General Warnings: swearing, implied sexual content, lots of NaruSasu bromancing
**Additional Warnings: Sasuke has one night stands with several women (none of which are Sakura) in the first half of this story. I totally understand that this plot line can be upsetting for some people, so I just want to be transparent about the other non-major couplings that occur.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
He rolled over, chest rising and falling sporadically. The deep-set darkness of his gaze disturbingly contrasted with the way his body attempted to cool down from the high. Moonlight seeped through the open window, late August breeze rolling over his sweaty form that seemed to grow more tangled in foreign bed sheets every second.
How was that even possible? His musing was silent, expression unchanged as he gathered himself and slid his legs over the edge of the bed. Needy hands snaked up his stomach, massaging tensed muscles and coming to daintily rest upon a broad, flat chest. In a flash, he removed the offending limbs and stood, correcting the low riding black sweats so they sat properly on his narrow waist.
"Got another appointment to get to?" his bed partner drawled bitterly, running her long red nails down the base of his spine.
Stepping away from her, he snatched his short sleeved shirt off the ground and tugged it over his head, paying no mind to the wrinkles stretching across the dark blue material.
A short laugh tumbled from the woman's lips. "Hey, Sasuke, I've always wanted to ask you something," she begins casually, leaving the sheets to pool about her naked lap carelessly. "Just how does your hair still stick up like that when your shirt has such a big neck hole?"
He gave her a look over his shoulder. "You're the one who messes with it when we're fucking." Grabbing his phone off the bedside table, he scrolls through missed calls and messages.
1 new voicemail from Usuratonkachi
She laughs again and shifts about until she's standing behind him. "Aw, c'mon, Sasuke," she goaded, pressing slow kisses along his shoulder blade, "Let me play with your hair a bit more?" Her hands find their way under his shirt once more. Promptly, he shoved them away with his free hand.
Ignoring her in favor of listening to Naruto's message, he held the phone up to his ear, wincing at the screeching of his best friend. "Oi teme, where are you? I wanna go eat ramen because I just got off my shift! You're the only one who's probably still awake." Naruto snickered at his own insult and Sasuke rolled his eyes, deleting the voicemail before pulling up a text message.
Heading over now, dobe.
Barely a second passed before the device vibrated and he saw the pop-up window and scrolling reply.
Yay! I'm already on my fifth bowl. Hurry!
Grimacing faintly at the news, Sasuke silently reminded himself that it was probably a good thing Naruto hadn't hit his seventh bowl yet. As he made his way out of the bedroom, a hand curled in his shirt stopped him at the threshold. With a sigh, he turned around to meet irritated scarlet eyes.
"You know, guys are dying to get with me," she sniffed. "You'd do well to remember that, Uchiha."
"That a threat?" he smirked, shrugging free of her hold. Her face flushed, but he was already turning away. "Do whatever you want."
Rolling his neck, he padded down the hallway of her apartment toward the front door where he had kicked his shoes off earlier that evening. Leaning down, he swept his school bag off the floor and slipped his shoes on, grabbing hold of the door knob all in one fluid motion.
A soft tinkling noise caught his ear and he peered down to see his bed partner clutching the dirtied sheet to her body as she studied his house keys that had fallen out of the bag. There were no charms to speak of – not surprising – but then a small glint caught her eye. A blood red bead followed by a pearl white one fit snugly about the silver chain. Dangling from the tip were five pale pink crystal petals forming a single blossom. Blinking, she muttered, "Sakura?"
Sasuke snatched the keys back roughly, shoving them into his pocket. "Don't go through my things," he quipped.
"Excuse me?" she snapped, shoving a slender finger against his chest. "You should be thanking me for picking up your damn keys! Besides, why are you being so touchy about a measly little thing, huh?" Her eyes shimmered behind thickly framed glasses. "Unless…there's something special about that girly charm you're carrying around?"
There was a beat of silence and then he was leaving with a dismissive, "Good night, Karin."
"Wait!" she exclaimed, snatching his elbow. "Why are you like this? I'm not making fun of you, so don't be mad." Huffing, she squeezed his arm. "I think it's cute that you carry around a cherry blossom charm. Honest." Her eyes fluttered coyly. "I like that it shows your sensitive side."
"Hn." With no further response, he pushed her hand off and disappeared, shutting the door behind him.
Sasuke strode briskly down the sidewalk, fingers curled protectively around the charm inside his pocket as if someone might attempt to take it from him. The scowl on his face grew more severe with each passing minute and by the time he arrived at Ichiraku a quarter to 10 P.M., he was positive the expression was permanent.
Slamming his bag down on the table, he managed to slosh Naruto's soup and earn an outraged cry. A smirk managed to crack the hard pressed line of his lips. "Beat your record, dobe?" Sasuke sneered, dropping onto the seat across from him. Glancing over at Teuchi, the owner, he raised a finger, signaling for his regular order.
A stack of seven bowls sat to Naruto's left, the eighth currently being consumed at an alarming rate. Wiping his mouth with the back of one hand, he grinned and flashed a thumbs up. "You better believe it! I'm gonna brag to everyone tomorrow!" Slurping up another mouthful, Sasuke cringed away.
"As if I'm gonna admit I was there to see you become ramen," he muttered.
"Hey!" he barked, swallowing the food, "What's got you wound so tight? You're normally pissy, but this like a whole new level of pissy."
"How so?" Sasuke grunted, crossing his arms and looking away.
Naruto gave his friend a long look. "I've known you since we were barely able to walk. We even shared our first kiss—"
"—would you shut up?" he snapped, looking around in fear that someone heard. In a lower voice, he hissed, "we swore to never talk about that again."
Laughing, he swirled the soup around in his bowl, "Well, sometimes I feel like you need a reminder that you've had your embarrassing moments too." A wide grin stretched across his face at the darkness creeping around Sasuke. "Okay, okay, cool down, jeez, teme. Anyway, seriously, why're you so tense?" Cocking his head, he studied the increasingly uncomfortable Uchiha and then narrowed his bright blues. "What? Your hook-up realized you're not as hot as you think you are?"
He smirked, clearly finding that idea ridiculous.
Naruto shrugged. "So if it's not that, then the only other options are one," he took a bite of ramen, spitting as he spoke – much to his friend's disgust, "Mr. Heir-Apparent, but I think you settled your angst with him years ago."
Sasuke scowled once more at the nickname. "Don't refer to my brother so casually."
Just then, Teuchi set down his bowl of ramen and suddenly Sasuke wondered if he was actually hungry at all. With a sigh, he split a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks and began eating. There was no point in wasting food.
Naruto ignored the reprimand and went on, "Then that only leaves her." Naruto didn't miss the way his self-proclaimed brother stiffened. Nodding sagely, he tapped his chopsticks together and popped a slice of pork into his mouth. "Ah, I should've guessed sooner."
"Shut up, usuratonkachi."
Naruto pretended to miss the warning in Sasuke's voice. "I talked to Granny Tsunade recently," he stated absently, eyes far off, "she told me her favorite apprentice has been doing awesome medical oph-something research. I didn't really understand most of it, but it sounds like she's holding her own in America."
He wanted to say he didn't care and that Naruto really needed to shut his mouth before he did it for him, but instead, he found his voice failed to work. Mechanically, he ate the familiar food, nostalgia failing to provide the warmth of the bright-eyed missing member of their trio.
"—no boyfriend in sight either," Naruto continued, pausing for a second before adding, "in case you were curious."
Sasuke's head snapped up with annoyance. "I wasn't."
Snorting with disbelief, the blonde picked up the bowl and slurped down the soup. Slamming it back down, he smacked his lips, seemingly content. Naruto watched his friend lower his head back to the late dinner. "Y'know…," he drummed his fingers lightly against the old wooden table, "I promised her that if we got a chance, we'd definitely go study abroad in the same city as her." He eyed Sasuke closely for a reaction, but when he got none, he pressed on with forced casualness. "She offered for us to stay in her apartment. Said it's small and all, but the three of us could definitely fit."
"What are you getting at?" Sasuke finally sighed, dropping his utensils to pin Naruto with a sour look.
"I'm just saying that you're selling yourself too short!" he blurted.
The dark haired man raised an eyebrow.
Frowning deeply, Naruto scratched his head. "I just mean that you shouldn't throw in the towel just yet."
A long silence passed between them, eyes locked and wills battling. Sasuke was the first to break contact though, setting money down on the table and standing. His bowl was still half full, but he ignored it and grabbed his bag.
"Teme—"
"Let's go." Without another word, he began to depart, offering a polite nod to Teuchi before exiting the shop.
Naruto caught up with him after a minute, breathing a little harder and he pressed a hand into Sasuke's shoulder. "Hey, I'm just saying that I know how you feel—"
"—No, you don't." He cut him off sharply, glaring angrily, jaw taut. "You don't understand. If you did, you'd know I'm done with her." I'm done feeling helpless. I'm done being weak.
Clear blue eyes filled with sadness. "You don't have to lie to yourself or to me. I would never judge you."
"I'm not lying." Sasuke ground out. "So drop it. There is nothing between me and that woman." Right as Naruto opened his mouth to argue, the Uchiha interrupted again. "Stop pushing it." His voice was colder yet soft, a numb ache dying his tone. "…Please."
His friend fell silent and they trudged onward, neither uttering another word. All the while, he subconsciously gripped the delicate charm deep in his pocket.