Chapter Two: Frigid Kisses and Bloody Lips
Sasuke stared at himself in the mirror. He studied the black framed glasses placed upon his face, and his unruly dark hair. He went over the lines that he had spent tireless hours memorizing. There was no room for failure. He knew the part, he knew the character. There was no way anyone else would get this role but him. He sighed, staring down at the script once again. For years, he had been working for an opportunity like this, an opportunity that would make his mother proud like this. And he would show his brother Itachi that he could make it. That was his main focus, showing him that he had the ability to do what he had set out to do.
He continued to study his features, a handsome face, but despite his strength he appeared delicate to others. It was a trait that he had inherited from his mother. Sasuke was often told that by those that knew her, and when he looked at photographs of her, he knew that it was a true statement. His brother, on the other hand, had a more rugged appearance which allowed others to take him more seriously. Sasuke had to spend years showing others that he didn't need to be coddled like a woman. Despite his feminine features he was able to show others both his ability and masculinity.
Sasuke heard a knock on his bedroom door. He knew that the only one that it could be was Naruto so he didn't say anything, knowing that he would walk into the room anyways. Sasuke felt exhausted, there were so many things running around in his head that he couldn't catch enough mental silence to fall asleep for long. From the audition to the strange feelings that had been rising within him, his mind just couldn't find any peace.
He sighed, looking down at the script. In a way, he did feel just like the character that he was auditioning for; a sexually ambiguous teenage boy with a long term girlfriend who also happens to be in love with his male best friend. The character was dark, lonely, but somehow still popular with his peers due to his attractive image.
To him it was ironic that he was picked up for this role. He still had to audition but he was suggested for the part after getting the lead role in a short film.
"Are you ready to get going?"
Sasuke watched Naruto appear in the mirror, he felt himself flush as Naruto observed him.
"Checking yourself out?" Naruto grinned, stepping closer to him.
"No."
"Nervous?"
"Not ever."
"That's the way, your confidence is impeccable," Naruto plopped himself onto Sasuke's bed and sighed. "Your skill is incomparable."
"Come on," Sasuke sighed. He reached for the script and flipped through the pages. Scanning the lines once again.
"So, what scene are you going to use for the audition?"
Naruto laid his head against the pillow, brushing his fingers through his blonde hair. Sasuke watched him, his eyes wandering the contours of his body and the features of his face. He wasn't quite sure what it was that he felt for Naruto, but he didn't exactly want to explore the ideas either. It was best to keep things just like this. It was best not to complicate anything especially when it came to Naruto. The last thing he ever wanted was to lose his best friend.
"The scene where Seth admits that he might be in love with his best friend to his girlfriend."
"Okay. Do it," Naruto sat up in the bed, a large grin plastered on his face.
"What?"
"Perform it before we go, it'll be good practice."
"I don't need to do that," Sasuke groaned, putting the script back on the bed.
Naruto reached forward, grabbing Sasuke's arm and put on his best pouty face for him.
"Come on, how can you refuse me?"
"Fine," Sasuke sighed, turning away from Naruto. He pulled the lines from his memory banks, prepping to recite the scene. He turns slowly to Naruto, leaning in close to him. Naruto, in reaction to the closeness, inches away slightly, a light red tint emerging onto his cheeks.
"Lately, I've been having strange thoughts, and...well...feelings," Sasuke leaned in closer to Naruto, close enough that Naruto could feel the air coming from Sasuke's nostrils. The expression on his face softened as he placed one hand on the bed, next to Naruto's leg, closing the proximity of space between them. "I'm still unsure of what might happen, and I thought for days about how I could tell him this, how I could...confess, but I think I might be in love with him. Don't get me wrong, Sara, I love you with all my heart. But, I think, I might...I think that there's something between him and I. I don't want to hurt you but I should be honest, right?"
He continues to stare, his expression genuine, "Right?"
"Right," Naruto grins, pulling onto the collar of Sasuke's shirt. "You're in."
"I know," Sasuke smirks, as he pulls himself away from Naruto.
"So, school, and then your audition," Naruto begins to drum his fingers against the mattress. "Do you think we'll be ready for the show this weekend?"
"Yeah," Sasuke threw Naruto a confident, playful smile. "Only if you stop getting too excited when we play!"
"Shut up," Naruto groaned. "By the way, I was thinking, about that song you wrote. It was really good...there was a lot of emotion in that song, a lot more than whatever you and I have written before. I thought we could work on it."
"No," Sasuke said firmly, looking away from Naruto.
He couldn't handle performing that song. It was too personal, too close. And those emotions, those needed to remain within him. That song had to stay with him.
"I can't. You weren't even supposed to see that. It was just ramblings."
"But, Sasuke, it's really good. And I have a wicked melody to fit it."
"No, Naruto."
"Alright, fine, I can't force you," Naruto gets up from the bed and walks toward the door. "Let's go before we're late."
Sasuke grabbed his book bag and followed behind him. Ever since Sasuke moved into Naruto's house he had literally became Sasuke's chauffeur although, for the most part, Naruto didn't seem to mind. At times, Sasuke could tell that Naruto's girlfriend, Hinata, seemed to have some issues with it when he wasn't spending enough time with her but the girl was too meek to ever be able to speak up about the issue. Besides, Sasuke didn't care much. If she really had that much of a problem with it then she could say something about it.
"So, you're taking me to the audition after school?" Sasuke asked, getting into the passenger seat.
"We already agreed that I would do that for you."
"And you're going to pick me up?"
"Yes!" Naruto groaned, "I remember. I remember. Hinata and I are just going to go and have some dinner and maybe go for a walk. Then we'll come and pick you up."
"With Hinata?"
"Obviously," Naruto laughed, pulling out of the driveway. "Are you jealous?"
"Fuck no," Sasuke snorted, looking out of the window, his breath against the window caused a slight fog and Sasuke drew a sad face from it.
Naruto only responded with a laugh, as the two rolled down the street towards school.
...
"Sasuke!"
He looked up to find a pink haired girl running towards him, he sighed. As much as he appreciated Sakura's friendship, and how much they supported each other while trying to break into their acting careers, there were times when her obvious crush on him drained him of his energy. He felt Naruto elbow him in the ribs, a teasing smirk painting his face.
"And here comes your admirer."
"Shut up," he breathed under his breath, attempting to turn the other direction but she had already slid her arm around his.
"Are you ready for the audition today?" She grinned, pulling him down the hallway. Naruto followed behind them, not really saying anything. But Sasuke could feel his teasing energy surround him as he walked behind.
"Yes, Sakura, I've been ready for quite some time."
"Yeah, I'm really excited. A little nervous though. I'm glad I had you to practice with though, and it will be easier auditioning together."
"Right," Sasuke sighed.
"But," she stopped walking, tugging on Sasuke's arm to make him stop with her. She looked over at Naruto, her eyes gesturing him to leave them alone. He let out a quiet snicker and waved his hand, catching Sakura's hint.
Sasuke looked behind him at Naruto's back, anxiety falling over him. All he could think was, Fuck.
Sakura tilted her head, a sweet smile touched her lips, and she spoke sweetly, "So, I was thinking..."
"Yes, Sakura?"
"Well," she started fidgeting around. Sasuke could feel his patience dwindling. He knew what was coming, and he knew what he would say in response. "I was wondering if, after the audition, we could do something together."
Sasuke sighed, shook his head, and then placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "After the audition, I have to go home and catch up with studying. Between all of this acting stuff, the band, and school, I haven't had much time for much else."
"Right," she looked down at her feet. "What about another time then?"
"I don't know..."
"Please...?" Again, she tilted her head to the side, as if it were cute. And it was cute but, to Sasuke, he thought about how he had been compelled by so much more. Naruto flashed through his mind, and he could feel the pace of his heart quicken.
"Okay, fine," Sasuke sighed, feeling defeated. "How about you hang out with us after the show tomorrow and then maybe later we can do something?"
"Okay!" Sakura's grin widened, pulling away from him. "I'll see you later in English class."
"Yeah," Sasuke stared off down the hallway. Sometimes, he wasn't sure what to do when it came to things like this. He didn't date, and he often didn't feel emotionally connected to most. He was fond of Sakura, most definitely, as the three of them had been friends for years and grew up together. But his relationship with Sakura was entirely different from his relationship with Naruto.
"Yeah," Sasuke shook his head. "About that..."
...
Naruto stood around the entrance of the studio with Hinata. As they waited, she kept her pockets inside the pockets of his jacket to keep her hands warm. He remembered when that used to be cute. Lately, he had felt bogged down by her clinginess and reliance on him. He looked down at her, and she blushed. That too. He used to think that her timidity was cute but, now, he couldn't understand why she couldn't just open up to him yet.
"Naruto," her voice was quiet and reflected her shyness. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Naruto grinned, pulling her close into his arms. "I guess I'm a little nervous for him. I know he really wants this even though he's trying to act like it's nothing and easy."
She looked up and smiled, "But you know Sasuke is always like that. And he always comes out okay."
"You're right," Naruto kissed her forehead.
"Ahem," the two looked up to find Sasuke staring straight at them. There was a slight hint of irritation evident on his features of which worried Naruto as to how the audition actually went.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," even the way he spoke was ridden with irritation. "It went great."
"Okay," Naruto pulled away from Hinata, sensing the tension. "Then why so much attitude?"
"There's no attitude. None at all. They're going to review all of the information and Sakura and I should get phone calls in the next few days letting us know if we got the parts or not."
"Here's hoping."
"I did fine," Sasuke mumbled, pushing between the couple. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll walk home."
"What? Isn't it a little cold?"
"I've dealt with colder," Sasuke kept walking, and then waved his hand to gesture for them to leave him alone. "I'll leave the two of you alone."
Naruto stared in awe, not really sure what was going on. When Naruto looked down at Hinata he could see that she was equally as confused. Naruto shrugged his shoulders and wrapped his arm around her.
"Not sure what's bugging him."
She looked up and grabbed on to the side of his coat, "Perhaps you should go after him and find out what's going on."
"But what about you?"
"I can take the bus. Don't worry about me."
"Uh," Naruto looked back at Sasuke's back and then looked down at Hinata. "Are you sure?"
"I know you want to go after him, and it's the right thing to do."
"Yeah."
"Go on," she smiled. "I'll be fine."
Naruto kissed her forehead once again and pulled her into a tight hug, "And this is why you're my girlfriend. You're the sweetest thing."
Naruto then pulled away from Hinata and began walking in the direction that Sasuke had headed towards. He turned around and waved, "Let me know when you get home, okay?"
She only nodded in response, waving back at him. He knew that leaving his girlfriend in the cold to get home on her own wasn't the most chivalrous thing to do but he was really curious about Sasuke. He hadn't seen Sasuke that frustrated in quite some time, and he couldn't just go off and do his own thing knowing that something could be wrong with him.
...
Sasuke walked down the side walk, pulling his arms tightly around him in order to keep warm. He didn't know why he was suddenly so upset seeing Naruto and Hinata so close. The two had been dating for so long, there really wasn't any reason for him to be reacting in such a way when watching them. He's even walked into them practically having sex. Why now? And why so suddenly?
The audition went well. In fact, Sasuke was sure that he was getting the part. There was no denying that and he was excited, even happy to walk out of the studio to tell Naruto the news. Thing is, as soon as he walked outside and saw Naruto kiss Hinata on the forehead he felt this furious feeling welling up inside of him. And the fact that he was feeling that only made him even more frustrated and angry.
Am I in love with...Naruto...?
He shook his head, and started pulling his hair in frustration. That was ridiculous. He was just confused by the friendship and his feelings especially after last night. Naruto was like a brother, after all...
Right...?
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke looked back while still walking ahead of him. Without realizing where he was going, his face slammed right into the glass of a bus stop that he had no clue was there.
"God damn it," he groaned, covering his lip.
"Are you okay?" Naruto gasped, and ran towards him. He pulled Sasuke's hand from his lip and noticed the crimson colour that stained his fair lips. "You're bleeding!"
Naruto pulled out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and started dabbing Sasuke's face. In response, Sasuke slapped Naruto's hand away.
"I don't need you to coddle me!" Sasuke groaned, wiping the blood with the sleeve of his jacket.
"I know," Naruto looked down at his feet. "Sorry, I just got worried."
"Why do you treat me like this?" Sasuke stepped back, his back pressing against the glass of the bus stop.
"Like what, Sasuke?"
"Like I'm your girlfriend or something. Do you think I'm weak? Do you think I can't take care of myself?"
"No, it's not that at all," Naruto stepped forward and took Sasuke's hand, placing the handkerchief there, and stepped back. "I know that you're strong and that you can take care of yourself. It's just...my natural reaction, sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like that."
"Its fine," Sasuke sighed as he placed the handkerchief on his lip. The whiff of Naruto's scent drifted into his nostrils and he felt himself warm up with pleasure and comfort. "I've just been confused lately."
"Confused," Naruto tilted his head to the side. The adorable gesture caused a slight tint to reach Sasuke's cheeks and he had to look away.
He remembered Sakura making the same cute gesture, and how little it affected him. He coughed nervously, the confusion raging more so within him.
"Yeah," Sasuke pulled away from the bus shelter, closer towards Naruto. "I think that, lately, I've been...falling for a friend of mine. Someone really close to me and it's just been putting me on edge."
Sasuke felt his body automatically inching closer to Naruto, closing the space between them, "And I'm afraid to tell them how I feel. I don't...usually do things like that. It's all new to me and I'm not sure how I should tell them."
It looked as if a light bulb flashed in Naruto's head, and Sasuke chuckled at the cuteness of the facial expression.
"I know what this is about," Naruto grinned widely as he placed a supportive hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
"Do you?"
"Yeah! For sure! I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner! It's so obvious."
"It is?"
"Duh," Naruto laughed, his arm falling to his side. "You're in love with Sakura!"
Sasuke looked down at his feet, his hand falling from his bloody lip, "Right."
"Don't worry," Naruto threw his arm around Sasuke's shoulder. "She obviously likes you. You have nothing to worry about."
"Yeah," Sasuke and Naruto began walking back in the direction of the car. As Sasuke stared at Naruto, his smile large and bright, he knew that he had to push down whatever it was that was beginning to rise within him. He knew that his desires could never, ever happen. And the fact that he was feeling it all in the first place was just wrong.