Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Sasuke.”

It’s the middle of June, late spring making its way to the end of the season and greeting the hot and rainy summer days around the corner; cicadas chirp and buzz outside, calmly resting in the trees at the end of the street, and the midday sun peeks through the big window in Sasuke’s room.

Sasuke doesn’t open his eyes to answer at the sound of his name, but grunts in acknowledge a small, “Hn.”

Naruto glances at him before saying anything. He’s spread across the tatami mat in front of a small fan, black hair a mess around his head; and Naruto stares at a drop of sweat rolling down the column of his bare neck.

“Uh,” he blinks, warmth buzzing inside his chest, “You know, I’ve been thinking…”

Sasuke hums. “Don’t force yourself, dobe.”

“Bastard,” Naruto glares at him, even if Sasuke can’t see it with his eyes closed. He’s sure he can tell, though, by the way his lips curl up in a tiny smirk. Naruto frowns, lips pressed into a pout, and grumbles, arms crossed, “I’ve thinking a lot about it, you know? Jerk.”

Sasuke opens his eyes then, maybe at something he hears in Naruto’s whiny tone. He rolls over to lie on his left side, facing him, propping his cheek on the palm of his hand, elbow on the mat. The sunlight that filters inside the room makes his long eyelashes shine, fluttering when he looks right at Naruto.

“Sorry,” he says, sincere, “what is it?”

“Uh,” Naruto says, through the lump suddenly heavy in his throat. “Have you ever… I mean… Er…”

He scratches his cheek and averts eye contact, feeling his cheeks and neck warm up. It’s not that he was particularly embarrassed about asking before, but he knew it would probably be awkward, which is why he pondered so much about asking in the first place.

“Have you ever, like,” he looks at his hand, then at the floor, and then back at Sasuke’s face, and stammers, words feeling weird on his tongue, “You know… Thought about—about… um, kissing?”

Sasuke stares, blank expression on his face.

Naruto stares back for a moment before looking down, scratching the back of his neck—which felt suddenly itchy—with one hand, and drawing circles on the tatami mat with the other.

Sasuke snorts, then, making Naruto look up at him.

“What,” he says, quirking an eyebrow, “you don’t know what that is, dumbass?”

Naruto blinks. Once, twice, and then, “Eh?!” he shrieks, “O-Of course I know! You asshole, I just—I was—” he blushes harder, and Sasuke stares intently.

Naruto fumbles with words a bit more, and then huffs, irritation and embarrassment mixing in a lame puddle on the pit of his stomach. “Forget it,” he finally says, “Of course you don’t think about that. You’re a robot.”

He sticks his tongue out, still feeling his cheeks disgustingly warm. Ugh.

“Sometimes you say I’m too emotional, and some others you say I’m a robot,” Sasuke retorts, still staring, “Make a pick, moron.”

Naruto fumes. “You’re so infuriating.”

“Big word,” Sasuke counters.

Naruto scrambles for his backpack, stupidly self-conscious about what he just said. He shouldn’t have asked that. Of course he shouldn’t have asked that.

“Don’t look like that,” Sasuke says. “I was just messing with you, dumbass.”

Naruto doesn’t answer.

“Don’t sulk,” Sasuke prods.

Naruto turns around. “I’m not!”

Sasuke sends him a look, eyebrow raised. “You are.”

“I’m not! It’s just…” Naruto’s bottom lip pulls out, very much pouting. “It’s embarrassing. Forget it, already. It was dumb.”

“It wasn’t dumb, idiot. I was just… surprised.”

Naruto arches both eyebrows, incredulous. “Uh-huh.”

Sasuke eyes him. “Wouldn’t you be surprised if I suddenly asked you about kissing? Out of nowhere?”

Probably.

…Very much.

He’s not saying that out loud.

“What exactly were you even wondering about anyway?”

“I just—” Naruto stumbles awkwardly, tongue heavy, and then blurts out, “have you kissed anyone before?”

Sasuke blinks. Then, he frowns. “…Is that it?” he squints at him, “What, are you worried about me ‘beating’ you on it or something?”

“What?” Naruto blinks, stupidly, lost, “No, I’m. I’m just—curious.”

Sasuke just keeps staring, silently, and the more time that passes, the more he fidgets, nervous.

“…So?” Naruto inquires, in a small voice, leaning a bit to the front, “Be honest.”

Sasuke closes his eyes and moves to sit down.

“No,” he finally answers, “I haven’t.”

Naruto nods. He doesn’t really know why his chest feels a lot lighter now, but it feels good, so it’s okay, he guesses.

“Hm. ‘Kay.”

He feels a lot less restless now, so he can go back to trying to take a nap before attempting to do his English homework.

Sasuke doesn’t let him, though. As soon as Naruto leans back and lies down, arms crossed behind his head, he speaks up again.

“…Why?”

Naruto looks at him, puzzled.

“Why do you want to know, stupid?” Sasuke clarifies, “Were you going to ask for advice?”

Naruto’s head buzzes with fragments of the dream he had yesterday. Sasuke’s fond smile, gentle eyes, messy hair…

“Not exactly…?”

Sasuke arches an eyebrow. “Are you asking?”

Naruto frowns. “No, it’s just—”

Just.

“Uh.”

“Eloquent,” Sasuke teases, though the amused glint of his eyes goes away very quickly.

Naruto’s fingers flex involuntarily when Sasuke stares him down, as if studying the simplest of his movements.

“…Do you—” Sasuke starts, hesitant, “do you want to kiss someone?”

His face must give it away instantly, because Sasuke’s expression shifts. It’s very subtle, barely noticeable, but Naruto has been looking at Sasuke’s face long enough to decipher the most minimal changes over the years they’ve known each other.

There’s a tic at his left eyebrow, and he looks momentarily, infinitesimally surprised. Naruto guesses that’s maybe because Naruto has never looked really into the subject of kissing before, even when he did mention it more times than the ones he can remember. And he never really got Sasuke mentioned into the subject either.

Sasuke looks at him, and his expression is neutral, but it kind of looks… carefully and purposely controlled, almost as if he didn’t want something to be shown on his face.

“… is it Sakura?”

Naruto blinks. Eh?

Well, okay, he has thought about kissing Sakura before, when he was crushing on her, but—

“Huh? No.”

Sasuke doesn’t seem to buy it. “Are you sure?”

“Why would I say no if I wasn’t sure, bastard?” he grunts.

Sasuke narrows his eyes. “Seriously?”

Naruto rolls his eyes. “Why do you keep asking?”

Sasuke shakes his head. “Well, if it’s not her, then who is it.”

Before he can brush him off, Sasuke adds, “It’s obvious you’re thinking about someone, dumbass.”

Naruto winces. Well, okay. He is. He is, but.

“You don’t want to tell me?” Sasuke asks, voice unusually soft. “Are you that embarrassed?”

The way Sasuke looks at him makes Naruto’s chest tighten.

His lips quiver. “It’s not that, it’s—”

How do you tell your asshole best friend you’ve been thinking, for days, about kissing them? Naruto would really appreciate if he could at least look it up online first. Maybe he should have looked it up in wiki before actually starting this conversation with Sasuke. Fuck.

“I’m. Uuuh.” He buries his face in his hands. Sasuke’s stare prickles at the side of his face.

Ah. Whatever.

“Okay, I’ll tell you,” he concedes, peeking between his fingers at him.

He uncovers his face and sits up, his back leaning against the wall, and stares back at Sasuke. He looks a tad startled at Naruto’s sudden determination.

Naruto sighs. Ah, this is embarrassing.

He glares at him, “But don’t laugh, asshole.”

Sasuke glares back. “Why would I laugh, dumbass?”

Naruto shakes his head, already regretting opening his mouth.

“I’m sure you’re going to laugh,” he laments, “You’re gonna make fun of me forever. You’ll never let me live in peace.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes at the dramatic tone in his voice. “That’s stupid.”

“You just made fun of me minutes ago, in case you forgot!”

“I wasn’t making fun of you, it was just—”

“AH!” Naruto snaps, throwing his hands in the air and messing up his own hair, frustrated. “Whatever, bastard.”

He breathes in. Out.

In. “It’s you.”

There.

He said it.

He also said it so fast he bit his tongue. Ack.

Sasuke stares, dumbly.

“Huh?”

Naruto groans. “Are you seriously making me say it again?”

“Huh?” he repeats, in the least eloquent way he has said anything in his life. He looks so lost. “I don’t get it. What do I have to do with this?”

“Are you stupid?” He deadpans.

Sasuke glares, offended. “Haaah?”

Naruto’s lips curl up in a crooked smile. “I mean you, bastard.”

When Sasuke doesn’t say anything, Naruto adds, exasperated, cheeks growing warm, “I’ve been thinking about kissing you!”

Ah. That was a bit too loud.

He seems to get it, now, though.

“…Huh?” is the only thing he says after a moment, looking completely and utterly flabbergasted.

Naruto starts fidgeting.

“Don’t blush!” he complains, “It’s making me more embarrassed!”

Sasuke immediately glares at him, even though he starts blushing harder just a second later Naruto’s words come out of his mouth. “I’m not blushing.”

“You totally are!” Naruto groans, “Ugh, just forget I said it. Forget it.”

Sasuke gives him a look. “But why would you—it’s, huh?”

“‘Why’?” Naruto echoes. “Do I need a reason?”

“Well, dumbass, you probably won’t know, but people usually have a reason of why they want to kiss someone.”

“Well, even if you ask me to explain it for you, I don’t know how to put it into words!” Naruto runs a hand through his hair, looking everywhere but him. “I’ve just been thinking about it, okay?!”

Sasuke doesn’t say anything, and Naruto hugs his legs to his chest and buries his face between his knees, trying to make himself feel less embarrassed.

It doesn’t really work.

“I don’t know why, I just—” he mumbles, head a jumble of scrambled thoughts of Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. “You are my best friend. And we’re close. People who are close kiss each other, don’t they?”

Naruto doesn’t look up, but he has a feeling that Sasuke is giving him a look he doesn’t want to see.

“I mean,” he goes on, “I don’t know, it’s just that—I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Naruto’s head spins, fragments of last night dream still fresh in his mind.

“A few days back, I saw two guys kissing on my way from the grocery store. They were around sixteen, maybe, I don’t know.” He explains, quietly, “It wasn’t weird, but it was the first time I’ve seen that.”

And it wasn’t weird, really. It’s not like he felt gross or disgusted or anything akin those things. If anything, he felt burning curiosity simmer in his throat and stomach—maybe a bit enthralled, even. Iruka had talked to him about it, at some point—mentioned something about guys liking guys and girls liking girls, or boys and girls liking both. He knew that happened, but still—

Still. To be fair, he hadn’t seen a lot of couples kissing outside, and the movies always had boys kissing girls instead of other boys. So he just… assumed.

Even if he didn’t think of it as weird, he just… thought that, naturally, his first kiss would be with a girl, someday. But having seen that, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was like opening his eyes for the first time. Of course, his first kiss could be a guy, too, instead of a girl.

“And then I started wondering. Like, what would it feel like to kiss a guy, you know? And then you popped into my mind.”

It wasn’t like he didn’t think about kisses before. It wasn’t like he didn’t think about kissing girls—some girls were cute, and smelled nice, and were kind, and smiled prettily, and, yes, he had thought about it, briefly. Sometimes.

It’s just that, when the prospect of kissing a boy showed up in his mind, he couldn’t stop thinking about it—what would that be like? What would it feel like? Would he get excited? Would he like it? Did he want to kiss a boy? There wasn’t a reason why he wouldn’t like to try it.

He thought and thought and thought about it. Kissing boys. Boys kissing other boys.

And therefore, his thoughts wandered to Sasuke. Of course they would—Sasuke was a boy, they were close, he had pretty lips and he was on his mind almost all the time, it wasn’t that difficult connecting the dots. Sasuke was a boy. A boy Naruto had the possibility to kiss.

He figured that thinking about kissing your close friends wasn’t something a lot of people did, but how could he be so sure?

That is… Sasuke was not only a close friend, he was his best friend, so it was normal that he would thought about him in this kind of moment, right? If he's thinking about kissing other guys, Sasuke would obviously be the first choice.

And then, maybe it was the intense curiosity, or the fact that Sasuke had all those traits he used to classify as “kissable” or “worth kissing”. He was unbelievable kind—even when a lot of people didn’t see it—and smelled nice, like citrus and lavender soap and that coconut shampoo he liked, and his smiles were really pretty, like when he stopped at the sidewalk to pet a stray cat and got all those gentle eyes and tender and fond smiles. And when he wasn’t being an ass or an idiot and didn’t frown that much, he actually looked cute—sometimes even cuter than girls, which was… a bit strange to think, maybe, but very, very noticeable if you had eyes.

Either way, he didn’t know why, but, out of nowhere, all he could think about was kissing Sasuke.

Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke.

His mind was full of it, because, suddenly, the prospect of kissing Sasuke seemed more appealing and exciting to him than kissing any girl—or anyone else, for the matter.

And he couldn’t help getting curious. What would it be like? What would Sasuke’s lips taste like? Did lips taste like anything, anyway? And if they, by any chance, actually kissed, what should he do? Grab the back of his neck? The side of his face? What face would Sasuke make after? Would he scrunch up his nose like he did when he was lying about something? Would his hands tremble, like when he was really nervous? Would he get embarrassed? Would he blush? Naruto bet he would blush.

And then, it hit him. Like a ten ton truck going at full speed.

Was Sasuke even a kiss-virgin?! He didn’t know that. Maybe he had his first kiss already and Naruto didn’t even know.

It was weird thinking about Sasuke kissing anyone else, given how asocial he was, and he never really seemed interested in anyone in that way—or any of that ‘sappy stuff’, for the record—or, at least, he never said anything when Naruto talked about girls or brought the topic of romance up. He snorted and rolled his eyes and half-smiled, amused, when Naruto would cry with romantic comedies or would talk about things like how important your first kiss was or your first date or your first love.

So he just assumed. That nothing had happened.

But what if that wasn’t the case? What if he already had his first kiss? He was popular, so maybe it wouldn’t be that weird. He probably had a lot of girls (and maybe boys) wanting to kiss him, so maybe Sasuke would have wanted to kiss some of them, right?

Right.

For some reason, though, it didn’t sit well with him.

He knew that was weird. Shouldn’t he be happy for his best friend if he already had his first kiss? It was selfish on his part if he wanted to hold back Sasuke just because he hadn’t had his first kiss yet.

But thinking about Sasuke kissing someone… being all close with them, or them touching his face, looking at the dark irises of his eyes up close, seeing that beauty mark behind his ear, seeing Sasuke’s reaction to a kiss…

He felt restless thinking about it, so much that he even dreamed about it.

And then, it got even worse from there. He was a fit of nerves when he woke up and realized what he just dreamed about, and an even bigger mess when he met Sasuke on the morning to bike to the school—he even stamped himself against a wall (don’t ask) while riding. He couldn’t meet Sasuke’s eyes all morning, and he kept stammering all break. By the end of their third term, he made a fool of himself probably twenty-six times already.

Sasuke just kept sending him these looks, like he knew something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint what exactly.

It got better when they went to Sasuke’s home after school and he started doing his homework and trying to focus on algebra—stupid math—and then it got bad again when Sasuke pressed his side to Naruto’s and tried to explain the equation Naruto had been staring at for fifteen minutes without getting anywhere near close the answer. It was bad, because Naruto could see his long eyelashes, and feel the warmth of his body even through his clothes, and smell his stupid shampoo, and then he realized that all of Sasuke’s room smelled like him, and fragments of his dream started popping in his mind like a broken record, and Naruto started panicking when they just kept showing up.

He needed to know.

He needed to ask.

He needed to let it out.

He didn’t know why. He just felt like it was going to crush him if he didn’t say anything.

Did he even need a reason besides the very fact that it was Sasuke? Did he need anything more? It was Sasuke they were talking about. Naruto would do anything for him. And he was more than enough. He would always be more than enough.

Why wouldn’t anyone want to kiss him? Why wouldn’t Naruto want to kiss him?

No matter how many thoughts he spent pondering about it, he couldn’t find a reason to why he would not want to do it, if Sasuke would like to as well.

“I just. Why wouldn’t I want to kiss you?” Naruto mumbles, and then laughs awkwardly. “I mean… You are you. And I—”

He looks up, and his stomach turns upside down, his heart skipping a beat when he meets Sasuke’s piercing eyes.

I… what, exactly? ‘I think you’re the most important person to me?’, ‘I think I’d like to kiss you?’, ‘I think you’re cute?’, ‘I care about you more than words can express’?, ‘I feel so viscerally for you it’s kind of insane’?

“And just…” he falters. “Ah, whatever. Just forget it.”

He gets up, and his legs wobble a bit. “I should go now,” he says, picking up his things, and then laughs again, though it sounds forced even to his ears.

“Wait—”

“’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He sends him a grin, hoping it would look genuine and not like his stomach was a big knot and not like he felt like throwing up and definitely not like the way he kept averting Sasuke’s eyes. “Thanks for answering me." He gives a single wave and opens the door, "See you tomorrow.”

.

.

Things are a bit awkward after that.

Naruto can’t hold Sasuke’s gaze for too long, and he might be a tad bit too self-conscious about being touchy with him like before. He blushes in the most ridiculous moments. He’s clumsy with his words and greetings, and laughs nervously a bit too loud.

Sasuke keeps giving him these kind of looks Naruto can’t read. He always seems like he has something in the tip of his tongue, but he’s unsure to let it out and say it. Naruto guesses it’s something like “Usuratonkachi. Get it together. It wasn’t a big deal”. Very probably.

However, it’s nothing they can’t go over with after some time. Day after day, Naruto gets more comfortable around him, and things easily fall back to normal.

Sure, sometimes fragments of his dreams would still pop into his mind and Naruto would bite down his tongue in the process, or Sasuke would get too close and Naruto would smell his shampoo and get the urge to just sink his hands in his hair and maybe nuzzle his head in his neck. Sure, some other times Sasuke would space out and look out the window in the mornings and Naruto would get to stare, probably longer than he had the right to, and would think that Sasuke is seriously the prettiest person alive. And yeah, some other times, Sasuke would roll his eyes and smile dryly at some silly pun Naruto made and Naruto would think ‘ah. I want to kiss him’, or he would chuckle at something Naruto made and Naruto’s mind would go ‘yuuuuup. I still wanna kiss him’, or he would make this soft, fondly exasperated, amused expression at some drawing Naruto doodled at the margins of Sasuke’s textbook and Naruto would think, again, ‘I seriously want to kiss him’.

And yes. Sometimes he would stare too long at his lips. And yes. He still thinks about what it would feel like to kiss.

But no. He doesn’t mention it again. What they have is good, they don’t need to kiss.

His stomach hurts really bad when he thinks about Sasuke kissing someone else, though, so he doesn’t. He erases that thought from his mind because someday is gonna hurt so bad that he’s going to throw up, and that won’t be pretty.

So, yes. Things go back to normal.

More or less.

.

.

It’s around two weeks later when it happens. They’re alone in Sasuke’s home—Itachi and Obito still at their jobs—back in Sasuke’s room, lying side by side on the tatami mat, shoulders touching. The fan purrs over and it’s slightly hot around the house. Naruto’s phone is sitting between them, and Naruto’s favorite playlist is blasting through the earphones they’re sharing.

Usually, being in idly silence would make Naruto itchy and impatient and he would try to break it by talking Sasuke’s ear off or something, but right now he’s tired after his extra time in his sports club, and listening music with Sasuke is actually so relaxing he’s already dozing off, about to fall asleep in the cold floor.

He hums along Daisuke Ono’s voice and then starts singing loudly when ‘Butter’ comes into play, dancing sloppily at the chorus of ‘ON’ later.

“Stop moving, idiot,” Sasuke huffs, flicking at his forehead when his earphone falls for the fifth time from his ear. “You keep pulling at my end.”

“Ah,” Naruto utters, trying to vibrate at a less intense frequency and failing miserably, “Sorry, sorry.”

When Sasuke’s earphone falls again and he glares at Naruto, he starts laughing.

“My bad.”

“You don’t look sorry at all,” Sasuke grunts.

Naruto grins in response and Sasuke just rolls his eyes.

“Although how could you be still for so many songs before is a mystery, to be honest. Were you that tired?”

“The real mystery here is how can you stay still while listening ON.”

Sasuke sends him a look. “Maybe we should try listening to something else so you’ll fall asleep and stop being annoying.”

Naruto scowls and Sasuke’s lips curl up in a cocky smirk.

“You have shitty taste, anyway,” he teases.

Naruto grunts but then smirks right back, smug. “Hah! Says the one who knows the entire lyrics of Black Swan.”

“Maybe if you didn’t sing it every morning when we’re going to school I wouldn’t,” he easily retorts, “It’s called having a memory, dumbass.”

“Bastard.” Naruto sticks out his tongue. “Fine. Say what you want, I know you like them.”

“Mmmm,” Sasuke hums.

“Like your emo music is any better.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Naruto laughs. “Joooking. It’s good, actually.”

“Of course it’s good.”

“Because your taste is impeccable?”

For some reason, Sasuke gives him a pointed look at that, like he was questioning it looking at Naruto. “Sometimes, I guess.”

Naruto arches an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sasuke brushes him off.

“Just try to not move around so much, can you?” He elbows him. “Dobe.”

Naruto elbows him back, but instead of moving his arm away like Sasuke, he lets his forearm fall down, over Sasuke’s ribs. Sasuke doesn’t say anything or makes a move to pull it away, so Naruto guesses it’s fine. They’re usually really clingy anyway, Kiba is always teasing them about it.

(‘Ah, Uchiha, you have an Uzumaki in your back again’, he says, baring teeth in a cheeky and mockingly amused grin.

‘I’m painfully aware,’ Sasuke shoots back with a blank face that says who are you again?

‘I’m starting to think you two were born glued to each other,’ he says another time over break, jesting, pointy fangs visible in his grin.

‘It’s a soulmate thing, Kiba, you wouldn’t understand’, Naruto dismisses, making a vague gesture with his hand, still draped all over Sasuke’s back, chin on his shoulder while they look at something on Sasuke’s phone. Kiba cackles like he just said something hilarious and Sasuke rolls his eyes.)

So this is normal. Being close is normal.

Sasuke shifts, maybe unintentionally, and his right leg, warm and firm, presses all over Naruto’s left one. Puffs of the scent of his shampoo hit Naruto when he moves, his hair still a bit damp because he took a shower not so long ago. He can feel the way his chest moves up and down every time he breathes.

Naruto side-eyes him. He has his eyes closed, so his eyelashes flutter against his cheeks. Naruto’s eyes dart across all his face, the smooth skin, the elegant slope of his nose sprinkled with a few freckles, the mirth red of his lips…

Ahhhhhhh. Naruto buries his face in his hands. No.

He shakes his head, closes his eyes and mouth tightly as if that would help to vanish his wandering thoughts, as if that would make the vivid picture of Sasuke’s lips go away—as if it wasn’t already etched at the back of his eyelids, burning with every blink.

No, no, no, no, no.

Naruto! Get it together. Don’t go there. Stop thinking.

Except he can’t stop thinking, which is ironic because his mind can easily go blank when he has a test sheet in front of him. Maybe he needs one as a spell charm thingy that would help him think about something that’s not Sasuke’s pretty lips.

Focus on something else.

Whatever is fine.

Don’t think about Sasuke, don’t think about Sasuke, don’t think about Sasuke…

Uggggghhhhhhh. Why is it so hard? Why won’t he go awayyyyy?

He breathes. In. Out. In.

Out. Think about something else. Maybe about the day? It was hellish hot.

Ah, that’s right, summer is starting soon.

Summer.

In just a few couple of days, summer will greet them with sunny and warm and rainy days, and, around a month later, summer break will start.

Naruto thinks about summer break, tries to focus on that instead.

Naruto thinks about summer break and what it means—no more school, no more homework, ice cream, long movie nights, sleeping until late, Baachan visiting, his dad treating him to ramen at Ichiraku, ramen, ramen, ramen. But, more importantly, summer also means spending more time with Sasuke out of school, which is always fun and the main reason he loves this season a lot: going out to eat, taking long naps in Sasuke’s room, watching movies for a whole weekend, trying to surprise Sasuke on his birthday.

(Before he can’t help it, his mind goes back to Sasuke again. Except that this time, he’s not specifically thinking about a kiss. So it’s better.)

He thinks about going out with Sasuke at the festival down the city, thinks about stuffing himself with so much food until Sasuke is complaining that he will get a stomach bug, thinks about watching the fireworks lit up the night sky with vibrant colors, the light basking in Sasuke’s face and Sasuke’s neck, thinks about the way Sasuke would look insanely (and irritatingly) pretty—even prettier than any girl around—with his hair up and wearing a black yukata. He thinks about the way Sasuke would smile fondly at him when he starts whining for losing in a game and therefore the way his stomach would get all funny, and thinks about how they would brush hands on their way back home and how his body would feel all giddy all night long.

He thinks about the races, biking all the way up the hill near the beach—and beating Sasuke’s ass at it (most of the time, at least). He thinks about going to the convenience store and getting double popsicles Sasuke is going to share with him. He thinks about asking for all kind of different flavors of ice cream (because he has to taste them all by the end of the summer, Sasuke, is an important, crucial mission—) while also trying to make Sasuke take a bite of the weirdest ones. He thinks about singing loudly to the lyrics of ‘It’s Tricky’ in the middle of the street and cackling, beaming, when he convinces Sasuke to hum the chorus with him. He thinks about Sasuke pulling up his hair in a messy bun and wearing those V-necks that expose all his bare neck and part of his shoulders and overall too much skin. He thinks about laughing under the rain, seeing Sasuke roll his eyes at his enthusiasm, fondly and absolutely drenched, and complain about getting sick, the tip of his lips betraying him and curling up in a small smile; he thinks about the way he makes Naruto take a warm bath as soon as they come back to his home, thinks about the way it feels to change into Sasuke’s clothes—that are soft and smell like him and are a bit too long around his ankles but also a bit too tight around the shoulders—and the way Sasuke looks at him when he shows up wearing Sasuke’s old blue t-shirt and gray pants.

Ah. Yes. Summer is a lot of fun.

“Why are you smiling like an idiot?”

“Hm?” Naruto hums dumbly, drowsy and dopey and on cloud nine thinking about the good days.

“I asked, why are you smiling like an idiot, idiot?” he repeats.

Naruto turns around to look at him, goofy smile on his face, chest light.

Sasuke is side-glancing at him, eyeing him questioningly instead of annoyed or irritated. He quirks an eyebrow when their eyes meet.

“Ah,” Naruto says, and scratches his cheek with his index finger, grinning sheepishly at him, “I was just thinking about you.”

Sasuke visibly freezes and, a second later, his cheeks dust a faint pink.

Naruto’s eyes widen, realizing what it sounded like.

Wait—That came out wrong.

“AH!” he screams, and sits up hastily, ignoring the way his earphones fly out messily in the floor. “No! I mean! Ahhh. I mean. No, wait, I didn’t mean—!”

He stops the uncoordinated and messy movements of his arms to grab at his head and tousle his hair, embarrassed. He growls low in his throat, frustrated and scrambling for words, eyes tightly shut. 

“Er.” He says, finally opening his eyes, hand reaching back to scratch his nape, mouth twitching. “Yeah, I was thinking about you, but.” He looks away, unable to hold Sasuke’s look any longer. “More like, like. Like, you know, the stuff we can do in summer break and… stuff,” he finishes lamely.

Sasuke is quiet for a moment, and then he gives out a single, slow nod.

Naruto laughs awkwardly and lies down again, caring to not touch Sasuke in doing so.

“Ah,” he says, trying to make up conversation to dissipate the clumsy atmosphere he just created, “do you have club activities at break?”

Sasuke looks at the ceiling and is quiet for a moment, like he’s thinking about something else.

“… Not really,” he answers after some agonizingly, painfully long beats of Naruto’s heart.

“Cool!” Naruto exclaims, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. “Me neither! Not until August, at least.”

Sasuke doesn’t say anything. Instead, he rolls over his side so his back is facing Naruto, and shrugs over himself a bit, the side of his face buried in the inside of his elbow.

Ah. He’s uncomfortable.

Naruto made Sasuke uncomfortable, and now he can’t even look at Naruto's face.

What is Naruto going to do if Sasuke doesn’t want to spend the summer with him anymore? What is he going to do if Sasuke suddenly starts avoiding him?

His fingers clench, and there’s something ugly and crooked twisting in the inside of his stomach.

“You know,” he tries, unsure, talking over the lump in his throat, “we could go to the beach someday.”

Sasuke hums. “I guess.” He pauses, and then, “But you’re always annoying me about going into the sea.”

Oh.

He sounds okay. At least, he doesn’t seem angry. Maybe he’s just trying to sleep?

“T-That’s because you’re missing out if you don’t swim at least a bit!” Naruto declares.

“Debatable.” Sasuke retorts in his usual tone. “And you’re usually getting sunburn as well because you can’t use the sunscreen like a normal person, dumbass.”

Instead of getting offended, Naruto grins, something akin immense relief dancing in waves and loosening the knot in his stomach.

“Hah! You’re the one who ends up looking like a shrimp after,” he teases, chuckling.

Sasuke throws him a dirty look over his shoulder. “That was one time.”

Naruto’s grin widens, welcoming the pleasant banter.

“And,” he adds, unable to stop his cheeky tone, “you’re always complaining about the sand later.”

“That’s because you don’t clean yourself up and get all the sand in the seats of the car when we come back.”

“I do clean up, though.”

“Shaking some of the sand off you like a dog shaking the water off its hair when I’m around you to annoy me doesn’t count, dobe.”

Naruto cackles.

They keep going like that, back and forth, until Naruto is the one who’s doing most of the talking again.

He doesn’t notice how quiet Sasuke has gotten, or the fact that he hasn’t turn around all this time, too engrossed and excited babbling about the things they could do for a whole homework-free month.

“You know, you know, Granny has been wanting to go there, too, so—” he’s saying, and then Sasuke speaks up in a low voice.

“Naruto.”

“So maybe she can convince dad to—”

“Naruto.” Sasuke says, a bit louder this time.

“Eh?” Naruto stops, arms stretched to the ceiling from where he was making big gestures while talking. He turns around to look at the back of Sasuke’s hair. “Ah, sorry. What were you saying?”

Sasuke does answer something, but his voice is so low Naruto barely caught anything of what he actually said.

“…What?”

Sasuke makes a frustrated sound, and his shoulders clench over himself.

“Are you seriously making me say it again?” he grumbles, sounding irritated.

“Well, I couldn’t hear you, so—”

Sasuke groans and huffs, seemingly annoyed, and even if Naruto is pointedly looking at him, he doesn’t notice the blush on his ears until he abruptly turns around and lies over his back, instead, eyes fixed on the ceiling like a lifeline, and—

Woah.

He’s—

“I said—!” he says, blushing fiercely, face beet red from his cheeks to his ears.

Naruto blinks dumbly, stunned, the words ‘pretty’ and ‘cute’ alternating themselves to sound in his head like a messy song.

And maybe it’s because he’s too mesmerized and enraptured with Sasuke’s blushing face, but the words he says next don’t register inside his brain until some moments later.

But when they finally do, and when they finally sink in, slowly like mud covering all the insides of his body, Naruto feels like he’s been sent to another dimension without even knowing.

But Sasuke’s words were very clear. His ears heard him loud and clear, even if he was a bit slow to process them.

“Do you want to try kissing?”

He jolts upright like a lightning bolt just struck him, sitting so fast he almost breaks his elbow with the wall behind him in his clumsiness.

“EH?!”

Sasuke blushes furiously harder when Naruto looks down at him, which doesn’t really help to clear Naruto’s foggy, mushy, confused brain.

“Why are you looking at me like that?!” he says, embarrassment visible in every fiber of his being, behind his half-hearted angry reaction.

Naruto looks at him with wide eyes, “Because—!” his arms flail around, “‘Try kissing’??” he echoes, hoping to convey all the confusion that’s swimming inside his brain. “What do you mean by that…?”

Sasuke looks at him like he’s the stupidest person he’s ever met.

Naruto blinks. Then, “Like, kiss each other?! Right now?!”

Sasuke frowns, “What else would it be, dumbass?!”

“Eh?!” Naruto gawks. “So—”

What’s going on?!?! Did he fall asleep without realizing?! Is this another one of those dreams?!

“So—” Naruto moves and pinches Sasuke’s arm.

He winces and then scowls and then glares piercingly at him. “What was that for?!”

“I was trying to see if I’m dreaming!”

Sasuke looks at him like he’s the stupidest person he’s ever met, again. Harder.

He reaches up his arm and flicks his forehead, hard. Naruto winces and then rubs furiously his aching skin.

“Ouch!” He whines, “Jerk!”

“You should pinch yourself, big dumbass!”

Naruto pauses.

Ah.

That’s true.

Wait, but that forehead-flick already hurt, which meant—

“So I’m not asleep?!” Naruto exclaims. “Are you saying we should kiss?! For real?!”

“Why are you saying it like that?!” Sasuke groans, his face twitching with embarrassment, “You were the one who suggested it first!”

“What?! I didn’t suggest anything!” Naruto denies, even if that was, kinda, the truth. “I just said I dreamed about kissing you, that’s different!”

Let’s ignore for a moment that he has had to hold back from kissing Sasuke out of nowhere in the middle of their classroom or in his room or outside his house. That’s another thing. He—

Wait.

Wait. 

“Ah.” Naruto blinks, looking at Sasuke’s surprised face. Right. He didn’t actually mention the dream, specifically… “I mean—just.” Naruto breathes in, breathes out. Nope. There’s no way he can save his ass now. “A-Anyway, I didn’t suggest anything,” he stubbornly and lamely finishes with.

Sasuke stares at him, long enough to make Naruto painfully nervous.

“Okay.” He says then, unusually quiet and low, “I get it. You don’t want to. I’m sorry.”

He shifts, like he’s about to turn the other way, probably so Naruto can’t see his face, and, for some reason, Naruto feels anxious. Maybe because he actually wants to try, and he feels like he’s never going to get the chance if he lets Sasuke turn around. Or maybe because the way Sasuke looked at him for a brief moment—like he was hurt or being rejected… it broke Naruto more than anything else.

“No, wait—”

Sasuke eyes him, but that’s the only sign that he’s actually listening.

“I—” Naruto starts. “It’s not like I don’t want to… it’s just...”

Sasuke quirks an eyebrow, curtly, “…What?”

Naruto frowns. “Are you sure?”

Sasuke frowns back, “What do you mean?”

“Like…” Naruto makes a gesture with his hand, as if that alone explained everything, “you know… are you sure you want me to be your first kiss? Maybe you’re not a hopeless romantic or anything, but. Isn’t your first kiss supposed to be a big deal?”

Naruto doesn’t want to say the rest that’s on his mind. He really doesn’t. But he has to make sure. Naruto thinks his first kiss is a big deal. He wants it to be Sasuke, more than anyone else, but for him—

“Don’t you want, like, a pretty girl instead or something?”

Sasuke arches his other eyebrow and, for the third time in the span of ten minutes, he looks at Naruto like he’s the stupidest person he has ever met.

Then, he snorts, eyes glinting with amusement. “Usuratonkachi.”

Naruto blinks at the unexpected fondness of his voice when he calls him that way, his lips curling up slowly in a small, gentle smile. Then, he holds his gaze for a couple of long, long seconds, so intensely that Naruto’s heart starts hammering in his throat.

Sasuke stares, all-consuming and pretty and achingly tender, and Naruto gulps.

“I wouldn’t want anyone that’s not you, moron,” he says, then.

As if turning on a switch, Naruto blushes.

That’s…

He starts laughing, out of nervousness but also because he’s suddenly so impossibly happy it’s kind of embarrassing.

“What’s with you,” Naruto jests, as if he was weirded out, but he grins merrily at him, “being all cheesy.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes. “You’re worse, loser.”

Naruto shrugs, still grinning.

“So,” he starts, leaning over, smile turning bashful. “Is it okay?”

“… Yeah.”

Naruto nods. “Okay.”

Then, he hovers between moving or waiting for Sasuke to move, and finally decides it’s maybe better if he takes the initiative.

So, seconds later, he’s moving to straddle Sasuke’s stomach from where he’s still lying on the mat, and when he swings his leg over his middle, Sasuke’s face falls in unfiltered panic.

“Wait,” he hurries, “Wait! You—not in this position, idiot!”

Naruto blinks down at him dumbly, unsure of what exactly is the problem, especially when Sasuke starts blushing again when Naruto steadies himself, hovering over him and putting the palm of his hands on each side of Sasuke’s face to support himself.

“Eh?”

Sasuke frowns, looking deeply embarrassed.

“Wait for me to sit up first, stupid!”

“Ah.”

Naruto blinks, but hastily pulls back from Sasuke when the boy starts getting an unhealthy shade of red.

“Sorry.”

Sasuke grunts, but says nothing more when he sits up, cross-legged, and positions himself in front of him.

Naruto scoots closer, mirroring Sasuke’s position, and stops when his knees bump against Sasuke’s.

Sasuke stares, and then makes a face like he’s amused at Naruto’s reaction. “Relax, dumbass.”

“Ah,” Naruto utters again, realizing that he’s been gripping at his own thighs so hard his knuckles have gone white. “Sorry.”

Sasuke scoffs. “You’re too tense.”

“Well, you’re too close.”

Sasuke arches an eyebrow. “That’s kind of the point, dobe.”

“I know.” Naruto grumbles. “It’s just…”

You’re too pretty. I can’t breathe. I’m really fucking nervous. My heart is going to explode.

None of those seemed appealing to say out loud.

“Does it make you nervous?”

“Stop teasing, asshole,” Naruto frowns, “quit the cocky smile.”

Sasuke smiles, and Naruto might as well suffer a cardiac arrest right there.

“Make me,” he says, pointedly staring, and Naruto feels his neck and cheeks grow hot.

What the hell. That’s not fair.

Naruto leans over, slowly, slightly tilting his head to the side, hands in fists at his sides. Sasuke’s eyelashes are so long, and when they flutter, Naruto’s heart flutters inside his chest as well.

“You’re supposed to close your eyes, bastard,” Naruto whispers when they’re two centimeters apart, and Sasuke looks at him with dark, pretty eyes.

Naruto’s head buzzes.

“I just wanted to see your eyes up close,” he admits, in the same low voice.

Naruto’s lips tremble. “What the hell,” he blurts, out of embarrassment.

Sasuke keeps staring. “You have pretty eyes.”

Naruto blushes harder. “Shut up.”

Before Sasuke can answer, Naruto closes his eyes and leans forward, ducking his head and closing the distance between them.

It’s not exactly a peck, but it’s a small kiss. Naruto presses his lips gently and experimentally against Sasuke’s, and the second they make contact, a shudder runs down his back. Sasuke’s lips don’t taste like anything particularly, but they’re welcoming and surprisingly soft and sweetly warm. Sasuke kisses back, tentatively, and Naruto’s chest swells with so much affection he might choke on it.

Then they’re apart, and Naruto finds himself missing the warmth and closeness already.

I want to do it again, he thinks as he pulls back, slowly, lips tingling, blood rushing through his ears, and the remnant of the tender contact of Sasuke's mouth against his still itching in his whole body.

He looks at the way Sasuke keeps his eyes closed, faintly blushed cheeks and nose, lips shining. Naruto’s fingers flex involuntarily. He thinks about the other things he wanted to do, but didn’t, like cup his face and touch his beauty mark and maybe rub circles at the base of his neck.

His hands twitch. His lips tingle.

I really want to do it again.

He stares at Sasuke’s face. I want more.

Sasuke opens his eyes, slowly and dopey, like he’s just waking up, and blushes deeper when he realizes how close they still are, and that Naruto is staring.

“Pretty.”

Sasuke frowns. “Shut up, dumbass,” he whispers, and presses the palm of his hand on Naruto’s chest, like he was about to push him away. However, he doesn’t. His hand just stays there, fingers open right next to Naruto’s pounding heart.

Naruto blinks stupidly. “Did I say it out loud?”

“Yes, idiot.”

Sasuke’s eyes dart across Naruto’s face, stopping at Naruto’s lips. He presses his mouth in a tight line, and his hand fists Naruto’s bright-orange t-shirt.

“Step back, dobe.”

Naruto grabs Sasuke’s wrist, “Can I kiss you again?”

Sasuke blinks, “What?”

“Can I be your second first kiss?”

Sasuke blinks again.

Then, the corner of his mouth tugs up in a small smile. “There are not ‘second first kisses’, dumbass. Just second kisses.”

“Can I be your second kiss, too, then?” Naruto asks, earnest.

Sasuke licks his lips, and Naruto has to bite the inside of his mouth to hold back from kissing him right there.

“…Okay. You can,” Sasuke says in a small voice, looking at him with shiny eyes.

Naruto grins.

He cups his face, thumbs rubbing gently Sasuke’s blushed cheeks; they’re warm and so soft; and Sasuke looks cute and Naruto is about to die.

This time, Sasuke leans forward first and Naruto meets him halfway and kisses him.

He’s so warm. He breathes in, he smells so nice.

I want to touch more.

Naruto’s hands move down, caressing his cheeks, tracing the smooth skin of his jaw, and slowly pressing his fingertips at the sides of his neck. When he does, Sasuke grabs his wrists with trembling fingers and opens his mouth slightly, maybe at the surprise of being touched.

Naruto sucks gently on his bottom lip, relishing in how soft it is and how full it feels to have it between his mouth. Sasuke hums, pleased, and his fingers flex.

They break apart to breathe and close the distance right away, like their mouths are magnets who can’t stay apart.

They kiss, and kiss, and kiss. Clumsy and experimentally, slow and tender, hands fisting at clothes and fingers spread across bare skin.

“You’re so pretty,” Naruto mumbles between kisses, and caresses Sasuke’s arms, “so, so pretty.”

Sasuke makes a half-broken, breathless noise, that pretty much sounds like an attempt of his name, and Naruto warms all over, tingling from head to toe.

His hands grab Sasuke’s waist to pull him closer, his thumbs brushing barely under the hem of his loose t-shirt, and Sasuke shudders as if Naruto had touched more than just that. Naruto’s fingertips touch feather-like the hot skin, and Sasuke leaves out a trembling breath through his nose. His fluttering lashes tickle Naruto’s cheeks, and Naruto relishes in their closeness, in how he can feel Sasuke’s every breathe on his skin and the way Sasuke keeps humming like he’s enjoying every bit.

Sasuke moves his hands from where he’s grabbing Naruto’s shirt like a lifeline, there over his chest, to cup Naruto’s face, instead, and Naruto smiles into the kiss.

He’s so cute.

They keep kissing, and Naruto discovers just how addictive Sasuke is. The sweet smell of his shampoo, the softness of his skin, the warmth of his body, the strands of his hair falling messily everywhere around his face, the small, breathless sounds he keeps making when Naruto sucks a bit harder.

He wants to be even closer.

Without thinking, dizzy and overwhelmed by how hypersensitive every nerve on his body feels at everything, he pokes Sasuke’s lip with his tongue. A second later, he regrets it, because a kiss with tongue is so far out of his experience (none) and he’s sure he’s gonna mess it up.

But then, Sasuke makes this sound. It’s small but kind of desperate and definitely louder than the others, and Naruto’s mind goes blurry at the same time his stomach swirls with a new kind of warmth, needy and foggy.

Ah.

Sasuke opens his mouth, inviting, arms coming up to grab his neck with both hands, and pulls him closer. Naruto licks Sasuke’s bottom lip before introducing his tongue inside his mouth. It’s a bit weird and wet, but the inside of Sasuke’s mouth is burning, pleasingly, overwhelmingly hot and his tongue is soft. Naruto is embarrassingly clumsy, exploring the curves inside Sasuke’s mouth sloppily, but Sasuke’s breath start getting uneven, and he makes these small sounds at the back of his throat that are driving Naruto’s mind crazy.

Sasuke moves his tongue tentatively then, poking at Naruto’s with the tip and then tracing the outline carefully. Naruto feels too overwhelmed. He doesn’t know if that’s the way they should kiss, but it feels good and nice, so it’s okay. Then, as if they weren’t close enough, Sasuke’s fingers go into his hair, pulling at Naruto impossibly closer, and—

And. Oh.

Oh. Okay.

Okay.

Sasuke’s nails make their way in his scalp and he pulls gently at Naruto’s hair and Naruto shudders so hard like he’s out in the gelid cold of winter.

Naruto thumbs at Sasuke’s pulse, rippling against his neck, and Sasuke nibbles at his bottom lip and his mind goes blank for a few seconds, like he just sent Naruto’s fried brain into overdrive.

They finally break apart to breathe, unsteady, all messy hair and wrinkled clothes and burning hot and completely disheveled.

Naruto rests his forehead in Sasuke’s shoulder, unable to pull apart all the way—like he’s forever linked to Sasuke’s body now—and tries to catch his breath, whole body tingling and sensitive and warm. Maybe it’s weird, because he just had his tongue inside his best friend mouth, but their closeness ends up being so comforting it makes Naruto’s chest ache.

“I can’t believe you bit me,” he breathes.

“I didn’t bite you,” Sasuke retorts, voice cracking and unsteady, though it’s clearly a lie because Naruto is never going to forget it in his entire life.

“You did,” Naruto chuckles, and then looks up with playfully bright eyes, “Are you into that stuff?”

He’s mostly teasing, but he’s also actually curious, and the way Sasuke blushes, embarrassed, is a plus.

“Shut up, idiot.”

Naruto grins, cheeky. “That’s a yes.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes and tries to push his face away with the palm of his hand, but Naruto just grins wider. He grabs Sasuke’s wrist with both hands and pulls his hand away to look at Sasuke directly.

“It felt really good, you know? Should I bite you, too?” He asks, because he wouldn’t mind at all, and Sasuke blushes harder.

“What are you saying, moron?” He flicks his forehead and moves back. “Stop messing around.”

Naruto can’t stop smiling. His cheeks hurt a bit.

He steps back and sits against the wall, and finally takes a look at his friend’s state. He notices that Sasuke’s lips are red and a bit swollen and very much glinting with what he guesses is his, Naruto’s saliva—that thought alone makes him shudder (in a good way), toes curling. He’s such a mess as well, tousled hair and half-cloudy eyes, and he couldn't be looking more stunning.

Absentmindedly, he wonders how much of a mess he is himself. Does he have his lips like that, too? Does he have Sasuke’s saliva on them, too? For some reason, that doesn’t sound disgusting at all; it only makes his stomach go hot, instead, in a pleasant way.

“Stop staring, dumbass,” Sasuke grumbles, and Naruto blinks, then.

Ah. Yeah, he was staring.

“Mmm.” He hums, not stopping at all, and licking at his moisty lips.

Sasuke’s eyes follow the movement like it’s mesmerizing to him, and a second later he must be realizing that that’s his saliva, because he blushes again and looks away.

“That’s disgusting, idiot,” Sasuke says, a bit breathless.

“Hmm. I don’t think so, though.” Naruto shrugs. “It just means you’re my first kiss.”

Sasuke side-glances at him.

Naruto grins. “And I am your first kiss.”

As soon as he says it, he starts laughing; full and unfiltered and breathless and mirthful.

Sasuke frowns. “Why are you laughing, loser?”

“Dunno.” Naruto answers, grinning like an idiot, all bubbly inside. “I’m happy, I guess.”

He quirks an eyebrow. “You guess?”

“What?” Naruto smirks, cheeky and teasing, “You want me to say you’re a good kisser?”

Sasuke’s ears dust red, and his frown deepens. “Shut up, idiot.”

Naruto chortles.

Then, when he calms down, and Sasuke is still looking at him, Naruto smiles, soft and happy and affectionate.

“Sasuke.”

Sasuke’s frown vanishes, serene and subtly soft expression replacing it. “Hn?”

Naruto’s smile widens. “It was nice. And I’m really happy you’re my first kiss.”

It’s a severe understatement, to be honest. It was… much more than just nice, but for some reason, the way he says it holds the same emotional weight he wants to convey.

Sasuke blinks, face a myriad of emotions before settling on a reserved, calm expression. “… I guess so.”

Naruto quirks an eyebrow, mockingly. He can’t stop grinning, though, too happy to even hide it.

“You guess?”

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“Could be better.”

Naruto laughs, “As if you have any reference, ass,” he elbows him.

Despite trying to look annoyed, Sasuke smiles back, small but content.

The lightness and happiness that settles inside Naruto’s chest doesn’t go away for a long time after that.

.

.

“You know…” Arms crossed behind his head, tentative voice.

“Hn?” Eyebrow quirked.

A grin. “Maybe we should do it again.”

.

.

.

.

At the end, they start kissing sometimes when no one is looking.

Naruto gives him a peck outside his house as a goodbye, still holding the handles of his bike, and grins when Sasuke blushes beautifully and stutters something Naruto doesn’t understand.

He kisses him while they’re watching a movie on his home and he gets bored around the end, Sasuke far too distracting at his side with that shirt.

He kisses him again the next day at lunch break, behind the school gardens; two, three, four seconds of gentle, secretive lips before they’re gone.

Sasuke straddles him one day he’s too focused on his homework, presses his thumb and rubs at the frown between his eyebrows until it eases back to normal, then cups his face, and gives him a long, slow, warm kiss, and while is unexpected, it is not at all unwelcomed.

At first, Naruto surprises himself a bit at his own boldness, and he thinks Sasuke does as well—getting endearingly flustered and shocked every time Naruto kisses him out of nowhere—but then, he realizes that he’s been wanting to do this for a long time, probably longer than he thought, and Sasuke seems to enjoy it a lot, so he’s going to go for it with everything he has to offer.

Easily, Sasuke falls comfortable with Naruto’s ‘surprises’. He kisses back slowly and intently, easily reciprocating Naruto’s intensity when it happens. He starts initiating kisses after some time too, and keeps doing so when Naruto answers enthusiastically at his first attempt.

To be honest, Sasuke is a really good kisser. It’s not like Naruto has anyone to compare him to, of course, but Naruto doesn’t think he’s ever going to feel the way he does when Sasuke kisses him with anyone else. Sasuke is attentive, learns about the spots Naruto likes to be touched, learns about the things he enjoys the most. He’s gentle and overwhelmingly appreciative, kisses Naruto like every second matters, reverently and deliberate. It makes Naruto giddy and frustratingly incoherent and ridiculously happy. It makes Sasuke smug.

Naruto shuts him up with his own, though. He’s clumsy and a tad bit too enthusiastic at first, but he’s a good and avid learner, determined to spot every single thing that makes Sasuke melts into his hands. He makes a list of mental notes inside his head: he likes when Naruto sucks his bottom lip, likes when Naruto licks his own lips before kissing him a second time in a row, likes when Naruto thumbs at his jaw and pulls at his hair. He likes when Naruto grabs him by the hips to pull him closer. He likes when Naruto makes sounds into the kiss. He likes when Naruto kisses him against a wall. He likes when Naruto nuzzles his nose into the crook of Sasuke’s neck after a kiss. He also likes when Naruto drapes himself over him and stays like that minutes after a kiss, completely relaxed, resting his chin in the comfortable warmth of Sasuke’s shoulder, stroking gentle circles in his lower back with steady fingers.

Their kisses are different every time. Sometimes, they’re innocent, tender, childish pecks—usually as goodbyes or greetings or between homework—some others playful. Sometimes, they kiss long, and slow and unhurried—because they want to enjoy it, because none of them can pull away—take their time. Naruto tastes the inside of Sasuke’s mouth more times than he can count; traces it with his tongue like he wants to memorize it, burn every curve and dip inside his brain. Sasuke nibbles and sucks at Naruto’s lips until they’re red and swollen and Naruto is complaining about it (half-heartedly and with no real bite) and Sasuke is smirking, the little shit. They tease each other and laugh and get embarrassed. They feel light and wobbly and so insanely giddy and smitten.

Sometimes, they’re sloppy and intense and careless. They bite too much and there’s saliva down their chins and Naruto keeps pushing and pulling so hard that their noses keep bumping. It’s wet and so hot Naruto thinks he’s going to get burned. Sasuke bites down on his tongue and Naruto’s head spins so bad he’s worried he’s going to faint. There’s too much noise, bite-down moans and half-broken groans and breathless sounds. It ends with Naruto feeling messy and dizzy and dumb and unable to breathe and form a single coherent word and think about something else that’s not Sasuke’s lips, and Sasuke’s hot-burning hands touching everywhere over his clothes, and Sasuke’s hair, that’s so easy to pull at, and Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke.

Kissing Sasuke is like relishing in the sun in winter, like tasting warm chocolate and getting a free double-order of ramen.

Kissing Sasuke is like all those nights he slept over at Sasuke’s home and he couldn’t stop staring at him. Kissing Sasuke is like those days Sasuke went out of the city for a few days in summer break and Naruto felt so weirdly heartbroken and lonely and laid in bed wondering if Sasuke was thinking of him. Kissing Sasuke is like that time they were camping on his backyard and they saw a shooting star and Naruto closed his eyes and mumbled his name and Sasuke got so flustered it was criminally cute. Kissing Sasuke is like those long bike rides, and those shared ice-creams, and races to school.

It’s like playful banter and secretive smiles and mirthful laughter and aching hearts and agonizing yearning. Like cocky smirks and endearing insults and late night texts on school days.

Kissing Sasuke is like sunny days and coming home and feeling safe and worth something.

Kissing Sasuke makes him happy.

.

.

.

.

.

.

+Bonus:

They don’t realize they’re kinda—actually—dating even after keeping up with their Peculiar Kisses Thing around six months, until someday Sasuke laughs quietly at some pun Naruto makes in the classroom, and Naruto—out of habit, and also because Sasuke is astoundingly, achingly beautiful, and because he’s maybe, just maybe, thinking about kissing him all the time—leans over the desk, thumbs Sasuke’s jaw and kisses him.

There, in the middle of the classroom.

Sasuke freezes for a moment, surprised, but then starts kissing back without realizing—out of habit, maybe, or perhaps, just perhaps, because Naruto’s lips are warm and a bit chapped and incredibly addictive, and Naruto is the prettiest moron that has ever existed, and also Sasuke’s whole world, and maybe he’s always been a bit in love with him, and maybe, just maybe, he’s always thinking about kissing him, too.

Either way, when Naruto pulls back, big, boyish, stupidly happy and unfairly breathtaking grin on his face, Sasuke smiles back without even thinking—because Naruto has that effect on him, because his happiness makes him happy, and because his sole presence eases Sasuke to the point he can let himself smile. Because he’s like a magnet and like the sun itself, and so damn charming in all his clumsy, boyish, puerile and pure glory it shouldn’t be allowed.

And then, Sasuke’s eyes widen, aware of their situation, and Naruto, like the dumbass and oblivious moron he is, gives him this puzzled look where he adorably tilts his head to the side and his gold-ish, frustratingly attractive messy hair shines, and Sasuke can’t answer because he’s far too distracting—

“Wow, finally,” Someone Sasuke can’t recognize (Kiba) says behind them, and then starts laughing, which seems to shock Naruto back to where they are, wide eyes and mouth hanging open. “It was about time! Congrats on finally stopping dancing around each other and start dating!”

“Uhhh,” Naruto helplessly says when Unknown Canine Teeth (Kiba) pats his back, blushing a pretty shade of red.

Sasuke smiles behind the palm of his hand, thinking about how cute he looks.

“Ah, young love!” Some other classmate Sasuke Doesn’t Know (Lee) says, “Isn’t it amazing Neji, Tenten?! Isn’t it amazing, Gai-sensei?!”

“HAHA, indeed!!”

“Where did sensei even come from…?” the girl sitting in front of Unknown Naruto Calls Bushy Brows (Tenten) wonders out loud, “They’re cute, though, I guess.”

“Ah,” Ino sighs dramatically, “now I want to kiss Sakura, too.”

She looks wistfully at the door and then back at them, frowning, “you’re lucky your partner is not so far away.”

“She’s just at the other side of the hall,” Pointy Head (Shikamaru) drawls, looking like Ino’s words are such a drag, “not at the other side of the world. Class A is not that far.”

“Shut up, just because you don’t complain about having your girlfriend—”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Pointy Head groans.

“Oh, Temari-senpai is very obviously your girlfriend—”

“Use protection.” Very Annoying singsongs at the back of the classroom then, with that perpetual smiley face, muffling the arguing at their side.

“SAI, YOU—! B-B-B-B-Bastard! Wh-wh-wh—what the fuck?!” Naruto stammers, the red on his cheeks getting alarmingly more intense with each passing second. “Shut up! You’re so annoying! I-I-I-It’s not like that!”

“You sound very defensive, you know,” Very Annoying points out, smile still there, and Naruto flips him off over his shoulder.

“Naruto, language,” Kakashi-sensei (their homeroom teacher) reprimands, not looking particularly affronted at the colorful language, and apparently very amused at everything. “Gai, go to your own class. And everyone, finish the exercise or you’re not getting any break time.”

That makes it. Everyone goes and sit down and start working (Kakashi usually keeps his promise and increases their homework when they’re being a pain), and Naruto deflates on his seat, burying his face in his hands and groaning like he’s the most miserable man on Earth.

“I’m so embarrassed,” he whines.

Sasuke snorts, though he’s fairly embarrassed himself. Before he can try to say something to reassure him (“they’ll forget it by Friday, moron” though he’s very doubtful they will “don’t overthink about it—”), Naruto uncovers his face (which is still beautifully red) to look at him.

“So,” he scratches his cheek with his index finger, in that adorable way he does when he’s sheepish, and averts his eyes for a moment before looking at him again, “are we dating?”

Sasuke stares. With Naruto, he’s never sure. He proposed kissing because ‘close people kiss each other, don’t they?’, so... even if Sasuke wants to—has been wanting to…

“Hmm,” Sasuke hums, composed, like he’s not about to lose his mind because he’s been thinking about dating Naruto for maybe two years already. “Do you want to?”

Naruto blinks, maybe surprised at the question, but then nods after a quiet—vulnerable—moment, firmly and so earnest it kind of takes Sasuke off guard, maybe it even would make him stutter, if he wasn’t already so used to seeing Naruto’s admirable determination at everything he does.

“Yes.”

It’s a single word, but Sasuke doesn’t need anything more than that.

“Then we are.”

The way Naruto lights up instantly is so unexpected it makes Sasuke’s heart ache. Is he really that happy…?

“Really?!” He says, too loud, beaming and half-standing up.

“Naruto.”

“Right.” Naruto laughs nervously (and so brightly and joyful, like he’s unable to hold back how happy he is—and Sasuke wants to kiss him so bad, goddammit), and bows at Kakashi, “Sorry, sensei.”

.

They hold hands during lunch break that day. Their hands are a bit sweaty, and they get a few weird looks of some students that randomly pass by their (apparently not-so-hidden) place, but it’s okay. Naruto is beaming, and he looks so happy, so Sasuke is happy as well.

“You look happy,” Naruto says, muffled because he’s still biting down on his bento and has no manners, some bread crumbs spread over his cheeks and a small stain of sauce on his freckled nose (because he messy eats like no one, and Sasuke must be crazy and long gone, because he finds it ridiculously endearing), and Sasuke is seriously such a hopeless guy, because he really wants to kiss him right now.

“I am,” he admits.

The blinding grin Naruto shoots him—half-closed eyes because his smile is so big it covers almost half of his face, cute scrunched-up nose, white teeth shining—is the prettiest thing he’s ever seen in his life.

(He kisses it, and relishes on the taste of Naruto’s full-of-mirth laugh in his mouth when Naruto starts chuckling in the kiss.

Yes. He couldn’t be happier.)