Chapter Text
Community theatre classes are complete dogshit.
At least this one sure is, if even Naruto can realize how lame this is.
Dressed in a yellow button-up provided by the instructor to get 'in character' – who is supposed to be a nobody with no sense of style to immerse yourself into anyway – he draws a quick breath and pushes, "Why wasn't I involved from the beginning?"
Of course, they are playing the scene from Fight Club. What fucking amateur acting class doesn't? Still feels like a humiliation ritual, to be honest.
Maybe because Naruto is the one who has got to be the most open and earnest here. Or because he is normal.
Two guys to his right have so much fun with their roles, parroting, "The first rule of Project Mayhem…" while to his left, the tiny theatre hall is sparsely filled with people taking the scene apart with their eyes.
And in front, like a punishment, are dark eyes laughing at him.
Naruto thought he had gotten lucky being assigned a scene with the only other guy who seemingly understood the inherent silliness of the class. When he heard that he would do a dialogue with Sasuke, he couldn't hold in a sigh of relief, because the guy clearly hated the gaudy shit instructor Gai usually makes them do, so it should have been easy.
Alas-
"This is as much mine as yours."
Sasuke smirks, barely visible. It is an acceptable gesture for the scene. Still, Naruto gets a haunting impression that Sasuke does not care to try acting one bit and instead is making fun of him.
The way he holds his script with a relaxed hand is removed, too far and above the undeserving and the uninitiated. The dark eyes barely look at the page before coming up and looking Naruto up and down. "Is this a needlepoint club? Is this about you and me?"
For some reason, Naruto is more irritated than required for a scene. Instead of pacifying, his tone is scathing, "You know what I mean."
Sasuke inclines his head to the side. What is also annoying is that when Naruto tried to say no to a stupid costume, Gai put him in one by force – but when Sasuke barely frowned at the leather jacket prepped for him, it immediately disappeared. What the fuck are those double standards?
Naruto adjusts the prickling collar, the cheap thread tickling and aggravating him.
"What do you want? A statement of purpose?"
"Look…"
"Should I email you?" comes out venomously from Sasuke, and Naruto is stunned for a second. Either he is a stellar actor, or he just fucking hates Naruto. The tone makes the hair stand up at the back of his neck, even though it is not exactly one that would fit Tyler Durden. "Should I put this on your action item list?"
After all, Gai chose the scene and these roles for them because of the irony. Highlighted the initial description of the characters, "Tyler is blond, handsome, and Jack, brunette, is appealing in a dry sort of way…" and told them to switch and see where the scene takes them. It is a good exercise if it were done anywhere else.
The scene goes on. It is comically short, but the whole time Sasuke barely takes his eyes off Naruto, which makes him nervous without a particular reason. Naruto forgets the line and has to look back at the script, but doesn't miss the uptick of Sasuke's lips, the self-satisfied grin like he just won the staring contest that wasn't announced, and Naruto's hackles rise.
"If you died right now, how would you feel about your life?" Despite the tension, Sasuke smiles while asking the question. Naruto is one bitten tongue away from a growl.
"I would feel nothing about my life! Is that what you wanna hear?!" he raises his voice, but somehow it feels too played-up, too tacky. He can't help but feel as if he lost. Chewed the hell out of the scene and with a fucking Jack at that.
Script lowered to his side, Sasuke stretches his neck to the side and back, and delivers, quietly, "I want to hear the truth."
It hits Naruto in that moment.
"Damn," he mumbles, his own script forgotten for a moment as well, "we should kiss."
Sasuke's hand spasms on his paper. His eyes widen and immediately narrow.
"…What?"
"BRAVO!" The loudest single clap starts right at the edge of the stage, and Gai jumps onto it as usual: without using his hands and with an audible grunt. He comes over and claps Sasuke on the back so severely, the guy almost stumbles, which – thank God – distracts him from the abysmal flush on Naruto's face. He didn't mean to say that out loud.
"Phenomenal job, my young students!" Gai declares. "With the scene and with observations! I knew you would understand the chemistry!" he winks at Naruto as if understanding the homoerotic tension of Fight Club is something that needs an IQ above average.
No, that was not it. What Naruto meant…
As Sasuke tries to escape the arm around his shoulders, and Naruto attempts to dislodge a foot from his mouth, the sharp overhead lighting turns up, and cops enter the building with little warning.
Naruto is not good with the police. He gets antsy easily and is a bad liar. He also is jumpy around any figures in uniform due to less than an ideal childhood, so usually, even if he doesn't have anything to hide, he behaves fucking sketchy. He expects to draw suspicion no matter what he says, always.
What he doesn't realize is that he is in a perfect place to blend right in.
When Maito Gai finds out that one of his students has gone missing, he is flabbergasted. Astonished. Appalled. Horrified, even.
The feelings are big and loud, and Gai begs to stay in the tiny office–turned–makeshift–interrogation room for moral support of his students while the officers take the statements. He gets shoved out of the door as soon as they are done with his interview, and Gai stands with his ear to the door, trying to stay understanding of the craft of fellow artists – artists of the law, that is. However, they are doing him such an unfortunate disservice by frankly crapping on his experience.
"Remember!" Gai yells, clinching to Naruto's shoulders like a mussel to a boat's underbelly, before he goes in for his interview. "You have to remember every – single – thing! This is what we talked about: the once-in-a-lifetime experience you will pull from for the rest of your acting career. Remember every emotion and most importantly – remember every word that is said there and don't forget to share it with your favourite teacher!"
It is a terrific experience for the students, according to Gai, externally. Internally, he prays that these kids remember everything and that he gets records from them in time. He will be the first to get the rights for that documentary script when the time comes.
Ah, what a script it would be…
Quite a nonsensical one, actually. Something like…
INT. – COMMUNITY THEATRE OFFICE – DAY
Two officers take turns interviewing theatre class STUDENTS in the dirty office full of various props, messy paperwork and other general junk covering all surfaces. It is worth noting that every single wall of the office has posters with exclusively BRUCE LEE on them. The same glass of TAP WATER is offered to every student without rinsing between uses.
OFFICER 1
What do you know about Kabuto Yakushi?
KANKURO
That he was a fucking narc.
Officer 1 and OFFICER 2 exchange glances. Officer 2 raises an eyebrow.
OFFICER 2
Was?
KANKURO
Well, I assume that we wouldn't have cops here if the fucker was still alive, no? Serves him right.
Officer 1 starts writing in their notepad rapidly.
OFFICER 1
Alright, let's dial it back a bit.
CUT TO:
INO YAMANAKA
I have no idea who that is.
OFFICER 2
According to our records, you've been attending the same class as him for about five months.
INO
And? Am I supposed to remember extras now?
CUT TO:
NARUTO UZUMAKI
Is something bad happening?
OFFICER 2
Just a routine interview. There is no need to be this nervous, buddy.
NARUTO
Oh? Me? Nervous? Oh, no, I'm not nervous!
Officer 1 pushes the glass of TAP WATER closer to Naruto. When Naruto picks it up, his hand is SHAKING visibly. He puts it down immediately.
OFFICER 2
Look, it's gonna be faster and easier if you just answer us truthfully and go on about your day.
NARUTO
Y-yeah! Okay, I can do that!
OFFICER 1
Are you sure you are alright? You are getting pale.
NARUTO
Y-yes! Tip-top shape, I am! Full normal!
OFFICER 2
Full normal?
NARUTO
Ugh... It's nothing to do with this, I'm just in a weird headspace right now.
OFFICER 1
Anything specific on your mind?
NARUTO
It is really stupid. I just can't stop thinking about how I fucking blurted out that we should kiss to Sasuke! What kind of idiot am I? Just about when I thought that maybe, maybe once in my fucking life I could make friends with someone who actually shares views with me, I go and make a fool of myself so stupidly! Like, sure, he's hot, but it doesn't mean I have to make everything about kissing?! Who said I even would want to kiss him? I never said that! I just said we should! Because I recognize good chemistry and tension when there is one in a scene, and I couldn't help myself, which is dumb, yes, but still explainable! Yes, I will say exactly that. And if he has something to say back, I'll tell him to get his mind out of the gutter! Let him be embarrassed for once! Yeah!
OFFICER 2
Are you done?
NARUTO
Oh, yeah..? Sorry about that, and thank you for letting me run with my thoughts. This has been eating me the whole time I waited outside. Couldn't fucking hear what Gai screamed at me at the door; the screaming in my brain overpowered it.
OFFICER 1
We have a missing person here, by the way. Whenever you are ready.
NARUTO
Oh sorry! You are right, we have more important things at hand. I guess Old Pervert's books did melt my brain a little. I'm not as fast as I would expect myself to be.
OFFICER 2
Who the hell is Old Pervert?
OFFICER 1
Really?
OFFICER 2
Why not?
NARUTO
That's my great uncle. He basically raised me after I lost my parents. That's just a nickname from ages ago when he made me read all that porn in middle school.
Officer 1 and Officer 2 slowly raise their eyebrows. Naruto's eyes widen with further EMBARRASSMENT.
NARUTO
Wait, that sounds so bad! I am so sorry, and please forget I said that. I was completely normal, and no one made me read anything, goddamn, can I just not say stuff for a fucking second?! Please let's just forget about my uncle.
CUT TO:
KIBA INUZUKA
Was he the dork with the glasses? He smelled like fucking hand sanitizer.
OFFICER 2
Oh…kay?
KIBA
I have a very sensitive nose, y'know. Smell anythin' and everythin' several feet away. And barely any allergies, can you imagine that? I could be working for you guys instead of those tracking dogs if I wanted to. But unfortunately for you, my true calling is acting.
OFFICER 1
So, to return to Kabuto.
KIBA
Oh yeah! Well, I know I said no allergies, but a sensitive nose is still sensitive, right? Every time he got close, that fucking smell almost burned my nostrils from the inside. Brought actual tears, not even joking, man. But! It played in our favour when we did that Bladerunner exercise. I'm not good with crying on command, but this just did it. Gai looked so proud. This is when I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be. This is what it is all about, you know..? But anyway, you should search by the god-awful stench of hand sanitizer. You're welcome.
Officer 1 and Officer 2 both look at the notepad in Officer 1's hands, where nothing has been written since the start of the interview, besides the name of the student. Silence stretches for about five noticeable seconds.
OFFICER 2
Alright. Back to the actual questions. When did you see him last?
KIBA
Don't remember.
OFFICER 1
What was your last conversation about?
KIBA
No idea. Was long ago.
OFFICER 2
Anything else you remember at all – besides the smell?
KIBA
Nope.
OFFICER 1
Jesus Christ.
CUT TO:
SASUKE
I am not talking without my lawyer present.
OFFICER 2
C'mon kid, this is just a short interview for a good cause. No need for this.
Sasuke crosses his arms at his chest, looking at the officer. His face is altogether devoid of any emotion.
OFFICER 2
You know this makes you look more suspicious in a case where otherwise you wouldn't even-
OFFICER 1
That's okay. He has the right, and he knows it.
(To Sasuke)
And we respect it.
OFFICER 2
Sure. Can you get your lawyer on the call, or do you need him to be here and hold your hand through it, too?
Sasuke does not answer, but the spark in his eyes suggests he successfully held back an impulse to make a very inappropriate gesture.
CUT TO:
SAI
I am pretty sure he was a med student or something, no?
OFFICER 1
(Under their breath) fucking finally… Yes, you are correct. Were you well acquainted?
SAI
No. But I always keep records on people around me, so I can separate them.
OFFICER 2
What do you mean by separate?
SAI
I have this condition. I have trouble distinguishing people's faces, so I have to rely on other clues to ensure I don't insult others. People love taking offence when I tell them they are unremarkable.
OFFICER 2
So you remembered him by his primary occupation? Was he talking about it a lot?
SAI
Not particularly, no. Or if he was, I didn't listen. However, he did have this prominent alcohol smell about him, as if he showered in sanitizer…
OFFICER 1
Of course the only matching point we have is a goddamn sanitizer.
SAI
..And Master always told me to be on higher alert with medics. Said they are in the same boat as cops but sharper. No offence.
OFFICER 1
Damn.
OFFICER 2
Master? Who is that?
SAI
Master is Master.
OFFICER 2
Is that a name or a title?
SAI
I guess it could be a title… It is how Master was to be referred to when he took care of my brother and me.
OFFICER 1
Okay. Any other information you think you could give us on Yakushi?
SAI
Maybe he outlived his use?
OFFICER 2
What do you mean?
SAI
Just thinking. Master always said you can't live longer than you are useful. That's why he removed my brother when he got sick.
OFFICER 1
Wait- Back up. When you say removed…
CUT TO:
SAKURA HARUNO
Am I under oath?
OFFICER 1
Here we go again…
OFFICER 2
Do you remember taking an oath?
SAKURA
You don't have to be mean about it. I just had a question.
OFFICER 1
I apologize for my partner. Sorry about that. But more importantly… Why ask? Are you planning to lie?
SAKURA
Kabuto is… He is an interesting person. We didn't speak much, but he studied at the same school I go to. I study pharmacy, and these courses are recommended by one of our less popular professors as a way to let out pent-up stress. I never really spoke to him about it, but I assumed that was why he was here. Same as Sasuke. Although I don't know how Sasuke would get the recommendation, he shouldn't have had that prof since he wasn't in medical…
OFFICER 2
So you think he came here by recommendation? Is there anything that you actually know? Did he tell you anything about himself?
Sakura visibly hesitates.
SAKURA
I… am not sure, to be completely honest.
OFFICER 2
What do you mean?
CUT TO:
DEIDARA
So I slashed his tires once, so what!
OFFICER 2
You did what?
DEIDARA
Motherfucker owes me money! What else was I supposed to do?!
OFFICER 1
Anything else? Talk to him, maybe?
DEIDARA
Easy for you to say in hindsight! Anyways, get your fucking asses up and look for him, maybe? The fuck are you paid for? Find the bitch so I can get my shit back, or I'm not responsible for what I'm gonna do!
OFFICER 2
God help us.
CUT TO:
GAI
Does it matter what his story is, really?
OFFICER 1
For the purposes of this investigation, yes–
GAI (Speaking over)
No! Absolutely not! This is what I tell my students, always. Where they come and what they lived through should not define them. They define themselves, they decide who they are, and that existence is so fluid and free! This is what youth, what art is! Their experience is the vast ether they pull from, and does it matter if some part of it is truthful or fake? As long as they feel it, it is all true.
OFFICER 1
That is a very liberal use of the word 'truth'…
GAI
My talented students are all but vessels! Well, not all of them are that talented, but it's not up to me to show them the harsh reality, even though some of them could really use a bit of that... But most of them are promising! As long as I show them the light and inspire, I have done my work. Also, if you want detailed profiles on all of these guys, I'm more than happy to help you with the investigation. A buddy of mine from high school went on to be a private investigator, so I am myself somewhat of an arm of the law…
OFFICER 2
No, you are not.
GAI
And if you would like to share more about yourselves, I'll be more than happy to give your characters more depth and involvement in the script… You know, me sitting in on these interviews with my young protégés would really help that.
OFFICER 2
What in the world are you talking about?
GAI
The documentary script, of course! These are all the rage right now! You, my friends, are going to be stars!
OFFICER 1
I cannot emphasize this enough: no thank you. And you are not allowed to talk about the details of this investigation with anyone.
GAI
Sure thing, but I can write it and keep it, right? Just for me, and maybe until you give me a green light. I fully respect and admire the work you do, guys. Also, if I ever need a read-over, young Naruto is an editor, and I'm sure he would be happy to assist. With the kind of work he gets right now, he would be over the moon to finally get something with value… Don't tell him I said that, actually.
OFFICER 2
One of your students had gone missing. Do you even care?
GAI
Deeply and so, so passionately. I'd recommend keeping written notes like your partner over there if long conversations are getting difficult to retain. Handwritten notes greatly help my students. Sometimes I'll get them to copy their scripts in their own handwriting and then exchange with their partner to get the feel of each other better. People who get Naruto as a partner usually have a harder time, though. For a boy who grew up with a writer, he has truly an abysmal penmanship…
CUT TO:
SASORI
This place is like a cult. They all talk about the vulnerable stuff and overshare constantly, but I don't think the majority actually listens. You can say anything at all, and they will dissect it and discuss the scene for the next thirty minutes without retaining a word of what you said. Gai doesn't help. But also, what do you expect? This is the cheapest class in the area, not a therapy group.
OFFICER 1
Do you listen then?
SASORI
I enjoy the feeling of a small theatre. I don't want to listen to someone who wouldn't have a conversation with me. Not worth the time and effort. But back to Kabuto. He was actually one of the decent people here. I thought he stopped coming because he finally got his life together and realized this place doesn't give you anything.
OFFICER 2
So you spoke often?
SASORI
We took our smoke breaks in the alley between the buildings. He didn't like talking about himself much. Always had mint gum and sanitizer on him, like he wanted to hide that he smoked. He took an extra-long one after we wrapped, as if reluctant to go home. Not saying anything, I don't want to assume about other people's family situation... But I would look closer there if I were you.
OFFICER 1
We will. Thank you. You've actually been a great help today.
SASORI
My pleasure. I hope you'll find him, and that he is okay.
OFFICER 2
We will. And he is going to be, we are sure of it.
SASORI
If you say so.
INT. – HALLWAY OUTSIDE GAI'S OFFICE – NIGHT
Sasuke is the last to get out of his interview, the only one from the amateur troupe to have an actual lawyer who needed some time to get on a call with him. The sun has gone down outside, yielding time and space to a slightly chill, dusty night.
The lights in the hallway are partially turned off, and Sasuke is ready to get out, but his steps stop when he sees a person seated on the bench several paces before him.
"You were done more than an hour ago," he informs Naruto, who raises a hand with an awkward smile at him.
"Yeah, but you weren't done, and you looked kinda stressed, so I thought I'd wait up. Could you be nice for once and say thank you?"
Sasuke turns his chin up and walks past him, "You have no idea what I feel. Stop projecting, you look stupid."
"Hey! Have you ever considered not being a jerk to people around you? I got you coffee and all." Naruto points at a tiny cardboard cup from the coffee vending machine in the sketchy corner by the boiler room. Sasuke has never tried this one, but the smell of it seeped through the walls and became the natural musk of the building throughout the years and generations of aspiring artists who inevitably fail to make it. The thought is comically morbid, but a gesture is unusual and makes Sasuke stop once again.
He turns and steps back to the bench, extending an expectant hand forward. Naruto scrambles to hand him the cup with wide eyes, surprised that the phrase worked.
It takes every ounce of god-awful acting skills that Sasuke has (never acquired in this building; he would rather die than let himself be taught anything in these stupid classes) not to spit the coffee back into the cup upon the first sip.
"And besides being such a good person, I got roped into closing this thing up," Naruto adds, standing up and stretching his shoulders, while Sasuke goes through several rounds of wrestling with his own gag reflex as it tries to own him with a chair maneuver. "This thing took a while, and Gai said he had stuff to do, so he left me the keys."
Sasuke would scoff or call him a pushover if his jaw was not currently kept hostage by the most vile aftertaste he had ever experienced. Naruto yawns, stretching his arms above his head and leaning to the side, and the way he does it so openly leaves Sasuke looking at him.
They've known more of each other than they actually have any real connection, just like everyone else in this place. They've attended the same class and have done god knows what for an hour and a half at a time every Thursday evening for more than eight weeks now, but this was the first one where they actually talked to each other. With the scene being assigned to them, they had to have a talk, and Naruto had been so stubborn and frustratingly serious about it, too. But on the stage earlier today, he was so earnest, seemed so genuine that Sasuke couldn't look away – he had to keep looking at him.
The same is happening now.
"One more thing!" Naruto turns back from locking up various prop storages and the office door, and Sasuke pretends not to look his way. "My car died in the parking lot, so I was hoping you would actually give me a ride."
"Take the train."
"I could, but now that you accepted a gift from me, you legally have to do me a favour."
It is the sarcastic tone he says it with that catches Sasuke's attention. The implication that legality is something to be laughed at.
Sasuke swallows the sour aftertaste in his mouth, not recognizing the metallic tinge of the hook, line and sinker that sneak in at the same time.
"Are you hungry?" Naruto asks in the car, using Gai's building keys instead of a fidget toy. The large ring has so many keys, all labelled with colourful stickers, several keychains and the green-and-orange lanyard that begs to be stolen. The jingling is unbearable. "Of course you are! You just spent hours in there, you are starving!"
"Don't put words in my mouth," Sasuke sighs, and Naruto doesn't miss a beat.
"You are right! I got something better to put there!" He leans over and starts pointing at the road ahead. "Turn left after this street. I know the best ramen place in town!"
"We aren't stopping for ramen, Naruto," Sasuke pushes back, figuratively and literally, pushing him away from the steering wheel so he doesn't try to take over and end it for both of them then and there.
"Yes, we are! It's on the way, I promise!"
"No. You are going home, and I'm going home, and we never talk again."
"What a sad little plan. I disagree."
"Nobody asked you."
"Not true! This is about the two of us, so I have fifty percent say, and I say nah!"
Sasuke stops at a red light, and Naruto tries to nudge his elbow. The retaliation is immediate and doesn't hold back in force. Naruto yelps at his slapped wrist, yanking it back.
"What for? Asshole!"
"Don't piss me off."
"Well, hard not to do when pissed is your factory setting! Didn't you learn anything from our scene? This is as much mine as yours, silly!"
Naruto extends a tentative finger, trying either to poke or point somewhere, but Sasuke immediately swats it away. He turns back and clenches the wheel, waiting for the light to change.
"There are zero lessons about collaboration in Fight Club. The only thing that it ever teaches is that all men are miserable and lonely and will always be, no matter what they try. The only thing they can affect is whether they self-destruct with minimal collateral damage or take down as much around them as possible." Sasuke grits out, frustration bubbling up.
"Jesus, someone needs a hug here. Have you always been this-"
And then it bursts.
"And what the fuck did you mean by saying we should kiss over there?!" Sasuke demands, whirling on Naruto.
"Uh…" Naruto blinks. Sasuke inhales, the stress of a confrontation he was not ready for slowly catching up with him.
The car behind them honks as loud as a steamboat, startling them both.
They eat ramen in relative silence, surrounded by a lively bustle of the small venue.
They barely address the fact that they just found out the guy from their class had gone missing, and it kind of starts wearing Naruto out. He holds off for as long as he can because something tells him that the more he tries to speak with Sasuke, the more corners he gets chased into, but he can't help it.
"Why did they hold you there for so long anyway?" he asks instead of acknowledging the elephant in the room. Or the second elephant– the kissing convo, that is.
Sasuke keeps looking down at the outer edge of his bowl, barely eating.
"They were interested in how I apparently went to the same uni as the guy. The fact that I refused to talk without legal representation didn't help their attitude."
"Did you really?" Naruto gets out in between chewing a piece of pork. Sasuke's eyes flick up to look him over, and he shrugs.
"Apparently. I found out when they asked me about it."
"Fuck."
"Yeah."
"Did they give you a lot of shit?"
Sasuke reaches for a glass of water. He moves his body like tuning an instrument – every next move more confident, blending more with the atmosphere.
The place is Naruto's favourite for a reason – you can always rely on getting lost in here. The place is small but so full of life, and always has at least a couple of tables filled, with the old man working hard at the boiling pots, creating a melody of its own. It is a place where you don't feel anxious, never feel quite alone, and no one pays you any mind. Perfect background to blend into.
Naruto catches the moment when Sasuke's body starts adjusting to the rhythm of the place. He unfolds, as if imperceptibly settling into his own posture instead of a facade. One elbow comes onto the table, hand going through his dark hair, sweeping it back for a moment. In the warm interior full of aromatic steam, Sasuke undoes one button at the top of his dark shirt.
Naruto sweeps the salt from the corner of his lips with his tongue, and his own water looks undeniably cold and crisp. He reaches for it, unknowingly mimicking Sasuke.
"They tried, but it's not like I would let them," Sasuke finally answers, rolling his neck and resting his cheek in his palm after. He looks at Naruto. "I am not stupid to say more than strictly necessary."
Naruto swallows.
"Is that a dig?"
"Why would it be?"
"I just wonder if the walls are so thin you could hear my interview, and now you are mocking me."
A subtle expression flickers over Sasuke's face, gone in a blink.
"What did you tell them?"
Naruto immediately wishes he had ordered a beer for this conversation. He laughs and tries to deflect, "Nothing incriminating really. Just was so flustered, I accidentally implied my great uncle made me read a whole lot of porn as a kid."
Sasuke raises an eyebrow.
"Which technically is not fully untrue, but could have been worded better. Please don't look at me like that. He wrote those smutty novels for a living. I was an orphan that he took in, and he made me earn my first actual money by sitting me down and making me proofread some of his drafts, and it was borderline slapstick anyway. That way, he could put my name on the papers, and I still get royalties for those books to this day. It was a good thing, but there is no way to explain it quickly."
"You just did," Sasuke tells him, his voice barely above the noise around them, and the way Naruto had to almost read his lips to understand makes him believe for a second that the tone was soft, a gentle reassurance. He knows better than holding on to that.
"Yeah, well, guess my nerves got the better of me." He sniffs good-naturedly. The place is very warm, and Naruto starts to feel the sweat building up at his hairline; his scalp seems itchier. He shakes his head and starts rolling up the sleeves of his T-shirt up his arms to open up some skin and have something to do with his hands.
He finished his bowl several minutes ago, but Sasuke stubbornly ignores his own half-full portion and chooses to look at Naruto instead. It is the same look he had on stage, something raw there, something that makes Naruto's skin crawl.
"You get nervous around police?" Sasuke asks. Naruto shrugs.
"Uniform in general. As I said," he gestures towards his chest with a thumb, "orphan. Shoplifted and did other stuff a whole lot growing up. Got caught a fair amount, and people have their unique ideas of what a life lesson should look like. Left me generally jumpy for good. But like… who isn't, right?"
Sasuke's thin eyebrows slide into a frown, the fluid motion of it hits Naruto with surprise. He suddenly realizes that he abysmally overshared with a guy whom he spoke to probably like three times before. And despite it all, he wanted Sasuke to have a good impression of him. So Naruto does what he does best and raises his voice, redirecting anywhere away from himself.
"But anyway! Yeah, no, I think whatever I said wouldn't be as bad as some of these guys. Did you hear the sounds Deidara made in there?"
Sasuke rolls his eyes, but Naruto is unsure if he does it at the memory or at the clumsy change of subject. He pushes through anyway, "And did you hear Gai? Whatever script he was going on about, I almost felt bad for the officers…" he hangs his head and laughs to himself. "Sometimes I wonder if he just plays it up. Maybe he is an acting genius, and this teacher character is the convoluted project he is doing. And one day he'll reveal that he's actually remarkably normal…"
He waits for a laugh, but it doesn't come. His eyes go up, but the moment they meet Sasuke's – still looking right into him, damn – they shy away and focus on the half-eaten bowl instead. Usually, when he used to go out to eat with Iruka or Jiraiya, Naruto would fight them for their bowl without hesitation. Or at least would make a show of ordering seconds on Iruka's tab, claiming Iruka is to pay for whatever Naruto finishes before he's done with his first bowl. It was fun and a way to make them laugh, but something tells Naruto that these rituals would be frowned upon by people with a classic understanding of table etiquette.
But why did he stop eating? Would it be in bad taste to order seconds while Sasuke completely ignores his own meal? Or does he want to go home already and is waiting for Naruto to shut the fuck up?
"Is it bad?" Naruto asks, nodding at the bowl, and he sounds so much more dejected than he aimed for. The immediate urge to break his own nose against the table captures him like a canine jaw at his throat.
Sasuke blinks down for a second and returns his gaze to Naruto. There is a slight sheen of sweat at his eyebrow, something Naruto focuses on instead of trying to overanalyze the expression in the eyes below it.
"I like to enjoy my food gradually. I take my time with it," Sasuke answers after a measured beat, and Naruto suspects that the answer encapsulates more than just his food philosophy. He swallows the buildup of fluid at the base of his tongue and tries to find something else to say. The hunger is not there anymore, but a funny kind of anxiety settles in Naruto's stomach, vibrating in random impulses. He can sense a shift, like a change of pace, a dead end approaching in a turn or two, the inevitability of being cornered at the tip of his tongue.
"You say normal," Sasuke picks up, answering the joke instead of laughing at it, and Naruto can sense a question before it comes. The damn magnifying glass unveiling and focusing its eye right on him. "It's like you are aware that the place is not very promising in terms of education. If you consider yourself better than that place, what are you doing there?"
The question could be read as condescending. However, in the short time Naruto had this heart-to-heart with Sasuke, he realized that if Sasuke wants to hurt, he makes it achingly obvious. Venom is something he has in spades, curling just under his skin, nurtured, brewed to perfect concentration.
The question lacks the bitterness to be sarcastic, and Naruto recognizes this odd sincerity in it, which catches him off guard, stuttering.
The look directed solely at him across the stage, dark and raw and so unfamiliar to Naruto he had to fight it. Curiosity. That's what it is.
An unusual, quiet and intense. It is a genuine interest that looks at him from Sasuke's eyes, something catching on him and unable to let go.
It is terrifying.
"Could've asked you the same thing," Naruto diverts immediately, laughing a little louder than he should. The humid heat of the place is getting to him. He leans forward to resist the wish to run away. Prove it's not real. "In fact, I will. If you are the only smart one with your life figured out enough to have a lawyer on call and so, so cool for rehearsing a fucking scene with me, what the fuck are you doing here?"
In the class, in the interrogation until the last minute, on the stage, looking at me and asking me questions like you actually care to hear an honest answer. Humouring me instead of laughing at me.
Sasuke smiles and leans just a tiny bit forward. Something wild jumps in Naruto's throat, and for a blink, his smile stops being genuine and gains a millimetre in width and a drop towards panic. Sasuke's hand comes up neatly, no movement wasted, no unnecessary motion, and tucks his own hair behind his ear. Fluidly, with the same smile, Sasuke leans down and resumes eating his noodles with a satisfied hum.
Naruto swallows.
Fucker.
True to his word, Sasuke takes his time with food. It is an elegant sight, and Naruto is briefly mesmerized by the way the man in front of him inhabits his own body so freely and confidently. As if every move Sasuke makes is perfected in defiance of something unseen, imperceptible.
Naruto catches himself staring and focuses on his water instead. Pours them refills from the pitcher, ice clanking against glass like a chime.
Sasuke nods a thank you and takes a borderline hedonistic sip of iced water before speaking, "I am obligated to."
With no elaboration. Naruto almost barks a laugh out.
"The hell do you mean? Is it a bet situation or are you being blackmailed or something?"
A smile on Sasuke's face is so light, but it turns his whole face into something new and so soft. Naruto realizes his breath has been getting shallower, and that he focused too much on fragments, because suddenly he notices the whole of Sasuke's face and the flush on his cheekbones, the light dimple accentuated by a smile, and he has to take a deep breath, inhaling the steam with a rich smell of broth and herbs. He sees and he, for the life of him, can't remember what brought on this expression, but he knows he will spend the rest of the evening trying to bring it back.
Sasuke hums a humoured breath like Naruto said a joke, and Naruto knows he didn't, but goddamn.
"Did you know," Sasuke lowers his voice, returning his cheek to his palm, and on instinct, Naruto leans forward just a bit to hear better. The noise around fluctuates, and Naruto finds himself looking at all of Sasuke's face so intensely so that he can read his lips if needed, to miss absolutely nothing. "That these community classes technically count as anger management courses? And can be approved by a judge if you got ordered a program?"
A smile falls off Naruto.
"What happened?"
Sasuke keeps smiling, even if it's barely there anymore, not as animated as seconds ago. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"No, I'm serious," Naruto says, inclining his head. He doesn't know why his first reaction is worry for Sasuke, but he can't help it.
Again, something so small and sharp comes and goes in a moment, an emotion that flows through Sasuke, passing by without leaving a trace to identify it. He sighs and picks up his chopsticks again.
"You should see your face. It is quite-"
"Stupid, silly, hilarious – I know," Naruto interrupts, counting off possible options and gestures for Sasuke to get to the point. Sasuke looks at him pointedly.
"Concerned. Is the word I wanted to use. You look concerned when you shouldn't be. It is a nonsense story that is supposed to teach me something when all I learned was how to find loopholes better and make them look stupid."
The anxious beat returns, this time dropping a single blow to the center of Naruto's chest. Concerned.
Sasuke talks like they are on the same team, even though Naruto gives him every reason to tease him. The feeling is strange, and for a second, Naruto stops hearing, wondering if this feeling is what being in on the same joke feels like.
Being included and corrected in such a gentle way by someone who proved to be so sharp when he wishes. Naruto marvels at the kindness and feels so out of his depth since he's done nothing to deserve it.
"And I am still learning," Sasuke continues with a tone that implies this same inside joke, letting Naruto in on something private, allowing him close. The fear, that stupid shirt that he wore like his own body – clumsy and itchy from every glance directed straight at him, the notepad with embarrassing records, the missing person case, and the hesitation to be seen – it all falls away and leaves one thing in the quiet.
The stage, the hot white lights, the whole world away. The eyes across from him and the look with unexpressed questions rapidly coming up to the surface.
The curiosity.
"What are you learning?" Naruto finds himself asking, barely audible.
Sasuke reads his lips anyway.
"How to have fun. I am learning how to enjoy it, Naruto."
"JOURNAL OF ARDENCY" BY CLASS ACTRESS comes on as WE:
CUT TO BLACK.
CREDITS.