Summary: Heads down thumbs up! During an innocent game at school, someone whispers three special words into Sasuke's ear…It's not an innocent game anymore!
I don't usually write this pairing, but it's one of my favorites!!
I thought of this really cute idea when my idiot classmates decided to play the game 'Seven Up' in class. It's the end of the school year, so we tend to do nothing but play games…
The rules of the game (in case you don't know): Seven people stand in front of the class, and everyone puts their heads down and their thumbs up. The seven people push anyone's thumbs down (you can only pick one person!) and go back in the front. Those whose thumbs were pushed down stand up and try to guess who picked them. If they're right, they get to be part of the seven people and the person who pushed their thumb down goes into the crowd.
Well, hope you enjoy!
"Heads Down, Thumbs Up!"
You have to get irritated at them after a while. Them, being the immature classmates. Them, being those idiots who choose to force people who have better things to do with their lives to play such a stupid, childish game that was only fun when they were in kindergarten. Well, news flash, its sixth grade going on to seventh, and they are still acting like a bunch of five year olds.
That's what Sasuke wants to yell out when the class-clown, Uzumaki Naruto, announces that the entire class is going to play 'Seven Up!' Sasuke tries to remember the last time they had played that game, but fails (yes, it is that long ago!). Maybe it's because they hadn't played Seven Up in a while that everyone wants to all of a sudden.
"Dobe, I'm not playing," Sasuke growls as he crosses his arms defiantly.
Naruto places his fists at his sides as he stares down the protesting boy. The raven hair scowls at him, feeling this unmistakable emotion that he could only call hate. Though, maybe hate is a strong word…To Sasuke, he could only describe their bond as…a love/hate relationship? Or just brotherly…?
He does not know. All that presently matters is that there is no way he is going to play a silly game of Seven Up.
"Heads down, Thumbs Up!" Kakashi dully declares. It clearly doesn't matter to the teacher what they're going to do in class now – there's only three days left in the school year. The reluctant and thoroughly infuriated boy shoots his sensei a fierce look, hoping that his famous 'Uchiha Death Glare' would hand the white-haired man even an ounce of common sense.
"You heard him!" Naruto grins at Sasuke as he strides up to join the Seven in front of the classroom. The Seven happen to be Naruto, Kiba, Neji, Ino, Gaara, Shikamaru and Sakura. The ecstatic blonde gives a backwards glace to him, saying, "Put your head down and your thumb up!"
I can't believe I'm succumbing to such futility, he thinks to himself as he tentatively buries his face in his arms and puts his right thumb up. He made a secret decision in his head to murder whoever chooses to push his thumb down.
"No cheating!" Kakashi's voice rang through the classroom as Sasuke's head turns slightly to get a good view of his stiff thumb. "That means you, Sasuke-kun." The caught pre-teen glowers as he shifts again, so that all he can see is the wooden desk he is sitting at.
Almost immediately after Sasuke was caught red-handed by the watchful teacher, he feels a hand gingerly push his thumb down. He tenses, attempting to identify whoever picked him (so that he can slaughter him!!). The hand lingers on his for a while. Sasuke bites his tongue.
Let my hand go, whoever you are!
Instead, the presence moves closer. Sasuke's actions begin to contradict his thoughts as his eyes shut tight.
Three words are spoken in a whisper that is so low that the boy could not tell who the voice belonged to. But it is those same three words that causes Sasuke's heart to skip at least two beats and almost destroys everything coherent in his mind, turning it into incomprehensible gibberish.
"I love you."
The warmth that is the hand swiftly moves away, leaving the poor Uchiha feeling slightly cold and alone (it was so warm!). Everything that became unintelligible miraculously puts itself together again like a broken mirror – except it can not be whole again without one small bit of information…
Who in the world just confessed their love to Uchiha Sasuke? In the few seconds that were left of this phase of the game, he tries to figure it out. He already knows that Ino and Sakura are fan-girling over him, but they wouldn't do something like that. It has to be one of the boys…But who?
"Heads Up, Seven Up!!"
The Uchiha stands up along with Chouji, Rock Lee, Hinata, TenTen, Haku, and Shino. He looks around the room a little desperately, making an effort to find who picked who. Never before had he thought of something as petty as something so important – to Sasuke, the discovery of whoever said those words has become his number one mission, and the fact that this may be his only chance to figure out who does not help at all.
Chouji guesses first. "Uhh…" Usually, in Seven Up, people choose someone that they don't have much of a connection to (either that, or someone they despise). "Ino?"
The blonde shakes her head proudly. "Nope!" she rocks cockily back and forth on her heels. Chouji mutters "Darn!" as he sits back down. Sasuke starts to panic slightly as Rock Lee begins scrutinizing the seven. What if the confession is only a joke? What if he falls for the prank? What if it isn't and he never gets to find out who has feelings for him? Or worse…what if whoever came clean is someone he absolutely has no feelings for…?
All of the 'What Ifs' made his head ache terribly as Rock Lee finishes up his brief evaluation. "Ino…Right?" The once cocky girl's beaming face fell as she sat down while the youthful boy cheers himself gleefully up to the front of the class.
Okay…So Ino's crossed out…One out of six chances getting it right. Still, the partly confused, partly horrified boy feels that luck is opposing him and is going to win.
TenTen's turn. "Naruto?"
"Nope."
All eyes turn on Sasuke, horror builds up in his chest as he refuses to show it on his face. What seems like a long silence (particularly rare in this class) descends upon the classroom, just waiting for the Uchiha to pick someone and get it overwith. The funny thing is that something as insignificant as this had the possibility of changing his life.
He cannot help but think that he's acting like such a girl – you know, in the way that they care a lot about love and relationships. It's one of those situations when you think you'll act one way, but when it becomes reality you react in a completely different manner than expected. Never before had Sasuke thought that love is so important – that he'd really need it in his life.
Sasuke solemnly admits to himself that he's wrong.
The six people up there – Kiba, Naruto, Neji, Sakura, Shikamaru and Gaara – seem like utter mistakes. He can't picture anyone of them (other than Sakura and Ino) proclaiming the (out of this world) message saying 'I love you'. Since Sasuke is convinced that whoever did it is a male, that means he has one out of four chances of finding out that did it.
The odds are still against him. He sighs.
"Sasuke, we haven't got all day. Class is almost over," Kakashi states.
Kiba…I really don't think so. I think he already has someone, and he always calls me 'Pretty Boy'. He's rather distressed, so even if he has very little evidence, Sasuke crosses them out. Gaara…He sort of despises me. Neji, too. And would Shikamaru even do something like this?
Then…Naruto? Sasuke shakes his head, and his classmates start whispering. He watches the blonde, the prime suspect. He always had this feeling from Naruto…that he wants to be more than friends. He recalls Kiba announcing comically about Sasuke's 'secret admirer' and Naruto punching him too hard for to be playful. When did that happen? Why hadn't he thought of it any sooner?
"Naruto?"
The bell rings, everyone in the class moves except for the two rivals. Sasuke spies Kiba shooting Naruto an energetic grin, with a small smack on the back. The blonde seems out of it (odd). His blue eyes look up at Sasuke when the teacher leaves the room for a lunch break.
"How'd you know it was me?"
"Process of elimination." His voice is shaking – Sasuke tries to stop it. He starts to think if it's possible that he could return his feelings…Because if he can't, he'd leave his best friend and rival with a broken heart (no idea why that would matter…But something feels so weird about right now.)
"So…yeah." A tacky grin.
"Yeah." Return of the tacky grin, except in with an anxious grimace. Sasuke bit the inside of his lip, hating this awkward situation. What now? What should he do? Naruto had already taken the initiative…Is it his turn to take the next step in whatever kind of problem or relationship they were building?
"Look, I'm sorry, if this is a real problem for you. It's okay if you don't want to…yeah…"
"Dob- I mean Naruto…Wait." Naruto turns around. Sasuke turns his anxious grimace into a somewhat gentle smile.
"We could give it a shot."
"Heads Up, Seven Up!"
Pretty damn cheesy and weird, but…Hey I tried! Hope you enjoyed and review please!
KoneKo