in intensity.

Sasuke finishes the onigiri and licks the residual flavor off his fingers.

“I’ll get you something to wash that down,” says Naruto, watching him like a hawk.

“No, I’ll get you something,” says Taki. “It’s an omega’s duty to provide—”

“No, it’s an alpha’s duty to provide—”

This is getting ridiculous.

“I’ll get my drink myself,” Sasuke says, standing up. He strolls past them and sees Tenten crouched by the entryway, eavesdropping on their interaction. The rest of the kitchen is devoid of people.

She looks up at him. “Your tea’s on the counter,” she says. “I drew an ugly cat on it so you’d know it was yours.”

Sasuke finds the styrofoam cup. Indeed, there is a very ugly drawing on it. He takes a long, deep sip.

“Where’s everyone else?” he asks.

“They’re in the backyard. It’s nice outside. Probably for the better, otherwise we’d have a crowd watching too.” Tenten inclines her head towards Naruto and Taki’s general area. “Are you planning on intervening in that?”

“I tried and gave up.”

“Must be nice to be in the middle of a love triangle.”

“Don’t say it like that. It’s not what it is.”

“Come on. Let a girl dream. This is every romance novel’s fantasy, being stuck between two hot guys. Say, if you had to choose one, who would you pick?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions. That’s Naruto’s job,” says Sasuke.

“Oh,” Tenten smirks, “I see. I see. Well, well, well.”

“You’re worse than Kazuha.”

“Same clothes, different brand,” she says. She peeks back around the corner. “Damn. Naruto looks mad. I mean, I get it. I’d be mad too if someone was stealing Neji’s shirts to wear. Well, he’s not an omega, but it’s the same concept. You know how that looks, right? Omega guy, wearing an oversized shirt that’s not his?”

“How is anyone supposed to know they’re not his?” Sasuke says. “They’re plain black shirts and they don’t smell like anything.”

“Well, Naruto noticed. He noticed it the minute he sat down,” Tenten says.

“He’s abnormal.”

“No, he’s just obsessed with you,” she says.

“Hm,” Sasuke says.

“Just look at them. God. I’m so glad I can’t smell anything right now. Remember that time last year when Sakura was super pissed? I had no clue. Girl wears a super tight mask. But apparently she was so mad that she was bleeding through her patches and it reeked. Like an animal died or something. I can only imagine how awful it must smell out there right now.”

“Can’t be any worse than usual if they're wearing their patches. I gave Naruto some good ones.”

Tenten peeks around the corner again. “Well, let's think preventatively, okay? We don’t want Kazuha’s house all stinked up when they come back from lunch, so you might want to intervene.”

“Why don't you intervene?”

“I’m not the one they’re fighting over. Nooooooo thank you.”

Sasuke sips some more tea, then resigns himself to his fate. Tenten gives him a thumbs up from behind.

When he enters the living room again, Naruto and Taki’s faces are inches away from each other. Taki is baring his teeth. Naruto is flexing his hands. Whatever they were talking about has both of them raising their metaphorical hackles and they look like they’re about to settle the score with physical violence. As much as Sasuke would like to see the outcome of that, he doesn’t want to pay Kazuha’s family any reparations for destroyed furniture.

“Both of you need to calm down,” says Sasuke.

“Calm? I’m calm,” says Naruto.

“Sasuke, with all due respect, this is between me and Naruto,” says Taki.

They are entirely uninterested in what he has to say. Sasuke crosses his arms and cuts to the chase.

“If this is about a shirt, it’s just a shirt,” he says. “Even if it was mine and taken without my knowing, as the owner I’m letting it go. It’s all hypothetical anyways. Taki, I appreciate your friendship, but I’m not interested in dating anyone at this time. Naruto, if you could apologize for trying to fight Taki, that would be great.”

Naruto splutters, his face beet red. “That's it? Do you understand the severity of the situation? He’s wearing your shirt! He’s been stealing—”

“It’s a shirt,” Sasuke says cooly. “If he stole it, that’s his problem.”

Taki looks at them both. His face is twisted, like he’s frustrated, and also like he’s seconds away from blowing his top. He’s usually one of the calmer members on the soccer team.

“We’re friends," he says, "we get along. We have a good time playing soccer together, and nothing would change if you just let me be that person, it would just…”

“He’s not interested!” Naruto snaps. “He’s not interested, and I would fucking know, okay?”

“Naruto, I can speak for myself,” says Sasuke.

“Well, you clearly haven’t been doing a very good job!”

Tenten takes the opportunity to swoop in. Naruto protests and tries to fight her off, but she's able to drag him away by the bicep.

Now it’s just Taki and Sasuke left in the living room. Sasuke is getting a vague sense of déjà vu. Taki’s eyes are wide like he wants to say something and is hoping to telepathically transmit the message so he doesn’t need to say it aloud.

Sasuke waits for him.

Taki’s expression crumples. “Sasuke, I—”

Sasuke isn’t dumb. He can read in between the lines. Past events are clearer in hindsight.

“Please don’t do it again,” he says. “You’re a good friend and I appreciate your companionship. But that’s all.”

Taki gulps and averts his gaze. It’s enough. There’s nothing else to say.

As consolation, Sasuke pats him once on the shoulder, then goes to find Naruto.

-

They leave the study party soon after. Sasuke goes through the pleasantries of saying goodbye and making a lame excuse to leave. He knows what people are thinking. Naruto’s wearing a storm cloud on his face and is mostly silent. That part, Tenten hadn’t been able to save. It paints a pretty clear picture.

“Marital issues,” Kazuha says sympathetically.

Naruto gives Sasuke the silent treatment as they make their way back. He's open in his displeasure: he glares at Sasuke, scoffs, then turns away to scowl at the road.

At least it’s a nice road. The cherry blossom trees lining the walkways are just about done with their last blooms. Soon, the heat will hit, and the end of the school year will be upon them. It’s rather picturesque. Well, it would be if Naruto wasn't acting so cold.

“Are you mad at me?” Sasuke asks, breaking the ice.

Naruto sniffs and doesn't answer him.

"Naruto. Are you mad at me?"

“Yeah, I am," he says. "Is it not obvious?"

“Why?”

Naruto’s hardly ever mad at him. Annoyed, yes. Aggravated, yes. But truly, truly mad? Sasuke can count the number of times on one hand.

“You let him get away with it,” says Naruto.

“You’re acting like I’m letting a murderer escape. It’s not that serious.”

“Of course it’s serious. Do I look like I’m joking to you? This is a fucking big deal. You don’t even know what it means to take someone’s clothing without their consent and use it for—for—”

“You don’t know what he used it for.”

“What else would an omega use someone else’s clothing for?”

“You don’t even know it’s mine.”

“It smells like you!”

“You’re making that up,” says Sasuke. “I don’t smell like anything—”

Naruto grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him. His hands are large. His eyes are wild. His touch sears through the thin layer of Sasuke's shirt, and Sasuke's stomach flips. It has nothing to do with lemonade this time.

“Yes! Yes you do! Fuck this beta bullshit! You do to me, okay? I can smell it and I know that asshole is wearing your stuff. He shouldn’t even have it. He put his grubby little paws all over it and used it for—for nefarious reasons! I had a feeling ever since he lent you his towel that he was trying to pull something, so listen. You’re not allowed to leave any of your stuff out anymore. Lock all your shit up. Oh, also this—” Naruto rips his scent patch off and rubs his wrist aggressively over the back of Sasuke’s neck, “—why do you keep letting people scent you? Do you even have boundaries anymore? People fucking touching you all day. Pissing me off. Wash it with vinegar when you go home. Promise me you’ll wash it when you get home.”

Sasuke slaps his hand away. He can feel his heart against his ribcage.

“Okay, okay,” he says. “I’ll wash it when I get home.”

Naruto isn't entirely appeased as he replaces his patch.

“By the way, I’m still mad. You shouldn’t forgive him. I’m going to report him," he says.

“Report him for what? You’ve got no proof.”

“I’ve got plenty.”

“No, you don’t. It was my shirt. I have the say in what I want to do about it. And it's not worth it. He won't do it again."

"I'm going to get him kicked out," Naruto grumbles. "And don't get me started on you. You're not off the hook either. You’re so stupid sometimes. He's been eyeing you like a piece of candy ever since he lent you his towel. How can you tutor these people and still be so stupid?”

“I’m not stupid,” says Sasuke.

“Oh yeah? Then stop letting people touch you.”

“It’s pack dynamics, Naruto.”

“Like hell it’s pack dynamics. You couldn’t see pack dynamics if they hit you in the face.”

“All the wrist tapping and arm hugs and back pats. It’s all pack dynamics. I read about it.”

“You can never really know what it’s like unless you’re an alpha or an omega, Sasuke. Reading about it won’t do it justice. You can imagine all you want. There are some things that can be controlled, and some things that can’t.”

“You’d know about that, wouldn’t you?” Sasuke says.

Naruto stops. He turns around and looks at Sasuke. Amidst the falling cherry blossoms, the slight spring breeze, and the sunlight streaming through his hair, he should look like a cool high school student right off the pages of a romcom. But instead, all Sasuke can focus on is the dumb shirt Naruto is wearing.

It clashes horribly with the street view. It's a garish, bright orange tee with a crescent moon on the front. Naruto bought during a middle school field trip and it's so old that the decal is peeling off. To be honest, it's hideous. It’s ridiculous. And worst of all, Naruto is filling it out more than Sasuke remembers.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” says Naruto, breaking his train of thought. "What am I supposed to know about, huh?"

There are several things Sasuke can answer that with. He could be petty and bring up Naruto’s rut. He could unearth that entire interaction, from the sheets to Naruto’s bedroom to the text messages. While he's not above doing that, it’s not the right time. He's still working through some things. But he feels like he’s getting closer to the answer.

“Well?” Naruto says again. “You trying to start something, Sasuke?”

Instead of responding, Sasuke does what he usually does. He whips around, pulls him by his shirt collar, and gives him a painful noogie.

Naruto thrashes in his hold. “Stop—stop that—your knuckles hurt like a bitch, you’re such a bitch—”

“You’re not allowed to be mad at me,” Sasuke declares.

“—Oh, you think you can just say that and I won’t be mad anymore, huh? Wish it worked like that—”

“You’re not allowed to be mad,” Sasuke says again. He stops grinding his knuckles into Naruto’s head and instead, gently cards his fingers through his hair. The strands feel spiky and soft as they sift past his fingers. It's a bit like petting a dandelion.

And then, just because he can, Sasuke lightly presses his wrist against Naruto's neck, right above his scent patch.

Naruto’s face instantly turns bright red. Sasuke can see his Adam's apple working furiously to swallow.

Finally, Naruto is able to string together a coherent sentence.

“Do even know what you're doing?" he asks. 

“Of course I do,” Sasuke replies. “It’s just pack dynamics, right?”

Chapter Text

I (21M/O) have fallen in love with my best friend (21F/O). Recently, she gave me her handkerchief when I was about to have my heat. Is this a sign? Do I have a chance or am I reading too much into it?

My girlfriend (18F/O) recently told me (19M/B) that I’m not “manly” enough. She insists it’s not because she wants me to be an alpha, but that’s the vibe I’m getting. I’m thinking about ending the relationship but what if she’s right?

My (30F/A) coworker (24M/O) might be my soulmate (scent compatibility is off the charts). But he told me he doesn’t like female alphas because they’re too bossy. I’ve been trying to pose as a beta but I can’t keep this up forever…what should I do?

Sasuke continues scrolling. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are endless threads about alphas pining over other alphas, omegas pining after other omegas, betas who wished they were omegas, omegas who wished they were alphas, and everything in between.

Some of the advice is sound. Some of the advice belongs in the dumpster. Some of the advice sounds like it’s been written by a woman fantasizing about a C-tier romance novel.

Nonetheless, Sasuke reads what he can. Everyone is asking for help and being excessively dramatic about it. It’s the whole reason why he never entertained himself with such nonsense, and if it wasn’t for Naruto, he wouldn’t be doing it now.

In the end, the internet is a useful, albeit gossip-driven, tool, and for Sasuke’s plan to work he simply needs some resources. This method is cheap. It’s low cost, low effort. So he reads and reads and reads until the screen becomes too much for him to bear and he rubs his eyes to try and get the headache out.

He knows that with the way things are right now, Naruto will never reveal his secret. From Naruto’s point of view there is too much to lose. A friendship built over 12 years isn’t something to be taken lightly. That’s not to say everyone looks at it the same way: the forums seem to have their own ideas. If Naruto and Sasuke were to follow a script like they suggest, they would have a dramatic confession, a big reveal, and everyone would live happily ever after.

But not only would that be completely unlike Sasuke, it would also be too easy. Boring. There’s something about the chase. Naruto needs to be uncomfortable and flustered beyond belief before everything comes crashing down.

Sasuke taps his finger against his keyboard.

Perhaps there’s something wrong with him.

When my [30F/O] mate [30M/A] gave me my mating bite, it was like a thousand orgasms hit me all at once. But I heard that it's not the same case with everyone else. What did yours feel like?

I’m [28F/O] marrying the love of my life tomorrow. Since he’s a beta, we’re getting our mating bites tattooed on each other <3. Any recommendations? Willing to travel!

ELI5: What’s the big deal with mating bites? Wasn’t it already proven that there’s no increase in connectivity with your partner? Why are people still doing it when it hurts like a bitch?

“Fight me,” Sasuke says. He and Naruto are out in his backyard, sitting on the grass and preparing for final exams. The date is quickly approaching. They have two weeks but it’s hard to get anything done when the weather is this nice.

“I’ve been working out. You don’t have a chance,” says Naruto without looking up.

Sasuke doesn’t like asking for permission twice, so he just tackles Naruto around his midsection and knocks the wind out of him. Naruto chokes and immediately starts trying to shake him off, but Sasuke is pretty strong and knows his weak spots. They haven’t fought in a while.

They used to fight a lot more as kids, and their scuffles increased exponentially when Naruto presented. Something about the second set of hormones hitting him all at once. Sasuke hadn’t minded then though—he still kicked Naruto’s ass 10/10 times. Being an alpha didn’t matter. Sasuke was stronger and faster and he never, ever held back.

They’re older now though. Going all out does have its consequences. But that doesn’t mean Sasuke is afraid.

One arm here, one arm there. Grip, release. Grab, hold, release. Sasuke is sure to have bruises by the end of this but it’s part of the thrill. How much is Naruto actually working out? The fight isn’t as difficult as he imagined it would be. He might actually win. Sasuke manages to snake an arm around in between Naruto’s armpits and then wraps his legs around his hips. He squeezes tightly, restraining him.

Naruto’s body has a lot of muscle now. Everything is tense, thrumming with a pulse Sasuke can feel with his fingertips.

They’re close, like this. Close enough for Naruto to choke out, “what the fuck are you doing?”

“You gonna pussy out, Naruto?” Sasuke goads.

At that, Naruto manages to twist free. He begins to pry Sasuke’s hands away from him, finger by finger. Sasuke doesn’t make it easy. He grits his teeth and pushes back just as hard, shaking with the effort.

Shit. Naruto’s strong. He’s stronger, but only just so.

When Sasuke feels Naruto might actually get away with fully escaping, he kicks out. That earns him an elbow to the ribs. He gives Naruto a gift in return: a well-aimed twist to his forearm. They’re tussling now, rolling over the backyard lawn.

Naruto snarls. “What the hell are you trying to pull, huh? Did I do something?”

There’s grass flying everywhere.

“Just trying to see if you can take me in a fight, but you seem to be losing—”

That seems to be the last straw. Naruto bares his teeth and wrestles Sasuke away, finally grabbing his arms and twisting them behind him. Then, he sinks his knee into his back. Sasuke hits the lawn and gets a mouthful of grass. He grunts, trying to throw Naruto off, but Naruto forces him down, settling his entire weight onto him, holding him in place.

Sasuke pants. His heart is racing. Naruto’s sitting on his back. One of his hands is pinning his wrists behind him.

The other hand in the process of pulling down Sasuke’s shirt collar.

Naruto’s breath hits his nape.

Sasuke freezes.

His neck is fully exposed now. He can feel Naruto’s weight on the small of his back. Something hard pokes him in the divot of his spine as Naruto readjusts, his breath fanning across his shoulder.

Sasuke feels it grow warmer.

Teeth brush against his skin.

For one, heart stopping moment, a heat simmers to life inside him. He wonders if he’ll bite. Sasuke doesn’t have a scent gland. It won’t do anything.

It won’t do anything but his mind is filled with all the stupid things the internet forums have been talking about.

Sexual stimulation. Orgasms. Bonding. Pain. Blood. Scarring. Emotional connectivity. Orgasms again.

Ownership.

“God dammit Sasuke,” Naruto says. He noses at his hair. His breath is coming in bright, hot puffs against his neck. “You such a piece of shit sometimes. Do you submit? Submit, and I’ll let you go.”

“I don’t submit to anyone,” Sasuke replies, chest tight.

Naruto groans above him, butting his head against his neck.

“...Fuck. Urgh. Don’t say it like that.”

“You’re the one who asked.”

“I’m the one who’s winning right now.”

“Oh. Are you?”

“You sure don’t look like you’re in a winning position,” says Naruto. He rolls his hips imperceptibly against him and Sasuke feels that same hardness ten times more acutely than before.

Naruto swears again, and just like that, it’s gone. With more self control than Sasuke could give him credit for, Naruto pulls away and rolls off him. With his weight removed, Sasuke is finally able to flop over.

For a minute they just lay there, sprawled on the lawn. Sasuke mentally catalogs his injuries. Bruises for sure. A few scratches. Nothing serious. He’ll be sore tomorrow though. He pointedly does not look at Naruto. Naruto probably doesn’t want Sasuke to look over either. At least, not until it’s gone down.

“What was that for?” Naruto finally asks.

“Just wanted to test something out,” Sasuke replies. “Time for a break. You want to go to that new soba place down the street?”

Naruto looks at him strangely.

“...What is wrong with you?” he says.

“Nothing. Soba?”

“...Sure…?”

“Good,” Sasuke says, standing up and giving Naruto a hand, “then let’s go.”

I’m an 18 M/B and the girl I like is an 18F/A. She doesn’t seem to like accepting gifts from other people, and even if she did, I don’t know what I’d give her. How can I show her that I can be a good partner?

Naruto usually buys his lunch in the cafeteria. It’s always the same thing: noodles of some sort, cola, and a snack if his mother has given him extra money that week. Never a vegetable in sight. The cafeteria food isn’t bad by any means, it’s good, but Naruto’s choices could definitely use more variety. If he continues to consume carbohydrates and meat at this rate, he’ll burst out of his school uniform. It’s already getting tight in the shoulders.

The bell rings and the teacher calls for a lunch break. Naruto instantly springs out of his seat. Apparently curry croquettes are in today. They’re a rare item. The cafeteria workers will be doling them out like hotcakes.

“Hold on,” says Sasuke, grabbing Naruto by his shirt hem.

“I’m going to be late,” says Naruto, pulling away. He already has his eyes on the door. “I gotta get a croquette. I’ll be right back.”

Sasuke lets him go. Naruto dashes through the doorway and is gone.

Sasuke rests his chin in his hands.

“Croquette day, hm?” says Kazuha, sidling over. “Our classroom is the furthest away from the cafeteria. The lines are going to be long when he gets there.”

“I know,” says Sasuke.

“And your own lunch bag is bigger than usual. Just a coincidence, or…?”

“Have you ever considered using your observational skills for something more useful than harassing your classmates?” asks Sasuke.

“Never,” Kazuha replies blithely. “We get another year of this, and then that’s it. University time. I have to take advantage of it while I’m still here.”

“You’ll be a menace at university.”

“No more than you. You think I don’t know what you’re doing?”

“No. And I think you should keep your mouth shut about it.”

“Hm. Okay. I’ll keep quiet for now,” Kazuha says. “But I can confidently say that if you don’t do anything by the end of the school year, you’re going to have a tough time defending him from the legions of admirers that have built up.”

“Go back to your desk,” says Sasuke.

Kazuha waltzes away.

Naruto returns to the classroom fifteen minutes later. The look on his face is one of complete and utter defeat.

“No luck?” Sasuke asks.

“They sold out of croquettes the instant I got there. I really wanted one…had to settle for this instead,” Naruto moans, pulling out two sad looking sandwiches from his pocket. He glumly lays them out on his desk.

“That won’t fill you up,” says Sasuke.

“Yeah, tell me about it. I’ll get something from the vending machine later.”

Sasuke clears his throat. “I have some extra food. If you want,” he says. His lunch has been burning a hole through his bag since that morning.

“You have to eat so you can grow taller than me,” says Naruto. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine with the sandwiches.”

“I made it,” says Sasuke.

Naruto is in the middle of removing the soggy lettuce from his bread. He stops.

“You made it?” he repeats.

“Yes.”

Sasuke pulls out his lunch out of his bag. There are two boxes. He passes one to Naruto.

“It’s just extra,” Sasuke says again.

Naruto wordlessly removes the lid. Inside is karaage on top of a bed of rice, a side of rolled eggs, some salad topped with sesame seeds, and fresh tomatoes.

Sasuke had burned his hand frying the chicken. The rice was easy. The eggs don’t look too nice, they aren’t as tightly wrapped as he would have liked even with his mom overseeing his cooking, but they’re passable. The salad is for balance.

“This is just extra?” says Naruto.

“Yes. You want it?”

Naruto looks at him, then back down at the lunchbox.

“Are you sure I can have it?” he says.

“I offered.”

“Wow,” Naruto says quietly. He’s still staring at the food. “I didn’t know you could cook. This is so nice. Everything smells so good. I’ve never really had…” he pauses. “Can I take a picture?”

“Don’t make it weird,” says Sasuke.

Naruto takes out his phone anyway and snaps a couple of photos. He’s beaming, smiling ear to ear and far too happy over a simple lunchbox.

“It might not even taste good,” says Sasuke. “It could just be a ploy to poison you.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” says Naruto.

Naruto ends up devouring the entire lunchbox. Sasuke feels oddly pleased. He even ate the vegetables.

“Good?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto looks at him like he’s stupid. “Good? Are you serious?” he says. “That was like, on par with my dad’s cooking. And you know how good that is.”

“You’re full then?”

“Yeah. Extremely.” Naruto pats his belly. “No croquettes, but this was even better. Thank you for the meal. I’m so lucky that you made extra food today.”

“Lucky indeed,” says Sasuke.

How can I [17F/B] get my guy friend [17M/A] to notice me romantically? I’ve given him gifts, I compliment him, and I even put a care package together for his rut. Is he blind or am I doing something wrong? More info in comments

Summertime is the worst time for my hormones. I’m [18M/A] horny all the time and I’m popping boners everywhere. It’s becoming a real problem. I don’t want to keep taking suppressants, any alternative suggestions are welcome.

I [27M/A] think I’m getting courted by one of my friends [28F/O]. It’s flattering to receive her gifts and attention, but how do I know if I really like her back or if it’s just my secondary gender doing the talking?

It’s gotten quite hot recently. The cherry blossoms have all died out and in their place lush, green leaves are beginning to sprout. Naruto and Sasuke walk through the line of trees, pushing Sasuke’s portable cart which is filled to the brim with groceries.

Naruto’s mom had decided that morning that she wanted Sasuke’s family over for dinner.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen your family,” Mrs. Uzumaki had said to Sasuke. “We don’t have much in the fridge right now though. Could you and Naruto pick some things up? I’ll need some fresh fish, some green onions, pick up some cucumbers, garlic cloves…”

“Don’t worry,” said Naruto when she was out of earshot, “my dad’s doing the cooking.”

They’ve picked up the requested ingredient list. Sasuke had the foresight to bring his shopping cart so they don’t need to carry everything by hand. He didn’t have the foresight to bring a hat though. The sun is beating heavily down and the back of his neck is burning up.

There’s a convenience store on the street corner. He tells Naruto he’ll be right back and ducks inside. The air conditioning is a balm on his overheated skin. He comes out with two popsicles.

“Here,” he says, passing Naruto the cherry one.

“Hell yeah,” says Naruto.

Sasuke rips the wrapper off his own grape popsicle and immediately shoves the frozen treat in his mouth. It’s good. It’s nice and cold and even though the flavor is entirely artificial, it’s just what he needs right now.

He licks the tip. He wraps his lips around the long, icy treat, trying to coat every part of his mouth. When he’s sucked all the flavor out from the top, he pushes the popsicle in, and then slowly pulls it out, relishing in the cold, sweet relief.

Naruto’s face on the other hand, has turned redder than a sunburn.

“Are you going to eat that? It’s melting,” Sasuke says, pointing to his popsicle.

“Uh,” Naruto says. He gulps.

“Fine. I'll help you,” says Sasuke, leaning in.

He proceeds to drag his tongue up and down the length of Naruto’s cherry popsicle, catching every bit of the sweet, sugary flavor dripping down. It’s better than the grape one. When he opens his mouth, his lips are sticky from the juice. Naruto watches him, eyes big as saucers.

Sasuke licks the tip, flicking his tongue over the head, and Naruto makes a strangled sound.

Contrary to what Naruto probably thinks at the moment, Sasuke knows precisely what he’s doing. He understands the implications. He’s aware of the cherry color on his lips and how his mouth wraps around the popsicle, and all the implications that come along with it.

So he makes sure to lick extra slowly, lathing his tongue back and forth in long, broad strokes, all while making eye contact. The flush on Naruto’s cheeks glows even brighter.

Sasuke could look down, but he knows exactly what he’d see down there.

It’s easy. It’s all far, far too easy.

And then, just because he likes watching Naruto squirm, he slowly, deliberately, sinks his teeth into the soft ice.

He bites down.

The tip of the popsicle breaks off and into his mouth. He crushes it between his teeth.

Naruto shudders.

“You should eat the rest before it melts,” Sasuke says.

“Hurk,” says Naruto. He looks like he’s been put through hell and back. He’s blinking very very fast. The loose shorts he’s wearing are helping, but there's a new shadow at his crotch where there used to be none.

Sasuke doesn’t bring it up.

“What are you standing around for? Let’s go,” he says. He grabs the push cart and goes back to eating his own grape popsicle.

As he’s leaving, he hears Naruto mumble behind him, “Lord have mercy, Jesus fucking Christ.”

Sasuke knows Naruto like the back of his hand. This is child’s play for him. After all, there’s supposed to be a cadence to these things, a set of step by step instructions. His idea involves careful pacing, a metaphorical carrot, and a heavy-handed number of innuendos.

Like Kazuha said. He’s playing a long, convoluted game. It’s his specialty.

He wonders how long Naruto can hold out for.

Chapter Text

The wind that blows through Sasuke’s window is warm and humid. It’s one of the hotter spring nights. The fan is on, but it’s not making much of a difference. Sasuke’s skin remains tacky with sweat and moisture. He can feel his hair sticking to his nape, and he hates it.

Naruto is sitting across from him at the table. He’s nose deep in a book, muttering under his breath. All the materials from his backpack are sprawled over the room.

Studying with Naruto is usually an ordeal. Naruto often gets distracted. He complains a lot when he doesn’t understand something, and is also too impatient to listen to Sasuke when he tries to explain. Their study sessions typically end in one of two ways: either they separate, having properly learned the necessary material, or they’re wrestling each other to the ground as Sasuke tells Naruto he should grow a brain while Naruto replies that Sasuke was born with a stick up his ass. This is not entirely unexpected because Naruto knows exactly how to piss Sasuke off, and Sasuke is generally rather reactive.

Still, they’re friends, and their words are all bark and no bite.

Earlier that evening Naruto climbed up Sasuke’s trellis with his backpack slung over his shoulder demanding that Sasuke study with him. Sasuke, who has had plenty of practice saying no to him, found himself struggling to do so. Naruto looked eager and a little desperate peeking over the windowsill, and before he could realize what he was doing, Sasuke had opened his window and Naruto was crawling through it.

Sasuke is working through a problem set. He can’t help but look up every so often. This study session is different than usual. There are no insults. There is no fighting. Sasuke explains things and Naruto…listens. He's diligently preparing for their exams, more focused on his studies than Sasuke has ever seen him.

“You’re working hard,” he comments offhandedly.

“Well, yeah,” says Naruto. He’s still reading. He flips the page of his textbook and jots down a note, his handwriting illegible. “With a friend like you, I’m not allowed to be dumb. Don’t want anyone saying that you’re too good for me or something.”

“Who’s out there saying that?”

“No one…for now. I’m just doing some preparations, okay?”

“Preparations?”

“For the future and all that.”

“You’ve matured.”

“Huh?” This seems to break the spell. Naruto looks up from his study materials.

“I’m just saying you’ve grown up a bit. Never thought the day would come.”

“Just because I’m doing my homework?”

“No, not just that. Been thinking about it for a while.”

“Have you, now?” Naruto sits up a little straighter.

“Don’t let it get to your head,” Sasuke says, gently kicking him in the leg. “Just because you’ve matured doesn’t mean you can stop studying, especially since Kazuha mentioned you might be having a hard time with Japanese literature.”

“He wasn’t supposed to tell you.”

“You know that’s my best subject.”

“Yeah.”

“I would have expected you to ask for help by now.”

“Just felt like I could probably do it myself this time around,” says Naruto.

Sasuke moves over to Naruto’s side of the table, close enough that their knees knock together.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he says. “You’re working on it right now, right? Let me take a look.”

Sasuke skims through Naruto’s analysis. It’s not bad. He’s kind of impressed. Naruto’s handwriting is still abysmal but his points all make sense and he’s doing a fair job of understanding the symbolism of the text. There’s some room for improvement but it’s clear Naruto has been working hard at it.

“It’s good,” Sasuke murmurs. “Your analysis. It’s good.”

“Really? You mean it? You’re not just saying that?”

Sasuke turns to look at him. Naruto stares back. His eyes are very blue. Sweat glistens on his hairline.

“Yes. Really. I mean it,” says Sasuke.

“You’re smiling,” Naruto replies. He sounds dazed.

“Am I?”

“Yeah.” Naruto says. “It…you look…yeah. Uh huh.”

“Very eloquent. I’ll mark down the areas I think you’ll need help with.” Sasuke reaches over across the table and over Naruto for the red pen. In this position, his rear end is directly in Naruto’s line of sight. He takes his time. When he leans back, Naruto is clenching the table so tightly that his knuckles have turned white.

“Everything okay?” says Sasuke.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, totally fine, so cool right now,” Naruto replies.

“You look a little warm,” says Sasuke, settling back down. He begins to mark up the essay. There’s not much to edit but it’ll be good for Naruto to review it anyways. “Let me get through this and I’ll bring you something to drink.”

“Uh huh. Yeah.”

“What would you like?”

“I want cola.”

“What makes you think I have cola?”

“You always have cola stocked because I’m always over and you know it's my favorite. I want cola with ice and a straw.”

“Would you also like me to add a little pink umbrella?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Just for that, I’m going to spit in it.”

Sauske finishes grading Naruto’s essay and goes downstairs, returning with some cola (he didn’t end up spitting in it). They crack through a couple more problem sets. The heat is condensing in Sasuke’s room. The fan helps a little with the circulation, but not enough. Sasuke pulls at his collar and tries to get some air flow through his shirt. The humidity is really getting to him. He’s feeling sticky and gross and it's distracting.

For a while, the only sound is the scritch-scratch of the pencil on the page and the whirring of the fan behind them. Naruto’s hair blows haywire when the fan rotates his way but it doesn’t seem to affect his focus. He continues diligently working.

Sasuke sets his pencil down, props his head on his hand, and watches.

It’s rare for him to see Naruto like this, concentrating. The summer heat isn’t doing him any favors. Sweat is dripping from his temples, down his jawline, neck, and into his collarbones. He's ruddy and smells like the masking scent from his peeling scent patches—spicy and a little minty. But all that aside, Naruto is wearing the expression when he’s trying really hard: his eyebrows pinch together and his mouth purses in a straight line. Most of the time, it’s funny. Right now, Sasuke just feels a little bit of fondness and a little bit of pride.

He watches Naruto for a little bit longer. He stretches his neck. He lets the fan blow over him two more times. He thinks, mulling over the steps he’s taken over the past week.

And then, he takes off his shirt.

Out of the corner of his eye, he gauges Naruto’s reaction.

Naruto is no longer working on his problem sets. He’s looking at Sasuke.

“What is it?” Sasuke asks after a moment.

“Nothing,” Naruto replies instantly.

“Focus then.” Sasuke casually pulls at the collar of his undershirt. The sleeve slips down a little, exposing his bare shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Naruto says.

“It’s hot. I took my shirt off. Aren’t you hot too? You’re sweating.”

“I’m fine.”

“Liar. You’re sweaty as hell. It’s gathering in your armpits.”

Caught, Naruto scowls and strips off his shirt too. His undershirt fits him snugly, no longer as loose around the shoulders as it used to be. Now they’re both just holding their shirts in their hands.

As nonchalantly as he can, Sasuke takes his shirt and mops his face with it. He drags it down his neck, absorbing up all the accumulated sweat around his nape and chest. Then, in a grand act of charity, he offers it to Naruto as well.

“It feels better after wiping the sweat off. You can use this. It’ll help.” Sasuke pauses, then adds mockingly, “That is, if you don’t mind.”

Naruto looks at the shirt in Sasuke’s hand.

It’s just a shirt.

But it’s also a test. It’s bait. It’s a lot of things.

“Fuck,” Naruto mutters under his breath. He doesn’t seem to realize he has his own shirt to wipe his face with.

“Oh. You don’t want it,” says Sasuke. “Is it too gross for you?”

Naruto stares at the shirt, then at Sasuke, then at the shirt again. His throat bobs up and down as he struggles to swallow the spit that's welled up in his mouth.

“Fuck,” he says again.

If Sasuke looks hard enough, he feels like he can almost see Naruto's brain working furiously behind the scenes, cogs spinning as it tries to figure out what to do.

Sasuke taps his finger against his empty cola class.

“You know what?” he says lightly, “You seem to be having a hard time deciding. How about I make it easier for you? I’ll cash in my request.”

His words set the gears in motion. Naruto blinks.

“Request? Request for what?”

The time has come. Sasuke has been saving this trump card for a while now, and it’s the perfect opportunity to use it.

He pretends to think. “Oh? You don’t remember? I distinctly recall you sending me a massive amount of explicit, sexual text messages, followed by a picture of your dick. And you said you’d do anything if I would delete them. That request. Ring a bell?”

“I…” Naruto averts his gaze, suddenly nervous. “I thought we weren’t talking about that. I didn’t know you were serious.”

“Oh, I’m 100% serious.”

“Can it wait until after the exams?”

“No.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto whines.

“You can back out if you want. But I thought you were a man of your word."

“I am! I’m not a liar—”

“Prove it. Use my shirt to wipe your face.” Sasuke leans back and extends his bare foot outwards, pressing it slightly above Naruto’s knee. “If you do it, I’ll do something for you in exchange. You know. For writing a passable essay.”

Naruto makes a noise in the back of his throat. There is metaphorical steam pouring out of his ears. He can barely look at Sasuke now, covering his face with his hands.

Sasuke adds a little more pressure to where his foot is pressed.

“So?” he adds, a smirk playing on his lips, “What do you think? Does that sound like a deal?”

“You…are you doing this on purpose?” Naruto manages to choke out, a flush bright on his cheeks, “Are you testing me?”

“Why would I test you? What is this a test on? It’s just a shirt.”

“It’s not just a…it’s a…”

“I’ll make things clear for you, Naruto.” Sasuke slides his foot higher up Naruto’s leg. His toes press against the muscle of his thigh. “It’s my shirt. It’s a beta’s shirt. It shouldn’t smell like anything. It should not affect you. You have nothing to lose from this. But, like I said—if you’re too chicken to do it, that’s fine.”

He pauses.

“Unless, you do want to do it, but are afraid of something happening?”

Naruto doesn’t say anything. He chances a glance downwards where Sasuke’s foot is, and then back up at his shirt. The look in his eyes is wild. He stares hungrily, fingers clenching into fists in an effort to restrain himself.

It’s obvious he wants it. But he’s holding out. He’s trying not to give in.

Sasuke feels something ballooning in his chest.

It feels like power.

“Take it,” he says. He holds out his shirt. “I won’t ask again.”

This time, Naruto listens.

He takes it.

Chapter Text

Perhaps “take” is too tame of a word. Naruto grabs the shirt like it’s a lifeline, pressing his face into the fabric and breathing it in. Just like that day when his rut started, he inhales it as though the shirt contains some sort of aphrodisiac.

With agonizing slowness, he drags it across his face and neck to wipe up his sweat.

Sasuke watches. A smooth feeling of satisfaction curls inside him.

Naruto takes his time, almost as if he’s savoring the moment. When he’s finished, his face is somehow redder than before, and his tongue runs unconsciously against his lips, no doubt fighting an unbidden urge as he holds Sasuke’s shirt in his hands.

Sasuke tilts his head just to check on the state of things.

There is a prominent bulge in Naruto’s shorts.

Interesting. How entirely unexpected.

Sasuke basks in satisfaction for a little while longer before speaking up.

“Why do you keep staring at my shirt like that? You want to keep it?” he asks lightly.

Naruto shakes his head slowly. With what seems like great pain, he tosses the shirt over to the side. It hits the floor with a thump.

“Why would I want to keep that?” he says. He does not sound convincing.

“You seemed attached,” says Sasuke.

“It’s your stinky shirt and now it's covered in our sweat. Nothing to get attached to.”

“Really now. Based on how you were looking at it, I half-expected you to use it for other unsavory reasons.”

Naruto jumps. “What? Huh? Who said that?”

Sasuke continues. “You mean that thought hasn’t crossed your mind, ever? Last year you were always talking about getting laid. Making big promises. Flexing your alpha status and how you wished a girl would give you some of her clothes during your rut. Well here you go. A great opportunity has presented itself.”

“You’re not a girl!” Naruto splutters.

“Took you this long to figure that out? What a surprise. Guess I’m the exception. But now that I think of it, weren’t you the one who said you wanted to jerk off onto my face?”

“I told you to forget about that! I wasn’t thinking straight when I sent those texts!”

Liar, liar, thinks Sasuke. He nudges his foot closer to Naruto’s upper thigh, then presses with intent. His heel is now digging in very close to Naruto’s crotch, and Naruto lets out a mortified sound.

“Then this shouldn’t mean anything either, right?” Sasuke says. “Me stepping on you.”

“Sasuke, I swear to god, if you don’t—”

“If I don’t what? Wasn’t this what you wanted? You asked me to step on you. I’m doing you a favor, Naruto. This was your reward for writing that great analysis earlier. Pity you don’t like it.”

“It wasn’t—it’s not—this isn’t—”

“Then push me off. You can stand up. We’ve fought multiple times. You can easily escape. I’m not trapping you here.”

Naruto doesn’t move from his position. The only movement comes from his hands, which continue to clench and unclench. Whether by accident or not, he shifts a little bit, and Sasuke’s ankle brushes against the bulge in his shorts.

Naruto shudders.

Silence. Nothing except for the fan blowing back and forth.

Then, Sasuke takes matters into his own hands.

He makes his final, soul-crushing checkmate, and places his foot directly on Naruto’s dick.

Unsurprisingly, it feels as large as it looks. It’s hot and it throbs beneath his heel. Naruto stares at him like he’s crazy, but also like he himself is one thread away from snapping and losing control. Every single muscle in his body is tense. He’s a livewire about to jump, and Sasuke relishes in winning the game he’s set up for himself. Really, how long can Naruto last like this? It’s almost unfair how easily he’s winning. Naruto makes it too easy for him.

“Like this?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto keens in the back of his throat.

“No? Harder?” Sasuke presses down harder.

“Oh my god. Sasuke—”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to come in your pants. Are you going to come in your pants, Naruto? Just from this? I thought you’d at least try to hump my leg. At least, that’s what you said you wanted to do.”

“I told you to forget about that, and take your fucking foot off my dick—!”

“Oh? You don’t like it?” Sasuke slides his foot up and Naruto doubles over as though he’s been sucker punched in the stomach.

“Hm,” says Sasuke, “so you do like it.”

Naruto groans.

“Please,” he says, “you don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t…”

On the contrary, Sasuke knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s stepping on Naruto’s dick. He’s feeling him through the thin layer of his shorts and underwear, pressing slightly with the arch of his foot. And Naruto, with all of his protests, can’t help but take the friction as it is, grinding slowly against him.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Naruto says. He’s getting harder. Larger.

Sasuke had thought the initial dick pic sent to him had been slightly exaggerated due to the camera angle. There was no way a man’s dick would be that red and hard and veiny without some sort of filter. But he was wrong.

Naruto’s dick peeks out from the top of his shorts and it's just like the picture, down to the way it glistens beneath the overhead lights.

“My parents are still downstairs,” Sasuke says. “Try to keep it down.” He’s getting a little heated too, watching Naruto use him. Naruto is just so desperate about it. It’s obscene and shameful all at once.

Naruto’s expression tells him he’s clearly trying to hold on, though his mental restraint isn’t being passed to the rest of his body. Whether he’s aware of it or not, he’s unconsciously seeking the feeling of Sasuke’s foot pressed against his cock. His hips are still rolling slowly against him.

The power rushes through Sasuke. He licks one broad stripe across his palm and then sticks his hand in his own pants.

“Fuck,” Naruto says.

“Don’t tell me you’re turned on from this?” Sasuke says as he bucks up into his own hand, “Watching me touch myself got you feeling some sort of way? How depraved. I’m a beta, Naruto. My ass can’t even self-lubricate. Your alpha ancestors are rolling in their graves.”

“I know you’re a beta, I’ve fucking known forever, you do not need to remind me,” Naruto says. He’s staring at the place where Sasuke’s hand disappears into the waistband of his shorts. With what seems like great regret, he closes his eyes and bumps his sweaty forehead against Sasuke’s knee.

“God. Sasuke. You gotta stop. Take your foot off my dick.”

“You’re the one grinding on me.”

“I’m trying really, really hard not to.”

“Try harder,” Sasuke goads. His dick feels hot in his hand. He never knew having control over Naruto could feel like this, like he’s on top of the world.

Naruto glances up at him. His cock is leaking profusely now, hard and red and veiny and unforgivingly large. It's smearing across his belly and leaving a sticky, wet trail on his skin. His eyes are hazy. He looks drunk on pleasure as he continues to rut against Sasuke’s foot.

Well. Drunk, but trying to stay sober enough to make good decisions. He’s still holding back. After years spent growing up with him, Sasuke can tell.

He can tell, and he doesn’t like it. He’s the one making the decisions now.

He tucks his foot right beneath Naruto’s balls. Then, he presses upwards.

Naruto swears. “Shit. Fuck. Sasuke. Sasuke, stop.”

The more he tells him to stop, the more Sasuke doesn’t want to stop. He holds his foot right there, right where the pressure is sure to be felt, right where Naruto can feel the bridge of his foot pressing against that good spot between his balls and his ass.

Naruto sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. “Ungh,” he says. He’s full on humping Sasuke’s leg now, getting as much stimulation as he can against his dick.

Close. Close, close, close.

“Feel good?” Sasuke asks.

“Fuck. Sasuke. God."

“Here,” Sasuke says, “take a look.” He hooks his finger into the waistband of his shorts and pulls down, showing Naruto how he’s fisting his cock. He squeezes it lightly, and precum drizzles out of the tip.

Naruto shoves his knuckles into his mouth. He bites down. And he comes all over himself.

There’s a lot of it. It shoots upwards, splattering over his undershirt, pulsing out in waves. The face Naruto makes as he’s coming is somewhat endearing. His eyes are half-lidded, his face is covered in a ruddy flush, and there’s a little bit of drool escaping from the corner of his mouth. Sasuke keeps his foot tucked beneath Naruto’s balls, holding it there until his orgasm passes.

His own hand is still in his pants, playing with the tip of his dick. He’s close too. Just a little bit more.

Naruto slumps over to the side. His body lays there for a moment as he comes down from his high. Then, he curls up, buries his face in his hands and mumbles, “Fuck you.”

Sasuke doesn’t think that’s a very nice thing to say to someone who basically handed you an orgasm.

“Rude,” he responds.

“No. You’re the rude one,” Naruto says back.

“How was I rude? I was just giving you what you’ve been asking for. I thought this was a suitable reward for your recent attitude towards your academic career.”

“Asshole. Fuck you.”

“Well,” Sasuke drawls, “I thought that’s what you’ve been trying to do for the past year—”

It’s the final straw.

Naruto, who has been beet red this entire time, finally musters up the courage to leap up and grab Sasuke by the shoulders. There’s a thud as the back of Sasuke's head hits the floor. Naruto looms above him, looking angry, embarrassed, and horny, and Sasuke thinks all three look quite good.

The last step is for Naruto to kiss Sasuke, and the game will be over.

Sasuke closes his eyes. He waits for it. He waits for Naruto’s inhibitions to snap. Sasuke has been nothing but tempting all night long, he’s been carrying the entire charade on for longer than a week. He even put his foot on his dick. He’s masturbating in front of him right now. How much clearer can it be?

Apparently, not very clear, because Naruto does not kiss him.

He snaps at him instead.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” he says. “Are you out of your mind?”

“No...?" Sasuke replies slowly. "All of this was entirely premeditated. I thought that was obvious."

“Then what the fuck was that? I told you to stop before…before I fucking blew my load in front of you!”

“I was just—”

“How far do you plan on taking this? Is our friendship really that worthless? Is this some sort of joke to you?”

“Who’s laughing? I’m not laughing,” says Sasuke.

“Then why else would you go this far? Why else would you do that to me, if you’re not trying to mock me?”

This is taking an unexpected turn. Sasuke had thought things were going well up until this point.

He did everything that the internet said was proper. He did everything an alpha was supposed to understand. He purposely lost a courtship battle. He cooked food to show he could provide. He demonstrated they were sexually compatible on more than one occasion.

Perhaps Naruto isn’t as smart as he gave him credit for.

“Now hold on a second,” says Sasuke, “hold on—”

“You’re such an asshole,” says Naruto. “Why did you have to do that? Just because you’re a beta doesn’t mean you can try to rile me up for the fun of it.”

“Rile you up? You think I put my foot on your dick for that?”

“It wouldn’t be below you. After all, you don’t care about what alphas and omegas think, right? Everything that they do has never affected you, right? What I said to you during my rut…that was…it was never meant for you to hold over my head like this.”

That isn’t it. It was never Sasuke’s intention to do that at all.

He opens his mouth. All he needs to do is explain.

The words don't come out. They're stuck in his throat.

Sasuke has never been good at talking about his feelings. It’s biting him in the ass right now. Now would be the perfect time to confess everything. Now would be great for them to talk it out. Proper communication and all that. He’s been using the “secondary communication channel” that alphas and omegas are supposed to understand, because that's the way these things are supposed to go.

In a way, it’s easier. Actions instead of words, right? That was always more of Sasuke’s style anyways.

He thought it would work out, that Naruto would get it, but somehow all of his actions have completely missed the mark. All he can do is look up at his best friend and wonder how it all went downhill so quickly.

At a time like this, there’s no other distractions. It’s just the two of them, just as it's always been. But the tension feels wrong. It's just a little too high and a little too thick.

Sasuke can’t tell what Naruto is feeling. His face, for once in his life, is an unreadable, blank slate.

A cold feeling settles on Sasuke’s chest. He wishes he had more information. Anything. Anything at all. It’s the first time he’s ever regretted being a beta. Surely, Naruto’s scent would be able to clue him in on how he’s feeling so Sasuke can fix it. Or, if Sasuke had been born an omega, or even an alpha, maybe this entire confrontation could have been avoided. Naruto would have been able to smell his sincerity. He could have read Sasuke’s cues better. He would have understood his feelings, his attractiveness, simply by catching a whiff of him.

But as it stands, Sasuke is a beta. There’s nothing there but his body odor and his sweat growing clammy on his skin.

Naruto gives him one, hard look.

“I’m going home,” he says. He strips off his cum-stained undershirt, balls it up, and throws it in the trash. Then, he gets up, leaving Sasuke on the ground, and begins shoving all his study materials back into his bag.

“Wait,” says Sasuke.

Naruto ignores him. He crumples up his essay, chucks in his pens, and zips it all inside. He slings his bag over his back. Without another look behind him, he opens the window and climbs down the trellis.

When Sasuke leans out and over the sill, Naruto has already disappeared into the night.

Chapter Text

Naruto ignores him. He doesn’t speak to him. Final exams roll around and he doesn't ask for Sasuke’s help, not once. Sasuke is forced to stare at Naruto’s back the entire time as they take their tests with his pencil pressed to the papers. When Naruto hunches over, it’s clear his uniform shirt is now too small for him. It’s riding up in the back. Sasuke wants to tell him his boxer briefs are showing, and he would, but their relationship isn’t at a state where he can do that right now.

It’s never been like this before. They’ve been together since day one. Naruto is his best friend, one of his few only friends, and Sasuke is at a loss as to what to do. He blazes through the exam sets half-consciously.

Even with his current emotional turmoil he’s 99% confident in himself, but he’s worried about Naruto. Naruto is erasing his answers in front of him. He’s twisting his hands. He’s scratching his head too, clearly frustrated.

How did he study without him? Did he ever catch up on his Japanese literature? Did he end up asking someone else to help him? Was it Mimi?

Sasuke’s heart lurches.

This isn’t good. It can’t go on like this. He knows, but he’s not a good initiator. Every time he has tried to catch Naruto, either at his house, during lunch, after school—he’s been dutifully ignored.

His own mom, who usually avoids meddling and lets Sasuke handle his personal matters on his own, has asked him multiple times if everything’s alright. His dad, who never interferes with anything regarding his social life, comments “where’s that Naruto? Haven’t seen him around lately.”

The whole class keeps looking at them during their breaks. They’re probably confused. And curious. Sasuke would bet his bottom dollar that they’re all gossiping, trying to figure out what happened. But none of them ask him or Naruto upfront. No one wants to dig up that can of worms. Even Kazuha has the decency not to say anything, only mouthing at Sasuke “you okay?”

Sasuke doesn’t have an answer for him.

It was never his intention to make Naruto feel ashamed or humiliated. He knows how fragile his confidence is but he thought they knew each other well enough to know what was fake and what was sincere. But then again, Sasuke’s never tested their relationship like this before. He thought he was doing the right thing. He thought Naruto would understand.

But now, if he could take it all back, he would.

The exams make a good excuse for the silence between them. They’re studying. They’re working hard. They can’t afford to indulge in shenanigans. There’s no time to waste on horseplay and arm wrestling and lighthearted teasing.

When he’s on his last problem set of the day, Sasuke breaks his pencil tip.

Fuck this, he thinks. Fuck this, fuck this, fuck this.

-

Tenten meets him after school. It’s the first time she’s come to Sasuke outside of an event or studying. Sasuke doesn’t know where else to go, who else to talk to. He can’t tell Itachi. Itachi would take the next flight back home to personally confront Naruto himself. The next best thing would be to ask Itachi for advice, but he can’t bring himself to do it. It feels like it’s already snowballed so far out of his control that not even his brother can fix it.

“Your tests go okay?” Tenten asks.

“They went fine,” says Sasuke. “Nothing unexpected.”

“That’s good. The math exam was pretty tough this time around, but I felt better prepared than I usually do. It’s all thanks to you and your tutoring,” she says.

Tenten carefully avoids asking where Naruto is. Sasuke hasn’t known for the past week either. When the bell rings after class, Naruto doesn’t wait for him anymore. He doesn’t even look at him. He just packs up his bag and leaves.

Naruto. Leaving Sasuke behind. Ironic.

“You know,” says Tenten, “people are calling it the breakup of the century.”

“There can’t be a breakup if we were never dating to begin with.”

“Friendship breakups are a thing too.”

“We’re not…” he pauses. “I don’t really know what happened.”

“You hurt his pride is what happened,” Tenten says, “and he’s avoiding you like the plague now because you did something dumb, right? Did you do something dumb? Did you get carried away with your sadistic tendencies?”

“He liked my sadistic tendencies,” Sasuke says, growing irritated. Why is everyone acting like it’s his fault? He’s not the one misinterpreting things. He stepped on Naruto’s dick and pretty much told him to fuck himself on it. What part of that isn’t clear? It’s clear as day, is what it is.

“Ew,” says Tenten, “TMI. But also, have you ever considered—get this—that you’ve thought so differently about secondary genders for so long that your attitude may or may not have bitten you in the ass once you decided to pursue someone? Hm?”

“I thought I was being clear.”

“When a guy like you suddenly does a 180, it’s hard to consider those new actions in an ordinary light.”

“I…I don’t know how to fix it. I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t know what to do.”

“I think I saw a Korean drama like this once,” Tenten says thoughtfully, “girl likes guy, guy likes girl, but by some stroke of misfortune it takes them 24 episodes, one jealous ex-girlfriend, and a tub of spilled chili to get together. Mostly for the plot. But also because both of them consistently misunderstand each other even in the most obvious of situations.”

“I’m not misunderstanding anything,” Sasuke clarifies.

“Okay, okay. It’s just your boy toy who isn’t very perceptive. Two peas in a pod, you and Naruto,” she says.

Sasuke frowns. Tenten is insinuating something he does not like.

“I haven’t said a word to Neji about my crush so I don’t have a leg to stand on, but you could just tell him,” she says.

“I’ve…tried,” Sasuke says. It’s true. He’s tried. He’s written more than thirty different variants of the same text message, only to delete them all. His finger has hovered over the call button multiple times. He’s spent the last few nights tossing and turning in bed, mentally creating a script to say. He’s even thought about telling Mrs. Uzumaki so she can relay the message.

In the end something this important is better said in person. But as soon as Sasuke sees Naruto, sees his face, sees his cold expression—all the words he’s been preparing to say get stuck in his throat.

Sasuke is bad at communicating. Naruto was the one person who always understood what he truly meant without saying it. There was never a need to clarify. Except for this time.

Sasuke scrunches his eyes shut. Tenten rubs his shoulder reassuringly. It helps a little.

“If this is the hurdle that prevents you two from getting together, lord have mercy on the rest of us,” she says.

It’s been three more days of silent treatment. Kazuha and other members of the class have begged Sasuke to fix whatever has happened to Naruto because apparently, even with an extra layer of patches, he’s stinking up worse than Sakura had last year.

“You don’t get it,” Amai says, “Sakura smelled like a dead possum. This is worse. I didn’t think anything could have been worse than a dead possum.”

“How do you know what a dead possum smells like? Could have been a dead raccoon,” someone else chimes in.

“It’s an analogy, okay—”

“It’s gotten worse after the exams,” Mimi says. “He’s heartbroken.”

“To be very clear, he broke his heart himself,” says Sasuke, rubbing his eyes. He'd spent last night scrolling through the secondary gender forums. He should have worn glasses.

It’s not like his situation hasn’t happened before, but none of the online advice is helpful for his specific case. None of the other posters have a relationship like his and Naruto’s.

If Sasuke had posted his own question to the forums, they would tell him to chase Naruto down the halls until he’s heard him out. But Sasuke knows that won’t work because Naruto can outrun him now. They would tell him to win him back with soft words and romantic gestures. But Sasuke can’t do that, because it's super cringe and Naruto would ignore him. They would tell him to write a long, lengthy text message explaining everything. But unless Sasuke shows him outright what he really means, Naruto’s bound to spin his words a different way.

It’s almost as if Naruto has convinced himself so fully that Sasuke would never be attracted to him that all his flirting is now interpreted as mockery.

Fucking moron, Sasuke thinks to himself.

Mimi shoots Sasuke a glare. “What are you looking like that for? Naruto’s the one who’s really hurting. He’s betrayed. He’s confused. You need to make things right.”

“You think I haven’t been trying? He won’t even speak to me,” Sasuke replies.

Kazuha takes that moment to slide in. “I heard someone call my name,” he says.

“No one called you,” says Sasuke.

“Now now. I want this classroom to stop smelling like a dead possum too. And as fun as it’s been watching from the sidelines, it’s prime time for divine intervention,” says Kazuha.

Sasuke doesn’t like the sound of that. But he glances at Naruto’s empty desk and discontent washes over him. He almost feels a little sick. He’s had Naruto clinging to him for so long that it feels like part of him is mysteriously absent. 

It’s not supposed to be this way. As much as Sasuke’s been putting up a front and not acting anything outside of normal, it’s been tough. Inside, he’s a cocktail of destructive emotions. Remorse, yes. Regret, yes. But also, the overwhelming need to punch Naruto, to yell at him, to berate him. Sasuke has had to walk home by himself, he has no one to go to the convenience stores with, he hasn’t had a good night’s rest in over a week—it’s…

“Is it lonely without him?” asks Kazuha.

Sasuke gives him a look.

“Wow,” says Kazuha, “you must be down bad.”

Grades get posted. Sasuke follows the rest of the class to the posting boards. A large crowd has already formed. People jostle, cheering or groaning, depending on how they’ve performed.

Someone named Shikamaru has snagged the first place crown from Sakura and Neji in nearly all subjects. Sasuke has never seen that name before. Sasuke looks for his own name near the top and sees he’s in fourth place in everything except for Japanese literature, in which he’s gotten second. To his surprise, there’s a familiar name a few places directly under his.

It’s Naruto’s.

“Naruto got fifth in Japanese literature?” Sasuke says to himself. He almost can’t believe it. He scans the rest of the boards and discovers Naruto has done remarkably well in all subjects. He’s jumped nearly seventy places in most of them. He must have studied hard.

Sasuke catches a glimpse of Naruto who’s also looking at the boards. For a brief moment, he forgets that they’re fighting. He walks towards him. He opens his mouth.

I’m proud of you, is what he wants to say. But he doesn’t get the chance.

A girl who he’s never seen before is standing next to Naruto. She’s touching his arm. She’s smiling, and Sasuke can’t hear what she’s saying but it’s probably some base level flattery technique. Naruto is smiling back, responding. His eyes are creased, which only happens when he’s really happy.

Sasuke feels like an outsider intruding on a personal moment.

Then, he gets angry. His hands ball into fists because if he doesn’t hold himself back, he really might say something hurtful, like “she’s only talking to you because you’re attractive,” even though it's the truth.

And he's sick of this. He is so fucking sick and tired of Naruto acting like a cowardly baby because he’s afraid of a rejection that Sasuke doesn’t even plan on giving him. Why is he running away? He’s avoiding Sasuke because he can’t handle looking at him after what he did? Even though he was the one rutting against Sasuke’s leg? Even though he was the one who looked like he wanted to take that sweaty shirt home and wear it to sleep? Is Sasuke not even worth a few minutes of his time so he can fucking say he’s sorry?

He wants to punch some sense into Naruto’s head, just beat the complete shit out of him. And then kiss him and step on his dick again until he apologizes for causing him all this shitty emotional anguish.

Sasuke grabs Naruto’s arm.

“I need to talk to you,” he says. It’s the first words he’s spoken to him in over a week.

Naruto shakes him off. He doesn’t look at him. He pushes through the crowd of students and down the hallway. Sasuke runs to catch up to him.

“I. Need. To. Talk. To. You,” he says again. The skin around Naruto’s eyes is a little red, like he’s been crying. His lips are flat and pursed. Up close, he doesn’t look happy at all. He looks miserable.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Naruto says. He picks up speed and walks a little faster. He’s still not looking at Sasuke.

“You will talk to me,” Sasuke says. “You’re misunderstanding—”

“—I don’t want to hear it!” Naruto yells, and then he’s running down the hallway and Sasuke is chasing him and they’re shoving people away, the teachers are yelling at them, everyone’s saying “what’s happening” and “what’s going on” but Sasuke is not going to let him get away like this.

Around the corner. Up the stairs. Higher and higher. Kazuha and some of their classmates are blocking some choice routes so that Naruto is forced to escape via the clearest passageway to the rooftop. There’s nowhere else to go.

Naruto flings open the door and before he can close it, Sasuke shoves forward with his shoulder. Naruto is knocked back. Sasuke jumps on him and holds him down and the rooftop door swings shut behind them.

And finally, they’re alone.

“Bastard,” Sasuke says, out of breath, “will you just listen to me for once in your goddamn life?”

“No,” Naruto spits, “because you didn’t listen to me. I won’t give you the same respect.”

Sasuke wants to strangle him. “I’ve been listening to you yap for over ten years, I’m asking you this once to hear what I have to say so I can explain myself—”

Naruto claps both hands over his ears. “Don’t want to hear it, don’t want to hear it,” he says loudly, still looking away.

Something is bubbling within Sasuke. It’s been bubbling for a while now. It’s like a soup, filled with all the disgusting and ugly things inside, made worse by a fire no one has tended to for over two weeks. Kindling keeps being tossed onto the flame even though the contents are already boiling. The pot lid rattles. If it keeps going on like this, it won’t hold for much longer.

Sasuke takes a deep breath. He has been rehearsing what to say. He’s not going to let Naruto throw him off course.

“I’ve been trying to talk to you about what I did,” he says with as much calm as he can muster, “I don’t think you’re understanding things correctly.”

“Oh no, I understand things just fine,” Naruto says, still resolutely not looking at Sasuke. “And you’re doing the same thing again right now. Taking things at your pace, the way you want to, without thinking about what others are feeling.”

“You think that I’m not thinking about what you’re feeling.”

“No. You aren’t. You don’t know half of it.”

“I know plenty.”

“You don’t know what I’ve been going through. I wish you did. I wish you knew how hard you’ve made this past year for me. But instead, you took all my weaknesses and shoved them in my face. I didn’t need you to do that. I’m plenty aware of them myself.”

Naruto clenches his jaw. He’s still staring to the side.

“Now get off of me. And leave me alone.”

Naruto is being unnecessarily overdramatic. He still thinks Sasuke is oblivious to his feelings. He still believes that Sasuke is out on some mission to show him that all of his alpha efforts have gone unnoticed. He’s stuck in his head and is valiantly trying to keep the door closed while Sasuke attempts to pry it open with a crowbar.

“Listen!” Sasuke snaps, “you—you—”

Nothing comes out.

The words are stuck again.

Sasuke swallows thickly. God dammit. He’s so tired. He’s so tired of being unable to just get what needs to be said into Naruto’s thick skull. He’s so tired of being ignored by his best friend. He’s tired of going to school alone, of studying by himself, of looking out his window hoping Naruto will be climbing up the trellis.

He’s tired of whatever this song and dance they’re doing because all he really wants to do is to tell Naruto that he likes him so he can finally smile at him again.

There’s an ugly lump growing in Sasuke’s throat—he tries to swallow and force it back down, but it just makes it worse, and he’s looking at Naruto who isn’t looking at him and why the hell is he still not looking at him?

The pot is about to bubble over. It’s churning and churning and churning. Sasuke might burst out of his skin.

He feels something stinging behind his eyes.

Shit. Shit. Not like this.

He presses the heels of his palms into his eyeballs to try to keep it in. Spots dance in his vision, bright pinpricks of yellow and green. He purses his lips together as hard as he can because if he doesn’t, something terrible will come out.

Calm down. He needs to calm down. He’s always been composed. This isn’t like him. Everything is hot and wrong.

He takes a deep, shuddering breath.

“...Are you crying?”

“Fuck off,” Sasuke says.

“You’re totally crying. Why are you crying?”

Sasuke opens his eyes. Naruto’s wearing an expression he’s never seen before. Like Sasuke has taken his heart and is tearing it slowly in two.

He has no right wearing that expression when Sasuke’s been feeling like that for over a week.

The audacity. The sheer nerve.

Sasuke can’t contain it any longer. The fire is raging, he’s raging, the vitriol is rattling and spilling inside of him, caustic and he's so, so angry that he can’t make Naruto understand Sasuke is just another side of himself.

Sasuke yanks Naruto up by his shirt collar. He drags him up so Naruto is forced to look into his eyes.

“I’m crying,” Sasuke hisses, that hot stinging feeling running down his cheeks, “because you won’t fucking listen to me! I keep trying to explain myself and you keep running away! Do you know how fucking annoying that is? I’m trying to say I’m sorry and that you’ve got the wrong idea about it all, and you’re a fucking dumbass who apparently doesn’t know what’s going on in either communication channel! You have access to two of them and you still can’t read for shit!”

He shakes Naruto for extra emphasis. Then, he reaches into his uniform pocket and presses an item hard into Naruto’s chest.

“There. That’s for you,” he spits.

Naruto picks it up.

It’s a button.

He glances at Sasuke, who’s sitting on him. His eyes zero in on the hanging thread of his uniform shirt. Everything is pristine and pressed, but a single button is missing as though someone had ripped it out by sheer force.

It’s the second one from the top. The one closest to the heart.

“Do you get it?” Sasuke asks, “do you get it now, you mentally challenged, stupid, sorry excuse for a best friend—”

“—No, I don’t,” says Naruto. His eyes are wide and blue and sparkly and he’s got this horrible expression on, like he’s in awe, like Sasuke just stole the moon and stars from the sky and pressed them into his hands.

Sasuke’s going to beat him within an inch of his life.

“You don’t get it?” he repeats. He feels like a blood vessel might pop in his head.

“Nuh uh,” says Naruto.

“Oh? You made it to number five in the school for Japanese literature and you’re telling me you can’t understand the simple symbolism of this button? Well I’m done helping you. I'm not going to give you any more answers until you pay me back. You owe me, you understand? You're in a deep shit trench right now, and you can only get out by apologizing first. You have to say you’re sorry for ignoring me. Who do you think you are, huh? Putting me through that shit…making your own decisions about stuff, getting pissy all by yourself…you thought it was fun huh? Doing that?”

“Nope, it wasn’t fun at all, it was actually really really awful and I thought I was gonna die—”

“Shut. Up,” Sasuke says, dragging Naruto up so that they’re face to face, “I didn’t tell you to speak. Did I tell you to speak? No? Then don’t speak. I have a mountain of words I’ve got to say to you. I’ve been saving them up especially for this moment. I know what you think of me. I’ve known for a long time. I know what you did with my sheets during your rut. I know that you’ve been scenting me when you think I’m not paying attention. And I know that you’d like nothing more than to have your dirty, perverted way with me. So why didn’t you give in, huh? Why did you let me step on your dick and then pretend like it was the most egregious offense to your pride? Did you really think that I would be the type of person to make fun of your feelings?”

“I just—” Naruto is breathing the same air as Sasuke is. “I just…never thought you’d like me like that. I thought you had found out about my feelings and were making fun of me for it, and I couldn’t keep looking at you and talking to you like usual, because it was going to break my heart—”

Sasuke punches him in the chest.

“I’ll show you a broken heart,” he snarls, “I’ll rip it right out of your ribcage for ignoring me.”

“I’m sorry, Sasuke. I’m really, really really sorry,” Naruto says.

“You think a simple ‘I’m sorry’ is going to make up for this?"

"I mean that's what you said I should do first—"

"Do. Not. Speak. I’m going to tear you to shreds. I’m going to bite you and spit you out like a chew toy.”

“What can I do to make up for it? I’m sorry for ignoring you, Sasuke. If it makes you feel any better, it was awful being away from you. I missed you a lot. I just…” Naruto gulps. “This is different, right? Than before? You’re not making fun of me and you gave me this?”

He holds up the button.

“It’s what I think it is, right?” he says. "The second button off your uniform."

“...Shut up,” Sasuke says.

“A lot of girls want this button. Like, a lot. A stupid amount. But you’re giving this to me. After…after doing that stuff to me. And helping me out. And you’re always buying me things, and treating me so nicely, even though you say it’s annoying. You always have cola at your house stocked. You’ve been hoarding level eight patches at your house in case I need them. And the week before finals…you made me food. It wasn’t extra. You made it just for me. You wouldn’t do that for anyone else."

“You’re—”

“It’s because I’m special, right? I’m different.”

“You’re a piece of shit, is what you are.”

“You’ve never looked at anyone else the way you’re looking at me right now.”

Naruto reaches up and swipes his thumb beneath Sasuke’s eye. He catches a tear and brings it to his mouth. His tongue licks it up.

Sasuke pretends like it doesn’t make his stomach flip.

“Oh? Took you that long to figure out that you’re different?” Sasuke says, “How smart of you. How absolutely brilliant. You must be so proud of yourself.”

“I’m not proud of me. But you are,” Naruto says, pressing his forehead against Sasuke’s.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Naruto says, “I’m sorry for making you cry. It’s my fault. I’ll take full responsibility. You can do whatever you want to me. I’ll sit and I’ll take it. I’ll be good. I promise.”

“I’m going to beat your ass into a pulp.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to crack every single one of your knuckles and toes.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to suplex you into another dimension.”

“Okay. Is that it? Anything else I can do to make you feel better?”

Sasuke rubs his eyes. He hasn't felt like this in ages. He's spent. The headache after crying is unbearable.

“If you don’t kiss me in the next five seconds I’m going to step on your balls so hard that you’ll be unable to procreate for the rest of your life,” he says.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Naruto replies. He leans forwards, takes a hold of Sasuke’s wrist, then presses him down and onto the ground. He’s taking up Sasuke’s entire vision. His blue eyes look even prettier up close. Naruto opens his mouth and Sasuke can see the inside of it, where there are a set of canines that are sharper than his own and a tongue that’s…that’s…

Sasuke’s breath catches in his throat.

“Shit,” he says, “wait—” and then they’re kissing and nothing else is important anymore.

-

“Thank god,” Kazuha sighs behind the rooftop doorway, “it finally stopped smelling like a dead possum.”

Chapter Text

The first time it happens, Naruto blames it on his godfather’s frankly embarrassing collection of pornography. Naruto is sitting there on the couch, bored out of his mind with his hand down his pants. It’s summer. It’s hot. His parents have shipped him away to his godfather’s place in the south so he can do manual labor for the harvest.

It’s not that he minds the work, it gives him an outlet for his freshly presented hormones—but there’s no one his age in the area. It would have been easier if Sasuke was out there breaking his back like he is. Not to say that physical labor doesn’t have its perks. All that lifting and digging has made Naruto stronger. His muscles look better too.

The girl in the porno has dark hair and dark eyes. She’s going down on a dude. Her mouth is covered in spit and drool and she’s got a little come dripping down the edge of her lips. Naruto rubs his dick faster because it’s getting less boring. The camera is zooming in where the girl’s mouth is. She opens her mouth and there’s a flash of teeth when she slyly, gently, scrapes them down the cock she’s sucking on. Naruto’s dick jerks in his hand.

“Shit,” he says, squeezing himself to stop himself from coming. His eyes flick back to the TV. The girl in the porn video is really going at it. She’s swallowing dick like it’s her job, which it kind of is. Her dark hair is sticking to her face but her eyes are alert and mischievous. She takes the cock out of her mouth and puts her plush lips on it, kissing the tip.

She smirks a little meanly. From that angle, she almost looks like Sasuke.

Come splatters onto her face.

Naruto blinks.

Huh, he thinks to himself, what was that? When he looks down at his own hand, it's covered in jizz.

Weird.

The thing about Sasuke is, he has the face and physique to be attractive to everyone. It’s annoying. Girls like him because he’s tall and pretty. Guys like him because he’s tall and pretty. Being a beta and winning the genetic lottery like that is just plain unfair. It used to be a point of contention but now Naruto almost feels…proud of it?

Sasuke hangs out with Naruto the most, after all.

But after coming back home from his godfather’s place, and seeing Sasuke fully face to face again, it’s not quite the same. Sasuke’s nothing like those girls on the DVDs. He’s not trying to seduce anyone. He won’t get taken advantage of, especially not while doing stupid shit like unloading the laundry machine. There’s not a sexual bone in his entire body. His face is impassive and he makes this really ugly expression whenever he gets a headache.

Sasuke is tying his shoes. Naruto is at his place so they can walk to school together. He shuffles his feet as he waits, trying not to look down. Sasuke’s summer uniform is all buttoned up but when he bends over, there’s a white strip of his neck showing.

It’s strangely erotic.

Naruto wants to wash his brain. It’s not his fault. It’s all because of that stupid porno.

“First day back in school huh,” Sasuke says nonchalantly.

“Yeah.”

“You’re pretty tan now.”

“Spent a lot of time outside.”

“Did you do your summer homework?”

“Who are you, my mom? Of course I did.”

“Don’t come crying to me when the teacher finally finishes grading your stuff.”

“Shut up.” Naruto pauses. “You think we’ll be in the same class?”

“Maybe,” Sasuke says, hitching his bag onto his shoulder, “but I’ll miss the peace and quiet if we are.”

Naruto scowls. “I think manual labor would do you some good,” he says.

“Unlike you, I don’t need any more muscles,” says Sasuke.

Naruto hates that he’s right. Damn him.

This is easy. This is familiar. Their friendship has always been like this. As they walk to school, Naruto makes note of their shrinking height difference. Progress. He’s finally catching up.

As expected, it doesn't take long before everyone’s trying to be Sasuke’s friend. Sasuke this, Sasuke that. What’s so good about Sasuke anyways? He’s the same as he’s always been. Aloof and overly cocky, with a tongue sharper than a knife. He should be honored Naruto’s still hanging out with him.

But they’re in the same class again. They’re in the same class, so Naruto can see the suitors and girls coming after Sasuke in real time. Not that Sasuke notices. He’s never cared about secondary genders. Right after Naruto’s presentation ceremony ended, Naruto had taken the chance to gloat about his newly achieved alpha status. Sasuke had challenged him to a fight then and there and proceeded to kick his ass into the dirt.

Naruto’s new suit was ruined that day, but it didn’t matter. Sasuke never held back at all.

Alpha, beta, or omega, he’s never let anything bother him.

Naruto’s eyes follow him. He watches. He scrutinizes everything he does, trying to figure out why his stomach is turning all over the place. People are touching Sasuke too casually. Why are people touching him? At least Sasuke has the intelligence to wear long sleeves and not lend girls his sweater when they ask for it.

“Your popularity irks me to no end,” Naruto tells him.

“I’ll gladly give you all of it,” Sasuke says. There’s a small pile of “welcome back” gifts on his desk. Chocolates and candies and all that sweet stuff Sasuke doesn’t like. He looks like he wants to shove it all into the trash bin but is keeping it for the sake of appearances.

Something smells strange though. Naruto sniffs the air, trying to find the source. His sense of smell has gotten really good since his first rut.

He sniffs and sniffs and sniffs.

“You look like you’re huffing drugs. Creep.”

“Shut up. Something smells weird. I’m trying to figure out what it is.”

He sniffs closer to Sasuke.

“Gross,” Sauke says, leaning a bit further away.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Naruto says. It is Sasuke. He can smell Sasuke’s typical beta smell, that smell of laundry detergent and his natural body odor. But on top of it there’s this funky smell, like…like…

“Sulfur,” Naruto says. “Urgh.”

Sasuke sniffs his sleeve. “I don’t smell anything.”

Of course he doesn’t smell it. He can’t. But it feels wrong to have Sasuke’s scent being covered by this. Everyone at school is wearing scent patches but the sulfur smell could have come from anywhere. One accidental brush against someone not wearing the right patches and there you have it.

Well, Naruto thinks to himself, one time won’t hurt. He takes his wrist and drags it across Sasuke’s shoulders under the guise of a one-armed hug. Instantly, the sulfur scent is replaced with his own.

There. That’s better. Sasuke smells normal now.

The issue is, Naruto can’t stop doing it. He can’t stop scenting Sasuke because Sasuke picks up random scents like a lint roller picks up lint. The worst part is Sasuke doesn’t even realize it. Naruto has to act like some secret agent and cover up the smells because his nose is sensitive and he hangs out with Sasuke way too much, but also he doesn’t want people to get the wrong idea.

That Sasuke is like, a player. Or something like that.

There’s the other side of it too. Sometimes, when the smells of the world get too loud and overwhelming, it’s nice to be around a beta. Sasuke’s scent is clean and has a calming nature about it. Naruto will just bring himself a little closer, or lay his head on his shoulder, and all of the noise will fade away. When Sasuke smells just like himself and nothing else it’s great, but it’s even better when Sasuke smells like himself and a little bit of Naruto.

Naruto’s been told his scent is like the earth when it’s opening up for a rainstorm, which sounds pretty good. He’s checked the scent ranking charts and it’s ranked in the top 20. They could bottle it up and put it in a perfume. Other alphas would pay big money to smell like him. Sasuke should be grateful.

So, the secret scenting goes on. No big deal. Pack dynamics and all that shit.

There’s nothing to worry about until the dreams start happening. Naruto’s been weaning off his suppressants because he’s not allowed to take them for an extended period of time. Only thing is, it’s made him even hornier than he’s been before, and it’s really affecting his sleep quality. He’s woken up in the morning with a hard on nearly every single day.

But the issue isn’t his boner or the extra laundry he has to do.

The issue is the main star of his dreams.

It’s terrifying how well his unconscious mind puts together the scenarios. Sasuke’s always in character. He’s always a little snarky and mean, saying things like “oh? You came already? That was awfully fast.” Or he’ll have his sly mouth wrapped around Naruto’s dick, opening wide just so Naruto gets a good look at the white spread across his tongue. Or his hand will be on Naruto's throat as he rides him, grinding their dicks together and when he’s done he’ll smear Naruto’s jizz across his chest like it’s no big deal, like it’s not intimate, spreading your partner’s seed all over your chest and nipples. Then he’ll raise a nonchalant eyebrow on his impassive face, lick his dirty hand clean, and say, “round two?”

It’s awesome. It’s awful. Naruto is conflicted. He wants to jump him. He can’t. He wants to tell him. He can’t. And the worst is, it’s not only the sexy bits he likes about him. He likes everything. The sarcasm, the dry wit, the slivers of kindness Sasuke tries to hide behind cold words.

It’s like a comically sized piano has been dropped on Naruto’s head and made him realize that he likes Sasuke. Like in that way.

Naruto groans and whines and pulls at his face. Oh god. Is this what puberty is like? A sudden gay awakening? Even if it was, did it have to be Sasuke? Like it could be literally anyone else, right?

He tries to imagine another guy in his place. His boner instantly shrivels up.

Naruto rolls around in bed, tossing and turning, before he suddenly gets the urge to go over to Sasuke’s house and climb up his weird plant wall. He needs to see him and rub his entire body on him.

No, Naruto tells himself, he’s not going to do that. They literally just saw each other at school. Still, even though it’s been less than 24 hours of separation, he feels like crawling out of his skin.

It doesn’t get better. It gets worse. It’s like Naruto’s harboring some sort of dirty secret even though it’s really just a crush. A crush on his best friend, but a crush nonetheless. His body unfortunately reacts whether he wants it to or not—any contact with Sasuke has him feeling anything between butterflies, arousal, or extreme possessiveness.

“We’re getting soba after school,” Amai says, turning around in his seat. “You guys want to come with?”

Soba is Sasuke’s favorite. Naruto waits for him to say yes. It’s not like they have anything planned. Sasuke can go where he wants.

“I’ll pass,” says Sasuke.

“You sure?” Amai asks.

Sasuke already rejected him. Amai is doing nothing wrong, he’s just being friendly by asking. But still, Naruto wants to interject by raising his eyebrows and saying something defensive, like “he said he didn’t want to go,” the same way a wife would tell a fast food worker her husband didn’t ask for pickles.

“I’m sure,” Sasuke says. “But thanks for the invite. Unless, Naruto, you want to?”

“Nah, I’m good, I’m saving up,” Naruto says.

“Oh nice. You buying something big?” Amai asks.

Naruto’s eyes inadvertently dart over to Sasuke. His mouth goes a little dry.

“No, kind of, yes, but it’s a secret,” he says.

“Alright I get it,” says Amai, raising his hands. “Next time though.”

“Next time,” Naruto agrees.

Later that day, Sasuke taps Naruto on the shoulder. Naruto turns around in his seat.

“You want to get ramen after school?” Sasuke asks.

“Oh, I uh,” says Naruto.

“I know you said you’re saving up for something, so it’ll be my treat.”

There Sasuke goes again. Being nice. Naruto wants to kiss the top of his head.

“But ramen’s not your favorite. What’s the occasion?” he says instead.

“A belated celebration for our sports day win.”

“That was like, three weeks ago.”

“A belated celebration is still a celebration. You helped win the cavalry battle. We deserve a little gift to ourselves.”

They end up eating at a small shop in the mall. Naruto orders the tonkotsu ramen. Sasuke gets the shio ramen. The noodles are hot and salty and delicious and Naruto is halfway through his bowl when Sasuke holds out some of his own noodles to share.

“Try some,” says Sasuke. The noodles are dangling off his chopsticks.

“I can get some myself,” says Naruto.

“I have some on my chopsticks already. Eat,” Sasuke orders.

Naruto has no choice but to obediently open his mouth and take a bite. He tries really hard not to think about the fact that Sasuke’s lips have been on the chopsticks and that it's as close to an indirect kiss as he’s going to get. Or the fact that Sasuke is feeding him. Which is like, hella domestic.

If Sasuke was an omega, this would be a glaringly bright indication that he was interested in starting something. Feeding an alpha is a pretty big deal. Like saying, “hey, you could have this every day if you wanted—food spoon-fed straight into your mouth. I could be that for you. I can provide this and so much more.”

But Sasuke is a beta. He doesn’t know that what he’s doing has…implications. So Naruto just has to sullenly slurp the noodles he’s given. They’re good, but not as good as his.

But still, when Sasuke looks at him with a smile in his eye and asks if Naruto wants another bite, Naruto can only open his mouth again, if only to make him happy.

Everything hurts. Naruto’s burning up and nauseous and sick and the only thing that can make it better is Sasuke. But Sasuke ran away. Why did he leave? Why did he leave when Naruto needs him?

His mom has him pinned to the ground.

“I knew I shouldn’t have left you two alone together,” she says.

Naruto snarls against the floorboards. “We weren’t doing anything wrong,” he says. “Let go. Let me go. I need to find Sasuke.”

“Like hell you are. I’m calling your father and we’re taking the rut precautions.”

“I still have two more days.”

“I can smell you,” his mom says, “and it's happening now.”

The next few hours are a blur. There are three trash cans placed in his room. His mom goes to the pharmacy to pick up more medicine and painkillers. His dad starts prepping meals for him. At some point, they install the deadbolt on his door.

“We’re leaving your phone with you,” his mom says. “Call us if you need anything.”

“I need Sasuke. Bring him back,” says Naruto.

“We’re not going to do that.”

“Why not?”

“He can’t help you right now,” his mom says, smiling a little ruefully. “We’ll leave painkillers and food every three hours. Washcloths are in the basket. Your rut supplies should be enough but if they aren’t, text me and I’ll pick up whatever you need.”

She closes his door and leaves him alone.

Naruto paces. Back and forth. Back and forth. He knows his mom means well, and his dad too. They’re looking out for him the best they can. But the space feels wrong. There’s something missing. No matter what he does, he can’t get comfortable. Naruto grinds his teeth and feels the sharp canines that have developed within the past hour, heavier than he’s used to. His gums ache.

Why is everyone so intent on keeping him away from Sasuke? Sasuke is his best friend. Naruto doesn’t need him for sexual things, he just needs him close, near him. Earlier, he looked good sitting in front of his treasures. He should have stayed. He should be with him, right now. He should be close to Naruto. Baring his neck. Looking at him with those dark eyes, that irritating smirk on his lips.

But his scent is still there. His scent is still close.

It’s coming from Naruto’s bed.

From his den.

Saliva pools in Naruto’s mouth. Sasuke’s scent. Sasuke’s clean, pure scent, infused heavily into his sheets. He crawls onto the fabric and rubs his face on it. He sighs. The tightness inside him is slowly relaxing. The heat becomes a little more bearable.

He wants to smell like Sasuke. He wants Sasuke to smell like him too. He wants to tuck him nice and close inside his den. Naruto will make him comfortable. He will take care of him.

Naruto pants against the sheets, snaking a hand down his pants to relieve the pressure between his legs. His cock is already slick. When did that happen? How did it happen so fast? He rubs himself a few times. It feels good but it’s not enough. He closes his eyes, and an image of Sasuke rises to the surface, fanned by all of his recent dreams.

Sasuke’s not doing anything explicit. He doesn’t need to. He doesn’t need to spread himself, he doesn’t need to take off his shirt, he doesn’t need to do anything but sit there. All he does is smile a little, his dirty mouth full of insults and words he doesn’t mean. His legs are toned and long and crossed one over the other.

You desperate for me, Naruto? he seems to ask.

Yes, Naruto thinks. Always.

How do you want me?

Any way I can have you.

Sasuke leans forward. And how much is that? Tell me.

Naruto wants him more than anything. Naruto wants to lick him. To eat him. To have him sit on his face and ride Naruto’s mouth. He wants him to suck him off, he wants to slide himself deep inside where Sasuke is nice and warm. He wants to be bound and at his mercy. He wants to swallow his saliva for him, lick his shoes, wrap his tongue around his toes.

His fingers itch to grab his ass. His mouth aches to taste him. And a primal feeling wells in his throat, heady and desperate, to sink his teeth deep into Sasuke's shoulder where no scent gland exists.

Naruto wants him. He wants him. He wants him.

There is cum all over his hand and in his pants. He doesn’t even notice.

The rest of the week is a haze of delirious, painful desire.

It’s hard for Naruto to look at Sasuke the same way afterwards without feeling like an awful, no good, piece of shit. To make matters worse, his alpha hindbrain is constantly feeding him images from his rut—images of Sasuke in compromising positions with Naruto pounding into him from the back, front, and into his mouth, while tears bead in the corners of Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke can’t know about it. It would ruin everything.

But he does know. At least a little bit. Naruto’s mom’s decision to leave him with his phone for emergencies had backfired spectacularly. Naruto had sent some of the most embarrassing, damning text messages while in the peak of his rut. He remembers getting a heart attack when he saw his text history, scrolling wide-eyed as his dirty fantasies were aired out to dry. He had no one to blame but himself. He considered jumping out of his window if only to save himself from the incoming, mortifying, gut-wrenching embarrassment.

But Sasuke doesn’t seem to be bothered by the messages. Which is good. Kind of? Naruto’s still deciding how he feels about it.

On one hand Sasuke is acting the same as he always is, which is a relief. But at the same time, there’s something different in the air. Naruto can’t put his finger on it. Sasuke will look at him just a little longer than normal. The rigid line of his mouth will be softer. Sometimes, he’ll find an excuse to do something nice for Naruto, just because he can. He’s still calling Naruto an idiot, insulting his miniscule brain cells, etc. but still.

Nice things.

Naruto knows when Sasuke is being nice and it just makes it that much harder not to like him.

He’s still wearing Naruto’s gloves too. They fit snugly on his hands, covering his skin in bright orange and black stripes. It’s no mating bite but it’s something. There’s a bit of guilt for using such a cheap trick to get Sasuke to wear some of Naruto’s clothing, but he’s never going to have him, so what’s a little bit of indulgence under the guise of friendship?

And Sasuke has no idea how much Naruto watches him now, or at least he pretends not to. It’s like Naruto’s eyes can’t focus on anything else. One time, the teacher called on Sasuke during class. And Sasuke tilted his head just so when he answered the question so the light filtering through the window turned his skin to gold, and Naruto thought his heart was going to fly out of his chest.

He wants to be better for him. He wants to be smarter, faster, stronger. He wants to prove to him that he can protect him, even though Sasuke’s been the one protecting Naruto all their lives. He wants to buy him the world even though his allowance can barely afford a weekend date.

He’s hungry. He’s head over heels. He wants him.

The possessiveness is only getting worse.

Any time someone gets within a five-foot radius of Sasuke, Naruto’s hackles rise. It’s irrational, of course, and very annoying to tamper down. He’s gotten into the habit of slapping double the amount of patches on his neck and wrists because no one needs to know how Naruto smells when he’s irritated, and he’s getting irritated all the more often because of Sasuke.

The classroom door slides open. Kiba saunters in, sleeves rolled up his arms.

“Yo, Naruto,” he says.

“Kiba,” Naruto greets, raising his hand so Kiba can tap their wrists together, “what’s up?”

“Wanted to see how you’re doing. Haven’t seen you since that alpha-omega meetup a few weeks ago. That one chick is asking after you—the girl from Ame High. You know. Yellow sweater, hair in pigtails?”

Naruto wracks his brains. He remembers going and that the girls were nice, but not much else.

Kiba groans. “Oh, come on man! She was all over you!”

“Yeah Naruto, show some respect,” says Sasuke. He’s leaning on his desk, chin resting in his hand. He’s smirking like he knows something Naruto doesn’t.

Does Sasuke think he’s interested in that girl? Naruto isn’t. Naruto isn’t interested in anyone outside of Sasuke.

But…if Sasuke thinks Naruto is into that girl, maybe it can distract him from the fact Naruto sent him all those messages. Maybe Naruto can divert his expectations and escape with his dignity intact. Maybe Naruto can still pretend he’s not pining after a beta who will never give him the time of day.

He opens his mouth.

Yeah, I remember her. She was cute.

Yet, as soon as he’s about to say it, something terrible rises within him. Goosebumps jump to life all over his skin and his stomach churns. 

It’s at this moment he realizes his alpha body wants Sasuke so much that lying to himself might actually make him sick.

Naruto swallows.

“Everything alright?” Sasuke asks.

“Oh yeah. Totally great,” says Naruto.

Kiba puts a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder and shakes his head.

“You need to stop babying him. He’s getting spoiled,” he says.

“I’ve been saying that for the past ten years,” Sasuke replies.

“Doesn’t help that all these girls are throwing themselves at him. His ego is going through the roof. We need to knock him down a few pegs. What are you doing tonight? You wanna take Naruto’s place at the get-together?”

“Why would I do that?”

“That Ame High girl said she’d show up if Naruto is going to be there. She’s bringing her friends too. You’ve got a good face.”

“What’s my face going to do in this situation?”

“Dude. Sasuke. You’re smarter than this. You could literally sit there and be the most awkward person ever and all the girls would still be climbing all over you. We need that energy with us tonight.”

“You only think with your dick, Kiba.”

“What other part of my body am I supposed to think with? So? You coming?”

Naruto looks up. He was focused in on the spot where Kiba’s hand was touching Sasuke’s shoulder, but now he’s alert for a different reason.

“Sasuke’s not going anywhere,” he says before he can think better of it.

“Woah, let the man say it himself,” says Kiba.

“That’s right,” Sasuke says, wearing that goddamn evil expression again, “I can think for myself, Naruto.”

What is Naruto supposed to do? He can’t let Sasuke go, because Kiba is right. One look at Sasuke would be enough. Anyone would be attracted to that face. Anyone would be attracted to that body. He’s a grade A package and everyone knows it.

Those girls at the meetup would swarm him and get their omega scents all over his clothes. Peaches, vanilla, honeysuckle—Naruto might be there to cover it up but he can’t do something so obviously possessive in a room full of other people. And worse—if he couldn’t help himself and he did—Sasuke would pick up on it. Even he could understand a courting gesture like that.

It would ruin everything. Their friendship would burst into flames.

It's not Naruto’s place to say what Sasuke can or can’t do. Sasuke’s independent. He’s always been that star just out of reach. He’s allowed to shine his light on others even when every nerve in Naruto’s body is pleading for him to stay with him and no one else.

“You can do whatever you want,” Naruto says. “Don’t let me stop you.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Sasuke says.

Kiba perks up. “So that’s a yes?”

“No,” Sasuke says, “I’m not going. But thanks for the invite.”

Relief floods Naruto’s body.

Kiba looks stunned. “But I thought you said—”

“I just don’t like Naruto telling me what to do. I have plans tonight. I can’t make it.”

“Damn. Guess we have to go with our original plan then. Naruto—what do you have going on tonight?”

“I can’t make it either,” Naruto says automatically.

Kiba groans. “Great. Now I’m one person down.”

“You can ask Kazuha,” says Naruto, jabbing a thumb in his direction.

Kiba sighs, defeated. “Don’t know the guy, but sure, why the hell not,” he says.

“I’ll politely decline,” says Kazuha from across the classroom.

-

Sasuke and Naruto walk through their usual path of cherry blossom trees on the way home. The weather is getting warmer. It’s still a little cold outside but the sunlight is bright.

“So, what plans do you have tonight?” Naruto asks, trying not to sound interested.

“Hm?”

“You told Kiba you were busy tonight. What do you have going on?”

“Oh. That. Not much.”

“Your mom making you buy groceries again?”

“Not this time around,” says Sasuke. “It's just this really annoying neighbor I have. He always wants to hang out. Figure I’d finally give him the chance…maybe we could watch the dumb new superhero movie that came out last week.”

“I said that,” says Naruto.

“Hm. So you did,” says Sasuke, smiling at him. The joy swelling in Naruto’s chest threatens to burst into a firework.

Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke. The cherry blossoms are falling and the world is perfect. Sasuke is beautiful beneath the spring day, his uniform crisp with the top button loose. His dark hair is tucked behind one of his ears. He’s looking at Naruto with a soft warmth in his eyes, and Naruto might never have him in the way he wants to, but if this is as close as he can get, he can live with it.

It falls, crashing and burning.

“I’m going home,” Naruto says. He never realized heartbreak was such a literal word. His chest hurts so badly that there’s no other explanation other than his heart shattering into a thousand pieces.

“Wait,” Sasuke says. He sounds desperate. He sounds like he actually cares. Naruto almost stops in his tracks because Sasuke is telling him to wait and he’s weak, so weak to his words. But if he doesn’t leave now, he might start crying, and the vulnerability might destroy him. Sasuke saw the dark desire Naruto’s been holding for so long.

Not only that. He knew about it.

Their relationship has been a joke this whole time.

Naruto climbs down the trellis and doesn’t look back.

“Do you get it?” Sasuke asks, “do you get it now, you mentally challenged, stupid, sorry excuse for a best friend—”

“—No, I don’t,” says Naruto. Tears are streaming down Sasuke’s face. Sasuke is angry. He’s pissed beyond belief. Naruto knows how upset he is because it’s his fault after all. He’s the one to blame. And yet, the button off Sasuke’s uniform is being shoved into his chest like Sasuke’s baring his heart to him, and a gift like that can’t be taken as anything else other than the confession it is.

Minutes later, Naruto has finally gotten his mouth on him. They're kissing. Sasuke’s lips are a little salty from his tears, but Naruto likes it. It’s just another part of Sasuke he can claim he’s tasted now.

Sasuke clutches Naruto's shirt collar as their mouths move together, gasping every so often for air before diving back in. He’s warm. His skin is so smooth.

Sasuke kisses him.

He kisses him deeply.

He kisses him with a warm, slick tongue teasing between their lips.

Sasuke kisses and kisses and kisses and kisses him, and Naruto can only hold his face, run his hands through his hair and take all of that pent up anger and desperation and swallow it greedily down.

Sasuke’s parents are out of town for their anniversary.

There’s something to be said about respect, about not desecrating their youngest son while they’re away. But Naruto is only a man. It doesn’t take long for him and Sasuke to fumble past belts and underwear. He runs his hands up Sasuke’s chest, feeling the peaks and valleys of his ribs and abdomen. He’s tasted that very flesh, he’s been lucky enough to scrape his teeth against Sasuke’s nipples and sink his canines into his pecs. If he plays his cards right tonight, Sasuke will let him do it again.

Sasuke is a messy kisser. He likes to bite. He kisses like he is in life, a little aggressive but tender underneath it all.

This isn’t the first time they’ve touched each other like this. Naruto has already gotten to play out a number of his personal fantasies. A few weeks ago, Sasuke had forced him to sit in a chair and tied his hands behind his back. Then he crawled, naked, into his lap, and rested his chin over his shoulder.

You like this, don’t you? he had said with his neck directly in Naruto’s line of sight.

Of course, Naruto replied. There was nothing Sasuke could do to him that he wouldn’t enjoy: the lines of Sasuke’s strong shoulders, the scent of fresh shampoo, his firm chest pressed to his shirt.

Sasuke had teased. He had shifted every so often so Naruto could see his asscheeks spread over his thighs, readjusting himself, grinding every so often so their cocks smeared against each other. And after an hour of this horrible, wonderful torture, Sasuke had dug the tip of his fingernail into the tip of Naruto’s dick and Naruto came just like that.

Now though? Now, Naruto is the one pushing Sasuke down with one hand and pulling his pants off with the other. He’s the one pressing Sasuke’s thighs up by his head. He’s the one mouthing at Sasuke’s ass, saying “please let me eat you out, please let me eat you, please Sasuke, please please” because he knows Sasuke is weak to his begging.

And Sasuke lets him. He scowls and says, “What happened to being good? Are you listening?” but he doesn’t mean it. He never does. He runs his mouth and he lectures Naruto and says he has no self-control, but he secretly likes it.

So Naruto does what makes him feel good. He sucks around the skin of his ass and licks him nice and clean. He can’t help but sound appreciative. It’s truly a feast. Sasuke tastes the best down there, like soap and something musky, something innately Sasuke that has Naruto’s salivary glands working overtime. Naruto runs his tongue around the rim of his asshole, wriggles it in, then eats and eats and eats like he’s a starving man. Sasuke's ass is divine. Naruto relishes in the feel of the puckered hole over his tongue. It clenches against the surface of it like a kiss.

“Don’t you ever get tired of that?” Sasuke asks. His voice is all breathy and sexy.

“Of what?” Naruto asks through a mouthful of ass.

“That. Putting your tongue in my…”

“No. I don’t. I could do it forever.”

But, while he really could, after a few more minutes of feasting, Naruto reluctantly pulls away and replaces his tongue with his fingers. 

Sasuke hisses. “Do you have to shove two in at once?”

“I like it when you squeeze me,” Naruto confesses.

“Fuck. God. Why do you…urgh,” Sasuke says. Naruto’s fingers are pressing right against his prostate. One day, when they both are patient enough, Naruto will make him come just like that. It’s trainable. The asshole has enough nerves to make it happen. Naruto’s read about it in extensive detail.

“I’m a simple man,” he says.

“Alpha hindbrain,” Sasuke mutters.

Naruto crooks his fingers deeper. Sasuke tries to push him off. It’s futile. They’ve wrestled before, more seriously, and Naruto’s become hell-bent on reversing his losing streak. He’s stronger than Sasuke now, definitively. So Sasuke’s shoving and pushing at Naruto’s shoulders because he can’t get away from the relentless assault on his prostate, and he’s beginning to sweat, straining so all of his muscles are stretched taut.

His scent carries in the air. Exertion has turned it a little tangy and metallic. A bitter bite to the typical cleanliness. It's Naruto's preferred version: he loves it when it gets like that, a little dirty, a little less perfect. He rubs that spot inside Sasuke’s ass a little harder just so he can watch him writhe.

His other hand presses against Sasuke’s sternum. Beneath the ribs, a heart beats strong and fast.

“Why are you doing that?” Sasuke asks.

“Sometimes you just want to push down the guy you like,” Naruto replies.

Almost immediately, there’s a hand on his neck. Sasuke has his fingers wrapped around him. He pushes upwards and Naruto follows like a dog on a leash until his back hits the bed, his fingers still buried in Sasuke’s ass. The pressure around his throat is just enough. Not too much to hurt, but enough to remind him that it's there.

“Yeah,” says Sasuke, perching on top of him, “sometimes you do.”

Naruto looks up at Sasuke. He’s still wearing his white undershirt. His cock is tenting beneath the fabric.

“You’re so attractive,” Naruto breathes. He's in awe.

“Wait till you see my next trick.” Sasuke leans forward, grabbing Naruto’s wrist and slowly sliding his fingers out from his ass. “It’s going to blow your mind.”

“Oh,” Naruto says, swallowing hard. “I mean, you could literally do nothing and it would still—”

Sasuke doesn’t let him go further than that. It's because his bare ass is grinding very close to Naruto’s dick and it’s extremely distracting. He moves back and forth, back and forth, so that Naruto’s cock glides between his cheeks.

Sasuke must feel good too. His face has a tell-tale flush and his erection is getting extremely hard.

“Can I help?” Naruto asks. “I’m good with my hands.”

“I’ll think about it,” Sasuke says. “Don’t do anything uncharacteristic or I’ll cuff you.”

“Okay,” Naruto replies. “No real con there, but still.”

Sasuke grabs the bottle of lube off the bed stand and squirts it liberally all over his fingers before reaching behind himself. His fingers squelch as they enter his body. Naruto watches them disappear.

Given that betas’ bodies aren’t as suited as omegas’ bodies to taking things up the ass, the lube is entirely necessary for...uh...penetration. Unlike an omega's body, Sasuke’s does not come equipped with a self-lubricating asshole. Although they make special lube now, the fancy kind that mimics the scent and viscosity of slick, he doesn’t need it. He doesn’t need to smell like anything other than himself. Each time they have sex, Sasuke physically works to stretch himself out, complaints and all—and if that isn’t love, Naruto doesn’t know what is.

Sasuke grunts. “I hate this part. Feels gross as hell,” he says.

“Yeah but it’s loads better than the first time we did it,” Naruto offers.

“The bar should not be that low,” Sasuke replies, but nevertheless adds a third finger and spreads himself.

“I want to see,” Naruto says. He's already craning to try and take a look.

“Stay down.”

“I want to see. Please let me see. You can bring your ass to my face. I'll get a good view from that position.” He's seen it before, only once, when they were having sex and he had to pull out to avoid shoving his half-formed knot inside him. Sasuke's hole had been so open and loose that day, all wet and sloppy, pink and red and shiny with lube. Naruto's half knot had become a full-fledged knot then, and it had taken a herculean effort to resist slamming all of himself inside Sasuke and coming all over that pink cavern with his spend. 

“You’ve seen it plenty of times,” Sasuke counters. He removes his fingers, then grabs Naruto’s cock and eases it towards his entrance. He takes a deep breath before trying to push it inside.

He doesn’t make it far before stopping.

“Shit. Are you bigger?”

“Don’t stroke my ego,” Naruto says.

“It’s merely a statement. You alphas let everything go to your heads.”

Sasuke slowly eases the rest of Naruto’s cock inside of him. With immense difficulty, Naruto resists grabbing Sasuke’s hips and fucking upwards. It's hard though. So, so fucking hard. The inside of Sasuke’s ass is hot and wet and tight, and every single one of Naruto’s nerves is concentrated where they touch—its so incredible that his toes start curling up. It's hard to be still, but he can be good.

For a while, that’s all Sasuke does. He rides Naruto with smooth, languid motions while sweat drips down his neck, every drop salty iron. His shirt, slightly open around his chest, gives Naruto a great viewing angle of collarbones and slightly raised flesh where his pecs begin. With every upward and downward motion Sasuke’s breath comes out a little less even. There’s a wet patch on the bottom of his shirt where his cock sticks to the fabric.

He’s beautiful and Naruto can’t resist him.

Naruto caresses Sasuke's thigh and rubs circles on the skin there which has grown a little moist and tacky. Sasuke doesn’t seem to notice. He’s too focused on the task at hand, on riding Naruto, on making them both feel good. After a while, Naruto begins meeting him motion for motion. He rolls his hips upwards so Sasuke’s thighs don't strain too much, and their bodies smack together.

Smack. Smack. Smack. Smack.

Sasuke's ass jiggles obscenely when their thighs connect. Naruto reaches for it.

“Hands off,” Sasuke says, swatting him away. “Watch me.”

“Yes sir,” Naruto says, as if he’s ever done anything else.

Sasuke takes his shirt hem and pulls up, bites, clenching it between his teeth. Like this, Naruto is finally granted full view of his torso—his pink nipples and toned abs, slightly shiny with sweat. Sasuke’s cock stands fully upright. It’s perfectly proportioned for his body. When he sinks onto Naruto's dick, it moves with him. Naruto is struck with a sudden desire for Sasuke to slap it against his face. And then maybe slip it into his mouth.

“God. You’re so hot,” he says, running his hand up Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke ignores him in favor of touching himself. He grabs his cock, now slathered in lube, and jerks it, sliding his tight fist around its length, squeezing his cockhead so the erotic, slick, squelching sound is clearly audible. Naruto watches, entranced, as he masturbates while riding his dick. Sasuke bounces up and down. His balls are dripping with lube. It’s an assault, is what it is. He's taking over every crevice of Naruto’s body.

The taste of Sasuke’s saliva lingers in Naruto's mouth. His scent wafts across his nose. Every moment with him feels like a life or death battle against Naruto’s own wants. Pleasure ricochets through his body as Sasuke fucks himself on his cock, his shirt between his teeth.

Naruto never knew desire could consume someone like this. Everything he wants Sasuke to do to him, he wants to do to Sasuke twofold. He’s sure Sasuke knows. He’s got that look in his eye like he does.

One day, this dam of control between them will crack, and Naruto will break. He doesn’t know when that will happen but he’s pretty sure he knows the aftermath. He’ll first flip Sasuke over, tie his hands to the bed frame, and pound without restraint into his hole until it’s puffy and red, even as Sasuke says "no, stop, you're too big," even as tears drip from the corners of his eyes. Then, he’ll bite him, he'll sink his teeth into his pale, white neck even though there’s no mating gland to tie them together, just so he can taste the blood on his lips before licking it away. He'll shove his knot in too, the way he's wanted to all this time, and he'll lock Sasuke to him as he pops it in and out, watching the fat rim of Sasuke's ass stretch over it, accommodating this part of him like his body was made to take it all and more. And, when he's locked inside him good and tight, when he's made sure Sasuke can't run away, when Sasuke's thighs are shaking and his arms are trembling, he’ll come inside. He'll come inside over and over and over again, he'll come until his seed takes by some miracle of god, until Sasuke's full with it, until it drips out of that perfect, delicious, beautiful pink hole, and then he’ll lick every inch of his skin, in between his toes, fingers, everything, swallowing his come and spit and tears and sweat—he'll spank him until his handprint becomes a tattoo, choke on his cock, have Sasuke choke on his cock, wring every last orgasm out of Sasuke’s body until he’s motionless on the bed, and then Naruto will take him like that too.

He will claim every inch of Sasuke’s body. There will be no part of him left untouched.

On top of him, Sasuke grinds down, hard. The fantasy breaks in place of reality. Naruto whines in the back of his throat as his cock reaches even further up Sasuke's asshole.

“Don’t come yet,” Sasuke says, muffled by the shirt between his teeth.

“It’s hard,” Naruto complains. And that's the absolute truth. It is. It always will be. It’s hard when Sasuke looks like Sasuke, when the scent of his sweat is blanketing them both, mixing with Naruto’s like they’re already a mated pair. It’s hard when all his unfettered desires are barely being kept in check. He’s doing his best. It’s not his fault Sasuke is so unaffected by it all.

Sasuke lets go of the shirt and smirks, smiling that mean smile reserved for the times he’s torturing Naruto and enjoying it. He reaches out. His fingers lay across Naruto’s throat like a collar.

The concept of alphas owning omegas is extremely archaic but at this moment, it’s Naruto who feels owned.

Sasuke is warm and strong above him. He tosses his head back. His body rolls in a beautiful wave, and he takes, takes, takes—not greedily, but in the way someone claims what they’re entitled to. When he comes, he smears his semen over Naruto’s chest and says, “kiss me,” and Naruto, like the lovesick fool he is, is hopeless to press their lips together.

A knock comes at the door. Sasuke, who’s been awake for a few minutes now, gently moves Naruto’s sleeping figure off himself. With no small amount of difficulty he rolls out of bed and hobbles to the door. His ass hurts like a bitch but that’s to be expected. They’ve been fucking like rabbits for two days straight. Honestly, he’s surprised he’s able to stand on his own two feet.

He opens the door.

Sasuke expects to see his parents home early from their anniversary. He does not expect to see Itachi with a duffle bag slung on his back and a suitcase by his side.

“Hello Sasuke,” Itachi says, smiling. “Long time no see.”

Sasuke can’t help but smother him in a hug. It’s been so long since he’s seen his brother in person.

“I thought you weren’t coming back until next week,” he says.

“I decided to surprise mom and dad when they come home. Looks like I surprised you too,” Itachi laughs. “Have you been well?”

“Yes,” Sasuke says. “Nothing to report since our last call.”

“Wonderful," says Itachi.

There is a long stretch of silence. Itachi is smiling, but something is not quite right.

"...Are you sure there's nothing to report?" Itachi asks again.

"...I'm sure," Sasuke says.

"Really. Sasuke, we spoke just last week, and yet somehow I feel I'm missing a piece of crucial information."

"How so?"

"You smell like you suddenly converted into an alpha while I was away. What do you have to say about that, hm?”

Sasuke freezes. Itachi is suddenly donning his rare, “I-look-composed-but-I’m-very-very-very-irritated” expression. He places his hand on Sasuke’s shoulder.

“You didn't even realize it, or perhaps you are so used to it now that you've completely neglected to think about it. That is rather frightening. I will put it into words for you so you can properly understand the implications: you are covered by so many pheromones that you smell completely like an alpha. You've been scented to hell and back, so strongly in fact, that I doubt there is a single inch of you that hasn’t been scented, which frankly is a little unsettling to think about. If you went outside the way you are right now, you would certainly get some very concerned looks and rightfully so. I thought we always kept pheromone wash at home for situations like this, but it seems you’ve either neglected to use it or we’ve run out and haven’t restocked. Or perhaps, there is another, more pressing, more annoying reason, which I do not approve of. So, Sasuke? Do you have anything to say? I think you owe me an explanation.”

Sasuke closes his eyes. He’s getting a headache.

“I should have pushed him off the trellis,” he says.

Itachi grips Sasuke’s shoulder harder.

“...Him?”

Upstairs, Naruto calls out, “Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha!”

Itachi pauses. 

Oh no, Sasuke thinks, and prepares for the worst. He watches, wary, as Itachi walks past him, gently moving his suitcase inside the house and setting his duffle bag down. He removes his shoes, one at a time, placing them neatly on the rack.

For a brief, naive moment, Sasuke is hopeful. Itachi looks fine. Normal. Unaffected.

If Sasuke could smell him, maybe he could have anticipated what was about to happen.

“...Have you ever witnessed a territory battle between two alphas?” Itachi asks calmly.

And with that, Sasuke only has a split second to restrain his brother before he beats the shit out of his new boyfriend.