A/N: I was going to add Karin to this chapter, but then thought against it because the scene will fit better later on.

Next chapter is almost finished and will be published until Sunday, unless something happens and I can't.

Not betaed for the time being.

It's Not Fair

Chapter Four: Flirt With Me – Part II

After the successful bonding with Naruto's fellow Music teachers, the blond kept pestering Sasuke about how they should go out, just the two of them, to hang out and get to know each other better. Sasuke thought it was a good idea, since it wasn't like he had much to do when he wasn't working, and frankly, he had yet to spend more than ten minutes alone with his new friend so they could talk to each other properly.

However, two weeks had passed before the two finally managed to have some time to do said 'hanging out'. Sasuke didn't like going out when Karin was having a day off, because he worked during the week and had the weekend off while she rarely had days off during that time, working in shifts and all that. They rarely had a whole day together, and to make up for it, Sasuke tried his best to always be present when she was home unless it was unavoidable.

Still, Sasuke had joined his fellow teachers after work frequently after that first time, even if only for half an hour. He enjoyed being around them, even when they talked about stupid stuff, or chose topics he had no clue about – it made him feel like he somehow belonged, and they treated him like one of them.

The other teachers seemed to look at the group of five and think of them as a bunch of eccentric weirdoes, Sasuke knew, the only exception being, maybe, Naruto, but that was only because, somehow, he managed to make everybody love him.

So, on a Tuesday afternoon, Sasuke found himself catching the packed subway next to an ecstatic and cheery Naruto as they made their way to wherever it was that the blond was taking them. They ended up at some kind of fancy beer parlor that looked very rustic, all decorated in tones of brown and gold. It reminded Sasuke of a pub, but a very nice, refined and expensive one. The blond had said he'd pay for everything in spite of Sasuke's protests, but he was already starting to feel guilty about agreeing because, surely, Naruto's wallet would weep for weeks after that.

They sat on a high leathered stool at an equally high wooden table at a corner near the bar. They settled in before Naruto went to get them the much acclaimed beers (he had been praising the place ever since they made their way there) while Sasuke appreciated his surroundings. Tracy Chapman's voice could be heard in the background, and Sasuke found it appropriate and welcoming.

Not even two minutes later, Naruto arrived with two large clay cups of beer. After setting them down, he left again only to return carrying a small plate of lupines in one hand, and a plate of several differently seasoned peanuts in the other.

The blue-eyed man seemed particularly smug when Sasuke admitted he was impressed.

They chatted casually as they ate and drank. They talked about everything, and the topics kept changing as fast as the speed of light, which was, in Sasuke's point of view, pretty impressive. Most people usually ran out of things to talk about at some point, but Naruto always had something to say and questions to ask, it seemed.

Sasuke got to know a lot of things he didn't know about him, as well. Like, how Naruto was an orphan and how he'd had a tough childhood because of it, since he had spent most of it in foster care before his Godfather (Naruto's father's mentor) could afford to adopt him. Jiraya, Naruto had said, was a good man, but very perverted and liked to live extravagantly, spending money on women and booze. His best friend, Tsunade (and Naruto's Godmother) suffered from similar issues, minus the women issue and the perverted side, but eventually the two had found a way to win his guardianship when he was twelve, and both had dedicated their lives to take care of him from then on.

Naruto spoke about them fondly and didn't seem very sad about his childhood before being under their care, but he seemed eager to know about Sasuke's family as well, so Sasuke indulged him. He told him about his parents and about his older brother, Itachi, who worked abroad and whom he rarely saw these days. Naruto seemed to understand the sudden heavy mood that settled between them after that, so he immediately and effectively changed the topic and they started talking about their plans for the summer.

Two hours, three beers and lots of snacks later, Sasuke felt considerably more relaxed than he had in a long time, and even his tongue seemed to be a lot looser. Of course, that might've been because their legs kept touching accidentally – or not – under the table and they kept kicking each other softly in a way that probably wasn't very normal. Or was it? Sasuke couldn't remember being playful with his friends this way, ever. He tried to remember a time when he had done something like this and his mind immediately replayed a scene where he and Neji had been sixteen and had kicked each other so hard they had bruises for weeks. As for Sakura, she was currently way over her crush on him, but back then he would have never ever attempted such a feat as leg touching or she might have the wrong impression. Even today, Sasuke thought, with a mental snort, he wouldn't dare in fear that she'd revert back to creepy-stalker!Sakura.

However, at this point Sasuke didn't feel uncomfortable at all with the affair his and Naruto's legs were having under the table, and that should've freaked him out, even if just a little bit. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't exactly used to having this much alcohol in such a short amount of time, so it seemed appropriate that he'd blame it all on the beer.

"So, are you gay?" Sasuke ended up asking bravely at some point, munching on some chips Naruto had brought a few minutes previously. "Or bi, or... something of the sort?"

"What if I am?" Naruto countered, grinning as he reached out between them to grab for some peanuts with honey. "What makes you ask?"

"It's not a big deal, I'm just curious," Sasuke replied honestly, shrugging even though he found his eyes clued to Naruto's expression in search of something. "I mean, you mentioned you had girlfriends, but you look like someone who is very open-minded."

Naruto barked out a laugh and shook his head from side to side.

"I'm straight," he said simply, chewing on his peanuts. "I mean, it's not like I've ever really been in a situation where I had to wonder about my personal tastes, you know?" he picked up a napkin and cleaned his hands, offering Sasuke a lopsided smirk that was also slightly strained. "But I guess... I kind of value love more than what's supposed to be right or wrong. I haven't been very lucky so far, so I suppose I can't be very picky."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow upwards, noticing the subtle change of mood.

"I suppose," he agreed, patting the salt from his hands. "Why cut your chances in half when you can have the whole world to choose from, right?"

Naruto chuckled.

"Something like that," he said. "I say this because lately I've been thinking that, if I were to find someone that matches me perfectly, I wouldn't mind if it was a guy at all. It wouldn't really bother me." Naruto placed his elbow on the table and rested his cheek on his fist, looking at Sasuke almost solemnly. "To be honest, there are so many things that can be more troublesome than that."

"Like what?"

"Like the person being committed," Naruto blurted out. It wasn't like he had, at first glance, meant anything by it, but somehow, Sasuke felt that impending tension starting to build up as a nagging feeling that the sentence was directed at him took over him. Why that would be he had no idea. But then, Naruto blushed as if realizing he had said something inappropriate and added "Among other things."

They looked at each other for a few seconds. Naruto's eyes seemed to be glued to Sasuke's, that deep blush still painting his cheeks and he was now biting his lip. He didn't seem uncomfortable, but Sasuke couldn't read his expression, which was weird considering Naruto wore his emotions on his sleeve.

Sasuke, for his part, was finding the tension rather entertaining for some reason. He was already used to Naruto's teasing, and the subdued flirting seemed to be a constant. Sasuke reckoned it was a part of Naruto's personality that he only showed to people he was comfortable with, so he had started to not think too much of it, and sometimes, he even played along. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel a certain rush because of it, or that he didn't feel immensely pleased by Naruto's reactions.

Sasuke reached for his pack of cigarettes and grabbed it. He offered one to Naruto, who silently helped himself before taking one for himself. They had gained the habit of lighting each other's cigarettes, and this was Sasuke's turn, it seemed, so he moved to light Naruto's – since the round table was relatively small – bringing the flame close to the tip. Naruto grabbed his wrist to – unnecessarily – steady it, and inhaled. Sasuke enjoyed the contact, and he found some secret fascination in how oddly intimate the action seemed to be between them. Once he was done, he released him so Sasuke could light his own cigarette.

"How about you?" Naruto replied, now in a more casual tone, eyeing Sasuke attentively. "You're married to a woman, so I take it you're straight?"

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded, resting his elbows over the edge of the table, returning the firm look. "I mean, like you, I never really had to confront my sexuality like that, but I always dated girls. Although, if I have to be honest, I only started dating at 17. Up until that point, no-one had interested me like that. My brother suggested that I might be asexual, and I honestly believed that that might be it."

Naruto seemed immensely interested. "So, what changed?" he asked.

"I forced myself to initiate my sexual life," Sasuke answered, scoffing at the memory. "I thought that it would change if I understood the appeal of sex and of being intimate with another person." At his friend's surprised expression, he proceeded. "It kind of worked, but I was always difficult to please. I always had girls fawning all over me, but it was hard for me to get involved without feelings. It's hard for me to get attached, even today. Once in a while, someone out of this world manages to make a difference, but it's a rare occurrence."

A contemplative silence seemed to settle between them, and Naruto seemed to have yet to want to let go of that solemn mood he had immersed himself in.

"You have a tiny heart, without room for a lot of people," he said slowly after a while, nodding in understanding. "There's nothing wrong with that, it only means that you'll cherish more the people who you do like." He exhaled a bit of smoke before pressing his right hand to the left side of his chest. "This heart has room for everybody, which kind of sucks. It sometimes has room even for people who don't have a place for me. Know what I mean?"

Sasuke shook his head from side to side. It seemed impossible to him that someone like Naruto could feel so under loved when he seemed to reach everybody's hearts so accurately.

"I'm sure everybody has a place for someone like you," he replied carefully, offering the blond a small smile. "Maybe not the kind of spot you want, though."

Naruto smiled as well.

"You are capable of saying nice things once in a while," he said, smashing the rest of his cigarette on the silvery ashtray. Sasuke couldn't help but notice that he spent more time holding his cancer sticks than to actually smoking them. "I'm gonna go take a trip to the men's room and then I'll get us another beer!"

Sasuke watched him get up and head towards the restrooms with quick steps.

Heaving a deep sigh, he made a face. Even if he didn't want to acknowledge it, there was definitely something different between them, and even though the new found atmosphere that settled sometimes was interesting, he couldn't deny that, exciting as it may be, it was also intimidating. What the hell was he doing, saying things to Naruto he had never thought about saying to anyone else? Maybe this teasing thing was a bit too much. They were both guys after all, they probably shouldn't feel this comfortable around each other, least of all act upon it.

Yet, there had to be something wrong with him, because he knew he wasn't supposed to enjoy any of this on such an intimate level, but the more time passed, the more he felt drawn to Naruto and the more he wanted to test the waters. For what, he wasn't sure. All of this was completely new to him – his own reactions were new to him. He had never interacted with another person quite like this, so there was no way he knew what to expect; from himself, and from Naruto. All the people he knew were so different from Naruto… even Karin, who had a strong personality and was all about energy had chosen a more subdued approach when they met.

By the time Naruto returned with yet another large cup of beer (the last one he'd have, Sasuke swore to himself), Sasuke had finished his cigarette and the blond seemed to have reversed back to his usual jolly mode. He politely removed all their empty plates and cups from the table and took them to the bar, surprising the bartender, who thanked him. It was a good thing that they now had more space to move their arms and hands.

"This really is a nice beer," Sasuke mused absently, after taking a large appreciative gulp on the now familiar beverage.

"Told you so!" Naruto said proudly, back to his usual enthusiastic way. He crossed his arms and rested them over the table, leaning forward a bit. His leg bumped into Sasuke's gently again, causing the raven-haired one to shift it slightly, not exactly to move away from the touch, but to be more in contact. "So, if I buy you enough of these, you think I can turn into someone out of this world in your eyes?"

What had Sasuke been thinking about not giving in to the teasing, again?

"Probably if I'm drunk enough," Sasuke ended up saying, making what he knew to be a nasty smirk and causing Naruto to pout with false offense.

"I take back what I said, you only say mean things!" he accused dramatically. "You just crushed my ego to pieces!"

"Don't be an idiot," the Uchiha retorted, rolling his eyes at him. "Besides, I'm here. Do I look like someone who'd bother if I didn't enjoy your company?"

Well, alcohol wasn't really helpful in keeping his mouth shut, it seemed. When the hell had his brain thought it was a good idea to make him speak his mind so bluntly?

"Well, I'm glad," Naruto replied, smiling softly at hearing it. "I enjoy your company as well; I think that's pretty obvious." Biting his lip, he added "I really hope we can be good friends in the future."

Sasuke couldn't really return the smile for some reason, but still said "Me too."

There, that strange, unidentified tension had just become thicker. Sasuke was kind of used to it by now, so it wasn't exactly awkward, but it did feel strange in a personal way, especially because that easy conversation from before seemed to cease entirely. The stared at each other, Naruto's blue eyes roaming over Sasuke's features as he so often did, Sasuke trying to understand why that open expression of his made his chest constrict, or why it seemed so normal to look so closely into another person's eyes for so long without wanting to look away.

Suddenly, the blonde uncrossed his arms and extended his right hand to Sasuke over the table, turning his opened palm upwards.

"Give me your hand," he requested casually.

"What for?" Sasuke inquired, eyeing said hand as if it could blow up in his face.

"Just give it to me."

Sasuke obeyed rather quickly in spite of his initial reluctance and placed his left hand over Naruto's. Rough fingers closed around his gently. Looking down, Sasuke's dark eyes watched as Naruto's thumb brushed over the back of his hand. The contact was soothing and careful, almost experimental and the feel made Sasuke's heart skip a pleasant beat. Then, said thumb moved to his fingers, brushing over each of them lightly before stopping at Sasuke's golden wedding ring. A little bewildered, the Uchiha watched as Naruto made the ring spin around his finger.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke knew that this little interaction was supposed to be weird. Surely, people around them found it weird, but he had no strength to break the contact.

"I'm sorry, my hand is a bit sweaty," Naruto apologized with a small chuckle.

"It's okay," Sasuke replied absently, still looking down at their joined hands, mildly enticed by how much tanner his friend's hand was compared to his. His fingers twitched slightly at the contact, as if his nerves were on edge just because of it.

"You have gorgeous hands," Naruto said calmly, now going back to absently rubbing the rest of Sasuke's fingers again. "The hands of an artist, really, with long and slender fingers. I chew on my nails, so mine are disgusting."

Sasuke frowned. Almost as if automatically, his hand moved so his own fingers were wrapping around Naruto's hand. Turning them over so that Naruto's was on top, he stretched his fingers out and gently ran them over the palm, forcing Naruto's own fingers to stretch out. Sasuke observed the hand for a while. It wasn't like it was bigger than his, just a bit wider with thicker fingers. Definitely a man's hand, rough and strong, but the nails weren't ugly and chewed like he had expected them to be. They were quite nice, actually, short but round. Naruto had nice hands. Why Sasuke hadn't noticed it before was kind of baffling.

"They aren't disgusting," Sasuke muttered truthfully, now rubbing his palm against Naruto's. "You do have nice hands."

"Thanks."

Slowly but firmly, Naruto made his own palm slide over Sasuke's in response until their fingers were touching. His fingers teased Sasuke's, playing with them and Sasuke couldn't help but to play along, simply because it felt good, and most of all, prodigiously natural.

"I like your hands," the blond said straightforwardly, lightly scratching Sasuke's fingertips and causing a pleasant chill to run up his arm. "I like the way they feel."

Sasuke didn't answer. There was a distinct feeling that he was missing something terribly important from that scene. Somehow, he knew he shouldn't be doing this, innocent as it may seem, and, most of all, he should definitely not be enjoying it.

But he was. His head was pleasantly light and he was relaxed now, comfortable even, and Naruto's hand fit his just right. He liked the feeling of his skin brushing against his friend's, and there should be nothing wrong with it. But there was, he knew it, and yet, when Naruto intertwined their fingers, there was nothing Sasuke really wanted to do about it.

How drunk am I?

His eyes roamed upwards to finally meet the man in front of him, only to find Naruto looking at him placidly but intensely.

Seriously, how blue can a person's eyes be?

Sasuke's lips parted as if he wanted to say something – what, he had no idea – but he promptly closed his mouth at seeing the other's expression.

Naruto wet his lips. Sasuke's breath got caught in his lungs.

"Is this weird?" the blond asked in a whisper, squeezing his fingers a bit. If he was talking about the amazing fact that they were holding hands or about that impeding, electrifying mood, Sasuke didn't know. In fact, he wasn't even sure he wanted to.

"I'm not sure," he answered sincerely, squeezing Naruto's fingers back.

Naruto smiled weakly.

TBC…

Aaaand, we're not done with the flirting yet, so look forward to the next chapter, guys!

Unsigned review reply:

Vidi: Thank you for reading, and I'm happy you like my writing style! I hope you enjoyed the chapter ;)

Don't forget to review! :D