A/N: Thank you for everything you guys. Very appreciated ^.^
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Element
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The two hands shortly jiggled up and down for before Sasuke exacted a bout of cruelness on the adorable blond. As the he wrenched the digits into a deadly vice grip, the coldness in his eyes steadily increased as he witnessed the lithe figure squirm in pain.
"Ow! Lemme go!" Naruto tried to yank his hand away but failed. Like an anaconda, Sasuke tightened his grip as Naruto struggled. Naruto protectively placed his ringed-right hand over Sasuke's own, shifting his weight in the opposite direction in a sad attempt to pry his hand from Sasuke's hazardous clutch.
Feeling like his life was being suffocated through his hand with each passing second; he hastily panicked fearing the precious blood flow in his hand would stop. He wanted to live, well, his hand to. He was much too young to be any type of amputee. But this "Sasuke" character was causing him to become dangerously close to becoming… nubby.
"AH! What the hell is wrong with you!" Naruto hollered, his eyes mimicking twin set of blue moons painted in the humble night sky.
Sakura gasped, glaring at Sasuke. "Let him go," She ordered like a military lieutenant.
Sasuke grudgingly released him. Naruto quickly scurried behind Sakura as a security measure.
"Eeeep! He's a beast! Keep him away from me!" Naruto shivered behind Sakura, his fingernails digging deep into her shoulder. She crossed her arms over her chest and tightly pursed her lips at their unbelievably childish behavior.
"Where the hell did you find him? And please don't say the Amazon," Naruto dramatically begged, sinking lower behind his best friend. "Cause those people are scary. Did you know there's a tribe that eats people? Fucking people, Sakura—"
"No, I did not find him in the Amazon, you idiot, and you!" She pointed to her boyfriend. "Need to behave."
Naruto tauntingly giggled, his tongue victoriously peeking out from behind beautiful lips. Mocking noises trailed behind the pink appendage. Pulling his tongue in, he smiled like a dastard smurf, muttering, "Heh, asshole."
Sasuke scowled at the display of immaturity from the smaller male, despising his propensity to assume things. He presumed that since Naruto looked nice that he actually was nice. \
Ex. Naruto.
Extremely attractive.
Ex. Absolute douchebag.
Ex. Disappointing.
"You too!" Sakura swirled around the instigating blond, refusing to be his shield any longer.
Naruto squealed as his offended eyes blinked innocently. Pointing to himself, his mouth draping slightly, he spoke. "M-me?"
Sasuke smirked as he yielded to Sakura. She reprimanded him like a grade school teacher, putting him in his respective place. It was just what he deserved.
"Yes, you! You came here with this concealed antagonistic attitude, planning to be a pain in the ass and act a fool," Sakura pelted, firing disciplinary glances at her two most important people.
Sakura groaned, throwing her head back, stressfully slapping her hands over her face. "I just wanted you to get along. Maybe get to know each other—"
"I love you Sakura, but…" Naruto tapped his finger on his chin. "Hell no." He quickly raced out the door, making his spontaneous exit.
Sakura closed her eyes almost as hard as the door slammed, wishing she could redo this exact event but with different results.
:
It had been a week since the incident and Sakura could sense Sasuke was sorely disgruntled with the outcome of "the meeting." His grudge was inherently obvious. He hadn't spoken to her in an entire week. "So," Sakura began, "Do you like Naruto?" She wiped summer sweat trickling down her forehead, while approaching her stoic boyfriend. He reluctantly flipped through some local newspaper ignoring the words slipping from her lips. The sharp crinkle of the paper indicated he was still irritated from the occurrence with her best friend, Naruto.
She stared at the man wrapped in a crisp white t-shirt, feeling like stripping down her last article of clothing. She ultimately decided against the idea. The implication that she was comfortable enough glide their relationship into a sexual nature would be a big mistake.
As he looked down at table centered in the eat-in area, she rolled her leafy, green eyes and pulled her tank top in quick motions like a make-shift fan. Of course, the stingy Uchiha would be still mad at her for what happened but she didn't think that he would pass the opportunity up to talk about it. At least complain…
Didn't everybody like to complain?
Even a little bit?
Probably everybody but Sasuke.
Advancing toward her possibly ex-boyfriend, she inspected his exclusively cold face. It was so cold that she thought it should be featured as the lead story on Glacier Today.
He didn't even bat an eyelash in her direction as she stood on his side, her hand propped on the slippery wood. "Are you at least going to talk to me?"
Sasuke languidly flipped the page, tapping his socked foot on the linoleum. "Nope."
"Ha, you just did."
Sasuke gaped up at the patio glass door. His beautiful eyes grazed sun rays refracting on the hot glass as his frown deepened. He couldn't express how unappreciative he was about the immature games he was playing to gain his attention.
He thought he made it clear: If he wanted to talk to her, he would have.
He despised being pressured into things he reallydidn't want to do. Like being told to arrive earlier when he was already early, or work harder when he in fact was already working hard, and especially being dragged into a conversation about that stupid but beautiful asshole named Naruto when he didn't want to be dragged into a conversation about the stupid but beautiful asshole named Naruto.
He unwillingly placed the newspaper down.
He had never felt more frustrated in his entire life. Despite graduating from a top-of-the-line university with a high maintenance family to match, there was more weight on his shoulders than ever before. In his opinion, prison would be a vacation compared to this trip of confusion he was taking. Over the past week, his interests were changing and there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Initially, he liked Sakura, a lot actually. She was caring, smart, and endearing. He was determined to share his new life with her, but he was even more determined for things to work out between them until he met Naruto that is. He wasn't so sure about satisfying the requirements of a meaningful 'relationship' with her after soaking in Naruto's sinfully enchanting smile. He found himself to wanting to be the cause of the smile, capture it, and embellish it.
Those gripping thoughts made him feel like he was a cheater, something he knew he wasn't. But when he looked at Naruto for the first time, his perfection repulsed him from Sakura. The second demolished all his evolving feelings. Admitting was hard but actually living it was even harder. It was bad enough that his reclusive behavior was extremely damning. His anti-social isolation coupled with his cynically-clipped responses were cryptic to Sakura but not to him. Clearly he knew exactly what he was chasing after.
But he didn't understand. This was a fresh relationship. Everything was supposed to progress from their 'honeymoon' period like a soaring rocket. Not fizzle and crash into the ground.
Unprovoked by Sakura, his straying heart hoped that this relationship wasted into a pillar of dust so he could explore other available options, like Naruto.
Damnit, he blamed those soul-searing blue eyes for everything.
So powerful and blue? How was this even possible?
He wasn't homosexual, nor homosexually attracted to Naruto. It felt deeper than that. It was deeper than that.
Sasuke appreciated beauty androgynously regardless of the admired sex. It was a trait that he discovered through proper education. Without the binding labels of gay or straight, Sasuke identified the intense shrouding in his chest as intense infatuation. Naruto being one of the main symptom.
His heavenly beauty was astounding, so much so that it defied all logic, possibly even reality.
Because…
He found him more attractive than Sakura.
He found her best friend more attractive than her.
Damn, it was mind-bottling… Mind bottling? Boggling? Mind-racking?
Who cares? It was a mind fuck… And his brain nearly orgasmed at the sight. He didn't even want to get started on what was happening in his pants.
He was literally being scraped to death by his zipper every time he pictured his face. Oh Lord it was happening, again…
Trying to avoid the sensation, he breezed his fingers through his hair, glaring up at Sakura. "What do you want from me?" He snapped.
She planted her hand on her hip and pushed loose hairs behind her ear. "I want you to talk to me. Is that so much to ask?"
He stared, as the biting silence consumed them. She figured he wasn't planning on consummating her question with an answer, so she decided to take a different route.
"Look." She adjusted her stance so she wouldn't come across as chiding. "I was thinking… Tonight's going to be a full moon, clear skies. Why don't you and Naruto go down town—hang out for a bit?" She shrugged as if hanging out with someone that decided you were on their shit list for eternity in the first five seconds was as "easy" as pressing an easy button. Unfortunately, it wasn't it. It was hard like relocating to the top of the Rocky Mountains in Canada… Hard, like Sasuke feared his dick might get…
He glanced at her. She stared back determinedly. He roughly sighed. There was no way out of this, was there?
:
"Hello?"
"Hey, Robespierre," Sakura amusedly replied.
"Awe, what's all that about?" Naruto dejectedly asked rebuking Sakura calling him a royal spree killer so early in the morning.Especially, before class.
"I have a proposition for you."
"Should be afraid?"
"Maybe… I don't know."
Blowing down, Naruto submitted, "I'm listening."
"Tonight's going to be beautiful and Iknowyou're not busy tonight so go out with Sasuke so I don't have to hurt you."
"Hurt me! Are you threatening me you fuc—"
"It is not a threat sweetheart, it's a promise."
"I don't take kindly tohazardouspromises,Sakura," Naruto spat.
"I don't think you have a choice, Naruto…If you decline, serendipitously, after class, you may find me near your car waiting for you."
"You wouldn't…" Naruto roughly whispered.
"I would."
"I'll call the police."
"You should call the police, but I recommend you call the ambulance instead. Matter a fact; I'll call them for you."
Silence ensued.
"…Why are you doing this?"
"Because I really really really really really really—"
"Okay, okay, I get it."
"Like Sasuke. And you know I love you very much. And I want this arrangement to work out… between all of us."
She could hear Naruto's pouting from across the phone line.
"Fuck, what time do you want me to meet him?"
She giggled like the pink piglet from Winnie the Pooh, victoriously pumping her fist in the air. "Tonight at 8."
:
Naruto viciously pulled up the brake, looking at Sakura's dry lawn, leaking malevolence.
He really wished he could have said yes to the all night rager his friend invited him to but he couldn't. Sakura's threats were so overwhelming he wouldn't dare defy her.
God, it was such a waste… He planned on getting faded. Faded until he didn't know mother given name but instead he was here, waiting for this jerk off, Sasuke.
This was most definitely not the way he wanted to spend his Friday evening…
"Fuck my life… and Sasuke's too," Naruto whispered, his hands firmly sealed on the steering wheel before he climbed from his two year old car.
Slamming the door, he cast a starchy glance the on the 2011 Lexus parked beside his Nissan Altima.
Initially he rolled his eyes, wishing he could stuff a family sized jar worth of peanut butter in the gas tank. But suddenly his emotions changed, and he traced the metal Lexus logo with reverent curiosity.
'A man that's got his own is always sexy…'
And that was a fact he wouldn't retract. Although
He rang the doorbell, adjusting his True Religion jacket, wondering if he overdressed. He bit his lip, he tried to calm his nerves, remembering that it wasn't anyone special, just Sasuke.
Sakura pulled open the door with ample excitement as he came inside.
In a haze, of friendlessness and dread Naruto felt his car keys being snatched from the grip of his hand. "We're taking your car."
:
As they flew down the interstate, Naruto slouched in the passenger seat, exuding his A-class emotional baggage.
"I have to go out with you… And you're driving my car…"
Sasuke glimpsed out the corner of his eye at his theatrical moaning and groaning.
"Did you bring any rope?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke squinted his eyes, confused. "For what?"
Naruto cupped his throat and rolled the right lobe of his skull against the head rest lethargically. "So can I kill myself," he moaned.
"Don't let the absence of rope stop you. There are plenty of other methods."
Naruto slowly looked back at him. "I suppose you're going to tell me from personal experience."
"Yep, tried everything. Just unsuccessful." Sasuke shrugged, feeling Naruto's gaze burning two holes into his right cheek.
"I can help if, you know, you ever want to finish the job." Naruto concernedly nodded in confirmation.
"I'll let you know," Sasuke sarcastically agreed.
"You know…" Naruto faced Sasuke in the poorly lit interior. "If you think you're going to get your hooks into my best friend, you've got another thing coming." Naruto said with a frightening absoluteness.
"Hooks? I'm not a pirate, idiot."
"You are a leach though. And the only thing that's going to be bled dry is you. Do you understand?"
Sasuke focused on the road and discounted Naruto's ridiculous terrorizations.
"Hello, I'm talking to you! Are deaf AND dumb now?"
No reply.
"You suck."
"And you swallow," Sasuke finally replied.
"You're a disgusting pervert. Do you hear me?" Naruto screeched across the console.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like it's true. I bet that those guys must like it when you take it all in—"
"Ew! I'm not listening to you!" Naruto covered his ears. "Can't believe you kiss your mother with that mouth!"
"The real question is how you kiss anyone with that one," Sasuke said, fighting not to chuckle at his exaggerated reactions.
"I DON'T SUCK DICK, YOU FUCKER!" Naruto screamed impossibly loud.
Sasuke thought the windshield of the car cracked but he wasn't sure if it did or not. He wasn't that concerned about it anyhow, it wasn't his car.
"Damn, you could make an entire village go deaf." Sasuke pulled one hand from the steering and wiggled his pinky finger in his ear to ensure he didn't just lose fifty percent of his hearing.
"I wouldn't deafen an entire village, JUST YOU!" Naruto yelled as he fiercely lunged at the driver. Thankfully for Sasuke's sake, he was restrained by the likes of the seatbelt.
"Chill. Before I shove you in a freezer," Sasuke threatened, watching him practically foam at the mouth in his peripheral vision.
"Don't threaten me, asswipe," Sasuke snarled.
"Asswipe, eh? At least it's a step up from a deposit box."
:
They finally arrived in downtown Seattle, the originator of Starbucks and the birth of the coffee epidemic. The Uchiha parked alongside the sidewalk near a parking meter and pulled up the brake.
Naruto stepped out of the car, feeling a wave of anxiousness overwhelm him. The structured street light blurred the extension of Naruto's artistic mind. Overwhelmed blues roved to the lively building lights of plum, sapphire, and blood red beams smearing his incoherent thoughts. He could barely fathom the coordinated architecture that scraped the sky while also scraping the oxygen straight from his lungs. As a result, a swell of bottled love uncapped as he observed the solemn night sky that sparkled with solitude.
He closed the door and exhaled. Alongside him, calm civilians strode in and out of stores leisurely, seizing full advantage of the lax environment. Naruto wished he could come here more often. The heart of the city instilled a cool air of confidence into the heart of the city. Much to his chagrin, he was too busy to visit regularly. It was a blessing in disguise. Maybe it was worth canceling his appearance at the wild party.
he leaned against his silver car, his ganger spiraling around the inspiring Space Needle. In succession, his heart pounded like a snare drum.
"Don't come up here much?" Sasuke asked, startling him from his prideful stupor.
"Eh, no, not often," Naruto guardedly answered, catapulting off the car door onto the large blocks of pavement.
"Mm, it really is a treat when you do get the time to come up here and… relax," Sasuke slowly joined him on the curb, pushing his hands in his jean pockets, transparent grey eyes elevating toward the glowing black sky above his head.
"I guess," Naruto agreed sharply, not appreciating his futile attempt to bond. Did he really think it was going to be that easy?
"What are you trying for Uchiha?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms.
"Civility?"
"Chivalry is dead."
"Someone with no class would say that."
"HA HA HA. HA! Go fuck yourself." Naruto stormed away as Sasuke automatically locked the car and followed.
"Why would I do that, when you have me right next to me?"
"You couldn't pay me nearly enough." Naruto snorted continuing his brisk escape.
"I wouldn't have to pay you at all."
Naruto visibly cringed. "Can we stop talking about this? You're dating my best friend, which makes this conversation beyond creepy." Naruto's terrified doe eyes glanced up at Sasuke as he stopped dead in his tracks, standing face to face with him.
Sasuke hissed in his head—damnit IT ALL. It was time to let it go."How old are you, anyways?"
"I'm at this really strange, pivotal age."
"…Which is?"
"None of your business," Naruto said coldly.
"I see…" Sasuke nodded. "I'll just ask Sakura, I'm sure she'll—"
"Alright, alright," Naruto huffed. "I'm 19. How about you?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke with a delectable inquisitiveness that nearly made Sasuke lick his lips the way he would if he had just finished a hot, delicious meal. Luckily, he resisted and proceeded to answer the lingering question.
"22."
"22's a good age. Have you decided what nursing home you want to go to?" Naruto asked with the utmost seriousness.
Sasuke refused to answer the ludicrous question as Naruto pressed on. "No? It's not too late to decide where."
Sasuke bucked at him and Naruto stepped back with a hearty chuckle that warmed Sasuke with toe-curling emotional pleasure through his white Aeropostale hoodie and stretchy black skinnes.
"So do you go to school?" Sasuke asked, allowing his anger to fizzle.
"Yeah," Naruto replied as nicely as Sasuke had ever heard him sound. Maybe he was finally loosening up a bit.
"What college do you go to?"
Naruto cocked a blond brow with a mysterious smile. "Whyyyyy?"
"Cause I wanna be regarded as hero like Paul Revere as I yell 'the idiot is coming' throughout all the hallways."
Naruto frowned, muttering, "That was uncalled for. I have a 3.9 GPA. M'not dumb, so you can eat shit." Naruto pouted, kicking his foot at the tidy concrete. "You can go that way and I'll go this way," He said, wandering away aimlessly. Sasuke grabbed his arm, twisted his arm around in the opposite direction, dislocating his puny arm from the socket.
"You're not going anywhere."
"Let me go! I don't have to go anywhere with you!" Naruto tried to pull his arm away.
"Yes, you do! Tonight, it's my job to keep an eye on you," Sasuke said.
Naruto huffed but stopped pulling away.
"We're going to the fountain in the International Center."
:
Endless amounts water spurted about ten feet in the air as Sasuke and Naruto trudged upon its propelling beauty.
Then, Naruto remembered why the manmade geyser attracted numerous tourists from all over the world. Even tonight it was seasoned with awestruck people who designated their focus on the soft moon glow that framed the translucent water in the fountain's pool. In a way the somber setting was oddly romantic… even though he was with his best friend's boyfriend.
Shivering, he stepped forward, and walked into the brunt of the water, uncaring if the company trailed behind him or not.
Water splattered onto his expensive jacket, soaking the pair of classic Vans in the process. Feeling an unfeeling gaze on his back, he spun around and pouted. Why was this jackass looking at him like he was unworthy or something?
"You broke rule number one," Naruto snarled.
"By correcting your illegitimate thoughts?" Sasuke asked, confused.
"No, by touching me," Naruto snipped like the young punk he was. "You never touch me. Is that understood?"
"The fountain looks stunning tonight." Sasuke sighed, admiring the center city attraction with so much admiration, one would have thought that he was looking at the love of his life.
"Don't ignore me!" Naruto wailed as a major vein throb in his temple.
He couldn't believe this. This man challenged his superiority complex more and more every chance he got. How did Sakura find the courage to date someone that was his polar opposite and then tell them to get along? Was she just trying to piss him off in her old age?
He didn't like thinking about them being together, especially long term. If she happened to marry him, he promised to have the biggest conniption known to man… Come to think of it, he could always kill him. Too bad, he could enact his irrational plan right now.
"I don't know why I even agreed to this…" Naruto rolled his eyes and looked toward the heavens. "I could have gone out and gotten wasted tonight but instead I'm stuck here with you." Naruto rolled his eyes at the sky, willing himself through a portal that would somehow transport him to the party. Actually it didn't even have to be the party. It just had to be anywhere but here.
Sasuke's mouth thinned. "Yeah, because that's always fun. Hang out with a bunch of underage assholes," Naruto negatively recoiled at the stringent insult. "that drink until the wallpaper becomes a mirror or just until they pass the fuck out. Wouldn't be surprised if some of them even attempt to swim home via their river of throw up," Sasuke retorted, agitated with the irresponsibility of the statement.
When he attended college, there were so many yahoos that didn't make it past the first semester because they developed a distinctive drinking problem that intervened with the work ethic.
Even with their butchered attendance, they still hammered on with a poor understanding of the material and their declining grades. It wasn't until the police busted the fraternities and sororities for with improper use of the dormitory, that they were brought before the disciplinary board for their unlawful actions. From there, the board decided to expel them one by one. Sasuke distinctly remembered the hot gossip. He only shrugged and felt an unsympathetic wash of relief. College wasn't a drinking competition, nor was it one gigantic party. It was a place of learning. If they didn't realize that within the first few weeks then they really did deserve to be removed from the institution.
The same applied to Naruto and his love for alcohol.
The blond looked away and pushed his hand under the cold sprays of water, his front of arrogance disappearing. "I don't drink until I pass out or until I throw up."
Unconvinced, Sasuke shoveled deeper. "Just until you don't know math anymore, right?"
Naruto focused on the water pouring on his hand, disregarding Sasuke's insulting question. Light sprinkles of liquid decorated his satiny, brass colored skin as a vulnerable mast of defenselessness grew in the misty azure eyes. Frozen in place, Sasuke realized he struck a major chord that he didn't even know the note of. Absorbing the trigger like a sponge, he became a neutral slate, his eyes colliding with influential blue eyes. He waived the bust of snootiness that he had exhibited earlier and wondered how he would address Naruto's change of attitude.
He idly stood under the rush of the crucifying liquid, his straight hair matted under the water's mercy. A wordless Naruto diverted his gaze in genuine shame. Suddenly, everything you fell into place and he understood the teen's awkward hush. Nobody knew about his drinking problem, including Sakura.
He couldn't exactly pinpoint the reason behind his excessive drinking, but one thing was, he was going to uncover what it was.
"It takes more than one particle to make up an atom."
And the plot thickens!
Dude, I wanted to get this out sooner but I had a stupid essay to write. 4 pages. (Essays are dumb. Say NO to essays.)
I have to say though, I enjoyed this chapter and… maybe next chapter will be even better. BECAUSE, we'll meet more characters –winks mysteriously-
Questions. Comments, Concerns. Always welcome and appreciated.
;;