the symbolism! a lot of you came very close actually and some of you hit the nail right on the head! but it was multiple things and nobody hit every point, but some came close!
here's what was going through my mind while i wrote it out:
1) the drink symbolizes Naruto (that was obvious)
2) the GLASS is supposed to be Sasuke
3) the question of whether it was alcoholic: alcohol was to represent what sasuke is used to, "the normal" for him. so he was questioning whether naruto was like everything else in his life for him or something new/different.
4) the fact that sasuke grabs the drink and doesn't REMEMBER grabbing it: he rushed into him and naruto too quickly, without considering the emotions and effects naruto had on him. took what he wanted without thinking about it.
5) swirling the glass: when he was dicking around with naruto before he fucked him
6) drinking half the glass: he had a taste of naruto, but he wasn't satisfied yet (drunk).
7) Pouring the drink: that he wants to dump naruto, like everyone else
8) Putting the glass to his lips but not drinking from it: indecisiveness about him and naruto (glass and drink)
9) the drink spilling onto sasuke's hand: that naruto "flooded" him. consumed his thoughts and desires.
10) When sasuke held out the glass to shikamaru, asking if it was alcoholic: "what should i do?"
11) Dropping the glass but watching it fall: sasuke wants to let go of them (him and naruto) but can't
12) drink spilling out of the glass as it fell: sasuke not having control over naruto
13) the glass breaks: sasuke breaking/changing BECAUSE he does not have control over Naruto
haha...i guess that's what i get for going into AP Lang XD
Please enjoy!
Chapter 9: Hesitant Love
Haruno Estate - 5 years ago...
Naruto jumped and dropped his book as Sakura burst through his door and fell to her knees in front of him, her pink school-bag sliding down her shoulder from the action. She was smiling widely at him, in a frankly unnerving and frightening manner that made him shrink back slightly. "Er...how was school-"
"I spoke to my husband today!" the girl screamed with pure joy, her hands coming up to a sort of praying position as they pressed over her stretched lips.
Naruto blinked and frowned. Husband? he thought questioningly to himself. "But...you're not married-"
She removed her hands and nodded quickly. "Yes we are, he just doesn't know it yet!" she blurted before her hands flew back over her mouth to hide her smile.
Naruto raised a brow and sat straight on the floor, staring at the girl. "...Drugs are bad, Sakura-chan," he said.
Sakura let out an offended squawk and punched him playfully in the shoulder. "I am not on drugs, you jerk!"
Naruto grinned at her. "No? So does everyone bust through rooms squealing about husbands they don't have? Can you even get married? You're only twelve."
Sakura shook her head with a smile and folded her hands over her school skirt while she sat on her haunches. "This new boy got transferred to my school today! He's two grades ahead of me but-" her hands came up in clenched fists to her mouth as green eyes crinkled in a squeal, "He is so HOT! I mean, like, I just wanna bake brownies on him kind of hot!"
Naruto's frown deepened as a spike of jealousy speared through him. "So what? I'm hot, too. What's so frikin' great about him?"
Sakura should have been thrown off by the bite in his words, but the starry flash in her eyes was obviously obstructing her thought process, as all she focused on was the chance to gush about her new crush. "He's super smart, like GENIUS smart- you know I love smart guys -and he has this amazing body and his hair- Kami -his hair, it's so soft and lustrous and silky and dark and-"
"What? Did you touch it?" Naruto asked, surprised at the girl's in depth knowledge about the guy's hair.
Sakura's lips pulled down and she blushed lightly. "Well...no, but from the way it looks, I bet it is! Oh Naruto, he's just- he's PERFECT!"
Naruto scowled and narrowed his eyes, which could have been tinted green with envy. "What's his name?"
Sakura's hands spread out in front of her, and she looked to the ceiling with a breathtaking smile, as if she were gazing at the heavens themselves. "Uchiha. Sasuke," she breathed dreamily.
The blond huffed and crossed his arms. "And what did you say to the great Uchiha Sasuke?" he questioned bitterly.
The girl sighed and crossed her hands over her heart. "I walked up to him in the hallway, and I said 'hello.'" She spoke very slowly with her words, savoring them almost.
Naruto pouted and leaned back against his bed, brows furrowed in irritation over this 'Sasuke' character and how starry-eyed he was making Sakura. "And what did he say back?"
Sakura tilted her head and closed her eyes with a serene smile. "He shut his locker, looked at me, and then walked away."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
What the fuck was she mooning about? The ass had totally ignored her! Why was she making it sound like their interaction had come out of some damn romance novel? "That's it?" he asked irritably. "I've had better conversations with cereal boxes than you had with him!"
Sakura opened one eye with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. "Why were you conversing with cereal boxes? They don't talk."
Naruto reeled back with a blush. "Like he was any different! He didn't talk either!"
"He didn't have to," Sakura assured as she closed her eyes again and put her smile back in place. "I could see it in his eyes. His beautiful, deep, cool-"
"Okay," Naruto cut in, "unless you want my breakfast all over your lap, you better stop."
Sakura's lids separated as she stared down at her adopted brother. "If you came to my school and saw him, you would understand."
Naruto snorted. He had always hated that he and Sakura went to separate schools, because it cut into their time together. But right now, he couldn't be happier with the fact, because he wouldn't want to watch her fawning over some guy that wasn't him on a daily basis. "I'm a guy, in case you forgot. Got a penis and everything, so no, I don't think I would 'understand' if I saw him, Sakura-chan."
Sakura let out a small 'hmph' and placed her hands at her hips. "Why are you being so sour? You're never like this."
Naruto shrugged. "Whatever. He just doesn't sound all that spectacular to me, all right? Maybe if I had a vagina and boobs, he would, but I don't, so he doesn't." He didn't mean to come off sounding like such an asshole, but jealousy was getting the better of him. Plus, his comment on not being interested because he wasn't a girl was not entirely true. He felt that attraction was blind, that if he liked a guy, then he liked a guy, so what? But he didn't like a guy.
He liked Sakura. And he was aware of this.
So the fact that this Sasuke person was the one making her gush and gloat drove Naruto to not like him very much at all, despite not meeting him. Not to mention that it sounded like the guy had brushed Sakura off in the hallway, that certainly wasn't buying him any brownie points with Naruto.
Sakura turned her head to the side. "You just don't get it." She glanced at him through the corners of her eyes with a smile. "But just watch, one day, I'm gonna marry him."
Naruto sniffed and grabbed his book. "Yeah, good luck with that," he bit out, words drenched in sarcasm. He opened his book and began flipping through it, looking for the page he'd left off on.
Uchiha Sasuke huh?
The blond clicked his tongue when he could not find his page and closed the book again, tossing to the floor. Sounds like a real bastard.
XxXxXxXxXXxXxXxXxX
"H-Haruno-sama," Naruto stuttered with shock before quickly shoving Sasuke off of him and falling to the floor, hastily throwing his clothes into the basket.
Sasuke blinked down at the blond and slowly looked back to Akio, as if daring him to question the position he'd caught them in.
But Akio did not seemed faze by what he saw, not even upset about it. As a matter of fact, his expression seemed to be outlining a look of boredom as he watched Naruto scramble to pick up his clothes in a panicked frenzy.
When the blond finished, he shot up on shaky legs and backed to the door that led to the laundry room, face flushed and mouth running a mile a minute, "Gomen, Haruno-sama! The bas- ah -Uchiha-san, I bumped into him and dropped my clothes, it was my fault, he wanted to help me pick up and-and got upset when I told him not to." One of his hands landed on a doorknob and he spared Sasuke a glance, bowing his head slightly. "Forgive me, Uchiha-san." He spun around and practically flew out the door.
Sasuke frowned deeply and placed a hand over his chest, rubbing it in small circles and wondering why he suddenly felt so cold.
Akio flicked his gaze to the younger man in the room. "Sasuke, I need you to come with me."
Sasuke stopped his motions and glared lightly at the other man. "I was planning on going to sleep," he mumbled irritably, still fuzzy around the edges of his senses, though the shock of being walked in on had sobered him a bit.
Akio turned in the doorway but kept his eyes on Sasuke. "I'm afraid this is far more important. Please come with me," he said, then turned and walked out.
Sasuke let out a small "tsk" and lowered his hand to follow the man.
As they stepped down the hallway, Sasuke stared questionably at the back of Akio's head, unsure what to make of the man's nonchalant behavior.
He briefly wondered if maybe Akio had actually missed what Naruto and him had been doing in the dining room. To Sasuke, the intimate proximity had been painfully obvious, as was where Sasuke's hand had been firmly cupping the blond's ass.
Akio couldn't have overlooked it, yet he was behaving as if nothing out of the ordinary had transpired at all.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Unless Akio was actually leading Sasuke to some sort of punishment...but then wouldn't he have brought Naruto along, too? Or maybe he wanted to punish them separately? Not that Sasuke would ever allow himself to be "punished", he could do what he pleased and no one had a right to say anything on it.
But why was the man so damn calm? It unnerved Sasuke. Walking with one foot in front of the other and looking straight ahead with unblinking jade eyes. Maybe he really hadn't caught on to what they had been doing, which honestly, in Sasuke's opinion anyway, hadn't been much. Maybe it was something else Sasuke had done that bothered him?
Sasuke sighed with frustration when Akio stopped in front of the closed door of his study. "Look," he started, "if this about leaving the party early, I'm sorry, I just-"
"This has nothing to do with that," Akio cut into his words. "I left early as well, after I noticed you did. My wife and Sakura are still there."
Sasuke growled softly and was about to demand an answer as to why he was being led around like a dog when Akio opened his study door and Sasuke's mouth dropped open with a breath of surprise.
After a moment of stunned silence, Sasuke closed his mouth and cleared his throat. "Otosan," he greeted as he stepped inside. "What are you doing here?"
Akio answered for the man while shutting the door, "I picked him up on my way back."
Fugaku stared at his son as he stood in front of the fire-place with one hand buried in the pocket of black slacks. "Have a seat, Sasuke," he offered. Though Sasuke knew his father offered nothing. Offers were simply orders in disguise.
The young Uchiha pressed his lips in a thin line and took his place on the red loveseat. He allowed himself to sink into the plush material, a small comfort before the storm of fury that was sure to stir up in just a few moments, when Akio would tell his father of what he'd caught his son doing with a servant.
Fugaku crossed his arms over his chest with a look of disappointment. "Sasuke...what is the real reason you asked to be here for the summer?"
Sasuke closed his eyes and cocked his head. "I already told you that. I don't like repeating myself." Honestly, they thought they were going to get him to admit to it? Like hell.
Akio sighed and placed a hand over his mouth, the other on his waist.
Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at him. "Aren't you going to tell him?" He did not elaborate because he knew now that Akio knew exactly what he was talking about.
The man shook his head. "I don't have to."
"Well the fuck if you think I'm going to tell him-"
"No one has to tell him, Sasuke," Akio said, dropping his hand so both were on his waist. "Because he already knows."
Sasuke's eyes widened and shot to his father.
Fugaku nodded at his son. "We are both very aware of what you've been doing with Naruto, Sasuke. And I've been aware of your nightly activities far longer than Akio has."
Sasuke felt utter disbelief rip through his body at those words.
They knew? His father knew? And he hadn't said anything until now?
Sasuke's eyes lowered and darted from side to side, searching for some moment where he could have caught this information.
Not one came to mind.
He shot up from his seat, livid. "What the fuck do you mean you 'knew'? You didn't know anything!"
Fugaku bored into him with a heated glare. "Of course I knew! Do you have any idea how many of your little night partners I had to turn away after they came knocking on our doorstep begging to see you again? Men and women, Sasuke, I've known for years."
Sasuke shook his head, teeth gritted. "You didn't... I know how you feel about men with other men, father, just look at what you did to Itachi and-"
"Do not bring Itachi into this. What he did and what you are doing are two vastly different things. I have nothing against homosexuals, Sasuke, I don't know where you got that idea from. And quite frankly, I don't give one damn where or who you shove yourself into morning, day or night. I just don't. Want it. Publicized. As long as the media stays out of it, you can go fuck every hole in the city for all I care."
Sasuke's jaw dropped and he looked to Akio. "And you? You agree with him? I'm engaged to your daughter for Christ's sake-"
Akio shook his head. "All that is important is for you and her to produce an heir and tie our names together. Whether or not you love her as much as she loves you does not really concern me."
Sasuke felt his stomach pinch, finding this whole situation to somehow be sickeningly disgusting. "If all you care about is an heir, then why are you forcing me to marry her? We could just do artificial-"
Fugaku interrupted before he could finish, "Do not even mention that, Sasuke, it's out of the question. This is about appearances to the public, and I will not have my first grandchild exposed to the world as a product of something so unnatural. You and Sakura are to pertain the image of a perfect family in public, no one cares what happens behind closed doors."
Sasuke shook his head and fell back into the chair, pressing his fingers to his temples in an attempt to quell the throbbing that had erupted there. He felt so fucking stupid. All this time, he'd thought he was fooling everyone, when in fact, everyone had been fooling him. He knew that his father had been using Sakura, Sasuke didn't care about that. But the fact that he had been using him too? It made him absolutely furious.
He glanced up at his father. "If all you care about is appearances, then why didn't you allow Itachi a secret romance and have him marry publicly?"
"Because unlike you, Itachi was not out sleeping with everyone without a care in the world. He was in love, with a man, your cousin no less. He would not have married anyone other than him. And if the press somehow found out that not only was it a homosexual relationship but an incestuous one as well, our name would have been dragged through the mud without so much of a chance at rising again."
Sasuke blinked slowly at the truth as to why Itachi was disowned. It was not that he was gay. It was not even that he'd fallen for their cousin. It was that he'd fallen at all, with the wrong person, a person who did not fit into Fugaku's plans for the Uchiha future. "Why are you telling me this now? If you knew for so long, then why are telling me now?"
"Because Akio and I can see that you are falling into the same thing Itachi did, and since you are the sole heir, it is unacceptable. I cannot throw you out like I did your brother."
Coal eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"
Akio locked gazes with him. "You care about Naruto. I saw it in your eyes the very first time you laid sight on him, and I informed Fugaku right away."
Sasuke stared at him, vaguely recalling that Akio had vanished during his first visit here. He scoffed and let through a small smile. "Care? About Naruto?" He lowered his head and closed his hands over his mouth, chuckling softly. He removed his hands and sighed, lips stretched in a smirk. "I think that might actually be the funniest thing I've ever heard. He's a fun fuck, but that's about it." Sasuke closed his mouth and roved his tongue over his cheek and teeth, as if the taste of something he did not like lingered behind his lips. The words had felt awkward as they fell off his tongue.
Fugaku turned fully to his son and sunk his hands into his pockets. "Good, it seems you haven't realized the way you feel about him yet. That should make this far easier for you to accept."
Sasuke's eyes bullet to him. "What do you mean?" he asked quickly, apprehension shadowing the question.
Akio stepped forward and looked down at the youngest man in the room. "You are not to see Naruto anymore."
Sasuke's lips parted in shock. "What?"
"You are not to go near him, not under any circumstances."
Sasuke sprung from his seat. "Why?!"
"And I will not call for him in your presence any longer."
Sasuke's arm flung out, the anger bursting inside of him. He felt much like a child who had just been denied his favorite toy. "This is not fair! Why are you doing this? I don't care about him! There's no need to keep me from him! I won't-"
"Enough, Sasuke!"
Sasuke flinched to silence at his father's outburst.
Fugaku pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at his son. "What more proof do you need than this?"
"What?" Sasuke growled.
"You've obviously slept with him already. Tell me, Sasuke, how many people have you fought to see again since you slept with them?"
Sasuke stiffened at his father's words and took a step back, bumping into the loveseat.
Akio frowned at him. "You are fighting for him, arguing with your father so you can continue seeing him."
Fugaku lifted his head. "Just like Itachi did."
Sasuke lowered his eyes and fell back into the seat, the situation hitting him like a slap to the face.
His father walked up to him, hands still stuffed in his pockets. "There are a million other people to sleep with, Sasuke."
Sasuke resisted the urge to pout, he scowled instead. But his scowl fell away to shock when he realized that the idea to sleep with anyone else did not appeal to him at all.
"But you are to stay away from Naruto," Akio finished.
Sasuke's eyes flickered rapidly, confused as to why it seemed that now, having sex with anyone other than Naruto seemed...wrong...not just unappealing, it literally felt like the wrong thing to do.
He bit his lower lip.
Maybe...maybe his father and Akio were right. Maybe Naruto did hold a special place within Sasuke. When had that happened? Sasuke didn't like the thought of that one bit.
Perhaps staying away from Naruto really was the best way to remedy that.
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked up between the two, unsure of which man had called his name.
Fugaku stared down at his son. "Do we make ourselves clear?"
Sasuke blinked once. "Yeah..." He dropped his gaze and laced his fingers between his legs. "Crystal."
x-X-0-X-x
Naruto sat slumped on the tile floor in the laundry room. The washer was shaking slightly as it vibrated in front of him, and he could not recall exactly what time he had put it to wash nor did he know how long he'd been sitting like a pile of lifeless flesh.
But despite how dead he seemed on the outside, inside was another story; his mind was reeling through a maelstrom of emotions. From the guilt of once again falling into Sasuke's touch, to confusion as to why he did not push the other away, to the desire that pulsed like life itself whenever he was near the stupid teme...to the fear of what Haruno-sama had seen...and what he would say, if he said anything, to Sakura.
Naruto kept his clouded blue eyes fixated on the floor, they seemed shades darker. He did not even turn when he heard the door open and shut softly. He did not blink as the sound of heels clicking towards him grew louder. He did not speak as the body crouched behind him, a warm breath skating down the nape of his neck.
But after a few minutes of silence, he did flinch when he felt arms wind around him from behind.
