Smile
The storm had been raging nonstop all day, lashing down in bitter cold sheets and preventing anyone from going outside. Anyone that was sane, that is. And Sasuke had decided long ago that Naruto Uzumaki was anything but sane. That was why it hadn't surprised him in the least when he had left that morning at around six to "just do a little training". Training! In weather so horrible and dreary one could only describe it with the possibly made up word craptastic. The Uchiha surmised he would drown on the way to the training grounds, and if he didn't he would slip and seriously hurt himself in some way during the training.
When the hour began to approach noon and the blonde still hadn't returned, Sasuke began to wonder if maybe he really had hurt himself. Naruto was crazy, but he wasn't crazy enough to stay out training in this weather for six hours. Then again, he had freed Sasuke from prison and then taken it upon himself to hide him in an old house in the mountains at the outskirts of their village. Maybe he was that crazy. Maybe he would stay out training all day or maybe he had gone to his own home after he was through because it was closer. Or – somehow still likely after everything – maybe the idiot had finally come to his senses and left Sasuke alone.
That was the thought that stuck with him out of all the ones that had passed through his minds eye on the matter. That he was really alone all over again, that Naruto had gotten tired of keeping secrets from everyone. Of watching over the Uchiha. Of cleaning up his wounds every time he tried to semi-kill himself because there was nothing better to do. Of hiding a felon and helping someone who had once attempted to slaughter him in a mindless search for power. Why it was the one to stay and dance around in his brain he didn't know. Maybe it was because it didn't make him as happy to think he was free of his old teammate as he once would've guessed it would. Maybe it was because it almost saddened him, but not quite. He didn't really feel sadness anymore, or anger now that Itachi was gone, or any feeling at all for that matter.
Just as he was starting to go into a new line of thought – one about why he wouldn't, when he very well should, be happy to get rid of the blonde nightmare – the front door opened and closed loudly. Either Naruto was sticking around, or someone had figured out where Sasuke was hiding; or rather, being hidden. He listened quietly as sopping footfalls made their way down the hall toward the kitchen where he was currently seated at the table. The door slid open slowly, and an obnoxious color of orange appeared in the doorway. Naruto still hadn't come to his senses.
"Hey, Sasuke." The shinobi greeted him with his usual grin plastered onto his soaked face. "I thought about going by the store on my way home – we're out of everything – but I figured the rain would've ruined whatever I got anyway." Naruto took a seat across from his onetime friend as he waited, knowing it was futile, for a response. Sasuke rarely spoke anymore; only when it was absolutely necessary. "Have you eaten anything today?" A rhetorical question, if one thought about it. Naruto knew very well Sasuke didn't eat unless he was made to. "I think I'll make some tea. We still have a little left. You want any?" he asked, standing and starting toward the cupboard to fetch a pitcher to prepare the tea in.
He stopped short when he walked by Sasuke and caught sight of his hands curled in his lap. "What the hell did you do now?!" he yelled, grabbing both of the Uchiha's bloody hands and examining them. "Damn it, Sasuke! You can't rip up your body every time I leave you alone!" Switching his hold to just his left wrist, Naruto yanked his former companion from the chair and down the hall to the lavatory, ranting cuss words the whole way. He threw Sasuke down on the closed toilet lid and reached for the bandages inside the medicine cabinet– and stopped short, staring. The mirror in front of him was completely shattered, the glass mostly pooled in and around the sink. Some of it had fallen to the tiled floor beneath his shoe clad feet. It looked like someone had punched the mirror not once, but a succession of times. More than five, possibly more than twice that. Naruto looked back around at the silent Uchiha, realizing what he had done to tear his hands so badly. He just didn't know why.
Instead of asking, he opened the shattered door, took out ointment and bandages, shut it back carefully, and knelt quietly in front of his patient. As he worked he murmured almost silently to his former teammate; nothing he said having any real importance or significance, just filling the quiet. When he was finished, he replaced what he took from the cabinet and began cleaning up the glass. "Looks like I'll need to buy a new mirror now," he stated loudly as he dumped the glass shards into the garbage can. "Thanks for that. This one was kind of old." Naruto started from the room, towing the Uchiha behind him. "I never made that tea. I think I'll go do that now. You sure you don't want any?" Again, Naruto paused, waiting for the response he knew would never come. "I'll make you some in case you change your mind, okay?"
Sasuke tuned Naruto out as he continued talking while he made the tea. Neither of the men were sure why he did that, the talking and the asking. Perhaps it was just natural to talk and to ask questions, even knowing the person you were speaking to wasn't listening and would never answer. Maybe he thought eventually something would break through. Maybe.
When Naruto sat the cup of steaming tea in front of the Uchiha, he just stared at it. "You gonna drink?" Naruto asked, sipping at his own cup. "Or are you waiting for it to cool? I mean, you could just blow on it…" He trailed off as Sasuke reached out his left hand – neatly bandaged – and placed it on top of the cup. He left it there a moment, as if considering his next move, and then in one swift move thrust it off the table. When it hit the floor it shattered into about a hundred tiny pieces and those pieces shattered into more pieces and hot tea pooled around everything and seeped through the floorboards where it would probably cause the paneling underneath to mildew and/or rot, but Naruto only sighed. "Really, Sasuke. Was that necessary?" Sasuke simply refolded his hands in his lap without saying a word and Naruto left the room in search of a broom, wondering to himself What is it with him and broken glass?
When he returned, broom and dustpan in hand, Sasuke had one of the larger tea-soaked shards in his hands. "Sasuke, I swear. You'd better not try gashing open your damn wrists again; it's getting old." The ebony haired male ignored his ex-teammate, lightly stroking the sharp edge of the shard and staring at it intently. He stroked it harder once, cutting his finger, but didn't seem to notice. That or he didn't care because either way he continued stroking it without missing a beat. However, Naruto did notice and he did care and so he quickly snatched the glass from his hands. The only responses he earned were a few surprised blinks from the other male and an outstretched hand as if saying "Give it back, it's mine." But he didn't give it back.
No, instead he hurled it at the garbage can as he would a kunai at an enemy, ringing it with enough force to almost topple it over. Turning back to the Uchiha survivor he ground out through his teeth, "I am getting sick of you trying to kill yourself! I didn't risk my life to break you out of a maximum security prison surrounded by lava for you to turn suicidal." Naruto was clutching the broom in his hands tightly enough to crack the wooden handle, sending wood spears into his hand. He dropped the split broom to the floor and let out something that could only be considered a growl. Before walking back to the lavatory to clean his hand he gave one last warning to Sasuke, seeing as how he was on a roll today and not worthy of any sort of trust. "Do not fucking kill yourself while I'm gone."
The blonde walked brusquely toward the area he had to frequent far too often for his liking. In fact, he could probably find every single thing in the medicine cabinet in the room blindfolded. Which was basically what he did since he didn't look at the cabinet as he got what he needed. No, he continued to stare out of the open doorway worriedly. The clanking of glass could be heard from the kitchen and he could only imagine what Sasuke must be doing.
As soon as his wound was dressed he rushed back to the kitchen, expecting to see blood gushing from Sasuke's throat or at the very least glass shards sticking out of the Uchiha's palm or something. But that wasn't what he saw at all; it wasn't even remotely close to what he saw. What the scene in front of him actually was was almost – no, it completely was – shocking. The floor was clean. Sasuke had actually swept up all of the glass and mopped up all of the tea while Naruto was cleaning his wound. Again, the question was why.
As if needing some form of conformation that the glass had really all been cleaned up, Naruto wandered over to the trashcan and peered inside. It was full of broken shards of glass and soggy, brown-stained paper towels. "Thanks," Naruto mumbled, going back to his seat.
"I made the mess."
The blonde froze where he was, one hand on the back of his chair about to pull it out from the oak wood table, and looked slowly over at Sasuke. Had he just…spoken? Naruto laughed a little, earning a small 'Oh, you finally lost it' look from the Uchiha. "To think all I had to do this whole time to get you to talk to me was say thanks," he joked lightly. He pulled the chair out and sat down, slightly in a dazed shock at how simple yet random what had just happened was. I made the mess. Yes, but he always made the mess and Naruto never expected him to clean it. He was in a state where it would be almost cruel to expect it of him. "You know, I was beginning to think you couldn't talk anymore," he joked more heavily, and more badly. "Maybe one of the other inmates ripped out your vocal cords."
Sasuke glanced at him briefly before going back to staring at the wall in front of him. "Never had a reason to talk," he grunted.
Now Naruto's laugh was loud and open and sounded as though he were laughing at something outrageous – which he was. "Seriously?" he asked, once he could speak. "You're seriously going to sit there and tell me I never gave you a reason to speak?" He waited for Sasuke to answer and, when after a minute he didn't, just continued ranting. "I have given you plenty of reasons and opportunities to say something – anything – to me and you just chose not to. You could say 'hello' when I come home or 'good morning' or 'good night' when we see each other first time in the morning or last time at night. You could say 'I'm sorry I keep slashing up my body, Naruto' or you could just answer one of the tons of questions I ask but never fucking get responses to!" By the time his rant was finished he was leaning across the table, looming over the seated Uchiha with their faces only inches from each other's and breathing fairly heavily.
After just staring at the enraged blonde in front of him for what seemed like a long while, Sasuke shrugged. "Oops."
Maybe it was the faint throbbing in his hand, or maybe it was the shock of Sasuke actually talking, it was possibly simply what he said or maybe just everything that had built up inside of him since the day he freed the Uchiha, but something made him snap. In one swift movement, much like Sasuke's when he thrust the glass to the floor, Naruto lashed out, slapping Sasuke across the face and then throwing him backwards so that his back connected against the wall hard enough to knock his breath from his body and his head to snap against the plywood surface with an audible crack! That resonated throughout the room.
Sasuke landed on his hands and knees but they quickly collapsed out from under him at the same time he got tunnel vision. Naruto stood over him in seconds, tilting his chin back with his foot so he would have to look at him. "After everything I've done for you you actually have the audacity to act like this?"
"I never asked you to do anything!" Sasuke said through clenched teeth, shaking away his ex-teammate's foot and standing up. Once up, however, he was still dizzy from his blow to the head and teetered forward unstably. Naruto grabbed him and forced him against the wall, holding him there.
"That's because I didn't need you to ask me. You're my best friend, I had to help you!"
"Best friend?" he asked, eyes wide and wild, a manic Sasuke Original Smirk© on his lips. "I tried to kill you!"
Naruto leaned in so that his chin was resting on Sasuke's left shoulder and his mouth was at his ear. Smiling sadly, though the Uchiha couldn't see, he whispered, "I know."
Sasuke was shocked into silence both by Naruto's words and the close proximity of the two at that moment.
"You also called me your best friend and told me that was the reason why you did it," he continued. "You also left me alive when I was unconscious, helpless, at your mercy."
Sasuke grunted, not committing to anything. "You know," he heard Naruto continue, still right in his ear. "I should probably thank you for that. If you hadn't beaten me and left, I never would've trained as hard as I did or become as strong as I have. I did it all for you; to bring you back." He paused, and Sasuke could've sworn he felt a wetness on his shoulder. "But I can't. I can't thank you for it because I missed you so much… When the training got too rough the only the thing that kept me going was the thought of having you back…
"I wasn't even the one who brought you back, but I was so happy when I got word you were in the village. That's why I broke you out of jail. Because you were right there and still not with me and I just had to have you…" Now Sasuke was certain, Naruto was crying. His shirt sleeve was soaked and Naruto's shoulders were shaking, rocking Sasuke with him he was gripping him so tightly. Really, the genius Uchiha prodigy didn't have any idea what to do. Give him a sociopath brother, no problem; a human/snake hybrid brutally training him until he literally couldn't get out of bed, okay; homicidal maniacs trying to kill him on a daily basis, sure. But a guy crying on his shoulder with him being the cause of it? He didn't have a clue. So he just stood there, letting his 'best friend' cry into his shirt, and made an attempt at processing what had just been said to pass the time and avert his attention.
He had to have me? Sasuke questioned of himself, wondering if there could possibly be a double meaning. He didn't have long to ponder it though because Naruto's cry-fest was soon over and then he was just standing there nuzzling into Sasuke's neck. The Uchiha's hand came up to his back unsurely and he patted it once then left it to rest there between his shoulder blades. "You, uh, okay?" he asked stiffly. Naruto's head moved back and forth again and Sasuke wasn't sure if he was nuzzling into his neck again or saying no. Whichever it was, Sasuke wasn't expecting what happened next either way. But it did make him think there really was a double meaning to what his ex-teammate had said.
Gasping, Sasuke pressed himself against the wall harder than Naruto had been holding him to it, as if trying to weave his very being into the foundation of the house. Whether it was out of shock or pleasure he didn't know, but he certainly knew it wasn't out of displeasure. What he felt certainly wasn't bad.
Naruto had moved his leg between Sasuke's thighs to press his knee up against his crotch, but when he heard the Uchiha gasp and felt him shift away he stopped, thinking Sasuke didn't like it. Sasuke felt the blonde's hands leave his body. "Sorry," Naruto mumbled quickly as he speedily walked from the room.
For a while, Sasuke didn't move. He just leaned there against the wall and listened to the storm raging outside. After a few minutes passed – how long exactly? – he pushed away from the wall and followed in the direction his old teammate had gone. He didn't have to look very hard to find him; while he wasn't in the next room he was standing at the end of the adjoining hall just staring out the window. "Naruto?"
The blonde tensed immediately at the sound of his friend's voice. "Yes, Sasuke?"
The Uchiha's lips circled around the word 'what' as he tried to ask a question, but the words never came. Mainly because he didn't know what to ask. What were you thinking? No. What were you feeling? No. What…when did it start? Yes, that was safe; he could ask that. And he did, and Naruto shrugged.
"Remember when we kissed that day back in the Academy?" he asked, still staring out the window at the grey mountainside. "I know it wasn't real, and I know I reacted disgustedly at the time, but after I thought about it for a while I realized it felt kind of…nice."
Sasuke walked warily toward the other man, stopping a few paces behind him. "You never said anything."
Naruto turned his head just enough so that Sasuke could see the look he was giving him – one eyebrow raised as if to insinuate that what he had just said was very stupid indeed – and turned back his precious window. "For obvious reasons."
The Uchiha heir was about to ask 'Like what?' but caught himself beforehand. He knew very well like what. Like the fact they were both male, teammates, and Sasuke gave off a very straight persona. Of course, in truth, the young man had learned long ago he leaned toward other men as often as women; he had just never shown his interest in either sex because he was just that…stoic. That said, he had never really considered Naruto as anything more than a hotheaded rival who often got in his way. But when he was made to think about it…
Sasuke covered the last few paces and wrapped his arms around the back of Naruto's waist. He could feel Naruto's muscles relax as he leaned into him. "Heh," the blonde laughed breathily. "I never really thought you swung that way."
"Never thought you did."
"Fair enough." Naruto turned around so that he was facing his best friend – were they best friends again, had they ever really not been? – and put his hands on his shoulders. "Is this why you never paid attention to any of your fangirls?"
"No," he answered. "I never paid attention to them because they seemed like stuck up sluts who weren't worth my time."
"What about Sakura?"
"She was too, at first, but she changed. However, she's still not my type."
"And Ino?" Naruto asked, feeling the need to know his mind-set towards Sakura's rival.
"She's a whore; everyone knows that."
Naruto laughed, staring into Sasuke's dark grey eyes. So dark they looked black to anyone who didn't play close enough attention, but Naruto paid a lot of attention to little details about the Uchiha. He always had since That Day. Suddenly, still with a smile printed across his face with possibly permanent ink, Naruto lunged forwards and captured Sasuke's mouth. The Uchiha gasped inwardly from shock alone, but quickly let his desires as a male overtake him and leaned into the kiss. It felt much different than the one of accident all those years ago at the academy, sweeter and more firm. He felt more than heard the blonde groan as he pushed his tongue into his mouth. He tasted like Ramen. Not surprising.
Naruto's hands slid off of his shoulders and traveled downwards – feeling every inch of the Uchiha survivor as he did so – to cup his tight ass just as Sasuke pushed him backwards against the wall. Both men slid to the ground, lips and tongues still locked tightly together.
As Sasuke pushed their groins together, Naruto could've sworn he felt his one wish since freeing the Uchiha from his cell in the middle of the night come true against his soft lips. He could've sworn he felt him smile.
Before all you Ino lovers form an angry mob, copy Frankenstein, and attack me with pitchforks and torches– let me just say that I sort of semi like Ino. She's not my favorite female Naruto character – that goes to Sakura and then Tsunade – but I don't think she's a whore. She's not tact or anything, but not a whore. That said, Sasuke thinks she is one in my story so kill him. Hah! Not so willing now, huh? Okay, maybe some of you are…
Oh, and this originally had a tragic ending, but then I just started writing and stuff flowed and this happened. Although I may or may not write a second chapter to this where it's the same story with an alternate ending. The sad one I originally planned. Maybe. Anyhoo. Hope everybody liked Smile. Ta-Ta!