Chapter Text
In the days that followed, the atmosphere at the hospital remained the same as always—but for Naruto and Sasuke, everything had changed.
Neither of them had directly mentioned the conversation they’d had—the one where Sasuke, through a pout and a confession of jealousy, had cracked open a small sliver of his armor. Naruto, for his part, had decided to move forward patiently, without pressure, respecting the time Sasuke needed… but still trying.
The medical routine carried on. Consultations, diagnoses, surgeries. But between each moment of work, between clinical reports and half-finished coffees, the subtle gestures kept happening.
That Tuesday, Naruto walked into the pediatric report room carrying two coffees. Sasuke was already seated at the computer, reviewing a new case history. Shikamaru sat next to him, yawning shamelessly, as usual.
“Morning, team,” Naruto greeted brightly, placing one of the coffees right next to Sasuke without anyone saying a word. He didn’t even look directly at him.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
“Since when do you make coffee for other people, Naruto?”
“Since I learned how not to mess it up,” he joked as he settled beside them to review the chart of a young patient—an eight-year-old suspected of chronic migraines.
Sasuke said nothing, but glanced down at the cardboard cup with his name scrawled awkwardly in black ink: Sas. It felt stupid. And kind of charming. He didn’t dare take it in that moment, but he didn’t push it away either.
—
Having lunch together had become an unplanned habit. Almost always at the small table in the back of the hospital cafeteria. They were never alone, which frustrated Naruto a little, but he understood the need to keep everything discreet.
That day was no exception. Shikamaru was with them, chewing on a salad like it was the worst thing he’d ever eaten.
“I don’t get how you live on so much protein and zero bread,” he said to Naruto, while Sasuke ate quietly, listening intently.
“Because I want my clothes to still fit when I hit thirty-five,” Naruto replied, winking.
Sasuke stifled a smile, glancing sideways at Naruto’s exaggerated gesture toward his defined abs. He brought a bite of rice to his mouth, pretending not to care at all.
“And you, Sasuke?” Shikamaru chimed in with a tired voice. “How do you stay so… well, fit?”
Naruto barely held in a laugh.
“Did you just say Sasuke is fit?”
Sasuke shrugged.
“I walk a lot. And avoid unnecessary conversations.”
“And clearly, plenty of cardio,” Naruto added teasingly—earning a quick nudge to the knee under the table.
He didn’t see it coming. It was fast and subtle, but enough to make Naruto look at him in surprise. Sasuke, without even glancing back, took a sip from his water bottle. Naruto’s ears burned with the thrill. It was working.
—
A few days later, Thursday afternoon, the case of little Rina—a twelve-year-old girl with drug-resistant epilepsy—kept them working together all day. Eventually, Sakura appeared during a review to ask for assistance.
“Naruto, can I borrow you for a second?” she asked from the door, pristine white coat and tablet in hand.
Naruto nodded.
“Sasuke, keep going through the scans with the team. I’ll be back in five.”
When he left with Sakura, Sasuke was left alone with Suigetsu and Karin. Karin didn’t take long to slide closer.
“Don’t you think McBlondie’s been… different with you lately?” she asked in a suggestive tone.
Sasuke glanced at her, ignoring the nickname.
“Different how?”
“I don’t know. Less boss, more Naruto,” Suigetsu added with a sly grin.
Sasuke closed the program on the screen.
“You guys think too much.”
Karin grinned.
“And you think way too little.”
—
Encounters in the break room had become something more than tense. The next time they ran into each other was Friday, after a long surgery. Naruto stepped into the small room where he knew Sasuke liked to retreat for a quick meal.
“Can I?” he asked from the doorway, water bottle in hand.
Sasuke looked up, tired but not refusing.
Naruto entered and sat beside him on the couch. He didn’t speak right away. Just looked at him, as if reading his emotions off his skin.
“You’re exhausted,” he finally said softly.
Sasuke nodded.
“And you talk too much.”
“I like it when you say sweet things,” Naruto teased, though he didn’t expect Sasuke to turn and gently brush his cheek with his fingers.
“I don’t say sweet things. I speak truths.”
Naruto leaned in cautiously, expecting rejection, but Sasuke didn’t pull away. The kiss was slow, far more tender than the ones before. Unhurried. The kind that comes not just from desire, but from the growing need to be close.
When they pulled apart, Sasuke rested his forehead on Naruto’s shoulder.
“This is a bad idea,” he murmured.
“Maybe. But I can’t help it.”
“Neither can I.”
—
Saturday passed without any urgent clinical issues, meaning a slower pace for the team. Naruto used the opportunity to run into Sasuke in almost innocent ways, as if by chance. Twice he passed by the pediatric wing just to leave offhand comments like:
“Nice job on the Nakawa twins’ report.”
Or:
“Did you know your handwriting in the surgical notes doesn’t look like a serial killer’s anymore? Congrats.”
Sasuke, somewhere between annoyed and amused, replied only with loaded glances or a simple grunt. But he no longer avoided him. Not anymore.
That day, during lunch, the usual trio met in the cafeteria. Shikamaru arrived last, with a folder full of reports. He dropped into the chair next to them with a sigh.
“Why did I agree to be head of pediatrics?” he mumbled.
“Because you’ve got a martyr complex,” Naruto answered.
Sasuke, who had just taken a bite of salad, nearly choked from laughing quietly. It was the first time he laughed openly in front of Naruto in public, even if only slightly.
Shikamaru raised a brow.
“Uchiha, was that a laugh?”
“No, it wasn’t,” Sasuke replied, deadpan.
Naruto stared at him for a second too long.
Yeah. Walls were definitely coming down.
—
Later that day, Sasuke entered the break room looking for some quiet to review articles on pediatric neurology. When he opened the door, he found Naruto already there, lying back on the couch with his eyes closed.
“Don’t fall asleep in here. You’ll wake up with a stiff neck,” he said flatly, stepping inside like it was nothing.
Naruto opened one eye, then the other, and smiled.
“Was that… concern? I’m touched.”
“It’s experience.” Sasuke placed his tablet on the table and sat beside him, without looking at him.
For a while, silence became comfortable. Their breathing synced, the distant beeping of monitors and nurses’ footsteps in the background. Naruto turned his face toward him.
“Can I hold you?”
Sasuke tensed, but gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Naruto wrapped an arm around him gently. Sasuke let it happen—even rested his head against Naruto’s chest.
“You know this scares me too, right?” Naruto murmured, rubbing his arm gently.
Sasuke closed his eyes.
“Then why do you keep doing it?”
“Because I think it’s worth it. Because you’re worth it.”
—
As the days passed, those little moments became more frequent. No longer just stolen kisses between operating rooms or tension-laced phrases, but small gestures of affection Sasuke no longer pushed away: a brush of the hand when no one was watching, a subtle smile, a silent message sent from across the report room.
Karin, for her part, kept watching it all without fully grasping what was happening—though deep down, she was starting to suspect.
“You and Naruto becoming friends or something?” she asked one day, teasing, when Sasuke showed up again with a coffee he clearly hadn’t bought himself.
“I don’t know,” Sasuke replied without looking at her.
And he wasn’t lying. What they had wasn’t simple. It wasn’t just friendship, but it wasn’t quite a formal relationship either. It was… something in the making.
—
The following Thursday, Naruto waited for him outside the OR, coat slung over one arm, hair tousled from hours of surgery.
“Got plans tonight?” he asked in that way he had—like he was trying to sound casual, but never quite managed it.
Sasuke looked at him, tired but alert.
“Just need to study a couple of cases.”
“What if I invited you to dinner? Nothing fancy. A Japanese place I like. They’ve got ramen and gyoza.”
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
“A date?”
Naruto scratched the back of his neck—suddenly uncomfortable for the first time in a long while.
“Only if you want it to be.”
Sasuke crossed his arms and stared at him for a few silent seconds. Then his expression softened.
“Alright. But I really need to study tonight. Would two days from now works for you?”
Naruto grinned, genuinely happy.
“Perfect. It’s a date.”