AN: Thank you again for all your reviews! I'm working through answering each one, but if I miss anyone I can only apologize profusely and blame it on my brain melted state. I appreciate your reviews so much. They are what keep me so motivated in writing. Oh, also I've written a short. It was just a vent for my writing frustrations, but if you fancy reading a horrendously badly-written parody short of sasunaru tropes it's up on my profile.
As for this chapter, well, more plot and character development here, my lovelies. I keep trying to make the plot go faster, but it doesn't seem to want to. I'm afraid I'm still a waffler, and this story might turn into another novel. Ah well.
Red Storm
Chapter 3: Selective Reality
"It's not denial. I'm just selective about the reality I accept.."
~Bill Watterson
The bell pinged as Sasuke opened the door to the café, passing under a huge sign overhead that read, "Full of Beans."
He had to hide a smile every time he entered this place. Seriously, Naruto couldn't have found a part-time job more suited to him – a company that prided itself on filling people with boundless caffeine-induced energy.
The glaringly obvious Starbucks rip-off had modeled its décor on the popular coffee chain - everything from the comfy sofas and wooden furnishings right down to the kitsch pitures and 'artsy' black-and-white photos hanging on the walls. The only real difference was the color scheme. Where Starbucks went for friendly, earthy green, Full of Beans had opted for a warm, vibrant orange. Hell, it was a store practically designed for his energetic friend.
As usual, it was bustling with business and the queue was short, but consistent as new customers kept walking in the door, each time that irritating bell ringing their arrival. Lunch hour.
Sasuke hadn't chosen a good time. He walked past the line of people at a swift and sure pace. No one stopped him as he approached the counter, butting in next to a lady being served, but there were more than a few accusing stares.
"Ino." He greeted the girl standing at the counter. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back in a slick ponytail and she wore the standard orange apron over her fashionably put-together outfit.
She looked up, but her face showed no surprise. "Sasuke." She replied. "What are you doing here?"
As if she didn't know.
"I'm looking for Naruto. Is he here?"
Ino frowned, glancing at the line of customers distractedly. "Sorry, Sasuke. You just missed him."
The lady standing at the counter next to Ino gave Sasuke an icy glare.
Ino shot her a charming smile. "Hello, welcome to Full of Beans. What can I get for you?"
The lady patted her neatly permed dark curls. "I'll have a tall, skinny mocha."
Ino picked up a cup and started writing the order on it with a black marker. "Coming right up, ma`am."
"That's a load of bull." interrupted Sasuke, placing his hands on the counter. "He's in the back hiding, isn't he?"
Ino didn't look at him as she continued to write the order. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She turned and handed the paper cup to another barista. "Tall, skinny mocha."
Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Whatever. You're just going to ignore me? I can wait here all day if I have to."
"Please wait over there for your order, ma'am." Ino said in a pleasant voice after taking payment. She gestured to the counter where the order would be presented. The now extremely-looking irritated woman strode off in her crisp, blue pantsuit, shooting Sasuke another glare as she passed.
"Look, Sasuke." said Ino, giving him her full attention at last. "As nice as it is having you voluntarily talking to me…even if it is just to talk about Naruto." she muttered the last part under her breath. "You're going to get me in trouble with my boss and you're making my customers very unhappy. If you want to talk to Naruto, then please just wait till Monday will you? Or at least a time when we don't have customers crawling all over the café."
Sasuke raised a dark brow. "So, Naruto is here."
Ino bit her lip. "Just wait till Monday, will you? He doesn't want to talk to you. Take my advice and let him cool down, ok? Just this once, listen to me?"
Sasuke frowned. What did Ino know about any of this? This was between him and Naruto.
He clicked his tongue. "Fine. But you can tell him he will be talking to me on Monday. Got that?"
Ino gave him a mock salute. "Aye aye, sir. Now, could you please get out of my line?"
Sasuke took a few reluctant steps back and could practically feel the ease in atmosphere as the grumpy people in the line relaxed. He shot them all a dirty look before exiting the café, slamming the door and making the bell rattle.
Stupid people. Waiting a few extra minutes wouldn't kill them.
Ino heaved a sigh of relief as Sasuke exited. She turned to her fellow barista.
"Nagisa, can you take over for a second? I just need to pop into the back."
The dark-haired girl nodded and took over at the counter as Ino made her way through the swing door and into the back of the café. Naruto stood at a large metal industrial dishwasher. It hummed loudly as it cleaned the dishes and then stopped. He lifted the handle, pulling open the dishwasher to reveal the sparkling white mugs and saucers.
"Hey, Uzumaki. Your favorite person was just here." Ino said, coming up beside him.
Naruto paused in his work. "What did he want?"
Ino rolled her eyes. "To talk to you, of course."
"Did you-?" began Naruto.
"I told him you weren't here just like you asked me to even though he knew it was a big fat lie." Ino folded her arms. "You should just talk to him, you know. I think he wants to apologize."
Naruto gave a snort of derision. "Sasuke? Apologize? Yeah, right. Probably just wants to rub his superiority in my face again."
"Ugh." said Ino, pushing Naruto to one side and taking his place at the dishwasher. She began pulling out the plates. "You're worse than a married couple."
Naruto glowered. "We are nothing like a married couple."
"Whatever you say, Mrs. Uchiha." Ino replied with a smirk.
Naruto shot her a grumpy look.
"Anyway," she continued. "I have more than covered your ass today. I want some time back here. It's your turn to face the angry horde now that your husband has left the building."
Naruto scratched his head. "Yeah, thanks, Ino. I appreciate it."
"Don't worry." Ino said, her lips forming into a cunning smile. "I'll find a way for you to repay me sometime."
"Oh great. I should've realized nothing comes for free with you." replied Naruto, rolling his eyes. He shook his head and smiled as he made his way through the swing doors and into the bustling café.
Ino liked to pretend to be the mean girl type, but she was nice at heart. It was her that had gotten him this job, and she'd never asked for anything back. He grinned as he looked around the bustling café. It felt good to have an honest job. Iruka had protested, but he had wanted to support himself in some way. It felt weird to be living completely off of someone else's kindness, and over the past year he'd tried to find ways to help out at home as well as bring in a little of his own income.
He was lucky enough to enjoy this job. Customers were his domain, and today had customers galore with orders coming in thick and fast.
Naruto plastered the 'super-happy-to-see-you grin' on his face and took a place at the counter.
"Hello there, sir. Can I help you?"
The man returned the smile. Naruto had a knack of making almost every customer smile. It was his personal challenge. And this man's smile was toothpaste-commercial perfect.
"I'll have a Grand Americano, please…Naruto, is it?"
Naruto picked up a paper cup and then froze, staring at the man. "How do you know my name?"
The man blinked as if taken by surprise for a moment, and then pointed at Naruto's chest. "Uh, it's on your name tag."
Naruto relaxed. Of course. He tried to calm his rapid heartbeat.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forget it's there sometimes. One Grand Americano coming right up. Please wait over there for your order."
The man nodded, smoothing back his slick white hair, and moved over to the next counter. Naruto swallowed and turned his gaze to the next customer, a short, dumpy woman who had clearly had one too many deluxe frappuccinos. He fixed the smile back on his face.
"Welcome. Can I help you?"
"Nice job as usual, Uzumaki." said Ayame as she untied her apron and pulled her brown hair out of its usual tight ponytail.
"Thanks, boss lady." replied Naruto with a cheeky grin.
Her eyebrow twitched. "I told you not to call me that. It's 'Evil Boss Lady' around here."
Naruto widened his eyes in mock fear. "So sorry, Evil Boss Lady. I'll make sure to say it right next time."
She grinned. "You do that. Now get out of here before I dock your pay for loitering. The rest of the staff are already long gone."
Naruto threw a quick salute. "Yes, Evil Boss Lady. Anything you say, Evil Boss Lady."
He rushed to the door with a smile, but the grin faded as he left the café, stepping out into the fresh evening air. The light on the horizon was already beginning to fade.
He tried to put the man in the café out of his mind. For the man it must have been nothing more than quick banter, but for Naruto…well, his heart still pounded a little faster when he thought about it. It had been some time since Orochimaru and his followers had been put away, the entire mafia-like organization disbanded and in ruins thanks to himself and Sasuke. But even now, a year later, Naruto found himself paranoid when walking down the streets or when meeting new people. Sometimes he would find himself looking around the café, trying to spot any potential agents of Orochimaru, people just waiting for that right moment to get him alone and pay him back for the trouble he had caused.
Naruto shivered despite the warm spring weather, his eyes darting around at the shadows lengthening in the light of the setting sun. Iruka had offered running him to and from his part-time job, but Naruto had refused. Iruka already did him enough kindnesses. These days he considered himself lucky just to have a roof over his head and a door that wasn't locked when he got home.
Naruto pulled the zip up higher on his green hoody and dug his hands into his pockets. He really needed to stop letting people get to him. He glanced over his shoulder automatically when he heard a noise. A cat ran out of an alleyway shooting him an accusing stare as if he was the one being suspicious. Naruto mentally berated himself. It was time for Uzumaki Resolution No. 1: From now on, he would stop being so freaking paranoid. And maybe, just maybe he could start sleeping at night without the nightmares…
Monday mornings. Usually the weekends flashed by, but this time it had dragged for Sasuke. He yanked his locker door open. The annoying thing always stuck slightly. Seriously, someone needed to invest in some new lockers in this school. They'd probably been here since the 1960s. Sasuke shoved some books inside. They fell into the back of the locker with a bang.
"You seem to be venting some frustrations, Uchiha."
Sasuke turned. Shikamaru was standing by his own locker, casually putting away his own books from history period.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Shikamaru was a pain in the ass when he talked voluntarily.
"I heard about your tiff with Uzumaki. Has his success with Sakura finally brought out your inner green monster?"
Sasuke shot him a flat look. "I'll tell you the same thing I told him. I have zero interest in Sakura Haruno."
Shikamaru's mouth quirked slightly, the closest he generally came to a smile. He closed his locker and leaned against it, observing Sasuke from under hooded lids.
"I wasn't suggesting you did. I figured you were jealous of Sakura."
Sasuke raised a brow. Intriguing. "Why would I be jealous of her?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "Because she's taking the position you want – as the most important person in Naruto's life."
Sasuke almost choked. "Excuse me?"
Ok, that was not what he expected to hear.
"Are you insinuating that I – that me and Naruto –" He broke off, fighting the hot embarrassment that threatened to crawl up his neck and cover his face with a red tinge.
The ridiculousness of the concept was almost beyond comprehension.
He stared at Shikamaru. "Are you high?"
Shikamaru remained unperturbed. "Well, looking at the situation logically, can you think of any other reason for your reaction last week?"
Sasuke felt his composure return as the initial shock faded.
"I'm just looking out for him. I'm the one who's going to have to deal with the emotional fallout when all this blows up in his face. He doesn't think about that."
He turned back to his locker and pulled out some pens, putting them in his bag.
"And what if it does work out?" asked Shikamaru.
Sasuke froze. Shikamaru closed his eyes, relaxing his head back against the locker.
"Have you considered that possibility?"
Sasuke frowned, turning back around. "Don't be stupid. You and I both know that isn't going to happen."
Shikamaru stretched his arms and yawned. "I don't know. Sakura seems pretty serious about giving him a chance."
He cracked an eye open and looked at Sasuke, amusement coloring his tone. "Why? Does that bother you?"
Sasuke was not going to let this guy get to him. He looked away and glared at the wall. "Not in the slightest."
This was a truly pointless conversation.
"Are you sure about that, Uchiha?" asked Shikamaru. "Maybe they become high school sweethearts. Naruto follows her to college. They graduate, get married. Before you know it, little Sakura and Naruto babies are running around."
Sasuke turned and pulled out his last few books. Was this supposed to get to him? He looked back at Shikamaru calmly. "You and I both know that won't happen."
Shikamaru shrugged and pushed himself away from the lockers, standing up straight. "Perhaps not. But if not with Sakura, then probably some other girl. I've heard Hinata's had a crush on him for a long time. In fact, a lot of the girls are starting to pay attention. Now that he's not considered the scum of Konoha, they're beginning to pick up on the fact that he's not a bad-looking guy."
Sasuke smirked. "Sounds like you're the one with the hots for Uzumaki yourself. Sure you're not projecting?"
Shikamaru looked up at the ceiling as if praying to God to give him someone less dense to talk with. "I'm just giving you the information you need to hear, Uchiha."
Sasuke's smirk faded and he folded his arms. "And what? This is supposed to make me jealous in your twisted little theory?"
"No one can make you jealous. You either are or you aren't. I'm just saying that after school, there's going to be a whole college of girls out there. I hope you weren't expecting it to be the two of you forever."
"Don't be stupid. I'm not so pathetic or naïve."
Shikamaru dug his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. "All right then." He said. "Well, I have to go to class. See you later." He gave a brief wave as he walked away.
Sasuke waited until Shikamaru was around the corner before slamming his locker door shut. Hard.
The stupid thing always stuck anyway. It bugged the hell out of him. And stupid Shikamaru with his insane theories didn't exactly improve his mood. That guy was always bad news.
He glared at the door. Faded chips of red paint still lingered on the metal, a reminder of the days when Naruto had been despised. Someone had spray-painted 'Monster' across the panels, catching some of Sasuke's locker too. He'd cleaned it. He'd cleaned them both. His and Naruto's. He wasn't even sure why he'd done that. They hadn't even been friends at the time.
Sasuke leaned his head forward against the locker. No, this was stupid. Shikamaru was just up to his usual manipulative tricks, trying to put weird thoughts in his head. There was absolutely no way he-
"What are you doing?"
Sasuke's head snapped up. Naruto was holding his book bag, his expression stony. Clearly, the Uchiha was not yet forgiven.
"Nothing." came Sasuke's genius reply.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Forget I asked."
He began stuffing his books into his own locker, pulling out the ones he needed for next period. Sasuke watched him. Naruto's body was tense, his blonde hair mussed up and faint dark circles lingered under his eyes. Was that his fault?
"Look," he began. "Naruto, I wanted to…talk about the other day."
Naruto didn't even turn to look at him, continuing to sort out his books. He gave a noncommittal grunt.
Well, this was going well.
Sasuke bit back the sarcastic words that threatened to run off the tip of his tongue.
"I…was out of line."
"Tell me something I don't know." replied Naruto.
Irritation welled up in Sasuke. "Can you at least look at me when I'm trying to apologize?"
Finally, Naruto met his gaze only to reveal eyes filled with anger and hurt. Any annoyance Sasuke felt evaporated in an instant. He sighed. "I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean a lot of what I said. I was just…"
What was he?
He cleared his throat. "I was in a bad mood and I took it out on you."
Naruto's expression softened slightly. "Yeah, well, you should try controlling your temper once in a while, Uchiha."
Sasuke raised a brow. "Yeah? Good coming from you."
Once again the words were out before the brain had kicked into gear, but rather than snapping, Naruto flashed a rueful grin. He shut his locker door.
"Yeah, fair enough. I wasn't exactly Mr. Cool-head myself. And I'm sorry I hit you." He wrinkled his nose. "But seriously, you have this annoying way of getting under my skin. You really know how to piss me off, bastard."
Images of Naruto's tan skin filled Sasuke's mind and he quickly looked away. Damn Shikamaru.
He cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, you're not exactly helping me become the next Dalai Lama either."
Naruto snorted. "You're the last person on earth who should become the next Dalai Lama."
Sasuke smirked. "That, and orange isn't really my color."
Naruto grinned. "You sound like a girl."
"You look like a girl." replied Sasuke without missing a beat. He began walking up the hallway.
"Well…your face is a girl." came Naruto's retort as he followed after.
"Great comeback, genius."
"Your face is a genius. No…wait…"
Sasuke hid a smile as the blond beside him racked his brains for a better insult. This was back to normal, how things were supposed to be, and no stupid words from a guy projecting his own gay feelings onto Sasuke was going to change his and Naruto's friendship, no matter how dysfunctional.
AN: Oh, Sasuke. How can you be so intelligent and yet so incredibly stupid?