'Wow! There sure are a lot of people here…'
Sasuke stood in the doorway of the huge dance hall. The place was crowded with people about his age dancing, singing, talking, and flirting. He spotted several people he knew right away. It wasn't long before he caught sight of a head of blonde hair standing next to a head of pink hair. Sasuke peered through the crowd to see the couple. Naruto was wearing his bright orange pants, but he lacked the matching orange coat, revealing the black t-shirt.
The two stood when a popular song came on. They made their way to the swarming floor and started to dance. Sasuke forced himself to look away,
For nearly an hour, the dark-haired ninja wandered through the crowds. On occasion, a classmate would greet him, but they usually said little more than a "Hey, Uchiha." He quickly spotted the red-haired Gaara, whom he hadn't seen in years. The sand village ninja was dancing with his body up against Neji's, not unlike how Naruto was dancing with Sakura. Sasuke chuckled, but his heart felt heavy. He wanted to go home, but something forced him to stay in the presence of his blonde teammate. He leaned against a wall quietly. Suddenly, an uproar began in the corner of the room. He looked, and saw a red-in-the-face Sakura yelling at an irritated Naruto. The pink-haired girl then stormed out the door. Sasuke looked back to Naruto and, though perhaps a little perturbed, he didn't seem negatively affected by the confrontation. Within about a minute, he was back up, dancing again. Sasuke simply smiled and shook his head.
The Uchiha finally compelled himself to leave the ever-noisier party. He began to weave his way towards the door. Suddenly, something ran right into his chest, sending him sprawling on the floor. When he looked up, he noticed a shirtless Naruto laughing. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun," Naruto chuckled, extending his hand to the other ninja. 'I never realized Naruto looked so… so… so what!' Sasuke wasn't sure whether or not he should be glad he couldn't finish that idea. Finally, he took the blonde's hand and was lifted to his feet. But Naruto held tight on Sasuke's wrist. Before the Uchiha realized what was happening, Naruto had grabbed both his hands and was dragging him around the room in an awkward, clumsy dance.
Sasuke was senseless as the two crashed through the mobs. He only vaguely noticed the clapping and laughter around him. He couldn't think, and simply let himself be pulled limply behind the energetic blonde. Finally, after what seemed forever, the song ended, as did the rowdy dance.
Naruto and Sasuke stood facing a hysterical, cheering crowd. Naruto pulled his teammate into a bow, still holding his arm. Sasuke was glad the torture was over. He never expected what Naruto would do next. Without warning, the younger boy turned to face Sasuke, and pulled him into a sloppy kiss.
The dance had left Sasuke speechless, but this simply flabbergasted him. By now, Naruto had released Sasuke and bounded off. The dark-haired ninja stood towards the back of the room, staring stupidly at nothing. Now, he decided, he was definitely ready to leave.
Exhausted and mortified, the Uchiha weaved his way through the crowd, heading for the door. He sighed as his fingers wrapped around the handle. Stepping out into the street, the early night air hit his face, making him realize how unbelievably hot the old warehouse had been. He stood beneath a flickering street lamp, his back against the brick wall, and closed his eyes. A noise nearby startled him, and he slowly peeked around the corner of the building. Suddenly, he was again thrown to the ground, and a body was on top of him.
"I thought you had 'plans,'" said Naruto from atop of Sasuke. He was smiling broadly, pinning the Uchiha's arms and legs to the ground.
Sasuke's temper flared as he struggled beneath the blonde. "Get off of me, teme!" he yelled, tossing the other off of him. Naruto sat calmly on the sidewalk, still smiling and appearing completely unaffected by the comment. Sasuke dropped his eyes to the ground, and said in a more apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, that was a really mean thing to say."
"No worries! I wanted to apologize for involving you in that crazy dance earlier. Sometimes I get so crazy, that I just lose control," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head and laughing. Sasuke could hear the slight slur in his teammate's voice.
"Yeah," Sasuke retorted, "that'd probably be the reason you're standing out here without a shirt…" Both boys began to laugh. 'There it is again! I can't figure it out, Naruto is so…'
Suddenly, Naruto became silent and stared solemnly into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke looked back at the blonde. They stared silently for some time, not saying a word. More than once, Naruto opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
"Yes?" Sasuke finally asked, finding he actually had to force a tone of impatience into his voice.
Naruto began, stuttering slightly, "I… um…" He then turned his head away and mumbled something, though it was unintelligible to Sasuke.
"Come again?" the dark haired teen asked. He took a step closer to the smaller boy.
Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists, as if repeating himself was a feat of physical strength alone. "I really like you, Sasuke."
The Uchiha was stunned. He didn't realize that his jaw had dropped. 'Naruto's so… cute.' The word! Yes, that was the word! Sasuke stood, paralyzed with confusion. The boys stared into each other's eyes, and Sasuke could see that Naruto meant "like" beyond just "as a friend."
Even though the air was cool, Sasuke felt a drop of sweat trickle down his cheek. For several moments, the two shinobi stared into the other's eyes, as if the glare of the other froze them in their tracks. The tension was broken suddenly, when Naruto looked away, his face glowing red. Sasuke still stood motionless, though he felt his face also become hot. With a sudden burst of fear and confusion, he turned on his heel and charged down the street towards his home. He forced himself not to look back. He did not see as the blonde boy suddenly collapsed in the street, his face in his hands.