The Secret Sal - glad you commented, glad you enjoyed it!

Something warm and moist was tickling Naruto's lips. He groaned in his sleep, desperate to stay in it, but whatever moist, no, wet, was attacking his lips.. and nose? was determined to wake him up.

"Mm Sasuke.." Naruto moaned, snaking an arm around the heat next to him.

It was soft. Too soft. He shot his eyes open in surprise, and his heart almost stopped as he saw Akamaru staring into his own eyes.

"Aagh!" he screeched as he jumped upright, the dog barking in excitement.

Well that was a bummer, thinking of Sasuke this early in the morning.

"Had a good night?" he heard Kiba wink, his head peeking curiously down at Naruto from the edge of the bed.

How to put it? Not really.

"Will you finally tell me what happened? Did he really bite your head off? You didn't talk almost at all yesterday, that's very unlike you.." Kiba rambled, and Naruto wondered how anyone could be this energetic during the morning.

"Let me sleep five minutes more.." Naruto mumbled, flopping down next to Akamaru and pulling the covers over him.

Sasuke really was a bummer.

Naruto had always had a problem, and a huge one. He got attached way too easily. After being mostly alone, having a guardian who barely visited him (something the child protection services should notice) and having had no friends until he started high school, Naruto clung onto everyone and everything that paid him attention.

And he never dealt with rejection well. It made him feel like worthless and not wanted, something Naruto has fought against for a long time in his life. It really draped his soul with an ugly colour.

Not to mention the shame and regret that followed actually having had the nerves to ask Sasuke of his phone number. Naruto felt like an idiot.

"Come on Naruto, you're usually happy even when you're feeling down. Talk to me," he heard Kiba's distant voice, and Naruto gave in.

"He almost ran away," Naruto mumbled, crossing his arms with a childish pout.

"Ooh, was it that bad?" Kiba asked, grinning. Naruto threw a pillow at him.

"That's the thing, it wasn't. Gods, the boy was mewling like a girl," Naruto whined, squinting his eyes at Kiba in complaint.

"Haha, I can't imagine someone like Sasuke do that.. why do you even care if a shit like him dumped you, you saw it coming right?"

Yeah, Naruto saw it coming. And Naruto also knows he shouldn't want said shit.

Still, it didn't really change what he was feeling.

"Aww stop being so gloomy, it's very unlike you," Kiba grinned, "well, maybe Sakura could give you some advice on how to deal with difficult women, you kn-"

"Oh god, Sakura-chan! You can't tell her!" Naruto screeched. He suddenly remembered that Sasuke had been her object of obsession since childhood. Even if he didn't know what she felt for him now, but it would still be awkward.

"Nevermind, don't tell anyone!" Naruto yelled, pleadingly looking at Kiba and begging on his knees.

Yeah, it would be embarrassing.

"Sheesh, calm down!" Kiba laughed, "your secret that you're crushing on an asshole gay guy is safe with me."

"I'm not crushing on him!" Naruto defended, but even Akamaru seemed to disagree with a bark.

"Right, right," Kiba gave in, his arms raised in surrender.

"By the way.. how did it go with Hinata yesterday?" Naruto remembered to ask. It was one of the main reasons he was dragged to that party. Kiba has been trying to reach her for a while now, now that she and Naruto finally found out that they really never would work together.

Naruto had tried to date her, feeling not only guilty but wanting to help out being her friend. But it never came naturally, as she tried too hard to be someone she thought he would like, instead of being herself.

It got too difficult to deal with, and they both deemed themselves not being ready.

Kiba jumped in at the chance.

"Not too well, she hung around with Neji all night, and you know Neji.."

Yeah, the mention of Neji brought some horrible feelings.

It made Naruto feel even more stupid and not wanted.

"I never knew Neji was interested in sex," Naruto mused, jealousy in his statement.

"Neither did I.. I don't know how or why or when or where, but I think it was only once," Kiba admitted, and at least some of the pain was soothed.

Only once.

But what if Sasuke only slept with everyone only once? That gave way to a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach.

He shouldn't want Sasuke this much. Or feel this low and worthless, and he definitely shouldn't feel jealous.

He shouldn't care a thing about that asshole, who seemed to hang out with the most disgusting people, who probably was just as disgusting himself.

Naruto had tons of friends that he loved and made him happy.

So why was he feeling so alone again?

Sasuke had one leg elevated on one chair that he sat next to, arm and head resting on his knee as he stared at the plate of food he was poking around at.

He hated sundays. Always hungover, ass always stinging, and always forced to spend some quality family time.

He averted his eyes from his food for a moment, quickly looking at his brother before looking down again.

He hated how much his brother made him feel.

He wondered why Itachi seemed so unaffected by this awkward silence, when Sasuke himself was almost shivering by the presence of his brother alone.

The food didn't taste well when all you wanted to do was throw up.

Family time his ass, this was no family no longer.

After his parents died, Itachi had become cold and distant, pushing Sasuke away by every means.

And once Sasuke got involved with Orochimaru and his drugs, they fought on a regular basis.

They don't fight any longer, not at least as nastily as they did back then, not ever since Itachi forced Sasuke to go to rehab over the summer. Not that he was addicted or anything.. he just probably wouldn't have taken the initiative to get clean by himself.

Sasuke wouldn't admit it loudly, but he was grateful that Itachi had come to that.

Sasuke was no longer bound by his soul to Orochimaru.

But their relationship never seemed to rekindle, it never got back to what it used to be.

Itachi was no longer the role model for Sasuke, who had looked up to and loved his brother like no other. It was filled with jealousy instead. And Itachi had almost become a stranger, someone Sasuke no longer new.

And even right now, Sasuke felt so inferior to his brother, who didn't sit hunched over like Sasuke, who didn't poke around in his food, who was just reading a magazine and eating as if nothing was wrong at all.

Itachi had always been better and stronger than him anyway. Smarter, better behaved, he didn't cry as much as Sasuke when their parents died, he was better looking..

Sasuke wondered whether Itachi was a better fuck as well.

He threw his utensils down in surrender and left the table. He felt Itachi's gaze burn at his back.

"You should clean up after yourself," he heard Itachi make a remark, and Sasuke kept walking.

"I don't care," he mumbled, retreating to the haven of his room.

Crawling back under his covers, he sighed deeply.

It didn't take long until his phone vibrated on the nightstand next to him. It made an awful noise, and he contemplated on ignoring it all together.

Yet, he picked it up.

"wanna come over? ;;)"

He thought about it for a while. And then decided that spending time with Suigetsu was usually much better than hiding in his room.

"ok"

Math class was probably the most boring thing ever.

Sasuke kept solving problems ahead of them, only because they were stuck at going through homework every time. Because no one ever did their homework and pretended they didn't understand it instead.

Juugo sat next to him, which Sasuke was most grateful for. Out of everyone, he liked Juugo the most. Juugo only minded his own business, except for the times he took drugs and went berserk.

If Karin had sat next to him, he'd get unwanted touches. Now, if Sasuke had been a person who likes people in general, he probably would like Karin. But he wasn't one, so he didn't even pretend to be interested in her.

Same goes for Suigetsu. Outside the bedroom, the guy turned annoying and bugging, and quickly.

Even now he could hear Suigetsu and Karin bicker behind him, and it was usually how their time together went, them arguing while he and Juugo weren't listening.

If only Juugo had been gay.

Suddenly a knock earned everyone's attention, and Yamato headed for the door.

Sasuke didn't bother to interrupt his solving, until a familiar voice broke through.

"Eehehe, sorry, I kinda overslept."

"Naruto, it's the third time this has happened."

Sasuke looked up, not exactly feeling interested but compelled to look either way.

Naruto.. I remember him.

"Arghh, don't give me that look! It's the last time, I promise!" Naruto screeched, and Sasuke had to snort to himself before returning to whatever he was doing.

So Naruto was in his class as well? Not like he cared anyway. He didn't want anything to do with him.

"Narutoooo, baka!" he heard a female voice behind him, and he almost felt the anxious energy radiating from a nervously laughing Naruto, approaching the source of the voice.

"Sakura-chan.. Ow!"

Yup Sasuke definitely remembered her.

"Geez Naruto, do I need to come and babysit you now as well?"

Sasuke scoffed. Why was he listening to them anyway?

Naruto wished he'd get some peace while he was eating.

His friends were all loud and energetic around him, especially Sakura who sat next to him, arguing with Ino.

That didn't bother him.

But what he saw across the other table definitely bothered him.

Sasuke sitting there, arrogant as always, smug and oh so high and mighty, with some red head rubbing herself against him.

Neji was already bad enough, but now this?

Naruto could always say Sasuke didn't look like he enjoyed the attention, but he didn't exactly do anything about her anyway.

Sasuke had definitely been a distraction the whole day, not only making Naruto think of how good he had felt from the inside, or how he had sounded when he wasn't telling him to fuck off, and those eyes..

And also reminded Naruto of how ashamed he felt.

He really felt like he had to speak to Sasuke to sort his emotions out.

So, as he saw Sasuke leave whatever people he had sat with, Naruto swallowed the last of his food and followed suit.

He was almost running through the canteen and later through the hallways to catch up with Sasuke, and as he put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder he remembered last time.

He hadn't thought things through back then, and he hadn't right now.

Sasuke looked at him like he wasn't affected by anything at all. As if nothing had ever happened between them.

Just like he had been all day, as if he hadn't even noticed Naruto.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Sasuke, about last saturday-"

"Forget it."

Naruto stood there, feeling stupid and regretful as always as Sasuke picked up the pace and left.