Sasuke looked over his schedule, he supposed it wasn't too bad, or at least not as time consuming as he initially predicted. Four times a week, half were morning classes, simple enough. Sasuke scoffed at the major. Journalism? Sasuke would laugh every time he saw it, writing what you saw on the news wasn't exactly hard. Sasuke didn't hold journalists in high regard anyway, they worked to panic the masses anyway they could. Sasuke slid the schedule into his bag; journalists made his life harder, now having to live with one would piss him off to no end.

Sasuke arrived outside the apartment, wondering how the palm trees that decorated the front would survive in the upcoming winter. A few memories he spent in the Caribbean as a child with his family surfaced, his brother would climb the palm trees endlessly till the blazing sun had set. Sasuke smiled a little, he always tried to copy, but his little legs barely carried him. Pleasant family memoirs gave him a spring in his step as he entered the tall, white building. Bouncing with boundless summer vibes, Sasuke could see why Naruto applied here and nowhere else. Adjusting the strap on his duffel bag, he approached the grey door adorning a number seven. He patted down his plain t-shirt and jeans, wanting to make a good impression before noticing his door's…art.

Sasuke's eyes squinted at the rough scribbles left by a black sharpie. Smiley faces, a bowl of what seemed to be noodles and what Sasuke could only guess was a fox with nine tails. Brushing his thumb over, the ink was still wet. Apparently this Naruto had a creative streak? Sasuke noticed a vulgar scrawl of a penis and grimaced. Also a crude sense of humor, it would seem. Sasuke took out his key and entered in what he could only describe as a shock to the system.

Within the few hours Naruto had lived here; there were pizza boxes, beer bottles, pot noodles, and a wet dog. The light fixture above had been torn down, the window had many more sharpie doodles, Sasuke wasn't even sure how they got their hands on a traffic cone that laid on the coffee table. What previously seemed like a simple open plan apartment was turned into a tramp's hideout. Sasuke heard the top of the charts music blasting from a speaker, while two boys and a girl created their own individual havoc. Sasuke's mouth was hung open from the endless anarchy. Stepping forward he jumped when he narrowly missed what seemed to be a bullfrog. Sasuke blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't somehow high or had fallen into someone else's place. But he knew that this was the place he was supposed to be.

The blond ball of energy that was currently laughing his head off to what the girl was saying. He was wearing green khaki shorts, no shoes and a short-sleeved red shirt with a long, white one underneath. With a blue necklace and hair just as bright as Sasuke remembered, he was dreading this meeting. As if reading Sasuke's thoughts and ignoring them, the loud man turned with a splitting grin. Skipping over as if he wasn't in a dump heap. He outstretched his hand, the other occupied with a cheap beer.

"Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, you must be my roommate, the landlord told me you'd be coming!" He shouted over the music, Sasuke hesitantly took his hand, his arm immediately shook with too much enthusiasm. "You're not what I expected! It thought Sasuke was a girl's name, to be honest" Sasuke gave a flat stare, wondering how a guy like this could get into college. Naruto's grin remained as Sasuke's silence answered him. Naruto tilted his head a little. "Can you speak English?" Sasuke's face hardened.

"Yes"

"Oh, good! I thought you might've only spoke Chinese or something" Sasuke was struck by another wave of shock, before a bitter rage began to seethe.

"I'm not Chinese"

"But your name is-"

"Japanese" Sasuke cut, giving a bewildered expression at Naruto own unbothered stance, "Your name is Japanese, how did you get it mixed up?" Sasuke questioned, met only with Naruto's puzzled face.

"Naruto is Japanese? I thought it was Puerto Rican"

Words failed Sasuke.

"Dude, you gotta check out our rooms though, it's crazy!" Naruto dragged Sasuke over the mess, beer spilling messily everywhere. Sasuke's lips pulled unpleasantly at the way an abandoned sock soaked it up. Taken into a narrow hallway, Naruto pointed at the middle door, "That's the bathroom, but don't go in there, Milo is sleeping" Sasuke didn't get a chance to find out who that was exactly before being dragged into a small room; holding a dresser, desk, chair and a bed with missing covers. "This is your room, mine's pretty much the same, oh! I borrowed your cover, needed it for a fort" Naruto explained, as if it was perfectly normal.

"A fort?"

"Yeah, come see it" Once more being dragged into Naruto's room. Sasuke looked around, he already turned the place upside down. Posters splattered across the walls, bits and pieces of various sports equipment scattered. Sasuke noticed the empty tank, he guessed the bullfrog's home, Sasuke wondered if Naruto was aware of the no pets rule the landlord had. Thinking little of it, he saw Naruto's fort. A pathetic thing held up with chairs and duct tape. "I was thinking, we could spent the night in there, get to know each other" Naruto shrugged, raising his hand to his head, "Of course, that was the plan before I realised you were a guy..." Naruto gave him a mischievous smirk, "Not that I'm complaining-"

"Actually" Sasuke coughed lightly, "I was hoping to just chill in my own room, I…it's been a long flight"

"Right! From Japan, yeah?" Naruto eagerly awaited his answer like a puppy. Sasuke gave a small nod of his head, taking his portion of the fort and dragging it to his own room. He heard Naruto rushing back to his friends. Sasuke thought he'd check out the deal with the male friend. He also had tattoos on his face, albeit, they were different from Naruto's and instead took the shape of red triangles on his face. The girl looked rough too. Dirty blonde hair divided into four ponytails. He vaguely picked up her name being Temari as Naruto shouted about his name being of Japanese descent to her.

He rolled his eyes and began unpacking. Thankfully, the covers was all that Naruto touched from his room, making it the only livable one in the entire apartment. Sasuke was afraid to even look into the bathroom. He shivered in dread. Setting up bugs would be easy, he could probably chuck it on the floor and it would never be discovered among the trash. Sasuke set to work placing a few in his own room, if Naruto ever decided to confess here instead. Sasuke took a few deep breaths. He only had to get what was needed and get out. He could survive.

Nearly an hour later, Naruto busted in. Sasuke had just finished placing his things as Naruto looked around.

"Hey, dude, Kiba and Temari just left, so I'm kinda bored" Naruto began to rifle through Sasuke's belongings, shamelessly picking up books and flipping through them. "Let me get to know ya, so, what's your major?" Naruto asked as he picked up Sasuke's headphones.

"Journalism" Sasuke took them from Naruto's hand and place it safely away, beyond irked at the invasive nature of this Naruto character. Naruto whipped around so quick Sasuke was afraid he'd snap his own neck.

"Oh my god! Me too!" Naruto bounced over, nearly knocking Sasuke down. "You wanna be a journalist too?!" Sasuke nearly bit back a sarcastic comment, but resisted.

"Yeah, I'm a big Walter Cronkite fan" Sasuke was thankful he had Kakashi, he felt he could navigate any subject with his training.

"That's cool, he made a big difference, I'm gonna do the same some day!" Naruto voiced confidently, Sasuke smiled a little. Perhaps he had judged too quickly, maybe he wasn't as yellow as his hair. "Can I copy your notes?"

Apparently he was.

"We've not even started classes yet"

"Yeah, I know, I mean, for when they do start, I'm not so great with mornings so I'll be conked out till 10am" Naruto explained, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, had this not been a mission he would've given a piece of his mind. Getting into a college and not taking it seriously? The only thing he held less respect for than journalists, were people who didn't work hard yet expected the rewards it yields.

What a spoiled brat…

Sasuke gave a tight smile.

"Sure, what are roommates for?" Naruto grinned, pointing back at where Sasuke had stored his headphones.

"Cool, can I borrow those headphones for gym? I broke mine" Naruto was clueless to the absolute fury that was building within Sasuke. Sasuke did not share his things like this. Even his own brother had to respect Sasuke's ruthless boundaries. Once Itachi had used Sasuke's laptop to surf questionable websites, he received a face full of ice water the next morning. It was a loud morning in the Uchiha household that day. Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek.

"Why don't you just get some more?" Sasuke gritted out.

"Why would I need to when my roommate has some!" Naruto laughed, slapping Sasuke's shoulder hard enough to bruise. "You're funny, I like you" Naruto plopped down on Sasuke's bed, stretching out like it was his own. "So, Sasuke…" Naruto began, looking around to find a conversation piece. "You got a girl back home in Japan? One of those perfect brides with a paper umbrella?" Sasuke's eye twitched. "Ahh, I'm just messing with you, I learnt my lesson after Mulan"

"Mulan is Chinese"

"Oh shit, really? Sorry, I swear I'm not a racist"

"Just a moron"

"Whoa, chill" Naruto laughed nervously, "I wont make anymore jokes then" Naruto stood up, opting out of the conversation. "Er, nice to meet you, Sasuke" Sasuke watched him leave awkwardly, Sasuke scoffed. Stuck not only with a tramp, but a moronic and racially insensitive tramp.

You'd think people would cut that shit out in the 21st century…

Sasuke watched noon turn lilac, resting away the sun with a softness only the sky could muster. Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, he was hoping to shower, but was half afraid he'd find vomit in the bathroom. Not to mention that 'Milo' was still inhabiting it, Sasuke settled for mouthwash and spitting out the window. He wiped his mouth bitterly, yanking his shirt off and kicking off his jeans. He chucked them into the hamper before pulling on loose bottoms. Huffing he slid into bed, deciding to retry tomorrow. He needed to get close to Naruto. He could endure the mess, the stupidity and just as long as he could sleep it away at night.

Though it was 2 in the morning and it seemed that wouldn't be happening either.

Jumping awake to the sound of crashing chairs, Sasuke instantly was on guard. He reached for his gun hidden beneath the bed, cocking it before slowly easing to his door. Ready for whatever Akatsuki would throw at him.

"Milo, calm down! I have some corn for you!"

"CLUCK! CLUCK! CLUCK!"

Except that.

Sasuke placed his gun on the side before ripping the door open, watching Naruto run after a chicken in his underwear. Sasuke stared on silently, considering ending Naruto's life and making a meal out of the chicken. Instead, he stalked over, avoiding the mess beneath his feet.

"Naruto" Sasuke pushed out through a tight jaw, Naruto looked over casually, "Why is there a chicken running wild in our apartment?" Naruto gave him a surprised expression, as if Sasuke was the crazy one.

"I told you, this is Milo" Sasuke folded his arms and cocked his hip, "I'm babysitting him, he's upset"

"He's not the only one!"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not too fussed about it" Naruto waved off, Sasuke had to stop himself from spluttering out obscenities. Naruto had a hand full of corn and was attempting to coax the chicken into coming closer.

"Our class is tomorrow morning, Naruto! You're not even supposed to have pets!" Naruto pouted at him, Sasuke found it ugly on his features.

"Milo is a friend!" Naruto shouted back, Sasuke threw his hands into the air. Turning back to ignore him. Sasuke managed to finally sleep that night, after a torturous hour of endless clucking and Naruto's ceaseless attempts to calm that damn chicken down. It took every last drop of his willpower to not pistol whip him.

"CLUCK!"

Or turn that thing into a roast dinner.

Sasuke shifted awake to the sound of his alarm, the clock read 6am and he was thankful for it. Early morning was a peace of mind for him, such a strange and delicate time that Sasuke had learned to love. Birds chirping, the strange colours in the sky. Sasuke could never quite put it into words, but he felt as if there was a promise in the early of day, as if he had all the time in the world to do as he pleased. Sasuke lived for it. He happily stretched out, reaching over to turn off his alarm before his door slammed open.

Sasuke jumped in shock, seeing Naruto visually distressed and with a manic expression on his face. With a sight pant, he looked over the verge of murder. With Sasuke the victim.

"Dude, it is way too early for your fucking alarm to be going off" Naruto's voice was rough, nowhere near the bubbly tone it usually carried. Smirking, Sasuke decided to start his morning with a little petty revenge.

"Oh, don't worry, Naruto, I'm not too fussed about it" Sasuke drawled out deliberately, Naruto stared at him before giving a fake laugh.

"Aha" Naruto stomped back off to his room, grumbling under his breath about freaky bastards. Sasuke brushed it off, thinking he'd just give a fake apology later, problem solved. Traversing to the bathroom, he was relieved to find it was mostly intact. With a few shampoo bottles scattered and the floor wet, Sasuke was just content to not find any of Milo's droppings. Sasuke looked over at the chicken nestled in the torn curtain shower, he sighed and shook his head.

"I can't believe he has a-"

"Ribbit"

"Of course" Sasuke grunted, looking down to see the frog lounging around in the sink. The water filled for his own personal bath. Sasuke snorted, he couldn't deny the humour in seeing a little frog waddle. With a soft spot for animals, (when they weren't waking him up in the dead of the night) he gently cradled the frog, placing it on the side and beginning his morning routine. After he was finished, he eased the frog back into the sink with fresh water.

Getting dressed for class, he noticed Naruto was yet to emerge from his room. Sasuke glanced at the time and sighed, he supposed he should get the moron to class. Knocking lightly on his door.

"Hey, Naruto, class starts in twenty minutes, you getting up?" Sasuke heard a muffled gurgle and sighed, "I'll take that as a no" Sasuke needed to be around Naruto, but he couldn't just stay and skip class. Frowning as he knew scholarship kids get less leniency, he dragged himself over to class, leaving the sleepy blond behind.

Entering the relatively small lecture hall, he saw most of the wooden seats were filled with chatty students. Inwardly cursing as he didn't feel any urge to know these people. Though he wasn't about to let his mission be jeopardised by his asocial behaviour. Eyes grazing over potential seats, one stood one. The back middle held a few students, though a quiet boy was reading through a book, a calm yet approachable demeanour. Perfect. Sasuke made his way over and sat next to him, a quick glance over revealed the boy with a thick ponytail was reading Lord of the Flies.

"Which part you on?" Sasuke asked, without a beat the other spoke.

"Roger has just dropped the boulder"

"Hn, love to do that to my roommate right about now" Sasuke saw the boy raise a brow at him. "Sasuke Taka, freshman" Sasuke reached out, the boy took it.

"Shikamaru Nara, reluctant freshman" It was Sasuke's turn to raise an eyebrow, "I was offered a job with the Associated Press, but the editor can't take me on unless I get my degree" He explained, Sasuke gave an empathetic look.

"Perhaps you could write an article on it"

"I plan to" His voice laced frustration and promise. Alleviated of some of his stress, Sasuke managed to find someone mildly interesting. "So" He began, placing his book down, "You're a fan of William Golding?"

"Only Lord of the Flies, but I do appreciate he wrote the book of out pure spite for his students" Sasuke noted that Shikamaru had a subtle smile, not too overbearing or wide. If Sasuke wasn't dedicated to his job, he'd consider asking him out. Often accused as a workaholic by Suigetsu, his romantic interests had often been fleeting. With Sasuke too invested in his cases, the few men that had kept his attention soon weren't enough. Suigetsu's comment to go 'get laid' on his first mission still burned in the back of his head. It had been a while...but he wasn't about to be distracted.

"Honestly, teaching sounds like a drag, you have to be a certain kind of strange to do it"

As if on cue, a tall man sauntered in. Greasy black hair that drooped past down his hands, contrasting with the sickly paleness he wore. With his yellowish eyes and sharp nose pointed, Sasuke never saw a man look so...unhuman. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, even from a distance he knew the man didn't take a shower. Though it seemed his rancid clothing followed the same level of hygiene, marked with coffee stains and sweat spots. Familiar thoughts ran through Shikamaru's head as they exchanged a look.

Swinging towards the students dramatically, all had hushed as the man leered ominously.

"Good morning, students, it's quite..." He stopped, licking his chapped lips languidly, his eyes flickered between the seats, "...exciting to be here" An uncomfortably stretched pause pulled before he swished around to his large whiteboard. "My name is Orochimaru, I am your instructor for this course in Journalism" Writing out his name on the board. Sasuke felt Shikamaru lean closer for a moment.

"Like I said"

Sasuke chuckled, watching the weirdo teacher bring up a PowerPoint.

"I will be your morning classes on Monday and Wednesday while Iruka, your other teacher, will teach your afternoons on Wednesdays and Thursdays" Orochimaru turned his head to give a sadistic smile, "I believe the youths of todays need more discipline, so you're welcome for the morning classes" He was answered with a series of groans and a few bold curses. Sasuke felt no way about it, but he never was a fan of vindictive men. Sasuke stared hard as Orochimaru enjoyed the sneers from his students. Sasuke made a conscious decision to stay away. "With me, you shall have the privilege of learning the history behind Journalism, the greats from my generation and the influe-"

"I'm here!" Naruto busted in, panting as his bright red backpack match his face in colour. Orochimaru viewed him for a moment before resuming his speech.

"And the influences that made Journalism what it is today, what is your name?" Naruto jumped a little, for a split second he thought he could peacefully walk to a seat unscathed. Naruto changed the weight onto his other foot before smiling nervously.

"Naruto" Orochimaru's face remained expectant before Naruto understood, "Um, Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki"

"Mr. Uzumaki, where do you see yourself in five years?"

"W-What?"

"Do you have a plan after college, Mr. Uzumaki or do you intend on just partying the next three years away?" Some giggles were heard through the classroom and Naruto fought down an embarrassed blush, Sasuke admitted that he felt some level of satisfaction in watching the freak belittle Naruto. "Who do you want to work for?" Naruto managed to produce a real answer this time.

"PBS, they're non-bias" Naruto stated with a matter of fact tone, Orochimaru's unimpressed demeanour prevailed.

"Do you know what you need to work for PBS as journalist with no experience?" Before Naruto could respond, he spoke over him, "Of course not, you need a great experimental portfolio and two strong recommendations, with two journalism teachers, can you do the math on how many you need from us?" Naruto was silent, Sasuke wondered if he would snap. He'd certainly enjoy the entertainment. "If you want a good recommendation, you need to be a good student, so instead of lazing around in bed, you will turn up on time or I will drop you from my class, do you understand or should I repeat it slower this time?" Orochimaru was an ass, a condescending ass and if Sasuke wasn't so pissed with Naruto, he'd stand up for him.

"Okay, he gets it, are you gonna teach us or not?" A feisty blonde girl snapped, Sasuke only saw her from behind, but he could tell she was a fashionable girl. Wearing a Supreme sports bra and purple cut-off jeans, her long hair rivalled their teacher. He gave her an agitated glare, but it seemed she wasn't backing down.

"Go take a seat, Mr. Uzumaki" Naruto rushed to sit next to the blonde girl who defended him, they shared a smile as Orochimaru began to rant again. Sasuke supposed Naruto had a new friend. In hindsight, he might've fucked himself. He chewed on his pen, realising that he had missed an opportunity.

He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

...

Sasuke was surprised to find that he actually...enjoyed the class. Orochimaru himself continued to be obnoxious, but Sasuke couldn't deny that the rich life of Joseph Pulitzer and Benjamin Harris was interesting. Nor could he quell the excitement over Orochimaru's promise to go over America's most influential papers. Shikamaru had been more titillating the more he spoke, finding out that he was tackling the 'One Hundred Books to Read' challenge, almost halfway through and thinking of doing another hundred after he'd finish. It was a shame, Sasuke had thought, that he couldn't truly befriend the man.

Disgruntled after seeing Naruto run off with the blonde girl, knowing he wasn't welcome just yet, but he would be soon.

He returned to his apartment, screwing his face that the scent that had developed. Pushing past it and going to his room instead. Sasuke halted, seeing that his room had clearly been rummaged through. Cursing, he dove under his bed, frantically searching for his gun. A wash of relief waved over once his fingers touched the cool metal. Had they been robbed? Sasuke's frown deepened, there was no way he'd set off the Akatsuki, right? Hearing the door open and Naruto talking, Sasuke paused his thoughts. Withdrawing his hand quickly, he came over to the living room.

"Naruto, you didn't leave the door unlocked, did you?" Sasuke asked, while Naruto waved him off and continued to talk to whoever on the phone.

"Yup, just bring those over too, great! See you Friday!" Naruto hung up the phone and paid Sasuke attention. "Hm?"

"My room's messed up, someone came into our place, did you not lock the door?" Sasuke stared at Naruto confused expression before he smiled coyly.

"Ah, actually, I couldn't find my notebook so I borrowed one from you" Naruto held up a leather notebook, Sasuke became inflamed. That was a good luck gift from Kakashi. Marching over, he snatched it away from Naruto and glared.

"I'm not surprised, you can't find anything in this mess!"

"Whoa, calm down, I ended up not writing in it, that dickweed of a teacher didn't even teach us anything" Sasuke let out a shout of frustration, whipping around and stomping off. Naruto rubbed the back of his head, hearing the bathroom door slam shut.

"What a bitch"

The warm water running down his back carried the stress of the day, finally happy to be having a shower with no wild animals joining him. Sasuke ran his hands through his thick locks lazily, enjoying his minty soap and it's calming scent.

How inconsiderate can a person be?

Turning his face towards the showerhead, the intense pressure made his shoulders go slack. His previous fury began to ebb away, Sasuke knew he wasn't getting anywhere with him, but how could he?! Every time he relaxed, his roommate would burst the bubble with another infuriating trait. Sasuke needed to find a solution, internally whining would solve nothing. Perhaps he was just a teen who was enjoying his first taste of freedom, working off steam under no parental supervision. It was feasible that Naruto just needed to get it all out, Sasuke could be patient.

"Don't mind me!" Naruto swung open the door, hopping over to the toilet. Sasuke yelped and nearly slipped, grabbing the green, shower curtain and poking his head around.

"What the fuck?! Get out!"

"I need to piss! I've drank, like, three Gatorades todays! And you're taking forever" Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Okay, we need to have a serious talk at one point about boundaries" Sasuke stressed, Naruto gave an non-committal grunt. Sasuke huffed, angrily waiting as Naruto finished urinating. Naruto zipped up his cargo shorts and was about to leave before grinning, he forcefully pushed the flusher. Sending Sasuke into a fit of screams. "Fuck! Y-You fucktard! Why'd you do that?!" Sasuke's skin was scorched red as he shoved his head around the curtain, "Are you trying to give me third degree burns?!" He screeched, Naruto's shit-eating grin only served to pissed him off more.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Sasuke! My complete and utter sincere apologies" Naruto taunted, Sasuke's venomous glare did little to sway Naruto, sauntering out the bathroom giddily. Sasuke growled viciously.

Oh, he'd be sorry, alright. Throwing him and his entire family in jail is going to feel so damn satisfying.

...

Sasuke decided to ignore Naruto as he went out for food shopping, returning to find the nightmare had done some of his own. Half the room filled with beers, spirits, alcopops, and a Naruto rolling a joint up. He stared for moment, on the verge of truly losing his mind as Naruto continued to pay him little attention, his fingers steady with practised ease.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to do drugs on campus?" Sasuke scoffed, noticing Naruto's lack of interest in his warning.

"You should have some, it might loosen you up enough for that stick in your ass to fall out" Naruto remarked, Sasuke gave a pinched leer.

"It's not a surprise the dumbass is also a pothead"

"Bitch"

"Asshole"

Sasuke put away his food, ignoring Naruto's smoking and hoped it would just keep him quiet. A little time had passed, Sasuke took to cooking a late lunch. He heard Naruto call over to him. Huffing, he turned, hand on hip. Naruto's slightly red eyes trailed over the movement.

"I've having a few friends come over on Friday...so, um, yeah" Naruto indicated towards the stacks of what Sasuke could only imagine was a gruesome hangover. Though with Naruto's awkward silence, Sasuke realised what he was getting at.

"Wow, you're banning me from my own place?" Naruto stiffly fiddled with his joint, the small decency to look guilty.

"No! Just, I mean, if you were to stay in your room, we wouldn't be bothering you and-" Sasuke cut him off with grabbing his food and retreating to his room. Naruto cringed at the door slamming, it was becoming too much of an occurrence for his taste. Naruto slid further down the sofa, turning his attention to the TV and grinning, watching Ross once again yelled at by some woman. Naruto giggled, soon forgetting his roommate's tantrum.

"Oh Ross, buddy, I know how you feel" Laughing loudly at another joke made, but the earlier tension sat in the back of his mind. He held no ill feelings towards Sasuke, but he felt like he was always against him. Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that...

He shook his head, no, it had been years, he needed to let go of the paranoia.

...

The days leading up to Friday were, for lack of a better word, stressed. Sasuke and Naruto clashed heads violently, two raging bulls seeing red. Naruto had kept up his habit of stealing Sasuke's things and eating his food. Sasuke had chucked an empty bottle of Lucozade at Naruto's head, shouting yet again about putting back finished things. There was no moment between them was wasn't graced with argument. Between Sasuke hogging the bathroom in the morning after claiming it first and Naruto blasting music late into the night with friends, both boys had nurtured a special kind of hate for each other. Inevitably, they began to compete in every way. Small things such a finishing dinner to being the person who studied the longest. Often rushing to class to beat the other, many bruises appeared on their arms from the forceful shoving. With no access to his friends, Sasuke had little time to vent out his frustration.

In the local gym, weirdly named Pump Factory, Sasuke's feet pounded against the treadmill. His shallow breathes served well to distract him, face reddening with a warm slick of sweat developing healthily. He had kept his pace up well, his lungs began to fill with that pleasant tingle. His casual sweats and blue shirt stuck like a second skin, many girls had approached him only to be ignored. A too friendly male trainer had been persistent in talking to him every time he came. Sasuke had little patience with the man, he'd introduced himself as Hidan when Sasuke was in the middle of changing once, permanently freaking him out. Repeatedly talking about his weird religion and dedication to his body, Sasuke considered pity fucking him to get him to leave.

"You got to fucking kidding me" Sasuke turned to see Naruto screwing up his face at the treadmill in front of him, "This is the only free one?" Sasuke glared at him, scoffing at his gym shorts and sleeveless hoodie.

"Feel free to fuck off" He hissed, Naruto shot back an equally spiteful scowl, denying Sasuke any peace and hopping on the neighbouring treadmill. He began to run, till Sasuke saw his speed and gave him a belittling look. Naruto growled and punched in a higher speed, throwing a smug look in return. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned his speed up. As did Naruto. This repeated till some people began to stare, the two maniacs were at full speed and hammering the poor treadmills into the ground. Glancing at one another, seeing who would give first; eyes, bodies and minds heated.

"I used to run track in high school, you're fucked" Naruto panted out, Sasuke snorted. Did this fool think high school track held a flame to his years of CIA training? He couldn't exactly tell him that, but proving it would be no problem.

"You looked like you've been fucked from how pathetic you run" Naruto's already crimson face couldn't turn redder, but Sasuke knew it would. Be it from embarrassment or pure rage. Naruto knew the treadmill was at its limit, but that didn't stop his finger pressing harder on the button to prove a point.

"Watch how it's done, bastard"

What Naruto didn't know was that holding down on the button would stop it.

But Sasuke did.

Laughing as Naruto's treadmill stop and flung himself over, squawking in surprise. His shoe getting caught and being torn from his foot. With one leg caught in the bars and his body angled upside down, the shoe fell and hit his face. Sasuke gracefully jumped off, leaning against the treadmill. Looking down at him with the most satisfied, egotistical smirk that Naruto ever laid his eyes on.

"Well, you certainly showed me" Sasuke mocked, Naruto grumbled under his breath. A personal trainer coming over to help as Sasuke stalked off, Naruto gradually followed with a small limp. Suffering the walk of shame from a few guys who laughed at his misfortune, his cheeks felt hot the further he hobbled.

But it was Friday. Tonight he could dish out his own revenge. Loud, drunken revenge.

...

Sasuke ripped the pillow from his head. No amount of fluffy covers could suffocate the booming bass being blasted from Naruto's speaker. Naruto had invited every person he ever met, giving them all endless alcohol and an order to party as hard as possible. It had been going on for hours. Sasuke had to lock his door after two horny freshman attempted to screw in his room. Sasuke demanded Naruto to turn it down, but was answered with Naruto doing the opposite. Looking over at his clock, once again awake at 2am because of that bastard.

The mess, the stealing, the pot, the friends, the everything. Sasuke was losing it. Heart beating violently from raw emotion alone, he ripped back his covers and stormed out his room. Drunk students moving from his destructive path lest they themselves be destroyed. Sasuke saw hot white. Naruto was on the coffee table with a random guy, dancing away with no cares in the world. The blood boiling beneath his skin threaten to spill out. A tightness in his chest enough to fuel a massacre, to rip everyone to shreds.

He snapped.

Sasuke picked up an abandoned can of Fosters, violently hurling it towards Naruto. It caught him by the head and aroused an audience of 'Oh's. Naruto slowly turned, a bewildered look on his face which turned sour. Someone devilishly turned the music down, everyone's attention drawn.

"Of fucking course"

"Where the hell do you get off pulling this shit?! Pissing me off is one thing, but to take this far is out of order!" Sasuke screeched, face enflamed scarlet. Naruto chucked his drink onto the sofa, staining it even more. Sasuke pulled at his hair, "That's a another thing! You're a fucking slob, you stew in your own filth and it's disgusting, it's like living with human-sized maggot, but with half the brain cells" An echo of small laughs and gasps surrounded them. Naruto's face scrunched up, jumping from the table with a glare.

"At least people actually like me, you're a buzzkill who overreacts to everything!"

"And you're a future drop-out who's only shot at journalism is writing bad jokes in a Playboy!" Another round of reactions from onlookers made Naruto's shoulders hunch up.

"Yeah, well, you would know! Since you're obviously just a sad virgin, the only pussy you've ever touched was your mom's when you was born!" A few encouraging shouts and Sasuke lost the last bit of composure he had.

"I have never met someone as inconsiderate, ignorant or moronic as you! And when you end up dead, I swear I'll only be sad that I wasn't the one who did it!" Sasuke roared, Naruto marched forward, staring down at the furious male.

"What is your problem with me?! It's like you hated me before you got here! I tried to be nice to you, but you're fucking impossible!" Naruto bellowed, Sasuke scoffed.

"Nice?!" Sasuke's shouldered slacked, his face dropped emotion and Naruto was struck for a moment. This was the calmest he ever saw Sasuke, the plain mask and silence felt strange somehow. "You know what, you're right" Sasuke placed his hands on his hips, "I should be nice the exact same way you was to me" He turned, striding towards Naruto's speaker and wrenching it away from the wall. Naruto's eye nearly popped out of his sockets, with many of the students complaining as the music was cut.

"Dude! You're gonna break it!" He waved frantically as Sasuke strode over to the window.

"Oh, that won't break it" Sasuke yanked open the window, raising his arm and the level of noise in the room, "This will!" He threw with all the strength in his arm, despite Naruto's squeals and yelling. The speaker smashed against the ground below, Naruto shot across the room. Jaw nearly hitting the floor, gawking at the pitiful broken pieces of his prized speaker.

"You fucker!" Naruto whipped around, watching Sasuke tread back to his room, ignoring the shocked faces around him.

"Enjoy your party!" He sang out spitefully, swaying back to his room. Naruto's fists clenched tight.

One thought in the air and one promise made.

This was war.

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