I apologize, I've been sickkkkk. That happens a lot & I profusely apologize /:
Please forgive me and take this chapter as compensation for my short absence.
Thank you everyone –kisses-especially FanofBellaandEdward. Thank you so much doll (:
Hopefully, the local mortician could tell him what his cause of death was. He couldn't tell whether it was the piking curiosity in those direly blue eyes, or the slick tint to the beautiful copper skin, or those pouty velvet lips, or the itsy bitsy towel concealing his searching gaze, or possibly the fact that he was a few feet and a few seconds from taking what he believed was rightfully his.
He was still confused. Did this encounter constitute a murder charge, or was it a wrongful death suit?
Sasuke whisked the thought away and swallowed the wad of mistrust balled in his throat.
Why was this happening to him?
How in the hell could this happen to him?
All he wanted to do was apologize for Sakura's absurd actions, not to cop a feel from her best friend.
Although it would be an excellent pastime, it wasn't his intention.
He tried to firmly configure his irresolute brain waves so he could try to manage to shake the image in front of him. Not the easiest task in the world, but at least he was putting some effort behind it.
"Hello!" Naruto wailed, pushing his slippery body off the door. "You had something to tell me!? Are you gonna spit it out or are you just gonna stand there!?"
Sasuke slid his hand over his face, frustrated. "Naruto, go put some clothes on," He muttered in a low dangerous tone.
Naruto frowned. "Uh, no," He hissed. "Tell me what you were going to tell me. It's not like you haven't seen a guy naked before." Naruto rolled his eyes and scoffed, Sasuke's obvious distress not soaking in.
"Naruto, just go put on some clothes," Sasuke urged as his right hand flew in the air.
"No! Not until you tell me what you were going to say!" Naruto retorted rebelliously, his cheeks flaring red. He walked up to Sasuke, getting too close for the Uchiha's comfort. "What were you going to tell me?"
In a flurry of quick movements and a loud thump, Naruto was trapped between Sasuke's arms, fear lightly daubing his soft features.
"Naruto, I'm not going to tell you again. Put on your clothes, or I won't be responsible for what happens to you." The Uchiha's insidious eyes protruded through Naruto's gate of insistence. The small blond shook like a flag as the room's temperature drop to a new metaphorical low. His damp lips fell open as his found Sasuke's sexual implication dangerous. He was doubtful of Sasuke's implication, so he stared with his evident surprise.
"Do we understand each other?" Sasuke asked in the base of his throat.
Naruto could hear Sasuke's nails digging into the wall, literally resisting his lusty alter ego's contribution in his sinister reaction.
Realizing that Sasuke was really serious, he only pathetically nodded, as he to the bathroom, inadvertently giving Sasuke a sneak peek of his golden globes that deserved a golden globe, better yet an Oscar.
Sasuke clapped his hands then rubbed them together, trying to chill the fuck out before he incidentally followed Naruto to his private quarters, pinned him down, and consequently raped him. It would be classified as rape at this point because Naruto would not be a willing participant. Maybe one day, but not now. He had to stop himself now because the timing was off. He needed better timing.
He hissed his teeth, massaged his forehead, and plopped himself into the couch.
Better luck next time.
Secretly, he damned his self-control. He knew he could have kissed Naruto and probably touched him in the perfect manner convincing him to eventually concede into a sensual act. But, unfortunately, when he considered what Naruto said yesterday, his conscious made him take the high road.
And he thought about Sakura. Periodically. She was an afterthought nowadays. And strangely, he didn't feel too guilt-ridden about it either.
But Naruto, that was a different story. A different fairytale. A different fantasy. One that he had to experience for himself or he would never be satisified.
"Wait!" Naruto shot back to the couch, his towel still stretched around him. With an apologetic glance, Naruto stopped at the sofa arm. "You're sitting on my phone."
Suppressing a flick of embarrassment (for Uchiha's do not feel embarrassed), Sasuke attempted to move but before he could Naruto shoved his hand underneath his ass and salvaged his phone with a small smirk.
"Nice buns." A soft giggle pleated Sasuke's plate of seriousness as Naruto walked away to get dressed by Sasuke's request—demand.
At least in the process, Sasuke discovered his ass was compliment worthy. Who knew?
…
Naruto quickly returned in blue gym shorts and a white t-shirt, completely impasse about the entire incident. He immediately wrote Sasuke's outburst off as one of his many mental episodes. Naruto wondered if he wished on a lucky star, if he could avoid calling the "happy hotel" to cart away this fucking lunatic. In the meantime, he would just have to keep his fingers crossed as the madman sat on his couch.
He stood in front of Sasuke like he did a few nights ago when he asked him to the movies a few days ago, waiting for Sasuke to expel his failure of words.
"So what is that you want? I'm fully clothed this round so you don't have to worry about being distracted by a naked body. Which is strange, because it's not like I was planning on stripping for you or anything. Or would you have liked something along those lines? Because that can be arranged—"
"Stop talking… just shut the fuck up." Sasuke gravely gawked at Naruto, interweaving his fingers tightly. "I didn't come here to hear you talk. I came here to talk to you."
Naruto puffed up like a puffer fish and crossed his arms.
It was like he was intentionally pushing Sasuke's imaginary buttons. Since when was he not able to take a stupid joke? There was no seriousness behind his sarcasm, so why was this Uchiha getting all uptight?
Damn. It had to be in the bloodline.
Or in his apartment building's water. But how was he to know?
"Then can you just say it already so you can stop—" Naruto waved his hand at Sasuke's likeness. "occupying my personal space?"
"I could get more personal by occupying your bedroom," Sasuke said, setting forward on his knees.
Naruto's natural shade drained and flooded with a wash of red. "That'll never happen," Naruto muttered, scorning Sasuke's comment, internally panicking.
"You say that now. But we can always retreat—" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Sasuke—why are you here? Can we please just start there?" Naruto interrupted embarrassed.
"I came here to apologize." Sasuke said, emptying all humor from his posture.
Naruto's shoulders dropped and his arms slowly unfolded. "Apologize for what?" He asked softly, suspecting there was some invisible punchline approaching from the horizon. Was Sasuke seriously here to apologize to him or was he just trying to deceive him into trusting him?
As he patted his upper arm gently, he switched his footing. He subconsciously connected with Sasuke in a manner that should have made him inherently uncomfortable. Only, it didn't.
"What? What do you mean apologize? For what?"
"For Sakura's stupidity. Unfortunately, she's my perpetual responsibility and if she doesn't apologize, I will."
Sasuke's candor suddenly caused yards of ruins. Naruto tried to dissuade his emotions and tried to not like Sasuke so much but it was so hard. His realness and his honesty stunned him so much that it didn't appear authentic.
"You shouldn't be apologizing for her," Naruto muttered turbulently.
The aerobics of Naruto's troubling trust issues performed on his gorgeous face. Sasuke felt the urge to reach out and hold him for all the things that were hurting him and had hurt him. He just wanted to soothe all his pain and leave the grieving to the mourners.
Obviously, Sakura had hurt him deeply but she wasn't trying to fix it, something that was worth fixing. Her blind jealously was contributing her to stupid choices, like hacking an ax into Naruto's back. He had angered her but she taken out on Naruto. The backlash ruined the baby steps they had taken toward a pliable relationship that would ultimately benefit her. She was constantly contradicting herself when it came to what she wanted from them. She was only getting more jealous after her suspicions peaked.
He supposed it was his fault. He didn't tell that he planned to take Naruto out to the movies. Even so, that didn't excuse the mega bitch episode. Her congeniality limitations were finally exposed.
Naruto seemed to have open ears but he still apparently, required further convincing, so he pressed on.
"But I do," Sasuke insisted, grabbing Naruto's hand, delicately running his thumb over the back of his hand. "Come here."
Half-muddled with confoundment and half-muddled with respect, Naruto followed Sasuke's physical guide to the couch, beside him.
'He's such a gentleman,' Naruto thought with a teetering sigh. It made him want to roll over like a dog but with his pride as a strong barrier to keep that prevent that formality from happening.
"Naruto, you say it's not my place to apologize but that's just not true. If I made you feel uncomfortable, then it is my place to rectify your uneasiness. I know you think that I conducted some unethical, untrustworthy maneuvering behind your back. But that couldn't be further from the truth. I would never do that—I'm not jealous of your place in Sakura's life. We share different roles but at the same time it's one and the same—to make her happy." Sasuke's veracity was more than just convincing; it was satisfying.
Thankfully, it wasn't Sasuke who was trying to raze Sakura's utopia, it was Sakura herself.
Ashamed of his rashness, Naruto wished he hadn't gotten drunk at Gaara's that night.
Instead of spouting pointlessly hateful things, he should have listened to what Sasuke had to say. He owed him that much.
Regrettably, he had the tendency to shut people out and guard himself with titanium walls. It was impossible for anyone to pilot around, including Sasuke.
He felt stupid for overreacting. Maybe he should apologize for his eruption of misdirected frustration.
"It makes you feel any better—I didn't go anywhere with her," Sasuke revealed, completely gaging Naruto's kneejerk reaction to what was said. To Sasuke's pleasure, it appeared positive.
Naruto absently blinked. Sasuke was so upset that he canceled their date?
…What?
Secretly grinning on the inside, he enjoyed the jolting spark Sasuke's gentle caress created.
"You, you didn't go out with her?" Naruto tepidly questioned.
"No, she didn't deserve it."
As he reframed from hollering 'thank you' at the top of his lungs, Naruto felt Sasuke's steady stroke stride onto his index finger.
"You didn't have to—"
"Well, I did. Naruto, look at me." The blond did as he was told. "I would have never done that to you. Frankly you don't deserve that."
Naruto believed every word that he said. Either Sasuke's tongue was crafted of winning wisdom or he had a magnetic anchor tied to the end of it. Whatever it was, it was working.
It made him like him even more.
He was trying to stay away.
Sadly, however he cut the cheese, he couldn't do that.
And it fucking scared him.
So much.
"I don't want to dwell on it anymore. Now that it's covered, I think we should go to the city fair."
…
The beautiful sky was peppered a beautiful silver as they walked in its radiant glow, and through the entrance of the carnival. Fluctuating humid ripples embraced them as the bustled on the concrete jungle. Live packs of ecstatic children scrabbled along the open area, with responsible adults minding them. Their loud laughs and large smiles awakened a pang of jealousy in Naruto as gazed upon their playful activities.
The fresh smell of gourmet cuisines and newly made candy exposed memories that Naruto preferred to keep buried. But he wasn't able to. The fiery but recognizable pain still settled on the surface no matter how hard he tried to shove it back into the cork.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke shamefully. He only brought him here because he felt sorry for him. These attendees were here to have fun with the people they loved, not people they pitied.
Naruto didn't know why he let Sasuke lug him here. He knew that Sasuke felt guilty. It made him not want to come. He wasn't obligated to compensate for her. Like he said, she didn't deserve such kindness. But that was Sasuke, always reaching out to people who didn't deserve it. People just like him.
Feeling seriously dejected, he slouched through the gate Sasuke sullenly looking at Sasuke. Sasuke saw the look at Naruto's face and then positioned his hand on the small of his back.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Sasuke whispered.
Naruto shook his head and wanly smiled. "N-nothing. I'm fine," he lied as they fed into the larger crowd.
Sasuke didn't seem to buy it but let it go. He couldn't tell Naruto to cheer up. That would be cheap and meaningless. He would need to show that Naruto that he needed to be happy.
"Did you see anything you want to try?" Sasuke asked, moving away the hand that Naruto liked having there.
He glanced around momentarily and set his sights on the ball-dunk near the large drawing raffle in the center of the fair. He lowly hummed, biting his lips and sifting through his options. Finally, his interests emerged, when he spotted the blank firing game. That one. He had to win that one!
"That one! 'Less do that one!" Naruto looked at Sasuke with juvenile jubilation and grabbed his elbow. Sasuke smirked with a nod as they headed over. Naruto examined the game and verified this was the game he wanted to play. With Naruto's confirmation, Sasuke purchased a roll of tickets for Naruto's dispense. The blond teen fessed up two tickets. The opportunity to embark on the journey of obtaining a prize was once in a lifetime and he was going make the best of it.
"If you shoot three in a row, you can win one of our prizes," The young woman said with a smile, her stance showcasing the game. Absorbed, Naruto ogled the prizes. Teddy bears, distinctive Seattle paper weights, precious glasses of the Mariners, et cetera.
He awkwardly handled the false firearm barrel. He had never held anything that resembled a gun before. This was an entirely new experience, one that he planned to embrace.
He fingered trigger and took the first shot. Sasuke stood behind Naruto as he finished a round of shots. The moving target rotated and Naruto failed at hitting anything.
He cursed and placed the gun down.
Okay, he never held a gun before but this was just great. He had a better chance of hitting his foot. But in all likelihood, he would probably miss that too.
As he groaned in frustration, a pool of warmth accumulated at his sides, and the gun rose back to the moving targets. "Don't give up, Naruto. You just need to focus—it's not that hard," Sasuke's smoky voice skirted against the shell of Naruto's ear as his index finger covered Naruto's, his body shielding his back, fitting perfectly. Sasuke covered the barrel of the gun with his left hand, his hand brushing Naruto's warm one.
"Use the scope… Aim." Naruto lowered a single blue eye to the scope as Sasuke balanced the weapon and moved it slightly to the left. A deep flush crawled up the back of Naruto neck as Sasuke helped him shoot the targets flat on their back, one at a time.
"One." They shot one. "Two." They shot two. "Three." The third target fell, they completed their task.
As Naruto exhaled like a raggedy air conditioner, he felt Sasuke's fingers press over his own in a rather intimate manner. His cheeks warmed further and Sasuke pressed closer against the comfort of his spine. He fit so well behind him that he felt like the missing ingredient to the perfect recipe. He moved his hand away from the warm grip of the trigger. He tried to level his breathing when Sasuke's lips grazed his ear. A spontaneous feeling blossomed in his lower stomach and flourished in his soul.
Sasuke shifted his palms onto his sides and held him there, suggesting to everyone that they were more than what they knew they were.
Onlookers clapped at the sheer victory, glad to see that they had won the event so easily. "What prize do you want?" Sasuke confidentially whispered in Naruto's ear, scooping out the prizes himself.
A hot rush burned on his cheeks as he found the courage to glimpse at the cool, unaffected Sasuke. "Um, maybe the frog—the really big one."
"Can we have the frog, the one in the back, please?"
The woman nodded and gave Naruto the frog.
Naruto held the stuffed creature and slapped the protruding pink tongue, he fell in love. Those yellow-black eyes, his yellow belly, and that green coating… Jeez, could he get any more perfect?
He strangled the innocent toy with brute force, squealing like a newborn pig. "I LOVEEEEE it! I'm gonna do everything with it. I'm going to shower with it, cook with it, sleep with it…!"
Sasuke smirked as he quietly commented behind the commotion. "Wow, I'm actually jealous."
Naruto stopped shaking the prized possession like a rag doll and turned around to Sasuke cutely. Sasuke blinked, not expecting Naruto to hear him so clearly. "Really?"
Sasuke captured the rosy radiance dartling on Naruto's cheeks in the darkness only flooded by limited effulgence. As His sparkling grin spread across his face, Sasuke felt from their joint achievement slightly exonerated him from causing Naruto pain.
"Really," Sasuke admitted.
"Aw," Naruto uttered sympathetically, "We can arrange something so everyone feels included."
Loosely, Naruto held the frog around the neck, vivaciously smiling at Sasuke. "Does that sound good?"
Sasuke's face shattered into a smile. "Excellent. We'll take care of our son to the best ability."
"Oh, yes our son will need our love and support to turn into a fruitful member of society." Naruto laughed. Kids? Him and Sasuke? Oh, hell no, never in a million light years.
If anything, he would be the one taking care of him and Sakura's baby(s).
It never legitimately crossed his mind. The whole thing was a gag.
Naruto looked at Sasuke's lustrous ebony hair, his glistening cinereal eyes, and the powdery white skin that was a perfect as enamel. He slowly felt butterflies breed in his tummy.
He had to admit, they would make pretty babies.
He didn't mean anything by it. It was just a conclusion.
Maybe a bad one… But still just a simple conclusion.
They departed from the wooden stand and explored the nearby gazebos. In a strange turn of events, Sasuke ended up carrying the large frog in his arms as Naruto walked freely.
Sasuke quietly groaned as his eyebrow twitched. How the hell did end up carrying this stupid toy?
"Oh my gosh, let's sign up for this!" Naruto wounded Sasuke by hitting him in the stomach. He stumbled, missing what Naruto said before he ran off.
Sasuke looked over the frog's head and rolled his eyes. This was harder than chaperoning a hyperactive, ADHD, child that was also suffering from a sugar rush.
This little teen was from one extreme from the next.
Taking in all the air he needed, he followed Naruto.
"We should sign up!" Naruto called behind him, snagging the pen off the glass case. Sasuke lowered the stuffed animal to see what Naruto was writing.
"Sassske Uchi-cakes." Naruto wrote on the slip with a triumphant smile.
Sasuke felt a headache come on as he said, "That's not my name."
Naruto looked up at Sasuke with a question mark floating in his irises. "That's what I imagine your name to be."
"That's glorious but IN REALITY that's not what my name is," Sasuke falsely entertained his flash of imagination.
"Are you implying that I live in my own alternate reality and don't have any knowledge of what's occurring in the real universe and that I need to be locked into away from civilization, preferably a mental institution?" Naruto asked, putting the pen down.
Sasuke felt an offensive wave come on.
"I'm didn't say that, Naruto," Sasuke answered appalled. "I'm implying that you changed my name to suit your own purposes," Sasuke clarified with a pinch of attitude.
"I did no such thing! I just think your name is better off that way."
Sasuke's dangerous glare made Naruto feel like he could be slaughtered at any passing moment just by the optical connection between them. Scary shit.
The Uchiha-cake pushed up the frog under his arm and then starting filling out the slip with vigor.
"What are you-"
"Naruto, Uzu-Macy."
Naruto winced, interlacing his fingers tightly. "That's not my name," he said in a quiet, submissive voice.
"What was that? I didn't quite catch that." Sasuke condescendingly leaned his ear closer.
"That-" Naruto exhaled. "That's not my name," He said louder.
"Doesn't feel good, does it?" Sasuke asked, burying his smirk in an attempt effectively teach Naruto a lesson about mutual respect, obviously something that he lacked.
Naruto deflated and slowly shook his head.
"Good," Sasuke said folding up both the slips and shoving them into the box. Naruto witnessed the act and gasped.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry. Why'd you do that!?" Naruto pouted and puffed his cheeks.
"So you'll learn."
Sasuke felt like his heart was on the verge of bursting and splattering against his ribcage as he peered down at the beautiful teen. Was it even possible for him to be basking in something so perfect? It was like he was a small Greek God, fallen from grace was searching for his path back to purity and righteousness, detoured from where he was destined to be.
Sasuke's realigned his focus.
Naruto was obviously on a poor path.
…Gaara.
He didn't know anything about the guy but he had a bad feeling about him. He doubted his feelings were mistaken. Usually, when he had an inkling about some of the characters he came across, he was right.
As far as he was concerned, Gaara was a consuming, infectious, malicious tumor that needed to be removed.
Although it was unconfirmed, it was just an inkling.
He had a feeling he was right.
After leaving the small glass booth, they avoided migrating fair goers and made it to the food venue. Naruto purchased two enormous wads of cotton candy that were bigger than head for eight dollars.
"I won't be held responsible for your diagnosis of diabetes."
A tongue that was intertwined with the sugary treat poked out at Sasuke. "You bought the tickets—so technically, you're my enabler."
"You would find some way to make this my fault." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
Naruto nodded. "Damn straight. It's not my fault that you're a hater."
Still holding the large toy, he looked at him as he walked away. "And how the hell did you reach that conclusion?"
"Because…" Naruto stopped him in place, getting on his toes in worn Chucks. "You contracted diabetes the moment you met me," Sasuke paused as Naruto startled him with his boisterous laughter. "I'm just too sweet for you!" He continued laughing like a maniac.
"What's wrong, baby? You look like you seen a ghost." Naruto chuckled, saving the Patrick Swayze joke, inadvertently ignoring the all telltale signs one would need to heed about human attraction.
Was Naruto beaming thoughts out of his head or something?
Did he find out about… he didn't even want to say it in his head. Naruto just might hear him…
"Awe, I'm right. It's okay." Naruto caringly patted his cheek. "People have told me I'm too sweet to handle."
"Did they also tell you you're head rivals the size of the Earth and all the seven planets combined?" Sasuke safely countered, rigidly striding away.
Naruto's eyes fleeted toward the sky. "Wait, what do you mean by that!? Hey, get back here!"
Naruto juggled his cotton candy, trying to catch up to Sasuke.
Strolling next to Sasuke, Naruto pouted at him, only to be ignored by the taller man.
"Stop—" Naruto was interrupted by an icecream cone on the ground that belonged to a young baby in a hooded stroller. A piercing shriek unified with the countless sounds strewn in the background. Naruto gasped and quickly moved to soothe the child and console the distressed mother.
"Little guy," Naruto smoothly coerced, shocked to find it only elicited a scratchier screech. Biting his lip, Naruto indecisively looked at the dirty blonde mother who glanced around to see who noticed her usually bright child misbehaving. She absently pushed her curly, unkempt hair behind her ear and half-smiled at the duo that headed her stroller. "I'm sorry… Sometimes, he gets like this. He's quite… clumsy. I theorize he butters his fingers." She nervously laughed, running her hand over her forehead.
Sasuke nodded empathetically as he watched a sympathetic smile play on Naruto's beautiful pink lips. "You'll just have to make him wash his hands more often then."
The Uchiha observed a steadfast connection grow between Naruto and the screaming baby boy in the stroller. Naruto's compassion surfaced as he partially bent down to the child and pinched his cheek. "Don't worry little man. I'll get you some more icecream."
Naruto nudged Sasuke toward the icecream man to their right. Sasuke nodded as they exchanged competitive glares. Both males pulled out cash.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked Sasuke, separating the dollar bill values.
"Counting sheep. What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to buy the icecream," Sasuke retorted, pulling a few dollars from his roll of cash.
"Why would you do that?" Naruto scoffed. "I was the one that offered."
"I feel sorry for the kid. He can't keep the icecream in his hands to save his life," Sasuke reasoned.
"I know you saw your reflection of clumsiness in the splattered icecream cone but that doesn't mean you have to extend your generosity where it's not needed," Naruto shot back, about to place his money on the white counter and order the ice cream when Sasuke cut the transaction with a knife.
"I actually saw you."
All life stopped.
"What?!" Naruto crumbled the money in his hand, frightening the timid male white clad man behind the counter.
"You heard me—my pity extended to you." Sasuke said with bitter condemnation. Little did he know, that Naruto was about to shoot his quilts.
"Aw, hell nah!"
The cruel bickering session eliminated time they could have spent buying the small baby ice cream. Like street runners with a reputation to prove, they slammed money down on the counter, teeth grinding fingers clenched.
"No, I'm fucking paying for it! Put your mafia money away!"
"Mafia money? If I was in the mafia, do you think you'd still be breathing!?" Sasuke yelled, feeling his cool slipping.
The mother blinked incessantly, believing her eyes were fooling her. Were they really arguing over who was going to pay for her son's icecream? Did they think this was necessary, better yet, appropriate?
"I was the one who saw it first!" Naruto screamed.
"I saw it while it happened too, idiot!" Sasuke retorted.
"I don't care what you saw! I offered so I'm fucking paying!"
"I'm offering, so let me fucking pay for it!"
"It's okay. Really," The mother coached from a distance.
"Stay out of it!" Naruto roared back, causing the woman to flinch. He stepped closer to Sasuke, disrespectfully shoving his finger in his face. "No! You always pay for me! So I should pay for once!"
"So?! Have you ever thought that maybe I like paying for you—?!" Sasuke clipped his comment, suddenly feeling his fuel die out as Naruto's eyes slightly widened.
He liked paying for him? Was that just something he said as an accident or it was a legitimate, Freudian slip?
Naruto quickly shook it off. There was no one way Sasuke, or anyone for that matter would want to willingly be so nice to him. It was probably all a trick to get him give up.
In a Mexican stand-off, they both proposed, "Let's split it," in an unhealthy unison.
Prudently, they placed their money on the counter, their combative stares going well past the icecream battle. "Vanilla icecream cone, two scoops," the two men said together to the rattled icecream man.
The man quickly did as he was told, handing Naruto the cone.
Shortly after, the argument seemed so far in the past, like it never happened. Together, they toddled over to the miserable child presenting the small icecream to the child. A heavy sniffle sounded from the baby as he tried to hold the cone in his tiny hands. "Careful," Naruto warned.
Shaking off the implication that these two might be absolute lunatics, the mother smiled at the nice gesture and watched Naruto commence with her son like there wasn't a soul around.
"You can't drop this, okay? You have to enjoy it until you eat it all up—or until it melts." Naruto smiled, encouraging the baby to smile.
Holding on the side of the carriage, Naruto smiled as he leaned forward and kissed the temple of the baby. Naruto pulled back and ruffled his hair. "Good night, little guy." The baby smiled and held on to the ice cream.
Sasuke shook with reservation—Naruto couldn't know how taken he was with him right now. He would think he's crazy or overzealous or some other unpractical emotion.
He was fairly shocked. Naruto always seemed hardline but he was frighteningly amazing with this baby.
Like he was born to be a parent.
The college student grabbed both bags of cotton candy and balanced back on his feet.
The child's mother clenched the stroller handle tightly. "Thank you too, so much. What can I do to repay you?"
"Nothing, miss. Just please, have a good night."
"Well said," Sasuke concurred, his heart still beating as fast as road runner and as hard as a jackhammer.
"Have a good night and may god bless you." She smiled and rolled away with her baby.
Sasuke could feel the vibe of generosity clouding the air, making them both feel as a little bit lighter than they did at the beginning of the day. A little bit kinder.
Wrapping up and decompressing valiant emotions, Sasuke and Naruto took a stroll to a vacant bench.
"You're really good with children… Practice?" Sasuke asked, looking at him conservatively, avoiding showing his utter fascination and peaking fondness.
"No, not really." Naruto lifted his upper lip in deep thought as he supported the cotton candy bags in one arm, the second bag sitting on his free side.
"Maybe, it's just natural," Sasuke deduced, putting the stuffed toy on his free side.
"Yeah… Maybe," Naruto's voice trailed, replicating his unavailable mental state.
Silence reigned supreme—but, shockingly, it wasn't awkward. It was just… comfortable. Just sitting. And for the first time, Naruto could feel the company.
He wasn't alone.
The most dreaded emotion was finally at bay, not gnawing at him like a malignant blackness.
Just silent.
Was it real or was he just mentally manufacturing contentment again like he always did?
He didn't really know.
"So…" The thin plastic crackled against Naruto's fingers, demonstrating his failed attempt at constructing a truly meaningful conversation with Sasuke.
'This isn't awkward… So please, don't make this awkward,' Naruto disciplined himself, turning to the older man whose attention was instantly drawn at the sound of his voice. "You really like… Sakura, right?"
Silence followed once more. "I guess."
His enthusiasm could rally an entire nation and create a brave new world…not.
Considering Sakura didn't leave the best impression with Sasuke, it was understandable that he wasn't passionate about expressing the dynamics of their relationship with a positive frame of mind.
She was lucky his answer was indefinite and not an outright no like other men would have done.
Naruto snorted. "You're still mad at her, I suppose."
"Yeah," Sasuke answered distantly, not seeming like this was his subject of choice. "I was really repulsed by what I saw."
"Mm," Naruto thoughtfully hummed, eyes running over the throngs of fun the people skittering through the fair were having. "I would be too."
Sasuke glanced at the bronze darling with infinite curiosity—and changed the subject.
"How is this for you?"
"This? You mean the fair and everything?"
"Yeah, do you like it?"
"Yeah, I do. When I was younger, I never really got to go to things like this so it's a change." Naruto looked Sasuke directly in the eyes. "A good one."
Naruto didn't overthink his answer as warmness infiltrated his blue oceans. A tirade of graciousness blanketed the Uchiha that was well deserved.
Sasuke curiously pondered why Naruto didn't attend fairs and carnivals—it seemed right up his alley. Throwing things, reveling in the challenge of competition, behaving like a barbarian, it definitely sounded like the essence of Naruto. But he never attended. Maybe his parents weren't into large crowds and big activities so he never went.
"Good to hear…" Sasuke said watching a child aged about five trip and make lay on the grass. Dumbass.
"Not to harp on the subject, or upset you… but I think this is evidence you can do other positive things besides drinking." Sasuke's imperative gape chambered a hole of shame into Naruto as he looked away—embarrassment cleaving his skin.
Luckily, he didn't lash out. There weren't any harsh consequences for mentioning the one thing that Naruto never willingly wanted to admit. It was a start to helping and healing whatever was broken or needed to be broken.
"I know. I know," Naruto muttered lightly, feeling a blast of emotions explode around him, feeling and knowing that Sasuke was there.
Sasuke squeezed Naruto's left shoulder once and Naruto's hand slipped over his as the blond watched his shoes thoughtfully.
The gesture braided the two together—like south and north magnets, as Naruto's sigh shattered so many boundaries.
…
After evaluating a few new dishes of food, and conquering some more challenging games, Sasuke prompted himself to take Naruto home. Even though it was a Friday night, it was getting late and they both needed to get home. When he achieved that goal, they stood outside of Sasuke's vehicle, picking and choosing the correct words to form a proper goodbye.
Naruto's eyes scraped the beauty of the stars, like they held the answer they were looking for. He shoved his hands into his pockets, eyes falling back down to the horde of items he had to carry into his apartment.
"Maybe we should do something like this again soon," Sasuke said, leaning against the hood of his Infinity—the third car in his collection.
Naruto smiled warmly. "I'd like that."
"Great." Sasuke smirked.
"Yeah, um… listen."
"Listening."
Naruto laughed but then stopped. He was trying to be serious and Sasuke was not helping.
"I just wanted to say thank you for taking your time to like, talk to me—take me to something I've never been to before. I really appreciate it," Naruto nervously bit out, Sasuke's intense eyes making this admission all the harder.
"Just—thank you." Naruto stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's waist and resting his left cheek against his firm chest.
Overexcited about the hug—Sasuke tried to play it like a cool cucumber, slowly bending down to return the affectionate communication.
Sasuke captured the beautiful blond's wafer of wild berries beneath his nose and automatically Sasuke squeezed a little bit harder, fearing this may never happen again.
He closed his eyes, wishing that by option, Naruto would be in his arms. But something like this wasn't optional.
This was Sakura's best friend and she was his girlfriend. Not the reverse.
He knew that yet, it didn't make anything better.
Naruto sighed, his fingers curling into his back.
The blond felt the ripple in Sasuke's strong back. Suddenly, he couldn't recall a time he had ever felt so safe in anyone's arms, not even Gaara's.
It was so wrong—but God it was so right.
Sasuke's warmth, his scent, his feel… it was something that he always wanted.
Unfortunately, it wasn't his to have. He knew he shouldn't wish Sasuke was his but he couldn't help it. These circumstances made it difficult.
Because he had to admit, he had never encountered such bliss while he was sober.
So comfortable and fulfilled.
Parting like the red sea, they looked into each other's eyes, smoldering with want—with greed.
Sasuke's thumb skimmed the softness of Naruto's lips, wanting to taste them so bad. "Goodnight."
His breath hitch paralyzed, as he touched the back of his hand, "Night."
Upon entering his apartment, Naruto dumped everything on his couch—feeling good. Content. Without liquor.
Finding his comfort zone on the carpet, he replayed the night's events one by one until he was interrupted by his phone buzzing on the table.
Gaara. Offering him to come over.
He stared at it for eternity and for the first time, he didn't reply.
WOOOOOOO—Did you like it ? :D
Foreshadowing of babays. SasuNaru Babays. Kukukuku =j