It was past midnight when they finally finished. Stacks of completed forms sat neatly on the corner of the desk, labels arranged, every pen capped and aligned.

Naruto stretched, arms above his head, groaning softly. "Done. I think my brain’s about to explode."

Sasuke looked over from his seat, exhaustion written in every line of his face. "You complain too much."

Naruto smirked, leaning against the edge of the table. "Yeah, but you’re not complaining about me being here anymore. Progress, right?"

Sasuke didn’t reply. Instead, he looked down at the papers, the lamplight casting soft shadows across his features. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than usual. "You didn’t have to stay."

Naruto shrugged. "I wanted to."

That simple answer hung in the air. No teasing, no grin — just honesty.

Sasuke’s pen stopped tapping. For a long moment, he didn’t look up. Then, softly — almost too soft — he said, "…Thanks."

Naruto blinked, pretending not to react too much, though his chest warmed instantly. "Whoa. Did you just say—"

"Don’t push it."

Naruto laughed under his breath, leaning closer, eyes glinting with something gentle. "You know, that’s the first time you’ve ever thanked me."

Sasuke finally looked at him — really looked at him. The dim light softened Naruto’s face, his eyes steady and kind, with that same warmth that always disarmed him. "Maybe you finally did something worth thanking."

Naruto grinned. "Then I’ll just have to keep doing it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but the faintest smile curved his lips — a small, unguarded expression that Naruto caught and stored somewhere deep inside.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t heavy anymore — it was easy, calm. Outside, the rain had stopped.

Naruto glanced at the clock and then at Sasuke, whose head was now leaning slightly against his hand, eyes half-lidded. "You should get some sleep, senpai."

Sasuke murmured without opening his eyes, "You talk too much.."

Naruto chuckled softly. "And yet, you never tell me to leave."

Sasuke didn’t answer. But he didn’t move away either.

The lamp flickered once, and in that quiet, Naruto whispered, almost to himself, "You’re really not as cold as you pretend to be, you know."