A/N: Hinata22 over on AO3 hinted that a New Year's story would be fun, and I agreed. :3 It's a few days late, but oh well.
Naruto was a man on a mission. The timer on the metaphorical bomb was drawing nearer to zero and he knew he had less than a minute until it exploded and he would maybe not die, but he would definitely be forever branded a failure.
Almost exactly one year ago, deep into a bottle of some off-brand vodka, when the date said January first and the time said about six am he had loudly declared to those of his friends still awake that his one and only New Year's resolution was to get a boyfriend. He had done a flying kick out of the closet last year, but the number of conquests under his belt was still ruefully at zero.
Okay, so he had made out his fair share, so it all depended on what you defined as conquest, but he was still a virgin if you didn't count some vigorous grinding at that one party last summer, and the number of boyfriends he'd had was definitely zero.
It would have been a lot easier if he hadn't found himself focusing on one guy in particular.
Sasuke Uchiha, popular in that Don't-touch-me-I'm-too-good-for-you way, smart and good-looking. Sasuke was a bit of an asshole. Okay, he was a huge asshole, and Naruto hated the guy, but also he was kinda crushing on him. It was very confusing, and it left Naruto flustered around Sasuke in a way he usually wasn't around people.
If it was anyone but Sasuke he would have flirted or confessed or something, but if he tried to do anything even remotely like flirting around Sasuke he would just get a death glare and his confidence would shrivel up and die.
It had been going on for months now, ever since he started realising that he wasn't feeling as much contempt towards Sasuke as he used to, and it was driving him absolutely bonkers. He wanted Sasuke, but he also didn't want to be near him, and he'd once done the mistake to tell Kiba that, so now there was relentless teasing from his so-called best friend to add on top of his own confused feelings, and it was an absolute mess.
He had kind of decided to just ignore Sasuke completely until they graduated high school this summer. Sasuke was undoubtedly headed for some Ivy League university, and Naruto undoubtedly was not, so then he wouldn't see him again, and he could get over him, but then Kiba had reminded Naruto all about that resolution last year, and a New Year's resolution was a challenge, and Naruto did not back away from challenges, and now he had exactly one night to get a boyfriend.
Some stroke of luck had Sasuke actually attending the same party as him. It wasn't so weird considering this was the one party of any importance in town tonight, but it was a miracle someone had managed to drag Sasuke along to a party at all, he always seemed to loathe them.
Naruto had spent the last hours trying to talk to Sasuke, but someone always foiled his plan, pulling either of them away before Naruto could even say hello.
He'd met Sasuke's gaze once, and when he'd smiled at Sasuke he thought maybe he had seen a smile back, but then before he could walk over Sasuke was gone again, and Naruto just wanted to scream out his frustrations. There were too many people, and they all seemed to have ganged up on Naruto, making sure he would not get a moment alone with Sasuke to completely win him over, and the closer they got to midnight the less likely it was becoming.
It was ten to midnight when he finally managed to get away from Ino, and at three to midnight he still didn't see Sasuke anywhere. As the clock ticked down the reminding minutes to midnight he should have realised that there was no way he would even find Sasuke, let alone make him fall madly in love with him in, but he was not about to stop now.
People were drifting into pairs, and Naruto was starting to get a little desperate so he jumped on top of a coffee table to find that familiar head of spiky hair. He finally spotted him vanishing out the main entrance of the house. Most people were gathered in the living room or the back deck, waiting for the ball to drop or the fireworks to erupt, and Naruto had to use his elbows to get through the throng of people until he could shove his way out front.
His head spun around as he heard the people inside start counting down.
TEN!
He spotted Sasuke leaning against the railing, staring out over the deserted street.
NINE!
He walked over, no time for hesitation.
EIGHT!
He cleared his throat and Sasuke spun around.
SEVEN!
Sasuke looked surprised, eyes narrowing into the beginnings of a glare.
SIX!
Naruto was trying to figure out how to make Sasuke fall in love with him in less than five seconds.
FIVE!
He had absolutely no idea how to do so, but he took a step closer.
FOUR!
Sasuke pressed up against the railing, looking like he was gearing up to yell at Naruto.
THREE!
Naruto took another step closer, their breaths visible in the cold as it mingled together.
TWO!
Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulders, noticing that their heights almost perfectly lined up.
ONE!
"I think I'm in love with you please don't be mad," Naruto all but yelled in Sasuke's face, the words running together...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
...Then he kissed him.
The crowd inside erupted in yells, presumably to celebrate the new year, not the kiss considering there were no one else out here to see, but Naruto barely noticed. He was too preoccupied with the way his pulse beat in his neck, the way his hands shook as they clutched at Sasuke's shoulders, the way Sasuke's lips were pressed tight together underneath Naruto's, and he was silently bracing himself for a fist to the face, but at the same time he didn't seem to be able to pull away from Sasuke either. It had been completely impulsive, as so many of Naruto's decisions, and now he would reap the consequences.
It took Naruto a couple of moments to realise that Sasuke's lips weren't pressed tight together anymore, they were parting just slightly and then he was kissing back, head tilting just enough to the side to deepen the kiss. Sasuke's hands lifted, curling in the front of Naruto's shirt, and there were no denying it, Sasuke was actually kissing him back.
Of course it wouldn't last, and just as Naruto's mind was starting to catch up to the fact that he was currently making out with Sasuke Uchiha, Sasuke pulled away, eyes wide as he pressed the back of a hand against his mouth.
"What the hell was that?" he asked, trying to take a step back but colliding with the railing.
"Uhm, a kiss?" Naruto answered, bracing himself for the verbal lashing he was about to get.
Sasuke didn't say anything, he just looked at him with too wide eyes, looking a bit like a wild animal backed into a corner, so Naruto took a hesitant step back, giving him space.
Sasuke looked around himself. "Is this some kind of joke?" he asked, confusion seeming to give way for annoyance.
"No!" Naruto was quick to say.
It didn't look like Sasuke believed him.
"It's… a thing one does? Kiss someone at midnight, you know?" he started.
"And you had to chose me? Why, were none of your friends available?"
"Well, I don't like them do I? Or well, I like them, but I don't like them like them." Naruto's arms were starting to flail as he was trying to explain himself. Maybe he should've just said it was a joke, at least then he'd put himself out of the misery that trying to talk about this was.
"And what, you like me like me?" Sasuke said, voice dripping of sarcasm, Naruto hearing the implied quotation marks.
"Yes," he admitted, knowing that he might as well tell the truth now. He had already told Sasuke that he was in love with him, but he was pretty sure Sasuke hadn't caught a word of that, so maybe explanations was in order, however painful it would make the inevitable rejection.
It didn't look like Sasuke had expected that answer, he looked completely taken back.
"Like, I guess I'm kinda in love with you?" Naruto said, giving a sheepish grin.
Sasuke just stared at him. "And this is how you tell me?"
"Yes?"
"You fucking idiot."
Naruto couldn't really say anything to dispute that, so he just kept quiet.
Sasuke shook his head, then said, "Well, alright then."
Naruto was a little confused by that, but the next thing he knew Sasuke's hands were in the front of his shirt again and he found himself yanked forward, Sasuke claiming his lips for another kiss. Naruto was quick to catch up, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's waist, pulling him close. It was everything he could have ever dreamed of. Sasuke was a great kisser, naturally, because apparently there was nothing he couldn't do perfectly, and he tasted vaguely of wine, and his tongue was licking into Naruto's mouth as Sasuke deepened the kiss.
They were both breathing heavily when they pulled apart a while later, Sasuke's lips shiny with saliva, and his cheeks reddened. He looked even better than he usually did. Naruto couldn't quite believe what they'd just done, and he was just hoping Sasuke wasn't actually drunk or that he was about to turn Naruto down now.
"You, uhm, aren't going to punch me for kissing you then?" Naruto asked, huffing out a short laugh.
Sasuke rolled his eyes before glancing away from Naruto. "Maybe I don't exactly hate you either, okay?"
As far as love confessions went it wasn't a big one, but for now it was more than good enough for Naruto, especially when it was followed up with Sasuke pulling him bank into a kiss. Naruto thought maybe he whined a little bit into it, but Sasuke didn't seem to mind, just kept kissing him. This year was turning out pretty spectacularly so far.