Chapter Text
Sasuke Uchiha tried to steady his nerves as he walked up to the front door of the luxury beachside villa on the west coast of the Big Island.
The bright Hawaiian sunshine bathed Sasuke in comforting warmth as he approached Naruto Uzumaki’s villa. He drew in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the sweet fragrance of hibiscus that blossomed in vibrant clusters along the perfectly manicured yard. The property exuded exclusivity and attention to detail, with each flower bed carefully maintained and the lawns trimmed to perfection.
Everyone on the island knew the name Naruto Uzumaki. He was more than just a local celebrity—he was a millionaire, a successful entrepreneur, and a world extreme surfing champion. His reputation preceded him, a legend whose accomplishments were as impressive as his public image. Even the architecture of his home echoed this status: the enormous two-storey structure, constructed of gleaming glass and solid concrete, stood tall and imposing. The massive koa wood door, polished to a high sheen, added to the sense of grandeur. It wasn’t just a house; it was a statement, intimidating in both scale and opulence, and it seemed to tower over Sasuke, making him feel small in comparison.
Sasuke tried not to feel a pang of envy. He couldn't afford to rent a single room in a house like this, much less own one. Not so for Naruto Uzumaki, gorgeous and wealthy, who ranked three years running as Hawaii's most eligible bachelor in the local magazine, beating out even legendary rock stars who had taken up residence on Kauai. It was no wonder he was nervous. But he wasn't a groupie, he reminded himself. Sasuke was here on a mission.
He rang the bell and waited, his hands damp as they gripped the handle of the bag containing the thank you gifts he had prepared: two handcrafted aromatherapy candles and several crayon drawings completed by his four-year-old son, Akari. Included was a gift certificate for a complimentary Tai Chi session—an offering Sasuke doubted Naruto would utilize, but given his limited financial resources, the lessons he could provide were among the few contributions available to him.
Sasuke briefly considered leaving the package on the doorstep, mindful that the candles might melt in the afternoon heat. Ultimately, he chose to present the gifts in person, believing a direct expression of gratitude to Naruto was warranted. This intention also explained why he elected not to send the items by mail.
He glanced at his reflection in the glass door.
Sasuke took particular care to keep his pale skin immaculate, a habit ingrained in him from childhood. He was meticulous about applying sunscreen, often in greater quantities than most would consider necessary, and had always avoided direct sunlight as though it were dangerous. His mother, originally from Kyoto, had insisted upon this routine long before the widespread understanding of SPF and its protective benefits became common knowledge.
That morning, Sasuke had come straight from home, dressed for his upcoming shift as a personal trainer at the large local gym. His attire was practical and professional—yoga capris, soft shoes, and a fitted athletic tank top. He had also pinned his dark hair away from his forehead to keep it neat and out of his eyes during sessions. Now, standing in the impressive shadow cast by Naruto’s villa, Sasuke was acutely aware of how casual his outfit seemed. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was underdressed for the occasion. Then again, he mused, what did one wear when expressing gratitude to the man who had saved their child’s life?
This week marked the year anniversary of the tsunami that had nearly drowned Akari. If it hadn't been for Naruto Uzumaki, his precious boy would've died.
Sasuke would never forget that morning. Sasuke had dropped Akari off at daycare as usual, but then, when he was already at work, on the tenth floor gym of a high rise, the earthquake hit, the tsunami came ashore, wrecking much of the western shoreline, and he got the worst news a parent could receive: his boy had never made it to the evacuation centre. He was missing.
Then, after a horrible day of waiting, he got a message on his only social media account: friends of Naruto Uzumaki were trying to reach him. Naruto had broken his leg saving his son, and they were both in the hospital. Akari, thankfully, had only scratches.
Thanks to Naruto.
Sasuke's heart clenched painfully whenever he recalled that dreadful day—the overwhelming terror and icy panic that washed over him when the daycare centre informed him that Akari was missing. For Sasuke, his son was everything; Akari was his entire world. The young father had been only nineteen years old when Akari was born, barely out of adolescence himself.
Akari’s arrival was not planned. He had been the result of a reckless moment—a lapse in judgement fuelled by too many drinks and Sasuke’s ongoing journey to understand his sexuality. It all happened quickly: a professional cheerleader, drawn to Sasuke’s appearance, was visiting the island for the Pro Bowl. Their encounter was brief and chaotic, a blur of lights, alcohol, and the back of a bus. Sasuke could hardly remember the details and had initially intended to forget the whole event, dismissing it from his life entirely.
Until months later, he received a call and learned of how he was going to be a father. But a professional cheerleader had no time to be a mother, wanted nothing to do with Akari and quickly signed away her parental rights.
Sasuke never fought for support. He wasn't going to beg anyone for anything. He didn't like the idea of being indebted to anyone, for any reason.
Which was why, as grateful as he was to Naruto, he hated the feeling that he felt he owed the surfer. One way or another, he was going to find a way to pay that debt. Right now the only thing he could think to do was honour Naruto on every anniversary of that tsunami.
Sasuke insisted to himself that his fascination with the renowned surfer was purely circumstantial, unrelated to the fact that Naruto possessed a physique and dazzling smile worthy of a Calvin Klein underwear campaign. He tried to convince himself his interest had nothing to do with the way Naruto’s body seemed sculpted by years of athletic discipline, nor the effortless confidence in his grin. Likewise, Sasuke reminded himself that Naruto’s wealth—amassed from a string of lucrative sponsorship deals and endorsements—had no bearing on his thoughts. It was only natural, he reasoned, to be momentarily distracted in the presence of someone whose achievements and lifestyle were so far removed from his own.
He rang the bell once more and, unable to help himself, stole a glance through the expansive wall of glass windows that lined the front of the house. All that greeted his gaze was tasteful granite countertops, smooth finished wood, and floors polished to a gleam. Was that a lanai out back? The open-concept living room, completely unencumbered by walls, sprawled out in a way that dwarfed his entire condo back home. Beyond it, Sasuke caught sight of a glistening mirrored pool, its surface so perfectly still and reflective that it seemed to cascade seamlessly into the endless blue of the ocean beyond. He blinked rapidly, trying to process the sheer beauty and scale of it all, and forced himself not to press his nose up against the pristine glass. This might very well be the most beautiful house he had ever set eyes on.
He saw movement inside and held his breath.
Was Naruto going to answer the door? Or was he too rich for that? Was there a butler? His stomach lurched. He didn't know why he cared. As a single parent, he didn't have time to date. He barely had time to sleep.
He heard the door lock click and the knob turn. Naruto stood there, shirtless, clad only in swim trunks.
For a moment, Sasuke’s mind went utterly blank. Any semblance of composure or carefully rehearsed lines evaporated as he took in the sight before him. The words he’d meant to say dissolved on his tongue, leaving him unable to speak. All that filled his thoughts was the overwhelming impression of height and strength—Naruto was so tall, so broad-chested. His gaze travelled helplessly over endless expanses of sun-bronzed skin, every inch sculpted with muscle, not a trace of softness anywhere. Sasuke tried to swallow, but his throat refused to cooperate. Naruto’s sheer presence—his size, his height, the power in his form—left Sasuke momentarily speechless.
Big muscles. Big, big muscles.
Sasuke felt as if he'd devolved instantly into a caveman.
Big muscles. Me like.
The last time he'd seen Naruto, he'd been recovering in a hospital bed, fully clothed, his hurt leg in traction. He'd been tanned and attractive, sure, but clothed. That fierce six pack had been safely tucked away under a white hospital gown.
Sasuke caught himself staring at Naruto’s tanned, perfectly sculpted abs, unable to look away. His fingers twitched with the urge to reach out and touch the firm definition, wondering how Naruto had achieved such remarkable physique. Although Sasuke worked at a gym and saw impressive bodies every day, the sight of Naruto’s abs left him genuinely stumped, marvelling at the sheer quality of muscle before him.
He also realized that Naruto was much taller than he remembered. Standing close, Sasuke found his own eyes were at the level of Naruto’s broad chest—an undeniably impressive chest that only added to his sense of awe. The surfer’s physical presence was overwhelming, making Sasuke acutely aware of both the difference in stature and the extraordinary athletic build before him.
Full lips curled up in an amused smile. "May I… help you?"
Oh, yes. Yes, you can.
Sasuke immediately felt his face flush a vivid tomato red. He was rarely this bold—even in his own imagination. Typically, he didn't behave like a lovesick teenager, chasing after dates or letting his emotions get the better of him. Yet, in this moment, he found himself almost gasping for air, unable to control the rapid pulse of attraction. What was happening to him? It was as if he had never encountered a handsome man without a shirt before, and the sight of Naruto left him reeling, his self-control slipping away.
Get a grip, Sasuke.
All those meatheads at the gym should've long since inoculated him against the power of the male form.
And yet… clearly they hadn't.
"I...uh..." Why couldn't his mind form words any longer? Sasuke felt as though he'd been hit on the head. Could a person get a concussion from close proximity to Hawaii's hottest and richest bachelor? Naruto probably got this all the time: men and women who lost the ability to speak in his presence.
"Yes?" Naruto asked politely. With great effort, Sasuke pulled his attention away from the surfer’s physique and tried to focus on his face.
Sasuke quickly realised his initial mistake. While Naruto’s tanned chest was undeniably captivating, it was his face that proved even more distracting. Every feature was precisely defined—his eyes were a striking crystal blue, intelligent and clear, framed by eyebrows that hinted at both expressiveness and playful mischief. Naruto’s mouth was undeniably sensual, and the subtle stubble across his strong, square jaw only added to his allure.
Leaning casually against the doorframe, Naruto let his broad, muscular shoulders slump as he crossed his arms over his chest. He waited patiently, his posture relaxed yet commanding, leaving Sasuke with no choice but to break the silence and say something.
Why wasn't his mouth working?
"Hi..."
Say your name. Your name.
"Sasuke."
"Sauce-skee?"
This was going even worse than he'd feared.
"No. Just Sasuke." Heat flared up the back of his neck. "Uh... Sasuke Uchiha. I..."
Naruto's face showed zero recognition. He felt a little pinch in his chest. It had been a year since he'd seen the surfer and he didn't have Akari with him, and yet, somehow, he'd been hoping Naruto would remember him.
"Maybe you'd like to come in? Get out of the sun?" Naruto offered, looking concerned.
Yes, because clearly he was acting like a sunstroke victim.
Sasuke just bobbed his head and stepped inside the cool interior, entering a masterfully designed living room that seamlessly opened onto a sprawling terrace. The massive lanai he had glimpsed from the window was even more impressive up close, offering an invitation to explore its vastness. Cushioned couches were arranged throughout the open space, providing both comfort and elegance. A small wooden footbridge arched gracefully over a koi pond, connecting the living room to the patio that bordered a gleaming, glassy square pool. Beyond the pool, the view stretched endlessly, revealing miles upon miles of pristine blue Pacific Ocean.
None of this helped Sasuke's composure. He felt as though he might hyperventilate, overwhelmed by the sheer luxury and beauty surrounding him. He couldn't decide which was more alluring: the blond's stunning home or his equally captivating physique.
"So, Sasuke, how can I help you?"
"We met last year?" Sasuke said, now distracted by expensive furniture and what had to be an 18 million dollar view. At least. Eighteen, maybe even twenty.
"Last year?" Naruto scoffed a little, staring at him blankly. Then blue eyes studied him, his eyes giving the raven’s hair body a slow, appreciative sweep. "Uh... did we..?" He trailed off.
Sasuke wondered if Naruto thought they had hooked up? Nah, no way he swings that way he quickly thought to himself.
"Oh, no. I mean, no, we didn't." Now his neck felt as if it were on fire. Even his ears burned. Not that I wouldn't go for that. Right here on this gleaming wood floor. "We met at the hospital."
Naruto's face darkened, the playfulness instantly disappearing. "The hospital," he repeated.
The tsunami had been life changing for him and Akari, but for Naruto, clearly it hadn't made much of an impression at all. And, he understood with sharp disappointment, neither had he.
"I'm... uh… Akari's dad."
Naruto furrowed his brow as if trying to remember. "Akari?"
"Naruto?" A woman's voice called from one of the hallways.
"Oh, uh...one minute." Naruto turned toward the voice, moving away from the rich koawood table in his living room.
"Naruto? Everything okay?" The woman's voice drifted in from a back room, and as Sasuke turned, he saw a tall blonde, wearing nothing but a man's white button down shirt with the bottom three buttons done up, long tanned legs on display and her ample, gravity defying cleavage showing. Her mascara had seeped into dark rings around her eyes, but given her half naked state, Sasuke doubted anybody else noticed. The woman clearly didn't care about anyone seeing her either, as she moved closer to Naruto and the door. Of course a mansion like this would have an accessory like that: a gorgeous model type ready to serve the owner's every whim.
As Naruto responded, "Sorry, sweetheart, just give me a minute," the half-naked blonde moved closer, pressing herself against him for a kiss. Her hands rested on his impressive chest, exactly where Sasuke, if given the chance, would have placed his own—right in the centre of Naruto’s sternum. Sasuke’s gaze lingered, imagining his hand tracing the ridges of Naruto’s abs, and he was suddenly overcome by a searing wave of envy.
"But today's our last day on the island!" the woman said, jutting her lower lip out in a pout.
Great, a tourist, too! Figures.
"Babe?" Another woman emerged from somewhere in the house. Sasuke moved a little and saw a glimpse of stainless steel, granite and an ornate minitiled backsplash, all slate gray and white. This woman wore a bikini and held a fruity drink in her hand. "We're out of ice."
Sasuke nearly barked out a harsh laugh. Now it had gone from uncomfortable to downright ludicrous. He'd assumed someone as gorgeous and rich as Naruto wouldn't be single, but two women at once?
Was it the playboy mansion here? It was the cold, brisk wakeup call he needed.
He’d been in some kind of daze, drawn in by the power of Naruto’s charisma, but now he snapped to attention. Every fibre in his all-organic, holistic, yoga-loving body rebelled against the scene. The excess of sensuality and indulgence was overwhelming, and he suddenly realized that there truly was such a thing as too much sex.
The memory of his graduate paper on Qigong, the study of meditation and healing, lingered in his mind, reminding him of the importance of balance and moderation. Sasuke had explored these concepts deeply, recognizing how vital it was to maintain one’s energy and not let it be depleted by reckless behaviour. Now, confronted with the reality before him, those lessons resonated more than ever, urging him to reassess the situation and his place within it.
You gave away too much of your Chi during sex, and then you didn't have enough energy left over for anything else. Naruto looked as if he barely had enough energy to hold open his front door. Obviously these women had spent all night draining the man of his… Chi.
Sasuke didn't need any ancient Chinese alternative medicine theories to tell him that Naruto was on the wrong path. And that if he got involved with him, he'd be, too. The realization made him feel a little bit better somehow.
You couldn't get with him anyway, but even if you did, would you want to be one more through a revolving door?
The two women closed ranks around Naruto. The other came up and slid her hand through the crook of his free arm. Both women eyed Sasuke with interest, as if trying to surmise if they needed to defend their territory.
"I'm going to go," Sasuke said, wanting to get out of there, fast.
What did you expect? A red carpet welcome?
Why would Naruto remember you, when he's got beautiful women falling at his feet?
It hit him that for the past year he'd been idolizing the blond a little bit, making him out to be the kind of selfless hero who only existed in novels and movies and comic books. Naruto was just a man.
Belatedly, he remembered he was still holding the thank you gift. It seemed so childish now, so inconsequential. What had he been thinking?
The man had everything he could possibly want.
"It's been a year, but I just wanted to…..uh, thank you. For Akari." He thrust the bag at Naruto as if it were a hot potato and bolted for the front door.
He'd been planning a whole speech, but at this point, he didn't care about it at all. Naruto stared at the bag, puzzled, as he nearly tripped over the two steps leading to the door. But he swung open the door and was outside, then hurried toward his old used hatchback, an ancient car that ran only by his sheer will and his mechanic cousin's generosity. It looked like such an eyesore there at the edge of the beautiful lawn.
"Sasuke!" He turned at the sound of his voice to see Naruto running after him, barefoot in his swim trunks. He tried not to notice tanned muscled calves at work. "Wait."
He hesitated, car keys in hand.
"How's Akari?"
As Sasuke stood there, he realized that Naruto did remember Akari. The boy’s injuries from the tsunami—those small scrapes and scratches—had healed long ago, but the emotional wounds were far deeper. Even now, Akari continued to wake up screaming in the night, plagued by nightmares that refused to fade. His fear of water had persisted, and he steadfastly refused to swim since that harrowing day. Sasuke couldn’t fault him for that; the trauma had left a lasting mark.
Despite these hardships, Sasuke glanced at Naruto, noting the kindness in his eyes. Yet, when he looked back at the women waiting impatiently on the porch, he felt a sense of disconnect. Sasuke found himself unable to share Akari’s struggles. Why would Naruto care, after all? He seemed to be living life without a care, surrounded by people and indulgence, enjoying every moment.
"He's good," he said, which was 80 percent truth. "He talks about you all the time. He really wanted to come see you..."
Naruto glanced back and for a split second looked embarrassed. That was something.
"Oh, right. But I'm… well, not G-rated." He grinned sheepishly, as if half naked women were just the price he paid for being… him. Maybe that was true. "I'll straighten out my act sometime. I just don't know how."
"You could change that," Sasuke said, his tone sharper than he intended. The words cut through the air, catching Naruto off guard. For a moment, surprise flickered across the blond surfer's face; it was clear he wasn't accustomed to being spoken to so bluntly. Sasuke, however, had reached his limit. He had no patience for self-pity, not even the faintest trace of it.
To Sasuke, self-pity was nothing more than a selfish, useless waste of time. He believed that dwelling on one's misfortunes only served to keep a person stuck, preventing them from moving forward or making real change. His sharp retort reflected his conviction—Naruto had the power to change his circumstances if he truly wanted to, but wallowing would get him nowhere.
He thought about all the days he could've wallowed after Akari's mom abandoned their child, the endless time raising a child alone or the time his own mother died. But he hadn't. He had things to do, a son to raise. Naruto needed a good shake. His tiger mom would've agreed if she'd still been alive.
"Well, I've got to go." Sasuke turned the keys in his hand
"Uh... wait. Maybe you could bring Akari around sometime? I'd love to see him."
"No," he said before he could even think about it, imagining an orgy of alcohol and sex and half naked tourists.
"No?" Naruto looked taken aback by his flat refusal.
Sasuke got the impression people didn't tell Naruto no very often.
"Just no? Come on, at least pretend to consider it!"
Naruto flashed a dazzling white smile, his warmth evident in the striking blue eyes that had lingered in Sasuke’s thoughts throughout the past year. As Naruto reached out and gently touched Sasuke’s arm, an electric jolt coursed through him, nearly knocking him off balance. In that fleeting moment, Sasuke felt himself unconsciously leaning toward the blond, drawn by a force he could hardly resist.
He looked down at Naruto’s hand, wondering what it might feel like resting on the small of his back, drawing him close for a kiss. When Sasuke glanced up again, he found Naruto’s blue eyes fixed on him, holding his gaze longer than was necessary. All Sasuke wanted, in that instant, was to lose himself in those eyes, to sink into their depths and forget everything else.
That was before Sasuke's brain kicked in again.
What was he doing? Pining over a man who plainly had more women in his life than he could handle and obviously wasn’t gay? He wasn't going to throw himself on top of the pile.
"I mean, it's not a good idea." Akari already hero worshipped Naruto. He didn't need to learn the fine art of being a heavily partying bachelor at age four.
Naruto looked at him intently. It was as if he could sense Sasuke’s inner conflict, as if he knew he was struggling to keep control, as if by grasping his arm, feeling his pulse tick up.
"Naruto!" called one of the women from his front stoop. "Naruto, we're hungry!"
"You'd better go," Sasuke managed.
"Sasuke, wait..." But Sasuke ducked into his car and turned over the ignition. He drove off, not looking back.