Chapter 1
Sasuke's POV
Sasuke smirked as Naruto's fist made contact with the wall beside his head.
"What's your problem this time, Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked, egging Naruto on.
"You know what the fuck my problem is, Uchiha! Stay the fuck away from my girlfriends!" Naruto's face was red, he was clearly upset as he advanced on Sasuke who held his ground. Sasuke looked into his deep blue eyes as he yelled at him.
"Do you still not realize what you actually want?" He watched as Naruto's face shifted from rage to confusion as he grabbed Sasuke by the shirt, shoving him against the wall, drawing a grunt from Sasuke, but no other response.
"Why the fuck do you keep saying that to me? What I want is for you to leave me the fuck alone!" Sasuke just sighed, shaking his head.
"You gotta figure that out on your own unfortunately, Uzumaki. Though I wish you would hurry it up." He brought up a hand, lightly slapping Naruto's cheek with it, lingering just a little too long as his smile faltered for just a second before it slipped back up. "Now, be a good sport and let go of my shirt, you're wrinkling it up." He patted Naruto's hands that were clutching his shirt.
Naruto glared at him, seething and Sasuke could tell he was ready to get physical but just as he cocked back, Shikamaru placed his hand on Naruto's arm.
"Come on, Naruto, we are going to be late to class." He pulled at Naruto, creating space between Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto growled before finally letting go of Sasuke's shirt, turning to follow Shikamaru, crouching to grab his backpack from the ground where he had thrown it. He swung it up on his shoulder, stuffing his hands in his pockets he stalked away.
Sasuke's face softened as soon as Naruto's eyes were no longer on him. "What is it going to take for you to realize the truth.. Naruto?" Sasuke whispered to himself. Shaking his head, he sighed. As he turned to walk to class, his cold demeanor returned.
Naruto's POV
Naruto was still fuming by the time Shikamaru and he had made it to class.
"I don't know why you don't just expect it by now, Naruto." Shikamaru said, exasperated.
"He just. He gets under my skin! He purposefully goes after the girls I'm dating, only to drop them immediately after we split up because of it. He can have anyone, why ONLY go after the girls I date?" Naruto said, huffing.
"I'll give you that. It's a bit odd the obsession he has with your partners." Shikamaru said quietly, almost to himself. "Didn't you guys used to be really good friends?"
"Fuck that guy. Seriously." Naruto said, ignoring the question as they approached the entrance to their next class. "Are we still going out tonight? I definitely need to get drunk."
Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, we will meet at 9 at the club." Naruto nodded, walking into class and finding their regular seats, settling in for the next hour.
— — — — — — —
Naruto was standing outside of the club, his hands in his pockets. He could feel the vibrations from the music blasting inside. They were meeting at their normal hang out spot, Naruto's Godfather's club, The Pervy Sage.
He was waiting for Shikamaru and Kiba, who were running late like normal. Naruto sighed, kicking the sidewalk as he waited.
"Hey." Naruto tensed up, recognizing the voice behind him. Great. The guy that drove me to drink is here. Like always.
Naruto turned, meeting the onyx eyes belonging to the only person he had ever hated, Sasuke. He could make Naruto see red like no one had ever been able to. All without trying. Naruto always felt like he was going to explode around him.
As Naruto's gaze landed on him, he saw that Sasuke had a slightly softer expression than normal, which caught Naruto off guard.
"Uh. Hey." Naruto muttered, trying not to get worked up. He had noticed Sasuke around the club all the time, but this was the first time he had come anywhere near him, much less talked to him.
"You meeting Shikamaru and Kiba?" Sasuke asked, his hands pushed deep into his pockets, looking down as he asked the question. What is going on with him?
Naruto nodded, narrowing his eyes. "What do you want, Uchiha?" Naruto spat, sick of the fake chit chat.
He saw as Sasuke's expression took on its normal stern appearance. "Nothing, Loser." Sasuke said, a small smile on his face, turning on his heel and heading into the club.
Naruto watched Sasuke walk into the club. What the hell was that about? He was interrupted from thinking about it by Shikimaru and Kiba coming up from behind, Kiba putting him in a headlock.
"What was that Naruto? Talking to your nemesis now?" Kiba laughed, jabbing him in the stomach. Letting out a grunt, Naruto shrugged him off.
"Fuck off, Kiba, let's go in so we can get to the drowning out the bullshit." Naruto said, leading the way into the club.
After grabbing drinks, they made it over to their normal table, a corner booth that was out of the way, but still with a good view of everything. Sitting down, they surveyed the dance floor, looking for anyone they might know.
Kiba soon abandoned them at the table, finding some girls to dance with.
Naruto sat at the table, picking at his coaster while Shikamaru looked around the club. Downing his drink, Naruto caught the eye of a waitress, motioning for another round. Shikamaru eyed him as they waited.
"Naruto. Why does Sasuke get under your skin so much? I mean really, he's doing you a favor since if these girls would leave you so readily, they obviously aren't all that into you." Shikamaru said tentatively, watching Naruto's expression closely.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru. "I thought we came here to get wasted?" Naruto muttered.
Shikamaru shook his head, conceding the conversation just as the next set of drinks got to the table.
"Just keep them coming please, Sasha." Naruto said to the server with an annoyed expression. He wasn't exactly sure why it got on his nerves quite so much. Shikamaru had a point. He didn't really want to be with anyone that would leave so easily. Sasha nodded and walked away from the table.
Naruto's eyes followed her, drawing his attention to the bar area. He locked eyes with a girl at the bar who seemed fixated on their table. Naruto grinned instantly, earning him a shy smile in return. He slid out of the booth, keeping eye contact with her.
"Aaaaaand there he goes." Shikamaru sighed. "Just make sure to let us know if you leave with anyone, please." Naruto glanced at him, chuckling.
"Don't sound so glum! I'll definitely let you know! See you in a bit." Naruto winked as he walked over to the bar area. Weaving through the people on the way to the bar he had to stop for a group of people moving across his path. When they had passed, Naruto looked back at the girl, seeing her turned, talking to someone.
Naruto froze. You have GOT to be kidding me! Naruto was fuming. Sasuke was talking to the girl that Naruto had been on his way to talk to. He felt hands on him as Shikamaru moved to get in front of Naruto, placing his hands on his chest.
"Come on man, let's sit back down."
"What the FUCK is his deal, Shikamaru?!" Naruto seethed, allowing Shikamaru to push him back to the table, all the while glaring daggers at Sasuke. Throwing himself down on the bench, he watched the lights on the ceiling, his hands on his stomach tapping the beat to the song.
"Hey, Naruto, someone sent over this drink for you." Naruto perked up instantly, taking the drink from Sasha.
"What is it?" He sniffed the drink, taking a sip. He looked at it, surprised. It was probably the best drink he had ever had. "Who sent it?" Naruto looked at Sasha.
"Orange juice, rum and a splash of grenadine. That gentleman at the bar. He said he hoped you were having a good night." Sasha pointed at someone at the bar. Naruto's smile fell as he caught sight of Sasuke, he was raising his glass, a smirk on his face.
"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Naruto growled. The girl was nowhere in sight. Shikamaru looked up to see what was going on, choking on his drink when he saw who had sent the drink. He sprang up, moving to block Naruto from getting out of the booth.
"No! Naruto! It's not worth it! You're going to get us banned again!" Shikamaru waved Kiba over to help him.
"Whoa, what's going on?" Kiba asked, jumping in to help Shikamaru keep Naruto seated.
"Sasuke bought him a drink, after talking to a girl Naruto was on his way to talk to."
"Oh. Why would he buy him a drink? That's weird." Kiba thought about it for a second, looking at Shikamaru suddenly. "Oh!" That caught Naruto's attention.
"Oh what?" Naruto asked, finally settling back down in his seat.
Kiba and Shikamaru looked at each other then back at Naruto.
"Uh, nothing." Kiba mumbled, sitting down next to Naruto as Shikamaru took his seat again.
Naruto glared back and forth between them. "Why can't you guys ever just answer me?" He said, feeling frustrated. Turning his attention back to the drink Sasuke had sent him, he shoved it away from himself, crossing his arms. Shikamaru and Kiba had started a conversation about a class they were both taking, leaving Naruto to his thoughts.
Why did he buy me a drink? He had obviously thought it through as well, since this wasn't what Naruto had already been drinking or off the menu. He glanced back at the bar area, catching sight of Sasuke again. He seemed to be staring into his drink. Naruto couldn't quite read his expression from this distance, but he could tell that Sasuke wasn't smiling anymore.
Naruto grunted, taking the drink in his hand again and taking another drink. It really was good. The perfect sweetness, with no ice to water it down, making for a smooth drink as well. Naruto downed the rest in one go. Catching Sasha's attention, he ordered another round.
— — — — — — —
As it got later both Shikamaru and Kiba called it a night, telling Naruto not to stay out too late. Naruto waved them off, ordering another drink for himself. He was feeling quite good at this point, he was very close to the level of drunk he was hoping to achieve tonight, one more would be enough to send him over the edge.
"Here you go, Naruto, let me know when you're ready for a cab." Sasha said, smiling at him, setting his drink in front of him.
Naruto smiled back, nodding to her. "Thanks, Sasha. You're the best as always." A little blush appeared on her cheeks as she turned away from his table.
Naruto took the drink in his hand, spinning it around on the table. He took a drink, looking around at the dance floor. All things considered it had been a pretty good night, he was about to leave, stop for some ramen and crash in his amazing bed. Life was good.
"I'm glad you liked the drink." Naruto froze, his eyes darting up, finding Sasuke's onyx eyes looking back at him. Sasuke was standing there, seemingly nervous. Naruto narrowed his eyes. He had kept ordering the drink Sasuke had ordered for him. At first it was a mistake, Sasha assuming he meant the new drink, but he didn't correct her since he had liked it so much.
"What the fuck do you want, Uchiha?" Sasuke didn't seem surprised at the response, chuckling a little.
"I just wanted to say that I was glad." Sasuke shrugged. "And to say that I hope you had a good night tonight." He turned to walk away.
"Uchiha." Naruto spat out. Sasuke turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. "Why are you always fucking with me?" Naruto glanced down to his glass, drinking the rest of it before looking back up at Sasuke.
Sasuke stood quietly, searching Naruto's face. Sighing, he looked away. "They're not what you want." He shrugged, looking back at Naruto, a sad smile on his face. "Have a good night, Naruto. Get home safe." Giving Naruto a long look, Sasuke sighed, turned and walked back to the bar.
Naruto put his head in his hands, sighing. This was so confusing. He got up, heading to the bar to pay his tab. Ordering a quick shot, he closed out, signing the receipt and handing it to Sasha. "I'll see you next weekend. I'm going to walk tonight I think."
Sasha looked a little concerned. "Please be careful, text me when you make it home, okay?"
Naruto mumbled in agreement, taking the shot and moving towards the door. He saw Sasuke leaving just ahead of him, so he took his time walking to the exit, to allow more space between them. They lived in the same general direction and Naruto didn't want to have to deal with walking near him the whole way.
Finally he opened the door, stepping out into the night air. Taking a deep breath he started walking down the street, his hands in his pockets. There was a group of people moving towards him, taking up most of the sidewalk. Naruto moved as far to the side as he could to give them space. A girl in the group noticed, smiling her thanks at Naruto who responded with a wink and smile, his eyes moving to the person next to her, closest to him.
It seemed to be her boyfriend, gauging by his face, which was a little more than annoyed about the whole exchange. Naruto smiled at him, shrugging his shoulders as he walked past. The man rammed him with his shoulder just then, making Naruto turn slightly.
Naruto caught his balance, turning towards him, putting his hands up in a placating manner. "Whoa there! No harm meant, promise. I apologize." Naruto made a small apologetic bow, keeping his eye on the guy.
The man growled, advancing on Naruto who stood his ground, his stance relaxed. "Look, I'm not wanting any trouble, just trying to go home." Naruto said, smiling at the man as he came closer, moving to the side as the man threw a punch at him. Furious, the man swung at him again. Sighing, Naruto blocked the punch, using the man's momentum to throw him to the ground.
He heard the sound of a pocket knife behind him, turning to the noise, Naruto threw his hand up to catch the knife, but froze finding Sasuke there, his arm up to block the knife which had managed to slice him pretty good.
"What the fuck, Uchiha. What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, turning back to the man in front of him who had just finished getting up. At least he wouldn't have to worry about that guy. He knew Sasuke could hold his own, plus he wasn't going to randomly start attacking him either. It was weird, but all the times that Naruto had gone after him or tried to start a fight with him, Sasuke had never once hit him back. Since they had been kids anyways.
"I heard something so I turned back to investigate." Naruto scoffed.
"Whatever, just take care of yours and I'll take care of mine." He heard Sasuke chuckle in response. Naruto heard a blow land as he moved towards his guy, his hands in front of him, imploring the man. "Come on, let's just drop it. What do you say?"
The man took a step forward, putting himself within Naruto's range. Naruto dropped to the ground, sweeping his leg at the man's legs, knocking him to the ground. Getting up, he moved to the guy, putting his knee on the man's chest, he raised his fist, slamming into the guy's face once, knocking him out.
Glancing up, Naruto saw that Sasuke's guy was down as well and Sasuke was walking towards him now.
"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked quickly, his eyes searching for any sign of injury. Naruto just stared at him. There was a glint of something in Sasuke's eye, something Naruto couldn't quite place.
"What the hell. Why did you get involved?" Naruto shouted at Sasuke, grabbing him by the shirt as he stood up. "You are confusing as hell! You fuck with every girl I like, but never fight me back, you buy me drinks and then you get sliced open for me? What is your deal?!" Naruto demanded, pressing him against the wall.
Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes, darting back and forth before he sighed. He placed a hand on the hand that was clutching his shirt. His touch made Naruto's body vibrate as he patted his hand a couple times. "Like I said, I just heard something and turned back to see what was going on. Figured I would jump in and help since there was a knife involved." Sasuke shrugged, looking down.
Naruto growled, releasing Sasuke. He didn't quite believe Sasuke for some reason. Sasuke brought his arm up once he had some space, hissing through his teeth. "That's going to hurt tomorrow." Naruto glanced at the cut, it looked pretty shallow, but still needed to be patched up if the dripping blood was any indication.
Grumbling, Naruto turned back towards the club. "Come on, Uchiha, we should clean that cut. Who knows what that guy had on that knife." His eyes flicked at the guys that were out cold and the girls trying to wake them. Sasuke looked at him quickly, his eyes wide.
"Um. Thanks, but I'm okay, I can clean it up at home." Sasuke said, turning the opposite direction.
"Fucking hell. Shut up and let's go. At least let me buy you a drink as a thank you." Naruto stomped to the entrance, walking around the guys on the ground. The others in the group were eying the two boys as they moved towards the club. He could hear Sasuke behind him as he opened the door, allowing Sasuke to enter first.
Walking to the bar, Sasha walked up to him. "Hey, I thought you were headed home, are you okay?" She looked him up and down, clearly worried.
"Yeah I'm good, this guy got a little messed up though." He pointed with his thumb behind him, obviously annoyed about the situation. "Could I get a couple drinks and a first aid kit please, Sasha, maybe a towel as well?"
Sasha nodded, moving to grab the first aid kit first along with a clean towel for Sasuke to hold against the wound for now. She set drinks down at the bar for them as they were sitting down. Sasuke mumbled a thank you to Sasha, staring down into his drink.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Thanks a bunch, Sasha, we will probably do a couple rounds at least, keep the tab open please and call a cab soon as well." At that Sasuke glanced up at him, curious. Naruto ignored him, taking a long drink.
As they finished their drinks, Naruto grabbed the first aid kit, motioning for Sasuke to follow him. Heading to the back of the club, they walked down a hallway, coming to a door towards the end, Naruto opened it, punching in the code for the lock, letting Sasuke walk in first. Following him in, Naruto shut the door, walking past him and removing his shoes, grabbing two pairs of house slippers, one for himself and one for Sasuke. He walked into the kitchen, setting the kit down and turning on the water.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke as he tested the water temperature. He was looking around at the apartment curiously. "It's my godfather's apartment. He stays here since the club is open till so late. Come here." Naruto said, extending his hand out for the wounded arm. Sasuke moved towards him hesitantly, placing his hand in Naruto's.
Naruto tensed for a second, feeling that fire again. Shaking his head, he led Sasuke's forearm under the water, rinsing out the wound. Sasuke hissed when the water hit, flinching a little, Naruto glanced up at him. He was wincing from the pain, concentrating on his arm under the water.
Naruto held his arm firm, turning his attention back to the task, letting the water rinse out the wound. Grabbing a new towel from the side of the sink, he pulled Sasuke's arm out, drying it with the towel and inspecting the wound.
"Well, you shouldn't need stitches. Let me just bandage it up and you'll be right as rain." Naruto smiled grimly. He was still pissed as hell about all the back and forth, the adrenaline was starting to die down and he was beyond confused about everything.
"Thanks." Sasuke mumbled, keeping his eyes down. That was another thing, he was acting weird, not his normal cocky self, that was the most confusing, because it didn't make sense. Naruto brought Sasuke's arm in front of him, having him hold it up and down in front of his face as Naruto bandaged it. As he was pressing the sticky side of a bandage to Sasuke's arm, he glanced at Sasuke, catching his eye.
His breath caught a little and he quickly looked back at his arm. The look in Sasuke's eye was almost vulnerable. Releasing Sasuke's arm, Naruto stepped back, clapping his hands together once. "That should do it. Do you have any other wounds?" Sasuke shook his head, his eyes still glued to Naruto.
Ignoring his gaze, Naruto turned to the sink, rinsing any leftover blood down the drain and cleaning up the kit. There was a knock at the door, Naruto moved to answer it, revealing Sasha carrying a tray with some drinks on it, she set them on the island of the kitchen.
"You guys all set and cleaned up?" Naruto smiled at her, nodding.
"Yes, thank you for your help." Sasuke said formally, standing to bow a little.
Sasha blushed, backing away. "Oh, don't mention it, it was no trouble."
"Oh, here's that kit back, Sasha!" Naruto said, grabbing the first aid kit and handing it to her. "Thanks again!"
"No problem." Sasha said, closing the door. Naruto took two drinks from the tray, handed Sasuke one and set the other by the sink. He then grabbed a couple shots, offering one to Sasuke who declined. Shrugging Naruto took both shots in quick succession, chasing them with his drink.
"So. What's the deal, Uchiha. Why are you acting so weird?" Sasuke avoided his gaze, looking down at the drink in his hands.
"No deal, Uzumaki. Just glad I could be of some help." He looked up at Naruto, his gaze steady. "I should really get home, I'll show myself out." Sasuke got up, setting his barely touched drink on the counter.
"Shut up and finish your drink." Naruto took a long drink of his. Sasuke hesitated, grabbing his drink and taking a sip.
"Why are you being nice to me and not trying to fight me?" Sasuke asked as Naruto reached across the counter for another shot. Naruto could feel Sasuke's gaze on him as he threw back the shot.
"To be honest, I don't know." Naruto snorted. "Not a fucking clue." He shook his head. "I fucking hate you." Naruto looked up at Sasuke, seeing his face fall, just a little, quickly switching to the cold expression that he typically wore with everyone. Everyone but Naruto. Come to think of it, Sasuke had never once before looked at him like this. Sasuke was always smirking, on the verge of mocking, or just being awkward when they were alone, which until very recently, had been years since happening last.
Naruto swayed just a little, the booze had hit him. Shit. "I hate that you're constantly hitting on the girls I am with." Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, looking down. "I really hate that, in a way, it is helpful because I don't want to date someone that would leave me so easily." Sasuke's eyes flicked up to Naruto's, the mask slipping, just a hair. "Then you get yourself cut by blocking a knife meant for a guy that you hate."
"Wait, I don't hate you!" Sasuke looked surprised. The cold mask fell completely, and as soon as Sasuke realized it, he looked away from Naruto.
"Then why do you take all of my girlfriends?" Naruto asked, his hands against the counter, his head hanging. He was tired of wondering, he also needed the support that the counter offered.
"Because.. They aren't. They aren't what you're looking for." Sasuke said softly, obviously trying to watch his wording.
"Why do you keep saying stuff like that to me?" Naruto looked up at Sasuke. "Please, just level with me. Stop being so cryptic." Naruto was seeing two of Sasuke now. Well shit. I must have had a few too many.
"Naruto? Hey, are you okay?" He saw Sasuke lurch forward, just before he staggered to the side, right into Sasuke's chest. Sasuke's arm wrapped around his shoulders, his hand gripping his arm, keeping him steady. "Whoa, Knucklehead." Naruto was surprised at hearing Sasuke's old nickname for him. "Just lean on me, I've got you." For some reason, Naruto had no doubts that Sasuke spoke the truth. "Do you want to rest here or go home?" Naruto mumbled something before passing out.