Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Never have and never will!
(See bottom for author's note.)
Perceptual Organization
The Law of Pragnaz:
Every stimulus pattern is seen in such a way that the resulting structure is as simple as possible.
"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" A young girl ran, arms flung outwards to stabilize her tiny body, towards the dark-haired boy.
"Come play with us!" She said, reaching out for his hand.
Obsidian eyes looked at her coldly.
"No."
The abrupt rejection caused her to stare at him in shock, her eyes glittering with the threat of possible tears. It took her a moment to respond.
"Wh-why not?"
"Because I don't want to," he scowled, annoyed that the whiny girl wasn't leaving him alone. It's not like what he was saying was hard to understand.
But his classmate had ruined his solitude, and he wasn't going to get it back anytime soon. Without another word to the sniffling kid, he turned on his heel and walked away.
"Hey!" He heard a shout, but continued to walk, uncaring. "Hey, bastard, I'm talking to you!"
Finally figuring that the grating voice was addressing him, Sasuke turned his head enough to see a blonde boy angrily running after him.
He let his body turn to completely face the boy, sticking his hands in his pockets and giving the blonde a superior look that just didn't quite fit his pudgy face. One day, he would be able to make people cower with just one look, just like his brother.
"Apologize!" The boy yelled, seemingly unaffected by Sasuke's frigid aura.
"What for?" He raised one eyebrow mockingly, enjoying the irritation that flashed through the blue eyes.
"You made her cry!" The expressions on his face were just as loud and exaggerated as his voice. Sasuke noticed that they made the scars on the blonde's cheeks stretch to almost look like whiskers.
"That's her own fault. I just told her I didn't want to play."
"But you made her cry! You shouldn't have done that!"
"So what? I should have done something I didn't want to do?"
"You shouldn't want to do things that make people sad!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. There was no getting through to this…
"Moron."
"What did you call me?!" The blonde tried to lunge forward, but Sasuke had already started to walk away again.
"I said you're a moron," he smirked over his shoulder.
The blonde clenched his fists angrily, almost shaking with anger.
"Well, you're a bastard!"
The Law of Similarity:
Similar things appear to be grouped together.
"Why don't you ever play with them?"
The voice broke him out of his thoughts. Unlike before, however, it wasn't loud or aggressive. And, oddly enough, it wasn't even unwelcome.
"Because I'm alone."
There was a pause.
"…I don't—"
"I'm alone, and they're not. Them and I, we're different."
The second pause was one of understanding.
"Does that make us the same?"
Sasuke stared at the blonde, who was looking at him with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"I guess it does."
The Principle of Uniform Connectedness:
A connected region of visual properties, such as lightness, colour, texture, or motion, is perceived as single unit.
"Orange."
"What?"
"Naruto would be orange. Bright, loud, and obnoxious. And he certainly wears enough of it." Sasuke muttered.
Naruto frowned at him. That wasn't exactly a flattering description.
"Then Sasuke would be blue. Not a light, pretty blue, either! A dark, moody, sulking, arrogant bastard blue."
"I'm surprised you know what sulking means, moron."
"I'm not a moron, you bastard!"
"Please. You can't even come up with more than one insult. How many times have you used 'bastard', now?"
"Oh, you want me to get creative, do you? Alright you prissy, vampire-skinned, chicken-headed asshole, I'll get creative."
"Chicken-headed?"
"Your hair looks like a bird's ass. Please tell me you don't make the conscious decision to style it like that in the morning."
"Big words for an idiot. Would you like to discuss the way I look with the fan club that I have and you don't?"
"That was a low blow, asshole."
"You know," Sakura interjected, innocently looking down at the assignment, "blue and orange are complementary colours."
Her mischievous laughter rang out throughout the room, only getting louder as the two boys' began to indignantly splutter as they fully registered her comments.
The Law of Good Continuation:
Points that, when connected, result in straight or smoothly curving lines are seen as belonging together. These lines tend to be seen in such a way as to follow smoothest path.
They stood in the office of the principal, who leaned back in her chair with a smirk on her unusually pretty face.
"I'm only going to say this all once, so listen up, you hear me? When Kakashi told me you two had been chosen as co-captains of the team, I was considering sending him to the hospital to be checked for any range of conditions. But…I was wrong. You both proved me wrong. And I've never been prouder. You both came an incredibly long way. And look at us! Undefeated! I wouldn't have believed it. You two are a force to be reckoned with, honestly. It's not just the two of you; you've made your team so interwoven that they're practically psychic. I don't know how you did it, but you better continue to do it, because the next time I see you, you better have gold medals hung around your necks, you hear me?"
A grin and a smirk were her only answers, before the co-captains of the soccer team went out to give the pre-game talk of a lifetime.
The Law of Proximity:
Things that are near each other appear to be grouped together.
"Hey Naruto! Where's Sasuke-kun?"
"Maa, how should I know? I'm not attached to the bastard," the blonde boy grumbled.
Sakura laughed, her pink hair bouncing at their shoulders. "You might as well be. You sure you don't know where he is?"
"I haven't seen him at all today," Naruto said, the curiously quiet tone of his voice betraying his worry.
"Really? That is—that's really weird, Naruto."
"Maybe he's sick?" Naruto mused, his mouth quirking cutely to the side in thought.
Sakura looked at him. "Sasuke-kun, missing school? Must be one hell of a bug."
"Yeah," Naruto replied distractedly.
The Principle of Common Region:
Elements that are within the same region of space appear to be grouped together.
"Oi, bastard!" The blonde let himself into the large house with practiced familiarity.
"He's upstairs," a low voice responded, and Naruto turned flash Itachi a grin.
"Thanks!"
A blue-haired man came up to stand beside his friend, both remaining in a contemplative silence as they watched the ball of energy bound up the wooden stairs.
"It felt so weird to see Sasuke today," Kisame commented.
Itachi turned dark eyes on the man in askance.
"It was just Sasuke, alone. Quiet. No little blonde yelling about ramen or perverts or stubborn bastards…it was weird," Kisame frowned, and Itachi's mouth curved in what could almost be called a smile.
"Naruto-kun ought to sell his apartment. I can't imagine him anywhere but at my foolish little brother's side."
The Principle of Synchrony:
Visual events that occur at the same time are perceived as belonging together.
Very little could make Uchiha Sasuke smile.
"Whoa!" Blue eyes widened at the sharp whistle that broke through the sky as colours burst over the stars.
"This is so cool, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes glued to the lit up sky. Shouts could be heard in the distance, but neither boy paid attention. Knowing how Sasuke liked his solitude, they had left the celebrations early to find a more private area—but, of course, knowing how Naruto liked bright things and loud noises, they had made sure to go to a point where they could see the fireworks show perfectly.
It had been a few months since they had last seen each other. The time spent apart had felt like years, but as soon as they saw each other, it was suddenly like no time had passed at all.
Something in Sasuke's chest tightened as he watched aquamarine eyes sparkle brighter than any firework ever could.
Very little could make Uchiha Sasuke smile.
But Uzumaki Naruto made it look easy.
The Law of Familiarity:
Things that form patterns that are familiar or meaningful are likely to become grouped together.
"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Naruto cursed, hitting his fist against the steering wheel in frustration. It was snowing heavily and traffic had basically stopped completely.
"That is it!" He yelled, watching the pedestrians move faster in thirty seconds than he had in thirty minutes. Jerking the wheel angrily, he pulled over into the parking lot that he had eyed, jokingly at first.
"Can I park overnight here?" He asked the attendant while pulling out his wallet.
When the man responded in the affirmative, Naruto broke into a quick jog in the general direction of Sasuke's house. He had never missed a Christmas with his best friend, despite the fact that they had gone to different universities after graduation and it had been three years since then. It was two years since he realized his emotions towards the black-haired boy had become distinctly more complex than that of simple friendship.
A furious knocking on the door startled the Uchiha. Ready to tell Naruto off for being late (as it was obviously him, no one else could knock that obnoxiously), Sasuke opened the door, but didn't get the chance to speak as the yellow blur sped past him. The soggy blonde paused to hastily kick off his shoes, teeth chattering viciously as they stuttered out curses.
"You idiot, did you walk here?!" He chastised him, approaching to help Naruto pull his sodden jacket off.
Breathing heavily in an attempt to counteract his shivering, Naruto responded. "Traffic wasn't moving. And I was going to be late."
"You are late." Sasuke pointed out.
Naruto paused in his shuddering to glare, "bastard. That wasn't my fault."
"But getting sick will be," Sasuke frowned at him, "come on, moron. You're not spending Christmas eve soaking wet."
After Naruto had changed, they sat down on Sasuke's couch together to watch the old, barely in colour Christmas movies that were always playing all night. Naruto was a sucker for a heart-warming story, and Sasuke found enjoyment in appreciating the classics. It was something that they did each year, but something was different tonight. Sasuke attributed it to the way Naruto looked slightly out of place in his dark clothes, bright hair dampened and eyes unnaturally serious as they focused on a particularly sad scene of the movie. The Uchiha had long given up trying to deny his attraction to the blonde boy, but as the years went by, it seemed it was getting harder and harder to hide.
What was it they said?
Absence makes the heart grow fonder?
That certainly applied here. It applied way too well, in Sasuke's opinion, because no matter how his brain was yelling at his eyes to turn away, that he was staring and oh god Naruto was turning and he was going to catch him and—
"What is it?" The blonde asked curiously, innocently, and Sasuke tried to make the deep gasp of air he took in as quiet as possible.
"Nothing," he was supposed to say. But the words wouldn't come out.
His heart threatened to beat out of his chest. His throat had closed up; it was a wonder he continued to breathe, because all other functions had ceased when those eyes landed on him.
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, sounding worried. "Are you okay?"
'Wake up,' his mind thought furiously. 'Wake the fuck up, Uchiha!'
And like snapping out of a daze, Sasuke was finally able to move his eyes away from the blonde. Now, if only he could move his mind away…
"I'm fine, moron. Just spacing out."
Naruto shifted forwards, eyebrows furrowing.
"Uchihas don't space out," Naruto parroted his words from long ago, and Sasuke nearly snarled. If he could have traveled back in time just then he would have certainly done so, and slapped his past self clean across the face.
"Shut up."
Naruto squinted at him, moving closer.
'Too close, way too close,' said Sasuke's mind, and good god was that Naruto's breath he could feel?
"Sasuke?" The breathy tone snapped Sasuke resolve like a twig, and he turned to meet the eyes that had stolen a part of his soul from the moment he caught them.
That night, under the mistletoe, a new Christmas tradition was formed.
The Law of Common Fate:
Things that are moving in same direction appear to be grouped together.
"It's been too damn long," Naruto muttered, half to himself, half to the black-haired boy he had his arms wrapped around.
"Don't tell me you missed me, moron," Sasuke had never failed in being able to inject his smirk into his tone of voice.
But Naruto was far too tired to argue with his boyfriend.
"Of course I did, you bastard," he said, arms tightening as he breathed in the euphoric scent that was uniquely Sasuke.
Somewhat startled by the admission, Sasuke didn't respond before Naruto let him go.
"I haven't even had the chance to say congratulations in person, yet," Naruto sighed, referring to the promotion Sasuke had gotten a couple months ago. Although his older brother still mainly ran the company, Sasuke had finally gained enough trust and respect to take over several branches of it. And even though this made him a much busier man, he found it incredibly satisfying.
"True," Sasuke replied. "But neither have I."
"For what?" Naruto grinned. "Finally finding myself a stable job?"
"Idiot. A stable, incredible job."
Sasuke took immense satisfaction in the moment he rendered Naruto speechless with his words—he rarely complimented anything so clearly, but he had deserved it. The mischievous grin melted into a brilliant smile, one that Sasuke had first seen after their first kiss, and one that never failed to make his entire body feel like jelly.
"You sap," the mouth that held that immaculate smile told him, before it leant forwards to meet Sasuke in a sweet, sensual kiss that sent sparks dancing through their spines. The marvelous connection they had felt in the start of their relationship had yet to leave them; each and every kiss was just as mind consuming as their first.
"Let's go inside," Sasuke said, unexpectedly impatient.
"Suddenly feeling social?" Naruto asked him, somewhat rhetorically, as he followed his pale lover into their house. There was a celebration waiting for the two of them, which was odd, since Sasuke hated social gatherings with every fibre of his being. But the Uchiha was the one who had asked for it, and who was Naruto to deny him?
Sasuke didn't respond, choosing to ignore the furious beating of his heat as his adrenaline built up. Really, his mind knew he had no reason to be nervous, but his heart had never been very good at listening to his mind.
"Hey guys!" Naruto grinned, easily greeting those who he hadn't seen for years. Naruto had always been the outgoing one, and he fit into the group situation perfectly.
Sasuke watched his boyfriend interact for a moment, before his thoughts were interrupted by one of the few girls he had been able to stand since high school.
"Nervous?" Sakura smirked at him. He glared in return, but the hostility in his eyes was lessened by the way his hands were shaking slightly.
"It'll be fine. An Uzumaki falls in love for life, you know?" She said, looking back at the blonde.
Somehow, her words calmed him. He remembered hearing the same from Naruto, months ago, but knowing he had said it to others, and wasn't just trying to placate his needy, possessive boyfriend, made Sasuke feel a little less like worms were fighting their way through his body. But only a little.
"Sakura," Sasuke finally spoke, turning to look at the pink-haired girl. "I'm ready."
A bright grin lit up her face, and she wasted no time at all.
"Hey! HEY! Everyone!" She waved her arms, gathering the attention of the room. "Sasuke-kun has an announcement, so everyone needs to shut up!"
The room went silent in record time. In retrospect, that should have set off alarm bells in Naruto's head.
"Naruto, could you come here for a second?" Sasuke commended himself when his voice didn't shake.
"Sure," Naruto said, his voice holding some confusion, but mostly trust, as he walked up to stand beside the man who had become so much more than a best friend.
"Naruto," Sasuke swallowed, willing himself not to stutter, let his eyes met Naruto's with such intensity that the blonde almost took a step back. "You...you were the first real friend I've ever had. You never let me be alone, no matter how hard I pushed you away. Or, no matter how hard I tried, anyways. No matter what I called you, or yelled at you, or how many times I bruised you in high school," laughs rang out across the room as the occupants recalled the vicious fights the boys used to have.
"You never let me be alone, no matter how far away from you I moved. You never let me forget you, no matter how hard I tried. I don't really like people, I hate talking, and I am absolute shit with emotions. But I love every single second I spend with you."
Sasuke dropped to one knee and Naruto was sure that he stopped breathing.
"I've spent too long away from your eyes, your voice and your smile. Will you marry me?"
And somehow, Naruto found his breath.
"Yes, god yes, yes I will, Sasuke!"
The giddy happiness reverberated around the room, and everyone moved forward to loudly congratulate the soon-to-be newlyweds.
As it ended up, that exceptionally intense emotion never left the couple—it became part of their background noise. They spent their own, personal eternity bound together; for once, choosing to interweave their lives, instead of letting fate do it for them.
And in spite of everything that had tried to pull them apart, they walked forth together: greater with the other than they had ever been alone.
Author's note:
YOU GUYS I AM ACTUALLY SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS okay okay so the story behind this is me writing notes for my psych class, and I got really sidetracked when I was describing the different laws of Perceptual organization (it's basically like the process of how you see/perceive things), and there was this plot bunny that started causing chaos in my mind and I couldn't rest until I had this written.
I've actually never been so inspired. It was awesome. You can probably tell how excited I was through the whole thing, 'cause this story is so sweet I have a toothache. Be gentle, this story is my baby and I love it to death! Please do review and let me know what you thought.
If there's any confusion about what the laws actually mean or what my comparison to the Naruto world was, just ask me, 'kay? I tried to get it as accurate as I could.
I really hope you liked it!
I have to get back to making psych notes now D:
Love,
- Kinomi