A/N: Hey… I am a master at procrastination, seeing as how I am writing this instead of typing up chapter two of Band-aids… which is already written by the way, it just has yet to be typed. So venture now into the curious land composed by my wandering mind. Good luck, and safe travels!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only follow it religiously (just kidding… kind of).
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"Oh my god, did you just draw that?"
Naruto jumped as a voice penetrated the concentration surrounding him. A pair of curious green eyes looked in awe at the piece of paper sitting in front of him. They followed the graceful lines covering the paper carefully, soaking in every detail—every smudge, scratch, shape, and shade. Graphite covered the page, layers overlapping each other in harmonious accord creating a singular spectacular form that was shrouded in the mystery that appears in a piece of art. The penciled figure was undeniably amazing, its characteristics perfectly proportional. Sakura, his best friend, stared on in awe at the drawing that seemed to capture life itself in the simple concept of pencil and paper.
"Yeah, I guess," Naruto mumbled, embarrassed. Pencil covered his fingers, their tips tainted metallic grey. Sakura muttered a soft sound of amazement, still entranced by the beautiful chorus of line and shape. Sighing, Naruto brushed eraser crumbs from his lap and put his drawing pencils back in their tin. While he appreciated people complimenting his drawings, what he saw was a different picture entirely. The lines out of place were etched firmly into his mind, seeming to become darker by the second. Smudges in the background screamed out to be erased, only to be found irremovable and stubborn. The shading was full of jagged lines, each one a sour note to the symphony of his piece. If only he could just fix it all…
"You're sooooo good!" Sakura practically simpered in praise. Naruto fought hard to stifle back a snort. To anyone other than him, this picture probably looked good enough to put up in a gallery. Too bad it was full of tiny mistakes, each one adding up in his mind until he could barely tell what the picture was anymore.
"You think so? Thanks," he said politely. Most people didn't understand when he critiqued his artwork, so he had become accustomed to simply accepting the compliments people gave him.
A loud snort sounded from a few steps away. Sakura straightened up, frowning. "What, you have a problem with his art?" she snapped.
"Well, seeing as how it's not that incredible, I'd say I do," a deep voice said, surprising Naruto. He straightened in his chair and turned around, wondering who would possibly critique his artwork aside from himself.
His breath caught as his eyes met obsidian black. Onyx hair tousled into a state of messy disarray sat above striking black eyes brimming with an unspoken light. High cheekbones graced a pale but handsome face, bringing an air of regality to the man standing behind him. Strong shoulders sat above a muscular body, although its true power was hidden under a slightly baggy sweatshirt and jeans. His hands were shoved lazily in his pockets, and a bored expression covered his features.
"You messed up here, the shading is too heavy here, and this line is far too thick," he drawled, pointing at the picture and immediately recognizing the trouble spots that aggravated Naruto. Sakura watched quietly, confusion covering her face in a small frown.
"I don't know what you're talking about. This is one of the best pictures I've ever seen! It looks almost like a photo!" she said, leaning closer to inspect the points the man had pointed out. Naruto stared at him, mouth hanging open slightly. Nobody had ever seen what he did when they looked at his art before. It was almost like…
"Shut your mouth, dobe. You look stupid," the man smirked. Naruto snapped his mouth shut, his face turning a light shade of pink in embarrassment.
"Come on. Leave him alone," Sakura scolded, whacking his arm lightly. The man sneered at her and cast a last glance at the piece of paper still sitting in front of Naruto.
"I hope that you draw better the next time you try," he said, looking supremely unimpressed. A spark of anger jumped in Naruto's chest.
"Next time I TRY? What is that supposed to mean?" he yelled as he stood up to confront the dark-haired man.
"Exactly what it sounds like, moron,"
"Do you think you could draw better?"
"Probably,"
"Hah! I doubt it! I bet if I had a better model than this one I could draw SO much better!"
"Done,"
Naruto blinked. "What?"
"You heard me. Done. I take you up on that offer."
"WHAT?"
The man chuckled. Suddenly he appeared in front of Naruto's face, scarcely four inches away. He smiled, sending shivers cascading down Naruto's spine. He leaned forward and whispered in Naruto's ear, "You wanted a better model. I'll do it. I have to tell you though, I do look best in white sheets,"
His warm breath washed gently over Naruto's ear, causing his heart to skip a beat. A fiery red spread rapidly over his face as the man's words registered in his mind. He leaned back, satisfied at seeing Naruto's reaction. He smiled seductively, deepening the shade of fuchsia that colored Naruto's face.
"T—t—teme!" Naruto spluttered, attempting to regain a shred of pride as the man chuckled. "You—you're insane!"
"I'll see you later, then?" he said, winking. Naruto's speech stopped and his mouth hung open.
"In your dreams, teme!" he exclaimed, regaining speech.
"Well then, I guess I'll see you tonight. Call when you're ready," the man said, smiling satisfactorily. He grabbed Naruto's hand still covered in graphite and closed it around a small slip of paper. "See you, dobe," he called, dropping the hand and walking away as if nothing had happened.
Naruto watched him walk confidently away and inspected the slip of paper. A phone number was scribbled next to a note that read:
You'd better be ready to pay, I don't come cheap—Sasuke
A blush returned on his neck and he looked over at his forgotten drawing. This man, Sasuke, had seen his art. Nobody had ever critiqued him before, but somehow he had found it strangely exhilarating.
"Are you gonna call him?" an excited voice popped up next to him. Startled, he turned to face Sakura. He had forgotten her completely. She looked at him with a huge smile on her face.
"In his dreams," Naruto murmured to himself as he smiled, tucking the small slip of paper safely in his pocket.
Just maybe…
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A/N: I think an appropriate sound effect right now would be DUN DUN DAAAAA… (or something along those lines… (hehe, that's for you, fuzzy!)) Thank you for reading!