Go easy please, this is my first yaoi fiction in this category. Second yaoi fiction posted over all. Thanks in advanced, Jake, from TTT.

Pranksters

That stupid grin was the thing he hated the most.

He hated it aimed at him. He hated it even more when the idiot aimed it at everyone else in the world. Naruto was just a naturally happy person. He could look past the pain in his life. Naruto could work around it. Naruto become stronger because of it.

That was another thing on the long list to hate about the guy.

Sasuke kicked some dirt under foot as he walked down the busy streets with his hands in his pockets. His eyes weren't like Naruto's. He couldn't look ahead to the future. His eyes were always down. He was watching each and every step he made while thinking about the past.

It drove him crazy.

He couldn't help lifting his eyes to the sky glaring angrily at the white fluffy clouds that floated there. It wasn't as if he actively thought about Naruto on purpose. He didn't really mean to think about the time that Naruto fell onto him, stealing what would be Sasuke's first kiss.

No.

He really didn't want to think about that, not even as he lifted his fingers to his lips.

He did anyway. He thought about it. He thought about the rough lips on his own. How they were both horrified into stunned silence within that one single instant. At the time, they had broken away from each other spluttering. He thought about that strange little tingle after the fact. The way that, when he really thought about it, it wasn't all that gross after all.

It wasn't nice, or anything…it just wasn't gross either.

He thought about that dumb friend of his, stubborn resolve and ignorant of the truth. Life had turned its back on Naruto, but the guy just didn't seem to care. Hell, it had turned its back on both of them, leaving them alone to suffer. Without family to protect them, or to protect in return.

And damn, he couldn't get that out of his head.

He thought about the fact that lovers kissed, and that families kissed. That the world was far better off with the warmth of family, rather than solitude. He'd decided he'd overlook the little mishap, and move on with his life, ignoring the fact that his first kiss was with a guy.

It didn't matter anyway, he didn't have time for romance. Neither did Naruto, so getting upset was a moot point. That was the decision he made. He shoved the kiss to the back of his mind, there were other problems to address. He realized hours ago that there were a gaggle of girls trying to sneak around him. Eying him with the kind of predatory gaze that spelled trouble.

Some of them were older, some of them younger, most of them good looking. He just couldn't focus on them, not even the ones he'd come to consider comrades in their own small ways.

Not Sakura, not Ino, not even poor Tenten, who looked as if she had been dragged along for the ride. The only girl even worth casting a sideways glance towards was Hinata, and that was only because of her family. She didn't look particularly comfortable between the completely obsessed blonde and pink headed women who saw fit to gush over him.

Making some seals, he vanished before them in a flash. Darting over and under anything he could, he made it to the one place none of them would follow, at least not in their right minds.

"They're chasing you again," the familiar voice noted as he stuffed his mouth full of noodles. They had been sitting in one of those worthless cups for a while waiting to be eaten, and as always, Naruto was happy to oblige. "You can hide here if you want, but Sakura will probably bust down the door again."

"Better than hiding with Sensei."

Naruto nodded, shoving more food into his mouth with gusto before pointing his chopsticks at Sasuke, forgetting his manners. "I don't get it, they're just trying to be nice."

"Not worth the time," Sasuke grabbed a packet of chips from the floor, opening them and sitting on the edge of Naruto's bed he sighed. "Don't you ever get sick of it?"

"Nah, they just ignore me."

"Huh, well whatever I guess."

Sasuke didn't bother to mention that there was one girl who watched Naruto a great deal. It really wasn't any of his concern if Naruto wasn't paying attention. He ate the chips quietly, spending the afternoon in mostly companionable silence.

They read books, sharpened their tools, munched on whatever was around, and eventually fell asleep in the heat of the day, the sun pouring into the windows to keep them warm. They were used to sleeping in the vicinity of each other, usually sharing the same tree branch while on missions, so it certainly wasn't weird to pass out a little over an arm's length of each other on Naruto's bed.

At least, Sasuke didn't think it was all that weird…in fact, it was kind of nice to have the sounds of a human, a friend, nearby.

It wasn't until later that Sasuke opened his eyes to a fairly normal sight. That vibrant grin, one of promise and resolve. "Hey Sasuke! Sasuke, look, look!"

"Don't yell Naruto," the teenaged boy sighed, pushing his friend off of him. "What's the big deal anyway?"

With a huge smirk, Naruto pointed to the house across the way. "They're waiting."

Sasuke sighed when he caught a glimpse of Ino, they most certainly were. A strange idea overtook him, one that made him want to laugh, and he thought it should bother him. Actually it probably really should have, but it didn't.

Instead, Sasuke thought it might be funny, at least just for a second. "Hey, Naruto, want to get under their skin?"

"Yeah sure, but how?"

"Just stand there, don't move."

Casually he strode over to Naruto, putting an arm over his shoulders, and grinning the two women scouting him from across the street. Giving them a lingering wink, he turned, kissing Naruto on the cheek, and drawing the curtain closed.

He knew the girls would be standing there slack-jawed, but right then, he really didn't care.