It was already dark as Sasuke watched Itachi pour coals around the branches in the pit. His brother was about to use the lighter to ignite some of the surrounding dry brush and leaves when he noticed Naruto walking their way, carrying the large tray his mother had set out for them.
"I'll be right back," he muttered to Itachi.
Wiping his hands across his jeans, Sasuke met him halfway and was oddly pleased to see Naruto wearing his sweatshirt. Plus, it looked good on him, just like the first day they'd met and he'd come into class wearing street clothes.
"Let me take that," he offered.
Naruto smiled, and, much to his relief, it appeared genuine. "I got it. Don't worry. I haven't been doin' my usual exercise stuff, so it's a good workout, right?"
"Well, we did run a fair amount today," Sasuke said, walking beside him.
"True. But I usually do push-ups and sit-ups and crunches and all kinds of crap. When we start practices, it's gonna be even worse."
"I see. Sorry to have messed up your workout routine."
Naruto laughed. "It's okay. It's nice to relax sometimes, right?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this weekend's been what you'd consider 'relaxing'?"
"Hm. Compared to what it's been like in the apartment with dad lately, I'd say yeah."
As they approached the firepit, Naruto set the tray on the edge of the bench.
"Aw, you started it without me," he complained. "That's my favorite part."
"It's not like it's going very strong," said Itachi. "If you really want, I'll let you spray it with lighter fluid."
"Really?!" Naruto stepped over to his brother excitedly.
Itachi put a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "You're quite the pyromaniac, aren't you? Sasuke likes that part, too."
"I do not," he argued. "Don't just say whatever you feel like."
"Are you kidding? When you were little, you were all about being the one to get the fire started."
Naruto chuckled. "Is that true?" He asked Sasuke. "That's kind of adorable. Now all I can see is a little Sasuke runnin' around the neighborhood startin' fires."
Sasuke groaned. "You two are annoying."
"I bet he liked sparklers on the Fourth of July," Naruto commented.
"Indeed he did," said Itachi, smirking.
"Is that some kind of remark about my sexuality?" Sasuke asked. "Besides, it's not even legal to
do a whole lot more than that anymore."
"True. It's hard to blow your hand off when you're just usin' sparklers," Naruto replied.
Itachi's phone going off interrupted their very captivating conversation. Sasuke and Naruto remained quiet - staring at the budding fire - while Itachi spoke with someone, who from the few bits Sasuke heard, had to be Deidara. Itachi's tone always sounded especially patronizing when he spoke with his blond friend. After a minute, Itachi slid his phone into his pocket.
"They're here. Sounds like they brought a cooler," said his brother.
"Do they need help?" Naruto asked.
"You don't have to worry about it," replied Itachi. "There's enough of them that they can carry it, but I'll go up and meet them. You two stay here." He started to walk away and then stopped.
"Sasuke, do you want me to bring your guitar when I come back?"
"Sure," he said. "If you want. Thanks."
Itachi gave a wave and started toward the house, leaving the two of them alone. For a while, they watched the fire as it continued to grow.
"Want me to get the lighter fluid?" Sasuke asked.
Looking up from the fire, Naruto grinned. "Should we?"
"I think we should. There's some in the shed."
Naruto laughed and followed him over as he unlocked the door.
"I like this side of you, Sasuke, you little vigilante."
"I'm not sure that's the appropriate term," Sasuke remarked distractedly as he searched around in the dark for the container. He found it on one of the bottom shelves, having to push Naruto out through the doorway again to get outside.
Standing a safe distance from the pit, he handed the plastic bottle to Naruto. "Go for it."
"Awesome." Without hesitating, Naruto squeezed out some of the lighter fluid and the pile of branches, twigs, and leaves ignited in a small explosion of flames. He stepped back a few feet.
"Do I still have my eyebrows?"
Sasuke did actually look. "You only had one to begin with, right?"
"Very funny, asshole," said Naruto, but he was grinning.
Sasuke found himself staring. "Naruto...?"
"Hm?"
He was going to say something else about how good he looked in that sweatshirt, but it sounded like such a lame come on inside his head. Instead, he remarked: "Just to warn you, my brother's friends are a little...in your face sometimes."
"I don't mind. I'm lookin' forward to meetin' them."
Sasuke nodded. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"I'll be alright, Sasuke." Naruto leaned into his side, giving him a light nudge. The contact was a bit reassuring for him because he'd been afraid Naruto might keep his distance tonight. Still, he felt like he wanted to tread with care if at all possible.
"So, how does your sweatshirt look on me?" Naruto asked quietly.
Mind reader! Sasuke breathed in first before replying, "Good. Hoodies suit you, I think."
Naruto laughed at him. "Is that a good thing? I dunno."
"It's a compliment," he said. "Of that you can be assured. You're as bad with those as I am."
"Ah, true." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Plus, it's you, so I don't always know when you're kiddin'."
"Naruto," he said in a more serious tone, waiting until he had his full attention. "Of course I think you look good. It brings out your boyish charm, and I suppose it makes you look... ruggedly handsome. In your own way."
"You had me up until the last part." Naruto smiled very broadly, so Sasuke smiled, too.
"I can't help myself," he admitted. "I wouldn't want your ego to get so big that you'd stop reacting the way you do when I say something nice and mean it."
Naruto picked up one of the metal prongs. He used it to poke at some of the logs, freeing a few sparks from underneath the burn pile. "I doubt that will ever be a problem."
"No? You don't think so?" Sasuke studied him a while. There was a bit of a chill in the air already, so he stuck his hands in the front pocket of his sweatshirt.
"Eh. I think it's a good thing I'm sometimes suspicious of your compliments, 'cause a compliment that comes from you... one that you really mean... it makes me feel weird."
"Weird?"
Naruto glanced over his shoulder. "Y'know. It's a big deal for you to compliment someone, I think, so it either makes me real giddy or confuses the hell out of me 'cause I'm stuck tryin' to figure out whether you're patronizin' me. Part of me thinks that you wouldn't say stuff like that if y'didn't mean it, and yet... Well, it's you."
"I'm not sure what that means." Both of his eyebrows were lifted in question. "Explain?"
Naruto sighed heavily and went back to poking at the fire. "Because you're so good at everything that to be complimented by you is a compliment in itself."
Quietly, he absorbed Naruto's comment, and, having nothing to say in response, he remained silent. Finally, Naruto managed to pull himself away from the fire, but it was just in time to hear a girlish squeal coming from close to the house.
"Saaaaaaaaaasuke Uuuuuuchihaaaaa. Come give your Aunty Deidara a huge hug and a kiiiissss!"
Sasuke cringed. Naruto seemed to be staring in that direction with a mixture of confusion, horror, and amusement.
"Wh-what is that?" He asked Sasuke.
"That would be my brother's friend Deidara. He... She... Well, you'll see."
They could see the group coming toward them, and Sasuke heard a few more familiar voices calling to him. Naruto came up to his side, standing close enough that their arms touched.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Sasuke asked.
"If you can handle them, then so can I."
Naruto's gaze was set on the approaching men, who were really just a moving blob across the grass at this point. The sun had completely set, and it wasn't until they reached within a few yards of the fire that they could be seen clearly. Hidan and Jirōbō were carrying a cooler between them; Kimimaro was talking with Itachi, who had Sasuke's guitar strapped to his back; and then...
In a blur of blond, black leather, glittery false eyelashes, and hot pink stilettos, Sasuke was suddenly the victim of a frontal assault. With a squeal, Deidara wrapped his arms around him and even picked him up about a foot in the air while spinning him around. Sasuke let out a growl.
"I swear to God. Deidara, if you do not put me down now, I will rip out every one of your extensions."
"Oh, Sasuke. You say the sweetest things!" The blond cross-dresser put Sasuke back down only to pinch his cheek. "You are getting so big! I can't hardly pick you up anymore. I wonder where all that weight is exactly because you are still such a tiny thing in the waist. So jealous!" He pushed his heavily made-up face into Sasuke's until they nearly touched noses. "Or perhaps you've grown in... inches? I was wondering what that is I felt against my stomach! Speaking of, look at this!" Deidara pulled up the bottom of his black mesh top to show off a pierced bellybutton. "Yahiko did it for me before he left with Konan! Isn't it just... SO SPARKLY!"
With a sneer, Sasuke placed his hand on Deidara's face and pushed him away. "Get off already. And stop flashing that, no one wants to see it! Aren't you too old to be getting piercings? Especially ones that high school cheerleaders get to show off how skanky they are?"
"Are you saying that the only girl allowed to be skanky is one in high school? I assure you that I get carded at every bar I go to, little Sasuke, and that's all thanks to my wonderful nighttime regime, which," he made a flippant gesture with his hand and then tugged flirtatiously at a tress of his curled hair, "I should speak with you about. Night creams should be a part of every growing gay boy's bag of tricks."
"Tch. Lay off of him already," said Hidan. He walked over after setting the cooler on the ground and slung an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "The kid's not even legal yet, and you're tellin' him to worry about moisturizing?"
Deidara tsk'd at him. "I don't think you're ever too young to start moisturizing. I would've started in the womb if I could have, but I'm sure all those stem cells were the best facial I'll ever get."
"And you'd know all about gettin' facials, wouldn't you?" Hidan asked, laughing loudly, and yanking Sasuke against him (hard). "Hey, who's this blond kid?"
Apparently, Naruto had gone into hiding behind him.
"Oh. Another blond! Yay. I'm so excited! Itachi mentioned you were having a little sleepover. That's so cute." Deidara grabbed Naruto's wrist and dragged him to the front. "Look at you. I don't suppose you'll spin for us? Yes, oh. I like what I'm seeing."
"Um. Hi?" Naruto said, and Sasuke wanted to laugh at him because he looked positively petrified.
Deidara tugged at Naruto's hair and then fussed with his eyebrows. "It looks natural to me, but we all know there's only one way to find out. Am I right, Itachi?"
"You know how often Sasuke has friends over, so why are you traumatizing him from the beginning?"
"Friend," Deidara rolled the 'r' for some reason. "Sasuke, you have a friend, do you?" The blond man giggled. "It's about time. I wondered about you because you're always so frigid and cynical and sarcastic, but... oh yes, you've done quite well for yourself."
"It's not like that," Sasuke muttered. "Naruto's a friend of mine from school. He recently moved here."
"Mm. I see. Well. We can hear all about it later, can't we? Naruto," Deidara grabbed the younger boy's hand. "Enchanté, my dear. My name is Deidara." He kissed the back of Naruto's hand and before letting go of it, gave a quick nip to the tip of the boy's middle finger before skipping off to harass Jirōbō and Kimimaro, who'd taken seats on the bench by the fire.
"S'moooooores. Oh my God, I love these!" Deidara screeched.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi were left standing there. Hidan was lighting up a cigarette over by the shed.
"I believe this is yours," Itachi said, handing Sasuke his guitar. "Make sure you let Naruto properly recover for a while. He looks like he may need therapy after this."
Sasuke glared. "Can't you keep that thing on a leash?"
"Sadly, if I thought he wouldn't get off on it, I might consider it." He gave Sasuke's shoulder a consoling pat and left to join his friends by the fire.
Sasuke adjusted the guitar strap as he slung it over his shoulder. "Naruto?"
The other teen seemed to be staring off. "...Huh?"
"Are you... okay?" He placed a hand on the middle of his back.
"I think... I was just violated? But I'm not sure. I feel like I could use another shower. Y'know. 'Cause... yeah. I feel dirty."
"Don't be such a drama queen," Sasuke told him. "Besides. I warned you."
"Yeah, but..." Naruto gazed at him, bottom lip quivering. "Sasuke," he whined pathetically.
Sasuke made a desperate attempt at not laughing. He bit his lip as he asked, "Do you need a hug?"
Naruto nodded, so Sasuke dragged him in and let the other boy cling to him for a while before gently pushing him away.
"You'll be alright. Just stick by me, and I won't let the bad man touch you in your no-no places."
"Promise?" Naruto stepped aside and scratched the back of his neck, giving an anxious glance toward the fire.
Sasuke reached for one of the strings on his sweatshirt and gave it a tug. "I promise." He tilted his head. "Maybe I made a mistake in telling him we're just friends. Perhaps, if I'd staked my claim then I could've prevented this from happening."
"Hmph. Doesn't he know I'm only 16? What kind of pervert goes for a kid that's five years younger than him?"
Sasuke coughed and looked elsewhere. "How do you feel about a hot dog? Are you hungry? Or would you like to make the first s'more?"
"I could eat a s'more, yeah!"
"Why don't you sit down, and I'll roast your marshmallows for you?"
"Yeah, I bet you'd like to roast my marshmallows," Naruto replied, smirking at him.
"You're ridiculous. Fine, roast your own then."
"I will. 'Cause that's my favorite part. I know you don't like sweet things or whatever, but do y'want me to make one for you?"
Sasuke made a face, but since Naruto looked so excited, he decided to give a little on his strict no-sweets diet.
"Fine."
"Yay!" Naruto grabbed for Sasuke's wrist and towed him to the fire like a child with a shiny red balloon.
Deidara had moved on to bothering Hidan and Itachi about something regarding one of their other friends who wasn't here tonight. Luckily, Kimimaro and Jirōbō were both normal people, so when Naruto went over by the bench to get his stuff ready for the s'mores, they were capable of non-scarring conversation topics. Jirōbō had also brought a guitar, so Naruto was asking him questions about that. Sasuke stood by and listened, only interjecting once in a while. Kimimaro was a pretty quiet guy, but Sasuke had always thought him to be extremely intelligent (and good looking). Jirōbō was the guy who, if Sasuke wanted to get into clubs or music venues, somehow got him access and, on occasion, allowed him to get served. As Naruto started going on about hearing Sasuke play the guitar earlier today, Sasuke wandered off toward his brother since he was hardly adding anything to the conversation thanks to Naruto's loquacious ways.
Hidan and Deidara were both smoking. Itachi was merely leaning against the shed beside them. He had a beer in hand.
"Sasuke," Deidara whispered, "We brought some alcohol, so you feel free to take some if you want. I think if you get your friend drunk, you might have a chance."
"I'll keep that under advisement," he replied. "Since when do you smoke?"
"I'm a social smoker," replied Deidara, puffing out some smoke that wafted into his face. "So, since I'm always social, I suppose that means I smoke all the time now? I blame it on Yahiko. He smokes like a chimney, though Konan is always trying to get him to stop. Not that she should talk, because she does it, too, though I think she's trying to quit."
"Good to know," he mumbled. Yahiko wasn't really a topic he wanted to talk about.
"How is Yahiko anyway?" Hidan asked. "I haven't heard from that bastard in more than a month. Not even a fuckin' text."
"You know him. I think he broke his phone again."
"Again?" Hidan grunted. "That's his third or fourth one in a year. Blasphemous, I tell you. That guy doesn't appreciate what he's got, I swear."
"You shouldn't speak like that about a guy who's not here to defend himself," Sasuke replied, unable to help it.
"You're being awfully defensive of him, Sasuke," Itachi remarked.
"You feel the same. You wouldn't say something about someone that you wouldn't also say to their face."
Hidan narrowed his eyes. "You punk, are you tryin' to lecture me about morals?"
"Why would I lecture you about that if you don't even have any?" Sasuke returned, and as Hidan went to grab for his collar, Itachi blocked him.
"Cut it out," he said. "The both of you. Can't we simply enjoy this night before I have to fly to California on Monday?"
Hidan muttered and went back to leaning against the shed. In the meantime, Sasuke hadn't realized Deidara disappeared. He spotted the blond over by the fire, harassing Naruto again, but this time it appeared as though the both of them were laughing. Naruto was trying to show Deidara how far to stick in the prongs for roasting purposes. Deidara, instead of marshmallows, was roasting hot dogs, so Sasuke could only imagine the witty repartee going on between them.
"Are you worried?" Itachi asked him, noticing where he was looking.
"No," he replied. "Naruto can handle most people."
"True, if he can handle our father, then I'm unable to imagine a person on this planet he couldn't handle."
"He seems like a nice kid," added Hidan. "I like 'em. Would it be rude if I asked if he's straight or not?"
"He's straight," Sasuke answered curtly. "We're friends."
"Right," said Hidan, blowing smoke his way. "Friends."
Sasuke glared, but it wasn't worth his time to get into an argument over it.
"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto yelled over at him. "Your s'more is ready!"
"And I have a wiener if you want to eat it!" cried Deidara, waving the hot dog still stuck on the prong at him. Then he waved it at Naruto, who laughed like an idiot, and when Deidara continued to prod him with it, Naruto bit off the end of the beef frank, which led to Deidara letting out an exaggerated yelp.
There was a lot he could say about Deidara, but in that moment, Sasuke almost admired how easy it was for the older man to be himself, and, yes, he supposed he even meant his tendency for being flamboyant. Sasuke did not consider himself effeminate in any way, and he knew he liked men who were, well, masculine, but... it would be nice to feel like he could more freely embrace that part of himself. He wasn't ashamed of being gay, but he also was in no position to be out and proud either. But... he looked forward to a time when he could. Whether that might happen soon, he doubted, but by the time he went to college, he hoped that it would become a bigger part of his lifestyle.
Luckily, through Itachi's friends, he'd met confident gay men that he did truly admire, so he did have role models. He started walking toward the fire, and only halfway there did he notice himself smiling while watching Naruto get yanked into Deidara's lap as he took a seat on one of the folding chairs. Had it been anyone else on the planet, Sasuke might've been the slightest bit jealous, but... it was a cute scene. Deidara had a good heart under all that... gay.
Sasuke made his way to them. "Having fun?"
"Naruto was just offering to give me a lapdance," said Deidara. "Do you mind?"
Naruto squirmed and tried to get away, but Deidara held fast to him around the waist.
"Sasuke, Sasuke, help me!" Naruto reached out for him, but Sasuke merely raised a brow.
"When you're done with him," said Sasuke, "Send him my way."
He walked past both of them, smirking when he heard Naruto call him a traitor.
"Oi, you bastard! I hope you choke on that s'more I made you!"
Sasuke saw the plate and picked it up. Without looking back, he went to sit between Kimimaro and Jirōbō, relishing the gooey snack Naruto had made him - or was that just the joy he was receiving from watching Naruto be endlessly tortured?
After maybe an hour, everyone was sitting around the fire, having partaken of s'mores and hot dogs. He didn't realize one person could shove so many marshmallows into his face, but if there was ever a contest for it, Naruto could be the next Kobayashi. Itachi's friends were drinking, of course, and since both he and Naruto got caught up in conversations with different people it wasn't exactly easy to keep an eye on everything his blond friend might have been up to. Once or twice, he could've sworn Deidara was pouring something into Naruto's cup (of Coke). Plus, Naruto seemed to be laughing a lot more frequently. It's not as if Sasuke was his baby-sitter or anything. Naruto could make his own choices.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was sitting between Jirōbō and Hidan. Jirōbō had brought his bass so that he could show Sasuke a few things. He'd only tried it a handful of times and liked it but wasn't exceptional at it. Hidan was quietly humming while he strummed his acoustic. He'd heard him sing before, and he had a really good voice. Too bad when talking he tended to sound like a jackass at times, but Sasuke really shouldn't complain considering the older man always seemed happy to offer advice when it came to music.
"So, Naruto seems like a good kid," said Jirōbō as he handed the bass to Sasuke to play around with. "He's funny."
"I suppose," Sasuke replied.
"He and Deidara are like two peas in a pod."
Sasuke pulled a face. "I wouldn't go that far."
"Do you think it's 'cause they're both blonds?" Hidan asked, smirking.
"Who knows," said Sasuke. "Naruto's probably just being nice. He's like that."
"Ah, so opposites attract?" asked Jirōbō.
"It's odd to see you hangin' around a normal kid, I s'pose," commented Hidan. "I mean, if a kid like that doesn't mind bein' in your company... you can't be all that bad, right?"
"If you two are so in love with him, why don't you go confess already," Sasuke remarked snidely while going over some of the chord positions. He didn't know why his fingering felt so clumsy compared to the others he practiced on.
"Well, for one," said Hidan. "I'm not fuckin' gay."
"And he's a bit too young for me," said Jirōbō.
"Tch. You guys are gettin' borin' talkin' about all this emotional shit." Hidan set his guitar to the side, stood up, and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He wandered over to the shed. Sasuke, idly, watched him until he felt someone touch his shoulder. He looked behind him.
"Yo," said Naruto, holding up a hand. He had a red plastic cup in the other. "Mind if I sit here?"
Sasuke eyed him warily.
"What?" Naruto asked. "Why are you lookin' at me like that?"
"Have you been drinking?" Sasuke questioned as Naruto sat beside him, mindful of Hidan's guitar.
"I mean, I do have a cup in my hand," replied Naruto.
"You know what I mean."
Naruto shrugged. "I don't kiss and tell."
"Who exactly did you have to kiss to get whatever's in that cup?" He asked. Jirōbō chuckled beside him, so Sasuke glared his way.
"You make me sound like a whore," Naruto replied. "Here, do you want some?" He lifted the cup toward him.
Sasuke gave the bass back to Jirōbō and took the cup from Naruto. He sniffed it. "Rum?"
"Only a little." Naruto smiled.
Sasuke took a sip of it. It tasted as though there was more than 'a little'.
"This is nice," breathed Naruto as he reclined backward. "I wish we could do this every weekend."
"Maybe you and your dad should've found a place outside of the city."
"Maybe."
"You're being suspiciously agreeable."
"Nah. You have a point. But, yeah, that would make our commutes too long, though maybe I could've hitched a ride with you if you'd let your parents buy you a car."
"My parents should buy me a car just to be able to take you to school each day?" Sasuke asked.
"You wouldn't want to?" Naruto, while looking at him, tilted his head and then gave one of those easy-going smiles that made Sasuke forget what the hell they were talking about.
"Um."
Jirōbō chuckled again. "I think I'll go grab another beer," he said. "You sure you don't want somethin', Sasuke?"
"I'm fine," he said.
"Yeah, he's the designated driver," Naruto added. "Minus the drivin' part." As Jirōbō walked away, Naruto leaned into him. "Now we're alone. Whatever shall we do?"
"I am definitely cutting you off." Sasuke downed the rest of the drink just so Naruto couldn't have it.
"Ah!" Naruto cried. "M'drink!"
"I'm sure Deidara will continue to try and get you drunk. Take it easy."
"Fine. You act like I've never had alcohol before."
"Me?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You act like you've never had alcohol before."
"Asshole. Why do y'say that? I'm havin' a good time. I like people and bein' social. I'm gettin' the impression you like neither of those things, which is odd, 'cause your brother's pretty good at it. We just had this whole long conversation about what he wants to do after college. Your brother's a really interestin' guy, and so... what's the word... motivated? No, wait. Uh." He squinted an eye shut as he thought. "Ambitious."
"Itachi's always been incredibly ambitious. I'm so glad the two of you are bonding."
Naruto nudged him again. "Jealous?"
"Not really, no. I understand my limits when it comes to my brother." He glanced down at his lap, staring at the calluses on his fingertips.
"Limits? What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean," he replied and spared a glance at Itachi, who was having a quiet conversation with Kimimaro as Deidara placidly and quietly (how?) sat on Itachi's other side.
"I don't."
"Well, listen to how you talked about my brother. You admire him, right? You keep telling me he's a great guy. You even said anyone regardless of gender would want to date him. Because he's everything I'll never be, I'm sure. He's charming and good with people, and when he listens to you, you know he's being sincere."
Naruto frowned. "Don't be like that, Sasuke. I hate when you do that."
Sasuke grunted. "Do what?"
"Get down on yourself. Itachi's cool as hell, yeah, but... I've told you plenty of times what I think of you. There's no point in comparin' yourself to him because you're both different people. I happen to like you a lot." Naruto leaned into him again.
"You like everybody," he muttered.
"Not everybody," Naruto argued. "The parts of you I like the best are the ones that are so different from your brother. Your temper makes stuff more fun. I like to argue with you. I like fightin' with you. I like that you're sometimes brutally honest. I think Itachi knows how to let stuff slide and he's got the patience of a Saint, but that means y'don't always know where you stand with him. When it comes to you, I always think we're on the same page, am I right? Like... Oh, I know how to describe it. With you, I feel comfortable. Like how you feel when you get to crawl into your own bed at night."
Sasuke squinted at him. "You are drunk."
Naruto barked out a laugh and shoved into him. "Shut up."
"But you won't be crawling into your own bed tonight," he said. "If you're tired of being here, I could always send you home with one of the guys."
"What? When did I say I was tired of bein' here?"
Sasuke shrugged. "It's only a suggestion."
"I'm confused. Did I say somethin' wrong?"
"No. Never."
Naruto sighed. "You make my head hurt."
"I thought I made you comfortable. Like a wet blanket."
"God, you are such a bastard." The other boy shook his head in dismay. "Sasuke?"
"What."
When Naruto didn't say anything, he gave him a poke in the side.
"What, Naruto?"
"Nothin'."
"Don't do that." He poked him again.
"Ow, stop pokin' me!"
"You were going to say something."
"So."
"You're annoying," he said. "Maybe I should go have a drink."
"Maybe." Naruto stuffed his hands in his front pocket. "Wonder what Gaara's up to."
"Your friend? Why don't you call him if you miss him."
"He doesn't believe in phones."
"Okay..."
"If you met him, you'd get it. He's a lot like you in that he isn't a fan of people, but you're way better with them than he ever was. It took a while for us to become friends. When we were young, he was a bit odd to say the least, but then he grew on me. I miss him sometimes, but, eh, I s'pose shit happens. His sister was hot."
Sasuke smirked. "What was she like?"
"Hm. Older than me. Short, blond hair. Very bossy. Smart. She could beat the crap out of me, and she did a couple of times when I caused trouble at their house. I used to stay over there a lot. I liked hangin' out with them. They had another brother, too. He always gave me shit."
"And you liked these people?" Sasuke asked him curiously.
"Yep." Naruto nodded. "Loved 'em. They were like family to me."
Sasuke nodded in silence.
"Ugh. Drinkin' makes me all nostalgic and whiny, doesn't it?"
"I don't mind hearing your stories," said Sasuke. "I don't have any of my own to tell."
"S'cause you're too modest to go on about yourself."
"I'm not as modest as you think."
Naruto made a humming noise. "I can say one thing. You never brag about how awesome you are, and that says a lot about a person, right?"
"You brag all the time," Sasuke replied.
"Heh." Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "I'm one of those special exceptions. I don't brag that much, do I?"
"No." Sasuke smiled, and it was his turn to lean into Naruto a bit.
Naruto smiled at him. "See. You're warmin' up."
"It's easy to warm up to you."
"I did tell your mom I'd keep you warm. Doubt that's what she meant, though. I think your mom has a thing for me. She said I could have any girl at school I wanted."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot. That's not exactly how she phrased it. But..." He cleared his throat, catching the boy's attention. "She's probably right."
Naruto's eyes got big and his grin got broader. "Bastard."
"You like to be complimented, don't you?" He asked absently, mostly because Naruto's whole demeanor tended to change when he did do it.
Naruto frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I didn't mean it in a bad way. It was more of an observation. It makes me want to do it more."
"Suspicious," said Naruto, studying him carefully. "Why would you be nice to me?"
Sasuke smirked. "Besides the obvious?"
"What's the obvious?"
He shook his head. "You're lucky you're not bad to look at."
"Hey!" Naruto punched him in the arm. "Wait. I mean... thanks?"
"Hn. Did I mention you look good in my hoodie?"
Naruto started smiling again.
"See," Sasuke said in a quieter tone. "You turn to mush when I say nice things."
"I do not turn to mush!"
"You do." He gave one of the strings a tug. "I like you best in just a towel, though."
"Sasuke!" Naruto looked around them - but no one was even paying attention. If it hadn't been obvious enough tonight, everyone was practically pushing them together anyway. Naruto was the only one oblivious enough not to notice. "Tch. Anyway. The first time you saw me in a towel you picked a fight with me, remember?"
"It's also when I kissed you."
"Well, yeah." Naruto ruffled the hair at the back of his head. "But not 'cause I was in a towel,
right? You were, how did you put it, 'moved by my words'?"
"True," he said. "But this afternoon was another story."
"Hm."
When he looked at Naruto, the boy was biting his lip, deep in thought apparently.
"Naruto," he said softly.
"Yeah?" Naruto stopped biting his lip and glanced at him.
Sasuke fought the urge to kiss him. That expression of concentration looked so good on Naruto, and the flickering flames of the fire sent shadows dancing across his profile. Plus he was wearing Sasuke's sweatshirt... and the memory of the various things that had happened between them today kept floating through his mind. Naruto on top of him when they were on the floor, the way it felt so good to feel his mouth against his skin, and then before they'd come out to the back yard while in his bedroom...
"Sasuke? You look like you're in a daze." Naruto smirked in a cocky manner that told him he was purposely mocking him about earlier. "Are you turned on right now?"
Clearly, he meant it as a joke, and it wasn't that he was turned on... it was more like the frustration and tension of what was between them... he just wanted to let it go and act on it, fuck the consequences.
"I wouldn't go that far," he said seriously, gaze dropping to Naruto's lips, "But if no one else was around..." He looked Naruto in the eye. "I would probably try to kiss you right now."
Naruto stared a minute, brow furrowed at first, but then it smoothed out and he returned to biting his bottom lip. "Really?"
"Or, I could do it even though everybody is around..."
Naruto chuckled nervously before saying, "About before..."
"Mm?"
"Why do y'think stuff like that keeps happening between us?"
Sasuke almost snorted.
Naruto must've sensed his thoughts. "I ... I'm not stupid. I know why it could be that way for you. You like guys. I ... am a guy. We get along. But, I dunno how to explain why I sometimes..."
"Feel attracted to me?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah."
"I don't know. Maybe that's the natural outcome. Because I'm gay it makes sense that I might be physically attracted to you, and when we're close, it just... comes out. Maybe you get caught up in it, too. We're teenagers, right? I'm sure either of us could rub up against a tree and get halfway excited."
Naruto let out a laugh. "Really, Sasuke? A tree? So basically rubbin' up on me is the same as rubbin' up on a tree?"
"That's not what I meant, but I'm trying to tell you that it doesn't have to mean you are gay or bisexual or even interested in me that way. You know it would be okay to feel that way around me, so it's easy for you to... show it?"
"Maybe..."
Sasuke, on a whim, reached for Naruto's wrist and encircled his fingers around it.
"How's my pulse?" Naruto asked, letting Sasuke continue to hold onto him.
"Thready." He smirked. "Faster now."
"So, maybe there's something... what of it? You wouldn't date me, right? I... can't even comprehend the idea of datin' a boy."
"I told you," he said. "In a perfect world, I would very much date you."
Naruto's mouth fell open.
"Lucky for you. It's not a perfect world, Naruto." He grinned crookedly at the boy's obvious surprise.
"Don't say that. Don't say it like I lucked out, especially when I know you mean it's not perfect 'cause you don't wanna," Naruto made a face, "disappoint your father. I don't want to hear excuses like that, and if we were to seriously wanna date each other, I wouldn't accept that you couldn't date me simply because of that."
"Simply?" Sasuke asked, letting go of his wrist. "What's simple about my situation?"
"Nothing. But. That's just how I feel. I couldn't be with someone who wasn't able to be... completely honest. It's not like I don't get it, but doin' it to please your dad... I just..." Naruto blew out a frustrated breath. "I can't change how I feel on that, so before it could even enter my head to think of you that way..."
"I'd have to come out to my parents?" He finished for him. "I know that, which is why it's come up that it's not even worth discussing 'what if' scenarios. Besides that, there's the whole issue of you being straight, Naruto."
"Sometimes I think you use that as an excuse."
"You being straight is an excuse?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"How do you figure?"
Naruto looked directly at him. "Because, you dumbass. The last thing on my mind when we were in your bedroom was puttin' a stop to what was happening."
Sasuke's lips parted. "And what was happening?"
"You tell me."
He didn't have a particular answer in mind, but he didn't have to come up with one anyway since Deidara appeared out of nowhere, pouncing on the both of them from behind as he slipped his arms around their shoulders.
"Hey, boys. The guys and I were thinking of playing a little game."
Naruto didn't appear too enthused, and Sasuke was annoyed at having their alone time interrupted.
"What kind of game?" Naruto asked.
"Oh, you know. What do kids your age usually play around the campfire?" asked Deidara.
Sasuke had to blow some of the blond's hair out of his face. "The game where you throw the blond transvestite into the fire?"
"Very funny," said Deidara. "We were thinking of a little truth or dare."
"Are you serious?" Sasuke asked. "How old are you? Twelve?"
"I don't mind," Naruto said suddenly. "Sounds fun."
"That's my boy!" cried Deidara, placing a kiss to Naruto's cheek that left a pink stain. "I love a man who knows how to be spontaneous. Sasuke has so much to learn from you. Did you finish your drink already? Should I make you another?"
"Sure," Naruto said, and as he stood up, Deidara removed his arm from Sasuke and held it out expectantly, waiting for Naruto to take it.
Shockingly, Naruto accepted, and, together, they left Sasuke on the bench. Wait. Had he said something wrong again? He didn't think so.
Didn't Naruto know what these people were getting up to? Clearly they were being set up because they thought it would be funny to pair the two of them off. Sasuke wondered if he could get out of it, but he knew Deidara could be extremely persuasive.
Maybe he should figure out which would be safer… truth, or dare?
Probably neither.
Somehow Deidara roped everyone into playing at least one round of, what Sasuke thought to be, one of the stupidest games ever invented. Even though he'd agreed to it, it didn't stop Hidan from constantly complaining about it. However, once Naruto got up to bring him another beer, it shut the older man up for a while. Naruto decided to sit by Hidan then, and to Hidan's right was Jirōbō. Deidara, Itachi, and Kimimaro were sharing the bench, and Sasuke had his own chair between Kimimaro and Jirōbō. He noticed that Naruto had another cup in hand, and he kept exchanging comments with Hidan. Sasuke tried not to stare, but it was definitely odd to watch the two of them interact. He never would've guessed they'd get along.
"Well, since I started this whole thing, I suppose I shall ask first because," Deidara made a grand, sweeping gesture with his arm, "Ladies always go first. Itachi, you're next to me. Why don't I begin with you?"
"Me? If you're going to dare me to sleep with you, it's not going to happen," said Itachi.
"Okay, so how about we start with Jirōbō then?" Deidara glared at Itachi. "You're no fun. So, Jirōbō, truth or dare?"
Jirōbō didn't look too happy about this turn of events. "Truth seems the safest coming from you, Deidara."
"Really, and you all call yourself men?" Deidara swished his long hair over his shoulder. "Fine, let me think... oh, I know. So, I heard you went out with Kisame a few weeks ago, and you guys totally hooked up, so now I want to know, just how big is his penis? Is it as big as I've heard?"
Jirōbō, who'd been in the process of drinking his beer, spit it out across the fire. "Who the hell told you that?"
Deidara shrugged. "I have my sources."
"Holy shit, is that really true?" Hidan asked. "That fuckin' blows my mind."
Sasuke also looked on in surprise. He glanced at his brother but wasn't able to read his expression. Kisame was one of Itachi's best friends for a long time, but he didn't come into town very often anymore since he'd moved to Portland.
"Well," said Deidara. "Clearly we're all waiting."
"You just want me to admit it happened," Jirōbō replied. "Fine, fuck it. Yeah, it happened once. We went to the club, had too much to drink, whatever. He's probably gonna kill me now, so that's great."
Deidara leered. "He was big, wasn't he?"
"Not all of us our size queens," remarked Jirōbō. "Let's move on."
Sasuke shook his head. "That is not an image I wanted in my head."
"Sasuke, you shouldn't think about my friends in a sexual manner," Itachi told him.
"If I could help it, I wouldn't."
"It's normal," said Deidara, slinging an arm around his brother. "I'm sure he's wondering the same thing we all are except obviously Kisame would be the top in that relationship."
"I'm not sayin' anything," commented Jirōbō.
Deidara let out a squeal. "No way!"
"Right, so it's someone else's turn," said Jirōbō. "Kimimaro, truth or dare?"
Kimimaro looked up from the fire. "Dare is fine. It doesn't much matter to me."
"Brave man, okay. Why don't you show us your most recent tattoo?"
Hidan barked out a laugh.
"Ah, you have a tattoo?" Naruto turned to the older man. "That's so cool."
Kimimaro nodded at him. "I do." He smirked. "Do you want to see it?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You better think about where it might be first," he told Naruto.
"Wait. Why? Where does he have it?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke shrugged. "I'm sure you'll see soon enough."
As he said that, Kimimaro, entirely unfazed, undid his belt - and although Sasuke tried not to stare - he tugged his pants down at an angle (barely keeping his penis covered) and showed off this dark tribal-looking bird at the top inside of his thigh.
"Good God man," said Hidan. "Put that thing away."
"I'm not sure if I can see it from here," said Deidara. "Maybe if you pull your pants down all the way?"
"Gyah! Then at least change places with me," said Naruto. "Not all of us want cock in our faces 24/7."
"Maybe not all of us, but I would say only three of you would have a problem with it," said Deidara. "I mean, have you seen Kimimaro?"
Kimimaro adjusted his pants and redid his belt.
"It is a cool tattoo, though," Naruto told him. "Did it hurt?"
"No more than the others."
"Wow, how many do you have?"
"Several." Kimimaro smirked. "I can show you those, too, if you want."
"Heh. Maybe if I have another few of these," Naruto said, holding up his glass.
"That can be arranged." Hidan poured the rest of his beer into Naruto's cup.
"Hidan. He's only 16," said Sasuke. "Stop trying to get him drunk."
"Why not? Isn't that what kids your age do any more? You're not the boss of him, y'know, Sasuke." Hidan got out his pack of cigarettes.
"I suppose it's my turn to ask," Kimimaro announced softly. He turned to the blond sitting next to him. "Naruto," he said.
Naruto blinked at him. "Yeah?"
"Truth or dare?"
"Hmm. I s'pose it'd be pretty boring if I said truth." He shrugged. "I'll take dare."
Sasuke clenched the end of the chair's armrest. He didn't look it, but Kimimaro could be very sadistic when he wanted to.
"We know you're not interested in men like some of us... but if I asked you to kiss one, it wouldn't threaten your heterosexuality too much, would it?"
"Hey, my sexuality isn't easily threatened," Naruto replied. "So who am I supposed to kiss? You?"
"How about this," said Kimimaro, "You can choose anyone you feel most comfortable kissing."
"Oh." Naruto glanced around the circle, eyes lingering on each person for a handful of seconds until he got to Sasuke.
Sasuke stared back at him with as controlled an expression as he could. Part of him thought Naruto would still back out, or, hell, as much as he went on about Itachi, perhaps he'd think it was cute to kiss his brother on the cheek. Or even Deidara. Of everyone here, he was the most feminine.
"No problem." Naruto stood up, setting his cup to the side. He walked around slowly, heading Itachi's way, and as he passed, Deidara slapped him on the ass and laughed about it.
"I wonder where he's headed?" Deidara asked aloud.
When Naruto stood in front of him, looking down, Sasuke slowly raised his gaze from the fire.
"You don't have to do this," Sasuke told him. "It's just a stupid game."
"You don't want me to?" Naruto asked, slipping his hands into his pockets.
When Sasuke didn't say that he couldn't, Naruto knelt on the grass and placed his hands on top of Sasuke's knees.
"Is this okay?"
Sasuke regarded him a moment. "If you must."
Naruto sat up straighter and shifted further in between Sasuke's legs. He tugged at the front of Sasuke's sweatshirt. "You look nervous," he said, and in a low voice added, "It's not like we haven't technically kissed before."
"We don't want to see a quick peck either!" Deidara yelled. "Make it good. It could be Sasuke's first kiss with a boy!"
Some of the other guys cackled, but he tuned them out. He was still looking into Naruto's eyes, trying to determine what he was going to do.
"I s'pose I gotta make the first move, huh?" Naruto placed a hand on his cheek and leaned in, head tilting to the side. "I could always kiss someone else if you'd prefer," he breathed against Sasuke's mouth.
Sasuke, taking hold of the front of Naruto's sweatshirt, kept him in place in case he was being serious. "I'd prefer you didn't."
"Thought as much." Naruto chuckled. "Shall we...?"
As Naruto's lips touched his, Sasuke's eyes automatically shut, and it felt almost electric from the very onset. He followed Naruto's lead. The blond's kisses were slow at first. Not unsure, just teasing and playful. It felt like he was smirking, so Sasuke pressed his teeth into Naruto's bottom lip to keep him from getting too cocky. Naruto let out a quiet grunt, and Sasuke immediately sucked gently at the same lip almost as an apology.
Unable to help himself, he placed a hand at the back of Naruto's neck and drew him in even closer as his fingers began to push through his hair. Naruto kept up with his eager pace as he let his hand fall away from Sasuke's cheek and dropped it to the inside of his thigh. When Naruto squeezed him, Sasuke heard himself make a noise of wanting into the kiss. He really wanted Naruto to move that hand further up his thigh -
But the whistling and catcalling coming from behind seemed to bring them both to their senses. Sasuke put a hand to Naruto's chest.
"That's probably enough." His voice was raspy and rough as they parted.
Naruto looked totally out of it. He still had a hand on Sasuke's thigh.
"Naruto," he said to him.
"Hm?"
"So, how was kissing Sasuke?" Deidara interrupted. "I have it on video in case you need to rewatch for yourself!"
"What?!" Naruto turned around. "You, you - bastard!"
Deidara waved his phone in the air. "As if I would miss the opportunity to record Sasuke kissing anybody. Such a proud day for all of us. Isn't it, Itachi?"
"Good work, Sasuke," Itachi deadpanned. "It's about time."
Naruto turned to him, looking red in the face. "That's a bit embarrassing." He clung to the front of Sasuke's hoodie. "I forgot they were there for a second."
Sasuke took that as a compliment. "Shall I hide you?"
Naruto nodded, and, with a smile, Sasuke put an arm around his shoulders and brought him against his chest, hiding him from everybody as he soothingly ran fingers through his hair.
"This game sucks," Naruto said, his voice muffled against Sasuke's chest.
"You're the one who wanted to play," Sasuke whispered in his ear.
"Shut up." Naruto buried his face even further, so Sasuke hugged him fully, patting his back every once in a while.
"Well, since Naruto's too embarrassed to participate further," said Deidara. "Why doesn't someone else go. Itachi? Hidan?"
"Haven't you caused enough trauma with this game?" Itachi asked.
"I need a cigarette, so do whatever you want," said Hidan. He got up and disappeared to somewhere over by the shed.
"No one has a problem with me going again, do they?" Deidara asked. "I have one more question, and that's... for Sasuke. Truth or dare?"
Sasuke glanced over. "I already have my hands full."
"You could just pick truth then, couldn't you?" Deidara asked sweetly.
"Fine, whatever. Truth."
"I was kidding about that being your first kiss. You know, a little birdy told me that you got your cherry popped recently."
Sasuke's eyes went wide and he stopped playing with Naruto's hair. Naruto seemed to go still against him too, quietly listening.
"What?" Itachi asked. "What the hell are you talking about, Deidara?"
"Oh, stop. Sasuke can't stay your little brother forever. If it's not true, he could always say so."
Everyone was staring at him expectantly, and here he had Naruto in his arms, they'd just kissed, and... could he deny it? Naruto knew it was true. He was curious as hell to know who told Deidara. Would Yahiko have mentioned it? He didn't think so. Yahiko wasn't that type of guy. That left Naruto.
"Naruto," he said.
"I didn't tell him," Naruto replied, knowing what he was going to ask already. "It's no one's business."
"From the look on your face, I'm under the impression my information's correct," said Deidara. "Well, who was it? I have to know what kind of guy you would be into. I'm so curious! Was he someone from your school? I can guess it wasn't Naruto since he's only been here a week."
Naruto finally emerged from the folds of Sasuke's sweatshirt. "That's not any of your fuckin' business, Deidara!"
"Naruto," he said. "It's fine. I don't care if they know I've had sex."
"Yeah, but they wanna know who it was with. You don't have to tell them! It's just a stupid game."
Sasuke stared. "Why are you getting so angry?"
Naruto scowled. "Because."
"See, Itachi. We can't even have an open conversation about these things because he's probably afraid you'll kill whoever it was," Deidara said. "Fine. You can tell any one person here tonight. I won't ask you to tell all of us, though I am dying to know."
Sasuke looked at his brother first. Itachi rarely got angry, but he could tell he wasn't very pleased. If he told any of these guys, it would get back to Itachi by the end of the night. And if he told Naruto... he'd be disappointed in him. Then he'd end up getting some kind of self-righteous lecture, too.
"You can tell me," said Naruto. "If you want."
"I don't really want to."
"Then I guess you can tell them?"
"I can't do that either," he replied.
"I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about."
Sasuke sighed and grabbed at one of his hoodie strings. "That's not what I'm worried about."
"So, just tell me. You can trust me."
"You're telling Naruto then?" Deidara asked. "I suppose that means he doesn't know already? Oh, scandalous. Secrets don't make friends, Sasuke!"
"Shut up," Sasuke told him and then pulled at Naruto. "Come here." He whispered the name into his ear.
"...That sounds familiar," said Naruto. "I know that name. Wait, isn't that - ?"
Sasuke clapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't say it out loud, idiot. The point is I don't want anyone to know."
Naruto glared at him and dropped his voice. "If that's who I think it is... that's not cool, Sasuke."
Sasuke glared back. "Don't judge me. You have no right."
"Great, now you've started a lovers' spat," said Jirōbō. "I need another drink." He nudged Kimimaro who stood up with him to get something from the cooler.
"Well, Naruto," said Deidara. "Is it someone from your school? Is he cute? Is he Sasuke's type?"
"Uh." Naruto cleared his throat. "Somethin' like that. Don't know him all that well, but yeah."
"You're not jealous are you?" Deidara teased. "Is he in your class? I do so enjoy myself a good love triangle. You know, the three of you could probably work something out - "
"Shut up, Deidara," said Itachi. "Leave it alone."
"Whatever. It's cool." Naruto was quick to move away from him and get to his feet, obviously disappointed and upset over something that didn't even concern him. He dusted off the grass from his jeans.
Sasuke watched him walk toward the shed, wanting to follow, but suddenly his brother was standing in front of him.
"Sasuke," he said. "I'd like to have a word with you. Now."
Sasuke swallowed nervously. He didn't often hear his brother use that tone. Apparently, he didn't obey fast enough either because Itachi grabbed him by the front of his sweatshirt, yanked him to his feet, and dragged him off to the side and away from everybody else. Likely so there would be no witnesses for what was about to happen.
