Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Cliche	By : CloudNineKitty Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2135 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any money from writing this.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Chapter Four
Ice Cream and Gashapons
"Voluptuous."
Kiba narrowed his eyes and stared out the window for a few moments before shaking his head. "Nah, not a real word."
"No, it totally is! It refers to the sensual curves of a woman's body or something." Naruto defended from where he was leaning over the edge of the open window. It was hot outside, but the breeze was nice and cherry blossom petals were dancing through the air. He had to take his jacket off, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, but he knew he'd have to put it back on when class started again. For now he was going to enjoy his ten minute break with Kiba by watching the other third years' PE class. Naruto recognized three of the girls immediately, one being Karin while the other two were Hinata and Tenten, two childhood friends of his that he didn't really get close to until after Sasuke left even though they were always there.
Naruto thought Tenten was a cool girl because she didn't allow herself to be overpowered by the boys. She was like a tomboy, if the way she had her sweatpants rolled up to the knees was any indication, but still had that cutesy feminine side that made any boy's heart melt. Hinata and Karin kept their pants down despite the warm temperature, which wasn't all that surprising for Hinata, but Naruto had figured Karin would be up there with the rough-n-tough look too. But it wasn't really their pants that he was focusing on.
"Mah, Tenten is still the smallest. Pay up, dog breath." Naruto held out his hand to his friend.
"No way, I said they'd get bigger by the end of high school. We still have the rest of the year ahead of us." Kiba inched away slightly, trying to keep the money in his wallet.
Naruto pouted and leaned further out the window. "Hinata's chest is still the best."
"Stop looking at her!" Kiba growled out like an animal even though his own eyes were zeroed in on the girl's D cups. The poor girl was the shyest, quietest and most polite thing alive, and yet she had the body that every guy and even some girls desired.
"Have you even asked her out yet?" Naruto sighed, looking at the blush on his friend's cheeks. Not that Naruto had a say in who Hinata dated, mostly because her cousin Neji seemed to have that covered at a professional level, but if there was anyone he knew that would be good for the girl it was Kiba. Sure, he ogled her body because let's face it; he was a teenage boy with hormones. However, he never acted on his desires and he had the purest intentions whenever he asked her to hang out or go to parties with him. He was a good guy who liked Hinata for who she was and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.
"Not yet," Kiba admitted tiredly. "I just…every time I try to ask I chicken out!"
Naruto patted his friend on the back in a consoling manner, but the brunette slapped his arm away. "There, there buddy. You can always give her a love letter or something." He laughed at the glare the dog lover shot at him, and he looked back out the window at the girls that were setting up hurtles with the rest of the class. "Karin's pretty cute, huh?"
"Who, the girl that came in with Sasuke?" Kiba studied her for a bit before shrugging. "She's all right, in a nerdy way, you know?"
"She has pretty big breast too. Not as big as Hinata's, but I probably wouldn't be able to fit my whole hand around one-wah!" Naruto's hands shot and slapped at whatever had smacked him on his head. Blue eyes widened as he watched several papers flutter out the window and onto the ground below. He watched them till they landed in the bushes and dirt before turning to see who his attacker was.
"Dobe," The Uchiha muttered, his eyes narrowed in obvious annoyance at his papers having been discarded out the second story window.
"Teme, what the hell are you doing?" Naruto growled, ignoring the disapproving stares he was getting from some of the students that had stayed behind in the classroom during the break. "Don't go hitting people for no reason! You scared me!"
"You shouldn't be staring at the girls like an idiot." Sasuke clipped.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line. He wasn't sure if Sasuke was jealous of him eyeballing the girls or if he was annoyed that they were talking about Karin's chest. He decided not to say anything at all because he didn't want to have some kind of misunderstanding. He had fully accepted Sasuke's feelings for him over the weekend; not that he was going to return them or anything. He merely decided that the fact wasn't going to change anything between him and the jerk. He was still going to try to find out what happened in Otogakure, but he knew that was going to take time. Even as a kid Sasuke had to be poked and prodded a lot before he spilled any information, and when he actually did give something away, it was very little.
Sighing, Naruto rolled his neck and moved to stand beside Sasuke, patting his shoulder. He now had the Konoha uniform which he wore with the issued tie, because he had to look all proper and clean cut to others that didn't know he was a delinquent (or at least that was how Naruto saw it). "Sorry about your papers, Uchiha. I'll go get them."
Sasuke scoffed and moved ahead of him towards the door. "Dobe, it'll be faster if I went and retrieved them."
"Yeah right, teme!"
"Just stay here and ogle the girls." Sasuke snapped, and he exited the classroom.
If that wasn't an admission to jealousy then Naruto wasn't the king of England. Which he actually wasn't, but then that meant that Sasuke also wasn't jealous. Wait, he wasn't thinking of the right saying. Whatever, that didn't matter. The point was that Sasuke was jealous of him looking at girls when he had admitted his feelings for the blond. He could understand why the boy would be upset, and he had told himself to make sure that he didn't upset Sasuke in any way in that factor. He was going to have to pull the teme out of his sour mood before it got out of hand.
He didn't stop beside Sasuke in the hallway, and instead continued at his steady pace while calling back to the other boy. "Last one there has to take over the other's cleaning schedule!"
Obsidian eyes narrowed dangerously.
Naruto wasn't surprised in the least when he glanced over his right shoulder and saw that the Uchiha was right on his trail. It was amazing he wasn't stepping on the back of Naruto's heels. He faced forward again and pushed his legs to carry him faster down the hall, making two girls jump out of the way so they didn't get run over by the speeding boys. By the breeze against his skin, he realized that he wasn't wearing his jacket and now he was praying that not only did he get to the papers first but a teacher didn't see him out of uniform.
They got to the stairs, and Sasuke was a blur as he moved past Naruto, making it to the landing between the two flights first. The blond pulled the first move he thought of, and instead of turning to get to the next flight of stairs, he ran straight forward and shoved Sasuke into the corner with his body weight.
Sasuke's eyebrows rose, which Naruto knew was a sign of shock. Heck, even he was a little surprised by his bold move, especially how close their faces were. Wasn't he supposed to not lead Sasuke on in anyway, or give him any kind of thoughts that involved both of them in this nature? Yet here he was, pressed against his best friend and staring him straight in the eyes. His traitorous body didn't seem to mind how well his and Sasuke's bodies fit together like puzzle pieces. His mind decided that the best way to play out of the situation was to pretend it was a joke.
He stepped back and grinned sheepishly before sticking out his tongue. "Haha, got ya!" He turned on his heels and began running down the stairs, keeping his hand on the railing to his right while his other arm extended out so that Sasuke couldn't pass him. He let out a victorious laugh as he neared the door that lead outside, only to cry out in shock when the rubber toe of his inside slipper stubbed the linoleum floor of the hallway, and he toppled forward, barely managing to catch himself with his hands. However, those only slid out beneath him and his chin hit the floor painfully.
"Che, dobe." Sasuke walked past him calmly. Or at least tried to, but a hand wrapped around his ankle, making him still. Another one grabbed his calf and he glared down at the grinning idiot on the floor.
"Wait, uh…" Naruto fumbled around for a reason for Sasuke to take pity on him, but he knew the asshole was a cold-hearted bastard. And an asshole, as he mentioned before. And he didn't want to throw fuel on the fire, but since he had already slipped up he could just blame it on getting caught up in the moment and being desperate to beat the Uchiha. Which he was. And though he wouldn't normally cheat or use low blows in a fight, Sasuke was a different kind of opponent. After all, the guy had molest- okay, Naruto didn't want to think about that. He had told Sasuke he was going to overlook it, but it was proving to be a bit difficult. So he was going to have to get his revenge in terms unheard of. "Take me, Uchiha!"
"What?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed past their usual glare.
"Right here in the hallway!"
"Dobe."
"Take me!"
"I'm not some hormonal teenager like you." Sasuke clipped, kicking his leg and successfully breaking free of the boy's grasp. He began walking towards the door again.
Naruto cussed and he scampered to his feet and after Sasuke. They picked up their race again, running around the outside of the school building to where the papers had dropped. Sasuke had gotten their first, but Naruto wasn't ready to give up so easily and he launched his body at the unsuspecting raven, knocking him to the ground. It was painful, but at least it got the job done.
"Get off, idiot. I was here first." Sasuke grunted, squirming to break free of the teen on top of him.
"Yeah, well…I meant getting the papers! First one to get the papers has to clean!"
At the announcement, the two boys began wrestling each other. They would pull the others hair or push his head in the ground each time one of them reached out for one of the scattered sheets of paper. They tried to ignore the cheers and shouts from the PE class watching them, and from Kiba looking down at them from the window. Many of them were cheering for Naruto, but that was only because they knew him better than Sasuke (though Naruto was sure he heard Karin screaming for Sasuke not to lose).
Unfortunately, they distracted him immensely, and Sasuke pinned Naruto to the ground with a knee to his chest. He quickly began gathering the papers while Naruto struggled to breath, slapping Sasuke's thigh and back to try to get him to relieve some of the pressure. Finally, the Uchiha got up, kicking Naruto in the side gently while the other boy coughed and gasped for air dramatically.
"Oh, oh the pain! I thought I was going to die! Sweet air, you are like nectar on a dry summer day!" Naruto cried out, reaching his arms above him as if to grab the air and hug it to him.
Sasuke examined his clothes and sighed in annoyance. "You got my uniform dirty."
"You'll live." Naruto said, getting up and bowing to the applause from the PE class. The group returned to what they were doing before now that the show was over, and Naruto looked over at Sasuke who was patting the dust off the sleeve of his blue jacket with his free hand. "We should get washed up." He said, ruffling his hair to get the dirt out.
"You think?" Sasuke looked at him indignantly.
Naruto rolled his eyes, but grabbed Sasuke by the arm that was holding the papers and lead him to the wash basins under the overhang a few yards away. He held the stack of papers for the Uchiha while the boy washed up, rinsing his face and hands with water. "I'm happy." He blurted out, earning a brief glance from his friend.
"Hm?"
"I'm happy," he repeated, looking out into the yard where the PE class was now running laps. The bell had rung just a minute ago, but neither of them seemed to be in any rush to get back to their classroom. "Just now, it was like old times."
"Hn," Sasuke shook his hands off before removing his school blazer and shaking the dust off it.
Naruto grinned and leaned back against the deep metal basin. "I'm glad nothing between us has changed. I'd hate it if things were different."
Sasuke suddenly gave a single violent shake to his coat before inspecting it and then putting it back on. He brushed off his pants next, then turned and took the papers from Naruto without as much as a thank you. He turned and started heading towards the door to go inside, not even slowing when Naruto shouted after him.
"Hey, wait, aren't you going to wait for me to clean up?"
"And risk being even more late for class? I don't think so."
Naruto pouted and began running after Sasuke. What was his problem? He was acting so cold all of a sudden. They were just starting to return to how things were in the old days. He hadn't said anything offensive, right? And Sasuke won the bet, so Naruto was going to take on his cleaning duty next week. He shouldn't be in such a bad mood all of a sudden.
Naruto sighed and decided that he didn't want to worry about it at the moment. They were late for class and Iruka was going to yell at them. Not to mention his uniform was dirty and he was going to get disciplined for not wearing his school blazer. Man, today was turning out to be a bummer. He really needed something to cheer him up.
"Want to hang out with me and Hinata today?" Kiba asked as Naruto packed up his books at the end of the day.
And hanging out with his friends was exactly what he needed.
"Yeah, definitely!" Naruto grinned. Movement in front of his desk caught his eye, and he snickered, reaching a hand forward and yanking at the back of Sasuke's collar. The boy stiffened at the contact, but didn't allow himself to be pulled back. Instead, he turned his head and glared at the blond.
"What?"
"Come hang out with us!"
"Dude, you're inviting Uchiha?" Kiba whispered, unaware that said boy could hear him clearly.
Naruto frowned, realizing that Kiba didn't know about the triple "date" from Friday night. As far as Kiba was concerned, Naruto wasn't on good terms with Sasuke. But the boy thought different. He was picking up exactly where he and Sasuke left off and no one was going to tell him otherwise! "Yeah, why not?" He turned his attention back to Sasuke and smiled. "Come on, teme."
"What makes you think I want to hang out with you and the mutt?" Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes challengingly. Neither boy paid any attention to Kiba's retort to being called a mutt.
Naruto leaned over his desk and met the stare with equal vigor. "Because I'm going to punch you in the kidney if you don't."
"N-Naruto-kun?"
He winced at Hinata's sweet voice and looked at the girl, grinning sheepishly. When had she gotten there? The girl was far too quiet sometimes. "Haha, don't worry Hinata. I'm not really going to punch him. Because the teme is coming with us, right?"
"What's in it for me?" Sasuke asked, turned to pick his bag up off the desk. The jerk actually had to get something out of spending time with kids his age?
"Uh…how about fun? Plus, I'll be there. Does that mean nothing to you?" Naruto produced his best pout, batting his eyelashes and scrunching his shoulders up to his ears. Why couldn't Sasuke just answer a simply yes or no? Preferably yes.
The Uchiha rolled his eyes, but he let out a sigh that Naruto took as a good sign, and he cheered in victory. With Sasuke in tow, the four left the school and set out to explore the streets of Konoha. Naruto kept trying to assure Sasuke that he had to become reacquainted with his hometown since a lot changed in five years. Kiba wasn't much help in denying that anything ever changed around the town while Hinata stood by and smiled. Useless, both of them! They made it to an old ice cream shop that used to be one of their hang out spots when they were in elementary school. The elder woman who owned the place immediately recognized the four.
"Oh, I haven't seen you here in a while." She smiled at Sasuke who nodded as acknowledgment though he was completely indifferent. "I remember your favorite order exactly. It was a scoop of vanilla on a sweet potato."
"No, no," Naruto grinned and put an arm around Sasuke's neck, tugging him down so his ear was to Naruto's chest, and make it difficult for him to walk as he was pulled closer to the woman behind the counter. "The teme would always eat almond and mint ice cream!"
"Oh, that's right." The woman released a string of gentle chuckles, and she turned her attention to the other couple in front of her, taking Kiba and Hinata's orders.
Sasuke looked at Naruto as best as he could in the choke hold, but he ended up pressing his left temple into the boy's chin. "You remember what I used to order?" The thought of the idiot remembering such a small and pointless detail about him after all these years almost made his heartbeat quicken to the point where it would seem that he had just run a marathon. Of course he didn't allow himself to get like that and he opted for glaring darkly at the stupid, brilliant grin Naruto blasted him in the face with.
"Yeah, well, you had weird taste in ice cream. It's hard to forget." Naruto instantly removed his arm from around Sasuke and walked up to the counter, turning his grin on the elderly woman. If it was any brighter he would end up blinding her. "Hi, hi! I'll take my usual miso flavored ice cream!"
"And you said I had weird taste." Sasuke commented, moving to stand behind him and seeing that the menu on the wall hadn't even changed since they were kids. It was the same hand carved, wooden slate with pastel pink, blue and green characters listing what flavors of ice cream the shop had, along with low-fat flavors, sorbets and frozen yogurts. His eyes zeroed in on a certain word and if anyone was looking, they would swear his irises turned red. He looked at the elderly woman and quickly said, "I would like a scoop of tomato ice cream, please."
Naruto gave him a look that clearly showed he thought the random choice was weird. Though he always knew that Sasuke liked tomatoes when they were kids; he'd never eat many sweets, and he'd give any Valentine's Day chocolates he received, which was a lot, to Naruto. In fact, the only time he would eat sweet things was when he was sharing them with Naruto, so that the blond ate most of it.
Thinking about that made Naruto wonder if maybe Sasuke had always had feelings for him even before their kiss on the dock. They might have blossomed into love after the kiss, but what if he really did like Naruto in a way that a girl had a crush on a guy? And giving him all those chocolates was like a girl giving them to the guy she liked. Naruto almost paled, because he would give Sasuke a White Day present too, as a thank you for sharing his Valentine's Day gifts with him. As if, all along, they had been playing a game of cat and mouse when they were younger and didn't even know it.
Deciding that he didn't want to worry about it right now, he smiled and moved to pay for his order only to have the ice cram cup shoved into face. He went cross-eyed for a moment before leaning back and taking the desert from Sasuke. "What-"
"I paid for you while you were standing there like an idiot." Sasuke informed him, walking past him to go to the table that Kiba and Hinata had chosen. He took a seat across from Hinata, leaving digging into his own ice cream without saying a word to the couple on the other side of the booth.
"Teme!" Naruto crashed into him as he all but dived into his seat, glaring at the raven-haired teen. "Don't pay for my ice cream!"
"Calm down, Naruto." Kiba said, and Naruto did not like the cheeky grin he was producing. Whenever he made that face it meant he had some kind of insult or "witty" line in store. "I paid for Hinata's ice cream. It's a man's job to take care of his date."
"Date?" Naruto cried, and his glare darkened at the self-efficient smirk adorning Sasuke's face. Oh, he would like that wouldn't he, the stupid jerk. Speaking of stupid jerks, he knew just how to respond to Kiba. Settling down his anger, he put on his own grin and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I didn't realize you and Hinata were on a date, Kiba. Congratulations, you two. When's the wedding? How many kids do you plan on having?" He felt bad for making Hinata's capillaries combust in her face, but Kiba's reaction of choking on his vanilla ice cream was worth it.
"You sonova…" the brunette growled through his coughing.
"K-Kiba!" Hinata rubbed his back soothingly despite her bright red face that could be compared to a traffic light.
"Dobe," Sasuke muttered, returning his attention to his ice cream.
Score one for Naruto; that was all that mattered at this point. Though he had kind of hoped Sasuke would find his comeback more amusing than Kiba's. Even to this day, after being separated for so long, he still looked for Sasuke's approval subconsciously. Maybe he didn't get it because he hadn't been around to see Kiba's obvious yet shy feelings for the girl develop. Yeah, that was probably it. Naruto knew his comeback was the best.
They left the ice cream shop after twenty minutes of Kiba and Naruto bickering and dodging splatters of their frozen treats. At one point, Naruto had gotten his shot in Kiba's mouth and the boy had to gulp down the rest of his ice cream to get the taste of miso and soy sauce out of his mouth. Sasuke made Naruto clean up the mess while Hinata freshened up in the bathroom, and Kiba rinsed out his hair where Naruto had gotten him good. The two loud boys waved goodbye to the old woman who owned the place while Hinata bowed respectfully and Sasuke remained silent.
They walked for a few blocks, Kiba pointing out stores where Naruto and he had pulled some pranks and were no longer allowed. Hinata politely smiled at the stories, already knowing them because she was there to witness, while Sasuke remained less than impressed by the two boys' "adventures," as they so called it.
Naruto had a feeling that what he and Kiba did seemed like child's play compared to the things Sasuke and his gang did in Otogakure, which he still had to ask about, but he would do it later when they weren't having a good time. Well, he was having a good time, and the fact that Sasuke was still walking alongside them meant that he wasn't bored out of his mind even if his expression was completely blank.
"Look, it's the old gashapon machines!" Naruto announced and he pointed to the eight machines bolted together outside of a convenience store. He mindlessly grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged him over to the machines. "Hey, remember when we were kids and tried to get all of the Dragon Ball Z figures from these?"
"Hn." Of course he remembered wasting his money on these stupid machines and once ending up with three of the Krillin figures, and two Frieza. He had even strapped a Kami-sama figure to a bottle rocket with Naruto who was determined to send him into space since Kami was supposed to reside over Earth. He had tried to explain that the firework wouldn't make it into space, and that the figure was going to be blown up, but there was no reasoning with the boy. They found the melted toy on the other side of the lake a week later, only recognizing it by the partial green skin and top half of its staff.
"Come on, let's get one of those Final Fantasy figures!" Naruto said with a grin. He wasn't specifically interested in the video games, but he loved the graphics and character designs. He could probably cosplay Cloud Strife if he was into that kind of stuff, but he believed that he was hotter than any stupid character that lugged around a huge ass sword. Though he wouldn't mind having his own huge ass sword…
Shaking his head to regain his focus, he squatted down in front of the dispenser that had the game characters and he pulled his frog wallet from his bag. He inserted a hundred yen coin and twisted the handle and a plastic circle came out of the slot. He grabbed it and popped it open, staring down at the blond figure inside. "Eh, I don't know who this is." He showed it to the group, shrugging his shoulders.
"T-that's Tidus from Final Fantasy X." Hinata explained, pressing a finger to her chin as she looked at the toy. "He's the main protagonist." Kiba and Naruto looked at her in surprise and she blushed, looking down at her school shoes and unknowingly hugging her chest to make it seem all the much bigger. "N-Neji a-and I u-used to p-play the games…w-when we were i-in j-junior high school…" Her stuttering always got worse when she felt put on the spot.
"That's cool, Hinata! Don't be embarrassed! Girls who play video games are sexy!" Naruto assured her with a grin, earning a punch to his shoulder from Kiba. He snickered and looked back down at the figure.
"He kind of looks like you, blondie." Kiba pointed out.
Naruto shrugged. Kiba was only saying that because the figure had blond hair and blue eyes with a tan complexion. "Don't call me that. And I'm better looking." he stated, earning a snort from the dog lover. "Whatever. Here teme," He grabbed Sasuke's left wrist and shoved the toy and its packaging into his palm. "It's yours." He turned back to the machines, choosing another one to get a gashapon from.
"Do you want one, Hinata?" Kiba asked the girl who was just beginning to recover from her blush attack. The redness appeared full force and he smiled kindly. "I'll get you something cute." He went over to the machine, playfully shoving Naruto aside and examining what each machine had to offer.
Naruto grinned as he put in another hundred yen into one of the machines, opening the plastic ball that came out. "Oh yeah, this is more like it," he grinned mischievously at the petite figurine of a curvy girl in a red bikini with black cat ears and a tail. "Check it out." He shoved it in Kiba's face and he laughed as well. Sasuke and Hinata didn't seem as impressed by the toy.
Kiba retrieved his orb and opened it, obviously pleased with the results as he moved back to the girl. "Here! You can put them on your bag or something."
Hinata blushed and pulled out the two round frog figures that had loops at the top of their heads so they could be made into key chains or cell phone straps. "T-they're cute, K-Kiba-kun. T-thank you so much."
Kiba rubbed the back of his neck (a nervous habit of his when he was around the Hyuuga) and grinned, a slight tinge of color on his own cheeks at the girl's acceptance of his gifts.
Naruto turned around in time to see Sasuke chuck something into the recyclable wastes bin, and his heart sank when he realized that it was the plastic container with the Tidus figure. Maybe he had grown out of those kinds of things, but he didn't have to throw it away like that. He looked back at his cat girl figurine and closed it up in its plastic bubble, putting it away in his bag. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with it, really. Maybe put it on his windowsill or next to his alarm clock, or something.
The group continued walking, Naruto trying not to make eye contact with Sasuke because he still felt a bit hurt that the guy would throw away his gift. He didn't even notice when pale blue eyes turned to look at him.
"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said quietly, receiving all three boys' attention rather than just the one she called. "Are you okay?"
Naruto almost blushed at being caught sulking and he quickly began laughing. "What? Of course I'm okay, Hinata! Don't be silly. Hey, look at that!" He pointed at the large blue photo booth up ahead of them and ran forward. "Guys, let's take a picture!"
His smile faltered slightly when he realized that Sasuke was texting on his cell phone rather than paying attention to him. He was probably talking to Suigetsu or Karin or that other guy in his gang. Were they really more important than becoming reacquainted with his old friends and hometown? He decided to push the thoughts out of his head, making a mental note to punch Sasuke later. "Come on, teme!" he shouted.
The Uchiha looked at him, and then diverted his eyes to the photo booth behind him. "No." He said calmly, finishing his text before putting his phone away. He had barely gotten it into his pocket before he was suddenly pulled forward by the blond boy.
"Take that stick out your ass! We're taking a picture together!" Naruto took his and Sasuke's bags, dropping them at Kiba's feet and ordering him to watch them. He shoved Sasuke inside the booth and pulled the black curtain shut behind them. He inserted the requested amount of yen and looked up at the menu screen, choosing a simple design to frame the photos. The others were too girly, romantic or meant for holidays. "You better get into this, teme. I want to tell a story with these pictures. Two best friends reunited after five years, such a tear jerker, ttebayo!"
"Dobe," Sasuke grumbled as his hand was forced up and Naruto bent his fingers down so he was making a peace sign.
"Smile at the camera, bastard." Naruto said before putting up his own piece sign and pressing his cheek against Sasuke's. Their faces were squished together in the picture, but Naruto didn't care because Sasuke looked hilarious. The corner right corner of his mouth had been turned down in a frown, but Naruto's cheek made his left side turn upwards. "Okay, next one! Let's go!"
Naruto suddenly turned to face him and pulled Sasuke forward by his shoulders, pressing their foreheads together gently. He closed his eyes and grinned, inhaling the spicy cologne that Sasuke wore. It made his head swim, and he had to use all of his will power to pull away from the other boy when the picture had been taken. He would have to ask what Sasuke used later, because he smelled really good. He wouldn't mind spraying it on his pillow and burying his face in it every night. Or he could just have Sasuke sleep next to him- whoa, wait, how did that thought get in his head? Bad mind! Bad! "Uh…" He felt his face heat up from the way Sasuke was staring at him. "What next…?"
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, watching him carefully.
"C'mon, smile for once, teme!" Naruto growled, draping his arm over his friend's shoulder casually and leaning forward a bit. "Say hi!" The picture was taken while he was speaking, so he was sure that his mouth was opened for it. Not that he cared. "Last one! Let's make it count!"
Sasuke barely had any time to prepare for the hug, Naruto's upper half pressing against shoulder with almost all of his weight. He had to grip onto the arm on front of him for support and he glared at it in annoyance.
"Photo bomb!" Kiba called as he ducked into the booth.
The camera flashed, revealing that it had taken a picture of Naruto shouting and pulling at Kiba's hair, and a pair of black eyes glaring at the two loud boys to the right.
"Damn it, Kiba, that was our last shot! We were telling a story!" Naruto growled as he shoved Kiba out of the booth, following him. Sasuke stepped out much more gracefully than the other two, fixing his uniform and hair.
"And I gave it a happy ending. You should be thanking me."
The boys continued to bicker until Hinata quietly informed them that Sasuke was leaving. Naruto pushed away from his friends quickly, calling after the boy.
"He forgot his pictures." Kiba stated, grabbing the photograph paper that had four squares with their pictures on them surrounded by a green border. He studied them for a moment before his eyes widened a bit. "Whoa."
There, in the second picture, Naruto and Sasuke had their foreheads pressed together and their eyes shut, one smiling wide while the other had the corner of their mouth up turned slightly. Was Uchiha Sasuke smiling? And in the next picture too, Naruto had his arm around Sasuke with an opened mouth while the Uchiha had the small hint of a smile on his lips, his eyes trained on the boy next to him.
Kiba looked up at the two boys a few yards ahead, Naruto pulling on Sasuke's arm while the other looked annoyed at the feeble attempts to be pulled back into the group. He averted his gaze to the photos again, and then back at the boys before frowning. It was almost as if Sasuke… "Hinata, it's getting late. I'll take you home." He said calmly.
"O-okay…" Hinata agreed, not quite sure why Kiba's mood had changed so suddenly.
"Hey, blondie!" Kiba yelled across the space between them.
Naruto stopped pulling on Sasuke for a moment, not letting go of him, and glared at Kiba. "I told you to stop calling me that, dog breath!"
"Shut up! I'm taking Hinata home!"
Naruto pouted slightly, blaming the guy next to him for the abrupt ending to their friendly gathering. "Okay! Remember to wear protection!"
"Fuck you, Naruto!" Kiba growled and ushered the blushing Hinata away who was too stunned to move on her own. He was going to kill Naruto for that at school tomorrow. After he gave him the pictures.
"See what you did, teme? You made them leave." Naruto huffed, allowing Sasuke to walk ahead and following.
"I didn't ask you to come after me." Sasuke deadpanned, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his school pants. His bag rested on his right shoulder, and the weight of it made him wonder when Naruto was going to realize that he had forgotten his bag. When they walked another two blocks, he decided to show some mercy. "You left your bag, idiot."
"Crap! Wait here, please! Don't move, teme, or I'll kick your ass!" Naruto took off in the direction they had come from, running as fast as his legs would carry him.
And what does a Sasuke do when a Naruto tells him not to move? He keeps walking, of course. Or he would have, if he hadn't noticed the playground that was right next to him. He furrowed his eyebrows, clearly remembering the cherry blossom tree next to the metal slide. But was it always on this side of town? He could have sworn it was across from a video rental store or something. He checked in the opposite direction, but there was nothing there but a news stand. Had it been torn down? Maybe some things did change in this town. Well, of course they did, he wasn't dumb. He just hadn't expected a place like the video rental store to disappear. They probably moved locations or something; they couldn't be gone for good.
He and Naruto used to always beg Itachi to get one-day-rental horror movies. Well, Naruto used to beg while Sasuke stood behind him and had a staring contest with his brother. His musings were cut short when Naruto returned with his bag slung over his shoulder.
"Wow, I didn't expect you to wait, actually." He laughed.
"What happened to the video store that was here?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Naruto's comment.
Naruto looked at the news stand in confusion before smiling. "You remember that? Yeah, they moved to the other side of town. I rarely go anymore, it's such a far walk." He turned around and his smile widened. "It's the park we used to play in. They got rid of the swings though. It's a bummer. Come on!" He grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pulled him into the abandoned park. Not many kids played in it because it was in a commercial area. They mostly occupied it on the weekends when their mothers were shopping. Naruto let go of Sasuke to climb up the steps of the slide, ushering for Sasuke to come up as well.
"Dobe, we're bigger now. We can't both fit up there." Sasuke said reasonably.
"Shut up, teme. We'll make it work. We always do." He stared at Sasuke for a minute before blushing and looking away. The way he had said that just now almost made it seem like he was referring to Sasuke's feelings for him. Well, to him it did. He wasn't sure how Sasuke took it. But it was true; they always managed to work out a solution in the end. They would find a way to remain best friends forever, no matter how differently they felt about each other.
The slide wobbled slightly under Sasuke's added weight, and Naruto gripped the faded green edges of it to keep from descending down the slope that was covered in petals from the giant cherry blossom tree. As kids they used to call this 'Sakura's Slide' because of her name. He chuckled at the thought, earning a look from Sasuke who seemed content with remaining on the ladder.
"I was remembering from when we were younger and used to play here. I used to treat Sakura like a princess, and this slide was her castle. Remember? And I was her knight in shining armor." He glared at Sasuke suddenly and folded his arms. "But she was so set on you being her prince, and even though I rescued her from the fire breathing dragon, she only wanted to marry you!"
"The dragon wasn't real." Sasuke said calmly, removing a petal that landed on his shoulder. He peeked back at Naruto and sighed at the pout on his lips, clearly upset that Sasuke wasn't reliving their childhood memories with him. "I tried to convince her to marry you that one time."
Naruto grinned at the memory of Sasuke pulling Sakura off to the side one day. Everyone thought they were going to kiss, which had made their friend Lee burst into tears because 'his lovely flower petal was being stolen by another man'. Naruto found out a few days later that Sasuke had been telling her he didn't want to marry her and that she should move on. Apparently he had suggested marrying Naruto since he had 'saved her from the dragon,' but when she refused he didn't try again; probably because he had already liked Naruto at the time and didn't want to pair him with a girl.
Naruto winced at the thought. So many times as kids he pronounced his 'love' for Sakura right in front of Sasuke. If the Uchiha had liked him all that time, then that must have been like a knife to the heart. Peeking at the boy, his mouth began moving without his consent. "Yeah, and I thought that once you were out of the picture Sakura would give up on you and return my feelings."
Sasuke's eyes averted to the top of the slide where Naruto was sitting, picking at the petals that had collected there and putting them in a pile.
Naruto joined him, electricity shooting through his veins when their hands brushed. That was weird; probably just static shock or something. "Boy was I wrong."
"She rejected you." It wasn't a question.
"About thirty times. But whatever, I'm fine just being friends with her. And I've thought about it logically, too." He leaned his head back to greet the gentle breeze, enjoying the cool air. "She tends to drive me crazy as a friend, so it would only be worse if we were a couple, right? I don't want to be in a stressful relationship. I want someone I can go to the movies with, maybe get ice cream; someone who I can just hang out with, be friends first and lovers second. I don't have the money to adorn a girl with surprise gifts, or the creativity to bring her to different places for dates. I need someone who won't mind falling into a routine with me. You know, someone like…" But he couldn't finish his sentence.
How could he? Here he was rambling on about what kind of girl he wanted to be in a relationship with, and a guy who liked him as more than a friend was right there. He could be so cruel without even realizing it sometimes. He bit his bottom lip and looked away from the other teenage. It wasn't helping that his mind was informing him that he could find all those things he listed in Sasuke.
Sasuke was a boy, so he'd be fine with not receiving spontaneous presents or going on dreamy dates. He'd be content with hanging out at just his house or Naruto's; heck, he'd probably prefer that than going out. And money wasn't an option with him.
The air was heavy between them, and Naruto knew exactly what Sasuke was thinking. It was the same thing he was. Inside, Sasuke was probably shouting, "Hello? I'm right here! I'm all those things you want!" And it was true. But…they had been friends since they were kids. Not to mention they were both guys. How could that even work? Well, he knew it could work; he wasn't that much of an idiot. But…him and Sasuke?
"Talk to me, Sasuke." Naruto said quietly, flicking the pile they had made so that the petals landed on Sasuke's uniform. He wanted the Uchiha to open up to him about his years spent growing up in Otogakure. He didn't want to have to ask. He didn't want to have to force it out of him. He wanted to shine a light into the dark, and wade through the depths to bring the old Sasuke back.
However, it seemed that Sasuke wasn't looking for the help of a friend, nor did he seem to appreciate Naruto's attempt to change the subject. "You'll never want me the way I want you."
The wind picked up and rushed past them, making it hard for Naruto to see Sasuke's eyes because he bangs were in the way. Didn't Naruto say on Saturday that he wasn't rejecting Sasuke? How could he possibly know that Naruto would never want him back? These Uchihas could be so dramatic. Sure, Naruto didn't really have any plans to fall in love with Sasuke; he was hoping to introduce him to some girls and show him that he didn't know what he was missing out on. But still, he only confessed his feelings for Naruto a day or two ago. How could Sasuke possible expect him to return his love so soon? And it wasn't like Naruto had said otherwise-
"I'm glad nothing between us has changed. I'd hate it if things were different."
Oh…he kind of did, didn't he? Well now he felt like a big dumb ass.
Why couldn't they just move on from this? Naruto wanted to help free Sasuke from his rebellious, delinquent past, not hurt his feelings or make things even more complicated. Damn it, and why did Sasuke have to like him anyway? Why couldn't he fall in love with some hot babe that Naruto would be jealous of, and they could still go on being best friends? Stupid Uchiha bastard!
"Fuck you, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, glaring at the other boy who raised an eyebrow in response. "You think you're so tough 'cause you're in a gang, and-and you molest me in my apartment, and you said you liked me as more than a friend! Fuck you!"
Sasuke snorted and turned his face away from the wind, only Naruto didn't allow that. He grabbed Sasuke by his tie and pulled him forward, pressing their foreheads together so he could glare into his eyes.
"Why me?"
Sasuke almost scoffed, like he felt he didn't need to give an answer. But at the same time, he knew Naruto needed one like humans needed oxygen. "Because it's you."
Because Naruto never betrayed him like his brother. Because Naruto never abandoned him like his parents. Because Naruto always looked at him with a smile and made him feel better about everything, unlike the other kids that surrounded him. Because whenever he reached out a hand for somebody, Naruto was there to grab it. And the only person he ever cared about, even after moving to Otogakure, was Naruto.
The blond narrowed his eyes, trying to think of how to respond to the abrupt tone Sasuke used. But he couldn't. All he could do was sigh and loosen his hand on the boy's tie. He wished he could read minds; it would certainly come in handy right now with Sasuke. The boy was so secretive about his feelings and it would take Naruto days, sometimes months to figure out what was bothering him. Sasuke just didn't like opening up, even when they were kids he was like that.
Yet, Sasuke had confessed that he liked Naruto. He had taken a step into the unknown, stepped out of his comfort zone to reveal a secret that he had been carrying with him for five years. And Naruto had inadvertently scorned him.
Maybe he had to see it from Sasuke's point of view. They were always together as kids, watching each other's backs and protecting them. And they even kissed (three times). Perhaps it was inevitable for one of them to fall in love with the other. Heck, maybe if Sasuke had never left, Naruto would also feel the same. Or…Naruto could still feel the same.
Sasuke said he liked him as more than a friend, and yet he was able to go on treating Naruto like an idiot and insulting him. Naruto was looking too deeply into this. They could be more than just friends without having to change their routine or act differently around each other. Just because they loved each other didn't mean everything had to change. Wait, love? Did Naruto love Sasuke? He knew he loved him as a friend, that would never change, but did he love him romantically?
He could try. He could see him and Sasuke being closer than normal friends, that was for sure. So if he just gave it a chance, view Sasuke the same way he viewed Naruto; want Sasuke like Sasuke wanted him. He didn't really mind kissing Sasuke back then; or even that time in his apartment. And no matter how mad he was at Sasuke for molesting him, it had still felt good. Really good. He did come after all. His face heated at the thought and he pulled back a bit from Sasuke.
Naruto swallowed to keep his throat from going dry, and he licked his lips. "Sasuke…" He mentally cursed for his voice sounding so weak. Damn it, how did one go about using their mouth again? "You…um…I want you to kiss me. Like that time on the dock."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't let his shock show. He swore to whatever higher power that was watching them right now, if Naruto was messing with him, he was going to paint the cherry blossoms red with the idiot's blood. With that thought in mind, Sasuke parted his lips slightly and leaned forward.
Naruto closed his eyes in anticipation, waiting for the kiss to come. He knew that his body was tense, but that was only because this kiss was most likely going to determine whether or not he wanted to try taking things further with Sasuke. If it didn't work out in the end, they could just go back to being friends, right? That was how he saw it, at least.
So close, he could feel Sasuke's breath fan out on his face when he exhaled and smell the Uchiha's intoxicating cologne. Just a bit further and their lips would touch, their friendship would evolve, and their lives would change. Just one more inch…half an inch…less than a centimeter…
"Brat, is that you?"
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