Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

A/N: I don't know what the hell FF did with the text and document layout, but it's weird. I normally copy and paste from my Google Doc into the Doc Manager, but it spaced the paragraphs out more. Sigh. Anyway, here's Chapter 7, I got distracted with NaNo stuff the past few days.

Chapter 7: Rejections and Experiments

A very obnoxious beeping pierced through the room, so Naruto's day started by him grabbing the piece of junk and hurling it at the wall. Except it was plugged in so it just jerked at the cord before falling to the floor with an unsatisfying thunk. He got up anyway and checked to make sure the thing wasn't broken before putting it back up on his desk.

He dragged himself to the kitchen to get himself some cereal to eat for breakfast, wondering why he was so tired. It was while he was pouring his milk over his flakes that he remembered what happened early that morning, and almost poured too much milk while debating whether it was a dream or not.

Leaving the cereal to its soggy fate, he ran to the bathroom and turned the light on as he skidded to a stop in front of the mirror. A large bruise on the side of his face, a busted lip, and a black eye, not to mention he could feel soreness in his stomach and fists as well. So it really happened then, they really had a brawl in the mud after throwing bricks through each other's windows. Sasuke really held his hand out to Naruto and agreed to a truce. He wondered what Sasuke looked like.

The front door to his apartment opened and closed, and he sighed; that would be Jiraiya. Better to face him sooner rather than later, he supposed. He went back into the kitchen and sat back down at the island, doing his best to casually eat the cereal. Jiraiya was texting someone—probably a stripper—but when he looked up he got a rare serious look on his face.

"What the hell happened to your face, Naruto?"

The blond put on his best innocent face. "What do you mean? Have you looked in a mirror, perv?" He grinned.

His guardian narrowed his eyes at the boy he considered a son. "None of that cheek. I'm seriously worried right now, what happened?"

Great, and now Naruto was starting to feel guilty for making Jiraiya freak out. "Would you believe me if I told you I ran into the doorway?"

"No, I wouldn't, and why would you—why is there a hole in your window?" Oh great, he saw that. "... And why is there a hole in Sasuke's window?" Oh great, he saw that, too.

Naruto hung his over over the cereal bowl, knowing he had to fess up now. "Sasuke and I got in a fight yesterday after school. Misunderstanding. Later that night I guess he was still pissy since he threw a brick through my window. I retaliated with the same thing, and we had a fist fight outside. Then we apologized and made a truce."

Jiraiya just stared at Naruto for a long while, looking pretty flabbergasted at the story. He slumped against the back of the couch with a sigh as he ran a hand through his long messy white hair. "I don't know what to do with you two," he muttered, so low Naruto didn't think he was intended to hear it.

"We made a truce, we're fine now. Nothing to worry about." He picked up his bowl and carried it over to the sink, washing it out before leaving it in there. The other man didn't seem to have heard him and he appeared to be in deep thought, and pretty stressed. "You okay, super pervert?"

He mumbled something else, something Naruto didn't hear this time, and eventually nodded. He walked over to Naruto, reaching out to ruffle the kid's hair. "Is the Uchiha kid paying for the window?"

"He said he was, yeah. Kiba's going to be here pretty soon, I have to finish getting ready."

"Kicking me out? I see how it is," he joked, already making his way towards the door. "And Naruto, is the Health project going to be a problem?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "I was pretty ticked at you for that, by the way, but I think it'll be fine now. Don't worry."

"I'm glad to hear it. You two should get to know each other.I think you could be close." Naruto looked at him curiously as he left the apartment, and shrugged it off to finish getting ready for school.

Soon enough Kiba was there, and he played some Uncharted 3 while waiting for Naruto to finish getting ready. He finished getting ready in the bathroom, so Kiba hadn't seen his face yet; he was worried how his friend would react, and was worried he'd go straight to Sasuke's house and bust the door down.

"So Kiba," he called from the bathroom as he tugged some jeans on. "Something hilarious happened in the middle of the night." He heard his friend give a distracted grunt from the other room, and figured that meant to continue. "Sasuke and I got into a fight." The game paused.

"What the hell do you mean? And how is it hilarious?"

"It's dumb, really. We were pissed at each other during the afternoon, so we sort of... had a... brick throwing contest. Or something?" Dead silence so far. "So I waited for him to come back outside and we got into a fight. Then we apologized and now we'll be getting along." He heard a cynical snort.

All dressed and teeth brushed, he straightened his orange t-shirt and stepped out of the bathroom. Kiba's eyes widened and he gave a feral snarl upon seeing his best friend's face. "I'm killing him. I'm kidnapping him and chopping him up into little pieces and giving some sewer rats Uchiha to eat."

Naruto groaned, frustrated, but he knew this would be his reaction. "Kiba, seriously, it's fine. I'm sure he has some bruises, too. Maybe not as bad, but still. And like I told you, we're fine now. No more hulking out at each other."

"I'll believe it when I see it, man. You're always at each other's throats. I'm telling you now, if he makes one wrong move, I'm pounding him."

"That's pretty kinky, Kiba."

"Dammit Naruto!" The blond laughed then, his lip aching a little bit, but it was worth it when it broke through his friend's anger. Kiba shook his head and chuckled before turning the game off and grabbing his backpack. "You're impossible."

He locked up the apartment and outside the building to the parking space where his friend always parked. He glanced at the Uchiha residence—he watched that house way too much—when he caught sight of Sasuke, who was leaving at the same time they were.

The raven noticed Naruto, who was standing next to Kiba's car now, while Kiba looked back and forth between the two, waiting to see what would happen. Surprisingly, Sasuke was the first to react, and he raised his hand in greeting. The smirk was evident even with the distance. Naruto grinned and waved enthusiastically, causing the other boy to shake his head and get in the car.

Kiba got in after he did, looking dumbfounded. "You weren't shitting me when you said you're on good terms now."

He laughed at his expression. "I really wasn't. Hurry up, before we're late."

The brunette snickered. "That's right, you're asking Sakura out today!" He immediately looked nervous, and Kiba gave a sympathetic pat on his shoulder. "Don't worry, just mention you also like guys. I'm sure she's a fangirl for the guy on guy stuff, so she'll be all over you."

Naruto started spluttering. "What...?! No! I don't—"

"Uh-huh." His face was twitching from trying to keep it straight.

"Ass!"

Naruto had a horrible feeling about today. Sasuke was once again wedged in the corner of the English classroom, and while he wasn't as bruised up as Naruto, it was obvious he had been in a fight. Sakura had managed to grab the desk to Naruto's left, and she had freaked out over his face. She also put two and two together, and scolded him for fighting with Sasuke. She then proceeded to flutter her eyelashes at Sasuke the rest of the class, who continued to act like she didn't exist.

He felt it was hopeless asking her out—she was obviously taken in by Sasuke—but Kiba was glaring at him to get a move on before Kakashi came in halfway through class. Even Shikamaru and Gaara were obviously paying attention to what was about to happen, or not happen, while Sasuke stared at the ceiling. Probably wishing he could fly through it and get the hell out of there.

"Sakura," he said, and the pink-haired beauty moved her gaze over from Sasuke to Naruto.

"What's up, Naruto?"

He stared at her for a while, unable to get words out of his mouth, with Sakura looking more confused as the seconds ticked by. Kiba rolled his eyes and Sasuke made what sounded suspiciously like a snort before coughing. Shit, even he was listening? For whatever reason Naruto felt even more flustered now.

"Doyouwanttogotodinnerwithmes ometime?" Kiba and Shikamaru facepalmed, and even Gaara shook his head in disbelief. Sasuke didn't hide his snort this time.

"...huh?"

"Do you want to go on a date with me sometime?"

"Oh... um... I'm sorry, Naruto. I really am. I really like you, but more like a brother." The girl was chewing on her lip, looking guilty. Naruto was feeling oddly numb. "I know this isn't easy to hear, and I hope this won't end our friendship."

And just like that, his hopes were dashed, but he wasn't feeling as devastated as he expected. It was more like a large bubble inside of him had popped, and he was able to breathe again, to look ahead. If he was honest with himself, what signs had she ever given him that she felt for him what he felt for her? Perhaps he knew it'd end this way all along, so part of started to reel in the feelings, and he kept liking her just because he always liked her.

He nodded, gave her a smile, and sat back in his seat, facing forward. His friends were giving him pity-filled looks. Naruto got out a piece of paper, and wrote, 'For the both of us, succeed with Hinata.' He passed it over to Kiba, who laughed when he read it, then looked guilty.

"Your note just reminded me, I won't be able to drop you off at home tomorrow after school, I'll need to be at work pronto. You cool with walking, right?"

Naruto nodded; it was only about a forty-minute walk. "Don't worry about it. Just do what I told you!" He gave his best friend a wink, and they had to stop talking since Kakashi had finally tossed his presence into the class.

He zoned out for the rest of the class, watching as Kakashi walked around the classroom while lecturing, gesturing with his arms, one of his hands permanently attached to the Icha Icha book. How many times had he read that by now? He jumped in his seat and squeaked as a finger poked into his side. He looked over to glare at Sasuke.

"We leave for the next class now, no?" He stared at the raven, unsure of what to think. He had a free period next, did he forget that? Somehow he doubted it. He got up anyway, not about to turn down an excuse to leave class early, Sasuke following suit.

Once they were out in the hall, Sasuke reached over to grab Naruto's phone from his pocket, and started messing around with it. "Real smooth back there," he said, referring to Sakura.

"Yeah. Well. In all honesty, I'm not surprised. It's fine though. And give me my phone back."

A few seconds passed by. "K," he grunted, tossing the phone back to its owner. He looked it over to see what he did to it, and realized 'Sasuke' was now added to his contacts list.

The blond couldn't stop the grin that stretched across his face. "Thanks. Asshole."

"Dumbass."

For lunch, all Naruto grabbed was a bag of chips and a slice of pizza, and hurried his way to their lunch table. Thankfully, only Shikamaru and Gaara were there, so he could get their opinion on what Sai told him yesterday. He hurried over and sat down across from them, causing Shikamaru to raise an eyebrow at his anxious expression.

"Can I ask you guys something?"

Gaara swallowed his mouthful of green beans. "You just did." Naruto gave him a blank expression. Harhar, since when did he get a sense of humor? Even Shikamaru looked surprised.

"You should keep doing that, Gaara. Anyway, guys. Ah. Have you ever gotten the impression that I'm attracted to other guys?"

"Yeah," they both said in unison, and Naruto groaned, wondering what to do with this information. A snort came from behind him, and Sasuke took the chair next to him, smirking.

"Obviously. Or did you forget that you were spying on me changing clothes in my bedroom? Wanting to see me naked?" The other two snickered at the comment, ignoring the fact that they were also spying, but Naruto just gaped at the new arrival. He flushed as an image of a naked Sasuke entered his mind unbidden.

Instead he scoffed, looking the other way to hide his faint blush. "And you call me the dumbass." Sasuke's smirk could practically be felt.

Kiba and Sai joined them at last, and Sai and Naruto's eyes connected from across the table. A slow smile crept across his face at the blond. "What's everyone talking about now?" Sasuke gave Naruto a warning glance. Naruto ignored it.

"Sasuke's body." A low growl came from the raven, while Sai perked up.

"About his penis?"

"No," Sasuke said, and gave Naruto another smirk. The blond felt dread when he saw his expression. "We were talking about Naruto's new attraction to men." He wanted to punch him now.

Kiba laughed at the new topic of conversation and Sai's smile grew wider, if that was possible. "That's not new," the pale boy said, eyes on Naruto.

"Sure as hell new to me," he muttered, causing Sasuke to glance at him again, his expression blank once more.

"What about you, Sasuke?" Sai pressed, still looking at Naruto. Which was pretty weird, honestly. "What team do you bat for?"

"Hn." The raven ignored the question and started eating his sandwich. Sai didn't seem to care, but just gave Naruto a contemplative look and started eating his lunch.

They finished up and headed back to Health class as the ending lunch bell went off. Jiraiya was sitting cross-legged on his desk, eating a burrito and reading an Icha Icha book. Who the hell knew why he was reading a book he wrote. He looked up as the group of friends walked in and gave a wave.

"How's the project going, Sasuke?" his guardian pressed. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"We're meeting up tomorrow to start work on it," the raven replied as he, Naruto, and Kiba sat down at their table, the other three at the table in front of them. Naruto glanced at Sasuke.

"When did that happen? I must have missed that conversation," he whispered sarcastically.

"Do you happen to be doing something else? I know you work only a few days a week and that you're free tomorrow. Just stick around and get a ride with me and we can work on it at my place."

"Yes, Master," Naruto scoffed, and Kiba grinned beside them.

Naruto turned the locker room shower off and reached for the towel that was hanging to the side. He dried his hair and body before wrapping it around his waist to step out to get his school clothes from off the bench. Before he could do so, Sai slipped through the curtain, already dressed and holding Naruto's clothes.

He gave the intruder an odd look and reached out to grab his clothes. "Uh, thanks."

Sai smiled cheerfully, apparently ignorant of the awkwardness that usually comes from walking into people's public shower stalls. "So," he said quietly, "you have things figured out. About what I told you yesterday in here."

The blond thought on it for a while, just holding his clothes. Now that he was told about it, sure, he could admit he liked looking at guys and felt a pull from that. But what if it didn't go beyond that? "I don't know," he replied after a while. "This whole thing is still pretty new to me. I think maybe I am, yeah."

His friend cocked his head to the side, studying him intently. The look made Naruto want to squirm. "I told you to experiment." The space between them closed a little.

Naruto stood his ground. He'd only admit it to himself for now, but he wanted to see what would happen, what the other boy was going to do. "You did," he agreed. "What did you even mean by that? Watch some gay porn, see if it pops up?"

Sai smiled and moved closer. He slowly reached up to grip the other boy's shoulders, giving him a chance to leave the situation. When he didn't, he completely closed the distance between their torsos and leaned forward, pressing his lips to the other's.

Even though the blond saw it coming, he still couldn't help a quick burst of shock coursing through him. One of Sai's hands moved from his shoulder to the back of his head, weaving through his hair, and he had to admit it didn't feel bad at all. Sai could be a bit weird, but his kiss was nice, and gave him warmth.

After some hesitation, Naruto tried kissing back. He was a bit nervous with this, not having a lot of experience kissing, boy or girl. A few seconds later Sai pulled back to look at Naruto's face, his other hand slipping off his shoulder to land on the thick rectangular locket that always hung around his neck and under his shirt. Naruto stepped back then, the necklace slipping out of Sai's fingers.

Sai didn't question it, Naruto happy he didn't. "So," Sai said. "How do you feel?"

He blushed. "It felt nice, actually. I guess you were onto something."

The pale boy went back to his cheery wide smiles. "Of course I was. Now put your clothes on, before I try more." With a wink and a quick peck to a scarred cheek, Sai left the stall, leaving a dumbfounded Naruto.

I'll go ahead and warn now there will be a bit of SaiNaru in this fic. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review!