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“So,” Naruto says, “you divide three on both sides.”
He’s frowning now.
“Like this.”
Naruto taps his pencil to his mouth. Sasuke watches transfixed.
Naruto looks up at him. They’re sitting next to each other, so close that Sasuke can see the faint freckles that adorn Naruto’s nose and cheekbones. His tan skin illuminated by the afternoon sun, filtering through the library windows.
“Sasuke?”
“Huh?” Sasuke says, trying to collect his pride and dignity that’s spilled all across the library's floors. They’re sitting so close, when did they get so close.
“Like this?” Naruto asks, pushing the sheet of paper closer to Sasuke.
He looks down and sees a blur of numbers, and white. He tries to reboot his mind, tries to stop thinking about Naruto’s sunkissed skin, his honeyed voice, and quiet laughs, the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs.
“Uh huh.” Sasuke says, looking back up to Naruto. Which-bad decision, stupid fucking mistake.
(Sasuke is ranked 1st in the school and here he is, dumbstruck by stupid idiot blonde Uzumaki Naruto, who is also very much fucking straight. Sasuke is ranked first in the school and fell for a straight boy..with a girlfriend.)
Naruto’s eyes glitter and he grins wide, pearly white teeth on full display for everyone to see. Sasuke wants to cover his mouth so no one will ever see it, wants to hide him from the world, wants to take take take from Naruto and give give give until he’s nothing but Naruto’s and Naruto is nothing but his.
“Thanks Sasuke bastard.” Naruto says, “I gotta meet up with Hinata now. I’ll see ya tomorrow Sas.”
Sasuke scowls, mood plummeting. Hinata was Naruto’s girlfriend, Sasuke was sure. Naruto had never said anything, but Sasuke knew, because the way they looked at each other-
“Sure, idiot.” He sighs, getting up. Naruto’s hand on his wrist stop him.
“Hey, uh-” Sasuke turns to look at Naruto, who’s not looking at Sasuke, and blushing. Sasuke scowls, because if Naruto tries to ask him about relationship advice, Sasuke won’t be held responsible for anything that happens next.
He looks down at where Naruto’s hand meets his wrist. Naruto must see him, because suddenly his hand isn’t there and Sasuke misses the warmth.
“Um-sorry,” Sasuke looks back up, Naruto looks sheepish, his cheeks stained cherry red, “you-are you-”
Naruto huffs out a breath, “Do you have someone to go with-um, with for the winter ball?”
Sasuke stills; is he-was he-
“Um,” Naruto says, “just wondering, ya know. I mean- it’s not- I’m not-”
Sasuke almost drops down onto his knees and asks Naruto to marry him; then Naruto focuses his gaze to the side, Sasuke looks and-
Hinata waves at the two of them through the window and Sasuke doesn’t even have to look to see the smile of adoration that is written across his features; something sick and rancid fills his stomach and he scowls back down at the floor.
Sasuke almost growls, he doesn’t want to hear about Naruto asking for advice to ask Hinata. And he doesn’t want to see them all happy dancing around the room, like their the only ones, doesn’t want to see Naruto’s eyes trained on Hinata, pretending that it’s him in Naruto’s arms and not-
“Yes,” Sasuke glares, “is that all?”
“Oh,” Naruto says, looking dejected, “yeah man, sorry. I didn’t know you had somewhere to go.”
“It’s fine,” Sasuke says. Naruto looks down, his expression downhearted; Sasuke wonders what he said, and what made Naruto look like that. He thinks maybe Naruto was going to ask- but no. Hinata.
“Okay, see ya tomorrow Sas.” Naruto leaves. Sasuke watches him until he sees Hinata standing outside the library doors and scowls, walking towards the exit opposite of the ones where Naruto and Hinata.
“Hey,” Sasuke says to Suigetsu at lunch, “come with me to the winter ball.”
“You’re going?” Karin asks.
And that day, in his haste to get rid of that nasty feeling in his stomach, to get away from Naruto, Sasuke made a great miscalculation. Going with someone meant he actually had to go. Which was-fuck. So yes, he's going.
Sasuke grunts.
“Sure dude,” Suigetsu says. He grins knowingly.
Sasuke frowns at Suigetsu, but then stops. Maybe if they show up together, Naruto-
It’s stupid, so fucking stupid. Naruto is straight and dating Hinata and Sasuke is a grade-A fucking loser for even thinking it.
“It's not what you think.” Sasuke says, like a liar. Because it is; because even if he fervently denies it, even if he pretends it's not true, he'll go to sleep tonight dreaming of taking Suigetsu to Winter Ball and Naruto will see them from where he is, Hinata hanging off of his shoulders and come and rip Suigetsu off of Sasuke and kiss him in front of the whole school, professing his love for Sasuke. And Sasuke will-
“But I thought you were in love with Naruto.” Karin says bluntly, snapping Sasuke out of his daydreams. It must be an Uzumaki gene; nothing can ever be subtly ignored, everything is just out there, in the open, even when it doesn’t have to be. With Karin, with Naruto, there's no finesse. They'd be horrible ninjas.
“Shut the fuck up Karin,” Sasuke hisses, “if you tell him-”
Karin snorts, “Please I’m not getting into this shit with either of you. Figure it out yourselves.” And goes back to eating her sandwich and stealing Juugo's cookies.
Sasuke has no clue what that means, so he ignores it.
It’s fine. Everything’s fine. Sasuke will go to winter ball with Suigetsu and show Naruto exactly what he’s missing.
“Operation: make Uzumaki Naruto jealous and profess his undying love for one Uchiha Sasuke, commence!" Suigetsu grins, waving his sandwich around in the air like it's a baton. Sasuke blushes and frowns disapprovingly.
Karin wiggles her eyebrows and snorts, which causes Suigetsu to burst out laughing. Sasuke scowls. He hates his friends….except for maybe Juugo. When he turns to Juugo, he’s sitting there barely containing giggles until he sees Sasuke looking, then he schools his features into feigned disinterest.
Sasuke hates all of his friends, they’re all fake.
Naruto sits frowning at the sheet of paper, and Sasuke ponders when they have come so close to each other. When they had sat down, there had been an ample amount of space between them. Now Naruto’s chair is stuck to Sasuke’s thigh pressed against Sasuke’s and everytime he moves, his arm brushes Sasuke.
Sasuke tries very very hard to breathe steadily, and shuts down his brain.
“So,” Naruto says looking up straight into Sasuke’s eyes. Sasuke couldn’t form any coherent thought for his life because all he could see was the blue blue blue of Naruto’s eyes, not as light as the sky almost as dark as the ocean. Sasuke wants to kiss him.
Sasuke’s eyes flit to Naruto’s lips, then back up to his eyes, which are half-lidded, and god he’s beautiful. Sasuke wants to meld their lips together, wants to entwine his being with Naruto’s, so when people look at them, they can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.
He thinks of Hinata.
“So?” he asks, turning away to look at the paper.
“Ah,” Naruto jerks, his hand brushing Sasuke’s waist, and Sasuke’s heart stops.
“Yeah uhm,” Naruto coughs, “um, number three…”
‘He’s not yours,’ Sasuke tells himself, ‘,he’s not yours.’
“Oh look,” Suigetsu says, “it’s the source of all your problems.”
“What, capitalism?” Karin says.
Sasuke looks up to see Naruto barreling towards them, face flustered and determined yet his eyes and lips smile proudly. Sasuke's stomach swoops and swoons. Fuck he is so gone for him.
“Sasuke!” Naruto yells halfway across the cafeteria.
“Christ,” Karin says, “Sasuke your face.” She bursts out cackling.
“Leave him be,” Juugo says, “he’s in love.”
Sasuke ignores them; he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Naruto if he wanted to. Naruto is his sun, Sasuke orbits around him, he’s the center of Sasuke’s universe.
“He’s probably thinking some dumb shit,” Suigetsu says, between giggles, “like Naruto’s the sun and he has no choice but to follow him around for all eternity.”
“I think Naruto would be the one doing the following,” Juugo says, completely serious.
Sasuke scowls, turning to growl something out at his stupid friends.
“Sasuke,” Naruto says breathless, Sasuke stares and stares. Juugo clears his throat.
“Yeah, yes, yeah,” Sasuke says smartly. Fuck.
Naruto looks up grinning happy, eyes glistening. He holds up a paper. Sasuke can’t stop staring into the ocean blue of his eyes.
“Sasuke, Sasuke,” Naruto says his name like it's holy, a breath, a mantra, “look, look, Sasuke, look.”
Sasuke’s been looking, has always looked, watched, seen, even when they were kids and Naruto had hated him. Sasuke still looked, watched, never being able to tear his eyes away and Naruto had looked back, even if it was with contempt.
“Sasuke,” Naruto says again, shoving the paper in his face and-oh.
Marked in red on the top of the paper is a big 100. Sasuke realizes it was the big test that Naruto had been stressing over for the past week.
“Naruto,” Sasuke breathes out, a smile breaking out across his face. Naruto looks so so happy, he grabs Sasuke’s shoulders and pulls him into his chest.
All around Sasuke, is Naruto Naruto Naruto; he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“Thank you,” Naruto whispers into his ear, just for them, “thank you Sasuke.”
His name falls from Naruto’s lips like a prayer.
“Would you like to sit?” Juugo says to Naruto finally, scooting over to make room between him and Sasuke.
“Ah,” Naruto says, grinning sheepishly, “nah.” He rubs the back of his head, Sasuke resists the urge to run his fingertips through Naruto's hair; he wonders if it would be soft or course on his fingers.
“I kinda left Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan.” Naruto says. Sasuke’s mood plummets.
“I still have to show them my score.”
“You haven’t yet?” Suigetsu asks.
“Nope,” Naruto pops the p when he says it, “Sasuke was the first one I wanted to show.” He beams down at Sasuke once more (Sasuke stares back, he always has) before jolting and turning around, walking off waving.
Sasuke feels something warm and maybe a little ugly uncoil in his chest, watching Naruto leave (he doesn’t stare at his ass, he doesn’t). Naruto came to him first, before fucking Hinata-chan.
“Jesus,” Karin says, “just get married already.”
“Fuck off,” Sasuke says, imagining him and Naruto kissing at the altar as he flips Hinata off, who’s crying in the corner lamenting her lost love.
“He’s imagining it,” Suigetsu says and he and Karin dissolve into laughter at Sasuke’s expense.
Sasuke goes back to hating the people he chooses to hang around. Juugo gives him a sympathetic look, mouth barely suppressing an amused smile. Sasuke glares back at him.
“Hey Sas,” Naruto says, “who are you bringing?”
“Hmm?” Sasuke says, shaking himself out of the daydream he was having about Naruto’s biceps.
“For winter ball,” Naruto says, “who’s your date?”
“Suigetsu.” Sasuke responds. He doesn’t want to think about winter ball, doesn’t want to think about Naruto and Hinata dancing to some stupid slow pop song, happy smiling at each other like they are in their own world.
Sasuke’s chest aches.
“Oh,” Naruto says, voice unusually flat, “that makes sense I guess.”
Sasuke grunts and wonders why Naruto sounds like that. Sasuke pretends it's because Naruto is secretly in love with him. It's most likely just been a long day. Naruto looks back down at the problem he’s working on and Sasuke gets distracted by the tiny pout that appears on Naruto’s face when he focuses really hard and he daydreams of kissing it off of his face.
Suigetsu wolf whistles as Sasuke gets into the passenger seat of his car.
“Looking good,” Suigetsu says, “definitely not for me.”
“Start fucking driving,” Sasuke says turning away to look out the window. He doesn’t blush.
“You’re blushing!”
“Shut the fuck up.”
They walk into the gym which has been decorated into a disco theme even though it’s called winter ball, Juugo and Karin waving them over to a table.
Suigetsu has his arm around Sasuke’s shoulders.
“Yo.” Karin nods to the other side of the gym and Sasuke makes the mistake of looking.
Because there is Naruto, in all his golden glory. He’s dressed up in a navy blue suit, a big smile painted on his face as he watches Lee gesticulate, going on about something unimportant probably. He looks good, illuminated by the disco lights that flash blue red yellow along the lines of his face.
He’s beautiful. Sasuke’s golden boy.
Sasuke abruptly looks away, missing the way Naruto’s eyes find him and widen almost comically, looking starstruck when they land on him, misses the way they narrow at Suigetsu's arm around his waist and the plastic cup that's crushed in his grip.
Sasuke looks around the gym ignoring the way his face feels hot hot hot.
He spots Hinata and Kiba dancing closely, then Ino and Sakura dicking around-
Wait.
Hinata and Kiba dance, looking at each other like they’re the only ones in the room. He feels anger, something ugly rising up. Before he realizes it, he’s across the room, grabbing Hinata’s wrist and yanking her away from Kiba.
“What-” Kiba starts. Sasuke glares at him until he shuts his stupid fucking mouth. Ugly fucker, touching someone else's girlfriend.
“Wha- Sasuke-kun?” Hinata says, startled.
“Come with me,” Sasuke growls out.
Sasuke chances a glance at Naruto, who’s looking at them, mouth wide open, eyes filled with hurt and understanding. How dare she-
Sasuke drags them out of the gym.
“Sasuke-kun?” Hinata says over and over like a broken record, fucking prick, “Sasuke-kun, what? Hold on. Hold on!”
She manages to yank her wrist out of his bruising grip. He whirls around barely managing to keep his fist at his side and not in her pretty face.
“You-” he yells, stopping as she flinches back.
“Sasuke-kun,” she says softly, “what-um what did I do to you?”
Sasuke stares at her and he stupid act, like she doesn’t know what she did, like she didn’t ruin a perfectly good relationship, one Sasuke would kill for. Like she didn’t dim the light in Naruto-precious, beautiful Naruto’s eyes.
“What did you do?” He asks incredulously, “What did you do?”
“Um..” she says back.
“Naruto,” he seethes, he can barely see, “loves you. He loves you and here you are, ready to fucking cheat on him! You piece of shit, you don’t deserve him! You have everything! And you throw it away just for a quick fuck with Kiba?!”
He breathes in and out heavily. He looks up into Hinata’s startled eyes.
“Um,” she says, “wait. You-you think Naruto and I are in a relationship?”
Sasuke stares at her like she’s dumb. So she’s decided to pretend now.
“I see how you two look at each other, how close you two are,” he hisses, he remembers the lingering looks, soft smiles, the touches on arms, hands around shoulders, arms pulling each other in closer closer. He closes his eyes.
“Um,” Hinata says, “well- no.”
Sasuke frowns, opening his eyes again.
“No?” he asks.
“We’re just friends.” Hinata tells him.
Sasuke stares at her, he doesn’t know what he looks like, probably stupid.
“Sasuke-kun,” Hinata says slowly, “do you like Naruto?”
Sasuke looks away, face burning. He leans against the wall.
“Fuck,” he says.
“Oh,” Hinata says, “oh.”
And then, she laughs, loud and straight at Sasuke.
Sasuke slides down sitting on the concrete. Hinata sits down next to him, laughing still. He’s a fucking idiot isn’t he.
“I’m a fucking idiot aren’t I?”
“Well,” Hinata tells him between giggles, “you both are fucking idiots.”
“What does that mean?” Sasuke says, because-because that can’t-
“Sasuke,” Hinata says, staring straight into his soul, “what do you think it means?”
Sasuke stares through her. Naruto likes him? Naruto likes him?
“I need to talk to him.” He says.
“Yeah,” Hinata says, “wanna go back now?”
They get up, Sasuke all but running back to the entrance.
He opens the doors, eyes falling right into Naruto’s blue ones.
He stares back, surprised and sad and-
It was Sasuke who put that look there, who took away his light. Sasuke won’t ever forgive himself-never. He hopes Naruto can.
He walks over to Naruto who-
Won’t look at him.
“Sasuke!” he says, fake joy coloring his voice, fake smile painted across his face, eyes looking anywhere but Sasuke. Sasuke aches.
“Naruto,” Sasuke says back, standing in front of Naruto, looking and looking because he can. Because Naruto likes him back.
“Um, great-great party huh?” Naruto laughs nervously, Sasuke wants to kiss him again.
“You look great Sasuke!” He says finally looking up at Sasuke for a split second.
“Naruto,” Sasuke breathes out.
“Sasuke?” Naruto looks nervous and confused.
“Um, did-did you confess your feelings to Hinata? How did that go?” He looks past Sasuke to Hinata, who’s probably back to dirty dancing with Kiba.
“Oh,” Naruto says flatly, “oh yeah, sorry.”
“Naruto,” Sasuke says again, willing Naruto to look at him, see him, him only.
Naruto looks at him, meets his eyes for more than a second, Sasuke feels suspended in time.
“Can I talk to you?” He says hoarsely, whispers probably. If Naruto weren’t so close he wouldn’t have heard over the blasting music of the top 40s.
“Um-sure Sasuke. Are you okay?”
“Peachy,” Sasuke responds, taking Naruto’s hand in his. His hand is warm and soft, fitting perfectly in Sasuke’s own. Sasuke’s heart stops for a second.
They make their way out of the gym, Sasuke taking them to the park, a block away.
The streetlights and the moon illuminate Naruto’s face.
Sasuke looks at him and suddenly he can’t speak, can’t breathe, overcome with the urge to kiss Naruto.
He can now, he does.
Naruto’s lips are cold and a little chapped, their perfect against Sasuke’s warming him to his core.
Sasuke kisses him and feels something in his chest settle.
‘Finally,’ he thinks, ‘finally, finally-’
Naruto’s lips stay still, stagnant. Sasuke’s body goes cold. He pulls back abruptly.
Maybe Hinata was wrong, maybe she meant something else-
Naruto pulls him back against him, lips moving against Sasuke’s stagnant ones. Sasuke hurries to move too.
Naruto’s hands slide from his cheeks to his hair, fingers curling into black locks. Sasuke curls in on himself, pulling Naruto closer by his waist. Closer, closer, closer still 'til there's no discerning where one of them starts and the other ends.
Naruto’s waist fits perfectly in his hands, his body warm against Sasuke’s. Heart beating in time with Sasuke’s own.
They kiss for seconds, hours, days, Sasuke doesn’t know and when they pull back for air- it’s not enough, still not enough. Sasuke finds himself moving in closer to take Naruto’s lips against his own once more.
“Not that I’m enjoying this,” Naruto says, “but I thought you like Hinata-chan.”
“I thought you liked Hinata,” Sasuke says exasperated; he thinks this conversation is useless when he could be kissing Naruto.
“I thought you two were dating.”
“You what?!” Naruto says, looking at him like he’s stupid. Sasuke tries to kiss him.
“Wait,” Naruto pushes his hand onto Sasuke’s lips, Sasuke glares at him.
“Wait, you thought we were dating?!”
“Why is that so surprising?” Sasuke mumbles.
“Why?! Why-” Naruto cries, “you fucking idiot, Hinata’s half in love with Kiba and I’m half in love with you, you stupid fuckhead. Going around breaking my heart over and over like that. Fuck you I don’t know why I like you. And here I was thinking that you were in love with Suigetsu, then getting fucking whiplash when you went and grabbed Hinata-chan!”
Oh, oh. Naruto-
Sasuke feels giddy, feels like dancing around Konoha, swinging their interlocked hands around, shouting from rooftops.
Naruto looks away from him blushing and pretty.
“Naruto,” Sasuke breathes, taking the hand that was against his lip and lacing their fingers together. Naruto stares at them in awe.
“Naruto,” he says again, “Look at me.”
Naruto looks at him.
“I think I loved you since the first moment I saw you.” Sasuke tells him seriously.
“What?” Naruto laughs, “that was like kindergarten.”
“Yeah,” Sasuke breathes out, “yeah.”
He connects their lips again and again and again.
“God,” Naruto laughs against Sasuke’s lips, “Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan must hate us. All I’ve been doing is complaining about how hot you are.”
“Hot?” Sasuke smirks, pulling back to look at Naruto.
“Don’t get fucking cocky with me,” Naruto snorts, smacking Sasuke’s shoulder lightly. He’s beautiful under the artificial streetlights, Sasuke is so in love-
Naruto leans back in to take Sasuke’s lips in his and Sasuke promptly stops all train of thought.
“Fucking finally,” Suigetsu says the next day at lunch.
“Do you have to be sitting in his lap?” Karin asks, giving them both the stink eye.
“Let him be,” Naruto grins, tightening his arms around Sasuke’s waist.
They’re out on the field today, Naruto leans against a tree, Sasuke laying between his legs.
“God,” Karin rolls her eyes, “I know you guys are gonna be the fucking annoying ass pda gays nobody asked for.”
Juugo smiles softly, “I’m glad you guys are happy.”
Sasuke smiles back, his hand gravitating towards where Naruto holds them.
The sun breaks through the clouds, the wind caressing his hair, Naruto pressing tiny pecks to his hair.
Sasuke closes his eyes and leans back, letting himself feel fully for the first time. He’s really really happy.