Everything in Between
Chapter 12
--
"No…don't get up," Neji felt himself waking up as Gaara slipped out of his arms to get out of the bed. "Just a little longer."
"Someone's at the door." Gaara advised him, and Neji realized he could hear knocking now that he concentrated on something other than the warm person beside him leaving.
"'Stoo early." Neji was seriously beginning to suspect that Gaara never actually slept. He had asked, and Gaara had confirmed this suspicion, but Neji had thought that surely he slept sometimes. However, Neji had yet to witness it, and whenever he woke up, Gaara was always getting out of bed, already gone, or sometimes in bed, staring at him. He imagined this had to be a bit boring, even though he was amazingly attractive, so he probably welcomed the prospect of a visitor. "Come back to bed."
Gaara actually gave him a small smile before opening the door. Neji huffed in annoyance and rolled so he was facing the wall, but he knew once Gaara came back to bed, which he inevitably would, his irritation would dissolve.
"Hey," Naruto stood at the door, his hair still damp from a fresh shower, wearing a fresh set of clothes. When he woke up in his costume, he had badly wanted out of it. Sasuke wanted to help, but Naruto had to explain that wasn't exactly what he meant. "Is…is Neji here?"
"Why?" Gaara moved so he was blocking the doorway better and narrowed his eyes. Naruto had punched Neji last night, and whatever Neji said, Gaara wasn't going to risk a repeat of the situation.
"I wanted to apologize." Naruto flushed as he spoke. "Last night, he said some things and I got upset, but…I'm glad that he said them, because it made me think, and now I…"
"Apology accepted, now go away." Neji turned over so he was facing the doorway. "Gaara, come on."
"You better never do anything like that again." Gaara told him in as threatening a tone as he could muster when he kept thinking about what he'd do to Neji when he climbed back in bed with him.
"I won't, I won't, I was just kind of overcome." Naruto smiled brilliantly. "Sasuke and I are together now."
"Great, go away!" Neji repeated, extending his hands in a beckoning gesture that Naruto knew was not meant for him. Gaara glanced back at Neji, shrugged, and closed the door. Naruto felt a wave of relief sweep over him. Somehow he'd thought there would be a lot of people upset with his new relationship, but it seemed at least Neji and Gaara could care less, which meant in their weird, repressed way that they might be happy for him. It was hard to say. He went back to his room, wanting to tell his roommates about what had happened, but they were both still asleep. It wasn't that early. Someone had to be awake. He considered briefly going back to bed to snuggle against Sasuke, but then he had a better idea, one that would at least expend some of his exuberant energy.
Pulling on his shoes, he nearly jogged to the café, which was just opening, and beamed in excitement when he saw Lee working, even though it was pretty clear from looking at the usually energetic young man that he was either severely ill, or severely hung over.
"Hey Lee!" he greeted, and was rewarded with a weak smile. "Too much fun last night?"
"I'm not sure, to be truthful." Lee frowned slightly. "I woke up in my bed reeking of liquor, so I suppose I must have overindulged."
"Sasuke and I are together now!" he realized he couldn't hold the truth in any longer, and Lee blinked at him in surprise.
"Truly, this is an unexpected twist in the story of Sakura and me." Lee considered. "She learns of Sasuke's preferences and turns away from him, mourning quietly and gracefully, becoming only more beautiful in the depths of youthful passion. Then my only other rival turns away from her in favor of the same man she once pursued. I am glad to see that even when I triumph, we can all be happy."
"Thanks!" Naruto beamed. "Oh, could I get two coffees and two breakfast sandwiches? And an order of hash browns to split. Sasuke's still sleeping, and I want to surprise him with breakfast in bed."
"Excellent idea." Lee nodded thoughtfully. "I should do the same for dear Sakura. Now that the path has been cleared, no offense of course, she will see as clearly as I have that this is destiny."
"Well, I wouldn't say it's totally clear." Naruto dug out his wallet and paid for his order. "Hey, want me to come back and help make it? I could grab an apron real quick, no one would notice."
"That would be very good of you…" Lee trailed off, staring at the coffee pot as though it held some secret truth in its opaque depths. "Naruto?"
"Uh huh?" Naruto was already frying the eggs, and Lee tossed a couple sausage patties on the grill as well while Naruto located some biscuits to split for the sandwiches.
"When you say it isn't totally clear, you talk of the pathway I am on that leads me to Sakura, and vice versa?" he asked, pulling out the hash browns and pouring a generous amount onto the grill while Naruto split the biscuits.
"Well, I just meant…I mean, maybe I was imagining things, but did you see how she was with Sai last night?" Naruto chuckled, realizing a bit too late that he wasn't really doing Sai any favors by pointing this out to Lee, who would now probably redirect his energies to defeating this new "obstacle."
"What do you mean?" Lee narrowed his eyes and poured the coffee, adding cream and sugar to Naruto's.
"Sasuke takes his black, I think." Naruto told him before he could alter the other one. "Well…never mind. It was probably nothing."
"You think this Sai has feelings for Sakura?" Lee asked.
"I don't know, I just thought they looked kind of already like a couple. Which they aren't! But they looked like it, so it was just a joke…kind of, so you don't really have to worry, because I'm sure they're just friends."
"Like Sasuke and you?" Lee flipped the sausages more violently than necessary.
"Yeah, like…no, not at all like that!" Naruto thought desperately of some way to fix this. "Like…um, like how Hinata and Sakura are friends. They're just friends!"
"Yes, because Hinata is in love with you." Lee responded bitterly, and Naruto's jaw dropped as suddenly several different things about Hinata made sense. "Besides, unless I am much mistaken, neither of them are interested in other women. Although it seems already most of our group seems to be pairing up that way."
Maybe I shouldn't tell everyone about Sasuke and I…at least not right away.
"That's not…I mean," Naruto knew that Lee didn't mean to offend him, he was just frustrated with his continued failures with Sakura, and Naruto wondered what would happen if she really did never get together with Lee. He wasn't sure she saw Lee in a romantic light at all, so it would be something of a stretch for her to decide to date him out of the blue. "Have you ever thought maybe that Sakura and you would be better off as friends?" he attempted, scooping the hash browns into a to-go container. Lee gave him a look so full of venom he thought that the other man might punch him right here in the café, but instead, he hurriedly slapped the sandwiches together and put them in with the hash browns.
"There's your food." He told Naruto. "Now go."
Naruto felt extremely guilty as he trudged back to the house, not at all as cheerful as he had been all morning. Hinata had a crush on him? And he'd made things difficult for Sai, as well. Lee was upset with him now, and Sakura probably wouldn't thank him for possibly causing more drama around her. Honestly, after everything that had already happened, she probably didn't even want a relationship anymore. He sighed heavily as he stood outside his door, thinking of Kiba, who he knew wanted desperately to get with Hinata, and seeing now why his efforts had not paid off. Blinking, he realized that he was holding the breakfast he'd meant to share with Sasuke, and he felt a surge of happiness push the sudden worries to the back of his mind as he turned down the hall and crept back into Sasuke's room. He noticed Shikamaru in his own bed and wondered when the other man had come back, because he didn't remember it at all. Sasuke was still wearing his almost-finished costume, and Naruto couldn't stop himself from chuckling as he set the food down and took off his shoes, climbing back into the bed, sitting up with his legs under the covers. Sasuke stirred, opened his eyes in alarm at the sudden presence of another person, saw Naruto, and smiled sleepily, trying to make him lie down.
"I got us breakfast." Naruto whispered, not wanting to wake Shikamaru. "And look, coffee." He held out the beverage, wafting the scent toward Sasuke, who let out a soft noise of content, yawning and forcing himself up into a sitting position.
"Wha' timesit?" he slurred sleepily, blinking as though his room in the morning was a completely alien landscape.
"Eight fifteen." Naruto craned his neck to see Sasuke's alarm clock.
"I don' think…" Sasuke yawned hugely again, and then seemed to wake up a little as he took a sip of coffee. "I don't think I've ever been awake this early on a weekend in my whole life."
"Careful, Shikamaru's sleeping." Naruto made a hushing gesture, since Sasuke was speaking at a normal volume.
"Don't worry, he'd sleep through anything." Sasuke looked with interest at the containers Naruto had lifted onto the bed. His internal hatred of crumbs in the bed was at war with his enthusiasm for the idea of breakfast in bed with Naruto. So far, the latter was winning. "Are there hash browns?"
"Yep," Naruto grinned, then realized he didn't have a fork, and looked around as though one would materialize. "And the sandwiches."
"Mmm," Sasuke would probably deny ever having mad a yummy noise if Naruto told anyone else, but he wasn't especially eager to share his private moments with the rest of his friends. "Can you get me a fork?" he asked, his eyes wide and pleading. "Bottom drawer of my nightstand."
"You have dishes in here?" Naruto was shocked to see a bowl, two plates, two cups, and several pieces of silverware. "I thought eating was outlawed in here. I was worried you wouldn't want the breakfast actually in your bed."
"I know how to eat properly." Sasuke explained primly, and then scooped a huge forkful of steaming hash browns into his mouth, somewhat undermining the believability of his claim. "Thanks." He spoke after he had swallowed the food, and Naruto felt warm all over. Two weeks ago, he would never have thought he might change his mind and get together with Sasuke, but now he was glad he had. The thought of him going his whole life without thinking he could be this way with another man, never giving Sasuke the chance he so desperately wanted…it was unthinkable now.
How is it that I took so long to see this?
"This is nice." He told Sasuke, leaning over kiss the corner of his mouth, immediately distracting the other from his breakfast. "Thanks for not just giving up on my stupid stubborn self."
"How could I?" Sasuke asked. "No one else can make me feel this way."
"Oh," Naruto flushed, not sure what he could possibly say to something like that. Sasuke was guarded, but he was also so intense. It was like there was a wall, and once you were able to get inside of it, every emotion was concentrated and flooding, bursting forth, eager to finally be seen and felt. Naruto thought anything he could say would seem watered down in comparison. "Do you think anyone noticed last night?" he changed the subject to something he felt he could probably manage at reasonably well.
"What?" Sasuke was still devouring the hash browns, and Naruto decided he enjoyed watching him eat more than he actually wanted any for himself.
"That you never showed up. That I was gone the whole night from my own party." Naruto shrugged. "It wouldn't be hard to put two and two together. I found out from Kiba that everyone knew you had a thing for me, anyway, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for them to see what happened."
"So?" Sasuke shoved over the hash browns to a vaguely surprised Naruto, who had thought that Sasuke would probably bite him if he tried to get any of them. "I don't care if anyone knows. Do you?"
"Well," Naruto sighed. "I mean, this morning, I wanted to tell everyone. I wanted to like…post bulletins all around campus, and stuff like that. I told Neji and Gaara when I went to apologize for hitting Neji, and then when I got our breakfast, I told Lee."
"And?" Sasuke could tell that there was something going on, and he would wait until Naruto came out with it already. "Now do you still want to tell everyone? Did someone say something about it? Because I can—"
"No!" Naruto waved his hands, seeing where Sasuke's thoughts were leading. "No, they all seemed happy for us. Well, Neji just wanted Gaara to go back to bed…but yeah, I mean, you know how they are. But Lee said something that made me think maybe it's not the best idea to tell everyone."
"What did he say?" Sasuke bit into his sandwich viciously, wondering if he was going to have to beat the crap out of Lee.
"He said…Hinata's in…he said she has a crush on me." He toned the language down a bit, not wanting Sasuke to go charging down the hall and punching Hinata, of all people. He wasn't sure Sasuke would go that far, but he also wasn't sure he wouldn't go that far. "And then there's Ino, Ino still really likes you, right? I mean, Sakura seems like she's moved on, and Kiba and I were saying she might actually…well, I just mean, don't you think they'd be a little upset if we told them? Maybe…we should try to break it to them gently, you know?"
"Why?" Sasuke scowled. Hinata, huh? He couldn't trust any of those damn Hyuugas. "What's the point of letting them think they have a chance when they don't? Besides, I've already told Ino I'm gay several times, and I don't think her walking in on you and me having sex would make her believe it, so honestly, I'm really not concerned with how she'll feel about it."
"Oh," Naruto flushed brilliantly red at Sasuke's words. "But they're our friends. And Hinata isn't quite as…pushy as Ino. I don't want to hurt her feelings."
"So now it's a secret?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Some secret. Shikamaru knows, who knows who else he told. Neji and Gaara never talk to anyone, so that's pretty safe, but Lee knows, too. You better break it to her gently pretty fast, or she'll just find out from the gossip train. As soon as Kiba or Kankurou or Ino finds out, everyone will know."
"Fine, I'll tell her today." Naruto sighed, feeling unaccountably nervous. "But I'll tell her by myself."
"What?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.
"I'm not going to do anything with her." Naruto could tell what Sasuke was worried about. "I just…don't think you could resist saying something cruel, and I really don't want to hurt her feelings any more than I have to, okay?"
"I can be gentle." Sasuke grumbled, and Naruto leaned over, kissing him softly.
"I know." He whispered, and Sasuke suddenly wasn't that annoyed anymore.
--
"I am so happy you have visited." Hinata was beaming at him, her cheeks pinked with pleasure as she poured tea for both of them. "Would you like some cookies?"
"Oh, sure." Naruto was trying not to be nervous, and also trying not to wish that Sasuke was here with him. He was not afraid of her…he just…didn't like being mean to people, and he wasn't sure what would happen after he broke the news to her. He couldn't help wishing that someone else was here, but he knew that would just make it harder on her.
"You left the party so quickly last night." She put down the plate of cookies after he grabbed one, chewing at it nervously. "I hope we were not bothering you."
"No, no not at all!" Naruto assured her. "No, I just…had something I had to do."
"Well, that makes sense." She nodded. "We are all college students, and we have many things we must do."
"Yeah." He nodded, licking his lips and taking a deep breath. "Look, Hinata, I came here to tell you something."
"R…really?" she set her tea down, her hands shaking as she did. "What did you want to tell me?"
"First of all," he sat up as straight as possible, setting his own tea down as well. "I want you to know that I think you're really…well, I think you're really awesome, and really nice and a lot of fun to hang out with and stuff, and I really like being friends with you."
"Yes, I feel the same way." She beamed, her cheeks glowing with excitement.
"And I want you to know that your support means a lot to me, because…well, I really think you know a lot, and if you think something is good, that means it is." He told her. "Which is why I'm really hoping you'll be happy when I tell you that I'm dating Sasuke."
"Oh!" the shock was clear on her face, and her posture changed, but it was a mark of how she was raised that she recovered herself with grace. "That is…very good news." She smiled at him, but he could see that she was forcing it.
"Hinata…oh, come on!" he threw up his hands. "Don't fake it! Look, I'm really sorry, but I thought maybe if it came from me, it wouldn't seem so bad, because I heard you maybe…were interested in me, and I really do love hanging out with you, and I don't want you to hate me. So please don't be upset, okay?"
"I…I am pleased for you." She told him, her voice wavering.
"If it makes you feel better, Kiba has a monster crush on you." Naruto told her, not really knowing what he was supposed to say. She giggled at that, but it sounded dangerously close to a sob, and Naruto stood up, extending his arms. "Come on, then."
"Wh…what?" she asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Just," he hefted her up and embraced her so suddenly she felt all the air rush out of her. She gasped at the unexpected gesture, but as she let herself sink into his arms, she realized that she was clutching at him, and the tears came then, thick and strong. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry." She told him after awhile, and he held her at arm's length, giving her a sad smile. "I really want you to be happy."
"I want you to be happy, too." He told her. "I'm sorry that I couldn't—"
"Hush," she shook her head. "You can't control these things. You are very lucky if you have found someone you care about who cares about you. I know that Sasuke cares a great deal for you. I have seen the way he is around you, and I know that if I cannot have you, there is no one I would rather trust you to."
"Thanks." He kissed her forehead and she gave him a watery smile. "So, still friends?"
"Of course." She assured him, sniffling slightly.
"I was serious about Kiba, by the way. You should look into that." Naruto told her, winking and leaving the room. Hinata sat down, ready to be overcome with tears, but found that she felt strangely peaceful. Naruto was a very good man, and she had seen that from the first time she met him, but that did not mean she could not live without him. There were other good men in the world, she could always find someone else.
She sighed softly and picked up her tea, sipping at it thoughtfully.
Kiba?
He is a good man, as well.
Perhaps, with time…
--
"This is completely unacceptable." Ino slammed her door shut and threw herself onto her bed dramatically. Tenten glanced up from her books, waiting for her roommate to continue, which of course, she did. "I mean, right from the very first moment I saw him, I knew that I was meant to be with Sasuke, and I've done everything to make sure he could see that too! I've been wearing my most respectable outfits, then that didn't work so I wore my most respectable but still alluring outfits, and then that didn't work, so I cut straight to the most alluring outfits, and all I've managed to do is make his roommate ogle me! I made him food, I visited him, I walked him home, walked him to class, let him see how interesting I am, asked him about himself, I just…I just don't know what more he wants from me!"
"A dick?" Tenten muttered, and Ino shot her a venomous glare. "What? I mean, he's gay, right?"
"You're thinking so small." Ino snorted. "Honestly, it's no wonder you don't have a boyfriend yet."
"Neither do you." Tenten frowned. "And who said I want a boyfriend?"
"Of course you do." Ino rolled her eyes. "What, your life's ambition is to be a ball-busting lawyer with no husband, no kids, and like, ten cats?"
"Why are you angry at me?" Tenten asked. "I mean, he told you he was gay! He's dating Naruto now. Who's a guy! Which is generally what gay men are after! I don't see why you have to get pissy with me about it!"
"Tenten, I'm going to show you!" she told her roommate in a sharp tone. "You'll see that no matter what anyone says, you can always get what you want!"
"He's already—" Ino stormed out of the room, and Tenten sighed softly. "dating Naruto." She finished, rolled here eyes, and turned back to her book. She attempted to read for ten minutes before getting up, leaving the room, and wandering down the hall. She knocked on Shino's door, telling herself that Ino's comments hadn't bothered her at all. She just…needed to spend time with someone who wasn't constantly plotting an impossible infiltration of Sasuke's pants.
"Hello." Shino answered the door. "Would you like to come in?"
"Yes," she felt herself relax as she passed through the door. She looked around, able to see the different terrariums and containers with their inhabitants much better now that the lights were on and she wasn't trying to get Lee into his bed while also making sure he didn't puke on her. "Thanks, I'm just really…needed to stop studying for a bit, I guess."
"You're welcome here." He told her. "Did you want to see my pets?" he asked, and she nodded, expecting him to show her each one, but instead, he gestured forward, and she moved close, looking at the various insects and arachnids contained within them.
"How long have you had these?" she asked, and Shino shrugged as she peered into a cage full of twigs and walking sticks, trying to see which bits were alive, and which weren't.
"I started collecting when I was five." He told her. "I brought home a spider. My mother screamed and told me to get rid of it. I kept it in a jar under my bed."
"So, how do you feed them?" she asked. "I mean, the ones that aren't herbivores. Can you like, go buy a bunch of flies or whatever?"
"The carnivorous ones have slitted roofs to allow feed insects in. However, if I notice that one of them is sluggish, I can always purchase crickets from the pet store. Luckily, the smaller ones don't eat much, as I'm not positive they could kill a cricket without being severely injured."
"Do any of them have special needs?" she asked, turning to face him. "Like, do you need to keep their cages a certain temperature?"
"No." he answered. "To me, entomology is the study of the world's most sturdy and diverse life forms. They have purposes that many people find disgusting, but without them, the world would suffer terribly. People will say that an insect has no purpose, because its purpose does not specifically serve humans, but the world is made up of more than that."
"That…was very poetic," she smiled. "I don't think I've ever heard someone so passionate about insects before."
"There are arachnids here as well." He pointed out, and she took a step closer to him.
"Of course." She reached up and pulled off his sunglasses. "Are you sensitive to the light?"
"Yes." He told her. "It's a slight defect. My eye doctor advised me to always wear UV protective lenses to protect my vision."
"And your skin?" she asked, touching the zipper of his nearly always present coat, the collar of which ended at his nose.
"I burn very very easily." He told her. "It is related."
"Do your eyes hurt right now?" she asked, dangling the shades in one hand, and he blinked at her, his eyes a pale blue like ice that seemed completely unreal to her.
"I try to use lamps with low wattage bulbs." He explained. "Since the shades are drawn, I am not bothered simply by the light in here. I wear them at all times so that I never forget, because when I do, it is painful, and potentially dangerous."
"Does everything look different with them off?" she asked.
"Brighter." He answered. He paused, reached up, and unzipped the coat, setting it to one side. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt, but the sight of his face, completely uncovered, only the second time she had seen him this way, caused Tenten to shudder. "Is this what you want?"
"I…I don't know what you mean." She flushed deeply, and he reached forward, touching her red cheek as though he couldn't believe it was real.
"You look so warm." He told her, and when she was left speechless, he pulled his hand away again, looking down at his white fingers as though her heat might have burned him. "I like you." He told her, and Tenten was struck dumb once more. "We should have a date. If that seems agreeable to you."
"I…no one's ever just…just like that…" she stuttered, feeling completely wrong footed. Part of her knew, this was what she had wanted, but to see him turn to her so easily, so swiftly, completely threw her off.
"Have I done it wrong?" he asked, brow furrowing. "If you would prefer not to do that, we can be friends. You can visit my friends and I any time you wish, either way."
"Th—thanks." She looked up at him, and seized with a sudden determination, went on tiptoe, pecking him on the cheek before turning to flee the room.
Later, Tenten couldn't even remember why she'd first gone to Shino's room.
--
To be continued…
