The Things that I have to say to You
(Part 3 of The Writer Series)
Sohei NICHA
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Sasuke opened his eyes slowly, letting light seep into his vision through his eyelashes.
Morning.
Noon.
Night.
In dreams...
Whatever the time now, he found himself thinking about when that Idiot kissed him on New Years as the ball dropped.
It was terrible.
He didn't know what to do— it was overwhelming when he connected the kissing, Santa, brothels, elves, gay Santa, blonde hair, blue eyes, loud voice, and the words "Happy New Years, Sasuke"...
None of it made any sense—
Yet...
He growled lowly and shut his eyes tightly.
Something inside him told him it was time to move again...
.
Naruto locked his door as he stepped outside of his apartment; he walked toward the stairs and turned the corner, but suddenly he stopped. He frowned.
From the corner of his eye he thought he saw something amiss...
The man looked up; his eyes widened, "WHAT THE—?"
.
Sasuke looked at the source of the loud voice, "Good morning."
To Naruto it sounded more like "good mourning" instead; "W-wha-WHAT'S GOING ON?" he yelled.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned back to the Fed Ex man, "Please ship this."
"S-sure..."
The brunet led him inside to a large cardboard box. He just knew it wouldn't take too long for the blond man to suddenly appear at his doorway, and if he was right, he would arrive just about...
"THIS—" Naruto looked around with a helpless and hysterical expression, "This..." the fervency in his voice died down, "This looks like you're moving...?"
Sasuke nodded, "Good. You aren't completely stupid."
"Please sign here, sir."
"Alright."
"But, it hasn't even been a year— you hear me? You haven't even been here for a year!"
"Yeah? So? What's your point?"
Naruto's cheeks flushed red and his eyes narrowed. How could he say "I love you" if he couldn't even think about it? How could he tell this bastard his feelings if he wasn't even here?
It wasn't damn fair.
"Whatever you've got to say, then say it, Idiot," Sasuke let the Fed Ex man walk past him, "Be careful with that. It's delicate."
"I..." Naruto's eyebrows furrowed, "I guess I'm just... I wasn't expecting you to move."
The other man quirked an eyebrow, "Nobody does, but that's what I tend to do: move. A lot."
Sighing, Naruto looked at Sasuke with a pitiful expression that made even Sasuke feel a little bad.
"I'll keep in contact if you absolutely can't cope," he mocked calmly, "Why are you being such a kid about this anyways?"
Then, he turned around and closed his door.
Naruto's jaw dropped and before he could stop himself he went up to the door and shouted, "I LOVE YOU!" right into the door.
All he could hear was his own breathing as he processed what he just did.
His ears were burning.
His stomach was turning.
He had no idea how Sasuke had reacted.
He had no idea if he had actually heard.
.
Sasuke heard.
Of course he heard.
Who else hadn't heard?
The walls were almost paper-thin— not only did he hear, but so did the rest of the building—
So, of course he heard.
He wanted to move right now, somewhere far, far away from this situation...
But he had no idea that the brash, totally unromantic confession would cause him to blush so much or make him curl into a fetal-like position on the other side of the door...
That guy was the reason he was moving— didn't he realize that?
Sasuke just couldn't handle it: all the occupied thoughts, the restlessness, the...
He flushed even further.
He was not going to go there.
.
Sakura heard it.
Who hadn't heard it?
Naruto loved Sasuke.
Sasuke was moving... (Apparently again.)
She was... A little disappointed...
That Sasuke was moving and that Naruto confessed...
Maybe she was more disappointed that at this point, she already knew that Sasuke liked him back...
Even if he'd never admit it.
... She knew it a while ago, actually— back when they went on those supposed "hate lunches"... Back when they weren't embarrassed to at the time...
Yeah.
She chuckled a bit to herself and sighed.
He was good-looking.
He was shy.
She really liked him, but...
She didn't mind if Naruto had him.
.
Sakura stepped outside of her apartment and saw her blond friend sitting right outside of Sasuke's door. She balked, "Naruto, how long have you been sitting there?"
"... Since this morning when I con-con-con..." he trailed off, stuttering and blushing furiously, "I've been waiting for him to say something!"
"... Naruto, don't you think that maybe he went out the fire exit?" the pink haired woman sighed and approached the confused looking blond, "The window escape?"
Another confused look.
"Out the window, onto the balcony, and then down the stairs?"
Realization.
She smiled and nodded, "Yeah."
"OH MAN—!"
He shot up and swore, looking around for the stairs.
Sakura laughed, "Good luck, Naruto!"
"Damn it— I didn't think about that!" the man shouted to himself.
The woman bit her lip and then waited for him to be out of sight and when she could hear him screaming in the streets before she tried the doorknob.
"Unlocked?"
She opened the door and called out softly, "Were you waiting for him to open the door?" Sakura stepped inside, "Sasuke?" she called out, "He's gone, if you were wondering!"
There was a light thud on the other side of the door.
"Ah— sorry!" Sakura apologized as she peeked behind the door, "I just thought you had stuff here. I didn't realize it was actually you!"
Sasuke grunted and then, after a moment, stood up.
The young woman chuckled uncomfortably, "So... How long have you been sitting there?" she asked, "Has he been sulking?" she wondered to herself.
She then observed his sudden blush.
"... So, just as long as he's been out there, am I right?"
He looked away fiercely, blush burning even more crimson upon his pale features.
Sakura laughed, "Well, I guess I have no choice then," she sighed.
He looked at her questioningly and she shook her head.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," the woman looked at the boxes and her smile vanished, "But... Why are you moving?"
"I can't concentrate," the man replied curtly, "this place is full of distractions—"
"Naruto?"
"No!" Sasuke snapped a little too quickly for anyone to believe.
Sakura feigned ignorance of the knowledge she already held, "Ah, I just thought since he's so loud and stuff..."
"Oh, right, that," the man composed himself, "Yes. He's a distraction. The worst."
"Yeah," Sakura laughed, "He's the worst— he's the worst, but... You love him, right?"
.
Naruto was out of breath.
Man, that Bastard had hours to get away from him and be didn't even notice that he was gone until Sakura told him about the fire exit!
God he was a dumbass!
.
(And somewhere, somebody facepalmed.)
.
Sasuke glared at Sakura.
She smiled and ignored the hostility, "Hey, Ino."
The blonde woman looked up from her flowers, "Ah? Hey, Sasuke! Oh, ah, yeah, hey, Billboard-brow..."
"Ergh!" the pink haired woman twitched violently, "Blonde bitch!" she growled.
"What brings you around here Sasuke?" Ino purred seductively, "I don't usually see you near flowers..."
"We want a plant!" Sakura slapped her hand down on the counter.
Ino looked at her with her hooded blue eyes, "'We'?" she inquired a bit jealously.
"A present..." Sakura said more calmly, "For Naruto."
The two women looked at each other for a long moment.
Ino looked away and sighed, "You're not even teasing me..." she murmured, "So sincere... Fine, what kind do you want? He likes watering plants, right?"
Sasuke stepped away from the two and began to browse the aisles.
Flowers.
Brightly blooming flowers.
Orange.
Purple.
White.
Red.
Yellow.
Blue.
He frowned.
"How's it going?"
The man turned around to the speaker.
Ino smiled, "Sakura's looking at the potted plants on the other side of the store. She knows her way around thanks to me, but I figured you, on the other hand, might need some help..."
Sasuke looked back at the array of flowers, "I don't..."
"Ah..." the blonde woman looked at him carefully, "I can... Arrange something for you— and you can also get the potted plant—" she picked up a single red rose and a small purple flower, examining them, "You seem to have a hard time saying something, don't you?"
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out what would be the best reply; he found it to be, "Yes."
.
"Wait…"
Naruto frowned and then his jaw dropped.
"THERE IS NO FIRE ESCAPE OUT THE WINDOWS—!"
.
(More facepalms?)
.
Ino watched her two customers walk away and she sighed, sitting back onto her stool behind the counter.
Her blue eyes were set on one receding person in particular.
A flower.
A flower that had once been a dying bud.
A beautiful flower she had once upon a time rescued...
A beautiful flower that just didn't love her back...
.
Naruto kicked a tin can down the street, exhausted and weary.
"..."
He couldn't even form words.
"..."
His editor would be wondering where the new brainstorm was. This time he was going to write another children's book— apparently the one about the toad was a hit...
He knew this because his editor told him to write more about toads.
Naruto looked up right as he reached the doors to the building and sure enough, he crashed into the door and fell onto the ground.
"..."
He picked himself up and opened the door.
The trek up the stairs seemed longer now, and his legs and feet ached.
This was not fun.
Not at all.
Someone up there must have written down this whole scenario and laughed manically at his misfortune.
The sick, literate, writing bastard.
Naruto pulled his keys out of his pocket and stepped up the last flight of stairs slowly.
He turned the corner but suddenly he stopped. He frowned.
From the corner of his eye he thought he saw something amiss...
"Ah?" his voice was weak.
.
Sasuke looked up and blushed, "Good afternoon."
He tried to forget that there was a big tomato plant right next to him and that he also had a bunch of flowers in his hand and that the person it was all for...
Well, he was standing there right in front of him.
Sasuke cleared his throat and stood up.
Naruto stared at him from the stairs and suddenly blushed, "Ah, uh—" he stuttered, "What're all the flowers for, Bast— Uh, Sasuke? A girl?" his voice was a little shaky as he tried to tease the other.
Sasuke grunted and held out the bouquet of flowers, looking at the ground; ears turning red.
.
Sakura watched from the floor above.
She saw how Naruto hesitantly took the flowers.
Saw how he turned slightly away to grin.
Heard how he quietly said that it was sickeningly sweet "but thanks".
She smiled.
She saw how Sasuke's shoulders relaxed a bit.
Saw him smile a little.
Heard him mumble something incoherent.
And then she turned away from the scene, sighing.
The young woman took out her cellphone, "Hey, Ino..." she blushed, "Can I come over again?"
.
END FIC.
~Sohei NICHA
Part 3 of the Writer Series