Chapter 15 : Aggression
"Can I see the tickets?" Naruto expectantly turns towards Sasuke in the small amount of space, assuming they would be on his person.
"In the glove box, dobe. And don't lose them." Sasuke glowers softly as Naruto grumbles, but doesn't speak anymore as the blonde goes to retrieve the tickets. Naruto clicks open the glove compartment and rummages around the obsessively neat space, coming back with two small slips of paper.
Squinting his eyes, Naruto reads the fine print in the dim light of the car. "Bringer of the Night?" He tilts his head quizzically to look at the raven. "What kind of play is this?"
"I have no idea. Search online if you really need to know."
Well, fine, Naruto thinks begrudgingly. He'll do just that. And here he was being lead to believe Sasuke knows everything. "Where's this playing at?" The blonde muses aloud to himself, trailing his eyes back to the tickets. "Fortunata Opera House? I thought they were super expensive?" The huge, Italian Renaissance style building on main street has always been one of those "don't approach" places to Naruto; it seems exclusively for the rich.
"They are." Scrolling his eyes over the ticket as the raven confirms his suspicions, the blonde sees the ticket price on the lower right corner.
Naruto sputters, starting up in his seat and looking harshly at Sasuke. "Who gave you these tickets?"
Continuing to appear the epitome of relaxation, the raven doesn't take his eyes off the road as he calmly answers. "My brother."
"Well," strangled panic beginning to fill Naruto's voice, "do I look good enough? This is an evening wear place, right?"
"It is."
"That what are we doing?" The blonde wildly motions to his outfit as if that explains everything.
"Do you even own an evening outfit?"
"No."
"That's what I thought. You look fine."
Naruto smooths out his dark gray button down shirt frantically and checks his jeans for no flour stains. He really wishes he looked just a bit nicer.
"Stop. It will be fine." That's not really what the blonde wants to hear from Sasuke; he's sporting a collared black cashmere sweater and equally dark jeans. With a personality that screams arrogance, Sasuke pulls it off and makes it look classy. Nothing short of a suit will make Naruto look classy.
"Easy for you to say. You always look gorgeous." Naruto mutters, missing the pleased smirk gracing the raven's lips. Instead of fussing about his appearance – because, let's face it, nothing can be done at this point – the blonde returns to his original line of thought.
Pulling up the theaters listing page, he reads off the basic synopsis for himself and Sasuke. "Bringer of the Night follows a cabaret through the Victorian underground, where they become tangled in a seedy web of lust and lies." Naruto pauses, reading mentally to himself for a moment. "I think this is a gothic musical about vampires." The boy groans, leaning his head back against the seat. "This better not be scary, teme."
"It's a play, dobe. There's only so much they can do."
"They can traumatize me." Naruto does his best to not flash a grin at the scoff emitting from the raven.
"Your tolerance for horror is pitifully low."
"You mean nonexistent." Naruto counters, not helping his plight. "And it starts at 10pm. You can't tell me they're not trying to scare people."
Sasuke sighs, unamused by the blonde's rant. "My brother knows I would prefer to see a show at a late time, rather than early. I'm sure they had a viewing long before 10. This is likely the last show of the night."
"For someone you don't get along with, he sure takes your preferences into consideration." The moment the words leave his mouth, Naruto wants to take them back. The immediate, rigid straightness of Sasuke's back is only rivaled in tension by the scowl that crosses his face.
Apparently, the brother is truly a forbidden topic. Naruto clears his throat nervously. "So, are you excited to see this play?" For his part, the blonde is psyched to be going, if not a bit panicked. This isn't a typical Saturday night event for Naruto. He has no idea what to be expecting from this outing.
"It should be decent." Sasuke's shoulders lose some of their tension, relaxing Naruto as well. As curious as he is about the dynamics between the Uchiha siblings, the blonde is not going to push that topic. There is no way he's letting this night be ruined.
Nerves are fully in force by the time they pull into the opera house parking lot. Smoothing his hands down his shirt in one last futile effort, Naruto pushes open the car door. He shivers in the early March chill, surveying the sparsely populated lot. Late night viewings must not be incredibly popular.
"Do you still have the tickets?" Sasuke inquires as the blonde comes around the car.
"Right here." Naruto pulls the tickets from his pocket before quickly shoving his hand back into the warmth. God, he's ready for the weather to completely warm up.
He trails close to the raven as they walk towards the huge structure, marveling at the sweeping four story opera house with awe. Looking at it, you can feel the history and culture seeping out from the walls. Naruto feels like he's taken a step back in time as they walk under the archway taking them to the main doors. His admiration is only increased when they step inside.
"Holy shit, this place is amazing." Naruto whispers out, gazing up at the four-story high ceiling before dragging them back down. A huge, golden chandelier hangs down from the center of the ceiling, shimmering in the light it casts. Directly in front of them are red-carpeted double stairs leading to the second floor, and off that are spiral stairs leading up to the third. Yet again, double stairs lead up to the fourth floor, with another spiral set going to the fifth. The blonde can't strain his eyes high enough to see what's beyond that, not that he needs to. What he's already seen has him mind blown. Huge pillars line each floor, making Naruto think of Grecian temples.
Absentmindedly, the blonde follows Sasuke off to the side towards the center admission stand. The first floor doesn't have the grandeur that the above floors do, and Naruto is able to pull his focus to the cashier.
"Hello," she greets cheerfully, "welcome to Fortunata. How can I assist you?" Naruto watches as the woman sweeps her eyes over him once, before settling her appreciative gaze on Sasuke. The blonde rolls his eyes. How these poor ladies are always wasting their time.
The raven inclines his head towards his blonde companion, who steps forward to hand over the tickets. The woman doesn't seem to care for Sasuke's brush-off, as her entire demeanor changes. The cashier purses her lips and takes the tickets from Naruto with such poise, the boy is sure she's afraid of getting burned if their hands touch.
"Bringer of the Night is being hosted in the Grande Lobby, on the fourth floor." She types something into her computer and hands the tickets back to Naruto snippily.
"Okay." Naruto gives the girl a too-sunny, obviously fake smile before catching Sasuke's hand in his own. A small lift of his mouth is the only indication the raven gives of following Naruto's lead, letting him be spiteful towards the girl.
With that, he pulls the blonde next to his side and towards the first set of stairs they'll have to traipse. Naruto squeezes Sasuke's hand, part in reassurance and part excitement. "Is it usually this empty in here?" There was no line to get in, no line at the admission stand, and only a few people standing in the lobby.
Sasuke follows Naruto's line of sight, taking in the balcony space around them before continuing to the spiral stairs. "No. Typically, there would be a line to get admitted, and ushers to show you to your seating."
"Then why is it so dead tonight?"
"It's a slow period right now. Fortunata doesn't put on any of their major productions till further in the year."
At the massive double doors leading into the auditorium, an usher bows to the boys before pulling open the door, standing aside for them to walk past. As Naruto figured it would be, the theatre is sparsely populated – and gorgeous. The walls are a luscious gold with large, arched windows set into each side.
The rich, red seats are striking against the golden hue surrounding them. The seats themselves are set up in three different tiers, each one being stacked above the next. They're tickets place them in the first row of the second tier, with no one else near them.
"Will we be able to see and hear okay?"
Sasuke nods in the affirmative, taking a seat. "The entire room is wired up, so you'll hear what's going on. As for seeing, it shouldn't be an issue. Nothing will be blocking our view."
"Huh." Naruto sits next to Sasuke. "And how long will this play last?"
"Likely an hour and a half, with a break about 45 minutes in."
Naruto nods silently as he looks around the massive room. It's all strange and new to him. "Sasuke, what's that big, open area in front of the stage?"
The raven's eyes trail to where Naruto is pointing. "It's the orchestra pit for operas."
"This is a play though, right? Not an opera?"
"Correct, dobe. But this is the main theatre, so it will be fully equipped for all styles of performing arts."
Naruto opens his mouth to ask more questions, but is cut off by the lights dimming, then going out fully. Even Naruto knows that you be silent once those lights are out. He sits back in his seat and eagerly watches the stage, waiting for the curtain to rise.
He's not disappointed; a few moments later it does just that. The blonde leans forward in his seat, watching the stage with full immersion. Dark, thematic music leads the actors onto the stage, where the scene begins to take place. Fully engrossed, Naruto zones out from everything but the unfolding story.
"They're so good!" Naruto exclaims as they walk into the lobby, bouncing excitedly on his heels at Sasuke's side. "I wasn't sure what to expect, but they've totally knocked this out of the park."
A small smirk plays at the corner of the raven's mouth. He rolls his eyes but agrees with the blonde. "It is quite good."
"Hey," Naruto grabs hold of Sasuke's hand and tugs. "Can we go walk around the back of the lobby? I think there's a balcony around here." The blonde turns pleading eyes towards the raven, a pout already forming.
"Sure you won't fall off?" An inquisitive eyebrow arches its way up, much to Naruto's good-humored annoyance.
The blonde shrugs his shoulders and squeezes Sasuke's hand momentarily. "Only if you push me."
"I make no promises."
Naruto scoffs and rolls his eyes. "You wouldn't know what to do without me."
"I might be able to get some peace and quiet."
"What's the fun in that?" Honestly. The blonde will never understand what Sasuke finds so fascinating about being alone. It's always better to be with someone that you enjoy spending time with. At least in Naruto's opinion.
"There is one!" The blonde all but flings the door open, stepping onto the marbled flooring of the balcony. Naruto breathes the crisp night air in deeply, thankful for the fresh breeze. "Wow, it's really nice out here." The whole place was lit up on the outside, casting a golden glow among the walls and arches of the building. The city puts on a show of its own, twinkling with streetlights, cars, and buildings. You can't see the stars in light pollution like this, but Naruto thinks city lights have a beauty all of their own.
The boys stand in amiable silence for a bit, both happy for a break. Naruto leans slightly over the railing of the arch while Sasuke rests his back against one of the pillars. What with being pre-occupied with scouring the city with his eyes, Naruto doesn't notice the arrival of an elderly lady dressed fashionably, and holding her nose in the air as she approaches the boys. It's only when she starts speaking does the blonde's attention snap to her.
"You should think about what you're making other people bear witness to." The woman scolds patronizingly. "It is an affront to the lord for two men to be together. And so young to be partaking in such sin! You should be ashamed."
Like a fish out of water, Naruto's mouth opens to say something, but he comes up short. How do you respond to that?
"The only thing I'm ashamed of is you," Sasuke remarks with a lack of interest to his tone, not changing his position in the slightest. "If you have nothing better to do than interfere with other people, I suggest you stay home and read that bible some more. You could use a lesson in scripture. Particularly Matthew 7:1 : Do not judge, or you too will be judged."
The woman huffs, indignation burning in her eyes. "Do not tell me about the bible!"
"Do not tell me what to do with my life, hypocritical swine."
Gasping, the woman places a hand over her heart and frantically looks about, as if someone nearby should confirm she heard correctly. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner! I'll have you thrown out!"
Sasuke scoffs, rolling his eyes with such annoyance, Naruto is surprised he can't hear them make their rounds. "Yes, go tell the concierge that were disrupting your night by existing. I'm sure he'll come right to your aid."
"Sasuke…" Naruto tugs gently at the raven's hand, barely audible for his companion to hear. "Let's go back in."
"What is that little tramp of yours whispering about?" The woman narrows her eyes and sneers at Naruto, who blushes frantically, wishing for nothing more than to get away.
Sasuke's eyes snap up from where their gaze was resting on Naruto to glare at the woman with a penetrating hatred so fierce she takes a step back, as if in fear of being slapped.
Naruto isn't having any more of it. He steps around Sasuke, grabbing the raven's hand and pulling him towards the door leading back to the lobby. "Intermission is almost over. We should get back to our seats." The raven allows himself to be dragged along effortlessly. Naruto damn near breathes a sigh of relief. He did not want to stay and continue that confrontation.
"It's hard to believe people like that actually exist, huh?" Naruto gives a strangled chuckle, trying to ease the tension. "It's like they're –"
"Don't, dobe." Sasuke stops suddenly, not letting go of Naruto's hand. The blonde jerks to a stop and turns around confusedly. "Don't make light of fools like them. Take it and learn from it, so you can stand against it."
Naruto has to glance away from the raven's steel gaze. He tries to gulp back the lump building in his throat, to no avail. He can feel the waterworks building behind his eyes, threatening to break loose at any moment. Sighing in frustration, Naruto rubs a palm over his eyes. "I'm really not that bothered," he tries to reassure himself more than Sasuke, but the words come out hitched and strained.
Before he can protest, the raven pulls him off to a corner of the room shrouded in darkness. The lobby is fairly deserted to begin with, but the darkness here gives an added sense of solitude. One Naruto can appreciate.
"Sas –" Naruto tries once more to utter some semblance of a reassurance, but he's pulled forward sharply and the breath leaves his body. His chin hits just below Sasuke's shoulder as his hands blindly grasp around the ravens back.
"Just shut up, dobe. It's okay to be hurt on this point."
He tries – he really, truly does – to hold back the tears that come streaming down his face. He doesn't want to show such weakness to Sasuke; doesn't want to give him a new reason to run. But how does he explain that it's not so much what that woman said, as the residual pain she dredged up? Sasuke is wrong. You can't learn to stand against this pain. You just learn how to shoulder it and hope that someday you can push it aside.
Naruto buries his face in Sasuke's neck, breathing deeply to calm himself. As the blonde evens out his breathing, he distracts himself with a bit of a game. Upon calming down, he starts to realize his exact position and the proximity to the raven he currently has. Being this close, he can smell the cologne that Sasuke always wears, but can never focus his mind to discern the scents. There's a definite hint of cinnamon in there, but it's more woodsy than that. There's a musky scent hidden underneath it all that you really have to focus on to pick up; it blends so well with the cinnamon. The blonde nestles into the raven further, keeping his eyes closed and tightening his lock around Sasuke's back. He hears the raven sigh agitatedly before a set of arms close around his shoulders and upper back, pulling him tighter against his favorite person.
Naruto all but melts into the embrace. He can count on one hand the number of times he's felt this comforted, and they both happened after similar incidents. There's something about people being assholes that brings out the compassion in your family and friends. On Tsunade's part, Naruto assumes it was pity. Pity and hurt at seeing a child she'd put so much time in taking care of be bullied and not understanding the circumstances. For Jiraiya, the blonde relates it to guilt. For not being there. For not being able to replace his parents. For not being able to offer some amount of normalcy and stability to his life.
But for Sasuke, who's usually so cold and unemotionally invested in any situation, Naruto can't place why he would try to soothe him. What he would expect is to be told to deal with it and move on. Not to have the raven pull him off to somewhere private that he could breakdown in peace. Although, it was also startling to hear Sasuke go off on that women. The typical stoic façade Sasuke presents shattered under his anger at her ignorance.
Outside of their assignments, Naruto doesn't think he's heard Sasuke say so much. Is it possible that the comfort the raven is handing out is comfort he needs returned? Naruto sniffles softly, having calmed down some time ago. He loosens his grip on Sasuke, dropping one hand lower to rub light circles through the fabric of his shirt. Naruto can count the number of times he's tried to comfort someone else, and this is it. He wishes he could see – or even just know – what Sasuke is feeling. But there isn't enough curiosity in the world to get the blonde to pull away from the ravens cinnamon-scented neck.
"Intermission will be ending in five minutes." The concierge announces to the general public, breaking the moment between the boys.
"Come on, dobe." Sasuke pulls away, but makes sure to grab the blonde's hand before pulling him back to the auditorium. Naruto tries to not let his disappoint at the loss of contact show too strongly.
As they take their seats, Naruto happens to spot the rude woman in a box seat as he sweeps his eyes over the auditorium. The bigot stares snidely down at them, displeasure evident in her features. Sasuke's eyes follow the blonde's gaze, narrowing in contempt as they settle on the woman.
"Dobe." Taking his eyes away from the box, Naruto turns to see what the raven wants. Unexpectedly, the blonde's lips are caught in a searing kiss. He sighs and leans into the raven's touch, increasing the wonderful pressure for just a moment before Sasuke pulls back. Naruto doesn't need to look up at the hateful lady to know the smirk playing on the ravens wicked lips is due to her condemnation. Apparently, the woman gets two different shows tonight.
"You're a horrible tease, teme." Naruto shakes his head in mock pity before flashing the boy a wide smile and righting himself in his seat.
Sasuke's only response is a small murmur of agreement before settling back in for the rest of the show.
It isn't until hallway through the second act that Naruto realizes Sasuke still has their hands entwined. The warm, solid reminder of his companionship remains the rest of the night.
Going home alone after the events of the play was not something Naruto looked forward to. He knew he was going to have a restless night, and restless it was.
Aside from the tossing and turning, he couldn't get comfortable and the nightmares were ferocious. His bed felt empty, not to mention how isolated he felt in general. Needless to say, he woke groggier than before he laid down five hours ago.
It's after this sleepless night that Naruto finds himself on the couch at 6am on a Sunday, watching early morning cartoons with bleary eyes. The antics on the screen are doing nothing to alleviate the nagging flashes of dreams he had when he did find bouts of fitful rest. Images of his loved ones criticizing and belittling him for being with another man continue to flash through his mind.
The boy feels wretched for having any doubts about continuing his time with the raven, but the uncertainty and past trauma of being an outcast keeps coming up. Can he handle having people come at him like that again? And if he can't, can he handle letting go of Sasuke?
Naruto groans and curls up on the couch. Why does he have to deal with things like this? It's just not fair. There should be a perfect society where everyone is accepted as they come. The boy scoffs at himself for the notion; that has never happened in the history of ever.
Part of him wishes he has someone he can talk to about this. His fingers idly clutch his phone, and he considers texting Sasuke. But what good would that do? The raven is already confirmed in his sexuality and stands strong when approached with negative views. If Naruto were to confide his doubts to the boy, it would most certainly push him away. Something Naruto does not to do.
He could always text –
Naruto nearly drops his phone from the shock at the sudden vibration pulsing through his hand. Peeling open his eyes, he blearily peers at the screen with half closed eyes. At seeing Sasuke's name at the top of the message box, Naruto sits up on his elbows and blinks away the haze, scrambling to open the text.
Dobe, you left your bag in my car. None of your homework is done.
Naruto chuckles and shakes his head, closing his eyes as he feels himself start to calm down already. What is it about talking to Sasuke that just have a comforting effect for him? He jots out a reply quickly. It's fine teme. Not like I would do it anyways.
The reply is nearly instantaneous. Why are you awake?
Decided to have an early day, Naruto lies. No sense in telling him the truth. But instead of the conversation ending at that, the blonde stares at his phone in shock as it lights up with a call from no other than Sasuke.
"Hello?" Naruto answers uncertainly, almost wondering if Sasuke hit call by accident.
"What are you doing, dobe?" Sasuke's rich voice fills the line, sounding annoyed already.
"Um," Naruto glances at the T.V, "watching a show."
Exasperated for whatever reasons make Sasuke feel anything, the boy sighs heavily. "Are you alone?"
"Well, Jiraiya's gone, if that's what you mean."
"Why are you up so early? It's usually noon before you'd get up."
Naruto shrugs his shoulders before realizing Sasuke can't see him. "I already told you, I just felt like it."
"Then you can do all this homework."
Naruto groans. "I don't want to. I'm so not in the mood, and…"
"Quit whining. I'll be over in a bit."
"Sasuke," the blonde starts to protest, but the raven has already hung up. Naruto stares at his phone before dropping his head back to the couch. Whatever. Not like he has any right to complain about Sasuke barging over. He has done it himself to the poor boy.
Naruto lays there for another forty minutes before hearing the unmistakable sound of gravel crunching. With a groan, he pushes himself up and pads to the front door lazily, pulling it open as Sasuke is just coming up the drive, beeping his car alarm on.
Sasuke narrows his eyes as he approaches the blonde, stopping just in front of the shorter boy. "You look like shit."
"Thanks." Naruto replies dryly, moving aside for Sasuke to come in. "So," the blonde follows behind, "you wanna torture me with homework?"
"Did you sleep at all, dobe?"
Naruto shrugs his shoulders. "Some."
Sasuke drops Naruto's bag and his own on the floor in the foyer. "Come on. We're taking a shower, then going to bed."
Naruto wants to protest. He really does. But his bones ache at the mention of a shower, and the idea of going to sleep with Sasuke after last night is too inviting. "I guess we can do that." Sasuke rolls his eyes, showing himself the way upstairs with a blonde following close behind.
"Unless you want to sleep naked, grab some clothes for us."
"What if I take you up on that offer?" Naruto grins, but it falters a bit at the arched eyebrow and slight smirk that graces the raven's countenance.
"Another time, dobe. You need to get some rest for now." Sasuke disappears into the bathroom, leaving Naruto to decide on what to do about clothes. He just wanted to tease Sasuke a bit about being naked, but that promiscuous little smirk rattled him. They will have boxers, at least.
"Okay, we have some clothes now." The blonde walks into the bathroom to find Sasuke tempering out the water. Turning his attention to Naruto, he motions to the shower.
"Test this." Stepping around the blonde to give him access, the raven begins pulling off his clothes, folding them and setting them aside.
"It's good, maybe a little –" Naruto's words catch in his throat when he turns around to be greeted with a fully nude Sasuke. "Little warm." The blonde coughs and looks away, blushing. While he's done a few perverse things with the gorgeous boy in front of him, he's never seen him like this. Even during that last shower they took together, it wasn't sexual in the least and he wasn't looking. Not that Sasuke really gave him a chance, anyways.
Apparently, he not only gets a chance today, but a front row seat.
"Quit staring, dobe." Sasuke shakes his head imperceptibly before reaching forward and grabbing the hem of Naruto's shirt, pulling it upwards and softly grazing his palms against the blonde's stomach. Naruto shivers and raises his arms, letting the shirt come off.
"It's not my fault. You gave me no warning." The blonde unfastens his jeans and starts shimmying them down with a bit of help from Sasuke. Naruto leans forward, stealing a quick kiss from his lover before pulling away with a grin.
"In the shower, dobe." Following orders, Naruto steps into the hot water and pulls Sasuke in with him. The raven is all business, sliding soapy hands over the blonde's stomach and chest before circling around his back. Tingles and goosebumps explode over his skin at every touch, causing the boy to shiver despite the heat. "Turn around."
Doing as told without any hesitancy, Naruto gives his back to the demanding boy who instantly slides those sinful hands into his hair and kneads at his scalp.
"Sasuke," Naruto mumbles out, "gonna fall asleep in here if you keep doing that." The blonde does his best to keep from lulling his head backwards.
"Rinse off, dobe."
Stepping over slightly, Naruto lets the hot water rain down on him. Whatever magic the raven is working through his fingertips has the blonde a puddle in his arms. In a matter of minutes the raven has managed to make Naruto feel more relaxed and like himself.
Languidly, the blonde slides his palms up Sasuke's back, reveling in the liquid smoothness. "Can I return the favor, please?"
Sasuke pauses for a moment from rinsing the conditioner out of Naruto's hair. "I suppose." He returns to his task before stepping back, allowing Naruto room to perform the action. And admire the ravens body. What a damn nice body it is, too…
"Dobe." Sasuke's smooth voice breaks the boy's concentration, bringing Naruto's attention upwards.
"Hm?"
"Are you going to do anything or stare at my ass all day?"
Naruto chuckles but begins lathering shampoo through the raven's silky hair. "I could work with that second option."
"I bet you could." Sasuke grumbles softly, letting his head fall back into Naruto's hands. The blonde grins. Apparently, a weak spot has been found. Naruto massages his fingertips into the raven's scalp, hitting all his own favorite spots.
"Come on, let's get this rinse out." Naruto backs up a bit, letting Sasuke turn around and step forward into the spray. The blonde continues his massage, rinsing all the suds away. "We should do this more often."
"Why?"
"It's nice."
Sasuke turns around, running his hands through his hair to clear the water streaming down his face before leaning in to kiss the blonde. Naruto returns the affection, a small grin playing on his lips. "You're being nice, too. What's up with that?"
Sasuke pulls away, a smirk on his lips. "And we're done." He reaches an arm behind to turn the water off before pulling the shower door open. "Out."
Naruto rolls his eyes; never tell the grand Uchiha he's doing anything kind. It will bring the act to a quick halt. He exits the shower after the raven, taking the offered towel. Sasuke leaves him to get dressed in the bedroom, though it's not long before the blonde joins him.
The blonde stretches his arms, yawning in the process. "You know, it's gonna mess up my sleep schedule to pass out now."
"Shut up and get in bed, dobe." Naruto smiles while watching Sasuke make himself comfortable in his bed. And it pretty much hits him all at once while he's in a complete state of utter exhaustion. There is no amount of criticism in this world that could make him not be with Sasuke, so long as he has the raven's permission to stay at his side. No one in their right mind would give up someone who means so much to them.
"You know, teme", Naruto slides into the bed, "you didn't have to come over. I would have been okay today."
"Right. You sounded perfectly fine on the phone."
"You gonna come to my rescue every time something is bothering me?"
Sasuke scoffs in annoyance, though he doesn't resist when Naruto throws an arm around his waist and nuzzles his face into the raven's neck. "Don't count on it, dobe. Today was special."
"Why? Because of last night?" The blonde's words of muffled in the crevice of Sasuke's shoulder, but he knows that he was heard just fine. The raven's shoulder tenses just barely, and he feels Sasuke' nod his head.
Naruto shrugs his shoulders – or tries to. He does seem to be quite exhausted now that he's in comfortable hands. "It's okay, really. I've gotta get used to it, since I'm not going anywhere."
The raven hums softly, draping his own arm over the blonde's thigh. "Sleep, dobe."
Naruto smiles, happy to follow that order. If only all things could be this simple.
Waking to the sound of Sasuke's soft voice ringing out his name, Naruto groans and rolls over. He mumbles half-heartedly about being left alone while snuggling back into the warm covers.
"Midori is expecting you at the café, dobe." Naruto opens his eyes halfway to see Sasuke standing at his window, lightly touching one of the potted herbs.
This news does nothing to deter his interest of staying in bed. "Why?"
"You told her you'd help last night."
Naruto rubs a palm over his face and grumbles. Why did he have to be nice and offer away his free time? Making plans and then wanting to back out is always the worst. Sleeping in with Sasuke is what he wants to do now. "How long have you been up?" The blonde kicks his legs over the side of the bed and pulls himself into a sitting position, contemplating if he really wants to go.
Sasuke shrugs his shoulders, taking in the view outside rather than turning his attention to Naruto. "Not long. I woke up when Midori called."
"Oh. Why didn't you wake me up then?"
"I figured you could sleep for another hour."
The blonde smiles sunnily at Sasuke. "I could have slept for the rest of the day."
Sasuke does turn his attention to Naruto this time, rolling his eyes out of habit. "Then you would be sleeping during class tomorrow."
The blonde shrugs his shoulders, hardly perturbed at this thought. "Wouldn't be the first time."
The raven shakes his head slightly at Naruto's lack of care towards school. "Get dressed and attend to your obligations. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You're leaving?" The blonde tries not to pout, but he doesn't quite manage to hold back his unhappiness. The last thing he wants is for Sasuke to leave. A fear rises up inside of him at the thought of not being in the raven's presence. What if the only thing keeping all the anxiety and grief at bay is the boy standing in front of him? Naruto is not fond of that idea. Not at all.
Sasuke moves away from the window and comes to stand in front of Naruto. The blonde doesn't protest as the raven slides a hand around his neck and into his hair, forcing him to tilt his head upwards. When Sasuke has him where he wants him, he leans down and chastely lays a kiss against the boy's lips.
Not at all satisfied with the state of things, Naruto pushes himself into the kiss, wanting more of the raven. Sasuke returns the pressure momentarily before pulling back and letting go of his hold. "We'll do the assignment together on Tuesday, after practice. If you don't get on my nerves too much, you can stay the night this weekend."
This brings a small smile to Naruto's face. If the raven is actually offering, then he does have some understanding of how bothered the blonde is. "Yeah, I can work with that. Just do me one favor?"
Sasuke raises an eyebrow and silently waits to hear the request.
"Wait for me to get ready before leaving." Naruto's hopeful plea is met with a small nod, melting an elated smile onto his face. He pecks a quick, unsuspecting kiss onto the raven's mouth before moving to his closet and pulling out a simple t-shirt and jeans. "By the way, we're gonna have to push our meetings back to at least 6pm."
"I'm aware, dobe. We've discussed this."
"You might have forgotten." Naruto grins cheekily, holding open the door of his room for Sasuke to pass through. If the raven had an issue with remembering things, he wouldn't be the top student of not only their class, but the entire school. Only Shikamaru has scores as good, but he doesn't put any effort into maintaining a fantastic academic record.
The pair walks out to the driveway, meandering their way towards their parked vehicles. Naruto sighs gloomily as they reach Sasuke's Camaro, none too happy about the boy leaving. He's usually not quite this mopey, but the blonde is too unsettled about being alone for now. He kicks a rock, trailing his eyes along the lazy path it makes down the drive.
"Dobe." Sasuke huffs softly and pulls Naruto towards him, giving him a loose hug before stepping back. "Hang out with your friend and cheer up. That's an order."
"You think you get to order me around now?" Naruto offhandedly mumbles while trying not to blush. The raven's small acts of intimacy cause him more embarrassment than anything sexual they could ever do. It's always unexpected and so… Extremely pleasant.
Sasuke chooses to ignore the small protest, opening the door to his car and making to step inside. "I'll see you later, dobe." Naruto nods and waits as the raven puts the car into gear and backs down the drive, watching until he pulls onto the road and disappears from sight. With a heavy sigh, Naruto gears up his jeep and heads for the café.
It's gonna be a long couple of days till the next assignment.
Naruto sighs for the fifth time in a row. He's beginning to wonder who exactly Kiba is trying to defend here, because it seems like he's the jealous lover. The blonde thought this had been taken care of over the weekend, but apparently not. Kiba jumped him the moment he entered homeroom and demanded an explanation, but Sasuke walked in and saved the day. The mutt might be angry about Naruto hanging out with Midori, but he wouldn't call attention to it in front of the raven.
Which is why the blonde is now sitting and discussing his weekend activities with Kiba during lunch, instead of doing something more enjoyable. Like getting a root canal.
Kiba sends a glare over his tray. "Who is this chick?"
Naruto shrugs his shoulders and slurps down another forkful of noodles. "I've told you. She's working at the café now. She's a junior here at Kasai."
"And Sasuke is cool with you going out with her?"
The blonde levels an icy glare at his friend. "One, Sasuke does not own me to say who I can spend time with. Two, I am not going out with her. We were just hanging out. And three, Sasuke knows about it." Good lord, if Kiba makes him say one more word that sounds anything close to a defense of his free time and what he can or cannot do, the blonde's head just might explode in irritation.
Kiba holds up his palms in a sign of defeat, though the eyeroll doesn't help his plight. "I'm just saying, it looked like a date to the casual observer. Really scared the shit out of me. Thought there was gonna be a bloodbath come Monday between you guys."
Naruto snorts in annoyance. "You think I'm gonna bail on the teme so easily?"
Kiba shrugs his shoulders. "So much shit has gone down between you two, I don't know what to expect anymore."
Well, Naruto can't argue the truth of that. It's been a rollercoaster for the past two months. He's not really sure how they've managed to get this far, but he's happy with the way things are going. Sasuke hasn't been pulling away – if anything, he's been making himself available.
"I really don't think it's a problem, you know?"
"I'm not trying to say you have no freedom. I would just hate to see that jackass get pissed off and bail because he got jealous."
"I don't think he's like that. After I told him about hanging out with her, he took me to see a play. Wasn't jealous or upset or anything."
Kiba raises an incredulous eyebrow. "You got a date after telling him you were with someone else?" The mutt snorts. "God damn, do you got that guy wrapped around your finger."
Naruto tilts his head with a lack of understanding, wondering if Kiba is going to explain his reasoning further. Before he can take a hint though, the blonde sees a tray being set down next to him. Turning his attention to the side, he smiles as Shikamaru takes his usual seat, with
Choji alongside him.
Having some common sense, Kiba drops the prior conversation when their extra guests sit down. Naruto has not explicitly said anything to the other boys about his time with Sasuke, and isn't eager to bring it up. The sheer amount of nerves that come over him at the thought of having that conversation with the guys makes him shiver. It's not so much that he feels ashamed of his relationship – or lack thereof – with Sasuke, but that the boy has no idea how you even enter into that topic. He wouldn't have to explain to his friends if there was some girl he wanted to be with. He could simply state that he's interested in someone and be done with it.
But, with the whole scenario of telling his friends he's into Sasuke, the blonde feels like he would owe them an explanation for the crush. That it won't just be easily accepted among everyone like Kiba took it. And when he thinks about having to give anyone a reason for why he wants to be with someone, his irritation and indignation spike up, making him want to shut out the whole thing. Honestly, this same sex relationship stuff is made to be too complicated. People should be able to like whoever they want to like, without feeling the need to justify their attraction.
Unfortunately, even Naruto can see that some things will not be changing any time soon. While he's not too sure of the ends and outs, the right and wrong of being in the gay community, he does know that it'll be a difficult time to get through. His silver lining is that he'll have Sasuke at his side to help him navigate the dark waters.
Lord knows he'll need him.
They are screwed.
Naruto resists the urge to groan and settles for closing his eyes in a grimace. They've been on the field for an hour now, and they can't seem to get into a groove. It's not that any of the boys are bad players; it's just that they don't seem to know how to play together. Teamwork does not seem to be key with the new ones. Which is stupid, since they've already made the team. They have nothing else to prove at this point, except that it wasn't a mistake to choose them.
"Alright, listen up!" Naruto hollers out to the field, having all eyes turn to him. "We are not going to win anything with you guys trying to one-up the other. Its gotta be a solid group effort. This is a team sport. If you only know how to play for yourself, speak up now so I can get you replaced." Naruto eyes the group, unwavering in his stern glare. The new boys shuffle from side to side, not daring to say a word. The returning players, on the other hand, look relieved that Naruto said something.
"We chose you guys because you seemed like a strong group." Kiba adds, walking towards Naruto from the goalie's post. "But we can't be a strong team if no one wants to play together."
Naruto nods in agreement. "Now, show me that we didn't make a mistake in choose you." With that, activity picks up again, and the blonde prays practice goes smoother from here on out.
Part of Naruto is glad this is his last year as captain. Tryouts and startup practices are never a fun time, as everyone has to get used to each other. Then you got Kiba, who Naruto wouldn't change as his co-captain for anything, constantly yelling out commands like a drill sergeant. Really, he learned that bad habit from coach. Some control over you team is absolutely necessary, but you have to slacken the reigns to let them have some ease and enjoyment. Sure, it's a sport and they're competing, but it's also an extra-curricular that's meant to be enjoyed.
Naruto plays the back of the field, letting the other members go at the ball as he stalls and watches their tactics and movements. They'll definitely be having an evasive moves session. Maybe a group passing session as well. Altogether, they're a pretty good team. They just need polished. That's what Naruto is here for.
In theory, anyways.
He's just not feeling as into soccer this year as he usually does. It might be senior nerves; he's actually making an effort in his classes for once. He's also working more, drawing his focus and attention to his culinary love rather than his sports hobby.
But if he's honest with himself, he knows the real, underlying reason for his inattentive nature is due to a certain boy that he would like to be spending his time with instead. Naruto never really understood why people couldn't maintain a relationship and extra-curriculars. Now he gets it.
The blonde completely lacks the attention span to focus on multiple things at a time, and all his attention has been given to Sasuke. Not that Naruto minds. Whatever is going on with him and the teme is terrifying and exciting. It's new and so overwhelming – a euphoric combination that makes it difficult to pull away.
When he tries to wrap his mind around one piece of the puzzle that is Sasuke, another piece pops out of place, demanding his attention. He's not sure things will ever settle down, and he doesn't think he wants it to. He loves his time with the raven, despite it brining a whole array of problems.
Mostly, Naruto has done a pretty good job of ignoring those. Just like he's been able to ignore the memory of that horrid woman – a woman that, Naruto is well aware, is just the tip of the iceberg. He's sure there are going to be plenty more moments in the rapidly approaching future that will surpass Saturday night, but the blonde is doing his best to not dwell on that.
All good things must come with a little grief, he thinks resolutely.
"Much like this soccer practice," he mutters grimly under his breath, watching the first real scuffle break out among the team. He shakes his head and jogs over to the warring group, praying for the moment he can be with the focus of his attention. Then, peace will come.
Nearly tripping over his own feet, Naruto rushes into the café and straight to the alcove seating a handsome raven. The blonde momentarily ogles the boy, wondering how he ever managed to gain the attention of this particular one. Really, wearing a navy-blue sweater and jeans shouldn't look so good.
"Sorry, I'm late. Practice ran over and then I had to shower before coming here." Naruto sighs melodramatically as he slides into the booth. "We start playing next week and I swear we're gonna get slaughtered."
Sasuke seems hardly perturbed about the blonde's issues. "You started your practices too late, dobe. How were you made captain? A tiny smirk doesn't go unnoticed by Naruto, who happily plays along.
The blonde glares hotly across the table, turning up his nose dramatically. "Because everyone loves me." He sniffs indignantly, scrunching his nose at the insulting raven.
"Unfortunate decision for them." Sasuke shows a full-blown smirk at the sputtering blonde, who can't form a comeback. "The assignment, dobe."
"The assignment," Naruto repeats blandly after regaining control, "is about…" the boy looks to his paper, "aggression. How fun."
Sasuke isn't having any of the blondes dilly dallying today. He poises his pen to begin writing and fires off the first question. "What is the definition of aggression as relating to social psychology?"
Naruto sighs morosely and closes his eyes. He's so not prepared for these questions today. His brain just doesn't want to function after all the physical activity he's done. "I guess it would be acting in a hostile way towards people."
"Exactly." Sasuke jots something down in his notebook before expanding on the question. "It's behavior that is designed to damage another person, whether emotionally or physically." Sasuke makes another quick note before moving on. "What are the two types of aggression?"
"I didn't know there were types of aggression. I thought it was all just people being assholes." Naruto shrugs his shoulders as Sasuke rolls his eyes. One of these days, those things are gonna get stuck.
"There's impulse aggression, or just being hostile for personal reasons. Then there's instrumental aggression, or acting in a planned out, hostile manner for whatever rewards the person sees to be present."
"Rewards?" Naruto crinkles his eyes in a confused glare and tilts his head. "How are there any rewards to being aggressive? It just causes problems."
"Imagine being in class and the teacher says whoever has the best grade will receive a reward at the end of the semester. This would inspire competition and, undoubtedly, planned aggression. To give a more extreme example, someone who is robbing a house and is willing to wave a gun around to get what they want would be acting on instrumental aggression."
"If someone has a gun, isn't that a bit closer to violence than just being an aggressive asshole?"
Sasuke nods. "Hold on, dobe. We'll get there. First, what are the most common forms of aggression?"
Naruto sighs heavily and leans back in his seat, thinking. "I can only think of verbal and physical."
"Add mental and emotional to that. Psychological damage tends to be worse, as it can be an indefinite amount of time before a person recovers from it. The person acting in an aggressive manner might not see it as a problem, leading to serious issues with all relationships in their life."
Shifting uncomfortably, Naruto can't help but think of his own life. He doesn't really blame any of the children from his past for the way they treated him; they were learning from example. From adults. From people who should have known better than to teach impressionable youths to degrade and demean their peers for circumstances they couldn't control. People like that woman a few nights ago, who the blonde hopes to God doesn't have any children learning from her example.
Yeah, Naruto is familiar with psychological aggression.
"Why do people act out aggressively?"
"Because they're assholes." The blonde answers instinctively, still lost in his thoughts of past issues, and newfound ones.
Sasuke ignores him and carries on. "There are many reasons people act aggressively. Perhaps the most commonly noted would be to intimidate and threaten, as well as showing dominance or anger. There's also aggression as a response to fear or pain. And there's instrumental reasons for it, such as competition and achieving goals."
"It pretty much comes down to people being horrible to each other."
"That is basically our society in a nutshell, dobe."
Naruto scowls, not at all pleased with that verdict. "Well, it shouldn't be like that. There needs to be more understanding and less aggression. There's no need for ruining people's day or even worse, they're entire mindset." The blonde's thoughts flash back to that overbearing women and her haughty attack on them. What makes people think they have any right?
Sasuke seems to understand where Naruto's mind has wandered off to, as his gaze softens and he taps his pen on the blonde's notebook, grabbing his attention. "People not minding their own business and being aggressive towards things they don't agree with will never stop, dobe. Whether it's one topic or another, there will always be opposition. You just learn to deal with the opposition for the problems that concern you."
Naruto sighs, knowing the raven is correct, but not liking it. "It's not always easy, though." Naruto shrugs his shoulders. "Learning to deal with people thinking they have any right to what you do with your life. That's never easy."
Sasuke sits up straight again, having got his point across to the boy. "I didn't say it would be. Just that you have to do it in order to move past the negativity. Now," Sasuke returns to work mode, "we can answer the question you hit earlier. When does aggression become violence?"
This question seems easy enough; Naruto thanks his lucky stars for that. "When someone gets really hurt, right?"
Sasuke nods. "All violence is a form of aggression, but not all aggression is violent. Aggression that ends in the harm or death of an individual has moved into violence territory. This would be things like robbery, rape, murder or assault. There are, of course, other violent acts, but that gets the point across."
"I guess I just consider violence to be its own category."
"Some people see it that way. When you consider aggression as just being rude or hostile to someone else, and then you compare it to harm with an intent to kill or torture, it does seem to be in its own league. But nevertheless, it is an extreme form of aggression."
Naruto thinks about that for a second, and then shudders. He can't imagine being violent towards someone to that extent. Sure, he's felt the urge to throw a fist in someone's face on more than one occasion, but never would he want to cause extreme harm to someone. His aggravation never takes him that far.
On impulse, the blonde voices an obscure question to the raven. Really, he's not sure what made him think to ask such a thing. But as he was pondering his view on aggression, his mind flickered over the expression he saw on Sasuke's face as he was talking about acts of violence. Something there strikes a chord in Naruto. Something that makes him think the raven is privy to these sorts of acts.
Have you ever been involved in anything violent?
The question hangs in the air, as neither boy speaks. Naruto is nearly holding his breath as he pensively studies the raven's still features. Sasuke, for his part, is either soaking the question in, or going to flat out refuse to answer it. That wouldn't surprise the blonde; Sasuke rarely answers anything personal that isn't a question for the assignments. Naruto finds himself wishing Kakashi had made a question concerning their personal experience with aggression.
Except, the blonde really wouldn't want to answer any questions on that, either. "Forget it, okay?" Naruto waves his hands in front of him, as if to dispel the words that had been spoken. "I don't know why I asked. It's stupid."
"When I was ten, my family was involved in a murder." Sasuke carefully slides his notebook into his bag as he says this, as if anything but slow and deliberate movements might shatter the very air around them.
"I – what?" Naruto sputters out, not sure how to form a sentence. "What happened?"
"Not now, dobe." Sasuke stands up, pulling his back across his shoulder as he goes. "Are you free Friday night?"
Denying his reflexive urge to push the topic, Naruto takes a deep mental breath and lets the conversation go. He's lucky Sasuke even said as much as he did. "I work till 9, but then I've got nothing."
Sasuke nods in acceptance of this. "Come over to my house after work. We'll do the next assignment then."
"Am I staying the night?" Naruto asks quickly to the retreating figure, hope already swelling inside him.
Sasuke pauses at the door, taking one last, fleeting glance at his companion. For a moment, Naruto is certain he's going to be told no, that he's pushing his luck again with their boundaries and the flow of their not-a-relationship. But at the relaxing of the arch in the raven's brow and the almost imperceptible smile on his lips, the blonde knows he won this time. "Sure, dobe."
A sunny grin breaks out across the blonde's face, who nods and tilts his head in pleased confirmation. "Friday then!" Only two days and an evening he has to get through, and then he can spend another night with that boy. Naruto is almost concerned with himself; since when does he count the days based on who he gets to hang out with? But when a smug voice in his head whispers since you met him, he knows there's really no point in arguing that. His life has revolved around the Uchiha since this project started. Whether it's the assignments, or hanging out on free time, or getting into all sorts of new situations that has him question everything he's known himself to be, it all circles back to one particular stoic raven.
And really, Naruto wouldn't have it any other way.