Title: Blush
Author: desolate butterfly
Genre: humour, drabble
Pairing: NaruSaku, implied SasuSaku
Rating: PG – 13
Summary: Sakura doesn't understand why Naruto has to go around shirtless all the time.

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He was doing it again.

Sakura's cheeks reddened and her hands twisted together in embarrassment, but her eyes stayed glued to Naruto's bare chest as he went through another kata.

'Why can't he keep his shirt on for stuff like this?' she whined to herself, although another part of her was mentally cheering and going HELL YEAH.

She really did love Sasuke. And he was definitely cuter than Naruto, and more sophisticated, and probably stronger too. But something about the way Naruto's muscles flexed and tightened when he was doing katas always made Sakura's mouth run dry and her pulse quicken.

She began to notice things when he was stretched out in a high kick position, like the good two feet of height he had gained in the last little while, and the flexibility of his limbs. When he brought his hands up over his head she could see the slim flatness of his stomach, the sheen of sweat on his chest, the unusual grace in his movements...

And his nipples were brown. Oh god, why was she noticing his nipples?

"I am sick and need help," she muttered to herself as she watched Naruto clasp his hands together and bow to an imaginary opponent. He swiped a hand across his brow and look up, face brightening.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" he shouted, running over to greet her. Once he got close enough, she could smell the sweat on his skin.

"You stink," she told him, scooping his abandoned shirt up off the ground and tossing it to him. "Go shower then we'll eat something."

He beamed at her.

"Like a date?" he said excitedly.

She frowned at him. "No. More like, you owe me food for making me wait so long while you practiced your katas again. You know, you could tell me to show up later when you want some time to train."

His arm hooked around her shoulders and her nose wrinkled.

"Aw, come on Sakura-chan," he wheedled, "you know it wouldn't be as much fun that way."

OH SHIT, CAUGHT.

Sakura could feel herself beginning to blush in mortification so she did the first thing she could think of, which was to punch Naruto in the chest at about half strength.

He still landed about ten feet away, which more than made up for the way that her knuckles scraping against one of his (brown!) nipples for a split-second made her heart pound.

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fin.

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