I had written this some time ago just for the kick of it. It's silly and stupid and funny and I adore it. ^.^
Sasuke was always just there.
We grew up in a small town called Konohagakure. Sasuke and his family were my neighbours. Our mothers made small talk, our fathers nodded at each other over the fence, his brother was elusive, and Sasuke and I ended up giving each other small, embarrassed smiles.
We went to the same school throughout our life, until we graduated from the town's high school. There was no farewell. Three days after our graduation, I stepped out on my balcony and saw Sasuke's brother, Itachi, loading boxes in a moving truck. Sasuke came out a few moments later, holding two boxes on top of each other. He was wearing a dark blue, long-sleeved T-shirt – the one he was wearing three days ago and usually wore the most – that was bunched up at the elbows, and a pair of dark pants. He handed over the boxes to Itachi.
I was rather frozen to the spot. That was the moment I realised that high school really was over. That things were about to change.
I knew Sasuke my whole life, but we were nothing alike. We could never become friends. Our personalities were just too different. He was cool, intense, smart, and aloof. His social circle included Hyuuga Hinata and Hozuki Suigetsu. My social circle, on the other hand, included 90% of our town population. Sasuke and I did bump into each other at times over the years; like the last time was when I took Ino to the town theatre and Sasuke was there with Tenten. We said hellos and how-are-yous, smoked outside during the interval, made small talk, and went back inside to our respective girlfriends.
As I stood rooted to the tiny piece of fake grass under my feet on my balcony, Sasuke's cool gaze met mine under the hot afternoon sun.
I could see my entire childhood in his eyes, running at fast-forward. The time we grinned at each other when we were eight and our fathers were teaching us how to ride bicycles. The time when Itachi hit puberty and Sasuke made an uncharacteristic gagging face at me when Itachi was too busy sucking his girlfriend's face to notice anyone. The time when his father was so mad at Sasuke for not getting the perfect grade, and I could hear him yelling through the walls. Itachi had intervened then, and Sasuke had stormed out five minutes later in a rage. I had been outside in my yard, watering the plants. Sasuke had seen me, said nothing, I shrugged, and he walked away. The time when our eyes had met during the graduation three days ago, and he was posing with Itachi for a mandatory graduation photograph.
Itachi was done loading the boxes. He said something quietly, realised that Sasuke wasn't paying attention, and looked over at me, to where his little brother was fixated.
I raised my hand and waved goodbye. Sasuke did the same. Ten minutes later, he was gone.
It was pouring.
I stood under the roadside awning with twenty other people, all glued to each other. A person behind me shoved me forward to breathe, and I pushed back. I was not about to get drenched, damn it.
Wrong move.
His elbow hit me in the back with more force than I was ready for, and out I went from under the shelter. I fell face-first on the pavement.
Cursing at the stupid man, I spit out the rain-flavoured concrete dirt just as a pair of black shoes stopped near my face. I looked up, ready to string out another bunch of colourful words when I froze.
Uchiha Sasuke seemed just as surprised to see me, under his black umbrella. He quickly moved the umbrella to cover me as well, and waited patiently as I got my bearings together enough to stand up on my own two feet.
He had changed quite a lot since the last time I saw him, seven years ago.
He was slightly taller than I was and gotten super pretty.
"Hi," I greeted with a smile.
He nodded. "Hey. What are you doing here?"
"You remember me?" That made me happy.
Sasuke chuckled. "Why would I forget you? We practically grew up together."
"Together-adjacent," I corrected him.
He rolled his eyes at me. He was wearing glasses. It looked nice. Suited him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked me once again.
'Here' meant the city on the other side of the country, from the town that we grew up in.
I shrugged. "I got a job offer. My interview was earlier in the morning."
His eyebrows rose. "Did you get it?"
I grinned, unable to stop myself when I thought about the awesome interview I had. "Yes."
"Congratulations."
"Thanks!"
I looked down at my clothes. They were soaked. I needed to get out of this rain. Fast.
"Anyway," I began to say, "it was nice to see you. But I have to check in a motel soon, before the rain becomes too harsh. Can you tell me any good ones?"
He assessed me with cool eyes for a few moments as he thought. Then he nodded. "Sure. I could just drop you there. My car is right around the corner."
I grinned. "Perfect! Thanks a lot, Sasuke."
"No problem. Let's go."
We huddled up under his black umbrella as he led us to his car. Sasuke pressed his keys and the car beeped open. He came to the passenger side so that I could settle in, then went over to the driver's side. As soon as he got in, he turned on the heater. Blissful warm air blasted through the vents and I sighed in content.
"What do you do?" Sasuke asked me as he started to drive.
I rubbed the back of my neck, having been unable to shake off the habit completely. "I'm a photographer. The interview I gave today was for a magazine called Tsukuyomi. Do you know it?"
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, I've heard about it. They're supposed to be good. When do you start then?"
I laughed without humour. "That's the problem. They want me to start from Monday."
"How is that a problem?"
"I only came to give the interview. The plan was to return home and wait for their call. Now I can't do that. I'll look up a place in the city, and tell my parents to send everything here."
It was silent for a few minutes after that. I watched the drenched city, imagining myself to be living in it. It seemed a bit daunting, to be honest. I was a town-boy. I had never lived in a city, let alone on my own. After high school, I started working directly in the town's local newspaper as the photographer. When it got too boring and restrictive, I applied for jobs all over the country. I had never imagined that I would actually get one so soon, let alone having to start it sooner.
"What do you do?" I asked him.
The car wasn't the most expensive, by the looks of it, but it screamed "steady income". He was wearing a long black coat, but I could see the tie and the blazer underneath. Sasuke had gone corporate.
"I design softwares."
I whistled. "Figures. You always seemed the type."
Sasuke scoffed. "What type is that?"
"You know, nerdy. The one that's I-am-secretly-a-genius-and-I-am-going-to-earn-shit-ton-of-money."
He laughed loudly. "First of all, I wasn't secretly a genius. It was practically public knowledge. Second of all, I'm nowhere near earning a shit ton of money."
I swatted his hand. "Wow, look at the arrogance around here."
His laughs died down to snickers.
I turned to look outside the window again and was surprised to see a neighbourhood of apartments. Weren't motels usually located outside the city?
"Where are we going?" I asked him, confused.
"My apartment. You can crash there until you find your own. Although, I have to warn you that my flatmate is not exactly a people-person."
"Neither are you," I reminded him. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."
"Really, Naruto?" He sniggered. "You're the most intruding person I've ever known."
I laughed, knowing it to be true.
Sasuke's apartment was a decent sized two-bedroom space. His flatmate was out when we reached. Sasuke gave me a short tour, told me that I could either sleep on the floor in his bedroom or the couch in the living room.
"Or I could just snuggle with you on your bed," I teased.
He smirked. "Don't tempt me."
That made me laugh. Sasuke could flirt? With a guy? That was brand new information.
I chose the couch. A guy needed his privacy, after all.
Sasuke made us both coffee, and offered to stand on the tiny, tiny balcony to drink it.
His apartment was on the tenth floor. It gave a nice view, especially since it was raining. The street was lined up with apartment buildings on all sides, but the rain made everything prettier.
Sasuke leaned against the railing beside me, and took out a pack of cigarettes. He offered me one. I took it.
"Tell me about the city," I said.
Sasuke glanced at me once before shrugging. "There's not much to tell. It's different than Konoha, for sure. People here don't care about the neighbours. They're usually not interested in gossiping until it's about popular faces. Everything here is fast. You have to keep up, otherwise you'll get trampled on by the person running behind you."
I snickered. "Sounds amazing."
"It gets better," he told me. "You get used to it."
"I hope so."
The rain was letting up slightly.
"Don't worry, Naruto," Sasuke said after some time. "You'll be fine. You're crazy enough to survive this."
I smiled. "Where exactly did you go after you left Konoha? Tenten had mentioned once that you were attending college at Suna. But that was it."
He nodded, taking a drag. "I did. I finished my degree at Suna, then came here to be near Itachi. Got a job, got an apartment, a flatmate. I settled in."
"Why don't you stay with him, then?" I was sure Itachi wouldn't mind if Sasuke wanted to live together.
"And his girlfriend? No, thank you."
I chuckled. "How did he manage to get a live-in girlfriend? As far as I remember, he was going through them a lot faster than anyone could keep count."
Sasuke gave me a teasing smile. "You can say it. He was a man-whore."
I laughed, not denying it.
"He fell in love," Sasuke said, shaking his head with disbelief. "I have no idea how it happened, but he did. Maybe because the girlfriend is as crazy as he is."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Sasuke replied. "She's actually some genius doctor. Haruno Sakura."
"Wait," I said, stunned. I grabbed his arm and made him turn to me. He tsked in annoyance. "Sakura is his girlfriend? He's dating Sakura? Pink-haired-psycho Sakura?"
He gave me a suspicious look. "You know her?"
"She's Ino's cousin or something. Visited Konoha a few times. But not recently. Which is strange. You'd think Itachi would go and meet your parents with her."
Sasuke sighed. "They're not on speaking terms, my parents and my brother. Itachi hasn't visited them in a long time, and neither have I. I'm Team Itachi, and so is Sakura. The only thing we have in common is that."
I nodded. Realising that I was still holding on to his arm, I quickly let go. He didn't seem to care.
"What does he do, anyway?" I asked Sasuke. "Itachi?"
"He's working in this company called Akatsuki Corp. He's handling their Law Department."
I nodded again, impressed. "Yeah, I know about them."
Itachi was actually a born prodigy. He finished high school way too early, got two degrees online from prestigious colleges until Sasuke graduated, and they both left to go their respective paths.
Akatsuki Corp was a big deal. Their CEO, Yahiko, kept popping up in newspapers many times.
"Why didn't you join them?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I wasn't interested. I know they're a big deal, but even if I got in because of my skills, everyone would just think it was because of Itachi."
"Fair enough."
"Tell me what you did all these years."
I told him about the local newspaper, and how I wanted to get out of the town. After listening to his side of the story – genius lawyer brother dating genius doctor, and genius younger sibling designing softwares – I felt pretty lame talking about local newspaper from Konoha.
But Sasuke merely listened attentively, and appeared to be sincerely interested.
What a guy.
Sasuke's flatmate was a friend of his from Suna. His name was Gaara. Sasuke wasn't kidding. The guy was super serious and hated humans.
Which made troubling him all the more fun.
"Why is this guy here, Sasuke?" He asked flatly, while I chortled in the background. I had just used a glitter gun on him. He looked ridiculous.
Sasuke was trying not to laugh. "I told you. He's a friend from back home and needed a place to crash."
"How long is this crashing going to take place for? Get him out of here. I'm sick of his face."
I threw my arm around his shoulder, self-preservation be damned. "Oh come on, you know you like my pretty face. You wish you could just eat me up."
Gaara turned his flat stare to me. "You might be currently staying with two gay guys, but I suggest that you remove your hand before I break it for you."
My eyes swivelled around to Sasuke. He was suddenly poker-faced.
Gaara took advantage of my lax posture, and threw me to the side before stalking back to his bedroom and slamming the door shut.
There was a prickly silence in which Sasuke and I avoided looking at each other at all costs.
I couldn't take it after a point. Slapping a grin on my face, I stalked over to him.
"Now I know why you offered to let me stay here," I said cheerily. "You were hoping to get some of this action, huh? Did Ino tell you how good I am in bed?"
Sasuke's poker-faced broke and he threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"You wish," he retorted. "Don't think I don't notice the long stares you give me."
I smirked. "What can I say? You're so irresistible. Especially when you're wearing these glasses."
"If you say so."
"Come on, let's smoke. We can spit in Gaara's food later tonight."
Sasuke grinned. And a small smile stayed on his face the entire time we smoked on his tiny, tiny balcony.
It wasn't raining, but the view was still darn pretty.
Two weeks of staying with Sasuke taught me a lot about him, more than I learned in eighteen years that we were neighbours.
Sasuke loved coffee and ate healthy food. He was a neat freak. He had a routine every morning that was borderline OCD.
He would wake up at exactly 5.30 AM, freshen up, go for a jog, shower, have coffee, eat breakfast while checking e-mails, and then leave for work. After he returned home, he would head straight for another short shower, come out to prepare dinner, eat, watch some TV, read a book, and then go to sleep. He would do all of that in the same exact order from Monday to Friday.
If I tried to disrupt it in any way, he would get annoyed and threaten to throw me out to the streets.
The routine only changed on Saturdays and Sundays. Instead of going to work, he would get ready to clean the house after breakfast. He did laundry, took way too many coffee and cigarette breaks, tolerated Gaara's various degrees of hate-people rants while helping him water his plants, and caught up on the TV series that he was currently streaming on Netflix.
Sasuke also loved to shop. He would be on various shopping apps on his phone whenever he got the time, and he would order the stupidest things. I received a delivery of a weird painting once, and a scary-looking statue that he now keeps on his bedside table.
He was absurdly strange. It was the most fun I had in years.
"You're going on a date?" I asked for the hundredth time. It still didn't feel true.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at me. "Yes. Why is it so hard for you to believe?"
"Because you're you!" I replied with disbelief. "I'm surprised anyone was willing to tolerate a meal with you and your obsessive need to keep the forks and spoons exactly right, the napkin to be perfectly folded, and your incessant habit of pointing out wrong grammar in everything." I took a much-needed deep breath.
Sasuke completely ignored me.
He was standing in front of his mirror, righting his collar for the umpteenth time.
"It looks fine," I insisted. "Leave it be."
"Do I look okay?" He asked, frowning at himself in the mirror.
Seriously, you wouldn't think a guy so pretty would need validation from someone who had scars on the cheeks.
"Yes, you look ravishingly sexy," I said flatly. "I could just bend you over right here."
Sasuke let out an annoyed breath. "Naruto."
I got up from his bed and stalked over. "You look great, Sasuke. The guy would be an idiot to not bend you over."
Sasuke smiled. "I don't want him to bend me over. It's just the first date."
I smirked. "You never know." I lost the smirk and assessed him quietly once more.
"Lose the tie," I told him, but doing it for him anyway. I popped open the first two buttons of his shirt.
He actually did look rather ravishing. Sasuke was wearing a dark pair of fitting jeans, a white shirt underneath a long-sleeved red sweater, and a pair of brown boots.
"There you go," I grinned. "Much better. Don't want your date thinking you're a stuck-up ass, even if you are one."
Sasuke rolled his eyes at me again. "Some people actually don't mind stuck-up asses like me."
"Oh, I know," I said sweetly. "They're the other stuck-up asses of the world."
Sasuke punched me in the arm just as the doorbell rang.
I ran before him to open the door. Sasuke's date was a huge guy. He had reddish-orange hair, and kind brown eyes. He was wearing a black button-up, a long coat, and a pair of trousers.
"Hey," he greeted with a small smile. "I'm Juugo. I'm here to pick up Sasuke."
"Hi, I'm Naruto," I offered him my hand to shake. Firm shake, that was good. I stepped aside as an invitation to come inside. "Sasuke will be out in a minute."
Juugo nodded, looking around curiously.
"What do you do, Juugo?"
He turned to me with another smile. "I work in Sasuke's office, but in a different department."
"You're not a psycho-serial-killer or anything, right?"
Juugo laughed just as Sasuke said an annoyed "Naruto" from behind me.
I raised my hands in defence at Sasuke. "Just checking."
Sasuke gave me an unimpressed look. I shrugged.
But I couldn't help it. I called out "don't forget to buy condoms" when they were leaving the apartment. Sasuke's slim middle finger appeared just before the door shut.
I laughed in the silence of the empty house.
Turned out getting an affordable apartment in the city was one of the most difficult things you'd do in life.
"When is he getting out of here?" Gaara asked after four weeks of staying with me.
I suppressed an annoyed grunt.
Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the redhead. "Relax. He's not troubling you anymore, is he?"
I threw a secret grin Sasuke's way. He ignored me. Today morning, I had put salt in Gaara's coffee, while Sasuke helped me pretend as if it tasted just fine.
Gaara glared at me anyway. "At least pay the bills."
"He doesn't need to," Sasuke defended. "I've got it covered, and you know that."
"Wait, what?" I shot up from the couch and slapped a hand to my face. "Sasuke, I'm so sorry. Gaara is right. It completely slipped my mind. I'll pay you back, I promise."
"It's fine, Naruto," Sasuke assured.
"No, it's not," Gaara denied. "Sasuke, you can't just take anyone in and then pay for them. Things aren't exactly cheap in the city."
"He's not anyone, Gaara!" Sasuke said, annoyed. "He's my friend."
"Some friend," Gaara muttered.
"Okay, seriously? Shut it," Sasuke snapped.
I felt utterly guilty. How could I not realise such a simple thing?
My job was going well. I was earning a pay-check now, and yet, I didn't have the common decency to pay for the livelihood. I was just so caught up in the excitement of living with Sasuke of all people, the new job, new colleagues, new place, that I forgot that I didn't stay with my parents, and that I actually had to pay for things.
"Naruto," Sasuke turned to me with a serious face. "It's fine. Really. Don't worry about it."
I shook my head. "No. No, it's not fine. I earn now, Sasuke. I just forgot that I wasn't living in my home. I'll pay you first thing tomorrow morning. And I'll widen my scope of searching for rooms."
"You can stay here as long as you want," Sasuke insisted. "It's been fun with you around."
Gaara ignored the jab. It made me laugh.
One and half month after staying with Sasuke, I finally got my own place.
Sasuke helped me with the move.
"Not bad," he commented looking around my bedroom.
It really was not bad. It had a queen sized bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and an attached bathroom. I was sharing the apartment with two other people, Karin and Sai. They each had their own bedrooms.
My place of work was a little further than I would have liked, but it was okay. Sasuke's apartment fell between my place and my office. I knew I was going to exploit the convenience like nobody's business.
Karin walked inside the bedroom just then, carrying a tray of three mugs. She offered it first to Sasuke with a flirtatious smile. I pursed my lips to contain my laughter. Sasuke merely said thanks and took one mug, passed it to me, and then took another for himself.
Karin made herself at home. It was rather funny, watching her try and flirt with Sasuke without knowing that he wasn't into women at all.
Sai came by after some time, looking as if he just woke up from a fifty-year's deep slumber. He was wearing a pair of black harem pants and an oversized black T-shirt. There were paint splashes all over his clothes, and some on his face and hands.
He grabbed Karin's mug from her hands.
"Hey!" Karin protested and tried to take it back. He deftly slipped from under her arms and came to stand behind me.
"You won't harm our new house mate, now, will you?" He taunted.
"Don't test it," I muttered.
Karin rolled her eyes.
"This has been fun," Sasuke announced. "But I have to go."
I immediately went over to escort him to the front door.
"Call me if you need rescue," he said.
I chuckled and bumped our shoulders together. "Who else am I going to call? By the way, Ino is going to visit soon. You should come. She might call Sakura, which means Itachi might tag along."
Sasuke heaved a sigh. "I'll bring Juugo."
I paused. "That's still going?"
Sasuke gave me a weird look. "What do you mean? Obviously, it's still going."
"Oh. I didn't realise. I mean, you guys never went on another date. I just figured the first one was not that great."
Sasuke shrugged. "We work in the same company. We usually have lunch dates. And since he doesn't have flatmates, we go over to his place. I just never slept over."
"I see."
Sasuke grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. "Is that okay? Me bringing Juugo?"
I grinned. "Of course! He's your boyfriend."
Sasuke's eyes widened dramatically. "He's not my boyfriend. We are dating. It's not a relationship, Naruto."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Right, right. Well, in any case, bring him over."
"That's a lot of people," Sasuke commented. "Ino, you, me, Juugo, Sakura, Itachi, Karin, and Sai. Maybe I should call Gaara as well. I don't want him to feel left out."
I laughed, finding it ridiculous that Gaara would want to spend his evening with a bunch of people. "Who will water his evening plants?"
Sasuke snorted. "Right. Well, I'll ask him anyway."
"Yeah, okay."
We were already at the front door. It felt like I was saying goodbye even though it didn't make sense. For some reason, I was reminded of that hot summer afternoon when Sasuke had packed up all his things in the moving truck and left me back in Konoha. Which was a weird thing to feel, because Sasuke didn't exactly leave me. We were nothing but neighbours back then. I barely knew him.
Today, he was wearing a black T-shirt and blue denim pants, with a brown jacket. I loved the brown jacket. I had borrowed it from him a few times.
I was feeling all kinds of weird. Maybe it was because it took being parted from Sasuke, again, to make me realise that things were changing.
I had the strangest urge to give him a hug. It's not like I haven't forced it on him a few times while staying with him, but it was only to annoy him. I wanted to give him a real hug this time.
Gathering up my courage, I took a step forward and threw my hands around his shoulders.
"Thank you, Sas," I told him, using the nickname I gave him. "For helping me and all."
Sasuke was frozen in my embrace for a few moments, but I wasn't letting him go just because he felt awkward. He did eventually return the hug by crushing my body to his. It was nice.
"No problem," he muttered lowly. "Call me if you need anything."
And then he was gone.
I called him the next morning, just to wish him good morning, and to disrupt his daily routine.
"Naruto," he growled on the other side of the phone.
"You can't throw me out to the streets," I reminded him.
"No," he replied. "But I can do this."
And he hung up on me. I laughed loudly, garnering the attention of Karin and Sai. Ignoring them, I collected my things and headed to work.
Later that day, Sasuke sent me an image of Gaara watering his plants.
I replied. Okay?
Then he sent me another image of vodka being poured into the watering can that Gaara used. I laughed so loudly that my boss poked his head out of his cabin to give me a pointed look. I quickly texted back.
Damn it, Sas.
He replied with a smiley.
Ino came a week later like a hurricane.
She made herself at home in my bedroom, and Sai looked as if he had just seen the Heaven.
"Ino, come out already!" I yelled through the bathroom door. "I need to go for work."
She'd been taking a bath for the last half an hour.
"One minute, Naruto!" she called back.
"That's what you said fifteen minutes ago!"
"Just use mine," Karin said. She was leaning against the bedroom door, sipping coffee.
Finding no other option, I dragged myself to her room.
After a 10-minute quick shower, I wrapped the towel around my hips and left Karin's room, only to come face to face with Sasuke's stunned face in the living room.
He looked me over once in my half-naked glory, before snapping out of it, and putting on a smile that didn't fool me one bit.
"Hey," I greeted cautiously. "What are you doing here?"
Karin was busy making breakfast. Ino still wasn't outside, which meant she was clearly lying about her "one minute" plan.
"Just thought I'd swing by to see if you wanted to get breakfast," he replied coolly. "But if you're busy…"
"He's already late for work because of Ino," Karin said. I hadn't see her coming out of the kitchen, but she was now standing near the dining table. She rolled her eyes to emphasize the point.
"As in?"
Karin replied again before I could. "She kept him up all night and then hogged his shower," she laughs.
Sasuke's eyes swivelled to meet mine and I wanted to stumble back but I couldn't because I felt rooted for some reason.
He laughed and it sounded horribly wrong. "Well," he said. "Anyway, I'll see you some other time, then, Naruto."
Sasuke started to make his way to the front door when my feet finally decided to move. I stalked forward and grabbed his arm with my wet hands.
"Sasuke," I called out.
Sasuke turned to me again with another fake smile. "It's fine."
His usually cool eyes were burning.
I didn't know why I said it, but something told me that I had to clarify Karin's ill-used words. "I didn't sleep with Ino. She kept talking my ear off. That's what Karin meant."
Since I was holding his arm, I actually felt him relax under my touch when I explained.
"Oh, okay," he said, giving me a genuine smile that made me breathe again. "Well, I'll see you later anyway."
I studied him for a few seconds, before making my decision. "You know what? I do have time for breakfast. Why don't you wait for five minutes and I'll quickly put on some clothes?"
Sasuke grinned happily, and it made my chest ache. "Alright. Wouldn't want anyone jumping you while you eat."
I laughed. "You know it. But let's face it. If you're there, I'm practically invisible."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, just like he always did whenever I complimented him without intending. I couldn't help it, though. He was one of the best-looking men I've ever seen, and I didn't find any problem in reminding him of that every once in a while.
"Just put on some clothes. I need coffee. And food. Gaara ate through the stack."
"How about we go for grocery shopping after work, then?"
He smiled. "Sounds good."
"Alright. Be right back."
Later that night, Karin cornered me in the kitchen while I made a sandwich for myself.
"What was that today?" she asked, coming to lean against the counter. Her hands were folded across her chest, and she kept looking at me with suspicion.
"What?"
"Don't play dumb, Naruto," she said straightforwardly. "You and Sasuke. Are you two…?"
I laughed even though I didn't find the notion one bit funny. "No. Are you mad? Why would you even imply that?"
She didn't back off. "Because of the little bubble you two disappear into every time he's around. It's like nothing is more important to you than Sasuke's happiness."
I swallow. "Sasuke's happiness is important to me, Karin. He's one of my closest friends."
It was true. It was so easy to just be around Sasuke. He made everything easier, better. He helped me when I first came to the city even though he was under no obligation to do so. He could have easily dumped my ass in a motel and gotten over it.
I knew for a fact that Sasuke didn't have many friends, even today. He was still aloof, cool, smart, and intense. But I knew him better now. I knew now that he was also a great friend, a good and kind human with a healthy sense of humour. He had his moods that I found utterly fascinating. I'd seen him drunk, angry, upset, happy, nervous, and a whole bunch of his versions over the last two months.
"Naruto," she said patiently. "I understand close friends. I get that. But you two are not close … friends. I mean, seeing you two, it just feels like there's more."
My heart was thudding in my chest as I struggled to keep my expression blank. "There's nothing, Karin." I put on a grin on my face. "You don't need to get jealous," I teased.
Karin wasn't fooled but she let it go, pretending to be offended by the notion. We didn't speak about it again.
Sasuke was positively sulking.
"Chill, Sas," I insisted, pushing the trolley further down the aisle. "It's not the end of the world."
Sasuke followed after a pause. "Not for you, maybe," he grumbled. "I mean, tomatoes aren't that hard to acquire, are they? How the hell do you not have a stack of them at any time of the day?"
I threw him an amused look. "Maybe because there are more Sasukes in the world than we previously thought."
Sasuke rolled his eyes the way only he could. "Please," he said. "We both know there is only one Uchiha Sasuke and he's standing beside you, shopping for grocery."
"The only reason you came is because you wanted tomatoes," I corrected him. "You can't give a shit about anything else."
"That's so unfair," he insisted. "Who stacked up on ramen when you were living with me?"
"I did." We both knew it was a lie.
"Right," Sasuke scoffed and paused near the cereals. "Gaara wants the chocolate ones again. Which were they? I keep forgetting."
I laughed incredulously and picked the rights ones for him. "Seriously, he's been your flatmate for so long now. How the hell do you not remember these things?"
Sasuke shoved my arm as soon as I dropped three boxes in the cart. Then added the ones Sasuke liked. He smiled cheekily at me.
I took him to the ramen stack next, and began uprooting an entire row.
"Hey, slow down," Sasuke swatted my head. "You don't even stay with me anymore."
I shrugged and playfully pinched his cheek. "You're my sunshine, my rain, my world, Sasuke." I paused for dramatic effect and watched as his face became more and more unimpressive. "I will always be staying with you." I pointed at his chest. "Right there."
"Oh my god," Sasuke groaned. "Just buy the stupid ramen."
I laughed, loud and hard, attracting the attention of nearby buyers. Sasuke purposefully walked away from me. I followed quickly.
We stepped out in the cooling night with three shopping bags between the two of us.
"Want to grab dinner?" Sasuke offered, raising his eyebrows.
"Yes, please," I nearly begged. I was very, very hungry.
Sasuke snickered. "Let's go. I know one place nearby."
The "one place" that Sasuke took me to was a rather … romantic place. There was dim lighting all over, booths with decent privacy, and even an outdoor sitting in the back. Sasuke requested for the outdoor table.
I sat down across him and turned to watch the view. The gallery overlooked one of the state highways – which meant that there was open starry sky above us and pretty headlights down below.
Sasuke was watching me when I glanced over.
"What?" I laughed a little in embarrassment, rubbing the back of my neck.
Sasuke shrugged. "Nothing. Do you like the place?"
I nodded. "It's very good."
We gave our orders to the waiter. Sasuke ordered a bottle of wine, too. The wine came before the food, naturally, so I tried to satiate the hunger with alcohol for the time being.
"Don't gulp it down, you idiot," Sasuke reprimanded when I finished the first serving within five minutes flat.
My head felt nice, so I ignored him and served myself some more wine. Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He kept on sipping at his wine delicately.
For some reason, it made me all goofy and I beamed at him.
"What?" He asked, pretty black eyes all suspicious.
I shrugged, recreating the moment from earlier. "Nothing."
His phone buzzed. I watched as he frowned slightly and picked it up.
"Yeah?"
I knew it was rude to listen so attentively to someone speaking on the phone but I couldn't look away from him.
"No, I'm with Naruto."
Pause.
"We're having dinner."
Pause.
"No, we'd gone for some grocery shopping and got hungry."
Longer pause.
"I'll call you later. Bye."
Sasuke placed the phone back down. He looked bothered.
"Who was it?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
"No one," Sasuke replied stiffly.
I was about to call him out on his bullshit when the waiter came with the food. All thoughts went out the window.
After dinner, we had to walk all the way back to Sasuke's car. He had parked it near the grocery store, claiming that we wouldn't find good spots near the restaurant.
Sasuke had cheered up considerably after his phone call when he had some food inside him. We even finished the bottle of wine at the table itself.
Now, instead of just feeling lightheaded, I felt happy and airy. It was a pretty darn good moment, if I thought so myself. A nice evening spent with Sasuke, good meal, good alcohol, and a peaceful walk after.
It wasn't that Sasuke and I hadn't spent dinners or lunches or breakfasts together before – of course, we had. We stayed in the same apartment for almost two months. I'd seen him in various forms of undressed throughout (never naked, obviously) and he had seen me in similar fashion. But for some strange reason, walking beside him right then felt the most naked I'd ever felt in life, despite the fact that I was bundled up in a coat and a thick scarf.
It was a Saturday when Ino called over everyone.
Sasuke came with Juugo as planned, and Sakura brought Itachi along with her. I was genuinely surprised to see Gaara walk through the front door.
Karin had also invited her best friend, Lee, who was an overall fun guy. Sai invited someone called Shikamaru and Chouji, his friends from school.
Basically, the casual get-together turned into a party.
I hadn't seen Itachi in years, and I had to admit, that guy had turned smoking hot. Which was strange for me to think because I was under the impression that only Sasuke appeared pretty to me.
Sakura was still the pink-haired-psycho Sakura. However, watching her with Itachi was something of an experience. They didn't seem anything alike when you observed from far, but seeing them interacting with each other made it pretty clear that they genuinely cared for each other and were best friends. And believe it or not, they balanced each other out pretty well.
I was honestly more interested in watching Sasuke and Juugo, but they were being so elusive that I had truly thought that they left the party. I heard them just before entering the kitchen some time during the evening.
"…just let it go, will you?" Sasuke was saying in an annoyed tone.
I paused to listen. I didn't care that I was eavesdropping. Sasuke seemed angry and I was ready to kick Juugo's ass even though he was probably stronger than I was. It didn't really matter. I could take him if it came to it.
"How, Sasuke?" Juugo replied with force. "You tell me you're busy and you invite him to run errands with you?"
Sasuke sighed. "It was just shopping for grocery. Why are you making a big deal out of it? Besides, would it have bothered you this much if I had gone alone instead?"
"That's the thing!" Juugo exclaimed. "You didn't go alone. I asked you, and you said you were busy. I assumed it was work. I didn't expect you to go on a date with another guy."
"Now you're just exaggerating. Since when did grocery shopping become a date?" Sasuke sounded on his last thread by now.
It wasn't hard to guess whom they were speaking about. I suppose that phone call Sasuke had during our dinner was Juugo.
"Look," Juugo's tone turned resigned and heavy. The anger and intensity was gone. "You can deny all you want, but I know for a fact that you like spending time with him."
"Obviously, I do," Sasuke snapped. "He's my friend."
"We both know that there's more to it."
"Come on," Sasuke groaned. "Enough with this. I'm dating you, remember? And why are you acting as if you're my boyfriend?"
Juugo chuckled humourlessly. "You're right. If I was your boyfriend, this would be the time where I dump you. But since we're only dating, I guess this is where we stop."
"You're being dramatic."
"You're in denial," Juugo fired back instantly. "I'm not blind, Sasuke. I see you two. It's like every time you're in a room with him, you're tuned in to every move that he makes. Honestly, it's painful to watch. And I'm done with it."
"Juugo–"
I heard footsteps coming towards me and I quickly backtracked as fast as possible, only to bump into a solid chest.
The person steadied me with a strong arm. I turned around. It was Itachi.
He was frowning at me. He looked me over once and then at Juugo who was storming out of the kitchen. Juugo didn't pause at all; rather, he seemed blind to everything and everyone as he pushed through the string of people to the front door.
Itachi raised his eyebrows at me. "It's rude to hide and listen to other people's conversations, Naruto. But since you heard it, care to share?"
I stared.
"Do I need to kick that man's ass?" Itachi clarified when I didn't answer.
"Not if I get there first," I smiled darkly. "I think he just dumped Sasuke."
"And why is that?"
I shrugged and avoided his stare, not wanting to share.
"I'm assuming it was over you."
I turned to him in surprise. "What?"
"I'm not blind, you know," Itachi replied and rolled his non-blind said eyes.
Before he could say more, Sakura came over and wrapped an arm around Itachi's waist.
"What do we have here?" She asked, looking between us.
"My little brother just got dumped," Itachi answered.
To my surprise, Sakura grinned. "About time."
Itachi added to it by smirking and shaking his head. "I'd say," he agreed with his crazy girlfriend.
Being in their company was utterly unsettling. It was as if they knew everything about everything, and secretly put bets on who among us normal mortals would get there first. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true.
I wanted to give Sasuke some space, but I couldn't help it. Extricating myself from Itachi and Sakura's presence, I made my way back to the kitchen where Sasuke was standing with his back to me.
"Hey," I greeted, leaning against the doorframe.
Sasuke tensed. "Juugo and I … are not dating anymore."
"I'm sorry, Sasuke."
He shrugged stiffly. "It's fine. I wasn't all that attached."
"If you're sure," I said and started making my way across the kitchen. I came to a stand beside him. Sasuke's head was bowed.
"Let's get drunk," I offered. "And then we can discuss how awful Juugo's hairstyle was. Or we can get Gaara drunk and make him interact with Lee."
Sasuke snorted, relaxing his shoulders. "I don't mind getting drunk myself."
"Done," I declared. "Are you going to look at me or not?"
He finally did. His eyes were burning with something that I didn't understand. It was rather hypnotising.
I swallowed. Something was happening. I was feeling weird again.
Sasuke wasn't saying anything at all, and neither was I. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to breathe.
"Guys," someone suddenly called from the threshold and Sasuke and I jumped, putting some distance between us.
It was Ino. She looked suspiciously between Sasuke and me, but didn't comment. "Come on, we are playing drunk dumb charades."
"I need to get drunk first," Sasuke muttered. Without looking at me, he pushed past Ino and left the kitchen.
"What was that?" Ino folded her hands across her chest as Karin had done. "Spill."
I gulped. "Nothing."
My face was on fire. My palms were sweaty. Suddenly, the temperature of the room felt suffocating.
Ino's eyes narrowed. "Naruto," she started slowly. "When you broke up with me, you had said that you're confused about your sexuality. That you might have a crush on a guy. I asked who it was, but you told me it didn't matter because he had left town. Did you mean Sasuke?"
I could feel my heart hammering against my chest. I wasn't nearly drunk for this conversation, and yet, my head felt light and as though I could pass out at any moment.
I gripped the counter behind me, my knuckles straining against my muscles. I wanted to run from the house, but I couldn't move from my spot. I knew I had to face him again, speak with him again, and the thought was both calming and frightening at the same time.
"No," I choked out. "I didn't mean him."
Avoiding her gaze, I finally unrooted myself to go to the living room. I picked up the first drink I saw and downed it.
Lee and Chouji cornered me, wanting to make small talk. I was more than happy to oblige. I kept my attention on them, ignoring Sasuke's presence in my periphery. He was talking to Sakura and Itachi, and I saw him laughing once or twice.
Gaara joined a bit later. Without my meddling at all, Lee hogged all his attention. Surprisingly, Gaara didn't seem to mind. On a closer look, Gaara's eyes were glazed over. I laughed behind my hand.
It was easy for some time to let myself be, getting to know the strangers, finding common likes and dislikes, talking about work. I started to feel at ease.
When it was time to call it a night and for everyone to return home, I found Sasuke near my bedroom, texting on his phone.
"Hey, you okay to drive by yourself?" I asked. Sasuke jumped a foot in the air. Sniggering, I looked him over. "Gaara is sloshed."
"I'm fine," he said, waving his hand dismissively. He slipped the phone in his pocket and stumbled over to me.
"Yeah, right," I muttered, catching his arms to steady him. "How much did you drink?"
Sasuke shrugged. "A lot. You ditched. I was ready to tell you all about Juugo's bad hairstyle."
I laughed. "You can do it in the car while I drop you."
"Okay."
Sasuke did rant about Juugo's hair while I drove his car to his apartment. Gaara was passed out in the backseat.
I settled Sasuke in his bed, dropped Gaara on the couch just for the hell of it, and took a cab back home.
The next morning, I called Sasuke on the phone.
"Naruto," he groaned on the other side as a greeting. "My head is exploding. What do you want?"
"Good morning, sexy hunk," I said cheerily, hugging the pillow closer to my face. "You don't remember what we did last night?"
There was a brief pause.
"What happened last night, Naruto?" Sasuke's grave voice floated over after a moment.
"You, mister," I started with a husky tone, "got so drunk that you tried to dry hump me in front of everyone!"
"What?" Sasuke asked, horrified.
I let out my laughter then and Sasuke's annoyed grunt made me hackle even more.
"I'm kidding, Sas," I snorted. "But you did end things with Juugo."
Sasuke let out another groan. "Yeah, I remember that just fine."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," he said dismissively. "I wasn't attached. But work just got a little more awkward."
I hummed.
"Why did you dump Gaara on the couch?" Sasuke asked. "He's yelling from the living room about broken bones."
"Why wouldn't I?" I said sweetly. "He'll be fine. But do let him know that he made a best friend yesterday."
"He did?"
"Yes. Karin's friend, Lee."
"Seriously?" Sasuke asked with disbelief. "The loud, over-enthusiastic personal gym trainer with the bad haircut?"
"That's the one."
"Great," Sasuke muttered. "If he ever comes over, I'm killing Karin, and then taking over her bedroom."
"Sounds like a plan," I said happily. "Then we can dry hump all we want!"
There was another pause before Sasuke's teasing light voice turned everything inside me to mush. "Don't tempt me."
My smile was wiped off in an instant. Taking a low, steady breath, I changed the subject. "Yeah, yeah. You want to grab lunch later? I can come over with some Thai. We'll finish watching that movie, too."
"Sure," Sasuke agreed. "Now I gotta go. I reek of alcohol."
"Bye, honey-bunny, my sweet little darling," I sang. "I'll see you soon, baby!"
"Whatever." He hung up.
I buried my face in the pillow, trying to contain the stupid grin.
I was an absolute wreck as I made my way to Sasuke's front door from the elevator. I juggled the food parcel in my hands, fidgeted with my hair, checked my reflection in every shiny surface that I came across, almost turned around and went back, before finally knocking on the door.
Sasuke opened it with a smile.
He was wearing his home clothes that consisted of a pair of black sweatpants and a red T-shirt that had the drawing of a black tree on it. His hair was all mussed and he was carrying a broom in his hand.
He looked absolutely gorgeous. I had the strangest urge to bite him.
Blinking away the desire to do that, I threw my hands around him in a playful hug as he tried to wrestle me off.
"Great," I heard Gaara near the kitchen. "Look, the wife is here."
Undeterred, I waved at him happily. "Yo, Gaara! Now go to your room so that I can spend some quality time with my husband."
I made a shooing motion towards him that he reciprocated with a glare.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Smoke?" He offered.
Without really waiting for me, he made his way to the balcony. I joined him after keeping the food parcel on the first flat surface I could see.
"Aren't you a ball of sunshine and flattery today?" Sasuke commented coolly when I lit up my cigarette.
I shrugged, throwing a grin his way. "I've heard that it helps when your friend gets dumped."
Sasuke smirked, shaking his head. "For someone who is so interested in my dating life, you sure as hell are holding off on dates. What's with that?"
"Why would I date anyone else when I have you?"
Sasuke shoved my arm. "I'm serious, Naruto. I only know that you dated Ino seven years ago, when we were in high school. That's literally all the dating I know you've done."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, that's all there is to it."
Sasuke stared at me, taken aback. "Wait, seriously? You never dated anyone after high school?"
My face was becoming pink without my control. "Er, yeah."
"Why the fuck not?"
I shrugged, not really wanting to answer, but knowing that I had to. "I don't know. No one really interested me. I went on first dates until a few years ago. And then I realised that it's not my thing. So I stopped."
Sasuke titled his head curiously. "What do you mean, 'not your thing'? Are you going to stay single forever?"
I laughed, not finding anything funny in the situation. "No. I hope not."
Sasuke was quiet for a bit, as his eyes studied my face, read my expression with interest. "You like someone, don't you?"
All the blood rushed to my face; I could literally feel it heating all the cells. "Why do you say that?" I tried to laugh it away.
Sasuke didn't budge. "You do, don't you? Damn it, Naruto. Why didn't you tell me?"
"What was there to tell?"
Sasuke scoffed incredulously. "I don't know. How about 'hey, I like someone'?"
I gave him a teasing smile. "Hey, I like someone."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He crushed the cigarette and took out another one. Lit it. "Well, who is it then? Why aren't you dating her?"
I stared at him, thinking up some sort of response. "Oh, just someone. But I don't think that person likes me. Not like that, anyway."
"Really?" Sasuke frowned and then smiled. "Well, that person would be an idiot not to bend you over."
I grinned and shoved his arm. "Yeah, yeah."
It was quiet before he shot another question at me. "Is she in the city?"
I sighed. "Yes."
"Did you come for her?"
Sasuke pulled in a drag. He wasn't looking at me anymore, but the street below us.
"No," I replied honestly. "I didn't know that person lived here. I got to know after I arrived."
He nodded, still not meeting my gaze. Which was fine with me. This way, I could watch him all I wanted.
I always thought Sasuke was made to be looked at.
"Have you met her since you arrived?"
"I have."
"Did you ask her out?"
"No."
Sasuke turned to me, frowning. "Why not?"
I shrugged. "Like I said, I don't think that person likes me in that way."
"So that's it? You're just going to get over it?" Sasuke asked as if he couldn't believe I would ever do that.
"I don't know, Sas. I don't think it's possible to do that."
Sasuke set me up on a few dates over the next two months. I obliged just to placate him.
"You won't be able to move on from her if you don't even give yourself the chance," he reminded me before I left for every blind date.
"I did," I would remind him as per routine.
"Well, you just haven't found the right person to move on with," he would retort.
And after every date, when I'd be home, he would give me a call to ask how it went.
When Ino was still here for the first two weeks, she'd give me these pitying looks whenever I told Sasuke what was wrong with the girl he set me up with that night. Karin replaced her after Ino left.
I ignored Ino and I ignored Karin.
One day, Karin couldn't hold it in.
"I don't get it," she exploded, standing in the middle of my bedroom as I tried to watch the movie Sasuke had suggested.
"What?"
"This! You!" she waved her arm furiously in my direction. "Why the hell won't you just ask him out?"
I opened my mouth to respond but she cut me off immediately.
"I know that he's gay, Naruto," she said forcefully. "And you're so in love with him for what? Forever? I don't get why you just wouldn't ask him out!"
"I had, okay?" I snapped, unable to contain my annoyance at her meddling.
That shut her up. She sagged down, stumped.
"When we were in high school, I had asked him out. He probably doesn't remember it."
"And he said no?" She asked with disbelief.
"Not exactly," I said, playing with the blanket at my feet. "He was supposed to meet me after school if he liked me. He didn't. I waited until I just couldn't."
Karin appeared to be wrecked. "Oh God, Naruto," she said softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
I shrugged. "It's fine. I hadn't told anyone."
"Not even Ino?"
"No. I just told her that I might like a guy. By the time she confronted me who it was, he'd already left town. So I told her that. And he wasn't the only high schooler who left for college. She never realised who it was."
I had waited after school until it got dark. Until I heard the night creatures wake up. My mom called me when it was past dinnertime, and I walked back home. The next day, I had taken Ino to the town theatre where Sasuke had come with Tenten. He had made small talk, offered to smoke, and I realised that he hadn't even wanted to discuss it. After the movie, I walked Ino back to her house, told her how much I cared for her, which was why I had to tell her the truth. Which was why I had to break up with her.
A week later, he'd left.
I told myself that it was because he was straight. He was, after all, dating girls in high school. I wanted to give it a shot, though. When I came to the city and learned that Sasuke liked guys, I realised that he just didn't like me.
Karin didn't let it go. She started pestering me with how there was a possibility of Sasuke liking me back now. She kept pointing out all the things he'd done or said, how much he obviously cared about me.
I had been in the city for six months now.
My career was actually taking off. My boss was happy with my work, and he had hinted on letting me take travel shots if I continued to work this well for the next three to four months.
It was Christmas in a few days, and I decided to visit my parents for the holidays.
"You could come with me," I said to Sasuke two days before I had to leave.
He sighed, nursing a cup of coffee in his hands. It was colder than ever now, which meant Sasuke was shooting either caffeine or nicotine in his body.
"I told you," he said. "I'm Team Itachi."
"I know, I know," I rolled my eyes. "At least stop looking like you're going to die without my company."
That made him chuckle. "You wish."
I smirked, throwing a pillow in his face just for the hell of it.
"You're spending New Year Eve over there, right?" Sasuke asked again, even though he already knew.
"Yes," I sighed. "I'll be back on 2nd."
My boss wasn't happy about it, lecturing me how if I wanted to be a successful photographer I shouldn't exactly take holidays during the busiest times of the year. I told him I understood it, but I really missed my parents. This was the first time I wasn't home for Christmas and it made me extremely homesick.
"Alright."
Sasuke did look miserable. He hadn't made any plans for his Christmas or New Year Eve. I decided to make Karin rope him in with whatever plans she made; either that, or I would have to give pink-haired-psycho Sakura a call. I was sure Itachi wouldn't just let him stew in loneliness.
"By the way," I said after a bit. "Why did Itachi fight with your parents?"
Sasuke bit his lip. "It was over me. When I came out to them, they weren't exactly happy. It was when I was in Suna. Itachi stood up for me, threatened to cut ties if they couldn't accept me. And here we are."
It was upsetting. "Is that why you moved here instead of moving closer to your parents?"
"Yeah."
I let it go after that.
Going back home felt so damn amazing that I could have cried. I had missed my parents and Konoha like crazy.
I spent my days texting back and forth with Sasuke, helping my mom with her gardening, talking walks around the neighbourhood, and clicking random photographs of things to show Sasuke since he hadn't been back in years.
One evening, I decided to take a walk all the way to my old high school. The holidays had begun, so the school was shut. I was able to enter the grounds anyway, and I went to sit on one of the benches in the parking lot.
It was the same spot where I had waited for Sasuke all those years ago.
"Naruto?"
I turned to see Hyuuga Hinata walking over with a smile. She was holding a huge paper bag in her hand. I hadn't actually spoken with her much, but I knew of her and she knew of me.
Hinata came to sit beside me and placed the bag between us.
"Hey," I greeted. "You look good, Hinata." Aging was obviously good for her.
She blushed. "Thanks. So do you."
I noticed the ring on her finger almost instantly. "Who's the lucky guy?"
She blushed even more. "You remember Suigetsu?" I nodded. "We got engaged a few weeks ago."
I whistled. "Congratulations, Hinata. When's the wedding?"
"We're planning a June wedding. But it depends on Suigetsu's work. He travels a lot."
I nodded in understanding even though I honestly had no idea what he did for a living. I didn't know what Hinata did, either, for that matter.
"I heard from Ino that you're friends with Sasuke now?" She asked me.
I frowned before remembering that Sasuke's social circle in school consisted of Suigetsu and Hinata.
"Yeah. Are you in touch with him?"
She shook her head sadly. "Not much. It's been a year since I last spoke with him. I hope he comes for the wedding, though."
"Don't hold your breath," I joked. "He refuses to even go out a lot."
She laughed lightly. "Ah, he hasn't changed, has he?"
I shrugged, not really wanting to answer that.
"Well," she continued. "I'm glad you guys are friends now. I remember how chicken Sasuke was in school to approach you. You were always so popular."
My entire body tensed at her words. "What?"
Hinata realised that I had no idea what she was talking about. She shook her head dismissively. "He probably didn't tell you because he's embarrassed. He tried talking to you a few times, but his attempts were so futile, I'm sure you thought he was stupid."
"He did?"
"Yeah," she replied. "You guys were neighbours, on top of that. I didn't know why he was so nervous about it. Anyway, is he still dating Gaara?"
"Excuse me?" I asked blankly. There were so many things wrong in what she'd just said that I didn't know which one I was asking about first.
Hinata didn't answer, just gave me a 'what?' look.
"You know he's gay?" I started with the first one.
Hinata laughed softly. It sounded like bells. "I knew he was gay before he knew he was gay, Naruto. It was me who told him to break up with Tenten rather than stringing her along."
"And he dated Gaara?"
Her laughter slipped away. "Dated? So they broke up."
I kept my face carefully even. "I guess. They share an apartment, though."
She nodded. "What are you doing for New Years? If you're going to be in town, then you should come for the house party Neji is throwing."
I let her change the subject. "Neji is still here?"
"Just for the holidays."
"Alright," I said. "I'll definitely stop by. Wouldn't hurt meeting some of the old gang."
"Excellent," she grinned happily. "I'll see you then, okay? I have to go now. Suigetsu is coming home in some time."
"Yeah, of course," I plastered a smile on my face. "It was nice to see you again."
She gave me one last smile and left.
It had gotten dark. If I didn't know any better, I would have mistaken myself for being in high school again, waiting for Sasuke to come meet me.
I didn't ask Sasuke about Gaara. I should have, but I didn't want to talk about it. He was living with his ex-boyfriend. You'd think that was something he could have mentioned once in passing.
Instead, I spent Christmas with my parents. I wished Sasuke over text, and told him to enjoy the day. He replied the same to me.
On New Year Eve, I did go to the house party. I met some of my old friends that I had lost contact with. We got drunk, reminisced about school days, caught up with each other's lives.
When it was five minutes to midnight, I went to the balcony with my phone and a glass of champagne. At one minute to midnight, I dialled Sasuke's number.
He picked up immediately.
"Hey," his cool voice floated over the speaker and I shut my eyes at the feeling that coursed through me.
"Hey yourself," I replied. "Where are you?"
"With Itachi and his crazy friends. You?"
I laughed. "I'm at Neji's place."
"As in Hinata's brother?"
"Yeah," I said and took a sip of the drink. "Hinata got engaged, by the way."
"Wow," he said with awe. "Suigetsu, I'm assuming?"
"Yes. You should call them up. She misses you from what I gathered."
"You're an expert on reading emotions now?" He laughed.
"Shut up, bastard." He laughed harder. "Anyway, listen."
"Yeah?"
The bell struck midnight. "Happy New Year, Sasuke."
I could sense the smile in his voice when he answered. "Happy New Year, Naruto."
"I'll see you soon. Don't get too drunk. You're awful during hangovers."
"Yeah, yeah," he said dismissively. Which meant he was either half-way to getting sloshed or he didn't care. "See you soon."
I hung up the phone just as Neji called me from behind.
"Who was that?" he teased as he walked over. "Secret lover that you're missing?"
I rolled my eyes. "Shut it, Neji."
"Is that the way you speak with the host of the party?" He raised his eyebrows in reprimand.
"Whatever," I replied. "Are we getting drunk or what?"
Returning to the city meant getting to see Sasuke again. I was honestly torn between enjoying the feeling and being pissed that he didn't tell me about Gaara.
It didn't matter, I realised, when I saw his smiling face greeting me when I reached my apartment.
"Sasuke?" I stood dumbstruck at the front door. "What are you doing here?"
Sasuke stood up from the couch. Karin stealthily left the room. Sai was nowhere to be seen.
"Welcome back," Sasuke said. "You free to grab dinner tonight?"
I walked inside, dragging my bag behind me. "Yeah. What are we having?"
"Whatever Itachi will order."
I paused near my bedroom door. "Huh?"
"It's his birthday," Sasuke explained. "And he told me to invite you. Dinner party at his place. Sakura planned it. She's calling everyone."
"Damn," I cursed. "I didn't know. I would have bought something for him."
"Don't worry about it," Sasuke shook his head. "He doesn't care about gifts. You'll come, though, right?"
"Are you sure that I should?" I frowned.
"Please, Naruto," Sasuke begged suddenly. "If I have to tolerate his crazy friends so soon again after New Year Eve, I'm going to need you there."
I laughed at his face. He seemed terrified of the idea. "Okay. You owe me one."
"Done. I'll pick you up at seven."
Sasuke stayed for some time to hang out, before leaving to get ready. Karin came to my room later when I got out of the shower.
"Don't start," I warned her immediately. "I don't want to talk about Sasuke."
She held up her hands in defence. "Not that. I think Sai is completely smitten with Ino."
I snickered. "Yeah. She told me she had a thing for him as well. They've been texting and all."
Karin dropped down on my bed and hugged a pillow to her chest. "How was going home?"
I opened my wardrobe to dig up some decent clothes. "Enlightening," I muttered.
"Okay," she dragged out slowly, clearly reading my mood. "What happened?"
I snatched a pair of shirt forcefully. "Apparently, Sasuke dated Gaara and failed to mention that he was staying with his ex."
So much for not wanting to talk about him. I bristled at myself.
"Wow," she said. "Okay. Well, there is obviously a reason why they broke up and stayed that way."
"Sure."
"Naruto," she sighed and stood up. "You're hurt and upset and angry. But Sasuke just invited you to his brother's birthday. Deal with this tomorrow, okay?"
"Whatever," I grumbled.
Sensing that I was done with the small talk, she left me to get changed.
Sasuke texted me just before seven that he couldn't come to pick me up because he was called in to work to handle some mishap with one of the softwares. He sent me Itachi's address and told me he'd meet me there soon.
"Happy birthday," I wished Itachi when Sakura led me inside the house.
"Thank you." Itachi was wearing a two-piece black suit without the tie, while Sakura looked amazing in a black cocktail dress.
Their house was spacious. Some of the people had already arrived, and were milling about in expensive clothes with a glass of expensive alcohol in their hands. I hadn't realised these two were so loaded.
"Where is my little brother?" Itachi asked me, offering me a tray of snacks.
"He's running late," I said and picked one up. "He'll be here soon."
Sakura tsked. "He needs to be taught some manners."
Itachi wrapped an arm around her waist. "Relax."
"He got called in to work," I defended him, frowning at her. "He's not late because he wants to be."
Sakura smirked.
Itachi gave me a pointed look. "Ignore her," he advised. "They both bicker all the time."
"Sasuke's knight in shining armour," Sakura mocked. "Never had one before. Certainly makes things more interesting."
"That's enough, Sakura," Itachi warned.
She rolled her eyes, and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm done."
"Here's the birthday boy," a man with silver hair came over with arms wide open to engulf Itachi in a hug.
Sakura quickly ducked away.
"Thank you, Hidan," Itachi choked out as he got crushed.
Hidan let go of him only to allow three other men and one woman to do the same to Itachi.
Sakura stood next to me and muttered in my ear. "That's Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, and Konan. You see that guy with orange hair? He's Yahiko. The redhead next to him is Nagato."
I nodded. "Why are you telling me this?"
Sakura let out a trilling laugh. "I'm entertaining you. You're Sasuke's guest and he's not here yet. He won't be happy if I let you stew alone."
I turned to face her fully. "You care about that, why?"
Sakura smiled. She was sort of beautiful, actually. "Sasuke and I might argue a lot, but he's my brother as well. Well, kind of. Let's make that official when Itachi and I get married."
I was taken aback. "Wait, are you two engaged?"
She put her finger on her lips to indicate shushing. "It's a surprise for him. Keep an eye on the cake."
Sasuke arrived soon after, wearing a black suit himself, just like Itachi. Sakura had kept her word. She stayed with me the entire time.
He made his way to Itachi first to wish him and give him a hug, before making his way over to me.
"The brother has finally arrived," Sakura said with a sweet smile.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Brother trumps girlfriend. You know that, right?"
"Did you bring it?" she asked instead.
Sasuke smiled. "Yes." He pulled out a tiny ring box from the inside of his jacket and handed it to her. "Sakura," he said suddenly, his face softening. "He's going to say yes. You know that, right?"
She smiled shakily. "Thanks, Sasuke. It's just the nerves."
He shook his head and she left to go to the kitchen.
"Hey," I greeted him.
"Hi," he smiled, coming to stand closer. "Sorry I'm late."
I waved my hand dismissively. "It's fine. I understand. Sakura kept me company."
He nodded. "She's good for him."
"Yeah."
When Sakura brought out the cake decorated with the ring, Itachi was stumped. She even went down on one knee and gave a speech. Obviously, he said yes.
Sasuke and I got drunk, him more than me.
Sasuke left at one point to go the bathroom, but he didn't return even after twenty minutes. Sakura and Itachi were constantly surrounded by people congratulating them, so I was sure that Sasuke wasn't with them.
Worried that he passed out somewhere in the house, I went in search of him. I looked in the entire apartment, but he wasn't anywhere. I came out to the living room where the party was taking place and finally found him in the huge attached balcony.
He wasn't alone. Itachi's friend, Deidara, had his tongue down his throat.
I stormed over and ripped him away from Sasuke.
"Hey, what the fuck, man?" Deidara sputtered.
"What are you doing?" I bit out angrily. "He's drunk! And you're taking advantage of it."
"Naruto," Sasuke slurred out.
I ignored him. "Get out of my face before I punch you in yours."
Deidara raised his hands in defence. "Relax, man. You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend, Sasu-chan."
"Just leave," I snapped out again.
Deidara backed away, still holding his hands up in apology.
"Naruto," Sasuke said again, this time laced with some amount of sobriety.
"What the hell, Sasuke?" I questioned. "You got so drunk that you didn't even realise he was kissing you or what?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes at me. "I offered, Naruto. He wasn't taking advantage."
I stumbled back. "What?"
Sasuke frowned at me. "Relax. I had a bad day at work, and I just wanted to do something stupid."
I honestly didn't know what came over me then. Suddenly, there was the suppressed rage coursing through my veins and all I wanted was to explode.
I pushed Sasuke back roughly against the railing and crashed my lips to his. He froze under my hands and then shoved me away harshly. I lost my footing and staggered back a little.
"What the hell, Naruto?" he snapped.
"What?" I snarled. "You wanted to do something stupid, right?"
His eyes flickered between mine and then he pulled me back for another rough kiss. My entire body was on freaking fire. I pushed him against the railing once more, crushing his body with mine. His hands were on my back, and one of his leg was jammed between mine.
The kiss was heavy and steamy and angry. I was still actually pissed off.
Cursing myself, I broke it, and pulled away from Sasuke.
His lips were swollen, his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were startlingly clear. Being kissed obviously suited him.
"What?" he panted, confused.
I shut my eyes for a second and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. "You dated Gaara."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
I shook my head. "Don't deny it. I'm just so mad, Sasuke. You didn't even tell me."
His eyes narrowed suddenly. He looked furious, all signs of desire wiping away in an instant. "That's why you kissed me?"
I didn't reply.
He let out a humourless chuckle. "I forgot only girls did the trick for you. You're a dick for kissing me."
I scoffed, now beyond angry. "Are you still going to pretend, Sasuke?"
"What?"
"You obviously forgot about me or just want to continue pretending."
"What the fuck are you talking about, Naruto?"
I laughed in disbelief. "Fine. You want me to say it? I'll say it." He started to look highly suspicious. "You know that I asked you out and you rejected me."
Sasuke stared at me blankly, all anger forgotten. "What?"
I was fucking done. I turned away to get the hell out of there but Sasuke grabbed my arm and roughly turned me to face him again.
"What the fuck are you talking about? When did you ask me out? If I was drunk and rejected, and forgot about it, you can't hold that against me!"
I didn't want to see him, so I looked at a point past his shoulder instead. "Trust me, you weren't drunk. Unless you used to get drunk during school hours."
His arm suddenly went lax. My eyes met his in a challenge.
"That was you?" he asked breathlessly. "The letter in my locker was you?"
I frowned. "No shit. I think I wrote my goddamn name on it, Sasuke."
"Naruto," he said lowly. "I swear I didn't know that was you."
"Who else could it have been? There was only one Naruto in school, you ass."
"No, no, no," Sasuke shook his head. "I thought it was Suigetsu pulling a prank on me. I didn't know it was really you. I got so mad at him that I went straight home after school that day."
I was confused. "Why would he pull a prank like that on you?"
Sasuke suddenly became a little scared.
"What?"
He hesitated. "He knew I liked you. I thought he was making fun of me by doing that."
All the air in my body emptied out in an instant. My legs felt weak.
"I'm so sorry, Naruto," he apologized, looking utterly upset. "I didn't know. I swear I didn't."
I removed my arm from his grasp and took a few steps back. He came forward along with me but I held up a hand to stop him.
"I just… I need to leave."
"Naruto, wait-"
"No, Sasuke," I said heavily. "I need to get out of here."
His face crumbled in hurt. "Will you call me later?"
I couldn't take it anymore. "I don't know," I said numbly. "I don't know."
I turned around only to realise that Itachi's entire party had come to a standstill and they had all just witnessed our conversation.
I bit my lip and wiped my eyes roughly with the back of my hand. I met Itachi's gaze and he nodded at me in understanding. I quickly walked towards the front door. There were hurried footsteps behind me and I knew it was Sasuke.
I looked back once before I exited the door. Itachi had grabbed onto Sasuke's arm to stop him from following me.
Without saying another word, I left the party, unable to remove Sasuke's fallen face from my mind.
I didn't wallow much. I went for work. I hung out with Karin and Sai. I just didn't call Sasuke over the course of the entire week.
I wasn't ready to face him. I knew I had to talk to him some day, but I wanted to stall it as much as possible.
Knowing that the person you had pined after for better part of a decade liked you back, but you missed your chance because of some stupid misunderstanding was more than I wanted to handle.
It was a Tuesday when I woke up to find a letter pushed under my bedroom door. The paper was old and wrinkled and familiar.
I picked it up and opened.
Dear Sasuke,
I think that I like you. If you like me back, please meet me after school today. I'll be waiting on the bench in the parking lot.
- Naruto
That bastard. He kept it all these years.
Not really knowing what to think, I put the letter on the side table. My phone was blinking with a new message. I picked it up and opened. It was from Sasuke.
Dear Naruto,
I think that I'm in love with you. If you love me back, please meet me after work today. I'll be waiting at the spot we first met in the city.
Hopefully yours,
Sasuke
I grinned, rolled my eyes, and got ready for work. "Fucking bastard."
Hope you enjoyed this silly little piece of universe! :)