Being back in Konoha was an experience. It wasn't even a matter of the experience being good or bad, Sasuke thought. For now, it was just varying degrees of unsettling or outright awkward.
Getting used to navigating the world with only one arm was only a small part of it, surprisingly. Confined to a hospital bed as he was, he imagines that particular issue will grow more pressing with time.
Confronting the changes in the village and his former peers, however—well, that was proving to be a challenge Sasuke hadn't prepared for when making the choice to surrender.
Not everything had changed, at least. The hospital food was still terrible. Konoha was still unseasonably warm for being on the cusp of autumn. Sakura could still barely meet his eye as she rewound his bandages, that same light flush dusting her older features whenever they were in close proximity.
Sasuke tried to ground himself in those similarities, as other disturbances to his expectations rear their heads.
There have been many. But the one on Sasuke's mind today was Naruto.
Or more accurately, Naruto and other people.
Over on the hospital bed next to Sasuke's, Naruto sneezed.
The petite aide tending to Naruto's own bandages looked like she might faint, "Oh! I'm sorry, Naruto-san!"
Rubbing at his nose, Naruto cast her clearly befuddled look, "For what? 'S just a sneeze."
Sasuke watched in amazement as the woman leaned in, eyes practically shining, far too intent on Naruto's face for a mere medical evaluation.
"I don't want to hurt you," she murmured, voice dropping lower—Naruto predictably drifted closer to hear, "Even by accident. With a wound like this, someone needs to be taking care of you properly, don't you think?"
"That's why I'm in the hospital," Naruto agreed, speaking slowly, as if explaining to a child. "I'll be fine, just watch. How hard can this one arm shit be, huh?"
The aide nodded eagerly, "Yes, I heard the Godaime is already exploring options for a prosthesis. Still, you're awfully brave. Most ninja would take this as an opportunity to retire with honor—but not you."
She laid a hand over Naruto's thigh, far too familiarly to have been an accident.
Her hand wasn't the only thing she was laying on thick, Sasuke thought.
Naruto yawned, stretching all 3 and a half of his limbs, causing his leg to shift just out of her reach.
"Thanks for patching me up, uh—" he glanced with a complete lack of finesse at the badge pinned to her lapel—to which she responded by puffing out her chest oh so artfully. "Mika. Is that it for today?"
"Uh, yes," she says, seeming to lose steam for a moment. "I was—it's time for me to take my lunch break. I was going to go down to the mess hall—you wouldn't happen to be hungry, Naruto-san?"
Surely even the idiot could see what she was up to here.
Right?
"I'm starved," Naruto bemoaned, "I wonder if I can get Konohamaru to bring us Ichiraku's for lunch today—whaddya you think, Sasuke?"
Naruto glanced at him expectantly—as if Sasuke knew who the fuck he was talking about or their likelihood of playing ramen delivery stooge.
"Oh," Mika deflated before Sasuke could offer any sort of answer, "That—that's alright. Maybe some other time then."
Looking over at Sakura, Sasuke tried to gage exactly what what he was witnessing here. Since her hands had long since fallen away from his own wrappings entirely, he could only assume she had also been caught up watching the bewildering exchange. As if sensing his gaze, green eyes turned to meet his own. For once, Sakura didn't flinch or simper when meeting his eye. Sasuke glanced quickly back to the odd couple, a silent question.
With a covert glance of her own, Sakura merely shrugged helplessly, a wry grin twisting her features. The look seemed to communicate almost clearer than words—I know, right? But what can you do? And with that, Sasuke began to work this information into his new reality.
So, Naruto was no longer the village outcast. And with that change, it seemed he'd earned some fans of his own. Fans shameless enough to openly flirt with him in an ostensibly professional setting.
Unfortunately for Mika, Naruto was either too guileless or too dense to pick up on her misplaced subtlety.
"… Do you have something in your eye?" Naruto asked, as the girl attempted to flutter her lashes just shy of blatantly beseeching. "Lemme see if I can find a tissue, y'know—"
Sakura snickered, tossing Sasuke another doleful look at their teammate's expense. Schooling his own features into neutrality, Sasuke shrugged.
It was an interesting development. But not one Sasuke had the time to parse, for the moment.
Sakura couldn't have been asleep more than half an hour, judging by the moonlight's angle through the ryokan window. She didn't know why she was awake now, as she sharpened her senses, assessing the quiet room for danger.
At first, there was nothing. No odd sounds nor dangerous auras to justify her sudden wakefulness. She was about to chalk it up to spending the night in a strange room, when she abruptly realized what was missing—the sounds of her teammates' sleeping breaths from the next bed over—or in Naruto's case, gentle snoring.
She waited. Just before she was thankfully about to slip back into sleep's embrace, a quiet murmuring broke the silence.
"Naruto," their third teammates' voice whispered, for what was likely not the first time, based on Shikamaru's mildly irritated tone, "I know you're awake—quit ignoring me, you troublesome asshole."
"Shh—no, m'not," Naruto said, blearily and equally as annoyed as his unwilling bedmate.
Sakura counted her lucky stars once again she had won the janken match for a bed to herself, well aware what a pain in the ass Naruto was to share with. Whatever Shikamaru was dealing with over there, he had her sympathies. Still, a vein in her temple throbbed—the three of them were due to rendezvous with Choujurou's team at dawn, for crying out loud.
"Tch," Shikamaru scoffed quietly, "I'm freezing my balls off over here. If you can't at least share the goddamn blankets then I'm gonna—"
There were the sounds of a small scale scuffle, Naruto cursing quietly amidst Shikamaru's wordless grunts. Sheets shuffling and bed frame groaning in protest for whatever shenanigans those nitwits were fighting about.
Honestly, from Naruto, she would have expected something like this. But she would have thought Shikamaru above this sort of petty nonsense.
"Hold still, would you?" Shikamaru hissed.
"No," Naruto whined, "Your toes are cold, y'know!"
"They're not," Shikamaru huffed, "You just have the internal temperature of a lake of lava."
"Hey—hey! What are you doing with your—"
"Haven't you ever heard of sharing body heat? It's basic field technique."
"…When camping out on a glacier?"
"I think it covers igloos, too."
"What does that have to do with whatever your knee is right now?"
"What?" Shikamaru asked, sounding quite put out, "Is this a problem? Is your side of the bed full up between you and the chakra demon you're sharing a body with, or something?"
"…Ugh. Whatever. S'fine, I guess," Naruto conceded with obvious reluctance, "But we're asking for an extra set of blankets at the next inn, y'know."
From her own bed, Sakura can't help but roll her eyes, both at Naruto's obliviousness, and Shikamaru's complete lack of transparency.
He could have at least come up with a semi-plausible excuse—it was the height of summer in southern Fire Country, for crying out loud.
Boys were so stupid. If he wanted a cuddle he should have just said so, if you asked her.
Sai resisted the urge to yawn with practiced willpower alone. As honored as he had been to be one of two ninja selected to accompany the Rokudaime to the first Kage Summit since the conclusion of the war… he would admit, he'd hoped for a little more excitement.
As it was, Naruto was practically sleeping on his feet next to him. Sai couldn't even blame him. After hours of listening to the most influential ninja leaders discuss the intricacies of import tariffs and mining permits. If it weren't for the fact that they were to stand at attention along the edges of the Kirigakure Conference room hosting the illustrious summit, Sai wouldn't have been far behind Naruto, honestly.
At long last, the Raikage irritably made a motion to adjourn proceedings for lunch—which is met by the relieved sighs of nearly every escorting Shinobi in attendance, along with about half of the attending Kage themselves.
Magically, the announcement managed to rouse Naruto from his intermittent dozing.
"Fuck, how long was it that time?" his partner mumbled, rubbing his eyes—not even trying to hide the fact that he'd fallen asleep on duty.
Leveling Naruto with what is hopefully an unimpressed look, Sai said, "Only about an hour less than the first time."
Naruto was very lucky to be a war hero, in Sai's opinion. He couldn't imagine anyone more unfit for such a post. Unfortunately, he was also the person all of their international compatriots were demanding to see in attendance.
One such compatriot began to approach them, as Naruto pulled his canteen out of his weapons pouch.
The kunoichi Sai easily recognized as one of the Gyuuki jinchuuriki's protege was marching toward them, expression stormy.
Distinctly recalling the last time Karui had managed to corner Naruto with such a look, Sai was immediately on guard.
Prepared for the worst, even Sai could not mask his surprise when the woman charged directly into Naruto's personal space, only to abruptly bow, thrusting a thermos out in front of her, into Naruto's face.
"Here," she said, without a modicum of preamble.
"Uh," Naruto blinked, with understandable bewilderment.
Amber eyes cut up through the auburn fringe of her hair, "The caterers gave me an extra serving of hojicha. So."
"…Good for you?" Naruto asked, with clear reticence—ah, good. At least he too recalled the last time the pair of them had met. Sai had been concerned.
She shook the drink insistently, "It's for you."
"Oh, uh—thanks? But," Naruto held up his canteen of oolong tea, sloshing it awkwardly, "I got this shit I'm supposed to drink, apparently, so…"
Sai rolled his eyes. Just because Uchiha Sasuke had insisted—quite disingenuously, in Sai's opinion— Naruto might sharpen that blunt shuriken brain of his, didn't mean Naruto actually had to drink it every day since.
Karui rose from her steep bow, drawing her offering back toward her chest with a scowl fierce enough to curdle milk.
Now, Sai could only imagine her motives for this exchange. His questions only mounted as she schooled her expression into something less contentious and more…
According to a book he'd read on human body language, he would dare to call it provocative.
Almost absently, she handed the unwanted beverage off to Sai—who accepted the offering graciously—before sidling brazenly closer to the shell-shocked jinchuuriki.
"Listen—I know we didn't get started off on the best foot," she said, folding her arms and making alarmingly intense eye contact, which Naruto appeared to intimidated to break, "But those were different times, and I—I'm sorry."
"Oh!" Naruto brightened, "Yeah, okay. No harm done, y'know."
It was Sai's turn to frown, not exactly agreeing with that generous interpretation of events.
"Well," Karui continued, "I respect how far you were willing to go, for your friend. There aren't many who would have tested Raikage-sama like that. It must get tiring, walking around with balls of steel like that."
"Uh, yeah, I guess it is, y'know!" Naruto agreed, looking pleased as he cast Sai a smug glance.
He really was never going to let those comments about his dick go, was he?
"I mean, really," Karui grinned, cocking her hip, "The things you've done—saving Konoha, ending the war, helping build the foundation for a long term alliance between the hidden villages. It's really quite impressive."
When Naruto laughed, even Sai wasn't lost on the discomfort in it. "Ah, well—it's not just me. I mean, a bunch of people have been working hard to—"
"No need to be modest, Uzumaki," Karui looked him up and down in a way that had alarm bells going off in Sai's head, "You obviously got the goods—go ahead and own it."
"The… goods?" Sai didn't think he'd ever seen Naruto look quite so confused.
"C'mon," Karui smirked, "Saving the continent, befriending world leaders, looking outrageously hot—I'm almost afraid to ask what other hobbies you might have."
"Um, I like eating ramen," Naruto offered hastily, "I read manga, sometimes. And I've getting kinda into gardening, the last couple months? But honestly, I spend most of my time training, so…"
"Fascinating," Karui practically purred, "I've love to hear more. Are you free tonight? I could pick your brain, maybe get some… one on one taijutsu practice?"
Alright, Sai thought. That was more than enough of that.
"Oh, Naruto," Sai interjected, "Didn't the Kazekage ask if you would join him for lunch?"
"Shit, yeah—I forgot!" Naruto flailed, already spinning toward the conference room doors, only to be waylaid by a strong hand grabbing his elbow."
"Or you could let me buy you dinner," Karui pressed, leaning in close, "I'll be your dessert."
"What does that even mean—?"
"Time to go," Sai bodily cut in, grabbing Naruto by his shoulders and steering him away, regardless of the woman's loud protests.
As much as Naruto could do with more of a social life, something told Sai that kunoichi was a bit more than he could handle, at this point.
"Sai," Naruto hissed as they head out, "What do you think she meant by—"
It took every ounce of Sai's developing acting skills to maintain his composure, as he said, "What makes you think I have any idea?"
The third round of the latest Chuunin Exams was progressing well. In the sense that none of the kiddos had yet to be seriously injured, and no major terrorist activities had yet to be attempted. All in all, that was a win in Kakashi's book.
It certainly allowed him the lassitude to kick back, pulling out his tried and true paperback to while away the more tedious earlier matches. Only his attention was immediately stolen from his favored entertainment, when the Kazekage twisted in his chair.
"Naruto," Gaara said, addressing Kakashi's ostensible bodyguard for the event, who until this point had been chatting quietly with Temari in the rear of the Kages' private box, "I like you."
After a few moments of surprised blinking, Naruto's face broke into a wide grin as he leaned forward and punched the Demon of the Sand in the shoulder. "Aw, thanks, Gaara. I like you, too!"
Naruto turned back to his conversation, as the Kazekage practically deflated—or deflated as much as Kakashi honestly thought the guy was capable of.
As both of their attention returned toward the match—or novel, in Kakashi's case—Kakashi patted the poor kid on the shoulder consoling.
"It was a good effort," Kakashi assured him. Not very effectively, if Gaara's dark look was anything to go by.
Oh well, Kakashi thought as he cracked open the worn pages. No one could say he didn't try.
Sasuke regretted his decision almost immediately.
When Sakura had told him they were throwing Naruto a birthday party, Sasuke had thought she was crazy. Not because Naruto didn't deserve such a thing, but because the timing of it was unavoidably awkward. The date being the anniversary of not one but two tragedies for the village, Sasuke couldn't help but think the decision a little tone deaf, even for him.
So when she told him they were planning to surprise him with a party in April instead—his un-birthday, or whatever she had called it, well. Needless to say, Sasuke did not plan to go out of his way to attend something so ridiculous. It had not been a difficult thing to tell Sakura not to expect him. As much as he didn't enjoy disappointing her yet again these days, well—at least he was practiced at it.
So the fact that Sasuke found himself in Konoha on April 10th was a surprise to both him and Kakashi, whose office he has imposed upon, since Sakura never actually had the chance to tell him where this supposed party was to happen.
When Sasuke arrived at the Nara Main House—not the location he had expected, quite honestly—he very nearly turned right back around and abandoned this foolish plan altogether.
But then a face he knew—their Inuzuka classmate, if memory served—spotted him, and there was no turning back. Callously tugged into the frankly ludicrous crowds spilling out of the household proper, milling about the garden, Sasuke is lost. Completely unmoored amongst throngs of people he vaguely recognized.
If he turned back now, there was no way Naruto could remain oblivious to his arrival and premature departure. And while he had been prepared to disappoint Naruto with his absence, he didn't think he could stomach Naruto's reaction to being abandoned.
Fuck, it was nearly enough for Sasuke to rethink this whole attachment thing all over again.
With that in mind, Sasuke let the tides of well wishers carry him through the throngs, gritting his teeth and pulling his loose poncho more tightly around him, as if it's swathes of fabric could shield him from the press of bodies and voice assaulting him from all sides.
Naruto better be goddamn grateful for this.
The only boon was that the other guests seemed about as interested in mingling with Sasuke as he was. He managed to accept the glass of something that smelled like plum wine and mind his own business as he drifted through the event. It was almost unnerving, how many people were here. Did Naruto even know them all? It once again threw into stark relief the difference between the Naruto from before, and the Naruto now. The Naruto he'd once known would never have had what seemed like half the village crowding his not-a-birthday party. Just like the first time he'd witnessed that hospital aide attempting to flirt her way into Naruto's good graces, Sasuke is forced to reckon with the fact that he doesn't really know Naruto, anymore.
After the first half hour, Sasuke began to think his only hope was to track Naruto down quickly, bestow his best wishes, and retreat back into his self imposed isolation as soon as possible. He didn't know how much more of this his battle hardened nerves could take.
Only, when he finally did spot a familiar blond head through the shifting crowds, Sasuke found himself stalling.
Naruto wasn't alone. Tucked rather intimately into a corner with the Hyuuga heiress who even Sasuke understood had been carrying a torch for his teammate since their days in the Academy.
Maybe Naruto had finally learned to picky up on amorous social cues after all.
As he considered his options for retreat, Sasuke watched with growing nausea as the Hyuuga girl tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, looking up at Naruto's face throw long lashes. Naruto chuckled at something she must have said, though Sasuke could for the life of him seen her lips move, let alone heard what the soft spoken kunoichi might have said.
Time seemed to slow, as she leaned across the scant space between them, lips pursed in a way Sasuke recognized from years of fending off his own admirers.
Sasuke was forced to recognize in that moment he did not want to see this. He would figure out the whys and hows and other details later— for now, he just needed to—he needed to leave. He couldn't—
"Oh, whoa," Naruto laughed, loud enough to carry even across the boisterous crowd, as he reached out, catching Hyuuga by the shoulders, "Careful! Looked like you were about to fall over there—how much have you had to drink?"
The sounds that had seemed muffled and far away moments ago return full force to assault Sasuke's eardrums, as Hyuuga flushed darker than Karin's hair. She stuttered what appeared to be an unintelligible apology before abruptly ducking away, her petite form almost immediately lost in the surrounding crowds.
Maybe Sasuke had judged Naruto's social awareness too soon, he thought blearily, watching Naruto blink stupidly in the direction of Hinata's departure. Obviously the idiot was still as cognizant as a fucking rock.
Who didn't realized when they were about to be kissed, for crying out loud?
Sasuke tried to wrap his mind around it, but he didn't get far. Because a moment later, Naruto was scratching at his dumb, blond head, attention shifting away from Hinata's disappearance and out over the rest of his guests—
And his face lit up like a goddamn fireworks displace, as his gaze unerringly landed on Sasuke almost immediately.
Naruto was already headed in his direction as Sasuke was forced to wrestle with a number of irrefutable facts at once.
The first of which being: Fuck, he was fucking fucked, wasn't he?
Naruto didn't think he'd ever had such a great not-actually-his-birthday party in his entire life. Not that he'd had a lot of parties to compare it to, birthday or otherwise—but still!
Looking at all the people who had come, just for him. All the amazing food Teuchi-ji0-chan had made, just for this. At the pile of fucking presents, piled near Shikamaru's genkan—all for him? He didn't even know most these people. He'd hardly had time to eat even one bowl of ramen. He didn't know where he was gonna put all the stuff in alla those boxes.
And yet all of that was—it was nothing. Because fuck—Sasuke was here. For the first time since he'd fucked off on his little redemption walk or whatever a year ago. He'd come back, just for Naruto's not-actually-his-birthday. Naruto hadn't even let himself consider that this was a possibility, until Sasuke was here. Standing right there, just across the room. Wearing some weird ass clothes that look like he'd rescued them from a trash heap somewhere, but here.
Maybe his friends would call it predictable. Maybe Sasuke would call it annoying. But Naruto didn't leave Sasuke's side the rest of the night.
Getting to hang out with Sasuke turned out to do double duty. Both giving Naruto the time to marvel over Sasuke being here—not out wandering some spooky temple ruins, or fighting some hardass bandits or whatever he was getting up to these days, but here. At Naruto's birthday party. Not-a-birthday party. Whatever. But also, Sasuke's present seemed to deter all the eerie attention Naruto had been getting from people he had never met in his life. It seemed like Sakura had invited half the goddamn village to this party—but Naruto hadn't gotten much better at that sort of thing, since the war. At mingling, and laughing at weird humor he didn't entirely understand, or smiling at people he knew wouldn't have looked twice at him, at best, once upon a time.
But Sasuke's presence changed all of that. Not just because strangers seemed to balk, when they notice the shadow at Naruto's back. But because Sasuke was here. In all his unfamiliar familiarness, and Naruto had missed him.
His heart felt like it had grown ten sizes while his chest had contracted to half it's right size, all at once. He didn't know what to do with all the things he's feeling, at that moment.
So he made do. Teasing Sasuke for his dirty, foreign clothes, and his new, lanky hair. Pestering Sasuke about where he'd been, and what he'd been doing, and who he'd been doing it with.
He was so happy, it felt like he could explode with it, and it was perfect.
Eventually, after too many handshakes and no less than three heaping bowls of ramen, Sasuke managed to drag them out of the pulsing crowds and into the more secluded rear gardens behind Shikamaru's huge ass house—the thin strip of carefully manicured lawn bordering the vast Nara sanctuary at its rear.
With a sigh, Naruto threw himself down on the genkan, reluctantly relived to be away from the noise and crowds, even just for the moment.
Of course, he wasn't so stupid to think Sasuke had insisted on a break for his benefit alone. Sasuke had been a broody recluse before—it didn't take much to recognize the defensive hunch of those shoulders, and the sour furrow of that brow.
Sasuke hated it here. But he was here anyway.
Ignoring the warm ball of feeling in his chest, Naruto settled for watching Sasuke carefully, as he breathed deep the cool night air, like he'd been holding his breath of days, instead of mere hours.
Fuck, Naruto had missed him. For all that they'd only had Sasuke around again for mere weeks before Sasuke had decided to leave, Naruto still felt his absence like a ache in his chest.
Out here, on their own, Naruto suddenly didn't know what to say. Before, it had been easy to fill the silence between them, when everything around them had been so loud. This silence felt different. Fragile. Stilted.
For a brief moment, he wondered if Sasuke felt similarly at a loss. But then Sasuke surprised him.
"Since when do you have so many friends, huh?" Sasuke asked, out of nowhere.
Naruto had never expected his grumpy friend would be the one to break that silence first. That alone felt like a gift, more than anything he might find in any of those boxes.
Though he had to acknowledge Sasuke's point, as ornery as it might have been. "Yeah—I'm as surprised as you are. I don't even know most of 'em, y'know."
"I figured," Sasuke sighed, finally taking a seat on the engawa next to Naruto—not far enough away to feel distant, but close enough Naruto could feel Sasuke's presence, like an itch beneath his skin.
Naruto looked away. As if he watched his friend too closely, he might evaporate entirely.
Sasuke didn't say anything else. Nothing about Naruto's loneliness or his skyrocket to what amounts to fame, in their world. He said nothing. Seemingly content to soak in the night air in that charged silence that Naruto didn't know what to do with. Content to let it fester between them, simmering with everything that remains unsaid between them. Though what could remain unsaid, at this point, Naruto couldn't begin to say.
"I don't really know what I expected," Naruto laughed, determined to fight back that silence as hard as he possibly could. As if his failure to do so would mean Sasuke vanishing again for another year—two, ten, who knew, at this point?
He didn't know the rules to this new kind of relationship they had now. He didn't even know—
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked, before he could convince his mouth otherwise. He fumbled. "I—I mean. It's great, but I just—I didn't—"
"Neither did I," Sasuke said, as if any of Naruto's preceding words had managed to convey his question at all. It's weirdly nice of Sasuke not to mention it. "I even told Sakura I wasn't coming. But then I was just…"
Sasuke paused, like he, too, hadn't expected himself to say something like that.
"Here," Naruto finished for him, because he actually thought he understood. "Well—thanks, anyway. I'm glad you're here. It's like the best thing, actually."
He tried to laugh it off—the strange vulnerability laden in those words. But from where he was staring out in to the dark of the forest, even out of the corner of his eye, Naruto didn't miss the sharp, scrutinizing look Sasuke cast him—so he probably didn't do a very good job.
Feeling the pressure, Naruto scrambled to diffuse the odd tension that seemed to abruptly settle over them.
"The best thing, huh?" Sasuke asked, apparently done doing Naruto any favors for the moment. "That seems like a stretch, don't you think?"
"Not really," Naruto admitted, swiping a hand over the back of his head in a nervous gesture he knew Shikamaru had berated him for. "I just—I'm happy. That you still feel like you can come back here, or whatever. I didn't know—I guess I would have understood if you, uh—if you didn't. Feel like that. That you could."
"Hm," Sasuke hummed. It sounded like both an acknowledgment and agreement, somehow. But also neither of those things.
"So how is it going?" Naruto felt the need to ask, "Have you found like—answers or atonement, or whatever you're looking for out there?"
"I've found…" Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath, like something had surprised him, or he was bracing himself for a punch—Naruto couldn't tell. "I've found something."
With a frown, Naruto considered that.
"What does that mean?" he asked, "Do you need help?"
"…Maybe," Sasuke said, quiet. Almost uncertain. It wasn't the answer Naruto had expected.
Eager, Naruto jumped on that right away, "Well, what do you need? We can ask Kakashi—or is there something I can do? Or maybe Shikamaru—he's probably better at that kind of thing, anyway—"
"You don't even know what I need help with," Sasuke pointed out, though he sounded almost amused rather than annoyed, as Naruto might have expected.
If he had any expectations at all. But he didn't. He had no idea what he was doing.
That was familiar, at least.
"Okay," Naruto said, slowly, "What is it then?"
For the first time since Sasuke had sat down, Naruto looked over. He wasn't expecting to find Sasuke looking back. But mismatched eyes meet his own immediately.
"I'll tell you when I figure it out," Sasuke said. The words casual, but expression oddly intense.
"Uh, alright," Naruto resisted the urge to fidget—to tangle his fingers in the fabric of his uniform pants—only he hasn't gotten used to the newer, tighter fit, and there's nothing for him to grasp onto.
His eyes combed over Sasuke face, trying to read something—anything from Sasuke's expression. But came up wanting.
Sasuke's own expression shifted from something considering, into something more amused. "You're nervous. I'm making you nervous."
"Maybe," Naruto agreed, in one rushed exhale, "I don't want to… I dunno. Mess up, or whatever."
"How do you think you might 'mess this up'?" Sasuke countered, cocking his head in a way that felt mocking, even though Naruto didn't have much proof to back that feeling up. Only that it was Sasuke and he could make anything feel like mockery—he didn't even have to try, it seemed like.
"I don't know," Naruto admitted, at a loss.
Between blinks, Sasuke was suddenly closer. Close enough that his knee knocks against Naruto's, as they sit.
Something loose and coiled fluttered in Naruto's stomach. His eyes didn't leave Sasuke's face, as Sasuke observed him in return. This close, Naruto could see the places where Sasuke's features were pulled tight—not as relaxed as the rest of his posture would have Naruto believe. The places where his jaw clenched, as if biting back words. The places where his lips twitch, as if masking whatever expression was lurking under that placid surface.
It's only when his eyes flickered back up to Sasuke's that he realized he'd been looking at Sasuke's lips at all.
No sooner than their gazes lock once more, all the tension he just noted in Sasuke's expression seemed to melt away.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted. He didn't offer anything more.
But beneath the lip of the engawa, where their legs dangled, an ankle hooked around Naruto's.
The fluttering in his chest went haywire, as Sasuke just looked at him. Just looking. Watching. Waiting for something Naruto didn't understand. The expectation in Sasuke's mild gaze had Naruto leaning in, compelled but the warm intensity of Sasuke's attention, squarely on Naruto and nothing else.
As if prompted by Naruto's own flustered shifting, Sasuke leaned in as well. The barest amount. Just enough to be noticeable. To be incongruent with all of Naruto's expectations—whatever they were.
What were they, again?
The moment hung, charged and sharp. As if they were both waiting for something. Naruto for understanding and Sasuke for… for…
Before Naruto's eyes, something shuttered in Sasuke's eyes, as Sasuke pulled away once more.
His retreat did nothing to lessen the tension Naruto felt, as his heartbeat kicked up and panic licked at his throat—because he didn't want that. He didn't want Sasuke to look at him like that—disappointed and resigned—
Naruto's tore away from where it had been gripping the edge of the porch hard enough to ache—shooting out to snag Sasuke by the loose fabric of that stupid poncho, stalling his retreat.
Sasuke eyebrows jerk up, before his gaze narrows. It was an expression Naruto actually recognized. Not anger, or irritation—just impatience. As if Naruto was being slow again, and Sasuke was just waiting for him to catch up again.
Mind whirring, Naruto tried—he tried to catch up.
With a huff, Sasuke's patience seemed to snap.
Sasuke huffed, before his own hand snapped out, grabbing Naruto by his collar and yanking—
Naruto gasped, as Sasuke's face was suddenly right there. His warm breaths ghosting over Naruto's lips and nothing more.
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, shaky, like he might vibrate out of his skin at any moment—at the barest movement on Sasuke's part.
"It's your move," Sasuke answered, just as soft, wavering in a way that stole Naruto's breath from his lungs, "Do it or don't, usuratonkachi."
And just like that, Naruto got it. The looks. The touches. The weight of Sasuke's presence on his senses, like a heavy blanket.
Oh.
Throwing his whirling thoughts out the window, Naruto let his gut push him forward—forward, closing the last sliver of the distance between them.
Cool, chapped lips met his own—entirely on purpose this time.
18