Saturday

Sasuke let out a sigh as he made his way toward the gates. He fished out his phone and scrolled through his contact list in search of a specific name. A tap on his shoulder interrupted him as he turned around to see Tamaki Tai.

"Good work today, Sasuke!" she said with a smile. "I'm surprised you've been showing up at practice more recently. What's up?"

"Nothing much," he said with a shrug. "I've only showed up because a certain someone asked me to."

"Really? Who? The teacher?" Before he could answer, she brushed it off. "Well, never mind about that. Hey, do you want to go somewhere for lunch?"

"Sorry, but I'm already meeting someone."

"Ah! Could it be the rumoured weekly girlfriend?"

"Something like that."

"I see! So if I wait until the day after tomorrow, it'll be fine, right?"

He didn't answer as he looked off in the distance. That's right. On Monday it was back to the usual. Except that's far from what he wanted at the moment. However, it was impossible to tell whether Naruto felt the same way. He shook his head.

"Do you mind if I make a phone call?"

"Go ahead!"

He dialled the right number and placed the device against his ear.

"Practice must be over since you're callin' me."

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "It is."

"Great! I'm by the gates. See you in a bit."

He looked at his phone in surprise. He picked up the pace and sure enough, there stood Naruto with his usual smile. It was good to see it again after yesterday. They hadn't said much to each other since the incident with Nami. He'd feared that Naruto didn't want any more contact, so when he had suggested they hang out later Sasuke jumped at the chance.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not too long," he said with a shrug. "I kinda got bored waitin' at home so I went for a walk. Before I knew it, I was here."

"Oh!" They turned around to Tamaki. "So you were meeting Naruto? In that case, forget what I said earlier." She turned to fully focus on Naruto. "And you, if you're at school then please drop by the dojo!"

"Sorry, but I just didn't feel like it today," he said with an apologetic smile. "And it doesn't matter if I am there or not."

"Nonsense! It does matter! Because when Naruto is there, everyone gets more motivated."

"Really? Well, if you put it like that then I might drop by tomorrow."

"Really?" She clapped her hands and smiled. "You have to then!"

"All right."

Sasuke observed them and couldn't help but notice the lack of personal space. Weren't they a little too close to each other? From anyone else's perspective, they looked like a couple playing around. His hand clenched into a fist as Tamaki leaned forward to whisper something in Naruto's ear that made him laugh. He felt sick. Thankfully, their bubble broke when a group of students passed them.

"Well," said Tamaki when one of the girls called to her. "That's my cue. See you guys tomorrow!"

"You sure are popular," said Sasuke after she'd gone.

"Me? Nah. Must be your imagination." He paused. "By the way, what was that thing earlier? With Tamaki?"

"She asked me if we could have lunch together."

"Really? What did you say?"

"What do you think?"

"If you're thinkin' about cheatin' on me, I'll beat you up."

He smiled. "Don't be an idiot. I turned her down."

"You better have. If I find out you're lyin', you're dead."

He couldn't help but laugh while Naruto shot him a weird look.

"Who the hell laughs when they've been threatened?"

"I'm not laughing because of that," he said and closed the distance between them. "You just showed me a very protective side of you." He leaned toward his ear. "And I really like it."

"You–" He backed away, face bright red. "You freak!"

"Sure, whatever you say." He paused. "So, where do you want to go?"

At the change in topics, Naruto forgot all about the previous conversation. Eventually, they ended up at a nearby coffee shop. Neither had spoken a single word since it didn't seem necessary. Strangely enough, Sasuke enjoyed himself regardless whether Naruto talked his ear off or not. However, he couldn't help but wonder what he thought. Did he have the same worries as him? Probably not.

He shook his head and refocused on the person in front of him. "Say, what do you want to do after this?"

"I kinda just wanna laze around."

"All right. Want to come over to my place then?"

"No thanks."

The response was so immediate that it caught him off guard. However, he decided not to question him. "All right. Forget about my house."

"Nami... She will be there again, right? At your place."

He leaned back in his seat and thought about it. Considering that she and his brother seemed to be back together, there was a high possibility. "It's possible."

"Definitely not going then."

The look on Naruto's face unsettled him. He tried to find something to talk about but found himself lost for words. Thankfully, their silence lasted no more than two minutes.

"Wanna come over?"

He startled but eventually smiled. "Sure."

"Then it's decided."

…

A mixture of emotions twisted inside his stomach when the front door swung open. Though no expectations came to mind, the prospect of meeting Naruto's parents was both a delight and terrifying. Then again, in his previous relationships, he'd never felt so attached. Fortunately, he had nothing to worry about.

The minute Naruto's mother came to greet them, all his worries melted away. Though he'd had no notion about her appearance or personality, he could tell they were related from the smile and talkative nature. They engaged in some small talk over tea until she had to leave for the store.

Once alone, Naruto took him to his room. Again, his expectations couldn't even compare to the real thing. It matched his personality to a tee.

"What's with your obsession with the colour orange?"

"Dunno." He shrugged. "I've always liked it even as a kid. It just gives me energy to look at it, know what I mean?"

"I can't say that I do."

"Of course not. I bet your room's spotless and borin'."

"In comparison to yours? Definitely."

"Why, you–!"

"But I kind of like that yours is cluttered like this."

"What does that even mean?"

"Well it's your mess, isn't it?"

Naruto said nothing, only raised an eyebrow before he turned to the small TV. Sasuke took a seat next to him once the screen turned on. They leaned against the bed and watched as images flashed across the screen.

Some time passed. He didn't know how much but it was long enough to make him yawn several times.

"This is borin'."

Naruto seemed anything but pleased. He decided to hold his tongue and watched as he moved around the room. Eventually, he stopped to make a call.

"Give me back my rental fee, stupid!"

He raised an eyebrow as Naruto slumped down beside him, face buried in the covers.

"Who did you just call?"

"Sakura."

"Ah." He changed positions. "So you were fooled by her?"

"Lately... I keep gettin' fooled by Sakura."

"Really? About what?"

"Nothin' important." He paused. "Man, watchin' that borin' thing made me sleepy."

"You say that at least once a day."

"I can't help it since I didn't really sleep yesterday."

"Oh? What were you doing?"

Naruto raised his head and faced him. "I was thinkin' about you."

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. What did that mean? Did it mean what he thought it did or was he just jumping to conclusions? Before he had a chance to ask, Naruto reached toward him and ran fingers through his hair—much as he had three days ago. And just like then, he found himself at a loss for words. Though, unlike that time, he marvelled at the feel, leaned into the touch, and let out a happy sigh. Naruto's breath hitched. The hand on the side of his head stilled.

"I'm seriously thick."

Though he wanted to agree, his lips became too preoccupied to do anything of the sort. The kiss was slow and unexpected. The worries that had swirled around in his head for the past few days vanished.

All that mattered was the lips pressed against his. And so, he let himself go. The more time that passed, the greater their desperation grew. His tie came undone, Naruto's collarbone was exposed to his mouth, and the heat increased to a point where not a single thought could be formed.

The ringing sound of a phone startled them. At first, Sasuke tried to ignore the noise but it seemed that Naruto couldn't. Frustrated, he got up and checked his phone. The name that flashed before him sent a wave of dislike, something that took him aback for a moment.

"Who's it from?"

He shook his head and clicked the red button.

"Why didn't you answer it?"

"It's just from an unknown number." He paused and fished out the ticket from his pocket. "Hey, about this... I want to go with you."

"As friends?"

He opened his mouth to say no but his phone interrupted him. Damn it. Why now of all times?

"Just answer it."

"But–"

"Answer it!"

Surprised at the sudden outburst, Sasuke's head snapped up to briefly meet Naruto's eyes. Then, he avoided his gaze and grabbed the disc folder.

"I'm going to return this."

"I'll come–"

"Don't."

That one word halted him as he watched Naruto leave. He sighed and leaned back against the bed. What just happened? Where had all that anger come from this time? Had he said something wrong? A frustrated breath left his lips as he ran a hand through his hair. If things continued like this then he'd go mad.

He sat there in silence for about five minutes before it was time to do something. The front door shut in his wake as he dialled Naruto's number. It rang until the voice mail chimed in. However, he wouldn't let that discourage him as he walked.

After the fourth time, he was about to give up. It was late. Maybe he should leave it be and head home? Before he had a chance to make an official decision, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

No answer.

"You know, the way you act at times without thinking? It's kind of worrying and confusing at times. One second you're happily kissing me, and the next you'll be running away only because of a phone call. Did the buzzing terrify you so much that you had to leave the house?"

It took a moment until laughter filled his ear.

"Where are you right now?"

"Were you like that towards everyone?"

"Huh?"

"To me, it's always been rather strange. For someone to break up with a person so easily after just one week. To be honest, it's kinda absurd. Even so, I wondered why not a single girl you broke up with spoke badly of you afterwards. I used to always think about what skills you used. Like, did you bribe them or somethin'? But no, the truth is that you make the person you're with feel good. Underneath the arrogance and teasin', there's a person that's worth knowin'. It's comfortable bein' around you."

He couldn't help but smile. "Is that so? I'm glad you seem to think that."

"Don't sound so proud of yourself. That part right there is the worst trait of yours."

"Funny, I could say the same thing about your recklessness."

"Shut up."

"Anyway, why did you suddenly leave?"

"I was annoyed."

"At what?"

"At how I can't even stand little things, my head overreacts."

Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto. They both lowered their phones and stared at each other.

"I got annoyed at myself." He paused. "Even so, I wondered about what I should do."

"About what?"

"About what might happen later. About buts, only ifs, and afterwards. Thinking about that kinda stuff really messed with my head."

Something felt off. The way Naruto spoke seemed like finality. It both looked and sounded like he'd already made a decision.

"Naruto?"

"But, I understand now. I'm not suited for these things." He stretched out his hand, palm up. "The preview tickets, give them to me."

Sasuke didn't hesitate. He watched as Naruto took the tickets and tore them up.

"I've decided. These tickets aren't needed anymore." He paused and met his eyes. "See you tomorrow then, Sasuke."

Before he had a chance to say anything, Naruto had already gone. He stood there in silence with only the pieces of the tickets as company and wondered about what had just occurred.