OUR STORY
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue
Warnings: YAOI (meaning relationship between two guys, if you're uncomfortable with that please hit the back button.)
Pairing: Mainly Sasunaru
A/N: Hey guys! Had this story in my head for a while and just needed to write it down before I go insane. It actually looks like it'll be a long one here so hopefully you guys will follow it all the way. Please review if you have the time and let me know what you think!
Part I : I : Us
He clenched tightly at the hems of his shorts with every recovering breath. Bent forward, the sun scorched his back, producing more sweat to trail down his skin and mingle with his soaked shirt. He collected himself, reduced his heavy breathing and outstretched, raising his arm to wipe away the bangs sticking to his forehead. Someone approached him, timesheet held loosely in their left hand and the timer in their right. The person stood a foot away, allowing him space.
"Good work, Naruto," said the newcomer, reaching out the timesheet for him. "If you continue training like this for the upcoming competition, you'll definitely be scouted."
"Thanks, coach," he said and gathered the pieces of paper. He was usually more ecstatic when he heard praises but the training before had left him spent. His eyes roamed over the numbers printed in neat blue ink, connecting them with the names on the left column and smiled when he saw that he was still the fastest amongst the team. Returning the sheets back to his coach, he asked, "Do you know how many are usually scouted?"
His coach crossed his arms over his chest, pressing the sheets against him. "There's never a certain number," he replied. "If you're fast then they'll like you. Sometimes they offer two or three students, sometimes none. Don't worry about them on the day, just concentrate on doing your best and you'll be fine."
"Yep," he nodded, smiling.
"I'll see you next week, then."
"Thank you for today."
His coach nodded goodbye and started approaching another student. Naruto walked towards the pile of bags a few feet away to gather his things. He slung his duffel over his shoulders, unzipped his bag and reached for his drink bottle. Then he looked around the area to spot a familiar figure leaning against a tree a few meters away. He walked towards him, flicked open the bottle in his hand and took long satiating gulps.
"Hey," he said as he approached the figure hiding underneath the shade of the tree. Seeing him approach the boy stood up, dusting himself.
"Hey," the boy answered.
"How did it go?" Naruto asked.
"How did 'what' go?'
"The letter?"
"What letter?"
"Sasuke!" Naruto clenched his fists, showing his impatience.
The boy smirked. "How did you go?" He asked instead, changing the subject.
Naruto sighed and shoved his empty bottle back inside his bag. He knew when his friend didn't want to talk about certain things and he didn't have the energy to pursue it now. Naruto turned around to walk away from the field, expecting the other to follow. "Good. I'm still the fastest on the track. Coach said that if I keep it up, I might get scouted." He slowed his pace slightly to allow Sasuke to meet his strides.
"Have you told your parents yet?"
"No," he said. "I was thinking to convince them after I get the scholarship." Naruto looked up at him, lifting his head slightly to meet the height difference and looked expectantly at the other.
"You know it's not going to work," was the bland reply.
"Yeah, I know," Naruto said slightly annoyed, his one eye twitching, "but you know, being a best friend, you could at least be more encouraging."
Sasuke only looked ahead, avoiding the irritated face directed at him. "I'll be encouraging if you stop being so cowardly."
"What? I'm not a coward!" Naruto fumed.
"Then tell them already."
Naruto kicked at the small rock in front of him. They'd left the field and were know walking along the footpath heading towards the main street. Other students were making their way home at this time of the day, their backs further ahead of them. "You know how they are," Naruto groaned. "They're so old-fashioned and stubborn. They'll only be happy if I end up being some doctor or lawyer. I mean, I don't mind being a doctor and all if I actually had the brains for it. They should know I'm just not cut out for school." Naruto sighed this time and resumed his abuse of the rock on the ground. "And what's so bad about making a career out of sports? They can earn heaps too. Do you know how much you can get paid if you represent the country and win the medal?" He paused, looking at his friend. When his friend only stopped to wait by the pedestrian cross and made no indication he was going to answer, he continued. "Well, a lot. And there's sponsors and stuff; if you're really famous you can even do commercials..." He continued rambling as they crossed the walk to the other side. Sasuke remained quiet throughout, paying attention to the slow traffic and only half listening. When they reached the local fast-food restaurant he slowed down so that Naruto could stop.
"You hungry?"
Naruto turned to him, looking a little confused before he registered the question. "Oh. Yeah, sure."
They cut in through the car park, seeing that there were quite a few parked cars, and pushed the door to go inside. The smell of grease filled the vicinity as the place prepared for their first rush for the early evening. Naruto stood beside Sasuke as they waited in line, looking at the pictured menu above the counter. When he decided what he wanted he looked down at the workers, noticing a few faces he'd seen before from school. The line moved quickly and steadily and within a few minutes they were at the front of the counter.
"Oh, hey, Sasuke" the girl serving greeted. Her cheeks tinged a light pink as she eyed him.
"Hi," Sasuke replied indifferently. "Can I get two double cheeseburgers, large fries and medium coke." He shifted so that Naruto could order also.
"Sorry, make that three double cheeseburgers; and I'll also have a chicken burger with extra large fries and an extra large raspberry slurpy." He smiled brightly at the girl.
The worker checked their order, their price flashing on the machine before she went to collect the items. Someone from inside the kitchen saw them and called out. Naruto recognised him as one of the guys in his Maths class. He quickly walked out of his station to the front to speak to them. "Hey guys," he greeted.
"Hey, Kiba," Naruto greeted. Sasuke only nodded in response.
"Look, I need to ask you a favour," Kiba said as he eyed Sasuke. "Can you fill in my shift for this Sunday? I forgot to write it off and that new manager is gonna kill me if I don't find a replacement."
The girl came back with their order and placed them neatly on their tray. She totalled their order as Naruto collected their food looking expectantly at Sasuke. Sasuke sighed, reaching for his wallet.
"When is it?" he asked. He grabbed 1000 yen and handed it to the girl.
"It's a midnight shift," Kiba said with pleading eyes.
"Yeah, okay," he agreed when he received his change and proceeded to look for a seat.
"Thanks, Sasuke!" Kiba called. "I owe you one!"
Naruto led them towards a seat by the window away from the view of the counter. Plopping himself down he waited for Sasuke to take the initiative to get the straws and napkins. When Sasuke returned and took a seat, Naruto was already two bites into his chicken burger. "What about school?" Naruto asked around a mouthful of food.
"Dunno. Probably take it off." Sasuke unwrapped his burger neatly and took a large bite.
"Man, I don't know how you can take days off like that and still be at the top of the class," Naruto said as he took a drink from his slurpy.
"It's easy," Sasuke said simply. "I study."
"So will you be working full-on during the summer break?" Naruto asked.
"Probably. If I get the shifts."
"You shouldn't over work yourself," Naruto said with a tinge of concern.
Sasuke didn't reply.
There was silence between the two as they ate their food. Naruto looked at his friend eating neatly. His dark ebony hair contrasted his skin, making him look paler than what he really was. Although he knew that a lot of girls thought that Sasuke looked good - his effeminate features supposedly adding to his appeal – Naruto always saw him as the irritated little boy he'd spoken to in the playground when they were four. Sasuke always looked slightly pissed-off, like he was angry but also a little bit sad. Naruto didn't know how he could manage those conflicting expressions and make so many girls fawn over it.
Naruto turned his gaze to outside. A group of delinquents were sitting by the curb fooling around. He could hear their voices drifting inside the restaurant, frowning when he caught a cruel joke. Ignoring the floating voices, he faced Sasuke again.
"So how much have you saved up?"
"Not a lot."
"It'll never be a lot in your books."
Sasuke didn't say anything, only reached to grab a fry.
"If you really can't stand them, you could always move in with me," Naruto continued. "My parents wouldn't mind. They really like you, you know? They think that I'm blessed to be friends with you." He stuck out his tongue. "As if! They have no idea." Naruto laughed as he pushed his tray towards Sasuke, having had enough of the fries. He grabbed his slurpy and twirled the straw around the remaining contents. "Well, I guess it would only be temporary. But once I get the scholarship we could both move out together, I think. You wanted to go to a university in Tokyo, too, right? Who knows, we could probably get into the same school." Naruto drank from his slurpy some more, tipping the drink so that he could get all the iced parts.
"Oh, that's right," he continued, remembering something, "so how did it go anyway? You never told me."
"Told you what?" Sasuke finished the fries and began tidying up, placing all their rubbish on the tray.
"That girl, remember? The one that left the letter in your locker today? Weren't you supposed to meet her somewhere?"
Sasuke shrugged as he stood up, tray in hand and walked towards the bin. Naruto followed suit, making sure to grab his duffel bag with him. "Not sure."
"You mean you didn't go?" Naruto asked incredulous. They exited the restaurant, the fresh evening air a welcoming change from the smell inside. "You bastard! How could you do that?"
"Well," Sasuke said plainly, "it's better than giving her false hope."
Naruto groaned. "But you've done that to every single girl, man! Why don't you just give them a chance? You know how many guys would kill to be in your position? And she was kinda cute too..."
"You want me to introduce you two?" Sasuke quietly interrupted.
"What? No! Don't say that, bastard!"
"Then shut up about her already."
Naruto crossed his arms, unimpressed. He pointedly faced the other side, making sure to keep silent until the other spoke to him first. Naruto hated when Sasuke dismissed him like that. Every time he encouraged his friend to date he'd be told very rudely to 'shut up'. Naruto didn't understand how a guy as popular as Sasuke could never have a girlfriend. Even he, himself, who had none of the attractive qualities his friend had had been on a few dates before.
"Keep being like this and you're only gonna regret it," Naruto said spitefully then mentally cursed himself for speaking first.
When Sasuke didn't respond, remaining as the irritatingly quiet person he always was, he growled, "Girls can be cool, too, you know!"
They turned a corner, entering his quiet street. Some kids were riding small bikes on the road, playing chase with each other. Naruto could smell dinner being prepared from inside the houses, wondering absently what his mother had made.
Walking in further silence, Naruto only realised he'd reached home when Sasuke stopped abruptly. He turned to see that the lounge room lights were on; thinking vaguely that his father had come home early. Naruto pushed his wooden gate open, not turning to say a word to Sasuke. He wanted him to know that he was still mad.
"Are you just gonna be like that?" Sasuke finally asked when he'd closed his gates, shutting the other out.
He looked down, pointedly kicking at his shoes. "Why?" he drawled, "what do you care?"
"Stop being an idiot," Sasuke said, not looking at him. His gaze fixed at something just on the left side of his face.
"Well, screw you too."
"Why do you always do that?"
"What did I do?" Naruto asked, offended.
"Give me shit just because I don't like the people that you do."
"What?" Naruto cried, incredulous. "I don't give you shit!"
"You do," Sasuke said softly, his eyes still not making contact with Naruto 's.
"Well for your information," Naruto crossed his arms now, annoyed; his duffel bag dropping to his elbow. "I only say what I say because I'm a good friend. If I don't say these things, who will? Do you really think that you'll go a long way with that attitude of yours?"
"What attitude?" Sasuke said, turning sharply to face him now.
"The stuck up, all superior attitude! The I-don't-and-won't-talk-to-anyone attitude because I'm just too good for any girl who writes me a damn love letter!," he blurted in one breath. "It hurts, you know? These girls have feelings too. If you don't like them, at least tell them to their face and not ignore it altogether."
"You think I want those stupid love letters?" Sasuke cried, enraged.
"It's not about whether or not you want them. It's about the fact that you have them," Naruto said self-righteously. "To acknowledge that you like someone needs enough courage as it is, let alone confessing to them. Especially if the guy they like is known for being such a cold-hearted bastard. If I'd never opened the letter today, you wouldn't even know who it was you were rejecting, would you? The poor girl. Who knows? She's probably still waiting for you right now."
"Well if you're so great and noble, why don't you go check yourself?"
Naruto eyes widened, not believing what his friend had just said. Then, a second later, he stepped forward and swung his right arm. His fist connected with skin and the boy staggered a couple of steps back. Sasuke glared at him, hand on a bruised cheek.
"I don't know what it is that these girls see in you!" Naruto said, voice raised.
Sasuke regained himself then plunged forward to land a punch of his own. Calloused hands blocked him so he shifted, using his left fist instead and aimed at the other's stomach. Naruto doubled over, cursing, hands clutching at his sides.
"You know what? I don't either. Why don't you ask them and let me know?" Sasuke said, edging closer towards the gate. "If the answer's worthwhile, maybe then I'll start replying to them."
"You cocky bastard," Naruto ground out.
"What else? C'mon, continue with the name calling."
"You idiot! You dim-witted asshole!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shirt and shoved him roughly back. Sasuke lost balance, stepped on the sides of his foot and fell down. "How do you expect people to like you like this?" Naruto cried facing the boy now on the ground.
Sasuke kept his vision downcast, not looking up. After a pause he said, more softly than before, "maybe I don't need them to like me." His hands tried to level himself up but stopped when he found himself still shaky.
Naruto kept quiet, evening up his breathing. The figure on the ground suddenly made him remember past times; when they were younger and when Naruto had spent almost everyday correcting him on how to interact with others. Sasuke had always been cold and rude right from the very first moment he'd met him. Naruto remembered that day at the park when he first saw the boy, small and fragile sitting all alone underneath one of the slides. It'd been cloudy that day, like it was about to rain and there were only a few kids around. Naruto's parents were busy talking to the other adults so he'd walked around himself trying to find someone to play with. He'd spotted him with his hands wrapped around the knees and head almost burying there. Naruto had thought that he had looked cool, exuding an air of mysteriousness that was far different from all the other kids he knew. When he approached him, Sasuke hadn't looked up, hadn't even spared him a glance and although Naruto had been more than a bit annoyed at the gesture he had found himself being fiercely attracted also. Dimly, he wondered if that was what attracted so many girls to him. That mysteriousness of his and that jaded look that made you want to protect him.
The porch lights suddenly flicked on and Naruto turned to see who it was. His father, still dressed in his business suit walked out, stern look in place. "What is all the ruckus about?" he asked in a deep, aggravated voice. When he reached to where Naruto was standing he saw Sasuke still on the ground. "Sasuke what are you doing?"
"Hello, Mr. Uzumaki" Sasuke said quietly.
"Get up," he commanded, "Naruto's mother made dinner."
Sasuke proceeded to get up but shook his head in the negative. "It's fine. I should be heading home now."
"Rubbish. You both didn't look like you finished what ever you were discussing. Now come inside before the neighbours start complaining."
Naruto's father opened the gate for him and he was obliged to enter. Walking alongside each other Naruto looked at him, noticed that he had given a hard blow when he saw that Sasuke's lips were bleeding. He swung his bag to the other side and wrapped his free arm around Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke tensed for a moment but gave in to the familiar touch. That had always been a way for Naruto to say that he was sorry.
They could smell ramen when they entered the house, taking off their shoes and changing to the house slippers. Naruto's father went straight to the lounge room and picked up the newspaper he'd left on the coffee table before he went outside. Naruto dropped his arm around Sasuke to walk into the kitchen. His mother was making his favourite noodles and he frowned when he realised he wasn't hungry. "I'm back," he greeted the woman from behind the stove.
"Food's almost ready," was the reply. "Is Sasuke here?"
"Yes," he answered. "We'll come down and eat it later. We're not that hungry right now."
His mother turned around, her expression displeased. "Did you boys eat out again?"
Naruto smiled sheepishly before he rushed back to Sasuke. Grabbing the boy's arm he dragged him upstairs to his bedroom. The door closed behind them as Naruto threw his bag to a corner. He jumped onto his bed in the middle of his room, arms and leg sprawled wide. After a moment, he remembered about Sasuke and turned to see him still standing by the doorway.
"Don't be an idiot and come here," he muttered. He moved his body aside to allow space for the other. Sasuke paused a moment longer before he walked towards him. Quietly, he laid down beside Naruto, eyes looking at the ceiling. Naruto was on his stomach, his face pressed to the side looking up at his friend's profile. There was another moment of silence before either said anything.
"I'm sorry if I give you shit," Naruto said gently.
Sasuke looked like he was concentrating hard on Naruto's ceiling, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm sorry for being a cold bastard," he said after a beat.
"You're not really that cold," Naruto said. "Not anymore."
Sasuke didn't say anything.
Naruto sighed, slightly annoyed. "Will you not look at me?"
Naruto waited for Sasuke to turn to face him. The boy was reluctant but after a minute he relented and turned around. Dark eyes focused on his and Naruto had to catch his breath at the sudden loud beating against his chest. Naruto noticed that Sasuke sometimes made him feel this way. If in the right situation, if with the right expression, Sasuke could manage to take his breath away. Naruto didn't understand how his friend could affect him so. Maybe it was those ridiculously long lashes that framed his eyes making him forget who they were at that moment. Or maybe it was the way the boy looked, like there were so many secrets he wanted to let him know but didn't.
Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his position and unconsciously backed away.
"You tell me to look at you and now you back away," Sasuke stated indifferently.
Naruto bit his bottom lip, a habit of his when he got nervous. "Do you remember when you told me about your family, Sasuke?" he asked randomly.
Sasuke grunted softly and turned back to staring at the ceiling. Naruto found himself liking this position instead.
"What about it?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto thought back to that time. It was the first time that Sasuke had said so much to him. They had only been twelve but Naruto knew that Sasuke was always more mature than him. Hearing his story Naruto established then that Sasuke was the bravest person he'd ever know. After all, to be ignored ever since he could remember because he looked like his deceased brother was enough to make any kid bawl their eyes out. But Sasuke never once did cry in front of him. He had looked angry and hurt but there were never any tears. Naruto wondered how the boy felt now.
"Do they still ignore you?" he asked.
"It's mutual," Sasuke replied.
"Will you let them know when you leave?"
"Maybe, if I feel like it." He turned around to the side away from Naruto and added, "not that they'd care."
Staring into Sasuke's back, Naruto had the sudden urge to reach out and soothe him. Put his hands on his back and rub it gently: encouraging him to speak more of his feelings. It was rare when these situations arose. But Naruto only rolled onto the side of his stomach to put his arms behind his head as he stared at the desk on the far side from between the juncture of Sasuke's neck.
"You never know," Naruto tried but found that his words sounded hollow even to himself. Sasuke didn't say anything and Naruto couldn't tell what the other boy was thinking with his back facing him. Then he said with more conviction, "it doesn't matter about them, though, because you have me to care about you."
He was proud of himself as he said it, knowing full well that that was the truth. He'd always be by Sasuke's side no matter what because they were best friends and even though they always fought and argued, he knew that they could always depend on each other.
Sasuke stayed still, not giving any reaction to Naruto's words. Naruto's body suddenly felt tired, the one hour afternoon training finally kicking in. His bed felt comfortable as he shifted again to the opposite side. "Hey, Sasuke," he said slowly, his eyelids dropping close.
"Yeah?" Sasuke's reply was soft, gentle, almost soothing to hear.
"Wake me up in an hour, okay?"
Sasuke didn't say anything but Naruto didn't need him to. With a quiet yawn, he let sleep envelope him.
TBC.