Author's Note: Even if I wrote parts of this back in november and back then never thought something would actually come from it, I'm really glad that I suddenly took it up again a few days ago so I could post it now.
It's also thanks to Courtney that:
1) This gets published at all (she encouraged me).
2) You don't have to read my mistakes with the english language.
3) That I can actually post this on Midsummer Eve itself! Since she was so fast in fixing it up.

Please enjoy.
Och glad midsommar på er!

Disclaimer: There's no way I could own any of Kishi's characters.

Midsummer Eve

"Now now Sas, there is no need to look so put out. It's just one night, I'm sure you can handle that."

Sasuke answered by glaring at Kakashi, who didn't seem to notice that he was supposed to drop down dead on the spot, instead the man was just smiling while putting the basket he was carrying down on a picnic-table.

"You just want to get laid." Sasuke's voice was sharp as jagged glass.

Kakashi looked at him with an even bigger smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

"Well it is a more than a 1000 year old tradition. Who am I to break it? It's a celebration of life."

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"You need to get out."

"I need to practice!" Why didn't Kakashi understand that he couldn't afford to be distracted? He would never catch up to Itachi at this rate.

Kakashi sighed.

"One night, Sas. I'm only asking you to stay until midnight, then you can go home."

Sasuke was irritated. Very irritated. He was currently sitting alone, watching children and grownups alike sing and dance "the little frogs" around the midsummer pole. He didn't really understand why someone would imitate frogs around a symbol of a dick dressed in flowers. It was ridiculous really.

People were scattered all around him, sitting on picnic-tables and on blankets on the ground, some even sitting directly on the grass. Everyone was talking, eating, laughing and overall having a good time. All the flirting made him feel sick but he had managed to scare away most people who tried to come close to him. He had no idea where Kakashi was anymore and he didn't really care, he just had to wait about three more hours and then he could go home.

If he could find Kakashi by then, that is. The man was probably in the middle of trapping some poor person to live out his pornographic fantasies with by now.

Okay, bad image.

The thought made Sasuke sigh and rest his head in his hands, absently brushing a few strands of black hair out of his equally black eyes. For some reason his eyes locked on a particular person, currently dancing round and round with a few laughing children.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. He knew that person! For the first time in this place since Kakashi, in a night full of strangers, he almost felt relieved that there was another familiar face around. The other person took that moment to raise his head and lock his eyes on Sasuke's. Blue eyes widened in surprise, then a big smile made its way on the oddly whiskered face and Naruto walked over.

Sasuke noticed that Naruto had grown since he saw him last, not strange considering that was three years ago. It was still in the beginning of summer but Naruto already had a healthy tan and his blond hair had a sunny look. He looked like he had been working out too, and was much broader over the shoulders than three years ago.

Naruto had grown up.

It was weird really. Naruto had always looked so childish and here he came towards Sasuke; a smile on his face, with a blue flower behind one ear (which strangely didn't look silly at all), and looked so... mature. Sasuke rose to his feet when Naruto reached him. Sasuke was still taller, but not as much as he used to be. Naruto still wore orange. Some things were the same.

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds. Then Naruto's hand went through his blond hair and he grinned somewhat awkwardly.

"Sasuke. Long time no see."

"Indeed."

Indeed.

They used to fight. Always fighting and taunting each other. Now three years later they walked side by side over the grass on midsummer's eve and things were so different – but still the same. Sasuke didn't know what to make of it really, but he decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

Naruto was telling him about things that happened to him since their life took different paths.

"So now I'm working in that café." He finished his story with a shrug. "Maybe not what I expected but the pay is good, and I like the hours so it's enough for now." Blue eyes glanced at him and Naruto smiled slightly. "And you?" He said knowingly, even if it was disguised as a question. "You're working hard with your studies to surpass your brother." He didn't even pretend that the last part was a question.

Sasuke glanced back at him.

"Yes." Such a simple answer.

"You see anyone from back then?" Naruto did sound genuinely curious now.

"Sakura goes to my school." Sasuke answered slowly. "But no, we don't really see each other."

"What? She's not following you around like some crazy groupie anymore?" Naruto was amused.

Sasuke snorted. "No." He once again looked at Naruto briefly; he couldn't take his eyes off the ground before them for too long since he didn't want to stumble in the dark. "What about you?"

"I hang out with Chouji and Shikamaru a lot." Naruto smiled. "And Neji sometimes, he finally broke off from his family and lives not very far from me. Hinata comes visiting him sometimes though. I also keep contact with Gaara via e-mail."

Sasuke nodded and they talked about small things. Films and music, old memories and little details of their life – when Naruto suddenly surprised him by changing topics.

"Let's catch a fox!" Naruto's eyes sparkled with mischief and eagerness. "And force it to grant us a wish! It's midsummer!"

Sasuke snorted at him.

"Idiot. What do foxes have to do with anything?"

"It's my favourite animal." Naruto answered with a grin.

"I thought that was unicorns." Sasuke smiled teasingly.

Naruto glared at him but then suddenly he started to laugh.

"I can't believe you remember that! Give me a break will you? I was six years old for gods sake."

"And you liked pink unicorns because of your age? I never liked unicorns because of how old I was. I never liked unicorns period."

"Well pink unicorns reminded me of Sakura and I thought she was pretty." Naruto defended himself and pouted slightly.

Sasuke just shook his head.

"It's almost strange." Naruto looked at the darkening sky with a soft smile while walking by Sasuke's side. "We used to fight so much, but look at us now." Those blue eyes travelled back to Sasuke and tanned fingers went through blond hair, touching the flower by mistake but didn't move it from its place. "Sorry that I always fought with you like that."

Sasuke watched that tender smile, almost amazed that it was directed at him of all people – on a night like this. He turned his face away a little.

"Well… You hated me after all." He said slowly.

Naruto laughed softly at that, almost a giggle but not really.

"And you're supposed to be a genius!"

Sasuke frowned slightly at him.

"I had the hugest crush of my life on you, Sasuke." Naruto shook his head with a smile – talking with the detachment that years apart gives you.

He halted his walking when he realized that Sasuke had stopped and was staring at him.

"Sasuke?"

"But you… I… Why didn't you tell me?"

Naruto stepped closer and slowly reached up to softly poke the small wrinkle that had formed between Sasuke's eyebrows.

"Why would I? Sasuke?" His smile was so gentle and he tilted his head slightly to the side. "Even if I had known a better way to express it back then I'm pretty sure you didn't feel the same way."

Sasuke wasn't so sure about that but he didn't mention it. Instead he kept on walking, and Naruto walked by his side again. They could still hear the laughter and music from the meadow with the pole, but they were walking over other meadows now and they climbed a fence together to get even further away, a couple of girls were picking flowers some distance away. No doubt they were going for the nine flowers, nine fences thing that was supposed to tell them who they would marry one day. Sasuke wasn't completely sure about the rules since he never had a big interest in such a thing. It didn't really matter, and they left the girls behind anyway in their silent walking.

It was strange too, this silence. And new. Naruto had never been the silent type but it didn't feel awkward at all. The silence was kept for another few minutes.

"Somehow, this feels all dreamlike." Naruto suddenly said in a quiet but clear voice. "Walking here with you, on midsummer's eve. Mind if we sit down for a while? The stars are slowly coming out now, and this seems like a perfect place to watch them."

Sasuke just nodded and they sat down, so close that they were almost touching but not really.

"I saw Kakashi coming on to some girl. Did he make you come here?" Humour sparkled in those blue eyes when they looked at him.

"Yes." Simple answer.

"Yes. I remember you didn't like occasions like this very much." That gentle smile again and without really thinking about it Sasuke reached out and touched that blue flower behind Naruto's ear.

The action caused blue eyes to widen before the smile widened too.

"I got it from some girl while we were dressing the pole. They wanted to put a whole lei on my head." He rolled his eyes slightly, then motioned to the flower with a finger. "But I managed to escape with only this." He grinned, a familiar expression.

"Hn."

Somehow he wanted to touch that smile. He wanted to be touched by that smile. But then he felt stupid for thinking such a thing, and Naruto turned his eyes to the sky.

"Did you know I always liked the night better than the day?" Naruto's neck looked slightly strained when his head fell even further back, looking straight up in the sky now. "Most people seem to think I'm some kind of heliolater, and I guess they're not entirely wrong because sunshine is really nice. But a night like this?" One hand waved slightly in a gesture towards the sky. "Stars are too pretty to pass up."

Naruto fell back and Sasuke looked at him without a word. Lying on his back like that, in the grass and watching stars, Sasuke could definitely see what he meant. He seemed so at ease like that, and somehow – just by watching him – Sasuke felt more at ease as well. Suddenly he realized that he didn't mind spending the night out at all. He didn't mind that he was out in the middle of nowhere and that Kakashi had disappeared on him, despite the promise about going home at midnight. Suddenly he didn't mind if they stayed out longer, not if it was like this. Not if it was with… him.

So Sasuke moved, putting both hands on the grass and leaning over Naruto until those blue eyes no longer looked at the sky but at him. And those blue eyes widened at his action and Naruto's mouth slipped open a little, in obvious surprise, and Sasuke did the only thing he could think of when Naruto looked at him like that; he kissed him.

It was gentle, just a touch of lips and their eyes stayed open – staring into each other for a few seconds before Sasuke pulled back to observe Naruto's face.

Naruto looked stunned for a few moments before his face broke into the brightest smile of the evening. He then stretched one hand up and locked it behind Sasuke's neck to pull him down into another kiss.

They were both on their backs, cooling down and looking at the stars on a now very dark sky. Naruto was resting his head on Sasuke's ribcage and had one shoulder on his hip. It seemed like a quite awkward angle since one of his legs was tangled with one of Sasuke's but since he didn't complain or move, Sasuke certainly wouldn't either. Instead he tenderly started to play with Naruto's hair and absently noted that the flower had gotten lost somewhere along the way.

Naruto let out a sigh that Sasuke hoped was contented and not uncomfortable because he was very contented himself and wouldn't mind staying just like this for a while.

"Seems like midsummer really is magic. I got my wish." Sasuke could hear the smile.

"Hn, moron." He couldn't help but answer fondly. "Midsummer is not magic for wishes."

And Naruto just laughed softly at him, but Sasuke didn't mind at all.

There was a long comfortable silence when both of them again just stared at the stars that were winking down at them. Sasuke's fingers ran through blond hair over and over, something that Naruto seemed to enjoy if his pleased expression and sometimes humming noises were any indication.

After some time Sasuke's mind caught up with him though and he couldn't help himself any longer.

"This." He said slowly in a low voice. "What is this?"

Naruto moved and Sasuke started to regret that he broke the moment until he realized that Naruto just turned over to be able to watch his face. Naruto placed himself closely so their sides were touching, resting his hands on Sasuke's ribcage and placed his chin on top of the hands while looking up at Sasuke with blue eyes. Then he smiled slightly.

"This, Sasuke, is something very enjoyable." He winked. "It's called midsummer romance, or possibly midsummer fling."

Sasuke nodded, carefully hiding that he felt slightly disappointed.

"But." Naruto suddenly continued with a smile that just got warmer. "If you're okay with it, I would like to take you on a date tomorrow to see if it can become something more?"

The hopeful look he got made Sasuke smile and he reached out to ruffle blond locks affectionately.

"I would be okay with that."

Thanks for reading.