Hey! This is the last chapter of 'Outed' or as I like to call it, "that fucking thing I should go write now..." Well, a lot has happened in the past month. I got my snow and my birthday happened, so yay me. Anyway, now that 'Outed' is finished, I'm kind of sad. But try to enjoy, it gets a little dramatic at the end. Typos expected.
Warnings!: Yaoi goodness, the usage of the word 'soccer' instead of 'football', seriousness, crappy writing, and love~
Enjoy. Just warning you, it's not juicy or anything, more...realistic is not really the word but I'll go with it.
Five Months Ago (Still)
I can lie to myself in many different ways, but to lay down the whole truth, I came here to see Sasuke. Hinata dragged me along, knowing he would be here. Some boys that I recognize from the back parking lot are strumming plastic guitars, the song has changed to "Smile Like You Mean It" by The Killers and I wish they would hike up the volume. All around the giant house, whiny pop songs assault my ears. Hinata is pulling me through the crowds of kids. Each is at a varying level of drunkenness, which makes me wonder, parties like these actually exist? I don't know what I am to say to him. I miss you, is the main idea. But, how to say that at a party full of the most unaccepting people you will ever meet? Hinata has disappeared, leaving me alone to linger in a doorway to the dark living room. Someone is getting up from the extended, low-to-the-ground couch. He is slender, wearing a dark sweatshirt and jeans. A girl with red hair is reaching for him, an eager look on her face. The boy is having none of it and only moves away, holding his plastic cup up high in the air. As he nears me, the light of the hallway illuminates his face. Sasuke pushes past me, his eyes remain on mine and I watch after him. As other kids pat him on the shoulders as he moves through the crowd, I have never felt so far from him.
I follow, the swarm of teens still separated in his wake. A guy in front of the table designated for the drinks hands one to Sasuke, smiling. Sasuke takes it, downing the beverage, demanding more without even the hint of humor. He's only seventeen, pouring those toxins into his youthful liver is not a good idea. If we were still close, I would take the alcohol away from him, but now I can only watch.
Hinata is back, her bright eyes filled with the elation she is obviously in. She holds out a cup for me, my nose wrinkles at the bitter smell of alcohol. While Hinata is usually quiet and shy, she is like a blossoming flower tonight. I will admit, she looks good. Her black hair is long and she wears a short, tight skirt, exposing pale flesh. I remember when she had a barely disguised crush on me when we were young. It was Sasuke who eventually told me the truth about how she felt. The times have changed, she does not like me anymore and I have someone else. Though that someone may have been there from the beginning, my attraction to him never acknowledged. I catch sight of him catching sight of me and I do nothing. He is gulping some other drink handed to him, giving the impression that he couldn't care less. I mirror him, the liquid burns and I give an involuntary shake of my body, along with a clearing of the throat. Even from this distance, and all the people moving between us, I can see the smartass smile he makes. His dark eyes break away from mine, his smirk disappating. He is glaring at Hinata. She is frowning back at him.
"Wow. If the asshole wants to talk to you so badly, he should just walk up to you. I'm gonna go talk to people." Hinata is on fire tonight. Who is this chick? It's the first time in years that she has struck me as attractive in any capacity. This could have something to do with the darkness of her hair, the way it shines and bounces light reminds me of Sasuke.
Minutes pass, taking forever to click by. I find myself seated on a leather couch, a couple are tightly intertwined, making grotesque slurping noises with their mouths. I go on sipping the drink, it doesn't burn anymore. Instead, it offers an almost soothing tickling sensation. I don't know what floor I am on but, the only thing I am sure of is that the television before me is on. The ending of Fight Club is flickering across my hazy vision. Edward Norton is clutching Helena Bonham Carter's hand, buildings booming in the background. Have I sat here and watched Fight Club all the way from start to finish without realizing it? This does not surprise me in my foggy daze. I let my head fall back on the couch, staring up at the dark ceiling.
The smooching beside me is getting louder and more…wet sounding and my eyes find the boy's next to me. I somewhat recognize him but my brain is not in the mood to rifle through the cabinet of my head that puts faces to names. The girl the boy is kissing is blonde, her hair is pulled back into an intricate four ponytail get-up. The boy looks away from the girl, meeting my eyes. Even as he pulls away, I know what he's going to say and I turn my head, ready to hear everything.
"What the hell's your problem?" He snaps, and after a rude silence he tacks on, as if a second thought, "Fuckin' fag." The girl with him peeks my way and begins to snicker rudely. I don't care, not about either of them, nor this shitty party. Fuck Sasuke. Who needs his temperamental bullshit? I am about to stand to leave when a stick thin girl comes teetering in.
"Oh my God! Did you hear?" She asks loudly, breathing heavily as if she has just run a marathon. The three of us on the couch only stare at her. As she gathers her thoughts and regains her breath, I see a chubby girl passed out on the floor {That is me making a cameo appearance} . Where did she come from? "Sasuke Uchiha is so drunk right now! He's out there kissing girls, you should go see!" The girl is obviously talking to the one under the asshole, but it is me whole stands first. I move past the girl and through the unknown house with surprising fluidity for someone who's drunk. Once I reach the ground floor, Sasuke is no where to be seen, and neither are the party guests. Something, my gut most likely, guides me to the back of the house where a large blue pool glistens in the night. It is surrounded by people, they are all staring with envy at the few people in the water. I shove my way through the crowd, scanning the water for Sasuke. When I don't see him relief floods over me, just as a girl beside me squeals in pleasure. Sasuke stands at the side of the pool, shedding his shirt and pants. While the youth around me cheer him on, I only glare at him. Even though he is severely far gone into a drunken haze, he must feel my eyes on him, as he looks up. For a brief moment, the splashing of the water, the screaming of kids, the smell of pot and alcohol all disappear. Sasuke gives the smallest of smiles. It is real, I can see that much, but it causes my heart to break. Sasuke's smiles are only meant for me, no one else. What are you doing, Sasuke?
Then, he jumps.
?
Naruto is lying upside down on the couch again. But this time, the screen does not show a bright, almost hallucinogenic kids' show. Instead, black and white photos of a ravaged Europe flash across the screen. A dead-sounding voice intones depressing little known facts about WWII and Naruto's face remains unfazed. He is in his own world, full of spiraling scents of cologne and turf and Sasuke's face and that man's rough yet disturbingly soothing hands. He always seems to find himself before the History channel whenever he is thinking hard about something. The eerie music of the presentation does not meld well with Naruto's already dark mood. His brain is so busy it is nearly overwhelming. The blood pounding loudly in his head may not be helping. His cell phone vibrates loudly on the coffee table before him and he stares at it. No one calls him. No one except Sasuke, and that is only to yell at him. Naruto reaches out hesitantly and grabs it.
"Hello?" Naruto says into the crackly silence. His heart is thumping at a painful speed and Naruto cannot help but fear it is him calling. 'He has never done that. He's too smart for that.'
"Naruto," Kushina Uzumaki says, her voice distant. Naruto does not answer her, more out of shock than anything else. "Are you alright? The school has been calling everyday, saying you're not at school. I keep telling them you are sick but is it something else…" She trails off, causing Naruto to remember who this woman is. When he remains silent Kushina sighs at the other end. "Is this about…that?" He stiffens at her tone, it sounds almost taunting and light, like that does not matter to her at all.
"No." He lies, his mother is not his secret keeper any longer. There is a lengthy pause on the other end. Naruto presses the rigid phone to his ear in an attempt to pick up any word his mother will say. At first, he hears nothing, but as seconds tick by, he can just make out her faint breathing. He remembers her warm breath on his head when he was a child. When Naruto was young, before he had met Sasuke, Naruto would run himself silly and eventually pass out, snoring on his mother's chest. It would be later, in the darkened living room that Naruto would wake up. Kushina Uzumaki would not have moved from her position before, her head back against a pillow on the couch, an arm wrapped protectively around her little boy. Naruto would stare at his mother's sleeping face for a long time, feeling the warm caress of her breath on his forehead. Recalling those times makes Naruto sit up quite suddenly.
"Naruto," Kushina says in a near whisper. Her voice suggests she wants to continue but she says nothing more. Naruto is rubbing one of his ice-cold hands on his thigh, trying to thaw them out. There is a clicking in the background on Kushina's end.
"When are you coming home?" Naruto asks, almost adding the harmless question of what's for dinner.
"Uh…" Kushina is taken aback slightly by Naruto's question. "I don't know. I've got a lot of work to do, Naruto. You wouldn't believe the amount that has piled up here." Before she can continue, Naruto cuts her off. "I miss you, Mom." He tosses his phone away, ending the call. He wants the phone to shatter against a wall, possibly into thousands of pieces for him to sweep up. But it does not, rather, the cell phone hits the opposite arm of the couch and merely bounces onto the ground. Naruto sighs.
'What am I doing right now?'
Naruto sighs again, but straightens when he hears footsteps on the porch outside. He glances at the analog clock above the television. In the dimness of the room, he has to squint to make out the Roman numerals. The door is shaking with the force of someone pounding it. Naruto does not move, still staring at the clock.
"Naruto! Naruto, open the door! Please!" Naruto can hear the desperation in Sasuke's voice. 'Sasuke?' He is on his feet, powering down the depressing show about the second world war. When his bare feet meet the wooden floor, his shivers with cold. His hand is on the cool surface of the metal doorknob as he remembers, he is avoiding Sasuke. Over the past few days, whenever Sasuke has visited, which is often, Naruto has ignored it. But now he wants to see Sasuke more than ever. He slowly, ever so excruciatingly slowly pulls the door open. Sasuke's pale hand slams into the wood, forcing the door to the side. Naruto steps back from the open doorway, taking in the panting Sasuke before him. His face is red, his eyes bloodshot, and his hair a fluffy mess.
"What are you doing here? It's the middle of the day, right?" Naruto peeks over his shoulder again to glance at the clock.
"Naruto, I know. I know everything" Sasuke says in an even voice and Naruto glances back at him. He does not ask any questions and merely sighs. Instead of the dread and shame Naruto imagined would fill him if Sasuke were to ever find out, he is relieved.
"The party?" Naruto asks, an uneasy look in his blue eyes. When Sasuke nods Naruto surprises him with a laugh. "To think, I would give away my deepest, darkest secret at a stupid party in a dark bathroom."
"Bathroom? I don't remember a bathroom." Sasuke says worriedly. Naruto raises his eyebrows and with a smile disappears down the hallway. Sasuke does not follow him and glances at the television. 'He was watching the History channel, wasn't he?' Sasuke's eyes find the clock over the television. It is large, the numerals firm and apathetic with the boldness of the typeface. He finds the rhythm of he clock comforting and he glances out of the window. The sky is dark with clouds and a childish yearning for snow fills him. He wants to be a young boy again and run up and down the streets with Naruto, their sleds pulled along behind them.
'What bathroom…'
?
I am pretty sure it is Naruto who pulls me out of the pool. Or at least I hope it's Naruto. Kids are laughing around me, their volume so loud and somewhat hysterical I am not entirely sure if this is real. My eyes are focusing on a porch lamp. The thing sways with the motion of the party beneath. I feel warm fingers on my bare chest, someone is calling my name, the lamp is the only thing I see. The laughter is getting louder while the porch lamp is growing brighter. I am shaking my head, closing my eyes, trying to move my fingers. Tighten. Loosen. Tighten. Loosen. Naruto. Breathe in. His eyes. Breathe out.
The sudden burst of pain that blossoms from the back of my head is what finally brings everything into focus.
"And he's back!" Some guy is screaming, raising a can of Mountain Dew in the air, a wild look in his eyes. My eyes find the porch lamp again, it is not as bright as I remember. People who were once crouching by my side are now getting to their feet. Some are leaping into the pool while others mindlessly wander away. Everyone except Naruto. His blond hair is dark with the pool water and night. His blue eyes are so intense he seems to punch me out of my drunken stupor. Instead of worry, I am greeted by harsh irritation.
"You're wet." My idiotic self says. My lips feel like rubber. It is as if I have been to the dentist and they have numbed me up. Naruto violently shakes his head, water droplets flying off in many directions.
"Well, someone had to get your dumbass out of the water." His tone is not sarcastic and he is avoiding my eyes. Why?
"So it was you then?" I want to hear him say it. I am sitting up, the water sliding off my hair. It is cold despite it being summer.
"No, it was that asshole." He jerks his thumb back toward a tall guy from the soccer team. Naruto is twisting the shirt he wears. He is doing it so tightly that I can see the stark whiteness of his knuckles. I want to ask more, but when he looks up at me I am reserved to keeping quiet. He looks so sad. His eyebrows are arched in such a way that makes my stomach burn with guilt and remorse. I turn away from him and stand, water rushing down my legs. Naruto looks up at me. "What are you doing? Going for another swim."
"No, I'm going to go steal some clothing. Want to come with me?" I ask, hoping so hard that he does. I am aching, the kind that makes my body tired. So tired. He looks up at me and his face cracks into one of those contagious smiles.
"You'd better believe I'd steal clothing with you." He holds up his hand and I take it, getting him to his feet.
As we walk through the house, me nearly naked, Naruto with soaking clothing that clings to him, I expect more stares. But, no one seems to care at this late hour. We both reek sweetly of chlorine and together it is almost overpowering. The house is larger than I remember it ever being, but Naruto seems to have some inkling as to where he is going. We stumble into a darkened room and Naruto feels the wall for a light switch before flipping it on. The awkward moans of a pair of awkward teens make me groan out loud in protest as soon as we see them. I am just one instant from covering my eyes like a child when I remember my age. Naruto looks back at me, his face full of ease. "Do you think he'll mind if we take some clothes?" He asks, not paying attention to the scrambling sophomores. The boy is rolling off the bed onto the floor with a thud, the girl he was grinding quite unsuccessfully against lies on the bed, half-naked. Her tits are out for us to see but I do not care. She is obviously drunk or worse, her eyes are rolled back in her head. Naruto is looking at the girl with a sadness in his eyes that gives me pause. The boy is running toward the front door, when out of nowhere Naruto's leg appears, tripping the boy onto his face.
"Ooph!" I slide out of the way and watch as Naruto brings back his leg before kicking the guy in the gut. I do not flinch, nor do I watch the boy on the ground. My eyes are trained on Naruto's face. Every time the toe of Naruto's shoe meets the boy's abdomen, a smile grows larger on Naruto's face. It is small at first, but widens. His eyes flicker toward me, stopping him from continuing. He pushes past me, leaving the wounded kid on the ground to clutch at his gut.
Naruto is helping the girl put on her clothing. He sits on the edge of the bed, and an expression of concern is displayed plainly on his face. She is completely out but the care he takes in dressing the sleeping girl is so gentle and calm I am shocked. I know I am seeing a side to Naruto I should not be. I busy myself with flinging open drawers arbitrarily. Inside, I find porn magazines, condoms, baseballs, suspicious-smelling socks and other unmentionables. The longer I search, the more I am realizing that I am completely wasted.
"Don't worry, I've got it." Naruto says softly behind me. I stiffen and slide away from the mess of clothing and smutty periodicals I have created. Naruto crouches and deftly pulls a graphic tee from the pile, tossing it to me. I frown, reading the comment about your mom. I pull it on nevertheless. Moments later, I am wearing loose basketball shorts and Naruto is donned in nearly the same outfit. Naruto looks to the girl and then back at me.
"I want to get drunk. I'm saying shitfaced, pissed, whatever you want to call it." He says, his tone getting more eager. I am shaking my head. I do not want to see Naruto drunk. In my eyes, he is still that idiot boy who dragged me on ridiculous adventures through the neighborhood. Where is that Naruto now? The taller, more muscular, and obviously darker Naruto glares at me. "Why the hell not?"
"It's not good for you." I say, trying my best to keep my voice steady.
"You're the biggest hypocrite ever, you know that?" I nod because I do know this. "You stay here, I'll go get the drinks." Naruto intentionally steps on the bastard still crumbled in the doorway when he leaves. Because of the awkward tension in the room, I slip out as well. This hallway is inexplicably empty and I settle on the cool floor of the bathroom across the way. The air feels lighter somehow and I press my cheek to the basin of the sweating commode without any dignity of any kind. On my way into the room, I managed to switch on the light in the shower. The rest of the bathroom has an eerie aura to it. The muted thump-thumping of the bass from downstairs seems like it is from miles away, a different world. A world where friends encourage other friends to get drunk and leap into pools. Naruto ends my brooding, as usual. He is about to walk into the other room when I call out to him. He sits down across from me, his back against the deep red wall of the bathroom.
"Jesus, talk about bad taste, it feels like a fricken prison in here." Naruto blurts. He does not have the staple red plastic cups of parties, but instead a large bottle of Jack Daniels. Intense. I don't want to ask where he picked that up. I watch the muscles in his arms tighten as he twists the cap. He laughs wryly. "Wanna play a game."
"Yes." I say, not moving my cheek from the toilet. Naruto grins an evil grin, it looks good on him.
" 'kay, I say something that I've never done and I don't take a drink. But if you've done it—"
"—I take a drink. I know the drill."
"Me first then." Naruto thinks for a moment. His fingers are wrapped tightly around the neck of the thick bottle. I can't look away. "I've never been drunk before." He says, a smirk on his face as he holds out the bottle for me. I say nothing and tilt my head back. The drink is nasty. I hate it, but to prove myself not to be a complete pussy, I swallow as much as I can bear. "Take it easy." He says, pulling the bottle away.
"I've never beat someone up before." Naruto rolls his eyes and takes a guzzle. Shuddering as it goes down.
"That was for good reason." His eyes are fierce as he glares out the open door at the guy. He seems to have passed out. Naruto sets the bottle down on the linoleum roses between us and rests his head against the wall, staring at me. "I have never been a poser." The alcohol burns as it travels down my throat.
"I've never stolen clothing before." As Naruto drinks some more, I notice how quickly his hair has dried. I reach up to feel mine. It is still mostly wet, loose strands sticking up into the air.
"I've never given a shit about my hair." I drink.
"I've never not given a shit about my personal hygiene." Naruto drinks.
"I've never had a surprise party because of a soccer goal I got." I drink.
"I've never come to a surprise party just to stalk a friend." Naruto begrudgingly drinks.
"Oh, are we friends now?" The tone he uses rubs me the wrong way.
"Shut up and just ask your question. You're not completely drunk yet." I murmur.
"I've never told the person I love the most how I really feel." I do not reach for the bottle. Naruto smiles briefly, it is a knowing smile. But in my state, I could be dreaming most of this. Minutes pass, likely changing into hours when Naruto has officially lost it. His eyes are red and he is lying on the ground. "Sasuke!" He screams my name, his hands on my shoulders.
"Naruto!" I yell back at him, matching his loud voice.
"You'd say we're both pretty drunk, right?" He asks. I give a nonchalant shrug/moan/groan type deal. "Okay…then can I tell you something?" I nod, liking being this close to Naruto. He looks deep into my eyes and I stare deep into his pores, missing his eyes entirely. "I," he begins in a hushed whisper. "I was raped when I was eleven." His voice cracks on the last word. He rolls onto his back, laughing so hard he looks to be in pain. I start to laugh with him, but I can't. The happy buzz of the alcohol is beginning to fade.
"What?" I kick out at Naruto's shaking body. He rolls toward me, his eyes streaming with tears. Though he is laughing, his face shows pain. So much pain.
"It was terrible, Sasuke, to put it mildly. He was so big in so many ways. His face, his hands, so large. Those fingers. He touched me in places I never wanted to be touched. And that bed, that fucking bed." Naruto is still laughing. He is covering his face now with his hands. I watch as his chest moves up and down with his frenzied laughter. "And to think I was the sick kid that actually liked it after a period. But his hands, that bed…" Naruto trails off, his eyes trained on the ceiling. His face is as inscrutable as the endless clouds that blanket our sky. I have nothing to say. Nothing I can say. He is letting his eyelids close, the side of his mouth is twitching frantically. Because I am at a hazy loss, I look away from him. The deep red wall is the easel for my thoughts.
A naked, flailing Naruto fills my mind. A huge, faceless stranger is looming above him. His fingers are soothing to the touch, calming Naruto just a bit. But the tears are still being squeezing out of his eyes. The anger is filling me quickly, my blood pumping loudly in my ears. Who? I look to Naruto. He is laughing again, his features show pain and guilt and shame. Who would do this to Naruto? My Naruto.
Back to the red easel of a wall. I am beating this nameless bastard to a pulp. His blood is bright on my hands. He will never touch anyone again with his sick fingers. My thoughts are morphing to something else, no, it is Naruto. He is walking from me, getting so far away. My fingers are stiffening into a fist. Tighten. Loosen. Tighten. Loosen. Breathe in. Naruto. Tighten. Breathe out.
"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto is resting his back against the wall now. "Don't look so serious." He is still chuckling at himself, believing every word he says to be the funniest thing he has ever uttered. I roll my eyes. There are words I would like to say, but I know anything I say will have no meaning at this point. "Wow, talk about a downer. Dammit, Sasuke, look, you drank up all the alcohol."
"Hypocrite. That was you." I am getting to my feet, using the toilet as a support. Naruto is tilting the bottle over, a thin stream of amber is trickling out, creating a puddle on the floor. We both watch, transfixed.
"Where has the rum gone?" Naruto murmurs a terrible Jack Sparrow impersonation and I nod for him to get up. I tell him we are leaving and he follows. As we leave, the party appears like a blur. Everyone moves a bit too quickly, laughs a bit too loudly, is a bit too close. When we step outside, Naruto runs out onto the front lawn of the house, flapping his arms around. His hands are in his jacket pocket, giving him the appearance of a spasmodic bird. "Holy shit, this is so much fun. Come join me Sasuke!" I look around, no one is out here except for my best friend. With a nonchalant shrug, I flip up the hood of my sweatshirt and fly around the neighborhood with Naruto. He is such an idiot.
!
When Naruto reappears from his room, decked out in a heavy jacket, orange beanie hat, and jeans, he looks at Sasuke for a moment. The dark haired boy seems to be lost in his own world, his eyes staring sightlessly before him. Naruto reaches for the front door.
"Let's go." He says softly, causing Sasuke to stiffen. The pair walk from the house into the midday winter air. They walk quickly, toward some unknown destination. Naruto spares fleeting glances at Sasuke, envying the slight height Sasuke has over him. He feels extremely uneasy while Sasuke could not appear anymore indifferent. As a car drives by slowly, an elderly Asian woman peeks out at the kids playing hooky, Naruto stops. Sasuke takes a few more steps before turning to looks at him. They look at each other for a long moment, Sasuke's face impassive and Naruto's full of confusion. The blond finally gives up, pulling his hands out of his pockets. "Do you want to talk about it, or something? Is that why you came all the way to my house during a school day?" His shoulders slouch forward in defeat. Sasuke takes a short time to look toward his brow before respond with a terse, "Nope."
" 'Nope'? What? So that's not why you came?" Naruto's face is an open book as confusion, anger, and uncertainty flash across his face. Sasuke rolls his eyes and looks past him, something catching his eye. Naruto turns too, seeing the telephone pole. It is still made of metal and looks as cold it did that day years ago. Sasuke is laughing faintly.
"I came to see you. You're my best friend, Naruto." Sasuke says, his tone indicating more. "We don't need to talk about that. It's obvious you did not want to talk about it with me before, so that doesn't mean you suddenly need to now." Sasuke shrugs and runs across the street to the pole. Naruto begrudgingly follows him and they both stand before the pole.
"It looks shorter." Naruto blurts. Sasuke grunts in assent.
Naruto is suddenly his six year old self again, puffs of hot air billowing out from his mouth. Sasuke's cheeks are tinged pink with the excitement of snow and biting air. While Naruto wears a puffy orange coat , Sasuke wears an identical one, save the color. It is a muted navy.
"Let's stick our tongues to it." Naruto exclaims, barely able to contain himself.
"No, don't be an idiot, Naruto." Sasuke says, looking in the other direction, hiding the face that tells how much he really wants to do it. Naruto is begging with a vengeance, tugging on Sasuke's fluffy blue arm. Sasuke begins to pull away, looking back at his best friend. The want in Naruto's bright blue eyes is so blatantly there that Sasuke groans. He looks around behind them. The street is empty, the time is late afternoon. All of the other neighborhood children have rushed home to warm baths and the smiling faces of parents. But the pair standing together in the thickening snow are the real troopers. They shiver with the wintry air but do not seem to mind. The sleds they cherish so much rest a few feet away, battered and dusted with a layer of snow from the day's rough-housing.
"Sasuke, let's do it." Naruto's voice is shaking with the cold, but the determination is obvious. Sasuke sighs, sounding years older than his young six. He gives a nonchalant shrugs and begins to lean toward the metal pole, a pink tongue exposed to the cold. His dark eyes flicker toward a stunned Naruto.
"Well, come on, then." Sasuke snaps, he is unable to keep the slight smile out of his voice when Naruto snaps to attention. Naruto regrets this the moment his hot tongue connects with the stinging ice that is the pole. Sasuke tenses as well. They hold their tongues to the post, their small fingers quivering with anticipation. A freezing wind rushes over them, causing Sasuke to attempt to pull away. When he is unable to move away, He narrows his eyes at Naruto. The other boy is trying to disconnect himself as well. Without success. Panic rises in their young minds. Images of a brewing blizzard enveloping them, snow erasing their existence forever. Naruto is beginning to whimper for fear when Sasuke slaps out at him. Naruto's face shows the fear pulsating through his body, more out of terror of what Sasuke will do to him when they get free. Sasuke gives Naruto's feathery arm slightly reassuring squeeze and lets his eyes find the ground. The minutes that pass feel like years for them. The wind is suddenly so much colder, the boy next him so much warmer. By the time a teenage Itachi comes wandering up, the boys are leaning their shoulders to each other's. Sasuke lets out an embarrassing squealing noise upon seeing his brooding brother. Itachi dips his down ever so slightly to look into Sasuke's eyes. The faintest trace of a smile is there before his steps away.
"Well, found you. Mom sent me out to look for you guys. What a pair of dumbasses." Itachi mumbles. Dumbass, the word is as foreign as Japanese {lol, not funny} to them at this age. Naruto gasps loudly. Sasuke makes some more noises sounding disturbingly similar to choking. He is asking for help, not that Itachi cares. His older brother is turning to leave when the two boys squeak and shriek in unison. Itachi stops, not turning to face them. As he kneels down to the snow carpeted ground Sasuke moans in protest and Naruto begins to cry quietly. The six year old boys are now pummeled continuously by icy snowballs before Itachi eventually frees them.
!
"Jeez, we were idiots." Sasuke says, placing a finger on the metal. Naruto snorts at the comment.
"We're idiots now." Sasuke only shrugs, Naruto knows this is his way of agreeing. Naruto intentionally plants himself before Sasuke, a knowing look on his face. "So, now you know. You going to do anything about it?" Naruto asks, his tone light but searching. Sasuke takes a moment.
"No and that is because I'm tired and I'm a terrible friend." Sasuke says, a smile on his lips. Naruto nods in agreement and looks around at the pole he is leaning against.
"Hey, want to do it again?" Naruto asks, sticking out a tongue and gesturing toward the pole. Sasuke surprises him with a nod and begins to move in on it when a car rounds the corner. The car is small and black and irritatingly familiar. It slows as it nears them. Sasuke straightens, seeing his brother's face appear.
"What the hell are you doing?" Itachi deadpans, the sound of his car's old engine is sputtering intermittently.
"Nothing. What do you want?" Sasuke says brusquely.
"Mom sent me out to look for you." Itachi is changing the car's gears and begins to roll forward. "Well, found you. And of course you were here with your dumbass friend." When the car disappears from view the boys look at each for a long moment and then they begin to laugh.
'Yup, my dumbass friend.'
I would like to thank all of the people who reviewed. They really mean a great deal to me and make me extremely happy. You guys are the best
...What to write now...
