Hi! I've been reading a lot of nice oneshots and cute fanfics these past couple of days which got me inspired to write this story over one night. (Literally. I pulled an allnighter. Can't believe I managed to work the entire next day. #yolo)
Please, enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review at the bottom if you appreciate the story :)
Lately, Sasuke had had a hard time falling asleep. Between studying, helping around the house, and refusing to crumble under the everyday pressure, little did he have time to simply relax and just breathe, and the stress his busy life brought him kept him unable to sleep during the long, seemingly never-ending nights.
Yes, on most nights Sasuke was restless.
However, there was one place where his stiff shoulders would relax - a place where he always managed to drift into a light, comfortable slumber, and that place was on the far train ride between his house and the city where his school lay.
Every morning and afternoon he spent an hour on the train, and he cherished those two hours. During them he could lean back, put music in his ears and just relax. Breathe and put his life on hold and just enjoy the rare moment of peace. He'd pause reality and just drift freely, momentarily forgetting all about his responsibilities and the expectations put upon him by his teachers and peers and just... Escape.
That was the reason he would look forwards to those two hours of his day, so that he could finally relax and get some rest. It wasn't at all because of the blonde boy who rode the exact same train as him everyday. No, he had nothing to do with it at all. Sasuke loved those two hours solely because it was the only time he felt completely at ease.
Naruto got on one stop after him.
Sasuke wasn't sure when or why they'd become friends – he wasn't even sure they could even be considered as such, but it was what the blonde insisted on and he couldn't bring himself to bother to argue on the subject.
Some time had had to be the first, although he couldn't clearly recall it anymore, but the two of them had taken the same train every morning since a long time back.
Their stations were far from the city, and so, every morning they were among the first few to board the pretty much vacant train.
Because of this, Sasuke had noticed the blonde rather quickly. Every morning when the doors opened one stop after his the blonde would board, his messy, light hair catching the early, bleak sun rays and his blue eyes ever so brilliantly expressive glistening with energy the raven had no idea where he got.
The blonde had noticed him too, and after just a few weeks, he'd one morning completely bedazzled the raven with a charming smile, gone over and introduced himself.
"Hi. I know you might think of this as strange, but... I see you everyday and I feel like I should introduce myself. My name's Naruto. What's your's?"
He'd looked at the blonde in stunned silence for several moments before he'd been able to find his voice once more. His heart had beat strongly in his chest when he'd shyly responded.
... Sasuke. My name's Sasuke."
And every single day since, Naruto took the unoccupied seat beside the raven and sat beside him the entire one-hour-trip into the city where they parted ways.
They didn't always speak - sometimes Sasuke would listen to Naruto as he talked, but he rarely spoke himself. Most days they simply sat together in comfortable silence for the entire ride. Sasuke would listen to music, and Naruto wouldn't bother him, but sat beside him all the same. And for some reason, it never got weird. Perhaps it would have with anyone else, but not with Naruto - with him, it never got weird. Their relationship was nice like that.
It was on those days Sasuke would drift off to sleep. Because the pressure of the world kept him awake during the nights, he was pretty much always completely drained from energy. When he felt himself beginning to nod off it was always a welcome relief.
He would never admit that the reason he was able to have those precious minutes of rest in the morning was solely because of the comforting sensation the blonde's presence beside him brought along. That whenever the blonde's shoulder touched his, a warm feeling would spread through his body and ease the stiffness of his muscles and thus allowing him to lull into a soft, dreamless sleep.
He'd deny through and through that, for some reason, Naruto made him feel relaxed and safe. At ease.
This blonde boy – this stranger with whom he shared a train ride – would contently sit by his side as he caught up on his rest. And every day when they neared the station on which they both got off, Naruto's warm hand would gently rouse him from his sleep and not long after, they would part ways until the next morning.
And Sasuke pretended he didn't notice the way his skin would tingle where Naruto's fingers had danced.
And every morning he'd pretend he couldn't feel the way his pulse quickened when the train pulled up to the blonde's station. He'd pretend he couldn't feel how his heart soared with anticipation as he waited for Naruto to step through the doors, or how, when he did, it stuck in his throat when the blonde sent him one of those damned smiles of his that managed to lit up the entire car.
He'd pretend that he wasn't going crazy over someone he barely knew.
"How do you manage to always look so tired?"
It was one of those days when the blonde felt like small-talking, and the raven had removed the earpiece from the ear that was facing the blonde to indulge him, if nothing else.
He frowned lightly at the question, knowing very well what he looked like - messy hair, tiny circles beneath his slightly reddened eyes. Suddenly he felt self conscious under the sky stained stare.
He shrugged half-heartedly in response, grunting softly in a non-comical way, finding neither the energy nor the will to enlighten the other about his sleep difficulties.
Not minding his lack of response the blonde continued.
"You look like the type who spends a lot of their time studying." He mused. Sasuke thought that the blonde was surprisingly perceptive. "Or playing video games. It could be either, really."
He took it back.
"What?" He sent the blonde a look expressing just how ridiculous he considered that idea to be and his glare drew a bright laugh from Naruto.
"Alright, alright, so you don't spend your nights playing Tetris or whatever."
The raven almost refrained from rolling his eyes, but gave into the judging motion.
"I just thought that you must not be getting enough rest at home, since you sleep most of the time on the train."
The blonde had his arms folded neatly across his chest and tilted his head slightly to gaze more properly at Sasuke's face when he addressed him. The raven's heart did an acrobatic manoeuvre within his chest when he met the bright eyes.
"Not that I particularly mind." The blonde offered him a smile before he turned his face in the trains direction, obviously leaving the raven be to let him drift off in peace.
As Sasuke put in his earpiece he made sure to cover his burning cheeks with his bangs before he settled down in a more comfortable position and waited for his racing heart to slow down enough for him to be able to find some rest.
"What sort of music do you even listen to?"
The blonde asked him one morning in the spring. It was starting to get warmer, but both boys were still wrapped in big scarves that aided to provide them with some extra warmth as neither of their winter uniforms did the best job of keeping the cold winds out.
Sasuke looked at the blonde for a moment. Then he took one of the earpieces from his ear and held it out in an offer to the other boy.
"Hear for yourself."
Naruto looked surprised at first, but he accepted the offered piece, his fingers gingerly picking it from the raven's hand and put it into his ear.
Sasuke quickly brought his hand back, ignoring the way his skin tingled where they had touched and went along and played his music.
On that day they felt particularly closer as they shared the earphones and listened to the raven's playlist in friendly silence.
"Whoa." Was Naruto's reaction one morning when he first looked upon the raven.
Sasuke scowled at him, although it pleased him somewhat when it didn't scare the blonde away from taking his usual spot at his side.
"You look like a mess." Naruto was still staring intently at him, making Sasuke squirm somewhat in his seat.
He'd had a particularly bad night, and when he'd finally felt like he was about to drift off, his alarm had gone off and he could only hate his life.
"Your bags are darker than usual." The blonde observed fascinated after he'd leant in close to the other's face.
Sasuke could feel heat begin to pool to his cheeks because of their close proximity.
"I couldn't sleep." He muttered, only so that the blonde would stop being so close...! He concealed a sigh of relief when Naruto leant back again.
"I thought you always couldn't sleep." He said, and Sasuke thought that he wasn't entirely wrong.
"Sasuke... Hey..."
The raven was softly pulled from his slumber by the blonde's gentle voice in his ear. Slowly lifting his heavy eyelids he blinked his eyes a few times to properly rid them of the sleep. He lazily noted that everything was slightly tilted, and that he felt unusually warm. It took him a moment to realise that he was leaning against something, his head neatly resting atop the warmth. He felt extremely comfortable, and it was with regret he forced himself into consciousness.
His pillow shifted slightly, and he frowned by the disturbance.
"We're almost there." The blonde told him softly, and then Sasuke realised what exactly it was that his head was resting against.
Suddenly very awake he startled and shot up form where he'd only moments earlier had been sleeping soundly, nestled in the blonde's neck, leaning heavily against his shoulder. Obsidian eyes stared wide and his cheeks burned hot in mortification, his pulse quickening as he stared embarrassedly at the blonde.
No...! ... Had he really slept on the other's shoulder?
Sasuke felt so embarrassed he wanted to die. He could swear his ears were as red as his entire face.
The blonde on the other hand seemed unbothered, offering him a kind smile, his eyes only a little bit surprised by the raven's sudden and hasty uprising.
"Awake?"
Sasuke opened and closed his mouth several times, searching for something, anything he could say, any combination of words that could save him from feeling so extremely mortified, but he came up short. His cheeks only burned hotter.
His heart was beating so fast he was sure it could be dangerous.
Attempting to take a hold of himself he pressed his lips together tightly. Just breathe, he told himself. Just breathe!
"Y-yeah-!" He stuttered finally, mentally urging the train to hurry the hell up so that he could get off and away from the blonde and hide from him forever.
Suddenly he felt as if they were sitting too close, the comforting sensation of being pressed against Naruto's warm body having manifested itself within his mind and rendered him unable to even think about anything else.
The blonde gave him a look and opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated.
As if God took pity on him for once, the train came to a halt just then, and Sasuke stood, feeling somewhat dizzy and unstable on his shaky legs. Naruto rose too, albeit a bit slower and sent him a look which the raven couldn't quite place.
"... Well, bye." Naruto eventually said to him. "See you tomorrow."
"Sure. Yeah. See you!"
Sasuke hurried from the station, wanting to get to his school as quickly as possible that morning.
"... You know..."
Things hadn't exactly been awkward between them since the day when Sasuke had leant against the other's shoulder, but Sasuke would insist that the atmosphere between them had changed somewhat. For some reason the air was a bit... tense between them. But not in stiff, uncomfortable way (although the raven felt embarrassed still) but it was more like... a tense sort of anticipation. As if they were both waiting for something, although he had no idea what exactly it was.
But then again, maybe it was only him who felt like that.
He felt strangely breathless now whenever he looked into Naruto's eyes, and the blonde was currently looking seriously at him, seeming to deeply contemplate something.
"You have pretty long eyelashes."
Sasuke blinked stupidly, taken by surprise by the strange observation. He angled his face away from the other to make him stop staring at said lashes.
"Huh? What kind of observation is that?" He asked.
When faced with the question the blonde sheepishly brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck - something the raven had quickly learnt he only did when he felt embarrassed - and shot him a somewhat shy smile.
"Ah, erh, well – I–I only noticed recently, that time when you fell asleep on my shoulder, and I just thought about it, so..." He trailed off, a charming blush staining his cheeks with colour as he averted his gaze and avoided looking directly at the Sasuke.
The raven witnessed the other's reaction but remained silent.
He got the feeling that something was definitely changing between them then.
Sasuke wondered if it was just him being overly aware of Naruto after that, or perhaps he was even imagining things, but it felt as if whenever the opportunity presented itself the blonde touched him unnecessarily. Like on some days he'd touch the raven's shoulder when he sat down beside him, or he'd brush some invisible dust from the raven's knee - even at the times when he would gently shake the raven awake, Sasuke thought the hand lingered a few seconds longer on him than it had previously.
However, nothing changed in the blonde's behaviour. He still smiled his usually handsome smile in the mornings, and some days he still talked freely to Sasuke about everything and nothing, or like on most days, he simply sat beside him and happily shared an hour of content silence with him. And this only made the raven confused.
It even got to a point when Sasuke started to wonder if there was seriously something wrong with him. Was he being paranoid over these tiny things? Most likely, they didn't necessarily mean anything.
... Right?
He couldn't for his life figure out why every time the blonde would find an excuse to drag his fingers down his arm his heart would do a flip inside his chest. He didn't understand why, lately, the calm he usually felt in the blonde's presence had been replaced by a feeling of anxiousness that, unfortunately, messed with his ability to find any rest.
He also felt helpless that he couldn't control his pulse, and that whenever Naruto smiled at him, he would suddenly feel warm all over.
But Naruto remained unaffected by any of these things, acting like his usual self every morning, day after day.
Maybe Sasuke really was imagining things.
One morning when it was nearing summer and the heat had finally started to sneak forth and slowly began the task of making rid of the chill winds of the spring, Naruto laughed the instant he stepped onto the train and laid eyes on the raven.
Since it had gotten warmer now, the blonde had begun wearing his summer uniform. The raven thought he looked ridiculously dreamy in it.
Sasuke himself wasn't doing quite as dandy. Because he wasn't sleeping at night, and since he'd lately found himself too riled up to catch any sleep on the train, he was seriously lacking in energy, and he knew it was nearing the point of becoming very bad for his health.
Therefore, within the distance of his stop and the blonde's, he'd almost already started snoring.
"Look at you! Already sleeping! Wow, you must really be tired."
Sasuke startled awake at the sound of Naruto's familiar voice only long enough to send the blonde a look, knowing that to the other boy, he looked absolutely horrible, before he frowned lightly and closed his eyes again.
He felt himself quickly dozing again as he ignored the blonde when he took his seat beside him, determined not to miss his chance at some long awaited, well earned sleep.
"Sleep tight, Sasuke."
He heard Naruto's soft voice before the blissful nothingness wrapped him in it's arms.
Sasuke didn't like heat. It wasn't like he particularly disliked the summer, or the sun, it was just on the days when the temperature reached ungodly heights he couldn't stand it.
Finals were nearing, and even as he was more stressed than usual, he found he'd been able to get more sleep lately. He assumed it had to do with the fact that the pressure no longer weighed heavier on him than the utter exhaustion that hit him after he finished studying every evening. It helped a little, but he wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing.
He'd finished school early for once. It was very unusual, and it rarely happened that he left to go home before five, but now he found himself standing at the station, and it was only twenty past three. He wondered if he was going to be home before his brother for once.
The train arrived and cut his pondering and he got on. There was a lot less people than he was used to, all due to the fact that it wasn't time for the evening rush hour until a couple more hours.
"Sasuke!"
At the sound of his voice - that voice, that damned voice that made him weak in the knees - Sasuke's heart jumped in his chest and his pulse sped up.
He turned around to see Naruto run like crazy towards the train only to get on it just before the doors shut, just barely missing being squeezed between them.
Almost knocking straight into him, Naruto laughed brightly from the rush.
"Holy shit! I was sure I wouldn't make it!"
Meanwhile Sasuke was rooted to the spot, battling the many sensations overwhelming him. Naruto was clinging to his arms, his face pressed dangerously near to the raven's neck, every little chuckle and breath causing goosebumps to appear over Sasuke's pale skin and sending shivers shooting down the his rigid spine.
Sasuke's skin burned where Naruto clung to him and the distinct smell of the blonde's shampoo and something else that the raven could only describe as just a pure essence of him (something like earth, dirt, and the sun) invaded and completely overwhelmed his nose, clouding his senses and causing his head to spin.
The heat was already unbearable, but suddenly Sasuke felt hot in an entirely different way, and he felt dizzy. Time seemed to stand still as all he could see, feel, smell and hear was Naruto.
Naruto,
Naruto,
Naruto.
"That was so freaking close."
After what felt like an eternity to the raven (but which had probably been only a couple of seconds) the blonde released him and stepped back as the train began to roll.
Sasuke knew his cheeks were burning, but he was too disoriented to try and cover his face up.
"N-Naruto?"
He was surprised to see the other. It was true they rode the train together every morning, but never before had they actually met each other on the way back. Sasuke had always assumed their schemes differed too greatly in time for it to ever be possible, but then again, today he was heading home earlier than usual, and here the blonde boy was, right in front of him.
"Hiya!" The blonde grinned playfully, amused by his reaction. He appeared pleased to have met the raven, Sasuke could tell from the way the corner of his eyes crinkled.
"I never expected I would see you taking the train at this time!" His smile was wide and attractive and shit, he was still standing too close!
"Did you finish early or something?"
The raven raised a brow at the question, impressed the blonde made the conclusion that the raven must be taking the train back later during the day than himself since they never bumped into each other. If he asked, Sasuke bet the blonde would tell it he figured it was like that 'because Sasuke looked like someone who went to a serious school' or something along those lines.
"Yeah, actually." He said and Naruto's smile widened, however that was possible, Sasuke had no idea.
Then his heart did another loop when the blonde's fingers wrapped around his wrist, and he knew he was blushing brightly, but luckily Naruto wasn't focused on him.
"Let's sit." He pointed to some free seats and tugged gently at the raven, leading him along to the unoccupied spots.
Sasuke still felt too flustered even as they'd sat down.
He hadn't been prepared to face the blond so suddenly, and felt ridiculously anxious all of a sudden. He tried to slow his pulse through controlled breathing, but it didn't work. It wasn't helping that the blonde was staring at him with his completely adoring smile either.
"You look well!" The blonde commented, watching as Sasuke absentmindedly rubed at his pink cheeks.
"Thanks..." He said, feeling ridiculously flattered and unnecessarily pleased all of a sudden.
"You been sleeping better?" Naruto tilted his head in a kind of adorable fashion - although Sasuke mentally screamed when he caught himself using the word 'adorable' to describe a man. A very handsome man, too.
"I guess." He frowned then, still unsure whether it was a good or a bad thing. He then decided to treat the blonde a little extra and not be so few worded.
"Studying for finals works surprisingly well as a substitution for sleeping pills."
Naruto's laugh creates a small warm bundle within his chest.
"Well, that's a good thing then! So does that mean I can expect you to stay awake the entire ride back?" The blonde's tone is teasing and playful, but at the same time he manages to sound genuinely curious to know.
"I'm not sure actually. I still tend to fall asleep as soon as I get on the train anyway, so I wouldn't account for it."
The blonde drags a hand through his hair, smiling foolishly towards him.
"Got it. No need to hold back! If you want to sleep, go ahead."
Sasuke considers it for a while, but he surprises himself when he shakes his head.
"No, I think I'll stay awake today."
"Mornings still are for sleeping, I see."
Naruto grins at him the next day and Sasuke actually offers a tired smile in return.
"Hn."
And for some reason, the smile remains even after he's drifted off.
Sasuke's sleeping better.
He can't believe it himself almost. It's still far from the amount of hours he should be sleeping every night - still far - but it was an improvement, and he was actually able to tell a difference.
Naruto too took note of the fact that even though he still slept on the train, he would wake up by himself with plenty of minutes still to go before they were to arrive.
Sasuke suspected it was because school was close to wrapping up and the giant pressure to perform was slowly but surely dissipating.
Every day felt better than the last.
"You falling asleep?"
Naruto's curious question woke him. Sasuke blinked lazily a couple of times and then turned to the blonde. He'd gotten some freckles from the sun. They suited him, Sasuke thought.
"Sorry." Naruto said apologetically, realising he's disrupted the dozing boy.
Sasuke stared unabashedly at him.
Perhaps it was because he was still half asleep, but his mind went back to the one time when he'd fallen asleep against the other boy's shoulder, and just how comfortable he'd been.
He hesitated only briefly.
What did it matter? It wasn't that much of a big deal. He'd done it before, anyway.
So he adjusted his position and surprised the blonde when he rested his head on his shoulder, getting comfortable and crossing his arms before relaxing completely against the other's warmth.
"S-Sasuke?"
He pretended not to hear the other's flustered stutter and relished in the comfort of the other's smell.
Even if it was only faintly, he thought he was able to hear the echo of the blonde's rapid heartbeat before he drifted off.
"It'll be summer soon."
Naruto's statement was said so softly the raven doubted it was said with the purpose of actually being heard.
He opened his eyes partly, fully well noticing the somber undertone in the blonde's murmur. They both knew what that meant.
Sasuke wanted to avoid contemplating it altogether, so he closed his eyes again and feigned sleep, hoping he would eventually drift into a real slumber where such thoughts couldn't reach him.
Sasuke woke up when the train shook slightly.
Because his nights had gotten better, he'd become much more of a light sleeper during his naps on the train, any small disruption or too loud voice successfully rousing him without much difficulty.
Even though he was awake, he didn't feel like sitting up straighter. He was comfortable where he was, so he kept his eyes closed and just listened to the sound of the train.
Because he wouldn't sleep as much anymore on the way in to the city, he'd stopped listening to music a while back. Naruto liked that he had because he found it easier to wake the raven without it. Sasuke didn't care much either way.
Beside him Naruto was quiet. Sasuke guessed it wasn't unusual - it wasn't like he thought the blonde talked to others while he slept or anything, but to him it was strange to be awake beside the blonde without the other striking some sort of conversation.
But in a way it was nice just sitting there, enjoying the peace together.
He knew Naruto thought he was still asleep. Otherwise he would've already addressed him and asked him about one thing or another.
The train was very quiet that morning. Fewer people were going into the city after all, now that summer was nearing. There wouldn't be more commuters until at least a few more stops.
He sort of wanted to look at the blonde, just to see what he was doing while sitting all silent, but the lazy part of him pulled much stronger and he remained as he was, leaning against the window with his eyes shut. Even though he wasn't technically sleeping, in a way it was still resting, and he needed all the rest he could get.
"Ridiculous..."
He heard the blonde mumble, which surprised him. From the sound of his voice, it seemed Naruto was turned at least partly in his direction, and the raven grew curious.
But for some reason he kept his eyes shut and stayed still, keeping up the pretence of still being asleep. Why, he didn't know. But something told him that showing the blonde that he was awake would be a miss. So he stayed put.
Naruto shifted beside him - leaning closer it seemed? Sasuke wasn't able to tell very well. The blonde was silent, and the raven wondered briefly if he was looking at him. As if on cue he could clearly feel the blue eyes on his person, the eerie sensation of being watched sending a shiver down his neck.
"Really..."
He almost jumped when the blonde's soft mumble sounded so close, and his pulse quickened immediately.
Why was Naruto suddenly leaning towards him?
Was he watching him?
Why?
So many questions erupted in the raven's mind, and he fought a hard battle to remain impassive on the surface so that the blonde wouldn't be able to tell he was awake.
It was silent once more, and Sasuke could only hear his own quick pulse thudding in his ears.
What was going on?
What now?
Why was he silent?
And then he almost startled, but even he was stunned by his own impeccable performance of feigning sleep, because he managed to stay unmoving even as the blonde's fingers suddenly came in contact with his head.
It was as if he himself was screaming inside his head. What was Naruto doing?
The blonde's fingers were gentle and soft, the boy clearly careful not to disrupt the raven and accidentally wake him from his slumber as he hesitantly combed them through Sasuke's hair. It was an oddly affectionate gesture, something tender lying behind it that made Sasuke's heart threaten to beat right out of his chest.
He was freaking out. Naruto was touching him! Quite intimately too, and the raven could no longer remain still. There was too much going on - the blonde touching him and watching him when he thought he was sleeping, overwhelming emotions were tumbling wildly within him, most of which he didn't know how to interpret or what to think of, and they were all over the place, both his mind and heart in turmoil. It was quite chaotic, and he couldn't breathe.
So he moved slightly without blowing his cover (because how awkward would it be if he woke up now? He refused!) and to his relief, the blonde's hand shot back as if he'd been stung by lightning.
Sasuke didn't know what to do with himself. His heart beat furiously, every beat pulsing loudly in his ears, and now he didn't dare as much as move a finger, even less breathe.
What had just happened?
Beside him he could feel Naruto relax when he thought the raven had yet to wake up. And to the raven's great horror The blonde reached out once more, this time gently tucking his bangs behind one of his ears, lingering an unnecessarily long moment with his finger's by it before pulling back entirely, also leaning his body back into his own seat. Sasuke released the breath he'd been holding.
"Your hair really is soft."
That's when Sasuke realised things were getting dangerous between them.
Sasuke's ceremony was done for the day. Sticking around school to bid his upper class-men farewell didn't interest him, so with his diploma for 'extraordinarily good student' in his hand he made his way through the city to the station.
He passed many other schools that had also graduated the same day, and he fleetingly wondered if the blonde had had his ceremony yet.
Turned out he hadn't.
Sasuke spotted him immediately in the crowd of the station, his unruly head of blonde locks standing out like the sun surrounded by the dark tones of the universe, most people matching Sasuke's darker hair.
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. The blonde was still wearing his normal uniform and had his bag slung over his shoulder, nothing pointing towards him having had his ceremony yet which led Sasuke to the conclusion that he was graduating any of the following days.
Naruto was looking at his phone, mundanely scrolling through something or writing to someone. The raven didn't care which as he strolled right up to the blonde.
It was yet another lucky coincidence for them to bump into each other as they were about to go in the other direction. Sasuke had forgotten to mention it was his last day the same morning, as he'd per usual had slept the entire ride, and he saw it as a fitting opportunity for him to ride the train with the blonde one last time.
(He ignored the thought that 'one last time' meant he wouldn't be seeing the blonde anymore.)
"Hey."
"Wah!"
His greeting frightened the blonde, and he comically jumped when the raven tapped his diploma atop his head. Some people sent them looks, but Sasuke didn't mind.
"Wha–? Sasuke!"
Naruto gaped at him when he spun around, clutching his uniform over the place his heart probably raced at the moment. Sasuke actually gave the blonde a genuine smile, instantly feeling more relaxed in his presence than among the rest of his peers he'd had to cram together with only an hour prior.
"Hey."
Naruto eyes instantly went to his diploma, realisation flashing through the blue orbs.
"Uwah, you've graduated already. Congratulations~!" He said politely and did a small bow, which caused the raven to roll his eyes.
"Don't be so polite. It's weird." He said dismissively and Naruto smiled.
"A diploma, huh? Will you tell me what it says?"
"No." Sasuke didn't bother. Naruto would probably start guessing anyway. And he was right.
"It's probably something along the lines 'our laziest student' or 'to the guy that barely did anything and only slept through his second year'!"
"Extraordinarily good student." His mistake. It was less trouble telling him.
Naruto whistled, clearly impressed. Then he smiled warmly at the raven, making Sasuke's heart bloom with affection at the sight.
"I knew you were a diligent student."
Sasuke felt heat pool in his cheeks and self consciously covered his face with one of his hands, coughing slightly to distract himself from his rising pulse.
"Let's go back together." He said in a moment of softness. He could swear that Naruto's cheeks flushed too at that, although the blonde quickly covered it with a smile.
"Yeah."
Once again, Sasuke had fallen asleep. It's what he did after all.
Naruto often wondered what is was that kept the raven awake throughout the nights - what it was that plagued him and kept him from getting a real, good night's rest. All he knew was that even after all these months, he'd never seen the raven without dark circles underneath his eyes.
However, lately, he'd noticed they'd almost completely gone away. Although, he didn't know the reason for that either.
In the blonde's eyes, the raven was someone who always seemed exhausted, so whenever he'd drift into a light slumber beside the blonde on their train rides, Naruto would feel strangely relieved. Because when Sasuke slept, Naruto knew he was regaining energy - energy he very much looked like he needed.
So he didn't mind.
After a while he'd started watching the other when he slept.
Sasuke was... Beautiful, is the only word Naruto could really think of.
It was usually a word used to describe women, but it wasn't like Sasuke was feminine or anything, no, it wasn't that at all. It was just that... his features were very... smooth and... soft. His skin was pale and nice to look at, even as he had the dark circles underneath his eyes. His hair was messy, but soft as silk to the touch, and his eyes... Naruto could gaze into Sasuke's eyes and see an entire galaxy deep within them.
No, even though he was a man, and even though he looked tired most of the time, Naruto was able to tell that he was very handsome.
Beautiful.
When Sasuke was sleeping, his features would soften further and he'd look very serene, sitting contently beside the blonde, and Naruto would catch himself looking at and simply admiring him during the hour they shared every morning.
He wasn't sure when his heart had started to beat faster when he let his eyes follow the features of the raven's face, or when his skin began to tingle whenever they touched. He didn't know when he'd begun chewing his lips impatiently whenever he stood at the station and waited for the train, and he had no idea why he was feeling all of these things whenever he was with Sasuke.
He had a suspicion, but he didn't even dare say it out loud, let alone think it.
So he kept it hush hush and pushed those thoughts and feelings to the back of his mind.
But it was as if he'd been put under a spell, because every time the raven dozed of beside him, his blue eyes gravitated towards him and before he knew it he'd spent the entire ride gazing at the other boy.
Was he weird?
Even now, as the raven snoozed lightly beside him, Naruto was helpless, admiring him tenderly, powerless to tear his gaze away.
Glancing at the diploma about to slip out of the raven's hand, Naruto's stomach twisted unpleasantly.
This was the last...
He wanted to make sure to remember every single detail of Sasuke's face, so that when he boarded the train the following morning, he could close his eyes and pretend the raven was there.
He felt strangely vulnerable, and also pathetic, frowning lightly at his own display of weakness. How did it turn out like this?
He placed a hand over his chest. His heart was still beating steadily, because he was right there beside him. It stung when he dared think that the day after he wouldn't be, and Naruto wanted to scream at himself.
Why was he feeling like this?
Sasuke's eyelashes really were long. They were thick too. It was one of the things about the raven the blonde had carved into his memory forever. Another was the way his bangs would messily scatter and twist over his forehead when he slept, making him look much younger, and less exhausted. A third was the adorable snores that were almost so soft they could be mistaken for simple breaths that escaped the raven's nose when he slept particularly deeply.
Naruto's eyes drifted to Sasuke's lips, and a sudden pull made his heart flip within his chest, his pulse suddenly sounding clearly in his ears and his face heating. He bit down on his own lip and urges and needs he hadn't even known he was capable of feeling washed over him in an instant, exiting and terrifying him all at the same time.
He ripped his gaze from the sleeping boy and stared ahead at nothing - anything but Sasuke.
Shit. He was so screwed.
Suddenly, he realised his station was in two stops, and his mood sank along with his heart.
What would happen now?
What was he supposed to do with all of the feelings raking up a storm within him that he didn't dare put a label on over the summer?
... Forget?
He could always hope, but Naruto knew he'd lose that battle before it had even begun.
A small part of him stayed optimistic. They were only one station apart, and although he thought that visiting each other wasn't something they were close enough to do yet, they could still run into each other by pure coincidence. After all, if any of them ever went into the city, there was a chance they would run into the other - either in the city itself, or on the train on the way in.
Maybe...
Maybe.
He looked back at the sleeping raven. He didn't want to wake him.
Thinking of it as a 'goodbye' was hard, and it weighed way too much on the blonde's heart for him to be able to ignore it, and it hurt. He was surprised when he realised, but it was true. At the moment, he was hurting.
The next stop was his.
He wondered if the raven would want for him to wake him. For some reason he doubted it. He didn't want to say goodbye either, so maybe it would be less painful for both of them if they didn't. Maybe a silent parting would turn out to be better, maybe it would make so that the bleeding wound in his chest would close up faster after he'd stepped off the train.
But he knew that it really wouldn't matter. Whatever it made him feel like he was suffocating wouldn't ease no matter in which manner they parted - because it was the parting itself that hurt.
He gazed over the raven's sleeping features - maybe for the last time (although he prayed not) - and he felt the pull on his heart again, stronger this time.
Sasuke really was beautiful.
He was sleeping so soundly in his seat, the evening sun illuminating his silhouette through the glass window, casting shadows over his face - he looked like something out of a stunning painting.
Naruto felt his resistance weaken, and subconsciously he slowly began leaning closer to the raven, letting the attraction pull him closer to gaze more properly at him.
When he got close enough, he could feel Sasuke's soft breath fan over his cheeks, light and warm, and he absent-mindedly chewed on his bottom lip. He stared at Sasuke's closed eyes, longing after the dark orbs and at the same fearing they would suddenly stare back at him. His heart fluttered wildly within his chest, the steady rhythm echoing in his ears. He could smell the raven's own unique scent, and it took over all of his senses, and then he suddenly couldn't get enough. It was as if he fell under a spell, forgetting everything, and the only thing in existence was Sasuke. He wanted him, oh, how he wanted him. He felt like he was drowning, slowly falling, falling towards the raven and he could do nothing to stop it.
With his blood in his ear and his heart in his throat he took a leap, and closed the final distance between them.
Suddenly everything felt insignificant, and he was flying, soaring freely through the sky, his heart light and floating like a feather.
Ah,
He found himself thinking.
The dark circles under his eyes are almost completely gone.
As soon as the train departed from the station, the raven's trembling hand clasped tightly over his lips. His entire body was aflame, even the tips of his ears blushing darkly between his locks. His lips still tingled after the kiss and he couldn't even hear the train over his furious heartbeat.
What the hell was that...?
His eyes were wide awake, shiny and blazing with an untameable storm of emotions.
When he finally drew a breath, it was a shaky wheeze, and then he gasped, a fire wrecking through his entire body.
What the hell was that?
And Sasuke knew he now had many, many sleepless nights ahead of him.
A/N: Thoughts and opinions are welcome. As are smiley-faces, chatbox whales, inspiring quotes, poems, rants, flattery, journal updates, random letters - you get the drift. Everything's welcome!
Cheers.