Part III : Experimenting
Chapter 13 : Conduct
Finally.
Something seems to have given, if the Uchiha's resigned nature Monday morning is any indication. Kakashi isn't sure how the little blonde beat some tolerance into Sasuke, but he managed. They came waltzing – well, Naruto was waltzing and Sasuke was dragging his heels – into homeroom together. Sasuke didn't have a chance to try to sit alone before Naruto was tugging on his jacket, pulling him to the back with him.
Kakashi lets out an inaudible sigh of relief. He doesn't want to admit that maybe he was getting a little afraid of his chances with this bet. That ill-tempered raven can be so difficult to reason with; perhaps he was setting his sights too high on thinking Naruto could handle him.
But here they are once more. Some sort of breakthrough must have happened. Hopefully it will be the last one needed. God knows Uzumaki Naruto is not the most patient person in the world. If any other issues arise, it will be best if the boys deal with it in a timely and concise manner.
Kakashi keeps an unsuspecting eye on them throughout homeroom, oddly elated by the easy companionship between them. He realizes it was rash and intrusive to make a bet concerning the relationships of his students, but perhaps this really was needed. He's never seen Sasuke look this at ease, not even in the prior couple of months. Whatever happened to get them back together seems to have made him lighten up considerably. It's terrifying to Kakashi, to be quite honest, that Naruto has the ability to tame even that. Is there no limit to the blonde's charismatic capabilities?
The silver haired teacher is happy to note that he's not the only one pleasantly surprised at the turn of events. When Kiba enters the room, the shock is evident on his face that Sasuke has rejoined them in the back, but it quickly morphs into a pleased smile by the time he sits down.
Given Naruto's over-the-top flirtatious attitude that has been thrown at females up to this point, Kakashi is appreciative that the blonde has an accepting friend like Kiba. The brunette effortlessly molded this new concept into their friendship without giving Naruto a moment of doubt.
Not just him, either. Kakashi has heard several little rumors of Ino and Naruto being back on good terms. That doesn't surprise the teacher in the least. It was only a matter of time before Ino cracked and wanted a comrade, seeking help in an old friend. It's better for that girl to be on Naruto's side, anyways. Perhaps she can talk Sakura into leaving Sasuke alone, so Kakashi doesn't have to put boys up to asking her out.
Kakashi wasn't surprised when she said yes to Kei; he bares the same basic semblance of Sasuke. Girls go for that tall, dark, and handsome vibe for some reason. The silver haired teacher supposed he could make efforts to get Ino and her crush together, but he already has one project going on.
The final bell goes off, signaling the official start of homeroom. Ah, he actually has announcements to give out today. Good luck on that one, he reprimands himself. These students are used to being undisciplined chatterboxes.
Kakashi clears his throat and casts a bored glance around the room. Everyone settles down and turns their attention forward at the uncharacteristic interruption. Everyone except Naruto, who's still looking at Sasuke like he hung the moon in the sky. Kakashi resists rolling his eyes. That boy has it bad, whether he admits it or not.
"Midterms are coming up soon." A collective groan and murmur sounds from around the room at Kakashi's statement. "Wednesday will be a half day of school for Teacher Conferences." That seems to perk them up. The silver haired teacher chuckles to himself; some things never change, like students loathing school. And here he tries so hard to make it enjoyable.
Oh well, he thinks vacantly, lifting his glorious little book back up to pass the time. At least he enjoys himself.
"Tell me why we're studying at Java's again, when I have to go back to your house anyways to get my car and stuff?" Sasuke rolls his eyes and wonders if he should even bother replying. Maybe if he stays quiet long enough the idiot will stop pestering him.
"I really could have drove myself today, anyways, you know. You just want to get me back at your house." Naruto casts a flirty grin over his shoulder, much to Sasuke's annoyance. Either the blonde is in soaring spirits today, or he's getting far too comfortable with the raven. Naruto has had his affectionate attention all over the raven since they woke up. It's hard to tell if this is the blondes way of showing he truly is sure of what he wants, or if he's basking in having Sasuke's attention again.
He will admit, that might be his fault on some level. He caved embarrassingly easy last night to Naruto's advances, and even allowed him to stay the night. At which point he openly admitted some things he would rather keep to himself. There's no need to be getting the blonde all riled up and filled with hope. He stands by what he said; they will figure this out together. But the idea that at the end of it all there will be a relationship is absurd and not happening.
The raven did learn a few things last night that he can't complain about, though. Like how Naruto is blessed with a sensitivity that leaves him shaking – a fact Sasuke doubts the blonde even realizes when he's in the throes of passion. The boy has a way of focusing in on the pleasure and ignoring everything else.
He also took note that Naruto can be quite forward and giving when pushed. Usually the blonde is too shy and embarrassed about these things to reciprocate, let alone start. Anyone else, Sasuke would be annoyed at the back and forth method he has to take with getting anywhere. With Naruto though, it's almost… Endearing. To see this charismatic and fiery boy get taken down to Hinata-levels of shy is entertaining to no end.
Inhibition doesn't seem to be a problem for the blonde today, though. If Sasuke wasn't so irritated with himself for giving in last night, he might give Naruto a dose of his medicine. That would calm him down from embarrassment.
"Hey, boys." AJ smiles and nods at them as they come to the counter. "Nice to see you coming in together." The blonde owner gives Naruto a knowing smile before turning a grin onto Sasuke. "You want the same thing as usual?"
The raven gives her a curt nod and turns to go to the usual booth. Dealing with AJ and Naruto is not in the cards for today. That woman is too humored by their interactions; Sasuke thinks she might be worse about instigating events than Kakashi.
Not long after Sasuke takes a seat comes the blonde. Naruto slides into the booth across from him, practicality bouncing with energy.
The raven rolls his eyes, casting a narrowed gaze at the boy. "Why are you so hyper today?"
Naruto shrugs his shoulders. "Is it a crime to be in a good mood?"
"You haven't been like this in a while."
"Maybe I got a pick-me-up last night."
Sasuke scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Remind me not to it again. The aftermath is atrocious."
"Bullshit, teme. You know you want me."
"The way you flirt is shameful." Sasuke narrows his eyes at the blonde trying to feign innocence; he can't hold his composure for long before Naruto lets out a bark of laughter and turns a grin to the raven.
"Stop being so conceited. I'm not even remotely flirting with you, teme."
"Then you're just being obnoxious today."
"Wouldn't you usually say I always am?"
Sasuke scoffs and does not deny the validity of the statement. "Assignment, dobe."
Naruto rolls his eyes but dutifully takes his notebook out, as prepared to start as he'll ever be.
"Focus is behavior." Sasuke begins briskly. "What is social behavior?"
"I guess it's the way we act or respond to situations? I don't really see how it would differ from attitude."
"Attitude is your thought process towards an idea or person. Behavior is how you choose to conduct yourself once you're established your attitude. They meld together, but they're different concepts." Sasuke can tell from the look on Naruto's face, he's not grasping this concept. "Let's say you form the opinion that something is good, thus giving a positive attitude towards it. The behavior you'll likely exhibit will also be positive. If you have a negative opinion and attitude about something, your behavior will follow suit."
"What if someone has a positive view, but shows negative behavior?"
Sasuke sighs. "That's a dysfunctional personality trait. Mixing positive and negative responses isn't considered normal or typical behavior."
"Oh, so you admit you're abnormal?"
Sasuke levels a glare at the grinning blonde, but the raven doesn't rise to the bait. Naruto is pushing his luck today. It's baffling where this sudden raucous behavior is coming from.
"Question two," Sasuke states bitingly, "how might one person's behavior influence another?"
"I think people are easily swayed by another person's behavior. Like, if you're rude to someone, they'll probably treat you the same. Same with being nice. Of course, there's always the exception to the rule." Naruto glares at Sasuke and sniffs, obviously displeased.
That's just fine with the raven. He knows how to deal with an irritated Naruto. An overly friendly blonde, though…
"Behavior can be influenced by many factors, but human influence is a primary cause. That being said, there's no reason not to keep a level mind when confronted with outside behavior."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, dobe," Sasuke can't help the small smirk gracing his lips at the unhindered irritation Naruto is displaying, "that just because you want to throw yourself at me, doesn't mean I have to return the act."
Blushing furiously, Naruto drops his gaze to the table. "I already told you, teme, I'm not doing anything like that. I'm just happy that you're not avoiding me anymore. I feel better having you around."
Sasuke rolls his eyes but makes no comment. He fails to see what is so fantastic about spending time together; he's never kind or outgoing towards Naruto, and he works hard to not provide him with any expectations. There's something so vastly innocent about the attention Naruto covets. That's what throws Sasuke off the most. Naruto doesn't seem to want any specific thing out of him.
He's just so… Pure. Is it even fair that he's the one who's being sentenced to ruin that?
"Sasuke?" Naruto peers up at the raven curiously, reaching a hand out to tap his forehead. "You okay in there?" The blondes hand falls back to the table, though his eyes stay locked onto Sasuke.
"Question three," the raven states automatically, not sure how to reply to the inquiry. "Can you judge someone's personality based on their behavior?"
Naruto studies Sasuke's blank expression a moment longer before answering. "I think you can sometimes. Like we said, people are influenced constantly so their behavior will likely shift along with it. But for the most part, I think personality can be based around behavior."
"It also depends on the length of time you've known a person for. You cannot correlate someone's personality with their behavior if you've just met them; that's too unstable of a decision. You have to know someone's everyday actions and behaviors before you can say whether they match their personality."
"Yeah, I can see that." Naruto nods in agreement. "Even once you know someone, they can still show behavior that doesn't match their usual personality." The blonde bites his lip and turns towards the window. "Do I really annoy you? I thought we we'd gotten somewhere but it's so hard to tell with you."
Gotten somewhere? One blowjob and an exhausted confession of nerves does not mean they have progressed to anything. It means Sasuke needs to learn better control over his libido when presented with hot blondes, and to not partake in pillow talk.
Voicing this to Naruto does not seem like a good idea, though. Yes, the blonde is being too forward for Sasuke's taste, but he's not wanting to push him away again. That option achieves nothing, except for making Naruto pushier. In an attempt to keep his stress levels down, Sasuke will just deal with it.
"Stop worrying, dobe." The raven firmly states. "I said we'd figure things out. You've never cared before if you annoy me. Don't start now."
Naruto brightens considerably, dragging his eyes to the boy in front of him. "Yeah, teme? You promise?"
The raven scoffs and rolls his eyes. "How do ethics play a role in behavior?" He counters the unwanted question with a useful one. No sense in making promises. They're too easily broken.
"Ethics," the blonde repeats back dully, seemingly unable to recall their numerous prior discussions.
"Ethics are the moral beliefs and concepts that each person follows. In other words, how does your moral outlook affect your behavior?"
"I guess some people try to adhere to a moral code that guides their behavior. But, more often than not, I feel like people just do whatever they want to."
"I won't disagree. People will say they have a moral belief for their behavior, but not hold themselves to it when push comes to shove. Or, they try to excuse their behavior by saying it follows their ethics."
"Exactly!" Naruto nods emphatically. "This is why I don't drag morals into my shit. If I do something, then I do it. No need to excuse it or reason it with ethics."
Sasuke's gaze drifts up to the blonde momentarily before a smirk breaks out on his face. "You're a piece of work."
"Is that good or bad?"
The raven shrugs his shoulders. "It's good on you."
Naruto beams. "That sounds like a compliment." The blonde holds up a hand and rolls his eyes. "I know, next question to avoid having an actual talk."
Sasuke scoffs light heartedly. "We've been talking, dobe."
"This project doesn't count as a conversation."
"Why not? We learn more about each other through this than anything else."
"That's your fault." Naruto argues. "I'm perfectly open. You're the one who's hush hush about your life."
"Question five," Sasuke smirks at Naruto's scoff, "how does attitude influence behavior?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow and waits to see if the blonde will answer the redundant question. They've covered this ground in an earlier explanation.
Naruto leans his head back against the booth. "You answer it."
"No need." Sasuke starts packing up his stuff, not stopping even as the blonde sends an unsure glance his way. "We already answered it."
Naruto shrugs his shoulders, presumably not going to argue with this infallible logic presented to him. He follows Sasuke's example and starts packing up. "What are we going to do back at your place?"
Sasuke casts a haughty glance at the blonde beside him. "You're getting your stuff and going home."
"Why?" The confusion lacing Naruto's voice is enough to make Sasuke roll his eyes.
"You stayed last night."
"So?"
"So," Sasuke huffs out, "you can go home tonight. I don't need you over every night."
"You didn't seem to be complaining last night when you were cuddling me."
The raven shifts a disapproving glance to the boy slipping into the passenger seat. Is it necessary to bring such things up? He's not winning himself any favors.
"Will you help me with my homework?" Naruto gives a pleading glance to Sasuke, boyishly pouting.
Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Want me to cook dinner for you too?"
"That would be nice," the blonde replies thoughtfully.
Sasuke doesn't know whether to ignore the blonde or berate him. There is the third option of humoring him, though.
That offers up the possibility of Naruto thinking he can stay again. Which, sure, doesn't sound like an atrocious idea. But Naruto might take it to mean more than it does. Too many nights together seems like a commitment. That's the last thing Sasuke is offering tonight.
The drive back to the ravens house is surprisingly quiet – Sasuke didn't know Naruto could shut his mouth for this long.
Deciding to break the silence, Sasuke asks the blonde what homework he has to do.
"Japanese and Physics." The blonde says easily. "Do you think we could start studying in the library again?"
They hadn't been back to the library together since their dispute. Even today, when Sasuke had to wait for Naruto till 4:30, he spent it in the student council room, going over initiatives and complaints.
"Yeah, dobe. That's fine." It's strange for the blonde to show an interest in studying, but Sasuke isn't going to question it. The answer would probably be something like "I get to spend more time with you" or other statements that do not need to be stated.
The raven resists sighing in frustration and keeps his eyes on the road. He's thinking too much about this. He should focus his attention on something worthwhile. Something that doesn't concern Naruto.
"I'll help, and then you're going home." No need to keep him around any longer than necessary. The raven parks the car, cutting off the engine and makes the mistake of glancing at Naruto. To his surprise, blue eyes are already on him.
Before Sasuke can open his mouth to say anything, the blonde is pressing forward, sliding his lips against the ravens. Sasuke suppresses a moan, eyelids falling shut as Naruto's warm hand roams along his neck.
Something in the back of Sasuke's mind tells him he needs to stop giving so easily to the blonde against him, but hell if he could get himself to care. To think he was the one who started this whole thing. Naruto is doing a very good job at continuing it.
"Dobe," Sasuke mutters out between rough kisses, "we need to go inside."
"Fine here," the blonde growls out, nipping at Sasuke's jawline.
The raven lets out a ragged breath and reaches a hand to the car handle, pushing the door open. The sudden chill hits him like a bucket of water, bringing him to his senses. The raven blinks his eyes a few times, clearing his mind and pushing the blonde away slightly.
"Teme," Naruto whines out with a pout. His kiss swollen lips are far too enticing for Sasuke's sanity. That, along with the hooded eyes and the blush gracing his cheeks.
No, he tells himself sternly. He is not playing on Naruto's field. This is his game, and it will be done his way. With that sobering thought, Sasuke pushes out of the car, grabbing his bags on the way. He doesn't have to look behind him to know Naruto is following in a huff, if the slamming of the car door is any indication.
"Food or homework?" Sasuke asks over his shoulder. He's not sure if he's offering one or the other. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how much more time he can spend around the blonde and not throw him against a wall and push their boundaries.
"Food first." There's a happy lilt to Naruto's voice, making Sasuke roll his eyes. Too easy to please. "Let me help, yeah?"
The raven doesn't argue, allowing Naruto room to slip around him. The blonde immediately launches into preparations, content with his current work and ignoring Sasuke's existence. The raven sits back and lets him do as he wishes; it's like having a personal chef. One that he also gets to sleep with – given he doesn't send him home.
Which, he will be going home. There is no need for him to stay again. As much as he wants the physical relationship, Sasuke is positive this is meaning something entirely different to Naruto. Watching the blonde lollygag around the kitchen without a care in the world acknowledges this. If he really understood the dynamics of this arrangement, he wouldn't be so pleased. The raven isn't sure if it's best to let him live in his own little world, or try to talk about this.
Again.
"Dobe," Sasuke says coolly, "what do you think we're doing?" The ravens eyes follow the blonde as he bustles around the kitchen, hardly paying attention to anything other than the food.
"We're making dinner?" Blue eyes glance over quickly before returning to the pot on the stove.
Sasuke sighs; he's going to have to spell this out for the blonde. "What do you think our relationship is, in the simplest terms?"
Naruto pauses for a moment, letting that sink in. "Fuck buddies?" He turns a raised eyebrow to an exasperated raven. Sasuke waves a hand in the air, agreeing to the term without vocalizing his displeasure for the phrase.
"And you're fine with that?"
"Sure?" Naruto shrugs his shoulders. "When we first started all this, that's what we agreed to. I don't expect that to change."
Sasuke raises a disbelieving eyebrow. "You're really fine with that?"
"What do you want, teme?" The blonde finally turns his full attention to the raven. "Me to throw a tantrum and demand that you date me, when I don't think it's something either of us are wanting?" Naruto sighs and turns back to the stove. "I'm fine with how things are. I'm not gonna push."
Despite that Naruto is saying everything Sasuke wants to hear, the raven feels highly unsettled. It feels like the blonde is giving in far too easily to the dynamics that Sasuke is setting up. Few things in the raven's life turn out for the best, and he doesn't expect this to be one of them.
"Food's done!" Naruto hums happily as he gets out plates – disturbing Sasuke that he knows the layout of the kitchen already – and dishes out the food. "We can eat in here, yeah? I have nightmares about that dining room table combined with homework."
Sasuke rolls his eyes. "And where do you suggest we study at?"
Naruto slides a plate in front of the raven. "You have a bedroom."
Onyx eyes narrow at the blonde. Is he trying to seduce his way into the ravens bed? Studying in his room is the worst idea; Sasuke's resolve towards Naruto is strained as it is.
"Bedrooms are not conducive to productive study sessions."
Naruto snorts and rolls his eyes. "Teme, you could study anywhere and be fine."
That's only true when he's not being tempted by stupid blondes that sprawl out on other people's beds.
A fact Naruto proves the moment they enter Sasuke's room after finishing dinner. Sasuke drops his bag beside his desk and sits down, watching as Naruto flops onto the bed.
"Okay." Naruto pulls his Physics book out of the bag next to him. "What are the answers?"
Sasuke scoffs at the hopeful idiot. "I'll help you, not do it for you."
"Fine," the blonde whines out, "come here and help."
"Just read the questions to me, dobe."
"That's too much effort." Naruto rolls onto his back and pouts, trailing pitiful eyes to the raven. "Can't we do something else?" The blonde stretches out, arching his back off the bed and groaning.
Sasuke sighs and stands up, casually coming to stand in front of the blonde. "Do you want to study or are you trying to seduce me?"
Naruto's eyes widen innocently. "I don't really want to study, but I wasn't trying anything either." The blonde reaches his arms out to trail along Sasuke's hips. "You want me enough that just stretching turns you on?" Naruto grins cockily and meets the ravens eyes. "You can have me, you know."
A jolt goes down Sasuke's spine at the offer. "Naruto," the raven runs a hand through blonde bangs, "do you know what you're saying?"
Blue eyes swim with confusion. "Um, I'm saying we can do stuff like last night?"
"Mmh," Sasuke mumbles in agreement, "just like last night, or more?"
"No sex." The blonde says quickly. "But," he hitches his fingers through the belt loops of Sasuke's pants and pulls him forward a step. "I can do more."
The raven smirks down at the blonde. "In this position?" Sasuke admires how close Naruto is to the edge of the bed. He could definitely take advantage of these circumstances.
"We can," Naruto says slowly, "but you'll be doing most of the work, I think."
That is more than fine with Sasuke. Being in control of the situation is not a problem. Sasuke nods in agreement, causing a small smile to play on Naruto's lips.
Naruto plays with the hem of Sasuke's shirt aimlessly. "Take this off, yeah?"
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke complies with the request, pulling the uniform top over his head and dropping it to the floor. "Are we leaving you dressed?"
"For now." Naruto slips a hand to the front of Sasuke's pants, making a fumbling attempt at the button. He bites his lip in frustration as he struggles, earning a small sigh from the raven. Sasuke drops his hands to cover Naruto's, making short work of the hindrance.
Naruto lets out a heavy breath, dragging the ravens attention to the deep blush covering his face.
"You sure you want to do this?" Sasuke soothingly drags his fingers down Naruto's scalp. In response, the blonde rolls his eyes and begins tugging the ravens pants down his hips. "I got this, teme." To prove his point, he lightly runs his palm over the bulge hidden by the tight, black boxers the raven is wearing.
Groaning lightly, Naruto drags the last article of clothing off Sasuke's body. If the blonde was blushing before, it was nothing compared to the hue he's sporting now. Naruto firmly wraps his hand around Sasuke's cock, trailing his eyes up the ravens body to meet onyx orbs.
Taking a deep breath, the blonde pushes himself further towards the edge of the bed, leaning up to run a quick lick along the raven's length. Sasuke groans, trailing his hand to cup Naruto's jawline and gently ease himself into that amazing mouth.
Without asking for permission a second time, Sasuke starts to guide the blondes movements to easily take him for the first time. While he wants to be gentle and good with Naruto, it's taking all the ravens self-restraint to not thrust straight into his throat. The idea of dealing with a gagging Naruto keeps him in check, though.
Naruto moans around the hard length and involuntarily swallows. Sasuke can feel the blonde trying to relax his throat to accept the intrusion, but the small movements are driving the raven crazy. Warm hands cup Sasuke's hips firmly. Whether to keep him from moving forward or to pull him closer, it doesn't seem Naruto can decide.
Or so Sasuke thinks. The little blonde god jerks Sasuke's hips forward and sucks all of him down his throat. Releasing a shaky breath, the raven stabilizes himself with a palm to the bed, forcing him to lean over Naruto – and giving him less room to pull away.
Moaning again, Naruto pushes back roughly on the raven's hips, releasing him with a pop. "Don't kill me, teme."
"Sorry," Sasuke apologizes softly. "Surprised me."
Naruto mumbles out some reply before pulling the raven back into his mouth. Letting out a soft, ragged breath, Sasuke cups Naruto's chin and tilts his head into a better position. He won't make the same mistake twice. As much fun as it would be to rough the blonde up a bit, he would like to receive this treatment in the future. And not be bitten.
"Dobe, pull me forward if you're okay with more." Fulfilling this request, Naruto tugs the raven into his mouth with a hard suck. God dammit, Sasuke breathes hard. Does he have to be so eager and willing? This boy just jumps right into these things, despite never having done them. It's safe to say he's not concerned about his sexuality anymore.
With the heat coiling in his stomach, the raven can't help jerking his hips forward and increasing the grip on Naruto's chin. He's surprised he's lasted this long, considering how long it's been – combined with an eager mouth.
"Naruto." Sasuke breathes out. "Let go of my hips."
The blonde sucks the raven into his mouth one last time before releasing him. "Why?" Sasuke finds it difficult to answer that when Naruto runs his tongue along the bottom of his shaft and – oh, dear god, did he just suck even lower?
Sasuke closes his eyes and tries to breathe softly. "Because I'm close."
"Oh." And with that, Naruto pulls him forward once more and back into his enthusiastic mouth.
Fuck. Sasuke presses his eyes tightly closed and sinks into that waiting mouth. A few quick thrusts and he moans slightly as he feels himself spilling down Naruto's throat. The raven pulls away and sinks down onto the mattress next to the blonde.
"Well." Sasuke rolls his eyes at the quipping blonde. "That was new and fun." Naruto runs a hand up Sasuke's chest, drawing his attention down to the boy beside him. "Teme, come down here for a moment." The blonde reaches his hand up to wrap around the ravens neck as he leans over, letting his mouth slide over Naruto's ever-eager one.
"You have too much clothing on." Clothing that Sasuke means to make short work of with Naruto's help. The little blonde leans up to allow Sasuke room to pull off his shirt, gladly dropping back down when it's been cast aside.
"Honestly, Sasuke," Naruto cuts in during the raven's descent down his stomach, "it's not gonna take much to get me off after that. A handjob is fine."
Sasuke scoffs and sends a glare up to the boy. "That's hardly adequate – "
"Oh, don't start. I want off now, teme." The raven sighs in frustration but obeys the simple order, ripping Naruto's pants and boxers down his hips. As Sasuke wraps his hand around the blonde's length, he pulls him into a rough kiss.
Moaning hotly into the raven's mouth, Naruto thrusts upwards into the hand gripping him. "Fuck, keep it tight, teme. I want it quick."
Sasuke smirks against the blonde's mouth and does as requested. He can't argue with wanting to get him to cum quickly – the sooner this is done, the more control he'll have back over the situation. Particularly when they're both redressed.
"Mmh, Sasuke." Naruto moans out, begging his lover to increase his pace. "Just…" he trails off as he arches up into Sasuke's hand, moaning out his release. The blonde sighs, sinking into the bed, utterly relaxed.
"Don't get comfy, dobe." Sasuke places a quick kiss to Naruto's lips before pulling himself off and stalking off to the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower and then we are doing your homework."
"Hey," Naruto leans up on his elbows. "Can I take a shower with you?"
Sasuke pauses and looks back at his blonde momentarily before sighing and continuing his trek. "Yeah, dobe. Come on."
After a tedious morning of classes, Sasuke is happy to be out for the afternoon. He can catch up on homework that a stupid blonde has distracted him from completing for the last two nights. Honestly, allowing Naruto to stay on a school night is not the wisest decision. They manage to do everything but study.
After their shower – that Sasuke struggled to keep platonic – he only managed to get the blonde to do one assignment out of three, and then he wanted to watch a movie before going to sleep. Sasuke has half the mind to order Naruto to come over and do everything he's been assigned, but he knows it would be a wasted effort. They would just end up in Sasuke's bed again.
"Sasuke! Where are you going for lunch?" The lively blonde in question bumps into Sasuke's shoulder, announcing his presence well after his words already did.
The raven turns his head momentarily to glance at the boy. "I'm going home, dobe." Sasuke resists a shiver as his eyes trail to Naruto's lips, events from last night surfacing in his memory.
"Yeah?" Naruto turns worried eyes to the raven. "Are you sick? Feeling okay?"
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "I'm fine."
"Then why are you going home early?" The blonde looks truly perplexed, but then seems to have some moment of realization as he looks around the cramped parking lot. "You know, it looks like a lot of people are leaving early. What's going on?"
"Dobe, do you ever pay attention during class?"
The blonde shrugs his shoulders. "Why? Did something happen?"
Sasuke sighs; closing his eyes and praying for at least one day with Naruto that doesn't leave him exasperated. "Today is a half day for Teacher Conferences."
Blue eyes widen in surprise, before gaining a thrilled glint. "This is awesome!" A bounce enters the blondes step. "We can do something."
"No," Sasuke flat out denies the request immediately. "I'm going home."
"Come on, teme," Naruto whines, "it's a free day! We need to do something." He chews his bottom lip for a moment before gasping and grabbing Sasuke by the elbow. "We could go to the zoo! Today is the nicest day of the year so far! It's the perfect way to celebrate!"
Sasuke scoffs with no lack of amusement. "I'm not going anywhere, dobe."
"Please?" The blonde gives a puppy dog pout that does nothing to soften the raven. The little idiot really needs to learn what a lost cause is.
"Naruto, I said no." Before the boy in question has a chance to further complain about Sasuke's lack of involvement, a familiar ringtone starts playing. Distracted, Naruto looks at the raven's pocket pointedly.
"Be quiet." Sasuke glares at the screen of his phone before he even sees who it is that's calling. He knows the ringtone belongs to his brother. Ignoring it wouldn't be prudent; Itachi only calls when he plans on doing something that will affect Sasuke.
"Hello?" The raven answers aloofly, already irritated before the conversation even begins.
"Hello, Sasuke. How are you today?" The silky, placating tone of his brother greets him from the other end, riling the younger brother up by default. God, he hates the way Itachi can sound so collected.
"I'm fine. What did you call about?"
"Perhaps I just wanted to check in on my little brother?"
"Unlikely."
Itachi chuckles softly. Sasuke can imagine him slightly shaking his head with that condescending smile plastered to his face. "I'll be coming home for a couple days. I was hoping we could do something together. I'll be in town in the next hour."
Oh, no. Sasuke will not have anything to do with this. The only thing worse than talking to Itachi is seeing him.
"Unfortunately, I have already made plans and won't be home." The raven looks directly at Naruto and gives him a firm nod, signifying that he will be a part of this.
"Sasuke." The raven refuses the cringe he feels at the sound of his name from that mouth. "It's been months since I saw you. One dinner with your brother will not kill you."
Sighing in defeat, Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Dinner, then. I'll be home later this evening."
"Good." The pleased smile on Itachi's face can practically be felt through the phone. "Have fun with your current plans, Sasuke." The annoyed raven ends the call without saying goodbye, happy to be done with that conversation.
"So…" Sasuke's attention snaps over to a bewildered boy leaning against the hood of his car. "What was that about?"
"Nothing." Sasuke is not talking about his brother to Naruto. More questions will be raised that he doesn't want to attend to. "If you want to go to the zoo, get in."
Naruto beams and bounces on his feet to the passenger door. "Yeah! I knew you couldn't resist me!"
Sasuke scoffs. Hardly. The blonde is merely the lesser of two evils. He could either go home and have to deal with Itachi all afternoon and evening, or he could kill one part of that off. He might have to deal with Naruto for a few hours, but it's better than seeing his brother give him that sickening smile for any longer than necessary.
"Since it was my idea, I'll pay for the admission." Naruto gasps and turns to Sasuke quickly. "Do you like otters?"
Sasuke raises an eyebrow at the blonde, not able to resist a small smile. "Otters are fine."
"They're more than fine, teme! They're natures magic!" Naruto sighs melodramatically. "What about giraffes? And lions?"
Maybe Sasuke underestimated the idiots love for animals; the light in his eyes hasn't dimmed since he agreed to this. "Are we getting full pass tickets?"
"Of course! No other way to do it!" Naruto clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "We can spend all afternoon there, yeah? So, we can visit all the enclosures and the aquarium and maybe see a show?"
"Whatever you want." That seems like it will keep him away from Itachi long enough.
"The zoo closes at 5pm, so we only have six hours."
"Only, dobe?"
"The place is huge, teme. I can spend two days walking the zoo."
Sasuke will remember never to invite Naruto out to the zoo on a weekend.
"Is there anything you've already seen too many times at the zoo? We can skip those parts, maybe."
"I've never been."
An audible gasp is emitted from the raven's passenger who turns his whole body to glare at Sasuke. "How have you never been to the Konoha zoo? It's been a school trip at least three times."
"I never went. Skipped school those days."
"Only you, Sasuke, would skip school on the one day everyone actually wants to go."
"The zoo is useless. It's not educational. You just ogle captive animals."
"It's more than that!" Naruto returns to sitting properly. "There are those little info panels at every exhibit to teach you about the animals."
"Have you ever actually read one of those?"
"That's beside the point, teme."
It baffles Sasuke how he can be even remotely attracted to this person. He is the exact opposite of everything appealing. Well, that's not entirely true. He was quite appealing the other night. Naruto looked particularly nice with water streaming down his body.
"Hey, teme, who were you on the phone with?"
And all nice imagery dissolves. Sasuke scowls at the road and works to push the thought of Itachi out again. It proves to be difficult when Naruto can't keep his mouth shut.
"Was it your brother?"
"Naruto," Sasuke punctuates each syllable, "do you want to go to the zoo?"
"Of course!"
"Then shut up."
"Someone's touchy." Naruto scoffs and seems to prepare himself to push the topic, but he stops and gasps like a five-year-old when the zoo sign comes up. "Finally! Here, teme, to pay the parking cost." The blonde pulls out his wallet and hands Sasuke a card.
The guard seems even less enthused with his job than Sasuke is to be here, monotonously handing the raven the parking pass and shooing them in. It's a stark contrast to the ball of energy in the seat next to Sasuke. One saving grace of the day is the empty parking lot; apparently not many people want to visit the zoo at the end of February – no matter how nice the weather is for the day.
Not able to contain his overzealous excitement any longer, Naruto bounds out of the car the moment they're parked, exclaiming happily the whole way. "Come on, teme." Naruto skips up to the main gate with Sasuke drearily following behind. "Two full passes, please." Sasuke watches as the teller nods and smiles brightly at the blonde, obviously taken by the boys lighthearted nature.
"Alright," the cashier says chirpily, "that will let you explore the main park, the aquarium and the gardens, and one show of your choice." She reaches over the counter and pulls out a pamphlet, handing it to Naruto. "This is a guide of the park. You're here." She points to the opening of the park before flashing a smile up to the boy.
"Awesome, thanks!" Naruto takes the tickets and turns a wide smile to Sasuke, immediately losing interest in the girl once he has what he needs. "Sasuke, we can follow this and see everything together, right?"
"Yeah, dobe." The raven pushes down the pleasure he feels at watching the cashiers face fall as she takes in the scene. It should not entertain him to kill someone else's chances with Naruto. That falls into romantic interest territory. Though, Sasuke has never been one to share – no matter what sort of interests it is he takes. If him and Naruto are going to be doing this friends with benefits concept, he will be the only one in that category for Naruto. Naturally, he will return the favor.
Naruto unfolds the pamphlet, studying the layout while moving his finger in a counter clockwise pattern. "We can go this way, and see the elephants and the African setup and Safari houses, and then the jungle and the gorilla house." The blonde clicks his tongue. "We could then move inwards and see the smaller but way awesome enclosures, before hitting up the aquarium." Naruto smiles up at the raven. "Sound okay?"
"You have five and a half hours. My only suggestion is that you start moving soon." Sasuke rolls his eyes as the blonde straightens up and salutes the raven before moving along the path towards the elephant exhibit.
Two hours later, and Sasuke is as apathetic as when they started. The same can't be said for Naruto.
"They're so awesome!" Sasuke listens to the excited exclamations of the blonde as he's dragged from exhibit to exhibit. His original belief still holds; zoos are pointless. The raven has never cared about seeing all these animals before, and being dragged around for hours mindlessly looking at them isn't changing that.
"Isn't it fun to see them, teme?" Naruto calls out to the boy walking leisurely behind him. Fun? They've seen elephants, giraffes, flamingos, cheetahs, lions, foxes, monkeys, and most currently, lemurs. Fun is not the word Sasuke will be using to describe this experience.
"Can we skip the insect house? So not interested." Naruto shivers in disgust. Apparently, the blonde isn't a fan of bugs. The raven nods in agreement, much to Naruto's joy. "Then let's look at the tiger house before moving to the rhinos!"
How did Sasuke ever become graced with such companionship? It's like a child trapped in a gorgeous, blonde body. It's ridiculous for an eighteen year old boy to be so excited over animals. Thank God Sasuke doesn't own any pets. He never would have gotten anywhere with Naruto – they'd still be sexually frustrated.
Sasuke's thoughts trail back to how they came to be intimate, anyways. Has the raven completely lost his mind over this boy? He's never allowed anyone to be this close to him, on many levels. Even that idiot, Kiba, can tell how Sasuke's been affected by Naruto's presence. And to be foolish enough to not only continue being around him more than necessary, but willingly allowing him in…
This whole thing is just going to spell disaster. Sasuke can feel it every time he looks at the blonde. The unfortunate thing is, the raven has no one to blame but himself. He brought this down on his own by leaving even a glimpse of an opening for Naruto.
"After we see the pandas and penguins, we can go to the aquarium, yeah?" Upon not receiving an answer from Sasuke, the blonde stops and turns around to take in his 'friend'. "Are you okay?" Naruto peers up at the raven, nudging him with his shoulder. "We can go if you're not having any fun."
If he can recall correctly, he told Naruto from the start that he didn't care, like so many other things. The raven resists a scoff and settles for a sigh instead. "We can do whatever, dobe." Sasuke presses a quick kiss to Naruto's surprised mouth, pulling away before he can make a fuss.
"And you say you don't enjoy my company." The blonde throws out a cheeky grin, earning an eye roll from Sasuke. Naruto tips up on the balls of his feet to return the kiss, which the raven begrudgingly accepts.
"From this viewpoint, you both seem to enjoy yourselves." The ravens gaze turns steely at the unwanted, familiar voice. Naruto doesn't seem too pleased either, by the scowl on his face. Their visitor is standing behind Sasuke, but he doesn't need to see him to know who it is.
Naruto speaks up as Sasuke makes no move to turn around. "The hell are you doing, Sai?"
"It is a public zoo, Naru."
The blonde grumbles something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like an insult. "Don't you have art classes or something to do?"
"I'm flattered you know anything about my daily activities."
"Don't be," Naruto bites out.
"I have a free period today, and Midori wanted to see the aquarium."
At the introduction, Naruto's eyes fill with curiosity, while Sasuke's narrow with dread. What are the chances of that being Hayashi Midori, the junior rep for the student council? He's never known Midori to be a gossip, like Sakura and Ino, but it still doesn't please him to have her privy to this situation.
It's not like things could get any worse today; Sasuke turns around to take in the couple behind him. There's Sai standing in all his creepy glory, along with the familiar blonde rep. That disgusting smile is plastered to Sai's face, while Midori has a slight smirk aimed at the raven. He can only imagine the thoughts going through her head.
Naruto's breath hitches momentarily as he excitedly exclaims. "Oh, hey! You're the chick from the other day!"
Sai's smile stays in place, but the sick amusement leaves his eyes. "It's rude to refer to your coworker as chick, Naru." There's a hint of annoyance to his voice, almost indistinguishable from his typical lilt.
"That's okay, I don't think he knows who I am yet." Midori waves them both off, apparently not bothered. She seems more amused by the whole situation than anything else.
The blonde at Sasuke's side turns his attention to the girl, before flitting back to Sai. "Wait, she works with us?"
Midori laughs lightly, casting a bright smile at Naruto. "Started last week. By the way, hello Sasuke."
The raven scowls lightly, not thrilled with the familiarity she greets him with. He doesn't want Naruto to question how their acquainted. "Hello, Midori."
Unfortunately, Sasuke has no such luck. One of the few times the blonde picks up on something, it has to be now. "Wait, you know her?"
"She's on the student council, dobe." The raven answers simply, not wanting to pursue this conversation.
"Oh," Naruto glances at her interestedly, then back to Sasuke. "At our school?"
"Obviously." Sasuke raises an eyebrow at the little idiot, hoping he'll drop it.
Instead, Naruto's attention turns excitedly to Midori. New people seem to please him. "What year are you? I've never noticed you before."
"Junior, and I realized that last week." She raises an eyebrow at the blonde boy, waiting for him to respond.
Realization sparks in Naruto's eyes, before a blush covers his cheeks. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'm not good at knowing people unless they talk to me first."
"That's fine. You seem to be… Preoccupied a lot." Now her attention falls back to Sasuke, though he really wishes it wouldn't. "If you'd like to get to know me better, we could visit the aquarium together."
Naruto perks up at this, and Sasuke knows there's no escaping this now. "Sure, that'd be great! Sasuke is just humoring me, so he'll probably be happy to not have to bother with entertaining me."
Not likely, the raven thinks bitterly. Whether or not he's enjoying this little trip, he'd enjoy it more with just Naruto. For whatever reason, it highly displeases Sasuke to see Naruto mingle with Midori so easily. How can anyone be so friendly and outgoing to hit it off in an instant? The two blondes are walking ahead of the ravens, and excitedly pointing to the animals as they make their way to the aquarium.
Not that he'll admit this out loud – to anyone – but Sasuke would choose Naruto's company over Sai's any day. While Naruto will not shut his mouth to save his life, it's better than the current presence beside him.
Sai walks silently next to Sasuke, but he can feel that smile. God, what is this guy's damage? Normal people aren't inherently creepy. While he is curious from a psychologic standpoint, there's no way he's purposefully involving himself in a conversation about past trauma.
Instead, Sasuke's attention falls back to Naruto. From this perspective, he seems to be highly enjoying himself. He keeps tossing mirthful smiles at Midori, along with joyful laughs and exclamations at various fish. Honestly, what is so fantastic about fish? They swim. That's it. Some of them are attractively colored, but it's hardly worth exclaiming over.
Also, aren't they a little too close? They're almost bumping shoulders as they press their faces to the glass like children, merrily moving from pane to pane. Is it something to do with blondes and not knowing the meaning of personal space?
"Does it bother you to see them close?"
Sasuke's eye twitches in annoyance at the unnecessary question from Sai. "Just stay quiet."
Sai ignores Sasuke's demand, continuing with ease. "You've been glaring daggers into your boyfriend's head for the last ten minutes."
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Do you make a habit of kissing your friends in public?"
Sasuke closes his eyes and fights to keep a handle on his stoic demeanor. "Naruto is special."
"A special friend?"
Sasuke nods tersely, not wanting got give him more words of ammo.
"Isn't special friend another word for secret boyfriend?"
Sasuke grinds his teeth down against each other. "No."
"Or perhaps it's another term for 'in denial." Sai smiles sickly at Sasuke before continuing without waiting for a response. "Judging from what I know of Naru, that sort of relationship won't last for long. He's very outgoing with his emotions, and I feel he would want a stable relationship."
"What's your point?" Sasuke bites out, turning slightly to take Sai in with a harsh glare.
The other raven shrugs his shoulders. "If you enjoy having Naruto around, you might want to show him a bit of attention like Midori is. Acting like it's a hindrance to your life to be in his company will not do you favors."
At this, Sasuke turns his steely glare back to his blonde. "Doesn't it bother you?"
Sai's eyes widen momentarily and he turns to look at Sasuke. "What should bother me?"
Sasuke nods to the blondes fawning over the coral reef display. "Them."
Sai follows the ravens line of sight, but shows no apparent distress. "No reason it should. They're bonding over mutual interest, which makes them excitable."
"They're too close." Sasuke says more to himself than to Sai, though he immediately regrets voicing it at all when that smile comes out to play.
"You're jealous, but there's no need. Midori is with me. Naru is with you."
"Does that matter?"
"If you don't trust Naruto to be just yours, then no. But I know Midori is with me. She can be close to whoever." Sai says this with such ease that Sasuke has to wonder what emotions the strange boy can even feel. Trust or not, how can a person be okay with someone they're involved with getting close to others?
He's not going to demand that Naruto never have contact with people again, but it still leaves him unnerved. The situation and ground rules between them are so unstable and undefined that it leaves Sasuke nervous. How long will Naruto stay around for this? How soon till he doesn't have him anymore? Does it really concern him that it might be a shorter period of time than he originally thought?
The churning anger and annoyance in his stomach makes him fear for the answer to that.
An hour after the zoo closed and a car ride back to the school to drop a lively blonde off, Sasuke finds himself parked two blocks away from his house, wondering how to go about this. He has to go home tonight, but dealing with Itachi is not high on his list of priorities. His brother has a way of irritating him like no other. He hasn't even seen the man yet, and he's already doing his best to control his anger.
That might have something to do with his lackluster afternoon with a certain set of blondes. Sasuke scoffs and rolls his eyes at the thought before putting his car back into gear and proceeding down the road. Dredging up the unnecessary musings from earlier won't do his mood any good, either.
When he gets to his house and parked, he quietly enters in through the patio door leading to the kitchen, hoping that by some chance of luck, Itachi might be in the study at the back of the house and not anywhere on Sasuke's path.
He manages to slip stealthily through the dining room and halfway up the stairs before his blood runs cold at the familiar nuance calling from the bottom of the stairs. "Ah, Sasuke. Perfect timing. We have dinner reservations at Terra Restaurant in an hour."
This restaurant, much like Embers, is another place that Itachi has ties to. Giving back to the community certainly bolsters ones success more than Sasuke cares to admit. In fact, Itachi probably has ties to half of Konoha and the entirety of Seattle at this point. The elder brother does not skimp when it comes to social graces and makes a point to show his face at numerous locations when he's in town. He did not cultivate a successful business by shunning humanity, much like Sasuke fully intends to do. If anything, observing his brothers behavior compels Sasuke into being a recluse even more.
Choosing to not respond past the pause he gave to listen, the raven continues his trek up the stairs and into the confines of his room. He lets out a harrowed sigh before pulling an outfit from his closet and heading to the bathroom, ready to wash the days irritation off, given he can stop thinking about things long enough. Such an event doesn't seem like it's going to come as his mind continually strays back to that of his brother.
It feels like it's been ages since he last saw Itachi, and perhaps it has been. The holidays they spend together – by Itachi's prodding – can barely be considered bonding time. Even during those periods, Sasuke does his best to avoid any interaction with his brother. There had been a time when he would have been so lost without Itachi to turn to, but that time has come and gone. He learned rather quickly – and all at once – that his brother could not be relied on in times of need, and he stopped. Not only with his brother, he thinks dimly, but with everyone. Why should he bother to put his faith and trust and beliefs in an outsider, when his own family didn't have the decency to be there? His only family left, at that point.
Itachi probably thinks Sasuke hates him, and while the younger raven has no intentions of doing anything that will change that belief, it's quite the opposite. He just loved and looked up to his brother so much, that when he found out that even people you idolize can hurt you, it broke Sasuke's ability to care anymore. The love for Itachi is still there, of course, but Sasuke doesn't have the means to display it anymore. What's the point in doing such a thing, anyways? He's already been taught it gets you nowhere.
Too many things had happened in rapid succession when he was a child for Sasuke to believe in happiness or everlasting love or any other nonsense that idealistic idiots like Naruto believe in. Putting your heart fully into any situation is just a quick and surefire way to get it destroyed. And once you've let yourself be destroyed once, you're not too keen on going back, the raven thinks bitterly.
Sighing in annoyance at what awaits for the rest of the night, Sasuke quickly towels off and dresses for dinner. He has half the mind to go in street clothes, but thinks better of it. Itachi would just send him back upstairs – likely coming with him – to choose something appropriate for a restaurant such as Terra. Mostly, he wants a way to get out of this. These few nights that he has to spend in his brothers company tend to be mental torture. The sheer animosity that Sasuke naturally gives off towards anyone and everyone ten folds around Itachi, whether or not the younger raven intends for it to. It's been ingrained into their dynamic after eight years of silence between them, and no amount of the elder of the two trying to repair the bond seems to have any effect.
He knows it will be a silent dinner. He knows Itachi will try to goad him into a conversation, but end up leading it on his own. Sasuke will sit and listen and nod when it's acceptable, and he'll learn new bits about his brother's life from the last few months that he hasn't seen him. He'll take to heart every detail Itachi lets slip about what he's been up to, because whether or not Sasuke likes to admit it, this man is still a god to him. He's just distant now. No longer a figure within arm's reach, but a shadow on a pedestal far away.
Itachi will not learn anything. He lost that privilege years ago when Sasuke desperately needed him there to confide in, and he was gone off on securing a future for them. As far as Sasuke is concerned, that future did not include him, for his brother was not there in it with him. He became a phantom; a memory of the time when Sasuke did know what it was like to be happy and believe in love and perfect endings.
But, that time is gone, and likely to never come back, if Sasuke has any say in the matter. He will not open himself up to such pain a second time. He will not be the fool that didn't learn the lesson on the first teaching. Fool me once, shame on you. There will be no twice for the raven.
With that thought in mind, Sasuke carries himself down the stairs and to his waiting brother, who nods at him with approval before opening the door and ushering him through it. The younger raven makes sure to keep his expression composed into stoic boredom, not allowing an ounce of emotion to come through. This is how it works with them, Sasuke reasons in his head, and there's no reason to change that now. He wonders idly though, on the drive to Terra, if the weakening of his resolve to be apathetic towards Naruto has something to do with how much effort he puts into maintaining the distance between himself and Itachi.
It doesn't matter, in the end. He has already decided that Naruto stays for as long as they are able to deal with their current dynamic. The slightly chilling thought crosses Sasuke's mind though, that he won't be able to keep up appearances with both of them forever.
Eventually, his composure will snap, much like it nearly did today on their date. And he knows without giving it much thought, that he would rather allow Naruto to see him break, than to allow Itachi to see it for a second time.