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Sasuke sat at the counter in Naruto’s apartment, watching him make dinner. He was visiting Konoha after spending two months away, needing to report to Kakashi, now Hokage, in the morning.
The attack by Pein had destroyed most of the village, including the Uchiha compound, so Sasuke was staying the night with Naruto rather than get a bed at an inn. It was their usual routine when he came back to the village, preferring to keep his presence known to as few people as possible.
After his family, his entire clan was murdered, Sasuke had developed very few relationships. Bent on being an avenger, he’d built his internal walls high from a young age, isolating himself to focus solely on his goal, only interacting with others when necessary.
He didn’t want friends, could barely stand his classmates, and his teammates had been tolerable at best in the beginning. And no matter how many girls fawned over him, he felt nothing but annoyance and disdain at their attention.
He felt no attraction, baffled by his peers’ obsession with dating and making out. Entertaining a romance had seemed laughable, let alone building a bond, in the face of all he’d lost. The exception being one person: Naruto, the man busy heating up a pan on the stove, his shirtless back on display, pajama pants hanging low on his hips.
Despite actively pushing him away, outright rejecting their supposed rivalry, let alone friendship. Despite the taunts and jabs. Despite leaving the village for years, committing acts of terrorism on Sasuke’s part and fighting and fucking blowing each other’s arm off…. Naruto had somehow battered the gates with brute force, dug his way under Sasuke’s skin with a stubborn streak that rivaled even his own. He’d become Sasuke’s friend. His best friend. His one and only. He’d pulled him from the brink of insanity, pledging to either save him or die with him.
And now, with Fourth Ninja War now over for two years, as Sasuke’s body adjusted to not living in a constant state of danger and survival, he’d noticed another way that Naruto was different to him from all others. Sasuke had started… reacting to him.
In the valley, when he’d called Naruto his one and only, he could not have fathomed how far reaching that truth was.
He eyed Naruto as the blonde hummed and chopped ingredients. The muscles of his back tensing, pulling and rippling under tan skin with every movement. His eyes were drawn to the dimples in his lower back, and he nearly groaned with the wild, sudden urge to scrape his teeth down the man’s spine, bite down hard on the meaty juncture where his neck met his shoulder.
Fuck, he thought. What the hell is wrong with me?
Deep down he knew, but it was hard coming to terms with suddenly having feelings that went beyond platonic.
He’d had erections before, of course, as a young man. He understood it was a simple biological need, an occasional itch that he either ignored or took care of in a mechanical, clinical way, mind blank. But this…
How did people handle these feelings on a daily basis?! Not for the last time, he was glad he’d been spared from this until now. These illogical physical reactions to another person’s body.
Only with Naruto had that itch, that gnawing ache associated itself with a specific person. And itch that wanted to be satisfied by Naruto specifically.
It was unnerving. It was distracting. It was almost as painful at times as a curse mark.
He frowned at the countertop, prying his attention away from ogling his friend, but then Naruto turned and was asking him a question.
"Hand me the carrots, would ya?"
And Sasuke felt his breath get caught in his throat as he looked up into dazzling blue eyes and a megawatt grin.
Fuck, fuck fuck!
Sasuke picked up the carrots with his one hand and held them out. He had to suppress the shiver that threatened to run through him as rough warm fingertips grazed against his.
“I also threw in extra tomatoes,” Naruto said in his raspy voice, gesturing with the wooden spoon in his bandaged hand. “I know you don’t get to eat them much while traveling.”
Sasuke felt warmth flood him at the small gesture, unable to fight it. Because Naruto was right. He didn’t get to eat his favorite food often. Naruto was thoughtful in his own way, loud and brazen as he was at times, and Sasuke appreciated his friend for it. For so many things.
Instead of sharing his thanks though, Sasuke fell back on what was comfortable: banter.
“I’m just happy you’re feeding me something besides cup ramen,” he scoffed, straightening his shoulders haughtily.
“Fuck you, bastard,” Naruto shot back immediately, predictably, facing him with his hands on his hips. Sasuke had to swallow hard as the waistband dipped down a centimeter. “I eat other things, ya know!”
Stop staring! he chastised himself, hoping the flush of his cheeks would go unnoticed.
“Hn,” he hummed, coloring his tone with superiority to rile the blonde up more. “Eyes on the food, usuratonkachi. I don’t want you to burn it and waste the tomatoes.”
Naruto flipped him off while sticking out his tongue but turned back to his task, grumbling insults loud enough for Sasuke to hear. Sasuke snorted, glad to be in familiar territory again with his friend.
Soon Naruto was pulling the pan off the range and plating curry and rice. He carried their plates to the table while Sasuke rose from his seat and followed, and after a quick “thanks for the food,” they both grabbed their chopsticks and began eating.
“So are you going to visit anyone else while you’re in town?” Naruto asked while chewing a mouth full of curry, and Sasuke shot him a look of disgust–though in reality he was used to Naruto’s table manners, almost found them endearing even—and shook his head.
Naruto always asked when he came, probably feeling guilty about their old teammate, Sakura, for being left out. Sasuke sighed. He'd had made it clear he was not interested in her romantically, but still, he was sure Naruto felt pressure from her to encourage Sasuke to at least say hello from time to time. And he did sometimes make an appearance to the young woman, but not often. He didn’t want to be too friendly, by his abysmal standards, and give her false hope. And besides Kakashi, well, he didn't care too much about the rest of the villagers.
“You know I don’t like seeing a lot of people when I’m here,” he found himself elaborating, picking out a tomato to pop into his mouth. He didn't have to say more if he was chewing.
“You always see me, though,” Naruto countered thoughtfully, tapping his chopsticks against his plate in emphasis.
Sasuke glanced at him, shifting under the weight of Naruto’s gaze, before focusing back on the table. It was easier, safer not making eye contact.
“Yes,” Sasuke said slowly, voice quiet. “But it’s different with you.”
He nearly cringed as the admission left his mouth, as innocent as it sounded.The words were barely anything and couldn’t possibly reveal the extent of his growing feelings. They were friends, after all, and Naruto would be blessedly oblivious to any of Sasuke's stupid pining underlying the words.
“Because I'm your friend,” the younger voice of Naruto echoed in his mind. The memory from two years ago reared its head at him, the two boys looking up at the sky, nearly drained of chakra and dying.
Yes, he thought. Naruto would be oblivious. But he still took a chance to gauge Naruto’s reaction and gripped his chopsticks harder at what he saw.
The man’s expression seemed surprised at Sasuke’s honest statement, but he watched, riveted to the spot, as it slowly transformed into a soft smile, warmth radiating from endless blue eyes.
“Yeah,” Naruto finally said, his voice sounding a little more hoarse than normal. “I guess it is.”
They continued eating in a rare silence, at least on Naruto’s part, and Sasuke wondered if he really was as oblivious as Sasuke hoped him to be.