Disclaimer: You all know this part; it's mostly out of courtesy. I don't own Naruto and I am ever grateful to Kishimoto for creating it. He's a cool dude.
Couples: Naruto/Sasuke (Sub: Neji/Gaara.)
Rated: M (as in Mature, yaoi, boyxboy smex etc.)
Please note: In this story they do not practise the use of condoms. Thankfully, they are fictional characters and so need not worry about sexually transmitted diseases, you, little children, do have to worry. So please practice safe sex.
A/N1: Originally, this was intended as a short, cute little ficcie of about 15 pages. When I hit 30 I realised it had gotten away from me rather spectacularly. As such, I divided it into two parts to make a lovely little two-shot. More on the update at the end:)
A/N2: I had a lot of fun writing this one. Sasuke gets to be a bitch (which is canon, if you think otherwise you haven't read the same manga I have) but still quite likeable as time passes I think. Gaara gets to be a crazed psychopath yet still function in society, and I just love him in this story. I also finally had the opportunity to make Gaara and Sasuke good friends, something I have long wanted. To top it off it is quite light-hearted, the polar opposite of my 'Objects in the rearview mirror'. So have fun little kiddies!
Carousel
By: DaughterofDespair
"…so we said we'll all meet up at the festival", Ino said, her voice alive with excitement, "I want all of you to meet him!"
"And I can meet his handsome friend again", giggled Sakura. The two girls were significantly more thrilled at the prospect than the three boys on the other side of the table. Shikamaru looked ready to fall asleep at any moment, Chouji was too busy munching down his lunch to listen and Sasuke tried to keep his face from revealing the icy sensation of dread assaulting his limbs.
"Mm, Naruto is so your type isn't he?" Ino said, smiling devilishly at Sakura. "Though", she added with a small laugh, "he's everyone's type. You know, if I hadn't met Sai first…"
"Don't even think about it!" Sakura interrupted. She grinned widely and proclaimed: "I've got dibs. Naruto is mine."
Sasuke felt nauseous. Somewhere in his mind he was furious, but he couldn't seem to feel it through the massive train-wreck that had, until a few short minutes ago, been his life.
'Oh god', he thought, 'how did I ever get myself into this mess?'
To find the answer we have to turn the clock back a few months, to an unusually warm and early spring that gripped Konoha at the end of February. March saw days of bright sunshine and blossoms –days kind enough to allow students like Sasuke to stray outside to do their homework. And on just such a day, his slow descent into catastrophe began.
Back then Uchiha Sasuke was a boy of seventeen attending second year of a public high school. He had a few, select friends there to pass the time with and his parents –though sometimes strict –loved their children as any parent would. In other words: he led a pleasantly ordinary life.
His group of friends had been created in middle-school when Sakura had fallen helplessly in love with Sasuke. It was the manner of obsessive knowledge-lacking love which only a preadolescent girl could manage and the ripples of it caused an unlikely scenario. Before Sakura's sudden interest in Sasuke the two girls had only socialised with Ino's childhood friends –Chouji and Shikamaru –if they had no choice. Sasuke, on the other hand, had been quite anti-social towards everyone except Shikamaru, who was both intelligent and quiet enough to pass the friendship bar for the young Uchiha. As Sakura swooned over Sasuke, however, the girls started hanging around the other boys to simply to increase the number of 'accidental encounters' between Sakura and Sasuke.
The romance had ended before it began when Sasuke informed the girl that he had no interest in dating. Their temporary group had persisted, though, and by the beginning of high school all five of them were used to each other's company. Even Sasuke had grown to like everyone in the group; Shikamaru's lazy brilliance, Chouji's endless appetite, Ino's gossip-frenzies and Sakura's violent temperament. Ino and Sakura could, however, be tiring at times –especially when certain topics were being discussed.
Though many thought that Sakura was dim –mostly due to her bubblegum-pink hair –she was normally both logical and intelligent. Ino too was far from daft, though she considered hair, clothes, nails and rumours more important than the coursework. But there was one subject that seemed to empty their minds of any substantial matter: boys.
The discussions on boys, dating, dances and by-the-locker romance was endlessly regenerating –much to the annoyance of the boys in their small group. Every so often they too would be dragged into the illogical mess of subjects; Shikamaru's suspicious behaviour was surely a sign that he had met an older woman, Chouji's furious blushing in math was definitely due to a supposed crush on the girl from 2-C and Sasuke's disinterest in anything even close to dating was absolutely because he had a long-lasting unrequited love for a girl who had been his neighbour as a child. In all fairness they were probably right about Chouji, but their insistence on trying to read the minds and moods of himself and Shikamaru irritated Sasuke more for each passing day.
This particular mid-march afternoon found them eating a late lunch in the cafeteria of Konoha Public High. Ino and Sakura were once more in the process of analysing their prospects of getting a hot date for the spring dance and the boys were, as always, ignoring them.
"No, no, no. He's had that thing for Rin from 1-A", Ino was telling her pink-haired accomplice, "besides, boys our age are too immature, I say we try to hook some seniors. Abumi has been really talkative towards me lately; I think he might ask me." Sasuke disinterestedly poked at a potato on his plate with his fork.
"Are you asking someone, Sasuke?" Sakura inquired, interrupting his decent into absolute boredom. The girls both looked at him, interest shining in their eyes.
"No." He replied, trying to enforce through the word how very little he wished to talk about the dance. Truth be told, Sasuke really was disinterested in dating. To such an amount that he had never felt more than a slight attraction to another person. Sure, he could appreciate beauty or appeal and he could like someone's personality; but he had never felt lust strong enough to initiate anything physical, and he had most certainly never fallen in love. The whole concept was alien to him, and he had half a mind that it did not actually exist –that everyone in the world simply fooled themselves to believe that they wanted to tumble around between the sheets or cry for weeks over a lost love. Like one gigantic placebo-effect which had begun thousands of years ago and outlived all obstacles, noticed only by the logically coherent such as him and never exposed to the general public.
"Oh come on, Sasuke!" Ino complained. "Stop being such a prude! You must have someone you like. Just tell us and we'll help you!" Sakura nodded vigorously.
"And even if you don't", she said, flicking a pink strand away from her face, "we'll find you a good date. It's about time you came out of your shell." Sasuke felt his mood darken further, irritation sizzling in his limbs, a small spark away from flaring up into anger.
"Yes!" Ino persisted, oblivious to his waning tolerance. "You're so unsociable. I know lots of girls who would love to go out with you, why don't you just let us set up your date for the dance and you don't have to do-"
"No!" Sasuke interrupted, his voice carried several tables across causing a lull in conversation in the area around them. "I don't want you to set me up and I don't want a date to the dance, and I think I speak for all three of us-", he waved at Chouji and Shikamaru who were both watching intently "-when I say that I am bored stiff with your endless chattering about it. Everyone is not mindless, gossiping romance-junkies with a secret wish to be in an American teenage movie, so do us all a favour and shut up." He rose from the table. Though the lunch on his tray was less than half-eaten he was no longer hungry. He tossed it in the trash on his way out, still fuming.
He didn't calm down until he had exited the school and could breathe fresh spring air. As his head cooled the anger morphed into shame, weighing heavily on his conscious. Ino and Sakura hadn't deserved that kind of attack, and it was hardly their fault he was in a bad mood and that they had unknowingly touched a nerve. Talk of dating always put him on edge and to make matters worse he had been frustrated all day. His brother was home for the weekend –apparently his Thursday and Friday lessons had been cancelled –and that always managed to shorten his fuse substantially. It wasn't that he disliked his brother, in fact he loved him more than he loved his parents, but Itachi was just so damn… smug. Always better than Sasuke at everything –school, sports, socialising –and always quick to make Sasuke aware of just how inferior and naïve he truly was. He rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. He would have to apologise to the girls later, and he had one more class before school ended for the day, but he couldn't bring himself to face it. Instead, he fished his phone out of his pocked and texted his oldest friend.
Sabaku Gaara and Sasuke had known each-other since they were toddlers. They were both the youngest child of a respectable family; Sasuke's parents were doctors and Gaara's father was a well-trusted politician. Both of them had also grown up in the lurking shadow of their respective families. Sasuke had never truly lived up to the expectations his brother had set for him, and though Gaara's older siblings –Temari, a good friend of Itachi's of the same age, and Kankuro who was three years their senior –were hardly prodigies they had yet to end up in any great trouble –unlike Gaara. He had been born to an upstanding politician and looked much like his father, but they had never been on good terms. Temari said that it was because they were too much alike, but that was no more than a feeble try to cover up the truth. Gaara's father hated him for causing the death of his wife, who died during childbirth, and Gaara in turn had grown to despise his father for the cold treatment he had received all his life.
Gaara had grown up to be an intelligent, quiet and violent young man –in many ways an even stranger and more secluded version of Sasuke. The two of them had always been close, though, and he was the closest Sasuke had ever come to trusting someone completely. Nowadays they didn't meet as often, but still saw one another a few times a week or, like now, when one of them sought refuge from the idiocy of the world.
During middle school Gaara had finally snapped and arranged a lengthy hospital-stay for three unsuspecting youths. The incident had been the end of Gaara's father's patience and the young Sabaku had been forced to see a therapist as well as stop attending public school. These days he read his coursework online, at home, and still attended therapy once a week as far as Sasuke was aware. His temper had improved since, though it was still unwise to bother him purposelessly. The youngest Uchiha enjoyed his company more than anyone else's, partly because they knew one another inside-out, and partly because Gaara's combo of crimson hair, forehead tattoo, dark eyeliner, pierced eyebrow and permanent scowl made people keep their distance, and insured peaceful calm in his surroundings.
So Sasuke went by his locker to pick up his bag and then left towards the park he had named as their meeting place. Skipping a class didn't really bother him, and they were meeting up to study anyhow –something he did much better in the warm sun of early spring than in a dusty old classroom. It didn't take him more than twenty minutes to arrive at the green lawn of Hokage Park. The trees were sporting minty-green leaves and the grass was besieged by children, adults and students all the way from the street to the lake below. Sasuke spotted the tree under which he and Gaara usually sat when they visited this particular park, a large oak by the shore of the lake some way from the common area. With his sights set on the tree he trudged across the lawn, passing the football field where some people were in the middle of a friendly game.
Sasuke wasn't exactly bad at sports, but he found no interest in it –as a matter of fact, he found it blindingly dull. Had he been a tad more fascinated by it then he would never have started his descent into catastrophe. Had he thought it worthy of a glance as he passed the field he would have easily avoided the accident that came to be the change of his monotonous existence. But he didn't look, and he was so far into his own mind that he took no notice of the ball that went awry and came hurtling in his direction. All that he registered was a sudden thud as his head snapped to the side. His unfocused eyes registered the black and white blur that rolled to a halt at his feet.
"Hey!"
His eyes slowly regained their sharpness and he could distinguish the ball on the ground, but his head still ached from the impact. He probably didn't have a concussion, though that was a small comfort when his skull felt like it had been battered by a hammer.
"Hey! Oi!"
He slowly bent down, picking the ball up and studying it. The pieces slowly fell into place in his throbbing cranium: someone had kicked a ball at his head. The agonising pain fuelled this thought into anger. Bloody perfect! His brother was home, waiting to tell him how much he had to learn about life, he had yelled at his friends for no real reason and now somebody had tried to crush his head with a football! Fury simmered in his blood, white-hot anger flashing in bursts from his injury.
"Hey!" Sasuke's head snapped around in the direction of the noise, his eyes dark with malice. The caller was only a few metres away, jogging towards him. His clothing –a t-shirt and shorts –as well as the sheen of sweat on his skin exposed him as one of the players, in all probability the kicker. Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously as the stranger came to a halt in front of him. His abdomen burned with anger and… something he couldn't quite put his finger on as he took in the form of the man in front of him. He looked to be a few years older than Sasuke, maybe 20 or 21, with tanned skin and a strong build. His muscles looked like those of a sportsman, suited for endurance rather than looking flashy. His face wasn't aristocratically handsome, but he was undeniably good-looking, especially with his rare blonde hair and brilliant sapphire eyes. Sasuke stopped himself in his assessment when he realised what the unknown sensation in his stomach was –lust. Out of all the people on the planet to manage the feat of making him sexually interested it had to be an idiot who couldn't even kick a ball in the right direction –and a man at that! The coiling fire of desire increased his rage tenfold. Unsure of how to handle this new responsiveness and angry at himself for feeling it he simply channelled the mayhem in his mind to the one thing he was sure of: he was pissed beyond any reasonable limit.
"Are you okay?" The vile kicker of doom asked him, his handsome features schooled into a mask of worry. As if Sasuke was buying that.
"Hn", he replied, sending a murderous glare in the blonde's direction before stalking off –with the ball still in his hands.
"Oi!" The blonde yelled, jogging up to walk beside him. "Look, I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to hit you-"
"That makes an astoundingly miniscule difference, idiot", Sasuke drawled and kept walking. The kicker did too.
"That's uncalled for y'know. It was an accident. Does it hurt a lot?" He still had that convincing look of concern on his face –apparently the kicker from hell was a good actor. Sasuke refused to answer and quickened his pace instead. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but he felt a strong need to rile this unknown man up. The blonde jogged up to him again.
"I'm sorry! I get it if you're mad but would at least give our ball back? Please? We really need to practise." Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards his recently found nemesis.
"Obviously", he said, arching his right eyebrow –a standard Uchiha expression for mockery. "Though", he continued with a smirk, "I doubt that any amount of practise could make you a decent player, since you appear to be both dumb and blind." The player bristled with anger.
"You're a right bastard!" He snapped. "I said I was sorry! And my aim is actually really good; I probably just mistook your gigantic head for the goal!" Despite the lingering fury Sasuke felt the rush of adrenaline from fighting take over, making him feel high. He enjoyed riling up the athlete.
"Hn", he replied, just for the sake of seeing the tick in the older guy's forehead grow. The blonde took a deep breath, calming himself down.
"I need to practise to keep up my scholarship, we have a game in less than a week", he said, his voice carefully controlled, "could I have our ball back?" He looked into Sasuke's relentless eyes and added: "Please?" Sasuke toyed with the ball in his hands, fixing the other man with an emotionless stare.
"I came here to work on an essay", he said –which was true, "it will decide not only my grade this year, but also whether or not I get accepted to a program this summer which will enable me to apply to nearly any university in the world." Two lies, the essay was a small analysis of a poem for English, and there was no such program, though Sasuke would be accepted wherever he applied anyway. "And finally that grade will decide whether or not I will be top of my school this year or not." Another lie; Sasuke's position as number one in the school was untouchable, the only other who could aspire on it was Shikamaru and he couldn't be bothered. All in all this worked up to an excellent finish however: "All of these things are dependent on this one paper which, in turn, demands my absolute concentration to complete. Now thanks to you my head will be about as useful as this ball" –he lifted the football –"for the rest of the day. So yes, I do believe it is fair that I take this."
Naruto's face had fallen during his little speech. It was quite understandable since Sasuke had made it appear as if his misdirected kick had caused Sasuke to go from future president to future unemployed drunk. Enjoying the look of misery on the blonde's face with grim satisfaction –his head still hurt like a bitch –he noticed a red spot behind the athlete. A wicked grin almost made its way to his face as he recognised his best friend closing in on them with his trademark blank expression. Sasuke was an expert in reading Gaara's moods however, and he noticed the small lift in the redhead's thin eyebrows and the gleam of careful curiosity in his azure gaze.
"Or", Sasuke continued evilly before the blonde had a chance to respond, "I could do to the ball what you just did to my head. Gaara?" He directed the last question towards his friend who was now only a few steps away. The redhead tilted his head in response –Gaara was never the talkative type. The poor football-player swivelled around to see whom the Uchiha was talking to. "Can I borrow your knife?" Sasuke asked innocently. Gaara didn't reply, but simply reached into the neck of his left boot and extracted the small –yet sharp –weapon he had made a habit of carrying around. Sasuke grasped it from his extended hand and watched the blonde's eyes grow large as he realised what was about to happen. "Fair is fair, no?" Sasuke asked him sadistically. The athlete blanched at the question, looking as if he was the one threatened with a knife and not his ball. The look was too priceless and Sasuke felt a snicker clawing at his throat. He felt a lot better now, and he'd had his fun. Besides, it was hardly the blonde's fault that he had been in a bad mood, or that he handled attraction badly.
He tossed the ball at the older boy, smirking at him as he caught it, dumbfounded. Then he handed the knife back to Gaara who tucked it back into his shoe without any comment. He nodded to his friend and they turned to leave.
"Hang on", the blonde finally managed to get out, "what, I mean…" Sasuke turned around and shot him a look of disinterest.
"I wouldn't ruin your ball just because your sense of aim cost me a few brain cells", he enlightened the stranger, "I'm hardly that petty. Go play with your friends or whatever." He realised he'd come off as a snobby, sadistic, malicious bastard with a superiority complex; a great first impression to make on the first person to ever make him lose his composure, really. But the stranger, to his spectacular surprise, laughed. A loud, hearty laughter unlike any Sasuke had heard before in his life. It made him even more attractive, sadly.
"You really had me worried there for a while", the blonde said good-naturedly, grinning at him, "sorry for hitting you, I really am, and thanks for giving me the ball back."
"Tch", Sasuke said testily. His hormones were acting up again and that laugh made his heart rate increase to unhealthy levels. The stranger turned and jogged back towards the field where his friends were looking impatient, waving at them as he went. They stood in silence for a few seconds, then turned and walked slowly towards their usual place.
"Explain?" Gaara inquired when they closed in on the tree. His voice was even and the question could easily be ignored; they always respected each-other's right to stay silent. But Sasuke's mind was already reeling with the implications of his behaviour during the short spat.
"He hit me in the head with the ball", he clarified, thinking about his mean attitude, "and it seems I'm becoming my brother." Gaara nodded slowly.
"Your behaviour was much like Itachi's used to be", he confirmed, "though I think…", he paused, "that though the effect was alike, the cause was very dissimilar" Sasuke felt a lurch in the area around his heart. Of course Gaara would see right through his performance to the core truth of it; quarrelling with the one he was interested in like a bothersome child.
"Yes", he replied carefully, "had someone dared to hit Aniki in the head with a football they would be either dead, hospitalised or ruined by the end of the day." Gaara smirked.
"Or worse", he added.
Little more than an hour later found the two of them deeply immersed in their respective coursework. Sasuke had written his analysis and was rehearsing his French glossary, and Gaara had dived into the world of advanced calculus, muttering curses under his breath as he jabbed at his calculator. Neither of them noticed the athlete coming up to them until his shadow was cast across their books. They blinked in unison, confused, and then turned to peer up at the intruder. The blonde smiled brilliantly at them, even sweatier than he had been previously.
"What?" Sasuke snapped –his mind still full of gardening-related words in French. The football-player's smile morphed into a lop-sided grin at the harshness of his tone.
"Still mad, huh?" He commented. "I was just coming over to apologise again. We've finished practice" –the Uchiha glanced at the field and saw the rest of the football-geeks leaving in the other direction –"and I thought I'd buy you a burger or something to make it up to you." Sasuke could feel the same malicious sensation as before bubble up inside him, a need to be mean fuelled by his inability to handle his own lust. It was begging him to explain to this idiot that a hamburger would surely be a fitting replacement for his brain-cells, but not Sasuke's. He swallowed it decisively –he was the master of his own emotions, no matter how much he might doubt it sometimes –and tried his best to sound polite. He failed miserably.
"As much as I'd love to eat next to someone bathed in sweat…", he began, mentally kicking himself –polite indeed, "…I have to study." He finished lamely in a desperate attempt to cut his harsh words short.
"Ah", the blonde answered merrily, looking entirely unperturbed by the mean reception, "well I should probably go home and take a shower", he looked down at himself speculatively, "but I was worried you'd be gone by then", he finished, smiling at Sasuke. The Uchiha felt a soaring rush through his limbs, his heart-rate picking up alarmingly again. He didn't know what to do, how to answer. His tongue seemed glued to the roof of his mouth. And then, a hand showed up in the boundaries of his frozen stare.
"Here", said Gaara, his voice flat, and handed a slip of paper to the athlete, "It's his number", he added when he was assaulted by two confused pair of eyes. "And his address, in case he acts the bastard he is and refuses to return your call." Apparently done with the conversation, he resumed his assault of his calculator. The blonde's sapphire eyes glittered with mirth, his hand clasping around the paper.
"Would a coffee when I'm clean be that terrible?" He asked Sasuke, half-grinning. "I promise to leave the football at home." Sasuke scoffed.
"It had better be damn good coffee", he muttered. His response was met with a wide smile, surprisingly. Did insults and rudeness just bounce off this moron?
"Great! Oh, I'm Naruto, by the way", he introduced himself. Sasuke nodded absently; somehow the name suited him perfectly. "Uh… do you have a name?" Naruto continued. "Or do I just call you bastard?" He glanced at Gaara. "And bastards friend with the knife?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"It's Sasuke", he replied, sounding his usual self for the first time talking to Naruto, "and this is Gaara", he supplied, gesturing to his best friend, "a homicidal maniac with a secret love for racoons; that's why he looks like that." The final comment rolled out on its own, he and Gaara always introduced one another in the worst way possible –it was their private game of sorts. Naruto snorted with laughter, though, and had to hurriedly compose himself as Gaara sent a scathing glare his way.
"Sorry", Naruto apologised earnestly, "make sure to answer my call, Sasuke", he blinked at the Uchiha and left. Sasuke sat petrified. His name had never sounded as good as when Naruto said it, it had made him feel… horny, his mind supplied. It makes you feel horny.
Well fuck.
"What did you do that for?" He asked the redhead when Naruto had walked far enough to be outside hearing distance.
"He was trying to ask you on a date", Gaara replied, flipping the page of his calculus book.
"So?" Sasuke countered, picking up his glossary again.
"So try not to drool into your coffee cup tomorrow."
Hey Sasuke Bastard! How about that cup o coffee? This afternoon?/Naruto Aimless.
He had received the text during second period calculus –three hours ago –and he had yet to reply. Did he really want to face the enticing blonde again? The answer was simple. Yes. Yes he wanted to see Naruto again, and touch Naruto, and trace his fingers all over those perfect muscles and…
'Shit. That's bad.' He thought sullenly. He was head over heels in lust with the blue eyed man and there was nothing he could do about it. Except, well, Naruto.
Dating the blonde would bring more complications than controlling his primal urges, however. First of all he was a man, and though he didn't mind homosexuality or bisexuality, nor did any of his friends or family for that matter –Itachi had several friends on the queer side of society –he didn't know how to apply it to himself. He had never been attracted to anyone so far except Naruto, so maybe it was just him. Maybe he was Narutosexual. The thought alone made him snort into his notes, causing Sakura –sitting to his right –to throw him a confused look. Their teacher didn't seem notice, continuing to tell them dreadfully boring facts about the industrial revolution without pausing.
That was another complication. He had apologised to the girls that morning, and with their assurances that they knew well enough how prissy Sasuke got when Itachi was in town the lot of them had gone back to normal. But how could he tell them he was going on a date with a man? How would they react?
'Shikamaru and Chouji couldn't care less', he mused, 'Ino and Sakura…', he shuddered involuntarily at the thought of their gleeful shrieks. They had been yearning for a gay friend since middle school, they would be thrilled. Sakura threw him another look as he physically shook the image of their reaction from his mind.
What scared him the most was the idea of telling them all just to have the date blow up in his face. Maybe it wasn't even a date at all. Maybe Naruto was just genuinely feeling sorry about hitting him in the head and was simply the type of person to go out of his way to apologise. He certainly seemed to be that sort of person… and Sasuke had been unforgivably rude. Deciding that there was a simple way to decide how keen Naruto was on seeing him, he inconspicuously fished his cellphone out of his front pocked and typed in an answer.
'Otogakure 1600'
Send.
A satisfied smile made its way onto his face while he put the phone away. Sakura raised her eyebrows questioningly at his expression, but returned to her notes without comment. Sasuke ignored it, feeling smug. Otogakure was a small, local coffee-shop almost exactly midway between his house and Gaara's. It was their favourite place to meet up and it served excellent coffee. The owner was an original named Orochimaru, a middle-aged man with no family and an eerie appearance. Sasuke liked him though; his apparent oddness was actually just the product of a quiet demeanour. He reminded Sasuke of an older version of himself and Gaara; not very sociable, but intelligent and attentive. The best part about the café, however was that it was located far from the city centre and its reputation was nearly non-existent. Only locals from the surrounding neighbourhoods and the occasional lost tourist wandered in there. It was also unmentioned online, a strange quirk which Orochimaru refused to explain. As soon as any mention of it appeared, the owner found it and made sure it was removed.
Why was this excellent? Because the café would be almost impossible to locate and could only be found by asking around until you chanced upon someone who happened to know where it was. If Naruto wanted a date, he would have to work for it. Content, Sasuke turned his phone off and went back to taking notes.
"What kind of show were you putting on?" Sakura asked when they exited the history classroom.
"What?" Ino enquired, looking between them with earnest interest. She was much too fascinated by other people, Sasuke decided.
"Sasuke seemed to have a lot of fun for a few minutes during class", Sakura explained. Ino looked at him incredulously.
"Were you in the same history class as I? Ebisu might be the most boring teacher on the planet." She asked, staring dubiously at him as if he would reveal that in truth he had been in a completely different class with a joyful teacher aspiring on stand-up comedy.
"I wasn't laughing at Ebisu", Sasuke sighed.
"He giggled at his notes", Sakura reported as Shikamaru and Chouji sidled up with them –they took creative writing instead of history, a wise choice, in hindsight, "and then he twitched" –she made a spasm movement with her whole body –"and then he texted someone and started smiling like a madman." Sasuke thought the description was slightly unfair but he didn't comment on it, it was mostly accurate after all.
"Are you feeling sick, Sasuke?" Ino asked him. "And who were you texting anyway?"
He realised that this was an opportune moment to reveal his date with Naruto, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to do it. The scenarios he had thought up during history flashed through his head and he decided that no, they didn't need to know yet. Depending on how the afternoon progressed he would know whether to tell them.
"Gaara", he replied without hesitation, "inside joke." The others fell silent. Gaara had quite a reputation throughout the public school system –and private school system, in fact –as dangerous and sadistic. Sasuke's friends knew that he was close with the redhead but they never tried to befriend –or even meet –him themselves. In all fairness the rumours were mostly true and Sasuke would probably keep his distance as well if he didn't know the small redhead so well. This made a rift between him and his friends however, and whenever they were reminded of Sasuke's strange acquaintance they tended to fall quiet rather than say anything offensive.
It annoyed him at times, but mostly he was glad to have Gaara to himself. Besides, name-dropping the redhead always got him out of sticky spots when he needed it. He cast an eye towards the clock on the corridor wall. 13:55. Naruto had two hours and five minutes to find and get to Otogakure. Was he too mean? Yes, probably. Did he care?
Not in the slightest.
Sasuke waltzed into Otogakure ten minutes before their appointed time and made himself comfortable on one of the stools by the bar. Orochimaru greeted him with his usual shadow of a smile and walked over.
"Sasuke-kun, I'm surprised to see you here today", he said in his quiet, veiled voice. Sasuke returned his slight smile.
"I'm waiting for someone", he replied, "though I doubt he'll show up." The statement weighed on him in a manner he did not expect.
"Oh?" Orochimaru mumbled. "You do not seem too disheartened… ah", he exhaled suddenly, staring intently at the Uchiha, "a test?" Sasuke, through years of experience, was used to Orochimaru's unnerving ability to guess at truths and remained unperturbed by it.
"Quite", he answered smoothly, "if he manages to find me, I'll let him buy me coffee." Orochimaru chuckled lowly.
"You always were the devilish one…", he paused for a long while, scrubbing a coffee stain off the dark wooden counter, "…you must really like this boy." He said finally, catching Sasuke off guard.
"What makes you say that?" He asked warily, studying the fluid movements of the shopkeeper. Orochimaru took his time before answering, rearranging the perfectly piled cups and letting his piercing gaze sweep across the nearly empty room.
"You never bother to inconvenience someone you do not care for. And you are here waiting. Also…", he looked straight at the Uchiha, "you have never brought any friends save Gaara here." Sasuke hadn't really thought about that. Otogakure had always been his turf, his secret nest when things got rough. He never brought anyone there; friends, family, enemies… and yet he had invited Naruto without a second thought, pleased at himself for forcing the blonde deep into his own territory. He chose not to comment on Orochimaru's assessment of his behaviour and the man went to work cleaning the spotless area behind the bar whilst Sasuke waited in silence.
At ten past four his stomach had grown heavy and his mind cynic. Naruto was obviously a no-show –though he could hardly blame him. Sighing in defeat he called Orochimaru over to order a cup of coffee for himself. Might as well when he was already there. The owner hummed at his request, not meeting his gaze and making no move to make the Uchiha's order.
"Not quite yet." Was all he said. Sasuke arched an eyebrow at him; he had never been denied coffee by the shopkeeper before, even when he didn't have any money on him. Orochimaru looked up at him. "He'll come", he said, his soft voice certain, "trust me." Sasuke glanced at his watch.
"He's fifteen minutes late", he enlightened the owner, "what makes you think he'll show up?" Disappointment and heavy regret grew in his chest as he talked. Orochimaru shook his head, a small smile grazing his pale features.
"I have yet to meet a man who wouldn't", he said cryptically.
'Well that's delightfully straightforward', Sasuke thought sullenly just as the bell above the door rang, signalling the arrival of a customer. Busy trying to think of some scheme which would allow him to get his cup of coffee, he was startled when someone collapsed on the stool next to his. Surprised, he turned around to face the very man he had given up waiting for. Naruto looked entirely finished, his breath slightly uneven and his hair even wilder than it had been the previous day.
"Do you have any idea", the blonde asked him, "how hard it is to find this place?" He looked straight into Sasuke's eyes and the younger man felt all his earlier anxieties leave him.
"You're late", he remarked, smirking. Naruto looked at him incredulously.
"First", he said, holding up one finger, "I had to ask about a hundred people in school before I found someone who knew of this place. Then", he held up a second finger, "my teacher dragged my class out until a quarter to four and lastly", he extended a third finger, "I got lost in the maze of houses around here." Sasuke felt a mixture of empathy and humour simmer in his chest, the blonde had shown up after all. Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. "Is your phone turned off?" He asked. Sasuke extracted it from his pocket.
"Oh, look", he said carelessly to the black screen, "it is." Naruto let his head fall onto the bar and Sasuke could have sworn he heard Orochimaru chuckle.
"Alright", the blonde said, his voice muffled by the wood, "you've punished me enough now, haven't you?" Sasuke couldn't help himself, he started laughing –the man looked so pitiful. Naruto's head perked up, his eyes glancing hopefully at Sasuke.
"Sure", he replied, "as soon as you buy me coffee I'm done." Naruto sat up straight again, grinning victoriously.
"Coffee it is", he confirmed, turning to Orochimaru only to have two take-away cups placed in front of him. "Uhh…", he glanced at Sasuke, obviously not sure how to handle the disconcerting barista, "I usually drink-"
"Hazelnut latte", Orochimaru interrupted in his usual quiet tone, "and plain coffee", he added, looking at Sasuke, "go enjoy the sunshine", he finished, turning away from them both. Sasuke smirked; the café owner took it upon himself to decide when his customers should have take-away or stay inside. Naruto looked more than a little disconcerted, but put down a few bills on the counter and rose from his seat. Together, they exited the coffee shop.
"He's a little… creepy", Naruto confided in a hushed voice when they had left the café. Sasuke snorted.
"Some say so", he answered, "he makes fantastic coffee, though." Naruto sipped carefully on his latte and brightened.
"This is delicious!" He sounded genuinely amazed. "Hey, Sasuke?"
"Hmm?" Sasuke replied, sipping his own beverage.
"How'd he know what kind of coffee I wanted?" Naruto asked curiously. Sasuke shrugged.
"Dunno. He's always like that. Like he has secret files on everyone in the world in his head." Naruto snickered.
"The coffee-man who knows all and sees all." He said. "Hey, maybe he's god in disguise or something?" The Uchiha rolled his eyes.
"I highly doubt that."
They wandered through slowly along the street. Otogakure lay in an upper-middleclass neighbourhood with large houses, well-kept lawns and lots of small parks. It was ideal for talking since it was neither crowded nor unpleasant, and they could stop in the small green areas and lay down on the grass for a while.
Sasuke actually had fun. Naruto apologised for the head-hitting several more times and told him that his friends had been laughing themselves silly at his expression when Sasuke threatened to puncture the ball. The Uchiha snickered at that and admitted that he had been in a bad mood and might have overreacted slightly.
They talked about other stuff too; school, family and friends. Naruto's last name was Uzumaki, and he had grown up with his grand-parents since he lost his parents when he was very young. He was 20 and attended Konoha Uni on a football scholarship. His friends –from his description –seemed as rowdy and spirited as he. When Sasuke told him that he was seventeen and a second year in high school, Naruto raised an eyebrow –a mocking attempt to imitate the younger boy.
"I thought you needed to finish some essay since you were applying to University this year?" He said, though his voice was humoured.
"I might have exaggerated a little", Sasuke confessed. Naruto grinned.
"I knew it! I know you're smart but top of your school? I knew that couldn't be true!" He cheered. Sasuke stopped in his tracks and gave him an amused look.
"I am, actually", he said, finding the way Naruto's face fell highly entertaining, "I have been since I started school. It's a family trait…", he finished, hoping Naruto would miss the bitter edge to his last statement.
"Seriously?" Naruto looked alarmed for the first time during their entire conversation. "You must be a genius." Sasuke shrugged.
"Less than perfect is not an option in my family." He didn't know why he said it, something about Naruto just made him trust the blonde. He had slowly come to realise that what he initially had written off as purely physical attraction was equally an interest in Naruto's demeanour and personality. It was impossible to dislike the boisterous blonde.
"So", Naruto said as they continued walking, a wicked gleam in his blue eyes, "tell me about the racoon-psycho who was nice enough to give me your number?" Sasuke felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and was grateful for the –surely deliberate –change of topic.
Their first date lasted nearly five hours, the two of them strolling leisurely through the city and talking. In hindsight that was when he really got hooked on Naruto, and it had to be one of the best first dates in history. Not that Sasuke had any experience of his own. The best part of the evening had been the end, though. They had returned to Otogakure since Naruto had his car there and it was fairly close to Sasuke's house. The shop had closed long ago and the windows were dark, as were those of the surrounding houses. The only source of light was the dim glow from the streetlamps along the road outside the parking-lot. They reached Naruto's car –which was orange, much to Sasuke's chagrin –and their never-ceasing conversation trickled to an end. Naruto, who was as energetic and unabashed as his hair looked serious for the first time and Sasuke found himself unable to look away from the vibrant blue of his eyes.
"We'll do this again, ne?" The blonde's voice was deeper than it had been all evening and sent a shiver of promise up Sasuke's spine. "Soon." Naruto added, as an assertion rather than an afterthought.
"'Course", Sasuke managed to make it sound relaxed and confident, matching Naruto's drop in volume. The blonde smiled; not his ordinary, dazzling, happy smile, but a smaller one, and –Sasuke's blazing nerves informed the Uchiha –a much, much sexier one. He was unsure who initiated the kiss, though he suspected it to be Naruto. It was heated and lustful, brimming with promise and confirmation of the sparking electricity between them.
Not even Itachi's snide comments could dampen Sasuke's mood when he closed the door to his house behind him later that night.
Sasuke and Naruto's relationship grew rapidly from there on. Gaara made a dry remark some weeks later about their inability to stay away from each other, but neither of them were bothered by it. Several more dates followed: restaurants, movies, café's and even an impromptu picnic which Naruto proudly surprised the Uchiha with and which made Sasuke explain wordily about his lack of female genitals to his boyfriend. They visited Naruto's favourite dining place, a small food stand called 'Ichiraku's', where Sasuke learned first-hand that the blonde's love for ramen had unnatural proportions, and they revisited Otogakure frequently, each time marked by a knowing smirk from Orochimaru.
Sasuke got to meet Naruto's friends as well; his best friend Kiba –who was as loud, bouncy and goofy as Shikamaru was quiet, lazy and intelligent –the strange Sai, the silent Shino, the frighteningly odd Lee, the confident and motherly Tenten and a number of other abnormal acquaintances –all suiting Naruto in some peculiar way and all drawn to his animated personality. They accepted Sasuke as if he'd been their friend all along, despite his young years and talent for sarcastic commentary and general rudeness. Tenten in particular seemed to appreciate the company of someone bordering on sane.
They also met up with Gaara a few times, though Sasuke was seeing less of him, and it wasn't entirely due to him being busy with Naruto. He suspected that his best friend too had some sort of relationship going on in his life, but since the redhead didn't bring it up, he let it be. Gaara had been acting odd for several months, and Sasuke was keeping to one of their unwritten rules:
"If I want to talk about it, I will. Otherwise, leave me the fuck alone."
In the final week of April, they had sex for the first time. They had spent the evening at a small concert with Naruto's friends and at the end of the night it seemed natural to simply head over to the blonde's apartment. Sasuke remembered it vividly; skin against skin, the softness of Naruto's sheets, the tough muscles of his torso, the hardness of his cock driving the younger man into oblivion…
Needless to say, that was hardly the last time they slept together. Sasuke had taken to staying over at Naruto's as often as he could; his parents were too busy working to really care and Itachi was far away at university. Life had gone from a tediously repeating loop to a world of new things. Sasuke was, for the first time in a long while, content.
The only issue was the fact that he had yet to tell his friends or family about his relationship. He suspected that he would have to tell his family when his brother returned home for the summer, since Itachi had the uncanny ability to see right through him, but the matter of telling his friends was starting to worry him.
In the beginning he had avoided the subject since he was uncertain of how things would fall out, and as time passed he had simply continued saying nothing. The longer his 'secret' relationship went on the harder it became to tell them and in the end he had fallen into the repetitive pattern of ignoring the problem.
There was another reason as well: his life with Naruto had become like a precious secret. Like a pretty rock found by a small child and hidden from the world. He liked it that way; no questions, no explanations. This spring, at least, he wanted for his own. So he made up excuses for spending so much time without his friends. He blamed it on Gaara, on school, on stress or his need for privacy. They initially accepted it but he could see Sakura and Shikamaru turning suspicious. His entire demeanour had changed since he met the blonde. He was happier and more relaxed –and more lecherous, though he made sure not to reveal that to his classmates. He became more absent when in school, often immersing himself in daydreams or recollections. School and the people there simply did not interest him anymore.
But alas, all good things must come to an end and all big lies seek to be unveiled. Sasuke had excused himself from going to the May festival with his schoolmates by saying he had promised to go with Gaara. In reality, Naruto had been talking about the festival for weeks and was childishly impatient to see the fireworks and ride the Ferris wheel. The entire town attended the festival and odds were miniscule he would run into his friends, especially if he kept a watchful eye out for them.
And then his careful planning crashed and burned around his head. Ino had met the mysterious, artistic Sai in her parents' flower boutique and apparently she had managed to get past the autistic shell and make him ask her out. After a cup of coffee Ino was floating on small, pink clouds and only a few days later she could share her happiness with her best friend when they 'bumped into' Sai and his sinfully attractive friend Naruto. Sakura, who had really only fallen in love with Sasuke in all her life, seemed to be on a slippery slope towards head over heels-land. Sasuke could sympathize; he too had fallen for the blonde after all. Ino and Sai had, during their second date, decided to bring their friends together during the May festival, and Sakura and Ino were brewing not-so-secret plans to make sure she and Naruto ended up alone together.
Which brings us back to where we started: the fateful lunch during which Sasuke was informed of all this and strictly told that if he had to go with Gaara then the redhead would join them, because Sasuke had been nonchalant towards the lot of them lately and this was really important to Ino.
Brilliant. What a mess he had immersed himself in. Sasuke swallowed harshly whilst Sakura and Ino continued their plotting, blissful smiles on both their faces.
'Fuck. Fuckity-fuck fuck.'
It was Wednesday and Sasuke had spent the last two days wishing intensely that the problem would simply solve itself. It didn't. Not even when he on Monday evening curled up in his bed, rocking back and forwards and praying that it would. If possible, it had even worsened. Tuesday he and Naruto had been able to meet for the first time for five days since they both needed time away to study, it had been his first face to face with Naruto since the blonde had the apparently romantic encounter with Sakura, and Sasuke had been looking forward to hearing his version of the tale. Only Naruto had failed to mention it at all, and since he didn't really know anything about Sasuke's friends in school, the Uchiha could hardly prod the issue. He hadn't even mentioned that their festival-date was to be with another group. Instead, he had acted entirely normal and left Sasuke's mind filled with doubts. Maybe Naruto was actually interested in Sakura too? The blonde had admitted to being bisexual and to the fact that he had mostly dated women before. His general type also seemed better suited for Sakura; smart, positive, attractive, adventurous and kind yet firm. As a matter of fact, it sounded like a profile of Sakura –perhaps Naruto had fallen for her just as she had for him? Ino's rendition of the meeting was sparks flying and interest flaring as they greeted each other. Maybe…
Doubts and self-reproach gnawed on his insides as he pushed open the door to Otogakure. He had done what he considered the only sensible thing: called Gaara. The redhead already sat by the counter, hunched against it with his head hanging heavily. Sitting down next to him Sasuke wondered if he looked as miserable as his friend. Neither of them needed to order their coffee, Orochimaru brought them their usual as soon as the Uchiha sat down. He stared down into his cup in silence and saw the redhead mimicking him from the corner of his eye.
"I haven't seen the two of you look like that for years", the shop-owner commented softly, "it seems like two good stories untold." Gaara looked up, shadows haunting his aquamarine eyes.
"You first", he croaked to Sasuke. The Uchiha stared ahead. There was a mirror behind the counter, within which his reflection stared back with a lost expression. His black hair was tousled from the wind outside, his pale skin shining in the soft light of the shop. His eyes, ebony wells so much like his brothers, lacked Itachi's certainty and confidence. His brother would never be in his seat, never do such a mistake.
Suddenly, he hated the boy with the terrified gaze. He was better than this. He was an Uchiha and god be damned if he let some sexy blonde or a pair of teenage girls scare him. Straightening in his seat, he told Gaara everything; keeping Naruto secret, lying to his friends, Ino and Sai, Sakura's crush and Naruto's suspicious behaviour. He finished by confessing his doubts –that he wasn't good enough for Naruto. He was too boring, too mean, too unattractive, too brooding and too cynical. The redhead listened quietly through his tirade, as did Orochimaru. When he was done his best friend downed a large swig of coffee, staring ahead.
"About seven months ago", he said evenly, "My psychologist retired and his successor adopted my case. Hyuuga Neji." Sasuke looked at his friend. Gaara only ever kept his voice completely void of emotion when they assaulted him inside. Whatever ailed him, it was important. "Little more than three months ago", the redhead continued, "I slept with him." Sasuke found himself staring, speechless, at the boy. Gaara's moral compass was hardly functional but sleeping with his psychologist? Orochimaru refilled their cups.
"Continue", he murmured. Gaara shrugged.
"The last months he's been struggling with the patient-doctor dilemma or whatever and yesterday he… ended it." The slight pause directed Sasuke's attention to just how affected Gaara was by this. "He's relinquishing my case and said it's better if we never see each other again." The redhead resumed his story. "He's quite new, only 24 years old, and has a lot of reputation and stuff at stake…", he sipped his fresh coffee, "only problem seems to be that I…", he broke off, looking sideways at Sasuke, "…seem to have fallen in love with him."
Sasuke was stunned. It took a lot of effort to surprise the young Uchiha but his best friend had succeeded splendidly. His emotions were in disarray; he was glad that Gaara seemed to have finally crawled out of his icy shell, saddened that it had ended so badly, worried that Gaara would recoil from this burning experience and retreat further into himself and empathetic towards the redheads blue mood. But mostly, he was accosted by a singular emotion which spread throughout his limbs like wildfire –sizzling and roaring until all other feelings were incinerated and only one response remained. Sasuke was furious. Normally his anger was of the more diluted kind, often taking the form of sarcasm or condescending remarks –but not this time. Liquid, violent ire grasped him, invading his mind. It raised a crystallised wall in his conscious, exiling all unnecessary thoughts and feelings. It picked his raw wrath up with nimble fingers and formulated a single, obsessive thought: Hyuuga Neji would pay for what he had done. His sudden state of calm cruelty must have alerted his friend, for Gaara looked at him, contemplative, and then shook his head slightly.
"You will do nothing." He ordered. "Revenge is a dish best served in person." He fixed his chilly eyes on the Uchiha's black wells –so filled with murderous intent –and Sasuke felt the fight leave him like air from a punctured balloon.
"Understood." He replied. Gaara wanted to handle the matter himself, but should the redhead ever need him he would gladly be there –scythe in hand.
"Hmm", Orochimaru hummed thoughtfully. The man had been silent throughout their little exchange, and seemed to have soaked the silent implications and complex undertones into his infinite mind. "Gaara-san", he addressed the redhead formally, "you seem to have a firm grasp on how to resolve your situation. Be wary, though, that you do not lock on to this road alone. There are other paths to succeed in reclaiming lost pride, which can more pleasurable, and more rewarding." Gaara nodded silently. He would consider it; the two boys always took what Orochimaru told them to heart –mostly since he was very nearly always right. "As for you, Sasuke-kun", he continued, pinning Sasuke with his sharp gaze.
"Yes?" He answered, forcing his voice to remain even under the harsh scrutiny.
"Your issue seem to be the self-resolving kind. Tell your friends and Naruto-kun or they will simply tell each-other." The man shrugged. "Both roads lead to the same city."
Sasuke stared at the counter-top. If only things were as simple in real life.
In the end Sasuke's instincts had over-ruled his convictions and Saturday rolled around without him telling neither his friends nor his boyfriend about the slight… predicament. Normally he would have told Naruto with little issue, but once the idea of Sakura and the blonde had manifested itself in his mind –fed by Ino and Sakura both –he had found himself unwilling to confront his boyfriend.
In a last, desperate attempt at salvation he had convinced Gaara to accompany him to the festival that evening, to have at least one ally in place. He had also formulated a plan. He and Gaara would arrive early along with his friends from school, meaning he could spend some time with them before Naruto and his friends would show up. Before the inevitable clash Sasuke would slip away with some excuse, call Naruto and the two of them could have their date –alone –far away from the others.
In the name of Murphy's Law and common sense, that plan would never succeed.
Sasuke threw himself on his bed with all the dramatic flair he possessed, helplessly swinging his arms and sighing audibly. Gaara, who was lounging in his chair reading a book, glanced at him.
"I know", Sasuke said, resigned. The redhead had already expressed his views on the impending encounter of doom: "It's your own fault. Be a man. Suck it up." To be quite honest with himself he didn't know how it had reached this point, it had just sort of… rolled on without his consent. The reason for his predicament was obvious: he had done nothing to cause it, but he hadn't done anything to stop it either.
Naruto and his merry lot had invited him to pre-party with them –downing some drinks before the festival –but he had declined, saying he needed to spend the first hour or two with his friends. That gave him a slim opportunity to come clean… or go with the plan. His intellect helpfully supplied –in a dry, sarcastic tone –that Gaara –the second most brilliant plotter he had ever met –had given the 'plan' the not very comforting name: A study in foolish self-deception and general idiocy.
He fleetingly entertained the idea of calling Itachi for counsel. As much as he loathed coming to his brother for help the man had a knack for setting things straight in a matter of minutes –no matter how complex a task he was faced with. He quickly discarded the thought when he considered Itachi's probable reaction. He did not need to add sadistic assault from his brother to his ever-growing list of worries.
No, he would simply have to tell his friends before they met Naruto's group. He had approximately two hours to find the right moment and… he would. He would tell them. He relaxed against the cover of his bed.
"Idiot", Gaara mumbled without looking up from his book.
A/N: For those of you who think Sasuke's behaviour is a bit over-dramatic… once more: Have you read the manga? He should have drama queen tattooed on his forehead…
So, first chapter is up and the tension is tangible, no? Worry not, this story is already finished(at a total of 40 pages) and the second part is ripe for posting. It should be up in another week or two, so keep an eye out!:) Until then: Review my dears! I put a lot of hours that I do not have into this one…
/DoD