a/n: I wrote this back in May after rewatching Ookiku Furikabutte.
Naruto was in the middle of having this awesome dream about Tanaka Masahiro. The two of them were playing catch on the pitch of Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya. It was amazing! Too bad it abruptly ended when something smacked him in the face and woke him up. He lifted his head from off of his desk, bringing the piece of paper stuck to the side of his cheek along for the ride. The blond-haired 16-year-old looked around the classroom in search of the culprit, and figured it was most definitely his nearby deskmate.
"Sasuke, you asshole! I was havin' that dream again where I get to hang out with Ma-kun and Otani Shohei."
"Don't look at me," Sasuke replied testily. "It was him."
The dark-haired boy nodded toward the front of the room. Their teacher, Hatake Kakashi, had another eraser at the ready.
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto moaned. "I was havin' the best dream!"
A second later, the eraser came flying at his head, but before it could nail him in the face again, Sasuke reached across the aisle and caught it.
Impressed, Naruto looked at him and grinned. "Thanks."
"Don't flatter yourself, idiot. It was a reflex."
"Uh huh, I bet." He placed a hand to his cheek - still smiling - and leaned an elbow on top of his desk. "I wouldn't expect anything less of the guy considered to be the top-ranked catcher in all of Fukushima prefecture."
"Kakashi-sensei," blurted a pink-haired girl sitting at the front. "Can you send Naruto outside so that we can carry on the lesson? You were asking about the gods that came into being after Izanagi returned from Yomi. I've had my hand up for 10 minutes!"
Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, and Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Give 'em a break, Sakura," muttered the brown-haired boy sitting behind her. He was leaning dangerously far back in his chair. "Those two've been practicin' every night for the past three weeks to get ready for Spring Koshien. It's a friggin' big deal, and Naruto's our ace pitcher."
"I know it's a big deal, Kiba." Sakura turned in her chair to glare at their third baseman. "But he does this every day. Sasuke's practicing, too, isn't he? And you don't see him falling asleep in the middle of class! Naruto just doesn't have any manners."
"Do you guys have be be so loud every morning?" Shikamaru complained. "You talk about Naruto causing problems, but you guys always have the same argument. Naruto isn't hurting anybody by falling asleep. At least it keeps him quiet."
"I a-agree with Shikamaru," Hinata spoke up from her seat behind Sasuke. "U-uh I mean except about you being quiet…"
"Thank you, Hinata." Naruto grinned widely at her. She always stuck up for him. "Um, yeah. Sorry, sensei. I'll try not to fall asleep again. Carry on."
"Sasuke," said their teacher. "Next time he falls asleep, I want you to smack him in the head. You're his best friend, so you're responsible for him."
"Wait, how is that fair?" Sasuke asked with a scowl. "Besides. If he receives any more head injuries, we might lose our seed in the tournament."
Naruto tapped a pencil on top of his desk. "Head injuries? When did I get any head injuries this season?"
Sasuke smirked at him. "I meant the ones you received when your mother dropped you on your head as a baby."
"Hey!" He pointed the pencil at his best friend. "That was just the one time, and she said she only looked away for a second!"
Some of his classmates snickered.
"What's so funny, eh? Chouji? Gimme one of these." Naruto swiped the potato chip bag out of the hands of the heavy-set boy sitting behind him. "I'm starvin'."
"Huh? There's only one chip left - "
But Naruto had already taken a bite.
"Oh no, now you've done it." The pretty blond-haired girl on Sasuke's left let out a sigh. "This is why girls will never think you're cool, Naruto. Why can't you be more like Sasuke?"
"Oh, you want me to be like Sasuke? Oh, okay. Hi, I'm Sasuke." He used his hand to get his hair to stick up in the back like his friend's. "Sarcasm is my default way of talkin' to everybody, and even though I'm always at the top of the class, I still have a major brother complex since Itachi's graduating with honors from Tokyo University this year."
"Shut up, Naruto." Sakura threw a pencil at him, and, this time, Sasuke didn't do anything to prevent it from hitting him.
"Ow, ow," he cried. "Sensei, did you see that? That's domestic abuse!"
"Oh my God, you are so annoying," Ino cried. "Could the two of you just go out on a date already, so I don't have to listen to you bicker like a married couple every day?"
Sakura started sputtering, and Naruto was too surprised to think of a clever comeback. He spared a nervous look at Sasuke, who was staring straight ahead at the blackboard. Naruto knew him well enough to get that was the expression he used when he... was not happy.
He cleared his throat. "Sasuke."
It didn't seem like Sasuke heard him. Probably because Sakura and Ino had started arguing with one another, and, as usual, attempted to drag everyone else into their fight. It was the same thing that had been happening since elementary school. Eventually, even Kakashi-sensei had enough.
"IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP RIGHT NOW, I'M SENDING YOU TO 2-C SO THAT YOU CAN SPEND YOUR HOMEROOM WITH GAI-SENSEI."
Everyone instantly went quiet, not wanting to be stuck with Gai-sensei for the rest of the morning. Not that Naruto would've minded much since he actually liked the guy. He couldn't fault anyone for being enthusiastic about athletics and working out.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "Now that I have your undivided attention. Prior to Naruto interrupting our class with his antics, I was actually trying to impart some knowledge to you that may appear on next week's exam."
Their teacher ignored the way (almost) everyone in the class let out a groan at the mention of an exam.
"What were the deities created once Izanagi returned from the underworld?" Kakashi scanned the room. The only one with their hand raised was Sakura.
"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. "Can you tell us?"
Sasuke stood up and immediately stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Amaterasu, who came from Izanagi's left eye," he answered, sounding bored during his recitation. "Tsukiyomi, who came from his right eye, and Susano'o, who came from his nose."
"Very good." Kakashi nodded his head, appeased apparently that not all of his students were hopeless cases. "With students like you, I can go to bed thinking I'm not a complete failure as a teacher."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow before taking a seat.
"Show off," Naruto said under his breath, although he actually felt proud that Sasuke was one of the smartest kids at Sekou Gakuin. Hell, in the entire prefecture. He always got the top scores on everything, unlike Naruto.
Sasuke shot him a glare, apparently in a pissy mood.
"What?" Naruto asked innocently. "Hey, do you wanna grab some food before practice tonight?"
"Why?"
"What do you mean 'why'?" He scowled. "Mom's gonna be late tonight, so I wanted to go to the new ramen place that just opened."
"Ramen?" Sasuke made a face. "Doesn't the coach have you on a low-sodium diet?"
"Well, yeah. But I'm dyin' here, Sasuke. Please. Sasuke. Please." He batted his eyelashes. "Just this once." Naruto covered his mouth as he spoke. "It can be our secret."
"I don't care what you stick in your body, but when you screw around, I somehow always end up getting punished, too."
Naruto laughed. "That's 'cause we're a team."
Sasuke grumbled something he didn't catch, but Naruto was fairly sure he would go. That was the perk of having been best friends since they were about 5 years old. No matter how much Sasuke complained, Naruto always managed to get his way. That's how it had always worked with them. Well, for the most part.
After meeting up with the team and their coach in the afternoon, Naruto managed to sneak out of practice early. It wasn't that big of a deal given that he and Sasuke had been practicing by themselves nearly every night for the past several weeks. Luckily, Sasuke's older brother Itachi had been tutoring him on the weekends so he didn't fail out of all of his classes. It would be pretty difficult to play baseball if he was suspended.
Although he remained walking at Naruto's side, Sasuke kept particularly quiet. They were on their way to the new ramen shop he'd heard so much about lately.
"I think m'gonna ask for extra pork," Naruto murmured happily as he folded his arms behind his head. "What are you gonna get?"
When Sasuke didn't answer, Naruto nudged him in the shoulder.
"Yo. Earth to Sasuke?"
"Hm?" Sasuke glanced his way.
"What's up with you? You've been actin' weird all afternoon."
"Naruto," said Sasuke, using a serious enough tone that it immediately drew his focus. "Let me stay at your place tonight."
"Huh? Why? You hate stayin' at my place. You always complain 'bout how messy it is!"
Sasuke glared, but didn't give him a real answer.
Naruto just shrugged. "Fine with me."
When the traffic light changed, they headed across the street, where they ended up passing a group of girls from another high school going in the opposite direction. They giggled behind their hands, obviously checking them both out. As usual, Sasuke showed little reaction to their attentions.
Naruto smirked. "They have good taste, don't they?"
"Clearly not," replied Sasuke. "Since a couple of them were smiling at you."
Naruto paused once he reached the curb. "Really?" He looked back at them. "Which ones?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Really?"
"Why are you in such a shitty mood? You were alright this mornin'. Well, up until Kakashi-sensei tagged me with the eraser."
"Let's just get your ramen so that we can practice at the sports center. How's your arm, by the way?"
"S'alright." He shook it out and rotated it at the shoulder.
"Maybe we should take it easy tonight."
"Nah. It'll be alright. I've got somethin' I've been workin' on."
"Since when? We were together last night."
Once they arrived at the ramen shop, Naruto held open the door for his friend. "Hey, we're not always together, are we?"
"Seems like it."
Naruto almost kicked him in the back of his leg as Sasuke went in first. The room already smelled so good. A lot of the tables were full, but there was space at the counter, so they headed in that direction. There were two free stools in the middle, as if they'd been saved just for them. Before even picking up a menu (he knew what he wanted), Naruto grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the wooden container and split them apart.
"Since I dragged you here," he said. "I'll pay."
"Since when do you have any money?" Sasuke asked.
"My dad sent me some money this week. So. My treat. It'll be like a date."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him and then returned to reading the menu.
Lowering his head, Naruto couldn't help but smile.
After the ramen shop, the two of them went to the local indoor sports center, which had its own smaller indoor baseball field that they could use to practice pitching. They'd gone for nearly three hours without a break, and it was already really uncomfortable since the air-conditioning was busted. Naruto was sweating through his t-shirt, and Sasuke, since he was wearing all of his catcher's equipment, had to be dying.
More for Sasuke than himself, Naruto signaled that he was ready to take a breather. He walked up to the plate.
"How are you doin'?" He asked, wiping at his brow after taking off his ball cap. "I smell like a pig."
Sasuke, rather slowly, got up from his crouching position.
"You okay? You look like you're wincin', Sasuke."
"It's nothing." Sasuke lifted the facemask. His cheeks were really red and covered in perspiration.
"Somethin' wrong with your leg? Is it a cramp?" Naruto, after removing his mitt, crouched at Sasuke's feet. He was about to check Sasuke's calf to see it was tight, but his hand ended up being viciously swatted away.
"I said I was fine."
"Sorry, man." Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto got to his feet. "I kept you crouched like that for too long. Why didn't you say anything if you needed to stretch?"
Sasuke glanced off to the side, chin raised slightly in the air. "You were starting to hit your stride."
He tried to keep his goofy grin in check. "Well, that's that. We're done for tonight. Do you want me to help you take off your gear?"
"Naruto," Sasuke grabbed him by the arm when he was about to walk away. "I can go for longer."
"Why? No need to push yourself. I think we're where we need to be, don't you?"
"I think we could be better," Sasuke replied.
"Hm. Nope. Your health and well-being are priorities to me, Sasuke. I won't have it, and I'm not pitchin' to anyone else but you, so don't even think of overdoing it." He forced Sasuke to turn around and unsnapped the chestplate before his batterymate could protest.
"Naruto," Sasuke growled.
Naruto was far from intimidated. "If it makes you feel better, I was gettin' tired anyway. My elbow's all stiff. I'm definitely gonna need to ice it when we get home."
"Are you kidding?" Sasuke, apparently forgetting that he was supposed to be mad, grabbed for his arm to check it out. He had Naruto flex it a couple of times.
Naruto smiled at his friend's show of concern. "It's only sore. No biggie."
Sasuke raised his eyes and, after holding onto him a little longer, finally let go of Naruto's arm.
"Then maybe we should call it an early night," Sasuke conceded.
"Yeah, but are you sure you're alright? Why don't you sit down on the bench, and I'll help you take everything off. You've gotta be sweatin' under there, huh? I'll get you some water."
He bullied Sasuke into taking a seat on the bench. In the meantime, he went to grab a bottled water from the cooler they always brought and carried it back to him. Sasuke was busy unbuckling his shin guards. He took the water when Naruto offered it to him.
Sasuke stopped what he was doing for a minute. "Thanks."
He took a couple of drinks and then handed it to Naruto, who also took a swig.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke's leg again. "How's your leg? Maybe we should call a cab? Or I could see if mom's home yet."
"Stop hovering," Sasuke complained quietly. "The bus is fine."
While Sasuke finished taking off the rest of his gear and getting his belongings together, Naruto threw his mitt and ball into his own bag. He kept sending glances Sasuke's way, trying to determine whether Sasuke was really okay or not. Once they left the field, they carried their heavy duffle bags into the locker room. Naruto put on his jacket and street shoes, and Sasuke did the same. The weather had been nice lately, but considering how much they'd sweat tonight, he didn't want either of them to catch a chill or get dehydrated. It was already late, and since they usually had the field reserved for just themselves (thanks to Sasuke's family connections), there weren't many other people still at the sports center at this time of night.
"Next bus should be comin' in five minutes," he said after checking his phone.
Waiting by the bus stand together, Naruto kept noticing the way Sasuke would stretch out his right leg every so often. It looked like it was really bothering him.
"You want me to carry your stuff?" Naruto asked as casually as possible.
"Why?" Sasuke looked over at him, a light dusting of pink coloring both cheeks.
"You look flushed. You better not be comin' down with anything."
"As if I would."
Naruto started to whistle the opening theme to one of his favorite new anime. As expected, the bus arrived right on time, so the two of them lugged their bags on board. They were the only passengers. Naruto's house was pretty close to the complex, no more than a few stops. Sasuke, on the other hand, lived on the other side of town. They used to live in the same neighborhood, but then Naruto and his mother had to move into a smaller, two-bedroom apartment.
They sat side by side after throwing their duffle bags onto the seats behind them. Naruto liked to sit by the window and watch the scenery pass. He knew he smelled like ass and couldn't wait to take a bath. He should let Sasuke go first, though. The warm water would help his muscles relax. Maybe while he was in there, Naruto could run to the nearby conbini to get them something to eat.
"It's dark out tonight," Sasuke muttered.
Naruto grunted in agreement.
Sasuke nudged him. "How's your arm?"
"S'alright. How's your leg?"
"I'll survive." Sasuke let out a breath and raked a hand through his hair. "I might be tired, after all."
"Mm. I figured." Turning more toward him, Naruto threw an arm around the other boy - across the back of the seat. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you tonight. Draw you a bath, feed you. What would I do if you suddenly got injured or came down with a cold?"
Sasuke gave him a suspicious look.
"What?" Naruto had to smile at his friend's paranoia.
"I'm trying to figure out what it is you want."
"Huh? Why do you say that?" He moved even closer into Sasuke's personal space.
"Because. You only spit flattery like that at me when you want something."
Naruto scoffed. "As if. You know I like to take care of you when you're not feelin' good. We used to play doctor all of the time as kids - "
Sasuke clamped a hand over his mouth. "Idiot. Finish that sentence and die." He quickly removed his hand.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Who's gonna hear anyway? The driver doesn't give a crap."
"Just don't say things like that in public. You'll give people the wrong idea."
"Well," said Naruto. "At least we know one thing. You'll always be the catcher, and I'll always be the pitcher."
Sasuke glared. "You still find that funny, don't you?"
"I do. Yeah. I really, really do."
"It's only funny because people would expect our roles to be reversed in that situation."
"What?" He was almost offended. "What people? Even Itachi thinks - "
Sasuke's jaw immediately clenched.
"Oh, right. You're givin' him the silent treatment right now. I still can't figure out why."
"Figures you'd be on his side," Sasuke grumbled. "Since he's your boyfriend."
"Ha! I wish. Uchiha Itachi my boyfriend? I could only be so lucky."
Apparently that wasn't what Sasuke wanted to hear.
"Er." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "What I meant to say is - "
"Shut up already, moron. I know you're in love with him."
"Nah. You'll always be my favorite Uchiha sibling. Hell, my favorite Uchiha in all of Japan, and there have to be at least a few of you."
Sasuke pushed his arm off, grumbling under his breath so much Naruto had to laugh at him.
"You're hilarious, Sasuke. You and your brother complex. Ah. I don't care what a bastard you are, though. Wouldn't trade you for a million yen. Your brother is great and all, but he can't catch like you. No way. I wanna see you ranked No. 1 in all of Japan at some point."
He'd been staring out the window again, which is how he managed to catch Sasuke's reflection in the glass. His eyes were wide with surprise, and there was a hint of a blush to his cheeks. It made Naruto suddenly feel self-conscious and embarrassed by what he'd said, too.
"Uh. Yeah." Naruto scratched at one of his cheeks. "I'm kinda tired, so I might be a little giddy."
"If you want," said Sasuke. "You can rest your head on my shoulder. You shouldn't wear yourself out. Maybe I'll tell coach you need to take tomorrow off. Rest is important, too."
Naruto blinked at him, and then released a blinding grin. "Are you worried about me?"
"You don't take care of yourself, so I have to. We're depending on you, Naruto. Me. And the entire team."
"Aw, why'd you go and say that? Now I feel all pressured and nervous."
"You thrive under pressure. What are you talking about?"
Naruto sighed, half-tempted to take Sasuke up on that offer of using his shoulder as a pillow, but it wouldn't be fair. Likely, Sasuke was just as tired as he was. When they got to his place, he'd be sure to spoil Sasuke like he deserved. Naruto'd always been the type who was quick to recover. Sasuke, on the other hand, was slightly more fragile. That thought alone made Naruto smirk.
"Idiot," Sasuke said as if reading his mind, which given how long they'd been such close friends, wouldn't come as much of a surprise.
Once they were inside the apartment, Naruto drew a bath for Sasuke, even putting some special stuff in the water that he knew might help ease the tension in his muscles. Eventually Sasuke kicked him out of the bathroom for asking too many questions while trying to play nurse. Why was it weird if Naruto offered to wash his back for him? Wasn't that a nice thing to do?
There wasn't much in the way of groceries in their refrigerator, so he decided to go to the conbini on the corner to grab some bentos for the both of them. He was still sweaty and gross but at least he'd changed into jeans, a tshirt, and a hoodie. It was really nice out, too, and there were lots of stars. As Naruto walked into the store - greeted by the smiling female worker behind the counter - he made his way over to the premade meals. He studied the contents of each carefully, trying to pick out one that he knew Sasuke would like. He also picked up a pack of plain onigiri for them to split.
Then, as he was about to pay the cashier, he remembered that he wanted to get some medicated cream for Sasuke's leg. Rarely did Sasuke complain, even when he should. They'd been working really hard lately, and Naruto could go for hours without remembering to eat, drink, or even go to the bathroom. That was okay for him, but he didn't mean to force Sasuke to do the same. He always just went along with whatever Naruto wanted to do (at least when it came to baseball).
Once he paid for everything (there went his allowance for the week), he headed back to the apartment only to find his mother in the kitchen, talking to Sasuke. Sasuke was dressed in a pair of Naruto's sweats and a Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters shirt. Closing the door, Naruto slipped off his street shoes and stepped into his house slippers.
"Hey, mom!" Naruto greeted, swinging the bag from his fingers. "I thought you were gonna be a lot later, or else I would've picked you up somethin'."
He snagged the stool next to Sasuke and dropped his bag on the came over to his side and put an arm around his shoulders, then gave him a noogie.
"Don't worry, kiddo. I had something with the ladies at the office since we were all staying there late. I'll get groceries tomorrow, promise." She saluted the both of them.
"Sasuke's stayin' over by the way."
"So, I see!" Kushina smiled brightly. She had a smile just like his. "You're always welcome, Sasuke. You know us, we love to have company! The both of you look like you worked hard tonight." She gave Naruto a sniff. "Hoo boy, you stink."
"Gee, thanks. I gave Sasuke first dibs on the bath since his leg was all - " He didn't get to finish, though, since Sasuke rammed an elbow into his shoulder. Naruto shoved him back. "Ow, that's my throwin' arm, bastard!"
Kushina smacked him on the head. "Don't hit! And don't talk that way to Sasuke. I like him. He's quiet and clean and probably never brings home the kind of report cards you do to me."
"Ow, you hit me, too!" Naruto rubbed at his head. "Why am I always surrounded by such abusive people? And if you like him so much, why don't you adopt him?"
"I would love to adopt him, but he already has parents. And I don't think I beat you enough as a child." Kushina released her long red hair from the bun she had it styled in. "Now, fess up, Sasuke. What's wrong with your leg? Is Naruto working you too hard?"
"I'm fine," Sasuke replied, with much more patience than he would if talking to Naruto. "The hot water helped a lot. I must not have stretched enough before we went to the center."
"If you say so." Kushina hummed, but, unlike Naruto, decided not to nag him. "Does anyone want some tea? I was thinking of making some to relax."
"I'll have some," said Sasuke. "If you don't mind."
"Good, then you can keep mom company while I go take my bath. I got you a bento. And there's some onigiri, too. I got 'em plain since I know you hate all the ones with the fillings."
He proceeded to take out everything from the bag and set it in front of him.
"Thanks," Sasuke mumbled. "You didn't have to do that."
"Be back in a sec." Naruto smiled and gave them both a parting wave. "Don't talk about me too much while I'm gone!"
The bath felt so good he ended up staying in there longer than he'd meant to, and, in fact, almost fell asleep a couple of times. Sasuke was right. Rest was just as important as practicing. Not only for himself, but if Sasuke got hurt because Naruto didn't know when to quit - well, he didn't know what he'd do. Luckily they had a free day on Saturday, which didn't happen very often.
A few more minutes later, and Naruto finally got out of the bath. He pulled a towel around his waist and, standing in front of the mirror, decided to check out his complexion. The skin under his eyes was kind of puffy. He really needed to get more than five hours of sleep each night. But he was really excited! They were going to be starting players at Koshien, and they were only second years. That was crazy. First years couldn't play in either of the main tournaments.
Of course, it was also funny that Naruto had nearly gotten kicked out after having to submit a photo along with his registration. New rules said that kids with dyed hair couldn't participate, and for some reason, they thought his natural blond locks weren't natural at all. Not like it was the first time he'd encountered people singling him out because of that. He remembered getting so mad at the time that he joked about dropping his pants in front of the panel of officials. Luckily, he had a smart friend like Sasuke who suggested showing them a picture of his dad, instead. They had the same color of hair, after all.
When he'd finished up in the bathroom and gone out into the hallway, he saw that the lights were off in the kitchen. The door to his mom's room was closed and dark (did she go to sleep already without saying goodnight to him?). His room, however, still had its light on. He found Sasuke lying on the bed, reading the newest volume of Ace of Diamond.
While Sasuke was reading, Naruto went through his drawers in search of something to wear to bed. The place was kind of messy. There were clothes all over his floor, in various piles or falling out of his closet. Eventually, he spotted a clean pair of boxers. He slipped those on along with a faded Yomiuri Giants shirt.
"I don't get how people can read this," Sasuke announced, even as he kept flipping to the next page.
"What are you talkin' about? It's great. Manga's much better than the anime, I have to say."
"I think that other one was better."
Naruto started kicking some clothes into another corner of his room. "What other one?"
"Oofuri."
"Oh, yeah. I liked that one. Plus it was all about that team's battery, right? The pitcher was fuckin' annoying, though. Catcher was cool. Kinda bossy. Like you."
"I'm bossy?" Sasuke set the manga on the nightstand. "You'd be lost without my ability to call half the throws I do."
"I know. I never said otherwise. Just said you were bossy." Naruto walked to the side of the bed Sasuke was on. "Did you eat?"
"I did." Sasuke was watching him closely. "You didn't eat yours."
"I'll grab some in a minute. I hope you had one of those drinks, too. You get cramps easier when you're not hydrated."
Sasuke's eyebrow lifted. "You're starting to sound like your mother."
Naruto tugged at his shirt. "Is that a bad thing? You like my mom."
Sasuke made a face.
"I didn't mean like that, though I swear you had a thing for her when we were growin' up."
"Shut up. Go eat something and come back."
"I'll bring it in here."
"But you'll get it everywhere. Just like you always do."
"Jerk. Shut up." He lightly punched his friend in the arm. "I'll be right back. Oh, and I have somethin' else for you that I left in the bathroom."
Without waiting for a reply, Naruto dashed to the kitchen to grab his bento. On the way back, he grabbed the cream he'd bought for Sasuke from off the sink. As he walked into the room, he set it on the dresser and jumped onto the foot of the bed. Crossing his legs underneath him, Naruto watched while Sasuke played on his phone, which suddenly started to ring.
"Who is it?" He asked nosily. "Is it Sakura-chan?"
Sasuke, while glaring at him, answered the phone tersely,. "What do you want?"
Naruto twitched where he sat, wanting to know who it was. "Is it Itachi? Is it? Huh? Is it, Sasuke?"
Sasuke kicked at him with his foot until he shut up and started picking at his food with the cheap plastic chopsticks. Naruto could totally tell he was talking to Itachi. He wanted to talk to him, too! Argh! And Sasuke was being a dick to him as usual. If Naruto had an older brother like that, he'd totally be nice to him. Since pouting wasn't going to work on Sasuke, Naruto decided to finish his bento. He eavesdropped on the conversation as much as he could, though. Sasuke was telling his brother about tonight's practice, including how Naruto still sucked at being able to master his sinker ball. Yeah, well. He wasn't perfect, and it was coming along a hell of a lot better than last season.
Just as Naruto finished the last of his veggies, Sasuke finally handed the phone over.
"He wants to talk to you."
"Really?" Naruto nearly flailed and then tried to calm himself since he didn't look too cool right now. "I mean. Uh. Okay."
"Annoying," Sasuke grumbled. "I'll throw this away." He took Naruto's trash and headed out of the room.
Naruto flopped on top of the bed. "Hey, Itachi! What's up? Why do you let Sasuke talk to you like that? Do you want me to beat him up for you?"
"Naruto," Itachi said in his deep voice. "Maybe I should let you. My brother has quite the mouth on him."
"I know, right? That was more than I'd heard out of him all day. Are you comin' up this weekend to visit, or do we have to do lessons via Skype again?"
"I might drop by, at least to make sure you're taking care of yourself. Sasuke said you've been practicing all week. Rest is equally as important when training, Naruto. I thought I taught you that when you were little and I used to take the two of you to the dojo."
"I know, I know. Sasuke said the same thing earlier. I always lose track of time. I'm so excited about Koshien that I can't help myself. I feel bad about doin' that to Sasuke, though. But, don't worry. I'll take care of him."
"I know you will," said Itachi. "You always do. So, you'll be around this weekend?"
"Definitely."
"Maybe I can steal you away from Sasuke for a couple of hours on Saturday?"
"Really?"
"Of course. We'll make a date of it."
Naruto started to blush and sputter; Itachi chuckled.
"By the way," said Itachi. "I read that article about you. I suppose that makes the two of you celebrities now?"
"Ah, hardly." Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "It was just a little blurb. No big deal."
"I wouldn't say it's 'no big deal'. Even my professors were talking about it in class. Make sure the fame doesn't go to Sasuke's head."
"He didn't even wanna do the interview, can you believe that?" Naruto rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "I had to practically beg him. Other people would kill to be in that magazine."
"You know Sasuke," said Itachi, "He's never been a fan of being in the spotlight."
"Yeah, that's true. It's all the girls were talkin' about afterward. How hot Sasuke looked in his baseball uniform."
"Well?"
"Well, what?"
"Do you think my brother looks hot in his baseball uniform?"
"Heh. Not as hot as me, of course."
"I'm sure. I have to be off now, Naruto. Tell your mother hello for me. I'd love to see her this weekend."
"Will do, boss."
"Hn. Goodnight, Naruto."
Itachi hung up, and Naruto let out a sigh before running a hand through his hair. He set the phone on the dresser just as Sasuke came back into the room.
"What did Itachi want to talk to you about?" Sasuke asked while pretending to be disinterested in his answer.
"He wanted to know if I'd like to go on a date with him this weekend."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"
Naruto nodded. "Un. I'm excited. Maybe we'll see a movie."
"Tch. Whatever. Do what you want."
"Aw, don't be mad," said Naruto. "You can come to."
"It's fine."
"Half the time you're always yellin' at him anyway. You can't possibly be mad at me for wanting to hang out with Itachi."
"I thought we'd practice together," Sasuke argued. "Like we usually do."
"We still can. Just. Y'know. Later."
"I don't care. You can have him for the entire day. I can practice with Lee."
"You wouldn't." Naruto pointed a finger at him. "He always messes up your rhythm after you catch for him, and then it takes me days to get you back where I want you."
Sasuke looked confused. "What?"
"You know what I'm talkin' about. Wait. Why are we arguin' over this? I want to practice with you on Saturday. I just said I was goin' with your brother to a movie is all! Why are you gettin' all angry?"
Sasuke crossed his arms. "I'm not angry. I just think you spend an awful lot of time with my brother."
"I spend way more time with you!" Naruto let out a huff. "You're so high-maintenance, Sasuke."
"I'm high-maintenance? Tch. Moron." He turned away from Naruto. "I'm going for a walk."
Naruto immediately sat up. "What? It's late. Where would you walk to at this time of night?"
"I need to get some fresh air." Sasuke started to walk out of the room, but Naruto jumped off the bed and grabbed him by the arm.
"I'll go with you," he said.
Sasuke shook his head. "I want to be alone."
"Why? I don't get it. Stay. I'll even give you the bed. I'll roll the futon out on the floor."
"You don't need to do that."
"I can sleep anywhere. You know that."
"I know you can." Sasuke's expression softened a little. "I remember when mother found you asleep under her bed. She nearly had a heart attack."
Naruto chuckled. "That was a long time ago."
"Not that long."
"Good, so you're staying. I got this thing for you, by the way." Naruto grabbed the muscle cream from off of the dresser. "For your leg. I always use it on my shoulder, and it works awesome."
Sasuke looked at the tube and then at him, an eyebrow raised.
"What?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin. "Do you want me to put it on you myself?"
"Shut up." Sasuke stole it out of his hand.
"You do! You do want it. If you wanted me to touch you that badly, why didn't you say so?"
"What - "
Naruto gave his friend a shove that sent him flying onto the bed. "Roll over, bastard. I'm only doin' this 'cause you're my very important, very precious catcher. If I wasn't the team's ace, I guess you'd be. That should count for somethin'."
"Naruto - " Sasuke growled, reaching for the sleeve of his shirt.
"Hm?" He looked at Sasuke with warmth.
Sasuke averted his eyes. "I guess... it's hard for me to reach by myself."
"Oh, look at you, you little tsundere! Shove over then." He manhandled Sasuke until he'd rolled onto his stomach.
"What are you going to do?" Sasuke asked nervously.
Naruto took the cap off of the cream. "I'll do what all the trainers do to me. I'll massage out the tension and then slather this shit all over it."
"You've done this before?"
"I've done it enough to myself to know how to do it, yeah. Just sit there and relax. Be thankful."
Sasuke grumbled, but eventually acquiesced to his demands. He folded his arms on top of the pillow and rested his head down.
Naruto began by rolling up each of Sasuke's pant legs to well above his knees. Just looking at the one, Naruto could tell his hamstring appeared super tight. He wondered if Sasuke was in any pain. Rubbing his hands together to build some warmth, Naruto started to glide his palm across the smooth, pale skin. The muscle flexed and twitched under his touch.
"Relax, man. You're gonna give yourself a charley horse."
Shifting around on the bed, Naruto tried out different positions while massaging the backs of Sasuke's thighs and his calf muscles until everything started to loosen up more. As Sasuke relaxed further, Naruto decided to apply some attention to his friend's lower back and shoulders. It was kind of awkward to be straddling him like this while giving a massage, but the little noises of appreciation Sasuke made every once in awhile let him know that his efforts were working.
It made him think about Sasuke having to sit in that crouched position for hours at a time without a break, whether it was during their grueling practice sessions or a game. A pitcher could be switched out, but catchers rarely were. They'd been playing on the same teams since they were little. They'd ended up at the same junior high and now the same high school. Having played for so long together definitely accounted for their chemistry on the field. Their current school was well-ranked, for sure, but they'd also made the decision to stay close to their families.
Pitching to Sasuke always made him feel calm, even during high-pressure games. Or, if Naruto did panic, Sasuke always had this way of reining him in. He'd walk up to the mound, tell him to chill out, and they'd get the next one. Just like that, Naruto was back to his normal self. Not to mention he knew that Sasuke reviewed recordings of other schools' games when he had the chance. In fact, every time he went to Sasuke's house, there would be stacks of recorded games on his desk. Sasuke knew the stats on all of the players in their league as well as the professional ones. When they went up against the teams at their level, he always knew their batting habits and what to say to throw them off just enough to get a better play.
Sasuke was kind of a strategic genius, really.
Apparently Naruto didn't notice Sasuke had fallen asleep until he started to snore. He snorted, not used to him doing such uncool things, but, then again, it made Naruto feel even guiltier. Slowly, he picked himself off of Sasuke and threw the tube onto the dresser. He figured that if Sasuke was able to fall asleep with Naruto on top of him that he must not be in any real pain.
Afterward, he made sure to tug down Sasuke's pant legs so that they weren't all bunched up. Sasuke, who usually looked so stern, carried such a peaceful expression while he slept. It feld kind of creepy that Naruto was sitting here watching his best friend sleep, but he was struck with such a sudden, very intense feeling of gratitude. He felt lucky to have Sasuke by his side. He wanted to see them go further. He wanted them to be become best in the region, best in Japan, and, if possible, best in the entire world. Then Sasuke wouldn't always think his accomplishments were inadequate compared to those of his brother's.
And Naruto... well, he wanted to be the best, too. He wanted to play for the top teams in Japan, and maybe even go to the States like Ma-kun. With a sigh, Naruto pulled the covers up over his best friend. Sasuke's dark hair lay scattered across the pillow. He'd always thought that Sasuke had such a pretty face. Almost like a girl's. Except there was really nothing very girly about Sasuke. Not at all. Sasuke was all sweat and blood and hardly ever any tears. He was so strong that Naruto doubted he would ever break. Even if that day did come, Naruto wanted to be the one to lift him up, just like Sasuke'd always done for him.
While Sasuke continued to snore, Naruto went to the closet to pull out the futon and lay it across the floor. Maybe tomorrow they should play hookie from school and go shoot pool at old Jiraiya's pub. They could spend a day doing all the shit they used to before baseball took up every waking second of their lives.
Still. It was nice to have a dream, and then be able to share it with your closest friend. How far could they go at Koshien? Could their team really win? They'd all worked so hard for this. He really wanted to see it happen. Naruto flipped off the lights and closed the door. It was stuffy, so he turned on the fan, but low so that Sasuke wouldn't catch a chill.
Almost as soon as Naruto's head hit the pillow, he was out - the dream from earlier returning, except Naruto wasn't playing with famous baseball players. It was just him, and Sasuke, and their team. Family members and friends were in the stands, cheering them on. Naruto was on the mound, ready to wind up, and Sasuke - eyes calm behind the catcher's mask - gave him the first signal.