"So this is what we're doing now?" I chime, clutching the strap of my backpack and following a pebble I've been kicking ahead of me since we ditched school grounds.
"What do you mean?"
I roll my eyes. He bumps shoulders with me.
"No one's keeping you," he deadpans, stealing my pebble by kicking it before I could get any closer.
"Says you, when I recall the last time I ditched you, I had to look at you pout like a kicked," I stole back my pebble triumphantly. "Puppy."
He scoffs, but doesn't say anything.
For the better half of a month, the vampire wannabe and I have been testing the waters – the safer and smarter version of getting 'closer', and so far all has been not as bad as I thought. You see, if you don't count Hinata, the rest of my social circle was based off of mutual acknowledging and birthday wishes. There would be short conversations here and there, however irrelevant, but for some reason, I have never tried to go any deeper with anyone, and if that's the case, the other party (ex: Kiba, Shikamaru) would either follow along with this arrangement, or (ex: Sakura, Ino) would push it until it gained some higher tier wherein I had to count them as more. Hinata was the only one who hadn't gone through this, and now Sasuke, who had both settled like the former group, and fought for a better title like the latter, that kind of gave him a whole new league that even Hinata hadn't dared (yet; for reasons that I don't know) jumped into –
The outside-of-school friend.
It happened two weekends ago, when he first invited (drugged and kidnapped me, as I tried to convince myself) to the park on a Friday after school. I forced him to push me on the swings for at least quarter an hour in compensation before we had a little race from the end of the park to the entrance (I'm obliged to admit he won) and called it a night.
The next weekend, Sasuke suggested checking out a newly opened arcade by this printing shop that we later discovered we both frequented during middle school, yet never chanced an encounter.
"See? That's a clear sign I should act like I don't know you!" I beamed as we passed it.
"I used to go there early in the morning – maybe it was because you're lazy?" he smirks, mirth dancing in his eyes.
"No…" I mumbled while looking away with dammitWARM cheeks.
The arcade sucked both our money and most probably our future social life dry.
Fast forward to now, the third Friday we hang out after school, only this time I was the one who asked (whatever he says, I was neither shy nor meek when I did!) to get some ice cream and circle an area I never bothered to familiarize myself with before due to Naruto never having time, or so he claims, and I didn't want to go alone. Apparently Sasuke was well informed about the entire city because of his questionable family, so he agreed to show me around as long as I paid for both of us.
"Stingy bastard."
"I didn't know Uncle was stingy," he gestures towards a road that we turn away from, explaining where it goes to (local mall, park) and how long it would take by foot and car. I mumble a surprised approval.
"I was talking about you," I backtrack to what I last said. "Apparently, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
"A deal's a deal," Sasuke points out, taking a left into an alleyway, and I release a frustrated sigh as I follow him. "I'm in the mood for pringles – and a store should be right at the end of this alley."
"The deal was ice-cream, and like hell am I paying for-" my heart drops as I nearly trip over his suddenly crouched form, if it weren't for my grip on his back, and the outraged response that should've followed suit never came out as my eyes landed on a dirty old box.
With an oversized cat lounging in it.
"It's –"
"A KITTY!"
I push him out of my way and steadily close in on her, my hand already outstretched to pet her. Her fur isn't as soft as it should've been, but it's warm, and from her purr of approval I grin with satisfaction.
"You're so big," I say to her with soft eyes. "But that's cool."
"Kushina?"
I freeze.
"What're you doing?" I don't need to turn as I undoubtedly catch the muffled laughter from his tone, my jaw clenches in response. He crouches besides me while critically eying the cat, before grabbing my wrist and pulling my hand away from her. He nods towards her. "She could be dirty."
"What do you mean dirty, she's a street cat! Of course she's dirty!" I find myself arguing, but he doesn't release my wrist and gives me a schooled expression.
"Don't be like that, all I'm saying is she could be carrying disease –"
"YOU'RE A DISEASE!" I gasp with indignation.
"Kushina."
I roll my eyes and let my hand fall limp in his grip, and he takes it as surrender as he reluctantly releases it. I feel his eyes burning a hole on the side of my head as I forcibly stare at the cat licking her paw and ignore him.
"She's pregnant, you know."
I snap my eyes towards him with surprise, while he is smirking his signature smirk at no doubt gaining my attention so easily.
"Really?"
"You're a girl – it should be obvious."
"Excuse me? What does that have to do with it?" I question with annoyance, before a thought dawns upon me and I smile triumphantly. He raises an eyebrow in question, and I stall it a little by standing up and clasping my hands behind my back. "According to your logic, it would be obvious to a girl, and it was obvious to you."
I turn away and head towards the end of the alley like we planned, giggling a little when I hear his annoyed grunt before he catches up to me.
"You're paying for my pringles and next week's 'ice-cream'," he states nonchalantly as he follows me into the store.
"As long as you buy some tuna and milk for Ice Cream," he looks at me with a confused expression, but grabs a can of tuna as we pass the shelves, so I shoot him a genuine smile. "Our pregnant, probably diseased street kitty's name."
I went home, with three new discoveries gaining more significance than the last.
I had gotten a little closer to Sasuke, as usual.
We own a cat (self-proclaimed, but still –).
Sasuke has a beautiful smile.
