It was an invasion of his personal space, a smile so insidious it managed to slip by his better sense and make the corners of his own mouth long to twitch. It was a child's cocky swagger with all the right posing and posturing.
Sasuke warily tolerated the intrusion, but he wasn't going to reach back.
That only seemed to encourage the incorrigible Naruto, whose laughs were too loud, smiles too toothy, and eyes too honest.
Sasuke didn't know what he had done to deserve such an insistent companion. Scowls seemed to bounce off, deflected by Naruto's easy grin and incomprehensible optimism.
Were it anyone else, Sasuke would have labeled them too naive to live and moved off with a scowling sneer.
But Naruto was no more ignorant of the world's crueler transgressions than Sasuke himself. So Sasuke kept close to that defiant happiness against his better inclinations. Perhaps one day he would learn the secret to that wide smile.
The first hug startled snapping and snarling defensiveness to the surface, and Naruto retreated with only a split second of hurt in impossibly clear eyes.
Sasuke wished that aberrant bit of negative emotion hadn't hit him in the gut like a solid kick. He hadn't wanted to know he mattered that much to Naruto. He hadn't want to know Naruto mattered that much.
It was worth it, later when he reached out and carefully patted Naruto on the shoulder in passing. It was worth it to see that startled bit of joy in Naruto's eyes.
The second hug had lingered until morning. It had been a cold night to be traveling anywhere. At least, that's the excuse Sasuke used. Naruto just scratched his stomach, stretched as he stood, and offered Sasuke a hand up.
The first kiss was awkward, but no less honest. Naruto's lips were chapped, and bloodied from where a hit had landed in the fight earlier. It was honest affection and a blunt question.
And Sasuke gave the answer Naruto was looking for, nipping at Naruto's lower lip in reproach for invading his personal space yet again before proceeding to kiss back.
They never talked about it, and neither of them were the handholding type. It was an assumed alliance. The only external expression of nighttime encounters involving wandering lips and fumbling embraces was Sasuke's willingness to hold involved dialogue with his exuberant teammate.
And there was sometimes a crooked sort of smile on his face when Naruto got overly excited and talked not only with his hands but most of his body as well. The expression softened the angles in Sasuke's face, lightened the habitual glower that lingered in his eyes.
The last kiss was brushed across Naruto's cheek as the blond lay unconscious and bleeding.
Right before Sasuke walked away.
He couldn't afford to be soft.