I'm so sorry for this chapter taking an extra week, but I had a gigantic project. Be happy! Rika goes today! ^_^; She wasn't a very major character, so she's not even going to say anything in this chapter.
Note: Yes, the black "thing" was a vibrator. I'm sorry to all I've scarred with that. XP
*blushies again* Thanks so much for reviewing! *glomps everyone* I'm going to keep the responses to a minimum again. Sorry. ^^;
Beta 4 Hire: Now that I've updated, you have to update! *pokepoke* Please?
Pinky-Cat: Heheh, I do know what you mean, but I do not wish to disclose any information about Rika and Naruto's private life. Let's just say Naruto's...imaginitive. :P
Ishida Kat: Yeah, I really hate when they make Sakura a bitch, too. She's really cool! She deserves a good reputation!
myth: Well, it seems pretty unrealistic that Naruto would be the one and only person that Sasuke would have gone out with, ne? Unfortunately, to keep this story a bit short, I'm not going to talk about any past relationships. I never thought about Naruto's reaction about Sakura knowing before he did, but it's a great idea, so I'm throwing it in next chapter.
Ryouki Reido: Which words did I get wrong in the last chapter? Maybe you can point them out to me? I've never been good at remembering correct meanings in other languages. _O
Ladyschumon: Shower scene time! ^_^ I hope you like it! *watches Rika bleeding on the ground* o.o;;;
TheSeer: Actually, I do like yuri, and I felt it wouldn't be fair if he only liked yaoi. I guess I find it a bit hypocritical if someone only likes one type of romance, but bashes the others. Thanks for the information, it might help me when writing other fanfics later on. ^^
Ginji-ban-chan: *places her back in her chair* XP I'm glad you find it funny!
Ithil: I had been reading way too much angst as well, and I think that it affected me enough to write that seperate ending.
Bloody Noses and Teary Eyes
They say the most important rule of love is 'never fall for your best friend.' Sasuke had just broken that rule, and right now, was punishing himself by banging his head on a nightstand. 'Dammit, dammit, dammit!' Sasuke mentally cursed as the pain in his head grew from impacting repeatedly with the hard wooden surface. He rolled back onto the bed and sighed. Now, not only was he living with a guy that didn't know he was gay, he also lived with a guy he had a crush on.
It was a hectic morning, both of them having seperate missions that required them to leave early. Unfortunately, they woke up so late that the sun was already peeking over the horizon. 'It was all Naruto's fault,' Sasuke convinced himself. The blond didn't sleep too well, and would toss noisily about, depriving Sasuke of his own rest. They rushed around the kitchen, occasionally banging into each other, scrambling for whatever edible food they could get their hands on. Finding all the cupboards empty, they ended up settling for meal of pickles and some green-tinged udon at the back of the fridge. Afterwards, Sasuke ran into his bedroom to get changed while Naruto took a shower.
The dark-haired boy knew that the other teen took forever, and there was only one bathroom in the house. He desperately needed to brush his teeth, so after waiting and extra twenty minutes for the blond to finish, he got fed up and burst through the door. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the black marble floor, his clothes soaking up water like a sponge.
Apparently, Naruto had forgotten to pull the shower curtain into the tub, allowing the warm water to slowly pool onto the floor. Sasuke had stomped in and slipped in the puddle, crashing in a heap to the floor, banging his back pretty badly. The water was hastily turned off and the shower curtain wrenched aside to reveal a very concerned -and naked- Naruto.
"Sasuke! Are you alright?" His face creased with even more worry as Sasuke only responded with a soft groan. He knelt down beside the young Uchiha. The said boy did his best to keep his eyes from wandering over the body looming over him, but he lost his self-control as soon as Naruto's strong hands held his shoulders and the boy shifted closer, most likely to check for injuries.
His eyes quickly took a glance, but remained fixed on the blond's well-built body, which was tanned a nice golden brown. He had always knew that Naruto was good looking under the clothes that he wore, but he never gave it a second thought. Now he decided that his best friend was the sexiest damn thing he had ever saw. Droplets of water rolled from the boy's broad shoulders, over the curve of his flexible back, all the way down to his butt. Fantasies began to fill his head.
His friend jumped back as if he had been burned. He quickly stood up, giving the dark-haired boy a full view, but Sasuke was too busy feeling ashamed to notice much. 'He's caught on for sure!' the boy reprimanded himself for ever lusting after him. 'Now he'll think I was checking him out on purpose, and won't want to talk to me anymore.'
His eyes widened in confusion when the course material of a towel was pressed up against his face. "You're nose is bleeding." Naruto fretted. "Did you hit your head that hard? Maybe you burst a blood vessel or something..."
'The idiot should have seduced enough men with his Sexy no Jutsu to know why I reacted the way I did.' Sasuke blushed heavily. 'He must be so focussed on me that he can't think straight-!' He immediately stopped that thought when he felt his shirt being unbuttoned. "Get off! Pervert!" He screamed and scrambled backwards until he bumped into the toilet.
"Pervert?" Naruto cracked up, falling over onto his side, not caring about the cold water on the floor. "You're soaked, so I was just taking your shirt so you could dry off properly!" He shook the recently soaked towel he had gotten from the cupboard.
"...Oh." He replied, and his friend burst into another fit of laughter. Sasuke wrinkled his nose and snorted, but smiled inwardly. 'At least he's happy, right? I love it when he laughs...' It was then that his affection for Naruto became obvious to him. He loved everything about Naruto: his crystalline blue eyes, his sense of humor, his boundless energy and even his very nice ass. Bad thoughts. He would get off that subject before it went anywhere.
"Sasuke?! Are you awake in there?" the blond called, waving his arms. The other boy nodded slowly and Naruto got up and offered a hand to him. "Good. You just kinda zoned out there."
"I'm okay!" Sasuke said quickly and averted his attention to the floor, away from the naked boy. From his vantage point...well, he could see a whole lot, and he really didn't want to be openly staring at a time like this. "You know...It'd be nice if you could get dressed." He snapped grumpily.
Naruto blinked and gave him an impish grin, only now noticing that he wasn't clothed. He hastily grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. "Sorry," he mumbled in embarrassment and quickly left the room.
*~*~*~*
Even though both boys left extremely late, Sasuke managed to pull off his mission in a matter of hours, making him wonder if it was worth getting out of bed at all that day.
A muffled slam of wood against wood brought the dazed Uchiha back to the present. The loud stomping of running footsteps put him on his guard, and he grabbed a kunai from his holster, which he had thrown beside his bed when he got home. The sounds stopped as abruptly as they started, puzzling the boy. With the silent expertise of any jounin, he crept down the stairs, only to have muted sobs reach his ears. He carefully stuffed the kunai back in his pocket and rounded the corner to the spacious living room. "Naruto..."
The boy must have heard him, because he curled up into a tight ball against one of the forest green pillows, trying to bury himself in a corner of the couch. Sasuke called his name a few times, but if the blond acknowledged him, he didn't show it. Not one to lose his patience easily, the young Uchiha kneeled behind the couch and gently tangled his fingers into the messy, sunshine colored locks of his best friend. "Naruto, come on, it's okay. You can tell me."
After a few moments of silence, Naruto rose to a sitting position on the couch. His face was stained red with tears, and his cheeks were flushed from running. His once welcoming blue eyes were bloodshot and only held a look accusing betrayal. Sasuke pulled his sleeve to wipe the boy's tear-stained face gently, coaxing him to explain. All he did was threw his arms around his friend and bawled into his shoulder. The young man was never great at comforting, so it had taken a long time to calm him down, worried that his wracking sobs would make him throw up. His breathing evened out into deep ragged gasps, and Sasuke half expected he had fallen asleep.
"R...Rika..." The blond's voice was hoarse and rough. "She, and someone else..." Another collection of sobs shook the blond but the few words he spoke were enough for Sasuke to deduce that the girl had cheated on Naruto. He wasn't surprised at all. He drew slow circles around his friend's back and whispered assurances into his ear.
"Shh...don't worry. She wasn't good enough. There's plenty of other people out there who'll take good care of you." 'Like me.' was something he longed to add. He tried to stop thinking along those lines. His feelings didn't matter right now. Naruto needed comfort, someone to fall back on. 'Then maybe he'll look at you differently,' a scheming little voice suggested.
"But she was..."
"Someone who didn't care for you as much as she let on."
A few sniffles were given in response. "I guess so..." Silence dominated the pair for a long time. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Sasuke knew that the situation made a big impact on Naruto. He must have truely loved the girl, since he was never horribly affected by break ups in the past. But back then, they were almost always mutual. Him and his girlfriend would have fun, then call it quits if they didn't feel like they should be dating anymore. If there was a complication, Naruto would put on a grin and bear it, knowing that time would allow him to heal and things would get better. He was never actually cheated on before.
Looking back on his life, Sasuke realized that it was Naruto who got him out of any rough spots in his relationships, by inderectly setting an example for him. It was another thing the boy loved about him. He just _had_ to help him now. He owed him at least that much.
"Hey I know what'll cheer you up!" Sasuke plastered a strained, fake grin on his face. "We'll have a party! To take your mind off of things!" He waited in silence for a minute, then smirked successfully as a small smile made its way across Naruto's lips. It was definately the right thing to say. It was the boy's birthday in a few days, and he would be nineteen. Sasuke would have to start planning like mad, but if it was for Naruto, then he believed he could pull it off.
"See, I told you that'd cheer you up. I'm always right."
"Heh, yeah." the line was very uncharacteristic of Naruto, because the boy would have at least tried to deflate Sasuke's confidence in some way, but the light tone of his voice hinted of a quick recovery.
"Good. Now let's go make dinner." Sasuke pushed his friend off of him, ignoring the selfish regret that he wasn't close to his crush anymore.
"Ramen!" Naruto shouted and ran into the kitchen.
Sasuke directed a lovesick smile at the boy's quickly retreating form. He was always one that could take anything, as long as he had a friend to back him up. Determination flowed through his veins, and the young man grabbed a small note pad to begin writing down people who were to be invited. This party would go perfectly, for Naruto's sake.
*~*~*
Yuck, mushy ending. -_- It was so damn hard to piece this together, and yeah, the next chapter will include his birthday party. Why is it late? Well, if some people can write Christmas fics in July, then I'm allowed to place Naruto's birthday a week after it really is. Rika's gone, without much of an explanaition, but I'd rather keep it vague. And for the OOC-ness: I'm sorry, I couldn't keep them IC and pull this off. Maybe next chapter, if I'm lucky.
I'm sorry this chappie's crap, but I needed filler to set up the party and to put more words on the page. I'd've loved to extend the shower scene, but it was pretty difficult to write as it was.
Note: Yes, the black "thing" was a vibrator. I'm sorry to all I've scarred with that. XP
*blushies again* Thanks so much for reviewing! *glomps everyone* I'm going to keep the responses to a minimum again. Sorry. ^^;
Beta 4 Hire: Now that I've updated, you have to update! *pokepoke* Please?
Pinky-Cat: Heheh, I do know what you mean, but I do not wish to disclose any information about Rika and Naruto's private life. Let's just say Naruto's...imaginitive. :P
Ishida Kat: Yeah, I really hate when they make Sakura a bitch, too. She's really cool! She deserves a good reputation!
myth: Well, it seems pretty unrealistic that Naruto would be the one and only person that Sasuke would have gone out with, ne? Unfortunately, to keep this story a bit short, I'm not going to talk about any past relationships. I never thought about Naruto's reaction about Sakura knowing before he did, but it's a great idea, so I'm throwing it in next chapter.
Ryouki Reido: Which words did I get wrong in the last chapter? Maybe you can point them out to me? I've never been good at remembering correct meanings in other languages. _O
Ladyschumon: Shower scene time! ^_^ I hope you like it! *watches Rika bleeding on the ground* o.o;;;
TheSeer: Actually, I do like yuri, and I felt it wouldn't be fair if he only liked yaoi. I guess I find it a bit hypocritical if someone only likes one type of romance, but bashes the others. Thanks for the information, it might help me when writing other fanfics later on. ^^
Ginji-ban-chan: *places her back in her chair* XP I'm glad you find it funny!
Ithil: I had been reading way too much angst as well, and I think that it affected me enough to write that seperate ending.
Bloody Noses and Teary Eyes
They say the most important rule of love is 'never fall for your best friend.' Sasuke had just broken that rule, and right now, was punishing himself by banging his head on a nightstand. 'Dammit, dammit, dammit!' Sasuke mentally cursed as the pain in his head grew from impacting repeatedly with the hard wooden surface. He rolled back onto the bed and sighed. Now, not only was he living with a guy that didn't know he was gay, he also lived with a guy he had a crush on.
It was a hectic morning, both of them having seperate missions that required them to leave early. Unfortunately, they woke up so late that the sun was already peeking over the horizon. 'It was all Naruto's fault,' Sasuke convinced himself. The blond didn't sleep too well, and would toss noisily about, depriving Sasuke of his own rest. They rushed around the kitchen, occasionally banging into each other, scrambling for whatever edible food they could get their hands on. Finding all the cupboards empty, they ended up settling for meal of pickles and some green-tinged udon at the back of the fridge. Afterwards, Sasuke ran into his bedroom to get changed while Naruto took a shower.
The dark-haired boy knew that the other teen took forever, and there was only one bathroom in the house. He desperately needed to brush his teeth, so after waiting and extra twenty minutes for the blond to finish, he got fed up and burst through the door. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the black marble floor, his clothes soaking up water like a sponge.
Apparently, Naruto had forgotten to pull the shower curtain into the tub, allowing the warm water to slowly pool onto the floor. Sasuke had stomped in and slipped in the puddle, crashing in a heap to the floor, banging his back pretty badly. The water was hastily turned off and the shower curtain wrenched aside to reveal a very concerned -and naked- Naruto.
"Sasuke! Are you alright?" His face creased with even more worry as Sasuke only responded with a soft groan. He knelt down beside the young Uchiha. The said boy did his best to keep his eyes from wandering over the body looming over him, but he lost his self-control as soon as Naruto's strong hands held his shoulders and the boy shifted closer, most likely to check for injuries.
His eyes quickly took a glance, but remained fixed on the blond's well-built body, which was tanned a nice golden brown. He had always knew that Naruto was good looking under the clothes that he wore, but he never gave it a second thought. Now he decided that his best friend was the sexiest damn thing he had ever saw. Droplets of water rolled from the boy's broad shoulders, over the curve of his flexible back, all the way down to his butt. Fantasies began to fill his head.
His friend jumped back as if he had been burned. He quickly stood up, giving the dark-haired boy a full view, but Sasuke was too busy feeling ashamed to notice much. 'He's caught on for sure!' the boy reprimanded himself for ever lusting after him. 'Now he'll think I was checking him out on purpose, and won't want to talk to me anymore.'
His eyes widened in confusion when the course material of a towel was pressed up against his face. "You're nose is bleeding." Naruto fretted. "Did you hit your head that hard? Maybe you burst a blood vessel or something..."
'The idiot should have seduced enough men with his Sexy no Jutsu to know why I reacted the way I did.' Sasuke blushed heavily. 'He must be so focussed on me that he can't think straight-!' He immediately stopped that thought when he felt his shirt being unbuttoned. "Get off! Pervert!" He screamed and scrambled backwards until he bumped into the toilet.
"Pervert?" Naruto cracked up, falling over onto his side, not caring about the cold water on the floor. "You're soaked, so I was just taking your shirt so you could dry off properly!" He shook the recently soaked towel he had gotten from the cupboard.
"...Oh." He replied, and his friend burst into another fit of laughter. Sasuke wrinkled his nose and snorted, but smiled inwardly. 'At least he's happy, right? I love it when he laughs...' It was then that his affection for Naruto became obvious to him. He loved everything about Naruto: his crystalline blue eyes, his sense of humor, his boundless energy and even his very nice ass. Bad thoughts. He would get off that subject before it went anywhere.
"Sasuke?! Are you awake in there?" the blond called, waving his arms. The other boy nodded slowly and Naruto got up and offered a hand to him. "Good. You just kinda zoned out there."
"I'm okay!" Sasuke said quickly and averted his attention to the floor, away from the naked boy. From his vantage point...well, he could see a whole lot, and he really didn't want to be openly staring at a time like this. "You know...It'd be nice if you could get dressed." He snapped grumpily.
Naruto blinked and gave him an impish grin, only now noticing that he wasn't clothed. He hastily grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. "Sorry," he mumbled in embarrassment and quickly left the room.
*~*~*~*
Even though both boys left extremely late, Sasuke managed to pull off his mission in a matter of hours, making him wonder if it was worth getting out of bed at all that day.
A muffled slam of wood against wood brought the dazed Uchiha back to the present. The loud stomping of running footsteps put him on his guard, and he grabbed a kunai from his holster, which he had thrown beside his bed when he got home. The sounds stopped as abruptly as they started, puzzling the boy. With the silent expertise of any jounin, he crept down the stairs, only to have muted sobs reach his ears. He carefully stuffed the kunai back in his pocket and rounded the corner to the spacious living room. "Naruto..."
The boy must have heard him, because he curled up into a tight ball against one of the forest green pillows, trying to bury himself in a corner of the couch. Sasuke called his name a few times, but if the blond acknowledged him, he didn't show it. Not one to lose his patience easily, the young Uchiha kneeled behind the couch and gently tangled his fingers into the messy, sunshine colored locks of his best friend. "Naruto, come on, it's okay. You can tell me."
After a few moments of silence, Naruto rose to a sitting position on the couch. His face was stained red with tears, and his cheeks were flushed from running. His once welcoming blue eyes were bloodshot and only held a look accusing betrayal. Sasuke pulled his sleeve to wipe the boy's tear-stained face gently, coaxing him to explain. All he did was threw his arms around his friend and bawled into his shoulder. The young man was never great at comforting, so it had taken a long time to calm him down, worried that his wracking sobs would make him throw up. His breathing evened out into deep ragged gasps, and Sasuke half expected he had fallen asleep.
"R...Rika..." The blond's voice was hoarse and rough. "She, and someone else..." Another collection of sobs shook the blond but the few words he spoke were enough for Sasuke to deduce that the girl had cheated on Naruto. He wasn't surprised at all. He drew slow circles around his friend's back and whispered assurances into his ear.
"Shh...don't worry. She wasn't good enough. There's plenty of other people out there who'll take good care of you." 'Like me.' was something he longed to add. He tried to stop thinking along those lines. His feelings didn't matter right now. Naruto needed comfort, someone to fall back on. 'Then maybe he'll look at you differently,' a scheming little voice suggested.
"But she was..."
"Someone who didn't care for you as much as she let on."
A few sniffles were given in response. "I guess so..." Silence dominated the pair for a long time. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Sasuke knew that the situation made a big impact on Naruto. He must have truely loved the girl, since he was never horribly affected by break ups in the past. But back then, they were almost always mutual. Him and his girlfriend would have fun, then call it quits if they didn't feel like they should be dating anymore. If there was a complication, Naruto would put on a grin and bear it, knowing that time would allow him to heal and things would get better. He was never actually cheated on before.
Looking back on his life, Sasuke realized that it was Naruto who got him out of any rough spots in his relationships, by inderectly setting an example for him. It was another thing the boy loved about him. He just _had_ to help him now. He owed him at least that much.
"Hey I know what'll cheer you up!" Sasuke plastered a strained, fake grin on his face. "We'll have a party! To take your mind off of things!" He waited in silence for a minute, then smirked successfully as a small smile made its way across Naruto's lips. It was definately the right thing to say. It was the boy's birthday in a few days, and he would be nineteen. Sasuke would have to start planning like mad, but if it was for Naruto, then he believed he could pull it off.
"See, I told you that'd cheer you up. I'm always right."
"Heh, yeah." the line was very uncharacteristic of Naruto, because the boy would have at least tried to deflate Sasuke's confidence in some way, but the light tone of his voice hinted of a quick recovery.
"Good. Now let's go make dinner." Sasuke pushed his friend off of him, ignoring the selfish regret that he wasn't close to his crush anymore.
"Ramen!" Naruto shouted and ran into the kitchen.
Sasuke directed a lovesick smile at the boy's quickly retreating form. He was always one that could take anything, as long as he had a friend to back him up. Determination flowed through his veins, and the young man grabbed a small note pad to begin writing down people who were to be invited. This party would go perfectly, for Naruto's sake.
*~*~*
Yuck, mushy ending. -_- It was so damn hard to piece this together, and yeah, the next chapter will include his birthday party. Why is it late? Well, if some people can write Christmas fics in July, then I'm allowed to place Naruto's birthday a week after it really is. Rika's gone, without much of an explanaition, but I'd rather keep it vague. And for the OOC-ness: I'm sorry, I couldn't keep them IC and pull this off. Maybe next chapter, if I'm lucky.
I'm sorry this chappie's crap, but I needed filler to set up the party and to put more words on the page. I'd've loved to extend the shower scene, but it was pretty difficult to write as it was.