On Wednesdays, Sasuke acted as a lifeguard at the local pool. It was summer and someone always seemed to be there, whether just sitting in the sun to tan, splashing around with friends or doing laps for exercise. He was required to show up, sit high above the others in his lifeguard chair, and jump in to save anyone who didn't come up for longer than thirty seconds.

At no point had Sasuke been told he needed to be happy about this, or interact with anyone, so he sat with his chin cradled in his hand for hours in the sun, re-applying sunscreen over and over to make sure he didn't turn into a lobster. The heat didn't bother him too much. Of all the days, Wednesday was Sasuke's favourite day. On regular Wednesdays, he could tend to his business without interruption, or even opening his mouth.

Other days, Naruto came to swim.

So far, nothing very serious had happened, save for a kid who had tried to jump from one of the higher diving boards and Sasuke got to blow his nifty little whistle and tell him off. The ladies loved the whistle. Girls barely clothed in bikinis seemed to make it their mission to fill every scrap of space around Sasuke's domain, setting up beach towels and lounge chairs, talking about him as if he couldn't hear their swoons. Sasuke always wore tinted shades, because secretly, he liked the view of their cleavage from up high, and they didn't seem to mind the attention anyway.

Sasuke couldn't help but grimace when he saw the unsightly orange board shorts round the corner, soon followed by an obnoxiously loud voice. Naruto was alone, greeting anyone within a ten-meter diameter. Sasuke was in the middle of applying another layer of sunscreen when Naruto's roaming eyes locked onto him, and quickly glazed over.

At first, Sasuke didn't realise what he was doing. The second he saw Naruto he did his best to deny the man's existence, continuing to lather generous proportions of sunscreen over his arms, legs and chest. It wasn't until he paused, one hand slick with the milky white cream on his collarbone, did his eyes wander back to Naruto. He'd come closer and was staring, mouth ajar, as Sasuke rubbed all over his body in slow motions. He blushed madly when Naruto gestured for him to keep going, deciding he'd rather burn.

Disappointed, Naruto sunk into the water from the edge of the pool, wading through the children playing water games. Sasuke's attention drifted elsewhere, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked like they needed help or were breaking the rules. Especially breaking the rules. Sasuke enjoyed flaunting power and telling people off for things. It was in his nature. Slowly, his eyes drifted to the women who cooed his name. Thank god for sunglasses.

A loud splash indicated someone had just jumped from the highest diving board. Sasuke quickly sat up straight and cursed himself for not paying attention, hoping it wasn't a kid. He watched avidly where bubbles fizzed and popped to the top, waiting to see a head resurface. Seconds ticked by and the person never emerged. Sasuke shifted, his eyes locked on the bubbles that just kept coming. He took off his sunglasses. Twenty seconds. He quickly pulled the whistle over his neck. Twenty five. A young girl started to scream and he dove from his seat, slinking into the water. It stung his eyes, cold after baking in the sun, but he didn't care, powering through towards the sinking form like he was born in the ocean. Sasuke had always been an excellent swimmer, and right now, he was very grateful for that.

There was no time to waste. Sasuke grabbed the figure by his waistband then pulled him upward, slipping an arm around his waist and erupting from the water, making sure to keep both their heads above the surface. A frantic crowd had formed at the edge of the pool, eyes glued on Sasuke as he pulled the man onto the concrete and pushed himself up beside him.

"Move back," he ordered, turning to face the unconscious figure. His heart skipped a beat when he saw who it was. "Naruto?"

Naruto lay splayed on the ground, hair matted to his forehead and unresponsive. Sasuke immediately checked his pulse, relieved to find he was still alive, but he wasn't breathing. He must have hit his head on something. Sasuke cursed, placing one hand on Naruto's forehead and two fingers under his chin, tilting his head back to open the airway. Sasuke aligned his hands on Naruto's chest and performed thirty compressions, his mind whirring with the possibility that Naruto might die. There was no way he could, Sasuke told himself over and over. Naruto wouldn't die here. Naruto wasn't the type of guy to drown. He was a renowned Jounin, war hero, future Hokage candidate, and most importantly… his best friend.

The compressions appeared to do nothing. One more check for breathing and he quickly transitioned to rescue breaths, pinching Naruto's nose and leaning down. He breathed in then paused, listening for signs of resuscitation. Heart hammering in his chest, Sasuke went to deliver more air.

Two strong arms pulled him down and their lips crashed together, teeth mashing. Sasuke flailed, gasping when a tongue plunged its way into his mouth and licked all over. It felt disgusting. Sasuke instinctually pushed back but Naruto's arms were strong. The crowd started whistling and a few others squawked in indignation before Sasuke managed to pry himself away from Naruto, wiping at his mouth and spluttering onto the ground. The blonde was supporting his weight on his elbows, grinning at Sasuke.

He saw red. Sharingan flaring to life, Sasuke pulled Naruto up by the hair, ignoring his cries of 'Ow! That hurts, bastard!', driven by an insatiable rage that had him dragging Naruto's bare back along the concrete ground, all the way to the entrance gates. He was blushing so hard it hurt, containing his anger by grinding his teeth. The crowd was laughing and cheering him on, and despite the skin being scraped off his back, Naruto stuck both his hands up in peace signs and laughed. Sasuke threw him out of the public pool grounds and onto the curb, straight on his ass, red, scratched skin burning in the heat.

Sasuke's face clouded over and the Sharingan burned intimidatingly behind a wall of black hair. Naruto had the sense to look apologetic, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry," he said, "I just really wanted to kiss you."

"That's no excuse," Sasuke said lowly. He didn't have to raise his voice – Naruto's skin crawled. "You can't just pretend to be drowning, Naruto, and you definitely can't do it just so you can stick your tongue down an unwilling party's throat. You're banned for a month."

"But—"

"A month."

"I did it for love!"

"One. Month."

With that, Sasuke stalked back to the lifeguards tower, rubbing a towel through his hair and ignoring all the winks and catcalls from civilians. He had never blushed so hard in his life. The girls that normally pooled around him with their boobs and tans had left in a huff, probably to beat the crap out of Naruto, leaving Sasuke with nothing to stare at. His favourite day just became the worst day of the week. If Sasuke never saw Naruto again, it would be too soon, he told himself, fingers tracing over his mouth as he continued to half-heartedly survey the area. His lips tingled.

-x-

did someone say The Sandlot?