Wow! This chapter ended up being much longer than I intended. I apologize for the delay - plot bunnies got away with me, don't you know. Well, in any case, I hope you enjoy it - 28 chapters already! I can't believe it. Anyway, as usual, thanks for reading, and especially thanks to those who reviewed. All comments are helpful! Now, on with the chapter!
28. She Once Was a True Love of Mine
"He finally showed you his place, huh?" Kiba asked between heavy breaths.
Naruto nodded. Gai had decided it was a beautiful Wednesday to go out on the track once again, even though it was essentially a downpour. Not that Naruto particularly cared – he could just take his mind off the rain and run. Same went with Kiba, who was more than used to Gai's extreme training methods after a month or so on the track team. It was Sasuke who was not amused, and was trailing behind the others, sulking.
Again, Naruto opted to make the most of this situation, and was currently filling in Kiba on his experience at the Uchiha mansion, and his audience was eager to hear the juicy details.
"Well? Are you gonna tell me about it or not?" Kiba asked, wiping some of the rain from his face as they ran. "Is it huge?"
"Enormous," Naruto replied, spreading his arms for emphasis. "I didn't think it was that big at first – he only showed me a few rooms, you know – seemed like a regular house. Then he told me that there was a whole other wing he hadn't shown me!"
"So, you've only seen half of it?" Kiba pressed, looking somewhat disappointed.
"For now, at least. I only asked to see his room, after all."
"And how was that? Let me guess… black, Marilyn Manson posters…"
"I've told you before, he's not emo," Naruto replied with a slight glare. "Although it wasn't exactly the brightest room I've ever seen, I'll admit."
"So it was black," the dog-boy said with a triumphant smirk.
"More like dark-blue. To tell you the truth, I'd be more creeped out if I'd walked in and everything was white."
"Agreed," Kiba concurred with a shudder. "So… come on. There has to be something else. Get with the good stuff!"
"Well, he did have some posters. Lots of movies – Silence of the Lambs, The Godfather – some bands. The Beatles were there, definitely."
"That sounds… strangely normal."
"Like I said, he's a pretty normal guy. He's just been through a lot… likes to keep to himself, you know?" Naruto continued, blinking as a particularly large drop fell on his face. "He definitely likes his music, though – no, not Marilyn Manson. We cozied up to Simon and Garfunkel – it was nice."
"And that's it?" Kiba asked with a skeptical glance. "No extended spooning or anything?"
"Believe it or not, we're not just hormonal sex fiends, Kiba," Naruto replied in a monotone.
"True, but you can't deny that the two of you have been moving fast. I mean, it's only October, so you've only really known each other for a few weeks but you're acting like you've been together for months."
Naruto hadn't thought of this. Were he and Sasuke moving too fast? They hadn't done a lot – it wasn't like they were having sex or anything, but what if Kiba was right? Sasuke wasn't used to connections like this – what if he decided to drop the whole thing, just because it was too sudden? "You think we've been going too fast?"
"Well… not necessarily. Everyone goes at their own pace, right? Some people have sex on the first date; others wait until their married. Most people fall somewhere in-between," Kiba offered with a shrug. "I'm not saying you should slow down or anything, but you should think about the big picture. Right now, whenever you and Sasuke get together, you have a tendency to hide in your room and make out."
"We do no– "
"Naruto, I'm not an idiot. I know exactly why you go in there immediately and lock the door. It's not like I can't hear the two of you rolling around or anything," Kiba interrupted, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Are we really that obvious?" Naruto asked with a guilty grin.
"Yes, you are. But that's fine – I helped push you into this relationship, after all. Anyway, my point is that you and Sasuke need to start going out and doing things together. See a movie or something – I know your relationship with him isn't based only on sex, but I think it would be good for you two to have some normal outings."
"So… you think we should go out on dates?" Naruto asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Well, if you want to be blunt about it, yes," the dog-boy replied with a sigh. "It'll be good for Sasuke, especially. I know you have no problem being around your friends in public, but Sasuke hasn't seen us outside of school since that party a few weeks ago."
"But you said not to push him!" Naruto groaned in exasperation.
"No, I said not to move too fast. You have to push him," Kiba corrected with a wave of his finger. "If he can get used to making connections with people again, I think it'll be easier for the two of you to move forward with your relationship."
Damn… he's got a good point…
"What do you think we should do, then?" the blond asked, scratching his cheek sheepishly.
"Well, I'd start by just trying to hang out with him after school. Try not to eat his face within the first five minutes, or something," Kiba said with a smirk. "I know it's asking a lot, but I think you can do it."
"I'll see what I can do," Naruto concluded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
It was on that note that Kiba and Naruto finished their final lap on the track, at which point Gai stepped forward and gave them both a hearty smack on the back. "Great work, you two. Go on and hit the showers – you've earned it."
The two housemates nodded and started back towards the school, their breathing heavy from their extended run. Once they were inside, they headed for the locker rooms, where they wasted no time in stripping out of their soaked clothes.
"I don't think these'll ever dry," Naruto muttered as he removed his blue boxers, which stuck to his legs as he struggled to peel them off.
"Now you know how I feel," Kiba replied, tossing his own damp uniform into his locker with a sigh. "He makes us do that at every practice, rain or shine.
"The man's insane."
"Believe me, I know," the dog-boy said, slipping off his briefs before slamming his locker shut. After throwing a towel over his shoulder, he and the blond headed to the showers, where they tried to warm up under a stream of hot water.
As the duo showered off, they talked briefly about various subjects – recent movies, upcoming game releases, homework assignments – all while dancing around the subject of Sasuke. After a few minutes, Kiba shut off his own shower and headed out, wrapping his towel around his waist as he headed for his locker. This left Naruto alone to his thoughts, where his mind inevitably drifted back to his boyfriend.
Am I really focusing too much on the physical part of our relationship? I mean… I guess we do tend to make out a lot… but it's not like that's all we do. We talk, right? Like that time we went to the park… where we made out. Hmm… he may have a point. What else should we do, though? I don't even know what Sasuke likes to do in his spare time…
And that was the problem: Naruto didn't know enough about Sasuke yet. He knew about his past, his emotions, and that part of who he was, but the everyday aspects of the Uchiha's life eluded him. It wasn't like Sasuke just sat around all day waiting for Naruto to rescue him from his boredom – there had to be something he liked to do.
That must be what Kiba meant – I have to start doing other things with Sasuke, so I can figure out what he likes and dislikes. But where do I start?
"Still with us, Naruto?"
Looking up in surprise, the hot water beating down on his head, Naruto found a familiar, raven-haired teen standing a few feet in front of him, a slight smirk crossing his lips. "Sasuke? Oh, geez! What time is it?"
"Class ended a few minutes ago. Lunch just started," Sasuke explained, turning on the showerhead beside the blond. He let the steaming water rush through his hair for a moment, running his hands through the black locks before turning back towards his boyfriend. "Gai made me run a few extra laps, since I wasn't showing enough 'hustle.' He drives me crazy sometimes…"
"I know what you mean. I just hope my stuff dries by tomorrow," Naruto added, grabbing a bar of soap from the dish to his right.
It was only then that it occurred to Naruto – he and Sasuke were sharing a shower in the middle of school. Meaning they were both completely naked. Suddenly, the blond found himself struggling not to stare down at the Uchiha's crotch. This was very strange in and of itself, since Naruto already had more than enough experience with that particular area. Somehow the school setting made the idea of sex taboo, however, which made it all the more enticing in turn.
Just don't stare, just don't stare. Think of baseball. Cold showers. Kittens going through a wood chipper.
"Are you sure this is okay? I mean… you and me… together? In here?" Naruto asked, glancing out at the empty locker room nervously.
"Everyone else is gone – we'll be fine," Sasuke replied, lathering up as he spoke. "Besides, I wasn't just going to wait all day for you to snap out of your daydream."
"Was I really that out of it?" Naruto said, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Oh yeah – your eyes were glazed over and everything," the Uchiha answered with a chuckle, turning to face his boyfriend. "Something on your mind?"
"Right now? Yes," the blond said before briefly peeking down at his boyfriend's package. "I'm trying to keep everything under control, if you catch my drift."
"Please, I gave that up a while ago," Sasuke said simply, shutting off his own showerhead as he stepped towards Naruto. "It's like I said – we're all alone."
Naruto gulped, taking a step back so he and Sasuke could share the same showerhead. "Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"
"Well, I know you're hiding something from me, and I know you're not going to me without some motivation," the Uchiha continued, approaching Naruto as he spoke. "So let's just say I'm using a little trick I picked up from you to help you along."
Damn! He learns fast…
Naruto found himself backed up against the wall, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Sasuke placed a hand on the wall to either side of Naruto's head, looming over his boyfriend with a devilish smirk on his face. He leaned in, and planted a kiss on the blond, the hot water rushing over both of them. Naruto found his resistance melting away as Sasuke then moved one of his hands down to his boyfriend's hip. It was only when that hand moved a bit further south, however, and gently brushed against the Naruto's crotch that his will collapsed. The blond gasped and pushed the Uchiha away, his face a shade of red.
"All right, all right! Geez," Naruto said, shutting off the shower with one quick motion. "What if someone had seen us? We're in school, for crying out loud!"
"That was a risk I was willing to take. You were the one shouting about us in the hallway last week, so consider this payback. Besides," Sasuke began, glancing down at his boyfriend's crotch, "you know you liked it."
As they exited the showers, Naruto grabbed a towel and hurriedly covered his minor erection, trying to ignore the Uchiha's statement. "And I suppose you were just doing it for kicks, then? No ulterior motive whatsoever?"
"Who me?" Sasuke asked in feigned innocence as he opened his locker. He proceeded to dry off, facing Naruto as he wiped down his back. "Now, you promised – what's going on?"
"Well… it's about us," Naruto began, tossing his damp towel into the nearby bin.
"Us? What's that supposed to mean?" the Uchiha asked, his eyes narrowing.
"No, no! It's nothing bad," the blond said quickly, waving his hands defensively. "It's just… well, I was thinking we should do something… you know… together."
"Could you be a bit more specific?" Sasuke said as he pulled up his navy boxers.
"Yeah, I know – I'm not explaining this very well," Naruto replied, shaking his head in frustration. "It's just… whenever we get together, we always go to my bedroom or something and just make out."
"Is there something wrong with us making out? Do I have bad breath–?"
"I told you already, it's nothing like that!" Naruto interrupted, examining his own soaked underwear briefly before tossing them back in the locker. "You know I enjoy it just as much as you do – hell, why do you think I reacted the way I did in the shower just now?"
Sasuke considered this for a moment as he stepped into his khaki shorts. "I guess you have a point."
The blond sighed, satisfied that he was finally making sense. He pulled on his own orange shorts, grimacing at the thought of going commando. "My point is, I want to do other things with you. Maybe go to a movie… or the zoo. I don't know."
"The zoo?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
"Well… you know what I mean," Naruto said in mild exasperation. As he pulled on his shirt, he found himself chuckling. "I guess it's working backwards, huh? First you make out and jerk each other off, then you go to the next level and go on a date."
"We've never been the most conventional couple," Sasuke replied, pulling on his own shirt. Once the duo had their socks and shoes on, they shut their respective lockers and stood up, giving each other a slight smile. "Look, I'm not sure how I feel about the zoo, exactly, but I wouldn't mind doing something else every once and a while. Give my lips a chance to rest."
"That's great! I don't really want to do anything big at first, either – maybe we can just meet up at one of our houses and… well, not make out. At least not right away."
"Sounds fine by me. In fact, why don't we go to my house today?" the Uchiha offered as they started out the door. "I never did finish giving you the tour, after all."
With that, the duo stepped into the hallway, where they were almost immediately greeted by a blur of pink, followed by a banshee screech. "Sasuke!"
"Hi, Sakura," Sasuke groaned, wincing at the sound of the girl's grating voice. "What's going on? Hasn't lunch started already?"
"Sure it has, but I thought I'd stay and see if you wanted to sit with me today," Sakura responded in an almost nauseatingly sweet voice. "I don't mind waiting if it's for you, after all."
"That's nice, Sakura, and I appreciate the offer, but I already have plans," the Uchiha said in as calm a voice as he could manage under the circumstances. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Oh, it's no problem. I had plenty to keep myself entertained," the girl replied as the trio walked towards the cafeteria.
"Have a book to read or something?" Sasuke asked, in an attempt to be civil.
"Not exactly," Sakura said enigmatically, running a hand through her pink locks. "You know, it's amazing what you can hear from outside there. Everything just echoes on the inside."
Naruto felt a brief twinge of panic run down his spine. He tried to keep his cool, though, and pretended to be distracted by a bulletin board as the passed by. A furtive glance at Sasuke told the blond that he, too, was struggling to keep everything under control. Knowing that silence would only confirm her suspicions, though, the Uchiha decided to keep the conversation going.
"Is that so? I suppose that would explain why we can always hear Gai from all the way down the hall – good acoustics, I guess," the raven-haired teen replied with a nervous scratch of his cheek.
"You bet – some of the girls like to sit outside there, just so they can eavesdrop on your conversations. I always thought they were exaggerating, but I guess I was wrong," Sakura continued, her green eyes narrowing somewhat dangerously. "I hope you don't mind if I overheard you in there. It was completely accidental, I assure you."
"You'll have to forgive me if I feel like my trust has been betrayed a bit, Sakura," Sasuke responded, shooting the girl a quick glare.
"Then you really won't like what I'm about to tell you," Sakura resumed with false guilt. "You see, I was a little bit curious about what was taking so long, so… I may have peeked inside."
That bitch! I'll kill her! So help me I'll kill her!
"What the hell's the matter with y–"
Sasuke immediately cupped a hand over Naruto's mouth, muffling his rant. "I believe what Naruto means to say is that you crossed the line with that one. I believe it'll come as no surprise to you that I'm going to have to end what little remained of our friendship right here and now."
"And I'm sure it'll come as no surprise to you that I'll tell everyone in the school about what I saw if you don't come and sit with me today," Sakura said, her cheery smile contrasting sharply with the venom in her voice. "Do I make myself clear, Sasuke? Naruto?"
Naruto gritted his teeth. He couldn't tell how much Sakura knew, if anything. For all he knew, she was only suspicious, but now she had them in a trap. If they just went along with what she said, it would only confirm what had previously been a guess. If they made too much of a fuss over it, she'd spread whatever rumor she had planned, and then their secret would be out.
"Well, Naruto – we can't just let her spread rumors about…umm… your endowment, can we?" the Uchiha said finally, once again maintaining his mask of good humor. "Don't worry, about it – I'll bite the bullet on this one. You owe me, though."
"I knew you'd see it my way," Sakura said, grabbing Sasuke by the arm before dragging him into the cafeteria. "Come along, now! I want to show you off in front of the fanclub…"
As Naruto watched Sasuke and Sakura disappear into the lunchroom, he felt his hands curl into fists as he bit his lip. He was not happy about this latest turn of events – not one bit. For the moment, it looked like Sakura was satisfied. The question, of course, was how long that would last.
xxxxx
"So how do you like your pizza, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, leaning over the lunch table with a big grin.
"Why are you doing this?" Sasuke asked abruptly, having long sense dropped his mask of civility. "What do you have against Naruto?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," the pink-haired girl replied, cheerily sipping her cola. "We're just finally having a little chat to get to know each other. I don't see how Naruto fits into the picture at all."
"You were threatening me, and you know it," the Uchiha continued in a dangerous whisper. "You're using Naruto to get to me, and I want to know why. Do you think I'm going to magically fall in love with you or something?"
"No," Sakura responded simply, her voice dropping its exaggerated sweetness. "To tell you the truth, I realized a long time ago that I wouldn't win you over just like that. Consider this my way of… coaxing you into it."
"It'll never work."
"It doesn't have to. You're going to have lunch with me here every day from now on, or else I'll tell everyone about how I saw the two of you canoodling in there. Got it?" Sakura continued, her whisper low enough not to attract any attention, but loud enough for Sasuke to hear every word.
So that's her story, huh? Whether or not she actually saw anything, I have to play along with it. She may not be sure if it's true, but I know it is, and in the end that's all that matters.
"Now, then – put on a good act, won't you? I want to see that Ino squirm," Sakura said, shooting the aforementioned blonde a glare.
Sasuke shuddered, but leaned forward with a forced smile, saying, "Oh, Sakura – your hair's so pretty today. I just love natural… pinks…"
This is just what I needed… blackmail. I can't let her hurt Naruto, though… no matter what.
xxxxx
"That bitch!"
Naruto and Sasuke were walking along the streets of Konoha, making their way towards the Uchiha mansion. They hadn't had a chance to talk since their encounter with Sakura at lunch, and now that they could catch up, Naruto was letting out all his steam at once.
"I mean, who the hell does she think she is? Blackmail? Spying? She looked inside the guys' locker room, for chrissake," the blond exclaimed, gesticulating wildly into the air as he walked along. "We should tell principal Tsunade – she'll have her expelled so fast she'll get whiplash…"
"We can't, Naruto," Sasuke said calmly, though the hands in his pockets were clearly curled into fists. "The minute we try to stop her, she'll tell everyone she knows about the two of us, and then we're screwed. Besides, we'd have to tell Tsunade the truth, anyway, and then we'd be the ones in trouble."
"But why? It's not like we did anything wrong!" Naruto continued, his brow furrowed in frustration.
"We were messing around in the locker room – it's what got us into this mess to begin with, remember?" the Uchiha replied, shaking his head in equal aggravation. "This is all my damn fault… I knew coming on to you like that was risky, but I did it anyway. I'm such an idiot…"
"No! This isn't our fault, Sasuke! We're the victims here! Sakura's the one who's being all crazy and manipulative, and now we're suffering for it!" Naruto interrupted in a stern voice. "Even if we hadn't done anything in the locker room today, she would've found another time to spring this on us. It was inevitable."
There was a silence for a moment as the couple walked along, both simply staring at the cracks in the sidewalk as they passed. Finally, Naruto coughed and turned to Sasuke with a weak smile.
"Sorry about that. I guess I got a little worked up."
"No, you're right. I can't blame myself for this – I can't help it if she has this… obsession with me. It's like when Gaara kissed you – it wasn't your fault. It just happened," Sasuke said as they crossed the street, steadily approaching the Uchiha's neighborhood. "Unfortunately, I don't think we can solve this one just by punching Sakura out."
"Wouldn't that be nice, though?" the blond asked dreamily. "In all seriousness, though, what are we gonna do about this? She's not going to just let this thing go, is she?"
"Probably not. She's hoping I'll fall for her if I spend enough time around her. There's no chance of that happening, but she's going to get more and more desperate to make it work. Right now it's just a lunchtime thing, but I'm sure that won't last long – soon she'll be making me take her out on dates or something…"
"So we have to do something soon, right?"
Sasuke ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "What can we possibly do? If we make any move, she'll spill the beans without hesitation."
Naruto hesitated. There was one way they could get out of this mess, of course, though the blond was sure Sasuke wouldn't like it. If they made their relationship public, then Sakura would lose her trump card. Her only leverage at this point was their desire to keep things secret – that was something they could change.
But… both of us have reasons to keep this secret. Sasuke hates the attention he gets as it is – if there's a new scandal for them to start gossiping about, then he'll only attract more of it. I'm sure he'd make that sacrifice for me – he knows how to deal with unwanted attention anyway – but that's not the real problem…
The real problem, of course, was Naruto. Of the two of them, it was Naruto who was the least comfortable with his sexuality. Until he'd met Sasuke, the blond had never even considered that he might be attracted to another guy – the only crush he'd ever had was on Sakura, after all (though of course that attraction had died earlier that day). He knew now that he did have feelings for Sasuke – that he loved him, even – but to make that next step was something else entirely.
What would Dad think? Maybe he already knows – he found Sasuke naked in my bed, after all… but why wouldn't he say anything, then? Is he waiting until I'm comfortable enough to tell him myself? But what if he was just distracted from losing his job… what if he'd hate me for it? What am I thinking – it's Dad! He'd love me no matter what… right?
"I'm not letting her tell anyone, Naruto," Sasuke said suddenly, jarring the blond out of his thoughts. "And I know what you're thinking, and it's out of the question. I'm not going to let a prissy little bimbo like Sakura force us into anything, understand?"
Naruto glanced back down at the sidewalk as they stepped into the Uchiha's neighborhood, a slight smile crossing his lips. "Thanks, Sasuke."
Sasuke nodded as they started up the pavement of his driveway. After a moment of awkward silence, he cleared his throat and turned to his boyfriend with a smirk. "Now then, what do you say we forget about her and focus on us for a while?"
"Sounds like a plan," the blond replied with a grin. "Did you have anything in particular in mind?"
Sasuke glanced up at the sky. Though it had stopped raining since gym class, it was still cloudy – not exactly the best weather to do anything outdoors. "Well… we could always go for a swim, I guess."
"In your pool?" Naruto asked excitedly, only to frown in disappointment shortly afterward. "But… I don't have a suit with me."
"Oh, sure you do," Sasuke said devilishly, tugging on the vulpine boy's shirt. "You have the suit nature gave you."
Naruto felt the blood rush to his face as he stuttered, "B-but what about your brother? Isn't Itachi here?"
"He does have a job, you know – CEO of the Akatsuki Corporation? Or did you forget?" Sasuke asked as he threw open the front door. "He won't be home for hours. We'll be fine."
"But what about your servants? You said you had maids working throughout the house, right?" Naruto pressed, looking around the house nervously.
"Naruto, it's my house. This isn't school where we have to worry about Sakura listening in our anything – we'll be fine," Sasuke insisted. When he was met with Naruto's worried gaze, however, the Uchiha sighed. "Fine, I'll take care of it."
Take care of it?
Sasuke approached a small, white panel mounted on the wall by the door and pressed a round, red button in the corner. There was a crackle of static overhead, followed by the echoing of the young Uchiha's voice throughout the house. "Kohada – you and your team can go for the day. I'll tell my brother I let you go early."
Moments later, a woman's voice responded over the intercom through static. "Thank you, Sasuke. We'll be on our way, then."
Taking his finger off the button, Sasuke glanced over at Naruto in mild annoyance. "There, are you satisfied? Now let's get going!"
Naruto considered this for a moment before immediately stripping off his shirt and tossing it onto the floor. "Race you there!"
As Naruto broke into a sprint down the hall, Sasuke hurriedly kicked off his shoes and chased after him his eyes brimming with determination. Once he was in the kitchen, Naruto glanced back over his shoulder to find a now-shirtless Uchiha hot on his heels, at which point he stuck out his tongue tauntingly.
"Oh, you're just asking for it now!" Sasuke muttered as the duo bounded into the sunroom, where they passed by a very astonished Kohada, who was just finishing packing up her belongings.
Naruto was very fortunate that Kohada had left the sliding door to the pool deck wide open, for he was able to dart outside without stopping, giving him a narrow victory over his boyfriend. He raised his hands in the air triumphantly, and marched around the pool, singing, and "I am the champion I am the champion! No time for losers, 'cause I am the champion…"
"Please, you easily had a five second head start. You want a real race, then let's see who can finish a full lap the fastest," Sasuke challenged, his breathing a touch heavy from the sprint.
"Oh? So Sasuke thinks he can beat me at a race, huh?" Naruto said as he removed his socks and shoes. "Just because you have a pool doesn't mean you're the best swimmer in the world, you know. I'm from Mizu – the ocean's five minutes away from my house. You don't have a prayer."
"Is that so?" Sasuke asked as he unzipped his shorts and dropped them to the ground. He kicked them off to the side and stood in his navy boxers with his hands on his hips. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is, tough guy?"
"Fine, I will," the blond responded, unzipping his own shorts. He hesitated before lowering them, however, and looked around nervously. "Are the servants still here?"
"They're gone, Naruto – Kohada's always the last to leave, and you just about plowed her over in the sun room. Here, I'll go first," the Uchiha answered before dropping his boxers to his ankles. He picked them up and spun them on his finger before tossing them into a nearby hedge, clearly unconcerned about his nudity. "Now your turn."
With a laugh, Naruto lowered his shorts and kicked them off to the side, standing in an equally naked state. The two stared at each other for a moment before scratching their arms awkwardly. "Well, then… are we gonna race or what?"
Sasuke snapped out of his momentary daze, forcing himself to shift his gaze away from Naruto's newly exposed flesh. "Oh, yeah – of course. On my count."
Standing at the edge of the pool, Naruto and Sasuke leaned over the water, preparing to dive in. While the blond stared forward with determination, Sasuke began the countdown. "Three… two… one…"
Both teens bended their knees in anticipation as Sasuke shouted out the final count, "GO!"
On that, the duo dived into the water, sending a small splash up into the air as they broke the surface. When they emerged, they were both kicking furiously, stirring the water in their wake as they propelled themselves further. Naruto, pulling himself forward with stroke after stroke, glanced over at Sasuke to find him a short distance behind him – in swimming, though, that short distance was all that he needed.
If I can keep this up, I've got him…
When Naruto reached the opposite wall, the distance between him and Sasuke had only grown. Unfortunately, the brief time he was stopped in trying to turn around closed the gap considerably, for when he finally kicked off, Sasuke had already begun a flip turn and was starting back towards the deep end.
Shit!
Naruto kicked as hard as he could while wearing his arms out with continuous strokes, but it was no use – Sasuke's experience swimming in a pool had given him a significant advantage at making the complicated turn. By the time Naruto had caught up, it was too late - Sasuke had placed a hand on the wall, beating the blond by a narrow margin.
Wiping some of the wet hair from his face, Sasuke looked over at Naruto with an exhausted smile. "Looks like I win this one. How did it go again? I am the champion…"
Naruto shook his head, sending some of the excess water flying in all directions, muttering, "Yeah, yeah – I guess I deserved that."
"Not as much as you deserve this!"
Without warning, Sasuke seized his boyfriend's shoulders and pushed him beneath the surface. Moments later, a sputtering Naruto rose to the surface, who immediately sought revenge. "Oh, it's on now!"
"You'll have to catch me first!"
Just as Naruto went to pounce on his boyfriend, Sasuke launched off the wall, sending a wave flying into the blond's face. Naruto didn't let this distract him, however, but instead followed right after the Uchiha, catching up with the raven-haired teen about halfway down the pool. There, Naruto seized Sasuke's foot, jerking him to an immediate halt before dragging him back to his clutches.
"There – I've caught you. Now what should I do?" Naruto asked, wrapping his arms around the struggling Uchiha. "Hmm… oh, wait! I know!"
Removing one hand from his grip, Naruto snaked it down Sasuke's backside, where he briefly squeezed his butt. Almost immediately, Sasuke yelped and forced himself away from his boyfriend, a light blush coloring his features. "You're playing dirty now."
"Is that a problem?" Naruto said with a coy smile.
"Not at all," Sasuke responded, swimming towards the blond. "It just surprised me. You were acting so cautious before."
"Can you blame me? The last few times we tried to do anything… intimate, we've been interrupted by someone. First it was my dad, then Sakura…"
The Uchiha smiled and pulled his boyfriend close into an embrace. "I guess you have a point. We've had a few close calls, haven't we?"
"It's not that I haven't enjoyed it – the danger… well, it makes it a bit exciting, right? But I don't want to get caught, you know?" Naruto responded, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's waist in turn.
"But since you don't have to worry about that here…"
"Then I can feel free to have some fun."
With that, Naruto leaned forward, successfully dunking the Uchiha beneath the surface with a playful laugh. Immediately he felt Sasuke's hands slip from his shoulders, sliding down instead to his legs. Moments later, he, too, was dragged underwater, where he glanced around, the chlorine slightly burning in his eyes. Soon, he discovered Sasuke, who was swimming towards him determinedly.
What the hell's he doing?
The answer to Naruto's question became perfectly clear seconds later, when Sasuke pulled the blond into a watery kiss. Holding onto one another, they rose to the surface, maintaining their kiss even as they burst from the water, breathing heavily through their noses. After a few seconds, they pulled out and burst into laughter.
"That didn't work well at all," Naruto said with an amused sigh.
"Neither did our pledge not to resort to making out," Sasuke commented, resting on the side of the pool. "Then again, I guess we made it a whole half hour – not bad for our first attempt."
Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the cloudy sky above. As the thunder rumbled in its wake, Sasuke glanced back at Naruto, looking somewhat disappointed. "Well, we should probably get out of the water, then. Stupid weather…"
"Hey, it's better than ending up fried, right?" the blond replied as he pulled himself out of the water. He turned and extended a hand to his boyfriend, who he helped clamber out of the pool as well. "Should we get dressed?"
Sasuke considered this for a moment before clasping his boyfriend's hand and dragging him forward, looking back over his shoulder with a playful smile. "No – I'm not through with you, yet. Let's go to the sauna."
"You have a sauna?" Naruto asked as he tried to keep up with the Uchiha.
"Yeah, it's great. Even better with company, though," Sasuke responded as he came to a halt before a small wooden shed on the outer edge of the pool deck. "Here we are."
After turning a dial on the outside of the sauna, Sasuke threw open the door and led Naruto inside. It was quite cool on the inside – the coals in the middle needed to heat up yet. Rubbing his wet arms for warmth, Naruto took a seat on one of the wooden benches, his teeth chattering somewhat.
"H-how long d-does it take to w-warm up?"
"Give it five minutes," Sasuke replied, taking a seat right beside the blond. "In the meantime, we can always generate some heat of our own…"
"I-I can l-live with that," Naruto said, moving closer to his boyfriend as he spoke.
Sasuke made the first move, throwing an arm over Naruto's shoulder to pull him into a kiss. His other hand he wrapped around the vulpine boy's waist, pulling him close to maximize their body contact. Naruto responded by pushing up against the Uchiha, leaning forward until Sasuke was lying flat on the bench, all the while locking lips. Using his arms to prop him up, lest he crush the raven-haired teen, Naruto laid his chest upon Sasuke's and closed his eyes, focusing entirely on their kiss as the sauna slowly heated up. Apparently, Sasuke fully supported this and wrapped his legs around Naruto's, effectively intertwining them and forcing their continued physical connection.
"Umm… Sasuke…" Naruto began, glancing down sheepishly.
"I know, I know – just shut up and kiss me," Sasuke urged, pulling the blond's head back down to his level.
By this point, the sauna was noticeably hot, causing the two teens to sweat noticeably as they made out on the bench. Naruto still felt a bit awkward to have his excited state rubbing so obviously against Sasuke, but decided to follow his boyfriend's orders and focus on the kiss. He pulled out briefly, sucking gently on the Uchiha's lower lip before locking with them once more. There, he let his tongue slip inside Sasuke's mouth, where it began to play with the other teen's. A growing pressure down south told Naruto that he wasn't the only one enjoying this, and a small moan emitted by Sasuke only confirmed this suspicion.
Soon, Naruto pulled out of the kiss and moved on to Sasuke's neck, where he greedily licked up the Uchiha's sweat, planting numerous kisses along the way. There was a slight disruption in the blond's pattern as Sasuke bucked, moving his hands from Naruto's back to his butt in the process. Feeling a slight squeeze, Naruto began to kiss more fervently, sliding down further to his boyfriend's chest. There, with Sasuke's hands still firmly planted on his butt, Naruto proceeded to playfully lick the Uchiha's nipples, glancing up at the raven-haired teen as he did so. Rather than meet his boyfriend's familiar eyes, however, he met the distinct, reddish eyes of Itachi Uchiha, who was staring at them from the doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Am I interrupting something?" the elder Uchiha asked, eyeing the intermingling of flesh and sweat with distant curiosity.
"Itachi! Get the hell out of here!" Sasuke shouted, his face burning with embarrassment as he tried to disentangle himself from Naruto. Once they were both free, they stood awkwardly, covering their groins in shame.
"So sorry – I should've knocked," Itachi said as he backed out of the sauna. "You two have fun, now."
Once the door had creaked shut, Naruto and Sasuke sat down on the bench, avoiding eye contact with each other. Though both were still very obviously aroused from their little make out session in the heat, neither one was eager to pick off where they'd left off – the mood had been ruined.
Finally, it was Sasuke who broke the silence with a sigh. "We really need to try this somewhere private."
"Agree," Naruto said, shaking his head in embarrassment. "Just once I'd like to actually do something without being spied on or caught in the act."
"Any ideas on what we could do?"
Naruto thought about this. What could they really do? What had worked before? Whenever they made out at his apartment, it seemed like someone always came in at the wrong time. If it wasn't Kiba, it was Iruka or something. As for the Uchiha mansion, Itachi had just proven that they couldn't hide from him, no matter how large the house was. The only thing that they'd really gotten away with was when they'd made out under the bridge in the park – oddly enough, the place where they ran the greatest risk of getting caught.
That's it!
"Have you ever been to Lake Konoha?" Naruto asked abruptly, turning to the Uchiha with wide-eyed anticipation.
"Lake Konoha? Is that around here or something?" Sasuke responded, blinking perplexedly.
"You've lived in Konoha your entire life, but you've never been to Lake Konoha?" the blond exclaimed in disbelief. "It's about an hour from here if we walk. There's usually a bus that goes that way – it'll take us twenty minutes tops. There's a park out that way, and you just take a little hike through the woods to the lake. It's very secluded – hardly anyone ever goes out there around this time of year."
"You're saying we should go out to the middle of nowhere just to have a chance to make out?"
"Well, that and we can count it as a date, right? What do you say?"
Sasuke mulled it over for a minute, clearly not thrilled by the idea. The sight of Naruto's pleading pout was all it took to break his will, however. "All right – we'll go this weekend, okay?"
"Great! We'll work out the details later. In the meantime, what do you say we get some clothes on?" the blond asked, rising from the bench with renewed energy.
"Sounds like a plan. We should probably actually get some homework done, anyway," the Uchiha responded as he followed Naruto out of the sauna to the pool deck, where they spent a few minutes searching for their clothes. Once they were dressed, they headed up to Sasuke's room to work on their math homework, though both were very distracted by the plans they had just made.
A date with Sasuke… I want everything to be perfect…
xxxxx
Iruka stood in the bathroom of his new apartment that night, shoving a toothbrush into his mouth with one hand while awkwardly combing his hair with the other. He had agreed to meet Kakashi for dinner, but had fallen behind grading papers, and was now hurrying to get ready in time. It felt very odd, being in Konoha – somewhere just on the other side of town, Naruto was living with Kiba. They were so close physically, but somehow they felt as distant as they had when he was still in Mizu.
I've been here for close to a week, and he hasn't even stopped by to see my new apartment once… It's like he doesn't even want to see what his new home is like!
Iruka yanked the toothbrush out of his mouth and spit into the sink. He grabbed a glass of water and rinsed before setting the toothbrush back on the counter with a sigh. It wasn't like he could blame Naruto, exactly – he had his routine, his own pattern of life in Konoha. Iruka was just an intruder. Sure, he knew that Naruto wasn't trying to avoid him – but somehow Iruka found it a bit depressing. He wasn't sure what exactly it was, but somehow the brunet felt certain that he was missing out on something important in Naruto's life. The distance he'd felt when talking to him the other day was unusual – it was as if Naruto was keeping a secret from him.
What am I thinking? Naruto wouldn't keep anything big from me. He told me about his love problems, right? I can't think of anything harder to talk about with your dad than that…
A sudden chime of the doorbell snapped Iruka out of his thoughts. In a hurry, he set down his comb and rushed out of the bathroom to his bedroom, where he ruffled through his drawers for some fresh clothes.
Does he expect me to dress up for this? We're just friends, right? But I don't want to look like hell…
"I'm coming!" Iruka called as he yanked off his shirt, pulling out a silver dress shirt from his closet.
After slipping on his shirt, he removed his plain, khaki workpants and searched for some dress pants. Unfortunately, Iruka realized he hadn't yet unpacked everything, including some of his clothes. As the doorbell rang an additional time, he rushed over to one of the several boxes, which he tore open in a flash.
Come on! Come on! I know I have some black pants in here somewhere…
"Good~ evening."
Standing with several pairs of pants in either hand, Iruka spun around to find a silver-haired man leaning against the doorframe, the impression of a smile visible through his mask. He was dressed head-to-toe in black, with only a red tie adding a bit of color to his ensemble. Iruka smiled sheepishly as he glanced at the pants in his arms. "S-sorry… I'm running a little late."
"I can see that," Kakashi responded, glancing furtively at the other man's striped boxers. "Sorry for intruding – the door was unlocked."
"No, no – it's fine," Iruka replied, sounding somewhat flustered as he pulled up a black pair of pants. As he pulled on his belt, he looked up at the other man, trying to regain his composure. "So, where are we going tonight?"
"I was thinking the Konoha Grill," the masked man said, moving away from the door to let Iruka pass. "Nothing too fancy – they have amazing steak though. Do you like steak?"
"Can't go wrong with a good steak," Iruka returned with a nod. "I just hope it isn't too expensive – I'm still a little short on cash, you know?"
"Oh, no worries there. It's my treat tonight," Kakashi said, patting the other on the back with a smile. "You're new in town, after all. Consider this your welcome gift."
"As if you haven't done enough for me already," the brunet chuckled as they stepped out of the apartment. He locked it behind them before heading for Kakashi's cherry-red convertible.
"It's my pleasure, really," Kakashi responded, climbing into the convertible. He leaned over to unlock the passenger side for Iruka before sticking the keys in the ignition. "Now, then – buckle up."
With that, Kakashi threw the car into drive, starting down the streets of Konoha with a surprising amount of focus. Every turn was signaled, every speed limit sign obeyed – it was almost obsessive. Iruka found it a little unsettling, driving in utter silence: no radio, no conversation – just the hum of the engine as they rolled along.
He's usually so talkative… is he really that serious about driving? Or maybe he hasn't gone this way in a while – there are a lot of one-way streets. Wouldn't want to make a wrong turn, right?
After a few minutes of eerie silence, Kakashi turned into a parking lot on the right, pulling into a spot in the back corner of the lot. There, he turned off the engine and looked to Iruka with his usual, warm smile, saying, "Well, we're here!"
The shift was quite jarring for Iruka, who could only nod as he stepped out of the car. After the cool autumn air hit him, however, he seemed to come around and joined in Kakashi's enthusiasm. "So… you recommend the steak, then?"
"Definitely. As long as you don't get it well done, you'll love it," Kakashi responded, holding open the restaurant door for Iruka before entering himself.
Iruka nodded, watching the other man with relief. He had been concerned for a minute that something was wrong, but Kakashi had apparently bounced back. Whatever was on the other man's mind in the car was no longer an issue, and thus not of Iruka's concern.
Still… I wonder why he was acting so strangely? Is he really that serious about his driving?
"Just the two of you today?"
Iruka glanced up to find the maitre d' staring at him, a clearly forced smile on his face. He gently twirled his pencil moustache as he awaited a response, glancing back and forth between Iruka and Kakashi.
"Yes, just us two," Kakashi finally answered, patting Iruka on the shoulder.
Grabbing two menus from a slot to his side, the maitre d turned to the duo and bowed briefly. "Right this way, sirs."
Together, Kakashi and Iruka followed the maitre d' through the restaurant to their table, just past the bar in the center of the restaurant. Iruka glanced around the room as they walked, eyeing all the miscellanea on the walls as they passed by. It seemed like a nice enough place – good atmosphere, just a little noise coming from the bar, but otherwise filled with soft chatter from other patrons. This didn't particularly bother Iruka, who had feared the worst with rowdy drunks or screeching children running around. Instead, the man could examine the different records, license plates, and other pieces of Americana with a sense of warm nostalgia.
When they finally arrived at their table, Kakashi and Iruka took their seats while the maitre d' placed the menus on the table, his forced smile stretching wide. "There you go, folks. A waiter will be with you shortly to take your order."
"Thank you," Iruka said politely as he unfolded his menu. He studied it for a moment, searching for the steak, before realizing that there was an entire page dedicated to different varieties of steaks, many of which he'd never even heard of. "What's a carpetbag steak? Or a popeseye steak?"
"Just ignore those – you want the porterhouse," Kakashi replied without so much as glancing up from his own menu. "That's what I'm going with at least."
"I take it they specialize in steak, then?" Iruka said, looking almost dizzy as he closed the menu.
"Well, it is called the Konoha Grill – did you think they'd have a lot of salad or something?" Kakashi quipped, shutting his own menu with a smirk. "I know what you mean, though – I thought the same thing when I came here the first time."
"How long ago was that, out of curiosity?" the brunet asked, leaning forward slightly. "Have you been in Konoha that long?"
"I've been here a while – I guess it's been over ten years now. I graduated from Konoha Academy just outside the city. That's where I met O–"
Kakashi froze. He stared down at the folded menu on the table, unable to utter a word. Though he tried to maintain his gentle expression, Iruka could tell there was something wrong. He'd fallen on a touchy subject – something about Kakashi's past that he was clearly reluctant to reveal.
"Hi! My name's Ayame, I'll be your waitress today!" a teenage girl interrupted, wearing a genuine smile as she pulled out a notepad. "Can I get you two something to drink today?"
"If you don't mind, I think we're actually ready to order," Iruka replied, giving the silver-haired man a moment to regain his composure. "We both want the porterhouse, right, Kakashi?"
Kakashi looked stunned, as if he hadn't even noticed Ayame's presence. "Oh, yes – that'd be great."
Ayame made a quick note before watching the duo expectantly once again. "All right, great choice! And to drink?"
"Lemonade," Kakashi answered distantly.
"I'll have a Coke, I guess," Iruka replied, trying his best to hide his concern.
Ayame finished her note and flashed a bright smile. "Great! It'll be just a minute – just holler if you need anything in the meantime!"
As Ayame ran off to the kitchen with their order, Iruka turned to Kakashi with a sense of determination. He wasn't sure what Kakashi was hiding from him, but Iruka was going to find out what it was, whether the masked man liked it or not. "So… Kakashi. You were saying something about Konoha Academy?"
"Oh, forget about it – it wasn't important anyway," Kakashi mumbled, staring up at the walls. "Look at that, they have a replica of one of Elvis' gold records…"
"Come on, Kakashi – I'm interested! You must have all kinds of good stories from your swingin' college days, eh?" Iruka prodded with a playful wink.
Kakashi smiled weakly and leaned back in his chair, chuckling to himself. "Me? Not really, no. I had someone to keep me in line."
"Really? And who was that?" Iruka pressed, leaning forward in anticipation.
"His name was Obito," Kakashi said with a sigh. "We met in one of our education courses. Honestly I don't know how I would've passed that class without him."
"Obito? Funny – I don't think you've mentioned him before. Is he a teacher here, too?" Iruka asked casually in an attempt to keep the conversation going.
"He… passed away six years ago," Kakashi responded, covering his face with his hand. "We were going to move in together…"
Iruka didn't know what to say. Everything Kakashi had just said was loaded with meaning. Clearly, Obito was more than just a friend if they were planning on moving in together. Did that mean that Kakashi was gay? If not, he was at the very least bisexual.
Wait… then does that mean this is…a date?"
"I'm sorry to hear that," Iruka said, staring down at his napkin uncomfortably. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
"No, that's all right. I don't have any bad memories of him," Kakashi replied, wiping his eye quickly with his finger, "only regrets that I couldn't make any more."
"Was it sudden?"
The masked man glanced up at one of the license plates on the wall and sighed. "There was an accident. We'd gone out for a night on the town and were driving home. I was drunk, so Obito decided to drive me home. We were almost at my apartment when it happened. The light turned green, so Obito pulled out into the intersection when another car slammed into the driver's side. Apparently he'd been drinking, too – didn't even see the red light. Of course, he got off scot-free, but Obito and I weren't so lucky."
"Maybe we should save this for another time," Iruka interrupted, reaching a hand across the table to pat Kakashi's hand consolingly. "I don't want this to upset you."
"No, I insist. It's… cathartic to talk about it every once and a while," Kakashi continued, grasping the other man's hand gratefully. "I don't remember much about the accident itself – I was drunk at the time, after all. I remember hearing the glass shatter on impact, and I know I must've bashed my head into the dashboard when we hit the lamppost. I lost consciousness not too long afterward.
"When I woke up, I had a bandage over my eye," the silver-haired teacher said, indicating the scar around his left eye. "My head felt like it was going to explode, but I didn't particularly care – I just wanted to know if Obito was okay. I grabbed the first nurse I could find to ask her where he was, and that's when I got the news. He'd died almost instantly."
"Kakashi…" Iruka said, his eyes watering up at the other man's pain.
"Apparently my eye was damaged when I hit my head on the dashboard – piece of glass cut right through it. They needed to operate immediately, and Obito was an available donor," Kakashi brushed his hand over his red eye, gently feeling the scar. "Long story short, I have his cornea – every morning when I look at myself in the mirror, I can't help but see him staring back at me. It's… strangely comforting, I guess."
They were silent for a moment, neither one knowing exactly what to say. Much to Iruka's relief, however, Ayame reappeared before to long with their meals, giving them a much-needed reprieve.
"All right! Two porterhouse steaks, a lemonade, and a coke!" Ayame said cheerily as she set the aforementioned items down on the table. "Enjoy your meal!"
"Thank you," Iruka responded with a nod before taking a sip from his coke.
While Iruka tried to eat, despite the sinking feeling in his gut, he looked up at Kakashi to find him simply staring at the steak before him. Clearly Kakashi still had something more to say, and Iruka knew it would be up to him to get the conversation going once again. Setting down his fork and knife, he dabbed his lips with a napkin before sitting upright, giving the masked man his full attention.
"Was it hard? Losing Obito?" Iruka asked tentatively.
"It's never easy losing someone you care about," Kakashi responded, prodding his steak with a fork. "Obito was no exception, of course. I was devastated – I just couldn't believe that he was gone, you know? But that wasn't the worst of it."
"What do you mean?"
Kakashi took a sip from his lemonade before mechanically setting it back on the table. "Losing Obito was hard, but it was living without him that was truly difficult. Everything reminded me of him – something as simple as the rain could make me depressed. And no matter what, every time I thought of Obito, I was overwhelmed with guilt. If I hadn't been drinking, I would've been the one driving – I should've been the one crushed in that accident. Or what if I could've avoided it? Obito died… because of my own stupidity."
"Kakashi… you can't blame yourself. You didn't know what was going to happen – how could you have? What's done is done."
The masked man sighed, resting his head on his hand. "I know – rationally, I know there's nothing I could've done. It was just… fate, or something. But it'll haunt me for the rest of my life. I haven't even been able to touch alcohol since that day – I don't want there to be a next time, you know?"
Iruka nodded, but said nothing. What could he possibly say after that story? 'It'll be okay? When God closes a door he opens a window?' He knew from experience that it wouldn't help. Those kinds of losses needed time to heal – words would only belittle that kind of trauma.
The duo ate the rest of their meal, not once bringing up the subject of Obito again. They made idle chat – talking about Iruka's new job, his class, the teachers – but both were very much aware of the elephant in the room. When Ayame brought the check at the end of their meal, Kakashi paid it with his usual, gentle smile before leading Iruka out to his car. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Iruka couldn't help but notice a slight trembling in Kakashi's hands as he gripped the wheel.
Is that why he was so focused on his driving? Is he afraid I'll be another Obito?
Iruka kept the thought to himself, and instead turned his attention to the lights of the city as they drove past. Within a few minutes, they arrived outside the brunet's apartment, where they both got out of the car and started up the stairs.
"Did you have a good time?" Kakashi asked casually, standing outside Iruka's door.
"Oh, it was great – you were right about the porterhouse," Iruka replied with a forced laugh. "Sorry if I made things awkward."
"It's all right – I wanted to tell you," the silver-haired man replied.
Both men hesitated for a moment, with Iruka scratching his arm uncertainly, glancing briefly at the door. "Well, I don't want to hold you up."
"I'm sure you still have to get unpacked or something – and I should probably get around to grading papers at some point tonight…"
"Wouldn't want to fall behind, right?" the brunet said, reaching for his keys. "Well, good night, then."
"Good night," Kakashi responded in turn as Iruka threw open the door. "Wait, Iruka…"
Iruka glanced back over his shoulder to find Kakashi had removed his mask, revealing the lower half of his face. His eyes widening, Iruka found himself blushing at the sight.
Why would he want to cover that up?
"K-kakashi?" Iruka stuttered as he backed up to the door.
Before either of them could utter another word, Kakashi grabbed hold of Iruka and pulled him into an embrace. There, underneath the porch light, they shared a brief kiss, one that neither of them was fully prepared for. When they pulled out after a few long seconds, they stared at one another, both noticeably red-faced, before taking an awkward step back from each other.
"Um… I guess I should be going, then," Kakashi said, pulling up his mask once more.
"You can come in if you'd like," Iruka offered, indicating the open door behind him.
"No, that's all right. Maybe some other time?" Kakashi asked hopefully.
"It's a date."
With that, Iruka waved goodbye and watched as Kakashi hopped into his car and drove into the night. Once the masked man's car was just a small blip in the distance, he shut the door and collapsed onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling with a broad smile crossing his lips.I think I'm going to like it here in Konoha…
Well, there you have it! Hopefully you enjoyed it. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible, and remember: review!