A/N: This is the second part for One Reason. It contains more Naruto-Sasuke interactions and lots of suffering Sasuke. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I forgot last chapter, but I do not own Naruto or its characters.
Two Idiots
"Honestly, they look ridiculous together, both wearing those stupid crop- Are you even listening to me?" Sakura was clearly exasperated, but Sasuke just replied with a flat stare.
Even if his mind hadn't been occupied with more pressing matters, he would have held no interest in what Sakura was rambling about. He barely talked to Ino, and that guy Sai completely disgusted him. Obviously, Sasuke didn't care if they wore matching clothes when they went on a date.
"You are a horrible friend," Sakura huffed.
"You are the one who insists on dragging me outside," declared Sasuke, frowning at the plate of Dango in front of him. "I don't even like sweets."
"Come on," Sakura said as she reached for Sasuke's portion, "you would be secluded in your little apartment, and Naruto wouldn't like that," she added mockingly.
Sasuke wasn't able to repress a snort at the mention of Naruto, which immediately caught Sakura's attention. Rookie mistake.
Sakura might like to parade Sasuke around Konoha and force him to pay her meals after unloading her complaints on him, but interrogating him about his relationship with Naruto was, without a doubt, her favorite thing. Sasuke could swear her eyes had not shinned half as brightly even when they had been together.
"Are you going through your first lover's spat?" Sakura asked, leaning forward, holding Sasuke's gaze conspiratorially.
Sasuke remained impassive despite the looks the other clients were giving him. The past months had helped to reduce the contempt of the villagers, but many of Naruto's fiercest fans still looked ready to kill him on sight. It was weird enough for him to wander the Village, and being in a tea house with Sakura invading his personal space, caused him to drag more unwanted attention.
"You need a new hobby, Sakura," he gave up first, looking away.
"No," Sakura returned to a sitting position with a smirk on her face, "we need something stronger than tea to talk about this." She stood up, gathering her stuff, even paying before walking to the exit of the establishment.
Sasuke waited a full minute, then followed Sakura outside.
Despite Sakura's initial urgency on learning about Naruto and Sasuke, she spent the best part of an hour expressing how much she loved and despised her apprentices and the stress of working at the hospital. She also downed bottle after bottle of sake, which made Sasuke wonder if Tsunade's training also included alcohol consumption.
"And that Ino pig," Sakura continued, furiously slamming her hand on the bar, making it creak. " She keeps asking when I will get over you."
Sasuke's single response to that was a raised brow.
"Preposterous, right? Not being in a relationship doesn't mean I haven't gotten over you. And this," she gestured between the two, "I'm just trying to make sure you and Naruto don't kill each other." She finished by giving another sip to her sake.
Sasuke only nodded in agreement, and that was enough for Sakura. The time they had spent together since their first proper conversation had helped them develop a genuine understanding of the other to the point where Sakura didn't feel offended by Sasuke's silence or extremely reserved nature. She had learned how much Sasuke could convey with just a simple gesture. As for Sasuke, if he was honest with himself, listening to Sakura didn't bother him as much as he professed. Their brief reunions helped him feel as if his life had recovered some sense of normalcy, at least until he had to leave for the next stage of his mission. It was also good to know he could build bonds with people other than Naruto.
"Okay," Sakura nodded and turned on her stool to face Sasuke's profile, "I think I'm drunk enough to hear it. What's going on with the two of you?"
Sasuke side-glanced her, trying to decipher what was going on inside that pink-haired hair. He had come to understand his former teammate well enough to know how wild her thoughts could be. Perhaps, this was really not something Sasuke wanted to share, but he needed an outsider's point of view.
He continued staring ahead as he asked: "Has Naruto told you something?"
Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Like what?"
Sasuke swallowed. "Has he said something about not being... satisfied with our current situation?"
Sakura was frowning now, considering her answer. "Naruto seems pretty content to me, even happier than usual, but that's a given. Knowing when you will come back for sure has done wonders for his concentration. Iruka-sensei says he's even more enthusiastic about his studies now."
"Hn." That was not really new information for Sasuke.
Naruto seemed unable to hide his grin whenever Sasuke visited, regardless of the increased frequency. And their routine had not changed that much: Sasuke would present his report to Kakashi, then Naruto would drag him to Ichiraku and, depending on the hour, they would go to one of the training grounds or to Naruto's apartment, where the idiot would complain about his studies or the flawed shinobi system.
What had changed was their physical interactions and not the way someone would expect after their last time at the Valley of End. When Sasuke had first returned after that talk, he had been self-conscious. He had never been a tactile person, but Naruto was, and he might be expecting... something. Sasuke had waited stiffly at the gates of the Ninja Academy and held his breath till Naruto started blabbering without trying anything funny.
His relief had lasted precisely 27 minutes and 52 seconds, which was the moment he realized Naruto wasn't touching him at all.
Again, Sasuke had never been a tactile person, but Naruto was, and he had developed a tendency to throw his arm around Sasuke's shoulders. That had been gone. The most disturbing of it all was that Naruto was also avoiding casual touches. The idiot had almost dropped a bowl of ramen when his finger had brushed Sasuke's for Hashirama's sake!
Sasuke had raised an eyebrow, a question on the tip of his tongue, then Naruto forced a change of topic towards the history of the cooperation between Konoha and Suna. Sasuke, shit as he was with words, had shut his mouth and that had been it. They had gone sparring, which was known territory, so he forgot about it and left the Village.
He had returned six weeks later and three more times after that. Each one of them, except for their sparring, Naruto had avoided physical contact at all costs. The behavior unnerved him so much that Sasuke had decided to instigate the contact himself, just to observe Naruto's reaction.
The result had been Naruto running into several pedestrians, hitting his head against different objects, and even stepping into a series of increasingly disgusting items.
After Naruto chose to step on dog shit rather than allowing their hands to brush, Sasuke decided to stop with the tests and confront him. It was just his luck that Iruka asked the idiot to help him watch a group of students during an overnight field trip. A delay that allowed Sasuke's mind to wander into darker places.
At first, he tried to think logically. Naruto was famous for his unpredictability and it was impossible to keep track of his head. There could be a hundred reasons for his behavior, and surely most of the possibilities would leave Sasuke feeling like an idiot when he found out. He just wanted Naruto to stop being a freaking moron. And still, the more he thought about it, the more he questioned Naruto's acceptance of his declaration because he had never said he felt the same way. He had broken up with the Hyuuga girl but had given no indication of wanting things to change as Sasuke had expected. Moreover, it could be said that he had retreated from Sasuke.
Then, last night while lying on his sofa, an awful idea came to him. Naruto had been obsessed with him officially returning to Konoha, saying he wanted Sasuke to recognize the place as his home again. He had said he would do anything in his power to make it happen. After almost dying, this was the most significant progress Naruto had made in his objective. So, Sasuke wondered if Naruto might have accepted him as an incentive to make him stay, but nothing else.
It was disgusting.
Perhaps if his mind didn't have a tendency to develop depressing thoughts, he would have realized how ridiculous was the idea. As things were, however, he needed some reassurance. So, when Sakura prompted him to be more specific after his prolonged silence, he gathered the courage to ask: "Was Naruto affectionate with Hyuuga?"
"You mean physical affection?"
Just one nod.
"I guess." It seemed to take a great effort to remember. Maybe Naruto was not as physical when it came to relationships as he had thought. Or maybe the sake was finally getting to Sakura. "I mean, I saw them kissing a couple of times and they held hands regularly. I don't think they got any further, Hyuuga Hizashi wouldn't have allowed it without a wedding, but he wanted them together, though. I think Naruto said he had started insinuating he should propose to Hinata, only six months after they became a couple. That man can't-"
"You are rambling, Sakura," Sasuke interrupted, not really wanting to learn more about the expectations of the Hyuuga regarding Naruto.
"Yeah, sorry," Sakura chuckled. "Anyway, where did that come from? Don't tell me you're still jealous of Hinata-chan." She singsonged and smirked at him.
Sasuke breathed deeply, looking straight ahead; Sakura could not let that one go. "I was wondering about the Dobe's expectations," which wasn't the truth but wasn't a full lie either. He didn't want her pitying him or worse, trying to intervene.
"Naruto's expectations..." Sakura mumbled to herself, eyes narrowed as if she couldn't process his words properly.
Fantastic, she is actually drunk, Sasuke thought, refraining from banging his head against the bar. He hated drunken Sakura and her habit of punching her way through walls when she wanted to get somewhere fast.
He was about to call the bartender when Sakura held him by the shoulders, forcing him to face her. She looked deadly serious when she asked: "Did he force himself on you?"
"What?"
Sakura had adopted her professional stare, the one that told her patients they could confide her anything. "Has he tried to pressure you into having physical contact?"
Quite the contrary. Sasuke would have laughed at the irony, but he was busy wondering how he had ended involved with two of the most idiotic people Konoha had to offer.
"No, Sakura," he brushed her hands from his shoulders. "It's not like that," he tried to appear nonchalant, as he signaled the bartender to stop serving alcohol to Sakura.
"You don't have to be ashamed, Sasuke. We both know Naruto can be overwhelming, and he sometimes forgets that something called personal space even exists."
"Sakura, stop," he hissed. He had been working on his temper, but it still took an unsurmountable effort not to tell Sakura to fuck off. "It was curiosity, nothing else."
Sakura raised both hands, in surrender, recognizing his anger nonetheless. "Okay, fine, I believe you," she said, directing him a skeptical stare one last time. "I'll believe you if you buy me another drink," she corrected.
Sasuke rolled his eyes but complied gratefully. Drunk Sakura didn't ask as many questions and, if he was lucky, she would have forgotten their whole conversation by morning.
Naruto, indomitable as ever, had knocked on his window right before lunch. Normally, Sasuke wouldn't have slept in that late, but Sakura had managed to drag him into her drinking frenzy —not that he had tried that hard to refuse. He growled and cursed at Naruto's vitality while getting dressed. Who even returned with that much energy after herding a bunch of pre-genin during the weekend?
Sasuke focused on fighting his hangover and whishing he could postpone their conversation, preferably until his next visit. Meanwhile, Naruto recounted his various adventures with the Academy students.
"This kid, Tsuna, he is amazing, a genius. Kind of reminded me of a certain bastard," he laughed cheerfully. "He's way cuter, though."
The smile Naruto shot at him was blinding as ever, but it made Sasuke's stomach turn. How could the idiot smile as if everything was perfectly fine? He had to stop abruptly. If he waited for a second longer, Naruto's obliviousness would force him to start the sparring session prematurely, in the middle of the street. Not the wisest thing to do when he was still being catalogued as a threat.
"Why did you break up with Hyuuga?"
Naruto turned only partially, head cocked to the side. "What do you mean, teme? I broke up with Hinata-chan because you said you were the only one who could stand by my side."
Sasuke breathed; Naruto insisted on being dense as a brick wall. "You understand I didn't mean that as friends, right?" He should have been more careful with his words. After all, the idiot had been rubbing that friends bullshit in his face for years.
Naruto turned fully to face him, his smile replaced by a confused frown. "And that is why I broke up with Hinata-chan." He stared at Sasuke as if he was the one being obtuse.
"Are you sure that's the reason?"
"Th-" Naruto sputtered a little. "What's with that question? What other reason could I have?"
"How should I know?" Sasuke hissed; he was getting nowhere. "Who even knows what is going on inside that stupid head of yours!" He was aware that people had started to gather around them, albeit at a safe distance in case they started throwing justu at each other.
"You are the one asking stupid questions," Naruto replied offended, already changing his carefree posture. "What else do you want me to say, bastard?"
He was done dancing around the issue, so he just spat, "Are you treating yourself as an incentive to make me stay in the Village?"
Naruto gave a step back as if Sasuke had landed a physical blow. "What the hell, asshole?" He asked quietly, grimacing, hurt.
And now, Sasuke wanted to throw up. Of course, Naruto wouldn't even dare to consider the idea. That kind of awful was Sasuke's thing. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering whether there would ever come a time when he'd be able to stop hurting Naruto.
"I know you wouldn't," he exhaled guiltily, giving his best to endure Naruto's closed-off expression. "I just-" Shouldn't it be easy to communicate with the most important person in his life? "You've been avoiding me. How am I supposed to interpret that?"
Naruto's eyes widened; Sasuke's affront already forgotten. He looked around, taking in their surroundings and the people gawking at them. Then, as it was his habit, he surpassed Sasuke's expectations by taking his hand and dragging him away from the crowd. Sasuke didn't say a thing, he had not been prepared for the contact and his hand felt like it was burning, but he wasn't about to let go.
Naruto stopped near the backyard of the Academy, which was infinitely less busy than the street they had been walking. He let go of Sasuke's hand and scratched the back of his head sheepishly as if Sasuke had not just accused him of something repulsive.
"I didn't think you would mind," he smiled apologetically.
"I do mind, idiot." Sasuke felt like the air was slowly returning to his lungs. "Now explain yourself."
Naruto started fidgeting, darting his eyes everywhere but at Sasuke. "Well, like- you don't like it when people get too close. And you always get upset when I cling to you." The idiot had started to turn into an alarming shade of red. "And, you know- mmm- after your shitty confession I've been having this- then Kiba gifted me this book- And I remembered some of Ero-sennin's novels-" He was now gesturing exaggeratedly, clearly trying to compensate for his lack of communicative skills, but it didn't help Sasuke that much. "Also, Sakura-chan said I had to be a gentleman, but I couldn't stop thinking- so I decided it was better this way." Naruto ended by nodding, satisfied with himself.
Somehow Naruto's disjointed words, along with flashes of his conversation with Sakura, made a sliver of sense. Sasuke threw his head back in frustration, hitting the fence behind him. He didn't know whether to cry at Naruto's extremely tender thoughtfulness or to laugh at his uncanny way of complicating things. Maybe he should be angry at their utter inability to convey how they were feeling.
"You are the greatest idiot in the world," Sasuke said with an unexpected amount of fondness.
Naruto jumped to confront him like an insulted puppy. "Fucking, asshole." The word was a world away from the last time the blonde had used it. "It's called being considerate of your fragile sensibilities," he grumbled.
"And something completely unnecessary, idiot," Sasuke mocked him.
"As if," Naruto replied indignantly. "I bet you'd run away if I were to try something."
"I bet you're the one who's scared," Sasuke declared with a smirk.
"I'm not."
"Prove it," he challenged, emboldened by the weight that had been lifted from his shoulders.
Naruto's blush turned a shade darker when he said: "You are going to defend me from Sakura if she tries to castrate me because of this."
Sasuke couldn't reply because he kind of paralyzed when Naruto stepped forward. The banter had always been easy between them, and he had always enjoyed antagonizing him, but maybe Naruto had been in the right. He was not ready for this. He was not ready to feel this much after all the years he had spent willing himself to feel nothing. He was too aware of Naruto's hands holding his face; the roughness of the callouses in his left hand and the texture of the bandages covering the right one, and the closeness of the other's face. It was overwhelming.
Naruto cleared his throat nervously and murmured, "Close your eyes, bastard."
Sasuke obeyed and held his breath. He just had to resist a little longer and prove the idiot wrong. He waited for the brush of Naruto's lips against his in vain. Instead, he felt the others forehead pressing against his, followed by a soft hum.
"I knew it was too soon," Naruto declared as he let Sasuke's face go, smirking self-satisfied.
Sasuke glared at Naruto with all his might, although it probably had zero effect combined with the fierce blush he felt on his face. "You win," he admitted reluctantly. "Just stop exaggerating, moron."
Naruto brightened up immediately. "It's okay, I can wait," he said leisurely, placing his hands behind his head. "We already had our first kiss anyway," he winked at Sasuke and started to walk in the direction of their usual training ground.
Sasuke's eye twitched a little but followed without a second thought. "You are out of your mind if you count that as a kiss."
"Well," Naruto prolonged the word contemplatively, "then I guess my first kiss was with Hinata-chan."
"We'll count the incident at the Academy as a kiss," he replied hastily and regretted it the moment it left his mouth. If Sakura caught wind of this conversation, he would never hear the end of it.
Naruto's laughter, however, was completely worth it. It was cheerful and warm, and it messed with Sasuke's heartbeat. "Whatever you say, Sasuke," he said as he bumped their shoulders together.
Sasuke relaxed for the first time in weeks. Even if it was a little bit at a time, even if they were both idiots most of the time, they were moving forward.