They're walking to the Uchiha's home together as they always do after school. It goes exactly as it always does, with Naruto whining and Sasuke regarding him with dark eyes, right before they plunge into heated banter.

"Just look the other way and pretend I don't love you," Naruto sneers, "it's totally okay!"

Sasuke lets out a small bitter laugh then says, "it was all just a stupid mistake."

"What was?" The blond's eyes start to widen, and he says, "falling in love with me?" before he has the chance to stop himself.

"Love." Sasuke sighs. "Is that what it is?"

Naruto pauses then, and for a moment it's as if he's seeing Sasuke in an entire new light. He thinks out loud - "figures, the first time you use the word 'love' around me and it's only to imply it doesn't exist."

A silence passes before Sasuke answers. "I didn't imply."

Naruto looks at him sadly, "you did."
He looks at his feet and mumbles. "I guess you just realized no one would ever love me."

"Naruto -" Sasuke starts, his voice almost pleading, but the blond interrupts. "It's okay. You're always honest. I can't expect you to lie to make me feel better."

Sasuke sighs again, but this time when he mumbles his voice is low and angry, and he says "idiot," almost harshly - but then he raises his voice, and says "you're the only one who can make me smile."

But then Sasuke's voice falls again, and he says almost too quietly to hear: "maybe it was just not meant to be."

Naruto growls.
"I thought you believed in me. I thought you were my friend, I thought -
"I thought you wanted me to be happy."

They're standing in the middle of the road, screaming, and Sasuke shoves Naruto a little. "I do believe in you, but if you believed in this you would be fighting for it, not giving up."

Naruto goes to push back, but stops and looks at Sasuke for a moment again, blue eyes gradually growing wide. Softly, he says, "you're right."

Then Naruto's lips form a grin, and he says, "I'm going to fight for Sakura, no matter what!"
He presses a hand to Sasuke's shoulder before breaking into a run in the direction of the Haruno estate, and yells over his shoulder, "thanks Sasuke! You're a great friend."

Sasuke remains rooted to his spot, standing in the middle of the road and watching the love of his life slip away from him. For a moment, he feels encompassed by darkness, but once his oblivious blond is out of sight, he shakes the feeling off with a shrug of his shoulder and takes a deep breath, then sets once again on the path home, alone.

After all, a Uchiha never pines.
(..Yeah, right.)