Chapter Eleven: To Compromise Is To Change
Author's Notes: Sorry for such a long wait, but obviously I had a reason. I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things, but it's still difficult, so I hope you'll all still be very patient with me.
Warnings/Disclaimer: Been there, done that.
Chapter Eleven: To Compromise Is To Change
Day Nine, December 12th:
Status: Musically scarred, and recovering.
Sexual experience: Still recovering from that anti-social, not-take-a-joke jackass.
Personality: Underneath the exterior of douchebag-ness and fuck-tardary, I think there might be a real person in there. Fucking crazy.
Last Note: I need to get out of the habit of singing in the shower…
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Sasuke stood outside of the college at one thirty, waiting for Naruto as he leaned against his car in the parking lot. He was surprised alright, that was for sure. The fact that his 'brilliant' scheme went through was surprising to him; like Jiraiya going for it, the company paying for it, and everything falling into place so quickly it almost gave Naruto a heart attack. It was only so Naruto could get a simple taste of college, that was it, and maybe if he was smart enough, continue when he was done here with Sasuke.
The raven unclenched his jaw and wondered absently why it clenched.
Before he had any time to look into the action further, he saw a mess of blond hair blazing through the parking lot, and he knew instantly it was Naruto dying to get the hell out of dodge.
He sighed, and then decided against everything and went out of his way to yell at the blond as he was about to streak past him, "Dobe!"
Sasuke could have swore he heard breaks screech before he whipped around and beamed, looking partly flustered and barely holding onto his English book and his notebook. It took a fraction of a second for the joy to switch over to complete confusion, "You have a car?"
Sasuke nodded slowly, reaching forward and taking the text book and notebook from him, "Get in the car."
"When did you car? I was only in that class for two hours!" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.
Sasuke rounded the car, and stopped at the trunk with Naruto at his heels, "Wait? You don't take the bus to school? I had to take the city bus! I thought I was going to die trying to find my way out of this parking lo-"
"Naruto." Sasuke cut in, "Why is it out of all your notes, Christmas vacation is the biggest of them all?"
The blond shrugged, "'Tis the season? Now, why have you been hiding this car?" Naruto asked, tapping the trunk of the car in appreciation.
"I only use it to get to my University. That's it. I don't need to run it into the ground and go bankrupt from gas, parking garages and unnecessary mechanic bills."
Naruto's face was twisted, his lip curling and his brows raised, "Leave it to you to be uptight about everything."
Sasuke dug his key into the trunk lock, and sighed, "I bought one that seemed to suit you."
Naruto's eyebrows rose even higher, hiding behind his hanging bangs, at the odd sentence, "What are you talking about."
"I said I would see to your compromise depending on school today. You actually went, so…"
Naruto didn't notice the puff of white that was his breath that was released in the air once Sasuke opened the trunk. He didn't realize he had held his breath until he let it all out into one big fuzzy cloud. When it cleared, he was greeted by a pleasant sight.
In the trunk lay Sasuke's guitar in its usual case with its patches and rips showing almost proudly. Absently, Naruto realized that this case was so unlike the prim and proper Uchiha that Sasuke was supposed to be.
But, next to it, there was another guitar case and Naruto paused before snapping his head over to Sasuke, "You're kidding, right?"
"Something that I enjoy, so I'll teach you something." Sasuke said simply, "I needed to look for new strings anyway."
If Naruto wasn't so shocked, he would have laughed at the lame excuse to go wherever the guitar store was, and buy him his own. But, Naruto stamped down that hope right there, because for all he knew Sasuke was going to keep it when they were done.
Sasuke shut the trunk gently; as if afraid it would collapse and break the guitars, "You better enjoy this dobe, because I already have a Gibson."
"What?" Naruto said, shaking out of a deep stupor, thinking about Sasuke actually going this far.
"The guitar, I already said it. It's yours. Now get in the car, your shivering."
Naruto looked down and noticed that he was, indeed shivering, because he had indeed, forgot his coat in the classroom.
"SHIT!"
"I've never seen you run so fast dobe." Sasuke commented upon entering the apartment, his guitar slung on his shoulder and Naruto's in his case and being carried in his hand.
"I'm not losing that coat. Do you know how cold I am here? How can you stand it?" Naruto said, stripping himself out of Sasuke's old coat that he had found hanging in the closet.
Sasuke put the hard case down at Naruto's feet and set his own down in the chair with a sigh, before unzipping the case and pulling the guitar out. For some reason, Naruto felt like he was seeing a side of Sasuke that a very few had seen. He knew Shikamaru turned Sasuke onto guitar, but for some reason he couldn't see Sasuke being around anyone while playing.
He seemed too private for anything like that. And Shikamaru seemed too damn lazy to actually play an instrument.
"Does Shikamaru play?" Naruto asked suddenly, still not having opened the case at his feet.
Sasuke was holding up the Taylor – Big Baby acoustic. He tore his eyes away from something that he was looking at, and looked at Naruto with one eyebrow raised, and for a split second Naruto wanted to kick him in the shin for being able to do everything with ease.
Naruto couldn't do that eyebrow shit.
"No."
"How did he get you into it?"
Sasuke rested the guitar gently against the wall, so none of the tuning pegs hit before he shrugged, "He suggested it…a lot."
Naruto snorted, "That's it?"
"That's it."
The blond nodded, "Huh. I thought you were more difficult than that."
Sasuke glared, "Open the damn case."
Naruto lifted both eyebrows and mentally fumed for a second before looking down at the black, hard plastic guitar case that sat at his feet. He squatted down in front of it before flipping the latches and then laying it flat and opening the case with curious eyes.
Part of him was expecting the case to be empty and Sasuke to be leaning against the wall smirking but he was pleasantly surprised to find a guitar inside. The body of the guitar was a deep orange with a shined wood look about it. The neck was long and the frets glinted up at him, waiting. And at the very top read the very word…
"Gibson…"
"It's an SG standard." Sasuke replied automatically from, what Naruto guessed, where he was last standing.
Naruto had no idea what any of that guitar crap meant, so he was hoping Sasuke didn't expect him to. So 'SG' didn't make a world of a damn difference to him. All he knew was that it looked expensive.
"Take it back."
"Excuse me?" Sasuke said with a sour note to his voice.
"This thing looks expensive!" Naruto said, worry knitting his brow, "I can't just-"
"Your voice really does make my ears want to bleed." Sasuke interrupted.
"Bastard!" Naruto shouted, which with the force of the yelling added with the finger point, sent him toppling over on his backside.
For some reason, this made another question come to mind, "Why'd you take your guitar with you, teme? I get the strings and all, but can't you put them on yourself?"
Sasuke sighed, "The bridge needed repair, and I never got around to it."
Naruto remembered then what he had said about having stopped playing and wondered how long it had been, but decided not to ask. Prodding the beast when he had weapons in his closet wasn't the smartest thing. At least, now that he was aware of the weapons.
The blond watched Sasuke exit the room and didn't even give Naruto a chance to ask where he was going as he entered his bedroom, not even bothering to shut the door. Naruto heard the obnoxious closet doors and wondered what on earth Sasuke was doing in there, and wondered if he should go and see. But then the thought of the weapons came back and he decided to sit and look at the new shiny guitar.
He took it carefully out of the case and noted easily how it felt a lot heavier than it looked, but then set it in his lap and frowned. The base took to finger smudges easily, and a new set was screaming right in his face. He tried to wipe it away with his shirt, but to no avail, the smudges still mocked him. He shrugged and simply admired the color and smiled. The bastard at least paid attention to something good.
Naruto jumped when a bag was set in front of him and found Sasuke soon following it with a smirk. The blond glared. The jackass knew Naruto wouldn't want him to take it back. Prick.
"What's in the bag?"
"Everything you'll need. Amp, tuner-"
"Aren't you going to help me at all?" Naruto asked with an undignified tone.
Sasuke snorted, "You can't learn if someone does all the work for you."
For some reason, Naruto felt as though Sasuke heard that line too many times to count. But really, was now the perfect time reuse it?
What a bastard.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Press harder." Sasuke's voice commanded, dull but annoyed.
"It hurts!" Naruto whined.
"You asked for it."
Naruto glared from where he was sitting across from Sasuke, hunched over his guitar and stuck his tongue out childishly at him, "I asked for a compromise. Not some torture session."
Sasuke pressed his index finger and thumb against his eyes, his arm resting on the wide body of his guitar, "It isn't torture."
"We've been going at it forever!"
"Seven minutes!"
"You made me tune the damn thing!" Naruto growled.
"I ended up doing it all, because the fucking thing sounded like a cat being thrown over a fence by its tail."
"You made me do all the amp stuff!" Naruto snapped.
"I made you plug it in!" Sasuke snapped back.
Naruto went to open his mouth to say something else before Sasuke set his guitar down on the floor in front of him and began to get up.
"Where are you going?"
"Work. I shouldn't have asked for the day off if you were going to waste my time."
Naruto rolled his eyes and blew at his bangs trying not to show his guilt. In the flurry of everything that had happened so far today he had forgotten that whole important thing to do, like going to work. He didn't even want to think about if he skipped classes. Naruto somewhat wished he had his schedule memorized already.
Sasuke had stood completely before Naruto tugged on his pant leg, which had Sasuke rearing his foot back as if ready to kick.
"Calm down! I was going to say I'll shut up!" Naruto said, having held up the guitar as a shield.
Sasuke sighed, glaring down at the blond before sitting back down, and letting out a sigh, "Use this."
Naruto looked up from trying to place his fingers to see Sasuke handing over the acoustic guitar, "The strings are thicker."
Upon closer inspection, which was trading guitars, Naruto noticed that Sasuke's strings were indeed thicker.
"Cheater." Naruto muttered.
"Pussy." Sasuke countered coolly.
Naruto began trying to put his fingers back into place, his head upside down as he hunched over the guitar to look at it, and then he tilted his head so he could make sure he could find the places where Sasuke pointed before.
The minute he saw, more than felt, Sasuke's hand touch his he was dumbfounded. This guy touching was hell on earth or something; that's the aura he gave off at least. But from the impatient sigh that seemed to just now be catching up with Naruto's brain, he understood why now. He placed the fingers where they were supposed to go, and then pressed against them.
"You have to press just harder than that." Sasuke said.
Naruto looked up and found Sasuke to be much closer than he was originally sitting across from him. It was then that he realized that he couldn't have reached it from where he was before, and absently he noticed Sasuke was smudging up his guitar.
When Naruto felt Sasuke's fingers move away, his fingers instantly relaxed with the strings, but then he pushed against them and strummed with the pick. Surprisingly, even though he winced, this time the note sounded fine to his ears.
"Now," Sasuke reached forward, "don't let your fingers leave those strings just yet." Naruto felt the slight tug on his hand, and he felt his fingers slide against the strings till there was a stop, and he watched still as Sasuke slightly adjusted his fingers.
"Again."
So Naruto did as he was told, pressing firmly against the strings and grinning when the sound wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. Sasuke continued to move his figures around the guitar, fixing them when it needed to be, but noticing that he was at least paying attention to where his fingers and hand were placed. Occasionally he would instruct him to stay in the same place and to strum at a certain rythum. Surprisingly enough, Naruto listened to the instructions Sasuke gave him each time, and didn't complain just like he said.
He was surprised that Naruto didn't like the electric guitar just because of the strings. It seemed enough like his personality; loud, obnoxious and shocking to a degree.
Sasuke removed his hand and Naruto strummed the last note with a wide grin towards the neck where his fingers were, waiting for Sasuke's fingers to return and when they didn't he looked up, confused.
"What?"
"You just played a whole song." Sasuke commented with a smirk.
Naruto's eyes widened, "No way! What song? By who?"
Sasuke actually laughed, "The Beatles."
The blond spared a few blinks, "Do I really sing that loud in the shower?"
"The woman three floors down said you could use lessons, but no, not that loud." Sasuke replied sarcastically.
Naruto laughed in return, and lightly punched at his arm, "Let's do that again!"
Sasuke smirked, and reached for his guitar back, "This time, with your own guitar."
The blond went to open his mouth to complain, but snapped it shut as Sasuke laid his guitar next to him gently and glared, "My finger bleeds, I'm kicking your ass."
"If I go bankrupt because I had to knock you unconscious for defensive purposes…I'll kill you."
Naruto beamed, "Fair enough."
Sasuke shook his head with a sigh and reached forward and began placing Naruto's fingers where they needed to be.
On the other side of the cracked open door, Shikamaru sighed. He supposed instead of ruining their good moment he should just go on back to Temari's.
But it was so nice to see that someone could finally knock down that high wall that Sasuke took so long to build up.
Sasuke was expecting to be able to sleep in on the third day of his days off. Calling Tsunade on his scheduled day off and telling her he was finally taking a vacation was more a surprise to himself than anyone else. She was actually thrilled, saying something along the lines of 'About time, workaholic.'" So, he had an entire week to stay at home and sleep, save for going to school.
Today, he had his class at night, so when he finally turned in last night he was looking forward to sleeping in.
Until the next morning when something shook him roughly and he was greeted by a bright pair of blue eyes and a rather worried blond.
"DAMN YOU!" Sasuke yelled, "YOUR SIDE!"
Sasuke sat up straight, noticing at some point in time that night he had managed to get himself halfway out of his shirt as it was hanging around his neck and arm while Naruto sat on the edge of the bed and chuckled.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, rubbing at his face tiredly and fixing his shirt.
Naruto chuckled as he took in Sasuke's disheveled appearance, noticing the raven actually had no choice but to relax and become normal when he slept. His hair was messy and frazzled, his clothes were crazy and in disarray, and he looked more confused and lost than tired.
If Naruto wasn't afraid of getting killed, he'd pinch his cheek and call him cute.
"When do you have to go to work? It's past noon already." Naruto worried on.
Sasuke turned and looked at the clock, a surprised look passing his features, "It's what time?"
"I knew it! I should have woken you up sooner! You seemed like you were sleeping so peacefully I didn't have the heart. You were even snoring."
"I snore?" Sasuke asked, sounding slightly disgusted.
"Snoring is normal, teme."
"If you're talking about what you do…well…"
Naruto stuck out his tongue childishly, "Its normal."
"You sound like a possessed monster." Sasuke commented, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "And I don't have work for a few more days. I cashed in my vacation."
Naruto blinked bright blue eyes more than necessary, "Really?"
"No."
"What?"
Sasuke sighed, covering up a laugh, "Yes, really. So now I have time this week to do the one thing you enjoy."
Naruto smiled cheekily at him, "Did you take the time off for me?"
"Keep dreaming, idiot." Sasuke said as he pushed on Naruto's face and shoved him off the bed on his butt.
Naruto looked up at the smirking face with a scowl before he smiled brightly, "When do you have class again?"
"Tonight at seven."
"Perfect. I was going to be nice, but since you're a bastard, looks like I can't do that anymore."
"So, how did you convince them to write this off?" Sasuke asked, looking up at the rack.
Naruto was tapping his chin, holding up two different helmets with a frown, then turning to Sasuke and holding them up on either side of his head.
"You look ugly in everything, don't you?"
Sasuke glared, "Just pick one, dobe. It isn't a fucking fashion contest."
"Ah, that's where you're wrong. If you show up looking like an extra from Revenge of The Nerds, it looks pretty bad."
Naruto passed off two helmets and Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, relieved Naruto didn't think he was too good not to use his helmet. Because one fall and Sasuke's bank account was reading negative.
"Which bike?" Naruto mumbled. He smiled brightly and looked over at Sasuke, "Hell, if it's on the company, we can get the best of the best, right?"
"Again," Sasuke said irritably, "How did you get them to write this off?"
Naruto hissed, "So, see…right, yeah. Well, I said that you would kiss me again so…"
Sasuke put both helmets on a random shelf and began to walk away, shaking his head as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Wait!" Naruto protested, grabbing the helmets and jogging to keep up, "Would you stop!"
"Do you have to log everything we do?" Sasuke asked, his upper lip curling.
"Yeah, touchy-feely crap, yeah. What we did and what brought it on, but honestly, I was just going to say you kissed me, really. You don't have to. You'd think you'd fucking melt."
Sasuke scoffed, "No, just become dumber."
"Idiocy isn't a disease." Naruto said matter-of-factly.
"You are the exception." Sasuke replied.
Naruto stamped his foot, "You act like you'll die if you kiss me again!"
Sasuke eyes went wider than Naruto really knew possible, so much so, that he thought it rather comical, "Would you not shout things like that?"
"Go back to the bikes." Naruto demanded.
"No." Sasuke protested.
Naruto sucked in a great deep breath, "SASUKE UCHIHA LIKES THE DICK!"
The blond couldn't help but end up on the ground laughing, tears leaking, at the look on Sasuke's face.
Priceless will never cover it.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Naruto was pretty surprised that Sasuke was still in the parking lot of the store when he walked out with the sweet little clerk who offered to help him get the bikes to the car. He was even more surprised that when he actually approached the car Sasuke didn't drive off, wheels peeling. Naruto had an inkling that it was that debt, like it was yelling at him from the rear view mirror.
He didn't get out to help him get the bikes rammed awkwardly in the back seat and he didn't acknowledge the blond when he got in.
Naruto guessed, by the rare (if not first time) red tint that still had traces lingering on Sasuke's face, and the fixed glare and locked jaw, he was guessing he really pissed him off.
"Uh, I looked up on the computer-"
"I know where the indoor park is." Sasuke said bitterly.
"'Kay." Naruto said, shrinking into his seat with a hope he would melt.
"I should punch you in the face for shouting that." Sasuke muttered.
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, it was a joke."
Sasuke lifted up his phone and passed it over with a frown, the blond taking it rather reluctantly and glancing over at the raven who seemed libel to explode.
"Go ahead."
Naruto flipped it open.
'17 New Messages'
"You should check this more often."
Sasuke snorted, "They started coming in twenty minutes ago."
Naruto gulped and clicked on the first message with the all knowing DOOM circling overhead. From Itachi:
From Karin:
'Sakura just texted me from work. Said something about you being gay with some blond guy. The weird one?'
"Keep going."
From Juugo:
'Is that why you were slacking on the project?'
"Keep going."
From Suigetsu:
'Fruit.'
"Go on…"
From Itachi:
'To my darling little brother. Congrats. I heard you took a new liking. Keep enjoying your gift…
'I knew it, by the way. Just because of your hair.'
Naruto stifled a laugh and refused to look over at Sasuke.
"Last one. The one I want you to read before you die."
From Kakashi:
Naruto's heart fell to the floor.
'Congrats on the announcement. You finally came out with it? Good, I sent a large box of condoms.'
Naruto turned and looked over at Sasuke and wondered possibly if some director ever asked him to star in a movie as the role of a murderer. Right now he looked the part.
"I was just joking…?" Naruto shrunk in his seat.
"I swear Naruto, I'm going to beat the shit out of you." Sasuke growled.
"Uh…uh…um. Wait! The stipulation for the bikes was a kiss! I have the bikes!" Naruto proclaimed, pointing to the back, "You have to kiss me!"
"Bullshit," Sasuke growled, "You said you would lie."
"Well, deal's off."
If it meant it would save him from a beating, even for a little, Naruto would risk it.
Naruto was more relieved than surprised that when he leaned across the middle console Sasuke didn't take his head and bash it against the window. He was more surprised than relived
when Sasuke didn't pull back from the kiss, but did one better, and pressed back. Naruto's eyelids snapped wide open when he felt Sasuke's fingers slide into his hair, and winced when he tightened his hold to a harsh point. Sasuke pulled Naruto's face back and glared, barely letting up when blue eyes watered and didn't flinch when the blond swung a wild punch.
"Pull this kissing shit again, and I'll fucking kill you."
"I get it! Drama queen!" Naruto shouted shoving out of Sasuke's death hold and scurrying over to his side of the car.
Sasuke unconsciously licked at his lips while Naruto struggled with buckling his seat belt, yelling about possessed buckles, and lightly smiling.
For some reason, he hoped the idiot liked dancing with death.
Sasuke sat on the bike and held his breath as he watched Naruto do another back flip on the small bike to a round of applause by the onlookers and fellow riders. He couldn't help but spend a few moments showing off as the crowds got bigger. The blond skidded to a halt and smiled brightly as people gathered around, patting his back and chatting loudly about his impressive trick. People asked about other things he could do, which younger admirers asked if he could teach them.
Naruto smiled on, talking loudly and in an animated fashion as still sat on his bike. He talked about all the tricks he had been able to accomplish and all the others that he was still trying to defeat. He tapped helmets of younger riders and lightly told them tricks and tips before riding over to where Sasuke sat.
Naruto snorted as he skidded to a halt once more in front of Sasuke, "Wow, you're actually risking your hair style for me?"
"Keep dreaming."
"Now," Naruto started, grinning, "I'm going to teach you how to ride a bike. I forgot the training wheels, so please forgive me."
"I know how to ride a bike, dobe."
"Oh," Naruto said, chuckling a bit, "I had to teach myself."
"What are you implying?" Sasuke growled.
The blond wheeled backwards slightly, swallowing, "I don't know. I just…you made it seem like your parents were always busy."
"You really thought I didn't know how to ride a bike?"
"Yeah."
"You're such an idiot." Sasuke muttered.
"Shukamaru taught you, didn't he?" Naruto laughed, leaning forward on the handle bars.
The raven glared, "Teach me a fucking trick and let's go home.
The ride back was quiet to the point Naruto wanted to scream just to make Sasuke snap at him, anything just to ease the air of the awful tension. He was sure he knew what the point of tension was. Apparently where Naruto's parents were still an easy topic to discuss, Sasuke's parents were still a touchy subject.
"Sorry." Naruto finally said, "But if you don't want people talking about your parents, say so."
"Okay," Sasuke said, watching the road, "Don't talk period."
Naruto deflated, actually happy to hear Sasuke's sarcasm, "I mean it."
"Don't bring up my parents."
"There you go." Naruto said simply, "One day your frigid ass might melt."
"One day your loud ass will shut up."
"And one day the two of you will become the best of friends." Shikamaru said simply from the chair in the living room.
The two had found their way up the stairs, and in the apartment without realizing it really, bickering in their own little world.
"Yeah right," Naruto commented, taking off his coat, "I doubt that. How did you two become friends?"
Shikamaru chuckled, "I was in my sandbox, and little Sasuke came to take it over. I kicked him in the stomach, he made me eat sand, and here we are."
Sasuke glared when Naruto laughed, "That was your first memory."
"Right. My dad said in our first meeting when we were not even two, he pulled my hair and shoved his fist in my mouth." Shikamaru said chuckling when Naruto laughed loudly and Sasuke scowled.
"Damn teme, a frigid prick even at a tender age of two. How did you actually become friends?"
Sasuke sighed, "For a genius, he's clumsy."
"I broke my ankle when we were playing in the woods. We were seven, and I cried like a baby."
"He's heavy." Sasuke growled.
"Yeah, that's right. The great Sasuke Uchiha carried me."
Naruto was laughing hard by this point, the two friends carrying on back and forth. Shikamaru smirking as he recalled the memory and Sasuke glaring as if hoping to make someone burst into flames.
"He was pretty calm at first, till he realized the bone came through the skin." Shikamaru said coolly, and laughed when Naruto shivered and made a loud disgusted noise, then shivered again.
"Yeah, you weren't there." Sasuke added under his breath as he stood next to the blond whose upper lip was curled.
"Yeah, you weren't." Shikamaru added, laughing when the two gave shocked faces because he could hear them, "You should have been. Especially to see the little shit lose all composure and freak out."
"Asshole." Sasuke commented.
"Hell," Naruto commented, "I would have thrown up and passed out, so good on you."
"But, I still made his violin recital." Shikamaru said matter-of-factly. "I might have been out of it and in a wheelchair, but I made it."
Naruto blinked, "You've heard him play?"
"Too many times."
"Is he good?"
"Too good."
"You know, I'm right here." Sasuke said dully.
"Can I hear you play bastard?" Naruto said excitedly, "Just once?"
"Can I hear you shut up?" Sasuke replied sarcastically, walking off towards his room, "Just once?"
Naruto stuck his tongue out childishly when the door shut and jumped when he felt a hand touch his shoulder, but followed Shikamaru into the kitchen regardless.
"He'll play for you. And despite what you think, you're already friends."
Naruto snorted and let out a laugh, "Yeah right. And what makes you think we're friends?"
Shikamaru shrugged frowning as he looked in the fridge, and the stopped when Naruto reached over head of him and opened the freezer and pulled out three meals to be cooked in the microwave for a early dinner.
"Because he's a very private person, Sasuke is." Shikamaru said, leaning against the fridge, "But letting you into his life just a little with something he enjoys, it's how he makes his friends."
"So even though you knew him because of your parents…"
"I was the first person to go see him play."
"Wait…what?"
"That is something you'll have to discuss with him." Shikamaru said, holding up his hands, surrendering.
"What about Chouji?"
"How they became friends?"
"All you guys? Shino, Kiba and Chouji. How did all of you guys become friends with Sasuke?"
"Kiba got him into martial arts, but which style, I'm not even sure. When they find time, they still run down and spar, and Kiba always gets hurt. Shino, hm, I think they met around the same time I introduced him to Kiba in high school. They became friends when Shino was reading a book by an author Sasuke really liked. Sasuke was the one who taught Chouji how to cook properly."
Naruto snorted, "So how do you think we're friends?"
"All the signs are there. Just think about it." Shikamaru said, grabbing the food from Naruto's hands and shuffling off.
The blond frowned, but grabbed the other two dishes from the microwave nonetheless and grabbed the forks from the counter and headed towards Sasuke's room, noticing the clock showed Sasuke still had time before he had to rush off before school.
He bumped the door open with his hip and was greeted with a scowling Sasuke standing in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest looking rather…
"You looked pissed." Naruto commented offhandedly.
"From now on, if you have questions about me, just ask me. I don't care who started it either." Sasuke added when Naruto opened his mouth. "Now do you want to hear it or not, dobe? I need to get ready for class."
Naruto looked around the angry young man and found an open case, the violin and bow sitting out on the bed waiting to be played.
It didn't take long for Naruto to realize exactly what Shikamaru meant.
Author's Note: I swear they make the Gibson's that color.