Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Romeo and Juliet
Author's Note: I live! I'm sorry for the long wait you guys, but with persistence from my personal agent (otherwise known as my younger sister), I decided to end the chapter and post it. I was going to continue it with more stuff, but she stopped me, and I'm grateful…I don't think I could have even thought up anything more for this chapter anyway.
Okay, I love you guys soooo much! Thank you so much for your reviews! I got a ton of new readers too, so welcome and thanks for reading my story! There were a lot of you who read the entire story all the way through! Wow! When I try to do that with my own story, I get bored…I'm not sure how you all pulled it off, but that's encouraging. I know that my story isn't that boring…Anyway, thanks to all of my faithful readers! You guys rock!
A universal concept in the reviews was the new hatred towards Neji. Uh, I'm sorry guys, but that's just the way the story goes. Neji just needs some loving, so he went out and got it himself. But, I think you're opinions of hating Neji might change to hating Gaara a bit more after reading the first part of this chapter.
Oh, and I'm sorry for making Naruto so oblivious. He really isn't that stupid. He makes up for it in this chapter. He gained some brain cells, but he still has some doubts. I would too if I was in his shoes. And, I'm sorry for all the grammar and typing errors in the last chapter. I was just lazy after writing the long chapter that I didn't edit it thoroughly enough. This one's better. Sorry about that.
All right, I'll shut up now. Thank you all so so so much for your support and reviews! I couldn't have gotten this far without you! Thanks so much! Love to all of you, SilverRose88.
Chapter Twenty-two
For the first time in his life, Uzumaki Naruto was at a loss for words.
He'd never expected anything like this to ever happen; never had he dreamed that was what he was in for when he'd arrived at the restaurant at seven that evening. Had he known, he'd at least have dressed better; definitely chucking his ripped jeans and bright orange shirt for something more sophisticated. But, nooo, he hadn't been given a single clue. And that was why he was so shocked.
The restaurant party room had been rented out and redecorated with pinks, reds, and whites. The floor was covered completely with pink rose petals; a path leading to a table in the center of the room was created by red petals; and white petals covered the table over the heart printed tablecloth. Vanilla scented candles were lit along the walls, giving the room a hearty bright glow.
But it wasn't the flowers or the candles or the cart of food he'd just noticed off to the side; no, he could live with those things. It was one other, no—two other things that were causing all speech and coherent thoughts to vanish.
A large banner filled the length of the opposite wall; the words Happy Valentine's Day Naruto! in curvy lettering across it. And, if that didn't throw him off, the other thing most certainly did.
Now, most guys don't really care much about Valentine's Day. The only time they really do is when they have someone special to share it with. Naruto had come to realize that what was thought to be normal was never normal in his life. He'd been on a date with Neji, had dinner and played games with Sasuke, and now, he was in a room covered in flowers and annoyingly sweet scented candles. So, as Naruto looked over the other living person in the room, he could only stare and wonder what the hell he'd been thinking.
Standing next to the table, dressed in a black suit with a deep red shirt which matched the flowers in the room along with his hair, was none other than Gaara. He had a rare smile on his face and his jade eyes caught Naruto's shocked blue and held on.
And it was this last thing that had Naruto completely and utterly stunned.
"Good evening, Naruto," Gaara said, his voice unusually soft. "I'm glad you made it. Come on and sit down."
Naruto nodded stupidly and took the seat opposite the redhead. "G-Gaara, wh-what is all this?"
Gaara gave him an obvious look. "It's for Valentine's," he replied. When Naruto continued to look at him, he added, "Well, I thought that even though we didn't spend real Valentine's together, that it'd be okay to do it tonight. I mean, I would have set this up for yesterday, but you were busy."
"Why didn't you tell me we were coming here? I would have worn something nicer and I definitely wouldn't have been so shocked," Naruto said, letting himself relax a bit.
Gaara looked him over and said, "You look fine in anything Naruto, and I think it was worth not telling you just to see your face. You look extremely cute when you're surprised, did you know that?"
Naruto's tenseness sprung back with full force at Gaara's reply. He felt a blush take over his cheeks and tried to hide it, but to no avail. Gaara smiled at him even more and Naruto was wondering what he'd just gotten himself into.
"Gaara, I get the whole V-day reason, but isn't this just a bit too extravagant?" Naruto asked, staring around the room.
Gaara glanced around the room as well and then shrugged lightly. "I suppose, but I don't mind doing this for you, Naruto."
The blonde blushed again. Staring to feel rather nervous, as if he'd been caught stealing, Naruto gave the redhead a small laugh. "Heh, o-okay then…Uh, how long did it take you to plan all of this?" he asked, trying to make conversation. Anything to make Gaara stop looking at him like that.
The redhead shrugged again. "Not that long," he replied vaguely, and Naruto's plan backfired. He was still looking at him like that.
Naruto wasn't sure what to make of that look. It was something he'd never seen before, well at least not on Gaara's stoic face. However, he did realize that it was a look that was usually on Sasuke's and Neji's faces and he was now starting to get chills. Why would Gaara be looking at him like that?
"Anyway, Naruto, do you want to start eating? This restaurant has delicious food and I got us the best they can offer," Gaara said.
Naruto grinned. "Hey, do you even have to ask if I want to eat? Bring it on!"
Gaara gave him another rare smile; Naruto suppressed the uneasiness he was feeling in his gut, and smiled as well. A waiter from the restaurant, who looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but here, served them spaghetti and meatballs along with breadsticks from the cart next to the table. He poured them some pop and then walked out the room, leaving them in silence. Naruto mentally begged for the waiter to return; he wasn't sure why, but he just knew something bad was going to happen.
They began to eat quietly, both staring at their plates. Well, Naruto was staring at his plate. He could feel the redhead watching him closely and didn't want to lift his gaze for fear of what he'd find there. The look. The look that Sasuke and Neji both had had the past two days. The look that even he had sometimes. The look he'd never seen on Gaara, and was now having to deal with the impending doom he knew was going to come sometime during that evening.
"So, Naruto, how was the beginning of your weekend? Did you do anything fun?" Gaara asked breaking the silence.
Naruto nodded excitedly and exclaimed, "Yeah! I've had an awesome weekend! On Friday, Neji and I went to the dance together, and yesterday, Sasuke and I hung out at my place. It was really fun!"
Gaara froze as the words sunk into his mind. He stared at the blonde trying not to let the anger and bitterness show on his face. Schooling his voice to sound calm and unaffected by the recent piece of news, he said, "Oh, did you?"
Naruto nodded again but said nothing, instead began to eye Gaara curiously. He was noticing a look on the redhead's face that he'd never experienced before. It was the look of twisted anger trying, but failing, to be restrained from expressing. It was the same kind of look that Sasuke and Neji had whenever he would tell them about spending time with one of the others. It was a look that one would associate with jealously.
Wait. Jealously? Why would Gaara get jealous? I still don't get it with Sasuke and Neji, but after what happened on Friday with Neji…If he really does like me, then it all makes sense…But what's with Gaara then?
"How was the dance, then? Did you have a good time?" Gaara asked, still trying to control his anger. Great. I'm last for this weekend, meaning that the other two bastards might have already left a good impression or gotten something out of their time with Naruto. Now, I've got to beat both of them tonight…Hmm, maybe being the last one isn't so bad…If I play my cards right, I could have Naruto forget all about Hyuuga and Uchiha…
"Oh, yeah! The dance was really fun. It was the first time I'd ever had a date, so that in itself was fun too," Naruto said, then mentally smacked himself for the slip. Why did he keep telling everyone it was a date? First with Sasuke and now with Gaara. He really needed to learn how to control what he said.
"Date? You mean…You and Hyuuga were on a date?" Gaara demanded.
"Yeah…" Naruto replied quietly. "We went to the Valentine's Day Dance on Friday together. That was the date." He gave Gaara a scrutinizing look and voiced what he'd been wondering, "Why are you so interested about it, Gaara?"
The redhead blinked but replied simply, "I was just curious."
Naruto felt anger stir within him. "God! What's with that lameass answer? Sasuke used the same dumb excuse when I asked him. 'I was just curious'," he mimicked. "I hated that line."
At the mention of the Uchiha, the rest of Naruto's sentence was of no importance to him. Trying to act casual and not prying, as he really was, Gaara inquired, "What did you and Sasuke do yesterday, then?"
"Just hung out. We watched a movie, and had pizza. And, Sasuke made me cookies! They were delicious!" Naruto grinned at the memory. "I love Sasuke's cooking. He's the best cook ever!"
Gaara gave a stiff nod. "That's nice."
"Yep, it's really cool! I got cookies from Sasuke, and Neji brought me flowers, and now…Well, this is just…" Naruto looked around the entire room and back at Gaara.
"Just what?"
"Just…wow." Naruto shrugged. "This is just over the edge. You almost gave me a heart attack from the first sight, Gaara. What were you thinking?"
The redhead glanced away for a moment, but then turned and pinned the blonde with his gaze. "I was thinking of doing something nice for you for Valentine's."
Unused to getting such a stare from Gaara, Naruto swallowed and replied, "But…why? I mean, V-day's a lovers thing. For couples and stuff. Why'd-Why'd you get so extreme?"
"Because I thought of you and couldn't help myself," Gaara replied, capturing the blonde's gaze again. Slowly leaning closer from across the table, the redhead asked, "What? Do you not like it, Naruto?"
The blonde swallowed again, feeling uncomfortable. What the hell is Gaara doing? he wondered, trying to move his gaze away from the jade eyes of his friend. He tried to fight away the blush from the redhead's comment and replied, "Well, yeah, of course I like it, it's really nice, but…"
"But what?" Gaara queried, watching him closely.
"But why me?" Naruto asked quietly, having not thought of the idea until he'd spoke without consulting his head.
Gaara let the softest of smiles escape his lips as he replied, capturing the blonde's gaze with his own emerald ones, "Because, Naruto, you're special."
The heat burned instantly in the blonde's cheeks and momentarily he just stared back at his friend, his brain on overtime, trying to decipher if Gaara was using a strange cryptic code to play a trick on him. But, he remembered that, like Neji and Sasuke, Gaara wasn't one for jokes. Then, did he really mean what he'd just said? But that wasn't possible was it? G-Gaara too?
The redhead mentally patted himself on the back, pleased at getting the blonde to blush again, because it was so hard to deny how adorable he looked with his cheeks tainted pink and eyes wide and swirling with confused emotions. Gaara felt like he was maybe coming on too strong, that maybe he was rushing into telling the blonde how he felt about him, but it was just something he could no longer hold within him. He knew that he and Naruto had been friends for a long time and he knew that it would end up being a quite a shock to the blonde to find out about these feelings, but he just had to do it. Especially since he knew he was falling behind the other two bastards, and he would never let them get Naruto. Therefore, he had to make this night count, he had to make Naruto at least subtly realize about his feelings for him. After the blonde knew how he felt, it would be time for the second stage: getting Naruto to start liking him back. He knew that would be the easier part. Figuring out how to tell his best friend he wasn't just a best friend was much tougher, also considering how dense the blonde could be sometimes.
Deciding to take pity on the confused blonde boy, Gaara said simply, engaging his friend in conversation, "So, Naruto, how are your scenes for the play coming along? Have you actually memorized any of it?"
The tiny insult brought the fire to his azure eyes and Naruto replied heatedly, "Yeah! I have memorized some of the play! I've memorized a lot! There are just, uh, a few scenes I have trouble with."
"I'm guessing they're the long monologues you can't memorize, correct?" Gaara said.
"Yeah! Why the hell do they have to be so long anyway? Who in real life talks for about twenty lines? It's so stupid!" Naruto ranted.
"It's just how it is, Naruto. You should probably take the time to learn those monologues," Gaara said.
"I know, but they're just so long!" Naruto whined.
"I can help you if you want me to," Gaara offered, recapturing the blonde's gaze again.
Naruto gulped silently, that unusual sense of insecurity crept up his spine once more. He stared at his friend, trying to decide what to reply. He should say yes, right? There was nothing wrong with rehearsing with Gaara. But, then why did he suddenly feel so hesitant about it? He reprimanded himself mentally, saying that he was being absolutely stupid for feeling so insecure about his old best friend. It was Gaara! There was nothing wrong with him!
Making up his mind that he was turning paranoid and blaming it on the overpowering scent of vanilla and roses in the room, the blonde nodded and replied, "Sure, that would be great, Gaara! I need all the help I can get."
"Great. I love spending time with you, Naruto, and I want to help you out," the redhead replied calmly. "And besides," he continued after watching the blonde blush again, "I've already gotten my lines memorized."
"That's because you have such an easy part! I wish I could have been Tybalt instead! You've got like only one line."
"It's a bit more than one line, but yes, my part is pretty minor," Gaara conceded, wishing that he would have been able to trade parts with the Uchiha. "I do enjoy, however, being in a scene with you."
Naruto felt his cheeks heat up again. What was going on? Why was Gaara suddenly spewing things that made him feel so embarrassed and uncomfortable? Why was he acting like he did sometimes when Neji or Sasuke tried to—No, it couldn't be could it? Gaara couldn't possibly…
Naruto felt his mind race as he thought of the one solution that would answer his problems. But, it was just too farfetched. This was Gaara! His best bud from grade school, and it just seemed far too impossible for Gaara to have feelings like that. But, then again, if he was right about Neji, who was he to doubt the possibility? But if he was right about Neji, which he was pretty certain he was, then that would mean the same thing for Sasuke…
The blonde suddenly felt the heat burn more powerfully in his cheeks as the images Sasuke's name caused within him began to flash like a projector in front of his eyes. Remembering the night before, remembering the way they'd been playing an innocent game of Twister, and how it had ended into something far from his imagination. Sure, it had only been one simple kiss, but it had been a kiss that was causing so many twisted and confusing emotions to writhe within him, that he didn't know what to do with them all. Sasuke had kissed him, and he…he had kissed him back. Had wanted to kiss him back, had eagerly kissed him back and even now felt no regret for what he had done. His desires were putting up thousands of red flags, telling him that there was obviously something serious going on. He couldn't deny the way he had eyed Neji and had considered the Hyuuga during the dance, nor could he deny the way every time he and Sasuke touched the previous day had made electricity shoot up his spine, or how he hadn't pulled away when the Uchiha had leaned in to kiss him.
He had lost a lot of his self-control and sense of self from that kiss. He had thought he'd known who he was, but now he had no idea. He used to be Uzumaki Naruto, lover of ramen and Sakura-chan. But, now, he was Uzumaki Naruto, lover of ramen (because that would never change in a million years) and…guys? Sure, he still liked girls, but whenever he was around Sasuke and now Neji, he just had no idea what was going on. Both boys were getting his emotions worked up and thoughts out of order, and he was beginning to lean dangerously off the cliff he was standing on. He didn't know how to deal with this, had never dreamt he'd have to deal with it, but it was becoming clearer by the day. He was obviously being turned on by something and those somethings had to do with guys he'd once thought of as just friends.
He now knew that Neji definitely had some feelings for him, if that kiss and the date were any indication. But, Naruto still wasn't sure what that meant to him. Did he like Neji back? He'd thought about this many times since the date that Friday, but every time he'd come close to some sort of an answer, his mind would unconsciously wander toward Sasuke, and the blonde was left speculating about the Uchiha, and then he'd forget what it was he was even thinking of in the first place. He wasn't sure if that meant he liked Sasuke, because that would just be weird. It was Sasuke, of all people. Sure, the Uchiha had become his best friend in the months he'd known him, but still there was the fact he was a complete un-sweet liking-coldhearted-arrogant bastard…who could cook really really well and kiss wonderfully…
Like he'd had any experience in that department to even compare him to anyway…
No, no, no. I'm not going to think about this! I'm going to lock it away in a little corner of my mind until I have the time and patience to figure out why there is a possibility of two…wait, maybe three guys after me. I just don't get it, I mean we're all guys, but yet…Neji and Sasuke sure as hell don't seem to care about that, and if I'm on the right track with Gaara, then he doesn't give a damn either. But then, where do I lie on the scale? Does it bother me? Shouldn't it bother me? I mean, I've never liked a guy before, I don't know how it works…I'm just a lowly novice and they-they're throwing themselves at me heart, body, and soul! Gah, I can't keep up! I don't know what to think!
Even if he had no idea what to think, he knew the feelings that stirred within him. He remembered checking out Neji on Friday night, he remembered the near kissing-misses with Sasuke, and he was experiencing the same kind of overwhelming power whenever Gaara locked jade eyes with his. It was bad enough having one come at him, but he was forced with all three at the same time and his brain was working overtime to keep up. And to make matters worse, none of them were actually telling him straight out about what was going on, and that was causing the most confusion. How did he know he was right if they wouldn't tell him?
The blonde sighed and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Stop, he told himself. I'm not going to think about this now. I'm at dinner with a friend. This kind of confusing thought processing is for later. Back to Gaara…though I'm not entirely sure if I want to go back…
Gaara was watching him closely, taking a bit of interest in the different expressions that had been crossing the blonde's face for the past few minutes as Naruto was thinking deeply about something. He wished for once he could be a mind reader, if only to eavesdrop on the blonde before him and understand why his expressions changed from confused to freaked out to embarrassed to frustrated and back to confused. And even if he wasn't a mind reader and could not understand the thought processes in the blonde's head, he was glad to just be able to watch the blonde's entertaining expressions because they were priceless.
"What are you thinking about, Naruto? You look deep in thought," Gaara questioned, snapping the blonde out of his gaze and facing the redhead from across the table.
"Oh, nothing, really. I was just thinking. It's nothing important," Naruto replied with a dismissing wave of his hand.
"If you were thinking about it means it must be important," Gaara pointed out.
"Heh, true," Naruto agreed, with a laugh. "But, honestly, Gaara, it's nothing. I'm sorry for spacing out on you."
"It's all right. And, anyway, if you're done with your dinner, I'll have someone bring in dessert," Gaara said, nodding at their plates.
"Dessert! Yes! I'm done, bring in the sweets!" Naruto exclaimed.
Gaara suppressed a slight smile at the grin on the blonde's face and called for a waiter to come and retrieve their empty plates and bring in the dessert. A moment later, a cart of cakes, pies, ice-cream sundaes, pudding, cookies, and many other desserts was pulled up beside their table. Naruto stared, slack-jawed at the various types of dessert and looked embarrassed only when Gaara laughed and said, "You can eat them, you know. They're not going away."
The blonde grinned with humiliation, and took a slice of apple pie with whipped-cream on top. Turning to Gaara, he said, "Aren't you going to have some?"
The redhead nodded and took a chocolate ice-cream sundae for himself.
"Good. For a second there I thought you were like Sasuke too, the weirdo who hates sweets. It's a good change to actually eat dessert with someone, than to eat it myself and have Sasuke watch me. That's just awkward and creepy," Naruto said conversationally as he took a bite of his pie, not realizing that his information was causing his friend undiluted anger.
Trying to keep his anger within him, and not knowing exactly what to say in reply, Gaara simply nodded and took a spoonful of his sundae.
"Hey, Gaara, why'd you ask me here today?" Naruto asked suddenly, causing the redhead to choke on a bit of ice-cream and look sharply up at him.
Schooling his surprise away, Gaara caught the blonde's gaze and replied, "Because I wanted to spend some time with you." He hoped the blonde wouldn't ask too much deeper. He didn't think he was quite ready to confess his feelings for Naruto yet; at least he hadn't planned on it that night so he wasn't sure how to broach the topic if it was brought up.
However, Naruto didn't heed what he wanted. "But I thought you said this was for V-day, right?" When Gaara nodded, Naruto continued, "Then, why would you want to spend Valentine's Day with me? Isn't there someone more important that you'd rather share it with?"
Gaara locked gazes with the blonde's. "No," he said simply. "There is no one else I'd even dream about spending Valentine's with. You're the only person I ever could, Naruto."
The seriousness that had been on the blonde's face as he'd asked his questions vanished, and was now replaced by something entangled between shock, confusion and alarm. A blush tainted his cheeks again and Gaara let a small smirk escape his lips. He leaned close across the table, his eyes never wavering from the blonde's azure ones. He noticed Naruto gulp silently, looking a bit insecure, and Gaara's smirk widened. Did he know he looked cute with that expression on his face?
"G-Ga-Gaara?" Naruto breathed, feeling the heat radiating off of his face. Not only was he embarrassed from what the redhead had just told him, he was also mortified. What was Gaara doing? He wasn't think of--
The redhead leaned a bit closer as he said, his voice sounding unusual husky and tempting, "You wanted to know why I wanted to spend Valentine's with you, right?"
Naruto nodded silently, feeling as though some kind of impending doom was on its way.
"Well, I'm curious…Don't you think it's obvious Naruto?" Gaara asked softly. "Isn't it already obvious why I've done all of this for you?"
Naruto's world seemed to be crashing down around him. Everything he seemed to know and hold true was breaking into a million pieces. He stared into Gaara's unwavering emerald gaze as the redhead leaned closer, and his mind went completely blank as he felt the redhead press his lips against his own.
It was a quick, simple kiss, definitely not like what he'd experienced the night before, but no matter how it was done, it was still a kiss, and Naruto practically fell out of his chair in shock. Gaara pulled away, slowly licking his lips and watched the blonde closely as if debating whether or not he should try again. Naruto had no idea what to think, had no idea what to do. He'd just been kissed, on the lips, by someone who'd been his best friend since grade school. What would anyone do in this situation? Well, it was obvious--they'd run.
Naruto quickly got to his feet, knocking the chair down to the rose-covered floor. Breathing heavily, though he wasn't sure if it was out of anger, embarrassment, or shock, Naruto turned to stare fiercely at Gaara. The redhead looked at him questioningly, a slight flicker of fear passed through his gaze, wondering if he'd gone a bit too far.
Not knowing exactly what to say, Naruto mumbled a quick, "I've got to go, Gaara…Uh, thanks for dinner…" before getting the hell out of the restaurant.
He could hear Gaara call after him, but he disregarded the redhead. He needed to get home. He needed to sleep. Most importantly, he just needed to get away.
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"See, I knew you'd lose," Sasuke said, as he lowered his face down to the flushed blonde beneath him and captured his lips with his own.
He knew he'd meet with some resistance, but he hadn't expected admittance so suddenly. The blonde opened his mouth just enough to let Sasuke slide his tongue inside, exploring the moist cavern he'd been craving for far too long. He felt Naruto pull a hand up around his neck, gently pressing his face closer, deepening the kiss. The blonde's fingers tousled the hair at the back of his neck; the feeling sent a chill down his spine. He pressed his body against the Naruto's, the heat from the blonde instantly overwhelming him as they continued to kiss intensely. Naruto shifted beneath him, the plastic of the Twister board rustling under his body, causing a leg to wrap around his own.
Naruto moved a hand against his chest, the feel of his hand sending a sensation through his body that he didn't realize the blonde was pushing him away until a muffled noise beneath him made him pull his lips away. The blonde was panting heavily; his cheeks painted a tickle-me-pink, making him look so adorable, Sasuke could have just devoured him. But something in his eyes, in his pool of swirling cobalt, made him stop doing just that and listen as the blonde breathed, "S-Sasuke? …I-I-You…"
With that, the blonde quickly rose to his feet, looking completely lost, but at the same time feeling exhilarated. Sasuke stood as well, watching Naruto try to string coherent thoughts and words together. It took him a moment to say quietly, "I-I, uh, I think you should leave for the night…" To emphasize his final decision, Naruto opened the door for him and waited.
But Sasuke didn't want to leave. He walked over to the door and shut it, locking the door to prevent anyone from entering. Naruto looked at him with surprise, but before the blonde could so much as blink, Sasuke had him pressed against the back of the door, his lips on his again.
He heard the blonde moan as his lips parted and Sasuke reentered his mouth, taking in the sweet taste that was Naruto. He didn't care that he was moving too fast, he didn't care if he had jumped the line by twenty miles, he just couldn't control himself. When it came to Naruto, there was never any controlling himself. He was just surprised he'd made it so long without just having his way with the blonde. But he wouldn't have to worry about hiding his feelings anymore. He just couldn't wait any longer.
He slipped a hand under the blonde's shirt and felt the warmth of Naruto's skin heat up his cool hand. The blonde squirmed from the touch, arching slightly against him. Sasuke let his fingers explore the soft muscles of the blonde's abs, as he captured and recaptured the blonde's lips with his own, soon moving to nibble silently on the blonde's lower lip, causing yet another moan to escape the blonde's mouth. Sasuke lowered his hand to the buckle on Naruto's belt, his desire overwhelming and controlling every cell and molecule in his body.
He unclasped the buckle slowly, felt the blonde shiver slightly against him and---
"Rise and shine, little brother! It's another glorious day and you need to be in school in--umph!" Itachi pulled the pillow away from his face and threw it back at the younger Uchiha who was curling underneath the covers of his bed, a scowl on his face. "What was that for?"
"You bastard, it's Saturday. I don't need to be in school today!" Sasuke snapped. I'm going to kill him. I swear I am. At such a good part too! ARGH. Damn him.
"Ah, so it is," Itachi replied, grinning. "Sorry about that little brother."
"Get. Out. Now," Sasuke said menacingly. "I want to sleep."
"You mean you want to have perverted dreams about Naru-chan," Itachi said, now smirking.
"I-I-You--Don't call him Naru-chan!" Sasuke exclaimed, trying to hide his blush. "And, I was not having perverted dreams about Naruto!"
"Uh-huh," Itachi said sarcastically. "Then, all those times I heard you mumble 'Naruto' really meant you were, oh I don't know, calling the cook? Maybe like a secret name?"
Sasuke ignored him, choosing to work on fighting the blush off his cheeks. "Get out now, Brother. I do not wish to talk to you right now."
"Fine, fine, fine," Itachi replied sounding wounded. "I'll leave you and your perverted dreams alone."
"I'm not dreaming about him!" Sasuke yelled after him as his brother shut the door and walked down the hall.
However, even he couldn't lie to himself. He'd been having dreams like that for a week. And every time the scene progressed, getting more and more intense and all the more desirable. And just when he'd gotten to something real good, Itachi has to come and ruin it. Great. Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he laid down on his back, rethinking through his 'half-dream' as he liked to call them since part of it was true. Yes, they had kissed, and yes, it had been wonderful, and yes Naruto had kicked him out. However disappointing it may be, the second half was all Sasuke's wild, and yes, perverted, imagination.
Sasuke felt himself blush again as he glanced at the clock. It was only five-thirty since his bastard of a brother had thought it was a weekday and wanted to wake him. He'd never figure out how Itachi could be so bright and cheery so early in the morning. Shaking his head, he pressed his face into his pillow and decided another hour or two's worth of sleep would be enough to fully get his imagination out the window. At least until that afternoon when he and Naruto would be working on their project together. Letting a smile escape his lips at the thought of the blonde, Sasuke willed himself back into the world of dreams.
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He should have never woken up. He should just go back to his room, crawl under the covers and sleep, and dream about his wonderful blonde. The blonde he wanted to kill right now for being almost an hour late.
Sasuke sighed, feeling grumpy ever since that morning when Itachi, god damn him, had burst in on his very intense dream. Even after the older Uchiha had left, Sasuke had only been in a light doze, and hadn't had any dreams like he'd wanted, so he'd woken up, showered, and had worked on homework until one o'clock, the time Naruto was supposed to come to his house to research their project. But the blonde was late; Sasuke had only had about four hours of sleep, and had been interrupted by Itachi the entire morning because his brother found it amusing to bug him. Needless to say, Sasuke was in a bad mood. All he wanted was to see his favorite blonde because at least that would make him happy. He wanted to see Naruto and he wanted to see him now.
But, as luck would have it, the blonde was late.
Wondering where the hell he could be, Sasuke picked up the phone in decision to call the blonde when, speak of the devil, Naruto walked into the library of the Uchiha mansion.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning.
Sasuke issued him a very cold glare. "Where were you? You're almost an hour late."
"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Naruto apologized, taking the seat at the table beside him.
When the blonde offered no explanation, Sasuke prompted again, "So, are you answering my question? Where were you?"
"My boss needed me to stay after for awhile. Sorry I'm late," the blonde answered simply. He opened a book and began to scan a certain page.
Sasuke watched him for a moment, feeling unconvinced with that answer though he wasn't sure why. Deciding not to pry, Sasuke shook his head and pulled his book towards him. "Just don't be late next time, okay? I've been waiting for a long time, time I could have spent sleeping instead."
"I'm sorry! I promise to be on time from now on!" Naruto exclaimed. "Anyway, how much more research do you think we need for this project? I'm sick up looking up stuff. It's so boring."
"Naruto, all schoolwork is boring to you," Sasuke pointed out.
"Hehe, true, but this is just dragging on so long," the blonde complained. "I just want to finish it and get it over with!"
Sasuke, however, didn't quite feel that same way. He'd rather the project never ended, if only to ensure some time to spend with the blonde. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Sasuke asked, "Well, how do you think we should present the project?"
Naruto groaned. "Aw, man, I forgot we have to present." Heaving a theatrical grunt, he whined, "I hate presenting!"
"You're telling me that even after all the rehearsal we have done in drama class, you still have stage fright?" Sasuke inquired incredulously.
"It's not stage fright!" Naruto shot back heatedly. "I just don't like to, there's a difference."
"I'm sure there is," Sasuke said with a smirk.
"Shut up," Naruto snapped. "Anyway, I vote a power point. Easy and simple. My personal favorite."
"Surprising, because that's mine too," Sasuke said.
"Heheh, great minds really do think alike!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin.
"Are you including yourself in that statement as well?" Sasuke questioned, voice laced with amusement.
Naruto stuck his tongue out in indignation. "You're so mean, Sasuke-bastard."
Sasuke blinked at hearing the 'suffix' that had lately been removed from the blonde's vocabulary. He hated being called bastard because it was degrading, but at the same time he didn't quite mind because of its aspect as a pet name. Now, however, he knew that Naruto had said it out of annoyance and anger and that wasn't what he liked it for.
"You know I was kidding, don't you?" Sasuke said, voice turning soft and Naruto turned to face him, a glimmer of surprise in his azure eyes.
"What?" he said.
"I said I was kidding," Sasuke repeated.
"It was mean, Sasuke."
"I was just teasing you, Naruto. You're so much fun to tease," Sasuke replied.
"I'm f-fun to tease?" Naruto repeated, feeling a blush coming on.
"Yes," Sasuke said, a smile tugging on his lips. "Because teasing you makes you blush. And you look adorable when you blush."
Against his will, Naruto's cheeks reddened and he stared at Sasuke with confusion, his heart hammering. "S-Sasuke, why-why do you say stuff like that?" he asked. Then, he nodded knowingly and answered his own question, "Oh, yeah, you just enjoy teasing me, don't you?" He turned away, feeling a bit annoyed by all the teasing, but Sasuke grabbed his chin and turned him so they were facing again.
"Do you want to know why I say things like that?" Sasuke asked, leaning close to the blonde.
Naruto gulped, his heart rate quickening at the sudden change in atmosphere. First calm, then angry, and now being immersed in a strong intensity. What's going on? Naruto wondered, feeling dazed. "S-Sasuke?" he breathed, watching the Uchiha closely, the other boy's ebony eyes twirling with a mix of emotion.
"Do you want to know why I kissed you last weekend?" Sasuke asked, absently wondering where the hell that question had come from. But, that wasn't important. He stared into Naruto's eyes, watching with amusement at the puzzlement and alarm in his eyes.
"Sasuke, what-what are you saying?" Naruto inquired as he leaned away, but Sasuke only bended closer, hovering above the blonde.
"Naruto, I have something I need to tell you," Sasuke said, suddenly sounding unusually sexy and tempting.
Leaning closer still, Naruto felt the Uchiha's breath, hot against his skin, raising the hairs on his neck. "Y-Yeah?" the blonde muttered quietly.
"Naruto, I-I…I've wanted to tell you for a while now…I-I--"
"Boys! Want something to eat?" Itachi exclaimed suddenly slamming open the door.
Naruto felt the heat on his face rise so high it parried with the sun. He turned slowly to Itachi who had a grin on his face.
"Oops, I'm sorry," he said, noticing the position they were in, his eyes darting back and forth between the blonde and the younger Uchiha. Naruto noticed, however, that despite his apology, Itachi didn't sound sorry at all. "Well, then, I think I'll just leave you two alone. I'm betting you wanted some time together, didn't you? I'm sorry to have interrupted." Still grinning, he then left the room.
After the door clicked shut, silence enveloped the room. Naruto finally tore his gaze away from the doors, turning to stare avidly at his shoelaces instead. Sasuke, meanwhile, seemed to have gotten a hold of his bearings and was blinking rapidly as if coming out from a trance. His eyes fell on Naruto and he felt his cheeks heat up slightly as he remembered what he'd just done.
I can't believe myself. I just cannot believe it. What the hell was I doing? What the hellwas I thinking? I must have gone temporarily insane to have even fathomed telling him the truth. This isn't the right time or the right place. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I'm actually glad for Itachi's tendency to not knock on doors. Thanks to him barging in, I didn't tell Naruto. I never thought I'd be glad about anything Itachi did, but oh, thank you, gods above, for saving me from this. What the flipping hell was I thinking?
"Sas-Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly, turning to face him slowly, his cheeks now a lighter shade of pink.
"What dobe?" Sasuke asked, resorting to his normal self.
Naruto watched him closely, trying to make sure the Uchiha wouldn't go all weird on him again. Naruto sighed, knowing that if he was going back to 'dobe' then Sasuke must be back on track, right? But why did he have the feeling that something was wrong? What did Sasuke mean by what he'd said? And-And what was it that Sasuke was going to tell him?
It-It sounded like he was going to tell me that he, I dunno, likes me or something…But would Sasuke really do that? I mean, I think he likes me…it's the most logical explanation for everything that happens between us, but I still don't know for sure…Maybe he really was going to confess…Oh, man, I'm so lost. I have no idea what I'd do if he confessed. I-I kind of don't want him too…but at the same time I do. I want to know the truth, but I'm afraid of what it is.
"Oi, dobe, snap out of it," Sasuke said, waving a hand before the blonde's face.
Naruto blinked a few times and turned to look at the younger Uchiha. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, looking down at his lap.
Sasuke glanced away as well, and the two sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Naruto asked quietly, "Uh, S-Sasuke, w-what were you going to tell me just now?"
The Uchiha swore to himself, desperately trying to come up with something to say in place of the truth. He could tell Naruto the truth that moment, it just didn't seem right to him. But, what could he say to make it sound convincing to the blonde?
Resorting to the only thing in such a predicament, he said coldly, looking away again, "It was nothing, all right, Naruto? Just forget it ever happened." Yup, being a bastard worked every time.
Naruto knew he was lying. He knew that wasn't the truth at all, but he nodded in agreement and didn't press the Uchiha. Surprising Sasuke by not prying any more, he said, "All right then. Uh, should we keep going on the project? We can outline how we're going to present the power point, and then we can start making it."
"Okay, good plan. Let's get to it," Sasuke replied as Naruto pulled out a notebook and began an outline.
Sasuke grabbed his notes, feeling an immense sense of relief in his chest. He wanted Naruto to know the truth, but this wasn't the right time. He glanced at the blonde from the corner of his eyes and let a smile escape his lips. I know you want to know, and I'm dying to tell you. Don't worry, Naruto. You'll know the truth soon enough.