How to Break a Mask
Author: Kinomi Akai
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the characters would make love, not war.
Summary: An incident at the festival on Oct. 10th reveals that there is a lot that everyone doesn't know about Naruto. Smart!Naruto, Sasunaru/Narusasu, Rated M to be safe
Pairings: Sasunaru/Narusasu, mentions of KakaIru.
Warnings: Shonen-ai, yaoi, boy x boy, whatever to want to call it.
Author's Note:
"Blah" – talking
'blah' – thinking
'blah' – Kyuubi talking
Last time:
Silence struck the room like thunder. Sasuke stumbled back with a bitter expression.
"Maybe it's you who needs to accept their perceptions have been wrong. Maybe I lie sometimes too. Maybe I've spent the last fucking month trying to get justice for you!"
Chapter 11: The Kitchen
Naruto stared at him, but his eyes had changed. "I knew it was you!"
The Uchiha stared at him. "Did you?"
"Yeah..." He breathed. He continued on quietly, but Sasuke heard his words anyways: "You're the only one who'd care enough..."
"Tch, idiot."
"What?"
"The only one who'd care enough, dobe?" Sasuke smirked at the blonde. "Even you aren't that clueless."
Naruto stared at him without a response, so Sasuke continued.
"Do you want to know how many people volunteered to help you?" Grey eyes had darkened into black with an intensity that rendered Naruto unable to look away. He realized Sasuke was waiting for an answer, and shook his head mutely.
"Everyone!" Sasuke let his hands fly through the air in frustration that the blonde idiot couldn't see what was right in front of him, and Naruto took a moment to appreciate the usual stoic boy's loss of composure. "Sakura, Lee, Neji, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, hell, even Gaara showed up at one point! Hinata got her father involved, Kakashi was there...do you get the point, usuratonkachi? People care about you! You are important! And not because of your status, not because you have Kyuubi inside of you, but because you're Uzumaki Naruto. You're Konoha's number one most surprising ninja, and you are going to be Hokage someday." Grey eyes bore holes into blue ones as Sasuke's pale mouth spit every syllable. "Dattebayo."
Naruto let in a breath that sounded suspiciously like a gasp. Unconsciously, he felt his eyes stinging, but his conscious mind was completely unaware of the budding tears.
"Sasuke," the hitch in his voice was impossible to miss, and Sasuke's eyes widened at it.
"Dobe," he cuffed the back of the blonde's head in an almost affectionate way. "It's dinner time. Come on."
Naruto, for once, silently followed his friend.
"I'm not serving ramen," Sasuke stated.
Naruto let a slight smile spread across his face at Sasuke's attempts to put some normality back into the situation. He suppressed his initial, trained reaction to groan loudly, since he didn't need to make excuses for his appetite around Sasuke anymore. And he had a feeling that the Uchiha would not take kindly to being lied to about this, especially if he found out the truth through someone other than Naruto himself.
"Naruto?" Sasuke's voice broke his daydream, and Naruto grinned sheepishly before looking down at the floor.
"Actually, uh," He raised a hand to scratch at the back of his head. "I don't really like ramen all that much."
Black eyebrows rose incredibly high.
"Well, I mean, I like it. It's fine. But reason for the whole obsession was that Ichiraku isn't biased against me," he continued quietly. "I'm sure there are other places like that, but I really don't like doing the whole trial and error thing, you know?"
Blue eyes met Sharingan red. Naruto flinched.
"Sasuke? Are you okay?"
The pale boy's hands were in painful fists, and his jaw clenched. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. Naruto watched him calm down, mesmerized at the reaction that he had caused.
"Naruto." Sasuke's eyes were open again, and they were back to their regular grey. But the spark of emotion in them was far from regular. "Can I ask you to promise me something?"
Naruto licked his lips and nodded, not trusting his dry throat to allow him to speak normally.
"I want you to promise that if anything like this ever happens again, if you're ever served rotten food or no food, if you're hurt or even sneered at by a member of Konoha, I want you to promise, on everything that you are, that you will tell me."
Naruto was struck speechless by the furious fire in Sasuke's usually dead eyes. He felt stricken.
"I..." Naruto tried, but his mind was racing. He didn't know how to continue.
Sasuke's eyes became dull, and his body became stiff.
"Alright. I understand." The Uchiha rigidly turned on his heel and began to walk away.
"No, you idiot!" Naruto said, feeling his anger build up and reaching out to grab Sasuke and spin him back around. He strode forward until he was right in the Uchiha's face.
"You don't get it, do you? You can't just say all these things and expect me to react right away. My entire life has become completely fucked in the last month! Everything is completely different and I'm already struggling to keep up with that, let alone you suddenly deciding to act like you care about me!" He waved his arms around him, trying to express his frustration. "You can't just ask me to make an important promise in one second. Give me some fucking time to think about if I'll be able to keep it first!"
Naruto finished his rant and stood panting, determinedly staring into Sasuke's eyes. The pale boy looked at him for a moment, before smirking slightly.
"You have quite the foul mouth, dobe."
"Shut up, teme." Naruto responded automatically.
Sasuke let his eyes scan Naruto for a moment, before he spoke again. "Okay. Come on then, the food will get cold. Just tell me your answer eventually, will you?" He waved a hand to beckon Naruto to follow him down the hallway.
"O-okay," Naruto said, silently wondering if his heart would survive anymore Uchiha mood swings.
"Oh, one more thing," the black-haired boy casually looked back at Naruto over his shoulder. He continued walking as he glanced back, "if you'd like, you could stay here until you find a place that's more secure that than apartment you have. It's not like I don't have the space." Sasuke waved a hand to indicate the massive space around him.
Before Naruto could respond, they were in the kitchen. Naruto's overly-sensitive nose was assaulted by the diverse and absolutely delicious smells around him. He let out a gasp, before he could help himself, as he realized exactly how hungry he was.
It was a very good thing that Sasuke was not facing Naruto, for Naruto would have likely become very suspicious at the self-satisfied smirk that split the Uchiha's face. He quickly forced it down to a slightly smug look when he turned around to speak to Naruto.
"Well, dig in, then."
Dinner was relatively silent, aside from the noises of Naruto's eating habits. Instead of becoming annoyed as he usually would, however, Sasuke found himself amused, and almost proud, at the way that Naruto greedily tasted everything in sight. The main reason for the silence, however, was both boys' preoccupation with thinking of the other.
Naruto was trying organize his thoughts enough to figure out what he should do about Sasuke's offer and, more importantly, the promise he had asking of him. Naruto had never broken a promise; he took them very seriously. Trying to ignore Kyuubi's shouts of 'DO IT, DO IT!', Naruto furrowed his brow in thought. On the other hand, Sasuke was trying to decipher exactly when he had become so comfortable with Naruto that he had not only allowed him to see a part of himself that no one else had, but had even asked the blonde boy to all but move in with him. Granted, Naruto had always had a talent in forcing emotions out of the usually stoic boy. But to willingly ask Naruto to move in was to willingly accept those emotional outbursts that only the blonde could cause. And to move in with him, into his dead parents' house? Into the house where the Uchiha massacre had occurred, where all of his memories haunted him? He couldn't deny that his entire life seemed brighter with the blonde boy around him. No, he had been forced to admit Naruto's importance to him the moment that he realized his desire for vengeance in this case had been equal to that of the vengeance for his family. But did Naruto matter even more than his memories? For almost his entire life, Sasuke had lived with only the thoughts of what he had lost. Had Naruto wormed his way his heart before he had even noticed?
Grey eyes met beautiful blue, and Sasuke felt his heart give an enthusiastic thump.
The answer was undoubtably yes.
The tanned boy swallowed his food before he spoke, a courtesy that Sakura had forced him to obey long ago. "You're really okay with me staying here?"
Sasuke's face softened. "Yeah," he spoke softly. "I really am."
Whisker marks stretched as a wide grin broke Naruto's face. "Then I think I'll accept your offer," His grin turned mischievous as he looked down at his bowl. "If only for the food."
"Ah, I knew it," Sasuke put a hand over his heart as if wounded. "You only keep me around for my cooking."
Naruto froze.
"Did you," he stared incredulously. "Did you just make a joke?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow in response. "Hn."
Naruto stared, and then grinned. "I didn't know teme's could feel humour!"
"Tch," Sasuke turned his head away, but the upturned corners of his mouth betrayed his true emotion. "That only goes to show what a dobe you are."
Naruto only grinned at the comment.
"Your bedroom will be the room you slept in today. Is that okay?" Sasuke asked, changing the subject.
"'Course it is, teme! Not all of us are as hard to please as you!"
"Maa," Sasuke waved a hand, a habit he had unconsciously picked up from Kakashi over the years, before bringing it back to rest his elbow on the table and chin on his hand. "I'm not hard to please. I just need a dobe to amuse me."
There was an awkward pause.
Sasuke's heart was working overtime, attempting to calm him down from his almost certain panic attack. 'This is exactly why I never act on impulse anymore; I always end up looking like a complete imbecile.'
Naruto's thoughts were more along the line of: 'That...was that flirting? No way. No fucking way. I mean, I did wonder if he was gay after he didn't show any interest in the fangirls, but he didn't even look at the fanboys either! The guy's asexual, obviously, I don't know what he's playing at-'
'Hey, blonde idiot? Yeah, you. Flirt back before I take your body over and do it for you.'
'The hell, Kyuubi? I'm not going to-'
'OH FOR KAMI'S SAKE! You are so oblivious! I dealt with your crap about the villagers being totally fine for years! I'm not going to deal with your denial about the Uchiha too. Look, okay, here.' Kyuubi sent an onslaught of questionable images, all containing the black-haired boy in question. Naruto felt his breathing quicken, and blood suddenly redirect itself to his cheeks, along with a slightly lower region.
With sudden lust and warmth humming through his veins, Naruto felt his confidence return. He let his eyes rise to meet Sasuke's, and let a wicked smirk grace his face. He felt vindictive pleasure at the shock that graced the pale features.
"Oh," Naruto said, letting the words roll off of his tongue as if he spoke them all the time, "And exactly what type of amusement were you thinking of, Sasuke?"
Sasuke let in a breath, and Naruto paused for a moment at what he saw in Sasuke's glittering eyes. It wasn't pain, nor was it anger; Naruto was more than familiar with the slight shifts in Sasuke's features that gave away those emotions.
'Well. Looks like I'm gay.' Naruto thought to himself as his eyes raked up and down the pale form in front of him. He ignored the victory dance he could feel Kyuubi doing.
Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Won't you answer my question, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke felt his breath leave him. He furiously swallowed in an attempt to get moisture back into his mouth. He was attracted to Naruto. He was attracted to Naruto. He was attracted to Naruto.
"I," he breathed, but that was all he could manage. Sasuke found himself floundering horribly.
"Ah," Naruto let a sheepish grin grace his face again. "Did I overdo it?"
Sasuke's mouth twitched, against his will. He swallowed again, this time attempting to fix his dry throat and fight back a grin. What was it about Naruto that completely destroyed any composure he worked so hard to have?
Naruto laughed. "Don't get so worked up, teme! Girls flirt with you all the time, don't they?"
Sasuke caught himself, and rolled his eyes. "I wasn't worked up. Get over yourself."
"Alright, alright," Naruto waved a hand, not wanting to push Sasuke, but he couldn't quite get his grin to lessen completely. Messing with Sasuke was fun!
"Tch," Sasuke stood to pick up the empty plates, not allowing himself to look at Naruto. His chest was bursting with warmth and he had the overwhelming urge to laugh. Something had just passed between them that had never happened before, and it was exhilarating.
He noted, with some surprise, that Naruto had also stood to help clear the table.
Naruto's face hadn't lost it's amusement. "It's hard to imagine you doing something as menial as cleaning dishes."
Without missing a beat, Sasuke replied. "It's hard to imagine you ever cleaning at all."
"Hey!" Naruto protested.
"Idiot." Sasuke cuffed the back of the blonde boy's head with a smirk.
Naruto turned his sparkling blue eyes to Sasuke. The mischievous glint was the only warning the Uchiha got before he was tackled to the ground.
Sasuke yelped as he fell, but quickly regained control. Neither boy fought seriously, obviously, because that would result in complete destruction of each other and probably level the village, too. They wrestled back and forth, each familiar enough with the other's fighting style to be able to block and fight back without being harmful.
The battle deteriorated when Sasuke's hand brushed Naruto's side and he heard a pathetic attempt to stifle a giggle. Naruto shrank back at the look in his eyes, but it was too late. Sasuke pushed Naruto down, straddling him to stop him from getting back up, and began to tickle him mercilessly.
The Jinchuuriki desperately flung his body away from the tingling that Sasuke's finger's caused, but to no avail. He couldn't stop the laughter that burst forth from him as he flailed from side to side. He forced his eyes open and his body to ignore the sensation rippling through him so he could attempt to fight back. It didn't take long for him to realize that Sasuke was just as ticklish as he was.
It was a bit of a flaw for two fully trained ninjas to have, but no one ever seemed to think of such simple things. Naruto filed the knowledge away for the next time he wanted to justify his title as Konoha's most surprising ninja.
Sasuke was too busy desperately trying to stop his giggles from leaving his mouth. He was slightly succeeding, but he did look a little ridiculous with his mouth and eyes screwed shut as his body jerked itself both away and into Naruto's touches.
With a frustrated noise, Sasuke tossed himself off of Naruto to get away from his retaliation. They both lay on the floor, panting.
Naruto's cheeks were starting to hum with pain, but he still couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. He turned his head to watch the red-faced Uchiha beside him. Sasuke was breathing heavily, a hint of his former smile still on his face. He seemed to sense Naruto's eyes on him, because he turned to look at the boy in question.
Naruto let himself stare into Sasuke's eyes, which were so far from their normal state. Grey eyes that were normally so dull were shimmering with such strong emotion that they almost appeared black. Naruto didn't think he could look away if he tried.
"You should laugh like that more often," Naruto's breathless voice interrupted the silence.
Sasuke let his initial urge to close up fade as soon as it rose. He didn't want to do anything to wipe the look of bliss off of Naruto's face right now. He allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch upwards.
"So should you."
They stared at each other for a moment longer. It was then that Sasuke noticed Naruto's eyes were started to close.
"Idiot. You really haven't been sleeping well, have you?" He said quietly, almost to himself, as he sat up. Naruto answered him with an indistinct sound.
Sasuke let his fondness for the blonde show as Naruto's eyes closed completely. He snaked his arms underneath him and lifted them both up. It was a testament to how tired Naruto was when the lurch that Sasuke made as he stood up didn't wake Naruto in the slightest.
The sudden quiet was making Sasuke's thoughts start to race, but he refused to acknowledge them until he was alone. He slowly carried Naruto to his own bedroom, figuring that Naruto would be more comfortable staying in the room he had woken up in. Not to mention he had already told Naruto that that would be his temporary bedroom. He would have to clean up the guest bedroom for himself. He distantly wondered, as he placed Naruto onto the bed and pulled the covers over him, why he was putting the blonde so far before himself when he usually had such a history of selfishness. But his thoughts, his worries and his fears seemed to all fade into a distant hum in the back of his mind when his eyes scanned the peaceful face of the boy before him. Despite how much he called Naruto an idiot, the true idiot must have been himself, for not realizing how he felt long ago. By the time Sasuke had noticed that Naruto had captured his heart, it was long gone.
'But then again,' Sasuke thought to himself as he walked into the guest bedroom, 'the dobe does have a reputation for surprising everyone around him.'
The Uchiha's last thought before he fell asleep was of Naruto's unguarded stare of complete bliss as they lay on the floor together. Had he been awake longer, he might have been startled at how far he would go to see that look again.
A/N:
OKAY SO I WAS AT CAMP and then life happened and I really meant to get this out sooner, so I'm sorry for that. There's a lot more interaction in this chapter, what do you think? Do they act the way you thought they would/want them to?
The general consensus of the last question was pretty much "SMUTSMUTSMUT" so I'll be working on my lemon-writing skills. Be sure to look for some smutty oneshots/twoshots to come (heh) on my profile! But in this story, you've still got a couple chapters before they'll even lock lips, so just be patient, okay? This will be a soft, slow romance, if I do it properly.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the reviews! I was never so overwhelmed with emotion as I was when I was reading all of your encouragement. I really hope I'll write up to your standards, but please don't be afraid to tell me if I don't. An author has to learn somehow!
School will be starting soon. I REALLY hope I'll be able to keep writing during the year, but I won't know until it happens. If I get super absent for a while, I'm really sorry. But hopefully it won't happen!
Until next time,
- Kinomi