Sasuke wakes up in the morning, his slick pad soaked and his pajamas drenched in sweat. He feels still feels terribly sensitive, and his dick is pulsing—like it has pulsed ever since his heat fully bloomed.
Now he slowly opens his eyes and makes an embarrassing observation. He isn't in his corner of the sofa where he usually sleeps. Instead, he's very close to Naruto, so close that he can feel the alpha's warmth and be enveloped in his scent.
Sasuke's first reaction is to scramble away and get some distance between them, but the newly awakened omega in him resists the idea with surprising strength. And, to be completely honest, it's not a bad place to be, not exactly.
Then he realizes something else even more mortifying: his only hand is grabbing Naruto's shirt, which can only mean that he's been kneading it in his sleep. He knows that omegas do that, especially in heat. He sincerely hopes he didn't purr, or if he did, Naruto didn't notice it.
Sasuke lets go and instantly regrets it. How is he so desperate for a physical contact? He ends up touching Naruto's side again, and soon he finds himself kneading again, but he's too exhausted to care. Naruto hasn't made fun of him so far, he wouldn't start now.
Besides, Naruto isn't that kind of a person anyway.
Sasuke doesn't hurry to get up, even though he feels dirty and terrible, but Naruto is too warm and smells too nice. It can't last, of course, as Sasuke finds out only about fifteen minutes later when Naruto makes a sound.
"I was wondering what's tickling my side but it's just you," Naruto says and yawns. "How are you feeling?"
"Like an omega in heat," Sasuke deadpans. "I should take a bath. But I don't have enough clean clothes…"
"You can borrow some of mine while I do laundry," Naruto says brightly. Then Sasuke feels Naruto's hand touching his head and then the fingers comb through his hair, and it feels so ridiculously good that Sasuke closes his eyes again.
"What are you doing," he mutters half-heartedly.
"I'm petting you," Naruto chirps. "Is it too much?" He removes his hand and Sasuke whines with the lack of touch. Just hearing that noise from his mouth makes him flush hot from embarrassment.
"It's—it's fine, just—" Sasuke hates the way he sounds, he hates to hear himself so desperate. But the second Naruto places his palm on Sasuke's head again, he feels calmer. "I don't feel like myself at all."
"It'll get better once you and your omega get more attuned to each other," Naruto says. "But it's important you listen to it. Right now, it needs this—touches and care."
"This would be a nightmare to handle on my own," Sasuke confesses. "You're annoying but I wouldn't let anyone else this near."
Naruto gets quiet, and Sasuke wonders if he said something wrong, but the next words Naruto says make his blood run cold. "Sasuke… you do realize you need to spend your heats with someone? I mean… it's not required, but spending it alone is always a risk."
Sasuke swallows. He feels very fucking sick suddenly. "So I have to… fuck random people just to keep my omega happy or it might frenzy?" he asks. He has seen a frenzied omega, back when he was still living with Orochimaru, and he never wants to become like that. Frenzied omegas are the reason they're often called cocksluts, with the way they try to get fucked by anything imaginable.
"Or you'll make an arrangement with someone," Naruto says. "Usually I go to one of the clubs or Tanzaku during my ruts. I always have to mask my appearance because I don't want to be gawked at."
"Just imagine how much I will be," Sasuke snaps. Anxiety floods his mind like a tidal wave. Of course he had known that. He had known, but he'd imagined that he would be fine spending them alone. But if his first heat is like this, when he's almost desperate to get knotted, how he'll be able to handle the future heats?
He doesn't want to fuck random alpha. He's not even sure he wants sex at all, period.
"Hey, hey, Sasuke, it's okay, you don't need to think about it now," Naruto croons, pets Sasuke's hair again. "Let's just make sure you survive your first heat, yeah?"
Naruto probably smelled Sasuke's panic. Annoying.
"I'm going to take a bath," Sasuke grumbles. He gets up, very grudgingly, takes yet another pair of boxers from his pack and locks himself in the bathroom.
There he doesn't have to hold back, so the second the bath is ready, Sasuke climbs in and grabs his dick. The way he pumps it is frantic, and he comes quickly, but even that isn't enough to take the edge off. He's shivering again, and the way he craves to get knotted is ridiculous. How can he crave something he has never experienced before? He's so annoyed that he positions himself better and shoves two of his fingers inside his ass, but it… doesn't help at all. He can't reach his prostate from this position, and massaging it from the outside wouldn't be the same.
Frustrated, Sasuke withdraws his fingers and dives under the water to scream.
***
There's already a bundle of clothes waiting on the bed when Sasuke gets out in his boxers, fresh slick pad in place. His head is throbbing again and he just wants to sleep.
Pulling Naruto's clothes on is, however, a nightmare. Naruto's shoulders are broader than Sasuke's, so the shirt is at least two sizes too big, and even the sweatpants are a bit too loose. Not to mention the damn scent. Bergamot and cinnamon and coffee invade his nostrils. Whatever. Sasuke climbs back to the bed and only now he sees the nest he's created from the sofa cushions, his own pillow, blanket and Naruto's nap quilt.
Sasuke looks at it and the flashback hits suddenly and without a warning: he and Itachi cuddling with their mother during her heat in her heat nest, Mikoto reading children's books for them, purring softly all the while, Fugaku bringing them things to snack on. How Sasuke had always fallen asleep listening to his mother's purr.
Tears fall on his cheeks and he makes a choked sob.
It doesn't take long that there's a pair of arms around him and he's being hugged from behind.
Sasuke goes rigid, and tries to push Naruto away. "I'm fine—you don't need to—"
"You're crying, and you're telling me I don't need to?" Naruto huffs. "Just let yourself feel things, Sasuke, let me take care of you, dammit."
It's too much, Naruto's comforting scent and his soft voice, and Sasuke uses his only hand to push free, but Naruto doesn't let go.
"You're so annoying!" Sasuke keeps fighting, but then something just… cracks inside him and he gives up, slumps against Naruto's chest and the tears just keep coming.
It's so messy and overwhelming, wanting to be alone and yet craving for someone's touch.
"Just… don't leave me alone until my… heat is over," Sasuke says and takes a shaky breath. So what if he throws his pride and dignity out of the window? He feels fucking terrible, and Naruto is making a bit more bearable.
"Of course I will, but I should go visit Tsunade and go to the grocery store—" Naruto starts.
"No! Please, just… stay." Sasuke's hand grabs Naruto's shirt again. "Please."
He doesn't dare to look at Naruto, doesn't want to think too much about how he looks like. His omega wants all of it. He's proud to be an omega. So he'll do what it wants.
"Okay, Sasuke," Naruto whispers. "Okay. I'll send a clone and I'll stay with you, okay? But I do have to move around the house. I need to clean and do laundry. Are you okay with that?"
"I'll… manage," Sasuke says. "I think." He really hopes he will.
He settles into his nest, allows Naruto to wrap him in the blanket and allows Naruto to pamper him. It's kind of luxurious, in a way, for Naruto to bring him breakfast to the bed on a tray and then taking it away when Sasuke has eaten. By that time, he's leaking and shivering again, the need running rampantly in his body. He doesn't want to jerk off and make a mess, but the way his dick is throbbing is slowly driving him crazy. With a tired groan, he goes to the bathroom to take care of it and then stumbles back to bed.
"Naruto," Sasuke calls, and he hates the way his voice cracks. "Could you bring me water?"
Naruto is in the kitchen, preparing for lunch, but even the usual delicious scents of food are too much for Sasuke to handle at that moment.
"Sure, just a sec!" Naruto answers back, and soon brings a new glass of water and takes the old one away.
Sasuke takes the heat meds and curls into a ball under his blanket. He's surrounded by comforting smells from his pillow, blanket and other things he's gathered there—and somehow one of Naruto's discarded shirts is there too. Peculiar. Sasuke sniffs it and thinks, not for the first time, how Naruto's scent is so safe and familiar.
He closes his eyes and hopes it won't take too long for the medicine to work, only to startle awake when Naruto touches his cheeks with his bandaged hand.
"Hey. Food is ready," Naruto says. "Can you eat?"
Sasuke yawns. The medicine has worked, so he feels a lot better for now—so much so that he can get up from the bed. He still allows Naruto to support him to the kitchen; his legs are woozy and his lower back is sore. He's afraid he'll bleed too—he knows it's a possibility with newly awakened omegas.
"You saw my clone come back a while ago," Naruto begins as they sit down to eat, "and it visited Tsunade to ask for advice. If you feel relatively okay, we can wait until your heat breaks and then she recommends you go to the hospital for a check-up and to get prescriptions."
"Prescriptions?" Sasuke echoes dully.
Now Naruto looks vaguely uncomfortable. "Well, you know. You need suppressants just in case, if you're in enemy territory and your heat blooms. Alphas use them too. And… uh… all omegas are recommended to use birth control."
Right. There is that. Somehow Sasuke had forgotten he's fertile now, and able to carry and give birth to children. It's a weird thought.
"Is the birth control necessary if I don't plan on being with anyone?" Sasuke asks casually.
"It's not mandatory to use, of course, but…" Naruto moves his food on the plate with his work. "Omegas are often kidnapped for—breeding purposes. You know that too. Birth control gives you a bit more time to maneuver before they can do anything, because they would need to wait for it to leave your system."
Sasuke snorts. "And you think someone might be able to catch me?" he sneers.
Naruto looks at him and says, "Drink."
It's just a word, yet Sasuke hears it differently. It settles into him like a vice, and he takes the glass without even thinking. As soon as he sips it, the feeling dissipates. He stares at the glass, then scowls at Naruto.
"You see my point?" Naruto asks. "It was an alpha's command tone, Sasuke. If the enemy knows you're an omega, they can easily subdue you with commands—especially now because you have just presented."
"You commanded me," Sasuke says flatly.
"To prove a point," Naruto reminds him. "I'm not trying to subdue you. You're a new omega—can you honestly say you remembered the part about the commands?"
No, Sasuke hadn't remembered. But now he's embarrassed and angry that Naruto got him so good with it. He lowers the glass. "Then I just have to learn to withstand the commands," he says with a shrug. "No big deal."
"You won't learn it just like that, even if you're a genius from the Uchiha Clan," Naruto points out. "I know you've been planning to leave for a while now—who are you going to practice with?"
"Leave that part to me," Sasuke snaps. Suddenly he doesn't have much of an appetite. He doesn't hate being an omega, but the amount of things he needs to learn and remember is very damn overwhelming.
He forces himself to eat, and the rest of the lunch goes by in tense silence. When Sasuke's plate is empty, he withdraws back to his nest and it doesn't take long for him to regret the way he talked—or more like, his omega is panicking. He feels cold and empty in his nest, without an alpha's care.
Sasuke shivers more and squeezes his eyes shut, but then the bed dips and Naruto's warmth spreads around him.
"Sasuke," Naruto whispers. "I'm sorry. It was… uncalled from me. Of course I know you can handle yourself."
Sasuke opens his eyes and sees Naruto sitting very close, almost touching the stuff Sasuke made his nest with.
"You're still strong, the same annoying bastard you always are," Naruto continues and grins. "If anyone can learn to withstand an alpha, it's you."
He moves his hand and offers a bar of dark chocolate—the only form of chocolate Sasuke likes to eat. "My clone got this for you, for a heat snack."
Stunned, Sasuke takes the chocolate and places it in his nest. He won't eat it yet. He's very tired and achy, and Naruto's scent is doing wonders for his mood.
"I think I need to sleep," Sasuke mutters.
"Sleep, Sasuke," Naruto says. "I'll be here."
Sasuke doesn't even care that he gets close to Naruto and buries his face to his thigh. Naruto smells nice, he's so warm and he takes such good care of Sasuke and his omega. It's all he needs.
***
If the first days of the heat were tough, nothing compares to the next two. Sasuke gets a high fever, the cramps get worse and he leaks even more.
But that's not the worst of it. He's so gone with want that he keeps begging Naruto to touch him, to make him feel good, to help him come, and… Naruto says no.
They argue about it, but Naruto is adamant. He refuses to take his hand below Sasuke's waist, he only touches Sasuke from his arms, shoulders and head.
"You don't really want me," Naruto says more than once. "I don't want you to remember after the heat what I did. I know you don't really want it."
Why doesn't Naruto realize that Sasuke does want it? He needs it. He needs an alpha's touch, an alpha's knot—he needs all of it, and Naruto is an alpha, it's his responsibility to do that, isn't it?
Sasuke is forced to take care of things himself, and while it does help to the worst of it, it's not the same. He sleeps badly and Naruto has to do laundry more often, because he leaks so much he keeps soiling his boxers and even slick pads don't help that much.
At least Naruto sleeps with him every night. That's the most important part. Without Naruto, he wouldn't sleep at all.
"It'll be over soon," Naruto croons one night when Sasuke wakes up suddenly, heat ravaging him from all over and making him painfully hard.
Sasuke kneads Naruto's side, thinks about his mother and her heat nest, and cries himself to sleep. Naruto can instantly tell when Sasuke's heat is broken.
His scent is a lot different now—softer, calmer but still richer and still very much like Sasuke. The familiar honey tang of the heat is gone.
Naruto also notices it from the way Sasuke has retreated back to his nest, and they have distance between them again.
What Naruto didn't expect is the feeling of fierce possessiveness he suddenly feels. Or is it just a desire to protect? He's not sure. He watches Sasuke sleeping, his black hair hiding some of his face from view, and the only thing on Naruto's mind is, He's so beautiful.
Now even more so, because Naruto can't help how his alpha acknowledges Sasuke's omega, sees it as a possible mate. But they will never do that. They're not even lovers. He just happened to be there when Sasuke presented. It doesn't mean anything.
And yet… And yet, Naruto is very aware that he's an alpha, that Sasuke is an omega, which makes them perfectly compatible. They're best friends. Hell, Naruto loves Sasuke—of course he does. He was ready to sacrifice anything for this person. He still is.
But Naruto knows that Sasuke would never accept him even as a heat partner.
He gets up and takes his pillow and blanket back to his own bed and then removes Sasuke's clothes from the drying rack. He folds them all and brings them to the sofa, so that Sasuke can take a bath as soon as he wakes up.
Naruto doesn't know how he's so certain, but he knows Sasuke is going to leave Konoha. Of course, he has talked about it before, but Naruto strongly feels that Sasuke is leaving partly because of his awakened secondary gender. That he doesn't feel good at staying in the village as an omega.
But why does it feel so bad? Naruto wasn't expecting Sasuke to stay, their living arrangement had always been just temporary. It's just been two months since the war ended, and the New Year's celebrations are around the corner.
Naruto waits for it, the party. But he won't enjoy it as much if Sasuke won't be there, and he knows he won't. But Naruto can't make any demands. He can only wish. It's up to Sasuke to decide how to live his life.
He's in the kitchen, mindlessly chatting with Kurama as he prepares breakfast, when he hears sounds from the living room and Sasuke moving, then the bathroom door.
He's going to hate me, Naruto says darkly. He's going to hate me that I allowed him to be so close and so needy. He'll never admit he needed it. Or that he liked it.
He would never hate you for that, Kurama says firmly. You respected his boundaries, and you didn't go any further, even though Sasuke begged you to do that. I do admit, though, that commanding him—even if you wanted to remind him—was in poor taste. Sasuke has just presented.
Naruto grimaced. Yeah, I know, I started regretting it instantly after it had escaped my mouth. I won't do that again. He'd just been worried because of Sasuke's insistence on handling it, when every omega is susceptible to commands, especially right after presenting.
Sasuke doesn't really want Naruto to do anything intimate with him, he'd only said those things in the throes of his first heat and because Naruto had been there, and he just happens to be an alpha. And Naruto would never use that to his advantage, no matter how ready he is to help out his friend.
If Sasuke does ask, in normal circumstances, if Naruto would want to be his heat partner, Naruto would say yes in a heartbeat. Just thinking about the possibility that he would be able to take care of Sasuke like that, to help him through his heat… Naruto would do that. He would be proud to be that safe and trustworthy alpha to Sasuke.
There's also their past to consider, everything they had gone through together. Most of the time Naruto forgets his right arm is artificial, but he still does get nerve pain from time to time—it replaced the phantom pain after he'd gotten his new arm. He's still a bit clumsy with it, but he keeps training; so far he's trained with Lee and Kiba at Lee's dojo.
Funnily enough, he and Sasuke haven't yet sparred together. But Naruto is pretty sure he knows why: it makes them both remember the last time they fought, that they almost killed each other. Sasuke does train his Rinnegan and his one-handed signs, but he always does that on his own, and he never even asks Naruto to join him.
It makes all of this feel weird—they reconciled, they're both alive and in Konoha, but Naruto still doesn't feel whole. They do talk, they laugh, and everything is okay, but… Naruto knows Sasuke isn't happy in Konoha, that the only reason he is still there is Naruto.
And now that Sasuke's an omega, there will be even more nasty rumors about him. His being an omega is surprising—most seemed sure that Sasuke would definitely be an alpha.
Naruto himself knows that Sasuke is still strong and capable and everything he's always been, but omegas are not widely seen as such. And some of the villagers (like the Hyuga Clan) are continuously searching for flaws that make Sasuke even worse.
This is just perfect ammunition for them, and Sasuke knows that too.
Naruto sets the table like he does every morning, and soon Sasuke steps into the kitchen, dressed in his own clothes again, hair a mess after the bath, and sinks to the chair.
"Good morning," Naruto says and hopes to sound convincingly cheerful. "Do you feel better?"
"The heat is over, at least," Sasuke says and yawns. "I do feel damn sore all over."
"Yeah, that's normal too," Naruto says and carries the teapot to the table. Sasuke's eyes widen just a bit—Naruto usually doesn't brew the tea himself. "You should go to see Granny Tsunade before you… leave."
Sasuke prepares his breakfast easily with his only hand, and he doesn't look at Naruto when he says, "What makes you think I'm leaving?"
"Instinct?" Naruto suggests. "I dunno. I just… got a feeling. I know you were planning on traveling anyway. And now… well…"
"You think I'm escaping the rumors?" Sasuke says, his tone clipped and icy. "That I'm ashamed for being an omega?"
This isn't going according to the plan at all. "No—no, I don't mean it like that, don't make any assumptions!" Naruto says, exasperated. "I know that you can handle yourself. I know you're strong. And dammit, I know that being an omega doesn't take any of that out!"
Sasuke takes a bit from his toast, his stare very similar to the ones Naruto had in the past.
Naruto sighs heavily and pours coffee into his mug, even though he feels damn sick. "I just… I know you hate Konoha. And I support you in whatever you want to do. And as much as we both hate it, there will be rumors about your secondary gender. It just makes all of it worse. I care how you feel, Sasuke, and I don't want you to feel bad."
"I don't care one bit what the others think about my secondary gender," Sasuke says simply. "Like I told you, I was raised to treat omegas with respect. That they're as important as alphas and betas are. I have never feared what I would present as. Although, to be honest, I am glad I presented now and not earlier, because it would've been catastrophic."
Naruto can understand that. Embarking on a quest for revenge would've been significantly harder with heat wrecking through your body. Or a rut.
"You're going to see Tsunade today, right?" Naruto asks.
Sasuke raises his eyebrow. "So I planned," he replies. "Why?"
"Can I… come with you?" Naruto rubs his neck. "I just. I would want to be there. As a support. But if you hate the idea, I can stay at home too."
"If it's that important to you, then by all means," Sasuke says with a shrug. "It doesn't matter to me."
Naruto nods and focuses on his breakfast, but he feels nauseous and sick.
***
As they're getting ready to leave, Naruto offers another package to Sasuke. "These are scent blockers for omegas," he says. "I wasn't sure what you would prefer, but these patches are better if you're traveling."
Sasuke takes the package, looks at it and opens it with his teeth. The way he does everything one-handedly and so easily is always so impressive, and it had taken a while for Naruto to stop offering to help—Sasuke doesn't need it. Even now Sasuke takes one of the patches between his teeth, pockets the rest and easily unwraps it and places it on his scent gland.
"Okay, let's go, I want to get this over with," Sasuke says irritably.
His scent gets fainter as the patch starts to work, but it's still very obvious to anyone that Sasuke is an omega. The looks they get on the streets tell as much, and with a sickening lurch, Naruto realizes he might've messed up in coming with Sasuke—they are an alpha and an omega, and everyone knows they are best friends and that Sasuke has been living with him.
The fact that Naruto is with Sasuke right now might give people the wrong message.
They reach the Konoha Hospital in silence, and while Sasuke goes to Tsunade's room, Naruto buys a coffee from a nearby machine and sits down in the waiting room. It doesn't take long for him to spot Sakura coming from one of the rooms, a white lab coat pulled over her regular, fuchsia outfit. Her pale pink hair falls freely on her shoulders.
"Sakura-chan! Good morning!" Naruto greets brightly.
Sakura turns to look at him and smiles. "Naruto! What brings you here?"
"I'm waiting for Sasuke, he's seeing Granny right now," Naruto says.
Sakura glances towards Tsunade's office and then comes closer. "So he presented, then? Is he really an omega?"
Naruto nods. "You wouldn't believe that, right? But Sasuke is fine with it. His clan actually valued omegas. I think that's amazing."
"Yeah… it is," Sakura says. She makes another glance at the office door and looks… Naruto can't tell, but she is obviously thinking something.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asks, confused.
"So Sasuke-kun is an omega, and you're an alpha," Sakura says slowly. "Have you mated yet?"
Naruto chokes on his coffee. He starts to cough wildly, causing more coffee to splash on his (clean) shirt. "Where did that come from?!" he sputters. "The fact that we're compatible doesn't mean we would mate! We're not even dating!"
"Everyone thinks you've mated already," Sakura says and laughs awkwardly. "No one is even surprised, considering how close you are."
Naruto feels the beginnings of a headache hammering his temples. "I mean it, Sakura-chan—we haven't mated. Sasuke's first heat bloomed when he happened to stay at my place. And as an alpha, I took care of him. That's all." He knows his tone is a lot harsher than he planned, but having his fears proven true grates on him.
Sakura doesn't believe him, it's obvious. She still looks almost… offended, which is absolutely ridiculous, considering she has already mated with Ino—so why would she care what Naruto or Sasuke did?
Naruto is just planning on showing his shoulder, free of the mate bite, when they both flinch at a familiar, low voice. "Why in the hell would I mate with that guy?"
Sakura and Naruto turn to look. Sasuke stands there, holding a small plastic bag in his hand—probably holding his suppressants and birth control pills—and he scowls at them both.
"Everyone thinks you already did," Sakura says and the hurt in her voice is there. What the hell? Why does she care? Is she still so bitter that Sasuke didn't return her feelings?
Sasuke's face darkens and then he does what Naruto planned to: he opens his jacket enough to show his bare shoulder to Sakura. "There. You don't see a mate bite, do you? So maybe you shouldn't take part in gossip—if you're able to." Then he adjusts the jacket and storms out, and Naruto hurries after him without even looking at Sakura's direction.
The walk back to Naruto's house is awkward. Neither of them says anything, but now the looks they get have even more meaning—they all think they're mates. That they love each other. That they had mated instantly after Sasuke presenting.
"I'm sorry," Naruto mutters finally. "I shouldn't have come with you. I probably just added fuel to the flame."
"They would've gossiped about it anyway, it doesn't make any difference," Sasuke says, but he sounds tense.
Naruto has never thought about the two of them together like that, but now that Sakura has voiced it, Naruto can't take his mind off it. How it would feel like to actually mate with Sasuke, what their children would look like.
But of course, it's impossible. Naruto suppresses the thought before his scent gives everything away. The last thing he wants is for Sasuke to feel pressured by him.
They go back home and they make lunch together. They chat and Naruto jokes and Sasuke laughs.
When Sasuke doesn't notice, Naruto slips a package into his pack, wrapped in brown paper.
Later, Naruto goes to take a bath. He knows. He knows, but still, when he steps out of the bathroom and the house is empty, it feels like a punch to the stomach.
The sofa has been put together. The sheets are neatly folded.
And Sasuke is gone.The icy wind yanks at Sasuke's cloak, and he pulls the beanie as low as he can to protect his ears. It's snowing heavily, almost storming, and despite the many layers of clothing, Sasuke is freezing.
He trudges through the snow-covered road and regrets in passing that he chose this time of the year to travel, but it's too late to do anything about it now. He just… disappeared from Konoha, without bothering for pleasantries—most of the people would be happy to see him gone anyway.
After what Sasuke heard from Sakura, the only thing he could think of was the need to get out. He had already been in Konoha for too long.
He hates that he feels the same for Naruto at the moment. He thinks about his first heat and how Naruto took care of him patiently, how he never touched Sasuke more than was absolutely necessary. But that's not the part that makes Sasuke feel so annoyed—it's the way he'd instantly latched onto Naruto, taken comfort from him. He had done as his omega had wanted, but it didn't mean he had to like it.
Naruto is Sasuke's best friend, but now it feels different. Now Naruto's scent will always remind Sasuke of his first heat. He would spend all of his future ones thinking about the first, the good experience he had with it.
And he fucking hates the longing that has settled in the pit of his stomach.
Tsunade told him that he might feel confused about his own feelings and sensations for a while, until he and his omega would sync and it would get easier. Otherwise everything is fine with him—his womb is still developing, but it would be safe to be with someone when his next heat would arrive in April (Tsunade's words, not his).
Sasuke is not planning on spending his next heat with anyone.
He would find an inn. And then he would suffer through it. He would not allow another alpha close to him.
It's infuriating, the way Naruto is so sure Sasuke will have difficulties withstanding the alpha commands. Who does he think Sasuke is? He has Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan, he's the most powerful shinobi in the world (in addition to Naruto)—he wouldn't be put down by goddamn command.
Sasuke walks most of the evening, cursing himself again for the timing. He could've waited until morning too! Now it's dark, damn cold, and he's not entirely sure if there'll be any inns nearby to sleep for the night. At some point, he has to stop to take in his surroundings.
The forest around him is dark and eerily quiet, snow falling heavily and obscuring everything from view. Sasuke uses his both eyes to scan the environment, and manages to spot a cave nearby, off the path. He doesn't move his gaze away from it as he walks and finally reaches the mouth of it. The entrance is wide enough that Sasuke can go in without crouching, and after walking a bit, the tunnel opens to a bigger cavern. He's happy to notice that this cave has been used by others—there's a fire pit and some logs and twigs ready. There's nothing to eat, but Sasuke hadn't expected that. He did stock up on necessities before he left, so he has ninja pills as well as easily preservable food. He also has a hare in one of the storage scrolls he hunted earlier.
Sasuke adds some wood to the fire pit and uses fire jutsu to light it. Soon the cave is warm enough that he can reduce his clothing, so he removes his beanie, gloves and cloak. He leaves the jacket for now. He slips his hands inside the pack on his utility belt, the pack that has the essentials he needs to have close by—but what he sees on his hand isn't his storage scroll. It's a parcel wrapped in brown paper.
"What the…" Sasuke mutters as he places the parcel on the cave floor and starts to unwrap it. The cardboard box inside is unassuming, but when he opens it, heat rushes to his face instantly.
Inside the box is another, brightly colored package… of a knotted dildo. Sasuke even notices on the side that it's pale lilac in color. There's also a small tube of lube.
It doesn't require a genius to know who is responsible for the package, and Sasuke almost chokes on his anger as he finds a paper note and folds it open.
If you insist on spending your heats alone, then please. Use this. Otherwise you 'll just make yourself miserable.
The signature is a very messy string of katakana and even a messier doodle of a fish cake.
Sasuke stares at the dildo and the lube, and he's torn between affection and rage. He hates that Naruto slipped it into his pack without him noticing. But… Naruto didn't do that to be mean. He's an alpha, so he has no idea what a heat feels like, and still he had gone through the trouble of buying these and hiding them in Sasuke's pack. Just to ensure that Sasuke's next heat wouldn't be bad.
Sasuke is embarrassed, but he already has a plan on how he can avenge this. He just needs to find a village first.
He takes the package of dildo and the lube out from the cardboard box and saves it for kindling, and stores his gifts in the storage scroll. Then he finally sets about making himself a simple meal before going to sleep.
Sleeping on the cave floor with his cloak as his blanket and his beanie as his pillow isn't ideal, but Sasuke is so exhausted he falls asleep fast anyway.
***
The snowstorm has passed, and everything is covered in white. It takes several minutes for Sasuke to walk through the banks of snow back to the road, and he thanks all the gods for his winter shoes and the thick socks. Just thinking about using his regular sandals in this weather makes his toes curl. The same goes with walking around with his beanie or gloves—how he did all that without them when he was younger he has no idea. Now he can't even think about walking without them in this weather.
Now, though, Sasuke needs to decide what to do. The New Year is soon, so that means most of the inns and hotels in other villages will be packed with people on holiday and celebrating. Sasuke doesn't really even have a plan for what he wants from this journey—other than to see the world himself, without anyone affecting his vision of it.
Since he doesn't have more than that, he decides to visit Tanzaku first. It's the closest village to Konoha, and thanks to its red-light district, he would be perfectly able to buy something to avenge the goddamn dildo.
Thanks to the snow, though, it takes Sasuke most of the day to walk the journey that usually doesn't take nearly as much time. Tanzaku is just as packed with people as he feared, and he feels uncomfortably exposed there. The way he's out now is so different from the past—now, he doesn't look for potential threats or clues about the Akatsuki. Itachi is dead, and all of it is finally over.
Sasuke now sees Tanzaku as everyone else, and it feels very weird to him. It was on these streets that he ran after Naruto, to find him before Itachi did, and ultimately getting beaten up. Sasuke doesn't hold a grudge about it anymore. He understands why his brother did it. He doesn't approve of it, of course—but he understands.
Itachi made a lot of mistakes in the past, but in the end, he admitted to making them.
Sasuke sighs. He walks around the village, decorated with all things festive for New Year's, until he comes across a shop that sells toys and equipment for alpha and omega. It's not a sex shop, not really—its purpose is to help omegas and alphas handle their heats and ruts.
He still doesn't want to be seen shopping there, so he masks his appearance with a simple genjutsu. He doesn't need to bother with proper transformation, since his eyes are more than capable of fooling regular people.
Sasuke goes inside and is instantly overwhelmed with the variety of equipment for both omegas and alphas. There are so many different variations of dildos (knotted and otherwise) that he could never make a decision between them. Some of the stuff he sees doesn't make any sense to him. What would be good enough to send back to Konoha? What would be embarrassing for Naruto to get?
It's soon obvious that Sasuke is out of his depth, so he is left with no other choice than to ask for help. He hates it, but manages to find something he knows will make Naruto sputter. It's ridiculously expensive, but Sasuke doesn't care about that—with the wealth he inherited from his clan, he's more than able to buy whatever he wants.
With the purchase done, Sasuke asks it to be wrapped in unassuming paper, and then he leaves the shop to find a post office. It's full to bursting with people, but Sasuke is in no hurry, so he sighs and prepares to wait. Once it's his turn, he buys a separate box for the package and motioning to his missing arm, the post office worker packs it for him. Sasuke takes a piece of paper, writes a note on it and adds it inside, and then it's done.
He won't be there seeing Naruto's reaction, but he's bound to hear from it, if he ever decides to return to Konoha. He doesn't want to think about it now, though.
Sasuke steps out of the post office and lets go of the illusion. He wanders around Tanzaku, unable to decide where he would go to have dinner, when someone calls his name and someone glomps him hard enough that he almost tumbles to the snowy ground.
"What the—Karin?" Sasuke rasps after noticing the bright red hair. It's not the only thing, though; Karin's alpha scent overpowers him, the ocean, perfume and something similar to Naruto—so probably a twinge of Uzumaki chakra.
"It's been so long! You didn't even come to visit us!" Karin shouts at him and then, mercifully, lets him go. It's only then she actually sniffs the air and her eyes go wide behind her glasses. "Wait—you've presented? Since when?"
"A few days ago," Sasuke says awkwardly. He notices Suigetsu and Jugo then. "Hey, guys."
"You're so different from the Sasuke I got to know," Suigetsu says, shaking his head. "This change is giving me a damn whiplash." For some reason he hasn't dressed for the cold like the others, but maybe he doesn't feel the cold the same way since snow is just frozen water and Suigetsu is, well, water.
Jugo is bundled inside his cloak, his hood up, and he nods to Sasuke. "Are you okay?" he asks.
Sasuke gives him a generic answer while trying not to trigger a headache with the onslaught of new scents. Jugo's scent is thick and rich, heavy from his condition, but Sasuke also smells forest and earth from him. Suigetsu doesn't smell like anything. All three of them had already presented when Sasuke had gathered this group—Karin and Jugo are alpha, and Suigetsu is a beta.
"Wait, Sasuke presented?" Suigetsu says as he looks at Karin. "What does he smell like?"
"That's not a question you ask from an omega! Or an alpha, for that matter!" Karin snaps and smacks Suigetsu on the back of his head.
So their relationship hasn't changed at all, apparently.
"I'm an omega, yeah," Sasuke replies to Suigetsu's unspoken question.
"Why aren't you with Naruto, then?" Suigetsu asks. "He's an alpha, isn't he—?"
"He is, and that doesn't mean I would mate with him," Sasuke snarls. What the fuck is wrong with people? Why do they keep insisting on it?
"You were with him when you went into your first heat, weren't you?" Karin says matter-of-factly. "I can smell it."
This is peachy. Sasuke doesn't bother to respond, instead he turns and decides to leave the Land of Fire altogether, if all even his friends can mention is mating Naruto.
Sasuke still doesn't mind being an omega, but he does have issues with the way people perceive him because of that. The second he presents as the fertile, more delicate omega, all everyone sees is him mating and getting bred.
It makes Sasuke unreasonably angry, because being an omega isn't only that. He can still be a lethal shinobi despite his heats.
He doesn't make it far when he stops—and sure enough, all three of them have run after him.
"Karin and Suigetsu are sorry that they made assumptions," Jugo says helpfully.
"Just because I'm an omega doesn't give you the chance to start treating me differently," Sasuke says with a scowl. "I thought we were better friends than that."
"Well, we haven't actually been friends," Suigetsu points out. "We were just your teammates. On your quest to… whatever it was in the end."
He… has a point. Sasuke grits his teeth and moves his eyes away. Before he didn't see the three of them as his friends—only as a means to an end, to help him reach his goals.
And yet… here they all are, even though they have no reason to. Other than…
"We are your friends, Sasuke," Karin says seriously. "If you just… allow us to be."
Sasuke doesn't know what to say to that. He feels embarrassed, again. Everything is a mess—his new life, and he has to sort out all these new feelings and sensations of being an omega.
He thinks about Naruto and regrets he left.
But maybe the distance is good for a while. That's what he tells himself as he agrees to have dinner with Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo, and accepts their offer to have a place to stay.
Sasuke still can't fully shake the memory of Naruto's scent.