This is complete, but I'm taking time to format it and etc.

Monday came way too quickly.

Naruto was still nervous about Shikamaru's plan but resolved that it couldn't hurt to try. I mean what's the worst Sasuke can do? Punch him in the face? Ha! He already did that last week after class!

No one, not even Naruto, could comprehend how that would give the blonde confidence but it did. Naruto sailed through the halls of his school with a big stupid grin plastered on his face and a bright gleaming beam emitting from his eyes, causing everyone to stumble away from him with weird looks shooting his way.

It was worse than Gaara on Wednesday's cookie sale.

"Morning!" The blonde called to his class, this wasn't unusual behavior but he did sound...nauseatingly excited.

"No." Sakura sounded immediately, not even giving him a second glance as he took the seat beside her.

"What?" Was that doomed to be the question of his life? Like a catchphrase or something?

She huffed in response, releasing a stack of folders on the desktop with a loud clank. "I'm assuming that your good mood is because you heard about my break up from Lee this weekend and you think you have a shot again."

"The key word there is assume." A sultry voice interrupted, to his absolute horror Ino appeared in front of him, leaning on his desk with a gleam in her eyes that could kill. "What are you up to?"

"Leave him alone." The three turned, two faces of bliss and one slightly annoyed pounced on the newly arrived Sasuke Uchiha.

"Sasuke!" Both girls purred, Naruto rolled his eyes as he unzipped his backpack. Where was his homework again? Wait, was there homework? Oh God, he didn't even do anything this weekend! Stupid Shikamaru and his distracting!

"Hn." Naruto refused to look up and meet a smug look from Sasuke, his hands balled into fists as Shikamaru's advice rang clear in his head. Be Nice. "What's the matter dead last? Not doing homework just ensures your title, shouldn't you be proud?"

Huh, that was actually pretty weak? Naruto frowned into his backpack, finding it much easier to glance up all of a sudden. Sasuke- like predicted- was staring him down with a know-it-all look, but his eyes betrayed him.

They looked tired.

"Are you alright? Your eyes look tired." As usual, the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them and, after a brief moment of freaking out, Naruto found himself oddly pleased that he was actually managing to follow Shikamaru's advice. It was nice to ask how people are right?

Sasuke glared at him. Not the usual rawr I'm bigger and badder glare either, it was more like a what the hell kind of glare. "I'd be better if you would get out of my seat." It took all of his persistent energy not to punch Sasuke in the face. Shikamaru better be right about this! Naruto began to stand, zipping up his backpack as Sakura cooed next to him.

"On second thought-" Sasuke halted him, "I don't want to catch whatever it is you have." And then Sasuke left, taking a seat in the very back. Very, very far from Naruto.

Maybe Shikamaru knew what he was talking about after all.

It was his last class with Sasuke and the asshole had yet to sneer, insult or tease Naruto since their first period class.

And it was driving Naruto absolutely insane.

Sure, Sasuke was leaving him alone, but that wasn't exactly solving all the pent up frustration that could easily be resolved with a good punch to the gut. The only good thing about this class was that Sasuke couldn't ignore him because they were science partners and would be forced to work together.

Usually Sasuke would make rude comments about his math skills, handwriting and general knowledge on the subject. He might even steal Naruto's paper, wad it in a ball and throw it at the trashcan all the way across the room- making it in without a second glance of course, the bastard- before showing Naruto the "proper" way to complete the assignment.

"Shino, the teacher said for you to switch partners with me." It was probably one of the longest sentences he ever heard coming out of Sasuke's mouth that wasn't an insult. Naruto processed that information as Sasuke- without even a glance in his direction- set his things on the desk in front of Shino.

Wordlessly, Shino stood up and Naruto turned away, hopping out of his seat and propelling forward on pure frustration toward their cubby hole, which contained their science project, not that it was theirs anymore.

He grabbed Sasuke's binder in a fit- nevermind that they were all the same color, it just had to be Sasuke's- and stomped toward it's owner with the intent of beating the jerk with it until he and Naruto were on the same terms again.

Naruto stalked up to his rival, a boiling rage quivering in his chest as he started to raise the binder. Just then, Sasuke turned and the two found themselves face to face. Naruto froze, his mouth fluttering open and closed as his mind processed the situation.

"Something you want to say?" Sasuke quizzed, something strangely familiar peeking through his pupils- a challenge.

"Just-" The stupid feeling in his chest clenched up, "I-here, you left your notebook in the cubby hole."

"I know you can't read, but you can at least spell can't you?" Sasuke flipped the book where a very unfamiliar string of letters flipped him off from the cover, "This is Shino's. I switched out stuff before class."

"Oh." Naruto did not dare to make eye contact as he took the binder back and turned around with a mumbled apology. Naruto wasn't really sure what they were doing in class, and spent the remainder of the day sulking.

This wasn't how it was supposed to feel.

"Sounds like it's working perfectly." Naruto growled simultaneously with the yawn on the other end of the line. He had called Shikamaru, releasing all his pent up frustration in an instant.

"No! It's not!" Naruto insisted, kicking the side of his door before cringing at the pain and collapsing on the floor, "I want him to suffer!"

"Woah." Was Shikamaru actually amused by this?! "I never knew you hated him that much."

"I can't stand him! It doesn't matter what he does or doesn't do! He's just a fucking pain in the ass!" Naruto bit his bottom lip, trying desperately to ignore that nagging squeeze in his chest again.

"So what your telling me is that you don't want him to leave you alone?"

"Right."

"But you don't want him to bother you either?"

"I'm pretty sure that's impossible."

"But let me get this straight, you hate him?"

"I-well-yeah."Naruto found himself nodding because, yes of course, he did hate Sasuke.

"Say it." The dreaded catchphrase of "what?" almost escaped his mouth before Shikamaru commanded in an even more forceful tone, "Tell me you hate Sasuke."

"I ha-" The confidence was lost, consumed by that stupid feeling in his freaking chest. "I-I-Oh no! I left the burner on and now my ramen is burning- gotta go Shikamaru bye!" Naruto hung up, frowning at the phone.

What the hell is wrong with him?